Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Obama chosen by acclaimation…
You have to hand it to the Americans (and particularly the Clintons). Their sense of political drama is sometimes faultless. Tonight Hillary Clinton followed up her cracking performance last night by proposing an acclamation of Barrack Obama as the Democratic candidate for the President of the US. It was enough even to get to the old Republican (Democrat-loathing) hacks at Fox News. It was a big play from Hillary, marrying her long term committment to health care and blue collar workers. Will it mean catharsis for the riven Democrats? Fox News thinks it so. Obama certainly needs a little Hillary in his tank, to get to the tough places that, so far, only Clinton has managed to penetrate.
Update: Mickey Kaus arch sceptic Dem tinks last night was good for his party. Wrth reading in tandem with this piece on Hillary’s speech the night before from Richard Adams: Hillary disarms her troops
Mick Fealty @ 10:58 PM
I wish it wasn’t so boring. Here’s how it’s done right.
Great big gob of the stuff went out in the audience somewhere ..
Posted by on Aug 28, 2008 @ 07:48 PMThe Clintons are smart politicians and adept at knowing which way the wind is blowing. When Ted Kennedy endorsed Obama, that signaled to Hillary the end of her bid. The Clintons will strongly back Obama because their future is with the Democratic party. The Republican wet dream of a Clinton revolt was just cable news channel chatter, there was never any possibility of it happening.
If Republicans were really behind McCain, they would be stepping up to the plate with greenbacks. The Republicans I know with deep pockets have not kicked in any more than token amounts, if any moolah.
BfB - who watched the credit scams in the financial markets develop and did absolutely nothing? The same bozos who did absolutely nothing to prevent 9/11. McCain supported those bozos 90% by his Senate votes and he cannot run away from it. Today’s economic news is indeed very good and I hope recovery is underway but this mess would not have occurred if there had been proper government monitoring in the first place.
I’m totally anti-abortion and the Democratic party needs to change their policy on that issue ASAP. But I’m not a one issue voter and the choice is clear - Obama is a better man with better policies.
Wilde Rover - Obama was born in the US but McCain was not. So your question about Biden does not apply. If McCain’s health were deteriorate to the point that he clearly could not serve the office before the election, I assume his VP would step up but I do not think there is anything in the rules of the Republican party, or the Democratic party, that covers that possibility. I don’t think it has happened in US history.
Harry - The reason Obama was not interested in the townhall ploy is he is way out front and need not indulge the apparent loser. As to your reading preferences, you need to throw Rupert’s rags on the barbie.
Posted by on Aug 28, 2008 @ 08:17 PMNew Yorker, I think what you have to ask is, why is a Republican president - the party which is supposed to be best at providing sound economic management and supporting business - presiding over a period where the USA went into record levels of debt ? This is helping to depress the level of the dollar which is in turn making oil imports more expensive.
Posted by on Aug 28, 2008 @ 08:33 PMComrade Stalin
The last three republican presidents (yes Reagan as well) Saddled the americans with almost insurmountable debts with the same failed policy of reducing taxes and increasing spending. How they expected it to work is a complete mystery because if you lower revenues you obviously have reduce spending its the basic principal behind free market economics
Clinton for all their caterwalling was the first president in a very long time that was effectively working on repaying the national debt. By the time he left office he had almost gotten america out of the hole that Reagan drove them into, to bad the shrub decided to put the whole economy in reverse.
about 15 years ago Canada was facing the same situation as america is now but our political leaders bit the bullet and did the right thing, they actually increased our taxes and reduced spending and put the national train back on its tracks so much so that we are the only G8 nation that has a budget surplus and are reducing our national debt
by the way its much easier to do because national debts are calculated in american narco dollars and now that the Canadian dollar has recovered so nicely paying it of is a lot easier
Posted by on Aug 28, 2008 @ 08:46 PMSteve
Now I understand where you got that thai stick reference of yours.
Tsk, tsk.
Posted by on Aug 28, 2008 @ 09:44 PMFlash, you’re a fascinating guy! So you think Fox’s Bill Krystol and Brit Hume are luminaries and you’re an Aussie. Is your first name Rupert by any chance?
Posted by on Aug 28, 2008 @ 10:09 PMSo who is this mystery McCain guy ?
What does he stand for ?
Bit of a dark horse ?
apart from his dodgy military record.he may as well be the inventor of oven chips, as far as your average punter is concerned.
Posted by on Aug 28, 2008 @ 10:32 PMHF
Ah jaysus kensei, we’ve had our differences in the past but I figured you could see through a phoney in pretty short order. “Spine tingling” speeches? Care to offer an example?
I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like. He did several decent turns in the early part of the primary campaign. It may just be the contrast with folksy style that passes for most American oratory these days, but I’m glad to see some high oratory make a comeback.
I could quote examples of what I like, but you’ll simply dismiss them, so I don’t see the point. It’s ok to disagree.
If the man’s teleprompter breaks down he’ll be left muttering “um, ahm, change, er, hope, hope for change, um,” tap tap “is this thing on?”.
Considering he’s been credited with having a significant input into writing most of his big speeches, and he is by all accounts a smart fellow, I sincerely doubt that is the case. At least give the man his due.
He dodged out of McCain’s offer of townhall meetings, despite the fact that he’s the media’s darling, the hep young rock star dude against the crusty old white guy. At the Saddleback conference he could barely string a coherent answer together.
