Just trying to spice things up here FS :p

Oh look, totally off topic of this thread and maybe Geoff will get pissed, I don't know. I'll just have to live on the edge I guess. :p

Anyway, check out this link. Did you know you it is illegal to make wagers on the Presidential election in Vegas???? However, for you bigtime gamblers (PLaw), there is hope.

web page

TIS

Gee Tis, don't you get enough spice in school each day. It is only 7pm on your coast, you have the whole night ahead of you. Maybe you need a pet or a hobby to spice things up.
The best part is:

Why? No-one seems entirely certain, but it probably has something to do with it being unseemly to bet on something as important as the White House.

Ahhhh...I see.
Funny though that since you're so interested in the U.S. elections you didn't have that info already, considering the "...myriad of sources...". According to your original post, you didn't even know if there were 'plans' for televised debates, let alone a schedule.

Winding my neck down...

Apple [/b][/quote]Keep unwinding. Still a long way to go Apple.

Apple, have you ever been married??

Because politics can be a dirty business, I'm sure all kinds of allegations fly around.

But if "justice is blind" and you are a fair person, then I think the true test of whether you should believe an allegation is for someone to tell you the allegation with the names blanked out. i.e.

Do you believe: "Candidate X was involved in forging letters about Candidate Y based on ... etc.. etc .. etc"

...same with the 2000 Florida recount. Ideally, they should not have told the Courts (both FL State and US Supreme) which side was which!

TIS, I couldn't agree more, the election results might be surprising and I wouldn't count on polls that much. This is a hot election and it might be interesting for you to know that all eyes outside the US is following this election in particular because as Senza mama said the US foreign policy has been affecting so many non-US citizens lately. I remember president Bush saying in very early months of his victory something to the effect of that he has planned to Americanize the whole world and he thinks all people around the world should think of themselves as US citizens and they should do their duty based on that to the US. This sounded like a globalization in politics which later was more clarified as "You are either with us or against us". Frankly if that's part of a plan I think everyone outside the US should have a right to vote for their choice of the US president as well.
As for the result of this election I think no one can say what would happen for sure. This last election for the governor in the state of Alabama that I know of and I was following in the news when I was there was a very close race and I really didn't expect it to be like that since Alabama is known to be a strong Republican state at this moment and in the last election. Right now I see the election results critical in the state of Florida which is still in the category of toss up. A swing in Florida's electoral votes could change the fate of this election as it did back in 2000.

By the way, if you'd like to play with electoral votes and see how the results would change, here is a great web page: Electoral Vote Calculator

Afsaneh,

Thanks for the link. After last election, we all will be paying more attention to the electoral votes I'm sure. I just hope whoever wins, wins both the electoral/popular vote.

Btw, an interesting tidbit, I think, supporting the idea of a "surprise" of sorts, in this election: I heard yesterday on the news that, in Ohio (a battlground state), in the recent months, Democrat voter registration went up 250 percent, and Republican 50 per cent. If in every state both sides are getting newly registered voters, and if everyone who registers actually votes, could be that the polls will not be accurate at all.

TIS

I think you almost have to be a fool, sometimes to believe in some of these poles. After all people can say anything they want and people will spread it around if it fits their own needs. That include telling people that the other guys is for something he isn't and also that they are for something when they are not.

If you run for office these days you seem to have a pass to say what ever you want. One thing I will predict. Thta no matter who is in office this time next year. The people will be bitching and the fingers will be pointing.

I think you should all do a write in vote and vote for ME After all I am not Bush and I am not Kerry. I owe nothing to any party or side and I have taken no money from any group or company.

I will work for less money. By the Way, Yes, I am for that, but not for that other thing. Both those other guys are wrong, but I can fix it if you elect ME! I am FATHERSSON Lesser of the three evils.

I love the hypocrisy, from politicians all the way around, but I really have a good laugh at DNC in this case.

The Swift Boat Vets, who patronize a lawyer connected to the Bush campaign, are called essentially Bush headfigures and it is a blatant and unfounded attack on Kerry.

Yet CBS, and those who "revealed" these documents, admit to colluding with a Kerry campaign advisor, but it is baseless to assume that the Kerry camp had any malignant intent as far as these documents are concerned. Regardless of Kerry involvement, this shows clearly the media's level of attemtped bias. Retire, Dan, retire. Save face, while you can.

Actually, it will probably gain him popularity with Bush haters, because of his undamning and unwavering mission to upheave Bush. :rolleyes:

It's just like how Kerry keeps talking about Bush saying "mission accomplished." He never said that (even the liberal NY Times says this in today's issue) but he did stand in front of a banner on the aircraft carrier that said it...I guess it's quoting by association.

Whoops! I guess it's also like voting for a war, but voting not to fund it. Pardon me if I can imagine a different form of salute for Kerry from our troops if he is elected, involving one finger only.

Being a Navy wife I will gladly salute him like that.

Democrats Preparing to Steal IOWA ???

From: NewsMax.com
Sept. 28, 2004

More evidence the Democrats are planning an Election Day surprise for George Bush.

NewsMax's recent "Insider Report" revealed that the Democrats and their 527 groups, as well as the major unions, were launching an unprecedented $300 million "get out the vote" effort to defeat President Bush.

Republican strategists have warned that the Democratic efforts may be laying the groundwork for massive vote fraud on Election Day.

Insider Report also detailed that Democrats have been out-registering Republican voters by a factor of 5 to 1 in Ohio and Florida.

But now there is word from Iowa that the Democrats are preparing to snag that state through "voter efforts."

The Des Moines Register details that as of last week 199,592 absentee ballots have been requested – with most of those coming from Iowa's 20 largest counties.

