GOP Games a November Victory

Was party to a discussion between two Texas GOP Poll Workers about this just last week over breakfast (the breakfast meeting was for a very different purpose). Finally, one of them commented on my being “the enemy,” and that they shouldn’t discuss this in front of me.

This is real, folks.

This is real, folks.

That’s a bit pretensious, isn’t it?

If Obama is the GOP bitch, the GOP is whose bitch?

Again, be careful what you wish for, how you game, in the real world, donkey kong just doesn’t cut it.

My God, if most of the Pentagon can’t figure these things out, fer sure a bunch of stupid republican ops won’t either.

Not your comment, PMS, I meant that of the Texas republicans, sorry.

And Obama and cigarettes, if he can’t get one, do we risk nuclear war?

MY GOD, IF HE DOESN’T GET A CIGARETTE, HE’S GONNA BLOW!

I mean, he brings up the chick thing, and moods…

They’ll be caching Nicoderm in every office of the White House.

Sadly, I like open primaries. Call me crazy (go ahead, I dare ya).

If you’d suggested to me that people would have behaved this way before now, I’d have scoffed. Why in the world would you deliberately choose someone who you feel is less qualified?

OTOH, the biggest problem may be all these caucuses. I go back and forth about that, personally, but they sure are easily disrupted by a small number of activists. Why are people allowed to declare a party affiliation right before they enter the caucus site? If we’re going to have a small, intimate election, wouldn’t it be nice if it was limited to folks who have been active with the party for more than a day?

Political scientists of the future will mark 2008 as the year that the Democratic nominee was chosen by a powerful coalition of college students, Independents and Republicans, most of whom were “Democrats for a Day” who went right back to voting Republican, or not voting at all, as soon as their primary or caucus was over.

In response, it would be great if the Democratic Party would:

1. Ban caucuses, which are completely undemocratic in so many ways: not only do they discriminate against full-time workers, active duty military personnel, nurses, etc. but they also open the voting process to intimidation and peer pressure. Only the secret ballot should be used in elections in this country.

2. Ban Open Primaries. The Democratic nominee should be chosen by DEMOCRATS. I hate this “well, the nominee has to appeal to Independents, so they should be allowed to vote” crap. That’s total BS. If Independents want to play a role in the process, let them register with one party or the other. You want to be an Independent? Fine. Stand in the middle of the road and refuse to choose. But be ready to be governed by the candidates chosen by the grown-ups.
You can’t crash my party any more. You and Lou Dobbs and all the other Superior Nonpartisans can stand aside and click your tongues and shake your heads at “the process”- but you’ve taken yourselves out of it. Why should Independents be allowed to pick which party they want to fuck around with?

And don’t even get me started about allowing Republicans to vote in Democratic primaries. That is TOTAL bullshit.

3. Stop letting pundits run the debates. All they are looking to do is glorify themselves while slamming the candidate they like and dragging down the candidate they don’t. This isn’t a game. The Democratic candidates should agree to only debate on NPR and Public Television. Screw the “news” networks. Who gave them a monopoly on debates anyway?

I keep saying this, but a major demographic supporting Senator Obama has been white men. Indeed, white men are the one group that Senator Clinton has lost in, I believe, every contest. White men supporting a black candidate, especially a black male candidate, is far from usual.

It would be delightful to think that this indicates declining racism, but another explanation is that misogyny trumps racism in this group. Recall that many independents and some Republicans have voted/caucused with Democrats.

In November these white men will have white man for whom to vote. A white man who is a war hero. How many of these white male voters will Senator Obama be able to retain then?

About six.

All this makes me wonder about the supposed huge Democratic turnouts this year. I realize Obama brought out a lot of a certain demographic, but beyond that why the huge D turnout?

Was it only after McCain got his lead that the percentage of D to R turnout was big?

That is, is there a way to figure out how many Rs might have ‘crossed over’?

John, you old cock-eyed optimist, you.

I’m watching Bill Maher, as usual he’s spending most of the show trashing Hillary. Tonight he has this Rolling Stone “reporter” on cruising Hillary rallies in Youngstown and blaming her for NAFTA. Oh, and she got us into the war in Iraq too, you know. Gag.

John –

Bill Maher is way dull. He’s trying so hard to be young, but has only three greasy gray hairs. His lazer peel helped a little, but he’s still disgusting. It’s painful to look at him in his ill-fitting suits with the sleeves that cover his hands.

