I had an interesting exchange with my wife last evening. Inspite of my stated boycot of the convention coverage, the movie I was watching finished (Jumpers, not bad, glad I rented it instead of going to the theater) and I stopped to listen to Biden's speach. After he finished and Obama came out I watched that and then decided to head for bed. As I was leaving the room, my wife who is a very casual observer of the whole process said, "there is just something about that guy that makes me nervous". I asked her which one, she said "Obama". When I asked her why, she said, "I just don't trust him". I wonder how many other people feel the same way.

The plan --- convince the fencesitters that the Liberal messiah for dems has come. And Madonna is preparing to join the apostles.

Denver of Beijing?

Is it because he's...different....if you know what I mean?

I know a lot of people look at him and say here's a guy from Hawaii. Is he going to sacrifice us to Pele so the volcano's do not destroy the islands? Not to fear, he has already said he will limit sacrifices to one a week and that will only be Bush administration officials and oil speculators.

How can Obama make people nervous while McCain and the crazy warmongering neocons in his campaign are rattling the saber for war with Russia and war with Iran?

Rcade, part of it (I believe) is that she is a very casual follower of this whole thing. Most of what she knows is the ossmosis, as she has to be around while I listen to the news three times, etc. So, she is not as informed and does not neseccarily (sp?) know that McCain is "warmongering" etc. She goes on her gut (women's intuition if you will). When I pressed her a bit, her perception was that Obama was "up to something", he was too polished and to her that meant that he was hiding something. I was just curious if other causual observers feel the same.

There are good reasons to doubt Obama, until yu consider the alternative. Engines of real change are consistently locked out of debates, funding and ignored or misrepresented by the media.

McCain is an elitist and not particularly bright. Recognizing these qualities as Obama's strength, Rove immediately launched a media blitz to instill the elitist label on Obama. Only a fool would believe that. But we have plenty of them.

Unfortunately, as policy matters and VP selections unfold, business as usual is becoming more and more apparent. It is possible that this is merely an election strategy. But history says the politicians must dance with those that paid their way. Make no mistake about it, McCain and Obama are beholding to the same people, namely those who manipulate markets and fix prices, all the time promoting free ones. Its all bullshit and its bad for you.

One truth remains clear: the Republicans must be punished for their performance failures. As a Nation, we are all worse off than we were seven years ago, even if we cashed in on BushCo's phoney wars. Fewer jobs, fewer allies, worthless currency, rising costs, failed unnecessary wars.

How can Obama make people nervous while McCain and the crazy warmongering neocons in his campaign are rattling the saber for war with Russia and war with Iran?

Because we have been trained in this age of CGI and Matrix-like faux-zen not to believe what we see is real.

It can't be real...life isn't that simple...no one could possibly be what they appear to be.

Authenticity is a foreign concept, almost as "foreign" as the name Barack Hussein Obama. Doesn't sound like George Bush or Bill Clinton, does it, and look at how both of those men were able to disappoint and mislead this nation, each in different ways.

Many know why people refuse to "trust him" and it all stems from those making millions selling the fiction that he is somehow not worthy of gaining our trust because "he's different". And that difference is left to germinate in each person's own mind to manifest itself as whatever negative they need in order to choose against someone trying to represent their own best interests in bringing this nation together. Instead many will choose those who continually drive our people apart for the sake of their own political and economic success and gains. Then as more misery and despair set in, these same people will curse politics and say that no one can be trusted, without ever acknowledging they may be responsible for that fact themselves simply by the incorrect choices the collective decided to make based on their inability to discern what's truly real from that which is fake.

Rcade, part of it (I believe) is that she is a very casual follower of this whole thing. Most of what she knows is the ossmosis....

Posted by sawdust

My wife basically says the same type thing, and she is a casual observer too.

She asked me last night if I was going to watch the repubs convention and i told her that I would not since it was just gonna be more of the same shit as we have now.

She said, well, maybe they'll come up with something different, a new plan. I said, no, i don't think so.

Finally she said, 'well, i want to watch it so i can hear what excuses they come up with'.

Mrs lipzoidial gets a special pat on the back for that line.

How can Obama make people nervous while McCain and the crazy warmongering neocons in his campaign are rattling the saber for war with Russia and war with Iran?

