Pre-Election Open Thread
By Greg L | 2 November 2008 | Uncategorized | 49 Comments
The final stretch looks fast and furious — here’s the place to talk about it.
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Say the “expected” crowd of 40,000 shows up to see BHO at the PWC Fair tomorrow, how in the world are they going to work the logistics of it with a single two lane road? It is going to take HOURS to get the people there and even longer to get them out of there.
The only thing I can see them doing is to make Business 234 a one way heading south beginning at Hastings and one way heading north beginning at the 234 By Pass and then reverse them at the end of the event.
A disaster in the making IMHO.
Well, if the people are that stupid to support BHO, then they deserve to get tied up in hours and hours of traffic.
I agree ddpdrinker!!!!!!!!!!!
I went out to the PWC Fair grounds this afternoon @ 4:30. The setup didn’t appear to be that big with 40,000 expected. If you remember they expected a lot of people at Nissan this past summer and got a small crowd.
Did anyone see on Drudge where BHO wants to Bankrupt the Coal Industry?
http://www.wsaz.com/political/headlines/33726759.html
I for one am not looking forward to the traffic. Only way to my house is either Dumfries or Hastings. They are planning on opening the gates at 5, so this will be a fun time coming home from work.
Maybe they will get stuck in traffic until Wednesday. That’s certainly possible in Northern Virginia.
Greg. How are we going to defeat these libs this election? Their dirty tactics are going to guarantee them a democratic supermajority. I feel sick thinking about it. More illegals, less rights to defend our families and property. Ugh.
My thoughts exactly Fairfax Area !!! Greg: Why the time difference on the blog? It is only 11:44PM, yet Concerned states 12:02 AM ?? Just wondering.
You know, this might a great opportunity for we McCain supporters to stand near the entrance or line up on Rt. 234 to the entrance, maybe holding up signs that say “Would you want a brain surgeon with only 144 days of experience operating on you?” or something to that effect.
ddpdrinker, I don’t believe you will be allowed to stand less than 50 feet from the entrance with your sign, but it was a nice shot.
The buzz on many other forums is concern about the long waits to vote. Many McCain supporters are convinced Obama is going to win anyway, so they question the value of their vote. Others said they plan to vote, but if they have to wait more than an hour, they will just go home.
What these voters don’t seem to understand is their vote for Congressional representation is SO IMPORTANT, maybe even more so than their vote for the President.
The electoral college determines who our president will be. We would like to think the electoral votes reflect the choice of the popular votes, but we have all seen that is not always the way it happens.
If Republicans leave the lines, or worse yet, never show up to vote, that is almost a guarantee that the House will be stacked with Democrats, who will work work with Obama, if elected.
If we are not able to elect McCain/Palin, we NEED to -at the very least - retain Republican representation in the House. We can’t do this if Republican voters do not cast their ballots.
We MUST get voters to the polls - voters shape our country. Any Republican who does not vote is tantamount to TWO votes for the Democrats.
McCain showed a sense of humor about the election on SNl Saturday night. He seemd to know very well he’s about to lose.
Interesting too that he did that sketch with Tina Fey as Palin. Seems obvious to me there is no real love lost there.
You are grasping, BPCAYAMTYF.
What if there’s an accident? Even a little fender bender would tie things up.
Grasping for what?
That’s my observation of the show. McCain wasn’t exactly communicating a sense of urgency. Did you see it?
The show made Palin look like a douche repeatedly, she co-signed on it, and he took part in it.
BothPartiesColludeAgainstYouAndMarketToYourFears said on 3 Nov 2008 at 9:24 am: Flag comment
“McCain showed a sense of humor about the election on SNl Saturday night. He seemd to know very well he’s about to lose.
Interesting too that he did that sketch with Tina Fey as Palin. Seems obvious to me there is no real love lost there.”
