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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Purgatory: The political junkie POTUS prediction thread
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basso
Ship’s Crypt Keeper
# 4228
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by saysay:
(Quoting someone) The revolution will not be televised.
I had to Google. It was Gil Scott-Heron.
Posts: 4358 | From: Bay Area, Calif | Registered: Mar 2003
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tclune
Shipmate
# 7959
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Posted
Just curious: Am I the only one who is creeped out by Gov. Palin referring to the Republican ticket as the "Palin and McCain" ticket? When was it decided to give the VP nominee top billing?
--Tom Clune
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Posts: 8013 | From: Western MA | Registered: Jul 2004
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Doublethink.
Ship's Foolwise Unperson
# 1984
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Posted
It's not even alphabetical.
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All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome. George Orwell
Posts: 19219 | From: Erehwon | Registered: Aug 2005
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moron
Shipmate
# 206
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
The news outlets in the US are owned by an ever-shrinking group of very large businesses. If it is not in their best interest to publish something, they don't.
This reminds me of Chesterton's suggestion that newspapers are the hobbies of a few rich men, although you'd hope with the advent of the internet the dynamic would change.
Why am I not optimistic.
Posts: 4236 | From: Bentonville | Registered: May 2001
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Nicolemr
Shipmate
# 28
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Posted
quote:
Just curious: Am I the only one who is creeped out by Gov. Palin referring to the Republican ticket as the "Palin and McCain" ticket? When was it decided to give the VP nominee top billing?
Seems to me that McCain's next appointment should be for an offical food-taster. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
More seriously, I think Palin is counting on being president. I don't think she sees McCain as much more than a means to that end. I think she sees herself as the main candidate, and McCain simply as the steeping stone she's using.
edited to remove stupid typo
[ 21. September 2008, 23:08: Message edited by: Nicolemrw ]
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On pilgrimage in the endless realms of Cyberia, currently traveling by ship. Now with live journal!
Posts: 11803 | From: New York City "The City Carries On" | Registered: May 2001
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Nicolemrw:
Seems to me that McCain's next appointment should be for an offical food-taster.
Given the quality of his vetting process, he'd end up with Palin's husband.
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Josephine
Orthodox Belle
# 3899
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Posted
Speaking of the vetting process .... when I first learned of Palin, my first reaction was, "I bet James Dobson picked her out!" But then I thought that maybe I was being irrational and paranoid.
But the idea keeps popping up, so today I started looking to see if there was anything online anywhere to suggest that Dobson was involved. And I found this article by Max Blumenthal.
I really odn't know much of anything about Blumenthal -- is he someone to be taken seriously? Was my gut instinct right? Or are the conspiracy theories on the left just as nutty as the ones on the right?
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I've written a book! Catherine's Pascha: A celebration of Easter in the Orthodox Church. It's a lovely book for children. Take a look!
Posts: 10273 | From: Pacific Northwest, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Pigwidgeon
Ship's Owl
# 10192
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Josephine:
Or are the conspiracy theories on the left just as nutty as the ones on the right?
You mean like the URGENT! URGENT! e-mail I received today? The Democrats are planning to have Joe Biden resign (for "health reasons") right after the VP debates, and Hillary Clinton will become the VP nominee. The person who forwarded this to me and everyone else on his list had heard this from "trusted sources" so it must be true!
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
(This same person forwards every piece of junk mail he receives -- and he receives a LOT of it!)
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"...that is generally a matter for Pigwidgeon, several other consenting adults, a bottle of cheap Gin and the odd giraffe."
~Tortuf
Posts: 9835 | From: Hogwarts | Registered: Aug 2005
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tclune
Shipmate
# 7959
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Posted
I watched George Stephanopolis's Sunday morning talk show yesterday, and one of the most interesting things I heard on it was George Will saying that McCain was scaring him with his crazy and angry response to events in the economy.
I suspect that Obama is garnering real support (not from Will, of course) by his even-tempered demeaner during this crisis. He just plain looks Presidential during this time. All the Democrats who have been bemoaning his lack of piss and vinegar in attacking Republicans should wake up and smell the coffee -- his style is a huge plus when folks are feeling skittish.
