U.S. Elections 2008: General Elections -- Analysis and Commentary

[Lemur]

I think you're making a bit much of what was only a parenthetical reference to Google.

The op-ed piece is full of stupidity and laziness, but the Google reference was the cherry on top. Certainly it was a level of stupidity that deserved a hearty stomping. Contrast and compare it with the op-ed Crazed Rabbit linked to. Now that is a competent piece of writing.

If we're going to link to mean-spirited attack pieces, can we at least agree to link to well-written ones?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

What a maroon.

I have always loved this particular Bugs Bunnyism -- Bugs was and remains the champ.

[PanzerJaeger]

Ah, at last!

I knew that sooner or later you'd lose your temper over Obama, and have been saving this dramatic video just for the occasion!

Lemur's been hot for Barak for a while now.. its cute.

[Don Corleone]

Also, Jesse Jackson: Bitter? We report, you decide.
CR

I've seen a LOT of footage on the infamous "I want to cut his NUTS out!" statement. I have to be honest, with the photograph they used of Jesse on Drudge Report (holding the "Change We Can Believe in" sign with a really torqued off look) and hearing the statement in my mind with Jesse's peculiar speech mechanisms, every time I roll that clip in my mind, I giggle again and again.

I even went so far as to use it in a staff meeting yesterday. My guys were rolling on the floor. Our division's controller said due to budgetary constraints, he was going to put all capital expenditures on hold, even ones already approved. And I gritted my teeth and in my best Jesse accent, muted the speakerphone and declared "I want to cut his NUTS out". Had them in stitches.

But I don't think this is authentic. I think Jesse was a plant and it was well coordinated with the Obama camp. Why? Can you imagine Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. going on national television to insult and belittle his own father? For something that's more silly then actually threatening? If it was real, Jesse Sr. comes off more like a clown than a thug. And an impotent one at that.

I think the whole thing was orchestrated by the Obama camp to show Obama in the light of standing up to the Black Civil Rights establishment, a criticism Obama has taken to the chin regularly. This gives him credence when he says he's beholden to no special interest groups.

But do any of you really doubt that the Rainbow/PUSH coalition and the National Action Network aren't going to see HUGE windfalls on Jan 22nd, 2009, assuming Obama wins?

[Lemur]

Don, I can see the logic of your point, but I also sense that the frustration and anger that the older generation of grievance-mongers feel is real. Obama obliterates the ground under the feet of guys like Sharpton and Jackson. How can they not be angry?

And since this has basically become the all-Obama thread, here's a roundup of what Obama is, according to the chattering classes:

Obama is the new ...

Bush (43):
Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, 7/2/08.
L. Whitey Johnson, 7/10/08.

Kerry:
Steve Schmidt, 6/20/08.
Grover Norquist, 6/26/08.
Frank Newport, 5/7/08.
Hillary Clinton, 4/14/08.

Gore:
Hillary Clinton, 4/14/08.
Hugh Hewitt, 3/30/08.

(Bill) Clinton:
Paul Krugman, 6/30/08.
Abe Greenwald, 1/15/08.
Ron Fournier, 12/18/07.

Dole:
Mark Halperin, 2/28/08.

George H. W. Bush:
David Brooks, 5/19/08.
New York Sun Editorial Board, 4/18/08
YouTube, 4/6/08:

Dukakis:
Susan Estrich, 5/12/08.
Nate Silver, 7/10/08.

Mondale
Ronald Kessler, 2/27/08.
Dan McLaughlin, 5/30/07.

Reagan:
Andrew Sullivan, 7/24/07.
Darrell M. West, 7/8/08.
Diane Winston, 6/27/08.
David Paul Kuhn, 7/24/07.
E.J. Dionne, 2/29/08
George F. Will, 5/8/08.
Barack Obama, 1/16/08.

Carter:
John McCain, 6/21/08.
Dinesh D'Souza, 6/18/08.
Matthew Continetti, 5/5/08.
Kurt Anderson, 6/16/08.

Ford:
Dennis Byrne, 1/4/07.

Nixon:
Karl Rove, 7/10/08.
James Kirchick, 7/2/07.
John Pitney, 3/4/08.

McGovern:
John Judis, 4/23/08.
Jeralyn, 2/16/08.
New York Sun editorial board, 5/9/08.

Humphrey:
Dr. Violet Socks, 6/5/08.

Johnson:
Rush Limbaugh, 6/10/08.
Jeffrey Lord, 6/10/08.
Michael Crowley, 6/5/08.

Goldwater:
Alfred Regnery, 2/25/08.

