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I don't know if you saw the coverage last night, but if any undecideds were watching in significant numbers, it was absolutely devastating for the GOP.
The contrast between Obama's speech (here) and St. McCain's (here) was startling: the tone of the speeches (hope vs. fear), the energy of the audience (rock concert vs. polite applause), and most notably, the visuals (youth vs. Geritol).
I'd love to know what genius in the McCain campaign dreamed up the idea to surround the 71-year old McCain with people older than him like John Warner. He or she has to be an Obama mole. There's just no other logical explanation. And Tom Davis, another old white guy, was either very nervous or has a serious case of hyperhidrosis. Freak show.
As for his victory speech, that St. McCain really knows how to inspire!
"Hope, my friends, is a powerful thing,” he says. “To encourage a country with only rhetoric rather than sound and proven ideas that trust in the strength and courage of free people is not a promise of hope. It is a platitude.”
Yeah, those sound and proven ideas of St. McCain's are working out splendidly.
Anyway, the New York Times put the best punctuation on this sad affair.
Mr. McCain is in a much smaller venue than either Mr. Obama, with more than 19,000 people, or Mrs. Clinton, who drew more than 10,000. The McCain audience seems relatively sedate. Fox turns away.
So, I imagine, did most of America.
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zed!
It will be a long campaign having to look at this mug for the duree.
casting call from casket dept. the walking dead politically,
Yo Richmond…
Your email just turned up in my inbox…
New drinking game during McStain speeches. Trigger phrase ‘my friends’.
Watching McCain after watching Obama I could think of only one word for McCain : puny
Oh yea, he has no chance. Why there is no point in even bothering with a campaign because the republicans are so weak that there isn’t any way the dems can lose. And it don’t rain in Indianapolis in the summer time.
Yo back!
Jeez we would be passed out within the first fifteen minutes!
“My friends” is the same as “with all due respect”–you’re not a friend and I have no respect!!
Don’t know about the rest of you but I was pretty stunned by how well Huckabee did last night in Va.
This guy is toast (I firmly hope and believe). Nothing more than a Republican token and bellwether for all the corruption and bad ideas that we have had to endure for the last 7 (8?) years.
Yea, and I don’t even drink!
Waxman is about to show a congressional hearing where someone is committing Perjury. Yup. Many between autographs, but I guess we shall see.
McCain’s Victory Speech: Night Of The Living Dead
-night of the living dead on parade.
-stuffed in a coffin 10% more free.
- Greenday
And when there is an attack?
I saw the two speeches on CNN as well, and I just couldn’t believe the contrast. Obama was inspiring and moving, and in the best rhetorical manner moved from serious to rousing and back. He is a master at it, and at the top of his game.
McCain’s speech reminded me of nothing more than a Mafia funeral. Perhaps that is what it is.
Hey, folks. Get your priorities straight. Forget McCain. Forget FISA. The real important stuff just started on CSPAN3: whether Roger Clemens took steroids.
St McCain was a bore. COmpletely uninspired. He reads a bit better than W and can pronounce English words.
No comparison with the dem speakers. The R’s are flat out boring to listen to.
I thought Huckabee was going to win there for a while. If margin is the story then HuckaSquirrel did good.
Who is Roger Clemens? hahahahahaha
OT:
‘Roids perjury / Waxman
Intrade numbers on perjury jail time? Or that both are lying? All three?
Blue Texan, I was at the Kohl Center last night in Madison for the Obama rally. The contrast between what I witnessed and what I watched on TV when we got home was pretty stark (McCain’s speech vs shots of Obama’s/Hillary’s rallies).
Talk about old and tired versus young (even if we weren’t all young!) and full of life… Everyone kept saying it was like the best rock concert they’d been too–or the best Badger sporting event. Lots of students but lots of older folks too. Given the weather (9 degrees?), the crowd size actually surprised me.
McCain still won’t be the answer.
Who is Roger Clemens? hahahahahaha
—-
The low level baseball pitcher about the lie in Congress face.
I agree but that doesn’t mean the American public won’t think so. The right wingers and jihadi’s need each other.
I misread your title as “Night of the Lying Dead.” *g*
Cool. Must’ve been even more dramatic when you saw St. McCain on the teevee.
DEM VOTES REPUB VOTES DEM % REPUB %
WASHINGTON DC 113746 5801 0.95 0.05
MARYLAND 740133 287196 0.72 0.28
VIRGINIA 973873 485245 0.67 0.33
Here are the numbers from last night.
These are the totals cast for each party.
