[Archived] Barack Obama

[jim mk2]

is that Foot is overly intellectual and Palin is rabidly anti-intellectual, Foot was a true orator and Palin is just a soundbite rabble-rouser.

Excellent stuff from Cleese : Michael Palin you're not the funniest Palin any more

There are times when American society gets truly scary, and the prospect of McCain and Pailin in the White House is one of them.

Having said that, the world laughed when a B movie actor was elected president, but the Americans loved him.

[92er]

There are times when American society gets truly scary, and the prospect of McCain and Pailin in the White House is one of them.

Having said that, the world laughed when a B movie actor was elected president, but the Americans loved him.

Not all Americans loved him or wanted him to be President. I remember coming back from France on the boat/ train who really did not want him to get in.

[philipl]

This is the only mainstream press comment that suggests McCain won last night. The firsy blog post underneath the article indicates voters saw it as the most comprehensive debate win for Obama/Biden yet.

I watched it live (not on an illegal feed) and thought the McCain assertiveness worked well but Obama very quietly picked him off and was miles ahead of McCain in having thought through where he would stand his ground (dismissing the Ayres slur and pointing out that McCain's ads had gone 100% negative) and leave McCain swinging airshots (supporting the unsupportable Palin).

I hear some bookies are already paying out on Obama winning.

[Rovermatt]

McCain looked unhinged at times last night. Obama was unspectacular as usual but all he had to do was sit there and counter McCain's increasingly desperate tone in a calm and collected manner. He's the one who looks Presidential, whether you like him or not. McCain simply looks irritated and confused. He's defining his campaign as being against Obama rather than promoting his own agenda (an agenda which looks increasingly disparate) and voters are turning away.

[Billy Castell]

I'm waiting for McCain or Palin to start gibbering "He'll turn our national anthem into a rap song, turn us into an Islamic state and nationalise the air." To be honest I have no idea what McCain and Palin are for, but we have heard a lot of stuff from them about Obama. Even Bush had some sort of programme of low taxes, involvement in wars abroad and being against environmental policies that may hamper the energy industry.

Some will get a semi from the Obama bashing, but those people would probably have voted Republican anyway. McCain just makes himself look like one of those old men who sit there and spout crap about how old football players are 120 times better than modern players, society would be better if national service, the death penalty and a ban on gays were re-introduced. It's easy to say that A, B or C are crap, but not say what needs to be done instead.

[92er]

Not all Americans loved him or wanted him to be President. I remember coming back from France on the boat/ train ( WITH A GROUP OF YOUNG AMERICANS )who really did not want him to get in.

Sorry-missed a bit out of my earlier posting.

[philipl]

A real sense of end of an era (thankfully) around after that last Presidential debate.

President Bush's America now friendless and alone.

The right wing Fox carries the latest press Presidential endorsements from some traditional Republican-leaning states for Obama.

[philipl]

When John McCain finally showed up on the Letterman Show, he got a tougher grilling than most political interviewers would give him but actually stood up to it well after admitting he had screwed up.

However, he offered some big hostages to fortune, particularly when he happily admitted his association with Gordon Liddy of Watergate fame. An admittidedly left wing blog got to work on Mr Liddy and it makes Bill Ayres look like Goldilocks.

The Daily Mail has one of the most astonishing political pictures I have seen. Obama's rally in St Louis, Missouri yesterday.

[philipl]

I think this article in the conservative Wall Street Journal brilliantly summarises why Palin is a disaster and why conservatism in the USA has self-imploded.

[Rovermatt]

John McCain won the debate...

[rover6]

From that WSJ article:

In the end the Palin candidacy is a symptom and expression of a new vulgarization in American politics.

American politics? Or politics general?

Someone needs to solve the problem that is taking democracy in a worrying direction and that is the commercialisation of politics - the branding. Have we gone to far to recover?

[Eddie]

Just look at what we are discussing Rover 6, this is Obama v Palin. Gone too far and there's no turning back.

