« January 27, 2008 - February 02, 2008 | Main | February 10, 2008 - February 16, 2008 »
February 09, 2008
Caucus Blockus Liveblogging
11:11PM
Markos:
Per CNN, including super delegates:(2,025 needed to win)Clinton: 1,099
Obama: 1,039This is amazing, since it includes the ridiculous practice of including super delegates, who can change their allegiances at any time. So despite Hillary's huge super delegate lead -- 223 to 131, Obama continues to creep ever closer to the frontrunner
10:32PM
Obama trouncing Clinton in Nebraska: 68%-32%. The same in Washington: 68%-31%.
10:28PM
Senator Obama about to speak at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in my home state of Virginia.
10:23PM
I've seen Huckabee on TV a couple of times today and I have to say it again... He's such a pleasure to listen to: funny, thoughtful, engaging. It's just a shame that he's crazy. Again, he's Santorum with jokes. I will call him Hucktorum.
10:05PM
MSNBC projects Obama wins Louisiana. And that's the sweep for the day. Chuck Todd says that Obama now leads in pledged delegates: 970-900.
10:03PM
Chuck Todd is on MSNBC telling Noron about superdelegates and you can literally see her brain about to fall out of her ear.
9:44PM
Huckabee is leading McCain in Louisiana, for what it's worth.
9:37PM
MSNBC says their exit polls indicate that Obama wins Louisiana by a "wide margin". But no calls made yet.
Barack Obama 3,646 44%
Hillary Clinton 3,298 40%
(Washington Post with 1% reporting)
9:34PM
Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu and his excellent hairplugs are talking on MSNBC. He says he's remaining neutral on the election, but his hairplugs are rooting for Ron Paul.
9:29PM
According to the Washington Post with 1% reporting:
Hillary Clinton 2,328 42%
Barack Obama 2,153 38%
9:16PM
CNN's John King presenting a really shocking satellite view of the lower 9th in New Orleans. No residents. Still devastated. It looks flattened.
9:13PM
This from Obama blogger Sam Graham-Felsen:
The Obama campaign submitted an urgent request for assistance to the Secretary of State's Division of Elections today, after receiving widespread reports from Democrats across Louisiana who reported that they were not allowed to vote because their party affiliation had been switched.
9PM
CNN Louisiana exit poll -- they're not prepared to make a projection. Also, for what it's worth, SUSA predicted for Washington: Obama 50%, Clinton 45%. If it's a blowout in a predominantly white state... it's a bad loss for Senator Clinton.
8:38PM
CNN's Bestest Team Zissou Killers Of Amazing Politics Of All Time is projecting that Senator Obama has won Washington. 67%-32%
8:33PM
Senator Obama is leading in Washington. 8,000-4,000 votes so far. Also, Senator Clinton is demanding that David Shuster be fired outright. Please read Jane Hamsher's blog today, senator. And that's all I have to say about that.
8:28PM
Just got back from dinner and Obama wins Nebraska in a landslide so far. 69%-31% according to CNN. He wins because... of the huge college-educated-elitist and black populations there?
6:34PM
Avert your eyes from MSNBC. David Brooks is on. On CNN, Dobbs is bashing the two-party system. This makes people cheer, but of course we need the two-party system. With more than two major parties, no-one would achieve a statistical mandate to lead. We'd end up living under a government impossibly deadlocked (if two parties can't get anything done, imagine 10 parties) and a president who might receive, at most, 20 percent of the vote. Speaking of elections, there are a few happening today. But you'd never know it from the very serious cable news people.
6PM
So wow. The coverage is really lame. On CNN we have Lou Dobbs about to begin a prearranged immigration thing. On MSNBC, we have a rerun of Tim Russert's roundtable of white guys. Is there an election on?
5:18PM
Senator Clinton on CNN now talking about how "soaring speeches" are fine, but when the lights go down we'll need her to do actual stuff. Alright. You know, I wasn't going to bust on the Clintons today, but come on. We have a president right now who can barely order his breakfast without nicknaming the waffles. We also have a vice president who comfortably operates in the darkened, murky corners of the government. I can't imagine why Senator Obama's ability to inspire people with his words is something to be diminished or downplayed. Surely there are other things she can use against him. America obviously thirsts to be inspired, senator.
4:57PM
Nothing much happening at the moment. CNN's "Ballot Bowl" is talking to John McCain on an airplane -- McCain is ostensibly powering the vehicle's jets with his energy and dynamism. Also, I've been meaning to post a separate item on this but... Bill Maher's panel last night was terrible. Jonah Doughy Pantload, Matt Dowd and a stunned-looking Bob Costas. It should've just been Bill Maher and PJ O'Rourke for the hour. O'Rourke is a Republican, but he's one of the rare "funny and talented" ones.
