1010 WINS Talking Politics with Justin Schrager

6/25/2008

 

But despite all this bad news, McCain is still leading in one important demographic: "Older Vietnamese citizens who spent five years torturing the candidate".

Seriously.  Tran Trong Duyet ran the infamous Hanoi Hilton, where McCain spent five years as a prisoner of war during Vietnam.  His maltreatment is legendary, and is the reason the Arizona Senator can't lift his arms above his shoulders to this day.

But, I guess Duyet has decided to let bygones be bygones.  He told the BBC that John McCain was a friend of his, and if he were American, John McCain would be his choice for President.

I'm not sure what to make of this.  My guess is that the McCain people won't be bringing Mr. Duyet into the fold as a surrogate on the campaign trail. (Though would he be any more damaging than Charlie Black?)   He does say McCain taught him a lot of English, so he may very well deliver an excellent speech.  But he also says the republican is lying about being tortured, so the fluent oratory may get buried behind the message.


6/24/2008

So, VH1 is doing "I love the new Millenium" this week. By now, you know the premise.  A cavalcade of barely famous comedians, led by Mo Rocca, make really obvious jokes. Then Michael Ian Black and Hal Sparks are actually funny and make the whole hour worth it.

Anyway, last night they did the years 2000 and 2001.  A lot of groundbreaking topics were touched on. Erin Brockovich, Napster, Segue scooters, the Baja Men.  Then with about five minutes left in the 2001 episode, they talked about 9/11.  That's when my jaw dropped.  Loni Love was talking about how everything changed that day.  Whose Loni Love? Exactly. I can't believe the producers actually brought it up.

Its the same reaction a lot of people had when they heard about the comments made by John McCain advisor Charlie Black. He told Fortune Magazine that the GOP candidate would benefit politically from another terror attack.  He had similar things to say about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. McCain quickly distanced himself from the sentiment. Barack Obama's campaign issued a scathing response. Everyone was shocked and dismayed by what Charlie Black said. But no one mentioned one important fact.  He was completely right.

National security is the only issue John McCain has left.  He's lagging behind Obama on the economy, on the environment, on health care, as well as in sheer likability.  But if, god forbid, another attack happened on American soil, a lot of Americans would feel more comfortable with John McCain and his years of military and security experience over Barack Obama, who never served his country and has relatively little national experience.

It's a basic fact.  Black wasn't saying he wants to see another attack, he was just reflecting on what would happen if one occurred. So, why do we have to act like we're so surprised?   If Mo Rocca can make me laugh while trying to make a joke about Desperate Housewives... that will be a surprise.

(thanks to cbs.com for the photograph of foreign policy wonk Loni Love. Stay tuned to hear her views on other important issues, like IPods and low ride jeans)

6/21/2008

Do you care?

It's been the biggest controversy on the election trail this week, and yet, I'm not sure that it matters to anyone outside of the two campaigns.

Barack Obama has decided to opt out of public financing for his campaign, giving up nearly $84 million in taxpayer money.  Instead, he'll flex his considerable fundraising muscles, and probably operate his campaign on two or three times that amount.

The controversy comes from the Illinois Senator's previous pledge to stick to the public financing system, as long as the Republican candidate did the same.  Well, the law that governs this sort of thing is called McCain-Feingold. So, it's pretty safe to say that John McCain will eventually sign on. He hasn't yet, but the groundwork has been laid.

Obama did go back on his word, but his people say they were forced into action, because McCain had already started spending privately raised money.  Plus, the democrat says the system is broken, because it allows political action committees to spend as much as they want.

So, here's the big question?  Do you care?  At this point, with the economy floundering and the overwhelming majority of Americans fiercely opposed to the war in Iraq, does it matter how the candidates pay for their tv commercials? 

(money bags from jalopnik.com. Its a site about cars, and has nothing to do with this story)

6/20/2008

My best friend is getting married in a few weeks.

I am not getting married anytime in the near future, to the ongoing displeasure of one, Mrs. Patti Schrager.

Still, I understand the importance of both Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama in the grand scheme of this election cycle.

Both prospective first ladies have been making headlines the last couple of weeks. Mrs. McCain headed to Vietnam, where her husband once spent some time staying at a Hilton.  Mrs. Obama braved similar risks, by sharing a couch with Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Joy Behar on the View.

Neither woman has made much impact on the policy side of the race.   Michelle Obama spent more time discussing pantyhose and fist bumps on the View than she did economic policy or environmental action.  Cindy McCain has been taking on some weightier issues this week, though she's doing it half way around the world so no one has really noticed.

But the First Lady has an undeniable impact on the mood of the country. Think about it.  The glamour of Camelot was personafied by Jackie, more than JFK. Ronald Reagan talked tough, though most Americans still had a soft spot for him, because Nancy was such a likable woman.  Hillary Clinton's "aggresive" style as First Lady was either a reflection for what was happening throughout the country in the 90's, or possible even a catalyst.  And whether or not you believe George W Bush fulfilled his campaign promise of bringing a sense of pride back to the White House (and the newest poll shows that the overwhelming majority of you do NOT), Laura Bush has managed to stay above the fray and is the only member of the White House who is still supported by the majority of the country.

Appearances matter. So yes, your impression of the first lady matters. Don't let the pundits tell you any different.

(homer and marge from fingerfoods.com)

6/19/2008

Hey, good news Midwest flood victims. The Texas Republican Party is going to donate some money to help you recover.

What?  Don't worry about it?  No, it doesn't matter where it came from. It only matters that you're getting this charity donation.

Fine, we'll tell you.  It comes from promotional buttons.  You know, the type with slogans.  This one didn't say "I Like Ike" or anything hopeful like that.  It said "If Obama is President, will we still call it the White House?"  Get it?

In the Texas GOP's defense, An independant vendor tried to sell these things at the state convention, and wasn't able to do so.  And now the money this guy paid for his booth space is being donated.

The party released a statement.  Basically, they are shocked and appalled that this sort of thing happens.  The rest of us are not.  Get ready for a summer full of this sort of thing.  Unaffiliated organizations will release some sort of offensive product, and then two days later, it will be denounced by politicians across the board. But it will take a couple of days, which is plenty of time for the message to spread to voters on the internet. 

In a race with the first black candidate taking on the oldest man ever to run, this will be the first in what promises to be a long line of offensive tactics.

(that picture comes from wonkette.com)

6/18/2008

All this talk about John McCain running for a third Bush term? I was under the impression that it meant he would carry on with a number of the President's policies.  I didn't realize it meant he would make the same stupid campaign mistakes.

But, that's exactly what happened.

I've written about New York Congressman John Hall before. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page, it's the first entry in this section) He was elected in 2006, after being motivated to run by a simple George Bush campaign tactic two years earlier.  You see, Hall used to be the lead singer of the band, Orleans, which is famous for the song "Still The One."  Well, The President played that song at campaign stops during his re-election bid, Hall got angry, told the White House to cut it out, and the rest is history.

History, as they say, has a way of repeating itself.  Yesterday, Congressman Hall showed up on MSNBC. Was he discussing a piece of legislation particularly close to his heart? No. Was he reacting to the President's decision to ask Congress to lift the ban on off-shore drilling? Obviously not.  John Hall was on TV to complain that John McCain is now using his song "Still the One" during campaign stops.

Seriously? Come on, McCain campaign, you're better than that!  Were you absent the day a dopey controversy helped your party lose majority control on Capitol Hill? 

And why is that song so popular with politicians?  First of all, it's about monogomy.  And according to this article from last week, that's maybe not so much Senator McCain's strongsuit. Second, if this election is truly about change, why do you want to represent yourself with the phrase "Still The One"? But finally, and most importantly, it's a subpar song from a period in time with no nostalgic value.  It won't make baby boomers long for their younger days, when things were simple and times were good. And the only things my generation connects it with are Burger King commercials and crappy political ploys.

6/17/2008

What happened to the campaign to change campaigning?

I thought Obama and McCain were committed to running an election this country could be proud of. No dirty tricks, no underhanded campaigning, no rhetoric that hints towards controversies which aren't there.

Yeah, well, that's not going to happen.

In the last couple of minutes alone, two stories have come across my desk here in the newsroom.  Neither of them reflects the respectful tones or enlightended conversation we were promised.

The Democratic Party  will be filing suit against McCain, alleging a violation of campaign finance laws. The DNC says its suing because the GOP nominee has opted out of public financing, after obtaining a line of credit to pay for his campaign.  Sounds confusing? It is, and the particulars don't really matter. The key is that the Democratic party has decided to sue the Republican nominee for President in federal court over some inside baseball political ploy.

But the McCain camp pulled a questionable move of its own today.  One of the Arizona Senator's advisrs has accused Obama of having a -wait for it- September 10th mindset about terrorism. Yes, that old chestnut: 9-11 as a campaign tool.  Fantastic.

Two weeks ago, there was hope that we would see the two candidates appearing together at town hall meetings, taking questions from citizens and rising above the usual political crap. Those hopes have already been dashed. Instead, we're looking at the beginning of what could be one of the sleaziest campaigns of all time.

6/13/2008

Remember those shots last weekend of Hillary Clinton's car, idling outside her Washington home as the media throng awaited her concession speech? 

Last night was nothing like that.  Did you know that Ron Paul was still a candidate for President?  Well, he was until yesterday. The Libertarian Texas congressman ended his campaign last night, about three months after anyone he last made a dent in national coverage.

He's an interesting character.  At the outset of the race, Paul was the candidate of choice for intellectual hippies across the country. He was Dennis Kucinich without the short jokes and ufo's and hopeless liberalism.  A lot of really smart people said things like, "I'm going to vote for candidate x, but if he/she doesn't win, I think I might support Ron Paul."

In the end, they didn't, because the more Ron Paul spoke, the less interested people became in his message.  He wasn't just an anti-war candidate, he was an isolationist candidate.  He wasn't  a classic small-government Republican, he was completely anti-government.

So, his candidacy is over, but he says the Ron Paul Revolution will carry on.  The Congressman will now focus on gaining a larger voice within the GOP for libertarians like himself.  We'll see if he has any more luck doing that.

6/12/2008

John McCain is coming to New York tonight, for a town hall meeting at Federal Hall.  Then, he's headed for another one in New Jersey tomorrow.

It seems like he'll be making that trip a lot over the next few months.

Apparently, New Jersey is in play.

A new poll shows McCain within six points of Barack Obama among Garden State voters, with men evenly split and independant voters leaning towards the Republican.

The Arizona Senator is even doing something no GOP candidate has done in nearly two decades.  He's setting up a full time campaign office in Jersey. 

Is it going to work?  Most experts say no.  The last Presidential candidate to carry the Garden State was the first George Bush, in 1988.  Jerseyans haven't elected a Republican to statewide office since Christie Whitman became Governor, in the wake of the failed Florio regime. 

But having the state in play is a good thing for residents.  If both candidates are duking it out for support, they'll be making campaign promises of more jobs and more federal money for causes New Jersey cares about.  

It's a lesson in basic politics.  If a blue state turns purple, voters elsewhere may become green with envy over the attention it gets paid.

(this familiar scene comes from njfreeways.com)

6/11/2008

Lloyd Dobler doesn't want you to vote for John McCain.

