CAMPAIGN 2008

Hackers and Spending Sprees

Highlights from NEWSWEEK's special election project.

Newsweek Web Exclusive
Nov 5, 2008 | Updated: 5:01  a.m. ET Nov 5, 2008

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  • Posted By: wiseman4sure1 @ 11/29/2008 9:44:20 PM

    I really think that it is a whole lot better to buy clothes than "other things" Obama* is an admitted cocaine abuser and it makes me wonder what he would do with some of the 605 million dollars that was not explained during the election. Seven years of voting "present" in the illinoise senate and I wonder what he was thinking or if he even was thinking. "change" seems to be more of the same from the Impeached Clinton administration. nothing new here.

    • Posted By: Keepinguponfacts123 @ 01/11/2009 7:33:04 AM

      Isn't George W. Bush a cocaine abuser and an alcoholic. Look what kind of defecit he has left for the incoming administration. do you think he spent it on the above? Don't waste everyone's time with your stupid insults.

  • Posted By: Grant_X @ 11/06/2008 2:00:32 PM

    40yearR said, "we must only believe true facts provided to us by anonymous emails."

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You are the true definition of uneducated. You sad, pathetic excuse for an American. I understand that our educational system must have failed you, or you just didn't study hard enough. Hopefully we son't fail the next generation like we clearly failed you.

    • Posted By: 40YearR @ 11/06/2008 2:15:51 PM


      "Grant_X": My lack of education includes honors degrees undergraduate and graduate. 40 years voting R. That education was incomplete, though, until I realized the informative power of anonymous emails, and that we've got to scream down and accuse anyone who might disagree with us. That is why my patriotism compelled me to share my insights in the posting below about how to get our Grand Old Party back to its former glory and proper control of things so we can continue taking care of the country as we have.

      A 40 year republican

      • Posted By: Sunshine1957 @ 12/13/2008 1:55:24 AM

        Don'r lie you old 40 yr old rep. (bull, just say what you are). You are an unhappy black person.

      • Posted By: Objectivisor @ 11/06/2008 2:29:35 PM

        Ad an educated person, you are likely aware that all tendencies include exceptions. The question you should ask yourself is how you allowed your education to become misappropriated into a clan of rubes.

        The Buddhists have a saying: "Don't tell me about what you know. Don't tell me about who you know. Tell me about where you've traveled."

        Come out from beneath your rock and into the light.

        • Posted By: 40YearR @ 11/06/2008 2:44:59 PM



          But Objectivisor, How can I remain a devoted republican if I don't blame everything on "the others", and commit to shouting down anyone who doesn't commit to employing anonymous propaganda to destroy those "others"? We are obliged to do such things, or we wouldn't be "true" republicans, would we?

          • Posted By: 40YearR @ 11/06/2008 2:53:37 PM

            Objectivisor, Ok, ok, I guess I came across as too sincere. Just look at the posting by JordanJordanJordan, and you will see that I've felt the need to caricature the kind of spewtum I receive when I say I voted for Obama and give reasons why. But, it did have the ring authenticity of the 'right wing' state of mind we read here, isn't it? That was the cruel, scary joke.

            • Posted By: Objectivisor @ 11/06/2008 3:23:09 PM

              Are you saying that you successfully punk'd me? If so, bravo, nice job ;-)

              • Posted By: 40YearR @ 11/06/2008 3:31:01 PM

                "Objectivisor", Ya been punked! :-)

                • Posted By: Objectivisor @ 11/06/2008 3:36:48 PM

                  Actually, I think you did a brilliant job at making yourself appear to be a xenophobic jinogoist.

                  • Posted By: Tomshaw @ 11/06/2008 4:24:01 PM

                    Pretty pathetic! So anyone who didn't vote for Obama is an uneducated, xenophobic jingoists. It appears that many on the left have already been through the Obama re-educations camps.

                    • Posted By: Objectivisor @ 11/06/2008 4:47:16 PM

                      We all have a natural fear of the unknown, Is that thing a friend or foe? Safe or harmful? To be on the safe side, we assume foe. The less educated a person is, and the less they are exposed to diverse ideas, the more unknowns they have in their life. Thereby, the increased likely that an uneduacted person will become xenophobic.

