Debate!

Thanks, Michael,

I believe they got rid of Frank Luntz as the Post debate reviewer! WHY they wanted a Right winger doing it is beyond me!

Well they all look ready to go.

Hey Pamb

Is America ready for a black president? I believe that it is, just as I believe that it is ready for a woman president. We are now that much more likely to find the best candidate for the job.

Horsey

Hey dk! Hey marine.

America is ready for ANY President other than what we have had. If they have not learned from 8 years of Democratic leadership under Clinton, then the failure of 6 years of Bush, that a Democrat is the only way to get us out of this mess, they are merely the blind!

I think America is now way ready for a human president. The past seven years with the unborn living/living dead running things is enough!

Then the still their boot! - I like that line.

Not sure who watched the Cafferty report on the Situation room tonight, but in regard to his question "What did the Immigration Bill failure mean", one guy sent in "This bill that was brought forward, and defeated by Republicans, means that the Latino vote will all be going for Democrats next year!" I can only believe that is true, .

Anyone of these folks is so much better than the field of embalmed repo men that make up the Repelican slate.

Some day there will be a Native American up there.

fred thompson debating ghouliani:

heads up

sounds good marine.

Oh gawd, gregg, you are right. these are CLASS gentlemen, not the second rate candidates on the other side!

Education - a problem like most is do to economic standing.

gotta throw some popcorn in, and grab a drink.

brb.

whichever one of these folks that get the nod ( or if big al jumps in ) i am gonna phone bank till my fingers fall off.

the only interest the republicans have in public education is how to rip it off while dismantling it.

Imagine a day when a descendant of this lands original protector is once again able to lead all Americans in a direction that will improve their lives and their environment. That day, we will have done a great deal to put the holocaust that began the colonization of this land behind us for good.

How about president by committee, so we can have them all! You know no matter you gets elected; just look at the material here for a dynamite cabinet.

Edwards statment on HIV was good, complete and thought out.

IS anyone else have a lag on the thread?

The village mentality is what we are lacking as Americans. When we begin to look at one another as members of that same village who deserve to live lives that are as good as our own, then we will have the nation we desire. We will have a happy healthy community that works together to improve life.

Did Richardson just say that African Americans need "more needles?" Of course he means needle exchange programs...btu that is not what he said. THis is a major issue and would require changes in the law to allow free needle exchange programs.

Marine - HI.

Agree on the village statement - it is old and worn out.

Did Richardson just say that African Americans need "more needles?" Of course he means needle exchange programs...but that is not what he said. THis is a major issue and would require changes in the law to allow free needle exchange programs.

Hello dk2, and everyone else out there.

I agree, we are all tired of hearing about the village mentality, probably because we have yet to find a way to live it and stop talking about it. Sadly, Americans today live lives that are less equal than they ever have been in history.

The Clinton administration was uncertain about the size of a rebate to propose in 1999 and 2000. mainly, because of conflicting data coming from economic indicators. By the time it was evident that, yes, we need to loosen up our monetary policy a little and get a lkittle more money in the economy Mr. Clinton's term was over.

Mr. Bush came in talking down the economy and talking up his prized, and that's what they were prized, tax cuts and rebates. And, in George W. Bush's usual way he went way overboard.

Personally, I would relocate the men and women who lost their livelihoods as a result of levee failures. The land upon which they live was once a part of the wetlands and it will be reclaimed. Disasters of this nature have happened a number of times before, and will continue to happen, perhaps more often now that global warming is an issue.

There is a better life waiting for these people on a piece of land better suited to life. Certainly, our government should make this happen. The investment would certainly offer greater stability for all concerned.

I believe that we unnecessarily abuse this land and make our lives more difficult by attempting to live in places where the very nature of the land opposes us. This is just one example among many, which not only cost a substantial amount of money to maintain, but also ignore a frequent disruption of life that is never truly overcome.

I love ya, Hill, but here I am in your district in NY state, unemployment expired no employment. Where are those opportunities you just spoke about in NY?

