Oooh, nuance!

The Krugman Speaketh

2008-08-09T10:43:00.003-04:00

Is this guy good, or what?

...know-nothingism — the insistence that there are simple, brute-force, instant-gratification answers to every problem, and that there’s something effeminate and weak about anyone who suggests otherwise — has become the core of Republican policy and political strategy. The party’s de facto slogan has become: “Real men don’t think things through.”

Or, as we Iraq War protesters said in 2003, "Yee-HAW! is not a foreign policy." (And neither is "Bring It On," as our troops in Iraq found out to their great sorrow.)

In the case of oil, this takes the form of pretending that more drilling would produce fast relief at the gas pump. In fact, earlier this week Republicans in Congress actually claimed credit for the recent fall in oil prices: “The market is responding to the fact that we are here talking,” said Representative John Shadegg.

What about the experts at the Department of Energy who say that it would take years before offshore drilling would yield any oil at all, and that even then the effect on prices at the pump would be “insignificant”? Presumably they’re just a bunch of wimps, probably Democrats. And the Democrats, as Representative Michele Bachmann assures us, “want Americans to move to the urban core, live in tenements, take light rail to their government jobs.”

Is this political pitch too dumb to succeed? Don’t count on it.

Indeed, don't count on it. Black-and-white solutions are very appealing to Americans who are working 80 hours a week just to make ends meet. They don't have time or energy to sift through the nuances of energy policy, which will get lost or twisted by the corporate media in translation.

Once again, I point to the superior issue-framing skills of Republicans. They know that people need immediate relief from high gas prices, but they have no intention of doing anything that would work in the long run. (John McCain's gas tax holiday idea would have done nothing but give the oil companies more profits, whereas Hillary's would have at least made the oil companies pay the difference.)

So, how to make it seem like they are better on energy than Democrats? Take an idea that will make their buddies a lot of short-term money, and tie it to a populist agenda. Note: If you want to do this, it helps to be a shameless, sociopathic corporate shill, because no public servant with a shred of conscience would dupe the American people in such a destructive manner.

The truth is, off-shore drilling is completely, utterly pointless. It will OF COURSE not decrease gas prices in any way. The amount of oil gained thereby will be negligible, and will take ten years to extract.

Yes, I said TEN YEARS.

Do you know what's going to happen in ten years if we are still depending on oil for our energy? No one knows for sure, but why in God's name would we want to find out? The signs of climate change are all around us, and getting worse every year. Oil is a non-renewable resource that is getting scarcer and scarcer. Even worse, we invade countries and occupy them in order to get it.

For Christ's sake, can't we just say "Enough already, we get it, it's time to move on, oil is so 20th Century, and we're tired of fighting wars and killing and maiming hundreds of thousands of people to obtain it." Or is that just too much honesty for Democrats?

The answer is no, not for all of them. Hillary Clinton laid out a detailed, inclusive energy plan in April of 2006. Here is what she had to say about continuing to rely on oil for our energy needs.

Now, energy is at the heart of the three great challenges we face as a nation: How do we keep our economy strong in a more competitive world? How do we keep our communities safe in a more dangerous world? And how do we protect our values in a rapidly changing world?

Our present system of energy is weakening our national security, hurting our pocketbooks, violating our common values and threatening our children's future.

Right now, instead of national security dictating our energy policy, our failed energy policy dictates our national security.

Could that be more clear? I don't think so.

More recently, on July 23rd of this year, she had this to say about offshore drilling:

Senator Clinton criticized the idea that additional off-shore drilling would provide any substantive solutions for America’s short or long term energy challenges.

“Drilling is the wrong answer. It will do nothing right now. It is literally a Shell game, or an Exxon Mobile game. It's designed to serve the political interests of vulnerable Republicans and the financial interests of profit-rich oil companies. Average Americans will not see a dime,” Senator Clinton said. “The oil companies say, ‘Drill,’ and the President and the Vice President say, ‘How deep?’ I don't think that's the smartest, most effective answer.”

You see how she did that? She tied offshore drilling to the two least popular politicians in America right now and explained quite clearly that it is the WRONG ANSWER. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The Senator from New York is a master of framing. She gets people to agree with her, but doesn't compromise her principles in order to do so. Too bad she's only a girl, or who knows, someone that smart, savvy and progressive might be a good candidate for President someday. Oh, if only she had that scrap of flesh hanging off her pelvis!

Krugman hits hardest in his final paragraph.

In any case, remember this the next time someone calls for an end to partisanship, for working together to solve the country’s problems. It’s not going to happen — not as long as one of America’s two great parties believes that when it comes to politics, stupidity is the best policy.

I think Senator Obama has a red imprint of Krugman's palm on his cheek right about now. That smackdown reached all the way to Hawaii, where our presumptuous nominee is now vacationing. Faux-Presidenting is Hard Work (TM).

Let's hope the PUMA Conference in DC is coming up with all kinds of creative, wonderful ideas for keeping the pressure on the SuperDelegates, Howard Dean and the DNC to give Hillary a fair shot at the Convention. Because as we know, Obama is far too willing to allow Republicans to frame the debate on almost every issue, including the economy and Iraq (on which he is now falling behind John McCain in terms of trust).

To paraphrase the war protesters mentioned earlier, "Kumbaya is not a governing strategy."

Those People, or Some People?

2008-08-08T09:35:00.005-04:00

When I read about how Barack Obama had referred to Hillary Clinton's supporters as "those people," with trademark dismissal and contempt, I was reminded of two things:

1) It's On Purpose.

2) Mama Rose.

For those that are unfamiliar with the musical "Gypsy," it is based on the true story of the stripper Gypsy Rose Lee. Her mother, Mama Rose, was the classic narcissistic stage mother, whose insistence on making it in show business (despite her lack of talent) ruined her family and drove her crazy. Mama Rose didn't care about anyone but herself, and forced her children to live a life of lies in order to further her personal ambitions and delusions of grandeur.

Eventually, Mama Rose is finally forced to face the reality that she is washed up, never had it, never will, and that her dreams will never come true. But this reality is too much, and she soon sinks back into her dreamworld.

Sound familiar?

In any rational universe, Barack Obama would not be considered qualified for the office of the Presidency. He has a resume that would shame another State Senator - a record of non-accomplishment that had to be puffed up by his mentor, Emil Jones, at the very end of his undistinguished tenure. As for his current record, it's decent but scanty, since he began running for President the moment his rear end hit that chair.

Obama has never won a strongly contested election - his successful state senate run, thanks to his underhanded tactics, had no opposition, and he won his current seat against that electoral juggernaut, Republican wackadoodle Alan Keyes. Yes, yes, he "won" the primary election, if you weigh votes from red-state caucuses as heavily as you do primary votes from blue states and swing states. But only the Democrats would be moronic enough to do so, since the entire nominating process is meant to select a General Election winner. As we know, but Obamans do not seem to realize, the General Election is not a caucus, and Idaho, Utah and Kansas will not be going Democratic this year. In order to feed Obama's delusions, the DNC enabled him by kneecapping Hillary's strongest, most delegate-rich states in the primaries. Had Michigan and Florida "counted," Hillary would be the nominee right now.

So, why would Obama Rose think he has what it takes to be President? On what basis did he decide that he deserved his shot at the big time? A non-existent resume. A thin voting record. A couple of good speeches. Seemingly-sound policies and positions that he changes or discards at a moment's notice.

Does he really think he's got the right stuff?

The American people don't think so. He didn't win the popular vote. He didn't win any of the big swing states in the primaries, and now the polls show he's losing them to John McCain, or is winning them, but within the margin of error. Moreover, he is massively underperforming generic Democrats on a whole range of issues, including the war in Iraq and the economy. Sorry, folks, that's the electoral kiss of death.

But Obama Rose shoulders on, insisting it's his turn no matter what. He pooh-poohs "those people" who don't understand His Greatness. They don't deserve him. They don't listen to him. They don't understand him. His fingers are in his ears and he's singing as loudly as he can.

Unfortunately, Senator Obama's fate is in our hands. Somewhere, somehow, I believe he knows it, and that we, the "some people," have rejected him as soundly as Mama Rose was rejected by Broadway. Down deep in his narcissistic soul, Obama Rose knows he is going to lose this election. Due to his overweening, unreasonable desire to be President, we are now going to be stuck with four more years of Republican ownership of the Executive Branch. His grasping ambition has ruined his family (the American People) and himself.

But it's not his fault. It's all because of "those people." Right, Obama Rose?

Cross-posted at The Confluence

It's The Economy

2008-08-07T14:03:00.004-04:00

And now, we take a short break from discussing the election to talk about the economy.

As "The Critic" used to say, "It STINKS."

In an eerie echo of President Herbert Hoover in 1930, during a Presidential campaign against Roosevelt, following the stock market crash and collapse of numerous smaller banks, Paulson recently appeared on national TV to declare “our banking system is a safe and sound one.” He added that the list of “troubled” banks “is a very manageable situation.” In fact what he did not say was that the US bank deposit insurance fund, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has a list of problem banks that numbers 90. Not included on that list are banks such as Citigroup, until recently the largest bank in the world.

The statement is hardly reassuring. The California savings bank, IndyMac Bank which was declared insolvent a month ago was not on the FDIC list a week before it collapsed. The reality is the crisis created by “securitizing” millions of home mortgages into new financial instruments and selling the packages to pension funds and investors is unfolding like a snowball rolling down the Swiss Alps.

Indication of the lack of control is the statement just weeks ago by Paulson that “financial institutions must be allowed to fail.” That was two weeks before Paulson went to Congress to ask for “Congressional authority to buy unlimited stakes in and lend to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.” As I noted in my recent piece, Financial Tsunami: The Next Big Wave is Breaking: Fannie Mae Freddie Mac and US Mortgage Debt , those two private companies insured some $6 trillion worth of home mortgages, half the entire US mortgage debt. Paulson defended the request by calling Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae “the only functioning part of the home loan market.”

That comes back to the statement about a “sound banking system”. Can we have a sound banking system where the only functioning part is literally insolvent—its debts greater than its assets?

As we say in the banking biz, YIKES. Isn't it amazing how no one in the corporate media is talking about how serious this situation is? Guess they don't want a run on the banks on top of everything else. You know, high gas prices, high food prices, lack of jobs, adjustable rate mortgages coming due, retail store chains closing all over America...

What? You haven't heard about these closings? Well, here's a partial list from the same article. By the way, 70% of the U.S. GDP is now based on consumer spending.

Ann Taylor closing 117 stores nationwide.
Eddie Bauer to close more stores after closing 27 stores in the first quarter.
Cache, a women’s retailer is closing 20 to 23 stores this year.
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherines closing 150 stores nationwide
Talbots, J. Jill closing stores. Talbots will close all 78 of its kids and men's stores plus another 22 underperforming stores. The 22 stores will be a mix of Talbots women's and J. Jill.
Gap Inc. closing 85 stores
Foot Locker to close 140 stores
Wickes Furniture is going out of business and closing all of its stores. The 37-year-old retailer that targets middle-income customers, filed for bankruptcy protection last month.
Levitz - the furniture retailer, announced it was going out of business and closing all 76 of its stores in December. The retailer dates back to 1910.
Zales, Piercing Pagoda plans to close 82 stores by July 31 followed by closing another 23 underperforming stores.
Disney Store owner has the right to close 98 stores.
Home Depot store closings 15 of them amid a slumping US economy and housing market. The move will affect 1,300 employees. It is the first time the world's largest home improvement store chain has ever closed a flagship store.
CompUSA (CLOSED).
Macy's - 9 stores closed
Movie Gallery – video rental company plans to close 400 of 3,500 Movie Gallery
and Hollywood Video stores in addition to the 520 locations the video rental
chain closed last fall as part of bankruptcy.
Pacific Sunwear - 153 Demo stores closing
Pep Boys - 33 stores of auto parts supplier closing
Sprint Nextel - 125 retail locations to close with 4,000 employees following 5,000 layoffs last year.
J. C. Penney, Lowe's and Office Depot are all scaling back
Ethan Allen Interiors: plans to close 12 of 300 stores to cut costs.
Wilsons the Leather Experts – closing 158 stores
Bombay Company: to close all 384 U.S.-based Bombay Company stores.
KB Toys closing 356 stores around the United States as part of its bankruptcy reorganization.
Dillard's Inc. will close another six stores this year.

One would think that both presumptive presidential nominees would be talking about how we can resolve these matters. Well, at least one would expect Senator Obama to do so, since Democrats have a natural advantage on that issue.

One would be wrong about that.

In a sobering aside, readers should not expect any serious economic remedies for the crisis from a President Barack Obama. Obama’s National Campaign Finance Chairman is Chicago real estate billionaire, Penny Pritzker, who is heir to among other things the Hyatt Hotels. It was Pritzker together with Merrill Lynch ten years ago who first developed the model for securitizing “sub-prime” real estate, the trigger for the current Financial Tsunami crisis.

So, Obama is getting his financial advice from the person who helped create this disaster in the first place.

Wonnnnnnnnderful.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton's shadow is growing. Yesterday, she penned a remarkable Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal, which made clear to the Republicans that she understands their policy of Disaster Capitalism all too well - and that she will dedicate the rest of her political career to fighting it.

Who would you trust with the economy the most - John McCain, Barack Obama, or Hillary Clinton?

I'd like to see some polling on THAT issue.

Paris Hilton for President!

2008-08-06T09:42:00.004-04:00

Okay, maybe not. But man, I wish Barack Obama could borrow her sense of humor - and her ad shop.

As you may or may not know, John McCain put out an ad comparing Obama to empty-headed celebrities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Senator Obama, the hysterions in the Obamasphere, and many opinionators in the corporate media immediately screamed, "RACISM!" because Britney and Paris are white and of course, McCain implied that Obama wanted to have sex with them. (insert eyeroll here) This tactic backfired completely, and allowed McCain's true narrative of Obama as young, vapid and unready to lead to infect the public's brains, completely unchallenged by the Senator from Illinois.

If only Obama had the first fucking clue about how to fight the Republicans, I might feel a little better about him. Indeed, when I first picked Hillary as my favorite waaaaaaaayyyyyy back when (second favorite, since Al Gore wasn't running), it was her experience standing up to the right wing noise machine that attracted me to her. And my first reservations about Obama came when I saw how his vaunted "post-partisan" approach was unlikely to achieve any results. As The Great Krugman said,

As health care goes, so goes the rest of the progressive agenda. Anyone who thinks that the next president can achieve real change without bitter confrontation is living in a fantasy world.

Confrontation is not the same as whining that McCain is being mean to you because you're black. You need to take on the Republics on the issues, and make them back down. Up the ante. No matter what they do, laugh it off and refocus the debate.

Which brings me to President Paris Hilton. Here is her hilarious and pointed rebuttal to McCain's charges that she is a dumb blonde who contributes nothing to society. (Yes, Paris Hilton got the point of the ad and Barack Obama and his supporters didn't. Things that make you go "Hmmmmmmmm.")

"Hey America, I'm Paris Hilton and I'm a celebrity, too. Only I'm not from the olden days and I'm not promising change like that other guy. I'm just hot," Hilton said, speaking as she reclined in a pool chair in a revealing bathing suit and a pair of pumps. "But then that wrinkly, white-haired guy used me in his campaign ad, which I guess means I'm running for president. So thanks for the endorsement white-haired dude."

"I want America to know that I'm, like, totally ready to lead," she said.

She then discusses energy policy, and suggests a hybrid of McCain's offshore oil drilling plan and Obama's incentives for new energy technology.

"Energy crisis solved! I'll see you at the debates," she said,
Senator Obama, do you see what she did there? She made fun of herself and of McCain, and then focused on the issues!

And do you know how McCain's people responded?

McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds said Hilton appears to support his candidate's "all of the above" energy solution.

"Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan," Bounds said.
BAM! Wow. Suddenly, we're back to talking about the issues.

If only Barack Obama, instead of screaming "OMG TEH RACISM!!111!!!" had put out an ad that went a little something like this:

"Hi, I'm Barack Obama. Of course, you know that. Maybe John McCain's right, and I AM the biggest celebrity in the world. But that doesn't mean I don't have a plan for a better America.

John McCain wants to stick to outdated technologies like coal, nuclear power and offshore drilling, which would continue to harm our environment and keep us stuck in the 20th Century. My plan emphasizes renewable resources, existing, effective technology like wind and solar power, and will have us completely independent from foreign oil by the year 2018.

Hmmmm. Maybe they like me...for a reason."
This is so simple, Paris Hilton can do it; but apparently, Barack Obama can't. And now, he has been forced to admit that he WAS race-baiting when he talked about not looking like Presidents from the past, and has had to publicly state that John McCain's campaign is cynical, not racist. Now McCain can use that soundbyte against Obama if they do decide to go all Harold Ford on him.

If this is how Obama is going to run the GE, I see a McGovern-like defeat for the Democrats - and possible down-ticket issues in the House and Senate as well.

I sure hope the SuperDelegates have the courage to do their jobs, because it looks like, despite the best efforts of the DNC to prevent any choice at the Convention, Hillary WILL be in nomination and on the ballot.

It's simple, SuperDelegates - do you want to win in November, or do you want to lose?

I'll bet even Paris Hilton could answer that question correctly.

Cross-posted at The Confluence

Our Post-Racial Paradise: A Play in One Dreamy Act.

2008-08-05T09:36:00.004-04:00

(H/T to Garychapelhill for the title)

THE SCENE: President Barack Obama's Oval Office. A wall with a computerized panel and a door occupies center stage left, and the office occupies the remainder of the stage.

The decor of the office has totally changed. The drapes around the room are now printed with the Obama faux-presidential seal. Everywhere are pictures of President Obama, looking saintly and generous. There is also a picture of Michelle and the kids, but it is much smaller and less prominently placed. The American Flag has been redesigned; in the center of the field where the stars were is now a picture of Our Dear Leader.

The man himself sits behind the desk in the Oval Office, garbed in spotless white robes. Above his head, a sign reads "President Barack Obama" in large, elegant letters. He is in deep meditation, or perhaps, is sleeping off the effects of too much "holy water" the night before.

BILL BURTON, Barack Obama's now Chief of Staff, appears at the door. The door speaks in a pleasant, female, robotic voice.

DOOR: Please enter your permanent password.

(BURTON enters a few numbers on the keypad.)

DOOR: Please speak your name.

BURTON: William Burton.

DOOR: Voiceprint authorized. Please state today's password.

BURTON: Ummmmm...Obama is the greatest president that was, is, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen?

DOOR: Password expired. Please state today's password.

BURTON: Ummmmm...(pulls out an iPhone, checks it, smiles) All hail Barack Obama, President Extraordinaire and really awesomely cool dude?

DOOR: Password accepted. (BURTON enters the Oval Office. OBAMA opens his eyes calmly.)

OBAMA: Good morning, Bill.

BURTON: Morning, Mr. President!

OBAMA: Please, sit down. (BURTON does so.) Now, what's on your mind, Bill?

BURTON: Well, it's this "New Racism Handbook" we published last week. Even though our NBC affiliates are over the moon about it, I've been hearing a lot of complaints in the (using air quotes) "blogosphere."

OBAMA (frowning): Really? I thought those guys loved me.

BURTON: Oh, most of them do, sir! But some of them are saying that 10,000 forbidden words are too hard to remember. Words like "arrogant" and "presumptuous" are easy, but some of the scientists are protesting about changing the term "black hole" to "lightwardly challenged hole." And making public racism a crime! They are really not on board with that one.

OBAMA (smiling): Oh, that's okay, Bill. Let me tell you a bit more about my master plan. (getting up and striding commandingly around the room) You see, I wanted to take the troops out of Iraq and transfer them directly to Afghanistan to continue fighting there. But, it turns out, they're already so exhausted from their fourth and fifth tours, they were useless to us. Our mission in Afghanistan, whatever it is, cannot succeed this way. We need more bodies, but Blackwater keeps raising its prices. It's a tough situation.

BURTON: Sounds tough, Mr. President!

OBAMA: So, here's what I'm thinking: No one can possibly remember all 10,000 words. We'll use the warrantless wiretapping George and Dick set up to spy on people and catch them for the crime of public racism. Then, I'll offer them a choice: do prison time, or join the Army. We'll be up to quota in no time, and we can keep sending soldiers over to Afghanistan for 8-10 years, or whenever our mission is completed, whichever comes first! And best of all, no draft! (OBAMA smiles triumphantly, waiting for BURTON's praise)

BURTON (a little late): That's brilliant, Mr. President!

OBAMA: Isn't it? It was all my idea, of course. Now, why don't you go work with Axelrod and Plouffe today. They're hiring a bunch of racism-spotters, and they could use some help.

BURTON: Yessir, Mr. President! (bustles off importantly)

(From behind a curtain, NANCY PELOSI, HOWARD DEAN and DONNA BRAZILE step forward.)

PELOSI: Oh, Barack. You told him this was your idea?

(OBAMA sits down, a bit petulantly.)

OBAMA: Well, shit, Nancy, I can't let my people know you guys are telling me what to do. They believe in me! I am The One!

BRAZILE (soothingly): Of course you are, Barack honey. You just keep doing what you're doing.

DEAN: That's right, Barack. Everything's going exactly the way we planned it.

(Suddenly, the scene dissolves. We see HILLARY and BILL CLINTON in their bedroom in New York. It's decorated in traditional American style, with rich colors and fabrics. HILLARY is sitting up in bed, terrified and breathing hard. She is wearing silk pajamas. BILL is wearing a matching pair of pajamas. He stirs awake.)

BILL: Hillary - what's the matter?

HILLARY: Oh, Bill - I had the most awful dream!

BILL (sighing): President Obama again?

HILLARY: Bill, this one was really terrible. It was about -

BILL (impatiently): Honey, if you're ever going to get a good night's sleep again, you know what you have to do.

HILLARY (coming to a decision): Dammit Bill, you're right. I'm putting my name in nomination at the Convention. Screw the Party and screw their staged withdrawal. I'm in it to win it!

BILL: Attagirl! (They hug.) Now, about my Supreme Court nomination...

(HILLARY laughs her trademark belly laugh.

LIGHTS OUT.)

Cross-posted at The Confluence

It's On Purpose.

2008-08-04T08:42:00.005-04:00

Ahhh! I took a weekend away from the news and the primary race, and look what goodies I missed! Wow, it's just so much fun to watch the Obama for America Party keep destroying any small vestige of hope I had that they might ever do the right thing and nominate Hillary Clinton, or at least honor her enormous delegate count and popular vote victory at the Convention.

Here are some little newsbites that should make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Barack Obama now proclaims that he wants Michigan and Florida seated in full.

Now that The One is the presumptuous nominee, he is doing exactly what Democratic insiders thought would be done in January - pretending that it's important to him that the Michigan and Florida Delegates have their voices heard at the Convention. Of course, if Hillary is not listed as a nominee on the ballot, their voices will not be heard, because they won't be able to cast their votes for Hillary Clinton.

No one in the Obama/DNC Conglomerate thinks for one minute that this one-fingered salute will bring Party Unity (TM). Obviously, the New Democratic Party (AKA Obama for America) is proud to telegraph their complete and total disdain for people who voted for the Senator from New York.

It's on purpose.

In other news, Obama is now okay with off-shore drilling, taking a position similar to "gasp" John McCain's. Surprise, surprise, he sells out his previous, more liberal (and more sensible) position in order to gain political points. Gosh, it almost seems like he would do and say anything to win! I sure hope the "progressive" media, like The Nation, doesn't find out!

Oops. Too late.

It's on purpose.

Look, my fellow PUMAs, we need to wrap our minds around the fact that Barack Obama does not want our votes. He does not want Party Unity (TM). He wants either excision, or submission. Either you're with him (willingly or forcibly), or against him.

We need to stop thinking about this election as if it were business as usual. That is what Hillary did, and look where it got her. This campaign, the toxic creation of Axelrove and the Chicago Machine, is a nuclear missile aimed at the Democratic Party. The entire purpose of this weapon is to remove the Clintons and their voters from the Party. It is to be destroyed in order to be "saved." And if some collateral damage happens in the meantime, well, that's what happens in a war, isn't it? Better luck...never.

We need to understand that they do not care about us. We need to stop writing Howard Dean and the Obama delegates. They're all on board with Obama for America, and have been for years. We need to go to Hillary herself, and her delegates. They are the only ones who can save the Party from destruction.

We don't have much time to maximize our effectiveness, but if I were in charge of the PUMA conference in DC, I would say that we need to break Hillary out of her Party Loyalty frame of mind. We need to let her know that Barack Obama is not a Democrat, and will not govern as such. We need to explain to her that we need her leadership NOW. The economy is in a shambles and more adjustable rate mortgages are coming due soon. Major financial institutions are failing. Meanwhile, Obama and McCain play footsie with American lives and livelihoods, trying to outdo each other in their attempts to prove that they can best continue the policies of the Worst President Ever.

Some say that we can survive four years of McCain as President (Obama is unelectable, as has been quite obvious for some time now), then wait for Hillary to run in 2012. I disagree with this strategy. After the new Democrats have taken over the Party (which will happen, with Obama as nominee, whether or not Obama wins in November), who knows if they will even let her run for President again?

From now on, I say we contact Hillary every single day and tell her that she must be the nominee. This movement is not about Hillary per se, and yet, she has now become a symbol of the FDR wing of the Democratic Party. If we don't get her elected now, our century's FDR may never get a chance to put a New New Deal in place that will revitalize the country we love so much.

And it's on purpose.

The Double Agent: A Play in One Twisted Act.

2008-08-01T09:20:00.004-04:00

THE SCENE: Two offices, one belonging to KKKARL ROVE and the other belonging to DONNA BRAZILE. Each office takes up half of the stage, with ROVE's office stage right, and BRAZILE's, stage left.

ROVE's office is furnished in traditional Republican style, with dark wood, leather chairs, stuffed animal heads on the walls, and a fireplace with Nixon's portrait over the mantle. The desk, which sits against the backstage wall, is large and covered with papers, a multi-line phone, and a small laptop. A framed poster of the movie "1984" hangs over it, behind ROVE's head. The man himself sits hunched at the desk, working furiously on many things at once.

BRAZILE's office is full of bright colors and abstract art. Her taste is more Danish modern than Rove's, with a focus on light woods and steel accents. She's also sitting behind a desk against the backstage wall, but unlike Bush's Brain, she is busy taking turns staring off into space, and staring at the phone. Clearly, she is waiting for a call that just isn't coming.

Finally, BRAZILE makes a decision. She picks up the phone and hits a Speed Dial button.

BRAZILE (into the phone): Hello? Helga, is that you? (smiling) Hi there darlin', it's Donna. (Her smile disappears after hearing what Helga has to say.) Now don't you play that little game with me, Helga. I know he's screening. I've been trying to get him for a week. You just go ahead and put me on with him, or I'll just keep calling every three minutes until you do. (slight pause while Helga gives in) That's what I thought. I'll hold, but not for long!

(In ROVE's office, the phone buzzes.)

ROVE (hitting the speaker setting on the phone): Yes, Helga?

HELGA: Karl, it's that Donna Brazile again. She says she's going to call every three minutes until you talk to her!

ROVE (frustrated): That woman just cannot take a hint! (sighs forebearingly) Okay, Helga, I might as well get this over with. Put her through. (A fake joviality enters his manner.) Hello, Donna!

BRAZILE (hitting the speaker setting on her phone): Well, FINALLY. Why have you been avoiding my calls, Karl? This had better be good. Things are starting to go really badly for President Obama. His bump in the polls from that trip he took last week has totally disappeared, and the media is starting to turn against him. They’re calling him the “presumptuous” nominee now, just like those PUMAs have been doing for the last few months! What are we going to do?

(ROVE is gleefully silent.)

BRAZILE: Hello? Are you there? Dammit, you helped me get the ball rolling with President Obama. Without your money and connections, he never would have gotten this far. But now our plan seems to be falling apart. You've gotta help me, Karl!

ROVE (allowing his full evil to show through): Well, Donna, I must say, you're a lot stupider than I thought you were. You still haven't figured it out? Good lord, woman, why don't you buy a clue?

BRAZILE (shocked): What the hell are you talking about, Karl?

ROVE (with malicious satisfaction): Oh, Donna, Donna, Donna. Didn't you ever wonder why I was so willing to be your friend? Why I was so happy to fund Obama's campaign in the start-up phase? Why I was so thrilled to send all those Republicans to the caucuses to help him get the delegates he needed to win the nomination? You're a gay black Democratic woman, and I'm Bush's Brain. Did you really think you and I were a natural fit?

BRAZILE (faintly): I thought it was because you wanted to be on the winning side. I thought you hated John McCain.

ROVE (leaning back in the chair, hands behind head): Oh, I did, Donna, I did. But that was before I realized that the winning side…is John McCain's side. With your help, John and I were able to knock out the strongest Democratic candidate and replace her with the weakest Democratic candidate. In a year where we thought all was lost, we Republicans are now poised and ready to take over the White House once again. Can you say, President McCain? I'm getting quite used to the sound of that myself.

BRAZILE: But Karl, you said Barack could win by expanding the electoral map. You said we didn't need the Democratic base, that we could win the West and South, and forget about those bitter hillbillies in Appalachia. You said -

ROVE (scornfully): And you believed me, didn't you? Good God, no wonder you've lost so many elections, Donna. What kind of an idiotic strategy is that? You've let your most reliable voters become completely disenchanted with their Party. That's something we Republicans would never do. We're smart enough to disrespect our voters behind their backs, so they won't find out how much we despise them! Election 101, Donna. When will you liberal elitists ever learn?

BRAZILE (dazed): I, uh, don't know what to say.

ROVE: How about "good-bye?" Because I hope this is the last time I have to talk to you. You make me sick to my stomach!

(BRAZILE and ROVE both disconnect from their speaker phones at the same time. ROVE, satisfied, sits back down at his desk and goes back to work. The lights slowly fade on his side of the stage.)

BRAZILE (standing up and pacing): Oh my God. Oh my God. I'm toast! I never told Barack where all that money was coming from. He thought he was getting Republican votes because they wanted to knock out Hillary, not him! What if he finds out that I was working with Karl? What if Howard Dean finds out? What am I going to do?!

(BRAZILE's phone rings.)

