Friday, August 29, 2008
The speech of Obama’s life…
WELL, dunno about you but I’ve just watched Obama give what was billed as the speech of his lifetime. And what a show it was from a gifted orator. Was it enough to make him the next US president? I think that’s another matter, but tonight was a night in which Obama set out his stall - not in any great detail, but with an appeal for change and a vision for the future that will attract many undecided Americans. I’m not sure that it’s enough though…
A few stream of consciousness notes…
Obama tried hard to portray John ‘How many homes do I own?’ McCain as out of touch, with many appeals to the middle classes. Healthcare and education were prominent in his thoughts, and he tried hard to side with workers as opposed to big business.
Nothing new there, but the US sub-prime situation doesn’t prove Republicans are best suited to protect the consumer against purely selfish interests.
There were few hard promises, but he did vow to cut taxes for 95% of working families, and, noteably, he was strong on environmental issues, saying America would not be dependent on middle-east oil in 10 years time. I find this hard to believe, but with the promise of $150 billion investment in renewable energy, a dent could be made.
How Obama will pay for his promises seemed quite vague; cuts in bureaucracy was what I got from it.
Obama was strong on rewarding personal responsibility, edging in on family values territory perhaps more associated with Republicans. But BO has made a big deal about his family, and the image his own provides will perhaps help reassure those of a more conservative persuasion that his liberal tendencies are tempered by traditional values.
He returned many times to the military. Like a liberal democrat, he supports the troops, but not necessarily the war, or how it is fought. He obviously favours greater diplomacy than the Republicans. But we also know he’s flip-flopped here, thanks to McCain’s effective negative campaign. His challenge to McCain to debate foreign policy is one the media must be relishing.
I was wondering if he would be as crass as to compare his speech to the ‘I have a dream...’ one, 45 years ago, almost to the day. And he did, but not charging foward in the blundering manner one of expects US politicians. I do wonder if Americans want a dream right now, while hard economic reality is biting. And Obama is sometimes reminiscent of Blair and Clinton, who so convincingly backs him. But these liberal leaders had the benefit of a favourable economic wind which BO doesn’t.
I just wonder if Obama, like the two leaders just mentioned, will end up being as strong on rhetoric and image… but as weak in substance. A fantastic and inspiring speech, but at the moment, I think I’m still betting on McCain to win.
These are just a few initial thoughts. I’m packing my bags for America, so hopefully I’ll have a more informed opinion while blogging next week!
Belfast Gonzo @ 03:05 AM
“I will create a new America of individual responsibility, pride and patriotism, a strong America, by cutting taxes and eradicating wasteful, failed government programmes and put more reliance on hard work and family values and I will do that by introducing, er, socialism.”
Nah, I know most people think Yanks are stupid but they ain’t that dumb down in Peoria.
He’s a phoney.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 04:22 AMUnionists=American Republicans. Enjoy the next 4-8 years of Obama as President. You guys deserve it!
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 04:57 AMHarry, you are beginning to come across as a bit of a shrill aul doll. If the election is a foregone
conclusion, why twitter on here about it all hours of the day and night? Something’s rattling you.Gonzo, before you head to the airport, read this interview with McCain from Wednesday:
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1836909,00.html
It explains the somewhat coded reference to McCain’s “temperament.” McCain channeling The Simpson’s Mr Smithers comes as no surprise to many with experience in Washington, (except apparently Justin Webb, bless)—but still it is a shocker to see McCain display it on the pages of a mainstream media outlet with the polls in a dead heat.
Funny world, when improved access to healthcare, universal health coverage, a sustainable minimum wage and increased taxes only for households earning over $250 k per annum can be tagged as “elitist.”
The budget deficit in America for 2008 is projected at $289 billion. War dead over 4,000, with 30,000 wounded. Four Supreme Court justices older than McCain—if they die or retire in the next four years their replacements will be cherry picked by the next President.
Will the Fox network convince millions of Americans to bet their lives—or at least their livelihoods—on four more years of failed Republican policies? Yes. Millions and millions and millions. Just not enough to win the White House. Not this time.
McCain’s economic policies are even vaguer than Obama’s. He’s stated that keeping American troops, stretched to their limit by repeated deployments, in Iraq 100 years would be, quote, “fine with me.” He referred reporters asking how many homes he owned to his staff.
Obama’s impressive eloquence is the talk of the globe, but it may yet prove to be the words out of McCain’s mouth that put the Democrats back in the White House.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 05:40 AMCorrection: I stated that the American budget deficit for 2008 is projected to reach $289 billion.
It is not. It is projected to reach $389 billion.
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSWBT00947120080728
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 05:43 AMoh, and I didn’t mean THe Simpsons’ Mr Smithers— I meant Mr Burns.
Read the TIME interview. Everyone else will.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1836909,00.html
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 05:55 AMI do seem shrill don’t I susan, but rest assured it ain’t all hours of the day and night, it’s mostly daytime here, and it’s not like I’ve got anything better to do.
