Hillary Clinton has very little chance of winning the Democratic Primary.
She is highly unlikely to take the lead in pledged delegates.
She is highly unlikely to take the lead in the popular vote.
She has only a slim chance to take the momentum back in the last ten contests.
She won't win a floor fight at the convention.
She shouldn't quit.
Why?
I have no allegiance to Hillary Clinton. By and large I and my blog-mates have been pretty rough on the former first lady, and I stand behind every post. I will go so far as to say I do not want her to win the nomination. I even posted an open letter to the Super Delegates, asking them to move away from her.
But I don't want her to quit either. She shouldn't quit because she doesn't want to. She is so close in so many ways and she seems to think there is a way she can win this thing and frankly, if she feels that way, I say let her soldier on.
If there is one thing I am sick and tired of hearing its that the Democratic party can't handle a real fight. What kind of a party can't handle stiff competition? Has the party become so afraid, so uneasy in a real contest that they can't stomach it? Senator Clinton probably can't win, but Obama hasn't won yet either. Would you have told the Giants to give up at the start of the fourth quarter this past Superbowl?
For all the talk about how this fight will fracture the party, all this does is feed the old saw that the Democrats are spineless and refuse to make tough decisions. In truth the delegate count is very, very close as is the popular vote. The Democratic party created super delegates to settle such matters. This constant message calling for Hillary to drop out isn't for the good of the party and its not for good of the nation. It is so super delegates don't have do one of two things: A) Deny Obama the nomination despite his winning more delegates, states and votes or B) Deny Clinton the nomination despite her rock star status in the party and her husband's political clout. In other words, if Hillary would just quit, then they wouldn't have to make the tough call. It's spineless, it's pathetic and it's why the country has a hard time trusting national security to the Democratic party. If you think Hillary ought to quit and you're a super delegate, the answer is very simple, pledge for Obama. If enough of you do that, guess what? She'll simply lose. Stop asking someone to quit because you don't have the guts to fire them.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?
As if on Cue
Twas just yesterday I asked if pseudo-regulation was regulation enough and the Treasury Department answered me today. You have to admit, that's lightning turnaround for the US government.
The Treasury Department in tandem with the Federal Reserve and other governmental regulatory agencies released a plan to overhaul how our government regulates the lending industry. The proposal is broad and wide ranging. It also has no hope of going into law before the november election. That's ok too. Good sweeping reform doesn't happen overnight, and the swiftness of the response leads me to take Hank Paulson at his word, that his team had indeed been working on their 200+ page report well in advance of this crisis.
Thankfully, we will see reform of the system in the next presidency. Unfortunately 7 years of inaction and bull-headed ideology over common sense action led us down this path. I fear the next president, whoever they may be will be saddled with a bad economy left over from the irresponsible times of President Bush, then be forced to be the president that reforms an entire system
McCain Has a Case of The Ron Burgundys
Anchorman Ron Burgundy's got a problem with teleprompters. He'll read anything you put in front of him. And, according to the segment below from CNN, John McCain seems to share an affliction with Ron when it comes to reading his speeches off these crazy devices. So, if you see Senator McCain stumbling on the stump, it's not necessarily a senior moment. It's that he's struggling with technology. Now, we know how TV can shape an election (See: Kennedy vs. sweaty Nixon and the debacle of Bush vs. Gore in 2000), but it's interesting to see that today you have to not only look comfortable on camera, you have to learn how to read on camera - and not look like the guest hosts who just can't cut it on Saturday Night Live (see Robert DeNiro). It's truly astonishing how many skills you have to master to become President, not counting having a sound economic plan, ideas on how to fix health care, an exit strategy for Iraq and a map for securing our country, etc. Now you have to make sure you don't question your very existence Ron Burgundy style because someone put a question mark on the teleprompter ("I'm Ron Burgundy?"). Then again, maybe Senator Clinton should be asking herself why she's still a candidate when the mathematics are clearly against her. (Just kidding!)
Gore Stumps For Mother Earth; Won't Broker End to Democrats' Lollygagging
Al Gore went on 60 Minutes last night and discussed his $300 million ad campaign for Mother Earth. The first television advertisements, which are to begin airing on broadcast networks as well as cable starting on Wednesday, will pair up the most unlikely partners in the movement to address global warming. A clip aired on CBS showed the Reverend Al Sharpton sharing a sofa with the conservative preacher Pat Robertson. The two men acknowledge they agree on almost nothing - barring the need to deal with global warming. Other spots will feature the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, alongside New Gingrich, the conservative Republican who once held the same post. Gore also also made it clear he has no intention of intervening to bring the Democratic Primary contest to a close. "I'm not applying for the job of broker," he told CBS. (Source: The Guardian)
I for one am intrigued and will continue to follow this story for this blog. The ad campaign, which was hotly contested within the industry, was awarded to The Martin Agency (creators of the brilliant Geico Gecko and Cavemen spots and the soul-crushingly awful Cavemen TV series). Here's a bit of the 60 Minutes interview.
Ewoks Consume Argentines!
You know how awful regional car ads in this country? You know how equally awful most national car ads are in this country? At least they're not psychadelic...and creepy! Check out these incredible - and incredibly freaky - new Ford ads from Argentina. The strategy: demonstrate that the Ford Ka holds more people (para mas humanos). Prepare for culture shock.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Hands off or Regulate
Remember Nate Dogg and Warren G? Reach back, way into your early
ninties catalog. The dynamic cousinly duo took around three minutes
with a steady beat and subdued lyrics explaining how they let enough
slip. But now it was time regulate.
Nate Dogg and Warren G never worked for the US government. We cab
debate that in another post. I happen to believe a rapping cousin duo
would be a huge boost to the supreme court. My boys did drop some
knowledge though on how far anyone should be pushed, before they take
action.
The Fed and the Tresury department are taking interventionist action
now to boost liquidity in the market and sure up flagging financial
institutions. It remains to be seen if these drastic and dramatic
actions from Washington will cure Wall Street's short term ills long
enough to stave off disaster, if they slapped a bandaid on a broken
leg. This much I do know. Conservatives are against market involvement
by government right until disaster strikes. It makes you wonder, if
you were going to get involved so late, should you have gotten
involved at all?
Who Gave Her a Microphone Anyway?
