Perhaps the best (though surely not the most dramatic) indicator of a party tangled up in a mess of identity crises and low morale was this nugget, about a a meeting of Republican state chairs held in Vegas in early March:

...roughly a dozen Republican state chairmen met in Las Vegas --the first gathering of its kind in recent memory, according to one of the chairmen who attended.

Formally, the purpose was to exchange ideas on “improving each state party’s performance,” said Sean McCaffrey, the executive director of the Arizona Republican party. But there was widespread concern expressed over the direction of the party as a whole.

Even that effort to strengthen the individual state parties fell short of the mark. With the exception of Florida, no Southern chairmen were in attendance. Many, it seems, were uncomfortable with the symbolism of meeting inside a Las Vegas hotel the same weekend as Palm Sunday.

“That’s a real problem with the Republican party that they went to a casino on Palm Sunday,” said one GOP state party chairman, who refused to come due to the timing.

“Here we are the values party,” the chairman added. “You’ve got to walk the walk here. If you don’t, you’re going to lose. You can’t disaffect your base.”

Posted by Jeff Severns Guntzel at March 25, 2008 2:47 PM | Comments (0)

Will McCain win Washington state? Mais non

Filed under: John McCain

When I moved to Washington state in almost 10 years ago, my cousin's husband asked me about what my friend up there did for work. He worked for Boeing, I replied. "Oh, of course," said my cousin's spouse. "Everyone up here works for Boeing."

When John McCain tubed a major contract for Boeing that ended up going to European provider Airbus, the Northwest was outraged. McCain's political opponents have produced the following video, which is amusing on multiple levels.

The French take a lot of static from various sources, which is sometimes well-deserved, sometimes utterly undeserved. Regardless, it's funny to see the right-wing bugaboo of Pierre the Heavily-Accented Frog be used against one of them.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at March 25, 2008 8:47 AM | Comments (0)

"You helped this happen..."

Filed under: John McCain

If the Rev. Wright videos are going to be bouncing around the ether and onto our television screens for the foreseeable future, might as well get this one in the mix: Rev. Jerry Falwell in conversation on the 700 Club with Pat Robertson--just two days after the 911 attacks and one day before Wright's now famous "chickens coming home to roost" remarks.

Here you go:

And here's a transcript:

JERRY FALWELL: And I agree totally with you that the Lord has protected us so wonderfully these 225 years. And since 1812, this is the first time that we've been attacked on our soil and by far the worst results ... God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve.

PAT ROBERTSON: Jerry, that's my feeling. I think we've just seen the antechamber to terror. We haven't even begun to see what they can do to the major population.

JERRY FALWELL: The ACLU's got to take a lot of blame for this.

PAT ROBERTSON: Well yes.

JERRY FALWELL: And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen."

PAT ROBERTSON: Well, I totally concur

John McCain famously called Falwell and Robertson "agents of intolerance." As the shoe-in nominee for the Republican Party in 2008, he's said he no longer believes that to be true, and even delivered the commencement address at Falwell's Liberty University last year.

Like it or not, Barack Obama will no doubt be answering for Wright's words for as long as his campaign lasts. Will McCain have to answer for his pastor connections?

Stephen Colbert handled this issue with typical efficiency this week...

Posted by Jeff Severns Guntzel at March 21, 2008 12:26 PM | Comments (1)

The Speech

Filed under: Barack Obama

Much has been made of Barack Obama's oratory and rhetorical brilliance, his ability to paint even the driest of dry policy proposals with a coat of rhythmic, baritone elegance.

Implicit in all of this passive-aggressive fawning—at least that on behalf of his detractors, particularly that smug sock-puppet Paul Begala—was the idea that beneath all his flash and dazzle was a scared-shitless darkie lacking the necessary "experience" and "substance" to carry the torch effectively for Whitey. Senator John McCain, the crusty sun-baked cracker from Arizona, even had the balls to label Obama's parlance "platitudes" in between his own shameless bromides about Lady Liberty’s altruistic mission to spread “democracy” and “freedom” around the globe— a task presumably carried out while perched on a magical, pixie-dust sprinkled Unicorn flanked by a benevolent bald eagle on one side, and a visibly aroused, blood-thirsty Uncle Sam on the other.