--Tom Clune
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Posts: 8013 | From: Western MA | Registered: Jul 2004
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New Yorker
Shipmate
# 9898
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by tclune:
I suspect that Obama is garnering real support (not from Will, of course) by his even-tempered demeaner during this crisis. He just plain looks Presidential during this time. All the Democrats who have been bemoaning his lack of piss and vinegar in attacking Republicans should wake up and smell the coffee -- his style is a huge plus when folks are feeling skittish.
--Tom Clune
Looks presidential? Tom, I've long suspected it, but now know it's true. You and I are on different planets. I knew the Ship was special but did not know that it was some sort of wormhole/time vortex.
Posts: 3193 | From: New York City | Registered: Jul 2005
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New Yorker
Shipmate
# 9898
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Posted
Here's an interesting article that basically says what I think everybody knows: the Republicans lost Congress because they were too busy spending money. Now the Democrats have done the same thing. (Not lost Congress - yet - but blown it in the public's mind.)
Will there ever be a time when politicians actually work to do what is right rather than lining their pants? Of course not.
[ 22. September 2008, 13:56: Message edited by: New Yorker ]
Posts: 3193 | From: New York City | Registered: Jul 2005
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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081
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Posted
Here's a new potential female president: Nancy Pelosi.
(Maybe somebody can explain the article in words of one syllable...?)
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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy
Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002
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RuthW
liberal "peace first" hankie squeezer
# 13
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Posted
The Wikipedia article on the US electoral college is pretty clear, I think. What's puzzling you about the BBC article?
[ 22. September 2008, 14:40: Message edited by: RuthW ]
Posts: 24453 | From: La La Land | Registered: Apr 2001
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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081
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Posted
Well, mostly its length, tbh. I suppose it's just not immediately obvious from this side of the pond that the election is as indirect as it is, nor that it would be relatively simple for it to end in a tie.
I have recently worked out that I will be in Miami immediately before the election (albeit confined to the airport, in transit) so that promises to be an interesting experience. If we get a long enough stopover maybe we can pass the time trying to get to grips with the whole thing...
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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy
Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by New Yorker:
Will there ever be a time when politicians actually work to do what is right rather than lining their pants? Of course not.
It's all in Aristotle, all in Aristotle. What do they teach them in these schools? ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Autenrieth Road
Shipmate
# 10509
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Posted
Not words of one syllable, but shorter:
The US elects presidents indirectly by state. The popular vote in each state is converted into a small number of state electoral votes. There are procedures in place in case of a tie at various levels.
Most of these procedures have never had to be used, so people are unfamiliar with them. Since they've never had to be used, there hasn't been any debate or revision of them. In an age more dedicated to one-man/one-vote than when the constitution was written, the procedures are held to be embarrassing rather than useful.
The procedures work by compressing the votes to a smaller group at each level. Today the process is seen as a strange indirection away from popular vote. When they were created, I expect they were understood as a proper delegation of authority. The procedures reflect both a states' rights understanding of the federation, and a heirarchical notion of who should govern.
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Truth
Posts: 9559 | From: starlight | Registered: Oct 2005
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Josephine
Orthodox Belle
# 3899
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by tclune:
Just curious: Am I the only one who is creeped out by Gov. Palin referring to the Republican ticket as the "Palin and McCain" ticket? When was it decided to give the VP nominee top billing?
What happens if, during Friday's debates, McCain makes a series of gaffes as bad as, or worse than, his momentary displacement of Spain to South America? Let's imagine that people get seriously worried about the possibility that he's suffering from mild cognitive impairment, or even early Alzheimer's. Let's imagine that the public outcry (or the worries of Rove, Dobson, or other "powers behind the throne") are great enough that he agrees to an evaluation, and it's determined that, yes indeed, he's not all there mentally any more, and it's only going to get worse.
How hard would it be, at that point, to flip the ticket? Or even to withdraw McCain entirely, put Palin at the top of the ticket, and someone like Huckabee as the VP?
Certainly, there are people who would love to see that happen (Palin herself, most likely). Is it possible?