Chelsea Clinton says she didn't realize how sexist America can be. Said the heiress to the Clinton crown, "I didn't really get how much sexism there still was in our country until I was at a rally with my mom in New Hampshire, and someone came up to me and said, 'I just can't see a woman being commander in chief.'" This leads me to ask two questions: 1) Has Chelsea been living so far under a rock that she can't see the daylight seeping through America's glass ceiling? and 2) Who asked Chelsea? Now granted, unlike a certain Ivy League politician, she earned her way into a prestigious college. She's clearly intelligent and well spoken. But what insight does she bring to the national forum simply as the daughter of a President and a Senator? People are questioning Senator Clinton's experience simply because she was the wife of a President. So why isn't anyone questioning Chelsea's ability to talk to the American public about NAFTA? When NAFTA was signed, if Chelsea and I had gone to school together, we would have been freshman bio lab partners and she would have insisted we just stay friends when I asked her to Homecoming. I don't know...something just doesn't feel kosher about Chelsea. Especially in light of the fact that she will campaign publicly, but refuses to talk to the press! Then, maybe I'm just bitter she never took the time to get to know the real me back in high school.
I Am Not Stimulated!
Last week, I received my notice from the IRS informing me of the Economic Stimulus Payments I might receive as a result of Bush's stimulus package. Needless to say, what I read did not turn me on. The stimulus package is the most ridiculous idea since the helicopter ejection seat. If the stimulus package were Viagra, old people would never have sex. In fact, they'd probably have less sex than they did before because their egos would be so annihilated. Think about it...the government wants to stimulate spending, so they offer anyone who files at least $3,000 of income a $600 payment ($1200 for joint couples filing together) . $600??? Are you kidding me? Consider that people need this money to pay their mortgages before they're foreclosed. Consider that they need this money for groceries. Consider that the last thing people will be thinking is that they need to go buy that new, Spring wardrobe at the Gap. Oh, not to mention that this tax cut does nothing for the folks who may need this as much or more than the lower tax bracket: the middle class family. $600 does nothing for the middle class...but that's moot. Anyone making $75,000+ doesn't get a full payment or any payment at all. This clearly demonstrates that President Bush and Congress are so far out of touch with America. You want national security to be a priority this election season? With the dollar taking a royal swan dive and our economy floundering like a fish out of water, I think the economy is the utmost matter of national security.
Baseball right when we need it
Sick of the primary season? Ready to dump the subprime lenders overboard? Sick of hearing about the flagging economy or global warming? Well George Will of the Washington Post has an answer...baseball.
Blogged on here already by my buddy Mike, Baseball arrives at a time when the nation may need a distraction.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
The War: Graphic Images Ahead
"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost. "
The Presidency of George W. Bush will be defined by the Iraq War. That much we know. More than any other American action of the new millennium the war in Iraq has defined our time. Yet we don't truly understand it. Lost in the never ending parade of explanations and justifications of why we went in, why we remain, and why there is no cohesive plan for the future, we forget there are governmental mechanics at play. We forget that Americans and Iraqis are losing their lives amidst the fallout of the decision to go to war and the succession of poor managerial decisions made in its prosecution.PBS and it's news documentary series Frontline have made efforts to educate. Their two part series, Bush's War, is a painstaking effort to explain the run-up to the Iraq War. This is more than simply an exercise in recent history. It gives the viewer an inside look at how the war was prosecuted and why. It shows what can only be taken as President Bush's sincere belief that the war in Iraq was justifiable and winnable, and shows the step by step failure of policy and decision making. This special is important viewing for members of any political stripe, not because it justifies a political point of view. But because it promotes understanding.
The characters we all remember, Rumsfeld, Bremer, Tenet and the others are there, but the characters we forget-Generals Sanchez and Casey, Ahmed Chalabi and others are also. We relive the things we saw on the evening news in thirty-second snippets, and get them in full context. From aluminum tubes to shock and awe. These terms and memories are critical to our understanding of future international diplomatic an military decisions. It is important because it breaks down how a nation makes mistakes and what policies we need to examine to prevent such atrocities from happening again.The major question I ask myself in looking back on the war is
where were our checks and balances? Specifically our unspoken but most important check, our news media. In a day and age where we have more media outlets and means of communication that ever, we experienced a media with no dissent. Images like these never made the airwaves here in America. We didn't see the searing video shot daily in Iraq. Images of coffins, dead soliders, dead Iraqis, car bombings, and all other horrendous ramifactions of this conflict are scrubbed. The media had more respect for the public in the time of the vietnam war, when the public watched newsreel, then days or weeks old of combat misssions. Now we can have video in hours and yet we skip it for pictures of Britney Spears.Please understand that I do not believe all Americans should march in lock-step that this war was wrong or is wrong. I think every American should look at as many facts and points of view as possible and always be formulating an evolving opinion. But difficult truths and hard-to-watch footage don't make for good ratings on cable news. So instead of watching this war unfold as our parents did, or rushing to movie theaters to see new
sreels as their parents did. We sit home and watch "reality TV" while we ignore reality's real problems. Many of the images included in this blog post were scrubbed from TV broadcast. Believed inappropriate for television, we watch a war the censors, and the Pentagon would like us to see. Or worse we ignore it altogether, we bask in the glow of celebrity gossip and the latest political name-calling instead of keeping our eye on the ball. It has been more than five years and we still don't fully understand this conflict, all the players involved or what our end game could be.Let us remember that we are blessed with a free press and we must resist all governmental, societal and indeed corporate pressures on that press. It was that lack of balance, foresight and honesty that allowed the people of the United States to be duped into supporting this war in the first place.
Standard Operating Procedures
Errol Morris is an Oscar winning film maker. His latest film titled SOP: Standard Operating Procedures premiers in New York and Los Angles. The documentary takes on Abu Ghraib, and is already recieving a good deal of acclaim. But in the age of the internet the project doesn't stop there. Morris is planning on publishing thousands of photos for the incidents, unredacted on the internet in what will amount essentially as a huge body of evidence for the atrocities committed there. It is a new form of art and citizen journalism. The project and it's purpose is described in great detail in this story on Politico.
Now, unlike any time in the history of journalism, or the history of well history, are we seeing an incident of such infamy, not only getting reported by those who were involved, using their digitial cameras and camera phones, but we are seeing it live on in perpetuity through the use of the internet. It is an amazing combination of skilled, trained artists such as Morris using the materials and skills of citizens to create a complete record of an incident. It's also the future of the film industry, especially documentaries which more and more often are linked to online material.
Maverick or McBush?
