Election 2008

[Sir Stewart]

It's also quite true. Cheney has become acting president twice because of the colonoscopy clause:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acting_Presid..._25th_Amendment

 

If you total up Cheney's hours in office, you get 4 hours and 20 minutes.

 

4:20!!!

 

:bonghit

Just quoting for awesomeness.

[mountain bed]

Speaking of medical records, consider this idea: According to section 3 of the 25th Amendment, any president who undergoes a colonoscopy may temporary transfer power to his vice president while he undergoes the surgery. Furthermore, Barack will enter office at age 47, and he will have his 50th birthday in office - the age at which one is recommended to start receiving colonoscopies. Therefore, whoever is Barack's vice president, assuming he wins, will be president for at least a day. Hillary's clearest path to the presidency (and being the first female president) is now through Barack's colon!

And quoting this for awesomeness as well. Oblivious, you brought your A-game today dude.

[Edie]

i'm not (that) sexist, but if that's the case...we are obviously not ready to have a woman as president.

 

I have examined my own feelings about this. I have heard other a number of women, most recently Pat Schroeder on NPR, sounding so disappointed about Hillary not winning the nomination. I have looked for the "It matters more to me that the president is a woman than any other trait" part of me, and it really just isn't there. I started this campaign season not really knowing who I was for -- basically neutral for Obama, and probably more of a Hillary fan, but the more I heard and saw and watched it unfold, the more I became staunchly an Obama fan.

 

While having a woman president would be nice, it isn't the only reason that any woman should vote for any woman. I would slit my wrists than vote for Elizabeth Dole, just because her politics don't agree with mine.

 

I am assuming that most dem women will "come home", and vote for Obama in the GE -- no matter what seems to be happening now.

 

 

Also -- if FDR had submitted his medical records, he probably would have had a much tougher time (though against an unpopular Hoover, Mickey Mouse could have won).

[MrRain422]

I think that mental health is a slightly different issue than physical health though.

[Edie]

I think that mental health is a slightly different issue than physical health though.

 

"Mental health" meaning PTSD, or depression/panic disorder or psychosis?

 

"Physical health" I think would also include Altzheimer's which RR definitely was showing signs of in his second term. And, FDR probably never should have begun his fourth due to age, his long illnesses, and the effects of three other terms. All of these are worse for a president in some ways than most mental health issues, IMO.

[bjorn_skurj]

Hey, somebody had to win the war. In Hyde Park, his name is always included in the roll of fallen soldiers.

[solace]

re: staying in the race longer

 

Hillary invokes Bobby Kennedy's assassination as a reason to stay in...

 

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05232008/news/...y_wa_112232.htm

 

classy!

 

just f'n drop out now, good lord

[Guest Jules]

There is not much difference between mental and physical health.

[solace]

I know there are a lot of Barack supporters on here which I get. Why though, does everyone think Hillary should throw in the towel? She is not far behind in popular vote and not that far behind in delegates. Her supporters donated a lot of time and effort and should see it through till the convention. Barack did not get the necessary delegates to clinch the nomination. People assume Barack will get it. I am not so sure. In a related note though I believe the two of them should team up. I think this would guarantee a victory for the Democrats in the election! Either way though who ever gets in it will be a much brighter future!

 

he only needs 56 delegates now, between supers & pledged, he could actually get enough just by doing well in the next 3 contests, but he'll end up getting more supers by then.

[uncool2pillow]

Hillary Cites RFK assassination in explaining why she's still in race

 

She's a classy one!

 

Hillary Clinton today cited the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy during the 1968 presidential campaign to explain why she was remaining in the race despite long odds.

 

"We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California," Clinton told the editorial board of a South Dakota newspaper. " I don't understand it," Clinton added, alluding to the calls for her to quit.

 

Clinton made the statement after pointing out that her husband didn't lock up the nomination until June of 1992, trying to point out that, by past history, it's not late in the campaign.

[Mr. Kinsley]

Maybe Hillary is just too stubborn to drop out on her own and is trying to essentially piss people off enough so they'll quit voting for her.

 

"Hmmm. What stupid, offensive, annoying thing could I say today that could help Obama finally end this thing? Oooo! I know! I'll allude to him getting offed! Phew! Now there's no way I can win. Of course, I thought that bit about the sniper fire in Bosnia would do the trick. Same with bringing up how white voters won't vote for Obama. But this ought to FINALLY put him over the top!"

[Edie]

Interesting that her apology only covered the Kennedy family, not Obama directly, which is the first thing I thought of. She is saying "I'm in it in case Barack is murdered like RFK". Jeezus.

[thisyearsgirl]

re: staying in the race longer

 

Hillary invokes Bobby Kennedy's assassination as a reason to stay in...

 

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05232008/news/...y_wa_112232.htm

 

classy!

 

just f'n drop out now, good lord

 

seriously.

 

i feel like whatever positive legacy the clintons had is diminishing by the day.

