I have a ranter friend (don't we all) Mike -Since he was always going off about something I set up a "rant" site called Mule Kick to the Crotch for him to unload on topics other than politics. Give LR some variety etc etc. He has not used his space to much but you can check out a few rants here. Last night he sent me a political rant... so I am putting it on L.R. It made me smile. Actually, it is harsh - but not too bad - however if your sensibilities are very delicate - skip it. Mike's homerun moment: The 'old people did this' paragraph.
FROM MIKE:
Dear Mr. Polly Prissy Pretend President,
Listen up Your Highness Obama. I have something to say.
Shut TF up about race. Now. We are sick of it. In fact, this writer is sick to death of it. You keep saying crap like "they" will try to scare you because you don't look like past Presidents or you have a weird last name or whatever. Bullshit. BULL SHIT. This is nonsense. You got millions of votes (less than Hillary but still millions) in the primaries. None of those voters gave a shit you look like the result of Dr. Moreau sending Alfred E Newman, Bob Saget, Dumbo, and Urkle through a wood chipper and fusing their DNA in a wheat grass juicer.
Many still voted for ya, homeboy!
Of course, in your weird world voters in California, West Virginia, Michigan, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, Indiana, American Samoa, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Arkansas and Rhode Island are all racists.
WRONG! You lost all those contests and you lost the popular vote. And not because your father was African. I am not afraid of you because of your race (es) or your "weird" middle and last names. I am afraid of you because you're a buffoon - an errand boy sent by grocery clerks. You've done nothing in your adult life except promote yourself.
I AM FED UP WITH THE IMPLICATION THAT IF I DON'T VOTE FOR YOU I AM A BIGOT.
F*#k YOU.
You have overplayed the race card. And we are turning on you, dude. BIG TIME! Stop playing the whiny victim. God - I can imagine you being President. It will be all: "Ooooh Putin was so mean to me. He doesn't like me cuz I'm black" Whaaa, whaaaa, whaaa.
As for your middle name - WTF? We can't say it because...why?....I didn't give you that name, dude. A lot of good people have your middle name. Why are you ashamed of it? Why are WE playing dirty for mentioning YOUR middle name?
Grow up, whiner. I can say your middle name if I want. It is not my fault your daddy put that name on some birth certificate no one can come up with.
Your whole campaign is through the bloody looking glass. YOU can talk about race but WE, who oppose you, can't.
Screw that.
If you talk race. We talk back. Grow up.
Every time you bring up race you smear millions. You smeared the last Democratic President with this race crap. It was unforgivable. YOU ARE UNFORGIVEN. You played dirty, rotten scumbag politics with the most painful issue in American history. This makes you a dirty, rotten scumbag.
Stop whining you whiner.
Not one damn thing in your life indicates you have ever been held back because of your race. The opposite is true. Millions oppose you because they OPPOSE YOU, your policies, your lack of experience, the obnoxious rock concerts you put on, your freakish history populated by Marxists, bomb makers, slumlords, brain dead minsters, effete America bashing limo liberals, and Democratic Socialist pseudo intellectual gas bags. As John forever points out, you remain in this contest only because the deranged media refuses to report on these criminals, killers and imbeciles.
I don't care one damn bit what you look like. Also, Your Highness, it is dumb politics. You think implying that millions of voters who have justified reservations about you want to hear for the next 3 months they are probably racist? Dumb ass. That is gonna make people mad as hell. SHUT UP ABOUT IT.
Stop whining you whiner.
You want to talk about race, Barry? Why don't you cough up whiny Michelle's Princeton thesis? Let's hear Missy "I am finally proud of my country" Michelle defend or refute HERSELF.
Then you attack by implying that McCain has committed the great crime of aging. You are obnoxious. McCain is 71. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signed a peace accord with the PLO when he was 71. Michelangelo created the architectural plans for the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli when he was 88. Albert Schweitzer ran a hospital in Africa when he was 89. Take your stupid ageism and shove it where the sun don't shine, Barry. In a sane society aging is an asset. You are proof we need some professional help. Only in the sick little American Idol world of the United States of 2008 are you even possible.
Read a blog today that said calling you "arrogant" had racist implications, too. Moron. I say to that blowhard no,no,no,no,no!!!! You will not remove that word too. You are arrogant. The evidence is everywhere. It is not racist to call you arrogant. It is truthful.
I am not a racist. I am not voting for you. Deal with it, Barry.
Note: the comment numbers are still not showing up on the front page. I hope people continue to comment while haloscan works itself out.
I don't believe in "positive" campaigns. Let me explain - I think the idea of positive versus negative campaigns is a strawman. I am thinking about this tonight because the presumptive Democratic nominee's campaign won't stop emailing me and asking for money. Their theme today is "the low road" - meaning McCain is taking this alleged low road - and implying that they are not. This is false - but explaining, yet again, that race baiting is not the "high road" - is not the point of this post.
Researching one's opponent is not negative. Questioning one's opponent is not negative. Calling one's opponent out on what he/she has done is not negative Calling one's opponent out on what he/she has said is not negative. Calling one's opponent out on what he/she claims to have done but hasn't is not negative. Calling one's opponent out of what are clearly lies is not negative.
In fact, it is the duty of candidates to question and highlight facts about their opposition, especially if the 4th estate refuses outright to do so. We must decipher the truth - and as in a court room - this is a confrontational process. Democracy is confrontational.
Those who insist on a "positive" campaign are usually not to be trusted. Campaign themes are entirely appropriate. This year "Hope and Change" and "Country First and Experience" are being used as themes. Themes are always positive. It is hard to argue with either theme in the last sentence. (Though some are arguing that "experience" is not a positive attribute, which points to a cultural malady more than anything.)
What is not acceptable is a campaign using its theme as a weapon to nullify inquiry and edification by calling inquiry and edification "negative campaigning." It's not. As far as democracy is concerned demanding answers to legitimate questions is a positive. This long election process is in the end just a job interview. My business is a sole proprietorship but should I expand and hire one day I will interview someone. If that someone comes in and says "I should have this job because I bring hope" or "I bring experience." I will say "Hope and experience are nice. Now back it up. What have you done? What are your success, what are your failures? What did you learn?"
And so on and so forth. I do not find harsh questioning of one's record negative. Either it can stand up or it can't. Of course, the job interview is not a perfect analogy because being President is not just another job. Vetting for POTUS should be and is more thorough. ( Though if over a period of a decade someone I was interviewing willing associated with and worked for a person who happily admits to bombing the Pentagon I would not hire that person. Period. )
Everyone who is running for POTUS, everyone who has ever run for POTUS, and everyone who ever will run for POTUS is flawed. Though I just said it - this goes without saying. We have every right and a solemn duty to JUDGE those flaws and decide if they render a candidate untrustworthy or unfit to lead.
First: Haloscan is misbehaving again. Lynne's post below has a number of comments but it looks as if there are none. Please keep on commenting. Does anyone know another comment service besides Haloscan? If you do please email me: John@liberalrapture.com
Countdown to College Football - 30 days! Today's lunch break features the amazing Reggie Bush
also - as we know the real energy on the net right now is in the ANTI-OBAMA-SPHERE - Featured sane site of the day: Chicago Against Obama. Featured now is BHO and Ludacris. Obama is such a good judge of character. He's like a dog - if you feed him (his ego in this case) he loves ya! Stop and he's gone...Check out the site. Dig into it. There is some good stuff from the people who know Obama the best. Other than his spiritual mentors Wright, Meeks, and Pjleger. Or how ever you spell it.... nice guy...mocking the former first lady from the pulpit....glad Obama relied on him for counsel for so long. Barry has such good judgement.
