Hillary Clinton Endorses Mccain

Is Hillary Clinton so desperate and vindictive that she would back a republican over a possible democratic nominee? Why would any superdelegate support a candidate that would say this and poison the well? Who is she to call herself experienced?

Maybe this is a sign of desperation. Juan Navarro from Political Schmalitical found a Reuters article that cites a Zogby poll favorable to Obama. Zogby says that Obama has a slight lead in both Ohio and Texas although the leads are just under the margin of error of 4 percentage points. Obama leads 47 to 44 in Texas, and leads 47 to 45 in Ohio. Lets be real here, Zogby has been wrong before, so temper yourself. Rasmussen has Obama at 48% and Clinton at 47% in Texas. Rasmussen has Clinton at 50% and Obama at 44% in Ohio.

The Vermont Polls have Obama ahead of Clinton. Polls figure that Obama can win with anywhere 53% to 60% of the vote. Polls in Rhode Island has Hillary winning, but the undecideds are high from 7-36%. The latest Brown University poll has Clinton at 42% and Obama at 37%, but the undecideds are at 22%.


In The Pink Texas compares both Clinton's and Obama's rallies. It brings up something that I have brought up before that you can get an idea of what kind of President a candidate is by how he or she runs their campaign. Hillary's rally was terribly planned, whereas Obama's rally was very organized.

He’s right — and they usually do run their administrations like they run their campaigns. Obama’s organized. This event went off without a hitch. His campaign anticipated how many people would be attending. They got an appropriate room. They controlled demand by use of stand-by tickets. They used technology to help them anticipate logistics. He has the money to do something like this, because he has broad buy-in from donors. They thought of the practical needs of the attendees — expensive bad pizza and bottled water — and they let people take care of themselves. Hillary’s campaign did none of this. At her rally, there were no tickets, no clear lines, no water for folks who needed it, but hadn’t yet passed out. It was a mess, only kept in control at one point by the threat of blunt force by HPD. Hillary wasn’t ready. Obama was.

Release Us From This Dangerous Embrace

For anyone contemplating voting for Mccain, they should know that a vote for Mccain means more of Bush's failed policies.

The photo of Bush and Mccain hugging will be a constant reminder of his decision to tie his political fortunes with perhaps the worst president in memory with a 17% approval rating. They will try to distance themselves from Bush, but this picture will stand in the way.

Mccain used to have the reputation of being more moderate. In 2000, Mccain called out extremists like Farrakan and those on the religious right. He used to fight against torture, be for campaign reform, and used to be a maverick for moderation. Something snapped and he has embraced everything the Bush and the religious right wants him to.

If you like how the last seven years have gone, then voting for Mccain guarantees a continuation of the same old Bush policies.

“I’d be honored to have President George Bush’s support, his endorsement,” McCain responded. “And I’d be honored to be anywhere with him under any circumstances.” He added, “I am proud of this president’s strategy in Iraq.”

It is not just Iraq, but a dedication to appoint far right Supreme Court Justices, overturn privacy laws that protect the individual and the government via Roe v. Wade and Greenwald v. Connecticut.

Mccain would continue the unsustainable tax cuts for the very rich, who refuse to come to our country's aid during times of war, global warming, crumbling infrastructure, lack of affordable health care, and a declining economy. Instead recipients of these huge tax breaks are supporting American jobs being shipped overseas. These very rich who are sucking wealth from what was the working and middle class, who are the engines of productivity in this country and Mccain isn't serving those interests. If you are part of the working and middle class, he is not on your side just like Bush.

It is these tax cuts that have run up our National Debt and made us vulnerable in the world because we depend on the Chinese to keep us going, and it only serves to lessen our respect in the world. How will we be able to keep our nation compatible if we allow our roads and infrastructure business depends to crumble for lack of funds? How can we invest in green technology to deal with global warming if we keep giving tax breaks to the very rich who do not care about investing in America and Americans. They do not care about global warming because they have enough wealth accumulated to not let the effects of global warming harm them.

These tax cuts will keep us from paying down the National Debt that effects the Dollar and the average American's purchasing power. I know that the republicans will always refer to repealing these tax cuts as tax increases, but it is really IRRESPONSIBLE FISCAL POLICY. It is reckless to accumulate obligations like the repayment of the Debt and war in Iraq and Afghanistan that are hemorrhaging funds from the public coffer and reduce the means of balancing the budget especially when it means asking the richest Americans to act like real Americans.

Long ago, republicans used to be the vanguard of fiscal responsibility. They lost that mantle when the religious right and the neo-conservatives took over the republican party. These forces pushed out moderates and fiscal conservatives. They pushed out the Eisenhower republicans who believed that investment in infrastructure was a prudent investment for business and national security. Republicans like Bush and Mccain have abandoned the what made republicans a necessary foil to make American governance work. Oddly enough for the past 25 years Democrats have become the guardians of fiscal responsibility fighting reckless spending without the necessary income to sustain that spending. The first balanced budget was under the leadership of a democrat.

