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The 2008 U.S. Presidential Election Thread

korbel

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Aug 16, 2003
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Hello all,

I realize we all have strong feelings and opinions. Let's all try to focus on the issues and events of the election and avoid directing criticism or insults at any board members. There is enough to say about the candidates and the issues, and how the election my affect everyone from us individually or the world in general, to keep us all from going after each other. Let's not make this personal...s'il vous plait.

Listening to CNN today the international trip in progress by Barack Obama is the main story. Of particular interest on talk radio is the cancelation of Obama's visit to U.S military wounded in Germany. Conservatives call it a snub. The Obama campaign says it wished to avoid the perception of that the they were exploiting wounded men and making them a campaign tool. Obviously, this decision can be slanted to serve each side in the election.

Anyway, according to CNN this is what the blogs are most focused on today about the trip. Of course there is much more than this. Here is the rest of the story:

Obama: More NATO troops means tax cuts at home

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/25/obama.trip/index.html

PARIS, France (CNN) -- Barack Obama said Friday that persuading NATO allies to contribute more troops to Afghanistan could lead to U.S. troops cuts and help improve the U.S. economy, with reduced military expenditure being diverted into tax cuts to help middle class families.

"Part of getting that right is having the Europeans engaged and involved in this same battle that we're involved with," the Democratic presidential contender told CNN's Candy Crowley in Berlin, Germany, where he had addressed an estimated crowd of 200,000 a day earlier.

Obama's multi-nation trip, which has included stopovers in Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel, is aimed at bolstering his foreign policy credentials. The one-term senator has been criticized as inexperienced by Republican rival John McCain.

Obama landed in France on Friday for a meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy. He ended Friday in the UK where he was scheduled to meet Prime MInister Gordon Brown and opposition leader David Cameron.

Asked what message his traveling abroad three months before the election sent to Americans, Obama said getting commitments from the United States' partners would help address some of the domestic issues Americans are facing.

"If we have more NATO troops in Afghanistan, then that's potentially fewer American troops over the long term, which means we're spending fewer billions of dollars, which means we can invest those billions of dollars in making sure we're providing tax cuts to middle class families who are struggling with higher gas prices that will have an impact on our economy."

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/img/2.0/mosaic/tabs/video.gif Watch Barack Obama's complete interview with CNN's Candy Crowley »
Obama also said his trip was aimed at reasserting American respect in the world: "I wouldn't underestimate the degree to which people in Ohio -- or people in Michigan or Missouri -- recognize that our longterm safety and our longterm security is going to depend on how we can interact with key allies."

Obama, who says he is making the trip as a U.S. senator rather than as a candidate for the White House, held a joint news conference Friday with Sarkozy.

They pointed out that when Sarkozy visited the U.S. before he was elected president he met only two senators -- Obama and McCain.

On the campaign trail in the U.S., Obama regularly contrasts his foreign policy view against that of President Bush.

But in France he did not go that far, saying he was respecting the tradition that "you don't criticize a sitting president while overseas."

"I can say affirmatively an effective U.S. foreign policy will be based on our ability not only to project power, but also to listen and to build consensus," Obama said.

"The U.S. and Europe can and will achieve far more when we join in a common cause," he added.

Obama's address to Berliners earned a warm but cautious response from German newspapers Friday with several noting that he had called for a greater NATO contribution in Afghanistan. Read what German newspapers made of Obama's speech

Obama used the speech to warn about the dangers of allowing new walls to come between the U.S. and its allies, highlighted what he saw as common transatlantic goals while also accepting the differences of the Bush years.

In an echo of former President Ronald Reagan's speech when he demanded the Berlin Wall be pulled down, Obama said: "The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down." http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/img/2.0/mosaic/tabs/video.gif Watch Obama in Germany »

He touched on issues that have generally divided Europe and the U.S. such as climate change as well as comparing Berlin's Cold War struggle with today's international challenges like fighting terrorism.

"People of the world -- look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one," he said.

While the 20th century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history."

He said the fall of the Berlin Wall offered hope as the world faces up to international challenges such as terrorism, climate change and rogue nuclear-armed states.

