Jason Brzoska

A Typical Hillary Supporter?

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

Hillary's Case in Five Minutes

Amy Poehler does an awful Hillary Clinton (not surprising as Saturday Night Live has been terrible for going on fifteen years), but she manages to sum up Clinton's arguments pretty succinctly.

By the way I'm down in DC for the next couple of days, home on Tuesday, and in NYC on Wednesday.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Comedy, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

Not Sleeping in the City That Doesn't Sleep

Obama defeated Hillary handily in NC, and still stands a chance of pulling off an upset in Indiana. If he wins that, I think she'll concede tomorrow. I want to see what happens, but I need to get up early in the morning for a meeting in Midtown. Dilemmas, dilemmas...

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Politics

Frustrated by PA

9.5 points? That means nothing. Obama still has an insurmountable delegate lead, but Clinton will stay in because she's playing by her own rules.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Politics

We've Missed You, John

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, John Edwards, Politics

Hillary in the House... Hillary in the White House!

Another "shining" example of a viral campaign video from the Clinton campaign:

In what world is a video like this going to make people FOR the candidate it represents?

Labels: 2008 Primaries, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

OK, No More Hillary

I've had enough of crap like this:

One Clinton aide yesterday derided Mr Obama’s victories in "boutique" caucus states rather than the hardscrabble terrain of the rustbelt, saying: "Obama has won the small caucus states with the latte-sipping crowd. They don’t need a president, they need a feeling."

She sounds just like a Republican. She's doing it over and over again.

I just wish Obama would do a better job of fighting back, which is what I was worrying about in the first place with him. We'll see!

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

O-BA-MA!

Listen, I like the guy and all, but does this feel a little cultish to you?

In the meantime, Clinton shows what an asshole she can be:

I like Sadly, No!'s response to this.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

Ummm...

Bush isn't the only musically-inclined politician out there...

On Friday night, a friend sent me a prank video shows three fat old men having sex in the shower. This one was more disturbing...

I've brushed off the idea that it's time for a new generation in the White House, but this is the best argument for it I've seen. Compare the above video to this one:

I just gave the Obama campaign fifty bucks.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Humor

Sabotaging McCain

John McCain seems to be the inevitable nominee in the Republican Party, and anyone who knows anything knows that despite his reputation in the press, McCain is very conservative. So why do many Republicans claim he isn't? John Cole has a theory that I agree with:

So here is why they are sabotaging McCain- they want him to lose, or at the very least are hedging their bets. They want and need to paint him as not conservative, not pure enough to really represent the wildly successful (in their minds) conservatism that makes up the Bush dead-enders. That way, when they are blown out of the water in 2008, they don't have to do any reflection, they don't have to assess, re-prioritize, or re-think their policies. They can simply pin it all on McCain, claim he lost because he didn't offer the voters a "real" conservative alternative, and get back to championing the end of the "death tax" and other important issues without skipping a beat.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Politics, Republican Party

The McCain Chorale

(Hat tip, Atrios)

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Politics, Republican Party

From the Washington State Democratic Caucuses

Ted sent me a report from the Democratic caucuses in Washington:

Well, we're done caucusing.......at least my precinct is. It was an interesting process. First it was amazing to see people streaming towards the school on foot, by car, by bike. It was like something out of a movie.....people coming from all directions, converging on this school. They clearly got more people than they expected.....not enough forms, not enough seats. They had to send someone to Kinko's to make more copies.

The crowd was fairly diverse.....old, young, white, black, purple; in fact, there were some teenagers and tweenies observing. As far as income, I could see no difference.....mostly middle class, probably white collar but that's a guess.

The caucus started promptly at 1:30 PM. We were separated into rooms by precinct. My room had 64 people of which 5 were undecided. My neighbors from across the street were there. We chatted it up.......we hadn't talked in a while. Unfortunately, I realized as I took our signup sheet to the front of the room that they were for Clinton. I guess there won't be too many summer barbeques this year. hehehehehe! (Jason's Note: "Ted" is actually Beavis)

Then we separated into three groups: Obama, Clinton and Undecideds. I know, I know.....you want the break out for Obama and Clinton but you ain't getting it til the end and no fair cheating. We started out by making a list of resolutions we wanted presented to the county wide delegate meeting to be held in April. Then each candidate group picked three delegates for a total of six.

Finally, the actual caucus began. The Undecideds told us their doubts about each candidate. Then 5 speakers were picked from Obama's group and 5 from Clinton's group. I was one of the 5 for Obama. They were asked to address the concerns and questions of the Undecideds. Did I mention that my neighbor was one of the speakers for the Clintons and that stupidly my comments piggy backed off what he said, and in the process, turned his argument around to the detriment of Clinton? Politically savvy like Obama I am not. Forget the "no barbeque problem"...I am hiring a security guard for my house. ;-((

After the speakers were done, the Undecideds were asked to go up to the precinct captain and indicate if they had changed their position. We started out with 5 Undecideds and ended up with one. In fact, one woman came up to me and told me what I said had turned her around for Obama. Yay! One for the Obama gipper! In fact, Obama got all but one of the Undecideds.

