Most despised politician

[Linkmeister]

Re: Most despised politician

Obama raised my taxes and those of poor and working people within days of taking office after he said he wouldn't. He's on my despised list. Wouldn't want the Kerry's and the Kennedy's of this world to pay for SCHIP now would you Obama?

Er, you must be talking about cigarette taxes. He actually lowered the federal income tax bite by a little bit every paycheck.

The $400 credit for individuals is to be doled out through the rest of the year. Couples are slated to get up to $800. Most workers are to see about a $13 per week increase in their take-home pay. In 2010, the credit would be about $7.70 a week, if it is spread over the entire year.

From USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washing...saturday_N.htm

[Kalihiboy]

Re: Most despised politician

Thanks for reminding me. A conviction for Blago would make him the fourth Illinois governor to have done hard time. And the corruption in Springfield merely scratches the surface of the problem. We haven't even talked about Dan Rostenkowski, Richard J. Daley, and William (Big Bill) Thompson.

People in Hawaii who moan and complain about what they think is rampant political corruption in this state have no idea....

I was born and spent the first 12 years of my life in Illinois as well as spending all my summers visiting my grandparents thru my high school years. I like to think of the good guys who have come out of Illinois politics too, the Abraham Lincoln's, Adlai Stevenson's, Paul Simon's, Jim Thompson, etc. to name a few and I list politicians from both parties.

Another state I lived in for 13 years was Arizona where we had Senators McCain and Deconcini involved in the Keating 5, as well as two governors when I was in high school and college booted out of office, the late Evan Mecham and Fife Symington. But we also had some who achieved national notice, Barry Goldwater whose grandchildren I went to high school with, Bruce Babbit, Terry & Sam Goddard, Jack Williams, fellow NAU alumni Raul H. Castro, my friend the late Governor Paul Fannin, Janet Napolitano, etc.

Aj

[Random]

Re: Most despised politician

On the other hand Bush can be blamed for only so long, within a year or two

Meh. It's already on Obama's lap. Said he can do better, let's see.

[AlohaKine]

Re: Most despised politician

Obama raised my taxes and those of poor and working people within days of taking office after he said he wouldn't. He's on my despised list. Wouldn't want the Kerry's and the Kennedy's of this world to pay for SCHIP now would you Obama?

[Adri]

Re: Most despised politician

Kaonohi: I think that's generally true that the public has a harder time forgiving stupidity than sleeze. *g*


Frankie's Market: Oh, Obama is definitely despised in certain groups. I haven't seen any polls on how despised Edwards is right now. I don't know of anyone who says that what he did was ok but I also don't hear him being condemned with the intensity and emotion that I hear in connection to Obama, Bush and Cheney.

[Vanilla]

Re: Most despised politician

But before you think of Obama as being "despised," you might consider this interesting nugget.

NBC News/WSJ released a poll today, where 51% of the respondents approved of the job Obama is doing. 41% disapprove.

What I find interesting from a purely observational perspective----the LACK of Obama bumper stickers over here on Kauai. Before the election, they were on like every other car. Now, nowhere.

I don't like to air my own politics (I am no expert), I just like to observe others.

What does this mean? I have no idea.

[Kaonohi]

Re: Most despised politician

Sure, we have it lucky compared to the mainland, and Kalihiboy, I don't think there's any such thing as a "former politician," (until they're dead).

Locally, though, I'd have to nominate Ed Case for our local 'captain of sleeze.' Not only because he begs, borrows and steals nominations for every open post and attempts to unseat our most competent incumbents, but his social morality is also in question.
Sure, he's an angel compared to his mainland counterparts.

Speaking generally (not making accusations, of course):
Frankly, I couldn't vote for someone who made numerous private daytime visits (for unknown purposes?) to a married woman while her husband was hard at work providing her an opulant lifestyle in a private, gated community where all visitors had to register where they were going AND had their plate numbers written down. Duh.

I suppose if the politician marries her after the divorce; I guess that's in his favor. Must have been "true love."

It's one thing to be an adulterous politician, but to be stupid on top of it loses my vote.

[Vanguard]

Re: Most despised politician

Thanks for reminding me. A conviction for Blago would make him the fourth Illinois governor to have done hard time. And the corruption in Springfield merely scratches the surface of the problem.

There's also this. Although for the record, I think it would be great to have these sort of investigations nationwide.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Most despised politician

As for Illinois politics don't forget George Ryan!!