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I've written a book! Catherine's Pascha: A celebration of Easter in the Orthodox Church. It's a lovely book for children. Take a look!
Posts: 10273 | From: Pacific Northwest, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Zwingli
Shipmate
# 4438
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Posted
They wouldn't make Palin the nominee. They would drop McCain, and make someone else, most likely Romney, nominee for President, and maybe keep Palin as VP.
Posts: 4283 | Registered: Apr 2003
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TheEzrahite17
Apprentice
# 10609
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Josephine:
quote:
Originally posted by tclune:
Just curious: Am I the only one who is creeped out by Gov. Palin referring to the Republican ticket as the "Palin and McCain" ticket? When was it decided to give the VP nominee top billing?
What happens if, during Friday's debates, McCain makes a series of gaffes as bad as, or worse than, his momentary displacement of Spain to South America? Let's imagine that people get seriously worried about the possibility that he's suffering from mild cognitive impairment, or even early Alzheimer's. Let's imagine that the public outcry (or the worries of Rove, Dobson, or other "powers behind the throne") are great enough that he agrees to an evaluation, and it's determined that, yes indeed, he's not all there mentally any more, and it's only going to get worse.
How hard would it be, at that point, to flip the ticket? Or even to withdraw McCain entirely, put Palin at the top of the ticket, and someone like Huckabee as the VP?
Certainly, there are people who would love to see that happen (Palin herself, most likely). Is it possible?
There is absolutely no way Palin would win an election at the head of the ticket. Her popularity ratings are already beginning to drop, and her support consists almost entirely from conservative evangelicals. The only reason the Republicans have a chance in this election is because of McCain's ability to draw in moderates, which Palin does not have.
Posts: 35 | From: MA, USA | Registered: Oct 2005
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saysay
Ship's Praying Mantis
# 6645
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Posted
NYT on the VP debates:
quote:
At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.
McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.
Seriously? The McCain camp is admitting that they picked a VP candidate that is so incompetent that she can't even campaign, let alone govern? So they changed the rules of debate?
Resumes banging head against the wall.
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"It's been a long day without you, my friend
I'll tell you all about it when I see you again"
"'Oh sweet baby purple Jesus' - that's a direct quote from a 9 year old - shoutout to purple Jesus."
Posts: 2943 | From: The Wire | Registered: May 2004
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Pigwidgeon
Ship's Owl
# 10192
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Posted
I think this is a Republican compromise. They originally wanted the VP debate to be Rock-Paper-Scissors.
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
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"...that is generally a matter for Pigwidgeon, several other consenting adults, a bottle of cheap Gin and the odd giraffe."
~Tortuf
Posts: 9835 | From: Hogwarts | Registered: Aug 2005
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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081
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Posted
Thank you Autenrieth. Does the article simply mean that the BBC have run out of anything deemed newsworthy on the campaign trail for now, then?
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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy
Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Zwingli
Shipmate
# 4438
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:
I think this is a Republican compromise. They originally wanted the VP debate to be Rock-Paper-Scissors.
Personally I was looking forward to the competitive moose hunt followed by a bikini contest idea that McCain's campaign were recommending.
Posts: 4283 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by saysay:
NYT on the VP debates:
quote:
At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.
McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.
Seriously? The McCain camp is admitting that they picked a VP candidate that is so incompetent that she can't even campaign, let alone govern? So they changed the rules of debate?
Resumes banging head against the wall.
Anyone for multiple-choice tests? They are about the limit of most electorate's understanding and there is little point in having people better than yourself in high political office.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Golden Key
Shipmate
# 1468
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Posted
Re Nancy Pelosi:
I have a little fantasy that Bush and Cheney will resign or be arrested, and Nancy will ascend to the presidency. (She's next in line.)
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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")
Posts: 18601 | From: Chilling out in an undisclosed, sincere pumpkin patch. | Registered: Oct 2001
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Hiro's Leap
Shipmate
# 12470
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
quote:
Originally posted by New Yorker:
Will there ever be a time when politicians actually work to do what is right rather than lining their pants? Of course not.
It's all in Aristotle, all in Aristotle. What do they teach them in these schools?
