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Obama for VP

I am no psephologist, but as the owner of one of those V-thingies, I have had a particular interest in the women in this election. Sadly, with one exception, they have shamed my gender and behaved in general as if they have one of those P-thingies instead.

Hillary – the Great White hope. Before this election got interesting I hoped and assumed that Hillary would trounce the republicans and we would see a woman in the White House. As an avowed feminist this was pleasing indeed and seemed to make this election a trailblazer for that reason alone. Anything to see the end of George the Imbecile, and what better way to turn the tables on neo-conservatism than to see a democrat woman as POTUS.

She is charismatic, confident, assured and knowledgeable. It turns out she is also rabidly ambitious and prepared to play dirty to that end. I was amazed at some of the stunts she pulled , the fake accents, the lies about her foreign affairs experience and worse, her preparedness to smear Obama when the Primary race got tight. Hillary believed that she had an entitlement to be back in The White House and she dragged it out to the bitter end, which was damaging for the party, and ultimately herself.

Then there’s the Stepford wives. Cindy McCain who has behaved like a handbag: an attractive accessory (if you like plastic), with not much content. She has conducted herself like all good wives from the 50’s should – well groomed, and silently supporting her man. Who knows what she really thinks? She represents a thankfully bygone era where a woman’s only public role was to be seen to support her man. Even when he has publicly humiliated her and called her a “Stupid C-nt”. If she had divorced him and spoken out against abuse of women she would be deserving of admiration. Instead she relies on his success for her identity. Not the kind of role model I want for my daughters.

And the First Lady – Laura . I actually feel sorry for her – after all she sleeps with George every night, so she is punished enough and in an act of sisterly solidarity I shall harm her no more.

My favourite anti-hero of this election is of course Sarah Palin. Not much I can say that hasn’t been said, and nothing anyone can say that betters Tina Fey. She will become a symbol of all that is loathed about the American Character – an arrogant, brash, ignorant, fundamentalist who does not have the intelligence to know that she isn’t. But she is also frightening – a juxtaposed “I can do anything” feminist persona overlaying a basic narrowness that is determined to undo some of the rights that women have fought and even died for – most particularly the right to choose whether to proceed with an unplanned pregnancy. This in my view makes her one of the most dangerous female politicians in the public arena today. Whatever your personal view on abortion is, it is not her right to impose hers on all American women. It’s bad enough that she’s doing it to Bristol.

Then onto the stage strides Michelle Obama. A woman of intelligence and style. A woman who clearly supports her husband but has her own views on matters of public policy. A mother and partner who has a successful career. A woman who can talk and think for herself. And an African American who must know first hand what it means to live in a country which has not reached it’s potential, but may in fact be about to. This is a role model for my daughters, and for all of us who aspire to see women in public life reflect the best of us.

Frankly – I wish she was VP.

1,370 replies on “Obama for VP”

Having said that, I’m a bit cranky with you now jen 😉

Having just read this post to D, my partner, (three Hons degrees in Womens studies, Law and Social work) – (Being a man theres a perfect trifecta for peacefull evenings let me tell you) – ouch 😉

It appears I will be up all night talking about this thread and well basically, it’s your fault 😉

I’ve enjoyed coming to this site for a while, for the obvious reasons – good posts, lively banter and informed opinions.

As a male 60+er, I find it incredible that a dill such as Sarah Palin and a malignant sociopaths like McCain can convince anyone that they deserve any shot at any elected office. (And yet we elected and reelected a malignant, sociopathic rodent – it took many people 11 years to wake up.)

I also find the Palin message that seeks to tell women how to make decisions about their bodies offensive on all sorts of levels. Look it what this approach has led to in Palin’s own family – a daughter up the duff. Hullo! Repeating the same mistake over and over again and that expecting a different answer (the one I want) is insanity.

Alas many men in society have yet to accept the simple fact that our female partner’s can truly be our better half. I know for a fact that I am better at some abstruse academic but FFS don’t ask me to organise ANYTHING bigger that a small dinner party. I get bored with the detail. Don’t hire me for that, hire my wife.

