Showing posts with label debates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label debates. Show all posts

Monday, October 22, 2012

Barack Obama Won Hands Down, He Will Win

Mitt Romney looked squeezed from all sides, was deer in the headlights.
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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Philly Debate: Quick Impressions During

  • People a-r-e bitter. The transition from an industrial to a knowledge economy will be painful on its own. Universal health, lifelong education will help. What will also help is the next wave of industrial jobs. A lot of "green" jobs will have to be created. And those can't be exported.
  • Obama saying people are bitter in the small towns is like Bill Clinton saying in 1992: "I feel your pain." He feels your pain. Barack feels your pain.
  • Clinton is talking nice on the VP question by saying she will work hard for the eventual nominee.
  • Last I checked, Clinton's lead in PA was down to three, five or six points, depending on which poll you looked at. We are doing fine. The so-called "bittergate" is no gate. We are fine.
  • About people "clinging to religion" during economically hard times. Health care should be the same way. You should still have it between jobs. That should be another thing people should be able to cling to.
  • Jeremiah Wright is still on people's minds. I have said United f___g States myself a few times, but that Wright dude threw the ball out of the ballpark, he sure did.
  • Black anger is news? It would be news to me if blacks were n-o-t angry. Even recent brown immigrants end up saying the weirdest things about black people.
  • It is time to forge a new, positive, robust black identity. Slavery and segregation can not be identity. The blacks in America need to dig deeper into their African heritage to claim more of art, music, culture, religion, language, cuisine. Take pride. Stop whining.
  • And then there's the concrete data on disparity. Fix schools, provide universal pre-school, provide health, create jobs, cure chronic poverty.
  • The two bees: "bitter" and Bosnia. We will do just fine.
  • Hillary is wrong to suggest Obama should have left his church on Wright. I am sure Hillary has elderly whites in her extended family who can say weird things about minorities. Did Hillary consider leaving her family?
  • A lot of black people say Wright-like comments are rather the norm in many all-black churches. The anger is real. The expression of that anger is real. Some of that anger takes the form of rap music. The church is one place where the black people congregate.
  • Some of the rap on Wright and the "bitter" comment has to be used to garner focus on social and economic issues that are for real.
  • Let Wright ignite that. Let him be an excuse to rise up and above.
  • I am so over Wright. Let that dude go. Let him retire like he wants to.
  • How about talking about our one and only Al Sharpton, pride of New York City, pride of Harlem, heart of black America? The dude got nice hair.
  • And now you want to know if Obama loves this country? Who brought that up? Who?
  • Flag? I say burn the flag. It is free speech. I wouldn't. But someone else can and it would not bother me. Me? I don't even burn firewood. I got gas to burn.
  • Clinton on Bosnia. I was not accurate? Ha. But you know, she was in a war zone. It is possible she might have heard gun shots. It might not even have been enemy fire. It might have been boys on her side practicing, drilling. But what's the big deal? Give her a break. Let's make her talk health care.
  • "There is no other country in which my story is even possible." True. I had to come all the way to America to claim my Indian half. Growing up in Nepal you experience strong anti-India sentiments.
  • Move beyond the flag pin. Enlightened patriotism would be to end the stupid trillion dollar war in Iraq.
  • After 45 minutes looks like things are warming up. So far both have played safe and nice. New kind of politics?
  • How many times before have we thought that after this particular primary, this caucus, this debate, Barack will knock her off? So many times. I think this race will go on. Every state will get to have a say. That is the way it should be. That is how you grow the party in each state. The Democratic party in Texas is a whole new machine now, thanks to these two.
  • Hillary might win PA by two points. And it will be on to next.
  • Weathermen? First time I am hearing of them. Who are the Weathermen?
  • Adding spice to the debate?
  • There's an Obama 2008 debate watch party at the Irish Rogue, and there is a DL21C debate watch party at Connolly's Pub, both near Times Square. Those are the only two I know of in this progressive capital of the world. I am surprised DFNYC and MYD people don't also have debate watch parties. And there is no Hillary 2008 debate watch party either. Me? I am home. Following the debate online. Live commentary is fun. Only I don't publish until it is over. I am following it in text, live blogging by ABC and USA Today. I am sure I will get hold of the transcript somewhere after the debate is over. And the Barack channel on YouTube will have select clips in video. But that is later.
  • After an hour, finally Iraq. Used to be that is what debates started with, most early debates last year.
  • 16 months is enough time. If you are willing to do the political work to fill up the vacuum, 16 months is a good timetable to have. The next 9/11 is being plotted in the no man's land between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
  • Israel. That is dicey. But not for me. I have a Third World perspective to it. I come from a Third World angle. But in my particular case, I say democracy is the answer. Unelected Arabs speaking for their people? Not possible. They use Israel as a scapegoat to their nonperformance, non-delivery to their own people. But Israel has also been unfair on its part. The Israelites, sometimes I think, are historically neither western, nor non-western. They have a rather unique history, a unique heritage, unique grievances.
  • Clinton's middle class are people who make less than $250,000. Okay, that makes me middle class! Kidding. Did someone say this lady made $109 million since she left the White House? No wonder she was in such a hurry to leave. I don't think she really wants to go back.