I liked Edwards straight on - complete answers.

Marine on June 28, 2007 at 10:17 PM

Marine,

Exactly! Right on!

Ya KNOW I hate admitting this but HILLARY was better than any of them tonight and Dennis was also very good!

Gravel acted more like a horses butt than usual.

Hillary had a red face - I guess she was feeling the pressure. I thought her answers were old and tired.

So, how many of those who spoke of Darfur today do you think know that American influence was greatly responsible for what exists there? I bet that most do not understand how giving support to the wrong groups of people in surrounding areas led to that situation. Nor do they consider the removal of that support in proposing a solution.

The truth of the matter? The problems been brewing for some time and requires a collective effort from the surrounding area to resolve. We, and our allies throughout the world, can help correct this problem by supporting those who seek to improve the situation locally.

Will this be easy? No, there are business interests involved. And, contrary to what was said tonight, oil is one of them. Sudan is oil rich.

she got some serious audience reactions

the rest all were parroting each other..... boring

I'm no fan of hillary either

Dennis is always pretty intense - i like that

Marine - Edwards learned alot on his visit there- I think he gets it.

yes yes we KNOW you work for his campaign dk

I really liked Edwards', and Obama's responses. Hillary is going back to the future too much. We all crave for the fiscally responsible 90's in which her husband was a major player, but she needs to present that through her own insight to win me over. Whatever that means (win me over? woooo).

I heard a few good speakers tonight, but I'm looking for a good speaker. Some candidates were thoroughly rehearsed. I prefer a deep thinker.

This is the reality of politics today. Most candidates are going to appear to know their stuff, which is great, but it is more important that they demonstrate good decision making abilities.

Some offer answers that are more well thought out than others. I prefer these to those rehearsed because they demonstrate actual ability. This our president will surely require.

No Dawnie - I don't work for his campaign any more than any other volunteers do !

Dennis has gotten to know average Americans and their struggles up close and personal. No other candidate on that stage is likely to have spent as much in the trenches as he. His personality is reflection of that.

Posted by dk2 on June 28, 2007 at 10:40 PM

I just HOPE if he isn't chosen - you will STILL vote for a Democrat or will you take your toys and go home instead?

I am keeping my mind open to whomever gets the nod. Tonight for the first time Hillary impressed me. I felt it only fair to mention it as I've dissed her in the past.

Is he the one America will choose though? It doesn't appear likely, perhaps only because many make that decision based upon physical appearance and don't even realize it. This is actually a well known phenomena in modern day elections. It was less likely to influence the vote when candidates were less visible, due to the lack of television of course.

I really don't know why they keep letting Gravel waste time. At first he had some (a few) good ideas but now he spends half his time accusing ALL of the others of high crimes and almost treason like they are disgusting REPUBLICANS or something!

Makes me angry.

Charisma was one of the main reasons that JFK won in 1960. Also, charisma can take on ones ability to speak without being seen.

I could never figure out why anyone would give up there power to another based upon their charismatic authority. It does not make any logical sense, but it happens much. In fact, too much lately.

Maybe they all sound so rehearsed because they have answered the same questions a gazillion times? I'm not too sure what benefits we get from doing the same debate over and over.

Maybe we should choose just one issue for each event and ask the candidates to elaborate on the who, what, how, why, and when of their solution? I don't need facts and figures. I want to see strategy.

It's like someone said above. I want to see how their minds work. It isn't just thinking on their feet. It's understanding what is important to them and how they would proceed if given the power.

Posted by davidual on June 28, 2007 at 10:53 PM

I kept my expectations low tonight and only went for the possibility of being pleasantly impressed by any of them........ the only one to do that was Sen. Clinton. And I'm as surprised as the NEXT guy in saying it to, I tell ya! LOL It's kinda scary.

Posted by Dawnie on June 28, 2007 at 10:45 PM

Well - with such a childish question - Let me think for a moment!

