I’m a little tired. Muscles feel weak, little aching in the joints. I think I have Clinton fatigue.
I think that to this point I have exercised an incredible amount of restraint in refraining from intensive criticism of Senator Clinton in an attempt to retain some semblance of fairness in my coverage of this primary. No more of that. The senator has made it completely impossible to maintain balance. While it may be true that there are at least two sides to every story, not all stories are created equal. And while some stories may well be worth reading and discussing, others deserve to be scorned, mocked and exposed for the absolute drivel they are. See below.
In a last ditch attempt to salvage a lost campaign, Hillary Clinton sent a letter to members of the Democratic National Committee and remaining uncommitted superdelegates, imploring them to give her the party’s nomination despite the fact that she currently trails Senator Obama in the delegate count, with no chance of overtaking him prior to the end of the primary campaign. She believes that after the final three primaries she will have the majority of popular votes (if Florida and Michigan are counted as is - which they should not/will not be) and pledged delegates from states holding primaries, and on the strength of that she feels she should be rewarded with the nomination. Of course, Senator Obama will still maintain a lead in pledged delegates (the only measure of victory in this campaign), but that’s of no concern to Clinton. She would like superdelegates to disregard the results of states which held caucuses because she believes the caucus process “disenfranchises” too many voters.
Maybe Senator Clinton inhaled too much of whatever President Clinton didn’t. Some states use caucuses to select delegates, some use primaries. Everybody knows this - it’s been this way for quite some time. Clinton never voiced any objection to the caucus process - until she lost them. Then, in the same breath in which she fights to include the results of illegitimate elections in Michigan and Florida (which she initially agreed were illegitimate), she discounts entire states because she didn’t work hard enough to win them. There was no obstacle to Clinton opening up massive grassroots operations in caucus states and turning out enough voters to win those contests. She simply chose not to do it, and then whine about it later. She didn’t lose the contest, no, the contest must have been illegitimate. Where does it end?
While the rest of the Democratic Party has been trying to play by the rules, Senator Clinton and her supporters have been playing a game of Calvin-ball. When this process began in January, every candidate, by their entry into the process, agreed to function by the same set of rules. Rules known and understood by everyone. Senator Clinton was more than happy to play by those rules - until she discovered she was losing. Then, the rules didn’t matter anymore. In fact, the rules were whatever she said they always had been. Prior to (the initial) Super Tuesday, the pledged delegate count was the only measure of victory. Following Super Tuesday, the popular vote count needed to be taken into account. After Obama ripped off eleven victories in a row, and overtook Clinton in the popular vote count, that was no longer as important as the ability of the superdelegates not to follow the will of the voters in their districts. Once her superdelegate lead began to evaporate, the inclusion of votes from Michigan and Florida became imperative. Never mind that Clinton is on record admitting prior to the Michigan primary that she knew it would count for nothing. Never mind the fact that even though Michigan voters physically could not vote for anyone but Clinton, 41 percent of them showed up to vote against her. Once she needed Michigan and Florida to close the gap with her rival, every vote had to count, regardless of how meaningless, how fraudulent, how racist it may be.
Hillary Clinton is desperate. For her, this is no longer about being elected president. This is about winning - whatever the cost. She is well aware that she is doing irreparable damage to Barack Obama’s impending presidential campaign. She simply doesn’t care. She has waited 20 plus years, put up with all of Bill Clinton’s affairs, burned six years in the senate representing a state she has no connection to, all leading up to the moment when she would receive the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States. All of a sudden, some skinny no name Hawaiian kid from the South Side of Chicago bursts onto the scene, captures the imagination of the nation and snatches the prize from under her nose. She is convinced the electorate is making a grave mistake - that when it comes down to the wire in November and Americans step into that voting booth, they will not vote for the black guy, and she deserves the to be president. She’s angry and she’s hurt. And she has decided that if she cannot be president, she will ensure that Obama will not be either. Whether it involves invoking the assassination of Robert Kennedy to justify remaining in the race, to raising the specter of rigged Zimbabwean elections to frighten the DNC Rules Committee into giving her Michigan and Florida as is, she will go to any length to guarantee herself an “I told you so” moment this fall. New face, same old Clinton strategy. Get ready for four years of Bush lite.
Well, on to lighter things then.
Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan has written a book claiming that President Bush “manipulated sources of information” with a “sophisticated propaganda campaign” to deceive the American public into supporting an unnecessary war. What? There’s gambling in this establishment? It would have been nice if McClellan had come forward with this information while it was still relevant, but I guess you can’t have your cake and eat it too, right? (That has got to be the dumbest saying ever culled from literature. Of course you want to have your cake and eat it too! What the hell else are you going to do with it? What’s the point of having cake if you aren’t going to eat it? Sigh.)
Last week Senator John McCain rejected the endorsements of to evangelical ministers, John Hagee and Rod Parsley (like the herb) who were caught on video saying some fairly offensive things - al la Jeremiah Wright. I feel the same way about this as I felt about Jeremiah Wright. Hagee and Parsley aren’t running for president, so I don’t really care what they think. I do find it interesting that at least in the case of Hagee, McCain solicited the very endorsement he now denounces in an attempt to curry favor with evangelical voters, many of whom are not thrilled with him as Republican Party nominee. Perhaps McCain could have benefitted from a little research into people he solicits endorsements from, save himself some embarrassment in the future.
A Texas appeals court ruled last Thursday that the state’s child welfare authorities should not have removed 460 children from an FLDS compound last month due to suspicions of child abuse. Oops. Curiously, they did not order child services to to return the children to their families either. I admit, I’m as confused as the child welfare department.
