Barack Obama gained enough delegates tonight to claim his party nomination for President today. As historic as this day is - the day a black American was raised to the highest level ever achieved by the historic American slave race - the much vilified media made this Hillary's night. Another impossible moment in an impossible year. What now?
I'm trying hard to see where we go from here.
What I'm seeing is that some think Hillary was robbed and should fight on to the convention for a do-over of the primary process on the convention floor.
On the other hand, there is an emotional attraction to offering a joint ticket - which might be smart politics but it contains real problems for Obama.
As much as some may dislike the idea, Hillary has already lost the delegate count and her situation isn't likely to get better if she insists on continuing her campaign. This is clearly not what the majority of pledged delegates and super delegates want. She fought hard but finished the race behind and bankrupt.
The VP question is open - but remember that she declined that possibility tonight. There are days ahead when that could change but Hillary supporters won't like what she'll have to do to earn it.
Before she can even be considered for VP, she will have to publicly concede to Senator Obama and retire from the race. She will have to offer her unqualified support from now until the convention and she will have to refuse the calls from her supporters to contest against Obama at the convention. She will have to agree to support his campaign for president in November and recognize him as the leader of their campaign. This is not humiliation based on gender. The same would be true of any competitor.
I think Hillary can be a strong compliment to Barack, but that is entirely up to her and she's not ready to bow to him just yet.
Perhaps that is right. She won another primary that her campaign worked hard to earn so why cheapen it by waving the white flag on a victory?
Now the question is: will she take a reasonable amount of time for things to cool and then accept an honorable defeat and a change in direction? She's pretty smart. And this may be the only road left to a sure thing.
If she yields completely at the right moment, she'll probably be offered a place on the ticket. If not, things only look worse from here.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Are We A Post Racial, Post Feminist Party?
The pictures from the Democratic Rules Committee hearing were worth a thousand words.
The faces in the room were white and black and many hues in between. They were male and female and fiercely committed - to candidates, to party and to principle. It was good. It was good because everyone knew this was a historic moment that will change our politics and could change our nation. We're serious about this election and the change we're making. There is no apathy in the party. We are mobilized and ready to march. We just need to choose our leaders.
Hillary Clinton doesn't need me to suck up to her and her supporters won't find me useful either. So I figure that leaves me free to speak.
There have been bitter fights in the party before and there will be again. As much as I'd like it to be, I'm not convinced this fight is over. Not until the convention meets in Denver and confirms Senator Obama. The Primaries may be all but over. But the back room arm twisting and potential for a floor fight are a long way from being gone. There are a lot of strong women and men supporting Senator Clinton and they will be heard from. So we'll see how it plays out.
Meanwhile, I sense that our political process and our party has changed forever.
Back in 2000 the GOP Convention was stage managed to present the "Big Tent" view of itself to America. That big tent was supposed to include all Americans. But it still looked like Anita Bryant, The Miss America Pageant and "Up With People" were in charge of the mostly white male dominated process.
Barack Obama And Hillary Clinton have left the Big Tent dusty and empty. Women aren't told much anymore. They know how to keep an eye their own interests and they learned long ago not to depend on anyone else to take care of them.
America's black citizens are in a similar position.
In the Democratic Party, race and gender aren't window dressing. The party is actively struggling with these issues in the most meaningful political ways there could possible be. It's not pretty. But so what?
I just hope that the Tom Tancredo wing of the GOP keeps making it clear that brown people aren't welcome. The hunger for social justice isn't separate from Catholic Faith or the family values that people carry with them from Latin America to the United States. They too will be part of what drives change that matters.
The road to Denver will be difficult. I expect the Rules Committee verdict to be another signal to the Super Delegates that the party wants a final verdict as soon as possible. But that won't settle it entirely. There will be work to do at the convention to make a nomination official and unify the party.
Will the Obama Campaign be forced to go ugly? Will the Clinton camp decide to hold fire or retire from the contest? Possibly. But the issue won't really be decided until the delegates make it official at the Convention. And that's what keeps the door open for Senator Clinton.
The faces in the room were white and black and many hues in between. They were male and female and fiercely committed - to candidates, to party and to principle. It was good. It was good because everyone knew this was a historic moment that will change our politics and could change our nation. We're serious about this election and the change we're making. There is no apathy in the party. We are mobilized and ready to march. We just need to choose our leaders.
Hillary Clinton doesn't need me to suck up to her and her supporters won't find me useful either. So I figure that leaves me free to speak.
