Human Presidential Candidates

Workout notes 4000 yards; 500 in 8:47, 10 x 50 drill/swim (zoomers), 20 x 50 on the :50 (made them all; 16:37 final), 500 stroke, 5 x (100 paddle, 100 free) 17:02, 5 x 100 (25 fly, 75 free) on the 2 (1:48 each).

Crowded again; lots of dog paddlers; some good swimmers too, and me.

Local Politics IL-18 Democratic candidate Colleen Callahan spoke at the West Peoria Residents Association gathering and was followed by Jehan Gordon. On the whole, it was a bit of a silly exercise for me to attend as we have voted early.

Callahan answered a question about the estate tax and Gordon answered a question about vocational education.

2008 Presidential Race

The Candidates revealed their human side at the Alfred Smith Dinner last night. Both were very funny, especially to those who have followed the election closely. Enjoy!

John McCain

Barack Obama

More Final 2008 Debate fallout and Ugliness

How I felt about the latest debate and last McCain rally: Cenk Uygur of the Young Turks at the Smirking Chimp:

John McCain on Wednesday night delivered the worst performance in a debate I have ever seen. I would call it sad, even pathetic, but it was so bad that I feel guilty about pointing it out too forcefully.

McCain looked like an old boxer who had been in one too many fights. You wanted to pull him from the ring. The whole time I was thinking, “Who let him get into this fight?” Don’t you have a conscience? Throw the towel. Throw the towel! [...]

I almost want the election to be over now so that we can all stop sharing collectively in John McCain’s pain. Even though I’m not for McCain and I even think he has run a dishonorable campaign, I feel an embarrassed, empathetic sadness for him.

Yep, that pretty much nails how I felt watching the third debate and after last weekend’s McCain rally at Davenport.

Of course, we should write McCain’s obituary just yet; I got three e-mail messages from either the Obama campaign or Democratic organizations telling me that “this election is far from over” and “remember what happened in New Hampshire earlier this year.”

Final Results – – 36.4 39.0 16.9 4.6 Clinton +2.6
RCP Average 01/05 – 01/07 – 38.3 30.0 18.3 5.7 Obama +8.3
American Res. Group 01/06 – 01/07 600 LV 40 31 20 4 Obama +9.0
Suffolk/WHDH 01/06 – 01/07 500 LV 39 34 15 4 Obama +5.0
Rasmussen 01/05 – 01/07 1774 LV 37 30 19 8 Obama +7.0
ReutersC-Span/Zogby 01/05 – 01/07 862 LV 42 29 17 5 Obama +13.0
CBS News 01/05 – 01/06 323 LV 35 28 19 5 Obama +7.0
Rasmussen 01/05 – 01/06 1203 LV 38 28 18 8 Obama +10.0
Marist 01/05 – 01/06 636 LV 36 28 22 7 Obama +8.0
Suffolk/WHDH 01/05 – 01/06 500 LV 35 34 15 3 Obama +1.0
CNN/WMUR/UNH 01/05 – 01/06 599 LV 39 30 16 7 Obama +9.0

But then again, that was against Hillary Clinton and not John McCain. But the lesson is still well worth heeding.

The New York Times has an interesting take on how Obama makes his opposition look bad:

From Bill Clinton to John McCain, Senator Barack Obama has proved adept at driving very smart politicians out of their comfort zone, leading them to make comments or embrace tactics that end up backfiring. [...]

While Mr. Obama is known for giving stirring speeches before stadium-sized crowds, less recognized is his shrewd oratory against his opponents. He has been able to turn a relative weakness — his inexperience in government and politics — into a strength: Messrs. Clinton and McCain and their aides have held Mr. Obama in low regard at times, seeing him as an untested upstart, and so his easy-going manner and ongoing success have unsettled them that much more.

“Never let ‘em see you sweat: Barack Obama has mastered that concept, and it has thrown off political opponents for the past 20 months,” said William O’Reilly, a Republican political consultant in New York. “It prevented John McCain from knowing when he was scoring points last night. McCain needs to trust his instincts. Senator Obama will never look wounded, but that doesn’t mean he’s invulnerable.”

The Clintons came to believe that during the Democratic nomination fight, their advisers say, but it did not stop Mr. Clinton from lapsing into some undisciplined behavior.

John McCain Ad

Yeah, sure, whatever.

Here is the full “faux plumber” clip:

Obama handled this right wing nut job pretty well….(more that 250 grand in profit? Yeah, sure. )

More Hate From Republicans

From Right Wing Watch:

The latest newsletter by an Inland Republican women’s group depicts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama surrounded by a watermelon, ribs and a bucket of fried chicken, prompting outrage in political circles.

The October newsletter by the Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated says if Obama is elected his image will appear on food stamps — instead of dollar bills like other presidents. The statement is followed by an illustration of “Obama Bucks” — a phony $10 bill featuring Obama’s face on a donkey’s body, labeled “United States Food Stamps.”

The GOP newsletter, which was sent to about 200 members and associates of the group by e-mail and regular mail last week, is drawing harsh criticism from members of the political group, elected leaders, party officials and others as racist.