And now for the final tally: 46 for Obama, 17 for Clinton and 1 Undecided. From what I understand, the majority of the 6 delegates go to him but they weren't sure exactly how many he would get. I am unclear why anyone would think this process favors Obama. Whatever the reasons might be, it was not obvious to me.

Oh yeah, my neighbor......he looked at me strangely as I left and was not nearly as friendly as when we first saw each other. Oh well............

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

So, Who Will Conservatives Vote For Now?

Here's what Michael D. thinks:

Right now, the whackosphere is behaving like you did when you wanted ice cream when your mommy or daddy told you that you were getting a cookie. You jumped up and down on the floor. You screamed. You held your breath till you were almost blue in the face. Eventually though, you took the cookie.

Rush Limbaugh will vote for John McCain.
Sean Hannity will vote for John McCain.
Laura Ingraham will vote for John McCain.
James Dobson will vote for John McCain.

Conservatives won't sit out the election in 2008. They will vote for John McCain. Sean Hannity will eventualy have McCain on his radio show telling him he's a "Great American and patriot." Right now, they're just having a little temper tantrum. In time, you they'll be talking about John McCain as though they were with him all along. You know it. I know it. I don't listen to any of these shows, but I am sure it's gonna make for great radio over the next few months.

While I LOVE the metaphor, somehow, I'm not so sure. I think some of these guys are really looking at 2012 already. Conservatives have been really good at taking the long view in the past. And why not? They've spent so much time looking back decades, if not centuries, to before The Beatles, before the New Deal, before trustbusting, before the Magna Carta... what's a few years to wait going forward?

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Politics, Republican Party

More Good Stuff on Voting for Obama -- or Not

Devilstower of Kos about the things that didn't affect his choice when he voted for Obama:

I didn't make my vote based on who I thought was "more electable." I thought that was a fool's game four years ago, and I think it's even more foolish this year. I'm picking for myself, not for you. Heck, I have a lot of political positions in common with most people on this community, and many of you would strongly disagree with how I cast my vote. If I can't figure out how you're going to vote, I'm not about to start puzzling what a truck driver in Portland, a single mother in Boise, or a middle manager in Cleveland is looking for in a president.

I didn't make my vote based on how I thought some other part of the world would react to a President Obama. I didn't consider whether some despot at the head of a failing state would think the new president too weak to thwart some scheme. I didn't ponder what they'd think in the cave. I didn't consider whether some faction of the populace in the Middle East, or China, or some other place look on black people as "weak" or "inferior." I didn't consider how Obama would get on with Putin or how he'd handle Chavez. You only have to look at George W. Bush and Tony Blair to know that predicting how world leaders will hit it off is tougher than lining up blind dates for your friends. Anyone making guesses about this is doing just that -- making guesses.

And above all, I didn't make my vote based on some assumption of racism or sexism on another part of the electorate. Not that I didn't have plenty of chances. At some point, it seemed like everyone I know brought up some variant of the Wilder Effect. They usually expressed it as something close to "I know what people tell the pollsters, but I'm really worried in November when it comes down to a woman/black man against a candidate like people have always known..." A relative put it a lot more bluntly in saying "It doesn't bother me that Obama slept with all those white women, but it'll bother other people."

Read more.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

Are There Any Mormons in France?

From Josh:

"I don't how much attention you've been paying to the GOP side of things, but Romney (speaking at CPAC right now) just said that if "we" don't change the course of things in our country, the US will become "the France of the 21st Century."

C'est la vie.

UPDATE:

I didn't realize that this was Mitt's concession speech:

"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror"

Now that's bowing out with class.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Politics, Republican Party

Shoestring Campaign?

According to Reuters, Mike Huckabee is running one:

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the Tennessee Republican primary on Tuesday, beating rivals John McCain and Mitt Romney in the conservative Southern state to keep alive his shoestring bid for the party's presidential nomination, U.S. media projected.

Well, what defines a shoestring campaign? Lack of resources? McCain's been almost broke for six months. Lack of ideas? McCain's pretty devoid of 'em -- check out his website.

So why is Huckabee considered the only candidate running a "shoestring bid?"

Amazing how the media frames things sometimes.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Politics, Republican Party

We'll Rally Around Someone

From CNN: "72 percent of Democrats said they would be satisfied if Clinton won the party's nomination, while 71 percent say the same about Obama."

Not exactly a divided party.

I spoke to a friend tonight, who told me that he and his wife spent the weekend weighing Hillary vs. Obama, and decided not to vote because they couldn't make a decision. They both decided they'd be happy with either, and that was that.

