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Art of the Possible
I am happy today. Maybe you are too?
Today, politics is truly the Art of the Possible. There is a lot more possible today than there was last week.
Via TPM
Nathan Newman notes that Obama's win last night could translate into "realignment of a whole range of voters into the progressive column, not just in November but over time."
Even the Huckabee win was based relatively on some progressive values. Here's a few of them from about.com:
- Immigrants' Rights-- As governor he opposed a proof-of-citizenship voting law, discouraged government raids, and supported an in-state tuition rate for undocumented residents. Although his bold positions on these issues are refreshing, pro-immigration voters should be aware of the fact that he also supports increased border security (and even received the endorsement of Minutemen founder Jim Gilchrist).
- Race and Equal Opportunity-- Huckabee established a statewide racial reconciliation initiative in Arkansas in 1997, and has repeatedly criticized racial disparities in the criminal justice system. It would be accurate to describe him as one of the best Republicans running on civil rights issues, though the 2008 Republican field is relatively weak on race and civil rights.
- War on Terror-- With the exception of Ron Paul, Huckabee is the best Republican candidate on post-9/11 civil liberties issues--condemning torture and ethnic profiling, and calling for the closure of Guantanamo Bay.
Compare Tom Heade's take on Huckabee to that of Nathan Newman on Obama:
Mike Huckabee confuses me. I would never vote for him, but he is the only candidate I've seen consistently support the positions of mainstream evangelical conservatism as I know it--combining socially conservative positions on abortion and gay rights with strikingly progressive positions on immigrants' rights and the criminal justice system. ...
...There is no cynicism and very little flip-flopping to be found with Mike Huckabee; his positions sound less like the pandering of a demagogue than the beliefs we would expect a sincere Southern Baptist leader to have. This doesn't mean that he should be President of the United States--if he gets the nomination, a Democratic endorsement will be a no-brainer--but there is something appealing about the fact that he's a Religious Right candidate who actually belongs to the Religious Right, and not a hatemongering demagogue selling us the usual political snake oil. Huckabee is mainstream politics' best advocate for social conservatism since Ronald Reagan. His opponents, in both parties, underestimate him at their own risk.
Clearly Huckabee shouldn't be underestimated! Huckabee wasn't afraid to repudiate the Republican establishment. He called Bush arrogant and he won. He called the Congress partisan and obstructionist and won.
In Iowa, last night the voters spoke loudly and clearly to both parties--change and a populist and anti-corporation agenda is what the voters want.
There is a real chance for some change here.
The Republicans are in meltdown. Huckabee's willingness to call out the President and the Republican obstructionists result in the leadership who hate Huckabee and will not overtly support his campaign. On the other hand, the Republican base hates McCain who the leadership wants to push forward as the moderate. The Party is devouring itself.
Now, the Democratic Party has a historic moment to highlight change, highlight just what a real Democratic and progressive agenda can do for America.
Obama represents change. He too should not be underestimated. He brings people to the party and he has a committed team bringing new voters and new enthusiasm to the table. Whereas some viewed Hillary's campaign as arrogant and felt she projected an air of entitlement, due to the infrastucture (money)she has within the party leadership and with the lobbyists, Obama has had to build his own infrastructure to battle for every voter possible!
Read this excerpt from a TPM reader and an Iowa caucus-goer and you'll see how Obama is not assuming he will automatically win.
... My own observation (as an Edwards supporter) is that the Obama campaign was extremely-well organized and figured out how to turn out new caucus attendees. (The former Republicans at our caucus generally supported Obama.) Our precinct went from a prior high of just over 300 attendees to 523. From a quick view at the paper this morning, our caucus was not alone.
...relying on a large number of independents, he certainly showed a major draw and tapped into resources that no one has tapped into in Iowa in my political experience (which goes back to about 1978, even though I could not vote that year.) This will be good for our party; one of our new County Central Committee members was the Obama precinct chair and has never been involved in party politics at this level before (I’m not sure she ever caucused before.)
...I don’t think those same Democrats visualize the attack on Obama, if he is the nominee. With the Republican “scare” issue moving from gay marriage to immigration (and with it, the GWOTTM), and the base of the Republican Party what it is, the race against Obama (if he gets the nomination) could be one of the most miserable experiences in modern politics. I picture a racist, xenophobic campaign that will bring out all the worst America can be. The upside is that Senator Obama is up to the challenge and if he is nominated and wins, the mere act of winning could transform our country and the Democratic Party....
So today, the day after the 2008 Iowa Caucus, you might be forgiven for feeling hope. Today, change is in the air. Today, politics is truly the Art of the Possible.
Moments like this come about once in a generation.
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Late night last night chatting about this in the irc. Ok. So I still feel guilty about paying attention to the caucus instead of to impeachment.
But for the first time since 2000, post-selection, I think people really understand the climate in DC and why we need to change its poisonous policies!
