It could all fall apart, but the Trump-Ryan meeting fallout (and a lot of happy talk from both sides) today makes me nervous that the GOP-TEA PARTY is coalescing, while the Dems are embroiled in factionalism, mud-slinging, pointless churning, and back-biting.
The Dems, people seem to believe, were handed a gift horse candidate by the GOP-TP, and now they (we) are on the verge of blowing it by not capitalizing on our position. This needs to happen right here, right now...not 33 days from now when primary voting is over, and not on July 29th after the convention.
It's a very strange year where much of the conventional wisdom and laws of gravity have been swept out the door. We need to act accordingly.
This morning, ex-Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee pulled the plug on his long, long, long-shot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. On the Democratic side, his candidacy was possibly the most puzzling one of all.
Chaffee sited Hillary's "good week" as one reason he is pulling out. One of the reasons Chafee decided to drop out now: Hillary Clinton had "a good week," in which Ex-Sen. Jim Webb dropped out, Vice President Joe Biden declined to run, and she successfully underwent hours of testimony on Capitol Hill, and in the end mostly came out smelling like a rose, while the committee looked like petty buffoons. Updated Demo scorecard:
By Pablo Fanque, Congressional Affairs Correspondent
Dennis Kucinich, about to be gerrymandered out of a job, is considering carpetbagging in Washington State. Representative Kucinich's 10th District seat in Ohio may well be eliminated next year as Ohio loses two seats in the House due to population declines. Washington State will add a congressional seat next year.
In the fine carpetbagging tradition of Bobby Kennedy and Hillary Clinton, Kucinich is pondering relocating (at least legally, if not physically) to Western Washington. Jay Inslee's seat may be vacant if he decides to run for governor. Maybe Jim McDermott will throw in the towel. He is always returned to Washington by huge majorities. . .even if he is a back-bencher, because our district is unrepentantly Democratic.
The Seattle Times pointed out an interesting Washington-Kucinich connection. The Congressman says he saw a UFO south of Seattle, when he was staying at Shirley McLaine's house.
Kucinich's press secretary, Nathan White, claims that Kucinich has been urged by people in 20 states to move to their district and run for office. Right. White went on to say "As he has repeatedly said, he fully intends to remain in Congress; he just doesn't know in what district he will run."
Do you think the attack ads we've seen this political season are the nastiest ever? They're not even close. Check out the mud Thomas Jefferson and John Adams flung at each other in 1800...
You won't be hearing much from John Edwards anymore. He is now the next gen's Gary Hart, a guy who threw away national office by "stepping out" on his wife. He could have been Attorney General or VP. He could have even mounted a challenge to Obama.
To make matters worse, he has lied about the paternity for years now, even when it was certain to come out. Good riddance, John. I can't believe I ever thought you were the guy. When did you finally break down and tell Elizabeth?
I too was moved when I read that "Maggie's Farm" was BarackObama's favorite Bob Dylan song. Wow. Of all the songs he could have picked. . .here is a post from the Deadhead section on Barack's website:
I Ain't Gonna Work on Maggie's Farm No More By Jonathan Juillerat - Sep 19th, 2008 at 1:07 am EDT Also listed in: Deadheads For Obama
One of the watershed moments for me over the last few months was when I was reading the Rolling Stone interview with Obama, and they asked him if he had any favorite Bob Dylan songs. My jaw hit the floor when he said “Maggie’s Farm” and claimed “it speaks to me”. I mean, there are about fifty safe answers to that question, and that isn’t one of them. At that moment I realized that this guy actually has the guts to face down whatever is in front of us as a country. Since then, for inspiration, I’ve listened to that song every time I get complacent or think that I can’t make a difference. And damn it…I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more.
If you have the song, I recommend a listen to get you fired up for the next several weeks. If you don't have it, just give the lyrics a good read for some and inspiration.
Maggie's Farm
by Bob Dylan
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. Well, I wake in the morning, Fold my hands and pray for rain. I got a head full of ideas That are drivin' me insane. It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor. I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more. No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more. Well, he hands you a nickel, He hands you a dime, He asks you with a grin If you're havin' a good time, Then he fines you every time you slam the door. I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more. No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more. Well, he puts his cigar Out in your face just for kicks. His bedroom window It is made out of bricks. The National Guard stands around his door. Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more. No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more. Well, she talks to all the servants About man and God and law. Everybody says She's the brains behind pa. She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four. I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. Well, I try my best To be just like I am, But everybody wants you To be just like them. They say sing while you slave and I just get bored. I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. ---o0o---
"Sen. McCain bragged about how as chairman of the Commerce Committee in the Senate, he had oversight of every part of the economy. Well, all I can say to Sen. McCain is, 'Nice job. Nice job,'" said Barack Obama to a rally at a baseball stadium in Las Vegas.
"Where is he getting these lines? The lobbyists running his campaign?"
According to an Associated Press story today, "Worried Democrats want Barack Obama to get tougher, show more passion. Why is he so calm, supporters ask, so close to an election that looks so tight.
"Just keep steady," Obama tells the nervous Nellies. "I'm skinny but I'm tough. I'm from Chicago."
