This is the Presidential Campaign Thread.

Barack Obama Vs. John McCain.

Edited November 6, 200817 yr by Toups

Then why are you wasting your time posting here?

You should be out changing the planet for all that is good and decent.

Good luck!

Won't you join me, Roman, in my quest? I'll let you be my sidekick... I'll even get you a nice pair of tights and a cape...

SNL, Todd Palin, and Incest

"What about the husband? You know he's doing those daughters. I mean, come on, it's Alaska."

Franco said, "He very well could be. Admittedly, there is no evidence of that. But on the other hand, there is no convincing evidence to the contrary. And these are just some of the lingering questions about Sarah Palin."

At the end of the skit, it was noted that a Times reporter (played by Bill Hader) won a Pulitzer Prize for a story on incest in the Palin family.

http://freedomeden.blogspot.com/2008/09/sn...and-incest.html

Who here actually thinks this is funny? "Saturday Night Live" should stick to the silly stuff... the McCain thing at the beginning was a cheap, obviously ageist shot, but at least it was funny. I don't personally find suggesting someone is "doing" their kids very funny. What if someone had suggested Obama was nailing his sweet, hot, sexy little girls? What if it had been suggested that, after Biden's first wife died, he took the opportunity to get to know his boys a little better?

Not funny. Offensive. Disgusting. Once again, the hatred of Sarah Palin by an elitist media hell-bent on advancing another candidate goes beyond the bounds of acceptability...

Edited September 21, 200817 yr by GoldenDogs

Who here actually thinks this is funny? "Saturday Night Live" should stick to the silly stuff... the McCain thing at the beginning was a cheap, obviously ageist shot, but at least it was funny. I don't personally find suggesting someone is "doing" their kids very funny. What if someone had suggested Obama was nailing his sweet, hot, sexy little girls? What if it had been suggested that, after Biden's first wife died, he took the opportunity to get to know his boys a little better?

Not funny. Offensive. Disgusting. Once again, the hatred of Sarah Palin by an elitist media hell-bent on advancing another candidate goes beyond the bounds of acceptability...

Although I do not agree with your candidate nor his running mate, I will whole-heartedly, 100% fully, totally agree that things like this are not funny in the least. Co-sign, true dat, and all that jazz.

But then again, I rarely think SNL is funny.

Check that. Fey's impersonation of Palin was spot-on, which made it funny.

SNL, Todd Palin, and Incest

"What about the husband? You know he's doing those daughters. I mean, come on, it's Alaska."

Franco said, "He very well could be. Admittedly, there is no evidence of that. But on the other hand, there is no convincing evidence to the contrary. And these are just some of the lingering questions about Sarah Palin."

At the end of the skit, it was noted that a Times reporter (played by Bill Hader) won a Pulitzer Prize for a story on incest in the Palin family.

http://freedomeden.blogspot.com/2008/09/sn...and-incest.html

Who here actually thinks this is funny? "Saturday Night Live" should stick to the silly stuff... the McCain thing at the beginning was a cheap, obviously ageist shot, but at least it was funny. I don't personally find suggesting someone is "doing" their kids very funny. What if someone had suggested Obama was nailing his sweet, hot, sexy little girls? What if it had been suggested that, after Biden's first wife died, he took the opportunity to get to know his boys a little better?

Not funny. Offensive. Disgusting. Once again, the hatred of Sarah Palin by an elitist media hell-bent on advancing another candidate goes beyond the bounds of acceptability...

Although I do not agree with your candidate nor his running mate, I will whole-heartedly, 100% fully, totally agree that things like this are not funny in the least. Co-sign, true dat, and all that jazz.

But then again, I rarely think SNL is funny.

Check that. Fey's impersonation of Palin was spot-on, which made it funny.

Admittedly, I didn't see SNL but it does sound particularly cruel and crosses a line, even for SNL standards.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/160091

All the Candidates’ Cars

How this is news, I don't know.

SNL mocks McCain-Palin for second-straight week

Posted: 02:11 PM ET

From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Darrell Hammond portrayed McCain on SNL Saturday night.

(CNN) — Saturday Night Live, the longtime NBC sketch comedy show that has arguably wielded significant influence this presidential election season, skewered the McCain-Palin ticket for the second straight week in a row Saturday.

