A Kickass political thread.

[Rex Kickass]

I do, infact have, as some of my opponents may point out, more political experience than most posters on this board. This is true. But the truth is this. I went to work for the political establishment. The political establishment decided that I wasn't worthy of them. Why? I'm more interested in making a difference than cashing a paycheck. I'm more interested in ensuring that government does what it's supposed to than what it currently does. I'm more interested in listening to my constituents and keeping their wishes in mind.

 

So I'm listening to what you have to say. Please feel free to say it.

 

Together, we can have a Kickass Presidency for Soxtalk!

[Texsox]

Welcome to the fray. I was hoping a radical liberal would choose to run and balance out the radical conservative PA.

[Rex Kickass]

Thanks!

[Gregory Pratt]

I do, infact have, as some of my opponents may point out, more political experience than most posters on this board. This is true. But the truth is this. I went to work for the political establishment. The political establishment decided that I wasn't worthy of them. Why? I'm more interested in making a difference than cashing a paycheck. I'm more interested in ensuring that government does what it's supposed to than what it currently does. I'm more interested in listening to my constituents and keeping their wishes in mind.

 

So I'm listening to what you have to say. Please feel free to say it.

 

Together, we can have a Kickass Presidency for Soxtalk!

 

Please explain who you worked for, what happened and why, time periods included.

[Texsox]

Thanks!

I do what I can.

 

You've said that these bans on gay marriage threaten all marriages, shouldn't it be open to the voters to decide of they want to threaten all marriages?

[NorthSideSox72]

War on Terror We should work to disrupt and destroy organizations that support terror as a viable weapon. We should also work to discourage future acts of terrorism by working to address the root causes that feed terrorist organizations its human capital. It's not enough to put out the fires that have already started, we need to make sure that the area around it is less susceptible to igniting into flames of hatred as well.

 

I have to say, I like your thinking here. I think we've ignored the non-military aspects of fighting the "War" on terror.

 

Preemptive Military Action As a doctrine or policy, it is not useful. Military Action should always be the absolute last resort.

 

So you do not see it as a viable option, even if there is overwhelming evidence of an impending attack?

 

Size/Scope of Government As big as necessary, as small as possible.

 

Could you expound on this?

 

Labor Labor is the backbone of our economy. Organized labor allows workers a seat at the table. This is definitely something worth supporting.

 

What type of support do you see as appropriate from the government?

[Soxy]

With recent standardized test scores showing that students in urban areas are out performed by their peers and the opinion that US students are falling behind in science, what do you think the role of federal government should be in support of strengthening our country's (obvious) floundering in teaching science? Do you support increasing funding to national organizations (Like the National Science Foundation and the National Instutute of Health) or do you believe this is a state's issue? If it is a state's issue, how would you recommend they address this issue?

[Texsox]

With recent standardized test scores showing that students in urban areas are out performed by their peers and the opinion that US students are falling behind in science, what do you think the role of federal government should be in support of strengthening our country's (obvious) floundering in teaching science? Do you support increasing funding to national organizations (Like the National Science Foundation and the National Instutute of Health) or do you believe this is a state's issue? If it is a state's issue, how would you recommend they address this issue?

 

BTW, Soxy would be my nomination for Secretary of Education.

[Rex Kickass]

Please explain who you worked for, what happened and why, time periods included.

 

I was a volunteer and team leader for the Kerry for President campaign in October and November 2004. I helped get out the vote.

 

I was a community organizer for the Corzine for Governor campaign in 2005. I worked specificially to outreach traditionally ignored, yet important constituencies in my legislative district, gay voters, haitians and seniors.

 

I helped develop a voter turnout program for my hometown this year, designated to helping the NJ Democratic party turn out vote in a traditionally ignored city.

[southsider2k5]

I was a volunteer and team leader for the Kerry for President campaign in October and November 2004. I helped get out the vote.

 

I was a community organizer for the Corzine for Governor campaign in 2005. I worked specificially to outreach traditionally ignored, yet important constituencies in my legislative district, gay voters, haitians and seniors.

 

I helped develop a voter turnout program for my hometown this year, designated to helping the NJ Democratic party turn out vote in a traditionally ignored city.

 

*AHEM*

[Rex Kickass]

I have to say, I like your thinking here. I think we've ignored the non-military aspects of fighting the "War" on terror.

Ultimately this "war" is just as much nonmilitary as it is military. Keys to an overall victory mean that not only do the organizations that have attacked us are destroyed but that we've also suffocated the recruitment of new potential terrorists and organizations. That's not something that can be done with bombs alone. And its definitely not the easy thing to do. But if we are committed to ending terrorism aimed at free nations, free nations need to respect and not threaten the people we seek to help.

 

So you do not see it as a viable option, even if there is overwhelming evidence of an impending attack?

If there is indisputable proof of an imminent impending attack, I would act. But a doctrine of preemptive strikes is a tool generally used by aggressive, imperial states. Adapting a general doctrine doesn't protect us at all.

