Democratic Convention

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by Matt Algren

Don't. It's an obvious ploy, and she's woefully unqualified. Her experience is two years as governor of the 3rd smallest population state and several years as mayor of a town of less than 6,000 people. No, I didn't forget a zero.

Are people who wouldn't have voted for McCain going to vote for him just because he has a female running mate? I don't think so. In just about every way, she's the anti-Hillary. Pro-life, anti-gay, anti-gun control, pro-fur, pro-drilling in Alaska. You're not going to see a lot of feminist defection to the Republican ticket when the only similarity between Palin and Clinton is that they both have vaginas and bewbs.

There's a (pretty minor) ethics investigation going on having to do with her trying to get her ex-brother-in-law, who worked for the state government, fired. She doesn't bring a big regional voting block with her. She'll have to debate Joe Biden. Her relative youth makes McCain's big argument against Obama unusable.

This is a huge mistake. It'll backfire. We won last night. Today just widened the margin.

I'm just not so sure about the American people. They elected Bush twice. Well....once anyway. The Supreme Court kinda got him in the first time, right? And then there was 9/11 and we all know what happened after that.

The politics of fear.

Bush couldn't even run a baseball team before he was Govenor. Had to be bailed out by his Dad's buddies over and over again. The man's failed forward over and over again. And still- the American poeple elected him. I have to wonder why that is. Does anyone really pay attention to what matters?

I certainly hope so.

That said, I just wonder how much most people in our country think about things. I mean- really think about them!

We're become, it seems to me, a very narcissistic people. Very much centered on our own personal interests. And if we have a semblance of the piece of the pie...well....nothing else matter much, does it? We just go along and hope everything works out Ok- with those blinders firmly in place. And call that faith. Oy!

God - in her brilliance - gave us brains. But do we use them? I wonder about that.

I agree with everything you've written. Good stuff. But what the hell are 'bewbs'?

[u-dog]

I think this is a huge miscalculation. And her utter lack of experience is going to magnify the whole "OMG he's 72 years old and who is a heartbeat away from the presidency?" thing. ANYBODY who is even a little bit concerned about electing a 72 year old president is NOT going to be reassured by this choice. I don't want to be overconfident but... I think Obama just won the election.

[Daniel]

In all seriousness: know what was haunting me last night?

This question.

Are Americans ready to elect a black man (unfortunately, I doubt that many think of Obama as African-American- and there is a difference- just as there is a difference between 'gay' and 'homosexual') as President?

[Matt Algren]

Originally Posted by Daniel

I'm just not so sure about the American people. They elected Bush twice. Well....once anyway. The Supreme Court kinda got him in the first time, right? And then there was 9/11 and we all know what happened after that.

The politics of fear.

Bush couldn't even run a baseball team before he was Govenor. Had to be bailed out by his Dad's buddies over and over again. The man's failed forward over and over again. And still- the American poeple elected him. I have to wonder why that is. Does anyone really pay attention to what matters?

I certainly hope so.

That said, I just wonder how much most people in our country think about things. I mean- really think about them!

We're become, it seems to me, a very narcissistic people. Very much centered on our own personal interests. And if we have a semblance of the piece of the pie...well....nothing else matter much, does it? We just go along and hope everything works out Ok- with those blinders firmly in place. And call that faith. Oy!

God - in her brilliance - gave us brains. But do we use them? I wonder about that.

I agree with everything you've written. Good stuff. But what the hell are 'bewbs'?

'Bewbs' is the newest internet phoneticization of 'boobs'.

I just think Palin doesn't bring anything to the ticket. One of the biggest reasons to bring Biden on board (yes, I'm cynical) was that he shores up the experience gap, especially in areas of foreign policy and the judiciary.

What does Palin bring? Less experience than McCain, name recognition than McCain (to the billionth degree), the exact same politics as McCain, and clearer skin. And even if people like her, she still has to stand next to Old Man McCain, who's bound to lose his temper sometime in the next two months and call her the c-word, just like he did his wife last time around.