Seems a lot of America feels that way. But after tonight's primaries, it looks like we're going to need some more time before we have one candidate to agree upon. But agree we will, and we're going to kick some pachyderm in November!

(hat tip, Digby)

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

Voting

So, I did vote for Obama (though I flirted briefly with casting my vote for Edwards). It was easy, of course -- two minutes, in and out.

Not as much luck for K-hole, who had to deal with his first caucus, having recently moved to Colorado. He texted me: "This is the dumbest worst thought out process ever."

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, John Edwards, Politics

How I Know I'm Making the Right Decision

Just got a text message from a colleague in Brooklyn:

"I'm at the polls. And John Turturro is in front of me with an Obama pin."

I'm on my way to vote right now, and I'm voting with The Jesus!

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Politics

The Decision...

One more e-mail from Daniel Van Riper seals the deal for me:

Here's a little detail you might be interested in. As you know, the Albany City Democratic Committee, which is Jerry Jennings's breakaway from the Albany County Democratic Party, has been ordering all of us City committee persons to campaign exclusively for Hillary. All of us were handed a list of female names in our respective election districts. This turned out to be a list of women 55 years of age or over whom we were supposed to target.

My Wife was on that list, erroneously. She's not yet 55. "That's it, I'm voting for Obama," she told the City Party Chairman.

One of my biggest problems with Hillary has been the people she associates with, from anti-union types like Chris Lehane and Mark Penn to establishment slimeballs like James Carville.

But if Jerry Jennings is going to push so strongly for her, then that does it for me. I'm voting Barack Obama tomorrow.

(Unless I change my mind!)

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Albany, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

Daniel Van Riper's Anti-Clinton Argument

Sent by DVR to me via e-mail:

Who am I gonna vote for? Out of the myriad of choices? I'll be voting for the Democrat in November, even if Ralph Nader runs, and especially if Billionaire Michael Bloomberg runs.

I'm angry at Clinton for A) voting for and supporting the War Against Iraq, and B) voting for and supporting the so-called "Patriot" Act and related legislation. I mean, c'mon lady.

Concerning B), when we were trying to get the City of Albany to pass a resolution opposing the "Patriot" Act (which was ultimately successful, by the way) Melanie Trimble of the NYCLU tried to get an audience with her. She refused to even respond to our request, let alone meet with Melanie. (McNulty met with her, and literally laughed in her face.) As a result, our opponents on the Albany Common Council kept tossing us this line about "undermining Senator Clinton." You think I'm going to forget something like that?

So I guess I'm going to vote for Obama because I'm not as disgusted with him. But I'll tell you, I have serious doubts that a black person can win a national election in white America.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Albany, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

My Biggest Pro-Clinton Argument...

But expressed much better by Phil Nugent. The punchline:

I like both Clinton and Obama, but if I had to pick one as the Democratic nominee right now and offer a single justification for my selection, I'd choose Clinton, and for the same reason that so many people regard her as unelectable: she's gone through a never-ending storm of shit with her head held high. I'm thinking that's the best practice anyone could have for making it to November in one piece. Obama has acknowledged that she has that much of an edge by saying that beating off her attacks have made him a stronger, better-tested candidate, but I hope he isn't really silly enough to think that bitch-slapping Bob Johnson is remotely equivalent to taking on the whole Fox News and right-wing radio manure machine. The people who are attracted to Obama because he's so "inspiring" don't seem to think this ought to be a factor in their decision. It's as if they think that his new-morning aura is so effective that it'll deflect any slander and inspire the other side to behave itself and play on a high ground, especially if the other candidate is the saintly and principled John McCain. They must be out of their motherfucking minds.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics, Republican Party

The Candidates on Poverty

Obama's website on poverty:

Poverty Rising: There are nearly 37 million poor Americans. Most Americans living in poverty work, but still cannot afford to make ends meet.

Minimum Wage is Not Enough: Even when a parent works full-time earning minimum wage and EITC and food stamps are factored into their income, families are still $1,550 below the federal poverty line because of the flat-lined minimum wage.

Hillary's website on poverty:

...

...

...

Nothing.

That's not going to go over well with me...

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Economy, Hillary Clinton, Politics, Poverty

It's Not TV, It's...

After watching four-and-a-half seasons of The Wire in two weeks and then trying to catch up on my DVR, it hit me that The Wire was so compelling that everything else I watch is boring by comparison. Everything I've read proclaiming how excellent the show is has been true...

I even found myself struggling to keep myself awake while watching the season premiere of Lost!

UPDATE: Barack Obama's favorite show is The Wire. You can't watch the show without being affected by David Simon's handling of the issues of poverty and race. Point for him.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, TV

The Candidates on Energy and the Environment

Nothing particularly visionary from either of the candidates. Both say they'll reduce greenhouse gases by 80% from 1990 to 2050...

Nothing about sustainable living to indicate either of them is reading any Kunstler...

No points to anyone on this one.

