Bouncing along

Verity

The Vice Presidential debate is less than a month away ...

Murray

Again, I have to ask (respectfully?) have you ever covered an American election? Have you swallowed the MSM story line so completely that you are surprised the Republicans are up now? I am 41, have witnessed 8 elections, and I have been predicting that the Republicans would take the lead for good after the conventions. Here we go, one more time in case you missed it, the U.S. is a center right country, the Democrats keep moving further left. If Ross Perot had not run in 92 and 96, the Dems would now be looking at a 28 year losing streak. Sorry for the condescension, but come on now!

Gil

'A McCain-Palin victory would still count as a huge upset'

To whom James? To commentators who had buried McCain before he had announced his running mate? To those who forgot 'events, dear boy events' or 'a week is a long time in politics'?
Or perhaps you mean upset as in 'sad' rather than 'surprised'.

Hereford

Excitement? In politics? A close race between parties with clear differences in style, opinion and method?

WONDERFUL!

Maybe its time for Dave and George to create some clear difference between themselves and the Trots.

Announce a small government programme. Reduction in taxes, cut the Civil Service by 20-30% (nobody will notice) and can the public sector pensions would be a good start.

Ian C

I said on Americano at the end of the primaries that if Obama did not go into the Convention with a 'high teens lead at least' he would lose.

The tax and spend nature of the patrician Democrats was always going to be against them in the home straight. The reasoning is the same as that given by Murray above and by Gil.

The Americans will always want someone who is like them to lead them - even if they are a bit old and/or women or a little right of centre but basically identifiable with.

The Dems. have not produced any one 'like them' since being taken in by Carter. They were given a choice of left of centre and very left of centre in the primaries and they went for the very left option. He then chose another almost as left V-P running mate and is said to be taken aback that they are now behind in the polls.

It is not a surprise to some but we are still holding our breath and hoping that this analysis is correct.

Kenneth Hesketh

James Bennett in todays'Telagraph is a serious "must read". It lays out very clearly why McCain had the sense to choose her as his prospective VP.

JONNY

My nightmare scenario.
Not mine alone either.
McCain wins but has a cardiac after 3 months.
Meanwhile there's starting to blow up a whopper of a world crisis out of those fissionable materials - Iran/Pakistan/Russia/Israel/Georgia/ Ukraine/USA. Most knife-edge doomwatch since the Cuban Missile.
Boy it needs exquisite judgement and sensitive handling this one - like detonating a time bomb.
But thank goodness we're not saddled with Jack Kennedy with his elitest Harvard brain, deep Washington insider knowledge of Europe, Russia and the world. And a certain arrogant philosophic cool based on Kennedy privilege.
I say. Thank the Lord we'll now have Sarah Palin with her pump-gun fingers on the nuclear button. A lady who can second- guess Putin any day of the week (a man I think who will not be pushed around).
And Lord I'm not afraid.
I'm high on valium.

Familiar Clown

The Telegraph website has a picture of the 'Sarah Palin action-hero doll' selling for $27.95. Apparently there are two versions: the above, and the 'Executive'. Ms pantsuit is nowhere! How cute is that?!

Ted Tedford

JONNY: Kennedy's "deep Washington insider knowledge of Europe"?

Reagan's understanding of the Soviet Union was miles more astute than the CIA - surely the perfect 'deep insider Washington view of Europe' - and in 1989, while they assessed that the Soviet Union was here to stay, and accommodation was inevitable, they also rated East Germany as the world's 9th-largest economy.

Mark

I cant believe how blind the american people are, countrys economy is in ruins, fighting wars through lies and deception from its leaders but it looks like yet again they will vote the republican party back with a bloke as a president that looks half dead and is just another bish war monger, and palin becuase shes got a skirt and lipstick people seem to forget the last 8 years.

Just goes to show you ignorant the people are there in the states or should i say blind!!

what an absolute joke if mccain/palin win!! World war 3 will be a sure bet on that ticket.

Conservative Cabbie

If you take into account the latest statewide polls, Obama wins by 8 ecv. However if Colorado (Obama up by 2) switches to McCain and Florida (Currently tied) goes McCain, both sides end up on 269 votes. I understand that if this happens the presidential choice is supposed to go to the House of Representatives. Can anyone confirm this? Would it be a straight up vote or is it more complicated?

RMH

To CC

The vote is based on the following:

Should no candidate for President win a majority of the electoral votes, the choice is referred to the House of Representatives. Should no candidate for Vice President possess a majority of the electoral votes, the choice is given to the Senate.

The 12th amendment:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

Verity

Murray - Me too! I had also been touting Sarah Palin for three weeks before she got the nomination.

Hereford, I totally agree.

Mark, oh what a shame that with your vision and your level of ignorant vitriol, you don't have American citizenship so you could really show those people in DC how to do things!

Meanwhile, why not put a rocket up the arse of your own vapid, venal, greedy, sly, cheating, traitorous politicians? It would be a start! And at least you have a vote in this country.

Conservative Cabbie

RMH:

Thankyou for pointing me in the direction of the XII amendment. Having checked it, and I'm not very good on reading legal language, it appears that rather than being one man one vote, the voting is done on a state by state basis with each state getting one vote.

