Fine, okay, it's a blog already!

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

- Caroline Kennedy, in her New York Times editorial this past Sunday

As I am posting this, the Los Angeles Times has "strongly endorsed" Barack Obama.

Now I normally don't get wrapped up in celebrity endorsements and the like, but this has been a great week if you are an Obama supporter.

First, Caroline Kennedy's moving endorsement on Sunday, comparing the energy of Obama's campaign to her father's.

Like you, we want a president who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American dream.

- Ted Kennedy, the very next day (video)

Much thanks to the esteemed senator for his words and family's endorsement.

And more are piling in. MoveOn endorsed today, as did some House members, along with former pro-Edwards unions like the Transport Workers Union and the California SEIU.

Alongside those come former Fed chairman Paul Volcker and a nice endorsement from "The Nation".

And yeah, even Hulk Hogan.

And what about Hillary Clinton?

Hillary is absolutely more conservative. Moreover she lies less than John McCain, she's smarter than John McCain. When she's caught shamelessly lying at least the Clinton's know they've been caught lying. McCain is so stupid he doesn't even know he's been caught.

- Ann Coulter, on supporting Hillary Clinton (video here)

That's right, Clinton's newest backer is evil pitbull Ann Coulter. If *that* doesn't convince you not to vote for her, nothing will. So yeah, Clintonites, go ahead and tell me you're on the side of good here.

Clinton's other "big" endorsement this week? John Grisham. Seriously, that makes the Hulk Hogan one look good by comparison.

Aside from all the goodwill endorsements, Obama has pulled in $32 million in support this month from over a quarter million people. If you are planning to donate to his campaign, please do so through my page at the Obama site. Thanks.

Just got back from my manager's annual Super Bowl party. Once again, a good time was had by all. Luke, you see, is an Aussie and by definition thinks putting on pads to play sports is just silly. But he grills good meat and has a widescreen and isn't *too* condescending about the whole thing, so it's a nice place to get together.

But this year was just a bit nicer because of the outcome of the game. It was a really good game as it was, but that late comeback by the Giants made it all the sweeter.

Oh, I'm not a Giants fan. Hell, those of you who know me know I'm not even that much of a football fan. But seriously, you've got a team led by a smug quarterback who assumes he should win by the grace of who he is. You've got a coach who got caught cheating and is unapologetic. Hell, he spent most of this year running up the score. Look, I'm as tired of Miami fans as most of you are, but if someone is going to have a perfect season, then let it be some club other than the New England Patriots.

Sorry to make this political, but she started it first.

Hillary Clinton thinks that just because the Giants are from New York that this is a good sign for her.

I'm here to break it to you Hillary: you are actually the Patriots. You are the one every talking head keeps saying "should" be the nominee. You're supposed to be an inevitable force of nature. If you don't cheat (though your sudden endorsements for Michigan and Florida delegates give a hint of it), you and your husband have done your share of brow-beating and voter intimidation. You're mean, nasty people that I would not enjoy supporting. And, like Tom Brady, you have an entry at Dickipedia. (They're overwhelmed right now, but do try to link that later.)

She may end up the nominee, and I still think I'll have a hard time voting for her. I'd hate to sit our and not vote for a presidential candidate, but she could make me do it.

In any event, over the weekend, Frank Rich weighed in on the JFK-Obama comparisons, Maria Shriver, Ethel Skakel Kennedy, Susan Eisenhower, and Garrison Keillor all endorsed Barack Obama. The Black Eyed Peas will.i.am collaborated with other celebrities to bring you the Yes We Can song.

Plus, more on the reason Hillary's big mouth lost her the Kennedy family. Also, another look at the influence of race in the campaign.

That's it for now. Have a good one.

Martin Luther King didn't have experience to lead... Kennedy didn't have experience to lead... Susan B. Anthony... Nelson Mandella... Rosa Parks... Gandhi... Anne Frank... and everyone else who has had a hand in molding the freedoms we have and take for granted today...

no one truly has experience to deal with the world today...

- will.i.am, on why he made "Yes We Can"

Well, the Clintonites are already putting out push poll tactics that build up their candidate while tearing down everyone else. Just exactly the class move you'd expect out of Hillary Clinton and her minions.

I'm sure she doesn't know a thing about it and will say nothing against it.

Ha!

Meanwhile, Obama is picking up the endorsements of prominent "red state" female politicians as well as the nod from over 100 newspapers.

Hopefully these will translate into votes.

Obama's campaign manager is lowering expectations because, well, Clinton does have significant leads in most states. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Meanwhile, the Clintonites don't find a need to talk to the foreign press as it doesn't translate into votes apparently. Hell, even Bush speaks to reporters other than those on FAUXNews. Not often, but he does.

