Free Concert by Popular Band Preceded Obama’s Big Rally

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/robert-knight/2008/05/20/free-concert-popular-band-preceded-obama-s-big-rally

"From CNN to the New York Times, the media hyped Barack Obama's Portland, Oregon rally on Sunday, some comparing him to a rock star.

Unmentioned in national reporting was the fact that Obama was preceded by a rare, 45-minute free concert by actual rock stars The Decemberists."





- and people claim the media ISN'T propping him up.

Otherwise I'd be in WTF territory too.

Apparently, they're "cool."

:)

Well probably more of a thick Turkish coffee type band. I'm actually not joking. I own a couple of there albums and they make me want to sip a cup or two of that tart stuff, while traveling with a band of gypsies and the back of a camel. Or that's the sort of place their lyrics paint pictures of.

I'm old, so I don't follow "music" as much as I did when I was young. I always thought I'd keep up with the "latest" but as the decades passed, I found the stuff coming out less pleasing to my old ears.

We all turn into fuddie-duddies, even though we think we won't!!

Of course, I like Turkish, middle eastern and southwest Asian music...as well as the regional coffee...so maybe that stuff is up my alley!

you can listen to them there. It's a bad day to be a big time recording artist, but a good one for anyone else with a multi-track recorder.

http://www.myspace.com/thedecemberists

And really, despite the ipods, we're not that young.

I like it. Mellow, very haunting.

It's great- I mean, I'm a Deadhead, so I've spent many years with an almost religious disdain for lossy music formats. But the ability to have that much music in one small, easily accessible place... it's a great invention. I get a lot of use out of mine.

me, if ya know what I mean!

My wife liked hers, so she got me one for my birthday, and I grudgingly started to check it out- all the while thinking "ahhhhh, what do I need this for?"

Heh heh.

Obama brought in a 35,000+ crowd in PA w/ out any indie-rock band? A state he lost. So I'm sure 40,000 extra people went to see JUST the Decemberists in a state he won decisively. Great band for a great candidate (they did endorse him after all).

when the Portland event happened.

Unknown bands don't draw crowds of 75,000. That's big league concert attendance. Like Springsteen, U2, The Stones.... that level of recognition. Not the Decemberists.... whoever they are.

Here's a video. Interesting, but I still don't see them drawing that kind of crowd. Nice try, mediawhores. :eyes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK3Ce9md96g

The Decemberists are not a unknown band. They are critically aclaimed and have big sale figures. They won't draw 75 k but they play the same size venues Kanye West does.... Not to mention they had extensive coverage on the Colbert Report for well over a week.

They frequently play clubs with a capacity of 800. They were not the draw. That's just pathetic.

Maybe on the west coast...on the East Coast they play 2k+ venues. Thats the beggining of Kanyes bottom line.

I wonder if Hillary would be drawing larger crowds now if she hadn't left her old band.

http://www.decemberists.com/tour.aspx?StartingDate=01-01-2000

I'm sure Kanye West plays sports arenas.

As great as they are the Decemberists are still predominantly a "rock club" band.

The comparable CD/concert ticket sales figures for the acts aren't even remotely in same ball park, much less the same league or even the same sport.

maybe 2000, maybe 1500. It wasn't quite sold out from looks of it.

Kanye plays in arenas seating tens of thousands.

and I've been a fan for quite a while.

There's absolutely no way that their playing prior to Obama speaking was the draw for that many people. No way.

Stephen challenged the lead guitarist to a guitar duel and then had Peter Frampton play for him.

the name alone says to this Metalhead "They suck."

:shrug:

to give them credit for the rally numbers.

for various reasons.

:eyes:

The surprise is that their tens of thousands of manic fans even bothered the stay for Obama

:sarcasm:

:rofl:


It just goes to show you how OUT OF TOUCH HRC's crowd is.

:wtf: :wtf:

Anything to "explain away" the excitement of Obama's huge crowds vs. Hilly drawing 750 in Covington, Kentucky.

Is this the part where I get to make the point that the Mainstrasse Maifest is a big local event and that in the Cincinnati/Metro area, if you tap a keg, 50,000 people will show up?

