Um. he seems like a sweet fella'

While I hope Obama wins as the president, one thing for me is clear.

The Democratic party is a total failure of leadership.

Getting both Florida and Michigan back was a stupid, stupid mistake. They broke the rules, Obama wasn't on the ticket, only Clinton was. There was no campaigning, and still for no fucking reason the votes were halved and spread among the candidates.

The Clinton campaign very easily changed the media dialog and pushed this through, no one stated the very clear facts.

MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA DO NOT COUNT

Why is there such a failure of back bone and leadership in the Democratic party? Every fucking year they play by the rules of the Republican party dialog, always responding to or playing to the Republican tune.

Hillary's inability to finally concede a loss and pledge support behind Obama shows an immense failure of character, and willingness to step aside and help bring change that is so badly needed after 8 years of Bush.

When I first read the title I thought it was about some sort of new sewing product where we could embroider hope into our very clothing.

I suppose I'll have to console myself with the fact Hillary has finally lost.

I read on the internet that he's a secret muslim, whose Pastor is a reverse racist who wants to enslave white people, ally with Iran, ban the pledge of allegience, unpatriotically eschew wearing the required flag lapel-pin, and raise my taxes.

I heard from his fellow Democratic senator Hillary Clinton that he's an elitist, who doesn't understand the concerns of working Americans, hard working Americans, white Americans, that he's a misogynist who's heckled Geraldine Ferraro for telling it like it is (that he's only winning because he's black!) He disenfranchised the people of Michigan and Florida by not agreeing to let Hillary have all the delegates from both states.

Some Abe Simpson impersonator told me that somehow, people are being fooled by this proponent of failed policies of the past, when a 71 year-old white guy is clearly embracing policies of the future, like winning in Iraq, and giving everyone a well-deserved capital gains tax cut, while dismantling silly government programs like the EPA, FDA, and the quaint Bill of Rights.

You can keep your Tiger Woods, I want Ron Paul! Down with the CFR!

*smack*

Actually, I think he's going to usher in a sweeping change in public opinion, the way Ronald Reagan did. The country will realize that from the conservative point of view, Bush was the most successful conservative yet at implementing conservative ideology, and the crushing failures of the country are a direct result of those policies (and the ones Clinton acquiesced to in the 90's, like NAFTA, telecomm deregulation, and a huge capital gains tax cut).

Obama can draw in vast new segments of people disillusioned with the Bush years, and speak to them about liberal values and policies in a persuasive way I've never seen someone do before.

I think he'll be able to build a coalition of support to actually start addressing the problems our country faces with the economy, foreign policy, health care, infrastructure, and the environment.

Most of his past work has been in the realm of ethics reform, and governmental transparency. He's talked about forcing the health care companies to negotiate with him while in front of C-SPAN TV cameras -- something like that would be truly remarkable.

He won't be afraid to be painted as a "liberal" (as if that's a bad thing), or to fight for what he believes in because he knows that he's on the right side of the issues, and can explain why...

I think it'll be an amazing thing to see.

I actually developed a weird respect for Clinton's tenacity. She did some horrible and dishonest things, but no one can say the first female candidate for the presidential nomination didn't do everything in her power to win. I also think the sparring made Obama stronger and kept the Dems in the limelight. I hope she brings some of that fight to McCain.

Bill on the other hand was such a fucking buffoon over the last few months. I hope he finds a way to redeem himself.

>> ^Farhad2000:
Getting both Florida and Michigan back was a stupid, stupid mistake. They broke the rules, Obama wasn't on the ticket, only Clinton was. There was no campaigning, and still for no fucking reason the votes were halved and spread among the candidates.
The Clinton campaign very easily changed the media dialog and pushed this through, no one stated the very clear facts.

I think the RBC outcome was about as amicable as could've been expected. If it weren't for Clinton throwing every ounce of her weight into this, the DNC would've stood by their earlier decision to strip all delegates.

As it was, the states still paid a price, and the results didn't significantly change the outcome of the race, while still playing nice to the state parties of two states the Democrats really want to compete in.

The fight was more a struggle between the DLC democrats, and the Dean/Obama Democrats, and the latter group won, without making things ugly.

>> ^Farhad2000:
Why is there such a failure of back bone and leadership in the Democratic party? Every fucking year they play by the rules of the Republican party dialog, always responding to or playing to the Republican tune.

I agree this is a problem. They're getting better, and Obama's done a better job of this than Gore or Kerry.

I think the main issue is with the media though. We now have Air America, Olbermann, and the blogs out there fighting the media dominance of the Republican party, but it won't be fixed until somehow we find a way to bring back a mostly objective media that investigates, and reports facts, without always filtering things through a political lens.

>> ^Farhad2000:
Hillary's inability to finally concede a loss and pledge support behind Obama shows an immense failure of character, and willingness to step aside and help bring change that is so badly needed after 8 years of Bush.

I totally agree. I had mild dislike for her before this contest, now she's just like a liberal version of Bush. She might ram universal healthcare through on a signing statement, and use the same veto/fillibuster BS to force a carbon cap, but making things like that happen that way won't work any more than Bush's policies did.

To quote kos's slogan, what we need are "More Democrats, better Democrats." It's gonna take a while to get a Democratic party to have a majority of vertebrates, but there's been a lot of progress in just the last couple years.

