Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts

November 4, 2008

YES WE DID

Obama reached the 270 electoral vote mark on Nov. 4th, 2008, becoming the 1st African American President-Elect in the history of the United States of America.

God bless this country, the history we are making and road we have ahead of us.

We did it. Its over, and it begins...

OBAMA 44

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October 8, 2008

Make That 63...

Nobel prize season is upon which makes me a little giddy, along with the rest of the science community. So far prizes in medicine, physics, and chemistry have been handed out, with literature, peace, and economics still to come.

Today three Americans were rewarded for their work on Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), which I'll try to get to later this week (damn development exam tomorrow). Well one of those winners, Martin Chalfie, made quick work to put his name on the list of laureates who have signed an open letter in support of Obama's presidential aspirations.

Just today Martin was announced as one of the winners of the Chemistry prize and he called up his friend and fellow laureate Robert Horvitz (Medicine, 2002) in order to join the list.

"I said, 'Bob, the one thing I really want to do is, I understand there’s a list of Nobel Prize winners supporting Barack Obama, and I want to get my name on the list.’”
That takes the count from 61 to 63 as shortly after the letter was published Murray Gell-Mann (Physics, 1969) came forward to add his name to the list.

This is by far the largest number of top Nobel laureates to ever endorse a candidate. I have yet to hear of any putting their support behind McCain, but I could be wrong, or they could be scared to be shunned by the scientific community.

I am interested to see if any other winners of this year's prize add their name to the list, and tomorrow I'll have the opportunity to talk with one of the 2008 awardees in physics, Yoichiro Nambu from the University of Chicago, to discuss his thoughts on the presidential race! I am honored to be able to share a bit of time with him and look forward to being able to share first hand experience here on stifledmind with one of the brightest minds on the planet.


Here's the link to the updated Nobel endoresement letter.

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October 7, 2008

Obama v McCain Debate II - LiveBlog

I love it, two debates in one week. Politics junkies like myself are definitely getting our fix.

This should be an interesting debate. McFAILin's campaign has taken a nasty turn this week, both in tone and in polling. They have apparently decided that discussing the issues facing the nation is a losing strategy, and looking at the polling as of late, coupled with McCain's disastrous policy history and proposals, I kinda have to agree with them.

So he's taken a drubbing in the polls, but this debates format is supposed to be McCain's strong point. For some reason, the conventional wisdom is that McCain excels in "town hall" style events, while Obama does not. I know, I laugh too. The idea that in any speaking role, McCain could surpass Obama in coherence, eloquence, or poise is completely ridiculous.

The bottom line, the economy is still the number 1 issue facing Americans today, followed by the Bush/McCain wars. Both issues are losers for McCain; public opinion and reality both favor Obama's positions in each area. So whatever character assassination, slime politics, "Johnny Drama" bullshit McCain wants to throw around is only going to further alienate him in the eyes of American voters. Americans are smart, whatever McCain may think, and they want to see answers. They want strong leadership, not playground politics. We shall see tonight which candidate can offer us what we are looking for.

Edit: Damnit Barack, that was such a non-answer. Gonna need to do better than that. Eh, McCain's answer was no better.

Edit: Did McCain just tell that questioner that he was wrong? Bailout vs rescue, who gives a damn? And here he goes on a Freddie and Fannie rant. Johnny Drama, there are more than 2 companies involved in this crisis. Jesus.

Edit: Fantastic rebuttal by Obama. Well done.

Edit: What the hell is he talking about? An overhead projector? Who gives a damn? Can McCain please answer a question?

Edit: I hate it when Obama starts talking about offshore drilling and "clean coal." Bullshit proposals that don't offer any solutions. We need to move away from these archaic energy sources, towards new, cleaner types of energy. And damn it, he should be leading on that point, not merely co-signing the same tired policy that has gotten us where we are.

Edit: I'm not happy. Obama keeps making the same points over and over again. Move on man. Make a new point, or change the damn topic. I know, 95% of tax payers will get a cut under your plan. Move the fuck on! Talk about McCain's plan to tax employers healthcare expenditures. Something. McCain is actually talking about policy, Obama is floundering. Shit...