John McCain is going to get hit with one attack over and over again. That he will be extending President Bush's failed foreign policy and fiscal policies. Both Democratic candidates have already said it, and McCain can expect to keep on hearing it.
In an effort to fend this off, McCain gave a major foreign policy speech this week. The speech laid out more a complete world view that sees the United States as a strong member of the global community, out of the Harry Truman mold. It was a good speech and it should soothe independents not sure one whether they were buying the "Maverick" brand or the "McBush" brand. The snippet below heartened me. I have missed the Maverick and I hope he's here to stay.
60 Minutes for Old Mother Earth
So the WWF deserves a round of applause. No no, not the idiots who pretend to beat the mess out of each other for millions in profit (another post, another day) the World Wildlife Fund! Back way back when in 2007 in Sydney, Australia Earth Hour was born. A gesture made by those lovely Aussies to conserve energy and perform a symbolic nod to the growing crisis that is our Earth's life expectancy. Just as Earth Hour is blowing out it's whopping one candle it has gone from being an event in one city to spanning the globe!
At 8 p.m. tonight (your local time) all participating cities will turn off all lights that are deemed "unnecessary". Over 100 cities in North America have signed up, Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco and Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto just to name a few. (Eh, what are the Canadians doing that they need light any way? Isn't 8 p.m. bedtime? Ha ha jk jk). Maybe more of us 50 states should be taking notes from Ol' Canada . Not suprisingly New York is not one of the participants but I do look forward to the day that just for an hour all those pretty lights in all those tall buildings in the Apple go dark and save just a little energy. But do not fret, all of us New Yorkers are encouraged to turn out the lights at 8 p.m. and pass along the word to family and friends, (even if you are one of those Green wind-using earth-loving lovelies you could still spare some wind I suppose).
My favorite part of the campaign is the part where it offers: What will you do when the lights are off? We have plenty of ideas. I think that was clever, I mean who couldn't go for a little hide and seek on a saturday night? Wink Wink ;) Anyyyy whos, the larger picture here is to create your own Earth Hour every day, conservation, better bulbs the whole nine, but to learn more go to www.earthhour.org and in the words of Miss Furtado come eight o'clock turn out those lights.
Machine Gun Jumblies! Oh Behave!
In this time of political darkness here's some laughter for all of you. Mandi Hamlin, age 37, was recently stopped by federal agents when her nipple ring tripped sensors at a security checkpoint. Hamlin was embarrassed when agents told her to remove the nipple ring for fear that she was carrying an explosive device in her brazier. While there is no video of the incident, a recreation of the event for the media is simply hilarious whereby the victim takes a pair of pliers and removes a ring from a mannequin to show "how painful" the incident was. I understand that after the shoe-bomber, we as a country cannot overlook any creative attempt by the enemy, but this was simply awesome. The possibilities for jokes are endless. "Excuse me ma'am, what are you packing underneath that sweater..." "BAZOOKAS!" What is even more embarrasing was Hamlin agreed to remove the rings for TSA officers, but was unable to budge her second nipple ring. At that point wouldn't the security agents (who are staring at her breasts) use their judgement to determine that the woman is not packing. If she is, those are some powerful implants! Regardless, this gave me a good chuckle on a Saturday morning. Hopefully Boobie bombs do the same for you.
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Orkin Man is Anti-Immigration
No comprendo this ad. So, a giant termite comes to your door and asks to use the telephone. So, you call in The Orkin Man to regulate. So, the termite rolls off in a low-rider that looks like it's straight out of East LA and the bug's gonna go rob a convenience store and tip a 40 with his amigos. Again, maybe I've been reading AdAge critic and legendary curmudgeon Bob Garfield too much, but the choice of car and demeanor of our "pest" gives the spot an oddly discriminatory vibe. Is that my own stereotyping? Perhaps. Am I overreacting? Probably. But you can't tell me the auto selection and portrayal of Tommy Termite isn't a little off-putting (and not just because he's a creepy, talking termite!). I mean, wouldn't it have been funnier if he was driving a Prius or something a little more conservative? I guess termites aren't green. And I think I need a nap.
Where have all the issues gone?
John McCain is a dottering old man that wants to continue the Bush
policies for a century!
Barack Obama is a neophyte reverse-racist Muslim that hates America!
Hillary Clinton is a souless cog in the liberal political machine hell
bent on power at the cost of destruction for all those who might get
in her way!
If you were to listen to the campaigns or sadly many of the pundits
that cover them. Those are the talking point summaries you're likely
to pick up.
Meanwhile the real issues of our day continue to grow more
troublesome. The economy and people's short term needs had rightly
taken the foreground in domestic agenda. However the ofer problems of
our day, global warming, education, security, healthcare, energy
policy. They have all been set aside so the candidates can name-call.
As we are want to do in the blogosphere, we all jumped on the
bandwagon. But let's remember that in re midst of the "silly season"
some people in America go hungry.
One More Hit
David Brooks of the NY Times, give us some background on McCain and why he won't simply be four more years of Bush Policy.
As a side note, I thought we already knew that. It's that why Rush, Hannity and the rest of the talk radio circuit were in a froth to begin with?
The Calendar Strikes Again
Alright boys and girls, a quick hit this morning before I go off to do the work that I actually get paid for.
Can we underestimate the calendar's importance in the Democratic Primary. Way back in February (feels like years ago right?) Pundits were talking about how if it were still close by now the Pennsylvania primary was going to be like Iowa all over again, candidates spending 6 weeks campaigning and battling for the last large delegate state.
And yet no one, myself included, took into account what a huge amount of time 6 weeks is in a primary cycle operating at Internet speed. Six weeks of Clinton and Obama jabbing at each other has left all observers involved, even the Democrats tired. The media narrative has shifted to the mathematical impossibility of Clinton winning and the wagons are starting to circle around her calling it quits. What if Pennsylvania had happened a week after Texas and Ohio? The story would have been about how we can't afford to deny a candidate with all the momentum.
One of the most important election cycles in recent history is being decided by a screwy calendar and media-driven momentum. Let's remember that the next primary season.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
I knew it was out there somewhere!
Ok, so disregard My Greatest American Hero: Hillary Clinton Post. I found the evidence showing that she was in grave danger in Bosnia. Here it is. In the words of Michael Bay, Awesome!
Oooh, La, La!
