They've Elected the Anti-Christ

[Aurangzeb Khan]

And it's put me in a bad mood for the rest of the millennium.

[Andreas the Wise]

You're that against him?

[Maksym Hadjimehmetov]

I dunno. At first I think many people are over the moon, of course, but I think we Europeans need to remember that, at the end of the day, Obama is an American President and won't have the same views of 'liberalism' and 'change' that we'd like to see him have. Yankia is still much more conservative at heart than Europeans give it credit for... watch out, Iran

[Andreas the Wise]

With Obama at least they've got some hope of redeeming themselves ...

[Ari Rahikkala]

I remember all the pictures of people holding up notes saying "we're sorry" in 2004. I guess we won't be seeing those this time, then .

[Chrimigules]

Anti-Christ

oh, come on...

[Oroigawa Koreyasu]

[Aurangzeb Khan]

Anti-Christ

oh, come on...

Oh come on yourself - underneath his skin he's just another politician and I'm just getting my alienation and cynical overreaction in ahead of everyone else. Mercifully none of the politicians on this side of the pond have the rhetorical skill to deceive us into thinking they are anything other than self-serving lying scumbags. Ergo we cannot be confounded by exaggerated expectations and we grieve for you in your time of deluded optimism although we share your relief that Sarah Palin is now safely on her way back to Alaska and well away from the shiny red button that unleashes hell.

[Jonas]

Oh come on yourself - underneath his skin he's just another politician and I'm just getting my alienation and cynical overreaction in ahead of everyone else. Mercifully none of the politicians on this side of the pond have the rhetorical skill to deceive us into thinking they are anything other than self-serving lying scumbags. Ergo we cannot be confounded by exaggerated expectations and we grieve for you in your time of deluded optimism although we share your relief that Sarah Palin is now safely on her way back to Alaska and well away from the shiny red button that unleashes hell.

Oh my God... I didn't expect I would say this but... I agree with the Khan!

This morning I made the same resemblance, Obama is maybe the Anti-Christ. Of course, I don't hate him and I hope he will bring some change in the health care of the Americans (something that is more important then playing with the guns in Afghanistan). But I had liked to see McCain winning this elections.
Maybe a bit strange, a lot Europeans are in favour of Obama and in fact we get a lot Obama propaganda in the news. Funny fact is that nobody I talk to in the neigbourhood about the American elections know that McCain had been a better chose for the European economy.

[Ari Rahikkala]

McCain had been a better chose for the European economy.

How?

[b3n|<3r|\|]

Ardashir, you defeat yourself - the Americans are in luck. For now they have someone who they can believe in. You're right, he is one more politician, but for god's sake wouldn't it be damn fine to have someone who doesn't seem like a complete buffoon or incompetent in charge? Someone who promises all the good buzzwords like change? Hehe, would never happen on this side of the pond though, quite right, people like Ardy here would never fall for such crap. What? 1997? Huh? Anyway, yeah.

[Jonas]

McCain had been a better chose for the European economy.

How?

Obama wants to protect the American economy more then McCain (free market). Maybethis is a bit more interesting for the Americans among us in these times, but not for the Europeans.

[Chrimigules]

Oh come on yourself - underneath his skin he's just another politician and I'm just getting my alienation and cynical overreaction in ahead of everyone else.

Of course he's a politician.

It was more a gut reaction to the use of the term "Anti-Christ". I find it downright scary that there have been people in the Hardcore Religious Right that were ernestly believed that Obama is the Anti-Christ. He's not the Messiah. He's not the False Messiah. Anyone who believes that he is more than a politician is a sap.

I mean we'll see how Obama fares. I always say that America deserves the president it elects. Whether that's a positive connotation or a negative connotation depends on how things go.

[Erik Mortis]

Oh gods... Get over yourselves..

[Jonas]

Oh gods... Get over yourselves..

Never!

I think Obama will just do fine. Except if he gets murdered...

[Aurangzeb Khan]

Ardashir, you defeat yourself - the Americans are in luck. For now they have someone who they can believe in. You're right, he is one more politician, but for god's sake wouldn't it be damn fine to have someone who doesn't seem like a complete buffoon or incompetent in charge? Someone who promises all the good buzzwords like change? Hehe, would never happen on this side of the pond though, quite right, people like Ardy here would never fall for such crap. What? 1997? Huh? Anyway, yeah.