                      I do not believe that all those who did not vote for Obama are xenophobic. Statistically however, the red states tend to be less well eductated, less traveled, less exposed to foreign matter, and thereby more prone towards superficial promises of muscular, yet hollow protection.

                      Anything unfamiliar to a rube is frightening. They usually develop a strong clan mentality, increasing both their xenophobia and their jingoism.

                      Mind your fears.

                    • Posted By: 40YearR @ 11/06/2008 4:32:02 PM

                      No, "Tomshaw", the point was the opposite. That is, the vast majority of posts by McC supporters over the last several days have been to the effect that we're all fools, and dupes of rad-lib media. I'm a 40 year republican who voted for Obama. My view is that the R party will continue to shrink until we moderates are welcome, the party discards the politics of the end justifies the means, and in which the radicals are no longer considered "the base".

                      Please see my explanation below.

                      A 40 year republican

                  • Posted By: EdWinter @ 11/06/2008 4:22:20 PM

                    Pretty pathetic! So anyone who didn't vote for Obama is an uneducated, xenophobic jingoists. It appears that many on the left have already been through the Obama re-educations camps.

                  • Posted By: 40YearR @ 11/06/2008 3:56:37 PM


                    "Objectivisor", It's what my friends in sales call 'mirroring'.

                    Actually, I was practicing. A guy who claimed to be a re-elcted R, came in yesterday bellowing about how we're all dupes of the rad-lib press. When I explained that I'm an R who voted for Obama after 40 years of never having voted for a Dem, because I'm repelled by the employment of smear propaganda, and by how the right wing just shouts down everyone who doesn't agree with him, he told me I should change party registration, and he had just come from a meeting of Rs about "building a new, better party" with only "good people", not ones like me. So, I thought I'd have my original post in the can waiting for him. But I couldn't wait.... What do ya think, will he invite me back in?

                    • Posted By: Objectivisor @ 11/06/2008 4:14:49 PM

                      Hopefully the party he lets you back into will be the party of Lincoln, Teddy, and Eisenhower. Those who fought the military-industrial complex, big business, and now big oil. Good luck.

      • Posted By: Tomshaw @ 11/06/2008 4:34:56 PM

        Grant_X
        Apparently you can't see sacarsm when it is pissing on your shoes. You seem to have a lot of pent-up hate. Perhaps you need more fiber in your diet. Better yet it may be you are not as smart as you imagine.
        I think this is what is behind your tourette syndrome -like blogging.

  • Posted By: twilso96 @ 12/10/2008 8:02:05 PM

    I'm pretty sure that Barack Obama, Harvard law grad, knows how many states there are.

  • Posted By: LuvMSNBC @ 11/06/2008 7:50:32 PM

    OMG!! winchester, I wholeheartedly agree with you...she needs an edu-ca-tion badly. Ha! Ha! The Govenor of the state of Alaska doesn't even know the countries that make up NORTH AMERICA or that Africa is a continent! What I wanna know is does she know where she is right now???? If she runs for anything outside of Alaska, Washington AND the media will rip her a new one 4 sure! What an ignoramus...and to think THAT almost became the VP of the entire United States of America! Whew, that was close. Oh...that's right...it wasn't EVEN close!!! LOL HAAAAAAAAAAA!

    • Posted By: Jill Infidel @ 12/10/2008 3:36:15 PM

      Well at least she knows there are only 50 states and not 57 like your messiah said there were!

    • Posted By: DinkSinger @ 11/06/2008 10:36:18 PM

      Can you name all the countries (and territories) in North America? I know I can't. Hint: There are 41 of them.

      On the other hand not knowing the countires included in NAFTA is incredible.

      • Posted By: PReed1962 @ 11/07/2008 8:22:18 AM

        Are you serious? North America only has THREE countries!!! Third graders know this!!!

        • Posted By: lcdrmurphy @ 11/07/2008 9:53:08 AM

          Actually, what you call Central America is part of the continent called North America. So, there are more that the three NAFTA countries in North America. That being said, I expect that anyone with the privilege of running for high office would have done some research on major economic treaties.

