GOP hates Bob Barr..

And why wouldn’t they? He is a right of the center guy that seems to have more scruples than any Rethug on the ballot. Yes, I am looking at you John Weathervane McCain. According to the NYT writeup yesterday, Barr is trying to appeal to the vast majority of Ron Paul enthusiasts, of which there are many.

Third party candidates can fuck up a party’s wetdream. Nader has done it to the Dem’s and Ross Perot did it to the Rethugs. From the NYT writeup:

On the ballots in 30 states so far, Mr. Barr has the chance to be a spoiler for Mr. McCain, the presumed Republican nominee, in several states, among them Alaska, Colorado and Georgia. Mr. Barr’s campaign advisers also assert he has similar potential in other mountain states, New Hampshire, Ohio and other swing states.

The Republican Party and the McCain campaign have swatted away the Barr candidacy, but some Republicans are taking it seriously. If the early polls hold up, and Senator Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic nominee, pours heavy resources into Georgia, that state could be up for grabs, said Senator Johnny Isakson, Republican of Georgia.

Nader isn’t a new face on the general election front and I personally think any damage he will do to the Democratic nominee is marginal, but Barr could embarass the Rethugs. A point to make, and the NYT does, is that no Libertarian has ever gotten more than 1% of the vote. Money isn’t flowing into this campaign yet either. From the NYT writeup:

Yet Mr. Barr faces formidable obstacles. No Libertarian candidate has ever won more than 1 percent of the vote in a presidential election, and Mr. Barr is severely lacking in money, resources and name recognition. He has yet to lease a campaign headquarters, have a fund-raiser, tape a television advertisement or hold a campaign event.

There is also the fact that the convention which nominated him wasn't completely behind him either. It took six votes to hand Barr the nomination, and it was by a very thin margin. Before anyone gets excited about Barr, they should consider his record as a former Rethug member. His votes for the Patriot Act bill, the Iraq AUMF, impeaching Bill Clinton and sponsoring the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 shouldn’t endear him to anyone but the most right of the rightwing nutjobs.

Barr is attempting to distance himself from those votes now however, blaming them on the (R) after his name at the time. He now states he is “for a speedy and complete withdrawal of troops, with no permanent bases; on same-sex marriage, he believes that states should make their own laws; and on wiretaps without warrants, he is fiercely opposed, arguing that the bill that would legalize searches without warrants violates an individual’s constitutional rights”.

Barr is eyeballing the Ron Paulistas right now that consider themselves Libertarian. The Paul supporters aren’t flocking to Barr at this point however. Some are highly pissed off that Barr is pandering specifically to Ron Paul supporters. Ron Paul has refused to endorse Barr’s candidacy as well.

The long and short of it is how much support in November Barr and Nader will draw from the two main parties. Polls, which I hate with a passion, are showing both Nader and Barr garnering 3% of the vote in specific toss-up states. Obama’s bean counters are happy that Barr has joined the fray, saying he might make the difference in states which are important and still close between Obama and McCain.

All in all, it remains to be seen what Barr can do..money is his nemisis right now, and the same goes for Nader. This general election season looks to be all about the money and breaking records for how much you can raise and spend. Obama has the edge there and frankly I just want to get past the Democratic convention and head into the final stretch..I am so ready to get this shit over with, it ain’t even funny.

This OpEd is awesome..read it!

A big hug to Jet at Bring it On for this article. Allison Benedikt has written a wonderful OpEd for the Village Voice on Hillary, her supporters and her campaign. It tackles that pesky subject of misogyny very well m'dear reader and I encourage...yea I demand that you read it. Tell me then what you think of it. Just a small blurb of it to get you interested:

Next comes Arianna "No Fear" Huffington, suffering from a strain of short-term memory loss that seems to be going around, to declare: "The greatest triumph of Clinton's campaign—a complete triumph—is the example she has set for the next generation."

Currently pregnant with the next generation, let me just say this: There is no greater wish that a mother can have for her daughter than that she will exploit poor people, obliterate Iran, and win rigged class president elections, Putin-style. (Mom, I won 100 percent of the vote!)

