pandering to pastor rick

Let the pandering begin. Last night the official pandering for votes began in earnest at Pastor Rick's Megachurch just down the road in the one of the wealthiest sections of American - a suburban enclave just outside of Mission Viejo known as Lake Forrest. They wanted to have a minority in the audience, but then Obama was there, so they figured they'd met the racial diversity of their congregation.

You probably weren't there, being one of the heathens who watched the Michael Phelps Olympics® on NBC. I'm sure this church does good work. With 20,000 members, they are a force, but do we really need our Presidential candidates trying to convince the world why Jesus will be in the White House? Aren't these the same folks who decry the religious clerics who rule other nations?

Audubon Society has a membership in the millions. As does the Nature Conservancy and the Sierra Club. Can we expect the candidates to sit down with the leader of one of these environmental groups and be interviewed for 45 minutes about how they stand on global climate disruption? Not going to happen.

The candidates went to California and bowed down in deference to a tv preacher because California is the electoral college prize and because, as John McCain, said, the failure of his first marriage, was his greatest moral failure. His second greatest failure apparently being a puppet to the war-mongering, religious fanatics who are currently in charge of the nation. Obama went because he's afraid to continue to be portrayed as not-Christian-enough. And I thought he was a Muslim.

Photo: Monica Almeida, The NY Times

let's play the race card

No more old geezer white guys in the white house who are afraid of being progressive. No more white males who have to warmonger to prove their manhood. No more honkys who think being American revolves around drinking water-downed beer, listening to bad country music that lacks heart, soul, and honesty, or who think it's more presidential to watch sports on tv than read history, literature, or a graphic novel. No more white dudes who's idea of a graphic novel is 4500 body bags hidden from the eyes of America. No more pasty idiots who try to convince you that being a patriot revolves around wearing a lapel pin and praying to their god but can't see the injustice that lurks on most American street corners, in many classrooms across this country, and in the boardrooms full of corporate malfeasance.

That pretty much leaves out the Republicans in this year's elections. You are now free to vote for the candidate of your choosing.

mccain's ineligibility

Turns out that not only did spending 5 years in a N. Vietnamese prison not qualify McGruff the Crime Dog to be President, he's not qualified under the U.S. Constitution because he's not as he needs to be, "natural-born citizen." We call this a lose lose lose situation.

McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936 to U.S. citizens. The law that allowed children of American parents born in the canal zone to be U.S. citizens was written passed one year after McCain's birth and citizenship retroactively. Sure it's a technicality, but the Constitution says "natural born."

Republicans, who like laws, except when they don't, have chosen once again to ignore the Constitution and it's Amendments, in this case the 14th. I'm not saying the law makes any sense but aren't these the same folks who are always trotting out the law and waving it around at folks.

my faith-based initiative

Dudes! and Dudettes! I know you can't do anything unless you're elected but do we really have to become a Republican in order to be elected President of this great country? Obama's ringing endorsement of increasing the role of faith-based initiatives of the Bush Administration is making me wonder if Joe Lieberman isn't on his short list of VP candidates. That, and his support of the FISA bill are making me contemplate voting for Frank Moore.

One wonders if Obama considers the fine work that the Trinity United Methodist Church has done (and continues to do) to be one of these bright, shining examples of the private sector helping the poor. Wasn't empowerment the body politic of Rev. Wright's ministry?

What these safe, middle-of-the-road stances really tells me is that Obama is courting several camps that the Republicans have either held, or made strong in-roads into during recent elections. Conservation Christians, blacks, and Hispanics. Given John McCain's shifting stance on abortion and electric fences along our Southern border, the conservatives are leery of him. If Obama can move enough of these votes over to the Dem side, then he can likely off-set the small, but still vocal minority of racists who won't vote for him under any circumstance.

And General Westmoreland is correct. Being a prisoner-of-war, although sad and worthy of our prayers, does not qualify one to be President. Find anoher excuse if you must to vote for McGruff the Crime Dog. If being a POW did matter, then Nit Nomney could turn himself over to Al Queda and be successful in 2012. Unlikely on both counts.


