[SkyGem]

This man, Obama, just can't seem to avoid controversies wherever he goes! There is his No-hand-over-the heart-when-the-National Anthem-is-playing routine; the No American flag pin worn; the Wright thing; the "bitter" situation that's G-R-O-W-I-N-G by leaps and bounds, and now this! But just scroll down and read what **America** is saying in these blogs that test the pulse of the nation and reflect on the upcoming Presidential election! It's really not surprising though! Told you so.

Political Radar: GOP Congressman Apologizes for Calling Obama 'Boy'

[smearcase]

The inappropriate comments of a Republican KY congressman don't change the impact of anything Obama said about voters in small towns. The only common trait is that they were both wrong, but only one of them is currently running for president.

[SkyGem]

The inappropriate comments of a Republican KY congressman dont change the impact of anything Obama said about voters in small towns. The only common trait is that they were both wrong, but only one of them is currently running for president.

You are so right in saying that! The people will not long forget Obama's comments and he has no one but himself to blame for that.

[Fr_Chuck]

I know of several Obama supports, very nuts over him that after his comments now don't know who to vote for, he lost their votes over it for sure

[smearcase]

One poll said Clinton now has a 20% lead in PA. It was down to 4% last Friday.

Clinton is still a long shot but McCain has a headstart on his campaign ads for October.

Obama concocted a way to offend gun owners, church goers and those against illegal immigration all in one sentence or so. Not to mention people in small towns who have lost their jobs and industries.

[SkyGem]

I know of several Obama supports, very nuts over him that after his comments now don't know who to vote for, he lost thier votes over it for sure

Yes, you are right on that as well! And by the look of things, the people who are speaking on the blog mentioned, there are LOTS more who are now seriously rethinking their vote and are planning to cast it elsewhere! Obama obviously thought he had the nomination all sewn up and could mix with whomever and say whatever and it wouldn't backfire. But Guess Again!

[SkyGem]

One poll said Clinton now has a 20% lead in PA. It was down to 4% last Friday.

Clinton is still a long shot but McCain has a headstart on his campaign ads for October.

Obama concocted a way to offend gun owners, church goers and those against illegal immigration all in one sentence or so. Not to mention people in small towns who have lost their jobs and industries.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, they're saying!

[BABRAM]

Hey guys and gals! I'm hopeful that Obama receives the nomination! If his bid for the White House falls short for any reason in a general election, so be it. I expect that if Obama's not the Democratic nominee then the US will go through disheartening and likely discordant times. Obama will be asked by his fellow politicians, mainly the Democratic party, to try and reunite everyone for peace sake. They may even want him to be the veep, but Hillary may not be able her swallow her pride. Besides I don't know if Obama could live up to the challenge of having to respect someone that has so much hatred and an ill temperament. This could very easily end up in a backlash of defiance for our nation with rallies of US citizens not saluting the stars and stripes or pledging allegiance, as well as a very negative effect on voter turnout reversing what the government worked so hard to promote. Some of this is the Democratic party's blame, mainly the Dummy Nittwit Convoluted chairman "Howard Dean," and Nevada's own (take no responsibilty) disappearing magician Senator "Harry Reid." Although Reagan may have outlasted the USSR in the Cold War, the Soviet government may had been correct about our nation imploding in given time. Personally I'm becoming more skeptical of our nation, not just for the negative campaigning that identifies the likes of Sky's signature posts, since it's obvious the nature of McCain supporters are having a lack of positives to draw from in their nominee. But also views expressed like those that allude to Obama being an anti-Christ or Muslim extremist, and yet are behind McCain preparing to bury our next generation of children in Iraq. :eek:

[inthebox]

Sky:

What congressman Davis said was inexcusable. In the link it states that He already apologized.

Obama on Rev Wright and "bitter gate" is marked by spin, excuses, and clarifications.
Sounds like Bill Clinton.

