Campaign 2008

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Robert Davi played a terrorist in An American Carol.

I guess you're trying to say he's not washed up?

 

As for that video, theres a difference between celebrities supporting/opposing a candidate and them running for office, although calling Al Franken a celebrity is almost an insult to celebrities...so..

 

 

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Reagan was a celebrity.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Reagan was at least Governor of California before he was President.

 

All Al Franken has to his credit is his SNL spoof stuff from 30 years ago, yet hey, he's qualified to be a US Senator.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Franken isn't running for President.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I missed on that one. The correct response should have been: If being the Governor of ALASKA is infintiely more important than being a Senator (which...I know I heard somewhere recently...think think think)...than your argument holds no water when comparing being the Governor of California.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Sarah Palin's not qualified to be even Vice President despite being a Governor and yet Al Franken is qualified to be a US Senator with Actor/Author/Comedian/Failed Radio Host on his resume.

 

I think if thats qualification enough to run for Senate..

 

Glenn Beck for US Senate from Connecticut! He should run vs whoever the Dems throw in to replace Dodd in 2 years, that would be awesome.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I can't be the only one who finds it funny that you openly support a VP candidate who's own main selling point is that she's not a part of the Washington establishment...but oppose the same quality in a prospective senator.

 

Not to mention, yet again, that in order for Franken to win...people actually have to vote for him, wheras if McCain wins, Palin gets to be VP after being selected by exactly...one person.

[SuperJerk 0]

All Al Franken has to his credit is his SNL spoof stuff from 30 years ago, yet hey, he's qualified to be a US Senator.

 

I guess Franken's status as a Harvard Fellow, best-selling political author, and long-time activist shouldn't be given as much weight as the fact he wrote and "Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber."

 

 

 

Personally, my problem with Sarah Palin isn't that she's a governor, its that she has lied about every accomplishment and she isn't familiar with any political issue except those that directly effect her state.

 

Defend Palin's resume all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that she lacks the requisite knowledge about government and national issues to competently teach middle school civics, let alone be a competent VP.

[BruteSquad_BRODY 0]

*shoots self*

 

 

Bloody brain matter on sidewalk

 

 

 

spells GLENN BECK

 

 

[UZI Suicide 0]

What's the deal with this 30 minute timeslot that Barack Obama bought for tonight? Anyone have any idea what exactly he plans to do?

 

I have a feeling if he just sits there in front of an american flag and talks for the entire half hour it could end up backfiring.

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

Sarah Palin's not qualified to be even Vice President despite being a Governor and yet Al Franken is qualified to be a US Senator with Actor/Author/Comedian/Failed Radio Host on his resume.

 

I think if thats qualification enough to run for Senate..

 

Glenn Beck for US Senate from Connecticut! He should run vs whoever the Dems throw in to replace Dodd in 2 years, that would be awesome.

Come on Marvin... The ONLY qualification anyone needs to run for any office is being a citizen. Sure one might have a better education or life experience to parade around during an election, but really what other job in civilian life is akin to that of an elected official? You could run for office if you wished and if you won you'd learn on the job just like everybody else.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Al Franken would run circles around Sarah Palin in a discussion of national issues. He started out as a political satirist, like PJ O'Rourke.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

The great thing about this country is that anyone who meets the basic criteria can run for elected office. It's up to the electorate to decide if they want that person or not. Let's not lose sight of that.

[Nightwing 0]

Francis Fukuyama is now endorsing Obama.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

Whoa I had a dream last night where some right wing TV hack was calling Francis Fukuyama a socialist. I must be psychic or something. Eerie....

[panthermatt7 0]

The great thing about this country is that anyone who meets the basic criteria can run for elected office. It's up to the electorate to decide if they want that person or not. Let's not lose sight of that.

 

Indeed. Now let's start applying that standard to Palin.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

The electorate doesn't get to decide on Palin. They're going to choose between Obama and McCain. Biden and Palin got free tickets to the second best seat at the bighouse without one american having the opportunity to vote for them.

 

That's why Palin and Biden are issues to take up with the guys who picked them.

[panthermatt7 0]

I can't be the only one who finds it funny that you openly support a VP candidate who's own main selling point is that she's not a part of the Washington establishment...but oppose the same quality in a prospective senator.

 

Not to mention, yet again, that in order for Franken to win...people actually have to vote for him, wheras if McCain wins, Palin gets to be VP after being selected by exactly...one person.

 

 

Kind of like supporting an Obama/Biden ticket for "change," even though one of those senators has been in Washington for over thirty years, and been a key part of the corrupt establishment. Eh?

 

I hate that both of the tickets are contradictory. McCain is running on experience, but has attached himself to someone that has none. Obama is running on change and a fresh face in Washington, but Biden is one of the most experienced game-players around.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I wouldn't exactly sweat a lack of personal investment in each campaign's superficial buzzwords. Again, they have almost nothing to do with the substance of each platform.