UPDATE: Speaking of sustainable living, Daniel Van Riper has a must-read post up this week about suburban sprawl in the Albany area. I think he reads his Kunstler:

Yes folks, sprawl makes our taxes go up. This is not rocket science. Automobiles not only allow us to use more land than ever before. Autos demand that we use more land, to drive and park the damn things.

Global warming is not the only price we pay for our gas guzzling pollution machines. The more we drive our automobiles, the more land we need to use and pay for. Driving your car raises your taxes.

.
.
.

May I make a modest suggestion? To stop property taxes from increasing, we need a crash program to reduce dependence on automobiles. Not to eliminate automobiles, mind you. To reduce dependence.

Wouldn't it be nice to have choice? Imagine how delightful it would be to take a pleasant train ride to work, scanning your favorite electronic device or printed material, sipping your favorite coffee concoction and maybe even having a donut. I've lived in places where I could do that, why can't I do that in the Capital District?

Or imagine being able to hop a bus home at two o'clock in the morning after a raucous night out in a neighboring city. Don't we all want to reduce drunk driving? Again, I've lived in places where late night busses are expected and reliable.

I don't want to give up my pickup truck, nosiree. I need it to haul refrigerators and zip off to lumber yard when I want to. What I want is a choice, to not have to keep it full of expensive imported gasoline, to not be dependent on the damn thing. Is that too much to ask?

To reduce dependence on automobiles would require rebuilding our State. It would require transforming suburban sprawl hellholes into communities where it is easier to walk than to drive. It would be a massive job generator, very attractive to job-creating developers.

And while we're at it, why isn't New York State energy independent? We have wind, water and sunshine. We could cut loose from parasitic international energy corporations would make us a boom state. Our state could become virtually reccession-proof.

DVR for President?

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Albany, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Environment, Hillary Clinton, Politics

Still Trying to Figure It Out...

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Humor, Politics

Major Point for Obama

I was going through the candidates' platforms on energy and the environment, and noticed this in the sidebar of the Obama website:

Shows his campaign's solid understanding of the online "people-powered" movement... and that's on top of the fact that his campaign is getting 32% of its money from people giving less than $200, vs. 14% for Hillary.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Politics

The Candidates on Education

Obama:

Reform No Child Left Behind: Obama will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Obama believes teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. He will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama will also improve NCLB's accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.

Clinton:

End the unfunded mandate known as No Child Left Behind.

Advantage? Hillary. NCLB has to come off the table; like charter schools, it was molded by Republicans simply as an excuse to be able to weaken the teachers' lobby and to hurt the public school system.

Watch Season 4 of The Wire, and you'll get it...

Speaking of charter schools, neither candidate mentions them, nor private school vouchers at all, for that matter. Disappointing, as both are going to be major factors in inner-city education over the next decade.

Slight advantage to Clinton here.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

The Candidates on Iraq and Iran

Barack's a bit better than Hillary on the war; Barack's website says, "Obama has a plan to immediately begin withdrawing our troops engaged in combat operations at a pace of one or two brigades every month, to be completed by the end of next year." Meanwhile, Clinton's simply says her Cabinet would, "draw up a clear, viable plan to bring our troops home starting with the first 60 days of her Administration."

Unlike most people, I don't give Obama any extra points over Hillary for having opposed the war in 2002. Nearly all of the Democrats in the Senate supported the authorization of force against Iraq, and it was less because they believed in it and more because if they didn't, they would be branded as traitors, which was the kiss of death to any national politician that soon after 9/11. Edwards supported it too, and I can't really give Obama the benefit of the doubt that he wouldn't have voted the same way had he actually been in the Senate at the time. Heck, I'm not sure I wouldn't have had to vote for it at the time. I am a little uneasy, however, that unlike Edwards, Hillary hasn't really backed off that vote.

All three candidates rattled sabers towards Iran, which is just plain stupid. Iran's a toothless (like me!) third-world nation that bears no threat towards us, and it's time we ignored them.

Slight advantage on the wars to Obama.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Politics

The Candidates on Healthcare

I went through Clinton's and Obama's health care issues pages this evening. Also, they're not so far apart here either. They address a lot of the same issues -- covering the uninsured, AIDS, autism, cancer). They also both offer people the option of getting the same plan that members of Congress have.

Ultimately, to me, Hillary's plan is slightly better, because it makes participation mandatory. But neither is anywhere near single-payer (UPDATE: Kossack Partially Impartial explains why this is important) (UPDATE 2: The Urban Institute releases a paper concluding the same).

Also, as nyceve, one of the better Daily Kos diarists, makes a really good point -- Health care costs are skyrocketing, and neither candidate really gives us much of an indication of what people should expect to pay, other than Obama saying that families will save "up to $2,500" per year."

Running an organization, I find that we spend over $6,000 per year on health insurance per employee, and it goes up close to 20% every year. For people insuring themselves, it's approaching $10,000 per year. How long can that continue? Single payer is the only answer, but it's not even on the table.