I love her!!! Look, as a woman that has fought against sexism my entire fucking life and I might add, the first woman to hold the job as Project Manager on a NASA subcontract in the 80's....I know how fucked up it is to be female and expect to be treated the same as males...and yet not be treated the same. I had to be better at my job than they were, work longer hours and make less money than they did. My husband divorced me because he was tired of me living at the office..I sacrificed my personal life for that fucking job..and I would probably do it all over again.

I am not bitter about any of it. I loved that job and when the spaceshuttle crashed, I knew many of us would be laid off. I opted to get laid off instead of having them dump a specific male co-worker because his son was suffering from brain cancer and I knew damn well that the health insurance was the most important part of the job for that guy at that point in time.

Besides I wanted to move back to Cali...and that is what I did when I got my walking papers. I went back to Cali, started my own business and raised my son as a single parent. If I am bitter about anything it's that my ex-husband was a piece of batshit that never paid a buck in child support.

Being bitter never serves anyone. It eats you up inside. That is why I think Hillary and her staunchest supporters need to suck it up and deal. Instead of screaming, bitching and moaning about how she was 'treated' they should be proud of what she accomplished by using race, lies and bullshit to win the states she did.

Tossing rocks in a glass house ain't a good idea..nope, it ain't.

Hillary apologizes finally for Ferraro flap.

She did it in her own special way of course.. and it was in front of 200 African-Americans at the National Newspaper Publishers Association. From AP:

Of Ferraro's comment, Hillary Clinton told her audience: "I certainly do repudiate it and I regret deeply that it was said. Obviously she doesn't speak for the campaign, she doesn't speak for any of my positions, and she has resigned from being a member of my very large finance committee."

She also apologized for Billy's comments in SC regarding Obama and Jesse Jackson. She was on a roll last night..apologizing her butt off for racial gaffs, saying there was nothing intentionally racist in any of the nasty..cough..racial..remarks.

It gives one pause to wonder..would she even bring up these statements if her audience was anything other than people of color. Her comments on unifying the party really made me bite a hole in my lip:

"Once one of us has the nomination there will be a great effort to unify the Democratic party and we will do so, because, remember I have a lot of supporters who have voted for me in very large numbers and I would expect them to support Senator Obama if he were the nominee," she said.

Sure Hillary..right..what-friggin-evah.

RS endorses Obama

I remember when Rolling Stone was the only nationally distributed magazine with the leftwing perspective. I actually read it for their political articles..I swear I did, when it was still put out in a newspaper format..ah..those were the days...

Jann Wenner, still the head cheese at RS, has written an article that endorses Obama.

This shouldn't surprise anyone, it certainly doesn't surprise me. But if you take the time to read his piece, Wenner parrots many of the same points of view that others do about Obama. Even the title: A New Hope, gives you an indication of whats inside the writeup. But, what I took from the article is not what Jann wrote about Obama..it was what he wrote about Hillary:

All this was made clearer by the contrast with Hillary Clinton, a capable and personable senator who has run the kind of campaign that reminds us of what makes us so discouraged about our politics. Her campaign certainly proved her experience didn't count for much: She was a bad manager and a bad strategist who naturally and easily engaged in the politics of distraction, trivialization and personal attack. She never convinced us that her vote for the war in Iraq was anything other than a strategic political calculation that placed her presidential ambitions above the horrifying consequences of a war. Her calibrated course corrections over the past three years were painful. Like John Kerry — who also voted for the war while planning a presidential run — it helped cost her that goal.

He must be a romantic like moi. Because politics is a dirty game and Hillary can play it with the best of them..which might actually get her the nomination my dear reader. Doesn't make it right..but it does make it possible.

David Sirota on last nights debate..

David was on CNBC this morning, discussing last nights debate with a Hillary supporter. He also has a post up at HuffPo about his pov here.

Obama wins 9th straight Primary..

Damn..just..damn. Of course the percentage of delegates is all that matters at this point, but the fact is..Hillary was hoping for a different turnout. A month ago she had a substantial lead in WI.

20,000 people turned out in TX tonight to hear Obama. Hillary would kill for that large a crowd. She also did not congratulate him again on his 'win'. Bad attitude there Hill..very bad.

