Bob

Eh, I'd have to say that is the biggest misnomer of the campaign. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=30705 http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/200...s-bundlers.html http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/29/lobbyists/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8041004045.html http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/bundlers.php?id=N00009638 While it is true he certainly has raised more than any other candidate in history in small donations, his campaign is tied deeply to Wall Street and major law firms. He is definitely absorbing less from bundlers than McCain, and his lobbyist ties are less distinct, but he certainly has not frozen out the lobbyists. Even more dangerous, though, is that big investment bank CEO's are all putting their resources together. They have a heavy hand in his campaign.

Quantatively, I agree more with Obama...or at least Obama before he switched on FISA and the others. I think giving immunity to telecoms is BS. I believe the death penalty should be done away with, not only b/c I think it's immoral but the system has institutionalized racism, thus more black and hispanic men are put on death row. Obama fought that in Chicago and I thought that was admirable. And I'm a big public financing person; I actually like the Clean Money financing system. In short, it wasn't an attack as much as an expression of annoyance with both candidates. They both have pandered, as McCain once accurately said Jerry Falwell was an agent of intolerance, and then went back on that. He said the Bush tax cuts "disgusted" him by the absolutely lopsided breaks for big business. And Huckabee makes me mad. He's so disarming, it would be cool....except he publicly supports amending the Constitution to follow the Bible. That's dangerous.

My hope is that McCain's moves to the right are only by calculation. I think the 2000 McCain is probably the best presidential candidate our country has seen in decades. This McCain is good enough for me, and I think the fact Lieberman is willing to go with McCain reassures me that John is still the same guy, but smart enough to make the right moves at this moment. And let's not forget Obama has been twisting around everything from public finance, to FISA, to the Death Penalty, to NAFTA. He made his appeal in the primaries to the liberal audience, and now he's made some sharp changes. I agree the conventions are different in tone, mainly because I always find the GOP to be so focused on one goal: get their nominee the advantage and do it as efficiently as possible. The DNC had many speakers up talking about themselves, trying to recreate the amazing speech Obama gave in 2004. I wouldn't say darker, but much more about the battle in getting votes, rather than the discussion of getting on the right track. It has shown to work in the past. Plus, I don't know if you saw, Sarah Palin really put together a great speech. Guiliani pissed me off for dismissing Obama when Guiliani has one policy: 9/11. Taxes? 9/11. Abortion? 9/11. Healthcare? 9/11.

Now that's not true. He is very knowledgable and has worked across party lines. Obama has the scholarly advantage. He was the editor of Harvard's distinguised review. That's one of the top academic positions in the world. This doesn't mean McCain isn't knowledgable nor equipped to lead. He's shown great character in tackling global warming, campaign finance reform, torture, congressional standoffs on judge appointments, etc... He's been in war, so he knows the dynamics of war, of troop morale, and of dealing with a gorilla enemy. Joe Lieberman made the best case I've heard yet. I suggest you listen to it, as this is the same man who ran with Gore in 2000. Lieberman knows that McCain gets things done, and doesn't do what works just for his party. "I have personally seen John, over and over again, bring people together from both parties to tackle our toughest problems we face - to reform our campaign finance, lobbying and ethics laws, to create the 9/11 Commission and pass its critical national security reforms, and to end the partisan paralysis over judicial confirmations. My Democratic friends know all about John's record of independence and accomplishment. Maybe that's why some of them are spending so much time and so much money trying to convince voters that John McCain is someone else. I'm here, as a Democrat myself, to tell you: don't be fooled. God only made one John McCain, and he is his own man. If John McCain was just another go-along partisan politician, he never would have taken on corrupt Republican lobbyists, or big corporations that were cheating the American people, or powerful colleagues in Congress who were wasting taxpayer money. But he did! If John McCain was just another go-along partisan politician, he never would have led the fight to fix our broken immigration system or to do something about global warming. But he did! As a matter of fact, if John McCain is just another partisan Republican, then I'm Michael Moore's favorite Democrat. And I'm not."