Next issue...

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

Barack and Hillary on Economics

I read some of Hillary and Barack's economic platforms on their websites... nothing stood out as particularly good or bad as far as differences go.

One thing that bothered me in both was that there is too much concentration on tax cuts... that's buying into the Republican meme that taxes are too high. They're not; they were higher ten years ago and surveys showed that most people didn't complain then. And today, when we have a national debt approaching a trillion dollars, we cannot eliminate revenue sources.

Nothin' here to help me make up my mind... NEXT!

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Economy, Hillary Clinton, Politics

Some Stats

I have 12.5% fewer teeth in my mouth than I did ten hours ago.

I have seven episodes of The Wire, or approximately 13.5% of the entire series, left to watch after I started watching two weeks ago (and it's every bit as good as I'd heard).

There are five days left until Super Tuesday, so by the end of tonight, I'd like to be 20% closer to choosing a candidate. But ~~some arsehole~~ (SEE UPDATE) Bob Cesca on Huffington Post thinks that I, and the rest of the progressive blogosphere, need to pick one candidate and unify behind him or her now.

Uh, no?

I'm going to pick my candidate before I vote, and I think every other blogger should do the same. But we're not a unit (hell, I'm just a speck), and we make up our minds for ourselves. As long as we're unified behind the Democratic candidate once the party has selected one, we're going to rock the Republican candidate (be it McCain, Romney, Huck, or whomever) in November. I'm confident in that prediction.

(hat tip: Atrios)

UPDATE: I got an e-mail from Bob Cesca pointing out that I was nasty for calling him names when he was making a reasoned argument. He's right... I'm getting a little touchy on the subject right now; I'm having a hard time understanding how it's so easy for others to make the distinction on whom to vote right now. Methinks me taking this a little too seriously...

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, Politics

Candidate Shopping

So, I'll basically be back in bed and in pain for the next few days, starting tomorrow morning when I get all four of my wisdom teeth extracted. And, I need to find a new candidate to support in the Presidential election.

Over the next few days, I'm going to be combing the Issues sections on Clinton's and Obama's websites, and looking for distinctions. I'll post my observations, and hopefully, I can make a decision by Tuesday.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton

Edwards Out? (Updated: Edwards Out!)

I didn't see this coming, at all:

Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters' sympathies, The Associated Press has learned.

I have no idea who I'm voting for on Tuesday...

Update: It's true.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Democratic Party, John Edwards

Obama Still Doesn't Get It

I read several blog posts this morning touting Obama's victory speech, and then a friend called me up and told me that Obama incorporated some of Edwards's populist rhetoric last night. So, I watched it to see if there was anything for me to grab on to.

He did sprinkle in some populist-sounding phrases, and then came to a point where he said:

"There are people all across this great nation who can't afford four more years without health care..."

Good line.

"They can't afford another four years without good schools..."

Another good, very important line.

"They can't afford another four years without decent wages..."

Excellent.

"... because our leaders couldn't come together and get it done."

Wha??? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but once again, Obama shows he just doesn't get it. He makes it sound like there are procedural, bureaucratic issues, like the politicians in Washington just aren't talented enough.

But that's just not it. There's a side here that doesn't care about other people; one that is actively trying to keep us from having health care, that is dismantling our public schools brick by brick, that is trying to keep our wages down. The same side believes that we should be able to torture people, start whatever damn wars we'd like, spy on whomever we want to, keep our women in their places, and a whole spate of other things that are just plain wrong and harmful to tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of people in this country.

We need to convince those who can be convinced that our side is right, and not try to compromise with the other side to come up with expensive "solutions" that make corporations rich and don't fix the problems. We need to repudiate them and rid Washington of the other side, not unite with them. Sure, I believe in two-party politics, but the other party is just SO wrong. We don't need to be more reasonable, they do.

The issue, unlike Obama seems to believe, is not that people can't get things done, it's that roughly half the people want to get the opposite done!

And thus, I'm still not on board with Obama, because he just doesn't get it.

And, despite the fact that I'm liking Hillary's tactics less and less, I'm leaning towards her more than Obama if it comes down to the two of them, because she at least understands what she's dealing with when it comes to the other side.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Republican Party

Mitt Romney is White

So says Josh:

If you don't watch TPMTV, you're missing out...

(hat tip, Spencer Ackerman)

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Republican Party

Random Thought

Barack Obama is not the second coming of Jesus.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party

A 527 Too Far

No way... no no no no way...

From Josh Marshall:

I swear... I am getting THIS close to becoming a Hillary supporter just to spite Republicans...

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Democratic Party

How Do People Pick Who They Vote For?

Bill Maher shows us:

Labels: 2008 Primaries, Politics

Spare Some Change?

