The Brand New Respectful Presidential Campaign Thread

Another CEO story, of those hard-working men (and very few women) who have insured that all those peon hard-working employees stay employed:

I worked for a few years for a software consulting company as technical director to Bell Labs.  The company was sold by its owners to General Electric and renamed GE Consulting.  GE let go the man who actually knew something about consulting and put in his place, as CEO, the head of one of their appliance manufacturing plants.  As so many "Idiot" CEO do when coming into a new company, he announced we had to cut back on costs, and his solution was to not hire any more consultants.

For some reason, it escaped his notice that GE Consulting made its profits by selling the services of consultants to other corporations.  Without employees we had no services to sell and no profits to make.  He lasted two years, during which time our profits dropped big time.

Oh, those lovely, knowledgeable CEO's. 

No, Grace, it wasn't about the candy!  LOL

I know that managers (CEOs) should make more money.  However, what they do sometimes make is obscene!

I'm waiting, Rosemary.  I don't think McCain is going to run untruthful, nasty ads.  He's gonna run truthful ads that will hurt Obama's campaign. LOL

Shirley

Healthcare is the least important? Pennsylvania, what's wrong with you folks?

By The Associated Press 25 minutes ago

Highlights of preliminary exit poll data in the Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary Tuesday:

FINALLY, THE MAIN EVENT

After a six-week lull since the last Democratic primary, Pennsylvania voters were so eager to participate in the hotly contested battle between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama that one in 10 changed their party registration since the start of 2008 so they could vote Tuesday. The contest was open only to registered Democrats. About half the party-switchers had been registered Republicans, while the rest had been unaffiliated with either party. Another roughly 3 percent were voting for the first time in Pennsylvania.

WHO SHOWED UP

As expected, Pennsylvania's Democratic voters were overwhelmingly white and - as usual in Democratic contests - there were more women than men. About three in 10 were age 65 or over. Nearly half were from families that earned less than $50,000 last year. A quarter had household income of more than $100,000 and about as many reported having a postgraduate degree.

Three in 10 Pennsylvania Democratic voters were union members or had one in their household. And four in 10 had a gun owner in the household.

LOOKS MATTER

About one in five voters said the race of the candidates was among the top factors in their vote. About as many said that about the candidates' gender.

MAKING UP THEIR MINDS

One in five voters said they chose their candidate within the final week of the Pennsylvania campaign. About one in 10 said they made up their mind Tuesday.

ECONOMIC GLOOM

Pennsylvania Democrats had a sour view of the economy - four in 10 said the country is in a serious recession and at least as many called it a moderate recession. Only about one in 10 said the economy is not in recession.

As in earlier primaries, at least half of voters said the economy was the most important issue facing the country. About half as many said Iraq was the top issue. Health care trailed in importance.

___

From a partial sample of 1,421 Democratic primary voters conducted in 40 precincts across Pennsylvania by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for The Associated Press and television networks.

Paulette,  But health care is an economic issue, one of the biggest.  As more and more people have to pay totally for their own health care or pay larger parts of it, it's becoming one of their biggest expenses, right after their mortgages.  And for some folks, their premiums are higher (and for some a lot higher) than their mortgages.  Health care is an economic issue.

I've said this before, in 2002 Guardian raised my family rates (mine and my husband's) to $1,000 a month.  Have no clue what it might be now--at least $1,500 but probably more. Never thought I'd be delighted to turn 65 (for Medicare) but I was!  You know the worlds is upside down when a woman is happy to turn 65.

Go Hillary, and she made a great speech tonight. 

I never needed health care till I hit 54.  All those years I paid in and just went to see my gyno.  My husband never got sick either till he hit his 50's.  We didn't even have a primary Dr. chosen.  A lot of the young people just aren't into it yet.  They think Hillary's health care plan will be a gov't run plan.  They hear universal health care, and think another social security program is on the way. 

The candidates have a long road ahead of them to explain the program,  show the differences between their plans, and get people to really want universal health care in the first place.  Right now all we have is Elizabeth Edwards as our champion.  I really don't hear anyone else talking about it yet.

Anne,

Then I'll join you in the letter writing.  I've already sent a couple out about health care.  No responses yet.  Have you received any response to your letters?  I think AARP is on our side at their United we stand site.  The Hillary campaign sent me an email asking us to tell them which is the most important issue and why, of course I jumped all over health care in my response.

Hillary can really think on her feet. I was watching her this morning being given the inquisition over her ad yesterday.  She said it was about me and my credentials, not anyone else.   

 We can't rely on the poll takers anymore.  Rasmussen was off by 6 pts. on Monday.  Too many people have cell phones.  Some small poll taker got it right, they had her winning by 10 pts. and I didn't believe them.  And I don't remember who they were.  I would have liked to have followed them.  Oh well. 

P.S. I meant to add, in my response to Hillary's campaign, I also asked for John Edwards to be her running mate.  I forgot about that. I pray he doesn't come out for Obama also.  I can just see Elizabeth all over the place about Hillary's health care plan. 

