Support NeoGAF

[Keylime]

Guys, what the fuck :lol

Obama's scheduled to speak at 7 or 9PM on Thursday. I thought my assless chaps line was a dead giveaway :lol

 

[The Librarian]

Guys, what the fuck :lol

Obama's scheduled to speak at 7 or 9PM on Thursday. I thought my assless chaps line was a dead giveaway :lol

You're mean.

 

[Keylime]

You're mean.

Perhaps that was a bit not nice of me, but you should feel relief that you'll get to see it in all it's glory!

This shit should rock the hell out of his '04 performance.

 

[polyh3dron]

For one, his decision to turn down public financing. His reason as I understand is that the campaing finance system is broken, and he needs to in order to effectively fight the Republicans and their lobbyist machine. And he comes off as a good guy for not taking taxpayer dollars. But I don't buy that his reason is genuine - he should've turned it down from the start if he truly felt that way, instead of waiting to see how much he stood to gain from his own contributors. Mostly, it's bothersome as it sets a bad precedent for future candidates with lots of money to just buy their way into the white house. Anyone else feel this way? Am I way wrong about this?

McCain wouldn't agree to the terms for public financing that would have leveled the playing field. This is why he turned down the public financing, but Republicans and Obama haters seem to overlook this.

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

I think he is generally respected in the center and among swing voters, but I suppose that he may be so hated by some democrats that the move would backfire.

I think it would be a "game changer" partly because McCain would be picking a huge fight with his own party. The question is whether he would lose too many conservatives to make it profitable.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Think back to the Saddleback forum. Where did the biggest applause come from? The abortion question. GOP goes pro-life in any way shape or form, people are saying home.

I will be a pro-life president and my administration will have pro-life policies

 

[alr1ght]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Think back to the Saddleback forum. Where did the biggest applause come from? The abortion question. GOP goes pro-life in any way shape or form, people are saying home.

or Mormon. Fundies won't vote for a mormon. That's why Huckabee is terrifying (both policy wise, intelligence wise, and he would shore up the fundie vote).

 

[The Librarian]

Perhaps that was a bit not nice of me, but you should feel relief that you'll get to see it in all it's glory!

Yes, can't wait!

Spoiler

And I didn't meant it when I said you were mean.

I'm looking at the official Dem. Convention website right now and it doesn't say specifically when Michelle Obama is scheduled to speak, nor anyone else from what I can see. Does anyone know when she is going to speak, and is this typical of party conventions (i.e., not specific time for people to speak, just an order)?

 

[Diablos]

I think the stage looks decent.

 

[Diablos]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Think back to the Saddleback forum. Where did the biggest applause come from? The abortion question. GOP goes pro-life in any way shape or form, people are saying home.

I will be a pro-life president and my administration will have pro-life policies

You must have missed Tom Ridge saying that the VP must echo those views (in other words: stfu for 4-8 years if you are pro-choice) or they should be looking for another job.

 

[jumper]

You can't credit the GOP machine in one breath then say this is bad. He knew, we knew, that he'd need money for what the GOP was going to throw at him. Not when the RNC is basically funneling all money that they get into McCain campaigns and telling other people to hack it on their own. Once he saw the writing on the wall, he had to reverse field. The GOP wasn't going to play fair.

I hear what you're saying, but I never said the Republican machine fights fair. And just because they play dirty doesn't mean he NEEDS to turn down the public financing. Like I said, I don't like the precedent it sets for future candidates.

The real solution is some sort of campaign finance reform to keep lobbyists out, etc., but there's no tiime for that during this campaign. I feel the right thing to do is to what Kerry and Gore and all other before had to do, play by the rules, even if both sides are bending them.

 

[VALIS]

Yes, can't wait!

Spoiler

And I didn't meant it when I said you were mean.

I'm looking at the official Dem. Convention website right now and it doesn't say specifically when Michelle Obama is scheduled to speak, nor anyone else from what I can see. Does anyone know when she is going to speak, and is this typical of party conventions (i.e., not specific time for people to speak, just an order)?

I think she's supposed to go last, around 10pm EDT.

 

[lopaz]

or Mormon. Fundies won't vote for a mormon. That's why Huckabee is terrifying (both policy wise, intelligence wise, and he would shore up the fundie vote).

Fundies can't be pro-rape, surely?

 

[PhoenixDark]

You must have missed Tom Ridge saying that the VP must echo those views (in other words: stfu for 4-8 years if you are pro-choice) or they should be looking for another job.

McCain's age is a problem in that regard though.

 

[Tyrone Slothrop]

I would not be surprised at all if McCain does something shocking with his VP pick.

i'm very certain that he will. he needs somebody to really galvanize the ticket, be it a woman or colin powell (though yes, there're many reasons powell is unlikely).

i'm putting my money on that former hp executive that's been working for his campaign. forgot her name.

