Presidential Campaign 2008

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With McCain proposing to delay the debate on Friday because of all the stuff going on with the bailouts, someone needs to point out that the debate should definitely go on, if for no other reason than to see which of the candidates handles himself (especially communicatively, to the public) during times of high pressure.

that's almost exactly what obama said today.

[Kanada Kev]

This move by the Republicans is shameful. McCain does NOT need to stop campaigning to save the economy. What a joke. There is a 'government' in place to take care of it right now.

The debate will take one day out of his schedule ... actually 90mins. He doesn't need any refreshing on the topic of the debate since it is about Security. He's the army dude who "knows how to win wars". So wtf? This is a total delay tactic by the Republicans to get the heat off of their candidate (and his freaky sidekick from AK).

Just you watch. McCain and his buddies will ask for this debate to be rescheduled for the night of the VP debate. They'll then ask to scrub the VP debate all together after that. They're scared shitless as to what Palin will do when faced with a real debate format and no safety nets. Remember, she's ready to be president though!!!

F U U U U C C C K K K

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the debate commission said the debate is going ahead

[Kanada Kev]

Craig Ferguson on McCain suspending his campaign:

[Deeps]

McCain's back in.

What the F was all that about?

After days of uncertainty when it appeared Republican candidate John McCain would miss the first presidential debate because of the battle of the bail-out in Washington, he has now confirmed he will take part. The BBC's Jamie Coomarasamy examines the strengths and weaknesses of the two candidates.

For someone who has built so much of his reputation on his public speaking ability, Barack Obama can, at times, be a curiously ineffective debater.

If you don't believe me, ask the Democrat candidate's own communications director, Robert Gibbs.

He joked to a group of reporters earlier in the week that his candidate often takes 60 seconds to clear his throat.

There was, of course, some gamesmanship there, a deliberate lowering of expectations ahead of the debate, but the assertion is grounded in truth.

By general consent, the Illinois senator was frequently overshadowed in those early, primary debates by his rival, Hillary Clinton.

Slow improvement

Her replies were crisper, more focused. His tended to be considered, thoughtful, but often lacking directness.

Foreign policy, including Iraq, will be on the agenda

And, while Mr Obama's debating style clearly improved over the course of the long primary season - especially during the head-to-head debates with Senator Clinton - Democrats worry that their nominee might revert to the kind of elliptical replies which may suggest to some that he is too much of an intellectual, too devoid of fire in his belly to be president.

Since the start of the general election campaign, some of his supporters have wondered aloud whether he has been simply too cool at times.

Getting overheated during debates can be a turn-off for the watching public - it's not very presidential, after all - but they do want to get a sense of their future leader's passion.

And of his knowledge.

The Obama campaign was instrumental in changing the topic of the first debate to foreign policy.

It is one of the areas where their candidate still needs to prove that his judgement is an effective counterweight to his relative lack of experience.

Financial experience

Although he will be able to argue that in plenty of areas, his long-held positions have been vindicated by events - the growing threat from Afghanistan, for example - he will no doubt have to defend his late and rather grudging acknowledgment that the US troop surge in Iraq was a success.

Questions about the US financial crisis will test both candidates

It was a policy which he opposed and which his Republican opponent, John McCain, supported, at considerable political risk.

For Senator McCain, the rather uncomfortable fact is that the foreign policy questions look set to be interspersed with economic ones.

The current economic crisis has not been kind to the Republican candidate's opinion poll ratings.

Although he has argued that his economic experience and knowledge have been unfairly belittled, he is clearly on less comfortable ground when talking about financial issues.

Grimace or grin?

To add to his concerns, Mr McCain's debating skills are, it must be said, uneven.

He can be impressively direct, spontaneous; sometimes displaying a biting wit that can unnerve his opponents.

But he can look awkward, too. Who can forget his grimace, following his vow during the primary debates, to follow Osama Bin Laden "to the gates of Hell"?

Yet, when it comes to foreign policy matters - the meat of the debate - he will have a long career to draw on for examples.