French First Lady and Italian pop singer Carla Bruni has posed practically naked in the April GQ magazine. Sacre bleu! As Americans, we may live in the greatest country in the world. But you have to admire the French for having perhaps the hottest presidential wife in the world...and for not having a hissy fit. Can you imagine if Laura Bush posed like that? Yowsers! (Sidenote: my French colleague just passed my desk. I showed him the pic and he decried, "Laura Bush? No, that's the real bush!" Yowsers again!)
666
As any diligent blogger does, I checked our visits total today on google analytics. We have received 666 visits to date. THIS SHOULD TERRIFY ALL OF US. For God's SAKE please send your friends, family, enemies and strangers along to the blog to change the horrid counter.
Nevermind that by virtue of the fact you are reading these words you likely notched us over the dreaded mark anyway. Rather be aware that if you don't draw more readers to our beloved blog...your risking damnation from Satan himself as revealed in our HIT COUNTER!!!!
Policy you can roll with!
Ok, this is might be only vaguely related to public policy but I wanted to mention it anyway. I ride the NYC subway every single day to come to work. The yellow line I ride is not by any means the most crowded in the city, but it can get a little close. I however, live at the end of the line so I always get a seat on my way into Manhattan.
This morning on my ride in someone rolled their carry on luggage style (and size) bag into the train car at the most crowded stop on the line. What struck me about the scene is that because her bags were larger than what is considered "normal" rush-hour size she recieved penetrating glares from every rider near her, as if to say "How Dare you?" And she bore a look of shame for having broken one of the cardinal rules of commuting-Be as small a possible.
It was then I began thinking, that we as a population, simply deal with what we are handed. We expect over crowded subways, despite rises fares and tax hikes to pay for improvements. So rather than getting mad at the MTA for providing more trains more often for my commuting dollars, we get mad at the woman with a carry-on. Fascinating what we'll tolerate.
Creator of American Cultural Phenomenon Passes
From one of my new favorite blogs, 5 Blogs Before Lunch, and for my second cultural post of the day, it is my sad duty to report that Herb Peterson, the man credited with inventing the Egg McMuffin, has died. He was 89. Peterson started out as an ad exec at McDonald's agency, D'Arcy Advertising (later D'Arcy-McManus & Masius), in Chicago. He wrote McDonald's first national advertising slogan, "Where Quality Starts Fresh Every Day." The Egg McMuffin has become synonymous with almost any cheese, egg and muffin-like bread sandwich. Kind of like Kleenex and tissue. Sort of a strange mark to leave on the world, but still an amazing feat to have created a "meal" and a term that is so deeply embedded in the American lexicon. But frankly, I'm lovin' it. RIP, Herb.
I'm a Pepper, You're a Pepper, Axl Rose is a Pepper?
Diet Dr. Pepper is pretty much my most favoritist diet carbonated beverage on the planet. So you can imagine my excitement when I read today that Dr. Pepper is offering to give every American a free can of Dr. Pepper if...wait for it...the legendary rock-metal band Guns N' Roses releases their long-awaited album "Chinese Democracy." How long awaited? 15 years and a reported $13 million dollars long-awaited.
Dr. Pepper says they understand Rose's artistic integrity due to their own struggle to create their soft drink. From the story on 5 Blogs Before Lunch (from AOL): "It took a little patience for us to perfect Dr Pepper's special mix of 23 ingredients, so we completely understand and empathize with Axl's question for the perfect album." (Don't you just love the subtle reference to the song "Patience?" How clever!)
Well, Axl has responded. And apparently, Axl will share his Dr. Pepper with guitarist Buckethead, but not with the Guitar Hero 3 guest starring, top hat wearing, shirtless, pro vest wearing Slash. Someone needs to learn to share and play nice with others. Or not, because hey: it's Axl freakin' Rose! In any case, if Dr. Pepper can indeed make the impossible possible and get this album released, I have yet another reason to drink it like a mother's milk every day of my life. "Paradise City," here I come! (Another GNR song reference...clever!)
Term Limits for Congress: Fixing Campaign Finance
Campaign Finance Reform has been on the table as an issue for at least a decade. McCain-Feingold created some regulation, more transparency measures took hold in congress after the fall of Jack Abramoff.
The measures made to make an honest institution out of our current congress all miss the mark and all for the same reason. They miss the reason why congress members need all this fund raising in the first place. The reason? They are in a perpetual state of trying to get reelected.
For a lobbyist, or a corporation, nothing makes you sleep more soundly at night than knowing you will have a friend in congress for decades taking care of the legislation you need, or blocking the legislation you hate forever and ever, and only for a tiny sum every election cycle.
What if that same lobbyist had to worry that every term a new Senator or Representative was coming along? At the very least it would end the kind of long term relationships that we hear about now. Congressional offices wouldn't be swarming with lobbyists because the short term nature of the appointment to congress would entice the members to legislate their passions and not do favors to get reelected and again and again.
Obama Takes on the Economy
Carving out what is likely to be a key theme for either democrat in the general election, Senator Obama sought to separate his policies from that of Senator McCain. Laying a plan beef up regulatory agencies and practices as as well as provide new economic opportunties across the middle class, Obama's plan was full of rhetorical flourish, as well as details.
Basically, it was sizzle AND steak.
UPDATE: Ok, it took exactly one hour before I recieved emails reminding me that HRC also gave an economy speech this week? So not to secretly be a shill of the Obama Camp (thought I am overtly a chill of the Obama Camp) here is the transcript of the HRC economic speech.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Run For Cover! It's Raining McCain!
Imagine, if you will, if Obama Girl had three older, larger, tone-deaf, uncool, un-sexy, unbelievably awful cousins fourth removed by marriage on her step-father's side. Then imagine if they made a music video endorsing Senator McCain to the tune of The Weather Girls' pop-dance-gayer-than-the-day-is-long classic dance tune "It's Raining Men." This video is proof that dreams really do come true.
Reality Check
Brooks: The Audacity of Hopelessness
As if Brooks and I were on the same page, I stumbled across yesterday's column...
An Open Letter to the Democratic Party's Super Delegates
Jake Tapper of ABC News reports in his blog yesterday that the Clinton Campaign is pursuing the "Tonya Harding Option." Essentially that we have all missed the point first raised by Politico and then repeated by the pundits on the Sunday talk shows, Hillary Clinton cannot mathematically win this nomination. Tapper's interview with a high-ranking DNC official sums up this way-basically we are all missing the point. Clinton can still win the nomination its just a matter of what she is willing to do to win the nomination. Her not-so secret "kitchen sink" policy, is to stop at nothing to tear down the Obama campaign, from now to the convention.