:rofl: :rofl:

:rofl:

Not a very good one.

this is the best they can manage now. how weak. how utterly pathetic.

And they say that the media isn't hyping them.

EPIC MOTHERFUCKING FAIL. Have you no shame? Newsbusters?

Though I could see how someone could be suckered in at first thinking that it's a neutral organization. That is, until you read their 'about' section which clearly states that they're trying to combat the liberal bias in the media. :eyes:

I mean...I know that it's Portland, which would bring a big Decemberists crowd...but 75,000? Colin Meloy is not exactly The Boss. Newsbusters never fails to make me giggle. This reads like an Onion headline.

Idiot.

:rofl:

I've never heard of them.

I've always liked them.

but I would definitely go to see Obama. To hear these guys, not so much.

Frankly, it was probably more of a boost for the band to perform before Obama than the other way round.

Have you ever heard of the Decemberists before you read that article?

Didn't think so.

Congratulations, you found a turd.

I rather doubt the Decembrists could possibly attract a crowd of 75,000.


Meantime, let's look at the abio of the article's author:
Robert Knight is the director of the MRC's Culture and Media Institute.

Robert Knight heads the Culture & Media Institute at the Media Research Center in Alexandria, Virginia. He frequently appears on network and cable television and radio, and is published and quoted in major newspapers and magazines. Of special interest are media influence, religious freedom, family issues, television and film.

A veteran journalist, Mr. Knight was a news editor and writer for the Los Angeles Times, and a Media Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Most recently he directed the Culture & Family Institute at Concerned Women for America (CWA), founded the cultural studies program at the Family Research Council and held a fellowship at the Heritage Foundation. He wrote and directed CWA's video documentary Hidden Truth: What You Deserve to Know about Abortion, and a Family Research Council video about sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, The Children of Table 34.

A draftsman of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, he is the author of The Age of Consent: The Rise of Relativism and the Corruption of Popular Culture (Spence Publishing, 1998, 2000). He frequently debates on college campuses, including appearances at UC Berkeley, Cornell, Kent State, North Carolina State, Liberty University, University of Central Oklahoma and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Mr. Knight has testified before the U.S. Senate's Labor and Human Resources Committee, the Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women in the Armed Services and several other congressional and state legislative committees.

He has written articles for The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, National Review, Insight, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Arizona Republic, Philadelphia Inquirer, Baltimore Sun, The Washington Times, Townhall.com, Human Events, Orange County Register, World, WorldNetDaily.com, Whistleblower and others.

TV & Radio: Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor, Hannity & Colmes, Fox Morning News, Fox News Live; NPR's Fresh Air, Talk of the Nation, The Diane Rehm Show, and All Things Considered; BBC; Irish National Radio; CBS Evening News; NBC Nightly News; ABC's World News Tonight and Nightline; CNN's Crossfire, Paula Zahn Now, and CNN News; Oprah; Hardball, Firing Line, Nightly Business Report; Focus on the Family; Coral Ridge Hour, Point of View.

Knight has a Master's and B.S. degrees in political science from American University

Btw, NEWSBUSTERS??????

I thought I saw Obama at the end of the show... er was that the um...

:eyes:

And they also weren't advertised as being at the event. Keeriminy this is ridiculous. NOBODY went to see the friggin' Decemberists.

is pathetic.

"Sons and Daughters" is a beautiful song. If they did it at the concert, I'm sure everyone was moved.

They really are a good group.

The album has 10 tracks and over 2/3's have nothing to do with war.

Two tracks are based on a Japanese folk tale, one is a pastiche of highwayman/murder ballad folk lyrics, one is a story of love separated by rival gangs (allusions to West Side Story), one is about a robbery, one about a violent gang in Ireland that attacked Roman Catholics, and I'm not quite sure what Summersong is about beyond allowing Colin Meloy to throw in his drowning sailors motif.

2 out of 10 tracks (When the War Came and Yankee Bayonet) touch upon war as a setting for the story but only one of the 10 tracks(Sons and Daughters) takes an explicit anti-war message.

