Mr. Obama - Who are you?

Obama - Agent of Change

Jennifer Rubin

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac survived scrutiny by manipulating, cajoling, and lobbying politicians and hiring board members who were politicos (e.g. Jamie Gorelick) rather than mortgage gurus. They hired lobbyists, gave massive donations, obtained nice tax breaks, and sailed below the regulatory radar screen.

Of the 354 lawmakers who received money from Freddie and Fannie between 1989 and 2008, Sen. Chris Dodd received the most. But next was . . . drumroll . . . . Barak Obama Yup. And he was only there for three years. Not too much went to John McCain, about a sixth of what Obama received (h/t Glenn Reynolds.)

But, you say, maybe all the Fannie and Freddie employees who gave money just “liked” Obama. That might make sense with ordinary institutions. But these two had a game plan to influence and sway lawmakers for the purpose of keeping them on the government gravy train and out of the regulatory line of fire. It’s no coincidence that they “liked” Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd best of all.

So it would appear that this is precisely what Obama has been railing against: Washington insiders lining the pockets of other Washington insiders while the taxpayers ultimately have to foot the bill. The Agent of Change, it seems, didn’t exactly walk the walk on this one.

Senator Biden to Quit, Hillary to Become Obama’s VP?

This report may be be breaking news of immense national political importance as a direct result of what the NEIN Blog has previously described as “The Palin Effect.”

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Fineman on Obama's Woes

An excellent, concise list of some of the reasons Obama's is tanking. It all boils down to his "pride", according to Howard. Hard to believe, as Barky has never done anything to be proud of. His rapid rise to the top included mowing down anyone that got in his way. He uses worn out platitudes and rhetoric and is weak on actual policy. Now, he's using women to shore up his dwindling campaign. Not exactly a sterling example.

Here

Carly Fiorina is kicking Clare McCaskills's ass on This Week with George Steph. Two women debating politics on a Sunday morning talk show. It's about time. Obama is scared and he should be.

Will Bower: My History Of P.U.M.A.: From Iowa To Denver and

Will Bower's History of the P.U.M.A. movement on the Huffington Post.

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Barack Obama the speechmaker is being rumbled | Gerard Baker

There is a yawning gulf between what the Democratic candidate says and how he has acted. That's why the race is so close

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Crossing the line

Lipstick on a pig, huh? I am so mad I could spit.

More later.

UPDATE: Sometimes pictures speak louder than words.

Hillary's Stolen Delegates or How the DNC Stole Your Vote

Convention Vote Tally Analysis from DemConWatchConvention Vote Tally Analysis

We've gone through the numbers, and there's lots of interesting data to be looked at.

First, top line. Going into the convention, we estimated Obama at 2335 votes, (1842.5 pledged, 492.5 superdelegates), and Clinton at 1973 votes, (1720.5 pledged, 252.5 superdelegates), Edwards at 3, and 108 superdelegates uncommitted.

The results reported by the DNCC: Obama 3188.5 (+894.5), Clinton 1010.5 (-988.5), Not Voting 220 (+94 from superdelegate uncommitted). What this shows us is that at least 94 Clinton delegates abstained from voting, instead of voting for either Clinton or Obama. But it's actually more. Let's look at some key states:

CA: Was Clinton 233, Obama 200, Uncommitted 8. Convention Tally: Clinton 145 (-88) Obama 255 (+55), NV 41. At least 33 (88-55) Clinton delegates decided to abstain.

PA: Was Clinton 101, Obama 81, Uncommitted 5. Convention Tally: Clinton 20 (-81) Obama 137 (+56), NV 30. At least 25 Clinton delegates decided to abstain.

NJ: Was Clinton 71, Obama 55, Uncommitted 1. Convention Tally: Clinton 0 (-71) Obama 106 (+51), NV 21. At least 20 Clinton delegates decided to abstain.

An analysis of similar states show a total of 127 Clinton delegates (pledged and super) not voting for either candidate at the convention.

The three states above, CA, PA and NJ all had a high number of delegates not voting.

But there were only 3 other states that had 10% or more of their delegates not voting:

LA: 14 out of 67 not voting (21%), AL: 6 out of 60 not voting, MS: 4 out of 41 not voting.
Looks like early Gustav preparations for the Gulf Coast states. Fair enough.

So where did Clinton lose the most votes? Obviously in her biggest states:
NY: She lost 109 votes. CA: 88 votes. PA: 81 votes. NJ: 71 votes. OH: 59 votes. FL: 52 votes. MI: 49 votes.

In what big states did she lose a high % of her delegates?
NJ: She lost 100% of 71 delegates
PA: She lost 80% of 101 delegates
NY: She lost 59% of 185 delegates.
She also lost 100% of her delegates in AS, DE, NH, NJ, VI and VT.

Finally, there are two states that bucked these trends:

First, Iowa. Our estimate was Clinton 7, Obama 52, Uncommitted 4. Final Tally: Clinton 9, Obama 48. This is the only state where Clinton increased her numbers. Our guess is that the Green Papers estimates of Clinton's pledged delegate numbers did not reflect the fact that Clinton kept her state level delegates.

And finally, we should recognize Puerto Rico, which was the only delegation where Clinton received a majority of the delegates, 36-23.

Notes: All original Pledged Delegate numbers are from The Green Papers. All superdelegate numbers are from the DemConWatch Superdelegate Endorsement List, which was frozen on June 6th.
See Heidi Li's commentary here

Digg this: The Unexamined Life

In his memoir "Dreams from My Father," Barack Obama describes his troubled teenaged years. "Pot had helped, and booze, maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack though," he recalls, though he admits he came close to trying heroin at the urging of a friend who shot up in front of him.

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A Vote For The Democrats Is Not A Vote For The Left

If you are left of center, voting for a Democrat is voting against your principles. Stop doing it.

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Secretary Albright

Madam Secretary

Albright believes that being a woman was an advantage, permitting her to be both "humane" and "hard", as well as both charming and firm, and allowing her to switch signals. "I wish there were more women though," she admits, having been instrumental in establishing links between herself and the six other female United Nations representatives (despite there being 185 countries represented) when she worked there. Together they worked to ensure the appointment of two female judges to the UN War Crime Tribunal and to have rape declared as a 'weapon of war'. "I think there is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women".

Misogyny is alive and well at the DNC

I guess when your party's nominee is a misogynistic, lying, sexist man, you pattern yourself after him. Way to go, Democratic bloggers. I'm pretty sure anyone wandering over to your blog for information won't be inspired by your words.

Behold the comments on the DNC blog:

I heard that mchorny was looking at his VP's boxcar butt. What a dirty old man.
Posted by Johne on August 31, 2008

Sally and his ilk is always talking about somebodys butt, i wonder if he has seen his Republican parties, CEO of the Republican Convention, Mrs. Fat Arse Maria Cino. Hillary looks skinny next to her. This is a Amazon of a woman. She definitely eats at all you can eat buffets. And then after she eats there they put a sign on the outside of the restaurant, that says ("COME EARLY") Maria Cino CEO of the Republican party eats here today.
Posted by chassie

How long to you think it will take TMZ to find out the truth about that Downs Syndrome baby, that is Palin's 16 year old daughters. Just like Rove to not do all of his homework. I give it 2 weeks, but I hope it is later like October 22nd would be great. Palin is a lieing fake, baby not hers - 16 year old unmarried daughters basstard. Fun times ahead my friends, fun times ahead.
Posted by newsjunkie on August 31, 2008

UPDATE: Read what zuzu says

Heidi Li's Potpourri: Loyal Democrat of the Day: Ed O'Reilly

Heidi Li's Potpourri: Loyal Democrat of the Day: Ed O'Reilly

Palin v. Obama

Ok, this is from RedState, but it's really good!

A preview:

Most Courageous Moment in Public Service

Palin:
Resigned in protest from position of Ethics Commissioner of Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in order to expose legal violations and conflicts of interest of Alaska Republican leaders, including the former state Attorney General and the State GOP Chairman (who was also an Oil & Gas Commissioner), who was doing work for the party on public time and supplying a lobbyist with a sensitive e-mail.

Obama:
Gave an anti-Iraq war speech to a crowd of anti-Iraq war demonstrators in Hyde Park in 2002

In Current Office Because:

Palin:
Upset sitting Governor in GOP primary due to public support for her efforts to clean up corrupt government establishment

Obama:
Republican opponent, who was leading in the polls, was forced to leave race after unsealing of divorce records exposed a sex scandal

Family Affairs:

Palin:
May have removed State Public Safety Commissioner as part of effort to protect sister in messy divorce and child custody battle

Obama:
Often says, "I am my brother's keeper";
Brother lives in a hut in Nairobi on $12 per year

There's lots more!

