The 2008 US Election thread

[J70]

McCain should be ashamed of himself after his ridiculous reaction and cynical, dishonest attempt to exploit Obama's "pig on lipstick" comment. I'll bet he wasn't outraged when he used the term himself in a similar context regarding Hillary Clinton's healthcare proposals last year. No doubt, after all this is over, he'll write another book expressing his regret for his and his campaign's conduct in this campaign. sc**bag.

[J70]

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/democrats/2706939/US-elections-MSNBC-sidelines-presenters-Chris-Matthews-and-Keith-Olbermann.html

This can't be ..... is Fox news behind this Surely most of you here would agree
there's no Liberal bias in our main stream media... ye have been saying so for sometime now

Fox News are every bit as mainstream as MSNBC. You'd swear themselves and talk radio are out there desperately trying to reach a tiny number of listeners, vainly trying to get some input. And its funny how you never hear these jibes aimed at the "mainstream" radio stations. ABC's NYC station, WABC, is wall-to-wall right-wing talk shows, except for the conspiracy bullshit on Coast to Coast in the middle of the night and Imus' show in the morning.

The anchors should be impartial though.

[Declan]

What was Palin like in her first "public" interview since being cossetted away for "familiarisation" by the GOP last night. Only heard a clip this morning and she sounded exactly like the caricature that I think she is.

Thought this letter to the Times today was clever:

Madam, - The addition of Mrs Sarah Palin to the US Republican election ticket brings me back a few years to a scenario which may be familiar to your readers.

John Delaney and the Football Assocation of Ireland had the task of picking a management team for a job with significant international exposure. A man in his 70s with noted health problems was chosen along with a young, boundlessly optimistic manager with no relevant experience.

In footballing terms Walsall could have been Alaska.  We were told about how the executive experience gained there would blend  with the insight of the older man to deliver a world-class experience.

At least in the FAI's case it was only a football team. -  Yours, etc,

CATHAL RABBITTE, Bombay, India.

[Hardy]

Cathal is an excellent, long-standing contributor to this board as well. That type of pithy observation is typical of him.

Don't bother asking me who he is. The CIA might be doing an OWC and keeping an eye here.

[DrinknHarp]

I think a Mary Harney figure is needed to keep them in line.

Personally I hate Obama, I think he's a smug, sly, sneaky, horrible character. I also hate Oprah because she thinks she has influence over what america does. I don't like the way this has turned into a racial debate in america - its not about government policy, its about reparations.

At the same time I don't trust the republicans very much, they remind me of Fine Gael in their ways and I don't like them very much either.

I feel sorry for america, you are getting a very raw deal. The only reason I would think the republicans in government would be a better bet is that they might look to stimulate the economy, I have not heard the same ideas from the democrat side. I don't think a lot of democrats are happy with their nomination.


Clinton vs Guiliani would have been a better choice.

After eight years they (Republicans) have decimated the economy. Bush depleted the National Surplus and has seen more firms move their businesses out of the country in his terms then ever in the short history of the U.S. IN the meantime he has bow downed to the energy, healthcare, financial and insurance industries to keep their profits skyrocketing to ensure the very wealthy maintain their wealth and tremendous tax breaks.

Although with his brilliant stimulus package of $600 for a single citizen or $1200 for a married couple you would think this would have worked wonders. In the meantime auto fuel went up 23%, food went up 12% (for transportation costs) and then you get taxed on your stimulus check- BRILLIANT.

Now we send billions of aide to the world while there is no health care for 37+% of the citizens, levees not finished in New Orleans, soldiers returning from war without the proper medical treatment or therapy stateside, infrastructure on the highways falling apart (MN bridge),  NO alternative energy sources being used in mass and an education system that is laughable.

Will the Democrats help or improve the U.S., I can not say for sure but they could not do worse after the eight years of W.

George Washington was not in favour of a party system in the infancy of the U.S. and now it is blatant why he felt that way.

[Diet Coke]

There will be NO CLOOUREDS IN THE WHITEHOUSE ...................unless they are servants!!

[magpie seanie]

Took me a while to get back to this but I wanted to.

