Why do you guys think that Obama's so much better for the economy? Are any of you economists? Lets consider the real facts here when it comes to his "fixing the ecomony".

He wants a government regulated health care system right? Well what will this do? this will ensure health care for americans, even the poor, great right? consider that about 15-20% more people will be entering the health care system. How hard is it to get into the ER right now with our current health care in place? how about scheduling doctors visits? or getting a healthy organ when you need it most? Now consider all of this once there are 1/5th more people in the system.

now consider that with the government regulating health care they will also regulate costs of procedures, yes, this means that they will regulate the cost of doctors visits, directly limiting doctors salaries, and whoever thinks that all of the doctors are going to stay doctors with wage decreases are delusional. Ok now consider the doctors that could already retire, but haven't because of the money, yeah they'll retire, so now think about 10% less doctors along with 20% more people in the system? Has anyone studied Canada's health care system???

what do you think Canada does when someone needs a stent? there's a 6 month waiting list. What do you think they do when it's an emergency and the person will die without it...goodbye sir! The canadian system is to let people die, that's how they regulate their health-care costs. What makes you think we'll be any different?

ok and if he implements a system like Clinton's where the government only aids in health care to the poor? well where do you think that money will be coming from? expect at least a 10-15% raise in taxes ALONG with the 15-20% raise of people in the health care system. We have the same problem just on a smaller scale because the Doctors won't be quitting at the same pace.

and lets talk about cutting taxes for the big companies. Economically that's the smartest thing to do, along with cutting taxes for the rich. When you cut corporate taxes more companies will come to the US to do business, why? because it's cheaper. If you raise taxes where do you think the companies are going to go?...overseas you say? wow! amazing how that works, companies actually want to pay less money to others? amazing! so yes, raising taxes will drive a lot of our american based companies overseas...oursourcing...mmmm!

and for cutting taxes for the rich...what do you think rich people do with their extra hard earned money? do they go out to mcdonalds or do they put it in a bank? you're right! they save! the majority of rich people will save the extra few dollars they get from tax cuts, and what happens to saved money? it goes to the banks, who get to invest it into our economy, lowering interest rates. What do poor people do with a few extra dollars? spend it! what happens when you spend it? it gets filtered through the system, possibily ending up overseas, but definitely not earning interest and barely boosting the economy the way giving that dollar to the rich does...

anyone else want to say that McCain will ruin our economy and Obama will save it?

and yes we will have troops in the middle east for years to come. We NEED to finish up what we're doing over there and pull troops out yes, but we also need to keep some over there to ensure peace the way we do in many other countries including many in Africa, but you don't hear American's complaining about that do you? no, because it's not a war, it's just American presence to ensure peace, which is the smart thing to do especially when a country is trying to build a democracy and trying to avoid warfare breaking out again.

Why do you guys think that Obama's so much better for the economy? Are any of you economists? Lets consider the real facts here when it comes to his "fixing the ecomony".

He wants a government regulated health care system right? Well what will this do? this will ensure health care for americans, even the poor, great right? consider that about 15-20% more people will be entering the health care system. How hard is it to get into the ER right now with our current health care in place? how about scheduling doctors visits? or getting a healthy organ when you need it most? Now consider all of this once there are 1/5th more people in the system.

now consider that with the government regulating health care they will also regulate costs of procedures, yes, this means that they will regulate the cost of doctors visits, directly limiting doctors salaries, and whoever thinks that all of the doctors are going to stay doctors with wage decreases are delusional. Ok now consider the doctors that could already retire, but haven't because of the money, yeah they'll retire, so now think about 10% less doctors along with 20% more people in the system? Has anyone studied Canada's health care system???

what do you think Canada does when someone needs a stent? there's a 6 month waiting list. What do you think they do when it's an emergency and the person will die without it...goodbye sir! The canadian system is to let people die, that's how they regulate their health-care costs. What makes you think we'll be any different?

ok and if he implements a system like Clinton's where the government only aids in health care to the poor? well where do you think that money will be coming from? expect at least a 10-15% raise in taxes ALONG with the 15-20% raise of people in the health care system. We have the same problem just on a smaller scale because the Doctors won't be quitting at the same pace.

and lets talk about cutting taxes for the big companies. Economically that's the smartest thing to do, along with cutting taxes for the rich. When you cut corporate taxes more companies will come to the US to do business, why? because it's cheaper. If you raise taxes where do you think the companies are going to go?...overseas you say? wow! amazing how that works, companies actually want to pay less money to others? amazing! so yes, raising taxes will drive a lot of our american based companies overseas...oursourcing...mmmm!

and for cutting taxes for the rich...what do you think rich people do with their extra hard earned money? do they go out to mcdonalds or do they put it in a bank? you're right! they save! the majority of rich people will save the extra few dollars they get from tax cuts, and what happens to saved money? it goes to the banks, who get to invest it into our economy, lowering interest rates. What do poor people do with a few extra dollars? spend it! what happens when you spend it? it gets filtered through the system, possibily ending up overseas, but definitely not earning interest and barely boosting the economy the way giving that dollar to the rich does...

anyone else want to say that McCain will ruin our economy and Obama will save it?

and yes we will have troops in the middle east for years to come. We NEED to finish up what we're doing over there and pull troops out yes, but we also need to keep some over there to ensure peace the way we do in many other countries including many in Africa, but you don't hear American's complaining about that do you? no, because it's not a war, it's just American presence to ensure peace, which is the smart thing to do especially when a country is trying to build a democracy and trying to avoid warfare breaking out again.

