Official 2008 Election thread

[FlameOfCallandor]

Anyone heard anything about Voter fraud on the dem side?

[Human Snorenado]

[youtube=425,350]I_9NnrlmX-M[/youtube]

His speech

YOU HAVE A THREAD FOR THIS

People who come in fifth and can't break double digits in a state that they were supposed to "do well" in don't belong in the discussion.  Keep it in your shitheap.

[FlameOfCallandor]

My god, you are more whiny than Gay Boy. Yall should get together and whine about your Vaginas.

[Phoenix Dark]

Anyone heard anything about Voter fraud on the dem side?

Have you? That would be an interesting story given what happened yesterday. Personally I think it was a fair win, and the media is just covering their asses. None of those polls were accurate as I said days ago.

[FlameOfCallandor]

Anyone heard anything about Voter fraud on the dem side?

Have you? That would be an interesting story given what happened yesterday. Personally I think it was a fair win, and the media is just covering their asses. None of those polls were accurate as I said days ago.

I saw a thread or two on digg.com

[Phoenix Dark]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has won an endorsement from the Nevada chapter of the Service Employees International Union, boosting his prospects against rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in Nevada's upcoming Democratic caucuses.

The influential union claims to represent 17,500 health care and county workers in Nevada. Its executive board approved the decision in a conference call late Tuesday night, shortly after the Illinois senator finished a close second behind Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.

The announcement came as Obama was expecting to get another boost from labor in Nevada. The 60,000 member Culinary Workers Union, Local 226 was scheduled to announce its endorsement Wednesday.

SEIU President Vicky Hedderman said she believes Obama is a candidate "who could take the campaign all the way through November."

Nevada's Jan. 19 caucus is the next major Democratic nomination contest. Under union rules, the endorsement allows SEIU locals in other states to lend resources and volunteers to its Nevada counterpart on behalf of Obama.

"Nevada is a caucus state, and as Obama showed in Iowa, organization of every precinct is key to winning," Jane McAlevey, SEIU executive director, said in a statement. "SEIU Nevada members from Reno to Elko to Las Vegas are ready to make a difference in this state for our candidate."

Obama has won the support of SEIU locals and state councils in five states, including his home state.

The decision is a blow to the campaign of former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who came in third in the New Hampshire primary.

Edwards has the backing of the 600,000-member SEIU California State Council. He had hoped to put that manpower to work in neighboring Nevada.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/7812.html

[FlameOfCallandor]

sucks for john edwards

[Van Cruncheon]

poor edwards :'(

[Phoenix Dark]

Edwards looked depressed last night. His smile looked more forced than usual, and his face hardened with failure. I wonder if he'll drop out before Super Tuesday and endorse Obama; I'd guess he'll stay and hope to win the southern states

[FlameOfCallandor]

b-b-but john edward'f father worked in a mill.

[Phoenix Dark]

Does anyone look at Edwards and think "HE'S ONE OF US"?

His populist message died the moment Obama entered the race; in fact iirc Edwards' numbers have been declining nationally since the summer.

[FlameOfCallandor]

He's about as "one-of-us" as John kerry was.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I like Edwards--I really do--but I think his campaign is shot at this point. The best thing he could do is to give Obama his endorsement before Super Tuesday to defeat the evil HILLARYBOT

[Van Cruncheon]

yeah, he needs to back obama now

[TakingBackSunday]

I'm telling ya, I would happily JO to an Obama/Edwards ticket.

[Phoenix Dark]

Not gonna happen. IF Obama wins the nomination he'll be bombarded with smears as well as "is this brown man experienced enough to protect your children from other brown men?" attacks. He's going to pick a Cheney type guy with lots of experience. Initially I thought it would be Biden but all his former aids/supporters are starting to endorse Hillary. Then of course we have to realize Obama's chances of making it through his first term without being shot at are very low; the the VP issue will be key

Edwards seems like a better Attorney General pick than VP. But then again I'd imagine there are a few Chicago lawyers that Obama already has in mind...

[TakingBackSunday]

Then of course we have to realize Obama's chances of making it through his first term without being shot at are very low

oh for fuck's sake

[FlameOfCallandor]

Not gonna happen. IF Obama wins the nomination he'll be bombarded with smears as well as "is this brown man experienced enough to protect your children from other brown men?" attacks. He's going to pick a Cheney type guy with lots of experience. Initially I thought it would be Biden but all his former aids/supporters are starting to endorse Hillary. Then of course we have to realize Obama's chances of making it through his first term without being shot at are very low; the the VP issue will be key

I used to think this too, especially when Colin Powel thought about running. But I wouldnt be so sure today.


