tagged w/ Presidential Debate
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Charleston Place sues Republican conference organizers
Says GOPers didn't pay $227,000 hotel tab
by Dan McCue
The Charleston Place is suing the Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC), claiming the group booked nearly the entire venue for the weekend of the Republican primary and has since refused to pay its $227,872 bill. Under the terms of the contract, the hotel was to provide rooms, food and beverages, and other services for the group's stay, and payment of all outstanding charges was to be made at the conclusion of the conference.Charleston Place sues Republican conference organizers
Says GOPers didn't pay... more
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Simi Valley, California - The West Coast installment of the Republican presidential debates will open with an elaborate Hollywood musical production number, featuring all eight candidates.
The unusual format was developed by NBC News, which is airing as well as sponsoring the event.
“These debates hardly move the needle on the ratings meter,” a network spokesman said. “So we decided to throw a little ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ vibe into the mix.”
All eight candidates who are scheduled to participate in the debate will be required to strut their stuff in the song and dance number.
“Singing in the Rain” from the musical with the same name has been chosen as the opening song. Each candidate will be dressed in a trench coat and fedora, handed an umbrella, and thrust into the Gene Kelly role.
“Think of it, eight Gene Kellys slipping and sliding around the stage,” the spokesman said. “America is in for a memorable moment in its political history.”
The participants will not be required to sing, but rather will lip-synch to the Gene Kelly version of the song.
“We want to see how well they react when someone puts words in their mouths,” said Bucky Wallenberg, Executive Director of the Special-Interest Group To Promote Special Interest Groups. “That talent is very important to us.”
The candidates’ dancing abilities apparently will be scrutinized as well. “This is a good test of how well they stay in line,” noted a Republican Party spokesperson.
The Gene Kelly Estate vehemently protested against the use of the song and the persona of Gene Kelly in a written statement: “Mr. Kelly was a master of the kick turn, but this will have him spinning in his grave.”Simi Valley, California - The West Coast installment of the Republican presidential... more
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Culver City, California - The three leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination faced off in a special “primary knowledge” edition of the popular quiz show Jeopardy! recently to “show America what we know.”
Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry agreed to participate, they stated in a joint statement, because “the media is making us look like a bunch of dummies. Alex Trebek is going to make us look like a bunch of smarties.”
Their appearance proved to be an historic one, for an unexpected reason: the three presidential contestants failed to deliver a single correct response over the course of the entire half-hour program. It is the first “no-hitter” in the four decade history of Jeopardy!
A transcript of a brief portion of the program follows ...Culver City, California - The three leading contenders for the Republican presidential... more
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The beauty of a democracy is that it allows the common man, woman, or recently deceased man or woman to express their opinions on local, state, and national issues through voting. Through this process, we are able to influence decisions that may govern our daily lives and national livelihood, often while having limited understanding and uneducated opinions regarding those very issues.
For an example of this phenomenon, let us turn to the topic global warming. Those that are squeamish or have numerophobia should be advised, I'm about to hit you with some stats. Don't worry, I'll make it quick.
In a 2011 poll conducted by Yale and George Mason universities, 47% of the general public said that they believe in global warming and that it is caused mostly by human activity. Compared that to 97% of climatologists who are active publishers on the topic, as found in a 2008 Gallup poll. Of those polled in the Yale study, 48% of the general public said they were either "not very worried" or "not worried at all" about global warming. This is good news, because if they believed all those pesky data and facts that are swirling around, they'd shit themselves. And no one wants to deal with something like that on an uncharacteristically hot day.
Our beautiful democracy has a downside. The people making the decisions on global warming aren't climatologists with expertise in complex atmospheric processes. They are average Americans that often know more about the British Royal Wedding than they do about the periodic table. Now I could drop upon you knowledge concerning subjectivity, trusting expert opinions, and blind political allegiance, but it won't change anyone's minds. And if it did, I don't want anyone's soiled underpants on my conscience.