Is he willing to stand outside your window and hold up a boombox to make sure you get his message?  He doesn't have to.  Instead, John Cusack has filmed ads for moveon.org, characterizing the Arizona Senator as  war profiteer and a George W Bush clone who's been wrong on Iraq since the start.

This brings up an important question.  Why should I care what John Cusack has to say? You shouldn't.  Even he admits that:

 `I know my opinion doesn't matter more than anyone else's and I just make films,'' he
  told The Associated Press in a phone interview Wednesday. ``But I do feel you have
 to speak out, and that's what I'm doing.''

But John Kerry's opinion should carry a little bit more weight.  Say what you will about him, but the Massachusetts Senator and Vietnam Vet deserves to be listened to on matters of war and peace. And when he fires a shot at his good friend John McCain, its worth noting.

That happened today, after McCain told the Today Show that avoiding casualties in Iraq is more important than bringing troops home.

Instead of responding himself, Barack Obama turned to Senator Kerry, who said of McCain's comments, "It is unbelievably out of touch and inconsistent with the needs and concerns of Americans, and particularly the families of the troops who are over there."

The McCain camp wants to make Iraq the central issue of this election, because polls show he's stronger on national security than Obama. Those polls might change quickly. Especially if Cusack and Kerry keep talking.

(The scene from Say Anything comes from scene-stealers.com.  I'm not a huge fan of this movie.  Never have been. High Fidelity, though.  There's a great movie. Gross Pointe Blank, too)

6/10/2008

18 million people up for grabs.

When Hillary Clinton dropped out of the race this weekend, she urged her supporters to bury the hatchet, and back Barack Obama's candidacy.  Apparently, not everyone thinks they'll listen.

John McCain has already begun his full court press, trying to convince Clinton voters that he's the right choice for them.

It's a neat trick.  McCain, who says he's staunchly anti-abortion and scores incredibly low on most environmental issues, is trying to appeal to a largely older female audience which skews to the left. 

But it's a trick that just might work.  McCain says he and Clinton have a lot in common, when it comes to national security matters.  And he's been praising her left and right, ever since she ended her campaign.

Combine that with the fact that a lot of Hillary supporters are very angry.  It's that whole "hell hath no fury.." theory.  Many older women saw the New York Senator's campaign as their last chance to elect a female President. Now that she's lost, they're prepared to take it out on the person who beat her.

Obama is doing his best to combat that.  Take a look at his website. There's a giant picture of Hillary on the homepage, and a big thank you note.  It comes down to whether 18 million people vote with their heads or the hearts.

6/7/2008

Well, that's that.

Hillary Clinton has officially suspended her campaign.. and thrown her support behind Barack Obama.

And she did it the right way, delivering the best speech of her life.  The Senator exhorted her supporters to jump on the Obama bandwagon, while begging them not to be discouraged.

She focused on the historical nature of this year's democratic race, with a woman and an African American battling it out for the party's nomination.

This speech sounded something like a college commencement address, and with good reason.  Just like every speaker tells every graduating class every year: This is not an end, its a beginning.  That's why they call it commencement.  Hillary called on her supporters to take the next step in the campaign journey, by helping Obama make history and take the White House.

A few questions though:

-Hillary told a story about a 13 year old girl who had been saving for two years to go to Disney World, but instead used the money to travel to Pennsylvania with her Mom to volunteer for the Clinton Campaign.  Wouldn't it be nice, now, if Bill and Hillary sent her family on that vacation to Florida?

-Why was Ted Danson there, and why was he standing next to Bill Clinton at a historic moment like this?  For Republicans looking for a talking points during this speech, having a member of the "Hollywood elite" on stage during this speech is easy pickings.

-Why was Terry McAuliffe  dressed like he just came off the golf course?  I'm pretty sure he knew this speech was scheduled when he left the house this morning.


6/6/2008

Maybe it is a dream ticket afterall.

I have long wondered whose dream the pundits were talking about, when they discussed an Obama-Clinton combo.  It certainly wasn't Hillary's.  There's no way she wants to play number 2.  And this is definitely not what Barack Obama had in mind.  Having a Clinton on the ticket, and in the White House, could effectively emasculate him before he even takes the oath of office.

But, sometimes you need to act in the best interests of the party, and the dream ticket is clearly what the majority of democratic voters are looking for.  According to a new poll, 54 percent think that Obama-Clinton is the way to go.  43 percent disagree.

Do you think these numbers came up during the Clinton-Obama meeting at Dianne Feinstein's house last night?  I think that's a pretty safe bet.

6/5/2008

MSNBC had a graphic this afternoon, which said "New York Congressional Delegation applauds Hillary Clinton's decision to step down."

I certainly hope their applauding it, because they're the ones who forced it to happen.

Charlie Rangel, who signed on early with Hillary and resisted calls from the African American community to switch to Obama during the campaign, had the quote of the year.  It appears in today's Times.

"We pledged to support her to the end. Our problem is not being able to determine when the hell the end is."

Obama clinched the nomination Tuesday night, and Hillary responded by saying she wouldn't be making any decisions right away.  Apparently, she didn't realize that the decision wasn't hers to make. It sounds like Rangel was the first person to point that out, on a conference call yesterday afternoon.  Hillary supporters didn't want to look disloyal, but they also didn't want to miss the Obama gravy train again. They needed Hillary to release them, so they'd be free to back the party's nominee.

And so, they made their displeasure known.  And it worked.  Hillary decided to call it day once and for all, and scheduled her own Obama endorsement for Saturday. Now Rangel and the rest of Hillary's supporters can follow suit, and the party can move on to the general election.  Better late than never.

(the rangel pic comes from the NYTIMES.COM)

6/4/2008

This sounds cool.

It's like one of those old road pictures with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.

John McCain says he and Barack Obama should travel together across the country over the next few weeks to hold town hall meetings with the American people.  He says it will eliminate media created controversy, by allowing voters to pose the questions they actually care about instead of parsing through questions designed to make headlines. 

And the first one will be right here in the city, at Federal Hall, where the seeds of our Democracy were first sewn.

The Obama camp says the idea is appealing.  They may want to reconsider.  Because while it's true that this format would eliminate a lot of the evils of modern day politics, it would also eliminate the Illinois Senator's biggest strength.  Obama's largest campaign advantage over McCain going forward is his ability to deliver soaring speeches which capture the imagination. That sort of thing is not possible in a town hall setting.  Obama isn't really known as a policy wonk, and he's resisted getting specific about policy during his campaign. 

The McCain proposal sounds like a chance for the two candidates to cut through the crap and actually speak directly to the concerns of the American people. But Obama better be careful, because it also sounds like a chance for McCain to undercut his opponent.

(bing and bob from allposters.com)

6/3/2008



The Democratic Party has gone for style over substance. It seems like the absolute right decision. Why? Because of this sentence:
        
                     “America, this is our moment. This is our time.”

6/3/2008

I’ve been to Montana. I spent about a week there. It was very nice. The only complaint I had was the air mattress. No matter what anyone says, those things are NOT comfortable. It’s like sleeping on a raft in a pool. You always feel like you’re about to fall off.

"You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."

As Hillary Clinton tries to figure out exactly how to end her run for the Presidency, Ben Smith, at Politico, says some Clinton staffers have been given a choice.  Either fly into New York to attend tonight's speech at Baruch College, or fly home.  The campaign is willing to pay for one flight, but won't spring for two.

And that's how it goes in this game sometimes.  You commit more than a year of your life to someone, you pour your heart and soul into getting them elected, and if it doesn't work out, you're basically on your own.  But political operatives are a pretty resilient bunch.  Word is, a number of Clinton aides are already working behind the scenes to secure themselves a job with the Obama campaign.  Others have begun sending out resumes and contacting old bosses. The campaign may have no plans past tomorrow, but clearly some staffers hope they do.

(semisonic sang closing time.  The album cover is from answers.com)

6/2/2008

I kind of like Vanity Fair.  Once you get past the thousands of pages of ads, you can find some pretty interesting articles that get pretty in depth.  Then again, I've never been the subject of one of those articles.

Bill Clinton has, and he's not happy about it.  The former President responded to a piece in this month's issue by scribbling down something of his own. His people have released a nearly 2,500 word diatribe ripping the Magazine's leadership, the author of the article, and the author's wife.   She happens to be Dee Dee Myers, who was President Clinton's Press Secretary back in the day.  That relationship is clearly over.

It's yet another example of the former President's temper coming out at the worst possible time. Hillary's campaign is winding down, and the entire party is trying to figure out how to come together and unify for the general election.  It will not help to  have the party's former standard bearer screaming red faced at his former aides while railing against magazine publishers.




5/31/2008

Nothing is easy.

The DNC's rules and bylaws committee could have gathered at the Party's offices today, spent a few hours negotiating, and come up with a sensible compromise to settle the issues surrounding delegates from Florida and Michigan.

But that wouldn't be like the Democrats, would it?  Instead, they need to gather at a hotel, and open the event to the public.  That way you can have supporters from both sides cheering and booing, as the politicians on both sides grandstand for the crowd. 

It's a circus. But that's not a suprise.  The Democrats have done everything they can to weaken themselves during what should have been a cakewalk this election season.  What's one more display of public discord before the general election?

(for some reason, this picture came from deadwood.org.  I never saw clowns on that show. Just angry prospectors who used terrible language)

5/30/2008

After what seems like a decade, the democratic race is probably going to wrap up early next week.  Barack Obama will take the nomination, and Hillary Clinton will move on to whatever the next step in her political career is.

What they leave in their wake, however, still needs to be addressed. The party can never have this sort of thing happen ever again. 

First of all, it's probably time to get rid of superdelegates.  Before the primaries started, party officials said the system was designed to reward loyal democrats, but wouldn't actually have a significant impact on the results of the race.  Well, they were wrong.  The superdelegates ended up playing an huge role in picking the nominee, arguably larger than ordinary voters.  That's a recipe for mass disenchantment if it happens again.

Speaking of disenchantment, how about the voters in Florida and Michigan?  Now, this isn't really the Party's fault.  It was the state legislatures who pushed their primaries to far up, and forced the DNC to strip both states of their delegates.  But, of course, the DNC has now been forced  to figure out how to restore some of those delegates. That meeting comes tomorrow.  But here's something they can do something about. Most of the 30 people taking part in the decision have already thrown their support to one candidate or the other.  How about making a rule that committee members responsible for these types of decisions can't publicly throw their support behind a candidate? That would prevent the appearance of the campaigns trying to manipulate the results of tomorrow's meeting in their own favor.

Finally, let's get rid of proportional primaries.  It's just too confusing.  Hillary Clinton wins Nevada and Texas, but Obama ends up taking more pledged delegates from both states.  How does that make sense?

Oh.. and one more thing.  I'd like to outlaw this:

i don't care how much you love a candidate. You should never have his or her face tattooed to your body. It's just wrong.

(the scary jailhouse tats come from wonkette.com)


5/29/2008

He owns the New York Post.  He owns the Wall Street Journal. He owns Fox News. So, Rupert Murdoch's choice for President should be clear.  He likes... Barack Obama.

No, seriously, he does. 