In the show’s opening sketch, a Darrell Hammond impersonation of John McCain is shown in an advertising studio recording his tagline for a bevy of negative — and ridiculously false — campaign ads. The ads level such allegations as Barack Obama wants healthcare coverage for the entire universe (including Osama bin Laden) and supports tax cuts for pedophiles.

The sketch also takes a dig at McCain's age, portraying the Arizona senator as unfamiliar with digital recording technology (After he is told it is a new technology McCain says, "Like 8-track?")

Politico reported Saturday the sketch was actually conceived by former SNL writer Al Franken, the current Democratic challenger to Norm Coleman's Minnesota Senate seat.

SNL has already proven its ability to crystallize emerging campaign narratives this election cycle, widely credited with raising a general perception the media was in love with Obama during the primary election season in a series of sketches last winter. SNL's portrayal of Sarah Palin last weekend also synthesized several questions raised about the Alaska governor's readiness to serve as vice president.

With a weekly viewership stretching into the millions that reaches a swath of (mostly young) voters who aren't as closely following the ins and outs on the campaign trail, SNL has a clear ability to shape general perceptions of both presidential tickets in the final stretch of the race for the White House.

Fact Check: Obama's Social Security charge

Posted: 02:30 PM ET

From CNN's Josh Levs

Obama said McCain would have put Social Security in the stock market.

The statement:

"If my opponent had his way, the millions of Floridians who rely on it would have had their Social Security tied up in the stock market this week… Millions would've watched as the market tumbled and their nest egg disappeared before their eyes. Millions of families would've been scrambling to figure out how to give their mothers and their fathers, their grandmothers and their grandfathers, the security retirement that every American deserves."

– Sen. Barack Obama, at a campaign stop Saturday, September 20, in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Check out the facts after the jump!

The facts:

Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain disagree over how to handle Social Security, and ensure its viability in the future. One major difference involves privatization. McCain supports allowing people to take some money they contribute toward Social Security and put it into "personal savings accounts." Obama believes such a move endangers retirement benefits.

On his Web site, McCain says he "supports supplementing the current Social Security system with personal accounts — but not as a substitute for addressing benefit promises that cannot be kept." The Web site does not specify how those accounts would operate. But McCain supported President Bush's plan in 2005 to allow some workers to place a limited amount of their payroll taxes into private accounts, which would have been invested in stock or bond funds.

That proposal — which never came to a vote — limited participation to people born in 1950 or later. None of today's recipients of Social Security retirement benefits is old enough to have participated. So, under the specific plan that McCain weighed in on, it is wrong to say that "the millions of Floridians who rely on" those benefits would have them tied to the stock market. Some younger people who chose to participate would have their future benefits affected.

It's also important to note that we can't know whether the private funds President Bush proposed may ultimately have benefited someone who chose to participate. And even with a prolonged stock downturn, it is incorrect to say that these nest eggs would "disappear," since the plan McCain supported would only allow for a portion of someone's Social Security contributions to go into

a personal savings account. And McCain himself describes the accounts he espouses as "supplementing" the current system — not replacing it.

With nearly 80 million Americans expected to become eligible for Social Security retirement benefits in the next two decades, the program presents a financial drain on a nation that is already trillions of dollars in debt. It is a critical and controversial issue — and prime election fodder, particularly in swing states like Florida, in which votes among older citizens could make a huge difference.

Verdict: False. There is no basis for Obama to claim that "the millions" who rely on those benefits would be affected, or that anyone's nest egg would have "disappeared." But McCain does support allowing some Social Security funds to enter the stock market in the future, while Obama does not.

Edited September 21, 200817 yr by Roman

Debate pact will let McCain and Obama spar

But the McCain camp got a more structured approach for VP debate

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26819782/

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/21/news/econo...dex.htm?cnn=yes

Mad as hell - taxpayers lash out

Fact Check: Obama's Social Security charge

Posted: 02:30 PM ET

I owe you an apology, Roman... While I do maintain that you obviously lean left, it has been unfair of me to characterize you as always being biased. You do occasionally present this sort of thing that is fair and even-haned and I greatly appreciate it.

Thank you...

Debate pact will let McCain and Obama spar

But the McCain camp got a more structured approach for VP debate

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26819782/

Of course, though, the Obama/Biden camp didn't argue so much about the structured approach for the VP -- as much as McCain has concerns about how Palin might do in a debate on a national stage, Obama has concerns about Joe "Do Something About Your Pecs" Biden putting his foot in his mouth yet again...

