# McCain not as forked as the McCain Forked thread, but still forked

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [October 8, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951 "2008-10-08T03:49:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 57

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**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1121 "2008-11-03T21:45:06Z")

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> [@sidle](#):
>
> Right?  
> I don’t quite get it either.  
> I don’t swing that way in any percentage, and if I ever did I’d expect it to be for a less masculine looking woman (not that she’s manly or anything, but you know what I mean), and I’m an Independent, so it’s not a philosophical agreement swoon or anything.

As a gay man, I must say that Maddow would be the person most likely to turn me, were she straight. For me, it IS the philosophical agreement, and the intelligence, and the willingness to take on the right-wing noise machine head-on and practically single-handedly.

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**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1122 "2008-11-03T21:58:10Z")

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Obama’s Grandma died today. ☹

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**Author:** ![sidle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@sidle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidle)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1123 "2008-11-03T22:00:06Z")

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> [@jayjay](#):
>
> As a gay man, I must say that Maddow would be the person most likely to turn me, were she straight. For me, it IS the philosophical agreement, and the intelligence, and the willingness to take on the right-wing noise machine head-on and practically single-handedly.

There are other news types who take on the right well, and with passion, IMO.  
I’m just really impressed with her ability to stay cheerful and fairly unflappable while remaining utterly steadfast and informed in terms of her beliefs. She’s gotten better at it over the years, too, I think. I remember her getting exasperated with Tucker. Now, though, with Buchanan types, she just smiles and shakes her head, and then good-naturedly skewers their logic.

My kinda woman!

I was concerned during her first show. It was a bit awkward. (I remember feeling the same way during Colbert’s first show.)  
But now she’s totally hit her stride.

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**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1124 "2008-11-03T22:03:09Z")

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> [@5-4-Fighting](#):
>
> Just a quick report on some non-Obama supporters’ tactics I saw over this past weekend when I went from NYC to Philapelphia to canvass.
> 
> My walk-partner and I discovered about 1/4 of exactly half of our list’s addresses already had a door hanger on it. These door hanger list the precisely designated polling places for that address (we confirm as we hang them) AND WERE THE WRONG POLLING PLACE. Strange.
> 
> We reported it to the campaign office, investigation was done and it was decided some people who actually probably supported McCain had somehow gotten ahold them and were purposely trying to mislead people. It definitely wasn’t an error by the office we were working out of because the incorrect polling place that was being put out there had nothing to do with the office we were working out of.
> 
> Are the Republicans getting just a little desparate?
> 
> I’ll be going back to Philly on Tuesday to GOTV – on the 5:30am bus!

so that is why we were stickering 10,000 door knockers today. i wondered.

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**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1125 "2008-11-03T22:03:15Z")

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> [@5-4-Fighting](#):
>
> Just a quick report on some non-Obama supporters’ tactics I saw over this past weekend when I went from NYC to Philapelphia to canvass.
> 
> My walk-partner and I discovered about 1/4 of exactly half of our list’s addresses already had a door hanger on it. These door hanger list the precisely designated polling places for that address (we confirm as we hang them) AND WERE THE WRONG POLLING PLACE. Strange.
> 
> We reported it to the campaign office, investigation was done and it was decided some people who actually probably supported McCain had somehow gotten ahold them and were purposely trying to mislead people. It definitely wasn’t an error by the office we were working out of because the incorrect polling place that was being put out there had nothing to do with the office we were working out of.
> 
> Are the Republicans getting just a little desparate?
> 
> I’ll be going back to Philly on Tuesday to GOTV – on the 5:30am bus!

Good on you, **5**! It’s the people like you who will bring this election home. THANK YOU for your efforts!

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**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1126 "2008-11-03T22:05:48Z")

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Ditto! Pip, pip! Good show, that!

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**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1127 "2008-11-03T22:06:15Z")

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> [@eleanorigby](#):
>
> Obama’s Grandma died today. ☹

just heard it on cnn. they said she passed last night, but it was 4am florida time. obama was told at 8am when he woke up in florida.

poor guy. i had hoped she would make it 'till tomorrow.

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**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1128 "2008-11-03T22:06:59Z")

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> [@eleanorigby](#):
>
> Obama’s Grandma died today. ☹

Damn.

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**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1129 "2008-11-03T22:08:20Z")

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> [@eleanorigby](#):
>
> Obama’s Grandma died today. ☹

Leaving McCain, once again, looking like a fucking schmuck as those Reverend Wright ads are running every hour on the hour, and the RNC is suing his campaign for paying for him to visit her. The slime machine piles-on even during a time of personal mourning. Terrible timing for McCain.

I’ve been through lots of presidential campaigns, and the victory has always gone to the better mud-slinger. This is the first time, in my memory, that it has backfired time and time again — on McCain. The more personal his attacks become, the more people move toward Obama.

And it isn’t just the presidential race, either. The so-called Godless ads from Liddy Dole’s people (and yes, I’m aware of the ethical debate within the whole thing, but never mind that for this purpose) backfired big time.

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**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1130 "2008-11-03T22:15:04Z")

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I find myself crying about the death of that old lady. To have done so much and not live to see his victory. Well, some of us will no doubt be sure that she’s going to be smiling up in heaven. Maybe she will.