Hypothetical and hyperbolic shit stains aside, we live in a country where one of our preferred forms of communication forces us to compress our thoughts into 140 characters or less. To put this in perspective, that last sentence would have ended after the word "compress" if it were written on Twitter. Now the sentence just seems to imply that our communication systems forces us to make either ourselves or our amount of feces smaller and/or more tightly packed. In a society where oversimplification, obesity, and poop jokes already run rampant, Twitter becomes a dangerous tool.
READ MORE:
http://itslonelyuphere.blogspot.com/2011/07/twitter-streamlining-americas-political.htmlThe beauty of a democracy is that it allows the common man, woman, or recently... more
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KevJ
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11 months ago
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This is another excerpt clip from the rally and protests at Hofstra University in Long Island during the 3rd Presidential debates on October 15, 2008. Theresa Guttierez, who is involved with the New York May 1st Coalition, discusses her experience organizing for immigrant rights, and the need for more action.This is another excerpt clip from the rally and protests at Hofstra University in Long... more
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Palin porn, VH1's new show, Paul Krugman nude, and the final debate in 30 seconds.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at current.com/infomania. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at infomaniafacebook.com.
Palin porn, VH1's new show, Paul Krugman nude, and the final debate in 30... more
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One of the best moments has to be when Dave asks McCain about Sarah Palin's competence to be president in a "9/11-type" crisis. He is very clearly uncomfortable. Hilarious.One of the best moments has to be when Dave asks McCain about Sarah Palin's... more
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Forrest Hylton: Neither McCain nor Obama really know what 's happening in South America.
In the third and last presidential debate Senator John McCain defended a free trade agreement between Colombia and the US as a "no brainer" and once again derided Senator Obama for never having travelled south of the border. Obama, to McCain's amazement, actually showed he knew one or two things about the situation on the ground. But journalist and author Forrest Hylton, an expert on Colombia and Bolivia, argues neither candidate is really aware of crucial political, economic and social processes developing in South America for a few years now, and he is pessimistic on the US under a new presidency making up for lost time.
Forrest Hylton is the the author of Evil Hour in Colombia (Verso, 2006), and with Sinclair Thomson, co-author of Revolutionary Horizons: Past and Present in Bolivian Politics (Verso, 2007). He is a regular contributor to New Left Review and NACLA Report on the Americas.
Forrest Hylton: Neither McCain nor Obama really know what 's happening in South... more
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People's regard for the Republican presidential nominee has deteriorated across-the-board since September, an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll showed Friday, with McCain losing ground in how favorably he's seen and in a long list of personal qualities voters seek in White House contenders.
Perceptions of Obama have improved or remained steady. Beyond views of the two rivals' character traits, McCain faces another problem — Obama is more trusted on the economy, the contest's commanding issue, including a 15-percentage-point edge for better grasping how the raging financial crisis is affecting people.
Obama's image has been sturdy even as voters' views of the overall campaign have tumbled downhill since September. The portion of people saying the contest excites them has sunk to 32 percent while those calling it frustrating have grown to 41 percent — and in both cases, six in 10 of those whose feelings have worsened are McCain backers.
People's regard for the Republican presidential nominee has deteriorated... more
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John McCain just hung his entire presidential debate on an Ohio plumber his campaign never even vetted.
And while we're on the subject, how does a guy who made $40,000 last year, and has a tax lien and no plumber's license buy a company worth $250,000?
Sounds like the same old lies we've come to expect from McCain-Palin. And it only took the mainstream media a few hours to figure it out.John McCain just hung his entire presidential debate on an Ohio plumber his campaign... more
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Now, tell me again how a guy who made $40K last year, and has a tax lien, AND, has no plumber's license, is going to buy a company worth $250K?
Sounds like more republican B.S. to me. And it didn't take long for the mainstream media to dig it out.Now, tell me again how a guy who made $40K last year, and has a tax lien, AND, has no... more
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“Joe the plumber,” the new face of middle-class America after Sen. John McCain made him famous in Wednesday night’s presidential debate, isn’t technically a plumber, and he probably wouldn’t be adversely affected by Sen. Barack Obama’s tax plan. But the issues he raises are important and worth examining for their impact on small businesses.
Joe the plumber — Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, 34, of suburban Toledo, Ohio — is the first to say that he’s not the story and that no one should listen to him when it comes to tax policy.