Senator McCain declined to participate in the Asian & Pacific Islander American (APIA) Presidential townhall in Irvine, CA because he was going on SNL. He cited a lack of technology for not participating. Apparently the NBC studios was lacking in all things technical including telephones as McCain couldn't even spare 10 minutes to call into the townhall. Both Clinton and Obama were busy campaigning, but took the time to participate and answer questions via satelite and phone. McCain has previouisly said he hated "gooks". He later said he was refering to his communist captors. A derogatory term is a derogatory term. As far as I know, the Senator has never apologized for using this offensive derogatory term. It appears Senator McCain is standing strong on hating "gooks".

Tarheel:
"Will you Democrats just stop with your intellectually insulting posts? No wonder you always get the high school dropout votes. They're the only ones who can't see through your jibberish."

Actually the states lowest in education are the red states or more simply put: "the base". John "W" McCain's policy of "Ready, Shoot, Aim" and "shoot first ask questions later" didn't work for "W" and it won't work for him. By election day the ballot will have "W" as his middle name.

I thought the skit was funny. As for
McCain's age, I do not think its an issue.
I would rather have a forgetful, intelligant older executive running the
ship than the stupid frat boy we currently have at the helm. All president's have a team of advisors to keep them on the straight and narrow, anyway.

Response to Response, Yea and Words of...,

Stop deluding yourselves and face reality. When a person who has spent as much time in the foreign policy area as McCain can no longer distinguish between Sunni and Shia on a repeated basis, it's a red flag; he said that al Sadr declared a ceasefire, not Maliki, when it was Maliki who brokered the ceasefire; he conflated the Jewish holiday of Purim with Halloween.

Taken together, these gaffes are indicative of the early signs of a diminished cognitive process.

So the only person lying, Response is you.

Yes, I am a doctor.

I'm waiting the apology.

Can't answer for BadgerOne egc but yes I consider a dialogue with Ahmadinejad as a form of appeasement. Regardless of the political dictionary definition, the point is it all serves to raise Ahmadinejade's stature.

If others believe Obama thinks he has points of view worth considering, then we legitimize his government and philosophy. And what is that philosophy? That the holocaust never happened and that an entire nation, Israel, should be wiped off the face of the earth.

As I try to tell my children, sometimes in the world bad people, evil people, come to rule a country. But just because they are in power doesn't mean what they think, like destroying Israel, is valid.

What would Obama tell Ahmadinejade he hasn't already been told? Would Obama think he can mentally outwit a crazy man and return to American and say to the world. Hey, he promised me they're not going to make an atomic bomb and destroy Israel. I, President Obama, persuaded him and I know he's telling the truth.

You can't reason with a madman. People like Ahmadinejade and Al Queda leaders have said publicly they will lie to the faces of their enemies in order to eventually destroy them. It's part of their strategy.

Name a world leader in history who hates Jews, wants to kill them all, has attacked his neighbors, and lies about his true intentions. No, I don't mean Hitler, but Ahmadinejade. Scary parallel isn't it. Believe in reincarnation anyone?

McCain on SNL: Saw it. Laughed. Voting for Obama... but it is nice to see a candidate with a sense of humor.

BadgerOne and TarHeel on Appeasement: talking to someone isn't the same thing as "appeasement". "Appeasement" is when you let the bad guy take a little, hoping he won't take a lot. (As you said, watching while Hitler took over Austria, Czechoslavakia, and Poland.) But it is NOT appeasement to just talk. The USA talked to the USSR for decades and visa versa. Was that appeasement? Israel talks to the Palestinians, and visa versa. Is that appeasement?

I didn't think this was very funny -- but SNL hasn't been funny since the 80's!

I didn't think this was very funny -- but SNL hasn't been funny since the 80's!

Will you Democrats just stop with your intellectually insulting posts? No wonder you always get the high school dropout votes. They're the only ones who can't see through your jibberish. McCain is already mentally incompetent? Says who?

Please do move to another country if Obama doesn't win. I hope you and Alex Baldwin live there happily ever after together. And you can let him use your cell phone to swear at and berate his daughter all while the two of you come up with more inane posts for the WAPO.

By the way, BadgerOne's post hits the nail on the head. At least someone else knows the historic failures appeasement has caused. Failures that have cost ten of millions of lives.

Sure, let's sit down to dinner with someone (Ahmadinejad) who denies the holocaust happened and has vowed to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Wonderful dinner, President Obama. Would you please pass the appease-mints.

John McCain is a true American hero, but that doesn't mean he would be a good and effective President. He is already in lockstep with the Bush administration polocies, and has done a flip on important issues that were once his greatest strength. His opposing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy was a smart move, for many reasons. McCain's now being in favor of making these same tax cuts permanent is a 100% about face from his fiscal conservative beliefs, before running for the Republican nomination. He unfortunately has also done an about face on many other issues that have now made him a continuation of the failed, criminal Bush administration. His age is but another factor that I find very scary, and unappealing. When a running president's single most important decision is who his running mate will be, it is a reason not to vote for him. Unless you are happy with his V.P. running the country in his stead. The chances are that at his age he will not be physically or mentally fit for the enormous job that the next president will face. I would prefer a youthful, less experienced candidate to an old, flip flopping, already mentally incompetent McCain.

It's one thing to be old and in the way as a Senator, but as the President, there is just to much damage that can be done, by just misplacing two nouns in a sentence. The destruction of this country's economy and moral values ( torture) has happened with an unintelligent president, who has all the worst people giving him advice. I knew in 2000 that this country would be in trouble during a Bush Presidency, but even I was wrong for underestimating the damage that Bush was able to put this country through. The amount of time and money that it will take to re-set this country's path is going to be enormous. It is a price that we can ill afford to spend, because there is no going forward, without going back to see who was responsible for what atrocities, and the penalties that are given to those responsible. For making not only 80% plus of Americans, and probably that same percentage of people from all over the world believe that America has lost it's moral high ground, and most certainly it's economic stature in todays world. When a majority of Americans are living from paycheck to paycheck, and the jobs being created are ones that hold little if any promise of economic advancement. The only way of solving our country's probles, starts with a coherent energy policy, that will make this country independant of foreign oil within the coming eight years. This is certainly doable, however the GOP has no intention of working toward this, and without that view, there is no hope for this country to regain it's strength and economic independance. I will see what happens in the next election, but should the Democrats not win, in an overwhelming mandate, I will begin to divest myself of all my assets, and look for a small democratic country to live my remaining years in.