  • Hillary Clinton is doing what Bob Dole tried in 1996. Go to Bob Dole dot com. Only he said his own website address wrong. Hillary's got it nailed down. Salute.
  • Taxes, now that is a perennial. McCain has also been talking taxes lately. He is for a flat tax. If you do have a flat tax though, then will not the Republicans run out of steam? What will they campaign on after that?
  • By the way, did you get the news on Nepal elections? The Maoists won big time. That is mainstreaming the armed rebels kind of on steroids.
  • Debt, deficit. Bush fucked up big time. Obama gets to clean the mess. Ending the Iraq war will go a long way to ending the deficits.
  • Bush accumulated more debt than all US presidents before him put together. That guy is a genius. What grade do they teach basic Arithmetic in? He skipped that one and went straight to Harvard Business School.
  • This is fun, live commentary is. You get to sound like a pundit, like you really know what you are talking about.
  • Social Security. They are both right in degrees. But tackling the deficit alone will not do like Hillary emphasizes. She thinks, well, that is what Bill did. Bill did not have as many people ready to retire as there will be in about 10 years.
  • A Republican strategist offers this, to ABC's Karen Travers: "I think we’re going to buy 90 minute infomercials in October to replay this..." Oh really?
  • These Republicans, they don't get Obama's new kind of politics. They are like, just you wait, we are going to dig into you, and we are going to destroy you. They are threatening the politics of personal destruction. Will backfire big time. The Clinton people tried that in Iowa. Hillary would have been second, she ended up third in Iowa. Barack has already changed the tone of politics in this country and there is no going back.
  • The Republicans don't know what is about to hit them. An Obama-Clinton will give you a Reagan 1984 like sweep. You will carry 10 states if you are lucky. That is what you are looking at. It is the war, stupid.
  • Right about now I wish I had live streaming video. The local ABC affiliate in Philly promised live streaming, but did not deliver. Do they seriously think that will bring down their TV viewership? Come on.
  • Now we are talking about guns? Guns are insane. Looks like a new rival group to the NRA has been launched. Hunters Association, something like that. That is the way to go. All guns for hunting should be registered. All guns that are too powerful for hunting, the manufacturers should be sued out of existence, except for those that supply exclusively to the military and law enforcement. Guns are just stupid. Can you do anything other than kill with guns? Homicide rates are lower in countries that don't have insane gun laws like the US does. There is a direct correlation.
  • Start with all the big cities. Ban guns in big cities. I mean, it is like you can do hunt deer in big cities. So not even hunting guns should be allowed in the big cities.
  • This debate is not going to be a big win or lose for either. The victory margin in PA will be less than five points, I think, for whoever wins. If Hillary wins, she might get maybe five more delegates, big deal. We are so far ahead.
  • Virginia Tech could not have happened in Japan. And mental health is an issue also in Japan, it is an issue everywhere. People catch cold everywhere.
  • The Second Amendment itself has to be amended out of existence, if you ask me. That was put in place back when people were out on the frontier fending for themselves. But that stand might not be politically viable for now. But sensible gun laws are viable.
  • Zoning laws affect property rights, Obama says. Good point. Similary cities have a right to come up with sensible gun laws. Ban hand guns. They kill. They scare just by being around.
  • Handwriting? Weathermen?
  • I guess this is a two hour debate. 30 more minutes to go. Two hours have been the norm. But the three presidential debates are an hour each, right? Packed hour. Taut hour. Tight wire hour.
  • Video clips from the debate should be up by 10: http://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom
  • 15 more minutes to go.
  • http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2008/04/well-be-live-bl.html
  • http://blogs.abcnews.com/liveblogging
  • Soaring gas prices. Huge debt and deficits have led to a weaker dollar. I think that is why the gas prices are going up, and up, and up some more. People gasped when it hit two, then they gasped when it his three, they thought it was Google hitting the $600 mark, that was tops, but no, the price went further up. But weaker dollar alone does not explain it. Demand and supply don't. Something fishy is going on. The oil companies are gouging.
  • The Republicans have given up on many of their core values. They gave up on fiscal discipline. They have given up on the market mechanism. They gave up on family values. Republican family values these days? Rudy Giuliani taking phone calls from his wife in the middle of speeches.
  • They are so intellectually bankrupt it is not even funny.
  • 10 more minutes. We are almost done. I get to watch some video clips soon.
  • The market is soccer players playing soccer. The government is the referee. You need the referee to have a fiercely competitive, spectacular game. The oil companies and some of the finance people are playing foul because they bribed the referee to look the other way.
  • Why did anyone ever vote for Bush? Beats me. That was no way to start the 21st century. Get me on to a different calendar, one that starts the 21st century early next year.
  • "I believe in America." That is a line from Godfather. I could use that myself as a someone who was 23 when he landed here. America is an idea, I believe in that idea. Racism takes away from that idea in its purity. Sexism is unAmerican. I can't wait for the Obama-Clinton ticket. Give them all summer together.
  • This guy did not blog at all between 9:34 and 9:50. http://blogs.abcnews.com/liveblogging Says "the overwhelming number of comments slowed down our server." Looks like there i-s an audience for text.
  • Obama will build "a new political coalition." He already has. Record turnout for the primaries.
  • Hillary is a strong, smart, attractive woman. I give her all that. She will be great on the ticket.
  • http://abcnews.go.com already has video clips.
  • 10:01 PM. Time is up.
WATCH: Clinton Explains Bosnia Botch
WATCH: Does Hillary Think Barack Can Win?
WATCH: Doubting Obama's Patriotism?

