T Minus 255/254 Days

"There's no question that the minute I got elected, the storm clouds on the horizon were getting nearly directly overhead."

- Washington, DC, May 11, 2001

Superdelegates Swamped with Coordinated Pro Clinton E-mails

In an attempt to persuade superdelegates, an e-mail campaign to flood the uncommitted remainder of the superdels and fill their inboxes began and in my opinion, is having negative results for the Clinton camp.

Speculation is that the e-mail inundation was the brainchild of either Taylor Marsh, a pro-Clinton blogger, or Hillaryis44.org, two websites I refuse to acknowledge with a mouse click, hence no link.

You gotta love Donna Brazille for e-mailing back.

In one exchange, Donna Brazille, Al Gore's campaign manager and a stalwart of the Democratic Party, responded with frustration to a writer's threats of defection. "Honestly, this is the 9th email today," she wrote before 8:00 pm. "So I believe you're ready to not only destroy Roe versus Wade, voting rights, civil liberties and civil rights. Perhaps adding trillions more to the deficits through non-stop tax cuts to the wealthy and 100 more years in Iraq. Yes, please join Rush and McCain asap. The train has left. Catch it."

...At least two other party insiders wrote the Huffington Post expressing concern over the scope ("I've received emails like this for weeks but tonight it started in mass) and negativity of some of the Obama attacks, including one red-state Democrat:

"I spent my entire life in the two reddest states in the entire U.S. so please excuse me if I fail to discern the nuances of the arguments sent my way this evening in what appears to be an orchestrated campaign to intimidate the remaining unpledged delegates by threatening to leave the party and vote for a third Bush term if I and others like me don't vote for Sen. Clinton," wrote the exasperated superdelegate. "I have been uncommitted throughout this campaign because I wanted to see how the candidates performed in a variety of settings. I am proud of them both. But I am horrified by this effort to threaten votes for McCain if super delegates don't vote for Sen. Clinton. I have received hundreds of emails from both sides - but I can say without exception that I have not received a single email from an Obama supporter that threatened a vote for McCain if I didn't support Sen. Obama. You really ought to be ashamed."

UPDATE: Phil Singer, a spokesman for Clinton, emails to say that the campaign knows nothing about the emails. Meanwhile, two readers write in to say they saw the campaign being coordinated at the friendly Clinton website Hillaryis44.org, as well as the blog page on Clinton's own website.

May 20th.... May 20th... May 20th.... May 20th...

Did Edwards Slip On Morning Joe?

Hat tip to Bob Cesca and Paddy on Cliff Schecter on this one.

First of all, let me say how nice it is to watch Morning Joe on MSNBC without the "Joe" part of it. The discussion was actually a discussion; engaging and serious, not loudmouth and idiotic. Mika Brzezinski, fill-in David Shuster and Tiki Barber (again?) had a twelve minute conversation with John Edwards and his thoughts on the race.

Mika prodded him for an endorsement, didn't get one, but did get him to admit that he would "very likely" endorse the same candidate he voted for. Listen to the 10 minute mark - he follows up with "I just voted for 'em on Tuesday" (emphasis mine). He didn't specifically say "him", he said "'em". But if you're speaking quickly, the 'h' isn't as emphasized, such as "voted forrim" as opposed to "voted forrer." Who the hell knows?

He does have a differing opinion as to how important, or not, his endorsement is, and at this point, it's probably best "forrim" to lay low and let this thing play out until at least May 20th. Hillary wouldn't drop out of the race with an Edwards endorsement of Obama anyway, so what's the difference? And if he has a chance to be a "War on Poverty" Czar for either candidate, why potentially upset either individual with an endorsement?

They also discuss Hillary's "hard-working Americans, white Americans" slip of the tongue and he doesn't believe that it was racial, knowing her the way he does. I'm not completely sure I agree, as we've all seen how the race baiting has come and gone, subtley and no so subtley, but fair enough. I take Edwards at his word on that one. He has his opinion just like everyone else.

