Recent Comments by LeadingZero subscribe to this feed

Bill Maher - New Rules (Feb.19.2010)

LeadingZero says...

Maher didn't say that 95% of Americans got tax cuts.
Note that he said specifically, "For 95% of working families, taxes have gone down."
Obama also used the "working families" qualifier in his January 27th State of the Union speech, when he said, "We cut taxes. We cut taxes for 95 percent of working families."

So while a bit of a rhetorical sleight of hand, apparently it is more or less a correct statement.

www.politifact.com/truth-o-
meter/statements/2010/jan/28/barack-obama/tax-cut-95-percent-stimulus-made-it-so
>> ^MaxWilder:
I don't want to come down on the side of the tea baggers... IMHO, they are brainwashed racists, and they deserve no respect. But on the other hand, I can find no information describing how 95% of Americans got tax cuts. If anybody has a link for that please let me know.

Sam Harris: Relevance Of The Bible In The 21st Century

The Beatles - Please Mr. Postman

Do you believe in a God? (User Poll by gwiz665)

Craig T. Nelson "I'm going to quit paying my taxes!"

GOP to America: Read My Lips, No New Ideas

LeadingZero says...

Dag, you are right in the case of the wingnuts of course. Really, the link I provided was not intended to persuade QM, rather presented for others.

Disinformation should be countered. Some people, not necessarily wingnuts, will believe specious claims simply because they heard them repeated somewhere.

GOP to America: Read My Lips, No New Ideas

Obama on Investigating Bush Crimes: "Need to Look Forward"

LeadingZero says...

If U.S. voters truly wanted an administration that would seek to vigorously investigate members of the Bush administration for their roles in authorizing torture, then they should have paid more attention and supported Rep. Dennis Kucinich during the Democratic primaries and in his efforts to impeach Bush and Cheney. But let's face it, the reality is that's not the electorate that exists.

As much as it frustrates me personally that the Bush administration is not (and likely will not be) held accountable for its misdeeds, I feel that Obama is simply being pragmatic.

Dennis Hopper On The View - I Voted For Obama

LeadingZero says...

I am unaware of, and cannot locate, any reference to Thomas Jefferson having stated anything specifically regarding changing political parties every twenty years. However, there is the following Jefferson quote that I suspect Hopper may be referring to:

"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion.
The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is
wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts
they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions,
it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ...
And what country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not
warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of
resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as
to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost
in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from
time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
It is its natural manure."


--Thomas Jefferson to William S. Smith, 1787.

TPM: Speechless

LeadingZero says...

As an Obama supporter, I'm encouraged by how overwhelmingly well received Sen. Obama's June 3rd speech has been when contrasted to Sen. McCain's speech.

However, I'm weary about some of the over-confidence I've been hearing. Sure, Obama is hands down the better speaker, indeed he is leading marginally in current national polls, and yes we've seen many new voters registering, but presidential elections are all about one magic number...That number is 270, the minimum number of electoral votes needed to win on November 4th. Sen. McCain has a distinct advantage when we look at current individual state poll numbers and voting patterns from the 2000 and 2004 in the key battleground states.

For all of the hopeful discussion about putting new states into play, presently we're still looking at a similar set of red vs. blue states. While there's still time for things to change, the states of FL, OH, and PA are all well within McCain's 'win' column. The path to the White House effectively requires at least two of those three states given the realities of the red/blue divide. Further, some polls are suggesting that 12% of Democrats intend to crossover to vote for McCain. That's more than the 8% that voted for Bush in 2004.

Personally, I think that making fun of McCain's age at every turn might well be perceived as arrogant and mean-spirited to millions of older voters who we do actually need in November. (My grandfather is older than McCain and is supporting Obama, but he's rightfully indignant about the rude and hurtful comments of younger Obama supporters who are so blatantly ageist.) McCain's lack of positive vision for our country, poor character, inconsistencies in his legislative career, his support for key aspects of the failed Bush administration's policies, his associations with lobbyists, so on, would make him a bad choice for president of the United States at any age.

Olbermann: Clinton campaign ending?

Olbermann: Clinton campaign ending?

LeadingZero says...

^The addition of half delegates typically occur because Democrats Abroad (an organization of the Democratic Party representing the seven million or so US citizens living abroad) have nine non-voting representatives, where each count as half delegates rather than full delegates at the convention.

Hillary Clinton RFK Assassination Comment.

Obama faces racism in West Virginia

LeadingZero says...

>> drattus:
It's certainly not my personal preference for a Clinton vice presidency.

My point about consensus is more this; for those of us who are supporting Obama, painting the bulk of a voting population of a given state in a negative light, (even states that can be expected to be solidly McCain's in November) isn't in our best interest. While we might safely prognosticate that West Virginia is a lost cause for the Democrats in November, alienating voters there who might become Obama supporters after the convention is foolish. We want every vote we can get. People have families and friends. Those relationships do cross state lines.

You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Ridiculing and shaming people who disagree with our preference of candidate isn't a good strategy for winning.

As the Obama campaign's general election strategy has begun taking shape, we've seen that the impressive 'National Voter Registration & Mobilization Drive' operation, 'Vote for Change', is operating in all 50 states, not just those states that are widely anticipated to be blue states and battleground states come November.

I understand being angry and disgusted at the ignorance and racism displayed in this video that exists in WV and elsewhere. It upsets me as well. It's just my silly little hope that more people will look at the bigger picture. But then I'm a dreamer.

Obama faces racism in West Virginia

LeadingZero says...

It is far too easy to generalize and stereotype. Certainly a handful of edited interviews from any given region can be used to paint a caricatured impression. There are intelligent, progressive, well informed thinkers in West Virginia. I've met them. I know some voted for Hillary for reasons that had nothing to do with race, as much as that fact might frustrate the Sen. Obama supporters like myself.

That said, it's worth considering more quantifiable information like exit poll data and primary voting results rather than anecdotal evidence about West Virginia. No doubt many of you have seen the widely reported numbers that 2 in 10 white West Virginia voters said that race was an important factor in their vote, and more than 8 in 10 of them backed Sen. Clinton according to exit polls. (1) It's also significant that 7% of the total vote went to John Edwards who dropped out of the race back in January.

Yes, volunteers campaigning for Obama in West Virginia did experience racially motivated animosity, as they have in some other states. (2)

What's important to me is that Obama's prospects still look good for November. For those us who are supporting Obama's campaign, I feel it's wise to try to build consensus rather than fostering division.

References:
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/us/politics/14dems.html
Clinton Beats Obama Handily in West Virginia
2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051203014.html
Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause



Send this Article to a Friend



Separate multiple emails with a comma (,); limit 5 recipients






Your email has been sent successfully!

Manage this Video in Your Playlists

Beggar's Canyon