In The News

Three More Superdelegates for Obama New York Times
Born to run: Springsteen throws weight behind Obama Guardian
Clinton's Negatives at Record High ABC News

Visits on previous 'day': 340.

 Clinton, Obama face off CNN a new CNN Poll of Polls puts Clinton's lead at just five points over Obama in Pennsylvania, down from a double-digit lead two weeks ago. ..... small-town Pennsylvania residents are "bitter" over their economic circumstances and "cling" to their guns and religion.

China bends on Taiwan, why not Tibet? Christian Science Monitor
Microsoft Versus Salesforce-Google InformationWeek
Clinton faces grim poll data as debate looms AFP Polls show Clinton has stalled Obama's attempt to catch her in Pennsylvania, but her lead of around six points ..... she trails Obama in nominating contests won, elected delegates and the popular vote. ..... Obama a 10-point lead when Democrats nationwide ..... Some 54 percent of those asked had an unfavorable impression of the former first lady -- up from 40 percent ..... Obama up 40 percent to 35 percent in Indiana .... Obama up 13 points in North Carolina ... "I'm suggesting people are bitter about the state of their economic lives (and) the Washington beltway hall of mirrors has just gone nuts," Obama told reporters. ...... rock megastar Bruce Springsteen ..... "I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest," Springsteen wrote on his website. ..... "He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems." ..... Obama also won backing from the American Hunters and Shooters Association, a newly formed rival to the zealously pro-gun National Rifle Association.
Bruce Springsteen endorses Barack Obama in presdential race NME.com
Obama, Clinton to debate as Pennsylvania primary looms large The Associated Press
Negative views of Clinton on rise San Jose Mercury News
New Poll Says Most Democrats Prefer Obama as Party's Nominee Voice of America
Democrats prepare for TV debate BBC News 21st debate ..... The last televised debate took place 50 days ago, on 26 February.

Visits on previous 'day': 290.
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Friday, February 22, 2008

Texas Debate






In The News

Clinton, Obama spend differently Los Angeles Times Clinton pays top dollar to her aides -- giving her communications director twice as much in one month as Obama paid his communications director in a year. .... In the past year, Obama spent $1.8 million on buttons and other paraphernalia, whereas Clinton paid dearly for the fuel of many campaigns: pizza and doughnuts. ..... Since the campaigns began, Obama has spent $138.2 million and Clinton $120.9 million through Jan. 31. ...... Obama's fundraising has since surged ahead by $20 million, leaving her unable to match his spending in the March 4 showdown contests in Ohio and Texas ...... much of the money fueling his campaign has arrived via the Internet. ..... Clinton relies more on large fundraising events, often holding them at the mansions of wealthy donors and collecting the maximum $2,300 from people attending. ....... since the campaign began, she has paid almost $8 million to the firm Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates. She has another $2.1 million in unpaid bills to the firm









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Friday, February 01, 2008

My Guy Barack Won The LA Debate









Tuesday Evening

I worked the subway crowd on 14th and 8th. I realized only in the aftermath that it had been a GLBT event.

