Jeopardy-The 2008 Election Tournament I
Captain Ed: I'll take campaign offices for $200 please, Alex.
Alex: It is signified by this picture of Barack Obama's Houston campaign office:
Alex: Captain Ed!
Captain Ed: What is, "embarrassing campaign workers"?
Alex: No!
Alex: John Cole!
John Cole: What is, "the troglodyte right"?
Alex: No! Really, No! But that eventually might be one of the questions, so keep trying.
Alex: Dave!
Dave: What is, "clueless campaign workers"?
Alex: No! We were looking for what is, "showing their true colors", gentlemen. Showing their true colors.
(via Newsbusters, original video here)
Note: A friend emailed that he didn't quite get this, so updated with quotation marks that hopefully makes it clearer.
2/12: No, Obama should not be blamed for what a few volunteers did in some new campaign office. And I wouldn't call it a scandal as much as an opportunity for clarity. Che was a murderous thug and anyone who honors him is either an ignorant fool or a contemptible human being. I don't know which category those volunteers fall into and I give Obama the benefit of the doubt that it's neither in his case. It would be nice if he would confirm that, but I'm guessing it's better for his campaign to keep pandering to people like those volunteers and this will quietly go away. Which is too bad, but not exactly surprising.
I think that Cuban volunteer's response is more embarrassing than the original dust-up:
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=5757732&version=1&locale=EN-US
That volunteer is going to disappear into the background and this will rightly go away in a day or two. A nationwide campaign is bound to have at least a handful of kooks.
Posted by: Rob | February 13, 2008 at 06:42 AM
There's a weasel if I've ever seen one. It's not surprising though, as the campaign's best move is probably to just stonewall and let it blow over.
There's another story from that same Fox affiliate here.
The statement from an Obama spokesman:
"The flag that was displayed does not reflect Barack Obama's views when it comes to Cuba."
Which is pretty much weasel talk also. Gotta love that his last name is "Earnest" though.
Posted by: Dave E. | February 13, 2008 at 12:24 PM
If you don't want to hear weasel talk in this election year, best not turn the TV on until December. No way to get elected these days without mastering that skill. I don't think Harry Truman could get elected today.
The British Prime Minister has a weekly question session with Parliament. I've been watching it whenever I stumble across it since Margaret Thatcher's days. I think it's on BBC-America or PBS. It is awesome. It is mesmerizing. Thatcher, Major, Blair, Brown, all different, all formidable. No namby pambys. They give what they get. American presidential candidates are scared to death to do that.
Posted by: Rob | February 13, 2008 at 09:04 PM
I haven't seen it in a while, but it is pretty fascinating compared to the back and forth we do here. I kind of prefer the British way.
Posted by: Dave E. | February 13, 2008 at 11:07 PM
"I kind of prefer the British way."
Me, too. I like it when a leader is informed and can speak almost extemporaneously on any issue. Louisiana's new governor, Bobby Jindal, can do that. I shouldn't be too hard on American politicians, though. They may have to give the same speech 20 times in a span of a week. Bound to come off stiff and rehearsed some of the time.
Posted by: Rob | February 14, 2008 at 05:37 AM