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
I actually developed a weird respect for Clinton's tenacity. She did some horrible and dishonest things, but no one can say the first female candidate for the presidential nomination didn't do everything in her power to win. I also think the sparring made Obama stronger and kept the Dems in the limelight. I hope she brings some of that fight to McCain.

I disagree, I think she set a bad example for all women by using underhand tactics and basically becoming at the end of the day a cry baby.

Using her husband as a mouth piece to bash Obama and saying she has experience off his presidency is not really a positive role model for feminists.

^ Agreed, I don't respect her tenacity. That's like respecting Bush for his tenacity in maintaining the Iraq war at all costs.

Had the tenacity been used for, say, beating up on McCain, I might respect it.

Instead it was a full-court press to drive a wedge into the democratic party to engineer exactly the kind of contentious split we have now, just so she might have a chance of winning against Obama.

That kind of blind ambition kinda undercuts anything you say about your values.

An interesting diary on dkos: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/31/21235/4816/438/526370

In response to being asked about the (then) hypothetical of Hillary not conceding:

"He's not going to wait by the phone like a high-school girl waiting for a date," said Dunn. "That's not Barack Obama."

"After Tuesday," Dunn added, referring to the final contests of South Dakota and Montana, Clinton "can decide how united she wants this party to be."

I think that's the right strategy, and the right line to play if she persists with this.

I'm ready to forgive Hillary.

This is something of a terrible social dynamic that exists in the US.

Doesn't matter if you lie, bullshit, obfuscate, deny, subvert anything as long as you WIN.

This applied to Hillary and this applied to Bush. Does America hate losers so much?

^I wouldn't have been OK with her winning under the conditions with which she ran her campaign. My admiration does not extend to her tropes and tactics, just her determined energy.

It's OK to recognize and/or admire strong traits in our opposition. It doesn't mean we support the opposition, just that we recognize their craft.

I'd love nothing more than to see Hillary reinvent herself after the hubbub dies down, jump on the hope train, kick the idiot men who ran her campaign to the curb and rediscover the bleeding-heart, feminist, radical liberal of her youth.

I agree but unfortunately that will never happen, she really represents the old guard of the political process in Washington. I would rather have newer faces.

<pimp> you can watch his full speech here </pimp>

We watched all 3 speeches, and there was just no comparison between McCain's and Obama's. McCain came off lame, weak, with forced smiles. And the crowd looked small and unenthusiastic. Can't wait to see a debate.

Obama - Purple People Leader (tm).

>> ^NetRunner:
I read on the internet that he's a secret muslim, whose Pastor is a reverse racist who wants to enslave white people, ally with Iran, ban the pledge of allegience, unpatriotically eschew wearing the required flag lapel-pin, and raise my taxes.
I heard from his fellow Democratic senator Hillary Clinton that he's an elitist, who doesn't understand the concerns of working Americans, hard working Americans, white Americans, that he's a misogynist who's heckled Geraldine Ferraro for telling it like it is (that he's only winning because he's black!) He disenfranchised the people of Michigan and Florida by not agreeing to let Hillary have all the delegates from both states.
Some Abe Simpson impersonator told me that somehow, people are being fooled by this proponent of failed policies of the past, when a 71 year-old white guy is clearly embracing policies of the future, like winning in Iraq, and giving everyone a well-deserved capital gains tax cut, while dismantling silly government programs like the EPA, FDA, and the quaint Bill of Rights.
You can keep your Tiger Woods, I want Ron Paul! Down with the CFR!
smack
Actually, I think he's going to usher in a sweeping change in public opinion, the way Ronald Reagan did. The country will realize that from the conservative point of view, Bush was the most successful conservative yet at implementing conservative ideology, and the crushing failures of the country are a direct result of those policies (and the ones Clinton acquiesced to in the 90's, like NAFTA, telecomm deregulation, and a huge capital gains tax cut).
Obama can draw in vast new segments of people disillusioned with the Bush years, and speak to them about liberal values and policies in a persuasive way I've never seen someone do before.
I think he'll be able to build a coalition of support to actually start addressing the problems our country faces with the economy, foreign policy, health care, infrastructure, and the environment.
Most of his past work has been in the realm of ethics reform, and governmental transparency. He's talked about forcing the health care companies to negotiate with him while in front of C-SPAN TV cameras -- something like that would be truly remarkable.
He won't be afraid to be painted as a "liberal" (as if that's a bad thing), or to fight for what he believes in because he knows that he's on the right side of the issues, and can explain why...
I think it'll be an amazing thing to see.



I had so many sarcastic responses lined up for this tripe, my brain overloaded, and I had visions of Hillary as Vice President.

I do still want Ron Paul as president, but that's not gonna happen, so Obama is best second choice. (actually third, after Mike Gravel)

He's not Bush

You think it can't get worse?

"I think it'll be an amazing thing to see....etc"-y'see NetRunner, that's the problem with thinking-others have been busy about the work of doing it for you for so long...well, had some tripe-platter w/a side of brain overload as well, but BillO summed it the fuck up...

MINK, sage response, and my god, these Obamamonkeys have not a clue, eh???

"he's not bush"....the energetic ramblings of Sir Loonyhoser, whose ass is tattooed with every fence he has ever straddled...Stick to pointing the mouse and clicking dude, leave editorials to the ineffectual criminals in the field of *cough journalism *cough cough....

>> ^MINK:
You think it can't get worse?


It certainly can. We could always get more of the same from McCain.