Rehearsals, using stand-ins, have been held despite doubt over the debate

The Arizona senator is hardly camera shy, but he prefers his questions to come from members of the public, rather than professional interviewers.

In fact, as he has tended to remind people recently, he offered to hold 10 town-hall meetings with Mr Obama during the course of the campaign. It was an offer which the Obama camp rejected.

While the claims and statements of the two men will be picked over, so too will their body language.

Even more so, perhaps - if past debates are anything to go by. Viewers will be looking out for the sorts of nervous ticks, which betray candidates' uneasiness or irritation.

And what of the choreography?

Will the 72-year-old Mr McCain, who bears the physical scars of his time as a prisoner of war, look old, awkward and ponderous next to his much younger opponent, or will he come across as more experienced, more heroic, more...presidential?

And if he does make one of his spontaneous gestures to the crowd, will it provoke grimaces or grins?

And in this strangest, most unpredictable of elections, another question comes to mind: Will the debate itself come to be seen as less important than the debate over whether it would be held at all?

[Kanada Kev]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/29/the-emnew-yorkerem-can-se_n_130354.html

What has been the takeaway from the abundance of Sarah Palin coverage over the past few weeks? This week's New Yorker boils it down. See below:

From Charlie Gibson's interview with Sarah Palin:

GIBSON: What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?

PALIN: They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.

From Katie Couric's interview with Sarah Palin:

COURIC: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?

PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land-- boundary that we have with-- Canada. It-- it's funny that a comment like that was-- kind of made to-- cari-- I don't know, you know? Reporters--

COURIC: Mock?

PALIN: Yeah, mocked, I guess that's the word, yeah.

COURIC: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials.

Story continues below

PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our-- our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They're in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia--

COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?

PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We-- we do-- it's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where-- where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is-- from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to-- to our state.

From "Saturday Night Live":

AMY POEHLER AS HILLARY CLINTON: I believe that diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy.

TINA FEY AS PALIN: And I can see Russia from my house!

[Kanada Kev]

Now this US voter knows the score!!

Redneck Woman Rails on Obama - Watch more free videos

[mattm]

Now this US voter knows the score!!

That was funny but scary as well to know that the leader of the most powerful nation on earth will be decided by people like that.

[Kanada Kev]

[color:purple]Maybe SHE should be debating Palin tomorrow night Wait, that WAS Palin on that ATV (sandwiched between those 2 hotties )

[mattm]

Can't wait for that debate (vice). And speaking of debates, here's something I think is kinda funny.

The other day mccain kept talking about making government cuts to save the taxpayers money. Now, I know it's not bush anymore but same thing as far as I'm concerned and here's some good numbers of how the republicans have handled debt in the past couple years (since bush started):

http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/NPGateway

Lol,

Debt October 1, 1993: $4,406,339,573,433.47

Debt January 20, 2001: $5,727,776,738,304.64

Increase of $1,321,437,164,871.17 in ~7.5 years.

Debt October 1, 2008: $9,945,578,231,981.59

Increase of $4,217,801,493,676.95 in ~7.5 years.

Granted I don't know exactly how their debt system works but I have an idea that the federal government is somehow involved in it. man war is expensive

Edited October 1, 2008 by Guest

[Kanada Kev]

DON'T VOTE !

[Kanada Kev]

Sarah Palin Disney trailer:

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1831461

[Kanada Kev]

Homer tries to vote:

[Kanada Kev]

Olbermann really takes apart Palin in this editorial. Scary stuff when you think about it. Interesting clips in part 2 as well

[mattm]

Good job Olbermann, bad job anyone that even for a second thought that she'd make a good vice president. The republicans would do well to kick her out and find someone else, might increase their chances (what were they thinking?)

[Birdy]

Woman.

---

Idiots.

[Kanada Kev]

Woman.

---

Idiots.

?