Senator Obama

Obama doesn’t want to lead, he wants to rule. He isn’t offering change, he is threatening it. Obama has demonstrated that he will not tolerate dissent. This is the America he is promising and it isn’t an America anyone would ever want to see.

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I Feel Pretty

I feel pretty,
Oh, so pretty,
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
And I pity
Any man who isn't me tonight.

I feel charming,
Oh, so charming
It's alarming how charming I feel!
And so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real.

See the pretty man in that mirror there:
Who can that attractive man be?
Such a pretty face,
Such a pretty speech,
Such a pretty smile,
Such a pretty me!

I feel stunning
And entrancing,
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
For I'm loved and
I'm a pretty wonderful boy!

Cross posted at Alegre's Corner

Hillary Can't Fix What Her Party Broke

Democrats had turned on fellow Democrats, and although the arrows flew in all directions, the nastiest of the invective fell on the ladies who loved Hillary. That these loyal Democrats had been targeted made them nuts.

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A View From Denver - A Party in Pieces

Election ‘08: The idea of Democrats emerging unified from their acrimonious convention is laughable. If the GOP convention had the Clinton/Obama feud and John Edwards scandal, it would be declared a catastrophe.

You don’t have to wait until this week’s Democratic National Convention is over to know that the Party of Jefferson is shattered, and their gathering in Denver is a historic disaster.

Hillary Clinton may have delivered a rousing speech Tuesday night, but within it she took a not-so-subtle shot at Obama in suggesting that it would be her universal coverage health care plan he would end up signing into law as president. (Campaigning against him, she had blasted his plan for not covering everyone.)

And what real effect did her calls for unity have? “Yes, I’m still bitter,” California Hillary delegate Jerry Straughan, skeptical that former first lady really meant what she said, told the Washington Post. “Obamination Scares the Hell Out of Me” and “Nobama” buttons were prevalent.

Former Democratic National Committee chairman and Clinton crony Terry McAuliffe isn’t even staying in Denver for Obama’s Thursday night acceptance speech; Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell suggested that Obama is hard for average Americans to identify with; Bill Clinton on Tuesday in Denver waxed on before the cameras about the “hypothetical” dilemma of Democrats choosing a candidate who “agrees with you on everything, but you don’t think that person can deliver on anything.”

Democrats in the Mile High City are divided by sex and by race. Investor’s Business Daily observed a visible racial segregation among delegates when it came to hanging out together, a balkanization or clannishness fueled by very strong identity politics.

Angry Michigan delegates complained to IBD about their distant hotel accommodations, seeing it as payback for Michigan breaking party rules by holding its nomination contest early.

GOP strategist Mike Murphy described the feeling in Denver’s thin air to the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd as “submerged hate.”

On top of all that is Obama’s loss of support among two key groups — conservative Democrats and moderate-to-liberal Republicans. A new Gallup poll finds that since June, conservative Democrats backing Obama have dropped from 71% to 63%, while his GOP support has gone from 10% in June to 11% in mid-July, down to only 7% in Gallup’s latest tracking poll.

Imagine if it were the other party undergoing equivalent convulsions. Let’s say Mitt Romney’s supporters demanded an open floor vote and were seething with public resentment against John McCain, the way Hillary’s delegates are against Obama.

Add to that former President George H.W. Bush verbally undercutting McCain at every opportunity, in the manner of Bill Clinton’s anger toward Obama regarding Hillary, because of, say, statements he made against his son, the sitting president.

Finally, what if Mike Huckabee were involved in a cheating/love child scandal the way John Edwards is, and had become so much of an embarrassment that, like Edwards, he couldn’t even speak to his own party’s convention after winning lots of electoral votes?

Is there any doubt that the Democrats and the media elites would classify such a GOP convention as the biggest fiasco in the history of party politics?

In such a comparable scenario, would there be any speech Romney could give at the convention that would be hailed as healing the party’s wounds? Anything he — or any other Republican — could say that would give the media the kind of heart flutters Hillary’s performance gave, for instance, Newsweek’s Jon Meacham, who gushed that it was the best speech he’d ever seen while appearing on the magazine’s joint Webcast coverage with the Washington Post?

Feminists demanding a female president are fuming against race-obsessed radicals eager for a black president from the leftist cliques of the South Side of Chicago.

Maybe the Democratic Party’s longtime recipe of catering to this interest group and that has finally reached the boiling point.

Here

You all can relax now. Or, maybe not

Fox News reported earlier that Michelle was speaking to a women's group today and she assured them that Obama has matured and grown during this campaign process. Yeah, that's right. He's mature and grownup now.

I know that will take a load off. It means he is ready to govern. Really. That's what Michele said, so it must be true. He's literally grown into the Presidency before our own eyes. Zap, he's ready.

Uh oh. Gateway Pundit says Michelle Obama quoted lines from Saul Alinsky's "Rules For Radicals" (a pragmatic primer for realistic radicals) in her Convention speech. So, maybe all is not so swell in ObamaLand.

AT&T Thanks The Blue Dog Democrats With A Lavish Party

The nation's most influential faction in Congress meets with one of its most significant benefactors at the Convention -- and they forcibly bar the press and public from knowing what they're doing.

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Unity You Can't Believe In

A number of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s top advisers will not be staying in Denver long enough to hear Barack Obama accept the nomination for president, according to sources familiar with their schedules.

Clinton will deliver her speech Tuesday night. She will hold a private meeting with her top financial supporters Wednesday at noon, and will thank her delegates at an event that afternoon. Former president Bill Clinton will speak that night. Several of Hillary Clinton’s supporters are then planning to leave town. Among them, Terry McAuliffe, Clinton’s campaign chairman, and longtime supporters Steve Rattner and Maureen White. Another of Clinton’s top New York fundraisers, Alan Patricof, did not make the trip to Denver.

Here

The Denver Group: The Denver Group's print ad in The Hill, Monday, August 25, 2008

The Denver Group: The Denver Group's print ad in The Hill, Monday, August 25, 2008

10 Alternative Ways To Follow Democratic Convention News

We all know about watching cable news and reading the big newspapers' political sections, so here is a list of different ways to track news at the Democratic Convention that includes social media options like Twitter and FriendFeed and party tracking through the Sunlight Foundation.

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Kos On Joe Biden

Please click here. I know we all hate giving the Orange Satan traffic, but this will make you smile. I promise.

PS: As long as you are there, be sure that you click on the comments. They are a gift from the Goddess that will come back to bite O-Bots in the ass.

Is Joe Biden a Women's Issues Advocate?

Roundup:
Feministing
Biden's role in the Thomas hearings, particularly his treatment of Anita Hill, are something that get little mention these days. (Although some women remember.) Biden says he did not vociferously pursue Hill's charges of sexual harassment because he didn't want to go after a Supreme Court nominee the way Republicans would. Here's Charles Ogletree, who represented Hill, on why Biden's excuse is bullshit:
Shakesville (last week)
Because there's no way in blue hell that Obama could be foolish enough to be seriously considering for one blinking second putting on his ticket the speech plagiarizing, bankruptcy bill voting, Bush-coddling, racist, sexist asshat Biden, a consummate gaffe machine who launched his own '08 presidential bid with a screeching dog whistle that declared Obama "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
And Melissa Today
It's not the first time Biden's had problems with saying something racist, and he's no stranger to sexist commentary, either – which is only the beginning of his problems with women, on whose behalf he is decidedly inconsistent.
Although he authored the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 - a key tool in addressing domestic abuse nationally, which delegates federal funds for combating crimes against women - he does not support federal funding for abortion on the premise that it "imposes a view." (That view being, presumably, that women have agency over their own bodies.) Last year, he supported the "partial-birth abortion" ban, even without exceptions for the health or life of the mother, but also voted to reintroduce the Equal Rights Amendment.
Tennesse Guerilla Women
Hillary Rodham Clinton, the candidate who earned 18 million votes, was not even vetted. We're sure Biden's 200 voters are simply thrilled. The rest of us, well, just call us marginalized and invisible.
Back in the 1990s, Biden was the leader of the pack of 14 white male senators who conducted the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings. The committee of 14 men threw every sexist stereotype in the book at Anita Hill. Like Hillary, Joe Biden voted to authorize the war in Iraq, but that's so not a problem when a bro does it.
Voting record on abortion
Biden's pro choice score from NARAL: 36% in 2003 and 75% in 2007.
And some bigotry from Vast Left
The point of Biden's grandstanding is clear: he fancies himself the most electable Democrat, because he will uniquely wrap himself in the shroud of Turin. In fact, he's so holy he wanted to rip out the Adam's apple of a colleague who dared call an old-school religious ritual "quaint."
But, let's play angel's advocate: maybe Biden's not saying that atheists are bad, he's just saying not to disrespect religion.

