Al Gore Better Than Ever Now
I saw Al Gore on Meet the Press this morning with Tom Brokaw. He was talking mostly about climent change and a little politics. He was very good. I remember the Gore from the 2000 election. He was so stiff and uncomfortable. Unfunny and not at all approachable or warm. Today, he was relaxed, funny and very smart. Today I saw a guy who could have beat Bush easily. Politicians are much better when they’re not running for anything. They can relax and be more themselves. Ironically, this is exactaly what could have helped them win in the first place.
I think this is one big reason why Obama will win this year. Obama seems relaxed and confident. It’s McCain that looks stiff and rigid. People wonder about Obamas capability to lead. Obama has had more flack through his way than ever this year, especially because he is black and has a muslum sounding name. He has handled all this with calm and grace; just the way I would expect a strong leader to. Obama is younger and less experienced than most but he is also better and smarter than most as well. He’ll do fine and we will be in a much better place as a country.
Hilary Clinton - Victim, Complainer
I’ve had it up to here with Hillary Clinton. First she says to Obama, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”. Lately, all I’ve heard from Clinton is whining, bitching and complaining about every little thing. Oh, the press is mean to me, everybody is sexist, I’m really winning (kind of), everyone’s trying to push me out, ect, ect.
Hillary, stop complaining and blaming everyone else. This is all on you.
1. No strategy for after Super Tuesday because you arrogantly thought you would have it sewn up by then (so much for counting all the votes)
2. Bill Clinton’s comments in South Carolina and other places that completely pissed off the black vote
3. 10 losses in a row. Read ‘em and weap, them’s the facts
4. Bold faced lie about Bosnia and snipers (miss-spoke my ass or you really are that stupid to actually say it)
5. RFK comment. Again, miss-interpret my ass or you really are that stupid to say it. The non-apology earns bonus points
6. Constantly moving goal posts and metrics for success. Only the most loyal and idiotic fall for this crap.
7. Geraldine Ferraro. Your own personal Rev. Wright. Every time she opens her mouth, she says something insane.
8. Bill Clintons latest “it’s a cover up”. The media don’t like us and won’t let us win. Now you’re just looking silly and foolish. The media pronounced you the winner over a year ago before any of all this started. Then your 3am phone call came in the name of Obama. You didn’t handle it well.
Clinton Delusion Machine
The Hillary Clinton campaign keeps trotting people out to go on the cable and national news to argue she still has a chance to win the Democratic nomination. It’s a twisted bit of insane math and suppositions. If you believe in fairies, you might believe Hillary Clinton can still win the nomination. Frankly I think it makes her and her surrogates look foolish and unprofessional.
So much complaining and blame from the Clinton campaign now as well. They have nobody to blame but themselves. Clinton was so far ahead for this race at one point it was her race to loose, and loose it she did. Obama came out of nowhere, completely unexpected, like a 3am phone call. And how did she handle the 3am Obama crisis? Terribly. Now who do you want answering the phone at 3am?
Obama has run a smoother campaign, has raised far more money and has handled several big crisis moments. Don’t tell me Hillary is the stronger candidate. Clinton complains of sexism but her campaign has shamefully used race against Obama several times in this campaign. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t through stones.
The worst thing Obama could do now is offer her the vice presidency. Who wants that kind of domineering personality around not to mention an ex-president skulking around the white house. What a nightmare. Obama doesn’t owe her a thing and he should set out to find the best possible VP for the job.
In the end Hillary’s last mistake may be not finding a graceful way out of the race. If she scratches and claws till the bitter end she will validate every negative thing people have said about her. Give us a surprise Hillary and do something classy.
Who’s Disenfranchising Who?
Hillary Clinton likes to talk about Florida and Michigan. How can we not count those votes and disenfranchise important voters? Meanwhile she is making an argument that Democratic superdelegates should ignore the popular vote and delegate count and appoint her the nommonee for president. In effect, she wants to disenfranchise the entire election. Clinton has been so disingenuous this entire election it’s almost unbelievable. It’s equally unnerving the press has not called her more on it.
If you’re able to keep your head on straight, the facts are still clear. Obama has more delegates and is ahead in the popular vote. There is very little to no chance Clinton can catch up. If the superdelegates take it from Obama based on those facts there will be a nuclear meltdown in the democratic party. There is no way Clinton could win in the general election this way.
Hillary in Yellow
I hate Hillary Clinton for a variety of reasons, but I especially hate her in Yellow. She is partial to this color and I’ve seen her in it several times. Yuck. This particular photo also shows the strain of the campaign on her face. Obama doesn’t look tis bad yet. As I’ve said before I think she’s gripping to tightly to the wheel. It’s a new world and people are rejecting politics as usual. Hillary is politics as usual. Sorry girl, it’s time for a change.
Obama and Race
After getting hammered for about a week over his former pastors comments, Barack Obama finally came out and made a definitive speach about race. Obama was trying to stay above this fray, but he was dragged down into it, so speak he did.