I hate to get too optimistic (it's against my general nature), but barring some sort of horrible revelation, like Obama turning out to be a zombie pirate, I don't even think it's going to be close. I'm talking about 1988-sized margins.

As long as Obama keeps pointing out that McCain votes with Bush 90+% of the time, he's toast. McCain will get the folks who wouldn't vote for a black man if you paid them and most of the other more staunch waaaaay right-wingers, but I can see a lot of conservatives holding their noses and voting for Obama.

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by Matt Algren

'Bewbs' is the newest internet phoneticization of 'boobs'.

I just think Palin doesn't bring anything to the ticket. One of the biggest reasons to bring Biden on board (yes, I'm cynical) was that he shores up the experience gap, especially in areas of foreign policy and the judiciary.

True

What does Palin bring? Less experience than McCain, name recognition than McCain (to the billionth degree), the exact same politics as McCain, and clearer skin. And even if people like her, she still has to stand next to Old Man McCain, who's bound to lose his temper sometime in the next two months and call her the c-word, just like he did his wife last time around.

True...and the C word? That's asking a lot! LOL

I hate to get too optimistic (it's against my general nature), but barring some sort of horrible revelation, like Obama turning out to be a zombie pirate, I don't even think it's going to be close. I'm talking about 1988-sized margins.

Let's send him an eye patch! But you know, McCain has the odd gravely mumbly voice....let's send it to him instead!

As long as Obama keeps pointing out that McCain votes with Bush 90+% of the time, he's toast. McCain will get the folks who wouldn't vote for a black man if you paid them and most of the other more staunch waaaaay right-wingers, but I can see a lot of conservatives holding their noses and voting for Obama.

Now. That is saying something. Here's to hoping and seeing.

[Daniel]

But I was curious and googled Sarah Palin's record on gay rights. And surprise surprise- she doesn't support gay marriage. Here's what Wikipedia notes.

She opposes same-sex marriage, but has said she has gay friends. Palin complied with an Alaskan state Supreme Court order and signed an implementation of same-sex benefits into law under protest, stating that legal options to avoid doing so had run out. She supported a non-binding referendum for a constitutional amendment to deny benefits to homosexual couples. Alaska was one of the first U.S. states to pass a constitutional ban on gay marriage, in 1998, along with Hawaii. ] Palin has stated that she supported the 1998 constitutional amendment.

Nancy Reagan had gay friends too.

[BruceChris]

With those qualifications, instead of Joe Biden, we coulda run Jesse Ventura! (That's a Minnesota joke)

I read in a blog somewhere that some guy said that he would be G-damned if he was gonna have a c-word or an n-word for a president. Well, it looks like he's gonna lose, either way.

As long as Obama keeps pointing out that McCain votes with Bush 90+% of the time, he's toast. McCain will get the folks who wouldn't vote for a black man if you paid them and most of the other more staunch waaaaay right-wingers, but I can see a lot of conservatives holding their noses and voting for Obama.

It sure looks that way.

Namaste', Bruce Chris

[wmanion]

I watched the DNC convention on CSPAN and I was very inspired by the majority of the speeches. Hilliary pointed out this election was not about her but about the issues she cares about. Obama also cares about those issues. I believe Obama brought it home by telling us that we are our brother's and our sister's keepers, a concept that the Republican Party had many years ago but lost that insight. I do think that McCain's pick for vice president was nothing more than a ploy that will backfire in his face. Hilliary will ask her supporters, is this the woman you wanted to be in line to be president? Is this a woman that cares about all of women's rights and issues? Is this the woman that really cares about all of America's families? With her being a conservative Christian won't she lead according to her personal beliefs and not the general welfare of our nation? Does this woman truly believe and practice one of the first lessons learned in the Bible, that we are indeed a keeper of our brothers and sisters, regardless of whether we agree with them or not? I think she will end up being more of a splinter in McCain's ass than a strong branch for him to lean on as we lead up to the national election. However, I have to agree with Daniel and am concerned that people will vote based on color and gender and will ignore the real issues. Of course, my brother for whom I take care of and I are on opposite sides of the fence politically and while I was watching CSPAN he was watching FOX news. After Hilliary's speech Sean Hannity asked if anyone noticed that Hilliary did not say that Obama was ready to lead as President. They made a big issue out of this. Thankfully, Bill Clinton put that to rest the next night when he proclaimed the Obama was ready to lead our nation.

