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[Talka]

Actually, because Gallup is a three day rolling average, the numbers for Friday night had to be worse than an eight point lead in order for him not to have climbed any higher. And with the RNC starting this week, I really doubt he's going to hold on to an eight point lead.

 

[Tamanon]

Actually, because Gallup is a three day rolling average, the numbers for Friday night had to be worse than an eight point lead in order for him not to have climbed any higher. And with the RNC starting this week, I really doubt he's going to hold on to an eight point lead.

Eh, we never can tell with Gallup, they don't use a normal weighting system, because some of their variations make no sense. Of course he won't hold an 8-point lead, that'd be silly.

 

[Zeliard]

Obama may not be polling as well now overall as he was on individual nights of the convention, as Gallup says, but there's still been a pretty considerable 10-point shift going his way in just a few days.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

So hey, is pollster.com a credible site?

I've visited there everyday for about two weeks and I have seen virtually no change despite changes in other polls.

 

[syllogism]

So hey, is pollster.com a credible site?

I've visited there everyday for about two weeks and I have seen virtually no change despite changes in other polls.

There haven't been many (any?) new state polls recently. That's all these sites are, a compilation of polls and analysis and frankly many of the polls they use are garbage.

 

[The Librarian]

:lol

:lol

 

[soul creator]

Very well, let's discus this

but the jerk-off party is the Republican Convention

hiyoooo

 

[Zeliard]

Holy shit. Someone in one of the poli threads here yesterday said that one of the Fox News pundits said Palin is in fact well-versed on foreign policy because she's "up there in Alaska" which is "right next door to Russia". I honestly thought this was a hyperbolic joke to mock Fox News' biased coverage, but I'm watching last night's Daily Show right now, and yeah, it wasn't.

 

[Tamanon]

Holy shit. Someone in one of the poli threads here yesterday said that one of the Fox News pundits said Palin is in fact well-versed on foreign policy because she's "up there in Alaska" which is "right next door to Russia". I honestly thought this was a hyperbolic joke to mock Fox News' biased coverage, but I'm watching last night's Daily Show right now, and yeah, it wasn't.

It's the Dooce!

 

[Mumei]

where did that come from?

Sorry for the late response...

FiveThirtyEight made the table; the polling data came from Rasmussen.

 

[Jenga]

Holy shit. Someone in one of the poli threads here yesterday said that one of the Fox News pundits said Palin is in fact well-versed on foreign policy because she's "up there in Alaska" which is "right next door to Russia". I honestly thought this was a hyperbolic joke to mock Fox News' biased coverage, but I'm watching last night's Daily Show right now, and yeah, it wasn't.

It's sad and hilarious at the same time.

 

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Holy shit. Someone in one of the poli threads here yesterday said that one of the Fox News pundits said Palin is in fact well-versed on foreign policy because she's "up there in Alaska" which is "right next door to Russia". I honestly thought this was a hyperbolic joke to mock Fox News' biased coverage, but I'm watching last night's Daily Show right now, and yeah, it wasn't.

she also has a son in iraq to broaden her foreign relations perspective.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

The Veep: A Short Play in One Act

Sometimes fiction is a better vehicle for getting inside someone's mind. Besides, it's all we have. Here is a short play for two actors. Let's call them Schmidt, a tough, savvy consultant, and McCain, a candidate. All names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Schmidt: McCain, Get your ass over here and look at this map.

McCain: It's the U.S. with the states red and blue. Seen it before. What's your point?

Schmidt: Obama's gonna win all the Kerry States. You have a small chance to pick off New Hampshire but 60% of the people think you're pro choice. When they find out you've been pro life for 25 years, forget New Hampshire.

McCain: Where does that leave me?

Schmidt: Bush won 286 to 252.

McCain: Fine with me.

Schmidt: But wait a minute. Obama campaigned like crazy in Iowa. Won the caucuses big time. You barely set foot in the state. The people of Iowa take their caucuses very, very seriously. You insulted them. Make that 279 to 259.

McCain: I still win.

Schmidt: We're not done yet. Obama has been leading in New Mexico all year. State's full of Latinos. They preferred Clinton but they're still Democrats at heart. I think we're toast there. Now its 274 to 264.