What Were They Thinking??

OK, I just woke up and this is off the top of my head, but... JOE BIDEN?

The same Joe Biden who voted FOR the Iraq war?
The Same Joe Biden who stole a speech from a guy in England the first time he ran for President?
The same Joe Biden who, in 2005, voted for the egregious Republican Bankruptcy Bill?
The same Joe Biden who lives in a blue state with 3 electoral votes?
The same Joe Biden who is Senator for the State of Delaware, the corporate home of credit card companies, as Delaware allows them to charge credit card rates of 25%, 29%, and even 32%? Rates that other States find usurious and illegal?
The same Joe Biden whose mouth sometimes gets ahead of his brain? I can't wait for the commercials to start.

Biden isn't the "come knocking with hat in hand" sort of guy. You know, trying to convince us to vote for the O-Man. He's arrogant, too.

I'm hearing that he will be the "attack dog". The go to guy to smear McCain. Well, I'm sure the walks-on-water-chosen-one could never stoop that low.

In my opinion, they may get some Hillary male backers to support the Democratic ticket, but it won't inspire any women. If this choice was about winning the presidency instead of about Obama's huge ego, it would have been an Obama/Clinton ticket. Not that I wanted Hillary on this ticket, as I think she would have been blamed for his mistakes and he would have been given credit for her achievements. However, I would have had to vote for a ticket that included the most experienced candidate, even if she was on the bottom of the ticket.

So that burden has been lifted. Go Barry. Yawn.
UPDATE: Someone Agrees with Me

No Whiners Allowed

Yeah, yeah, I know. Ted is a Conservative. This time, however, I think he nailed it.

There is no whining allowed in my world. I have no time or interest in suffering spineless whiners and complainers.

Even with my damaged rock and roll ears, I can detect the slightest trace of whining by family, friends, staff or business associates. By now, they know I don’t whine and don’t tolerate anyone who does. (The beautiful result of that is an automatic whine elimination system that prevails in TedLand.)

It would be easy for me to complain that the music industry is not fair or that I believe the industry is full of scoundrels and liars. Instead of wasting valuable time lamenting and complaining about these obstacles, my modus operandi has, and will continue to be, to play my guitar louder, sexier, more ferocious and more often. I simply won’t go away.

ife isn’t fair, just or impartial. The road to success or victory is tough, demanding and obstructed with any number of moral and ethical hurdles. Sucker punches are legal. When you get hit from behind and knocked down, the mark of a mature, confident person is to spring back up, dusts himself off and get back in the arena. A winner does not complain.

The mark of an immature person is one who complains that something isn’t fair because the ball didn’t bounce his or her way. These people remind me of spoiled brats on the grade school playground who didn’t get picked for the team. Tough.

If anyone has a legitimate right to complain, it would be Sen. McCain. The print and television media coverage is obviously biased in favor of Sen. Obama, yet you do not hear McCain complaining about it. He continues to march face-first into the howling political winds like an American buffalo on a mission. I like that.

When Obama received European adulation (as if he were the Second Coming), McCain did not complain but rather continued his steadfast campaign on American turf. The McCain campaign soldiers on with a determined spirit and is picking up momentum as evidenced by the polls.

When McCain scored a knockout over Senator Obama the other night at the Saddleback Church in Orange County by answering Reverend Warren’s questions more confidently, clearly and decisively than the stumbling, obfuscating Obama, Obama’s campaign accused the Straight Talk Express of cheating. Whiners.

There is no evidence -- none -- that McCain heard Obama’s rambling and confusing answers prior to taking the stage and answering Reverend Warren’s questions. The evidence is pretty plain: when thrashed soundly by a superior opponent, the Obama camp whined like school girls.

The Obama camp, recognizing that McCain answered the questions in a more straightforward, presidential tone than their guy, immediately began complaining that McCain must have cheated by listening to Obama fumble his answers time and time again. Obama appeared like the freshman senator that he is.

The bottom line is this: McCain appeared much more presidential than Obama. And there is a very valid reason for this: as a natural leader, McCain is a far better choice than Obama, who is the guy with the least amount of experience in the history of presidential campaigns.

When Obama does not have a teleprompter in front of him to deliver another hollow message of transparent, symbolic hope and change, his speech and answers to questions are disjointed and confusing. Watch him closely. He is not confident.

Are you, like me, wondering how a President Obama would fair politically against determined adversaries such as Iranian psychopath Ahmadinejad, North Korea’s Littler Hitler, Kim Jong Il, or how he would navigate through political minefields such as the trade imbalance with China, Russian saber rattling which could lead to a new Cold War, etc.? Scary thought.

A President Obama would be immediately tested by both our friends and adversaries because they know he has zero experience and has never been thrown into the murky, underhanded, geopolitical arena where no one -- friend or foe -- plays fair.

Choosing a president is always a tough, demanding business, especially during tough and demanding times. Politics aside, we must always first look for certain character traits in our president: strong, resolute, determined, unshakable, and firm.

Obama displays none of these presidential character traits. I am concerned that, as our president, Obama would fold under the pressure of the job just like he folds and complains when the political campaign seas get a bit rough.

McCain is looking more presidential with each passing day. Strip away the hope and change slick veneer of Obama’s campaign and he looks like any other windbag politician peddling a hollow message. No thanks. We need to rid American politics of whiners, not hire on more.Article Here

You've Got to have Hope

A growing body of research suggests that there is a potent way to fight symptoms of depression that doesn’t involve getting a prescription.

This potent weapon? Hope.

“We’re finding that hope is consistently associated with fewer symptoms of depression. And the good news is that hope is something that can be taught, and can be developed in many of the people who need it,” said Jennifer Cheavens, assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University.

Cheavens and Laura Dreer of the University of Alabama at Birmingham discussed some of the latest research on how hope can battle depression during a symposium Saturday Aug. 16 in Boston at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Boston. More here

My question is this: What do all of these depressed people do when they find out that Hope didn't come through? That hope turned out to be just another word (like typical white people, clinging to guns and bibles) and there is really no way to turn Hope into anything concrete? Hope won't pay the bills, keep you healthy or safe, put your kids through college. You can't trust hope to protect what you've worked so hard for or protect the values you believe in. In fact, in the end, Hope will make you more depressed for believing in him, er, I mean it. Hope is just an empty suit with hollow words, who sucked you in. You've been waiting forever and nothing has changed. How depressing is that?

‘Pay grade’ unartful dodge

Well, uh, you know, I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or, uh, a scientific perspective, uh, answering that question with specificity, uh, you know, is, is, uh, above my pay grade.” - Sen. Barack Obama, on “When does a baby get human rights?”

In 1948, they had Harry Truman and “The buck stops here!”

In 2008, they’ve got Barack Obama and it’s “above my pay grade.”

This is definitely not your grandfather’s Democratic Party.

Certainly not mine. My grandfather, Ray Futrell, was a lifelong FDR Democrat, the kind who would proudly rather vote for a wife-beating, syphilitic drunkard than for a Republican. In fact, he would find the previous sentence entirely redundant.Read the rest at Boston Herald

HaHa HaHaHa HaHa Told you so!

The presidential race is tightening in New York State, where Senator Obama's lead has slipped by 10 points since June. HaHa!

According to a poll released yesterday, the Democrat leads Senator McCain by 47% to 39%, a healthy advantage that has nevertheless deteriorated significantly over the course of the summer. The poll, conducted by the Siena Research Institute, also indicated that Governor Paterson's "call to action" on the state's budget crisis is resonating with voters. Nearly half of them describe New York's fiscal condition as poor, yet the governor's approval ratings are increasing.

Mr. Obama is currently eight points ahead of Mr. McCain in New York, down from a 13-point lead in July and an 18-point lead in June. The chairman of Mr. McCain's New York campaign, Ed Cox, said that the Republican senator is making gains in the state largely because of his credibility on national security issues.

"For the presidency, this is going to be a national security election, and national security is a nonpartisan issue," Mr. Cox said. "New York becomes a purple state and not a blue state."