Edit: Shut the hell up Tom.

Edit: Ok, Obama recovered a little on the healthcare debate. M looked petty and spiteful on his "how much is the fine?" comment. On to foreign policy.

Edit: Shit. I give the debate to McCain. It was exactly what he needed to do to get his campaign back on track. I hate to admit it, but Obama looked befuddled and slow. McCain was crisp and likable. I'm going to have a drink and try to not think about politics for a while. As a better man than myself likes to say, good night and good luck.

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October 2, 2008

Biden Palin Debate - LiveBlog

Let the madness begin. How will Palin embarrass herself, her campaign, her party, and her country tonight? Let us count the ways.

Seriously, Biden needs to just sit back, answer his questions succinctly, and let Palin talk. If he does that, he will win. But what the R's are praying for is for him to lay into her (i.e. he is picking on the poor little hockey mom), or for him to be overly-respectful (i.e. patronizing the powerful and respected Governor of Alaska. They'll bitch either way. Biden doesn't need to beat Palin, he just needs to stay out of the way while she beats herself.

Edit: Palin sounds good. Doesn't sound smart, but she's speaking English, so its a start.

Edit: HAHA! Holy shit, did she just say that she may not answer the questions the moderator asks? Awesome. Nice burn by Biden, calling her on the bogus charge that Obama voted all those times to raise taxes.

Edit: She's just like McCain, smiles at the wrong times.

Edit: Oh damn! "the ultimate bridge to nowhere." Well said.

Edit: Oh my God, a plan to remove troops from Iraq is a "white flag of surrender"? Jesus....

Edit:This is intense. Good debate so far. Biden seems sure of himself and knows his stuff. Palin is cute, I guess. Still lacking some substance as I see it.

Edit: "Dog-gone-it Joe?" Are we electing fucking Howdy Doody to the VP office?

Edit: Jesus, these "beauty pageant" answers are freakin' killing me. Can she answer a damn question?

Edit: I dunno, Biden looked great, but Palin didn't piss herself either, so I'll reserve judgment for tomorrow.

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October 1, 2008

I Need to Stop Talking About Sarah Palin

But she makes it so easy. Does Palin even have a running mate? I've lost track.

Interesting article over at Culture11.com. A conservative argument for Sarah Palin excusing herself from the GOP ticket to save McCain's chances in November. Seems pretty compelling to me, but I'd also be dancing naked in the streets if the McPalin ticket imploded like that (The author, Conor Friedersdorf, is a HuffPo writer, so apply grains of salt as needed).

Then on the same site, some guy, Joe Conor, rebuts Conor's position, claiming that Sarah is only bad on television. Outside TV, she's got a great personality, and personalities, not issues, are what this election (supposedly) is all about.

Making judgments about Palin — or any candidate — based on how they come across on television seems to me to be irrational and dangerous.
Did this guy see those interviews? Sarah Palin isn't just bad on TV. John Kerry was bad on TV, so was Nixon. Sarah Palin is an atrocity, on TV and in person. She's a god damn journalism major who can't name a single newspaper or magazine she reads to keep up on the news; she shouts contradictory campaign positions in Philly sandwich shops; she lies her damn head off!
She has, however, revealed she has the character to make the right decision on such issues, even at great personal cost. This, in my view, is the core of leadership and the primary reason she is more qualified to be the chief executive than anyone on the Democratic ticket.
More of that gut-feeling decision making, W. style. That hero-worship of "instinctive" leaders and demonetization of intellectual prowess has done wonders for the country these last 8 years, hasn't it?

The folks at Redstate are feeling pretty down about this stuff lately.

Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Yes, I'm sorry, I visit Redstate from time to time. I guess I like the pain. Teh stoopid, it hurtz.