The Newscorp chairman spoke about it last night, at the "All Thing Digital" conference in California.  Murdoch calls Obama a rock star, and says he loves the Illinois Senator's education proposals.

As for John McCain, Murdoch calls the GOP nominee a friend and a patriot, but he says the Arizona Senator is unpredictable and doesn't seem to know much about the economy.

The comments are certainly jarring.  Murdoch has essentially become the media standard bearer for the American conservative movement.  But are they really that surprising?  Maybe not.

Don't forget that a large portion of that conservative movement is still wary of McCain's right wing credentials.  That may explain Murdoch's statement last night.  " He has been in Congress a long time, and you have to make a lot of compromises. So what's he really stand for?"

It's also important to note that Murdoch has shown some support for Democrats in the past. In fact, he contributed money to Hillary Clinton's current campaign.

But this may be an economic decision more than anything else.  When did Fox News Channel have it's biggest ratings?  It hasn't happened during the 8 years of the Bush Administration.  The network was most successful during the heyday of Ken Starr and Monica Lewinsky.  They need someone to rail against, and Murdoch knows that. Maybe he wants a democrat like Obama to take over the White House, so he can once again take over the airwaves.

(You forgot that Murdoch was once a guest star on the Simpsons, didn't you?  It was the one where Homer takes over the Super Bowl halftime show. Not one of the best episodes ever, but you take what you can get. The picture is from about.com)

5/28/2008

The White House didn't waste much time going after Scott McClellan.

Just a few hours after details of the former Press Secretary's memoir hit the news, the current spokeswoman, Dana Perino, said she was puzzled by the tone, and called McClellan disgruntled.  Other members of the administration have been less kind.  Fran Townsend calls it "self-serving, disingenuous and unprofessional."

At issue, apparently, is McClellan's assertion that the Bush Administration used a political propaganda campaign to sell the Iraq war to the American people, instead of using the truth.  He also calls the war a "serious strategic blunder" which was "not necessary." 

Harsh stuff for sure, but, at this point, how much damage can it do to President Bush?  His approval ratings are already at historically low levels, and these accusations have been made hundreds of times over the last five years. 

That doesn't mean there won't be an impact, though.  This is going to open up a whole new chapter in the Presidential candidates' Iraq fight.  Barack Obama can say he saw through the White House's lies and opposed the war from the start.  Hillary Clinton can say she was misled by the Bush Administration into voting to allow the President to use military force.

But the person who stands to lose the most is John McCain.  Obama has been calling the Arizona Senator's candidacy a chance for a third Bush term.  It won't take long for McClellan's accusations to be added to that section of the Obama stump speech.  And once the general election gets underway, McCain will be forced to answer a new round of questions about his ongoing support for the war. 

In previous years, this may have also put a crimp in plans to have the current President campaign for his party's candidate.  But, McCain has already done his best to distance himself from President Bush, so that won't come into play.

McClellan, or his publishers, clearly timed the release of this memoir to have a major impact on the best seller list.  But, it's the impact on the Presidential race which may end up proving more impressive.

5/27/2008

It's a political masterstroke.

John McCain has invited Barack Obama to take a trip to Iraq with him, so the Democratic frontrunner knows what he's talking about when he discusses veteran's affairs.

The invitation allows McCain to paint Obama as an elitist coward with no actual knowledge about the true nature of Iraq, or of war in general.  And it allows McCain to avoid answering some serious questions about his own views on Iraq and the treatment of vets returning home from the war.

So, how should Obama respond?  His campaign has been quiet so far.  But here's an interesting concept:  Accept the invitation.

Politically, it eliminates an obvious attack from McCain's playbook.  He can't say Obama doesn't know the realities of Iraq if McCain himself has shown the Illinois Senator around.  It also gives Obama the chance to take the high road ahead of the general election.  Before the campaigns can start lobbing insults back and forth, the two candidates will have spent significant time working together and developing some sort of cordial personal relationship which may carry over into the fall.

If that doesn't happen, Obama can bring up his differences with McCain on Iraq in Iraq.  One of the main issues at the moment seems to be the GI Bill. All Obama needs to do is find one soldier who says McCain's proposal will screw up his plans for college, and his work is done.

McCain has pulled off an excellent political maneuver.  Obama needs to answer back with one of his own.

(the picture comes from msnbc)

5/22/2008

John McCain says it's purely social event.  He is lying.

The Arizona Senator is hosting a Memorial Day party at his home this weekend, and among the invited guests are Governors Charlie Crist and Bobby Jindal and former Governor Mitt Romney.  They are not going for the cole slaw, they are going for the chance to be the GOP's number two man this fall.

We're all quite familiar with Romney, and it seems like Charlie Crist has been angling for the job since the day McCain clinched the nomination.  But we don't know much about Bobby Jindal.  So, here's a quick bio:

-Jindal's the first term Governor of Louisiana, having entered the Baton Rouge Statehouse earlier this year. 

-He'll turn 37 next month. 

-He went to Brown, and then was a Rhodes Scholar, having turned down admission to both medical and law school at Harvard and Yale. 

-After school, he worked for a fortune 500 company, before enterting public service on the state level.  Eventually he went to work for the Bush Administration.

-In 2004, he was elected to Congress and then was re-elected two years later.

-His real first name is Piyush.  He got Bobby from watching the Brady Bunch when he was 4. Adorable!

-Both of his parents came to the US from India.  Jindal was born while they were attending grad school in Louisiana.

-Jindal was raised Hindu, but converted to Catholocism in High School. 

- He's married and has three kids. 

-He's against abortion in all forms under all circumstances.

- He's against federal funding for stem cell research

- He is for the teaching of intelligent design

So, there you go. Get to know Bobby Jindal.  He may soon be a major part of your life.

5/21/2008

Same party, same state, far different mission.

Following their split decisions in Oregon and Kentucky last night, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are both spending today in Florida. 

Hillary is continuing her push to have the Sunshine State Primary count, even though the DNC stripped Florida of its convention delegates, for pushing the vote to far forward on the calendar.  Her argument this week has been that she holds the lead over Obama in the popular vote, though that counts Florida and Michigan.

Obama's purpose is a bit more nuanced.  He's trying to re-build some of the bridges he may have burned since the campaign began.  He's been pushing for a delegate compromise on Florida and Michigan, which could, in part, discount vote results.  He also needs to win over a couple of demographic groups which are prominent in Florida: Jewish voters and blue collar workers.  Plus, he needs to convince Clinton supporters that he's no longer the enemy.  It's a lot to accomplish in one day, but it's also going to be necessary if Obama is to become the next President of the United States.



5/20/2008

I've been saving this one for a rainy day, but today's news makes it pretty timely.

Ever since Barack Obama became his party's presumptive nominee, I've been trying to figure out what role Hillary Clinton can play in Washington as the years go by.  The latest talk has Hillary's people trying to convince the Obama camp to make her his running mate.  The so-called dream ticket has a lot of appeal, but I don't think it's realistic. I think it would be hard for Senator Clinton to come this close, and then settle for the number two job.

There has also been some talk about her possibly running for Governor of New York, if David Patterson decides he doesn't want to run for re-election.  That also seems possible, though it seems like Hillary would be depending too much on the whims of another politician.

The best place for her is right where she is, in the Senate.  Hillary Clinton should be the next Ted Kennedy, A lion of Capitol Hill.  Throughout her time in the Senate, colleagues on both sides of the aisle have noted how well Senator Clinton works with others to get things done.  She's even teamed up with some of her husband's oldest foes, like Newt Gingrich and Lindsay Graham, in order to pass legislation she believes in.  Those are the same types of tributes Senator Kennedy has been receiving since news of his brain tumor broke earlier today. 

Now, Clinton is no Kennedy clone.  She's more moderate than he is, and seems more likely to compromise towards the right than the long time Massachusetts Senator.  It's no coincidence that Kennedy endorsed her opponent. 

But Clinton could be the face of the next generation of Democratic Party elders.  It's a role Ted Kennedy has played well for the last twenty plus years, and its essential to the way our government operates.

5/16/2008

Joe Biden is like Kramer.

I was watching an old Seinfeld last night. (Of course it was old, you say. The show went off the air ten years ago.)  The episode centered around one of Elaine's friends, who was a very attractive woman who had a really bad hairstyle.  Elaine didn't know how to broach the subject, so Jerry told her to have Kramer meet her, since he just says whatever comes to mind.  He has no filter.

I felt the same way yesterday, after every major Democrat in the country took aim at President Bush's appeasement comments in Israel.  Hillary Clinton denounced them.  Harry Reid demanded an explanation. Nancy Pelosi called them below the dignity of the President.

Then Obama got up today and did what he does best.  He delivered a speech, taking the President and John McCain for the comments, and for their overall foreign policy postures.   

It was all very forceful, yet civil.  Which is why Biden is so much more interesting.

What did he think of the President's comments?  He called them "bull***t."  Straight and to the point.  Its the first thing that came to his mind, and he said it. He has no filter.

(Joe Biden and Cosmo Kramer, seperated at birth.? That's a concept better explored here.  The Biden pic comes from his website. The Kramer is from tvacres.)

5/15/2008

I'm not wearing suspenders, but I think I may steal a page out of Larry King's book today.

Here are a few quick hits from a rather eventful day on the campaign trail:

- I don't think the John Edwards endorsement of Barack Obama is as big a deal as the media is making of it.  The pledged delegates being turned over are nice, though they aren't putting Obama over the top.  More importantly, I think the endorsement comes too late to have an impact.  I don't think working class Americans who have already decided they don't like the Illinois Senator will change their mind because John Edwards tells them too.   In the scale of endorsements, I think Edwards' impact falls well below that of Bill Richardson, and lands somewhere near Chris Dodd.

- Obama has decided not to pull any punches when it comes to Republicans.  After spending the last week or so railing against John McCain, today he took aim at President Bush. At issue were some comments the President made during a speech to the Israeli Knesset, on the occassion of that country's 60th anniversary.  Mister Bush warned Israel against appeasing terrorists, which Obama took as a shot against his comments about giving diplomacy a fair shake while dealing with our enemies.  He described the comments as a "false political attack". The White House denies it.

 It seems more and more like the candidate is steeling himself for a tough partisan battle this fall.

- As for McCain, he gave a hell of a speech this morning, detailing the changes he would implement in the White House.  It was a lot of very highminded stuff, about eliminating partisan fighting and finding a way to get things done in Washington.  That sort of attitude helped him rise to national prominence 8 years ago, but his actions since then have sometimes told a different story. Like I said, hell of speech.  Let's see if he means it.

(the Larry King picture is pretty funny.  Its from Yardbarker.com and was taken at a Raiders game last season. The wind was too much for Larry to handle)

5/14/2008

History will be made come November, no matter what happens.

And this footnote will have nothing to do with the race or gender or age of our next Commander-In-Chief.  Instead, it will have to do with their former job.

In the history of the United States, only two sitting Senators have become President, the last being JFK in 1960.  That will obviously become three when either Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain take over next year.

But what happens to the seat that's vacated?  (I imagine it's cleaned and put back.  But seriously folks..)  All three candidates are serving terms which last through 2010.  Someone has to replace the eventual President. 