4:20PM
Have you noticed this? The Very Serious Traditional Media narrative for the Democrats is now: Senator Obama is the candidate of the educated smart people, and Senator Clinton is the blue-collar fighter. They've clearly drained their race/gender narrative and have moved on to something almost as ridiculous.
4:14PM
Senator Obama delivering his stump speech on CNN. It's more casual and specific on policy than his famous victory speeches. Obama joking about the distant-relative-of-Cheney-thing: "You know when they do these geneological surveys, you're hoping to be related to somebody cool."
4:05PM
Also, the cable networks are noticeably lazy about today's contests which is weird. MSNBC is starting Norah tonight, rather than the usual team. Not sure if CNN is going to employ their Ultimate Fighting Political Pundits Are The Greatest Of All Time Team 2008 Hell Yeah.
4:01PM
I'll start a post here and just it ride. Chucklebee has won the Kansas caucus by what appears to be a huge margin.
03:57 PM | Comments (11) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Blogrolling
Quick site note... I just noticed that Blogrolling.com has seized up for some reason, so there isn't a blogroll showing up here (see below left). Hopefully Blogrolling will get their shit together so it doesn't look like we're all snubbing our favorite sites.
UPDATE: Fixed!
12:56 PM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Friday In Bizarro Iraq
Where the surge didn't work and the war isn't largely over:
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Five American soldiers were killed in roadside bombings in Iraq on Friday, the U.S. military said on Saturday, while Iraqi police detained 22 suspects in raids against Shi'ite militiamen. The latest arrests come as the U.S. military aggressively pursues what it describes as rogue elements of anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army and other Shi'ite militia which Washington says are supported by Iran.
But rest assured, Senator McCain will be spending the next hundred years telling us that the surge is working.
11:40 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
One Last Thing On Shuster
It was a dumb, inappropriate thing to say. But it's symptomatic of these cable networks turning hard-news reporters into pundits.
Non-pundit TV reporters tend to try too hard on pundit shows to be shocking or jokey and end up saying unfortunate things. Shuster is one of NBC's best reporters, but there he was trying to make with a zinger.
Shuster is nothing if not a precise illustration of a TV news reporter. That's what he is. I mean, watch his apology, for instance. He delivers it as if he's reporting on a congressional hearing on speech patterns used by American news correspondents. I was waiting for him to say at the end, "I'mmm David Shuuuuster. Apologizing... on MSNBC. [pregnant pause] Norah."
So. First. NBC... stop trying to transform your reporters into pundits. This is one of many dangerous sides to the cable news attack on objectivity. Reporters should only be asked to REPORT straight news. No opinion. No analysis. There are well-paid bobbles to, well, bobble.
Second, NBC is clearly offering up Shuster as a human sacrifice to the Clintons. Prior to Shuster's remarks, the tensions between MSNBC and the Clintons had been heating up anyway -- accusations from the Clintons that MSNBC is the Obama network and, naturally, Chris Matthews' baffling anti-Clinton statements. So MSNBC used -- pimped, if you will -- Shuster's bloody carcass to assuage the fury of the Clintons.
Josh Marshall wrote that "Matthews is untouchable -- and Shuster's easier to can or suspend." That's correct, sir. This was NBC apologizing to the Clintons for all of it. Sacrificing their best reporter for the good of establishing a detente with Team Clinton.
Meanwhile, will Senator Clinton back off her commitment to participate in a debate on FOX News -- a network where they don't suspend anyone for anything at any time no matter how awful the discourse and "jokes"?
10:28 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Remember This?
"Everyone knows the Clintons have a cat. Socks is the White House cat. But did you know there is a White House dog?" He then held up a picture of 12-year-old Chelsea.
--Rush Limbaugh on his Fox TV show, 1993
While we're suspending people for awful Chelsea jokes... Comedian Rush Limbaugh has been asking for it for a long, long time.
09:54 AM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Who Said That?
"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."
--Senator John McCain, speaking to a Republican dinner, June 1998
(h/t Aravosis)
09:30 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Morning Awesome
A television bumper will never again be produced with this process.
09:10 AM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
February 08, 2008
Shuster Suspended
NBC NEWS STATEMENT REGARDING CHELSEA CLINTON COMMENT:On Thursday's "Tucker" on MSNBC, David Shuster, who was serving as guest-host of the program, made a comment about Chelsea Clinton and the Clinton campaign that was irresponsible and inappropriate. Shuster, who apologized this morning on MSNBC and will again this evening, has been suspended from appearing on all NBC News broadcasts, other than to make his apology. He has also extended an apology to the Clinton family. NBC News takes these matters seriously, and offers our sincere regrets to the Clintons for the remarks.
I like David Shuster, but NBC made the right move here. If only FOX News were as responsible when it comes to their fuckwitted anchors saying things that are far, far worse.
