Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin

[Radbird]

They're wasting an awful lot of money on something that's essentially, as some pundit put it, a 4-day infomercial for the Dems.

[ghostrunner]

They're wasting an awful lot of money on something that's essentially, as some pundit put it, a 4-day infomercial for the Dems.

I saw this criticism somewhere else too. But that's always been the case hasn't it? At least the last 30 years or so. This nomination ran closer than most to the convention, and Biden was just picked this past weekend. Looking back, it looks like this is the latest any running mate has been chosen for either party in quite some time. Cheney, Edwards, and Gore were all chosen in July. Gore picked Leiberman in early August.

So if nothing else, this can be Biden's coming out party. The Democrats will get a bump in the polls if tradition holds true, and then the Republicans will get a bump after theirs.

Having said that, I agree it's all a little silly.



I didn't realize this about Biden:

On the Internet, numerous tech-oriented sites observed that Biden has strongly supported media companies in their battle to prevent copying of copyrighted material -- even for an individual's own use -- and that he has proposed that the government monitor peer-to-peer websites for illegal downloading. The British tech site The Inquirer said in its lede: "Barack Obama has chosen one of the most rabid pro-music and film industry senators in the business to be his running mate in the forthcoming presidential elections." Wired magazine commented on its website: "Biden doesn't seem to have strayed from the rest of the judiciary committee Democrats' stance of being more of a friend to Hollywood than to Silicon Valley."

Interesting for someone who's gotten in trouble for plagiarizing in the past.

[JackofDiamonds]

They're wasting an awful lot of money on something that's essentially, as some pundit put it, a 4-day infomercial for the Dems.

I saw this criticism somewhere else too. But that's always been the case hasn't it? At least the last 30 years or so. This nomination ran closer than most to the convention, and Biden was just picked this past weekend. Looking back, it looks like this is the latest any running mate has been chosen for either party in quite some time. Cheney, Edwards, and Gore were all chosen in July. Gore picked Leiberman in early August.

So if nothing else, this can be Biden's coming out party. The Democrats will get a bump in the polls if tradition holds true, and then the Republicans will get a bump after theirs.

Having said that, I agree it's all a little silly.



I didn't realize this about Biden:

On the Internet, numerous tech-oriented sites observed that Biden has strongly supported media companies in their battle to prevent copying of copyrighted material -- even for an individual's own use -- and that he has proposed that the government monitor peer-to-peer websites for illegal downloading. The British tech site The Inquirer said in its lede: "Barack Obama has chosen one of the most rabid pro-music and film industry senators in the business to be his running mate in the forthcoming presidential elections." Wired magazine commented on its website: "Biden doesn't seem to have strayed from the rest of the judiciary committee Democrats' stance of being more of a friend to Hollywood than to Silicon Valley."

Interesting for someone who's gotten in trouble for plagiarizing in the past.

Who's been in trouble for plagiarizing?

[Radbird]

Who's been in trouble for plagiarizing?

Biden. Got him in trouble when he ran for Prez in '88. According to wiki-

By August 1987, Biden's campaign had begun to lag behind those of Michael Dukakis and Richard Gephardt.[28] In September 1987, the campaign ran into trouble when he plagiarized a speech by Neil Kinnock, then-leader of the British Labour Party.[30] Kinnock’s speech included the lines: "Why am I the first Kinnock in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? Then pointing to his wife in the audience, he continued: Why is Glenys the first woman in her family in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? Was it because all our predecessors were thick?" While Biden’s speech included the lines: "I started thinking as I was coming over here, why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go to a university? Then, pointing to his wife: Why is it that my wife who is sitting out there in the audience is the first in her family to ever go to college? Is it because our fathers and mothers were not bright? Is it because I'm the first Biden in a thousand generations to get a college and a graduate degree that I was smarter than the rest?" Though Biden had previously cited Kinnock as the source for the formulation many times before, he made no reference to the original source at the August 23 debate in question. [31]

It was also discovered that, while law student at Syracuse Law School, Biden had plagiarized a law review article. Though the then-dean of the law school, as well as Biden's former professor, played down the incident of plagiarism, they did find Biden drew "chunks of heavy legal prose directly from" the article in question. Biden said it was inadvertent due to his not knowing the proper rules of citation, and Biden was permitted to retake the course after receiving a grade of F, which was subsequently dropped from his record.[32] Biden also released his undergraduate grades, which were unexceptional.[32] When questioned by a New Hampshire resident about his grades in law school, Biden had inaccurately recollected graduating in the "top half" of his class when he actually graduated 76th from 85, that he had attended on a full scholarship, and had received three degrees.[33] He had received two majors, History and Political Science, and a single B.A., as well as a half scholarship based on financial need.[33] Faced with these revelations, Biden withdrew from the nomination race on September 23, 1987, saying his candidacy had been overrun by "the exaggerated shadow" of his mistakes.[34] After Biden withdrew from the race, it was learned that the Dukakis campaign had secretly made a video showcasing the Biden/Kinnock comparison and distributed it to news outlets.[35]

[PujolJunkie]

Anybody who wasn't moved by Michelle Obama has no heart. Period.

[GatewaySnayke]

I'm sorry I missed it, because it sounds like her and Tedward's speeches were home runs.

[heyzeus]

I saw Michelle speak last night, and it prompted the question:

Is America ready for its first kinda hot first lady?

[jim]

Michelle sure didn't hurt Barack, did she? Who knows, maybe we just will have a wife of an ex-president president someday.

btw - the little kid didn't hurt either. "Daddy, what city are you in?". Priceless.

[heyzeus]

Barack lost my vote last night. Don't say you're in St Louis if you're in Kansas City. Big gaffe, could cost him the Missourah vote.

[TimeForGuinness]

Barack lost my vote last night. Don't say you're in St Louis if you're in Kansas City. Big gaffe, could cost him the Missourah vote.

I just loved how his daughter called him on it...