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

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U2@NYC said:
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.
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Please expand the war in Afghanistan. Please! Don't cut and run!
 
purpleoscar said:
Hasselbeck better try and keep her job anyway she can. She'll be considered a racist for not supporting Obama.
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:rolleyes: She has been universally praised for her grace in the face of defeat. All of a sudden it's considered weak to be gracious, I guess.
Maybe she just took McCain AND Obama seriously when he said it was time for this country to reconcile. In case you didn't realize, it's not only the Republicans or Democrats suffering from all our problems.
 
Tiger Edge said:
:rolleyes: She has been universally praised for her grace in the face of defeat. All of a sudden it's considered weak to be gracious, I guess.
Maybe she just took McCain AND Obama seriously when he said it was time for this country to reconcile. In case you didn't realize, it's not only the Republicans or Democrats suffering from all our problems.
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Joy's reaction doesn't show healing to me.
 
purpleoscar said:
Hasselbeck better try and keep her job anyway she can. She'll be considered a racist for not supporting Obama.
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Oh, come on, that's a cheap shot.

She was considered a mouthpiece for the conservative talking points. She would not answer any rebuttal questions directly, interrupt anyone trying to respond to her accusations against Obama (granted, they all interrupt on that show),a nd basically came across as someone who was just parroting whatever the latest anti-Obama scuttlebutt was.

Not that The View should be taken all that seriously, but they need to find someone better to provide an alternate point of view on the show. She's not doing the conservatives any favors.

She's obnoxious, but she was very gracious on the show yesterday.
 
U2@NYC said:
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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:up:
 
Dear Red States...

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country,
and we're taking the other Blue States with us.

In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon,
Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the
Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and
especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave
states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the
Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft. You
get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss. We get 85% of
America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get
two-thirds of the tax revenue; you get to make the Red states pay their
fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22% lower than the
Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch
of deadbeat dads.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and
anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at
once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids
they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and
they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets
coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn
up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80%
of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and
lettuce, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality
wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners), 90% of all cheese,
90% of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all
living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister
schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. With the Red
States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88% of all obese
Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92% of all U.S.
mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes,
99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists,
Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of
Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you. Additionally, 38%
of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a
whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death
penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% say
that Saddam was involved in 9/11,and 61% of you crazy bastards believe
you are people with higher morals then we lefties.

By the way, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that
dirt weed they grow in Mexico .

Peace out,
Blue States
 
There is a great post-election series posted over at newsweek.com right now. I've found it absolutely fascinating. A very honest, behind the scenes look at the primaries and election.

...The disclosures are among many revealed in "How He Did It, 2008," the latest installment in NEWSWEEK's Special Election Project, which was first published in 1984. As in the previous editions, "How He Did It, 2008" is an inside, behind-the-scenes account of the presidential election produced by a special team of reporters working for more than a year on an embargoed basis and detached from the weekly magazine and Newsweek.com. Everything the project team learns is kept confidential until the day after the polls close. ...
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Highlights
Hackers and Spending Sprees
Highlights from NEWSWEEK's special election project.


How He Did It
A team of NEWSWEEK reporters reveals the secret battles and private fears behind an epic election.

Back From The Dead
By late spring of 2007, John McCain's campaign was adrift, if not sinking. Then the candidate found a new narrative: the comeback.

The Long Siege
The fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama turned into a grinding stasis that played out until the very last primary day.

Going Into Battle
McCain's inner circle altered the style, feel and direction of the campaign. The candidate's best hope was to bring down Obama.

Center Stage
Obama's aides worried the Clintons might steal the show. McCain revved up his campaign with an impulsive choice—Sarah Palin.


There are two more parts yet to be published, and they'll probably be up tomorrow.

I know it was common decades ago, but I'm surprised that in this day and age, reporters are given this kind of access to candidates and their staff.
 
Thanks for the links, VP. Fascinating stuff.

"We can't solve global warming because I fucking changed light bulbs in my house. It's because of something collective." :lol:
 
Obama is young, pretty and well tanned according to Berlusconi... what a disgrace that man is.
 
"What the fuck would I want to lead this party for?" - John McCain

If only he'd been true to himself instead of a sell-out...
 
FiveThirtyEight.com: Electoral Projections Done Right: Obama Outperforms Kerry Among Virtually All Demographics

How Obama performed with various demographics, vs Kerry in '04:

exit.png


The only groups Kerry did better with are those 65 and over, those in the "other religion" category, and gays and lesbians. The latter I find very puzzling.
 
Here's a interesting NYT graphic. Counties in blue became more Democratic in 2008 vs. 2004. An incredible shift left in many states.

NYT.jpg
 
U2isthebest said:
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:
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:rockon: :rockon:

great story U2ITB :hyper::applaud:
 
VintagePunk said:
FiveThirtyEight.com: Electoral Projections Done Right: Obama Outperforms Kerry Among Virtually All Demographics

How Obama performed with various demographics, vs Kerry in '04:

*image edited for brevity*
Click to expand...

ntalwar said:
Here's a interesting NYT graphic. Counties in blue became more Democratic in 2008 vs. 2004. An incredible shift left in many states.

*image edited for brevity*
Click to expand...

Those were both very interesting, thanks for posting!

Here's an article on Larry King's interview with Bill Maher. I don't know if it has already been posted or not.

Maher: There's gotta be something funny about Obama - CNN.com
 
VintagePunk said:
The only groups Kerry did better with are those 65 and over, those in the "other religion" category, and gays and lesbians. The latter I find very puzzling.
Click to expand...
There's a significant minority of white gay men who are fiscally and even to some degree socially conservative...perhaps compared to '04, that bloc perceived fewer potential adverse consequences for gay rights in voting Republican this time around. That's just speculation, but I'd think it'd have to be something like that to explain that significant a shift in an election where virtually every other demographic shifted in the opposite direction.
ntalwar said:
Here's a interesting NYT graphic. Counties in blue became more Democratic in 2008 vs. 2004.
Click to expand...
Depressing for many Southern progressives, heartening for Democrats everywhere else.
 
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