Watch the replay to see Reggie do an amazing switch back up close.
I would love to see George W. Bush led off in handcuffs after real investigations of his perfidy. But I am not willing to see an unqualified man in the White House to do it. Since I left the Democratic Party I've looked at the person running, not the letter after the name. It's not enough that we must have a Democrat in the White House.
On Iraq, I was against the war, thought it was a bad idea. So did lots of people. Unfortunately we can't go back. We're there. Is it more important to prove George Bush wrong or to have some semblance of a win? No matter what, George Bush was wrong. He will not be vindicated. Lies to get us in, impossibly poor planning by Rumsfeld, Abu Ghraib will not be forgotten. But it seems that some of us believe it's more important to have vengeance than to support our country. If Bush had listened to Joe Biden or John McCain there would be significantly fewer families, both American and Iraqi, mourning. He didn't. The question is what do we do now? Once again, I don't trust an unqualified man who puts himself first to do the right thing.
Anyone who is reading our blog loathes Bush. Don't get me started about Cheney, Rumsfeld or Gonzalez. But I won't allow my disdain for them to blind me.
Do I think John McCain will be a stellar President? No. I believe he will be more of a place holder, a caretaker and a first do no harm President and most importantly a one term President. I'm not concerned about Roe V Wade. One, because if the Democrats have the majority they better be able to block any unacceptable judges. Two, because for the most part Right Wingers don't really care about Roe V Wade except as a way to get out the vote. Do you really think they want to be responsible and accountable for voting yea or nay? It's much easier to say, "My hands are tied! It's the law." And then have it both ways.
I admire John McCain for his service to our country. He has two major bills where his name is included with the most liberal men in the Senate - McCain/Feingold and McCain/Kennedy. Senator Obama is supposed to be post-partisan, you know, bringing all sides together but there is no proof of that. McCain at least has a record of working across the aisle and of putting the country first. McCain Feingold didn't win him any love with the Republicans. But he did it anyway.
Neither would be my first choice to lead this country. Then again, when is the last time you voted for the guy who was? 1996 and 2000 for me. (In 1992 Bill Clinton was not my first choice but I got on board and am glad I did.) For most of us Bill Clinton is the only guy we've ever voted for who won.
But Vengeance is not going to be my rationale for voting this year when I hold my nose and pull the lever.
This letter appeared in the I Own My Vote newsletter in response to the DNC treasurer Andy Tobias's request for money. Many of you also saw it on NoQuarter. It is worth re-reading. The writer lays out the case against BHO with clarity and frankness. The real case against Obama is damning. I repeat - AT BEST with Obama we are taking a massive risk. At worst he is every bit the charlatan he appears to be.
Dear Andy,
So you want to know what is taking me so long to "get on board"? Let me try to answer with some discussion of what my 25 years on Wall Street and the Hedge Fund community have taught me, and what insights I can share in order to explain my stance.
As you know, anyone in our profession meets with countless management teams on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. The "plots" change from time to time and the cast of characters play musical chairs. After awhile, they become all too familiar. You have seen the movie before. When you spot the corrupt CFO enter the scene, it immediately casts a doubt on the rest of the management team. One or two conclusions can be drawn - either they are inept or they wanted a dishonest player. Neither answer provides any comfort, but always insight. I have been lied to by the best of them over the decades; I am sure you have had similar experiences.
After years of stepping in land mines, I learned to read people and situations. I had no choice - my listening skills were honed, my gut fine-tuned. I picked up on what was and was not said, and I always paid close attention to the cast of characters. The actions of a management team always told me more than anything they ever said. If they were bailing out, so was I. If the head of sales left unexpectedly, alarm bells went of.
In the thirteen years that I have had audited results, I lost money in only one year, and then only in single digits. I am proud that I was able repay my investors' faith and confidence in me by compounding their funds assets, net of fees, at 18% over those 13 years. I took my responsibilities seriously and when I knew I could not give it 110% of my energies, I turned it over to someone who would. My investors deserved someone who would work tirelessly on their behalf, looking under every rock in support of their interests.
The fact that I became successful is not what made me proud. It was how I did it. My soul is intact. It was the self-imposed rules and standards that I adhered to. I believed in a win, win, and still do. My investors always came first. I never screwed anyone over. I made plenty of mistakes, but I always owned them, never blaming others. I treated everyone fairly and with respect, believing everyone has something to offer. I always tried to do the right thing.
So what does this have to do with me not falling in line and supporting Obama? Well everything as you can see.
Andy, if I worked and served the people in the 13th District in Chicago, I would have known all of the players. And to win that district, would I have gamed the system to run unopposed? Tony Rezko would not have had a seat at my table. Either Obama is a fool and is blind to what should have been obvious, or someone like Tony is fine by Obama's standards. The guy is a dirtball. And a dirtball would not be part of my circle, certainly not my inner circle. I would rather not be elected than associate with someone like Rezko.
I would not choose Rev. Wright, Rev. Meeks, or Father Plager as my spiritual mentors, not for political reasons or any other reason. Again, he is either blind or an opportunist. Would I be hanging out with Mr. Ayers? Would you? Would you refuse to be photographed with Gavin Newsom? There is a pattern with this guy - he manipulates; and for him the ends justify the means. He lacks character.
Getting not one bill passed in the first 6 years of his career in not inspiring. Having Emil Jones hand him the ball 26 times on the one-yard line in order to make Obama a United States Senator does not cut it either. What deals he made, he did to benefit no one but himself. He never worked long enough in either Senate to help the people who elected him. Andy, I could never imagine you taking credit for legislation someone else slaved over. Starting in his community organizing days he claimed sole responsibility for other people’s accomplishments all for the purpose to boosting his career.
In terms of the campaign itself, I had the opportunity to witness his methods up close. During the primaries I was in 6 states, 2 of which had caucuses; it was not clean. El Paso was a joke with the Obama campaign stealing the caucus packets, locking supporters out - Intimidation 101, 102 and 103. Fair elections do not seem to be a priority in my birth state. No other machine exists from the days of Boss Tweed, but Chicago's. How many elected officials are in jail?They are the joke of the nation. It is called the Chicago machine for good reason.
It was clear that what I saw and experienced was not a fluke or isolated incidents, but coordinated, deliberate and arrogant. I got to see him and his organization for who he is and what it is - not inspiring, to say the least. Not something I would have, in business, endorsed in any way. In fact, I would most likely have reported them to the appropriate regulators.
Andy, I have consistently found you to be a compassionate person, but more importantly you have always put your money where your mouth is. Does it not bother you that a guy like Obama can serve a poor district and give away a paltry $1000 to charity? He only stepped up his giving when he decided to run for President and he knew his charitable giving would be made public. How could anyone see that much misery and not try to personally do something about it?
Please, show me something this guy ever did that was not done in a calculated fashion to create and advance his own personal narrative? Something selfless, perhaps, just because it was the right thing to do.
Every person I have talked to who worked at the Law Review at Harvard with him, or in the latter part of his career, said the same thing: he was arrogant and self-centered. One person laughed, saying Obama wanted to be King of the World, that he was always running for something, never staying in one place long enough to amass accomplishments or be held accountable.
Do you not you find it troublesome that he has hundreds of paid bloggers, posting vicious attacks not only about the Clintons but her supporters as well? The whole purpose was to cast him as the second coming, while trashing her and quashing other points of view.