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/1/4/8345/36508/84/430109
Karen, maybe you can speak to this, but I've noticed with all the other candidates from perhaps predictably the Republican men to most of the Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, when you see a media shot of them with their respective spouses, the candidate is always strongly in the foreground and the spouse is always slightly out of focus in the background, looking toward the candidate with interest/concern. Same with the children of the candidates, they stand far to the right or left behind the candidate, focused on the candidate.
But in media shots of Barack Obama with his wife (and sometimes children), his wife is always by his side if not slightly in front of him...his kids always in front of him or being held by him...and everyone is looking OUT - towards the crowd in 2 or 3 or 4 different directions and their eyes are usually directed upward, above their eye level and certainly above the eye level of the crowd (compare to the "Hillary stare")...
I have found this fascinating...
From Michael Moore...
"I know that Senator Obama is so much more than simply the color of his skin, but all of us must acknowledge -- and celebrate -- the fact that one of the whitest states in the U.S. just voted for a black man to be our next president," Moore wrote. "Thank you, Iowa, for this historic moment. Thank you for at least letting us believe that we are better than what we often seem to be. And to have so many young people come out and vote -- and vote for Obama -- this is a proud moment. It all began with the record youth turnout in 2004 -- the ONLY age group that Kerry won -- and they came back out tonight en force."
more...
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Moore_Caucus_results_are_repudiation_of_0104.html
Is New Hampshire as white as Iowa is?
They where saying there where 20% independents in the Iowa Caucus, Christy they voted 59% I think Obama, Under 30's and they came out in big numbers, this time, I think was about 89% Obama.
It will be interesting in New Hampshire, they say there will be 40% independents, and if the under 30's come out with those percentages, it will be interesting.
I can't wait for Feb 5th, darn it is giving me the hebe jebies waiting to know who is nominated.
Pat Robertson: God told me who will win ‘08 election.
Each year, Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson “goes off alone with the Lord and then comes back to share with us what the Lord has shown him about the coming year.” This year, according to Robertson, God told him what will happen in the ‘08 election:
On Wednesday, Robertson, 77, implied that God informed him who will be elected president in November.
“He told me some things about the election, but I’m not going to say, because some old man on “60 Minutes” would make fun of me, so I’m not going to tell you who the winner’s going to be,” Robertson said, in apparent reference to CBS humorist Andy Rooney, who turns 89 on Jan. 14.
In 2004, Robertson claimed that the Lord told him it would “be like a blowout” re-election for President Bush. Bush, however, received just 51 percent of the vote that November. In 2006, he incorrectly predicted that “the outcome of the war and the success of the economy will leave the Republicans in charge.”
UPDATE: Robertson also said that this year, God told him China will become a Christian nation: “God’s going to give us China. And China will be the largest Christian nation on the face of the earth. They’re going to come to Jesus.”
more...
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/03/pat-robertson-god-told-me-who-will-win-08-election/
Gee, lemme guess who it's gonna be...
What The Huck
the race against Obama (if he gets the nomination) could be one of the most miserable experiences in modern politics. I picture a racist, xenophobic campaign that will bring out all the worst America can be.
========
I agree with that Sparrow, that is what alarms me, with Obama winning, hopefully he, and the American people can overcome it.
Hey, shouldn't Pat Robertson have had his little alone time chat with the big guy BEFORE he endorsed Guiliani?
Hartman,
Obama 18 delgates.
Edwards 17 delegates.
Clinton 16 delegates.
Speaking of art and what is possible...
Go look what I just posted at the art blog
http://christysartblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/truly-revolutionary-car-that-runs-on.html
Tell Ally her car problems can now be solved!
Freedomlovers will never buy that car, it's made in France.
Steal Belted Tired
I love France.
If not for France...No USA.
Korea is more than enough of a Christian nutjob land in that part of the world already.
I don't need China to add to the problem.
sparrow said
sparrow and kangaroo
I think last night showed something about mainstream America. Guts. I believe that Americans on the whole DO care about minorities. Let's face it, it's only a small percentage of people who are NOT struggling financially right now.
If Obama gets the nomination there will be the *white trash* (of all income levels) come out to spew forth their venom. We saw it here. Just a week before the federal election the husband of Howard's favourite MP distributed a flier that said, a vote for the ALP would see an influx of muslims and terrorist bases springing up in Australia.
Howard condemned it of course. So did the woman MP. So did her husband who got his mates to letterbox this poison in the first place. Well, he and his wife didn't actually condemn it, they apologised for it.
The majority of Americans are fair and decent people. The "white trash venom" will simply bring more voters out to speak up. Americans want to be seen as the tolerant, fair minded people they are - the majority, that is. There is such a rage against George Bush. 2006 democrat voters are outraged by the appalling impotence of both houses to get nothing of real change pass through government. Getting it to the veto table does not count.
nmp said last night that young voters are really impressed by Obama. We are giving that generation the most appalling problems to repair. We have trashed their home. Who are we to say that Obama doesn't have enough experience. Bloody hell, look what the experience has done to your country and ours and the UK. Experience has simply made an absolute quagmire of every little corner of this planet.
