News US Presidential Primaries, 2008

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The discussion centers on tracking the Democratic and Republican primary results while participants make predictions leading up to the Iowa Caucus. The Democratic race is tight among Obama, Clinton, and Edwards, with polls showing fluctuating leads. Among Republicans, Huckabee's rise has stalled, resulting in a statistical tie with Romney. Participants are encouraged to predict outcomes for both parties, with a scoring system for correct predictions. The conversation also touches on the candidates' public personas, with some expressing dissatisfaction with their responses to personal indulgences, and highlighting the potential impact of independent voters on the Democratic side. As the Iowa Caucus approaches, predictions are made, with many favoring Obama for the Democrats and Huckabee for the Republicans. The discussion reflects a mix of excitement and skepticism about the candidates and the electoral process, emphasizing the importance of upcoming primaries in shaping the nomination landscape.

Who will be the eventual nominee from each party?

  • Total voters
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  • Poll closed .
  • #251
Ivan Seeking said:
Caroline Kennedy threw her support to Obama while comparing him to her father, JFK, and now Ted Kennedy has officially thrown his support to Obama as well. He is expected to give an impassioned speech telling why he believes that Obama is who we need.

Amazing. And wonderful :smile: .
 
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  • #252
Astronuc said:
I think the Republican contest is more of a three-way race. Giuliani is hoping FL goes with him, which would make it very interesting, but I think McCain, Romney and Huckabee are the top three, and McCain and Romney will be jousting for top spot.
Giuliani might deliver a surprise in Fl. He's been campaigning there for weeks and 35% of the votes have already been cast before the other candidates have even begun their campaigning.
 
  • #253
Art said:
Giuliani might deliver a surprise in Fl. He's been campaigning there for weeks and 35% of the votes have already been cast before the other candidates have even begun their campaigning.
The results from Florida will certainly be interesting, for both parties, even if the Democrats don't count - yet. If Clinton wins, she'll make a big deal about it while campaigning in states whose primaries are on Feb 5.


I might have to change my votes for Republican, and put McCain first, then Romney, Giuliani, and Huckabee. Liz Cheney, who worked in Thompson's campaign, has moved over to help Romney.
 
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  • #254
Where I work, black people are supporting Clinton. They don't think Obama can win.

Is that a portent of what's to come, he doesn't seem to have the black vote? Does anyone know?
 
  • #255
Evo said:
Where I work, black people are supporting Clinton. They don't think Obama can win.

Is that a portent of what's to come, he doesn't seem to have the black vote? Does anyone know?
I think it's up in the air at the moment. Obama certainly had the 'black' vote (I strongly dislike saying that) in South Carolina, particularly with women. Apparently the negative rhetoric from Bill and the Clinton campaign alienated a few people.

I was looking at an AOL poll (of course it's not strictly scientific) and Obama had ~40% of the vote vs ~37% for Clinton, with ~16% for Edwards, and 7% other (366,155 votes). When asked who the Democrats will nominate: Clinton 53%, Obama 40%, Edward 4%, and 3% other (354,014 votes). So there is a disconnect somewhere.

Obama and some of the media are emphasizing the win in SC. If Clinton wins Florida, she will play it for all it's worth.

We'll have to see what happens Feb. 5.
 
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  • #257
BobG said:
I think Al Gore still has a chance!

Astronuc said:
Really!?
Absolutely! If you get to the conventions with no delegate having enough votes to win, literally anything can happen.

Humphrey won the '68 Democratic nomination without ever entering a single primary. Of course, the favorite and winner of the first primary (incumbent Lyndon Johnson) withdrew on the eve of the second primary and the winner of the most early primaries (Robert Kennedy) was shot the night he won the California primary. There were also only 13 primaries. The rest of the delegates were selected via caucus, mainly by party leaders in each state. Even so, McCarthy, the overall winner in the primaries, could have won the nomination if he had gotten Kennedy's delegates to commit to him.
 
  • #258
BobG said:
Absolutely! If you get to the conventions with no delegate having enough votes to win, literally anything can happen.
Maybe.

