http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ti19VwLzkY&eurl
This is why we argue, this is why we stand up, this is why this election is important, this is why we spend hours on a message board discussing the issues. It doesn't have to do with correcting the little problems, it has to do with the big problems. We need health care, we need thoughtful leadership, we need to stop focusing on the divisions and focus on what makes us Americans.
After not having much to do with TPM's UGC (user generated content) for the last month, because the features sucked, I thought I would return and see what's new. After all, there have been some new hires. Sadly, it still sucks. I still can't edit my post, I still can't vote posts down. The comment stream is still too long to make much use out of. No mail box... The list goes on.
I'm still going to be visiting the site, I enjoy the main posts but until there is some movement to FIX THE PROBLEMS I don't really see the point in commenting or providing content to the site. At this point I read Andrew Sullivan more because he updates more often and has better inclusion of his readers.
There has been a lot of political analysis in the past 3 weeks. I just wanted to go back to the basics as only an independent, fiscally conservative, republican leaning, Obama suporter can do.
1. Obama would spend less than McCain. The war is expensive, health care is not.
2. Obama would create more peace as Reagan demonstrated.
3. Obama would not allow torture.
4. Obama is not going to go to war with Iran.
5. Obama is is someone to aspire to.
6. Obama is pro choice
7. Obama will nominate good judges
8. Obama will not hire incompetent idiots.
9. Obama has children.
10. Obama is a person that can lead America.
If you want to read "vote up if" stories go to dig or reddit.
If you want to read stories or titles comprised mostly of capitals go to dig.
If you want to post non factual stories from highly questionable sources please go to dig or reddit.
If you want to post insight and commentary in an intelligent manner please stay on TPM.
If you want to educate and enlighten please stay at TPM.
Thank you,
BTW,
That said I would like to see some features like down modding and editing, a mailbox would also be sweet.
A Rasmussen poll found that more than one in four Clinton supporters (29%) would want her to run independently of the democratic party if she doesn't get the nomination. I don't find this surprising after reading sites like H44. These people get most of their news from fox and for the most part support the war, though they don't like to admit it.
I would like to add a new term to our lexicon: Fox Democrats.
Thankfully they only make up roughly 15% of the democratic party. If she did run independently it makes you wonder how many republicans would switch from McCain to her. Hillary could pick Lieberman or Sean Hannity as a running mate and be in it to win 25% of the nation's votes! It'd be the democratic party's Ross Perot.
1. It's the Day after Obama's next big speech. I can't even imagine how much pressure he will put on himself to come up with something to meet expectations. I also feel a little for McCain to have to give something that at is on par a week later.
2. It's McCain's birthday. Not the best time to turn 72.
I can't remember the name of the poster or the title of the post but when I check an hour ago the guy that posted a "test" post and couldn't delete it was #3 on the most recommended post list. Please tell me you didn't take it down?
For the most part I'm happy you guys have so many advertisements, I've even clicked on a few, but you really need to get rid of this monstrosity that's going to send me into an epileptic fit. I'm not sure if others are having a hard time reading the text when this ad keeps pulsating in the most horrific way but I sure do.
Lets take a look at the delegate counts and what it would take for each of the candidates to win:
Hillary Clinton: (PD) 1333 + (SD) 264 = Total Delegates: 1597
Barack Obama: (PD) 1489 + (SD) 243 = Total Delegates: 1732
Number of uncommitted supper delegates: 288
Number of uncommitted pledged delegates: 322
Total number of uncommitted delegates = 610 delegates
Total number of Delegates the democratic candidate needs: 2,024
Number of remaining delegates Hillary needs: 427 (70%)
Number of remaining delegates Obama needs: 292 (48%)
It's over.
(All numbers are from RealClearPolitics.)
The number of super delegates that Hillary has picked up since Penn.
It's got to be depressing for the Hillary campaign to know that if current trends continue Obama will have erased any gain in delegates Hillary was able to pick up in Penn by the time voting takes place on May 6.
A few have commented that they thought this might end after the May 6th primaries. I tend to agree but I don't see Hillary dropping out, instead the public and the media will see the window close on Hillary and the dynamic will switch to Obama vs. McCain. As it should have 6 weeks ago.
We'll get to hear Obama!
I had hoped someone was documenting the comedy that goes on every day over at h44. I am not disappointed.
So there are many good reasons to vote for Hillary and have reservations about Obama however this is not one of them:
"His Imperial Highness Emporer OBama has spoken.What a sad state of
affairs for our country,if this poor excuse for a presidential wanna-be
gets the nomination.The Oval Office will be the Throne Room,The new
language will be hip-hop.The new anthem will be Rap and blues.There
will be change.You can bet your welfare checks on that.This guy,will
destroy this nation.That’s the price that we will pay for accepting a
cult movement.led by an inexperienced and self absorbed Phoney.He calls
it A Movement.I call it DISASTEROUS SLIDE INTO >ANARCHY.
By ABM90 A really worried and disgusted 90 yr old AMERICAN"
http://www.hillaryis44.org/?p=584#comment-144280I'll admit I come from a reddit background and as such I expect a few things from any social news website:
1. I should be able to vote idiotic comments down
2. I should be able to vote reasoned arguements up
3. I should be able to have a mailbox that alerts me to comment responses
4. I should be able to edit my comment
5. I should be able to gain some sort of credibility as a user.
TPM kicks ass because of it's content, but it's usability is still circa 1998
As an Independent I find it hard not to like McCain. He has all the qualities I like about Clinton without many of the flaws. Certainly he had made a few bad decisions but nothing that put him in a position of not having at least my consideration for the nomination but that is now changing.
I had admired his speech on the economy and his hands off approach to keep the government from screwing the situation even more. Granted he could have focused more on bringing intelligent regulation to the industry, but he wasn't going to use my money to pay people who took risk. Sadly he not only backed off that position but he had to do so 2x because the first time wasn't a big enough bailout.
I had admired his position on the surge. Most scholars and people with some background of the situation in Iraq said there needed to be more troops there to keep any kind of working peace. McCain lead a charge to get more troops there. Sadly now he has no idea how to bring peace to Iraq but he certainly knows how to maintain security for 100 years.
Now today, I had been excited about McCain's talk of ending our dependence on foreign oil. This issue really hits home to me and this may be the killer for any kind of support I may extend to McCain. We wouldn't have 90% of the problems we have right now if it wasn't for our dependence on foreign oil. Sadly instead of reducing our need for foreign oil we will increase it by making gas cheaper. If anything, a real leader would suggest an increase in the gas tax to fund more public transportation and oil alternatives.
