Sylvia Browne's political "predictions"

Questioninggeller · 31st October 2008, 08:59 PM

Sylvia Browne makes her 2008 political choice via the SpiritNow video account on vimeo.com. The video was posted on October 9, 2008 and in it she says:

Quote:

Question: Who will be elected Barack Obama or John McCain

Browne: It's getting very close and I don't know. I really thought at one time that it might be Barack, but I'm leaning a little bit towards John McCain now. That sounds like I'm doing a double thing, but I'm still going to stick with Barack Obama because I think people need a new regime. I really do.

It's worth noting the day before, on October 8th, Gallup's poll had Obama's lead expanding over McCain to 11. (Barack Obama with a 52% to 41% over John McCain.) It would have been much better for her to look at gallup's poll and say, "Obama is likely to be the next President."

Her guesses just get more silly. The 2008-2009 "Sylvia Browne Predictions" are here, and I quoted some gems below:

On politics:

Quote:

I predict the President elected sometime after 2008 will die in office from a heart attack. The Vice President who will finish their term will have an unpopular and mistaken intention to declare war on North Korea. By that time, North Korea will have weapons of mass destruction. In the middle of efforts to declare war, I predict the Vice President will be assassinated.

There will be a worldwide investigation into the Vice President's death with both pleasant and unpleasant surprises. A lot of attention will be paid to one of the investigative congressional committees and serious accusations will be made regarding missing funds. Finally, it will be revealed that their accusations are part of a conspiracy to damage the American people's faith in their government, with the media manipulated to "fan the flames," and the committee will be vindicated in the end.

On health:

Quote:

I predict we can truly say "goodbye" to the common cold in 2009 or 2010. The solution to the common cold involves heat. Keep in mind that the body's first response when we develop a cold is to come down with a fever. Many doctors today no longer rush to push patients to take temperature reducing medications when they come down with a fever, unless the fever is dangerous. They feel the immune system is the patient's best medicine and should be given a chance to fight back. So as the immune system fights a cold with heat, the cure for the common cold certainly may lie in this first signal to heal.

On trends:

Quote:

I predict yoga and martial arts will remain just as popular, but a new form of exercise will be introduced in 2008. It is a passive form of exercise using machines to exercise the muscles. It will be a very effective form of exercise.

EeneyMinnieMoe · 31st October 2008, 10:28 PM

It's good to have you back, QG.

JoeTheJuggler · 31st October 2008, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Browne: It's getting very close and I don't know.

Well. . I'm happy to see she's given up that whole charade of being a psychic who knows the future.

Since she doesn't "know", why should anyone care about what she thinks? She's just presenting it as opinion and not as a paranormal prediction (and she's hedging anyway, having predicted both Obama and McCain).

ExMinister · 1st November 2008, 09:53 AM

She certainly seems to have changed her tone. I'd like to think it's because she now knows she may be quoted and her words examined. Gone are the days when she could say anything she wanted to sound important and all-knowing, and get away with it. Thanks for posting this QG.

TruthBeTold · 1st November 2008, 02:19 PM

Yes, and her followers will say that we have done it...we are responsible for the 'one person who can answer all of our questions' questioning their own ability! The Shame!!

Thanks QG ... I'll be blogging it soon!!
I plan an all-out assault of facts and reminders of some of Robert's less recent articles but the predictions are always a heavily searched by her faithful now that we have the new site to link to...

Sylvia had written something to the affect that the 2008 President would have the heart attack in one of her books but I've sent most of mine to RSL so I can't check it. The one book that had a bunch of predictions in it...someone else remembers I'm sure.

There are also some predictions in an article on LivingLifeBoomerStyle that are laughable, at best and worth picking apart.

TBT

Euromutt · 2nd November 2008, 06:40 AM

Quote:

I predict the President elected sometime after 2008 will die in office from a heart attack.

So, not the president elected in 2008 (who might be Obama, or maybe McCain, or maybe Obama after all), but a president elected after 2008. That rather broadens the field, doesn't it?