Like many other closet-idealists, I avoided writing about Barack Obama or discussing the man in polite company for simple fear that my expression would devolve into the kind of starry-eyed, bullshit-reeking pottage better lampooned than spouted. Praising Obama with unfettered fervor, I knew, would succeed only in outing me as yet another cultish Obama fanatic and, what's more, would likely convince whomever I was conversing with that “this Obama guy” was not to be trusted, what with this “frothing-at-the-mouth asshole” supporting him.

But after Tuesday’s speech—which Obama penned himself—there’s no need for me or any other talking primate to sing his praises. There’s no need to point out that this speech will likely go down as the most poised, intellectually honest, and honorable campaign monologue ever to be uttered in the history of human folly.

That's because it speaks for itself.

Posted by Matt Snyders at March 20, 2008 1:12 PM | Comments (1)

Ohio reporter mistakes PR flack for Hillary Clinton

Filed under: Media

Reporters don't get much more boneheaded than John Goodall of Ohio's Tribune Chronicle. According to a correction published by the paper today:

Reporter John Goodall, who was assigned to the story, spoke by telephone with Hillary Wicai Viers, who is a communications director in U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson’s staff. According to the reporter, when Viers answered the phone with ‘‘This is Hillary,’’ he believed he was speaking with the Democratic presidential candidate, who had made several previous visits to the Mahoning Valley.

It appears as though the newspaper has pulled the content off its website, but you can find a cache version here.

Among the quotes falsely attributed to Hillary Clinton:

‘‘It was great. We had an unbelievable turnout,’’ the presidential candidate said of the Canfield session. ‘‘There were 85 people in that small office.’’

Clinton said residents voiced their views on jobs, taxes, energy costs and the local “brain drain.” They were very concerned about the economy in the Mahoning Valley, she noted. ‘‘He’s holding these sessions because these are tough economic times,’’ Clinton, D-N.Y., said of Wilson.

‘‘Think of these as town hall meetings where you do more of the talking than I do,’’ Wilson said of residents. ‘‘Many of these sessions are scheduled over lunch. Pack a lunch bag, please join me and tell me your stories.’’

/Hat-tip Romenesko

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at March 19, 2008 3:17 PM | Comments (0)

Kinky politican sex makes the world go 'round.

Filed under: Sex

It must be spring. The politician sex stories are rolling in.

We all know about former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who allegedly spent more on prostitutes than the median American household makes in a year. But like all tumultuous narrative events, these sex stories come in threes.

Guess what else comes in threes? The McGreeveys. Remember Jim McGreevey, the governor of New Jersey forced to come out during his administration due to an illicit extramarital relationship? Turns out he and his wife had regular three-way sex with his driver, something they called the "Friday Night Special" (she denies this, but McGreevey and the driver say it happened).

The former aide, Teddy Pedersen, told the New York Post and New Jersey's Star-Ledger he began having threesomes with the McGreeveys -- a routine "hard-core consensual sex orgy" they called the "Friday Night Special" -- in the late 1990s during Dina and Jim's courtship, and that the trysts continued after the couple's marriage in 2000, the papers reported online Sunday.

The most boring of this trifecta is your garden-variety affairs apparently undertaken by both Patersons during a rocky patch in their coupling. Yawn. But this third example is another invocation of the rare but politically deadly "governor jinx". Is this a burgeoning movement among governors? Trend story, anyone?

Someone needs to start following Tim Pawlenty around, just in case.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at March 18, 2008 10:43 AM | Comments (2)

Bush: At least one legacy to be glad for?

Filed under: National Republicans

While Pawlenty is spending an awful lot of time angling for the VP slot, The New Yorker's Hendrik Hertzberg, as discussed last week, is pushing the McCain/Rice ticket.

