Why Obama is a lock to win the election

[Harlan Huckleby]

I agree with Tex here, McCain's "maverick" image is--and maybe has always been--a charade. If that makes you an optimist, I suppose it makes me a pessimist.
:P

??? McCain co-sponsored a campaing finance bill with Russ Feingold. He co-sponsored an immigration reform bill with Ted Kennedy. He was the first politician of either party to call for Rumsfeld's resignation. He pushed for intervention in Bosnia when the Republican Party wanted to avert their eyes. McCain has spoken against ethanol and farm subsidies.

Have you forgotten that John Kerry pursued McCain as a running mate in 2004?

Time and again McCain has shown an independent spirit. Do you think that Limbaugh's 10 year war against him was part of the charade?

Now that he is running for president, the left is recasting McCain as an establishment republican. Bush III. I guess many distortions will be made in the next 6 months from all sides.

[bobblehead]

I agree with Tex here, McCain's "maverick" image is--and maybe has always been--a charade. If that makes you an optimist, I suppose it makes me a pessimist.
:P

??? McCain co-sponsored a campaing finance bill with Russ Feingold. He co-sponsored an immigration reform bill with Ted Kennedy. He was the first politician of either party to call for Rumsfeld's resignation. He pushed for intervention in Bosnia when the Republican Party wanted to avert their eyes. McCain has spoken against ethanol and farm subsidies.

Have you forgotten that John Kerry pursued McCain as a running mate in 2004?

Time and again McCain has shown an independent spirit. Do you think that Limbaugh's 10 year war against him was part of the charade?

Now that he is running for president, the left is recasting McCain as an establishment republican. Bush III. I guess many distortions will be made in the next 6 months from all sides.

Well, at least he was on the correct side of the issue with rumsfeld and ethanol. You have forgotten his recent jumping in bed with cap and trade taxes, and the Lieberman bill that will raise gas prices more. You also didn't mention him voting against the bush tax cuts.

The man is more liberal than Hillary if you aren't counting social issues. And since I think social issues are moot in a bankrupt society, I don't count them much....plus judges tend to get things right most of the time when it comes to equal rights.

[hoosier]

I agree with Tex here, McCain's "maverick" image is--and maybe has always been--a charade. If that makes you an optimist, I suppose it makes me a pessimist.
:P

??? McCain co-sponsored a campaing finance bill with Russ Feingold. He co-sponsored an immigration reform bill with Ted Kennedy. He was the first politician of either party to call for Rumsfeld's resignation. He pushed for intervention in Bosnia when the Republican Party wanted to avert their eyes. McCain has spoken against ethanol and farm subsidies.

Have you forgotten that John Kerry pursued McCain as a running mate in 2004?

Time and again McCain has shown an independent spirit. Do you think that Limbaugh's 10 year war against him was part of the charade?

Now that he is running for president, the left is recasting McCain as an establishment republican. Bush III. I guess many distortions will be made in the next 6 months from all sides.

Yeah, and way back when he also derided Bush's tax cut as catering to the "have mores"...and now he says he wants to make those cuts permanent. What's with that? Did he have a sudden epiphany? My read is that McCain has played the "maverick" image to his political benefit when it has suited him. He may well have an "independent" tendency, but on many of the issues that matter to me (economics, foreign policy, domestic spying) he's much closer to the Right than to the center. The only exception is with use of torture...unless he's begun to shift closer to Bush on that as well.

[Harlan Huckleby]

but on many of the issues that matter to me (economics, foreign policy, domestic spying) he's much closer to the Right than to the center. The only exception is

You're right that he is overall conservative, especially economically. I don't care how you label him, he's been right on foreign policy, I trust his judgement. "The only exception" - BS. There have been many cases where he has diverted from mainstream.

If Dems had a credible candidate I would not vote for McCain because of his conservative economic positions.

[bobblehead]

but on many of the issues that matter to me (economics, foreign policy, domestic spying) he's much closer to the Right than to the center. The only exception is

You're right that he is overall conservative, especially economically. I don't care how you label him, he's been right on foreign policy, I trust his judgement. "The only exception" - BS. There have been many cases where he has diverted from mainstream.

