Showing posts with label biden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biden. Show all posts
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
Biden Says Get Yourself a Shotgun
Are you looking into buying an assault weapon for protection after a devastating natural disaster (or the coming Zombie Apocalypse) plunges society into deadly anarchy? You’ve got it all wrong, Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday: Get yourself a shotgun.Does that sound reasonable to you? A shotgun would be easier to aim and fire effectively, wouldn't it?
Biden, doing a Google+ “hangout” to promote President Barack Obama’s proposals for battling gun violence, had been asked whether a new assault weapons ban might infringe on the Second Amendment rights of those who want one “as a last line of defense” to fend off looters after “some terrible natural disaster.”“Guess what? A shotgun will keep you a lot safer, a double-barreled shotgun, than the assault weapon in somebody’s hands [who] doesn’t know how to use it, even one who does know how to use it,” the outspoken vice president, a shotgun owner himself, replied. “It’s harder to use an assault weapon to hit something than it is a shotgun. You want to keep people away in an earthquake? Buy some shotgun shells.”
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Old Double Standard - Revised and Edited
When posting this one last week, I had misread the original article I'd linked to. I thought Sarah Palin had made the quotes herself, but Graham was very clear. His point was that she is guilty be association with Joe Vogler, Founder of The Alaska Independence Party, who really did say them.
I'm absolutely embarrassed about this, but at least now I understand what you commenters were talking about.
I'd like to extend my sincerest apologies to Sarah Palin, first of all, and to anyone else who noticed and minded. Even though I want this to be entertainment and not journalism, what I wrote was unacceptable and won't require all that much research to avoid in the future.
*********************************************
On the wonderfully informative site called The Cognoscenti, Graham asks a very pointed question.
Why does Sarah Palin get a free pass?
This question is in reference to her membership in the Alaska Independence Party. I've read about this here and there, but frankly didn't pay much attention. But, while reading what Graham has to say about it, I realized there's a major double standard going on. Imagine if Obama had selected a VP running mate who had said the un-American things Sarah Palin has said? (here's where I went wrong) Do you think the Republican mud-slingers would have been so quiet about it? Examples:
"I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."
"And I won’t be buried under their damn flag. I’ll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home.”
I'll answer my own question. If Joe Biden had ever said things like that, we would have been bombarded with it like there's no tomorrow. Look at what they've done with the Ayers business, the desperate, straw-clutching Republicans. The explanation is obvious. Obama must have instructed his advisors to try, as much as is possible in a presidential campaign, to maintain some dignity, to not stoop to using every low blow they could. And the reason for that is also obvious. He could afford to do it. He's the better candidate. People are ready for a change.
What do you think?
I'm absolutely embarrassed about this, but at least now I understand what you commenters were talking about.
I'd like to extend my sincerest apologies to Sarah Palin, first of all, and to anyone else who noticed and minded. Even though I want this to be entertainment and not journalism, what I wrote was unacceptable and won't require all that much research to avoid in the future.
*********************************************
On the wonderfully informative site called The Cognoscenti, Graham asks a very pointed question.
Why does Sarah Palin get a free pass?
This question is in reference to her membership in the Alaska Independence Party. I've read about this here and there, but frankly didn't pay much attention. But, while reading what Graham has to say about it, I realized there's a major double standard going on. Imagine if Obama had selected a VP running mate who had said the un-American things Sarah Palin has said? (here's where I went wrong) Do you think the Republican mud-slingers would have been so quiet about it? Examples:
"I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."
"And I won’t be buried under their damn flag. I’ll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home.”
I'll answer my own question. If Joe Biden had ever said things like that, we would have been bombarded with it like there's no tomorrow. Look at what they've done with the Ayers business, the desperate, straw-clutching Republicans. The explanation is obvious. Obama must have instructed his advisors to try, as much as is possible in a presidential campaign, to maintain some dignity, to not stoop to using every low blow they could. And the reason for that is also obvious. He could afford to do it. He's the better candidate. People are ready for a change.
What do you think?
Friday, October 10, 2008
The Old Double Standard
On the wonderfully informative site called The Cognoscenti, Graham asks a very pointed question.
Why does Sarah Palin get a free pass?
This question is in reference to her membership in the Alaska Independence Party. I've read about this here and there, but frankly didn't pay much attention. But, while reading what Graham has to say about it, I realized there's a major double standard going on. Imagine if Obama had selected a VP running mate who had said the un-American things Sarah Palin has said? Do you think the Republican mud-slingers would have been so quite about it? Examples:
"I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."
"And I won’t be buried under their damn flag. I’ll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home.”
I'll answer my own question. If Joe Biden had ever said things like that, we would have been bombarded with it like there's no tomorrow. Look at what they've done with the Ayers business, the desperate, straw-clutching Republicans.
The explanation is obvious. Obama must have instructed his advisors to try, as much as is possible in a presidential campaign, to maintain some dignity, to not stoop to using every low blow they could. And the reason for that is also obvious. He could afford to do it. He's the better candidate. People are ready for a change.