BRAZILE (hitting the speaker): H-h-h-hello?

HOWARD DEAN (menacingly): Hello, Donna.

BRAZILE (rallying a bit): Oh! Howard! How are you? What's new?

DEAN: Glad you asked. I want you to join me on my bus tour of the South. We think you can really help us reach out to African-American voters in the area. Plus, maybe you can scare some of the PUMAs away from me. They seem to show up everywhere I go, and I'm tired of answering their questions alone.

BRAZILE (relieved): Why, Howard, I'd be thrilled to come with you.

DEAN: Great, great! Your ride is just outside. Go ahead and pack. I'll see you soon!

(They both hang up.)

BRAZILE: Whew! I guess everything’s all right then. I’d better make sure all my tracks are covered before I get on that bus. (BRAZILE exits through a side door.)

(The lights come up in ROVE’s office. Standing next to the desk is HOWARD DEAN.)

DEAN: Hey, Karl, thanks for the tip about Donna being a double agent. I can’t believe she’s been trying to sabotage Barack this whole time!

ROVE (secretly amused): Yes, it is hard to believe.

DEAN: I wonder how long it will take her to realize that she’s not going on the bus, but under it?

(ROVE and DEAN share a manly laugh at BRAZILE’s folly.)

ROVE (reaches into a desk drawer, pulls out a humidor): May I offer you a cigar, Howard?

DEAN: Why, thank you, Karl. (ROVE does so.) I’m so looking forward to working with you. Now, what’s the next step for President Obama?

ROVE: Have you ever heard of Diebold, Howard?

(LIGHTS OUT.)

Cross-posted at The Confluence

A New Venture

2008-07-31T16:34:00.003-04:00

Well, folks, I have branched out yet again! I've been hired by Suite 101 to review films and television for them. My first review was posted today. Woo-hoo! I'll be posting there regularly - at least three times a month.

If you're interested in reading my bloviations and ruminations on USA's spy series "Burn Notice," click the link below.

Burn Notice

Enjoy!

I Am Ridiculous.

2008-07-30T09:10:00.006-04:00

It's true! At least, according to the media, the Democratic Party, and of course, the man even our bought-and-paid-for press corpse is starting to call the "presumptuous nominee."

I'm not ridiculous because I'm a PUMA, though. I'm ridiculous first, because I'm a woman, and second, because I'm a woman who refuses to do what Daddy tells me to.

You know, there's just something so icky about being a woman anyway. And kind of embarrassing. I mean, I look down at my body, and I have two bumps where I don't need them, and I'm missing a critical bump somewhere south of my belly button. Ewwwwwww, what's that about? If only I had that bump, I could be in charge. I could do whatever I wanted to and no one would think it was ridiculous.

Look at George W. Bush. This man has the manners of a pig in slop. He talks with his mouth full, he farts, he calls his right-hand man "Turd Blossom," he gives the Chancellor of Germany a shoulder rub, he can't keep from invading peoples' personal space. Of course, his Bushisms are legendary.

Yet is he ridiculous? Why no. For most of his horrific Reign of Error, no one in the press or the Democratic Party questioned this man's credibility or right to be in his seat. He has that scrap of flesh hanging off his pelvis, so he must be respected.

Of course, Hillary was not in possession of that precious penile attachment. Open season, baybee! Let's talk about her hair, her "cankles," her cleavage, the horrifying spectacle of a woman growing older in office! Let's talk about her coldness, her crocodile tears, her laugh, her ambition, her similarities to your "psycho" ex-girlfriend, her (supposed) menstrual cycle! Hahahahaha! Ooooh, it's just all so delicious!

And when women object to this treatment of a woman who has attained a level of success matched only by a few others in our vast country of 300 million people? Why, we are just imagining it. We white women are a problem you just have to live with. How can Daddy fix it? You want a kiss, sweetie? Or maybe you just need to be taken into a room by a man and only one of you comes out?

Well, my lovelies, take a look at what you have wrought. Are you proud of yourselves?

Look at your Beloved, Obama, strutting around Europe as if he were already the President. Look at how poorly he's doing in the polls (recently dropping to 4 points behind McCain in Likely Voters) now that he doesn't have the Queen of All Vaginal Dentatae, Hillary Clinton, to demonize. Look how pompous and arrogant and empty he is. Look how little he has to offer for all the promises he has made. Barack Obama is the poster child for preening, unearned, overweening male pride. No wonder he sends a thrill up fellow traveller Chris Matthews' leg.

The awakening of PUMA is exactly what the terrified little boys who love Obama are afraid of. The idea that women will some day look around and realize how much power they really have makes them simply crazy with terror.

And the fact that men, real men who are comfortable with female empowerment, have joined the movement? Well, how many times have you even seen the fact that some PUMAs are men even acknowledged by the media or the Democratic Party or (Heaven forfend) the presumptuous nominee himself?

My dear little FanBoyz of Obama, members of the "I Hate Hillary Just Because" club, you are the ones who are ridiculous. And you're starting to know it, aren't you?

How does it feel to look in the mirror and realize that people are laughing at you? That you have prostituted yourself for a man who is Just Not That Into You?

I hope that feeling is as painful as it deserves to be. Because thanks to your actions, we are thisclose to being deprived of the only candidate this year who is experienced, qualified, willing and able to lead this country out of Bush's abyss.

Why?

Because she is ridiculous.

Did you need to ask?

Cross-posted at The Confluence

LV vs. RV: The Democrats' Losing Proposition

2008-07-29T09:16:00.009-04:00

Original photo at Chilean Fauna

A couple of very interesting polls have come out recently. One shows Barack Obama leading John McCain nationally, and another shows John McCain leading Barack Obama nationally. The difference between these polls? Likely Voters versus Registered Voters.

Obama was ahead 47%-44% among registered voters, down from a 6-percentage point lead he had last month. McCain led 49%-45% among likely voters, reversing a 5-point Obama lead among that group. In both cases, the margin of error is +/—4 points.

What's going on? Here is how USA Today explains the methodology behind their polling.

To determine whether they were likely voters, poll participants were asked how much thought they had given the election, how often they voted in the past and whether they plan to vote this fall. McCain's gains came because there was an even number of likely voters from each party. Last month, the Democrats had an 11-point edge. (emphasis added)

Now, there are two ways to look at that astonishing fact. One is that Republicans are starting to energize against Barack Obama. This is, of course, the way that USA Today interprets it.

The other is that Democrats are losing interest in Barack Obama and are planning on either voting down-ticket, staying home, or using the nuclear option (literally?) by voting for John McCain. This is the way I interpret it. I mean, gee whiz, doesn't that huge drop in support for Obama (11 points in one month) coincide quite interestingly with the formation of a certain group comprised of Democrats who don't support Obama? Golly, if only I could remember the name of that combine of crazy old ladies...

Never mind, it'll come to me. Meanwhile, let's read more of USA Today's interpretation of Obama's hemorrhaging of support within his own Party.

Nearly two months after the Democrats' pitched primary battle ended, more Republicans than Democrats say they are "giving quite a lot of thought" to the election. Backlash to Obama's trip, fueled by McCain's criticism, also boosts GOP engagement. Six in 10 Republicans said news media coverage of Obama's trip was "unfairly positive."

Aha! Only NOW are Republicans giving "quite a lot of thought" to the election! Before now, they weren't paying any attention whatsoever. And what a surprise - Republicans think the media favors Democrats. Oooooh. Shocker!

Has USA Today ever spoken to Republicans before? Newsflash: They always pay attention to Presidential elections; and they've been flogging the "liberal media" canard for decades. (In this case, it happens to be true that the media is pushing Obama, but that matters not. They would have said the same thing regardless.)

Sorry, darlings, it's not about the Republicans. It's about the Democrats and their desire to remake the Democratic Party without the Clintons. Bill and Hillary, what with their success and popularity and intelligence, really must make those liberal elitist Party Leaders feel as weak and inadequate as all get-out. What other reason could there be for this bizarre election strategy?

It's certainly not some quest for ideological purity. That notion is laughable. Obama's disgraceful vote for telecom/BushCheney immunity (otherwise known as the FISA bill) showed that he is nothing but a tool of the big corporations, especially AT&T, which has now been kind enough to sponsor the Democratic Convention. Good thing too, because I don't know how they were going to pay for it otherwise! (What? I'm sure there was no quid pro quo there whatsoever.)

A painfully ironic twist to this whole mess is that "evil corporate whore Hillary" voted AGAINST immunity. It didn't surprise those of us who actually know her record of keeping her promises, but it sure showed a lot of Obama supporters that the Senator from Illinois is "not the man they thought they knew."

And that is the weakness of Obama as a candidate. No one knows what he's going to do, and when he does do something, the base doesn't like it. As reflected in the USA Today story, that trip to Europe and Iraq didn't do him any favors here in America, where we actually vote and stuff. (Only 35% saw Senator Obama's "Look at Me, I'm Presidenting!" trip in a positive light.)

This is a major gamble by the Democrats. Can they win without Clinton's voters, who tend to have a long history of voting Democratic, as well as volunteering for, and donating to, Democratic candidates? Can they create enough LV's to counteract the loss of RV's, many of whom have become PUMAs in protest of this strategy?

In my opinion, their proposition is a losing one. If the Democrats want to win in November, they will have to get over their childish, vindictive hatred of Bill and Hillary Clinton and nominate Hillary at the Convention.

The alternative? Well, Nancy, Harry, Howard and Donna, what happens when you give a party and nobody comes?

PUMA!

Cross-posted at The Confluence

Want a Seat at the Democratic Convention? Better Promise to Campaign for Obama

2008-07-28T09:00:00.005-04:00

You know the most horrible, Orwellian and frustrating thing about Barack Obama's campaign?

He keeps doing things that are absolutely unprecedented and should induce whiplash in the corporate media, but they seem to pass totally unremarked. Things like removing his name from a state ballot, then claiming votes and delegates from that state (even stealing four of Hillary's delegates!); claiming that he clinched the nomination, when he didn't (he needed 2109 pledged delegates and didn't get them); becoming One with the DNC; moving DNC Headquarters to Chicago; taking a giant media entourage on his SO NOT POLITICAL faux-Presidential trip to Europe and Iraq; and so on and so on. No presumptive nominee has ever done any of these things. IOKIYO!

I've been waiting for a few days for someone to notice this little story in Politico, but so far, it seems to be slipping under the radar. So, for your hair-tearing pleasure, I give you:

The Price for Obama Tickets is Activism

The crowd enveloping Barack Obama when he accepts the Democratic nomination for president at Invesco Field at Mile High will be asked to get to work for the privilege of witnessing the historic event live.

In a half-hour interview Wednesday with The Denver Post, Obama's deputy campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand, said he wants to use the ticketing process as a massive recruitment tool meant to bring in supporters from all 50 states and energize them to carry the campaign into the final 60 days of the general election.

"We're going to ask those 80,000 people in that stadium to march out of there and go with very specific instructions and goals to register millions of new voters," Hildebrand said.

The campaign announced July 7 that it would hold the final night of the Aug. 25-28 convention at Invesco Field and open Obama's acceptance speech to thousands of spectators. Official details of the so-called community credential process are expected early next week, the campaign said.

By seating the 6,000 delegates down on the field normally defended by the Denver Broncos, and by keeping the number of journalists, technicians and VIPs at the same level as those attending the Pepsi Center events earlier in the week, the campaign could bring in more than 60,000 members of the public, Hildebrand said.

[snip]

Hildebrand said that to ensure that the campaign fills the stadium, the application process becomes in and of itself a recruiting tool.

"Every single person is going to be a level of seriousness," Hildebrand said. "You know, 'Tell us how you're going to get there from Maine. Tell us how you're going to get there from Florida. Give us a sense of whether or not you're really serious about this. If you're not, we're going to provide someone else with this.' "

Those who want a seat will begin the process at their local Democratic Party office. While demonstrating their ability to attend, they also will be encouraged to sign on to the campaign as volunteers.

"They fill out a form; there's a conversation," Hildebrand said. "We ask them and encourage them to register voters and to get out the vote and those activities that are important to us. It's not a requirement, but it's going to be an encouragement."

Another use of the Aug. 28 speech meant to leverage public support is to use a technique popular with the campaign to hand out names and phone numbers during its events and ask participants to use their cellphones to make get-out-the-vote calls.

If the Obama campaign has its way, there will not be one single solitary Hillary supporter in that entire stadium. Yet she has not conceded, has not released her delegates and could conceivably still win the nomination.

This is the creepiest, most underhanded, most cultish campaign I have ever seen. While the Obamanation becomes more and more suppressive and anti-democratic, the corporate media yawns and blabbers about whether or not he's patriotic enough. Um, who cares? George W. Bush was seen as patriotic, wasn't he?

Someone please wake me up from this nightmare.

The Narcissist, Part Deux

2008-07-27T10:00:00.004-04:00

Many of us around the blogosphere have noticed that Obama has a lot of Bush-like characteristics. The verbal gaffes are one key factor, of course; the Rovian style of his campaign, another - and he's shown a strangely Bushian propensity to lie on camera as well. (Senator Obama is not even ON the Banking Committee.)

But by far the most terrifying parallel to me is the personality trait that both Bush and Obama appear to share: Narcissism.

Last night, BostonBoomer wrote what I believe will become one of the most important analyses of Barack Obama's Narcissistic Personality Disorder. In it, she explains how each trait of NPD, as defined in the DSM IV-TR, is exhibited by Obama. Here is just one example, which demonstrates how Obama possesses the first trait of a person with NPD:

1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate
achievements)

To check off this item, a shrink would only have to look at the fact that Obama chose to run for POTUS with almost no relevant qualifications or experience and with such a thin resume that he has barely ever held a full-time job (h/t Katiebird). He has based his presidential campaign on the fact that he was a “community organizer” in the 1980s (even though he had no tangible accomplishments), was president of the Harvard Law Review in the 1990s (although he wrote no articles for publication), his undistinguished tenure as a state senator in IL, and an anti-war speech in 1992 that wasn’t even audio- or video-taped and didn’t rate even a mention in the local papers. Oh, and he wrote two autobiographical books by his mid-40s. He claims to have been a “civil rights attorney” (although he has argued no cases in court) and a consitutional law professor” (although he was really a part-time adjunct instructor who never published a single peer reviewed article).
But it looks like BostonBoomer isn't the only one who has noticed the striking signs of NPD in our presumptuous nominee. Obama's propensity for self-love is starting to be too obvious to ignore, even for our national press corpse.

More writing (and video) on this topic:

Obama and Narcissistic Personality Disorder

The Messiah

Obama' Narcissism

Who Does Obama Think He IS?

Some people were on to him a bit earlier than others.

Obama the Messiah of Generation Narcissism

Obama + Oprah = Ick!

Who is really running for Bush's third term?

Bill Burton's Secret Weapon: A Play in One Scientific Act.

2008-07-26T11:00:00.006-04:00

THE SCENE: BILL BURTON, Barack Obama's campaign manager, is sitting behind a large chrome and glass desk in a well-appointed, modern office. A large, sleek metal box with two buttons rests on top of the desk. One button is red, and reads "Verbiage;" the other is green, and reads "Statistics."

There is a computer (the latest Mac, of course) and a printer on the side of the desk. His iPhone is lying on the desk: Bill is [duh!] too hip for a landline. Besides which, he doesn't want AT&T spying on HIM!

In front of the desk is DAVID AXELROD, Barack Obama's right-hand man. They are sipping cups of coffee and finishing up croissants. AXELROD also has an iPhone in his hand, from which he will read the action items for the meeting.]

BURTON: Ah! The almond croissant was particularly moist today. So, David, what's on the agenda?

AXELROD: Okay, Bill, we've got several things that need our immediate attention. First off, as you know, President Obama's foreign-policy experience has now been brought up to parity with John McCain's after his week-long tour of Europe and the Middle East. So we're all good there. However, we estimated that a million people would attend his speech in Berlin, and even with two free concerts thrown in, we were nowhere near that number. Can we figure out how many people attended?

BURTON: No problemo! [addressing the box on his desk] Computer, how many people attended the Berlin rally?

COMPUTER [in sultry female voice]: Please press the green button. [BURTON does so.] Your answer is: Two hundred thousand.

AXELROD: Great, great. I'll send it out now. [notates the number in his iPhone and quickly sends it off to his press mailing list] Okay, next item is: The President skipped a visit to the troops while in Berlin because the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring in his cameras. How do we make it clear that President Obama does not, in fact, think of the troops as just a campaign prop?

BURTON [drawing in his breath]: Oooooh, that's a tough one. Let's see what our girl can come up with. Computer, what is the reason for Obama's skipping his visit to the troops?

COMPUTER: Please press the red button. [BURTON does so.] Your answer is: I.A.C.F.

AXELROD [confused]: IACF?

BURTON [embarrassed at the faux pas]: Um, that stands for "It's All Clinton's Fault." I keep telling her that is no longer an acceptable response, but she keeps defaulting to it - I don't know why. [addressing computer] Computer, please give alternate reason.

COMPUTER: Please press the red button. [BURTON does so.] Your alternate reason is: George W. Bush.

AXELROD: George W. Bush? What does she mean by that?

BURTON [nervously]: Search me. [both think for a moment]

AXELROD: Wait, wait! I've got it! We'll say the Pentagon stopped him from going. They were worried that it would look like a campaign visit. Brilliant, Bill! Gotta love that machine. [BURTON is visibly relieved. AXELROD dashes off another communique to the press corpse.] All right all right all right! Now, how about this one? People are raising the issue that President Obama's senior thesis is nowhere to be found.

BURTON: Heh. Thank goodness.

AXELROD: Yeah. So anyway, since Hillary's thesis was thoroughly reviewed and dissected in the media, why haven't we released Barack's?

BURTON: Wow. That IS a stumper! Computer, why haven't we released President Obama's thesis?

COMPUTER: Your question contains a logical fallacy. Please rephrase.

BURTON [rolling his eyes]: Fine, fine. [to AXELROD] She can't handle it when I say "President Obama." So literal-minded! [re-addressing computer] Computer, why haven't we released Senator Obama's thesis?

COMPUTER: Please press the red button. [BURTON does so.] Your response is: "The absurdity of spending any time discussing this issue on television at all makes it difficult to even respond to what you’ve done. Even presenting a balanced argument of what is such a specious story does not do justice to the ridiculousness of giving this any oxygen whatsoever."

[slight pause]

AXELROD: Well, it's a bit wordy, but I think it's the right tone. Great job again, Bill! Off it goes to my press contacts. [AXELROD works his iPhone.]

BURTON [looking at his iPhone]: So, David, is that about it? You know I have to bring the President his waffles.

AXELROD: Oh, just one more thing. Can that model do predictions?

BURTON [doubtfully]: Well, we did install a new module last week, but it's more of a "Magic Eight Ball" than a real analyzer.

AXELROD: Ahhhh, so what? Let's try her out. We may get something we like.

BURTON: Okey-dokey. What do you want me to ask her?

AXELROD: Ask her to predict the results of the November election. Who will become our next President? [snickering] As if we didn't know the answer to that.

BURTON [snickering]: Yeah! That's a good one, Davey. Let's have a little fun. Computer, who will become our next President?

COMPUTER: Please rotate me three times. [BURTON does so.] Your response is: Hillary Rodham Clinton.

BURTON: What? There must be some kind of malfunction. [starts hitting the side of the box]

COMPUTER: Barack Obama's campaign will self-destruct in thirty days.

AXELROD: What the hell is that bitch talking about? [crosses to desk and starts hitting the other side of the box]

COMPUTER: Party Unity, My Ass. PUMA. PUMA. PUMA! [COMPUTER explodes with a giant BANG! and a large puff of smoke.]

[After the smoke clears, BURTON and AXELROD have dirty faces, electric-shock hair, and exasperated expressions.]

AXELROD: Fifth one this month.

BURTON: Yup. Maybe we need a stronger anti-PUMA program. The PUMA virus keeps infecting all our bots.

AXELROD: Well, work on it, will ya? This is getting ridiculous. [begins walking out]

BURTON: Hey, Dave?

AXELROD: Yes, Bill?

BURTON: What if PUMA is the anti-virus, not the virus? What if we are the infection, and the Democratic body keeps rejecting us?

[brief pause]

AXELROD [menacingly]: Bill, you want my advice? Stop thinking so hard, or you'll end up going the way of your computer there.

BURTON [cowed]: Yessir. No problem. I was just -

AXELROD: I know what you were doing. Now, put your happy face on and go get the President his breakfast.

BURTON: Right away, sir. [involuntarily bursting out] PUMA!

AXELROD: WHAT DID YOU SAY?

BURTON [sheepishly]: Sorry, Dave. It's catching!

[LIGHTS OUT.]

Cross-posted at The Confluence

KKKarl Rove and Donna Brazile: Perfect Together

2008-07-25T11:38:00.009-04:00

[Original photos here and here.]

A commenter at The Confluence found this extraordinary chronology of the relationship between KKKarl and Donna.

If you don't have an "ah-HA!" moment after you read this, STEP AWAY FROM THE KOOL-AID. It's obviously causing brain damage.

No wonder Obama is starting to sound like a right-wing Republican. No wonder he is getting such favorable media instead of McCain, the original and traditional Media Darling. No wonder he had so much money at the beginning of his campaign - over $100 million from Bush Pioneers, oil companies, and Republican bundlers. No wonder he won red-state caucuses so handily but often lost the primaries from those same states. (A prime example: The Texas Pri-Caucus. Hillary won the primaries but Obama won the caucuses; thus he claimed victory in the delegate count.) Obama earned more delegates from his Idaho caucus victory than Clinton did from her victories in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island COMBINED.

The unholy matrimony between Bush's Brain and the Democratic Party was cemented by Brazile's desire to recreate the Democratic Party in the image of the Republican Party - but with African-Americans as the powerbrokers instead of rich white men. Incredibly, she calls this corruption of the Party of the working class "mobilizing the grassroots."

As for Rove, he wanted to knock out John McCain, a man whom Bush has still not forgiven for voting against the Deciderer's disastrous tax cuts, and of course make sure Hillary Clinton, the only strong progressive Democrat in the race, did not win the White House. There is no chance that Hillary would forgo the opportunity to prosecute Rove and Co. for all of their heinous crimes against America and its people.

But Obama? His chief legal advisor, Cass Sunstein, has already gone on record as saying that Bush-Cheney should not be impeached. And of course, Obama has already voted to immunize the telecom companies, and by extension the Bush Administration, for their illegal warrantless wiretapping of Americans. Of course, the warrantless wiretapping program is one of the most rock-solid reasons for impeachment, according to Constitutional law experts. Poof! There it went.

If Obama wins, the Bush agenda will continue, and there will be no accountability whatsoever for Rove, Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld and Rice. If McCain wins, what happens next will be determined mostly by a Congress with a much larger Democratic majority than in 2006, and with a much more diverse set of interests than those pushing either McCain or Obama (and possibly Hillary Clinton as Senate Majority Leader).

I'll take Choice B for $600, Alex.

By the way, if you'd like to remember what a real Democrat looks and sounds like, here's Hillary speaking on the Senate floor about alternative energy investment and gas price reduction.

Ah, a Democratic politician who believes in Democratic values.

WANT.

Cross-posted at The Confluence

Dear PUMAs, Stop Paying Attention! A Letter from the DNC/Obama Conglomerate to Over-Informed PUMA Voters

2008-07-24T13:57:00.004-04:00

Dear PUMAs,

Please, please, please stop paying attention to what we are doing. Our nerves are shot, thinking that our pre-planned installation of Barack Obama might not go through! Seriously, kitties - you think Howard Dean screamed in Iowa? You should hear him now!

We honestly thought everyone would unify behind Obama! Um, well, okay, we didn't really think that, since we've repeatedly told you we don't need you to win. But, ha ha, we were just kidding when we said you usually voted Republican! Can't you all take a joke?

Okay, maybe you all think Obama himself is a joke. Fair enough. He certainly has made a lot of gaffes lately. Tee-hee - he even claimed credit for legislation created by the Senate Banking Committee, calling it "my committee!" We thought it was hilarious that he pretended to head up a committee of which he is not even a member. Gotta love that Obama chutzpah! Ooooh-weeee!

Shouldn't you all be on vacation or something? Why have you been noticing how much Obama's positions are starting to resemble a rightwing Republican's? On everything from abortion to the Fourth Amendment to the war in Iraq, he's been throwing mainstream Democratic positions out the window, or as you would say, "under the bus." But if we tell you he's a Democrat, he's a Democrat! Why are you questioning our authoriteh?

Another thing. What is with this ridiculous insistence on Hillary's name being placed into the nomination at the Convention? Just because it's always been done that way is no reason to steal the nomination, which he has not yet earned, away from Obama! What's the matter, are you all racists or something?

In conclusion, just get over it. Acknowledge that we own your vote. And after the election, we don't expect to hear a peep out of you ever again, because we are the ones you've been waiting for.

Yours In Obama For America,

The DNC

Holy Tamole - It's the First Performance of One of My Plays!

2008-07-24T10:13:00.004-04:00

And I must say, it was a lot of fun.

Here, for your listening pleasure, is: Obama Hears a Huh?! A Play in One Oblivious Act, from The Confluence Players. (Turn it up - the sound is a bit faint.)

Cast:

Stage Directions - Riverdaughter
Barack Obama - Mawm
Bill Burton - Garychapelhill
Michelle Obama - Madamab
Sound Effects - Sheri Tag

Oh, The Humility

2008-07-23T09:55:00.002-04:00

Some people might say that I have strong opinions. [wink] Yet people who know me will not hesitate to tell you that I do admit when I'm wrong. And this primary season has been full of painful bricks falling on my heretofore clueless haid.

Here are just a few of the things I've realized as a result of the epic battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama:

Sexism is NOT dead.

The leaders of the Democratic Party hate Hillary and Bill Clinton, to the point of deliberately torpedoing Hillary's primary campaign in every possible way - including promoting an unqualified, inexperienced candidate in her stead, simply because he is African-American.

Sometimes, the right-wing stereotypes about Democrats are right.

Howard Dean would have made a bad President.

John Edwards may have quit before Super Tuesday because it is possible that he is cheating on his cancer-stricken wife. He would have made a bad President too.

The "progressive" media, for the most part, is not progressive at all. They just want in on the levers of power. So much for the Daily Kos, HuffPo, Air Obama, er, America...

A President must represent the center of the country, not an extreme fringe of left or right. Bush pretended to be a centrist, but was in reality a far-right radical. That is why his presidency was so harmful. In the same way, a far-left radical (like me) would not be an appropriate choice to lead this country. So, my place in the political spectrum is, and should be, on the fringes. (Now if only we could get the far-right wingnuts to realize the same thing!)

The Democratic Party is becoming as corporate-friendly and corrupt as the Republican Party.

What about you? Have you learned anything during this crazy election season? Oh, and by the way:

CHECK ME OUT ON BLOGTALK RADIO TONIGHT!

The Mother Of Us All: A Play In One Condescending Act.

2008-07-21T21:17:00.006-04:00

THE SCENE: NANCY PELOSI's office. Like her home, it is tastefully furnished in pastels. Comfy chairs are placed strategically around her desk. PELOSI is sitting behind it, looking at her computer screen and humming slightly.

A knock is heard at the door.

PELOSI: Come in!

[HOWARD DEAN, HARRY REID and DONNA BRAZILE enter.]

PELOSI [smiling]: Hi, everyone! How's everything going? Is all well with Obama for America?

DEAN: Oh, absolutely, Nancy! That trip to Europe and the Middle East has the media creaming its collective pants.

BRAZILE: Oh, HELL yeah. Man, you should see the photo-ops our future President has been getting!

REID [muttering]: Yeah - too bad we can't tape his mouth shut.

PELOSI [sweetly]: What was that, Harry dear?

REID [sighing]: Nothing, Nancy. Anyway, the reason we're here -

PELOSI: Let me guess - PUMA?

[ALL FOUR SIGH SIMULTANEOUSLY. REID, DEAN AND BRAZILE sit down dispiritedly.]

DEAN: Nancy, we just don't know what to do.

BRAZILE: We've tried telling them we don't need them and to get over it -

REID: We've tried ignoring them -

DEAN: Nothing is working! They STILL say they won't vote for President Obama!

PELOSI [soothingly]: Now, now, everyone calm down. All they're looking for is a little reassurance that we respect and honor them. [rising] No offense, but I think what you need is a more motherly approach.

BRAZILE: I KNEW we came to the right place! Harry, I can't believe you didn't want to ask her.

REID [exasperated]: Jesus, Donna! The important thing is, we're here now. So, Nancy, what do you suggest?

PELOSI [sitting back down behind her desk]: Come back in 15 minutes. I promise you won't be disappointed. [PELOSI, BRAZILE AND REID file out of the office.]

[FIFTEEN MINUTES PASS. Another knock at the door.]

PELOSI: Come in, everyone!

[BRAZILE, DEAN AND REID come in and sit down expectantly.]

DEAN: Well, Nancy, what have you got for us?

PELOSI: Check it out! [rising, clearing her throat, pacing while reading]

"Dearest PUMAs,

Please do not worry about a thing. All your concerns will be addressed once President Obama has taken office. You should emulate that paragon of patriotism, Britney Spears, and just trust us with the future of your country. After all, we have done such a great job with our majority since 2006!

As for the Vice Presidentship, that is President Obama's decision, not yours. I hate to be stern with you, because we really value your unquestioning support, but you realize that we are in charge and not you, don't you? I mean, it's not like it would really matter anyway. Hillary is yesterday's news. We are moving forward into a new, post-partisan, unicorn-filled future with our young, handsome, charming rockstar candidate!

So why don't you all just give up and let us do whatever we want? Resistance is futile, and you will be assimilated.

Love and kisses,

Grandma Pelosi"

[PELOSI stops, and waits expectantly. DEAN, BRAZILE and REID sit in stunned silence. Then, happy, relieved smiles break over their faces.]

BRAZILE: Damn, Nancy, that was fantastic!

DEAN: Wow. Great, great job, Madame Speaker. The iron fist in the velvet glove.

REID: Yeah - even I've gotta admit, that was a stellar performance. Brava!

PELOSI [preening]: Well, this oughta fix their wagon. Nothing can stop Obama now!