  • Posted By: nickjack22 @ 12/09/2008 1:42:51 PM

    To order back copies...

    http://www.newsweek.com/id/38407

  • Posted By: Weezx2 @ 12/02/2008 11:13:36 AM

    I would also like to order multiple copies of the November 17, President Obama 44, the Making of the 44th President edition. Your coverage was the most comprehensive. I have looked through the web site and cant seem to find where I order copies. Thanks for your help.

  • Posted By: uisignorant @ 12/01/2008 12:44:19 PM

    Too bad you never asked the "O" a tough question.

  • Posted By: rusty45 @ 11/30/2008 9:48:32 PM

    I read all of the Special Election Edition and found it fascinating. I would like to purchase several copies of the magazine. How do I find them?

  • Posted By: rusty45 @ 11/30/2008 9:47:08 PM

    Can I buy copies of the Special Election Edition on the campaign? I would like to buy several copies if possible.

  • Posted By: guccibird @ 11/28/2008 4:30:32 PM

    What the hell do you mean,Obama's inexperienced? HE was a State Rep. for Illnois for SEVEN years, and was a US. State Senator for nearly THREE years, so how the hell do you call that "inexperienced"? Honestly ,you're just pissed off that your boy MCCain didn't win and that a black man is in the White House---well, he's gonna be President, so it's about time you got the hell over it. And talking about inexperinced---exactly how much exp. did George Bush have before he became President, other than 5 years of being a Texas govenor? The only political exp. he'd had before that was running his daddy's re-election campaign---funny how nobody ever brings THAT up, but you'll cross-examine the hell out of Obama for damn near everything.

  • Posted By: guccibird @ 11/28/2008 4:30:12 PM

    What the hell do you mean,Obama's inexperienced? HE was a State Rep. for Illnois for SEVEN years, and was a US. State Senator for nearly THREE years, so how the hell do you call that "inexperienced"? Honestly ,you're just pissed off that your boy MCCain didn't win and that a black man is in the White House---well, he's gonna be President, so it's about time you got the hell over it. And talking about inexperinced---exactly how much exp. did George Bush have before he became President, other than 5 years of being a Texas govenor? The only political exp. he'd had before that was running his daddy's re-election campaign---funny how nobody ever brings THAT up, but you'll cross-examine the hell out of Obama for damn near everything.

  • Posted By: Perusing-through @ 11/24/2008 8:45:48 PM

    Good article. Thanks.

  • Posted By: RockyMountainHigh @ 11/12/2008 2:49:27 PM

    My family, friends, and I have all taken out subscriptions to Newsweek beause WE think the reporting is excellent. This piece was a prime example!

    • Posted By: Vypurr @ 11/12/2008 7:11:56 PM

      The mainstream media was and is in the tank for Obama, and only someone living on Mars or other distant planet wouldn't know that. From your posts, it doesn't surprise me at all that you and your family have taken out subscriptions for Newsweek magazine. I'm sure they're happy, as it will offset those who have canceled.

      • Posted By: gknow7 @ 11/15/2008 3:25:49 PM

        Hello, O'Reilly, Rush, Hannity?

        • Posted By: Vypurr @ 11/18/2008 8:45:05 AM

          Hello, O'Reilly, Rush and Hannity all have "opinion programs", and are not newscast mainstream media.

          • Posted By: eagles1776 @ 11/24/2008 3:57:45 PM

            Fox, Fox,Fox,Fox Rightwing propaganda network, Fox, Fox, Fox

      • Posted By: RockyMountainHigh @ 11/12/2008 7:29:28 PM

        By mainstream media, are you including talk radio? Because that's pretty well monopolized by conservatives, and if you read Newsweek on a regular basis, you'd know that George Will, who could hardly be called a "liberal" is a regular contributor, as are a number of other well known conservatives. In fact, I read an article by Karl Rove in Newsweek recently. I also read Time, U.S. News, and several daily newspapers in addition to cable news shows. I even watch FoxNews once in awhile, though I usually have to wait a few hours after eating to avoid feeling ill.

