This is the Presidential Campaign Thread.

Barack Obama Vs. John McCain.

Edited November 6, 200817 yr by Toups

The only reason I'm posting this is because of the questions and the responses.

Sarah Palin Might Not Know What a Platform Is

Chris Kelly

Yesterday Sarah Palin did a phone interview with James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Most of it went pretty well -- lucky, he's a creep who likes children, that's an important sign; lucky, she's an [!@#$%^&*] with children, small world, isn't it? -- but there was one ugly gotcha question:Dobson:

The Republican Platform is the strongest pro-life, pro-family document to come out of a political party, even more so than the platforms during the campaigns of Ronald Reagan. There are principles there that I've been fighting for for thirty, forty years and you are trying to articulate those same principles, aren't you?

Oh jeez.

See, the problem here, for most Republican politicians, is that the platform is horrifying. A catalogue of revenge dreams and power fantasies, impossible and illegal, most of them involving women and scourging. It's the portrait in the attic of what Republican rule would look like, if the zealot half took over and pushed out the half who are just in it for the money.

It's not what you'd call a moderate document. Bob Dole, famously, claimed he never even read it.

That's what makes it a gotcha question, for most candidates. How to get around it. For Sarah Palin, what makes it a gotcha question is that I'm pretty sure she doesn't know that her party has a platform, or what one is.

He might as well be asking her the atomic weight of unbinilium.

So she goes into Palin bluff mode. What words does she have to work with from the question? "Platform." Good. We know that word. It's like a deck. "Pro-life." We heard about that at church. "Reagan." He was sort of like a young John McCain. Got it. Go.

Palin:

Absolutely, and Dr. Dobson thank you so much for recognizing that. This is a strong platform around the planks in this platform that respect life and respect the entrepreneurial spirit of this great country and those things, back to the social issues that are what Republicans, at least in the past, had articulated and tried to stand on.

Pause. Did that do it? Wait for next question. Darn it, he's not saying anything. That's okay, we can do this. Deep breath.

Palin:

Now, finally, we have very solid planks in the platform that will allow us to build an even stronger foundation for our country. It's all good and it's encouraging. You would maybe have assumed that we would have gotten further away from those strong planks. But no, they're there, they're solid, we stand on them and again I believe that it is the right agenda for the country at this time. Very, very clear and contrasted tickets in this election November 4th. People are going to see the clear contrasts, you just go to the planks in our platforms and that's where you see them.

And... done. Teacher, is that clock slow?

But Dobson isn't finished. He has a follow up. This must be what hell feels like.

Dobson:

In your private conversations with Senator McCain, it is your impression that he also strongly supports those views? I know that he did not oppose that platform when it was written. Do you think he will implement it?

I just remembered, I have an early out for band. Gotta go! No? Okay. Could you repeat the question?

What are the new words? "McCain" and "implement." Implement means "do."

Palin:

I do, from the bottom of my heart. I am such a strong believer that McCain believes in those strong planks and we do have good conversations about some of the details of the different planks and what they represent. I'm very heartened that John McCain ... he doesn't want a Vice President who will check the opinions ... of me at the door and we talk about some of these and they're very important. It's most important though, as you're suggesting, that Americans know that John McCain is solidly there on those solid planks in our platform that build the right agenda for America.

Nailed it! Pencils down.

She's such a desperate doofus. I'm glad she has nice clothes.

I think we might actually miss Sarah Palin. But we won't know until she goes away.

Mornin' y'all.

A friend emailed me this. It's good for a laugh!

McCain / Obama Dance-Off

Thanks for that, it was funny, just glad I didn't have a mouth full og coke at the time, or else my computer screen here at work would have been splattered

The only reason I'm posting this is because of the questions and the responses.

Sarah Palin Might Not Know What a Platform Is

Chris Kelly

The lack of intelligence in this woman is astounding. She can not manage to put together a coherent sentence. I can never understand what she means to say.

If by some chance the Republicans pull off a victory, I don't know what we would be in for.

I saw part of interview on Keith and Rachel. I didn't notice tension per say. Palin grimaced when they were discussing Colin Powell's assessment of her abilities. McCain always looks like he's clenching his teeth. Both of them "talk out the side of their neck", meaning they don't make sense. I have heard them say things that are the exact opposite of what really is. Such as Obama is running the most negative campaign in presidential election history. Huh? I don't see that. Rachel Maddow has a segment on her show called "It's Pat" where she and Buchanan discuss something. Last night she figured that there was enough info out there for Pat to finally admit that Palin was a drag on the ticket. He couldn't do it and tried to turn it around by saying she was talking so fast because she wasn't being truthful. Blind allegiance is a dangerous thing.