I say it's time to give it over to the inexperience of young people. It's the only hope we have. If Obama's inexperience is a flaw - the young people can soon turn that around to be his greatest asset. Hillary is bogged down by baggage. She has the experience she says. She has the money she splashes. She has the contacts she boasts. Well, GWB has all that too. And look where that has taken us.
To hell. To HELL.
Time to hand over to the young and inexperienced to restore our self respect and bring us back from this brink we are teetering on.
We could do worse.
Winners & Losers from Iowa Stuart Rothenberg
Iowa Winners
1. Barack Obama. The easiest pick of the night, Obama's win means that he goes to New Hampshire as a winner. No, the Democratic contest is not over, but if he wins in the Granite State, he'll be hard to stop in South Carolina. And if he sweeps those three, he may never look back.
Entrance polling showed Iowa Democrats responded strongly to Obama's message of change - half of Democrats said that the top quality they were looking for in a candidate was his or her ability to bring about change, and of those respondents, 51 percent voted for Obama. The Illinois Democrat's campaign also clearly benefited from the surge in Democratic turnout and from the participation of Iowans who had never before caucused.
Obama won among caucus-goers who said the war was the top issue, as well as among those who identified the economy or health care as the most important issue. He won "very liberal" and "somewhat liberal" Democratic caucus attendees handily, and nosed out Clinton among self-described moderates. All in all, an impressive performance.
2. Mike Huckabee. In May, Huckabee wasn't even on the radar screen in Iowa. At the end of the day, he was outspent, and he won what is always regarded as an "organizational race" without much of an organization.
snip
But Huckabee did as well as he did on Thursday only because of the make-up of Thursday's Republican caucus-goers. The former Arkansas Governor won the caucuses because he cleaned up among the most conservative and most religious attendees. Six out of ten GOP caucus-goes were evangelicals, and he won them 46 percent to 19 percent over Mitt Romney.
Among the 36 percent of GOP attendees who said that the religious beliefs of the candidates matter "a great deal," Huckabee won 56 percent - five times more than Romney, McCain or Thompson.
snip
3. John McCain. Sure, McCain finished essentially tied for third with Fred Thompson, but Romney's less than sterling showing could dry up some of the former Massachusetts governor's support in New Hampshire, and that could boost McCain's prospects on Tuesday. The only problem for the Arizona Republican: If the Obama bandwagon draws even more Granite State Independents into the Democratic primary, depriving McCain of potential supporters.
snip
Iowa Losers
1. John Edwards. Anyone who listened to Edwards's caucus night speech had to be asking, "What's he smoking?"
After drawing 32 percent in the 2004 caucuses and spending the next four years camped out in the state, Edwards finished essentially tied for second on Thursday. To make matters worse, the other "change" candidate in the contest, Bracak Obama, finished first. And, Obama's optimistic change message trumped Edwards's angry, populist message.
Edwards, who railed against corporate greed, focused on jobs and trade and aimed his message at the "little guy," lost union households to both Clinton and Obama.
Edwards will now have major resource problems, and he isn't likely to do well in New Hampshire. If his comments last night are any indication, he isn't likely to go quietly. But the former North Carolina senator is in serious trouble. He needed to win in Iowa, and he didn't. It's just that simple.
2. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Clinton's problem isn't that Edwards nosed her out for second; it's that caucus attendees preferred change over experience, raising questions about her fundamental appeal. The calendar isn't her friend over the next month, and she'll be peppered with process questions when she'd rather talk about things that voters want to hear.
snip
3. Mitt Romney. How do you go from a prohibitive favorite in the Iowa caucuses to a surprisingly distant runner-up to Mike Huckabee? Ask Romney. He did it.
Romney won with upscale Republicans, more moderate and urban GOP caucus-goers and those for whom the religious beliefs of the candidate didn't matter a lot. But he got swamped by conservative evangelicals who wouldn't vote for a Mormon. He won't have that problem in New Hampshire, but he has a different one there: John McCain.
Romney needs a win in the Granite State or in Michigan to stay in the hunt.
(snip)
My Greatest Work In Progress, MY House,
Wow it is Excellent, notice your Muchas are not in hiding any more, has to be so totally satisfying, for you living with your art all around you, Tell Bubba Down Under, thinks it is fantastic.
To hell. To HELL.
Time to hand over to the young and inexperienced to restore our self respect and bring us back from this brink we are teetering on.
We could do worse.
Hope you are right woz, but I am already hearing it on Air America that if Obama is nominated, the republicans will take the White House again, hope they are wrong, but I have been wondering the same thing.
Imagiane another 4 8 years of a republican White House if you can, because I can't.
Ally...
I just K N E W you would love that China comment from Pat Robbersome!!!!
Everybody Wang Chung Tonite!
kangaroo - if we already agree with Air America's *white trash shite* then there is no hope. Last night was just a tiny glimpse of what the real downtrodden-too-long think of what we've had and experience and all.
I believe in Americans.
Obama is one smart young man. Don't underestimate him.