McCain: A win is a win. Still better than Florida was.

Schmidt: Yeah, but now Obama is just 5 EVs short of a tie (which means it goes to the House and he'll win there) and 6 EVs short of a clean win. Look, there are six swing states this time: Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, Colorado, and Nevada. We have to win all six of them. Can't lose a single state or we're dead meat.

McCain: I'm a fighter. You know that. The gooks couldn't break me. I'll campaign like hell in all six. Don't worry.

Schmidt: I'm worried. We're 50-50 on all six. It's like flipping a coin six times and getting six heads. One chance in 64, roughly 2%. We have to do something dramatic. Something that will throw all calculations out the window. Something that completely shakes up everything. Something that gives us a fresh start. Gotta hit the RESET button.

McCain: Have something in mind?

Schmidt: Yeah. Pick a black or a woman for Veep.

McCain: You mean I can't pick Joe? He's my friend and a great guy.

Schmidt: Half the convention would walk out. Besides, Jews aren't a novelty any more. Thank Gore for that.

McCain:. Shit. But blacks are fine with me. Colin Powell is a great American and one of the most respected people in the country.

Schmidt: He doesn't want the job

McCain: No sweat. Condi's the smartest woman I know. Mind like a bear trap. She'll run rings around Biden at the debate. She'll say: "I've been there. I talk to Putin every week. You're just an old windbag"

Schmidt: She's got "BUSH III" emblazoned on her forehead. And Obama is a happily married man with two adorable little girls, Condi's a single black woman who is apparently not much into families. Won't work. What about Kay [Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)]?

McCain: She's tired of the Washington rat race. She wants to go back to Texas. Be governor or something, you know like Ma Ferguson.

Schmidt: Ma's husband, the governor, was impeached and convicted. Ann Richards would be a better role model. What other women do we have?

McCain: Jodi [Rell] and Olympia [Snowe] are smart and popular but pro choice. The Base distrusts me already. They'd mutiny.

Schmidt: Elizabeth Dole? Susan Collins?

McCain: With either of those we lose a Senate seat. I don't want to have 60 Democrats to deal with over there. Reid might grow a spine. Can't encourage that.

Schmidt: Lisa Murkowski?

McCain: Her dad appointed her. She won on her own later, but I don't need to deal with nepotism and cronyism. Smells like Bush. I'm a maverick, remember?

Schmidt: Got it. Some businesswomen? Sarah Palin?

McCain: Carly [Fiorina] is great on economics, but she nearly she ran her company into the ground so the board fired her and then gave her $40 million so she wouldn't feel bad. The 20,000 people she fired aren't too keen on her. Meg Whitman did a fantastic job at eBay but nobody's ever heard of her.

Schmidt: So Palin's the only one left? What about her?

McCain: I met her once, at a governors meeting. Cute as a button. She ran for Miss Alaska. Came in second. I woulda voted for her. But it's a real Hail Mary pass. She's popular up north there where the sun never shines (except for some minor problems when she tried to fire her state trooper brother-in-law). She was pregnant with a Down syndrome baby and didn't abort him. The Base will love that. Her hobbies are riding her motorcycle and hunting moose. The coal miners in Appalachia will go wild over her. How fast can we print a million 8x10 color photos of her for their lockers?

Schmidt: Fast. But what about her experience. I mean, she's only been governor a year and a half. What did she do before that?

McCain: I think she was mayor of some village with six igloos. Who cares? I think you're right we have to shake things up completely. Change the game. The Base will eat her up on abortion, the Hillary fans will see that we respect women (unlike their guy). We grab the mantle of reformers. The white guys will be transfixed by this hot chick who hunts moose. I get to be Maverick-in-chief. Sounds like a winner.

Schmidt: What about the debate with Biden? What if the moderator says: "What would you do if Russia invaded Georgia again?" and she says: "I'll get on Air Force One and fly to Atlanta immediately."

McCain: Most Americans can't find Georgia the state on a map, let alone Georgia the country. I'll get Lugar to tutor her on foreign policy. He knows everything about it. I'm sold. Let's go for it.
Curtain falls.