Mccain thinks that NAFTA is just great and leads presidential candidates in taking contributions from Subprime Lenders.

While I myself support reasonable gun regulation, those who are against gun regulation and 2nd Amendment rights probably wouldn't like Mccain.

For all the huffing and puffing over the whole FISA fight, allowing the legislation to run out isn't going to endanger America. Without FISA there are plenty of mechanisms where law enforcement and intelligence agencies can obtain the means to track terrorists. What is really at stake about the whole FISA thing is that it is unreasonable to expect Congress to give retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies without knowing what they would be giving immunity to. It is important that our representatives provide oversight to make sure they are not abusing the powers congress grants. Telecommunications companies have access to the communications of every American citizen and abuse of that access can ruin innocent citizen not just catch criminals. John Mccain doesn't believe in proper Congressional oversight in areas that can be abused against American citizens. Obama voted against granting retroactive immunity without knowing what that immunity would involve, and Clinton has expressed having the same concerns.

The Bush administration's past handling of wiretapping has even bothered ex-attorney general Ashcroft, so it is not unreasonable for Congress to demand to be given proper oversight. Mccain wants to protect Bush, and If you think that is right then vote for Mccain.

Mccain backing Bush in so many ways doesn't demonstrate good judgement needed. It does nothing to improve our image in the world to have another cowboy in the US presidency. Remember his song, "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran"?

Who Wears the Empty Suit?

I don't know why I do this, but I have been finding myself arguing with Clinton supporters over at the Huffington Post. The way I see it everyone has the right to campaign for their particular candidate and debate who would be a better president. The Clinton supporters do not debate they just repeat the same old mantras over and over.

They like calling him an "empty suit" without defining what that means to them and backing up what makes him an empty suit compared to Hillary. Of course it is also the mantra of the right (see graphic I found on the right), but whether it is from the right or the left, they are wrong. They have nothing to back up the claim of an empty suit.

Obama supporters start talking about Obama's experience in working for a civil rights firm working on the behalf of communities to get the state of Illinois to implement Federal Law to help the poor to vote. While working at this firm that is known for working to protect family planning clinics from violence, Obama worked on defending a whistleblower who was exposing corruption and waste. He also taught constitutional law, so he clearly understands the constitution and the bill of rights which given the experience of the past 8 years, is sorely needed.

Then he was a community organizer is so often glossed over and even dismissed. It takes a lot of skills to motivate communities to get together and work toward a goal when they are not getting paid. You have to be able to recognize strengths and weaknesses of your volunteers and give them manageable goals so they can get a sense of accomplishment. You need to be incredibly organized and be able think tactically on a small to non-existent budget. If you doubt that these are skill sets just anyone can have try organizing a large community to get things done and come back and let me know how that went. In one of her most stunningly politically tone deaf moments, Hillary told the country that MLK and JFK wouldn't have gotten anywhere with civil rights without LBJ -- suggesting that experienced politicos are better change agents than those who organize and inspire mass movements.

"“Dr King’s dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It took a president to get it done.” - Hillary Clinton

While factually true, it had the effect of coming off really insensitive to the legacies of both MLK and JFK. It was clear that Clinton did not care how that would make african-americans feel. The political calculation thought it was more important to dismiss her opponents strengths by diminishing the roles of two great men. This is along with Bill Clinton's comments about Obama being just another Jesse Jackson. These comments were unnecessary and made some feel that these comments were being used to remind whites in SC that Obama was black just like Jesse Jackson. The effect was that the Caroline and Edward Kennedy endorse Obama and african-americans have another reason to look at Obama over a candidate they long known and trusted. Bill Clinton who made her candidacy appealing all of the sudden seemed that he no longer had the magic that made him so loved. I say it was poor judgment and she deserved to lose.

The bottom line is that Obama's experience with grassroots organizing is exactly what makes him a formidable candidate against Clinton and Mccain. He understands what motivates and unites people to donate, to volunteer, to vote, to get out and reach out to people on his behalf and on the behalf of the movement his candidacy spawned.

During his eight years in the Illinois Senate he sponsored 823 bills. The bulk of the bills he introduced at this time had to do with health care and public health. In 1999, he sponsored an Illinois constitutional amendment that would establish a right to universal health care coverage. It didn't pass, but in 2003 he passed a number of measures that would extend health care coverage for those just above the poverty line.

