The 2008 US Election thread

[J70]

Anyone watch the 2 Clinton's speeches the last 2 nights?

The Democrats unifying?

obama might have a bit of a problem here. a poll taken before he selected his vp had 26% oh hillarys supporters not voting for him and one taken after he nominated biden showed 50% of hillarys 18m voters not voting for him (they were not all voting mccain, just not voting obama). i must say as one who was hoping hillary would get the nomination obama aint doing much for me, sure he beats bush hands down but so does mccain. it might be alot closer than some people think

At this point, I think McCain is going to win it. Obviously circumstances can cause big swings, but the Republican dirty tricks machine is going to go into overdrive over the coming weeks. Expect to see plenty of rumours and whispers e.g. one reported in the NY Times this week where some hick said he wasn't voting for Obama because he had received an email saying that Obama had refused to shake hands with the troops in Afghanistan. The gentleman in question didn't know if it was true, and he didn't have time to do some research, so he was just going to play safe and not vote for him!

In addition to all that, Obama's inexperience is genuinely going to be an issue for an awful lot of people. He's been a US senator for just three and a half years, two of which he has been running for president. Apart from that he was a state senator in Illinois and a law professor. Compare that to recent presidents, all of whom have been either governors or vice-presidents. You have to go back to Eisenhower for the last one who was neither, but you could hardly say he had a hole in his resume when it came to leadership, administration and foreign relations. Obama is going to have to convince a lot of people that he will be up to the job.

Of course, McCain is also a senator, but he has been around a very long time and has fostered an image of himself as an independent maverick who can get things done, reaching across the aisles to work on quite a number of issues.

[magpie seanie]

I would not be surpised to see Obama contrast Biden's loss of his wife and baby in a car accident right after he originally won his senate seat with McCain's leaving his first wife when she was recovering from a car accident

I would be shocked if that happened.

[J70]

I would not be surpised to see Obama contrast Biden's loss of his wife and baby in a car accident right after he originally won his senate seat with McCain's leaving his first wife when she was recovering from a car accident

I would be shocked if that happened.

I would be shocked too if something like that came out in an official campaign ad, with the "I'm Obama and I approve of this message" bit. I'd even be surprised if some of the surrogate or non-affiliated groups came out with it, but you never know in American politics.

I should correct what I said there too - his wife's accident occurred when he was a POW, but she numerous operations afterwards, leaving her five inches shorter, disfigured and overweight (she had been a model). He basically traded her in for a much younger, better looking (and filthy rich) woman. I suppose you don't know how you would act until you are in that situation i.e. POW unknowingly returning after years in captivity to find a wife who's undergone an awful, disfiguring trauma as well, but it doesn't say a lot for his "family values" which seems to be such a big part of the republican party's "appeal".

[magickingdom]

I would not be surpised to see Obama contrast Biden's loss of his wife and baby in a car accident right after he originally won his senate seat with McCain's leaving his first wife when she was recovering from a car accident

I would be shocked if that happened.

I would be shocked too if something like that came out in an official campaign ad, with the "I'm Obama and I approve of this message" bit. I'd even be surprised if some of the surrogate or non-affiliated groups came out with it, but you never know in American politics.

I should correct what I said there too - his wife's accident occurred when he was a POW, but she numerous operations afterwards, leaving her five inches shorter, disfigured and overweight (she had been a model). He basically traded her in for a much younger, better looking (and filthy rich) woman. I suppose you don't know how you would act until you are in that situation i.e. POW unknowingly returning after years in captivity to find a wife who's undergone an awful, disfiguring trauma as well, but it doesn't say a lot for his "family values" which seems to be such a big part of the republican party's "appeal".

youd do the republicans dirty tricks dept proud there j70... bit harsh

i agree with you about mccain having a very good chance of winning it tho. he has down a remarkable job in differentiating himself from george bush. most people want bush out and mccain aint seen as bush 2 (or 3!)

[J70]

I would not be surpised to see Obama contrast Biden's loss of his wife and baby in a car accident right after he originally won his senate seat with McCain's leaving his first wife when she was recovering from a car accident

I would be shocked if that happened.

I would be shocked too if something like that came out in an official campaign ad, with the "I'm Obama and I approve of this message" bit. I'd even be surprised if some of the surrogate or non-affiliated groups came out with it, but you never know in American politics.

I should correct what I said there too - his wife's accident occurred when he was a POW, but she numerous operations afterwards, leaving her five inches shorter, disfigured and overweight (she had been a model). He basically traded her in for a much younger, better looking (and filthy rich) woman. I suppose you don't know how you would act until you are in that situation i.e. POW unknowingly returning after years in captivity to find a wife who's undergone an awful, disfiguring trauma as well, but it doesn't say a lot for his "family values" which seems to be such a big part of the republican party's "appeal".

youd do the republicans dirty tricks dept proud there j70... bit harsh

i agree with you about mccain having a very good chance of winning it tho. he has down a remarkable job in differentiating himself from george bush. most people want bush out and mccain aint seen as bush 2 (or 3!)

I did qualify what I said by saying that you don't know what goes on between two people, particularly a couple that underwent the respective and joint traumas that they did. Neither the physical nor mental anguish can have been easy for them.

Nevertheless, it cannot be (and is not) denied that he "traded her in for a much younger, better looking (and filthy rich) woman."

[magickingdom]

and beer heiress at that!

[Pangurban]

What about the Elephant in the room which no one will mention publicly, but is the one real difficulty for Obama to get over, you all know what im talking about. There is a chauvinistic, right wing element among the democrats who will find it difficult to vote, despite their having the best candidate by a country mile

[Gabriel_Hurl]

Well - that was some extravaganza

[heganboy]

a very electable speech, candidate, well maybe not so much...

[Tyrones own]

Sounded great no doubt, he's def going to get some amount of work done when he gets in
Actually am looking forward to the debates though...

[heganboy]

looking like pawlenty is the mccain vp...

[Tyrones own]

A little surprised, I would have thought Romney

[Hound]

McCain can pull a master stroke here and nominate a woman as his running mate to woo the disenfranchised hillary fans

The has been speculation that the  governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, would be chosen by McCain (she's actually very attractive, in a glasses plus hair-tied back secretary kind of way! ),

[heganboy]

looking like pawlenty is the mccain vp...

oops or maybe not:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-CVN-Veepstakes.html

[Aghdavoyle]

I'd vote for this....