Don’t Dump on the Dome

I know you ain’t hating on the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome today:

It’s the frickin home opener, doods! Unlike the Yanks, who have to cancel, the Twinkies will yield to no man, team, or weather system.

Indoor Baseball: 1

Outdoor Baseball: 0

Boo-yah.

Klobuchar Makes Good!

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota endorsed Barack Obama this morning.  We here at ishum would like to claim this as an institutional victory.  See our post from February 8th, excerpted below:

Dear Senator Klobuchar,

The super delegate system that our party is using to nominate a presidential candidate seems to me to be arcane, archaic, and anti-democratic. That your personal voice carries more weight in this matter than that of every other Minnesotan betrays the principle of our democratic process.

You were elected to the Senate because we as Minnesotans trust your judgment on the many affairs of state that as normal citizens, we cannot reasonably keep abreast of.

But on the issue of the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, you do not have to substitute your judgment for the judgment of Minnesotans. You have direct knowledge of how the people you represent feel.

I would ask that you would respect Minnesota’s choice for president. On February 5th, the people of Minnesota voted overwhelmingly for your colleague in the Senate, Barack Obama. Please endorse him at the national convention and please announce that you will do so.

Respectfully,

ishum

As the kids might say, w00t!

Some of this guy’s posters make Obama look like a South American dictator – but I really like this one:

A telling difference

Hillary wants you to submit.

Obama wants you to learn more.

the clintomaton appropriates you(tube)

Let me just say, she wishes.

The depth of the problem

As an Obama supporter, I’ve come to fit various facts about the world into what I think is a pretty coherent whole.

If you asked me who I think should “drop out of the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination” I wouldn’t have to hesitate – obviously, Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race.

I like to believe that I’d say that, not because I’m an Obama supporter (which I am – did I mention that?) but because I’m a Democrat and I can count.  Hillary trails bigtime and we (the Democrats) are hemorrhaging votes and momentum. I mean, who can’t see that?  The staunchest Hillary supporters, don’t they see the same facts I do?  Can they really believe, in good faith, that Hillary should continue?

Turns out that opposition to my worldview and the things I think are screamingly obvious is more entrenched than I had previously thought.

According to Rassmussen, 22 percent of Democrats agree with me: Hillary should drop out.

But the scary bit?  the bit that is just incomprehensible idiotic, childish I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I stupidity?

Another 22 percent of Democrats believe that Barack Obama should drop out of the race!

Why?  Why should he?  What possible reason could you give for thinking that Barack Obama should drop out of the race?  22 percent of voters may WANT him to drop out, but really?  He SHOULD?

Who the hell are these people?  I don’t understand.

And then maybe what’s just as bad, 62% of democrats – that’s nearly two thirds – think that neither candidate should drop out.  what?  what what what?  two-thirds of our party think we haven’t had enough time to evaluate the candidates?  That we haven’t given each a fair shake?  That this contest should continue on and on?

It’s not that I want to disenfranchise the voters in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Oregon, and all the rest that are left to vote – I don’t.  And the plain fact is that they haven’t been disenfranchised.  The fact that they WILL vote, that they have delegates to send to the convention, means they aren’t disenfranchised.

Here’s what’s important: these last 8 states or whatever may speak last, but they don’t have the final word.

The states that have already done – their say still stands.  And unless we actively disregard the results of those contests, Barack Obama has won the nomination.

This isn’t recourse to “the math,” this is recourse to the god damn results of the primaries and caucuses thus far.

A Brutal Month for Democrats

This March has been the most brutal month of the campaign season.For Barack Obama supporters, there have been other brutal months. Like November of last year, when Hillary Clinton’s nomination seemed so sure that most observers put Obama’s chances at somewhere around one in five.

And for Hillary Clinton supporters, there have been other brutal months as well – Republicans piling on late last year to out do each other’s frothing-at-the-mouth hatred of the former first lady. Not to mention February of 2008, which saw 11 straight primary wins in a row for Barack Obama, 12 if you count Vermont, which was called early on March 4th, the day of the Texas and Ohio primaries.