We need McCain's clear vision of which world leaders that can be trusted and which ones are the new Hitlers. We don't need Obama and is naivete like Neville Chamberlain.

Chamberlain was prime minister of Britain when he watched as Hitler took over Austria. Then he supported Hitler's take over of the Sudetenland section of Czechoslavakia. Then Chamberlain, after meeting with Hitler and signing a peace agreement him in Munich, saw Hitler ignore the agreement and take over all of Czechoslavakia. Then Chamberlain watched Hitler take over Poland, after telling everyone that Hitler could be trusted.

The modern day Hitlers love Barack Obama and how he will allow them to grow in strength all while assuring Obama what men of peace they are. Kuwait would now be in Saddam Hussein's hands if Obama had been president when Iraq invaded Kuwait. And Hussein would now have the atomic bombs he openly said he would use against the United States.

Chamberlain refused to join in the assassination plot against Hitler before Hitler invaded Austria. If he had not been someone like Obama who believes in meeting with and empowering madmen we would not have had WWII and the loss of tens of millions of soldiers and tens of millions of citizens. Not to mention the extermination of over 5 million Jews by Adolph "Ahmadinejad" Hitler.

How many modern-day Hitlers would Obama empower? John McCain is no Neville Chamberlain. People like Ahmadinejad will never be strengthened by a McCain presidency.

Get over the melenoma thing people! Reagan had skin cancer removed while he was in office. Kennedy had Addison's. FDR had polio and eventually died in office. McCain isn't crazy, he isn't going to nuke Iran because he lost his temper, and he isn't Bush. You can disagree with him on issues of policy, but can it with the stupid stuff. Graduated in the bottom five percent of his class at Annapolis? That's like graduating in the bottom five percent at an Ivy League school. So what? Right-wingers attack McCain for not being conservative enough, left-wingers attack him because he isn't a liberal, I take that to mean he represents pretty much everyone in the country who is still sane.

Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.

If I can't vote for Hillary, I will vote for McCain.

How stupid can you get.

I think both age and race will be part of the Presidential campaign.

Obama can claim youth and vigor and McCain will claim experience. Ronald Reagan handled the age factor well against Mondale but McCain hasn't got Reagan's facility with words.

What McCain can use is what Mondale used to get the nomination against Gary Hart and that is the line "Where's the Beef"? I think that McCain can point to a long record of independence in the Congress and Barack Obama will get tarred with being the most liberal senator in the Congress with no record at all.

If the press compares Obama to King and Kennedy McCain can say with all honesty that those two had a record and remind people that JFK was elected not only becuase he had a way with words but because he had 14 years in the Congress and was a war hero as well.

He can add to that the issue of Kennedy and Obama both writing two books- Obama's being self glorifying autobiorgraphies and Kennedy's on world affairs and honoring others.

I will support Obama if he is the Democratic nominee but there is a clear road for McCain to win this and making people believe that his age won't be a factor will be crucial to him. Clinton would have a much easier time beating McCain.

If wisdom comes with age, then McCain has learned nothing in his 72 years, proving why he graduated in the bottom 5 of his class at the Naval Academy.

If wisdom comes with age then McCain has shown that he has learned nothing in 72 years, proving why he graduated in the bottom 5 of his class at the Naval Academy.

The fact that he kept blowing his lines tells me all I need to know. At least Reagan could read his cue cards.

McCain's age is certainly a valid issue in this campaign. We should express our real worries about his physical stamina, emotional balance, and mental acuity.

But more importantly we should be worried about his policies: McCain is content to see the U.S. occupation of Iraq extend for another 100 years; he will extend tax breaks for the rich and drive up our national debt; he will not help ordinary citizens with mortgage problems or health care issues; he will appoint anti-choice jurists to the Supreme Court; he will continue the failed Bush policies of insulting our allies, ignoring our enemies, and pandering to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other dictatorships.

Barack Obama is youthful, alert, intellectually engaged with the world of ideas and history, and emotionally balanced and calm. Most importantly, he is right on the issues that matter most to the future of our nation.

According to doctors who were consulted for an artical regarding an adult of 72. When asked what the chances mental acuity would be diminished the answer was. The chances were 100%. His further decline will also be rapid to very rapid. Mr. Mcain at best is not fit for the office of president. At worst, he would have to be removed if his actions became suspect. But how much damage could someone like that do? If Bush is an example, I would say a lot i.

+++++++++++
I don't think age is necessarily a problem, after all Reagan managed to overcome it.

(1) It's Obama's youthfulness. If you have a vigorous, fit opponent like Obama it makes McCain's job more difficult and highlights generational difference. Highlight's Obama's 'change' message.

(2) It's McCain's health. This doesn't have to be age related, and there lies the problem. Although McCain had his cancerous melanoma lesion removed there is a 40% chance of it reappearing with metastases deeper in the body, and in that case treatment with chemotherapy could be too dangerous for someone of his age, and could easily end up being terminal.
(http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1779596-2,00.html)

I think the skit was pretty good, aside from the fact that McCain's allusions to bringing the national debt under control are malarkey. The deficit under his plans is likely to be $780 billion. He can promise his 'magic carpet' ride to 2013 all he wants, but I don't buy a word of it.
(http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/05/16/mccain-2013-deficit/)

Posted by: Chris | May 19, 2008 6:41 AM

I thought McCain was funny and charming. I've always liked him and admired his maverick style. I'd have preferred to vote for Senator Clinton because she would make the best President of the three, but given the choice of Obama vs McCain, it's a no brainer--McCain all the way!