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September 30, 2008

The Palin Expectations

Ya'll seen this Palin chick? She's freakin' hilarious! I don't know who her writers are, but she is a comedic genius. That Borat guy better look out, there is a new kid on the block of awkward humor, and she looks like the big leagues. This whole PR stunt she's puling with the faux-VP bid is revolutionary. Obviously, no one really believes she wants to be the Vice President, but the publicity Palin and her comedy troupe have received is priceless. /snark

Seriously, Sarah Palin is a train wreck by any standard. Her anti-science, fiscally unsound policy and debilitating lack of experience should be enough to disqualify her for the 2nd highest office in the country. The woman wants Creationism taught on par with Evolution and actually tried to ban books from the Wasilla Library. Done. The argument is over at this point, she should not be VP. Period.

But oh no, Palin is the candidate that keeps on giving. Get comfortable. Pour a second cup of coffee and settle in.

She's packing major baggage in the "personal" area, such as the influence of "first dude" Todd Palin in her administration, her 17 year old daughter Bristol's pregnancy (not a problem at all in itself, but a poignant highlight of Palin's defunding Alaskan programs to help teenage mothers and emphasis on abstinence-only sex education), and the infamous "Troopergate" scandal. So this religious wacko who (allegedly) acknowledges the existence of witchcraft has been using her government office to wage personal vendettas against the former husband of a slighted family member. Again, done. The argument against her election is over, a second time. She should not be VP.

And friends, there is more. Apparently, Sarah Palin has a little problem with coherence and sentence structure. Her (few and meager) media interviews have been physically painful to watch. I seriously had to leave the room when I saw that poor Governor sputtering on about Russia and Canada sharing boarders with Alaska and Putin "rearing his head" over her state. During her interview with Couric, Palin's answer about the bailout bill will go down in history with that Miss Teen America contestant's response.

Notice the similarities? I did.

She has exhibited less-than-perfect message discipline as well, contradicting McCain's Pakistan policy when talking to voters. Then when called on it, McCain issues this doosy:

"I don't think most Americans think that that's a definitive policy statement made by Governor Palin,"
Come on guys, just because she said it, doesn't mean she meant it.

So this debate looks like its over before it began. On both substance and style, Palin looks dead in the water. Biden, a career vet of foreign policy and the intricacies of policy and government, ought to be able to pick her apart with relative ease at the VP debate on Oct. 2nd. The man is a hell of a speaker and an amazing personal story as well.

So on paper, this thing is over. Whatever happens with the top of the tickets, the VP question has been answered. Yet if my party affiliation has taught me anything, it is to never underestimate the Democrats ability to really knuckle down, do some hard work, and completely blow a "gimme" election. Or issue. Or vote. Democrats are pretty much the leading experts in the field of professional fuck-ups and are more than capable of adding this VP debate to the long list of pathetic foot shots in our history (for further reading, see 2004 Presidential Election, or even better, the FISA debate).

So we need to shut the hell up. Palin is a joke, we all know that. Even the Republicans know she's isn't even approaching "ready," as is evident by the Great Palin Media Blackout of 2008. She has been ridiculed into the ground. Tina Fey, of SNL, doesn't even change her dialogue when she mocks Palin. She doesn't need to. Palin mocks herself. The poor woman must cry herself to sleep at night, I know I would. But then, I don't have an army of handlers insulating me from the scary media, or any outside contact at all for that matter.

At this point, if Palin spells her name correctly on the debate sign-in sheet, she's going to be a freakin' all-star. The media and the public are going to expect her to tank in epic fashion; come on stage with her head shaved or with a plug of chewing tobacco in her lip or something. So now, if she shows up fully dressed and speaks passible English, this debate will be a "win" for the McCain/Palin ticket. She is already expected to make very little sense and play defense the whole 90 minutes, so when she does just that, the talking heads are going to be crowing about her "meeting expectations" and "holding her own." She is already being held to a lower standard for success than anyone else on this campaign trail, and it is only getting worse. We used to care about a candidates qualifications in this country. We ought to still. As citizens, we should be demanding well-qualified, educated, knowledgeable statesmen and women run this country, not just some lady who manages to make it through a debate without wetting herself.

