I started out as a McCain supporter but he's shown a complete lack of judgment and the Palin choice was the nail in the coffin.

For the same reason McCain doesn't want to talk about the economy. In the final week of the campaign you don't talk about your weaknesses.

I have two questions about the elections:
1) Can the president dismiss the vice president?
2) If the newly elected president dies before January or before taking his oath, who becomes president?

1. No. The vice-president, like the president, was elected into office, and can not be fired by the president.

2. The vice-president elect would be sworn into office in January if the president-elect dies after the election, but before inauguration.

Ahha... that's why McCain picked Palin as a running mate. It's his insurance policy that makes sure nobody would kill him if he was elected.

What happens if one of the two candidates dies now (actually I was reading about a foiled skinhead plan to assassinate Obama, today)? Since the parties will most likely promote their VP candidates to be the presidential nominee, neither of them can beat the presidential candidate of the other party.

The parties have control of the ticket under such circumstances.

Also, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska was found guilty on several federal corruption charges.

SVSG,

I was gonna ask that same question and may have already a while back. I think it was concluded that nobody knew, since it has never happened before.

Since there is no winner yet, if one (God forbid) of our two candidates died or even worse, was assassinated, wouldn't the logical step be to put the runner-up (so to speak) of that party, since he/she came in second??? Or, redo the whole primary. I don't want to find out the hard way, but it is a fair question really.

I did hear of this plot and it is very very scary regardless of the fact that from what I hear the plan was no where near being "planned". At least so far.

TIS

I haven't really followed this story. What effect, if any, will it have on the Republicans (in the election)?

This guy is like 80 something I think. He is senator in Alaska and from what was just reported, he and the Democratic running against him are tied. Stevens says he isn't going to quit, keeping his senate seat. They reported unless he loses, or is booted by the party he keeps his seat. That's how I understand it.

But, will they really put an 80 something guy in jail for very long?


TIS

I heard that skinhead/Obama story on MSNBC & Fox a little bit ago. How scary is that? The man hasn't even been elected yet and someone wants him dead. Sad very sad.

Story

They're panicking now. They're about to have a black President and they just can't handle it. Their tiny little worlds are imploding.

Personally, I think there will be more lunatics out there prior to the election and inauguration, than there will be after.

1) Republicans will probably lose another Senate seat.

2) Stevens "The Tubes Guy" is Palin's "mentor". Last summer Palin sat next to him at conference and went on and on about how much she respected him and how his voice needed to be heard across America and proudly touting his endorsement during her run for governor. I think these are up on youtube, check them out.

3) There is some scandal about Palin's hometown receiving $27 million in federal money (for a town of 6700!! She was the mayor at this time) to help fund a rail project to a resort Steven's has.

Feds disrupt skinhead plot to assassinate Obama

WASHINGTON – Law enforcement agents have broken up a plot by two neo-Nazi skinheads to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and shoot or decapitate 88 black people, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives said Monday.

In court records unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Jackson, Tenn., federal agents said they disrupted plans to rob a gun store and target a predominantly African-American high school in a murder spree that was to begin in Tennessee. Agents said the skinheads did not identify the school by name.

Jim Cavanaugh, special agent in charge of ATF's Nashville field office, said the two men planned to kill 88 black people, including 14 by beheading. The numbers 88 and 14 are symbolic in the white supremacist community.

The men also sought to go on a national killing spree after the Tennessee murders, with Obama as its final target, Cavanaugh told The Associated Press.

"They said that would be their last, final act — that they would attempt to kill Sen. Obama," Cavanaugh said. "They didn't believe they would be able to do it, but that they would get killed trying."

An Obama spokeswoman traveling with the senator in Pennsylvania had no immediate comment.

The men, Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tenn., and Paul Schlesselman 18, of Helena-West Helena, Ark., are being held without bond. Agents seized a rifle, a sawed-off shotgun and three pistols from the men when they were arrested. Authorities alleged the two men were preparing to break into a gun shop to steal more.

The defendants were arrested Oct. 22 by the Crockett County, Tenn., Sheriffs Office. "Once we arrested the defendants and suspected they had violated federal law, we immediately contacted federal authorities," said Crockett County Sheriff Troy Klyce.

Attorney Joe Byrd, who has been hired to represent Cowart, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday.

Cowart and Schlesselman are charged with possessing an unregistered firearm, conspiring to steal firearms from a federally licensed gun dealer, and threatening a candidate for president.

The investigation is continuing, and more charges are possible, Cavanaugh said.

The court records say Cowart and Schlesselman also bought nylon rope and ski masks to use in a robbery or home invasion to fund their spree, during which they allegedly planned to go from state to state and kill people.

For the Obama plot, the legal documents show, Cowart and Schlesselman "planned to drive their vehicle as fast as they could toward Obama shooting at him from the windows."