[ALL FOUR LAUGH. The Princess phone on PELOSI's desk rings.]

PELOSI: Hello? Oh, Hillary, is that you? [EVERYONE stops laughing.] Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-HUH. Well...um...of course that's your decision...uh...yes, yes, of course. I understand. [PELOSI hangs up the phone, shell-shocked.]

[brief pause while EVERYONE looks at PELOSI.]

REID [who can't take the tension any more]: Damnit, Nancy! What happened!

PELOSI: Well, um...it appears that Hillary has been getting an earful from her supporters. She has decided to place her name in nomination at the Convention, so that means...she could actually win instead of Barack.

[EVERYONE is mute with consternation.]

BRAZILE [breaking the silence]: Well, well, well. Looks like it's gonna be a very interesting summer.

[LIGHTS OUT]

Woman At Work!

2008-07-21T10:42:00.008-04:00

Today I am submitting my questions to Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney for our upcoming interview. Phew! Qweschuns are hard work, as our beloved Deciderer knows so well.

In the meantime, here are some posts to keep you busy:

Charles Lemos has an excellent piece at No Quarter on how Obama is being mocked from all sides of the spectrum.

Riverdaughter explains how to save the Democratic Party.

Firedoglake notices that evangelical outreach has its downside. Who suffers? Why, women, of course.

Joseph Cannon outlines the so-called "Pottery Barn Rule" to the Obamans.

I wish you all a happy Monday. Now, back to work!

Poor DNC Strategery, Part XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXIIV

2008-07-20T10:09:00.004-04:00

By now, you may have seen this absolutely wince-worthy effort by the DNC's Don Fowler and Alice Germond to get us PUMAs to fall in line and support the presumptuous nominee.

Here are some of my favorite parts:

I must confess a bit of fatigue and irritation with people who continue to carp, complain, and criticize the results of the primary and lay down conditions for their support.

Aw, sweetie, are our petty little concerns about the Obama/DNC Conglomerate rigging our primary election making you feel periodically down? It's hard to imagine why Democrats would care about a fair and honest election, isn't it? Poor thing. Do you need a Motrin?

While that last bit is hilarious in its petulance, this part is just irredeemably stupid.

The Los Angeles Lakers didn't establish conditions to recognize the Boston Celtics as NBA Champions; Roger Federer did not demand concessions before recognizing that Rafael Nadal defeated him at Wimbledon.

Well, did the referees throw the games for those teams, or did they win according to the rules, honestly and fairly? Last time I checked, the Celtics didn't have to steal points from the Lakers and claim 20 of their baskets "didn't count" in order to become NBA Champs.

Jesus Christ, how willfully ignorant are these people?

It doesn't take long for the claws to come out. Man, that must be one raging case of EDS (Electoral Dysfunction Syndrome)! Maybe some dark chocolate and a "Sex In the City" marathon would help?

It is time to act in a mature and resourceful fashion. It's time to put the primaries behind us.

That's right, we are immature and bitter and just need to GET OVER IT! Talk to the hands, you annoying PUMAs!

And now, for the pièce de résistance:

It's time to support Barack Obama without conditions or demands.

Excuse me? This is not laughable, it's downright scary. Do we ever support any politician without conditions or demands in this country? Does Barack Obama want to be a king or a president? What about the words "public servant" does he and his enablers misunderstand?

Look, it's very simple. Neither Obama nor Clinton has won the nomination until August 28th. Clinton has suspended her campaign, and has not conceded. She has not released her delegates, so they are free to vote for her at the Convention. Let that happen, and accept the consequences of that vote, or the nominee will be selected, not elected.

If you want something from your voters, you don't order them to do it. You ask them, and you recognize when they have legitimate grievances. Otherwise, you will lose them forever.

Are you listening, Party Leaders?

You are in danger of permanently alienating 18 million Democratic voters for the sake of an illegitimate, unqualified and unelectable nominee.

I don't know what it will take to get this message across before the Convention, but judging from the flop sweat beginning to emanate from the DNC, we are starting to make headway. Keep it up, PUMAs everywhere!

Get involved here.

Check out the latest ad from The Denver Group here.

Listen to PUMAs on No We Won't Radio here.

Party Unity, My Ass!

Conservative Lying Liars, Historical Revisionist Edition

2008-07-19T11:07:00.006-04:00

So, yesterday I figured my blood pressure had slipped a little low. I wandered over to The New York Times to see what David "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader" Brooks had to say. I mean, I find myself agreeing with both Ed Koch AND Paul Krugman these days, so why not give Bobo a try?

Let's just say, the man did not disappoint.

The first part of the editorial was actually quite well-written. I wondered if my Bizarro-World experiences lately had caused me to hallucinate.

We’re entering an era of epic legislation. There are at least five large problems that will compel the federal government to act in gigantic ways over the next few years.

First, there is the erosion of the social contract. Private sector firms are less likely to provide health benefits, producing a desperate need for health care reform. Second, there is the energy shortage. Rising Asian demand strains worldwide supply, threatening industry and consumers, and producing calls for a bold energy initiative. Third, there is the stagnation in human capital. During the 20th century, Americans were better educated than the citizens of any other power. Since 1970, that lead has been forfeited, producing inequality and wage stagnation. To compete, the U.S. will require a series of human capital initiatives.

Fourth, there’s financial market reform. In an intricately connected world, even Republican administrations cannot allow big institutions to fail. If government is going to guarantee against failure, then it is inevitably going to get more involved in regulating how businesses are run. Fifth, there’s infrastructure reform. The U.S. transportation system is in shambles and will require major new projects.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is the first time I've seen anyone in the MCM lay out the massive problems that face the next administration so succinctly. My eyes were wide with astonishment and happiness. Was this a new era of substantive political discussion by the New York Times?

Of course not. Read on, if you dare.

All of this means that the next few years will be an age of government activism. You may think, therefore, that this situation is ripe for Democratic dominance. The Democrats are the natural party of federal vigor. Voters prefer Democratic approaches to issues like health care and education by as much as 25 percentage points.

Yet, historically, periods of great governmental change have often been periods of conservative rule. It’s as if voters understand that they need big changes, but they want those changes planned and enacted by leaders who will restrain the pace of change and prevent radical excess.

No, it's as if David Brooks stopped reading history after 1929. But hey, he has to justify his McCain love somehow. Who cares if he completely ignores FDR's four terms in office, during which the New Deal was created and successfully implemented? Or perhaps he is forgetting LBJ and the Civil Rights Amendment?

The only "conservative" American President he could find to justify his preposterous thesis was Theodore Roosevelt, who resembles John McCain about as much as Beverly Sills resembles Britney Spears. His other example was Benjamin Disraeli, because conservatism in England is exactly the same as conservatism in America. [snort] In any case, here is how McCain equals The Rough Rider in the fuzzy brain of Mr. Brooks.

"The true function of the state as it interferes in social life,” Roosevelt wrote, “should be to make the chances of competition more even, not to abolish them.”

John McCain’s challenge is to recreate this model. He will never get as many cheers in Germany as Barack Obama, but for a century his family has embodied American heroism.
Ah, there it is - that delightful soupçon of élitism without which a Brooks column just isn't complete. You know you simply cannot implement change unless your family has been in America for at least 100 years being all heroic and stuff. Otherwise it's just change for change's sake! The White House will be painted in rainbow stripes, the Oval Office will smell like patchouli, and President Democrat will enact legislation forcing all Americans to wear their underwear on the outside. The Horror!

The column is a laughable effort by Brooks, to be sure, but to be fair, conservative propagandists are having a harder and harder time pushing their line these days. After all, Bush has proven that today's conservatism (a toxic stew of X-treme Reagonomics wedded to a Christofascist domestic policy and a neo-conservative foreign policy) is a recipe for disaster - the results of which Brooks readily acknowledges in the first portion of his column. The problem is, how to keep Democrats from another four decades of legislative - and possibly executive - dominance?

Poor Bobo. It's hard work being a Minister of Truthiness these days.

At least I know that in this world where every day seems to be Opposite Day, David Brooks can still be counted on to raise the blood pressure of almost everyone who reads his mind-blowingly crapulent bloviating.

Mission Accomplished, baby.

Action Alert - Send KKKarl to Jail!

2008-07-18T13:42:00.005-04:00

Wanna prod your Congresscritters to do something about KKKarl? Watch this remarkably concise summation of Rove's criminal doings from Robert Greenwald, then sign the petition to have the Turd Blossom permanently decked out in unflattering orange and leg chains. We all know that there is enough evidence to put this putz in jail for the next 40 years.

Executive privilege, my ass!

A Bittersweet Experience

2008-07-18T10:46:00.007-04:00

As some of my regular readers know, I am a professional singer as well as a politics-obsessed bloggista. Last night, I was privileged to sing in a Concert for Life, sponsored by the Project People Foundation. The experience left an indelible impression on me.

My part in the concert was small: I was there as a "backup" for the Cantor at the temple where I sing. (That temple has long been a partner in PPF's efforts). The rest of the time, I was able to sit, snack, and enjoy the other performers. And what a show it was!

Project People Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of impoverished and AIDs-scourged South Africans. To highlight this focus, PPF opened the concert with performances from South Africans who are part of the cast of The Lion King. They danced and sang with amazing energy, skill and passion. Then, an absolutely phenomenal gospel group sang several pieces that were so inspiring, they almost convinced me to convert. (Oy!) In the middle of all of this was a celebration of Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday, complete with a gorgeous cake.

Finally, the gospel choir closed with a knockout performance of "We Shall Overcome," with the first verse sung in Hebrew to honor the Temple's participation. The entire room stood up and held hands spontaneously. It was incredibly moving to touch strangers and colleagues in such a comfortable way, and sing along with that ultimate anthem of faith and resolve.

That was the sweet, and how sweet it was.

And now, for the bitter.

The performance took place at a large, prominent, mostly African-American church. Barack Obama's name was mentioned twice by various speakers, both times in the context of how inspiring it was as an example to children and adults that an African-American could be nominated as a Presidential candidate. (He hasn't clinched the nomination yet, but I knew where they were coming from.) The folks in the room seemed to agree (I saw a few nods and heard a quiet "Yes!" or two), but there was no applause or loud affirmation of these statements. (And believe me, this crowd was not shy - if you've ever been to a service in a black church, you know what I'm talking about.)

In fact, both of these statements were made by men, and I saw some female faces around the room freeze a little, as mine did. I wondered if the two thoughts that went through my head were running through theirs:

1) Women of color could have been inspired by Hillary as well as Obama; and

2) Why isn't he better?

Let's address #1 first.

Reverend Jeremiah Wright mentioned Hillary Clinton in his controversial "God Damn America" sermon, and his remarks were instructive. He asserted that Hillary hadn't had to work twice as hard as a white man to get the same job. It was a laughable and hugely ironic statement in the context of this primary, considering that Hillary has now all but lost the nomination to a man, although she was the winner of the popular vote and has a resume that, by any objective measure, dwarfs Obama's.

Clearly, gender equality is not a part of Reverend Wright's awareness. As every woman in his congregation could have told him, women do have to work twice as hard as a man in order to get the same job. Of course, even if they are fortunate enough to get such a job, they are paid, on average, 77 cents to the man's dollar.

Is there any reason to assume that Hillary Clinton would not continue her work to gain gender equality as President? No. The only way to beat Hillary was to smear her with false accusations of racism and race-baiting, and that is exactly what his campaign did. Out of an understandable sense of community, only a brave few African-Americans stood up for her or Bill Clinton in the face of Obama's divisive tactics, and those who did were intimidated with primary challenges or, in some cases, death threats from the Obama camp.

As frustrating as #1 is to me, #2 is what really hurt. Why is he The One, as Oprah famously dubbed him? What has he ever done for the black community? What has he promised to do for the black community? Why does he talk down to the NAACP and perpetuate white stereotypes about his own people?

Why doesn't he appreciate how much his community needs a figure of great stature, a person who aspires to be a fighter for social justice for all Americans, a person who strives for peace and an end to institutionalized racism and bigotry of all kinds - yes, even unto sexism and homophobia? Why isn't he humbled a bit by what the unqualified support of the black community means?

It breaks my heart that Senator Obama was not asked these questions by the Party Leaders before they decided to elevate him to national status. Fair or not, an African-American candidate will bear the burdens of his long-suffering community on his shoulders, just as Hillary would be expected to bear the burdens of long-suffering women on hers. And as I looked at all the faces around me last night, holding hands with a beautiful stranger and pledging to overcome, I could only think: African-Americans deserve better. They deserve so much better than vague platitudes about hope and change. They deserve a deep understanding of their plight and a lifelong commitment of time and resources, of heart and soul, towards mitigating that plight.

For all of our sakes, I hope they get what they deserve from America and, should he prevail, Barack Obama. As we all know, it's been a long time coming.

Cross-posted at The Confluence

Centrism, Triangulation and The Netroots

2008-07-17T10:04:00.006-04:00

With this week's Netroots Nation starting today, there will be two viewpoints represented: that of the centrist (aka EEEEEEVIL) DLC (represented by DLC leader Harold Ford), and that of the virtuous, pure, liberal/progressive netroots (represented by Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos).

Or so they would have you believe.

When the "progressive" blogosphere burst on the scene several years ago, I could not have been more thrilled. I was so tired of the corporate media covering up for the Deciderer and his criminal and anti-American activities. Here, at last, with the help of Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Huffington Post and Eschaton, I could find like-minded individuals who wanted to know what was REALLY going on and who had the resources to find out. I also could take action by joining Moveon.org and Democracy for America. It was a heady, wonderful time for me, and I thought we were all on the same page.

Then, things began to change.

IOKIYAR, the ironic bloggy appellation for "It's OK If You're A Republican," suddenly morphed into IOKIYO - "It's OK If You're Obama." No matter how many rightwing frames and positions Obama took, no matter how he insulted women, gays or African Americans, no matter how much he lied about Bill Clinton's record and smeared him and Hillary as racists - It Was OK. He was Obama, and besides which, he was not a Clinton, and....because that's why! Nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh!

The incredible irony of it all was that Markos pretended he didn't like the Clintons because of their "triangulation." Yet Obama, that progressive Jeebus of the blogosphere, has been triangulating much more than Hillary and Bill ever did - and in ways that are destined to reach out to Republicans and Independents, not Democrats.

Take, for example, Hillary's AUMF vote. This was THE excuse for Hillary Hatred in the "progressive" blogosphere. Now, I can't tell you how much I disagreed with that vote, but I believe that Hillary was doing her job at the time. Why? Because it was what her constituents wanted. It's hard to imagine now, but back when Bush pushed that awful legislation on the Congress, support for an invasion of Iraq was very high. We liberal/progressive/dirty fucking hippies were in the minority. So, despite her misgivings, which she stated very eloquently on the floor, Hillary voted for the resolution. Had Bush abided by it, we would not be in Iraq now.

As badly as that vote turned out, it was aimed at the center. Not, however, the center of the rightwing conservatives in the Republican Party, at which Barack Obama seems to be aiming, with his massive outreach to evangelical Christian voters, abandonment of his promises on telecom immunity, and ever-fuzzier language on abortion, gun rights and Iraq. No, that vote was aiming at the center of the Democratic Party - which, I believe, is the center of the American political psyche.

Hillary Clinton's phenomenally successful Presidential run showed me that the center of the Democratic Party is where the country feels most at home. 18 million voters came out to say "Yes!" to Hillary's populist, New Deal-style platform. Hillary won more votes than any candidate, male or female, had ever won in a primary contest.

Senator Clinton's voters completely ignored all the machinations of the media and the DNC/Obama conglomerate. They were told their votes wouldn't count in Michigan and Florida, but millions voted anyway. They didn't listen to the grandiose pronouncements of Hillary's early demise after Obama's long run of victories in February. They didn't care that Obama was being declared the winner before all the votes had been counted. Time after time, Hillary showed her incredible strength with the poor and the working class, chalking up 40-point wins over Obama in West Virginia and Kentucky despite their lateness in the primary calendar. The enthusiasm of the Clinton voters could not be denied.

Yet Hillary was not good enough for the netroots. Her voting record was 91% progressive, her platform was more leftist than Obama's, and she had the experience and competence to clean up the giant pile of poop the Chimp has left on our country's carpet.

The netroots didn't care.

They called her every name in the book. They expected her to quit in February, although no candidate in such a close race for the nomination had ever done so. They said she was divisive and ruining the Democratic Party. They made up ridiculous stories about how she was darkening Obama's skin in a video and spreading a picture of Obama in "Muslim garb." They sneered at her physique, her clothes, her shoes. Obama called her supporters in Pennsylvania and Ohio racist, bitter xenophobes, and the netroots were more than happy to perpetuate with those stereotypes. They said she was crazy, a stalker, a character in a Monty Python movie. Are we to believe that a pure desire to purge the Party of "triangulation" and "centrism" are really the source of this unreasoning bile?

I certainly do not believe it, and neither should anyone who has been paying attention.

So where is the battle for the true soul of the Party being fought?

It's not at Netroots Nation, where the struggle is one of power rather than of principle. Markos is fighting for a seat at Obama's table, and he means to have it by hook or by crook.

No, the ones battling for the soul of the Democratic Party are Hillary Clinton and her PUMA supporters.

We aren't at Netroots Nation, because neither the Markos coalition nor the DLC speaks for us. We are here, around the "Internets", doing our daily actions, contacting superdelegates and the DNC, and fighting to keep the FDR/Clinton wing of the party alive.

Because that, my friends, is the true center. And I hope that after the November election, whatever happens, PUMA will keep fighting for that center, and pushing for the populist, liberal agenda that the netroots and the DLC have abandoned by backing Barack Obama at all costs.

The good guys are going to need all the help they can get.

Cross-posted at The Confluence

Obama's Runway - A Play In One Terrifying Act.

2008-07-15T09:20:00.014-04:00

[photo of Barack Obama, Getty Images; Project Runway logo, website]

[THE SCENE: A theatre with a long runway extending from the stage area. Seated beside the runway in three directors' chairs are BARACK OBAMA, MICHELLE OBAMA and DAVID AXELROD, Obama's right-hand man. On the proscenium arch above the stage, a sign reads: "Election Runway - You're Either In, or You're Out!" Written below it are the words, "DEMOCRATS ENTER HERE."

DEMOCRATIC VOTERS enter through the stage curtains and wander onto the runway, a veritable Rainbow Coalition of races, ages, etc. Whenever a single voter is intended to represent a group of people, that voter will have a sign or a label indicating as much. All are chattering excitedly.]

YOUNG VOTER #1: OMG, I am like so excited about this election! I can't believe we get to choose among so many great candidates. Finally, good-bye to Bush and those horrible Republicans!

MIDDLE-AGED VOTER #2: Yeah. God, the Republicans suck. Some of them actually said they didn't believe in evolution? What century are they living in?

[ALL THE VOTERS LAUGH DERISIVELY.]

OLDER VOTER #3: Look at us. We represent the best of this country. We've got a woman, an African American AND a Hispanic! Those Republicans are so boring. Nothing but white men as far as the eye can see!

[AXELROD clears his throat.]

AXELROD: Okay, people, let's get this show on the road!

VOTERS [muttering to themselves]: Who's that guy? What's going on? Where are the other candidates?

OBAMA [clapping his hands together]: People, please! Can we have a little quiet so we can start the show?

[THE VOTERS quiet down, but look confused. A woman raises her hand.]

WOMAN: Uh, Senator Obama? Where are the other candidates? I thought this was Election Runway!

[While the voters and the judges talk, HOWARD DEAN enters through the stage curtains and switches the sign from "Election Runway" to "Obama's Runway." He then bows and exits the same way he came.]

MICHELLE [smiling]: Tell 'em, Barack.

OBAMA: Democratic Voters, this - is Obama's Runway! As you know, in politics, one day you're in - and the next day, you're out!

[THE VOTERS mutter amongst themselves.]

VOTER #1: Wait a minute. I don't get it. I signed up for Election Runway. Is this a different show?

AXELROD [snickering]: Yeah, we just said that so you'd all show up. Fact is, this show is about US choosing YOU. [As Axelrod speaks, DONNA BRAZILE slinks in through the stage curtains. She has a big label on the lapel of her suit which reads "BOUNCER."]

OBAMA: All right, folks, let's get started. Let's see. David, who are our contestants this time?

AXELROD: First up: rural voters. What have you got to say for yourselves? You voted for Hillary in the primaries. What makes you think you deserve to be part of Obama for America?

RURAL VOTER #1: Obama for America? I thought this show was for Democrats! I don't know what Obama for America means. [The other rural voters nod and loudly agree.]

OBAMA: I'm sorry, rural voters. You don't belong with Obama for America. You're out. Auf wiedersehn! [BRAZILE steps forward and ushers them off the stage.]

AXELROD: Next up: the voters of Michigan and Florida. Listen, people, we'd really like to include you, but as you know, your elections were illegitimate, so -

FLORIDA VOTER [interrupting]: Now wait just a damn minute. It's not our fault our legislature monkeyed with our primary dates. Why are you blaming us?

MICHIGAN VOTER: Yeah! And Senator Obama, why did you and John Edwards remove yourselves from the ballot in my state? You really messed things up for us out here with that "Uncommitted" nonsense.

BLOGGER: And what about the other states that moved their primaries? Why weren't they penalized like Michigan and Florida? Could it be because you thought Obama would win them?

BRAZILE [stepping forward]: What the hell are these people talking about? Who do they think they are? We make the rules here - did you not see that my committee is called the RULES Committee? Sheesh! Just face it, you're not getting into Obama for America. You don't deserve it because you preferred that pandering triangulator to my guy. You're out! Auf freaking wiedersehn! Howard, give me a hand here!

[HOWARD DEAN comes back in and he and BRAZILE usher the Michigan and Florida voters and the inconvenient blogger out. HOWARD DEAN disappears again behind the curtain.]

OBAMA: This stage is looking better and better. Now, how about African-American voters? What do they have to say for themselves! [aside] As if I didn't know the answer to THAT one.

AA VOTER #1: We are behind you 93 percent!

AA VOTER #2: We love you, Barack!

AXELROD [satisfied]: Well, I think they're in, don't you, Michelle?

MICHELLE: Oh, absoLUTEly. You all are privileged to join Obama for America! Don't mind Barack's lectures on how you need to take more personal responsibility and all that crap. You know liberal white folks eat that shit up. Am I right? Anyway, you're in. You can go stand over there.

[BRAZILE, smiling, ushers them over to a spot on the other side of the runway. A sign hangs over it reading "Obama for America. Yes, We Can!"]

OBAMA [rubbing his hands]: Okay, we're really making progress now. Hey, what about this group - the, um, blogosphere?

AXELROD: Oh, they're definitely in - all except those bitter, delusional, racist, menopausal PUMAs. Go take your places, folks, you earned it!

[Two BLOGGERS go over to the Obama for America sign and stand next to the AA voters].

[A female Clinton voter steps forward.]

CLINTON VOTER: Excuse me, but this is crazy. Are you saying that you don't want us Democrats in the Democratic coalition? You don't want us to vote for you? You don't care if we stay home or vote for McCain in protest?

OBAMA [smiling]: You got it, sweetie! You're out. Auf wiedersehn!

[BRAZILE tries to usher the CLINTON VOTER out.]

CLINTON VOTER: Don't worry, Donna, I'll see MYSELF out - and I'll take my friends with me. [she stalks off the stage, taking all but two voters with her.]

AXELROD AND MICHELLE: Finally! [The bloggers in the Obama for America area cheer exuberantly.]

OBAMA [looking quizzically at the two voters left]: So, uh - who are you two?

NEW VOTER: I'm a new voter! A lot of my friends said they were coming, but they decided to buy the new iPhone instead. Oh well!

WEALTHY LIBERAL: I'm a, well, how do I put this without offending you poor people?

AXELROD: Hahahahaha! We know who you are. Okay, you and New Voter there, you are in. Welcome to Obama for America! [BRAZILE ushers them over to the Obama for America space. There are only six people there - NEW VOTER, TWO AA VOTERS, TWO BLOGGERS and ONE WEALTHY LIBERAL.]

[Awkward silence, as the successful contestants and the judges evaluate each other.]

MICHELLE [a little uncomfortable, aside]: Um, Barack, I thought you said there'd be a lot more of them.

OBAMA: [aside] Don't worry, Michelle. The rest of them will come around before Election Day. After all, who's gonna vote for that assclown McCain? Those polls are a bunch of bull. [Aloud] Congratulations, everyone! You are now part of the New Democratic Coalition. You are the ones you've been waiting for!

NEW VOTER: Omigod, I've never won anything before! I'm so excited! I'll bet we win a full withdrawal from Iraq!

AA VOTER: You think so? That would be fantastic! I hope it's universal health care. I'm a working mother and I sure could use it.

WEALTHY LIBERAL: Oooh, is it a serious commitment to countering the effects of climate change? I am really looking forward to that!

BLOGGER: I can't WAIT to get our Constitution back. I'll bet we're going to get a filibuster of that stupid FISA bill! No more spying on Americans!

[They all start talking at once. Unnoticed, OBAMA, MICHELLE, AXELROD and BRAZILE shrug, and start walking out a side door.]

BRAZILE: Jeez. What a bunch of whiners. If they wanted all that stuff, they should have voted for Kucinich, Edwards, or God forbid, Hillary.

AXELROD: Really. I mean, Barack might have promised some of those things, but those people should have known they were just best-case scenarios. Who keeps campaign promises anyway? Why don't they just ask for a pony or something?

OBAMA: I sure hope they don't think it's my job to do what THEY want. I don't even let the Party Leaders tell me what to do!

MICHELLE: Hey Barack? What exactly ARE you planning to do once you get into the Oval Office?

[All judges stop their exits. Brief pause while all look at Obama. He is stumped for a second, then grins.]

OBAMA: No one knows! That's the beauty of how David has run my campaign. All things to all people!

AXELROD: You got it, Barack. Let's hope those contestants over there don't figure it out before the election, though.

BRAZILE: You said it. Let's get out of here, people! [EXEUNT ALL JUDGES.]

[LIGHTS OUT]

WOLF!

2008-07-14T20:34:00.010-04:00

Wow! I am absolutely disgusted. Can you BELIEVE that a reputable magazine would put a picture this offensive on their cover?

What? You were expecting me to feel sorry for Barack Obama because the New Yorker, the FUCKING NEW YORKER, made fun of the rightwing's scaremongering about him on its cover?

FYI, Senator Obama, the New Yorker is part of the Liberal Media. In reality. The tiny, eeny weeny Liberal Media, which has very few members at this point, so you must be conversant with the three or four publications which belong to this nearly-microscopic organization.

Are you this dumb, or do you think we are? The New Yorker is laughing at people who think you and Michelle are terrorists, with a flag burning in your fireplace and a picture of Bin Laden on your mantle. They are making fun of the "politics of fear." Hey, guess what? The issue is called "The Politics of Fear!" Quelle coincidence!

Please don't pretend you didn't understand what this was about, Senator. That is simply not credible. Anyone with a functioning brain understood, and you surely possess one. And it's really getting quite tiresome and frustrating to see you fulfill every rightwing narrative about Democrats. Wimpy? You betcha. The attacks practically write themselves. If Obama can't face a magazine cover - a JOKING magazine cover - then how is he going to deal with terrorism? Is he really ready to answer the red phone? OMG What About The Children!!!111!!!!

It seems like Senator Obama's campaign has become addicted to the politics of distraction. He is not doing well against McCain in the national polls, had a much worse-than-projected fundraising month, and has been taking a lot of flak from his more liberal supporters on his vote on the FISA Amendment bill. So he has found something to be upset about - much in the same way that he found something to be upset about in Hillary's innocuous statement about RFK, just as the latest pastor disastor (Reverend Pfleger) was about to hit the media.

A word to the wise, Senator. Please stop with the faux-rage and fainting spells every time someone even mentions the fact that you are African American. A "historic" candidate who refuses to acknowledge why his candidacy is historic, yet plays the race card every single time any sort of bump arises in his campaign, is cynical in the extreme. A "new kind of politics" indeed - but one that will appeal less and less to a weary public exhausted by the constant cries of racism over nothing.

In the 2004 election, the Republicans were the ones who used wolves to try and scare people into voting for them. In the 2008 election, to our shame, the Democrats are the ones crying wolf.

PUMAs, PUMAs Everywhere!

2008-07-14T08:44:00.007-04:00

I am now counting Craig Crawford as a PUMA, just because he tells the truth about Obama's presumptuous nominee status and how very shaky it is. (Yes, the truth is out there, but so few "journalists" see fit to write about it!)

With the dust settled on the primary season, one thing is clear: Obama is the presumed nominee thanks only to superdelegates. He never did win enough pledged delegates to reach the winning number, falling about 350 votes short. His expected victory stems from beating Clinton among superdelegates 463-257, according to a tally on Real Clear Politics.

All the more reason for Obama to make sure that there is no roll call including Clinton's name on the ballot at the national convention -- which a few die hard fans of the former First Lady are still clamoring for.
This is my only quibble with Crawford's otherwise excellent piece: to call millions of people "a few die hard fans" is award-worthy spin. Otherwise, it's a great point, and I don't think many people realize that Obama's DNC is trying to prevent Hillary from taking her rightful place on the ballot at the Convention. This would be ridiculous and completely against Democratic Party tradition and rules. THIS IS A TIE, FOLKS. I've been saying that since February. If there is a fair fight to break the tie at the Convention, and Obama wins anyway, then that will go a long way towards dispelling the illegitimacy that surrounds Obama's current status as presumptive nominee. Who knows, it might even give PUMAs a reason to vote for him.

I'm sorry, Mr. Crawford; please continue.

Why highlight just how close the Democratic contest really was? And there is certainly no gain for Obama in dwelling on how he had to depend on superdelegates to win the nomination. [emphasis mine]
Why no, Mr. Crawford, there isn't, especially when one remembers that until it was clear that Hillary was going to win the popular vote DESPITE the DNC's shenanigans in Florida and Michigan, Obama and his surrogates were all screaming about how the SuperDelegates should not decide the nomination and the "will of the people" should rule.

Remember this gem, during Obama's peak in February, from Donna Brazile, "uncommitted" superdelegate?