04:15 PM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Beating McCain
I've been saying this for a while, nice to see it confirmed in a poll by Time:
Obama captured 48% of the vote in the theoretical match-up against McCain's 41%, the TIME poll reported, while Clinton and McCain would deadlock at 46% of the vote each. Put another way, McCain looks at the moment to have a narrowly better chance of beating the New York Senator than he does the relative newcomer from Illinois.The difference, says Mark Schulman, CEO of Abt SRBI, which conducted the poll for TIME, is that "independents tilt toward McCain when he is matched up against Clinton But they tilt toward Obama when he is matched up against the Illinois Senator." Independents, added Schulman, "are a key battleground."
02:16 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By JumpyPants
Bizarro Iraq
...Where the surge didn't work and where the war hasn't largely ended. From one NYT item, we learn several things, beginning with the indoctrination of children...
[Al Qaida in Mesopotamia] “wants to poison the next generation of Iraqis,” said Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, an American spokesman, at a briefing about the group’s use of women and children. Military officials say they believe that the tapes are used during sessions with children in “the process of indoctrination and training that starts early to ensure they grow up to become future terrorists when they become of age,” he said.In the tape, some of the boys look as if they are scarcely more than 10 or 11 years old, while others appear to be teenagers.
The war has largely ended? This war will largely never be over because George W. Bush's ridiculous policies have fostered multiple generations of anti-American sentiment in the region. And this will go away with troop surges and delusional talking points? Nope.
And remember the civil war? It hasn't really gone away:
In Anbar Province, tensions between Sunni factions appeared to be high. The tribal Awakening Council, which is now the most powerful group in the province but which lacks political influence, said it was giving members of the Iraqi Islamic Party 30 days to vacate the seats it holds in the provincial council.
One last thing...
Different accounts continued to emerge Wednesday in the American military’s killing of three people near Tikrit on Tuesday. Those killed were a farmer, his wife and his son; at least one daughter was wounded.In a statement released Wednesday, the American military said its soldiers were fired on when they entered the house. As they moved through the house, they shot one man who was “holding a woman as a human shield.” A second man was killed by a soldier who believed the man had “hostile intent.”
Did incidents like this happen in Japan, Germany and Korea after those wars ended? Our soldiers continue to be faced with similarly impossible scenarios every damn day, and an enemy that's hidden within the population. How are they supposed to respond? How are they supposed to survive with these impossible odds? This is Iraq, 2008. Anyone tells you that this war has "largely ended" or that "the surge worked" is quite simply full of shit.
(h/t Aravosis)
01:48 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Morning Awesome
Broken Social Scene, "Fire Eye'd Boy"
08:22 AM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
February 07, 2008
"If You'll Not Be Needing Me..."
"...I'll shut down for a while."
The Romney Unit has officially dropped out to spend more time with his positronic neural net. Meanwhile, let's all laugh at the wingnut commenters from Malkin's site:
Romney, you had better not.
OMG, there goes the country.
Okay. That’s it! I’m finished with the GOP.
Looks like I’ll be a suicide voter until 2012.
No balls. I pray BO wins in a landslide and the (R)’s in DC get the friggin message.
Game over man, game over.
*Cries.*
This is indeed a dark day. May God bless and watch over Mitt Romney, Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham, Diana West, Jonathan Tobin, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, David Horowitz, Roger Hedgecock, Sean Hannity
04:42 PM | Comments (5) | Posted By Bob Cesca
I Called It!
BOOM! From my blog to Howard Dean's yap via JumpyPants' post below.
First, me:
I can't help but to think that the DNC is considering some serious options here for the good of the party. They have to step up at some point and throw their considerable weight around (think cash) because if this goes to the convention, as more and more people are suggesting, John McCain is the next president.
And Howard:
I think we will have a nominee sometime in the middle of March or April. But if we don't, then we're going to have to get the candidates together and make some kind of an arrangement. Because I don't think we can afford to have a brokered convention — that would not be good news for either [candidate].
First, I'm not one to toot my own horn, but you know. I called it! Second, the first sentence of this post has never been written in the history of printed language.
04:36 PM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
I Love Jon Stewart
This is 4 minutes and 42 seconds of awesome.
04:29 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
About that $5 mil...
Marc Cooper over at HuffPo asks the same question my mom asked me yesterday:
Where did Hillary get $5 million bucks to loan herself?
And he points out, this question is one that the GOP will be asking. You may remember, they like digging into the lives of the Clintons, and sometimes they find some dirt there. Cooper:
Now that's what one might call a heckuva coincidence. A handful of weeks ago, Bill Clinton disentangles his investment partnership with billionaire Ron Burkle, producing an estimated $20 million windfall. And now we learn that the suddenly flush Clintons are loaning Hillary's campaign $5 million from their joint assets to bridge it through a funding rough patch.Talk about windfalls. This is a veritable bonanza not only for enterprising reporters and snoopy researchers, but also for any Republican candidate that could potentially face Hillary in November -- if she wins the nomination. That is, if she doesn't first drown in a sea of sleaze of her own making.