As the New York Times put it, "Under Iowa law, anyone can request an absentee ballot, no questions asked. ..."

And who is asking for these ballots?

The paper said that a study of the state's 20 largest counties found that "roughly three times as many Democrats as Republicans" have requested ballots.

The Democratic operation in the state has not gone unnoticed by Republicans.

Republican Congressman Jim Leach told the Times the Iowa Democratic Party "has now become the single best organized political party in the entire country."

Back in 2000 Gore lost Iowa at the polls, but still eked out a 4,144-vote victory after absentee ballots were counted.

With every vote crucial in this contest, Democrats are clearly leaving nothing to chance.

Brokaw, Jennings Show Support for Rather

I guess CBS isn't the only network willing to run with false stories.


Fox apologizes for fake Kerry quotes

Associated Press


WASHINGTON - Fox News has apologized for posting phony quotes from Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on its Web site.

Carl Cameron, a Fox reporter who covers the Kerry campaign, wrote an item that looked like a news story with made-up Kerry quotes, said Paul Schur, a Fox spokesman. The item was not intended to be posted on the site.

"Carl made a stupid mistake which he regrets," Schur said Friday. "And he has been reprimanded for his lapse in judgment. It was a poor attempt at humor."

The phony item posted early Friday read in part: "Rallying supporters in Tampa Friday, Kerry played up his performance in Thursday night's debate in which many observers agreed the Massachusetts senator outperformed the president.

" 'Didn't my nails and cuticles look great? What a good debate!' Kerry said Friday."

The item also quoted Kerry as saying of himself and President Bush: "I'm metrosexual - he's a cowboy."

Asked about the incident, Kerry spokesman David Wade said: "America would be stronger if only George Bush could admit his mistakes as easily."

Then, about the group that JJ brought to our attention. The one that is actually a pro-Bush group.


http://www.foxnews.com

First were the usual suspects who were clear about where they stood, OK, no problem. Then came the Billionaires for Bush, but they're actually supporting Kerry. After that came Communists for Kerry; they're seemingly working, albeit in an unorthodox way, to re-elect Bush.


For a Friday report on this Web site following the first Bush-Kerry debate, a member of Communists for Kerry managed to persuade a FOXNews.com reporter that he was indeed a Kerry supporter. His true feelings subsequently were misrepresented in a story that was published here over the weekend.

FOXNews.com regrets the error. From now on, polygraphs for everybody.

Editor's Note

On Friday, FOXNews.com posted an item purporting to contain quotations from John Kerry. The item was based on a reporter’s partial script that had been written in jest and should not have been posted or broadcast. We regret the error, which occurred because of fatigue and bad judgment, not malice.

President Bush Signs Tax Cut in Iowa

By DEB RIECHMANN, AP

WASHINGTON (Oct. 4) - President Bush signed his fourth tax cut in four years on Monday, extending three tax breaks popular with middle-class voters and reviving other tax incentives for businesses.

Bush held the bill signing ceremony at a YMCA in Iowa, one of the most contested states in this year's presidential election with Democrat John Kerry and a state Bush lost by a razor-thin margin in 2000.

An estimated 94 million Americans will be affected by the tax relief, which keeps three middle-class tax breaks from expiring Jan. 1 and renews others for businesses. The tax cut also will swell the deficit, which is at a record high.

"The law I sign this morning comes at just the right time for America," Bush said.

The $145.9 billion tax package that Congress passed last month will:

Keep the per-child tax credit at $1,000 for five years.

Continue to allow more of taxpayers' income to be taxed at 10 percent, the lowest rate, for six years.

Retain for four years a provision giving married couples relief from the so-called marriage penalty.

The individual taxpayer relief is estimated to cost $131.4 billion in government revenue over the next decade. In addition, Republicans added provisions to extend 23 tax breaks for businesses that were set to expire. The biggest item in this group, which costs $12.97 billion, is a tax credit to businesses for research and development.

Kerry, who appears Tuesday in Tipton, Iowa, to discuss issues concerning middle-class Americans, backed the tax breaks in the Senate, saying they helped families being squeezed by a weak economy, falling incomes and rising health costs. But he has proposed rolling back the tax cuts for families making more than $200,000 and using the savings to make health care and education more affordable.

The Massachusetts senator also has proposed new tax cuts to help middle-class families - relief he says won't increase the deficit.

"There's a fundamental difference between George Bush and John Kerry on taxes," said Kerry spokesman Phil Singer. "George Bush wants more tax breaks for his special interest friends, and John Kerry wants to cut taxes and health costs for working families."

Bush said the bill he signed Monday, approved last week by Congress, "will extend vital tax relief for millions of American families and add momentum to our growing economy."

"Unless we acted, a family of four earning $40,000 would have seen their federal income taxes rise by more than $900," Bush said. "That would have been a burden for hardworking families across America. And it would have been a setback for our economy."

Iowa, one of six states decided by fewer than 10,000 votes in the 2000 election, has been a frequent destination for both campaigns.

Monday was Bush's 17th presidential trip to Iowa. Kerry has traveled there seven times. He also got a lot of exposure in the state during the nominating caucuses in January when he and running mate John Edwards, then a rival, rode late-breaking momentum to a one-two finish that put them on track to challenge Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Polls show Bush with a slim lead over Kerry in Iowa, which offers seven electoral votes to the winner on Nov. 2.

Bush, who holds an "Ask President Bush" event in nearby Clive, Iowa, later Monday, hopes to win Iowa by appealing to conservative Democrats, particularly Roman Catholic voters who tend to side with the GOP on abortion, gay marriage and other social issues.

Kerry, assisted by Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin and Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack, is hoping the state's economy and the Iraq war will keep Iowa in their party's win column.