Naaaaaaaaa on second thought - I'll just choose to ignore your antics!

ugh - too not to and I'm now going to hit the hay!

gnite all
Peace

GO DEMOCRATS!!

As a matter of fact a good example of charismatic authority is Jesus Christ. He sure did not have traditional, or rational-legal authority to justify the people giving up their power and trusting in him.

dk i hope that means that of course you'll be voting for the democrat as I was totally serious

we have people come in here all the time saying they will not vote if so and so is not the candidate........ that's all.

Posted by davidual on June 28, 2007 at 11:00 PM

um what EVA

gnite 2 u 2 davidual

It does help if the candidate seems comfortable. Kerry always seemed self-conscious. Not that we all don't at times. But it doesn't inspire confidence when you see that awkwardness time after time.

Hillary seems to be more at peace with herself. I think she is coming into her own. If she could just ditch the people that pull her back to Bill's past postitions. I know she has her own.

I can't shake the feeling that Edwards wants to win this for his wife. I know it isn't fair to say it. But I wonder if his heart can really be in this when he's so scared for her. I admire them both so much. Of all the candidates, he does the best on the stump...if you are looking for charisma.

I'm not sure if people are looking for it nowadays...charisma, I mean. We have had so many bad actors out their lying through their teeth. Perhaps the voters just want someone they feel they can depend on?

Look at Eisenhower in the 50's. Good speaker and professional repertoire, proven leadership abilities through his military career in WWII, and through the course of our history many generals came into the oval office as president, including the father of our country.

Therefore, President Eisenhower drew from each of the authority bases to obtain the peoples power and become president. Furthermore, THAT is still what people desire. That is one reason why I understand your passion for Wes Clark, Dawnie.

I'm turning in, too. Want to finish my book.

Good night, all. I think we will do well with any of these fine people.

Dawnie,

EVA? huh?

Charisma, that is exactly what I saw Hillary exhibiting, and she exhibitted it to a degree not elsewhere seen on that stage. She was also well rehearsed, more so than any other candidate, in my belief. These things, combined with her decision to keep outdated notions for the support it might bring her, trouble me.

It is likely that the repetition that facilitates her speaking ability also obstructs her decision making ability. In the Iraq matter, it most certainly had an effect. An effect that ensured that she would support that failed mission until a point long after most Americans had realized and acknowledged the mistake.

Marine,

Don't get me wrong there's nothing wrong with charisma. It's nothing more than putting on the air, but some will do it with trying, you know, naturally charismatic. That's good.

The thing that disturbs me, aside from the fact that they all have good well rehearsed ideas, they also all lack in the area of traditional and rational-legal authority to progress in to the top leader of the country.

That is a problem we've had for so long. And, because of this we get fooled into the charismatic card as being the most important. And, these Democrats are head and shoulders over the Republican candidates. Talk to me marine, help know that my concerns are unfounded!

It just so happens that I agree with you davidual. This nation is so familiar with the characters of fiction that come to them via T.V. every day, that they have become convinced that the same will make a good leader. Remember Bush's approval ratings rising substantially in the day's following the attacks of 9/11? It occurs just as Bush becomes charasmatic, something he had previously been incapable of.

The last thing that this nation needs is another trained speaker in the White House. What we do need is thinker. Anyone can rehearse the notes prepared for them, few can problem solve and lead effectively.

make a note that today four white men and an african american who benefited from affirmative action voted to bring back segregation and separate but not equal citizenship. we have a lot of work to do, we got a good start in 06 we need to keep moving in 08, 010, 012 and on and on...the future of the future is at stake.

Marine on June 28, 2007 at 11:34 PM

That's the purpose of all of the photo op's, and that's what I would like to avoid with the next Democratic administration. Leadership! That's the core value of any president. But even those these candidates have all read the polls and the pundits, I want them to tell me about their leadership skills. Aside from having money, or being able to amass money why do they think they are a better leader than the others? Where did they hone and/or develop their leadership capabilities?