I understand exactly what you are saying. The reality is, it is a long process that won't be automatically cleared with the Roe v Wade overturn. It's a deliberation, and long, arduous process. For a pro-life person like myself, I'm not doing enough to make the neccessary changes if I don't vote for the first steps. Martin Luther King had all the roadblocks in his way, like the legislative process at Washington, yet his work helped make the foundation for eventual legislation (Hillary Clinton mentioned that months ago and got flack for it, but there is truth that the movement could only go so far without the Congressional moves). I agree 100% that Republicans mandate without giving the proper funding/plans, etc. That's why I love Senator Bob Casey (Democrat-PA) who supports the Democrats For Life "Pregnant Women Support Act" that would help eliminate the root problems (and he also supports the overturn of Roe v Wade). Unfortunately though, allowing a legal system that supports the killing of a distinct human life different than your own, is inherently corrupting the very foundations of goverment: to protect the innocent. It needs to be a concerted effort, but I can't sit here and be fine with a legal system put in place for people to commit robberies (since they'll do it anyway and may be impoverished due to a corrupt, racially biased institution). This analogy is light, considering a robbery does not come close to the ending of a life. I get everything you say. And I think Obama has shown to be the first Democrat to say "I get it" when asked about this divisive issue. He said, "Look, I've always said that if you believe life begins at conception, and you are consistent in that belief, then I can't argue with you. I recognize that there will be people, of faith or conviction, that will not be able to consciously vote for me due to my stance on abortion." ^That made it even harder for me to not vote for him, since he's one of the most nuanced, intelligent, thoughtful, and patient candidates we've had in my lifetime.

I get that, and we certainly can't say that the right alternatives have been funded. When it comes down to it though, if someone does something trying to kill another person, I don't give that person a legal means to do it just because he/she is endangering his/her own life.

mehhhhhhhhhhhh

First for Max: It is not the only litmus, but a litmus, yes. But it is THE litmus for someone like me, who believes it is a life. Regarding the Senate...we saw how McCain was able to get the gang of 14 congressmen to get through an agreement on the judges. Obama would push for the respect of choice, McCain for the respect of life. And as long as Roe v Wade is upheld, I will vote for candidates who will appoint pro-life judges. And ash trey, For me, a separate human DNA sequence is all I need to recognize human life. It's a tough issue for some. For me, it's the clearest issue.

Oh it doesn't solve the root of the problem, no question. The idea though is that one Supreme Court judge will be up in the next 4 to 8 years. McCain and Obama both have opposite litmus tests for judges...and the litmus test is over abortion. And if a pro-life judge gets on the bench, the majority is on the pro-life side. If the opposite occurs, we will probably have missed our last shot to do anything to the roe v wade decision. I look at abortion as the ending of a life. So, I see 1.3 million abortions a year equalling 1.3 million killings. In the sense that I consider every abortion ending a life, 1/3 of my generation has died as a result of abortion in the last 30 years. So for me, it's genocide. And I can't condone that. To me, it's like the MEGA issue...one that John Locke, the original Hippocratic Oath (the one the doctors take), and many others affirmed was at the heart of why our government governs...to protect the most innocent and basic of freedoms: life. I never thought I'd be a one-issue voter. And to some degrees I'm not...because if say, Ron Paul or Mitt Romney got the vote, I think their terrible records would leave me in a better conscious to vote for a pro-choice candidate. Plus, my faith is straightforward on this one: To vote for a pro-choice candidate over a pro-life candidate, the pro-life candidate must be more overwhelmingly negative for the ideals of life even if 'pro-life' in name.

Well she got me in McCain's corner....because of her looks... KIDDING. No, honestly, abortion is what keeps me from voting for Obama. In any case, I won't mind it when it's November 5th and we get a break from the politics.

I think we see that on either side of the spectrum, 'politics' is a nasty game, where neither side is hollier than thou. You got one side trying to say terrorist fist jab and another trying to tie down the VP to some birth scandal. This is why we have such low turnout: people get so overwhelmed by illegitimate news.

If the AP, or really any credible news outlet broke such a story, then it'd be worth reading.

I've been mute on this album for some time...I had it a few weeks back and was going to review, but i'm still undecided on it. When I got ahold of the album, I was in a "hold onto summer" mentality so of course I'm riding "Dope Boys", "Games Pain", "Cali Sunshine", "Ya Heard", "Angel" more than any other. "Letter to the King" is something special, and "My life", "Let us live" are good too. I cannot stand the beat to "Never say goodbye" so its so hard to get into the song. Furthermore, I absolutely have no respect for DMX and his faux religious attitude. Sorry if that offends, but I feel he manipulates prayer as an excuse for the content. Mostly everyone mentioned what I've thought, although "State of Emergency" is nice and "House of Pain" is garbage. And lil wayne has no place singing. Idk, maybe I'm burnt out from Nas going so deep, but L.A.X feels like a feel good album minus a couple serious tracks and a few whhhhhhack tracks. Rhyme-wise, it was Ok. I love Angel, Games Pain, Dope Boys, Ya Heard and Letter to the King. "Gentlemen's Affair", "Money", "LAX" are decent at their very best. So, yea, Game should step it up. Compared to the rest of the music industry, GREAT album, but like others said, that doesn't mean much. I don't think it was a huge step up from the Doctor's Advocate, or at least not in the same way I think Doctor's Advocate topped the Documentary. Game even said it, he needs beef to get attention on his record... 3.75/5 stars