Now, we of course are getting the race breakdown of all those voters..the Asians, the Brown folks, the old white women, the white male vote..God, I hate this part of the 'show'.

Well, how the hell are the brown females voting??

I am really tired of the MSNBC pundits telling me how the white males voted, the old white females voted, the blacks voted and how the brown vote went..

Tell me how the agitated brown bitches voted that want an end to the Iraq war, ok smart guys? Jesus...

Obama is now 8-0, Hillary 0-8 in the recent primaries and caucus's. If that doesn't tell you the majority of the voters are voting for the black guy..I don't know what other sign you all need.

Tomorrow Obama is supposed to make a major policy address. I will be watching, believe you me. His speech tonight in Madison, WI was more populist than any I have listened to so far..it made me smile ;)

But really..how are those brown bitches like me voting boyz? Cuz I haven't signed on the dotted line for any candidate yet. Now, a word from Bakersfield's own Merle Haggard:


Find more videos like this on PeaceOverParty.org

Obama takes all four contests this weekend..

Surely Hillary isn't feeling too good by this time..Obama has taken the delegate lead with his four win sweep this weekend:

His winning margins ranged from substantial to crushing. In Maine, he led 59 percent to 41 percent with 91 percent of the precints reporting. In Louisiana, Obama defeated Clinton, 57 percent to 36 percent. He won in Nebraska by a 68 percent to 32 percent margin and in Washington 68 percent to 31 percent.

Obama's victory in Maine -- and the ease with which it came -- actually exceeded expectations, even though he swept the caucuses held on Super Tuesday. Clinton had the backing of the state's governor, John Baldacci, and its proximity to New Hamsphire and Massachusetts, both of which Clinton has already won this year, led some analysts to expect a close race.

It sucks to be Hillary right now..seriously, it does.

Now..about those Super Delegates..they are being talked about in the local news and thats a good thing..we need more news stories like the one below that expose the bullshit Super Delegate problem for what it is..backroom wheeling and dealing that takes away the power of the peoples vote.



The guy being interviewed is David Sirota..a great activist and author who recently moved to Colorado and has a new book coming out.

A journalist after my own heart.

As my last few posts have told you..I am quite undecided about who to vote for..Obama, Clinton or one of my felines here at home..

Evidently I have lots of company, at least according to this recent Salon.com writeup. Consider this paragraph from the article:

Much to my consternation, it's almost Super Tuesday, and I am an undecided voter. I am a political junkie, a Democrat; I read the papers. But for the first time in my life, barring some truly dramatic last-minute development, I am going to walk into a voting booth on Tuesday, pull a curtain closed, and see how the spirit moves me.

And that folks..is moi in a nutshell(except for the Democratic part..I am a Decline to State). I take my vote very seriously..always have. It's the romantic in me that says my vote counts damn it..and I want to make the right decision. Consider her pov about sHillary:

There is shame in voting for Hillary Clinton, make no mistake -- pulling a lever for someone who voted for Iraq and proposed anti-flag-burning legislation provokes its own brand of self-loathing. When I think about doing the deed, I consider the fact that she's brilliant, that she's competent, that she knows her shit inside and out, that she's battle-tested, tough as nails, and that she wipes the floor with Obama in the debates. She provides a steel-solid track record, he a nimbus of vague hope.

Its a good piece by Rebecca Traister who was also behind Kucinich, then Edwards..and now..no one. Check it out if you feel so inclined.Sadly, it doesn't help me out of my quandary.

It's almost as if no one wanted the white guy to win.

I say this in all honesty..as someone that identifies as a brown bitch...with a liberal sprinkling of Norwegian in her.

I am not convinced that we needed to catapult both the black guy and the white woman to the front of the line in the Democratic race to pick a final candidate.

Besides..Hillary isn't the first woman to hold forth an interest in her party's nomination. Margaret Chase Smith did it..in the Republican party no less....in 1964. Look it up if you don't believe me. She was actually the first woman to hold office in both the House and the Senate. So all the tongue-wagging about a woman and a black becoming the Democratic nominee should be a part of the 'conversation' but not the highlight of it.