Great interview - of course it is - Joe Scarborough isn't anywhere near the studio playing "gotcha."

T Minus 256 Days

It's former Attorney General John Ashcroft's birthday today! He once joked that George Bush worked 24/7: "Twenty four hours a week, 7 months a year." Who knew that in hindsight, he wasn't half bad - relatively speaking - when it comes to the criminals in this administration.

C'mon, you know you want to click on the video below. You want to "let the eagle soar once more!"

MCCain's Latest Daily Show Appearance

I have to say that I am disappointed in Jon Stewart. While I fully expected exactly what we got during last night's interview with John McCain, I was hoping it would be a bit more serious.

Stewart did ask a couple of decent questions, but since it is a comedy show, their wording gave McThuselah just enough room to wriggle out of answering them in the guise of trying to be funny.

And the "Do I salute now?" whisper when McCain made his entrance made me feel ill. I hope someone starts taking this "maverick" to task sooner than later.

T Minus 257 Days

"I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a seven and a half pound largemouth bass in my lake."

- In German newspaper Bild am Sonntag about the best moment of his presidency, May 2006

Sigh... By default, I would have to agree.

Deny, Deny, Deny...

...the inevitable.

Dealing With Stupidity In The General Election

I just came across an article in our local rag, The New York Daily News, entitled Ugly Truth Why HIllary Clinton Won't Quit:

...Many in the white, working-class crowd were simply not ready to back Barack Obama - for reasons that are disturbing.

"I'm kind of still up in the air between McCain and Hillary," said Jason Jenkins, 32, who cited information from a hoax e-mail as a reason to spurn Obama.

"I'll be honest with you. Barack scares the hell out of me,"he said. "He swore on the Koran."

Obama did manage to pull in many white voters, but still encountered similar sentiments from a man who refused to shake his hand at a diner in Greenwood, Ind.

"I can't stand him," the man said. "He's a Muslim. He's not even pro-American as far as I'm concerned."

And sadly, this is why shitheads like former New York City Mayor Ed Koch are calling Obama a loser in the general election and why Clinton still thinks she has a shot. It's the unspoken race issue. They hope that idiots will vote for Clinton not because they actually support her, but because they still think Obama is a Muslim, or they put too much emphasis on Rev. Wright, or they just won't vote for a nigger. Especially an uppity one who is smarter and richer than they are.

Morning Joe

Why is Tiki Barber on Morning Joe? What the hell does he have to do with pundit politics?

And although they're giving Barack Obama his due, is it really true that "Obama finally found his voice last night"? Is that the only catchphrase they know?

One more thing, they're criticizing Obama for calling Indiana a "tiebreaker" on Meet The Press and giving Hillary the opening to use it against him, when we all know that a "tiebreaker' meant that Hillary had to win big. BIG... in Indiana to make a case to the superdelegates which she clearly didn't do.

The so media spin begins because they don't want this "horse race" to end even though the filly lost last night, breaking one ankle in North Carolina and the other ankle in Indiana.

T Minus 258 Days

"And one of the things we've got to make sure that we do is anything."

- Washington, DC, May 7, 2002

The Game Changer

Hillary Clinton called North Carolina a "game changer" in the race for the Democratic nomination, but I don't think this is what she had in mind. Barack Obama had taken North Carolina 56%-42%, after major barnstorming by Bill Clinton this past week. Some reports say he's done 100 stump speeches in the last two weeks in the Tarheel State.

And in Indiana, where Clinton was expected to win by double digits, the race is too close to call with 95% of the vote in and Obama down by about 16,000 votes!

The Clinton scenario to move on was a blowout in Indiana and to make it close in North Carolina. The exact opposite has happened. How is her campaign going to spin this one? Clinton has also cancelled all morning show appearances that were scheduled tomorrow.

UPDATE (1:10am): With 99% reporting, MSNBC has delcared Clinton the winner in Indiana.

