Campaign 2008

[ZGangsta 0]

So what's the opinions on a longer, protracted Democratic primary in relation to John McCain?

 

a) Good for McCain since the Democrats are fighting each other and he can keep up his national campaign message while they're busy.

 

b) Bad for McCain since the Democrats will get much more press coverage during this and he'll fade into the background (relatively).

 

c) Doesn't make a difference since there's enough time between the primaries and general to kind of 'reset' everything.

[snuffbox 0]

a)

 

See also, 1968.

[ZGangsta 0]

a)

 

See also, 1968.

Someone's going to shoot Obama at the Ambassador Hotel!?

[snuffbox 0]

Oh, I thought you were asking about the consequences of a drawn-out nomination process while another party is ready to go. Had I known you were looking to make a Kamala-esque terrible joke, I would have said something else.

[Atticus Chaos 0]

It's bad for Obama since he's facing two rounds of attacks in the upcoming months: McCain and Clinton. Dealing with one at a time is one thing, but both? If he got Clinton out the way, McCain would be a lot easier to deal with.

 

The republicans are treating him as the presumptive nominee, but the Clinton campaign is treating him as an inconvient hurdle. He's stuck in limbo and gets the worst of both worlds.

[snuffbox 0]

At least he seems to be starting to fight back now. The whole bending-over thing has never panned out in American politics. I wouldnt be surprised if John Kerry might have said something to him about this.

 

You can really tell someone tends to mistake asses for holes in the ground when they act offended because Obama fights back. "He's sposed to take the high road!" You should probably just move to Ohio if you can't tell the difference between the high road and self-defense/honest criticism.

[Atticus Chaos 0]

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/a...tee-member.aspx

 

Michigan Caucus likely?

 

 

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Survey USA did 50 state polling. I know, I know, it's early and all, but these things are fun to look at.

 

Clinton vs. McCain

 

Obama vs. McCain

 

State by State Difference in Performance in Notable States (Obama vs. Obama)

Arkansas: Clinton +11, Obama -20

Colorado: C -6, O +9

Florida: C +9, O -2

Hawaii: C +4, O +30

Idaho: C -36, O -13

Iowa: C -5, O +9

Michigan: C even, O +1

Minnesota: C +4, O +7

Missouri: C -4, O -6

Montana: C -20, O -8

Nebraska: C -27, O -3 (and splitting the EVs of the state)

Nevada: C -8, O +5

New Hampshire: C -8, O +2

New Jersey: C +5, O even

New Mexico: C even, O +7

North Carolina: C -8, O -2

North Dakota: C -19, O +4

Ohio: C +10, O +10

Oklahoma: C -8, O -23

Oregon: C -5, O +8

Pennsylvania: C +1, O -5

South Carolina: C -6, O -3

South Dakota: C -12, O -4

Tennessee: C even, O -16

Texas: C -7, O -1

Utah: C -38, O -11

Virginia: C -10, O even

Washington" C -2, O +14

West Virginia: C +5, O -18

Wisconsin: C +4, O +11

Wyoming: C -33, O -19

[Guest Vitamin X]

Hey, I just realized that smitty and I get to vote for Obama on the same day. Yay! It might actually count for something!

[Atticus Chaos 0]

Honestly, that's why I think the SDs will never cheat Obama out of the nomination. Aside from it being morally wrong and all, it's simply not that smart. Obama has more chance of winning. You might even get a sizable number of republicans switching over to him. However, there's no chance of the republicans switching over for Hillary.

[snuffbox 0]

What about Ann Coulter and the Czech Republic?

[Atticus Chaos 0]

What about Ann Coulter and the Czech Republic?

 

 

Ann Coulter supporting Hillary is the most worked thing ever. She's now changed her story and is saying if McCain's running mate is to her liking (Mitt Romney or someone similar) she'll vote for him.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Jerk back in '06:

 

[Evan Bayh] > whatever liberal masturbation fantasy the peaceniks and the tree-huggers decide is flavor of the month. Sure, Obama's a swell guy and gives a rousing speech, but that's not going to cut it when you're electing the commander-in-chief in the post 9/11 world.