Oil prices hit a record in excess of $130 a barrel last week, driving the price of gasoline above $4 a gallon in many cities. In a related story, the hottest vehicle for sale on the internet classified site Craigslist is the Geo Metro. Perhaps you remember this automotive relic by it’s street name, Poor Man’s (Hyundai) Pony. Amazing what $4 fuel will do to a Hummer driver.
Some people just can’t get it right. In an eventually successful attempt to exterminate himself, a Japanese farmer ingested large amounts of chloropicrin. The problem was that during his temporary stay at the hospital he sickened 56 other people by vomiting toxic chlorine gas. People need to learn to leave other people out of their suicide attempts. Suicide plus one (or 56) is no longer suicide. Keep it simple.
Meeting for the first time in a Long Island nightclub, Lindsey Lohan’s father asked professional party girl and steamy home video star Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend (New Orleans Saints running back) Reggie Bush to look after Lindsey out in Los Angeles and keep a watchful eye on her. Isn’t that a little like putting Vice President Cheney in charge of gun safety at a duck hunter’s convention? Her father (rest his soul) must be so proud.
In the first of two extraterrestrial stories this week, what do you do when you really have to go, but you can’t? Ask the astronauts aboard the international space station. Apparently, the only toilet on the station is out of order. The space shuttle is scheduled to deliver replacement parts this weekend, but that leaves the astronauts with three or four days to practice what I like to call, “creative waste management.” My advice, lay off the fiber, wolf down the chocolate bars, and make sure you remember where you put the laxatives.
NASA’s Phoenix spacecraft touched down safely on Mars at 7:53 EST this past Sunday evening. I find this wholly uninteresting. Been there, done that. When we start landing people on Mars, then I'll make the effort to get excited. But I mention this story for the following reason. If you ever get a chance to watch one of these NASA evens live on television, do it. There is nothing funnier than nerd joy. Seriously, get a group of physicists together in a room, turn on an extraterrestrial robotic landing, break out the popcorn and let the good times roll.
Finally tonight, a 50-year-old Florida man hired a nude maid to clean his Tampa home this past Friday. But while she was there she apparently cleaned him out as well. According to the man, the maid arrived, shed her clothes, and went about her business cleaning the house. He then left her alone in the bedroom to clean. But when his wife returned from vacation, she discovered $40,000 in jewelry missing from said bedroom. I have one only one question for this guy. You went to all the trouble - not to mention the expense of forking out $100 an hour for a NUDE woman, to clean your house. Why the hell did you leave the room! Idiot.
5.29.2008
5.21.2008
Magic Carpet Ride
It’s back. That’s right people, gay sex has returned to the news. Break out the margaritas and dust off the Larry Craig jokes. Okay, so it’s not necessarily humorous, but it’s great material all the same. More on that later.
Ever have one of those days where you regret getting out of bed? Seriously, have you?
In case you weren’t aware, today is primary Tuesday. Again. Oregon and Kentucky are at the plate today. Results from the latter are rolling in and, as expected, Clinton will handily defeat Obama in the second poorest state in the union, on the strength of her “hard-working blue-collar white voter” base. The polls in Oregon (such as they are in a mail-in only primary) don’t close until 8:00 pm Pacific time, but it is expected that Obama will handily defeat Clinton in that election and score himself a majority of the available pledged delegates. That means nothing in particular since he will more than likely still require additional superdelegates to secure the nomination, but it is a nice thing to have in one’s portfolio.
Regardless of tonight’s outcome, Senator Clinton has vowed to continue this fruitless endeavor of continuing to seek a nomination she has been more or less mathematically eliminated from, and in doing so, continues to deepen the rift between the party faithful. Or, as some moron from a news program put it this afternoon, Starbucks Democrats vs. Wal-Mart Democrats. (Can we please stop creating stupid little monikers for groups of voters? Soccer moms, NASCAR dads, Broadway brothers, tractor pull cousins, whatever. Enough already. Are their votes somehow more valuable if you refer to them as part of some cutesy collective?) It’s still unclear to me what Senator Clinton is attempting to accomplish by continuing in this race. Does she honestly believe she can walk into the convention trailing Obama in pledged delegates, superdelegates and popular vote and somehow walk away with the nomination without completely destroying the Democratic Party? Or, maybe the question really is, does she care?
Ron Paul is still running for president. Who knew?
In a related story, former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr announced last week he would be seeking the nomination of the Libertarian Party for President of the United States. Far be it from me to discourage anyone from chasing a dream and reaching for the stars, but if you’re going to have your head in the clouds, you should at least plant your feet on the ground, shouldn’t you? I’m going to crawl out on a very skinny limb and say that the chances of a President Barr are about as good as the chances of a President Paul. What’s that saying? Slim to none and slim left town?
Senator Ted Kennedy suffered several seizures early Saturday morning, and was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor Tuesday afternoon. Doctors have indicated they will begin the standard treatments shortly. Kennedy is the second most senior member of the U.S. Senate (over 40 years) and an icon of the Democratic Party. Cancer is a terrible thing. Good luck to Senator Kennedy.
ASIMO, a 4-foot 3-inch shiny white walking robot conducted the Detroit Symphony last Tuesday evening in a performance of “The Impossible Dream” from “Man of La Mancha.” According to several of the musicians, although he was a little stiff, the Honda robot did a decent job filling in for the conductor. I guess the next step will be to replace the musicians, and then finally the audience. Progress.
