

Right now, politics is hacker news - mhartl

As I write, the #1 story on Hacker News is <i>The Economist</i> endorsement of Barack Obama for president; it is currently dead.  Another fast-rising story is a <i>Financial Times</i> endorsement to the same effect; it is alive, but its days (or minutes) are certainly numbered.<p>Ordinarily, I am a strong supporter of a clear separation between Hacker News and state; politics, if allowed to infiltrate, would soon dominate.  But these are not ordinary times.  There is an election on Tuesday, with historic implications.<p>Until the election and its aftermath are over, politics <i>is</i> hacker news.  Stories relevant to the upcoming election should, for now, be allowed to live.
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pg
I wasn't sure what to do about the Economist endorsement story. Some editors
wanted to kill it. I resisted for a while, but then I tried asking myself what
I'd have done if the story was "Economist endorses McCain." I wouldn't have
been so happy to see that on HN. So I decided I was being a hypocrite and
killed it.

I agree with you that this election feels historic, though. So let's try a
poll about what to do:

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=349421>

~~~
mhartl
I read the print edition of _The Economist_ and only check my snail mail once
a week. I would likely have missed this endorsement were it not for Hacker
News. But it looks like my side is losing the poll; pity.

~~~
ivankirigin
I read about endorsement on twitter & friendfeed.

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anamax
> There is an election on Tuesday, with historic implications.

What US Presidential election doesn't have "historic implications"? For that
matter, what US national election doesn't have "historic implications"?

This is just another US presidential election.

~~~
mhartl
_This is just another US presidential election._

I agree that "historic" is a terribly over-used adjective in this context, but
I find it hard to believe you could live in (and love) this country without
feeling that this election is more "historic" than most.

~~~
ivankirigin
You find it hard to believe he loves this country because of an opinion on a
subjective matter of semantics? Please...

I'll give you a one liner why this election might not be 'historic': neither
likely victor has any intention of making the federal enterprise smaller than
$3T.

But don't mind us libertarians in the corner :)

~~~
mhartl
(a) It's not clear that he's an American. In fact I rather suspect he's not.
In any case, and with my melodramatic invocation of "love" notwithstanding,
it's perverse not to recognize that this is no ordinary election, regardless
of which candidate you favor.

(b) I didn't say anything about my views on the election, just that I think
it's historic. That goes even for libertarians; though I agree spending will
be out of control no matter who wins, the president affects much more than the
Federal budget. And an election in the midst of two wars and a global
financial crisis with the country's first black presidential candidate is
historic no matter how you slice it.

(c) I'm an anarcho-capitalist (terrible term) in the David Friedman tradition.
Put that in your libertarian pipe and smoke it. ;-)

~~~
anamax
> (a) It's not clear that he's an American. In fact I rather suspect he's not.

Me? Based on what?

> In any case, and with my melodramatic invocation of "love" notwithstanding,
> it's perverse not to recognize that this is no ordinary election, regardless
> of which candidate you favor.

Perverse? Every presidential election involves some "leg tingling", so what
makes this one so different?

> And an election in the midst of two wars and a global financial crisis

World wars were bigger - were all those elections "historic"?. The Civil War
was in the US - was 1864 "historic"?

> with the country's first black presidential candidate is historic no matter
> how you slice it.

Racist :-) (Didn't you get the memo? Any mention of race is an attack on "The
One".)

~~~
mhartl
_Me? Based on what?_

I think it was the repetition of "US ... election" that gave me that
impression, and in particular the inclusion of "US" in the construction. As a
US native, it probably wouldn't have occurred to me to include that modifier,
so I guessed that you might not be American.

 _what makes this one so different?_

Well, "an election in the midst of two wars and a global financial crisis with
the country's first black presidential candidate", for starters. Not to
mention arguably America's lowest standing in the world since WWII. I remember
seven elections and have voted in four, and (despite the "historic" claims
four years ago) this one feels bigger than any of them.

~~~
anamax
> As a US native, it probably wouldn't have occurred to me to include that
> modifier, so I guessed that you might not be American.

Never considered the possibility that an American might internationalize?

> I remember seven elections and have voted in four

Newbie :-) (The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" comes to mind during this
election.) How about the possibility that you're trying to relive when
elections were new (to you)?

> Not to mention arguably America's lowest standing in the world since WWII.

Still irrelevant. When other countries need something, other countries forget
"standing". When America needs something, they happily sell or don't have the
capability. (Yes, Australia and some of the Euro contries have some amazing
troops. However, they don't have many of them and they can't transport them.)

As someone once said in a slightly different context, if you want a friend,
get a dog. Countries act out of perceived self-interest not friendship,
standing, etc. (Disagree? Provide examples where "friendship" trumped
perceived self-interest.)

If you insist on listening to Monday morning quarterbacks, shouldn't you at
least pick ones whose predictions are reasonably accurate?

------
mixmax
Maybe if you're American this is the most important political story of the
decade.

If you're European, Asian, or Africen it probably isn't. Yes it will impact
us, but not more than the global economic meltdown, Pakistans near default,
the Iraq war, etc.

Were not all from the US.

~~~
palish
No, but some of us are, and we would show your country the same respect of
providing coverage and discussion of _your_ historic events that affect
hackers in your country.

~~~
mixmax
I don't mean to be demeaning in any way, but no you wouldn't.

I've never seen a post about European political issues here, and I don't think
I ever will.

~~~
palish
Excuse me, but if a story appeared here that had significant impact upon
foreign hackers, then I would upvote it, personally.

------
Allocator2008
It would be interesting if Obama were elected President, and Tory Leader David
Cameron beat the current PM Gordon Brown. Both Cameron and Obama are young,
charismatic, in touch with the "zeitgiest" of the day, etc., and I think share
some similarities in policy points of view. Both, for instance, put the
environment high on the priority list. I think an Obama - Cameron dynamic
would be fascinating to watch, perhaps one which would rank with the Thatcher
- Reagan dynamic that ended the Cold War. I think the principle underlying
both individuals or their rise in prominence is "change". Both their nations
have economic struggles and both promise "change". I think Cameron and McCain
could work together fine, don't get me wrong, it's just from a generational
kind of perspective that makes me think Cameron and Obama are on the same
"wave length". Obama met Cameron during his European tour and I think the
meeting went well. Certainly would be interesting to see them win their
respective elections.