A statement by will.i.am about his "Yes We Can song.

Also, some campaign related resources from Popular Mechanics and TechCrunch, geared towards the technological types, aka Geeks.

Enjoy.

Look, I don't mean to be an insensitive ass, but seriously, let's assess this again.

Hillary Clinton shed some tears again today. Curiously, a day before Super Tuesday. Yeah, I actually AM that cynical. If you want to twist her words a bit, she's had 35 years to be full of emotion and we only just got to see these so-called genuine feelings twice, and both times before big primaries and caucuses where he leads eroded to nothing.

She didn't tear up when her husband first got inaugurated. She didn't cry when he cheated on her and damn near got impeached. She didn't cry looking at the poverty in Africa up close and personal. She only seems to cry when votes are on the line.

Cynical? Hell, I'm just calling it like I see it.

Want even more reasons not to vote for Clinton (or even McCain for you delusional GOP types)? They, by a long shot, take large sums of money from lobbyists. Scumbags.

More? Okay, want to guarantee a virtual third Bush term? I mean, McCain has been pretty clear about his love for the evil twit we currently have in office. Well, Clinton is about the only factor that will unify Rethugs to vote for McCain. Bank on it. More importantly, do something about it.

Like what? you ask?

DON'T VOTE FOR THE LYING SNAKE!

How about that for a plan?

And, oh yeah, Obama is catching up and even passing Clinton in some polls. I expect y'all to get out there and prove those polls right for once. Thanks.

Some of you are voting today. Kudos.

That said, we probably all need something to laugh at given the gravity of the day. Here goes:

Ever wondered what it would be like to mix a Rammstein song with Winnie the Pooh? Yeah, me neither, but it apparently works out quite well.

Also, not that I'm recommending you go do this or anything, but enjoy it for a laugh at least.

The first Super Tuesday result is: West Virginia Republicans go for Huckabee.

The worst part of this news is that John McCain got a whopping one percent of the vote there. Not that I really give a damn about McCain, but if Jebus Boy can beat Mormon Dude and Former POW gets 1% in the land that gave you the Abu Ghraib All-Stars, then you really have to worry about the future of this country.

Maybe they were voting their Bible, or pocketbook, or Mein Kampf. I dunno. But wow. What a pack of torture-loving rednecks, no?

So...Hillary Clinton is fine having a debate on FAUXNews. Do you really want to go somewhere where questions are framed by Bill O'Reilly, Chris Wallace, and Geraldo Rivera?

Well, YOU may not, and I sure the hell know I wouldn't, but it's totally cool with Hillary.

I mean, hell, she might as well switch parties and go for it.

Hopefully Obama doesn't fall for this crap. You can pull support from Republicans and not have to subject yourself to a night of the Hate and Fear Network. If he needs any encouragement to keep doing what he's doing, he should read this editorial at the Hartford Courant.

It'll never happen in a million years, but given the results out of Tennessee, Oklahoma, and some other states, Clinton is winning by significant margins.

So, I wish it would happen - and it won't - but some brave reporter should ask her what it's like to have the backing of a bunch of racist southerners?

Does she feel good about it? Does she revel in it? Is it why she's fine with debating on FAUXNews?

She's really earning her Republican stripes now! Maybe that bitch Ann Coulter was onto something after all.

If she ends up being the candidate, I only have you to blame.

So, the day after taking some big states, it turns out Hillary Clinton is giving her campaign $5 million dollars to keep spreading racial division and give the GOP a shot at the presidency.

And for all her populist talk, she's still taking lobbyist money, in numbers way more than any candidate. Obama? Not even a penny.

She's also begging for cash from her supporters. She earned less than half than Obama did last month, including the lobbyists. Here's a wonderful idea running on the Obama comment pages.

By Chad Nelson 56 minutes ago

The following is a Hillary e-mail I just got:
****************************** ******************
We don't have time to catch our breath -- the next races are just three days away, and there are 10 more contests in February alone.

Let's meet this moment with bold action worthy of those who have put their faith in us. We are setting a big goal for the next three days: raise $3 million to fund our history-making campaign.

Contribute today to help us reach $3 million in three days.
****************************** ******************

I signed up for Hillary's e-mails. Whenever I get one asking for a donation I give $5 to Obama. lol

OBAMA '08

So, if you'd like to give to the Obama campaign and counter the $8 million Clinton lie chest, please do so through my fundraising page at the Obama site.

The following is an email I just received from David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager:

John --

I was writing a note to you about the state of the race after Super Tuesday when we got some startling news.

