once again,  stupidity flows here with such ease.
people who understand what a vote of "present" means know
how idiotic you are.


Present Votes Are an Accepted Legislative Strategy in the Illinois Senate
January 21, 2023
 
Obama Was Praised for Standing Up on Tough Issues-- Because His Senate Seat Was Not Vulnerable, He Used His Position To Help More Vulnerable Senators Do The Right Thing. Zorn wrote, "Obama, however, was in a safe district and never faced a serious challenge for his legislative seat. He had no need to shy from hard-line stands on gun control and abortion rights. He actually took such stands frequently and is now highly praised by advocates for both causes. [Chicago Tribune, Zorn, 3/9/04]
Anyone Who Thinks A Present Vote Is A "Duck" Doesn't Understand How the Process Works. "There is a presumption, if one is not familiar with the mechanics of the General Assembly, that a present vote is a "duck." Pam Sutherland, the CEO and President of Illinois Planned Parenthood said of [this] Hull argument: "I think it's not well-based…I think it's somebody who doesn't understand how the legislative process works." [Chicago Daily Herald, 3/10/04]
Criticizing Present Votes Indicates "You Don't Have A Great Understanding Of The Process." "'Criticizing Obama on the basis of 'present' votes indicates you don't have a great understanding of the process,' said Thom Mannard, director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence." [Chicago Tribune, Zorn, 3/9/04]
Voting Present in the State Legislature is Used as A Signal to the Other Party, Not As a Way to Duck the Issue. "An aspect of Obama's State Senate voting record that is drawing attention is his "present" votes. A present vote is a third option to an up or down "yes" or "no" that is used with great frequency in the Illinois General Assembly. It has many varied and nuanced meanings that, in the context of the actual bills, border on boring. It's most important use is as a signal – to the other party, to the governor, to the sponsor -- to show a willingness to compromise on the issue if not the exact bill, to show disapproval for one aspect of the bill, to question the constitutionality of the bill, to strengthen the bill. [Chicago Daily Herald, 3/10/04]
Obama Would Vote 'Present' On Unconstitutional Bills, Saying He Tried To Resist Bad Votes That Make Good Politics. The AP reported, "Obama says his 'present' votes often come on bills that he believes are unconstitutional. 'I have tried to not succumb to the temptation of voting on bad laws just because it makes for good politics,' Obama said." [AP, 9/9/04]
Senators Would Vote Present If They Had 'Unresolved Worries.' The State Journal-Register reported, "Sen. George Shadid, the Edwards Democrat who is pushing the legislation, promised Senate Education Committee members that he wouldn't move ahead with Senate Bill 368 'unless I can get a good consensus.'…Four committee members cited unresolved worries when they voted 'present' on the measure, which passed 7-0." [State Journal-Register, 2/27/03]

Billy, you need to go back to doing whatever it was that you did before you started putting out crap like this.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card

something for all the people who feel so sorry for poor old Sarah

I’ve been watching Sarah’s and McCain’s speeches along with what the “political” commentators had to say about them. Also, I watched the interview with Obama on FoxNews.
 
I have to say that the democrats were so much into believing their own imagination and “dreams” that they didn’t see the train that just hit them and now they are all over the place. They just can not recover and understand what just hit them (yesterday night, CNN crew after was hammering Sarah, at the end of her speech they were speechless). Also, they invested hundreds of millions of dollars into someone that is not able to answer clearly simple questions (FoxNews interview). Obama was campaigning for 19 month or so with all the media was behind him, and now this “hockey-mom” comes from Alaska and in just 5 days she’s got 37 million viewers of her speech, with just one 1 million less than Obama’s. My opinion is that she’s got more than 37 mil., but the media doesn’t want to admit it.
 
For 19 months the democrats were training to build this image of their candidate as an invincible, the most-experienced, the best speaker, the tax-cutter, the Savior and Messiah of this country, and now all this paper castle is falling apart at the first breeze (this is just the beginning, wait and see when that breeze will become a tropical storm and then a hurricane with tsunami).
 
The liberal media was speculating today that Obama should drop Biden and take Hillary as VP. Obama had changed his mind many times (like Robert J. was saying). Considering that record, don’t be surprised if soon you’ll see Hillary as VP running mate for Obama. For a week nobody was talking about Obama. He had an interview today on FoxNews and nobody was talking about it. It is clear with a naked eye that Obama has problems.
 
And this is just the beginning of a GREAT presidential campaign. :)
 
This is the reason why I love America and proud to be an american even if I was born and raised into a former communist country (I know what the communism and socialism is, I don’t have to hear it from Obama).
 
God Bless America!

Oh Billy, I thought with the sudden emergence of Palin, you cons would be fired up for Father Time.  This blog mentions McCain by name exactly twice the morning after his big acceptance speech.  Attack Barack, attack his supporters is your only recourse.  Any thoughts on last night's tour de force by McCain or did you sleep through it like some in the hall last night.

This is the type of stuff that regular people reject.  You are wed to the tactics of the past.  How about a positive message for regular people?  Try lifting your candidate up (if you can).  This is the day after your convention.  You should be choc full of talking points.  Instead it's same old, lame old.  Raise the bar, Billy.  Try something new.....and if you want to talk about talking heads, go watch that Daily Show clip from two nights ago.  It is priceless.

"once again,  stupidity flows here with such ease.
people who understand what a vote of "present" means know
how idiotic you are..."

And you think that makes Obama a good decision maker?

Or isn't that a dangerous sign that he will become an undecisive chief executive. His constant changing of position and "nuancing" expose his inability to make definite, bold decisions.

Great article UC.

Regardless of whether or not anybody likes BHO, he is absolutely not ready for the Presidency. We are talking about the highest office in the land, in wartime, and he can't answer O'Reilly on the issue of Iran. Lot of sidestepping, lot of grey area, but no substance at all. We all know what McCain would do about Iran. Like McCain or not, at least we know where he stands.

Chris- did you even READ what I posted concerning the flat-out LIES that Palin's speech contained and she mouthed???  Her inexperience and lack of political knowledge of what is actually going on- allows her to be tooled and molded and  used .  She is caught of in the glimmer of the moment. 
They handed her a speech and a podium and the national spotlight.  If this woman had any decency at all, she would have said,  "Is this true?  I don't want to misrepresent or put lies out there. I want to stand on my own."  
Statements within her acceptance were filled with non-truths, particularly pertaining to Obama's past, his record, legislation that he has sponsored and co-sponsored. Her reference to Obama's work as a community organizer was ridiculed and put down as meaningless.  She claimed to be just a small hometown gal, a hockey mom,   (who had a special designer come to her house with 300 frames from which to select for her $700 eyeglasses).