Kennedy:
Caroline Kennedy, 1/27/08.
Ted Sorensen, 7/23/07.
William Rees-Mogg, 2/18/08.
Justin Raimondo, 8/3/07.
E.J. Dionne, 4/22/08.

Eisenhower:
Susan Eisenhower, 2/2/08.
Alan W. Dowd, 6/3/08.

Stevenson:
George F. Will, 4/15/08.
Steve Clemons, 11/4/07.
David Greenberg, 11/16/07.
E.J. Dionne, 4/22/08.

Truman:
New York Sun editorial board, 7/2/08.
Chicago Sun-Times, 5/13/07.

Dewey:
East Hartford Gazette, 6/25/08
Voters of New Hampshire, 1/8/08.

[Don Corleone]

Don, I can see the logic of your point, but I also sense that the frustration and anger that the older generation of grievance-mongers feel is real. Obama obliterates the ground under the feet of guys like Sharpton and Jackson. How can they not be angry?

Oh, I think that Jesse didn't have to reach very deep to find the motivation for his character, so to speak. I'm certain there is a lot of very real anger, jealousy and rage.

But again, Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. of Illinois is going to make the media rounds anywhere he can to dress down his father? For something as moronic as this? Do you really believe that?

[Lemur]

I don't find Jesse Jackson Jr.'s behavior to be proof of much of anything. Fathers and sons can disagree violently, and "great" men's sons are more often resentful than not. (By "great" in this context, I mean a man who believes he is great and devotes his life to a cause, most often to the detriment of his family. I am not saying JJ is "great" in any absolute or measurable sense.)

Also, Junior functions, lives and breathes in Chicago politics, where Senior has been a spent force for decades, at least as far as Cook County is concerned. (See the excellent article Crazed Rabbit posted last page, it gives good Chicago context.) Junior has hitched his wagon to Obama pretty darn firmly. Note that he is co-chair of the Barack Obama Presidential Campaign. If daddy threatens his golden goose, who will kill the fatted calf? Or maybe I mean his sacred cow. Anyway, all I'm trying to say is that Jesse Jackson's chickens ... are coming home to roost ....

[Marshal Murat]

Roosevelt, John Roosevelt that is

McCain plays the 'Maverick conservative who saved species of the ursus'!

[Crazed Rabbit]

Obama's lead is drying up in two polls:
Newsweek and Rasmussen.

Hmm. A result of Obama's centrist maneuvering?

CR

[Marshal Murat]

No one cares. Half of America likes McCain because they genuinely like him or dislike Obama. The reverse for Obama. America is bored with the two of them, and won't worry about them until the nomination convention, and then in September we will start caring again.

It's like soccer (football for you Euros). In the beginning, everyones pumped and ready. The two teams come out, and begin to play. They play around for 80 minutes, and then everyone cares about the last 10 minutes.

[CountArach]

Obama's lead is drying up in two polls:
Newsweek and Rasmussen.

I read a lot of stuff about the Newsweek polling. In the first poll they over-sampled Democrats and in this one they under-sampled them. Further African-Americans made up a very small portion of this poll and I do not believe Obama won them by the convincing margin EVERY other poll has been showing.

Hmm. A result of Obama's centrist maneuvering?

CR

If you think the Democrats didn't do polling on whether his so-called centrist movements would hurt or help him then you have to be kidding yourself.

[KukriKhan]

Irony test for the US:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

From Guardian (UK).

I predict: much heat; little light.

I take Marshal Murat's point:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

No one cares. Half of America likes McCain because they genuinely like him or dislike Obama. The reverse for Obama. America is bored with the two of them, and won't worry about them until the nomination convention, and then in September we will start caring again.

It's like soccer (football for you Euros). In the beginning, everyones pumped and ready. The two teams come out, and begin to play. They play around for 80 minutes, and then everyone cares about the last 10 minutes.

Tough times for the campaigns, trying to maintain enthusiasm.

On another front, we now have a Greens Party Candidate Cynthia McKinney, best known for having asked: "What did this administration know and when did it know it, about the events of September 11th?"

[Sasaki Kojiro]

On another front, we now have a Greens Party Candidate Cynthia McKinney, best known for having asked: "What did this administration know and when did it know it, about the events of September 11th?"

This is the kind of thing that makes me laugh whenever someone complains about our two party system.

[Marshal Murat]

I'm now getting tired of Barack Obama. (Links are from Drudge Report)

Is it his economic policy?

Nope.

Is it his foreign policy?

Nope.

Healthcare?

Nope.

It's these two thing...
McLaughlin calls Barack Obama an 'Oreo'

Longtime Washington talk-show host John McLaughlin is facing fire Monday for referring to Barack Obama as an "Oreo" during a segment on his Sunday political program, "The McLaughlin Group.