There is enough to disqualify Palin to be the VP without running her mental capacities into the ground. All we are doing is making it easier for her to exceed those expectations. So lets be honest, Sarah Palin is dumb, vicious, and incompetent, but you don't become the governor of a state by being a complete waste of oxygen. She will eventually exhibit some ability during this campaign, and we should be asking if that paltry offering is enough. I'm sure there is some kind of mental process going on behind those glasses, but the issue should be the quality of that process, not that we are all "so impressed" that this infant-woman actually does possess a functioning mind.


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September 26, 2008

61 Nobel Laureates Endorse Obama

Back to the science posting while I have a second. Yesterday, Obama's campaign released a letter of endorsement signed by 61 Nobel Laureates. This is the largest number of Nobel prize winners to ever endorse a Presidential candidate and it shouldn't be surprising.

Obama's answers to the ScienceDebate2008 questionnaire were scientifically sound and gave the impression that he had a very good scientific advising team. This was confirmed last week when Wired detailed the five members on Obama's scientific advising team (which included 2 signees of the Nobel letter). The team is very strong, with a former NIH director and some well respected researchers.

McCain has yet to release his scientific advisory committee members.

A short blurb from the endorsement letter:

During the administration of George W. Bush, vital parts of our country’s scientific enterprise have been damaged by stagnant or declining federal support.  The government’s scientific advisory process has been distorted by political considerations. As a result, our once dominant position in the scientific world has been shaken and our prosperity has been placed at risk. We have lost time critical for the development of new ways to provide energy, treat disease, reverse climate change, strengthen our security, and improve our economy.
Senator Obama understands that Presidential leadership and federal investments in science and technology are crucial elements in successful governance of the world’s leading country. We hope you will join us as we work together to ensure his election in November.

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September 24, 2008

McCain Suspends Campaign

McCain is apparently putting his campaign on hold in response to the economic crisis at hand. He is calling for a meeting of both party's leaders, himself, and Obama to address the financial meltdown and the governments response.

Seems very level headed, responsible, and surprisingly bipartisan. Damn. So that means the post about McCain's unacceptably partisan tone during this crisis that I have been writing is now worthless.

We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved.I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night's debate until we have taken action to address this crisis.

I know, its from Drudge. It hurts me to even admit that I read that garbage. But damn, the man breaks some stories.

So, is this some cheap trick to give McCain some breathing room for the debate he is about to lose and to give him further excuse to keep Sarah "Delicate Little Flower" Palin out of the harsh, scary media sunlight? Doesn't seem so at first blush. This does actually sound like a smart idea. As the economy veers towards the cliff of depression, maybe a little time away from soap opera politics and some focus on nuts and bolts legislation is a good thing.

Or perhaps what we need is precisely that, a focus on the politics that will determine the next 4 or 8 years of our country's future. Honestly, I cannot think of a more pertinent question to this crisis than which governmental philosophy we will follow going forward.

I am not ready to make a pronouncement yet, but my political lean obviously makes me slightly skeptical of this new-found love of legislation that John "Absentee Senator" McCain has developed.

I eagerly await Obama's response.

Update: Obama wont play McCain's game.

"I believe that we should continue to have the debate," Obama said. "It's my belief that this is exact time when the American people need to hear form the person who in approximately 40 days will be responsibly for dealing with this mess and I think that it is going to be part of the president’s job to deal with more than one thing at once."

Obama said that unlike McCain, he will not suspend ads, or campaign events scheduled between now and Friday's debate.

"I think it's very important that the American people see the people who potentially could be in charge of this problem within the next couple of months and so my attitude is that we need to be focused on solving the problems, as I have been," Obama said. "It's also important that we communicate where we need to go in getting us out of the situation."

Obama said he will stay in Florida for the time being and will not return to Washington unless asked by Congressional leadership.

"I've told the leadership in Congress is that if I can be helpful then I am prepared to be anywhere at anytime," he said.

Emphasis mine. I like it. I'm still not sure if McCain's idea is a good one or not, but it is nice to see a Democrat not asking "How high?" when a Republican says "Jump."