That’s what I see and delight in about the Obama’s; their obvious love and respect for one another. Unlike the Stepford wives of McCain and Bush.

most excellent debut Ms Jen.

I never thought i would see the day an African American with a muslim name would be elected POTUS….but we are almost there. When an extraordinary woman comes along at the right time, she too will break a taboo and be elected.

Mrs O will be a cool first lady. It is pretty obvious that she is a driving force behind Barry and they are partners in every sense of the word.

Cindy?…very Stepfordy?…Yes.
Sarah?…who would have thought such a caricature existed.
Hillary?…lowered herself to new vainglorious depths and paved the way for Steve Schmidt. She plumbed a depth not even i imagined from her when she openly pondered that she still HAD A SHOT because Barack COULD GET shot………..

Well done Jen. One of the interesting features of current US politics is the very strong gender split with women voting much higher for Dems. Hasn’t seen much analysis as to why this is the case. Would be useful to see some views on this. Certainly Michele O has been a welcome change and Sarah Palin would scare a dead moose.

“She will become a symbol of all that is loathed about the American Character – an arrogant, brash, ignorant, fundamentalist who does not have the intelligence to know that she isn’t.”

Simply…..brilliant.

Jen, you inspire.

Wow jen. Just……..Wow!

You’ve given Hilary her due, while not gilding the lily.
Been deliciously honest about the Republican stepford wives and also picked the standout female figure of this election.

Michelle Obama just leaves the rest in her dust.
May her time in the whitehouse be as impressive as her ascension to the role of first lady.

Oh dear. OT, but currently watching Ray Martin pollute the ABC with his Andrew Ollie lecture.
Sheesh. He makes presidential debates sound like Shakespeare.
He’s a one man conger line of suckhole.

Andrew Ollie must be squirming in his grave.

Well it turns out wives are useful for many things. Sen Ted Stevens (Rep Alaska), charged with receiving $250,000 in undeclared gifts told jurors that his wife, Catherine, managed the renovation and that he never saw a bill associated with the home improvements until 2006.
“We go on the theory of ‘in the teepee and out of the teepee,’” Stevens testified. “What goes on in the house is Catherine’s business. What goes on outside the house is my business.”
But during cross examination, Stevens said his wife was not involved in managing a second round of improvements to the house in 2002. http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage

Wakefield@23
“We go on the theory of ‘in the teepee and out of the teepee,’” Stevens testified. “
there goes the Native American vote.

Jen, worry not about the slight movements in the trackers…ebbs n flows…and noise.
They will drift slightly in both directions between now and Nov 4.

But the fundamentals are in place for a landslide. Sit back and enjoy. We , here in Australia, have that luxury. Over there, there will be no resting on laurels until the fat lady warbles and the Neocons and Wingnuts are swept away.

Serenity.

26
It’s important to know one’s enemy jen. 🙂
Ray Martin is making the late, unlamented Richard Carlton
look like Ed Murrow!!

Mike Moore giving the Andrew Ollie lecture……….that is true turning in the grave stuff.

Who hosted it???…..Piers?

20

Comparing the polls currently active for the national vote on RCP, the polls themselves have either remained steady or have moved within the margin of error. The reason the overall average has moved in favour of McCain is that the polls whose weightings were more favourable to Obama (for example, the CBS News/NY Times poll [53-39] and the LA Times/Bloomberg poll [50-41]) have been replaced by newer polls with McCain friendly results (the Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll [48-45]).

The following is a list of the currently used polls, their current numbers and their previous results.

Pollster Current Previous
Zogby 48 45 47 45
Rasmussen 50 45 50 44
Hotline 49 42 48 43
Gallup Trad 49 47 50 46
Gallup Exp 50 46 52 45
IBD/TIPP 47 40 45 40
Battleground 49 45 46 48
Battleground 49 45 46 48

Note that the two Gallup polls (Traditional weighting / Expanded weighting) are half weighted to so that the Gallup survey is only counted once.