 

Standin' by this Jerk?

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Hey, I just realized that smitty and I get to vote for Obama on the same day. Yay! It might actually count for something!

 

Oregon votes in May, too? I think I may have voted for Kucinich back in '04, I can't even remember...it really didn't matter at that point, obviously. I may have voted for Dean.

 

I remember that my buddy wanted to be the only guy in his very rural Frankfort, KY precinct to vote for Al Sharpton in '04.

 

Unfortunately, if the election is still contested by the time it gets to the Bluegrass, I'm pretty sure Clinton will beat Obama here.

[Atticus Chaos 0]

Bill Bradley pwns Hillary

 

'The idea that Senator Clinton has got a lot of experience from the time she was the first lady, I think the facts don't make that case. I mean, she has not named one issue that was a critical, national security issue, that we're in a time of war, where she played a significant role.

 

She has no experience in weighing different kinds of intelligence reports and trying to make a decision. She hasn't managed the egos and agendas of a national security staff. In fact, as first lady, she didn't even have a security clearance'.

 

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white_house...cuss_03-05.html

[Guest Vitamin X]

Hey, I just realized that smitty and I get to vote for Obama on the same day. Yay! It might actually count for something!

 

Oregon votes in May, too? I think I may have voted for Kucinich back in '04, I can't even remember...it really didn't matter at that point, obviously. I may have voted for Dean.

 

Unfortunately, if the election is still contested by the time it gets to the Bluegrass, I'm pretty sure Clinton will beat Obama here.

 

Yup, May 20th. Ridiculously far. I'm fairly sure Obama would crush Clinton here, too.

[SuperJerk 0]

Can someone provide the exact quote or footage of Mrs. Clinton saying McCain had the lifetime of experience to be president, but Obama didn't?

 

Jerk back in '06:

 

[Evan Bayh] > whatever liberal masturbation fantasy the peaceniks and the tree-huggers decide is flavor of the month. Sure, Obama's a swell guy and gives a rousing speech, but that's not going to cut it when you're electing the commander-in-chief in the post 9/11 world.

 

Standin' by this Jerk?

 

In my defense, I probably said that before the Democrats took back the Congress and I was still drinking the "only a moderate Democrat can win" kool-aid.

 

In other news...

 

Obama's grandma slams 'untruths'

 

By Katharine Houreld, Associated Press

KOGELO, Kenya — American shock jocks, dirty tricks masterminds and political bloggers: Beware the wrath of an 86-year-old Kenyan villager.

A frown replaces the dimpled beam of Sarah Hussein Obama, grandmother of U.S. senator Barack Obama, when asked on Wednesday about recent attacks on her grandson that include the spreading of rumors that he is secretly a Muslim and the repeated use of his middle name — Hussein — by a radio host at rally of the Republican presidential candidate.

 

"Untruths are told that don't have anything to do with what Barack is about," she said in the local Luo language, her gray hair smoothed neatly under a headwrap. "I am very against it."

 

Obama and fellow senator Hillary Clinton are close in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination after results from races on Tuesday. Clinton, who was trailing Obama, won the crucial states of Texas and Ohio and won big in Rhode Island. Obama's thin lead narrowed further after he only picked up Vermont.

 

In recent weeks, two Clinton volunteers in the state of Iowa resigned after forwarding false e-mails falsely saying he was a Muslim and a threat to national security. Matt Drudge, who publishes the political blog the Drudge Report, said that he was e-mailed a widely circulated picture of Obama in a turban and robe by the Clinton campaign.

 

"Bringing such pictures that are trying to imply that not only is he a foreigner, he is a Muslim is wrong, because that is not what he is," scolded Sarah Obama.

 

The photo was taken when he was presented with the outfit while on a visit to his late father's native Kenya, where many of the family still live. Clinton campaign officials have said they did not condone any such dirty tricks.