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September 22, 2008

Elitism Definied


Via Kos. I love it.

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September 5, 2008

Obama Embraces Reality; Will McCain Follow His Lead?

Just ran across this on kos. I'm sure Tye will have much more to say about it than I will (or can), but I am very pleased with the responses Obama made to the ScienceDebate 2008 questionnaire. The questions addressed climate change, stem cell research, Math and Science education, defense research, healthcare and several other areas, but this is the line that got me excited.

I will restore the basic principle that government decisions should be based on the best- available, scientifically-valid evidence and not on the ideological predispositions of agency officials or political appointees.
After the anti-science, ideology worshipping we have seen from the Bush Administration and its appointees in areas of science and public health, some professional integrity in these crucial fields will be a welcome change.

I can't wait to see McCain attempt to answer these questions without destroying either his batshit-crazy, Religious Right street-cred or his appereance of sanity by attempting to appease their flat earth ideology. Should be fun to watch.

I bet Palin's responses would be hilarious.

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August 29, 2008

No Words Needed

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August 28, 2008

Tonight

Tonight Barack Obama becomes the first African American to be nominated by a major political party for the office of President of the Untied States of America.

But it is about so much more. The movement embodied by this man has the potential to heal the great wounds of the past eight years and fundamentally change the political system and landscape for the better.

Yes We Can.



Edit: The Gettysburg Address, I Have A Dream, and Obama's Acceptance Speech. Its History. I'm calling it.

Video to come.

Edit:
Still no video on youtube, but I did find this ringing endorsement of the Speech.

You can actually see Bloody Bill wince in pain at those admissions.

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August 9, 2008

Perspective

Anyone following the race between Obama and McCain has been constantly bombarded with this idea of Obama's "presumptuousness." That he's some elitist liberal, looking down his nose at the rest of the country. He ordered arugula lettuce at one point, which obviously indicates how out of touch he is, right? His Ivy League education is another evident smudge on his "average Joe" record, despite Bush's (C average) degree from Yale which wasn't an issue in 2000 or 2004.

But the worst of it came during Obama's recent trip abroad. He was greeted with massive crowds at each campaign stop and met with various heads of state in Europe and the Middle East. And at each appearance, Obama carried himself with the dignity and courtesy of, well, a president. He was respectful, inspiring, and noble, and the foreign crowds and dignitaries he met with responded in kind. Yet he has been slammed as merely "acting" the part, that he thought he already had the election in the bag and was putting on the airs of his assumed victory.

Of course, I never bought that criticism. John Stewart said it best when he pointed out that both Obama and McCain are running for the office of the freakin President of the United States, of course they are going to have egos. But watching the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, I think I now understand where these ideas are coming from. This is what we have become accustomed to from our Leader.

Can you believe this putz? He is on the world stage, for Christ's Sake, maybe he could act interested, or at least grown up. This guy, who we elected twice (/shame), is bouncing his knee, looking at his watch, looking bored as hell. He's like a toddler in church! When I saw that I started yelling at the TV, telling George to "fucking behave yourself!" I mean, the whole damn world is watching, and you can tell that all this jackass wants to do is go back to the hotel room and make a fort out of the extra pillows. The man has pissed me off too many times to count, but damn it, I never thought I would be so embarrassed by the POTUS. Next to his shredding of the Constitution, torture policies, Iraq, the economy, etc, this isn't such a big deal, but it is such a slap to our national image. Behaving like an adult at major state functions is kind of the bare-minimum, I would guess, of the President's job description, and this immature frat boy can't even get that right.

So no wonder everyone thinks Obama is being snotty. We're used to a leader who probably shoots spitballs at the Joint Chiefs during briefings and has his old drinking buddies over for late night toilet-papering runs on the Hoover Building.

So if that is presumptuousness, I'll take that over juvenile jackassery any day.

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July 18, 2008

What the hell is the difference?

So the White House issued a press release today discussing Bushie's recent talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki. Apparently, everything is moving along nicely over there, but Bush reiterated his opposition to any time lines for troop withdrawals.