The members of the band are without a doubt anti-war but the album in hardly weighted with anti-war themes.

bad for you:nopity: :nopity:

As in January 20?

stopped playing.

Why... if you look closely, they're practically tripping OVER each other to get away from Obama!

Uh Huh.

Hey- at least you're not trying to say Obama cultists photoshopped the crowd to make it look bigger, like some have. :crazy:

yeh, right, thats what everyone who was there is saying.

Oh and CNN - thats Clinton News Network - says there were only 50,000 people there.

Meanwhile, Hill and Bill can draw at least a few hundred.

Flibberty Jib

I was watching the coverage on CNN, they talked about it :shrug:

I'm sure people turned out in droves just to hear that rockin' beat combo.:eyes:

Marginal act, right-wing source, dumbass post.

Next.

- as

but I doubt they could draw that many by themselves. Most of their songs are about the revolutionary war and the 1800's. Radiohead they're not. But, as a counter... why aren't semi-popular "indie" rock bands playing at Clinton's rallies?

Are you trying to say that Elton John and Celine Dion aren't "Hip" enough for you whippersnappers?

that would most definitely keep me away from an event if either of those two were performing. Elton I could deal with if he stuck to stuff from the 70's. Celine would have to also stick to stuff she released pre-1980. Which I believe is nothing.

I agree, Elton John had some good stuff in the 70s, but since then he's been stuck on this sort of Disney Sountrack loop. And I really thought recycling the Marilyn tune for Princess Di was weak.

I'd rather gnaw my own foot off than be stuck at a Celine Dion show.

they opened for richie havens at woodstock
but who are these others you name?
elton john and celine dion?
sounds like some english wanker and a canadian horseface
are these names made up?
elton john and celine dion indeed!

If 1,000 people came because of this alleged star band it would be a lot. I fail to see what your point is here.

But they probably served to fluff up a decent chunk of the bunch.

They did not perform as the Decemberists, probably for contractual reasons.

They are Portland based and are no novelty here for those who are fans.

Only a small percentage of people here in Portland know who they are.

I'm not suggesting that the entire crowd was there for them, by any means, but no doubt some hard core types who follow the group got the word and chatted it up. It is how those things happens.

Obama had had massive crowds this whole primary season and Oregon is one of the most liberal states, they were there for him, not some shitty nobody band. To suggest that is ridiculous.

came from.

I guess you guys finally gave up on the free beer theory that went along with this BS story when it first surfaced?

"About NewsBusters.org

Welcome to NewsBusters, a project of the Media Research Center (MRC), the leader in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.

In August of 2005, with the guidance of Matthew Sheffield and Greg Sheffield, the creators of RatherBiased.com, the MRC launched the NewsBusters blog to provide immediate exposure of liberal media bias, insightful analysis, constructive criticism and timely corrections to news media reporting."

You should reject and denounce yourself for posting a newsbusters.org article as completely legit. :rofl:

And I'm pretty sure this band doesn't fill those sorts of venues. But if you're convinced, maybe you should slip word to Hillary to use them as her house band.

:evilgrin:

Go Wings!!!!

no hockey low-blows. ;) We are going to have a hell of a series, though. Luck to the Wings.

This is certainly looking like it will be a legendary match-up, and should be a real shot in hockey's arm.

Maybe Obama should schedule a rally in Motown following Saturday's game :)

If I didn't live so far away, I would surely be there.

were great, too. I got it all on video and will upload to Youtube tomorrow....

They originally sang "Dance with Me" and "Still the One"....and Beth Schaeffer, now singing lead with the band, has written a song just for the Obama campaign that they hope to have played in the General Election.

wasn't playing with them last night. Hall, who is a superdelegate and who now represents NY's 19th district, is committed to Clinton. Should make for interesting band practices.

an Obama sticker in Hebrew....She was very good.....

heard them in the past a number of times. I haven't heard them with Beth Schafer yet, but I will try and catch them. I have to admit that I was disappointed that John wasn't supporting Obama.

(Larry and Beth) wrote a song, "Build That Bridge" that they hope the Obama campaign will pick up. I think you can hear it or download it on Beth's site....