 

Obama's grandfather had converted to Islam from Roman Catholicism and taken the name Hussein, Sarah Obama said, but his children had inherited only the name, not the religion. Each person should be able to choose how they worshipped, she said.

 

"In the world of today, children have different religions from their parents," she said. She, too, is a Christian.

 

Barack Obama has visited his Kenyan relatives three times in Kogelo, and his grandmother has gone to the U.S. twice. She says they are close, although they have to speak through an interpreter.

 

Sarah Obama was the second wife of the candidate's late grandfather, so is not his biological grandmother. But Barack Obama's half sister, Auma Obama, said: "By our definition, in our culture, she is his grandmother," she said.

 

The intense interest generated by the race for the Democratic nomination — between two candidates who would either be the first female or the first black president — has thrust Obama's Kenyan family into the spotlight.

 

Four wheel drive vehicles packed with journalists bounce over the rutted red roads, and students at the local high school named after him don't even turn anymore to watch as crews unload satellite equipment under a mango tree.

 

Each twist and turn of the race is closely scrutinized, says Auma Obama. The family gathered in his grandmother's house on Tuesday night to watch the results come in, she said, on a television donated by a family friend — the grandmother's own simple house does not have one of its own.

 

"Barack's done extremely well and we're very proud of him," Auma Obama said when asked for a reaction to the losses on Tuesday. "This is like a football match. The game continues."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-03...obama-kin_N.htm

 

So, in summary, according to Grandma Obama, only Grandpa Obama was a Muslim.

 

Also, I'd like to see this woman smack Matt Drudge over the head with her cane.

 

 

[SuperJerk 0]

Found it...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou4JnWQsxKw

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ-DMyo_Y-o

 

The idea that being First Lady of the U.S. is better foriegn policy experience than serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is laughable.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Obama should have bought his grandmother a tv. Shows the kind of man he his, wont even buy his grandma a tv, she has to rely on others to donate it to her.

[Guest Beastalentier]

Obama should have bought his grandmother a tv. Shows the kind of man he his, wont even buy his grandma a tv, she has to rely on others to donate it to her.

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.

 

I'm the biggest Obamaskeptic in this community, and even I thought that was retarded. "Shows the kind of man he is"? You'd probably bitch him out if he did buy her a television but it wasn't HD.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Obama's grandma had to have some people over in Africa DONATE her a tv so she could watch the election results..you would think a guy that made like 10 million last year could afford to put up like, 200 bucks for an old analog tv (shes in Africa, an HD set would be pointless) for his grandma..

[SuperJerk 0]

Here's some fun footage that compares and contrasts Clinton's and Obama's judgement on Iraq.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fUa5Bw2oiw

 

 

 

CNN Analysis of Mrs. Clinton's claims about foreign policy

 

A fact check on Clinton's foreign policy claims

Story Highlights

-Sen. Clinton highlights her foreign policy credentials in primary race

-Sen. Obama says the media needs to hold her accountable on experience

-CNN found some statements need clarity, others check out well

 

From Brian Todd

CNN

 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, fresh off crucial wins in Tuesday's primaries, has been playing the experience card heavily, particularly in regard to her role in foreign policy.

 

Clinton said it's her 35 years of experience that make her the best candidate to take on presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain in November.

 

After losing primaries in Ohio and Texas, Sen. Barack Obama argued the media has not held Clinton's feet to the fire on foreign policy.

 

"Was she negotiating treaties or agreements, or was she handling crises during this period of time? My sense is the answer is no," Obama said Wednesday.

 

So how do Clinton's claims stack up?

 

In some cases, CNN found a lack of clarity on her real involvement in foreign policy affairs. But in other cases, her claims do seem to check out fairly well.

 

Northern Ireland

 

"I helped to bring peace to Northern Ireland," Clinton said on CNN's American Morning on Wednesday. Watch more of Clinton's comments on the race »

 

A Washington Post blogger accused Clinton in January of exaggerating her involvement in Northern Ireland.

 

But former Democratic Senate majority leader George Mitchell, who was a U.S. special envoy to Northern Ireland, told CNN that while Clinton was not directly involved in negotiations, she did play a helpful role in bringing in women's groups that made a difference.