31
It was a true feast of grovelling Harry.
But I think I would have even preferred Piers….. to the awful finale when Mark Scott started thanking (brown nosing) Ray for his brilliant insights and wondrous tales of media derring do.
Vomitous stuff!

622 Spam Box I have a site that will be selling prom dresses, yes prom dresses, to the USA. Its a massive market. One part of it is dedicated to women’s health and those V thingy’s jen so nicely mentioned in her excellent article. Most key works around V thingy’s and P thingy’s would run into trouble. You know love making etc.
One product alone if I sell world wide ten a week it would be $3,000 commission. I am presently optimising my site to get rankings in Google. (Google is everything)!

Prom Dresses Prom Hairstyles

Polls tighten in W.Va. as race takes backseat.

West Virginia’s Democratic leaders Saturday embarked on a winding, eight-county bus tour through the south of the state, and in one small mining town after another, they sold Barack Obama to small crowds of Democrats with remarkable directness.

“He is black,” was the first thing Kenny Perdue, the state’s AFL-CIO president, said. “The gentleman that’s in the White House and John McCain — they’re white men. And I’m absolutely ashamed of what George W. Bush has done to this country.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14707.html

Those white racists that are going to vote for Obama, if he fails. He will have confirmed what they thought. If he succeeds maybe he may convert them!

33
asanque
Obama raised over $150 million in September, with 632000 new donors!

It’s a truly jaw dropping amount of money in one month.
The repubs must be tearing their hair out right now.

Even the lesser republican toxins like Michelle Bachmann, are suddenly facing opponents with massive amounts of cash to burn on media buys. Over $500,000 for Tinkebell’s campaign in less than 48 hrs!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/19/01113/694/616/635019

Hell, even the puns from the Kossacks are raising a smile.

Do you mean that you do not want to launch a Bachmann turn-her-over drive and grill her other side?

20
Uncle John and cuz’n Sarah ain’t ramping up up the “Anti-A, Muslim, Commie Ni**er” stuff for nuthin!

This shit works

That’s what we’re seeing now

Chris, the title for your website pages shouldn’t be a big pile of keywords or Google PageRank could penalise your website. It was also a while before I noticed the page 2, page 3, etc. links at the bottom of the page. You should have links at the top as well or most people who go to your website will never see your other pages.

jen, congratulations! That’s a mighty fine piece of writing. I’m one hundred percent sure Donna and C.J. and Margaret and Ainslie and Abi would agree, Mrs. Laningham too; these were all women of character and integrity.
🙂
———————————
Sun Oct 19:
http://news.yahoo.com/comics/nonsequitur;_ylt=A0WTUd0PJftITx0AuhoDwLAF

Sun Oct 19:
http://news.yahoo.com/comics/doonesbury;_ylt=A0WTUd0PJftITx0AohoDwLAF

http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/61423

Naturally, the release date is entirely co-incidental.
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/61441

Do you mean that you do not want to launch a Bachmann turn-her-over drive and grill her other side?

That’s one of the funniest lines of the campaign, paddy!
:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Disclaimer: I’m tighter on Mr. Greens that a chow-down judge dishing out Michelin chapeaux.

Chris B @ 37

Well, good luck on you e-venture
Mate, I honestly don’t think you will have a problem re: stupid plan

Taste wise… well, that’s another story but… (jokes) 😉

The Press is Tempted to Call the Race Already

The current conventional wisdom is that Barack Obama has already won the presidency and John McCain should go back to one of his many houses to contemplate his many mistakes. Of course, a year ago, which seems more like a century now, the pundits were convinced that Rudy Giuliani would decisively defeat Hillary Clinton for the White House because he could say “9/11” more times per minute than she could. McCain was written off as road kill. The only problem was that the voters hadn’t had their say yet. While voting has in fact started in some states, it won’t be over until Nov. 4 at the earliest. This situation creates a problem for the press: how do you act like there is still a race going on when in your superior wisdom you know it is over. Still, no reporter has forgotten the Dewey Defeats Truman photo, even reporters who hadn’t been born in 1948.

