The ThunderDragon

John McCain has courted controversy by foolishly referring to Barack Obama as “that one”. That is way too dismisive language to use in the midst of a presidential battle, especially during a presidential debate.

When it comes to being careful about what you say, American politics is even more sensitive than ours. And both candidates have got their fingers burnt through saying the wrong thing.

If it’s a choice between “that one” and the doddering old man, I know who I’d choose.

David Cameron is to borrow Barack Obama’s slogan “Plan for Change” for the Conservative conference.

This does show a grest deal of confidence on the Conservatives’ part, even though to be fair the Conservatives are in a better political posiiton than the Democrats, as they are leading by ten points even after their opponents conference bounce and before their own. Even though the differences in the political systems mean that even with a 10% lead, winning would be hard for the Tories.

Cameron has begun his comeback against Brown after his conference speech, and espiecally his “not the time for a novice” line - which could be aimed at either Miliband and other rebels, Cameron or even, technically, Obama himself*:

Let’s look at the question of experience. Yes, this Prime Minister has got experience … he has got the experience of saying year after year ‘I have ended boom and bust’.

And yet now we face really difficult economic circumstances. Now, I don’t think that is the experience we need right now.

Buuuuurn.

So what the Conservatives need to do now is develop their policies so thst the people know exactly what they stand for and what they will do when in government.

Let’s plan for change.

* This actually sets up an interesting question: is Brown turning this into a copy of the American presidential battle - with himself as McCain and Cameron as Obama? Perhaps not the wisest decision.

… even if I had one, of course.

Being a Conservative, one would expect to be able to support the Republican Party in the US, considering that they are the right-wing party of America. But I simply can’t.

By picking Palin, McCain has ridiculed his own main - and most effective - means of attack on Obama, that he is young inexperienced. True, Palin has some “executive” experience that Obama and Biden don’t, but as a mayor of a town of 8,000 and a couple of years as Governor of America’s smallest state doesn’t amount to much. And Palin is younger than Obama.

On a side note, it is amusing that both slates have the same age/experience contrast - something we don’t really see over here in the same exaggerated way.

But let’s get down to the point: Republicans are not Conservatives. They have some rather weird policy views, and are far too Bible bashing. To me, the policies of the Democrats mesh far more readily with those of the modern Conservative Party - or at least my perceptions thereof.

Their economic policies appear to me to be really rather similar - with a different emphasis and process, but bascially the same idea. And so here’s where the crunch point comes, with both McCain and Palin being:

• anti-abortion
• anti-gay marriage
• pro-guns

I simply cannot support someone with such views. Maybe if the economic differences weren’t so minimal, I could hold my nose and do so.

When it comes to Palin, I agree with Norfolk Blogger: Why are some Tories so politically blinded by her? Yes, she’s pretty, dynamic, female, and quite a good antidote to Obama - but she holds some horrible views.

As such, if I had a vote in the US elections on November 4th, I would vote for Obama and Biden. They have their own faults - being relatively policy-light being one of them* - but them I can stand as “leaders of the free world”. They’re definitely the lesser of two evils.

* Possibly slightly hypocritical coming from a Conservative… but we’re not 57 days away from an election.

If you also read ‘Bites, you’ll know that my highly paid job [sic - today I got a fiver personal expenses, the CMO bought breakfast and the Deputy CMO bought an icecream] has been keeping me extremely busy lately. So much so, I’ve not been keeping up to date with the news, and haven’t really got any topics to make this week’s guest post on. Not that I actually have the time either to make a detailed post.

In the interim therefore, by way of something completely different, here’s how to solve the tensions in the American Democratic party in the fairest way possible:

Street Fight Obama and Hillary fight it out in hand-to-hand combat.

Play this free game now!!

Something more closely resembling a normal post should return next week!

~ Asp

Exactly what it says on the tin.

LOLbama.

If you don’t get it, you’re way behind the times.

… Pokemon style.

It’s Super Tuesday in America. The day when 22 states are voting in their primaries to select their candidates for the Presidency. It really is a crazy system they have.

It is down to Barack Obama v Hillary Clinton for the Democrats and John McCain v Mitt Romney for the Republicans. McCain is expected to emerge triumphant from the Republican race today, but no outright winner is expected to emerge for the Democrats.

If I had a vote, it would got to Obama. He is the future of America.

UPDATE: What if the whole world have a vote? [Hat-tip to Norfolk Blogger]

I think he’s slightly getting ahead of himself here. Even if he wins New Hampshire with the same - or even a higher - level of support than in Iowa, he still isn’t even a shoe-in for the Democrat nomination, yet alone to win the Presidential election! There are, after all, 50 US states, and winning two of them hardly makes Obama’s victory inevitable.

What an Obama victory in New Hampshire certainly could do, however, is all but end Hillary Clinton’s presidential ambitions - but I wouldn’t completely rule her out quite yet, whatever happens.

Even if [or as many seen to think, when] Obama gets the Democrat nomination, he will still have to fight an election against whoever the Republicans select. No matter what, that isn’t going to be a battle with an inevitable result. If Obama really truly believes that victory in New Hampshire will definitely get him the Presidency, he may well be getting caught up in his own spin. A week is a long time in politics, and November 4 is still the best part of a year away yet.

Source: The Telegraph