I don't have a problem with McCain's age, but you're right Jay. I don't want four more years of Bush with McCain in office.

Experience or not, I don't want to elect another "Bush" (McCain). If you don't mind the failing economy, dreadful housing market, endless time for troops overseas and mind-boggling gas prices, then please -- by all means -- vote for McCain. Cripple the country for another four years.

Memo to Clinton backers:

Scoreboard.

See you in January 2009. Good seats available now.

He just doesn't have the comedic timing to pull that off. All we are left with is the reminder that he is, in fact, really, really old.

And fhvs, if you read the news, you'd know that Putin has a successor in Russia. His name is Dmitry Medvedev, and among other things, he is a Deep Purple fan...

Not sure if McCain knows who Deep Purple are though... he was already OVER 40 when they were FIRST a big thing in the 1970's...

Yep. He's really, really old.

He's not only ancient, he has cancer. It's just not worth the risk.

If the choice is naivete or age, I vote for age.

And in this case, older is better. It helps to have been through a war on the ground -- to have the courage to die before you ever send another generation into battle, to know what the other side is capable of, to realize that sometimes it is whether you are willing to fight that creates a sheltered space for others (e.g., the Four Tigers, who were sheltered in their miraculous economic development by our willingness to push in Vietnam.)

This is not a beauty contest. It is not a rock star rally. And it is not the 2012 election.

It is a test for the next four years -- when we face Putin, a rising China, an ambitious going-nuclear Iran, and militant A-Q jihadists abroad. It takes a guy who knows something about the military, commands their respect, and has a gumption that will give our enemies pause

McCain is just too old. Poking fun at that fact will not help him. The only thing the SNL piece did was show that he could read some commedian's prepared speech. In this way only is he better than the current president, who is only able to read "My Pet Goat". Imagine him in the White House, getting lost on his way out the door and carrying little white cards like Reagan had to do as he was sliding into Alzheimer's...

McCain is just too old. Poking fun at that fact will not help him. The only thing the SNL piece did was show that he could read some commedian's prepared speech. In this way only is he better than the current president, who is only able to read "My Pet Goat". Imagine him in the White House, getting lost on his way out the door and carrying little white cards like Reagan had to do as he was sliding into Alzheimer's...

Concern about McCain's age is entirely appropriate. Some men of McCain's age show marked decline of their mental abilities. This has happened to some of our more elderly presidents, as well.
Posted by: Dave | May 18, 2008 8:39 PM

Should we therefore set an age limit on who can run for President? For instance, after the age of 70 you can no longer run for office. Because for some men at a certain age mental decline is possible.

AND for all you characters out there who THINK you know something about politics

however you do not appear to even read the newspaper

MCCAIN HAS BEEN FIGHTING WITH BUSH FOR YEARS.

Where have you people been if you do not know that?

It started with the smear campaign in South Carolina in 2000.

yea.

McCain has been fighting with Bush about the Iraq policy for YEARS AND YEARS.

This has been going on almost since Obama was in diapers, oh I mean college, oh I mean started his career.

McCain was fighting with the Bush people about campaign finance reform -

so if you are saying that McCain is going to be the same as Bush, you are a LIAR.

.

It reminded me that I really like McCain personally, and although his policies are abhorrent enough that I'd have had to vote for Hillary if she were the Democratic nominee, I would have really hated doing it. Thank you America for not making me vote for that woman in November.

I'd like to see The Fix do a series on where the two candidates stand on the issues. Maybe a tour of a few swing states asking swing voters what they want the candidates to address and then getting the candidates' responses. And maybe some analysis of the candidates' potential paths to 270 electoral votes.

All this whisper-whisper peripheral stuff seems pretty dim.

The poster at 12:50 wrote:

Obama said to the Wall Street Journal: "Watch how I run my campaign."

***********

My response is that Obama ran a campaign like a complete HYPOCRITE - He started off talking about a post-racial America and how he wanted to transcend race all how Obama was the "one we have all been waiting for" - how Obama was for "new politics."

HOW did Obama run his campaign?

He launched on a pre-planned whisper campaign within the Black Community - twisting Bill Clinton's words around - pretending that those words were "OFFENSIVE" to the Black Community.

That is not change folks, that is the old politics.

It was race baiting - it was RACIST against the WHITE COMMUNITY.

Obama played the RACE CARD.

NOW Obama is stuck with that episode on his resume.

ONE of the few items on Obama's resume that is not related to AFFIRMATIVE ACTION.

To be honest, Obama is a real joker telling the Wall Street Journal that uniting latte liberals and the black community is an accomplishment - especially when Hillary has been such a nasty and hated figure.

Over half the nasty Clinton democrats are now with Obama now - like rats which have jumped ship.

AMERICA is not going to get much different from Obama - the same nasty Clinton democrats are going to be in his administration - making the same types of horrible decisions which have dragged this nation down - like the free trade deals which has hurt our industry in every small town in America.

That is how Obama intends to run this place.

.

Response to Inexperience??? Posting at 12:50

YOU are a complete joker. Experience matters. I supposed you have never hired anyone in your life and seen how they perform in their jobs.

Obama is not just on the inexperienced side.

Jack Kennedy had 14 YEARS in Congress - they called that inexperienced.

Obama has done NOTHING - he got to Washington and immediately went on a book tour. - Obama has refused to hold hearings in the only committee he was given Chairmanship of - a Foreign Policy Committee at that.

You really should read up on McCain - He really IS what you wish Obama was but Obama is not.

McCain has a long hard history of working on bipartisan issues - he has taken a great deal of heat for it - if you want the "New" politics - your man is John McCain - not Obama who has talked the talk, but never actually done it, not in Illinois and not in Washington.