Cheers,

Korbel
 

montreal_monk01

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Jan 10, 2006
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Tough one, my friend.
As much as I wish Barack can win this, as much as I am not against McCain neither. People forget that McCain has nothing to do with the stuck-up conservative republican (the guy is very open to the rest of the world and has a very 'international-oriented" background as opposed to that goofy cow boy from Texas) that remote rural americans and extreme-right conservative republicans would dream to have at the head of the US. Barack is a refreshing image I would like to promote, but McCain seems to have a better substance/content (he seems like idealistic than Barack). Whoever will win the game...I just hope he will bring something new to his country exactly like Sarkozy is doing in France (some people are complaining that Sarkozy is just talking the talk...others like me are replying "Oh..really???'):D.
I'll conclude on this note: let's forget appearances/theory -> ppl always expect the left to be more opened than the rigght...well, check Sarkozy: he is fron thge right and has proven to be way more open that French Socialists (the left)..isn't?? In that same frame of thoughts: it took a republican to get a black lady at the head of International Affairs in the white house...talk to Condy:D)...food for thoughts Ladies and Gents!!!:D :D
 
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korbel

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Aug 16, 2003
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montreal_monk01 said:
Tough one, my friend.
As much as I wish Barack can win this, as much as I am not against McCain neither. People forget that McCain has nothing to do with the stuck-up conservative republican (the guy is very open to the rest of the world and has a very 'international-oriented" background as opposed to that goofy cow boy from Texas) that remote rural americans and extreme-right conservative republicans would dream to have at the head of the US. Barack is a refreshing image I would like to promote, but McCain seems to have a better substance/content (he seems like idealistic than Barack). Whoever will win the game...I just hope he will bring something new to his country exactly like Sarkozy is doing in France (some people are complaining that Sarkozy is just talking the talk...others like me are replying "Oh..really???'):D.
I'll conclude on this note: let's forget appearances/theory -> ppl always expect the left to be more opened than the rigght...well, check Sarkozy: he is fron thge right and has proven to be way more open that French Socialists (the left)..isn't?? In that same frame of thoughts: it took a republican to get a black lady at the head of International Affairs in the white house...talk to Condy:D)...food for thoughts Ladies and Gents!!!:D :D
Hello MM,

I have no dislike for McCain. I respect him a lot. Among Republicans he is the one person I could vote for because, not only does he often share my views, but he has never been afraid to buck the party line when he disagreed with it. However, the statement he made generally saying Obama would be willing to lose the war to win a campaign is something I am disappointed in. Some pundits on CNN have said the statement amounts to an accusation of "treason" against Obama. Yes, it can be taken that way, but I truly hope McCain wasn't going that far. I would expect those sort of implications from the deep hardcore Right, and it really puts a bit of a dent in my respect for McCain This kind of demagoguery may appeal to people given to a certain slant of political persuasion, but it demeans his well earned respectable character, and in the end it shows how he may be willing to go to win the election, thus losing some integrity in in the process in order to serve his goal. It's a sad development to see the kind of extreme line he is willing to put out to win...not that all politicians don't do some of this. As a military man maybe McCain has a special sensitivity to his opponents views on the question of how to handle Iraq. Maybe it's just that he has very firm views of what should be done there and what the effect of Obama's proposals would be on the U.S and the world. But to consider implying Obama is a traitor is a step I thought McCain was better than.

Cheers,

Korbel
 
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korbel

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Aug 16, 2003
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Is Sen. Obama playing the race card?

Hello all,

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/07/31/mccain-campaign-charges-obama-playing-race-card/

July 31, 2008
McCain campaign charges Obama playing race card
Posted: 02:33 PM ET

From CNN's Dana Bash, CNN's Mark Preston

WASHINGTON (CNN) – John McCain’s campaign manager charged Thursday that Barack Obama falsely accused the McCain campaign of injecting race into the presidential contest.

"Barack Obama has played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck. It's divisive, negative, shameful and wrong," McCain campaign manger Rick Davis said in a prepared statement sent to reporters one day after Obama alluded to his own race during several stops in Missouri.

An Obama spokesman immediately denied the assertion, but noted that the presumptive Democratic nominee believes that the McCain campaign was “using the same old low-road politics to distract voters from the real issues.”

“This is a race about big challenges — a slumping economy, a broken foreign policy, and an energy crisis for everyone but the oil companies,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said. “Barack Obama in no way believes that the McCain campaign is using race as an issue, but he does believe they’re using the same old low-road politics to distract voters from the real issues in this campaign, and those are the issues he’ll continue to talk about.”

At three stops in the battleground state of Missouri, Obama told audiences that his opponent is trying to make voters “scared” of him because he doesn’t look like past presidents – an apparent reference to being black — and has a “funny name.”

“Nobody really thinks that Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face,” Obama said at an appearance Wednesday in Springfield, Missouri. “So what they're going to try to do is make you scared of me. You know, he's not patriotic enough. He's got a funny name. You know, he doesn't look like all those other presidents on those dollar bills, you know. He's risky.”

This is not the first time Obama has delivered this line. He made similar comments dating back to the Democratic presidential primary. But a senior McCain advisor told CNN Thursday that Davis reacted strongly because Obama was directly responding to a new McCain campaign ad.