RSL's better half · 2nd November 2008, 08:25 PM

What a piece of work she is. And she gets away with it on Montel and with her faithfuls. Sad.

Good to see you QG.

Susan

LongFuzzy · 3rd November 2008, 10:43 AM

Quote:

On politics:
I predict the President elected sometime after 2008 will die in office from a heart attack. The Vice President who will finish their term will have an unpopular and mistaken intention to declare war on North Korea. By that time, North Korea will have weapons of mass destruction. In the middle of efforts to declare war, I predict the Vice President will be assassinated.

What does this actually mean? The VP will finish the term, but be assassinated? The VP is now P, so the new VP will be assassinated? Someone else will be VP sometime in the future, and be assassinated?

-LF

Lrrr · 3rd November 2008, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by Euromutt

So, not the president elected in 2008 (who might be Obama, or maybe McCain, or maybe Obama after all), but a president elected after 2008. That rather broadens the field, doesn't it?

Not really, as the world is scheduled to end in 2012.

desertgal · 3rd November 2008, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by JoeTheJuggler

(and she's hedging anyway, having predicted both Obama and McCain).

Well, no. She didn't predict either one. She said it might be Obama...or McCain...or Obama.

When she isn't playing psychic, she's apparently just inane.

Questioninggeller · 3rd November 2008, 07:07 PM

Thanks, good to be back.

TheAnachronism · 3rd November 2008, 11:18 PM

Quote:

I predict the President elected sometime after 2008 will die in office from a heart attack.

Perhaps Toxic Shock Syndrome shall hit him in the chest?

my_wan · 4th November 2008, 12:51 AM

Originally Posted by Questioninggeller

Quote:

I predict yoga and martial arts will remain just as popular, but a new form of exercise will be introduced in 2008. It is a passive form of exercise using machines to exercise the muscles. It will be a very effective form of exercise.

Already exist. The first one I seen was back in 1986 used for rehabilitation. The link says this company has been selling them for 14 years.
http://www.toneamatic.com/

CFLarsen · 4th November 2008, 01:20 AM

"Sometime after 2008" can mean any election after 2008.

"an unpopular and mistaken intention to declare war on North Korea...In the middle of efforts to declare war, I predict the Vice President will be assassinated" doesn't mean that a war on NK will happen. Just that there is intent.

The President - sometime after 2008 - will die from a heart attack, after which the VP will work on declaring NK war, but will be assassinated.

It better happen before 2100, though, because there won't even be a US President...

Questioninggeller · 5th November 2008, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by Sylvia Browne

Browne: It's getting very close and I don't know. I really thought at one time that it might be Barack, but I'm leaning a little bit towards John McCain now. That sounds like I'm doing a double thing, but I'm still going to stick with Barack Obama because I think people need a new regime. I really do.

Video of Browne saying that.

The Gallup poll the day before this "prediction:" Barack Obama with 52% over John McCain 41%.
The result of the 2008 election: Barack Obama with 52% over John McCain 46%.

It's clear from the numbers that the margin isn't "close" in comparison to the 2000 election where Al Gore won the popular vote, but Bush won the electoral vote. In 2000 "Sylvia has said repeatedly that Al Gore will win, she sticks to that prediction." Notably Browne didn't use the word "close" there.

Now if you are a psychic making a prediction why not just say "X will win," why qualify it? Sabato's crystal ball (a political scientist, not psychic) gave Obama a victory on October 16, 2008. For a "psychic," Browne seems to lack confidence in her prediction.

CFLarsen · 6th November 2008, 01:11 AM

The more you say, the more chance of a later hit - somewhere, somehow.

Also, merely stating the result makes you seem as if you are merely throwing out a quick guess. You have to qualify the predictions in some way.

Questioninggeller · 8th November 2008, 10:36 PM

I just dug this up on a "black president":

Quote:

DATE: December 27, 2006 Wednesday
SHOW: THE MONTEL WILLIAMS SHOW 4:00 PM EST
SYLVIA BROWNE: PREDICTIONS 2007
ANCHORS: MONTEL WILLIAMS, HOST
LENGTH: 9816 words
...