If you want CHANGE, McCain is the real CHANGE AGENT - Again, look at McCain's record on campaign finance reform - ACTUALLY WORKING TO CHANGE WASHINGTON.

Obama has no experience, no record on anything related to Change except ordering signs which say "Change" on them.

This campaign is going to be one of awakening - The Obama people are slowly going to open their eyes to who Obama really is.

Seriously, how can you be so BLIND???

.

I don't think age is necessarily a problem, after all Reagan managed to overcome it.

(1) It's Obama's youthfulness. If you have a vigorous, fit opponent like Obama it makes McCain's job more difficult and highlights generational difference. Highlight's Obama's 'change' message.

(2) It's McCain's health. This doesn't have to be age related, and there lies the problem. Although McCain had his cancerous melanoma lesion removed there is a 40% chance of it reappearing with metastases deeper in the body, and in that case treatment with chemotherapy could be too dangerous for someone of his age, and could easily end up being terminal.
(http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1779596-2,00.html)

I think the skit was pretty good, aside from the fact that McCain's allusions to bringing the national debt under control are malarkey. The deficit under his plans is likely to be $780 billion. He can promise his 'magic carpet' ride to 2013 all he wants, but I don't buy a word of it.
(http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/05/16/mccain-2013-deficit/)

Ashley

This is supposed to be a post-racial election - race is not supposed to matter.

AT least that is what the Obama campaign is telling the whites.

TO the black community, the Obama campaign has done a racial whisper campaign after South Carolina by twisting Bill Clinton's words around and pretending to be find those words "offensive."

You decide what you think.

.

Ashley

This is supposed to be a post-racial election - race is not supposed to matter.

AT least that is what the Obama campaign is telling the whites.

TO the black community, the Obama campaign has done a racial whisper campaign after South Carolina by twisting Bill Clinton's words around and pretending to be find those words "offensive."

You decide what you think.

.

All I have to say is if race is an issue in this election, then what's stopping age from being an issue as well???

How sad that our youth are voting for youthfulness over experience and safety of our nation.

If Obama is elected prez, I fear for this country.

How sad that our youth are voting for age over experience and safety of our nation.

If Obama is elected prez, I fear for this country.

Not as funny as McCain's real joke: 100 more years in Iraq! Ha ha ha! What a riot!

What is the worse alternative?

******************
Obama is an affirmative action nightmare

All these people seem to believe that if the country elects a black person, the world will be all fine.

Is this mass insanity???

Electing an inexperience young kid who has virtually no Washington experience and really didn't do much as State Senator is going to make things WORSE not better.

What is wrong with all these people?

Audacity sometimes leads one to do really stupid things.

.

Posted by: Words of Wisdom | May 18, 2008 10:36 PM

A message to all who think Obama is too inexperienced.

Obama singlehandedly beat the Clinton Machine. THE Democratic power couple, feared by most of the party, and in possession of more chits than any politicians in living memory.

Obama did this by running a massive, highly organized campaign. A campaign that put seasoned pros to shame.

When Howard Dean became Chairman of the Democratic Party, he pushed his 50 state strategy. The basic idea is that you compete against Republicans in every single race, take no race for granted, believe no race is a safe Republican seat.

The Clintons believe in 50+1, meaning they believe the electorate will always be evenly divided and that a national candidate can only win by grabbing crucial voting markets. Theirs' is the strategy of the 90s; at that time this was the only way to win.

Obama listened to Dean and fought in every state, especially those thought lost by the Clintons.

He won.

This forty-something took on the entrenched Democratic leader and blew her and her ex-president husband away. Blew them away even though they paid gazillions to the best consultants money can buy, had all the contacts, knew all the secrets.

Obama said to the Wall Street Journal: "Watch how I run my campaign." The voters should look at this and rethink the "Obama is inexperienced" meme.

You can fake sincerity but you can't fake funny. Having seen both McCain's performance last night and his previous SNL hosting gig, the best that can be said is that he's willing to do some semi-funny things that others have thought up for him.

At least there's now one identifiable diff - McCain is unintentionally unfunny, while Bush is unintentionally funny - in a tragicomic sort of way.

11:13 p.m. post

"Blah blah blah. There are 52 different posts on this subject, by seven different users. I wonder how they have figured out that I have deployed sock puppets. It must be some technical wizardry."

Response to Rich

Rich you are representative of the democrats as a whole - when you have nothing true to say, you make up a lie.

Rich, you must retract your statement and sent a letter of apology out immediately.

Then you deserve the same level of forgiveness the democrats have shown toward McCain after removing the lobbyists from his campaign.

Response to Rich

Your comment approaches slander. How about if someone went around your town and said that about you without ANY BASIS whatsoever ?

What if someone made up a completely different lie about you?

If you have some actual information that has not been reported in the media, please tell us, otherwise I suggest you retract your remarks and apologize to the McCain family.

.

Rich

Are you a doctor? On what medical basis have you made this assessment??

I am asking because if you do not have an actual medical asssessment, you are creating a deception.

OR spreading a lie that you made up.

Are you a former supporter of Bill Clinton???

I am outraged by the complete lack of civility on the part of the democrats this year. The democrats want this nation to progress, to transcend race - but to ask them to behave themselves - or even to show some maturity - that seems to be too much to ask of them.

well

It is apparent the democrats this year are dominated by a bunch of jokers who have lost complete touch with the truth.

.

If McCain didn't display so many signs of an incipient dementia, it might have been funny.

While we are talking, we might as well point out how the DEMOCRATS in the SENATE ABUSED THEIR POSITIONS by protecting Torricelli from the myriad of ethics complaints against him.

yes

In fact the Senate should have EXPELLED Torricelli and send him to the Justice Department to be arrested.

The Democratic Party does very little to clean up the corruption by fellow democrats. Instead we had to wait for a TV station to run an expose, and the democrats were afraid the whole sleazy affair might cost them the majority.

