…RCP Average has McCain with an edge in FL

Anyway…
Regarding Obama’s “no opinion votes”… I think the link I provided explains what a “present” votes means in Illinois. I think that is what has to be explained to people.

Regarding Wright, you know my opinion is that it was Wright that said these things, not Obama. Do you know if every one of Wright’s sermons were just like the 45 seconds that everyone has seen? Do you really believe all of his sermons were like that? What has Obama done that makes you think he is of the same mindset as Wright’s 45 seconds of GD America?

Obama is someone that people are excited about BECAUSE he has not been in D.C. for a long time. Only the GOP are looking at Obama as too inexperienced. Most people looks at him as not spoiled by D.C. After 8 years of Bush people are looking at the candidate’s ideas.
You have Obama that is coming up with fresh ideas (relative to what we’ve seen in the last 8 years).
Then you have McCain, who I would have liked to be the Pres in 2000 when he truly was a “Maverick”, but now has tried becoming something else.

I would have considered voting for a McCain circa-2000. But McCain circa-2008 is now for the tax cuts, the endless war, torture, etc etc etc. He has turned to become MORE Conservative in order to draw in the GOP base and toe the GOP line… a line of which I personally feel has seriously hurt this country since the early 80s.

By no means to I think this election is a lock. I do feel optimistic when looking at the polling in the individual states. A generic nation-wide poll is useless. Individual state polls (especially when you look at trends) tells a completely different story.
Obama is leading in polls in PA, OH and FL. Obama is leading or virtually tied in states where that are historically “red”. States like NC, VA, IA, CO, NM and NV. Even in Alaska Obama is virtually tied.
So again… this is by no means a lock and it is still a long way to November.

If McCain remained being his “Maverick” self of the 2000 campaign, he would have a lot more independent and crossover Democrat voters behind him.

My argument with Wright all along has been that Obama has not adequately explained himself. Does he believe what Wright believes? Did he join the church for political purposes? What does it mean if you say you can’t disown Wright, then you do? I’d take the Hagee/Wright comparison any day of the week. The McCain camp should have vetted Hagee better, but no one really thinks McCain believes what Hagee believes; we don’t know about Obama and Wright.

I think the point that the article really shows is that Obama is an extremely talented politician that has marketed himself as new and different, but really isn’t. That people on both side of the isle should open their eyes and do their homework on a candidate and not just become enamored by an excellent speaker.

BTW - I’m hoping Obama supporters think this election is a lock, because its a lot closer than anyone expected; and McCain does great when he’s the underdog.

(Don’t why you had trouble posting the comment.)

LOL!!!! You are talking about OBAMA flip-flopping????

But Fast Eddie Obama voted “present” nearly 130 times.
———–
— A little research would show that…

Unlike Congress and the legislatures of most other states, each chamber of the Illinois Legislature requires a ”constitutional majority” to pass a bill. The state Senate has 59 members, so it takes 30 affirmative votes. This makes a ”present” vote the same as a no. If a bill receives 29 votes, but the rest of the senators vote ”present,” it fails.
In the Illinois Senate, there can be strategic reasons for voting ”present” rather than simply no. A member might approve the intent of legislation, but not its scope or the way it has been drafted. A ”present” vote can send a signal to a bill’s sponsors that the legislator might support an amended version. Voting ”present” can also be a way to exercise fiscal restraint, without opposing the subject of the bill.

Fast Eddie Obama threw Wright under the truck.
———–
— Isn’t that what you people were begging him to do? I guess you can call McCain “Fast Johnny” for courting the Hagee endorsement, then renouncing it two months later.

Dr. Barack could have been a workhorse senator. But primary candidates don’t do tough votes, so Fast Eddie Obama threw the workhorse duties under the truck.
———–
— What the hell is he talking about?

But favored candidates don’t go in for unscripted free-range conversations. Fast Eddie Obama threw the new-politics mantra under the truck.
———–
— McCain wanted 13 of these debates. How unrealistic is that??? 13 in a 4 month period. People were getting tired of the 20+ that the Democrats had during the primary. Why did McCain turn down Obama’s counter-proposal to 5 debates? That would be the most in the modern-presidential era.

And then on Thursday, Fast Eddie Obama had his finest hour. Barack Obama has worked on political reform more than any other issue….
———–
— What is more important? Getting over 1.5 million individual donors giving an average of $100 or take public financing? Is it sour grapes that McCain doesn’t have that kind of support? If this was the other way around, what would be your response? McCain got the best deal he could with public funds. He wasn’t going to raise that kind of money on his own.
By the way… didn’t McCain violate his own bill in using the promise of public funds to secure a loan?