I thought it was a great speech. Bold, direct, and couragous. He layed it all out. As the cool kids say, he kept it real. I hope people listen to the speech themselves instead of taking what the mainstream media gives them as analysis. Don’t let others tell you how to think, do it for yourself. Conservatives will hate the speech, Democrats will largely accept it. That helps no one.
In the end, I think this will end quickly because people are far more concerned with what is happening to the economy. Are they going to be able to keep their house, their job? What about the complete mess that is health care? You want to find crazy pastors? They’re all over the place. Even John McCain has one supporting him. What’s most humorous about this is all the coverage on TV analyzing this to death is mostly being done by wealthy white men.
Memo to Hillary - You Suck
There is a notion that democrats are happy with both Presidential candidates and would support either one come the general election in November. Well, that’s not true.
I’m an Obama guy. I think he’s smart, eloquent, and different. A real breath of fresh air. The Clinton and Bush families have dominated the presidency for 20 years or two decades. We need a change. We need something different. The more I see and hear Hillary Clinton, the more I despise her. She’s old school, bare knuckles politics. She has a machine and most of the establishment behind her. Impossible odds really for anyone, even the wunderkind Obama.
But somehow Obama has done it. He has captured the hearts and imaginations of Americans. Than comes Hillary. To get back into the race in Ohio and Texas she went negative, big time negative. Now Obama promises to sharpen his attacks on Hillary. The bad news here for Obama is now he is playing in Hillary’s turf. Now he’s playing the old school game she wants him to play. Obama broke through partially because he changed the game, changed the playing field. His field is made up of hope and change and yes we can. I hope he does not abandon that with this new strategy. The Clintons are ruthless and I don’t think can be beaten on their home field.
Contrary to the popular belief, I don’t like both candidates, I will not be just as happy to support Clinton as Obama. I hate Hillary and I’m not sure if I can get myself to vote for her in November if she is the one. If the Republicans had a real hard core scary conservative, it would be easier, but John McCain is so liberal as a Republican, a middle of the road Democrat such as myself could go that way, maybe. I still think McCain is a nut and is so completely wrong on the Iraq war, that might just tip it for me.
If I have to vote for Clinton, I want to pencil in a note beside my vote that says “you suck”. I think I may just send an email to the campaign that says, I voted for you but you suck. The Democrats are being handed this election on a silver platter. It’s theirs for the taking, unless they completely screw it up. It could happen.
Campaign 2008, Control, and New Media
Hillary Clinton is bringing daughter Chelsea out on the campaign trail in Iowa but won’t let her speak to the press. Predictably and quickly, this has lead to the absurd as she turned down an interview request from a 9 year old Scholastic News reporter.
Thus is the politics of control. In a hot presidential race, one statement, one moment can change fortunes forever. Just ask Howard Dean. The Clintons have always sought to protect and shield Chelsea from the press and I understand and empathize with that but if you don’t want to get shot, don’t go near the battlefield. If they are going to bring Chelsea along and make her part of the campaign in that way, than she is in the game, like it or not.
I don’t like the overly controlled and manufactured politics we have today. It’s almost impossible to get any kind of real read on a candidate. I’d love to hear from Chelsea and I’m sure other young people would too. She’s a smart girl for goodness sakes, let her speak. People are so afraid of making a mistake and the press is too quick to judge.
I has been said this is the YouTube campaign, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a new media campaign. We have had some “YouTube debates” but that’s just window dressing on a campaign that is still controlled by and manufactured for the old dog media. If anything, new media has intensified the control because of the way bad news can spread like wildfire across the Internet. We will not have a new media election until candidates are allowed and are courageous enough to let down their hair and let us see their real selves. Until control is broken down. Not until blogs, audio and video podcasts are treated as equals in the process and not a side show like the YouTube debates were. We’re getting closer every year and I hope someday we are able to break through and have a true new media election.
Why The Republicans Are Doomed For President
Far right Christian conservatives giveth and they taketh away. This group of largely social conservatives propelled Bush to a win in ‘04 over Kerry, and this year they are likely to do in the Republican party in the ‘08 presidential race. Not satisfied with the current presidential crop because non is a strong enough social conservative, they are talking about voting for a third party candidate. The religious conservatives are strong, but they’re not that strong. Certainly not strong enough to get a third party candidate elected president all by themselves. Especially when Christian leader Pat Robertson has officially endorsed Giuliani. They working against each other. What this will do is effectively split up the Christian vote, diluting it enough to ensure a Democratic victory. Say hello to President Clinton, again.
If Geeks Ran The World
If Geeks were in charge, Ron Paul would be president, hands down. This month, Paul set a record for campaign contributions for a single day, $4.07 million. Geeks are also doing a great job of running up Paul’s numbers on all matter of online polls and opinions. The problem, Paul hasn’t got a chance in hell of actually winning. It’s just not going to happen. Ron Paul has been running for president seemingly forever, often as a Libertarian candidate. Maybe someday geeks will run the world and Ron Paul will have his day. Until then, get used to Rudi Giuliani. He’s most likely your republican candidate for 2008.