Joe- once again- your ignorance is showing.  go back and read:
Voting Present in the State Legislature is Used as A Signal to the Other Party, Not As a Way to Duck the Issue. "An aspect of Obama's State Senate voting record that is drawing attention is his "present" votes. A present vote is a third option to an up or down "yes" or "no" that is used with great frequency in the Illinois General Assembly. It has many varied and nuanced meanings that, in the context of the actual bills, border on boring. It's most important use is as a signal – to the other party, to the governor, to the sponsor -- to show a willingness to compromise on the issue if not the exact bill, to show disapproval for one aspect of the bill, to question the constitutionality of the bill, to strengthen the bill. [Chicago Daily Herald, 3/10/04]

you are an excellent example of one who has:
no grasp of the facts.
no clue as to how a bill is passed.
no understanding of what is being said.

"Chris- did you even READ what I posted concerning the flat-out LIES that Palin's speech contained and she mouthed???"

"Flat out lies" . . . you mean those things politicians use to get votes?

Like Obama?

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_obama.html

In fact, an objective review of factcheck.org would tend to indicate that both sides are pretty much full of it when they're in campaign mode.

BTW, the "voting present" thing is a great soundbite, but most folks realize it was a political strategy to, in some cases, get movement on a bill in a direction the politician favored and, in some cases, not to take a position on something that could be politically damaging if it passed or failed and a strong position one way or another was taken by the candidate. This is fairly common at the state level, and only really convenient to attack because McCain, Palin, etc., never found themselves in a position where voting "present" would be politically expedient or a way to push legislation in a favorable direction.

I am not at all worried about Obama's ability to make decisions. I'm worried about what they would be, how that would translate into policy, and how quickly my promised tax break would disappear and never-before-mentioned tax increases would appear. That was the Clinton strategy. And I've never met a Democrat who met a tax-increase he/she didn't like.

She claimed to be just a small hometown gal, a hockey mom,   (who had a special designer come to her house with 300 frames from which to select for her $700 eyeglasses).

What's that I smell? A double standard? $400 haircuts are "cynical attacks" when mentioned about John Edwards, oh he of two Americas, but expensive glasses--which, um, last longer than haircuts, and good glasses with decent frames are frickin' expensive, if you've ever had to buy them--shows that Sarah Palin is out of touch?

Go field dress a moose and get back to me. Good lord, that sounds desperate. You guys may not be desperate, you may think McCain/Palin has no chance, but you have to know that going on about her glasses and trying to say that of all the candidates, Sarah Palin is somehow out of touch . . . it oozes desperation and panic, even if that's not how you mean it.

McCain could easily lose. Palin's reception has clearly been mixed among many Republicans and certainly independents. I think she may win them over, but maybe not. But . . . her glasses? Not really a small town Hockey Mom?
Compared to Obama and Biden? Please.

now  you see the foolishness of your own statements concerning edwards don't you.
finally.

and you are right about Obama and Biden, they are not small town hockey moms.

I am amazed that everyone is talking about he voted present 150 times in seven  years. This man voted over 4,000 times that is common in every state senate and the US senate as well. What amazes me is that there was a convention going on for the last four days and no one mentioned the economy. It was POW, War, attack Obama, POW, Hockey Mom, attack Obama, POW, War attack Obama. Name one thing McCain has done for working families. He has been in that Senate for almost three decades and everything that he talks about and his team speaks about happened over 40 years ago. Not taking anything away from what he experienced during that period but does that mean that qualified him for being the President.

Now you talk about Obama's expereince let's compare to Palin's and see who's ready to lead on day one. They won't even let this woman speak to the media. This barracuda pit bull with lipstick is not strong enough to speak with the media. Why would any self respecting professional woman refer to herself in that matter.

Billy H.
-I can count on you to always make a fool of yourself....
What about Abe Lincoln's prior experience before becoming president?
Was it not limited to a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1846 to 1848?  Wow!  That should have made him a looser, but did it?

I offer this for McCain's leadership ability, all from demotards.  Let's see one with conservatives expressing thier similar support for the Obamunist.  None?  Again, this is the year the demotards hand the WW to the good guys?  Remeber Carter?  Mondale? Dukakis?  Just too many to mention.

LOL

See you in the White House for the next 16 years, suckers!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSpcxkKlEFA

Liberal values are failing us all.  I know way too many people who prefer to be passive-aggressive, non-confrontational, self-hating, classic victim types.  It's no wonder Obama is so popular.  The inward focus of the liberal idealism basically turns people into haters over the fact that LIFE ISN'T FAIR.  I've always loved my country and stood by it, just like my family.  They may differ in opinion but they are still my loved ones and the same goes for the USA.  Michelle Obama only has the capacity to love her country when enough people are kissing her parasitic husband's butt.

We must stop extracting the teeth from our gift horses.

CyberGhetto...
The true parasites of this nation are the CEO's that USE our nation and it's people to extract maximum profits.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. Wedidn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."
-Ronald Reagan

David, you can wave the flag of Socialism all you want, but in the end, you are too weak and selfish to either comprehend or deserve freedom.

The flag i wave is red white and blue........the selfish are the Republicans who send others to fight wars in the name of freedom....... but really, for the profit of corporations.  Weak?  Maybe......since I gave my health to the service of this once great nation......but selfish, no.

The real Sarah Palin
I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska.  I have known Sarah since 1992.  Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a first-name basis.  Our children have attended the same schools.  Her father was my child's favorite substitute teacher.  I also am on a first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law.  I attended more City Council meetings during her administration than about 99 percent of the residents of the city.
She is enormously popular; in every way, she is like the most popular girl in middle school.  Even men who think she is a poor choice and will not vote for her cannot quit smiling when talking about her because she is a "babe".  It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret.  She kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents for seven months.  She is "pro-life".  She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby.  There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.
She is energetic and hardworking.  She regularly worked out at the gym.  She is savvy.  She does not take positions; she just "puts things out there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.  Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a champion snowmobile racer.  Todd Palin's kind of job is highly sought-after because of the schedule and high pay.  He arranges his work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their major source of income.  Nor has her life-style ever been anything like that of native Alaskans.  Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.  She is smart.
Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents.  During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator.  She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings, which had given rise to a recall campaign.
Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative".  During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33 percent.  During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38 percent.  This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002).  She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax, which taxed even food.  The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents.  The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration were not enough to fund everything on her wish list though; borrowed money was needed, too.  She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million.  What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for?  Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported?  The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked or a new library?  No.  $1 million for a park.  $15 million-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn't even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers involved!  The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be.  She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.  While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once.  These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.
 
