The candidate from Illinois is WOEFULLY INEXPERIENCED.

[UrbScotty]

I am utterly APPALLED that ANYONE would dare try telling us that the candidate from Illinois would make a good President.

These are serious times!!! America is divided like never before. Electing this rookie would cause nothing but continued chaos, strife, and division.

We cannot afford to elect a president whose "experience" consists of a brief stint in Congress!!

[MADem]

1. Wasn't sure who you meant there...seeing as both Obama and Clinton are from IL

Granted, the latter is from NY now, but roots do count for something!

[madrchsod]

15. roots?

both hillary and lincoln were young illinois republicans at one time in their lives...

[Buzz Clik]

2. Okay. You're appalled.

:shrug:

[MADem]

4. Did you miss the LINCOLN pic? It was a tongue in cheek remark... nt

[Buzz Clik]

14. ummm.... yeah, I did. An earlier thread had a similar (though serious) sentiment.

I guess I was quick on the trigger.

:blush:

[bluestateguy]

3. Republicans always seem to get a pass on the experience issue

Sometimes they even use their lack of experience as a plus:

(Turn up folksy Southern/Appalacian or Mountain West accent) "Well I'm not from Washington D.C..."

[MADem]

7. Yeah, Romney was a one term weak governor. Bush came from one of the

weakest governorships (those Texans aren't fools, they don't give their governor ANY real power) going.

They don't have to be FROM DC, but it would be helpful if they could find it on a map and understood what sort of government was in place there!!!

[blm]

9. It's the way the media has been set up since the 80s - they will spin anything

to protect the Republican, and it's just gotten worse since 1997, with 9-11 giving the corporate media the leeway to drop all pretense.

The corporate media will always protect the fascists and their agenda now - whether that agenda is attached to the Republican obvious face or the Democratic smiling face.

[babylonsister]

5. That's what they said about Lincoln!/That's what they said about Obama!

I have enjoyed this post-thank you!:D

[krispos42]

6. yeah, he hasn't learned how to screw the country or the citizenry yet

He must be defeated...

:sarcasm:

[BOSSHOG]

8. Yes we need experienced leaders like dick cheney

[Bluzmann57]

11. Shudder.

Man you shouldn't even joke about stuff like that. Eight years of him is already too much.

[BOSSHOG]

12. dick has been doing political damage to this country for more then 30 years

since Gerald Ford was president. I believe he is living proof that experience does not equal positive outcome at an enterprise. I want him to become an experienced prisoner before his days are done.

[SaveElmer]

10. I agree...his experience is not a reason to vote against him...but

It is certainly not a selling point in his favor...

[iamahaingttta]

13. Like I said on another thread...

I'm not a Civil War buff, and it's not my intention to dis Lincoln because I do believe his heart was in the right place, however...

I do seem to remember him having incompetent general after incompetent general running his war. It went on for four long years and hundreds of thousands of Americans killed each other. Isn't it possible that just maybe someone with more experience could have avoided that worst of national tragedies? Isn't it just possible that a different president could have convinced the south not to secede from the union, or negotiated something other than the deadliest war on this continent ever?

Just sayin'...

[madrchsod]

18. there were some in the north who were sympathetic to the south

and i`m going to let you guess what prominent family in new england was one of those sympathizers...

no there was`t anyone who could have stopped this war..

[Hippo_Tron]

20. It would've helped if the inauguration hadn't been in March of 1861

Seven states had already seceded by the time Lincoln was inaugurated. Buchanan, IMO, is the only President that even competes with George W Bush for worst President. He left Lincoln with a mess. The fact that Lincoln fixed that mess at all, even with all of the lives lost, is still amazing.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

16. Obama can't hold a candle to Lincoln

This common Obama supporter comparison is an instance of hero worship gone to an extreme. A candidate with no record is compared to arguably the greatest president in our history. :eyes: Obama has his strong points; Obama supporters should stick to them instead of portraying him as some god-like figure who is better than Lincoln, is the only one who can rise above "old politics", the first American who can "unite us", etc.

