2008 Primaries Thread 2: THE QUICKENING

(smacks forehead) I never thought of that before!

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE 'VOICE'

http://www.ideabg.com/clients/funtime/gal/photos/197k.jpg
its mostly the voice

But: Obama spokesman Bill Burton says his candidate has raised “considerably more than that.”

Ambinder: Obama team expected to announce raising more than $50 million so far this month. Permalink

the thing that pisses me off about the 'armageddon' narrative is how it shows each successive generation thinks EVERYTHING ENDS WITH THEM.

the world is always ending

New Florida General Election Numbers

Mason-Dixon/Photo Illustration

From Mason-Dixon poll:

McCain leads Obama 47-37.

McCain leads Clinton 49-40.

kinda worried that these smears are starting to really take hold what w/ the turban picture being thrown on like 60 newspapers across the country

Just imagine how bad the smear campaigns will if HRC is the nominee, and you'll worry less about what's coming Obama's way.

not sure I would lend too much creedence on florida polls just yet considering McCain had the opportunity to campaign (and win) there last month and the democrats did not.

anyway the amount of toxic bullshit floating around is worrisome, but obama's looked pretty adept at handling it thus far

Florida is not a bellweather, who cares?

the world is always ending

-- Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, February 28, 2008 7:28 PM

"Is It Thunderdome Yet?" A Rolling Looming Apocalypse Thread

Florida is not a bellweather, who cares?

-- remy bean, Thursday, February 28, 2008 1:40 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Link

because it has a huge number of electoral college votes and is not solid blue or solid red?

And McCain might -- just might -- choose Florida Gov. Crist as his VP nominee.

o fuk, then it would really be crist vs. anticrist

while i'm digging the fact that obama is polling better against mccain in various state match-ups, i really don't think these matchups really mean all that much right now. i keep seeing them cited everywhere, and they are certainly interesting to an extent. but really -- november is seriously far away. think back to iowa and consider how long this primary race has seemed (and it obviously started many many months before iowa). so much can happened between now and then that i don't really know how much anyone's 6 or 7 point lead means right at the end of february.

not sure I would lend too much creedence on florida polls just yet considering McCain had the opportunity to campaign (and win) there last month and the democrats did not.

exactly. one of the hundreds of factors to keep in mind.

GUYS IT'S NOT EVEN MARCH YET. IT'S TOO EARLY.

I think it's fairly safe to assume that Florida is in the R column

WHEN ITS MARCH THEN CAN WE

I think it's fairly safe to assume that Florida is in the R column

-- gabbneb, Thursday, February 28, 2008 2:08 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

only 8 years ago it was in question tho

i'd really like to see virginia in play this year

you will

only 8 years ago it was in question tho

some places change faster than others. there was also a Southern guy and a more conservative Jewish guy on the ticket then.

also the old people got older

if Obama picks Sam Nunn, FL will be in play

xp - they do that

if Obama picks Sam Nunn, we'll find out how many of his starry-eyed collegiate supporters are total fucking idiots.

I think it's fairly safe to assume that Florida is in the R column

OTM.

morbius i have a feeling you know how many already

At last - an open letter from Obama to gays:

As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples — whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage.

I’m running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all – a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It’s wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans. Equality is a moral imperative. That’s why throughout my career, I have fought to eliminate discrimination against LGBTAmericans. In Illinois, I co-sponsored a fully inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protection to the workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation.

In the U.S. Senate, I have co-sponsored bills that would equalize tax treatment for same-sex couples and provide benefits to domestic partners of federal employees. And as president, I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples — whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage.

Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. I have also called for us to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I have worked to improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system. The next president must also address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When it comes to prevention, we do not have to choose between values and science. While abstinence education should be part of any strategy, we also need to use common sense. We should have age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception. We should pass the JUSTICE Act to combat infection within our prison population. And we should lift the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. In addition, local governments can protect public health by distributing contraceptives.

We also need a president who’s willing to confront the stigma – too often tied to homophobia – that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. I confronted this stigma directly in a speech to evangelicals at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, and will continue to speak out as president. That is where I stand on the major issues of the day. But having the right positions on the issues is only half the battle. The other half is to win broad support for those positions. And winning broad support will require stepping outside our comfort zone. If we want to repeal DOMA, repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and implement fully inclusive laws outlawing hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace, we need to bring the message of LGBT equality to skeptical audiences as well as friendly ones – and that’s what I’ve done throughout my career. I brought this message of inclusiveness to all of America in my keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention.

I talked about the need to fight homophobia when I announced my candidacy for President, and I have been talking about LGBT equality to a number of groups during this campaign – from local LGBT activists to rural farmers to parishioners at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Dr. Martin Luther King once preached. Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to say. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBTAmericans. But neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is the work we must do to move forward together. It is difficult. It is challenging. And it is necessary. Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for what we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country. To do that, we need leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me, and I will provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for all Americans, gay and straight alike.

its hard to be cynical about that!

it's easy - that could be a setup for a Nunn pick

i cant see him picking Nunn

I think he's an outside choice, but I wouldn't rule it out

okay that is pretty badass

I dunno how many evangelical homophobes he's gonna convince but amen anyway

x-post

Good for him.

What's McCain's position on these issues?

nunn would be an interesting choice; something of a maverick in his own right.

hmm, http://obama.senate.gov/press/060523-lugar-obama_bil/

has any candidate ever written TO gays so forthrightly? Without endorsing every one of Obama's strategy, I admire how he delineates the possible.

regardless of what he REALLY believes (and I have no idea what that is) I'm sure McCain will issue some homophobic broadside if necessary to shore up his conservative credentials

Alfred where did that letter appear...?

I can't remember reading that much text by a politician without encountering the word terrorism.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGgx87

^^^^^^^^^obama gets his 1,000,000th donor

It's important to remember that McCain himself will not be doing most of the firehosing of his opponent. There will be hundreds of surrogates, loose cannons and other volunteers willing to step up and do whatever nastiness anyone can conceive of in order to keep the Dems out of the White House. About 95% of the time McCain won't even know what's going down until it's already out there. He'll keep his hands pretty clean.

firehosing of his opponent.

interesting choice of words

O'Aimless

plus McCain gets to routinely scold the shitslingers and look better and more noble than they are, w/o doing anything to really rein them in, and enjoying their effect on the campaign.

Alfred where did that letter appear...?

Sullivan published it on his site an hour ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saBU6ux0hsQ

lol hil l o l

no offense but yr the last one to be clowning ms cleo, nostradamus