US 2008 Presidential Campaign/Debate Discussion Thread - Part Catorce!

[U2isthebest]

I think their point is that Osama would think Obama is soft on terrorism/terrorists. He watches Fox via the satellite dish in his cave so he definitely believes that.

Actually, I heard he's a big fan of CNN. He LOVES Anderson Cooper.

 

[yolland]

Sounds like they might be forgetting a story they themselves covered back in '04:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,139885,00.html

Al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's right-hand man, referred to the recent U.S. presidential election on the tape, shown on Al-Jazeera television...

"The results of the elections do not matter for us," al-Zawahiri said in the three-minute excerpt. "Vote [for] whoever you want, Bush, Kerry or the devil himself..."

 

[verte76]

When is the next primary?

 

[deep]

All eyes are on March 4

Texas, Ohio and I think Penn

Hillary must do very well

or Obama will have advantage all the way to the nomination
(and this is where it is most likely going)

 

[BonosSaint]

4/22 Pennsylvania

 

[deep]

Obama takes heat for skipping State of the Black Union

* Sen. Hillary Clinton was the only major presidential candidate to accept invitation

* Talk show host Tavis Smiley: It's a missed opportunity on Obama's part

* Smiley tells Washington Post he's gotten angry e-mails, threats for criticizing Obama

From Sean Callebs
CNN

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- The annual State of the Black Union forum boasted a number of famous attendees in New Orleans on Saturday, but this year's event received much more attention for who wasn't there.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, was the only major presidential candidate to accept an invitation to attend.

Her rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, declined, as did Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Clinton told the crowd Saturday evening the country stands at a historic moment.

"How many of our parents and our grandparents, and how many of us ever thought we would see the day when a woman or an African-American would be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States," she said.VideoWatch Clinton address the forum »


Meanwhile, Obama's absence at the forum has prompted both controversy and a backlash against Tavis Smiley, the organizer of the event who has openly criticized Obama's decision.

Smiley has been vocal about his disapproval of Obama's decision.

"I think it's a missed opportunity on Mr. Obama's part," Smiley told CNN. "Now, I am not interested in demonizing him for his choice, but I do disagree with it."

The talk show host told The Washington Post he has been inundated with angry e-mails and even death threats.

"I have family in Indianapolis. They are harassing my momma, harassing my brother. It's getting to be crazy," Smiley told the newspaper.



"It's better for his campaign to be in Texas," said Tiffany Washington.

Some of the nation's top black activists and politicians attend the State of the Black Union.

Smiley said he picked New Orleans as the 2008 host city to highlight the continued plight of its residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.


Obama campaigned in the city before he easily won Louisiana's Democratic primary on February 9, taking 57 percent of the vote.

In a question-and-answer session with Smiley at the State of the Black Union, Clinton was asked about remarks her husband made while campaigning for his wife in South Carolina, including his reference to Jesse Jackson having won primaries in the state during the 1980s.

Critics complained the remarks suggested that Obama's success in that state would largely be based on his race.

In her answer, Clinton said many of the forum attendees knew her husband personally and knew his heart.

"If anyone was offended by anything that was said, whether it was meant or not, whether it was misinterpreted or not, then obviously I regret that. But I believe our task is to go forward with the agenda that all of us agree upon. That is what I have done my entire life, on behalf of civil rights and women's rights and human rights," Clinton said.

"I believe strongly that there is a shared and common purpose that we all hold very dear, regardless of who you are supporting at this time for the Democratic nominee as president," she added.

"It goes way beyond Barack and me. It goes way beyond politics. And I don't think there is any doubt that I and Bill have been part of that common purpose and that struggle our entire adult lives."

At least one Louisiana lawmaker praised Clinton for being there when the region needed help.

"I don't support people just because they are black," said Democratic state Rep. Juan LaFonta.

"I support people because they are qualified and committed to issues that affect my constituent base."

 

[maycocksean]

Good move on Clinton's part, I think.