In the 2004 election, the Democrat, Senator Kerry, defeated President Bush in New York by a 19-point margin.

The McCain campaign has been criticized by some New Yorkers for setting up its regional headquarters in New Jersey, but Mr. Cox said the narrowing poll margin shows that "campaigns are about people, not about real estate."

While the Obama campaign has pledged to operate a New York headquarters, it has yet to open.

In a statement, the New York State director of the Obama campaign, Dave Pollak, said: "New Yorkers are looking for real change in Washington, D.C., not a third term of Bush's failed policies, which is what John McCain will provide. In the coming weeks, our campaign will open offices, hold volunteer trainings, and continue to take advantage of the growing and significant enthusiasm for the Senator's candidacy."

Obama - I WILL WIN

Gosh. As an attorney he should know that you never promise you will win. It's part of the canons of professional ethics. Maybe he was busy writing all of those articles for the Harvard Law Review when they covered this in law school.

Politico

A confident Barack Obama raised an extraordinary $7.8 million Sunday at three California fundraisers, most of it in large checks to a Democratic Party committee.

“I will win. Don’t worry about that,” he said to the crowd of about 1,300 at his third event of the evening, according to the pool report.

He was warmly received by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who called him "a leader that God has blessed us with at this time."

Obama echoed some of the themes he discussed when he described Pennsylvanians as "bitter" and stoked controversy three months ago, but did so much more adroitly.

"Now, you want to win. And saying it doesn’t make it so," he told the crowd. "It would be nice to think that after eight years of economic disaster, after eight years of bungled foreign policy, of being engaged in a war that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged, that cost us a trillion dollars and thousands of lives, that people would say, let’s toss the bums out. Toss the bums out, we’re starting from scratch, we’re starting over. This is not working."

“So I understand why a lot of folks are saying, this should just happen. Why are we having to run all these television commercials? Why do we have to raise all this money? Just read the papers. These are the knuckleheads who have been in charge. Throw ‘em out. But American politics aren’t that simple," he said.

"The fact of the matter is, at a certain point, when government has not been serving the people for this long, people get cynical. They tune out. And they start saying to themselves, a plague on both your houses. They are willing to consume negative information more frequently than positive information, for good reason. They’ve seen how promises haven’t been kept," he said.

Bush admin. disconnected from reality

The National Endowment for Democracy is a neoconservative organization funded by the US government to buy and rig elections in the former constituent parts of the Soviet empire. . .The purpose of the assault on South Ossetia by the American and the Israeli trained and equipped Georgian army was to ethnically cleanse that province of Russians.

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Stolen Nomination

The 2008 Democratic Party nomination for the presidency was stolen from Hillary Clinton and given to Barack Obama by certain members of the party leadership.

Five states broke the primary timing rules, but only two—big states that Hillary was sure to win, Michigan and Florida—were penalized. The holding back of those two states gave Obama the ability to claim he was ahead in the race, even when he wasn’t. Unfortunately, a lot of people fell for that nonsense and started to consider him the frontrunner. That had an impact on media coverage and likely influenced the vote in later primaries. Paul Lukasiak documented this problem on several blogs, including InsightAnalytical, and found other evidence of what he calls “‘stop Hillary’ corruption” among certain members of the party leadership.

There was manipulation, if not outright fraud, in the caucuses. A group is making a film about it, and Lynette Long offers a preview. Pacific John, writing at MyDD, gave us a taste of what went on in Texas, but it wasn’t the only state with serious problems reported. Lambert reports on Texas caucus fraud and the general unfairness of caucuses at Corrente. Dr. Long has started a new website, Caucus Fraud, to document as much as possible of what happened.Read the rest and pass this on to everyone you know

Blowback From Bear-Baiting - Georgia's Mistake

Mikheil Saakashvili's decision to use the opening of the Olympic Games to cover Georgia's invasion of its breakaway province of South Ossetia must rank in stupidity with Gamal Abdel-Nasser's decision to close the Straits of Tiran to Israeli ships. Nasser'

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Rory Kennedy Documentary on Helen Thomas

When Rory Kennedy told her mother, Ethel Kennedy, that she was going to make a documentary about Helen Thomas, the former Mrs. Robert Kennedy responded, "Do you really want to do that? She was awfully hard on Jack."

Eventually, though, her mother understood what the veteran documentary maker with the famous name wanted to do, even allowing her to interview Thomas at her famed Hickory Hill home in McLean, Va., over five days in the spring of 2007. "The three of us had lunch together every day," she adds. Read the rest

Will American Insouciance Destroy the World?

The neoconned Bush Regime and the Israeli-occupied American media are heading the innocent world toward nuclear war.Back in the Reagan years, the National Endowment for Democracy was created as a cold war tool. Today the NED is a neocon-controlled agent for US world hegemony.

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Heidi Li's Potpourri: Once again, things are periously close to being what they were

Heidi Li's Potpourri: Once again, things are periously close to being what they were

Obama, Evangelicals and Abortion

IT took 16 years, but an anti-abortion Bob Casey will get to speak at the Democratic convention.

In 1992, then-Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey Sr., a devout Catholic, was barred from speaking at the Democratic National Convention. Party leaders claimed it was because he'd refused to endorse candidate Bill Clinton. But Casey maintained it was because of his anti-abortion views.

Yesterday, Barack Obama offered Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) - also anti-abortion - a speaking slot at this year's convention.

This is part of the Obama campaign's concerted effort to signal a more moderate approach to abortion - in hope of attracting more Catholic and evangelical votes.

Isn't grabbing evangelical votes tilting at windmills for a Democrat? Not exactly, argues Steven Waldman, the president and editor-in-chief of Beliefnet. If Obama attracts just 10 percent more evangelicals than did John Kerry in 2004, it could make the difference between victory and defeat.

Earlier this week, many Catholic and evangelical leaders expressed delight in the new abortion plank in the Democratic platform, language that they say highlights the need to reduce the number of abortions in a way previously missing.

The Rev. Joel Hunter, a former leader of the Christian Coalition and a registered Republican, called the language an "historic and courageous step," saying "Pro-lifers from both parties can now both support Barack Obama on the basis that more lives will be saved than if they had just taken a moral stand hoping to overturn Roe v. Wade. Democrats have widened their public support of those mothers who choose life."

The 2004 platform said that abortion should be "safe, legal and rare." This was a step away from 1996 and 2000, when the plank only said "more rare."

To outsiders, it's just semantics - but moderate anti-abortion activists see major progress.

More than the language changes, leaders from these groups seemed grateful just for being involved in the process. Kristen Day of Democrats for Life says she couldn't even get her calls returned back in 2004: Anti-abortion groups just had no seat at the table. But this year, she got to speak to the head of the platform committee.

Other leaders reported that they had real, substantial involvement in the process. Said one, "They listened, they took us seriously, and they did their best to work out common ground."

The Obama campaign got credit for this welcome step toward finding a middle ground on this contentious issue. But Christian leaders also say that the abortion plank isn't the most important thing: What really matters is what Obama says about it - and how much emphasis he gives the issue. Many will watch his meeting with megachurch pastor Rick Warren this weekend - hoping that Obama reaffirms his earlier statement that abortion has a moral dimension.

Obama should also use that appearance as a chance to explain or disavow his vote in the Illinois Legislature against a bill to protect prematurely born babies, including those who were born alive during attempted abortions. His explanations thus far have been unconvincing and troubling (regardless of where you stand on abortion).

In a recent Barna Group poll, John McCain only barely leads Obama among evangelical voters - where President Bush captured 78 percent of their vote in 2004.

But pollster George Barna cautions: "The initial excitement about Sen. Obama has lost some luster" as voters learn more about his record. In a nutshell, many evangelicals haven't warmed to McCain, but they've moved to undecided, not to Obama. Obama needs to make them feel OK about voting for him.

Rarely does doing what's right and what is politically expedient line up so well. It's up to Obama to seize the opportunity.

Slapstick Politics: Colorado Democratic Delegate Thrown Under The Bus For Anti-Obama Remarks, Delegate Status Threatened

Slapstick Politics: Colorado Democratic Delegate Thrown Under The Bus For Anti-Obama Remarks, Delegate Status Threatened

Album Review: INNER GYPSY's Gypsychology

European HMP Magazine's Department of Virtuosity reviews INNER GYPSY's debut Album, Gypsychology.

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Hillary Supporters Pop Up in the Darndest Places

This is THE week of the summer for me. I am an antique dealer/collector and this week is Madison-Bouckville, the biggest antique show in New York State. The show is running true to tradition, as it either rains or the temperature rivals South Florida. So far this year, rain is winning out.

