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The Next President of the USA will be?

TULedHead

By TULedHead
in Ramble On

Who will win the Presidency in 2008?  

282 members have voted

  1. 1. Who Wins in 2008?

    • Hillary Clinton
      47
    • Rudy Giuliani
      9
    • John Edwards
      7
    • Mike Huckabee
      7
    • John McCain
      42
    • Barack Obama
      136
    • Ron Paul
      21
    • Mitt Romney
      9
    • Bill Richardson
      1
    • Fred Thompson
      3

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SteveAJones

SteveAJones

Posted
Posted

The Jerusalem Post

Aug 17, 2008

The audacity of resume-padding (or, why Obama makes things up)

One of the knocks on Barack Obama is that his résumé is, so to speak, paper-thin. But that is not entirely accurate. Obama, in fact, has held some major job titles which are noteworthy all by themselves: United States Senator, Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, Harvard Law Review President-each of these titles puts him in rarefied company. Tack on a few Illinois State Senate terms, and his resume actually appears solid. Yet, in spite of these prestigious positions, Obama has increasingly resorted to making claims of accomplishment that are so patently inflated that even his cheerleaders at CNN and the New York Times are taking notice. Why?

It seems that Obama recognizes that while his résumé titles are impressive, his actual accomplishments are weak. It's as if he were jockeying to be the next company CEO with little to show for his prior high-profile management positions. So, he does what anyone else does who has spent years coasting on charisma without doing any heavy work: he pads his résumé--stretching the truth here, stealing credit there, and creating the illusion of achievement during his lackadaisical, undistinguished tenure in previous jobs.

A few examples? Take Obama's first general election ad. We are told that Obama "passed laws" that "extended healthcare for wounded troops who'd been neglected," with a citation at the bottom to only one Senate bill: The 2008 Defense Authorization Bill, which passed the Senate by a 91-3 vote. Six Senators did not vote-including Obama. Nor is there evidence that he contributed to its passage in any material way. So, his claim to have "passed laws" amounts to citing a bill that was largely unopposed, that he didn't vote for, and whose passage he didn't impact. Even his hometown Chicago Tribune caught this false claim. It's classic résumé-padding--falsely taking credit for the work of others.

Or take one of Obama's standard lines: his claim of "twenty years of public service." As pundit Michael Medved has pointed out, the numbers don't add up. Shall we count? Three years in the US Senate (two of which he's spent running for President), plus seven years in the Illinois State Senate (a part-time gig, during which time he also served as a law professor) equals, at most, ten. Even if we generously throw in his three years as a "community organizer" (whatever that means, let's count it as public service), that still adds up to just thirteen.

Obama's other activities since 1985 have included Harvard Law School, writing two autobiographies (including several months writing in Bali), prestigious summer law firm jobs, three years as an associate at a Chicago law firm, and twelve years part-time on the University of Chicago Law School faculty. As Medved notes, it takes quite the ego to consider any of those stints "public service." Which of them is Obama including?

Obama made yet another inflated boast last month during his visit to Israel. At his press conference in Hamas rocket-bombarded Sderot, Obama talked up "his" efforts to protect Israel from Iran:

"Just this past week, we passed out of the US Senate Banking Committee - which is my committee - a bill to call for divestment from Iran as way of ratcheting up the pressure to ensure that they don't obtain a nuclear weapon." (Emphasis added.)

Nice try. But as even CNN noted, Obama is not even on that committee. That is one peculiar "mistake" to simply have made by accident. Again, his claiming credit for the work of others just looks like clumsy, transparent résumé embellishment.

Would someone with Obama's stellar list of job titles resort to making stuff up? He seems to think he has to. In spite of the many impressive positions he's held, he's done almost nothing with them. If he wants to claim specific, relevant accomplishments, his only resort is to stretching the truth.

Look at his record: he's now completed over half of a Senate term; yet, is there even one signature issue he has taken hold of, other than his own presidential run? Similarly, as the New York Times recently pointed out, Obama spent twelve years on the University of Chicago Law School faculty--singularly famous for its intellectual ferment and incubator of scholarship--and produced not even a single scholarly paper. He was President of Harvard Law Review, but wrote nothing himself. Even as a state legislator for seven years-or community organizer for three years, there is little that shows his imprint. OK, to be fair, he did write two books. About himself.

For all his glowing job titles, Obama has never gotten much done. Is it any wonder that his spokesmen respond with sweeping generalities when asked what Obama has actually accomplished relevant to the presidency?

Obama has held several serious positions from which a serious man could have made a serious impact. But Obama made none. He remains a man of proven charisma, but unproven skill--and not for lack of opportunity. He's treated his offices as if they were high school student council positions-fun to run for, fun to win, affirmations of popularity, heady recognition from superiors, good resume-builders for stepping up to the next position of power, and…well, that's about it-actual accomplishments are not expected; heavy lifting is never on the agenda.

Obama's record of accomplishment is thin not because of lack of opportunity, but in spite of it. For twenty years, Obama has walked the floors of the most prestigious institutions in the nation, but has left no footprints other than those from his runs for whatever office came next.