DJ WEBSTAR: Sylvia, I wanna know, when are we gonna have a black president?

SYLVIA BROWNE: God, I wish we would have one next time. I love what's his name, starts with a B. What's his name?

MONTEL WILLIAMS: Barack Obama.

BROWNE: I love him. I love him.

WILLIAMS: You know him, Barack Obama, okay. What do you think? Is this country--when do you think in the next one, two, three...

BROWNE: Eight years.

WILLIAMS: Eight years...

BROWNE: Yeah, we will have a black president.

WILLIAMS: Will it be an African American female or male?

BROWNE: Oh, please God, if we have a female president, I'm leaving the country.

LAUGHTER

BROWNE: She goes through PMS and goes, bang, and we're done.

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

BROWNE: I mean, you know, how it is, I know...

WILLIAMS: We'll be back right after this.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
...

See video of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHNdmn7OgkQ

So in 2006 she predicted a black male president in 8 years. Well, Obama's black, it hasn't been 8 years and she didn't expect a black president this election.

Questioninggeller · 9th November 2008, 11:03 AM

Quote:

DATE: December 30, 2005 Friday
SHOW: The Montel Williams Show 5:00 PM EST SYND
TITLE: The Friday Show: Sylvia Browne Predicts; Psychic Sylvia Browne gives predictions for 2006
LENGTH: 7464 words
...
WILLIAMS: How about the world of politics? We're off a year here. We're in the odd election year. Anything strange going to happen around election time this year? The gubernatorial races are up, right? A couple of Senate seats are up.

Ms. BROWNE: Well, we know Arnold's not going to make it, you know? But I do think--you want me to jump ahead? I think McCain and Kerry are going to run for president.

WILLIAMS: Really? Well, what about President Bush and his popularity, will--is that going to continue to wane?

Ms. BROWNE: Yes. I think it will continue to wane until he starts bringing troops home.

WILLIAMS: Really? Let me ask a question. Do you think anybody will start any--any, you know...

Ms. BROWNE: Terrorists or anything?

WILLIAMS: Terrorists?

Ms. BROWNE: No, I don't. The only thing, like I've told you, and you know I was--I was--I don't want to be--but I was right about this, about trains, because look at the trains. But I still am worried about trucks.

WILLIAMS: Trucks. How about impeachment for President Bush? Do you think they'll start proceedings?

Ms. BROWNE: No.

WILLIAMS: They won't start that?

Ms. BROWNE: No.

WILLIAMS: No?

Ms. BROWNE: No.

WILLIAMS: So he's just going to continue to decline?

Ms. BROWNE: Well, because it's too full of Republicans. Who's going to impeach him?

WILLIAMS: This is true. OK. All right, let me take a break. When we come back, how about some more of those tricky celebrity predictions that you make? We can talk about some celebrities, some of our favorite people and what's going to happen to them in 2006. All right, let's take a little break. We'll get some more questions from the studio audience. We'll be back right after this.
...

Transcript

Interesting things:
1) Browne predicted the next (2008) election would be McCain and Kerry. (Wrong. Frontrunner McCain did, but Kerry did not even seek the nomination.)
2) Browne predicted Arnold Schwarzenegger would not be relected. (Wrong.)
3) She did not see the 2006 midterm elections coming with the Democrats taking control of the House and Senate, which was huge news.