“I just hope I’m not making too much of a fool of myself and can get some type of message out there as far as, you know, really watch actions and learn for yourself,” Wurzelbacher said Thursday outside his home. “Don’t take other people’s opinions.”
Wurzelbacher first came to attention over the weekend, when he engaged Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, in a six-minute discussion of tax policy at a rally in Holland, Ohio. He told Obama that he was a plumber and was hoping to buy his boss’s business, which he said made $250,000 to $280,000 a year. He was concerned, he said, that Obama’s economic proposals would mean he’d be kicked into a higher tax bracket.
Wednesday night, McCain adopted Wurzelbacher as the representative of struggling middle-class Americans, addressing many of his comments directly to “Joe the plumber,” whom he misidentified as “Joe Wurzelburger.”
“The real winner last night was Joe the plumber. Joe’s the man,” McCain said Thursday at a campaign rally in Downington, Pa. “He won, and small businesses won across America. They won because Americans are not going to let Senator Obama raise taxes in a tough economy.”
Legally speaking, Wurzelbacher isn’t a plumber, because he isn’t licensed by Toledo, Lucas County or the state of Ohio. A representative of the Toledo Building Inspection Division said a plumber must be registered with the state and only then can apply for a city plumbing contractor’s license.
Wurzelbacher said he worked under the license held by his boss, Al Newell of Newell Plumbing and Heating Co. of Toledo. Newell is a licensed plumbing contractor in Toledo, records show. But anyone working under Newell should have a journeyman’s plumbing license or an apprenticeship license, officials said.
Building Inspection officials said Newell was responsible for making sure that anyone working under him was licensed. The Toledo Plumbing Board of Control may consider sanctions against Wurzelbacher or Newell, officials told NBC affiliate WNWO of Toledo.
“There’s a lot I’ve got to learn” about the plumbing business, Wurzelbacher said Thursday.
Wurzelbacher also acknowledged that he had no specific plans for buying Newell’s business, saying he and Newell had simply talked about the idea from time to time. He might have difficulty making the purchase: Court records from his divorce show that Wurzelbacher made $40,000 in 2006.
Even if he did buy Newell Plumbing and Heating, Obama’s tax plan wouldn’t affect him. While Wurzelbacher told Obama that he would be taxed at a higher rate because the company grossed more than $250,000 a year, Ohio business records show the company’s estimated total annual revenue as only $100,000. Actual taxable income would be even less than that.
In any event, Obama’s tax plan specifies that the higher rate would apply only to income above the $250,000 threshold. Assuming Wurzelbacher’s income as owner somehow hit $280,000 — the top end of his supposition of the company’s revenue — only the extra $30,000 would be taxed at a higher rate. “Joe the plumber,” the new face of middle-class America after Sen. John... more
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It seems picking the embarrassment known as Sarah Palin for his running mate and throwing his party under the bus in the process, just wasn't enough for John McCain to establish himself as the single biggest idiot in politics today.
Here he is doing his best imitation of an elderly man who's off his meds, in his last presidential debate.
Seems to fit right in with the folks who attend his rallies doesn't it? Only there's no beer can, or a car up on cinderblocks in the backyard, or a rifle to shoot at "revenuers."
What an idiot.It seems picking the embarrassment known as Sarah Palin for his running mate and... more
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... as anti-war protesters scuffle with police during final TV debate
An agitated and angry John McCain threw everything he had at Barack Obama in their final presidential debate early today – but he still failed to land a knock-out blow on the unruffled Democrat frontrunner.
Desperate to give his flagging campaign a lift, the Republican nominee mixed a flurry of personal and policy attacks on his unflappable and sometimes bemused rival.
With an edgy mix of impatient eye-rolling and sidelong glares bordering on contempt, Mr McCain, 72, treated the 47-year-old Illinois senator like a naughty schoolboy, peppering him with jibes over the economy, abortion rights, healthcare and taxes.
As the televised joust got underway, anti-war protesters scuffled with police outside the debate venue.
Several protesters were arrested and others were injured by police on horseback.
