US Presidential Debates

[mockney piers]

From what I've seen Stewart may be happy to satirise everyone but he seems to have been quite up front about his communist (by US standards obviously) leanings. Much like the mash or South Park, nobody is safe but you don't have to read too deeply to work out where they're coming from. I don't think that equates to an agenda as such, but at the very least an editorial policy.

I've maintained for a while that I think the Republicans will win this one, but I'll be if it doesn't look like they might actually lose it.

All McCain needed to do was keep a more or less dignified silence in terms of his campaign, making non committal noises during debates etc, and pick a safe running mate.

Whoops, and how [glad am I]!!!

[Moos]

Yep, and it was soo painful. Because really how pissed off is America with the current administration, it would be a tragedy if the Democrats can still throw it away now.

Back to the Obama-taunting. A dignified silence is a Good Thing. But how do we think McCain should have responded to the racist/anti-Islamic comments of his supporters?

[SteveT]

As it's part of his history, some from the other party are bound to dig around to find everything possible about him, aren't they?

[SeanMacGabhann]

not sure what your point is Steve?

Moos:

Racist and anti-Islamic are one thing - inciting murder another surely? How much kudos to be had amongst wavering Democrat voters by saying "Inciting murder is un-American* and has no place amongst my supporters"?

*because saying something is American or un-American means something apparently

[mockney piers]

Did you see the old dear at the microphone with McCain last night saying that Obama's an Ay-Rab, even McCain was forced to say, no he's a family guy and a 'citizen', whatever that means. Didn't deny it though did he.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I made theis mistake about 9:30 - 2 intellectually-stunted guys talking about someone as "over the top" and "unbalanced" as Paul Krugman from the NY Times getting a Nobel prize was crazy - they kept saying Krugman was "anti-Bush" as if that just shouldn't be allowed and was certainly a bar to any honours

The whole debate reminded me of SOMETHING.. if only I could remember what...

[*Bob*]

mockney piers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Did you see the old dear at the microphone with

> McCain last night saying that Obama's an Ay-Rab,

> even McCain was forced to say, no he's a family

> guy and a 'citizen', whatever that means. Didn't

> deny it though did he.

He did say "no", "no Ma'am" and "he's not".

Surely this was a denial, even by a politician's standards?

I still shure-ly thunk he's a a-rab though, umm-hmmm.

[BJL]

*Bob* Wrote:

> I still shure-ly thunk he's a a-rab though,

> umm-hmmm.

Ah - a Slingblade fan?

[mockney piers]

Perhaps Bob directed Slingblade, he's never shown his face after all!!

Billy...I mean Bob?

[Brendan]

Surely these people are just the fringe of idiocy. Rejects from Jerry Springer audiences perhaps?

The man is a Christian from Hawaii. His father is from Kenya. This probably doesn?t even make him ?African American? whatever that means.

But an Arab?

I don?t? get it. I?m thinking that the average American is clever enough to know that Kenya and the Arabian Peninsular are not the same place or even on the same continent. I also reckon they probably aren?t clever enough to be making tenuous links based on historical Arab influence in East Africa through places like Zanzibar from the Middle Ages and before.

So where are they getting this shit?

[BJL]

Brendan Wrote:

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> I don?t? get it. I?m thinking that the average

> American is clever enough to know that Kenya and

> the Arabian Peninsular are not the same place...

I'm not surprised by that confusion. Putting the question of "what's an average American?" to one side, my experience has been that in the US there's an incredible lack of knowledge about the geography of foreign countries - especially those perceived as "non-Anglo".

Of course, geographical/cultural ignorance is not restricted to US citizens.

[Brendan]

I did once meet an American girl who wouldn?t believe that I was South African. Not that she didn?t think I looked or sounded South African but she didn?t believe that there was such a place. She thought I was taking the piss.

But anyway. That?s just an aside. They have ?tinterweb over there now. Surely they can just look this stuff up.

[david_carnell]

Oh Brendan, thank you. You've given me an excuse to post one of my favourite liberal propaganda videos:

 

[david_carnell]

I've changed my mind. I'm voting McCain:

 

[mockney piers]

Jon Swift on the benefits of mobs

"Brooks even goes so far as to claim that conservatives once valued ?constant reading, historical understanding and sophisticated thinking.? We did? Since when? Does he honestly believe that the conservative movement was based on people who read books? Reagan wasn?t elected by the Harvard faculty. It was an angry mob tired of welfare queens and pinko fellow travelers selling us out to the Soviet Union that put him in office. And when Al Gore tried to steal the election in Florida in 2000 it took an angry mob of bussed in Young Republicans to remind Americans that you don?t get to be President just because you have the most votes.

That?s not how democracies work."

[Huguenot]

The real Jonathan Swift observed:

"I have done my utmost for some years past, to stop the Progress of Mob, but have been plainly born down by numbers, and betrayed by those who promised to assist me."

In fact he had a problem with piss-poor Hugh Boulter, Archbishop of Armagh, "King of the Mobs", on the grounds that "It's a pity a prelate should die without law".

This Jon bloke sucks eggs.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Not unlike my grandmother.