It puts front and center the question of just how rich are the Clintons, and how did they get so rich? Current estimates of their joint wealth range from $10 million up to $50 million or more, a long way to come from when they first got married and they struggled to make the $14,000 mortgage on their first modest Arkansas home.
Quite a nice pay-off for a supposed career of 35 years, as Hillary repeats every day, "working to bring positive change to people's lives." While Clinton touts her decision to come out of law school and work not for Wall Street but rather for the Children's Defense Fund, the truth is that she spent only a year there. (And then omitted her mentor Marian Wright Edelman from among the 400 others she mentions in the acknowledgemets of her autobiography because Edelman had broken with her when Bill Clinton abolished the federal welfare saftey net in 1996).
For half of her professional career Clinton really worked not at all for The Little People, but rather for Arkansas'most elite business-connected law firm, representing big corporations and serving on their boards.
Ross Perot isn't running this year. Unless he's wearing a John McCain mask that is. And the crappy incumbent isn't on the ballot. This is not Bill Clinton's election. From a political-historical viewpoint, Hillary is an ideal nominee only if your name is Karl Rove.
03:30 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By JumpyPants
Dean Gets It
From the New York Sun:
"The idea that we can afford to have a big fight at the convention and then win the race in the next eight weeks, I think, is not a good scenario," Dr. Dean said Tuesday in an interview with a cable outlet, NY1. "I think we will have a nominee sometime in the middle of March or April. But if we don't, then we're going to have to get the candidates together and make some kind of an arrangement. Because I don't think we can afford to have a brokered convention — that would not be good news for either party."
That's a good quote to read as a Democrat, an Obama supporter and someone who likes to look at reality. And the reality is that since Iowa, Obama has had the momentum. I submit:
- While he lost the popular vote in New Hampshire, he tied for delegates.
- He won SC so hugely that it's conceivable, based on his vote count versus the GOP, that he could win SC in the general. Think about that. SC painted blue on the CNN map in November.
- He won more states and more delegates on Super Tuesday than anyone, GOP or Dem
- He has much more money - and is on track to keep climbing in this regard
He is and has been the front-runner since Iowa, despite the mainstream media's (and much of the liberal blogosphere's) unwillingness to admit that simple fact. And boy are they unwilling to admit it. You can all speculate on why that might be.
But she's losing. It's why she's so desperate for a debate she'll take one moderated by Bill O'Reilly. Frankly, I'd welcome a debate, too, as long as it's not on Fox, and as long as they can't ask ANY questions they've already asked. That's right, nothing about the war, health care, experience or spouses. Because I'm sorry, Howard Wolfson and Mark Penn, nobody really wants to hear that all over again. That means they'd have to talk about, oh gosh, little things like: the climate crisis, the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, energy independence and how to get it, the future of higher education scholarships, dismantling No Child Left Behind (or not), etc. etc.
But anyway, the point is, Hillary is smart. She knows she's hip-deep in a river of loss, and that she's wading upstream. It would do all of us good for her to admit it. Because we really, really don't want John "100 Years" McCain anywhere near our foreign or domestic policies.
03:08 PM | Comments (2) | Posted By JumpyPants
Romney Gets It
Dr. Dean, Senator Clinton heed the wisdom of Mitt Romney (a sentence I never expected to type):
"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..." Romney told the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.
We cannot wait until Hillary doesn't do well enough in Ohio or Texas. Obama, despite the protestations of the Times, Tim Russert et al., is the strong front runner. We need a nominee.
Save your money, Hillary. Surrender to a greater victory.
01:18 PM | Comments (4) | Posted By JumpyPants
$7.2 million
In less than 48 hours for the candidate that the NYT and all the cable nets say is "neck and neck" and "tied" with the candidate who is not paying her volunteers, who has fewer states, fewer delegates, fewer votes.
Yes, Obama raised $7.2 million in LESS THAN 48 HOURS.
Hillary raised $4 million. But I'm sure she can chip in an extra $3.2 to make up the difference.
12:55 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By JumpyPants
The Romney Unit Shuts Down
Rumor has it that Romney will quit today.
That sound you hear is Rush Limbaugh and Michelle Malkin falling to the sidewalk.
12:29 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
The Danger Of Self-financing
This Yglesias line jumped off the screen:
The reminder that the Clintons are multi-millionaires would seem to me to make giving them a modest cash donation of $250 or $500 seem like a less attractive proposition.
And this one screamed:
Of course, if Clinton wins you give her money to pay back her loan because you're looking for favors from the White House.
Awesome! Favors from the White House!
12:24 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Hillary, Mitt and Rudy
So there's the Mitt-like parallel of funding your own campaign. And now comes this news via The Page regarding Hillary's senior staff working for free:
Source says they have “voluntarily chosen to work without pay this month” as part of Clinton cash crush against Obama moola factory.