 

Mitchell is a Democratic superdelegate and has not publicly endorsed Clinton or Obama.

 

Rep. Peter King, a Republican from New York, was also involved in the process. He recalls one late-night meeting with former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Clinton and Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.

 

"There was a discussion of how the IRA would decommission its weapons. And I know that Sen. Clinton was part of that meeting," King said.

 

Kosovo

 

"I negotiated open borders to let fleeing refugees into safety from Kosovo," she said on CNN's American Morning.

 

In May of 1999, she was in Macedonia visiting refugee camps near the Kosovo border and meeting with Macedonia's president and prime minister.

 

Sources with knowledge of her visit say she discussed the refugees' plight with those leaders. It's not clear how much she helped since CNN reported at the time that Macedonia reopened its border to Kosovar refugees before Clinton's visit.

 

China

 

"I've been standing up against, you know, the Chinese government over women's rights and standing up for human rights in many different places," she said on CNN's American Morning.

 

During a 1995 visit to Beijing, at a time when her husband's administration was trying to press China on human rights, Sen. Clinton made a speech condemning abuses.

 

"No one should be forced to remain silent for fear of religious or political persecution, arrest, abuse or torture," she said.

 

But a former National Security Council official in the Clinton administration says Clinton didn't attend NSC meetings. So while her experience is extensive, she rarely carried an official portfolio.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/06/cli...fact/index.html

[At Home 0]

Obama's grandma had to have some people over in Africa DONATE her a tv so she could watch the election results..you would think a guy that made like 10 million last year could afford to put up like, 200 bucks for an old analog tv (shes in Africa, an HD set would be pointless) for his grandma..

 

Yeah, what an unelectable fucking cunt.

[SuperJerk 0]

Texas in second day of counting caucus results

Story Highlights

-Election officials resume counting votes from Tuesday's caucuses

-Long lines and overwhelming turnout delayed the counting

-Clinton may challenge the results citing Obama campaign "mischief"

 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Election officials in Texas have resumed counting votes from Tuesday's caucuses after overwhelming turnout pushed the caucuses later than expected.

 

State Democratic Party officials say that final results from Tuesday's caucuses won't be certified until county-level conventions convene on March 29, but that they expect to release their last batch of unofficial results Thursday evening.

 

Officials stopped counting caucus results early and resumed later in the day Wednesday before calling it a night.

 

They restarted the count Thursday morning.

 

Sen. Barack Obama led with about 56 percent of state delegates in the caucuses, compared to about 44 percent for Sen. Hillary Clinton, with about 41 percent of the state reporting by Thursday morning.

 

Clinton won the state's primary 51 percent to Obama's 48 percent. The state party awards the delegates proportionally statewide -- Clinton earned 65 delegates to Obama's 61.

 

The caucuses determine how the remaining third of Texas' delegates are allocated.

 

Clinton also won Tuesday in Ohio and Rhode Island, while Obama won Vermont.

 

The Texas Democratic Party estimates 1.1 million Texans attended the precinct conventions, doubling the 508,000 who voted in 2006.

 

As polling places closed Tuesday evening, Texans lined up in bigger-than-expected numbers for the caucuses -- in some places lining up in parking lots and overflowing buildings where caucuses were held.

 

And that large number created problems at caucus sites throughout the state.

 

A CNN I-Reporter in Houston, Texas, reported hundreds of people at his polling place -- saying he had to wait for more than an hour just to sign in.

 

Mark Houston, a registered voter, told CNN affiliate KTRK that "we went on to wait and wait ... it seemed all we were doing was waiting."

 

At a location in Austin, Texas, about 800 people showed up -- far outstripping expectations.

 

CNN I-Reporter Bill Seitzler added that "most of the people in the room had no idea what was going to happen ... people were jumping up on tables ... and saying this is how it's going to go."Watch Seitzler's report from an Austin, Texas, caucus site »

 

"It's been extremely confusing. No one seems to be in charge," Patricio Espinoza, another CNN I-Reporter, said. Watch Espinoza's report on caucus confusion »

 

But the scene was much calmer at a Plano, Texas, caucus site.

