David Corn

I was listening to a local radio show this morning out of Anderson, SC.

Usually right-leaning, but somewhat sensible, today they allowed some yahoo in Montana to carry on for 20 minutes, comparing the excitement and hopefulness of the crowds that Obama inspires to the adulation of Adolf Hitler in the 1930's.

Then the same guy went on to say that driving more slowly and sensibly, and in more efficient cars doesn't do anything for the consumer, since the US addiction to its daily Islamofacist petro-fix is gonna be second to China's in 10 years.

This stadium scene will certainly give HIM his jollies!

I, personally, would advise an "OK, I'm the nominee, now let's roll up our sleeves and get to work!" acceptance speech than some stadium spectacle, but nobody's asking for my input, lately.

-T

I hope there is a bigger more important acceptance speech - the idea that "Obama will win" as a given could breed complacency and that could be trouble.

I hope for the best and the numbers look good and all but if we want Barack to win we better be ready to do all we can and take nothing for granted.

Wow! It will be a mighty media spectacle!

That's one thing America still does better than other people on the planet... (carbon footprint anybody?)....

Just think of the parking! And the gigawatts of lighting! And the security!!!

Anyway, I too hope for a speech with substance. Lay down some specific markers for real change.

I dream of a clear mandate. Voting for Obama should mean creating specific political capital for specfic platform planks!

Just saying, "go to my website to read the specifics..." is a tragic strategic error that will cripple his Presidency.

Particulary: making sure voters understand they're committing themselves to the painful personal sacrifices that will be required for real change... like the increased taxes it will take for rebuilding public infrastructure, repairing the public social welfare safety net, paying the enormous costs that will continue in Iraq and Afghanistan... (and the debt already accumulated)...

...the mandatory premiums required of all for universal health care...

The Bush tax cuts and the wars have all been paid for with borrowed money. Just "rolling back" those items will not create a single dime of new discretionary revenue....

Do you think he'll take a chance and say "a vote for me is a vote to slash that ultimate bloated and corrupt cash cow of a defense budget!"

Above all, will he mention the requirement to reign in our outlandish energy-intensive consumer culture... (Seen Wall E yet?)

How about this? Will he explain that "working" itself.... i.e. the pursuit of personal wealth (for many, the "pursuit of happiness").... itself involves tremendous energy-consumption?

The irony is that more super-low-consuming folks sitting around and "living off welfare," might actually be what's required to save our atmosphere...

....

But then, Obama, in his own words, is a "blank screen" upon which we can all "project our own ideas" ...including me.

How about this for something that could make a difference; instead of telling us what they think we want to hear, maybe they could actually listen to what we are saying. Obama should have at a minimum 100 people scanning the blogoshere, if not his own blog with 500 people analysing our input.

Any one can talk to 70,000 people, even 70 million people, but if your single voice falls on deaf ears it means nothing.

20 trillion dollars have been spent in 8 years to set us in this negative direction. Simply add up the defense spending, deficits spending and trade deficits and factor in the devaluation of the dollar.

One man cannot have the answers, so maybe they ought to start listening.

"What's John McCain going to do to match all this? "

Stand in front of a green screen with about 200 senior citizens and he will say "My friennnndsh" a bunch?

Wadda ya expect?

lol

Obama has raised the bar so high that McCain has no options. He could not fill a stadium. And even if he tried it would be seen as a pathetic "me too" attempt.

I am going on record as predicting that because of harsh comparisons to the Democratic convention the week before, McCain will be the first candidate to get a negative convention bounce. What is the opposite of a bounce anyway?

Geof01,

About 20,000 individual people signed up to a group on Obama's own website to protest his stance on the pending FISA...uhm...unhancements.

While he failed to change his stance, he DID address the questions and concerns directly to supporters.

While not all were persueded by his explanation, most were at least satisfied that the message had been heard.

It bears mentioning that the opposition was organized on HIS presidential campaign website, on HIS dime, and without the campaign's censorship or interference!

Now THAT's something I thought I'd never see! It was refreshing, to say the least.

-T

Diff --- If China's 'carbon footprint' isn't already bigger than America's already, it shortly will be.

:-(

Hajji,

Rush says that only about 10% of listeners get riled up enough about an issue to actually call the show. That is why he doesn't take as many callers as opposed to shows like Hannity and others. If you apply those numbers to those who signed the petition, then you know a lot more were concerned about his stance on FISA but not concerned enough to take action. I think that is why it needed to be addressed. He knew there were a lot more out there who were not outraged but enough out there to know that combined with some other potential issues, could become problematic,

I find it funny that McCain is having problems raising money. Hey John! It is called McCain-Feingold and you now are not reaping the benefits of own incompetence. I thought Bush initially signed the bill as a hand shake to McCain for the 2000 election, but now it may have been Bush's biggest ass kicking he ever gave to McCain.

After all it was John McCain who stated, in defense of this legislation, that we are all corrupted by the money in politics. We are all corrupt. Back then he was a maverick and the MSM was behind him because he was against Bush. If the MSM wer doing their real job, they would have called for his resignation because he openly admitted that he was corrupt. There is an ad Obama should run relentlessly!

McCain on Big Money Influence: "It Taints Me"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r-kOIs-W6E

Ty,

Back at Channel 13, in the TV land daze and before e-mail was common, we used to figure each viewer letter to the station was equal to 1,000 viewers, even in the Tri-State.

Of course, because of its location and the distance to Lexington, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Winston-Salem, etc., it was STILL considered one of the Top 50 Television markets in the country, at the time, or so I was told.

-T

TV 13 was the biggest in this area because it was the only news channel that would cover the tri state area. Actually still is. If not for 13, you were relegated to watching news from Lexington, Charleston, Columbus or Cincinnati.

I'm thinking the other way. If US has to pull out that puts McCain and Obama in the same position. Call me crazy, but there could be a silver lining here for McCain.