There's no draft, so for most people it'll be somebody else's kid coming home in a body bag. The troops would have been home in 2005 if Bush had of instituted a real draft instead of shortening time between tours and calling up the Guard and the Eagle Scouts.

War will be 30 seconds bites on CNN if they want to watch, but Obama will be the young black guy in the WH 24/7.

Sad that they're more interested in the likely voters who are still undecided (I don't understand how that is even possible... undecided?) rather than focus their attention on the tactic that won them the nom in the first place, i.e. energizing people who've never voted before to come out and support Obama.

If he loses, that will be why.

The troops would have been home in 2005 if Bush had of instituted a real draft instead of shortening time between tours and calling up the Guard and the Eagle Scouts.
Posted by NG3

Would that be because we had the necessary manpower for a true "mission accomplished" or because the American people would never stand for this war if every American family truly had a stake in it?

But Plouffe, who is more unflappable than his famously unflappable candidate, says the campaign is putting a heavy emphasis on swing voters, and, "we like who these undecided voters are."

They're going to use a tried and true strategy:

Only Obama will be wearing urban camo (that isn't his), he'll be carrying an AK, and he'll be hunting from a moving Caprice Classic with spinners.

Tony,

A couple of months ago I though that there was no way ANY Republican, much less a mediocre candidate like McCain could win this election.

But then, I've casually watched the polls move in that direction and have asked myself, "How can this be?"

We are on the heels of 2-straight Republican terms. Garnering a 3rd straight is very tough, even with a popular president. In Bush we have an extremely unpopular president. Add to that a housing bubble-burst coupled with soaring energy (and food) prices, right at the tail-end of Bush's 2nd term and we have a recipe for disaster right there. Further salting of the wound is an unpopular war in Iraq, and although tangible progress has been made over the last 18 months it is still ugly. Taking things even further, we have a Dem candidate emerge who is absolutely adored by the media and pop-culture.

All in all, this should be a recipe for a historic land-slide win; yet they are in a virtual dead-heat.

This defies logic.

I do have a theory though:

Most Americans are uncomfortable with quick, radical change. Further, most Americans are wary of the unknown.

In this vein, Obama has serious problems. On the former, he should be OK as he's the prototypical Dem in regards to policy. On the latter, he has huge problems. He just doesn't have much of a track-record in a large arena that can assuage the concerns of those who are concerned with an unknown quantity.

His up-coming speech needs to be something special. He's a great orator, but more of the same won't cut it here. He needs to demonstrate his versatility and speak in straight terms. He's going to have to divorce himself from his lawyer-istic tendencies and speak, at least in part, in black and white terms.

I have skipped the convention thus far, but will make a point of watching Obama's speech.

C'mon, Cook!

Look, I know that Tony takes his Obama support to an extreme.

That said, how many black guys do you know who will happily trade lines from Blazing Saddles with a white, Conservative like me - and laugh all the while in doing so?

Well, at least that guy has free health care.

Posted by member2586

Paid for by who?

If you think health care is expensive now, just wait untill it's free. Your taxes are going to go through the roof.

There is over 30% fraud in medicare now. what makes you think that will improve?

She goes on her gut (women's intuition if you will).

Fair enough. Some of my relatives voted for Clinton in the primary because of similar feelings about Obama. I'm not questioning your wife's judgment, just trying to understand why some people aren't nervous about McCain. His saber rattling scares the bejeebies out of me. My kids are old enough now to be affected if the next president gets us into a war that requires a draft.

the people who are voting for McCain don't care if other peoples kids come home in body bags. long as it isn't their own they don't give a rats ass.

Rasta,

You are quite possibly the worst troll and thead-buster we've ever had on DR.

Take some lessons from Rob

"Finally she said, 'well, i want to watch (the Republican convention) so i can hear what excuses they come up with'."

I'll give you a preview:

Everything we ever did that went wrong is the fault of the Democrats.

Not a word will be spoken about the largest deficits known to man, or the billions of dollars pissed away in Iraq, or eliminating taxes only effecting multi-millionaires and billionaires, leaving regular folks to pick up the tab. No mention of the porous borders, or lax security at ports. And no apologies for growing the government more than any Democrat's wet dream, although they'll accuse the Dems of wanting to do it. They'll also paint the Dems as spenders, and conveniently ignore the fact in the spending Olympics, the Republicans are the all-time holders of the Gold, the Silver, and the Bronze (and fourth & fifth place as well). Ultimately, you won't hear a word about responsibility from the so-called party of responsibility.

