Next American President

[RexCathedra]

by a final race against a veteran Senator from the left of the Republican party.

There is no 'left' of the Republican Party, and McCain's voting record is 100% down-the-line with Bush.

His reputation as a 'maverick' is based on some tactical maneuvering designed to differentiate himself in a crowded GOP field in 2000, and in pursuit of a failed attempt to land Kerry's VP spot in '04.

Other than that, he's your bog-standard corporatist-reactionary party hack, with an imperialist streak that would have embarrassed Kipling.

Quibble with DtG- McCain's highest decoration is the DFC, not the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nearest US equivalent of the VC.

 

[defrocked priest]

Aim correctly lhey have a habit of getting shot.

 

[Bombadier Botty]

Obama- because he supports West Ham United!!(my lifelong club tho im a regular Albion supporter)

Too right he does. I remember a twenty-something Obama giving it large from the chicken run when, with the Albion 1-0 at Upton Park circa 1988, our ex-manager Deano somehow managed to lob John Keeley from the half way line - with a f*cking back pass! A game we then went on to lose 2-1 (also Ludek Mykolosko had just signed for WHUFC and warmly applauded the travelling Albion support who were giving him a raucous rendition of "Who the fugging hell are you?" when he was introduced to the fans at half time).

 

[The Lemming Stomper]

just google 'obama west ham' and its there Bombadier

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Obama

" YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN "




NO YOU BLOODY WELL CAN'T

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Barack Obama 1/2
John Mc Cain 6/4
Bob Barr 100/1
Ralph Nader 100/1
Wayne Root 100/1

Courtesy of Bill Hill

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Mc Cain at 6/4 in a 2 horse race is a decent bet.

 

[Bombadier Botty]

just google 'obama west ham' and its there Bombadier

Nice avatar

 

[Storer68]

Anyone else noticed how the Presidential race has copied the last season of the West Wing?

A tight democratic party contest won by a candidate from an ethnic minority followed by a final race against a veteran Senator from the left of the Republican party.

From West Wing to the real thing
Scriptwriters modelled TV's ethnic minority candidate on young Barack Obama
Jonathan Freedland
The Guardian,
Thursday February 21 2008
Article history

Jimmy Smits, who played the West Wing's Matthew Santos, with Barack Obama in September 2005. Photograph: Chris Greenberg/Getty
Devotees of the West Wing have been talking about it for weeks: the uncanny similarity between the fictional presidential contest that dominated the final seasons of the acclaimed TV show and the real-life drama of this year's election.
Both the real and imagined campaigns have centred on a young, charismatic candidate from an ethnic minority, daring to take on an establishment workhorse with a promise to transcend race and heal America's partisan divide.
But there's a twist.
For what those West Wing fans stunned by the similarity between the fictitious Matthew Santos and the real-life Barack Obama have not known is that the resemblance is no coincidence. When the West Wing scriptwriters first devised their fictitious presidential candidate in the late summer of 2004, they modelled him in part on a young Illinois politician - not yet even a US senator - by the name of Barack Obama.
"I drew inspiration from him in drawing this character," West Wing writer and producer Eli Attie told the Guardian. "When I had to write, Obama was just appearing on the national scene. He had done a great speech at the convention [which nominated John Kerry] and people were beginning to talk about him."
Attie, who served as chief speechwriter to Al Gore during the ill-fated 2000 campaign and who wrote many of the key Santos episodes of the West Wing, put in a call to Obama aide David Axelrod.
"I said, 'Tell me about this guy Barack Obama.'"
With the Latino actor Jimmy Smits already cast for the show, Attie was especially keen to know how rising star Obama approached the question of his race. Axelrod's answers helped inform Santos's approach to his own Hispanic identity.
"Some of Santos's insistence on not being defined by his race, his pride in it even as he rises above it, came from that," Attie said.
The scriptwriter also borrowed from Obama's life the notion of a superstar candidate. "After that convention speech, Obama's life changed. He was mobbed wherever he went. He was more than a candidate seeking votes: people were seeking him. Some of Santos's celebrity aura came from that."
The result is a bizarre case of art imitating life - only for life to imitate art back again.
In the TV show, Santos begins as the rank outsider up against a national figure famous for standing at the side of a popular Democratic president. There are doubts about Santos's inexperience, having served just a few years in Congress, and about his ability to persuade voters to back an ethnic minority candidate - even as his own ethnic group harbour suspicions that he might not identify with them sufficiently.
But the soaring power of his rhetoric, his declaration that the old divisions belong in the past and his sheer magnetism, ensure that he comes from behind in a fiercely close primary campaign and draws level with his once all-commanding opponent. Every aspect of that storyline has come true for Barack Obama. Axelrod, now chief strategist for the Obama campaign, recently joked in an email to Attie: "We're living your scripts!"
What's more, the West Wing had the Republicans choose between a Christian preacher - a pre-echo of Mike Huckabee - and an older, maverick senator from the American west whose liberal positions on some issues had earned the distrust of the party's conservative base: a dead ringer for John McCain.
In the West Wing, the McCain figure emerges comfortably as the party's choice. Apparently the character was not based on the current Republican frontrunner, but was simply a function of the casting of Alan Alda.
"It was always an inside joke on the West Wing that the show had a prophetic quality," recalls Attie, now a writer and producer of House, starring Hugh Laurie.
Various political scenarios sketched out on the programme would often materialise within weeks of airing. But the 2008 campaign, Attie concedes, is in an entirely different league.
There are small differences of course. Santos had a white wife - stressing, says Attie, Santos's standing as a "post-racial figure" - while Michelle Obama is African-American. Ms Obama is the more outspoken, but with two young children each, both are equally photogenic.
Obama aides will be hoping that the West Wing's prophetic streak holds: Santos eventually emerged as the Democratic nominee from a brokered convention - and went on to win the presidency.
Barack Obama v Matt Santos
Barack Obama
Young, handsome and charismatic member of Congress, attempts to become America's first non-white president.
Began political career as a community organiser in a big city (Chicago) before winning first election at local level. Married, with two young children.
Faced stiff opposition in Democratic primary against occupant of the White House during previous Democratic administration (first lady Hillary Clinton)
Rivals attack him as inexperienced after just four years in Congress, but triumphs through grassroots support, inspiring speeches and message of change.
Republican opponent is veteran moderate senator from a western state, unpopular with conservative base (John McCain of Arizona).
Matt Santos
Young, handsome and charismatic member of Congress, attempts to become America's first non-white president.
Began political career as a community organiser in a big city (Houston) before winning first election at local level. Married, with two young children.
Faced stiff opposition in Democratic primary against occupant of the White House during previous Democratic administration (vice president Bob Russell).
Rivals attack him as inexperienced after just six years in Congress, but triumphs through grassroots support, inspiring speeches and message of change.
Republican opponent was veteran moderate senator from a western state, unpopular with conservative base (Arnie Vinick of California