As smintheus points out:
As we saw with Giuliani, when presidential candidates decide to get in touch with the working poor by surrounding themselves with unpaid staff, that can be a sign of a campaign's impending collapse.
The writing is on the wall, Gallup's latest poll notwithstanding. And how ironic is it that the same day Hillary fesses up, when pressed, that she gave $5 mil of her own dough to keep running, that Obama announces he raised nearly the same $5 mil from supporters in one post-Super Tuesday Wednesday? Answer: more ironic than anything in an Alanis Morissette song.
11:12 AM | Comments (2) | Posted By JumpyPants
Yikes
And the good news from Markos:
Well, Clinton came nowhere near what she needed to do to build a strong delegate lead (and super delegates can change their mind, they're not locked in). Obama needed to survive, and he did more than that -- he outright won the night.Now his job is to finish off Clinton. If he can rack up a full month of 20%+ victories the rest of this month, he does just that.
But my question since Monday remains... What about that FOX News debate Senator Clinton agreed to?
08:16 AM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Morning Awesome
07:52 AM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
February 06, 2008
Why Do The Republicans Hate Veterans?
And old people?
WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans blocked a move by Democrats on Wednesday to add more than $40 billion in checks for the elderly, disabled veterans and the unemployed to a bill to stimulate the economy.
Good job, Republicans! Old people and disabled veterans are just looking for welfare anyway. Get a job, old people and disabled veterans!
Goddamn.
07:36 PM | Comments (3) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Eh-eh-eh!
President Bush makes with teh funny! While greeting the Anaheim Mighty Ducks at the White House...
“Like, have you noticed a lot of security around here? It’s because the Vice President heard there were some Ducks around.”
The difference is the hockey Ducks can actually fight back. Unlike all of Cheney's captive, hobbled, lobotomized prey.
07:32 PM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
The Popular Vote
Do you think the Clinton campaign ever imagined this?
Clinton: 50.2% (7,347,971)
Obama: 49.8% (7,294,851)
Difference: 53,120 votes
Feb 5 National Gallup Poll: Clinton 47%, Obama 42%
From the same source:
Democratic votes for Clinton and Obama: 14,622,822 (63.6%)
Republican votes for McCain, Romney and Huckabee: 8,370,022 (36.4%)
02:57 PM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
War of Attrition
As momentum and cash favor the Obama campaign, Senator Clinton's cash situation is playing out to be more important than delegates or superdelegates. Tagaris at Open Left believes that the Clintons are in serious trouble and possibly dipping into their own wealth:
Her big donors are maxed out.How much further can self-funding be, if we're not already there?
Unfortunately, absent an admission, we won't find out for sure until the last day of February, when the next reporting numbers are due.
Senator Obama's January: $32 million
Senator Clinton's January: $13 million
Senator Clinton needs to be winning the money game in order to counter the Obama momentum. As long as Senator Obama is winning on cash and winning on momentum, he can go and go and go. This is the story of the next 30 days.
Also, Senator Obama was on the TV this morning smartly labeling himself the underdog and even said, "Senator Clinton is the frontrunner." Democrats and the blogotubes love underdogs.
UPDATE: Sargent has word from Clinton spokesperson, Howard Wolfson:
Late last month Senator Clinton loaned her campaign $5 million.The loan illustrates Sen. Clinton’s commitment to this effort and to ensuring that our campaign has the resources it needs to compete and win across this nation. We have had one of our best fundraising efforts ever on the web stoday and our Super Tuesday victories will only help in bringing more support for her candidacy.
$5 million is a little less than half of all the money they raised from outside sources. In other words, that's a lot.
01:41 PM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
What The Hell Is This Crap?
CNN graphic summarizing the delegate counts:
Okay, this is NOT how it should be done. When I wrote below how the party might eventually have to step in, it's predicated on stepping in and supporting the candidate with the most pledged delegates, the most cash on hand, and the strongest chance of defeating McCain in the general. It sure as holy shit doesn't mean giving more superdelegates to the candidate who's weaker on pledged delegates, who's weaker in cash and who's lagging behind McCain in the general.
Aravosis has more here.
UPDATE: If you reverse the superdelegate count from the above chart, the picture entirely changes: Clinton 696, Obama 796.
12:34 PM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
All aboard the Mark Penn Bullshit Express!
Hillary's Brain continues his quest to be the underdevil to his Grand Evilness, Karl Rove. Check it out, via TPM.
12:33 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By JumpyPants
GOP for Hillary
As Bob pointed out below, Ari Fleischer wants a Clinton win. Because it means a McCain win. He's not the only Republican to feel this way. Check this from RedState blog, courtesy of a Kos diary:
I don't know about the rest of y'all, but this guy freakin' scares me to death. I don't agree with the vast majority of his public-policy positions, and yet I still find myself getting sucked in when he speaks.I understand all of the reasons why Obama shouldn't win the presidency even if he ends up being the dem nominee, but something tells me we should all start praying that the She-Devil pulls this thing out.