Or maybe Pearl Jam. How about REM, or even U2? The Dave Matthews Band... oh, wait, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds played an Obama rally in Indiana.

I've got it!!!! Kurt Cobain is raised from the dead like Lazarus, and a reunited Nirvana whips up that Oregon crowd and inflates Obama's rally numbers. :rofl: :rofl:

The Decemberists??? This is a joke thread, right?

...depending on the venue. So, I guess he's got a point there. :sarcasm:

... and drew 187 fans. Most of them were there for the free chicken dinner. }(

:wtf:

:eyes:

NGU.

The accusation suggested by this article has been throughly debunked by our fellow DUers. This is obvious propaganda. By now you must surely see this! Your silence so far is speaking volumes. So whose side are you on OP? Are you siding with the propagandists or do you side with your fellow DUers who are fighting to combat the propagandists? Are you with the corporatists who came up with this hit piece or are you with America's barely surviving democracy? I do NOT need or want your answer....all I am asking is for you to ask yourself these questions: Which candidate is the corporatists first choice, second choice and last choice of the three left standing. Are you with those corporatists or are you with We The People?

Yes We Can

Presidential candidate in history.

Almost half a million and they had to turn donors away....as the venue wasn't big enough to accomodate everyone in the room.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/orl-obama2208may22,0,6225973.story

"...He appeared at a massive rally in Tampa, a raucous town-hall-style meeting in Kissimmee and a private Maitland fundraiser that brought in about $475,000...."

And in Florida, where Obama is persona-non-grata according to the Clintonistas, no less.

What a terrific effort!!!!!! Thank you, Maitland!!

is Conservative.....

You were right up front making these guys look good! And did I hear ya right? You folks brought in a pile of needed money for the Obama campaign? THIS is America's democracy at it's finest! Keep rockin' on ruby slippers! (Oh and make sure to give a few of your better shots to the band...they love it when fans do that for them.) btw:I was a band photographer myself at one point not so long ago.:pals:

they wrote a song for the campaign. I think a Youtube might be due them.

I did talk with Larry, and then Beth (the new female singer) and she gave me her business card. I have written a few songs but do not sing nor write music. Beth told me to get in contact with her. That was another plus of the evening, so thanks for the support on taking as much of them as I did of Obama.

And, yes, we brought in almost half a mil as they are saying. The guy announced we made history. Youtube will be up tomorrow.....I did get that, even if I accidentally erassed Obama's speech...I had the whole thing, darn.....but forgot to "save" it apparantly. But, got lots of the band!

:eyes:

I ask the OP to look at the debunking and see this piece he/she passed along for what it is. I further ask the OP to do a bit of introspection to determine if backing the propagandists who represent the corporatists over We The People is the best way to go. WHICH SIDE WOULD YOU BACK????

I do care myself, my fellow DUers are my friends. If this were Nazi Germany and YOUR friend were aiding to spread Goebbels propaganda and that very propaganda was throughly debunked for YOU and YOUR friend to plainly see what would you do?
Option 1: Say to yourself, my friend has been fooled and here is the evidence I need to help that friend to reject the propagandists, to stop spreading their lies and misconceptions.

Option 2: Facts be damned,I refuse to believe the debunking, Goebbels is a good guy and I'll back him, so should my friend.

Option 3: I'll attack with sarcasm the methods of anyone who asks my deluded friend to do a little introspection and come to their to his or her own conclusion.

I say NOTHING about loyalty oaths nor am I telling anyone to get the fuck out... My motivation is to get folks who spread propaganda pieces like this to open their eyes when confronted with clear evidence debunking the very filth that they help spread, to wake the fuck up and to stop aiding and abetting those who are out to continue the harm that is being done to my country.

Do you REALLY want to see EVEN more propaganda spread by the OP? How is THAT a good idea? How is that good for our country?

Are you actually comparing Hillary Clinton supporters to people who aided and abetted the Nazis?

