Thursday, May 22, 2008
Hillary Clinton=staggering chutzpah...
I make no bones about the fact that I am an Obama supporter. I have liked his message, his campaign and his ability to connect with voters from the very beginning. But there was a time when I truly didn't care which Democrat won the nomination. I was ready to happily vote for anyone with a D by their name, knowing that the alternative was so much worse, that it could not be countenanced in any way.
The last couple of weeks of this campaign though, have changed my thinking on this somewhat. It's not that I won't be voting Democratic in the fall, I will be regardless. But I can no longer legitimately say that I would be happy to vote for Hillary Clinton. The Clinton brand has been tarnished for me, both by the ephemeral nature of her core principles and the way she has run her campaign.
Her gas tax suspension was a complete and obvious pander that no expert thought would make any difference. Her shifts on NAFTA and other issues were clearly tailored to the primary of the week. Her only constancy has been her Iraq vote - and that's the one area I disagree with her on the most.
However it's really her campaign tactics that have driven me and many others up the wall. Despite her numerous policy shifts, which have not been documented to nearly the degree which Kerry's were in '04, she has felt the need to cry out that she is the victim of sexist treatment by the media. In addition her usurpation of Republican dogwhistle tactics on race has dragged the tenor of the campaign to an appalling low. Her latest gambit - that an arcane political dispute over complex rules is somehow the moral equivalent of the civil rights movement and women's suffrage is so ridiculous on its face that one does have to, however reluctantly, admire her ability to deliver it without giggling. But that is the only thing admirable about it. It only serves to further inflame passions in Florida and Michigan, and will not do anything to sway the Rules Committee or the remaining SD's - who are her real target audience.
Additionally it's hard to see what she hopes to accomplish here, other than the election of a McCain administration. There is no MI/FL seating arrangement that puts HRC at an advantage over Obama in pledged delegates. In the most generous (for her) arrangement, she can hold Obama back from the absolute majority, but in each and every case he still maintains a heavy plurality in pledged delegates. There is little to be gained and potentially much to be lost in the direction that this campaign is moving. Instead of trying to help bring the party together β Election Day is nearly 24 weeks away β Clinton went to Florida yesterday to argue that if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee, his nomination will be illegitimate. And if the DNC plays by the rules Clinton used to support, itβs guilty of vote-suppression β comparable to slavery, Jim Crow, and Zimbabwe. Yes, Zimbabwe. Shame on her, she knows better.
Not moral equivalents
The last couple of weeks of this campaign though, have changed my thinking on this somewhat. It's not that I won't be voting Democratic in the fall, I will be regardless. But I can no longer legitimately say that I would be happy to vote for Hillary Clinton. The Clinton brand has been tarnished for me, both by the ephemeral nature of her core principles and the way she has run her campaign.
Her gas tax suspension was a complete and obvious pander that no expert thought would make any difference. Her shifts on NAFTA and other issues were clearly tailored to the primary of the week. Her only constancy has been her Iraq vote - and that's the one area I disagree with her on the most.
However it's really her campaign tactics that have driven me and many others up the wall. Despite her numerous policy shifts, which have not been documented to nearly the degree which Kerry's were in '04, she has felt the need to cry out that she is the victim of sexist treatment by the media. In addition her usurpation of Republican dogwhistle tactics on race has dragged the tenor of the campaign to an appalling low. Her latest gambit - that an arcane political dispute over complex rules is somehow the moral equivalent of the civil rights movement and women's suffrage is so ridiculous on its face that one does have to, however reluctantly, admire her ability to deliver it without giggling. But that is the only thing admirable about it. It only serves to further inflame passions in Florida and Michigan, and will not do anything to sway the Rules Committee or the remaining SD's - who are her real target audience.