As I was navigating the mud and squeezing between a dealer setup and a huge box truck, a man stopped me and asked if he could shake my hand. Being a NY'er, I was immediately suspicious of his motives, but being a child of the 60's, I said sure.

He then congratulated me on my choice for nominee, as he spied the Hillary button on my jean jacket. He quickly introduced me to his wife, both South Carolina residents, told me an Obama/St. Peter joke that does not bear repeating and we had a brief conversation on what in the world is going on in the DNC. I ended up giving my Hillary button to them. The wife immediately pinned it to her T-shirt.

I didn't find any antique treasures yesterday, but I did come away from slogging miles in the rain and mud with a smile on my face.

The Leader of the (not so) Free World

Anglachel's Journal: Yes, it *is* about the fucking

Anglachel's Journal: Yes, it *is* about the fucking

And Another One Bites the Dust

So... John Edwards had an affair and lied about it. I find the fact that he chose to run for President, knowing that his wife had cancer and that she could learn about his affair a GIANT character flaw.

I now understand why he came out for Obama. It's all about him.

Bless Elizabeth Edwards. I hope her strength gets her through this.

Best Obama Facts

I found a link for this site over at Uppity's place. Here is a preview of what is there:

# Every now and then, Obama opens his eyes and the world springs into existence.

# When a tree falls in the forest, Obama hears it.

# Obama can clap with one hand.

# Prometheus was punished for plagiarizing Obama.

# Obama can make a journey of a thousand miles without a single step.

# Socks worn by Obama are used for climbing walls in Spiderman movies.

# Hillary Clinton dropped out of the race when she learned Obama's true name.

# "Obama" is the very first word in the English language to be a verb, adjective, noun, pronoun, adverb, interjection, superlative and pronad. (Pronad is a new category made specifically for the word "Obama" so its power can be fully realized).

# When Obama squints dreamily into the distance, he can see next week's lottery winning numbers. But he never plays because that would mean poverty of ambition.

# Obama can calculate your guilt just by looking at the numbers in your checkbook.

Get thee over to Best Obama Facts for a roaring good time.

Is Obama the End of Black Politics?

NYT Sunday Magazine

For some black operatives in the Clinton orbit — people who have functioned, going back to Jesse Jackson’s campaigns in the 1980s, as Democratic Washington’s liaisons to black America — the fallout from an Obama victory would likely be profound. “Some of them will have to walk the plank,” an Obama adviser told me bluntly. In their place, an Obama administration would empower a cadre of younger black advisers who would instantly become people to see in Washington’s transactional culture. Chief among them is Valerie Jarrett, a Chicago real estate developer who is one of Barack and Michelle Obama’s closest friends. “She’s poised to be one of the most influential people in politics, and particularly among African-Americans in politics,” Belcher told me. “She may be the next Vernon Jordan.” In fact, the last time I saw Clyburn, he told me he had just spent two and a half hours at breakfast with Jarrett.

Then there are operatives like Belcher himself; Michael Strautmanis, Obama’s former chief counsel and de facto younger brother, who first met Michelle Obama when he was working as a paralegal at her law firm; Matthew Nugen, a political aide who is Obama’s point man for the Democratic convention; and Paul Brathwaite, a 37-year-old lobbyist who used to be the executive director of the black caucus and who might act as a bridge between black congressmen and an Obama White House.

Should they win in November, Obama and these new advisers will confront an unfamiliar conundrum in American politics, which is how to be president of the United States and, by default, the most powerful voice in black America at the same time. Several black operatives and politicians with whom I spoke worried, eloquently, that an Obama presidency might actually leave black Americans less well represented in Washington rather than more so — that, in fact, the end of black politics, if that is what we are witnessing, might also mean the precipitous decline of black influence.

The Audacity of Obama

Before it is scrubbed from the site: Pray for Hillary and her supporters
And Heidi Li's voice of sanity

And note the bold below. What they are actually praying for is that Hillary and her supporters drop off the face of the earth so Obama can become president. Obama is Bush the Second and unless we do something soon, he will be coming to a town near you, where he will remain for the next 4 years. I'm not sure about God, but I know that Goddess is pissed to no end.

Pray for HRC and her supporters (Community Service)
From 6/1-9/1 Watching the spectical on Sat. at the rules meeting breaks my heart. We can't wait for HRC to see the light on her own, we need to begin praying for her and her supporters now. Please commit to praying for them daily to 1) stop trying to hurt the Obama's and the Democratic party. 2) Pray God will speak to them all and change their hearts so their only pursuit will be party unity and whole heartedly backing Sen. Obama.

Time: Friday, August 29 at 12:00 PM
Duration:
Host: Carolyn Jenkins
Location:
Right where you are each day (Stafford, VA)
Associated Groups: Barack's Inspired Phone Bank Army, Faith-Action-Change Virginia, Fauquier Residents for Obama, Mary Washington Students for Barack Obama, Prince William County Virginia group, Pro-life for Obama, Rappahannock County for Barack Obama, Stafford County for OBAMA, The Substance of Hope, Veterans and Other Heroes, Virginia for Obama, Virginia Veterans for Obama, Website Designers for Obama, Woodbridge, VA for Obama
Signup for 'Pray for HRC and her supporters'
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Obama runs into turbulence

From Modern Vedic Astrology:

On the heels of Barack Obama's successful world tour, his campaign has generated more potentially damaging controversy in recent days with the accusations about him playing the race card, the new McCain celeb ad that attempts to depict him in an unflattering light, and now Obama's apparent flip-flop on offshore drilling. Clearly, he is suffering the effects of the transiting Mars to his natal Mars. Several months ago, I had predicted that the first week of August would be a stressful and conflictual time for Obama and that seems to be taking place.

Given that Mars (25 Leo) is currently still a few degrees away from Obama's natal Mars (29 Leo), it's very likely that the upcoming week will mean more headaches and missteps for him. Remember, too, that the effect of this Mars transit to Obama is greatly magnified by the presence of transiting Uranus exactly opposite at 28 Aquarius. This combination can be volatile and is often associated with accidents and sudden actions which cause hardship. I don't think he's in any great danger here, but he's is likely to be on the receiving end of anger and animosity and maybe a rotten egg or tomato. I would expect more protests of the sort that he encountered in Florida when a number of black supporters tried to interrupted his speech. I think it's also possible that polling numbers to perhaps begin to favour McCain next week. Up to now, Obama has been ahead although his lead has shown signs of diminishing in recent weeks Obama's birthday is tomorrow August 4th. Before he blows out the candles, he may be wishing for Mars to get on its merry way.

I will post something on John McCain in the upcoming week. His natal Venus (29 Leo) will be subject to the same Mars-Uranus influence this week so he, too, may have to react to some sudden development that embodies some element of conflict or violence. It's possible there may be some news involving Iran that affects the presidential campaign.

Heidi Li's Potpourri: Courtesy of Senator Obama: Another "Checkers" Moment

Heidi Li's Potpourri: Courtesy of Senator Obama: Another "Checkers" Moment

Rotten to the Core and a Liar to Boot

8/3/2008
Letter from Senator Obama to the Chairs of the Committee

Hon. Alexis Herman
1333 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005

James Roosevelt, Jr.
14 Meadow Way
Cambridge, MA 02138

Eliseo Roques-Arroyo
PO Box 190998
San Juan, PR 00919

Dear Credentials Committee Chairs:

In just a few weeks, our Party will convene in Denver for our National Convention. This will be an historic event that will showcase our vision for changing the direction of our country.

The delegates and alternates who gather on Monday, August 25 will reflect the talent, energy and rich diversity of our Democratic Party. The delegates will come from all 56 states and territories. As these delegates go about the important business of the Convention, I believe Party unity calls for the delegates from Florida and Michigan to be able to participate fully alongside the delegates from the other states and territories. Accordingly, I ask that the Credentials Committee, when it meets on August 24 to approve the delegates for the National Convention, pass a resolution that would entitle each delegate from Florida and Michigan to cast a full vote.

As a candidate for the nomination, I supported the DNC's efforts to establish and enforce a schedule for primaries and caucuses that would broaden the opportunity for Democrats from all regions of the country and all backgrounds and walks of life to have a meaningful voice. An unprecedented number of voters participated in our Democratic nominating process. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Governor Dean for his principled leadership during this long and challenging process.