There have been bitter fights in the party before and there will be again. As much as I'd like it to be, I'm not convinced this fight is over. Not until the convention meets in Denver and confirms Senator Obama. The Primaries may be all but over. But the back room arm twisting and potential for a floor fight are a long way from being gone. There are a lot of strong women and men supporting Senator Clinton and they will be heard from. So we'll see how it plays out.
Meanwhile, I sense that our political process and our party has changed forever.
Back in 2000 the GOP Convention was stage managed to present the "Big Tent" view of itself to America. That big tent was supposed to include all Americans. But it still looked like Anita Bryant, The Miss America Pageant and "Up With People" were in charge of the mostly white male dominated process.
Barack Obama And Hillary Clinton have left the Big Tent dusty and empty. Women aren't told much anymore. They know how to keep an eye their own interests and they learned long ago not to depend on anyone else to take care of them.
America's black citizens are in a similar position.
In the Democratic Party, race and gender aren't window dressing. The party is actively struggling with these issues in the most meaningful political ways there could possible be. It's not pretty. But so what?
I just hope that the Tom Tancredo wing of the GOP keeps making it clear that brown people aren't welcome. The hunger for social justice isn't separate from Catholic Faith or the family values that people carry with them from Latin America to the United States. They too will be part of what drives change that matters.
The road to Denver will be difficult. I expect the Rules Committee verdict to be another signal to the Super Delegates that the party wants a final verdict as soon as possible. But that won't settle it entirely. There will be work to do at the convention to make a nomination official and unify the party.
Will the Obama Campaign be forced to go ugly? Will the Clinton camp decide to hold fire or retire from the contest? Possibly. But the issue won't really be decided until the delegates make it official at the Convention. And that's what keeps the door open for Senator Clinton.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
10 Things Obama Could Do Besides Go To Iraq
Aren't those GOP guys key-YOOOT!
They've started a CLOCK to show how long it's been since Senator Obama visited Iraq! Golly that's funny! Because, see, they're saying Senator Obama can't know anything about what's going on in Eye RACK unless he goes there!
That's gotta be true - 'specially since the phones don't work and the electrical is only on for a couple of hours a day.
Well, guess what? I found out - after exhaustive research - that the war is actually being managed, funded and run from Washington DC! And you know what? As a Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama has been to Washington and even voted on stuff.
So anyway, I thought I'd suggest a few things that Senator Obama could look into without going to Iraq.
1) Visit the White House and ask the President if he has any Iraq plans.
2) Ask the President if he knows who the Commander in Chief is.
3) Find out who's got our money.
4) Find out who the Secretary of Defense is and ask if he knows anything.
5) Visit the Department of Defense/Pentagon and ask around. Somebody there might have an idea of what's going on in Iraq.
6) Ask why the GOP thinks the chain of command starts with the theater of operations commander.
7) Call Gen'l Scapegoat and find out if he's got anything to add to his testimony to Congress.
8) Ask how many American soldiers are dead since Senator McCain put US troops in harms way for his stage-managed walk-about demonstrating security in Iraq.
9) Check and see if there are any high crimes or mis-demeanors someone could be charged with.
10) Ask if there's anybody still in Afghanistan.
HA HA HA! See how funny this is?
They've started a CLOCK to show how long it's been since Senator Obama visited Iraq! Golly that's funny! Because, see, they're saying Senator Obama can't know anything about what's going on in Eye RACK unless he goes there!
That's gotta be true - 'specially since the phones don't work and the electrical is only on for a couple of hours a day.
Well, guess what? I found out - after exhaustive research - that the war is actually being managed, funded and run from Washington DC! And you know what? As a Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama has been to Washington and even voted on stuff.
So anyway, I thought I'd suggest a few things that Senator Obama could look into without going to Iraq.
1) Visit the White House and ask the President if he has any Iraq plans.
2) Ask the President if he knows who the Commander in Chief is.
3) Find out who's got our money.
4) Find out who the Secretary of Defense is and ask if he knows anything.
5) Visit the Department of Defense/Pentagon and ask around. Somebody there might have an idea of what's going on in Iraq.
6) Ask why the GOP thinks the chain of command starts with the theater of operations commander.
7) Call Gen'l Scapegoat and find out if he's got anything to add to his testimony to Congress.
8) Ask how many American soldiers are dead since Senator McCain put US troops in harms way for his stage-managed walk-about demonstrating security in Iraq.
9) Check and see if there are any high crimes or mis-demeanors someone could be charged with.
10) Ask if there's anybody still in Afghanistan.
