GOP4OBAMA.ORG: Recent Comments

Comment on About the Blog Author

Suzanne Fluhr — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 04:41:10 GMT

I was so heartened to come upon this blog. After the last 8 years, some people consider the term "thinking Republican" to be an oxymoron, but some of my best friends are Republicans. I live in the Philly suburbs and I'm happy to report that the Obama lawn signs are running 10 to 1 vs. McCain/Palin lawn signs even though a lot of us earn enough (thank G-d) that our income tax will be increased under the Obama plan. Ironically, it's mostly the "Joe the Plumbers" that don't "get it".

Comment on Republicans for Obama a Return to Traditional GOP Values

Fremon — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:41:31 GMT

As a Democrat, I have often wondered what happened to the Republican party and why was it taken over by the right wingnuts,religious right, NRA,Bushes and Palin? Could they not have seen what has happened to our country under that Republican banner? The Republicans I knew wanted fiscal responsibilty, smaller (not ineffective) government, and had leaders of principles and integrity (for me that was Eisenhower), or a least preached that.
Now is the time to put country first and Vote for Obama. In all our hearts we know he is better for our nation. He may not be perfect but he is the better choice at this time. Come home to America and let all of us make this a better nation for our children. Let's leave those who follow something about which to be proud. I am a former Jr. Officer Naval Officer and was active from 1960-1964 and I believe I know how to put America first. Bless us all.

Comment on About the Blog Author

Groo — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:16:49 GMT

Right with you, buddy. Voted for Bush in two elections (deeply regretting it now). This year I'm going Obama.

Comment on Republicans for Obama a Return to Traditional GOP Values

mythical votr — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:03:24 GMT

I'm pro-choice, but I think it's time we do better in reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions. We can work together to solve this problem if we don't allow extremists to polarize us.

Comment on About the Blog Author

Ken — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:23:58 GMT

John McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin illustrates the critical role of judgment in evaluating political candidates. Until he hijacked Barack Obama’s theme of “Change,” John McCain frequently insisted that he had the experience and judgment to be a better president than Obama. Notice that he and most other politicians seem to refer to “experience” and “judgment” as two separate, if related, qualifications. Experience can be seen as the sum of one’s contact with life events, while judgment is being able to make good decisions on important issues, which does seem different.

Yet, if you take a step back and consider what experience actually does for a politician (or anyone, for that matter), you will find yourself focusing on judgment. Think about it. Experience by itself is of no use unless it improves judgment. In other words, judgment is the conduit through which experience affects our actions.

But, having lots of experience does not mean one has better judgment. There is the right kind of experience and the wrong kind of experience. Moreover, there are other influences on judgment, such as personality and intelligence. For example, impulsivity and a lack of intellectual curiosity can lead to a careless decision-making style that no amount of positive experience can fully overcome, resulting in poor judgment on important matters. (Obvious example: George W. Bush ). Conversely, being even-tempered, curious, analytical, and socially skilled can enhance judgment despite limited experience (Example: Abraham Lincoln). Thus, knowing a politician’s lifetime experience does not fully inform the voter as to the source of the politician’s judgment; one has to take all the politician’s qualities into consideration. And, of course, the best gauge of judgment is the politician’s past record of decision-making when faced with important issues, like going to war.

So, from the standpoint of voters, whose lives are impacted by the actions of a politician, what else matters but that politician’s judgment—whether or not he or she makes good decisions on important issues? And why should the voter care if that politician’s judgment comes mostly from experience or mostly from other qualities? Soldiers killed in a stupid war endorsed by a politician with lots of experience are still dead. An unprepared vice president chosen by a president with lots of experience is still unprepared to become president should that be necessary.

As the late Randy Pausch, professor at Carnegie-Mellon University, said in his “Last Lecture”, “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.” I am counting on both John McCain and Sarah Palin getting lots of that kind of experience this fall.

Comment on Republicans for Obama a Return to Traditional GOP Values

KEB — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:15:16 GMT

I never saw the GOP platform as anything more than let's get all the money, put as much in our bank accounts as possible, give the rest to the military industrials, bankers and developers, and let the great unwashables fight over the scraps, religion, the environment and other "foolish" issues of personal morality.
The Democrats always had a platform of diversity and addressing issues of concern directly. An actual sense of caring for the village now, and in the future.

The modern conservative political movement:

Too much idiot, not enough village.

Comment on Republicans for Obama a Return to Traditional GOP Values

Bobby — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:11:39 GMT

I'm with you. I voted for Bush in 2004, and almost immediately began regretting it, largely for the reasons you outline here. The GOP is no longer Grand, due to Bush, Cheney, Rove, et al. Perhaps I could once again vote for a future GOP ticket or platform, but not before the toxic deadwood is cleaned out.

Comment on Leach, Chafee, Hauser and the Party of Lincoln

Trees — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:03:39 GMT

Hi there- I don't blog or comment EVER, but am a passive observer/reader of lots of blogs and comments. I happened by your site and just wanted to say...I don't know. Thank you? The more I read the more I realize how nuanced every issue is and how I truly am "conservative" in some respects and "liberal" in others. Eg, I don't believe in big government either- but today's GOP does not seem to espouse any such conservative tenets and seems completely run by far right idealogues who specialize in tactics and not governance. This has really done our political system a disservice, and though I am a democrat in a blue state, I'd love to have a real debate on real issues with real, respectable, civil representatives from both sides make their cases. It hurts me as a patriot to see my country so bitterly divided and for every issue to be so quickly parsed into "our" side vs. "their" side. There are many Americans willing to listen to all sides-why must these election campaigns-and frankly, the government- be run like reality tv show contests? Neither side is blameless, but I agree with you that I do see hope in Obama-and I'm so glad to have had the chance to come across your website and extend a virtual hand in a handshake with you. We don't have to agree on everything, but at least we can be civil.

I really appreciate your efforts and wish you the best in trying to restore GOP respectability-I'm tired of being treated like an idiot whose voting tendencies can be predicted by polls. Nothing is that simple, and I welcome true, intelligent debate. Thanks.

Comment on Republicans for Obama a Return to Traditional GOP Values

MikeP — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:43:36 GMT

Nice website. It's good to have found at least a small locus of folks who have the same beliefs that I do. I've been a registered republican since college (late 80s) and since then, it's just been in steady decline, it seems. The religious contingents have gotten a hold of the leadership of the republican party and are using them for their own purposes. Or did I get it backwards? Doesn't matter. This whole phenomenon is perverting the values that traditional republicans have held dear.

You should put up a web store with bumper stickers with your logo. I'd buy one. Kind of like a perversion on the "Jews for Jesus" bumper-sticker campaign that's been going on. But different. Maybe not so subtly different.

I think Cafepress.com has a good offering to do this.

Good luck, and may our causes (and this country) be victorious.

Comment on About the Blog Author

PreteFunkEra — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:35:29 GMT

I'm not a republican or a relative of lincoln but I see the same things you see. It's refreshing actually. I'm tired of the Rove talking point robots that don't really follow politics.

Please tell your friends that Obama is the way to go. They shut out obvious non-republicans but they listen to you.