 

[Diablos]

McCain's age is a problem in that regard though.

We shall see.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Obama camp has a response ad to the Ayers ad up in Ohio.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/A_response_ad_in_Ohio.html?showall

"Why is John McCain talking about the 60's?" Bonus points for the cute pic of Obama when he was eight.

The sound cuts out at the end for me, hopefully that's fixed soon.

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

i'm very certain that he will. he needs somebody to really galvanize the ticket, be it a woman or colin powell (though yes, there're many reasons powell is unlikely).

i'm putting my money on that former hp executive that's been working for his campaign. forgot her name.

Carly Fiorina

 

[VanMardigan]

or Mormon. Fundies won't vote for a mormon. That's why Huckabee is terrifying (both policy wise, intelligence wise, and he would shore up the fundie vote).

Man, Huckabee would be a great pick for McCain. He's the only one of the Republican presidential candidates I liked.

 

[Keylime]

Man, Huckabee would be a great pick for McCain. He's the only one of the Republican presidential candidates I liked.

...as a person, or with his policies or what?

 

[VanMardigan]

i'm very certain that he will. he needs somebody to really galvanize the ticket, be it a woman or colin powell (though yes, there're many reasons powell is unlikely).

i'm putting my money on that former hp executive that's been working for his campaign. forgot her name.

If he goes with a female executive, I'd think it would be Meg Whitman. He name-dropped her at Saddleback as one of the wisest people he knew.

...as a person, or with his policies or what?

Both really.

 

[gcubed]

...as a person, or with his policies or what?

i liked him as a person, but when i looked at his policies i realized he was batshit insane and backed away very slowly

 

[mckmas8808]

Four years ago, Colorado -- a state whose name is derived from the Spanish word for red -- was true to that label on the political map. Republicans held the governor's mansion, both U.S. Senate seats, five of seven congressional seats and both houses of the legislature. President George W. Bush carried the state by 5 points.

There's a tectonic shift in the state's politics,'' said Matt Ferrauto of the Colorado Democratic Party. State polls suggest strong showings for Democratic candidates running for offices ranging from magistrate to president; this pattern has emerged in almost two-dozen states as Democrats see the best national conditions for their party since the 1970s. (Obama is leading in Colorado by 2 points now on average)

Now for Virginia where Bush won by 8% in 2004.

Seventeen hundred miles away, in the onetime Republican stronghold of Loudoun County, Virginia, Obama has 60 full-time volunteers and 700 part-timers helping out at a Leesburg storefront. The Republican candidate, John McCain, has yet to open an office in the county. In Virginia, which hasn't backed a Democrat for president in 44 years, Obama has four times more offices than McCain, and state polls show them in a dead heat

See this is what most people in the media aren't talking about. Obama has 670 employees working th GOTV in a republican county while McCain has 0.

Since the last presidential election, Democrats and independents have gained in most of the 28 states -- along with the District of Columbia -- where voters register by party, as Republican rolls have dropped, state data show.

So in 28 states voter registeration has risen for Dems and Indep, whereas the Reps rolls fall. This is also important. The GOTV for Obama is crazy. Below are some more good Obama stats!

In one of the most dramatic examples, in
Pennsylvania, more than 380,000 voters changed their registration or registered for the first time as Democrats, while Republicans lost almost 64,000 registeredoters, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.

Nevada has also seen a shift.
Since the start of this year, Democratic registrations grew by 57,000, while Republican numbers increased only by 6,900
, according to the secretary of state.

Kerry won Pennsylvania by 144,000 votes, but as you can see there's been a swing of 440,000 registered voters registering as a DEM this time that either didn't vote last time or was a Indep or a Rep last time. The likely voter polls aren't including this data that Im showing you.

And in Nevada Bush wn that state by 21,000 votes. The Dems have a 50,000 registered voters lead JUST SINCE THE START OF THIS YEAR!! Can someone explain to me how this doesn't throw off the likely voter polls for Nevada that show Obama losing the state by only 2 points. Oh and Bush only won the state by 2.5% in 2004.


Now on to Turnout

Obama's aggressive field operations have contributed as well. In solidly Republican Alaska, he has four offices, including one in Anchorage that on a recent weekday had 15 volunteers tapping on laptops and making calls. McCain has no offices in the state and doesn't plan to open any, campaign officials said.

Bush won Alaska by 25% in 2004. Obama is now leading in Alaska by 3%. These are the facts. Lets continue with some more facts.

Obama has 28 offices across Virginia, compared with McCain's six offices in urban centers.
``If you build it, they will come,'' Obama's Virginia state director Mitch Stewart said, describing the campaign's strategy for attracting undecided voters.
In Loudoun County, which is about 30 miles northwest of Washington, Obama aides estimated they had recruited 75 percent of the precinct captains they need.
In 2004, Bush won the county decisively, 56 percent to 44 percent for the Democratic presidential candidate, John Kerry, who didn't open a local office.