Democratic strategist Donna Brazile — who managed Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign and is herself a superdelegate — says she will quit her position within the Democratic Party if her superdelegate colleagues decide the party's nomination.

[snip]

As Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continue to run neck-and-neck in amassing the total delegates needed to win the nomination, some have suggested that the party's superdelegates — comprising party activists and high-ranking officials — could make the deciding vote.

But Brazile says the superdelegate vote "should reflect the will of the people."
Many millions of Hillary supporters have breathlessly awaited Brazile's resignation, to no avail. Oh, Donna, Donna, why do you disappoint us so? And as for the "will of the people," well, that meme has quietly disappeared too, considering that many of Obama's most powerful SuperD's would have to don their capes and fly on over to Hillary's side. Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, all of the New York SD's...need I go on?

Doesn't matter, I will anyway. Let's see if I can find anything else from the Obama camp about how the superdelegates should vote as their districts voted. Be right back, or brb, as the kids say on their IM chatty thingies.

Aha! Here's a good one. Looks like Moveon.org, which threw its muscle behind Obama very early in the primaries, used its political power to pressure superdelegates to vote the way their districts voted. This was, again, during Obama's peak in February. The salient paragraph:

MoveOn.org and the Obama camp argue that the elected delegates should vote in line with the will of their constituents. Earlier this week, MoveOn sent a note out to its 3.2 million members asking them to sign a petition to that effect. It's the first time the public has lobbied superdelegates to a convention, says Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia. "The public has never had reason to lobby them before."
Good thing the Obamans can change their "principles" as quickly as chameleons change their colors.

Did I say "the Obamans?" My mistake. I should have said, "some Obama supporters." Because a new group of former Obama supporters has been created. They are mad as hell, and they won't vote for Obama any more. The site got more than 50,000 hits in the first 24 hours of its creation. Welcome, PUMA newbies!

If I were Democratic superdelegates, I'd be paying very, very close attention to PUMA. We are a true grassroots movement filled with internet-savvy, passionate activists from all sides of the political spectrum. And we have the money to help out our candidate when she is feeling "periodically down" because her campaign debt is being used as a blackmailing tool by the DNC.

So, Democratic Party Leaders, put your thinking caps on and find an excuse to nominate the winning candidate in August. In the end, self-interest may do the trick. Or do you really want to be on the Obama train when it crashes in November?

Upcoming - An Interview with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney!

2008-07-13T10:43:00.005-04:00

Great news!

I am honored to say that Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) has contacted me and asked me to interview her about her new book, "Rumors of Our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated."

The book is a clear, information-packed, yet entertaining and uplifting look at how women are doing in our society. It also offers concrete action items what we can do as activists on both the micro and macro level in order to better the lives of women in America.

Ms. Maloney has penned an eye-opening must-read for men AND women, as the book is not a polemic, but a fact-based dissection of all the ways in which women still lag behind men in every measurable way: pay, vacation time, job opportunities, vulnerability to sexual harrassment and other abuses of power. All this, and I'm still reading the second chapter!

I have found throughout the primary season that most people don't seem to understand and accept the premise that there is still an enormous amount of institutionalized sexism in America. Reading this book will disabuse people of that notion in short order.

If feminism and gender equality interest you - and they'd damn well better! ;-) - then I'm sure you'll enjoy my upcoming interview with the fascinating, well-informed and tireless Congresswoman Maloney.

Now I hope you'll excuse me - I've got to get back to my reading.

Saving the Democratic Brand - A Primer on Strategery.

2008-07-12T11:32:00.002-04:00

On July 4th, I wrote a post about losing faith in the Democratic Brand. Today, I am explaining my strategic plans for saving it - and why they do not include voting for Barack Obama.

The DNC is currently bound and determined to nominate Obama for President. (I believe the fix has been in since 2004, personally.) They have allowed him to take over the DNC and move the headquarters to Chicago; they have allowed him to decide that Howard Dean gets to keep his job; and they've chosen a giant football stadium in which he is to accept his nomination on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. They are backing their man, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead.

There's only one problem: Obama does not appeal to the Democratic base. The working class, by and large - Latinos, whites, Asians and some African-Americans, all registered Democrats - did not support the Senator from Illinois in the primaries. And according to CNN, the number of Hillary's supporters who are saying they would support Obama if nominated is actually going down, while 43% of Democrats still say they would prefer her to be the nominee. This is all despite Hillary getting the worst press imaginable, her suspending her campaign and going on fundraising "Unity" missions with Obama, and her virtual absence from the spotlight for more than a month.

I will not elaborate on my incredible frustration with the Party for picking one of the worst candidates I have ever seen in my lifetime to go up against John McCain for the presidency. No, I will leave that to the eloquent and fantabulous riverdaughter. My purpose today is to go beyond the nomination and project forward into the possible presidencies of all three candidates: Clinton, Obama and McCain.

Honestly, I think that whomever wins in November will have an absolutely terrible first term. The economy is simply in free-fall. We are looking at stagflation and a looming Great Depression, in my opinion. Thanks to eight years of lawless, consequence-free behavior by the BFEE (Bush Family Evil Empire), our Constitution is disintegrating. The separation of powers, the laws of habeas corpus, the wall between church and state, the right to privacy and to free speech - all have been abridged or almost destroyed by BushCheney Inc. And let's not forget our seeming inability to do anything constructive regarding Iraq and Afghanistan. Thanks to the "surge," more troops are actually in Iraq than there were before the Democratic Congress was elected to bring them home. Heckuva job, Congresscritters! (Word is, thanks to Dennis Kucinich's persistence, Nancy Pelosi is now considering setting the table for impeachment. Wow, can you say too little, too late?)

The next President will have a lot of extremely difficult choices to make, and the chances are that when the country is not 100% fixed in four years, there will be a massive backlash against whomever that President will be. So, who do we want to suffer those consequences - Obama, McCain or Clinton? I believe it should be either McCain or Clinton, and here's why.

Trust me, I know McCain is just atrocious. I don't believe one word of his latest "I'm a moderate! Really really!" advertising. I think he will do nothing to remedy the effects of Bush's disastrous presidency. However, he clearly has no interest in running for a second term, so he will be free to be more independent than any other Republican nominee would be. I also believe that he can and will be constrained by a much larger majority in Congress, especially since some Republicans have started voting with Democrats on some issues. Thus, I believe his presidency would put the Congress back into a stronger place institutionally, and give them a chance to prove that they are truly interested in doing what's right for this country. (And if they don't, PUMA should make them. I will post more on what I think the future of PUMA should be at a later date.)

A McCain presidency might not be as bad as we think. It does depend on whom he picks as his VP, and whether or not that person would be a viable presidential candidate in 2012. And that brings me to my second possibility: an Obama presidency.

Unfortunately, I don't believe Obama would be a strong Democratic President. What we need now is someone who will absolutely repudiate the disastrous policies of George W. Bush. 80% of the country believes we are going in the wrong direction. Yet Obama's entire campaign is based on courting Republicans and Independents and "unifying" with them. Even worse, he agrees with some of the worst of the Deciderer's policies, as he has shown in the past two weeks. Warrantless wiretapping and telecom immunity? Just fine. Faith-based initiatives? Let's do more! And the war? Well, golly, he might need to refine that Iraq withdrawal policy just a wee bit. Even a veto-proof majority Democratic Congress just might be more likely to go along with this Republican bullshit if it's a Democratic President who wants it.

Muddling and confusion are NOT what the Democratic brand needs right now. The country has enormous problems. We need an FDR, and at best, Obama is a Carter. (At BEST. Unlike Carter, I don't think Obama has a prayer of being elected, but whatever.) Remember what happened after Carter was President for one term? Do the words "twelve years of Republican dominance" mean anything to you? Even worse, like Carter, Obama has shown no ability to beat back the Republican scream machine, so he will get blamed for the economy, the war and the energy crisis. And then where will the Democrats be? NOT in a position to win the White House in 2012 - not even if Hillary runs again. And that brings me to the best-case scenario: Hillary Clinton as President.

I think there's no doubt that if Hillary is our next President, she is also in for a horrible time. And how! Her Party will give her trouble because she will push for UHC, meaningful economic and social reform, major investments in infrastructure and the greening of energy sources...in other words, she'll make them do the hard work, and they don't want to! The press will be all over her and Bill, and despite her incredible competence and detailed plans for moving the country forward, I predict she won't be able to turn things completely around in just four years.

But guess what?

She can handle it.

That's really what it comes down to. You saw Hillary in those debates, where she was getting attacked from all sides, and she handled it. She's risen in popularity and strength despite the ugliest, nastiest attacks her own Party could throw at her. All she had to do was stop listening to Mark Penn and be herself. She handled it. She has withstood the barrage of insults, sexism and outright lies the media has perpetrated against her and emerged as a working-class hero. She handled it.

And in the end, should she prevail against The Fix and beat McCain in November, she will be able to persuade the American people to vote for her again, just like her husband did in 1996.

She will handle it.

And isn't that what we need to happen if we ever want to be a credible alternative to the Republicans again?

So don't tell me I have to vote for Obama. It's not going to happen. Because I'm thinking about the future of the country and the Party, and Obama would be bad for both.

He can't handle it.

Strategery. It's not just for Republicans any more.

PUMA!

He's Just Not That Into You: A Play In One Hopeless Act.

2008-07-10T18:11:00.008-04:00

THE SCENE: The bottom of a church basement, the place of many an AA meeting. Coffee cups, cigarette butts and cookie crumbs are strewn everywhere. A long cafeteria-style table is at the front of the room, with a podium next to it. Seated at the table are MARKOS MOULITSAS, CHRIS BOWERS, ARMANDO LLORENS (BIG TENT DEMOCRAT), JOHN ARAVOSIS, ANDREW SULLIVAN and ARIANNA HUFFINGTON. The boys all wear chinos and button-down shirts. KOS has an orange band around his head - almost like a crown. ARIANNA is wearing her traditional camisole-as-shirt and eyeing the men flirtatiously. SULLIVAN sports a snappy bowtie.

At the podium are the authors of the book, "He's Just Not That Into You," GREG BEHRENDT and LIZ TUCILLO. Throughout this whole play, GREG and LIZ speak to the bloggers in a typical motivational-speaker way - in other words, as if they are eight-year-old children.

Above the podium a sign reads, "HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU." GREG and LIZ also have nametags on. LIZ bangs a gavel to bring the meeting to order.

LIZ (brightly): Hello, everyone! I'm Liz -

GREG: And I'm Greg -

TOGETHER: And welcome to, He's Just Not That Into You!

LIZ [sobering quickly]: Today, we're here to talk to you about Senator Barack Obama. You all supported him pretty strongly in the primaries, didn't you? [The bloggers all nod.] Now, why did you do that?

BTD: I didn't REALLY like him better. I just thought he was more electable than Hillary.

KOS: He wasn't Hillary! I hate that bitch! And besides, the Clinton Era is over. O-V-E-R!! The time of the blogger is NOW! We are crashing the gate! Obama is the progressive leader who will make our concerns his own. Power to the people!

ARAVOSIS and HUFFINGTON: Yeah! What he said!

SULLIVAN: I hate Hillary too, but Obama? He is Jesus and Elvis. He is the most historic, transformational -

GREG: Um, yes, we get it. Thank you, Andrew. Chris, what about you?

BOWERS: Obama is just like me! We drink the same beer PBR OMG OMG we go to Whole Foods!!! [becomes a little dizzy; ARIANNA solicitously pats his arm and offers him a drink of water]

LIZ: Whoa, take it easy there, Chris. I think we understand. Thanks, everyone, for your input. So, you guys all picked Obama as the nominee, and he won. Good for you!

[Everyone high-fives - HUFFINGTON leans forward, smiling and flashing her cleavage a bit.]

GREG: Yes, good for you. Now, let's talk about what's been happening lately. I heard he's been going back on his promises and has stopped returning your calls. No matter what you do, you can't seem to get his attention - and now he's done something that really hurts your feelings. He voted to legalize Bush's warrantless wiretapping and immunize the telecom companies from prosecution. Is that about on target?

BTD: Ha! Don't make me out to be like one of these losers. I always saw Obama clearly. Pols are pols. Either he was lying then or he's lying now, but no matter what, I'm going to vote for him because he's a Democrat.

SULLIVAN: Oh, the FISA thing is no big deal. What is starting to bother me is his personality. Maybe he's a little too full of himself lately. Still, there's no denying what a transformational moment his presidency would be!

BOWERS: Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo. Hey, look at this pretty electoral map I made!

KOS: I'm very fucking annoyed. Those ridiculous PUMAs will only feel vindicated now. Of course, everyone knows he will still be a great President, so it will all work out in the end.

HUFFINGTON: Well, I have nothing to say on the matter. I'd rather talk about Karl Rove!

ARAVOSIS: Barack who? It was the Senate that passed the FISA bill.

[LIZ and GREG look at each other, puzzled.]

LIZ: Gosh, folks, you don't seem to be getting what I'm saying here. Barack Obama promised to filibuster the FISA amendment bill if it contained telecom immunity. This was very important to all of you. You thought it made him special and progressive and unique. Then, he went back on his promise. Worse than that, Hillary Clinton kept her promise and voted against telecom immunity, so it looks like maybe you were wrong to hate her so. Meanwhile, Senator Obama has been "refining" more positions lately - including pretending he did not promise to immediately withdraw troops from Iraq and have everyone home in 16 months - but he says he will, right on his website!

Don't you feel betrayed, like Joan Walsh? Don't you feel like maybe, just maybe, he's not that into you?

[All the bloggers squirm in their seats and are silent. Finally KOS takes the lead.]

KOS [standing]: Jesus Christ. I don't have to take this crap. Obama's my guy and I'm sticking by him.

BOWERS: [standing] Me too. And he loves me, he really does. I know it in my heart! He'll come back to me after he's President.

BTD [standing, disgusted]: Ahhhh, this New Age crap is for the birds. Obama's a Democrat and that's all I care about. I'm outta here.

ARAVOSIS: [standing] McCain sucks. Obama forever!

HUFFINGTON: [standing] Well I, personally, have no problems with what Obama did on FISA. He's just pandering to get elected. I AM the one I've been waiting for. Good-bye! [they are all leaving]

SULLIVAN: [standing] Well, I personally think Obama's just fine, as long as he doesn't get too big a head. I don't even know what I'm doing here. Later! [he follows the others out the door]

[LIZ and GREG look at each other in astonishment. Their cheery personas fall away and they become matter-of-fact. They shrug, then get to work cleaning up the coffee cups.]

LIZ: Worst case of denial I ever saw.

GREG: You said it, sister.

[LIGHTS OUT]

Cross-posted at The Confluence

Who Killed Ole Yeller? A Play in One Mysterious Act.

2008-07-09T22:25:00.006-04:00

***NOTE: Thanks to SM at The Confluence for inspiring this one. As you can see, I'm over my qualms. You are brilliant, SM!

THE SCENE: An old-fashioned parlor out of Agatha Christie, with sofas, chairs, a fireplace, porcelains on the mantel, etc. HILLARY CLINTON, wearing a yellow pantsuit, is standing center stage. Seated are NANCY PELOSI, BARACK OBAMA, DONNA BRAZILE and HOWARD DEAN. Standing in the corner with arms folded is Obama's right-hand man, DAVID AXELROD.

HILLARY: All right everyone, you know why we're here. A crime has been committed, and it's a very serious one. I figured we are all suspects, so we might as well get our stories straight.

OBAMA (sullenly): Well, it wasn't me.

AXELROD: Barack - take it easy. Remember - Unity, hope, change! [OBAMA rolls his eyes.]

BRAZILE [faux-fended]: For Pete's sake, Hillary, what the hell am I doing here? I'm neutral! How could I be guilty? Don't you know I work for CNN?

[Brief pause]

ALL except BRAZILE: HAHAHAHAHA! [BRAZILE glares at everyone, then slowly breaks into a grin and laughs along with them]

HILLARY [wiping her eyes]: Whew! Thanks for the laugh, Donna. That really broke the ice! [returning to seriousness] Okay, are we ready to get down to business?

PELOSI [with a stern look at the others]: Go ahead, Hillary. We're ready.

HILLARY: Thank you, Madame Speaker. [takes out a police report and scans it while speaking] All right now, as we know, Ole Yeller, the Yellow Dog Democrat, died sometime during the primary season. The voters aren't sure when it happened, but they know he's gone to another, more Independent place. He'll never vote straight Democrat again. A moment of silence for poor Ole Yeller, if you would.

[ALL bow their heads.]

HILLARY [sighing and resuming her spiel]: Right at this moment, things are looking pretty grim for our Party because of Ole Yeller's death. We can't bring him back to life, but maybe if we figure out how he died, we can persuade the voters to get a replacement. A New Yeller, if you will. [The others groan.]

OBAMA: Jeez, Hillary, can't you get to the point a little faster?

HILLARY [muttering]: Amateur. [PELOSI snorts in agreement.]

DEAN: Obama's right. Let's just start talking about how none of us could have done it, then we'll all blame Hillary and go home. Deal? [HILLARY shakes her head with a little half-smile, then sits down by the fireplace.]

BRAZILE: That's a great idea, Howard! I'll go first. [stands up, begins pacing the room dramatically] Of COURSE I couldn't have done it. I mean, no one knows better than me how to win over Democrats. Look at my record! Every Presidential candidate I've worked with has won! [grins triumphantly, arms out]

AXELROD [crossing to BRAZILE]: Uh, Donna, you might want to check that statement. You've chalked up more losses than wins in your column, unless you're seriously claiming that Dukakis, Jesse Jackson, Gephardt and Gore all became President? [Donna's grin falters, and she sits down sheepishly] Oh yes, you definitely could have done it...unlike me. Look at my incredible record running campaigns and working for Democratic politicians. I got Deval Patrick elected, and then, of course, Barack. I could not be more innocent. Ole Yeller loved me and my candidates!

PELOSI [standing]: Ha! Your [sarcastic] brilliant campaign made a lot of women very angry. I know because they kept calling me. [imitating the callers] "Why does Obama call women 'sweetie' and offer to kiss them for votes? Why doesn't he say something about all the misogyny from his supporters and surrogates? What was that stuff about being periodically down?" Blah blah blah. They're a bunch of whiners, but they do have a point. So don't tell me about how you couldn't have killed that dog. You're just as guilty as Donna here.

OBAMA: [standing] And what about you, Nancy?

PELOSI [bristling]: That's Speaker Pelosi to you.

OBAMA [smiling]: My apologies, Madame Speaker. [PELOSI is somewhat mollified. Of course, it's hard to tell because of the Botoxed frozenness of her face.] But my question remains, what about you? Thanks to your inability to get us out of Iraq, Congress' "good to excellent" approval rating is 9%. That's gotta be some kind of record, right guys? [THE MEN ALL SNICKER. HILLARY glares at Obama until he stops laughing.] Uh, anyway, looks like you're not so innocent either.

PELOSI [dignified]: Fine. I'll admit that I'm not a saint. But Senator Obama, can you do the same?

OBAMA [offended]: Who, me? Are you kidding? I AM the Democratic Party! I moved the DNC to Chicago! I'm Obama for America! And besides, everyone loves me. Yes, I can!

HILLARY [unable to keep silent]: Oh, for god's sake, Barack, you don't believe your own propaganda, do you? Save it for your deluded worshipers in the blogosphere!

AXELROD [aside to Obama]: Yeah, Barack. I told you that most of those [makes air quotes with his hands] "anonymous supporters" work for me anyway.

OBAMA [ignoring AXELROD, sneering at HILLARY]: Oh please, woman, like you have the right to tell me what to do! I am the nominee! I won! I'm going to be nominated in a giant football stadium in front of 76,000 screaming fans - I mean, Party members! I'll win without you and your voters! Who needs those Bubbas, anyway?

DEAN [scratching his head]: Uh, Barack? You know, a lot of people think Ole Yeller was a Bubba. You're acting like you sure hated him. Maybe you ARE the killer!

[BILL CLINTON enters.]

BILL: Did I hear someone say Barack killed Ole Yeller? Well, forgive me for being just a dumb country boy from Arkansas, but it seems to me you're all guilty. Donna, you changed the DNC rules to disenfranchise Florida and Michigan, but not states you thought Barack would win. Howard, you let her do it. Axelrod, you're just creepy with all that cult worshiping stuff, the Bush-style campaigning and the astroturfing. And Nancy? Well, I feel kinda sorry for you because you got ol' Steny undermining you every step of the way, but you sure didn't help Ole Yeller much - and the buck stops with you.

OBAMA: Oh, come on now. Like you're an impartial observer, Bill? This is - just - inartful, even for you.

BILL [getting red in the face and pointing]: Listen here, you ungrateful little Chicago punk. If it wasn't for me - the only two-term Democratic President in this room, by the way - you would be nowhere, man. I raised Ole Yeller. I made him think we Democrats cared about him. I fed him, I stayed up with him at night when he was sick, and I made sure he stayed with me instead of going to Bush's or Dole's house. By the time I was done with Ole Yeller, it looked like he'd live forever - or at least another eight years!

You guys were the ones that screwed it up. You showed Ole Yeller you didn't care about him. After eight years of Bush destroying everything he loved, he finally died - of a broken heart.

[EVERYONE but HILLARY starts yelling at BILL and each other. BRAZILE and PELOSI start throwing porcelains at each other. DEAN starts screaming "Chicago sucks! Yeeeearrrrgh!" at AXELROD.]

[HILLARY stands up and walks over to BILL. She shakes her head and takes his hand.]

HILLARY: I wonder if they'll ever understand what happened to that poor dog? Come on, Bill, let's get out of here. [exiting] Maybe in 2012, we can get the Party a puppy!

[LIGHTS OUT]

Cross-posted at The Confluence

Democrats Set To Authorize Their Own Destruction

2008-07-09T08:57:00.004-04:00

Yes, I'm being dramatic, but what else would you expect from me? I'm talking about the FISA Amendment bill, of course.

Despite the solid support of the American people for the Democratic position that telecommunications companies should NOT have immunity from breaking the law in the service of the Bush Administration, the Senate seems determined to pass the version of the bill that grants them that immunity. A few stalwart Senators, Chris Dodd and Russ Feingold, will filibuster the bill, but unfortunately, they don't have the votes to back it up. Bush (and AT&T) will receive a free pass for spying on Democrats, er, Americans, without a warrant. The DSP (Democrat Surveillance Program) will go on without a hitch, and the next President will also have those spying powers by default. Fourth Amendment, Schmourth Amendment. Um, yay for the Unitary Executive Theory?

I am very proud of Senators Dodd and Feingold for standing up for truth, justice, and the American way. But why so few?

Unlike many, I never expected Barack Obama to do anything differently than he is doing on FISA. However, my expectations of the Senator from Illinois are so low now, that if he did anything, ANYTHING that showed he believed in any Democratic principle whatsoever (and I'm talking actions, not words), I would be ecstatic and relieved.

But I must say how incredibly angry, disappointed and disgusted I am with this 110th Congress. They have been unable to accomplish the important things they were elected to accomplish: reverse the tide in Iraq and Afghanistan by bringing troops home; rein in the out-of-control budget; help the residents of the Gulf Coast get back on their feet; stop the downward spiral of the economy; and most of all, bring accountability back to Washington. Or, as Speaker Pelosi famously said, "Drain the swamp."

Sure, a lot of people are gone from the Bush Administration now, but the big players who were ousted, such as Rove, Rumsfeld and Gonzales, remain legally unscathed despite their outrageous and illegal activities. Rove is gainfully employed at Newsweek and Fox News, still freely dripping his poisonous propaganda into the public's ears. (Gonzales is trying to make a living, but no one wants to hear what he has to say. Snicker.)

And as for Bush, Cheney and Rice? Thanks to Nancy's famous table, upon which impeachment MUST NOT be placed, they're getting ready for a lovely retirement in Paraguay. I'm envisioning a compound, personally. (Hmmm....perhaps my next play will expound upon my vision.)

This Congress seems bound and determined to scream "Look, we swear we're just like Republicans! Like us! Like us, dammit!"

How well has that worked for them?

WASHINGTON, July 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. congressional approval rate hit new lows in the recent polls, said a news website on Tuesday.

The latest Rasmussen poll conducted on July 1 showed that percentage of voters who give Congress good or excellent ratings fell to only single digits for the first time in the survey body's history, at 9 percent, while about 52 percent said Congress was doing a poor job, said the report by Politico website.

However, the approval rate of Democrats, who have a majority of seats in Congress, still led that of Republicans by 12 percentage points, it showed.

The lead was much wider in a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll conducted in mid-June, which found Democratic party beat Republican by 52 percent to 33 percent in supporting rate, Politico said.

WOO-HOO!

New bumpersticker for Democratic Congresscritters in 2008:

"Vote Democratic. We Suck Less!"

The Party is disintegrating, devolving into its component parts: the warriors and the appeasers. The appeasers have had their day for a while now, and what do we have to show for it?

Time for the warriors to ascend to their rightful places in the Party. If they are denied those places, as is happening right now with the forced and illegitimate nomination of appeaser Barack Obama over warrior Hillary Clinton, they will simply find places outside of it, like well-known liberal Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). And trust me, the voters will follow.

Are you listening, Howard Dean?

Hillary or McCain - it's your choice. Because when choosing between a real Republican and a fake Republican, people will choose the real thing every single time.

May you learn this lesson soon, Party Leaders. The fate of our Party, our country, and our planet depends upon it.

My Haid Is Asploding.

2008-07-08T14:25:00.003-04:00

I just saw this ad from John McCain (h/t to RalphB at TalkLeft). In it, he defines America's new purpose: Energy Security. The announcer intones, "For many years, American technology protected us...We didn't go to the moon because it was easy, but because it was hard."

Holy Jumping Jesus.

I've had various conversations with family members and my spousal unit about how the Democrats need to do EXACTLY what John McCain is doing: Redefine the words "national security" to include getting off our dependence on foreign oil, and re-familiarize Americans with the concept of sacrifice and hard work (without the air quotes a la Monsieur Deciderer). And even more unbelievable, McCain is using John F. Kennedy to do it!

If Jimmy Carter had Senator McCain's marketing team in 1976, we would be a whole different country by now. Carter's plan would have had us almost totally independent of foreign oil. We never would have invaded, oh, so many countries. Our world would not be in the grip of catastrophic climate change. Etc. etc. ad infinitum.

I am nearly speechless because of this incontrovertible fact: While Senator Obama chases the mythical creamy center, which to him appears to be located somewhere between the far and extreme right, John McCain is co-opting Democratic frames and using them to move to Obama's left.

Someone please wake me up from this nightmare.

What About Bush? A Play in One Final Act.

2008-07-08T09:36:00.005-04:00

THE SCENE: The Oval Office. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH is absent from the seat behind the desk. VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY squats there instead, toad-like, hands folded on his stomach, chin down, snoring gently. A large box on the desk reads: "DC TRANSLATOR - PUSH RED BUTTON TO ACTIVATE." There is a comfy-looking sofa on one side of the desk, and a couple of wing chairs rest on the other side.

The clock on the wall reads 8:59. It's morning, and the windows are full of light.

The clock hits 9:00. BUSH enters through a side door, wiping a little extra powder from under his nose.

BUSH [walking over to CHENEY, amped]: Woo-hoo! [shakes CHENEY awake] That was some good shit, Dick. Paraguay again?

CHENEY: [grouchy] Grrrmmm-mmrrrm-prrrrmmmm! [CHENEY only speaks in sneers and mumbles.]

BUSH: God bless it, I forgot again. [presses red button on DC translator] Say what, Dick?

CHENEY: I said, no, that's prime shit from Colombia. They're upping their production lately.

BUSH: [crossing to sofa next to desk and lying on it, hands crossed behind his head] Well, shit, freedom isn't free.

CHENEY: [rolling eyes] Sure, George, whatever you say. [brief, awkward pause]

BUSH: [fidgeting nervously] Heh-heh. Say, where's Bolty with my daily briefing? You know how I hate it when people are late.

[JOSH BOLTEN, Bush's Chief of Staff, enters through another door.]

BOLTEN [nervous]: H-h-hello, Mr. President. Mr. Vice President. I apologize for my inexcusable lateness, but there was a gas leak on my street, some houses exploded, and well, my wife and kids are dead. I had to make a few arrangements. [The clock on the wall still reads 9 am.]

BUSH: Gosh, that's terrible, Bolty. I hope you know that your wife and kids died as heroes. We're fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here! [Bush smiles expectantly. Awkward pause again.]

BOLTEN: Uh, thanks, Mr. President. That was, um, very inspirational.

BUSH: Of course it was! Now, just give me my briefing, and you can have the rest of the day off for the memorial service and golfing.

BOLTEN: G-g-golfing, sir?

BUSH: Sure! That's what my parents did when my little sister died. Isn't that what everyone does? Help me out here, Dick?

CHENEY [rolling his eyes]: Mrrrmmmm-hmphmmm-grmmmm!

BOLTEN: Darned thing! Here, let me, Mr. President. [crosses to desk, hits Cheney translator a couple of times, presses the red button again]

BUSH: Heh-heh. Never mind, we'll catch you on the other side, Dick-o. So anyway, Bolty, how's Operation Loose End going?

BOLTEN: [cheering up a bit] Excellente, sir! [His Spanish accent is impeccable.]

BUSH [threatened]: Say what now?

BOLTEN [contritely]: Oh, I apologize for my poor pronunciation, sir. I mean [butchering the word] excellente! [sits in one of the wing chairs next to the desk]

BUSH [relieved]: Oh. Okay then! So, we finally got that asshole Maliki to open the gates? [CHENEY smirks widely.]

BOLTEN: Yessir, that mission is accomplished. Iraq's oil leases are ready for the taking.

CHENEY: Heckuva job, Georgie! Thank Halliburton that no one was able to get access to my secret energy meeting minutes before we invaded Iraq.

BUSH: Heh-heh. Yeah, Dick-o, wouldn't have been too good if the American people knew how you guys were already divvying up the pot back in Oh-One, now, would it? [All three snicker knowingly.]

BUSH: All right, Bolty, what other good news ya got for me?

BOLTEN: Well, sir, now that the North Koreans are no longer on the Axis of Evil - good job there, Mr. President - we've only got two countries left to invade. Which one should we bomb?

