The headline in Salon – Obama and the dawn of the 4th Republic

This photo leads a Michael Lind think piece that puts the 44th President in the line back to No. 1, George Washington:

This essay outlines is a novel integration of Obama’s election with the 43 elections that preceded his. I found this in Boing Boing.

UPDATE:

Check this link out for the Time Mags perspective “The end of the Reagan era”

Obama moves outside the “box” again

I do believe choosing such a large public setting to spend election night with so many people is a first in US politics, or politics anywhere in the world!

Gov. Palin just doesn’t know when or how to stop!

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I guess she didn’t do very well with her English classes at those 6 colleges she attended on the way to a journalism degree. Here’s her latest sally in an interview with ABC News:

Ms. Palin also defended her recent characterizations of Mr. Obama as “palling around with terrorists,” and his past association with William Ayers, the 1960’s radical. She insisted that she wasn’t implying that he is “un-American.”

“I am sure that Senator Obama cares as much for this country as McCain does,” she said.

It’s like she is preternaturally disengenuous or just plain dumb. She says it and then meekly says that she didn’t mean it! What the F..k!

Can somebody explain for me why there is such a disconnect

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between polls in this final week of the campaign for the US presidency.

First of all there is Reuters/Zogby:

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrat Barack Obama has a 4-point national lead over Republican John McCain as they head into the final week of the presidential campaign, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Tuesday.

Obama leads McCain by 49 percent to 45 percent among likely voters in the three-day national tracking poll, a slight dip from his 5-point advantage on Monday. The telephone poll has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.

Then there is Pew Research:

Barack Obama leads John McCain by a 52% to 36% margin in Pew’s latest nationwide survey of 1,325 registered voters. This is the fourth consecutive survey that has found support for the Republican candidate edging down. In contrast, since early October weekly Pew surveys have shown about the same number of respondents saying they back Obama. When the sample is narrowed to those most likely to vote, Obama leads by 53% to 38%.

Then there is Nate Silver

Are they talking about the same political race?

So many things seem out of synch in this last week of the campaign! A bit like this interaction with Fox News yesterday.

Yes I want an Obama/Biden victory, but what will happen if he doesn’t win and falls short during this last week?

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What if ???

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Political talking points for and against in US presidential campaign leave lots of confusion about who each candidate is, really. So when I read this “what if” exercise I felt clearer about each candidate.

The following was put together by a Marine officer from Tennessee, who is a Christian:

What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said ‘I do’ to?
What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5?(123,000 seniors and others were swindled out of their life savings)
What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

What if Barack Obama had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what Racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another, when there is a color difference.  In 2008 some people cannot vote for a man simply because he is black.

Blind Morality lets us “Christian People” turn a blind eye to the morality, or lack there of – of a confirmed hot-head, adulturer, erratic lier, distorter of the truth and a thief.  John McCain suffered greatly as a POW and characterizes himself as a hero.  After 24 years in the Marine Corps I know for a fact that “real hero’s” don’t toot their own horn.  Why is he hated by just about everyone who is involved in the POW/MIA organization?  Its  a surreal comedy that ”good Christian” Americans are voting for John McCain and touting him as their “moral choice” for the leadership of the free world.

With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, 4000+ dead, countless thousands with permanent physical and mental scars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, the middle class in crisis, lets not even mention the poor, etc.  Just imagine, if the middle class can not afford gas and food; WHAT ABOUT THE POOR?

Consider…

Educational Background:
Obama:
Columbia University with a Specialization in
International Relations
Harvard – Magna Cum Laude – Juris Doctor (J.D.)
Biden:
B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.Syracuse University College of Law – Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.
McCain:
United States Naval Academy – Class rank: 894 of 899

Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University – 1 semester
North Idaho College – 2 semesters – general study
University of Idaho – 2 semesters – journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College – 1 semester
University of Idaho – 3 semesters – B.A. in Journalism

You are The Boss… Make a decision for America… Which team would you hire?
All of us fall short of grace.  None of us are perfect.  None of us are saying that we are going to be the steady hand on the tiller as we attempt to become the President of the United States of America.
Open your eyes…
Please Vote.  Peace.  God Bless You and our Troops.  Semper Fi.  – Larry
————————————–
The campaign is getting dirty, distasteful and desperate. I think I’ll be taking a break from blogging for a while. As Americans we deserve better than the irrelevant trash the Republicans are dishing out in their 100% negative campaign. It’s disgusting and we should ignore it. We aren’t stupid enough to buy the lies and fear this time.

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“The push to “otherize” Obama”

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That’s the heading of Nick Kristof’s column in the NY Times this morning. Meanwhile Frank Rich writes about that special technique attributable to GWB and his dark political amenuensis, Karl Rove, TRUTHINESS. But invented by that renowned satirist of weird US political language, Steve Colbert.

Not truth, truthiness or the smallest whiff of truth possible.

A Wordle to McBush and truthiness

I have just read four columns in the NYT (Kristof, Rich, Dowd, and Friedman) that discuss the worst aspects of political discourse conducted by negative campaigning flacks posing as political advisers, who have either worked under Karl Rove or been paid lobbysts for questionable corporate or foreign interests. Whatta despicable scene.

I understand why Obama from time to time says “ENOUGH, it’s enough!”

I learned this morning that according to Pew 10%+ of the US population, who accept that weird creed of the “Rapture” apparently accept that Obama is the Anti-Christ that Revelation (the black part of the Bible) prophesizes must appear before God-Christ returns to take the priviledged “believers” into Heaven directly.