I didn't have the vote in 1997... and frankly John Prescott could have won that election on a mandate of promising not to eat the first born, the Tory's were in such a sorry state. As for the whole euphoria over Blair (which was more relief that Major had gone) lasted until... now it was either the Bernie Ecclestone/Tobacco Advertising affair or the first instance when Peter Mandelson had to resign for being a corrupt bastard. The moment that Blair went on telly to defend his record by saying 'I'm pretty much a straight kinda guy' (or words to that effect) was when the penny dropped for most people... of course the Conservatives did an excellent job in opposition of making the government seem effective by comparison so he had two more comfortable wins, in spite of being acknowledged as a two-faced duplicitous shit (even won in 2005 spite of the Iraq War proving to be a most horrendous cock up, the weapons dossier being plagiarised off the internet and a certain Dr Kelly turning up somewhat mysteriously dead). People did not vote for Tony Blair because he was charisma incarnate or because he promised a better tomorrow but rather because he managed to project the illusion of competence through an effective media operation and a stroke of good fortune in that the financial and property markets were feeding off each other to create a fearsome credit bubble, which at the time meant easy money for the consumer and masked the death of British industry. It is worth noting that Gordon Brown, who replaced Tony Blair as Prime Minister, inherited the cumulative problems of the preceding administration but did not inherit the capacity for effective spinning the media and is thus viewed as being such a disastrous incompetent leader that the Conservatives stand a real chance of winning the next election, in spite of still being just as useless and ineffective as they were in 1997.

It will be interesting to see whether voter turnout in Britain continues its seemingly terminal decline. Nice as it would be to have someone confound our negative expectations like that Obama chap has managed in America but in the end it would be futile and we would only be disappointed... again. It is our fate to be ruled by scum, this is representative democracy after all what can be said except that our leaders reflect the society that accepts their candidature for high office. Perhaps the outward semblance of competence is the best we can hope for from our elected ciphers.

[/British Politics Rant]

Anyway, back to the Americans. Good luck with Obama, in spite of my reservations I hope it all goes well. I think a lot of you are expecting too much of him, I certainly don't think he's the literal anti-christ (that would be an 'interesting' belief for an atheist to have), but I think some of the more awestruck are going to be in for a shock when political realities reassert themselves.

Peace, Out.

[Maksym Hadjimehmetov]

Oh come on yourself - underneath his skin he's just another politician and I'm just getting my alienation and cynical overreaction in ahead of everyone else

So he may be another politician able to convince us that he's not a lying scumbag, but he's better at doing it.
And that would get my vote, were I an American
By your own logic, you should at least admit he's the lesser of two evils...

[Chrimigules]

I think we can at least trust him with the nuclear football.

[Jonas]

I think we can at least trust him with the nuclear football.

I wouldn't be so sure about that...

[Chrimigules]

I'm fairly sure you can trust the launch codes with a guy who has an air of calm about him more than a grumpy old man and a someone who looks forward to the apocalypse.

[b3n|<3r|\|]

Dunno... you know where you're at with the latter. I mean, we all expect him to have an interactive 'nam flashback and nuke much of southeast Asia. It's the people with the airs of calm that really surprise you with their madness.

[Chrimigules]

Yeah, but evil overlords are more entertaining than Chaotic Evil.

[Kaiser Loki III]

....interactive 'nam flashback and nuke much of southeast Asia.

He was one of the movers and shakers in Congress who pushe to normalize relations with Vietnam.

Obama is not the anti-Christ, but he ain't the Messiah either.

[b3n|<3r|\|]

Mmm, I had hoped you'd give me more credit than to think I was being serious there.

[Kaiser Loki III]

Actually, the Manchurian Candidate scenario DID float through my mind.

I meant no offense, and took none. I grew up watching that war every night at dinner-time, and it's a small soreness of the soul.

[b3n|<3r|\|]

Good, and sorry I think? I don't know. Smiles all around if you please.

[Kaiser Loki III]

!