Obama's good friend Tom Daschle was WELL AWARE of all of this - I was personally on the phone with his staff asking for Daschle to do something about Torricelli. Are these the kinds of people you want in office? I don't think so.

yea

The sleaze extends to the Obama supporters like Daschle.

.

This is a very good posting - whoever does not recognize the wisdom of this statement really does not have the best interests of this nation at heart.

**************************

When the Democrats needed to keep the New Jersey Senate seat after Senator Robert Torricelli got in trouble with the law and was about to be defeated by a Republican had he run again, the Democrats brought out retired fossil Frank Lautenberg, telling everybody how experienced and wise he was. Now however when the Republican nominee is John McCain who is much younger than Lautenberg, they're whining about him being too old for the job. What a bunch of phony hypocrites, but expected comming from the party of sleaze and corruption!

Posted by: madhatter | May 18, 2008 5:25 PM

Obama is an affirmative action nightmare

All these people seem to believe that if the country elects a black person, the world will be all fine.

Is this mass insanity???

Electing an inexperience young kid who has virtually no Washington experience and really didn't do much as State Senator is going to make things WORSE not better.

What is wrong with all these people?

Audacity sometimes leads one to do really stupid things.

.

Response to Translator

Obviously you intend to continue your rude behavior.

I seriously do not know how you can call Obama a better candidate when he has so little experience.

He wont do his job as Chairman of the Senate Committee by holding hearings.

He went to Washington and headed off for a book tour.

All the time collecting a paycheck.

Sounds like Obama is line to be fired, not promoted.

.

Translator is back

Translator is violating all the terms of service here by dragging down the discussion here.

If you have a point, make it and support it, stop harassing other posters.

AND it is harassment, intended to silence people whose opinions you do not like.

THAT is unAmerican, whether you wear a flag pin or not.

/

Translator is back

Translator is violating all the terms of service here by dragging down the discussion here.

If you have a point, make it and support it, stop harassing other posters.

AND it is harassment, intended to silence people whose opinions you do not like.

THAT is unAmerican, whether you wear a flag pin or not.

/

All posts in this section:

"I am using age as a beard for my racism. I would rather vote for a senile white geezer than an obviously better candidate who is black."

It's very refreshing to see a candidate who can poke fun at himself. Democrat or Republican, if you didn't think that was funny, then you many not have much of a sense of humor.

McCain made an earlier funny appearance on Saturday Night Live several years back. Do a You Tube search on "McCain" and "Streisand." Good stuff, but only if you have a sense of humor, of course.

Wisdom comes with age and experience so McCains age is no big deal.
What should be a big deal is the fact that the Democrats nominee is a totally in-experienced naiive man with ideas dangerous to the world community and the American peoples well being, who will need on the job training. What the Democrats are doing by nominationg and supporting Barack Obama for president of the USA is putting their party's interests above our countries. If President Barack Obama does what he said he'll do, the 9/11 terrorist attack will be like penny anti pocker to attacks sure to come--with President Obama hiding under his desk not knowing what to do while Americans are getting killed en masse.

Alfredo,

ON what basis are you making this statement?

Do you have a list of lies - a pattern of deception which you can point to?

ARE you simply going to say these lies - which makes you no better than what you are attempting so say McCain is

Which he ISNT

Alfredo, I wish you were here so I could look you in the eye and tell you what a dirty liar you are.

.

McCain would sell his mother to the Taliban to be president. You can't believe a word he says or does.

madhatter

Thank you very much. The democrats are a bunch of jokers.

.

Dave

Concern about Obama's age should be foremost on every American's mind.

Seriously, wake up.

Have you ever hired someone who was just a little unqualified for the position? They never feel right and it takes them a long long time to feel comfortable.

Obama has never run anything in his entire life.

Obama doesn't even know what it's like to be a US Senator, he went to Washington and went on a book tour - Obama never held hearings in the only job he was given - Chairmanship of a Foreign Policy committe.

yea.

There is an old adage if you want something done, give it to someone who is busy, if someone is not doing the job they have, they aren't going to do something else you give them.

Wake up, I almost am sickened by the attitude by people on this blog.

.

You democrats are so delusional - you are willing to risk the safety of the nation on some inexperienced kid who has never run anything in his life.

Then you all have the nerve to talk about McCain the way you have in this blog.

I can not tell you how irresponsible and wreckless you are all are.

Concern about McCain's age is entirely appropriate. Some men of McCain's age show marked decline of their mental abilities. This has happened to some of our more elderly presidents, as well. Reagan showed signs of mental decline late in his second term, and Wilson may have been so incapacitated that his wife ran the country after his stroke.

McCain's apparent confusion between the Iraqi Shiite militants supported by Iran and the Sunni Al-Qaeda in Iraq suggests that McCain's mental capacity may also be in decline. It would help if he would release his medical records, I suppose.

Jon Morgan

If you want to be a fool and support an inexperience person for President, go ahead, but for me, I would never take such a chance on my country.

.

The issue in this race is Obama's age Obama is too young.

Obama is inexperienced.

Even Jack Kennedy was in Congress for 14 years, Obama was there for 14 days, went on a book tour and started running for President.

Lets be serious.

We have McCain who is qualified running against Obama who is not qualified. Get at grip on yourself - take care of your country and support McCain.

.

Funny skit, but it won't win any votes. When has McCain drawn 75,000 people to see him speak?

An SNL skit does little to address the age issue. That will move into the spotlight the instant McCain falters in an upcoming debate or town hall forum. Then Lieberman will not be able to jump in and coach McCain on any misstatement(s).

Reagan's quip about age showed us a nimble thinking candidate and his remark continues to amuse; McCain's SNL piece was scripted and, at times, plodding. So, my friends, John McCain needs to show me he can consistently deliver without a teleprompter.