At first I thought is was just some hyped up kids, and then a pattern emerged. He paid others to do his dirty work. The most egregious sexist cracks were rampant, both on the Internet and the MSM. Yet, what did Howard and Obama say? Nothing. Obama promoted it, paid his bloggers to write it. Never once did he try to stop it. Howard, after the damage was done finally commented on it, but barely. Wink,wink.
Andy, I heard remarks that still make my jaw drop.
You know I consider myself a centrist. The right wing of the Republican Party scares me, but so does the left. Ideologues of either side should not have control simultaneously of the executive, legislative, and judicial arms of the government. Absolute power corrupts, be it on the left or the right. Ha, but you will say…. the courts. If you have the legislative branch, all will be fine. McCain voted Ginsberg in, he is not a stupid man and certainly not an Ideologue, and he took heat in the primaries for refusing to have a litmus test for judges. And need I remind you that Obama thought Roberts was an acceptable appointment until some more experienced hands in the Senate told him that would not do?
Painting him as Bush 3 is a little annoying, and what’s up with the MoveOn Baby Alex commercial? Give credit where credit is due. McCain went against his own party twice on immigration reform, on ethanol subsidies, and campaign finance reform. He started talking about Global warming 8 years ago. I don't agree with McCain on a number of topics, but I do believe he has principals and a backbone. He is not willing to just say anything to get elected.
I can't say the same for Obama who is turning out to be more like Bush than McCain; Obama is at least as arrogant as W, just more polished. Are you not ashamed, in these past weeks, of his reckless abandon of any pretense to a moral center on issues such as FISA, separation of church and state, gun control? And what he did to one of my heroes, Wes Clark? Insulting my intelligence and my standards will not win me over.
But, in this conversation, you will say, McCain wants to be in Iraq for 100 years. No, he said that as in Japan, or Korea, we could have a presence. We have been in both of those countries for 60 years and not leaving any time soon, and the world is safer for it.
Next will be, McCain is not knowledgeable about the economy. While with Carly Fiorina, who I remember from her Lucent days, at a town meeting he turned the microphone over to Carly when asked about the mortgage mess, painting her as the expert. Wow - he gave a woman a compliment, praising her knowledge, referring to her as the expert. How often have you praised Charles, or me, and everyone for that matter? Why? Because you are gracious and you know it reflects well on you.
All this might not bother me so much if the stakes where not so high, but they are. I am an issues person, not a cult of personality devotee. Substance matters. Barack is a politician, an inexperienced one at that, pretending he is different. I just see him as arrogant and power hungry. Our country deserves better, someone I would be proud to do business with.
Andy, my country comes first, not the Democrat party. Having said that, I believe that the Democratic Party has just kicked away the best candidate and our best chance to redeem our country, Hillary Clinton, a proven centrist. Given his resume, or should I say the lack of one, he is either ineffective or hiding something, neither answer gives me the warm fuzzies. If she is chosen in Denver, you can count on my full and enthusiastic support. Until then,
We may need a new word. Arrogance does not really encompass the hubris What's His Nut from Illinois is exhibiting. Mega-Arrogance? Super Size Arrogance? Hubris Goes Wild? Meta-Hubris - I like that one. MacroHaughty? No Quarter talks about His Holiness here. Blow back is building. The guy is really out of hand. The nice thing for L.R. is no matter what we'll have much to write about for the next 4 years. If Bratty wins we'll feast on his failures and lies. If McCain wins we'll return to a critique from the Left.
I have not decided who I will vote for - only who I won't.
John McCain is a good guy of a certain American type that I respect more and more as I age. I am going to call them WHALEs - for Wisdom Humility And Life Experience.
For lunchbreak! - 2 clips about 2 "WHALES" from Arizona:
Watch McCain in this clip. He checks his notes and makes no bones about it, goes for the jugular, and slides in a very good joke. I like this guy, though we would disagree on much.
Here is the trailer for "Goldwater on Goldwater." An HBO documentary. Worth a look. It is quite good.
Aging is a blessing. Experience matters. Wisdom is valuable. Youth is important However, the deification of youth in this culture is part of the "Obama sickness" we are in the midst of. He is both promoting this sickness and a product of it.
Alaska's Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history, was indicted yesterday on seven charges of making false statements about more than $250,000 that corporate executives doled out to overhaul his Anchorage area house.
DE-LISH-OUS!
It's a series of corruption not just a series of tubes.
He's had to step down from his position on the Appropriations Committee.
Tacky. Really. Tacky. God as a prop. Read it. It now appears that Maariv had collaborated with the Obama campaign in getting the "private" prayer, with its "modest" supplication to the Lord, out to the public, buffing his Christian credentials and showing his "humility."...It is self evident that if the Mainstream Media had done their jobs, this man would have been "out of business" a long time ago.
Just had a small quake here (Revision: I guess it was not that small - 5.8 - the very smart, and quite charming science ladies from Cal Tech will be on TV any second. Anyone in "SoCal" knows the Cal Tech women make everyone feel a bit better.) ... so let us dedicate the day to the earth moving. Classic Trailer and polls:
Link to RCP polls here- the pattern of McCain gaining or surpassing Obama can now be called a pattern. We shall see how it plays out. Obama is up on McCain a tiny 2.5% as an aggregate. Interesting to me he seems to be slipping coming right after his trip. My hunch is that the Berlin Rock Star show turned many Americans off. These mass rallies do not appeal to smarter, more stable voters, who understand the value of experience.
I am sure things will shift around as we move closer to the election. It is fun to watch - I admit I am a politic-o-holic.
This election should be a slam dunk to quote George Tenet.
Could Bush be any more unpopular? Well, to my mind, yes. I'd like to see a -5 rating. Is there any topic more talked about than gas prices? Are people freaking out? No and yes. Banks are failing. The stock market is a roller coaster ride. (Could someone please explain to me how Apple can be down when the iPhone is selling like hot cakes?)
The Democratic nominee should be up by at least 10-15 points. Why then can't Senator Obama close the deal?
He should have gotten a bounce when Senator Clinton suspended her campaign. He should have gotten a bounce after his world tour. And yet, in the latest CNN/Gallup poll McCain is ahead.
I live in the coveted I-4 corridor in Florida. I drive about 500 miles a week. I have seen one Obama bumper sticker and one Obama yard sign. There are more Ron Paul signs still up.
Are people still un-engaged? Maybe. I don't think that the FISA capitulation or the lie about Public Financing are affecting the polls. I don't think that Senator Obama calling the Senate Banking Committee "HIS" is the reason, either. That's for the political junkies like us. It could be the lingering impact of Reverend Wright. It's no longer news, of course, but it says so much about who he is. How could he sit in a pew for twenty years and listen to that bile? It could be that we're tired of being called racist because we don't support him. It's an insult and it negates what is real racism. It could be his "bitter" comment. We're not smart enough to see the greatness that is Obama. It could be he said he would get all of "her" votes. It could just be that in these scary times we are nervous about putting a man in power who has no experience.
CNN blames Senator Clinton for not campaigning enough for Senator Obama. She's been in the Senate doing the job she was elected to do. Including voting against FISA.
Maybe it's Katie Curik's fault for pushing him on the Surge.
Maybe it's going to the gym in Berlin instead of visiting Landstuhl and then blaming the Pentagon. That's a great way to be Commander in Chief!
This election is Obama's to win or lose. Even for people who barely follow the news, there's something not right about him. Snobbery? Arrogance? Flat out liar?
He may be able to hit a three pointer but this election is no slam dunk.
