Michele Bachmann halts presidential campaign

[u crank]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

I believe in intelligent design.

I believe in a creator. Given the scope, beauty, and complexity of the design, I can only assume he is intelligent.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by u crank

I believe in a creator. Given the scope, beauty, and complexity of the design, I can only assume he is intelligent.

Unfortunately belief has pretty much nothing to do with fact. Without evidence, it's just wishful thinking.

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Unfortunately belief has pretty much nothing to do with fact. Without evidence, it's just wishful thinking.

Have you been dead?

[vienna]

Have you been dead?

I'm going to presume, neither have you; ergo, "wishful thinking"...

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by vienna

I'm going to presume, neither have you; ergo, "wishful thinking"...

No. Rather, that you, Steve and myself do not know. We have not been dead, so we do not have the experience of an afterlife with our god, or a lack of such an experience. Nor were we there when the entire universe either exploded forth from a tiny dot of matter or didn't do so at all. Many of us take things as a matter of wishful thinking, whether religious or not. To ridicule something to which no answer can be given is a foolish thing.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

No. Rather, that you, Steve and myself do not know. We have not been dead, so we do not have the experience of an afterlife with our god, or a lack of such an experience. Nor were we there when the entire universe either exploded forth from a tiny dot of matter or didn't do so at all. Many of us take things as a matter of wishful thinking, whether religious or not. To ridicule something to which no answer can be given is a foolish thing.

I'm not trying to ridicule. It's true that if we haven't been dead then we can't know, and if we haven't been alive again we can't tell anyone. My tenet is that if you don't know whether there is an afterlife then to believe in one is indeed wishful thinking, even if it turns out to be true. I don't disbelieve in an afterlife or a creator, I simply state that there is no real evidence. Speculating is fun, concluding one way or the other is useless. If it can't be tested, then it's only a guess at best. Ergo, wishful thinking.

[CaptainHaplo]

I am not overly sorry to see Bachmann drop out. I found her to be entirely to polarizing, having a narrow scope of view on many social issues. Still, her stance on a return to fiscal sanity was one I could agree with. Not enough to vote for her in a primary. But at least she was right on SOMETHING.

With Cain out - whether the accusations were legit or not - I now support Newt. While I disagree with him on a few issues, the "major stumbling blocks" that most want to use about him are not real problems for me. Previous marital infidelity? We are all to some degree prone to lust. Global warming ads? He admits he didn't dig deep enough into the subject. Ignorance that is corrected is no crime. Fannie/Freddie? He personally earned less than 40k for writing papers that advised the behemoths to stop the insane mortgage practices that GSE's were involved in. I fail to see how that is unethical in any way.
Seriously - who doubts he would clobber the President in a debate?

Huntsman would be a great presidential candidate - except he is running in the primary of the wrong party. No thanks.

Romney is little more than Obama jr politically. What is truly sad and disheartening is that he doesn't even realize that he is banking on the propoganda of the left regarding the tea party. He honestly believes they will break for him simply because he is the "white" liberal. Sadly, the establishment of the party has made the same mistake. Why they choose to push for a pseudo-conservative instead of a real one is simply an battle for power against the tea party. It is the establishment that moved the republicans into being the "democrat light" party - and they don't want to lose the power they have had for decades. If anyone thinks Romney can beat Obama - he may be Obama jr politically - but he is McCain redux in a presidential election.

Paul is the crazy uncle in the room. The guy is a fiscal genius, but his ideas past that should have run him out of public service long ago. His stances on abortion, legalization of drugs, immigration and foreign policy make him an unsuitable candidate for many segments of the populace - not just of the republican party.

Perry is what the media tried to convince us George Bush was.. He is a likeable guy and not unintelligent in some ways. However, his ability to communicate, his ability to convey coherent thoughts in a way that resonate -simply don't exist consistently when he is on the national stage. The push for the presidency is too big for him - meaning the job most defintely is.

Santorum is not the worst choice. If SC/FLA force Newt out (which would suprise me) and if he is still in the race - he would be my next choice. I question some of his positions as well, but I have seen him parry well the gotcha's and he is showing more strength that I thought. He may very well be a long term contender.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Have you been dead?

No. Neither has anyone who talks about it. I'm not saying it isn't true, I'm just saying that believing isn't the same as knowing. I don't know either way, but I've reached a point where I'd like see at least a little evidence.




Speaking of which, I have to go to a funeral. Back later.