Otherwise, I am afraid we're going to be back in the wilderness for another eight years.
Other than the unsurprising fact that rabid GOP bloggers hate women not named Coulter or Malkin, the big take-away here is that Obama is a real threat to the GOP nominee. Anyone can look at poll or an election result and see that. So why is it so hard for many of my fellow Democrats to realize the fact that Hillary is pointedly not the most electable candidate?
12:26 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By JumpyPants
More Pain
Regardless of who won or lost yesterday, every day this battle continues is a good day for the Republican chances in the general election. Senator McCain is now the presumptive nominee for the Republicans and, while he's cajoling the far-right of the party and shoring up that wing, the Democrats and by proxy those of us arguing and spitting at each other over the merits of our candidates could be turning what used to be an historically exuberant primary nominating process into an irreparably damaged Democratic Party in November.
Every day that passes, Clinton people are accusing Obama people of hating women and displaying Clinton Derangement Syndrome, and Obama people are accusing the Clinton people of being throwbacks to the '90s and unelectable against McCain, and all the rest of it. For several months early in the year... this isn't a problem. But lasting into the Summer... it's not good. Just... not good.
I can't help but to think that the DNC is considering some serious options here for the good of the party. They have to step up at some point and throw their considerable weight around (think cash) because if this goes to the convention, as more and more people are suggesting, John McCain is the next president.
10:13 AM | Comments (8) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Ari Fleischer on CNN Last Night
"There is no doubt ... we hope and pray every night to run against Hillary Clinton."
(h/t Sullivan)
09:41 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Morning Awesome
"We're the ones we've been waiting for."
09:39 AM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
February 05, 2008
Liveblogging At Huffington Post
I'm doing the liveblogging on Arianna's blogotubes tonight. Join me, why dontcha.
07:31 PM | Comments (5) | Posted By Bob Cesca
What?! No!
Senator Clinton has agreed to participate in a FOX News debate.
Good job, Mark Penn!
If Senator Obama accepts and this thing is on, I wonder if the moderators will say 'Democrat Party' or if they'll say 'Barack Osama' or I wonder if Hannity will submit a question about the existence of goblins and demons.
(h/t Markos and Jane Hamsher)
03:16 PM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Defense or Offense
If we choose Hillary, then we have to defend her for the next nine months. I can and I will. But I'd rather play offense. I'd rather talk about how inspirational and hopeful and terrific our candidate is, and honestly, how theirs isn't. It should be the Republicans playing defense this time around. Let's make them.
Yesterday, at the end of a long conversation with Eric Boehlert for his new book, I said basically the same thing. If Senator Clinton wins the nomination, it's nine months of defending her Iraq vote, her DLC moderation, her pro-censorship position (is it just me?), her Lieberman association, and this new thing about garnishing wages. And as Cenk writes, we can and will defend her. But at what cost?
02:48 PM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Progressive Misogyny
The Left Coaster and several other progressives appear to be accusing progressive/liberal bloggers of being misogynistic towards Senator Clinton. Of course this reprehensible behavior is rampant in the traditional media and -- naturally -- the far-right. But I'm honestly not seeing it among the progressive bloggers -- at least the ones who I read every day.
This article cites:
"misogny and hatred... by many on the so-called 'left'"
--Jane Hamsher"But the sexism in traditional media has been met by the same in the progressive blogosphere" --Taylor Marsh
"the secret sexism running rampant in progressive quarters"
--Taylor Marsh
I find this very upsetting. I wish I knew specifically which progressive bloggers were being misogynistic. Eriposte doesn't cite any progressive links or quotes as reference.
I hope that criticizing the senator's votes or her associations (DLC, etc) or her sometimes perplexing campaign tactics continues to be fair game. If criticizing her on these fronts is somehow contrued as misogyny or hatred, I don't know what to say. I also hope that satirizing the misogyny of certain pundits and far-right shmendricks continues to be fair game.
As the father of a daughter who aspires to a career in law and possibly politics, I'd really like to know.
--
UPDATE - 3:10PM: Paddy from Cliff Schecter's place sent this link. I can see why Taylor Marsh might be feeling more than a little sensitive right now.
01:44 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
'Present Vote' Attacks Are Misleading
NOW sent out a misleading e-mail advertisement slamming Senator Obama on abortion rights:
The e-mail from Rosemary J. Dempsey, president of the Connecticut National Organization for Women, told members that Obama's record during his time in the Illinois Senate included several instances in which he voted "present" instead of yes or no on abortion-related legislation.
I've received a few e-mails about the present votes, so here's the explanation... The infamous present votes were intended as a way to escape from anti-choice Republican traps.