What would YOU do in that case? Would you allow your friends to spread false information, information which was laid bare as propaganda? Do you understand why the German citizens were led through those death camps directly after the war? Some were believers in the propaganda spread by the Reich, some helped to spread that propaganda, others who knew better sat back and allowed the disinformation to be spread. THEY WERE ALL GUILTY of NOT wanting to see and react to the truth when the truth was all around for them to see!

Think to yourself what would you have done back then...would you have, sat idly by and allowed the propaganda to filter around you? Would you have done exactly what I am doing here and said: "Come look everyone, we are being lied to and here is the proof! Let's refuse to allow these lies to cloud what we know in our hearts to be morally right!"

Why do we go down this road again??? WE ARE GOING DOWN THAT VERY ROAD AGAIN! Why would YOU have us go down that road again? The 'epic fail' is on you, PLEASE WAKE UP! This is NOT about Senator Clinton or Senator Obama, this is about mind control through propaganda. Ask yourself, do I condone the propagandists or do I condone the spread of truth. Again, this is NOT about Senator Clinton or Senator Obama, it is about YOU and our fellow DUers and how we choose to allow ourselves to become so deluded, so clouded by ferver for this or that candidate when the truth is laid bare for our easy consideration.

I am NOT your enemy, I am trying to help. WAKE UP!!! Stop fighting me and listen to what I am saying.

o_O :yoiks:

I'll remember you as someone unwilling or unable to defend a position in a discussion yet willing to offer up...well whatever that is instead... (big sigh). Perhaps at some point revelation will come to you and hopefully you will understand what I was trying to say and more importantly WHY.
Good luck to you janesez

Godwin's Law applies especially to inappropriate, inordinate, or hyperbolic comparisons of other situations (or one's opponent) with Hitler or Nazis or their actions. It does not apply to discussions directly addressing genocide, propaganda, or other mainstays of the Nazi regime.

:thumbsup:

Your encouragement is very much appreciated. :pals:

it just happened to be the members of that band playing before the rally.

I wonder who opened for him???

}(

Good gawd, is it really that big of a reach for some of you to understand that people are excited about this election, that they want to feel that they are a part of history, that they'd like to witness the first African-American nominee, and probable President, ever, with their own eyes?

WTF is wrong with you people?

for such a long time. They didn't have to rally them up....these crowds are "excited" already. Again, they are there to keep calm and peace and let us have a good time while waiting....

Everyone was there to see JK...it helped to have some good tunage beforehand,

I don't think 75000 turned out just to see them play. Also, I don't think the motivation to see the Decemberists play or Barack Obama speak has to be mutually exclusive. By the way, here's a pic of the band with Barack if anyone was curious about what they look like.

Great picture! Glad to see Barack met with them. "Red Right Ankle" was one of my all time favorite songs a few years back.

to speak. If that is the case, must have been thousands more at his speech or were they forced to stay and listen to Barack.

Isnt that some right-wing rag that had this article?

...the Decemberists suck.

to draw people in like this. B-) I never heard of them but I know lots of bands also have voter registration drives at their concerts and political information. It's a great way to get young people involved. :thumbsup:

I added YOU! C'ya, you know the drill...

Kerry's organizer in Portland organized it. The band stages were bigger. Kerry and Teresa were there.

Some Hillary supporters who were walking through the crowds with Hillary signs said it looked like a crowd of several thousand. It was next to their hotel.

They were promised Hillary would be there!

They were promised free beer!!! Sorry, uh, lattes!

Obama's people fed LSD to the Portland Fire Department to deliberately skew their crowd estimates upward!

It was just a massive coincidence that 80,000 people happened to be where Obama was speaking! They were on their way somewhere else, and just all ended up in the same spot.

Then Obama had to come by and ruin the fun. :mad:

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

They said it was the largest single event they had had in Portland since 2004 when Kerry appeared at the same park.

The Portland police have had some experience at estimating crowds this size.
The riot that took place back in 2000 was also large, maybe as big as this event, but the people were standing in one place long enough to be counted because the police were spraying them with pepper gas at the time.

*sigh*

But don't let that stop you from spewing utter bullshit.

they are definitely nto the reason that 75000 people showed up for Obama

people are talking about you doesn't mean you are paranoid.