So I come to the Super Delegates of the Democratic party and I ask them to carefully consider what kind of a party do they want to have going into this critical election cycle? It is easy to dismiss the Obama campaign for being based on nothing but rhetoric, but if that is the greatest flaw in a campaign is that really enough to dismiss it? In this week alone, Hillary Clinton has lied about her international experience, has called into question the role of pledged delegates in deciding the nomination, and reintroduced the Wright controversy to the campaign. All in an effort to win this nomination at any cost. If she somehow achieves this despite her negative rhetoric, her use of fear mongering, her pattern of bringing race just to the surface and then squashing it before real debate could ensue, it would be a travesty.
But there is something worse that would come of it. Her nomination would energize the McCain campaign more than anything he could muster himself. But Senator Clinton knows that, she sees the same polling numbers we do, and she knows how high her negatives are, and so she will tear down McCain the same way she's trying to tear down Obama. She will find subtle, yet constant ways of reminding us of his age, she will stop at nothing to tear down a decent man on her way to the presidency and in the process energize the republican party against her much the way her husband did. We will face another 4-8 years in Washington of gridlock and divisiveness as Clinton would have scorched much of the democratic party and enraged the entire republican party on her way to the presidency.
You all have the choice, you can undercut her monstrous rhetoric like Gov. Richardson did last week, you can stand with an agent of real change like Ted Kennedy and Senator Kerry have. You can support a nominee who is uniquely positioned to talk to voters across demographic lines, not just as a candidate, not just as a nominee, but eventually as President of the United States.
Or we can relive the battles of the 90's and George Bush's tenure in the White House, we can win in an electoral squeaker, and suffer through another presidential term or two that gets nothing done, where the huge problems of our times go unsolved. The choice is yours, but remember one last thing. If the choice were up to the pledged delegates, or the popular vote, we'd already know who the nominee would be.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Body of War
We've all seen the headlines over the weekend. 5 Years. Over 4,000 American soldiers dead. After awhile the numbers becoming numbing and begin to stop telling the story of what it is to give so much for your country. The story of a veteran is a deeply personal and sobering one. The sacrifice one makes lasts not just through their tour of duty but for the rest of their lives. Such is the story of Tomas Young he is now paralyzed from the nipples down after taking a bullet in Iraq during his first week there.
His story is the subject of a new powerful documentary called Body of War. Film makers Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue (yes, that Phil Donahue) take a look into the daily life of a young man who joined the army on September 13th 2001, and has lived a different life ever since.
For many of us the armed services are remote. We don't have a family member or even a close friend in the service, and so we are as a population removed from the burdens of service. Perhaps if we weren't there would be more of an outcry against the ongoing travesty that is the Iraq War.
Greatest American Hero: Hillary Clinton
Believe it or not, she's walking on air! Move over Captain America, this politician hits the ground running. She's stormed the beaches of Normandy, protected American soldiers during the Black Hawk down incident in Somalia, and was under sniper fire during her visit to war-torn Bosnia. Ok, so none of these things actually happened, but at least one of them did, in her mind. Hillary recently apologized for her mental snafu, saying that she may have "misspoke" about landing in a hot-zone while exiting a plane in Bosnia. It's comical to watch CBS footage of Clinton and her daughter Chelsea calmly walking while being fired upon. I find this extremely pleasing since last week Barack Obama was lambasted for comments made by another person, but here is a direct lie from her own mouth. These lies should come as no surprise, her entire resume is a political farce. Being first lady does not qualify one to be the President of the United States. I heard the best analogy on talk radio, when a caller said, "I can be the wife of a plumber for eight years, but that doesn't make me a certified plumber." Unfortunately, Hillary supporters are just as, if not more delusional about her qualifications. If you revisit the majority of the debates over the past year, Hillary takes credit for events in which she either played no role, or a minor one at best. Hillary stop being a hypocrite by accusing Obama for living in a fantasy world. It appears as if your reality needs some adjustment.
Term Limits for Congress: The Citizen Legislature
I listened to the podcast of ABC News' This Week with George Stephanopoulos. He interviewed Senator Chuck Hagel who will be leaving the Senate this year and does not plan to run for reelection. When asked what he planned on doing the next year he half-joked (and I'm paraphrasing), "its a well known fact that senators have no real skill sets."
That half truth strikes at the heart of one of our biggest problems in congress today. The people of the United States Congress are by and large, career politicans. They rose through the ranks of the political system and emerged to fill their slot in a congressional district or as a senator. Once they find that place, it becomes remarkably easy to hold that position, because in general while the country thinks that congress overall stinks, it always seems their guy is OK.
And so what you get is not a congress made of of citizens who have been dealing with the problems of industry, the economy, our defense, or any of the other issues of the day. You get a congress made up of those who wanted to be little more than members of congress.
Consider for a moment the men that made up the constitutional convention. Most of them were not career politicians. They were instead farmers, traders, land owners, lawyers and doctors, they were the technocrats of their day. They brought together their searing intellects and varied philosophies to form the basis of our government. After serving their time, they went back to their professional lives, having fought for their intellectual passions.
Imagine today, if you will, that Steve Jobs took 8 years away from running Apple to be a Senator from California, or that Warren Buffet wielded his intellect around the halls of Congress for a term or two. What about Paul Allen or Michael Dell? Take a look at the Forbes top 400 and you'll find 20 names you'd like to see walking the halls of congress guiding our policy decisions. Then there is other side, what about the main street business owner, the guy that owns a Starbucks in Boston, or the woman who started her own company in Iowa. What about the farmer in Kansas. Knowing in advance that serving in the congress would be temporary would give someone with a real life access to the system. But instead Congress is filled with people that will stay for decades, stale on ideas and out of touch with the citizenry they are meant to represent. Congress was meant to be made up of members that reflected their citizens, not be a class unto themselves.
Term limits will infuse the system with a balance and flow it has lacked for a century.
The Rise of Politico.com
One of the things we try to discuss at Policythought is media coverage. In every avenue of our democracy a free and unfettered press is the unwritten check and balance to our government. We've watched the media change the way politicians and citizens interact and how issues become important within our society.
But what happens when the media can actually change a story? What happens when a media outlet becomes capable of actually changing the way something like say a presidential primary works? That's what happened last week and its what's been happening rapidly since politico.com came on the scene.
