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twitterObama elected first black president
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
President-elect Barack Obama, left, his wife Michelle Obama and two daughters, Malia, 7, and Sasha, 10, wave at an election night rally in Chicago.
Published Tue, Nov 4, 2008 (5:22 p.m.)
Updated Tue, Nov 4, 2008 (10:48 p.m.)
Election Night 2008
Barack Obama swept to victory as the nation's first black president Tuesday night in an electoral college landslide that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself.
The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, the Democratic senator from Illinois sealed his historic triumph by defeating Republican Sen. John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states -- Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Iowa.
A huge crowd in Grant Park in Obama's home town of Chicago erupted in jubilation at the news of his victory. Some wept.
McCain called his former rival to concede defeat -- and the end of his own 10-year quest for the White House. "The American people have spoken, and spoken clearly," McCain told disappointed supporters in Arizona.
Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, will take their oaths of office as president and vice president on Jan. 20, 2009.
As the 44th president, Obama will move into the Oval Office as leader of a country that is almost certainly in recession, and fighting two long wars, one in Iraq, the other in Afghanistan.
The popular vote was close, but not the count in the Electoral College, where it mattered most.
There, Obama's audacious decision to contest McCain in states that hadn't gone Democratic in years paid rich dividends.
Obama has said his first order of presidential business will be to tackle the economy. He has also pledged to withdraw most U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months.
Fellow Democrats rode his coattails to larger majorities in both houses of Congress. They defeated incumbent Republicans and won open seats by turn.
The 47-year-old Illinois senator was little known just four years ago. A widely praised speech at the Democratic National Convention, delivered when he was merely a candidate for the Senate, changed that.
Overnight he became a sought-after surrogate campaigner, and he had scarcely settled into his Senate seat when he began preparing for his run for the White House.
A survey of voters leaving polling places on Tuesday showed the economy was by far the top Election Day issue. Six in 10 voters said so, and none of the other top issues -- energy, Iraq, terrorism and health care -- was picked by more than one in 10.
"May God bless whoever wins tonight," President Bush told dinner guests at the White House, where his tenure runs out on Jan. 20.
The Democratic leaders of Congress celebrated in Washington.
"It is not a mandate for a party or ideology but a mandate for change," said Senate Majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
Said Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California: "Tonight the American people have called for a new direction. They have called for change in America."
Shortly after 11 p.m. in the East, The Associated Press count showed Obama with 338 electoral votes, well over the 270 needed for victory. McCain had 127 after winning states that comprised the normal Republican base.
The nationwide popular vote was remarkably close. Totals from 58 percent of the nation's precincts showed Obama with 51 percent and McCain with 47.9.
Interviews with voters suggested that almost six in 10 women were backing Obama nationwide, while men leaned his way by a narrow margin. Just over half of whites supported McCain, giving him a slim advantage in a group that Bush carried overwhelmingly in 2004.
The results of the AP survey were based on a preliminary partial sample of nearly 10,000 voters in Election Day polls and in telephone interviews over the past week for early voters.
Democrats also acclaimed Senate successes by former Gov. Mark Warner in Virginia, Rep. Tom Udall in New Mexico and Rep. Mark Udall in Colorado. All won seats left open by Republican retirements.
In New Hampshire, former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen defeated Republican Sen. John Sununu in a rematch of their 2002 race, and Sen. Elizabeth Dole fell to Democrat Kay Hagan in North Carolina.
Democrats also looked for gains in the House. They defeated Republican incumbents Rep. Tom Feeney and Ric Keller in Florida, 22-year veteran Chris Shays in Connecticut and Rep. Robin Hayes in North Carolina.
At least two Democrats lost their seats. Rep. Kevin Mahoney fell after admitting to two extramarital affairs while serving his first term in Florida. In Louisiana, Democratic Rep. Don Cazayoux lost the seat he had won in a special election six months ago.
The resurgent Democrats also elected a governor in one of the nation's traditional bellwether states when Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon won his race.
The White House was the main prize of the night on which 35 Senate seats and all 435 House seats were at stake. A dozen states elected governors, and ballots across the country were dotted with issues ranging from taxes to gay rights.
