This is the Presidential Campaign Thread.

Barack Obama Vs. John McCain.

Edited November 6, 200817 yr by Toups

RNC Hits Obama Campaign for Meeting with Controversial Muslim Leader who Met with Bush

Jake Tapper October 10, 2008 2:24 PM

"How many times has the Obama campaign met with groups tied to or connected with terrorist organizations?" asks the RNC today.

The RNC was referring to a report in today's Wall Street Journal that the Obama campaign "said it was a mistake for an outreach coordinator to join a meeting last month attended by leaders of two controversial Muslim groups as it seeks votes from large Muslim populations in swing states. Minha Husaini, newly named as head of the campaign's outreach coordinator to Muslims, attended a discussion session Sept. 15 with about 30 Muslim leaders and community members in suburban Washington, the Obama campaign confirmed. Participants included leaders of the Council of American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim American Society, which have been cited by the government in the past for ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas….

"Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR, also attended the session, as did the group's legislative director. The government named CAIR an unindicted coconspirator in the Justice Department's racketeering prosecution last year of alleged Hamas fund-raisers. CAIR said the designation was unjustified; the case ended in a mistrial, but is being brought again by the government."

Nihad Awad…Nihad Awad…that name rings a bell.

Oh right, he's the guy in this photo, to President Bush's left.

How many times has President Bush met with groups tied to or connected with terrorist organizations? (Other than that time he was holding hands with the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, I mean.)

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has met with groups -- the ISNA, for example -- about whom some allege terrorist ties.

How many times has Secretary Rice met with groups tied to or connected with terrorist organizations?

**

What path are McCain, Palin and the RNC on right now?

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., asks "Who is the real Barack Obama?" and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says Obama "doesn't see America the way we do" and that Obama "is palling around with terrorists." The RNC alleges that Obama's getting a lot of money from overseas and then lodges this accusatory question about terrorist groups that could easily be leveled at the President.

Where does this path lead? What will John McCain be asking about Obama in 20 days? What will Palin be saying? What RNC emails will be in my in-box?

Politico's Ben Smith points out today that Sen. John McCain "didn't talk about the stock market yesterday, and didn't put out a statement on it, while Obama did both, and McCain campaign manager Rick Davis was asked about that on a conference call (about Acorn!) this afternoon.

"'There's very little a candidate for president can say and very little the president can say about what's happening in the stock markets except hope that they correct themselves,' Davis said. The campaign, he said, shouldn't become a "CNBC news show on the stock market."

- jpt

So now Palin is being officially accused of abuse of power, but she didn't break the law.

And way to go McCain for actually taking the high road and saying that people shouldn't be scared if Obama wins, that he's actually a decent guy and family man. Wah wah wah for the babies in the crowds who booed.

And way to go McCain for actually taking the high road and saying that people shouldn't be scared if Obama wins, that he's actually a decent guy and family man. Wah wah wah for the babies in the crowds who booed.

He seems to be attracting more than the usual number of nut cases at his rallies now. I can't believe that he had to clarify that Obama is not an Arab for one of them. They seem to be taking the terrorist connection that McCain and Palin have been making to Obama seriously. It was reported that a woman shouted "bomb Obama" at a debate between two candidates for the Senate.

I think it's good that McCain spoke up and hopefully he'll make a more forceful statement and seek a different way to make his point that he believes Obama isn't truthful. I just read an article stating that McCain's campaign is now connecting Michelle Obama to Ayers. The campaign member said that Ayers wife worked at a law firm that Michelle Obama joined three years later and that the two could have known each other from work. Next they will be accusing Obama's children of being connected to Ayers as well.

Palin needs to drop the whole line of Obama not being truthful in light of the fact that the bi-partisan panel determined that Palin wasn't truthful regarding that trooper terminaton.

He seems to be attracting more than the usual number of nut cases at his rallies now. I can't believe that he had to clarify that Obama is not an Arab for one of them. They seem to be taking the terrorist connection that McCain and Palin have been making to Obama seriously. It was reported that a woman shouted "bomb Obama" at a debate between two candidates for the Senate.