And V - I also like that Obama, when he appears with his family, he is WITH them. They are not in his background to do his bidding but to be there as his rock of support.
Americans are smart. Don't underestimate them. Look at the Peace rallies there have been. We know about cheating. We know about the lies that are told.
If the country pays attention to Air America there will be no change anyway. So, what's the difference who the candidate is. Air America wants a republican government obviously. I wouldn't have a clue. I've never listened to Air America and after this one little statement have no wish to.
Air America wants a republican government obviously. I wouldn't have a clue. I've never listened to Air America and after this one little statement have no wish to.
You are wrong there woz, totally liberal station, these are discussions with the populus liberal people that are extremely worried and I think after being on site for 8 years, they have plenty to worry about, As Christy says there has been 100 years vote stealing in the South.
I would not be surprised if there was not a lot of worry here on site, about the same thing.
Would not be surprised if as we go along, more people get out to vote for Edwards Hilliary.
That is only my opinion.
A Drunken Night in Iraq, a Soldier Is Left Behind
Donna St. George, reporting for The Washington Post, writes: "The sun had not yet risen in Taji. A young Army soldier lay alone in the dirt. She was alive, but barely. Her ribs had been crushed; her spleen, ruptured. Her right side was marked by the angular tread of a tire. Her case would become one in a litany of noncombat deaths in Iraq, which number more than 700, from crashes, suicides, illnesses and accidents that sometimes reveal messy truths about life in the war zone."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010408H.shtml
Mexican truck plan gets Bush greenlight
White House to give Mex. trucks more highway access despite new law against it.
http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/White_House_OKs_Mexican_truck_progr_01042008.html
I think the racisim that will rear its' ugly head if Obama is the nominee, will certainly be centered here. The deeper south the more likly it will rear up.
I also think when it happens the racists would do better to try slapping a p*ssed off rattlesnake.
BUT... and this is a big BUT... What you must understand about the racisim here is that it is not just a bunch of rednecks who feel entitled, it is an INSTITUTIONAL cancer and it must be pursued and cut out.
Confronting it is not enough, the confrontation will only likly entrench those that will lose EVERYTHING, including a hundred years of family legacy and PROFIT.
But, you will find many allies here. More allies than foes.
I think Katrina very completely showed you that yall CAN NOT write us off nor will it just be ok to ignore it.
If this nation spent as much time trying to SAVE the south as they did trying to ignore it, we would have already risen again.
With my preoccupation of studying racial relations down here, I can not help but be be so excited about Obama.
Somehow he has managed to avoid any REAL discussion about race, which is not surprising, however it will come spilling forth once we are all free to say something without being accused of being 'political'. But his views on it are literally secondary to his mere presence.
With his black skin and white mother, Obama is undeniably in that vast gray area between black and white, and that is EXACTLY where we all need to be in order to discuss it without anyone dying or walking away with hurt feelings.
Just his PRESENCE could accelerate the conversation by 100 years.
I am for Edwards, but just Obama being there somewhere gives me so much hope. The young black kids in my life, they are going through this radical...becoming.
It is beautiful to watch. And now that he has a REAL chance, everything is subject to change.
Swift Boat Klansmen for Truth, eh Christy ?
Monkey,
Don't get me started on the cowards in sheets.
Christy said
Then we had better make sure the world gets a black American President. No confronting. Just do it. For every "impossible" you hear, go out and recruit 3 more supporters.
Mind you - I've just read an Age article - well a few paragraphs of it - couldn't read on. Howard came within 1.5% of being PM again. Except I don't know how they worked that one out. Howard lost his seat! You can't be a PM if you haven't got a seat. The swing against the government on election day was counteracted by pre election and postal votes which went the other way.
I wonder who counted the votes. All the Aussies o/s that I know voted ALP.
So yes, Christy and kangaroo - I heed your warning but I guess I'm *pigheaded* as my uncle would call my stubbornness. When someone tells me I can't do something. I'll go out and do it. I think even my republican sister could vote for Obama. No. Probably not.
The thing that I would worry about Obama becoming president is that he'd be a major candidate for assassination. By a republican redneck.
The best thing you/we can do is let the racisim come out into the full light of day.
MAKE SURE it is revealed. The more that SEE IT, the more will unite against it.
The best disinfectant is sunlight.
Christy said
MAKE SURE it is revealed. The more that SEE IT, the more will unite against it.
The best disinfectant is sunlight.
Exactly! Get it out there the minute it begins. In the sunlight. Hear! Hear!
It was beautiful to watch. And now that he has a REAL chance, everything is subject to change.
Can you imagine it happening with the world watching on, Man just Obama taking the White House would take away so much of the Ugly feelings for America around the world, and knock Osama and the Terrorists on their asses big time.
The thing that I would worry about Obama becoming president is that he'd be a major candidate for assassination.
I was thinking that myself
The best disinfectant is sunlight.
=====
New Orleans, Katrina I am sure helped the process of bringing it from darkness into the sunlight
Iowa Not ready to make nice Georgie
One phrase about rascism and how the South will react.