I love the McLaughlin group, because they actually have multiple viewpoints. Four politically different panelists discuss political issues. If he uses this sorta term, it's not his fault. He's using a term in common usage. Don't blame the microphone for what the speaker says.

Barack offended over New Yorker Cover
This is something everyone's probably heard about, so I won't beat this dead horse, but the response by the New Yorker editor?
Remnick Reply
Can Barack Obama take any language? It's satire, like depicting McCain in a casket 'cause he's so old!

[Tribesman]

Barack offended over New Yorker Cover

So according to that article people who work for McCain and people who work for Obama didn't like the joke .
Big deal .

[KukriKhan]

So according to that article people who work for McCain and people who work for Obama didn't like the joke .
Big deal .

Pretty much another example of Don Corleone's theory: "Outrage, not religion, is the new opiate of the masses."

[Tribesman]

"Outrage, not religion, is the new opiate of the masses."

How dare you say that

[Lemur]

This made me laugh. Oh, and I was outraged!

[PanzerJaeger]

Barack purges his website of Surge criticism..

BY JAMES GORDON MEEK
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

Monday, July 14th 2008, 8:10 PM

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's campaign scrubbed his presidential Web site over the weekend to remove criticism of the U.S. troop "surge" in Iraq, the Daily News has learned.

The presumed Democratic nominee replaced his Iraq issue Web page, which had described the surge as a "problem" that had barely reduced violence.

"The surge is not working," Obama's old plan stated, citing a lack of Iraqi political cooperation but crediting Sunni sheiks - not U.S. military muscle - for quelling violence in Anbar Province.

The News reported Sunday that insurgent attacks have fallen to the fewest since March 2004.

Obama's campaign posted a new Iraq plan Sunday night, which cites an "improved security situation" paid for with the blood of U.S. troops since the surge began in February 2007.

It praises G.I.s' "hard work, improved counterinsurgency tactics and enormous sacrifice."

Campaign aide Wendy Morigi said Obama is "not softening his criticism of the surge. We regularly update the Web site to reflect changes in current events."

GOP rival John McCain zinged Obama as a flip-flopper. "The major point here is that Sen. Obama refuses to acknowledge that he was wrong," said McCain, adding that Obama "refuses to acknowledge that it [the surge] is succeeding."
jmeek@nydailynews.com

Barack's superior foresight continues to shine.

The Democrats may be in a good political position, but what a price to pay. Banking on America to fail is a disgusting mentality shared by our enemies.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

The Democrats may be in a good political position, but what a price to pay. Banking on America to fail is a disgusting mentality shared by our enemies.

No, our enemies don't bank on us failing -- even if they're rooting for/working towards it.

Our Friends from around the globe, many of whom think we may fail or have failed, shake their heads in surprise/pity/wonder, but they don't bank on our failure.

It's pretty much only the "left" of the Dems who're banking on that failure. However, you need to be fair to them -- they only want that failure so we'll be forced to get past nationalism and capitalism and join the world as a partner rather than a leader. From their viewpoint, that's a win for us.


Nincompoops.

[KukriKhan]

Excerpt of an interview I watched last night. Obama talking with a PBS reporter about waffling, flip-flopping, or "shifting" as they call it.

"Uninspiring" is the first word that sprung to my mind.

[Lemur]

A quick round-up of things that may be interesting/amusing:

Jibjab has a new video for the campaign, and I was outraged by it.

For those who are outraged by Obama's blatant flip-flop clarification of his Iraq policy, here are the alterations in his web page laid bare.

Finally, John McCain's 61 flip-flops have been compiled here. Outrageous!

[PanzerJaeger]

After parting the Nile, Obama's planning on eliminating ALL nuclear weopons! Free health care, free college, no more war, economic renaissance, and now no more nukes... I can't wait! Is it too early to declare Jesus 2.0?

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama warned Wednesday about the danger of "fighting the last war" as he pledged to focus on emerging nuclear, biological and cyber threats if elected president.
Two goals of his administration would be to secure all loose nuclear material during his first term and to rid the world of nuclear weapons, Obama told an audience before a roundtable discussion at Purdue University.

Obama said adhering to nonproliferation treaties would put pressure on nations such as North Korea and Iran. North Korea has tested a nuclear weapon and Iran has an energy program the Bush administration warns could be a precursor to nuclear weapon development.

"As long as nuclear weapons exist, we'll retain a strong deterrent. But we will make the goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons a central element in our nuclear policy," Obama said.

He added, "The danger ... is that we are constantly fighting the last war, responding to the threats that have come to fruition, instead of staying one step ahead of the threats of the 21st century."