She needed to mend some fences after Bill's comments earlier this year.

 

[2861U2]

Presidentelectionpolls.com

2/24/08

Barack Obama- 277
John McCain- 250

Hillary Clinton- 211
John McCain- 271

 

[SeattleVertigo]

And what did we think of Hillary's theatrics today?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/24/hillary-clinton-mocks-bar_n_88194.html

"The sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing...."

She's running quite the schizophrenic campaign right now. From "I'm honored, absolutely honored, to be on stage with Barack Obama" to this? Wow!

 

[Diemen]

Wow. That's pretty sophomoric.

 

[diamond]

...desperation
in temptation..

dbs

 

[Diemen]

Nice, dbs

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Yeah, I saw that yesterday. It really took me aback. Yelling at your opponent "Shame on you!" just can't look good. Specially when you're accusing him of doing something that your own campaign engages in.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

politico.com

Obama slams smear photo
By: Mike Allen
February 25, 2008 11:42 AM EST

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe accused the Clinton campaign Monday of "shameful offensive fear-mongering" by circulating a photo as an attempted smear.

Plouffe was reacting to a banner headline on the Drudge Report saying that aides to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) had e-mailed a photo calling attention to the African roots of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

"The photo, taken in 2006, shows the Democrat front-runner dressed as a Somali Elder, during his visit to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya," the Drudge Report said. The photo created huge buzz in political circles and immediately became known as "the 'dressed' photo," reflecting the Drudge terminology.

Plouffe said in a statement: “On the very day that Senator Clinton is giving a speech about restoring respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we’ve seen from either party in this election. This is part of a disturbing pattern that led her county chairs to resign in Iowa, her campaign chairman to resign in New Hampshire, and it’s exactly the kind of divisive politics that turns away Americans of all parties and diminishes respect for America in the world," said Plouffe.

The Clinton campaign issued an official response to the growing tempest - but the statement from campaign manager Maggie Williams did not respond to the central question of whether staffers circulated the photo.

“Enough,” Williams said in the statement. “If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed. Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely.

“This is nothing more than an obvious and transparent attempt to distract from the serious issues confronting our country today and to attempt to create the very divisions they claim to decry. We will not be distracted.”

 

[deep]

Some people say "words matter"


well, unfortunately

with the american electorate dumbed down

pictures probably, matter more

and remember
we are only considering a couple of states that will flip this election

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I think the only thing that will matter about that Obama picture is how bad it will make Senator Clinton look for her aides bringing it up. It is all starting to look so nasty and desperate. They really seem to have no idea how people of all types are almost protective of Senator Obama, and how they look in contrast to his dignity. It is all going to backfire on them, and who would be that dumbed down that a picture like that would even matter to them? It's just like calling him Osama at this point.

 

[diamond]

I don't know if the constituency of the Democratic Party is bright enough to reject the photo, or see it for what it is.

dbs

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Probably not-we're all a bunch of morons

 

[deep]

We are in a primary process and

it is Texas we are talking about

and blue collar Ohio.

 

[deep]

Probably not-we're all a bunch of morons

are you licking necks?

 

[deep]

It's just like calling him Osama

is this for real

 

[2861U2]

is this for real

Yikes.

 

[corianderstem]

you know what? never mind.

(response originally was in retort to diamond's trolling)

 

[diamond]

still buddies, right?

 

[phillyfan26]

still buddies, right?

Outside of FYM, sure.

 

[diamond]

you're very close to being on my buddy list.

 

[phillyfan26]

Moving on up from the Ignore List!

 

[U2isthebest]

Is the Ohio debate tonight or is that later this week? I haven't been paying much attention to the news over the past couple days.

 

[2861U2]

Is the Ohio debate tonight or is that later this week? I haven't been paying much attention to the news over the past couple days.

I think it's tomorrow night.

 

[U2democrat]

Tomorrow night at 9pm moderated by Brian Williams and Tim Russert on MSNBC