HA HA HA! See how funny this is?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Right Wing Roundup
Yeehaw!
Scott McClellan's new book is out. And the former White House Press Secretary has given John McCain a few dozen more reasons to put some distance between himself and President Bush. In fact, NASA may have to handle any future communication between them.
McCain has a very real problem because McClellan makes it clear that the cause for war in Iraq - a war McCain still supports - was pure bullshit and that the President was essentially delusional.
(Doug Mills/The New York Times)
Well OK then. I'm guessing that, "Stay The Course", a course charted by a President who was deep in "self deception", isn't going to work out too well for John McCain as the next captain of this Titanic disaster.
Good luck Senator. Your ship has just come in.
* * * *
Next, it's the Libertarian Republican versus the Republican Libertarian.
Ron Paul is an indication of just how embarrassing George Bush has been for a lot of intelligent Conservatives. Bob Barr is an indication of how hard it is for conservative Conservatives to swallow John McCain as a their candidate.
It's not like I really understand Libertarian ideology. I found Ron Paul interesting early on because I like his fundamentals. But I began to think that Ron Paul's America died at the Alamo. Or maybe in the Mexican War.
Bob Barr. Jeez dude, you were one of the guys who thought Clinton ought to be horsewhipped in public for getting a BJ. I thought Libertarians were fundamentally opposed to government sponsored morality.
It's going to be an interesting summer.
Scott McClellan's new book is out. And the former White House Press Secretary has given John McCain a few dozen more reasons to put some distance between himself and President Bush. In fact, NASA may have to handle any future communication between them.
McCain has a very real problem because McClellan makes it clear that the cause for war in Iraq - a war McCain still supports - was pure bullshit and that the President was essentially delusional.
PHOENIX — President Bush “convinces himself to believe what suits his needs at the moment,” and has engaged in “self-deception” to justify his political ends, Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary, writes in a critical new memoir about his years in the West Wing.
In addition, Mr. McClellan writes, the decision to invade Iraq was a “serious strategic blunder,” and yet, in his view, it was not the biggest mistake the Bush White House made. That, he says, was “a decision to turn away from candor and honesty when those qualities were most needed.”
Mr. McClellan’s book, “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception,” is the first negative account by a member of the tight circle of Texans around Mr. Bush.
(Doug Mills/The New York Times)
Well OK then. I'm guessing that, "Stay The Course", a course charted by a President who was deep in "self deception", isn't going to work out too well for John McCain as the next captain of this Titanic disaster.
Good luck Senator. Your ship has just come in.
* * * *
Next, it's the Libertarian Republican versus the Republican Libertarian.
Ron Paul is an indication of just how embarrassing George Bush has been for a lot of intelligent Conservatives. Bob Barr is an indication of how hard it is for conservative Conservatives to swallow John McCain as a their candidate.
It's not like I really understand Libertarian ideology. I found Ron Paul interesting early on because I like his fundamentals. But I began to think that Ron Paul's America died at the Alamo. Or maybe in the Mexican War.
Bob Barr. Jeez dude, you were one of the guys who thought Clinton ought to be horsewhipped in public for getting a BJ. I thought Libertarians were fundamentally opposed to government sponsored morality.
It's going to be an interesting summer.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Where Will I Find The MSM?
Remember way back when the term "Liberal Media" was new and Reagan was president? Liberal Media was a definition created by Conservatives who wanted to end the Fairness Doctrine and relax restrictions on corporate media ownership.
Today I see shorthand references to MSM or Main Stream Media all over the place.
The term Mainstream Media is as fictional as the term Liberal Media. In the world of commercially sponsored content there is only Popular Media and Un-popular media.
(Percentage of factual content and your perceptions may vary.)
Consider the major networks. Fox, ABC, MSNBC, CNN, CBS etc.
Which of them qualifies as the "MSM"?
Today I see shorthand references to MSM or Main Stream Media all over the place.
The term Mainstream Media is as fictional as the term Liberal Media. In the world of commercially sponsored content there is only Popular Media and Un-popular media.
(Percentage of factual content and your perceptions may vary.)
Consider the major networks. Fox, ABC, MSNBC, CNN, CBS etc.
Which of them qualifies as the "MSM"?
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Clinton, RFK and "The Smoking Gun"
I was just thinking about August 5th, 1974.
It was on that day that the Nixon White House complied with a US Supreme Court ruling and released transcripts of conversation between Nixon and Haldeman 6 days after the Watergate Burglary in which Nixon orders the FBI to end it's investigation.