The family of a then 12-year old boy who suffered brain damage after being hit with a line drive off an aluminum bat has sued everyone with a checkbook related to the manufacture of the bat, claiming they should have know it was dangerous. Now I shouldn’t have to say this, but I feel sorry for the injured kid. It’s an incredibly unfortunate thing to happen to anyone, let alone a child. But I have no patience for this lawsuit. There’s nothing to it. Sometimes players get hit with the ball. It happens. It’s a risk you accept when you step on the diamond. I guess we could replace the implements of the sport with a whiffle ball and a big red plastic bat, or replace the players with 4-foot Japanese robots to prevent anyone from getting hurt, but then nobody would care about baseball, would they. So instead we sue the manufacturer of the bat, the store that sold it and the league in which the bat is typically used. Two points of clarification. The child was not struck by the bat. He was hit by a ball struck by the bat. And he wasn’t playing in a Little League Baseball game at the time. Yet Little League Baseball is named in the lawsuit and the manufacturer of the ball isn’t. Neither is the pitcher nor the batter, the two parties most directly responsible for the incident. Why? They don’t have any money. People without money don’t get sued. Deep pockets do.
And finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for, more gay sex. Sort of. Last week the California Supreme Court ruled that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The ruling makes California only the second state in the union to legalize gay marriage. The following day, comedian Ellen Degeneres announced to her studio audience that she will wed longtime girlfriend Portia De Rossi as soon as next month. (Is it me, or could Portia do so much better than Ellen? I guess Ellen is funny and all, but she’s 15 years older, slightly odd-looking and a terrible dancer. But I guess if that’s what floats her boat….) The marital bliss may be short-lived. Opponents of same-sex marriage claim to have enough signatures to place a constitutional amendment banning such unions on the ballot in November. California voters have approved similar ballot initiatives in the past, and seem likely to treat this measure the same way. But, just because something may turn out to be fruitless, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done. Ask Hillary Clinton.
Ever have one of those days where you regret getting out of bed? Seriously, have you?
In case you weren’t aware, today is primary Tuesday. Again. Oregon and Kentucky are at the plate today. Results from the latter are rolling in and, as expected, Clinton will handily defeat Obama in the second poorest state in the union, on the strength of her “hard-working blue-collar white voter” base. The polls in Oregon (such as they are in a mail-in only primary) don’t close until 8:00 pm Pacific time, but it is expected that Obama will handily defeat Clinton in that election and score himself a majority of the available pledged delegates. That means nothing in particular since he will more than likely still require additional superdelegates to secure the nomination, but it is a nice thing to have in one’s portfolio.
Regardless of tonight’s outcome, Senator Clinton has vowed to continue this fruitless endeavor of continuing to seek a nomination she has been more or less mathematically eliminated from, and in doing so, continues to deepen the rift between the party faithful. Or, as some moron from a news program put it this afternoon, Starbucks Democrats vs. Wal-Mart Democrats. (Can we please stop creating stupid little monikers for groups of voters? Soccer moms, NASCAR dads, Broadway brothers, tractor pull cousins, whatever. Enough already. Are their votes somehow more valuable if you refer to them as part of some cutesy collective?) It’s still unclear to me what Senator Clinton is attempting to accomplish by continuing in this race. Does she honestly believe she can walk into the convention trailing Obama in pledged delegates, superdelegates and popular vote and somehow walk away with the nomination without completely destroying the Democratic Party? Or, maybe the question really is, does she care?
Ron Paul is still running for president. Who knew?
In a related story, former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr announced last week he would be seeking the nomination of the Libertarian Party for President of the United States. Far be it from me to discourage anyone from chasing a dream and reaching for the stars, but if you’re going to have your head in the clouds, you should at least plant your feet on the ground, shouldn’t you? I’m going to crawl out on a very skinny limb and say that the chances of a President Barr are about as good as the chances of a President Paul. What’s that saying? Slim to none and slim left town?
Senator Ted Kennedy suffered several seizures early Saturday morning, and was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor Tuesday afternoon. Doctors have indicated they will begin the standard treatments shortly. Kennedy is the second most senior member of the U.S. Senate (over 40 years) and an icon of the Democratic Party. Cancer is a terrible thing. Good luck to Senator Kennedy.
ASIMO, a 4-foot 3-inch shiny white walking robot conducted the Detroit Symphony last Tuesday evening in a performance of “The Impossible Dream” from “Man of La Mancha.” According to several of the musicians, although he was a little stiff, the Honda robot did a decent job filling in for the conductor. I guess the next step will be to replace the musicians, and then finally the audience. Progress.
The family of a then 12-year old boy who suffered brain damage after being hit with a line drive off an aluminum bat has sued everyone with a checkbook related to the manufacture of the bat, claiming they should have know it was dangerous. Now I shouldn’t have to say this, but I feel sorry for the injured kid. It’s an incredibly unfortunate thing to happen to anyone, let alone a child. But I have no patience for this lawsuit. There’s nothing to it. Sometimes players get hit with the ball. It happens. It’s a risk you accept when you step on the diamond. I guess we could replace the implements of the sport with a whiffle ball and a big red plastic bat, or replace the players with 4-foot Japanese robots to prevent anyone from getting hurt, but then nobody would care about baseball, would they. So instead we sue the manufacturer of the bat, the store that sold it and the league in which the bat is typically used. Two points of clarification. The child was not struck by the bat. He was hit by a ball struck by the bat. And he wasn’t playing in a Little League Baseball game at the time. Yet Little League Baseball is named in the lawsuit and the manufacturer of the ball isn’t. Neither is the pitcher nor the batter, the two parties most directly responsible for the incident. Why? They don’t have any money. People without money don’t get sued. Deep pockets do.
And finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for, more gay sex. Sort of. Last week the California Supreme Court ruled that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The ruling makes California only the second state in the union to legalize gay marriage. The following day, comedian Ellen Degeneres announced to her studio audience that she will wed longtime girlfriend Portia De Rossi as soon as next month. (Is it me, or could Portia do so much better than Ellen? I guess Ellen is funny and all, but she’s 15 years older, slightly odd-looking and a terrible dancer. But I guess if that’s what floats her boat….) The marital bliss may be short-lived. Opponents of same-sex marriage claim to have enough signatures to place a constitutional amendment banning such unions on the ballot in November. California voters have approved similar ballot initiatives in the past, and seem likely to treat this measure the same way. But, just because something may turn out to be fruitless, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done. Ask Hillary Clinton.
5.14.2008
99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall...
Short one this week. The news was dry and television is really interesting. I’m watching “Storm Over Everest” on PBS. Not only is the story compelling, but the high-definition film of Mt. Everest is absolutely breath-taking. Forget American Idol. Learn something people. Watch PBS.
Today’s post is brought to you by the numbers 2, 4 and 7, and by the letter ‘D’. ‘D’ is for Disasterpalooza. And if we weren’t completely engaged before, we certainly are now. Over the past two weeks we’ve been inundated with cyclones, floods, volcanoes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, wildfires, shark attacks and now, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan. Early estimates estimate more than 12,000 dead, 26,000 injured, 7,800 missing and 9,600 trapped beneath debris. The shear scale of tragedy demands that pictures of screaming parents and dust-covered rescue workers lead off every television newscast (although at 8 p.m. tonight cable news instantly replaced Disasterpalooza with wall-to-wall coverage of a meaningless West Virginia Democratic primary.) But there comes a point where we no longer need to see the cameraman wrapped around the reporter’s ankles to prevent him from blowing off the hotel balcony to know that it’s windy outside. I think we’ve reached that point.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, there was a primary in West Virginia today. As expected, Senator Clinton defeated Barack Obama by what looks like at least 35 points. As a result Clinton will collect the majority of the state’s 28 delegates. In terms of pledged delegate count, superdelegate count and popular vote count, this primary is about as valuable as a canoe in the desert. Obama now leads in all three of those categories, and is likely to hold that lead through the final primary on June 3rd. But the victory allows Senator Clinton to continue to claim that she should be handed the nomination, in spite of the will of the voters. Kentucky and Oregon are up next on the primary calendar, Kentucky leaning toward Clinton, Oregon toward Obama. And the beat goes on.
The good news is that this primary nonsense is almost over. The bad news continues to be the exit polls. Even accounting for the fact that these surveys were taken in a state in which the demographics overwhelmingly favor Clinton (under-educated, under-wealthy, over-aged, “hard-working white voters”), the results are very disturbing. Over 60% of both Clinton and Obama supporters now say they will be dissatisfied if the other candidate receives the nomination. Ninety days ago most Democratic voters said they would be happy with either candidate at the top of the ticket. A lot of “healing” needs to take place between now and November if the nominee is to mount a strong challenge to McCain.
In a related story, there may be a bright spot for Democrats this primary season. Even if voters can’t agree on a presidential candidate, they seem to agree that they aren’t terribly interested in renewing Republican rule. As Clinton rolled to victory in West Virginia, Democrat Travis Childers defeated Republican Greg Davis for an open congressional seat in northern Mississippi. This is the third time in as many special elections this season that a Democrat has captured a seat in a traditional Republican stronghold. During all three of these campaigns, Republicans attempted to link the local candidate with Barack Obama and other members of the “liberal” Democratic Party leadership - a strategy which has served them well in the past in the districts in question. But it would appear that for the time being, that strategy seems to be failing. There could be several reasons for this - including the idea that perhaps, after eight years of a Republican administration, the mood in the country has shifted a little. Perhaps the country is ready for ideas like universal health care and alternative energy. Perhaps America has shifted - at least in some respects - to the left.
Oil prices continue to rise to record heights, topping $126 a barrel last week. As a result, regular gasoline in some locations is selling for over $4.00 a gallon. Where is my flying car that runs on water?
Finally, according to the New York Post, Beyonce Knowles is pregnant. Is Jay-Z really the father? Quick, somebody call Maury Povich.
Today’s post is brought to you by the numbers 2, 4 and 7, and by the letter ‘D’. ‘D’ is for Disasterpalooza. And if we weren’t completely engaged before, we certainly are now. Over the past two weeks we’ve been inundated with cyclones, floods, volcanoes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, wildfires, shark attacks and now, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan. Early estimates estimate more than 12,000 dead, 26,000 injured, 7,800 missing and 9,600 trapped beneath debris. The shear scale of tragedy demands that pictures of screaming parents and dust-covered rescue workers lead off every television newscast (although at 8 p.m. tonight cable news instantly replaced Disasterpalooza with wall-to-wall coverage of a meaningless West Virginia Democratic primary.) But there comes a point where we no longer need to see the cameraman wrapped around the reporter’s ankles to prevent him from blowing off the hotel balcony to know that it’s windy outside. I think we’ve reached that point.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, there was a primary in West Virginia today. As expected, Senator Clinton defeated Barack Obama by what looks like at least 35 points. As a result Clinton will collect the majority of the state’s 28 delegates. In terms of pledged delegate count, superdelegate count and popular vote count, this primary is about as valuable as a canoe in the desert. Obama now leads in all three of those categories, and is likely to hold that lead through the final primary on June 3rd. But the victory allows Senator Clinton to continue to claim that she should be handed the nomination, in spite of the will of the voters. Kentucky and Oregon are up next on the primary calendar, Kentucky leaning toward Clinton, Oregon toward Obama. And the beat goes on.