What Hertzberg also did is raise a legacy issue for which critics of President Bush--and perhaps even what Hertzberg calls the Republican Party's "hardened racists and incorrigible misogynists"--may be hesitant to hand him:

...a kind word for George W. Bush may be in order. By appointing first Colin Powell and then Rice to the most senior job in the Cabinet, a job of global scope, Bush changed the way millions of white Americans think about black public officials. This may turn out to the most positive legacy of his benighted Presidency.

You may buy it and you may not, but it is a tempting invitation to put aside, if only for a moment, much more evident legacy issues in favor of a comprehensive look at eight years of the letter W.

Posted by Jeff Severns Guntzel at March 17, 2008 4:30 PM | Comments (3)

Why it is a terrible time to be a Republican

Filed under: Media

It's a good time to be a Republican, MinnPost's Steve Berg asserted on Friday. Sure, he allows, the economy's in the toilet and George W. Bush's approval ratings are below 20 in some polls. Indeed, conventional wisdom holds that the Democratic candidate will win in November.

"So why all the smiles," Berg asks rhetorically, "on the Republican side?"

This is a wonderful place to start a piece if the writer is prepared to produce any evidence that there are, in fact, smiles on the Republican side. Of course, Berg is not so prepared. And as a new piece from the center-right Washington Post makes clear, that's because most Republicans think they're on a stomach-churning doom ride.

Don't take my word for it. Ask one of the Republican legislators who have said that the "thought of [McCain] being president sends a cold chill" down their spines. Or just check out a few of the quotes from the story:

"It's no mystery," said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.). "You have a very unhappy electorate, which is no surprise, with oil at $108 a barrel, stocks down a few thousand points, a war in Iraq with no end in sight and a president who is still very, very unpopular. He's just killed the Republican brand."

Stuart Rothenberg, a nonpartisan analyst of congressional politics, said: "The math is against [Republicans]. The environment is against them. The money is against them. This is one of those cycles that if you're a Republican strategist, you just want to go into the bomb shelter."

Let's recap what's been happening to the GOP in recent weeks. The party has:

* Lost former House speaker Dennis Hastert's seat in a special election, despite the Republican National Campaign Committee's pumping $1.2 million into the race (in a district once thought a GOP stronghold);

* Discovered that the former RNCC treasurer may have embezzled as much as $1 million from the group's campaign war chest;

* Seen approval ratings for their party's standard-bearer sink to 19 percent. Among registered voters, that number is a staggering 18 percent, among the lowest levels in U.S. history;

* Failed to field a candidate to oppose a Democratic senator in swing state Arkansas;

* Saw potential Republican candidates evaporate in New Jersey and South Dakota as well.

This is all horrifying news for Republicans -- and that's without considering that the GOP presidential candidate wants to ramp up a dreadfully unpopular war and go against the country's wishes on critical issues like reproductive rights and health care. Or that he's chosen to hitch his wagon in the public eye to a guy (Bush) that most Americans dislike and mistrust.

But none of that probably matters, writes Berg, because Barack Obama is a black guy, and Hillary Clinton is a woman, and they're campaigning against each other, and sometimes that campaigning involves discussing race and gender. Also, he notes, one poll shows that -- eight months before the election -- a to-be-determined Dem may be running behind an already-chosen GOP candidate in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania!

Yes, the preceding paragraph really sums up the support for Berg's argument. Maybe he's just frustrated by the candidates bickering. But that's no justification for a story with no "there" there.

Maybe, argues Berg, "the more people get to know the Democratic candidates the less they like them," even though that is nearly certain to be false for both candidates. Hillary Clinton has been a national figure for two decades, and for better or for worse, people know how they feel about her. Also, it is positively dumbfounding that one could make that charge about Obama, given that his campaign has taken precisely the opposite trajectory Berg suggests.

As for McCain, his biggest problem doesn't show up in the polls. It's that the hard-right Republican base so critical to beating John Kerry likely won't turn out for him.

His biggest asset? That McCain's own base -- the media -- will treat the longtime Arizona senator with kid gloves not extended to his eventual opponent.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at March 17, 2008 5:00 AM | Comments (3)

Obama's Friday news dump was in advance of assault on Hillary's secrecy

Filed under: Hillary Clinton

Politicians love to release bad news on Friday, because nobody's paying attention. And boy, did Obama use the opportunity to unload a lot of baggage.