Hey, I just turned 65. And believe me, even if you are healthy, age is an issue. I think like I am still young, and I'm still working part time. But when I have to work a longer day I'm downright tired. And I find myself making silly mistakes that I would have never made even ten years ago.

Maybe the other writers are correct, and the seniors will vote for McCain in big numbers. But this senior realizes that age comes upon you. And this senior thinks that the presidency is one heck of a hard job. Look at the way that past presidents, including Bush, have aged while in office.

I can't help but wonder if some of his "mis-speaks" on the trail have to do with his age, and being tired. Reagan got away with a lot because he was so likable. But it was obvious in the last part of his second term that he was losing something.

Yes, his age is an issue. Just as, whether we like it or not, Obama's race and Hillary's sex are issues. But their sex and race don't have that much to do with their ability to do the job. McCain's age, which is certainly related to his health, could have some impact on his ability to think clearly and quickly during a crisis.

McCain's spiel wasn't at all funny.
He actually sounded pretty stupid
to me, and the one-trick pony, age,
didn't perform at all. The laugh
track was so pasted on it made him
sound even stupider.

We force our military officers to retire when they reach 64 (at the latest)...just because they are 64, as far as I can tell. There is no psychological exam or evaluation to determine their continued competence to serve our country. Instead they are simply forced out because they have reached an arbitrary age that someone somewhere determined was a good time to force them out. Yet come November nearly half of this country will vote for a commander in chief who is well beyond the mandatory retirement age. The illogic in having a commander in chief that is 12+ years beyond when he would be able to make decisions as a military officer is astounding.

Either McCain should be ineligible to run for President based on his age, or the military should stop forcing out its best minds simply because they turn 64. These two contradictory positions cannot stand together.

Here is the deal with the John McCain "charm offensive".

Independents, Moderates and even some Democrats were quite drawn to John McCain in 2000. Fed up with politicians who constantly lied and/or played political games, the "Straight Talk Express" of John McCain seemed refreshing to many of us. McCain's candor and bluntness seemed to fit nicely with the "Maverick" brand he had created for himself.

But many people - like me, who respected McCain based on his charming appearances on "The Daily Show" - have failed to recognize that there is a MAJOR disconnect between his inclusive personality and his divisive policy positions.

Yes, John McCain is an American hero and a dedicated public servant. He possesses an engaging personality.

In short, John McCain seems like somebody we would all like to have a beer with...

... Wait a sec - deja vu - Where have we heard that sentiment before?...

Oh, yes... Back in 2000... When there was "no difference" between Al Gore and George W. Bush... When George W. Bush was a "compassionate conservative"... When George W. Bush seemed like somebody we would all like to have a beer with...

If only we could turn back the clock...

But we CAN learn from history - John McCain, for all his appealing personality traits - is an arch conservative, just like George W. Bush. He wants to continue Bush's policy in Iraq, he wants to continue Bush's saber-rattling with Iran (a third war???), he wants to maintain Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy individuals and corporations, we wants to continue tilting the courts further to the right as Bush has, he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade as Bush has.

Over the past seven years, Bush's charm offensive has lost it's charm.

Do not be fooled, my friends, John McCain's policies are every bit as charmless as those of George W. Bush.

McCain's a good man, and a funny guy--he's proved that on innumerable occasions. But beyond the horrible policies he'd bring to the White House, can America really afford four more years of a president who can't even read coherently off a teleprompter?

Good routine. McCain's best lines (also his riskiest lines) are off-the-cuff riffs he comes up with himself, and the SNL skit was obviously written by others. It still worked, though.

These days, a national politician has to do this kind of thing. The electronic media covers politics as entertainment, and much of the public follows politics as entertainment; a politician who cannot be entertaining on some level is going to have trouble getting many Americans to take him (or her) seriously.

What Clinton and Obama have going for them are their "stories" -- in the sense that this word is used in the entertainment business, to mean not their literal life stories but the symbolism of their candidacies. Symbolism is great entertainment. McCain's "story" is a little too far from the experience of most Americans to take him any farther than it already has. He has also, to a much greater extent than either Clinton or Obama, kept his children off-camera. No doubt he has his own reasons for doing this, but families are also great entertainment. A guy with seven kids of very different ages who all love their father is giving up a useful political chip by keeping them in the background.

Fortunately for him, McCain is a genuinely funny guy with a sense of the absurd that matches nicely with the kind of humor younger Americans are used to (much more so than, for example, Robert Dole, who had a wicked sense of humor that depended heavily on context -- if you weren't well versed in the subject Dole was joking about, you often wouldn't get the joke). He's wise to use humor in this campaign, especially given the enormous handicaps he labors under as a Republican attempting to succeed an historically unpopular Republican President.

McCain should continue to make light of the age issue because it makes him seem younger (like the SNL crowd) and plays down questions of his temperament (because he can laugh at himself).

If Obama takes the nomination, McCain will face one of the most charismatic prez candidates in history so he'll have to keep these sorts of appearances up to compete and not seem outshone by the younger Obama.

Ronald Reagan didn't seem that old to Americans until his last year in office. McCain seems old, so I don't know whether facing it head on helps or hurts. I know he points to his 93 year old mother, but his father died at 70; his grandfather at 61.

As for the earmarks part, granted, I'm a partisan, but I thought it made the case for the good aspects of earmarks: infrastructure funds and other public projects. Yeah, he said he doesn't support earmarks, but then went on to outline what his state doesn't have. A joke, but the underlying message was interesting.

I thought the Update skit was far funnier.

T and J is right: His Weekend Update bit was much funnier. This clip was too transparently posturing for an election and attempting to mitigate an issue.

I'm voting for Obama this year, so I hope that gives my comment a little more credibility: I thought both of the skits were funny. I give McCain credit for going beyond the usual bland jokes that most politicians make on comedy shows.