The good news is that this primary nonsense is almost over. The bad news continues to be the exit polls. Even accounting for the fact that these surveys were taken in a state in which the demographics overwhelmingly favor Clinton (under-educated, under-wealthy, over-aged, “hard-working white voters”), the results are very disturbing. Over 60% of both Clinton and Obama supporters now say they will be dissatisfied if the other candidate receives the nomination. Ninety days ago most Democratic voters said they would be happy with either candidate at the top of the ticket. A lot of “healing” needs to take place between now and November if the nominee is to mount a strong challenge to McCain.
In a related story, there may be a bright spot for Democrats this primary season. Even if voters can’t agree on a presidential candidate, they seem to agree that they aren’t terribly interested in renewing Republican rule. As Clinton rolled to victory in West Virginia, Democrat Travis Childers defeated Republican Greg Davis for an open congressional seat in northern Mississippi. This is the third time in as many special elections this season that a Democrat has captured a seat in a traditional Republican stronghold. During all three of these campaigns, Republicans attempted to link the local candidate with Barack Obama and other members of the “liberal” Democratic Party leadership - a strategy which has served them well in the past in the districts in question. But it would appear that for the time being, that strategy seems to be failing. There could be several reasons for this - including the idea that perhaps, after eight years of a Republican administration, the mood in the country has shifted a little. Perhaps the country is ready for ideas like universal health care and alternative energy. Perhaps America has shifted - at least in some respects - to the left.
Oil prices continue to rise to record heights, topping $126 a barrel last week. As a result, regular gasoline in some locations is selling for over $4.00 a gallon. Where is my flying car that runs on water?
Finally, according to the New York Post, Beyonce Knowles is pregnant. Is Jay-Z really the father? Quick, somebody call Maury Povich.
5.09.2008
What'chu Talkin' 'Bout Willis?
Observant readers may have deduced that I am no ardent supporter of Hillary Clinton. Up to this point I have done my best to refrain from criticizing the senator on several issues. However, after the comments coming from the Clinton campaign following the “Basketball Primaries,” there are several items that just need to be addressed.
If I hear the phrase “until every voice is heard,” or, “until every vote is counted” I’m going to puke. And I had mushroom rice and teriyaki vegetables for lunch, so it isn’t going to be pretty. I don’t recall any other statistically eliminated Democratic candidate in any election prior to this one whining and complaining about how “every voice must be heard.” For fifty years prior to this race the nominating contest has ended months before the final primary and it wasn’t an issue. And does any honest individual truly believe that Senator Clinton and her supporters would be clamoring for every voice to be heard if the situation was reversed and Senator Obama was facing elimination?
Michigan and Florida deserve to be stripped of their delegates and be left out in the Rocky Mountain sun to wilt at the Democratic convention in August. Everyone knew the rules before the game began, those two states decided to flip the bird at the rules, and should now face the consequences. Especially Florida, which after eight years STILL hasn't figured out how to vote correctly. But of course, they won’t be held responsible. Still haunted by the events of the convention in Chicago in 1968, the Democratic National Committee has no stomach for enforcing the rules. You see, the DNC is like the parents who tell all the children, If you throw your pizza on the floor you won’t get any more pizza.” The two bratty kids in the family (Michigan and Florida) throw their pizza on the floor and the parents take away the pizza. Well, the kids start to cry, telling all their friends and neighbors that their parents are trying to starve them to death by not giving them the fresh slices of pizza they deserve after willfully dumping theirs on the floor after being told not to. The parents don’t want people to think they are starving their useless bratty kids, so they capitulate and give them fresh pizza. Now all fifty kids can throw pizza all over the place because they know all they have to do to get more pizza is scream bloody murder claiming that mommy and daddy are starving them to death.
What qualifies someone to be president? According to the Constitution, one must be a U.S. citizen by birth, over the age of 35, and a resident within the country for 14 years. Everything else is gravy. But you wouldn’t know that listening to the “experience” banter in this primary. The definition of presidential experience seems to be eight years living in the White House as First Spouse. The truth is, experience is over-rated. Name one administration with more combined experience at the highest levels than the current one. How well has that worked out? How much experience did George Washington have? Abraham Lincoln? John Kennedy? Sometimes, a lifetime in spent in Washington in precisely the type of experience a president needs to avoid.
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright has been a thorn in the side of Barack Obama since video of his sermons appeared on YouTube six weeks prior to the Pennsylvania primary. Obama immediately and has consistently made it clear that he certainly does not share the extreme views of his former pastor regarding race relations and the actions of the United States. Yet many individuals refuse to believe the senator, or give him the benefit of the doubt. Their reasoning? One cannot be in the presence of a charismatic figure like Wright two hours a week for twenty years and not become a clone of that figure. There are several flaws in that reasoning, but I’ll limit myself to one example. I like to be informed. I like to know what everyone’s thinking. So, three hours a days I listen to/watch conservative talk radio/television. Three hours a day, five days a week, for at about eight years, comes to 6,240 hours, perhaps minus a few hundred hours for vacations and cleaning the cobwebs out of my ears. If he actually attended church every Sunday for the past twenty years (which he hasn’t) and Reverend Wright preached fire and brimstone sermons excoriating America every single week (which he didn’t), Senator Obama has spent about 2,080 hours in Wright’s presence. According to the math, I have spend three times as much time listening to conservative talk radio than Obama has spent listening to Reverend Wright, and I am LESS conservative now than I was eight years ago. If merely being exposed to an idea for a length of time is all it takes to influence someone, “The Mark Factor” would be the number one primetime news analysis program on cable. When Obama says he doesn’t share Wright’s extremist views, it’s pretty easy to believe him.