The Presidential candidates have more than enough:

Labels: 2008 Primaries

Hillary's Fan Base

I was just at the wine bar on Lark St. (where else?) and spoke for a while to a guy who hates unions and thinks Obama is a Muslim. He also loves Hillary.

Figures.

Labels: 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton

Chris Matthews is "Scared" of Hillary Clinton

There's been a lot of talk in the blogosphere about Chris Matthews picking on Hillary Clinton.

I don't get to associate with TV types much, but my one brush happened to be with Chris Matthews in 2002. I never have before because I figured I might get some of his staff in trouble, but it's been more than five years and I'd imagine most, if not all of them are gone. Anyway:

I did a few days of volunteer work for Hardball when Chris Matthews came to town in 2002 to interview Hillary (I chauffered him around and helped some of his staff run errands)...

Nearly to a person, his regular staff told me and whispered among each other that Matthews was never afraid of any guest, but he was "scared" (in at least one case, "scared shitless") of Hillary.

During the time I spent with him, he totally antagonized me, a 22 year old kid at the time -- the first thing he told me was that I must've been helping the show out because I was a "Hillary lover" like it would've been a horrible thing (I've never particularly liked her -- I even volunteered for Tasini against her for a while in '06), but he'd have none of it). He proceeded to ask if I was the "love child of two hippies" (I'm not sure what the hell that's supposed to mean) and on a couple of occasions accused me of being gay (I'm not).

Going into the few days with him, Matthews was my idol (I was in the middle of a neocon phase at the time before becoming an uberliberal the last 3-4 years) and I rarely missed his show... However, he is exactly in person like he is on TV. A mega-asshole!

An asshole, a homophobe, talks all the time at the top of his lungs, and scared of Hillary... I'd guess the dude is pretty damn insecure.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Hillary Clinton, TV

Still Riding the Edwards Train

Yup, after his expected third-place showing in New Hampshire (not a state that would be inclined to favor his big-government populist message), I'm still on board. Daily Kos poster Felagund makes the case better than I have the desire to do in an insomniac state at 3:15 AM:

I can see that [Obama]'s charismatic, and maybe if I were in my early 20s that might be enough. But I'm forty, and extremely bitter and cynical about what's happened in American politics since the Clinton healthcare débacle, and at this point, I find his obvious charisma and rhetorical talents more of a turnoff than anything. I think he's an excellent salesperson, but I learned a long time ago that it's more important to check out the actual product.

And I don't see much of an actual product there. Sure, he had a good record as a state senator, and that's all great and everything, but I haven't seen him take any kind of a risk to stand up for anything progressive since he became a US senator. Other than coming out against the war long before it was fashionable, for which he deserves kudos, it's been careful, cautious centrism the whole way. I might be inclined to think there was a there there if the guy had stood up and opposed the Supreme Court nominations, or torture, or wiretapping... or anything. But it's just bland words about hope and unity.

And that's what turns me off the most about the guy. I don't want reconciliation, unity and bipartisanship. I want the next President to investigate, indict, prosecute and convict the living shit out of the thieves and murderers that have despoiled our beautiful country over the last seven years and well before. I want a President who's going to put on some boots and stomp on the throats of the Republicans, tear away the media lies and the layers of obfuscation and show everyone in America just what was done in our name. I don't want warm and fuzzy: I want thunder and lightning. I want a perp walk every night on the news.

I think Obama's just too cozy with his corporate donors to be willing to do that. If he really had that kind of fire in him, he'd have been doing it for years now. He'd have made his claim to the Presidency on the basis of real change, not just the rhetoric of change. I think Obama wants to be liked too much to take risks to do good.

.
.
.

Having Edwards in the race until the end not only enables us all to vote for someone who actually has battled with, and defeated, the corporate monsters that control us, but moves the race in a more progressive direction...

Read more

I don't dislike Obama as much as Felagund does, I just feel that Edwards has done something extremely important in coming out against corporate American on behalf of the middle and working classes, and not only is that maybe the most important thing a candidate can do in my eyes (and not something I've really seen wholeheartedly done before on a national level), but it also takes massive cojones. Bigger than Obama's. And hell, it's not like Edwards isn't a great speaker in his own right -- I find it impressive how on top of his game he is at all times (like tonight after losing in NH), and his speaking is a lot less abstract to me than Obama's (who admittedly made a great speech tonight in NH himself).

So, yes, until further notice, Edwards is my man in this race, as long as he's in it. But I'll happily pull the lever for either Obama or Hillary in the general if it comes to that. It's a good year to be a Democrat, and I'm happy that I don't have to support one of these clowns.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, John Edwards, Republican Party

Ron Paul Doesn't See Color

I'm pretty sure he does, given the content of this TNR article, but Ron Paul, who came in sixth tonight among the Republicans in New Hampshire, says:

Oh, I think that that's completely wrong. And, you know, libertarianism is the enemy of all racism, because racism is a collectivist idea is that you put people in categories. You say, "Well, Blacks belong here, Whites here, and women here." Well, we don't see people in form-- or gays.