You can't win a war if you have an artificial timetable for withdrawal.... Artificial timetable for withdrawal send the wrong message to the Iraqis, they're seeing it's not worth it. There's a lot of Iraqis over there determined -- trying to make up their mind whether they want to be a part of democracy, or whether or not they're going to take to the hills and see what happens. Artificial timetable for withdrawal, an early withdrawal before this finishes sends the message to the enemy, we were right about America. That's what they said. Al Qaeda has said it's just a matter of time before America withdraws. They're weak, they're corrupt, they can't stand it, and they'll withdraw. And all that would do is confirm what the enemy thinks.
Oh wait, that was from 2006. Apparently, Bush has been doing some McCain-style flip-flopping. Time lines equal surrender and failure and scary things. But "horizons" for troop reductions are just awesome, simply the natural course of the super-successful surge.
In the area of security cooperation, the President and the Prime Minister agreed that improving conditions should allow for the agreements now under negotiation to include a general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals -- such as the resumption of Iraqi security control in their cities and provinces and the further reduction of U.S. combat forces from Iraq.
Ok, so I have a question. I'm pretty sure that when Democrats (and other sentient beings) have called for a time line for troop withdrawals from Iraq, they we asking for something like "Down by 50% in 2 years, down to no more than 20,000 in 4 years, contingent on conditions permitting." I don't remember anyone credible demanding a time line which called for every single US service member to be outside of the Iraqi borders by June 10th, 2009 at 8 am, no exceptions. And my question is, what the hell is the difference between setting a time line, which according to Bush is tantamount to recasting the Statue of Liberty in Osama Bin Laden's image, and setting a horizon? They mean the same damn thing! They are both a tentative plan under which our leadership attempts to reduce the number of American forces in Iraq. From Obama's website:
The removal of our troops will be responsible and phased, directed by military commanders on the ground and done in consultation with the Iraqi government. Military experts believe we can safely redeploy combat brigades from Iraq at a pace of 1 to 2 brigades a month that would remove them in 16 months. That would be the summer of 2010 – more than 7 years after the war began.
Nothing about that plan even implies a "date-certain" deadline. Seems to be another example of the Bush/McCain strategy suddenly mirroring what Obama and other Democrats have been advocating for years.

Obviously the difference is the source. When Dems call for...well...anything, it is treason and betrayal, but if the Bush Cabal makes the same determination, its part of their carefully planned and patriotic vision for Victory.

Obviously.

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June 24, 2008

Pop Quiz

"I think he's deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology,"

Was this statement made by:

  1. John McCain about McCain supporter Pastor John Hagee
  2. George W. Bush about Cheney's dark, bloody rituals on the White House lawn
  3. Bill O'Reilly, describing...well...anybody
  4. John McCain, on Pastor Hagee's claim that Katrina was God's Punishment for New Orleans' tolerance of gays.
Answer Below The Fold

Surprise!

It was a trick question, sorry. This ridiculous comment was made by James Dobson, child psychologist, and founder of Focus on the Family.

The crazy right wing advocate who sicks his flock of rabid Jesus-sheep on every "social issue" to cross the table.

The man with no formal theological training of any kind.

Yes, the same Dobson who defended conservative cohort Mark Foley's inappropriate conduct with underage male Congressional pages as "sort of a joke."

From the guy who actively campaigned against anti-hate crime legislation, using scriptures to back his stance, thats a pretty bold assertion.

The best part is he accuses Obama of modeling a "fruitcake" view of the Constitution.

A man who hasn't seen the inside of a classroom, as a student, since the 60's, telling Obama, Class of 1991 from HARVARD LAW and a former teacher of Constitutional Law, that Obama's interpretation of the Constitution is incorrect.

Words escape me.

Update: Looks like a group of pastors and other rational Christians has started a website to oppose the religious distortions of James Dobson. Check it out and show them some love.
JamesDobsonDoesntSpeakForMe.com

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June 18, 2008

Stick a Pin In It



So as I suspected a few weeks ago here, the right has started the mudslinging. And like I predicted, the main theme in their attacks on Obama are that...wait, get ready for it...HE'S BLACK! OMFG!!! Run to the hills, apparently this Obama guy is black!! We're all doomed!!!