I think the guy with the best 'message' was marginalized enough by the pundits and the media to render him useless.

And that's fucking wrong on every level. But it is...what it is.

The problems facing us are many, and the majority of them came about because of the Corporatocracy and their influence with the members of Congress and the White House. If you don't buy that, I don't think you want to read the rest of this post. Seriously..you don't.

John Edwards was the only candidate that constantly pointed out the obvious when it came to what he called two America's. He pointed to influence by the lobbyists who in turn represent the monied interests of Big Business. That they are allowed to give money to election campaigns and lobby them directly in Congress is obvious. It's not friggin rocket science people. They control the agenda.

DCap(DistributorCap) said it best in the comments of the post below this one. Having an agenda and getting something done are two distinctly different things. The candidates will say anything to get our vote, to get elected. Being able to put their agenda in front of Congress and actually have it pass..well..it ain't easy is it? Even when you control the White House and the Congress, as Bush did the first 6 years of his Presidency, the only thing he managed to get done was the fucked up No Child Left Behind Act...and of course his legacy..the Mucked-up Middle East.

So, logically, now that we have narrowed our choices to either a black man or a white woman..we should really look at which one is the 'most electable' against whatever jackass the Republican's put up. Their agenda's are not that different..they both bow before the special-interest gods in some form or fashion..The only question left to be asked is..

Which one can win in November?

The floor is now open..gimme your best shot please on why we should vote for either Clinton or Obama. I know some of you will vote for which ever gets the nod..don't deny it..you know you will. Because you think a Democratic President has to be better than another Rethug.

And that very well might be true. But still..which one do you really want? John McCain will take a lot of the independent and moderate votes, if you try to deny this..your fooling yourself. The base of his own party can't stand his ass..This makes him attractive to those voters who like someone different..or outside the usual scope of jackassery.

The polls..for whatever they are worth..show that McCain can be beat by both Hillary and Obama..by differing margins. When new polls are released TPM Election Central has them all here. And we know that polls can be horribly wrong too..

That's it..I got nothing else.

Edwards will end it where he began..NOLA

AP states he will not throw his support to either Hillary or Obama today, this per an unidentified advisor to his campaign. His populist message appealed to me more than any of the others besides Kucinich. I now have no idea who I will vote for next Tuesday.

Also, Edwards is calling it a "suspension" of his campaign..for obvious reasons.

A good site that lays out the delegate dance and such is located here. H/T to Washington Independent's Holly Yeager for pointing it out on their site this morning.

Edit: Here is Edwards goodbye speech.


Tags: John Edwards

Kucinich drops out of Presidential race.

MSNBC is reporting it this afternoon:

In an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the congressman said he was quitting the race and would made a formal announcement Friday.

"I want to continue to serve in Congress," he told the newspaper.

Kucinich said he will not endorse another Democrat in the primary.

Per Politico:
The Cleveland-area congressman is facing a challenge to his seat in the House from Joe Cimperman, who has begun running an attack ad accusing Kucinich of being a "part-time congressman" and missing more than 300 votes in the House.

The Traditional Media and our election

I have the so-called MSM listed as “traditional” media in the title because there are other ways to get our news now, and for that I am so friggin grateful.

I define the traditional media as the big three networks (CBS, NBC and ABC) plus the major newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Chicago Tribune and other regional powerhouses that are owned by huge conglomerates. Also, the radio airwaves, although not as powerful as they once were, are also part of the traditional media. Generally speaking, any media form owned and operated by a big-assed corporation is in this mix ok?

Now, by big-assed corporation, I mean a corporation that is either publicly or privately owned, but the kicker is that they own lots and lots of other companies which might or might not also be considered media outlets. For a complete, and I do mean complete listing of these conglomerates, check out the Columbia Journalism Review site here. It's interacting in that you utilize a pull down menu that contains all the players in the Traditional Media and who owns them, along with what else they own.