I'm too much of a philistine to know what's in Aristotle, but the article New Yorker quoted is wronger than a wrong thing.
It blamed the Democrats for playing partisan games with oil drilling, but that's absolutely not what happened. Drilling won't change anything for 10 years, and even then it'll probably only make a minimal difference. There's a small chance that newer surveying technology will find a big field somewhere, but it's just guesswork: the existing surveys indicate that probably isn't going to happen.
The article also ignores that many areas are open for drilling/detailed surveying, but the oil companies haven't bothered yet.
The emphasis on drilling is sickeningly dishonest. It's unlikely to make any real difference, everyone involved knows this, but Newt Gingrich and the Republicans have managed to fool most of the electorate with this "drill baby drill" bullshit. It's been a masterpiece of political misdirection, and distracts from the real solutions.
[ 22. September 2008, 21:42: Message edited by: Hiro's Leap ]
Posts: 3418 | From: UK, OK | Registered: Mar 2007
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Zwingli:
Personally I was looking forward to the competitive moose hunt followed by a bikini contest idea that McCain's campaign were recommending.
Followed by? Why not combine the two? Oh wait. Mental image of Biden in a bikini. Never mind. Rock-paper-scissors it is.
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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New Yorker
Shipmate
# 9898
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by saysay:
NYT on the VP debates:
quote:
At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.
McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.
Seriously? The McCain camp is admitting that they picked a VP candidate that is so incompetent that she can't even campaign, let alone govern? So they changed the rules of debate?
Resumes banging head against the wall.
Watch out for that pot, Kettle. Remember your boy, Obama? Agreed to some free-wheeling town hall debates with Johnnie. Then his handlers got hold of him and - poof - no more unscripted debates.
And all this about McCain's gaffes. Huh? You've got Mr 57 States and Mr I don't know what city I'm in etc etc.
Posts: 3193 | From: New York City | Registered: Jul 2005
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New Yorker
Shipmate
# 9898
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Hiro's Leap:
I'm too much of a philistine to know what's in Aristotle, but the article New Yorker quoted is wronger than a wrong thing.
It blamed the Democrats for playing partisan games with oil drilling, but that's absolutely not what happened. Drilling won't change anything for 10 years, and even then it'll probably only make a minimal difference. There's a small chance that newer surveying technology will find a big field somewhere, but it's just guesswork: the existing surveys indicate that probably isn't going to happen.
The article also ignores that many areas are open for drilling/detailed surveying, but the oil companies haven't bothered yet.
The emphasis on drilling is sickeningly dishonest. It's unlikely to make any real difference, everyone involved knows this, but Newt Gingrich and the Republicans have managed to fool most of the electorate with this "drill baby drill" bullshit. It's been a masterpiece of political misdirection, and distracts from the real solutions.
What are the real solutions? So far as I can tell we need more oil. Only way to get that is to buy or drill for our own. So it takes ten years. If we'd started ten years ago we'd be that much further along.
I am an all of the above solution: drill here, drill now, build more nuclear plants - now, keeping looking for alternative energy. What's wrong with that?
Posts: 3193 | From: New York City | Registered: Jul 2005
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by New Yorker:
Remember your boy, Obama?
Look, I don't know if you're a racist in real life, but could you try not to play one on TV? It grows hard to take you seriously.
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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New Yorker
Shipmate
# 9898
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
quote:
Originally posted by New Yorker:
Remember your boy, Obama?
Look, I don't know if you're a racist in real life, but could you try not to play one on TV? It grows hard to take you seriously.
Mousethief -
We may agree and disagree from time to time, but I thought you knew me better than that. I am not a racist. If the above comment gave offense, I apologize. It was not intended to be.
[ 23. September 2008, 01:30: Message edited by: New Yorker ]
Posts: 3193 | From: New York City | Registered: Jul 2005
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HenryT
Canadian Anglican
# 3722
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by New Yorker:
... Mr 57 States ...
<tangent>There are about 73 entries in the official USPS "state" list, including American Somoa, for example. I had a fairly serious set-to with our QA department about having more than "50 states" in our product.
