The Atlantic - Latest Comments in Presidents to represent me

Re: Presidents to represent me

MoeLarryAndJesus — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:34:48 -0000

I think Joe the Plumber's porn debut should be called "Snaking The Drain." Any other ideas?

Re: Presidents to represent me

Lenee — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:39:00 -0000

ACORN as a herald of Galactus!!!!

Funny, funny stuff!!

*tears rolling*

And yes, 'Joe the Plumber' does remind one of the *waaah, waaaaaah, waaah* soundtracks of the 70's!

Re: Presidents to represent me

Deborah — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:27:22 -0000

I really must promote Andrew's tape of the debate, especially for those of us who listen without visuals. 538 is right; McCain does do the tongue-thrust thing when he knows he's lying!

Re: Presidents to represent me

Ta-Nehisi Coates — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:06:44 -0000

Where you been Breuk?

Re: Presidents to represent me

Breukelyne — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:04:10 -0000

Obama won bigtime.

That was a really terrible performance from McCain. Painfully so. People are afraid to come right out and say he's losing and this election is now Obama's, but there we have it.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Anthony Damiani — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:59:16 -0000

See, if we'd voted Galactus as the official white-people spokesman back in the poll, we could be down with ACORN, too.

Apparently.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Sarah — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:27:38 -0000

Yes, but the populist tone taken by the McCain's campaign clearly suggest the economic class part too, trying to portray the campaign as fighting for the common man etc. Let's face it, there are overlaps between the economic classes and the culture classes.

They are trying to have it both ways, one day supposedly fighting for the common man through the culture aspects, and the next ranting on Obama for "spreading the wealth". In my mind, that is engaging is class warfare.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Thomas R — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:59:53 -0000

"Real American v/s elites? Come on, if that is not class warfare I'll eat my hat."

Do you have a hat to eat? "Real America vs elite" is pretty clearly more what's termed "culture warfare" rather than "class warfare." Class warfare refers to pitting economic classes against each other.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Shinyk — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:16:27 -0000

That was a great job moderating. I think Obama had it--not by much, but he had it. I think John McCain just looked petty for much of the debate.

What I took from this debate is the Obama is full of BS and McCain is a big, whiny baby who doesn't know what he's talking about most of the time and can't remember what his opponent said thirty seconds ago.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Sarah — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:13:26 -0000

Someone need to tell Republicans to retire the term "class warfare" when attacking Democrats. What the heck has Sarah Palin been doing for the last month? Real American v/s elites? Come on, if that is not class warfare I'll eat my hat.

McCain said "spreading the wealth" like it's a dirty word or something. Ooh, cooties! Guess what, these days, when you say "spreading the wealth", people's mind don't automatically go to that socialist-commie-pinko-we're-turning-into-Stalin-Soviet place anymore. We just partly nationalized some banks and there haven't been a riot on the streets yet. Shouting "class warfare" and "spreading the wealth" won't win you the election, Senator.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Sarah — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:48:44 -0000

Teddy Roosevelt and Jackson did not have nuclear weapon at their disposal.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Thomas R — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:58:37 -0000

Teddy Roosevelt, a McCain hero, got angry a fair amount. He called people pinheads, fatheads, pithecanthropoid, and so forth. I thought Truman was known for anger, but maybe not. The most angry President was indeed among the worst, Andrew Jackson. As I recall he dueled, nearly bankrupted the nation, and caused the "Trail of Tears" despite Supreme Court opposition. For this he's on the twenty-dollar bill.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Sarah — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:27:46 -0000

Obama should recycle that 3 am phone call ad Clinton made. Only this time with shots of McCain from the debate looking like he's two seconds away from strangling someone. VO: is this the man you want answering that call?

Cheap shot, I know, but I am genuinely scared that McCain could be the next president. Who was our last really angry president? Nixon was more paranoid and insecure than angry, I think. Clinton at least knew how to control his temper in public (at least he did while he was still president). And say what you want about Bush (and I'm sure we all have a lot to say), but his temper was never something I worry about.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Sarah — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:08:35 -0000

Matt's condescension and dripping-with-contempt- for-us-fools tone is suspiciously similar to someone I saw during the debate tonight. Are you channelling Senator McCain, Matt?

I do not want someone that angry making decisions for the country about nuclear strikes and going to war. I do not want someone who is that unable to control, or even fake, his own emotions to be negotiating with Ahmadinejad, Putin et al.

Re: Presidents to represent me

GKM — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:44:53 -0000

The sneering and the air quotes at "health of the mother" really got up my dander. WTF was McCain thinking? Even most pro-lifers make exceptions for the health of the mother. Epic-Uber-Ultra FAIL.

Re: Presidents to represent me

MoeLarryAndJesus — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:42:40 -0000

Matt writes: "There are a lot of things you can accuse McCain of, but I am certain you wouldn't say that to his face. He is a man's man, whose courage is beyond question."

Well, no, it's not. There were POWs who didn't cave in under questioning. McCain was called "Songbird" by some soldiers at the time.

So it's not like the question can't be raised. And since McCain stood by while Kerry was maligned, fuck McCain.