In this case, Planned Parenthood of Illinois requested that Senator Obama and other pro-choice Democrats from moderate districts vote 'present' as part of a very specific strategy. If Obama voted an outright 'no' on the late-term abortion ban, he would've been vulnerable to defeat against a far-right opponent who most definitely would've supported the ban and many other anti-choice, anti-woman laws.
I know how heated this election has become, but I'd like to think that the Clinton campaign and NOW wouldn't have preferred then-State Senator Obama, with his 100% pro-choice rating from Planned Parenthood, to have lost his next campaign to a far-right anti-choice, anti-woman zealot.
Bottom line: In the Illinois state legislature, 'present' votes are considered de facto 'no' votes without the potential of Republican TV ad exploitation. Unfortunately, they're being exploited now.
12:14 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Hey Malkin, You Harpy...
Michelle Malkin on Senator Clinton:
[Excerpt:] Boo-hooo! [Text:] Oh, crikey. Not again. The tears of a clown are flowing once more.
Or maybe she's referring to this:
Or this...
11:49 AM | Comments (4) | Posted By Bob Cesca
More Pollster Pain
Here's the thing... Not only will we have Clinton vs. Obama, and McCain vs. Romney vs. Huckatorum, but we're also going to have Zogby vs. SurveyUSA. Check their very different Missouri polling results here:
SurveyUSA
Clinton 54%
Obama 43%
Zogby
Obama 45%
Clinton 42%
Here's the upshot. One of them is horribly wrong. Here's the other upshot. The heads of several cable news pundits will explode because of it. There will be pain -- not for them, but for those of us trying to following the analysis and subsequent, you know, explosions.
11:25 AM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Human Beings Are Awesome
We're awesome because we make things like this.
A rubbish dump twice the size of the United States has been discovered floating in the Pacific Ocean.The vast expanse of debris, made up of plastic junk including footballs, kayaks, Lego blocks and carrier bags, is kept together by swirling underwater currents.
It stretches from 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.
Wasn't there a grunge band in the early '90s called "Floating Rubbish Dump"? Their one and only album was called "Footballs, Kayaks and Lego Blocks"? If not, someone get on that.
(h/t to the lovely and talented Paddy)
11:10 AM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
My Prediction For Super Tuesday
Final Demcratic Poll Results in Arnold's Calleeforna:
Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby
Obama 49%
Clinton 36%
Survey USA
Clinton 52%
Obama 42%
Yeah. So. My prediction for Super Tuesday...?
Pain.
08:12 AM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Morning Awesome
You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring
Waiting for someone to tell you everything
Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring
Maybe a diamond ring
Well its all right, even if they say you're wrong
Well its all right, sometimes you gotta be strong
Well its all right, as long as you got somewhere to lay
Well its all right, everyday is judgement day
07:19 AM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
February 04, 2008
I'm Voting Tomorrow in New York
For Barack Obama. And literally every single Democrat I speak to - from non-political liberals to hardcore activist progressives to guys raised as Communists - is voting for Obama.
I'm not suggesting Obama is going to win Hillary's home state. But I do think that he's going to get quite a healthy chunk of the votes - and a number of the delegates.
11:04 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By JumpyPants
The New Drug
I have it on very good authority that there's a new hybrid form of crack and meth being distributed inside the beltway, and its street name is Mark Penn's Inflated Sense of Self. I know that's a long sounding street name, but, hey, it's selling. However, sales are expected to drop off sometime soon.
10:59 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By JumpyPants
How John McCain Can Win...
Senator McCain wins this thing if the Democrats take this contest to the convention. Wolfson and Penn are predicting that it will. Stoller writes:
I'm on a conference call with Mark Penn and Howard Wolfson of the Clinton campaign, and they are emphasizing how this contest is going to go beyond Tuesday, and may go until the convention.
No, no, NO! Taking the Obama-Clinton battle to the convention is suicide for both. Here's to one of them blinking before that ever, ever happens. A convention battle, as you know, would put on display a fractured Democratic Party in contrast to the unified Republicans nominating (presumptively) John McCain.
And you know, I don't care what Wolfson and Penn might be thinking, but the party will never allow it. If this thing goes beyond Pennsylvania, the party will step in and, behind closed doors, ask one of the candidates to step aside. The threat: drop out or lose party support and all of those precious party-controlled superdelegates.
UPDATE: Just wanted to add... Pennsylvania is April 22 and I'll get to vote on that day. Please don't let my vote matter, Democrats.
(h/t Paul Krugman and Atrios)
06:19 PM | Comments (3) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Phobocracy
Michael Chabon believes that fear is preventing certain Democrats from backing Senator Obama. The following paragraph reflects several notes I've received from friendlies:
In a better world, people tell me, in theory, sure, having a president like Barack Obama sounds great. But not, you know, for real. Not in the base, corrupt, morally spent, toxic and reeling rats' nest that we like to call home. Things are so bad we just can't afford to waste our votes, people tell me, on some fantasy super-president with magical powers. We need someone electable, someone, as I have been told repeatedly in the past year, who can win.