The Clinton campaign just announced that Hillary and Bill Clinton injected $5 million of their personal fortune into her campaign a few days ago.

This is a dramatic move, and a clear acknowledgement that our campaign has the momentum. We saw undeniable evidence of that last night as the results came in.

Barack Obama won the most states and the most delegates on February 5th.

We have gotten to this point thanks to an unprecedented outpouring of support from ordinary Americans.

To date, more than 650,000 people like you have taken ownership of this campaign, giving whatever they can afford.

The Clinton infusion of $5 million -- and there are reports it could end up being as much as $20 million -- will give them huge resources for the next set of primaries and caucuses.

Thanks to you, we have raised more than $3 million since the polls closed on February 5th. But we have no choice -- we must match their $5 million right now.

We're going to do it the right way, with small donations from people like you. It's never been more urgent that you make a donation of $50 right now:

Campaign Donation Link

Just two weeks ago we were behind by double-digits in many of the states that voted yesterday, but Barack won 13 states to 8 states for Hillary Clinton, with one state (New Mexico) still counting votes.

This is an enormous victory, and it's all thanks to you.

We won yesterday because thousands upon thousands of individual supporters canvassed their neighborhoods, talked to their neighbors and friends, and made phone calls to remind their fellow supporters to get out the vote.

And we accomplished all of this with a campaign funded by ordinary people giving only what they can afford.

Yesterday was proof that America is ready for change -- and that you are the force to make that change happen.

But there's still a long way to go before Barack becomes the Democratic nominee. In the next week alone, six more states will hold their primaries and caucuses.

We need to match this $5 million personal contribution from the Clintons immediately and put these resources to work in the states that will vote next.

Please make a donation of $50 now:

Campaign Donation Link

Here are some details about yesterday's historic victory. According to official results and exit polls:

* Barack won 2-to-1 in traditionally conservative states where Democrats are hungry for a nominee who can change the map and help Democrats up and down the ticket win in November
* Our winning coalition included Americans of every race, background, and gender -- including 64% of women in Georgia
* We scored wins in every region of the country -- New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the South, the Midwest, the Rocky Mountain states, and the West

Americans had a clear choice to make yesterday, and they chose Barack Obama.

Now let's match this $5 million and take this campaign into the next stage.

Thank you,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

As of the moment I got the email, $3,696,497 had been raised. Heck, even if it's just $5, donate if you can. Thanks.

Here is the press release of the email in question.

Also, a quick glance at the totals. Since I last linked the email, the campaign is very, very close to matching Clinton's loan. Five million dollars from just regular folks in about a day.

Pay attention folks, and vote accordingly.

One.. (of many) thing that bothers me is that unlike Romney, Clinton didn't give to her campaign, she loaned to it. She expects regular working people to pay her back..

- Ilya, commenter on the Obama site (thread link here)

Wow, when Mitt Romney is setting a better example than a Democratic candidate, you'd hope said candidate might start considering hanging it up.

That said, I doubt Hillary Clinton will be stopped by anything short of the final delegate count at the convention. Here's hoping she doesn't win it.

$6.1 million contributed today to Obama's campaign if the tally tool is working. It's not just cash though. If that were the case, Clinton would have owned this a long time ago. But tainted lobbyist cash and arm twisting are (hopefully) not enough to win.

Here's a link to an ABC story on how Clinton senior staffers are foregoing pay for the time being to save the campaign money. Wait. Isn't that what the Giuliani folks did before going under? Either way, it's a crisis of confidence. Another reason for you fence-sitters to doubt her candidacy.

Some campaign analysis of last night, plus some more unbiased viewpoints.

It ain't over, and she's not done, but I've heard worse news in recent days.

If you haven't come over, ask me what I can do to convince you. If you have, give a few bucks, call some folks in Washington state, or Texas, or wherever the need is. If you don't want another GOP scumbag, now is kinda the time to be doing something about it.

One last thing from the comments:

Re: We rock

By Jeffrey Pierce 1 minute ago

We got Mo' Money.

We got Mo' Mentum.

We got Mo' States.

We got Mo' Delegates.

We got Mo' of everything that counts.

YES WE CAN and YES WE DID!

Hillary Clinton and her campaign are suspending MSNBC for insulting Chelsea. Which, to be fair, is probably the first actual human thing I've seen Hillary do this year. Faking tears a couple times doesn't count.

So, the Beast may still be trying to be a good parent.

Politically, however, now she has to bow out of one of these debates she's been badgering Obama to sign up for. Which is strange that she's going to shun MSNBC for picking on her kid but has no problem trying to debate on FAUXNews, the network seemingly created to perform character assassination on her family.