Ron Paul for Obama's VP

[Phoenix Dark]

To be honest I'm surprised Obama hasn't been shot at already. Look at his rally speech videos and how he walks right into the crowd for handshakes. It wouldn't be hard to shoot him. Let's just hope he's got a black lovin' government agent protecting his ass from bitter Serbians and an evil wife

[Mr. Gundam]

Wow...

PD should be vanishing from the face of the earth any minute now, never to be heard from again.

[Joe Molotov]

Then of course we have to realize Obama's chances of making it through his first term without being shot at are very low; the the VP issue will be key

This is America, dude, not fucking Pakistan or something. His chances of surviving the next five years are probably at least as good as yours or mine.

[Phoenix Dark]

Then of course we have to realize Obama's chances of making it through his first term without being shot at are very low; the the VP issue will be key

This is America, dude, not fucking Pakistan or something. His chances of surviving the next five years are probably at least as good as yours or mine.

I'm not one of those "omg blackwater is gonna kill obama" conspiracy people. The comparison to Pakistan makes little sense here - assassinations of presidential candidates are nothing foreign to the US. And as a black man with a pretty damn good shot at becoming the next president, it seems to me that Obama is target to some crazy fucks out there.

[FlameOfCallandor]

America is actually due for political assassination. It's been a little too quite lately.

[FlameOfCallandor]

[MrAngryFace]

I dont think we should ever be due for assassination, that kind of backwards thinking only supports the concept you simp.

[APF]

IIRC a major reason Powell chose not to run was out of fear of assassination.

[Mandark]

[youtube=425,350]QullehqLQ78[/youtube]

This method would be particularly effective in keeping FoC from pulling the trigger.

[Human Snorenado]

[youtube=425,350]QullehqLQ78[/youtube]

This method would be particularly effective in keeping FoC from pulling the trigger.

There's some governor who could fill that role.  I think he also used to be Secretary of Energy.  Can't remember his name, tho.

[Mandark]

You'd need someone actually swarthy to get the desired effect, though.

[demi]

America is actually due for political assassination. It's been a little too quite lately.

what

[Phoenix Dark]

[youtube=425,350]RRwp_8vhInI[/youtube]

[FlameOfCallandor]

IIRC a major reason Powell chose not to run was out of fear of assassination.

thats what I said.

[FlameOfCallandor]

I dont think we should ever be due for assassination, that kind of backwards thinking only supports the concept you simp.

I was postin it in jest, to point out that it has been a while since a president was assassinated.

[Phoenix Dark]

[youtube=425,350]7-W4GWjN2kg[/youtube]


CHANGE vs experience 

Perot 

[APF]

IIRC a major reason Powell chose not to run was out of fear of assassination.

thats what I said.

I don't read your posts.

[brawndolicious]

I can't even get over how distinguished mentally-challenged it sounds to hear a black person talking about how Obama is campaigning for a deathwish.

distinguished mentally-challenged.

[Phoenix Dark]

I can't even get over how distinguished mentally-challenged it sounds to hear a black person talking about how Obama is campaigning for a deathwish.

distinguished mentally-challenged.

And this is in reference to..

[brawndolicious]

you saying he'll be shot in the first year.

[Phoenix Dark]

Reading is fundamental.

We can put on a happy face and be politically correct, or we can discuss the issues as they are. Being concerned over the possibility that a black presidential candidate with a good chance of winning could be targeted is not a radical idea, nor is it particularly new. I've read that Obama's wife refuses to even think about the idea, which is understandable on emotional levels.

[brawndolicious]

but if we want conspiracy theories pulled out of your ass, we'll just contact you on your "politics" SN.

[Phoenix Dark]

 

How is it a conspiracy that a black president could be in danger? It's a valid concern

[brawndolicious]

Bush survived.

[Phoenix Dark]

Yup, because that's the exact same thing...

[brawndolicious]

well he at least pissed off a lot of people.  you don't get a lot of distinguished mentally-challenged racists with the organization to assassinate a presidential candidate.