An estimated 187 million voters were registered, and in an indication of interest in the battle for the White House, 40 million or so had already voted as Election Day dawned.
Obama sought election as one of the youngest presidents, and one of the least experienced in national political affairs.
That wasn't what set the Illinois senator apart, though _ neither from his rivals nor from the other men who had served as president since the nation's founding more than two centuries ago. A black man, he confronted a previously unbreakable barrier as he campaigned on twin themes of change and hope in uncertain times.
McCain, a prisoner of war during Vietnam, a generation older than his rival at 72, was making his second try for the White House, following his defeat in the battle for the GOP nomination in 2000.
A conservative, he stressed his maverick's streak. And although a Republican, he did what he could to separate himself from an unpopular president.
For the most part, the two presidential candidates and their running mates, Biden and Republican Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, spent weeks campaigning in states that went for Bush four years ago.
McCain and Obama each won contested nominations _ the Democrat outdistancing former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton _ and promptly set out to claim the mantle of change.
Obama won Colorado, Nevada, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Florida, Virginia, New Mexico, Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland and New Jersey, as well as the District of Columbia.
McCain had Nebraska, Idaho, Mississippi, Texas, West Virginia, Utah, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, South Dakota and North Dakota.
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Congratulations, President Obama!
Lesson learned: bigotry and trickery will never win over true optimism.
The neoconservative movement is finally where it belongs... six feet under.
I was 100% for Obama.
However I will give a thumbs up to McCains "I lost" speach. I hope all the McCain supporters actually listened and we can move on to working together as a "whole country" to fix OUR problems.
I did not support bHo during this election. However, I will give him the same amount of respect the left gave GW over the last eight years.
Congratulations, Obama and his followers.
For the sake of the country, I hope he does a good job.
(Removed by the site staff)
car_1, I think it is better if you did not make those type of points.
It is what it is.
We should pray that God will give him and all those who got elected the wisdom and strength to lead our nation.
This is a great day for America.
I make no apologies for my analogies. It's not an attack on bHo, it's an attack on the media, for which I have zero respect.
I agree, it is what it is. My heart hopes he will lead this country in a positive and fair manner preserving our freedoms and protecting all things 'American'. However, all the reasons I did not want him to become president still way heavy on my mind.
God Bless the USA.
Boy, the staff doesn't waste any time removing any negative comments about The One. So much for the First Amendment.
Great night for the USA. John McCain, very eloquent speech in defeat.
A truly awesome night. I'm very proud of us as a nation. Congratulations to us all.
John, you were an awesome warrior and gracious in defeat.
Barry, nice family. Now get your butt to work!
The true tests begin. I can't imagine the weight on our new President's shoulders but he'll need help and support from across the spectrum - from all of us. I was beginning to be disheartened by McCain's actions and speeches of late, but after tonight, I have renewed honor and faith for Mr. McCain. One stage is complete, time to move on.
Good thing the new James Bond movie is coming out soon - time for some mindless entertainment!
A great day for America indeed. I'm thrilled with the results, still a little sad about the negative campaigns but maybe now we can all work together toward improving the economy, getting out of Iraq, and restoring our position in the world. Congrats to McCain for a gracious and honest speech. I'm sure he'll work across party lines to help President Obama.
Yes, we can!
To car_1. You do realize Obama was named long before anyone ever heard the name Hussain and his middle name doesn't imply anything, don't you? Your attempt to draw attention to it with the capital H is just silly. What if McCain happened to have the middle name Adolf given to him long before the world understood the evils of Hitler? Would that change your opinion of him? Of course not. So let the non issue of the name go.
Does it bother you that much?
car_1, I can assure you that your comment wasn't deleted because it was about Barack Obama.
If you had written that comment and replaced Obama's name with any other name, it would have been deleted, as well.
We don't have a problem at all with anyone posting on these forums, as long as they abide by the rules.
The full comments policy is here:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/about/useragr...
And here are the exact parts of the rules that were violated by those posts that were removed:
* Agree to be nice. Yes, it is OK to have an intelligent discussion where points are debated. The management and editors of LasVegasSun.com want and encourage that. As stated on nearly every page of this site where readers can post, our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language.