 

[Xeke]

So if Gustav turns into a national crisis will the convention still go on? Wouldn't that be really tacky?

 

[thekad]

So if Gustav turns into a national crisis will the convention still go on? Wouldn't that be really tacky?

McCain has no problem partying while a major American city is under water. Hell, he's done it before.

 

[Tamanon]

So if Gustav turns into a national crisis will the convention still go on? Wouldn't that be really tacky?

Eh, it would only be tacky for the national leaders to be there, although they won't get as much coverage with the hurricane hitting.

 

[greepoman]

Eh, it would only be tacky for the national leaders to be there, although they won't get as much coverage with the hurricane hitting.

Not getting all the news coverage??? There's no way they'd have in that case. If people were dying and losing their homes and it wasn't in the news, then start the party.

 

[mckmas8808]

They may suspend the convention according to FoxNews.

So will the RNC get 20-40 million people to watch the convention like the DEMs got last week?

 

[Tamanon]

Not getting all the news coverage??? There's no way they'd have in that case. If people were dying and losing their homes and it wasn't in the news, then start the party.

I dunno, it's already tough enough to get people to pay for the convention, never mind paying for it twice.

 

[Xeke]

I just saw on Fox Chris Wallace is reporting that John McCain is watching the storm and they may suspend the convention for a day or two and cancel speeches.

 

[bafflewaffle]

. And now all of a sudden being a hunter is qualification fo being a VP? I seriously read that in my newspaper this morning, an opinion article stating how her hunting skills oughta help us track down Osama Bin Laden.

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

which paper is that?

 

[ZealousD]

The Veep: A Short Play in One Act

McCain acts too smart here.

"McCain: Hmmmm... I'm thinking I need a female running mate to woo those Hillary supporters. But I also need to pick a VP with some serious exper.... why hello there Miss Alaska!"

 

[Tyrone Slothrop]

how ironic that Focus on the Family prays for the dem convention to get rained on and then a category 4 hurricane is aimed at pummeling america during the rep's convention. jesus doesnt love you anymore, GOP. maybe you should use scientology as a crutch. xenu is taking applications.

 

[Amir0x]

You're right, that's not quite fair. Most slave-owners didn't kill their slaves.

w...wow

 

[KamikazeChick]

I think you just revealed the first golden debate question of the day . . .

"Governer Palin, seeing as you are the mother of a special needs infant, how will you properly care for your child, and attend to the country's needs?"

This absolutely amazes me. Does she not have a quite capable husband who could stay at home full time to take care of a special needs child? As a woman whose husband put his career on hold for 2 years to stay home with our daughter, I absolutely cannot understand this backlash.

Are we stuck in the stone ages where only the Mother can care of the child? Absolutely incredible. Where is the liberalism that is so rampant in NeGaf?

edit - beaten like 100 times... shows me not to answer someone so far back in the thread

 

[Nabs]

Heh.

Women are more skeptical of Palin than men.

lol @ Plain

 

[Frester]

Holy shit. Someone in one of the poli threads here yesterday said that one of the Fox News pundits said Palin is in fact well-versed on foreign policy because she's "up there in Alaska" which is "right next door to Russia". I honestly thought this was a hyperbolic joke to mock Fox News' biased coverage, but I'm watching last night's Daily Show right now, and yeah, it wasn't.

She must be best friends with Santa too!

 

[RiskyChris]

My mom: "Palin has more experience than Barack Obama"

This was a bad weekend to visit.

 

[The Librarian]

My mom: "Palin has more experience than Barack Obama"

This was a bad weekend to visit.

:lol

 

[Cloudy]

My mom: "Palin has more experience than Barack Obama"

This was a bad weekend to visit.

Your mom is a Republican. Nothing wrong with that

 

[Lemonz]

Poll: Voters uncertain on Palin and Obama speech receives high marks.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-30-palin-poll_N.htm

 

[Slurpy]

Your mom is a Republican. Nothing wrong with that

No, but there's something wrong with mindlessly parroting bullshit talking points.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

This absolutely amazes me. Does she not have a quite capable husband who could stay at home full time to take care of a special needs child? As a woman whose husband put his career on hold for 2 years to stay home with our daughter, I absolutely cannot understand this backlash.