Good morning political junkies.........first of all congrats to all the Hillaryites........she did an excellent job in spite of all the media bias against her...........I have had maybe 4 hrs sleep.....could not stop watching all the commentaries through the night........and this morning which is even more interesting and all the arm chair quarterbacking......got to give the woman credit where credit is due..........of course not only being a Republican but being conservative not an easy thing to do......I see a change in her that is a bit refreshing.........Obama has made two huge (not hugh)mistakes.........of course Rev Wright has not helped and William Ayers is going to become a lot bigger problem.......but the San Francisco remarks and what I believe is worse is the comment about one of his daughters would be "punished" with a child and regardless if you are pro life or pro choice in the Catholic world and many middle class families whether its your teenage daughter, unmarried grown daughter or unplanned pregnancy in a marriage many people believe that life is a gift..........regardless......you would never classify it as a "punishment"........crap phone I will be right back............shokk

I have been watching MSNBC morning talk show "Morning Joe" because at least former Senator Scarborough is a Hillary fan so at least don't have to listen to all the bad press about Hillary........she must find it interesting to be on the "other" side of the media bias.......any way Pat Buchanan pegged Obama perfect this morning by referring to him as "Faculty Lounge".........loved it..........he is University of Chicago faculty lounger complaining about the middle income person not being smart enough to "get it".......the "common man".......not as enlighten as all the faculty sitting around the lounge making fun of the "working class person love of God and Country" clinging to their guns and religion because they are bitter........whom doesn't get it is the Faculty that has spent a life time on college campuses writing worthless books they make their students buy.............telling their students what a horrible country this is and all the while their parents are struggling to get these children a college education......and want to talk about cost that is out of control and has absolutely no regulation is right on our college campuses.....telling the rest of us how to live our lives when them themselves has never really lived in the "real world"...........many like William Ayers and his wife are still fighting the "war against Imperial America" like it was the late sixties........give me a freaking break...........jeez phone again.........I am not done ranting........Shokk

Yes, Hillary did a good job winning in PA. AND Barack did an excellent job lowering the spread from 25 to less than 10--and in just a little over a month. I think one of them will win the Presidential election. Can't wait to see which one takes on McCain and buries him in the debates!!

Rosemary--you are mistaken--I'm very calm. Just tired of your comments that have no substance.

Hey Bren I'm back...........I'm am just a "working class Josephine"..... and freaking proud of it.............and yes I love this Country and I love our political process........not any smug Faculty Lounger is going to tell me that my belief in God or my gun ownership happens because I am "bitter" because my Gov't has not taken "care" of me......since when is it the Gov't (which happens to be all of us)job to take care of me.........I want to take care of myself..............I want the gov't to stay out of my life as long as I am following the laws of the land.........I don't want to spend the rest of the life I have going through gov't bureaucracy trying to get a physical............of course this is just the humble opinion of a conservative woman that is trying to survive bc........I will never really recover financially from my disease and a secondary chronic medical condition that I have that will have to be treated for the rest of my life........but that's ok.......if I am going to be destitute I wouldn't want to be destitute in any other country but this one.....because regardless of insurance or the ability to pay I can walk into any county hospital and be treated.............Shokk

Grace AnneShirley is giving you some foreshadowing........she is right about Obama.........he will never survive the fall elections........he's too far left.........and if he thinks Hillary has gone negative.......is he out of his mind?............she has done nothing to him like what is coming from the Republicans..........Shokk

Hillary's argument of being more electable will have more credence if she keeps adding white male voters to her camp.  Indiana will give us a good picture if this trend is expanding towards her.

Here's the breakdown of yesterday's primary:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080423/pl_politico/9812

There were few surprises in Pennsylvania, according to the exit polls conducted by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for television networks and The Associated Press. Clinton held about 65 percent of white women and about 55 percent of the key swing bloc of white men, a strong showing though slightly weaker than her Ohio showing.  Clinton has now won white men in 12 states and Obama has done the same in 10 states.

Shokk,

I haven't been watching MSNBC lately because of Chris Matthews.  I don't want to see him even accidently.  Sounds like I missed a good one. 

Susie,  they got to you eh?  Made a contribution did ya.  Me too.

Ok, we'll start with John Edwards, then who to write?  Maybe we should find some elected superdelegates, why not, everyone else is writing them.

I wonder who McCain would rather go up against ... obviously, he wants the weakest one with the American masses.  I wonder if thats why he did this:

"

Obama has come under fire for attending a Chicago church for two decades where the Rev. Jeremiah Wright was pastor. Wright espoused inflammatory views including saying the U.S. government spread the AIDS virus to African Americans. He has since retired.

The 30-second ad in question attacks Democratic North Carolina gubernatorial candidates Beverly Perdue and Richard Moore for their endorsements of Obama, referencing the Illinois senator's "judgment" in supporting Wright and calling him "too extreme for North Carolina."

North Carolina is one of two states holding the next crucial Democratic primaries on May 6 in the tight race between Obama and Hillary Clinton to oppose McCain in the November presidential election.

Traveling with McCain, Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan said he had tried to call the chair of the North Carolina party to ask the ad be withdrawn"