I see a double standard here somewhere.

Other Clinton news: she's now begging for cash in her stump speeches. Must've run out of oil magnates to bleed $2,300 from.

Also, all this talk of her "experience" - whatever that means - doesn't mean much when you compare Barack Obama to actual experienced and un-experienced presidents.

Ignore the hype folks, unlike you think George Washington was a bad president.

Want to yell at Howard Dean for letting Hillary Clinton try to break the rules by planning to seat the Michigan and Florida delegates? Use this form.

Posted by Carl Richard at 2/9/08 2:28 p.m.

"Clinton versus McCain. That will be about as interesting and exciting as watching two retirement homes in Florida battling it out over a game of shuffleboard. Look, I'm 66. I appeal to my fellow senior citizens. Let's step aside and let Obama and his younger generation have their shot. They have many more years to enjoy living in this wonderful country than we do.

"Remember, Washington, Obama--not Clinton--has ties to Seattle. His grandparents moved to the city in 1955 and his mom is a Mercer Island High grad. Do the right thing! Obama!"

Comments on a Seattle PI story on the caucuses

Anecdotally at least, Obama has a major edge in Washington state. Hopefully he can do well in Louisiana and Nebraska as well. If there is supposed to be inevitability in this primary season, let it be that Hillary Clinton should just go home and do the best she can for the state of New York, or wherever she calls home these days.

"Rethink what you're doing; do not make a choice based on the emotion of the moment."

- Clinton supporter trying to diminish the Obama support (apparently they think we're all children

Here's some emotional impact for you, Hillary Goon. Obama can beat McCain and your angry choice can not.

"They say it's like when John Kennedy was running. It's the same feeling of hope, and a new face and new voice....He's not beholden to anybody.

"I like his youth. I believe he talks from the heart and it's not the same old verbiage over and over with no compassion underneath.

"I remember John Kennedy and I remember the good feeling that I had at that time. And I have that with Obama."

- Clarence Freeman Jr., Washington caucus-goer

The Clintonites are losing, and already making excuses. This from a press release issued to reporters:

Tonight there are contests in three states that the Obama campaign has long predicted they would win by large margins. According to a spreadsheet that was obtained by Bloomberg News, the Obama campaign predicted big victories in Washington State, Nebraska and Louisiana.

The Obama campaign has dramatically outspent our campaign in these three states, saturating the airwaves with 30 and 60 second ads. The Obama campaign has spent $300,000 more in Louisiana on television ads, $190,000 more in Nebraska and $175,000 more in Washington.

Although the next several states that hold nominating contests this month are more favorable to the Obama campaign, we will continue to compete in them and hope to secure as many delegates as we can before the race turns to Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania.

Look, I can almost imagine losing in certain part of the country. But losing in Washington state, Nebraska, AND Louisiana means that outside of the southwest, the racist south, and parts of New England, you can't win. And if you can't even win a primary in those parts of the country, what the f'in business do you have trying to be president of the whole United States?

Quit. Do it now. Do it for your party. Do it for America.

Well, she forgot to do it yesterday, but managed to squeak out a tear for tomorrow's Maine primary:

Apparently, it takes awhile the steal the tears of small children to fill the dried out husks of her tear ducts. If you want to know the context of the waterworks (and it is actually a good enough reason, click here.

Still, after 34 11/12th years without resorting to crying for attention, she's sure learned how to do it all of a sudden. Maybe this is the "change" that she refers to. Just another form of manipulation.

Catching a few moments for myself this Sunday afternoon and hoping to clear some tabs in the process.

Politics

Bill Clinton is back and still making an ass of himself wondering why Obama doesn't want too many old school Democrats in his corner. Well, one, we all know you mean why isn't he beginning Clintonites for help. The answer to that is simple: you treat him like shit. Two, he *does* have support from both the Democratic rank and file and new voters. Bill is just too obtuse to realize this.

Vanity Fair is carrying an interesting story about Obama's early political career. Give it a look.

Also, how Hillary being the nominee can guarantee a Republican victory this November.

Environment

An old story about the increase in natural disasters in recent decades, plus a sad story about a turtle species dying off in China.

Also, links to Consumer Consequences game, where you try to see how bad life would suck if everyone lived according to your lifestyle. It is all part of their Consumed series, which tackles our consumer-driven economy and the problems it creates.

In a more pessimistic, but realistic, tone, Marketplace has also created a series called Plan B, which provides options on what we should do should we fail to address the climate problems. Want to force Plan B into operation? Keep voting Republican.