That decision falls to the Governor.  In the case of Arizona, the new Senator has to be from the same party as the old one, so Republicans will not lose a seat if John McCain moves down Pennsylvania Avenue.

As always, things are less cut and dry with the Democrats.  Neither Illinois nor New York has a law requiring a replacement to be of the same party as the original senator.  In this case, however, both states have Democrats in the state house.  So, the balance of power in the Senate probably won't shift.

UNLESS....

At the moment, New York has no Lieutenant Governor.  David Patterson took over for Eliot Spitzer, and state law had no provision for replacing Patterson in the line of succession.  So, if for some reason Patterson is forced to leave office (and a Governor being forced out of office has almost become the norm in our area), Republican Senate leader Joe Bruno would take over on a temporary basis, thus, he would be given the authority to select Hillary Clinton's replacement.  And he would most likely pick a Republican.

Obviously, those are a lot of ifs. Not the least of which being "If Hillary Clinton can somehow win the Presidency".  But the possibility is out there, so I figured it was worth mentioning.

(for a picture of JFK, where better to go than boston.com?)

5/13/2008

West Virginia not withstanding, Hillary Clinton knows it's over.

Even with a 40 point lead heading into today's Appalachian State primary, The New York Senator sees the handwriting on the wall.

As she greets excited supporters from Charleston to Huntington and all four corners of the state, the former First Lady acts like a viable candidate, all the while realizing she will not be the next President of the United States.

But even a natural politician like Hillary Clinton can slip up and reveal her true feelings, even if only for a second.

It happened yesterday, when she uttered this quote:

“All the kitchen table issues that everybody talks to me about are ones that the next president can actually do something about, if he actually cares about it.”

She said HE.  Clinton corrected herself a few seconds later, but the truth is out there.

Barack Obama has now added 26 superdelegates to his tally, and can wrap up the nomination mathematically by June 3rd.   The Illinois Senator has essentially moved on, and started taking aim at John McCain on the stump.

Meantime, Hillary's continued campaign continues to turn from stubborn insistence to empty exercise, wasting time and money all the way.

5/9/2008

This is screwing with my head a little bit.

John McCain's real life presidential campaign has stepped into another controversy, thanks, in part, to a couple of imaginary democratic operatives.

Earlier this week, Arianna Huffington posted a story on her blog, saying McCain once told her he didn't vote for George W Bush in 2000.  If true, it's certainly understandable.  Bush and McCain were the last Republicans standing that year, until some famously sleazy rumors were circulated about McCain in the days before the South Carolina primary.  The results ended the Arizona Senator's initial foray into presidential politics.

But since then, McCain has worked to heal the rift, at least publicly. He's aligned himself with the President on Iraq, and even campaigned for him against longtime friend and colleague John Kerry four years ago.

McCain denies the Huffington story, saying he's always supported his party in national elections.  That's where the imaginary characters come in.  Both Bradley Whitford and Richard Schiff say they overheard McCain say otherwise.  You may know them better as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman and Communications Director Toby Ziegler from tv's "The West Wing".

It's fitting in this year of unprecedented campaign drama, that a couple of actors would play such a key role. 

(cast shot from wikipedia)

5/8/2008

Remember this guy?

Everyone's been so focused on Clinton and Obama, John McCain has been slipping through the cracks. So what has everyone's favorite Republican nominee been up to?

Well, The Arizona Senator stopped by the Daily Show last night, where he did his usual dance with Jon Stewart.  It's always interesting to watch McCain on that show, because he still flashes the personality that made him such a favorite of independants and some democrats when he first became a prominent national figure 8 years ago.  But, he alternates that persona with the "new" McCain, who has aligned himself with President Bush and some of those figures in the Republican party who he had earlier reputiated.  It always looks like he wants to break out and kid around with Jon Stewart, but he knows he's no allowed to.

It's that second persona that may end up pulling McCain into another scandal.  The Senator has publicly released his tax returns, which show an income of about 400k.  But his real money comes from his wife, Cindy.  She's a beer baron, worth somewhere north of 100 million bucks.  We don't know exactly how far north, since Mrs. McCain refuses to release her own tax information.

She insists she's not the candidate, so her money doesn't matter.  But McCain has long been a champion of campaign finance reform, and he's gone after Barack Obama, because the Illinois Senator hinted he might use private money to pay for his campaign, instead of public funds. 

It would seem contradictory.  How can McCain blast Obama for being secretive with his finances, all the while hiding a 9 figure fortune behind a wall of technicality?

5/7/2008

Why is she still doing this?

Hillary Clinton had a bad night.  The vast majority of experts says it should have been the end of the line for her campaign.  But, there she was again this morning, back on the trail in West Virginia.

She says she has her reasons.  Bill Clinton didn't wrap up the '92 nomination until the end of June.  Florida and Michigan haven't been counted.  Voters in West Virginia, Kentucky and the other remaining states deserve to have their voices heard. Most importantly, Hillary says she believes she would be the best President.

At least those are the reasons she's willing to talk about.  Let's consider another factor: the almighty dollar.

Clinton's campaign is in debt, and every speech she gives is another chance to raise more money.  She even threw a fundraising message in at the top of her speech in Indiana tonight, directing supporters to HillaryClinton.com

The latest theory being thrown around says Clinton is staying in the race until Obama pledges to pay off her campaign debts.  He's been setting all types of fundraising records this year, but with the DNC short on funds, paying off his opponent may not be the best use of money.  And if Hillary Clinton is serious about uniting the party and strengthening the Democratic majority in Washington, putting a dent into the nominee's campaign coffers to pay off her own personal costs is a strange way of showing it.


5/6/2008

Hillary's not giving up tonight.  She got crushed in North Carolina, and the race is way closer than expected in Indiana, but she isn't ready to call it quits.  The Senator even opened up her speech with a fundraising request.  

But the future of her campaign might look bleaker tonight than it ever has before. Time has all but run out, and the party elite keep saying this race will definitely be over before the convention.  Well, nothing is going to change between now and the end of the primary season on June 3rd.  So, starting tomorrow morning, we're going to start hearing the calls for Hillary to stick a fork in it once and for all.     


5/6/3008

More proof that tonight's a big night for Obama.  He's a White Sox fan.  Gavin Floyd just came within two outs of a no-hiiter for the White Sox.

5/6/2008

No matter what happens in Indiana, Hillary Clinton comes out as the loser tonight.  If she waits to speak until after the primary has been decided, she takes the chance of losing half of her potential audience.  People on the East Coast need to go to sleep in the next hour or so, and the chance to hear Hillary Clinton deliver a speech is not nearly good enough a reason to be tired all day at work tomorrow.

The other alternative is to take to the podium before the state is declared. But then, what does she say?  She can't proclaim victory. In fact, all she would be able do is congratulate Obama on his massive win in North Carolina, and then take aim at John McCain.  What good would that do?  It would only reinforce the image of the Clinton's as down and dirty old style politicians.  And after Obama delievered another gem of a speech earlier in the night, it would only serve to widen the chasm between them.





5/6/2008

Barack Obama just hit another one out of the park.

His victory speech on the campus of NC State in Raleigh touched on a bit of everything tonight.  It started with him calling Indiana for HIllary Clinton, something none of the cable stations have done yet.  He also peppered in some policy talk, which may have been an effort to convince Clinton supporters that they would be safe voting for Obama if he takes the party's nomination.  Then came an attack on John McCain the candidate, softened by respectful tones for John McCain the man.

And he did it without sacrificing any of the sweeping rhetoric which helped him rise to the top of the pile in the first place.

5/6/2008

Has CBS news jumped the gun?  The network has projected Hillary Clinton as the winner in Indiana.  No other network is following suit. And this isn't a matter of a few minutes.  CBS has been alone on an island for  20 minutes on this one

5/6/2008

"No can do, sister"

"What? I want to vote. This is nunsense!"

That is how I imagine this conversation would have gone, if people in Indiana loved hilarious puns.

The state has a new voter ID law, in which people need to show state or federal picture ID to enter a ballot. These nuns, many in their 80's and 90's, did not have drivers licenses, and so they were turned away.   BY A FELLOW NUN. 

(oldmovies.net for the movie poster)


5/6/2008

We have our first winner of the night.  Barack Obama is the projected champ in North Carolina.  But Hillary Clinton isn't the only loser in the Tarheel State.

John Edwards missed his window.  The former North Carolina Senator has been holding his endorsement back since he dropped out of the race a few months back.  The thought was he would wait until voters headed to the polls in his homestate, and then chose a candidate. Then he didn't.   Big mistake.

Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, may not have endorsed a candidate formally, but they have made some tough comments about Obama's healthcare plan.  And guess what.  It had no impact whatsoever.  Obama won the state without the Edwards' help, and it looks like he did so convincingly.  John Edwards kept quiet, and as a result, he may have lost his relevance.



(the picture is from washingtonpost.com. They're waving goodbye to influence)


5/6/2008

Barack Obama prefers omelettes to waffles.

A few weeks ago, the democratic frontrunner left half a waffle behind, after visiting a diner in Pennsylvania.  I know, because someone sold it on ebay.  They got 99 cents.

This morning, Obama ordered the house omelette (ham, peppers and feta cheese) while visiting the Four Seasons Family Restaurant in Greenwood, Indiana.  This time, though, he finished the whole thing.  How do I know?  I called the restaurant and asked. AUDIO: Justin Talks to Restaurant Owner Who Served Obama in Indy.

But more importantly, the diner's owner says Obama's visit had no impact on how he plans on voting.  Mechmet Topsti says he had already made his mind up, before the Illinois Senator made a surprise stop at his restaurant.   But Topsti says some of his customers may have been swayed.  An Obama win in Indiana could propel him to the nomination, so he better hope the rest of his day has more impact.

(tasty omelette from ehow.com)

5/6/2008

I went to Boston University.  While I was there, I spent two years doing play-by-play for the school's hockey team. (Yes, it was a big deal, and yes, you should be impressed).  In the first round of the NCAA tournament my senior year, the Terriers played St. Lawrence University. The student radio station I worked for didn't want to pay for the broadcast team to travel, so instead, I watched the game on TV.  Good thing too, because the game went into 4 overtimes.

I was exhausted watching it, so you can only imagine how the players felt.  At some point, skill goes out the window, and it becomes a battle of endurance.  The game winning goal wasn't particularly pretty, but it beat Rick Dipietro, and BU lost, despite being the favorite.

The concept translates pretty well to the Democratic race.  At this point, the candidates are just trying to stay upright, and avoid a mistake which could cost them the game.  So far, it looks like Hillary Clinton is holding up better.  She's surged in the polls during the last few weeks, while Obama has come out on the unpopular side of a few issues, like Reverend Wright and the gas tax holiday.  Hillary has a comfortable lead in Indiana, and has an outside shot of winning in North Carolina tonight.  Those two wins could send this race into yet another overtime.

But polls have proven wrong in the past, and there's no way to predict what will happen tonight.  Let's say Obama slips one past the goaltender and somehow wins Indiana.  Then, just like in the tournament, the game comes to an unexpected and sudden end. Obama gets to skate on to the next round, while Hillary goes home.

