On Demand
Team Obama
Monday, August 25, 2008
Steve Hildebrand, deputy campaign manager for Senator Barack Obama, talks about the campaign from the Democratic National Convention.
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I believe Biden was a BAD choice - if Obama is about "change" - Biden is same old Washigton politics --- and worse:
Biden's Son, Brother Named in Two Suits
By Kimberly Kindy and Joe Stephens
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, August 24, 2008; A09
A son and a brother of Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) are accused in two lawsuits of defrauding a former business partner and an investor of millions of dollars in a hedge fund deal that went sour, court records show.
The Democratic vice presidential candidate's son Hunter, 38, and brother James, 59, assert instead that their former partner defrauded them by misrepresenting his experience in the hedge fund industry and recommending that they hire a lawyer with felony convictions.
The legal actions have been playing out in New York State Supreme Court since 2007, and they focus on Hunter and James Biden's involvement in Paradigm Companies LLC, a hedge fund group. Hunter Biden, a Washington lobbyist, briefly served as president of the firm.
Biden was a bad choice.
Biden received 100,000 votes during the primary
Hilary 18 Million
Hope? Change?
None. Just the same old crap.
Biden voted for the invasion. (so did Hilary)
He also called Obama a clean and well spoken african american.
Biden shoots his mouth off. He's a dinasour.
@1--I'm known by many on these boards as resistant to supporting Obama. Was Biden a good choice? Opinions will vary, but the lawsuit you refer to as support of Biden's being a bad choice is not really strong. For one thing, while one can safely surmise that this is emotionally trying for Sen. Biden, the implication of two close relatives does not equate to guilt on his part. Second, being named in a suit does not equate to guilt.
@2: Vote for McCain then. I'm sure he'll be a great choice for you.
I am so disappointed in the negative ads that Obama is running. Not because they are negative per se -- I want Barack to defend himself and point out McCain's weaknesses. but all of the ads I have seen are so BAD. Just the same, nasty negative ad voiceover with spurious, ad hominem attacks on McCain. I though Barack was supposed to be a different kind of candidate -- where is the creativity.
Also, a suggestion for a line: McCain keeps calling himself "commander-in-chief" so I'd respond with: "America doesn't need a General, it needs a President."
Hey Phoebe!
I hate to brake the news to you there is no differnece between Obama and McCain.
Patriot Act
Fisa
Death Penalty
Banking & credit card laws
Vice President who supported the invasion
Shall I go on?
My god, I just commented that Maloney couldn't manage to fit the dem platform into less than one and a half minutes...
Now this guy can't do it either! I really think this is a problem.
If you don't know what your message is, how will the VOTERS know what your message is?
The republicans can do it in 6 words. Why can't the democrats?
Brian,
I think you seriously need to acknowledge your bias against Barack Obama. It's become very apparent over the past few months. Where does this come from?
No presidential ticket is going to make everyone in the party happy. Can the cynical folks perhaps just try to look at it as a question of "the lesser of two evils" and stop barraging Obama and his campaign? The Democrats need to work together and put their differences aside, or else they won't win.
Why does this guy speak for the campaign? He's awful.
So far these first two guests have said nothing interesting and are just spewing the same rehearsed Democratic Party line. I hope Brian has more insightful guests. Yeah, ok, we get it we want change. But what does that mean? Brian, please push your guests to get beyond the tired rhetoric that will be in full force during the convention. Take a cue from Amy Goodman and Democracy Now.
Leadership -- at home and abroad.
Sadly, negative ads work. Being the nice guy doesn't cut it. Obama will have to fight fire with fire unless he want's to lose. Hopefully Obama's neg ads can be smarter than McCain's. But anyone who thinks Obama can stay above it all with lofty rhetoric is living in fantasy land. To change things -- the American people will have to repudiate ugly politics totally and embrace reasoned discourse. No evidence of that happening any time soon.
I'll agree with Delia. Change needs to be gradual; revolutions will not be voted in, and without the likes of Biden on the ticket many Americans will not vote for Barack Obama as his candidacy challenges their view of the world.