[Fr_Chuck]

The only real issue now is that most of the places where his comments are offending people have already do the primary, so it is hard to say, and of course Hilary still has the issue that many of the people turning away from Obama are just turning away, they still don't like her either.
Where is Oprah or Barbra Streisand to run for office when you need them.

Maybe Oprah could just buy the US and then we would not even have to have elections.

[BABRAM]

McCain's ducking under the radar until the Democrats get a nominee.

Just a little reminder...

The Top Ten Craziest Things John McCain Has Said While You Weren't Watching | Election 2008 | AlterNet

By Cliff Schecter

Much of McCain's madness has been lost in the fog of the ongoing battle for the Democratic nomination -- so here's a recap of what you've missed.

"John McCain has been saying a lot of downright nutty things lately. You've probably come across some of them, such as his admitted lack of knowledge about economics or his excitement at the prospect of remaining in Greater Mesopotamia for the next ten decades. Yet, alas, much of his craziness has been lost in the fog of the ongoing battle between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. So here's a recap of some nuggets of wisdom you may have missed -- from McCain's mouth to Bellevue's Ears.

10. Responding to a student who criticized his remark about our staying in Iraq for 100 years, McCain quipped, "No American argues against our military presence in Korea or Japan or Germany or Kuwait or other places, or Turkey, because America is not receiving casualties."

I guess Ron Paul isn't American. Or Dennis Kucinich. Or many others who have questioned the mindset behind keeping our troops abroad forever, which is what an empire does, not a republic. Although, perhaps more people don't argue "against our military presence" in the other spots he named, because, you know, those wars weren't based on 100 percent fabricated evidence and didn't make us less safe after they were done. Just a thought.

9. John McCain is "very proud to have Pastor John Hagee's support."

Just FYI, John Hagee makes Jeremiah Wright seem like Richard Simmons. Hagee has called the Catholic Church the "Great Whore," an "apostate church," the "Antichrist," and a "false cult system." And let's not even get into what he has said about Jews.

8. "In the shorter term," said McCain, "if you somehow told American businesses and families, 'Look, you're not going to experience a tax increase in 2010,' I think that's a pretty good short-term measure."

This is McCain's statement in support of making permanent the tax cuts he voted and railed against in 2001 and 2003. Back then they were only a giveaway to the rich and "budget-busters." Now that we are much further along in borrowing our economy from the Chinese, and the rich have become even richer, they are a way to stimulate the economy by putting money in the hands of working Americans.

7. "This is a Catholic Voter Alert. Governor George Bush has campaigned against Senator John McCain by seeking the support of Southern fundamentalists who have expressed anti-Catholic views. Several weeks ago, Governor Bush spoke at Bob Jones University in South Carolina. Bob Jones has made strong anti-Catholic statements, including calling the Pope the anti-Christ, the Catholic Church a satanic cult! John McCain, a pro-life senator, has strongly criticized this anti-Catholic bigotry, while Governor Bush has stayed silent while seeking the support of Bob Jones University. Because of this, one Catholic pro-life congressman has switched his support from Bush to McCain, and many Michigan Catholics support John McCain for president."

This was a John McCain for president campaign robo-call in 2000. Today, as we pointed out, he hangs with the Rev. Hagee who thinks Catholicism is a "cult" and the "Antichrist." How romantic.

6. "Everybody says that they're against the special interests. I'm the only one the special interests don't give any money to."

Here are some examples of Sen. McCain's epic battle with special-interest money: According to the Center for Responsive Politics, McCain has taken nearly $1.2 million in campaign contributions from the telephone utility and telecom service industries, more than any other senator. McCain sides with the telecom companies on retroactive immunity.

McCain is also the single largest recipient of campaign contributions from Ion Media Networks -- formerly Paxson Communication -- receiving $36,000 from the company and employees from 1997 to mid-year 2006.

5. McCain listened intently, pausing a second before delivering what could be a defining answer. "The other one will do just fine."

