The Respectfully Republican Conversation

PuppyFive

scary!!

saluki

Off topic Shirley---But the Sam-e has helped big time with the AI pain----however, it does have a sedation effect--So I'm taking Constantine's new advise yesterday to take it before bed so you can get all the benefits plus a good nights sleep.

saluki

You gals are a hoot!

Rosemary44

Soooo, if I can understand Obama's stand on gun control.  Is he for it, against it, or both?  Or is it all according to where he is standing?

This, I can tell you never came up in Texas.  He would have been hooted off where ever he was positioning himself.

PuppyFive

He has to ask someone which button he pushed

Flip Floppin, He was well trained

Puppy

saluki

I've been mentioning about the ad in Pa running every few minutes with Senator Obama standing in front of a big Exxon sign saying he doesn't take money from special interests.

Here is something of note from Fact Check.

Obama's Oil Spill

March 31, 2008

Obama says he doesn't take money from oil companies. We say that's a little too slick.

Summary

In a new ad, Obama says, "I don’t take money from oil companies."

Technically, that's true, since a law that has been on the books for more than a century prohibits corporations from giving money directly to any federal candidate. But that doesn’t distinguish Obama from his rivals in the race.

We find the statement misleading:

• Obama has accepted more than $213,000 from individuals who work for companies in the oil and gas industry and their spouses.
  
  
• Two of Obama's bundlers are top executives at oil companies and are listed on his Web site as raising between $50,000 and $100,000 for the presidential hopeful.

Analysis

Sen. Barack Obama's ad began running late last week in Pennsylvania and Indiana. In it, Obama talks about the United States' reliance on foreign oil and the need for energy independence and alternative fuels.

Only Legal Contributions, Please

Obama's right on both counts when he says that "Exxon’s making $40 billion a year, and we’re paying $3.50 for gas." ExxonMobil's profits in 2007 hit $40.6 billion, the highest ever recorded by any company.
Obama '08 Ad: Nothing's Changed

Obama: Since the gas lines of the ’70s, Democrats and Republicans have talked about energy independence, but nothing’s changed — except now Exxon’s making $40 billion a year, and we’re paying $3.50 for gas.
I’m Barack Obama. I don’t take money from oil companies or Washington lobbyists, and I won’t let them block change anymore. They’ll pay a penalty on windfall profits. We’ll invest in alternative energy, create jobs and free ourselves from foreign oil.
I approve this message because it’s time that Washington worked for you. Not them.
The national average price for a gallon of gas in the week ending March 24, the most recent data available, was $3.26, but prices are higher than the average in some areas.

Our problem comes with this statement:

Obama: I don’t take money from oil companies or Washington lobbyists, and I won’t let them block change anymore.

It's true that Obama doesn't take money directly from oil companies, but then, no presidential, House or Senate candidate does. They can't: Corporations have been prohibited from contributing directly to federal candidates since the Tillman Act became law in 1907.

Obama has, however, accepted more than $213,000 in contributions from individuals who work for, or whose spouses work for, companies in the oil and gas industry, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That's not as much as Sen. Hillary Clinton, who has received more than $306,000 in donations from people tied to the industry, but it's still a substantial amount.

Here's a chart we made, using the OpenSecrets.org database, of contributions to Obama from individuals employed by some of the largest oil companies in the U.S. Our numbers are conservative because the database doesn't include donations of less than $200 (federal law doesn't require the reporting of donations below that amount), and we haven't included sums donated by the spouses or other immediate family members of the employees. Additionally, we haven't included donations from people who work at smaller firms in the industry.

When the Clinton campaign criticized Obama's ad, calling it "false advertising," Obama's campaign quickly noted that he didn't take money from political action committees or lobbyists.

We'd say the Obama campaign is trying to create a distinction without very much of a practical difference. Political action committee funds are pooled contributions from a company's or an organization's individual employees or members; corporate lobbyists often have a big say as to where a PAC's donations go. But a PAC can give no more than $5,000 per candidate, per election. We're not sure how a $5,000 contribution from, say, Chevron's PAC would have more influence on a candidate than, for example, the $9,500 Obama has received from Chevron employees giving money individually.