I spent a lot of time joking around on this blog. "Obama Scriptures" etc - because if you lose your sense of humor - you have lost it all as far as I am concerned. But this next sentence is deadly serious: The American Media is doing real and lasting damage to the American republic by refusing to report on Senator Obama in a balanced manner and they should be held to account.
We have already seen what the overwhelmingly pro Obama and sexist media did to the best candidate during the primaries. The same unwillingness or inability to objectively question and report on Obama in a balanced manner is still occurring. The lack of an independent press is as dangerous to a free country as voter fraud. CNN and MSNBC are the biggest culprits. Newsweek is an Obama rag at this point. Time is barely better. The New York Times continues its descent - most notably by refusing to publish John McCain's response to an Obama piece they did publish. This is not Stalinist control of the media. It is simpler. The delusion Obama promotes among the "educated" class in America fits perfectly into the World view of many of those who call themselves "journalists." No one is stopping investigations by Time or Newsweek into William Ayres or Rezko or the Alice Palmer affair or a thousand other questionable parts of Obama's past. It is not being done because the journalists and their bosses don't want it done. They like him. Fine. This does not excuse journalistic malfeasance. The media is shameful. It has been for a while. But we are not talking about Natalie Holloway or Paris Hilton or O.J. These examples of media over indulgence did not affect all of us. The media kid glove treatment of Obama matters. We have every right to know what he has or has not done. Who he has associated himself with. Frankly, we have every right to look into his wife's past as well.
His idiotic trip overseas is over. In the U.S. it is called a success by our media.
This article fits nicely with the Youtube below - Obama's broken promises to the indigent in his own district. Any sane person can see a pattern. Add the broken promises on FISA, public financing, and his backtrack on his own constituents regarding Exelon and nuclear power (Warning: link to Huffington!!!) and many others and what emerges is a self serving dilettante - not the man the media adores. It is testimony to how far the American media has sunk that blogs should be pointing this out - not the New York Times.
A regular here on LR spent a few hours (minutes???)creating a Birth Abstract for me. I don't think Kos will post it - so I have to put it here.
This is what Obama and the compliant media is allowing to pass as a birth certificate. How creepy is it that this guy can't produce a real birth certificate?
I can't second guess how this election will turn out. One week I think an Obama victory seems in the offing, and the next I wonder why he can't close the deal with so many voters. Right now I think - Sure, Obama will win - how can he not? Then I remember the 3000 skeletons in his closet. The GOP will not give up the White House without a lot of bloodletting.
But then I think of McCain's liabilities. Unlike the Democrats the GOP chose the strongest person in the field. But he ain't that strong. Obama remains 5-9 points ahead. Then you look at states like Colorado and Ohio where McCain has pulled even or is leading. So I wonder.
Here is what I predict (and I want it here to see if I am correct.) unlike 80, 84, 88, 92, 96, and 04 - but like 2000 - something, large and unforeseen is going to have a hand in this election. I don't mean a flub in a close race - like Bush 1 glancing at his watch in the debate - or Carter blowing the last debate (people forget that Carter lead Reagan in the polls until the last weekend). I mean something outside the known process. I have no idea what that will be or who it will help - but let's see if my hunch plays out.
And on this topic - let me repeat: Obama is a made man. The propulsion of this guy to his current position is NOT based on his talents, and certainly not his accomplishments, as there are none. Powerful forces lined up behind him early on. What I do not know is if those forces merely wanted Clinton gone or if they want this man in the White House.
Now about the Surge.
It seems to be working. We should be glad and proud that it is.
Obviously, this hurts Obama. He choked badly when asked by Katie Couric to explain his position. McCain's take on Iraq is the adult view. There, I said it. I loath and detest this war - but we are where we are.
The GOP is crowing about the surge working way too much. The meme being that "Bush was right all along."
This is bullshit.
The fact is that once Rumsfeld left the stage some sanity may have been brought to bear on W. The next fact is that had W and Rummy taken Powell's initial advice on the invasion, the disintegration of Iraq (that lead to the necessity of a surge in troops) would not have occurred.
War on the cheap was a disastrous policy. Countless lives were lost and billions of dollars wasted because, once the decision to invade was made, the actual invasion force was too small.
Besides a few well placed attacks in Iraq is all it would take for the "surge"worm to turn. If a holy site gets hit the whole place will look like a mess again in one news cycle.
It is Sunday - so time for "10 Photos of LA." I threw the rest of my photos on the desktop in an attempt to find themes. I can't really. So I divided them this way:
"Men" "Women" "USC Football" and "Crappy shots of landmarks."
"Unexpected Angelenos" appeals to me as a title- but it is clearly self serving and pretentious and frankly I don't go out of my way to snap pics of odd balls. Though, I love the odd balls you find in this city.
Anyway, this week: "Men" And any shot (or shots) you have that shows an unknown side to your town - I will gladly post. I am a curious blogger... John@liberalrapture.com
Since Obama criticism has been excised from so many liberal blogs - and the MSM can't force itself to question or probe Obama (though he is running for President WTF???) all the energy of those who suspect Senator O of being a massive fraud has to go somewhere.
The readers submissions page at Real Clear Politics has been a light in the long dark night. 80-90 percent of the posts are critical of Obama, with many pointing out the obvious problems he has and problems we should have with him. In short, doing the job the journalists are refusing to do. If reasonable balance will not be allowed in places like the NYT and CNN - balance finds other ways...RCP readers submisssion page has become required daily reading for me. Go early. Go often.
Shortly after cancelling his meeting with wounded American G.I.s in Germany Senator Obama also skipped a planned meeting with the real Messiah. Obama had planned to meet with convalescing servicemen and women while on his "non campaign" swing through Europe. When it was discovered that no photo -op would be allowed Obama canceled the visit to the military hospital.
LR has learned that Obama also had a planned meeting with Jesus set for late Friday. When the Obama camp was told by the Jesus Camp that no footage or photographs of the meeting would be allowed Obama cancelled.
A spokesman for Jesus said "We are stunned. Obviously, we could not allow pictures. Jesus resides in an undisclosed location awaiting the endtimes. Anything that may give away his whereabouts is unacceptable. We assumed Senator Obama would understand that."
Jesus, known to many as The Messiah, has been planning his return for many years. Rumored sightings have been a staple of the web recently.
L.R. contacted the Obama campaign for a response. "Obviously, at this point in the campaign Senator Obama has meetings with many high level officials. He can't be expected to meet everyone. Jesus is more than welcome to visit with the Senator and Michelle when their schedule permits."
When asked if the photo prohibition had anything to do with the cancellation, the Obama spokesman said, "Of course, it didn't help. What's the point of meeting with theMessiah to discuss the world situation if no pictures can be taken? The people want to see Obama. See what he's doing. How he's helping to build a better world. If Jesus doesn't want a picture taken with Obama that's Jesus's problem."
L.R. later received a terse, confused email follow up from the Obama campaign that said: We believe the reason Jesus put unreasonable restrictions on the meeting with Senator Obama, causing the cancellation, stems from Senator Clinton's refusal to exit the race in a timely manner.
What if BHO chooses Hagel as the VP? Could happen. He travelled with the Baby Jesus overseas. And it fits a certain Hagel/Bloomberg/Brezinski/Obama theory that's been floating around for a while. AND - remember that weird aborted news conference Hagel had a while ago when everyone thought he would be announcing for President - then, looking a bit stricken, he came out and said nothing?
*Obama's money haul was enormous. Out of line with what "small donors" would have contributed.
* The Media was "in the tank" for Obama so completely that it seemed off - even by pathetic American media standards.