"Call Me"
Im not sure Katrina is what 'brought it into daylight'. In fact, the bitterness seems to be at an all time high because of it.
What Katrina did was blow in one day and made one hell of a mess, a mess so big it literally became a matter of life and death.
THAT is what the country took notice of. But it was the way our own died there that brought it up. Into the light...umm no. But, it did make it unavoidable.
The REAL problems of the south have yet to be revealed fully at all.
The vote rigging. The racisim that has become policy. Halliburton.
Faye Aline Self.
One day I will tell you the rest of that story. But only when... things change.
I will tell you though that it will NEVER be 'officially solved' until the ELECTION RIGGING is stopped.
When I can tell you the rest, what I just said will make sense.
Trust me, Katrina only helped to make it unavoidable. What the 'it' is depends on how far we are willing to go to stop it.
Well, this doesn't help LA specifically but it does help Ohio in a bandaid sort of way.
Re: Huckabee's position on immigrants
This is what makes him formidable. He understands things about immigration (and its benefit to the Republicans) in ways that the likes of Tancredo never understood.
The Republicans need immigrants in order to push their social conservative agenda.
He will certainly carry Koreatown, Little Saigon, and various Central American communities in SoCal, and have a good chance in Mexican and Chinese communities as well. And he'll give the Democrat a serious run for his/her money.
Christy
Re: the French car on your art blog
Thanks for the thought... though as monkey points out, French cars don't stand a chance in the US.
Remember the trouble-prone Renaults and Peugeots?
On the other stuff, you definitely have a point - if the Democrats and progressives want to win, they must contest everything, not just safe territory. In California, which I increasingly see as a microcosm of the entire nation, the state Democrats have written off anyone who lives in the southern 1/3 of the state (that's 2/3 of the population), anyone who drives a non-hybrid car, and anyone who fishes or hunts. Very stupid on their part.
Kucinich files charges against ABC for excluding Gravel and him from the debates tomorrow
woz
My Republican father is concerned about Obama for that reason. He's supporting Hillary; although Huckabee would otherwise be his cup of tea, he also values foreign policy credentials, where Huckabee is fatally weak. (FYI, he did think W had good foreign policy credentials - or at least knowledge of his South Korean benefactors.)
Well - what a load of nothing.
Bush says economy sound; mum on stimulus plan
By Jeremy Pelofsky
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush said on Friday that the U.S. economy was on solid footing despite a weak employment report, and gave no hint of what his administration may have in store to bolster growth.
"This economy of ours is on a solid foundation, but we can't take economic growth for granted," Bush told reporters after meeting with his so-called Working Group on Financial Markets. "If the foundation is strong, yet indicators are mixed, the worst thing that Congress can do is raise taxes."
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSWBT00815520080104?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
monkey
I am of the belief that primitive fundamentalist Confucianism is very compatible with Pat Robertson-style Christianity. Where Confucianism is strong, Christianity spreads fast.
That's why Korea is Christian and Japan is not. And China also has a strong Confucian tradition, which is being revived now - making it ripe for a Korean-style Christian takeover.
At least the Chinese draw their Jesus and Virgin Mary in their own image (or even use Kwan Yin's image as the Virgin Mary). The Koreans are such sellouts that Korea is the only Christian nation where drawing Jesus and Virgin Mary in one's own image is considered blasphemy (they must look European).
Then, cut the needless war spending, a-hole.
Hey Rossi, I am glad you like the house, sorry it took so long to get pics.
BUT... that you saw of my kitchen was only ONE wall of the kitchen. I put up more pics at the art blog.
Welcome to my kitchen!
This makes me sad...I have checked in on wexler's site a few times today and there's barely any movement--despite the google ads. It's almost as if Iowa brought that to a standstill.
Sparrow I have some slips of paper I am going to be putting on windshields this weekend with Christian.
It only says 'www.wexlerwantshearings.com' and I printed out 9 per page and about 100 pages.
See, it is this kind of stuff where yall could REALLY have a direct impact.
The new 'freedomriders' should be about a roadtrip, quick one or 2 day jaunt into the south, to pass out literature or freewayblog just long enough to make sure it is seen. Then go home again. Let them SEE you, make sure they do and it will catch on.
Bring a spark, start a fire.
I think if word got out in the south about Wexler, not on southern 'blogs' on southern STREETS, there will be a mass run on his site.
People from Louisiana are P*SSED. But, we live in the densest part of the informational filter.
No one here has ever heard about Wexler. Most people here can not even identify VALERIE PLAME. Not by name or face. I know cause I conducted a non scientific experiment after I painted her portrait and realized no one knew who she was.
My mom was the only one who recognized her. It was very disappionting.
Christy,
It's 10 degrees here, with a warmup expected... I'm so tempted to freedom ride down south and help you sneak attack those papers on peoples' windshields.
However...it's my turn to be broke. ;-)
If any of you would ever want to 'freedomride' down this way, you are welcome to stay at my house. (Not recommended for cat allergy sufferers).
