[talaniman]

Obama does read a teleprompter well!
It may be that those who do not live in this country take all this lightly, but to those of us who will have to put up with whoever gets elected, it is a very serious matter.

After the last 8 years of listening to George mangle the language, he is a refreshing change.

[speechlesstx]

After the last 8 years of listening to George mangle the language, he is a refreshing change.

Bush may mangle the language at times but at least what he says has some substance to it. I know what Obama is trying to sell us but still can't figure out what exactly he's trying to tell us. Some in the MSM are actually taking notice. Joe Klein of Time put it this way:

And yet there was something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism — "We are the ones we've been waiting for" — of the Super Tuesday speech and the recent turn of the Obama campaign. "This time can be different because this campaign for the presidency of the United States of America is different. It's different not because of me. It's different because of you." That is not just maddeningly vague but also disingenuous: the campaign is entirely about Obama and his ability to inspire. Rather than focusing on any specific issue or cause — other than an amorphous desire for change — the message is becoming dangerously self-referential. The Obama campaign all too often is about how wonderful the Obama campaign is.

No Kidding? Paul Krugman of the NY Times actually wrote something I agree with. OK, it was mere two sentences but I digress...

"I’m not the first to point out that the Obama campaign seems dangerously close to becoming a cult of personality... "

For one thing, Mrs. Clinton may yet be the nominee — and if Obama supporters care about anything beyond hero worship, they should want to see her win in November.

Is that all this is, hero worship? Why are people voting for Obama?

[tomder55]

Al Sharpton is already threatening protest marches on the DNC if Obama isn't the nominee.

[speechlesstx]

Al Sharpton is already threatening protest marches on the DNC if Obama isn't the nominee.

Do we now have a rift between Sharpton and Julian Bond? Bond wants the delegates in Florida and Michigan seated:

In a Feb. 8 letter to DNC Chairman Howard Dean, NAACP chairman Julian Bond expressed "great concern at the prospect that million of voters in Michigan and Florida could ultimately have their votes completely discounted." Refusing to seat the states' delegations could remind voters of the "sordid history of racially discriminatory primaries," he said.

Sharpton is OK with "disenfranchising" those voters:

"I firmly believe that changing the rules now and seating delegates from Florida and Michigan at this point would not only violate the Democratic Party's rules of fairness, but also would be a grave injustice," Sharpton wrote.

Sharpton said his Harlem-based National Action Network is considering a march on DNC headquarters.

"This smacks of the same stuff we accused the Republicans of in Florida in 2000... changing the rules," he was quoted as saying.

Bond of course blames Republicans in Florida for the problem:

"It struck me as making the voters, including minority voters in Florida particularly, victims of the Republican legislature in Florida. I wanted to get Chairman Dean to find some way to rectify the situation."

[tomder55]

Bond is full of bull . On June 10, 2007, the Florida Democratic Central Committee voted unanimously to support the state's 29 January 2008 primary.

Is Bond a shill for Hillary ? Although the NAACP has not endorsed her it sure appears to me that he is doing her bidding .Sharpton is right regarding this rift . Here's hoping it gets ugly .

[NeedKarma]

Here's hoping it gets ugly .

No one would be happier than yourself. :D

______________________

"McCain will bankrupt the country and lead it into despair."

[speechlesstx]

The Florida House, which included 42 Democrats last year, also passed the measure unanimously. I believe it passed the Florida Senate by 37-2. It sure looks like it could get very ugly. Speaking of ugl... the aspiring first laddie is scheduled to campaign in our city tomorrow. We plan on welcoming him with some global cooling :D

[talaniman]

Lol, speech, it cold in Dallas today so its got to be freezing in Amarillo, maybe some snow.

I think Obama is smart enough to articulate his policies, but sees no need at the moment.

[speechlesstx]

Lol, speech, it cold in Dallas today so its got to be freezing in Amarillo, maybe some snow.

I think Obama is smart enough to articulate his policies, but sees no need at the moment.

The plan is to greet Bill with a little snow and ice - or perhaps our global cooling will alter his schedule? :D

I have to hand it to Obama, why articulate policies when you're drawing such huge crowds? There may be a rat in all this though, even the Democratic Undergrounders took note of this:

Today a Connecticut radio host show host cites several instances of an occurrence that has become common during Obama events.

1-) Woman faints
2-) Obama pauses his speech to speak about fainting woman.

The Wall Street Journal speculates that this may be a staged act (sort of like the staged Rudy phone calls from Judy Nathan or the embarrassing "plant" on Hillary's events.

• Montecito, Calif. Sept. 8, 2007. "A woman standing in front of the stage appeared to faint as Obama spoke about Iraq," the Associated Press reported. "The candidate paused and asked the crowd to make way for firefighters. One supporter shouted, 'You're a good man,' leaving Obama momentarily at a loss for words. 'Well, I'm not the only one stopping to help her,' he said, sounding almost embarrassed."

• Madison, Wis. Oct. 22, 2007. "This excitement mirrored the aura in the room that grew throughout his speech," reported WISN-TV. "Before the senator arrived, students were tossing around an inflatable cow above the crowd. Three people fainted in the midst of all the enthusiasm."

• Hanover, N.H. Jan. 8, 2008. "Barack Obama's first and only rally on election day came to a sudden and lengthy stop when a young woman in the Dartmouth College gym fainted, and was eventually rolled off on a gurney by emergency medical technicians," the Los Angeles Times reported. "At first Obama half-narrated the episode, saying soothing things like, 'She's OK,' 'She's talking.' But the longer she lay on the floor, the quieter Obama got, standing on the podium, arms folded, looking worried as the medical crew worked." Minneapolis's WCCO-TV has video showing Obama handing a bottle of water to the Dartmouth damsel in distress.

• Hartford, Conn. Feb. 4, 2008. "And when a woman appeared to faint in the standing-only VIP section in front of the podium, Obama paused his speech for over a minute as he directed the crowd to make way for an EMT team and tossed a bottle of water from the stage," reported the Yale Daily News.

• Seattle, Feb. 8, 2008. "Climate change, the Iraq war and Obama tossing a bottle of water to a woman about to faint all received big cheers," MSNBC.com reported. "As Obama told the crowd to part so that the woman in question could leave and called for help, a young girl in the crowd shouted out, 'What a man!' The audience roared with laughter (although the press that has seen this happen before rolled its eyes)."


What exactly are we to make of this? A cynic might wonder if the whole thing isn't staged, given how often it happens and how well-honed and self-serving Obama's standard response seems to be...

[talaniman]

I never put any politician on a pedestal, just me, and it wouldn't surprise me if it was staged. But give him credit for doing the things he needs to do so far. As this progresses, it will get more interesting as we all want to know what the plan is. Got to admit, this is the best election I've seen. Obama/McCain, would be a great one.