* Agree not to use this forum for personal attacks. This includes any sort of personal attack -- including, but not limited to the people in our stories, the journalists who create these stories, or anyone else in this community.
+++
The bottom line is you can't be mean, resort to name-calling or anything like that. You can disagree with other posters, and you can especially disagree with our newspaper.
You can make points that show a different and better line of reasoning. In fact, we hope you will do that!
But you can't be mean.
car_1,
What is using his middle name, presenting it like bHo, proving?
Did you identify Clinton as wJc?
I don't get it. I'm not as hate filled as you come across as, so I am just curious what point you are trying to make??!?
Didn't you hear McCain, and even Mr. Nance? Lets put this petty name calling stuff aside and try to work together for the first time in decades.
USA USA USA USA USA USA!!!!
Mr. Nance, I too appreciate your graciousness. I agree with LaDida, let's try to work together. United we stand.
My comment wasn't mean. I didn't call anyone names or anything like that. My point was that the media has given bHo a great big pass. Crude? Yes, Mean, no.
LaDiDa:
bHUSSEINo, there is that a little better? I think it looks a little better. Thanks for the idea.
Be careful LaDiDa, calling me hateful is mean (not to mention very untrue), and from reading the post from the nice man from the newspaper that can get a post deleted.
The rage must have totally overcome you at this point, huh...
I guess you can go to bed tonight knowing that any nightmare your mind can conjure up won't face the reality and rage you'll wake up with tomorrow.
And I am sorry for you that you feel that way.
Once the rage subsides remember that we are all one country, regardless of our differences, and its time to make this country great again.
Rage...Nah, I am enjoying this. Being under your skin is worth it.
Congrats President Elect Obama.
LaDiDa, you are correct, after the past eight years of comparing the sitting President to Hitler, calling him a war criminal, and doing everything in your power to oppose the President it is now time to unite since democrats now control the game. It is time for us to put country first, to man up if you will, because many of the readers on this site have been unable to do that for the past eight years.
Haha! Under my skin!! My skin has goosebumps from the history I saw happen today and to now have the chance to move this country forward from its muddled partisan mess!!!
Join hands America!
Lets take the honorable John McCains message of tonight and take this chance to reach across the preverbial aisle and work together, not apart, to make this country great again.
(Whatever you believe in) Bless America!!!
A white man asked his black friend, "Did you vote for Barack Obama just because he's black?"
The black man responded by saying,"Why not?Hell, in this country men are pulled over everyday just because they're black;passed over for promotions just because they're black; considered to be criminals just because they're black; and there thousands of you did not vote for him just because he is black!
However, you do not seem to have a problem with that! This country was built with the sweat and whip off the black slaves' back, and now a descendent of those same slaves is going to lead the same country where we weren't even considered to be people, where we weren't allowed to be educated, drink from the same water fountains, eat in the same restaurants, or even vote! so yes, I voted for him! But it's not because he's just because he's black, but because he is hope, he is change, and he now allows me to understand when my grandson says that he wants to be president when he grows up, its not a fairy tale but a short term goal.
He now sees, understand and knows that he can achieve, withstand and do ANYTHING just because he's black!"
Car_1, you said that ALL the reasons you did not want Barack Obama to become president weigh heavily on your mind. May I ask what those reasons are?
HALLELUJAH!
Barack Obama wins and now inherits the mess that Bush and the GOP has made of our country's reputation and our finances. Record deficits should cause the Republicans SHAME!
Also, this election is living proof that the majority of Americans are sick of the KKKarl Rove campaign strategies of smearing decent people.
Done, go away!
Cannon:
So now you want everyone to work together, eh? I think the Dems should work together just like the Repubs did after Bush took the White House in 2000 and you all were running around crying "MANDATE MANDATE MANDATE" despite having "won" by one of the smallest margins.
I think the Dems should work together just like the Repubs did all during the Clinton administration.
Fair is fair, don't you think?
car_1 "Rage...Nah, I am enjoying this. Being under your skin is worth it."
So, your kind of like a Rash then? A Bush Rash? The kind you think will never go away until someone finally votes it out of office.