So to Michael's comment... who will you vote for? Or will you sit home munching on popcorn and complain about whoever wins? There is a huge difference between the candidates; one an "All American" story of working hard to get where he is, the other a shallow 60s view of the world, married into money with no conception of how ordinary Americans live and work. I'll go further and say there is a huge difference between the party platforms, too.
This guy is the deputy campaign manager?
He answers every single question with the generic DNC talking points that he's probably reading from his Blackberry.
Please stop with the "gotcha" questions. You are sinking to the level of the cable news shows.
Yeah this guy is bad. Don't tell people to go to his website; just answer the question!!!
The Republican 6 words are a fraud, meaningless propaganda so please don't give them any credit. It is obviously and intentionally simplistic and it is very good PR since they assert what is false and people believe it as true. But nothing to be proud of or emulate.
gosh, Mr. Hildebrand did not do a good job. You would think the Obama/Biden campaign would have been more thoughtful in their chosen representative. :(
alex
give me a break. it is the democratic convention.
You guys are funny. You act as if you were a campaign insider or high party functionary, you would provide probing criticism and self-doubt as a way to show your intellectual honesty to the world. Yeah right.
No, it's not about how many houses and cars McCain has, it's about McCain not being able to remember how many houses he has and what kind of car he drives. (National Review reports that they asked what car he drives and he had to refer the question to a staff member.) McCain's lapses of memory are potentially very dangerous.
Phoebe you lay out the problem.
According to you there are only two choices and sadly they represent the same thing.
McCain = Obama & Obama = McCain
Since Bush negotiated a time table to leave Iraq we're leaving any way.
Nader being the only third party candidate he'll get my vote. He won't win of course never had a chance but at least I'll be able to sleep after eating my popcorn.
Wake up there is no difference between the Republicans and Democrats.
@23--Thank you! We agree on this, although my third party is the Green Party.
Dorothy:
What did you have for breakfast six days ago?
(5 seconds later)
OH! You mean you can't remember???
You clearly demonstrate a lack of judgement and decision making capability.
Dorothy
why "potentially very dangerous" Regan had alzheimers for years and his team ran the country just fine
bush has the IQ of a golden retriever and well...never mind him.
Another perspective:
News & Analysis
http://www.votenader.org/news/
-Nader Must Be in the Debates
-Biden, Iraq and Obama's Betrayal
-Biden: No Friend of Working Men and Women
-Nader on CNN Morning Show
-Penn, Kilmer, Sheehan with Nader in Denver
-Sprint to the Super Rallies
-Nader Doing Well
-Nader's Payback
-Michael Moore and the Crazy Nader Voters
-Nader on Talk of the Nation
-Nader Super Rallies Set for Denver, Minneapolis
-Physicists for Nader
-Better Yet, Connecticut
-Nader: Learn from Canada
-Almost Heaven: Nader on in West Virginia
-Nader Rips Obama/McCain
-Obama's Fortitude Gap
-Don't Call Them Spoilers
-Disgrace is Bipartisan
-Dems, GOP Fear Nader
-Obama/McCain China Connections
-Five McCain/Obama Flip Flops
-Big Bucks Back Obama
-Obama The Hedge Fund Candidate
-Iggy Will Vote for Ralph
-Hedges: War of Self-Destruction
-News Flash: Nader/Gonzalez on in California
-Ralph and Rocky in Salt Lake City
-Obama Opens Door to Offshore Drilling
-Six Dollars for Six Percent
-Nader: Obama Disappointing
-In Utah, Nader Blasts Two-Party System
-Nader Single Payer Video
-CNN Poll: Nader at Six Percent
-Chris Hedges: I'm Voting for Nader
-Knock Out Nader Court Costs
-Is Nader/Gonzalez for Real?
-Nader on Greider, Hightower, Kuttner
-Nader in Texas
-Nader Will Have My Vote
Chris, message is all about concision. If you can't summarize in 6 (or 10 or SOME amount under 500 words) what your message is, you are not communicating effectivly.
