HALPERIN’S TAKE: Things McCain Can Do to Try to Beat Obama That Clinton Cannot
(From Time Online)
by Mark Halperin

Nomination fights are tribal matters. There are certain lines candidates from the same party cannot cross when trying to win. In general election battles, there are fewer rules and constraints.

If Clinton is not able to come back and beat Obama, there will be a fair amount of (to borrow one of her phrases) coulda-shoulda-woulda on behalf of her campaign: things she could have done that she chose not to do -– or was not able to do.

The McCain campaign is staffed with savvy, experienced operatives who have closely watched the rise of Obama, and they have learned from Clinton’s failure to take down her Democratic rival.

Things McCain can do when running against Obama that Clinton has been unable to do well or at all:

1. Play the national security card without hesitation.

2. Talk about…

From Newsmax.com

The Real Barack Obama

Thursday, February 21, 2008 10:06 AM

By: Ronald Kessler

Michelle Obama’s comment that, for the first time in her adult life, she feels proud of America helps crystallize who Barack Obama is.

To be sure, the wife of a candidate is perfectly free to have views that are distinct from her husband’s. But on a matter that is so fundamental to one’s being as love of country, it is difficult to imagine that Michelle Obama would publicly twice make such a statement suggesting disdain for America unless she felt it comported with her husband’s views.

Equally important, her statement aligns perfectly with the hate-America views of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s minister, friend, and sounding board for more than two decades. On the Sunday following 9/11, Wright characterized the terrorist attacks as a consequence of violent American policies. Four years later, Wright…

Democrat or Republican? The question is shockingly easy Theo Caldwell, National Post ( Canada ) Wednesday, December 26, 2007 An obvious choice can be unnerving. When the apparent perfection of one option or the unspeakable awfulness of another makes a decision seem too easy, it is human nature to become suspicious.

This instinct intensifies as the stakes of the given choice are raised. American voters know no greater responsibility to their country and to the world than to select their president wisely. While we do not yet know who the Democrat and Republican nominees will be, any combination of the leading candidates from either party will make for the most obvious choice put to American voters in a generation. To wit, none of the Democrats has any business being president.

This pronouncement has less to do with any apparent perfection among the Republican candidates than with the…

If Fred wants to win the election, all he has to do is put this in constant rotation in Iowa and his victory would be guaranteed…or he would actually drop into last place. One or the other.

RON PAUL: He’s just terrible, even when — which is often, once he’s off the subject of the war — I agree with him. His voice is too high, he can’t remember who the Kurds are, and he often comes off like a crazy old man in a bus station.

But that’s good news, in a way. Paul’s doing better than anyone expected. It’s abundantly clear that he’s not doing it on charisma and rhetorical skill. Which means that libertarian ideas are actually appealing, since Ron Paul isn’t. Paul’s flaws as a vessel for those ideas prove the ideas’ appeal. If they sell with him as the pitchman, they must be really resonating. I suspect Paul himself would agree with this analysis. Er, except maybe the bus station part.

Another 100 years or so, and we ought to have a libertarian candidate win something.

HORTICULTURE JOURNALISM 101 — a gallery of

Still counting votes

Election officials in the Southern Tier and across New York State continue to count absentee ballots. And early numbers confirm a winner in the race for Elmira’s first district council seat.  I have to know though, how long does it take the board of elections to count 20 votes?

But, I am really happy with the results, Sue Skidmore is a real asset to Elmira.

www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16099751

I always think that 20% is fair and adequate tip in most cases, more for really good service. I hardly leave less, as often it is not the servers fault. Hillary, though, likes to uses a woman and then throw her away. You know, without even a tip. Maybe Hillary thought it was a tip to the woman jsut to get to talk to her?

Hillary is having a hard time with men, and now she is alienating working women. I guess she will have to rely on the illegal alien vote.

Reed Elected Mayor of Corning

If you live in the Crystal City you will have a new Mayor next year. Challenger Tom Reed has beat out incumbent Frank Coccho.

So he escaped the whole harassment charge thingy, but his wife was not ble to get him out of the voters dissatisfaction with him.  It is almost amusing.

electionresults1.pdf

And a fun time was had by all. I am very pleased that Sue Skidmore made it back on to the council, even if it was by a squeaker, I appreciate all the support iElmira Members showed her, and their votes cast for her were a deciding factor. This is also a great time to realize exactly how important each of your votes were, every single one of you.

There is a reason that overwhelmingly Economists don’t vote, they realize the aggregate of votes are not often affected by a single person, but this election proved them wrong. Damn, we did good!

I look forward to the next 4 years, it ought ot be a fun ride. How about you?

Polls opened at 6:00am I got there early, not wanting to have to fight the lines. I cast my many votes; we could have a ‘hanging chad’ kinda problem with the supreme court candidates, pick any three, but what rows, and did I choose the ones I wanted? I think so. I did have to take an extra minutes or two for the write in part, but now that i have done the write in thing, I think I will do it in upcoming elections. I don’t feel the need to vote for whoever the Republicans or Democrats are telling me to vote for. Turnout in NY is expected to be really low, the irony is that the typical voter is more likely to have an impact in a smaller election than in a larger one, but it’s the bigger…