Remarkably, Politico was founded little more than a year ago, when John F. Harris and Jim Vandehei left the Washington Post to create a website that covered politics 24/7. In that short window of time Politico hasn't simply become another website in a sea of websites on politics. It has in no uncertain terms become a powerful force in shaping political debate.
Take last week for example. Senator Obama had a very tough week dealing with the Rev. Wright issue and the remaining fallout. But by the time Sunday and the talk shows came around it was one headline story on Politico that had all the pundits talking. The title was Story behind the story: The Clinton Myth. That story changed the week's narrative from simply "Obama had a tough week." to "Obama had a tough week, but Clinton still can't win." Politico, with its decisive insight and strong worded reporting of the mathematical reality cut through the mountains of spin coming from both camps to highlight the reality of the campaign and shift the focus of the debate.
When was the last time a media outlet did that?
Monday, March 24, 2008
Dig The Wig!
A prominent Wig has thrown his hat into the political ring this election season (and I don't mean the ghost of former Whig President William Henry Harrison). In perhaps one of the strangest yet most entertaining episodes of The Simpsons in recent history, the long-running animated comedy declared notorious bed-wetter and slightly "touched" Ralph Wiggum as a candidate for President of the United States. What???
I missed the episode, entitled "E Pluribus Wiggum" when it first aired earlier this year, but I caught the replay last night in all its glory. Thinking I'd be clever and blog on it, I did a little research and found that Ralph has his own campaign web site. What, what???
Now here's the real shocker: Ralph's policy, though his rhetoric is a bit simplistic, is actually pretty insightful! And I can't help but support his choice for Secretary of Indian Burns.
Immigration – “Stranger danger!”
Government Spending – “I only have this much moneys.”
Party Politics – “Everyone is invited to my party!”
Slogan – “I Dig the Wig”
Ethics – “I’m Ralph Wiggum and I’ve been a good boy.”
Political Appointments – Bart Simpson as the Secretary of Indian Burns and Lisa Simpson as his First Ladle
Foreign Relations – “When we’re mad we’ll use our words. Then the rest of the world will play nice with us. And the only boom-booms will be in our pants.”
And when you take into account Ralph must be strong on crime (his dad is Springfield Police Chief Clancy Wiggum), for a strong military (he once sang in music videos to recruit for the Navy - "yvan eht nioj"!) and that he's pro-education ("When I grow up, I want to go to Bovine University!"), Ralph doesn't seem such a terrible alternative. Now, whether The Simpsons was trying to make a profound statement on American elections and a return to policy over politics, or whether the show simply wanted to make a funny, I must admit that I, too, dig the wig.
BONUS: The Bloodhound Gang Sings "Ralph Wiggum" (a song composed entirely of actual Ralph Wiggum dialogue).
What war?
For those who were celebrating Easter on Sunday, you might not have had time to notice the little reported fact that American casualties in Iraq have now reached 4000. What was even more interesting in a BBC article was their assertion that Americans are quickly losing interest in the Iraq war as opposed to a few months ago. I think you would agree that even CNN has strayed from their once rabid coverage of the Iraqi conflict. Most Americans couldn't tell you how many americans died in Iraq, but they can give you a blow by blow of the Brittany Spears saga in sequential order. I have always thought Fox News was a joke, where even at the height of the conflict the lead story would be "Camel Escapes from Zoo, Public Runs for Life". Aside from the movie Stop Loss, Hollywood has seemed to cool on their message of ending the war when compared to only a year or two ago. Why? Why does it seem like the media has somehow forgotten to report on one of the most compelling daily stories aside from the upcoming election? It's because we the public have lost our desire to hear about it. It could be that Americans are more preoccupied with losing their homes and the phantom recession (that the current administration will not recognize). I'm not really a chest thumping kinda guy who loves the machismo of war, but people need to stop and recognize the sacrifice that our soldiers are making every day. Regardless of how one feels about the war, it's shameful that it's become back-page news. It's gut check time people, either you really care about ending this thing or you don't. Please don't use it as political fodder every fall and then forget about it for the other nine or ten months a year.
I thought no one was interested?
As a twenty-something, I grew up being told one thing...no one really cares about politics. I grew up being told by almost everyone that politics was dirty business and that only insiders and idealogues really cared about it. I didn't feel that way mind you. I was just told that, I was told it was especially true of younger people who were largely just getting dumber and who cared less and less about the people around them. Bill Clinton and Pappy Bush begged for voter turn out between mud-slinging sessions. MTV started rock the vote when I was too young to rock.
What this election has proven is that people are interested when real change is needed and desired across the electorate. George W. Bush will be remembered as one of the worst presidents in our history, but he did leave on gift as he bumbles out the door, a national electorate so sick and tired of idiocy in the White House that the country is fired up to change. So what should we do with this energy besides study the issues and make intelligent voting choices?
We need to fight for something else. Term limits for Congress. People write theses on this subject. I ardently believe term limits will fix congress. So I am planning 4 more posts on the topic. They will cover the following things term limits in congress will accomplish:
Citizen Legislature
Fixes Campaign Finance
Gets the Electorate involved cycle after cycle
Fulfills the founders' vision
So stay tuned for more.
Hillary is Jesus, Bill Richardson is Judas...
That's right! According to Democratic bigshot James Carville likened Richardson's endorsement of Obama to the betrayal of Christ by his disciple Judas. Just take a minute for that statement to soak in. Now let it out before your brain explodes. Can you sense it? That's the sound of the Hillary balloon deflating. As I mentioned earlier in this blog, Richardson's endorsement was a very big moment for Democrats moving in the right direction. Sounds like the Hillary camp doesn't like the direction in which the party is moving. No Florida, No Michigan, and No Richarson. What's next, a John Edwards endorsement for Obama? The sky could fall! I generally don't kiss and tell, but should Hillary win (steal) this nomination I will have a very tough time voting for her given the way this election has been conducted. Growing up I was an ardent supporter of Bill Clinton. Aside from his marital problems, the Clinton years were economically sound and prosperous. So please understand that prior to this election I was a supporter of Hilary, but in a few short months my opinion of her is in shambles. I would like to say that Hillary and her supporters will not stoop any lower, but I fear that this is but the beginning. Next headline from Hillary camp to read, "Obama administration will bomb Sweden while raping babies if elected. Vote for Hillary in 2008."
