Rex Kickass

Prediction: Obama will win around 350 electoral votes, for a comfortable victory. He will get the largest popular vote mandate for the Democrats since 1964 with somewhere around 52.3% There is a one in three chance that a landslide will occur. If Georgia falls, Indiana and Arizona will too, I'd wager - and that would mean we could also see our first 400 electoral vote winner since 1988.

You know how you know a change is coming? People on one side are building massive expectations and will be having them shattered in the next six months. People who previously had shattered expectations on the other side are sewing the seeds for years and years of manufactured outrage based on what isn't said. And these people will be all angry and all "I Told You So." Some things, even change, never change.

QUOTE (bmags @ Oct 28, 2008 -> 09:16 PM) I'd bet the reason he's staying because if he does win, he can step down and be replaced by Gov. Palin Actually no, he can't. Thanks to voter initiative in Alaska, his replacement must be done by special election within 60-90 days of the seat being vacated. There is some debate as to whether or not the Governor may name a replacement for that time frame as an interim Senator which is something that would be decided by the courts if the Governor determines it necessary to make an appointment. (Apparently, Alaska has two overlapping, conflicting laws regarding Senatorial appointments.) However, since Stevens has chosen not to bow out of the campaign, the point is moot. Meet your new Junior Senator from Alaska, Mark Begich.

It seemed like 10 or so times he was just just just off hitting one out of the cell too. He got a fair amount of doubles IIRC.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 28, 2008 -> 04:04 PM) While I'd agree that McCain and the GOP are taking this speech well out of context... that is an obviously biased and poorly written "news" article that come off more like an editorial. The author should be embarrassed. That's actually more of an analysis piece.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 28, 2008 -> 03:59 PM) Jury isn't out. And all the people who played politics with this, mere hours after the collaps happened, should be ashamed of themselves for the accusations they threw about. http://www.startribune.com/local/33308279....QL7PQLanchO7DiU I hadn't seen the report from yesterday about it. I do know that the final draft hasn't been publicly issued yet. I also know that problems with the gusset plates were also discovered as early as 2003.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 28, 2008 -> 03:55 PM) OK, I've seen this reference twice now. WTF is the Digital Brown Shirt Brigade? It's a way to call Obama supporters fascist or nazi like. So now they are racist, muslim, communist, socialist, marxist, fascist nazis for those who are keeping track. McCain supporters are racist, out of touch fascist nazi war mongers if my score card is right.

The last week of political campaigns are generally patently ridiculous. And this fake controversy is pretty much a classic example of why. Last ditch attacks replace substantive discussions. There's very little about any candidate that actually matters anymore. Look at this discussion. It's about the phrase "redistribution of wealth" as it was used in a constitutional law discussion regarding historical decisions in civil rights on public radio seven years ago. It's being used to prove that Obama is supposedly a socialist, or a marxist, or a communist or whatever label that's trying to be attached to him today. The truth is, he's no more a socialist than John McCain is. I tried very hard to remain detached this year from the Presidential campaign. I care about politics, so as the date gets closer its harder to stay so uninvested. But its this stupid pointless ugliness that is the reason that I dread getting emotionally involved. Yesterday, a sitting senator was convicted of seven felonies. But we were focused on a radio interview on a show cancelled soon after for low ratings on public radio from 2001.

Let's be fair about expectations. Given the enormous expenditures that this country will be facing over the next 24-36 months because of a global recession, I would be very surprised to see either candidate actually follow through with any tax cuts, but rather look to see tax hikes - because the government won't be able to do what they perceive it needs to do without it.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 28, 2008 -> 02:38 PM) The bridge collapsed to due a design error and the extra weight from the construction equipment that was on it, not from a lack of funding. Go ahead, just keep repeating that lie. Actually the reality is that the jury is still out on how that bridge collapsed. It may very well have been a design flaw. However, the bridge was considered to be structurally deficient in 2005 and 2006. Internal state documents in 2007 discussed the possibility of condemning the bridge. Any attempts to retrofit the bridge would have resulted in further weakening of the bridge so a replacement was deemed necessary. It would have been left basically alone except for standard work until a replacement was built in 2020 under the plan.

I believe this means that he will not be able to vote for himself.

