Originally Posted By chickendumpling ROFL, mele! That just never gets old to me. I am adding it to my repertoire of sayings - it goes right up there next to, "You know, serving bread BEFORE the meal is the mark of a good restaurant."
Originally Posted By gadzuux Remember this? From that long-ago time of June `08? >> Barack Obama told supporters that Republicans will “try to make you afraid of me” in remarks he made Friday at a Florida fundraiser. "The choice is clear. Most of all we can choose between hope and fear. It is going to be very difficult for Republicans to run on their stewardship of the economy or their outstanding foreign policy. “We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run,” said the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. “They’re going to try to make you afraid. They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. ‘He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black?’" Obama told supporters that Republicans would try to portray both him and his wife Michelle as "scary." "They’re going to try to make me into a scary guy,” he said last week. “They’re even trying to make Michelle into a scary person. Right?" And so that drumbeat – 'we’re not sure if he’s patriotic or not; we’re not sure if he is too black.' "I don’t know, before I wasn’t black enough," said Obama. "'Now he might be too black. We don’t know whether he’s going to socialize – well, who knows what.'" << Republicans and their supporters were quick off the mark to complain about that comment, saying it was "playing the race card". But it's exactly what they've done - to the tee. And Obama was dead-on when he said that they can't very well run on their record on the economy or on foreign policy. They've got nuthin' - they hold an empty hand. And their republicans - they're not going to suddenly change their stripes. So they sling mud. But after deep and exhaustive investigations, they couldn't find any. That didn't stop them - they went right into a smear and fear campaign using innuendo - terms like "shady" wink-wink. Not to mention 'dishonorable' and 'dangerous'. And they're doing it this very day, and almost certainly will for the next several weeks. They only wish they had slimier stuff to sling. I know I've said this too often before, but it's been shown to be verifiably true again and again - there is no depth that the republican party will not stoop to. No tactic or dirty trick is beneath them. There is no honor among thieves. When you vote republican, you lie down with dogs.
Originally Posted By EighthDwarf That's it, I'm voting for Paris Hilton. Her energy policy is better than Obama's and McCain's (and how scary is that?) Plus, she could be president and first lady all wrapped in one. And you can bet she would be popular with foreign leaders. My name is Paris Hilton and I approve this ad because it's totally hot.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***And so that drumbeat – 'we’re not sure if he’s patriotic or not; we’re not sure if he is too black.'*** Except for the fact that they substituted the Muslim Terrorist angle for "black", spot on. I'm reasonably sure that if they couldn't have worked the terrorist angle, we'd be seeing commercials by now about how bad blacks are for America. I'm almost glad they had that terrorist angle to work with...it possibly prevented some serious breakdowns in racial harmony in America!
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Well, John McCain and I are nearing the finish line here too of another close race and you know it is looking a lot like that Rock and Roll 400. Our race is gonna be close. It's gonna be a real sprint to the finish line and it is a long way from being decided. Also.