[Birdy]

I wouldn't be surprised if they added her for the sole fact that she's a woman. Maybe they felt the Republicans needed a facelift, watching as the Democrats were making progressive leaps and bounds with Hillary and Obama. She obviously came out of nowhere, has no foreign policy experience or really domestic for that matter. She looks good on paper as a vote getter... hard-working mother of five from Alaska who's in touch with American voters, with American women, etc. I wonder how they even came to choose her... probably late one night after scouring pages and pages of potentials all day long and then venturing upon this little *gem*, and then a bunch of back-patting and cheering goes down, and voila - Sarah Palin is the GOP VP candidate.

Now, the reality of their decision has sunk in, certain Republicans are calling for her to step down, and the others are realizing what it will look like if she did step down, and hope she won't instead. I almost choked in the Katie Couric interview when Katie asked why Sarah Palin advocated oil drilling up in Alaska and John didn't. John's response (something along these lines) "Obviously, two mavericks can't agree on everything". WTF? hahahahah

[Kanada Kev]

They totally nominated her primarily because she's a woman. They know that for a large chunk of the voters, they'd rather vote for a woman than a black man (sounds backwards and antiquated, no?) They truly see it as the "lesser of two evils" as pathetic as that is.

I hope tonight's debate gets more shit out in the open.

[Freak By Night]

Anyone watch the Obama/McCain debate last night? I forgot about it until it was almost over. I caught the final 20 minutes or so. It was amazingly civil. Compared to the Palin/Biden and our Canadian debates, it was like a tea party.

[phishtaper]

i watched the first 20 min or so but had to turn it off. neither man knows how to answer a question directly and just regurgitates old campaign speech snippets. obama spends more time pointing fingers (justifiably, but still) than he does outlining his plans. this is particularly disappointing because i have had great hope for him, but im beginning to wonder if he truly is the visionary he's been painted to be.

[ollie]

Anyone watch the Obama/McCain debate last night? I forgot about it until it was almost over. I caught the final 20 minutes or so. It was amazingly civil. Compared to the Palin/Biden and our Canadian debates, it was like a tea party.

Civil except for the part about McCain not wanting to shake hands after it was over.

Two thoughts coming out of it...

McCain is aging right before our eyes - he didn't look that bad 6 months ago did he? I thought all the talk of Palin being a dangerous pick due to McCain's advanced age was a bit of a sideshow but now I don't know.

Obama has the capacity to inspire me and bore me to tears all at the same time. I was hanging onto McCain's every word but Obama had me drifting in and out of consciousness even though I was more sympathetic to his message.

[ollie]

Ha. What a miserable little prick.

[d_rawk]

I sorta watched last night's debate. I mean, I was trying to, but it couldn't hold my attention. I found both candidates really dull last night.

Man, that 'tap on the opposite shoulder and redirect you to my wife' bit was really juvenile. And the whole "that one" bit didn't play well either. I don't know that it is as racially charged as some people want to make it out to be, but it certainly shows contempt and a lack respect for a fellow senator.

[Kanada Kev]

Foo Fighters are PISSED at McCain:

http://www.prefixmag.com/news/foo-fighters-slam-john-mccain-for-unauthorized-use/22200/

Foo Fighters slam John McCain for unauthorized use of "My Hero"

October 8, 2008 11:42 a.m. by Nick Neyland

The Republican Party has courted plenty of trouble with its appropriation of popular songs during the presidential election campaign. Heart’s Nancy Wilson memorably said she felt “completely fucked over†by Sarah Palin’s use of the band’s “Barracuda,†while Van Halen asked John McCain to stop using their Sammy Hagar-era song “Right Now.â€

Now Foo Fighters have stepped into the breach, issuing a statement denouncing McCain’s use of “My Hero†during his campaign. In a preamble to an official statement issued by the band, they talk of McCain using “a number of unauthorized theme songs†during his presidential bid, and mention how no permission was sought from “the band, its management, record label or publisher.â€

Here’s the official statement from the band:

"This isn't the first time the McCain campaign has used a song without making any attempt to get approval or permission from the artist. It's frustrating and infuriating that someone who claims to speak for the American people would repeatedly show such little respect for creativity and intellectual property. The saddest thing about this is that 'My Hero' was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song. We hope that the McCain campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song--and start asking artists' permission in general!"