It's been said that some people want to be President so they can do something; and some want to be President so they can be something. Obama has accomplished nothing noteworthy despite the golden opportunities and positions he's had; why should we believe he'd be a different man in the White House?

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Knebby

Knebby

Posted
Posted

^ So he's a politician. I've seen a few resumes being padded even on this forum, I don't think it's that odd.

I wonder how the TV coverage is in general in the US? I'm slightly disturbed by it over here in the UK - all through the campaign there has been a huge emphasis on policies not race - vote for your choice of politics not the colour of the candidate, etc etc. Yet the whole focus this morning is on a "victory for African Americans" - including footage of black kids jumping up and down saying "we in charge now!" and others shouting " we showed that white guy!" I completely realise that this is the slant that the TV over here have chosen to present, I just wonder if that is an unusual thing or symptomatic of world-wide coverage. I think its so wrong.

BTW I'm dead chuffed he won. I am very hopeful that he will live up to his promise.

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jmorton

jmorton

Posted
Posted
Welcome to the Obama-Nation, or Abomination as it should be called. GOP loses more ground in the House and Senate, not a good night all around. At least the Gay marriage ban was passed in AZ, FL and probably CA.

:angry:

How on earth is that a good thing? I find these things passing to be awfully depressing

Jeff

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jmorton

jmorton

Posted
Posted
Yeah, let's totally get all excited about base discrimination. What a stupid fucking thing to be happy about. "Yeah! We totally denied those gays rights! We're teh awesome!"

:rolleyes:

lol....Yeah...I'm gay and quite frankly these things passing make me sometimes regret having left rainy England all those years ago....In the state I live in we elected an openly gay man to the US congress so it's not all bad I guess :)

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shnflacwav

shnflacwav

Posted
Posted
Yeah, let's totally get all excited about base discrimination. What a stupid fucking thing to be happy about. "Yeah! We totally denied those gays rights! We're teh awesome!"

:rolleyes:

I am very happy voters have decided that marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman, and frankly find some of the things you are happy about to be fucking stupid.

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Electrophile

Electrophile

Posted
Posted

My favorite slippery slope of all time. "Well, if we let the gays get married, then they'll want polygamy legalized. Then they'll want to marry their fathers and then mountain goats! ZOMGWTFBBQ!!!11!!1"

Every time people pull that card, I laugh so hard I pee.

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shnflacwav

shnflacwav

Posted
Posted
It's rare someone admits to taking pride in being discriminatory against a group of people. I was raised better than that. Sucks to be you.

Well, Miss high and mighty, I am sure there are small groups of people engaging in unnatural or uncommon behavior that we could find that you would discriminate against. Should people who believe in plural marriage find equal treatment under the law? The fact is, I do not have anything against gay people, I just find the word "marriage" attached to their unions offensive.

BTW, it doesn't suck to be me. I live very well and comfortable, thank you. From what I read, it sucks to be you - living at home, supporting your mother who can't find a job because you don't want to leave your father hanging by his dick.

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jmorton

jmorton

Posted
Posted
Ah please - did you have to ruin this by throwing in the personal insults so early in the game? We usually prefer a slow build - up around here. :munchies:

:coffee:

lol...I usually don't get drawn into these hyperbolic discussions but this one hits close to home for me. I should let it go...

Jeff

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Otto Masson

Otto Masson

Posted
Posted

Congratulations on the new president, U.S. citizens! :D

We will have to see how he manages to stay on course.

So many people have felt totally alienated from the political process in the U.S.A. Apart from everything else, the fact that Obama was elected may politicize large parts of the U.S. population, I think more people will now be participating in politics, voting, etc. - an extremely positive thing, and I think a Republican victory would have had the opposite effect.

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electricmage

electricmage

Posted
Posted
Welcome to the Obama-Nation, or Abomination as it should be called. GOP loses more ground in the House and Senate, not a good night all around. At least the Gay marriage ban was passed in AZ, FL and probably CA.

Which clearly shows why it was such a good thing when the GOP was in charge. Idiot.

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59LesPaul

59LesPaul

Posted
Posted
My favorite slippery slope of all time. "Well, if we let the gays get married, then they'll want polygamy legalized. Then they'll want to marry their fathers and then mountain goats! ZOMGWTFBBQ!!!11!!1"

Every time people pull that card, I laugh so hard I pee.

My favorite is when they cry that legalizing gay marriage will "ruin the sanctity of marriage"...

Guess what fuckheads,the sanctity of marriage is ALREADY RUINED.....

...and who ruined it? Straight couples!!!!!

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

It's up to the individual married couples to maintain sanctity in their own marriages.

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Mary Hartman

Mary Hartman

Posted
Posted
He looks a bit disappointed that the Pig with Lipstick lost! :lol:

He is he is. Caucasing is all he knows. Wait until you see the ones from London and Paris// :rolleyes:

Actually I did save my favorites until last. These are legit besides the roo.

londonengland.jpg

London England

parisfrance.jpg

My fav from Paris, France :yesnod:

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