That said, there in money to be made in the green economy, as evidenced by this story as well as this one about solar power in California. Don't believe the conservative hype. Good jobs can be had, and far better ones than the burger-flipping ones that George Bush thinks are progress.

More later if I get a chance.

Apparently, despite how long the campaign has seemingly been going, Barack Obama threw his hat in the ring a year ago today.

Follow this link to watch his announcement speech again.

Incidentally, Maine went for Obama today as well. Keep voting, keep him winning.

First, Obama managed to win a Grammy and win the Maine caucus today, essentially beating both Clintons. Good job.

Also, Hillary lost her campaign manager as well as every primary and caucus, from Washington to Nebraska, Louisiana, Maine, and the Virgin Islands.

That said, Hillary Clinton is getting support from her demagogue pals in the GOP. George Bush is attacking Obama for her, and Rush Limbaugh would like to raise money for her campaign.

Limbaugh, et al are also afraid of Obama because they can't find it easy to attack him. And let's face it, all they have aside from character assassination are hate and fear. They clearly can't stand on the issues.

So yeah, Hillary's support lately is Ann Coulter, George Bush, and Rush Limbaugh. And some of you actually WANT her to be the nominee? Wake up!

Looks like there are Rethugs in Virginia who plan to vote for Hillary on Tuesday in the open primary there. They don't think she's the better candidate, they just want her to be the nominee.

Dirty tricks from the GOP. Nothing new there. All the talking heads say it won't amount to much and won't change the vote, but a couple candidates here and there and you see where I'm going with this.

Clinton is probably impressed by this, fool that she is. I find this a dangerous precedent.

Hillary Clinton isn't bothered by her string of losses in so-called "red states". In fact, she pretty much assumes that no Democrat can win them so they just don't matter to her.

Funny, the Democratic party has made huge gains in those states. I mean, come on, the governor of friggin' militia HQ Montana is a Democrat these days. And I didn't see her balk at winning Oklahoma and its Democratic governor's support either.

So yeah, fellow Democrats: you "don't matter" to Hillary Clinton. But I could have told you that a long time ago.

She also thinks the superdelegates will back her, even if the popular vote says otherwise. In fact, she is counting on them to override the will of the people.

Clinton is also attacking Obama and challenging him to more debates. Yeah, MORE debates. Obama's answer, though nicer than the following, is that he's done talking with a windbag like her and would rather spend time speaking with actual voters.

Hillary and her pal Ed Rendell, governor of Pennsylvania, are race baiting again, saying that whites will not vote for a black man. This is pretty sickening stuff to be coming out of the mouths of Democrats.

This racist bullshit is EXACTLY why that bitch Hillary will not be getting my vote if she steals the nomination. And at this point, that's pretty much what she would have to do. You know, unless Texas backs her like I think it will, especially given the aforementioned racial overtones pushed by her campaign.

F her. And F Texas for being so full of old school southern crackers. Hopefully they'll just vote GOP like they usually do.

Speaking of racist attacks, a McCain advisor will quit the campaign if Obama becomes the Democratic nominee. Guess he knows exactly how the GOP will attack Obama and wants no part of it. Wow, a non-racist Republican. I knew some still existed but I wasn't sure they held any positions of authority. Surprises occur every day. Who knew?

Republicans disrupt a memorial for a recently deceased House member in order to stage some procedural votes. Classy. Remind me to piss on Trent Lott's open casket when he finally dies from ass cancer or having no soul.

John McCain had a chance today to vote against waterboarding. He apparently is fine with it. So much for him being against torture. What an ass. He should know better.

Granted, there are a lot of things to fix in this country: stuff Bush did, stuff Bush didn't do, stuff Bush inadvertently caused because he's a dipshit. There are also long-standing issues that the Chimperor never addressed, but neither did anyone before him. So, let's take a look at some of all of the above that have come to mind recently.

Our new wars have brought forth new homeless vets. The government is obviously not as worried about this problem as they should be, though some groups are. There just aren't enough to take care of the problem.

Here is a look at the problem from Las Vegas.

Soldier suicides are a record levels and still only token political speech is given from Washington.

Our country is dead last in offering preventative health care among industrialized nations. Our citizens are dying from things we could treat if only our health care system didn't suck so much.

Also, if you are in a hospital and are a minority, you are less likely to receive pain medication. Lovely.

Latinos also earn far, far less than their white counterparts. Things you already knew, but a reminder never hurts.

More later I suppose.

Never mind the on-field sportsmanship and achievements, the pranks are what sets baseball above all other sports.

Check this one out. Brett Myers and Phillies higher-ups conspire to "trade" Kyle Kendrick...and he falls for it!

Check out the video here:

"The real second-class delegates are the delegates that are picked in red-state caucuses that are never going to vote Democratic."