Yep you read that right. Kerry didn't even give a fuck about VA. Didn't even open a local office, while Obama has plenty this time around.


Now on to Young people and Latinos

The trend toward Democrats is particularly strong among young voters and Hispanics. In 2004, voters under 30 comprised 17 percent of the electorate. This year, with unprecedented mobilization by Obama, that is expected to grow. Hispanics are 9 percent of eligible voters and the fastest-growing demographic group.

Young Voters
According to a recent study by the Washington-based Pew Research Center, young voters who came of age during the Bush administration are giving Democrats a wide advantage, just as the previous generation that came of age under Ronald Reagan helped fuel the Republican congressional surge of the 1990s.


Fifty-eight percent of voters under 30 are Democrats or lean Democratic, while only 33 percent associate with Republicans, Pew found. The Democrats' advantage among young people has more than doubled since 2004, to 25 points from 11 points.
Hispanic voters have also moved further toward Democrats in the past two years, as Republicans have made immigration and border protection a central issue. Sixty-five percent of Hispanic voters identify with or lean toward the Democrats, compared with 26 percent who identify with or lean Republican.
No similarly significant demographic group has moved toward the Republicans in recent years.

The trends among younger and Hispanic voters encourage Democrats about their prospects in the Rocky Mountain West, where the party's convention is being held this week.

So again more advantages that just aren't being picked up in the "likely voter" polls.

Here's the link to all the information that's in the post.


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=auFdzt9Pbsrk&refer=worldwide



So guys stop freaking out so much. Obama's ground game is crushing McCain's and the likely voter polls aren't counting most of these people.

Damn that's a long post to type on a Pocket PC phone. :O

Please new guys keep in mind most polls aren't counting the new Obama GOTV ground game.

 

[reilo]

Both really.

whaaaaaaaat!?

 

[Keylime]

i liked him as a person, but when i looked at his policies i realized he was batshit insane and backed away very slowly

That's basically how I was.

 

[lopaz]

Man, Huckabee would be a great pick for McCain. He's the only one of the Republican presidential candidates I liked.

So you are pro-rape?

 

[sharbhund]

Carly Fiorina

The woman who drove HP into the ground and then walked away with a nice golden parachute. I wonder how many houses she owns.

 

[Suikoguy]

To Huckabees Credit, he has defended Obama a couple of times.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Oh my God, MSNBC..

"What do we really know about Michelle Obama?"

We know that she's the wife of Barack Obama. Do we need to know more about her?

 

[VanMardigan]

whaaaaaaaat!?

Well, if you're assuming I mean all of his policies, then I'd see your point. You don't agree with all of Obama's policies. Besides, I'm not a pure Democrat. So I agree with his pro-life stance, for example, but oppose his anti-gun control stance.

So you are pro-rape?

That's an ignorant way to put that case.

 

[Tamanon]

LOL Tim Pawlenty said that Obama should've picked General Petraeus as his Veep instead of Biden. That's just all kinds of off-base.

 

[GhaleonEB]

The woman who drove HP into the ground and then walked away with a nice golden parachute. I wonder how many houses she owns.

She would be a disaster of a veep pick. Just reinforce that McCain is all about the corporations and the wealthy. Fiorina's time at HP is a nice parallel to the GOP and the economy: ran it into the ground, got super rich in the process. And laid off a shit load of people along the way.

I hope he picks her.

 

[polyh3dron]

MSNBC: "Celebrities seem to be the name of the game at this convention"

lol @ McCain Campaign Talking Points dictating MSNBC's narrative.

 

[reilo]

Well, if you're assuming I mean all of his policies, then I'd see your point. You don't agree with all of Obama's policies. Besides, I'm not a pure Democrat. So I agree with his pro-life stance, for example, but oppose his anti-gun control stance.



That's an ignorant way to put that case.

I would hope you don't support his "we should change the Constitution to fit the word of God" stance, right?!

 

[PhoenixDark]

LOL Tim Pawlenty said that Obama should've picked General Petraeus as his Veep instead of Biden. That's just all kinds of off-base.

:lol

I'd pay to see Biden beat his ass. Alas I'm starting to think maybe the GOP will try to neutralize the VP debate by choosing a female. Women responded strongly for Hillary after that NH debate, and Biden seems like the type of guy who would let the blows fly

but what would the conservative base think

 

[scorcho]

The woman who drove HP into the ground and then walked away with a nice golden parachute.

actually, she was forced out, but i was about to post roughly the same thing.

thank god Obama has an elitism that transcends net worth.