Bush appr. rating - 20% (historic low).
Rob (if you're still here) .... a question for you.
I notice this is an AP story and we were able to comment on it. I've never seen an AP story here where that was possible.
Why is that?
I voted for Obama, he was the lesser of two evils. Now we can sit back and watch as he takes his positive stand for immigration reform and voting for more free trade agreements with other countries.
No, patricia (you do understand why I have been calling you pattibaby don't you? Look forward to dealing with sexist supporters of Obama for the next four years. They are going to feel on top of the world because they have finally gotten theirs. The are probably going to be insufferable. Get used to Bros before Hos sweetie. Surely it must gall you to know that. But I forget you already supported a sexist from 1993 - 2000.), I *don't* want to work with jackasses er donkeys such as yourself. Much like you want to silence people like me. However, I am doing something you were incapable of. Even after 2004 when Bush expanded his electoral success people such as yourself kept throwing temper tantrums and holding "F the system because we didn't get our way."
As far as working with President Clinton. Heck your side even won that. We felt that lying under oath was an impeachable offense. Your side won that bit of the culture war. Lying under oath is AOK. Fine. The country worked fine under a Republican Congress and Democrat Congress. Take a look at welfare reform. Compare the successes under the Contract with America era to the first two years of the Clinton Administration.
johnvegas, Hmmm if only Bush had the 9% approval rating of the Uncle Harry and Aunt Nancy Congress it would have worked better for us.
(Removed by the site staff)
john, today is a day to something you have been incapable of for the past eight years. Acknowledging a President who won in the Electoral College.
Oh sure you track the history of "most horrible" presidents. I am sure you have a shrine to Saint Carter somewhere in your domicile. I am sure that President Obama will occupy a space of honor in that pantheon.
Actually, Cannon, I DON'T want to silence you. I'd rather give you as many outlets as possible to keep showing the world the hate, bile & venom you spew on a daily basis.
FWIW, I still don't really like Clinton and I wasn't much of a "supporter" while he was president because I wasn't a huge fan of his policies. But you know what you know, the facts be damned.
But lying under oath about a blowjob versus lying to the American people and the world to get us into a war ..... well, unlike you, I see shades of gray. But IIRC, it was a REPUBLICAN CONGRESS who cleared him of the charges, wasn't it?
"Contract With America"? LOL. Most people were calling it the Contract ON America. Where is Newtie these days? Has he left Wife #3 for Wife #4 yet?
You have no moral high ground, Cannon. You never had, and never will.
My conversations with you are done. You are nothing more than a pathetic little man who has to bolster his ego by demeaning others.
"I am sure you have a shrine to Saint Carter somewhere in your domicile."
Nope. Nice man. Ineffective impotent president. I voted for Reagan.
See, this is what happens when you don't work your material Cannon. You can't squat except your own stuff. Oh, I get that you think it's about someone "else". But unless you acknowledge your own poop first, all you see is your stuff everywhere else.
EVERYONE here is STUPID! He is NOT "black". The facts state he is ARAB!! AND he is NOT an AMERICAN. He WAS born in Kenya! I LAUGH at all of YOU! The day WILL come when YOU "ALL" WILL be eating your words! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL It is ONLY a matter of time....and bang by someone. This world has gone MAD!!!
Considering the fact that he has as much White blood coursing thru his veins as Black I just don't understood all the hoopla- he's the first BI-RACIAL president lest we forget his white mother and grandmother. The press sickens me.
wow, you really have no grasp on reality. What crappy partisan website have you been going to?
Several court cases against our president elect have all been thrown out as spurious, mickey mouse, and most definitely not genuine. Deal with the fact that your "ace in the hole" was dust.
BTW alohaburner, that's a quite incendiary indictment. Might you be able to produce facts that would sway people to your point of view? Or proof against his citizenship...what's that you say? You don't have any, just scurilous rants by PO'ed republican bloggers. Nice...
If you believe that, I have a UFO from Roswell for ya too.
alohaburner - Tell us about aloha. We get the burner part loud and clear. Seriously, tell us about aloha.