Sure you can call their 6 words marketing or propaganda or whatever negative words you may like. What is relevant is that those 6 words are effective. After hearing 6 words, I can tell you what the republicans are about. After listening to Maloney and this guy try to summarize the democratic platform in under 5 minutes, I can tell you I have no idea what the democrats are about. AND I plan on voting for the democrats!
A short summary is not simplistic. You can expand upon it all you want, with as much detail as you want. But if you don't have a short message to begin with, you don't have any focus.
Michael W
They are not equal. Didn't you listen to the part about the supreme court justices McCain will appoint that will undo equal rights, reproductive rights and already lots of other rights?
You are not paying attention, you are purveying more myths yourself.
A vote for Nader is a vote for four more conservative judges on an already unjust court.
Sorry Michael, but you are wrong with your set math!
Steve [8] I agree with you and that is why I can't give any more money to WNYC, only Democracy Now. He is still rabbiting on goading people at the convention about Hillary, not letting them speak for themselves, and raise their own issues. He's been doing it for six months like you said.
Democracy Now supports Nader.
Obama and McCain are see as twiddle dee & twiddle dum - CORPORATE candidates ===
Michael, I agree.
If we vote for Obama, we're voting to accept the ATT amnesty. If we vote for Biden, we're voting to accept the Iraq war.
The Democratic party is insulting us on the Democratic left (which used to be the Democratic mainstream) by not even giving us a gesture to acknowledge our concerns, while they move to the right to accommodate the supposed swing voters.
The Democrats have to choose between the interests of their voters (and constituents), and the interests of their corporate contributors. They've chosen the corporations, with votes like ATT amnesty.
It's a reasonable strategy to show them that if they continue to insult and ignore us, we won't vote for them. We'll vote for Nader.
What would you recommend instead, Phoebe -- rioting in the streets? Letting corporations run America?
Norman: I recommend taking part, canvassing, educating friends and colleagues in conversation. Nader is a good man, and has some good ideas but have you looked into the Green Party's overall platform? I'll agree that the Democrats need to get out from under the influence of Corporations (as opposed to Republicans who ARE the arm of Corporations and a resurgent religion). Ideally, a number of parties would be competing - center, right and left - with the governing consensus steering a path representitive of the people. Right now, the Greens are not seriously competing, and neither are the Libertarians (and don't tell me Bob Barr is a Libertarian!).
I'll second Albertine #29.
seth
just touching base with the NY delegation.
also since BO & HRC are on the same team it's balanced
#36 hjs
It doesn't help matters to have Brian state several times how he spoke to some Hillary delegates who are not supporting Obama. Brian is zeroing in on dissent and discord by fixating on this point. I expect more from WNYC than from cable news. I hope his remaining shows are less skewed than today. He spent too much time on the Hillary/Obama rift for my taste.
seth
you're right on that. no more about 'the rift'
sick of the soap opera ready for issues...
How can Steve Hildebrand, the spokesman for one of the country's best public speakers ever, be so truly awful? He was unspecific and ambiguous all the while defending that Obama's not unspecific and ambiguous. He should never be allowed to represent Obama in public.
And I hate to admit that I agree that Brian is fairly pointed, divisive and aggressive regarding Obama. Very very unlike him to lose sight of his neutrality. What's up with that?
I love Brian's repeated questioning of what the Democrats 6 key points are. It's called a platform. The democrats need to get one and clear, simple to explain one at that.
For the Obama and Biden critics: Do you truly believe you'd be better off with McCain? Obama and Biden have serious shortcomings but these do not justify punishing the nation for 4 years by electing McCain. He advocates the same brain dead policies of Bush. He's far more hawkish in foreign affairs than Obama or Biden. You're never going to find a perfect candidate. You should focus on beating McCain and not waste time complaining about Obama and Biden.
I will be voting for McCain for precisely one reason most democrats wont vote for him. I want Supreme Court Justices who will not allow further abortion "rights" and who could possibly find a way to overturn Roe v Wade.
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