Humphrey won the '68 Democratic nomination without ever entering a single primary. Of course, the favorite and winner of the first primary (incumbent Lyndon Johnson) withdrew on the eve of the second primary and the winner of the most early primaries (Robert Kennedy) was shot the night he won the California primary. There were also only 13 primaries. The rest of the delegates were selected via caucus, mainly by party leaders in each state. Even so, McCarthy, the overall winner in the primaries, could have won the nomination if he had gotten Kennedy's delegates to commit to him.
Well - yes, but that was 40 years ago! I think the primaries count for more these days. I remember the '68 Democratic Convention in Chicago. :rolleyes: Daley's people got a little rough.

The 2008 Democratic National Convention will be the 2008 United States presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party. It is scheduled to be held from Monday, August 25, through Thursday, August 28, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. (The 2008 Republican National Convention is planned to start 4 days later, in St. Paul, Minnesota).

Hey, Bob, the 2008 DNC is in your neighborhood. Too bad it's not in Chicago. That would be interesting for Obama.
 
  • #259
Astronuc said:
If Clinton wins Florida, she will play it for all it's worth.
No kidding!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080128/cm_thenation/1276341

What Pledge? Clinton Appears in Florida
...
Like other candidates, she pledged not to campaign in Florida after the state jumped ahead on the schedule of caucuses and primaries set by the Democratic National Committee.
...
But Iowa and New Hampshire are history and, after a landslide loss in South Carolina on Saturday, Clinton needs a win.

So she is appearing in Florida in anticipation of Tuesday's Democratic primary there.
...
The truth of the Clinton strategy was writ large in a memo from top strategist Howard Wolfson, who announced on the day of the campaign's dismal showing in South Carolina that, "Regardless of today's outcome, the race quickly shifts to Florida, where hundreds of thousands of Democrats will turn out to vote on Tuesday. Despite efforts by the Obama campaign to ignore Floridians, their voices will be heard loud and clear across the country, as the last state to vote before Super Tuesday on February 5."

"Efforts by the Obama campaign to ignore Floridians"?

Obama's just abiding by the pledge. Admittedly, it's a foolish pledge. None of the campaigns should have taken it, and they all should have agreed to drop it. But in the absence of such an agreement, Obama is not ignoring Floridians. He is remaining true to his word.
 
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  • #260
How desperate [is Clinton]? She says she'll be back in Florida Tuesday night, presumably to claim a win like the one she hailed after beating "uncommitted" in a Michigan primary that the other major candidates skipped.
from Gokul's citation from Yahoo - "What Pledge? Clinton Appears in Florida"

I would hope Obama issues a statement to Florida that he is not ignoring them, but simply abiding by a pledge. If he disagrees with the pledge, then he ought to say so. I wonder how many voters realize the situation with the DNC? While the leaders might want to disenfranchise the voters, the candidates cannot afford to do so, and shouldn't.
 
  • #261
Astronuc said:
Maybe.

Well - yes, but that was 40 years ago! I think the primaries count for more these days. I remember the '68 Democratic Convention in Chicago. :rolleyes: Daley's people got a little rough.

The 2008 Democratic National Convention will be the 2008 United States presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party. It is scheduled to be held from Monday, August 25, through Thursday, August 28, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. (The 2008 Republican National Convention is planned to start 4 days later, in St. Paul, Minnesota).

Hey, Bob, the 2008 DNC is in your neighborhood. Too bad it's not in Chicago. That would be interesting for Obama.

The primaries count for 80% of the delegate total for Democrats. In other words, one of the candidates has to win a little over 62% of the delegates in primaries/caucuses to wrap up the nomination on the first ballot even if every one of the 796 superdelegates votes for someone else..

Unless you go into the convention with an advantage in superdelegates (unpledged delegates). While the delegates aren't pledged, superdelegates are constantly polled by news organizations and, right now, Clinton is pulling about 60% of the superdelegates while Obama is pulling about 30%. If that holds up, Obama needs to win about 55% of the delegates from primaries and Clinton probably needs about 47%.