Re: Presidents to represent me

MoeLarryAndJesus — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:37:00 -0000

Matt quotes and writes and quotes and writes: ""Dumbya Bush spent most of his life drunk and in the private sector. How did he do when it came to the economy, chuckles?"

Pretty shitty, mostly because he doubled our national debt. Why, are you a fan of his economic policy?

"Not so well - the 1st "MBA president" pretty much crapped out."

Maybe reading isn't your thing, but I made no comments about his degree. I referred to the fact that two guys who have spent their lifetimes in government likely no little about economic issues affecting businesses, including banks. You've yet to show why this is an absurd position. Chuckles."

It's absurd because Dumbya Bush, who spent MOST OF HIS LIFE OUTSIDE OF GOVERNMENT, knew nothing about economic issues and still doesn't. There's no reason to think private sector experience confers great knowledge in that department, chuckles. And besides, Obama has a much more extensive record outside of government than McCain does. You could even look it up.

Who was your candidate? The hopelessly clueless Mitt Romney? Yikes.

Hey, if private sector experience is so valuable, why are all of these companies reduced to begging for bailouts? Your argument is crap.

Re: Presidents to represent me

JT (Chicago) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:34:54 -0000

Totally off the debate point but the phrase "a man's man" has come to mean something a bit different to me since the time a couple decades back when I wandered into a bar in NYC looking to watch a Bulls playoff game.

When I asked the bartender if they were going to show the game, he said no and suggested a bar down the street as he pointed to a sign which read: "If you're looking for a man's man, you've come to the right bar".

Rikyrah, with Sen. McCain stationed near Vietnam and then as a POW from '67 to '73, I wonder how much he really knows or understands the dynamics of Wallace campaign rallies for President in '64, '68 & '72. To me, if he were in the States at the time, he certainly would have understood Rep. Lewis's cautionary advice.

Re: Presidents to represent me

rikyrah — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:04:14 -0000

Coates,

Good job at blogging. You and Sullivan were very good.

Re: Presidents to represent me

sevmard — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:52:47 -0000

10:15 That eloquence attack is a nonstarter. It's a debate. You can't attack someone for being eloquent in a debate.

I just had to submit this as the quote of the night. Coetes killed it in the live blog. I was at a function and missed it, but he made me feel like i saw it.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Matt — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:31:22 -0000

Did you read the first link? Russia has less than 10% of the uranium. And until 2011 we put a crippling tariff on it, and then it is at most 20%. One of our closest allies, Australia, has 24% of all the world's uranium.

And you're wondering if today we import most of it from Russia?

Really? You're right though, you shouldn't respond to people you disagree with if you're not going to use your head.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with the fact that the only way to be energy independent (which I think Obama has now backed off of and is on the whole "not buying from certain countries" nonsense) in 10 years is via some already proven alternative energy sources, of which the most productive today is nuclear power.

Unless he's going to have the government pick winners and losers in the alternative energy scene and massively subsidize one or the other. Which works out for certain producers, but not so great for the country - see also: Ethanol.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Jonathan — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:23:57 -0000

"9:36 "Destroying the fabric of democracy!" Who knew ACORN was a herald of Galactus?!??"

To agree with an earlier poster - this was the line of the night from all the blogs I have read.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Zak — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:23:37 -0000

Must...fight...urge to...respond to...troll. I lose:

"Sorry, I thought it would be obvious that the US would not import 90% of its uranium from Russia"

GAH! We import 90% of our uranium. Period. That was the claim. A claim which is, in fact, correct:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/umar/summarytable1.html

Second claim: "Russia is our biggest supplier." I have no idea if this is true. But your second link says that Russia supplies or will soon supply 20% of the U.S. consumption. Common sense? Maybe not.

Re: Presidents to represent me

rikyrah — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:22:40 -0000

Haven't been stirring up racism. It's been presented to my face, watching those rallies.

I don't worry about Barack Obama, he's got the Secret Service.

I worry about that Black Soundman, who worked for one of the networks, who was called out his name by folks at one of those rallies. I wonder what would have happened to him if he hadn't of been with his colleagues. He could be my brother, cousin, father, nephew, uncle, father or grandfather.

There's little room for interpretation for

KILL HIM

TERRORIST

BOMB OBAMA

Bringing MONKEYS to RALLIES

Maybe in your world, there's room for interpretation. But, as a Black person, who actually knows American history, there's no room for interpretation.

Re: Presidents to represent me

Carrington Ward — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:21:08 -0000

Matt, fair questions:

"If Obama had promised that, please tell us how exactly he would achieve it? Do the barrells have the country of origin on them? Is he going to keep US refiners from buying them if so?"

What matters is not the country of origin but the destination of the dollars. The fact that Russia is in the position to bail out Iceland's debt and post a task force to Venezuela has everything to do with the strength of the global oil market.

We need to cut at the price of oil, and it is tragic that we failed to do so before the Russians bought their military back from the pawn shop. If offshore drilling can reshape the psychology of the oil markets -- as McCain claims -- so too can a serious commitment to wind, solar, and geothermal.