But I do hate seeing mass collective hysteria masquerading as meaningful debate.
Phoneys really bug me and the fact that so many people who should know better can’t see a big fat phoney when he’s speaking right in front of their own eyes does rather set my teeth on edge.
Anyway it’s the last Friday afternoon before Ramadhan I’m popping out for a few beers while I still can. I’ll be back later hopefully in a more mellow mood to see how many more people have signed on for the Obama moonie cult. Actually I’m being unfair to Moonies there, they occasionally do think for themselves.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 05:59 AMOur big fat phoney is better than your big fat phoney !!!!!!
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 06:19 AM“Obama moonie cult?”
No actually the moonie is McCain.
This is a dude who in a 2007 interview forgot the make of his car ... an aide had to inform him during the show that it was a Cadillac CTS.
McCain’s gaffes aren’t simply misspeaking. The man is impaired. A product of age, never being bright to begin with (he graduated 894th out of a class of 899 at the Naval Academy) and the use of the sleeping pill Ambien for many years. He’s a liability. He makes the term “space cadet” seem generous.
He mixes up Sunnis and Shias ... stated on Good Morning America that Pakistan shares a border with Iraq ... referred to Vladimir Putin as “President of Germany,” ... keeps referring to “Czechoslovakia” when it in fact split in 1993 into Slovakia and the Czech Republic, confused the Sudan with Somalia ... the list of bloopers goes on and on.
At least Obama has all his marbles and hasn’t to anyone’s knowledge called Michelle a c*nt in front of reporters or told ape rape jokes to get a few sexist guffaws out of an audience.
What retro John doesn’t know is truly frightening.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 06:56 AMHarry
Just so we get a reference point on your bile-o-meter. What do you think of young Kevin Rudd, who recently beat another right wing senior citizen, albeit younger than John McCain, down in your neck of the woods?
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 07:32 AMBack and to the left.
Back and to the left.
Back and to the left.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 08:22 AM“If we had some eggs, we could have ham and eggs, if we had some ham.”
Lying socialist bastard. His voting record (until he has it expunged) proves his socialist, eff the little man and women, attitude. His association with unrepentant terrorists and USA hating “preachers”, and don’t forget all of his financial tom foolery, show the real ‘man’.
The foolish, nutroot left buy his ‘keep your eye on the spinning ball’ bullshit. A whisper thin veneer that the majority already have figured out. Not one bit of substance to this obie wan. He is a dangerous, fringe, wackjob. His record, associations, words, and actions show this.
But let’s not let the facts get in the way. Look at his wife.......<cackle>Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 10:28 AMRelax BfB.
JFK
Bobby
Dr.KingYou and yours have nothing to worry about.
The man codenamed “Renegade” by the Secret Service
wont cause corporate America too much troublePosted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 10:37 AMHarry
I take it you mean phony in the JD Saleinger sense. You may be right. But phonies tend to do very well in politics. An incumbent is tied to his (or his party’s) record and a way that the challenger is not.
Obama made a lot of promises last night, and I would have big doubts as to whether he can pull through on most of them. But I think you may be underestimating the weakness of the Rep position going into this election. There is an awful lot of negative messaging about flying about the place, not from McCain directly, but from plausibly deniable campaign groups raking over whatever dirt they can get.
I’m not sure it will stick in the way it did to Kerry and Gore, particularly if Obama can get the electorate to think about what’s gone wrong and tie it effectively to the Republican party.
The quad of Republican commenters on Larry King last night showed just how much they are relying on old narratives, particular of the Dems. I’m not sure that pointing to Obama’s inexperience is going to win any more than a counter on David Cameron’s relative youth and background in marketing is going to help Brown.
If Obama refuses to get distracted, and keep some withering fire on the Reps record in government and tie it to the loss of American blue collar jobs, he may surprise all of us yet. If I were a Rep, I would not panic at this stage. But unless they can push some of the smears home, they run the risk of looking shrill and hysterical.
Again, I rarely rely on Dem leaning media to judge these matters. So Brit Hume’s after speech asides on Fox last night should worry you guys more than anything I (as a foreigner) or CNN might have to say on it. He mentioned ‘landslide’ for the first time.
That’s worth noting, and remembering.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 10:59 AMIndeed Mick, and in quiet dark moments my evil, blackened, iron clamped, conservative soul can occasionally look up and ask “shit, they’re not actually buying all that hokum are they?”, and I can shake my ugly knarled head and wonder at the sheer gullibility of my fellow man, but trust me I will never let any such doubts enter my discourse here on Slugger O’Toole.
I have said before that Obama is an empty suit with a messiah complex, I still can’t work out whether he is Chauncey Gardiner or the Manchurian Candidate but I have to acknowledge that he’s in the home straight now and he might, maybe, crazy as it might appear, make it. One small consequence is an overlooked factor that I mentioned in this forum months ago; McCain’s unpopularity with grassroots conservatives. That’s not an issue anymore, it is dawning on the Republicans that this guy is serious, there’s no time for dissent, they’ll come out 110% for McCain now, he’s got the base sewn up now.