I think it's good that McCain spoke up and hopefully he'll make a more forceful statement and seek a different way to make his point that he believes Obama isn't truthful. I just read an article stating that McCain's campaign is now connecting Michelle Obama to Ayers. The campaign member said that Ayers wife worked at a law firm that Michelle Obama joined three years later and that the two could have known each other from work. Next they will be accusing Obama's children of being connected to Ayers as well.

Palin needs to drop the whole line of Obama not being truthful in light of the fact that the bi-partisan panel determined that Palin wasn't truthful regarding that trooper terminaton.

I hope McCain realized that the rhetoric in this campaign has overheated. You know, I thought it was going to be Obama's campaign that exploded. In the end, John McCain has not been served well by his campaign team. They are making him look terribly bad.

You know, I don't care about the Palin flap. It is another example of a poor campaign tactic by Team McCain.

BREAKING NEWS

msnbc.com news services

updated 1 hour, 25 minutes ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, the chief investigator of an Alaska legislative panel concluded Friday. The politically charged inquiry imperiled her reputation as a reformer on John McCain's Republican ticket.

Investigator Stephen Branchflower, in a report by a bipartisan panel that investigated the matter, found Palin in violation of a state ethics law that prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain.

The inquiry looked into her dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, who said he lost his job because he resisted pressure to fire a state trooper involved in a bitter divorce with the governor's sister. Palin says Monegan was fired as part of a legitimate budget dispute.

The panel found that Palin let the family grudge influence her decision-making even if it was not the sole reason Monegan was dismissed. "I feel vindicated," Monegan said. "It sounds like they've validated my belief and opinions. And that tells me I'm not totally out in left field."

Branchflower said Palin violated a statute of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.

Palin and McCain's supporters had hoped the inquiry's finding would be delayed until after the presidential election to spare her any embarrassment and to put aside an enduring distraction as she campaigns as McCain's running mate in an uphill contest against Democrat Barack Obama.

But the panel of lawmakers voted to release the report, although not without dissension.

"I think there are some problems in this report," said Republican state Sen. Gary Stevens, a member of the panel. "I would encourage people to be very cautious, to look at this with a jaundiced eye."

The nearly 300-page report does not recommend sanctions or a criminal investigation.

BREAKING NEWS

msnbc.com news services

updated 1 hour, 25 minutes ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, the chief investigator of an Alaska legislative panel concluded Friday. The politically charged inquiry imperiled her reputation as a reformer on John McCain's Republican ticket.

Investigator Stephen Branchflower, in a report by a bipartisan panel that investigated the matter, found Palin in violation of a state ethics law that prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain.

The inquiry looked into her dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, who said he lost his job because he resisted pressure to fire a state trooper involved in a bitter divorce with the governor's sister. Palin says Monegan was fired as part of a legitimate budget dispute.

The panel found that Palin let the family grudge influence her decision-making even if it was not the sole reason Monegan was dismissed. "I feel vindicated," Monegan said. "It sounds like they've validated my belief and opinions. And that tells me I'm not totally out in left field."

Branchflower said Palin violated a statute of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.

Palin and McCain's supporters had hoped the inquiry's finding would be delayed until after the presidential election to spare her any embarrassment and to put aside an enduring distraction as she campaigns as McCain's running mate in an uphill contest against Democrat Barack Obama.

But the panel of lawmakers voted to release the report, although not without dissension.

"I think there are some problems in this report," said Republican state Sen. Gary Stevens, a member of the panel. "I would encourage people to be very cautious, to look at this with a jaundiced eye."

The nearly 300-page report does not recommend sanctions or a criminal investigation.

And of course there will be some that will say that she did nothing wrong.

All week, 20/20 has been advertising that they'd be premiering a Britney Spears video on their show tonight. What they didn't advertise was the story that would run just before the video: basically stating that young voters should stay home because they were uninformed (like many older voters aren't uninformed). I thought that was pretty low of a supposed news show to lure in young viewers just to tell them to not vote-- just weeks before the presidential election.

I'd already soured on John Stossel's reporting. But this is just made me look at this show with new eyes. I know full well that they cherry-picked the most ridiculous answers to their political questions-- totally misleading.

