Positive Obama thread

NoH8

LuAnn, there's a dark tour of the house at 8:00 pm right beforehand. I was worried with baseball playoffs the debates wouldn't be on. Does anyone want to be my backup if all else fails to stick the phone by their tv so I can hear? I realize that might sound obsessive but.....I am about this. Lu, I'm so nervous about going away, I haven't been since 1993 I'm trying to play solitaire online until I fall asleep.

Anonymous

amy - pmed my seven digits...

here it is, the vp candidates: roe vs wade ala couric

 http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4493093n

Anonymous

VP debate moderator's impartiality questioned

By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer1 hour, 28 minutes ago

PBS journalist Gwen Ifill, moderator of the upcoming vice presidential debate, dismissed conservative questions about her impartiality because she is writing a book that includes material on Barack Obama.

Ifill said Wednesday that she hasn't even written her chapter on Obama for the book "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama," which is to be published by Doubleday on Jan. 20, 2009, the day a new president is inaugurated.

"I've got a pretty long track record covering politics and news, so I'm not particularly worried that one-day blog chatter is going to destroy my reputation," Ifill said. "The proof is in the pudding. They can watch the debate tomorrow night and make their own decisions about whether or not I've done my job."

The day before the Joe Biden-Sarah Palin debate, columnist Michelle Malkin wrote in the New York Post about Ifill's book, saying "she's so far in the tank for the Democratic presidential candidate, her oxygen delivery line is running out."

In its online description of the book, Doubleday says that Ifill "surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama's stunning presidential campaign and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power."

The McCain campaign found out about Ifill's book in the last day or so, a spokesman said.

Ifill said Obama's story, which she has yet to write, is only a small part of the book, which discusses how politics in the black community have changed since the civil rights era. Among those subjects is Colin Powell, secretary of state in the Bush administration.

The host of PBS' "Washington Week" and senior correspondent on "The NewsHour" said she did not tell the Commission on Presidential Debates about the book. The commission had no immediate comment when contacted by The Associated Press. A spokeswoman for John McCain's campaign did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages.

Ifill's resume includes jobs at The New York Times, the Washington Post and NBC News. She moderated the 2004 vice presidential debate between Dick Cheney and John Edwards.

She said it was the publisher, not herself, who set the Inauguration Day release date. It will be released then whether Obama wins or loses.

Although Malkin raised the topic of Ifill's impartiality the day before the debate, the PBS journalist said that Time magazine noted she was writing a book in August, and that it has been available for pre-sale on Amazon.com. The book also is mentioned in a Sept. 4 interview she gave the Washington Post.

Ifill questions why people assume that her book will be favorable toward Obama.

"Do you think they made the same assumptions about Lou Cannon (who is white) when he wrote his book about Reagan?" said Ifill, who is black. Asked if there were racial motives at play, she said, "I don't know what it is. I find it curious."

Little-G

Laura..thanks for the link to the Couric interview.  Again...on Palin..I'm thinking "What????" Can she be any more vague??  I have an appointment tomorrow and will miss the debate!  I'll try and catch it later on the computer.  Thanks for giving the links!

g

NoH8

I doubt Palin is as unintelligent as she appears in interviews (or maybe that's just wishful thinking). I think she spends too much time trying to be "clever" with passive-aggressive defensive comments that she forgets to be human and admit when she's not sure of something.

Joe Biden has to be really careful tonight, because republicans are looking for any reason to cry foul or sexism and showing Palin up will be so easy. If he tries too hard not to, he'll look patronizing.

off to boston and the lizzie borden house.

Anonymous

hope you are having a wonderful time amy!

Just heard this on NPR 

McCain will go off TV in Michigan, stop dropping mail there and send most of his staff to more competitive states, including Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida. Wisconsin went for Kerry in 2004, Ohio and Florida for Bush.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1008/McCain_pulling_out_of_Michigan.html

Looking forward to the vp debate in a few hours. I like Joe Biden, he has always been a strong supporter of women's issues.

Anonymous

Sarah Palin's Greatest Hits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrzXLYA_e6E&eurl

.......................