Originally Posted By oc_dean I can't wait for her to crawl back under her Alaskan rock. Or better yet .. go back to her Kindergarten class .. since she is WAY over her head ... and when she gets to be an adult ... she can learn how to run office .. and not abuse her position.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt They need to be provided the hope that all Americans have instilled in us, because we're a democratic, we are a free, and we are a free-thinking society. They're very, very encouraged, as we cannot ever afford to lose in Iraq, either, these central fronts on the side of the construction bonds and everything else. Well, depending on that. Also.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <I'm surprised they didn't refer to Acorn as "terrorists". < there are people in my area that might consider them that when they are ' fundraising' as they ignore no solicitor signs - and are extremely agressive ( and usually I've found many eventually rude) -
Originally Posted By gadzuux If the terrorists are coming to get you, they're not going to ring the doorbell.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***<I'm surprised they didn't refer to Acorn as "terrorists". < there are people in my area that might consider them that when they are ' fundraising' as they ignore no solicitor signs - and are extremely agressive ( and usually I've found many eventually rude)*** You know, when that word starts getting bandied about like a punch line (to quote the great Jack Nick), it starts to lose its' impact. McCain is guilty of this, I feel. This comment (while I appreciate the sarcasm) is taking it even further. Do we really want to start equating "terrorist" to "extremely aggressive" and "rude" doorknockers? I've met a few churchies that would fit the description them. I suppose making the category so broad and just another "XXXX card", like just another insult to throw at somebody, really cheapens the folks like Muhammad Atta who are loathsome, evil creatures belonging squarely in a catagory BY THEMSELVES. Even Weather Underground, from what I've read, were not "terrorists" in this same sense. When I think terrorist I think coldblooded fanatical killer..one who takes great joy in truly terrorizing women, children, anyone they can. Weather Underground were certainly a bunch of extremist whacko criminals, but they (apparently) weren't trying to kill people and they were (misguidedly) trying to make political statements with their extremist bombings... Even so...terrorist to me is far worse than even that. And certainly worse than the casual "gotcha" phrase it's turned into.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***really cheapens the folks like Muhammad Atta who are loathsome*** Didn't come out right. Should've said "really cheapens the sacrifice made by the VICTIMS of folks like Atta...the dead in Oklahoma City...etc...". Atta's life is cheap and worthless.
Originally Posted By Mr X By the way VB, I don't mean for this to come of as a slam on you. I've been thinking a lot lately about this in the broader sense...and it has really started to sicken me seeing "the terrorist card" being used as a political bludgeon tool just SEVEN years after what happened to us. I suppose it was inevitable, but it still leaves a sour taste in my mouth..but your tongue in cheek comment isn't what's bugging me, it just sort of reminded me of the whole thing.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad So have any of you Acorn champions begun to rethink your position? Seems the smoke has fire beneath.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Republican or Democrat or anything else, we all as Americans should root out and rid voter registration fraud. Or am I over stepping here?
Originally Posted By gadzuux No, but you're being misled. What you may be hearing is that ACORN has perpetrated 'voter fraud' but that's not true. A lot of what's in the news cycle consists of reports about 'several investigations' - that's because GOP operatives instigated those investigations. Remember, the GOP has been gunning for ACORN for years - they're certainly not going to stop now. There are reports of fraudulent voter registration forms. True. These were identified by ACORN themselves. They were submitted to the state registrar - as required by law - but they were flagged as 'suspicious'. Made up registrations qualify as 'voter REGISTRATION fraud' not 'voter fraud'. Fraudulent registrations do not result in fradulent votes because no one is actually going to show up at the polling place to vote. So these are two different things being conflated by republicans. They know better but the whole point of this exercise is to distract from the issues and to agitate the republican base. It's also tinged with racism because ACORN is an organization of inner city communitee organizers working with the poor, minorities and disenfranchised. These people are likely to vote democratic - they're poor, not crazy. ACORN was also the subject of scapegoating on the part of the GOP for the mortgage meltdown. They're madly pointing fingers at anybody they can, and who better than the most economically and politically powerless segment of our society. And finally, they're portraying this whole ACORN thing as a part of the Obama campaign. It isn't. Obama's only association was thirteen years ago where he partnered with the US Dept of Justice to represent them. Nothing significant since then. But as I mentioned yesterday, McCain was their keynote speaker at a convention in Miami in 2006 where he spoke glowingly of them. In sum, it's more of the same - cheap GOP demogoguery of minorities. It's a smokescreen designed to distract.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <By the way VB, I don't mean for this to come of as a slam on you< didn't take it that way - I know you knew my comment was tongue in cheek - and I understand your point
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << Republican or Democrat or anything else, we all as Americans should root out and rid voter registration fraud. Or am I over stepping here? >> I'm more concerned about suppression of the vote than voter registration fraud. We have far more instances of factions trying to suppress the vote than those that are trying to inflate it. Just yesterday, a GOP-backed court argument was ruled upon favorably to challenge as many as 600,000 newly registered voters in Ohio and take them back off of the voting rolls.
