links for 2008-02-22

• RJ Eskow: Who Won Tonight's Debate? The Answer Is Clear - Politics on The Huffington Post
  "For the first time in quite a while we saw a clear winner emerge from one of the many Democratic presidential debates. That winner? The Democratic Party."
  (tags: vote2008 u.s.a.)
• Obama is favored in November battlegrounds. - By Mark Blumenthal and Charles Franklin - Slate Magazine
  "New head-to-head polls show that Barack Obama would beat John McCain in key general election swing states but Hillary Clinton would not."
  (tags: obama vote2008)
• What psychological personality tests reveal about Clinton, Obama, and McCain. - By Emily Yoffe - Slate Magazine
  (tags: clinton obama mccain politics vote2008 u.s.a.)

Comments

[mahathir_fan]

Democratic Party won the debate? Hmm..I thought it was Hilary:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=I2Om-c9IMjw

[mahathir_fan]

When all these illegal primaries are over, there is still one thing left to be done.

That is to get Rebecca MacKinnon's name on the 2008 US Presidential ballot.

I just want to see your name on the ballot as proof that anyone in the US can run for the US Presidency. Then it will really be a democracy if you can do that. if you can't, then I must say there is some kind of a vetting system in the US, similar to Iran, and if US doesn't recognize Iran due to this vetting system, then US shouldn't call itself a democracy based on those same standards.

[Charles Liu]

No doubt I will vote for Obama/Clinton.

But I still have this nagging feeling Dems are being setup, and Obama is the biggest stool pigion in America's political history.

[douglas]

Mahathir_fan, I can simply put her name on the ballot when I vote next year, if I wish.

Get an education, sir.

[Rebecca MacKinnon]

@Charles: as resident conspiracy-theorist-troll, your viewpoint is consistent with all your other viewpoints.

@MF: please do share with us what drugs you take. Inquiring minds want to know.

[mahathir_fan]

Douglas,

Actually no. You can't just nominate her and her name appears on every ballot in the country. Don't you think I have researched this? Don't you think I want to be President myself?

Every state has its own laws on getting a candidate's name on ballot. They are slightly different but by and large, you need to collects lots and lots of signatures to get your name in the Presidential ballot for ONE state. Then you need to repeat this same process in all the other states to make it nationwide.

Of course, there may be a blank on the ballot sheet where you can write anyone's name on it. But that is not my challenge. My challenge is to get her name printed so that it appears on every ballot sheet in the country.

This is a feat that 99 percent of Americans can never achieve.

[mahathir_fan]

"But I still have this nagging feeling Dems are being setup, and Obama is the biggest stool pigion in America's political history."

Precisely the reason why you should be supporting Obama. I still don't understand why you don't want another Bush in the White House.

This is not about a choice between Obama or Hillary or McCain, its about a choice on YOUR ASPIRATIONS. America needs a President that can give good speeches. Those are not just words. "I have a Dream." - just words? "Four score and seven years ago" - just words? "No Mao means there's no new China" - just words? "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit" - just words? "Give me 20 young men, and I can shake an island "- just words? "Australia some sort of transplant from another region.” - just words? Think about it.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WCE-hVYw2as

[mahathir_fan]

"@MF: please do share with us what drugs you take. Inquiring minds want to know."

This blog isn't about me. Its about the issues.

[barnychan]

"This blog isn't about me. Its about the issues."

Sadly, this blog now is largely about you and your brother-in-strangeness Charles Liu. Neither of you materially contribute to this or any other debate. Your only purpose appears to be deter others with your drab, but ever-present, inanity.

[doug]

Mahatir Fan;

I can still write her name on a ballot, regardless of her being nominated. Haven't you seen past presidential election returns, Mr. Specificity?

Scooby Doo, as well as Superman, and even people like Butch Cassiday, all fictional movie and cartoon characters, have garnered more than a few votes in write in ballots across the nation. As has John Stewart, etc.

Again, sir, educate yourself, and stop making yourself look like a pompous idiot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Write-in_candidate

In America, you don't have to be nominated to run for president. We have more than one political party, we have many, but they may not all get media attention.

Perhaps what you point out is how hard it is to derive truth from the poor state of America's media.

You add little to the global media's ability to discuss truth when you insist on being arrogant, and small-minded, and dare I say, uninformed about the state of things.

You have grown tiresome to many many people. I wish you well.

[mahathir_fan]

Doug,

Please read this again:
"Of course, there may be a blank on the ballot sheet where you can write anyone's name on it. But that is not my challenge. My challenge is to get her name printed so that it appears on every ballot sheet in the country."

I hope you will learn how democracy is practiced in other countries. In Malaysia we opened up 222 nomination centers so that anyone can just walk in and submit their names, and we are a small country:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/25/content_7662491.htm

Anyone including a 89 year old grandma can nominate herself with just one/two supporter to put her signature:

http://thestar.com.my/elections2008/story.asp?file=/2008/2/24/election2008/20080224145741&sec=election2008

Contrast this to what the US Ambasador to Malaysia had to say about Malaysia about 10 years ago shortly after the APEC summit.