Daley is a crook. He's just better at it. It's like the grass on Scottish golf courses. Generations of development and care have created a superior grade of the product.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 28, 2008 -> 09:29 AM) I find it amazing that so many of Daley's top aides have been taken down, but they have never been able to connect him to anything. To me, that tells me what the level of corruption is still like in Chicago. Richie J was the same way.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 25, 2008 -> 04:52 PM) No, its not anything like reality. I can name any number of cities that are FAR more corrupt than Chicago. Hell, I lived in one - Memphis. Another good example is New Orleans. Your hyperbole is ridiculous. Also, even in what actually are the most corrupt governments, there are people who are not. To see corruption in some and apply it to all is just the easy way out. Further, think about this for a few moments. Obama has been scrutinized more deeply than any Presidential candidate before, except maybe McCain. Digging gets deeper every election. And the only "corruption" anyone could find was that real estate deal involving Rezko, which wasn't illegal, but probably was an inappropriate "favor". If there was worse in his past, it would have been found. It wasn't. That tells me what I need to know. The truth is that the current Daley couldnt hold a candle to the level of corruption Richie J had. The guy was able to swing an entire Presidential election in 1960, determine the nominee in 1968.

The video is just a four minute extract of a 58 minute interview.

OK, I'll give it a shot. Here's some of the transcript of this interview. About 10 minutes before the really "juicy" pieces you've brought up, here's the context of what he means by redistribution of wealth http://www.foxnews.com/urgent_queue/#50041ecb,2008-10-27 So he's talking about government providing equal funding or better funding for things like school districts. Not about being a governmental Robin Hood. Obama is talking like a constitutional law professor here, but I guess we should view an interview about constitutional law from seven years ago as clear language about what Obama wants to do in the next four. This "October Surprise" is as stupid as the reveal of Bush's drunk driving arrest in 2000. Pointless and doesn't really say anything about anything.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 26, 2008 -> 11:31 AM) Lie with confidence and then refuse to gove that station any more interviews, because they were mean to poor Joe. Yup, handled that well. I worked in local radio during the 2000 election, if Bush surrogates were asked anything approaching as idiotic and obviously baiting as that was, my station wouldn't have gotten a single other surrogate either.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Oct 26, 2008 -> 09:25 AM) Its a common misconception that people are able to verify everything coming through on any specific charge. It just doesnt happen like you think. It isnt a free for all for anyone, but it isnt a lockdown per verification of [name, address, vocation, etc] items either. Generally if the CC number and expiration date matches, the charge will go through.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Oct 25, 2008 -> 06:35 PM) haha thats great. you know he was thinking "WTF is this. I want the usually softball questions the Democrats get. " For all the foot in mouth moments Biden has, I don't think any other candidate would have handled that as well as he did. The poor anchor looks like a robot, I don't think she understood any of the words she used.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Oct 25, 2008 -> 03:36 PM) Honestly its hard for me to discuss much, all I can really say is that verification isnt as "bigtime" as you think it is. It really isn't. In most retailer's cases, you don't need the proper name, address, or zip code to make charges - even the ones that ask for all that information before allowing charges to go through. I don't mean to but into the conversation here, not being a Republican but I think I know why this isn't a big story. As a percentage, and in a total dollar total, McCain has raised more incomplete or undocumented donations in this cycle. From opensecrets.org http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/scoffall.php?cycle=2008

QUOTE (knightni @ Oct 26, 2008 -> 12:55 AM) Where's Laser Bea Arthur? Oh my goodness, let's see what I can do with that.

I have created the true successor to Laser Pink Floyd. Heretofore: Lazer Liza! Myspace Glitter Graphics

QUOTE (lostfan @ Oct 24, 2008 -> 11:10 AM) All Obama has to really do is win Ohio or FL and right now he is leading in both. The rest of those states are mostly just nails in the coffin that increase the odds of Obama winning. The late rally would have to be HUGE and span all across the country. A McCain victory isn't impossible by any means but at this point it appears really, really unlikely. All of the polling trends are breaking Obama right now and McCain is running out of time. Actually all Obama has to do is win in PA and NH (the only two states in any perceived danger that were Kerry states, and is currently comfortably ahead of McCain), adding in Iowa and New Mexico (which appear to be comfortably for Obama) and pick up Virginia (which also seems more likely) and Obama has 278 electoral votes.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 23, 2008 -> 03:28 PM) Holy crap - I wonder if that's even legal. It is.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Oct 23, 2008 -> 03:32 PM) I see Obama's supporters really took his suggestion of "Get in people's faces". Zing!