The Democrat Thread

[EvilMonkey]

i just got linked to the fox news comments on Obama's grandmothers death...pretty awful stuff. I have a hard time believing people like that exist.

Spend a few minutes on Deomcratic Underground and you will be embarrassed for your side also. They are everywhere, and not limited to one party.

[NorthSideSox72]

i just got linked to the fox news comments on Obama's grandmothers death...pretty awful stuff. I have a hard time believing people like that exist.

I assume you mean user comments, not Fox News itself, right? I doubt even Fox News would be crass about this.

 

But random internet people? No surprise there.

 

[lostfan]

Yeah, I've said it before, but people on the internet are stupid. Especially in places that are unmoderated.

[bmags]

I knew what I was getting into when I was linked there but I was still shocked. I frankly don't care if it's equivocated on the other side, it was still pretty awful.

 

I'll say this for comments on news sites though, I was shocked to see how high the political discourse was on Al Jazeera English. They have stories where they bring up a topic and say "what do you think" and, I think a lot of their readers are British so it's slanted like that (Al Jazeera English recruits many of their writers from the BBC). It was interesting nonetheless. Albeit Al Jazeera English operates substantially different than the arabic language.

[GoSox05]

What do you think the odds are that the waitlist fills for my Obama tickets today?

[HuskyCaucasian]

Family Guy nails the Iraq War:

[bmags]

Family Guy is probably the worst show on television nowadays. I found it funny in high school, but i watched a rerun on TBS of the newer ones and I was almost angry it wasted my time with a 15 minute too long joke. Seth MacFarlane isn't smart enough to do political commentary let alone write words on a paper.

[BigSqwert]

[Steve9347]

Family Guy is probably the worst show on television nowadays. I found it funny in high school, but i watched a rerun on TBS of the newer ones and I was almost angry it wasted my time with a 15 minute too long joke. Seth MacFarlane isn't smart enough to do political commentary let alone write words on a paper.

That.

 

I enjoyed it long ago, but now can't even turn it on.

[Soxbadger]

I liked the Back to the Future meets Indiana Jones episode.

 

I usually am not that keen on Family Guy (on that night alone I consider it 4th best cartoon behind Simpsons, King of Hill, American Dad) but the last few episodes havent been that bad.

 

Or have you not heard?

[StrangeSox]

Family Guy is probably the worst show on television nowadays. I found it funny in high school, but i watched a rerun on TBS of the newer ones and I was almost angry it wasted my time with a 15 minute too long joke. Seth MacFarlane isn't smart enough to do political commentary let alone write words on a paper.

 

It's been awful since it came back on the air a few years ago.

[bmags]

Or have you not heard?

 

?

[Soxbadger]

So you have not heard?

 

The bird is the word.

 

http://www.birdistheword.net/

[Balta1701]

Chairman Dean: "Don't Blow it"

 

[Soxy]

I knew what I was getting into when I was linked there but I was still shocked. I frankly don't care if it's equivocated on the other side, it was still pretty awful.

 

I'll say this for comments on news sites though, I was shocked to see how high the political discourse was on Al Jazeera English. They have stories where they bring up a topic and say "what do you think" and, I think a lot of their readers are British so it's slanted like that (Al Jazeera English recruits many of their writers from the BBC). It was interesting nonetheless. Albeit Al Jazeera English operates substantially different than the arabic language.

Actually, a while ago I was talking with a woman who was working for the gov't in Afghanistan and I asked her what news agency got it the "most right." She said, you're going to laugh, but Al-Jazeera with BBC a close second.

[Dick Allen]

What do you think the odds are that the waitlist fills for my Obama tickets today?

I got the email confirmation before the waitlist began and I didn't get tickets. So I'm thinking slim.

[bmags]

Actually, a while ago I was talking with a woman who was working for the gov't in Afghanistan and I asked her what news agency got it the "most right." She said, you're going to laugh, but Al-Jazeera with BBC a close second.

 

Do you know if she meant Al-Jazeera English or Arabic? I listened to an NPR interview with the head of Al Jazeera and they compared the same reports from AJE and AJ, and they were pretty different in terms of language and framing. AJE is recruiting some good talent.

[Soxy]

Do you know if she meant Al-Jazeera English or Arabic? I listened to an NPR interview with the head of Al Jazeera and they compared the same reports from AJE and AJ, and they were pretty different in terms of language and framing. AJE is recruiting some good talent.

