U.S. Election '08: Race to the Conventions

[Seamus Fermanagh]

McGovern in '72 was a girlfriend vote. God forgive me, for I knew not what I was doing...

But was your campaign for acceptance more successful than George's?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

So you're saying American politics are as stupid-based as Canadian politics?

How DARE you even question the collective ignorance of the US electorate?!!!

Perhaps if I could find Canada on a map I'd come and thrash you for that slur!

[Adrian II]

But was your campaign for acceptance more successful than George's?

How DARE you even question the collective ignorance of the US electorate?!!!

Perhaps if I could find Canada on a map I'd come and thrash you for that slur!

You doubleposting Republican, you.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Mrs. Clinton "misspoke" about being under sniper fire.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Barack Obama and his wife made 1.2 million dollars from 2000 through 2004 (His wife speaks of noble public service and the like, but they she was certainly well paid for her time). And they gave only $10,770 to charity over those same four years, or less than 1% of the over a million dollars they earned during that time.

And the excuse?

Bill Burton, a campaign spokesman, said the Obamas gave as much as they could afford.

``As new parents who were paying off their large student loans, giving $10,000 to charity was as generous as they could be at the time,'' Burton said.

Pathetic.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...IcI&refer=home

CR

[Banquo's Ghost]

It's 3am. The phone is ringing in the White House. Who do you want mis-speaking into it?



One would have thought that after her husband's notoriously casual relationship with the truth, La Clinton would have been scrupulous about such things.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Barack Obama and his wife made 1.2 million dollars from 2000 through 2004 (His wife speaks of noble public service and the like, but they she was certainly well paid for her time). And they gave only $10,770 to charity over those same four years, or less than 1% of the over a million dollars they earned during that time.

I do not believe that setting a threshold for charitable giving is a good benchmark for evaluating a politician. It is my personal belief that charity is a duty as well as a virtue. Mandating it, however, does not seem appropriate.


Yes, I understand your point that the Obamas should practice what they preach. However, his voting record suggests that he is doing so. After all, his voting record says he favors increasing my taxes to pay for "charity" managed by the government -- I have little doubt that, if elected, he will attempt to follow through on that agenda.

[drone]

It's 3am. The phone is ringing in the White House. Who do you want mis-speaking into it?



One would have thought that after her husband's notoriously casual relationship with the truth, La Clinton would have been scrupulous about such things.

That depends on what your definition of "snipe" is.

[Lemur]

Pathetic.

Hey, look on the bright side -- at least you're allowed to read their tax returns. Don't even try to get them out of Hillary or Johnny Mac.

[Banquo's Ghost]

That depends on what your definition of "snipe" is.

I'm just grateful that she solved the Northern Ireland problem over tea and cakes. I've always thought that the Middle East could do with a nice slice of Battenburg.

[Lemur]

My god, it turns out that Senator Clinton is some sort of android. Or an alien. Or part octosquid. Or something. Whatever the case, clearly she is not 100% human:

Occasionally, I am a human being like everybody else.

So what is she the rest of the time?

[Kralizec]

Somewhat related: has anybody of you ever watched Primary Colors?

[GeneralHankerchief]

Yeah, I watched it a year or two ago. Travolta playing a Bill Clinton-like figure going through the Primaries.

[Geoffrey S]

And it's excellent.

[Lemur]

Is that a crowbar in your hand, or are you just happy to see me?

The delegate math is difficult for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, the official said. But it's not a question of CAN she achieve it. Of course she can, the official said.

The question is -- what will Clinton have to do in order to achieve it?

What will she have to do to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, in order to eke out her improbable victory?

She will have to "break his back," the official said. She will have to destroy Obama, make Obama completely unacceptable.

"Her securing the nomination is certainly possible - but it will require exercising the 'Tonya Harding option.' " the official said. "Is that really what we Democrats want?"

The Tonya Harding Option -- the first time I've heard it put that way.

It implies that Clinton is so set on ensuring that Obama doesn't get the nomination, not only is she willing to take extra-ruthless steps, but in the end neither she nor Obama win the gold.