[BUSH looks helplessly at CHENEY.]

CHENEY: Do you need to go to the bathroom again, George?

BUSH: [getting up and pacing] No, no, waitaminute, I know this one - the other countries are, Iraq and Lebanon, right?

BOLTEN: Very close, sir! Mr. Vice President, can you show the President the chart again? I updated it myself after the good news from Kim-Jung Il.

[CHENEY sighs dramatically, then stands up laboriously, pulling down a chart from above the President's desk. The chart looks like this.]

BUSH [squinting dubiously]: Oh, yeah! I remember those guys. Thanks, Bolty! [sits down in a wing chair next to BOLTEN, who gazes at BUSH adoringly] So, who do you think we should bomb, Dick-o?

CHENEY: Well, George, you know, I think we shouldn't bomb either of them now. We've got the oil leases. Let's just kick back and celebrate your glorious successes until they inaugurate McCain in 2009.

BUSH: You, uh, seem pretty confident that McCain is gonna win this thing. What about this guy Obambo?

BOLTEN: That's Obama, sir. Barack Obama.

BUSH: Barack a-What-a? Jeezus Christmas, what a crazy name. Anywho, Fristy and Boney tell me the Democrats are gonna cream 'em in Congress in November. They're so depressed, they're thinking of spending time with their families, if ya know what I mean.

BOLTEN: They must be depressed, sir - have you seen their families? [All three chortle manfully.]

BUSH: Seriously, guys - I'm a little nervous that after the new President comes in, they might do that impeachment thing to me and Dick. I mean, if that idiot Kerry had been elected in 2004, we would have started impeachin' him in February of Oh-Five!

CHENEY: The Democrats won't win this one, George. Obama has, shall we say, religious problems. You know, that "God Damn America" guy? And he launched his Senate career from a terrorist's doorstep.

BUSH: Terrorists? Where? Freedom is on the march!!! [awkward silence]

BOLTEN [jumping in]: Yes, sir, it sure is! Anyway, what the Vice President is saying, is that the Democrats nominated the one guy who couldn't win this year. The Democratic base doesn't like him, and he's managed to piss off a lot of people so much that they started their own movement.

BUSH: Oh yeah - that PUMA stuff. Can you believe that some morons think those PUMA idiots are Republicans? We wouldn't stand for that shit in our house, would we Turd Blossom?

[KKKARL ROVE steps out from behind a curtain.]

ROVE: No, we sure wouldn't. The idiots in our party wanted Huckabee. We put a stop to that crap right away.

I agree with Dick. The Democratic Party won't win the White House in November. We've got our ads all ready to go - we're just waiting in case the Democrats come to their senses and nominate Hillary.

BUSH [flinching]: Jeezus, TB, don't bring up that bitch's name to me. I have nightmares about her sitting in this office and destroying everything we've done! My legacy could be in ruins! No more signing statements. No more torture. No more warrantless wiretapping. No more tax breaks for our friends and family. She could make the middle class strong again, and then who'd vote for us? And you know she is just DYING to impeach our butts. [pause]

Gimme a drink, Dick. [CHENEY reaches into a desk drawer and pulls out a bottle of Jack Daniels. BUSH takes a long swig out of the bottle and puts it down on the desk.] Whoooo-ee, that's the stuff. Sorry for the freak-out, boys, but that woman scares the shit out of me.

[All three others in unison]: Me too!

BUSH: All right, Karl, you can go back behind the curtains again. You're not supposed to be here, ya know.

ROVE: Right you are, George. [obeys]

BOLTEN: [clearing throat] Okay, so, to summarize, everything's great, no threats on the horizon, and you're set for a clear landing in January.

CHENEY: I'll drink to that! [swigs from the same bottle as BUSH] You can go now, Josh. [BOLTEN salutes, then leaves the office.]

BUSH: [going back to the couch] Hey, Dick - you got any more of that stuff you gave me before? I gotta go clear Condi's brush. Heh-heh.

[LIGHTS OUT]

You're Either With Us, or Against Us?

2008-07-07T09:26:00.006-04:00

Since we Democrats decided to run a woman, a Latino, an African-American and a hobbit (sorry, Dennis, I just couldn't resist! Mwah!) for president this year, there has been a lot of discussion about identity politics. The discussions mostly run like this: Is it okay to vote for Obama mainly because he's African-American? What about voting for Hillary mainly because she is a woman?

This, like most of the so-called "analysis" perpetrated in three-second soundbytes by the corporate media, is on a cartoon level of understanding. I would like to delve a little bit deeper into the (say it with me) nuances of what identity really means with regard to political parties.

President Bush famously said, "You're either with us, or against us." Not only was this statement symptomatic of his general addiction to faux cowboy-ism, but I believe that it was also, in a larger sense, the way Republicans think about the members of their Party.

As we know from reading John Dean's "Conservatives Without Conscience," (ohfuhgodssake just read the darn book) today's Republicans, aka "movement conservatives," are monolithic and authoritarian in their thinking. In other words, they look for a figure of absolute authority to follow, a strong Daddy to relieve them of the burdens of thinking for themselves. (This explains the appeal of movement conservatism to evangelical Christians, and their creepy identification of Bush as a religious, instead of a political, leader.) A rare few, such as Bush and Cheney, are double-high authoritarians, who wish to be the authority figures themselves. (Remember Bush's statement that it would be a lot easier if the U.S. were a dictatorship, as long as he's the dictator?) Movement conservatives also espouse a platform that is negative in nature; against taxes, against abortion, against evolution, against anything with the "liberal" label stamped on it.

All these factors converge into one large lump of identity for Republicans. If you pass the test - if you believe what they believe - then you're with them. If not, you're against them. Show allegiance to the leader, and you can be any color, any religion, any income level and even (gasp!) female. Your identity is subsumed into that of the authority figure. You know how to vote on every issue, and you believe whatever the authority figure believes. It's a Fascist, but efficient, way to run a political party.

More on the Republicans in a little while.

Now, for us pesky Democrats. In my experience, we are exactly the opposite of the Republicans on the subject of identity. Our loyalty is to the principles of the Party rather than to any individual. Thus, it makes it much, much harder to identify "friend" from "foe." Getting a bunch of Democrats to all vote the same way is "herding cats." We are currently experiencing a massive split in the Party between those who support Senator Obama and those who don't. Why? Because we PUMAs believe that Hillary represents the principles of the Democratic Party and that Barack Obama does not. That's your identity politics right there, bub.

Were we Republicans, this would never have happened. The base of the Party doesn't like John McCain, because he has not shown enough loyalty to President Bush. Doesn't matter - they'll vote for him anyway, because President Bush has endorsed him and has raised money for him. That's good enough for them. As for us, the base of the Democratic Party? We've had everyone from Al Gore, to Jimmy Carter, to John Edwards endorse Obama. We've even had Senator Clinton urging us to support him. No sale. We feel the love for you, Hillary, but our loyalty isn't transferable.

What got me thinking about this in the first place was the shocking article I linked to yesterday. How is it possible that Senator McCain, a man who consistently espouses policies that would harm women in general, treats the women in his Senate office with so much more respect than Senator Obama, a man who supports policies like equal pay for equal work?

Then I realized: For Republicans, it's all about individual loyalty. If those women are loyal to McCain, they're not women, they're team members. They're With Him, and no bigotry applies to those who are members of the Republican team. That's how President Bush was able to appoint two African-American Secretaries of State, and not one Republican blinked. Incredibly ironic for a man who, due to his lack of interest in the African-American community in general, consistently has an approval rating of single digits among AAs.

For Democrats, it's all about loyalty to Party principles. If those women work for Obama, they are women who work for the principles of the Democratic Party, of whom Senator Obama is a representative. (See how complicated it is already?) Thus, they are seen as individuals, not nameless, faceless cogs in a wheel, and all bigotry, including misogyny, applies.

I know that we Democrats should not adopt the Fascist tendencies of the Republicans, but something has got to change within our identity mechanism. In a year when we should be looking forward to a giant sweep of the legislative and executive branches, I and my fellow PUMAs believe that we are likely to either lose the executive, or win the executive at the expense of the principles of the Party.

May I suggest, Breaking Down the Big Tent?

Cross-posted at The Confluence

Senator Obama Channels His Inner Orwell

2008-07-06T11:09:00.004-04:00

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

- George Orwell, Animal Farm

It seems that some of Senator Obama's more lefty supporters are starting to realize that he is not the liberal/progressive they thought he was. Personally, I am mystified as to how any remotely reasonable person could have thought he was a liberal. One anti-war speech in 2002 - which no one can find video or audio of - does not a liberal make. And his record in the Illinois Senate was hardly one of accomplishment, despite his recent claims.

Obama's rhetoric, as I've pointed out time and again, has always been rightward bound. From his pandering to anti-gay evangelicals with Donnie McClurkin, to his praising of all Presidents Republican (which Democratic President has he ever praised on a consistent basis?), to his kumbaya Unity schtick, to his statements that he would consider specific Republics for his Cabinet post (and possibly for VP - I think that's the next shoe to drop), to his unforgivable lying about Bill Clinton's presidency (no, rural people did not suffer equally under Reagan and Clinton, thanks for playing) and embrace of right-wing frames regarding Bill and Hillary's judgment and character...well, I could go on and on. Oh! I just did!

But those are all in the past, right? We all know that once Obama got the nomination, he would do a shout-out to his bestest buddies, the lefties who love and worship him as the next coming of John F. Kennedy, right?

Not so much. Obama's been steadily and happily giving the finger to all things liberal for the last few weeks. Iraq withdrawal? Just a best-case scenario, as I pointed out. FISA filibuster? Not so much. Women and abortion? Turns out a late-term abortion should not be the woman's decision - it should be done only if some physical problem occurs. And let's not forget that Obama wants to expand on Bush's faith-based initiatives, and is consistently reaching out to the rightiest of right-wingers, evangelical Christians, with projects such as the Joshua Generation.

Finally, this morning I read about this [h/t to "ribbon" on TalkLeft]:

On average, women working in Obama's Senate office were paid at least $6,000 below the average man working for the Illinois senator. That's according to data calculated from the Report of the Secretary of the Senate, which covered the six-month period ending Sept. 30, 2007. Of the five people in Obama's Senate office who were paid $100,000 or more on an annual basis, only one -- Obama's administrative manager -- was a woman.

The average pay for the 33 men on Obama's staff (who earned more than $23,000, the lowest annual salary paid for non-intern employees) was $59,207. The average pay for the 31 women on Obama's staff who earned more than $23,000 per year was $48,729.91. (The average pay for all 36 male employees on Obama's staff was $55,962; and the average pay for all 31 female employees was $48,729. The report indicated that Obama had only one paid intern during the period, who was a male.)

McCain, an Arizona senator, employed a total of 69 people during the reporting period ending in the fall of 2007, but 23 of them were interns. Of his non-intern employees, 30 were women and 16 were men. After excluding interns, the average pay for the 30 women on McCain's staff was $59,104.51. The 16 non-intern males in McCain's office, by comparison, were paid an average of $56,628.83.

Add this to Obama's abortion flip-flop, and is it any wonder that women don't want Obama as Commander-in-Chief? The penilely-challenged do not seem to be as equal as other animals in Obama's World.

Now, some people are calling this rash of pandering a move to the center. Okay, almost EVERYONE is calling this a move to the center. Newsflash, people. The center is not there. What "center" thinks telecommunications companies should have immunity for spying on Americans? What "center" thinks that the troops don't need to come home from Iraq? What "center" thinks Roe v. Wade was a mistake and that abortion should be regulated even further? What "center" thinks that Bush's faith-based initiatives were an awesome success and should be expanded?

No, Obama is moving to the far right. He's signaled this move all along, and now he's following up on his rhetoric.

In how large a font should I type "I told you so?"

Now, the Convention is not a coronation, and Hillary has not released her delegates. There is still time to nominate the only real Democrat in this race. My purpose with all these posts is not to bash Obama, although I don't mind that part either, but to highlight the fact that his candidacy would be an utter disaster for three reasons:

1) He is the presumptive nominee only through corruption by, and collusion with, the National Party.
2) He refuses to stand up for Democratic principles, caving to the rightwingers constantly.
3) He will lose to McCain.

There is still time to save the Party from itself. There is still time to put a real fighter, a strong leader and a die-hard liberal Democrat up against John McCain. There is still time to elect a Democratic President who actually has the know-how and the will to fix the massive problems we are facing.

And that is the true goal of PUMA.

Obama Hears a "Huh?!" - A Play in One Oblivious Act.

2008-07-05T15:38:00.004-04:00

THE SCENE: BARACK OBAMA is sleeping in a five-star hotel room. Four-poster bed, multi-room suite, you know the deal. He has a purple satin sleep mask over his eyes. His wife, MICHELLE, can be heard, but not seen, humming "Hail To the Chief" from the enormous bathroom, where she is taking a bubble bath.

BILL BURTON, Obama's campaign manager, knocks diffidently on the bedroom door.

BURTON: Hey, Barack? Are you awake yet?

MICHELLE (from bathroom): Dammit Bill, I told you to call him "Mr. President!"

BURTON: (rolling his eyes) Sorry, Michelle. Uh, Mr. President?

OBAMA: (stretching and removing his mask) Oh, hey Bill. [BURTON enters the room] What time is it?

BURTON: Almost 6 am. Up and at 'em, tiger!

OBAMA: Oh man. My waffles coming?

BURTON: Like always, Mr. President. [OBAMA smiles.]

OBAMA: Cool. So, what's happening today? Is everybody happy?

BURTON: Uh, not really, Mr. President. [OBAMA's smile disappears.]

OBAMA: What the hell? What will it take for those Catwomen -

BURTON: PUMAs, Barack.

OBAMA: [waving hand dismissively] Fine, fine, whatever, PUMAs - to get on the Obama train? Do I have to give them a kiss or something?

BURTON: Actually, I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about your fans in the blogosphere. They are really, really pissed about this FISA compromise.

OBAMA: [chuckling] Oh. I thought it was something serious! After everything I've said and done, they're mad at me about FISA, huh? Lord, they are hilarious. They really think I'm going to filibuster? Are they crazy? I don't have time for that crap, I've got a campaign to run! Let Feingold and Dodd take care of it.

BURTON: But they've threatened to withhold campaign donations. They've formed a group of 16,000 people on your website.

OBAMA: [smiling] Come on, Bill. I've got fundraisers coming up where people are paying $30,000 a plate to see me. Does Markos really think his $2300 is going to make a dent? Seriously, these people do not have a clue.

BURTON: So, you think they'll vote for you anyway?

MICHELLE (from the bathroom): Of course they will! You think they'll vote for John McCain? After all...

[all three together]: Where else can they go?

BURTON: [smiling] You're right, Mr. President. What was I thinking? Unless they plan to withhold their votes, like those bitchy PUMAs, they're just pissing into the wind. We'll just ignore them like we usually do.

OBAMA: [clapping Burton on the back] My man! That's what I'm talking about. Now, where the hell are those waffles?

[Lights out.]

Cross-posted at The Confluence.

Independence Day: Losing Faith in the Democratic Brand

2008-07-04T10:15:00.003-04:00

"This is an impressive crowd - the haves, and the have-mores.
Some call you the elite. I call you my base."
George W. Bush, October 19, 2000

Yes, I'm back from Aruba, rested, relaxed and ready to roar! (More pictures will be coming later.)

I've been thinking about this post for quite some time. How can I further explain why Barack Obama is not getting my vote? I have tried in various different ways; using plays, lists of ways in which Obama has not kept his promises, and even a petition to show my reasoning. Yet some thoughtful Obama supporters still do not understand where I'm coming from.

I don't blame them. Sometimes, I can't believe it myself! After all, everyone who knows me (or reads my blog) knows that a few months ago, I was yelling louder than anyone that ANY Democrat would be better than a Republican in 2009.

Then I realized: I am a PUMA because I don't have faith in the Democratic brand anymore.

All my life, I have voted Democratic when I could. Fiercely partisan and proud of it, only one time did I cast a vote for a Republic, and that was when I allowed myself to be a single-issue voter. (I'll never make that mistake again.) I believed wholeheartedly in the idea that the Democrats were inherently better than the Republics. Why? Because the Democrats cared about the working class. The Democrats wanted a social safety net and equal opportunity for all. Every enlightened advance made in our society in the last 60 years was forced through by Democrats. And face it - what Democrat would ever say the words I quote above? Embarrassing. Anathema!

Then, along came Barack Obama.

Elitist? You bet. Courting the rightiest right-wingers in our society? Much more than he's courting liberals! And as for the Democratic base? Who needs 'em? They're just racist Republicans, anyway. And as for his policy positions? I don't trust one word he says.

The only way a politician like Obama can brand himself a Democrat is that the Democratic brand is in desperate trouble. There are two reasons for this: the actions of the VRWC (the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, which did and does exist), and the actions of current Democratic Party leadership.

First, the enemy without.

When Bill Clinton was elected in 1992, the New Conservative Republicans knew that in two years, they would sweep Congress. Their plans to infiltrate the media via teevee and radio punditry, and to take over the local parties at the grassroots level, had gone swimmingly. Now, only those in lockstep with the radical rightwing agenda - mostly social and anti-government in nature - would be able to advance to national office. And thus it came to pass in 1994 that Gingrich's Congress took power.

As we know, they immediately began investigating the new Democratic President. But what their media wing did is a lesser-known fact: They immediately began divorcing the Clintons from the Democratic brand.

Despite the avalanche of progressive reforms that Clinton attempted from 1992-1994 while he had a somewhat supportive Congress (and many of which, like AmeriCorps, became incredibly successful), the impression began to be created that Bill and Hillary Clinton were not REALLY Democrats. Smears about their characters and "true intentions" began to be published in every newspaper. Sure, they may try to fix health care, but their "true intentions" were to screw the little guy. The term "slick Willy" was affixed to President Clinton with Crazy Glue. Bill was a liar and a cheat. Hillary was cold, calculating, ambitious and gay. They were possibly even murderers (Vince Foster). (For factual backup of all of these occurrences, I highly recommend, once again, David Brock's amazing book, "Blinded by the Right.")

How could these people be Democrats? They couldn't. And neither could their supporters.

Thus, despite Bill's job approval rating being extremely high when he left office, Democrats were successfully induced to feel that there was something wrong with Bill and Hillary on a personal level. Something unsavory, undesirable, and...Republican.

Fast-forward to 2007, when Barack Obama, the candidate backed by the current Democratic Party Leaders, began his own campaign against Hillary Clinton. Guess what his line of attack was? Her "character" and "judgment." Ring any bells for ya? He and his surrogates even tried to get the media to focus on the Republics' greatest hits of the 1990's, although Hillary put the smackdown on that pretty quickly when Howard Wolfson likened Obama to Ken Starr. And of course, there were the Big "Progressive" Bloggers, who always hated the Clintons, and who were more than happy to allow the most outrageous lies to be propagated as truth in their worlds. (Remember how Hillary "darkened" Obama's face on a videotape? Or how she was spreading the photo of Obama in Muslim garb - "sourced" by the oh-so-reliable Matt Drudge?)

What's amazing is that this double-pronged strategy, so successful with Bill Clinton, did not work on Hillary Clinton. Despite taking years of hits from Republicans AND Democrats, she became the first woman to win a national primary, then smashed all records by garnering 18 million popular votes. And as for winning the Democratic base? The more they saw her, the more they realized that the rightwing spin on her was a bunch of hooey. They came out for her in droves - months AFTER she had been pronounced dead by the National Party and the media.

It is my belief that the Clintons, especially Hillary, represent the true face of the Democratic Party, and not the current Party elites and their favored candidate, Barack Obama. That the Democratic brand is now like toothpaste that's been contaminated by antifreeze - bad for you, and sold-out to the highest bidder. That the only way to save the brand is by distilling out the poison of corruption and elitism, and to get it down to its purest elements - FDR-style populism and emphasis on the working class instead of the rich.

There is no way, no WAY that Barack Obama can do what is necessary to save the brand. He is clearly not inclined to do so, having zero record of any actions backing up his sometimes-liberal rhetoric, and neither are his supporters. They are only interested in creating a Party that more closely reflects their own image of themselves as Teh Kewl Kids Who Drink The Right Kind of Beer and Ousted Those Despicable Clintons. The fact that Obama's nomination is being made possible only with the most obvious and corrupt Party intervention matters not one whit to them.

What I see now is a choice between two parties that represent the rich, do not care about the will of the voters, and look down on people who need the government's help to equalize their opportunities.

Now I ask you, why would a representative of either of such parties get my vote - unless it is Hillary Clinton, who has a record of standing for, and delivering on, true Democratic principles?

There is a movement to send torn-up Democratic voter registration cards to the DNC today, with a note that the former Democrat is becoming an Independent. I myself have not taken this step, since I am still hoping that the Party can come to its senses and nominate Hillary at the Convention. But should the DNC and Party leaders persist in nominating Barack Obama despite the will of the people, despite his weakness as a candidate, and despite the fact that he has demonstrated no allegiance whatsoever to core Democratic Party principles, then the brand truly will be dead.

And I will no longer be a Democrat.

PUMA!

Aruba Pix - Just a Few For Now...Enjoy!

2008-06-30T13:18:00.011-04:00

Mr. and Mrs. Madamab on our Sunset Sail

Papiamento - A Delicious and Romantic Restaurant

The Beach

Iguanas!

Shhhhh....

2008-06-26T20:44:00.003-04:00

be vewy vewy quiet. My husband is napping. Heheheheheheheheh!

So, SOME people seem to, like, want beach blogging and stuff! Well, normally I would have done more by now, but believe it or not, the weather has been sucky! It is so incredibly rare to have rain in Aruba that everyone on the island is in shock. Luckily, the last of the storm seems to have passed, and the rain this morning will probably be the last, for the next four months!

I have a newfangled Blackberry and have taken some fun photos, which I hope to [ahem] figure out how to download tomorrow! But I wanted to wait till I had some great beach shots first. We haven't even seen a lot of iguanas this year - they've been hiding from the rain! Jeez!

On the upside, we are winning at the casinos and eating some incredible food. Our hotel is very nice and the room opens right onto the beach. So it's all good...and tomorrow night, the Sunset Sail awaits, with champagne and delicious Dutch chocolates.

Sending you all lovely breezes and starlit nights!

White Woman Going Missing in Aruba!

2008-06-22T10:59:00.003-04:00

Don't worry, I'm coming back...but tomorrow morning, hubby and I are flying to our favorite slice of Paradise. If you don't know why we love it so much, here are some pics of our trip last year.

I will be blogging, but not as often. I will be too blissed out by the Aruban breezes, the white sands, the indigo waters and the incredible food and drink.

What more could a gal ask for?

What the FISA???!!!! One Act of Betrayal, Starring Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer.

2008-06-21T11:05:00.007-04:00

I don't know if we'll ever REALLY know why the House Democrats, after holding fast since February with barely a mention of "ZOMG National Security!!!111!!!!," decided that now was the time to give our lame-duck Deciderer everything he wants on telecom immunity. But if I were a fly on the wall in Nancy Pelosi's living room, I imagine I might hear a little something like this:

THE SCENE: Speaker Nancy Pelosi's living room. It is tastefully appointed in soft pastels. She is seated on her sofa, wearing silk PJ's and watching The Colbert Report. The Princess phone rings and she mutes her TV.

NANCY: [picking up phone] Hello?

STENY: Nancy? Steny.

NANCY [a la Seinfeld]: Hello, Steny.

STENY: Listen, Nancy babe, we need to talk about telecom immunity.

NANCY: Again? Jesus, Steny, haven't we been over this? Telecom immunity is off the table. The American people don't want it. Even Fox News says Bush's numbers are in the tank. You know all this. So stop yanking my chain. Good night -

STENY [interrupting]: Just a minute, Nance. [Pelosi rolls her eyes] Didn't you hear the latest from Kucinich? He's rather annoyed that Conyers has been sitting on his impeachment resolution for so long.

NANCY: [hissing] KUCINICH! Damn that little hobbit!

STENY: He's saying that if we don't start impeachment proceedings within 30 days, he'll bring it up again - with more articles added. And, Conyers is starting to weaken. We all know how much he wants to impeach Bush. I swear he dreams about it at night!

NANCY: Why won't Dennis get with the program? If we impeach now, we could lose our majority in Congress. Then, if McCain wins, we're back to square one!

STENY: I feel you, Nancy. Now, you know that the warrantless wiretapping program is one of the strongest reasons for impeachment. As it stands now, the program is illegal and un-Constitutional. If we don't retroactively make it legal in some way, then that idiot from Ohio could actually make his case!

NANCY: Damnit! Why can't he wait till AFTER Bush leaves office like we all agreed?!

STENY: Ahhhh, he's worried about some stupid checks and balances thing. He is such an idealistic schmuck.

NANCY: [getting up and pacing] Okay. I see where you're coming from now. I guess we can do this ridiculous thing if it will stop Dennis. But what about the Senate? They will have to re-vote. Do you think anyone will filibuster?

STENY: Don't you worry about the Senate, babe. I've got it all sewn up. Rocky and I guarantee it's a done deal.

NANCY: But what about Obama? Didn't he promise that he would support a filibuster? What if he decides to do it himself?

[pause]

STENY AND NANCY [laughing]: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[STENY stops laughing first.]

STENY: As if Senator "Present" would do something like that! No, someone will probably stand up and blather for a while - maybe Dodd or Feingold or one of those guys. But without support, the filibuster will die and we'll be golden.

NANCY: Well, what if Hillary comes back from vacation and supports it?

STENY: Hell no! Jay already talked to her. If she tries to showboat on this, there will be a lot of pissed-off Senators talking to the media. She won't make any trouble. She's tired of Congressional knives in her back.

NANCY: All right, Steny. You win. We'll vote on the bill tomorrow.

STENY: I knew you'd see things my way, Nancy. See you tomorrow!

[they hang up]

NANCY [sitting back down on the couch and rubbing her
temples wearily]: Sometimes I really, really hate my job.

[stage goes dark]

Promises, Promises: Why PUMAs Don't Trust Barack Obama

2008-06-20T18:20:00.006-04:00

One of the things I often hear when I say I won't vote for Barack Obama is:

"But-but-but he and Hillary are identical on the issues!"

This mistaken belief, I feel, is one of the reasons people who ARE voting for Obama feel comfortable doing so. Maybe they didn't get their first choice - or maybe they did - but either way, Clinton and Obama are both Democrats, right? And they both say the same things on most issues, right?

Right?

Well, here's the rub. Hillary Clinton is credible when she says things like, "I believe in health care for every American." Barack Obama, sadly, is not.

Several factors inform my faith in the promises of Hillary Clinton, but the main one is that she has a record of doing what she claims she would do as President.

For example, on health care, Senator Clinton is unassailable. She tried to push Universal Health Care through the Congress in 1993, but being "only" a First Lady, did not have the clout to hack through the jungle of Blue Dog Democrats and hundreds of millions of dollars of "Harry and Louise" swiftboating from the insurance industry. Even when HillaryCare failed, she still made lemonade from lemons, and was instrumental in getting SCHIP through Congress. Millions of children owe a debt of gratitude to Senator Clinton for that program.

As for Barack Obama, well...his plan is fundamentally weaker than Hillary's. However, it's still better than what we have now. Sure, he doesn't have a record of accomplishment like Hillary, but it's POSSIBLE he could get it done, right?

Right?

Here is the epicenter of the problem. Throughout the primary season, Barack Obama has lied so often that a veritable fog of cynicism surrounds his every pronouncement. And for Jeebus' sake, don't bring up Tuzla to me. Just listen to the IMPORTANT things Obama has lied about.

How about Iraq?

Obama has promised to get us completely out of Iraq in 16 months. Hillary's hawkishness on Iraq was one of the main reasons that many lefties supported Obama. In fact, he hammered her constantly on her poor judgment in voting for the AUMF, which he successfully equated with "authorizing the war in Iraq." (It did, but only if Bush met certain conditions, which he didn't meet at all. Didn't even come close.)

Unfortunately, Samantha Power, Obama's top national security advisor, made it clear that Obama had no intentions of sticking to his promises:

"What he’s actually said, after meting with the generals and meeting with intelligence professionals, is that you – at best case scenario – will be able to withdraw one to two combat brigades each month. That’s what they’re telling him. He will revisit it when he becomes president," Power says.

The host, Stephen Sackur, challenged her:"So what the American public thinks is a commitment to get combat forces out in 16 months isn't a commitment isn't it?"

"You can’t make a commitment in March 2008 about what circumstances will be like in January of 2009," she said. "He will, of course, not rely on some plan that he’s crafted as a presidential candidate or a U.S. Senator. He will rely upon a plan – an operational plan – that he pulls together in consultation with people who are on the ground to whom he doesn’t have daily access now, as a result of not being the president. So to think – it would be the height of ideology to sort of say, 'Well, I said it, therefore I’m going to impose it on whatever reality greets me.'"

"It’s a best-case scenario," she said again.

And now, McCain and Obama are basically indistinguishable on Iraq, or so says the Iraqi Foreign Minister in the Washington Post.

It would be "the height of ideology" to stick to a campaign promise that you used to win the anti-war left to your side? Seems to me that it is the height of cynicism to pretend you are something you're not.

If Senator Obama will pull back from his campaign position on Iraq, what else will he "change" his mind about?

Public financing, perhaps? Jerusalem? Iran? NAFTA?

How about FISA?

Back when the issue of telecom immunity came up in 2007, Chris Dodd stated he would filibuster it in the Senate. Barack Obama offered his support, along with other Presidential contenders Biden and Clinton. Now, the issue of telecom immunity is on the table again, for reasons no one outside of Nancy Pelosi's living room can adequately understand (although I have my thoughts - tune in tomorrow...). Barack Obama has coronated himself king of the Democratic, er, Obama for America Party. Where is his commitment to stopping telecom immunity now?

His latest statement shows that he supports the so-called "compromise":

"It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as President, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the Inspectors General, and work with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives – and the liberty – of the American people."

Translation: He will do nothing to back up his rhetoric. How utterly...unsurprising. Is this the change we can believe in - we can believe he will change his mind, any time he feels it is politically expedient?

Obama cannot even tell the truth about his own record. Oh, and remember that email that was going around saying that Obama had MORE legislative accomplishments than Senator Clinton? A complete and total fabrication.