 

[grandjedi6]

LOL Tim Pawlenty said that Obama should've picked General Petraeus as his Veep instead of Biden. That's just all kinds of off-base.

He's just saying that because he doesn't want to go against Biden in the debate. If he gets picked at all anymore

 

[polyh3dron]

LOL Tim Pawlenty said that Obama should've picked General Petraeus as his Veep instead of Biden. That's just all kinds of off-base.

Pawlenty's lulz stock is going up....

 

[Keylime]

LOL Tim Pawlenty said that Obama should've picked General Petraeus as his Veep instead of Biden. That's just all kinds of off-base.

One in the same my friend, one in the same.

 

[gcubed]

She would be a disaster of a veep pick. Just reinforce that McCain is all about the corporations and the wealthy. Fiorina's time at HP is a nice parallel to the GOP and the economy: ran it into the ground, got super rich in the process. And laid off a shit load of people along the way.

I hope he picks her.

the republicans like to put disasters of the business world into power... Look at the current President

 

[Keylime]

:lol

I'd pay to see Biden beat his ass. Alas I'm starting to think maybe the GOP will try to neutralize the VP debate by choosing a female. Women responded strongly for Hillary after that NH debate, and Biden seems like the type of guy who would let the blows fly

but what would the conservative base think

Debra for VP?

 

[Macam]

That's an ignorant way to put that case.

No argument there but, then again, so is the whole "When do you think life begins?" question that many in the media like to toss around. That said, this is not an invitation to discuss abortion in this thread and I would ask that people avoid doing so.

 

[bob_arctor]

LOL Tim Pawlenty said that Obama should've picked General Petraeus as his Veep instead of Biden. That's just all kinds of off-base.

Yes! Let them bring up Iraq, however obtusely.

BAGHDAD - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki dug in his heels Monday on the future of the U.S. military in Iraq, insisting that all foreign soldiers leave the country by a specific date in 2011 and rejecting legal immunity for American troops.

 

[Fragamemnon]

Keep in mind that Pawlenty would be totally out of a job right now if the DFL had a better candidate to work with in 2006. He's not very interesting nor compelling.

McCain goes for Mittens to try to hold onto Nevada/Colorado (and wishfully speaking, Michigan) and hopes that it doesn't hurt him too much in Virginia and Ohio.

 

[VanMardigan]

I would hope you don't support his "we should change the Constitution to fit the word of God" stance, right?!

You're not really talking issues, more like making a caricature out of this, so I'll expand. I support his anti-gay marriage stance, his stance on increased NASA funding, his anti-Guantanamo Bay stance, certain facets of his immigration plan, and his backing of the surge.

I do not support his anti-civil union stance, his death penalty stance.

 

[Macam]

Obama camp has a response ad to the Ayers ad up in Ohio.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/A_response_ad_in_Ohio.html?showall

"Why is John McCain talking about the 60's?" Bonus points for the cute pic of Obama when he was eight.

The sound cuts out at the end for me, hopefully that's fixed soon.

I have to say, kudos to the Obama team for their response ads. That's a fantastic one that not only nukes the entire McCain argument in 5 seconds, but hits home to the number one issue on voters' minds: the economy.

 

[mckmas8808]

We know that she's the wife of Barack Obama. Do we need to know more about her?

Its a hidden code for "Is she a radical ni***r?"

When is the media going to jump on McCain's wife? Ask if shes still a stealing drug addict.

 

[bob_arctor]

Its a hidden code for "Is she a radical ni***r?"

:lol :lol

 

[reilo]

You're not really talking issues, more like making a caricature out of this, so I'll expand. I support his anti-gay marriage stance, his stance on increased NASA funding, his anti-Guantanamo Bay stance, certain facets of his immigration plan, and his backing of the surge.

I do not support his anti-civil union stance, his death penalty stance.

I'm sorry, but when someone proclaims that "it is easier to change the Constitution to fit the word of God than to convince everyone to believe in God", then it is a huge issue.

Hell, I'd argue with you that gay marriage should not be an issue either [meaning, whoever wants to get married, let them have it], but alas, it nonetheless is.

The fact that in a secular nation we are disallowing gay people to marry because marriage is a religious institution directly conflicts with the separation of Church and State. But let's not drudge up that again.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I have to say, kudos to the Obama team for their response ads. That's a fantastic one that not only nukes the entire McCain argument in 5 seconds, but hits home to the number one issue on voters' minds: the economy.

I think it gets in a subtle age dig as well. McCain going on and on about the 60's, when Obama was just a kid.

 

[Kusagari]

Bluh, this is getting annoying. Why is MSNBC 'interviewing' McCain surrogates while covering the DNC convention? And why are they letting them spew their usual talking points? Are none of these people actually interested in real journalism?

I can't wait for Fox News during the actual convention. We'll probably get random cuts to Romney talking about why you should vote McCain.