2008 US Presidential Race, Obama vs McCain

[erdogs]

McCain was left for dead once in this campaign, don't count him out yet. So far McCain's long record has left him open to the flip flop charge, some of it legit. Unfortunatly for him politicians have a problem saying that they were wrong about something, it doesn't play well. I think when more comes out about Obama's liberal voting record, it will turn off more independants. All this nonsense about his name, religion, and race won't be a factor, although his campaign will try to use it as a wedge issue against McCain. In the end it all comes down to policy issues, then people will have to make their decision based on that. McCain will have to make those distinctions clearly for it to have an effect.

[Charlotte_native]

In the end it all comes down to policy issues, then people will have to make their decision based on that. McCain will have to make those distinctions clearly for it to have an effect.

[Gard]

They were talking about this very thing on (whether policy issues will make a difference) tv the the other night. They talked to a couple liberals and a couple evangicals. The evangicals warned that the more religion gets brought into the race, the greater the chance that evangicals and the conservative Christian base of the GOP will show at the polls in droves. The more religion and the race card are added to this race, the more turned off I'll be by the one who uses them as an independent. Oh and I doubt that votes are ever cast solely on the issues. For instance, if Hilary were nominated, you know that there would have been people that would come out in droves just to keep her out of the whitehouse, regardless of McCain's policies.

[Raintree21]

In regards to today's Supreme Court ruling upholding the 2nd Ammendment and the citizen's right to bear arms, McCain has said he completely agrees with the ruling and Obama is straddling the fence on the subject, saying he favors an individual's right to bear firearms as well as a government's right to regulate them.

Obama's statement:

"I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through commonsense, effective safety measures."

McCain's statement:

"This is a landmark victory for Second Amendment freedom. This ruling does not mark the end of our struggle against those who seek to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens. We must always remain vigilant in defense of our freedoms."

[kayman]

Word on the street is that McCain met secretly with the Log Cabin Republicans on Wednesday to compromise with them to get their support in November regardless of the fact that he oppose basically anything LGBT oriented.

Patrick Sammon, president of the Log Cabin Republican organization quoted:

"We've had a series of productive meetings with the campaign since Sen. McCain won the nomination-including a recent meeting with the Senator. We expect to have more conversations with the campaign as we head toward November." - Patrick Sammon, Log Cabin Republicans President - June 25, 2008

[krazeeboi]

True

And those polls that say Obama is in the lead 49%-36% are seriously flawed. Those were the same polls that had Kerry way ahead.

[krazeeboi]

I think when more comes out about Obama's liberal voting record, it will turn off more independants.

[Gusterfell]

Obama's "liberal voting record" won't turn off independents any more than McCain's conservative record will. Those on the right who love to label Obama "the most liberal senator" (based on dubious statistics) conveniently ignore that McCain has the most conservative voting record on the current senate, based on the senate's own data. His reputation as a bipartisan "maverick" is based entirely on his work on campaign finance reform legislation, which he recently said he would veto if it came to his desk as president. He would veto. His own bill. In '04 the GOP would have called that a flip-flop.

[Charlotte_native]

There have been numerous articles out where top GOP leaders are themselves saying that throwing the 'liberal' label at everyone has lost its punch. I think we've all seen what being a faux-conservative has done to the country with the mess we are in now. There is nothing coservative fiscally with the bunch we've had recently and our economic situation is a mess. Call it liberal or call it realism, we have to change. The only people who get all excited and upset about the liberal label are the ditto-heads and the followers of the hate mongers like Limbaugh and Coulter. People these days want something real, not an old slogan or label that is now used up after 30 years of overuse.

His reputation as a bipartisan "maverick" is based entirely on his work on campaign finance reform legislation, which he recently said he would veto if it came to his desk as president. He would veto. His own bill. In '04 the GOP would have called that a flip-flop.

[monsoon]

What is a "liberal voting record"?

[cityboi]

Bottom line. People want change and they see McCain as another 4 years of Bush policies. I dont think McCain will win in November.

[Charlotteman]

It was reported on yahoo news today that Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Clairol) might be on Johnnie McCain's "short list of VP candidates".