Bill

[ctozrn]

I am really scared! This woman has me worried. I have many of the same concerns that have been voiced here. I am worried that Americans are not ready to elect a black man. I am so worried that I went down to the Obama headquarters here in town, dragging my resentful, pro Hillary partner with me We signed up for a voter registration class on Sunday afternoon. If you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem right? I also believe this woman is going to be a big problem for McCain. Obama has been criticized for lack of experience but this woman has 20 months as Gov! If anything ever happened to JM this woman would become president! She is currently under an ethics investigation for a firing related to her sister's exhusband. This woman is a lifetime NRA member. Yes she is a woman but I do not think she is a good substitute for the women that were Hilary supporters! I don't see many of the women that I know that were HC supporters backing this woman. Nevertheless, this woman scares me! The two of them together scares me! All the more reason to get involved! I just hope it will be enough!

[tdogg]

Originally Posted by Matt Algren

They'll use the word "homosexual" with finger quotes.

Don't forget to add the usual accent on 'sex'.

The Democratic convention and its players have had me very excited this week. I actually do see the hope, and after listening to Obama last night, I believe he will be able to formulate action plans for his goals. I was moved, thrilled, excited, and hopeful. I like Biden. I love that the Clintons have thrown in their support (how could they not at this point). I believe my girl Hillary will definitely be a key figure in the White House.

I am optimistic that America is more than ready for an African American man to head this country. I'm thrilled by the notion, along with his intelligence and humanity, demonstrated over and over again this past week. I'm optimistic that America is largely tired of 8 years of GWB and won't go there. I'm even more optimistic after hearing McCain's choice of running mate. It's an obvious act of desperation to get a 'minority' on the Rep ticket. The Democrats had a phenomenal run towards the nomination, with a woman and a black man running fairly close. The Republicans had 3 white males, so I believe they felt the need to have something similar to the Dems.

I am hopeful and optimistic that Obama will be our next president. However, I'm not so sure about the landslide. It would be nice. I'm going to look for a "Obama/Biden" sign to post in my front yard and will be voting accordingly. While, at this point I would vote my for dog if she were a Dem, I'm so very thankful that we have a great ticket and don't have to vote strictly by party or who's the least of the evils.

[Zerbie]

Originally Posted by tdogg

I'm going to look for a "Obama/Biden" sign to post in my front yard and will be voting accordingly. .

Let me know if you find one. I looked yesterday, but couldn't find one, which surprised me.

I've never seen a political anything as beautifully done as this convention was. My favorite part were the short speeches by the non-famous supporters, by whom I mean the working man, Barney Smith, the teacher from New Mexico, and so on.

I also thought Bill Richardson was more animated and interesting than I've ever seen him before, and a brilliant touch that he spoke a phrase or two in Spanish during his address.

Hubby watched much of the last few days beside me and he commented, "Look at the demographics of this audience. The audience looks like what America looks like."

[u-dog]

Originally Posted by Zerbie

Let me know if you find one. I looked yesterday, but couldn't find one, which surprised me.

I bought my yard sign from http://www.cafepress.com

Cost me 18 bucks but... watchagonnado?

I had a lovely experience around putting it up though. It required some assembly so I opened the mailing tube while sitting on the front stoop. I was just finishing up and getting ready to stick it in the ground when the school bus pulled up and two young African-American middle-school girls got off the bus. They were interested in what I was doing and when they saw that the white man was not putting up a McCain sign they made eye contact with me and smiled these two very broad and very proud and very spontaneous grins.