 

Russ Sikes, a registered voter in the Dallas, Texas, suburb, said his caucus site, which had around 70 people, "wasn't bad at all" and was "fairly organized."

 

"It went smoothly ... no big deal and kind of fun ... it wasn't disorganized or slow," he said. "It was amazing how big the turnout was."

 

A complicated formula in Texas weighs delegates more heavily in highly populated areas.

 

"It literally makes no sense," said CNN chief political analyst Bill Schneider.

 

"The voters don't understand it and to some extent they're in control of the caucus process. So I think you're going to get complaints about irregularities."

 

In what pundits have dubbed the "Texas two-step," the state's Democratic Party hosts both a primary election, in which 126 delegates are awarded, and a post-election caucus in which another 67 are awarded.

 

It's possible for the loser of the primary to win more delegates with a strong showing in the caucuses. And Texas' method of awarding delegates in the primary -- with more delegates coming from large population centers like Houston, Dallas and Austin -- further complicates the matter.

 

"Those [districts] that have supported the Democratic ticket [in the presidential election] well in the past tend to get up to as many as eight delegates, those who have not get as few as two," said Texas Monthly's Paul Burka.

 

"Sen. Clinton tended to carry the rural areas where the Republicans are very strong in the suburbs, so her districts are worth fewer delegates and Obama has won districts that are in urban areas that have been very strong for Democrats, so he gets more delegates."

 

Clinton supporters were saying a strong performance of any sort would keep her campaign alive. Weeks ago, former President Clinton had predicted his wife would need wins in Texas and Ohio to stay in the race.

 

Clinton's campaign, meanwhile, says it may challenge the state's caucus results, citing what they call "hundreds of complaints" of mischief caused by the Obama campaign at caucus, The Associated Press reported.

 

Clinton officials cite evidence that Obama supporters illegally obtained caucus packets in several precincts throughout the state.

 

Under caucus rules, whomever has the packet is placed in charge of the caucus. They also say Obama supporters locked Clinton voters out of several caucuses, the AP reported.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/05/tex...ount/index.html

 

 

[Gary Floyd 0]

You'd probably bitch him out if he did buy her a television but it wasn't HD.

Awesome post there.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

You'd probably bitch him out if he did buy her a television but it wasn't HD.

Awesome post there.

Too bad its not true. Having an HD set in Africa makes no sense.

[EricMM 0]

So ACTUALLY Obama won TX.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

Obama should have bought his grandmother a tv. Shows the kind of man he his, wont even buy his grandma a tv, she has to rely on others to donate it to her.

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.

 

I'm the biggest Obamaskeptic in this community, and even I thought that was retarded. "Shows the kind of man he is"? You'd probably bitch him out if he did buy her a television but it wasn't HD.

 

I bet Mitt Romney would have bought his grandma ten TVs. If only people cared about real, pressing issues like this one!

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

The New Republic reports that Michigan "plans to get out of its uncounted delegate problem by announcing a new caucus in the next few days."

 

Said the source: "They want to play. They know how to do caucuses. That was their plan all along, before they got cute with the primary."

 

"Michigan Democrats had originally planned on caucuses after the legally permissible Feb. 5 date, but then went along with top elected Democrats, including Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who pushed for an early primary."

 

The Hotline confirms the story.

 

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2008/03/...ans_revote.html

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

The only way the Michigan/Florida debacle doesnt tear the Democrat party right in half is if they do a recount and Hillary wins like she did the first time.

Which she probably will. But lets say they dont hold any more voting, and then Hillary wins, well congratulations Florida and Michigan, you're a bunch of racists now for not giving Obama a fair shot to win.

 

and I bet next election, the rush wont be to have earlier elections..it'll be to have later ones. Probably also fueled by cable news wanting the high ratings push from December to May like they're getting this year instead of it dying off by the end of February.