U.s. Presidential Race

[decomposinglight]

Wow. I never knew someone could get so heated about Pokemon. Did you just lose a tournament? I don't know who Swampert or Blaziken are.

 

Kickin' it old school:

 

 

Awww.

[marx marvelous]

...

 

...

 

;)

[decomposinglight]

Don't be sad.

 

That was Hillary, an attention whore who puts you to sleep.

 

Now for Richardson. I swear to god it looks like him.

 

 

See, on topic. ^^

[marx marvelous]

I had a dream last night that it was Tuesday and for some reason both Obama and Clinton spent the day at my house. I asked Barack if he had any vice presidential candidates in mind, but he told me he thought it was presumptuous to consider until he'd won the nomination. I assured him that he'd already won it, and recommended Edwards. Hillary showed up late, and I mean she was friendly, but overall seemed like she just didn't want to be there. Both candidates went to the docks (I don't live on the coast) to get in their boats to go to the next campaign stop, and I told Barack to have fun running the country.

 

 

1. Obama released his tax returns going back to 2000--how long can Clinton continue to refuse? Hopefully her campaign will have to release her joint tax return and the donor list and blue collar Democrats will see just who the Clintons care about.

 

2. Tons of Republicans and Independents have been switching party affiliation in Pennsylvania. "Rushing the vote" or just a change of political hearts?

[decomposinglight]

AHA. Obama is an eloquent speaker even in your dreams.

 

1. She's held out this long, I assume she'll hold out as long as possible.

 

2. "Since the beginning of the year, more than 57,000 people have filed an application to change their party affiliation to Democrat. The week of March 10, the latest week for which News 8 has statistics, more than 22,000 people switched to Democrat, marking a new record." [http://www.wgal.com/politics/15693206/detail.html].

 

Holy shit. It's obvious that Obama and Hillary's camps both have callers that are urging people to vote Demo, but damn, that's a lot. I'd say it's a change of heart for many, in addition to the obvious rushing:

 

At a makeshift registration center that Obama volunteers set up on a sidewalk recently in this affluent Philadelphia suburb, one woman boasted that she and five friends

Edited March 25, 2008 by decomposinglight

[marx marvelous]

Ohhhh, excellent. The friend who got me tickets to Obama's town hall meeting tomorrow was a lifelong Republican who not only switched his affiliation after being inspired by Obama's 2002 speech and books, but convinced his elderly mother (a Republican of some 60+ years) to do the same.

 

That feeds in to what amazes me about the Clinton argument that she's won states with more electoral votes, or that it's impossible for Obama to win most of the states he's won in the primaries in the general. Democratic voter registration is at an all time high, Obama has been winning some primaries by margins greater than the vote total for all of the Republican candidates combined, all while facing one of the toughest primary opponents in American history.

 

I can understand how it's tough for a lot of voters to keep the faith in spite of how muddy the process has become, but this really is an election that will change American politics. First president of the internet age once he's won it. Woo.

 

P.S. I'll have photos and such tomorrow if they allow it.

 

~ James

[marx marvelous]

Since it's a town hall meeting... what should I ask Obama, if given the chance?

[decomposinglight]

Ask him about the things you're passionate about. You're in your early 20's according to your profile, so maybe you can ask him about education or housing. Nothing too personal, obviously, or you're gonna get tazed, bro.

[marx marvelous]

Ask him about the things you're passionate about.

He doesn't know who you are!

[decomposinglight]

I don't think you get what I'm saying. What are the things you're most concerned about in the election? abortion? health care? prison conditions? I'm saying that you should ask questions pertinent to your interests.

[Moonlight_Graham]

babes talking about politics gets me so hot.

 

 

 

 

 

j/k

[decomposinglight]

Lol I'm a political science minor. I have a slight urge to major in it, but that means I'd have to take another economics class... and frankly, while economics is interesting, it kicks my butt.

[marx marvelous]

Sorry decomposinglight, I think he meant me.

 

One of about 2000 for the auditorium where he was speaking.

 

I figured Sparg or somebody would appreciate this one.