So, I have this idea. We form the SoapOpera Network pary and start campaigning right now for this election. I don't care which one of you guys wants to run for president, Wales, Roman, Greg or any of you other guys. I want to be VP on the ticket so our party can spend $150,00 on my wardrobe. I need new clothes!

The lack of intelligence in this woman is astounding. She can not manage to put together a coherent sentence. I can never understand what she means to say.

If by some chance the Republicans pull off a victory, I don't know what we would be in for.

I saw part of interview on Keith and Rachel. I didn't notice tension per say. Palin grimaced when they were discussing Colin Powell's assessment of her abilities. McCain always looks like he's clenching his teeth. Both of them "talk out the side of their neck", meaning they don't make sense. I have heard them say things that are the exact opposite of what really is. Such as Obama is running the most negative campaign in presidential election history. Huh? I don't see that. Rachel Maddow has a segment on her show called "It's Pat" where she and Buchanan discuss something. Last night she figured that there was enough info out there for Pat to finally admit that Palin was a drag on the ticket. He couldn't do it and tried to turn it around by saying she was talking so fast because she wasn't being truthful. Blind allegiance is a dangerous thing.

So, I have this idea. We form the SoapOpera Network pary and start campaigning right now for this election. I don't care which one of you guys wants to run for president, Wales, Roman, Greg or any of you other guys. I want to be VP on the ticket so our party can spend $150,00 on my wardrobe. I need new clothes!

Personally I can think of a lot better things to spend $150,000.00 on than clothes although some new ones wouldn't go astray.

But if the VP nominee get's $150,000.00 to spend I wonder what the Presidental nominee gets

Now about the lack of intelligence of Sarah Plain. I went to a seminar on Wednesday about managing emotions and the facilitator was American and she mentioned something about different reactions of American's from different states and she said that people from Alaska (sp) take more than a mintue to start answering a question once it has been asked. My thoughts went straight to Palin and I thought that there are some that don't answer the question asked and go off onto something completely different. Maybe I should have asked her about that.

Personally I can think of a lot better things to spend $150,000.00 on than clothes although some new ones wouldn't go astray.

But if the VP nominee get's $150,000.00 to spend I wonder what the Presidental nominee gets

Now about the lack of intelligence of Sarah Plain. I went to a seminar on Wednesday about managing emotions and the facilitator was American and she mentioned something about different reactions of American's from different states and she said that people from Alaska (sp) take more than a mintue to start answering a question once it has been asked. My thoughts went straight to Palin and I thought that there are some that don't answer the question asked and go off onto something completely different. Maybe I should have asked her about that.

I don't mind that she pauses to reflect. She just doesn't make sense. She dresses up her sentences with "big words" (as my students say) but they are not cohesive. I guess that's her way of not answering a question.

I too can think of a lot better ways to spend $150,000 on than clothes. It's this kind excess that has gripped our country. I mean we have homeless women and children throughout this country who could use 5-10% of that amount. But it's not just this campaign, it's pervasive in our country. Have you ever seen that MTV show "My Super Sweet 16"? Talk about excess. That's just one example of how greed has overtaken our country.

I'm very,very optimistic with this election. McCain/Palin and the GOP keep shooting themselves in the foot. I don't think McCain/Palin have a hope to win this election.

Edited October 23, 200817 yr by Mulder

The lack of intelligence in this woman is astounding. She can not manage to put together a coherent sentence. I can never understand what she means to say.

If by some chance the Republicans pull off a victory, I don't know what we would be in for.

I saw part of interview on Keith and Rachel. I didn't notice tension per say. Palin grimaced when they were discussing Colin Powell's assessment of her abilities. McCain always looks like he's clenching his teeth. Both of them "talk out the side of their neck", meaning they don't make sense. I have heard them say things that are the exact opposite of what really is. Such as Obama is running the most negative campaign in presidential election history. Huh? I don't see that. Rachel Maddow has a segment on her show called "It's Pat" where she and Buchanan discuss something. Last night she figured that there was enough info out there for Pat to finally admit that Palin was a drag on the ticket. He couldn't do it and tried to turn it around by saying she was talking so fast because she wasn't being truthful. Blind allegiance is a dangerous thing.

Pat Buchanan is one of those Republicans I mean when I say they're predatory. He preys on the victim Democrat when he thinks he can get away with it. I think he just likes arguing with Rachel Maddow for the fun of it though. Today he was on Hardball and he was the PB that doesn't really like McCain so he didn't really bother trying to defend him or his tactics. Maybe it helped that Bob Herbert was on and wasn't trying to challenge him on anything.