Some people are upset that 90% of black voters cast their votes for Senator Obama. Funny. None of those individuals were complaining when 100% of ALL voters cast their votes for whichever white male happened to be on the ballot.
Finally, a troubling statistic emerged in the exit polls as this race dragged on. At the beginning of the primary season, Democratic voters claimed they had two candidates (three for a while) whom they liked very much and would be happy to vote for either of them. However, now, near the end of this train wreck, over a quarter of Obama supporters polled say they cannot/will not support Clinton is she is the nominee, while closer to half of Clinton supporters polled claim they cannot/will not support Obama if he becomes the nominee. Senator Clinton has seized upon these numbers to suggest that even though this primary race is likely to end with her trailing Obama in delegates and in popular vote, she should be given the nomination because her constituents are far more bitter and irrational than those of her opponent. I’ve covered this before, so I will try not to belabor the point, but I have to say this. I would hope that a political party claiming to be progressive and inclusive would be beyond the type of thinking that would lead to those exit poll results. But if there truly is a significant segment of the Democratic electorate who would rather vote for the white man with a viewpoint completely opposite to theirs on nearly every issue, (supreme court justices, pro-choice, health care, trade agreements, etc...) than vote for the black guy who AGREES with them on nearly every issue, then perhaps the Democratic Party deserves to lose this election.
If I hear the phrase “until every voice is heard,” or, “until every vote is counted” I’m going to puke. And I had mushroom rice and teriyaki vegetables for lunch, so it isn’t going to be pretty. I don’t recall any other statistically eliminated Democratic candidate in any election prior to this one whining and complaining about how “every voice must be heard.” For fifty years prior to this race the nominating contest has ended months before the final primary and it wasn’t an issue. And does any honest individual truly believe that Senator Clinton and her supporters would be clamoring for every voice to be heard if the situation was reversed and Senator Obama was facing elimination?
Michigan and Florida deserve to be stripped of their delegates and be left out in the Rocky Mountain sun to wilt at the Democratic convention in August. Everyone knew the rules before the game began, those two states decided to flip the bird at the rules, and should now face the consequences. Especially Florida, which after eight years STILL hasn't figured out how to vote correctly. But of course, they won’t be held responsible. Still haunted by the events of the convention in Chicago in 1968, the Democratic National Committee has no stomach for enforcing the rules. You see, the DNC is like the parents who tell all the children, If you throw your pizza on the floor you won’t get any more pizza.” The two bratty kids in the family (Michigan and Florida) throw their pizza on the floor and the parents take away the pizza. Well, the kids start to cry, telling all their friends and neighbors that their parents are trying to starve them to death by not giving them the fresh slices of pizza they deserve after willfully dumping theirs on the floor after being told not to. The parents don’t want people to think they are starving their useless bratty kids, so they capitulate and give them fresh pizza. Now all fifty kids can throw pizza all over the place because they know all they have to do to get more pizza is scream bloody murder claiming that mommy and daddy are starving them to death.
What qualifies someone to be president? According to the Constitution, one must be a U.S. citizen by birth, over the age of 35, and a resident within the country for 14 years. Everything else is gravy. But you wouldn’t know that listening to the “experience” banter in this primary. The definition of presidential experience seems to be eight years living in the White House as First Spouse. The truth is, experience is over-rated. Name one administration with more combined experience at the highest levels than the current one. How well has that worked out? How much experience did George Washington have? Abraham Lincoln? John Kennedy? Sometimes, a lifetime in spent in Washington in precisely the type of experience a president needs to avoid.
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright has been a thorn in the side of Barack Obama since video of his sermons appeared on YouTube six weeks prior to the Pennsylvania primary. Obama immediately and has consistently made it clear that he certainly does not share the extreme views of his former pastor regarding race relations and the actions of the United States. Yet many individuals refuse to believe the senator, or give him the benefit of the doubt. Their reasoning? One cannot be in the presence of a charismatic figure like Wright two hours a week for twenty years and not become a clone of that figure. There are several flaws in that reasoning, but I’ll limit myself to one example. I like to be informed. I like to know what everyone’s thinking. So, three hours a days I listen to/watch conservative talk radio/television. Three hours a day, five days a week, for at about eight years, comes to 6,240 hours, perhaps minus a few hundred hours for vacations and cleaning the cobwebs out of my ears. If he actually attended church every Sunday for the past twenty years (which he hasn’t) and Reverend Wright preached fire and brimstone sermons excoriating America every single week (which he didn’t), Senator Obama has spent about 2,080 hours in Wright’s presence. According to the math, I have spend three times as much time listening to conservative talk radio than Obama has spent listening to Reverend Wright, and I am LESS conservative now than I was eight years ago. If merely being exposed to an idea for a length of time is all it takes to influence someone, “The Mark Factor” would be the number one primetime news analysis program on cable. When Obama says he doesn’t share Wright’s extremist views, it’s pretty easy to believe him.
