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Who is the Handler? (Palin's, of course)
Sarah Palin's small-town-girl-takes-on-Washington act is a brilliant success, for today anyway. But anytime political parties bring their aw-shucks, folksy Gomer Pyles out in front of the klieg lights, it's time to suspend disbelief. And that's especially true when the Republicans, party of corporate America and Big Oil, are casting the show.
Yes, Governor Palin was born and raised in a town called Wasilla, hunts caribou, married "her guy" from high school who races, in her words, "snow machines" (when did they graduate from being snow-mobiles?) and apparently knows how to load and shoot a gun. She also really is a mother, a mother of a hockey player too, and a member of the PTA.
However, one need only check out Jim Yardley's enlightening reportage from Wasilla in yesterday's New York Times to smell the rat. Sarah Palin is no average Jane, much as she looks and sounds like one. On the contrary, Sarah Palin's entry into politics and subsequent rise has all the hallmarks of having been engineered, coached and groomed by bigger outside forces with a bigger plan.
Her first election to mayor in 1996 was based on "wedge Issues" - abortion, gun control, and proof of hard-core religiosity - issues that had never been discussed before in the town of 7,000, where politicians had run on where they stood on bingo revenue and fixing muddy roads.
Listen to the shell-shocked fellow she beat in that first election, the three term incumbent Mayor of Wasilla, John C. Stein. "Sarah comes in with all this ideological stuff, and I was like, 'Whoa. But that got her elected: abortion, gun rights, term limits and the religious born-again thing. I'm not a churchgoing guy, and that was another issue: 'We will have our first Christian mayor.'"
There was a time when America's small town governments were about local civics and its churches really were mainly about spirituality. That quaint era vanished, within living memory, with the rise of the "Christian right" which literally infected mainstream American Christianity with hateful brochures about gays, guns, and abortion.
For the rest of this story & more on Palin, please visit:
http://www.newscientist.com/blog/environment/2008/09/wi... Sarah Palin's small-town-girl-takes-on-Washington act is a brilliant success, for today anyway. But anytime political parties bri... more -
Shooting First: Democrat gun policies
The media is every ready to criticise the Democrats for having no policy differences and not debating issues.
40 years after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Junior and Robert Kennedy the gun debate in the U.S. has hit rock bottom. After Barack Obama's comments about small town America clinging to guns, Clinton's campaign has sent a mailout to Indiana voters questioning his stance on guns: Where Does Barack Obama really stand on guns?
So what are the key bloggers saying? The media is every ready to criticise the Democrats for having no policy differences and not debating issues. ... more -
Smooth Sailing Till The Next Election? Maybe Not
“[T]he entire continuum of public and private life in the United States has been transformed by 9/11, the lengthy preparations for it, the ensuing cover-up, and the massive consolidation of authoritarian policies and institutions achieved in its wake. In short, I maintain that unless this phenomenon is exposed at its roots, the fundamental changes it has wrought will become permanent. That would constitute the death of the American republic.”
-Michael Ruppert, “Crossing the Rubicon”, page 14
We currently have an illegitimate, fascist war criminal administration in control of our government, that stole the elections that gave them that power, engineered an act of state sponsored-terrorism in order to remove all of the Rights that countless patriots have died for, and invade two nations in order to steal more oil and land for profit and imperial power. They have been torturing, illegally detaining and killing countless innocents over the past years, while bankrupting our economy to further concentrate the power in the hands of international bankers and corporations, who are their masters.
If all of that sounds ridiculous to you, you may want to stop reading now; you are probably too brainwashed for this information to be of any use to you. If however, you have not relied on the controlled corporate media for your information, and have seen and heard the quality evidence that supports these claims, read on.
I believe the time is critical now, because it is unlikely that these fascist murderers are going to leave office quietly without perpetrating more violence and without using the tyrannical powers which they have given themselves in the name of “The War on Terror”. Why would they pass laws streamlining the process to create martial law, forced vaccinations, detentions without trial, etc. unless they were planning on using them? Do you, like so many others, think that Obama or Clinton is going to restore all our rights and save the planet from ecological destruction, and all we have to do is wait till November? That would be nice, but when we take into consideration what these sadistic fascists have already done, it is prudent to not assume they are done with their evil ways.
