Democratic Convention in Denver

[conate]

Thank you, Keven.

Panthera, Thanks much for your previous (tasteful) post. I had been thinking exactly the same thing.

Folks, if you wanna take the moral high ground, please do so. Please!

Just to restate it - not that it matters - I see so little difference between these two candidates that it isn't funny.

What EXACTLY have the dems done for gay rights anyway? Or women's rights?

What EXACTLY have the repubs done for gay rights anywa? Or women's rights?

It has been the TIRELESS efforts of the American people, with a (tiny) amount of help from some courageous politicians ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE that has made changes for the better. Period.

I would think that educating your coworkers, people you know (not necessarily 'friends' as who'd want friends who didn't like you 'cause of your orientation wouldn't be my style) would be good in and of itself. But leaving things to politicians is the way to unhappiness, apoplexy, and early death.

Nate

 

[iheartmaytag]

Well I heard that McCain was looking for a running mate that was close to his age---there weren't any. .

This is why Mama said we should never discuss Politics, Sex, or Religion in polite public. It soon isn't too polite anymore.

I have always felt that the Presidential race shouldn't have a Pres/VP ticket. There should just be two candidates. The one that wins the election is the President. The other one is the Vice-president. Now talk about bi-partisan. BTW, as I was typing this I had a thought. Is our current political system homopartisan? and are they really bi-partisan or hetropartisan.

Discuss.

 

[whirlcool]

I read two or three days ago that only 28% of all individuals are eligible to enter the US Army. The Army is doing 'prep schools' to help kids who don't have GEDs get them.

And from the same article, only 3 in every 10 applicants meet minimum U.S. military standards to join. Hence the GED prep schools. What does THAT say?


What's he doing? Trying to throw the election? (tongue firmly in cheek)

That's EXACTLY what went through my mind when I learned of McCain's VP choice!

Dr. Laura...

Man, I haven't heard THAT name in quite some time? Is she even still around?

 

[conate]

that's the military point I was making.

That was the point I was making about the folks attempting to join the army.

However, the article I read was that it was academic and other standards, and it specifically mentioned the fact that most young people were couch potatoes...and that physical training was also important.

 

[danemodsandy]

PeterH770:

"Now all of a sudden a bunch of Democrats are screaming "Family Values! She should stay home with her kids!" Jeez, don't try to get all Newt on us now!"

Not trying to get all Newt, just trying to point out something that I think is important - the difference between rhetoric and reality.

Republicans have played the "family values" card for a very long time now, stressing traditional family structure. In this election, they seem to feel it's expedient to take a woman away from a large family with a special-needs child. I don't think they can - or should be allowed to - have it both ways.

It's hard enough to juggle five kids and a regular job, let alone jobs as complex and all-consuming as running a state or the nation. "What 'family values' are being observed here?" is the question, and I think it's fair to ask it.

I would be the last person to cry out that Sarah Palin should stay at home with her kids, but there is such a thing as balance between home life and job (for both sexes), and I don't think a good balance for the Palin family is going to come out of going after this particular job. It's my opinion that given the history of Republican pronouncements on "family values", it's legitimate to ask why suddenly it's okay for the Repubs to disrupt a family's structure so that John McCain can have the most politically correct running mate available.

 

[conate]

perhaps the bigger question is:

What will Ms. Palin's husband do, if McCain gets elected?

Will he:

1. Stay in Alaska and keep working (I think I read he's an oil rigger?)
2. Come to Washington and be a house husband?
3. Come to Washington and do something else?

Of course, it is possible that they have live in relatives who care for kids?

Ultimately, NOBODY has a corner on 'family values.' Some people just THINK they do - and they need to be reminded otherwise.

 

[dalangdon]

Peter, I wouldn't put on my dancing slippers just yet if I were you....

~~~~
PRINCETON, NJ -- The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking finds Barack Obama moving to an eight percentage point lead over John McCain, 49% to 41%.

Obama's speech seen by 38 million viewers

~~~~~
NEW YORK (AP) — Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention was seen by more than 38 million people.