McCain criticized Bush in a big way and it looks as if that might create a minor problem for him. PB's issue was that he broke the party solidarity rule but besides that there are Republicans that still love George Bush and that probably won't sit well with them.

Chris Matthews tried to get Tom Ridge to say that it was wrong of the RNC to spend $150,000 on Palin's clothes when mascot Joe's house cost less than that. They're on the Joe the Plumber - Take Back the Wealth tour. I think it's hilarious.....from who are they going to take back the wealth and how many of them had it in the first place?

IA about Palin. I don't think I've heard her say anything coherent. She just seems to throw out a lot of words and thoughts and run them all together in a jumble. Wait I take that back.....I did actually hear her speak in succint sentences when she gave her ridiculous definition of elite.

The only reason I'm posting this is because of the questions and the responses.

Sarah Palin Might Not Know What a Platform Is

Chris Kelly

Oh, geez. I don't know which is funnier today...the dancing candidates or Sarah Palin working up the answer to a question. I'm gonna go with the latter, just because it's for real. Honestly, I can overlook the clothing budget, but the fact that she cannot offer up a coherent response. Never let this woman speak for longer than one sentence, please! It almost makes my head hurt, so I can imagine how her interviewers feel considering they should "follow-up."

She's a real maverick of the English language, that one. You betcha.

I'm very,very optimistic with this election. McCain/Palin and the GOP keep shooting themselves in the foot. I don't think McCain/Palin have a hope to win this election.

I'm becoming optimistic. I'm going to vote in the morning. I think I'll vote OBAMA.

It was just announced on a news break here that another Republican that was an ex press secretary for Bush has jumped ship and is backing Obama.

I'm becoming optimistic. I'm going to vote in the morning. I think I'll vote OBAMA.

Here at my humble abode, we have had a bit of a change of heart in waiting until election day. We were talking last night and agreed that at this point, there's nothing that we could imagine happening that would affect our vote. Therefore, we're probably going to vote early for Mr. Barack Obama!

It was just announced on a news break here that another Republican that was an ex press secretary for Bush has jumped ship and is backing Obama.

I saw that this morning. Scott McCellan has endorsed Obama, but that's not very surprising IMO. He wrote a pretty scathing book about the Bush Administration that came out earlier this year and has therefore fallen out of favor within the Republican Party.

Wales

I may be one of the few people that doesn't have a problem with Obama saying anything about spreading the wealth. I'm starting to believe that I live in a country where everything the Republicans say is terrible is deemed terrible whether it is or not. I fully expect them one day to come out and declare Harmony and Unity horrible socialist principles while Democrats sit around gasp, mildly protest and then proceed to avoid using the words.

As far as I am concerned, the GOP tends to be very predatory in nature and they continually operate from a position of power, regardless of their position in reality. They are successful at this because Democrats tend to operate from a position of weakness, doubt, and anxiety. I know there are some tough Democrats out there but they are outnumbered by the ones who buy into any ridiculous thing the Republicans say and I think there are times when Republicans are fully aware that they may be saying ridiculous things but they count on the fact that Democrats will run scared....which works more often than not.

Interesting post, my friend. Personally, I don't have a problem with the "spread the weath" statement either. My point was that it was something that the McCain camp could jump on and make an "issue" in the last days of the campaign. I don't think it will work for most Americans, but for some of the electorate, it will be. Depending on with whom their alliances lay, it could swing them over to the McCain side. But when you boil it down to the basics, it's another scare tactic in a long line of pathetic attempts by McCain to divert attention off real issues.

The GOP brand, I believe, has suffered tremendous damage because people are finally seeing through their questionable tactics in order to win elections. The negative aspects of their campaign has been on the news a lot more frequently than in 2000 or 2004. Speaking of bullies, here's a quote from Pickens interview on 60 Minutes:

The profile of Pickens takes Rose to the billionaire's Texas ranch and to the football stadium at Oklahoma State University that Pickens built for his alma mater. Rose and Pickens also go to the Democratic Convention, where he sought support for his "Pickens' Plan" to lessen America's dependence on foreign oil.

There at the convention, 60 Minutes cameras videotaping the report capture the icy moment when Pickens - the man who financed the infamous "swift boat" ads attacking 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry - runs into Kerry to create a visibly difficult encounter for both men.