* The "get out, Hillary" chants were loud, early and often. Some were to be expected. But most were simply bizarre. She was clearly a major contender through out. There was no logic to the insistence she get out.
* Dean and Brazile were clearly working for Obama.
*Obama simply was not being vetted. At all.
* The Michigan and Florida gamesmanship was internally damaging to the Democratic Party, and yet the Democrats were the players.
* The purging of Democratic blogs of any pro Hillary sentiment was so complete and ruthless it was almost surreal.
I thought then - and do now - that a convergence of power players behind the scenes gamed the election for Obama. Actually, and more on point, they gamed the primary season to force Clinton out. But to what end? Try as many have to change facts - the FACT remains Obama is a weak general election candidate. Weird, sometimes corrupt, personal history, many sketchy associations, and an empty resume may not bother some delusional masses - but Democratic power brokers know better. Many of those propping up Obama must have known he was a weak General Election prospect.
So defeat the most electable Democrat in the Democratic primary? Why would Democrats do this?
Guesses:
1. A desire to ensure the end of the Clinton era once and for all. Obama being the new star, he was chosen to do this.
This is obviously what many people believe.
2. A genuine belief that Obama would make a better candidate, but needed help to defeat the "Clinton machine."
I don't buy this. While Obama has inspired many, those who play the game up close, see him for what he is. A charismatic pol with few, if any, core values. Also, there is no "Clinton machine."
3. A desire to destroy the Democratic party from within coupled with a desire to LOSE the general election.
I know. I know. This theory is out there. But it is not without merit. Brazille and Rove are very good friends. Everything about Obama's campaign stinks of Rove. The lessons of Rove were not lost on Axlerod. Rove has been invloved with this campaign from the gate. Brazile and her GOP pals Norquist and Rove could have easily decided a GOP victory was better than a Clinton victory. This nuclear option by Brazille and Rove may seem far fetched. But all the evidence on both the GOP side and the DEM side indicates an extraordinary level of planning - to what end?
So do we get an Obama October Surprise to elevate McCain? Who knows? Frankly, I think we do. The unseen hand has been pushing things along for quite some time now. There is no reason to believe it will stop now.
Geek Love has made one of the best videos yet on the Obama debacle. No one wants to be this guy's V.P. - why?
So far - regardless of what MSNBC says it appears the Obamamania tour may have hurt a bit more than it helped. He is sinking in Ohio, PA, Michigan, and Florida.
What do you think? Did the summer tour help or hurt?
He lists, yet again the recent bile from cult members. Be warned - these people are disgusting nuts.
There is also a note on the birth contreversy. An odd Obama blank spot. The only question I continue to have about it is: Why doesn't Obama just release his birth certificate? Seems simple enough. Kos posted an abstract that has since been proven to be a forgery.
Way off topic- but this clip is over the top hilarious. Thanks to Jay for sending me this...Enjoy!
Thoughts for later posts either tonight or Friday:
* Obama Pod contempt for the working class and how it expresses itself.Further: How to identify it in self described "liberals."
This came up in a comment on a post last night. Some pod could not or would not respond directly to my post about BHO using a terrorist organization for security - he/she attacked me personally (Typical. This person wrote as if he/she knew me - they do not - and it is a comment full of inaccuracies.)
HOWEVER: he/she tried to insult me by insulting those who do clerical work. This is typical Huffington/Geffen/Dean/Obama - faux liberalism. A true contempt for workers ALWAYS appears eventually. It is a liberalism based in entitlement and "we know better than you" condescension. There is nothing egalitarian or classically liberal about what these frauds want. In fact, they hate the working class. More later...
or
* The arrogance of the trip overseas - will there be a backlash? I wonder.
A big speech in Berlin can go two ways. One is JFK the other is...well, reminiscent of another politician, with a mustache, with similar posters. Ganz schlecht. It makes me a bit nauseous.
But wait, there's more!
Senator Obama said "His" banking committee passed new legislation? Has he staged another coup? What does Senator Dodd think of that, since he is the chairman? You can see how easy it is to be confused when the sub-committee that you are in charge of has no hearings. Or has Obama taken over everything? The party formerly known as Democratic has become the Obama symbol, perhaps?
As John's post below says, every time I think Obama can't sink lower he manages to find a way under the bar.
Since I was pointing out the relentless sexism of Obama supporters in last night's post I figure I can tie that in with tonight's brief post. When Herr Obama goes to the West Bank his security will be provided by the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. The picture is of Al Aqsa female fighters. Equality in terror...is a kind of equality.
Anyway, nice touch, Barry.
The target of Al Aqsa is Israeli civilians.
Linked here is a list of Al Aqsa Suicide attacks against Israeli civilians in the last 6 years. 130 Israelis have been murdered by "Obama's West Bank Security Force" since 2002.
The U.S. State department - that would be the "U.S." Obama wants to lead - lists Al Aqsa as a terrorist group.
The Palestinian Authority chose this group for his security. But this is not an out for Obama. A true leader would have refused to go to the West Bank under these circumstances. If for no other reason than in deference to the 130 recent dead. He is a U.S. Senator. The signal this sends to terror groups is...well... you decide. Coddling? Naive? Appalling?
I am not a Jew. But for the life of me I cannot understand how anyone in the Jewish community in America can support this man.
Every time I think I can't possibly be more disgusted with Obama - he hits a new low.
Damon sent this to us a while ago -It's about a "bold, new leader". Listen to this freaky man talk about Obama as the "saviour" and "redeemer" - it is the same way newly minted evangelicals talk about Jesus.
Watch at least until you get to the dead guy cut out figure endorsing Obama.
Enjoy!
This video makes me really proud of my vote for Clinton.
Cannonfire is doing a masterful job of compiling all Obama Cultist Comments. Again I warn you if you click here - it is ghastly reading. The sexist vomit from the Pod People is thick and rank. The 2 words we do not allow on this blog are in these comments - many times over. Even after all this time I find it disorienting to think that these people are in the party I once called home.
These people are monsters - there is no reason to pull punches on this. Obama is a poisonous figure in American life and his presence has unleashed rage and insanity on the Left. We must oppose this mob and and their dear leader.
For over a year I've been blogging about the derangement of the Obama wing nuts. They are a mob- I've said over and over again. The overriding impulse is not adoration of BHO or desire for change. It is pure, undistilled hatred of women and a mad desire for control. Adhere any excuse you like on top of this hatred. Scratch an Obama Pod enough and you get to a power mad sexist. This hatred is blinding. (I REPEAT - I am not talking about those who came to Obama later for reasons that are more about McCain. He is polling in the 40's and all those people are not lunatics. I mean Obama's arrogant, over educated, snotty base.)
They are bigots dressed to look like liberals. The pungent whiff of totalitarianism surrounds them. Their way or the highway. The worst part: "their way" is malleable. "Their way" is whatever results in power. At the very least, true conservatives operate from a core set of values. These people are out for a personality projection. A man who works shadows and light to present whatever you want to see. How do I know he is not doing this as a true agent of hope and change? Tactics. Evolved leaders don't resort to trickery and lies.
The Obama mob is dangerous. Why "dangerous?" Because they have no sense of their hatred. They never overhear themselves. Whether is it the mindless adoration of the empty suit or vicious attacks on the Clintons, self awareness is nil with these zombies. The most recent letter from the DNC is a case study in arrogant stupidity. No apology for the sexist Obama campaign. No humility. No gratitude for Clinton energizing the old Democratic base. Just "pony up." Followed by a thousand contradictory salvos of "Get Out!" and "You're Republicans!"
Screw you, DNC. Go beg Americablog's hacks for cash.