First off we have to IGNORE THE CIRCUS ON NPR/FOX, ETC. The presidential campaigns being the top story of the corporate media, starting over a year and a half before the 08 election, is a purposeful distraction from issues of real importance like the truth about 9/11 and the past two elections. This media circus would have us forget that all of our Constitutional rights have been removed, and that we now live in a police state, partially dormant. Never mind that over a million civilians have already been killed, never mind the women and children that were killed today with bullets and bombs paid for by your tax dollars, no, instead lets get the latest update on how many millions McCain, Clinton, Obama, etc. have raised. (Notice too, the lack of commentary on campaign finance reform, that might actually return us to a Republic where representatives would actually represent the People, instead of corporations). Never mind that the evidence is overwhelming that the past two presidential elections were rigged and 9/11 was an inside job, no, pay attention to the manufactured circus America, so that impeachment will seem like a ridiculous idea.
more at the link “[T]he entire continuum of public and private life in the United States has been transformed by 9/11, the lengthy preparations for it,... more -
Indiana Voters Excited To Vote In Primary
RUSHVILLE, Indiana (Reuters) - Florist Lori McCullar barely remembers the last time Indiana really mattered in a U.S. presidential primary. Now the 45-year-old is relishing her state's place in the political spotlight.
"I'm old enough to know we've never made a difference before -- well, not in a long time," said McCullar as she fielded telephone calls and took orders at her flower shop on the main street of this southeast Indiana town.
This year, Indiana's primary on Tuesday looms as the possibly decisive battle between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama over who will represent the Democrats in the November presidential election.
While the conservative Midwestern state is solidly Republican and unlikely to be heavily contested in November, polls show the Democratic primary race between Clinton and Obama is tight. With Obama ahead in the polls in the North Carolina contest, also held on Tuesday, the major focus has turned to Indiana, where Clinton needs a victory to continue her fight.
The former first lady trails Obama in both the popular vote and number of delegates who select the party's nominee at its August convention.
McCullar said she's pulling for Clinton, but her college-aged daughter is an Obama supporter -- and the two joke about hoping the other is too busy to vote on Tuesday.
Voters are excited, said Russell L. Hanson, a political science professor at Indiana University Bloomington.
"There's been a dramatic increase in voter registration," said Hanson. "People are gratified by it, interested in the race and paying attention, and they rather like the idea that they might determine the outcome -- or at least influence it in some important way."
more at the link RUSHVILLE, Indiana (Reuters) - Florist Lori McCullar barely remembers the last time Indiana really mattered in a U.S. presidential pri... more -
Penn Primary Blues
Michigan and Florida will hang over the Democrat 2008 primaries for a long time. An internal party dustup might have cost Hillary Clinton the nomination and almost certainly the presidency as a result. She has been playing catchup with a stacked deck (love those mixed metaphors). The job of the Super Delegates will be tough if it stays close. They are part of the process just like its many other imperfect aspects.Take Texas for instance. Clinton won 50.89% of the primary vote in the primary and captured 65 delegates to the national convention. Obama's 47.37% gave him 61. When the caucus convention process finishes in June, Obama should win 38 national delegates to Clinton's 29. Seems fair except that to vote in the caucuses they had to vote in the primary first. Barack did well in caucus votes probably because of the nature of the these meetings. Please see Obama: King of the Caucuses at http://laborview.blogspot.com/2008/03/obama-king-of-cau... for more on this.
The outcome of all this was that Clinton won the Texas popular vote clearly but could end up with less delegates than Obama, 94 to 99.
Doubtless Obama supporters will scream from the rooftops if Clinton wins at the National Democratic Convention in August without a majority of the popular vote or primary/caucus delegates. The strategy is only to object to the rules if they work against your side.
Who would ever have imagined that Indiana would be a real player in this enervating scenario? Michigan and Florida will hang over the Democrat 2008 primaries for a long time. An internal party dustup might have cost Hillary Clin... more -
Jon Stewart Gets All Earnest On Us!
Obama Race Speech "Spoke To Americans As Though They Were Adults"
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The Great Presidential Race
A campaign metaphor:
Hillary as the second-hand station wagon. Reliable. Lots of miles on the clock and lots of baggage. And a passenger who used to do all the driving.
Barack as a brand new Four Wheel Drive/SUV. Low miles, in fact hardly run-in. Plenty of room for all those who want to get on board. Video display, GPS, good vision all round. Yet to go off road. A campaign metaphor: ... more -
Super-er Tuesday?
There may not be as many states voting today as did on the original Super Tuesday, but given the state of both the Democratic and Republican races, today could very well prove to be even more important than February 5th.
For John McCain, today holds the potential for him to win enough delegates to finally secure the nomination (if not the hearts of his party) and boot his last remaining opponent Mike Huckabee to the curb.
And for the Democrats, Hillary Clinton is being cast in a do or die spot, while Barack Obama is hoping to prove the success he's enjoyed in wins through the last 11 states was not a fluke.