But this March has been worse. Obviously, Rev. Wright was the biggest problem that Barack Obama faced. The poisonous ways in which Religion and Race have entered this campaign are just terrible. Wright’s and Obama’s detractors have whipped themselves up into such a self-righteous furor – tearing their hair out at how awful that black man who hates America is.

And there was been Geraldine Ferraro, whom none of us remembered until recently.

And Hillary’s a Liar because she never got sniped at. And Barack Obama hates the voters of Michigan and Florida. And Bill Richardson killed Jesus. And Bill Clinton is Joe McCarthy. And Rezko’s a slumlord sleaze ball, and Spitzer’s no longer a superdelegate, and Patterson maybe is (but he cheats on his wife) And won’t anybody release their tax returns?

The two people who benefit most from all this? Wolf Blitzer and John McCain.

And what is truly sickening from this democratic primary is that neither candidate can pretend that they are campaigning in good faith for votes anymore, be they in Pennsylvania or in North Carolina. The campaign is now a race for the superdelegate vote.

Is it any wonder, that despite the supposed importance of the Pennsylvania primary, we haven’t heard a peep out of the state itself? During the ramp up to Ohio and Texas it was all NAFTA and Jobs and Border Security and Immigration all the time. But what are Pennsylvania’s needs? Who will pander to them?

No one will, because they aren’t the audience anymore. How could they be – if the voters were really what mattered, Barack Obama would be our nominee. Period. It’s really non-controversial. He leads in all measures of support except two.

He has won the most states.
He has the most pledged delegates
He has the most delegates overall
He leads in the popular vote (even counting Florida and Michigan.)

The two “measures” by which he is not leading are:
Superdelegate endorsements: He’s trailing 209 to 243 – though of the last 50 or so to declare, he’s gotten the lion’s share. (a big lion’s.) Basically, the rest of the superdelegates are waiting and they are seeing.

And lastly, here’s a funny one: if you counted by electoral college votes, as they would be awarded in the presidential election in November, Hillary would lead Barack Obama, mostly due to “winner take all” and “California and New York”.

These last two measures are obviously bogus – Obama is the front-runner, and it is not nearly as close as “The Situation Room” would have you believe.

Hillary Clinton faces almost insurmountable odds, and they are known to everyone. And yet she continues. She is hanging her hopes on the superdelegates giving her the election, and why? Because Obama is unelectable, that’s why. And why is he unelectable? Because she made him that way.

The “Tanya Harding” option indeed.

I ask myself, could I get mad enough at this situation – could my frustration at Hillary Clinton really grow to such gargantuan proportions that I could do something about this? Could I, personally, be mad enough at this arrogance, this sense of entitlement, this cynical and treacherous behavior that I could stop her?

And when I think about this next thing, my blood just about boils over.

If Barack Obama, right now, were in the same situation as Hillary Clinton, do you think for a minute that the Democratic Party would allow it? Would he be able to hear himself think over the chorus of superdelegates rallying behind Hillary?

Of course not. Obama isn’t owed the presidency, Hillary Clinton is. We’ve all been pulling for her since she ran for senator of New York, obviously positioning herself for a presidential run. Hillary Clinton!!! Hillary Clinton! Remember how good it was when Bill was in the Oval? Think about how bad bush is – that’s how GOOD Clinton was. And Hillary, boy has she worked, has she suffered, doesn’t she deserve it? And aren’t we progressive? We’re going to elect the first woman.

This was the thinking for so long, that the democratic party, even those people in it who support Obama, can hardly believe – geez, you mean Hillary really won’t be president one day? Really?

We all need to take a deep breath and accept it. And here’s to April.

Check out Cass Sunstein’s Trib. Op-Ed

“The Obama I know” makes me really jealous of Cass Sunstein, actually, jealous of anyone who can credibly claim to know Obama.