Rick Bentley, you are worried so you keep posting this nonsense. The election has tightened to the point that it’s anyone’s call. Obama should be ahead by double digits in all the polls given the bad economy and sitting Republican president. The fact that this is coming down to the wire speaks volumes about what American feelings are towards BHO.
By the way, it’s very distasteful and rude to call a lady a “douche”. Try to be a gentleman, as hard as that may be.
What I am dying to know, Rick Bentley, is whether you are coming out of the “man cave” in the basement to vote? The lines are long, so mom should pack a lunch for you to take in case you are there a while.
One good thing about the election tomorrow is that
those damn robocalls should stop. I’ve had over
two dozen from both parties in the last ten days and
they all tick me off - at the caller.
One this morning seemed odd. It attacked Frank Wolf
for not being pro-life. This is one day before an
election where Wolf is clearly the more pro-life of the
two choices. What gives?
Mighty Putty–
So close it’s anyone’s call? Huh?
If Obama just wins the states where he currently leads in polling by more than 5 points (i.e., outside the margin of error), he’s at 287 Electoral Votes (with 270 needed for election). That list would not include Virginia, Florida, Ohio, and North Carolina where Obama leads, but not outside the margin of error of the polls (well, sort of…he’s up by more than the margin of error in Ohio and Florida, but voting “irregularities” in both of those states keep them in the toss up category). In other words, McCain needs to pull a miracle in Pennsylvania (where he’s down by 8-12 points depending on the poll) *and* needs to win at least Ohio, Virginia, and Florida (where he also trails).
Prepare to see Obama take at least 350 Electoral votes (including Virginia’s 13), the Dem’s to pick up at least 28 seats in the House, and end the election with 59 seats in the Senate (including the two “independents” who caucus with the Democrats). The big surprises of this year’s election will be the states that turn from red to blue and McCain barely winning his home state of Arizona. The final surprise will be the showing by Jim Martin in Georgia that prompts a run-off with Saxby Chamblis to determine who gets Georgia’s Senate seat.
slow traffice = time for attendees to read plenty of protest signs. Protesters should flank all of Dumfries Road. Show him he’s not welcome in PWC.
Sorry for the long past…
I don’t know who Mark Gregg is but this is too well written NOT to pass along!
Dear Mr. Obama,
It is August 30, 2008. My name is Mark Gregg. I am a 50 something conservative white male. I have followed your campaign closely, including the speeches you and others made at the democratic national convention. I am respectfully providing you with seven simple (probably shallow) reasons why I could never vote for you. I believe my opinion is shared by many people. While there may not be quite enough to prevent you from becoming president of this nation, I do think there is an awakening to the fact that you are not a (the) messiah that the m edia and liberal Hollywood entertainers are trying to portray you.
1. I hear your mantra of change, change, change. Yet, you picked a long term, liberal, Washington insider (Joe Biden) to be your running mate. This is NOT change. It is a move that hypocritically refutes the very thing you supposedly stand for. Your campaign then slammed McCain for picking Sarah Palin, apparently, because she is NOT a Washington insider. She is a maverick who cleaned-up Alaska’s quagmire of political scandals. Which way is it, Barack? Is it okay for you to pick a Washington insider under the mantra of ‘change’, but no t okay for John McCain to pick a smart, aggressive, reformer?
2. You have the single most liberal voting record in the senate. This indicates to me and others like me that you may very well be an angry black man seeking to punish our country for sins of a different generation. I am not racist. I have some biases just like you and every other human alive. Unlike the democratic party who claims to be for the minority (but their record heavily refutes this), I will give any person who truly needs help, help. I married a ‘minority’ girl 35 years ago (she is Hispanic) and have seen the evils of prejudice first hand. However, I have also seen my wife and my children and others in her family throw off the veil of self imposed prejudicial bondage and move ahead. They love our country and do not view themselves any different than I view myself as a citizen of this country. Your lovely wife so disappointed people like me during this campaign when she stated it was the first time she had ever been proud of this country. She apparently never noticed the massive aid we give dozens of other countries. She apparently never noticed the sacrifice of literally millions of veterans who helped make this country a free nation and helped liberate other nations from brutal dictators such as Adolf Hitler. She apparently does not remember that she attended ivy league universities with scholarship money that ultimately (at least some of it) was paid for by our taxes. This troubles me more than you know. She is an angry black woman who appears to not like her country very much. I don’t want her representing me to the rest of the world.