English.

[bmags]

Yeah they've been a good start-up. LIke I said, they recruit a lot of BBC journalists who've been BBC trained...an interesting phenomenon.

[Dick Allen]

Just got the election night ticket in my email.

[BigSqwert]

Just got the election night ticket in my email.

 

Congrats!

[GoSox05]

Just got the election night ticket in my email.

 

 

This is happening to everyone but me. I still have hope. I still believe in change. Change in my email inbox.

Edited November 4, 2008 by GoSox05

[BigSqwert]

Obama Helped Woman from Norway 20 Years Ago

 

The Norwegian newspaper VG has reported a truly amazing story about a newly-wed trying to get to Norway to be with her husband, and the stranger who helped pay an unexpected luggage surcharge. The blog “Leisha’s Random Thoughts” has translated the story.

 

It was 1988, and Mary Andersen was at the Miami airport checking in for a long flight to Norway to be with her husband when the airline representative informed her that she wouldn’t be able to check her luggage without paying a 100 surcharge:

 

When it was finally Mary’s turn, she got the message that would crush her bubbling feeling of happiness.

 

-You’ll have to pay a 103 dollar surcharge if you want to bring both those suitcases to Norway , the man behind the counter said.

 

Mary had no money. Her new husband had travelled ahead of her to Norway , and she had no one else to call.

 

-I was completely desperate and tried to think which of my things I could manage without. But I had already made such a careful selection of my most prized possessions, says Mary.

 

As tears streamed down her face, she heard a “gentle and friendly voice” behind her saying, “That’s okay, I’ll pay for her.”

Mary turned around to see a tall man whom she had never seen before.

 

-He had a gentle and kind voice that was still firm and decisive. The first thing I thought was, Who is this man?

 

Although this happened 20 years ago, Mary still remembers the authority that radiated from the man.

 

-He was nicely dressed, fashionably dressed with brown leather shoes, a cotton shirt open at the throat and khaki pants, says Mary.

 

She was thrilled to be able to bring both her suitcases to Norway and assured the stranger that he would get his money back. The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper that he gave to Mary. She thanked him repeatedly. When she finally walked off towards the security checkpoint, he waved goodbye to her.

 

Who was the man?

 

Barack Obama.

 

Twenty years later, she is thrilled that the friendly stranger at the airport may be the next President and has voted for him already and donated 100 dollars to his campaign:

 

-He was my knight in shining armor, says Mary, smiling.

 

She paid the 103 dollars back to Obama the day after she arrived in Norway . At that time he had just finished his job as a poorly paid community worker* in Chicago , and had started his law studies at prestigious Harvard university.

 

Mary even convinced her parents to vote for him:

 

In the spring of 2006 Mary’s parents had heard that Obama was considering a run for president, but that he had still not decided. They chose to write a letter in which they told him that he would receive their votes. At the same time, they thanked Obama for helping their daughter 18 years earlier.

 

And Obama replied:

 

In a letter to Mary’s parents dated May 4th, 2006 and stamped ‘United States Senate, Washington DC ‘, Barack Obama writes:

 

‘I want to thank you for the lovely things you wrote about me and for reminding me of what happened at Miami airport. I’m happy I could help back then, and I’m delighted to hear that your daughter is happy in Norway . Please send her my best wishes. Sincerely, Barack Obama , United States Senator’.

 

The parents sent the letter on to Mary.

 

Mary says that when her friends and associates talk about the election, especially when race relations is the heated subject, she relates the story of the k ind man who helped out a stranger-in-need over twenty years ago, years before he had even thought about running for high office.

 

Truly a wonderful story, and something that needs to be passed along in the maelstorm of fear-and-smear politics we are being subjected to right now.

 

UPDATE: Thanks for the recommends, folks! Also, remember this was 1988, when 100 dollars was quite a bit of money, compared to today’s value.

 

By the way, this would be the perfect antidote to the Smear E-mails going around. If anyone has a good long email chain list, shoot it out, and let it be passed along.

[mr_genius]

Grats everyone. I know a lot of you really put a lot into this election. Truly a historic win.

[bmags]

Grats everyone. I know a lot of you really put a lot into this election. Truly a historic win.

 

Thank you. I sincerely mean that.