Right now, Obama has won 41% of the primary delegates and Clinton has won 39% with Edwards picking up the extra. Either way, with over half of the 796 superdelegates remaining mum on who their voting for, there's going to be quite a bit of suspense going into the convention.

If no one wins on the first ballot, all of the delegates become uncommitted delegates and can vote for whoever they choose (Alabama football coach Bear Bryant finished ahead of Alabama governor George Wallace in the '68 Democratic primary, although neither received enough votes to be more than trivia).

And the total delegates available could increase by around 300 depending on what happens with Michigan and Florida delegates.

For Republicans, the method of selecting delegates is decided by each state. Some are winner take all, some are proportional, and some are a mix. Some are committed by primary or caucus results and some aren't (for instance, Iowa and Nevada haven't selected their delegates in spite of making headlines in the last few weeks - supposedly, the results of the caucuses will sway the results of the state conventions, though).

All in all, nothing like either nomination system would ever pass muster for an actual election. The goal is to keep the nomination system from running amok and having voters nominate some upstart like Ron Paul or Mike Gravel. Party leaders like to give party leadership some control of the process and not relinquish too much power to run of the mill Republican/Democratic voters.

And to think - people complain about the electoral vote.
 
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  • #262
Everyone got the SC results right.Points Table:

Code: 
          SCar(D)       Total
BobG        6             45
Gokul       6             44
Ivan        6             44
Astronuc    6             39 
Evo         6             31
Art         6             31
Coin                      15
Maxwell                    8

For Florida, I'm going with McCain over Romney, but this one's going to be a nailbiter - especially since Florida is a huge, winner-takes-all state!

FL (R)
1. McCain
2. Romney
3. Giuliani
 
  • #263
It could easily go either way... I'm only seeing about a 1 point spread in the latest polls. Both McCain and Romney are seeing near vertical spikes in their popularity while Guiliani and Huck are dropping like rocks.

Ditto
FL (R)
1) McCain
2) Romney
3) Giuliani
 
  • #264
  • #265
Going with the majority here.

FL (R)
1. McCain
2. Romney
3. Giuliani
 
  • #266
While we're waiting for results from FL,

Obama wins backing of Kansas governor
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080129/ap_on_el_pr/obama_sebelius

TOPEKA, Kan. - Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday endorsed Barack Obama for president, a Super Tuesday boost in a GOP-leaning state that Democrats hope to reclaim in the White House campaign.
 
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  • #267
Latest State Poll of Polls
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/states/florida.html (13:00 / 1 pm FL time)

Likely Democratic primary voters' choice for nominee in 2008:
Clinton 50%
Obama 26%
Edwards 12%
Unsure 12%

Likely Republican primary voters' choice for nominee in 2008:
McCain 29%
Romney 28%
Giuliani 15%
Huckabee 14%
Paul 3%
Unsure 11%

STATE INFORMATION: 27 electoral votes
10,208,431 total registered voters -- 41% Democratic, 37% Republican, 19% Independent, 3% Other
That's worth 4 SC's. So Florida can't be overlooked.

No results yet! Still voting as of 1745 EST.
 
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  • #268
With 32% of precincts reporting, McCain has a 1% lead over Romney, and Giuliani has the same margin over Huckabee.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#FL

Edit: McCain is pulling away. Exit polls have McCain winning by 2-3%

Later Edit: McCain has been projected to win (57 delegates).

And the inevitable has happened - Giuliani is expected to call it a day.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

(CNN) – Rudy Giuliani may drop out of the Republican presidential race and endorse John McCain, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, GOP sources tell CNN.
 
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  • #269
McCain has been projected the winner of Florida, winning by 5 points. It seems that Giuliani is also going to endorse McCain when he drops from the race tomorrow.

edit: I just realized Gokul pointed out the Giuliani endorsement right above me. Sorry for the reposting this info!
 