I'm sure that's what made the difference for Obama. :eyes:

...AND keep them around to see Obama afterward, then why are they mostly playing small theaters on their current tour?

http://www.decemberists.com/tour.aspx?StartingDate=01-01-2000

And are you really so desperate as to resort to linking to a website owned by Brent Bozell?

;)

Plus their presence was not likely promoted. When I saw Obama at Target Center in Minneapolis he was preceded by performance of Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and other rock stars, which had not been advertised. Fairly typical. I'm lost as to what this has to do with the media.

twisted to stay to hear Obama's speech. So what is your point?

Admittedly, I am a white, middle aged woman whose musical tastes are 60's rock. Are these guys any good? :-)

Have you EVER been to a major political rally -- particuarly one involving a presidential candidate on the day before an election -- that DIDN'T involve a live band? Personally, I've been to cheesy local mayoral rallies that had live entertainment.

about.

Anything that parrots Hillary's popular vote argument goes straight to the top of that list.

Not.

it might be time to step back and reconsider your point-of-view.

Yeah, I'm sure 75,000 people showed up and stayed through Obama's speech just because "The Decemberists" were there. Pretty amazing that a band no one has ever heard of, a band that has never been able to sell enough records to even chart on the Billboard charts and has only reached #545 on Amazon's sales chart could draw that many people.

draw 5000, especially since this wasn't advertised as a Decemberists concert.

They all left when the headliners went on stage.

Who wanted to see them? They're old and wrinkly.

I got there 3 hours before the gates opened and was really pretty close. I had no idea the Decemberists were there, and I didn't hear anything about them from all the people around me in the crowd. When they played, people liked it, but weren't rocking out like you would at an actual concert. I'm 6 feet tall and couldn't even SEE them because the stage was uphill. The picture below was holding my camera above my head. I wasn't that far back, it's just a wide angle.

Interesting note: they have a song "Valerie Plame" which they played. Val and Joe had a commercial that ran many times for Clinton.

The Decemberists thanked the Obama campaign for letting them play.

They're just a fair-to-middlin' indie band who could maybe get 5,000 people to see them on a really good day. They're not Van Halen circa 1983, filling stadiums.

You people are pathetic.

:shrug:

And why are you using an article from Newbusters, that claim to be "exposing and combating liberal bias"?

and how do you account for the HUGE crowds at the rest of Obama's rallies? you know, the ones WITHOUT a concert beforehand? that's what I thought. nice try, ravenpuff. try again.

It was HOT that day....NO ONE in their RIGHT MIND...would have bothered to stand in that sun and listen to a politician, ANY politician...IF THEY HADN'T WANTED TOO....Christ...!! I live in the PNW...my daughter lives in PORTLAND...and neither of us ever heard of that blasted band...I tell ya...the lengths some people go too to try to make an issue out of something...

SO WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T CLINTON HIRE THEM, IF THEY CAN DRAW 75,000 people???? Probably would have looked better for her than the 200 or so that I heard Mr.Clinton drew to his speech.....You guys oughta listen to yourselves and how pathetic you sound...The fact remains that Obama is running one hell of a smart AND shrewd campaign, against a very experienced candidate that should have known how to run one, but for some reason got caught acting like a novice...perhaps she thought the nomination was automatically hers??? and figured she didn't have to work at it??? TOUGH SHIT!! she screwed up, her problem, not Obama's...

wb

pack it in.

When you're relying on "Newsbusters" and right-wing troglodytes like Robert Knight to tell you who's an "actual rock star", that's when you know you're a Hillbot.

FAIL

The Glenn Miller Orchestra. "that's what the kids like, right?"

When he comes to visit my cousins in South Dakota ... perhaps take in a concert at "The Corn Palace" in Mitchell? :blush: ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbPcH5caOJU&feature=related

Oregonians are smarter than that. Why would they waste a beautiful spring day to go see a group most of them had never heard of? People waited in line for hours for this event. The entertainment was just to help them kill time. What an absolutely stupid rationalization to explain away the huge demand for real change and the lack of enthusiasm for Clinton II. The lameness of this post has earned you a special place on my Ignored list.