I still believe however that Obama is a phoney, the Democrats pushed the same manifeso with Mondale, Dukakis, Gore and Kerry. Ugly white blokes couldn’t sell it so they hit on the brainwave of choosing a handsome young black dude with a pretty family but the underlying message is still the same; higher taxes, weaker America, bigger government, less choice, less freedom, more state control.
Hey maybe I’m an oul’ neanderthal, maybe I know nothing, maybe I’m not impressed by fireworks and fancy meaningless rhetoric, who knows?
I’ll still bet with my gut and my instinct says he won’t win it. We can all have a good laugh at crazy ol’ Harry on November 5th if I’m wrong.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 01:35 PMHarry. You sure he’ll be around to win it on Nov 4th?
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 02:05 PM“We can all have a good laugh at crazy ol’ Harry on November 5th if I’m wrong.”
It’s no good, I can’t wait that long, I’m starting right now. :)
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 02:32 PMIn several states, including swing states, polls show Libertarian candidate Bob Barr with as much as 11%(new hampshire) and in 4 other states above 5%. He could be the Ralph Nader of this campaign.
I hope conservatives fed up with Bush’s spending and other mistakes don’t take it out on McCain.
If only McCain had beaten Bush in 00.....
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 03:02 PMOh dear Jo, McCain’s gone and spoilt the party, have you seen his VP choice?
Smart, good looking woman who just happens to be the only one on either ticket to have executive experience as opposed to bloviating in the Senate.
It’s McCain by a landslide I’m afraid.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 03:03 PMMcCain by a landslide eh?
I’ll take a tenners worth of that!Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 03:40 PMHarry,
As you know I cannot entertain such self indulgence on my own part. It will be interesting to see who in the end is suffering, as Pete puts it, from political psychosis: the Obamanaics, or McCain’s Reps. :o)
Full marks to Henry 94, BTW, who counselled such a move when everyone was talking up the men left in the frame.
But smart, good looking woman is as smart good looking woman does. I also doubt the extent to which you beleieve that Hillary will continue to pull against Obama (though the erratic behaviour of her husband before she backed the newly ‘crowned’ nominee begs questions).
It never pays to buy into your own side’s propaganda too much.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 04:19 PMAgreed on McCain and the base. But this fight was never going to be about the base. It’s about who can filch from the others. That’s the upside in this for McCain in trying to get to Hillary’s disillusioned base.
But it does negate one line of attack McCain’s people have been using against Obama:
PS: Don’t you ever sleep?
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 04:25 PMSmart, good looking woman who just happens to be the only one on either ticket to have executive experience as opposed to bloviating in the Senate.
Also happens to believe that God created the world in six days 6,000 years ago. Is (unlike a majority of the American people) anti-choice. Said four weeks ago that she didn’t really know what the Vice President did and didn’t really want the job. Is involved in an investigation over allegedly sacking an Alaska State Trooper who was going through a messy divorce with her sister.
If she’s smart and telegenic, this may be a genius play. But if she’s another Dan Quayle, then I’m afraid Barack Obama is no Dukakis and McCain gets curb-stomped.
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 04:41 PMGreat sppech by Obama . Not since JFK have the Democrats had such an orator .
This election will come down to the ‘economy ‘ With McCain voting against the minimum wage ‘increase ‘ not once but 19 times and with supporting Bush 95% of the time in both houses - he’s got little room to manoeuver out of Bush’s negative orbit .
His choice of a female running mate from Alaska will bolster his support among social conservatives in the South and North West but Alaska (3 electoral votes) will not help him in Florida , Pennsylvania , Ohio or Michigan .
The fact that he has picked a relative unknown instead of Romney or Pawlenty or Giuliani means that he knows that none of the latter the ‘old guard ‘ could win this election for him .
His pick of a woman will be seen for what it is an attempt to outflank Obama with female voters .
However Palin comes with ‘baggage ‘ not least being here ‘babbling in tongues ‘ religion and her anti gay marriage and anti abortion stance .Obama has fixed on the economy and on the growing ‘emisseration ‘of the American middle and working classes over the past 8 years -it’s been going on longer but the Government statisticians have been ‘hiding ‘ the facts .
At 72 McCain might not make it full term and thus there will be fundamental question for Americans who is better prepared to be President - Joe Biden or Sarah Palin .
Even the Republicans know the answer to that question .
A desperate choice by McCain but it’s not going to work .
Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 05:42 PMMick
loss of American blue collar jobs?
Cites
smears?
It’s the truth...factual, actually happened, verifiable.
WTF?Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 05:49 PMJFK
Obama
What a surprise a clueless airhead like you puts the two opposites in the same sentence....
You’re in for a rude awakening…
Oh, wait...you’d have to be in touch with reality…
Nevermind.
You’ve already started your “those bastards stole the election’ tome..haven’t you?Posted by on Aug 29, 2008 @ 05:55 PM