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  • #270
With 76% precincts reporting (from CNN Election 2008)
Not so bad for Obama, considering he did campaign as heavily as Clinton in FL. Not a rout.
Code: 
Clinton   752,877   50%   
Obama     496,247   33%
Edwards   218,535   14%
Kucinich   8,505     1%

Code: 
McCain     614,398    36% 57 del (winner take all?)
Romney     530,513   31%
Giuliani   252,801   15%
Huckabee   228,220   14%
Paul        54,951   3%
Thompson    20,214   1%
Hunter       2,459   0%
 
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  • #271
Astronuc said:
With 76% precincts reporting
Not so bad for Obama, considering he did campaign as heavily as Clinton in FL. Not a rout.

Considering she won no delegates from this, I would also agree, NOT a rout. Obviously Hilary is playing this win up, who wouldn't in her position. We'll see how things go next Tuesday. I see Obama winning in his home state of Illinois, along with Georgia, Alabama, and I hear he should be strong in Northern California, though I doubt he'll win the state.

EDIT: Also, MSNBC has pointed out that many votes in Florida were absentee ballots which were cast before Obama's campaign picked up. I doubt even if all of the absentees changed their minds that the result would be different, but I think it would definitely have been a closer race.
 
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  • #272
But Florida will be important in the November election. Clinton has vowed to push the DNC to accept FL delegates, and she'll use the win to regain some momentum for next week.

Obama definitely would have benefitted from a win in FL.

Clinton apparently has the lead in the biggest states next Tuesday, Feb. 5.
 
  • #273
G01 said:
EDIT: Also, MSNBC has pointed out that many votes in Florida were absentee ballots which were cast before Obama's campaign picked up. I doubt even if all of the absentees changed their minds that the result would be different, but I think it would definitely have been a closer race.

Russert made this point as well: A majority of the people who made their minds up recently supported Obama. This is taken as a bad sign for Hillary because there was no real campaigning. Had there been it appears that as we have seen elsewhere, Obama would be a real threat.

FL is viewed mostly as smoke and mirrors for Hillary. It is a measure of year-old attitudes.
 
  • #274
Hillary Clinton trumpets win in Florida despite lack of delegates
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/29/fl.primary.dems/index.html
  • Rivals Sens. Barack Obama and John Edwards did not campaign in Florida
  • There were no delegates at stake in Florida
  • Obama and Edwards concentrated efforts on Super Tuesday states

Published polls showed the New York senator and former first lady was heavily favored in the state.

Her leading rivals, South Carolina primary winner Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John Edwards, did not campaign in Florida. They opted to concentrate on next week's "Super Tuesday" contests in states such as New York, California, Missouri and Georgia.

Code: 
Clinton  856,944  50% 
Obama    568,930  33%  
Edwards  248,575  14%  
Kucinich   9,535   1%

So Clinton will use this as a stage for SuperTuesday.

Code: 
McCain    693,425 36%  57 delegates 
Romney    598,152 31%   
Giuliani  281,755 15%   
Huckabee  259,703 14%   
Paul       62,060  3%   
Thompson   22,287  1%   
Hunter      2,787  0%


McCain Wins Florida's Republican Primary
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18514724

McCain Surges on Strength of Florida Win
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18532797

Giuliani Campaign Never Really Got Going
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18532825

Giuliani is expected to withdraw today and endorse his friend John McCain. The criticism is that Giuliani dropped below the radar of the voters. His mythological status caused some excitement earlier on, but Giuliani stayed away from the early primaries, and so dropped off as a serious contender.


So what will happen on Tuesday, Feb. 5?
Gauging Voters' Views Around the Nation
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18532830
Morning Edition, January 30, 2008 · On Feb. 5, more than 20 states host presidential primary contests. How are voters in three diverse states — Alabama, Arizona and California — feeling about their choices?
 