Alohaburner - count me out as one of the "STUPID" ones as I've said all along he is neither Causcasion nor African-American, but rather a mixture of both = BI-RACIAL..... I can 'get it' but obviously the media can't - or perhaps it wouldn't make for as good a 'story'.... If he were calling himself Caucasion many would be up in arms and yet he can call himself Black and most seem to agree....I look at the simply equation of it all - 1/2 plus 1/2 are equal parts (at least to me they are).
"EVERYONE here is STUPID!"
Knowing that the degree to which our personal material is disowned can be reflected by the intensity of our personal reactions to it in "others" as well as our desire to make it about "others", this is my favorite post of the day!
Sorry nance, you are officially out of the top spot with your "This post is stupid!". Not even close. :)
PatriciaLV --
Sorry for the delay in responding.
There are two ways that Associated Press stories end up on our site: One is through an automated feed and the other is when one of our editors feels like an AP story should be moved to our homepage or to one of our main inside indexes.
Once one of our editors moves an AP story out of the AP section of our site and into one of the local sections of the lasvegassun.com site, then comments become enabled on that story.
But, to be honest, I'm not sure why it works that way other than that the way the AP stories feed into our site is different than how our Las Vegas Sun stories get fed into our site, causing some some sort of technical issue.
Or maybe it was just overlooked, which we do from time-to-time.
:)
Would you like to be able to comment on all AP stories?
I will talk to our programmers today to see if this is something that is easy to have happen or if it is something "non-trivial" which is nerd-speak for "hard."
Thanks!
Let us all hope he will put another judge on the supreme court bench and finally rid this country of the evil of abortion. May God enlighten the mind and soul of Mr Obama. Fired up ready to go!!!!
LOL, Rob. I spent 15+ years in IT, so I understand nerd-speak :)
There have been several interesting stories but it's not earth-shattering that I be able to comment on them. It was more a curiosity than anything else.
Thanks!
Ha, if you think he'll appoint someone conservative enough to try and ban abortion.
Get over the abortion issue. You LOST that one big last night. Even South Dakota (you know, the huge liberal mecca it is), said they don't want to ban abortion.
At least you can still cling to banning gay marriage. That seems to be an issue that social conservatives still have traction on.
redferret, these are the non-issues, the hot-button issues, the one-issue issues that a (bankrupt) party with nothing to run on presents to its "base" to keep it energized.
Add flag-burning to the mix (I mean really; when was the last time anyone saw anyone in the US burn a flag?) and you've pretty much got the entire republican party platform.
Rolling eyes @ the idiocy of it all.
I've taken to asking the Pavonefans of the world how many unwanted children they've adopted or plant to adopt. I'm almost always met with the sound of crickets.
I think today I would call the Republican party the party of extremes. It seems like all the rhetoric was an extreme. Terrorist, hates america, supports killing babies, sells porn to children, facist, communist, and on and on....
As Sarah and John trumped up this stuff and shouted it to the mountaintops, I would think to myself "[Real Americans] appear to be emotional nitwits who makes decisions based on feelings rather than logic".
Why is it that thinking "I know the difference between wanting to kill babies and being pro-choice" makes me some kind of elitist? Instead I would say it makes me sensible and that the person who labels me an elitist for it is a retarded fool.
cannon, car1, thebs, et al., if you really cared a lick about the country as you so vehemently declare that you do, you'd have noticed that the electorate made a statement last night. Not only did we vote, both locally and at the national level, for a new direction for our country, IMO we also made a shift away from negative & hateful to positive & hopeful.
Just TRY a little POSITIVE thinking. It's amazingly effective. Paranoid/delusional is a clinical diagnosis, not a political philosophy.
Just a word for the Dems on the hill, be humble. In 8 years or less, we can be right back at 2004 (minorities in congress and not in the White House). We need to be serious about change, and Mr. Obama needs to bring about some of those campaign promises.
Can we do it? Well according to Barack, yes we can. We just need to realize that we dems are not entitled to the positions in Washington. We earn them throught the trust of the American people. They have clearly voiced this trust...for now. Let's just not get cocky, and start doing some big time work.