Two of the most blatant political hack flip-floppers in recent history on the same ticket! It has to be too good to be true.....but how could they keep their stories straight? They would have to rehearse endlessly in order not to trip up each other.

[ChiefJoJo]

^Hmm. Romney was always going to be on the short list. I can see the potential rise of Romney being directly related to both his economic pedigree and his financial resources (he's worth about ~$300M). With the economy becoming a greater issue by the day and Obama enjoying a huge fundraising advantage, McCain--self described as 'needing to educate himself' on economic issues--needs to strengthen his weaker positions.

Here's an interesting story from the WSJ about Obama's voter registration drives in southern and western states, where the in many cases, the margin of defeat of the Democrats (Kerry 2004) is significantly less than the number of unregistered, but eligible black citizens in these states. When you start to look at those numbers--that almost half the African Americans in FL didn't vote in 2004, for example--and consider just how much higher the voter turnout and excitement will be for Obama vs Kerry, him winning in VA, NC, NM, NV, and few others isn't THAT for fetched. One consultant says NC is a tossup at this point. Interesting to consider the game-changing type of election this November could be.

[kayman]

^Hmm. Romney was always going to be on the short list. I can see the potential rise of Romney being directly related to both his economic pedigree and his financial resources (he's worth about ~$300M). With the economy becoming a greater issue by the day and Obama enjoying a huge fundraising advantage, McCain--self described as 'needing to educate himself' on economic issues--needs to strengthen his weaker positions.

Here's an interesting story from the WSJ about Obama's voter registration drives in southern and western states, where the in many cases, the margin of defeat of the Democrats (Kerry 2004) is significantly less than the number of unregistered, but eligible black citizens in these states. When you start to look at those numbers--that almost half the African Americans in FL didn't vote in 2004, for example--and consider just how much higher the voter turnout and excitement will be for Obama vs Kerry, him winning in VA, NC, NM, NV, and few others isn't THAT for fetched. One consultant says NC is a tossup at this point. Interesting to consider the game-changing type of election this November could be.

[Raintree21]

Has there been any talk of a McCain-Colin Powell ticket?

[Charlotteman]

Has there been any talk of a McCain-Colin Powell ticket?

[Raintree21]

A few weeks ago, even Condoleeza Rice was mentioned as a possible VP candidate. Then the media immediately dropped it. Perhaps because it is the worst kept secret in D.C. that Condi, who has never been married, is living with, and buying a home in D.C. with another woman who has never been married....er....uh...ummmmm.....

Imagine the Family Values Republican fanatics dealing with an "issue" such as that!

[JDC]

The media's spent many hours covering rising fuel prices and how that will play out in the election, but there hasn't been much talk about transportation and infrastructure. Anyone else taking transportation and/or urban issues into consideration when they cast their ballot this fall?

As it turns out, McCain has a long history of denying funding to rail, and his transportation policy only mentions fuel-efficient cars.

Column from today's Boston Globe

Train travel is finally becoming a third rail of politics. The first one to fry over it might be John McCain.

[monsoon]

Powell would seem like a great candidate. He's a seen as a moderate who has had a distinguished career in the military. ....

[Raintree21]

Obama appears to be softening his stance on Iraq. He's now saying that he would reassess the situation and that he could possibly refine his stance on withdrawal after he visits the country.

"I've always said I would listen to commanders on the ground. I've always said the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability."

[monsoon]

^That is no change from his stated position.

[erdogs]

It doesn't sound much different from McCain.

[tombarnes]

It stands to reason that both of them are hedging their bets. Given the hideous mes we've got into over there, I would expect nothing less. The real question is which candidate has the more likely prospect of getting us out of there in a reasonable amount of time and with a minimum of fallout. I think Obama is more likely to get us out of the mess we are in, but it is foolish to assume that we will be extricated quickly.

[Raintree21]

^That is no change from his stated position.

[erdogs]

Actually, his website says he has always favored removing our troops and will immediately begin withdrawing troops upon his taking office. Until now, he has not been saying that he will reassess the situation and act according to what the military leaders advise.