This week, Obama finally opened up about Tony Rezko, his fundraiser and real-estate fixer, and one of the few ethical lapses that seems to be gaining traction as Hillary looks for a chink in Obama's armor.

As if that wasn't enough, Obama also dumped Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his long time confidant (who even gave him the title of his book), after footage circulated of Wright denouncing America.

So what is going on here? Is Obama wilting in the spotlight? Is Clinton scoring points with the judges?

Well, this Chicago Tribune story suggests its a pre-emptive bit of housecleaning before an all-out assault on Hillary Clinton over the issue of secrecy.

PLAINFIELD, Ind. - Sen. Barack Obama is trying to air his dirty laundry -- even some items that might appear just a little wrinkled -- as he prepares a full assault on Sen. Hillary Clinton over ethics and transparency.

The Obama campaign seems to be launching that assault today, according to this CNN story:

(CNN) — Barack Obama's campaign on Sunday stepped up its efforts to portray rival Hillary Clinton as a secretive politician, calling the New York senator a "veteran of non-disclosure."

In a conference call with reporters Sunday afternoon, Obama's top aides implored Clinton to release past tax returns, earmark requests, documents from husband’s Presidential Library and the list of donors to the Library.

"What is Sen. Clinton hiding and what is lurking in the documents?" Obama Communications Director Robert Gibbs asked on the conference call.

David Axelrod, the campaign's chief strategist, also repeated the campaign's past claim that the New York senator remains to be fully vetted, and suggested Republicans could unearth now unknown details about Clinton.

Didn't she promise to release these documents after Texas/Ohio? Why are we still waiting?

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at March 16, 2008 3:46 PM | Comments (3)

Anarchists order Tasers just in time for RNC

Filed under: Republican National Convention

The RNC Welcoming Committee, a self-described anarchist/anti-authoritarian organization, has ordered Tasers for each of its members. That is, if a press release circulated by the group earlier today is to be believed.

"Due to a unique corporate-anarchist confidentiality agreement, the exact number of tasers or documentable evidence of this new order will not be disclosed," reads the statement, going on to claim that the tasers' order "has absolutely nothing to do with the upcoming Republican convention... the timing is purely a coincidence."

The faux move lampoons the St. Paul Police department's purchase of 370 tasers--one for every patrolman--last month. Asked if it had to do with the fast-approaching convention, police spokesman Tom Walsh told the AP that the purchase was "in no way related. It simply isn't."

The Welcoming Committee assures the public they will not seek out any "machine guns, rubber bullets, pepper spray, tear gas, concussion grenades, batons, water cannons or helicopters."

Posted by Matt Snyders at March 13, 2008 4:09 PM | Comments (2)

Hillary Clinton is in Wal-Mart's pocket

Filed under: Hillary Clinton

A reader asks that I pass along this YouTube clip:

The takeout: Hillary served for six year on the board of Wal-Mart, which doesn't exactly have the best track record for workers' rights and healthcare.

If you want to know more about how Wal-Mart treats workers, read:

The Wal-Mart Menace

Leeches at the Gate

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at March 12, 2008 10:24 PM | Comments (5)

Geraldine Ferraro is a closet racist, part II

Filed under: Hillary Clinton

I thought Keith Olbermann's interview of Newseek's Howard Fineman on this subject last night was quite extraordinary. It begins just before the five minute mark of this clip:

Fineman's normally a pretty level-headed political reporter. But he doesn't bother hiding his disdain for the Clinton campaign's tactics. It has become a loathsome operation.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 12, 2008 10:39 AM | Comments (2)

Geraldine Ferraro is a closet racist

Filed under: Hillary Clinton

But what other conclusion can you draw from the most recent series of events, which now stands as the most absurd thing to happen in the presidential campaign since Dennis Kucinich confessed to believing in aliens.