The location I am in is close enough to Shreveport but its rural towns like mine we would want to paper.
It does not even matter really what is on the paper, just ANYTHING to get them looking past the filter. Just let them SEE you participate will make them curious.
Foe news has a COMPLETE monopoly here. NO progressive radio at all that I know of.
And our senator is a diapered whoremonger.
Ok. So irc bar and grill is open (at least for me) from 9 (now) until I collapse.
Any joiners?
We need our personal bartender asap!!!
I'm in the chat as well. Sparrow and Karen appear to be AFK for now...
Christy
Would love to help, and would love to visit Louisiana as well, but it looks tough for my schedule...
I am heading for Florida next month, however, and will see if I can do anything in Orlando area. I do know that Florida (especially Orlando-Sanford) needs lots of help.
Christy - I'd be there within 3 days if my bank account would agree. I'm impressed with what you're doing though. Pretend I'm there too. The "imaginary" aussie.
ally - I was in chat but left and now I can't seem to get the java applet to load. Drat
This is what makes him formidable. He understands things about immigration (and its benefit to the Republicans) in ways that the likes of Tancredo never understood.
The Republicans need immigrants in order to push their social conservative agenda.
He will certainly carry Koreatown, Little Saigon, and various Central American communities in SoCal, and have a good chance in Mexican and Chinese communities as well. And he'll give the Democrat a serious run for his/her money.
January 4, 2008 7:04 PM
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Are you in favor of stopping all immigration??
Because some immigrants might be "conservative??
Are you in favor of mass deportation of illegal immigrants?
I find the hysteria over immigration (read MEXICANS) is over blown by the rightwing and has been used to get the white, bigotted base of the Republican party fired up...
No one here has ever heard about Wexler. Most people here can not even identify VALERIE PLAME. Not by name or face. I know cause I conducted a non scientific experiment after I painted her portrait and realized no one knew who she was.
My mom was the only one who recognized her. It was very disappionting.
========
That is so hard for me to understand Christy, that the south and maybe a lot more of the country are so isulated, that they do not know what is going on in their own country.
Top Military Blogger Dies In Iraq; Read His Final Post
Andy Olmsted
by hilzoy
Andrew Olmsted, who also posted here as G'Kar, was killed yesterday in Iraq. Andy gave me a post to publish in the event of his death; the last revisions to it were made in July.
Andy was a wonderful person: decent, honorable, generous, principled, courageous, sweet, and very funny. The world has a horrible hole in it that nothing can fill. I'm glad Andy -- generous as always -- wrote something for me to publish now, since I have no words at all. Beyond: Andy, I will miss you.
My thoughts are with his wife, his parents, and his brother and sister.
What follows is Andy's post: a bit here; the rest below the fold. [UPDATE: I'm adding links to Andy's last post at his Rocky Mountain News blogs, from about a week ago, where friends and family are expressing support in comments; to an article from yesterday that I believe is about his death; and to a post he wrote on his reasons for going to Iraq last June.]
"I am leaving this message for you because it appears I must leave sooner than I intended. I would have preferred to say this in person, but since I cannot, let me say it here."
G'Kar, Babylon 5
"Only the dead have seen the end of war."
Plato*
This is an entry I would have preferred not to have published, but there are limits to what we can control in life, and apparently I have passed one of those limits. And so, like G'Kar, I must say here what I would much prefer to say in person. I want to thank hilzoy for putting it up for me. It's not easy asking anyone to do something for you in the event of your death, and it is a testament to her quality that she didn't hesitate to accept the charge. As with many bloggers, I have a disgustingly large ego, and so I just couldn't bear the thought of not being able to have the last word if the need arose. Perhaps I take that further than most, I don't know. I hope so. It's frightening to think there are many people as neurotic as I am in the world. In any case, since I won't get another chance to say what I think, I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Such as it is.
"When some people die, it's time to be sad. But when other people die, like really evil people, or the Irish, it's time to celebrate."
Jimmy Bender, "Greg the Bunny"
"And maybe now it's your turn
To die kicking some ass."
Freedom Isn't Free, Team America
What I don't want this to be is a chance for me, or anyone else, to be maudlin. I'm dead. That sucks, at least for me and my family and friends. But all the tears in the world aren't going to bring me back, so I would prefer that people remember the good things about me rather than mourning my loss. (If it turns out a specific number of tears will, in fact, bring me back to life, then by all means, break out the onions.) I had a pretty good life, as I noted above. Sure, all things being equal I would have preferred to have more time, but I have no business complaining with all the good fortune I've enjoyed in my life. So if you're up for that, put on a little 80s music (preferably vintage 1980-1984), grab a Coke and have a drink with me. If you have it, throw 'Freedom Isn't Free' from the Team America soundtrack in; if you can't laugh at that song, I think you need to lighten up a little. I'm dead, but if you're reading this, you're not, so take a moment to enjoy that happy fact.