31st October 2008, 08:59 PM	#1
Questioninggeller Illuminator Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,048	Sylvia Browne's political "predictions" Sylvia Browne makes her 2008 political choice via the SpiritNow video account on vimeo.com. The video was posted on October 9, 2008 and in it she says: Quote: Question: Who will be elected Barack Obama or John McCain Browne: It's getting very close and I don't know. I really thought at one time that it might be Barack, but I'm leaning a little bit towards John McCain now. That sounds like I'm doing a double thing, but I'm still going to stick with Barack Obama because I think people need a new regime. I really do. It's worth noting the day before, on October 8th, Gallup's poll had Obama's lead expanding over McCain to 11. (Barack Obama with a 52% to 41% over John McCain.) It would have been much better for her to look at gallup's poll and say, "Obama is likely to be the next President." Her guesses just get more silly. The 2008-2009 "Sylvia Browne Predictions" are here, and I quoted some gems below: On politics: Quote: I predict the President elected sometime after 2008 will die in office from a heart attack. The Vice President who will finish their term will have an unpopular and mistaken intention to declare war on North Korea. By that time, North Korea will have weapons of mass destruction. In the middle of efforts to declare war, I predict the Vice President will be assassinated. There will be a worldwide investigation into the Vice President's death with both pleasant and unpleasant surprises. A lot of attention will be paid to one of the investigative congressional committees and serious accusations will be made regarding missing funds. Finally, it will be revealed that their accusations are part of a conspiracy to damage the American people's faith in their government, with the media manipulated to "fan the flames," and the committee will be vindicated in the end. On health: Quote: I predict we can truly say "goodbye" to the common cold in 2009 or 2010. The solution to the common cold involves heat. Keep in mind that the body's first response when we develop a cold is to come down with a fever. Many doctors today no longer rush to push patients to take temperature reducing medications when they come down with a fever, unless the fever is dangerous. They feel the immune system is the patient's best medicine and should be given a chance to fight back. So as the immune system fights a cold with heat, the cure for the common cold certainly may lie in this first signal to heal. On trends: Quote: I predict yoga and martial arts will remain just as popular, but a new form of exercise will be introduced in 2008. It is a passive form of exercise using machines to exercise the muscles. It will be a very effective form of exercise.

31st October 2008, 11:18 PM	#3
JoeTheJuggler Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 27,766	Quote: Browne: It's getting very close and I don't know. Well. . I'm happy to see she's given up that whole charade of being a psychic who knows the future. Since she doesn't "know", why should anyone care about what she thinks? She's just presenting it as opinion and not as a paranormal prediction (and she's hedging anyway, having predicted both Obama and McCain).
	__________________ "That is a very graphic analogy which aids understanding wonderfully while being, strictly speaking, wrong in every possible way." —Ponder Stibbons

1st November 2008, 09:53 AM	#4
ExMinister RSL Acolyte Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,982	She certainly seems to have changed her tone. I'd like to think it's because she now knows she may be quoted and her words examined. Gone are the days when she could say anything she wanted to sound important and all-knowing, and get away with it. Thanks for posting this QG.
ExMinister RSL Acolyte Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,982

1st November 2008, 02:19 PM	#5
TruthBeTold Thinker Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 145	Yes, and her followers will say that we have done it...we are responsible for the 'one person who can answer all of our questions' questioning their own ability! The Shame!! Thanks QG ... I'll be blogging it soon!! I plan an all-out assault of facts and reminders of some of Robert's less recent articles but the predictions are always a heavily searched by her faithful now that we have the new site to link to... Sylvia had written something to the affect that the 2008 President would have the heart attack in one of her books but I've sent most of mine to RSL so I can't check it. The one book that had a bunch of predictions in it...someone else remembers I'm sure. There are also some predictions in an article on LivingLifeBoomerStyle that are laughable, at best and worth picking apart. TBT
TruthBeTold Thinker Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 145

2nd November 2008, 06:40 AM	#6
Euromutt Graduate Poster Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 1,092	Quote: I predict the President elected sometime after 2008 will die in office from a heart attack. So, not the president elected in 2008 (who might be Obama, or maybe McCain, or maybe Obama after all), but a president elected after 2008. That rather broadens the field, doesn't it?
	__________________ "Sergeant Colon had had a broad education. He’d been to the School of My Dad Always Said, the College of It Stands to Reason, and was now a post-graduate student at the University of What Some Bloke In the Pub Told Me." - Terry Pratchett, Jingo by birth, by choice

31st October 2008, 10:28 PM	#2
EeneyMinnieMoe Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 7,221	It's good to have you back, QG.