 

[London Calling]

McCain.

Obama is too much of a risk and he lacks the connections with the establishment and business that you need in the USA to get things done. Also, foreign policy-wise, the American advance in Iraq is progressing pretty well at the moment and I worry about BO pulling out troops before the job is finished (whatever you may think of the original going to war). Heaven forbid he let the Taliban get back in power in Afghanistan too.

McCain is a hell of a lot different to George Bush and shouldn't be tarnished as being similar just becuase he is a Republican. He's fairly central in terms of his politics, he's much more pro-environmental and much more of an internationalist than Bush too. I think he has the best chance of improving the US both for his own people and the world at large.

in fact he is on the left on the Party and on some issues he has more in common with the British social movement than Obama.

 

[Pavilionaire]

rubbish, they just havent been up to the (poor )standard of incumbent politicians

Are you seriously trying to tell me that there aren't black / asian politicians out there, available for selection, who aren't better than the likes of Mellor, Prescott, Blunkett, Harman etc?

 

[London Calling]

Are you seriously trying to tell me that there aren't black / asian politicians out there, available for selection, who aren't better than the likes of Mellor, Prescott, Blunkett, Harman etc?

You do have a point,

I can only think of a few black asian Politicians of any importance:

Vaz MP Leicester.
Boatang MP for somewhere.

Bradford generally has an Asian Mayor
So does Leicester. I think Brent has one once.

There are a couple of Black MP's in London, at least one of a dubious quality.

With some of the UK top entrepreneurs being of asian descent, I can only imagine, the asian community are going into businesses not Politics.

LC

 

[Pavilionaire]

what is the difference between the so called "hicks" who vote to keep obama out i.e they will vote for a white person " one of their own" and the blacks who will vote for obama "one of their own " are you seriously telling me that obama hasnt GAINED a massive amount of votes because of his colour ?? im not saying either set are right , i just object to the blacks/obama can do no wrong mindset

I think you've missed my point. I'm saying those EXTRA votes Obama gets from non-white voters simply because he is black will be CANCELLED out by those EXTRA votes from white racists for McCain simply to keep Obama out.

The race issue will probably increase the turonout but, overall, I don't think Obama will have any NET gain of votes because he is black. If anything I think the NET gainer will be McCain becuase he is white.

 

[User removed 4]

Are you seriously trying to tell me that there aren't black / asian politicians out there, available for selection, who aren't better than the likes of Mellor, Prescott, Blunkett, Harman etc?

sure there are , but there are better white ones available for selection as well , why arent they there?

 

[User removed 4]

I think you've missed my point. I'm saying those EXTRA votes Obama gets from non-white voters simply because he is black will be CANCELLED out by those EXTRA votes from white racists for McCain simply to keep Obama out.

The race issue will probably increase the turonout but, overall, I don't think Obama will have any NET gain of votes because he is black. If anything I think the NET gainer will be McCain becuase he is white.

and i think you are (maybe deliberately) missing my point, why are white people who vote for a white politician because of their colour classed as racists, but black people who vote for obama because he is black not classed similarly ?

 

[Mr C]

Obama

" YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN "




NO YOU BLOODY WELL CAN'T

You're right, his supporters constantly chant that mantra they're blindly following, but most don't have a clue what it means beyond the hype and glamour of these so-called campaign rallies.

Yes you can what? Oh you don't know? There's a surprise

 

[che]

McCain or Obama both are not capable for president

 

[London Calling]

McCain or Obama both are not capable for president

nor was Bush or Reagan

 

[bigc]

You do have a point,

I can only think of a few black asian Politicians of any importance:

Vaz MP Leicester.
Boatang MP for somewhere.

Bradford generally has an Asian Mayor
So does Leicester. I think Brent has one once.

There are a couple of Black MP's in London, at least one of a dubious quality.

With some of the UK top entrepreneurs being of asian descent, I can only imagine, the asian community are going into businesses not Politics.

LC

We could have another dubious quality MP in Vauxhall if our old friend gets selected over Hoey..

Who are you referring to?

 

[User removed 4]

pavilionaire you still havent answered my question