Elsewhere:
the just make sense party

cloaked in patriotism

Barack Obama was in Independence, Missouri today saying you don't have to wear a flag-lapel pin to be a patriot and then he wears one anyway! When's a politician in this country going to have the guts to tell people they're friggin' stupid with the 'git her done' mentality?

If we're going to require candidates to wear a lapel pin, then shouldn't we also require them to have a Precious Moments "America You're Beautiful" figurine on the dash? on their desk? in their shower?

obamaites respond to charlie black

In response to the recent comments by Charlie Black, senior campaign advisor to Senator John McCain,whereby he suggested that McCain would benefit from another 9/11-like terrorist attack, several Obama supporters responded, "Oh yeah? Well the Obama campaign would benefit if John McCain were to be captured by Al Queda and held for another 6 years as a prisoner-of-war!"

B'Tselem: shooting back with images

Video from the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories project called "Shooting Back." They supply video cameras to people that live in the occupied territories in order to document human-rights abuses that frequently occur against Palestinians by the occupied forces.

For the record they are against all forms of indiscriminate violence, including that by Palestinian reactionaries. Watch this video about children living in a cave (there are even more disturbing ones at the B'Tselem web site) and think it about as you listen to the Presidential candidates begin to court the Jewish vote for the upcoming election. We need a sane policy toward the Middle East, and that would be have to different that one we've been operating under for the last 8 years. To assume that the Israelis can do no wrong is to assume that neither can the Palestinians. We know this isn't true.

B'Tselem in Hebrew literally means "in the image of," and is also used as a synonym for human dignity. The word is taken from Genesis 1:27 "And God created humans in his image. In the image of God did He create him." It is in this spirit that the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "All human beings are born equal in dignity and rights."

[OK, forget the sexist language, it was a different time.]

Elsewhere:
b'tselem

time for a new stump speech

Dude. Finally. The Democrats get something done. 18 months of campaigning for the nomination and now there's another 6 months to go. When will we learn to shorten the process?

Now we have to listen to John McGruff the Crime Dog for the next 6 months try to tell us why we should fear the world. All we can say, is that if McGruff gets elected, he might want to fear his press secretary.

The difference in this campaign can be the images that shape our view of the candidates. It's hard to imagine the Republicans fostering any sort of visionary approach to image making. It's hard to imagine the Republican making progress. But that's what America wants. Progress.

I just listened to Hillary Clinton's so-called concession speech and all I can say is, "Groannnnn!"

Image: Obama poster by Shepard Fairey

opening at a theater near you

The summer blockbuster season has descended. What will it be? Reluctant superhero?Romantic comedy? Cops and robbers?

Iron Man, which some have described as a young John McCain with a couple of good arms and a jet pack (sense of humor still intact), didn't quite do the early numbers that had been expected. Who knows, late-summer DVD sales may yet rescue this aging superhero who in reality is lot more like Indiana Jones in a rocking chair. He just can't do the stunts any more so any kind of superhero analogy with McGruff the Crime Dog is always going to be a stretch. McGruff's more like Walter Matthua near the end - all grousing and boyhood hi-jinks but little panache and policy.

Wacky romantic comedies, the ones where the two main characters don't really like each and spend most of the first 3 reels sniping and undermining each other, sometimes play big at the summer drive-ins, but it's unlikely that Clinton-Obama will turn Hepburn-Tracy in the near future.

This just might be the summer of the reluctant anti-hero, the underestimated homeless person who turns out to be Chauncey Gardener, or even the Dark Knight with a quiet posse of determined followers. The big picture where the main character, despite his flaws and hem-haws, ultimately decides to pick up the mantle and run headlong toward 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with everyone chasing him down the street and throwing junk in his way.

Salt the popcorn and pass the Dots. I'm ready for the show.

border wars

Obama's win in the largely educated state of Oregon coupled with his recent thumpings in the less-than-average-educated Appalachian states indicates that the November election will likely return to those elections of yore. Do you want this race to be about ideas or about emotions? As effective as the Clinton campaign has been of late in pulling at the heart strings of the ignorant, they have nothing on the Republican machine of world domination. The Republican mantra will begin to sound like thrashings from the bully pulpit of a hell-fire-and-brimstone country preacher in short order. Essentially it will come down to "what do you want to do? Think for yourself. Or watch American Idol." If only we could text message our vote for the Presidency.