- Joel Ferguson, Clinton superdelegate on who really matters to the Clintons

Bill Clinton is playing dirty tricks, as is his wife.

Bill is blaming Obama for other (and by the implication, "better") candidates quitting the race because Obama keeps talking about change from the divisive politics of people like, say, the Clintons.

So, many of us hate this partisan silliness and that's Obama's fault? Um, alrighty then.

Ted Kennedy is accusing the Clinton campaign - and accurately so - for "fear-mongering" in their attacks on Obama's health care plan. Granted, it isn't the piece of legislation I'm happiest with when it comes to him, but her attacks are way out in la-la land.

Also, turns out Obama got zero votes in parts of Harlem in the New York primary on Super Tuesday. Really? Yeah, you and I aren't the only ones having a hard time with that. On further investigation - surprise! - they "found" votes for Obama that may end up giving him more of New York's delegates. "Voting irregularities" my ass.

Not that you should ever count a Clinton out, as this article reminds us.

Garrett Graff over at HuffPo discusses the "Yes We Can" slogan and it's history. And I want to be on record for saying how despicable Clinton's "Yes We Will" meme is. Obama took a Chicano change, translated it and uses it as it was originally intended, as a message of hope. Clinton's Triumph of the Will twist is a play on her so-called inevitabilty. It is a statement of force and far from the sentiment of hope in the original "Si Se Puede". Anyway, that's my two cents.

More on candidate's thieving from the Obama campaign's idea bin.

The St. Paul police department is ready for the GOP: they've got a fresh shipment of tasers just in. Yeah, see, if your party inspires so much hatred that a couple hundred tasers are required to stop the protesters, you may have issues to deal with.

Read this. Then continue.

Like many of you, I get the occasional email from Howard Dean. One of the things he has been harping about lately is that we should all get behind the nominee, whoever that ends up being.

Howard Dean can blow me. That ain't happening.

If you haven't been to the open threads at Democrats.org lately, I would encourage you not to. The Hillary Clinton goon squad is camped there, abusing Obama supporters and spreading their hatred as far and wide as they can. About every tenth post is "Osama" this and "Barack HUSSEIN Obama" that. Real moving, intellectual stuff, and nothing I want to see in the Democratic party.

And that may be the core of my issue. What the hell are these racist a-holes doing in my party? And why is Hillary Clinton and her supporters fanning the flames of bigotry? Just to get some votes? To scare people into voting their way? Isn't that what Republicans do? WTF?

One of the primary reasons I just DO. NOT. vote GOP is that they coddled, encourage, and sometimes openly support racists. It is un-American and unnecessary. And now we've got the Clintons feeding the same vile radicals.

I can't support that. I will not support that. Spread the word if you'd like, but there is no chance I can get behind that, to willingly support that kind of hate. I'm not voting for the Green Party as the above link suggests, but I cannot in good conscience support Hillary Clinton and her goose-stepping supporters.

No. Way. In. Hell.

So, Obama took another primary and caucus in Wisconsin and Hawai'i, respectively. That's 10 wins in a row, or to put it another way, like 20% of the states and territories. And, for the most part, he did not squeak out wins but won near or at 60-40% over Clinton.

She can deny that or say those voters don't matter all she wants, but honestly, it does. He wins where she can't. He wins where the odds are in her favor. He wins, she doesn't. That's truly the message so far.

So, you say you want more details from Obama? Start here.

You say he doesn't know how to fight the war on terror? You side with George Bush on his views about Pakistan? Then someone should talk to the CIA, who recently killed a terror leader using actionable intelligence and without consulting the Pakistani government. Yeah, who foresaw this as necessary? Obama.

And today, let us welcome the Teamsters to Camp Obama.

More shady attacks by Clintonites on Obama. More silence from their candidate.

- And then I skipped a day or two. Oops. -

The Clinton campaign is apparently behind the so-called "plagiarism" story, where Obama and Deval Patrick apparently borrow from each other's speeches. Turns out (no surprise) this is something she is very skilled at.

Hillary's actions and tactics are turning off feminists. Not to mention that her Texas campaign is having problems.

This is premature but here's a look at where her campaign is failing.

From the GOP lunatic fringe, attacks against Michelle Obama for being proud of a country where a guy like her husband can be president.

She was immediately jumped by McCain's wife, a former pill-popper with short term memory issues who banged McCain while he was still married to his first wife, who also looks a LOT like the lobbyist her husband was supposedly boffing on the side.

And, she also *does* kind of look like a space alien.

Scary stuff.

