2008 Primaries Thread

I found Wolf a lot less objectionable as a modertor than, say, Tim Russert.

xpost

the non-entities from politico were miles better than anybody else i've seen so far at the debates

True.

... but who will win American Samoa?

gabby i'm just curious why you think the states ned mentioned -- before you went and looked up all the other ones -- will lean obama

i still don't understand what you're saying. the only state ned mentioned was virginia, but i knew of most of the other states in the rounds shortly following.

do you mean why do i think the states i mentioned will lean obama?

xxpost haha yea. the woman was a little awkward last night though, no? but i'll take russert over wolf any day. wolf has absolutely no control of the debate.

xxxxpost or something. this gets complicated

wolf "did you hear that? he just dissed you! are you seriously gonna sit there and take that!?" blitzer

Last night's Democratic debate on CNN drew 8,324,000 million total viewers, making it the most-watched primary debate in cable news history, and the second-most watched on TV this election cycle (ABC's Democratic debate on Jan. 5 drew 9,360,000)

I don't think Russert's "gotcha" style of journalism translates well to the debate moderator role. I think he makes everyone more tense than they need to be. Wolf's a lot more mellow, and I think that improved the tone of the debate.

MD/VA/VI - black people
WA - lots of hippie liberals and well-off youthful post-partisan independents
WI - farm-state peaceniks
HI - duh
NE - O's sorta from next door and has Ben Nelson's endorsement

yea, maybe it was the no-time-limits thing last night. maybe wolf would've been better if there were time limits on responses. i think it's better when candidates are forced to be concise. (well, if only because obama tends to give more concise responses and clinton tends to go on and on and on)

MD/VA/VI - black people
WA - lots of hippie liberals and well-off youthful post-partisan independents
WI - farm-state peaceniks
HI - duh
NE - O's sorta from next door and has Ben Nelson's endorsement

Wow

McCain perhaps to secure nomination on Super Tuesday. Also helping him is the fact that Romney -- until today -- hadn't bought any ad time in the February 5 states. Even now, the only state where it's confirmed that he will be buying ads is California, where McCain just picked up the Gov.'s endorsement.

if the moderators had any balls (metaphorically speaking) or really just skills they'd let the candidates go on as long as they wanted but guide them back if they went off the subject

it was like blitzer wanted to do a bernard shaw and "test" hillary with some kind of "whaddya made of huh" taunt

there gabbneb that wasn't so hard was it

it was no thing; i just couldn't figure out what you were saying

ok, slick willie

it was like blitzer wanted to do a bernard shaw and "test" hillary with some kind of "whaddya made of huh" taunt

When was this? I must have missed that part.

LA's hard to call with the Southern Arkansans vs the New New Orlineans. Bobby Jindal could suggest the former hold sway, but he could also suggest that people are looking for new and youthful.

actually, Hillary's got a decent chance in VA. more white people, fewer smartypants.

man i hate bobby jindal

(compared to MD)

piyush posh

saw him on hannity & colmes explaining that we live in a post-racism america but liberals keep making everything about race!

The Corner today has been a treasure trove. My current favorite:

One problem Romney has, which I was acutely aware of the other night, is that he comes off just a bit too effete.

Yes, precisely.

http://www.nndb.com/people/362/000022296/george-bush-sr.jpg

Obama gets the coveted Joanna Newsom endorsement.

and things were going so well.

haha

Next album: Bo

http://flickr.com/photos/sketchartists/2232758657/

Obviously the Skokie shit was ridiculous, but I think the criticism that the Obama campaign is adopting a pretty gross conservative tactic of the past isn't as absurd as y'all are making it out to be.

if you look at the actual mailer it's not in the same ballpark as Harry & Louise by a long shot in terms of being misleading or distorting. The only comparisons to be made between them are they both are opposed to universal healthcare via mandates, and both prominently feature a couple of white folks at a kitchen table.

If that's where Obama wants to start the discussion borrowing right wing tactics we'll never get to universal health care. :( This is by far the biggest thing I care about in this election.

Even if it is a deliberate Harry & Louise reference--which of course is possible--I don't think there's anything ethically problematic with reminding voters about what happened last time Hillary Clinton tried to pass a universal health care plan.

you mean this is possibly the last ginned-up outrage you'll get to declaim before your candidate loses her lead? xpost

What the hell? Why do you think my candidate is my candidate? Because my biggest issue is universal health care.

you guys come on i think we can all agree that opposing forced consumerism is a behavior only a nazi would indulge in

sorry, i just think the 'obama uses right wing tactics' talking point is built on pretty flimsy evidence, i don't mean to trash health care as an issue

obama has that nazi look about him

LAT endorses Obama - http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/

nice

the jury is still out on what difference, if any, a mandate would make in a national health plan

California SEIU and Charlie Rangel's wife endorse Obama - http://thepage.time.com/2008/02/01/msnbc-moveonorg-endorses-obama/

i sure as fuck don't know, tho my tiny little libertarian streak doesn't like the idea of fining people for not signing up for shit they maybe can't afford

xp

But even with the paper and SEIU and MoveOn and Ted Kennedy all over Spanish radio and Oprah in California on Sunday, he still may not be able to make up the early voting gap.

the health care issue is seriously important to me too, but also the one i'm most pessimistic about so honestly i'm not sweating the details between H and O too much

early voters are more likely to be older and therefore more likely to vote for hillary anyway, y/n?

forcing people to give money to insurance companies is just disgusting - now if they found a way to cut those bastards out thatd be another thing