        • Posted By: Vypurr @ 11/12/2008 8:14:14 PM

          Even the departed Ray Charles could see that Obama had the Mainstream media on his campaign team, which included ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, NPR, almost every major newspaper in America, Hollywood, and of course, Newsweek. BTW, you did mention Newsweek.... by their chief editor's own admission, NW has 8 liberal writers to 3 conservative. One conservative is Karl Rove whom I've read maybe once. George Will? I can count on two fingers the number of articles I've read written here. And Fox News Broadcasts? Unlike biased, Butt kissing Charlie Gibson, they will actually report both sides of the news. You're confusing their news broadcasts with Hannity and O'Reily.

          Get a life. Anyone will admit the MSM was on Obama's campaign team and still is.

          • Posted By: RockyMountainHigh @ 11/12/2008 8:30:24 PM

            If you'll do just a tiny bit of checking, you'll find that ABC is owned by Disney and is a sister network of Fox. George Will's column, by the way, is in Newsweek at a minimum of every other week (he trades off with Anna Quindlen), and Karl Rove is a regular guest columnist. And if you honestly believe Fox News is unbiased, I feel sorry for you. Why can't you get over your bitterness and support your country in this time of crisis? Like it or not, the American people have spoken, and Obama is the people's choice. It's called democracy. Get used to it!

            • Posted By: Vypurr @ 11/12/2008 11:24:21 PM

              There is no bitterness here....Obama won the eleciton and I wish him well! My post is about the MSM being in the tank for him...argue all you want, even some of the MSM will admit it, and close to 70 percent of Americans can see it!

              Denial isn't a river in Egypt, you know.

    • Posted By: jedarling @ 11/12/2008 4:35:18 PM

      curious...the magazine reported false information, and they did not do what journalists should do - investigate and verify. Do you know the story of Stephen Glass? Jason Blair? Janet Cooke? These men and women violated the Journalism Code of Ethics by reporting as true delivered to them by anonymous sources...Can we permit that? Can we condone it?

      • Posted By: RockyMountainHigh @ 11/12/2008 7:00:33 PM

        Anonymous sources have been used since the dawn of journalism. As for permitting or condoning such usage, we do have a little thing called the First Amendment which guarantees freedom of the press. And I'm really sick of the conservative "holier than thou" attitude toward the media, especially when conservative media like FoxNews and Rush Limbaugh report Internet rumors and present them as fact.

  • Posted By: eagles1776 @ 11/24/2008 3:48:53 PM

    The Wasilla Hillbilly claims the was forced to buy those clothes and that she intended to return them from the beginning. Children lose underwear, you know, is the kind of response she made. Don't they have underwear in Alaska?

    What the heck was the RNC doing buying her kids underwear.? I personally think she did go on the spree and got caught. So, she tried to cover by blaming others. Typical GOP hypocrisy.

  • Posted By: We're up a creek @ 11/14/2008 9:19:06 PM

    In fact, Obama is NOT black, not an Afro-American, he???s an ARAB-American! He???s 50% white (mother was 100%), 44% arab (father was 88%), and 6% black (father was 12%)! Does that sound like black to you? If he was 1% less white, and 1% Irish, in addition to being arabic and black, would you say that he was Irish? His father officially listed himself as arab, Obama???s full name is arabic. Even if Obama should be elected (God forbid), he will still not be the first ???black President???, because he isn???t BLACK! All this is is race-pandering, the democrats trying to get all the blacks to vote for Obama by declaring him to be the ???first black
    candidate with a chance to be elected President!??? Basically, they are
    lying to everybody to take advantage of the ignorant (not unusual for
    democrats), and you???re buying it! If you don???t believe it, why don???t
    you ask Obama to deny it in public?

    • Posted By: the-commish @ 11/22/2008 10:18:27 PM

      Obama's father was ZERO percent Arab.. He was a muslim (not Arab). What an idiot!

    • Posted By: gknow7 @ 11/15/2008 3:11:36 PM

      when did the country of Kenya move? Last i heard it was still a African country(hence African American,where many African American fore-fahers were captured as slaves!) So it's still ok to call him black. Oh.....I see....you don't want to call him black, you want to call him Arab. Hmmm.....so we have a Arab American president, ok, fine, but you know , he does look black. We know this his wife is black and his children are black. I,m guessing you're not, that's ok, you'll be alright,I hope...oops, theres that word again, that's how this whole thing got started in the first place!