The juxtaposition on MSNBC was pretty startling. For a minute, I had the fear that the two speeches were near enough that the Obama people might charge out to spread democracy and run over the McCain people and their strollers.
Then most people will see that the Republicans failed to prevent both that one and 9/11. They successfully made a positive out of “there haven’t been any attacks on American soil (other than the biggest one in history),” ludicrous as it is. I don’t think they’ll get another do-over, especially in a time when the mood is so heavily against them.
Diddo Specter’s critical engagement with the Patriot’s “spy scandal.” (By the way, no one died, and, it was both widely done and legal then). Good going Specter!
Obama has the great speech advantage as he can turn the numbers and bring out the most new voters (in the primary) and hopefully everyone will vote in the general.
McCain is the weakest speaker by far, but they all have teleprompters (and HuckaSquirrel is a plant now). The debates will be interesting, I think the Democrats will beat the McCain but he does have enough skill to win debates (or come close enough for the spin machine to say he won and was “strong”). I think the VP debates could be a beat down on Republican Destruction/corruption/economic stupidity & Democratic weak-Security/mushroom cloud (depending on if its Obama how he wants his VP to attack R’s overall as a group - when hunting for the R vote/RayGun thing). The pundit wisdom seems to be that the past VP debates were to weak - even though they say irrelevent. Of course they were moderating (with 50 rules from the debate rule bargin committies for the candidates).
We ought start calling it as it is. In addition to being St. John McCain of Iraq and Perpetual War, he is also “The 71 year-old John McCain.” Calling him that is the practice I’ve been seeing in the foreign media, particularly German media, when they report on our campaign.
The 71 year old John McCain. Rolls off the tongue and oughta be a macro on yer word processor.
Donna!
Was I dreaming this morning or did Donna realy win?
Ok, second time today I hope I am wrong. Why do I have so little faith?
LOL. Thats a keeper fantasy memory!
Whoa, I guess Excel doesn’t copy very well.
Bottom Line:
Washington - 95% of votes cast were for dems.
Maryland - 72%
Virginia - 67%
McCrazy’s speech yesterday was so painful to watch! Reading the teleprompter looks really bad.
Blue Texan, love the picture of McCrazy for this post! Another embarrassing shot of this man…
I wonder who Clemens will vote for?
Yes, she did. 60 percent to 39 percent for Wynn.
Redshift at 27: maybe you actually had it right?!!
If I heard the remark correctly, MSNBC commenters said something like, ”If you’re going to give a speech at the same time as Obama, it’s so much easier if you let him go last.” They seemed to be shaking their heads when they said it. Do you think they meant McCain’s speech was anti-climactic? *g*
The Rethugs, especially their rightwing ranters, would just as soon the Dems take over in ‘09. The fetid stew of Bush’s screwups and deliberate destructions of this government will take a long time a-cleanin’ up. And the ranters, especially, expect to clean up bigtime railing against the Dem prez for not getting it done fast enough. I’ll bet Ingraham’s shoppin’ for her new digs in Rush and Coulter’s neighborhood right now….
And Rove, he’s already co-oped Russert’s white board. The media enablers are going to be squeezed out of the goodies by the fat-contract wingnut welfare to be dished out for the Bush minions.
But champions will out. If we’ve the championship hearts to stay strong for the long trail ahead.
Prairie Today: Top Dogs
Assuming there is some sort of attack (and i don’t deny that there may very well be) and the “elections” are de-railed or stalled or whatever, I cannot imagine a scenario in which this person (McCain) could come in to power. The Republican base that’s still drinking the Kool-Aid can’t be more than 40% (that’s my guess with no numbers to back it up).
If there is an election that’s even close to being legal, I believe the people are outraged enough to show up to vote and at least oust the current crop of crooks out the door. McCain will be insignificant. That is not to say that the new boss won’t be like the old boss.
Woo Hoo!!!!!
That sort of tamps down my cynicism a little. It’s almost enough to renew my faith in the Democrat party.
Now if we could get rid of Dirty Harry.
Actually, KO said, immediately after McCain, that it ought to be a new rule for political consultants, never to schedule a speech following Obama.
It was actually kind of shocking, the contrast. Sad. He’s such a mediocre speaker at the best of times (sort of like our current Gov.)
But even Gov Doyle was better than his usual lawyer snooze when introducing Obama.
Obama was very respectful to St. McCain though, and forced the audience to be as well. Then took him to the woodshed.
I don’t think they’ll be delayed. I just think the chicken shit people i this country are so easy to scare that they’ll vote for Mc Cain because he can “protect” them from the boogie man.
DONNA Steny must be saying “where did we go wrong?” I could tell him. This makes it a very good day.