</tangent>
A candidate needs to campaign in at least 52 of them - 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
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"Perhaps an invincible attachment to the dearest rights of man may, in these refined, enlightened days, be deemed old-fashioned" P. Henry, 1788
Posts: 7231 | From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Dec 2002
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Alfred E. Neuman
What? Me worry?
# 6855
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by New Yorker:
What are the real solutions? So far as I can tell we need more oil...
As far as you can tell? Have you made any "real" inquiry or just accepting the GOP buzzline? How about natural gas? Cars run just fine on it and the price is a little more than half that of gasoline. natural gas is so plentiful, it's burned off at oil production rigs as a nuisance by-product after it's pressure is used to push crude out of the ground.
Also, quit ignoring the oft-repeated fact that you could pour an ocean of oil at our 30-yr old refineries and it won't change the reality they're already running at capacity.
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--Formerly: Gort--
Posts: 12954 | Registered: May 2004
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wombat
Shipmate
# 5180
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Josephine:
How hard would it be, at that point, to flip the ticket? Or even to withdraw McCain entirely, put Palin at the top of the ticket, and someone like Huckabee as the VP?
Certainly, there are people who would love to see that happen (Palin herself, most likely). Is it possible?
IIRC, I think it takes a two-thirds vote of the Repubican National Committee to change the pres or VP nominee in terms of dumping one against their will and a majority vote to replace someone who suddenly withdrew or died or was kidnapped by moose or whatever. But it may just be a majority vote for both cases.
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John Walter Biles
Historian in Training
Posts: 363 | From: Maryland | Registered: Nov 2003
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Nicolemr
Shipmate
# 28
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Posted
quote:
And all this about McCain's gaffes. Huh? You've got Mr 57 States and Mr I don't know what city I'm in etc etc.
Actually, snopes has something to say about that, here:
57 States
The relevant portion:
quote:
The actual intent behind Senator Obama's misstatement is easy to discern without the need to invoke an obscure international organization. He was trying to express the thought that in all the time he had spent on the campaign trail so far in 2007-08, he had visited all (48) of the states in the continental U.S. save for one (i.e., "one left to go," excluding Alaska and Hawaii), but in his weariness he slipped up and started off with "fifty" instead of "forty." (Note the long pause in the video clip between the words "fifty" and "seven.")
But hey, don't let reality spoil a good rant.
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On pilgrimage in the endless realms of Cyberia, currently traveling by ship. Now with live journal!
Posts: 11803 | From: New York City "The City Carries On" | Registered: May 2001
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by New Yorker:
We may agree and disagree from time to time, but I thought you knew me better than that. I am not a racist. If the above comment gave offense, I apologize. It was not intended to be.
I don't feel I know you at all, but putting that aside I accept your gracious apology.
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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New Yorker
Shipmate
# 9898
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Gort:
quote:
Originally posted by New Yorker:
What are the real solutions? So far as I can tell we need more oil...
As far as you can tell? Have you made any "real" inquiry or just accepting the GOP buzzline? How about natural gas? Cars run just fine on it and the price is a little more than half that of gasoline. natural gas is so plentiful, it's burned off at oil production rigs as a nuisance by-product after it's pressure is used to push crude out of the ground.
Also, quit ignoring the oft-repeated fact that you could pour an ocean of oil at our 30-yr old refineries and it won't change the reality they're already running at capacity.
Read my lips or writings: all of the above. Let's use natural gas; let's build more refineries. Just watch out for the NIMBYs. Those who say drilling won't work offer no other viable solution. So DRILL HERE. DRILL NOW. Build nuclear plants. Now. Find ways to use natural gas, etc. etc.
Posts: 3193 | From: New York City | Registered: Jul 2005
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Autenrieth Road
Shipmate
# 10509
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:
Thank you Autenrieth. Does the article simply mean that the BBC have run out of anything deemed newsworthy on the campaign trail for now, then?
I can't be the judge of that, because I found the article fascinating. Anything that educates people about our constitutional procedures is good, in my book. (I really mean U.S. people, so how likely are we here in the U.S. to be reading a BBC article? But there you go, I read it. I've even printed out the map because I want to check come election day how actual events shake out next to this early calling of likelihoods.) I didn't know most of the procedures myself. (Plus I misspoke when I said:
quote:
Originally posted by Autenrieth Road:
Most of these procedures have never had to be used,
More accurate would be that they've been used rarely or never.)