    • Posted By: RockyMountainHigh @ 11/14/2008 10:27:51 PM

      Speaking of ignorant. . . Good Lord, are you for real? Obama's name is Arabic because his father was from Africa (Kenya) where Islam is the dominant faith. His grandfather, whom he never knew, was Muslim, as are many Kenyans. And what do you mean "if" he should be elected? He WAS elected, you moron! Every one else seems to have heard about what happened last Tuesday. What cave have you been hiding in?

  • Posted By: robt55 @ 11/19/2008 5:47:50 PM

    If you look at the vote totals - Obama didn't win because of undying, overflowing Democratic support. He won because the far right refused to support McCain as their candidate and did not voter at all as they had threatened. Hmmm - principle before party; what a concept. Maybe something to be learned there by Democrats who stick in a completely inexperienced Senator with a total of 120 worth of vote dodging knowledge.

    • Posted By: 40YearR @ 11/19/2008 8:08:35 PM




      I hope the far right stays away for good. They are what's wrong with the party. Once these extremists are no longer considered the "base'', I and many long time moderate republicans will return. Otherwise they can share their neocon religiofascism with each other.

      A 40 year republican who crossed party lines for the first time to vote Obama

  • Posted By: lzpzuck @ 11/19/2008 3:33:54 PM

    I HEARD THAT SARAH PALIN COMES FROM LITHUANIAN JEWISH PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS. IS THIS TRUE?

  • Posted By: jibassman @ 11/18/2008 2:45:10 PM

    anybody who says they did not vote based on the color of Obamas skin is lying. What people should have done is vote the Bible but clearly people, including many black ministers chose to forgo the principles of the Bible, morals and not to mention the lives of many;unborn babies just to see a black man in offfice as president. it i just so sad. I will be praying for Mr Obama thought it is just the right thing to do and it is what God would want me to do.

    • Posted By: jradmacher @ 11/19/2008 9:46:09 AM

      jibassman, I am not lying and I voted for Obama because he was the best candidate. I did not know that a bible could vote, you must have a deluxe version that is superior to the rest.

    • Posted By: 40YearR @ 11/18/2008 6:29:14 PM



      "jibassman": That you would say "anybody who says they did not vote based on the color of Obamas skin is lying', says much about your racism and nothing about the Bible except how many ignorants like you delude themselves into thinking that somehow God, the Bible entitles them to be racists.

      I and many white republicans voted for Obama. I know many whites who voted against him because of his color, many who tout their "Christianity". Then there are the many racist posts here. My expectation, belief is that there were many more who voted against him because of his color than who voted for him because of it.

      Don't pray for Obama. Pray for yourself and all the other deluded pseudo "Christians" who hate and stroke yourselves into believing that your God or Bible justify your deviation from Christian values.

  • Posted By: mikelgan @ 11/06/2008 1:29:43 PM

    This got me thinking, this would make a great sitcom -- sort of a remake of the "Beverly Hillbillies." I offer this as a theme song:

    Come and listen to a story about a gov named Palin
    A former beauty queen, barely kept her state from failin'
    Then one day she was drillin' through some ice,
    When McCain called her up, and asked her to be vice.

    President, that is. White House. Secret Service.

    Well before that she knew only how to skin a carcass,
    Kinfolk said, "Sarah, go to Niemen Marcus!"
    Said Warshingtony is the place you ought to be
    So they loaded up the truck, and they moved to Dee Ceeee.

    Washington, that is.
    White House. Secret Service.

    The Wasilla Hillbillies!

    • Posted By: Vypurr @ 11/09/2008 12:29:39 PM

      You have entirely too much time on your hands.

      • Posted By: leapbaby @ 11/18/2008 3:55:12 PM

        I had to copy and paste this and send it to all of my friends! Hilarious!!!

    • Posted By: Objectivisor @ 11/06/2008 1:40:16 PM

      Good idea. Starring:

      John McCain as Jed Clampett
      McCain's Mom as Ganny
      Sarah Palin as Ellie Mae
      Dubya as Jethro
      Hank Paulson as Mr. Drisdale

  • Posted By: lee226 @ 11/15/2008 4:09:29 PM

    By the way we all voted for Obama because he is the right man to be president, brilliant, educated on the constitution as a civil right lawyer and great mind and character, color and name has no influenced my decision.

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