In addition, two oil industry executives are bundling money for Obama – drumming up contributions from individuals and turning them over to the campaign. George Kaiser, the chairman of Oklahoma-based Kaiser-Francis Oil Co., ranks 68th on the Forbes list of world billionaires. He's listed on Obama's Web site as raising between $50,000 and $100,000 for the candidate. Robert Cavnar is president and CEO of Milagro Exploration LLC, an oil exploration and production company. He's named as a bundler in the same category as Kaiser.

We're not making any judgments about whether Obama is influenced by campaign contributions. In fact, we'd note that he singles out ExxonMobil in this ad, even though he's received more than $30,850 from individuals who work for the company. But we do think that in theory, contributions that come in volume from oil industry executives, or are bundled by them, can be every bit as influential as PAC contributions, if not more so.

Lobbyist Loopholes?

We've noted before that Obama's policy of not taking money from lobbyists is a bit of hair-splitting. It's true that he doesn't accept contributions from individuals who are registered to lobby the federal government. But he does take money from their spouses and from other individuals at firms where lobbyists work. And some of his bigger fundraisers were registered lobbyists until they signed on with the Obama campaign.

Even the campaign has acknowledged that this policy is flawed. "It isn’t a perfect solution to the problem and it isn’t even a perfect symbol," Obama spokesman Bill Burton has said.

– by Viveca Novak, with Justin Bank

Sources

Kornblut, Anne E., and Perry Bacon Jr. "Clinton Resists Calls to Drop Out." The Washington Post, 29 March 2008.

Mouawad, Jad. "Exxon Sets Record Profit Last Year." The New York Times, 2 Feb. 2008.

"Open Secrets" Database. Center for Responsive Politics, Accessed 31 March 2008.

Hillary for President. “False Advertising: New Obama Ad Falsely Claims He Does Not Accept Money from Oil Companies.” 28 March 2008.

Energy Information Administration, "Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices," accessed 31 March 2008.

Rosemary44

Susie,

I think Senator McCain needs you on his staff.  You can find the best stuff.

Anonymous

My big problem with voting for Obama is the fact that he is a FRESHMAN senator.  He flip flops.  He missed a lot of voting day (maybe so his view wouldn't be on record). He's not been tried.

My big problem with Hillary is she is a proven LIAR. If she wasn't a liar, I'd vote for her since I liked her husband so much.  I guess I need to weed thru things and see if what the lies are about. I could care less about Bill sleeping with interns and frankly, I didn't care about Whitewater.  I care about the bigger picture.

My problem with McCain is that I don't know if we'd have a change in our economy. I really want out of Iraq, asap.  I want our boys out safe but at this point if those Iraqis want a fundie gov't ... let them. Maybe do like they did in Saigon and airlift a ton of them out and let the ones that want to stay -- stay.

I really have a problem with the Dems ideals .... social programs, national health policy and increase of taxes.

Poppy

AOL had an article today or last night that Condi is rumored to be considering VP. I still have fingers crossed!

Erica

Anonymous

First time office seekers make notoriously bad candidates (although her performance thus far a Secretary of State suggests that Dr. Rice would be an exception to this rule).

She also has no geographic base. Most candidates bring a region of the country with them as "in the bag" upon nomination. Dr. Rice is not really from Alabama, not really from Colorado, and not really from California. Geography has always been a major factor in deciding U.S. Presidential elections and there is no reason to believe it will not in 2008.

Although Dr. Rice does possess significant weaknesses as a candidate, she also brings formidable strengths to the race as well.

No one in the 2008 race (from either party) will bring her foreign policy/national defense credentials to the table. Political pundits have always speculated that these two issues are the main roadblocks in the path of a female Presidential candidate. They are Dr. Rice's strengths.

Secondly, Dr. Rice has a great life story to tell. It's is easy to envision tears in the eyes of a television audience as Dr. Rice tells them of her visit as a small child to the White House, where her and her parent's were barred from touring due to their race. When Dr. Rice recalls that she told her now deceased parents that someday she would be in that house, it will hit the audience like a sledgehammer.