[philipl]

Amidst the slew of opinion polls and arguments whether Zogby have/had it right on the race tightening or if Obama is 14% ahead and increasing, I've just had a look at the opinion polls in the ultra safe states for either side.

Obama has a 36% lead in New York and a 35% lead in Illinois!

The number of States in which McCain has a double digit lead is down to 5 on some polling data.

RCP are again giving every "swing" state to Obama now he has edged back ahead in Indiana.

This has the feel of a rout.

[Rovermatt]

Not if the great GOP vote-stealing machine has anything to do with it.

[Billy Castell]

I'll believe an Obama whitewash when I see it. I still have this feeling McCain will win.

There are loads of threads on Myspace stating how Obama was born abroad and can't stand, how he is an evil socialist, and how he has friends who tried to overthrow the Kenyan government and other such nonsense. If you want to see just how virulent US politics can get, go to the US Politics forum on myspace. Keep an eye out for a user called JeffL, he is particularly entertaining.

[AussieinUk]

Cracks are now appearing in the McCain/Palin camp, with McCain advisors stating that Palin is a 'Diva' and wont listen to advice.

[philipl]

Very hard to see how McCain can pull this around.

Being extremely cynical, the attack on Syria is a non-event and the failure to form aGovernment in Israel makes anIsraeli attack on Iran extremely unlikely so a US-generated security crisis looks a non-runner.

Obama ahead of McCain in Georgia by two percent in the latest polls in that state. Even places in the Deep South are moving into the toss-up category.

[philipl]

Excellent demolition of Palin McCain by the right wing Christopher Hitchens

[Rovermatt]

I don't know what to make of this. It's not crystal clear but Palin is obviously distracted by something as soon as it's shouted. I suppose it wouldn't be surprising if the McCain/Palin campaign began plumbing these depths. To be fair though, I don't see any mention of it elsewhere on the internet.

[Eddie]

Hold on, a random person shouting something in the crowd cannot be put as a tactic of the campaign.

It's going to be a lot closer than you seem to think Philip.

[philipl]

Hold on, a random person shouting something in the crowd cannot be put as a tactic of the campaign.

It's going to be a lot closer than you seem to think Philip.

Agreed re the shout in the crowd and Palin was probably right to ignore it rather than draw attention by admonishing it

Why do you think that it will be closer?

My opinion for what it is worth is that the gap will be over 100 electoral votes. That represents a closing of the gap- if you translate the current RCP aggregation of all polls across all states into votes in the electoral college awarding toss-ups to the side currently leading, Obama wins by 160.

RCP is not reflecting the recent leads now being reported for Obama in Georgia, North Dakota and Montana which would push the winning margin to over 200.

The very best polls for McCain show him 5% behind nationally, very close in Indiana, Florida and Ohio but behind by some distance in Virginia and Pennsylvania which are must-wins given the likely losses in the west of Colorado and New Mexico.

The very best polls for Obama put Louisiana and Arkansas as toss-ups.

[Rovermatt]

Hold on, a random person shouting something in the crowd cannot be put as a tactic of the campaign.

It's going to be a lot closer than you seem to think Philip.

Sorry, I meant to say that the rallies are plumbing new depths.

[broadsword]

2 neo-nazi's have been arrested, charged with plotting to bump off a number of black people, culimnating in teh killing of Barack Obama.

Bloody hell.

[Billy Castell]

You're always going to get racist loons in the states. I'd still rather have Obama, as I would hate McCain to get in, and something happen to him.

This may have been put here before, but here's John Cleese on Sarah Palin:

Cleese discusses the Alaskan Blue.

[Rovermatt]

2 neo-nazi's have been arrested, charged with plotting to bump off a number of black people, culimnating in teh killing of Barack Obama.

Bloody hell.

They won't be the last. If a black man is elected President expect a lot of very p!issed off bigots come November 5th.