The liberal media is a myth: in fact they’ve ably assisted with every Republican destruction of democratic candidates. They have been more than happy to turn on him, and will be more than happy to go for the underdog fights back narrative if McCain keeps going up. Then they’ll be bored of it and go for another.
As for the town hall debates: by all accounts McCain is very good at them, and it pays not to fight on your opponents turf. Seems entirely sensible to me if you want to win. And boy, dot he Democrats want to win.
I’m getting extra pop-corn in to watch him flounder through the debates.
No doubt you’ll call it that way no matter what happens: in fact that’d be about the only call I will make. McCain is hardly incapable of making a gaffe, and being well prepared reduces the risk a lot these days. Hell, even Bush got through them relatively unscathed. Plus there is a lot that can happen between now and November and a lot of campaigning that’ll shape the context of the debates. Far too soon to say.
By the way Hillary wiped the floor with him during their debates. I don’t like the woman but she would have a 20% lead over an oul’ eejit like McCain by now, but then again what do I know, I’m just a thick, illiterate, brain damaged, “Aussie”, Fox watching, bollocks spouting know-nothing aren’t I?
I don’t believe I said anything like that. You do however, have your own clear biases. Obama started weak in the debates and got better. I doubt there’ll be any major shifts over the debates, a little bit of momentum either way. I’ll simply get more popcorn to watch out of interest, rather than any other motive.
We’ll see in the morning of November 5th, won’t we? </i>
Posted by on Aug 28, 2008 @ 11:00 PMReal GDP growth in the last five quarters were 4.8, 4.8, -0.2, 0.9, and 3.3 percent, respectively. Funny, I don’t remember the headlines about the two 4.8’s in a row. But that -0.2 was getting “recession” played throughout the headlines for about the last six months.The surge working in Iraq. Economy on the rebound (from its non-recession). The number of people signing up for jobless benefits declined last week, the third straight drop from a six-year high reached earlier this month, the government said Thursday. Funny I don’t quite see my economy quite like you urpeens do..wonder why that is?
Posted by on Aug 28, 2008 @ 11:28 PMStalin, I prefer real life American politicians who jerk off on YouTube.
I don’t quite see my economy quite like you urpeens do..wonder why that is?
No, you don’t see your economy the way most of your fellow countrymen do either, Bob.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 12:11 AMGive them my regards when you’re talking to them there sammy.
It’s just the reality suspending obamites and the democratic congress (75% Disapproval rating)..
You must be talking to the the overwhelming minority, whining bitch segment.
Tsk , tsk.
All education, no smahts..Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 12:36 AMIf all that you say about Republicans wrecking the US economy is true, why isn’t Obama sitting on a 20% poll lead?
If they had chosen Clinton instead do you think it would be going from a statistical dead heat to a slight McCain lead during the Democratic convention?
Like I say, I’m a moron who knows nothing, not like clever CNN watchers and readers of the New York Times.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 12:51 AMI just read this superb Kevin Myers piece, very enjoyable, gets right to the nub of this issue,
Well, do you pee in the shower?
Give it a read.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 01:36 AMRE. Mr Myers article
Harry : the shower is also the place where most Men regularly (statstically proven) have a wank.
having said that, Kev. is a national treasure & i think you should give him a hug.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 01:47 AMWank in the shower? Euugh, icky!
On the subject I’m enjoying the sight of 84,000 onanists in a Denver football stadium giving their leading man his money shot.
Inverse bukake.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 03:17 AMOven Chips, ha ha.
Here’s the question or even the answer.
Will the public prefer the skinny variety or the old fashioned thick-cut, come November?Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 08:07 AMAlaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a self-styled “hockey mom” who has only been governor for a little over a year, is GOP Presidential candidate John McCain’s choice for Vice President, CNBC has learned.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 02:15 PMYou must be talking to the the overwhelming minority, whining bitch segment.
Some of them are lefty-liberals, some are apolitical, and loads of them are Republicans. Some of them even entertain the notion that Barack Obama is the anti-christ. They still all agree that your economy is fucked, however, and so do I. Admittedly, I don’t think it’s any more screwed that many other countries’ as the massive credit fuelled asset bubble collapses, but you’re particularly vulnerable because a: your currency is a joke and it’s also the currency that oil is priced in, and, b; you have a high proportion of national wealth tucked up in real estate that can’t do anything but collapse in the coming years.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a self-styled “hockey mom” who has only been governor for a little over a year, is GOP Presidential candidate John McCain’s choice for Vice President, CNBC has learned.
Just the sort of long play McCain needed to stay in the hunt; but it has associated risks. Palin is spectacularly popular in Alaska but I have no idea whether she can cut it on the national stage.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 02:55 PMH Clinton and health don’t go hand in hand, unless there’s money involved?
Posted by on Aug 30, 2008 @ 05:24 PMSammy..
Our economy is doing ok. Not real good, but not as bad as the droning media wants you to think (sky is falling, economy, war, environment)...Tough times are ahead, no doubt, but please try and take these whining bitch liberals with a grain of salt. These same ones have $5000 each in electronic toys to carry around, more clothes than my whole family had at one time, and really don’t do shit about anything but piss and moan. And guess what… most of them won’t even vote....
We, old fart, racist, white guys...who enjoy the fruits of <our> labor, in spite of these shitheads stealing as much as they can from us, do vote.
Draw your own conclusions.Posted by on Aug 30, 2008 @ 05:47 PM