All week, 20/20 has been advertising that they'd be premiering a Britney Spears video on their show tonight. What they didn't advertise was the story that would run just before the video: basically stating that young voters should stay home because they were uninformed (like many older voters aren't uninformed). I thought that was pretty low of a supposed news show to lure in young viewers just to tell them to not vote-- just weeks before the presidential election.

I'd already soured on John Stossel's reporting. But this is just made me look at this show with new eyes. I know full well that they cherry-picked the most ridiculous answers to their political questions-- totally misleading.

I hate it when shows do that. And the fact that they also put the advertised item on towards the end making you watch the entire show cuz you don't know exactly when it comes on.

I hate it when shows do that. And the fact that they also put the advertised item on towards the end making you watch the entire show cuz you don't know exactly when it comes on.

Exactly! The other story they aired about people wanting the gov't to help the average citizens was pretty slanted, too. Obviously, there were people rolling the dice with sub-prime loans. But that was not the case with everyone. Some people bought homes with conventional loans and still lost their job & heath insurance (unexpectedly) in Bush's economy.

OMG how could someone make such a [!@#$%^&*] up.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27122742/?GT1=43001

The only ballot's that should be vaild are the one's with the correct names on them.

When we vote here we have to mark the ballot papers in pencil, but each one is human checked and any that are defaced in any way are deemed to be invaild.

The only time our votes have anything to do with a computer is when one of the polling place's call in and tell the people on the other end that they have this many votes for each candidate

But we did have to go through each and every ballot paper making sure that it was vaild. It was a long day, but very interesting at the same time.

Edited October 11, 200817 yr by SnCCorinthos4ever

All week, 20/20 has been advertising that they'd be premiering a Britney Spears video on their show tonight. What they didn't advertise was the story that would run just before the video: basically stating that young voters should stay home because they were uninformed (like many older voters aren't uninformed). I thought that was pretty low of a supposed news show to lure in young viewers just to tell them to not vote-- just weeks before the presidential election.

I'd already soured on John Stossel's reporting. But this is just made me look at this show with new eyes. I know full well that they cherry-picked the most ridiculous answers to their political questions-- totally misleading.

I get disgusted with John Stossel too. I think he has a superior attitude. I think it is lousy for them to discourage people from voting. The truth is most voters are ill-informed about much of politics IMO. Most people don't have a couople of hours a day to figure out who is lying and who is telling the truth. We all know the media doesn't do a very good job of helping people out.

BREAKING NEWS

msnbc.com news services

updated 1 hour, 25 minutes ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, the chief investigator of an Alaska legislative panel concluded Friday. The politically charged inquiry imperiled her reputation as a reformer on John McCain's Republican ticket.

Investigator Stephen Branchflower, in a report by a bipartisan panel that investigated the matter, found Palin in violation of a state ethics law that prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain.

The inquiry looked into her dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, who said he lost his job because he resisted pressure to fire a state trooper involved in a bitter divorce with the governor's sister. Palin says Monegan was fired as part of a legitimate budget dispute.

The panel found that Palin let the family grudge influence her decision-making even if it was not the sole reason Monegan was dismissed. "I feel vindicated," Monegan said. "It sounds like they've validated my belief and opinions. And that tells me I'm not totally out in left field."

Branchflower said Palin violated a statute of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.

Palin and McCain's supporters had hoped the inquiry's finding would be delayed until after the presidential election to spare her any embarrassment and to put aside an enduring distraction as she campaigns as McCain's running mate in an uphill contest against Democrat Barack Obama.

But the panel of lawmakers voted to release the report, although not without dissension.

"I think there are some problems in this report," said Republican state Sen. Gary Stevens, a member of the panel. "I would encourage people to be very cautious, to look at this with a jaundiced eye."

The nearly 300-page report does not recommend sanctions or a criminal investigation.

Is Gary Stevens Ted Stevens son?

These McCain rallies are scary!

If anything, it's his campaign that's making things more partisan.

Edited October 11, 200817 yr by bandbfan

Abuse of Power? No wonder Palin doesn't see how dangerous Cheney's term as VP has been.