Perhaps no other GOP candidate would benefit from the nomination of Hillary Clinton on the Democratic ticket as Dr. Rice. As Dick Morris described in his book "Condi vs. Hillary", when contrasted with Dr. Rice, Hillary would be hurt tremendously by someone who was able to accomplish so much with so many barriers standing in her way- all the time standing on her own two feet.

Dr. Rice has insisted that she will not run for President in 2008. However her future may lie as the uncontested frontrunner for the Vice-Presidential slot on the 2008 GOP ticket. It is hard to imagine that she will not be the first choice of whoever is able to secure the Republican nomination.

She would certainly then be able to take her shot as the uncontested frontrunner for the next open GOP ticket.

-----------

from the race42008.com website

Rosemary44

The major problem with Rice in my eyes is her total connection to Bush.  I just think she wouldn't be an asset here and now.  In the future, when the war is over, she'd be my first choice for all the right reasons.  Right now, I think McCain needs to get a lot distance between himself and Bush.   McCain is his own man, and I'd love to see  him choose another strong contender like himself.  

Anonymous

I have to agree about Condi Rice.  I really don't think it would help McCain.

I don't like EVERYTHING about McCain.  I like his honesty SO FAR.  And just because he was against the Bush tax cuts and are now for them, so what.  Can't the dems find something better than that to go after.  And to show you how honest he is when he was asked sometime back before he became the candidate, he said he would still vote today against the tax cuts.  I know it doesn't make sense, but at least he's honest.  And he knows RAISING taxes would be horrible for our economy.

Anonymous

But he also wants amnesty for all the illegal aliens, right? 

------------

I was talking to my dad today. I was thinking that in this country we have so many talented businessmen. Why can't we get someone to operate this country like a huge corporation and then the CEO of the USA could put someone like Colin Powell in charge of the military? It's too bad we have such poor choices this year. I am tired of not having a clear BEST PERSON to get us back in shape.

FEB

The one thing that I am glad that I can say freely on this thread is:

I just hope that God continues to watch our for this country because the more we see Hillary get caught up in her lies, and the more we hear about Obama's associations with people who hate this country, the more worried I get about either of them becoming president. They both could take us down a path that will really be divisive. I also, do not always agree with McCain, but I am convinced he is a man of integrity and honesty. That is what we need the most; a leader we can all respect, even if we disagree at times.

Anonymous

Yes, her lie about landing under sniper fire?  Can't believe she didn't think that it might all be on film!

Rosemary44

I can't believe she told the story in the first place.  Everything Clinton will be checked and rechecked.  I know she was trying to enhance her credentials, but she brought that on herself.  She took the bait, hook line and sinker from the Obama camp.  She can't run a campaign based on what others say about her.  She had to keep the agenda on what she wanted to talk about and stop responding to their barbs.  A candidate shouldn't let others pick their agenda.  The two of them can't do it.  Politics as usual with the dems.

McCain took a stupid hit from Jay Rockefeller yesterday and he handled it perfectly.  Rockefeller looked like an idiot for saying something so stupid anyway but it only took a few words from McCain and that steeley look he can give.

FEB

Last night I had the wierdest dream. or maybe it was a nightmare, you tell me! I dreamt that I was working on Hillary's campaign and I was travelling in her bus. She was taking nap, and I was having a heart to heart with Chelsea. Chelsea was confiding in me that she was really a republican at heart, but she felt obligated to go along with her parents. I was so shocked, I woke up! I swear this is true! So now I am trying to figure out what this dream means.

Either I am following too much politics, or I need more melatonin.

What do you think!!

Rosemary44

Linda,

Uh-oh.  You got it.  It's called the Hillbama disease.  It will easily be fixed by walking with a Cain.  I know, you'll say I don't need a Cain, but you'll see it will be very comforting, and you'll sleep much better at night.  Or, you could lower your dose of melatonin.

saluki

Thats a classic Rosemary!

Love it!

FEB

Rosemary

Thanks for the advice! I am getting out my Cain and going for  a walk. I will let you know if it helps!

saluki

Hey--Maybe these guys aren't as different as we think.

When you are faking a pose for a camera photo opportunity, at least you can get the phone turned in the right direction!

 

And he wants to be President??????

 

 

(Now scroll down for pic #2)

Pic 2 But...