5/3/2008

Here's a perfect example of the imperfections in our current electoral system.

Today, voters in Guam are holding democratic caucuses.  Neither Barack Obama, nor Hillary Clinton, ever stepped foot on the island. But, Guam is a US territory, and it's citizens deserve their chance to take part in the process.  About three thousand people are expected to take part. They'll account for four pledged delegates at this summer's convention.

This is where it gets stupid.  Because in addition to those four pledged delegates, Guam has five superdelegates.  That's right.  Talk about the sum being worth less than the parts.  The Island's entire democrat population amounts to 80 percent the impact of these five other folks.

And if that weren't insult enough, this is where the voting ends for these people.  Since Guam, like Puerto Rico, is only a US territory, its citizens are not allowed to vote in the general election this November.

(Nice flag, huh?  "Guam". It leaves nothing to the imagination.  World-flags-symbols.com)

5/2/2008

You may be ordering well drinks and cheap beer if you're headed to the Democratic National Convention in Denver this summer.

Barack Obama has broken all kinds of fundraising records during the campaign.  Hillary Clinton reportedly raised millions of dollars in the first few hours after she won the Pennsylvania Primary.  Clearly, democratic voters haven't been shy about reaching into their wallets to contribute to their favorite candidate.

But, all that largess is apparently not translating to the Democratic Party itself. According to Politco.com, the DNC has barely 5 million bucks on hand.  Compare that to the Republican National Committee's 31 million.  Fundraising has been similary slanted. 

Yes, this could mean the parties are a little less festive in Denver.  But more importantly, it could mean tough times for legislative candidates come November.  The DNC lends a hand during Congressional and Senatorial campaigns.  It buys ads when candidates may not be able to, and helps raise money and profiles across the country.

So, if you see Howard Dean in Denver, offer to buy him a drink.  He may need to cut corners every chance he gets.

5/1/2008

When they aren't jumping out of windows like Billy Crudup in Almost Famous, The UNC Tarheels basketball team is being forced to run pick up games with old men.  Well, older men.

This week's Barack Obama photo-op with the Heels is just the latest in a long line of roundball related news coming out of his campaign. It started early on, when we learned that Obama liked to play as a way to relieve stress out on the campaign trail.  Then, Sports Illustrated columnist S.L. Price played the Democratic frontrunner one on one, and wrote about it for the magazine's back page.

Next, we met Michelle Obama's brother, Craig Robinson. At the time, he was the basketball coach at Brown. He has since taken the same job at Oregon State.  During a series of interviews, he talked about how he met his brother-in-law and decided Obama was good enough to marry his sister. Do you want to guess?  They went to the playground and played basketball.

Don't expect this to stop anytime soon.  After the primaries in basketball crazy North Carolina and Indiana, the candidates move on to basketball crazy Kentucky and coach Robinson's new home in Oregon.

I'm not saying it's a bad campaign move.  Compare the pictures of Obama playing hoops with 71 year old John McCain, or Hillary Clinton and her pants suits.  The Illinois Senator comes off as a vibrant young man, while the other two look like politics as usual. 

I'm just saying enough is enough. Barack Obama loves basketball. We get it.

4/30/2008

I've lived in Manhattan for a while now.

That means my perspective on what constitutes expensive is completely out of whack.  $20 for a corned beef sandwich and fries?  That actually sounds reasonable.

It also means I don't drive.  I haven't bought gas consistently in years. So, as prices at the pump continue to escalate, I don't really notice.

So, when Hillary Clinton and John McCain discuss a suspension of the federal gas tax, it sounds good to me.  It Seems like the measure would give people some much needed relief during the summer driving season.

But then Barack Obama came out against it.  Is it another example of the Illinois Senator being out of touch with the needs of common Americans?
Maybe not.

It turns out, suspending the federal gas tax between Memorial Day and Labor Day would save the average American family about 30 bucks.  Not 30 bucks a fillup.  Not 30 bucks a month.  30 dollars total.   

And he says the suspension of that fee will actually cost jobs, since the gas tax goes toward funding infrastructure projects, which employ thousands of people.

I would think most people would rather trade that 30 bucks for continued employment.  Afterall, it won't buy you much more than a sandwich and a cup of coffee.  At least it won't buy me much more than that.

(corned beef sandwich comes from flikr.com.  There isn't any mustard.)

4/29/2008

What's your next move?

Now that Barack Obama has denounced Rev. Jeremiah Wright for a new round of controversial comments, where do we go from here?

Clearly the issue is not going away quite yet.  It will certainly dominate tonight's cable discussions and tomorrow's front pages.  Reverend Wright wouldn't step out of the spotlight on his own, so Obama decided it was time to push him out. 

But I'm more interested in how the other candidate handles the situation. 

Hillary Clinton has a choice.  She can take the high road, by saying she's satisfied with how Obama dealt with Wright's comments and then saying it's time to move on.

Or she can take a different tact.  Hillary could ask what changed.  Wright's recent comments are not much different than the ones he's made in the past.  The only difference is that, this time, he called Obama out as being a "typical politician".   She can frame him as just that.  Hillary can accuse Obama of holding off on the Wright issue until it was politically impossible not to.

She can also put the Wright issue in context of the general election.  "We can't afford to vote for a guy who will continually be fighting off controversies like this.  The Republicans will eat him alive come November."

What direction this story takes in the days and weeks ahead will say a lot about Senator Obama.  But it may say even more about the way Senator Clinton has decided to run her campaign.

4/25/2008

Its flashback Friday.

John McCain had some company while he campaigned in Arkansas: Former Governor Mike Huckabee.
It was only a couple of months ago that Huckabee, fresh off a stunning win in Iowa, was viewed as the conservative standard bearer in this race.  He was the great hope for all those right-wingers who didn't like John McCain and didn't believe Mitt Romney. 

Then he fizzled.  It was a combination of having no money and having reporters look into his past.  It turns out, he said some strange stuff when he was Governor of Arkansas.  Also, there was the Chuck Norris fetish. That dude went everywhere with the Huck.

So, despite all that promise, the Huckabee candidacy essentially boils down to a historical footnote.  Certainly nothing worth writing home about.  Except, Huckabee has decided to write home about it.  He's putting out a book on his campaign.  It's set to hit stores two weeks after election day, just when everyone is finally sick of campaign talk and is ready to move forward. 

Another former candidate is also making headlines, though its his lack of comment that is noteworthy.  The democratic race rolls on into Indiana and North Carolina in the next couple of weeks. In front of the cameras, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will be fighting for headlines and coverage.  But a far more important battle is being waged behind the scenes.  North Carolina Senator John Edwards still hasn't endorsed a candidate.  While he was still in the race, it looked like Edwards was aligning himself with Obama on a number of major issues.  A lot of people thought he would back the Illinois Senator as soon as he dropped his candidacy.  But the weeks and months have dragged on, and still nothing from Edwards.  Experts believe that could be a good sign for Hillary Clinton, whose views on poverty and the working class align more closely with Edwards.  An endorsement may not do much for her chances in North Carolina, where Obama is leading pretty comfortably.  But Edwards is popular nationwide, and his opinion could have an impact on voters in other states, as well as the all important superdelegates.  




4/24/2008

They've got their own agenda.

The North Carolina Republican Party has come up with a TV ad blasting Barack Obama.  It shows the Illinois Senator standing next to Reverend Wright, and then plays some of the pastor's more troubling remarks.

Obama has blasted the commercial.  That's to be expected.  But the real surprise comes from John McCain. The GOP nominee has also called for the state party to pull the spot. He doesn't want to resort to the same sort of attack politics that cost him the South Carolina primary 8 years ago. 

Fair enough. He's the candidate, so he should get what he wants.  Not so fast. The state party says they're going forward with the commercial, no matter what McCain says.

When conservatives complain that John McCain isn't one of them, is this what they mean?





4/23/2008

I was not a fan of math growing up. 

Basic addition and subtraction were no trouble, but once things got past beginning algebra, I was in trouble.  It's one of the reasons I got into Journalism.  I was able to go through four years of college without taking a math class.

Well, it looks like my free ride is over.

 


Now that Hillary Clinton has won the Pennsylvania Primary by a convincing margin, her campaign says she is leading Barack Obama in the popular vote among Democrats.  But that factors in the votes from Michigan and Florida, two states who had their delegates stripped by the DNC.  So, should they count?

Obama says the popular vote is important but not vital, since the only count that matters is delegates. And he's still ahead there.  But, it's already been proven that neither candidate will be able to round up enough before the end of primary season to clinch the nomination without help from superdelegates.  Here, give it a try yourself.

All these variables lead to one very confusing equation, without a clear answer.  It's exactly the way I felt in Pre-calculus during 12th grade, and that did not end well.

(Why Blossom and Winnie Cooper you ask?  Because they both grew up to be mathmaticians. That's why.  Blossom's picture came from tvguide's website, and the other came from imdb)

4/22/2008

A few notes on Senator Clinton's victory speech..

-You can't help but wonder what this speech would have sounded like if Barack Obama had delivered it.  I don't mean what would have happened had he won.  I mean what would it sound like if he were delivering the actual speech Hillary did.  Political Speeches have a natural call and answer rhythm that, after all these years, HIllary still hasn't mastered it.  Obama obviously has. 

-If you want a pop culture sign that the Clinton camp believes they're back in this thing, consider the choice of music.  Up until the candidate took the stage, the theme from Rocky played over the PA in the ballroom.  There is no anthem that better represents the city of Philadelphia.  Yet when Hillary finished speaking, it was "Our Country" by Indiana native John Mellencamp.  Obama played the same song when he took the stage a few minutes later. Where is the next major primary again?

-Speaking of Rocky.. What was with that guy in the purple sweater standing behind Senator Clinton during her speech?  He was wearing boxing gloves, and kept raising them over his head in victory. I think he may have taken Hillary's Rocky comparison from a few weeks ago a bit too litterally.  


(vinylzart.com. For what it's worth, John Mellencamp has endorsed Obama.)


4/22/2008


A CNN exit poll says 53% of white men in Pennsylvania voted for Hillary Clinton tonight.  So what?  That means 47% voted for Barack Obama.  Thats practically half and half.  That fact gives me almost no insight into what went on today.  I don't want to sound like Phil Mushnick right now, but it sure seems like CNN is putting up graphics for the sake of putting up graphics. 

(that's from the Post.  For those of you who don't read his column, Mushnick is grumpy about most things, but one of the biggest complaints is when sportscasters present stats with no explanation and with no bearing on the game)

4/22/2008

Not everyone is enthralled with tonight's results. MSNBC just showed a wideshot of the newsroom, and three of the tv's were showing an old episode of Saturday Night Live. It was the Chicago Superfans sketch with Michael Jordan.  Who would you vote for?  Hillary, Barack, or DITKA?








4/22/2008

A win is not a win.  At least not yet.  Hillary Clinton has been declared tonight's projected winner.  But don't go to bed yet.  The numbers matter. Also, its like five to nine, so it's too early to sleep unless your in 3rd grade.

As I said in an earlier post, Hillary needs a nice comfortable margin to keep her chances alive.  A big win would also help Clinton raise some much needed money.  Her campaign is in some serious economic trouble, and the best way to re-ignite the fundraising effort is to show some life in Pennsylvania.