[Mr. Kinsley]

From CNN/TIME:

 

May 23, 2008 4:54

Hillary's Bizarre RFK Comment

Posted by Karen Tumulty

Though she has now apologized for that very strange and tasteless comment to the Argus-Leader, this was not the first time she's said it. This from her interview with TIME Managing Editor Richard Stengel, published March 6:

 

TIME: Can you envision a point at which--if the race stays this close--Democratic Party elders would step in and say, "This is now hurting the party and whoever will be the nominee in the fall"?

 

CLINTON: No, I really can't. I think people have short memories. Primary contests used to last a lot longer. We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A. My husband didn't wrap up the nomination in 1992 until June. Having a primary contest go through June is nothing particularly unusual.

 

Her excuse now is that the Kennedys have been "much on my mind these days" with the illness of Senator Edward Kennedy, but that doesn't explain what brought it to mind more than two months ago.

 

UPDATE: H/T to commenter Elvis Elvisberg, who notes that even the reference to her own husband's campaign was wrong. Bill Clinton's primary race was effectively over in March.

 

If I were Bill even I'd be asking her to quit at this point.

[thisyearsgirl]

I have examined my own feelings about this. I have heard other a number of women, most recently Pat Schroeder on NPR, sounding so disappointed about Hillary not winning the nomination. I have looked for the "It matters more to me that the president is a woman than any other trait" part of me, and it really just isn't there. I started this campaign season not really knowing who I was for -- basically neutral for Obama, and probably more of a Hillary fan, but the more I heard and saw and watched it unfold, the more I became staunchly an Obama fan.

 

While having a woman president would be nice, it isn't the only reason that any woman should vote for any woman. I would slit my wrists than vote for Elizabeth Dole, just because her politics don't agree with mine.

 

I am assuming that most dem women will "come home", and vote for Obama in the GE -- no matter what seems to be happening now.

 

 

Also -- if FDR had submitted his medical records, he probably would have had a much tougher time (though against an unpopular Hoover, Mickey Mouse could have won).

 

edie, i couldn't have said it better myself.

[Edie]

edie, i couldn't have said it better myself.

 

Really... it's just that simple...

[LouieB]

I also heard the Pat Shroeder interview and I thought it was quite insightful. I bear no ill will to Hillary, even with all the gaffs. I thought the Robert Kennedy comment was rather crude, but it has a point. Although I am an Obama supporter (he is the hometown guy after all), he is just as likely to self destruct as anyone. So far he has dodged the Rezo bullet, but this may not last forever.

 

LouieB

[bjorn_skurj]

Eliot Spitzer sighting, as related by a friend of the witness. As we may recall, the disgraced ex-governor retreated to his home near the small northwestern Dutchess County burg of Pine Plains. Our witness spotted Eliot in the local Stewart's (an ice cream/convenience store type of operation common in the area in proximity to Albany, N.Y.) and teh guv was reading a story about Hillary's RFK quip. Spitzer said to our witness, "I can't believe she would say something so stupid." Our witness says something to the effect of how she must have misspoke and that she couldn't be that bad of a person.

"You have no idea," replied Spitzer.

End of report.

[Guest Cousin Tupelo]

I voted for Hillary in the southern state that doesn't matter. I think as Jimmy Carter pointed out, Hillary has every right to stay in the race through the primaries and then she will drop out.

 

She will also be Obama's greatest, and most aggressive supporter all the way through the 2008 Florida recounts.

 

This was an interesting blog on the Washington Post, musing about her rationale:

 

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008..._so_factor.html

[Panther]

regarding the RFK remark I think it was strategic maybe just to get the ball rolling she has nothing to lose at this point.

I find it strange how people take out the majior issue of power when defending the actions/remarks of politions,

as if theyre all running for the people and not for their own carrers and ambitions.

 

Did any of you catch this

very disturbing but I guesse if you laugh when suggesting assasination its okay thats FAUX news for ya'

[tugmoose]

Did any of you catch this

very disturbing but I guesse if you laugh when suggesting assasination its okay thats FAUX news for ya'

She did apologize the next day, to "those who were offended" by her remarks. I love those kinds of condescending apologies, where you don't really regret the action, just the reaction of the unsophisticated, overly sensitive portion of the public.

[Reni]

from everything I gathered from Hillary's statements - it had more to do with the fact that RFK was behind and still in the race when he was assassinated in June 1968. I really don't hear an "if Obama were to be assassinated" statement here. Granted, a poor choice of topics, words, etc.....but I don't think it was meant the way many have taken it.

[Tweedling]

....... thats FAUX news for ya'

Is that french canadian?

[MrRain422]

from everything I gathered from Hillary's statements - it had more to do with the fact that RFK was behind and still in the race when he was assassinated in June 1968. I really don't hear an "if Obama were to be assassinated" statement here. Granted, a poor choice of topics, words, etc.....but I don't think it was meant the way many have taken it.

 

Perhaps, but I sort of feel like if she meant to just reference the fact that he was behind but still in the race in June, she would have said "We all remember when Robert Kennedy was behind but still campaigning in June" instead of "We all remember when Robert Kennedy was assassinated in June."

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

Let's take Spitzer's word for it.