But even that pales to constant piece o'crap Bill O'Reilly, who isn't "quite" ready to round up a "lynch mob" to attack Michelle Obama. Yeah, he said lynch mob.

That's Republicans for ya.

What? You think I'm harsh to those bigoted asshat? Give an ear over to Sir Charles Barkley who finally says in public what I've been thinking for years.

Seriously, what a week in the spotlight for Hillary Clinton.

Tonight, during the debate, she accuses Obama of basically being a Xerox machine for having borrowed some lines from his friend Deval Patrick. She got booed, as she should have been. Classless fool.

THEN, she got kudos for her lines at the end of the debate. Funny thing about that though, she lifted them from John Edwards. So who's really the "plagiarist"? The person shared crib notes from his pal or the one stealing riffs from a candidate out of the race?

This line of thinking goes along with her gambit Tuesday night to delay her stump speech, ignore her supporters in Wisconsin, and ignore the fact that she lost there. Howard Kurtz states that Obama should have been fouled for elbowing Clinton out of the way. Howard Kurtz is full of shit.

Hillary started about an hour late. Obama waited fifteen minutes beyond that and then said "screw it, I won, I'm giving my speech". If you want a sports analogy, Clinton got called for a delay of game on fourth down, turned the ball over, Obama gave her enough time to get to the line of scrimmage and then called his play.

Of course Clintonites say he is classless. Hey, she tried to put her ego in the way and dared the networks to interrupt her, despite HER rudeness. Guess they didn't want to play her games anymore.

Here's an HuffPo article and a MyBarackObama blog entry on how Clinton doesn't care about the will of the people.

Since we are speaking of Clinton, let's address another Republican, John McCain, and his news problems. Or maybe not so much of one. Ever since the New York Times accused him of potentially cheating on his wife (you know, the one he got from, um, cheating on his wife), the radical Right has been coming to his defense. Nothing like a sex scandal to put all Republicans - ahem! - in bed with one another.

Stay tuned.

HIllary Clinton tonight, after constantly attacking Obama for "plagiarism":

No matter what happens in this contest, and I am honored to be here with Barack Obama... whatever happens, we're going to be fine. I just hope that we'll be able to say the same thing about the American people.

John Edwards, in a December 2007 debate:

To remember that in the midst of political hoopla the glorification of politicians and presidential candidates that somewhere in America tonight a child will go to bed hungry, somewhere in America tonight a family will have to go to the emergency room and beg for health care for a sick child, that somewhere in America today a father who's worked for 30 or 40 years to support his family will lose his job, and that that's what's at stake in this election. What's not at stake are any of us. All of us are going to be just fine no matter what happens in this election. But what's at stake is whether America is going to be fine.

John Edwards, October 30, 2007 debate in Philadelphia:

This is not about lobbyists. As a matter of fact, it's not about any of us. The truth is, when this election is over, I'm going to be fine. Senator Clinton is going to be fine. Senator Obama's going to be fine. The question is: Will America be fine? And will we ensure -- and I think this is the great moral test of our generation -- will we ensure that our children have a better life than we have had? That's the responsibility we have.

John Edwards, January 30, 2008 in New Orleans:

I want to say this to everyone: with Elizabeth, with my family, with my friends, with all of you and all of your support, this son of a millworker's gonna be just fine. Our job now is to make certain that America will be fine.

Emphasis mine where placed.

Hey, don't believe me? Have some video proof:

I sent a variation of the following to both the Obama campaign, the Clinton campaign, and the DNC. I also left a message with the Clark County Democratic Party office for what it's worth.

I live in Nevada and am a registered delegate for Barack Obama for the county convention tomorrow. I received a call today from someone who said they were from the Clinton campaign.

The person on the phone said they received a list of delegates and that they were checking on their intended candidate of choice.

I'm not sure how above-board this call was so I stated that I was an Obama delegate and that, no, I would not be changing my mind. She stated that the call was not to pressure me into changing candidates but the list they received had no declared candidates noted. She mumbled an apology, then hung up.

I find this strange as I volunteered to be a delegate at the caucus with my precinct captain and have filed my delegate paperwork a couple weeks ago clearly stating my preference.

The phone number I received the call from was 702.736.2380. I called the county Democratic office but only was able to leave a message.

I did manage to speak to a party officer tonight at pre-registration who stated that neither party should have had a full list of delegates and that I should speak to the party itself. Given the recent tactics of said campaign, I sincerely doubt anything will be done about this. Hopefully you are keeping track of incidents like this.

Basically, a woman interrupted my lunch and told me where she was from. She was definitely interested in who I was backing and seemed to be angling towards some pitch when I told her there was no way I was changing my mind. She got the message and tried to get off the phone as fast as possible.

