2008 General Election Discussion Thread

[kapkomet]

No idea where to put this, but it has to go somewhere. Paris Hilton responds to John McCain.

 

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

 

The frightening thing is...she has a better energy policy than McCain or Bush.

OK sarcasm aside, that is what the Republicans want to do... but whatever, it sounds better to just attack everything.

 

[Balta1701]

OK sarcasm aside, that is what the Republicans want to do... but whatever, it sounds better to just attack everything.

When exactly did they start supporting alternative energy?

[lostfan]

OK sarcasm aside, that is what the Republicans want to do... but whatever, it sounds better to just attack everything.

Mr. Pot, is that you?

[kapkomet]

Mr. Pot, is that you?

Why yes, Mr. Kettle. Pleased to meet you. Generally, at least I have attacks for both sides, not just one.

 

[StrangeSox]

http://www.obama-mccain.info/index-obama-mccain.php

 

"unbiased" side-by-side comparison of both candidates. I put "unbiased" in quotes because I haven't thoroughly read through it to see if it really is.

[HuskyCaucasian]

The Olympics are here. Thank God.

[BigSqwert]

The Olympics are here. Thank God.

Cool. That means negative McCain attack ads!

[kapkomet]

Cool. That means negative McCain attack ads!

Yep, and it means Obama can continue to portray himself as our savior!

 

McCain can't even afford attack ads. Heh.

 

(P.S. - this post is a joke, let's not get too bogged down, I just had to throw my obligatory anti Obama comment out here, )

[HuskyCaucasian]

Cool. That means negative McCain attack ads!

I'm curious as to what kind of ads each side will run.

 

Obama already has one ad released it it doesn't mention McCain at all:

 

Will McCain continue to run negative ads? Or, go positive and prove why HE should be president, not why the other shouldn't? Should be fun.

[southsider2k5]

<!--quoteo(post=1712067:date=Aug 8, 2008 -> 10:57 AM:name=BigSqwert)-->

<!--quotec-->Cool. That means negative McCain attack ads!

I'm curious as to what kind of ads each side will run.

 

Obama already has one ad released it it doesn't mention McCain at all:

 

Will McCain continue to run negative ads? Or, go positive and prove why HE should be president, not why the other shouldn't? Should be fun.

 

I just saw the Moveon.org ad they released.... I am glad to see that Obama indeed is just doing his attacking by proxy.

[bmags]

I just saw the Moveon.org ad they released.... I am glad to see that Obama indeed is just doing his attacking by proxy.

 

pretty false statement, Obama has shut down many 527 groups already, but moveon is so huge and so rich they continue to screw over the democrats.

[Balta1701]

pretty false statement, Obama has shut down many 527 groups already, but moveon is so huge and so rich they continue to screw over the democrats.

Moveon has actually shuttered their 527 organization. The Moveon.org you hear about now is chartered as a Political action committee. Because of that, it can not raise unlimited contributions like a 527 can, and contributions to the organization are limited to $5000 a person and I believe they're required to give some summary of who is actually giving them money unlike the 527's. They are the same sort of organization as the political wings of Unions, the NRA, Emily's List, the AMA, etc.

[bmags]

Moveon has actually shuttered their 527 organization. The Moveon.org you hear about now is chartered as a Political action committee. Because of that, it can not raise unlimited contributions like a 527 can, and contributions to the organization are limited to $5000 a person and I believe they're required to give some summary of who is actually giving them money unlike the 527's. They are the same sort of organization as the political wings of Unions, the NRA, Emily's List, the AMA, etc.

 

well there you go.

 

One of the thing that hurt the dem's in 04 was a lack of singular message. You had outside groups talking about how much Bush sucked and then Kerry never seemed to get across that maybe he had ideas, not just that BUsh's were awful. That's one of the reasons I think Obama has worked hard to shut out other groups, but moveOn continues to try and push it's relevance because they have a really big email list and they like to show it off.

[Rex Kickass]

I have been paying mild attention to the election and I will say that over the last couple weeks, I have not seen or heard a single thing from McCain that wasn't about how bad Obama's ideas are. Even in his "weekly radio address to the nation," he never seems to say anything worth saying about himself, instead resorting on attacking Obama.

 

[Rex Kickass]

So who wants to go to the GOP Convention this year? Not Republicans....

 

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12476.html

 

The juicy bits:

 

While excitement is building for a Democratic Party convention capped by Barack Obama’s historic acceptance speech before a sold-out, 75,000-seat football stadium, the GOP convention the following week is shaping up to be a considerably more staid affair, marked by the conspicuous absence of many of the usual convention attendees.

 

Republicans aren’t exactly planning to avoid the convention in droves. But compared to past conventions, lawmakers, lobbyists and candidates aren’t beating a path to St. Paul either.

 

Of the 12 Republicans running in competitive Senate races — five of whom are incumbents — only three have said they will be attending the convention. Six are definite no-shows, and three are on the fence.

 

“Nobody likes a funeral,” said a Senate Republican press secretary who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing “the overall climate of general malaise about the party” as the reason for hesitance on the part of Republicans.

 

On the House side, according to a report in The Hill, during a July 31 conference call National Republican Campaign Committee Chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma discouraged congressional hopefuls from attending, saying that doing so would potentially be a “waste of time.”

 

“I would definitely say that people aren’t as excited about going to Minneapolis as they were about going to New York City,” said Matthew Keelen, president of the Keelen Group, a D.C.-based lobbying firm. “Minneapolis is a nice city, but it doesn’t quite have the environment and reputation of a New York City, and I think 2004 was a unique convention and a lot of it had to do with where it was,” he said.