Because I don't capitulate and bow down at the alter of The One, I am "negative and hateful"? How you came to that conclusion astounds me. Please, go back and re-read all of my posts and enlighten me as to where a word of hate is written. I feel it is you and the other libs who are the practitioners of hate and negative thought. Take johnevegas' post from above. All of the the reasons he lists as his proof of the Repubs being the party of extremes are the very things Bush has been accused of being for the last eight years, but nary a word from him about the Dems being equally extreme. I could could go on and on with examples but I have a life.
Because I don't agree with 52% of the electorate our I am some kind of hatemonger. LOL.... I find great solace in knowing that at least 46% of the electorate still has their wits about them.
car_1, dude, your posts speak for themselves.
The fact that you are "astounded" speaks for something else entirely.
sheesh, alot of angry white males in the world today. I'm a white male, just not angry. Peace.
car_1 "All of the the reasons he lists as his proof of the Repubs being the party of extremes are the very things Bush has been accused of being for the last eight years."
Instead I would say Bush is a chief practitioner.
"Car_1 Poll
Obama 0%
McCain 100%"
Ah, the memories...
I'm sorry car_1. Was this post extreme? Hateful? Racist?
gmag39, thanks for proving my point, I didn't think you could come up with anything of substance. Keep the hate alive, seems to be what your good at.
johnevegas, what? Do you just bang on the keyboard all day hoping something intelligent pops up. Keep trying.
johnevegas: I am under your skin too. I love it. I have to go now, I might be back later though.
give em' some rope, they hang themselves.
"Racism" is no longer an excuse.
car_1 "johnevegas ... Do you just bang on the keyboard all day hoping something intelligent pops up. Keep trying."
I bang on the keyboard all day and money comes out. That's why I get to bang on the keyboard all day. The more I do it, the more money comes out. Great setup huh?
Under my skin? I'm having a blast here car_1. I've been doing this for a very long time. Each interaction is an opportunity to learn. Especially from people like you, who think they are getting under my skin. Though my guess is you have no idea what that means. Maybe. But I doubt it.
Sorry you have to go. I'll be here when you get back. Waiting for another lesson.
mike "Racism" is no longer an excuse."
Then being republican is no longer an excuse for being racist. Fair enough?
I will respect Obama b/c he was voted President of
the USA. The one comment or complaint I have is as follows:
Why do we keep saying "the first Black President".
He is white as well. Shouldn't we say the first Mixed President for correct political potrocol.
Hey! I was wondering when the jovial, loveable
mikegino would show up!
Buon giorno! Hope you had a good nights sleep.
As long as more than 1 race exists on the planet, son, there will be racism. But no, we won't excuse it.
I was not being mean or racist for saying the first Mixed President. I believe the papers, etc. should not comment on his race period. My grandsons are bi/racial and I love them dearly. My husband was black. I just feel they were being racial by saying First Black President. In my opionion it doesn't matter, race, color or religion as long as they treat me respectable, I will treat them with respect.
john: who was the first Republican President?
Mike: Abe, of course. And???
(shhh, wait for it libs!!!)
Good answer! Now let's raise the bar: how many Presidents who were elected as incumbent U.S. Senators were ever elected to a second presidential term?
Not in my head. Would have to go look. You tell me, and please get to your point.
Well, Mike, the last one (JFK) didn't exactly get the chance to run again, but I think he MAY have had a shot at that second term.....
JohnEVegas,
What was so special, all we did was elect a man to be president? We've done that for more than 200 years.
Oh, ah, oh, ah....hypocrite...gotcha! :P
Bill Clinton was the first black president, btw. That was made official over a decade ago.
"gotcha" So well that I don't know what you are talking about.
Yup KD. I read through the entire thread and haven't a clue what you mean, where you are, or how you got there. Sorry.
LaDi: I concur that JFK, a very decent man nothwithstanding his corrupt lineage, very well might have been the first President, who was elected as a sitting Senator, to win a second term. Senators fail as President because they typically do not have strong executive skills. Does the incoming President have strong executive skills? To borrow a line from the greatest movie of all time, "Well, Dude, we just don't know."
KDR: Wasn't Bill Clinton "de-blacked" this year?