 Obama Campaign Clears its Va. Voter Registration Goal

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/02/obama_campaign_clears_its_va_v.html#more

NoH8

I have having vilely negative feelings about Palin right now and using words that I wouldn't normally apply to women. She is an embarrassment to women and choosing her is a slap in the face to every qualified woman and man in this country. She gives a face to "token woman" and it makes me ill. Ok, i feel better getting this off my chest. She doesn't know the answers and is just answering what she's memorized whether or not it has anything to do with question. Does she realize how much private health insurance costs? My aunt pays  $10,000 a year for very basic coverage with a $5000 deductable. How is that going to help middle and low income people buy health insurance.   They are so out of touch it would be funny if it wasn't so serious.

Biden is spot on with his answers. I've followed his career for years, since he's in the next state over and I'm more impressed than ever/.

LuAnnH

When is she going to answer a question they ask her????

NoH8

Does Palin think the american public is dumb enough to realize she's not answering the questions but making up answers to different sound bites she memorized but have nothing to do with the questione asked. Poor Gwen-----

What a joke, Palin doesn't seem to realize we're one of the worst polluters in the world. She doesn't care why it happens, but facts never seem to be too important to her. If he don't know why climate change is happening, how can we stop doing something we're doing wrong....

Drill baby drill???? That's such an antienvironmental stance and it makes me ill to think there are people who care more about instant gratification (votes) than saving the planet for our children and their descendants.

I'm already predicting what Tina Fey will be spoofing this weekend LOL.

NoH8

OMG- she is so full of bullshit, she is lecturing Biden on being for the war before she was against it---the pot calling the kettle black-- she was for the bridge to nowhere before she was against it. She's just like Bush, thinking the american people are dumb enoug to believe her version of reality.

djd

Oh my goodness...her voice and idiosyncracies are grating!  She has certainly rehearsed her talking points quite well (but I want to puke!!!)

Overall, I'm thinking the debate is a draw, which means McCain loses.  She didn''t attract any new/independents, and Biden didn't lose any. 

djd

One more thing - anyone else think Biden had botox or something?  His forehead and eyebrows don't seem "right".   If so, I wish he hadn't - he looked fine to me in the past.

NoH8

can you tell I'm here alone with no one to vent to LOL.

If I never hear the word maverick again it will be too soon...... thank you Joe Biden for calling a spade a spade.

Biden had a very emotional aanswer about being a single parent was touching, even though I already knew the story. He gets it and his voting record shows, unlike Palin who cut funds for the special olympics and special ed programs in schools during her terms as mayor and governor.

"no there hasn't been a need to change my opinion because I fire and have fired people who disagree with me......."

NoH8

I don't see it as a draw djd -- I think Biden was spot on in his answers. He was briefer than usual and very on point. Palin exceeded horrendous expectations which isn't saying much. She did a little better than I expected on the surface, but examining deeper she didn't answer many questions, she sounded like she was reciting from memory and showed no ability to think on her feet and showed a lack of understanding, defensiveness. She did nothing to improve her image as a lack of understanding on the main issues.,

Maire67

LAphoenix

Did you hear Pat Buchanan's rave review of Palin?  How much are the Repugs paying that guy anyway?  I'm stunned at how few of the talking heads are mentioning the fact that not only didn't she answer half of the questions, but there were times when her responses had nothing to do with the question.  Like it was the answer to a completely different question.  She obviously had memorized a few generic passages from the stump speech and just kept repeating them.  Biden at least started off answering the questions, even if he did resort to the stump speech soon after.  I imagine her handlers told her that if she was stumped to just resort to the memorized passages, then announce that she was not answering Ifill's questions on purpose.  How cheeky of her!  Is she going to be above answering the voters' questions too?   And did you like how she also announced that she wasn't going to be "filtered" by the media?  (It's all Couric's and Gibson's fault that she's an idiot!)  And she's going to expand the powers of the vice presidency apparently.  Do you think she had any idea what she was really saying there?   I wonder why Ifill didn't ask the abortion question.  I thought Palin's answer to the gay question was about the only good thing she said.  And it didn't sound totally canned either.  All in all, though, I didn't think Ifill's questions were very inspired.    

Good question . . . who is Joe Sixpack?  Is that a subliminal endorsement of Cindy McCain's family business? 