Wednesday Evening

Sylvan threw a salsa party not far from the event the evening before at Plumm. I like the buffet dinner part, then watched people dance. After a few hours, I left. I was in a mood for a movie. I walked towards Union Square to catch a flick, but instead ended up buying one, a De Niro flick for $10.

Thursday Evening

Time: Thursday, January 31 at 6:00 PM
Host: Generation Obama
Location: The Grand (New York, NY)
41 East 58th Street
New York, NY 10018

That was the bomb. Jeremy's Generation Barack Obama threw a lavish debate watch party on the 58th, The Grand. He threw in some good news at the very beginning. We were now only three points behind in California, and we were running neck and neck in New York City. After South Carolina and the Kennedy endorsements, what do you expect?

The crowd was more than 700 strong. Met some interesting people.

Met a law professor at Brooklyn Law who I might be able to make use of for my startup. Met two EKU grads, Eastern Kentucky University. They threw a few Berea names at me. Do you know such and such? Met some other men and women. Met a guy who teaches and is also a screenwriter. A movie of his is about to hit the theaters. Big league stuff.

"You don't go to random bars," he said. "If you want to meet alert women, you come to these political events."

I think I spotted Lewis Cohen. He was with a stunning woman. Looks like the dude is going places. Once in a while Lewis Cohen will do the right thing, like show up for an Obama event.

Obama 2008 Is Working For Me

I met Anna Lewis at the event. She had a big Women For Obama sticker on her chest.

"Are you a mover shaker with Women for Obama?" I teased her.

"Yes, I am," she said.

I followed up with her a little later.

"In this town if this guy Jeremy knows you, that is like a status symbol," I said.

She said she was a movie producer. I said, put me in one of your movies for five seconds, you don't have to pay me.

"So you want to be an extra?"

"Well, that is not how I would put it. I don't have the time to be a movie star."

You can put me in as a terrorist, or something, I said.

"You want to be a terrorist?"

"No. I just thought that might be an easy role to get hold of."

She gave me her email address. Looks like I might end up in some movie. This Obama thing is so totally working out for me.

Jesse

Jesse Jackson is a great American, but Barack is greater. Why is Bill Clinton trying to confuse people?

Bill Perkins

Bill Perkins is the next Mayor of New York City. Anthony Weiner is a good guy, but he should continue as Congressman. Jewish Governor, Black Mayor, brown friend to the Mayor, fair enough.

It is time to put a Democrat in that office. Bill will get a solid reaction in Harlem and Brooklyn. He needs to really start reaching out to the white crowds in the city. That is the Obama way. He has been the mascot for Obama 2008 in this city.

He is a well-educated man - Cornell grad - who could offer sound management, racially inclusive policies, and a meritocratic team.