As we prepare to come together in Denver, however, we must be - and will be - united in our determination to change the course of our nation. To that end, Democrats in Florida and Michigan must know that they are full partners and colleagues in our historic mission to reshape Washington and lead our country in a new direction.

With warmest personal regards,

Barack Obama

Tin Foil Hat and Bubble Boy

I did a google search for news on Bill Clinton and this headline came up:

Former president Clinton: voting across racial divide not enough
Bangkok Post, Thailand - 7 hours ago
Washington (dpa) - In the first extensive interview since his wife lost the bruising presidential primary elections, former US president Bill Clinton called ...

However, when I clicked the link, I got this: Error: can not find the story! I tried going directly to the Bangkok Post and got the same results.

I was, however, able to access this story.
WASHINGTON - Democratic candidate Barack Obama on Saturday backed away from rival John McCain's challenge for a series of joint appearances, agreeing only to the standard three debates in the fall.

In May, when a McCain adviser proposed a series of pre-convention appearances at town hall meetings, Obama said, "I think that's a great idea." In summer stumping on the campaign trail, McCain has often noted that Obama had not followed through and joined him in any events.

Obama's reversal on town hall debates is part of a play-it-safe strategy he's adopted since claiming the nomination and grabbing a lead in national polls. Advisers to the Illinois senator, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss strategy, say Obama is reluctant to take chances or give McCain a high-profile stage now that Obama's the front-runner.

Good grief, even lame ass George Bush debated. Can they keep Obama in a bubble until after the GE? Or maybe ship him off to Europe until after the election?

Super Delegates

Alegre's Corner
I talked about the effort to pull together the 300 delegates needed on that nominating petition below the fold in an earlier post re San Francisco and the video of Hillary. I sent a link to that earlier post to Daniel Kagan, who's one of the delegate spearheading this effort, and he sent me the following for inclusion in this post...

"I don't understand the delegates who refuse to sign the petition. Their words pay lip service to democracy, but their actions say 'I won't vote for Clinton, and, by not signing the petition, I'm making sure you won't vote for her either.' Now, how can that be right? I would respect them far more if they took a leaf out of Voltaire's book and said 'Though I don't agree with the way you intend to vote, I will fight to the death for your right to vote that way. Give me that pen!'"

So it's time to put up or shut up when it comes to all this talk about unity folks. You say you want us to get behind your guy. We're telling you the best way to bring us aboard is to include Hillary's name on the ballot in Denver. Show us your words aren't empty by signing on to this nominating petition - even if you don't plan to vote for her.

Prove to us that you're all about an open and fair convention. Otherwise - we'll know you don't mean it when you tell us you want to reunify our party.

The ball's in your court folks - what are you going to do with it?

An Interesting Read

Every day, for the past several months, I've made a habit in my morning prayers of thanking God for the emergence of Barack Obama. Not because my hope is in Obama, but because my hope is always, unequivocally in God....>>

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The Irony of Obama

From an article entitled "GOP Trying to Scare Voters" in regard to Obama's townhall meeting in Springfield, MO on July 30, 2008:

Democrat Barack Obama, the first black candidate with a shot at winning the White House, says John McCain and his Republican allies will try to scare them by saying Obama "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."Here

From Obama's speech in Berlin on July 24, 2008:

"I know that I don’t look like the Americans who’ve previously spoken in this great city. The journey that led me here is improbable. My mother was born in the heartland of America, but my father grew up herding goats in Kenya. His father – my grandfather – was a cook, a domestic servant to the British". Here

So. It is okay for Obama to exploit his race to his advantage in his “this is our moment” speech rhetoric to offer visions of a world transformed.

However, apparently Camp Obama also believes it is perfectly acceptable for him to use the race card to his advantage by surmising that it just may be possible that McCain could hypothetically say:

"You know, he's not patriotic enough, he's got a funny name, you know, he doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."

McCain isn't saying this at all. Obama is. He said it in his Berlin speech.

Obama is using his race to appeal to you. And, Obama is using his race as his excuse if he doesn't. For Obama, it is all about race.

Mucho Grande Balls

"In His closed door meeting with House Democrats this evening, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama delivered a real zinger. According to a witness, He was waxing lyrical about last week’s trip to Europe, when He concluded, “this is the moment, as Nancy [Pelosi] noted, that the world is waiting for.”

The 200,000 souls who thronged to His speech in Berlin came not just for Him, he told the enthralled audience of congressional representatives.

“I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions,” He said.

Pass it around!

Hillary08or12

We are disenfranchised ex-Democrats, appalled by the Caucus frauds and the coup perpetrated by George Soros, Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and Donna Brazile, as the DNC allowed for 30 people to supersede the voice of 600,000 Americans and ignored their votes by hijacking Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's delegates and giving them to Barack Obama. The DNC is no longer our party as it disenfranchised all of us Americans when it made the people of Florida and Michigan half voters. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote and all the key States. We do not think on the other hand that Barack Obama shares our values and are outraged by his twenty year relationship with Rev. Wright, his friendship with Rev Fledger, his Friendship with admitted terrorists such as William Ayers and terrorists sympathizers Rashid Khalidi as well as his and Michelle Obama's friendship with Louis Farrakhan. We disapprove of B Obama's dealings with Tony Rezko. B.O. was selected not elected.

Democratic Party maybe presumes too much - about women

By Robin Lakoff
Why did the superdelegates move in such numbers to support Obama? Why did this occur, especially after Clinton victories? For example, I am thinking here of Robert Byrd. After Clinton's impressive victory in West Virginia, the senator and elder statesman representing that state came out in support of Obama. Because the superdelegates were created to ensure that the Democratic candidate be a centrist, why did so many superdelegates - including liberals and many women - support Obama? Two arguments were made: They wished to follow the will of the people in their district; and they believed that Obama was more electable. But as the Byrd case shows, the first claim was often false; and no one has any idea which of the two, Clinton or Obama, would be more electable in November. It seemed to me that the term was more often used as a kind of excuse, "I'm voting for Obama, but I can't really tell you why," than a reasoned argument.

Read it here

Barrry & Michelle are the new Ozzie and Harriet

From Bonnie Fuller on Team Obama's Tabloid Strategy:

It's official. The Obamas are just like us. With their latest PR move -- being photographed as a family for this week's People magazine cover story titled "The Obamas At Home" -- it's apparent that Team Obama has a clear and clever presidential marketing strategy: present Michelle and Barack as the beloved Brangelina of the political world.

Like every in-demand A-list couple who concedes to allowing a peek behind the curtain, the Obamas insist this will be the "first and last" up-close and personal look at them as a family. What they don't admit to is that this was a carefully orchestrated, well-thought-out brand presentation. And it isn't actually the first highly personal look at the photogenic family. No, it's the culmination of a publicity campaign designed to take advantage of the couple's charisma and Hollywood-worthy good looks. Team Obama is using popular mass-media vehicles such as People, Us Weekly, "The View," "Access Hollywood" and "The Colbert Report" to familiarize the American public with the candidate and his wife, and to dispel myths about the couple, in a far more aggressive way than has ever been done before in a presidential election.

Read the rest here

Donna Brazile Hearts Karl Rove

It's not every activist politico who gets to write a post in the Washington Times that begins like this: "As I sat by my window and staring out at the wonderful Washington, D.C., landscape, my office announced a phone call from Air Force One."

Evidently, Donna Brazile was reminding all the little people on Capitol Hill that she had friends in high places. In summer of 2007, Bush senior advisor Karl Rove wasn't answering any subpoenas from Congress, but he didn't mind talking to Brazile. From his perch at 20,000 feet, he informed her that this was probably a good time for him to get out of Dodge.

“Mr. Rove's resignation is not a retirement,” Brazile reassured readers of the right of center newspaper. “It's just another opportunity for him to create that lasting Republican majority he envisioned years ago and to spend his waking days doing what he so enjoys — beating Democrats in the alleys and gutters. Just ask Sen. Hillary Clinton, Mr. Rove's target when he called in to speak to Rush Limbaugh. He couldn't help it. Mr. Rove just had to take one last shot before riding out of town. More to come, Team Clinton.”

Brazile's breezy account confirms what many have long since suspected. Rove’s claim to be sitting out the 2008 race is hogwash. The mastermind of today's unraveling U.S. constitution is in no position to kick back, down gin fizzes and watch the country collapse under an Administration he put into office twice. The list of crimes that Bush's top henchman could potentially be charged with - everything from fraud to war crimes - should be enough to keep him and his fellow Sopranos in hair-trigger mode until the next president gets sworn in. And the notion that he'd leave the choice of commander-in-chief in less capable dirty hands than his own requires more than the willing suspension of disbelief. It requires medication.

