From: dwl@watson.ibm.com (David W. Levine)
Subject: Re: Gloat
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1992 22:36:49 GMT
Reply-To: dwl@watson.ibm.com 
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center

In article <1992Nov6.180539.12274@noose.ecn.purdue.edu>,
waddell@ed.ecn.purdue.edu (Scott V Waddell) writes:

|> 
|> Speaking of taking responsibility for our actions...We just elected
|> an adulterous, combat evading, pot smoking, liberal to office who
|> can't seem to take responsibility for HIS actions and shouldn't
|> have been given the opportunity to act on behalf of our nation!!
|>    Maybe those of you who support Clinton/Gore didn't notice the
|> market went down the day after the election due to an expected
|> increase in the federal budget deficit during a Clinton presidency.
|>    Maybe you didn't notice the liberally biased press finally asking,
|> "How is Clinton going to keep all those promises?"
|>    Maybe you didn't notice because you're the kind of people who
|> want to hire someone to fix the country instead of accepting some
|> of the burden and helping to fix it yourself.  At least Bush and 
|> Perot were realistic about the situation.
|>    As for foreign relations...God help us.
|> 
|> Scott Waddell

I don't see how using highly emotionally loaded words and perjorative language
can possibly contribute to a rational discussion, But I'll attempt to rebut
a few of your points and ask you a few pointed questions.

The stock market's day to to day perturbations are hardly worth discussing. The
market was up yesterday, does this mean they've changed their mind? The market
ran up steadily from Oct 10 to the election does this mean wall streeters can't
read polls? 

1) Adulterous - There is some evidence Clinton had an affair. There's evidence
   that he's come to an amicable arrangement with his wife since then. Frankly,
   who he sleeps with is his business, not mine, not yours, not anybody elses.
   I don't want to even think of how many good, productive basically
sound people
   have comitted adultry.

2) Pot smoking. Sheesh, so he might of had a few puffs back in the 60s,
as a youth.
   Is there any sign he's smoking now? Is there any sign that a few hits of pot
   30 years ago is likely to affect his performance as president?

3) Combat evading. Yep. Along with a major portion of this country, Bill
Clinton
   opposed this country's involvement in Viet Nam. He used every
loophole he could
   find to keep out. So? Is it unpatriotic to have been against the war? Is it
   unpatriotic to disagree with your country's policies on occasion?  Is Dan 
   Quayle unpatriotic becuase he did the same thing. (Nobody got into the 
   Indiana national guard when Dan did, unless they pulled strings.) 

4) How will Bill Clinton keep his promises? The next four years will tell. It's
   hardly fair to ask the question today. 

5) Hiring someone to fix the country. Yes, that's exactly what we hired Clinton
   to take on. Were Perot and Bush any more realistic about the
situation? Perot?
   possibly, at least he shows some sign of knowing what some of the problems
   are. Bush? He had four years to show us he knew what the problems were. Did
   he stand up at the republican convention and say "We need to fix
these serious
   economic problems?" No. Did his party stand united on a message of
fixing these
   problems? 

6) As for foreign relations "God help us?" Why? Because Bill Clinton
hasn't spent
   the past 10 years as a foriegn policy professional? Of course, Al Gore is
   widely considered one of the more experienced foreign policy senators in the
   business, and I don't exactly know what you'd think Ronald Reagan's foreign 
   policy credentials were when he ran, but they weren't any more
substantial than
   Clintons. Where has George Bush's great expertise in foreign affairs gotten
   him? His policy designed to bring Iraq into the family of nations
wasn't what
   I'd call a stunning sucess. On the day the Soviet hardlineers siezed
power, did
   he demand to speak to Gorbachov, did he refuse to recognize the clique of 
   apparatchiks and generals for what it was? Has his foreign policy experience
   gotten him any closer to a GATT treaty, has it kept the Yugoslavians from
   slaughtering each other, has it even gotten the army out of Hati?
   

David W. Levine --  dwl@watson.ibm.com  -- IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center
                   -- My Opinions, IBM's hardware. -- 
"Fanaticism consists in redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your
aim" - George Santayana  
Newsgroups: alt.president.clinton,alt.politics.clinton