As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus in Alaska.  Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.  In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's surplus, borrow for needs.
She is not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas or compromise.  As Mayor, she fought ideas that were not generated by her or her staff.  Ideas were not evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them.  While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla, she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed.  City residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter.  People who fought her attempt to oust the Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.
Sarah complained about the "old boy's club" when she first ran for Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla?  A new set of "old boys".  Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited.  At the City and as Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people, creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the case of pressuring the State's top cop (see below).
As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla's Police Chief because he "intimidated" her, she told the press.  As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top cop has the ring of familiarity about it.  He served at her pleasure and she had every leg al right to fire him, but it is pretty clear that an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he would not fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper.  Under investigation for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law.  She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support.
She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in help.  The City Council person who personally escorted her around town introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor.  She abruptly fired her loyal City administrator; even people who did not like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.  Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything publicly about her.
When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid.  She had no background in oil & gas issues.  Within months of scoring this great job, which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the high salary.  I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the structured hours, and the work.  Sarah became aware that a member of this Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party) engaged in unethical behavior on the job.  In a gutsy move which some undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job s he hated and garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a gutsy fighter against the "old boys' club" when she dramatically quit, exposing this man's ethics violations (for which he was fined).
As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Senator Ted Stevens.  Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him.  She only opposed the "bridge to nowhere" after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.  As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, and then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork.  Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects--which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance--but with the unobservant, she had gained a reputation as "anti-pork".
She is solidly Republican: no political maverick.  The State party leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated them.  Other members of the party object to her self-description as a fiscal conservative.  Around Wasilla, there are people who went to high school with Sarah.  They call her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her unbridled ambition and predatory ruthlessness.  Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team.  When Sarah's mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.
As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package of legislation known as "AGIA" that forced the oil companies to march to the beat of her drum.  Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to global warming.  She campaigned "as a private citizen" against a state initiative that would have either a) protected salmon streams from pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the state (depending on who you listen to).  She has pushed the State's lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior's decision to list polar bears as threatened species.
McCain is the oldest person ever to run for President; Sarah will be a heartbeat away from being President.  There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she.  However, there are a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it.
WHY AM I WRITING THIS?
First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed voter.  I am a voter registrar.  For 10 years, I put on student voting programs in the schools.  If you Google my name (Anne Kilkenny + Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.
Secondly, I have always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen when good people stay silent".  Few people know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings.
Third, I am just a housewife.  I do not have a job she can bump me out of.  I do not belong to any organization that she can hurt.  Nevertheless, I am no fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will cost me somehow in the future: that is life.
Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's attempt at censorship.
Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because t hey were somehow vulnerable.
Anne Kilkenny
[email protected]
August 31, 2023
P.S. - I am not a statistician.  I developed the numbers for the increase in spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor) from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of Wasilla, and I cannot recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust for inflation?  For population increases?  Right now, it is impossible for a private person to get any info out of City Hall--they are swamped.  Therefore, I cannot verify my numbers.
 
You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000", up to 9,000.  The day Palin's selection was announced a city official told me that the current population is about 7,000.  The official 2000 census count was 5,460.  I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to 2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90's.

David...your party led by Obama threw 12,000 flags in the trash after the DNC.  John McCain suffered and bled for that flag.  One man's trash is another's treasure.  Obama is a fraud and cares more about what the German's think about America than the average American.

I have attended a few hockey games in my time, an areana (orgie) of poor sportsmanship, foul language, and really bad sideline ediquette. Not sure.....but I am guessing that more Pitbulls are put to sleep each year than any other breed. Can someone expain to me why that speech (joke) seemed so appealing to so many.

The best line in this year's Republican convention came from Mike Huckabee. Confronting all the gossip about Palin's lack of experience he stated the following fact:

*Sarah Palin got more votes running for mayor of Wasila, Alaska, than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States.

In fact, Biden got some 9000 votes in this year's Democratic primary. (By the way, Hillary Cliton, who was passed over for the VP slot, got 18 million).

And Biden has run for president before, in 1987. Most people have forgotten (or never knew) about Biden's earlier run, but The Economist unceremoniously reminds us in the August 28 edition. In that race, Biden not only borrowed a speech from Niel Kinnock, the British Labor leader, and presented it as his own. He even plagiarized Kinnock's life story, claiming to be the first in his family to go to college and that his ancestors worked in a coal mine. Of course, when this came out, Biden's campaign collapsed like a house of cards.

You've got to wonder when and how Biden will blow up in this race. It could get quite spectacular.

Apart from the Huckabee kick, Sarah Palin's own speech was quite a ride. She went after Obama in a way no one has done before, exposing the hypocrisy and self-aggrandizement. A couple of good ones off the top of my head:

- Obama has written two auto biographies but not authored a single significant bill
- "We prefer people who don't speak to us one way when they're in Scranton and then in another way when they're in San Francisco" (a dig at Obama's "bitter" comments)
- "Here's a candidate who can give an entire speech about the war in Iraq without once mentioning the word Victory, except when he talks about his own campaign".
- "I guess a mayer is sort of like a community organizer, except you have actual responsibilities".

The reason why the media and the left wing bloggers are going so hard after Palin is because she's dangerous. They all expected an Obama coronation in November, with the elections a minor nuisance on the path to glory. If you saw the Obama Europe tour earlier this year, you may even have thought he'd skipped the US presidential elections all together and was running for world president.

But now this woman comes along and throws a wrench in the plans. Palin is something very unusual in this campaign: She comes across as genuine, a fighter who has taken unpopular positions, fought corruption in her own party, and thrown out incumbents. She connects extremely well with ordinary folks. So clearly the left needs to discredit her achievements. They're throwing the kitchen sink at her and is looking to see what sticks.

The real danger to Obama's campaign here is that Palin is about to reveal what has been the case the whole time: Obama is not the agent of change he proclaims. In his first important decision as candidate, he picked Biden, the 36-year Washington insider, as his sidekick.

And looking at Obama's record, nothing points to the kind of post partisanship or change he talks about all the time. In fact, he completely squandered the opportunity to clean up Chicago politics when he was a state senator (something that would have provided real benefits but also earned him enemies in his own party). He never stood up to the old boys network in Chicago politics, and he has no achievements at all to talk about in the US senate. (By the way, he's been a member of the US senate for 3 1/2 years, half of which (at least) was spent campaigning for president. So I guess that gives him about 1 1/2 years of actual "experience" in the senate.)