Are we stuck in the stone ages where only the Mother can care of the child? Absolutely incredible. Where is the liberalism that is so rampant in NeGaf?

I have to agree. If she was a single mother it would be different, but the father is completely able to cope with the family needs. (As well as the older siblings). The attacks are just knee-jerk reactions to the VP, which would have happened anyway regardless of candidate.

 

[Diablos]

Let's be honest: asserting her as a threat would have been the dumb decision. Ignoring her completely makes her look like a non-issue to the election, and i'm sure that's how the Dems will paint her for months.

This is stupid. They need to be aggressive.

oh, oh...

BREAKING: McCain Campaign heading to Alaska to investigate

A very reliable source overheard Republican spokesperson McHugh Pierre state TODAY that he had spoken to the McCain Campaign. They are coming to Alaska tomorrow to check out the "Troopergate" investigation.

In other words, THEY DID NOT DO SO PROPERLY AHEAD OF TIME.

http://divasblueoasis.blogspot.com/2008/08/breaking-mccain-campaign-heading-to.html

Pff, why do they care now that they picked her?

If this is true, I would not be surprised if they are going there to primarily pay people off.

 

[gkryhewy]

You're right, that's not quite fair. Most slave-owners didn't kill their slaves.

It must be neat to live in the tiny little world of the american evangelical conservative.

More unwanted babies! Less funding to address the social ills and crime that will inevitably result (blame that on minorities and immigrants). Yay!

 

[RiskyChris]

No, but there's something wrong with mindlessly parroting bullshit talking points.

Yeah, I pretty much stopped discourse as soon as that line came up, told her "I was embarrassed" and left.

Family politics is super cool.

 

[Tamanon]

Poll: Voters uncertain on Palin and Obama speech receives high marks.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-30-palin-poll_N.htm

It's bizarre, McCain somehow made the one choice that made him the uncertain ticket. Being the safe, certain ticket was his main chance of succeeding.

Diablos: They'll get aggressive later on, right now the media is already skeptical enough, no need to pile on.

 

[Stoney Mason]

Poll: Voters uncertain on Palin and Obama speech receives high marks.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-30-palin-poll_N.htm

Not surprising. She will garner some female support but the people on this board yesterday who were assuming that women are that gullible or easily led by the nose just weren't being very analytical imo. The Daily Show and the Colbert Report pretty much nailed it last night. It's a very cynical and calculated move and that has the potential for backlash. They will have to work to prove she is credible and ready.

 

[Odrion]

This is stupid. They need to be aggressive.

Thank you.

It's always fucking stupid to ignore a Republican. People said the exact same thing about ignoring John McCain and he managed to bring the race neck-to-neck.

It's bizarre, McCain somehow made the one choice that made him the uncertain ticket. Being the safe, certain ticket was his main chance of succeeding.

I know! It makes me happy.

 

[Branduil]

It must be neat to live in the tiny little world of the american evangelical conservative.

More unwanted babies! Less funding to address the social ills and crime that will inevitably result (blame that on minorities and immigrants). Yay!

It must be neat to live in the unfortunately large world of people who believe the true problem with society is a lack of government money.

 

[Stoney Mason]

Thank you.

It's always fucking stupid to ignore a Republican.

They have to be careful. If they pile on in a crushing, insulting, or over-reactive manner they actually do risk alienating women.

Personally I would leave her alone myself for the most part. The debate will re-center on Mccain and Obama once the RNC is over and that is where you want the debate focused. Not on VP's.

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

My mom: "Palin has more experience than Barack Obama"

This was a bad weekend to visit.

IF she has more experience than Obama, then she has more experience than McCain. They are both sitting senators.

 

[theviolenthero]

After reading this thread for the last 20+ pages,watching TV (Cnn/Msnbc) & doing online searches i think the following are her pro's & con's:


PRO'S:

Pro-Life (Having a baby with down syndrome helps ALOT with this argument.)
Pro-Gun (BIG deal for middle america)
Supports the thought that marriage is ONLY between a man & woman.
Fund cellulosic biofuel research in Farm Bill. (Will appeal to anyone with a brain.)
Get ANWR open. (Will appeal to anyone without a brain.)
DRILL,DRILL,DRILL. (This seems fairly popular nowadays.)
Stated that "global warming is NOT man made". (Yep, this is a good thing for some.)