😈 THE MAP IS TURNING BLUE!!! 😈
http://www.electoral-vote.com

45 GhostWhoVotes Thanks that was one of the many things on my list. Google webmaster site gives it the all clear. Saying no problems as far as keywords go. It would give me error reports otherwise.

Originally I wanted it like a graphic user interface point and click. More user friendly. But that’s no good for Google. I had to compromise. Had to put words in somewhere. It comes up fine in Google Webmasters with no errors on the reports.

Be afraid……..Be VERY afraid. 🙂

It’s time to face facts. In-your-face liberalism is about to make a comeback. And this time it will be on steroids.

Next year the Democrats will control both houses of Congress, most likely with comfortable, perhaps filibuster-proof majorities. If there is a Democratic president, too, Washington will host one of the most liberal governments in American history. Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid are more than ready to make staggeringly liberal changes in the country’s economic, social, and foreign policy.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/713lugxf.asp

It’s really quite strange. Every time I stumble over to RCP to read an article or three. I somehow always end up feeling either depressed, or in need of a long hot shower to wash off all that right wing bile.
Ho hum, mustn’t complain I suppose.
It’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it.

Still, every day, the schadenfreude feels just that little bit better. 👿

re: my 44

I was trying to make a point but on reflection, I shouldn’t have used the “N” word in it’s pure form. Should have used N!@@er or some such. ( could those with magic powers please edit that?)

No offense was intended but I will sleep better when it’s changed

Little help?

Michelle Obama sure is all class, jen. I’m so glad to see your work headlining too. You have done a great survey.

60 paddy Very polished performance. Couldn’t be confused about any part of that speech. Great endorsement for Obama. Another nail in the coffin.

“The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows Barack Obama attracting 51% of the vote while John McCain earns 45%. This is the first update based entirely upon interviews conducted after the final Presidential debate and shows that the race continues to remain quite stable. Obama’s support has ranged from 50% to 52% every day for twenty-four straight days while McCain’s total has been between 44% and 46% during those days.”

Article from The Age about the St Louis rally:

http://www.theage.com.au/world/us-election-2008/huge-rallies-put-mccain-on-red-alert-20081019-53z6.html

DEMOCRAT Barack Obama said the winds of change were blowing across America as he roused monster crowds totalling more than 175,000 in the Republican “red” state of Missouri.

Republican John McCain, fighting a rearguard offensive before the November 4 presidential election, insisted that Senator Obama’s economic plan would kill job creation as the US weathers its worst financial crisis in decades.

And another good article from The Age, this time Malcolm Fraser giving his $0.02 worth. Not only praising Obama but ripping shreds off cesspit that the US Administration has become:

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/now-for-the-real-america-20081019-541q.html

After the bombing of the Twin Towers there was worldwide sympathy for the US. The opportunity to build a coalition of nations to work for the future, to strengthen international institutions and the rule of law was within America’s grasp.

What a short time ago it was and how quickly that dream has vanished.

Oh my. There’s nothing like an old fashioned financial scandal.
Especially during a recession.
In today’s Business Spectator, Alan Kohler has a fun piece called
Last drinks at Bigwig Manor.

The searchlight of post-bust outrage is settling on the top executives of insurance giant, American International Group.
But it’s not the fact that AIG led a massive fraud using credit defaults swaps to subvert the rules on bank gearing ratios that’s causing the outrage.

It’s the partridge shooting party that four of the executives, and four guests, went on in rural England two weeks ago that cost more than $100,000, and the $650,000 week-long retreat for the sales team at St Regis Monarch Beach resort near Los Angeles a week after the US Government bailed the company out.

