2008 U.S. Presidential Campaign Discussion Thread 13: Victory Lap

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No, please don't go on.

Take a deep breath and back off from this shrill stereotyping of each other's entire parties, guys. Please. It's not going to make anyone's 'victory' sweeter, nor anyone's 'defeat' less depressing.

Well, personally, I am not engaged in the stereotyping of anyone's party as such, I am engaged in the much more important task of rescuing the very heart and soul of conservatism (my life's work) :sexywink:

But still, point taken.

Although I have to say under the circumstances I would see it as considerably unfair to impose a penalty on Martha, given the provocation.
 
He is offensive. And if I have to take one for the team, I will.

john_mccain.jpg
 
Although I have to say under the circumstances I would see it as considerably unfair to impose a penalty on Martha, given the provocation.
Thank you.

What annoys me about this kind of nonsense is that it feeds into stereotypes about conservatives being unintelligent bigots, etc.

Basically, moderate conservatives like me end up carrying the can for liars, propagandists and complete bullshit artists such as you.

It's because of people like you that it's so hard to get the conservative perspective allotted a fair hearing on here.

Tosser.

And then I agree with you?

Cats and dogs living together indeed. :wink:
 
I really didn't like the dress. But she looked awesome despite the dress. ;)

Not one of my faves of hers but she wears everything so well and she did look awesome. I love how her daughters' dresses were color coordinated. I love them too, they're adorable. They're getting a puppy, Ellen gave them a White House doghouse.
 
for a non-incumbent, for a black man to win Virginia and likely North Carolina, to turn bluer states blue and turn red states more purple, for a man with a muslim name, for the democratic gains in the house and the senate, for a candidate running in what is still a very polarized country, yes, this was indeed a TSUNAMI.

the voters rejected John McCain and George W. Bush and the entire past 8 years. it has been a clear, decisive rebuke of the GOP, and especially Bush, and especially Iraq, who have been shattered as a party by Barack Obama.

don't let anyone fool you into thinking it was only about the stock market. it was about how each man *handled* the crisis, and how Obama destroyed John McCain in all three debates, and the foolish pick of Sarah Palin, easily the least prepared candidate on a ticket in modern political history. McCain disqualified himself with that single action, and this man who so many worshiped as some sort of apolitical masculine military ideal was revealed to be nothing more than a partisian political hack.

the GOP has been thoroughly trounced, embarrassed, and defeated. the monsters who have been in charge since 1994 have been vanquished.

:bow: :bow: :bow:
 
By a much bigger margin
and with Obama as her V P.

Why do you say that?

I have the utmost respect for her and feel that she would have been a great president. I respect what Bill Clinton did politically and wish his presidency never ended. However, there is a huge divide between the GOP and Bill Clinton and it would have carried on. I think we would have been headed for a presidency full of jokes and scandals pushed at the media by the GOP because of Bill Clinton's past. It just wouldn't have worked.

Obama is the change needed to hopefully bridge the parties together. I voted for him by a narrow decision in the primaries because I truly respect Hillary, but she just wouldn't have been the right choice to take over after Bush/Clinton/Bush.
 
Here's another one that got me very close:

College undergraduate checking in.

Just watched everything unfold with a group of 12 or so others. As soon as it became clear that Obama was, indeed, going to win, we swarmed the streets--screaming, chanting, hugging, crying--along with hundreds (at least) of other students. For most of us, this was our first time voting in an election; many of us were still in middle school when the twin towers fell. We've had a lot on our minds since then. I have it easy, and I've still been worrying about how I'm going to get a job in this economy when I graduate; whether my friends are going to end up in (or get out of) Iraq; if my best friend, who is gay, is going to be able to marry; whether I'm going to be protected, mental illnesses and all; whether I'm going to be in this all together with the world, whether one day I'm going to be able to truly believe in my government and actually feel proud to say that, yes, I am from the United States of America.

As someone who has cringed at the red, white, and blue which I have long associated with corruption and bigotry--my mind is blown. This is my generation. This was my very first time voting and I did something. WE did something. We informed ourselves; we got ourselves to the polls; we did something. And it felt good. It felt so goddamn good.

Watching Obama's speech, with all of us crying--and my best friend, in the middle of that, just smiling and saying aloud, "I'm going to get married"--and my other friend, sobbing because who would have ever thought, and if only his dad could be there tonight--and me, just blending in, holding hands, silently crying and watching it all because it is bigger than I ever imagined--because the problems we face are bigger than I can fathom--but for once, for once I feel hope and pride. I feel empowered.

I will never, ever miss another election. I've seen the power and meaning of one. And it delights me--and inspires me--to know that I am not the only young person to feel this way. Welcome, 21st century. The world won't change tomorrow, but it's going to change. And I think we can change it for the better.

I feel good tonight.