I'm not entirely convinced that it's at all probable that there will be a tie, let alone that many layers of ties. It makes a good probability/analysis problem: how likely it is, among the various likely ways of the electoral votes splitting, that the split ends up as a tie. And when they start freewheeling with proposing states' representatives ending up in a split, they don't give any analysis at all of how likely that might be... not very likely, is my guess. But it would be interesting to have some facts behind that.
Anyway, it's more interesting than the ghastly articles about who's raised more money than whom, or how many whistlestops they're making this week, or which Hollywood stars are supporting which candidates this week, or which eyeglass company is cleaning up, or whose record can be distorted more, and so on and so forth. But maybe that's just US coverage, and the BBC generally has more relevant news. Maybe the next campaign I should skip the US media and get my political news internationally.
[ 23. September 2008, 02:44: Message edited by: Autenrieth Road ]
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Truth
Posts: 9559 | From: starlight | Registered: Oct 2005
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New Yorker
Shipmate
# 9898
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Nicolemrw:
quote:
And all this about McCain's gaffes. Huh? You've got Mr 57 States and Mr I don't know what city I'm in etc etc.
Actually, snopes has something to say about that, here:
57 States
The relevant portion:
quote:
The actual intent behind Senator Obama's misstatement is easy to discern without the need to invoke an obscure international organization. He was trying to express the thought that in all the time he had spent on the campaign trail so far in 2007-08, he had visited all (48) of the states in the continental U.S. save for one (i.e., "one left to go," excluding Alaska and Hawaii), but in his weariness he slipped up and started off with "fifty" instead of "forty." (Note the long pause in the video clip between the words "fifty" and "seven.")
But hey, don't let reality spoil a good rant.
Exactly. Explain it away. Make excuses. Yet all these years when Bush slipped up somehow no one bothered to rationally come to his defense. No. The media went nuts excoriating him. It's called a double standard. You know it's true.
Posts: 3193 | From: New York City | Registered: Jul 2005
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New Yorker
Shipmate
# 9898
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
I don't feel I know you at all, but putting that aside I accept your gracious apology.
You don't know me at all? That is a loss to both of us. Come to Gotham. Seriously. We'll have dinner. Swap stories. I'm sure we'll have a good time and part friends. It's always good to reach across the aisle. Do you like Italian? Or would you mind if we did French bistro? Is red wine okay?
Posts: 3193 | From: New York City | Registered: Jul 2005
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
We have virtually no French restaurants here so that sounds wonderful. Wine color of course depends on the dish. To drink red wine with chicken would be gauche.
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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The Bede's American Successor
Curmudgeon-in-Training
# 5042
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by New Yorker:
Exactly. Explain it away. Make excuses. Yet all these years when Bush slipped up somehow no one bothered to rationally come to his defense. No. The media went nuts excoriating him. It's called a double standard. You know it's true.
Obama did it once.
Bush does it, oh, a bit more frequently.
Of course, John McCain has to hear it from the White House that the economy has taken a long walk off a short dock before he knows what is happening. (Or, Bush thinks so little of McCain that he intentionally let McCain take the same walk on the same dock as the economy.)
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This was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride of wealth and food in plenty, comfort and ease, and yet she never helped the poor and the wretched.
—Ezekiel 16.49
Posts: 6079 | From: The banks of Possession Sound | Registered: Oct 2003
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The Bede's American Successor
Curmudgeon-in-Training
# 5042
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Which is a travesty of our "democracy."
No. DC is not a state. (As is Guam, Puerto Rico, and a few other places.) It should not be given a psuedo-state status without giving it to other US citizens. (Maybe you can get "57 states" this way?)
To solve this problem, the voters of the District of Columbia should be added back into the State of Maryland for purposes of electing members of the House and Senate. (DC was carved from Maryland originally.) No more non-voting representative. Problem solved.
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This was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride of wealth and food in plenty, comfort and ease, and yet she never helped the poor and the wretched.