[Mandark]

[youtube=425,350]OUT2pVxAOSo[/youtube]

Details on Giuliani's tax plans here.  Mind-bogglingly bad stuff.

I can understand when Huckabee reveals himself as ignorant or innumerate.  But Rudy spent most of the campaign leading the national polls.  His campaign should be a professional operation.  This is just embarrassing.

[TakingBackSunday]

PD, what you don't realize is that most of the time, assasinations and the persons involved in such assasination plots aren't stupid people.  These guys are, for the most part, intelligent and believe they have every good reason to kill the President.  Anybody who would kill Obama strickly because of race I guarantee you isn't fucking smart.  He/she would be a piece of trash who doesn't know any better.  Unless Obama does something fucking stupid or Bush-like during his presidency, he's not going to be much different than any other president.  Sure, there's a risk, but trust me PD, the Secrect Service is pretty fuckin' on top of things.

[FlameOfCallandor]

I agree with PD. Its a valid concern.

[FlameOfCallandor]

PD, what did Ron Paul say to Own the rest of the candidates? You mentioned that he did and I didnt get to watch the debate.

[Phoenix Dark]

PD, what did Ron Paul say to Own the rest of the candidates? You mentioned that he did and I didnt get to watch the debate.

FOX kept asking him forward, biased questions to trip him up but everytime he was able to respond with a valid argument. First he was asked "well sir since we're talking about electability...do you have any?" He basically said he should have it because he's the only true conservative on the ballot. Then he was asked if he was a 911 truther, and if not why did he "allow" them to support his campaign or believe what they believe. Which is an utterly stupid question. He said he didn't believe the 911 crap and more importantly, it wasn't his business to tell people what they should believe.

[Mandark]

BrandNew: Nutjobs have had some success in putting bullets into presidents before.  Ask the ghosts of McKinley or Reagan.

I don't think intelligence is such a monolithic quality.  That is, someone can have a "stupid" political philosophy and still be very capable of organizing complex operations or doing other things we'd consider "smart".

[FlameOfCallandor]

FOX kept asking him forward, biased questions to trip him up but everytime he was able to respond with a valid argument. First he was asked "well sir since we're talking about electability...do you have any?" He basically said he should have it because he's the only true conservative on the ballot. Then he was asked if he was a 911 truther, and if not why did he "allow" them to support his campaign or believe what they believe. Which is an utterly stupid question. He said he didn't believe the 911 crap and more importantly, it wasn't his business to tell people what they should believe.

 

[FlameOfCallandor]

Apperently Fox re-aired the debate and cut out alot of Ron Pauls comments.

[Phoenix Dark]

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Dogged by continuing racial tensions around her presidential campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton drew a smattering of boos on Monday when she spoke at a religiously tinged Martin Luther King Jr. rally put together by a union organizing predominantly black security workers.

The catcalls came when Clinton was introduced and her speech drew only tepid applause compared to the boisterous ovations drawn by many of the pastors and reverends — not to mention a hip-hop artist and slam poet — who took the podium before her.

Her participation in the event drew nary a mention during nearly two hours of speeches, performances, prayers and acknowledgments. But she was a late addition to the event — SEIU Local 32BJ President Michael Fishman said he didn't know Clinton would be there until he arrived at the rally. The SEIU affiliate supports Clinton, though a union official stressed that the event was not a Clinton campaign rally.

The New York senator called on the roughly 2,500, mostly black attendees “to fulfill [King’s] unfinished dream and to live the legacy that we have inherited.” Some of her biggest applause came when she cited her rival for the Democratic nomination, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who had his share of supporters at the event.

“How many of us ever dreamed that we would see the day when a woman and an African-American are running for the presidency of the United States of America?” Clinton asked, referring to herself and Obama.

Even though the event was billed as a rally for an SEIU affiliate celebrating King’s legacy and Clinton was a late-addition, the less-than-enthusiastic reception was still noteworthy. It took place in Clinton’s backyard and came as she is making extensive efforts to put the kibosh on the racially tinged controversy swirling around her campaign.

Black voters will be key in South Carolina’s pivotal Jan. 26 Democratic primary, in which they are expected to cast about half the ballots.

On Sunday, in a “Meet The Press” interview taped during a visit to Columbia, S.C., Clinton accused Obama of “deliberately distorting” her assertion that “it took a president” — Lyndon Johnson — to implement civil rights legislation King had advocated.