Lets look at General Electric as an example. They own NBC and the following companies:

• 14 Local tv Stations

• 14 US Telemundo Stations

• Salon.com

• CNBC

• MSNBC

• Bravo

• Mun2TV

• Sci-Fi

• Trio

• USA

• Universal Pictures

• Universal Parks & Resorts

• Paxson Communications(30%)

• NBC Universal Television Studio

• NBC Universal Television Distribution

• Other General Electric Businesses

• GE Aircraft Engines

• GE Commercial Finance

• GE Consumer Products

• GE Industrial Systems

• GE Insurance

• GE Medical Systems

• GE Plastics

• GE Power Systems

• GE Specialty Materials

• GE Transportation Systems

To continue reading this post, click here.

Fred the lazy bows out..

He was never really in it if the truth be told. WaPo gives us his short but sweet swan song:

"Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States," he said. "I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people."

Right Freddy..what-fucking-ever.

Bill Richardson dropping out of Presidential race.

Per Politico.com:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ended his campaign for the presidency Wednesday after twin fourth-place finishes that showed his impressive credentials could not compete with his rivals' star power.

Richardson planned to announce the decision Thursday, according to two people close to the governor with knowledge of the decision. They spoke on a condition of anonymity in advance of the governor's announcement.

Richardson had the most diverse resume' of any candidate. Its a shame his voice on the campaign trail will be silenced.

Which way is the wind blowing in NH?

Those fine folks in Dixville Notch got their freak on at 12:01:

Just after midnight, the folks in the tiny towns of Dixville Notch and Hart's Location cast their votes. According to the Associated Press, Sen. Barack Obama got 9 votes in Hart's Location and 7 in Dixville Notch to "win" the Democratic contests in the towns. Sen. John McCain got 6 votes in Hart's Location and 4 in Dixville Notch to "win" both of the GOP tallies.

Here is the link to the NH Sec. of State site. Hopefully after 5pm left coast time, we can get some real results. IN the meantime..watch this video of nasty political moves on behalf of Romney



A list of the primaries..hey..I am bored out of my tree here folks:
8 NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARIES
15 2008 Democratic presidential candidate debate in Las Vegas
Michigan presidential primary
19 Nevada caucuses
South Carolina GOP primary
24 Republican debate, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida
26 South Carolina Democratic primary
27 Demcratic debate, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida
29 Florida primary
30 Republican debate, Los Angeles, CA
30 Republican debate, Reagan Library, Simi Valley, California
31 Democratic debate, Los Angeles, CA
FEBRUARY 2008
1 Maine GOP caucus
5 AL, AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, IL, MA, MN, MO, NJ, NY, ND, OK, TN, UT, WV (2/3rds selected) primaries
New Mexico Democratic caucus
Idaho Democratic primary
Kansas Democratic caucuses
9 Louisiana primary
Kansas Republican caucuses
10 Maine Democratic caucus
12 Maryland, Virginia & D.C. primaries
19 Hawaii Democratic primary, Washington & Wisconsin primaries
MARCH 2008
4 OH, RI, TX & VT
8 Wyoming Democratic primary
11 Mississippi primary
APRIL 2008
22 Pennsylvania primary
MAY 2008
6 Indiana & North Carolina primaries
13 Nebraska primary, West Virginia primary (Last 1/3 selected)
20 Kentucky & Oregon primaries
27 Idaho Republican caucus
JUNE 2008
3 Montana (D) & South Dakota primaries
New Mexico GOP caucus
AUGUST 2008
25-28 Democratic National Convention in Denver
SEPTEMBER 2008
1-4 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul
26 Presidential debate in Oxford, Miss.
OCTOBER 2008
2 Vice Presidential debate in St. Louis, Mo.
7 Presidential debate in Nashville, Tenn.
15 Presidential debate in Hempstead, N.Y.
NOVEMBER 2008
4 Election Day

What about that 'youth' vote?

What about Edwards? He is hanging on by a thread but I want the race to be between him and Obama. Edwards hasn't taken any PAC money or big corporate donations. That says a lot to me. I am still backing Kucinich at this point however.

The Pundits aren't burying sHillary yet, but they have her on life support. I don't think thats true either. She has the financial backing to go up to Super-Tuesday Feb 5th. That is when 20 states including mine have their primaries. If things shake out badly for her that day..I do think she will toss in the towel.