As Obama bumbles across the globe it is important to remind ourselves that his "netroots" back home are still slaving away with the insult and innuendo.
So let's repeat again and again and again: Obama is a dangerous, naive, fraud. This is proven everyday now. Shit canning the 4th amendment. Fake Presidential seals. Promises to Afghan war lords. Lies about Aryres and Rezko and Wright and his own birth. The list is endless.
This man is beneath us. Even after 8 years of Bush. Even after this mishandled war. Even after Katrina, and the rout of civil liberties, and and and - we deserve better than Obama.
His supporters are beneath even him. They are beneath contempt.
Not big on posting stuff FROM campaigns. But this piece from McCain is so funny, painful and spot on - it is a must post - and must view. It is absolutely embarrassing how biased and childish the media is about Obama. And it is dangerous and destructive. The Whoring of the Media to Obama is doing damage to the country - and the media should be held to account. Esp when the object of the affection is a fraud on the level Obama is a fraud. When this is all over I do hope citizens with pitchforks and torches surround CNN and MSNBC in New York and demand justice. I would like to see women line up to slap Chris Mathews across the face.
A reading from the Obama Scriptures The Book of Katie, Brian, and Charlie Chapter 6 Verse 66
And it came to passeth that the Lord, had no experience. And every one knew this. For he had accomplished nothing in the realm of the foreign affair-eth.
So it also came to passeth that he had to make the peoples see that he could act like a President.
For if he could pretend to be President the reporters would love-eth him and make the peoples see he seemed like a President.
So in those days a trip was planned. To divers places. For the Lord was to meet the many Kings and stand next to them for to a Photo op-eth.
And the ass kissers flew with him. For they wanted to kiss the Lord's ass in divers places. Katie and Brian and Charlie went For they were to kiss the Lord on the ass. For in those days they loved to kiss the Lord's ass for reasons no one knew. For they licked and slobbered upon the Lord's ass. Like one's possessed of the ass kiss demon who does tingleth the legs.
The Lord did pretend to be President in the foreign lands. And tried to act like a Great Man Who had accomplished much.
If you want this information to get more traction please vote for it at Real Clear Politics.
Cannonfire has compiled Obama Pod comments about Hillary Voters. Go read it. Know why we loath these people and the monstrous fraud they love. Warning: brace yourself to be disgusted. Obama Cultists are truly the most revolting development in American life since Joe McCarthy. These people are braindead bigots.
When I turned 29 I started telling people I was thirty, almost. Just to get it out of the way. I was so used to being thirty I skipped 31 and stuck with thirty for three years.
It's like leaving the Democratic party after almost thirty years. I am so used to saying that I'm a Democrat that it's strange to say I'm Independent.
Now, according the Obamanation I'm a Republican. They just cannot understand that any Democrat (former or present) could possibly not support Obama. Unless I'm a racist or a Republican.
Let me spell it out. This is not about Senator Clinton and the patronizing, sexist treatment of her during the primaries.
This is about Obama.
As Democrats we've voted for the "whatever" candidate. But I am not willing to vote for the "WHAT THE FUCK?" candidate.
A bomb dropping on Pearl Harbor? Uncle's liberating Auschwitz? Wanting to speak at the Brandenburg Gate? Are you singing, "Don't Know Much about History?" No understanding of how the chain of command works? He only wants to be Commander in Chief. Racist pastors, race baiting, calling President Clinton a racist, calling the entire state of West Virginia racists. Making a trip to Afghanistan after never having a hearing on the country/war (great point, John). Voting for FISA after stating he wouldn't and on and on.
They are a myriad of reasons to loathe Obama. Just as Howard Dean and Donna Brazille have given us more than enough reasons to leave the party.
You see, to us, he's not likable enough. Or experienced enough. Or knowledgeable enough. And the Democratic Party is not democratic enough. As it turns out, we care more for our country than we do for the party.
I think what they really can't understand is a modern Democrat standing on principle. That is what we're doing.
BHO's trip to Afghanistan is a joke. Why? He has done nothing in the U.S. Senate regarding Afghanistan - check it out.
This is were your donations are going, Pods - gigantic photo ops.
Jetsam:
Do the clowns at the network news organizations, Newsweek and Time metaphorically masturbate while thinking about how they will fluff Obama next- or do they - in reality - pleasure themselves?
Covering all bases the new force composed of lunatic college kids and unemployable Berkeley hippies will wear brown shirts and carry a little red book.
What is disturbing about this statement is that it implies that opposing Obama is equivalent to supporting America's history of racism. If you vote for McCain you stand with the darkest part of our past. So there. End if discussion.
This is patent bullshit.
There are many, MANY reasons to oppose Obama. None of the reasons I currently oppose Obama have to do with his bi-racial heritage - and I resent, DEEPLY, any implication that my opposition is based on race.
Obama IS NOT qualified by any reasonable standard. There is nothing he's championed and nothing he's succeeded in accomplishing that justifies elevation to the White House. Indeed there is no major issue he has not doubled back on. The community organizing meme is laughable and pathetic - besides his 3 short years as a community organizer were a failure. His record in the Illinois state senate is largely a hallucination. His record in the U.S. Senate is tiny. He has never held a position that comes close to being preparation for the Presidency. That ought to be enough to vote for someone else.
His odd, defensive, narcissistic personality is utterly unsuited for the job, as well.
Based on his past associaitons his judgement is bad. Not "not good" - just, plain, BAD.
Finally, he promotes in his most ardent fan base a form of group psychosis. Rational thought and Obama supporter would seem to be mutually exclusive.
As I've said before: I am sick and tired of the weaponization of RACE by the Arugula/Prius Left, and the victim wing of the perpetual resentment cabal of black "leaders". Thoughtful people deciding to vote for someone other than BHO is perfectly sane and reasonable. It is not racist.
I may well vote for Green party nominee McKinney. What does this make me? What hoops do the pods have to jump through to tag me a racist if I vote FOR a black woman?
Patterson appears to be a sublimely reasonable man. But again Obama is poisonous. The introduction of this man into the equation poisons the sanity of reasonable people. Everyone projects their hopes, dreams, and resentments onto this blank screen called Obama.
In the final analysis the disconnect between the pro and anti obama conversation is one of reality. PUMA's and others oppose him based on the reality of the actual person. Pods and fellow travelers defend him based on their imagined projection of who he is. A redeemer, a saint, an atonement, whatever... these sorts of projections never end well. Never. This mass projection is dangerous. It invests one person with power that is antithetical to the most basic precepts of American government.
I do not count the 2 Clinton supporters I know who have decided to vote for Obama now as fantisizers. (2 out of about 20 since I began asking.) They believe he is better than McCain for reasons that are connected to facts on the ground. I respect and support their choice.
I stand in judgement of , and opposition to, Obama based on the content of his character. Period. This opposition is fueled by the scary and relentless deification of Obama by the media. It is a symptom of a sick society.
Stop calling us racists - or I'll sick my black, GOP, sister-in-law on you. Yes, it's true, in my large, lateral family tree one of the two Republicans is black.
Thanks to Damon for sending me this piece on Patterson.
PS- Patterson's rant about the word "accidental" is just wrong. Ford was called the "accidental" President approximately 6, 342,554,128 times between 1974-1976. Footnote needed... haha...nevertheless his complaint is foolish.
A clip from one of my favorite movies so far this century- Forgiving the Franklins. This film is a delicious sex/religion satire/comedy. It is on DVD. Go rent it. Warning the clip has mature - and funny - content:
From tingles up Chris Matthews' leg to kicking Clinton supporters off CNN to Olbermann I'm going with a yes.
