As of 11pm est, the nation picked Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States
Senator Barack Obama is now President-Elect Obama. The winning tally was 284 Obama to 145 McCain.
What does this mean for America? It means that the Bush/Rove policies that John McCain embraced 90% of the time is now extinct. Best of all, it means that Sarah Palin can go back to farthest state in America where her constituents now hate her guts. I hope that your naked ambition was worth it.
I applaud America for finally waking up, and seeing the fear-mongering for what it actually was. Kudos to Ohio for giving “Joe the Plumber” a middle finger by voting for Obama. I’m eagerly awaiting JTP’s insight as to why Ohioans called BS on his candidate. Thank you America for sending a mandate that we need level-headed pragmatic leadership in the White House.
The results aren’t that surprising given that Barack Obama ran in my opinion the most brilliant and formidable campaign that I have seen in my lifetime, while McCain ran the dirtiest and most dishonorable campaign. McCain is giving his concession speech as I write this. Why couldn’t he be this decent during his campaign? He is sounding once again, like the old John McCain. It’s a classic tragedy for him. His speech was very gracious. I just wish that this McCain was the one I saw stumping on the campaign trail. Oh well.
The final tally is 338 Obama to 156 McCain. I think I can safely call this a landslide, and a mandate for change from the status-quo.
Obama appears tonight with soon to be First Family during victory celebration in Chicago.
There is incredible excitement in the Obama camp, but let’s be real. We as a nation have to clean up eight long years of the horrible mess that Bush and his neo-con cronies created. This election night may have been easy, but the next four years will be tough. Make no mistake. There is some major damage to undo, but I believe that it can be done. Obama people can be giddy, but let’s not get too giddy. Come January 20, we as a nation will have to get down to business.
Obama is now giving his victory speech.
This is the happiest night for me in well, eight years.
At this time, Obama is leading McCain 200 to 90 with California having yet to weigh in. California with 55 electoral votes has been a historically blue state. Given the McCain campaign this year, I doubt he’ll win California. That will put Obama at 255 with 15 electoral votes left from any of the remaining states.
The only state that Obama has flipped so far has been Ohio. Although losing red states, he has garnered more votes in the traditionally red states than Gore or Kerry. I can confidently say that this will not be a close election. This will be a mandate for the Democrats.
In other news, alleged godless Sunday School Teacher Kay Hagen (D) beat Elizabeth Dole (R) to win her Senate seat in North Carolina. Kudos to Hagen’s guts to stand up to Dole bearing false witness to her Christian faith. To Dole, you reap what you sow. Shame on you for breaking the ninth commandment stating, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
Minnesota’s Senate race between Al Franken (D) and Norm Coleman (R) is still too close to call, though Franken is winning. Go Franken! Make this the Al Franken Decade!
Over the last month or so, McCain and especially Palin have been on the offensive to showcase Barack Obama’s “guilt by association” to Ayers, ACORN, and anything else that they could find. In addition, the GOP candidates have highlighted the differences between “real America,” and “fake America.”
The following are two videos of a recent GOP rally in the Henderson section of Las Vegas. Notice those poor “real Americans” for McCain being forced to shout those epithets at the mean “fake Americans” for Obama. I mean, they really didn’t want to shout “Anti-Americans!” or “Communists!,” but what are McCainiacs to do when they see Obama supporters? Those brave, brave real McCain Americans had to defend themselves, you know. Here you are America. Here is “real America” as McCain and Palin see it:
The people in this Vegas suburb are indicative of this hateful insurrection that is festering throughout the US thanks to the incendiary campaigning by both McCain and Palin. Their rhetoric has had an opposite effect on me. Sorry folks, but I can’t take hate speech.
Earlier this year, I was actually leaning toward McCain after the Democratic Primaries were over. I initially thought that this was the John McCain that I remembered from 2000 when he ran against George W. Bush. My leanings are moderate, very moderate. Although I’m a registered Democrat and like to stay just left of center, I do have the ability to reach across party lines if for example, a moderate like Senator Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania was running. I was under the childlike belief last summer that the John McCain of 2008 resembled the John McCain of 2000.