...because of something written on a wingnut shit site?

Whatever

:rofl:

They're good... but they don't draw 75K

:rofl:

Fucking pathetic, really.

A guy goes to see his shrink and says "Doc, I'm having trouble making friends, you f***ing c***sucker."
;)

so i'm gonna guess you just might possibly be an obama supporter?

Nice source Huffle.

with a lot more popular appeal then The Decemberists will ever have.

With Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, and Britney in terms of popularity. They have several multi-platinum CDs.

Oh wait...

Seriously. Is that what this campaign has reduced you to Huffle? Fucking batshit insane stuff, dude.

their slogan is "exposing and combating liberal media bias" and you use that as a source here?

Obama and U2!! Oh, the possibilites.....

...then I want some of whatever kind of drugs you're on. :rofl:

Here in SF Back in the 90's, Green Day played a free concert at Civic Center in support of a proposition on the San Francisco ballot.

Green Day -- an internationally known band at the height of their popularity and playing in their backyard -- could only muster some 1500 people for their free political concert.

I sincerely doubt the Decemberists could pull 75,000 if it weren't for Obama. :eyes:

BTW, it was a great concert -- I was right at stage front. :)

Quit spreading bullshit just because the only people your candidate can draw are over 80 at senior centers.

...oh, and free bobble head dolls of Wilt Chamberlain.

Yup...Obama had little to do with it.

you had to pay for your own wine.....and I didn't see any lattes.....

oh, and a few nice buttons and bumper stickers. And, the yard signs aren't cardboard but vinyl, they will hold up in the rain!

:eyes:

Give it a rest please.

I can't believe the people who call themselves Democrats these days...humm
The claims that Obama has the experience necessary to be compared to our great presidents?

BOGUS! Note that I need to add Bill's credentials to the list... I just started with FDR and earlier greats.snip

-----------

FDR:

* 2 years in NY state senate
* 7 years – Assistant Secretary of the Navy
* 4 years as Governor of NY


Washington:

* Professional soldier (for YEARS)
* Virginia delegate to the First Continental Congress
* Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress
* President of the convention that resulted in the US Constitution


Thomas Jefferson:

* Member of Virginia's delegation to the Continental Congress during which time he wrote the Declaration of Independence
* Governor of Virginia
* Ambassador to France
* Secretary of State
* Vice President


Lincoln:

* Illinois State Legislature – 8 years
* US House of representatives – 8 years (as opposed to Obama running for president after 18 months of becoming a US Senator).
* Elected again to the Illinois legislature in 1854 and then resigned to run for US Senate – but lost twice


Andrew Jackson:

* American Revolution, War of 1812, First Seminole War
* U.S. House of Representatives – Tennessee (1 year)
* US Senate - (1 year)
* Judge Tennessee Supreme Court – 6 years
* Vice President


James Polk:

* Military - no combat
* Tennessee House of Representatives (2 years)
* U.S. House of Representatives – Tennessee (14 years).. Speaker of the House for 4 years
* Governor – Tennessee (2 years)


Teddy R:

* Military - Spanish-American War
* State legistature … was minority leader
* Assistant Secretary of the Navy
* US Civil Servant Commissioner
* Governor – NY - 2 years
* Vice President


Harry Truman:

* Military – served in WWI
* Judge
* US Senator – Missouri – 1935 - 1944
* Vice President – 1944….. and then the rest is well-known


Woodrow Wilson:

* President Princeton University – 8 years

* Governor – New Jersey – 2 years – with MANY reforms, including:
o A system of direct primary elections, in which the voters nominated the party candidates
o A public service commission with power over the charges and services of public utilities and railroads
o an insurance system to help injured workers


JFK:

* Military service – 4 years (Awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and Purple Heart)
* US Representative(Congress) – Mass (8 years)
* US Senator – Mass (8 years)



Bill Clinton served as the 42nd President of the United States of America. Before becoming president he served 5 terms as the governor of Arkansas. Clinton was a

member of the Democratic Party and was a very popular president, with advances in the areas of education, jobs, and the environment domestically while encouraging

peace talks internationally with the Northern Island and Palestinian conflicts.
Both his grandfather and grandmother (Edith Grisham Cassidy) were against the unfair segregation laws and the rampant racism that was an accepted part of life at

the time. Bill Clinton saw the respect that his grandparents gave to African Americans as a normal way to treat all people, even though it was a very unusual way of

thinking. Clinton was one of the few white boys of his small town that would play with black children. These early experiences must have played a part in his later

thinking, where he was called the first black American president (because of his empathy towards all people, regardless of skin color).