ATTENTION JeffJ I firmly believe that rastaninja is a stolen handle from Lokisfur by Jackass. Notice the corrected spelling of the word Ninja. Lokisfur's was RastaNinjja for Your information.

Larry

She goes on her gut (women's intuition if you will).

Fair enough. Some of my relatives voted for Clinton in the primary because of similar feelings about Obama.

I'd say the "gut feelings" that would "trust" Hillary over Obama are not very reliable, they are just "habitual" "conventional" "conservative" "comfortable" etc., but not "trustworthy".

Obama IS a Big Change. Isn't that exactly what we need, what we want, what we DESERVE? (After the last eight years of disgusting government beneath contempt)

Sawdust,

"When I pressed her a bit, her perception was that Obama was "up to something", he was too polished and to her that meant that he was hiding something. I was just curious if other causual observers feel the same."

IMHO, Obama looks too polished because we have come to expect a "good ol boy" as commander in chief, one who butchers the language, makes blunder after blunder, and just plain looks like the guy at the end of the bar.
I'd bet that if JFK, or Reagan, or Bush 41 or Gerald Ford was running this year, Mrs. Sawdust would have the same idea about them.
It's all part of the collective dumbing down that has occurred in American politics...and many other areas as well.

Rcade,

"I'm not questioning your wife's judgment, just trying to understand why some people aren't nervous about McCain."

I think this is the grampa "effect". Doddering old men rarely scare anyone.

"I think this is the grampa "effect". Doddering old men rarely scare anyone.

Posted by evilpolock"

Why did an image of Tim Conway's classic old man character Duane Toddleberry just flash before me?

Mrs. Sawdust's vague feelings of distrust for the chosen Democrats are valid with me only if Mrs. Sawdust has never felt an undefined moment of distrust for anyone with a darker complexion.

I'm just guessing, of course. She doesn't follow politics closely and probably does not recognize that this dusky feller represents the only barrier between the United States and total oblivion. herm

And any caucasian here who is truly HONEST will admit having/feeling/thinking a certain amount of apprehension/distrust/fear towards and/or about black folks.

GALLUP: The Obama Convention Bounce begins

Obama - 48
McCain- 42

And that was just based on Monday night

Most Americans are uncomfortable with quick, radical change. Further, most Americans are wary of the unknown.
* * *

B I N G O

Change! Change you can believe in! We are the change we've been waiting for!

All that works just fine during a primary campaign of the opposition party. It's a good deal different with the population at large, many of whom like things kinda like they already are.

There are honestly people in this country who like things as they are...outside of the recently lobotomized? Wars of choice are fun? Your house losing value is reason for celebration? Losing a job is a good thing? Having the cost of fueling your vehicle almost double is a positive? Really?

Nothing's Obama has proposed would stop any of those things, nor would have prevented in. In fact, if you like $4 gasoline, you'll love the prices after eight years of Obamanomics. As to the "wars of choice"--after hearing Biden last night, I think their plan is to pull out of Iraq, to free up troops to fight the Russians. Sounds a little risky to me.

Radical change? No thanks. We've got some problems to work on. But we don't need someone to save our souls, or bring revolutionary change just for the sake of doing so.

my wife who is a very casual observer of the whole process said, "there is just something about that guy that makes me nervous". I asked her which one, she said "Obama". When I asked her why, she said, "I just don't trust him". I wonder how many other people feel the same way.

~Sawdust

No specific reasoning.
No policy differences.

Just a gut feeling, an instinct.

Spud would suggest that Mrs Sawdust et al have bought into the notion that Obama is either A) Too Good to be true or the shitstorm of contradictory smears that say that Obama is B) A Radical, extremist, Marxist, Socialist, America Hating, Secret Muslim, AIPAC controlled biatch, elitist, defeatist, crack addicted, overly black and not black enuff racist.

Not conciously, just on a given level.

Many American are nortoriously incurious as to the political realities that exist and the American MSM is a very sophisticated propaganda machine that has historically been able to sway public opinion towards so-called conventional wisdoms with ease. As a result, far too many people will vote this November based on too little information and too much hype/spin/smear.

