Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin

[indyredbird]

I've never been much of a McCain fan, but my view of him hasn't changed at all in the last several months.

It hasn't changed for the good or for the worse? He's done some pretty awful things.

What do you classify as awful things? Ayers?

[Leroy]

Getting back to the yard signs...I live in a heavily democratic town. A ham sandwich that is a democrat could run for mayor and win. I also believe it is the most racially diverse (maybe the wrong word) town in South Dakota. The college that used to be here had people from all over the country, Latino and African Americans (which believe it or not, are rare up here), the hoops team was great winning a national championship and even being once on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and was famous for having always the one 'token white guy'. I do hear raical comments often, though. At my work, heck even my dad has said some of the worst, and he thinks he's funny.

What is odd though, even in the yards in which there are several democratic yard signs for local races, I can't recall seeing one sign for Obama in a town of 12,000. I don't know if they are afraid to post them or what.

[Arthur Dent]

I also believe it is the most racially diverse (maybe the wrong word) town in South Dakota.

Don't you live in Huron? The census says it's 95.9% white.

[Leroy]

I also believe it is the most racially diverse (maybe the wrong word) town in South Dakota.

Don't you live in Huron? The census says it's 95.9% white.

It is, but a lot of the diversity has left when the college left. What I meant was that a higher percentage of the population in this town has lived with people of other races more than other towns. You could make a case for Brookings, but that would be it. I am not sure if the college kids were counted in the count either.

Oh, I also would add that since building a turkey processing plant and a Jack Links jerky plant 20 miles south, the Latino population is 10-15 percent. These were built within the last three years.

[Richie Allen]

I also believe it is the most racially diverse (maybe the wrong word) town in South Dakota.

Don't you live in Huron? The census says it's 95.9% white.

It is, but a lot of the diversity has left when the college left. What I meant was that a higher percentage of the population in this town has lived with people of other races more than other towns. You could make a case for Brookings, but that would be it. I am not sure if the college kids were counted in the count either.

Oh, I also would add that since building a turkey processing plant and a Jack Links jerky plant 20 miles south, the Latino population is 10-15 percent. These were built within the last three years.

It also doesn't take much to be one of the more racially diverse towns in SD. Less than 1% of the state's pop. is black.

[jim]

I've never been much of a McCain fan, but my view of him hasn't changed at all in the last several months.

It hasn't changed for the good or for the worse? He's done some pretty awful things.

What do you classify as awful things? Ayers?

: I have some concerns about the
direction that the party has taken in recent years. It has moved more to the
right than I would like to see it, but that's a choice the party makes.

And I was also concerned at the
selection of Governor Palin. She's a very distinguished woman, and she's to be
admired; but at the same time, now that we have had a chance to watch her for
some seven weeks, I don't believe she's ready to be president of the United
States, which is the job of the vice president. And so that raised some question
in my mind as to the judgment that Senator McCain made.
...
And I've also been disappointed, frankly, by some of the approaches that Senator McCain
has taken recently, or his campaign ads, on issues that are not really central
to the problems that the American people are worried about. This Bill Ayers
situation that's been going on for weeks
became something of a central point of the campaign. But Mr. McCain says that
he's a washed-out terrorist. Well, then, why do we keep talking about him? And
why do we have these robocalls going on around the country trying to suggest
that, because of this very, very limited relationship that Senator Obama has had
with Mr. Ayers, somehow, Mr. Obama is tainted. What they're trying to connect
him to is some kind of terrorist feelings. And I think that's inappropriate.
Now, I understand what politics is all about. I know how you can go after one
another, and that's good. But I think this goes too far. And I think it has made
the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It's not what the American people are
looking for. And I look at these kinds of approaches to the campaign and they
trouble me. And the party has moved even further to the right, and Governor
Palin has indicated a further rightward shift. I would have difficulty with
two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that's what we'd be
looking at in a McCain administration. I'm also troubled by, not what Senator
McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said
such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct
answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian.
But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with
being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there
something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he
or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop
the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists." This is
not the way we should be doing it in America. I feel strongly about this
particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay
about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the
tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had
her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you
could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards--Purple Heart,
Bronze Star--showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death.
He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have
a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star
of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an
American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11,
and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life. Now, we
have got to stop polarizing ourself in this way. And John McCain is as
nondiscriminatory as anyone I know. But I'm troubled about the fact that, within
the party, we have these kinds of expressions.

Dangerous and wreckless, and un-American. That's John McCain's campaign.

[Leroy]

I also believe it is the most racially diverse (maybe the wrong word) town in South Dakota.

Don't you live in Huron? The census says it's 95.9% white.

It is, but a lot of the diversity has left when the college left. What I meant was that a higher percentage of the population in this town has lived with people of other races more than other towns. You could make a case for Brookings, but that would be it. I am not sure if the college kids were counted in the count either.

Oh, I also would add that since building a turkey processing plant and a Jack Links jerky plant 20 miles south, the Latino population is 10-15 percent. These were built within the last three years.

It also doesn't take much to be one of the more racially diverse towns in SD. Less than 1% of the state's pop. is black.

I wasn't bragging, I was just stating.

And I admit I forgot about Rapid City with a large Native American population.

[Richie Allen]

I also believe it is the most racially diverse (maybe the wrong word) town in South Dakota.

Don't you live in Huron? The census says it's 95.9% white.

It is, but a lot of the diversity has left when the college left. What I meant was that a higher percentage of the population in this town has lived with people of other races more than other towns. You could make a case for Brookings, but that would be it. I am not sure if the college kids were counted in the count either.

Oh, I also would add that since building a turkey processing plant and a Jack Links jerky plant 20 miles south, the Latino population is 10-15 percent. These were built within the last three years.

It also doesn't take much to be one of the more racially diverse towns in SD. Less than 1% of the state's pop. is black.

I wasn't bragging, I was just stating.

And I admit I forgot about Rapid City with a large Native American population.

No, I was backing you up. Only 95% percent white is diverse compared to most other cities in your state.

BTW, Obama stands little chance of winning those 3 SD EVs.

[Leroy]

BTW, Obama stands little chance of winning those 3 SD EVs.

Oh yeah, in my mind he has no chance, but a couple of things are working in his favor. Senator Tim Johnson - D is highly popular at a 65% favorable and running, and house member Herseth-Sandlin is probably just as popular. And there is no governor's race, and the Republicans are far from motivated or even organized. So it will be closer than most years, but yeah McCain should win the golden three votes.

[BW23]

It's un-American to question Obama's judgment? I don't think it's been done enough. I guess I should move to another country. I'm clearly more un-American than most.