Additionally it's hard to see what she hopes to accomplish here, other than the election of a McCain administration. There is no MI/FL seating arrangement that puts HRC at an advantage over Obama in pledged delegates. In the most generous (for her) arrangement, she can hold Obama back from the absolute majority, but in each and every case he still maintains a heavy plurality in pledged delegates. There is little to be gained and potentially much to be lost in the direction that this campaign is moving. Instead of trying to help bring the party together β Election Day is nearly 24 weeks away β Clinton went to Florida yesterday to argue that if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee, his nomination will be illegitimate. And if the DNC plays by the rules Clinton used to support, itβs guilty of vote-suppression β comparable to slavery, Jim Crow, and Zimbabwe. Yes, Zimbabwe. Shame on her, she knows better.
Not moral equivalents
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Attn. Superdelegates please end this Democratic primary...
One week ago I watched in horror as the talking heads on TV went on and on about how important West Virginia was, what a swing state WV was going to be in November, and how great Hillary Clinton was for winning that critical state by such a large margin. I felt like my head would explode from the sheer vacuousness of it all.
Now we are a week later and once again my fucking head is about to explode. Now we have a new state to add to the most important battleground area in the nation for the fall: Kentucky. I call shenanigans!
Don't get me wrong, I love Kentucky. I drink your whiskey and bourbon, I love to watch that Derby you have every year(complete with it's chicks in giant hats and mint julips), I eat your chicken on occasion, and I have great respect for your college basketball teams(I even had Louisville in the final 4). However with regards to the great state of Kentucky for the general election campaign, I must quote the inimitable Triumph the Insult Dog: WHO GIVES A SHIT!
Triumph...Wit, eloquence, poop.
Your state voted for Bush in greater numbers in 2004 than it did in 2000! Seriously. You looked back at those 4 years of war, lies, and incompetence and said: Woot, sign me up for more! You liked this President MORE in 2004 than in 2000? Damn, no wonder Obama is not spending a lot of time campaigning in your state. You voted for Bush by a 60% - 40% margin in 2004 and now the talking heads on TV are gushing about what an important swing state this is. What a pants load. This state is 60+% red, 95% Appalachian ignorant and is not going to vote for a Democrat in November unless McCain gets caught in a San Fran bath house with a Flight Attendent named Carl. Honestly, if there was a less swingy state come general election time than this one I'd like to see it. Besides, the state is only worth 8 Electoral Votes and combined with the whopping 5 EV's from WV, McShame now has 13 EV's; which will be offset and outdone by Colorado (9) and Iowa (7), which are in fact actual swing states that Obama should win. A word of warning pundits, Kentucky and WV are not going to be swing states in November. Let's not act like we're talking Florida or Ohio here.
It is now time for the Super Delegates to get off their asses and endorse Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. They need to put him over the 2025 mark so we can stop, with the never ending speculation of when will the Dem race end? You want to talk about something pundits? Talk about how Obama, who HAS WON, is now moving on to face McCain. It is high time for Gore, Pelosi, Emmanuel, Carter and all the other fence sitters to tell Hillary to take a powder.
As I write this Hillary is speaking in Kentucky and she is using the magic number of 2209. The audacity. How in the fuck can she go on stage and say shit like that knowing good and damn well that it is not the number that everyone agreed to? Look Hill, you agreed with everyone else that Michigan and Florida should be sanctioned. Just because it's not working out so well for you doesn't mean you get to scream do over! We have had enough spinning and massaging of "facts" over the past 8 years from this administration and we're tired of it. This is a change election and there is no way in hell you can be an agent of change by using the ethical mores of the opposition. I have had enough. Enough of the politeness and the tiptoeing around reality so as not to anger Hillary or her supporters! Enough is enough. I'm sorry ladies, but Hillary lost. If you want to be pissed off and vote in 4 more years of the same disastrous policies and ensure a Supreme Court that will end women's reproductive freedom and what little remains of the 4th Amendment, go ahead. I hope you'll join the rest of us in the reality based community, but I'm done with this primary. I was all for Hillary staying in this race till someone reaches 2025, but this 2209 shit is too much! Drop out, Stop with your 2209 goalpost moving, having the most votes canard, and deliberate race baiting, JUST FUCKING STOP! You are not helping your cause, you are merely demonstrating that you are completely willing to say and do ANYTHING to win. We have had enough Rove style politics for this life and we don't need more of that in the West Wing. Stop hurting the party, and get with the program or you'll face...the heckling.