What a difference eight years makes. As opposed to the campaign of 2000, McCain’s campaign this year is just plain mean. Both he and his VP pick, as well as their surrogates have been playing into “real-America’s” most primal fears, perpetuating the myth that Obama and his supporters are “Socialist,” “Communist,” and “Anti-American.” Thanks to the campaign of pointing out the opponent’s “otherness,” the right-wing weirdos, wackos, nuts, and conspiracy-theorists have come out of the woodwork to sing to the chorus of intolerance. If there is any guilt by association, it would be McCain and Palin associating themselves with the worst of intolerant people. Oh John McCain, what happened? Did you honestly think that pandering to the most extreme base while ignoring and shutting out everyone else would get you the electoral votes that you desperately need?
I only need to look at those who are supporting McCain and Palin to know that I have made the right decision in supporting Obama and Biden. When I looked at thoughtful, intelligent people like Christopher Buckley and Colin Powell crossing over to support Obama, I really knew that I was backing what I feel is the best candidate for the job. As a good friend of mine can attest to, it was not an easy decision in the beginning. After a deliberate process of fact-finding and thought, I chose my candidate. The people supporting each candidate served only to validate my decision.
To be fair, I am just as turned off by those in the far-left as I am to those on the far-right. Extremism on either side of the political spectrum is never a good thing. Thankfully, Obama and Biden’s campaign have been more inclusive. These are guys who believe as I do that there is no “pro-America” or anti-America,” but simply America. From the biggest cities to the tiniest town, like it or not, we are in this together.
Sadly, McCain’s campaign has yet to figure this out.
John McCain may want to start vetting some of these people he’s supporting. If the following allegations are true, McCain may have even more to answer for.
As indicated in my last blog, the star of last night’s debate was Joe Wurzelbacher or “Joe the plumber” as McCain and Obama both called him. This folksy moniker was mentioned around 25 times by both McCain and Obama.
My impression last night was that Joe Wurzelbacher was one of those independent voters who was teetering on the $250,000 mark, while McCain and Obama were debating on whether this man’s taxes would go up, down, or stay the same.
I’m impressed that McCain would bring up this random person from Ohio at last night’s debate. Just how random was McCain and Obama’s reference to Joe the plumber?
From the New York Times:
CREDIT MARKETS; Keating Aide in Guilty Plea
Published: December 10, 1991
The highest associate of Charles H. Keating Jr. to turn state’s evidence against the former owner of the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association pleaded guilty today to bank fraud and agreed to cooperate with Federal investigators.
Bruce Fairchild Dickson, 38 years old, a former Lincoln president and senior vice president of Lincoln’s parent company, the American Continental Corporation, entered the plea before Federal District Judge Manuel Real.
The single bank fraud count carries a maximum five-year prison sentence and $250,000 fine. The judge agreed to delay sentencing until June 1 after Michael Lightfoot, a defense lawyer, and David Sklansky, an assistant United States attorney, said Mr. Dickson was cooperating with prosecutors.
Mr. Lightfoot would not discuss the case with reporters.
Mr. Dickson was the fifth former associate to agree to testify against Mr. Keating. Mr. Dickson was convicted last week in a California court on 17 of 18 counts of securities fraud and faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Mr. Dickson was a close aide to Mr. Keating and worked with Mr. Keating’s son-in-law, Robert Wurzelbacher, a senior vice president of American Continental.
There is a flurry of blogs and articles floating around right now alleging that Joe Wurzelbacher may be a close relative to Robert Wurzelbacher. According to various articles buzzing right now, McCain campaign strategist and advisor Steve Schmidt allegedly tried to warn McCain before the debate:
If Steve Schmidt had any hair left, I hear he would have been pulling it out tonight. He reportedly screamed at John’s debate prep team tonight (out of earshot of reporters, of course). “You idiots – he’s related to Charles Keating… of the Keating Five scandal!”
After seeing footage of Joe Wurzelbacher, I could pretty much sum up that this guy is not an undecided voter. There is no problem with that in and of itself, but the impression that I got last night from the candidates was that of an undecided voter named “Joe the plumber” who was scrutinizing the two candidates’ tax plans. Again, that’s not Joe’s fault. It was the impression that McCain gave of this guy from Ohio.