In an interview with The Daily Breeze of Torrance, Calif., Ferraro said:

“If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

This touched off a minor controversy. Ferraro had touched the third rail of American politics--race--and lived to talk about it. And boy, did she want to talk about it, telling the Daily Breeze:

"Any time anybody does anything that in any way pulls this campaign down and says let's address reality and the problems we're facing in this world, you're accused of being racist, so you have to shut up. Racism works in two different directions. I really think they're attacking me because I'm white. How's that?"

This is a classic example of not knowing when to STFU.

It hurts Hillary in a lot of ways. For one, Ferraro is a fundraiser, and Clinton is scrambling to disavow the remarks without alienating a money stream. But it also provides a glimpse at Future Hillary, i.e. what Hillary will be like when not in campaign mode. As the first female VP candidate, Ferraro is probably more like Hillary than Bill is. This will also make it harder in the future for Hillary to question Obama's "readiness on day one" without seeming to echo Ferarro.

UPDATE 1: Apparently, Ferraro originally used this language on John Gibson's radio show on February 27, 2008. Here's a YouTube clip of it:

UPDATE 2: She used similar language about Jesse Jackson all the way back in in April 1988 in the Washington Post:

And former representative Geraldine A. Ferraro (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that because of his "radical" views, "if Jesse Jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race."

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at March 11, 2008 7:48 PM | Comments (20)

Always bet on black: Oddsmakers pick Obama 3 to 1

Filed under: Primary

While journalists are dealing from the bottom of the deck to keep viewers tuned in, the oddsmakers of the Iowa Electronic Market are heavily favoring Obama. According to this article:

Intrade traders gave Obama a 75 percent chance of winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. president, versus 23.5 percent for Clinton. Traders on the Iowa Electronic Markets, a nonprofit exchange run by the University of Iowa for research purposes, gave Obama a 74 percent chance of winning, versus 24 percent for Clinton.

This is good news for Obama fans, because the IEM has been very accurate at picking the eventual winners of political contests--much moreso than polling. According to this Wikipedia article:

This may be because it uses a free market model to predict an outcome, instead of the aggregation of many individuals' opinions. The speculator is more interested in a correct outcome than in his or her desired outcome.

Best advice for those gambling on the election? Listen to Wesley Snipes:

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at March 11, 2008 11:32 AM | Comments (0)

Orgiastic Republican sex freak waxes moralistic about Spitzer

Filed under: National Republicans

But because that party and that media outlet don't exist, we'll have to settle for Republican group sex aficionado Roger Stone and Fox News.

We've written about the GOP operative Roger Stone before, and how the charmingly amoral hedonist rolls from S&M sex party to swinger gathering in between calling Hillary Clinton vulgar names. To his credit (?), Stone doesn't seem to actually believe any of his own horseshit, but does parlay it into presumably well-paying media gigs like this one on Fox:

Yes, that's the resigned-in-disgrace Dole aide whose forays into leather sex parties forced his ouster talking about how a self-righteous Spitzer got what he deserved. I know you'll be just as shocked as I am to learn that a Google News search for Stone's name plus the name of "family values" Republican David Vitter (who also was nailed in a prostitution scandal) turns up exactly zero hits.

Let's get the obvious out of the way. Self-righteous politicians are loathsome, hypocritical self-righteous politicians are vile, and Spitzer should be ashamed of himself. But if you're expecting Republican operatives like Stone to condemn Vitter, or Larry Craig, or whoever the perv du jour is, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

The point is this: an attack news outlet finding someone with a swift, polished tongue to do what he does best with it. Or possibly second-best, depending upon who you ask.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at March 10, 2008 9:57 PM | Comments (6)

Should McCain choose a black VP?

Filed under: John McCain

No matter who wins the Democratic nomination, John McCain will also be competing against a Historical Moment. Either it will be the first woman nominated or the first African American, versus a guy who looks like he'd fit right in with the framers of the Constitution.

Which is why some Republican pundits are urging McCain to select a VP of color, or ideally, the twofer known as Condi Rice.

In an op-ed published in today's New York Times, William Kristol puts forth a list of untraditional choices, including one pube-hair loving Supreme Court Justice:

Perhaps the most obvious way McCain could upend the normal dynamics of this year’s election would be a bold vice presidential choice. ... He could persuade the most impressive conservative in American public life, Clarence Thomas, to join the ticket.