The democrats are in trouble and they know it. If Obama loses the freshness and "change" veneer you've got to wonder what is left of his campaign.

"And looking at Obama's record, nothing points to the kind of post partisanship or change he talks about all the time. In fact, he completely squandered the opportunity to clean up Chicago politics when he was a state senator (something that would have provided real benefits but also earned him enemies in his own party). He never stood up to the old boys network in Chicago politics, and he has no achievements at all to talk about in the US senate."

Have you looked that up? What do you call major? What about the most major ethics overhauls since watergate in both the Illinois senate and US senate. I guess the GOP doesn't think that ethics reform is major...

I don't understand why the GOP is mocking community organizing. Its a vital and thankless job, and a key to keeping governments in check and giving people a voice. However, the people that work with community organizers the most are poor urban people of color, who won't really vote for the GOP anyway, so why should the GOP care? That's true about the mayor position, only when you're mayor you have power you can abuse.

Oh, and about Scranton and San Fransisco, I don't think anyone would pretend that they are the same places and would want to hear the same message. I don't like how John McCain talked when he was at Sturgis, but I didn't mind him before.

KC.......
enough already with the flag waving bullshit.  I fought and bled for my country too.  Already tired of McCain's whining about being a POW.  It's what we signed up for, huh?
No, the REAL fraud is McCain, who votes against benefits for Vets I guess because he has all the healthcare he needs, so to hell with the rest!  Who claims to be a maverick and an agent of change when his campaign is run by a lobbyist, and was a major player in the Keating Five Scandal.

oh, D. Walters, spare us tour preposterous spin. McCain was no major player in any Keating scandal,  there was a commission that investigated the whole thing, they let him off the hook, the didn't see any wrongdoings on his part, so there,  enough of that crap.  as for trolls such as yourself who allegedely served your country :-) (yet another closet hero, hahaha  :-), have you noticed that all of a sudden all these trolls that intoxicate the blogosphere, the obambi hordes sent on a mission to spit venom - all of a sudden they all served :-), they think they make their case more complelling if they bring that unsolicited for most part (and untrue for most part) piece of their autobiographical info.  even obambi went on the ABC interview and said , guess what :-))), that he considered joining the military at some point :-) hahaha :-) yeah, and I considered joining the Hare Krishna :-) but I didn't have a great voice :-). so, stop spamming these blogs, go and preach to the choire, there are plenty of la-la land dem blogs out there. as for this ann ekilkenny woman/man, whoever she/he is, this person has already been exposed as a trol and a fraud on many newsweek sites. go here. like you pathetic dems fool anybody...

http://www.newsweek.com/id/157986

orin....nice try,
just like redefining "Mission Accomplished"  you seem adept at telling us black is really white, perhaps you are in the ad business.
And a commission found John McCain innocent too.  Yeah right, you keep believing that......bet Phil Gramm is your daddy.  But what about his campaign manager....isn't he a highly paid Washington Lobbyist?  So much for maverick status. 
UC has a nice blog here, and I appreciate him allowing free expression of opinion.....freedom of speech was something we both fought for, so atleast we have that in common.  No, I'll preach to the choir when I please, but for now my mission is to correct sloppy thinking, if you don't mind.
Sgt.DavidW.Walters(Ret)1stBn ABN/508th Inf

Wendell Willkie was waaaaay more qualified than Barack Obama. Everyone knows that. 


No wonder Rudy Giuliani didn't win the Republican nomination, he doesn't even know his presidential history

I'm very surprised how many low blows there are in these comments. It reminds me of the partisan politics in Europe, where I used to live. You see it's not a gotcha game. We are talking about Presidential elections. It's no small thing, it's not about one issue, one word, one situation.

I think you have to go beyond party lines, you have to go beyond specific statements, and even specific deeds in candidates lives. You have to try to see the person as a whole. At least for a moment. And you have to ask yourself:

What is this person standing for, what is their record, does the record match their words, how does what that person says and does relate to American traditions, what is this person's plan in regards "to form a more perfect Union" in the sense of the Constitution.

And then do the same with the other person

And then choose the one who comes out on top.

You have to be able to see through the gotcha techniques of campaigns. They are mere distractions and you guys seem to be distracted by them.

Some people might move away from the traditions of this country, with the conviction that this country is broken, but this country is not broken because of it's idea, but because of it's execution. There is no better country than America in terms of Liberty and Opportunity.

I know because I have lived 30 years in Europe prior to coming to the US. Europe is in many ways broken and shows very clearly that big governments do not work - because of bureaucracy, corruption and because of the amount of money they cost - which means taxes, taxes, taxes

Hey, bigger government - gas at $15 per gallon. How does that sound?

I sometimes believe it would be great if some of the left wingers in America could live in Europe for a while? I think it would be a great eye-opener.

But I guess the grass is always greener on the other side

The Alien Patriot

Alien Patriot,
It seems to me that if John McCain had spent 26 years in congress, he'd have known what "Peak Oil" means......
So he is part of the problem with respect to the energy crisis.
At least in Europe, a person can get to work WITHOUT an automobile, huh?  Here in America, we are beholden to the oil companies and there "people" in congress, like John McCain.

Excuse me....."Their people" instead of "there people"......

@ "onin"
your post surprised me that you did not include "kool-aid"- or "socialist" or "marxist" - don't you know that these are required here?  you must be a poser of some sort.  i don't really care that you are unable to follow the rules of a good brown-noser but there are a few things that you should know - in order to get your conservative views across :


the fact is that people here are:

