Content.

I know he's not as dynamic a speaker as Obama... that wouldn't be a reason to vote for him or against him, though.

He lit up when he spoke about Vietnam; that was personal, and I guess easy for him to talk about. He KNOWS that stuff. He didn't speak about any of the party's plans. Is he telling us that the party doesn't have any plans?

I haven't heard any fresh ideas from any of the Republicans in years. We keep hearing what a maverick Senator McCain is, but if he's voted with President Bush 90% of the time, then I guess he's really not.

As I know I've mentioned before, the Republicans seem to preach fear. Don't change! It would be bad! We were here on September 11, 2001, and we've prevented attacks since then. If you don't vote for us, those terrorists will be back!! Fear, fear, fear.

Personally, I don't want to live in fear. I prefer to live a hopeful life. And for me, that's a good enough reason not to vote Republican this time.

Where's Ross Perot when you need a third party candidate??

Two things about the speech. My son commented that he seems to be holding something back. Not just tonight, but whenever he speaks. He seems to be exercising immense control when he does so. And also, he seems to invest much in macho toughness, never giving up, victory, making history (where did that come from?) as if being tough is the end all and be all.

Community Service is a wonderful thing and Sen. Barack Hussein Obama should be applauded for it. Does it qualify anyone to be President of the United States. Nope.

Also, after nearly a week of scrutiny over Palins 'experience' while running for VP and who if she wins may or may not ever even assume the Presidency...it was and is completely appropriate to compare her experience as Mayor and Governor to Sen. Barack Hussein Obama's, who if he wins WILL be President...as a Community Organizer and U.S. Senator who is on record as voting 'Present' most of the time and passed barely a single piece of legislation during his time in office but has somehow found time to write 2 memiors.

The comparison was fair, it was warranted and it should be made time and time again if the media continues to harp on Gov. Sarah Palin's qualifications for the office of Vice President.

Apple

Yes, he was. And I'm not saying that ALL Governors who seek the Presidency succeed. However it's a historical FACT...not a hypothesis...that more sitting or former Governors have been elected President than sitting Senators.

This year, a Senator will definitely be elected President.
It was a great move for McCain to put on his ticket a sitting Governor, a current Chief Executive of a HUGE State...instead of going for another Senator.

Apple

ps - Yet another Governor to be elected President in 'recent' history...Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Yeah, in land mass. Not so much population. They have what - 1 person per square mile?

Apple, I have no problem with the fact that they compared their records and their experience. Compare away. As you said, it's only reasonable.

What bothered me is the disparaging and dismissive tone that both Mayor Giuliani and Governor Palin used when saying "community organizer". They left the impression that a "community organizer" is somebody who puts together pickup games on some public basketball court. It was not the comparison; it was the tone.

The attacks on Obama have only made me roll my eyes and move me closer to voting for Barack Hussein Obama.

I would love to be able to vote for McCain, but just can't. He keeps talking about being a "Maverick", and shaking up Washington, but his record just doesn't support that. He votes along party lines and with George Bush 90% of the time. Plus his pick of Sarah Palin isn't putting "Country First". Does anyone in their right mind think she is best choice to be his VP? He picked her for one reason, to try to win an election. Obama is far from perfect, but he's about as opposite of George Bush you can get, and I'm willing to take the chance on "Change".

The truth is, I might have voted for Senator McCain 8 years ago. I really wish he had gotten the nomination back then. I wonder how the world would be different if he had.

As I said, I think that he's probably a decent man. He came across as quite sincere last night. However, I didn't hear anything new. I didn't hear any ideas. I didn't even hear acknowledgment that we're suffering an enormous fiscal crisis. To me, 8 more years of the same is just unacceptable.

Yes, Senator Obama may be in his first term. Yes, he may be weak on foreign policy. However, at least he understands that there are problems in this country. At least he knows that what's been going on isn't working.

I'm not thrilled with either of them. I'm concerned about Mccain's age. I'm not happy that Obama will raise taxes. My vote will come down to the lesser of two evils AGAIN!!!

Terrorists? Trying to kill us?

What, me worry?

With the deficits we're running and the need to improve infrastructure, develop energy independence and put a decent health care system in place, not to mention all kinds of existing and potential problems abroad, I don't see how we cannot raise taxes unless we do it GOP style by calling taxes by some other name and using gimmicks like selling highways to private companies, continuing to privatize prisons, and raising "fees" for everything.