Honestly, she's the perfect pick for McCain. Why? 1. She's young, a pretty face *beauty pagant in her teens*. Blatantly going to help reverse the "Obama Girl" votes in the male demographic. 2. She's gonna get some women's votes...she's a member of the Feminists for Life. 3. It offsets the whole "white, male" republican party idea 4. She does conservation efforts along with ethics reform in her own party (calling out Ted Stevens was awesome) 5. She comes from the state in the eye of many who think about drilling. I know drilling is DUMB, but the majority of the electorate wants to, and thinks it will work, so it she's from the right place. 6. She's well spoken. She won't Dan Quayle this one up. 7. She's not Mitt Romney, nor Mike Huckabee, so she won't scare independents who hate the Religious Right who are Bushies... 8. She's not Guiliani, whose pro-choice record scares that very religious right group from voting. 9. She's hip, McCain's not. She does snowboarding and stuff. And before you go and say that doesn't matter, remember, a tall, good looking, young hip guy beat out an experienced first lady and a former VP pick in John Edwards....perception is everything. 10. She relates to the core Republican base. I hate guns, but Republicans love it when you have an NRA member. She'll get crushed in debates with Biden, but McCain will crush Obama in debates so it shouldn't hurt too much. ^and before you get mad about me saying McCain will crush Obama in debates...Obama knows this, that's why he never did the town hall meetings. McCain is quick on his feet but terrible in front of a teleprompter. Obama is polished and quite amazing on the stump, but can get lost in his nuanced approach to answering (See Rick Warren's Forum between the two from a week ago).

Biden will appeal to some, as his foreign policy experience is notable, but being a Catholic myself, he pisses me off. (Any Catholic who supports abortion is automatically excommunicated from the faith. Biden does support abortion, and cannot receive communion as long as he holds that view.) Plus he has a tendency to put his foot in his mouth. "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," ~Joe Biden ..... Just watched Hillary...she really put out a great rallying speech for her base.

i have yet to see pineapple express...and now that i'm back to school in a few hours, i doubt i will for some time. it was between the two movies and i had some people really really recommend tropic thunder...so i am glad i listened

to each his own I suppose... I guess Tropic Thunder for me continues my Arrested Development, Office, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Stella, etc...type of humor...very quirky and many times built off of inside jokes.

This is what "Scary Movie" dreams to be. Ben Stiller really, really just went all out and it's the funniest movie of the year. So many parodies: Christian Bale, Brokeback Mountain, Ringtone Rap, Tom Hanks, Russel Crowe, Hollywood management, War Movies, italian actors.... seriously, the cast is all star, with a certain good friend of Will Smith's putting in the funniest moment on camera in the last few years...... I really really suggest seeing this...some of the jokes are too smart for some of the public to get...like the connection between the Machinist/Christian Bale's anorexia and Robert Downey Junior's pigmentation twist to be black... Oh, and be aware right at the beginning...the previews will get you.... :thumbsup:

I honestly think it is a result of the Nas flow. He flows amazing, if you pay attention. But too many people probably say "Why is he saying so much so quickly on the beat...just stop talking." And unfortunately the beat is all people care about. They'd be much more comfortable with 8 pauses or repeated simple phrases.

wouldn't it be nice if JJFP and Biz Markie came out to close the show with Rick (I know, I know...but I can dream!)

I've never seen it as anything more than a filler on the filler-full BTR but hey, it's not bad.

Well, regarding all the youtube postings recently of him in the clubs in like 87 and supercalifragilistic, etc....Who has the actual tapes themselves? (since youtube quality is abissmal) Also the cameo's he did here and there after Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble would be good...

Fantasy football is the devil to me. Its a conflict of interest when you have a player in fantasy against your favorite team. Essentially, the only way I'd play is if I was guaranteed the whole 53 man roster of the Eagles. So, I'll pass. :sipread:

it's got some real bad kinks. you search for a certain obvious topic and it brings back bogus results. it's pretty cool in presentation though. yuil was better, a yahoo spoof that contained the same interface but using the yahoo search engine.

Did you run for president too?...