The tape became known as, "The Smoking Gun".
Eleven Republican members of the Judiciary Committee had voted against articles of impeachment. After "The Smoking Gun", they ended their support of President Nixon.
It was the moment that forced Nixon to resign.
I'm watching the reaction to Senator Clinton's assassination comment to see if it isn't another smoking gun. We have about two more weeks of primary voting. It is at that point the Super Delegates will likely weigh in.
Many Super Delegates have promised support for Senator Clinton. Others have yet to declare. I wonder if this moment will effectively decide the Super Delegate and force Hillary Clinton to resign.
It was on that day that the Nixon White House complied with a US Supreme Court ruling and released transcripts of conversation between Nixon and Haldeman 6 days after the Watergate Burglary in which Nixon orders the FBI to end it's investigation.
The tape became known as, "The Smoking Gun".
Eleven Republican members of the Judiciary Committee had voted against articles of impeachment. After "The Smoking Gun", they ended their support of President Nixon.
It was the moment that forced Nixon to resign.
I'm watching the reaction to Senator Clinton's assassination comment to see if it isn't another smoking gun. We have about two more weeks of primary voting. It is at that point the Super Delegates will likely weigh in.
Many Super Delegates have promised support for Senator Clinton. Others have yet to declare. I wonder if this moment will effectively decide the Super Delegate and force Hillary Clinton to resign.
Hillary Clinton and Tanya Harding
I'm not the first to associate these two names. How truly sad is it that Senator Clinton herself has done more than anyone else could have to make the association valid.
You remember the story. Two fierce competitors in the world of ice skating. At the 1994 US Figure Skating championships, Harding's ex-husband and a co-conspirator assaulted Nancy Kerrigan - forcing her to withdraw from competition due to injury. Harding claims she was a victim of a plot and violent abuse by her former husband.
The US Figure Skating Association came to another conclusion:
The USFSA concluded that Harding knew about the attack before it happened and displayed "a clear disregard for fairness, good sportsmanship and ethical behavior".
Harding's supporters (and she does have them) are mostly white, female, lower income...That's not a BAD thing in America...it's just eerily familiar.
When I heard Senator Clinton mention Bobby Kennedy I was following her train of thought: that historic election contests have gone on into June. What I can't understand is why she thought it was a good idea to mention the 1968 campaign.
The reasoning didn't just occur to her. It is now central to her campaign. The fact that she didn't realize how awful that particular analogy is or how it could backfire on her is as disturbing to me as the remark itself. It was a moment of poor judgment, poorly considered strategy, and horrible reasoning blurted out in public. Seasoned journalist Daniel Schorr called her on it on NPR this morning and he's right. We can assume she knew (because she SHOULD have known - which is equally important) exactly what she was saying.
It's understandable that a long campaign could impair one's judgement or cloud one's reasoning. But if the unthinkable were to happen now...it must be laid at her door.
The Secret Service and the FBI must now be checking all leads - including possible conspiracies from opponents.
Please, Senator Clinton. PLEASE! I never hoped to see you like this.
You remember the story. Two fierce competitors in the world of ice skating. At the 1994 US Figure Skating championships, Harding's ex-husband and a co-conspirator assaulted Nancy Kerrigan - forcing her to withdraw from competition due to injury. Harding claims she was a victim of a plot and violent abuse by her former husband.
The US Figure Skating Association came to another conclusion:
The USFSA concluded that Harding knew about the attack before it happened and displayed "a clear disregard for fairness, good sportsmanship and ethical behavior".
Harding's supporters (and she does have them) are mostly white, female, lower income...That's not a BAD thing in America...it's just eerily familiar.
When I heard Senator Clinton mention Bobby Kennedy I was following her train of thought: that historic election contests have gone on into June. What I can't understand is why she thought it was a good idea to mention the 1968 campaign.
The reasoning didn't just occur to her. It is now central to her campaign. The fact that she didn't realize how awful that particular analogy is or how it could backfire on her is as disturbing to me as the remark itself. It was a moment of poor judgment, poorly considered strategy, and horrible reasoning blurted out in public. Seasoned journalist Daniel Schorr called her on it on NPR this morning and he's right. We can assume she knew (because she SHOULD have known - which is equally important) exactly what she was saying.
It's understandable that a long campaign could impair one's judgement or cloud one's reasoning. But if the unthinkable were to happen now...it must be laid at her door.
The Secret Service and the FBI must now be checking all leads - including possible conspiracies from opponents.
Please, Senator Clinton. PLEASE! I never hoped to see you like this.
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