“It is a disgusting accusation and we are compelled to respond,” said advisor Steve Schmidt. “This campaign will not allow John McCain to be smeared in this way.”

Schmidt added: “We sat here during the Democratic Primary, waiting with dread for this day to arrive, that Obama would be criticized on national security or some other issue, and he would play the race card.”

The political ad, which the McCain campaign released Wednesday, features Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. The McCain campaign is ceding the point that Obama has reached celebrity status, but argues that does not qualify him to be the next president.
Filed under: Barack ObamaJohn McCain

Hmmmm,

Korbel
 

gizmo

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I dont like the idea that Obama is so popular among teenagers,
usa teenagers, the same teenagers that love jessica simpson and paris hilton.
A serious president must have the guts to do the rigth thing, not the cool thing. I dont think obama has them. He wants to be cool so bad.
Id vote for McCain.
 

korbel

Name Retired.
Aug 16, 2003
2,409
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Her Hot Dreams
gizmo said:
I dont like the idea that Obama is so popular among teenagers,
usa teenagers, the same teenagers that love jessica simpson and paris hilton.
A serious president must have the guts to do the rigth thing, not the cool thing. I dont think obama has them. He wants to be cool so bad.
Id vote for McCain.
Gizmo,

Quoting directly from a McCain ad is far, far short of any realistic characterization of Obama...if there is any truth to it at all.

GEEEEEEEZ!

Korbel
 
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korbel

Name Retired.
Aug 16, 2003
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Her Hot Dreams
Arkansas Democratic Party Chiarman Murdered

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26181389

http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/Art/APTRANS.gif updated 39 minutes ago
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A man barged into the Arkansas Democratic headquarters and opened fire Wednesday, fatally shooting the state party chairman before speeding off in his pickup. Police later shot and killed the suspect after a 30-mile chase.

Police said they don't know the motive for the 51-year-old suspect, whose name has not been released.

They said Chairman Bill Gwatney, 48, died four hours later at University Hospital in Little Rock after the midday shooting near the state Capitol.

Witnesses said the gunman entered the party offices shortly before noon and said he wanted to see Gwatney about volunteering. Party officials said the man forced his way into Gwatney's office and fired three shots, then fled in a blue truck.
"He said he was interested in volunteering, but that was obviously a lie," said 17-year-old party volunteer Sam Higginbotham. He said the man then pushed past employees to reach the chairman's office, where he fired three times.

Gwatney, a former state senator and a Hillary Rodham Clinton superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention this month in Denver, had served 10 years as a state senator.

Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, issued a statement calling the 49-year-old Gwatney "not only a strong chairman of Arkansas' Democratic Party, but he is also a cherished friend and confidante."

After the midday shooting, the suspect was chased into Grant County, south of the capital, and apprehended after being shot. Police fired at the man but it wasn't known whether he also suffered self-inflicted injuries.

Moments before the Democratic headquarters shooting, a man with a gun threatened the building manager of the Arkansas State Baptist Convention headquarters seven blocks east. It wasn't known if the incidents were related.

Dan Jordan, the denomination's business manager, said the building manager asked the man what was wrong and that he said "I lost my job."

Capitol lockdown
The state Capitol was locked down for about an hour until police got word the shooter had been captured, said Arkansas State Capitol police Sgt. Charlie Brice.

Karen Ray, executive director of the Republican Party of Arkansas, sent her workers home early "out of an abundance of caution."

"Our hearts go out to everyone at the Democratic headquarters. What a tragedy," Ray said. "This is just a very upsetting, troubling and scary thing for our staff as well."

An impromptu vigil at University Hospital drew Gov. Mike Beebe and a number of state legislators who had worked with Gwatney.

House Majority Leader Steve Harrelson was at the state Capitol for a news conference on crime and that he didn't know of anyone who would want to harm Gwatney.

"You never think of something like this happening here in Arkansas," Harrelson said.

Sarah Lee, a sales clerk at a flower shop across street from the party headquarters, said that around noon Gwatney's secretary ran into the shop and asked someone to call 911.

Lee said the secretary told her the man had come into the party's office and asked to speak with Gwatney. When the secretary said she wouldn't allow him to meet with Gwatney, the man went into his office and shot him, Lee said.

FBI spokesman Steve Frazier said his agency was assisting in the investigation but could not offer any details.

Last November, a distraught man wearing what appeared to be a bomb walked into a Clinton campaign office in New Hampshire and demanded to speak to the candidate about access to mental health care. A hostage drama dragged on for nearly six hours until he peacefully surrendered.

The confrontation brought Clinton's campaign to a standstill just five weeks before the New Hampshire primary. Security for her was increased as a precaution. She said she did not know the suspect.

Tragic,

Korbel
 
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