4/22/2008

A woman on MSNBC just called Hillary Clinton the "hometown girl" in the Pennsylvania primary.  That brings up a problem I've been having this whole election cycle.  How many hometowns to these people have?  I have one. It's Freehold, NJ.  Yet somehow, both of these Senators have deep roots in multiple states.  Here's the list as far as I can tell.  Hillary is the junior Senator from New York, which makes her a hometown choice in the Empire State.  She was the former First Lady of Arkansas, thus she is a hometown favorite there.  Her grandfather lived in Scranton, and her dad and brother played football at Penn State, so she's the hometown choice tonight. She grew up in Illinois, thus she's a hometown choice there.  Except Barack Obama is the junior Senator from Illinois, which also makes him a hometown choice. Obama also calls Kansas home, since he was born there, and he went to high school in Hawaii, which makes him a local boy in the Aloha State as well.  Earlier in the year, there had been some talk (mostly among conservatives) that the fact Obama spent some of his childhood in Indonesia would be a major problem.  Those people were focused on whether the Senator attended a fundamentalist Muslim school. (He didn't).  But maybe the real problem for Obama is that Indonesia doesn't have a democratic primary, because he would be the hometown choice.

(mapsoftheworld.com)

4/22/2008

Biggest winner so far tonight? It may be John McCain.  

It's still to early to call a winner, but exit polls do show that voters in Pennsylvania aren't exactly happy with the way either campaign operated over the last six weeks. Two thirds of the voters think Hillary Clinton was too hard on Barack Obama, while about half say Obama unfairly attacked Clinton.

And the worst part is all those late attacks may not have even mattered.  The same exit polling says most Pennsylvanians had their minds made up a long time ago.  6 in 10 said they've known which way they were voting for more than a month. 



4/22/2008

Let's set some parameters for the night, and for what comes next.  

It seems pretty clear that Hillary Clinton will win tonight. Even Obama has conceded that.  Today, Clinton said a win is a win.  That's not really true.  The way I see it, she remains a viable candidate, though still a longshot, if she can win Pennsylvania by at least 8 points.  If her margin of victory is between 6 or 7, both sides would have a legitimate argument about whether she should remain in the race, meaning she probably would.  But if tonight's margin is 5 or less, Senator Clinton needs to call it a day.

We'll see what happens. 


4/22/2008
Clearly, Barack Obama is not observing Passover.

How do I know?  Well, here's what was left from his breakfast at a Scranton Diner yesterday:

They probably didn't have matzo brei on the menu, so what choice did he have? 

If the half waffle and quarter sausage link look delicious, there's good news.  They're available for purchase on EBay.

Who says the only people who benefit from these cheap diner photo ops are the candidates?  The asking price is up past $10,000.

*******update:  the breakfast has sold for $0.99, plus 6 bucks shipping and handling. Congrats to the winner********

4/22/2008

If you want to sum up the entire Pennsylvania Primary in one easy microchosm.. here it is:

On the night before Keystone Staters headed to the polls, both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton took to cable, in order to attract last minute voters. Obama hit up the Daily Show, while Hillary did an hour on Larry King.

In other words, Obama continues to chase the youth vote, selling a message of change and the ushering in of a new generation of leadership.  On the other hand, Clinton is going after the older voters that helped her wrap up a surprise victory in New Hampshire nearly four months ago.

Keep checking back today, I'll be updating throughout with thoughts and observations (some of them WITTY!) about the situation in Pennsylvania.

(pictures from their respective show websites)

4/21/2008

Its like Bizarro world.

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review has endorsed Hillary Clinton in tomorrow's Pennsylvania Primary.  So what?  Well, the paper is owned by Richard M. Scaife is a well known conservative with a none to pleasant past relationship with the Clinton family.  Remember Hillary's comment in the 90's about the vast right wing conspiracy?  Yeah.  That was this guy.  He financed an effort to discredit the administration throughout the decade. 

It's the old politics makes strange bedfellows theory.  During her time in the Senate, Hillary has done press conferences with Newt Gingrich, and worked on legislation with a number of lawmakers who led the impeachment efforts during her husband's presidency.

But apparently, politics also makes for estranged bedfellows.  You know who Hillary blames for a lot of her trouble during this election cycle?  Moveon.org.  You know, the group who began their existence in 1998 with the name CensureandMoveon.org.  As in, "Hey congress, stop wasting time with this Clinton impeachment and get back to work."

Basically, Hillary says she lost a lot of caucuses early on because Moveon pushed antiwar voters to participate, and they did not like her relatively hawkish views on foreign policy.
 
Politics 2008:  Up is Down, Left is Right, enemies are your friends, and your friends are you enemies.

(Bizarro world is from zianet.com.  I was thinking of using Bizarro Jerry from Seinfeld, but I wasn't sure how many people would get it.)

4/19/2008

Remember the first time we saw Barack Obama?  It was during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.  He delivered the keynote address, and blew the roof off of the place. At the time he was a state senator from Illinois, but it became quite obvious that he would be moving on to bigger and better things.

20 years earlier, it was New York Governor Mario Cuomo who delivered the Keynote during the DNC in San Francisco.  How did that go over?  It's number 11 on American Rhetoric's top 100 speeches list, so I'm going to say it was pretty good.

Democrat Zell Miller delivered the speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention here in the City. His address was spirited, it was angry, and it was definitely memorable.

Why rehash these moments?   Because someone else has thrown his name out there to deliver the big speech this summer.  Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman says he'd be happy to cross party lines and speak during the Republican Convention in September.

There is one big difference between Lieberman and the three people mentioned earlier.  They all have a pulse. 

Seriously, Lieberman could put himself to sleep while delivering the keynote address.  Here's an interview I did with him a couple of months ago.  And that's only a few minutes.  Imagine him speaking before a national audience for an extended period. 

So far, his offer has not been accepted. I'm guessing convention organizers are looking for someone (anyone) else to step up and make an offer. 

4/18/2008

I'm not exactly sure what it is about this that bothers me, but something definitely seems wrong.

There was that woman who ABC used to pose the lapel pin question to Barack Obama, during Wednesday Night's debate.  Her name is Nash McCabe.  Well, it turns out, this was not her first time bringing up that point.  She was interviewed a couple of weeks ago, by the New York Times, in one of those "let's talk to average voters while they sit at a diner" articles.  During that conversation, she told the reporter that she couldn't vote for Barack Obama, because he doesn't wear a flag pin.

Now, she's entitled to her opinion.  If that's the issue which she has decided to base her vote on, who am I to judge?  But of all the people with problems who need solving throughout the state of Pennsylvania, why would ABC go to so much trouble to find her? 

And why would the network select someone who seems to have already decided who she's voting for?  Wouldn't you rather have someone ask the question which may determine which candidate they support, instead of someone bringing up a long dead controversy?

The network is being dragged over the coals for wallowing in the mud during the debate. (Two cliches in one sentence!) It took over an hour for them to ask a single substantive question.  But for some reason, the Nash McCabe situation seems to be the dirtiest trick of all.

(I took the lapel pin picture from comedy central's indecision 2008 site. For some reason, that seems really fitting)

4/17/2008

Last night's debate was ABC's biggest failure of the year.  That's saying a lot, since the alphabet network tried to air "Cavemen" and "Carpoolers" back to back, and expected people to tune in.

The criticism is all over the place.  Like here, and here, and here, and here.  And it's warranted. Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulis did a terrible job.  Just like Tim Russert before them. And Wolf Blitzer before him.

So, what's the answer? How do we change the system so voters actually get what they need out of these debates?

First off, it's quite obvious that we need to remove network news anchors from the proceedings.  They are too invested in ratings.  Of course a network anchor will ask about a decades old scandal which may have legs, instead of asking about comprehensive health care reform which won't translate into easily digested sound bytes.  They're serving two masters, and the bottom line will beat out the American public every time.

Newspaper reporters are also out, since editorial pages endorse candidates.  We want questions coming from people without even a hint of bias.

What about ordinary Americans?  You can make it like jury duty. 40 random people are taken into a room, and vetted by one representative from each candidate.  From that group, both sides agree on 10 people who ask questions about the issues that directly affect their lives.  Although if that woman who asked the American flag question of Obama last night is involved, I want nothing to do with this format.

Here's the ultimate answer.  Let the candidates go one on one.  Leave them alone on a stage, and let the cameras roll.  It may end up being a civilized conversation about issues, instead of a staged reading of contrived slogans in between gotcha moments about people the candidates knew during college.

(picture from huffingtonpost.com)

4/16/2008

``He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years.''

So says the multimillionaire musician about the Senator from Illinois.

Bruce Springsteen has endorsed Barack Obama, just in time for the Pennsylvania Primary. 

As I've mentioned before, Bruce Springsteen is God.  If I were to build a personal Mount Rushmore (Mount Just-more?) he would be one of the faces, right next to Don Mattingly and Shakespeare. (By Shakespeare I mean Mr. T. I was trying to sound cultured. "Thou pity the fool").  The first time I saw a Springsteen show remains one of the highlights of my life. 

That doesn't mean he knows what's right for working class voters in Pennsylvania, or around the nation.  It is true that Springsteen has sung about the struggles of the underclass since he himself rose to prominence from similar circumstances in the mid-70's.  But it's also true that he's been far removed from those circumstances for the better part of three decades.  Just because you sing about a guy working in a factory, it doesn't mean you know what's best for him.

I'm not questioning Springsteen's motivations.  From all accounts, he sounds like a terrific guy who truly wants the best for people. He supposedly leaves huge tips whenever he goes to local restaurants in Jersey, and always invites neighborhood kids up to his house on Halloween. 

Nor am I saying The Boss should keep his opinions to himself.  He has just as much right to share his views on the election as anyone else, as long as he does so as Bruce Springsteen the man.  Because Bruce Springsteen the modern folk singer/everyman spokesperson for the aggrieved underclass is a pop culture myth, and it shouldn't afford him anymore sway with American voters.

4/15/2008

Let me take you inside my head for a minute.

This is how I usually plan what I'm going to write on Tuesdays.  It starts Sunday, when I wake up and watch the morning talk shows. For the next couple of days I keep an eye on the cable stations to see what they're talking about.  By the time I wake up Tuesday morning, I've pretty much figured out what I'm going to write, but the last thing I do is watch a replay of Monday night's Daily Show, to see if there are any other angles I've missed.

Usually, it's just an afterthought, but this morning (last night in reality), Jon Stewart delivered the exact message I was hoping to write about today. At first, I panicked and tried to come up with another idea while I walked to work.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized, this is something worth saying.

And that something is this:  Being elite should be a good thing.

All weekend, we heard candidates and pundits attack Barack Obama for his comments about working class voters in Pennsylvania.  He was accused of being elitist, of not connecting with Americans on a deep level.  Meantime, Hillary Clinton was lauded for throwing back boilermakers and discussing her childhood hunting trips.

Well, guess what? I don't want a President who drinks boilermakers.  I want someone who drinks fancy sherry and fine wine, and reads the classics, and went to an Ivy League School.  President is the most important job in the world.  Why wouldn't I want someone who's elite? Why wouldn't I want someone who is among the best and the brightest, if not THE best and THE brightest? 