Here's where I'm confused. The media is acting like today could be decisive for the Democrats - with calls that Clinton consider bowing out if she doesn't win/Obama being unstoppable in one outcome, or claims of a "fad" if Obama doesn't perform well... But the truth of the matter is, I expect both the big states that are voting today, Texas and Ohio, to be close. Maybe they won't be, but if the polls are accurate, a "win" could mean a few percentage points over the opponent. And since the delegates are split proportionally...that means a few more or a few less delegates. Which means chances are no one is going to pull that far ahead. An Obama win by a few points in Texas allows him to pull a little further ahead, a Clinton win in Ohio by a few points allows her to catch up a little bit...but none of this means the nomination is clenched, unless one or the other wins big!!, and that seems unlikely. So why all the fuss? There may not be as many states voting today as did on the original Super Tuesday, but given the state of both the Democratic and Repu... more -
Texas and the Democrats
Texas is, no doubt about it, a "red" state. But according to this Time piece, the lone star state is enjoying the "rodeo" that is the Democratic primary process (a primary and a caucus, each getting a portion of the state's delegates to hand out!) between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Texas is, no doubt about it, a "red" state. But according to this Time piece, the lone star state is enjoying the "rod... more
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It's Not Over Until the Fat Lady Sings
Last Tuesday’s (Feb. 19) presidential debate demonstrated the strength of this year's democratic candidates. Clinton and Obama provided thoughtful policy analyses and solutions, and clearly laid out their visions for America. Post-debate consensus from political pundits and the media was that Clinton failed to deliver a "knock-out" punch to blunt Obama's momentum. As Clinton's leads in the polls have shrunk to statistical insignificance against Obama in Texas and Ohio, many now believe the democratic contest is over. Notwithstanding Ted Kennedy's attempt, in his broken Spanish, to serenade the Obama crowd with a popular Mexican song in Laredo, TX last week (sounds like someone was choking a cat), the fat lady has yet to sing.
The Clintons have successfully weathered many storms in the past largely due to their political shrewdness, patience and flexibility in retooling their strategies and approaches. When friends and foes pronounced their deaths, they always managed to comeback and win. Moving forward to the March 4 battleground states – Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont – Clinton’s strategy is two fold. First, her conciliatory tone at the first of two debates in Austin last week was to strategically lower expectations and signal to the media and Republicans the possibility of an Obama presidency is real. This will increase media scrutiny and Republican attack on Obama. Second, in the coming week and second debate, Clinton will sharpen and zero in on her criticisms of Obama on policy differences, mainly healthcare and economy. This will force Obama into a defensive posture and off message as Clinton portrays herself as a populist and fighter.
Finally, Clinton has strong ground operations in Texas and Ohio to match Obama's, and as New Hampshire demonstrated, they matter in close contests. If I were Ted Kennedy, I probably would not attempt to sing again, at least not yet and hopefully, not in Spanish. Last Tuesday’s (Feb. 19) presidential debate demonstrated the strength of this year's democratic candidates. Clinton and Obama pr... more -
Obama says Clinton's anger over mailings is tactical
Hillary Clinton has been lashing out over a mailing sent out by Barack Obama's campaign undermining her health care plan.
Obama has now responded, saying her anger is little more than a tactical move and that he doesn't understand the sudden ire over the mailings that have been around for about a week.
I guess negativity and attacks work...look no further than the Swift Boat for proof. But I was so hoping this year would be different, especially in the primary. The Democrats aren't even facing the Republicans yet - I guess it's just gonna go downhill from here? Hillary Clinton has been lashing out over a mailing sent out by Barack Obama's campaign undermining her health care plan. ... more -
Conan O'Brien relaunches John McCain's Secrets...
Sure the war might be an issue the Dems can use against him...
But what about that "McCain-Feingold Single's Guide to Portland." Sure the war might be an issue the Dems can use against him... ... more -
Voting through sun and snow
Democratic voters head to the polls in snowy Wisconsin and to the caucuses in sunny Hawaii (my home state!) today to cast their votes for their party's presidential nominee. The race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama remains extremely close, and the campaign has taken a more negative turn this week with both airing negative ads.
Meanwhile Republicans get to have their say in Wisconsin and Washington state, where John McCain, after securing the backing of several more top GOP party members including former President Bush, is hoping to finally knock Mike Huckabee out of the running. Democratic voters head to the polls in snowy Wisconsin and to the caucuses in sunny Hawaii (my home state!) today to cast their votes ... more -
Obama's Surge; Clinton's Last Stand
Obama had a good week, winning eight additional primaries and caucuses in a row, some by a wide margin. He now leads Clinton by 67 delegates according to Washington Post's RealClearPolitics. Obama surpasses Clinton in fundraising and is projected to win Wisconsin and Hawaii (his birth place) this Tuesday. Once an underdog and insurgent candidate, Obama is now the indisputable front-runner. Momentum may be on his side, but the nomination contest is far from over - the delegate ratio between Obama and Clinton is less than 1%, and there are 16 remaining races with more than 800 delegates at stake. Moreover, as the front-runner, Obama is fighting a three-front war – not only against Clinton, but also countering McCain, the de-facto Republican nominee, and the media – that will potentially strain his resources. Obama's momentum will bring increasing press scrutiny on his legislative records, speeches, and policy proposals and positions. The next few weeks will test the strength of Obama's surge.
