The 2008 Presidential Elections

[waioli kai]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

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--I wish Gore was running this time. I think we REALLY need to think about the environment and finding a way OFF of Oil right now.--

Some presidential candidates would have a sure win if they chose the right man/wife team to be Vice-President BEFORE the convention...well before the convention would be the real test....then maybe we just get beyond all this phony democracy (mockery that democrUSy IS when put to the test, which Abe Lincoln, US's hero MOST miserably succeeding (or FAILING,,,,depending on how one suffers or profits from the consequences) U.S. President...most miserably such until of course... ...again, but another one of corporatUSt$ americUS'$ finest, this time named George Walker Bush, a Texan clone and his Grand Teton sidekick Cheney who could just disappear on the excUSe of his manly 10 million dollar heart with his secret service and secret government into various "caves" of secrecy wherein people (very poweroUS people at that!), such as Cheney who are really dead but are leading us through their, and our as it turns out, DEMISE nonetheless...soooO Cheney, "alive" but really DEAD is declared by "our government" to be "incapacitated"...and we are taxed for at least the next three generations to make sure Cheney et. al "incapacitation" is suffered in the greatest security and comfort "Americans" suffer to afford.

[TuNnL]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

Tonight on MSNBC will be your first (and probably only) time to hear what all eight of the Democratic candidates running for President have to say.

Well the results of what viewers thought are in:

Which candidate won the first Democratic debate?

Barack Obama 31%
Hillary Clinton 31%
John Edwards 14%
Joe Biden 8%
Bill Richardson 7%
Dennis Kucinich 5%
Mike Gravel 3%
Chris Dodd 1%

Total Votes: 165,399

Source: AOL News

[Vanguard]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

Mike Gravel for the win!

[Miulang]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

Mike Gravel for the win!

I'm with you. Even if he doesn't have a snowball's hell in chance of winning the nomination, his was the most candid, honest and passionate expression of why he wants to be President of the whole bunch of 'em. He made everybody else up on stage look like conservatives!

I especially liked his response to the question: "What have you been doing the last 35 years?" (answer: "hiding under a rock").

Miulang

[Leo Lakio]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

Isn't it telling that this thread has only about a third of the number of responses as on the "American Idol" thread?

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

Isn't it telling that this thread has only about a third of the number of responses as on the "American Idol" thread?

Bad math. This thread is a full season ahead of the game, as far as AI is concerned, ergo it has that many more x posts than the AI:7 thread, which has none, which will be in direct competition with those networks choosing to air the election.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

I ... uhh ... that is to say ... oh, where's Scrivener's "logic" posts when I need 'em?

[Miulang]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

There probably is a correlation between the lack of interest in these opportunities to see the candidates who may be the leader of this country vs. the voter turnout. Since I have never once watched AI---not one single episode---in any of its 6 seasons, I can't comment on any correlations, suffice to say that that "reality" show is as rigged as all the other "reality" shows that allow the audience to vote for their favorites.

There will be another opportunity for people to see the Democratic candidates on June 3 on CNN (the Republicans get their chance on June 5 on CNN). Whether or not all of them will still be represented by that time is not known.

I'll be watching the Republican "debate" next Thursday night on MSNBC too, because even though the Democratic field is cram packed, the Republican field has even more candidates: 10 of 'em.

Miulang

[cynsaligia]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

Isn't it telling that this thread has only about a third of the number of responses as on the "American Idol" thread?

Bad math. This thread is a full season ahead of the game, as far as AI is concerned, ergo it has that many more x posts than the AI:7 thread, which has none, which will be in direct competition with those networks choosing to air the election.

I ... uhh ... that is to say ... oh, where's Scrivener's "logic" posts when I need 'em?

bah ahhahahaah....i love when the more serious and sometimes contentious threads turn up comedic moments like this one!

we dvr'ed the debate at the beau's house and we haven't had a chance to watch bcs we've been at my place. bcs of the comments made here, i'm actually feeling a lil more anticipation about it.

miulang, i'm with you. i've only watched as many eppies of AI as there have been seasons, and honestly, i'd be happier if the tv newsmags i watch didn't insist on airing their own updates of the goings on.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

I think the Obama/Clinton debate will have the greatest TV viewer turnout than the elections themselves.

What would be an even bigger surprize is if they upon meeting each other for the debate announce a desire to run as a ticket.

Imagine that! Now as a Republican, I'd forfeit my vote as that would make a formidable team to challenge, Republican or Democrat alike!

As much as I didn't vote for Bill Clinton, I'd love to see Hillary win only because it would be a landmark Oval Office election on two fronts, a first 1st Gentleman, and the first female president. Now if Hillary divorced Bill and married Obama, then you'd have either the first Black president or the first Black 1st Gentleman all wrapped up in one politcally correct election! You cover all bases!