"This primary has more endings than the third Lord of the Rings movie, Waldorf"
"Yes, but at least the movie did end."
"Perhaps if they dropped Hillary's war chest in Mount Doom."
"She's $20 million in debt, so I think they already did"
Now we are a week later and once again my fucking head is about to explode. Now we have a new state to add to the most important battleground area in the nation for the fall: Kentucky. I call shenanigans!
Don't get me wrong, I love Kentucky. I drink your whiskey and bourbon, I love to watch that Derby you have every year(complete with it's chicks in giant hats and mint julips), I eat your chicken on occasion, and I have great respect for your college basketball teams(I even had Louisville in the final 4). However with regards to the great state of Kentucky for the general election campaign, I must quote the inimitable Triumph the Insult Dog: WHO GIVES A SHIT!
Triumph...Wit, eloquence, poop.
Your state voted for Bush in greater numbers in 2004 than it did in 2000! Seriously. You looked back at those 4 years of war, lies, and incompetence and said: Woot, sign me up for more! You liked this President MORE in 2004 than in 2000? Damn, no wonder Obama is not spending a lot of time campaigning in your state. You voted for Bush by a 60% - 40% margin in 2004 and now the talking heads on TV are gushing about what an important swing state this is. What a pants load. This state is 60+% red, 95% Appalachian ignorant and is not going to vote for a Democrat in November unless McCain gets caught in a San Fran bath house with a Flight Attendent named Carl. Honestly, if there was a less swingy state come general election time than this one I'd like to see it. Besides, the state is only worth 8 Electoral Votes and combined with the whopping 5 EV's from WV, McShame now has 13 EV's; which will be offset and outdone by Colorado (9) and Iowa (7), which are in fact actual swing states that Obama should win. A word of warning pundits, Kentucky and WV are not going to be swing states in November. Let's not act like we're talking Florida or Ohio here.
It is now time for the Super Delegates to get off their asses and endorse Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. They need to put him over the 2025 mark so we can stop, with the never ending speculation of when will the Dem race end? You want to talk about something pundits? Talk about how Obama, who HAS WON, is now moving on to face McCain. It is high time for Gore, Pelosi, Emmanuel, Carter and all the other fence sitters to tell Hillary to take a powder.
As I write this Hillary is speaking in Kentucky and she is using the magic number of 2209. The audacity. How in the fuck can she go on stage and say shit like that knowing good and damn well that it is not the number that everyone agreed to? Look Hill, you agreed with everyone else that Michigan and Florida should be sanctioned. Just because it's not working out so well for you doesn't mean you get to scream do over! We have had enough spinning and massaging of "facts" over the past 8 years from this administration and we're tired of it. This is a change election and there is no way in hell you can be an agent of change by using the ethical mores of the opposition. I have had enough. Enough of the politeness and the tiptoeing around reality so as not to anger Hillary or her supporters! Enough is enough. I'm sorry ladies, but Hillary lost. If you want to be pissed off and vote in 4 more years of the same disastrous policies and ensure a Supreme Court that will end women's reproductive freedom and what little remains of the 4th Amendment, go ahead. I hope you'll join the rest of us in the reality based community, but I'm done with this primary. I was all for Hillary staying in this race till someone reaches 2025, but this 2209 shit is too much! Drop out, Stop with your 2209 goalpost moving, having the most votes canard, and deliberate race baiting, JUST FUCKING STOP! You are not helping your cause, you are merely demonstrating that you are completely willing to say and do ANYTHING to win. We have had enough Rove style politics for this life and we don't need more of that in the West Wing. Stop hurting the party, and get with the program or you'll face...the heckling.
"This primary has more endings than the third Lord of the Rings movie, Waldorf""Yes, but at least the movie did end."
"Perhaps if they dropped Hillary's war chest in Mount Doom."
"She's $20 million in debt, so I think they already did"