The burning question now is, “Is he, or isn’t he?” Is he related to the Keatings, or could it be a “Wurzelbacher doppelganger?” Could this Joe be related to Charles Keating’s son-in-law, or is it a different Joe? If he was a plant by the McCain camp, there could be repercussions.
I have a feeling that the media will dig into this, and see if this “average-Joe” is at all as average as McCain claims. If he is indeed a Keating relative, I think both McCain and “Joe the plumber” will have some explaining to do. Since there is so much conflict in the blogosphere on this man’s relations, I will update as this story unfolds.
Now doggone it, say it ain’t so Joe.
Update: Keith Olberman on “Countdown” set the record straight and confirmed that “Joe the plumber” Wurzelbacher is not a relation to Robert Wurzelbacher, son-in-law to Charles Keating. BJD, you can rest easy now.
I couldn’t help doing this one. How many times can you use “Wurzelbacher Doppelganger” in a title?
Obama and McCain um . . . after the debate . . . Is McCain having a "senior-moment?"
To use an achingly melodramatic term, the third and final Obama/McCain debate belongs to the ages.
Cliche aside, I believe that the real winner of this debate was moderator and CBS reporter Bob Schieffer. Of this battle royale trifecta, Schieffer was the only moderator to get these two candidates to address each other, and had the guts to bring up the nasty subject of over-the-top mudslinging that has been plaguing the election for the last few weeks.
McCain seemed to stick to the story that if Obama had agreed to do town hall meetings with him, the election just wouldn’t have taken this nasty turn:
“Had Sen. Obama responded to my urgent requests to sit down and do town hall meetings, we could have done at least ten of them by now… I think the tone of this campaign could have been different.”
I’m afraid I’m not quite following that logic. To me, that smacks of the abusive husband projecting the blame to the wife for the abuse that she just received.
I just want to make sure that I get this straight-If Obama had agreed to town hall meetings, McCain and Palin wouldn’t have made that association between Obama and terrorism, and incite angry crowds to shout “Traitor!,” “Terrorist,” and “Kill him!” Yeah McCain. All of that was entirely Obama’s doing. Whatever helps you sleep at night.
To be certain, Obama did call McCain’s campaign erratic. Let’s say that Obama was referring to McCain’s age when this was brought up. The fact is, columnists George Will and Sam Donaldson discussed that very issue on “This Week with George Stephanoupolos.” Also, I believe that it’s fair to say that “erratic” does not nearly equal “paling around with terrorists.” I don’t think it’s fair to compare the two.
When McCain was asked to say what he regrets, he only cited something that Obama’s surrogate, Rep. John Lewis stated. McCain said;
“I regret some of the negative aspects of some of these campaign. The fact is, it has taken many turns that I think have been disrespectful… Congressman Lewis, made allegations that Sen Palin and I were somehow associated with one of the worst chapters in American history.”
The fact is, Lewis did not say McCain and Palin were “associated” with the “worst chapter in American history.” He was pointing out that Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse.
McCain asserted tonight that Obama never repudiated Lewis’ remark comparing McCain and Palin with George Wallace. The following was a statement from the Obama campaign shortly after Lewis’ statement that seems to contradict McCain’s claim:
“Senator Obama does not believe that John McCain or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies. But John Lewis was right to condemn some of the hateful rhetoric that John McCain himself personally rebuked just last night, as well as the baseless and profoundly irresponsible charges from his own running mate that the Democratic nominee for President of the United States ‘pals around with terrorists.’ As Barack Obama has said himself, the last thing we need from either party is the kind of angry, divisive rhetoric that tears us apart at a time of crisis when we desperately need to come together. That is the kind of campaign Senator Obama will continue to run in the weeks ahead.”
On the actual subject of William Ayers, the 1960s radical turned professor, McCain said he did not care about “an old washed-up terrorist” like Ayers, once a bomb-throwing militant in the Weather Underground group who is now a Chicago professor of education.