3. You claim Christianity but apparently do not realize that the Bible teaches that he who does not work, does not eat. The Bible does not say or even suggest that he who CANNOT work, should not eat. Yet, your liberal policies reward people who are capable of working, but choose to not do so. This bothers me. I know that if you are elected our taxes will spiral upwards. You should heed the words of Winston Churchill: ‘We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.’ If I like anything about you, it is your campaign promise to balance the federal budget. Unfortunately, we have heard this a huge number of times from a number of different politicians and we realize that when you energize the very liberal Nancy Pelosi, Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy, etc, etc, and the many other democrats like them, a balanced budget will never, ever happen on your watch .
4. During your question and answer session with Rick Warren of Saddleback Church your answer concerning the question of where does life begin, stunned me: ‘Above your pay grade?’ Does this mean when something bad happens as President of this nation that you are going to look at your salary to determine if you can respond? I am sorry, but this was the most serious gaffe I have seen you make. Frankly, it shows me that you are pandering in the most obvious manner. You will choose your words not from your heart, but from an agenda that I believe is still hidden from the American people.
5. If anything stands out about you it is probably your appeasement mentality. In this era of rampant, radical Islamic extremism and with the latest stunt pulled by the re-energized Russian government, I am not sure appeasement is healthy. I again revert to the words of Winston Churchill: ‘An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.’
6. You and your party tacitly believe that a 13 or 14 year old girl must have the parents approval to have the school nurse provide them with a Tylenol when they have a headache at school. Yet, this same girl can become pregnant and the school can skirt her off to a clinic and abort the child in her body without the parents knowing or being notified. This scares the hell out of me. You have two little girls. Would you be upset if this happened to them and you were not informed? Then why do you stand for this? It makes no sense to me.
7. My seventh and final point (for now) is your supporters. I have watched the Hollywood entertainers that support you, systematically embrace Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and others like him. I see the continuous smut and garbage produced by Hollywood, the very people who promote you the most vigorously. It is not a positive point to me and others like me to see these over-paid, bizarre, poor examples of human existence fawn over you and push you and your liberal agenda as hard as they do. The way I see it. When the devil is for you, we should question whether or not we should be against you.
In closing, I just want you to know that you scare me. I cannot vote for you. It is not because of your skin color. It is because these items I’ve listed and many, many others like them. Do not claim that my dislike for you is race based. It is because I do not feel you have the best interests of this nation at heart.
Respectfully,
Mark A. Gregg
One more note I would like to add is this. Does anyone else out there think that Obama basically tried to buy Joe the plumber’s vote by telling him on national TV he will make sure that he gets to buy that plumbing business? And, Obama back peddled in the process saying that what he said about taxes wasn’t going to happen. My goodness! Not even elected yet and going against his word!
There’s a sign on Hastings heading toward Dumfries Road just before the Bloom Shopping Center. It’s flashing that Dumfries Road will be closed from 4:00 to 12:30 AM. There’s also a sign on the 234 bypass directing all traffic on to Dumfries Road from that direction. My guess is that all Obama traffic will be directed between the Fairgrounds and the 234 bypass with no one allowed on Dumfries Road from the intersection with Hastings. Avoid the area around the 234 bypass and Dumfries Road and you should be OK.
I find myself defending Obama … out of reflexive habit against spurious bs disguised as rationality. Mark Gregg’s 7 arguements :
#1 the converse arguement of course applies to McCain/Palin.
#2 is by its own admission fear based in part on his skin color. Despite all of Obama’s best efforts to appear non-threatening he hasn’t met Gregg’s threshold.