Clinton has repeatedly said her comments were taken out of context. On Monday, she told the crowd: “Both Sen. Obama and I know that we are where we are today because of leaders like Dr. King.”

SEIU Local 32BJ represents more than 85,000 cleaners, doormen, porters, maintenance workers and window cleaners in the mid-Atlantic region.

Attendance was encouraged by prominent New York pastors including the Rev. Johnny Ray Youngblood of St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn, and the union, which gave members credit for attending that could be used to earn money for organizing activities.

The union endorsed Clinton last year, but Fishman didn’t mention her in an impassioned speech about the union’s effort to organize security workers.

New York Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks and Anthony Weiner, both of whom have also endorsed Clinton, touted the union’s efforts in speeches that didn’t mention Clinton.

Weiner, in fact, cited Obama’s campaign as emblematic of the progress toward racial equality since King’s assassination.

“Today we have an African-American standing to be president of the United States,” he said to loud applause.

It’s unclear if the boos stemmed from support for Obama, though random Politico.com interviews found as many Obama supporters and undecided voters as Clinton backers.

“I’m happy to have her, because I’m a member of 32BJ, but I’m supporting Sen. Obama,” said Elfatih Abusan, a 49-year-old maintenance worker, who traveled from his home in Washington, D.C., to the rally. “The people here did not open their hearts to her,” he said of Clinton.

“She’s all right,” said Eddie Davis, a 42-year-old union member from Brooklyn. He said he was still deciding between Clinton and Obama.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/7883.html

[Mandark]

The current racial froofraw was begat by Hillary's LBJ/MLK metaphor, right?

It's weird that the narrative of the Democratic campaign has become Hillary's effectiveness and experience vs. Obama's idealism.  The campaigns are fairly close on policy issues, and Hillary's record in the Senate seems to be very thin on substantive accomplishments (she's LBJ in the metaphor?  Really??).

But both campaigns and the media seem to be going along with it, so there you go.

I'm just happy none of the candidates have felt a need to openly chastise a large chunk of the party base in order to prove their centrist credentials.  Self-loathing never carried the day.

[Phoenix Dark]

I agree on that. Hillary hasn't accomplished much of anything in the senate, and many would argue that she's nothing more than a follower with little true power; her defining moment as an elected official is still her voting to authorize the Iraq war, something she has never apologized for. So she's got more "experience" in Washington, and that's about it. Then of course there's the failed health care plan of the 90s which is also her crowning achievement.

My dad is on Obama's election board so often we wind up talking about this. Obama's positions aren't much different from Hillary's, or any of the top tier dems. He's been successful distancing himself with a message of "hope" and "change"...but of which aren't substantial policies. He's been against the war from the start which is a definite plus to me, but I can't think of any other reason to support him over Hillary - that has nothing to do with my personal distaste for her of course.

[Gay Boy]

If will be hilarious to see GAF's shitstorm if Hillary wins Nevada on saturday. Yet another state where Obama has the expectation to win.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

From now until the 5th, this is going to be some interesting times.  If Edwards causes Obama to place 2nd, he should just drop out and give all delegates and superdelegates to Obama.  Then join forces.  Edwards might leave a bad taste in voters' mouths because of 2004 but they might easily forgive him if he joins Obama and actually puts in some effort this time.

[Gay Boy]

It may be too late. Clinton's lead in the Feb 5th states is pretty solid. Obama would need a lot of momentum and media attention to over-come that after NH. He needs to win both states prior to Feb 5th and hope for tons of media coverage. If Hillary breaks through in either state he is a dead man.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

It may be too late. Clinton's lead in the Feb 5th states is pretty solid. Obama would need a lot of momentum and media attention to over-come that after NH. He needs to win both states prior to Feb 5th and hope for tons of media coverage. If Hillary breaks through in either state he is a dead man.

Agreed, which is why I think it will be interesting times.  Obama is going to need to campaign his ass off.  If Edwards were to drop out and back Obama, it might give him a substantial edge over Hillary.

[Gay Boy]

Edwards would have to do it ASAP. The thing is Obama doesn't seem to be trying extremely hard in Nevada, Hillary is seeming to me to put more effort into it. He seems to be relying on the unions. He needs to realize Nevada will make or break his campaign. He can't withstand losing two in a row he was built up by the media and expectations to win. No campaign can.