That's why the Rove-Brazile tryst merits further exploration. They first hooked up some time in 2002, according to a New York Times article. The connection might have been a means for Brazile to expand her clientele, but she dismissed that angle in an interview, implying she had bigger fish to fry. It was the Democrats' lackluster relations with African Americans and poor track record in elections, she said, that led her to start trailblazing new frontiers. To put it in a Brazile nutshell, the Republicans had a better machine. Finish Reading Here

Cost of Loan Bailout, if Needed, Could Be $25 Billion

The Congressional Budget Office said a proposed rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could appear on the federal budget as a $25 billion cost to taxpayers.

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Obama's Sermon on the Mount (as channeled through his surrogate Michelle)

“We have one candidate who essentially is telling us every day that the world as it is just fine. That what we’ve been doing for the last eight years is fine,” Obama said. “Stay the course. Don’t make too many changes.

“And then we have this other candidate — Barack Obama — who is saying every day that the world as it is not right. It’s not good enough,” she said. …

“I wish we had time to be divided. I wish we had time to be upset. To be angry. To be disappointed. I wish we did,” Obama said. “Because if we had time for that, then things wouldn’t be so bad right now. Instead, we’re in a place where another four or eight years of the world as it is will devastate the life of some child.”

Michelle Obama, Colorado, sometime last week.

Obama says:

"Let me be absolutely clear," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, said today at a press conference in Amman, Jordan. "Israel is a strong friend of Israel's. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under a McCain...administration. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under an Obama administration. So that policy is not going to change."
Political Punch
Yeah. Got it? Just in case you've been losing sleep over it. Now go call a Super D.

Bush the 2nd - Obama's Fake Interviews

Be afraid. Very, very afraid. Barack Obama is even worse than Dubya. He is faking interviews before he even gets the nomination. He had "free speech" areas in Unity, NH - no anti-Obama signs or peaceful protest there. He is trying to control everything from what female journalists wear, to Hillary's roll at the Convention, to the DNC's money raising. Be afraid. Very, very afraid.

Obama's Dress Code for Female Reporters

From Politico
Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown, accompanying Obama on his trip to the Middle East and Europe, emails:

Reporters traveling overseas with Sen. Barack Obama were thrown a bit of curve last week when the campaign emailed a “dress code” for Israel and Jordan. Aides had passed along as a courtesy the list that they had distributed to their staff to follow.

But some of the tips raised a few eyebrows, particularly among the female reporters.

“Do not wear green.” (Explained later as the color of Hamas)

“Do not wear nail polish.”

“Women should only wear a limited amount of jewelry.”

“Shoulders and arms must be fully covered (no strapless tops, no tank tops, no short sleeve shirts.)"

“Closed-toe shoes, women should also wear stockings.”

At historical and religious sites, a suit or slacks should be worn, shoulders and arms must be covered (“no strapless tops, no tanks tops no short sleeve shirts”), shoes might need to be removed, and women may be asked to cover their heads and “should be prepared with a scarf/pashmina,” the email stated.

As the traveling press prepared to depart tonight from Chicago for Jordan, there was a dash to cover toes and arms – or at least be prepared upon arrival in the Middle Eastern country tomorrow. Still spotted on the bus en route to the airport: plenty of jewelry, tank tops, and nail polish.

Apparently, female reporters cannot be trusted to know what is proper dress. Or, Obama really does own the media. Or, Michelle wrote the dress code.

Tom In Paine: ARROGANCE AND STUPIDITY: WHY OBAMA WOULD BE THE THIRD BUSH TERM, NOT McCAIN.

Tom In Paine: ARROGANCE AND STUPIDITY: WHY OBAMA WOULD BE THE THIRD BUSH TERM, NOT McCAIN.

Hell or High Water

Click Here at Once!

OK! Great job. You are a fellow freedom fighter or a Sista or just your typical hardworking good guy fed up with the process. Now go here to donate. Any amount will help get the word out. No donation is too small. We do have a voice and it must be heard. Help save the democratic process before it's taken over by Boss Barack. You think we had it bad in 2000 and 2004 with the Bush loyalists stealing elections? Go - Give $5.00 bucks if you can afford it. More if you are able. This is Custer's Last Stand. It is that important. Remember the 60's? Get going. There is too much at stake. Now. Just do it.

Obama Revealed

It SO shows what a lame ass, empty suit he is. The Party is now crapping their pants over The Chosen One's arrogance and failure to recognize anyone but Himself. Oh, yeah, and he is still blaming Hillary for his failures. Jackass.

John BresnahanTue Jul 15, 5:34 AM ET Get it Here

After a brief bout of Obamamania, some Capitol Hill Democrats have begun to complain privately that Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is insular, uncooperative and inattentive to their hopes for a broad Democratic victory in November.

“They think they know what’s right and everyone else is wrong on everything,” groused one senior Senate Democratic aide. “They are kind of insufferable at this point.”

Among the grievances described by Democratic leadership insiders:

• Until a mailing that went out in the past few days, Obama had done little fundraising for Democratic candidates since signing off on e-mailed fundraising appeals for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee immediately after securing the Democratic nomination.

• Obama has sometimes appeared in members’ districts with no advance notice to lawmakers, resulting in lost opportunities for those Democrats to score points by appearing alongside their party’s presumptive presidential nominee.

• The Obama campaign has not, until very recently, coordinated a daily message with congressional Democrats, leaving Democratic members in the lurch when they’re asked to comment on the constant back and forth between Obama and John McCain — as they were when Obama said earlier this month that he would “continue to refine” his Iraq policies after meeting with commanders on the ground there.

• Coordination between the Obama campaign and the House and Senate leadership is so weak that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — who will chair the Democrats’ convention in August — didn’t know of Obama’s decision to move his final-night acceptance speech from the Pepsi Center to Invesco Field until the campaign announced it on a conference call with reporters.

Snip`````````````````````````````````````````
Privately, however, there is a different message coming from some Democratic quarters on the Hill and on K Street. Some Democratic leadership staffers complain that, having defeated the vaunted Clinton political machine in the primaries, the Obama campaign now feels a “sense of entitlement” that leads to “arrogance.”

One Democratic aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, compared the Obama campaign unfavorably to President Bush’s administration.

“At least Bush waited until he was in the White House before they started ignoring everybody,” the aide said.

“These relationships matter,” said a House Democrat close to the leadership. “I really hope these guys try to get off on the right foot. We all know what happened to [former President] Jimmy Carter and [former President] Bill Clinton. We don’t want to see a repeat of that.”

Brian Wolff, the DCCC’s executive director, said that some of the “supposed arrogance” coming from the Obama camp is in reality a misinterpreted sense of confidence in the campaign’s plan for winning the Oval Office, including grass-roots mobilization, in-state political infrastructure, messaging and get-out-the vote operations.

“They have to set the tone, and they are setting the tone,” Wolff said. “Arrogance is sometimes mistaken for competence. I think having a real competent approach to your campaign, whether it’s field [operations] or politics, or overall message, I think it’s really important. ... They’re really doing a really good job at this.”

Some of the complaints about the Obama campaign are the result of tensions inherent in any presidential campaign — Democratic or Republican — as a candidate’s staff tries to deal with the Washington establishment.

Others are the result of the circumstances in which Obama finds himself: Having battled Hillary Rodham Clinton into June, Obama hasn’t had much time for the normal interaction between a campaign and Congress. And having to struggle to help Clinton pay off her own debt, he hasn’t had the time or the resources to raise money for Democratic House and Senate candidates.Editorial remark: LIE!

But some problems are specific to the choices Obama has made — to run as a “change” candidate and to base his operations in Chicago rather than Washington. In distancing himself from “politics as usual,” Obama has shown little interest in being seen with Reid, Pelosi or other members of the Democratic congressional leadership.

Why Bush Breaks Laws and Congress Lets Him Get Away With it

Key members of Congress sanctioned torture, so many of those who might ordinarily be counted on to lead the charge are themselves compromised. As we witness not just Republicans, but also Democrats in Congress, acting repeatedly to immunize executive branch lawbreaking and to obstruct investigations, it's vital to keep that fact in mind.

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Clinton Diehards Want Convention Vote

By Shawn Zeller, CQ Politics

She may have given up, but a few of Hillary Rodham Clinton ’s people haven’t.

