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May 6, 2008 - 7:09am.
If the election were today, Democrats would sweep local, state and national offices -- and John McCain would be the nation's 44th president. Polls are showing a remarkable state of affairs. There is strong alarm about what is going on in Washington, and Republicans get the blame. According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll by Republican pollster Neil Newhouse and Democratic pollster Peter Hart, voters favor Democrats by a 44 percent to 32 percent margin. But there is strong and growing admiration for McCain; a majority of voters identify with his "values." Yes, four out of ten voters are distressed that Republican McCain's views are too much like those of President Bush, whom eight out of ten voters think has handled the economy poorly. A majority doesn't like McCain's position that the war in Iraq must continue. But voters also question Hillary Clinton's honesty and say they are concerned she seems to have changed her mind often. Many others wonder if Barack Obama is "out of touch" with Americans and are vastly aghast at his long ties with the outspoken Rev. Jeremiah Wright. One of my brothers said to me the other day while I was in Ohio, "You people in Washington have no idea how much this thing with Wright is resonating out in the rest of the country." Yet, back in Washington, that's just about all I hear people talking about when they talk politics (which is most of the time). Did Obama's new denunciation of Wright's "rants" stop the candidate's decline in the polls? Did he wait too long after his speech on racial healing to make clear to a majority of Americans that he finds his former pastor's remarks out of line? Obama clearly is angry with Wright now, but is it too late? When Obama originally said he could not disown the preacher who married him to Michelle and baptized his children, did that blur the lines of his disagreements with Wright? Will voters still be angry over this in the autumn, if Obama were to win the nomination? Will voters accept Obama's dismissal of Wright as over the top because of his diatribes making such charges as insisting AIDS is a government plot? The 300 undecided Democratic "super delegates," those 800 party big wigs who get to vote and who probably will decide the nomination, are closely watching Obama's handling of the Wright issue and also how he responds to charges he is too "elitist" before they decide. Clearly, the bloom is off all three roses at the moment. But McCain is holding his own, despite the clear anger against Republicans nationwide, for three reasons. He is a true war hero; a prisoner in Vietnam for five years, his patriotism is not in question. His long experience in Washington, especially his reputation as a "maverick," makes him a known quantity. The two Democrats are so wrapped up in attacking each other that he is skipping around the country without getting the scrutiny he'll definitely get in the fall. McCain must tell his personal story to voters, convince them he's not too old or too conservative to be president, has solutions for a bad economy and distance himself from Bush. Right now, by a margin of 54 percent to 35 percent, voters say they identify with McCain's values and background, according to the Newhouse/Hart poll. Only November will tell if McCain's task is easier than for Clinton to convince voters she's honest and steadfast and that her husband won't hog the limelight or for Obama to convince voters his past association with Wright doesn't matter, that he is experienced enough for the White House and that he is not "out of touch." In this roller coaster election year, it's anybody's guess what will happen. Based on what they're guessing now, 50 percent of the people will be proved right, and 50 percent will be proved wrong. (Scripps Howard columnist Ann McFeatters has covered the White House and national politics since 1986. E-mail amcfeatters(at)hotmail.com.)
Capitol Hill Blue's columnists, blogs and reader comments Capitol Hill Blue is an independent, non-partisan news site that belongs to no political party and subscribes to no political or philosophical point-of-view. Our columnists are welcome to their opinions but readers should understand that their views do not necessarily reflect the editorial policies of this web site. We also welcome comments to selected opinion columns and in our popular ReaderRant discussion forum. Please remember, however, that we believe in civility on this web site and comments may be reviewed, moderated or removed if we feel they contain obscenities, racism, bigotry, anti-Semitic remarks or attack other posters. Our goal is reasoned discussion on issues facing this nation and we do not feel that goal is served by personal attacks and by seeing how many cute adjectives you can attach to an elected official or politician's name. Copyright © 2008 Capitol Hill Blue
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This entire election has
Submitted by Sandra Price on May 6, 2008 - 7:39am.This entire election has been designed to destroy Obama. It is a collaboration between Clinton and the RNC. Yes, the American voters are heavily influenced by their religion and now that the Gods are running the campaigns it will get even dirtier.
I was told yesterday that "taqiyya" is a belief that a Muslim can lie and deceive others and it is not a sin. This person told me that because of Obama's father he is a Muslim. The Christians will eat this up like ice cream and 80% couldn't even describe what a Christian is.
I believe the RNC will demand a strong Christian like Huckabee or Brownback be V.P. to guarantee that America has a strong chance at becoming a theocracy. That is the end game for America.