—Ezekiel 16.49
Posts: 6079 | From: The banks of Possession Sound | Registered: Oct 2003
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
Kinda what I suggested. Glad you can read.
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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The Bede's American Successor
Curmudgeon-in-Training
# 5042
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Zorro:
The 2 amendments I've seen quoted would seem to cover privacy, more specifically the fourth. Obviously there isn't an amendment saying "Every citizen has the right to privacy," because if it did there'd be a justifiable legal debate as to the meaning of "Privacy."
The constitutions of some states give an explicit right to privacy (see section 7).
In Washington State, our right to privacy makes it almost impossible for state or local law enforcement to wiretap (so they leave that to the feds, who only have the US constitution to deal with).
Also, we do not have DWI/DUI checkpoints where to police may stop every vehicle. Instead, there must be reasonable cause to stop you (which can be a very small, technical violation of the law).
It is not unusual for state constitutions in the US to be more exacting in the rights granted to its citizens than the US constitution. For example, see Section 24 about the right to bear arms.
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This was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride of wealth and food in plenty, comfort and ease, and yet she never helped the poor and the wretched.
—Ezekiel 16.49
Posts: 6079 | From: The banks of Possession Sound | Registered: Oct 2003
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The Bede's American Successor
Curmudgeon-in-Training
# 5042
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Kinda what I suggested. Glad you can read.
Which I saw after I posted. ![[Hot and Hormonal]](icon_redface.gif)
I guess no one expected anyone to actually live in the Federal District called for in the constitution.
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This was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride of wealth and food in plenty, comfort and ease, and yet she never helped the poor and the wretched.
—Ezekiel 16.49
Posts: 6079 | From: The banks of Possession Sound | Registered: Oct 2003
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Timothy the Obscure
Mostly Friendly
# 292
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by New Yorker:
Watch out for that pot, Kettle. Remember your boy, Obama? Agreed to some free-wheeling town hall debates with Johnnie. Then his handlers got hold of him and - poof - no more unscripted debates.
Actually, the original Obama proposal was to use the Lincoln-Douglas format--where the candidates get to ask each other questions. McCain's people ran from that one like scared rabbits.
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When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion.
- C. P. Snow
Posts: 6114 | From: PDX | Registered: May 2001
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
Don't they keep having a plebescite in PR about statehood? Do they not do that in DC?
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Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Alfred E. Neuman
What? Me worry?
# 6855
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by New Yorker:
Those who say drilling won't work offer no other viable solution. So DRILL HERE. DRILL NOW...
NY, You're responding to a guy who has hands-on experience drilling for oil. What I'm going to attempt is an effort in this tangent to wake you up to reality. I've personally helped bring in a production well [ARCO] at 13,500 feet and then capped it! That means several millions of dollars were spent tapping a formation with a production string only to see it locked down. I mean, no effort made to pump it.
Now, here's the rub: this was during an "oil shortage" in '79-'82. During that period, fuel prices were sky-rocketing for the second time since the Arab oil embargo of the early 70's. I routinely traveled to rig sites along the gulf coast in chartered company aircraft over refineries at an altitude that storage tanks could be clearly seen topped off, FULL.
Petroleum storage tanks have floating tops that eliminate the confinement of flammable vapors that would accumulate in a rigid-topped tank partially full. Thus, you can SEE a full tank from the air. There were hundreds of them - all FULL during an oil shortage when oil companies were leasing tanker ships and mooring them up in rows, hull down, FULL of crude. I've seen this with my own eyes during an "oil shortage" with accompanying rises in gas prices.
Get a clue. Oil companies ARTIFICIALLY create oil shortages to inflate prices at the pump. This isn't rumour-mongering from some wild-eyed conspiracy theorist. It's a cold, hard fact of modern life in the good ole USofA.
Now ask yourself who the Grand Old Party represents. Is it the consumer or big business? Wake up to the fact you've swallowed the company (and government) propaganda - hook, line and sinker. The GOP is not interested in the little guy. They are ONLY interested in lining their pockets and those of the corporate oligarchy.
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--Formerly: Gort--
Posts: 12954 | Registered: May 2004
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