But here's the kicker.
When Obama goes to Iraq Katie, Brian and Charlie are going with him.
Isn't that special? Maybe they can put on a show! Oh wait, that's exactly what they'll be doing.
Obama doesn't have to run ads, because the networks will be doing it for him. Obama looking serious meeting with Al-Malaki, Obama giving candy to children, Obama with the troops.
Will they mention that Obama wouldn't meet with the troops here in a town hall meeting to debate McCain? Jeez, I'm going with no. Will they bring up the fact that Obama said he would meet with the Joint Chiefs and give them a new strategy for Iraq? Why should we worry that the man who wants to be commander in chief doesn't know that the Joint Chiefs don't do strategy? That in actuality the President gives the orders to the Secretary of Defense and the Centcom commander.
Someones been watching too much West Wing! Why should CNN, who ran the clip of Obama statement about the Joint Chiefs, actually do their job and point out that he's wrong?
With Obama you're either in the tank or under the bus. And we'll all be in the soup if he wins.
Obama says: Oh boy! oh boy! I know! I know! Let me talk at that big wall! That one in Germany! Everyone loves me. The Germans won't mind! right? Wrong. "It shows a certain inexperience about complex foreign issues...
Why? Because I love him! In a non Catholic priest sort of way. But who knows what's next... life is long...
Sordid implications be damned - onward! -the kid is FUNNY. and oozing with talent.
This is called Cookout.
IT IS OFFENSIVE. If you are in your P.C. dainties DO NOT play it.
Meanwhile - info on Denver convention protests right here - if you so inclined. PUMA really is doing the work of real democracy right now. Grassroots, netroots heavy lifting.
Anyone who has read this blog for a bit knows I like a good conspiracy. There are too many strands to the current American narrative to write - or even think about - much less tie together. But I like Big Picture explanations. This often gets constricted into the "conspiracy" box, mostly by those who have abject terror of the word "conspiracy". Often there are over arching explanations to events. Often actualpeopleare behind these events. Not "social energies" or random caprice - real people. Some of them conspire.
Irony, or what passes for it, is the opiate of the chattering classes. So those who hunt for reasons beyond the obvious are mocked. Often with good cause. Often to our detriment.
Randomness is overrated. People plan things - we live by plans. Micro and Macro plans are made all the time - by individuals and groups. Everything from wars to dinner parties are planned every day, all the time. Conspiracies and plans are flexible if those behind them are thoughtful, smart people. (Note: Thoughtful and smart do not equate to good.)
Post modern cynicism (which is fear of the unknown repackaged for the post religious world) busies us with a desperate search for proof that all things are random and disconnected.
"Shit happens" is the slug line for the post modern world. It is our religion substitute. It gives comfort to the startled and worried just as much as having an astrologer make your daily schedule did way back in...say 1983. The explanation that there is no explanation is, actually, a very satisfying explanation. Shakespeare, who somehow knew everything before anyone else, hit on this post modern meme by writing that we live lives full of "sound and fury signifying nothing." Taken out of context this is Sartre way before Sartre. Of course, the character who speaks this is smack dab in the middle of a mammoth conspiracy full of sound and fury signifying quite a lot. Assassinating the King , upsetting the order of things, and so on and so forth. Shakespeare, always ahead of us, was also kind enough to createthe word assassination in Macbeth. No doubt knowing how much we'd need it as we went along.
On a metaphysical plane all our sound and fury may well signify nothing. The physical plane is another matter. There are explanations for things. Reasons. Background that explains the foreground. It is worth while for thinking people to attempt to connect the dots. This is not a post about the grassy knoll. It is a post about right now. 2008. Much is happening.
Bank runs, a slow burn oil shock, Presidential candidates conjured out of thin air, food inflation...
There was a classic bank run in Pasadena yesterday. Lines around the block, cops called in to control furious customers, sweaty bank managers - the whole kit and caboodle. It was a real Frank Capra depression era extravaganza.
Peak oil theory has been around a while. Quite a lot about the list above and the coming bank runs becomes sensible and connected if one understands peak oil. Energy is the background for everything. Seeing that the oil party of the last 200 years is winding down - explains a hell of a lot. Connects the dots, as it were.
Terror attacks becomes connected to wars in a tangible and honest way - instead of by way of lies and barely veiled anti-Muslim bigotry.
Run on sentence alert:
The amazing oil based economy and its slow decline explains and relates housing bubbles, to housing crashes, to bank runs, to inflation, to gas prices, to airline failures, to wheat prices, to the cost of your hoagie, to the well being of GM, to a giant plastic sink hole in the Pacific, to the cost of health care, to the obesity epidemic, to globalization, to global warming, to Wal Mart, to the destruction of civic life in soulless suburbs, to to...to.... well, really everything, - except maybe crop circles - but give me time - I'll find the dots there, too.
The point is this: some very powerful actors on this planet know exactly what is happening with energy. They have for a while. YOU ought to educate yourself about energy. By reading this, you are using it, after all.
The world makes more sense that we usually presume. The more you know the easier it is to maneuver around things.
Get a world view based on energy. There is nothing with out it after all.
Act like a 3 year old in the backseat on a long road trip - Keep asking WHY?
So, According to Politico, Congregational insiders are griping about Obama. He has not been helpful. Or whatever. Duh. Christ all mighty, were any of these people paying attention during the primaries? It was about him and only him 24/7.
Frankly, I don't much blame him for ignoring congress. Neighborhood dogs who dump on other people's lawns and bark all night are more popular than the Pelosi/Reid Congress. If I wanted to win I would not go near these people either.
Let's state this as clearly as possible because it is a place where the sexism of this campaign is deeply embedded:
1. Candidates running for President who are winning the largest, most important Democratic states consistently have no business quitting the race. After a weak start, Clinton ran an incredibly strong primary campaign that got more powerful with each passing day. Obama's stagnated after February. The schedule these people are referring to only exists in the mind of Axlerod, Brazile, and Dean.
2. The idea that she should "quit now" started right after Iowa with Jonathan Alter's asinine critique in Newsweek. It was amplified by the media after every Clinton victory. Notice the last word please. During Clinton's string of caucus losses in February the "she should quit now" meme actually died down. Then, on cue, and bizarrely, it ramped up again after her landslide win in Ohio and victory in Texas. It ramped up again after Clinton destroyed Obama in Pennsylvania. The only "schedule" for Clinton to exit was Obama's and the media's. Not Clinton's and certainly not the voters'.
3. The complaint that "they are behind schedule" because of Clinton is EXACTLY the kind of sexism that has gone unreported on this year. There was no reason for Clinton to drop out. She suspended her campaign at the point that it made sense.
I know I just said the same thing 3 times. But is needs repeating. There was no coordinated rush by the media to see Reagan drop out in 1976 or Kennedy in 1980, or McCain in 2000. All these men were in much weaker positions in those years than Clinton was in this one.
The difference is obvious. Gender.
Get the harpie off the stage. That's what was on the "schedule".
The subtext of all the "get out now" bile from Olbermann to Huffington, to the legions of numb skulls on Kos, to Cafferty, to Alter, to Dowd, to Frank Rich, to Randi Rhodes, to Dick Morris was bigotry toward a strong female candidate. BIGOTRY. If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck... and yes, I am saying Maureen Dowd is a sexist bigot - whether she knows it or not. Nothing seems to rattle women of faux accomplisment like Dowd and Huffington as much as a woman of real accomplishment.