 

Could you expound on this?

I think government should be run as lean and limited as possible but I think that it would be foolish for me to say that government should be restricted to x, y and z. A society's needs change over time, and as such so does the purview of a government.

 

 

What type of support do you see as appropriate from the government?

 

I think that the federal government ought to be more proactive in protecting workers from unionbusting procedures. A worker, in my opinion, has a right to a seat at the table and a right to be heard when it comes to determining his working conditions. Whether he chooses to take it is the decision of the worker and not the employer.

 

*AHEM*

I also helped a Mr. Mike Gresham set the stage for a future successful run at School Board in Michigan City by consulting his campaign from afar. Although, his success is entirely his own doing. I just had the honor of giving him advice now and again.

[Balta1701]

I also helped a Mr. Mike Gresham set the stage for a future successful run at School Board in Michigan City by consulting his campaign from afar. Although, his success is entirely his own doing. I just had the honor of giving him advice now and again.

(Quickly notes down 2k5's last name...begins plotting...)

[Rex Kickass]

With recent standardized test scores showing that students in urban areas are out performed by their peers and the opinion that US students are falling behind in science, what do you think the role of federal government should be in support of strengthening our country's (obvious) floundering in teaching science? Do you support increasing funding to national organizations (Like the National Science Foundation and the National Instutute of Health) or do you believe this is a state's issue? If it is a state's issue, how would you recommend they address this issue?

 

I think we need a government that has more respect for science first and foremost. We need to increase research money to organizations like NIH and NSF to help us deal with situations that need our attention. I also propose that we create some sort of fund to help recruit qualified science teachers to reach out to students at the Junior High and High School level. We can't keep importing scientists from other countries and expect our society to be strong. We need to grow our own bumper crop of scientists and help preserve American innovation.

 

I also think that we should work closely with urban school districts and create a national clearinghouse of ideas to see what works best for these students who seem too often to be left behind. Ultimately, our best attempts at tackling these problems of an education gap are handled locally. We should facilitate programs to improve school districts' performance without heavy micromanaging at a federal level.

[Texsox]

What were the differences between the winning campaigns you worked on and the losing?

[sox4lifeinPA]

What were the differences between the winning campaigns you worked on and the losing?

 

 

winners were losers and losers were winners

 

 

 

 

Rex,

 

With all of the political discussion, I'd like to know if you have any ideas for making soxtalk.com a more exciting and engaging place?

 

thanks in advance.

[Rex Kickass]

What were the differences between the winning campaigns you worked on and the losing?

 

It's tough to say, because I often worked with a slate of candidates, and only some of them won. So often times I worked with candidates who won and who lost on the same campaign.

 

Rex,

 

With all of the political discussion, I'd like to know if you have any ideas for making soxtalk.com a more exciting and engaging place?

 

thanks in advance.

 

My ideas for jello wrestling were already nixed, nobody wanted to see me in a speedo.

 

To be honest, I think we have some very good discussions now and I don't know how we could make a messageboard any more exciting and engaging than we do now. We have a great group of posters who always make the board worth reading and discussing.

[Balta1701]

Rex, in your response on the Iraq debacle, you advocate trying to open up talks between the U.S. and the forces currently fighting in Iraq. First and foremost, I must ask, do you really think this will work? For example, the one person who, at least a year or two ago might have been able to control this conflict, Grand Ayatollah Sistani, refuses to meet and has never met with any American. Furthermore, in response to Mr. Bush simply meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister this morning, The Sadr block, the largest block of support for the Prime Minister, has begun a boycott of the government that may well bring the current government down.

 

How exactly do you expect the U.S. to be able to talk to people who will not talk to us?

 

Furthermore, how do you expect those sides to react if the U.S. tries to begin negotiating with leading sunni insurgents? For example, the Maliki government just last week issued an arrest warrant for a member of the Association of Muslim scholars, one of the leading Sunni groups.

 

And beyond that, there is the big question which I don't see answered there: what if it doesn't work? What do we do if we try to talk to those groups and they refuse to deal with us, or they demand things like the total withdrawal of U.S. forces (Which Sadr himself has demanded for years). Do we stay there and continue to let the conflict grow, do we draw a line for a pullout?

[Rex Kickass]

I think talking to all sides always has a chance, and frankly its something that we should have been doing all along. Our only hope for solving the problems that we've created is being seen as an honest broker for peace. This doesn't mean that President Bush meets with Sistani, Sadr or a Sunni leader - but instead that someone representing the interests of our country does. There are lots of different diplomatic options that we can use to get people to talk, and I don't think we've tried many of them.

 

We have to make an honest effort for peace and stability that goes beyond a military occupation, and if our ability to solve the situation in Iraq is that impossible that we can't even engage in discussion, then we have no business being there in the first place. And it means that, in the end, we lost.