Have I demonstrated sufficiently that Barack Obama has a massive credibility problem on the issues?

So no, please don't tell me that he and Hillary Clinton believe in the same things and would fight the same fights as President. The fact is, I don't have any idea what Barack Obama believes in. I have no sense of what his goals are. He would have to actually do something - pass a law, take a stand, make something happen in the Senate - in order to push aside that fog of cynicism even the eensiest little bit.

Otherwise, all I hear is "Promises, Promises" whenever he speaks. And that's not good enough to earn my vote.

P.U.M.A.!

(cross-posted at The Confluence)

You Know You Are Absent-Minded When...

2008-06-19T18:31:00.003-04:00

your commenters have to remind you about your own BlogaVersary!!! Thanks very much, Timmy B!

It's hard to believe I branched out and started bloviating here just one year ago today. Of course, I've always been a world-champeen provider of hot air, as my friends and relatives will tell ya. :-)

Thanks to everyone who reads this blog for sticking with me through a very, very tough primary season. We may not agree, but respect me, and I'll respect you.

Onward and upward!

What's PUMA All About?

2008-06-19T11:25:00.003-04:00

If you think we're all wacked-out Republicans in Democratic clothing, or don't understand how we can not Unify with Obama, read riverdaughter's post.

I don't have much to add to her eloquence, but I'd like to say that my personal realization that the Democratic Party (now known, apparently, as Obama for America) no longer cared about Democratic principles was when I read the "Bowers Manifesto" - a statement of "principles" written by Chris Bowers of MyDD. It was a proud admission that the the working class was no longer invited into the Democrats' Big Tent. It upset me so much that I wrote two posts about it: here and here.

That's where I'm coming from. We all become PUMAs in different ways.

It would be nice if the Obamans and the Party Leadership could respect and recognize that we have real grievances, rather than dismissing or insulting us. But then, if Obama and the Party Leadership had empathy and respect for their constituents, they wouldn't be who they are.

And I'd be happily pulling the lever for Obama in November.

Why Democrats Vote, Part Deux

2008-06-18T09:59:00.008-04:00

A little while ago, I posted some thoughts on why Democrats vote. The new FISA drama has made me think again about why right-wing frames (such as "Democrats are weak on National Security!!111!!!") work so well against liberals, and what we can do to change that current reality.

One of the most die-hard of these right-wing frames is that liberals "hate America." Why in the world would conservatives think that, we liberals wonder? We love America. We love America so much that we want her to have the best government possible. Can't these idiotic conservative buttheads understand the difference between hating America and hating America's government and policies?

Well, maybe they can't. And maybe...it's partially our fault, because we do things like this.

You see, we liberals don't choose our symbols wisely. If we are upset with the government, we should not burn a flag. The flag is not Democratic, Republican or Rosicrucian. It is simply a symbol of America itself. Why would we burn a symbol of America...if we don't hate America?

Now, who is the idiot - the one that draws simple conclusions from symbolic acts, or the one that doesn't understand what conclusions will be drawn from these very same acts?

No one understands the power of framing and symbols better than Hillary Clinton, who was re-elected in 2006 with 67% of the popular vote. Senator Clinton took a lot of flak from self-professed "progressives" because she co-sponsored a bill to make it illegal, in certain circumstances, to burn the flag.

Take a look, for example, at this rambling, factually-challenged screed from Markos Moulitsas in 2006. It condemns Hillary for her flag-burning bill, among other things. It's quite the rant. (Apparently Kos has been an unoriginal, power-hungry Hillary Hater for a lot longer than I thought. Who knew?)

In any case, Clinton got it from all sides. She was pandering to conservatives. She was wasting her time on stupid legislation. Etc. etc. etc.

Well, you know what? It worked. Because symbols are IMPORTANT. Why don't we get that?

We don't get that because we don't listen. We arrogantly assume that people who think liberals hate America are stupid, and unworthy of our time and attention. Yes, we do this even to registered Democrats! Hillary listened and she understood. Burning the flag is like burning the Constitution. You can make your point, but make it another way.

And here's another thing Democrats are dumb about: We don't respect our own voters. You will never, NEVER see Republicans publicly sneering at other Republicans and double-dog-daring them to vote for Democrats. In fact, McCain is now openly courting the PUMAs - pointing out how rude Obama's supporters are, meeting with 75 PUMA members privately and reassuring them that he is not the scary neo-con freak he appears to be. And let me emphasize that most PUMAs are - or used to be - registered Democrats.

So why, why, WHY hasn't Barack Obama done the same thing? Why doesn't he acknowledge the very real concerns that we PUMAs have about him? Why doesn't he reassure us that he is not the petty, arrogant, immature, religio-con thug that he appears to be?

I'll tell you why. Because Obama, like a lot of Party Leaders, blames the voters when they don't vote for him. The BitterCling remarks and the boring and oft-repeated cries of racism are just two examples of this phenomenon. Republicans never, never blame their voters for not voting for them. They do everything they can to get every possible vote - including counting votes that aren't even there, a la Ohio in 2004! (I'm not advocating for THAT, of course.)

If we Democrats don't get a clue, very soon, as to why Democrats vote, we will be on our way to Party extinction along with the Republics.

Maybe that's a good thing. Should Hillary not become the nominee, I hope that after the 2009 election of John McCain, she and Bill Clinton use their personal and political clout to push a third party into national prominence. My pick would be the liberal Working Families Party, which is based in New York (perfect for a New York Senator). Then, she could run again in 2012 without all the interference, hamstringing and backstabbing from the Democrats.

I'll bet she'd win in a landslide. Because Hillary understands...why Democrats vote.

(cross-posted at The Confluence)

A Great Honor....

2008-06-17T21:38:00.003-04:00

I have been guest-posted at The Confluence!

[blushes furiously]

If you haven't read my little play from May 15, I hope you will check it out at riverdaughter's wonderful site.

Enjoy!

Tuesday News Day: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2008-06-17T08:57:00.005-04:00

First, the good.

Woooohooooo!

Same-sex couples in California get marriage licenses
By LISA LEFF – 12 hours ago

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California has become the second state to allow same-sex marriages.

A landmark California Supreme Court ruling overturning bans on gay marriage went into effect at 5 p.m. Monday and clerks in at least five counties began handing out gender-neutral marriage licenses.

At San Francisco City Hall, Mayor Gavin Newsom was presiding at the wedding of lesbian rights activists Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 84.

Same-sex couples were also tying the knot in Sonoma, Los Angeles, Yolo and Alameda counties.

Massachusetts is the only other state where gay marriage is legal.
This is just so, so wonderful. It is reprehensible that we still treat LGBT people as though there is something wrong with them. What is the legal basis for denying people who are attracted to the same sex civil rights? Why, none of course! It's just good, old-fashioned, institutionalized bigotry.

I know the wingnuts are going to try to stop it, but really, wingnuts, may I ask a question?

Why don't you pay attention to your own marriages and leave other peoples' alone?

Otherwise some people might think you, yourselves, are self-loathing gay people trying to prevent other, more self-aware types from having the happiness you can't allow yourselves to have.

Just sayin'.

Now...the bad. Iowa is flooded and in big trouble, and we are looking at possible levee breaks as well as more water shortages.

Officials pleaded with Iowans to remain patient, and warned of serious health hazards even in areas were waters had largely receded: leaking sewage, mould and contaminated food and water.

"Please bear with us, we're doing the very best we can," mayor Kay Halloran said, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette newspaper.

The state has mobilised 4,000 National Guardsmen, and the federal government has sent $3.6m in disaster aid.

In Cedar Rapids, flooding has caused $750m to $1bn in damage, governor Chet Culver said.

At the southern end of the state, the swollen Mississippi river is expected to crest today or tomorrow, promising days of further misery for people kept from their homes. In Burlington and Keokuk, crews worked to build up levees that could hold back the surging river.

The federal government predicts that 27 levees could potentially overflow along the Mississippi river if rains continue and a massive sandbagging effort fails to raise the level of the levees, the Associated Press.
This is terrible enough, but as usual, the media is not connecting the dots. Those billions of dollars in damages do not just encompass houses, schools and hospitals, although losing them is awful. What is really scary is how much food has been lost - and how much continues to be lost.

Acres of soybeans lost: 2 million

Acres of corn lost: 1.3 million

Tillable acres of farmland under water: 16 percent of the state's 25 million acres.
What does that mean? More pain for the American wallet, already straining to afford gas that rises an average of 25 cents a week. (My theory on gas, by the way, is that BushCheney has an exact figure at which they will stop the oil prices from going up any further. My guess is $5/gallon. Certainly this state of affairs cannot continue, or the U.S. economy will simply collapse.)

Okay, that's the bad. Now, for the ugly.

[original photo: New York Times]

Was this really necessary, on the same day that Al Gore finally endorsed Barack Obama?

The Obama campaign announced today what had long been suspected: Hillary Clinton's former campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle was going to work for the Illinois Democrat. What came as a surprise was Solis Doyle's title, "chief of staff to the vice presidential candidate."

The move was seen as shrewd but potentially controversial. Solis Doyle was let go by Clinton because of what was widely regarded as poor campaign and financial management. But she still is a prominent Hispanic figure with ties to the former first lady -- attributes that could endear Obama to a sought-after political constituency.

One thing the move does suggest, insiders believe, is that Hillary Clinton's chances of being tapped for the vice presidency are now slim to nil.

"This alone means that Hillary won't be the V.P. choice," wrote one.
Ya think?

Despite the story's spin, there is nothing "shrewd" about hiring Solis Doyle. She is the one largely held responsible for the "We'll win by Super Tuesday" strategy that had Senator Clinton front-loading her money and resources and gave Obama his advantage in red-state caucuses. Explain to me how hiring someone who was fired for incompetence is "seen as shrewd?" As for the Hispanic issue, I doubt Ms. Solis Doyle is any more adept at community outreach than she was at campaign management.

No, this is a pure, balls-out, Chicago-style middle finger from Obama to Clinton. And yes, I do believe it finally puts the nail in the coffin of the pipe dream that Hillary will be Obama's VP.

I have said for weeks now that Obama will not ask her. If he had any intentions of doing so, he would not have conducted his campaign in such a nasty and immature manner. This thuggish, pointless theft is just the icing on the cake.

Hillary Clinton's response?

“Patti will be an asset and good addition to the Obama campaign. After nearly two decades in political life, she brings with her the ability to tap an extensive network that will be a huge asset to Senator Obama. As Senator Clinton has said, we’re all going to do our part to help elect Senator Obama as the next President of the United States," said spokesman Mo Elleithee.
You tell me. Which one has the grace, the class and the maturity to be our President? The man who takes every opportunity to rub his opponent's face in her "loss"? Or the woman who does everything she can to try to heal the wounds her opponent caused her, her supporters and her Party?

Unless Hillary is the nominee, there will be no Party unity. Barack Obama will see to that.

P.U.M.A.!

You Keep Saying That Word, Unity. I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means.

2008-06-16T10:39:00.005-04:00

Having been on Howard Dean's mailing list for years, one or two requests to be removed clearly are not cutting it. I received the dreaded Obama mail solicitation this weekend, and the "ick" factor? Off the charts.

The return address was interesting: "Obama for America." What is "Obama for America" - a new game show? Seriously, shouldn't there be somewhere, something that admits that Barack Obama was elected as a Democrat, even though he hasn't campaigned like one? "Obama for America" sounds suspiciously like "Connecticut for Lieberman" to me. You know, that phony third party that Lieberman used in order to avoid his primary loss to Ned Lamont and run for Senate anyway? Lieberman was Obama's Senate mentor for a while; looks like Obama might have learned some very poor lessons from "Joementum."

The letter itself started with the whole phony Axelrovian story of Obama The Underdog. "We started with just two cans and a string connecting them." Uh, what we, Kemosabe? I have never been a part of your campaign. I am not one of your supporters. Therefore, I am assuming that this is the royal "We," a construction that, like most things about you these days, makes me very nervous. Finally, don't give me that "We beat the Big Scary Clinton Machine!!11!!!" crap. You and the DNC have been conspiring for a long time to make sure the nomination goes to you. Why else would Florida and Michigan have been punished the way they were, when the other "early" states were not punished at all? Why else would the takeover of the DNC have happened BEFORE you were officially nominated? We're onto you, pal. Don't try to okie-doke, bamboozle and hoodwink us, mmmmkay?

After that inauspicious beginning, I skipped to the part I had heard about on the Internets. I am supposed to send "Obama for America" money along with this pledge:

"Dear Barack, I agree! We are the ones we've been waiting for...we are the change we seek. You can count on me to support you and our movement for change all the way to the White House."

ICK!

Is this guy a political candidate, or Dr. Phil? Is the Obama "movement" a movement to effect specific changes, or just a bunch of people wanting to feel good about themselves? What are the goals of this movement?

Oh, here they are!

Change is a tax code that rewards work instead of wealth. Change is a health care plan that guarantees insurance to every American who wants it, and an education policy that gives every child a chance at success.

Change is ending a war in Iraq that should never have been authorized, and finishing a war against al-Qaida in Afghanistan that should never have been ignored.

That's it? New Deal, anyone? Creating jobs through building infrastructure? The environmental crisis? Millions of people losing their homes?

[cricket cricket cricket]

No wonder Oprah was stumping for him. What a platitude-spewing empty suit Obama is.

I searched in vain for any plan whatsoever for me (not him) to effect these changes. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

So for all this blather about Unity, this "movement" is about one thing: Electing Barack Obama. There is no party - it's "Obama for America." There is no platform - it's vague nonsense about getting us out of Iraq (still slamming Hillary for "authorizing" the war, which the AUMF did not do, of course) and "finishing the job" in Afghanistan, about cutting taxes on the middle class, offering health care to "those who want it" and improving education. IAAO - It's All About Obama.

But what if you don't like Obama?

Who does Obama for America have in its grand movement, really? Wealthy liberals, African Americans (who came out 93% for John Kerry in 2004) and young voters?

Uh, isn't that the same coalition we always have in national elections? Where are the soccer moms, the blue-collar workers, the registered Democrats who so often vote Republican? Where are the voters in swing states that carry Democrats to such rare victories in Presidential elections?

Oh, yes. They voted for Hillary Clinton. And they're not coming to Obama. But don't worry - he doesn't need them to win. He'll win Virginia, North Carolina and some Western states...

Don't give up, Hillary. Take some time off, think for a while, and then come back strong. Fight for the nomination that would have been yours without this dirty back-room Chicago-style wheeling and dealing.

We need a President who sees us, and not just herself, when she looks in the mirror. If we truly want Unity, and not Submission, we will nominate the one who united the Democrats behind her: Hillary Clinton.

Until then: P.U.M.A.!

L'Etat, C'est Obama

2008-06-13T09:50:00.005-04:00

Say what now?

Moving quickly to take control of the Democratic Party, Sen. Barack Obama will shift much of the infrastructure of the Democratic National Committee from its Capitol Hill headquarters to his campaign offices in downtown Chicago, DNC officials said yesterday.

The party's political functions and some other operations will move to Obama's offices in the Loop. The DNC's get-out-the-vote operation will be integrated with Obama's massive voter mobilization efforts, as will the Democrats' increasingly sophisticated voter identification program. Communications, opposition research and much of its Internet operation will likely remain in Washington.

"We are now one team effort working together to ensure that Barack Obama is the next president of the United States," said DNC communications director Karen Finney. "Our goal is to quickly consolidate these efforts into one operation and effectively drive one national strategy."

SAY WHAT NOW?

FYI...Barack Obama is not the nominee. He is the PRESUMPTIVE nominee in a race that is separated by 125 pledged delegates. Neither candidate has enough pledged delegates to count himself, or herself, the nominee. Either candidate could still be nominated at the Convention.

Moreover, Obama's pledged delegates were only gained due to massive manipulation by the DNC. Had the DNC's actual rules been followed, the outcome of this race would have been quite different.

Yet knowing all of these facts, knowing he has cheated his way to the nomination with the collusion of the National Party, one-millionth of a second after Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign (and has not yet released her delegates), Obama is taking over the Democratic Party.

The Post tries to be reassuring about this coup d'etat, but it fails, quite miserably.

The move is not unprecedented. Some DNC operations were moved to Nashville in 2000, and a migration similar in scope to this year's took place in 1992, when Bill Clinton moved much of the party to Little Rock. Obama moved one of his top aides, Paul Tewes, to the DNC on Wednesday. Last Friday, Tewes, Obama and DNC Chairman Howard Dean held a conference call with state Democratic leaders to map out the shake-up.

"What's unusual is the speed," said Tom McMahon, DNC executive director. "That's what's catching people off guard."

No, Tom, sweetie, what is "catching people off guard" is that it stinks. It smells to high heaven of Chicago Machine corruption.

There is no way that this could possibly happen so quickly without prior collusion and planning. It is simply not credible. Thus, it was planned BEFORE Obama stole, er, "won," the nomination. Which, as demonstrated above, he could not have stolen, er, won, without the intervention of the DNC.

I am so stunned and disheartened by this clear and obvious quid pro quo between Obama's organization and the Party elites. Let me say this right now: Obama will never, ever get my vote.

The Democratic Party has just sunk into the depths of Tammany Hall slime. We have become what we despised.

Happy Friday!

Jimmy Carter's Greatest Hits

2008-06-12T08:48:00.005-04:00

For those of us who were old enough to be aware of what was happening during the Jimmy Carter years, we remember how difficult they were in many respects. OPEC tightened the screws and forced a gas crisis. Jimmy Carter appeared on TV wearing a sweater and told Americans to turn down their thermostats. A speed limit of 55 miles an hour was imposed throughout the United States. We had to wait in long lines to fill our tanks, and could only go to the gas stations on certain days depending on the first letter of our last names. And yes, there was the dreaded: Stagflation (which technically began in 1973, during the Nixon/Ford years).

Worried murmurs about stagflation are beginning to be heard throughout the country. The latest numbers on unemployment have it at 5.5%, a jump of .5% in one month. Even supply-side ideologues are starting to realize that it is difficult for consumers to consume when they don't have jobs, can't afford to fill up a gas tank ($4.29 a gallon here in New York), have lost their homes, and can't borrow money. Golly!

So that's the "stag" part of stagflation. What about the "flation?"

Cost of living

In recent months, the US Federal Reserve has been slashing interest rates in an attempt to stoke growth.

But analysts believe the rising cost of living, rather than interest rates, should be the US central bank's chief concern now.

"If you want to avoid a protracted recession, you have to make sure inflation doesn't get out of control," said Gilles Moec, an analyst at Bank of America.

"Otherwise, you're going to have a loss of purchasing power meaning consumer spending is going to slow down even more."
The financial bigwigs are nervous. They know that interest rates cannot stay where they are - the only reason they are so low is to stave off recession during an election year. (Unfortunately, the recession is here anyway. They didn't count on the ARM crisis exacerbating the effects of the exorbitant oil price hikes.) After the elections are over, the first thing the Fed will do is to raise interest rates exponentially to counter the effects of the recession. This will, of course, cause consumer borrowing to come to a screeching halt. Your house may be worth only 65% of what it was before, but take heart! Anyone wanting to purchase it will have to pay 25% interest on their mortgage. Yippee! No, I'm not exaggerating - this is how the back of stagflation was broken the first time this record was played. An effective method of addressing stagflation once it occurs is equally elusive. During the 1970s, stagflation persisted in the U.S. despite the government's best efforts to contain it. The trend was finally broken when the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates to the point where borrowing was impossible for many segments of the economy, and the country fell into a deep recession.
We are in a hell of a mess. Who can get us out of it?

When Raygun was elected, he simply had the Federal Reserve lower interest rates to counter the stagflation recession, and gave everyone a shiny new credit card, including the Federal Government; thereby postponing sound economic policy until Bill Clinton arrived and raised taxes on the wealthy, regulated the banks, and instated "pay as you go" over the vociferous protests of Republican Congresscritters.

But remember, it took him eight years to do so.

No matter who is elected President in November, I believe that the next four years could rival, or surpass, the worst of Jimmy Carter's greatest hits. It will take a long time to drag the country back from the abyss. We will have to do a lot of things all at once: a New Deal-style program of job creation and infrastructure building and repair; investment in, and promotion of, green energy technologies; bringing troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan (cutting taxes during wartime has been a huge contributor to our economic downturn); an overhaul of the banking and credit systems; and raising taxes on the wealthy to Clintonian levels (at least). All of this will have to be started within the first few months of the President's first term.

Who do we think has the energy, the know-how, the strength of will, and the plan to get all of this done?

That question should be at the top of everyone's list this November. I know who my choice is, and I hope that the best candidate gets nominated and elected...whomever she is.

Finding His Religion (and Using it for Votes)

2008-06-11T08:39:00.006-04:00

If you were Barack Obama, and you had close, long-time and (to put it kindly) problematic associations with fringe religious figures like Wright, Meeks and Pfleger, wouldn't you kinda sorta downplay your religiosity?

Apparently not.

A spokesperson said the meeting of some 30 people will include leaders from several denominations including Evangelical, Catholic and Protestant members of the faith community. Among those taking part are Bishop Phillip Cousin, the Rev. Stephen Thurston and Dr. T. Dewitt Smith.

"Reaching out to the faith community is a priority for Barack Obama and will be a priority under an Obama Administration. This is one of several meetings he will have over the coming months with religious leaders," Jen Psaki told reporters on the campaign plane.

"He's done it before. He'll do it again. Some of those in attendance are supporters," Psaki said. "It's a combination of people who are from Chicago and from outside Chicago."

Heh heh. I love the myopic view of the United States from Psaki. "From Chicago and from outside Chicago." (Reminds me of those jokes about how New Yorkers see America.) And notice how there are no Jewish or Muslim leaders included? Yeah, me too.

It appears that Obama's General Election strategy is to try to peel off some of the evangelical and Christian Conservative votes from McCain. Senator McCain will have trouble with them, since he is not a born-again Christian like George Bush, and I believe at one point in his life he actually believed women should be able to control their own bodies. (GASP!) The Christian Broadcast Network's David Brody is so excited about this, he gushes like a tween meeting Hannah Montana:

As we first reported on The Brody File, Obama is meeting with influential mega-pastor TD Jakes and pro-life Catholic constitutional law professor Doug Kmiec... That's a big deal. A really big deal. The fact that these two conservative men are meeting with Obama may be a signal that Obama's campaign is ready to break down the traditional wall of separation between conservatives and liberals when it comes to religious talk.

[snip]

Folks, this is an important development. It shows that the game has changed. Old rules don't apply. We're in uncharted territory. John McCain's religious outreach team has to now step to the plate and work hard for faith voters. It's not automatic.

Oh, whatever. So Senator Obama is pandering to the evangelicals a little. The wall between church and state will be built back up under Obama. Nothing to worry about. Right?

The Brody File has learned that in the next two weeks Barack Obama's campaign will unveil a major new program to attract younger Evangelicals and Catholics to their campaign.

It's called the "Joshua Generation Project." The name is based on the biblical story of how Joshua's generation led the Israelites into the Promised Land.

A source close to the Obama campaign tells The Brody File the following:

"The Joshua Generation project will be the Obama campaign's outreach to young people of faith. There's unprecedented energy and excitement for Obama among young evangelicals and Catholics. The Joshua Generation project will tap into that excitement and provide young people of faith opportunities to stand up for their values and move the campaign forward."

I am getting very, very worried. Every single thing about Obama's campaign is a parallel of George W. Bush's campaign! Obama has cheated and used sexism and race-baiting in order to become the presumptive nominee. (In 2000, Bush's campaign used a push poll in South Carolina to knock out McCain by asking the voters if they "knew" McCain had a black baby out of wedlock.) He uses religion as a recruiting tool. He speaks in slogans and code and has a cult-like following. He campaigns as a "compassionate conservative," throwing away millions of core Democratic voters with both hands, while fervently reaching out to core Republican voters like evangelical conservative Christians.

I would like for someone, anyone, to explain to me what Democratic value Barack Obama actually stands for. And "just words" won't do. I'm talking about something on which he has actually taken a stand and affirmed with his vote.

[cricket cricket cricket]

So, as it stands right now, I've got a choice between two conservative wannabes in November. McCain is trying to convince evangelicals that he's a real right-winger...and so is Obama.

France is looking better and better all the time.

From the Department of No Shit Department...

2008-06-10T08:41:00.005-04:00

comes this article on how Barack Obama may have trouble winning over Hillary's voters in Pennsylvania and Ohio. (Ya think?) I'm not a big fan of "some dude on the street says" journalism, but I believe this particular article is interesting because of what it does and doesn't say.

For example, Pennsylvanians are racists, don'tcha know.

Joyce Susick is the type of voter who might carry Barack Obama to the White House - or keep him out. A registered Democrat in a highly competitive state, she is eager to replace George W. Bush, whom she ranks among the worst presidents ever.

There's just one problem.

"I don't think our country is ready for a black president," Susick, who is white, said in an interview in the paint store where she works. "A black man is never going to win Pennsylvania."

Susick said her personal objection to Obama is his inexperience, not his color. "It has nothing to do with race," she said.

If Susick is right about Pennsylvania voters, it presents a major hurdle for the presumed Democratic nominee. Democrats have carried Pennsylvania in the last four presidential contests, and Obama would have to offset a loss of its 21 electoral votes by taking Republican-leaning states from John McCain.

Although the writer admits that gauging voter sentiment on race is "notoriously difficult," he has no problem entitling the piece "Racial attitudes pose challenge for Obama," now, does he?

The Obama camp agrees, of course, that people who would vote for Clinton, but not him, are racists. Why not? It's the option that allows Obama to take the least responsibility for his own alienating actions and radical associations.

"He just doesn't appeal to me, and not because of race, definitely," she said in an interview in which race had not been mentioned.

Such comments are all too familiar to Richard Akers, who phoned dozens of prospective Pennsylvania voters as an Obama campaign volunteer in April. Democrats often explained their opposition to Obama with "excuses that were not rational or valid, as I saw it," said the retired bank director from Johnstown, another hotbed of Clinton support.

"To me, it was almost a code," Akers said. "'He doesn't wear a flag pin.' It seemed like code for 'He's not one of us.'"

Uh, Mr. Akers? It's not code.

What it is, is the repetition of a narrative: Barack Obama is anti-American.

As I noted a long time ago, this narrative has been partially crafted by the right-wing scream machine (remember the viral email from the RNC about how Obama was a secret Muslim?), but unfortunately, it has been reinforced quite strongly by the actions of Obama himself. He doesn't wear a flag pin, and, instead of saying "Oops! I forgot it today, thanks for reminding me!", made up some ridiculous holier-than-thou excuse for not wearing it. The Jeremiah Wright mess, as I also predicted a long time ago, made a big impression on white working-class people.

But even some likely voters who are largely sympathetic to him are troubled by his ties, now broken, to a former pastor who cursed the United States and accused the government of possible conspiracies against blacks.

Kate Tanning, a Pittsburgh antiques dealer who was lunching with friends in Bedford, rejected Obama's claim that he did not know of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's most bombastic statements even though Obama attended Wright's Chicago church for 20 years.

"That's the one thing about him I can't believe," she said.

No kidding! That's because it's not credible. Not even bitter racist hillbillies like Pennsylvania voters are fooled by Obama's myriad flip-flops on Reverend Wright.

Unfortunately for Senator Obama, the challenges he faces winning over voters like these - I call them Clinton Dems - are great, and getting larger every day. As the GaffeTastic Express careens through the summer, I predict that the gloves will come off the McCainStream Media, and that more and more unflattering stories about Obama, and his chances in the General Election, will come out.

Is it too little, too late?

We'll see. August is a long way away, and as we know, Obama and Hillary are separated by only 125 pledged delegates at this point. No one is the official nominee until AFTER the Convention. If you are a Clinton supporter and don't think Obama can beat McCain, you can sign my petition (which I am sending to Howard Dean every week until the Convention), or check out the other activism opportunities over at The Confluence.

Fasten your seat belts - it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Hillary's Speech on Saturday...

2008-06-09T08:48:00.002-04:00

read the account of an eyewitness here. (If you haven't visited Hecate's blog before, please do. She is an amazing woman with a lot of interesting things to say.)

The speech is incredibly poignant and heartbreaking. I can't comment on it right now because I'm still too upset that, although Senator Clinton was behind by barely 100 pledged delegates, she was forced out of the race before the Convention. Nothing like this has ever happened in the history of our country.

Let us hope that the next time a woman runs for President, we will be more honest about the challenges she faces.

I will talk more about sexism in general in the coming days. Let me just say this: I wish I had the faith in Senator Obama that Hillary Clinton appears to have.

I tend to believe my own ears and eyes more than I believe speeches by a politician, however, no matter who she is.

Obama's got a LOT of work to do to earn my vote. Let's see what happens.

Today, I Let Others Speak for Me.

2008-06-06T08:56:00.003-04:00

Riverdaughter at The Confluence:

The problem with Obama and the new Democratic party is that it doesn’t stand for real Democrats. It is yet another strange amalgamation of voters whose self interest was pandered to. In many ways, it is no different than the Republican party of gilded capitalists, religious crazies and neocons. This new Democratic party is made up of young people, libertarians and pretentious status conscious liberals. There is a nasty streak of cynicism in it as well, as if it’s just so outre to consider helping the poor or abiding by any core Democratic principles. The new Democratic party is just too cool for that. They can write some lengthy, detached policy paper about it and pay some lip service but really, the American demographic has evolved and those people on the brink of insolvency, well, they are the Neanderthals that didn’t make the cut. Moving on.

Word, sistah girl. P.U.M.A.!

Paul Krugman at the New York Times points out the hysteria of HDS that infected the media and made it possible for Obama and his minions to demonize Hillary to the point of madness:

Read the first paragraph of this, then read this, and you’ll have the essence of what happened in the Democratic primary campaign.

The comments to this post are interesting. I wrote a brief, complimentary one, and it was "moderated" out. Most of them are derogatory to Mr. Krugman or dismissive of the fact that without the media's enabling of Obama's smears and character assassination, he never would have even finished the primaries.