I'm partly interested in what they have to say. I am mainly interested in what they have demonstrated. Plain and simple, I'm not going to support a candidate because he or she has something good to say. Those words are going to have to be backed up by actions.

I was impressed by Joe Biden tonight. He was on his game. But I have to agree with others, above, Dennis seems to have a lot of really good answers. It's a shame he's not 6'1" with wavy hair. There is no doubt that any one of these folks would be a good president. Selecting which ould be best is a quandry. Still keeping my options open.

And I believe that you are correct, davidual, when you speak of the lack of actual leadership ability in the presidential ranks these recent decades. Most have certainly leaned heavily upon the leaders below them rather than leading the way. This, of course, is supervision, not leadership.

Supervisors do the bidding of executives above them. The executives most active in this instance have certainly been those pushing the interests of American big business to the forefront. Americans themselves have paid the price.

Now we need a leader, an actual leader not a corporate puppet. We need someone who is going to get up and turn this nation around so that it once again a "land of opportunity for all".

The work never really ends, gregg!

marine,

All of these candidates need to look inward and search their inner selfs for that defining decisive event that told them that they are good leaders and then relay that feeling to the electorate. Leadership qualities do not necessarily come from military excursions. However, that is the most usually noted sense of leadership. How did they assume said leadership role? Why did the ones they lead give up their power to lead them? What was the outcome?

IMO post: We will never solve the problem of drugs until we come to grips with the idea that too many vested interests are involved. Thousands of jobs and careers at stake. All those millions of $$ the trafficers are making and using to buy guns and officials gets in the way of reform. Once we admit the problem, we'll be on the road to actually solving it. Not in my lifetime.

Have a good night everyone.

How did they assume said leadership role? Why did the ones they lead give up their power to lead them? What was the outcome?

Some of those candidates have clearly demonstrated poor decision making abilities. Even worse, some failed to do the research necessary to even begin making those decisions. Those made with regard to Iraq are excellent examples.

It is the process of decision making that will inform us most. If it is thorough and results in a relatively successful decision, then we can conclude that that candidate is likely to make educated decisions, and will not simply follow a trend. Quick decisions lacking in study and resulting in mixed results, will turn Americans off.

Okay, marine! You have a good night as well. AaronM, good morning, have fun with troll-face! I must get some sleep.

As for DennisK, why does height matter if you like his leadership qualities? We are supposed to be electing a mind, not an actor. IMHO

Good Night!

I certainly won't elect an individual who is marginally successful at decision making and excellent at BSing their way around those errors in judgement.

Good night.

Good Evening,

CNN - Interview with Gen C. Powell

I am struck with the notion that Gen. Powell is making similar points as I am but in a more diplomatic voice.

Solders won the war,
Bush administration lost the peace.

Good Night to All,

Please say the words,

Our solders won the wars!
Bush administration and the Republicans lost the peace!

Our solders won the war!
Bush and the Republicans lost the peace!

Our solders won the war!
Bush and the Republicans lost the peace!

Our solders won the war!
Bush and the Republicans lost the peace!

Our solders won the war!
Bush and the Republicans lost the peace!

Our solders won the war!
Bush and the Republicans lost the peace!

Our solders won the war!
Bush and the Republicans lost the peace!

good morning neighbors. michael we really appreciate you work for the dnc and specifically for this blog. it is a great gift to have you here as well as stephanie.

Good morning all of you good Dem's...I hope all of you have a great weekend!...keep up the good fight!

Good morning Gregg...what did you think of the debate?

well the repelicans are really on a roll...trying to overturn roe, bring back segregation, rape social security, squandering human life and money in iraq, refusing to face up to their responsibilities in protecting the environment, using the bill of rights as toilet paper, bringing religious fanatics in to run the justice department, rabid about illegal immigration but too inept to get anything done about it...08 must be looking a bit bleak to them..

hysterical yesterday to have bush lecturing the congress about how they need to come to together to get the people's work done....here we have the most divisive, manipulative, stubborn leader to come down the american pike in many decades...in the last months of his colossally failed tenure telling the congress they "just need to get along". this is like a football coach who was drunk at every game and practice and started all his own relatives and any kid whose parents brought him a case of old rot gut railing about the need for team spirit at half time of the last game of an 0-10 season.

