Category: 2008 Election

President Obama

Congratulations to the new President Elect.

I hope that we’ll be able to heal the divide in this country, but at the same time it’s time to start holding the Democratic party’s feet to the fire on progressive issues – if Bush could claim a mandate after the squeaker in 2004, this is a landslide, and we should take advantage of it.

My two surprises so far on the results.

1) PA called early, had figured Obama would probably get it but to have it close instantly was a huge surprise.
2) VA not called early. I figured it was the bellwether for Obama, and at this rate he may make it to 270 without VA called yet.

8:02pm Pacific time – MSNBC called the national election for Obama after CA, HI, OR, and WA closed. A little skeptical of how early the PA and OH polls closed earlier, but too many outstanding he could still win.

It’s a proud day to be an American.

8:19pm – McCain’s concession speech, showing quite a bit of class so far.

What a change from the old days!

The following statement can be found here

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations
136 East 67th Street
New York, NY 10065

STATEMENT

20 October 2008

ON FUNDRAISING LETTER FROM JOHN MCCAIN ELECTION CAMPAIGN

We have received a letter from Senator John McCain requesting financial contribution to his Presidential campaign.

In this connection we would like to reiterate that Russian officials, the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations or the Russian Government do not finance political activity in foreign countries.

via Flyertalk, although you may need to be signed in there to see it.

Krugman on the candidates’ health care policies.

Krugman on McCain’s healthcare plan vs. Obama’s:
Health Care Destruction
Skipping to the punchline:

I agree: the McCain plan would do for health care what deregulation has done for banking. And I’m terrified.

Jumping back:

Barack Obama offers incremental reform: regulation of insurers to prevent discrimination against the less healthy, subsidies to help lower-income families buy insurance, and public insurance plans that compete with the private sector. His plan falls short of universal coverage, but it would sharply reduce the number of uninsured.

Better than nothing.

via Atrios.

Rap Battles, translated.

Warning, NSFW.

Perhaps more amusing than the actual video is the near-Rickroll-like email the URL for this was included in:

Obama/McCain Debate Preview

The debates are only a couple weeks away, and it may be worth discussing the
strengths of the respective candidates on the floor.

Obama vs. Dukakis

We really need to get over this whole “Mr. Nice Democrat” thing. We don’t need post-partisanship, or less partisanship… we need BETTER progressive partisanship, and candidates who will give the strong rhetorical and ideological boots-in-the-rear to the conservatives.

It seems like Democrats only do that in the primaries… and that’s exactly the time when we don’t need it, since it gives ammunition to the other side. But against the Republicans, there should be no mercy.

“VPILF”

Ok, there hasn’t been much political discussion this time around, mostly because I’m getting most of my political news via the same half-dozen Democratic blogs that you probably are. This time, though, I had to comment on McCain’s VP choice… not because I either approve or disapprove but rather because a meme that popped up around her was just too amusing.

And that’s the subject line of the title: “VPILF,” which is the latest spin off of “MILF”… now, if you have been sitting under a rock since “American Pie” came out, “MILF” means “Mother I’d like to (expletive deleted)” … and well, VP for Vice President.

To an extent, Gov. Palin is on the younger side and has courted a “sexy” image in the press (see for example, her appearance in Vogue), but… what does this say about how seriously she’s going to be taken on the stump?