[continued below the fold]
http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2008/01/andy-olmsted.html
Took a test to see which candidates I agreed closest with -
Chris Dodd (who is out)
Dennis Kucinich
Barak Obama/Hillary Clinton (tie)
Joe Biden (who is out)
John Edwards
Bill Richardson
http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460
Christy, Kangaroo
At my work no one mentioned the Iowa caucus. Granted we don't talk about politics hardly at all (good thing) and the two who might were not there. Chances are, no one paid much attention, much more preoccupied with other things. I didn't overhear one word about it in the cafeteria, on the street, at the gas pump or anything.
In Seattle it was different. People were rather jazzed, waiting for New Hampshire, opinionated etc.
It's two different worlds, only 35 minutes door to door.
About immigrants:
We need more of them because there are less people paying in to social security and medicare than there are potential retirees.
If you really want your social security and medicare when you retire, you better want more immigrants not less.
& on top of that, higher payroll taxes and a later retirement age and also means testing so those over a certain income don't take from the public coffer.
Not one candidate mentioned the bad jobs report.
The same is true in Europe.
Where do people think the money is going to come from for their cushy benefits when people are having less kids and there are less workers?
Things my son & I are discussing.
Air America -
I never listen because they yell too much and have commercials. He agrees. We prefer NPR.
TV -
Not since 1991. He watches much less than his peers. Says tv news is "all over the place." Gets news from paper & internet. Likes John Stewart & Colbert, likes Michael Moore.
Racism -
We don't think people in racist areas would vote for Obama anyway and probably not for Clinton either. Obama might as well run. It's time. We have had two black Secretaries of State and two on the Supreme Court (a very good one and a very bad one). They were appointed not elected but it's time.
He thinks his generation has less racists and homophobes than his and that we care less about the environment. He thinks the young social conservatives are in the minority, also that the young can be mobilized to vote more.
We agree Trippi is good on the internet but bad on the ground, and that Obama did well because of mobilizing locals vs out of staters, and Huckabee tapped into the church. Says "That's powerful .. if only we could those people to vote for us."
We also came out almost identical on the candidate thing and both got Clinton/Obama tied because they are close on the spectrum and issues. We score amazingly close on things. He tends to think I'm more conservative and it's not true, but that's a typical parent/child perception.
Correction:
He thinks his generation has less racists and homophobes than mine
Source: BRAD BLOG, E&P
NY TIMES MAGAZINE TO RUN 'MASSIVE, SCARY' COVER STORY ON AMERICA'S E-VOTING DISASTER THIS SUNDAY
Cover Graphic Said To Show Exploding Voting Booth with 'WARNING' Label: 'Your vote may be lost, destroyed, miscounted, wrongly attributed or hacked'
The entire debate over e-voting may well be just about to change. Hopefully for the better. Big time.
Editor & Publisher's editor Greg Mitchell, has tipped off The BRAD BLOG late this afternoon, that the New York Times Magazine is set to run a "massive" cover-story this Sunday, on the entire e-voting disaster titled "The Bugs in the Machines."
Better late than never?
Mitchell describes the story as "quite chilling". Here's the first coupla grafs from his scoop...
Coming between the Iowa and New Hampshire tallies, this Sunday's cover of The New York Times Magazine ought to strike a chord. It shows a man inside an exploding voting booth with a WARNING label over it and the words: "Your vote may be lost, destroyed, miscounted, wrongly attributed or hacked."
The massive Clive Thompson article, titled "The Bugs in the Machines," is quite chilling. "After the 2000 election," it opens, "counties around the country rushed to buy new computerized voting machines. But it turns out that these machines may cause problems worse than hanging chads. Is America ready for another contested election?" One key passage: "The earliest critiques of digital voting booths came from the fringe --- disgruntled citizens and scared-senseless computer geeks --- but the fears have now risen to the highest levels of government."
One expert says that "about 10 percent" of the devices fail in each election.
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5513
NMP
I scored Dennis Kucinich
Score: 91
no one else close, next Hilliary was 77
Video of Sleeping Guards Shakes Nuclear Industry
Sight of Guards Asleep Shakes Industry
By Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 4, 2008; Page A01
Kerry Beal was taken aback when he discovered last March that many of his fellow security guards at the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania were taking regular naps in what they called "the ready room."
When he spoke to supervisors at his company, Wackenhut Corp., they told Beal to be a team player. When he alerted the regional office of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, regulators let the matter drop after the plant's owner, Exelon, said it found no evidence of guards asleep on the job.
So Beal videotaped the sleeping guards. The tape, eventually given to WCBS, a CBS television affiliate in New York City, showed the armed workers snoozing against walls, slumped on tabletops or with eyes closed and heads bobbing.
The fallout of the broadcast is still being felt. Last month, Exelon, the country's largest provider of nuclear power, fired Wackenhut, which had guarded each of its 10 nuclear plants. The NRC is reviewing its own oversight procedures, having failed to heed Beal's warning. And Wackenhut says that the entire nuclear industry needs to rethink security if it hopes to meet the tougher standards the NRC has tried to impose since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...