Quote
I'm fully aware of the Rev Wright controvery and the mastery with which Obama handled it

You're joking right?  are you that naive to think that through Obama's mastery we've heard the last of Wright or Ayers for that matter.
Sure he condoned and stood by him for a number of weeks till he finally realized that the great Rev was simply not going to stop using Obama as a soap
box from which to spout his hatred for this country, then and only then did Obama disassociate himself from it.... surely his judgement comes into play
here in that after years of sitting in a pew listening to this bile that should Wright surface, Obama would have to nip it in the bud immediately... this simply wasn't the case!
I hope thats not the mastery that you speak of

No, thats a fanciful and one-eyed distortion of the truth. Here is what I'm talking about:

http://www.barackobama.com/2008/03/18/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_53.php

[Tyrones own]

http://www.videosift.com/video/Matt-Damon-Actually-Sounding-Smart-On-Palin

Matt Damon calls it like he sees it

Old news in the fact that the putting down of Sarah Palin as having no experience
actually flies in the face of the Democrats in trying to get Obama elected, they have backed off
on this issue in case you hadn't noticed for obvious reasons
Staying with this... Heard a good on the other day in comparing experience, "McCain has fired rockets
from war planes in Vietnam while Obama has fired staples into electric poles in Chicago, you decide"....Classic

[Tyrones own]

Matt Damon and Bill Maher actually make a really important observation in the midst of their respective pieces. Its on this obsession that many Americans have with choosing representatives that are 'just like me'.

As Damon says, the fact Palin has been played up as the down to earth, hockey mum from small town USA, who all the average Americans can relate to, is truly absurd. Why do you want some one thats just average in charge? The average American is no where near capable of running their country. This is not a dig at Americans, the average citizen anywhere in the world would not be capable of running their state.

Why are the Republicans having so much success by portraying Obama as a smartarse who thinks he's more intelligent than the average American? Why is this even an argument? FFS your president has the most important job in your country and therefore should be one of the most intelligent people in your country. Why the f**k is it considered a bad thing to have a smart person in charge. More astonishingly, why is it considered a good thing by so many to have an average person in charge?

Because in this particular instance, Obama may be smart as you put it, some might say articulate
but what comes with it unfortunately is a smug, condescending type mentality with absolutely zero experience
in much of anything let alone presidential material.
And please do stop jumping around to suit what you boy's are reading on the blogs or listening to
from Hollywood actors  day in day out..
Is it McCain or Palin that's running for president...make up your minds

[Tyrones own]

http://www.videosift.com/video/Matt-Damon-Actually-Sounding-Smart-On-Palin

Matt Damon calls it like he sees it

Old news in the fact that the putting down of Sarah Palin as having no experience
actually flies in the face of the Democrats in trying to get Obama elected, they have backed off
on this issue in case you hadn't noticed for obvious reasons
Staying with this... Heard a good on the other day in comparing experience, "McCain has fired rockets
from war planes in Vietnam while Obama has fired staples into electric poles in Chicago, you decide"....Classic

Is it any wonder the US are involved in so many conflicts around the world when the respective military experience of the presidential candidates is considered as such an important criteria. WTF has being able to use a gun or fire rockets got to do with your suitability to run a country? Typical American bravado shite 

Not that I'd expect you to figure it out on your own but it's the firing of Staples into electric poles that's the focus of that statement
and not the "typical American Bravado shite.... *shakes head*

[Tyrones own]

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/democrats/2706939/US-elections-MSNBC-sidelines-presenters-Chris-Matthews-and-Keith-Olbermann.html

This can't be ..... is Fox news behind this Surely most of you here would agree
there's no Liberal bias in our main stream media... ye have been saying so for sometime now

Fox News are every bit as mainstream as MSNBC. You'd swear themselves and talk radio are out there desperately trying to reach a tiny number of listeners, vainly trying to get some input. And its funny how you never hear these jibes aimed at the "mainstream" radio stations. ABC's NYC station, WABC, is wall-to-wall right-wing talk shows, except for the conspiracy bullshit on Coast to Coast in the middle of the night and Imus' show in the morning.

The anchors should be impartial though.