:heart: That expresses everything I've been feeling as a first-time voter and college student, and it says it much better than I ever could have.

I'll also echo what this person said: For the past 8 years, I've been almost ashamed to admit that I had anything to do with this country's politics, but last night, I was never prouder to be American.

WE did something. We informed ourselves; we got ourselves to the polls; we did something. And it felt good. It felt so goddamn good.

:D

:hug:

we finger's crossed..go AL!

Your previous post/lection night experience was great! How moving!

on the reverse-
I was at a Crosby, Stills ,NAs & Young concert the night Nixon resigned! omg...everyone had radios, and I think it was Neil who made the announcemnt!

I have this bizarre feeling that Franken will pull it out. The absentee ballots haven't been counted yet, and even though a majority of those will probably be military voters, Minnesota's troops are usually more Democratic. It's going to be a nerve-wracking week or so until it's finished though.

Thanks! I still don't know what to say, I just wish that everyone could've felt the pure energy and excitement in the air. I've never seen so many people ecstatic for the same reason.

I bet the CSNY concert would've been amazing to see that night! Bob kind of mumbled something before "Blowin' in the Wind," but it was hard to understand. I read this morning that he said, "It looks like things are going to change now." Nobody really heard him though, and that almost made it better because everyone found out as we left the concert.
 
My mom's watching Larry King, and Pat Robertson just said Obama is brilliant and has the potential to be one of our greatest presidents. I'm still no fan of Pat, but, wow.:faint:
 
:heart: That expresses everything I've been feeling as a first-time voter and college student, and it says it much better than I ever could have.

same here! my best friend is even gay :D I watched the election coverage with a group of friends with all of us having voted for the first time in a presidential election...it was amazing. We're all from Indiana, and we all felt like, holy fuck, our votes actually made a difference. I am so proud that Indiana went for Obama.

I have to say what made me truly tear up was when they were showing footage of people celebrating around the world... the idea that the entire world is as happy as I am right now for the same reason is mind-blowing.

I have hope for the future.
 
My mom's watching Larry King, and Pat Robertson just said Obama is brilliant and has the potential to be one of our greatest presidents. I'm still no fan of Pat, but, wow.:faint:

That is called "covering your ass". Pat uses the gov to push his agenda. He needs all the friends he can get right now. I hope Obama issues "Executive Order #1 - STFU Pat Robertson."
 
So, I was over at my grandparents tonight after work, and my grandma was telling me that her 60 year old niece called earlier today to ask who she and my grandpa voted for. My grandpa was on the phone, and he told her they voted for Obama. My grandma's niece than says, "That's wrong. Don't you know that our church says you should vote Republican?" To which my grandpa said, "We don't care what our church says. We vote for the person we feel is best suited to run the country. Just because your husband and kids are all rich doesn't mean the rest of the country is the same way. Millions of people are out of work, can't feed their families, are losing their homes, and have no health care. I've been around almost 86 years, and I know the Republicans won't do a thing to help the middle class and poor." My grandpa rocks.:love:
 
I just read this on another message board and found it so delightful I had to post it here:

one of my students posted on his facebook twitter that he was moving to canada because he couldn't live under a socialist president

:lmao:
 
My current Facebook status (has been for about a day):

Dan wishes conservatives luck in their move to Canada, which is, ironically, more liberal than the US.

I've had two people mention how much they loved that to me.
 
I'm not shocked. I watch Morning Joe a lot and have found Pat Robertson to be surprisingly candid. Of course, he has his biases but he calls a spade a spade for the most part.



i think you're thinking of Pat Buchannan.

(i really like Morning Joe, too; love how they ignore Mika Brzezinski and she's often left talking to herself)
 
not necessarily...

hopefully the dems will have learned better, from previous experiences.....

and it dpends on who's disappointed.

I mean, Bill CLinton turned out to be more Centrist than I liked in some ways, but he did some really good things- so I stay happy in general that I supported and worked for both of his campaigns.

So I good into this with eyes more open, Obama in some ways being too Centrist for me in some ways, but good, very good in other ways.

I feel as I've stepped into a different America, a better America, from as soon they announced his projected win- especially after McCain's (quite surprisingly) gracious concession speech.
For the very atmosphere of most of the Whole World has altered as we repudiated the policies of Bush & Chenney & McCain's major support of most of Bush's policies espin these past 4 years.
And preveented the even more radical agenda of the Far Religious Christian Right of Sarah Palin's crowd.

yup I agree! Hopefully you're right and american people lost their sensitivity to scare tactics etc...maybe I'm just a bit too pessimistic...
 
MichaelMoore.com : Pinch Me ...a message from Michael Moore

Pinch Me ...a message from Michael Moore

Friends,

Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.

In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.

There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.

It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.

But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.

We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.

An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.

We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.

I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.

But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.

Yours,
Michael Moore
 
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