Nice article on Kucinich and the “corporate forces of the party.”
And a big snoopy dance for Donna Edwards.
Didn’t see the McCain speech. Hope Dr. Strangelove didn’t insert the evil axis and war on terra in the speech as well, but again that would be like asking a cat not to look at the birdy.
I am not above ruining another thread with Obama Girl humor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....&NR=1
That wasn’t this thread? Yowwwww.
At least Leiberman wasn’t standing behind McCain this time. Of course, substituting with Warner’s mug was real charming. I guess the Repubs are going to campaign “with the army they have rather than the army they…”
I know Kucinich is weird. But in light of FISA,I believe we need to keep fighting the Harold Ford/Rahm machine. I believe Kucinich needs to stay in Congress. I am glad Donna Edwards won, but it seems like the Rahm machine has its fingers in every pie, no matter where you turn.
Well, I’m hoping (and again, believing) there’s enough of us who think the other way and don’t mind standing up on our hind legs and stepping in to the breach (all these metaphors) to call a halt to the crap that’s currently taking place.
Like most people here, I don’t know who I’m going to vote for yet, and I’m really incensed that “Super Delegates” are the one’s who get to choose the Dem nominee. But the fat lady isn’t even warming up yet. This is a long way from over.
Was it? I can’t remember, it is either too early or too late (been up since 2:00 attempting to finish some work).
Time is a westen concept.
Western *g*
OT: Clemens has been getting calls from people who have help the highest office in our land.
St. McCain might be in the succession order mandated by secret continuity
of government executive orders following another “attack”. I am speculating on this, but what else could be the source of his and the
Republicans confidence in the face of the turnout numbers on the Democratic
side. That and the chickenshirt factor already mentioned, ht raven, make
you wonder if it is all beltway kool-aid or something worse… night of the
living dead is the best description of them, absolutely.
Don’t start drinking your own Kool-Aid
The Geritol drinkers vote in big numbers.
Yes I would like to see a rout of the Rethugs this fall but don’t think for one moment that fear of the unknown (Obama) and the know (McCain) does not have an impact on voters.
Remember what LBJ said: Regardless of the polls run like your 20 point behind until the election is over.
My reaction to McCain’s speech (which I only noticed because it sounded like Shrub, when I was in the next room hearing bits): ZZZzzzzzz ….
Obama’s speech was more like ‘Rise and shine: we have work to do and it’s going to be fun!’
fuck em if they can’t take a joke
I hope the Democrats make an ad of McBush thanking McCaca on the dais and then showing the McCaca speech.
-G
Time to begin thinking about the October surprise.
Roger that. Background information on the COG is easy to find, it ain’t
kool-aid unfortunately, and I was speculating… yeah, what you said.
Passing along Joe Wilson’s comments @ HuffPo
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....86355.html
Raven, not to beat a dead horse, or one ready for the glue factory, but the GOP-ers tried that exact strategy in 2006.
They took out all of the stops..’white flag of surrender….we’ll be hit and hit hard……’
It didn’t work. That stuff has reached a saturation point with many Americans…..but not ALL Americans.
-G
On another site someone suggested John McCain be renamed John McWar, for he has said there will be more wars, presumably in any future McCain administration and he has said the U.S military could be in Iraq for 100 years! What makes that comment irresponsible is that as a country we have not had troops that long anywhere! So John McWar has decided 100 years is o.k. He may already be failing the test of leadership.
That’s what Chris Matthews said–don’t give a speech after Obama, you’ll lose…
Hey, I hope I’m wrong. In the words of Firesign Theater “Give em a light and they’ll follow it anywhere”!
It may be that the terrsts ralize they may have reached a point of dimminishing returns on incidents within the U.S.. They got more out of 9/11 than they could ever have hoped for: U.S. alienates allies and rest of the world, invades and uninvolved country and overthrows and enemy of Osamma, and drives itself into debt approaching that of the USSR before collapse, weakens its military to a point where it cannot commit anywhere else and is near breaking, and further divides the American people. All for a few hundred thousand and 19 “martyrs.”
But, the U.S. really has insufficient conventional force to react to a new incident. The outraged reaction would likely be nuclear, and the southern half of Pakistan would be off limits of humans for a while. Particularly, if it helps elect a Cheney like administration. I hope they appreciate the seriousness.
Get your threads straight…*g*
Prairie Sunshine at #43
February 13th, 2008 at 7:24 am
”Prairie Today: Top Dogs”
I was wondering when someone was going to mention this! We need the Snoopy dog with the Snoopy Dance!