See my post in the ’Change’ Defined thread about the two McCains.

Republicans really should try making Obama about “changing” and flip flopping. They really should. The comparison of the two would be excellent.

LOL!!!! You are talking about OBAMA flip-flopping????

But Fast Eddie Obama voted “present” nearly 130 times.
———–
— A little research would show that…

Unlike Congress and the legislatures of most other states, each chamber of the Illinois Legislature requires a ”constitutional majority” to pass a bill. The state Senate has 59 members, so it takes 30 affirmative votes. This makes a ”present” vote the same as a no. If a bill receives 29 votes, but the rest of the senators vote ”present,” it fails.
In the Illinois Senate, there can be strategic reasons for voting ”present” rather than simply no. A member might approve the intent of legislation, but not its scope or the way it has been drafted. A ”present” vote can send a signal to a bill’s sponsors that the legislator might support an amended version. Voting ”present” can also be a way to exercise fiscal restraint, without opposing the subject of the bill.

Fast Eddie Obama threw Wright under the truck.
———–
— Isn’t that what you people were begging him to do? I guess you can call McCain “Fast Johnny” for courting the Hagee endorsement, then renouncing it two months later.

Dr. Barack could have been a workhorse senator. But primary candidates don’t do tough votes, so Fast Eddie Obama threw the workhorse duties under the truck.
———–
— What the hell is he talking about?

But favored candidates don’t go in for unscripted free-range conversations. Fast Eddie Obama threw the new-politics mantra under the truck.
———–
— McCain wanted 13 of these debates. How unrealistic is that??? 13 in a 4 month period. People were getting tired of the 20+ that the Democrats had during the primary. Why did McCain turn down Obama’s counter-proposal to 5 debates? That would be the most in the modern-presidential era.

And then on Thursday, Fast Eddie Obama had his finest hour. Barack Obama has worked on political reform more than any other issue….
———–
— What is more important? Getting over 1.5 million individual donors giving an average of $100 or take public financing? Is it sour grapes that McCain doesn’t have that kind of support? If this was the other way around, what would be your response? McCain got the best deal he could with public funds. He wasn’t going to raise that kind of money on his own.
By the way… didn’t McCain violate his own bill in using the promise of public funds to secure a loan?

See my post in the ’Change’ Defined thread about the two McCains.

Republicans really should try making Obama about “changing” and flip flopping. They really should. The comparison of the two would be excellent.

But Fast Eddie Obama voted “present” nearly 130 times.
— A little research would show that…

Unlike Congress and the legislatures of most other states, each chamber of the Illinois Legislature requires a ”constitutional majority” to pass a bill. The state Senate has 59 members, so it takes 30 affirmative votes. This makes a ”present” vote the same as a no. If a bill receives 29 votes, but the rest of the senators vote ”present,” it fails.
In the Illinois Senate, there can be strategic reasons for voting ”present” rather than simply no. A member might approve the intent of legislation, but not its scope or the way it has been drafted. A ”present” vote can send a signal to a bill’s sponsors that the legislator might support an amended version. Voting ”present” can also be a way to exercise fiscal restraint, without opposing the subject of the bill.

Fast Eddie Obama threw Wright under the truck.
— Isn’t that what you people were begging him to do? I guess you can call McCain “Fast Johnny” for courting the Hagee endorsement, then renouncing it two months later.

Dr. Barack could have been a workhorse senator. But primary candidates don’t do tough votes, so Fast Eddie Obama threw the workhorse duties under the truck.
— What the hell is he talking about?

But favored candidates don’t go in for unscripted free-range conversations. Fast Eddie Obama threw the new-politics mantra under the truck.
— McCain wanted 13 of these debates. How unrealistic is that??? 13 in a 4 month period. People were getting tired of the 20+ that the Democrats had during the primary. Why did McCain turn down Obama’s counter-proposal to 5 debates? That would be the most in the modern-presidential era.

And then on Thursday, Fast Eddie Obama had his finest hour. Barack Obama has worked on political reform more than any other issue….
— What is more important? Getting over 1.5 million individual donors giving an average of $100 or take public financing? Is it sour grapes that McCain doesn’t have that kind of support? If this was the other way around, what would be your response? McCain got the best deal he could with public funds. He wasn’t going to raise that kind of money on his own.
By the way… didn’t McCain violate his own bill in using the promise of public funds to secure a loan?

See my post in the ’Change’ Defined thread about the two McCains.

Republicans really should try making Obama about “changing” and flip flopping. They really should. The comparison of the two would be excellent.