As Chabon later notes, the electability issue is the simplest anti-Obama argument to debunk: if the election were held today, Senator Obama beats Senator McCain. Senator Clinton loses to McCain. Senator Obama is both a "fantasy super-president" and the most likely Democrat to win -- and win in a landslide with Republican voters flipping over to our side.
11:45 AM | Comments (4) | Posted By Bob Cesca
What's The Deal With This?
I was watching this FOX News "George Bush: Fighting To The Finish" video at C&L and noticed something weird and creepy.
And this shot came up just a few minutes after the prepubescent FOX News prag said that President Bush has delivered, "some of the most eloquent and visionary speeches ever delivered by an American President."
09:31 AM | Comments (7) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Bill Kristol Is Still Employed! Amazing!
The “establishment” can be ignored, Kristol argued, but “white women are a problem.” He added, “But we all live with them.”
There are literally hundreds of political writers more talented and, you know, less batshit than Bill Kristol. And yet they can't find work. Kristol, on the other hand, is beloved by... who again? Seriously, is there anyone who's a fan of Bill Kristol? Does anyone buy his shit? If not, why is he still employed?
(h/t Suzie-Q)
09:03 AM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Christmas Comes Early For McCain
Senator Clinton on making sure everyone buys health insurance:
"I think there are a number of mechanisms" that are possible, including "going after people's wages, automatic enrollment."
Whether or not you support single-payer or some form of the Clinton plan, this was a dumb thing to say -- not that I'm knocking Clinton or anything. After all, there's nothing to knock about this -- it's just that a Democratic candidate has put WAGE-GARNISHING ON THE TABLE. Dammit. But I'm not knocking her! No sir. Maybe the Republican frontrunner, who is presently leading Senator Clinton in the polls, will ignore the fact that she said this. Maybe there won't be GOP commercials with this quote around the clock for months on end. And therefore maybe we won't have to defend this statement throughout the goddamn general election if she wins the nomination. Good job, Senator Clinton!
08:49 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Morning Awesome
08:29 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
February 03, 2008
This Week's First Historic Upset
A couple of days ago, I tied the Giants to the Obama campaign. And I predicted a Giants win. Of course there's no way I could've predicted the amazing game I just watched, a remarkable game on the part of two amazing teams. Here in New York, my son is wearing his number 10 jersey to bed, and we're feeling pretty great. But watching Eli Manning's pithy assessment of the game, I was struck by what he said: in essence, that the Giants LIKE having the odds against them, because it really tests who they are. It tests their determination, their skills, their heart.
I'm sticking with my predictions for Obama on Tuesday night. And I'm sticking with the parallels I drew: that the Giants had the heart to win this Super Bowl, just as Obama has the heart - and skills and determination - to carry this nomination...and the general election. And as Bob pointed out below, I'm not the only one who thinks he can win the whole enchilada.
10:32 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By JumpyPants
Awesome Awesome
Wow. Will.i.am blogs about Yes We Can here. His post is almost as inspiring as the song.
On second thought, maybe he should've sat this one out.
03:40 PM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
"Obama Can't Beat The Repukes"
That's an unfounded viewpoint which came up quite a few times in response to my latest Huffington item. In response, I give you today's Washington Post poll.
McCain 49%
Hillary 46%
McCain 46%
Obama 49%
Romney 41%
Hillary 53%
Romney 34%
Obama 59%
He can't beat the Republicans? Yes he can.
11:20 AM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
In Bizarro Iraq...
...where the surge didn't work and the war hasn't largely ended:
BAGHDAD — A senior Interior Ministry official and his bodyguard were wounded and his driver was killed Sunday by a bomb planted on his car, police said.
And.
Meanwhile, a mortar round slammed into a street in a northeastern section of the capital, killing an Iraqi soldier on foot patrol, another police officer said. The attack occurred at 9 a.m. Sunday in the Sulaikh area, police said. Three civilians and another soldier were also wounded in the attack, an officer said on the same anonymity condition.
Reasoned judgement. Credible case. Good job!
10:54 AM | Comments (2) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Weber Goes With Obama
And, being a sentimental bastard myself, haplessly emotional and easily made to weep at any screening of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", I am going where my heart (and head) is leading me: I am going for Obama.
Weber writes some of the best stuff on the Huffington Post. This endorsement made me smile.
10:46 AM | Comments (1) | Posted By Bob Cesca
Morning Awesome
My favorite Super Bowl highlight.
UPDATE: This just in from fellow Redskins fan, Oliver Willis: "Redskins fans, rejoice: WR Art Monk finally got his Hall call. So did CB Darrell Green, in his first appearance on the ballot."
07:31 AM | Comments (0) | Posted By Bob Cesca