As for Iowa, thank Buddha it is done and over with..This mostly all Caucasian state really has no relevance to me in the race for the Presidency. Neither does New Hampshire. Lets see what primarily urban, mixed nationality states with large gay and lesbian voting blocks have to say.

The big vote in my opinion was the 'youth' vote. Those kids never come out in droves like they did last night in Iowa. If this trend continues..I think Huckabee and Obama will reap the rewards, as they did last night because they talk a good game that appeals to the young-uns. From Alternet:

The Iowa youth turnout rate has almost tripled since 2000. Participation of youth under 30 rose from 3 percent in 2000 to 11 percent in 2008. The turnout rate for those 30 and above was 15 percent. Among 17- to 29-year-old Democrats, 57 percent supported the winner, Barack Obama, and among 17- to 29-year-old Republicans, 40 percent supported the winner, Mike Huckabee, according to CNN's entrance poll.

We need all the voters we can get, regardless of who they vote for. The more the merrier..it makes it interesting if nothing else. ConsortiumNews has an interesting take on the post election speeches:

On the Democratic side, the contrast was visible during the post-caucus speeches by Clinton and Obama. Sen. Clinton was surrounded by old faces from Washington's Democratic hierarchy, which has compromised its way through the past quarter century of Republican political dominance.

There was former Democratic National Committee chairman (and renowned fundraiser) Terry McAuliffe, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, and Bill Clinton, looking especially weary as he maintained a smile throughout his wife's workmanlike political speech.

When Obama spoke to his supporters, the tableau was entirely different. He stood on a platform with his wife and two young daughters, with mostly young supporters behind him, not a single nationally recognized face among them.

Out with the old..in with the new?

Ron Paul hits the motherload in campaign financing..

From Politico, we get the latest info on Paul's Money Bomb..and its hefty:

Ron Paul raised an astounding $6 million and change Sunday, his campaign saud, almost certainly guaranteeing he’ll outraise his rivals for the Republican nomination in the fourth quarter and likely will be able to fund a presence in many of states that vote Feb. 5.

This makes Ronnie the king of one day fund raising in the history of American political campaigns. What do you suppose his Rethug rivals think of today's haul? If Paul does well on Super Tuesday in Feb..it could be Paul getting the
Rethug nomination. Although it's doubtful that he could muster enough national votes..right?

John Kerry held the previous record for a one day haul at $5.7m, to which I say:

Thats a lot of money for two guys who won't win the presidential election. Ron Paul has stated he wants an end to "that horrible law" Roe v. Wade, that everyone on the 9/11 planes should of been packing weapons or some such nonsense as he was blathering on about the second amendment and the topper: We should do away with most of the departments in the federal government.

Oooh..boy. If you don't believe me on those Ron Paul thoughts..watch this video:

DFA's Presidential Poll is out..

And..my man Dennis Kucinich won!! Al Gore came in second, which makes me smile as well. Here are the totals:

Dennis Kucinich 31.97% 49364
Al Gore 24.77% 38242
John Edwards 15.6% 24078
Barack Obama 13.86% 21403
Hillary Clinton 4.21% 6504
Bill Richardson 4.09% 6309
Other 2.05% 3171
Christopher Dodd 1.56% 2415
Joe Biden 1.12% 1723
Mike Gravel 0.77% 1182

Notice that Hillary comes in fifth! Progressive Dem's aren't buying what Hillary is selling apparently. At least the DFA Dem's are not. For their list and an interactive state map, click here. Sorry my list is whacked out..I am tired and don't care that it's not all neat and pretty. You want neat and pretty, check out the DFA site ok?

I hope this means Dennis will get votes..more than what the MSM polls are giving him. I want him to be well represented in the primary AND the general election. I want him to win..its a dream..but we are allowed to dream aren't we?

Tags: Democracy for America Poll, Kucinich

White House For Sale..

Public Citizen has fired up their Presidential candidate website. Its called: WhiteHouseForSale.org and you can find all sorts of interesting data on all the candidates running for the highest office in the land.

Of course all this info won't make it feel warm and fuzzy..but it will enlighten and educate you as to what these folks and their friends are doing. Check out the section on Campaign Bundlers.