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Last-drinks-at-Bigwig-Manor-KKSMQ?OpenDocument&src=sph
(reg required)
Or you can read the story here complete with pics.
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/article43510.ece

I can’t believe that the Obama campaign won’t be able to make something out of this.
After all, partridge isn’t too far removed from quail. 🙂

Mornin’ All,
Spammy, your request at 57 attended to; personally I didn’t have a problem with the context in which you used the n-word word; it was used in parentheses and all the regulars here know that you’re not a “prejudiced guy”. It was clear to me that you used the term from a bigot’s perspective. Anyway, after the election I think a thread on “Politics, Race and the English Language” would be timely and appropriate.
———————————–
http://news.yahoo.com/edcartoons/jeffdanziger;_ylt=ApVwfOsBRFdAUgriCtATtajX.sgF

When Joey “The Rat” Lieberman publicly changed allegiances when he and the GOP rolled Ted Lamont for a 2006 Senate seat, Joey most unctious, was spun as a fierce “Independent Democrat”.
When the former BushCo SoS exercises his democratic right to endorse whomsoever he wishes……..it’s spun by GOPper “Base” supporters in an entirely different hue.

http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/61455

Way I read Powell’s imprimatur for The Kid; all the racial bigots were going to vote for McCain anyway, but undecided Indy’s will pop up their heads like prairie dogs sensing furthur “change in the weather”.

*sniff sniff sniff*

http://pro.corbis.com/images/CB035224.jpg?size=572&uid=%7BBCE00478-4567-47CF-B942-1ACDF8650B80%7D

As someone here mentioned earlier(can’t find it now), the endorsement will muddy the media waters for a couple of days making it more difficult for the doomed GOPper campaign to gain purchase in tight House and Senate races.
——————–
ABC RN “Breakfast” has gone to seed. Fran Kelly sings daily from the the dying verses of the Neocon hymn sheet when “reporting” the US campaign. This morning’s guest unleashed an unabashed trashing of Paul Krugman who recently won a Nobel Prize for Economics (Krugman correctly and accurately called the present Wall St. debacle). The slur was left unchallenged by Fran.
Proselytising neocon propaganda as “news” underlines just what a joke the AB friggin’ C have become under “Howard’s management team”.

Morning Ecky.
Loved the Powell cartoon. 🙂

As for the A B Friggin C.
Fran Kelly used to be a good journalist……..She’s a sad, pale shadow of that now. 🙁

Glad I missed her this morning!!

I agree Paddy and Ecky : Fran Kelly used to be great -WTF happened? Neoconservatism appears to do strange things to women. Or else it’s the only way to keep your job.
It’s nearly over though.
And whatever you may think of Colin Powell, let’s not forget the guy was Secretary of State to GWB! You simply can’t get a more highly placed official crossing the floor. And for moderate conservatives like my parents, his endoresement may well swing their support to Obama, as they were a bit nervous about The Kid being ready etc. They admire Powell and think he was doing his best at the time of the Iraq invasion (I know, I know..) but his views count fro people like them, so i reckon it will make a difference to that group at least.
Not to mention the sheer humiliation it brings for the Repugs… 😈

74 – I simply can’t fathom why people are like that, I mean, why? When I hear people going on about immigrants etc taking their jobs, I can understand (although certainly not agree with) that they think like that because their frightened for their own livelihoods etc . But hating, and I mean hating for no other reason then just being black?

I just don’t get it.

Always did have a soft spot for that Colon, Cohlin, Cowlin (he sure doesn’t pronounce it like Colin) Powell.

Yeah I know he sold his soul to Satan re Iraq and may his arse roast in hell forever for that act of betrayal of all he previously espoused. (We’re still waiting for the remorse on that one, Colon!).

Still, maybe his soul can yet be saved even though his arse is hell-bound. Sounds uncomfortable – and theologically contortionistic – but his Obama endorsement may yet save him from complete destruction.

