The Democratic presidential nominee was here last summer. Late Wednesday, word trickled out that Barack Obama would make a return visit to Springfield on Saturday night.
No official word yet on where. But the visit raises a few questions:
--Does Obama feel so comfortable about his chances in other swing states that he believes he can spend last-minute time in a region where he is almost certain to lose? The last Democratic presidential nominee to win Greene County was Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
--What are Republicans thinking? A bigfoot Dem is invading their turf on the Saturday before the election, tromping on their two-yard line.
--What's it mean, gentle reader?
You tell us.
16 comments:
As for "where" I have an idea.
How about the old stockyards at Division and Commercial. The livestock has been gone a while, but the smell remains.
That way if things don't go well, you can run him out of town on a rail.
Change you can step in.
It's also rumored the Bigfoot Dem will head to Arizona after Saturday. McCain, you know, is barely hanging on to his own state. What does it all mean? As Zogby says, get out the blue crayon!
I hear Sarah Palin is coming on Monday. we shall see. Elisa C.
No official word yet on Sarah Palin, but the rumor mill is churning, E.
For those who don't know: Barack Obama speaks Saturday night at Parkview High School's stadium. Gates open at 6 p.m.
The reverse Jim-Talent strategy. Tamp down the GOP advantage in out-state conservative areas and take the state with big KC and StL Dem victories.
Nobody cares about "winning" Greene County. Does Greene County have any votes in the Electoral College? No. Does Missouri? Yes.
Although you won't want to hear this, Obama is coming to SW MO to attempt to discourage McCain's base from voting.
All of these polls, the never-imagined winnable states for Obama is just an attempt to discourage McCain voters just as he did Hillary supporters in the primary.
There is some solace in his 11th hour visit to Springfield, however. Jimmy Carter came here a day or two before the election in 1980 and when he flew out town, his staff informed him he was going to lose to Reagan.
PS, Zogby now has McCain up by 1 nationally.
Oh, I'm sitting here holding my breath to read all the posts extolling the verbal greatness of the Messiah on his trip to the "Queen" City.
What level is the $250,000 threshold for tax cuts down to now? Bill richardson said it was $120,000. Did The Messiah lower it to $100k, 90k,80k,70k or are we going straight to $42,000.
You people need to wake up. There's no way in hell you can build an economy from the bottom up. If you think I'm wrong, go ask the drive thru guy at McDonald's to hire you. Or how about the clerk at Walgreen's. You liberals are smoking crack. How else could you make sense of the anointed one?
Hey, speaking of crack...who's supplying Cindy McCain now, ampat?
And I like how you take something Barack Obama did NOT say, by your own attribution, and project it on to him. Can I do that?
"[Sarah Palin] represents a fatal cancer to the Republican party," said John McCain (David Brooks)
"If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself," said John McCain. (Kathleen Parker)
"This is what the Republican Party has done to us this year: It has placed within reach of the Oval Office a woman who is a religious fanatic and a proud, boastful ignoramus. … On Nov. 4, anyone who cares for the Constitution has a clear duty to repudiate this wickedness and stupidity," said John McCain (Christopher Hitchens)
"You know, I think you may have noticed that Senator Obama's supporters have been saying some pretty nasty things about Western Pennsylvania lately. And you know, I couldn't agree with them more," said John McCain. (John McCain)
Anon 11:25 Why don't YOU tell the truth? When McCain said that he corrected himself on-the-spot. But you fail to put that on your post.
You libs hate Palin because she does have faith. You hate her because she didn't follow in your template and slaughter her child with down syndrome.
And Obama's income threshold for tax cuts HAS lowered. Obama himself said $250k then $200k. Biden said $150k and Bill Richardson said on KOA radio it was $120k.
Your just like Charlie McCarthy sitting on Bergen's lap.
"Corrected himself on-the-spot." Just like Obama did when he said "my Muslim faith"?
And amp, I'm not sure you can call what McCain did as "correcting" himself. Fumbled through the rest of the speech, maybe. Here's the full bit:
You know, I think you may have noticed that Senator Obama's supporters have been saying some pretty nasty things about Western Pennsylvania lately. And you know, I couldn't agree with them more. I couldn't disagree with you. I couldn't agree with you more than the fact that Western Pennsylvania is the most patriotic, most god-loving, most, most patriotic part of America, and this is a great part of the country."
But it's truly best when seen.
Now your next rant fully demonstrates your nuttiness:
"You libs hate Palin because she does have faith. You hate her because she didn't follow in your template and slaughter her child with down syndrome."
Who's said anything about "hating" Palin? We just think she's woefully unprepared to be vice president. I doubt a single liberal gives a hoot about whether Palin has faith or not. I don't.