 

Everyone in line was given a little security mini-speech about protecting the senator before we went in, even the android in front of me.

 

Everyone was represented: whites, blacks, fats, ponytail mans.

 

Was not a superdelegate; would not cast buffs (wtf.)

 

Out of design ideas. They could've used the Obama "O" for "Official." Spot the healer again!

 

Yours truly, killing time during the two hours between being seated and the actual start of the event.

 

At one point, a camera tipped over and violently struck my upper back. Way to go, NBC.

 

Surprisingly low light--but I felt weird about flashing Obama during a speech, so it's a bit grainy. Not like you can't find better photos of him anyway.

 

I didn't get the chance to meet him--I've never been one to fight a crowd for the chance to shake a hand, and he was absolutely swarmed afterwards. Still, it was a great experience and unlike any other political event I've witnessed (I saw Edwards about a year ago.) It's true what they say about the atmosphere being like a rock concert--there were people outside trying to buy tickets and guys selling bootleg buttons, stickers, and shirts--but that's a somewhat misleading statement unless you had a very openly political rock concert in mind, haha. An 18-year-old high school girl in line behind me spoke at length about his speeches, the elderly professor in front of me talked to her young granddaughter about how Barack's policies would affect her education, even the bootleggers expressed a sincere belief that his presidency would make their lives better. The sense of community was amazing. At the Edwards event I attended, it was as if everyone did their best to make it seem like a stuffy yacht club meeting, even though it was an interview of a man with a populist appeal and passion for economic equality unlike any other candidate in the race. The Obama town hall meeting was unlike anything I'd ever seen--there were as many pairs of jeans as suits, and everyone happily blended as if they'd completely forgotten the socioeconomic boundaries that are so clearly drawn where I'm from (the rural South, where there's a rich side of town and a poor side of town, which is then even further divided into white neighborhoods and black neighborhoods.) I hope that sentiment survives the primary and the general election and is intensified in the Obama presidency. That's the America I want to live in, and that's why I'm supporting Barack Obama.

[marx marvelous]

Hillary had a town hall meeting in a neighboring city today and was already expected to have fewer than half the attendees that the Obama meeting did. The local news is covering it now: she's 2 hours late and no one's there. Man-on-the-street interviews had Hillary supporters confessing that they thought the event had been cancelled because no one else was there when they arrived.

[soundless_space]

Oh god that is too hilarious.

[decomposinglight]

Your pictures and commentary made me smile, marvelous.

 

On Hilary: tsk tsk.

[heyrabbit]

Obama.

 

lesser of the two evils.

[sodamntired]

The NDSU Bison support Obama too....in their own way...

 

Obama's my guy. He's the only one who get me excited about voting.

[heyrabbit]

Uh, you know he's a christian and a socialist, right? I don't find it reassuring that people don't seem to think this should disqualify him from becoming president.

[sodamntired]

fine. I'm going to write in Ron Paul

[heyrabbit]

No no. vote for Obama. just don't be happy about it

[sodamntired]

there is very little I am happy about in general.

 

Except this Blood Arm song I got off of iTunes. It rocks.

[heyrabbit]

you aren't living the good life? what are you doing wrong?

[decomposinglight]

Christian, yes. Socialist, no. And if he's got some more liberal policies in him, I'll speak in his defense. Do you know what came out of socialistic thinking? 40 hour work weeks, workman's compensation, the end to child labour, cleanliness in the meat packing industry, etc. Would you have us go back to 1880?

 

By the by, why should being Christian disqualify Obama from the race? What president hasn't been a Christian or at least a Deist?

 

Oh wait, you're an Ayn Rand fan. Pardon me.

[marx marvelous]

Well said, Amanda. As for his faith--he'll be the most progressive leader we've had in that category. He's the son of agnostics and the grandson of Muslims and Christians. He was not born into religion, he chose it in adulthood. Has he once used his faith for anything negative? I don't care if you're a(n) (Christian/Agnostic/Muslim/Pokemon), but for the love of (God/Who knows?/Allah/Professor Oak), be a pragmatist! An Obama presidency would be a substantive step forward for America.