The instant polls have Biden winning pretty handily, but I don't think it's going to make much difference one way or the other.  It's a sad commentary on the state of American politics when a VP candidate not making a total ass of herself in a debate is viewed as doing a good job.  Tina Fey should have plenty to work with this week.  Wonder who's going to play Biden.    

Hope you're having fun in the Borden house, Amy!

Anonymous

Palin did connect with joe six pack and hockey mom for sure. However i do think Biden's answers had more substance and detail. I thought Biden did a good job attacking McCain and i dont think Palin did as good a job as she could have defending him other than keep calling him a maverick. She left many of Biden's accusations against McCain unchallenged. Overall i think she helped herself but im not sure how much she helped McCain.

Bring a little Wasilla to Washington...Please...From what I have seen about Wasilla I say

thanks but no thanks...

Nice to come here and read everyones thoughts. A group of intelligent articulate women you are, thank you.

Troopergate is a go, just about the time the debate started the judge ruled in the case to block the legislative report and he said no to blocking the release of the report so that will be out Oct 10.

I do not think the Troopergate report is going to play as well for sarah as the debate did.

Now looking to Tuesday and the next presidential debate.

LAphoenix

As has been pointed out, Palin did a poor job of defending McCain's record.  Oh, and I loved her response to the global warming question, and Biden's response to her response.  Yeah, you think the solution to global warming just might have something to do with the cause? 

Here's Biden's "money" comment, according to the pundits:

"Past is prologue, Gwen. The issue is how different is John McCain's policy going to be than George Bush's? I haven't heard anything yet. I haven't heard how his policy is going to be different on Iran than George Bush's. I haven't heard how his policy will be different with Israel than George Bush's, I haven't heard how his policy on Afghanistan will be different than George Bush's, I haven't heard how his policy in Pakistan will be different than George Bush's. It may be, but so far, it is the same as George Bush's, and you know where that policy has taken us. We will make significant change, so once again, we're the most respected nation in the world. That's what we're going to do."

I'm looking forward to Tuesday as well.  I wonder if McCain is going to use a less confrontational style this time around.  I heard he gave Obama the cold shoulder in the Senate today.  That man's got some issues. 

Anonymous

From the Debate

Sarah Palin Winks At America

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCunBErZZJE&eurl

........

I don't think Sarah's  winky way will serve her well in getting the women's vote.

sccruiser

Well, I agree with all of you. My daughter and I watched the debate (given that this is the first time she has really shown any interest in politics), and that being said, I wanted to hear what my daughter heard.

1..Mom, did she ever go to college? Why didn't someone clue her in on grammar--her sentences are atrocious?

2..Will she ever really answer a question?

3..Why does she keep talking about the changes to be made, but doesn't really say how it will be done?

I am proud of my 30 year old, for getting educated about this election, and making the right choices. She is usually very quiet about her political voting stand, but tonight we had a great discussion after the debate (along with a little chocolate ice cream)!!

When she made the comment about only being in this for 5 weeks, and she hadn't made any promises to break (so she doesn't answer the question again)--I thought the question was about what the McCain/Palin leadership would do as Prez/VP? Who cares what promises the VP makes, if she gets into office, there will only be the usual non-specific activities that don't require any real thinking or decision-making as far as I can see.

Then she talked about her family, and how this extended family is so diverse, and she will bring how she "works" with this diverse group of people to her job in Washington DC? WTF?? Is she serious? This isn't a beauty pageant!!

And the Republicans are so worried that she is getting picked on by the press, and that Biden might be too hard on her, and that she doesn't have to answer questions from the public. Well, sorry honey, put on your big girl panties and deal with it! she's playing the big boys' games now, and she better perform. If you don't want to be identified by your gender characteristics, then don't use them to try to win an election. Be a person, and pony up! I understand from a Palin Staffer (alaska) that the Alaskans have never seen this side of Palin, and if and when she returns to Alaska, she will need to run her state offices differently and it looks like her popularity is declining.

