Obama: I would not have appointed Clarence Thomas

[Jon Miller]

I am confused. I would think pieces of flare might be a gay group, but I would think homosexuals would be more likely to vote for Obama?

(I don't know who Jonas Brothers and twilight is)

JM

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by ramseya
well let me give you an example... I was amazed to see CNN reporting last night about the "controversy" of McCain saying that $5 million is rich.

OMG, they didn't?! Morons, morons, morons!

No one around here would mistake me for being pro-McCain, but even I say CNN deserves to be kicked in the nuts for "reporting" such a "story."

[Zkribbler]

BTW, here's the real friggin' story:

McCain Had Advantage Over Obama For Saddleback Forum

Saturday night, immediately after the Saddleback Forum, FOX News had a panel ready for analysis on the Strategy Room.. Everyone on the panel agreed that John McCain was strong and decisive. In fact, McCain was so quick with his answers that he finished at least 15 minutes ahead of schedule. There may be a reason for McCain's strong and decisive responses. The New York Times reports that John McCain was not in "a cone of silence" to prevent him from hearing the questions because he was,in fact, caught in traffic while Obama was questioned by Pastor Rick Warren

Warren assured the audience that McCain was unable to hear the questions because he was in a "cone of silence". The format of the forum depended on the idea that both candidate would be answering the same questions so voters could make a clear comparison. The fact that McCain was able to know the questions beforehand completely negates the premise of the forum idea.

It also raises profound questions about the honesty of John McCain. His campaign is trying to turn it around acting shocked that anyone could accuse John McCain of cheating.

“The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous,” Ms. Wallace said.

No, what's outrageous is the idea that the forum was not delayed until John McCain arrived. It's hard to believe that Pastor Rick Warren knew that McCain was not following protocol. If he did know, he has a lot of explaining to do.

I remember the reverand asking McCain about the "Cone of Silence" when he first came on stage. McCain did NOT say, "Oops. I was late and was listing to this show on my car radio."

Cheater! Cheater! Cheater!

[Dinner]

Originally posted by ramseya
well let me give you an example... I was amazed to see CNN reporting last night about the "controversy" of McCain saying that $5 million is rich.

For those who are not aware, the question posed was something along the lines of "for tax purposes, what would you consider rich?". Obviously, from McCain's Republican persuasion, this question isn't politically or ideologically meaningful because Republicans. McCain talked about why it isn't meaningful and why he felt taxes should be cut across the board, how being rich (which he described as having a home, a steady job, enough income to support your family, and the ability to give your children a better life than you had), etc. He then said "As for a number, how about 5 million?", saying it smiling as an obvious joke. Rick Warren laughed as well and there was a little chuckle in the audience if I remember correctly.

Yet how does an obvious joke become a controversy on CNN about if McCain is out of touch?

That, sir, is CRAP

First of all he said $3 million per year is middle class and the US median household income is $48,201.00 per year (2006 figure which was the latest one I found). So $3 million per year is something like a half dozen standard deviations above the medium so, yes, McCain is out of touch and your post is still crap.

Lastly the US budget deficit for this year is going to be about a half a trillion dollars once you count the off budget war appropriations so NO we should not be cutting taxes. We should be balancing the damn budget.

[ramseya]

First of all he said $3 million per year is middle class

McCain did NOT say that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zovk-H5qmBE

[Dinner]

By McCain's own definition you aren't "rich" unless your income is at least $5 million per year so if you make less then $5 million per year then you must be either middle class or lower class.

That's just about as out of touch as you can get.

[Berzerker]

So McCain's advance people are sitting there listening to the questions and not texting them to his handlers in the motorcade?

[ramseya]

Oerdin:

whatever you say. Nevermind that it was an obvious joke!

[Dinner]

Of course they were. McCain agreed to be in the "cone of silence" they broke (deliberate or other wise but I'd say deliberate) and so he cheated. It's as simple as that.

There is no doubt in my mind, given how under handed political campaigns have become, that they were listening and that McCain new the questions ahead of time, and that he thus prepared answers. The man is a cheat. Further more I seriously doubt he just happened to have an experience almost identical to one found in a famous Soviet dissident's book from the 1970's (about events in the 50's and 60's). It's almost a direct left from the book with just cosmetic changes. I mean we already know his speech writers plagiarized from Wikipedia so why wouldn't they plagiarize yet again?

When you are a repeat violator you start losing the benefit of the doubt.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by ramseya
Oerdin:

whatever you say. Nevermind that it was an obvious joke!

Isn't that just convenient? When ever he gets splash back for his out of touch views he's just "joking".

[DaShi]

I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

[ramseya]

it's so obvious he was joking as he said I'm sure this will be taken out of context and he smiled and Rick Warren chuckled. Oh my god are you just messing with me or do you really think McCain was being dead-on serious? Please tell me you're just being a curmudgeon.

oh and apparently the Solzhenitsyn story isn't from The Gulag Archipelago. The first reference to the story comes from a book by Charles Colson, Watergate crook and evangelical.

Here's some relevant passages from Colson's book "Loving God":

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0310219140/ref=sib_dp_srch_pop?v=search-inside&keywords=solzhenitsyn&go.x=0&go.y=0&go=Go%21#

I'm not sure if you'll be able to access the next link without an Amazon.com username but...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/sitbv3/reader?asin=0310219140&pageID=S075&checkSum=4KJ77i27H5LAFW6l70iXtstm/nmNugvyGUwviG1mN3g=

By Colson's own admission, the story was told by Solzhenitsyn to a small group of Christian leaders and was later recounted by Billy Graham. Jesse Helms also retold the story.

So not from Gulag Archipelago but from Solzhenitsyn via Jesse Helms, Billy Graham, and a Watergate crook/evangelical

[Dinner]

I've read Gulag Archipelago and my recollection is an EXTREMELY similar passage occurred in that book. I'm not surprised that other people have plagiarized from that book given that it is one of the top 10 books of the 20th century but never the less Gulag Archipelago predates both of the plagiarized adaptation.

[Dinner]

Keep repeating that it "was obviously a joke" because it wasn't. I honestly think this is what happens when you have hundreds of millions of dollars from marrying an heiress and live for decades as a Senator. You forget what it is like for the average man.

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by Oerdin
By McCain's own definition you aren't "rich" unless your income is at least $5 million per year so if you make less then $5 million per year then you must be either middle class or lower class.

That's just about as out of touch as you can get.

It was obviously a joke.