Thanks for reminding me. A conviction for Blago would make him the fourth Illinois governor to have done hard time. And the corruption in Springfield merely scratches the surface of the problem. We haven't even talked about Dan Rostenkowski, Richard J. Daley, and William (Big Bill) Thompson.

People in Hawaii who moan and complain about what they think is rampant political corruption in this state have no idea....

[Kalihiboy]

Re: Most despised politician

I don't personally hate John Edwards, don't know the man personally. So he made a mistake, next??

I bet if you had a poll that would include former President George W. Bush on there (granted I know he is a former politican) he'd still rank up pretty high because people will be blaming the guy for a number of things that are still wrong with the country today.

On the other hand Bush can be blamed for only so long, within a year or two Bush will be a forgotten memory to some and it will all be on Obama's lap.

As for Illinois politics don't forget George Ryan!!

Aj

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Most despised politician

If you're talking about sheer emotion, I suspect at least in some quarters, Obama is the most despised politician right now

There's no question that any incumbent President evokes strong emotions, positive and negative. Certainly, Obama has his share of critics who get before the news cameras espousing their vocal opinions.

But before you think of Obama as being "despised," you might consider this interesting nugget.

NBC News/WSJ released a poll today, where 51% of the respondents approved of the job Obama is doing. 41% disapprove.

In that very same poll, 77% of those same people say they personally like Obama, while only 20% did not like him. That's an obvious indication that over 25% of the respondents may not have approved his job performance or agreed with his policies,..... but they still like him. So I don't know. Calling our current President the most despised politician seems to be quite out of step with a poll that shows Obama enjoying a better than 3/4 likeability rating.

[shaveice]

Re: Most despised politician

just my gut level answer: bush/cheney for the way their actions have messed up so many lives around the world...

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Most despised politician

An argument that Rod Blagojevich was among the most corrupt politicians can definitely be made. But Blago's downfall wasn't exactly Earth-shattering news, considering his steeped background in the mucky arena known as Chicago politics. Heck, an Illinois Governor going to prison isn't anything new! Otto Kerner Jr. and Dan Walker, anyone?

With his squeaky clean image and populist appeal, John Edwards came from a different mold. Or so we thought! And that to me makes Edward's lies and coverups all the more diabolical and despicable. Unlike Blago, this was a man that had a serious chance at becoming this nation's President. If that doesn't give anyone here the shivers, I don't know what will!

Say what you will about Blago. But once he either does the time or manages to clear the legal hurdles, it wouldn't be the most shocking development for the ex-Illinois Gov. (tarnished image and all) to become a media celebrity and folk hero type, just like G. Gordon Liddy and Ollie North. Blago, in fact, has already done a stint as a radio talk show host.

John Edwards, OTOH? Can anyone imagine him being a radio talk show host? A paid speaker on the speech circuit? A spokesperson/frontman for a charitable organization? Yeah right!!! At this point, Edwards and everything he touches is toxic. Edwards will be a ZERO in terms of influence, sympathy, and credibility. His public life is over. Mark my words. There will be no redemption and second chance for him.

[Adri]

Re: Most despised politician

I'm not condoning what Edwards did but I don't know that it makes him the most despised politician. He's certainly not the only politician to have cheated on a wife with cancer or to have fathered a child out of wedlock. I also lost some sympathy for Elizabeth Edwards after the interviews she did and the book she wrote seeming to capitalize on the situation. I'm not saying that it's her fault in any way that John cheated on her but I find it distasteful that she admits that she knew about his affair before he ran for president and she kept quiet about it until after he lost. She was criticized, rightfully so I think, for not just allowing but encouraging people to devote a tremendous amount of energy, time, effort and money to supporting John when she knew that this would derail him if he didn't get knocked out of the running sooner.

If you're talking about sheer emotion, I suspect at least in some quarters, Obama is the most despised politician right now and in others, Bush/Cheney. Pelosi receives a fair amount of vitriol as does Ted Kennedy notwithstanding that he recently died. A fair amount of our population don't care (or don't care deeply) what our politicians do in their personal lives (or it would be really exhausting to keep track of all the cheating politicians) but do care about things that affect our economy, the lives of our people, the military and national security. For the most part, Edwards strikes me as irrelevant now and perhaps that's the worst punishment for him.

eta: Irrelevant as a politician and as far as the general public goes, not, of course, with respect to the lives of his family and his former mistress.

[TuNnL]

Re: Most despised politician

Edwards hair is holding up about the same as the hair of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who may actually pass Edwards as the most despised politician. And who probably deserves to.

I second that.