That sed, Spud knows that the only thing you can trust John McCain to do is to continue on in the BushCo vein towards Karl Rove's vision of a hundred year republican reich replete with torture, corporate wars, corruption, cronyism, eroding liberties, decreased privacy, increased governmental secrecy, enviromental degradation, anti-science crusades, and a SCOTUS stuffed with Scalia's and Thomas's.

DO. NOT. WANT.

Spud thinks folk can trust Barack Obama to, at the very least, not be THAT guy.

To NOT be like John McCain.

Who will Obama be as POTUS?

We shall see.

Hopefully.

G08ama.

Be Well.

/Radical change?

Wot, like pre-emptive wars sold on lies?

Suspension of Habeus Corpus?

Kidnap, torture and rape sanctified by the Oval Office?

//We've had THAT change.

///Time fer NEW Change NOW.

////Sommat less radical, more human.

Nobody's going to read that.

Suspension of Habeus Corpus?

Kidnap, torture and rape sanctified by the Oval Office?

* * * *

And if you're referring to FISA, GITMO, and the Patriot Act--all three are things Obama has voted to keep.
Try again.

Mrs. Sawdust's vague feelings of distrust for the chosen Democrats are valid with me only if Mrs. Sawdust has never felt an undefined moment of distrust for anyone with a darker complexion.

Everyone knows about Obama's Plan to enslave the white race...and he is a "secret" Muslim that won't wear a flag pin!

As long as they keep arresting dissidents, they should be ok for November.

There are honestly people in this country who like things as they are...outside of the recently lobotomized?

I think the choice is: whom to pick who will make it no worse than it is now? If you believe McCain is in bed with Bush, then it comes down to McSame vs What's Behind Door #2...

Evil,
You are full of BS.

While some would vote against him due to his skin color, the Primaries proved MORE people voted against HRC because of her sex than voted against him because of color.

BUT 90% + of Blacks voted for him because he's Black. Not because he'd be a better President but because he's Black.

But I guess racism is OK with you so long as its against white people or sexism against women.

I'm against Obama, as most know. Not because he's Black but because what's UNDER his skin, nothing.

If Colin Powell were running I'd have no problem voting for him. I'd vote against Condi Rice, not because of her color or her sex but because she's incompetent.

So your theory people are voting against him because of his race is full of it.

Chicago was one of the 1st major cities to elect a Black as mayor while most of the population was White.

I don't vote based upon race, creed or religion. I vote based on who's best for the country, not party.

Do I think McCain's the best? Far from it. Unfortunately both parties have made about the worse choices they could make. So it comes down to the lesser of two evils. In this case, McCain wins hands down.

Why is this so? Simple, odds are he will be a one term President and the Democratic Party will get rid of Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi and this will allow for a more open Primary in 2012. Whomever they choose, as long as it isn't Obama or some other wingnut, should be able to defeat McCain if he runs for re-election or else his Vice President if he is dunb enough to choose Romney or Lieberman. If he stays away from them and goes with the Governor of Minn or Hutchenson, they have a fair chance of extending Republican rule of the White House if the Dems don't choose wisely.

This year the Dems snached defeat from the jaws of victory by choosing Obama instead of HRC.

Much as people bitch about "Clinton-Bush" dynasties, that is the reality of American Presidencies. After all, the Roosevelt Clan held the White house for SIX administrations, the Bushs for three, the Adamses for two, the Harrisons for three, Cleveland for two separate ones.

Not only are there Presidential dynasties, but royal ones as well.

All of you William Jefferson Clinton haters will scream when you learn that he has more BLUE blood than just about any President of the USA ever had, which of course decends to his daughter as well.

You see he wasn't born Clinton. His birth name was William Jefferson Blythe, As such he is a direct decendent of King Henry II of England who is descended from King Robert I of France. Furthermore he is decended from EVERY Scottish Monarch and the Queen Elizabeth II, the current Queen of England.
He is also decended from Simon de Montfod, a statesman of Henry II. This makes him related to every ancient aristocratic family in Britain today.

Trailer trash? Hardly. He is also descended from former Presidents William Harrison and William Henry Harrison. This makes him related to Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and George W Bush.