On the other hand, Clinton's painful losses to Obama has threatened to derail her candidacy. Gone are her campaign manager and deputy manager, fundraising prowess, and front-runner status. As political pundits and commentators begin to write her political obituary – many are reminded that the Clintons have been down this road before, and time after time, they managed to comeback and beat their opponents with a stronger zeal. This is certain – battle lines have been drawn and for Clinton to be viable, her last stands are in Texas and Ohio. She is currently leading in the polls and if she wins these two states on March 4, Clinton will be competitive in the remaining races, especially in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Vermont, and West Virginia. Clinton may be down, but she is not out.
One thing is for sure, whoever emerges as the democratic nominee will be a stronger and formidable candidate against McCain. Obama had a good week, winning eight additional primaries and caucuses in a row, some by a wide margin. He now leads Clinton by 67 del... more -
Obama loves Obama
This is not a bout of Narcissism by the Senator cum presidential candidate. This is an article detailing the groundswell of support that is coming from the tiny city of around thirty thousand in Japan. Obama was the first to make remarks on the shared name which means little beach in Japanese. I must admit a mild fascination with etymology. I actually am the only person to have my full name in the entire world and as my username suggests I share my name with a certain north American country. This is not a bout of Narcissism by the Senator cum presidential candidate. This is an article detailing the groundswell of support th... more
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Figuring out Florida and Michigan
Controversy, debate, and conversation continue to swirl around what to do about Florida and Michigan who forfeited their delegates in the Democratic nomination process by pushing their voting dates earlier than the rules allowed, but who now want their votes to count. They probably should have thought about that before breaking the rules, huh? Remember kids, patience is a virtue.
With a total of 366 delegates between the two states, and given the currently neck and neck delegate counts, the decision could make or break either campaign. Controversy, debate, and conversation continue to swirl around what to do about Florida and Michigan who forfeited their delegates in ... more -
The Un-democratic Democratic Superdelegates
Recent discussions focused on who superdelegates will support at the party convention in June. Given the closeness of the race and disqualifications of more than 300 delegates from Michigan and Florida, it is unlikely that either Clinton or Obama will have the necessary 2025 delegates needed to win the nomination. Superdelegates make up about 20% or 800 of the total delegate counts, and are seen as the deciding factor in the democratic race.
It is perplexing and ironic that the eventual party nominee may be selected by a group of party insiders and some non-elected officials. The intent of proportionality of delegates (as opposed to winner takes all) was based on the principle of fairness and attempt to truly reflect the desire of voters in each congressional district. Superdelegates were meant to allow party leaders/insiders to play a key role in the nomination process – to perhaps influence candidates on specific policy issues or positions, but certainly not as kingmakers.
The increasingly diverse democratic constituency vis-à-vis the shrinking Republican Party tent will likely attract and excite certain demographic groups, and they will gravitate toward a particular candidate. The Clinton-Obama divide will not be the last, but the beginning struggle for party influence between Latinos and African Americans, elites/educated and working class, Baby Boomers, Gen X and Y, females and males, etc. The existence of superdelegates and the role they play in close contests will no doubt be viewed suspiciously by the losing candidate and their supporters. The Democratic Party should revamp the nomination process perhaps, first by jettisoning the superdelegates, and simply awarding the nomination to the candidate with the most votes. But again, politics is never this simple. Recent discussions focused on who superdelegates will support at the party convention in June. Given the closeness of the race and dis... more -
Get your vote on!
If you live in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington D.C., that is.
It's the Potomac Primary, folks! Voters in The Beltway get to weigh in on who they want as their party's candidate for the general election in November. Early polling shows McCain and Obama are favored to win, but as they say, you never can be sure what a voter will do when they get in that booth! If you live in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington D.C., that is. ... more -
Results (or at least the predictions) are rolling in
Mike Huckabee won in Kansas by a whole bunch (60% to John McCain's 24% and Ron Paul's 11%) and has taken an early lead in Louisiana: with 53% of the vote counted, he's ahead with 48% of the vote to McCain's 38%.
Meanwhile, by CNN's estimates, Barack Obama made a clean sweep of the three states the democrats were competing in: with 53% of precincts reporting in Louisiana he was leading over Hillary Clinton 53% to 39%. In Nebraska, with 99% of precincts reporting, Obama had 68% of the vote to Clinton's 32%, and in Washington, the count was 68% Obama to 31% Clinton with 94% reporting. Mike Huckabee won in Kansas by a whole bunch (60% to John McCain's 24% and Ron Paul's 11%) and has taken an early lead in Lo... more -
The Primaries Maze
Kaj Larsen walks us through the maze of the primary system, where Super Delegates and Super Tuesday reign supreme.
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Presidential Primaries