For what important reason was Sen. McCain interrupting an explanation to the press of his positions on Iraq and national security to take a cell phone from an aide? Why his wife needed to buy them a new barbecue grill.

4. During a Nov. 28, 2007, Republican debate Sen. McCain angrily denounced torture and offered unmitigated support of the Army field manual's restrictions, saying they "are working, and working effectively."

So naturally and quite logically, he voted against applying these same standards to the CIA. Apparently these rules won't work effectively for spooks, just the men and women on the front lines.

3. McCain, while speaking at a town hall meeting in a suburb of Philadelphia, was asked if he had concerns that anti-American insurgents in Iraq might commit increased acts of violence in September or October with a plan in mind to tip the November election to the Democrats. "Yes, I worry about it," McCain said.

How did he figure out what the insurgents -- which his policies in Iraq have helped create -- are up to? When they attacked us on 9/11, and the warning signs were all ignored by President Bush and his then National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, he was punished with winning a second term. So, of course, militants, who follow john McCain's campaign like Republicans do the signs of the Rapture, are closely planning their events because they know the exact opposite will be the result this time.

2. Let's go back to the videotape: "I'm the only one the special interests don't give any money to."

Not only have we proven this false, but perhaps many can't give money because they all work on his campaign. His campaign manager, Rick Davis, lobbyist. Top advisor, Charlie Black, lobbyist. The operative currently running his Senate office, Mark Buse, former lobbyist. And so it goes. Here is what one observer had to say. "It's an interesting dichotomy. On the one hand, he's presenting himself as the crusader against special interests and yet, on the other hand, he's surrounded himself with senior advisers that are lobbyists," said Sheila Krumholz of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, non-profit research group focused on money in politics.

1. And finally, McCain's craziest, coolest, most unstoppable McCain Moment: The senator said, while in Jordan, that it was "common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that's well known. And it's unfortunate." A few moments later, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, admiringly gazing at McCain until that moment, stepped up and whispered something in the presidential candidate's ear. McCain then blurted out: "I'm sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not al-Qaeda."

Phew. Glad trusty Joe Lieberman was there to explain to the man of "experience," a man who wants to lead the free world, that Sunnis (Al Qaeda) and Shia (Iran) not only don't work together but are in direct conflict. We have only been at war there for five years, so I wouldn't expect Sen. McCain to concern himself with such trivial matters."

[tomder55]

I will c/p an entire article from Atlantic Mag. Because it is subscription only but it is relevant to the Obama mystique.
...
The glamour of Obama may be hard to resist, but could it get the country into trouble if he wins the presidency?
By Virginia Postrel