Some people are upset that 90% of black voters cast their votes for Senator Obama. Funny. None of those individuals were complaining when 100% of ALL voters cast their votes for whichever white male happened to be on the ballot.
Finally, a troubling statistic emerged in the exit polls as this race dragged on. At the beginning of the primary season, Democratic voters claimed they had two candidates (three for a while) whom they liked very much and would be happy to vote for either of them. However, now, near the end of this train wreck, over a quarter of Obama supporters polled say they cannot/will not support Clinton is she is the nominee, while closer to half of Clinton supporters polled claim they cannot/will not support Obama if he becomes the nominee. Senator Clinton has seized upon these numbers to suggest that even though this primary race is likely to end with her trailing Obama in delegates and in popular vote, she should be given the nomination because her constituents are far more bitter and irrational than those of her opponent. I’ve covered this before, so I will try not to belabor the point, but I have to say this. I would hope that a political party claiming to be progressive and inclusive would be beyond the type of thinking that would lead to those exit poll results. But if there truly is a significant segment of the Democratic electorate who would rather vote for the white man with a viewpoint completely opposite to theirs on nearly every issue, (supreme court justices, pro-choice, health care, trade agreements, etc...) than vote for the black guy who AGREES with them on nearly every issue, then perhaps the Democratic Party deserves to lose this election.
5.08.2008
Rubberneckers
Ever have one of those days where you know you should have stayed in bed? Guess that'll teach me to read the contest rules before spending five weeks writing the entry. Argh! In light of that, this week’s recap will be short and somewhat curt.
Welcome to Aftermath Wednesday. This is about the 300th Aftermath Wednesday of this political season and proves to be about as useful as the 299 preceding it. Barack Obama scored a 14 point victory in North Carolina and lost a two-point squeaker to Hillary Clinton in Indiana. In terms of providing a decisive end to this dog-and-pony show, the “Basketball Primaries” accomplished nothing. But the nature of the outcome of both contests virtually ensures that - barring a nuclear implosion - Senator Obama will wrap up the nomination and face Senator McCain in the fall. Senator Clinton has chosen to ignore this fact, desperately attempt to get the spoiler, bratty, petulant delegates of Michigan and Florida seated, and hope that the Democratic party is stupid enough take the nomination away from the man with the most delegates and the most votes, and give it to her. Six primaries remain, three of which favor Senator Clinton. Rumor is she will continue the race through the last contest on June 3, and then take it from there. So, unfortunately, this pointless exercise will continue “so that all voices can be heard,” (which never seemed to matter in any primary election cycle prior to this one) despite the fact that the outcome has already been determined. What’s that definition of insanity again? Leave it to the Democratic party to throw into doubt an election which really should be winnable by a poorly trained chimpanzee in khakis and a button-down shirt.
The FBI raided the Office of Special Council this morning, seizing computers and documents and sequestering the director until the raid was completed. Apparently the head of the office, Scott J. Bloch, is under investigation for abusing his authority, failing to prosecute legitimate cases, providing political favors to cronies, and then attempting to destroy evidence by hiring a computer tech company to purge his and other office computers. Bloch attempted to explain his actions by saying he was merely trying to eliminate a virus from his computer. Right. And I made out with my high school prom queen and both of her twin sisters in my private jet on the way to Hawaii. People not trying to cover up nefarious deeds might have tried to eliminate the virus WITHOUT destroying all their other documents. But I guess you can’t really blame Scott for his idiocy. What’s the point of being in a position of power if you can’t completely abuse that power and the people who work for you?
Somewhere between 22,000 and 100,000 people are feared dead following a cyclone in Myanmar/Burma this past weekend. If the larger number is correct, this would be the worst disaster since the 2004 Indonesian tsunami. Add that to the eruption of a Chilean volcano which has force thousands to flee their homes and spread it’s dust and ash cloud 19 miles high and 800 miles east to Buenos Aires and you have Disasterpalooza. Typically the media grabs a hold of Disasterpalooza by the throat and chokes the life out of it with 24/7 coverage. But they seem to be too busy gasping breathlessly over a now meaningless primary campaign. Never thought I would see the day undecided voters in West Virginia would beat out mayhem death and destruction for air time.
The Olympic Torch has reached the summit of Mt. Everest. And I moved my lawn on Sunday, so what? Whoopty-freakin-doo. I’m a little tired of this torch business. Let’s just get on with the games so we can win some medals.
A narcotics investigation at San Diego State University resulted in the arrests of 96 people (75 of them students), the suspension of six fraternities, seizure of over two kilograms of various hard drugs $60,000 in cash. One of the students arrested was about to receive a degree in criminal justice, while another was set to earn a masters in homeland security. Ah, the future leaders of tomorrow. College is certainly a little different from the way I remember it.
Magician, illusionist and oddity David Blaine set a world record this week by holding his breath underwater for 17 minutes, 4 seconds. While impressive by any measure, unless Blaine is preparing himself to be waterboarded, the entire exercise seems somewhat pointless. Of course that comment comes from someone who has yet to accomplish anything nearly as interesting, so feel free to take that for what it’s worth.
Iranian officials have issued a warning about the clear and present danger of Barbie dolls. Apparently several members of the country’s judiciary feel the molded plastic anatomically incorrect representations of the “ideal” American female is dangerous and culturally destructive to Iranian society - in ways that honor killings and stoning of adulters simply aren’t. How about that. Another story that writes its own jokes.