Hmmm... think he has a black friend like Stephen Colbert?

Ron Paul and his black friend, Alan

But seriously, how on earth can we believe that Ron Paul didn't know about the virulently racist and paranoid filth published in his name for years and years?

At absolute, absolute best, that would make the man a bumbling idiot. Should we really be electing another one of those President?

UPDATE: Am I that insignificant that I can't get even one lousy Paulbot comment? Kirchick got 1285!

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Humor, Republican Party, Ron Paul

Yonkers, NY -- On the Road Again

I don't even think I mentioned it here, but I've been sick in bed with mono for most of the last month... but I'm back in commission now and on my way to NYC for the week.

Mono sucked, by the way, and it's good to feel healthy again. I think I may start blogging a bit more now. We'll see...

And yes, I'm following the primaries, and yes, I'm still supporting Edwards. His second-place showing in Iowa was pretty impressive, given that the media doesn't want to pay attention to him at all. I also think that Obama is just too conciliatory and fluffy... who the hell wants to make nice with the Republicans after what they've done the last 30 years? Not me.

Regardless, don't count any of the top 3 Dems out yet. Not at all.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, John Edwards, Travel

Albany, NY -- John Lennon Spins in His Grave

Huckabee will change whatever is down
And fight to the right-to-life around
Illegal immigrants stay underground
Won't you PLEEEEEASE vote Huckabee?

(h/t Atrios)

UPDATE: I watched this again, and I just can't get over conservatives co-opting the Beatles... I mean, I know this sort of thing happens all day on TV, but it's just SUCH a bastardization of what was once an amazing counterculture.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Republican Party

Albany, NY -- Take the Highway To...

The Great Divide (just for Phish fans)... Bob Herbert's latest piece in the NYTimes is about the growing gap in U.S. cities between the rich and the poor. The meat:

A lot of New Yorkers are doing awfully well. There are 8 million residents of New York City, and roughly 700,000 are worth a million dollars or more. The average price of a Manhattan apartment is $1.3 million. The annual earnings of the average hedge fund manager is $363 million.

The estimated worth of the mayor, Michael Bloomberg, ranges from $5.5 billion to upwards of $20 billion.

.
.
.

Now the flip side, which is the side those public school students are on. One of the city's five counties, the Bronx, is the poorest urban county in the nation. The number of families in the city's homeless shelters is the highest it has been in a quarter of a century. Twenty-five percent of all families with children in New York City - that's 1.5 million New Yorkers - are trying to make it on incomes that are below the poverty threshold established by the federal government.

But which Presidential candidate cares about the poor? According to Larry Mandell, the president of the United Way of New York City, "John Edwards is the one candidate who seems concerned about it..."

And that's why I support him in 2008.

(hat tip to John Fowler)

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Democratic Party, John Edwards, Politics

Rhinecliff, NY -- 21 Months Out...

I can't believe how early the 2008 election cycle started -- it seems like it did before the 2006 one ended... Months ago, I decided I was leaning towards supporting John Edwards in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary. He just seems to genuinely care about those who are less fortunate (he's spent the last few years running an anti-poverty think-tank), he's extremely well-spoken, and he's just so gosh-darn handsome! ;)

David Mizner, a diarist on Kos, wrote a thoughtful piece late last week on why he's supporting Edwards, and a lot of it rang true for me:

I can't ask you to share my instincts. But I want you to know a few things. That he's long identified with the unlucky classes and mistrusted corporations. That his oft-derided first career, personal injury lawyer, in fact serves an important political function, especially in the deregulated, government-gutted South. That a strain of populism runs through his life, from his years growing up working class to his career as an attorney to his Senate term to his presidential campaigns. That the moderates at the Democratic Leadership Council wanted to make him their Golden Boy and he said no.

What I want you know, above all, is that this time around he’s running as a bold progressive populist. He’s rejected neo-liberalism in favor of a neo-Keynesianism approach that makes programs that help people a higher priority than balanced budgets. The centerpiece of his domestic agenda is a comprehensive and politically viable universal health care plan, which could lead to a single-payer system. And Edwards is the first major presidential candidate in the era of globalization to question the preeminent religious faith of Washington DC and Corporate America: the belief in so-called free trade. Taken together, his agenda represents a direct challenge to the Corporatocracy.

Just last week, Edwards made many of us on the Democratic left proud by refusing to take part in a debate sponsored by the right-wing Fox News. Following his lead, other candidates declined as well, and the Democratic Party wisely pulled the plug on the debate. Fox's executives lashed out at Edwards, and Edwards's campaign immediately and impressively turned Fox's response into a fundraising push. From John's mailing list:

You may have heard by now that John Edwards was the first candidate to officially say no to the Fox News debate in Nevada - and because of the hard work of so many grassroots and netroots Democrats, news is breaking tonight that Fox is out.