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**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1131 "2008-11-03T22:47:06Z")

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> [@eleanorigby](#):
>
> Obama’s Grandma died today. ☹

Damn. One fucking day before her grandson becomes President.

She’d probably be proud of him even if he lost. She raised a good kid.

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**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1132 "2008-11-03T22:52:28Z")

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I’m going to be at the Grant Park Obama rally tomorrow night, and I think I’m going to be bawling through his whole speech. His grandma must have been one hell of a neat lady.

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**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1133 "2008-11-03T22:55:35Z")

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While I created another thread to specifically discuss [newspaper endorsements](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10392227#post10392227) and what they do and do not signify, it seems uncalled to bump it. But still - [even Cheney’s hometown paper](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/03/cheneys-hometown-paper-endorses-obama/) is going to Obama?

No, he won’t win Wyoming. But man. Even the Wyoming paper?

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**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1134 "2008-11-03T23:22:02Z")

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That’s incredible. I had no idea Wyoming had a paper.

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**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1135 "2008-11-03T23:26:47Z")

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> [@5-4-Fighting](#):
>
> My walk-partner and I discovered about 1/4 of exactly half of our list’s addresses already had a door hanger on it. These door hanger list the precisely designated polling places for that address (we confirm as we hang them) AND WERE THE WRONG POLLING PLACE. Strange.

I also read a report that GOP phonebankers were calling Dem voters with a variety of misinformation tactics, from polling-place hours to location changes, all designed to stop them from voting. I can’t find the link now, though. Utterly reprehensible.

Also, regarding the tangential discussion about an extended voting period (which probably belongs in another thread, but what the hell):

I agree, but there are serious logistical problems to be solved first; it’s not just a matter of keeping the polling locations open. Right now, the early-voting stations, in the states that have them, are strictly limited; tomorrow we will see a fiftyfold increase in locations. If the plan is to take that early-voting model and expand it to all polling locations, you have to get the staff (paid and volunteer) to operate all of those locations for the full week. Given that it’s already difficult to fill those positions, for one day only, multiplying that by five will be a nightmare. And that doesn’t even get into the disruption of the location itself, which is often a school, a library, a church, or a community center. Reserving it for a full week, making it unavailable for any other events, is a big deal.

This is probably why Oregon decided to go vote-by-mail. I have to say, I’m a traditionalist, and I like standing in the little booth on election day, but I can also see how the all-mail option has its attractions.

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**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1136 "2008-11-03T23:36:33Z")

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> [@Slacker](#):
>
> LOL alert for the day: Drudge is running out of ideas. 😃 Today’s FRONT PAGE GIANT FONT HEADLINE? [OBAMA CONGRATULATES MCCAIN](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBMdWxcFXQg). Link leads to a youtube video of Obama scratching his face with… you guessed it… HIS MIDDLE FINGER. Clearly this man is a radical.

Whoah! He does that a lot more smoothly than we did in middle school!

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**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1137 "2008-11-03T23:47:14Z")

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> [@Cervaise](#):
>
> I also read a report that GOP phonebankers were calling Dem voters with a variety of misinformation tactics, from polling-place hours to location changes, all designed to stop them from voting. I can’t find the link now, though. Utterly reprehensible.

This alone makes me wonder how someone could support the Republican Party at this particular time. How can a person who believes in democracy support a party that so openly and brazenly tries to cheat people out of their right to vote?

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**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1138 "2008-11-03T23:59:07Z")

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> [@RickJay](#):
>
> This alone makes me wonder how someone could support the Republican Party at this particular time. How can a person who believes in democracy support a party that so openly and brazenly tries to cheat people out of their right to vote?

1. They’ll find an isolated incident where something vaguely similar happened once to a republican voter, years ago, and claim that there is complete equivalency.

2. They’ll simply deny it happened, and blame the reporting of the incident on “liberal media”

3. They’ll dismiss it as the work of “rogue operatives” who have no connection with the republicans, and may, in fact, actually be democrats trying to discredit them.

4. and so on… There is no end to the self-justification from the righteous.

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1139 "2008-11-04T00:03:42Z")

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> [@eleanorigby](#):
>
> Obama’s Grandma died today. ☹

**McCain:** Hello, Mom? I need to ask you a big favor…

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**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-not-as-forked-as-the-mccain-forked-thread-but-still-forked/466951/1140 "2008-11-04T00:14:09Z")

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> [@jayjay](#):
>
> As a gay man, I must say that Maddow would be the person most likely to turn me, were she straight. For me, it IS the philosophical agreement, and the intelligence, and the willingness to take on the right-wing noise machine head-on and practically single-handedly.

As a gay man, I was going to say the exact same thing. And, yes, it’s also the smile.

> [@Shayna](#):
>
> Good on you, **5**! It’s the people like you who will bring this election home. THANK YOU for your efforts!

Oh, you’re quite welcome! This made the fifth weekend I’ve gone down at last one day. I’ve been unemployed and broke so this was all I had to give. The organizer subsidized my bus fare (and I’m running the check-ins to&fro tomorrow), so everybody’s contributed what they could to make this happen. **rocking chair** , as you know, Obama is trying to leave no door unknocked, no ear unbent and no knowledge undistributed.

Unlike the Republicans who’ve been leaving no sleazy stone unturned.

I’m just a little sad now that his grandmother has died.

P.S. I’ve never in my life been to Philapelphia!

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