The most impressive conservative in American public life?! That's heady praise for a man whose greatest accomplishment seems to be keeping his yap shut for two years straight.

Meanwhile, in this New Yorker column, Henrik Hertzberg suggests Condoleeza Rice as a VP choice that would allow McCain to have his base and eat it too:

If McCain really wants to have it all—to refurbish his maverick image without having to flip-flop on the panderings that have tarnished it; to galvanize the attention of the press, the nation, and the world; to make a bold play for the center without seriously alienating “the base”—then he can avail himself of a highly interesting option: Condoleezza Rice.

Of the two, I think Condi is the better choice, both individually and demographically. But the funny thing about such speculation is that it shines a spotlight on how old, white, and male the Republican party continues to be compared to Democrats. I mean, can't the Republicans find a Conservative African American without having to poach the one from the Supreme Court? What's Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire up to these days?

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at March 10, 2008 3:30 PM | Comments (1)

Al-Qaeda would celebrate an Obama victory, claims subhuman homunculus

Filed under: Shameless Whores

In our feature on the Iowa caucuses, I described Rep. Steve King (R-IA) as a "xenophobic Golem look-alike who once unironically called Joe McCarthy 'a hero for America.' " It occurred to me later that perhaps these words were a tad harsh for the controversial congressman.

No longer. Not after that pitiful war-lusting pervert one-upped himself Friday in asserting, "If [Obama] is elected president, the radical Islamists--al Qaeda and their supporters--will be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on September 11, because they will declare victory in this War on Terror."

I grew up in King's district in uber-conservative northwest Iowa, so I am (unfortunately) well-versed in the troll's lunacy and the clinically insane base to whom he panders. I realize that to take the time to refute this blatant, crazed fear-mongering is to lend his shattered worldview more credence than it deserves.

But such garbage is worth noting, because it illustrates an increasingly familiar phenomenon benefiting the McCain campaign as of late. Act 1: a far-right GOP whore parlays Obama's middle name into Obama-as-Muslim-terrorist inneundo, thus injecting the languid conservative base with a much-needed shot of adrenaline. Act 2: John McCain swoops in and disavows the comments, which causes moderates to swoon over his above-the-fray campaign and "independence."

It's a brilliant racket, and I suspect we'll see it played out with greater intensity and frequency in the coming months should Obama secure the nomination.

Posted by Matt Snyders at March 9, 2008 3:01 PM | Comments (9)

It's 3 a.m., and your lead actress is voting for Obama

Filed under: Hillary Clinton

The first girl in the ad is young Casey Knowles. It's stock footage from 8 years ago when she worked as a TV extra - footage owned now by Getty Images and used by the Clinton campaign.

"It's really sort of ironic that my image would be used to advocate for Hillary when I myself do not," said Casey.

She may only be 17, but Casey has some very strong political opinions. She turns 18 - legal voting age - in April, in plenty of time before the general election.

"It's perfect timing because I have a candidate that I really identify with," she said.

"I've been campaigning for Barack Obama for a few months now," she said. "I was actually a precinct captain at the caucuses a few months ago. I attended his rally a few months ago and I'm a very, very avid supporter."

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at March 8, 2008 1:07 PM | Comments (0)

Hai, dekiru: Obama is big in Japan

Filed under: Barack Obama

A coincidence in name between Barack Obama and a town in western Japan has given the Democratic candidate some unlikely backers. Obama (our Barack) has sent a letter to Toshio Murakami (mayor of their town, also called Obama), thanking people for their support.

And the support has been vigorous:

Some 100 self-styled Obama supporters plan to gather wearing "I love Obama" t-shirts and headbands. The crowd will give a rousing Japanese chant of "Banzai" -- which means "Long live!" -- if Obama clinches the nomination.

During the results, supporters will dine on food named after the senator , such as the "Obama Hamburger" and the "Obama Cutlet Roll".

はい 出来る!
[Hai, dekiru = Yes, we can. In this case, "Yes we can get a cutlet roll named after our candidate.]