What do you think?
Why does Sarah Palin get a free pass?
This question is in reference to her membership in the Alaska Independence Party. I've read about this here and there, but frankly didn't pay much attention. But, while reading what Graham has to say about it, I realized there's a major double standard going on. Imagine if Obama had selected a VP running mate who had said the un-American things Sarah Palin has said? Do you think the Republican mud-slingers would have been so quite about it? Examples:
"I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."
"And I won’t be buried under their damn flag. I’ll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home.”
I'll answer my own question. If Joe Biden had ever said things like that, we would have been bombarded with it like there's no tomorrow. Look at what they've done with the Ayers business, the desperate, straw-clutching Republicans.
The explanation is obvious. Obama must have instructed his advisors to try, as much as is possible in a presidential campaign, to maintain some dignity, to not stoop to using every low blow they could. And the reason for that is also obvious. He could afford to do it. He's the better candidate. People are ready for a change.
What do you think?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
More on the VP Debate
Robert Parry over at The Smirking Chimp has a wonderful post, Neocon Desperation is Showing, about the VP debate. Without doubt, it is the most incisive and informative article I've read about the debate. He basically refutes the spin which Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard wrote in his article entitled “Comeback.”
Of course, it would have been quite a feat to positively spin the following Palin gem:
“Nuclear weaponry, of course, would be the be-all, end-all of just too many people in too many parts of our planet, so those dangerous regimes, again, cannot be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, period. Our nuclear weaponry here in the U.S. is used as a deterrent. And that's a safe, stable way to use nuclear weaponry..."
It must have had them rolling in the aisles, not only her mispronouncing the word nuclear four times but with that ridiculous "be-all, end-all" expression.
Parry again:
Palin’s “shout-out” to some Alaska school kids and other folksy chatter might have charmed some casual voters, but Palin’s casual style – masking a shallowness of knowledge – might have been unnerving to many other Americans who are in the mood for some gravitas.
What do you think? Can you really imagine this small-town personage actually performing the role of the Vice President?
Of course, it would have been quite a feat to positively spin the following Palin gem:
“Nuclear weaponry, of course, would be the be-all, end-all of just too many people in too many parts of our planet, so those dangerous regimes, again, cannot be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, period. Our nuclear weaponry here in the U.S. is used as a deterrent. And that's a safe, stable way to use nuclear weaponry..."
It must have had them rolling in the aisles, not only her mispronouncing the word nuclear four times but with that ridiculous "be-all, end-all" expression.
Parry again:
Palin’s “shout-out” to some Alaska school kids and other folksy chatter might have charmed some casual voters, but Palin’s casual style – masking a shallowness of knowledge – might have been unnerving to many other Americans who are in the mood for some gravitas.
What do you think? Can you really imagine this small-town personage actually performing the role of the Vice President?
Sunday, October 5, 2008
The VP Debate
I wasn't able to watch or read much news this weekend, but judging by Digby's post, Take Me Out To the Ballgame, at Hullabaloo they must have been mixing up the sports metaphors.
After the Republicans successfully worked the refs and lowered the bar, last Thursday Sarah W Palin was in her wheelhouse and kept her eye on the ball. While she didn't hit it out of the park, she proved that she could take a punch and serve an ace when it counted. Biden meanwhile, showed that he's a team player right out of the gate by avoiding time in the penalty box and probably won on points. But with her humor, personality and confidence, Palin hit the trifecta.
The question for Tuesday is whether McCain will throw another hail mary or if Obama will fall on the ball and run out the clock. The one thing he needs to avoid is dancing in the endzone or spiking the ball before the final score is on the board. He needs to keep his eye on the ball. McCain, on the other hand, is behind on points, so he needs to strike out the side, get the ball over the plate and score a knockout.
Who do you think is winning? Did the VP debate make much difference? Will Tuesday's debate between Obama and McCain?
After the Republicans successfully worked the refs and lowered the bar, last Thursday Sarah W Palin was in her wheelhouse and kept her eye on the ball. While she didn't hit it out of the park, she proved that she could take a punch and serve an ace when it counted. Biden meanwhile, showed that he's a team player right out of the gate by avoiding time in the penalty box and probably won on points. But with her humor, personality and confidence, Palin hit the trifecta.
The question for Tuesday is whether McCain will throw another hail mary or if Obama will fall on the ball and run out the clock. The one thing he needs to avoid is dancing in the endzone or spiking the ball before the final score is on the board. He needs to keep his eye on the ball. McCain, on the other hand, is behind on points, so he needs to strike out the side, get the ball over the plate and score a knockout.
Who do you think is winning? Did the VP debate make much difference? Will Tuesday's debate between Obama and McCain?
Sunday, August 24, 2008
McCain vs. Obama/Biden
Thanks to Real Clear Politics for the stats below. It's certainly clear that Obama's lead has shrunk since a little over a month ago when I last published the RCP stats.