#3 I think this a bogus issue. I haven’t noticed the GOP calling for additional welfare reform. I haven’t heard anyone calling for the expansion of welfare.
I actually heard McCain wanting to do wildly liberal things such as have the government eat the difference between what homeowners borrowed and current deflated values. Obama has been more conservative and reasonable and less prone to throw money around than McCain is the last couple of months.
#4 You want a President who pretends to know all things and to be able to judge “right” from “wrong” in some spiritual sense? Someone who would coin a phrase like “axis of evil” and pretend he was doing God’s work and could interpret God’s will. We just had 8 years of someone like that, and it’s not what i wanted or want, it didn’t work out so well. I don’t look for a President to involve himself in “spiritual” matters or to tell me when life begins. You do? Really?
#5 What is the evidence here?
#6 This sounds like total bs. Schools carting young girls away for abortions? Did this happen on Planet Earth?
#7 If we’re going to judge a man by what villians support him, McCain won’t look so good either.
Interesting bobocall against Wolf, especially since Feder has been attacking him for being Pro-Life.
Obama - You can “Keep the change”.
Wow, this is almost as big as when President Taft spoke
in Manassas!
Driving past the fair grounds at noon time I notice a pretty large number of high school aged kids hanging out ready to grab their places for tonight’s rally.
I guess they’ll be getting academic credit for bowing down at the altar of Obama.
You can “Keep the change”
Woah - you like paying 10 billion a month in Iraq to protect their ability to sell oil to the french?
You like the bailout? You’re confortable with the same crew running our government, and overseeing (or failing to) big business?
You like wage disparity?
You think we should pay 2-3 times more than other countries for prescription drugs - and it should be illegal to import them, thereby freezing the prices high for Americans only?
You’re that 1 or 2 in 10 that really likes these things the way they are? It makes sense to you?
I meant “you like growing levels of wage disaparity?”
I am not advocating equal wages for all, please spare me a tirade about socialism
Imagine many folks on this blog don’t read the WaPo
on a regular basis, but do suggest today’s front page
article “Diversity Blooms In Outer Suburbs”. Manassas
Park is now 50% minority (Hispanic, Asian or Black),
PWC 47.9% and Manassas 46.3% - 1,2,3 in NoVa
jurisditions. Marty Nohe is featured in the piece -
calling the changes “positive”. Maybe, but they also
present major challenges for our communities
that need to be brought forward and honestly discussed.
and you like McCain taxing your healthcare benefits - this will be worse than the AMT - fixed at 5K, when my benefits right now are more than twice that.
What has Palin done in Alaska - really - she was for the bridge to nowhere, the ice rink is over budget and mismanaged, she is doing state business on non state emails (avoiding FOIA requests, how nice) - hiring friends and family, etc.
I agree that McCain *was* a maverick, but he has been around too long to be able to deliver the change we need - he is too fixated on proving himself, and will have us in conflict around the world shortly.
Anyone hear or see the news on the sample ballot in spanish being curculated around PWC?
” A sample ballot is being distributed in PWC without any disclaimer noting who paid for it and is printed on white paper, both violations of Virginia election law. The sample ballot seeks to defeat those candidates who supported the county’s crackdown on illegal aliens, both Republican and Democrat. ”
This info from here:
http://virginiavirtucon.wordpress.com/2007/11/05/illegal-sample-ballot-distributed-in-pwc/
Never mind - the date is from 2007
Ted said on 3 Nov 2008 at 2:19 pm: Flag comment
Driving past the fair grounds at noon time I notice a pretty large number of high school aged kids hanging out ready to grab their places for tonight’s rally.
I guess they’ll be getting academic credit for bowing down at the altar of Obama.
Is Obamarama going to speak from the GOAT BARN?
I think this is going to be a post election period of questions like “How did the pollsters get it so wrong?”