However, McCain must care just a little bit about that “old washed-up terrorist.” Otherwise, he would have left it at that instead of immediately following it up with this statement:
“But as Senator (Hillary) Clinton said in her debates with you, we need to know the full extent of the relationship with you.”
You can’t have it both ways McCain. Either you care about this guy Ayers, or you don’t. What a weak way to make an allegation like that to someone’s face. Obama once again, had to explain the loose relationship with Ayers as well as the liberal group, ACORN for those in the American electorate who didn’t quite get it the first fifty times he addressed it.
McCain actually did better in this debate than in the previous two. Not only did he look Obama in the face as he spoke this time, but the setup of this debate prevented the 72 year old Senator from wandering to the outer reaches of the stage. The zinger of the night does go to the Arizona Senator:
“Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago,”
Kudos to Senator McCain. I’m sure that the comment you made would have been the one that the pundits would remember had it not been for your cavalier remark regarding abortion when the mother’s health is at risk.
McCain sarcastically paid tribute to “the eloquence of Senator Obama. He’s for health for the mother. You know, that’s been stretched by the pro-abortion movement in America to mean almost anything.”
For many women out there who have had or might experience complications from pregnancy and the OBGYNs who treat them, I’m sure that McCain’s comment went over wonderfully. Poor McCain. You had me, then you lost me. I believe that McCain on women’s health issues will be a dominating force for political pundits everywhere tomorrow morning.
Megan Carpentier of womens’ issues blog “Jezebel” wrote the following:
“It used to be that McCain was leading the charge to reform the Republican platform to include exceptions for the life and health of the mother to their anti-abortion plank. That tonight he declared his own position extreme — let alone called a woman that chooses her own continued existence over the potential future life of a fetus “extreme” — is a pretty significant and rather disgusting charge.”
Here’s the video. Notice McCain’s sneering “air-quotes:”
On the subject of the economy, the clear winner was neither Mccain nor Obama, but “Joe the plumber,” or Toledo resident Joe Wurzelbacher. Both McCain and Obama almost couldn’t stop talking about him:
“Joe wants to buy the business that he’s been in for all these years,” McCain said. “Worked 10, 12 hours a day. And he wanted to buy the business, but he looked at your tax plan and he saw that he was going to pay much higher taxes.”
Obama countered, citing his own recollections with the now famous plumber:
“What I essentially said to him was, five years ago, when you were in the position to buy your business, you needed a tax cut then.
“And what I want to do is to make sure that the plumber, the nurse, the firefighter, the teacher, the young entrepreneur who doesn’t yet have money, I want to give them a tax break now.”
On other points of the economy, both stayed on message. Perhaps more so for McCain. He was using selections from “John McCain’s Greatest Hits From The Convention.” Yes, we heard such classics as:
“We’re going to stop giving 700 billion dollars to countries that don’t like us very much”
And
“I’ve been fighting since I was 17 years old, and I have the scars to prove it.”
I think I have an idea on how John McCain can update his campaign-come up with more new material.
The third and final debate of this Presidential election seems to have been recorded. The following is footage from the debate:
.
Many thanks to Marc Ambinder of “The Atlantic” for jokingly pulling my leg with his headline, and providing this wonderful footage.
So now we know where John McCain got his strategy. Stay tuned to see if McCain uses “The Penguin” strategy when he takes the stage to whip a black man.
Okay. The actual quote is that he’ll “‘whip‘ Obama’s “you-know-what.” So much for spin.
Over the last week, I learned something extraordinary about John McCain. His campaign showed me in no uncertain terms that if you aren’t able to actually debate the issues, attack, attack, attack.
And attack they did. With Palin as the pitbull hopped up on Maybelline, the Vice-Presidential hopeful followed the McCain playbook and even added a few plays of her own.
Last week in Strongsville Ohio, Palin decided to ignore the economic crisis and the two wars that are going on, to go after Obama’s character:
“Our opponent … is someone who sees America it seems as being so imperfect that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country,” she said, referring to a co-founder of the 1960s-era Weather Underground, an organization the FBI labeled as a domestic terrorist group.
