US Presidential Debates

[shoshntosh]

Apparently on BBC News tomorrow night/Saturday morning at 2am.

Who will be watching and interested in a post-debate er... debate??

[candj]

The one to watch will be the vice presidential debate. I wonder if Palin will recount thinking that the dinosaurs lived 4000 years ago. She must be doing a crash course in world geography/world history at the moment to be going up against Joe Biden. Looking forward to the carnage. Let's hope us yanks vote accordingly.

[mockney piers]

I gather she had a long chat with Kissinger for a crash course in foreign policy after her 'I'd have nooked rusher'* boob.]

Surely the old testament has everything you need to know, and expect a declaration of war on those damn Babylonians anytime soon...oh...wait....aahhhhh...now that explains a lot!!

* may have exaggerated a bit, but not much

[SeanMacGabhann]

So we get to go see Keef play at the Plough tonight, a late feast at Kebab & Wine and then back for the presidential debate??

Bring it on...

BTW - if anyone reading is thinking the usual "UK liberals and their dreams of Obama winning etc etc"

(I'm looking at you quids! ;-) )

- but seriously - can anyone present any sort of case for McCain winning?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Revolutionised chips - that's got to be worth something.

[mockney piers]

"can anyone present any sort of case for McCain winning"

How do you mean, in support of his winning or arguing that he's going to win?

The former: He's not Bush, and Palin's not Cheney.

The latter: McCain's going to win.

[SeanMacGabhann]

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True but then the same coud be said of Barack and Joe

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I don't think the same - but the I'm not sure I would want to win this election given the poison chalice it has become

[mockney piers]

Same could be said of Abbott and Costello frankly, and I'm pretty sure they'd have done a better job than Bush and Cheney, who will probably be remembered as one of the worst presidential administrations of all time.

A genuinely progressive thinker could actually make this one of the most important administrations of all time by helping the world to put a robust framework for multilateralism in place, cooperation with, not competition with the emerging powers, taking the US state off a permanent war footing and spending the trillions saved on helping to build a more egalitarian society (after all, all men were created equal, inalienable rights etc), and tackling the twin/intertwined evils of global poverty and global warming/environmental catastrophe.

Sadly there aren't many Roosevelts in the politics of the modern world.

Or either administration could pretty much do more of the same with a little millimetre sized tweak here and there to the left or the right whilst kow-towing to energy companies, big business, the banking system whilst presiding over the greatest gulf between rich and poor in the developed world.

Nice to think we could go lead by way of example, but fat (oh dear, fat meaning bad?) chance of that happening with either of the shagsacks on offer.

[Huguenot]

Being the kind of loser I am, I was going to create an argument here for Why McCain. Just for the hell of it you know. ;-)

I am, however, utterly outraged that I couldn't find a single argument out there to use as a foundation. I even went to the monkey's own website here.

It's utter bollocks. Complete testicles. If anyone votes for this guy they need help. However, around half of the US (150m people) actually are going to vote for him. How insane is that? These are people who think Spain is in Central America.

[SeanMacGabhann]

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That is exactly what I was going to do as well before I posted the question! And I hit the same brick wall as you

[glau]

But when is the VP debate?

For pure entertainment value it would be hard to beat.

Here's a trailer - Palin holding forth on the Bush doctrine. Palin on Bush doctrine

[Jeremy]

It's a joke... a large proportion of the American population don't really *care* about foreign policy, anywhere near as much as they care about their "heartland values". Palin in particular straddles the line between conservative middle class family woman and gun-loving redneck, which is bound to appeal to a large demographic. They don't care that she only got a passport last year.

[david_carnell]

Of course they don't. They don't have passports either.

Jeremy is right about "values" though. It's almost the polar opposite of the UK. Nothing about policies and all about ideology.

Pro-Gun or Anti-Gun?

Pro-Life or Pro-Choice?

Christian or Heathen?

The policies on the environment, poverty, healthcare, foreign policy, crime, education - for vast swathes of the interior it all boils down to those three issues. Palin, and to a lesser extent McCain, represent those views. The threat of terror has been used by the last administration as a handy cover-all to divert from a lack of policy making. And it was bought hook, lione and sinker by a public high on cheap credit, rampant patriotism and religious fervour. Only now has the house of cards come tumbling down.

More and more bodies are shipped home from Iraqistan; thousands are homeless from repossessions and the aftermath of Katrina(!) and the economy is in ruins. And yet still they'll vote Republican. I mean, WTF!?

Heck, I was watching the Daily Show and they conducted a poll showing 30% of the electorate think Obama's a muslim?!! What chance do you stand.

[mockney piers]

You can't be anti anything, it's unamerican.

What are the anti-gun people called then, pro-sanity?

*edit* pro control?

[SeanMacGabhann]

The whole thing about Americans not owning passpots isn't that much of a mystery really - the US is so vast and so diverse you could travel it your entire life and miss out on much of it.

But the ideology thing does bother me - fact is if you aren't a Christian you ain't gonna be president. End of discussion.

[Jah Lush]

I fear for Barack Obama's safety if he gets in, not just for the poisoned chalice of the former administration he will have to reside over and all of it's wrongs but I really really feel that some racist; ignorant, hillbilly, redneck, fully paid up member of the Klan will assasinate him. Maybe before he even reaches office.

[Brendan]

Well it?s all news to me. I thought they were still a colony.

[Jah Lush]

A leper colony?

[Brendan]

No no, Ireland?s the one with leprechauns. I may not be very up to speed with current events or geography but I?m pretty sure of that.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Brendan fell into an even bigger vat of "cheeky" than usual today i feel!

It is cheering me up no end

[Jah Lush]

Brendan is a member of the Cheeky Oils, which is a Cheeky Girls tribute band. Surely you knew that Sean?

[david_carnell]

No one'll touch his bum though.

[SeanMacGabhann]

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I fear you may be wrong Mr Carnell and that Brendan has a fan club who would love to..

nice gag as well Mr Lush

[Jah Lush]

david_carnell Wrote:

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> No one'll touch his bum though.

Lempik Opik would.

[Brendan]

Stay on topic please. Would you kindly leave my bottom out of this and get back to discussing this America place. It?s riveting, really. When?s the movie coming out?