FoxBusiness Takes the Piss Out of CNBC
OK, FoxBusiness. You have succeeded in being clever. Truly clever. So very clever. Cleverness doesn't necessarily equal credibility, but this is indeed very, very clever advertising.
Then again, who the hell watches CNBC anyway?
William Kristol is an idiot
I try to stay up on political commentary across the spectrum of opinions. I read Eugene Robinson, EJ Dionne, David Broder, George Will and anything else I find interesting at the Washington Post. I also enjoy the editorials at the NY Times but with less vigor, with the exception of David Brooks. Most of the time newspapers hire intelligent intellectuals who raise the discourse of issue conversation in America. Columnists are the nations original bloggers, and they should not be forgotten about....with one exception.
William Kristol.
It's not that he's conservative, I like the aformentioned David Brooks and George Will. I like them because they make observations and arguments intelligently. They can argue for the war in Iraq, or for more tax cuts smartly, and even if I disagree, they don't insult my intelligence.
They are not William Kristol.
William Kristol takes his brand of politics are all about looking at the select facts he seems to enjoy, distorting them further to his point of view, and then gives his readers a visceral reason to agree with him. But I think what's worse about Kristol is his desire to belittle those who would raise issues and topics of conversations. He is nothing more but a constant evader. Intelligently dodging issues, especially ones for which conservatives are uncomfortable. Case in point, Kristol's column on Obama's race speech. Let's decry Obama as a politican (way to point to the obvious) and a well-spoken orator (because apparently Kristol enjoys presidents that can't string together intelligent sentences, makes him feel smarter), and avoid the central focus of his speech because it makes Kristol uncomfortable.
Bill Kristol may get a lot of mileage out of filling the air with heat instead of light on important issues, but as far as I'm concerned...he's just a wind-bag.
Mmm...Tastes Like Prison
Bart Simpson once described meatloaf as his "most hated of all loaves." Bart never tasted what they're serving in Vermont state prisons: Nutraloaf. According to the ever-so-helpful, human-run search engine, Mahalo, Nutraloaf is "a food loaf served as punishment to unruly prisoners in many United States prisons." Though recipes vary, it's commonly made of whole wheat bread, nondairy cheese, raw carrots, spinach, seedless raisins, beans, vegetable oil, tomato paste, powdered milk, and dehydrated potato flakes.
Fast Facts on Nutraloaf include:
1. Many prisoners would rather go hungry than to eat this meal
2. It has been used for years across the country
3. It is often served on a single piece of paper
4. No utensils are required to eat it, thus no utensils for the inmates to throw
5. It's so high in fiber it can cause gastric illness
Sounds yummy! So yummers, in fact, that the Vermont State Supreme Court will hear a class-action suit brought by inmates who say it's punishment and that anyone subjected to it should get a formal disciplinary process first. "It's commonplace in other states as a way of providing nutrition in a mechanism that dissuades inmates from throwing feces, urine, trays, and silverware," said Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann. He added, "It tends to have the desired outcome." You don't say!
Typically, I come off as fairly Liberal on this blog, but here comes my conservative side with a force so powerful that it thrusts me to stay Moderate. There's a reason why they call prison "prison." Because it's prison! Does Nutraloaf sound disgusting? Hell yes. Should it be given as punishment if unprovoked? Hell no. But frankly, if you're throwing feces like a monkey in the zoo, don't expect a tasty banana in return.
Charlie Rose Chooses Mac Over PC. Then Eats Pavement.
Pop quiz, hot shots: You've just purchased a spankin' new MacBook Air at the Midtown Apple Store. On your jubilant jaunt home, you stumble into a gargantuan, Manhattan-style pothole on 59th Street. You can protect your little piece of tech heaven...or save your face. What do you do? What do you do?
Charlie Rose chose the former, and it paid off (?). According to his producers, "The Macbook Air is fine, he showed us the blood stains on it this morning." What does this say for PBS, when the network's biggest star will sacrifice his face so? Does he really think so few people are watching? Double ouch!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Bill Maher On Spitzer's "Kristin"
"She didn’t want to work 40 hours a week selling Kentucky Fried Chicken if she could spend ten minutes blowing Colonel Sanders."
Grabbing Easter By The Hare
If there's one day of the year that's antithetical to my entire existence, it is Easter. A day in which we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus by eating copious amounts of sweet, sweet candy (such as the tooth-shatteringly powerful Peeps). For a diabetic Jew, bodes well this holiday does not. It also apparently makes me talk like Yoda. But, I digress on Yoda and move on to another long-eared character, who is front and center on Easter. Of course, I speak of the Easter Bunny. Why was this fluffy, fluffy fellow chosen as the bearer of candy? What special evolutionary or universally designed traits made the hare the obvious choice for delivering instant pep to children worldwide? The cynical response would be to say that the Easter Bunny is the lollipop after the tetanus shot. After all, what child really wants to go to Church on Easter Sunday to hear about a crucifixion and be reminded ad nausea that Jesus died for his/her sins? So...bunnies are cute. Candy tastes good. Together, they make kids feel better about what happened to JC - Q.E.D. Or, optimistically, it's an arbitrary choice to help celebrate the impending return of The Savior. And I'm cool with that. But then, I contend - and have long argued - that we Jews need a furry, functional mascot for our Spring holiday. I call him... 
Murray, The Passover Kangaroo
Murray hops from door to door (like the Lord skipping past the Jewish homes in Egypt), bringing geld for all the good little boys and girls who observe the Seder. I know what you're thinking...but come on, people! It's perfectly logical! Bunnies hop. Kangaroos hop. Bunnies carry baskets. Kangaroos have pouches. Bunnies have floppy ears. Kangaroos have floppy ears. Not to mention, kangaroos have that killer accent that makes them all sound like Paul Hogan (at least that's how it is in my dreams).
Happy Easter, everyone! And until Passover, keep Murray in your hearts, mates.
Friday, March 21, 2008
NFL Wisdom
In honor of the upcoming film leatherheads, which looks absolutely hilarious, I thought I could come up with a football analogy for this year's political race.
Follow Up-Prediction Busted
So I predicted John Edwards would endorse Barack Obama last night on Leno. Clearly I was wrong. I'm not sure what happened on Leno. What I do know is that it wasn't news. Oh well.
Obama Wins the News Cycle
A rough week for Senator Obama has been weathered. A week that could have spelled ruin for his campaign has been survived as the national news media is turning its attention to the overwhelmingly difficult math Senator Clinton faces in her bid for the nomination. But still the positive reviews pour in from the talking class on the Obama speech on race.