The Rolling Stone dork has maybe 2 more greasy dark hairs than Maher. He has demonstrated a lack of basic history knowledge and he’s an ass.

Sadly, these aging idiots aren’t alone trying to appear young by supporting Obama – the 18 year olds’ choice.

Please help Hillary in Texas and Ohio!!

I’ve seen what a mess it was in Washington state for the Dems. Voting in the primary didn’t count for anything; you had to attend a caucus to get a delegate. Which is difficult to impossible for a lot of people.
Hopefully, Washington state will improve their system.
The open primary idea is appealing (since I am a lazy independent) but it didn’t pass into law here in Oregon last session. We’ll see how it affects the eventual nominee’s chances in November.
In 2000, I remember being encouraged to support Nader by a Repug friend. (I didn’t go along with that game!) I wonder if we could get Limbaugh and Hannity to run as a third party in 2008.

Every time I think about what a mess the Democrats have made of this election, there is one only thing that keeps me going. If Obama is the Democratic nominee, I never have to be disappointed in the Democrats again because I will never be in that demographic again.

awesome! Matt Taibbi rocks! I cant wait to watch it. Did you see the video from the new hampshire primaries? shit was hilarious (and non partisan). I suggest you read his pieces:

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/author/matt_taibbi

Well, I have really think hair, ergo I must be right!

Hi all,

First off I like to thank Larry Johnson for providing a outlet for us non-Obamabots. Up until today I used to post on David Sirota’s blog until he started promoting Obama as some sort of visionary and savior and vilifying Hillary and those who pointed out St.Obama’s many flaws.

I don’t know whats gotten into the Democratic blogs but its like they are all taking their marching orders from Obama.

Its creepy and disgraceful, I never saw behavior in politics in the 27 years I’ve been watching it.

Like Kennedy had his painkillers pre- positioned?

I was born at the end of the “Baby Boom” (but before Obama) and it’s kinda funny watching as the young radicals, rebels and anti-establishment types of my youth have gotten grayer and become part of the establishment. They once were cutting edge, now they are mainstream. But some of them are living on their reputations that have been out-of-date for decades.

The only way to avoid growing old is to die young.

Withers –

What’s think hair?

I believe there are two major reasons that this has been such an ugly primary.

First, the MSM has done nothing but give Obama fluffjobs and beat up on Clinton.

Second, Obama supporters are about 18 on average, and they behave like stupid rude teenagers.

I long for the good old days when there was a Clinton in the White House.

Please get out the vote for Hillary Clinton in Texas and Ohio!

Oh, and she got us into the war in Iraq too, you know. Gag.

Did she vote for it or not?

Vee my sentiments exactly. Lifelong Dem, baby boomer (one of those despised by Obama)and quite frankly I’m at a point where I don’t give a damn anymore. If Obama wins by bringing in college students from Illinois for the Iowa caucus and his supporters bully other caucuses goers in other states and if his “be a Democrat for a Day” gets him to the nomination, so be it. Then let “his people” go find those Democrats for a Day” for the general election.

And if the annointed one gets the big one, I’ll actually go back to reading Huffington Post, DK and those other Hillary hating sites and laugh when they see reality hitting them in the face as they the reality that the big O is just a man.

Ohio is a must-win state for the Dems. I live here. I know. It will not vote for Obama. You may call it a racist state and you would be correct. The point is Hillary Clinton has a chance of winning Ohio in the GE. Obama has absolutely none. If the Dems give Obama the nod I fear a 49-state avalanche for McCain.

Florida has also been mentioned as a “key” state to a Dem victory. You can look at the primary numbers and pretend all you want that Obama did not campaign there – he actually did via his campaign ads – the point here is that it went big time for Hill.

The Obama presidency is a shell game the Repugs are playing. He will not win the GE. President McCain will give us 4 more years of war and middle class crap.

No, she did not. She voted to authorize the use of force because that was the tool Bush told the Senate he needed to put pressure on Saddam to comply with the UN Resolutions. Stop bleating GOP/Media/Obama talking points. No one voted to go to war in Iraq.

And there was Obama himself, encouraging Republicans to vote for him Nevada…his camp denied it, but the radio ad was all over the place for anybody to listen to.

This guy is not a Democrat…and today he disses the Black State of the Union event. What a fraud he is…

The Republicans are voting for Obama ONLY in the primaries. Come the GE, they’ll be switching and sucking the very votes Obama needs to win.

They know they won’t beat his rhetoric, but they’ll play the over-confidence game (Gore 00′ election anyone?).