In any case, this is what is on my mind this morning. I will no longer be a part of the Obama Party. Its goals are not mine. And, I am sickened by the HDS and misogyny that has been perpetrated by Obama and Axelrove and the Obama cult bloggers against the woman who could be the best President since FDR.

And as for you disingenuous Obama supporters who supposedly want Hillary for VP? Please. We know the score. You simply want to blame Obama's inevitable loss on her. Guess what? It's nagahapin. Obama is too immature and arrogant to offer, and Hillary is too smart to accept. Sorry, New Plutocrats, you are going to have to live with the fact that without Hillary to kick around, Obama has nothing to offer. Obama is unelectable. Start preparing yourselves now.

I am hearing now that Hillary is going to do what I and many others think would be best on Saturday - suspend, but do not concede, and do not release her delegates. The door should remain open until the Convention. However, I am fine with whatever she decides. She has achieved more than any woman in U.S. history has ever achieved.

She can do whatever she damn well pleases.

Party Unity, My Ass.

Statement from Hillary Clinton

2008-06-05T08:52:00.004-04:00

I got this in my Inbox this morning. It's from Hillary Clinton.

I wanted you to be one of the first to know: on Saturday, I will hold an event in Washington D.C. to thank everyone who has supported my campaign. Over the course of the last 16 months, I have been privileged and touched to witness the incredible dedication and sacrifice of so many people working for our campaign. Every minute you put into helping us win, every dollar you gave to keep up the fight meant more to me than I can ever possibly tell you.

On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.

I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party's nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise.

When I decided to run for president, I knew exactly why I was getting into this race: to work hard every day for the millions of Americans who need a voice in the White House.

I made you -- and everyone who supported me -- a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never back down. I'm going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.

I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise.

I know as I continue my lifelong work for a stronger America and a better world, I will turn to you for the support, the strength, and the commitment that you have shown me in the past 16 months. And I will always keep faith with the issues and causes that are important to you.

In the past few days, you have shown that support once again with hundreds of thousands of messages to the campaign, and again, I am touched by your thoughtfulness and kindness.

I can never possibly express my gratitude, so let me say simply, thank you.

Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Senator Clinton has smashed through so many glass ceilings, but the one over the nomination was made of diamond. The Party appears to have decided long ago that there was no way Hillary would ever be the nominee, and I am sure they signaled to her that she had no chance whatsoever of winning a floor fight at the Convention. Being as close as she was, there was every historical precedent for her to try to fight it out - Jesse Jackson and Ted Kennedy come to mind, for example; each of these men had far fewer delegates than she did when they refused to concede.

Yet despite having more holes in her back than a colander, Hillary, unlike Obama, sees the divisions in the Party and wants to take steps to heal those divisions. She is a die-hard, loyal Democrat, through and through. Nothing can change that for her.

My prediction is that she will not be able to do so, since the divisions are caused by Senator Obama, and not Hillary herself. Certainly my respect and admiration for her, and belief that she would be our next FDR, will not automatically transfer to Obama.

For example, I am almost certain that he, in his mad pursuit of some fictional, Broderian idea of Unity, will pick a Republican for his VP. He is utterly indifferent to the howls of outrage that will emanate from core Democrats should he pursue this course. Why should he care? It's not like he really wants to win the White House anyway. It's all about the power and cashola of controlling the Democratic Party machinery.

But I have a question for Senator Obama.

What Democratic Party?

By The Numbers: Montana and South Dakota

2008-06-04T09:16:00.004-04:00

Well, folks, they're finally over! Hillary won South Dakota by 10%, and Obama won Montana by 16%.

Now what?

Because the main number from last night was:

2118.

Senator Barack Obama has finally reached, and passed, that "magic number" delegate threshhold, which under normal circumstances, would allow him to claim the presumptive nominee status.

So why did Hillary Clinton not concede last night, much to the consternation and amazement of the clueless pundits who had been loudly proclaiming she would do so all day - and much to the elation of her loyal supporters (like ME!!)? What does she know that the CNN/MSNObama bots don't [pretend not to] know? And why did Barack Obama say, "I will be the nominee," instead of "I am the nominee" in his speech last night?

Well, here's the thing: SuperDelegates can change their minds right up until the Convention. (For that matter, so can pledged delegates - but the SuperDelegates are the ones that we're looking at right now.)

If either candidate had enough pledged and elected delegates to get to that magic number, the nomination contest would be over. However, Obama's total, like Hillary's, is made up of both pledged AND SuperDelegates. If you count his pledged/elected delegate total (by CNN's count), he only has 1762; Hillary has 1637.

That's right - Barack Obama leads Hillary Clinton in pledged delegates by only 125.

What's even crazier is this: Remember the Texas pri-caucus? Hillary won the primary, but not the caucus, and Texas allots its delegates according to both the primary and caucus results? Well, the Texas delegate count is still not final. So, if you take into account the terrible decision from Saturday, which hobbled Clinton while giving Obama an extra push, Obama's lead is even more questionable.

The closeness of this election gives Hillary extra leverage. She could do many things at this point - she could concede at the end of the week, if it looks like the SuperDelegates are all abandoning ship; she could suspend her campaign, which allows her to take some time off and let Obama and McCain take the spotlight; or, she could check with supporters and SuperDelegates and see if her case is making any headway with them, and if it is, take it to the Convention.

I personally am hoping she does whatever feels best for her - but I tend to think she should suspend. Let McCain and Obama duke it out for a few months, and then we'll see if Obama has what it takes to beat McCaca. If not, a deal could be reached at the Convention and the SuperDelegates could nominate Hillary.

Of course, she could take it to the Convention just on MI and FL alone, and she has been hinting that she would do so since January. So who knows?

For those who think Obama will offer Hillary the VP slot, I think you should all put down the Kool-Aid. The entire point of the Obama "movement" is to throw the Clintons out of power. Why would he, and the Party Leaders who are backing him, agree to keep her and Bill in the spotlight?

Besides, the Obamas have made it quite clear they have no intentions of doing so. They simply hate Hillary and Bill - they're racist monsters, you know. Their laughable statement from yesterday:

CNN is reporting Hillary has told New York lawmakers that she is open to the VP slot.

Now here's the funny part: Suzanne Malveaux reports that the Obama campaign says she is on the "short list" but is concerned that the Clintons haven't been fully vetted.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Let me see, the guy with Wright, Ayers, Rezko, Meeks, Farrakhan and Pfleger (and who knows who and what else) hovering over him, the guy with just a year in the public spotlight, the guy who has been doing oppo research on the Clintons for that entire same year...THAT GUY is saying that the Clintons aren't vetted?

What a colossal, overweening, arrogant schmuck. Am I excited yet that the Democrats are pushing him down our throats?

No, I'm not.

I'm choking.

Bless you, Senator Clinton, and thank you for your historic efforts. Do as you like, but I'm not giving up until you do. You speak for me and everyone who believes in the FDR version of the Democratic Party.

Whatever happens now, I know that you will always be there, fighting for the working class. Sometimes we don't deserve you, but we've got you.

The Final Primaries Are Today.

2008-06-03T09:21:00.003-04:00

As we know, Hillary trounced Obama in Puerto Rico over the weekend. Many Obama bloggers instantly tried to diminish the 68%-32% margin of victory by sneering that Puerto Ricans have no votes in November.

They don't get out much, do they?

Here's a clue for them: On page 3 of the exit polls, the voters were asked if they had relatives in New York, and/or in the United States, and/or if they had lived here recently. A huge percentage had positive responses to these questions. 79% said they had relatives in New York, for example.

But I guess Latino voters aren't important in the New Plutocratic Obama Coalition.

In any case, Montana and South Dakota vote today. For some reason, we have not been able to get a lot of estimates on how they'll vote. Perhaps it's because the estimate from Puerto Rico was that Hillary would win by 13%! But tomorrow, I'll do By the Numbers for those two states.

As to what happens after the primaries end, the only thing I know for sure is that Hillary herself has said she is going to the SuperDelegates to make her case as the nominee. The case is based on electability and popular vote totals rather than delegates, as she is unlikely to catch up to Obama's delegate count.

Senator Clinton claims she has won the popular vote. As for electability, it's obvious from poll results that she is much stronger. However, if polls aren't your thing, take a look at Jeralyn Merritt's summary of an excellent study by Peniel Cronin comparing caucuses to primaries.

Bottom line: Clinton’s lead is from 34.5 million voters (97%) in Primaries. Obama’s lead is from 1.1 million voters (3%) in caucuses. [More...]

Out of the 50 state elections so far, Clinton has won 20 primaries and Obama has won 17. In comparison, Obama has dominated the Caucus contests by winning 12 of 13, plus the Texas caucus. 42% of his wins are caucus states.

...After 50 election contests to date, Obama leads Clinton by 113 pledged delegates. 97.4% of the difference – 110 delegates – is directly attributable to lopsided victories in caucus contests.

One other note - the rules that allowed Obama to win so many delegates from red caucus states were put into place in 2006. Things that make you go hmmmmm....

What will happen tonight? Will Obama claim victory - for the 375,000th time? Will Hillary turn it around and claim victory herself? Will she concede or suspend her campaign? What will the SuperDelegates do?

Tune in tomorrow for yet another episode of: As the Democrats Turn!

PUMA - Party Unity, My Ass!

2008-06-02T10:13:00.003-04:00

Over at the Confluence, a new group has formed: PUMA.

Apparently PUMA members are a tad upset that the DNC has granted itself magical powers to give votes and delegates to a candidate whose name was not on the ballot. This was the last straw for the PUMA folks. Furthermore, they are tired of being berated and blackmailed and taunted and told, "Where else can you go? Shut up and vote Obama!"

As for me, I believe that Obama and his supporters do not understand simple English words.

For example, the word "unity." When you are promoting "unity," that means you are promoting coming together to fight towards a common goal.

But what is that common goal? An historic loss to McCain in November? The ascendancy of an illegitimate candidate, who has rigged the nomination with the aid of the DNC and questionable caucus results in red states? The admission that sexism and misogyny are Democratic values, and that Democrats really DON'T believe in counting my vote?

These are not, I repeat, NOT, my goals for the Democratic Party. And I believe that most core Democrats would be horrified by anyone asking them to support these goals.

Therefore, "unity" is not what Obamans mean when they cajole, condescend, or abuse in order to try to force you to abandon your beliefs and vote Obama no matter what. No, what they are referring to is "submission."

Well, if there's one thing I've learned from the Democratic Party from 2006 to today, it's that submission doesn't make bullies (like Bush) back down. No, all it does is empower them.

I have no intentions of empowering the New Plutocratic Party in its desire to purge itself of All Things Clinton. As The Bowers Manifesto proved, they have no clear goals for what happens after the work of The Holy One is done, Praised Be His Name.

They can do their dirty work without my support, because I am a proud and forever Old FDR Democrat.

Or, as I call myself now, a member of the PUMA Party.

Here are the action plans:

The action plan for PUMAs is:

1.) Dissociate yourself from the party. Tell them you will not be a party to its self destructive behavior.

2.) Reflect on your values. Read the credo at the top of this site and create at better one. Keep the language general and inclusive. Concentrate on universal truths and beliefs. Avoid wordsmithing.

3.) Stick together. We are powerful as a unit if we do not fall victim to the psychological warfare that is about to be directed at us. Turn off the media. Avoid conversations with trolls. Stand firm and do not yield.

4.) Remember that there is a better alternative. Hillary Clinton is the strongest candidate for the party and the nation. She has a lot of support out there. The nation will rally around her if we let them know we are not giving in. We must not let her concede one inch. Stand firm. Send her your good thoughts. Send her money. Do not give up.

5.) Spread the word.

Now that's a political organization I can be proud of.

What a Disgrace.

2008-06-01T09:52:00.003-04:00

I wish I could say I were shocked that the DNC behaved the way it did yesterday, but at this point, I feel its only purpose is to hand the nomination to Barack Obama, as was decided months ago.

What it did was this:

Florida will have its full delegation seated - but with half a vote each.
Michigan will have its full delegation seated - but with half a vote each.

Sounds somewhat reasonable, right? After all, MI and FL violated the sacred Rules of the sacred DNC.

Except...so did Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada and New Hampshire. Did you notice any penalties meted out to them?

Me neither.

And it gets worse.

In Michigan, the DNC decided to take delegates AWAY from Hillary and award them to Obama.

That's right - the DNC thinks it is just fine and dandy to take away delegates awarded to her by the people, and hand them over to a person who was not even on the ballot, by his own choice.

Could this be any more un-democratic?

Hillary thinks not.

Harold Ickes and Tina Flournoy made the following statement:

...We strongly object to the Committee’s decision to undercut its own rules in seating Michigan’s delegates without reflecting the votes of the people of Michigan.

The Committee awarded to Senator Obama not only the delegates won by Uncommitted, but four of the delegates won by Senator Clinton. This decision violates the bedrock principles of our democracy and our Party.

We reserve the right to challenge this decision before the Credentials Committee and appeal for a fair allocation of Michigan’s delegates that actually reflect the votes as they were cast.

Indeed. Yes, this utter travesty can, and probably will, go to the Convention, when the Credentials Committee will convene. (This remedy is within the sacred Rules of the Sacred DNC, by the way.) In August, the SuperDelegates will have one last chance to save this Party from total self-destruction.

As for the DNC, I sure hope Obama really is Jesus and Elvis rolled up into one celestial Being, because if so, maybe he's worth making a public stance that voters, and principles, don't matter to the Democratic Party.

Is the Party so idiotic as to place a false sense of Unity over legitimacy?

Apparently so.

Good luck with that, guys. Oh, and I hope you enjoy the latest surprise videotape coming from TUCC on Monday. It's not a preacher this time, but Michelle Obama herself.

Will her husband throw her under the bus along with so many others- his grandmother, his church, two of the pastors he has known for many years and who were part of his campaign..?

Tune in tomorrow for another episode of...As the Democrats Turn!

Momentum

2008-05-30T09:06:00.003-04:00

How many more tons of bricks must we drop on the Democratic Party's heads in order for them to realize that Barack Obama's momentum has stopped, and in fact, has reversed itself?

How about this?

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign on Thursday was forced to again apologize for the remarks of a Chicago pastor and friend backing his candidacy who spoke from the pulpit of Obama's longtime South Side church.

In an Internet video recorded Sunday, Rev. Michael Pfleger, an outspoken activist Catholic priest, is seen mocking Sen. Hillary Clinton from the pulpit of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.

"When Hillary was crying, and people said that was put on, I really don't believe it was put on," Pfleger said. "I really believe that she just always thought this is mine. I'm Bill's wife, I'm white and this is mine. I just gotta get up and step into the plate and then out of nowhere came, 'Hey, I'm Barack Obama,' and she said, 'Oh, damn. Where did you come from? I'm white. I'm entitled. There's a black man stealing my show.' "

"As I have traveled this country, I've been impressed not by what divides us, but by all that unites us," Obama said in a statement. "That is why I am deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger's divisive, backward-looking rhetoric."

Speaking as a guest at Trinity on Sunday, Pfleger mocked the tears Clinton displayed shortly before the New Hampshire primary in January.

"She wasn't the only one crying," Pfleger said. "There was a whole lot of white people crying."

Then, Pfleger, who is white, seemed to indicate that he might be going too far. "I'm sorry. I don't want to get you in any more trouble," he said, as the church's organ began to play to signal his exit from the pulpit.

While Pfleger did apologize for his racist comments about Senator Clinton, did you notice that Obama's statement (it certainly wasn't an explanation or an apology) didn't mention Hillary at all?

The Clinton campaign did.

"Divisive and hateful language like that is totally counter-productive in our efforts to bring our party together and have no place at the pulpit or in our politics," Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said in a statement. "We are disappointed that Sen. Obama didn't specifically reject Father Pfleger's despicable comments about Sen. Clinton, and assume he will do so."

An underreported fact about the Wright scandal was that Wright also insulted Bill and Hillary Clinton during his inflammatory sermons. Yet Obama didn't apologize for that either.

The Clinton camp's statement reads like a "Shape up or fuck you" moment, doesn't it? I also sense that this, along with the Obama campaign's manufactured hysteria about Hillary's mention of RFK, is a very, very good excuse for the long-overdue death of the Unity Pony. No, the joint ticket is nagahapin, thank Jeebus. There is no way that Hillary should associate herself with Obama. I mean, the man practically accused her of wanting him dead. How can she go out and defend that in a General Election campaign? That stab wound in her back is getting a little too deep to be ignored.

The story goes on to mention the fact that Pfleger is/was (who knows any more) a member of the campaign's Catholic Advisory Council.

Think about that for a second.

This was a person that Obama thought would help him reach out to Catholics. What awesome "judgment!"

Oh, but we're not done yet. There are also financial ties between Obama and Pfleger. And earmarks, Chicago-style.

Earmarks to St. Sabina
In a Tribune story a year ago, Obama defended special budget earmarks for his district while he was a state legislator, including ones that went to programs associated with Pfleger's church.

Pfleger gave Obama's campaigns $1,500 between 1995 and 2001, including $200 in April 2001, about three months after Obama announced at least $100,000 in grants to St. Sabina programs.

In that story, Pfleger said he made those donations personally, not on behalf of the church or to win grants.

When is it finally enough?

When do we stop making excuses and pretending this doesn't matter? When do we admit that yes, this is exactly how Obama thinks and feels? How many more people who are long-time friends and advisers have to stand up and say things like this before we admit that the duck is walking and quacking? When do we just give up and say that this guy Obama is simply not a viable candidate for the Presidency of the United States?

The voters - and many politicians who should have known better - have been hoodwinked and bamboozled, and many of them are feeling buyer's remorse. The latest primary results in West Virginia and Kentucky show Obama's glaring problems in Applachia, which he has consistently lost to Clinton during this election cycle. The Senator from Illinois' support has been going down dramatically - in fact, although this report barely mentions Clinton at all, it does show that his and her "favorable" ratings have become almost the same; she is at 47% favorable, whereas he is at 51% favorable. Hillary has picked up that support in the all-important "bitter white person" category - exactly where Obama does so poorly against McCain.

Of course, the number of HRC's voters who think the party will unify in November is now down to about 46%. Sure, he'll win the General Election with numbers like that. Would you like a cookie with that Kool-Aid?

I am sick, disgusted and ready to cry like Hillary. I cannot believe that the Party is putting Democrats in a position like this. Either vote for this man, who in my opinion has no commitment whatsoever to Democratic values, or suffer through four more years of Bush? What the fuck kind of choice is that? No wonder so many of us are opting out or voting for the dreaded McCaca. Personally, I would vote for John Kerry or Al Gore 400 times before considering voting for Obama. And Kerry and Gore both got tons of Democratic votes, but lost anyway - because they lost the working-class vote to Bush! Hellloooooooooooo!!!

I have no faith that the DNC will seat the delegates of MI and FL tomorrow, or count the popular vote. Of course they could surprise me (which I would welcome so happily!), but since they are bound and determined to pretend Obama is ahead and the choice of the people, they will most likely do whatever benefits Obama now. Never mind pissing off voters in states that should go blue in November - IAAO (It's All About Obama)!!!

My beloved Party is heading off a cliff and smugly congratulating itself as it falls to its destruction, all the while ignoring the parachutes that Hillary and Bill are trying to throw them.

I wish I had happier news, since it's Friday. But today, I'm in mourning for the Democratic Party I used to love so dearly.

As Scarlett O'Hara would say, "Tomorrow is another day." Let's all hope that the weekend brings better news.

Another Unaccountable President?!

2008-05-29T09:33:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I fumed over the fact that the BushCheney Fascist Regime has had zero accountability for its treason, war crimes, and attempted destruction of Truth, Justice and the American Way.

If Barack Obama is elected President, will we have four more years of an unaccountable Chief Executive?

Think about it. We've already had so much finger-pointing from this man and his campaign that it is simply nauseating. Everything is someone else's fault. His staff messed up. His pastor suddenly "changed." He barely knows Tony Rezko or William Ayers. But-but-but CLINTON! (aka IACF!). The ABC debate questions are mean. The voters are ignorant Bible-toting, gun-slinging racists. Come on, now, can't a man just eat his waffle?

The same construct that Obama is not accountable for his actions is making me fret about Florida and Michigan. As we know, this weekend the DNC will meet and try to see if they can fix the complete disaster they created in those two states. Over at my new fave hangout, TalkLeft, the debate rages unabated as to what the best thing to do with the "Uncommitted" votes from Michigan would be. A brief history of the Michigan situation is as follows:

1) The DNC, led by Obama supporter Donna Brazile, but representing itself only, decided to strip MI and FL of all their delegates and votes. This unusual measure essentially penalized the states for moving up their primaries in response to the early date moves of IA, NH, SC and NV - which received no penalties at all for their insurrection. For a comprehensive discussion of what would really happen if we followed "the DNC rules" strictly - a detailed response to the screams of "teh ROOLz! teh ROOlz!" from Obamans - read this excellent summation by Obama supporter Big Tent Democrat. Let's just say, the Obamans should be careful what they wish for. ;-)

2) After this decision, Hillary was leading Obama and Edwards quite decisively in Florida and Michigan polling. There was an option in MI to remove one's name from the ballot - in FL it was not as easy to do (it seems that it was against the law, although like so much of this mess, people disagree). Obama and Edwards decided to take the MI option to kill the momentum of HRC's campaign. They were extremely successful. Although HRC won 55% of the vote, 40% went to "Uncommitted" and 4% went to Dennis Kucinich.

Now we know that Hillary has been wanting to fully count all the votes and delegates since at least January of 2008. (This campaign statement was made on the day of the MI primary, prior to any results coming in, and two weeks before the FL primary.) Barack Obama, by contrast, has been fighting every effort to seat the delegates and count the votes, despite efforts by Senator Clinton's campaign to find any reasonable compromise, including gathering the money to pay for re-votes.

What does Obama want?

He wants all the "Uncommitted" votes - and delegates - to go to him.

Talk about unaccountable!

Here's how it works in the real world, Senator. When your name is on the ballot, you get votes. When your name is NOT on the ballot BY YOUR OWN CHOICE, you get none. Or perhaps you'd like to award Al Gore some of those votes? Or Bugs Bunny? How ridiculous is this argument? Hey, Hillary knew that she wouldn't do that well in Oregon. What if she removed her name from that state's ballot in order to invalidate that election? See how far this line of thinking could be taken?

But this is the crux of the matter to me. Some people argue that in order to be "fair" to Obama's supporters, you must award him some percentage of the "Uncommitted" vote.

I call total and utter bullshit on this.

Why can we not simply say to Obama's supporters, "Look, we WANTED to count your votes, but your candidate didn't want us to." That is, in fact, the truth. Shouldn't Obama be accountable to his own supporters? Why should HRC and the DNC be expected to clean up his mess? And why shouldn't Obama's supporters know EXACTLY whose fault it is that they were unable to cast their votes for him in Michigan?

For Christ's sake, WHY DOES HE NEED SO MUCH FUCKING HELP IN THIS ELECTION?!!! Can't he do one DAMN THING by himself?

HRC has the help of her husband, of course, and we know that is a big asset. But think about it - she has been winning millions of voters despite every other force being arrayed against her. Former strong allies, like Bill Richardson and John Lewis, have switched their loyalty to Obama. The media started declaring her campaign dead in 2007 and has been screeching for her to quit ever since. The Party "Leaders" have lined up squarely behind Obama and have delighted in attempting to assassinate her character and judgment. The candidate himself has tried everything possible to make his nomination seem inevitable despite the fact that the closeness of this election means nothing will be decided until the Convention.

In terms of electability, Hillary cremates McCain - and guess what, it doesn't even matter who her VP candidate would be. She can do it all by herself.

And should she somehow lose, guess who she will blame? Herself - as well she should. But who will be to blame if Obama is nominated and loses to McCain?

IACF, baby. WAAAAAAAHHHHHH! Clinton told the Republicans what to do!!! She planned it all along!!!! We hates, her, precioussssssss!!111!!!!

Can we please, please nominate the person who is accountable and responsible for her own actions? Who admits her errors and apologizes for them?

Wouldn't that be a lovely change from eight horrible years of the Least Accountable President Evah?

Irony is Deader than Dick Cheney's Soul.

2008-05-28T08:42:00.004-04:00

I refuse to honor the hysteria regarding Senator Clinton's statement about extended primaries (which included a reference to RFK's tragic assassination). If RFK Jr. isn't offended, I don't know why anyone else would be.

However, I would like to take a look at the incredible behavior of the press corps during this brouhaha.

It's been, oh, at least 400 days now that MSNBC has been obsessing on what Hillary was thinking when she made this statement. I have marvelled many times at the amazing mind-reading abilities that the media appears to have when it comes to the Clintons (and most Democrats in general). Apparently Hillary was wishin' and hopin' that Senator Obama would be assassinated when she was...talking about a historical event that occurred in June during an extended primary season. And when she never even mentioned Obama's name.

Wow, I never knew that a presidential hopeful should be excoriated and convicted as Teh Evil because of thoughts she thunk!

Especially since our national press corps has COMPLETELY IGNORED THE ACTUAL MURDERERS IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

I mean, we've got Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice, haven't we? (Rumsfeld can't even go into certain countries for fear of being arrested for war crimes.) Through malevolence, incompetence or sheer unadulterated greed, these Asses of Evil are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

Somehow, I don't see them being excoriated. Somehow I don't see their characters being constantly called into question and organizations like C.U.N.T. being formed to stop them. Somehow I don't see calls for impeachment or any accountability whatsoever for these monsters.

No, once again, IACF rules the day.

They can't talk about Bush and his cronies any more, after all. Remember that KKKarl works for Newsweek now.

The corruption of the corporate media is complete.

May 31st Is Coming Up...

2008-05-27T08:25:00.002-04:00

the day the Rules Committee of the DNC will decide what to do about the Michigan and Florida elections. Here's a clue, guys: COUNT THE DAMN VOTES.

I've gotten 215 signatures on the petition I created telling the DNC that we resent the process by which Barack Obama appears to have been pre-selected as the Democratic nominee, and that he will not beat McCain. I have Howard Dean's direct email address, and I will be sending it to him at the end of the day.

Here's a little anecdote from my weekend. A very good friend, a lifelong Democrat from Connecticut who voted for Lamont in the primary, says that if Obama is the nominee, he will have to vote Republican for the first time in his life.

"He just doesn't have the experience," said our friend.

He doesn't hate Obama. He doesn't follow the blogs. He's just a guy who can read a resume.

Food for thought, eh?

By the way, here are the latest state-to-state poll results from Hominid Views.

Barack Obama has a 37.3% chance of beating John McCain. Believe it or not, this is a slight improvement.

Hillary Clinton has a 100% chance of beating John McCain.

Yes, you heard me.

One. Hundred. Fucking. Percent.

I can haz two-term Democratic Preznit now?

Let's hope the Democratic Party superdelegates - and the DNC - know how to read polls, or it looks like the "party of the people" will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory once again.

Memorial Day, Bush Style

2008-05-26T11:33:00.003-04:00

As I returned from my mini-vacation and fired up my computer today, the first headline I saw was this:

Bush Calls on Americans to Remember War Dead

Once again, I am reminded how our Deciderer has stomped on irony like a gorilla trying to destroy a Samsonite.

Oh George, TRUST ME, we remember the war dead DESPITE the fact that your partner in war crimes, Donald Rumsfeld, decreed that we wouldn't see their coffins; that we wouldn't get an accurate count of the dead and wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq; that war coverage has mysteriously disappeared from the TeeVee just in time for the next election; and that due to a paucity of spine-infused Democrats in the Senate and House, our two new quagmires drag on and on, draining our Treasury, breaking our military, destroying our reputation overseas, and killing and wounding not only our young men and women, but also the luckless inhabitants of Iraq and Afghanistan. We must include the Iraqi and Afghani dead in our count as well, mustn't we, George W.? Or would that trouble your beautiful mind too much?

We Americans are sick in our souls with remembering the war dead. We need to do something other than remember them.

We need to bring our troops home and stop murdering people for oil, power and money.

Until then, every day will be Memorial Day.

The Word Heard Round the World.

2008-05-23T09:21:00.003-04:00

"Sweetie."

Ah, how that word encapsulates the incredible amounts of misogyny and sexism that has been directed at Senator Clinton, sometimes by her opponents, but most often by the media, both corporate and "progressive!"

Don't believe me about this? Well, here are some sources for you.

Soon after Senator Obama inappropriately used the word "Sweetie" to dismissively refuse to answer a female reporter's question, Senator Hillary Clinton was interviewed by the Washington Post and asked about the roles of sexism and racism in the historic campaigns of both Democrats.

Here is the paragraph that stood out to me:

Oppression of women and discrimination against women is universal. You can go to places in the world where there are no racial distinctions except everyone is joined together in their oppression of women. The treatment of women is the single biggest problem we have politically and socially in the world. If you look at the extremism and the fundamentalism, it is all about controlling women, at it's base. The idea that we would have a presidential campaign in which so much of what has occurred that has been very sexist would be just shrugged off I think is a very unfortunate commentary about the lack of seriousness that should be applied to any kind of discrimination or prejudice. I have spent my entire life trying to stand up for civil rights and women's rights and human rights and I abhor wherever it is discrimination is present.
This, folks, is the awareness of a person who is ready to become president of the United States. She sees the bigger picture. She understands that all forms of social injustice are unacceptable, but that whenever the government fails to do its job, women are disproportionately the ones that suffer (yes, gasp! racism affects women too!). Where racism is not a factor, somehow, women manage to be oppressed as well. Look at China; racially homogenous, for the most part, yet determined to treat women as inferiors with very few civil rights.

Senator Clinton also states that the goal of fundamentalism, such as we find in every country and every religion, is predominantly the control of women. I could not agree with that statement more, and I've felt that way for a very long time. What is the real reason behind blaming "original sin" on Eve? Why must women remain virgins until marriage, but men have no such responsibility? Why are clitorectomies performed? Why are women sometimes unable to become priests? Why is birth control not acceptable by the Catholic Church? Why do women have to cover all but their eyes in fundamentalist Islam, and why are they restricted from any but the most basic freedoms of life? (Note: A great book on this subject is "The Chalice and the Blade," by Riane Eisler. Seriously, if you haven't read it, it's an amazing work about the struggle between the male and female principles throughout human history.)