Our children are being terrorized in their Sunday Schools and their private schools that the end is coming and they must not be left behind. Summer camp is now called "Jesus Camp" and must have been designed by the Taliban.
The reports all say that both Clinton and Obama can beat McCain. It is an insult to the American readers that one can simply add the votes together (less 10% who will not vote) and the Democrats should be able to take the White House. Until the RNC gets out of this religion fervor no more of their Candidates should be elected or reelected.
Only a fool would trade our Constitution for the bible. Nobody wants to close a single church but to separate the church from the state is necessary for the Constitution to work.
We can go over and over the rumors, the promises and eventually locate a workable party. For now, I will work for any candidate who will send McCain out of D.C.
After November we must get some ideas for another party. If Doug is not interested, we can meet elsewhere.
Isn't it strange how the
Submitted by Flapsaddle on May 6, 2008 - 11:25am.Isn't it strange how the conventional wisdom of just a few months ago is suddenly DOA? The inevitable Clinton nomination of December is now something more like an inevitable loss of the nomination by June. The dead John McCain, like Christopher Lee in those old Hammer Films Dracula movies, is somehow back to being undead and looking more and more viable to the electorate as the whorehouse brawl between the Democrat Tweedles continues unabated.
The remainder of the American "silly season" will be equally entertaining as desperate partisans strive to outdo one another in pointing fingers and shouting hysterically about this and that and alleging all sorts of conspiratorial nonsense.
I still think that the Democratic feces-throwing contest will end up being resolved in the "smoke-filled room" by the so-called "superdelegates" and the heavy-weights of the party. I think that the bitterness, the racism and the pure meanness of both parts of the Democratic donnybrook will prevent the winner from getting anything other than faint lip-service from the loser. I think that the nominee, whoever that may be, will no longer be assured of a victory over McCain.
But, all in all, it will remain a truly popcorn event.
Most sincerely,
T. J. Flapsaddle
Popcorn is for the movies.
Submitted by bryan mcclellan on May 6, 2008 - 9:25pm.Popcorn is for the movies. It is what it is, debatable.
Popcorn is excellent for the
Submitted by Flapsaddle on May 7, 2008 - 1:33pm.Popcorn is excellent for the "silly season" that is American politics in a presidential-election year; it is a movie. It is a badly-done movie with tragedy and farce interwoven on a maniac's loom, with incompetents playing the roles and pimps producing and directing. And the audience is so clueless that it laughs at the truly tragic and simpers stupidly over the farcical.
That's why the only logical way to go through it is with lots of popcorn and by ignoring the hooting and the cat-calls.
Most sincerely,
T. J. Flapsaddle
Why is this such a joke to
Submitted by Sandra Price on May 7, 2008 - 5:18pm.Why is this such a joke to you? You remind me of Nero sneering at the Roman Citizens when they were being burned alive. The "silly season" may be one of the most important campaigns ever in the history of America.
Go get a keg of beer while you laugh at incompetents. You really offer nothing but your sneers at others. We are not clueless, you goat, we are trying to sort out our options. Why don't you enjoy the comedy of errors someplace else? I'm getting tired of you sneering at most of Doug's Rants. You life must be a bundle of monkeys.
Bryan, Flapsaddle loves to
Submitted by Sandra Price on May 7, 2008 - 8:57am.Bryan, Flapsaddle loves to take the wind out other's sails and bring it down to the lowest possible denominator. The sale of popcorn goes up when this happens.
I take the political scene much more seriously and I am often criticized for my fervor. I believe that America is aware that this election will be the make or break decision whether we even try for a stronger and more moral nation or simply sit back and watch America sink into oblivion. We have faced worse problems than in 2008. We elected a very evil man in 2000 and most Americans are ashamed that we were taken in by a manipulating liar.
We must correct the damage done by the Bush Administration and we cannot even discuss it when popcorn is the center of the stage. I'm tired of reading posts where many feel there is no hope for a valued America.
The entire Conservative movement has no desire to correct what is obviously wrong with America. Praying will not stop the terrorists, or bring up the reading scores of the American people. If prayers were the answer we would all still be British Citizens.
What I'm hearing is that
Submitted by bryan mcclellan on May 8, 2008 - 6:58am.What I'm hearing is that most can't afford popcorn, or the gasoline to drive to the polls and vote. Why the dems came up so lame points to collusion betwixt the parties from here.
Trust is out the window along with baby and bathwater. The seeds are hard on the teeth and we've no heat to pop them but we're expected to chew anyway.