What I'm curious to see is what effect the selection of Joe Biden will have. Naturally the opinions of experts are mixed. Reid Wilson wrote a nice piece yesterday entitled, "Why Biden is the Perfect Pick."
Clearly, Biden's experience in Washington ensures that he cannot adopt the same outsider mantle Obama owns. But Obama's brand, like McCain's, is so strong on its own that it doesn't need to be augmented by further change. Instead, Obama had weaknesses and gaps to fill, and he chose a candidate who did just that.
CNN reports that in his first public appearance with Obama in Springfield, Senator Biden launched into an attack of McCain, a fairly predictable one I might add.
Election 2008 | Obama | McCain | Spread |
| RCP National Average | 45.0 | 43.4 | Obama +1.6 |
| Favorable Ratings | +18.3 | +16.2 | Obama +2.1 |
| Intrade Market Odds | 62.1 | 36.6 | - |
| Electoral College | Obama | McCain | Toss Ups |
| RCP Electoral Count | 228 | 174 | 136 |
| No Toss Up States | 264 | 274 | - |
| Battleground States | Obama | McCain | Spread |
| Ohio | 44.7 | 45.7 | McCain +1.0 |
| Michigan | 46.0 | 42.0 | Obama +4.0 |
| Minnesota | 47.5 | 43.0 | Obama +4.5 |
| Colorado | 45.3 | 45.8 | McCain +0.5 |
| Virginia | 45.7 | 46.3 | McCain +0.6 |
| Florida | 44.8 | 47.4 | McCain +2.6 |
What I'm curious to see is what effect the selection of Joe Biden will have. Naturally the opinions of experts are mixed. Reid Wilson wrote a nice piece yesterday entitled, "Why Biden is the Perfect Pick."
Clearly, Biden's experience in Washington ensures that he cannot adopt the same outsider mantle Obama owns. But Obama's brand, like McCain's, is so strong on its own that it doesn't need to be augmented by further change. Instead, Obama had weaknesses and gaps to fill, and he chose a candidate who did just that.
CNN reports that in his first public appearance with Obama in Springfield, Senator Biden launched into an attack of McCain, a fairly predictable one I might add.
"John McCain ... served our country with extreme courage, and I know he wants to do right by America," he said of his Senate colleague and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. "But the harsh truth is loud and clear: You can't change America when you supported George Bush's policies 95 percent of the time."
He also seized on a McCain comment from this week when he could not remember how many houses he owns and said McCain was out of touch with the "kitchen-table" issues that working families face.
I'm hoping that the stats produced by Real Clear Politics do not indicate an inexorable slide in Obama's formidable lead. And if they do, that the naming of Senator Joe Biden will mark a rejuvenation of what has been so far a very impressive campaign.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Barack Obama's Running Mate
The anticipation surrounding the choice of running mate has been incredible. The latest headline on CNN today is just that: more anticipation.
Most of this week's buzz has been around Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine.
If Obama decided to shock everybody and name Hillary Clinton, he'd recoup many, many votes which would otherwise be lost. Supposedly, millions of hard-core Hillary supporters won't vote for Obama unless she's on the ticket.
Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia would bring his important state along for the Obama ride to the White House.
Kaine also said he thinks that if Obama can take Virginia -- which hasn't voted for a Democratic president in 44 years -- then the senator from Illinois would win the White House.
I wondered if in addition to the understandable indecision associated with a choice like this, there isn't some theatrics involved. These last days it seems like this has been dragged out purposely, as if there were some benefit to prolonging the agony. Maybe the high-powered advisors behind the scenes have been masterfully manipulating the entire campaign in order to maximize voter interest. That wouldn't be such a bad thing.
What do you think?
UPDATE
CNN's Political Ticker Blog is really trying to increase the suspense.
Still no names, but man is it getting hot in this kitchen.
THE BIG UPDATE
It's Biden.
Most of this week's buzz has been around Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine.
If Obama decided to shock everybody and name Hillary Clinton, he'd recoup many, many votes which would otherwise be lost. Supposedly, millions of hard-core Hillary supporters won't vote for Obama unless she's on the ticket.
Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia would bring his important state along for the Obama ride to the White House.
Kaine also said he thinks that if Obama can take Virginia -- which hasn't voted for a Democratic president in 44 years -- then the senator from Illinois would win the White House.
I wondered if in addition to the understandable indecision associated with a choice like this, there isn't some theatrics involved. These last days it seems like this has been dragged out purposely, as if there were some benefit to prolonging the agony. Maybe the high-powered advisors behind the scenes have been masterfully manipulating the entire campaign in order to maximize voter interest. That wouldn't be such a bad thing.
What do you think?
UPDATE
CNN's Political Ticker Blog is really trying to increase the suspense.
Still no names, but man is it getting hot in this kitchen.
THE BIG UPDATE
It's Biden.
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