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  • #275
Clinton agreed (along with Obama and Edwards) not to campaign in Florida after Florida defied the DNC and moved up their primary. Yesterday (primary day) she campaigned there, though she claimed she was not really campaigning because the events were not open to the public. She also agreed not to contest the Michigan primary, but was the only major candidate to leave her name on the ballot, and won 55% of the vote running against "undecided". (In Michigan, candidates could leave their names off the ballot, and Obama and Edwards did so.) Now, she wants to seat all of the Michigan and Florida delegates that she "won", despite the fact that the other major candidates played by the rules and therefore got minimal support in those primaries.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080128/cm_thenation/1276341
 
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  • #276
Edwards is out. Will he endorse a former rival, or perhaps accept a VP bid?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080130/ap_on_el_pr/edwards;_ylt=AstmLyLUQNWwLTmxVUTtYCis0NUE
 
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  • #277
turbo-1 said:
Edwards is out. Will he endorse a former rival, or perhaps accept a VP bid?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080130/ap_on_el_pr/edwards;_ylt=AstmLyLUQNWwLTmxVUTtYCis0NUE
I heard that also just about half an hour ago. There was a comment that Edwards will support Obama, possibly positioning himself as VP.

I heard a lot of Dems calling the regional public radio station expressing dissatisfaction with Clinton, actually both of them. A lot of local Dems want Bill to step back, and his participation in the campaign has turned off some.

Clinton's participation in FL and MI have made people wonder about her integrity.

Interestingly, the media are not writing much (relatively speaking) about Clinton's win in Florida.

Tuesday will be interesting.
 
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  • #278
At the moment, Edwards may endorse Obama, and that could mean an Obama-Edwards ticket in November. Or if Clinton is second, then Obama-Clinton.

But if Clinton wins, then . . . . Clinton-Obama or Clinton-Edwards, or Clinton-_________, if she or Bill are sufficiently upset with Obama and Edwards.


Also, for the moment, Giuliani is expected to endorse McCain, so could that spell McCain-Giuliani? or would McCain pick Romney or Huckabee?
 
  • #279
A girl at work showed this to me. The Hillary nutcracker. Check out the "thighs of steel". :biggrin:

Obama was here last night and the girl next to me went and said he was awesome.
 

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  • #280
If Obama wins the nomination, he would be far better-off to choose Edwards as a running mate as opposed to Clinton, IMO. She has very high negatives and a lot of baggage, and could easily sink his chances in the general election. He could even show some political savvy and persuade Gore to take the VP slot once again. With Gore's environmental credentials, that pairing would be very tough to beat.
 
  • #281
turbo-1 said:
If Obama wins the nomination, he would be far better-off to choose Edwards as a running mate as opposed to Clinton, IMO. She has very high negatives and a lot of baggage, and could easily sink his chances in the general election. He could even show some political savvy and persuade Gore to take the VP slot once again. With Gore's environmental credentials, that pairing would be very tough to beat.
Gore on the ticket would push me to vote for McCain. I think Gore is creepy. Just a gut feeling.
 
  • #282
Tuesday is going to be a lot more interesting with Edwards out of the race. I expect that many people who would otherwise have voted for him will break for Obama, boosting his candidacy. When people support a candidate in a primary, they may be voting with their hearts, they may be voting strategically, trying to nominate the person who will be most electable in the general election, and they may simply be holding their noses and voting for the least-objectionable candidate. I believe that the Edwards people in the last two categories will end up in the Obama camp on Tuesday and give the Clintons some surprises.
 
  • #283
Meanwhile - As Rudolph W. Giuliani ponders his political mortality, many observers point to the hubris and strategic miscalculations that plagued his campaign.

For Giuliani, a Dizzying Free-Fall
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/us/politics/30giuliani.html
Rudolph W. Giuliani’s campaign for the Republican nomination for president took impressive wing last year, as the former mayor wove the pain experienced by his city on Sept. 11, 2001, and his leadership that followed into national celebrity. Like a best-selling author, he basked in praise for his narrative and issued ominous and often-repeated warnings about the terrorist strike next time.

Voters seemed to embrace a man so comfortable wielding power, and his poll numbers edged higher to where he held a broad lead over his opponents last summer. Just three months ago, Anthony V. Carbonetti, Mr. Giuliani’s affable senior policy adviser, surveyed that field and told The New York Observer: “I don’t believe this can be taken from us. Now that I have that locked up, I can go do battle elsewhere.”