Nielsen Media Research said more people watched Obama speak than watched the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final "American Idol" or the Academy Awards this year. Obama talked before a live audience of 80,000 people in Denver.

His TV audience nearly doubled the amount of people who watched John Kerry accept the Democratic nomination to run against President Bush four years ago. Kerry's speech was seen by just over 20 million people.

Obama's audience might be higher, since Nielsen didn't have an estimate for how many people watched Obama on PBS or C-SPAN Thursday night.

~~~~
Finally, Enjoy this example of the "ready to lead at a moment's notice leadership" that we can expect of the McCain/Palin party.

 

[gansky1]

Careful where you're dancing, you might slip in the ANWR

According to the article, "she came under investigation..." by state legislators and THEN ordered the investigation into the firing of the trooper. Certainly more details will be forthcoming...

Let's also follow the money trail - as Steve advised earlier today ;-) Well, that just leads us right back to oil. I'm sure we can drill ourselves out of any trouble, let's go! Sarah's on board!

How about a healthy dose of Jeebus? We can teach creationism in schools - science be damned. Sarah's on board!

http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/story/8347904p-8243554c.html

More slimy, underhanded dealings from the GOP. Another four years of this? Thanks but No Thanks.

http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=mccains-veep-pick-open-anwr-to-dril-2008-08-29

 

[gansky1]

Fux News. We Distort,You Decide

Hilarious!

Hmmm. Is that 10W-40 dripping from her smile?

 

[danemodsandy]

The Other Thing....

....I want to know more about when it comes to Sarah Palin is her time spent as chairman of Alaska's state gas and oil commission.

Funny how that word "oil" keeps popping up when Republicans are the topic....

 

[gansky1]

Thanks, Sandy - you hit it spot on with the "family values party" as the GOP has long tried to bill themselves and why the questions that will be asked are not only relevant to Palin but to all families with working parents. I have a special-needs son that I adopted 10 1/2 years ago and while I will never claim to be the "perfect parent" (does that even exist?) I would like to hear her answers as well. It's very difficult to be the only caregiver for one child, I can't imagine how difficult it must be with five. Everyone is cut from different cloth for sure but I could not imagine how a mother could put herself in an extremely high-stress position with a nearly 24/7 schedule and shift the burden of child-rearing onto a spouse and/or other family members, etc. Just isn't adding up for me. Listening to the right-wing talk station on the way home today, women were clogging the phone lines to scream about McSame's choice of Palin. I think it's a desperation choice for McCain...

 

[mattl]

For good or bad the rumors about Sarah (...if I knew her middle name I'd CAPITALIZE it...) are flowing. I read on I believe Huffington, that the rumor floating around is the her latest child is really her 16 year old daughters child. Her daughter was absent from school for months, and Sara announced she was 7 m. preg and shocked everyone. Now that would be a story. Odds are it's false, vetting her would have turned that up and I'd hope the R's wouldn't let that slip by.

If the R's crank up the slime machine I think the D's are in a very good position to respond. I would truly like to heed Obama's call last night for civility but I think it's too late, too much depends on this race.

 

[dalangdon]

Greg, were the ladies screaming in a good way or a bad way? (i.e. for or against?) A woman from Omaha called in the Ed Schultz show today and was very much not buying it.

 

[rp2813]

Palin

I have one thing to say after hearing just a few sentences from her: SHRILL!

I see this as a total Dan Quayle bust. Oh wait--Bush-Quayle won. Haven't the bonehead red-staters learned anything? Oh wait--they're boneheads.

So she's been Governor for less than 2 years, and before that was mayor of a town of 6,500. Wayell hyup, Vern, that thar Palin gal shore is qualerfied to be co-mander in chief seein' as how Mc Cayan could up 'n' drop dayed on uhhhs, him bein' 72 'n' all.

And she's on the level just like W, trying to get a state trooper fired because her sister was going through a messy divorce with him, and now she's under investigation for it. She's good people! But the real question is, can she spell potatoe?