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is once again hinting at a Clinton-Obama ticket. Translation: hey, Obama supporters! I like your guy, too. Please don't hate me.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at March 7, 2008 12:27 PM | Comments (0)

Clinton holds beer with left hand, pundits grasp for meaning

Filed under: Hillary Clinton

It's almost pointless to mock Fox News at this point, since most have written off the network as a simple propaganda arm. But their latest gaffe is simultaneously the greatest and most ludicrous example of the "Hillary Clinton is calculating" meme.

Reporters caught video footage of Hillary chatting with the press corps while holding a beer. Innocuous enough, this plastic cup in her left hand. Until you consider ...

... Hillary Clinton is right-handed. [Cue ominous music]

Fox's body language expert Tonya Reiman explained that "it's a little bit awkward to drink with your nondominant hand," and suggested that Hillary "wants to give the appearance of being light and easy." Because nothing says "at ease with oneself" like planning to drink a beer with your awkward off hand.

The implication is that the Clinton team has polled the American voter and determined that Joe Sixpack prefers a southpaw drinker. Personally, I think if the Clinton political machine's attention to minute details is that intense, it's a good thing. If she knows what hand you want to see her drink a beer with, maybe she knows other minor details like the difference between Sunni and Shiite.

I'm not blind to the fact that politicians and contrived photo ops go together like the Bush administration and criminal malfeasance. And sure, Hillary's as strategic a pol as they come. But the scrolling text in this screen grab just comes straight from the dictatorship of dumb:

Is she really relaxed? That is the question that cries out for a response, after all, when evaluating a potential president. She is drinking a beer, but is she really relaxed? Which is it, Mrs. Clinton? Left-handed or right-handed? Or are you some kind of ambidextrous overachiever who is out of touch with the average single-hand consumer? And I'll ask you again, most importantly -- are you relaxed?

Probably not. If you had legions of pricks working their tiny brains 24/7 to find fault with the way you hold a beer, you might be a little tense, too.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at March 5, 2008 10:29 PM | Comments (5)

It's the superdelegates, stupid

Filed under: Primary

ABC News' current delegate estimate has Obama at 1,555.

That means he would need to win 77% of all the remaining pledged delegates to hit the magic number of 2,024 to secure the nomination. That is highly unlikely due to the proportional delegate allocation rules in the Democratic Party.

Clinton would need to win 94% of all the remaining pledged delegates to hit the magic number of 2,024. (ABC News currently has her at 1449.)

So, clearly they both are going to be relying on superdelegates to secure the nomination.

Another possibility is that they have a "do-over" to reinstate the delegates of Michigan and Florida. In which case we're once again putting our faith in the completely bankrupt Florida election system. Michigan is the new New Hampshire.

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at March 5, 2008 9:32 AM | Comments (1)

Bush will endorse McCain tomorrow

Filed under: John McCain

Like the clingy ex-girlfriend who just won't stop showing up at your office, Bush is going to officially endorse John McCain tomorrow. The least popular president in modern history has already been told once by the McCain campaign to keep his support more or less on the down-low. But I suppose it would kind of look silly if the outgoing Republican president didn't give the party's nominee the expected kiss of death imprimatur.

Even Bush's home-state paper the Dallas Morning News says this is befuddling from a strategy perspective. True, Bush remains popular among conservatives, but the true hard core are never going to turn out for McCain anyway, and getting shackled to the heinously unpopular "war president" is just going the alienate the independents to whom a McCain candidacy is designed to appeal.

Bill Clinton used to use the Doobie Brothers' "Takin' It To the Streets" as his anthem. I have a feeling tomorrow's song for McCain is going to be "Don't Stand So Close To Me."

Posted by Jeff Shaw at March 4, 2008 10:54 PM | Comments (0)

Texas for CLINTON

Filed under: Primary

TEXAS
CLINTON 780,494 50%
OBAMA 760,548 48%

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at March 4, 2008 10:05 PM | Comments (0)

What if it's a tie?

Ohio is looking like Clinton country:

Clinton 80,229 60% 0
Obama 51,222 38% 0

Via DailyKos:

Update: CNN calls Rhode Island for Clinton. Her 12-state losing streak has been snapped!