In fact, Mr. Giuliani’s campaign was about to begin a free fall so precipitous as to be breathtaking. Mr. Giuliani finished third in the Florida primary on Tuesday night; only a few months earlier, he had talked about the state as his leaping-off point to winning the nomination.
I think he was a bit presumptuous, and he was not listening to the right people.
 
  • #284
turbo-1 said:
If Obama wins the nomination, he would be far better-off to choose Edwards as a running mate as opposed to Clinton, IMO. She has very high negatives and a lot of baggage, and could easily sink his chances in the general election.
I agree. Bill's influence would be detrimental.

He could even show some political savvy and persuade Gore to take the VP slot once again. With Gore's environmental credentials, that pairing would be very tough to beat.
Yeesh! I hope not. Gore's got baggage, too. I not so sure about his environmental credentials. Call me cynical.
 
  • #285
I just finished listening to today's edition of Democray Now and Amy Goodman interviewed a Florida journalist and a Giuliani biographer. The fellow from Florida said that Rudy came into the state with great poll numbers, but the more voters saw of him, the less they liked him, and many became alarmed by his pro-war rhetoric. He talked about setting Iran's nuclear program back at least 5 years, and sid if he was President, he would "take out" governments of countries that harbor terrorists. Most people are sick of all the violence in the ME, but not Rudy.
 
  • #286
Astronuc said:
Yeesh! I hope not. Gore's got baggage, too. I not so sure about his environmental credentials. Call me cynical.
Well, I'm pretty cynical about politicians, too, which is why I'm an Independent and can't commit to either of the major parties. One thing about Gore, though, is that unlike Cheney, he probably wouldn't hold secret meetings with oil-company execs and lobbyists to set energy policy and environmental policy. I'd put up with a lot to get the oil companies out of policy-making.
 
  • #287
Both Clinton and Obama would be wise to choose someone like General Wesley Clark as a running mate. Especially if McCain is the Republican nominee.

OK I'll make it official: I'm calling it. Wes Clark will be the VP nominee.
 
  • #289
An aide said Edwards does not plan to endorse either Clinton or Obama at this time but he may do so in the future.
from the CNN article cited by Ivan. I heard the same news on NPR this afternoon.
 
  • #290
Evo said:
Gore on the ticket would push me to vote for McCain. I think Gore is creepy. Just a gut feeling.

You don't find McCain creepy? He's the only candidate who appears to like war.
 
  • #291
DeadWolfe said:
You don't find McCain creepy? He's the only candidate who appears to like war.

McCain scares the hell out of me in much the same way that Perot did - he seems to be a bit of a loose cannon. I would take him over Bush, but that ain't saying much.

Never hand the reins of civilization to an old man.
 
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  • #292
Yep, a man who says that 100 years in Iraq "would be fine with me" doesn't exactly inspire confidence. We need a new kind of administration that doesn't dream up military "solutions" to every situation, with a strong Secretary of State who understands the difference between negotiating and issuing ultimatums. I would like to see a man like William Cohen in that critical job, though Bill Richardson would probably do a good job.
 
  • #293
Is Romney Fighting the Last War?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/isromneyfightingthelastwar
From the start, Mitt Romney had a clear strategy for winning the White House. He would run as the candidate of the ideological establishment, the Republican old-guard, the coalition of Ronald Reagan, with that three-legged stool of social, fiscal and national security conservatism. He would become the inside man in a presidential field filled with outsiders.

So Romney played in nearly every early straw poll, and pandered to each conservative demographic. He joined the NRA. He talked tough on illegal immigrants, and became a crusader against gay marriage. "Strength" was his watchword. With an impressive gallery of high-profile endorsements, he was the only Republican candidate who seemed to be on the right side of nearly every issue for the plurality of the old GOP coalition. :rolleyes:

And yet, his candidacy sputtered. His narrow loss Tuesday to John McCain in Florida was just the latest in a series of disappointments that began in Iowa and New Hampshire, two states where he had outspent his rivals and once led in the polls. His failures have many causes, which will be raked over by historians. But they also suggest a broader shift: Romney may be running to lead a Republican Party that no longer exists.
Well - perhaps politicians should stop pandering.
 