But then we get to the real wingnutty goodness...her child with Down syndrome. (amp, you might want to capitalize Down. The syndrome is named after John Langdon Down, the British doctor who described it in 1866.)
No one on this blog has said anything close to what you claim. And not a single liberal wants anyone to have an abortion. We just want women to have the choice. Like you do on election day. Every liberal I know or have ever encountered is in favor of decreasing the abortion rate...as happened during Clinton's administration.
But there ya go again, amp. Projecting your wingnuttiness onto others.
Now notice I haven't said something like "you cons hate hate Obama because he's black" or some such silly blanket statement without foundation or support. But that is typical for you, amp.
Just once, could you provide a link to your source for your claims? When did Obama say this? When did Biden? How about Richardson? Don't just lay a claim out there...show me the proof.
Or is reality so elusive to you that you must fabricate lies to make yourself feel better? Is that it? Do you hate your life that much?
Anon 12:43, I'm not going to do your research for you. It's out there for you to find, if you want to find it.
You say you doubt a single liberal gives a hoot about wether Palin has faith or not. Really? If that's the case why did you refer to her in your earlier post as a "religious fanatic"?
You said Obama corrected himself on the spot when he made reference to his Muslim faith. He did not. It was George Stephanopoulos helped him out with the correction.
Here's another story, none of which are made-up, but see if you can find the interview Obama gave The San Francisco Chronicle on January 17, 2008 regarding the construction of coal powered power plants. If this one gets traction, he can kiss winning PA and WV goodbye.
The long and short of it is that Obama would have an aggressive cap and trade system to penalize industry based on the units of carbon and greenhouse gasses. Your candidate was quoted as saying, "So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted."
So, if building a coal powered plant will bankrupt the company, it will in turn bankrupt the coal industry. How many jobs will that kill?
And no, anon, reality is not elusive to me. But your reality comes from perception. Now, go do your research.
So asspat, you can just pull anything out your ass and we're all supposed to accept it as the truth? Is that how you live your life? If John McCain tells you the world is flat, do you believe it? If John McCain says it's snowing outside and Barack Obama says it's sunny, whom do you believe? Or do you look out a window first?
Your unwillingness to support any of your outrageous claims is proof you've got nothing. Others posting here provide direct links to document the facts. You tell us to do our own research, obviously because you've not done any. Whatever the latest wingnut talking point is, you believe it to be the god-given truth...facts be damned.
Kind of like how your wingnutty friends are distorting Obama's statement to the San Francisco Chronicle. Below is the transcript (see, I did your research for you, again; it's not that hard, unless you're lazy and stupid):
"Let me sort of describe my overall policy.
What I've said is that we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as aggressive, if not more aggressive, than anybody else's out there.
I was the first to call for a 100% auction on the cap and trade system, which means that every unit of carbon or greenhouse gases emitted would be charged to the polluter. That will create a market in which whatever technologies are out there that are being presented, whatever power plants that are being built, that they would have to meet the rigors of that market and the ratcheted down caps that are being placed, imposed every year.
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted.
That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in solar, wind, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches.
The only thing I've said with respect to coal, I haven't been some coal booster. What I have said is that for us to take coal off the table as a (sic) ideological matter as opposed to saying if technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, we should pursue it.
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can.
It's just that it will bankrupt them."
Clearly, Obama does NOT say he's going to bankrupt the coal industry, as you allege. Rather, he in effect says, under his plan, no new coal-powered plants would be built unless coal can be used in some clean way. He does NOT say all coal-powered plants must shut down. He does NOT say all coal mines must shut down.
This will hardly bankrupt the coal industry. According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy: (see how I provided a link to facts to support my assertions? asspat, you really ought to try it, but then, your reality isn't factually-based, is it?)
"2007 was another mixed year for the U.S. coal industry. It experienced record consumption but lower coal production. Although coal imports increased slightly, coal exports grew, resulting in an increase in net exports for 2007. Delivered coal prices continued to increase, while coal export prices moderated. Coal stocks continued to recover from their low 2005 levels in the electric power sector.
The outlook for the U.S. coal industry in 2008 is good. Higher coal consumption due to increasing electricity demand and continued growth in U.S. coal exports as the world markets remain tight should combine to increase coal production for the year."
Coal stocks are going up, consumption is going up, exports are going up. Of course, eventually there will be no coal-powered electrical plants, but that won't be the result of Obama's statements above. You wingnuts just wish it to be the case. Fortunately, the American public is on to your stupid trick of trying to scare everyone to vote your way. It fooled them in 2004, and to a lesser degree in 2006. It's not fooling them in 2008. Truly, you Republicans are out of ideas.
And back to Sarah Palin. Only in wingnut and freeperland does calling her a "religious fanatic" equal hating her because she has faith. I honestly couldn't care less that she has faith, even though it does include witch hunter blessings.