The Perils of Obama

Barack Obama has brought glamour back to American politics—not the faux glamour-by-association of campaigning with movie stars or sailing with the Kennedys, but the real thing. The candidate himself is glamorous. Audiences project onto him the personal qualities and political positions they want in a president. They look at Obama and see their hopes and dreams.
Glamour is more than beauty or stage presence. You can't generate it just by having a wife who dresses like Jackie Kennedy. Glamour is a beautiful illusion—the word glamour originally meant a literal magic spell—that promises to transcend ordinary life and make the ideal real. It depends on a special combination of mystery and grace. Too much information breaks the spell. So does obvious effort. That's why glamour is so rare in contemporary politics. In post-Vietnam, post-Watergate America, skeptical voters demand full disclosure of everything from candidates' finances to their medical records, and spin-savvy accounts of backstage machinations dominate political coverage.
Obama's glamour gives him a powerful political advantage. But it also poses special problems for the candidate and, if he succeeds, for the country.
Like John Kennedy in 1960, Obama combines youth, vigor, and good looks with the promise of political change. Like Kennedy, he grew up in unusual circumstances that distance him from ordinary American life. But while it was Kennedy's wealth that set him apart, Obama's mystery stems from an upbringing and ethnicity that defy conventional categories. He is glamorous because he is different, and his differences mirror his audience's aspirations for the country.
Supporters project onto him the identity they long for in a president. He seems to embody racial harmony and international understanding. Some enthusiasts suggest that Obama's name and face alone could be enough to calm America's adversaries and restore the American dream. His glamour explains a campaign paradox: how a man who wrote a race-conscious coming-of-age memoir about his search for a black identity could be touted as a “post-racial” candidate. The allure of his origins obscured his own account of his inner life.
That's one reason the revelation of his religious mentor's racially charged sermons proved so potent. Obama's association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright revealed to white audiences that the senator is a self-defined black man who listens sympathetically to—and might even share—the angry grievances of other African Americans. His rhetoric may be inclusive, but he is not colorblind. He does not, by his mere existence, make America's racial divisions disappear.
Obama's glamour also accounts for some of his campaign's other stumbles. Plenty of candidates attract supporters who disagree with them on some issues. Obama is unusual, however. He attracts supporters who not only disagree with his stated positions but assume he does too. They project their own views onto him and figure he is just saying what other, less discerning voters want to hear. So when Obama's chief economic adviser supposedly told a Canadian official that, contrary to campaign rhetoric, the candidate didn't want to revise NAFTA, reporters found the story credible. After all, nobody that thoughtful and sophisticated could really oppose free trade.
Unlike Franklin Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan, the two glamorous presidents who shaped 20th-century American politics, Obama has left his political philosophy a mystery. His call for “a broad majority of Americans—Democrats, Republicans, and independents of goodwill—who are re-engaged in the project of national renewal” is not a statement of principles. It's an invitation to the audience to entertain their own fantasies of what national renewal would look like.
Like any candidate, Obama of course has position papers on specific issues. But even well-informed observers disagree about whether he represents the extreme left wing of the Democratic party or something more market-oriented and centrist. As the NAFTA flap demonstrates, his supporters can't even decide what the candidate really thinks about free trade. His glamour makes it easy to imagine that a President Obama would dissolve differences, abolish hard choices, and achieve political consensus—or that he's a stealth candidate who will translate his vague platform into a mandate for whatever policies you the voter happen to support.
Where optimists fill in mystery with their hopes, however, pessimists project their fears. The flip side of glamour is horror: the vampire, the con man, the femme fatale, the double agent. These glamorous archetypes remind us of how easy it is to succumb to desire and manipulation. What, ask his opponents, is Obama hiding?
The same exotic distance that makes the candidate compelling to supporters fosters the persistent rumors that he's a secret Muslim and, anonymous sources hint darkly, an enemy of the United States. More mundanely, the apparent effortlessness of his political career—the grace with which he seems to rise above ordinary politics—makes it harder for him to shrug off the unsavory allies who come with a career in Chicago, from indicted developer Tony Rezko to antigay preacher Rev. James Meeks. They spoil the fantasy.
To rely on illusions is to risk disillusionment. If Obama the dream candidate becomes Obama the real president, he'll be forced to pick sides, make compromises, and turn “hope” and “change” into policies some people like and some people don't. Or, like the movie star governor of California, he might choose instead to preserve his glamour by letting others set the agenda. Either way, his face won't make America's worries disappear, and his cool, polite manner won't eliminate political disagreements. Some of his supporters will feel disappointed, even betrayed. The result could be a backlash, heightened partisan conflict, and a failed presidency. George W. Bush ran as a uniter, and Jimmy Carter promised national renewal.
Obama must have an inkling of these perils. He knows glamour better than most people, having grown up enchanted with the glamorized image of his distant father, an image shaped by his mother's stories and his own yearnings. “The brilliant scholar, the generous friend, the upstanding leader—my father had been all those things. All those things and more, because except for that one brief visit in Hawaii, he had never been present to foil the image,” he writes in Dreams from My Father. That ideal shaped Obama's aspirations and character. “It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa, that I'd packed all of the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela.”
That image was false. Despite his early promise, Obama's father died a bitter, lonely minor bureaucrat, leaving a fractured family to fight over his tiny estate. “All my life,” concluded the young Obama when he learned the truth, “I had been wrestling with nothing more than a ghost!” By then, however, the glamour had done its work, providing meaning and purpose to the son's formative years. At the risk of bitter disillusionment, perhaps Obama hopes to do for the country what his father's image did for him: provide a noble lie that tricks us into self-improvement.