[madrchsod]

19. "instead of portraying him as some god-like figure

who is better than Lincoln, is the only one who can rise above "old politics", the first American who can "unite us", etc."

[UrbScotty]

25. I am NOT comparing Obama to Lincoln!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where do you come off with such an INSANE idea?!?!?!?!?!

My point is that I am sick oif teh bull$#!^ that we need to have a President with a lot of experience.

[The Magistrate]

17. Do Not Sell The Illinois State Senate Short, Sir

It is a cut-throat league. The state is large, and probably the one that best approximates in micro-cosm the nation as a whole, politically, economically, and socially.

[madrchsod]

23. you are correct

illinois is the most average state in the union. plus we have a corrupt state democratic party along with a democratic chicago machine that is even more corrupt than the state.. he`s earned his stripes in one of the toughest political machines in the country.

[Hippo_Tron]

34. As I recall, Obama ran against the machine selected candidates in the US Senate Primary

That's a pretty big accomplishment.

[Ellen Forradalom]

21. Touché!

K&R

[paulk]

22. well, electing Lincoln DID cause

"nothing but continued chaos, strife, and division." The election pretty much led directly to a civil war.

[Hippo_Tron]

35. 7 states had already seceded before Lincoln took office

And it wasn't exactly Lincoln who ordered the first shots fired at Fort Sumter. Lincoln was handed a ticking time bomb by the only President who can compete with George W Bush for worst President in history.

[paulk]

38. Before he took office, yes, but after he was elected.

In fact, those first seven states to succeed had warned they would leave the Union if Lincoln won the election. Point being - if the OP is trying to cast Obama in the mold of Lincoln as some kind of uniter, the OP is making a mistake, IMO. I don't mean that in a negative way toward either Lincoln or Obama, I'm just saying that one needs to be careful with these sort of comparisons.

[TwilightGardener]

24. Point well-taken!

[David Zephyr]

26. Great Post! Lincoln and Obama, both terrific leaders.

:thumbsup:

[Kingstree]

27. Being First Lady Is Not Presidential Experience

She only has a stint as a Senator so her experience is roughly equal to his. She was not President for eight years, BiLL Clinton was and don't think that Bill will be there to bail her out. Don't be fooled by the illusion of her.

[RufusTFirefly]

33. Thank you!

It amazes me that this is so often cited without hesitation as "presidential experience."

Hillary is probably the most qualified presidential relative since RFK. I think she'd probably make a crackerjack AG. But to cite her stint as First Lady as "presidential experience" seems like a stretch to say the least.

[zulchzulu]

28. Um, Obama has MORE experience than Clinton or Edwards

Obama
8 years with Illinois State Senate (not a "brief stint")
2+ years as Senator

Clinton
6 years as Senator
First Lady (zero legislative experience)

Edwards
4 years as Senator (although last year and a half were used for running for President)

If you want experience, choose Biden, Richardson or Dodd. If you want to look at what experience does, look at Dick Cheney or Don Rumsfeld.

[BlueStater]

29. Edwards was a senator for six years not four n/t

[Morgana LaFey]

30. Woefully inexperienced without the good grace (let alone good sense)

to either know it or acknowledge it.

Fortunately, I don't think he'll go the distance.

All I can say is I sure hope to God Gore gets in.

[hippiechick]

39. I am with you ....

:patriot:

[rufus dog]

31. Since you are utterly appalled

Who would your choice be based upon experience and the ability to minimize chaos, strife, and division?

HRC wouldn't fit the bill, you would have a hard time convincing me, let alone a rebublican that she would have the ability to unite the nation.

JE - Six years experience, some poor votes to answer for.

So is it Biden, Dodd, Richardson, Gore?

[Gregorian]

32. Rumor has it he paid an entire dollar to have his beard trimmed.

Great post. I can't believe things have not changed a bit.

[UrbScotty]

36. He WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

That is a crime against humanity. At least John Breckenridge didn't have the gall to do that!

[TeamJordan23]

37. Maybe his WOEFUL INEXPERIENCE caused him to OPPOSE the Iraq War from the start, huh?

Maybe we need more inexperience politicians.