If Dems had a credible candidate I would not vote for McCain because of his conservative economic positions.

Cap and trade, the lieberman gas tax, no drilling in anwar and voting against tax cuts....where is he conservative economically exactly, If you can show me this I may have to vote for him.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Cap and trade, the lieberman gas tax, no drilling in anwar and voting against tax cuts....where is he conservative economically exactly, If you can show me this I may have to vote for him.

How can anybody talk about "tax cuts" in the middle of a war?

And I've seen no argument that drilling in Anwar is worth the damage.

I don't think you should vote for McCain. Bob Barr is your man this election cycle.

McCain is a fiscal conservative. Why do you reckon he stood up against ag subsidies?

[bobblehead]

Cap and trade, the lieberman gas tax, no drilling in anwar and voting against tax cuts....where is he conservative economically exactly, If you can show me this I may have to vote for him.

How can anybody talk about "tax cuts" in the middle of a war?

And I've seen no argument that drilling in Anwar is worth the damage.

I don't think you should vote for McCain. Bob Barr is your man this election cycle.

McCain is a fiscal conservative. Why do you reckon he stood up against ag subsidies?

I am voting for Bob Barr, I would have voted for tancredo or thompson, MAYBE romney. Duncan Hunter for sure.

I can talk abou tax cuts at a time of war because it is INDISPUTABLE that high taxes stifles the economy. You can dispute that all you want, but any economic model run on any supercomputer I have ever seen supports it as well as history.

I have seen no arguement that drilling in anwar will actually DO any damage. But sending a message to the middle east if they are gonna gouge us we are gonna explore and drill could do wonders for THEIR output.

Mccain is a fiscal conservative on exactly TWO issues. Ag subsidies and pork spending. That gets kinda outweighed when you are in line with carbon taxes. (especially when there is no credible evidence of man made global warming no matter how much al gore wants to declare the debate over....unless he means its over and he has lost) and vote against the bush tax cuts. (yes, being for low taxes is a fiscally conservative platform)

Actually let me address the anwar thing once more...You don't think energy independence and keeping oil dollars here is worth it. Do you realize that the recession we are entering is 90% due to oil prices? Do you realize with drilling technologies now we can use the equivalent of a postage stamps worth of land on a football field and get all the oil out of anwar?

What part of the poor being crushed by gas prices is hard to understand? You guys claim all this compassion for the little guy, well they are the ones being destroyed by $4 gas.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Actually let me address the anwar thing once more...You don't think energy independence and keeping oil dollars here is worth it.

The term "energy independence" is a giant deception. Unless you are talking about a revolution in energy policy, a radical shift to different technologies.

THE OIL MARKET IS A GLOBAL MARKET. Unless you plan on sucking enough oil out of Anbar to affect global markets, you accomplish very little, oil prices are unaffected. If the choice is to suck oil out of the sands of Saudi Arabia or the wilderness of Alaska, I say we owe it to future generations to pass-on some wilderness.

There are some natonal security advantages to having a source of oil on our soil. Plenty of countries are succeeding without native oil resources.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I am voting for Bob Barr, I would have voted for tancredo or thompson, MAYBE romney. Duncan Hunter for sure .

These people are idealogues who operate on the fringes of the mainstream. I'd say were in the equivalent of Dennis Kusinich territory on the left.

[bobblehead]

I am voting for Bob Barr, I would have voted for tancredo or thompson, MAYBE romney. Duncan Hunter for sure .

These people are idealogues who operate on the fringes of the mainstream. I'd say were in the equivalent of Dennis Kusinich territory on the left.

Not Fred Thompson, and definately not Romney.

I'll concede the point on energy independence, that is a much bigger issue than anwar, but anwar could be one step in that direction along WITH a national innitiative.

The global market isn't THAT much shy of demand, but that marginal amount is fueling the prices. Drilling in anwar would help, also to sell our oil elsewhere means we have to ship it, meaning we would need to get a certain % more than we would get at home.