In 2004, Obama passed a bill that would establish a commission to develop a plan for providing universal health care in Illinois. He also sponsored a bill that voted on after he left office but did not pass that would permit embryonic stem cell research. Other legislation he sponsored dealt with poverty, crime, civil rights, ethics, the environment, infrastructure and public works, death penalty reform, gun control, military and veterans affairs, and immigration. We also know from state reproductive and women's rights advocates that Obama played a substantial role in protecting women's rights. This is not the work of an empty suit by any imagination.

While he has been in the US Senate he has authored the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 (became law), The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, (became law), The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate,The 2007 Government Ethics Bill (was blocked by republicans with a poison pill of a presidential line item veto by GOP senate leaders--headed by Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnel (R-Ky.) ethics advocates were disappointed by Mccain and Collins who joined other opponents to block), (became law), The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, (In committee), and many more.

In the 110th Congress he sponsored 113 bills. In the 109th congress Obama sponsored 152 bills: S. 3475-A bill to provide housing assistance for very low-income veterans. (6/7/2006), S. 3554- A bill to establish an alternative diesel standard, and for other purposes. (6/21/2006), S. 3627 - A bill to prohibit the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy from selling, distributing, or transferring elemental mercury, to prohibit the export of elemental mercury, and for other purposes. (6/29/2006), S. 3631 - A bill to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act to phase out the use of mercury in the manufacture of chlorine and caustic soda, and for other purposes. (7/11/2006) S. 3694 A bill to increase fuel economy standards for automobiles, and for other purposes.(7/19/2006), S. 3822 -A bill to improve access to and appropriate utilization of valid, reliable and accurate molecular genetic tests by all populations thus helping to secure the promise of personalized medicine for all Americans. (8/3/2007), S. 3969 - A bill to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act to assess and reduce the levels of lead found in child-occupied facilities in the United States, and for other purposes., (9/28/2007), S. 3988 - A bill to amend title 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism, and for other purposes. (9/28/2007), S. 4069 -A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections., (11/16/2006) S. 4102- A bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the use of telecommunications devices for the purposes of preventing or obstructing the broadcast or exchange of election-related information.(12/7/2007), S. AMDT.159.S.CON.18 -To prevent and, if necessary, respond to an international outbreak of the avian flu.3/15/2005, S. AMDT. 390.HR.1268- To provide meal and telephone benefits for members of the Armed Forces who are recuperating from injuries incurred on active duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. (4/13/2005) .

Obama sponsored and passed S.2125 : A bill to promote relief, security, and democracy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Orrin Hatch and Obama got a bill signed by the president to clarify the treatment of certain charitable contributions under title 11, United States Code.

There are several versions of a comparison of US Senate records between Clinton and Obama. I have not seen a real comprehensive and unbiased side-by-side analysis of both candidates legislative records. The problem is that not all sponsored legislation is equal and co-authoring can be extensive or just be a casual inclusion on the bill with little action. All I can say is that the bills that he has worked on are for the most part very substantive.

I think I have said before that if the democrats really were serious on running and competing on experience they would have picked Biden, Dodd, or Richardson. The Democrats decided to go with the relatively less experienced female and African-American. I really don't think that Clinton can compete with Mccain on experience.

Are You Experienced?

"So often in Washington experience means doing what we have been doing over, and over again. Well, to me that's not experience if what you are doing isn't working." - Barack Obama

I have been on various forums where there are heated arguments between Obama and Hillary supporters. Hillary supporters are accusing Obama of having no substance with a razor thin resume to become president on "day one". These people tend to be traditional democrats who are very party oriented. Yet, if Hillary doesn't get the nomination some of them said that they may look at Mccain.

They claim that Hillary is the best person to compete with Mccain because she has the most experience. I can't see how Hillary could compete with Mccain based on experience. She my have more experience than Obama (some have argued that Obama has more experience than Hillary in the State Legislature), but does she have more experience than Mccain? Mccain has been around forever and was in the Hanoi Hilton when she was in College. No democrat still running can say they have more experience.

We are in the mess we are in because of people who have "experience" Cheney, Rumsfeld, Greenspan all have long resumes of running things in the public and private sectors.

If democrats were so concerned about the experience thing they would have went with Biden, Dodd, or Richardson, but they decided to go with the party's "superstars": Hillary and Obama. Given that decision, dems are not going to be able to compete on experience. Our only hope is the vision thing and mobilizing independents and first time voters around a whole different paradigm and grassroots movement to end the war, reform health care, fight against global warming, and create jobs.

Nobody can deny her negatives. I keep running into people who are afraid that Hillary will get in there and not be able to accomplish anything because there is this irrational hatred toward her. I know dems and liberal independents who do not like her. There are people who voted with the Greens in 2000 because they really resented the Clintons for NAFTA, welfare-to-work,
and not doing enough for the environment. It is not just the right who hate her. There is a resentment of her about her vote for the war and her inability to admit she made a mistake with that vote. Refusal to admit a mistake seems too similar to Bush and it disappoints.