That pretty little button comes from my home state of Texas, where a vendor is selling them at the Republican convention. How can you call such blatant racists your constituents? Maybe these guys can team up with the Obama monkey guys and start their own biggoted, knuckle dragging party.

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June 17, 2008

Campaign Update

Delayed post from StifledMind's Junior Senior Political Correspondent Alex K

On the anniversary of D-Day, we are at a momentous time in this country. I think we can all feel it, when you turn on the TV, read a newspaper, or talk with people there's a sense of excitement. We now have an official presumptive nominee, a nominee with great oratory skills and a huge base of young motivated citizens. The other presumptive nominee is amazing as well. He's got the oratory ability of a 10th grader (watching that speech was brutal). He's packing them in by the 10's with old vets hopped up on pepto bismol and cialis. Vets looking to the promises of the past, and not the opportunities of the future.

The last year has been a whirlwind for all the candidates McCain has come back from near death early in the season to capture the nomination from a flip flopper and social liberal republican. A very difficult season to say the least. Barack has dealt with the inexperience card, the unpatriotic card, the bad preacher card, the slumlord ties, and the fact he's still a minority in a racially divided nation. I would say that Barack has repeatedly got up from the mat to show he has the mettle to lead the nation. He has broken ground in fund raising, energized the general public, and with ad visors mapped a winning campaign strategy overcoming insurmountable odds. If he runs the country the way he runs the campaign the American people should be in great shape.

Both sides of the political spectrum, i believe see this and are mentally preparing. The conservatively leaning right are bashing their own candidate. The base seem to be taking slow steps to recede in the shadows. The blogosphere are making Obama administration jabs, and what the future holds rants. The other side is having meetings to set campaign agenda allegedly and trying to unify the party.

Anyways, I firmly believe that Ronald Reagan would be spinning in his grave if he knew how much McCain is trying to stake a claim as an heir to his political legacy. Especially after being inseparable with the Bush White House.

Here's a speech truly worthy taking the time to watch.


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June 7, 2008

Clinton: "Path to Peace, Prosperity and Progress."

Done. Finally.

You know, as critical as I have been of Hillary during this campaign, I do feel that she deserves a salute on her way out. She's been an influential voice and powerfully visible figure for progressive causes for a couple of decades, and her impact on the American political scene cannot be overstated.

As a politician, Hillary Clinton is the perfect example of a Democrat with a Spine; a rare creature indeed. She plays hardball, doesn't pull punches, and is obviously willing to fight to her last dying breath for the causes she believes in. The other cringing, capitulating congress critters who call themselves Democrats (with a few exceptions) can, and should, learn a great deal from her.

She gave a speech today (I believe) which C&L reports will be running in full on MSNBC today at 4 o'clock Eastern time, in which she officially backs Obama in his candidacy for the Presidency. It was one of her better pieces of oratory, and hopefully will mend some of the rifts in the Democratic Party (real or media-made) and prime the Party to stomp McBush this November. She referred to an Obama victory as "the path to peace, prosperity and progress" for the country, and I can't think of a better way to put it. It might be shallow and calculating of me, but when I hear that line, I think "campaign slogan," and I like it. It'll sell.

  • Peace; getting our kids out of that bloodthirsty desert where Bush took the modern conservative movement to die.
  • Prosperity; a break from the financially suicidal policies of "rob from the poor to feed the rich" which have dominated our economy, dictated to and implemented by Dubya from the boardrooms of Houston, Galveston, and New York.
  • Progress; providing real care for our veterans, returning sanity to out international policy, ensuring equal rights for all Americans (protecting them from Big Money lobbyists who drown out their voices and from archaic social oppression more at home in Torquemada's Spain than a modernized nation), and hopefully provide adequate health care for our citizenry.

