Obama ran as a Fusion Candidate WTF is that?

[Heather MC]

MSNBC has this nut bag supposed Democrat
Charna Lazar, saying she is voting for McCain, because Obama ran as a fusion candidate
and doesn't have the experience to be president, he not ready and we don't know enough abou his background. Who is this bitch and why did MSNBC get her all that time to spew FAUX noise bullshit

[Bicoastal]

1. I don't much like Jazz fusion either...

...but I'm guessing that's not what she's talking about.

[tridim]

2. Fusion Party

Fusion Party is a term that may have a variety of meanings in the political history of the United States.

The Fusion Party was the original name of the Republican Party in the state of Ohio. In 1854, anti-slavery parties were forming in many northern states in opposition to the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854. While many of these state parties adopted the name "Republican", the Ohio convention adopted the name "Fusionist" or "Fusion Party", which they felt more accurately described the fusion of person from a variety of political backgrounds, including members of the Free Soil Party, the Conscience Whig Party, the Know-Nothing Party, as well as members of the Democratic Party who were opposed to slavery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_Party

I don't think that word means what she thinks it means.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. And then there is Electoral Fusion, which is what I thought she might be referring to

"Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties support a common candidate, pooling the votes for all those parties. By offering to endorse a major party's candidate, minor parties can influence the candidate's platform."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_fusion

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. What party was he fused with and where?

[Davis_X_Machina]

4. Obama ran on more than one party line...

...in the, IIRC, 1996, Illinois elections as both a Democrat and a New Party candidate.

Same thing happens with Conservative and Republican party fusion candidates in NY all the time -- but you don't hear Fox screeching about that, do you?

[chascarrillo]

7. No, he didn't.

He was endorsed by the New Party, but did not run as an NP candidate.

[Davis_X_Machina]

13. I was sure he ran on both lines....

...but the old New Party website is ambiguous. The first time I think ever saw Obama's name was in a New Party ad in Democratic Left , the DSA's newsletter-magazine.

But that could just have been a list of endorsees.

[chascarrillo]

17. I saw a pic clipped from a New Party newsletter with member and endorsee winners pictured.

Obama was in the picture with about four other folks. In the caption, a few of the people were listed as New Party members, but Obama and at least one other election winner was listed specifically as an endorsee.

I apologize, but I don't remember exactly where I saw it. I'm pretty sure it was here, so hopefully someone can share it.

[Davis_X_Machina]

18. Still, to think we both knew the lad...

...back when.

Should be good for at least an Assistant-Undersecretary of Something gig, don't you think?

[MattBaggins]

5. I'm pretty sure she doesn't what she is talking about

so I don't think anyone else will either.

[Starry Messenger]

8. I didn't see her...is this her?

http://mensa.meetup.com/100/members/7428915/

Google says she might be a disgruntled Hillary supporter. Ex-CIA. Sounds like someone Madfloridian might have the skinny on.

[tridim]

11. She's a Palm Beach Mensa memeber?

Bwhahahahah :rofl:

[Barack_America]

9. Did you notice how much her face twitched?

It's always curious to me how much rage is seething just below the surface of these people.

Young, old, Republican, PUMA, racist or bigot; McCain's supporters all seem to have one thing in common...RAGE.

[mr1956]

10. Just more mud against the wall

I think it may be about a social democratic party, the New Party, that went defunct in the late 1990's. They had an association with ACORN and were considered progressive. This piece of so-called-news has been out there a while according to my Google search.

I didn't see where he was a member, but the allegation is that he sought their endorsement.

I swear these people run these rumors like a game of telephone! They get one little piece of information ie social democrat and blow it up into a whole story about Obama is a socialist. How pathetic.

[regnaD kciN]

12. It means that the "New Party"...

...a small, now-defunct progressive party like the Greens, endorsed him and listed him (without his accepting their endorsement) on their "slate of candidates," even though he was running as a Democrat rather than a New Party member.

The New Party (of which I was a member) had a policy that it would only build itself from the ground up, running its own candidates for slots like city council and school board, while filling its "ticket" with the most progressive candidate running in the other races (generally the Democrat). The Party's goal was to make "fusion voting" legal, so that someone could vote a "straight party" ticket in the voting booth, and have those votes go to the Democrats they endorsed in the other races as well as to their own candidates in the down-ticket races. When the Supreme Court ruled against them on this, they basically closed up shop.

What it means, in this case, is practically nothing. Obama ran as a Democrat, and probably never even heard of the New Party. The Republicans are trying to turn this into an issue by (falsely) claiming, first of all, that the New Party was "socialist," and then jumping from there to imply that Obama wasn't a real Democrat, but a closet socialist trying to present himself as a Democrat. As usual from the Republicans, it's a lie from beginning to end. I'm particularly pissed-off at their "the New Party was socialist" line, because it's demonstrably false, but they're counting on the fact that the New Party isn't around anymore, so it won't have an official spokesperson to debunk the story.

[Kalyke]

14. Does he drive this, maybe?

:hi:

[firedupdem]

15. Is this their new thing? If you say I'm a democrat but I'm voting for

McCain you can be on TV? CNN and MSNBC are offering coverage for anybody who will come forward and make an ass of themselves.

[Heather MC]

19. Only if you are white, if you are black you can say I am a conservative and

I am begging you to go hard and people are whooping my ass

and then you can be on tv too

[SIMPLYB1980]

16. IDK maybe they watch to much DBZ?