“This is not a man who sees America as you see it and how I see America,” she said. “We see America as the greatest force for good in this world. If we can be that beacon of light and hope for others who seek freedom and democracy and can live in a country that would allow intolerance in the equal rights that again our military men and women fight for and die for for all of us.”
To be fair, Palin’s rallies weren’t the only ones targeting Obama’s association with Ayers, John McCain brought the theme up at his own Obama political “lynchin’ rallies.”
Rabid attendees in the crowd of both McCain and Palin rallies shouted epithets of “Treason!,” Terrorist!” and “Kill Him!” Although Palin and McCain ignored these remarks, Secret Service is still investigating to find out who yelled the “Kill Him” comment.
“As one who was a victim of violence and hate during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, I am deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign,” Lewis said in a statement. “Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse.”
McCain/Palin are playing with fire in these stump speeches, and most reasonable people recognize that. The Obama campaign responded in kind:
“…John Lewis was right to condemn some of the hateful rhetoric that John McCain himself personally rebuked just last night, as well as the baseless and profoundly irresponsible charges from his own running mate that the Democratic nominee for President of the United States ‘pals around with terrorists.’ As Barack Obama has said himself, the last thing we need from either party is the kind of angry, divisive rhetoric that tears us apart at a time of crisis when we desperately need to come together. That is the kind of campaign Senator Obama will continue to run in the weeks ahead.”
Since the backlash, McCain has been trying to tone down the rabid attendees at his stump speeches.
From the Huffington Post:
McCain was responding to a town hall attendee who claimed he was concerned about raising a child under a president who “cohorts with domestic terrorists such as [Bill] Ayers.” Despite the fact that McCain and his campaign have repeatedly used Ayers to hammer Obama in recent days, the Arizona Senator tried to calm the man.
“Senator Obama is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared about as President of the United States,” he said, before adding: “If I didn’t think I would be one heck of a better president I wouldn’t be running.”
The crowd groaned with disapproval.
Later, McCain was again pressed about Obama’s “other-ness” and again he refused to play ball. “I don’t trust Obama,” a woman said. “I have read about him. He’s an Arab.”
“No, ma’am,” McCain said several times, shaking his head in disagreement. “He’s a decent, family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that’s what this campaign is all about.”
Too bad McCain. You reap what you sow.
I noticed that nobody in the Obama camp mentioned that Palin was “palling around” with secessionists who hate our flag:
And then there’s John McCain who had served on the advisory board for “The U.S. Council for World Freedom,” an international organization created by retired Army Maj. Gen. John Singlaub that is linked to former Nazi collaborators and ultra-right-wing death squads in Central America. They were heavily involved in the Iran-Contra affair, and are anti-Semitic.
The Obama campaign could have brought this up and played the guilt by association game, but oh yeah. There are those darned real issues to deal with.
Those who live in glass houses, McCain, Palin . . .
Well done Palin. If nothing else, you demonstrated to us that you truly are a pitbull wearing lipstick. You and John McCain showed Americans this week that it is indeed possible to go even lower than Karl Rove and George Bush in smearing and character assassination. Both of you must be very proud of the high discourse in your campaign. This “guilt by association” ploy smacks of McCarthyism. After your amateurish job of serving as Governor of Alaska, (I’m referring to the wonderful way you handled the State Troopers) you’ve brought your shameless, Machiavellian “small-town” politicking to a national audience. I don’t know how they play politics up in Alaska sweetheart, but that’s not how we do things here on the national stage. Kathleen Parker of the “National Review” was right; you are clearly out of your league. You said in one of your speeches, “Who is Barack Obama?” What? We first heard of you five weeks ago. Who the hell are you? God willing, you and McCain will lose Nov. 4, and you can go back to the farthest state in the Union where we will never hear from you again.
And Kudos to you John McCain. Apparently, you listened to your pitbull, let her off of her leash, and was surprised by the carnage. Whatever your record is in the military or the Senate, you have conducted the most disgraceful and dishonerable campaign in recent history sir. I never thought I’d say that Karl Rove never even went this low. I think your pitbull ultimately wound up biting you in the ass.