It was a very nice shared moment. a fleeting moment of connection across boundaries

[ctozrn]

While I was at the Obama headquarters here in Greensboro yesterday they said they were out of bumper stickers and yard signs and had no idea when they will have any. I guess I will have to buy one online as well! It sounds as though this is a nationwide problem. I am taking that as a very good sign! I wonder if they are out of McCain stickers and yard signs?

[Zerbie]

Originally Posted by u-dog

I bought my yard sign from http://www.cafepress.com

Cost me 18 bucks but... watchagonnado?

Oh I'm happy to pay for it - but if I buy it through the campaign. I looked on the Obama website and they did not have them listed as products in their store. I was surprised. Maybe they will add one soon.

I don't want to buy from a for-profit company if I can buy the same sign from the campaign, which makes the purchase a donation.
I hadn't thought of trying local headquarters. Good idea, Zorn, I will see if they're not out of them around here.

I had a lovely experience around putting it up though. It required some assembly so I opened the mailing tube while sitting on the front stoop.

Requires assembly? Waita minute - I'm the girl who has disasters with ready-to-assemble shelves from Target. Is this going to be a construction project?

I was thinking, sign board, plus wire thingy to stick in the ground. Voilá. Is there more to it than that?
If there is, maybe I should get a tee shirt instead of a yard sign, and just hang the tee shirt in the yard.


I was just finishing up and getting ready to stick it in the ground when the school bus pulled up and two young African-American middle-school girls got off the bus. They were interested in what I was doing and when they saw that the white man was not putting up a McCain sign they made eye contact with me and smiled these two very broad and very proud and very spontaneous grins.

It was a very nice shared moment. a fleeting moment of connection across boundaries

Or maybe they're just progressives who want to end the war, preserve our Constitution, see equal pay for equal work, etc. . . .

[u-dog]

Originally Posted by Zerbie

Or maybe they're just progressives who want to end the war, preserve our Constitution, see equal pay for equal work, etc. . . .

hmmm.... they were thirteen. I'm thinking that my interpretation is the correct one. Being as I was actually there.

[Zerbie]

Originally Posted by u-dog

hmmm.... they were thirteen. I'm thinking that my interpretation is the correct one. Being as I was actually there.

Geez man, I was just "shaking things up."

Who says 13 year olds can't have a stance on the war? Believe in equal pay? (They were *girls,* weren't they?)

Whatever was behind those grins, that's a GREAT story.

Now really, just how much assembly did the sign require? Cz my local dem HQ doesn't have any either.

[u-dog]

The wire frame is in three pieces joined by two plastic corner pieces, then the vinyl sign slides over the top of the frame then you stick it in the ground. Very simple really

[nmwolfboy]

Here's the link for yard signs, etc., from BarakObama.com.

[Rick336]

I'm getting my Obama/Biden yard sign from the local Democratic headquarters for 5 bucks. I also signed up to volunteer in the local and national campaign.

Obama's speech was awesome to say the least. I taped it so if anybody didn't get a chance to see it let me know, I'll send it to you.

Looks like Gustav might distract from the Republican Convention in St. Paul this week. It's going to be interesting to see what happens.

Rick

[Zerbie]

Originally Posted by nmwolfboy

Here's the link for yard signs, etc., from BarakObama.com.

I don't see one that says Obama/Biden. I've been looking and looking, but they don't appear to have one there. Am I missing it?

My nearest Dem headquarters doesn't have Obama/Biden signs yet; they said it will be about 2 weeks before they're available. $5 is awesome!

I was going to start volunteering for Obama months ago, but then learned we had Prop 102 going on in AZ, so I thought I would spend my free time working on that. Now it appears we are not doing any campaign volunteering for that issue, so I'll see about getting involved in this one. Have to admit, this is an exciting campaign.