The senator from New York is said to be negotiating a respectful presence followed by a graceful exit from next month’s Democratic convention, and last week the party announced that Barack Obama would formally accept the party’s nomination in the stadium built for the Denver Broncos. But there are Clinton supporters clinging to the hope that if her name is placed in nomination and the roll call of the states is conducted, she might — might — still win.

Heidi Li Feldman, a Georgetown University law professor, insists there’s still “no way of predicting” the outcome should there be a fair vote. That’s because Obama has not secured enough pledged delegates to ensure the magic number of 2,118 needed to claim victory; the Illinois senator has gone past that benchmark only with the pledges of about 390 superdelegates — and they can change their minds at any time up to the moment they cast their ballots.

“If they had a meaningful vote, I have no idea who would win,” Feldman says. “But I know that if Sen. Obama were sure he would win, there wouldn’t be a negotiation” about Clinton’s role at the convention.

So Feldman, who says she has raised about $100,000 for Clinton, has turned her prowess to raising money for advertising demanding a convention vote, and she has teamed with a fellow pro-Clinton blogger, Marc Rubin, to form the Denver Group to lobby the Democratic National Committee, much of the staff of which has already moved from Washington to Chicago to work for Obama.

Feldman says she won’t vote for Obama if Clinton doesn’t get a convention vote. Rubin says he might not. Both say they aren’t worried that their efforts will continue to divide Democrats at a time when they should be uniting to take on Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona. In fact, they argue, many Democrats might stay home if they feel Clinton gets short shrift.

“What they have to do is make it possible for people to say to themselves that there was a fair and correct process,” Feldman says.

Obama Supporters On Far-Left Disgusted, Crying Foul

Before the Oregon primary, Martha Shade did what thousands of other people did: she registered as a Dem to vote for Barack Obama. Now after Obama is shifting positions on issues like Iraq, guns & Bush’s program of wiretaping, she is switching back to the Green Party. “I’m disgusted with him,” Shade said, “I can’t even listen to him anymore...."

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Tom In Paine: THE NEW OBAMA, THE NEW NIXON AND THE SAME OLD NEW YORK TIMES

Tom In Paine: THE NEW OBAMA, THE NEW NIXON AND THE SAME OLD NEW YORK TIMES

The New Revolution

Leverage

One of the ironies of this election is the argument that, no matter how much Obama may disappoint us, we still have to vote for him in order to preserve Roe v. Wade. We must have a President Obama to appoint liberal judges to the Supreme Court! cry the possums. The problem is that Obama is the wrong Democrat for that argument.

The truth is that if Obama himself were being floated as a possible Supreme Court appointment, progressives would be opposing him as too conservative.

Read What Violet Says

Ricorso on the Potomac: The Murderers of Democracy Return

"....the thunderclap, the ricorso, which, in Vico’s famous philosophy of history, presages the end of democracy and the return of leaders claiming to rule by divine sanction."

Chris Floyd Nails It

Today the United States Senate voted by a wide margin to gut the Fourth Amendment and give the president dictatorial powers to violate the privacy of every American citizen, while also granting immunity to wealthy corporations who colluded with the president for years in a patently illegal program of warrantless surveillance. The vote was 69-28, with Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama breaking with the (slim) majority of Senate Democrats who voted against the measure and joining instead with the Republicans, who voted in their usual zombified lockstep with the president's wishes.

As is well known, Obama once vowed, unequivocally, to support a filibuster of any bill that included the immunity provision for the president's corporate co-conspirators; today he voted with the zombified Republicans to choke off any attempt at a filibuster, so the bill could proceed to the final vote of approval.

I have little to say about this shameful action, beyond repeating what I said almost two years ago, when the Senate passed the infamous "Military Commissions Act," which gutted the 900-year-old doctrine of habeas corpus, approved the principle of presidential dictatorship and authorized the use of torture. (This "law" has not been repealed by the Democratic-led Congress, by the way.) That 2006 piece was called "Thunder on the Mountain: The Murderers of Democracy." And although a few omissions are necessary in the reprise below, due to the differing details between the two bills, the sentiments expressed are exactly the same -- as are the sinister ramifications of today's vote.

“Shame on your greed, shame on your wicked schemes.
I'll say this, I don’t give a damn about your dreams.”
-- Bob Dylan, “Thunder on the Mountain”

Who are these people? Who are these useless hanks of bone and fat that call themselves Senators of the United States? Let’s call them what they really are, let’s speak the truth about what they’ve done today....

Who are they? The murderers of democracy.
Sold our liberty to keep their coddled, corrupt backsides squatting in the Beltway gravy a little longer.

Who are they? The murderers of democracy.
Cowards and slaves, giving up our most ancient freedoms to a dull-eyed, dim-witted pipsqueak and his cohort of bagmen, cranks and degenerate toadies.....

Who are they? The murderers of democracy.
Traitors to the nation, filthy time-servers and bootlickers....

Who are they? The murderers of democracy.
Threw our freedom on the ground and raped it, beat it, shot it, stuck their knives into it and set it on fire.

Who are they? The murderers of democracy.
If there was an ounce of moxie left in the American system, these white-collar criminals would be in shackles right now, arrested for high treason, for collusion with a tyrant who is gutting the constitution, pushing terrorism to new heights and waging an unholy, illegal war of aggression that’s killed tens of thousands of innocent people and bled our country dry.

There is no honor in them. There is no decency, no morality, no honesty – nothing but fear, nothing but greed, nothing but base servility. Cringing, wretched little creatures, bowing to the will of a third-rate thug and his gang of moral perverts. This is their record. This is their doing. This is the shame they will have to live with. And this is the darkness, rank, fetid and smelling of blood, that now covers us all.

The Denver Group

Courtesy of NoQuarter, a Bud White exclusive interview with Denver Group founders Heidi Li Feldman and Marc Rubin.

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Obama in FISA Land and other short stories

Glen Greenwald
The choices Obama makes about how he campaigns and the positions he takes are extremely consequential in how political issues in this country are perceived. In the last two weeks alone, Obama has done the following:

*intervened in a Democratic Congressional primary to support one of the worst Bush-enabling Blue Dogs over a credible, progressive challenger;

* announced his support for Bush's FISA bill, reversing himself completely on this issue;

* sided with the Scalia/Thomas faction in two highly charged Supreme Court decisions;

* repudiated Wesley Clark and embraced the patently false media narrative that Clark had "dishonored McCain's service" (and for the best commentary I've seen, by far, on the Clark matter, see this appropriately indignant piece by Iraq veteran Brandon Friedman);

* condemned MoveOn.org for its newspaper advertisement criticizing Gen. Petraeus;

* defended his own patriotism by impugning the patriotism of others, specifically those in what he described as the "the so-called counter-culture of the Sixties" for "attacking the symbols, and in extreme cases, the very idea, of America itself" and -- echoing Jeanne Kirkpatrick's 1984 RNC speech -- "blaming America for all that was wrong with the world";

* unveiled plans "to expand President Bush's program steering federal social service dollars to religious groups and -- in a move sure to cause controversy . . . letting religious charities that receive federal funding consider religion in employment decisions," a move that could "invite a storm of protest from those who view such faith requirements as discrimination" -- something not even the Bush faith programs allowed.

Tom In Paine: HOW OBAMA LOSES THE ELECTION IN 30 SECONDS.

Tom In Paine: HOW OBAMA LOSES THE ELECTION IN 30 SECONDS.

Let the Banks Go Under, Sell 10 Million Houses for $1 Each

From Charles Hugh Smith:

Today's target: the notion that the collapse of the insolvent U.S. banking system would be so terrible. Really? Terrible for who? Certainly not the nation at large.

In fact the dissolution of the insolvent parts of the U.S. banking sector--yes, the investment banks, the money-center banks, the regional banks, and the savings and loans--would actually be an enormously positive development for the nation and indeed the world.

Let's start with the fact that a huge number of these lenders are insolvent. If all their bad loans, bad derivative bets and off-balance sheet losses were forced to be marked to market/liquidated to raise capital, then major bank after major bank would fold/enter bankruptcy.

And what exactly would be so bad about that? Businesses go under all the time. The truth is these banks will never ever recover the loans they wrote, so why try to prop them up with taxpayer funds? To bail out the ultra-wealthy owners of those banks, of course.

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John McCain

In my new role as a former Democrat and present PUMA (and my vow never to vote for Opossum), I am taking a look at my alternatives. In my research, I've come across some articles about John McCain and I was quite surprised by the character and internal strength of this man, especially as they are qualities sorely missing in the present Democratic presumptive nominee. Here is one article I found of particular interest.