This whole folksy rhetoric is BORING!!!!!!!!!!! Guess that's all we can expect from a student who went to 5 colleges before finally getting a degree in Journalism. Again, why did McCain agree to her as a candidate? There's no way she's going to help him win an election. After this sad night, I would never, ever vote for McCain even if I was a Republican--god forbid, something should happen to McCain, she just would drown as president. She's not even a candidate for House or Senate. And again, she talked about how she would "oversee" the senate? or somthing like that. She has no clue. Wonder if she would change her mind if she knew her main responsibilities would be going to all the world events that the prez decides not to attend? She might find that a little frustrating--and really, if the job returned to a figurehead position--she's still not ready for it--she's only been out of the country once (I heard).

Oh, we can do the happy dance tonight!! She did as well as I thought she would--which will never get her the blessings of the American public and to be so privileged! Her words!!

Off to bed, hope you are sleeping well at your B & B Amy!

PS: I'm really enjoying Rachel Maddow, so thanks for letting me know about her. 

mke

To be fair, she did better than I expected, she was smooth. For me the constant toothy smiles, winks and the "just between us real folks" thing got very tiresome after 10 minutes or so. She did evade questions, but she was slick at it and that's what politicians do. I don't know how the folksy thing is going to play in middle America, but I suspect she didn't lose any votes for McCain. Whether she gained any - who knows?



I was struck by the lack of discussion about the economy, real substantive discussion anyway. All this blather about tax cuts and winning the war (which frankly I don't see as winable). How is that supposed to work with the US going further in the hole every day?

A very interesting point Biden made after Palin talked about the role of the VP was the Cheney was the worst thing that had every happened to the vice presidency with the way he had inserted himself into the legislative branch (which it appeared Palin thought was a VP role). Biden correctly pointed out that according to the constitution the VP's role in the senate is very limited, which she seemed unaware of. Sounded like she thought the VP was chairman of the senate.

I was sorely tempted by a t-shirt recently, it said:
"Shooting an old man in the face is the least evil thing Dick Cheney has done"

LuAnnH

I had to peak at the republican thread and naturally they think Palin did excellent.  I personally couldn't stand to keep hearing the word maverick.  Say it once, maybe twice but enough already.  Then when she told Gwen that I will answer the question I want to answer and not necessarily in the order you want (something to that nature) I thought, gee what is this.  Let me say my memorized speech and quit interrupting me?????  I was put off when she answered one question and used her position as a mom saying something about asking the other soccer moms on the field what they thought yadda yadda yadda.  I hate to think our country is being run on the soccer fields and worse important business discussions that are highly classified being discussed out on the soccer fields.  I really think she was a sad choice for a running mate and hopefully she will be the demise of his politcal ambitions for the white house.

justanna

bygrace: " ..Mom, did she ever go to college? Why didn't someone clue her in on grammar--her sentences are atrocious?"

Can you even imagine her representing our country to world leaders?  "Ya, nice to meetcha."  Lipstick does not make one a diplomat.  I cringe whenever she speaks, thinking someone willing to appear that stupid and unsophisticated could possibly be one heartbeat away from leading this country.  Call me "elitist" but she is just showing disrespect to voters with her "folksy" stupidity.  She did better than expected, but the bar was low.

Anna

Little-G

Obama...I feel the same way!!!  This woman is such a looser and hugely under qualified!!  And the fact that the republicans are trying to act like she did something last night..."well gosh darn it" they have completely lost all senses!!!!!  I can't stand looking at her condescending and smug face.  With the winks and all!!  And then when she went on about the gay marriage issue..I was waiting for her to say "I have black friends too"  SHE IS AN IDIOT!!  If America votes her in, wow..I don't know what to say about that. Well...lets go onward and upward....Obama is going to ROCK this!!!  Keep the word out and get those bumper stickers and yard signs!!  Send Palin back to soccer practice where she belongs!

Maire67

.

pip57

As a Canadian watching the debate I was very entertained.  Biden answered questions, even if you didn't agree with the answers.  Palin didn't even listen to the questions, she just had to get her 'talking points' out.  

What disturbed me was that Palin backs the war on a country that she doesn't even know how to pronounce!!! 

 edited to say...I can't wait until Monday to see Jon Stewart and Colbert's responses. 

Belinda44

Good analysis from Joe Klein of Time Magazine:

Klein: Palin Was Fine, But This Debate Was No Contest

She did fine, I suppose.