McCain went toe-to-toe with Mr Obama over his links to ‘old, washed up terrorist’ William Ayers, a subject that was taboo in their two previous debates.
But Mr Obama, who today was shown to be ahead by 49 to 44 per cent in a new Reuters poll, refused to rise to his opponents’ taunts.
Pundits were mixed in their reaction to the most heated head-to-head confrontation yet at Long Island’s Hofstra University in New York, with Republican analysts praising Mr McCain’s punchy performance as a possible springboard for a comeback.
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Click on the link for the full article.... as anti-war protesters scuffle with police during final TV debate
An agitated... more
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For independent voters, Barack Obama won all three debates with John McCain.
Senator John McCain needed a game changer in the last presidential debate with Senator Barack Obama. Independent voters say it didn't happen - and once again awarded the debate to Obama. Although McCain came out swinging, Obama's strategy stayed the same: cooly and calmly explain each of his plans. Pepe Escobar argues this was pure theater; in the real world, the financial crisis rages, and none of the candidates really bothered to address in depth the seriousness of it all.
Pepe Escobar, born in Brazil is the roving correspondent for Asia Times and an analyst for The Real News Network. He's been a foreign correspondent since 1985, based in London, Milan, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore, and Bangkok. Since the late 1990s, he has specialized in covering the arc from the Middle East to Central Asia, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has made frequent visits to Iran and is the author of Globalistan and also Red Zone Blues: A Snapshot of Baghdad During the Surge both published by Nimble Books in 2007.
For independent voters, Barack Obama won all three debates with John McCain.... more
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All eyes and ears are on the debate, but what about people hit hard by US crises at home and abroad?
Today a horde of journalists descends on Hempstead, NY, to cover the third and final presidential debate. But ANP left the pack to hear from people outside of the media spotlight, people hit hard by our nation's crises at home and abroad.
All eyes and ears are on the debate, but what about people hit hard by US crises at... more
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Debates should not be confused with trips to Lourdes: Few miracles are dispensed.
John McCain needed a miracle in his final debate with Barack Obama on Wednesday night, a miracle that would wipe away McCain’s deficit in the polls and re-energize his flagging campaign.
He did not get one. The clouds did not part. Heavenly choirs were not heard. Instead, the American public heard angry attacks from McCain.
Sometimes McCain attacked directly, and sometimes he attacked sarcastically, but he never stopped attacking. And he never rattled Obama. Obama answered every attack and kept his cool.
How cool? Obama was so cool that after 90 minutes under blazing TV lights, an ice cube wouldn’t have melted on his forehead.
McCain attacked him on everything from wanting to raise the taxes of Joe the Plumber - - now the most famous plumber in America and at serious risk of becoming so wealthy his taxes will go up no matter who wins - - to not traveling enough.
“I admire so much Sen. Obama’s eloquence,” McCain sneered. “Sen. Obama, who has never traveled south of our border.” (This from a man whose running mate got her first passport last year.)
But McCain didn’t just attack, he also defended, including defending those people who attend his rallies and the rallies of Sarah Palin who have shouted nasty and threatening things when Obama’s name is mentioned.
“Let me say categorically that I am proud of the people who come to my rallies,” McCain said. “I am not going to stand for anybody saying that the people who come to our rallies are anything other than patriotic citizens.”
Obama responded to all this — what else? — coolly.
“I don’t mind being attacked for the next three weeks,” Obama said. “What the American people can’t afford is four more years of failed economic policies.”
He never got off his game plan. He never got shook up.
The biggest impact of the three presidential debates for Obama was not anything said or not said. It was impressionistic: Obama simply did not appear to be the scary “other” that McCain needs him to be. “When people suggest that I pal around with terrorists, then we are not talking about issues,” Obama said smoothly.
For McCain, the biggest impact of the debates was visual: In the first debate he refused to look at Obama, in the second debate McCain appeared to careen around the stage and in this last debate McCain would scribble furiously with his Sharpie as Obama was talking or else smirk in response to what Obama was saying.
(more at the link)Debates should not be confused with trips to Lourdes: Few miracles are dispensed.... more
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