"Bill Clinton was the first black president, btw."
Really? Well, I hope Obama does as well as Clinton. He was one of the best we've had, except for the Monica thing of course. But still, excellent IMHO.
Very well might have? JFK would have won his second term in a landside of epic proportions.
JohnEVegas,
1) Your sarcastic comments in another thread said there wasnt a black president but a man elected. Here you are saying "YAY history was made"
2) Yes, Bill Clinton was declared the first black president in the 1990s. Perhaps semi-jokingly.
3) No, Clinton was not de-blacked, he still likes big butts, the other commander-in-chiefs can't deny.
"1) Your sarcastic comments in another thread said there wasnt a black president but a man elected. Here you are saying "YAY history was made"
I see. I used the "sarcastic" verbiage to make a point, I.E. I saw a man get elected, which I did. However, I chose the candidate I wanted, who happened to be black. Not because he was black or white, male or female. Just the right person for me. But, dude, yay for the black guy, come on!!! Geez...
"2) Yes, Bill Clinton was declared the first black president in the 1990s. Perhaps semi-jokingly."
I remember the joke. It's energetically and philosophically true in many ways.
"3) No, Clinton was not de-blacked, he still likes big butts, the other commander-in-chiefs can't deny."
I struggle here. Hummm. Trying... hard... not... to... giggity... make... own... joke!!!
I thought we should have handled that issue differently. Even more irritating with what it seems we have overlooked with Bush. Incredible to me that we would go after him for years to only catch him lying about sex, while at the same time Bush has no apparent accountability for being a horrendous president who told massive lies and humiliated us globally. To me, that is some stunning imbalance.
I pine for the Clinton days. I pray Barack will be better. We really really need a good solid leader right now.
Apparently Obama must enjoy all the hoop-la over being the first 'black' president because he hasn't bothered yet to correct the press. He is, indeed, BI-RACIAL, whether HE likes it or not and that is not to be confused with being either of Caucasion or African-American heritage. He poor mother must roll over in her grave everytime he disavows her by not making the correction. I have no respect for ANY person who turns their back on their own mother.
azsk8fan "I have no respect for ANY person who turns their back on their own mother."
Who are you kidding? You have never respected Obama. Judging by your other posts, it seems you're determined not to.
Yes indeed Mr Obama can yet accept the truth that the little baby in the womb has rights also. I do not believe, that he will be so barbaric as to allow the horror of abortion and infanticide to continue. He has two beautiful children of his own. I will continue to pray for Mr Obama for enlightenment. God can do anything can't he? God bless America.
OK, Pavonefan, how many unwanted babies have you adopted? How many do you plant to adopt? How many have you helped out of poverty or abusive or neglectful families?
How many?
Also would you be for making rape victims and incest victims carry their babies to term? And where pray tell is infanticide happening? Last I checked there was an existing federal ban on late term abortions (as there should be). If you don't know if you want the baby by the third trimester, then go the adoption route.
Why should a botch aborted baby have any rights two seconds after it leaves the mother's birth canal when it has no rights two seconds before it leaves the mother's birth canal?
Also, are all abortions protected as a Constitutional right?
Jim, do you have any idea how RARE a late-term (MEDICALLY-NECESSARY) abortion is? Non-medically-necessary late-term abortions are even MORE rare. And there are CURRENT laws against them, BTW.
Please research before you spout talking points. PLEASE.
Thank God we don't have a President-elect who puts sarcastic airquotes around the health of the mother.
Sanity prevailed.
I would agree that late-term medically-necessary abortins are indeed very very rare.
But there are many late-term abortions going on that are not medically necessary. They can drive a trunk full of late-term abortions via the claim the the mother is sad which means her mental health is impaired. I do not consider that to be medially necessary.
CDC Numbers:
72,000 Abortions in 13 to 15 weeks of gestational age
48,000 Abortions in 16 to 20 weeksweeks of gestational age
19,200 Abortions over 20 weeks of gestational age
Wow...19,200 does not sound that rare to me.
From authors who work for Planned Parenthood based Planned Parenthood stat data listing reasons for abortions after 16 weeks of gestational age.