"Both individuals stated they would dress in all white tuxedos and wear top hats during the assassination attempt," the court complaint states. "Both individuals further stated they knew they would and were willing to die during this attempt."

Cavanaugh said there's no evidence — so far — that others were willing to assist Cowart and Schlesselman with the plot.

He said authorities took the threats very seriously.

"They seemed determined to do it," Cavanaugh said. "Even if they were just to try it, it would be a trail of tears around the South."

___

Associated Press writer Erik Schelzig in Nashville, Tenn., contributed to this report.

Frankly, I'm a little surprised that it took this long for a threat like this to materialize.

Saladbar, I believe they broke up other assassination plots before this. Wasn't there one around the time of the first debate or something?

Yes, now that you have prodded my memory ... Obama got secret service detail assigned to him WAY before any of the other candidates so there had to be much earlier credible death threats.

Stupid neo-Nazi skinheads/white supremacists -- why is it that those claiming to be of the "master race" always seem to be the worst possible examples of humanity and at the very bottom scrapings of the gene pool?

Hell, the ATF disrupted an assasination plot during the DNC in Denver, which strangely didn't get much TV airtime on the networks.

Luckily, most of the people that get these ideas, don't have nearly enough brains to carry them out.

His jail sentences may run 5 years or less, or miniscule.

But the real importance is that this comes 8 days before Stevens' re-election against his Democratic rival, who was neck/neck with him in the polls.

I doubt Alaskans will keep a guy who's a 7-count convicted felon.

Indeed.

To quote THE BLUES BROTHERS:

"I hate Illinois Nazis."

FACT CHECK: McCain persists in exaggerations

By BETH FOUHY – 2 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — A week from the presidential election, Republican John McCain is persisting in exaggerating and misrepresenting rival Barack Obama's tax and health-care plans.

In his latest campaign stump speech, McCain portrays himself as a time-tested warrior who will fight passionately for the middle class as president. "These are hard times," he proclaims, promising to enact policies that will create new jobs, help people stay in their homes, and protect their retirement accounts.

The well-crafted speech, with stirring references to McCain's five and a half years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and his plans for the nation, goes off track when it comes to Obama's policies.

"I'm not going to spend $700 billion of your money just bailing out the Wall Street bankers and brokers who got us into this mess," McCain says. "I'm going to make sure we take care of the people who were devastated by the excesses of Wall Street and Washington. I'm going to spend a lot of that money to bring relief to you."

Both McCain and Obama voted for the sweeping financial rescue deal, passed 74-25 by the Senate, that directs the U.S. Treasury to spend $700 billion to buy up distressed mortgages and other bad debt from banks.

McCain has criticized elements of the plan but argued he had no choice but to support it, saying it was an emergency measure needed to help stabilize the stock market and loosen credit.

To make it more consumer friendly, McCain has proposed spending $300 billion of it on buying bad mortgages at full face value and renegotiating them to a lower rate. The plan has drawn mixed reviews; critics say it would force taxpayers to vastly overpay for mortgages. Obama has said profligate lenders must share the losses so the government shouldn't pay them full face value for failing mortgages.

In his stump speech, McCain says if elected "I won't spend nearly a trillion dollars more of your money ... as Sen. Obama proposes. Because he can't do that without raising your taxes or digging us further into debt. I'm going to make government live on a budget just like you do."

McCain is correct that Obama has proposed several costly new programs, including a 10-year, $150 billion clean energy fund and a plan for near-universal health coverage that would cost upwards of $50 billion a year.

Obama claims his spending plans are offset by spending cuts. He says he would pay for new programs with the savings from withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq and with new taxes on those earning over $250,000 a year. The 95 percent of workers who make less than that would get a tax cut, he says.

McCain has proposed making permanent all of President Bush's tax cuts and has called for a spending freeze on all programs except Defense, veterans' benefits and Social Security. He's a staunch defender of the Iraq war, even though it costs about $150 billion a year. He has resisted setting a time frame for withdrawing U.S. troops.

McCain is also standing by his pledge to balance the federal budget in four years with no tax increases — a pledge analysts say may be close to impossible given current economic conditions and the added cost of the $700 billion bailout.

In his stump speech, McCain says he "won't fine small businesses and families with children, as Sen. Obama proposes, to force them into a new huge government-run health-care program, while I keep the cost of the fine a secret until I hit you with it."

McCain's central claim — that people will be "forced" into a new government-run plan under an Obama presidency — is not true. In fact, Obama broke with many Democrats and others who advocate universal coverage when he announced his plan would be mandatory only for children, and voluntary for everyone else. Obama would allow those who want to keep their current employer-based health insurance to do so. Rather than requiring everyone to purchase coverage, Obama's plan is designed to bring down costs — make insurance more affordable so as many people as possible would choose to buy it.