In The News

Dozens Killed in Worst Baghdad Attack in Months New York Times
Female bombers kill 72 at Baghdad pet markets Reuters
2 Mentally Retarded Female Bombers Strike Pet Markets in Baghdad ... ABC News
US Loses Jobs, Recession Fears Gain Strength TheStreet.com
A Blow Against Al-Qaeda — and Musharraf TIME A U.S. Predator strike on a militant compound in Northwest Pakistan may have killed a top al-Qaeda operative. If confirmed, the death of Abu Laith al-Libi, believed to be one of the highest-ranking leaders of the terror group after Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, would be a coup in the war on terror. ..... "Coordinated attacks using Pakistani intelligence and U.S. firepower
The Battle for the Latino Vote many like that "young boy, what's his name? Barack Obama?" .... Obama, who is half-white, half-black, pretty much transcended race, winning Iowa, which is 95% white, and placing a close second in New Hampshire, which is 96% white ..... the Obama campaign has made Latino outreach one if its top priorities ..... The campaign's extenstive Latino outreach program includes 6,000 precinct captains and 223 teams of 1,500 trained volunteers. They were the first up with Spanish language TV and radio ads, and have placed tens of thousands phone calls reaching out to Latino households. ....... Obama trails Clinton in polls of Latino voters 59% to 19% ..... Overall, Clinton leads Obama 39% to 27% ..... Her campaign has placed nearly 650,000 calls to Latino women — part of the nearly two million they've done total, twice as many as the Obama campaig ...... There should not be a woman in this state that we do not reach out to ..... Up to half of the four million likely California Democratic voters are expected to vote before primary day, as more than a million already have done .... Salazar said she might well have voted for Obama if she had waited until Election Day. .... home to two women U.S. Senators, as well as Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the House
A No-Friction Clinton-Obama Debate
Microsoft and Yahoo: A Perfect Match?
Bill Clinton, Get Out of the Way "There may be a better salesman than I am," Bill Clinton said, smiled, then paused as chuckles rippled through the audience. ...... The Bush Administration wanted to develop two new nuclear weapons, he said, while it was trying to persuade the Iranians to stop enriching uranium. "There may be a better salesman than I am," he said, "but that's a tough sale. We're telling the Iranians, �You can't have any of something we want two more of.'" ........ Unwilling to stop campaigning after his last event, he had gone to the cafeteria at the University of South Carolina. About 15 kids were there, and they started texting their friends. Pretty soon several hundred kids had gathered, and Clinton held forth for two hours, answering their questions. ....... for Bill Clinton, there is no more powerful jones than grabbing an audience ..... those unutterably decent, hardworking, middle-class, churchified African Americans. They had been shocked and hurt, and then enraged, by his foolish, two-week effort to diss Barack Obama. ...... He was the first President to talk easily with blacks, as equals, without condescension. He was the best white politician I have ever seen in a black church. ..... he thinks he won New Hampshire for Hillary Clinton. ..... He has made it a co-candidacy. He has cheapened it by using cheesy, misleading tactics against Obama. ..... His reappearance made her seem weak, unable to defend herself. ..... If she is elected, who exactly will be President? What happens when there is a real crisis? My guess is, she'd be able to handle almost anything ... except him. I could easily see him jumping the shark, sending mixed messages when a single voice of authority is crucial — especially if the crisis involves one of his specialties, like the Middle East.
The Year of the Youth Vote The Senator's daughter Maddie Esposito had seen the way her mother teared up whenever she heard Obama speak. ...... "You know you believe in him," Maddie admonished her damp-eyed mother. "It's time to step up." The next morning, Maddie, a college freshman home for the holidays, added a threat: "You have to do it, or I'm never talking to you again." ....... Kids like Maddie Esposito are the muscle of Obama's army. His campaign has become the first in decades — maybe in history — to be carried so far on the backs of the young. ...... Caroline Kennedy's three teenagers began working on her last year. ..... His opponents promise to fight, but Obama promises healing. His is the language of possibility, which is the native tongue of the young. ...... Combining with digital-age technologyold-fashioned shoe leather, the Illinois Senator first rallied Iowa students to cancel Clinton's cakewalk. ..... a youthquake that reverberates upward ..... Their interest in the election exceeds their interest in celebrity news or sports — 7 of 10 said they are paying attention to the race. .... his superior ground game. ..... To win those kids, Obama did something unusual in politics: he made them a genuine priority. After his rallies in towns across the state, he met backstage with student leaders from the area — a privilege most campaigns reserve for local VIPs and fund raisers. ........ 19th century politics using 21st century tools ..... voters are more likely to go to the polls if they are asked face-to-face by someone they trust ..... personal canvassing is more effective than direct mail or phone calls from strangers ........ know your voters and turn them out personally ..... A student-to-student phone bank dialed tens of thousands of dorm rooms and cell phones. ...... teasingly racy "Show Us Your O-Face" parties ...... "People feel more comfortable if they're part of a group." ..... Facebook, the largest of Internet social-networking sites, boasts a market share of more than 85% of four-year U.S. universities ...... young people are intensely connected online. ..... she is an eternal piece of their mental furniture. .... Obama, by contrast, radiates the new. He doesn't just talk about change; he looks like change. His person and his platform are virtually indistinguishable. Obama, like Tiger Woods and Angelina Jolie, has one of those faces that seem beamed from a postracial future, when everyone will have a permanent, noncarcinogenic tan. ...... We've yet to see Obama flustered or harried; instead, he gives off the enigmatic Zen confidence of the guy who is picked first for every game. ..... What concerns many of them is the nature of politics: the perceived gridlock of parties, conniving of special interests and shallow biases of the media.
Work Out and Drink Up
After civil debate, Obama attacks Clinton Newsday
Small donors add up to $36b secret weapon for Obama The Age
Obama not sure Clinton would get his voters MSNBC






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Friday, December 14, 2007

Republican Debate In Des Moines


































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Des Moines Debate









































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