So according to exit polls, Obama won the under-65 vote in all four states.

Texas (Exit polls)

4 percent reporting

Obama 53 -- 548,984
Clinton 46 -- 472,558

Delegates (126 from primary, 67 from caucus, 12 super)

Obama 0
Clinton 0

Rhode Island (Exit polls)

9 percent reporting

Clinton 53
Obama 46

Delegates (21 pledged, 12 super)

Obama 5
Clinton 1

Ohio (Exit polls)

14 percent reporting

Clinton 60
Obama 38

Delegates (141 pledged, 21 super)

Obama 0
Clinton 0

Vermont (Exit polls)

50 percent reporting

Obama 59
Clinton 39

Delegates (15 pledged, 8 super)

Obama 8
Clinton 4

Click through to see what a split decision means ...

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at March 4, 2008 8:36 PM | Comments (1)

Tom Brokaw: 50 Superdelegates ready to support Obama

Filed under: Barack Obama

NBC News superreporter cites a source "very close to the Obama campaign" who says the additional superdelegates are "ready to go public before too long."

Here's the video:

Timing wise, this can't help Hillary.

If Hillary doesn't win big in Ohio and Texas, this could be the dagger that kills her campaign.

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at March 4, 2008 12:42 PM | Comments (0)

Ohio and Texas could decide it today

Filed under: Primary

THIS AFTERNOON
FREEZING RAIN MIXED WITH SLEET. ADDITIONAL ICE ACCUMULATION OF LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF AN INCH. BRISK WINDS. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION NEAR 100 PERCENT.

TONIGHT
FREEZING RAIN BEFORE MIDNIGHT...CHANGING TO SNOW. SNOW ACCUMULATION AROUND AN INCH ALONG WITH A GLAZE OF ICE. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S. BRISK NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH BECOMING NORTHWEST 10 TO 15 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION NEAR 100 PERCENT.

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at March 4, 2008 9:58 AM | Comments (0)

Our first gay VP nominee?

Filed under: Charlie Crist

While Democrats have earned all the headlines this primary campaign for breaking down race and gender barriers, the Republicans might soon be making history as well. Unfortunately for the GOP, it's not the kind of trailblazing that will sit particularly well with the party's base. And no I'm not prophesying an unlikely career revival for Larry Craig or Mark Foley.

The pol in question is Charlie Crist, the popular Florida governor who is often cited as a short list-er to be John McCain's running mate. Redoubtable New Times Broward/Palm Beach scribe Bob Norman has been banging on Crist's closet door since persistent rumors of gay affairs surfaced during his successful 2006 run for governor.

Norman's latest reportage on the topic, "The Talk of the Green Iguana," focuses on Crist's frequent socializing at a popular watering hole in Tampa Bay. Here's a choice snippet:

When I got Rick Calderoni, the bar's well-known owner, on the phone, I expected him to stonewall me about it.

He didn't.

Calderoni, who is gay, confirmed that Crist came into his bar quite often and that the two of them became friends.

Getting to the point, I asked him if he knew Crist to be gay.

"Yes," he answered bluntly. "I just wish he would come out and admit it. That would be a great thing if he did."

I asked Calderoni if he was certain that Crist is gay. He told me that Crist socialized with a gay clique of friends but conceded that he'd never actually seen Crist become intimate with another man.

So how can he be sure Crist is gay?

"The way he acted," Calderoni said.

How did he act?

Calderoni laughed and said, "Very feminine."

Posted by Paul Demko at March 3, 2008 4:59 PM | Comments (3)

Hillary's new "3 a.m. and the children" ad

Filed under: Hillary Clinton

It's 3 a.m. My imaginary kids are safe and asleep. But there is about to be a thermonuclear war, or a plague of locusts, or the Twins are trying to trade Joe Mauer for Miguel Batista or something. Who do I want answering that phone? Do I want the truth? I can't handle the truth!

But ... but what about Clinton's law of politics?

Posted by Jeff Shaw at March 1, 2008 9:38 AM | Comments (3)

« February 2008 | Main | April 2008 »