Obama may win, but it won’t be by the huge landslide Rick “BPCAYAMTYF” Bently predicts. Or, McCain could squeak one through and it would be the same. How could everyone have gotten the polls so wrong.
The election is over. Obama 50.95% McCain 46.45% Other 2.6%
Obama 348 Electoral votes, McCain 190 electoral votes
Why is the Republican Party of Virginia wasting $ on robo calls for Jim Gilmore, there are other races where the money spent on Gilmore could be better spent, to preserve Thelma Drake for example. Gilmore is down by somewhere between 28-32% according to which poll you read.
The Senate looks 57-41-2
Check this out!
I believe this took place today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBMdWxcFXQg
I just got back from Old Town Manassas. Obamazombies are everywhere holding up signs, blocking vehicular and foot traffic…basically annoying people. Combine that with the traffic snarls from the rally, and I am thinking this might have the opposite effect on voters, than what the Obamamaniacs had hoped. I think this will mobilize McCain voters to turn out, and might push the few undecideds into McCains camp.
Flavius, dude, you slay me! Obamazombies… Obamamaniacs… The only thing that’ll mobilize McCain voters to turn out is the early bird special @ Red Lobster.
People are gathering in the Bloom lot at 234 and Hastings to counter protest and pray. Join them!!!
Personally I think “Obamanista” is most accurate term for our BHO supporting friends.
Obamazombie: One who supports Obama but cannot state a position or plan as a reason why they support him. They are often seen shuffling around saying “Change…I want change…”
Obamamaniac: One who knows about Obama’s history, positions, record, and lack of accomplishment, but still supports him. When examined closely, the individual has socialist tendencies.
Other than the candidates, are there any questions on the ballot ??
Ted said on 3 Nov 2008 at 5:43 pm: Flag comment
Personally I think “Obamanista” is most accurate term for our BHO supporting friends.
I vote for Obamaphile.
Greg, please keep some of these posts on file so that they can be revisited in two years, assuming the Chosen One wins. The roaches will be scattering back into the corners.
Mighty Putty,
You assume that BVBL will be around in 2 years. Part of the efforts to silence dissent liberal dems are trying to implemenrt, include “net neutrality”. Under the current proposed plan, Greg will be forced to install a side-bar, which pulls feeds from liberal sites, to allow free access to the other side. Or he’ll be forced to allow the likes of Allana to post articles as top threads. Scary, but I think Greg would rather retire than surrender. The end result would be the same: silencing all dissent.
FYI– I live 1/4 mile down the road from the fair grounds. Both my cellphone service and my wireless connection are having very low signals, probably due to the insane amount of people at the rally texting and calling people. On my way home coming up Hastings via Lake Jackson, there were people parking on the courts/roads that are off Hastings and walking towards the fair grounds. Cops were posted at all the 4 way stops. Helicopters have been hovering all evening. What fun!!! I have to head out of here in a few for a meeting, so we will see how it is to leave here and we’ll see how much horrible it is to try to make it back in time for the game.
B T Jr said on 3 Nov 2008 at 7:02 pm: Flag comment
Other than the candidates, are there any questions on the ballot ??
No.
Mighty–how about Obamaphile for those are simply enthralled with his Messiahness and Obamanista for the true believers who want to see his policies of bankrupting the coal and electric companies, spreading the wealth to those who didn’t earn it, making nice with tyrants, and decimating the US military implemented?
To heck with Harry and his voter suppresion effort as he proclaims the race over before the real polls close. His “polls” count for shitte and the election, far from being over , has barely begun …
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2124443/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2124418/posts
Anonguy–
That’s got to be the most whacked interpretation of “net neutrality” I’ve heard.
Net neutrality is about bandwidth, not content. It has to deal with “last mile” providers blocking or slowing content from competitors, etc. Net neutrality would, for example, make it illegal for Comcast to selectively restrict access to bittorent sites or to slow Vonage traffic because it competes with their digital voice package.
Net neutrality isn’t about making the Internet “fair and balanced” from a content perspective.