Hillary can get the rank and file democrats, but can she get the support of independents, the fastest growing political group in the Nation? If Obama gets the nomination he can steal from the pool of independents that would go for Mccain (his only political strength) and wouldn't mobilize the right wing as much as Hillary would do.

You can be the biggest policy wonk in the world, but if people are turned off by you (even if it is undeserved) how will you get things through?

When it comes to Clinton, experience means baggage, old ideas, and a top down method of governing. Obama's experience with grassroots can serve him well to turn his candidacy
and presidency into a movement for change. Change requires the American public to be motivated to put pressure on government to respond to their needs.

What our country needs is a reset button from the past 30 years in terms of foreign policy, economic development, and the general mood in this country and elevates it. We need a brilliant man of color named Barack Obama to represent us in the Middle East and to the world.

I am not saying Clinton would be a bad president. She would be a fine president. Obama would be better in my opinion. If she gets the nomination I will work for her, but it would be in the spirit of being against a republican Whitehouse rather than any enthusiasm for Clinton.

The People You Meet in Heaven, Hell, and the Purgatory of Poor Fools

The Hell: Paving the Road to Hell by Convincing US it is going to Heaven

Red Rove'r, Red Rove'r send insane evil right over! Somewhere in Texas an arch-demon, MC Rove, re-enters his demon-cave from whence he spawned. I wish I could report that our long national nightmare is over now that this creature has retreated into his fiery liar with his "family" or demon-kin of fear-sprites, bible-twisting fire-imps, and oozing oil sludges.

We are still fighting this impossible war, which "Manchurian Candidate" McCain insists we are winning, when everyone agrees that a political solution rather than military might is far from being accomplished. There are no guarantees that we can prevent full blown calamity regardless if we stay or go. People will continue to die and be maimed with or without our assistance.

Then we have the economy that has been lauded as Bush's creation that is going downhill due to overly-permissive lending practices that will have far reaching consequences for all of us. People who were lead to believe that they could afford their no-interest or adjustable loans because the value of homes would continue to go up are going to lose their homes. The day-traders of the nineties turned into real estate flippers of the aughts have returned to the stock market creating the false illusion that the stock market can only go up. Due to recent volatile dips in the stock market, people will simply not know where to invest if they have any money left to invest. If people have trouble getting loans or refinancing they will be unable to afford to remodel their homes, effecting all the contractors: plumbers, electricians, furniture, landscapers, appliance makers, masons, home builders, and all the service providers that were making the economy seem to hum. Due to home values declining there is less incentive to make improvements even if the money is there, because there is no guarantee that you will get that money back on the resell of the home.

Oh...and we can also talk about our indebtedness to China, that seems to want to poison our kids with lead paint and pets with bad pet food. In fairness we cannot lay that on the laps of the pantheon of demon-kin that is the Bush Whitehouse alone. We can blame them though for our spiraling debt.


The Heaven: Coffee and Art

In the past days, I have been able to compare side by side Peets Coffee against Henry's House of Coffee, and we have discovered that hands down -- Henry makes better coffee. We have one of those Krup Carafe coffeemakers and often we reheat what is left over from the day before in the morning. Peets coffee turns rancid tasting if left over night, but Henry's tastes like it did when it was first brewed. I am telling you that with the free shipping Henry offers, there is no reason why you shouldn't be drinking his coffee. Walk in his San Francisco shop while he is roasting his beans and it is surely what heaven must smell like. You will be dizzy with pleasure. I promise.

Stop right now and dial: 1.800.578.5282 and order his coffee. I prefer his 1/2 french roast and 1/2 mocha java blend and Henry's Blend Decaf. He has a wide variety of beans. Do it. Do it. Do it.

I came across a wonderful art blog called dear ada, there are countless wonderful finds from the art world. It is my heaven when i want a fresh dose of art to discover.

Purgatory of Poor Fools: Pig Biting Madness In Print No More

I remember in my sophomore year in high school, my friends and I took a train to San Francisco from Menlo Park and we bought a Weekly World News. We were astonished by various tales of genetic mishaps of Batboy and Ed Anger telling us that he would would join the troops in Lebanon if it weren't for the fact that he had a steel plate in his skull.

The Weekly World News has recently announced that they will be going web only and ceasing to kill trees to bring us news of pending Armageddon or new mutant babies.

While I like saving trees for real news, I somehow feel like it is an end of an era of buying this rag and using it for wrapping paper for kitchy gift giving.

This paper lives in a space between heaven and hell. It is uniquely American, haven for Photoshop hacks, and provides empty calories of useless, false information (which FoxNews takes to a high art). I will miss the appropriately seedy and tactile experience of having the newsprint bleed on your fingers -- something a website just can't do.