Democracy Has Prevailed.

July 24, 2008

200,000

By police estimates, 200,000 people (Fox "News" says more than 200,000) showed up to see Senator Barack Obama speak today in Berlin.

Watch:

Read.

Meanwhile Senator John McCain, political tin ear in fine tune, had an appearance at Schmidt’s Restaurant and Sausage Haus a German Restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. According to Fox "News,"
He jabbed his opponent for his speech on foreign soil while he is still a candidate, “Well I’d love to give a speech in Germany to– a political speech –or a speech that maybe the German people would be interested in,” McCain told reporters, “But I would much prefer to do it as president of the United States rather than as a candidate for the office of the presidency.”
Forgetting, I guess, his own speech in Canada (for those who don't know, that's foreign soil, too!) this past June 20:
However, on June 20, McCain himself gave a speech in Canada -- to the Economic Club of Canada -- in which he applauded NAFTA's successes. An implicit message behind that speech was that Obama had been critical of the trade accord. Also, McCain's trip to Canada was paid for by the campaign.
The Washington Post even covered it. And with the first paragraph, we know McCain's trying to BS us. Remember, this trip was paid for by the campaign. And yet:
Calling it "not a political campaign trip," John McCain emphasized the importance of Canada's relationship with the United States in a speech here.

Hmm. Paid for by the campaign and yet it wasn't a campaign trip. I wonder how that works.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

RMH-
There's one major problem you're overlooking. Those 200,000 Berliners won't be voting in November.The people in Schmidt's Sausage Haus will. The war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, economy in a shambles. Even with all this the polling results are basically even. Bottom line is: In this country racism trumps all.Don't kid yourself.By November it will be McSame in a cakewalk.

Anonymous said...

You're kidding, right?

Most recent Gallup tracking poll had Obama up by three points.

Most recent NBC/WSJ poll had Obama up by 6 points. Add Nader and Barr into the mix and Obama is up by 10 points.

Most recent CBS/NYTimes poll has Obama up by 6 points.

Most recent ABC/Washington Post poll has Obama up by three points. Add Nader and Barr into the mix and he's up by 10 points.

Tell me again how the polls are "basically even."

Anonymous said...

Um, RMH...I don't think that was the point of the trip. I suppose if McCainites are uspet by what was a very successful overseas visit by Obama, their candidate never should have challenged him to make it a few months ago.

And, actually, it's probably not accurate to say that all of those 200,000 won't be voting. It's likely that some of them were Americans living abroad, perhaps servicemen and women stationed in Europe, etc...which means they will be voting. Probably enough to offset the pathetically small crowd that listened to McCan't talk at Schmidt's Sausage Haus, which was a pathetic attempt at countermessaging("Obama's in Germany, but I'm in a German restuarant" - rather ridiculous, really).

If racism was going to derail the Obama express, I don't think we'd have to wait until November to see it materialize. I think we'd see that now and we're simply not. It's more likely that McCain's age, already seen as a major concern by American voters, will be even more in the forefront as he turns 72 just as the Dem convention is wrapping up.

One thing I would add, Dayvoe - McCain's trip to South America, about which he said, "Going to Latin America in the midst of a presidential campaign, he said, speaks less to his role as a senator than to what he's hoping to achieve if elected this fall. "It's more my ability to govern as president," he said, "my ability to lead as president, to keep up with these major issues.

Not surprisingly, McCain is showing his hypocrisy. He also wasted this week and probably drew more attention to Obama's overseas trip with his daily hissy-fits. He spent far too much time reacting to Obama; that is an important dynamic to this race.

To say that the polls are "essentially even" is a pretty meaningless phrase. Obama has solid leads in a number of battleground states, has consistenly led McCain for the last two months and has extended the playing field into a number of traditionally safe Republican states - Virginia, Colorado, North Dakota, Montana, Georgia, Mississippi and Nevada to name some.

I was particularly struck this week by comments made by Tony Blankly, who, if memory serves, was at one time an aide/advisor to Newt Gingrich, so he's already a liberal. His opinion is that this election is eerily similar to 1980, where voters didn't commit to Reagan until late in the campaign - and McCain is not "Reagan" in Tony's thinking.

As for what Obama has gained from this trip, I would refer to this article by Jason Horowitz: Sabato: Obama's 'Risky' Trip Has a Big Payoff.

Anonymous said...

Hmm...that link didn't work.

Ok, I'm clearly doing something wrong...so, you'll just have to copy and paste:

http://www.observer.com/2008/politics/obamas-risky-trip-has-paid-big-time-polls

cathcatz said...

the thing that kills the right about obama's trip abroad is that we finally have someone to represent this country, who can actually string together a coherent sentence!!! he makes george bush look like an idiot! (which granted,isn't hard to do) the world view of america is actually important, contrary to what the right may want to think. we've been represented by an incompetent boob for the last 8 years, and i for one, am embarrassed every time that man opens his mouth.

ath-a-letes???

nukular???

c'mon!

Anonymous said...

John K: Have you ever heard Obama talk. Um, ah, oh, uh, um, and I, um etc etc.

cathcatz said...

now i know you are certifiable.

you are going to put obama's oratory skills up against dumbya?

really?


wow.

"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." george "dumya" bush

EdHeath said...

This trip had the effect of showing racist Americans that other countries accept Obama as a legitimate candidate.

Anonymous said...

RMH-
I didn't say there was any point of any trip. What I said was we're in two wars the economy is in a shambles, why isn't Obama ahead by 10-20 points instead of basically even. Gallop tracking poll Obama up by 3points, +or-3 IS EVEN. Obama would be up by 10 or 20 if he were a white man.I repeat racism will trump everything in this election.