[tomder55]

8.

This is McCain's statement in support of making permanent the tax cuts he voted and railed against in 2001 and 2003. Back then they were only a giveaway to the rich and "budget-busters."

Yes if the Dems play it right this will be the equivalent of the Kerry flip-flop about war funding .

7. The Republicans are going to strongly solicit the Catholic vote . Catholics have nothing to fear from McCain.

6. and 2. McCain has never requested pork /earmarks for "special interests " .

And of course 1. we have discussed before . He was not wrong even though he did probably misspeak . Iran is supporting our enemies in Iraq and it doesn't matter which sect of Islam they come from . It is not a religious thing .They are vying for control of Iraq . Hamas is a Sunni organization and there is no debate that they get their support and marching orders from Tehran.

[BABRAM]

I will c/p an entire article from Atlantic Mag. because it is subscription only but it is relevent to the Obama mystique.
.................................................. ........................
The glamour of Obama may be hard to resist, but could it get the country into trouble if he wins the presidency?

Virginia Postrel, perhaps politically blind to the Bush admin failures, doesn't see the fires that that already exist? Using words like "glamour, Obama’s mystery, disillusionment, and tricks us," is going down a proven failed campaign path that Hillary tried on several occasions before reshuffling her staff. Provided Obama gets the Democratic nomination, I can only hope that McCain take Postrel's approach into the debates.

Catholics and Jews are in the same boat for McCain's receiving of endorsement by Hagee. Granted most people are not voting on extreme positions credited to the endorser, but it shouts Republican hypocrisy when pointing the finger at Obama. The contribution issue I share some agreement with you on, because of the untold amounts funneled towards all the candidates.

[tomder55]

Bobby

I think that Obama has been running a stealth campaign and she uses the word glamour but I would use the word illusion. She is 100% correct in the fact that most of his supporters project their desires on him when he has not displayed any substance to justify it. Just wait for when the information comes out about his days in Chi-town politics. You don't make it as far as he did by playing it clean there.

As far as Hagee goes ;as I have tried to explain ;the difference is that McCain did not spend 20 years listening to him and giving huge donations to him. Obama 1st tried to say he had never heard Wright spout his hatred and then he has come up with at least 3 other justifications for him.

[excon]

But just scroll down and read what **America** is saying in these blogs that test the pulse of the nation and reflect on the upcoming Presidential election! It's really not surprising though! Told you so.

Hello Sky:

The "pulse" of the nation?? WhatEverrrrr. Dude, I'd be waiting for your "I told you so's" till AFTER the election.

I do agree with you, though. Obama is a liberal inexperienced black man who makes gaffs. He SHOULDN'T be president...

But, the part you're missing, is that the American people gave the conservatives a chance, and they blew it. They spent money like drunken sailors... They've bankrupted us. We're not forgetful..

Oh, yeah, there's the war too. Most people don't like it much - least ways that's what folks are saying hereabouts.

Obama in a landslide!

excon

[speechlesstx]

Bobby, you said:

Obama will be asked by his fellow politicians, mainly the Democratic party, to try and reunite everyone for peace sake.

I'm glad you brought that up. I saw an ad of his today where he said he would represent all Americans. How so? Here's a guy that I believe has a 100 percent rating from Planned Parenthood. Obama said he didn't want his daughters "punished with a baby" if they "made a mistake." In what way will he represent my pro-life views?