It doesn't get any better than that!

[Miulang]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

Check out Mike Gravel's myspace page. It's got a snippet of his part on the debate last night.

If you look at his legislative record, he puts Hillary to shame. Like I said, he has a snowball's chance in hell of winning, but if one of the top 3 contenders could take some of his ideas and weave them into a platform, the nation would breathe a deep sigh of thanks.

I like his idea for ending the occupation of Iraq: instead of just passing nonbinding funding bills (which the President can veto), why not pass a LAW to de-authorize the war, which would then make the President a felon by allowing it to continue?

I also like his idea of a national healthcare voucher system (I proposed that in one of my grad school classes, too) that would allow people to buy their healthcare from anyone they choose. A single payer, nonprofit system. No pre-existing conditions to sweat over, no one would be denied access.

Miulang

[TuNnL]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

I like his idea for ending the occupation of Iraq: instead of just passing nonbinding funding bills (which the President can veto), why not pass a LAW to de-authorize the war, which would then make the President a felon by allowing it to continue?

I also like his idea of a national healthcare voucher system (I proposed that in one of my grad school classes, too) that would allow people to buy their healthcare from anyone they choose. A single payer, nonprofit system. No pre-existing conditions to sweat over, no one would be denied access.

It’s not his novel ideas and politics that I have a problem with, Miulang, it’s his confrontational approach. As we get older, we get more close-minded and cranky (as evidenced by the debate). Is this the kind of public face that will appeal to Americans, much less the international community?

[Miulang]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

It’s not his novel ideas and politics that I have a problem with, Miulang, it’s his confrontational approach. As we get older, we get more close-minded and cranky (as evidenced by the debate). Is this the kind of public face that will appeal to Americans, much less the international community?

Like I said, he has a snowball's chance in hell of winning the nomination, but man, what a refreshing change to hear someone declare before millions of people that he didn't think we had any real enemies and that every country should be treated as our equal.

And you gotta admit, his little 5 minutes of fame in the debate (when he wasn't "standing around like a potted plant") did more for his campaign than any of the others'. He is most definitely not the media darling that Hillary, Barack and John are (they all treat him like a fool or like slightly crazy Uncle Jack), but I admire someone who after having been voted out of office more than 30 years ago, decided that he was mad as hell and couldn't take it anymore and who decided that it was time to come back to serve HIS COUNTRY and the voters (as opposed to the vested interests of any political party). I find it especially incredible that this man could only afford $25 bus tickets to get to his first speeches during this campaign and not limosines or chartered planes.

I kinda like underdogs and this guy is a crochety old man with lots of great ideas. I just wish one or all three of the 3 leading candidates (the "young whippersnappers") would sit at his feet and learn something from him about political history and getting things done, even if you're the only one who believes in your cause at the start, which is something in which Gravel excels. And a whole generation of Boomers (and their kids and their grandkids) owe a debt of gratitude to this man for calling an end to the draft through five solid months of solitary filibustering. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for bucking Pres. Nixon, Congress and defending the Constitution by publishing the Pentagon Papers; when everyone tried to shut him up, he started reading portions of the Pentagon Papers into the Congressional Record, so that the entire country could hear about the coverups in the Vietnam War. I still have a set of those Pentagon Papers in paperback on my bookshelf.

Miulang

[GnosticWarrior]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

I just heard of this Mike Gravel! So far from what I've seen, he's has my vote for President! Especially since he wants to legalize Marijuana! Well a national sales tax, sounds good too!

[Miulang]

Re: The 2008 Presidential Elections

I just heard of this Mike Gravel! So far from what I've seen, he's has my vote for President! Especially since he wants to legalize Marijuana! Well a national sales tax, sounds good too!

Mike Gravel is scheduled to be a guest on the Steven Colbert Show this evening on Comedy Central network. Check your local listings for the airtime. Seems he's getting a lot of good airtime since his appearance last Thursday. His website said he went into last week's debate $900 in the hole. Within hours of the end of the debate, he had received over $10,000 in contributions. Small peanuts compared to what the top 3 brought in, but he still netted at least $9,100 for being a crochety old man with a conscience. I think he needs to bring in $100,000 in contributions to be able to tap into the Presidential fund that we all had the option of contributing $3 to when we filed our tax returns. The top 3 Democrats all said they didn't want to request any funds from that fund.

After some confusion about whether or not he was invited to be part of the Democratic debates on CNN on June 3, he has been invited officially and will appear on stage with the rest of 'em too.

Miulang