US Presidential Elections

[pete]

Well, at least it's not a trend...Oh, wait...

Event the "room" was laughing at the reporter summary.

[jebus]

The Daily Show's John Oliver on the 8% undecided and which way they might go

[dancinpants]

I like the old fella in the back who tries to raise his hand for McCain only to have his wife smack it back down

Then she raises BOTh her hands....class

[strangeirish]

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing the Republican 'Base' that McCain/Palin are pandering to. Try not to barf all over your screens. The first video is about 4 1/2 mins and the second is about 5 mins. The second video has McCain/Palin supporters yelling across the street at Obama/Biden supporters to get a job, amongst other compliments. Oh the irony.

Edit: 25 seconds in, on the first video, are there that many arches on a 'M' now?

[Noelys Guitar]

I like this one. Rednecks for Obama.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081009...eobamarednecks

[pete]

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing the Republican 'Base' that McCain/Palin are pandering to.

Basic racism. Calling Obama a "European socialist" was very nasty & too much. Funny though given the Bush/Cheney bank nationalisation program.

I read that McCain is pulling his ads linking Obama to terrorism as not going down well with Independent voters.

Hard to see how Obama can lose the election now. No knock out blows in foreign affairs & McCain can't win the economic debate unless he does u-turn on policies. I can't think tax cuts for millionaires goes down well in the US with bank executives earning millions from bankrupt companies.

[dahamsta]

I love the way they tell people they're "going to Russia". Open a paper dumbass.

[Dodge]

How is Sarah palin treated by the media? Decent article in the IT, written by a Boston Globe columnist

I laughed out loud at this line

One of the interviews, with Sean Hannity, a right-wing pundit on Fox, was cringe-inducingly obsequious, like watching Ryan Tubridy interview Jesus Christ.

[cavan_fan]

For those Americans tempted by Sarah Palin who are thinking

...well you don't need any training or experience to do a good job
...the fact I like you is more important than that you're smart
...anyway the (admittedly not very healthy) septugenarian will be the real one in charge


I give you Steve Staunton, and didnt that go well

[pete]

Obama buys 30 minute network slot

Barack Obama's presidential campaign is getting a bargain for the half-hour of prime time it's bought on CBS and NBC, and is in talks about buying on ABC and Fox.

The Democratic presidential candidate's camp is paying less than $1 million to each of the two networks to air its campaign-related program on Wednesday, Oct. 29

No doubt he will use it for a Presidential style address.

[dahamsta]

Has everyone seen the Aaron Sorkin-penned Bartlet-Obama meeting?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/op...wd-sorkin.html

(I probably found it here! )

adam

[strangeirish]

Has everyone seen the Aaron Sorkin-penned Bartlet-Obama meeting?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/op...wd-sorkin.html

(I probably found it here! )

adam

'The people who want English to be the official language of the United States are uncomfortable with their leaders being fluent in it.'

[Aberdonian Stu]

It wasn't penned by Sorkin, that's just the title. It was written by Maureen Dowd.

EDIT: Hmm it says it was done in a call with him but a buddy of mine who's in the Dems and is a huge West Wing fan said it was Dowd that penned it.

[ccfcman]

For those Americans tempted by Sarah Palin who are thinking

...well you don't need any training or experience to do a good job
...the fact I like you is more important than that you're smart
...anyway the (admittedly not very healthy) septugenarian will be the real one in charge


I give you Steve Staunton, and didnt that go well

Classic post there

[Angus]

Are you kidding ? He brings up abortion ? Why is McCain continuously running to the right ? I am convinced they have decided they won't win and want to shore up the base for next time.

This is crazy. The thing the Obama camp feared was the softer, moderate McCain - the anti Gitmo, anti torture, working with Ted Kennedy - attractive to the independents.

This is over - in the absence of a major gaffe by BO (unlikely) or a major foreign intervention by somebody. Note how they announced a deal yesterday to pull out of Iraq - this is designed to hurt Mc

This should be over now - landlside time - unless we have a major gaffe or terrorist intervention someplace

[pete]

Are you kidding ? He brings up abortion ? Why is McCain continuously running to the right ? I am convinced they have decided they won't win and want to shore up the base for next time.

They say McCain is the first republican nominee to move to the right after he got the nomination.

Reading recently that the Republicans are looking to get back to their core principles of small government & low taxes while cutting the evangelicals lose if they lose the election.

[Dodge]

Watched the debate last night (first time this election). Pretty good one, with some excellent questions by the moderator. Certainly gave both men a chance to show their differences.

I thought McCain started out well (line of the night "I'm not George Bush, if you wanted to run against him, you should've ruin 4 years ago") and he had slightly the upper hand on the financial front. However it all changed when he tried to say he was totally against negative ads and within 15 seconds attacked Obama over Ayers and ACORN. Obama handled it excellently and from then on answered each one of McCain's claims calmly and confidently. "Americans don't care about our hurt feelings on the campaign, they care about the real issues that affect them"

McCain became increasingly flustered and acted as if he knew this was his last chance (think of someone in "The Apprentice" trying to tell Sugar he shouldn't be fired). Obama definitely had the upper hand on health care, Energy and Education (Mccain thought more soldiers should be allowed teach without qualifications in answer to a question on why Americans spend more on eeducation and lag behind the rest of the world!)

ON abortion they're obviously on different levels but Obama answered all of McCain's claims and stood strong on his policy. Won't change anyone's minds on this though

McCain continued to bring it back to "joe the plumber" who he reckoned would be worse off under Obama. It was ridiculously annoying. While I thought McCain was shpaing up for a big win at the start he basically just lost it a little, and Obama definitely came across as more "presidential".

[pete]

Saw probably the first half & much better than the other debates. Moderator was the key difference. McCain on the attack & the "should have run 4 years ago" line was a good one. He was clearly trying to paint Obama as a tax & spend socialist but Obama didn't take the bait. Obama seems to answer the Ayers & Acorn questions very well & McCain seemed petty when after Obama gave detailed answer said "the american people need to the details of the relationship". Maybe Obama should have asked what else he wanted to know but possibly no advantage to be gained there.

[jmurphyc]

I don't know whether anyone has mentioned this but there's a third party debate this Sunday with Nader, Bob Barr (the Libertarian candidate) and a Green Party candidate whose name I don't know. McCain and Obama have been invited too, though I very much doubt they'll show up. I'll be watching, but I doubt anyone really cares too much.

[Angus]

They say McCain is the first republican nominee to move to the right after he got the nomination.

Reading recently that the Republicans are looking to get back to their core principles of small government & low taxes while cutting the evangelicals lose if they lose the election.

What do you think is really going on here ? Is his campagin forcing him down this path ? He is not naturally this right wing - why is he running this campaign ? Obama is unbeatble now (leaving aside gaffe / terror event) but 12 months ago he was beatable - it's as if Mc had no strategy to beat Obama - Obama has been plannign to beat all of these guys, basically since the Iraq war vote

Also the Obama campaign put out media talking points before the debate where they referenced Mc's being "erratic" "unsteady" and "staggering" - this is so transparently a thinly disguised "old" comment - this is the first time since Clinton, and JFK before that, that a Dem campaign has played in the same game as the GOP - the Dems are ruthlessly efficient in this election - prob the most impressive campaign ever