What I do care about is Palin's or anyone's religious fanaticism, demonstrated by thinking god has ordered us to invade another country, or to wipe out an entire race because they believe something different than us, or attempts to force religious beliefs on me.
Lee Gruenfeld has written a fine essay on this:
"every religious person has to do something, and it's only a question of how much.
It might be going to church on Sunday, or keeping a kosher home, or praying five times a day. We call these people the faithful.
It might be devoting one's life to serving the poor, or donating large sums of money to the church, or becoming a priest. We call these people fully committed.
It might be crashing jet planes into tall buildings. We call these people fanatics.
The fanatic believes that his simple faith is not enough. He must do more. And if there is nothing reasonably more to do, he'll invent something.
Whatever it is, it's generally about insufficient faith that believing and living a good life is enough.
It's also about inventing what you think God wants you to do because you don't really know. Nobody really does.
But as long as you keep pretty much to yourself, nobody should much care how you choose to manifest your faith. It's when you look down your nose at someone who doesn't attend church regularly that you start to cross over into the world of the fanatic.
...imposing religious practices on someone else is inherently absurd....
It won't save the soul of the non-believer who is merely going through the motions.
It can't possibly be looked upon with favor by the God of your choice."
The Taliban have faith, and are religious fanatics. The Spanish Inquisition participants had faith, and were religious fanatics. The KKK has faith, and are religious fanatics. Jim Jones had faith, and was a religious fanatic. It's not faith I care about. It's the fanaticism.
Anon 5:46, if Obama's plan bankrupts coal is it then not his actions that brought about the bankruptcy?
And I can see why you're a liberal, I mean when you say you care about fanaticism.
I have never said McCain is my cup of tea, but I'm smart enough to recognize Obama's a joke.
Obama loves to say that McCain voted with Bush 90% of the time, but never admits he voted with Reid and Pelosi 100% of the time. Nor does he admit that he too voted for the Bush budgets.
Now, look out your window.
That the best you've got, assp? Obama voted with the Dems 100% of the time?
Where, pray tell, is your evidence that Obama's plans will bankrupt coal? Are you saying the U.S. Dept. of Energy is wrong? Or are you saying that when the coal industry dies out from having no more coal to mine sometime in the next 100 years or so, it will be Obama's fault?
And again with the twisting of words? You're presented with a reasoned, thoughtful explanation, and you can only twist it to try to make us believe anon 5:46 didn't say what s/he said?
Why no counter argument? Is it that you're just a simple-minded angry white guy who doesn't always get his way? Do you need someone to blame your lot in life on so it isn't your fault?
For 16 years you've been blaming everything on Bill Clinton. Is this what we can expect for Obama as well?
BTW, did you see that McCain held a rally in Florida, and 1100 people showed up?
Where pray tell is my evidence? From the mouth of Barackmadinejad himself. His words, not mine, are on an audio tape recorded in January with the San Francisco Chronicle.
Coal associations are pissed. They're pissed about it Ohio, Pennsylvania and other coal producing battleground states.
Now surely, you don't think this is all the result of me saying he would bankrupt the coal industry? Can a white guy, simple-minded, racist- wingnut impact this election? God I hope so.
And speaking of pulling facts out of your burn hole, where have I ever posted 16 years of blame on Clinton? God have mercy, even Obama's people accused Clinton of being a racist; I guess I'm in good company.
One additional quote from Obama’s San Francisco Chronicle interview that hasn’t got as much attention as his “bankrupting the coal industry” and this has to do with the cost we Americans pay for electricity.
Here’s the quote, “When I was asked earlier about the issue of coal, uh, you know, under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.”
This guy is saying he guarantees that if you build a new coal burning power plant, it’ll bankrupt them and aside from that, under his plan, your electric bill will skyrocket. How in the hell is this going to help the middle class?
And here’s another quote from an Obama rally that appears on U tube. And if this doesn’t get the hair on-the-back-of-your neck to stand up I don’t know what will. Obama said:
“We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded.”
I maintain that the American people don’t know who Obama really is; they don’t. If you watched the Charlie Rose show last week, both he and guest Tom Brokaw admitted they didn’t know much about Obama. They didn’t know who his heroes were, they didn’t know of the books he reads, they didn’t know his stance on China and on and on. If the mainstream press HAD done their job and exposed Obama like they would have exposed a Republican, these polls would be reversed.
We’ll know, maybe tomorrow night. But just a word of caution, don’t read too much into the results around 11:15pm tonight when Dixville Notch, N.H. weights in with their ballots. Over the past 12 elections, Dixville Notch right 6 times and wrong six times.
Go vote tomorrow.
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