[FactionHeir]

Neither of the two Dems is really morally better than the other.
I mean Obama did tried to get an earmark for his wife's employer, which seems rather scummy morally if there are more deserving corps.

Both are going negative and their surrogates are razing the other down to the ground. Both either "misspeak" (Clinton and Obama) or are "misunderstood" (Obama) when they are asked tough questions.

Can't blame those who stay home rather than vote or vote for some 3rd party.

[KukriKhan]

But was your campaign for acceptance more successful than George's?

Yes. Bedded, engaged, married. (Game, set, match)

Then divorced, when we both "woke up" a few years later. (So I plead again: "Forgive me, for I knew not...").

Idle observations: Neither Hil nor Barry would last 2 "day" cycles in one of our mafia games. J-Mac might make it to night 3, cuz he knows how to lay low.

Are none of them gonna try to explain what's wrong with the US econ and provide anything like a bold vision for fixing it? Or are we gonna end up with 3 befuddled senators taking pot-shots at each other for the next 9 months? Gonna be a painful pregnancy. I'm opposed to abortion, but I'm all for destroying this 'clump of (political) cells' now, in favor of the mother's life. Get a new slate. This one's terrible.

I mean, all the Dem's or Repub's hafta do is find a: Spanish-fluent, war-widowed, Episcopalian, 35+ year old, born in the US, Black Woman who never took drugs or welfare. The only words she'd have to speak are: "I declare my candidacy", "I accept the nomination", and "I swear to support and defend the constitution of the united states from all enemies...". A shoo-in. There have to be a million of them. Hell, I work with 2 of 'em myself.

Anybody heard any word on whether or when R.Paul might go Indy? I'd hate to throw my useless/frustrated vote to Nader again.

[Lemur]

I'd hate to throw my useless/frustrated vote to Nader again.

Pleas, please, please don't vote Nader. It just encourages that egomaniac. If you need to lodge a protest vote, there are all sorts of weird little third-party candidates who could use your love. Just ... not him, okay?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Pleas, please, please don't vote Nader. It just encourages that egomaniac. If you need to lodge a protest vote, there are all sorts of weird little third-party candidates who could use your love. Just ... not him, okay?

Well, Nader managed to prevent a Gore presidency.

So instead of a liberal wonk we ended up with a....



well the tax cuts were good and....



well....

Oh bother.



There, that helped.



Hey, that Paul fellow is seeming a bit better.



Much better.

[seireikhaan]

Well summed, Seamus!

[KukriKhan]

Pleas, please, please don't vote Nader. It just encourages that egomaniac. If you need to lodge a protest vote, there are all sorts of weird little third-party candidates who could use your love. Just ... not him, okay?

OK.

For you: I promise.

Wanna get married?






No, really, I promise: No Nader. I'm sure my '08 Califexico ballot will have 3 or 4 other candidates.

For the record, I owned and drove 3 Corvairs after his "Unsafe at Any Speed" screed, being a native Detroiter (and invincible young man) at the time. T'was cool how a single bolt un-assed the engine; my friendship with local motor-heads made swapping them (engines) out a Saturday beer-drinking event, of notorious proportion. :)

[drone]

Anybody heard any word on whether or when R.Paul might go Indy? I'd hate to throw my useless/frustrated vote to Nader again.

Paul has stated that he will not run as an independent. Been there, done that, I guess. I think he wants to build a more constitutional/libertarian faction within the GOP. Supposedly, the Libertarian Party will ask him to be their candidate, but he said he would refuse.

I voted Bednarik in 2004, and assuming the Libertarians don't nominate a complete nutjob, will probably vote for them again. Unless Hillary gets the Dem nomination, in which case McCain will get my vote.

[PanzerJaeger]

[CountArach]

Anybody heard any word on whether or when R.Paul might go Indy? I'd hate to throw my useless/frustrated vote to Nader again.

Here.
Interviewer: A lot of your supporters want you to continue on with this campaign. I’ve heard personally from some of your supporters, they want you to run as a third party candidate. if you can’t get the nomination for the Republican candidacy, they want you to break out as a third party. Is there a chance and if not, why not?