Rose later asks Pickens whether he has any reservations over the ads that were roundly criticized and partially blamed for Kerry's loss to George W. Bush. "None," responds Pickens. "You'd do it over again tomorrow?" asks Rose. "What I knew then, I know that same thing now and nothing has changed my mind about what I felt like," he tells Rose.

Yesterday during a newsbreak segment on MSNBC, they reported this really odd story about a young McCain campaign worker being robbed at an ATM. She said the man walked away and then came back after he saw a McCain-Palin bumper sticker on her car and he then attacked her and etched a "B" in her face which the reporter said was presumably for Barack. Now me being me figured if that were the meaning he would have etched an "O" since I do believe more people say Obama than Barack. Anyway, I am always skeptical of these sort of things....because there have been instances where people have made up things for their own special reasons. I would guess that most ATMs have video cameras but there was no mention of one in this instance.

Anyway, the victim's story has now changed to her not knowing whether it was a bumper sticker on her car (why wouldn't he take the car or damage the car if he were outraged by the sticker?) or her wearing a campaign button that set him off. And sexual assault has been added....though I don't get why she wouldn't have mentioned this in the first place and why she refused medical treatment since her face was cut with a backwards "B."

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/1...356/detail.html

Here at my humble abode, we have had a bit of a change of heart in waiting until election day. We were talking last night and agreed that at this point, there's nothing that we could imagine happening that would affect our vote. Therefore, we're probably going to vote early for Mr. Barack Obama!

Say what happened to the joy of standing in the long long lines on Election Day? I still have my ballot sitting on my desk but I'm going to get it out this weekend.....or Monday at the latest.

Rachel Maddow said yesterday that early voting in Florida is being constrained by some outrageous new Republican created rules....which make it harder for people who work during certain hours to do it without missing significant time from work.

Interesting post, my friend. Personally, I don't have a problem with the "spread the weath" statement either. My point was that it was something that the McCain camp could jump on and make an "issue" in the last days of the campaign. I don't think it will work for most Americans, but for some of the electorate, it will be. Depending on with whom their alliances lay, it could swing them over to the McCain side. But when you boil it down to the basics, it's another scare tactic in a long line of pathetic attempts by McCain to divert attention off real issues.

The GOP brand, I believe, has suffered tremendous damage because people are finally seeing through their questionable tactics in order to win elections. The negative aspects of their campaign has been on the news a lot more frequently than in 2000 or 2004. Speaking of bullies, here's a quote from Pickens interview on 60 Minutes:

There's talk now that Palin is being positioned for a run at the White House in 2012. IMO, if they lose this election there is going to be some power play going on and maybe some significant change in what's considered their base. I don't think they can go on as is regardless of the outcome.

Dressed Down

A THUMBS DOWN simply must go out to Brad Blakeman, a Republican strategist (or so he was billed) who came up with an intriguing defense this week of Sarah Palin’s reported $150,000 makeover courtesy of the otherwise cash-strapped Republican National Committee. Appearing on MSNBC, Blakeman declared that the even greater outrage was the fact that Barack Obama was “taking a 767 (jet) campaign plane to go visit Grandma (in Hawaii).” This is the grandmother who helped raise Obama and is now gravely ill; Obama left the campaign trail Thursday to see her and plans to return Saturday. “Forget about the energy that is wasted, what about the hundreds of thousands of dollars to take a private trip when this guy should be humping his bags on a commercial plane or taking a smaller plane,” Blakeman said. “Taking a 767 of campaign money from people who could least afford it is more of an outrage in my opinion.” That kind of inanity speaks for itself.

Dressed Down

A THUMBS DOWN simply must go out to Brad Blakeman, a Republican strategist (or so he was billed) who came up with an intriguing defense this week of Sarah Palin's reported $150,000 makeover courtesy of the otherwise cash-strapped Republican National Committee. Appearing on MSNBC, Blakeman declared that the even greater outrage was the fact that Barack Obama was "taking a 767 (jet) campaign plane to go visit Grandma (in Hawaii)." This is the grandmother who helped raise Obama and is now gravely ill; Obama left the campaign trail Thursday to see her and plans to return Saturday. "Forget about the energy that is wasted, what about the hundreds of thousands of dollars to take a private trip when this guy should be humping his bags on a commercial plane or taking a smaller plane," Blakeman said. "Taking a 767 of campaign money from people who could least afford it is more of an outrage in my opinion." That kind of inanity speaks for itself.

I saw this yesterday and it was one of those head shaking moments. I could almost see his using this defense if David Schuster were questioning him about Palin's charging Alaska for taking her children on trips to events where they weren't invited, but he just made himself look callous and he seemed to be dead serious too.