She was animated and confident. She displayed an ability, for the first time since her convention speech, to repeat with a fair amount of credibility, the formulations that her handlers had given her. You knew she was well prepared when practically the first words out of her mouth were, "Go to a kids' soccer game..." She had that folksy thing down-although I did notice, watching the squiggly lines down at the bottom of the CNN screen, that when she tried to get cutesy with her folksiness, it didn't work.

She also was allowed to do fine by Joe Biden, who never really challenged her-his criticisms were always directed at John McCain-and never exposed the obvious shallowness of her knowledge on most topics. (He must have been sorely tempted to correct Palin when she called David McKiernan, the commanding general in Afghanistan, "McLellan," but Biden was hard-wired-I imagine his debate prep was a form of electric shock therapy-not to correct her, attack her, disrespect her.)

Indeed, Sarah Palin's high-energy performance in the vice-presidential debate was the most glaring demonstration-since George W. Bush's performances in 2000-of how little you can get away with knowing and still survive one of these things, especially if the rules limit the cross-examination as severely as they did in this debate. Her relentless opacity was impressive. She refused to answer the questions where she hadn't been prepped with answers and when Biden pointed out that an early question had been on deregulation not taxes, she flashed: "I may not answer the questions the way you and the moderator want to hear, but I'm gonna talk straight to the American people."

Talk straight she didn't, with only a few exceptions. She talked talking points. And when the talking points concerned areas where she didn't know diddly, she didn't talk them very convincingly. Indeed, there were times I got the distinct impression that she didn't understand the points she was talking about (on the vice president's constitutional powers, for example).

Joe Biden, by contrast, demonstrated a real knowledge of the issues in question. He made several verbal fumbles-it was Syria, not Hizballah, that left Lebanon-and at times he lapsed into legi-speak, even using plague words like "amendments" and "Liheap" (the winter heating oil assistance program for poor people). But his was a solid, informed and restrained performance-although his best moments came near the end of the debate (when much of America had turned to the baseball playoffs or reruns of their favorite sitcoms on cable). He was genuinely moving when he talked about being a single parent after the death of his wife (he almost began to weep, but held it together); in fact, that moment was more real than anything Palin said all night. He also closed with a devastating point: McCain was, sure enough, a maverick on some things, but not on any of the issues that really mattered in this election-and he listed those issues, and where McCain stood on them, to great effect.

It was striking to me-for the second time in two debates-that the Democrat got much the better of the argument on Iraq, especially if you watched the squiggly focus group lines on CNN: it seems clear that people just want the war to end. Biden did marginally better than Obama on the substance of the issue, pointing out that the Maliki government agrees with Obama, not McCain, on the timetable to withdraw U.S. troops (which Obama failed to mention last Friday).

The fact that Palin made it through the debate without running off the stage shouting, "I can't do this!" should not obscure the fact that there was only one person tonight whom anyone with any sense-even John McCain, I imagine-would trust as President. Biden's performance was strong and, happily, gimmick free. He used no gotcha soundbites, no consultant-driven silliness-a fact driven home by the lameness of Palin's snark lines like, "Say it ain't so, Joe" and-pace, Gipper-"There you go again, talking about the past."

Palin's problem, and McCain's, is that the recent past is crucial in this election. Bush's decisions over the past eight years-to go to war in Iraq, to neglect the war in Afghanistan, to aggrandize the rich and neglect the middle class-created the dreadful moment this country faces right now, and people know that. Fearful for their futures and the nation's, they seem to be looking for something different-and that something involves steadiness, knowledge and some clear ideas about what to do going forward, qualities that Sarah Palin did not display tonight.

What she did show was some folksy charm and some energy-qualities that might get her selected for Dancing With the Stars, if not Jeopardy. But that's not enough to change the trajectory of this race, especially since nothing that was said in this debate will be remembered, or remarked upon, a week from now.

justanna

What she did show was some folksy charm and some energy-qualities that might get her selected for Dancing With the Stars, if not Jeopardy.

Please, not Jeopardy.  She's not smart enough for Jeopardy.  Though she is good at answering questions with questions, gosh darnit.

I loathe her.  I hate her.  I am even starting to think I could take the cold in Canada if this is the US future, especially for our children.

Anna

Little-G

Anna...

"I  loathe her.  I hate her.  I am even starting to think I could take the cold in Canada if this is the US future, especially for our children."  agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!