2nd November 2008, 08:25 PM	#7
RSL's better half RSL Groupie Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,167	What a piece of work she is. And she gets away with it on Montel and with her faithfuls. Sad. Good to see you QG. Susan

3rd November 2008, 10:43 AM	#8
LongFuzzy Critical Thinker Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 386	Quote: On politics: I predict the President elected sometime after 2008 will die in office from a heart attack. The Vice President who will finish their term will have an unpopular and mistaken intention to declare war on North Korea. By that time, North Korea will have weapons of mass destruction. In the middle of efforts to declare war, I predict the Vice President will be assassinated. What does this actually mean? The VP will finish the term, but be assassinated? The VP is now P, so the new VP will be assassinated? Someone else will be VP sometime in the future, and be assassinated? -LF

3rd November 2008, 02:06 PM	#9
Lrrr Stealth Hug Ninja Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: North of Reality Posts: 413	Originally Posted by Euromutt So, not the president elected in 2008 (who might be Obama, or maybe McCain, or maybe Obama after all), but a president elected after 2008. That rather broadens the field, doesn't it? Not really, as the world is scheduled to end in 2012.

3rd November 2008, 02:10 PM	#10
desertgal Illuminator Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4,198	Originally Posted by JoeTheJuggler (and she's hedging anyway, having predicted both Obama and McCain). Well, no. She didn't predict either one. She said it might be Obama...or McCain...or Obama. When she isn't playing psychic, she's apparently just inane.
desertgal Illuminator Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4,198

3rd November 2008, 07:07 PM	#11
Questioninggeller Illuminator Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,048	Thanks, good to be back.

3rd November 2008, 11:18 PM	#12
TheAnachronism Critical Thinker Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 439	Quote: I predict the President elected sometime after 2008 will die in office from a heart attack. Perhaps Toxic Shock Syndrome shall hit him in the chest?
	__________________ "Even a long human life adds up to only about 650,000 hours. And when that modest milestone flashes past, or at some other point thereabouts, for reasons unknown your atoms will shut you down, silently disassemble, and go off to be other things. And that's it for you....Still, you may rejoice that it happens at all." Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything

4th November 2008, 12:51 AM	#13
my_wan Graduate Poster Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,074	Originally Posted by Questioninggeller Quote: I predict yoga and martial arts will remain just as popular, but a new form of exercise will be introduced in 2008. It is a passive form of exercise using machines to exercise the muscles. It will be a very effective form of exercise. Already exist. The first one I seen was back in 1986 used for rehabilitation. The link says this company has been selling them for 14 years. http://www.toneamatic.com/
my_wan Graduate Poster Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,074	__________________ Peace to all people of the world. The evidence indicates that this is best accomplished through a skeptical approach.

4th November 2008, 01:20 AM	#14
CFLarsen Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 42,371	"Sometime after 2008" can mean any election after 2008. "an unpopular and mistaken intention to declare war on North Korea...In the middle of efforts to declare war, I predict the Vice President will be assassinated" doesn't mean that a war on NK will happen. Just that there is intent. The President - sometime after 2008 - will die from a heart attack, after which the VP will work on declaring NK war, but will be assassinated. It better happen before 2100, though, because there won't even be a US President...

5th November 2008, 06:28 PM	#15
Questioninggeller Illuminator Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,048	Originally Posted by Sylvia Browne Browne: It's getting very close and I don't know. I really thought at one time that it might be Barack, but I'm leaning a little bit towards John McCain now. That sounds like I'm doing a double thing, but I'm still going to stick with Barack Obama because I think people need a new regime. I really do. Video of Browne saying that. The Gallup poll the day before this "prediction:" Barack Obama with 52% over John McCain 41%. The result of the 2008 election: Barack Obama with 52% over John McCain 46%. It's clear from the numbers that the margin isn't "close" in comparison to the 2000 election where Al Gore won the popular vote, but Bush won the electoral vote. In 2000 "Sylvia has said repeatedly that Al Gore will win, she sticks to that prediction." Notably Browne didn't use the word "close" there. Now if you are a psychic making a prediction why not just say "X will win," why qualify it? Sabato's crystal ball (a political scientist, not psychic) gave Obama a victory on October 16, 2008. For a "psychic," Browne seems to lack confidence in her prediction.