Good morning, sleepy heads.

Kind of early for the US Troll, isn't it?

Here's what we know so far about that Siegelman / ROVE / Crooked DOJ "case".

Politicization of Dep't of "Justice"

morning goodfoe. i only watched parts of it but two things come to mind:

---the supreme court has been taken over by racists and now the republican party is going to pay for that abomination. good for the democratic candidates who made race and education big topics in their debate.

---any of our candidates is a hunderd times more credible than any of theirs.

No Wafer for Rudy
Giuliani campaigns as a Catholic, but he's on the outs with God
by Wayne Barrett
June 26th, 2007 5:24 PM

When Pope Benedict XVI attacked Catholic politicians in Mexico who supported abortion rights last month, Rudy Giuliani was asked for his opinion. The presidential candidate replied in the language of the church: "Issues like that are for me and my confessor. I'm a Catholic, and that's the way I resolve those issues, personally and privately."

Giuliani has invoked his Catholic heritage on Larry King; he's been described by The Washington Post as a "devout Catholic"; he's appeared on Fox News with the label "Catholic" floating on-screen; and he's handled a CNN debate question about a bishop who denounced him with a declaration unfamiliar to those who covered him as mayor. "I respect the opinion of Catholic and religious leaders of all kinds," he said. "Religion is very important to me. It's a very important part of my life."

The ex-mayor's newfound piety also includes a mantra about abortion that wasn't heard while he was in City Hall. "I hate abortion," he now says across America and, in a proposed 12-point plan, he declares that he's committed to decreasing the number of abortions. "I would encourage someone to not take that option," he says, though as a candidate for mayor he said he would pay for an abortion for his daughter. Today, he says it would be "OK to repeal" Roe v. Wade, though he hosted celebrations of its anniversary three times at City Hall. His wholesale reversal on Medicaid funding, late-term abortions, and parental consent are all part of a repackaging designed to soften not just his New York public record, but also the inconvenient details of his personal life.

Married three times, Giuliani simply isn't the Catholic candidate he claims to be...

Can you help an old altar boy? I'm a Cat-lick!

morning dpd.

bushwar:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Five U.S. soldiers were killed and seven others wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near their combat patrol in southern Baghdad, the U.S. military said Friday.

The patrol was also attacked on Thursday with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire after the explosion, the military said.

The number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq this month now stands at 98. The death toll for U.S. military personnel in the Iraq war totals 3,568. Seven civilian contractors working with the Pentagon also have been killed.

war of choice

good morning, everyone. sorry to say, I missed the debate last night. maybe I can link it online and listen in later today? if time permits, that is.

we got some much needed rain here. a small funnel came down in a nearby village. no serious injuries reported. (except buildings & property)

our steering committee for Z's campaign met last night. My month of July is booked! I've got places to go, people to talk with. I love to campaign and network with the democratic base. everyone has a purpose, ya know?!?

NEW THREAD GUYS AND GALS

Morning gregg, JohnBoy and DPD.

The thunderstorms missed us again last night. Just south about two miles there was quite a light show.

Good morning, gregg & Essie.

THERE IS A FRIDAY OPEN THREAD.

This is going to be a very divisive election for Democrats. When Obama is soundly thumped in the primaries his supporters are going to scream "RACISM!" and "I isn't gon suppote that otha mofo cause'n she be a racist mofo"

Posted by ZippyRhubarb on June 29, 2007 at 04:04 AM

sounds like cuyahoga co. talking. he might be right.
racism from me? if you call truth racist, that's the way it is. but then, we're not enlightened in these parts like all the rest of the progressive nation.

we have posters here say they won't vote if Clinton is the nominee, they will go 3rd party. (if you have the luck of having them certified to your ballot, that is) you'll get what you deserve then, good and hard.