The media, with its usual blithe lack of self-awareness, has attempted to discredit Senator Clinton's words. But it's too late for that. The mask has fallen off. We're as mad as hell, and we're not going to take it any more.

Good luck getting our votes in November, Barack Obama. You - and the Democratic Party - have stood silently by while the most qualified and viable woman candidate ever has been treated with violent, despicable misogyny. You all can iron your own damn shirts.

Sweetie, my ass.

We've Been Having Some Very Bad Weather

2008-05-22T08:45:00.003-04:00

in New York. It's been more like March than May; windy, rainy and cold.

Every time I want to complain, however, I think about things like this, and count my lucky stars.

YINGXIU, China (Reuters) - More than 80,000 people are dead or missing from China's worst earthquake in decades, the government said on Thursday, as concerns rose that disease, the rainy season and aftershocks could bring yet more pain.

Previously, authorities had said they expected the final death toll to exceed 50,000.

Ten days after the magnitude 7.9 quake rocked the mountainous southwest of the country, relief efforts focused on the 5 million homeless and the millions of others facing disease and possible "secondary disasters."

The government implored the international community to provide more relief aid, saying they needed more than 3 million tents and that just 400,000 had so far reached the disaster zone.

Hospitals in Sichuan were overwhelmed by the nearly 300,000 hurt, prompting the government to put on extra train services to ferry the injured to other parts of the country, state media reported.

Heavy rain, snow and aftershocks have exacerbated the dangers faced by more than 100,000 troops assisting in the relief effort.

"There have been constant aftershocks and the rainy season starts in June ... the earthquake has loosened the mountains," said Yun Xiaosu, Vice Minister of Land and Resources. "It is very likely to cause frequent geological disasters and to once again bring major losses to the quake area."

For a moment, we often need to take a breath and think about how other people in other countries are living (and dying). Life in the United States is very, very far from perfect - ask the prisoners at Gitmo, the 47 million in poverty, the inhabitants of the Gulf Coast, the folks in the South who suffer from drought, the flooded Midwesterners who are torn by tornadoes - but in general, we are gifted with plenty, and people of good hearts and intentions who are ready to wake up from our long national nightmare.

We will return to our regularly-scheduled obsession with the Democratic primary later. For now, if you have the time and the money, please give to the earthquake victims in China; and take a moment to count your blessings.

Another Big Primary Night....

2008-05-21T09:08:00.003-04:00

and just three to go before the American people have all cast their votes (in VERY high numbers!) for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

It was a split decision: a giant victory in Kentucky for Hillary, and a large victory in Oregon for Obama. Let's do a little number crunching, shall we?

35 percentage points.

That's the number by which Obama lost to Hillary in Kentucky.

Now, we can do the simplistic thing and assume that Kentucky (and West Virginia, where she crushed Obama by 41) are both full of banjo-twanging, dentally-challenged racist rednecks; or, we can look a little deeper into the exit polling.

The Wright Factor: Still In Play.

78%.

That's the amount of respondents who felt that Obama shares the views of his pastor, mentor and friend of 20 years, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, to some degree.

22%.

That's the percentage of people who responded "Not at all" to the question of whether or not Obama shared Wright's values. NOT surprisingly, they voted overwhelmingly (65%) for Senator Obama.

What's the Matter with Bitter, Clinging Working-Class Voters?

67%.

That's the amount of respondents who stated that the economy was the most important issue. Hillary Clinton's voters made up 69% of that number.

So no, all you people who think Barack Obama made some kind of profound statement with his BitterCling remarks. Those voters are NOT voting because of religion, love of guns, fear of immigrants or racism. They are voting their pocketbooks, and they like the cut of Hillary's jib on that issue. Who wouldn't? The economy was her husband's strongest issue, after all.

Now, let's get to the numbers that should be giving the Democratic Party agita if they actually want to win in November.

33%.

That's the percentage of Hillary's voters that would be "satisfied" if Barack Obama was the nominee. Yowch.

28%.

That's the percentage of Kentucky voters who would be "satisfied" with either candidate. (A bit of decent news here: 48% of Hillary's voters said either candidate was fine...and 48% of Barack Obama's voters said the same thing.)

74%.

That's the total amount of Kentucky voters who would be satisfied with Hillary Clinton as the nominee. In contrast, 42% would be satisfied with Barack Obama as the nominee.

Look, we can be like the rabid Obamans at Daily Kos who moan about what ignorant fools they be in Appalachia, or we can take a good hard look at these numbers and figure out how to actually beat McCaca in November. (I just had a terrible thought - what if McCaca picks Colin Powell as his VP? Holy crap!)

I feel that Hillary Clinton must be the nominee, or we will lose our opportunity to expand the electoral map in a truly amazing way. (I even saw a head-to-head poll matchup against McCaca in North Carolina where McCaca beats Obama, but LOSES TO HILLARY. My Jeebus!)

Whether Obama is her VP or not is an open question - Kentucky voters say no, but only by 8% - but it seems to me that the voters we need are speaking in very loud tones.

We would be idiots to ignore them.

I know that John McCain will not.

Oh, no!

2008-05-20T14:35:00.004-04:00

Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts has a malignant brain tumor.

My heart goes out to the Senator and his family.

Should anyone wish to send him a get-well card, you can do so very easily on his website. There's a box on the right-hand side where you can express your wishes for his speedy recovery.

Get well soon, Senator!

More Primaries Today...

2008-05-20T09:19:00.003-04:00

and Barack Obama is still unelectable.

I don't think the voters of Oregon care much, though. It looks like he will win handily over Hillary Clinton in that state. And, arrogantly and falsely, he plans to claim he has won the nomination tonight.

Will that be before or after Hillary Clinton defeats him by 31 points in Kentucky, I wonder? After defeating him last week by 41 points in West Virginia?

Oh, but never mind. When Obama loses Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky and Florida to McCain, he'll have Oregon's massive 7 delegates to make up for it!!! What an awesome electoral strategy!

The only way that Obama is actually as far ahead as he claims to be is, of course, without counting Florida and Michigan. It's something he is desperately trying to avoid doing, and he has done everything in his power to stop those big Hillary victories from being counted.

Hillary is not buying this "Mission Accomplished" Bush-style declaration at all.

"You can declare yourself anything, but if you don't have the votes, it doesn't matter," Clinton said Monday in a satellite interview with an Oregon television station before a campaign appearance in Kentucky.

Exactly.

If you too think that Obama has been acting more like a king than a President, and feel that once the right-wing scream machine gets done with him he will not be electable in November, sign my petition. If I can get at least 1,000 signatures by May 30th, I will deliver it to the DNC.

Meanwhile, on the Dark Side, Mike Huckabee is angling to be McCaca's VP.

This is not a big shock. Honestly, I think he'd be the best pick for McCain. Pastor "I don't believe in evolution" Mike could help deliver the evangelical vote, and has a likeability factor that McCain can't fake (despite the media's constant massaging of his image, McCaca remains a cranky old man). And unlike the Democrats, who seem absolutely determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, the Republics know how to take a very bleak electoral landscape and turn it around.

Lately, The Good Ship Obama has had to deal with a few salvos across his bow from the Republic Party in Tennessee. They have picked up on Michelle Obama's ill-advised "really proud" comment and have been running ads impugning the Senator's patriotism.

Here was his response:

"Whoever is in charge of the Tennessee GOP needs to think long and hard about the kind of campaign they want to run, and I think that's true for everybody, Democrat or Republican," Obama said in the ABC interview, adding: "These folks should lay off my wife."

Obama said his wife "loves this country. For them to try to distort or to play snippets of her remarks in ways that are unflattering to her is, I think, just low class. I think that most of the American people would think that as well."

Shorter Obama: "WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Hillary and the Republics are MEAN! Stupid low-class rednecks!"

Here's what you say, Senator:

"These attacks on my wife's patriotism are completely over the top. You might as well attack Cindy McCain for her substance abuse problems."

Hello?!

Oh sure. He's ready for the 527 tsunami if he's selected the nominee.

The Democratic Party is made up of fools and wimps. No wonder we lose national elections.

And the one electable candidate, Hillary Clinton, is being shoved under the bus so that the DNC and the Party leaders can benefit from the giant ATM that is the Obama machine.

I don't even know what to hope for anymore. Tune in again soon for...As the Democrats Turn!

Got Guests...Will Blog Tomorrow.

2008-05-19T09:54:00.001-04:00

Sign the petition if you're so inclined.

Happy Monday!

Hillary or McCain Petition

2008-05-16T11:13:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone -

I have created a petition that I hope people will sign and spread around.

It does NOT ask you to vote for McCain or even not to vote for Obama. Rather, it focuses on the fact that Hillary will most likely win the popular vote (counting Michigan and Florida) by the end of the primary season, and since Obama has gotten his delegates in an unfair and despicable manner, the SuperDelegates and the DNC should nominate Hillary on the basis of popular votes.

Here is the full text of the petition:

We, Democrats and Hillary Clinton supporters, refuse to accept the forthcoming nomination of Barack Obama.

We see an immense injustice being done in the way Barack Obama has been pre-selected as the nominee. The DNC has done everything in its power, including deliberately inventing rules to disenfranchise two of the biggest swing states in America, to make this happen.

It is a reprehensible misuse of power by the Party elites.

We the people understand that Barack Obama has a narrow base of support that will not allow him to win the Presidency in November. He gained that support in an unforgivable manner, by smearing Bill and Hillary Clinton as racists while you stood by and did nothing.

You have also allowed the media and Obama's campaign to promote rampant and disgraceful misogyny in his pursuit of the nomination.

These racial and sexual games will haunt the country for years to come, and do not represent the Democratic Party I thought I knew and loved.

We also feel that Hillary's broader base of female, Democratic and Independent voters are being taken for granted, since there is a determined and concerted push to tell us we should shut up and vote Obama in November.

You and the SuperDelegates must nominate Hillary Clinton after she wins the popular vote, since Barack Obama's delegate count lead was obtained in a fraudulent and despicable manner. Otherwise, a large portion of Hillary's voters will desert the Democratic Party, and John McCain will become the President in November.

Hillary or McCain - it's your choice.

If you agree, please sign and pass it along. If I get enough signatures before May 31st, I will deliver it to the DNC - perhaps printed out and at a local office, perhaps via email - I'm not sure yet which will make the most impact.

As always, thanks for your readership and support!

It's Friday...

2008-05-16T09:34:00.002-04:00

and Obama supporters, this one's for you!

Please note: If you find yourself behaving this way online and you support Obama, seek professional help immediately.

I give you: The Obamaniac Bloggy Behavior Wheel!

This brilliant graphic comes to you courtesy of Lavender Liberal, whom I just discovered - and heart!

If you support Hillary - here are some things you can do to help her save the Democratic Party from itself. I'm working on a project of my own and will update you when it's ready. I hope you'll participate if you are so inclined.

Happy Friday! Take heart, all is not lost...and I hope the weather is not deadly in your part of the world.

Barack Obama Meets America: A Play In One Sad Act.

2008-05-15T09:07:00.004-04:00

THE SCENE: Senator Barack Obama and America are seated in a large auditorium. Obama is sitting on the stage in a folding chair. A door in the back is marked "THIS WAY TO HILLARY CLINTON'S PLACE." Another door reads "VOTE FOR JOHN MCCAIN."]

AMERICA: Welcome, Senator Obama! We are soooooo ready to elect a Democrat this year, and we loved, loved, LOVED your speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. You are such an eloquent and intelligent guy...and your charisma is amazing! We are looking so forward to getting to know you better!

OBAMA (smiling): That was a wonderful welcome! Thank you, America!

AMERICA: No, thank YOU. We have some great candidates this year, and you're one of them! So, tell us. Why should we elect you President of the United States?

OBAMA (standing up and pacing): Aren't you tired of the same old Washington politics? Well, so am I. I'm not really a politician - I'm something new and different! I will unify all Americans so that we can work together to make our country a better place. We will finally get out of this partisan gridlock that has been preventing us from moving forward. Just believe in me and we can make it happen together! Yes, we can!

AMERICA: Oooh! That was really inspirational! [Iowa faints and Obama throws her a water bottle he just happens to have with him.] Okay, so tell us: How are you going to accomplish this?

OBAMA (smiling): Hey, don't worry about that. All my policy proposals are on my website. You can tell I'm smart, right? I was the editor of the Harvard Law Review! Trust me, I know what I'm doing. I was right about Iraq, wasn't I? And remember that Hillary voted for the AUMF. The Iraq war wouldn't have happened without her!

[OBAMA'S CHAIR TURNS INTO A THRONE.]

[AMERICA mutters a bit. New Hampshire gets up and walks toward the CLINTON door.]

OBAMA: Hey, New Hampshire, where are you going?

NH: [at the door] Sorry, Senator - we like Hillary better. We prefer experience to soaring rhetoric. Plus, she seems like she really understands what we need and has a plan to make it happen.

OBAMA: I understand what you need! You need ME! I am a post-racial, post-partisan, unifying guy! How can you go for the same old politics? [NH IS GONE.] Uh, wait! Did you know that Bill and Hillary are racists?

AMERICA: [gasps] That's awful! [90% of AA America stands up, chanting "Yes we can!"]

OBAMA: Ah, that's better. [Florida, Michigan, New York, California and New Jersey get up and leave, shaking their heads.] Where are you guys going?

THE STATES [at the CLINTON door]: We like Hillary and we know her. You are new and inspiring, but you're not giving us any reason to vote for you instead. We blame the war on Bush, not Hillary, and it's not like you've done anything differently than she has since you've been in the Senate. Bye - good luck in the rest of the states!

OBAMA: [to the remaining states] Hey, folks, don't let them bother you. They get down, periodically, and their claws come out. I'll get her voters, but I'm not sure she'll get mine. They'll all vote for me in November. Yes, we can!

REVEREND WRIGHT COMES ON STAGE.

WRIGHT: Hi, America! I've been Barack Obama's pastor, mentor and friend for 20 years. I baptized his children, I married him and Michelle, and he named his bestselling book after one of my sermons!

OBAMA: Uh-oh. [GETS UP, CROSSES TO REV. WRIGHT, TRIES TO DRAG HIM OFF THE STAGE. WRIGHT IS IMMOBILE AND CONTINUES TO SPEAK.]

WRIGHT: Yes, we are close close close! By the way, did I tell you that my church preaches Black Liberation Theology? And that I made fun of and insulted Bill and Hillary Clinton from the pulpit? And that I said "God Damn America" just a few days after the attacks of September 11th? And that I think the government gave black people AIDS? And that I think Louis Farrakhan is a great guy? And that Italians are garlic noses? Believe it or not, there's even video of me saying these things!

OBAMA: Who is this man? I am shocked, shocked to hear him talk this way! Well, I admit I've heard some controversial stuff from him, but wow - this is really too much! I'm not disowning him but I'm disowning what he said. And by the way, my grandma was a racist! Oh, I mean...not a racist, but a typical white person! Come on, stop bothering me about this stuff. Can't I just eat my waffle?

OH, TX and PA: Oh, HELL NO. [they get up and start walking towards the CLINTON door]

OBAMA: But wait! I'm the one running for President, not my pastor! [WRIGHT BEGINS EDGING OFF THE STAGE.]

OH, TX and PA [at the door]: Come on, Senator. You've got to believe some of what he says, or else why would you be such a devoted follower of this man for 20 years? You don't share our values, and we know that Hillary does. We're voting for her.

OBAMA: Ahhhh, who needs you. You're just bitter, bible-thumping, gun-slinging, xenophobic racists. [TX, OH and PA gasp, then stomp out the door.]

[WRIGHT COMES BACK ONSTAGE AND STEPS IN FRONT OF OBAMA.]

WRIGHT: Hey now! Barack is just saying what he's saying because he's a politican. We know this, right, America? Of course he can't disown me. By the way, isn't it great when I say how white people have no rhythm, make fun of how they talk, and expound on my theories that they are left-brained and black people are right-brained?

[OBAMA PUSHES WRIGHT OFF STAGE.]

OBAMA: That does it! This man is not who I thought he was. I disown him completely! And by the way, I'm still NOT a politician!

[WEST VIRGINIA gets up, shakes its head, and walks towards the CLINTON door.]

OBAMA: Hey! Where are YOU going?

WV: You've gotta be kidding with this Wright guy. And by the way - we are not bitter, ignorant or racist; it's just obvious you have no idea who we are or what we want from a President. Buh-bye now!

OBAMA: [looking at the auditorium, which is a lot emptier than it was before] Uh, what about the rest of you? You're with me, right? Hey, Kentucky - look who's backing me! John Edwards! Did you know, he was the son of a mill worker?

KY: But why should we vote for YOU? John Edwards is not running for President any more.

OBAMA: Because you need change! You need hope! You need faith! See, look - my new flyer says it all!

KY: No, we need jobs. We need solutions. We get hope and faith from ourselves, not from our President. We want Hillary! [KY GETS UP AND WALKS OUT THE CLINTON DOOR.]

OBAMA: [to himself] Well, hell. This is a lot harder than I thought. Maybe I can't win this thing after all?

[HOWARD DEAN and DONNA BRAZILE step forward. As they do, all the states that left enter through the Clinton door and stand in the back of the auditorium.]

DEAN: Don't worry, Barack. We've got this thing all planned out. You WILL be the nominee no matter what happens. After all, we've got the convention scheduled on the same day as Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech! Do you think that's a coincidence?

BRAZILE: Yeah, don't worry about a thing. I made sure that MI and FL didn't count so that you could look like a front-runner, instead of following the DNC rules that stated the penalty was a 50% cut in delegates. You've got it in the bag!

AMERICA [all together]: WHAT? Are you Democratic Party Leaders saying you don't care what the voters think - that Obama is your guy no matter what? That's not democracy at all! What the hell is wrong with you? [ALL THE STATES GET UP AND WALK OUT THE JOHN MCCAIN DOOR. THE AUDITORIUM IS EMPTY.]

[DEAN, BRAZILE and OBAMA look at each other in shocked disbelief.]

OBAMA: What the hell happened? Why didn't those idiots vote for me? John McCain is just the same as Bush! We Democrats were favored by a huge margin nationally! What is wrong with them - are they racists or something?

[HILLARY CLINTON enters through her door, shaking her head in disgust. BILL CLINTON is with her. They hold hands.]

HRC: Perhaps we can explain it to you.

BILL: You see, the American people don't like to be talked down to. They like to be asked for their votes, not taken for granted.

HRC: Women didn't appreciate all the sexism you and your surrogates directed at me. And to call the "first Black President" racist was unforgivable to many.

BILL AND HRC TOGETHER: You never asked them what they wanted or needed. You never listened to them.

BILL: We thought you'd learned the lessons of my Presidency by now. But you're just as elitist as the Republicans. You threw me and Hillary under the bus, and now you're paying the electoral price.

[THEY WALK OUT THE CLINTON DOOR.]

DEAN: Well, there's always 2012, Barack. Hey, how about you and John Kerry?

[LIGHTS OUT.]

Now That I've Calmed Down a Bit...

2008-05-14T08:45:00.003-04:00

let's do West Virginia by the numbers. Here we go!

67% to 26%.

41 points was the final margin of Hillary Clinton's blowout victory in West Virginia. John Edwards got 7% despite no longer being in the race...so if we split those voters equally between Obama and Clinton (for lack of a more informed way of doing it), Clinton gets 70.5% to Obama's 29.5%.

At this point in the campaign, for the "underdog" to beat the "presumptive nominee" by 41 points is absolutely unheard of. I hope this puts an end to Obama's insulting and outrageous plan to proclaim himself the nominee on May 20th. (I doubt it will, though; Obama will proceed, in his usual tone-deaf manner, to ignore and dismiss that portion of the electorate which did not vote for him.) No one is the nominee until August. Even John McCain hasn't declared HIMSELF the nominee, and he's more than 1100 delegates ahead of Mike Huckabee!

2,209.

That's the real "magic number" of delegates each candidate must win to be declared the nominee. This number includes the delegates of Michigan and Florida, which should be seated at the convention as is, at this point.

Let's be very clear on this issue. The DNC changed the rules to strip all of Florida and Michigan's delegates AND ignore the popular vote. (The original rule was simply to strip 50% of the delegates.) This was purely on the insistence of Donna Brazile, an Obama superdelegate who holds a prominent position on the DNC Rules Committee. There was absolutely no reason to do this except to game the system to promote Senator Obama. There was also no reason for anyone to remove his or her name from the MI ballot except to make the inevitable winner, Senator Clinton, appear illegitimate. Edwards and Obama removed their names for exactly that reason.

After months of Obama blocking every effort to count the delegates or allocate them in any sort of fair way, it's time to just give up and seat them as they are. As Howard Wolfson stated last night, it's the right thing to do to count the votes of 2.5 million Democrats. And, it's the smart thing to do. You don't tell two key swing states that you don't need their votes. They might just take you at their word in November.

75% of HRC supporters won't vote for Obama, 62% of Obama supporters won't vote for Clinton in West Virginia.

The response from the Obama campaign? An attempt to steal her spotlight with an Obama stump speech from Missouri. (Translation: I AM teh Nominee! Pay no attention to those low-information, bitter, clinging folks in West Virginia! I am campaigning for teh General Election! Bow before teh great Obama!) A claim from Bob Casey, Obama superdelegate, last night on CNN: "They'll get over it." A congratulatory message from Obama on Hillary's cell phone.

La la la la la, I can't HEAR YOU!

The response from the Clinton campaign? A great victory speech that complimented Obama, credited him with values he has not demonstrated, and focused on their united goals for the Democratic Party.

Need we really say who is focusing on dividing the Party and winning at any cost? Who is determined to ignore the voters and cheat his way to the nomination? Who is truly unable to reach out to people he does not agree with and find common cause with them?

Zero.

That's the amount of influence the corporate media has on the American voters at this point. I keep saying this, but people don't believe me. No one watches cable news. No one trusts the TeeVee to tell them what's going on any more. People look at the candidates and read the papers and make their own decisions.

It's a good thing in my opinion. Maybe, seeing the results from West Virginia, we can somehow get the new President and Congress to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine and revive the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break up media ownership into smaller pieces again. (Bob Somerby at the Daily Howler must be typing his brains out today trying to document the media atrocities from last night.)

75%.

That's the amount of West Virginians who believe that Obama shares the views
of Reverend Wright to some degree. I told you that Wright makes Obama unelectable..and I believe the Wright factor accounts for the most frightening number of all:

100%.

That's the number of West Virginia counties Obama lost last night.

One.

Hundred.

Percent.

May I remind you that it's been 92 years since a Democrat won the White House without winning West Virginia in the General Election? What would you say the odds are of Obama winning West Virginia in November are at this point?

I may like to play the slots, but even I know that's a sucker bet.

The Democratic Party ignores these numbers at their peril. Do we really love the beautiful loser so much that we will select him as the nominee? Or do we love our country enough to choose the one person who can lift us out of the Bush Reign of Error, despite the fact that she has a scary, scary vagina, and is named Clinton?

Tune in again soon for...As the Democrats Turn!

Do The Words "Holy Crap" Mean Anything To You?

2008-05-13T23:15:00.004-04:00

Beginning rant:

At 11:19 PM, EDT, with 73% of precincts reporting, Hillary Clinton is winning in West Virginia by 39 percentage points.

66% to 27%.

The numbers speak for themselves. But this rant is for the blind, deaf and dumb superdelegates and the DNC, who can't seem to understand them.

After a week of declaring HRC dead in the water, this is what the pundits must face: No one gives a shit about them. This is what Obama must face: We want Hillary and not him. This is what the Party must face: Obama gamed the caucuses and bought his way into this race with a huge war chest. The voters do not care.

Can we please fucking admit the fucking elephant in the room is fucking real? Obama cannot get the votes we need to fucking beat John McCaca McMaverick McCain. Oh my fucking God.

Oh, and 75% of West Virginian HRC voters would be "dissatisfied" if HRC is not the nominee.

DO YOU GET IT SUPERDELEGATES?! As Hillary said tonight, THIS IS NOT SOME ACADEMIC EXERCISE! It fucking matters who's fucking President. It's either Hillary or McCain. There is NO OTHER CHOICE!

Now do your fucking job and save the Party from this electoral disaster named Barack Obama.

End of rant.

Why Democrats Vote

2008-05-13T08:51:00.004-04:00

We Democrats don't seem to understand ourselves very well, in my never-humble opinion. Certainly our elected representatives, for the most part, appear to believe that Democrats will vote straight party-line no matter which candidate they nominate for the presidency.

Ah, such dangerous naivete.

You see, John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean et al., party unity doesn't just HAPPEN for Democrats. We are truly a big tent. We've got super-lefties, disaffected conservatives, social and economic libertarians, die-hard Party loyalists, left- and right-leaning Independents, and everything in between. The Republic Party, by contrast, has narrowed itself into a very specific right-wing mentality. You're either with them or against them, in the immortal authoritarian words of their Dear Leader, George W. Bush. They vote for the R, even when they hate the nominee.

We Democrats vote for the person whom we trust, and whom we think represents our values. Why else is Barack Obama getting up to 93% of the AA vote, whereas Hillary Clinton is connecting with about 60% of the white vote in every state?

No, it's not Democratic racism on Senator Clinton's side (although if it were, that would still represent a rather large problem for Obama, wouldn't it?). It's that we Hillary voters don't think that Obama would be a good President for many reasons. We don't trust his judgment after the revelations that he sat in Wright's church for 20 years and listened to that ignorant, hate-filled ranting week after week. We don't think he understands our needs, and the BitterCling remarks (and so much more) seem to legitimize that feeling. We don't like his policy proposals on the environment (let's focus on renewables, not nuclear power, coal and ethanol), the economy (too many punitive taxes on the middle class) and health care (don't start from a weak point when you know you will have to compromise). Finally, we do not trust him to carry out his promises, ever since his foreign policy adviser, Samantha Power, said that his Iraq withdrawal plan was just a "best-case scenario."

So, as Hillary Clinton rides to a humongous victory today in West Virginia, O Democratic leaders, please don't call it racism; and please understand that we are voting for her, not against Obama. And please understand that many of us simply will not vote for Obama in the GE, for all the reasons given above. Why should we? The stronger candidate in the GE is clearly Senator Clinton. There is no reasonable electoral map that shows otherwise. Why should we settle for second best? Because she is a woman and should take one for the team?

According to yesterday's ABC News/Washington Post poll, 64% of Democrats want Hillary to finish out her run. Another interesting finding: A whopping 59% of AA's think HRC should be on a ticket with Obama. Guess a lot of AA's don't think she's so racist after all.

I would also sincerely ask that folks should stop trying to sell us on a Unity Ticket with Obama at the top. You think you can just apply Clinton as a coverup of all Obama's flaws, and they will magically disappear? Do you think the Republics will not start pounding on Wright, Ayers and Rezko as soon as Obama is chosen at the convention? Perhaps Jesus could help Obama stand against that tsunami, but I don't think HRC's supernatural powers are quite that strong. Obama is simply NOT ELECTABLE. I would prefer him not to be anywhere near the Presidency, but if we must have him, the VP spot is the only acceptable one for him now. For Jeebus' sake, he's 46 years old and has two years in the Senate. Further, he has leveraged his 93% AA vote and gamed the system (trying to get FL and MI counted out) in order to gain his front-runner status. It's disgusting the way he has cheated and slimed Hillary and Bill Clinton in the process. VP is an amazing gift for him, and guess what? He gets to be President in 2016. Sorry, Michelle Obama, this is the only possible combined ticket scenario. Grow up and get over yourself.

Let me just add one more thing. The next few months are key. Should the Deciderer bomb Iran, or should another terrorist attack happen on American soil, who do you think Americans will vote for? A guy who has no national security credentials whatsoever, who never held one meeting of the subcommittee on European Affairs he chaired in the Senate, and who was against the war before he was for it? Or a Moderate Maverick War Hero?

Duh.

And yes, I believe HRC would do much better against McCain in this arena, mainly because she actually has experience and did vote for the AUMF. Believe it or not, that makes her more electable against McCaca, not less.

Should the Democratic Party be blind and stupid enough to nominate Barack Obama despite all of this, I hope they are not surprised when many of HRC's supporters in the Big Tent either switch to McCain, stay home entirely or vote down-ticket only. (Some are vowing to write in Hillary's name.) After all, exit polls in state after state have been showing that more than 50% of us are saying "NO!" to Obama.

Sadly, I think our Democratic leaders will be absolutely shocked, shocked, when McCain wipes the floor with Obama in November.

They just don't know why Democrats vote.

Meanwhile...

2008-05-12T09:01:00.003-04:00

this has got to be the worst May ever for extreme weather.

In the past ten days, a devastating cyclone hit Myanmar (Burma); tornadoes and floods raged across the United States; and a devastating earthquake hit China.

I can't help thinking how lucky I am to be living the life I do. I have a job and so does my husband; I have electricity, food and water; and usually, I don't have to be afraid of the weather.

Still, my relatively blessed state - and that of millions of Americans - will soon evaporate if we don't do something about the environment, and fast. Should a large enough ice shelf melt and collapse, New York and many other coastal cities could be drowned under water. Should the temperature of the earth rise just a few degrees, heat and thirst could kill millions. And if we continue with our short-sighted ethanol production, a massive food shortage could show us all the true meaning of hunger.

This year, all of us activists are very passionate about who is elected President. I agree that it is of paramount importance that the right person leads our country away from the path of reckless consumption and down the path of conservation, sanity and responsibility. But we must never forget that the true issues we are dealing with are not just American, but global.

We can solve it.

We are all citizens of the world now. It's time to start acting like it.

Happy Mothers' Day!

2008-05-11T10:36:00.002-04:00

Today is a good day to appreciate not just mothers, but all women who have made you who you are today. Your friends, your sisters, your daughters, your aunts, cousins and nieces, your stepmothers, your grandmothers, your heroines - they are brave, exceptional, kind, loving, intelligent, and they deserve your attention and respect, this day and every day. Ladies, you rock!

If you are fortunate enough to still have your mother around, make sure you send her some extra love and hugs today.

And for you sentimental types, here is a beautiful video made by Chelsea Clinton for her mother. If you don't have a tear in your eye after you watch, well...you're just hard-hearted, that's all! :-)

Have a great day, women of the world. You deserve it!