And if you think dumb doesn't matter in the debate, then think again. Barack Obama was wearing a flag lapel pin last night during his speech in Iowa. What does that have to do with anything other than pandering to the lowest common demoninator?

nancy reagan endorses mcgruff the crime dog

Vowing to endorse the old guard before time runs out for the both of them, Nancy Reagan issued an endorsement of McGruff the Crime Dog for President.

















Americans are expected to respond appropriately.

vote early, then vote again

That's the strategy in Texas. Early voting before the primary, mobilize voters during the day of the primary, then as soon as the polls close, do what has been dubbed the Texas two-step, show up for the caucuses, where you can vote again.

The Texas Democratic Party, which has some of the most convoluted delegate appropriation procedures since Nevada awards two-thirds of its delegates by popular vote (but there's a catch!) and the remaining one-third by caucus. The catch is the popular vote delegates are awarded based upon how Democratically precints voted in the last 2 Texas elections. Dub-the-Shrub carried the state in 2004 and Republican Rick Perry was elected Governor in 2006.

Therefore some areas of the state which historically have been Democratic will be awarded fewer delegates tomorrow because they voted Republican of late. Austin, Dallas, and Houston voted overwhelmingly Democratic in '04 and '06, so they'll get a disproportionate share of delegates come Tuesday. This could help Obama because he's expected to do well in these areas. He's not expected to do so well in outlying, largely Hispanic border counties.

It sounds confusing because it is. The only map which even came close to showing how the state would divide its delegates was this geologic map of the state, and yes, it clearly shows it to be a confusing mess. A few high ranking Texas Democratic Party officials know how the process works and when they determine a winner, I'm sure they'll let us know.

I think a knockout blow by Obama is unlikely tomorrow. This is HRC's one good chance to be Prez. and Bill's chance to be Vice-Prez. No one's done that before, and they may be the most ambitious couple in America.

mccain to greens

"My friends, you're barking up the wrong tree."

bloomberg to greens

In an editorial in today's NYTimes Mayor Mike Bloomberg states that he would support an Obama/Nader ticket for the Presidency. Or something like that.

bloomberg to greens

cleaning up

Caucus, 2008, m.o.i., found objects and glue, dimensions vary slightly, ~2 x 3 inches, multiple of 36 (the number of delegates allocated in the Feb. 9th, 2008 Kansas Republican caucuses).

From the series: Things to do with Ron Paul signs left by the side of the road.

m.o.i.: belief change

the big O, a bird dog, and some love

Now the Mike Huckabee has found that the key to Conservative Christians is an endorsement from Walker, Texas Ranger, and Barack has discovered that the secret to capturing the attention of the suburban security mom is to bring on the big O, we thought it about time other candidates got on board the Celebrity Endorsement Train.

Here's a few of Warrior Ant Press recommendations for how other candidates can bring much needed attention to their campaigns with a well-placed celebrity endorsement.

Quaid can demonstrate that he and Edwards still have the hair and a cool attitude.

Tancredo needs to stop being goofy. Together he and his bounty hunter can bird dog the 3,000 mile fence.

Opposites attract?Jenna Elfman, Scientologist and the Mitt the Mormon*. A clash of 2 CULTures?

Fred Thompson's campaign needs a little Love-Hewitt.

Golden boy Paul and material girl Madonna can really deliver a line.

*Editor's note: Some Mormon sects allow multiple flags.

huckabee to headline halftime show

Everything that is hard to obtain is easily assailed by the mob - Ptolemy.

The primary system is much like the Bowl Championship Series, largely serving a demographic - white, rural, and wealthy - that continues to exert a greater extent on the politics of the country than they rightfully deserve. So on January 3rd, when Iowans shuffle home from their precinct meetings, after having caucused on the future of about 1 percent of the delegates to the national conventions, the country will have suffered through nearly 30 bowl games, more bowl games than presidential debates. Regardless, within a few days of the New Year, no one will be the wiser as who will occupy the highest office in the land or who holds title to No. 1. Most won't care.

elseswhere:

iowa straw poll results

huckabee to headline orange bowl halftime show