a) determined to vote against their own self interests.
they actually want the higher taxes as promoted by John McCain. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aKZG._gG2NVI&refer=politics
Obama has stated repeatedly since the first day of his campaign on taxes: if you make over $250,000 you are likely to see a tax increase yet they would rather believe otherwise because they are too lazy to look up the truth for themselves because they care nothing about the truth- the people here allow others to lead them by their respective noses with fear tactics and lies. 
b) they actually want a theocracy - a government ruled by their religion.
and fight constantly for this. They wring their hands over foreign governments that have this calling them "godless"...they even went so far as to call Obama a Muslim because to them Muslim=terrorist... never mind the fact that it is unconstitutional to have a religious test for elected office in the United States...never mind that the majority of Muslim around the world are good people- never mind that Obama is not even Muslim- these are facts that just got in the way of their prejudices and pre-conceived notions.  Then, upon learning of Obama's Christian church, people here- including the host of this site- claim Obama's was the "wrong kind of Christian"-  this is not because of what Obama himself has said over and over again- this is not because they have actually listened to what Obama has said, this opinion here is not based upon how Obama lives what he says- that would be logical- people here are a lot of things- logical is NOT one of them.  People here hang their "christianity" around their necks and throw flags over their shoulders like some sort of personal magic shield- proclaiming for all the world that they are God-fearing, America-loving patriots- yet daily display evidence that they are not living the words they speak.  They have become the lie itself.
c) they care nothing about the truth, their neighbor, or the future of their city, their country and their planet. they are selfish.  they belittle the "community organizer" because they don't know what it is.  (never mind that the McCain campaign copied the entire idea of putting "country first" from the Obama campaign- never mind that McCain's campaign copied the "change mantra" from the Obama campaign- those pesky facts again are only in the way).  People here are easy prey because they don't think.  they don't research.  they don't listen with their own ears.  they are like the christian that show up in church only on Easter and Christmas but spend 363 days of the year trying to find ways to cheat on their spouse, steal from their neighbor or employer or the government,  and use people to their own advantage.
To the people here a hypocrite is not someone who says one thing and does another- a hypocrite is the unfortunate soul that got caught..they should have been smarter in their deceit. If the person that got caught happened to be a conservative- the people here - rather than condemn the action itself- they quickly point out a democrat who got caught at something.  The failure to see that BOTH were wrong is lost in the shuffle. 
d) Facts don't matter...even though a multitude of lies here have been proven over and over and over again to be false- they cling to them like flypaper- if they did not, they would be forced to  admit to their REAL objections , their own hypocrisy, and their actual ignorance of facts. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/politics/14palin.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1221343324-tGxa66AkDRYq1tsNYpjoIw&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin
McCain's staff of booger-flingers cannot run on McCain's record for it would put him smack dab in Bush's lap.  Bush is an utter failure.  They know this. You know this.
So, what do you do?  You paint the opposition as something fearsome. You cry foul when they quote your own words exposing McCain's lies...they fling boogers, lies, and present smoke and mirrors constantly.  Nothing positive, nothing factual, nothing promoting their candidate- how can they?  he has nothing to run upon...so they use scare words and scare tactics, they prey upon your fears knowing that you are ignorant of anything outside of your own world,  they take the two things that you count on as being true:  your God, and your right to protect your family with the right to bear arms and claim that the opposition is coming after these rights.  They pick a group least understood by those in front of them and create a fear for them.  It could be blacks, gays, unions, single parents, atheists...it does not matter- just pick someone different and call them un-American...tell the crowds that these people are coming to take away their values and their children.
They have taken conversations by one person and attributed them to having said them about someone entirely different.  I know it's a lie- but to their prey, it's yet another reason why "those people" are un-American.   They take a quote and chop it to bits and present it as the opponent's position...The folks here soak that up.  The people here are too lazy to learn for themselves, and too anxious to not be found that they have been taken in.  Snookered big time.  And for what?  What is the end result of this stupidity?  They elect yet another crooked politician who will pick them clean and not even say thank you.  
You deserve what you get because you are too ignorant and too lazy to think for yourselves.

you consistenly try and put people down here, Toe; yet you comment the most right behind your boy David Walters.  So I ask ... What is your purpose for spending time here? Do you think your comments actually make a difference?

You call me and everyone else here names and criticize my world view, my commentary, my perspective because IT'S JUST NOT LIKE YOURS! We are different. Deal with it.  You think my view of life is crazy ... and equally I think your view is just as crazy, but that's what makes this country so great. 

So again, I ask you for the 10th time. Why are you here?

yes, Mr Uc- you and I are different.  I am honest. You are not.
This is why I am here. 
I am still waiting for you to find any item on "media matters" that is false.
You condemn  it- but where are your facts?  What item is false?  Find it.
Display it here.  Show me where I am wrong.  You are not able to do this. 
You and your posters here are entitled to your opinions.  No one has said this is not true.  NO ONE.  What I have said is that you are stating an opinion based upon proven LIES.
If you elect to be stupid- this is, of course, your choice. You deserve every single thing that you receive both in your personal life and in your government representative(s).

Don't promote LIES and expect me to sit and say nothing. 
Yes, we are very different.
That is why I am here.

UC.....you should know better than refer to someone as a boy.....kinda low class, and i thought better of you.  You know respect is something earned, not granted.  Didn't you learn any leadership principles in the Corps?
I am sure you'd like to see Toe & me leave so you could continue spewing your falsehoods.  Do we make a difference?  Not to any closed minded individuals that may visit this site, but to a person who really takes pride in engaging the brain, it may give them a moment to pause and think....something you could stand to do your owns self!

your own self.....excuse the typo

you always point to your sources; yet they all liberal/progressive. Where are the NON-partisan sources?

I really don't care what they say anyway... i'd rather you tell me why you think Obama is a better choice than McCain. I, and everyone else here WANT your opinion, not Media Matters or what is posted on Obama's website. 

I do not lie Toe.  There are "entertainment reasons" why I post certain material here on the site, but I always disclose that not all might be is factual (i know you are referring to the video I posted back in June). But the rest is simple commentary with MY point of view of Obama and everything else that is going on. 

Is Obama's past relationship with David Ayers false?

What about the chuch he attended for over 20 years (oh boy, that must bother the heck out of you, huh?) and the racist/sexist statements he sermon about the U.S. and Hillary? Is that false?

What about his voting record and the fact that he hasn't voted in over 50% of the bills? Did I make this one up?

What about his statements about willing to personally <span style="color: #0a8fbc;">meet with hostile dictators </span>like Hugo Chavez and Ahmadinejad with no preconditions? Did he say that?  

What about the fact that he is unaccomplished. He hasn’t done anything of worth relative to his time in office. He’s only been in the Senate for about two years.  Soon he will have campaigned for almost as long as he has been in the Senate.

What about the sex education bill, that would allow children early as Kindergarten being taught sex education?  I know he didn't sponsor the bill but he supported it.  

These aren't lies Toe.

oh come one David ... don't get all emotional on me here.  "your boy" is actually not low class ... it's an urban term that means "your homey, your friend, your partner". 

Relax dude.