Ralpheh
You overreacted to my post. :)
Economic necessities do call for reasonable amounts of immigration. But I am for tightening the rules - making sure that (1) they are the people the workforce needs, and that (2) they are not brought in on partisan favors.
I would even support a Dutch-style citizenship test where you must pledge to uphold certain basic values of decency, or you'll never get naturalized. (The Dutch will never naturalize homophobes, for starters.) If you think it's un-American, consider that DHS does already judge your moral character through your criminal records and any connection to the Communists, when you apply to naturalize.
Most people around me agree that illegal immigration is a problem with no easy solution. The economy needs at least some of the illegals (without illegals, gardening will be prohibitively expensive where I am), and as long as there is a large difference between US and Mexican standard of living, people will continue to come.
The type of immigration I will ALWAYS oppose is partisan favors given out to certain demographics above and beyond the American job market's needs, destroying American wages in the process.
American workers/unions need to adjust as well - fortunately, the hotel janitor union in Los Angeles did, leveraging the power of the Latino janitors.
NMP
Not only Seattle and Everett, but it's also true of West Hollywood and Orange County down here. Or San Francisco and Walnut Creek.
Everett's conservatism may have to do with Boeing, even though Everett is primarily a civilian location (the 7*7 airplanes, though some of them also have military applications).
My results... It's Kucinich, but not a perfect match.
Dodd, 66%
Kucinich, 64%
Obama/Edwards/Hillary, 56%
Biden, 49%
Gravel, 46%
Richardson, 46%
Giuliani, 37%
Paul, 25%
Romney, 15%
Huckabee, 12%
McCain, 7%
Thompson/Hunter, 5%
The White House on global warming
NMP, I agree with your son. There ARE less bigots in our generations than in yours.
Unfortunately, there are still too many.
As far as believing racist areas would not vote for Obama, I actually think that is not true.
This is the thing, this is what me and Ally have been talking about. The idea that 'strongholds' can not be infiltrated, nor is there any benefit to it, must stop.
I am going to guesstimate some numbers, just as an example of why the strongholds must be challenged.
Everyone knows about Louisianas racial problem, but I would say a full 80% of our population is not registered to vote. It may actually be more than 80%, but for the sake of argument we will say 80.
That means 20% is in control of the much larger population. Of that 20, lets say 10% follow a pattern of racist behavior. That means a full half of voters who are voting will follow their agenda, but it leaves a full 90% of the population not represented.
In other words, when racists take over a town, it does not automatically mean the entire town must be a bunch of racists. The 10% willing to be racists however will stop at nothing to maintain control, and the 90% will shut up if the atmosphere is so volitile simply making a stand can get you killed.
When you say 'racist areas' will not vote for Obama, I think you probably mean racist PEOPLE will not vote for him, but to write off the entire area is shortsighted because your son is right, there ARE less bigots overall.
The problem is the 10% and how far they are willing to go to maintain power over the other 90%.
To them it is for the best 80% does not register and stays tuned into foe news. They can not afford to get a fair and clean election that is well attended, because then, THEY LOSE.
Not just that, but when they can keep everyone else home, all the sudden their claim to being HALF of the voting population makes them appear larger as a group than they actually are. If HALF of all registered voters follow a racist agenda, then that must mean the racist agenda is therefore 'majority rule'. But 10% is only 10%.
The problem to me is this 10%. I am from here and I have no qualms about saying these people are CRAZY and will do ANYTHING to make sure they maintain power. For generations they have gotten away with it and in their minds rigging elections is as practical as eating breakfast.
But what about the other 90%? How are we suppossed to rally them against it if the 10% controls all of their votes and all of their information?
The only way to do so is mount a wave of contact between those 90% and the outside world that can not be controlled by them.
The only way to take a 'stronghold' is to ram the gates and run up into it until the bitch folds.
Until we storm the strongholds, nothing will change.
There is only one thing I think will pose a serious problem to actually storming the stronghold, and that is the ones in power here who call themselves 'democrats'.
The problem is that the 'elite dems' here are in lockstep with the republicans. In Louisiana, the democrats CAN NOT be trusted any more than republicans can.
Not the average every day on the street people, I mean the ones in power. The entire power structure in place now is COMPLETELY about maintaining the status quo, NOT to effect ANY change.
As I said the racial and voting problems we see here is a DIRECT result of those in power doing everything they can to uphold family legacy and profit. We were a slave state and you must understand family fortunes are on the line. We have more oil than Alaska, and our railroads are the major hub of commerce for the entire nation.
The democrats here are not elected or allowed to be elected for the cause of change and progress, in fact, they are put in place to do just the opposite.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Very powerful people here will make sure of it. Dem and republican are equally untrustworthy.
When storming the stronghold, do NOT trust anyone INSIDE the stronghold.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/5/95241/02848
and on the main page here at DCP
Thanks for any attention.
With great thanks to Woz, you now have a fantastic new thread!!!!