Yeah, that was a fucking blunder. I think I understand what she was trying to say, as in "I've always been proud before, but today I'm specially proud" or whatever.

But my immediate reaction to that statement was the same as yours.

Both candidates' tax plans really are problematic, but McCain's is "slash spending" and yet he won't cut any bit of the military budget.

So if not that route, then where to? I mean I'm pretty sure neither candidate will cut cash-bleeding projects like the Harriet Jet.

So what will get axed if its President McCain and a Democratic Congress, if anything?

Remember that deficit in the late 80s/early 90s that was one of the key reasons why Bush Sr. lost re-election to Clinton?

Well, that came from Reagan's Supply-Side Economics, in cutting taxes and not cutting anything, and in fact increasing the military budget. The problem was that the heavy cost from the economic prosperity in the 80s landed on Bush's doorstep, and Clinton/GOP Congress had to cut alot of shit to be not as much in the red.

Yet I doubt any Democrat or moderate was going to vote for Obama for his experience. More like for his pitch of no more S.O.S. ("Same Old Shit") or at least represent a change from the Dubya years, or new ideas or whatever.

I mean McCain's pitch is that he's been around long enough, he knows the game and how to play it BLAH BLAH, and it's worth running on.

There was a political cartoon, and I hate that I didn't save it, but which you had two cars: those new hybrid environmental/fuel-friendly cars (Obama) and a SUV (McCain), and you have people in the middle wondering which car to "buy."

On the hybrid, "Looks promising, but it's a risky move."
On the SUV, its "It's proven in the past, but is this the solution now?"

Point is, experience was a cornerstone of McCain's run, and with his age, if he had picked someone like Hutchinson, I think moderates would have been more acceptive of that pick than a Palin. I mean Hutchinson has been in office for about what, 14-15 years as a Senator from Texas?

McCain/Hutchinson ticket would have been the complete "Experience" Value Meal.

Oh sure Democrats would find little shit to get pissed about her, but when polling indicates with Palin that with Republicans loving her, and Democrats hating her, but moderates in general are not biting...that's a problem.

To put it another way Apple, remember 4 years ago?

Edwards energized the Democratic base, but who won the race?

A question I ask you Apple, and I want you to answer completely and honestly:

Which candidate you prefer, McCain or Palin?

Also, you supporting McCain who was a leader of that failed attempt on that so-trashed "Amnesty Bill" 2 years ago, who led and got a bill passed condemning the Bush Administration for not following the Geneva Convention on torture, the McCain/Feingold Campaign Finance "Reform" that's not really worked as good as hoped, and against banning gay marriage?

I'm just trying to understand that a conservative like yourself is voting for a moderate who at times has gone contrary to your ideological parameters.

The best question of all...are you voting more for McCain, or more against Obama?

McCain Gets his bounce. Just released Rasmussen Poll.

Rasmussen: Obama 48, McCain 46. Obama +2 (4 point change)


Gallup daily tracking poll will be out later.

If you missed the 1st part of the Obama/O'Reilly interview, here
it is. It was actually a pretty good interview.


http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/index.html

Alaska's population is about 700,000. That's 1.1 people per square mile. It's gross state product is about $500 million.

The only thing big about the state is its physical size.

In the end, the election will come down to the state of the economy.

Sarah Palin is hot. Vote for McCain.

Are you assuming that Mignon doesn't make more than $2.87 million a year?

8 more weeks. Nice chart, SB. I'm sick of people saying Obama is going to tax, tax, tax. He has said over and over again. If your family is making less than $250,000 a year, you will not see a tax increase.

Doubt it. In a good year, when the colonel goes hunting, he may bring home two bucks.

Presidents do not raise or lower taxes. Only the Congress can do so.

I think that with focus upon the preseidential candidates, some forget that all 435 members of the House of Representatives will be up for reelection and 1/3 of Senators. If you are concerned about effects upon taxes, one needs to pay attention to those runnning for election in your district and for senator in your state.

The truth is, incomes vary regionally. Someone making $100,000 per year in the tristate area or in areas of CA is very likely to be struggling to make ends meet. Someone in that same income bracket in an area of the country where real estate costs and taxes are lower may be living quite well. Applying federal taxes without using some formula for regional costs, someone's going to get screwed.

Gallup poll is out. McCain got a 4 point bounce in that one too.

Gallup Tracking: Obama 48, McCain 44. Obama +4 (4 point change)