I'm liking the direction this race is going a whole lot better than I was yesterday!

 

[rp2813]

Shane . . .

I hope this Palin bomb has knocked you to your senses, but regardless I'd like to hear your thoughts.

 

[perc-o-prince]

Well, for me, it's boiled down to voting for the lesser of two evils. Obama scares me, but McCain scares me much more!

Now if we could have had a Hillary candidate who would lock up the borders and send illegals home, THAT would have been my candidate!!!

Chuck (not bothering to neither duck nor run as I believe in my opinion)

 

[jeffg]

At least we're all clear on one thing: McCain's judgment is every bit as horrible as George W. Bush's.

 

[dalangdon]

I hate to be a nag, but why - if you supported Hillary Clinton - would Obama "scare" you? Their policy stands were 99.9999% identical. The only real difference was health care: Hillary wanted single payer (i.e. Medicare/Medicaid - which are great programs) and Obama wanted "reform" (a nebulous something that would allow the private insurance companies to remain in business) In that respect, I was all for Hillary, but think Obama would see the light of reason.

Seriously, all primary drama and soundbyte culture aside, they are of a like mind. Read their policy statements.

 

[perc-o-prince]

Dan,

Policy statements are just that. Policy statements. Political rhetoric. How about the candidates affiliations outside the office? As one example, the "church" Obama belonged to until he was forced to resign from it because it was too detremental to his campaign for him to stay in it? Can't tell me that the first time that that "reverend" was spewing racist content was when he was observed/recorded in the last couple of years!!!

And let's not forget that Hillary was arguably the strongest 1st lady as far as being politically involved. She had her own experience to draw from and would have had her former President husband as First Man to support her!!!! How did she not get the nomination???

Hell, I'm actually a pretty conservative democrat, being against abortion, and all for throwing illegals in jail or sending them back to where they came from (if they're truly illegal). But, supporting a man who was a +/-20 year member of a racist "church" is less distasteful to me than supporting McBush. Not pleasant, just less distasteful.

Chuck

 

[dalangdon]

Chuck, I can't believe you actually buy into that stupid church controversy. Obama "belonged" to that church probably as much as I "belong" to Saint Peters Parish in Council Bluffs: After all, he was in the Illinois house (in Springfield) or the U.S. Senate (in DC) for most of the last ten years. Prior to that, it was probably just a membership, like a lot of people are with churches (strictly Easter and Christmas members)

If you want to talk religion, what about Bush (or Clinton, or the previous Bush, or Reagan for that matter) and their church affiliations? Bush claims to be a Methodist, yet seldom attends - and has been rejected by most theologians of his faith. Clinton was (I think) a Baptist, yet seldom went to church. McCain seems to be both Baptist AND Episcopalian, depending on who asked. All of those denominations have their crazies in the pulpit. Can you honestly tell me that if the Reverend Wright had never surfaced, you would have a different view of Obama?

As for First Ladies, Hillary Clinton was commendable, but hardly the strongest: Eleanor Roosevelt stands above them all, the second Mrs. Wilson a close second - but only because she was covering for her husband's stroke. After that would probably come Dolly Madison. Nancy Reagan fits in there somewhere as well.

Senator Clinton failed to get the nomination because she didn't get enough delagtes - probably because her campaign staff was inept and/or conniving, and she couldn't manage them. It's as simple as that.

If you want to ignore policy statements, and just go along with gut feelings and the emotions on the TV, that's your choice - but that's why the country is in the state that it is. Bush laid out his positions clearly. But enough Americans ignored all that, and thought that he (a dry drunk) would be a great guy to have a beer with. Do you really want to be part of that tradition of naivete?

Electing a president is a four year commitment: You can't just vote and think your job is done - you have to hold him (or her) to account. The right wing knows that. Most other Americans unfortunately don't. Hopefully, they'll wake up.