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  • #294
The hard-line conservatives in the Republican party will not be well-motivated by either McCain, who often takes positions contrary to theirs, or by Romney, who as governor of Massachusetts seemed to be for everything he is now so vehemently against. If the Dems want to win the general election, they should nominate Obama, who seems to be able to motivate people, especially young voters. Much of the Republican base will not be well-motivated by either of the two front-runners, which could benefit Obama.

If Clinton wins the nomination, conservative Republicans will soon lose their aversion to McCain or Romney and will turn out in droves simply to prevent a Clinton win. The Republican attack machine will swift-boat her with ads about Whitewater, her billing records at the Rose Law Firm, Vince Foster's suicide, Bill's philandering, etc, and turn off as many Democratic voters as possible. Expect the nastiest campaign in US history.
 
  • #295
In watching McCain and Guiliani talk today, I can't help but think that when I think of 911, I will indeed always think of Guiliani taking command, not Bush. For that Guiliani will always have my respect.
 
  • #296
With 'change' in mind, voters voice expectations for the next president
By NANCY BENAC and TREVOR TOMPSON, Associated Press Writers
http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-change
WASHINGTON (AP) — American voters have a decidedly negative view of how things are going in the country but they are confident that the next president will have the power to change much of what is wrong.

Some things, however, may be too much even for the president to change.

According to a new Associated Press-Yahoo! News survey, large majorities of voters believe the president has considerable sway on issues such as inflation, interest rates, the federal deficit, taxes and more. Fully three-quarters believe the president has at least some influence over health care costs. And 69 percent can see the president making gasoline prices go up or down.

They are less certain, though, about the president's ability to change how things really work in Washington: 55 percent think it's possible; 44 percent are doubtful, no matter who's elected.
Meanwhile - Bush 2009 budget to freeze many programs
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080131/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_budget

WASHINGTON - President Bush's 2009 budget will virtually freeze most domestic programs and seek nearly $200 billion in savings from federal health care programs, a senior administration official said Thursday. The Bush budget also will likely exceed $3 trillion, this official said.

Perhaps days of austerity approach.
 
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  • #297
Well, I would love to see Obama take it, but I think it will be Clinton vs McCain.
 
  • #298
Honestly, up until last night California debate watching I was convinced Romney had the lead and best chance for the Republican primaries. After the debate I am convinced otherwise for the Republican party.

Romney answered unexicitedly apprhensive with cautious tone and denial stricken guilt to question or delivered comment. Huckabee jumped the gun on the issues and is advertising heavy. Ron Paul is as plain as white bread. But John McCain has passionate honest sincerity built character challenged by no other candidate.

McCain's highest credintials are Romney's one of two regrets; military service. Was a "foot soldier during the Reagan Revolution", and to me, McCain is Top Gun.
 
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  • #299
What I don't understand in these elections is how the media was able to run away with a story of Ron Paul and his racist newsletters from 20 years ago, and yet be completely silent about another candidate's racism.

I mean John McCain, unlike Paul, has actually been recorded/witnessed with saying racist stuff in the past. Anyone remember his 'gook' comment?
"I hated the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/hongop.shtml

Then, in a debate during this election, he actually made this comment:
“I don’t want to trade with them. All they want to trade is burkas.”

I mean, come on, how do you even get away with saying this? How can the media be so silent with this?

It's sad, but I can make a game of this. Here is my top five most ridiculous quotes from McCain:

1. "I wish interest rates were zero!"
2. "Make it 100!"
3. "I hated the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live." (Would be #1 easily if he said it more recently)
4. "I don’t want to trade with them. All they want to trade is burkas."
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06hR2EGpl4o&feature=related"

I'm thinking of adding his http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDuirJaVzS8" somewhere on the list too.
 
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