Bowie- Praise the Lord!  Another Christian who, I'm guessing, appreciates the fact that Jesus taught by example, not by law!
Jack- I am a single mom too.  Raised two by myself and put myself through school and have one in college as well.  I am currently finishing my PhD and my area of study is single mothers.  What I have learned through my studies is that women who are able to succeed do so against all odds- we are the outliers.  
I teach undergrads and inevitably one student will hold Oprah up as an example of how Black women can be successful- and while this is true, it's rather unfair to use her as a litmus test for the success of all Black women.  In that same way, wouldn't it be more useful for us- single women who have successfully raised great kids and done well for ourselves- to focus on uplifting other women who face the same difficulties?  This, as opposed to "I did it so you have to as well" as a philosophy for government?
Also Jack, you critique others for not knowing very much about government, but you seem to focus solely on economic structural issues.  However, the Obama model is similar to the Clinton model, which was an enormous success and places you in a position where you might actually enjoy a retirement and finally take a great vacation with your successful son!  Think about it.  Let go of your fear, open up your heart and really think about it.

I stand corrected- 
here is the actual quote caught on tape from Sarah Palin:

Sarah Palin: (March 2008) "When I hear a statement like that, coming from a woman candidate, with any kind of perceived whine, about that excess criticism or maybe a sharper microscope put on her, I think, man, that doesn't do us any good... I mean, work harder! Prove yourself to a greater degree, that your capable, that your going to be, ah, the best candidate."

Stix- you seem to know the nuances of public policy.  Kudos.  I think you should have been McCain's running mate.  You sound more qualified than Palin.

There are no ridiculous claims about Palin.  If Biden wouldn't take an unscripted interview, the right would be all over it!  But, we have to be respectful of her?  She wants to be our Vice President for God's sake!!!!  Wasn't she the one who is quoted (ON VIDEO NO LESS) as saying:

"Whenever a woman candidate makes a statement like that with any kind of perceived whine or problem with being viewed through a sharper lens, I think to myself 'Man- she's not doing us any favors'.  You need to work harder and prove yourself" -Sarah Palin

Sounds like Sarah think what is good for the goose (Hillary) isn't good for the gander (herself)

Woops- did I just compare her to a gander?  Good Lord what a sexist I am!

Keep it up- keep it up!  Your candidate sux.

UC.....well i stand corrected

David,

You are right that John McCain knows about Peak oil, but so does Obama, Biden, Clinton, Carter. Nobody did anything about it. Doesn't Clinton still get money from the Saudi's? (Anyway but that's not the point - so don't get hung up on it)

What you see in Europe is a different culture - people are more into saving, recycling, conserving - but that's the people not the politicians.

Are you pushing for better public transportation in your own area, I mean personally? Do you write letters to your representatives, demanding it or are you just sitting there and criticizing other who have failed to do that.

Are you willing to pay more taxes for a better public transportation system?

Again you can't pick out just one aspect of European life and say :" See it works". You need to see the bigger picture. You need to be willing to get taxed up to your ears, because that is how many things in Europe work. And you and every other person in the US would have to change their attitude about the American lifestyle. Maybe they don't want to.

75% want drilling now - isn't that a sign for you?

The US constitution states : "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union", so rally your friends and start at your own local community to change things. Change your own ways, save, recycle and maybe one day it spreads over the country. I don't believe that a central government will be able to change the people's attitude without the people wanting to and without the politicians themselves wanting to change.

Remember the American politicians are merely a reflection on where people in America want this nation to be. It's not one person's fault. Not John McCain's nor B Obama's

All my friends and relatives in Germany are certainly proud to have good health care and public transport.  Many do not even feel the need to purchase an automobile because it is so easy to get around in most large German cities.
But back to America.....A tax is an expense, and with every expense we expect something in return, such as health care or transit.  When it costs $80 to fill my tank, which may get me 365 miles, when I could fill up the same truck for just about $35 8 years ago, it might as well be a tax.  I would just as soon pay a bit more in taxes and receive a better return on my expenditure than what we get today from our present leadership.  Remember, McCain has 26 years of experience, experience that has failed this once great nation.

But prices in Europe rose dramatically too, with no extra return. This is not a unique American thing. Again people's consumer habits change, and the country will change. 

I notice all you are here for is to blame McCain. But you got your bunch of dems sitting in the congress and not doing anything. You are probably also one of those people who blame Bush for everything bad that happens in this country and in the world. So boring, dude.

Alien Patriot
" But you got your bunch of dems sitting in the congress and not doing anything"
Again.....the PRESIDENT'S job is to lead, like Clinton did with  with a majority Republican House of Representatives.......or as George Bush Jr. SHOULD have done with a majority republican Congress.  So your blame the Dem's kinda falls flat.
"But prices in Europe rose dramatically too, with no extra return."
No extra return?  So if i live in Frankfurt, i can go lots of places without filling my tank.....unlike here in the good ol USA!  Instead of investing tax money into public transit, we have invested in reducing the tax burden to the oil industry with NO RETURN on that investment for most people.  Lots of American's may be invested in oil, but for most of them.....any profit they realize on an IRA is gobbled up the next time they go to fill up at the pump!

many conservatives have taken joy in pointing out that this "democratic congress" has "done little and maintains an approval rating even lower than that of bush".
number one:  the house enjoys a solid majority and have had little trouble forwarding bills to the senate. 
number two:  democrats do NOT hold a solid majority in the senate.  they do NOT have the required number to over-ride a veto or stop a filibuster. http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Filibuster_Cloture.htm
the current republicans have filibustered more times than in this nation's history- check the facts.
don't blame democrats for not pushing forward legislation- the republicans have sat on their collective butts and pointed at the democrats for being unpopular with their base.  never mind that the republicans are the cause.
despite this game-playing on the part of republicans, important measures have passed- including,  among many others- an increase in the minimum wage.  a measure that your boy McCain was against as I recall.  He -McCain- also was against the most recent GI Bill that was passed saying it would not encourage current military personnel to re-enlist.  These are facts.  Look them up.  Bush, who was also against this bill- ended up signing it and... this is the kicker- credited McCain for his hard work on this.  McCain took the credit.  For a bill that he did not vote for and campaigned against.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Oba...

Jack this crisis has been brewing for 30 years.  Congress going on vacation is not the problem........the problem has been the lack of Leadership at the top.
So we can continue to let business lobbyist run the white house
(where leadership resides) or we can vote for change.

This ad aired at the end of the Carolina Panthers game!  Hard hitting like Julius Peppers!