In addition, under Obama's plan, employers would not be fined for not providing coverage. Instead, large employers — but not small businesses — would be required either to provide health insurance or contribute toward the cost of a public plan.

McCain also accuses Obama of aiming to raise taxes on small businesses, which he says would cause them to cut jobs. He has recently fleshed out that point by invoking "Joe the Plumber," who told Obama on a campaign stop in Ohio that he wants to buy the plumbing business where he works, but is afraid Obama's tax plan would make that impossible.

In fact, Obama would raise taxes on small businesses making more than $250,000, but only about two percent of small businesses in the country fall into that category. And Obama is also proposing targeted tax relief for small businesses, such as a tax credit for offering health care to employees and elimination of capital gains taxes on startup businesses.

Two new polls from Arizona, McCain's home state:

Zimmerman:
MCCAIN 44%
OBAMA 42%

Rasmussen:
MCCAIN 51%
OBAMA 46%

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2008/10/27/obama_closes_in_on_mccain_in_arizona.html

36 People walk out of a telemarketing call center because of an anti-Obama script the McCain campaign wanted them to say.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpoi...er_workers.php

Let me try again since you probably didn't read my post just above yours.

If a presidential candidate dies or withdraws before the election, the choice of another candidate is up to the party.

Certainly, it is dispiriting. Given the scandals associated with Republicans Larry Craig and Mark Foley, Republicans must be wondering what the difference is between their party's candidates and Democrats. Now the Republicans have to anticipate that with Steven's conviction, his deomcratic opponent Mark Begich will win his seat. Thus, the probability of a 60 vote Democratic majority in the Senate becomes even more certain.

Closing, powerful moments of Obama's big speech today.

Disgruntled conservative Andrew Sullivan gives his

Top Ten Reasons Conservatives Should Vote For Obama

(10) A body blow to racial identity politics. An end to the era of Jesse Jackson in black America.

(9) Less debt. Yes, Obama will raise taxes on those earning over a quarter of a million. And he will spend on healthcare, Iraq, Afghanistan and the environment. But so will McCain. He plans more spending on health, the environment and won't touch defense of entitlements. And his refusal to touch taxes means an extra $4 trillion in debt over the massive increase presided over by Bush. And the CBO estimates that McCain's plans will add more to the debt over four years than Obama's. Fiscal conservatives have a clear choice.

(8) A return to realism and prudence in foreign policy. Obama has consistently cited the foreign policy of George H. W. Bush as his inspiration. McCain's knee-jerk reaction to the Georgian conflict, his commitment to stay in Iraq indefinitely, and his brinksmanship over Iran's nuclear ambitions make him a far riskier choice for conservatives. The choice between Obama and McCain is like the choice between George H.W. Bush's first term and George W.'s.

(7) An ability to understand the difference between listening to generals and delegating foreign policy to them.

(6) Temperament. Obama has the coolest, calmest demeanor of any president since Eisenhower. Conservatism values that kind of constancy, especially compared with the hot-headed, irrational impulsiveness of McCain.

(5) Faith. Obama's fusion of Christianity and reason, his non-fundamentalist faith, is a critical bridge between the new atheism and the new Christianism.

(4) A truce in the culture war. Obama takes us past the debilitating boomer warfare that has raged since the 1960s. Nothing has distorted our politics so gravely; nothing has made a rational politics more elusive.

(3) Two words: President Palin.

(2) Conservative reform. Until conservatism can get a distance from the big-spending, privacy-busting, debt-ridden, crony-laden, fundamentalist, intolerant, incompetent and arrogant faux conservatism of the Bush-Cheney years, it will never regain a coherent message to actually govern this country again. The survival of conservatism requires a temporary eclipse of today's Republicanism. Losing would be the best thing to happen to conservatism since 1964. Back then, conservatives lost in a landslide for the right reasons. Now, Republicans are losing in a landslide for the wrong reasons.

(1) The War Against Islamist terror. The strategy deployed by Bush and Cheney has failed. It has failed to destroy al Qaeda, except in a country, Iraq, where their presence was minimal before the US invasion. It has failed to bring any of the terrorists to justice, instead creating the excrescence of Gitmo, torture, secret sites, and the collapse of America's reputation abroad. It has empowered Iran, allowed al Qaeda to regroup in Pakistan, made the next vast generation of Muslims loathe America, and imperiled our alliances. We need smarter leadership of the war: balancing force with diplomacy, hard power with better p.r., deploying strategy rather than mere tactics, and self-confidence rather than a bunker mentality.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/the-top-ten-rea.html#more

That was incredible. Just incredible.

I actually got to watch the entire speech, since I was at home. As usual, it was great!!! I look forward to seeing his half hour "special" on Wednesday. If anyone knows the time, please post. I haven't heard yet.



TIS