If it worked ONCE,

Who knows ????????

saluki

Its getting pretty weird in Pennsylvania---

Maybe this always goes on behind the scenes at all campaigns but I'd rather not know.

Guess they all better watch their open microphones.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Obama advance: 'Get me more white people'

From the account in Carnegie Mellon's paper, the Tartan, of a Michelle Obama event in Pittsburgh:

While the crowd was indeed diverse, some students at the event questioned the practices of Mrs. Obama’s event coordinators, who handpicked the crowd sitting behind Mrs. Obama.

The Tartan’s correspondents observed one event coordinator say to another, “Get me more white people, we need more white people.” To an Asian girl sitting in the back row, one coordinator said, “We’re moving you, sorry. It’s going to look so pretty, though.”

“I didn’t know they would say, ‘We need a white person here,’ ” said attendee and senior psychology major Shayna Watson, who sat in the crowd behind Mrs. Obama. “I understood they would want a show of diversity, but to pick up people and to reseat them, I didn’t know it would be so outright.”

I'm not sure there's any real reason for outrage here; every campaign, at least implicitly, includes race in the staging of events like this -- even a campaign whose supporters chant "race doesn't matter." But they don't usually get caught doing it this explicitly.

And (if you didn't pick it up from the bowling) it does give you a sense of the community Obama's trying to reach in Pennsylvania: whitefolks.

saluki

Well as if the Republican party didn't have an uphill fight.----Now they will have their own Ralph Nader in the form of Bob Barr----former conservative-

now Libertarian-beloved by the ACLU

He is forming a third party exploratory committee

Rosemary44

Susie,

That was funny about having an open mic.  I could go on but I'm already having too much fun today. I've been watching the shows today, and they're saying your getting an Obama commercial every waking minute there.  He should spend his money.  I hope it has trickle down effect so more can enjoy it.

saluki

Mentioned on O'Reilly tonight in a light hearted vein---have a few laughs.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

Rosemary44

Arnold Schwarzenegger, how about him for Veep?  He's not born in the U.S., though. Is there some kind of provision in the Constitution preventing him from being President?   Wouldn't Maria be great  with her wonderful projects.  What do we think? 

Nevermind, he can't be President.  He has to be born here and: But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.

FEB

No bad dreams last night. I am off Hillary's bus! I guess the long walk yesterday in the fresh air did the trick!

Hey Puppy-I hope your doing well. If you have time, how about digging up some political laughs that you are so great at? We seem to be in a lull here because not much is happening in Republicanville. We could always use  a good laugh!

Susie, thanks for keeping us posted on what is going on in PA. I heard a pundit on Fox last night who said she thought Pa might go for McCain in the fall. What do you think? Boy would that be a big gain.

 I'm not sure that Obama will get the landslide in Ill that he is expecting either. On a local talk show last week, people were calling in saying that they voted for him for Sen. and the primaries, but his refusal to disavow his crazy minister was such a turn off, they were not supporting him any more.He has lost a lot of male votes. The dems are still backing him, but I think they are underestimating the skeletons in his closet, and the effect it will have in the general. Can you believe the money he is spending!!! I thought he was representing the poor! He could buy a lot of meal tickets for 2-3 million a week!

Rosemary44

I'm hoping the general election will be a landslide for McCain if he runs against Obama.  That's if we can get the turned off voters from the dems to come out and vote.  Hillary's people are more likely to crossover and vote for McCain, the others will stay home and sulk.

Problem will be if McCain poll numbers are high a lot of people won't be voting thinking they don't need to.  That will be a big mistake,  not voting is the same as voting for Obama.

Linda, I'm glad your over your disturbed sleep.  I want to be able to sleep well after November too.

Rosemary44

McCain was on the View this morning.  Everytime he speaks in these casual settings, I'm more impressed with him.  He talked about his differences with Bush and his war policy, and other things, but his best announcement was: He'll get Bin Laden.  I think he stole Hillary's plan to help homeowners with their mortgage woes.  He'll use FHA too to secure them a fixed rate mortgage.

saluki

Also thought it was impressive how he handled Joy Behar since she was gunning for him.----I thought he did very well.