I'm all for clean energy, and I'm all for renewable energy, but only nuclear is there technology wise at this point. We need to establish independence, work towards clean, and then towards renewable. Right now we are working towards $5 gas.

[Tarlam!]

I just wanted to chip in by saying the debate you guys have raging here is extremely educational for me and I want to say a big Thank You.

The other political threads are good to, but this one just makes my head spin. I am amazed by your detailled knowledge. Not many Germans could debate their politicians pros and cons like you folk can.

Again, thank you for the education.

[texaspackerbacker]

I am voting for Bob Barr, I would have voted for tancredo or thompson, MAYBE romney. Duncan Hunter for sure .

These people are idealogues who operate on the fringes of the mainstream. I'd say were in the equivalent of Dennis Kusinich territory on the left.

Not to keep hammering away on the MEDIA thing, but that Harlan would post something as incredibly wrongheaded as that PROVES AGAIN the pervasiveness of the leftist crap the mainstream media saturates people with. People whose agenda is merely to keep America dominant, to keep and preserve our wonderful oomfortable and prosperous way of life--not to mention our rights and freedoms. THESE politicians--the ones Bobblehead mentioned and others--are labeled by the media as EXTREME, while the true extremists, not just loons like Kucinich, but Obama himself and a bunch of others like him--who want to tear America down, make us more like the rest of the world, force Americans to settle for less, etc., THOSE PEOPLE are portrayed by the sick leftist-dominated mainstream media as NOT extreme.

Long before this Russert thing came up, I was sayiing that the REAL VILLAINS in this country are the media--which poisons the electorate.

The Dem/lib politicians are what they are--leftist extremists, but as politicians, that's pretty much a known factor. The media, on the other hand, feigns objectivity, and is subtly effective enough to con a helluva lot of people.

Harlan's little line above is just the latest example in this forum.

[Harlan Huckleby]

The Dem/lib politicians are what they are--leftist extremists, but as politicians, that's pretty much a known factor. The media, on the other hand, feigns objectivity, and is subtly effective enough to con a helluva lot of people.

Harlan's little line above is just the latest example in this forum.

"Extreme" is always relative to where you are sitting. But there are some objective measures to look at. Who do you think has more supporters and admirerers, Dennis Kusinich or Bob Barr? Dennis Kusinich or Duncan Hunter?

And you call OBama an extremist, but his views fall in with the majority of Americans. For instance, most Americans want a withdrawal from Iraq. Maybe his true views are radical, he has so little public record that it is impossible to say, but that is pure speculation.

You seem to think that being on the far right edge of the Republican Party is "mainstream."

Nothing wrong with Kusinich or Barr. They aren't loons, about half of their views will sell with the majority.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Actually let me address the anwar thing once more...You don't think energy independence and keeping oil dollars here is worth it. Do you realize that the recession we are entering is 90% due to oil prices? Do you realize with drilling technologies now we can use the equivalent of a postage stamps worth of land on a football field and get all the oil out of anwar?

I'm not sure how much damage that drilling does. I don't trust your information that damage is negligible. It would interesting to see a debate between KNOWLEDGABLE people, I would be open minded to reconsidering.

You made a point earlier about American dollars leaving the country to purchase oil. I don't see that as a high priority, lots of countries (japan, china, etc.) purchase natural resources outside their borders. Why rip-up our own dwindling natural enivironment? The deserts of the Middle East seem like an ideal place to finish off this oil phase of history.

If drilling in Anwar could be a SIGNIFICANT part of a long-term solution, then I would say go for it. But it doesn't meet that threshold, not even close. And even as a short-term help on prices I doubt it will help much at all.

We need new nuclear power plants, and lots of um. And electric cars for 80% of our road travel. And investment in other technologies - solar, wind, hydrogen etc.

[Joemailman]

RealClearPolitics has an electoral map showing states leaning/favoring Obama, leaning/favoring MCCain, and tossups. The good news for Obama is that he would need to get only about 30% of the electoral votes from the tossup states to win. The good news for McCain is that most of the tossup states are states that have gone to Bush in the last 2 elections.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/