The numbers:

Clinton: 637,389 - 51%

Obama: 615,370 - 49%

According to MSNBC's Chuck Todd, Obama has erased Clinton's gain in her Pennsylvania win, extended his delegate lead by 160+ and has extended his popular vote lead to 700,000+. No matter how they try to slice it, the Clinton campaign is running out of ways to fudge the numbers. I'll be expecting the undeclared superdelegates to start flooding toward Obama.

The Bush-McCain Challenge

Take the survey and see how many questions you get right.

Time For Harry Reid To Go

If Senator Harry Reid actually believes what he said: Senator Joe Lieberman "supports us on virtually everything except the war," then it's time for Reid and anyone thinking like him to go. He doesn't get it... OR he understands the game too well.

Well I say "Game over."




Here's my email to Reid:

Dear Senator Reid,

I am writing in regards to your appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and your statement, when asked about Senator Joe Lieberman. You said Joe Lieberman "supports us on virtually everything except the war."

Here are some non-war votes from Lieberman since the Democrats took over Congress in 2006:

Bill to ban the CIA from using waterboarding:
Democrats -- 45-1
Republicans - 5-46
Lieberman- NAY

Cloture vote on bill to restore habeas corpus (which Lieberman voted to abolish in 2006):
Democrats - 50-0
Republicans - 5-42
Lieberman - NAY

Vote to strip retroactive amnesty for telecoms out of the FISA bill (h/t Matt Browner-Hamlin):
Democrats -- 31-16
Republicans - 0-48
Lieberman - NAY

Vote to specify that FISA is the "exclusive means" by which the President can spy on telephone and email communications:
Democrats -- 49-1
Republicans - 9-40
Lieberman - NAY

Confirmation of Michael Mukasey as Attorney General:
Democrats -- 6-40
Republicans - 47-0
Lieberman - YEA

Cloture vote to proceed to consideration of No-Confidence Resolution for Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General:
Democrats -- 47-0
Republicans - 6-37
Lieberman - NAY

Can you please elaborate on your statement? If you believe that all these votes are related to the war in Iraq, how can a vote on restoring habeas corpus or a vote of No-Confidence on former Attorney General Gonzales possibly be linked in your estimation?

I certainly mean no disrespect, but I find in incredulous that you would feel this way. And I've forgotten one other important topic that Senator Lieberman is NOT voting with the Democrats on: the next President of the United States.

You can email Harry Reid here.


(H/T Glenn Greenwald)

22,000 Dead in Myanmar Cyclone - First Lady Talks About Jenna's Wedding

You'd think MSNBC producers would pull the graphics and chyron stating the devastation in Myanmar, but they didn't.

Towards the end of a news confernce in which First Lady Laura Bush was answering questions (Lord knows about what) some intrepid White House Press Corp member asked for details about Jenna's wedding, with follow ups by other reporters. Laura Bush obliged and they all joked, but it seemed all a bit insensitive considering the conference dealt with Myanmar's tragedy.

Watch the video here.

T Minus 259 Days

"You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone."

- Washington, DC, May 2006

Pandering To The Nth Degree

"Solutions for a Strong Military"?

What the fuck?! Ladies and Gentlemen, Republican Presidential Nominee, Hillary Clinton!

Party Be Damned

"There is no secret plan.... The Clinton campaign has been vocal in stating that the votes of 2.5 million people must be respected. Hardly a day goes by when a Clinton official doesn't publicly declare that the votes of Michigan and Florida count and that the delegations from those states should be seated."

The campaign's public assertions stand in contrast to its response to inquiries prior to publication of the story. At that point, Clinton aides insisted on keeping all comments either off the record or on deep background, or did not respond to questions at all. The campaign statement appeared to be designed to try to reduce the significance of the story.

Perhaps if either Clinton and Obama had campaigned in Florida, or if Obama's name was actually on the ballot in Michigan, I might find this legitimate. But facts being what they are, I just find it desperate. And for all their bluster of having a real shot at the nomination, doesn't something called a "nuclear option" sound like a last resort?

T Minus 260 Days

"The point now is how do we work together to achieve important goals. And one such goal is a democracy in Germany."

- Washington, DC, May 5, 2006