If each representative had a vote, it would be an Obama win as the Dems have a majority. However, I wonder if the Dems have a state by state majority. Interesting times!

Marian C

JONNY
September 9th, 2008 11:25am

“I'm high on valium” -

So it would appear by the nonsense that you write. Maybe you should go and lay down in a darkened room for a time (maybe a long time in your case) and take a little less valium; that may calm your nightmare scenarios and your ravings.

Conservative Cabbie

Jonny

Perhaps you'd prefer Obama in the Whitehouse with his years of foreign policy experience.

As he suggested should happen over the Georgia incident, he'd want the U.N. security council to deal with the issue. Oh but wait, Russia has a veto. Is that the type of experience you're looking for?

David Bouvier

JONNY:

Which ones of these do you believe are true?

Appeasing academics who never get their hands dirty are the best people to deal with bully-boy dictators.

You must never let a bully think you might fight back - they respect appeasement as inner strength and turning the other cheek.

A VP stepping into the Presidents shoes has no adviser, is forbidden by the constitution to take advice, and cannot appoint an experienced new VP.

A community organiser and senator with no real track record is much better placed to deal with dictators than an a frontier governor who has some track record of facing down corruption and oil companies and managing a town and state.

Since the average life expectancy of a man in the US is 76 and McCain is 72 he is unlikely to make a full term (OK - you just speculate, but I have heard this line!!)

Oscar

Judging by his posts Jonny seems to be essence of leftism. Maybe he should be bottled.

JONNY

'Judging by his posts Jonny seems to be essence of leftism. Maybe he should be bottled.'

Actually Oscar a good many Tories like myself are backing Obama and the Democrats.
But I suspect you may be too stupid to know that.
Maybe we'll bottle you instead and leave you to mature in the cellar.

Ian C

Mark

You are making the same mistake that the so called 'liberal elite' make everywhere, have made for a long time and continue to make. They, like your comment, pretend that they know what the country needs better than the "ignorant voters" themselves. This has happened across all democracies, in the post WW2 world.

You, and they, need to get your heads sorted out, take a long hard look in as many mirrors a you can find, and shake out the shere arrogance of that attitude. You might find the basis of an electable platform eventually.

Oscar

"Maybe we'll bottle you instead and leave you to mature in the cellar."
It's true my opinions are maturing nicely and make for excellent imbibing. Thanks for the appreciation Jonny. Meanwhile - could you explain why you support Obama?

JONNY

'Meanwhile - could you explain why you support Obama?'
Some other time Oscar. Some other time.
The sun's just come out. And I'm minded to mow the lawn.

Gil

JONNY, I wish you hadn't said you were a Tory because I was thinking of voting for them...

McCain is in fine health so don't get be so hysterical. I'm more concerned about the inexperienced Obama and windbag Biden getting in. OK?

Mark, your worries about WW3 if McCain gets in remind me of the anti-war demonstrations in 2003 when so many of the Left were worried that WW3 was around the corner.

Have a cup of tea and lie down, there's a good chap.

Verity

Jonny writes: "Actually Oscar a good many Tories like myself are backing Obama and the Democrats."

Wow! Explosive stuff! I'll bet that's got the Big Mac and the 'Cuda all of a quiver!

RMH

FAO CC

see - http://www.electoral-vote.com/

best resource site going, read "previous report" and keep going to see answers to your Q

Kenneth Hesketh

James,
You have not caught up with James Bennetts article in The DT today on Sarah Palin? Dynamite!

seb

Henmania. Murray Mania. Now it's Palinmania. The lady's clearly got a huge fan base here in the UK. Are there any shrines or temples dedicated to Sarah Palin where a supplicant can indulge in a spot of worship?

Just you wait, David Cameron. Once Brown's successor finds his own Hockey Mum, Labour will have the 2010 election in the bag. Change? We don't even know the meaning of the word.

JONNY

JONNY, I wish you hadn't said you were a Tory because I was thinking of voting for them...

All I can say Gil is:
You are indeed stupid.
And not even hilarious like Verity.

Conservative Cabbie

From Politico.com:
"Sarah Palin’s presence — coupled with Clinton’s absence — may be altering one of the great verities of American politics: that women voters overwhelmingly favor Democrats."

I was particularly drawn to the line "one of the great verities of American Politics".
Verity, are they talking about you?

MAH

It is inconceivable that Americans continue to pick Republicans to run their country after sixteen years of George Bushes. I guess they prefer their economy in the deficit and their young men sent to wars to be killed in the name of national security. What really blows the mind is how low they have sunk from the super power they picture themselves to be. This year they have the power to choose between the same kind of Republican "fear-mongering" candidates and a breath of fresh change with the Democrats. But I guess in the end they will choose "McCain" only because his name sounds more acceptable than "Obama."

Conservative Cabbie

MAH:

That's so naive and so european. The reason why democrats seem to be losing the race at the moment is that they are so out of touch with life in real America. Real Americans shop at Wal-Mart, eat at McDonalds, go to church and enjoy their guns. They don't want a messianic elitist telling them what's best for them.
Remember, Obama felt it more important to speak to 200,000 Germans in Berlin than to visit wounded American soldiers because there were no cameras there.
Liberals in America are so out of touch, it's why Palin has had such a positive effect, people associate with her.