February 08, 2008
Political propaganda dumping ground - we have a long and active discussion about the election thread (aka 'Valatan explains the electoral process') for the apathetic and the outraged to route around. As we gear up for the general election, though, we need a place for things that are less "here's how I/we see things" and more "here's how you/the rest of the world should see things, dammit".
So, here it is. Flames and propaganda here; thoughts and news there, both stickied on the sidebar at top right.
I finally set aside the time to watch that video, and I really am still not convinced.
Comparing Clinton's war vote, when she was one of the most prominent senators in the senate, to Obama's opposition to the war, when he was a no name running in a crowded field in a Democratic primary who needed to distinguish himself isn't valid. Especially when he voted for the same blank check war funding bills that Clinton did. There was significant debate amongst democrats at the time about timetables and the funding, and Obama chose to go along with the politically expedient thing, rather than force a showdown with the president. He doesn't have the checkmark against him of having supported the war, but I can't give him the same credit for opposing it that I do to the likes of Dick Durbin or Russ Feingold, Bob Graham or Barbara Boxer for opposing it from the start.
Once again, obama, though he doesn't take PAC money, or direct lobbyist contributions, his contributor/bundle list is very corporatey. For contrast, here's Edwards, (ActBlue is a blog-based, internet small donor organization)
And Obama really, really reminds me of Bill Clinton. Way more than Hillary Clinton does, actually. She's very obsessed with fine points of policy detail. B. Clinton was more about vision and whatnot.
Seriously, read this and tell me that it couldn't be changed in terms of the details and given as an Obama stump speech.
And the anger about Obama and the Reagan thing had a lot more to do with its rhetorical context (and the fact that the audience was a conservative Nevada paper) than it had to do with its logical semantic conent. The former is the only relevant thing in politics anyway. Just ask Al Gore about the internet thing sometime.
And Obama's unwillingness to back down about the ex-gay movement really, really pissed me off on this front.
In case you haven't seen the original, and have a firm "I only vote for whomever Scarlett Johannson votes for" policy: yes.we.can.
From DC not-an-insider-but-knows-everyone-who-is Momma K:
I have been discounting the stories about John McCain until lunch today with a close friend who worked on his committee staff on Capitol Hill for an extensive period of time. She told nothing that she didn't know from her own knowledge; and began with the fact that she was wondering how long it would be before the press started to report the stories about McCain that they all knew about -- including his relationship with the lobbyist, his sell-outs, and most importantly his incredible and uncontrollable temper. She described scenes where he literally decimated staff and other senators who opposed him; and gave us details on legislation that his close friend (who looks amazingly like his wife) influenced. She felt most of all scared to have him in charge of nuclear responses with the sort of temper that he unleashes.
Also: she worked on a white house committee headed by the first lady during Clinton I, and had all sorts of unhappy things to say about the bitter climate of backbiting and pettiness that prevailed. Worth noting, whether that culture came from HRC or from someone HRC hired.
I don't know how much I care about the infidelity (I fervently hope Barack has kept his Peter at home with Mrs. Obama, since that's how we're choosing Presidents now) or the decimating the opposition. Influencing legislation is pretty fucked up, though, esp. since his appeal to the center rests on integrity... and the point about his temper bears consideration.
A question: what happens if a candidate utterly self-destructs, and ends up resigning? I'm talking Gary Hart-on-Monkey Business or that-Senator-from-Nevada-in-Godfather-II level of inelectability, not just Muskie-on-Ibogaine or Eagleton, Amnesty Abortion and Acid shenanigans -- a Gots to Go situation. If it's before the convention, I guess that person resigns and throws support to #2, but what if it's during the general election campaign?
Well, on one level, the conventions are really, really late this year. So, they'd pretty have almost exactly a month in order to make some sort of horrible, candidacy destroying gaffe. The ballots in individual states will almost certainly be printed then. So, short of dropping out of the race and endorsing their opponent, or a third party candidate, I don't think there's much to be done by an imploding major party candidate between the convention and the general election.
Also, it should be noted that pledged delegates, like members of the electoral college are not actually required to vote for the candidate that 'won' them. So, that's also a kink built into the system to prevent some disaster that would result if Clinton and Obama secretly were the co-chairs of a human trafficing ring or something.
I thought they were bound on the first ballot and free agents thereafter? Guess I gotta go read that wikipedia article then.
So, does that make Obama the dumb jock guy who has no idea what the class president even is?
Also, if you havent' seen this, it's funny:
linkedty link link. The embediddy goodness seems to not work on preview.
Hillary Clinton's not-too-subtle take on the Daisy ad asked a question; these guys provide the corect answer.
Also: can foreign-soil-born McCain serve as president?
TPM knows what's good for the party.
Awesome: the sleeping girl in the "3AM Ad" doesn't support "Hillary Clinton or the Politics of Fear".
This Bizarro comic made me chuckle.
and this collage of the 4000 US soldiers that died in Iraq made me sad:
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Wow, I might have to reconsider: that was a pretty good April Fools joke, and c'mon -- a 37? Really? Not even the Strangers in the Alps will call you in for a sub, Barack.
Hilary Clinton to Sarah Silverman: you might be F*cking Matt Damon, but I'm F*ucking Obama.
"As I watch Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s continuing campaign for her party’s nomination, I see a self-focused politician who, despite the reality of the situation, continues to stubbornly pour money that the campaign doesn’t have into a battle that it can’t win. And over these last several years, I have learned that these are the specific qualities that I do not want in our nation’s next president. -- J. Maynard, New York, May 21, 2008"
Want to see John McCain look really uncomfortable? I have never seen anyone so desperate to avoid looking like a jackass.
From the same site: the Round Mound of Rebound on Gay Marriage, Fake Christians, and the 2014 Gubernatorial landscape.
And know this: he'd be willing to put his lack of money where his mouth is: read to the end. Amazing.
Holy fuck. Seriously. Sometimes you forget just how corrupt Bush is. thanks digby!
Seriously, if and when Obama is elected, I really, really hope that his AG is willing to prosecute the fuck out of Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld and Rice and the whole crew for all the crap that they did while in office. It's probably a more reasonable expectation than impeachment at this point, but they all should be in jail now.
In other news, remember why conservatives defend Nixon? Because of his brilliant insight that China and the USSR weren't necessarily a bloc, and they could be driven apart to the US's advantage?
this guy should have run for President!. Oh? Yeah? Sorry, Chris.
Obama supports FISA bill including retroactive immunity. Cloture motion passes overwhelmingly in the Senate. Fuck the democrats. The fifteen nays are as follows:
Biden (D-DE)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Wyden (D-OR)
When Dodd and Edwards dropped out, any chance of changing anything ended. Back to keeping things from getting yet worse with another psychopath Republican.
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I shall begin: Larry Lessig on the most important policy difference between Clinton and Obama. Long but worth it.
(Lessig's presentation style is among the best I've seen. Sometime I'm going to go through and figure out his method.)
posted by mrflip at 03:56PM CST on February 08