Jack, remember this also....
3% of the proven reserves, and 25% of the global consumption is a recipe for disaster if we do not diversify our energy mix.  I'm not against drilling, but i know enough to understand it won't solve the problem either.
Just think if we had of gone another route 30 yrs. ago!

David be honest, did you think about this before the election? Did you stand up for it? Did you don't mind overconsumption of oil as long it was cheap?

Alien,
i was a geology major in college in 1977 when J. Carter made this speech.  Yeah, i understood "peak oil" before the term was coined.  In the summer of '77 i worked on the National Uranium Resource Evaluation Project ..........
Anyone with a position in government knew this too, yet it became cool to make fun of conservation efforts.  Yet my automobiles have always been modest.  The Dodge PU i bought in '99(i still drive it) is a 4 cyl.  But what is one person going to accomplish?  That's what GOOD GOVERNMENT is for, something we haven't had in a long, long time!

Well good for you.

Good Government: What is that? You see in Europe they hate the way government is run there and they try to change it to be more like America.
There is massive corruption going on and average living standard is lower than in America. There is a great website that I found, that talks a little bit about the differences between Germany and America. If you are interested, check out http://math-www.uni-paderborn.de/~axel/us-d.htm.... Lot of it also applies to my own home country.

Government is hurting there big time. The often praised government insurance in Austria will most like go bankrupt in 2009 (according to recent news articles from Austrian papers) and researching about Germany the health insurance is struggling there with insolvency too.  The prices for insurance went up there dramatically and there is no doubt that this will continue.

The main problem with big government is, that it tends to make people lazy. I have (mis-)used the system in Austria myself many times. I had a virtually free masters degree ($12 per semester), my parents received child benefits until I was 26, I received free tickets for public transportation etc. I was riding the wave. Yeah one might say great - but the downside of the coin - who is paying for it. I was shocked when I saw my Dad's paycheck, and he was not a super big earner - close to 50%. And still the government in Austria is broke.

If there is a vision that bigger government will help the people who don't have money now, I believe it when I see it. So far all attempts in Europe seem to fail. And BO seems to want to go down that route. I think he is much more left than he shows. And to find that out after he would get President, would be a big disappointment for a lot of people.

No One I know in Germany wants American style health care.......they hate our war in Iraq, and i really doubt they'd like to see large cuts in their transit system to be "more like ours".
So your dad paid close to 50%?  When you add in health insurance and $4/gal. gas to drive to work we are approaching 40% ourselves!  And our infrastructure sucks!  Our government is not only broke.....we are DEEPLY in debt.  No, it's not what i'd like to continue, which is what we will get with McCain.

@Mr UC:  point by point:

you said "where are (my) non-partisian sources"  followed by  "i don't want to know"
in point of fact, i have often taken great care to find sources - multiple sources for your review. wall street journal, bbc, new york times, library of congress, the congressional record, to name a few. 
to imply something is truth when you know it a lie is not "entertainment"- it's promotion of a lie. it's a pretty simple concept.  you seem to have some form of intelligence, it surprises me that you do not grasp this. 
Obama's "relationship" with Ayers is that they sat on a  nine member board of directors together in 2001: called the Woods Fund of Chicago- an anti-poverty, philanthropic foundation established in 1941.
Woods supports nonprofits in their important roles of engaging people in civic life, addressing the causes of poverty and other challenges facing the region, promoting more effective public policies, reducing racism and other barriers to equal opportunity, and building a sense of community and common ground.
Ayers had  another contact with Obama as a resident of Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, (where they both happen to live) hosting Obama's first fund raising reception in his first Illinois state Senate campaign in 1995, appearing on education panels together, and donating $200 to Obama's campaign in April 2001.  Presently Ayers is an American Distinguished Professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Obama was born in 1961- making him 8 years old when Ayers participated in anti-war activities with the radical group the weathermen. 
On Obama's  former church and the Rev. Wright. To say that Obama sat in the church and listened to the items that played endlessly on national television this spring is just not factual.  Out of the thousands of standard sermons given by Wright- these snippits were used.  Even Obama was shocked to have heard them when they aired this year.  This was not the Wright he knew for these many years.  Wright had been a friend and their pastor.   Wright stood before the American public and showed the world the fool that he is.  Obama disassociated himself from this man, his words and his mockery of the America that Obama represented as a Senator and wanted to represent as President.  
McCain has missed 63.8% of Senate votes… the worst in Congress. Obama missed 45% of votes.  This was as of August, 2008.
"What about his statements about willing to personally meet with hostile dictators like Hugo Chavez and Ahmadinejad with no preconditions? Did he say that? " 
yup. and i agree that you don't ignore your "enemy" and refuse to meet.  nothing is gained.  even bush has seen this.....finally.
Senate Passed Coburn-Obama Bill to Create Internet Database of Federal Spending Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act, introduced by Obama -passed in 2007.
His first year as U.S. Senator, Obama held 39 town hall meetings throughout Illinois, and in senate, sponsored 152 bills and resolutions, and cosponsored 427 more.
Obama worked with republican senator Lugar to expand and author program to locate & dismantle stray Russian WMD’s left over from the cold war after the disbanding of the USSR. Obama cosponsored Secure Orderly Immigration Act  with John McCain. Passed 62-36. Makes undocumented persons who have been here 5+ years only allowed to stay and apply for citizenship, if pay back taxes, learn English and no criminal record. 2 million undocumented persons who have been in the United States for less than two years would be ordered home.
 These are just a few accomplishments that you, Mr UC claim don't exist.
 The "sex education" item that you mention is your absolute best example of your utter failure to look beyond Rush's vile words... and McCain's ad out presently on this.  A total misrepresentation of Obama .
A McCain-Palin campaign ad claims Obama's "one accomplishment" in the area of education was "legislation to teach 'comprehensive sex education' to kindergarteners." But the claim is simply false, and it dates back to Alan Keyes' failed race against Obama for an open Senate seat in 2004.
Obama, contrary to the ad's insinuation, does not support explicit sex education for kindergarteners. And the bill, which would have allowed only "age appropriate" material and a no-questions-asked opt-out policy for parents, was not his accomplishment to claim in any case, since he was not even a cosponsor – and the bill never left the state Senate.
Furthermore:
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/155/story/52169.html

countless other newspapers have called McCain out on this as being a lie.
This attempt on your part to further this smear is as close to slander as it comes.  This is what you have been doing.  This is why I am here.