Bar the sentence in bold above, WTF has that to do with my post, Again I was merely pointing out the obvious to all bar the few on here
that MSNBC / CNN etc have been getting away with pushing and promoting complete Liberal biased news for years, contrary to popular belief around here
The two A**holes finally pushed and pushed the envelope so far that the network had no choice but to be seen to take action against such "personal bias"

[J70]

http://www.videosift.com/video/Matt-Damon-Actually-Sounding-Smart-On-Palin

Matt Damon calls it like he sees it

Old news in the fact that the putting down of Sarah Palin as having no experience
actually flies in the face of the Democrats in trying to get Obama elected, they have backed off
on this issue in case you hadn't noticed for obvious reasons
Staying with this... Heard a good on the other day in comparing experience, "McCain has fired rockets
from war planes in Vietnam while Obama has fired staples into electric poles in Chicago, you decide"....Classic

Of course the Democrats attacking Palin's experience had nothing to do with pointing out the hypocrisy of Republicans attacking Obama for it all summer and then putting someone like Palin in the possible position of becoming president at any moment...

[J70]

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/democrats/2706939/US-elections-MSNBC-sidelines-presenters-Chris-Matthews-and-Keith-Olbermann.html

This can't be ..... is Fox news behind this Surely most of you here would agree
there's no Liberal bias in our main stream media... ye have been saying so for sometime now

Fox News are every bit as mainstream as MSNBC. You'd swear themselves and talk radio are out there desperately trying to reach a tiny number of listeners, vainly trying to get some input. And its funny how you never hear these jibes aimed at the "mainstream" radio stations. ABC's NYC station, WABC, is wall-to-wall right-wing talk shows, except for the conspiracy bullshit on Coast to Coast in the middle of the night and Imus' show in the morning.

The anchors should be impartial though.

Bar the sentence in bold above, WTF has that to do with my post, Again I was merely pointing out the obvious to all bar the few on here
that MSNBC / CNN etc have been getting away with pushing and promoting complete Liberal biased news for years, contrary to popular belief around here
The two A**holes finally pushed and pushed the envelope so far that the network had no choice but to be seen to take action against such "personal bias"

I don't see CNN as especially biased in either direction myself. MSNBC is left-leaning no question, as Fox News is right-leaning.

And WTF my comment had to do with yours is that Fox and talk radio are every bit as mainstream at this stage as MSNBC or CNN or the NY Times or what have you. Unless you're suggesting that people have to go to some secret location or join a club to access them? This idea that Limbaugh and Hannity and the rest of them are the "alternate" media is bullshit. You can't claim to be alternative and claim to be the most successful and influential all at the same time. And if you don't want someone to address the "mainstream" characterization, then don't bring it up next time.

And unless I'm mistaken, I doubt very much if most of the people on this board get MSNBC, while they only get CNN's international, London-based channel, which varies quite a bit from the main US one.

[J70]

http://www.videosift.com/video/Matt-Damon-Actually-Sounding-Smart-On-Palin

Matt Damon calls it like he sees it

Old news in the fact that the putting down of Sarah Palin as having no experience
actually flies in the face of the Democrats in trying to get Obama elected, they have backed off
on this issue in case you hadn't noticed for obvious reasons
Staying with this... Heard a good on the other day in comparing experience, "McCain has fired rockets
from war planes in Vietnam while Obama has fired staples into electric poles in Chicago, you decide"....Classic

Is it any wonder the US are involved in so many conflicts around the world when the respective military experience of the presidential candidates is considered as such an important criteria. WTF has being able to use a gun or fire rockets got to do with your suitability to run a country? Typical American bravado shite 

Not that I'd expect you to figure it out on your own but it's the firing of Staples into electric poles that's the focus of that statement
and not the "typical American Bravado shite.... *shakes head*

No matter how much you protest otherwise, Palin has rendered the experience issue irrelevant to any honest voter, as she could be president at any point from late January onwards. Anyway, Republicans, up until this particular election, used to tell us that governors were the only sensible options from whom to choose a presidential candidate. That was one of the main issues they attacked John Kerry on, along with the odious swift-boat shite. 30 years in the senate, a glorified, elitist debating club was the approach they took. Not hearing much about that kind of thing these days. Suddenly, a long-standing senator has some expertise to offer! And he's just the type of outsider needed to change Washington!

[Hardy]

Anyway - nobody is answering the question on the dinosaur issue. I already
know she favours teaching creationism as science. Now I'd like to know whether
she believes in it herself.

I need to know how scared I should be.