CON'S:

Voted and passed a windfall profit tax on oil companies. (Will upset the REAL GOP'ers.)
Some men in middle america are still sexist.
It's hard out here for a Republican.
Only met with McCain once before in February 2008.
Get ANWR open. (Environmentalist will be upset & McCain is against it, for now...)
Pro-Life (Problem with ALOT of woman)
Pro-Gun (Problem with SOME of woman)
Under investigation for ethics issues.
She vetoed a 50-watt wind power farm.
She has no stance on drugs.
4 weeks ago she didn't know what a VP did for a living.
She has no stance on foreign policy.
She has no stance on free trade.
Apparently she was Vetted only briefly.
She has no stance on immigration.
She has a close relationship with Ted Stevens, even appearing in ad's with him.
She has no stance on jobs.
Her energy policy revolves solely around oil.
She has no stance on War.
Stated that "global warming is NOT man made".
She has no stance on poverty.
She has no stance on college.
She's a "Creationist".
Called Hillary a "whiner".

Asked about the surge in 2007, she said she hadn't "really focused much on the war in Iraq."

Left her town of Wasilla with a long term debt of $20 million. 2005 estimate gives Wasilla a population of 8,471.

 

[HolyStar]

Hold on let me get this straight about Palin her town of under <10,000 people went $20 million in debt during her term in office, she couldn't make it halfway through one term as governor of an empty wasteland without getting into a corruption scandal that's still ongoing and she was Miss Congeniality.

 

[Gaborn]

Get ANWR open. (Will appeal to anyone without a brain.)

Objectivity. It's what GAF does.

 

[Amir0x]

not sure what government money has to do with the fact that you believe in telling people what they should be allowed to do with their unborn fetuses, but hey!

The cognitive dissonance between decrying the socialist ideal of more government programs/money and control and then applauding big government control over the absurdly personal actions of a mature adult individual with things such as abortion or drug use is so large as to create holes in the space time continuum.

 

[Tamanon]

Hold on let me get this straight about Palin her town of under <10,000 people went $20 million in debt during her term in office, she couldn't make it halfway through one term as governor of an empty wasteland without getting into a corruption scandal that's still ongoing and she was Miss Congeniality.

Well yeah, that's what makes her a maverick!

 

[reilo]

Maher: "This isn't a presidential ticket, this is a sitcom. The Maverick and the Milf."

:lol

 

[Gaborn]

not sure what government money has to do with the fact that you believe in telling people what they should be allowed to do with their unborn fetuses, but hey!

The cognitive dissonance between decrying the socialist ideal of more government programs/money and control and then applauding big government control over the absurdly personal actions of a mature adult individual with things such as abortion or drug use is so large as to create holes in the space time continuum.

In fairness I don't think abortion and drug use are in the same category. I'm a LOT more moderate than JayDub on abortion, but I think you can rationally believe that abortion is harming another human being without being particularly far out there. at the same time it's a LOT harder to make that case with drug laws which inherently are criminalizing something that is not a direct tangible harm to other people.

 

[Branduil]

not sure what government money has to do with the fact that you believe in telling people what they should be allowed to do with their unborn fetuses, but hey!

The cognitive dissonance between decrying the socialist ideal of bigger government and control and then applauding big government control over the absurdly personal actions of a mature adult individual with things such as abortion or drug use is so large as to create holes in the space time continuum.

Well, I wish I could say I'm surprised that you don't even take 5 minutes to try to comprehend a viewpoint different than you own, but I'm not.

I believe the government should be mostly limited to protecting the life and liberty of its citizens and preventing them from harming one another. And if you believe that all conceived humans are persons, there's absolutely nothing strange about believing the government should protect the lives of those persons.

And be honest, if you really believe that hyperbole you wrote above, then wouldn't that make all who believe in big government but freedom for abortion cognitively dissonant as well?