Finally - the compulsion by the Obama people is to blame Clinton. But it is not her fault Obama could not close the deal. It's his.
Let me first state - I do not believe that a mad rush of Super Delegates back to Clinton is brewing. Nor do I think it will happen. There are reports tonight that 8 Obama SD's would, given the chance, switch and vote for Clinton in Denver. This is possible and I admire the relentless work being done by PUMAs to salvage some sanity in the Democratic Party.
BUT
after May 31st their is no sanity in that political party. The very last scrap of the party of FDR, Truman, JFK, LBJ, and Clinton was thrown to the wind on May 31st. By force, the Hart, McGovern, Dean - and now Obama wing of the party seized control. They did what limousine leftists always do once they have power: expelled all detractors.
Expulsion is the name of the game. Ensuring that Clinton is not put into nomination is a part of the expulsion process. They have a real, tangible fear - based in reality thus far - that 6 weeks from now Obama will look like a dud on the national stage. The DNC - now run by the rich liberal wing - feels it MUST make absolutely certain that Obama is acclaimed the nominee without a contested vote - like Gore in 2000. Dean and Brazile have rebuilt the party on a toothpick sculpture foundation. They know it. Neither of their psychologies, for differnet reasons, can admit mistakes. Their ego investment in Obama is too great to allow a different outcome from the one they pre planned. But they also know they have problems.
Put it more bluntly: As much as I admire the PUMAs outreach to SDs - Dean and Brazile saw to it that a person who took his own name off the ballot in a large Blue state nevertheless got 40% of that state's delegation. It was an outrageous move. Being outrageous is not a problem for them - it's a strategy. Removing Hillary's name from the nominating ballot in Denver goes with the amoral turf these people tread. It is outrageous, and unprecedented, and they'll do it.
Don't mean to be a downer - but I am in the EX-Democrat camp now. These people are not my people anymore. Thanks be to God. The only way to salvage the Democratic Party is to defeat Obama in the fall, put Dean and Brazile in a stockade on the Washington mall and let us pummel them with tomatoes for a week - then move on - re-seize the party and remake it as the pro-Labor, moderate-left alternative. If Obama wins then this will happen in 2010 - which after 2 years of Reid,Pelosi, Obama - will be a realigning election. To the Right.
The Democratic party will not be saved this year. I hope I am wrong. But Obama would have to "be caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy", as the saying goes, for the DEM power elites to allow a Clinton nomination. That speech at the football stadium by Obama on the anniversary MLK's speech in D.C. has been set in stone on Dean's calender for years now.
(This is a self serving, odd, and insular move as well - Who does the DNC think this anniversary is going to impress? Whose votes is it going to add? Is it supposed to bookend some American epoch? Again: rich white liberals are so absorbed in their self congratulatory narrative about Obama's race that they believe this narrative has much more power with the rest of us than it actually does. If anything BHO horning in on MLK rubs my liberal soul the wrong way. - Can anyone imagine Obama penning A Letter From a Birmingham Jail? Ha! Rezko would have posted bail and he would have switched sides the next day.)
By the by - Lynne and I worked on the 1984 McGovern campaign in Mass and N.H. A tale of happy memories and frozen toes could be told by both of us. But that is for later...
The people listed below were all put into nomination that year. Susan Estrich put Senator McGovern's name in the ring. I remember it well. We loved George then. Also I see her walking her dogs sometimes - always want to introduce myself - but all I can think to say is "what the hell was WRONG with Dukakis??? - a campaign she later managed -
At any rate, as you can see Democrats always put all contenders in nomination - except in "acclimation" years - in which case the nominee's lead is so overwhelming the show of unity becomes the tantamount concern. Mr. Obama does not have an overwhelming lead this year. In fact, he does not have enough pledged delegates to win. So an obscene insult to Hillary is preferable to risking super delegate accountability.
Walter Mondale - 2,191 (56.41%) Gary Hart - 1,201 (30.92%) Jesse Jackson - 466 (12.00%) Thomas Eagleton - 18 (0.46%) George McGovern - 4 (0.10%) John Glenn - 2 (0.05%) Joe Biden - 1 (0.03%) Martha Kirkland - 1 (0.03%)
Who is Martha Kirkland? And who was her delegate???
Barry - here is how you should have responded to the New Yorker cover: 1. Say simply it is an unfortunate depiction and not at all funny. 2. Defend your wife. That's what a man does. 3. Move on. Instead you whine. Wah wah. wah. You realize that because you, your elves in blogland and your trolls in the media went loopy over the New Yorker cover millions of people who would never have seen it - have now seen it.
I am in a Tina Fey state of mind.... so I hope you enjoy this lunch break clip.
Also - The Denver Group is doing important work to ensure that Hillary Clinton's name be put into nomination. Some one PLEASE tell me: A. Why are we even discussing this? B. How can anyone not consider this a blatant, sexist attack by Obama and Brazile - and those others who enable Obama's narcissism? and C. If the New Yorker cover is "racist" as the Pods are claiming - then the attempt to nullify Clinton delegates is certainly an expression of hatred, contempt and fear of strong women. Why does Obama hate women? Why is Obama so sexist?
Please consider donating to The Denver Group here.
Digging deep into recent polls it seem Barry Obama has some problems. Independents have switched to McCain in droves of late. More than that there is a "Bradley effect" in play. Contrary to the popular notion, the Bradley effect is NOT about secretly racist whites refusing to vote for a candidate of color. The Bradley Effect happens when those polled are afraid of being perceived as racist and therefore mislead the pollster. The "racist" card has been so overused by the Obama camp this year it is conceivable that the true Bradley effect will come into play. Racism has been perceived around every corner.
Recently, I was at a dinner party that two old school liberals attended. Old school Hollywood liberals to be more exact. Both were in their 80's and neither had ever voted Republican. Of course, politics came up. (Actually, national politics is talked in Hollywood relentlessly - local and state politics almost never.) The table broke down this way: 1 Obama voter, 2 undecideds, me- very anti-Obama but not pro McCain either, and the 2 octogenarian liberals - neither liked Obama one bit. They prefaced all remarks by stating their distaste for him had nothing to do with race. It was as if they felt obligated to make their egalitarian bone fides known. I believed them. No reason not to. Believe it or not, it is possible to dislike Obama and not be a bigot.
They had voted straight Democratic tickets from 1944-2004. Which is more than I can say. (I voted for Arnold last time.) At this moment in our history, being perceived as racist has become a bigger problem than being an outright bigot.
It seems to me there is a chunk of traditional Democratic voters this year who will not vote for Obama because they do not like him - end of story. Out of fear, they over explain that race has nothing to do with it. It is not "protesting too much". If they simply said "I don't like him " or "I don't trust him" they have every reason to assume they will be branded "racist." It has happened all year. It has happened to me. And plenty of people I know. I scream "You're a sexist!" right back at them now - usually via email.
On 30 Rock this year, Tina Fey had a moment in which she explained to Mr. Grant - uh - I mean the conservative Alex Baldwin character - that she would tell all her friends she was voting for Obama but secretly vote for McCain. It was a charmingly, hapless moment. And ever so incisive. Maybe we should call it the 30 Rock Effect.
Plenty will happen between now and November. Gasoline, Iran, (Israel may not wait much longer to attack) the economy, and Iraq... McCain's albatross is 8 years of Bush. He may not be able to overcome it. But Obama's albatross is Obama. A heavier load, indeed.
In a calculated act of homophobia Obama refused to be photographed with Democratic San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Newsom struck a blow for civil rights by allowing gay couples to marry.