Since you’ve resorted to this sort of neo-McCarthyism, I’d like to quote that famous quote from Joseph Welch to Senator McCarthy:
“You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”
So what’s next for your stump speeches? Is this what we have to look forward to?
Yes, the distraction question of this week is; “Is Sarah Palin attractive, and who are the ones who who are allowed to say that she is?” This little side “red-herring” issue came to the forefront in the wake of what conservative writer Rich Lowry of “The National Review” wrote:”
“I’m sure I’m not the only male in America who, when Palin dropped her first wink, sat up a little straighter on the couch and said, “Hey, I think she just winked at me.” And her smile. By the end, when she clearly knew she was doing well, it was so sparkling it was almost mesmerizing. It sent little starbursts through the screen and ricocheting around the living rooms of America.”
According to the clip, Republicans have been saying this quite a bit about the GOP Vice-Presidential Nominee. No offense to Limbaugh, but Rush was kind of sounding creepy at the end:
Wow! Now there are some compliments toward the Alaska Governor. No doubt Obama and Biden would want to jump on the Palin complimentary bandwagon. What have you to say about that . . . McCain campaign of a few weeks ago?
So McCain is treating Palin’s attractiveness like the “n-word.” We can say it but if you say it, we will rip into you with ads.
It seems that John McCain lately, has been having to do more damage control than when he was in the middle of that conflagration on the USS Forrestal in July, 1967.
While Palin was in Philadelphia Saturday, a Temple University student asked her if the US should unilaterally go in from Afghanistan to Pakistan to fight the terrorists. Her answer seemed to echo Obama’s answer, and contradict McCain’s.
When interviewed by George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, McCain seemed to be in denial mode saying that she shares his view that you don’t announce in advance what you’re going to do militarily. He explains it away saying, “She was in a conversation with some young man.”
I’m finding it difficult to understand what he means. So is McCain trying to say that if the comment in question was delivered to a University student rather than a reporter, the comment is invalid and deserves a “do-over?” McCain in his neo-McCain style, denies that Palin made a mistake and that, “she did fine.”
With deference to John McCain, part of the election process especially in the information age, is “sticking a microphone while conversations are being held.” Ironically, it may be those casual moments that speak the most truth about where a candidate stands, as he or she does not believe at that moment that the media is involved.
On Monday, both McCain and Palin resumed their damage control with Katie Couric of CBS.
McCain tried to assert to Couric that this was “gotcha-journalism.” The main problem with that statement is that this wasn’t a “gotcha-question” from the media, this was a question from a student from Temple University. A cameraman was there to capture the footage, and the dialoque between Vice-Presidential candidate and student was aired unedited.
As the interview went on, John McCain showed increased nervousness, including shaky voice, and nervous laughter. He knows his running mate landed the both of them in hot water, and he’s trying to laugh it off to Katie Couric.
Sarah Palin in turn, completely contradicted her own stance that she made a mere two days ago. It should also be known that she made that same assertion during the interview with Charles Gibson of ABC.
Does she, or doesn’t she? Only her handlers know for sure.
Today is Sunday, and I was going to relax all day visiting a few sites, then watch some “Mythbusters” on DVD. (I am a huge fan)
Instead for your viewing pleasure, (I decided to keep today a little more lighthearted) I offer last night’s Saturday Night Live opening sketch with Tina Fey of course as Palin, and Amy Poehler as Couric. This was too good not to post.
Yes, comedians are having fun with her as they did with George W. Bush. Keep in mind however that if she is elected, we as a nation may be paying dearly for the laughs we get.
I suppose I’m going to have to link it as it is difficult if not impossible to display the video here. Damn! McCain’s people are good:
On the McCain front, we have a video of McCain uttering the word, “horseshit” under his breath during Friday’s Presidential debate in response to Obama asserting that McCain would not meet with the Minister of Spain. Sorry for the expletive everyone, but it’s his word not mine.
So much for cool and collected. Will someone please remind him that it is not allowed to utter profanities during a Presidential debate? God! This election just keeps getting better and better:
I will now resume my Sunday relaxation already in progress.