Will he nominate conservative judges? Lower my taxes so I can have more of my money? I believe we can and must win in Iraq and defeat Islamofasicm, does Obama? I think it's time to end environmental propaganda, does he? I think we need less liberal bias and more balance in higher education, will he support that goal? How is Obama going to represent us "typical" white people?

[NeedKarma]

Speech,
You're anything but typical. :D

[BABRAM]

Bobby

I think that Obama has been running a stealth campaign and she uses the word glamour but I would use the word illusion. She is 100% correct in the fact that most of his supporters project their desires on him when he has not displayed any substance to justify it. Just wait for when the information comes out about his days in Chi-town politics. You don't make it as far as he did by playing it clean there.

As far as Hagee goes ;as I have tried to explain ;the difference is that McCain did not spend 20 years listening to him and giving huge donations to him. Obama 1st tried to say he had never heard Wright spout his hatred and then he has come up with at least 3 other justifications for him.

So McCain having known Hagee makes it acceptable for endorsement? That indicates premeditated knowledge of anti-Catholic/Jewish sentiment.

Bobby, you said:



I'm glad you brought that up. I saw an ad of his today where he said he would represent all Americans. How so? Here's a guy that I believe has a 100 percent rating from Planned Parenthood. Obama said he didn't want his daughters "punished with a baby" if they "made a mistake." In what way will he represent my pro-life views?

I'm pro-life with exception of rape or if the mother's life is in danger. It's an issue that I would be at odds with over most pro-choice politicians, including Obama. I fault the parents upbringing of the youth equally and my view is that the baby should go full term then be put up for adoption, rather than aborted.

Will he nominate conservative judges? Lower my taxes so I can have more of my money? I believe we can and must win in Iraq and defeat Islamofasicm, does Obama? I think it's time to end environmental propaganda, does he? I think we need less liberal bias and more balance in higher education, will he support that goal? How is Obama going to represent us "typical" white people?

Even the Republican news commentators recognize that Bush has put us all in a position that the probability of lowering taxes is not likely. Somebody will have to bite the tax bullet. You do realize we're in debt to other nations and spending nine billion plus a month on Bush's Iraqi war fantasy? I heard yesterday on Fox where McCain backed off his rhetoric about balancing the budget in one year. Now he's claiming it will take two terms. There's not a politician in America that can represent all Americans. It's not going to happen. However, the desire to represent all Americans is at all politicians campaign interest. My comment earlier was in regards to the Democrats alone, if Hillary was somehow to get the nomination by hook or crook then the need obviously for the DNC is to rally. The Republicans are running behind McCain like a second place network airing Funniest Videos against the likes of Monday Night Football. Had it not been for the Democratic wrestling match going on, McCain would already looked ten years older from the stress. Higher education starts with those that are willing to promote eduation. Those liberals or Democrats, at least want to reform our education system starting from lower grades through college. I think all the typical white people will somehow manage having their first half black president. If it's any consolation his other half is typical white. Of course the fear for some people is the unknown since all we have had is white presidents in our entire country's history.

[BABRAM]

Hello Sky:

The "pulse" of the nation???? WhatEverrrrr. Dude, I'd be waiting for your "I told you so's" till AFTER the election.

I do agree with you, though. Obama is a liberal inexperienced black man who makes gaffs. He SHOULDN'T be president.....

But, the part you're missing, is that the American people gave the conservatives a chance, and they blew it. They spent money like drunken sailors.... They've bankrupted us. We're not forgetful..

Oh, yeah, there's the war too. Most people don't like it much - least ways that's what folks are saying hereabouts.

Obama in a landslide!

excon

I think that fairly sums it up. Given the choice of the three, regardless of inexperience and a few gaffs here and there, I'm choosing Obama. Not that I can support him fully on a number of issues, but that the Republicans have been near disastrous for our own good. McCain will not be any different than Dubya.