6th November 2008, 01:11 AM	#16
CFLarsen Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 42,371	The more you say, the more chance of a later hit - somewhere, somehow. Also, merely stating the result makes you seem as if you are merely throwing out a quick guess. You have to qualify the predictions in some way.

8th November 2008, 10:36 PM	#17
Questioninggeller Illuminator Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,048	Youtube I just dug this up on a "black president": Quote: DATE: December 27, 2006 Wednesday SHOW: THE MONTEL WILLIAMS SHOW 4:00 PM EST SYLVIA BROWNE: PREDICTIONS 2007 ANCHORS: MONTEL WILLIAMS, HOST LENGTH: 9816 words ... DJ WEBSTAR: Sylvia, I wanna know, when are we gonna have a black president? SYLVIA BROWNE: God, I wish we would have one next time. I love what's his name, starts with a B. What's his name? MONTEL WILLIAMS: Barack Obama. BROWNE: I love him. I love him. WILLIAMS: You know him, Barack Obama, okay. What do you think? Is this country--when do you think in the next one, two, three... BROWNE: Eight years. WILLIAMS: Eight years... BROWNE: Yeah, we will have a black president. WILLIAMS: Will it be an African American female or male? BROWNE: Oh, please God, if we have a female president, I'm leaving the country. LAUGHTER BROWNE: She goes through PMS and goes, bang, and we're done. LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE BROWNE: I mean, you know, how it is, I know... WILLIAMS: We'll be back right after this. COMMERCIAL BREAK ... See video of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHNdmn7OgkQ So in 2006 she predicted a black male president in 8 years. Well, Obama's black, it hasn't been 8 years and she didn't expect a black president this election.
	Last edited by Questioninggeller; 8th November 2008 at 11:05 PM.

9th November 2008, 11:03 AM	#18
Questioninggeller Illuminator Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,048	Quote: DATE: December 30, 2005 Friday SHOW: The Montel Williams Show 5:00 PM EST SYND TITLE: The Friday Show: Sylvia Browne Predicts; Psychic Sylvia Browne gives predictions for 2006 LENGTH: 7464 words ... WILLIAMS: How about the world of politics? We're off a year here. We're in the odd election year. Anything strange going to happen around election time this year? The gubernatorial races are up, right? A couple of Senate seats are up. Ms. BROWNE: Well, we know Arnold's not going to make it, you know? But I do think--you want me to jump ahead? I think McCain and Kerry are going to run for president. WILLIAMS: Really? Well, what about President Bush and his popularity, will--is that going to continue to wane? Ms. BROWNE: Yes. I think it will continue to wane until he starts bringing troops home. WILLIAMS: Really? Let me ask a question. Do you think anybody will start any--any, you know... Ms. BROWNE: Terrorists or anything? WILLIAMS: Terrorists? Ms. BROWNE: No, I don't. The only thing, like I've told you, and you know I was--I was--I don't want to be--but I was right about this, about trains, because look at the trains. But I still am worried about trucks. WILLIAMS: Trucks. How about impeachment for President Bush? Do you think they'll start proceedings? Ms. BROWNE: No. WILLIAMS: They won't start that? Ms. BROWNE: No. WILLIAMS: No? Ms. BROWNE: No. WILLIAMS: So he's just going to continue to decline? Ms. BROWNE: Well, because it's too full of Republicans. Who's going to impeach him? WILLIAMS: This is true. OK. All right, let me take a break. When we come back, how about some more of those tricky celebrity predictions that you make? We can talk about some celebrities, some of our favorite people and what's going to happen to them in 2006. All right, let's take a little break. We'll get some more questions from the studio audience. We'll be back right after this. ... Transcript Interesting things: 1) Browne predicted the next (2008) election would be McCain and Kerry. (Wrong. Frontrunner McCain did, but Kerry did not even seek the nomination.) 2) Browne predicted Arnold Schwarzenegger would not be relected. (Wrong.) 3) She did not see the 2006 midterm elections coming with the Democrats taking control of the House and Senate, which was huge news.
	Last edited by Questioninggeller; 9th November 2008 at 11:24 AM.