Laughing at yourself is a good trait. It shows that you are aware of people think of you, and being enclosed in a bubble is a danger for any political candidate.

Unfortunately, age is not a defendable position or one you can rearrange your talking points to create a different meaning. It is what it is. There are no advantages bringing any added attention to it. By doing so he himself has made it a issue and fair game. It will be used against him effectively. All he has to do is have even one so called "senior moment" as he certainly will and it is game over..

+++++++++++
Any time a candidate gets on SNL and appears to be a human being with a sense of humor, willing to laugh at him or herself, is a good day for the candidate. Yes, McCain's appearence served him well. As I referenced Ronald Reagan's quote last week on a posting, the best defense is a good offense on this issue of age/experience.

Posted by: ccarter | May 18, 2008 5:39 PM

Apples and oranges.

+++++++++
When the Democrats needed to keep the New Jersey Senate seat after Senator Robert Torricelli got in trouble with the law and was about to be defeated by a Republican had he run again, the Democrats brought out retired fossil Frank Lautenberg, telling everybody how experienced and wise he was. Now however when the Republican nominee is John McCain who is much younger than Lautenberg, they're whining about him being too old for the job. What a bunch of phony hypocrites, but expected comming from the party of sleaze and corruption!

Posted by: madhatter | May 18, 2008 5:25 PM

What a disappointment. Not funny, with an apparent overly aggressive laugh track which was mostly annoying. If anything, I was struck by just how old the Senator looks. While I was watching this, I had an epiphany that, for all the fanfare and intensity of the journalists and commentators that we necessarily will face over the next few months, this election is really going to be largely decided by a couple of hundred million people individually deciding that this guy is just too old.

Well, fellas. I can stand there and laugh about being fat. Oh so cleverly.

But when I stop talking, I'm still fat, and
I still look fat. ANd next time ya see me, I'll look fat again.

It is frightening, really. Been trying to think what was the name of the grandpa in that series where they all said good night to each other at the end of the show...looks more and more altogether like him, unfortunately.

Any time a candidate gets on SNL and appears to be a human being with a sense of humor, willing to laugh at him or herself, is a good day for the candidate. Yes, McCain's appearence served him well. As I referenced Ronald Reagan's quote last week on a posting, the best defense is a good offense on this issue of age/experience.

I thought the skit during the fake news played better to McCain's personable strengths. My only criticism about this bit was that the cue cards forced McCain to not look directly into the camera - which was like having a conversation with someone who constantly looked through you. Uncomfortable.

That being said, my wife and I felt McCain's performance about his age fell flat.

One of the posters here mentioned "cringe-worthy." PRECISELY.

In a skit that was supposed to poke fun about his antiquity, McCain came across looking tired, slow, dull and without energy. He stumbled initially but then read his lines with tortoise-like precision.

We couldn't help but think about how painful it is listening to George W speak. And then thought about having to listen to McCain for another four years.

McCain's recent performance on Jon Stewart probably won more votes for him than last night's midnight soiree. But that's just our opinion.

When the Democrats needed to keep the New Jersey Senate seat after Senator Robert Torricelli got in trouble with the law and was about to be defeated by a Republican had he run again, the Democrats brought out retired fossil Frank Lautenberg, telling everybody how experienced and wise he was. Now however when the Republican nominee is John McCain who is much younger than Lautenberg, they're whining about him being too old for the job. What a bunch of phony hypocrites, but expected comming from the party of sleaze and corruption!

Considering RR won 49 or 50 states, I don't think his age was an issue. He was running against two of the most unelectable opponents of all time. This is not the case today. Obama is very electable as would be Clinton. In a neck and neck race something like age could be the straw thats beats him in a close contest. I don't think it will matter though, he is going to get beat so bad It will be historic.

I do understand McCain was attempting to blunt the issue by making fun of it, but I thought the effort was "cringe-worthy"... To me, it re-enforced how dated the candidate is...

I thought that bit about the highways was a lot funnier than the age jokes. I was laughing out loud for that bit.

I dont care if he is funny, I dont care if he is old.

Just as I dont care the Hillary is a women, and that Obama has black skin.

What I do care about is the policies and plans of the candidate.
And on that score, anything republican has a lot of splainin to do

The USA needs an older and experienced hand like John McCain at the ship of state, especially now with the Islamofacist terrorists goal of religious domination of all the world and the ruthless murders of anyone who doesn't believe in their barbaric and dopey religion. We don't need an in-experienced Barack Obama who needs on the job training and is as naiive as to believe that if we all hold hands singing KumByYa, dancing around the old campfire talking to each other about all of us getting along, there will be peace and happyness forever and ever. Barack Obama's election would make this world a very dangerous place for all of the Western countries and cultures and Israel and it's people would be history. The American people can't be that stupid as to vote into the highest office on the planet a totally empty suit con-artist and a Louis Farrakhan desciple like Barack Obama. With the Islamofacist terrorist states like Iran getting nuclear weapons in a few years, our president needs to be wise and experienced. Obama's election would get a lot of people killed.

John McCain's weakness as a presidential candidate has little to do with his age. Instead, his weakness on national security in these dangerous times is something we can't afford. Here's a summary of some good reasons to support Obama. Share with undecided friends in Oregon or Kentucky. http://acropolisreview.com/2008/04/top-reasons-to-give-barack-obama-your.html

So long as one can function, think, act, and communicate, can it really be said that one is "too old" to be President?

When did it happen that age, rather than an asset, became a liability in this country? Are we really that Britney-ized? Is it just the limosine liberal culture - the European coffee sipping wimps with botox gone bad (quick, call Pelosi!)?

I find it funny that give me something for nothing liberals attack McCain for being too old when FDR, the godfather of entitlement and learned helplessness, a hero to hard-work-hating-liberals, couldn't even stand up on his own.

And I don't even like/support McCain (as the regulars know).