Paul: Not likely, I have no plans to do that—and it’s rather sad.

Interviewer: Will you back McCain when he gets the nomination?

Paul: Probably not, unless he changes his philosophy.

[later in the interview]

Interviewer: And finally, just to confirm, you said you’re not dropping out of this race and you’re not going to break out as a third party?

Paul: No plans to do that, whatsoever. We will be in this race. And as long as the supporters want me to do it and more join us every day, which they do—and they continue to send in the money…

[Lemur]

There's something both admirable and bone-chilling about watching Senator Clinton twist arms, break legs, defecate where she eats and kidnap children in her quest to keep her 5% chance of winning the nomination alive. Now she's gotten a bunch of high-profile donors to threaten Nancy Pelosi for suggesting that superdelegates should respect the will of the voters by going along with whichever candidate obtains the most pledged delegates. Linky.

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

Speaker of the US House of Representatives

Office of the Speaker

H-232, US Capitol

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Madame Speaker,

As Democrats, we have been heartened by the overwhelming response that our fellow Democrats have shown for our party’s candidates during this primary season. Each caucus and each primary has seen a record turnout of voters. But this dynamic primary season is not at an end. Several states and millions of Democratic voters have not yet had a chance to cast their votes.

We respect those voters and believe that they, like the voters in the states that have already participated, have a right to be heard. None of us should make declarative statements that diminish the importance of their voices and their votes. We are writing to say we believe your remarks on ABC News This Week on March 16th did just that.

During your appearance, you suggested super-delegates have an obligation to support the candidate who leads in the pledged delegate count as of June 3rd , whether that lead be by 500 delegates or 2. This is an untenable position that runs counter to the party’s intent in establishing super-delegates in 1984 as well as your own comments recorded in The Hill ten days earlier:

"I believe super-delegates have to use their own judgment and there will be many equities that they have to weigh when they make the decision. Their own belief and who they think will be the best president, who they think can win, how their own region voted, and their own responsibility.’”

Super-delegates, like all delegates, have an obligation to make an informed, individual decision about whom to support and who would be the party’s strongest nominee. Both campaigns agree that at the end of the primary contests neither will have enough pledged delegates to secure the nomination. In that situation, super-delegates must look to not one criterion but to the full panoply of factors that will help them assess who will be the party’s strongest nominee in the general election.

We have been strong supporters of the DCCC. We therefore urge you to clarify your position on super-delegates and reflect in your comments a more open view to the optional independent actions of each of the delegates at the National Convention in August. We appreciate your activities in support of the Democratic Party and your leadership role in the Party and hope you will be responsive to some of your major enthusiastic supporters.

Sincerely,

Marc Aronchick

Clarence Avant

Susie Tompkins Buell

Sim Farar

Robert L. Johnson

Chris Korge

Marc and Cathy Lasry

Hassan Nemazee

Alan and Susan Patricof

JB Pritzker

Amy Rao

Lynn de Rothschild

Haim Saban

Bernard Schwartz

Stanley S. Shuman

Jay Snyder

Maureen White and Steven Rattner

[GeneralHankerchief]

So what are they gonna do? Throw their support behind Cindy Sheehan?

[Vladimir]

Not exactly Obama girl.

[Lemur]

A look at the money:

In the month of February, [John McCain] raised just under $11 million, compared to $34 million for Clinton and $55 million for Obama.The numbers get worse when you look at the whole election cycle: in total, McCain has raised just $64 million, less than half of Clinton's $170 million, and a third of Obama's $193 million.

But what's most striking is the debt. The Clinton campaign has amassed a staggering $8.7 million worth, double McCain's $4.3 million. Obama, on the other hand, owes only $625,000. By campaign standards, he's debt free.

[Geoffrey S]

I think that says better things about McCain than the rest, to be honest. Despite a relative lack of funds (still large amounts by most standards!) he has won his primaries convincingly. Does that say more about him or his opponents, I wonder?

[Vladimir]

Wow. Obama owes more than he's ever given to charity.