Here’s the most interesting passage:

The University of Chicago Law School is by far the most conservative of the great American law schools. It helped to provide the academic foundations for many positions of the Reagan administration.

But at the University of Chicago, Obama is liked and admired by both Republicans and Democrats. Some local Reagan enthusiasts are Obama supporters. Why? It doesn’t hurt that he’s a great guy, with a personal touch and a lot of warmth. It certainly helps that he is exceptionally able.

But niceness and ability are only part of the story. Obama has a genuinely independent mind, he’s a terrific listener and he goes wherever reason takes him.

Sunstein goes on to provide example after example of Obama doing some real, good-faith consideration of the “other side” of the issue.

This essay would be good reading for the conservatives out there whose opposition to Obama is less likely to be because he’s a democrat, or a “dove” or black, but because they disagree with him on things like privacy, tax law, and health care.  Obama is not an ideologue nor is he a demagogue, despite the vast throngs he attracts.  He’s an intellectual, mostly, and he’ll listen to you even if he disagrees.

If I ever got to hang out with Obama in private, I’d want to know what he really thinks about religion.  Does he really honestly believe that Christ died for his sins?  Does he believe in heaven/hell?  Does he really believe in a god that takes an active role in human affairs?  Does he think that prayer “works”, in so far as god “hears” them, and then does something different, or that he wouldn’t have otherwise done?

Like, I can dig being a part of a church when you’re a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago.  The church might be the only institution whatsoever that still has any reach at all in the harder-up areas.  So sure, I don’t hold that against him.

I just want Obama to assure me that he doesn’t willingly subscribe to bullshit.

and I know that there really is a “religious test” for the highest office in the country: you’ve got to have one.  And I understand why.  I also think that we’ve probably had secular leaders, like Bill Clinton, who played along because that’s what you do.  I just hope that someday, that won’t be the case anymore.

So, Obama, if you want to, you can comment on my blog and let me know.  You don’t even have to use your real name.  Please? (and hey, nobody else pretend to be Obama using a fake name to post on my blog, because, c’mon, how’m I supposed to tell the difference, Ok?  Honor system.  (but really, if you want to, senator, you can just say that whoever DID comment wasn’t you, that way, no one will ever know.))

is keith too sincere?

First of all, I think he’s right.  I was having difficulty putting my finger on exactly how Geraldine’s comments were racist, but Olbermann nails it – saying that barack obama is “very lucky to be who he is” is like saying that he’s where he is because of some sort of affirmative action. or presidential nominee quota.  And that’s what’s so sad, because Barack Obama is the genuine article, and I think that that is clear to most everyone, even people who aren’t supporting him for president.

But Olbermann – I just don’t buy him as Edward R Murrow.  Maybe because he frickin does commentary on football and other stupid shit.  he’s too slick, too 21st century to be pulling this postwar-rectitude-and-outrage schtick.  Lay off the shakespeare, man.

I feel as though he’s just a little too aware of his acting, his delivery, his tone (his frickin camera changes!!!).  Murrow was as studied as you can get, and Olbermann’s plenty studied too.  I just think that Murrow’s control over every aspect of his delivery served him better than Olbermann’s does him.  Murrow was also better at it.

But still, big ups, as they say, to the ole K-O for giving it straight to Hillary “suicide-pact” Clinton.

It’s time for a new kind of Politics: Bring on the Snark

This is like, totally, politics 2.0.

Check out this awesome Hillary memo as annotated by the Obama communications dept:

From: Bill Burton
Sent: Wed 3/12/2008 6:36 PM
To: Bill Burton
Subject: FW: The Clinton Memo… as annotated by the Obama communicationsdepartment

To: Interested Parties

From: Clinton Campaign

Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Re: Keystone Test: Obama Losing Ground [Get ready for a good one.]

The path to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue goes through Pennsylvania so if Barack Obama can’t win there, how will he win the general election?

[Answer: I suppose by holding obviously Democratic states like California and New York, and beating McCain in swing states like Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia and Wisconsin where Clinton lost to Obama by mostly crushing margins. But good question.]