Among those joining him for the panel discussion were two potential running mates, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga. Bayh has demurred when asked about running on a ticket with Obama, but he was effusive in his praise of the likely Democratic nominee.

Recalling a trip they made to Iraq together, Bayh said: "He was pragmatic, he was focused, although he was wise enough to oppose that conflict from the beginning because he understood it was a strategic diversion. He's now tough enough to get us out and to do it in the right way, refocus on Afghanistan and Iran and the other real threats that are evolving."

Nunn, a defense expert, is viewed as a senior statesman who could offset the relative youth of Obama, a freshman senator from Illinois. He said he supported Obama's nonproliferation pledge and outlined the challenges Obama would face in the Oval Office as if he were already elected.

During his remarks, Obama paid tribute to Sen. Richard Lugar, a popular Indiana Republican who has focused on nuclear nonproliferation issues for much of his career, working closely with Nunn.

Indiana is a Republican-leaning state that Obama hopes to put it in play in the general election, capitalizing in part on his status as a senator from neighboring Illinois.

In addition to his focus on nuclear matter, Obama called for investing in methods to prevent, detect and contain biological attacks. He highlighted a proposal to spend $5 billion over three years to develop an international intelligence and law enforcement infrastructure to stymie terrorist networks.

"Making these changes will do more than help us tackle bioterror; it will also create new jobs, it will support a healthier population and improve America's capability to respond to any major disaster," he said.

Coping with cyber security for an increasingly online world will protect the country's economic and national security assets, Obama said, and he pledged to appoint a cyber adviser who will coordinate government efforts and report directly to the president.

"All of this will demand the greatest resource that America has, and that's our people," said Obama. "In the Cold War, we didn't defeat the Soviets just because of the strength of our arms. We also did it because at the dawn of the atomic age and at the onset of the space race, the smartest scientists and most innovative work force was here in America."

Obama jabbed at President Bush and his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain of Arizona. "Instead of adjusting to the stateless threats of the 21st century, we invaded and occupied a state that had no collaborative relationship with al-Qaida. Instead of taking aggressive steps to secure the world's most dangerous weapons and technology, we spent almost a trillion dollars to occupy a country in the heart of the Middle East that no longer had any weapons of mass destruction."

The event continued the buildup for Obama's upcoming visit to Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Europe. The campaign also released on national cable TV its latest ad, which promotes the national security and foreign policy agenda.

(We can only hope that Obama is continuing to be a complete hypocrite and that this is pure pandering in the truest sense of the "Old Politics" he loves to rail against. Or is he trully planning on leaving America the only nation at the nuclear party that followed the dress code?)

[Lemur]

Egads! Gadzooks! Here's what Sen. Obama said that provoked PJ's swoon of disbelief:

" 'As long as nuclear weapons exist, we'll retain a strong deterrent. But we will make the goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons a central element in our nuclear policy,' Obama said."

So ... as long as nuclear weapons exist -- which is forever -- we'll retain a deterrent. So really Obama is saying nothing, but spinning it in a vaguely anti-nuclear-war kind of way. In other words, he's saying nothing and making it sound pretty. Or in other words, he's being a politician.

Quick, fetch the smelling salts and loosen Panzer's corset. This ball is entirely too stuffy and there's far too much dancing going on for respectable young ladies.

[PanzerJaeger]

Egads! Gadzooks! Here's what Sen. Obama said that provoked PJ's swoon of disbelief:

" 'As long as nuclear weapons exist, we'll retain a strong deterrent. But we will make the goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons a central element in our nuclear policy,' Obama said."

So ... as long as nuclear weapons exist -- which is forever -- we'll retain a deterrent. So really Obama is saying nothing, but spinning it in a vaguely anti-nuclear-war kind of way. In other words, he's saying nothing and making it sound pretty. Or in other words, he's being a politician.

Quick, fetch the smelling salts and loosen Panzer's corset. This ball is entirely too stuffy and there's far too much dancing going on for respectable young ladies.

So in other - other - other words, he's lying.

[Lemur]

Now now, young Panzer, don't stir yourself. You need a good rest after a fit of the vapors. I'll fetch you some lemon water and we'll watch the ball from the balcony.

[PanzerJaeger]

Lawd, this pansy is wiltin' faster than General Lee himself in the war of Northern Aggression...

[CrossLOPER]

You two make a cute couple.

[discovery1]

LEMUR'S CHEATING ON DEVDAVE!

To contribute: little bit on Obama's foreign policy

[CountArach]

Barack Obama = George Bush

Man you just can't make this stuff up! I love your elections!