Given all that could happen, this debate is highly anticipated and will be fun to watch! Too bad I'll miss it...

Edited September 21, 200817 yr by GoldenDogs

FBI serves search warrant against David Kernell

The FBI is stepping up its investigation into the possibility that a University of Tennessee student hacked into the personal e-mail of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

A person who identified himself as a witness tells 10 News that agents with the FBI served a federal search warrant at the Fort Sanders residence of David Kernell early Sunday morning. Kernell lives in the Commons apartment complex at 1115 Highland Ave.

David Kernell is the son of Mike Kernell, a Democratic state representative from Memphis.

Report: Organizers of Iran rally threatened with loss of tax-exempt status if they invited Palin

Sources say the axes were out for Palin as soon as Sen. Clinton pulled out because she did not want to attend the same event as the Republican vice presidential candidate…

The groups sponsoring the rally against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaking at the UN were reportedly told, “it could jeopardize their tax exempt status” if they had Palin and not Clinton or Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden on hand…

“I’m absolutely appalled at the behavior of the Democrats,” said Bob Kunst of Defenders.net. “I’m a Democrat and for the first time in my life I’m going to vote Republican. I can’t take it anymore.”

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/20/repo...-invited-palin/

I owe you an apology, Roman... While I do maintain that you obviously lean left, it has been unfair of me to characterize you as always being biased. You do occasionally present this sort of thing that is fair and even-haned and I greatly appreciate it.

Thank you...

No problem.

I lean towards being a free thinker and voter. That is what I hope can come across. I think it would if some of the ways some of us post (Including me) would be a bit more respectful. I think people would be surprised what kind of conversation we all could have if everyone would call out the candidates.....no matter if they support them or not.

But it's no problem.

Report: Organizers of Iran rally threatened with loss of tax-exempt status if they invited Palin

Sources say the axes were out for Palin as soon as Sen. Clinton pulled out because she did not want to attend the same event as the Republican vice presidential candidate…

The groups sponsoring the rally against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaking at the UN were reportedly told, "it could jeopardize their tax exempt status" if they had Palin and not Clinton or Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden on hand…

"I'm absolutely appalled at the behavior of the Democrats," said Bob Kunst of Defenders.net. "I'm a Democrat and for the first time in my life I'm going to vote Republican. I can't take it anymore."

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/20/repo...-invited-palin/

I guess both sides can play that game. And they should have been upfront with Hillary Clinton in the first place.

McCain Campaign Cries Wolf Over Anti-Iran Rally Fiasco

Menachem Rosensaft

Yes, Virginia, there are Republicans who are extremely knowledgeable about foreign affairs. Senators Richard Lugar, Chuck Hagel and John Warner come to mind, as do former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, George Shultz and Colin Powell. One might be forgiven, however, if one does not instinctively include Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in their midst. (According to the very Republican and highly respected Senator Hagel, Governor Palin "doesn't have any foreign policy credentials. . . . I think it's a stretch to, in any way, to say that she's got the experience to be president of the United States.")

It should follow that if one was looking for a Republican to take part in tomorrow's protest rally outside the United Nations against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nuclear ambitions and anti-Semitism, the event's organizers might have gone to, say, Lugar, Hagel, Warner, Kissinger, Shultz or Powell. One might also be forgiven if, using the same logic, one were to conclude that the decision to invite Sarah Palin to address the demonstration was little more than a not particularly subtle attempt to help her win Jewish votes for the GOP ticket.

It seemed fairly clever at first -- perhaps a bit too clever. Every even semi-competent head of a tax exempt 501©(3) organization knows that featuring the Republican vice presidential candidate six weeks before Election Day without at least offering equal time to the Democratic ticket could seriously jeopardize the group's tax-exempt status. But Senator Hillary Clinton had already agreed to speak at the rally back in August, and the organizers must have felt that this gave them the necessary cover to include Governor Palin without having to ask anyone from the Obama-Biden campaign. (Incidentally, one of Governor Palin's advisers, Mark Wallace, just happens to be both the executive director of United Against Nuclear Iran and the husband of McCain campaign Communications Director Nicole Wallace; and if you believe this is a mere coincidence, I know of lots of subprime mortgages you might want to add to your portfolio.)