In 2000 and 2004, Americans voted for someone who they would be comfortable having a beer with. How did that work out?

(that's Jon Stewart's college soccer picture, from wmsoccer.com. We think alike, but I was not a college soccer star)

4/12/2008

I've changed my mind.

When I read the rumors that Condi Rice was doing some backroom campaigning to get herself named John McCain's running mate, I thought it sounded like a great idea.

A McCain-Rice ticket would essentially difuse whatever demographic advantage Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama bring to the general election.  Americans wouldn't be able to vote for "change" in the form of a woman or an African American, because they would get that either way.

But then, I started thinking about what else Condi would bring to the table.  For people who don't like President Bush (and that's 72% of the population, according to a new poll), Rice represents everything that has gone wrong for the last 8 years. 

She's the one who held off on addressing the threat of Al Qaida until a week before 9-11, despite warnings from the CIA and other intelligence experts.  She's the one who has continually made the case for the Iraq War, even while most of the country has turned against it. 

To be fair, Rice isn't the only member of the administration who should carry this stigma.  But as of now, she seems to be the only one willing to put herself out there for the American people to judge. 

There were something like 6,000 Republican debates before Senator McCain clinched the nomination. President Bush was barely mentioned. It seemed like the party knew to run away from him, instead of embracing his policies. They should stick to that instinct.

(Condi, in quiet contemplation, comes from Forbes.com)


4/11/2008

Last night should have been glorious.

After months of waiting, The Office and 30 Rock finally came back with new episodes.  I rushed home and made sure to finish dinner before 8:30, so I could fully enjoy my favorite hour of television.

And then.... ehhh.  It was ok.  30 Rock was pretty funny, but the humor wasn't nearly as biting as I remember.  As for the Office, I give the episode a thumbs down.  It hurts me to say this, but my favorite sitcom has been heading steadily downhill since the end of last season. With no tension between Jim and Pam, we're left with nothing but Michael Scott is a loser and Dwight is strange.  I thought the writers' strike happened at just the right time, because maybe the creators would have some time to come up with new ideas to pull the show back on top.  It didn't happen.

I expect a similar outcome in Pennsylvania later this month.  After weeks of wading through fake controversies and fights between the Obama and Clinton campaigns, it's almost time for some actual news to happen.  Political junkies may be getting amped up for some action.  Maybe a big win will pull Hillary back on top.  Maybe Obama can finally force her from the race.  Well, let me take a lesson from last night.  Don't get your hopes up.  Chances are you'll be dissapointed.  The Pennsylvania primary will come and go, and we'll be no closer to having a nominee. 

And just like the Office and 30 Rock, the campaign season will drag into May.  Hopefully, in both cases, the situation picks up, and viewers are left with a satisfying conclusion.

(thanks to the New York Times and thanks to Yahoo)

4/10/2008

Timing is everything.

It's true for stand-ups, and it's true for Presidential candidates.

Early on, John McCain admitted he didn't know much about the economy, but said his bonafides on national security and Iraq made up for that.  One problem though.  Most Americans were so consumed with the economy, that they didn't care about Iraq or national security.  There was a poll about a month ago about what stories were getting the most attention on the evening news.  War stories only made up a tiny percentage of each program. 

Seems like McCain got the message.  He was in Brooklyn today, to kick off a week of campaigning, focused on economic issues.  So, what's going to be the top story on tonight's evening news?  Iraq, of course. 

President Bush addressed the nation this morning, following two days of Capitol Hill testimony from General David Patraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker.  Democrats wasted little time coming out to attack him, and his announcement that no new troop withdrawals are on the horizon.

McCain has been one of the biggest proponents of the surge.  And correct or not, he should have been front and center today, discussing the issue.  Instead, he was locked in a window factory in Bayridge. 

4/9/2008

Obviously, only one of the three candidates will end up with a new job come January 22nd, but that doesn't mean this campaign season isn't ripe with career opportunities.

Take Chris Matthews for instance.  The Hardball host has made headlines time and again for his coverage of the democratic candidates, and his supposed anti-Clinton bias.  He's arguably one of the biggest stars of this entire campaign cycle. His show airs two hours a night on MSNBC, and he has a syndicated panel show that airs before Meet The Press every Sunday.  But, maybe that's not enough.  There is now some internet speculation that Chris Matthews is considering a run for Senate in Pennsylvania.  He's a Philly native, who was a speech writer for Jimmy Carter and an aide to Tip O'Neill.  He'd be looking to unseat Arlen Specter, who has had his own problems with the Republican Party in the last few years and may be beatable. 

But the Presidential job fair isn't contained to the world of politics.  By now, you know that Barack Obama's brother-in-law is the basketball coach at Brown University.  But, for how long?  Craig Robinson is apparently all set to take over the basketball program at Oregon State University.  That's a jump from the tiny Ivy League to the big time Pac-10.  Don't get me wrong. Robinson had a good season at Brown, finishing second in the league. And he has some decent credentials as a player, having won Ivy League player of the year twice at Princeton in the early 80's. He was even drafted by the 76ers, though he never played in the NBA.  But, seriously, if he wasn't related to Barack Obama, would he have gotten the requisite press to be mentioned for a big job? I don't think so.

(pics from huffingtonpost.com and nytimes.com)

4/8/2008

Worst.  Coronation.  Ever.

John McCain clinched his party's nomination weeks ago, while Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continue to battle it out for the Democratic nod. 

He should be sitting pretty, collecting money, and steeling himself for the general election. But things aren't going exactly as planned.

It seems every story about McCain is negative.  Religious right leader James Dobson still refuses to endorse the Arizona Senator, though he does say he'll vote, which is sort of good news.

Then there were those fundraising numbers.  While donors poured $60 million dollars into the coffers of Obama and Clinton, McCain raised just $15 million. Apparently, high rollers in the Republican Party have decided to keep their purse strings tight.

And this week, stories from an upcoming book started leaking out, and they don't make McCain look like a very stable individual.  He allegedly used some very harsh language (seriously. It's profane) with his wife during his 1992 Senate campaign.  But that was 16 years ago.  Certainly he's mellowed since then.  What? Oh.  Turns out he hasn't. The same book says he punched a Congressman in 2006. 

It's starting to look like all this talk about how Clinton and Obama are weakening their chances in November by battling to the death is much ado about nothing, because John McCain's battle with himself may end up being far bloodier. 

(That's the book in question.  The picture was taken from rawstory.com)

4/5/2008

Hillary Clinton made her way down to Memphis yesterday, to honor the memory of Martin Luther King, on the 40th anniversary of his assassination.

During her speech, she mentioned shaking the civil rights leader's hand, in Chicago, when she was 14. I'm sure she said a bunch of other stuff too, but I don't know what it was, because everyone instantly focused on that statement.

The speculation probably started before she finished the sentence.  Did Hillary Clinton actually touch MLK's hand when she was a middle schooler? 

First, the doubters wondered why this brush with greatness didn't merit mention in Hillary's autobiography.  Then, they wondered why a self-proclaimed "Goldwater Girl" would be attending a speech given by a liberal icon like Doctor King in the first place.

What does that say about her credibility?  Everything she says is up for analysis now.  And, once again, it call comes back to Sinbad.  He corrected Clinton's story from Bosnia, and now people think her entire life story is made up. 

4/3/2008

I own hundreds of CD’s. There’s nothing I like more then spending a day walking through a record store and buying anything that catches my eye. I also know exactly where and when I bought every CD I own, with one exception.  I have a copy of the first Dave Matthews Band album. I never bought it. I never borrowed it from someone and forgot to give it back. It just showed up one day in my dorm room during my freshman year of college. That was 1996, when Dave Matthews was the next big thing. It’s entirely possible that the album was simply distributed to all incoming freshman across the country that year, along with Syllabi for Spanish 101 and cafeteria passes, because it was everywhere that year, and everyone loved it.

(the album cover is from wikipedia, but I didn't go find it.  It just showed up here when I started writing)


4/2/2008

I’m in the middle of Jury Duty. So far, it’s just sitting in a room. There is WiFi though, so that’s nice.

It was the first time in at least 15 years, and I wasn't putting forth my best effort.  There were a couple of Granny style rolls, I played lefty for a couple of frames, and I may have thrown a ball or two backwards.  Still, in the second game, I bowled a 100.  Not great, but not completely embarrassing.

Which brings us to Barack Obama, and his absolutely embarrassing 37. It happened at a bowling alley in Altoona, Pennsylvania over the weekend.  I would say he bowls like a girl, except my buddies' wives both doubled that score, and one of them is pregnant.

What were his people thinking by booking this appearance?  Did anyone ask the Senator if he was capable of playing this sport of kings? Did the facility not have those bumpers they use to fill the gutters at children's parties?

Obama bowling may now go down in history like these famous pictures:

 


We almost made it through the entire campaign without an embarrassing photo-op.  Oh well.
  

3/29/2008

When I came up with the idea for this blog a few months ago, part of my pitch to get it approved was that we would have at least two local candidates in the Presidential Race. 

At that point, it looked very likely that Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton would be facing off for the White House.

Whoops.

Giuliani self-destructed, and now it looks like Hillary is just spinning her wheels, waiting for a miracle.

So where does that leave us?  Maybe with Hillary versus Rudy.

 

Yesterday, the New York Post reported that Giuliani may be considering a run for Governor, if David Patterson is forced to resign in scandal the way his predecessor did.  If that happens before August, a special election would be held in November to replace him.

That may be a way for Hillary Clinton to save face too.  This idea was floated by Newsweek's Jonathan Alter, and it makes sense.  This campaign has forced a lot of Senators to pick sides between Clinton and Barack Obama, and Hillary may have trouble working with the ones who went against her, especially people like Ted Kennedy and Patrick Leahy who have openly challenged her.  So instead of returning to Capitol Hill, Hillary can run against Giuliani for the state's top job, then steel herself for another run at the White House four years down the line.


3/28/2008

Here are a list of people from Freehold, New Jersey who are more famous than me.

Bruce Springsteen (brucesprinsteen.net)



The guy who played Steve Rhodes on Married.. With Children. (this before and after pic is from a site called nerdalert.net.)



Tim Perry, who was once traded for Charles Barkley with Andrew Lang and Jeff Hornacek (gettyimages. He is taking it to Vlade!)




And today, my hometown gets a visit from President Bush.  He's visiting a debt relief organization and discussing the housing crisis.  And if he has time, he should stop at Dusals for some pizza, or at Jerzee Freeze for ice cream.  (Especially since its going to be knocked down soon to make room for an Olive Garden. Because that's what every small town needs: endless breadsticks)

President Bush isn't the only politician hitting up the Tri-State.  Barack Obama has been in the city the last couple of days.  Yesterday, he took to the same stage that Abraham Lincoln once spoke from, to discuss economic policy.  But, more importantly, this morning he took to the same couch as Rosie O'Donnell, to discuss all sorts of important issues on the View.  (Barbara Walters says he's very sexy!)

Obama also spent some more time with Mayor Bloomberg, presumably asking for an endorsement, but possibly discussing a far more involved role with the campaign. 