Good morning. It was nice to wake up to a Donna Edwards win. After a week of gloom and doom, this news was a fresh breeze.
I listened to both Obama and McCain last night. All I can say is before I subject myself to one more painful speech by McCain you will have to pay me. It is torture. In a nutshell, McCain sucks like a vampire. In fact, his supporters looked like he fed on them and they now zombielike cheered. Poor things!
This dates you. I actually think we’re the same age…
Edit/spellcheck badly needed, but it’s too late. Sorry.
Sucks doesn’t it?
I’m curious what folks think of that Wilson article Diane linked to above.
That might be a reason for the cable cuts that isolated areas in the ME.
The neocons have been salivating for a “reason” to use nukes since the
early sixties. Once that barrier is down, we might find out who has them
the hard way.
Soon enough, McCain’s head will be featured in the new versions of “Futurama” Only heads that have said really interesting things get so honored. Oh the arsenal of quips.
Westen - I like that - and contracts :-(
Raven, your pessimism is warranted, especially after witnessing the politcal landscape for the past few decades. But, nothing lasts forever and we are witnessing the death of whatever incarnation the GOP was for the past few decades.
This will likely be a 1932 style election.
The real fighting will begin when the shit hits the fan and we have to keep people on board thorugh the hard slog of cleaning up Bush’s shitpile.
-G
And talk about inappropriate interruptus - was last night’s news cut away from Obama mid speech to put on McCain’s speech. Cold shower AND chalk on the black board.
I’ve got all the respect in the world for Mr.& Mrs. Wilson and always will, but I have to respectfully disagree with his conclusion.
For all of her experience and readiness, Hillary Clinton voted for this war.
End of story.
Should she win the nomination, I’ll vote for her with no problem, but her war vote is a problem.
I think Wilson is being loyal to Hill. I laos think that Obama is far from perfect and his record and past statements has some troubling things, to say the least.
However, I sense that history will push him in the right direction and that he’s smart enough to see where the people want to go with our government and lead the fight.
Hillary could do this as well, but as far as electability, Obi seems to be inspiring more support and Hill.
What happens in the future is the unknown. It’s as Rummy said the known unknown.
I hope that the dems don’t run to the center and govern right of center. ICK
Organic George at #61
February 13th, 2008 at 7:42 am
”Remember what LBJ said: Regardless of the polls run like your 20 point behind until the election is over.”
Is that why LBJ quit when the polls showed he would be unlikely to win due to the war?
Joe Wilson’s phrase “vapid rhetoric will not withstand the winds of November” speaks to what I’ve been feeling about Obama.
Yep. As I said in a thread last night, MSM is a little confused about what to do with Obama at this point…
Congrats to Donna on her very excellent win. Question: How many dem primaries has the progressive candidate won against an entrenched old-school dem? I can think of Ned Lamont, and know that many of our candidates did go on to win seats last fall, but we have lost some good guys too along the way.
Again, great going Donna.
Second that.
And the right wing noise machine is going to pile on so hard it will make the Clinton witch hunt look like a love fest.
I figured out why the house is holding hearings on steroids among high profile sports figures; how else would they get to see Roger Clemens up close and personal?
On this they are spending tax payer money and using up valuable time! Could we discuss impeachment, instead?
Wilson is a seasoned professional and through bitter experience somewhat
cautious about the Obama phenomenon as being more of a risk than an HRC
administration. The other side of the equation is that there is less
chance of a clean break with past positions and the DLC mindset of
Republican Lite with HRC… this superdelegate thing is another DLC gift
to democracy like the electoral college. We need to move on, been on high
center too long, suns going down.
LBJ’s conscience finally got the best of him. Vietnam haunted him for the rest of his life, as well it should.
Politically oratory is not supposed to be wonky policy speeches. It’s meant to inspire people to vote in this case.
His website has the meat.
Joe Wilson is a republican, or was one. Where was his head at back then? What happened? Maybe he’s confused a bit?
So ageism is showing it’s ugly head here now, ‘eh?
Look, lots of ways to attack McCain besides the age card. Remember, were one helluva voting bloc.
And getting bigger. So stuff the crap about youth vs Geritol.
Youth is better, right?
Wrong.
Three speeches last night…Clinton’s ‘what I can do for you’ sounded and looked like inside Washington…and her continual head nodding as if she is the teacher is absolutely the picture of why she will not be the nominee. On tv it looked so bad that the networks ran from it as fast as they could.
Obama comes out and raises the level of oratory and intelligence back to where the candidate respects the voter…not lectures them. Good speech…not a ‘I had a dream’ but good, made you think, and by far the highlight of the night.