When Senator Clinton found out that the Republican Vice Presidential nominee had been invited, she understood that she was being set up. There was every likelihood that Governor Palin would have attacked Senator Obama, and contrasted Senator Clinton's presence at the rally with the fact that Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden were not there. It was equally foreseeable that no one would have bothered to point out that neither Obama nor Biden had been invited. The Obama campaign's explanation and legitimately outraged reaction would then have been lost in the next news cycle. Senator Clinton was having none of this, and promptly withdrew from the demonstration.

It was only after Senator Clinton had pulled out that the rally's organizers first contacted the Obama campaign and asked them to participate in the event. This was on Wednesday, September 17th, five days before the rally. The Obama campaign accepted the invitation and said that it would send Representative Robert Wexler, a prominent Jewish Member of Congress from Florida who sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs (he is chairman of its Sub-Committee on Europe) as its surrogate. The following day, the organizers decided that the rally had suddenly become too political and disinvited Governor Palin and all other "American political personalities."

Let's be perfectly clear. The organizers had initially invited Governor Palin without ever contacting, let alone inviting, anyone from the Obama campaign. When they finally issued a belated invitation to the Obama side, it was accepted, and a prominent Democratic Member of Congress was going to speak at the rally. The organizers then disinvited both Governor Palin and Representative Wexler. And whom does the GOP hold responsible for this fiasco? Barack Obama, of course.

Never mind that the Obama campaign was ready, willing and able to participate in the rally. Never mind that neither Senator Obama nor his campaign had had anything to do with the organizers' decisions to invite and then disinvite Governor Palin. Never mind that the McCain-Palin campaign had been perfectly content to have Governor Palin speak at the rally without anyone representing the Obama campaign. Lamenting the rally organizers' withdrawal of the Palin invitation, the McCain campaign charged that "Senator Obama's campaign had the opportunity to join us. Senator Obama chose politics rather than the national interest."

If John McCain and his GOP flacks thought they could get away with it, they would blame Barack Obama for the Great Depression, the 1876 massacre at Little Big Horn, the bubonic pandemic of the 1340s, and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. And they would probably run ads alleging that Mrs. O'Leary, whose legendary cow is alleged to have started the Chicago fire, was an Obama public safety adviser.

Contrary to the McCain campaign's insinuation, Senator Obama and his campaign did absolutely nothing to politicize either the rally or the sensitive issue of how best to isolate and defuse the threat posed by the Iranian regime. In June, Senator Obama told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, that he would "use all elements of American power to pressure Iran," and that "I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." "Allowing Iran, a radical theocracy that supports terrorism and openly threatens its neighbors, to acquire nuclear weapons is a risk we cannot take," he explained on another occasion. And his position on the U.S.-Israeli relationship is equally unambiguous: "Israel's security is sacrosanct," he told AIPAC. "It is nonnegotiable."

Senators Obama and McCain will have an opportunity to explain their respective positions on Iran and other foreign policy questions during next Friday's debate. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted by a clumsy attempt to exploit an international powder keg for partisan political purposes.

Menachem Rosensaft is a lawyer in New York City.

Of course, though, the Obama/Biden camp didn't argue so much about the structured approach for the VP -- as much as McCain has concerns about how Palin might do in a debate on a national stage, Obama has concerns about Joe "Do Something About Your Pecs" Biden putting his foot in his mouth yet again...

Given all that could happen, this debate is highly anticipated and will be fun to watch! Too bad I'll miss it...

I see this differently.

if she were not ready to handle this debate, how can I assume she is ready for the vice presidency, let alone the presidency? It makes it looks like, to me, that she is being too insulated and isn't prepared for a free flowing debate. I also remember reading in this article that the Biden people didn't care which form the debate took place. I think they are confident he'll do well.

The pressure is on SP. She's the one who has to prove her mettle. All he has to do is answer the questions and stay on point, and not start running off at the mouth.

I guess both sides can play that game. And they should have been upfront with Hillary Clinton in the first place.

McCain Campaign Cries Wolf Over Anti-Iran Rally Fiasco

Menachem Rosensaft

Menachem Rosensaft is a lawyer in New York City.

Damn.

I guess both sides can play that game. And they should have been upfront with Hillary Clinton in the first place.

McCain Campaign Cries Wolf Over Anti-Iran Rally Fiasco

Menachem Rosensaft is a lawyer in New York City.

Opinion piece?

My question is... Yes or No, did the Dems threaten to revoke the organizations tax-exept status?

Edited September 21, 200817 yr by GoldenDogs