Sounds like the same kind of message that fanatic Islamists use to persuade suicide bombers and terrorists to do their revolting deeds against “innocent” co-religionists and the Satanic non-Muslims. Sounds and is weird!

It seems to me that it’s time to wake up to the perils of “otherizing” and “truthiness”. We need truth and discussion of the authentic instead of the imagined!

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I have been hearing about disturbing emails about Obama

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But I have never read an authentic version. Thx to Sean Carroll at Cosmic Variance here’s what one version reads like:

Dear friends:

Barack Hussein Obama has taken the nation by storm. From obscurity, with zero executive experience, or much of any kind, he has vaulted into the position of Presidential frontrunner. It is stunning. On the surface, it appears attributable only to his eloquent oratory and his race. But an invisible factor may be a strong spiritual force behind him, causing some people to actually swoon in his presence.

I have been very concerned that he has publicly said that he does not believe Jesus is the only way to heaven. This makes both the Bible and Jesus a liar, and it means that Christ has died in vain. A person cannot be a true Christian who believes that there are other ways of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life with God. Only Jesus has paid the price for that.

Therefore, there is, indeed, another spirit involved. And this spirit has come into our national life like a flood. Last week at Obama’s acceptance speech, that spirit exalted itself in front of a Greek temple-like stage, and to a huge audience like in a Roman arena. Omama was portrayed as god-like. His voice thundered as a god’s voice.

At the end, Democratic sympathizer Pastor Joel Hunter gave the benediction and shockingly invited everyone to close the prayer to their own (false) gods. This was surely an abomination, but it was compatible with Obama’s expressed theology, and Hunter’s leftist leanings.

God was not pleased.

And God says, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19).

Enter Governor Sarah Palin. With incredible timing, the very next day, Sarah Palin also appeared out of nowhere. Her shocking selection as John McCain’s running mate stunned the world and suddenly took all the wind out of Obama’s sails.

We quickly learned that Sarah is a born-again, Spirit-filled Christian, attends church, and has been a ministry worker.

Sarah is that standard God has raised up to stop the flood. She has the anointing. You can tell by how the dogs are already viciously attacking her. But they will not be successful. She knows the One she serves and will not be intimidated.

Back in the 1980s, I sensed that Israel’s little-known Benjamin Netanyahu was chosen by God for an important end-time role. I still believe that. I now have that same sense about Sarah Palin.

Today I did some checking and discovered that both her first and last names are biblical words, one in Hebrew the other in Greek:

Sarah. Wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. In Hebrew, Sarah means “noble woman” (Strong’s 8283).

Palin. In Greek, the word means “renewal.” (Strong’s 3825).

A friend said he believes that Sarah Palin is a Deborah. Of Deborah, Smith’s Bible Dictionary says, “A prophetess who judged Israel…. She was not so much a judge as one gifted with prophetic command…. and by virtue of her inspiration ‘a mother in Israel.’”

Only God knows the future and how she may be used by Him, but may this noble woman serve to bring renewal in the land, and inspiration.

Jim

The author, Jim Bramlett, was formerly an associate of Pat Robertson, and more recently has been kept busy recording angels singing.

Who are these bigotted people who presume to speak for God, eg “God was not pleased”? They claim to be Christians but fail one major test of their Christianity, that of humility in their belief and thoughts. I can only cringe in the face of this kind of blatant hypocrisy.

As far as Sarah P is concerned I won’t go there. The ground shifts to much, too often!

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Here’s the real pig in the US campaign for President

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Josh Marshall has gained many kudos for the quality of his political reporting in the US. Under the heading “Unfit for Office”, he writes the following pithy point:

But what is already apparent is that John McCain is running the sleaziest, most dishonest and race-baiting campaign of our lifetimes. So let’s stopped being shocked and awed by every new example of it. It is undignified. What can we do? We’ve got a dangerously reckless contender for the presidency and a vice presidential candidate who distinguished her self by abuse of office even on the comparatively small political stage of Alaska. They’ve both embraced a level of dishonesty that disqualifies them for high office. Democrats owe it to the country to make clear who these people are. No apologies or excuses. If Democrats can say at the end of this campaign that they made clear exactly how and why these two are unfit for high office they can be satisfied they served their country.

What I find especially shocking is that when he is being questioned one on one he can appear so mild mannered and deeply interested in “what is best for the country” and “serving his country”. I wonder how he squares his sleazy and racist campaign with lots of lofty words and wishes.

I just found this brief piece from Joe Klein of Time Mag which fits right in with Josh Marshall’s complaint about “sleazy, race baiting” et al.

Why are there no MSM reports about St Paul police actions on Aug 31

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They arrested several journalists including Amy Goodman of Democracy Now. Is the MSM giving this ugly news a pass because it might taint the “good feelings” about the RNC convention?

Here’s the link to a full report from Glenn Greenwald!

Check out the videos. The behavior of the police is reminiscent of scenes in Beijing. If I can believe some of what I read about Sarah (Barracuda) Palin, it sounds like St Paul police actions reflect some of her heavy handedness as government executive. Oh dear, what am I saying?

Is this all part of the mavericky style of McCain? How does this compare with the mood and actions of security in Denver last week, especially at Invesco Field? Needless to say the comparison is not complimentary to McCain & Co. It all smacks of McBush and McCheney!

In case anybody wonders why a Canadian blogger should bring this up, we have felt the heavy weight of Bush’s bad 8 years and we are praying that Obama throws the bums (GOP candidates and advisers) out!

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BHO in Berlin link from Dave Winer

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Dave posts about all kinds of things in his scriptingnews.com blog. He linked to this great shot today!

That is not Berlin USA.

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