"Obama hears the concern, from senior Democrats and big-money contributors, from columnists and supporters along the rope lines at campaign events. He heard it again as he stood in an hour-long receiving line in Hollywood to pose for pictures with donors who paid $28,500 to be with him Tuesday night."The full story can be found here. ---o0o---
I was thinking about folklore, aliens, or posting some poetry today. Instead, I wrote down all the childhood rhymes I could remember...and it turned out to be about 15 or so! It felt pretty good ignoring politics. I was feeling sluggish about politics in general, even though I've been a convention junkie since 1968. And then I listened to, and watched, Michelle Obama's speech tonight. Content: 100%; Tone: 100%; Inspiration: 100%. Was her speech the pivot of the entire Obama campaign? I don't know, but it felt like it was. And I wonder how he tops this magnificent oratory. Whoever wrote this speech, Barack, it's probably time to give them a serious bump. I came into this as a Michelle Obama doubter. I've watched her and read about her. Tonight she absolutely and forever convinced me she is the real deal. ---o0o---
Despite what the Republicans may tell you about Smilin' Joe, this is a great pick by Obama, and it has to have them running scared. I can't tell you how happy I am that he is running, albeit just a little sad that he isn't at the top of the ticket. Joe is extremely bright, funny, articulate (yeah, and a little long-winded), has been great on the Judiciary Committee as well as the Foreign Relations committee, and is skilled politically, while still being able to get things accomplished. Joe Biden is a brawler in the best sense of the word. He knows how to play hardball. He brings depth, experience, knowledge, and humor to the ticket, and it will be a pleasure to see him debate, and act as the designated attack dog. Run Joe Run!
The Republicans will remind you that he plagiarized a couple of lines from Neil Kinnock speeches in the 80's. Yeah, he did. Once. The other times he used the lines in speeches, he attributed Kinnock. He didn't once, and it cost him his run for the Presidency. (You don't believe me?...here is the Wikipedia note on it: Then in September 1987, the campaign ran into serious trouble when he was accused of plagiarizing a speech by Neil Kinnock, then-leader of the BritishLabour Party.[26] Though Biden had correctly credited the original author in all speeches but one, the one where he failed to make mention of the originator was caught on video; the New York Times reported "Senator Biden began his remarks by saying the ideas had come to him spontaneously on the way to the debate."]
Most people don't know it--but they will soon--that Joe is not the Washington insider you might have heard. Well, he is and he isn't. He has commuted to D.C. an hour a half each way since 1973! He was elected at the age of 29 and became the fifth youngest Senator ever. He was elected in November, but before he even took office, his wife and daughter were killed, and his two sons were seriously injured (but later recovered) in a car accident.
He was talked out of resigning office, and ended up taking the oath of office at his sons' bedsides in the hospital. And to stay close to his family in their own home, he began his lifelong habit of commuting. I suspect he will move to the Naval Observatory (the traditional VP residence) once they air the place out and get rid of the Cheney vampire stench.Finally, I think you'll find that Joe Biden only owns one house.
They didn't quite keep the the news of Obama's VP selection bottled up until the very end. The story had to spread beyond the tight inner cir4cle of the campaign, and by late Friday night, the story was being confirmed by various parties and news sources. Therefore, we got the text message at 1:56 AM...
From: Barack Obama [mailto:info@barackobama.com] Sent: Sat 8/23/2008 1:56 AM To: Jack Brummet Subject: The Next Vice President
jack --
I have some important news that I want to make official.
I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.
Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.
I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.
Please let Joe know that you're glad he's part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we'll make sure he gets it:
http://my.barackobama.com/welcomejoe
Thanks for your support,
Barack
P.S. -- Make sure to turn on your TV at 2:00 p.m. Central Time to join us or watch online at http://www.BarackObama.com.
As All This Is That revealed early this week, in an article by our National Affairs Editor Pablo Fanque, Barack Obama has selected his fellow senator, Smilin' Joe Biden as his running mate.
The Associated Press broke the story Friday evening. The selection of Biden will be public unveiled tomorrow morning as Biden joins Obama at a rally in Illinois. Those of us who signed up with the Obama campaign will receive a text message announcing his choice early tomorrow morning. [ed's note: we received the text message from the Obama campaign this morning at 1:56 AM Pacific Time...just after the story was being confirmed by MSNBC and other news services. ]
All This Is That was right. Hats off to Pablo Fanque for his always excellent reporting!
The Associated Press story that ran Friday night said:
"Barack Obama selected Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware late Friday night to be his vice presidential running mate, according to a Democratic official, balancing his ticket with an older congressional veteran well-versed in foreign policy and defense issues." "Biden, 65, has twice sought the White House, and is a Catholic with blue-collar roots, a generally liberal voting record and a reputation as a long-winded orator."
"Across more than 30 years in the Senate, he has served at various times not only as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee but also as head of the Judiciary Committee, with its jurisdiction over anti-crime legislation, Supreme Court nominees and Constitutional issues. " "In selecting Biden, Obama passed over several other potential running mates, none more prominent than former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, his tenacious rival in dozens of primaries and caucuses. "
"The official who spoke did so on condition of anonymity, preferring not to pre-empt a text-message announcement the Obama campaign promised for Saturday morning. " ---o0o---
By Pablo Fanque, All This Is That National Affairs Editor
Ralph "Dingbat" Nader called Politico.com today to tell them he didn't think Barack Obama would select Senators Joe Biden, Evan Bayh, or Virginia Governor Tim Kaine as his running mate. The political mastermind--who these days is perhaps best known as the spoiler in the 2000 election who allowed George Bush to become President--offered his bizarre theory that Hillary Clinton has the VP slot in the bag.
"I don’t think he’s that dumb,” said Nader, commenting on public "short list" of Obama’s choices.
Nader phoned Politico Tuesday afternoon to prediction a surprise choice of Clinton is what Obama has had in mind all along. But what about their apparent distrust and distaste for each other after the bruising primary battled? “He just has to swallow hard and do what JFK did” when he chose rival LBJ as his running mate in 1960.
The liberal "activist" and maverick (renegade, rogue?) presidential candidate has spoken. Was my article about Joe Biden yesterday wrong? No way. . .and if you believe anything that comes out of his piehole, well then friendo, I have some land in Florida I'd like to sell you. ---o0o---