Also, you fail to read the sarcasm. (Mahathir is famous for his sarcasm and my posting contains lots of them) Part of my ongoing criticism of the US system is that it is not a democracy. It gives VERY SPECIAL PRIVILEGES to 2 political parties: Republican and Democrats. All other parties are considered lesser value.

If we consider such practice to be okay, then surely China must also be considered a Democracy (in China you know which party gets special priviledge).

We have such a beautiful democracy in Malaysia.

[barnychan]

On, and on, and tediously on...

[Charles Liu]

R, feel free to dismiss your fellow American's misgiving about the upcomming election with "conspiracy" if you wish, but I'm here on the ground while you are a world away.

I'll share with you one of the political spam I've been getting from the Newts and Culters of America:

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_church_irs/2008/02/26/75833.html?s=al&promo_code=45FD-1

This one is smearing Obama with a supposed investigation of a church he attends.

There are others not even worth referencing, but the subject matter is along the lines of "Obama wears African/Islamist garb", "Obama practiced Islam/is an Islamist".

[barnychan]

"I'm here on the ground while you are a world away"

Charles, finally, something we can agree on. How's the weather on Planet Strange today?

The postings from you and MahathirFan go a long way to breach the interplanetary misunderstandings that are such a feature of modern life.

[mahathir_fan]

The Obama campaign clearly looks like there is a puppet master running it. It is just way too well run. Even a glance on youtube, you can see that his videos would gather 4 stars or 4 and a half stars, even when they were really bad eg. the one that accuses Hillary of copying Edwards line.

[Charles Liu]

R, here's another one linking Obama with Iran and "Never Again":

http://www.cjp.org/page.html?ArticleID=170201

If you want to see the cartoon with him wearing African garb and bunch of charactures, let me know.

I'll still vote for Obama.

[Charles Liu]

Still think black man in the
White House ain't gonna be an issue?

The likes of Rush Limbaugh are leading the charge by using Obama's full name (as if he's some kind of murder) or just call him "Hussein Obama":

http://www.mercurynews.com/lifestyle/ci_8403710

How about this one titled "The Two Faces of Barak Hussein Obama":

http://newsbyus.com/more.php?id=11287_0_1_0_M

I'll vote for him, but as a minority American this concern IMHO isn't something Mainstream America can fully appreciate.

You rather rag on China being a "closed society".

[Charles Liu]

The floodgate on Obama is only opening up - imagine what would happen if he actually wins the Democratic nomination:

http://news.google.com/news?q=Obama+Marshall+Davis

Some articles are linking him with Frank Marshall Davis in order to label him as a "communist" - now dissing communism and China is something both the left and the right can get on board, ain't it?

[barnychan]

"Still think black man in the
White House ain't gonna be an issue?..."

There are many reasons to be appalled by the USA, but, although you might not have noticed, in recent years both Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice haven't done too badly at all for themselves. Now, Powell might have fallen out with the crazies driving the neocon agenda, and Condi will be leaving office with her reputaion in tatters (having out-crazied the crazies) but this isn't because of the shade of their skin. Whatever America's faults, and they're manifold, in regards to race it's difficult to think of a more progressive country; it would still be inconceivable in, say, France or the UK for the equivalents of Obama, Powell, and Rice to rise to the top. You, just like the Clintons and their campaign team, are making the mistake of believing the general public are as cynical as you are. Too many people have moved on to make a crudely racist pitch a guaranteed winning strategy.

"You rather rag on China being a "closed society"."

Mmm, that's because it is. Closed, coercive, and, sadly, deeply racist.

[Charles Liu]

There's more:

- Rush Limbaugh laughing over "Obama looks like Curious George" remark, then claim he didn't know Curious George was a monkey.

- Obama is linked with indicted realestate developer Tony Rezko.

[Charles Liu]

I didn't want to cite the cooky "islamist/african garb" stuff from Idaho, but this one is from mainstream - editor of beliefnet Daniel Gilgoff blams Obama for the smearing:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/godometer/2008/03/is-obama-blameless-in-false-ru.html

[Charles Liu]

National Review, the shinning beacon of American Convervatism, is linking Obama with the FARC:

http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NTY1NGIxZTNiZjgyYzRkYTNhM2Y2N2E3OGEyZDgyNjM=

Notice the "caveat" and subsquent "ignore the caveat".

[mahathir_fan]

It doesn't matter who you vote for McCain, Hillary or Obama.

In America, nothing will change. You have been programmed to pick either the Democrats or the Republicans.

Unless America gets out of this iron smolten mould of a 2 party system, nothing will really change.

At least in China, we have the Communist Party on one side, and the Kuomintang on the other side. Both sides are so drastically different from each other. In America, most Democrats and Republicans have more in common with each other than differences.

[Charles Liu]

MF, we all know America's political system is a two-party oligopoly, but hey it's better than one party monopoly ain't it.

Anyway, just want to add more reference to the fact race is still very much an issue in America - R did you see what Gerealdine Ferraro said about Obama?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/us/politics/13ferraro.html

Someone once commented about the elite democrats' "sublimital racism" and I refused to believe it...

This lady ain't some skinhead cartoonist in Idaho.