 

That part on page two of the story is the best. Republicans don't want to go Minneapolis because it isn't New York or LA. I guess they only care about the middle of the country when they don't have to spend any time there.

[HuskyCaucasian]

This requires a special post:

 

Poll: Obama Leading By 5 In Deep-Red Alaska!

Now this is something: A new poll of Alaska from local firm Hays Research has Barack Obama ahead in this deep-red state -- a place that has voted Dem only once, in the LBJ landslide of 1964.

 

The numbers: Obama 45%, McCain 40%, with a ±4.9% margin of error. Other recent polls from Rasmussen and Research 2000 have given McCain the lead here, so this poll might be an outlier.

 

On the other hand it's only the seond poll that we've seen from a respected local firm -- a poll conducted in July by Ivan Moore gave McCain a bare three-point lead -- so it might be an early sign that John McCain will have to work hard to hold on to a state that most Republicans can count on winning easily.

 

In that spirit, the Obama camp also announced today that they picked up the endorsement of Jim Whitaker, the Republican mayor of Fairbanks.

[mr_genius]

So who wants to go to the GOP Convention this year? Not Republicans....

 

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12476.html

 

The juicy bits:

 

 

 

 

 

That part on page two of the story is the best. Republicans don't want to go Minneapolis because it isn't New York or LA. I guess they only care about the middle of the country when they don't have to spend any time there.

 

OMG I'M VOTING OBAMA NOW

[KipWellsFan]

OMG I'M VOTING OBAMA NOW

 

Hehe, almost as silly as though whose say they're not voting for Obama because of his popularity.

[kapkomet]

Hehe, almost as silly as though whose say they're not voting for Obama because of his popularity.

Yup, that's my ENTIRE reason for not voting for Rock Star Obama.

 

Sadly, though, there will be a few people like that... and even sadder, most don't know why they ARE voting for him, other then he'll "CHANGE" things.

 

I for one, don't want a hell of a lot of change, but apparently, most want "change" (i.e. government running everything for me since I am not smart enough to do anything for myself).

 

[lostfan]

Yup, that's my ENTIRE reason for not voting for Rock Star Obama.

 

Sadly, though, there will be a few people like that... and even sadder, most don't know why they ARE voting for him, other then he'll "CHANGE" things.

 

I for one, don't want a hell of a lot of change, but apparently, most want "change" (i.e. government running everything for me since I am not smart enough to do anything for myself).

I don't know why you assumed that was directed at you - I think most of the regular posters here know your position/reasons for not liking Obama.

 

Actually, I think saying "most" Obama voters not knowing why they're voting for him is a pretty ignorant statement. If you were to ask a politically literate person why they were voting for him in a non-confrontational tone I'm sure they could tell you, and justify it, even if you won't agree with their reasons (this is the whole point of elections). If you're talking about the politically illiterate or apathetic, that's another matter entirely, and it shouldn't surprise you. The ones who tend to vote Republican, or not vote at all, are exactly the same.

Edited August 13, 2008 by lostfan

[Steve9347]

I love the fact that now anyone who is Probama knows nothing about the issues and is a political idiot. That's a really easy way to look at it if you're for the opposition.

[kapkomet]

I don't know why you assumed that was directed at you - I think most of the regular posters here know your position/reasons for not liking Obama.

 

Actually, I think saying "most" Obama voters not knowing why they're voting for him is a pretty ignorant statement. If you were to ask a politically literate person why they were voting for him in a non-confrontational tone I'm sure they could tell you, and justify it, even if you won't agree with their reasons (this is the whole point of elections). If you're talking about the politically illiterate or apathetic, that's another matter entirely, and it shouldn't surprise you. The ones who tend to vote Republican, or not vote at all, are exactly the same.

Anti war is an "ok" reason to vote for him. Hello, McGovern.

 

If people realized just how far left he really is, I don't think he'd have near the support he does now. I stand by my statement that there's a MAJORITY of voters that are simply enamoured by the man and doesn't have a clue what he stands for.

 

Most people in this forum are versed enough in the issues (hell just read the board here, that keeps most people up on what's happening) to get it. I just don't think the majority of Americans are, period. They vote with emotion, not rationale, and "RSO" (Rock Star Obama) is much more of an emotional character then McCain.

[BigSqwert]

Anti war is an "ok" reason to vote for him. Hello, McGovern.

 

If people realized just how far left he really is, I don't think he'd have near the support he does now. I stand by my statement that there's a MAJORITY of voters that are simply enamoured by the man and doesn't have a clue what he stands for.

 

Most people in this forum are versed enough in the issues (hell just read the board here, that keeps most people up on what's happening) to get it. I just don't think the majority of Americans are, period. They vote with emotion, not rationale, and "RSO" (Rock Star Obama) is much more of an emotional character then McCain.

The whole point is that a large number of people that will vote for McCain know equally as little about him. So what else is new? This happens all the time.

[kapkomet]

The whole point is that a large number of people that will vote for McCain know equally as little about him. So what else is new? This happens all the time.

No they won't. The "feel good" exposure is on RSO, not McCain.

[BigSqwert]

No they won't. The "feel good" exposure is on RSO, not McCain.

So what exactly is surprising here to you? Obama has been conducting a much more positive campaign than we've seen in a generation and counting on a true grass roots movement. And then add his charisma.

 

Compare that to McCain who seems like an ordinary, run-of-the-mill guy running for president that you'd have difficulty differentiating from someone like Bob Dole or Walter Mondale (Personality-wise at least).

 

Is there any surprise that a lot of people with little interest in politics are gravitating towards Obama?