Once-in-a-lifetime!
Finally a Democrat has had enough guts to stand up and make and endorsement. If you haven't heard Bill Richardson made a glowing endorsement for Obama calling him, "a once-in-a-lifetime leader." This cannot be good for Hillary, who has been leading in the latino vote. Plus as a superdelegate, Richardson's decision might have sway over fellow superdelegates in the coming weeks. Despite the recent personal attacks and polarizing comments about race, Obama seems to be holding up quite well to scrutiny. Maybe Dems waited to see if Obama could handle attacks that were bound to come in a general election? Maybe the political posturing for VP is starting to quiet down? Whatever the reason, the closer the Dems get to a nominee is great for the party. While Pennsylvania is still a few weeks away, the Democrats really need to take this time and look at the bigger picture. In my opinion, Bill Richardson's decision was the first step for Democrats in realizing that the White House is what is most important.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Thanks, Dr. Zizmor
Edwards on Leno tonight
So reports Ben Smith of Politico. Look for him to endorse Obama tonight. Think back to his "forces of status quo" moment in the debate. Obama is viewed as the more progressive candidate, which Edwards surely was. If he begins to actively campaign in pennslyvania, he could be a very positive force in the primary, and win Obama back some of the white down-scale vote he needs.
A new New Deal
The Washingpost.com posted a nice piece today on our economic woes and the need for a new, New Deal.
Take a look at the piece and send your thoughts. But here's something to chew on. In the 50's and 60's our parents (or grandparents) were likely to work at the same company for their whole like, earn a pension and meanigful social security. They could own a home and a car, and send their children to school. All on one income. College was not as ubiquitous for working families as it is now, but wasn't seen as out of reach either. In short, being middle class in America was the envy of others around the world.
Now, most members of generation x/y are looking at not owning a home for a long time after graduation, we are reliant on two incomes to make ends meet. We aren't guarantee pensions, or in many cases healthcare. The purchasing power of the dollar is less than that of many prominent currencies. We are looking at a decade of static wages and increased share holder profit.
I think sometimes as the younger generation we forget what our parent's inherited as a generation and what they have left us.
Bushie, You're Doing a Heck of a Job
How low can you go? Take down that limbo stick another notch for President Bush! On the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, as death tolls and injury tolls and deficit tolls continue to climb, the President's approval rating has dipped to an all-time low. 31% of Americans approve of his handling of the job, according to a latest poll. 67% of those questioned in the survey, disapprove the President's performance. The 31% approval number is 40 points lower than the President's number at the start of the Iraq war. Interestingly, Bush's approval number is still better than the lowest number for his father, George H. W. Bush. But don't fret...there's still time to live up to dear old dad's expectations. Er...down to them...er...he can still keep screwing the pooch until we all just egg his limo. Oh, wait...that already happened at his inauguration. Maybe for his potential impeachment...
Well if the Starbucks guy says it.....
It must be true. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz out lined an economy in a "tailspin." So now I'm really worried, I mean if the once "affordable luxury" of a tall no-whip half-caff caramel macchiato is out of reach then whatever are we to do? This economy is built on American's charging affordable luxuries they can't afford. If Starbucks is sinking, then what next? Will people wait an entire year before getting their new iPod? What other "affordable luxuries" will be give up, the HDTV? the satellite TV service? the latest Aveda products? I mean we'll be reduced to a nation of folgers-drinking, regular tv watching, honda driving, bar soap using, old iPod listening, Neanderthals!
Or perhaps we'll focus our time and energy away from the creature comforts we have come to expect, and all get engaged in why our nation can't provide for its people. You know, like our grandparents.
(in the name of full disclosure, I am an iPhone carrying, starbucks drinking, apple computer using, netflix-subscribed, well fed member of the middle class)
The Nobility of War
President Bush defended the Iraq War yesterday on it's fifth anniversary, which frankly he needed to do. Overall his statement did not phase me. With one exception, "The battle in Iraq is noble, it is necessary, and it is just. And with your courage the battle in Iraq will end in victory," he told an audience of Pentagon brass, soldiers and diplomats.
The use of the word noble bothers me greatly in this context. Why? Because the president is subtly hijacking the nobility of our brave men and women, which no one would deny, and connecting it to his larger, failed scheme. The Iraq War is a mistake. Simply because our brave men and women are performing their duty with nobility, grace and honor under enormous difficulty, does not mean we get to call the entire folly "noble."
Mr. President words either have meaning or they don't.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
McCain has a Senior Moment
Chuck Todd, one of NBC's political wonks once said (and I'm paraphrasing here), "a gaffe is only a problem when it plays into a narrative flaw."
Well John McCain just gave us all a senior moment, on what is supposed to be his key issue. Now I know its not right to jump on a speaking error, anyone can make them. But this struck of the kind of incompetence that the nation cringes at after 7+ years of Bushie.
Sorry Senator, but I will be one of the thousands to post this....
Obama's Honesty
While there are many detractors and many supports of Obama's speech yesterday, there are some short term political things we can point to as accomplishments. Before I start the list...I am an unabashed fan of the speech. It was an eloquent, open and honest discussion both on a personal level and on a national one. The speech wasn't flawless, but as Mr. Obama said "it's a start." I would say a brilliant one. Now what he accomplished.
He saved his campaign-The Wright issue had the potential to derail Obama's campaign. He was thisclose to being tarred as the black candidate. The speech reset the nature of the campaign, and while Obama doesn't have his swagger back, he can get back to campaigning.
Hillary can't touch race-Whether her campaign or she wants to admit it, trolling out surrogate after surrogate to make thinly veiled racial comments on Obama week after week was a strategy of theirs, and if you look at Obama's numbers with white voters, I guess it was working. To do so again after Obama's speech would be a huge mistake with the chattering class and the super delegates.
He didn't lose the black community-One of the hallmarks of Obama's speech is that people on the left and right are mad about it. That marks any really good piece of thinking. But despite their reservations with Obama's address the black community as a whole should be proud Obama.
What did Obama lose?
He lost his Oprah quality. He's not completely nonthreatening anymore. He has revealed a portion of who he is, and in accepting Wright's flaws, he has born out some of his own. I think that is magnificent. But for many afraid of a black candidate, it will create a ceiling beyond which Obama cannot break.