Fox has already started striking back at John for saying no. (There's a surprise—Fox attacking a Democrat.) Last night, Roger Ailes-the life-long Republican operative who is now Chairman of Fox News Channel-said that any candidate "who believes he can blacklist any news organization is making a terrible mistake" and "runs a real risk of losing the voters."

And John's not their only target. Tonight Fox News Vice President David Rhodes is telling news organizations not to get involved in the Nevada Democratic Caucus because of "radical fringe" groups - meaning grassroots Democrats (that would be you) - who objected to Fox's long history of spreading Republican propaganda at the expense of Democratic leaders.

The whole right wing is getting in on the attack; the Drudge Report is blaring the headline: "War! Dems Pull Out of Fox News Debate."

Enough is enough. It's time to send a clear message to Fox News and their allies that their right-wing talking points and temper tantrums won't go unchallenged anymore—when it comes to what Democrats should do in the Democratic primary, we'll decide—no matter what they report:

http://johnedwards.com/r/7157/801725/

Fox News has already proven they have no intention of providing "fair and balanced" coverage of any Democrat in this election.

In recent weeks they have run blatant lies about Senator Obama's background. And Fox was only too happy to give Ann Coulter a platform to spew more hate a few days after her bigoted attack on Senator Edwards and the gay community.

Now it's time for Democrats to stand together and send a clear message to Roger Ailes, Fox News and all the rest of them: bias isn't balance, but turning tables is fair:

http://johnedwards.com/r/7159/801725/

The truth is, Fox News can "report" whatever they want. And when it works for us, we'll deal with them on our terms. But this campaign is about responsibility and accountability, and we need to send the message to Fox that if they want to be the corporate mouthpiece of the Republican Party more than they want to be an impartial news outlet, they shouldn't expect Democrats to play along.

You can send that message by contributing today, and remind Fox News that in this election, Democrats won't take their spin lying down:

http://johnedwards.com/r/7161/801725/

Thank you for standing up for what we believe in.

Jonathan Prince
Deputy Campaign Manager
John Edwards for President

P.S. -- If the folks at Fox wonder why nobody thinks they play it straight, they should take a look at what Roger Ailes said about debates in 1988 when he was a top Republican spinmaster for then Vice President Bush: He told the Washington Post, "I don't know that we need to do more than one [debate]. There's no reason to think we'd need more than one." And he told the New York Times, "I don't think you learn anything about the issues" from debates. So please send Roger Ailes a message: Hypocrisy isn't fair and it isn't balanced; it's just hypocrisy - and we've had enough of it from you.

Labels: 2008 Election, 2008 Primaries, Democratic Party, John Edwards

Sunday, June 01, 2008

A Typical Hillary Supporter?

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Hillary's Case in Five Minutes

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Not Sleeping in the City That Doesn't Sleep

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Frustrated by PA

Monday, April 21, 2008

We've Missed You, John

Friday, March 14, 2008

Hillary in the House... Hillary in the White House!

Sunday, March 09, 2008

OK, No More Hillary

Saturday, March 01, 2008

O-BA-MA!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Ummm...

Friday, February 15, 2008

Sabotaging McCain

Monday, February 11, 2008

The McCain Chorale

Sunday, February 10, 2008

From the Washington State Democratic Caucuses

Thursday, February 07, 2008

So, Who Will Conservatives Vote For Now?

More Good Stuff on Voting for Obama -- or Not

Are There Any Mormons in France?

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Shoestring Campaign?

We'll Rally Around Someone

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Voting

How I Know I'm Making the Right Decision

The Decision...

Monday, February 04, 2008

Daniel Van Riper's Anti-Clinton Argument

My Biggest Pro-Clinton Argument...

The Candidates on Poverty

Sunday, February 03, 2008

It's Not TV, It's...

The Candidates on Energy and the Environment

Still Trying to Figure It Out...

Major Point for Obama

Saturday, February 02, 2008

The Candidates on Education

The Candidates on Iraq and Iran

The Candidates on Healthcare

Friday, February 01, 2008

Barack and Hillary on Economics

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Some Stats

Candidate Shopping

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Edwards Out? (Updated: Edwards Out!)

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Obama Still Doesn't Get It

Mitt Romney is White

Random Thought

Thursday, January 24, 2008

A 527 Too Far

Sunday, January 20, 2008

How Do People Pick Who They Vote For?

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Spare Some Change?

Hillary's Fan Base

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Chris Matthews is "Scared" of Hillary Clinton

Still Riding the Edwards Train

Ron Paul Doesn't See Color

Monday, January 07, 2008

Yonkers, NY -- On the Road Again

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Albany, NY -- John Lennon Spins in His Grave

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Albany, NY -- Take the Highway To...

Monday, March 12, 2007

Rhinecliff, NY -- 21 Months Out...