After setbacks in Ohio and Texas, Barack Obama needs to demonstrate that he can win the state of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is the last state with more than 15 electoral votes on the primary calendar and Barack Obama has lost six of the seven other largest states so far – every state except his home state of Illinois.

[If you define "setback" as netting enough delegates out of our 20-plus-point wins in Mississippi and Wyoming to completely erase any delegate advantage the Clinton campaign earned out of March 4th, then yeah, we feel pretty setback.]

Pennsylvania is of particular importance, along with Ohio, Florida and Michigan, because it is dominated by the swing voters who are critical to a Democratic victory in November. No Democrat has won the presidency without winning Pennsylvania since 1948. And no candidate has won the Democratic nomination without winning Pennsylvania since 1972.

[What the Clinton campaign secretly means: PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT WE'VE LOST 14 OF THE LAST 17 CONTESTS AND SAID THAT MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA WOULDN'T COUNT FOR ANYTHING. Also, we're still trying to wrap our minds around the amazing coincidence that the only "important" states in the nominating process are the ones that Clinton won.]

But the Obama campaign has just announced that it is turning its attention away from Pennsylvania.

[Huh?]

This is not a strategy that can beat John McCain in November.

[I don't think Clinton's strategy of losing in state after state after promising more of the same politics is working all that well either.]

In the last two weeks, Barack Obama has lost ground among men, women, Democrats, independents and Republicans – all of which point to a candidacy past its prime.

["A candidacy past its prime." These guys kill me.]

For example, just a few weeks ago, Barack Obama won 68% of men in Virginia, 67% in Wisconsin and 62% in Maryland. He won 60% of Virginia women and 55% of Maryland women. He won 62% of independents in Maryland, 64% in Wisconsin and 69% in Virginia. Obama won 59% of Democrats in Maryland, 53% in Wisconsin and 62% in Virginia. And among Republicans, Obama won 72% in both Virginia and Wisconsin.

But now Obama’s support has dropped among all these groups.

[That's true, if you don't count all the winning we've been up to. As it turns out, it's difficult to maintain 40-point demographic advantages, even over Clinton]

In Mississippi, he won only 25% of Republicans and barely half of independents. In Ohio, he won only 48% of men, 41% of women and 42% of Democrats. In Texas, he won only 49% of independents and 46% of Democrats. And in Rhode Island, Obama won just 33% of women and 37% of Democrats.

[I'm sympathetic to their attempt to parse crushing defeats. And I'm sure Rush Limbaugh's full-throated endorsement of Clinton didn't make any difference. Right]

Why are so many voters turning away from Barack Obama in state after state?

[You mean besides the fact that we're ahead in votes, states won and delegates?]

In the last few weeks, questions have arisen about Obama’s readiness to be president. In Virginia, 56% of Democratic primary voters said Obama was most qualified to be commander-in-chief. That number fell to 37% in Ohio, 35% in Rhode Island and 39% in Texas.

[Only the Clinton campaign could cherry pick states like this. But in contrast to their logic, in the most recent contest of Mississippi, voters said that Obama was more qualified to be commander in chief than Clinton by a margin of 55-42.]

So the late deciders – those making up their minds in the last days before the election – have been shifting to Hillary Clinton. Among those who made their decision in the last three days, Obama won 55% in Virginia and 53% in Wisconsin, but only 43% in Mississippi, 40% in Ohio, 39% in Texas and 37% in Rhode Island.

[If only there were enough late deciders for the Clinton campaign to actually be ahead, they would really be on to something.]

If Barack Obama cannot reverse his downward spiral with a big win in Pennsylvania, he cannot possibly be competitive against John McCain in November.

[If they are defining downward spiral as a series of events in which the Clinton campaign has lost more votes, lost more contests and lost more delegates to us - I guess we will have to suffer this horribly painful slide all the way to the nomination and then on to the White House.]

[Thanks for the laughs guys. This was great.]