Would an Obama-Bloomberg ticket be that far out there?  Bloomberg is a socially liberal independant with a strong economic background. He's also an independantly wealthy philanthropist with social ties to most of the biggest names in New York.  And in a year when people seem to be clamoring for change, a running mate without traditional connections to the political machine may be an idea worth considering.

3/27/2008

If you're like me, when you look at your calendar and see September 4th, you get excited because it means your birthday is just a few days away.  Chances are, you aren't that much like me though.  Unless you're Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders. (We have the same birthday).

Still, it's an important day.  September 4th is both the last night of the Republican National Convention and the first night of the NFL season.  That means John McCain will be addressing the delegates, and the nation, while the Giants are kicking off their super bowl defense by (hopefully) beating the Redskins quite severely.

NBC has moved kickoff up by about an hour and a half, to 7:30, in an effort to air both events live.  Will that work?  I'm not sure. The average NFL game takes about three hours, but these kickoff specials usually have extra commercials and expanded half time shows, which could add another 30 minutes to an hour to the proceedings.  Is John McCain going to wait until 11:30 to speak?  Does he stay up that late anymore?

And after watching a three hour football game, are fans going to want to switch over and watch a 40 minute political speech?

I'm not sure who loses out here.  Would you pick one or the other, or would you try to watch both? 

Seriously, I'm asking you.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page and add your opinion to our forum.  We'll revisit the issue in the future to see what the readers have to say.

(Eli's championship pose comes from Newsday.com. I figured you would rather look at that than a picture of John McCain)

3/26/2008

I honestly have nothing to say today.

I'm out of ideas.  There's nothing going on.  I was going to write about that kid who asked Chelsea about the Monica Lewinsky situation, while she spoke to students at Butler University.  But, who cares?  Then i was going to write about the genealogical study that linked Obama to President Bush and Brad Pitt and Hillary to Angelina Jolie, Madonna and Jack Kerouac.  But, again, who cares?

Remember earlier in the year, when people were bemoaning how states had pushed their primaries too far forward and the entire process was being streamlined to the point where no one got the chance to really get to know the candidates.  Well, now, we're living the alternative.  By the time voters in Pennsylvania go to the polls on April 22nd, it will have been more than a month since the last primary was held.

Have we filled that time with intelligent discussion about pertinent issues? Sure, a little bit.  The Obama race speech was pretty impressive, and it prompted some important discussions. 

Other than that?  Well, Sinbad has all of a sudden become relevant again.  And, the race issue has quickly devolved back into a discussion of sound bytes instead of an effort to find some common ground. 

And we still have almost 4 weeks to go.  Buckle up. Its going to be a rough ride.

(get it, baby I'm bored? Instead of baby ON board.  Hilarious.  northstarliverpool.com)

3/24/2008

3/22/2008

Have you ever stood behind someone while they're answering an email, and couldn't help yourself from taking a quick glance at what they were writing?

I think this passport thing falls somewhere between that and the Watergate break-in.

Certainly the Hillary Clinton part of the story sounds simple enough.  A State Department trainee was asked to demonstrate how well he could use the equipment, and instead of entering a relative's name like he was told he, he typed in the former First Lady. 

It's a bit more murky with the other two candidates. Who were these guys that were looking into the personal files of Barack Obama and John McCain, and what were they looking for?  When it's all said and done, this could end up being a couple of guys were trying to impress their friends by accessing classified data. Or it could be a flashback to 1992, when a republican political appointee at the state department went through then candidate Bill Clinton's file to see if he had ever renounced his American citizenship.

(thanks to planebuzz.com for the passport photo.)

3/21/2008

This one hurts.

It's one thing for someone like Chris Dodd or Tom Daschle to endorse Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton.  Both men are major figures in the Democratic Party who have worked closely with both candidates in the past. 

But Bill Richardson is a different story.

He's been friends with the Clintons for years.  He served in a number of very high ranking positions under President Clinton during the 90's, including UN Ambassador and Secretary of Energy.  The former President even flew out to New Mexico in February to watch the Super bowl with Governor Richardson.  

He was also the obvious choice to be Hillary's running mate should she advance into the General election.  A southwestern Hispanic Governor with extensive foreign policy experience would be the perfect counterweight to Senator Clinton's Northeastern liberal appeal.

But give Bill Richardson credit.  He went with his heart, as opposed to political expediency.  From listening to his endorsement speech, it really sounds like this was a difficult choice to make, and one that wasn't finalized until very recently.  He's backing Obama for the same reason so many other people are.  He seems to be inspired by the message of hope and optimism and change. Apparently, he feels backing Obama is his best chance to truly help the American people.

3/20/2008

The Talking Politics page will be made to look very serious and important, so you can quickly click on it when your boss walks by your desk.  That way you won't get caught watching the tournament or checking your brackets online. 

That doesn't mean we're going to avoid the topic, though.  The candidates discussed it, so why shouldn't we?

Barack Obama is going with North Carolina to win it all.  That's interesting, considering his closest aide, Reggie Love, played for UNC's blood rival Duke.  But, the North Carolina primary is coming up, and UNC grad John Edwards has yet to endorse a candidate in the race. He also put Pittsburgh into the final four, a liitle more than a month before the Pennsylvania primary.  So, maybe his bracket is based more on political polls than AP polls.

John McCain has taken it a step further.  He released his entire bracket on his campaign website. He also went with UNC, though he does have them beating UCONN in the final, which is a bit of a stretch.  Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman is one of his staunchest supporters, so maybe this is a nod to him. He did give his homestate a boost though, by picking the University of Arizona to win its first round game in an upset over West Virgina.

Hillary Clinton?  She didn't pick anything. Reporters asked her about the tourney last night, and she deferred to her basketball adviser, former President Bill Clinton.  No answer yet from him.  So, I'll make it up.  Back when Bill was running for President, The University of Arkansas was winning national championships, and he attended a bunch of the games, so let's say they'll pick the Razorbacks to top Indiana in the first round.  The Clintons met at Georgetown, so they're going Hoyas over UMBC.  Magic Johnson is one of Hillary's biggest supporters, and she may need the support of Michigan voters if a primary do-over happens, so Michigan State beats Oregon.  Let's throw in Siena and Cornell as a couple of homestate upsets, and Senator Clinton has a relatively solid bracket.  What?  It's as solid a strategy as anyone else may have.  Just ask my brother.


(see, don't these pictures make it look like an important issue.  Your boss will be so proud to have an employee reading about world affairs!)

3/19/2008

While Barack Obama has been battling centuries old racism this week, one of his supporters has been taking on another American institution: Major League Baseball.

31 year old Morris Levin was forced to shut down his on-line Obama T-shirt emporium after recieving a cease and desist letter from MLB.  Levin says he was inspired by Barack's message, and wanted to show his support by designing some cool shirts, based on team logos. 

He says there are no hard feelings, and he will continue to support the Phillies.  That probably means there will be some hard feelings at some point.

Meanwhile, there's a bruhaha brewing between Hillary Clinton and Sinbad. 

It revolves around a trip they took to Bosnia, while Clinton was first lady and Sinbad was, well, still famous. The Senator has held up the visit as an example of her foreign policy experience, and says they were forced to land under sniper fire.

But in an interview with the Washington Post, Sinbad points out that the mission couldn't have been too dangerous, since he was invited, along with Sheryl Crow. 

Hillary Clinton dismissed the entire controversy, by saying "Sinbad is a comedian".  Clearly, she has not seen his work in "The Houseguest."

(the tshirts are from smokinggun.com.  Too bad they got pulled, because they're pretty cool.  The Sinbad picture is from CNN.com. I can't believe he was on Jeopardy)

3/18/2008

Have you ever gotten an email from one of your friends labeled NSFW?

It means not safe for work, which usually translates to something with "adult content". I feel like I should be labeling this column NSFW these days.  After a week of Spitzer-gate and then this weekend's revelations about the McGreevey threesomes, we got an overly inside look at David Paterson's past as a philanderer  today.  So, that's what you're going to hear about on the news and on the front page of the papers in the morning. 

But down the road in Philadelphia, a far different speech was being delivered.  Barack Obama took on the questions about his relationship with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, as well as the greater issues of race and religion.  He discussed the simmering anger that still exists within the black community, and the white community's resentment at that anger.  And he didn't beat around the bush. He tackled all of it head on.

The speech may have been a response to the growing media swarm around Wright's comments, or the resulting poll numbers which show many voters have taken the issue to heart. But this was no ordinary political speech.  It may go down as one of the most important speeches on race in American history.  It addressed the entire population as a whole, by acknowledging all those feelings people suppress out of guilt or fear or common courtesy.  I don't know what effect it will have on the election, but I'm not so sure that matters.  This may have been a speech for the ages, not the electorate.

It may not be as sexy as hookers or three ways or casual sex throughout the capital, but when all the dust clears, it may end up being the only event this week that has any lasting impact on the world.

Don't forget, we have the new forum at the bottom of the page, to discuss this and any other political issue.  Feel free to get involved.

3/16/2008

Growing up, Bill Bradley was one of my heroes. How could he not be? The guy goes from being one of the greatest college basketball players of all time at Princeton, to being a Rhodes Scholar, to being a two time champ and hall of famer with the Knicks, spends 12 years in the Senate, and tops it off by running for President.

Let's take a look at the Spitzer thing from a different angle: It's impact on the Presidential race.

The soon to be former Governor was supposed to be a super delegate at this summer's Democratic National Convention, and he had pledged his support to Hillary Clinton.  Obviously, he loses that designation and Clinton loses a key convention vote. 

The ramifications don't stop there. Did you know that Barack Obama delivered a major national security speech in Chicago today?  Of course you didn't, because while he was speaking, all three cable news networks were focused on the scandal in Albany. And why wouldn't they be?  The only way Obama was going to get top billing today would be if he had admitted to being client number 8. So, in a way, Spitzer is still helping Hillary.

This becomes a larger issue once the general election gets underway. The issue of ethics reform now becomes a non-starter for the Dems.  I'm sure the speeches are already being written.  Republicans will attack "the party of Eliot Spitzer".  If fiscal responsibility comes up, you may hear something along the lines of "how can we trust the party of a man willing to spend 80 thousand dollars on hookers?" I'm not saying John McCain will be using that slogan on campaign signs, but the talking heads may broach the topic during the nightly news shows.

And what about the identity of the other 9 guys in this case?  Spitzer can't be the only one with political ties.  Thanks to the Daily News, we've already met client 6.  I’m sure someone on that list has contributed money to a candidate, or may even have a larger role in one of the campaigns.

This whole thing may also open the door for a former Presidential candidate to re-enter the world of public service.  Would anyone be surprised if Rudy Giuliani all of a sudden ran for Governor of New York in three years?

Before I go, I have an exciting development to announce.  We've added a place for reader feedback at the bottom of the blog. So, if you have a thought you'd like to share, scroll down and share it.  They won't show up immediately, but they will show up. 

Eliot Spitzer has a lot of enemies with a lot of money.  He's burned bridges throughout his entire career as a prosecutor and as a politician.  So the news of his probable demise is probably being met with cheers in all corners of the state.  And anyone looking to tear him down further won't have to look far to finance their efforts.