Hiya Asanque
I’ve only seen a vindictive surrender to the inevitable from Herr Dr, not an endorsement.

jen,
the uglier things get this side of violence the better, as the uber-xenophobes brandish their bigotry for cell-camers (Mr Macaca) and You-Tubers to record and publish for all to witness. Even Tweety is embarassed by them now.
Lest we forget the heroic efforts that the writers of Star Trek and Sesame Street and more recently Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat in the Deep South before he achieved notoriety among racists and wordwide fame, and the hundreds of other programmes that promoted tolerance all those years ago when it was “unfashionable” in the MSM and in “polite” American social situations.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/mmc-digi-beta-production/assets/1591/black_white_article.jpg

From the Redwood Forests to the Rocky Mountains,
millions of Rip Van Winkles who hunt deer with Jesus
and who love their country dearly have awoken.

Simultaneous.

Go Kid!

————————————————–
Board Odds; CBet latest
OBAMA, Barack 1.08
MCCAIN, John 7.50

There has been a tightening in the polls of about two per cent. Obama’s lead has fallen from around +9 to around +7 – still a landslide, and double my prediction. If we assume, however, as 538 does, that there will be a slight narrowing between now and election day, then it drops to around five. Still a landslide. 🙂

The sun descended on another glorious day in our nation’s capital.
In a non-descript room in a back street off Northbourne Ave, a deeply troubled pseph pretender takes his seat, one of a dozen chairs, arranged circularly.

Before long it is his turn to speak. He rises……

“Hi, my name is Adam, and I’m an Obama supporter.”

As to the article, Jen, congratulations. 🙂 While I do not agree with everything, I am in agreement that Michelle Obama would make an excellent VP. I fully expect her to make a Senate run in 2010.

Ah yes…that inevitable, counter-intuitive “Teh Narrowing”. We all remember the rather massive lurch back to Howard in the last couple of days of our last federal election. It made no sense at all at the time, yet there it was.
Is this a documented phenomena? Why would drowning people grab for the floating turd rather than the lifeboat?

In this case, I think that it is a case of the financial crisis no longer being the major news item, or at least the shock of it having worn off a little. People panic, change their voting intention for a little while, and then drift back to their normal position.

With the Howard narrowing, I think it was small-l liberal Liberal voters simply returning to the fold after threatening to ditch their party.

Ecky , that photo at #82 is beautiful. And it’s actually what this election has become about at a fundamental non-political level. Surely this election represents the resurgence of a humanity that has been lost in the face of greed, fear, ambition, bigotry and all the other ugly human charcterisitics that have dominated the political landscape for so long now.

actually David – I only have fleeting moments like that. The rest of the time I’m as cynical as you can get.

And here’s the counter attack to POwell’s endorsement of Obama – this’ll fix those bloody democrats…
🙄

She actually might bring around more voters than Powell, though …

As for Powell generally, after watching the War Inside the Whitehouse, I like the guy. There are two ways a principled person can play things in politics: you can either argue your case inside the tent and publically stick with them even if the decision is against you or you can go against them by resigning. Both Labor and the Liberals do it the first way in Australia. I have no reason to object to Powell doing the same.

I am biased, of course, being a supporter of the Iraq war. But I have nothing against Powell.

Having said that, I do not expect Powell’s endorsement of Obama to mean much in terms of votes.

Ferny

The is no well-documented “narrowing” in POTUS elections. Often the gap widens when one side doesn’t bother turning up to vote for someone they know is going to lose. The Obama tide will probably come back a few points but the win expectation is so huge now that he’s over the line.

I’m guessing he gets all the Kerry states plus IA and NM easily. VA and CO will put him over comfortably.

New Questions Over McCain’s Health, Times Set To Report

But another peculiar facet of the Times story involves the McCain campaign’s refusal, as of this weekend, to turn over Sarah Palin’s medical information.

What are they hiding about her? please Jebus, let it be either a long ago addiction or pray – abortion. 👿 I have no problem with either of those (assuming any addiction had been sorted) but really, it would be just deserts for that contemptible b!#ch if it was one of those and it comes out

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