Then comes McCain…oh lord…soft…no emotion…an old man giving an old man’s speech surrounded by old people….you could hear the remote buttons being hit across the nation to change channels.
Obviously the ’smarter’ GOP candidates have given up on 2008…McCain is the token…’well we have to run somebody!’…save the money for 2012.
What is worrisome is that the GOP fringe will attack all the way thru the election…not directly because they don’t want to lose even more seats in the House and Senate…but from the shadows which is their unbeatable skill…to help with local and state races where they think an attack on the national candidate will help. They will attack on gender and the 90’s and on race….while waving the flag…and it will be ugly….but it may…just may…have the opposite effect of galvinizing voters to stand up and yell
I really agree about obama having some troubling elements of both his personality and his ‘reach across the aisle’ rhetoric. But America needs a new face. Hillary can do great good in the Senate and I hope she continues to work hard on the issues to help America. We need Obama, and Hillary and Bill to try and mend this mess that Bush has made.
We will all be furious with Obama at times if he is elected President. But a new face is needed and he is the best we can obtain for now. He will get the ball rolling (or stop the ball from rolling off the total destruction cliff) in the right direction, or at least a better direction.
Always look forward is my motto. But never, EVER, forget the lessons of the past. Nor for responsibility for past blunders to be ascertained.
That’s one of the real differences between LBJ, a President really from Texas, and W, a President pretending to be from Texas. Bush is conscience-free.
Don’t know about his party affliation over his lifetime. Do remember that Wilson was a career diplomat who worked in both R & D Admins. That used to be the way it was prior to Gingrich & the R mob.
Biodun at #76
February 13th, 2008 at 7:56 am
&
Raven at #78
February 13th, 2008 at 7:58 am
I think I’m you guys’ age, and yes it does suck!
Good article. Since Joe Wilson turned out to be downright prophetic on the Iraq war and suffered for it along with his wife, I can’t help but think he might be right on.
LOL, Kitt! Hope you don’t mind if I use that.
It’s just my opinion, but I think it’s all over for Hillary. Obama has the MOMENTUM and that’s very persuasive for voters. They want to vote for a winner, otherwise they feel like they are wasting a vote.
Joe Wilson has been a frequent visitor to FDL. He is more conservative than I am, but he is incredibly rational and a standup guy. I hate to see his views discounted, because he is not saying (yet again) what people want to hear.
Hillary seems like a good Senator. I wish she’d be happy with that and work to replace Harry Reid. She might be a great Majority Leader.
Here is a reason why I have been lurking at FDL. I find it disgusting that every person in the blogosphere I respect who decides to take on Obama’s record is automatically called a shill by commenters. That includes Larry Johnson, Taylor Marsh, Joe Wilson and many others. It’s offensive.
Later . . .
Yes! And that is what makes it interesting. It seems to me that alot of the right wing news people -Russert, Williams, Tweety, etc. genuinely like him and enjoy engaging with him about various issues. It makes it harder for them to go for the jugular. Clearly this will not last long, but it is a refreshing change.
Yes, I think she is a skilled, moderate Senator, and if not Leader, she would be a good Judiciary Chair.
Clinton Ex-Campaign Manager Backs Obama
I haven’t heard that here much frankly. For example, I have been an Obama supporter from the outset but (if I have time :-0)I am happy to discuss the merits and problems with every at all. In the end, however, we need one candidate.
Despite his public exhortations for the war, LBJ never believed the war
could be won, but believed ” Westy would never lie to me. ” He found out
the hard way that the army was wrong and chose not to run like he was
20 points ahead in 1968. The war killed the Great Society, he had
enough conscience to be haunted by 1963-1969.
More to Mui: My own take on Hillary’s candidacy is that she made a mistake following the DCCC formula of putting the bulk of her money into consultation (polls) rather then direct advertising (as per a Washington Post article a bit ago). Also, following DCCC she relied too much on party insiders in each state rather than popular vote/engagement. She also literally (well almost) blew through 150 million dollars, which in my view is irresponsible ($500,000 for parking bills means one’s eye is not on the ball). And finally, from the outset she seems to have relied on an ineffectual campaign staff insisting on loyalty rather than effective management. This speaks volumes about the DCCC and I bet we will see some changes.
Yes, the atmosphere & tactics here do seem to have assumed a R-like tone.
I read Joe Wilson’t interesting memoir re his diplomatic career and what he didn’t find in Niger.
He was always a Republican until Bush/Cheney betrayed him. I don’t know what he did about registration after that.
Sweet thank you from Donna Edwards on Kos