Finally, “Talk Sex” is ending its six season run on the Oxygen network this coming Sunday night. For those of you who don’t know, “Talk Sex” is a television call-in show based on a Canadian radio talk-show started in 1984 by now 77-year-old Toronto-based nurse Sue Johanson, who offered frank, practical advise on sex and sexual health-related matters. It certainly doesn’t sound like much, but the show is/has been Oxygen’s highest rated, and has developed somewhat of a cult following over the years. No one can really explain why, as it is nothing more than what looks and sounds like your grandmother, sitting in a fairly plain studio, explaining to young people who really should know better, the correct way to apply a condom or utilize a “marital aid.” But maybe that’s just it. The thought of your grandmother dispensing sexual advise and answering the most absurd sexual questions with a straight face is such a train wreck to most people that they simply can’t look away. Damn rubberneckers.
Welcome to Aftermath Wednesday. This is about the 300th Aftermath Wednesday of this political season and proves to be about as useful as the 299 preceding it. Barack Obama scored a 14 point victory in North Carolina and lost a two-point squeaker to Hillary Clinton in Indiana. In terms of providing a decisive end to this dog-and-pony show, the “Basketball Primaries” accomplished nothing. But the nature of the outcome of both contests virtually ensures that - barring a nuclear implosion - Senator Obama will wrap up the nomination and face Senator McCain in the fall. Senator Clinton has chosen to ignore this fact, desperately attempt to get the spoiler, bratty, petulant delegates of Michigan and Florida seated, and hope that the Democratic party is stupid enough take the nomination away from the man with the most delegates and the most votes, and give it to her. Six primaries remain, three of which favor Senator Clinton. Rumor is she will continue the race through the last contest on June 3, and then take it from there. So, unfortunately, this pointless exercise will continue “so that all voices can be heard,” (which never seemed to matter in any primary election cycle prior to this one) despite the fact that the outcome has already been determined. What’s that definition of insanity again? Leave it to the Democratic party to throw into doubt an election which really should be winnable by a poorly trained chimpanzee in khakis and a button-down shirt.
The FBI raided the Office of Special Council this morning, seizing computers and documents and sequestering the director until the raid was completed. Apparently the head of the office, Scott J. Bloch, is under investigation for abusing his authority, failing to prosecute legitimate cases, providing political favors to cronies, and then attempting to destroy evidence by hiring a computer tech company to purge his and other office computers. Bloch attempted to explain his actions by saying he was merely trying to eliminate a virus from his computer. Right. And I made out with my high school prom queen and both of her twin sisters in my private jet on the way to Hawaii. People not trying to cover up nefarious deeds might have tried to eliminate the virus WITHOUT destroying all their other documents. But I guess you can’t really blame Scott for his idiocy. What’s the point of being in a position of power if you can’t completely abuse that power and the people who work for you?
Somewhere between 22,000 and 100,000 people are feared dead following a cyclone in Myanmar/Burma this past weekend. If the larger number is correct, this would be the worst disaster since the 2004 Indonesian tsunami. Add that to the eruption of a Chilean volcano which has force thousands to flee their homes and spread it’s dust and ash cloud 19 miles high and 800 miles east to Buenos Aires and you have Disasterpalooza. Typically the media grabs a hold of Disasterpalooza by the throat and chokes the life out of it with 24/7 coverage. But they seem to be too busy gasping breathlessly over a now meaningless primary campaign. Never thought I would see the day undecided voters in West Virginia would beat out mayhem death and destruction for air time.
The Olympic Torch has reached the summit of Mt. Everest. And I moved my lawn on Sunday, so what? Whoopty-freakin-doo. I’m a little tired of this torch business. Let’s just get on with the games so we can win some medals.
A narcotics investigation at San Diego State University resulted in the arrests of 96 people (75 of them students), the suspension of six fraternities, seizure of over two kilograms of various hard drugs $60,000 in cash. One of the students arrested was about to receive a degree in criminal justice, while another was set to earn a masters in homeland security. Ah, the future leaders of tomorrow. College is certainly a little different from the way I remember it.
Magician, illusionist and oddity David Blaine set a world record this week by holding his breath underwater for 17 minutes, 4 seconds. While impressive by any measure, unless Blaine is preparing himself to be waterboarded, the entire exercise seems somewhat pointless. Of course that comment comes from someone who has yet to accomplish anything nearly as interesting, so feel free to take that for what it’s worth.
Iranian officials have issued a warning about the clear and present danger of Barbie dolls. Apparently several members of the country’s judiciary feel the molded plastic anatomically incorrect representations of the “ideal” American female is dangerous and culturally destructive to Iranian society - in ways that honor killings and stoning of adulters simply aren’t. How about that. Another story that writes its own jokes.
Finally, “Talk Sex” is ending its six season run on the Oxygen network this coming Sunday night. For those of you who don’t know, “Talk Sex” is a television call-in show based on a Canadian radio talk-show started in 1984 by now 77-year-old Toronto-based nurse Sue Johanson, who offered frank, practical advise on sex and sexual health-related matters. It certainly doesn’t sound like much, but the show is/has been Oxygen’s highest rated, and has developed somewhat of a cult following over the years. No one can really explain why, as it is nothing more than what looks and sounds like your grandmother, sitting in a fairly plain studio, explaining to young people who really should know better, the correct way to apply a condom or utilize a “marital aid.” But maybe that’s just it. The thought of your grandmother dispensing sexual advise and answering the most absurd sexual questions with a straight face is such a train wreck to most people that they simply can’t look away. Damn rubberneckers.
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