If the Dems want to win in 28 years, they need to back Hillary, or it’ll be 32 years before they’ll have a chance again.

Either fight to win, or again, fail. Independents and moderates can’t save Dems themselves.

Open primaries are nice for convenience, but folks will see on November 2nd, how they can throw elections, too.

This election may prove one of the worst election scams in memory, solely because anyone can vote in open primaries, then switch party vote in the GE.

Used to think this was the fairest model, but this method can get the weakest party candidate nominated by an invasion of the other party, and switch on the GE, to win. It’s dangerous.

Thanks to the Democratic party’s lame, divisive, disorganized, and inconsistent primary systems in 50 states,

Right. Blame the Democratic party rather than Mark Penn and the rest of the Clinton team for RUNNING A LOUSY,NEGATIVE,LOSING CAMPAIGN.

This is all been a setup. Our party again has been had.
What really worries me is the possible terror connections we have so close to the White House.

http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=V3201

Official Title of Legislation:
H J Res 114: To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.

Project Vote Smart’s Synopsis:
Vote to adopt a joint resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.

Highlights:
- Authorizes President to use United States Armed Forces against Iraq

I would say that when one state uses military force against another state, that is a war. Could we guess that Hillary never expected it would actually come to war? Did she somehow expect GWB to show diplomacy and restraint?

http://www.votesmart.org/speech_detail.php?sc_id=89583

Hillary’s speech:

Our nation stands at a crossroads. In front of us is the possibility of war with Iraq and placing our servicemen and women in harm’s way; to our left is an economy that continues to struggle and prevents Americans from fulfilling their dreams and promise; to our right is our war on terrorism and the growing realization that we have not done enough to support our firefighters, police officers, and emergency personnel;

So she had clear knowledge that war was coming, and clear knowledge that the economy was struggling and was unlikely to withstand the additional cost of a major military campaign.

Yet, she also supported a string of military funding bills — gotta support those boys at the front. I’ll also note a one-liner from another Hillary speech:

http://www.votesmart.org/speech_detail.php?sc_id=77726

You know last week, the President was asked about how long the war in Iraq would take and he responded correctly, ‘How ever long it takes.’

Seems like she fully supported GWB in his “stay the course” strategy for perpetual war (my emphasis in the above quote BTW).

There is no other logical conclusion that to say that Hillary supported the Iraq war. Beyond this, Hillary also voted to declare the IRG a
terrorist organisation, in preparation for war
in Iran.

http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=15940

Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should officially designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran as a foreign terrorist organization and assign it to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

Frankly the concept of trying to designate the armed forces of a major nation as a “terrorist organisation” is bloody minded and stupid. Hillary should certainly know better.

No one voted to go to war in Iraq.

This totally annoys me… the implication being that the entire Congress can shrug, shake their heads and say, “No, no, nothing to do with us, someone else’s war, not our problem.”

It’s a major conservative talking point, and a completely fair one, Democrats simply will not take responsibility for their actions. All I hear are excuses and weasel words. Let me ask you, does the US have a government? Is Congress part of that government? Do the members of Congress make their will clear by voting?

How the hell can a war just come along and happen, all by itself, but no one had any idea, no one helped it happen, no one supported it?

Yes. I have seen that guy. He is kinda dumb. He is 38 and he’s still “oMg dude I’m so cool like totally omg I am so irreverent I rock and I laugh at candidates and stuff because I’m so smart”

Some excellent further research and quotes here (with references).

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/01/14/hillary-clinton-defends-her-2002-iraq-war-vote-through-attack/#comment-424528

… and just to make things easy, I’ll contrast what Obama said back in 2002:

I know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors. … I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than the best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars.

What Hillary said back in 2002:

I believe the facts that have brought us to this fateful vote are not in doubt. Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members. . . . It is clear that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. . . . If we get the resolution and Saddam does not comply, then we can attack him with far more support and legitimacy than we would have otherwise. [A] unilateral attack…cannot be ruled out. . . . This is probably the hardest decision I have ever had to make — any vote that may lead to war should be hard — but I cast it with conviction. . . . It is with conviction that I support this resolution as being in the best interests of our nation.

What has Hillary been hanging her reputation on? Experience, political savvy, Washington insider, knows the game. Yet she was apparently outsmarted by Dubbya, go figure.

Somehow that young inexperienced know-nothing Obama got it right all the way from the start. Must have been a blind fluke I guess.