interesting, funny "to the point" show on NPR today. the topic: obama mania.
parenthisis mine; quotes in quotes, the rest is paraphrased.
"he's dreamy," says popular LA times columnist joel stein, on his admiration of obama.
joel says he feels embarrassed for supporting obama. he's just a politician, he says, but he finds himself weeping over his speeches. joel's supporting him but has that nagging feeling that he might be let down. (i have to admit i've thought about that, too. that everything is such a mess that there is no way that someone can fix it. but i remind myself that he's the leader. he's not doing all the work. he'll have help! it's the intentions and the will that matters.)
joel's mother supports clinton.
"there's a longing in this country," says his mother. "people are longing for a sense of community." she says americans are projecting onto obama the longing after 7 years of putting up with bush. she says clinton is more credible.
joel says he understands his mother's view but....
"i hear him speak and i totally change my mind."
his mom: "i like barack obama... i'd like to have dinner with him. but i don't think he's ready to be our president."
matt lipman, advisor with obama campaign: obama has laid out his plan. "the substance is definitely there." when you're talking in a stadium, it's not a good idea to talk about policy minutae, he says.
his mom expresses her desire to have a woman president. (women need to get over this. picking a woman because she's a woman is defeating the purpose of equal rights. it's ironic. i heard someone say today that women who aren't voting for clinton are traitors. we would have an equal society if people could look past the body type and skin color.)
matt: obama will begin to get more detailed on his policy plans. obama's the better leader. (isn't this what we want?)
james, columnist us world news and world report adds: obama is proposing "liberal policies" (why is liberal bad? because it costs money? look at bush's trillion dollar budget. how much has he spent on the war?).
james: clinton is not the "substance candidate." obama has plenty of details (just read his blueprint). most people say they want to hear more substance but they don't want to be overwhelmed with details. (i'm sure few have read his blueprint) both candidates' healthcare plans cover more people than are covered now.
obama more likely to raise taxes on wealthy -- clinton not as likely. the differences between them though, isn't that much.
matt: with iraq, there are no good answers at this point. how long are we going to stay without a political solution? maybe a withdrawl would force a political reconciliation.
james: obama more aggressive that clinton on withdrawing troops.