Photographs: Clinton Visits People With AIDS in Africa
Since he left office, Bill Clinton has made a lasting mark in a cause that he came to only late in his presidency.



This is just little something for some of those idiots out there who think Bill Clinton’s sex scandal was more important then any other of his achievements. It’s really

funny what you get when you compare Clinton’s list with the list (mostly failures) of our president today. Seriously people. Grow up!!!




Clinton presided over the longest period of peace-time economic expansion in American history, which included a balanced budget and a reported federal surplus.
Clinton left office with a 65% approval rating, the highest end-of-presidency rating of any President that came into office after World War II.
In August 1993, Clinton signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, which passed Congress without a single Republican vote. It cut taxes for 15 million

low-income families, made tax cuts available to 90% of small businesses,<37> and raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2% of taxpayers<38>. Additionally, it mandated that

the budget be balanced over a number of years, through the implementation of spending restraints.
In 1994, Clinton sent U.S. forces to Haiti as part of the negotiated restoration of Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s presidency. He also withdrew U.S. forces from Somalia

(1994), where while helping to avert famine they had suffered casualties in a futile effort to capture a Somali warlord. Clinton promoted peace negotiations in the Middle

East, which bore fruit in important agreements, and in the former Yugoslavia, which led to a peace agreement in late 1995. He also restored U.S. diplomatic relations

with Vietnam in 1995.
Clinton succeeded in brokering peace negotiations in Northern Ireland between warring Catholics and Protestants
In 1997, Clinton and the Republicans agreed on a deal that combined tax cuts and reductions in spending to produce the first balanced federal budget in three

decades.
During the eight years of the presidency, the economy expanded by 50% in real terms, and by the end of his tenure the US had a gross national product of $10,000bn

- one quarter of the entire world economic output.
The booming US economy has brought economic benefits right across the income spectrum.
The unemployment rate has dropped by half, to 4%, a 40-year-low, while the economy has created some 15 million jobs.
In December 1999, Clinton was among 18 included in Gallup’s List of Widely Admired People of the 20th century, from a poll conducted of the American people.



From August 1986 to August 1987, Governor Clinton served as chairman of the National Governors' Association. During that time, he led the governors' efforts to reform

the welfare system and the educational systems of the states.

By the fall of 1991, Governor Clinton believed that the country needed someone with a new vision and plan, and he decided to run for President. He also felt that he had

the experience and the best ideas for changing our country for the better. He wanted to strengthen the health care system, to improve the school system, and, most of

all, to bolster the economy and create new jobs. He brought his message to the country by going door to door, holding one-on-one talks with people in town hall

meetings, and appearing on various talk shows.

After a long primary process, Governor Clinton was nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate. He chose Senator Al Gore, of Tennessee to be his vice-

presidential running mate. Together, Bill Clinton and Al Gore set out by bus to meet the people of America and to hear about their concerns and their hopes for the

future. They campaigned on the concept of "putting people first'---preserving the American Dream, restoring the hopes of the middle class, and reclaiming the future for

the nation's children.

Throughout his life, President Clinton has worked to make a difference in the lives of others. To him, Hope means more than a small town in Arkansas; it means

working to ensure that each American has the opportunity to fulfill his or her dream.





Barack Obama:

* State State Senate (8 years)

* US Senator - Illinois (18 months before announcing his run for POTUS).

ain't life a bitch??

That's what really drew in the crowds. :bounce:

a direct dis to the Hillary supporters and don't think they didn't know it!!!!!!!!!! Obama claimed he was outraged but I just don't know what to think.

At least you understood me! :toast: