Written by 
The Vice-Presidential candidates had their much anticipated debate tonight. What did you all think?
Posts tagged presidential politics
Great speech by Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton delivered a fine speech yesterday. Through her strong campaign, she has shown people everywhere that a woman certainly can be president of the United States. Clearly, if Barack Obama had not joined the contest with his message of change (along with his charisma and incredibly organized campaign), Hillary Clinton would have had the Democratic nomination.
And Ms. Clinton certainly brought the necessary commitment to the race to ensure she was never counted out. Her campaign was as historic as Barack Obamas, and will serve to ensure that the next woman who runs for president will never be underestimated by anyone based on her gender. In campaign management terms, Hillary Clinton’s strong performance will help woman get a more level playing field as they raise funds and build early support in seeking future nominations for president.
Along with Barack Obama’s official thanks to Senator Clinton, he has placed a thank you message on on his Myspace page which you can see here .
I love being American, and I’m particularly proud of our nation this year.
Seattle PI: Boeing backers blame McCain for losing deal
John McCain received $12,000 in campaign contributions from Airbus officials!
By ERIC ROSENBERG
P-I WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON — Supporters of The Boeing Co. blame Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, for the company’s failure to win the lucrative $35 billion contract to build new Air Force aerial refueling tankers.
One could see this would blow up on John McCain the day the contract was awarded. He will have to do some intense explaining if he wants to have a chance in Washington, Kansas, or California. (He already had Alabama won even before he helped them land their Airbus deal).
Wall Street Journal: Obama Expresses Disappointment over Air Force Tanker Deal
March 2, 2008, 1:37 pm
Obama Expresses Disappointment over Air Force Tanker Deal
Nick Timiraos reports on the presidential race from Nelsonville, Ohio.
Sen. Barack Obama expressed his disappointment Sunday that Northrop Grumann and the parent company of Europe’s Airbus beat out Chicago-based Boeing Co. for a contract worth up to $40 billion for the next generation of U.S. Air Force refueling tankers.
Obama said it was hard for him to believe “that having an American company that has been a traditional source of aeronautic excellence would not have done this job.” He preempted his comments by saying that he had not examined the deal carefully.
British Telegraph: “The deal, announced on Friday, could prove an embarrassment to John McCain…”
The way the news is going, I think this issue will derail John McCain’s campaign when it runs its course.
I don’t think most people yet realize how unprecedented this contract is, or how small the presumed savings from not leasing were (McCain’s claim-to-fame from 2003) in comparison to the severe economic impacts of promoting European aviation above US industry.
I also don’t understand why promoting american jobs and technology is not a factor in the placing of huge contracts like this. Are we the only nation on earth that does not care about this?
In any case, I think Obama will get the edge he needs from this to make my pre-super-Tuesday prediction prove true. McCain already could count on Alabama as a solid red state, but he just lost Washington and Oregon for sure, and hurt himself severely in California and Kansas. There were forty states that stood to get jobs from the US-built airplane proposal, so any of these could become potential additional swing states.
What do you think?
Ugh! McCain gets his wish…. Airbus to make new tanker instead of Boeing in $100 Billion deal
I don’t see how the US government can justify spending up to $100 billion taxpayer dollars ($40 billion procurement, and estimated $60 billion in support/maintenance) for a french product, when the US is perched on the edge of a recession. Furthermore, I don’t see the logic in having anyone other than a US company in charge of spare parts and services for something as strategic as an air tanker.
Airbus has offered to build a new plant in Mobile Alabama, which takes some of the sting out of the announcement, but US labor unions and policy makers should not get too excited yet about this. Even if the plant is built, it will build the 167 tankers over ten years or so and then what….rust away as employees that have relocated to Mobile go jobless? Mobile is a beautiful place with fine people, but its isolated small-town economy can’t easily handle the expansion and contraction that would come from a one-time manufacturing run of this magnitude.
Airbus may suggest that the plant will then be used to manufacture commercial plans, but this will never pass muster with european labor unions, which are among the strongest in the world. France is much more socialist than the United States, and the placement of Airbus manufacturing jobs in Mobile Alabama will generate significants complaints in their population long-term.
I think our US government has just handed Airbus a major leg-up in their competition with US airplane makers.
Sometimes I feel like we US taxpayers are already paying for the military defense of the entire world…. This latest decision now ensures that the French, not the US, get any resultant technological advantages from it.
Here is the story Be sure to read the “sound off” comments by readers at the end
P.S. I mentioned John McCain in the title because he scuttled Boeing’s tanker contract in 2001 after raising concerns about the bidding process. While I understood his concerns, and watched in bewilderment as a former Boeing and former Air force procurement officer went to prison for improper dealings, the time for punishing the other 250,000 hard-working Boeing employees is long over. Furthermore, this decision punishes US taxpayers by giving tens of billions to France as the US enters a recession. Yet even today, new sources are reporting that this deal validates McCain’s position.
No! Ralph…. I liked you in the 60’s, but you are simply not wanted now!
Ralph Nader seems bent on destroying everything he has ever stood for. In restarting his role as spoiler, Obama will now be competing in the general election with one hand tied behind his back.
I think Ralph Nader’s last run for president was a disaster, and I resent him even more for doing it again. I don’t know what he hopes to accomplish. If he just wants to contribute to the dialog, he should get himself a radio show like Rush Limbaugh, or a blog like this one. Becoming a candidate is a sure-fire way to make sure that the next president, whether republican or democrat, is elected by a plurality…a minority of voters.
Grrr…..
_____________________________________________________________________
Nader Announces Another Presidential Bid
Ralph Nader is launching a third-party campaign for president. The consumer advocate made the announcement Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He says most Americans are disenchanted with the Democratic and Republican parties, and that none of the presidential contenders are addressing ways to stem corporate crime and Pentagon waste and promote labor rights.
Posted by Elizabeth; Radio host Dori Monson asks about fainting at Obama Rallies
I watched these videos with interest, and I would bet the fainting is authentic. Fainting would not be unusual given the long hot waits, the standing, the mixed-ages and health of the spectators, the sun (in many cases), and excitement.
Barack Obama has probably seen fainting enough that he takes it in relative stride, and he has probably learned it is safest, and he looks good, if he casually stops his speech and directs medics to the scene.
I’m curious to hear what you other Rentonites think.
Randy
________________________________________________________________
Here is Elizabeth’s posting, as she left it in my comment section:
I was out driving today and playing radio roulette. Ended up with Dori Monson on 710 KIRO. He was talking about how there have been a person, front & center, fainting at several of Obama’s rallies. When he started watching clips of each event, he said he thought it odd that the person was always front & center, and that he thought Obama basically said the same things each time and always had an unopened bottle of water at his podium that he’d give the person. (It wasn’t the same person at each event.) So Monson’s wondering if these individuals were plants. One caller was a security guy at concerts and he said inevitably someone front & center at concerts faints, and Monson shouldn’t read more into this than people faint.
For sake of objectivity re: Obama, here is Dori Monson’s website.
Click Here
He’s got several of these clips on there so people can watch and decide for themselves. Monson thinks this will show up in the press more and wonders if, after this becomes more public, we’ll stop seeing people fainting at Obama rallies.
I hope it’s just that it’s hot, folks aren’t eating, and they’re just getting caught up in the moment and getting light-headed. I keep searching for a politician who is genuine.
Elizabeth
Washington State Democrat Party Super-delegates (split about 50/50)
If anyone wants a list of the 17 Washington State Democrat Party Super-delegates, or their current positions on the presidential nomination, they can be found here.
AP Poll: Obama would narrowly defeat McCaine in a general election match-up today
Obama narrowly leads McCain in general election matchup, Clinton and McCain even in AP poll
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrat Barack Obama would narrowly defeat Republican John McCain if they were matched today in the presidential election, while McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton are running about even, according to new general-election sentiment since the Super Tuesday contests.
Read the article here
Our state caucus marked the beginning of an 8-state sweep for Obama, which gives him democrat lead
Obama Wins 3 Primaries for Delegate Lead
By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent
Barack Obama powered past Hillary Rodham Clinton in the race for Democratic convention delegates Tuesday on a night of triumph sweetened with outsized primary victories in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
“Tonight we’re on our way,” Obama told cheering supporters in Madison, Wis. “But we know how much further we have to go,” he added, celebrating eight straight victories over Clinton, the former first lady now struggling in a race she once commanded.
The Associated Press count of delegates showed Obama with 1,210. Clinton had 1,188, falling behind for the first time since the campaign began. Neither was close to the 2,025 needed to win the nomination.
His victories were by large margins _ he was gaining about 75 percent of the vote in the nation’s capital and nearly two-thirds in Virginia. In Maryland, he was winning close to 60 percent.
By contrast, Clinton was attempting to retool her campaign in the midst of a losing streak. Her deputy campaign manager resigned, the second high-level departure in as many days.
Read the whole story, in the Seattle Times, by clicking here
District 47 Democrat Caucus
Kari Kopnick shares her afternoon at the District 47 Democrat Caucus:
Oh man what a fantastic day! It was a good day to be a Washingtonian. It was a good day to be a Citizen. It was a good day to be here in these United States where we have so many ideals and so far to go to meet them.
I went to my neighborhood caucus Saturday afternoon. I had to park way across a busy street in a grocery store parking lot and trek over to the school where my neighbors were packed tight into a school gym.
Crammed in the stuffy little gym were old people, young people and middle aged people, people of lots of ethnic and racial groups and people of different physical abilities. From the looks of the cars in the parking lot there were even probably richer and less rich folks. It was very cool. We were all there doing the whole little “d” democracy thing.
And everyone was so respectful. People were streaming in the doors at least until 1:30, and since my precinct was located by the entrance, I got to see neighbors help their neighbors find the right precinct, navigate wheelchairs and walkers thru the crowd and keep the room not too hot and not too cold; all with kindness and respect.
I think every time an older person came in a chair was immediately offered to them.
And when it came time to divide up for our respective candidates, everyone was very careful to walk that line of respect for each other’s choice.
Is this what politics are always like?
OK, stop laughing.
At least for one day the politics were clean and high minded. It was a good day to be a Benson Hill neighbor.
It’s looking like Obama is the big winner in Washington: McCaine and Huckabee head to head
Bloggers are starting to assess that Barack Obama is the big winner in today’s democratic caucuses. Official results won’t be in for a while, but post caucus polling says it’s Obama.
And the Clinton campaign has issued a Statement to lower expectations… a little like conceding defeat in our state already.
Caucuses at 1:00 today!
With three candidates in town, and a virtual dead-heat on the democrat campaign trail, this will likely be our state’s biggest day of caucuses ever. Most of the state’s convention delegates are being assigned from these caucuses, so be sure you attend your caucus if you wish to be fully counted. Your primary vote will also help assign some of the delegates, but not the majority of them. (Democrats will assign about 80% of their delegates from the caucus, and Republicans will assign about half of theirs from the caucus; the remainder will come from the primary)
With three front-running candidates in town, the caucuses may have record turn-out
Kari’s photos from Obama’s visit
Kari attended the Barack Obama rally at Key Arena yesterday. Here are some of her photos. READ MORE »
Recent Comments