Jack.....(55)
before you get too "Pumped" over drilling........remember the econ101
routine i hear about so often from my conservative friends.
The cost of drilling off the east coast will in and of itself drive up the cost of producing that SAME oil.  Remember, the water is deeper, and the strata bearing layers are deeper, making for an expensive proposition.  But then, the oil companies and the republicans didn't mention this bit of information...
And the Lobbyists?  John McCain kinda holds the recored for having Lobbyists on his campaign payroll....

It must drive conservatives nuts, as it always does religious bigots, to have people on these sites that actually think, and, god forbid, disagree with them.  I just discovered blogs.  I love em.  I love Toe and D Walters.  You guys are great.  Keep it up.

I am a recovering republican.  I couldn't stand their brand of conservatism that they preached while I, a blue collar worker, could buy less and less with what I earn, and raises were fewer and fewer.  As I became aware that my grandchildren will probably not be able to afford college, and that their public schools could be gutted with the voucher programs.  What is it McCain says, "people should have the right to transfer their kids to betters schools."  But he never says what he will do with those "bad" school, so I can only assume he doesn't give a rats A##. 

Then I started paying attention.  Not only to what was said, but to what was actually happening.  While the American Congress could be forced back from vacation to vote to force federal courts to stop a brain dead girl from dying, which allowed the American people to not have to think about a failing war, an economy that was on the verge of collapse, or any other substantive issue, for that matter.  I guess we just wanted to "shop."

Get a grip conservatives.  I hope this just riles you to no end.  Maybe you will actually start thinking.

I have been tagged as "spam,"  I guess the truth really does scare you guys.

Barb....
Thanx for noticing.  So much is predicated on what "experts" tell us, and it is refreshing to see and hear from someone who actually can think independently.  Just listening to the candidates at election time isn't enough......you have to place their words into the context of what they have done.  It's like redefining the definition of "Victory".  Now republicans want Americans to believe McCain/Palin are "mavericks", just because they say so. " People will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it."
http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/people/h/hitler-adol...
Lots of folks on this blog just make crap up.....but I'm not that cynical.

Author: Grandma Barb
Comment:
It must drive conservatives nuts, as it always does religious bigots, to have people on these sites that actually think, and, god forbid, disagree with them.  I just discovered blogs.  I love em.  I love Toe and D Walters.  You guys are great.  Keep it up.

I am a recovering republican.  I couldn't stand their brand of conservatism that they preached while I, a blue collar worker, could buy less and less with what I earn, and raises were fewer and fewer.  As I became aware that my grandchildren will probably not be able to afford college, and that their public schools could be gutted with the voucher programs.  What is it McCain says, "people should have the right to transfer their kids to betters schools."  But he never says what he will do with those "bad" school, so I can only assume he doesn't give a rats A##. 

Then I started paying attention.  Not only to what was said, but to what was actually happening.  While the American Congress could be forced back from vacation to vote to force federal courts to stop a brain dead girl from dying, which allowed the American people to not have to think about a failing war, an economy that was on the verge of collapse, or any other substantive issue, for that matter.  I guess we just wanted to "shop."

Get a grip conservatives.  I hope this just riles you to no end.  Maybe you will actually start thinking.

uh.......yhis was the comment i was referring to

@Grandma Barb

me, nuts? Hardly.  I find it funny that you have to spew your liberal (recovering conservatism) rhetoric here?  What is the purpose of it?  I am sorry you joined the dark side, but puuhlease ... we don't care about your feelings.

WITH JOHN McCAIN... HE GETS ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION...SO HIS FIRST CHOICE...HE PICKS SARA PALIN....


WITH BARACK OBAMA... HE GETS ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION...SO HIS FIRST CHOICE...HE PICKS JOE BIDEN...


NO...WAIT A MINUTE...CORRECTION...


WITH BARACK OBAMA...HE GETS "TWO" CHANCES TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION..ON OCT 5TH...HE THROWS JOE BIDEN UNDER THE BUS AND BARACK PICKS HILLARY FOR VP...
ALL OF A SUDDEN JOE BIDEN HAS HEALTH ISSUES AND BOWS OUT....  REALLY ???


BARACK OBAMA...ALL ABOUT "CHANGE"...YEA RIGHT...HERE'S HIS "CHANGE" ... STARTING WITH HIS VP PICK...
ANYTHING TO WIN...........................................ANYTHING ! ! !

Who says you don't get a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression ?

On or about October 5th, Biden will excuse himself from the ticket,
citing health problems, and he will be replaced by Hillary. This is
timed to
occur after the VP debate on 10/2.

Well...Barack Obama says he's all about "change"... this proves it
Joe Biden under the bus...Hillary comes aboard... "CLINTON
POWER"

Who says you don't get a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression ?


On or about October 5th, Biden will excuse himself from the ticket, 
citing health problems, and he will be replaced by Hillary. This is
timed to 
occur after the VP debate on 10/2. 


Well...Barack Obama says he's all about "change"... this proves it
Joe Biden under the bus...Hillary comes aboard...            "CLINTON
POWER"

This article is just plain foolery.  The McCain/Palin campaign should just run ads that say, "Vote for us, We're by far the best liars."  Do your homework before you continue the lies. Anyone who's done their homework and read the protection bill, knows it states nowhere that teaching sex education to 5 year olds will be in our schools.  Find it online like you can everything else and read it-do your journalistic homework before you spew more exaggerations.
Quit clinging to the surge-it's the only thing in this corrupt illegal war that the Republicans got  a little bit right.  We're still losing the war. Turn off Fox News and watch a documentary about Iraq and the true accounts of what children go through just to get ready and get to school everyday since America's invasion.  Imagine your child going through this sort of "liberation" and call for "democracy" and then write me about the success of the surge. It's disgusting that the American people get to live in denial about what our heroes have done over there.  If we had a window into the war like we did in Vietnam, all you neophytes would be out protesting in the streets...that is unless you don't have blood running through your veins. 

Get your facts straight too, do your U.S. history, Guiliani was dead wrong.  Look up some information about Woodrow Wilson and his lack of experience..I don't have time for the to give a history lesson to the ignorant.....but if anyone recalls he very successfully led this nation through WWI.

Can we just retire the ol' warrior. He is just so embarrassingly old. For all his significant sacrifices to the country, I just find him to be so outdated. Really can't suffer to catch grandpa up with the WWW and the internet. We have had to survive the delusional realities of the Bush Whitehouse...which is like some conservative acid trip from the early seventies. And the 'youngster' calculus of Sarah Palin is just coming off like an old man's political trophy wife. Whoever came up with this Republican ticket is just some demagogue besotted amateur. Thank god it will be over in 11 days.