[panthermatt7 0]

I wouldn't exactly sweat a lack of personal investment in each campaign's superficial buzzwords. Again, they have almost nothing to do with the substance of each platform.

 

As a former Obama supporter (and campaign donor, for that matter), I suppose the only reason that I hold the "change" formula to a higher degree is because I've heard speeches, more speeches and even more speeches about being brave enough to change, changing, hope, etc. The whole "uplifting" part of his speaking is the rhetoric that he's using. If he doesn't actually believe that rhetoric, then... well... I guess he's useless in my mind.

 

I would love to hear a different point of view on the topic. I'm looking for a reason, ANY reason, to vote for either ticket. I just haven't found any. I'm feeling the same quandary in the Norm Coleman/Al Franken contest for Senate here in MN.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I actually agree with your idea...but the McCain campaign was hitting experience HARD and then let that die when he picked Palin and switched to Celebrity and eventually Socialist. Biden goes out and gives speeches that are part stupid statements and part explaining what Obama's policies are to the voters. He's not exactly out there saying that he's going to suddenly change his ways after all these decades...because he seems to at least understand that the VP doesn't do a whole lot. On the other hand Palin thinks they make policies in the Senate...which along with McCain's record of taking on his own party actually doesn't make his claim of maverick that bad to the people that want to forget that the VP doesn't actually do that...and that McCain has become more of a follower since he decided to take a last run at being president.

 

The major problem I have with comparing the claims of the two campaigns is that Biden (when not saying stupid things that hurt Obama) only really goes out and does what a VP candidate does...stresses what Obama is going to do, and attacks McCain. Wheras the McCain campaign has changed focus so many times your head would spin. Obama's inexperienced, he's a celebrity, he's a socialist, I'll buy your bad mortgages, I'm suspending my campaign, Ayers, Joe the Plummer, we're the underdog...and that's not even getting in to all things Sarah Palin.

 

Most of that is the product of Obama having been ahead and not having to do anything to shake up his message...but Biden's role has seemed to only be selling that he believes in Obama and his plan for change.

 

I know I have the pro-Obama bias, but it's hard to argue that Biden has been a distant 4th in conversation this campaign.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Let me go ahead and summarize the vast majority of posts made by panthermatt in this thread:

 

tu quoque

 

 

[snuffbox 0]

Panthermatt: One easy way to make a decision is to ask yourself what's more important to you, actually having more money in your wallet (Obama) or being told that you have more money in your wallet (McCain).

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Being that I live in an uber-left city and our coverage up here is being generous to Obama is there anybody in this thread that feels confident enough at this point to give a straight-up prediction on who's taking this? Our media up to today is saying Barack.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Pretty much all media is saying that though. It appears that the popular vote is getting closer, but Obama shouldn't have any trouble getting to the 270 electoral votes that he needs. He's still up double digits in Pennsylvania, which McCain needs to win and has shifted his resources to it. The questions about the Bradley Effect will still be around...but on the other side of that coin Obama outperformed polls all throughout the primaries and early voting has had a huge turnout.

 

 

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

I know I have the pro-Obama bias, but it's hard to argue that Biden has been a distant 4th in conversation this campaign.

It has been a good play on their part to keep him off the radar.

[EricMM 0]

The polls all say Obama, unless all the undecideds swing McCain.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I know I have the pro-Obama bias, but it's hard to argue that Biden has been a distant 4th in conversation this campaign.

It has been a good play on their part to keep him off the radar.

 

That's 100% true.

 

Funnily I saw a listing of the scheduled rallys of the candidates a few days ago and they had McCain and Palin doing their thing, Obama doing his thing, and Biden was listed as having the day off.

 

The Obama camp has been pretty smart about keeping the negative attention on them to a minimum of late. Once Biden made the stupid Obama will be tested remark, they've done precisely 0 things that could even be seen as borderline risky. Hell if Biden hadn't made that comment in the first place the entire campaign from the last debate on would be pretty low key.

[At Home 0]

Whoa I had a dream last night where some right wing TV hack was calling Francis Fukuyama a socialist. I must be psychic or something. Eerie....

 

I had a dream where my dad told me that Bill Clinton killed himself. We were in a park, then a volcano erupted.

[panthermatt7 0]

Panthermatt: One easy way to make a decision is to ask yourself what's more important to you, actually having more money in your wallet (Obama) or being told that you have more money in your wallet (McCain).

 

Well, that's only a half-true assessment of the scenario, really. Yes, my individual tax rate would go down under Obama (I'm at approx $54,000/yr, so firmly in the middle class). However, I also work for a giant insurance/financial corporation. Thus, if corporate tax rates are hiked, as well as tax rates for the rich, that would likely not benefit me; I'm pretty sure that the Company would choose a higher profit, as well as higher management bonuses and salaries, than to keep me on board.

 

Know what I mean?