The list obviously can go on and on, listing the multitude of criminally catastrophic fuck-ups perpetrated by the Buch Cartel, but the point is, any Democrat (hell, almost any sentient being) can and will do a better job of piloting this country than George "All Hat, No Cattle" Bush, and John McSame represents nothing more than a third term of Neocon blood lust and bullshit, except this time the military service claimed by the candidate actually occurred.

So, well done Hillary. Way to stop drilling holes in the hull before the boat actually goes down. She sure did make me nervous, waiting until the train of a "sundered party" was damn near on top of us to jump off the tracks, but she did jump. I really can't condone that kind of selfish campaigning, but its over now, the party is in good shape behind a strong nominee, and as they say, no blood, no foul.

EDIT: Yeah yeah, I just noticed the crazy hodge-podge of metaphors in that last paragraph. Whatever, I like em, they'll stay.

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June 5, 2008

Empty Suit (and Words), My Ass

Today, Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) took an enormous step towards reforming the corrupt, archaic cash-fixation that is D.C. politics. They have made a joint declaration that the Democratic Party, in stark contrast to the McBush campaign, will no longer accept donations from Washington lobbyists or 527's. It is unclear whether this will extend down-ticket, forbidding any Democrat from accepting lobbyist or 527 cheddar, but it does apply to the Obama campaign and to the DNC general election fund. This represents a historic departure from previous campaign cycles, where candidates and parties have traditionally pandered to whichever groups or firms offered the greatest financial boost to their efforts.

This, of course, flies in the face of the message issued by the Rightwing Noise Machine, claiming that Obama is an "empty suit," a man of lofty rhetoric without substance. Revolutionizing the fund raising standards of one of the two major political parties in the country? I think that counts as substance if anything does. This is that Change, with a capital C, that Obama and the Dems have been advancing and the Republicans have been failing to embrace.

Good to see our Man Obama follow through on his "people power" talk. I'd love to see Obama call the McCain/K Street campaign on this issue during on of McBush's proposed townhall meetings. Lets see if McCain's "strength" really is getting burned, rhetorically, in a small setting instead of getting burned on the national stage. Either way, this move is a huge victory for the voice of the people and for Democracy in general, and its going to make the whole "Obama is out of touch of the average American" argument seem pretty silly, seeing as Obama will be refusing the pander-cash from the D.C. powerhouses that outspend the People's Voice in Washington while McCain's floundering presidential bid will be lapping it up. He sure is "A Leader We Can Beleive In," if by "we" he means "we the D.C./K Street Elite."

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Sounds Like Hill's Out On Saturday...

Via Mother Jones Blog, Jonathon Stein says the Clinton campaign will hold an event in Washington DC to thank her supporters and throw some support Obama's way.

Finally an end to this madness, it is about time! Now let's get the general election excitement started! 5 months of exciting stuff to come.

I'm sure the Republicans will play up the Obama-Islam/Crazy Liberal/inexperienced/Hussein vein, as Barack himself has acknowledged, but I think they'll keep it rather tame otherwise.

But that doesn't mean this race will be friendly by any means. The 527's are going to turn this election into a culture war. The groups may mask the true message behind the curtain of the madrasa, Rev. Wright, quotes concerning islam, and quotes his wife has made; but the message will be clear, Barack Obama isn't white.

My only hope is that it isn't affective. I feel like it shouldn't matter, I know I'm going to support him no matter what his color. There have been appointees (which granted is a wholly different mechanism with lower standard of replacement) from different countries who serve this country to their best (I'm looking at you California), and there will be plenty more as the cultural makeup of the country shifts (I know, didn't all you conservatives just squirm a little). I hope the population will be able to see past the racial tensions and cultural divides the ads will try to conjure up (on both sides of the fence) and focus on today. Are you better today than eight years ago? Realize that one candidate offers connections to the same think tank and political stronghold that has brought us to the present, while the other offers a new perspective. Its your job to truly look into the facts and find out whether that alternative perspective offers better than the future our current policies hold. Maybe I'm just infected with the liberal spew but I'm pretty sure I don't want anymore of what the Republicans are selling.

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