71% Woman didn't recognize she was pregnant or misjudged gestation
48% Woman found it hard to make arrangements for abortion
33% Woman was afraid to tell her partner or parents
24% Woman took time to decide to have an abortion
8% Woman waited for her relationship to change
8% Someone pressured woman not to have abortion
6% Something changed after woman became pregnant
6% Woman didn't know timing is important
5% Woman didn't know she could get an abortion
2% A fetal problem was diagnosed late in pregnancy
11% Other
Yes, 19000 seems high but against how many pregnancies? You didn't give a link (or maybe the CDC didn't have that info).
That would really put that 19K number in perspective.
"They can drive a trunk full of late-term abortions..."
Please, elaborate on how one might "drive" a "trunk full of late-term abortions."
Or is that more "satirical verbiage?" LOL!
Congress right now and states right now can ban 2nd and 3rd trimesters abortions if they wanted to.
They should ban those abortions if the physical health of mother is not at risk. It should be a material health reason and not that the mother might get fat or something BS like that.
Mental health should be not used as a reason.
Jim, 19K versus how many pregnancies? Can't tell the magnitude of one number without the other.
After all, there ARE approximately 125 MILLION women in the US and I would hazard a guess that at least half of them are of child-bearing age/condition.
BTW, aren't you all about the government getting OUT OF people's lives? Or was that only men's lives?
Patricia's smart for not trusting Nance's "statistics."
From the CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml...
In 2001 there were 853,485 abortions.
1.4% of those abortions were over 20 weeks of gestational age.
Oh, wait, more recent numbers:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml...
In 2004, what percentage was over 20 weeks of gestational age?
1.4%. In fact it was between 1.4 and 1.5% from 1995-2004.
Over 20 weeks was the number Nance said "does not seem that rare to me." 1.4%? That's pretty damn rare.
Not surprised. Late term abortions are very frowned on, plain and simple. The right wants to paint the left as a bunch of baby killers when we are not.
We are not in favor of abortion. That's on par with saying a doctor wants people to get ill.
Dems want women to have that right. What we also want to do is lower the number of abortions through a variety of measures, many of which are frowned on by conservatives. The most salient one is comprehensive sex ed in high school. These kids need to know that abstinence is the best policy. 0% pregnancies; 0% STDs. However they are young and have raging hormones, and those young ones will have strong desires. We need to tell them what to do when they are in those situations, namely suit up.
It's on par with teen drinking. We don't approve, it's dangerous. However if you find yourself in that situation, we would rather you call us to stay at that house or have us pick you up, versus you getting behind the wheel and driving home drunk.
I hate these abortion discussions because all I REALLY want to scream is UNLESS YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET PREGNANT, STFU.
But I won't because that's really a bit simplistic. And completely rude.
"This country was built with the sweat and whip off the black slaves' back, and now a descendent of those same slaves is going to lead the same country ..."
Unless Obama's mother carries slave blood (not impossible, but not probable) it is very unlikely that he is descended from "those same slaves" since his father was born in Kenya. OTOH, it is quite likely that he had distant cousins who were slaves in this country. And just as likely he has distant relatives from the time who helped SELL those others in slavery.
Yes, electing a black man to be POTUS is something new, but electing a woman is what will show that we have true equality among all people and not just the dominant males.
Patricia - "But I won't because that's really a bit simplistic. And completely rude."
And then you would have something in common with Vicki. Then everyone would then pile on and tear you up because you made an argument and with emotion as your only substantiation.
But I know you better than that already. I know you have actually given some thought beyond the "Get out of my womb" argument. By the way, I stop there too. There are other things to say, for sure. But I can't get past that one, and wonder what it would feel like if men had babies and woman tried to control the process and OUR bodies.
And besides...
http://www.hulu.com/watch/10930/family-g...
Everyone one has the right to have an opinion and that is why I stop short of screaming that every time a man enters "the abortion discussion".
The way I look at it is this: In outlawing abortions, one (small) group is literally forcing their beliefs on everyone else. But if abortions are legal, no one is telling ANYONE they HAVE to have an abortion. It is a CHOICE.
As to the video ... AHAHAHAHAHAHA!