I should have gotten a name. I should have tried to play along to see how far she would go. I was just so pissed about the dirty tricks the Clintonites will go to that I just wanted the call to end.

Anyway, aptly warned about how far she'll go to win, I'm off to the county convention in the morning. Should be fun.

As posted on my page at the Barack Obama site:

Another opportunity for our local Dem leadership to leave a sour taste in my mouth, and the mouths of thousands of others.

From the get-go, with the mismanaged registration lines (thankfully Leslie and I registered last night when it was far less chaotic), the extension of the registration times (shady), the turning away of delegates and alternates (by the Bally casino staff), and the litany of speeches by pro-Clinton politicians, by the time noon ran around it was bad.

Look, you can be for a candidate, but don't rub it in at a party convention. Capische?

Then the rumors and whispers came in. The free-floating ballot boxes (which were really just banker's boxes with the lids taped shut) were not in plain sight. Some went into the restrooms. Four were just plain missing.

Then the leadership, with very little tact and very little coordination, plainly admitted that, though they should have been expecting 7,100 delegates, they booked a room that couldn't hold even 3,000 by my estimate. They then tried to cram a motion to move the convention a month down the road or so.

I don't know, maybe they didn't want to lose their deposit and move the convention to a bigger place. Maybe they saw that the majority of the alternates were Obama supporters and freaked out (as I said, there is definitely a bias, and give what I saw at my caucus site, a not-so-subtle one either). Maybe there is no conspiracy and John Hunt needs to step down and let someone competent take over in the next month.

It took another couple hours but finally we were divided by campaigns and took back for a quick Q&A caucus. There, our leadership told us what we didn't want to hear. The motion to move the convention to further down the road was coming back on the table. They explained, quite well I think, how at that point (it was about 4pm and WAY past any timetable) we were in danger of disenfranchising half the delegates and in danger of being punished like Florida and Michigan by the DNC for not having our act together.

Honestly, we needed that in-house discussion far earlier in the day. It was a bitter pill and we were pretty much forced to swallow it, lest we be accused of pulling a corrupt convention.

So we went back into the hall and sucked it up. The motion passed on the second try. The convention is delayed, nothing was accomplished, the party failed us, and we may have collectively made a deal that benefits the Clinton campaign.

Seriously, ashes in my mouth from all of this. What pack of incompetent doofuses did this to us? They definitely turned off a lot of people who woke up this morning excited about the process. They should have seen this coming and absolutely did not plan accordingly.

If you have any of your own comments/experiences/rumors/etc. please let me know.

After the frustrations of the county convention, I wanted to pass the following along.

Not sure how well this will encode, but here goes:

Link to the image here.

At HuffPo, in a story about McCain's possible dalliance with a lobbyist, who basically looks like his pill-popping wife, the following comment by a poster called eddieinc97:

RECENTLY UNCOVERED MEMO BETWEEN NEWT GINGRICH TO HIS FELLOW CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS DURING THE CLINTON IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS

MEMO TO: HOLIER THAN THOU CONGRESSIONAL HYPOCRITS.

From: THE OFFICE OF THE HONORABLE NEWT GINGRICH
(PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM INVOKING THE "DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO" RULE IN THIS MATTER)

Fellow Republican Brethren,

If you vote to impeach Bill Clinton. Please make sure you have not had, or are not having an affair. If you vote to impeach, you will no longer be able to call the DC Madam. Or get any future side action that would appear to be a direct contradiction to the moral high road you have so gloriously chosen.

However, if you are caught in a "Dead Hooker", or a "Tussle in the Sheets", type situation. President Clinton's deny and lie approach will do well for you. Pretend to be outraged and dissappointed, make sure your wife is standing by your side, and leave no DNA.

Note: Records show McCain never got the memo. The page responsible for delivering the memo to McCain's office lost it while on a camp out with Congressman Mark Foley.

Come on America, McCain never got the memo.

Fantastic!

Thursday:

"And -- and you know, no matter what happens in this contest -- and I am honored. I am honored to be here with Barack Obama. I am absolutely honored."

- Hillary Clinton, at the debate in Austin

Saturday:

"People talk a lot about change. We have lived through some of the worst change that anyone could imagine the last seven years"

- Clinton, comparing Obama to Bush

Or check this out too:

Sunday:

"I could stand up here and say, let's just get everybody together, let's get unified, the sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing, and everyone will know we should do the right thing, and the world will be perfect."

- Clinton mocking Obama's message of hope

A word on experience. Clinton, as a 27-year old attorney in Arkansas, got a plea deal for an accused rapist by attacking the character of the 12-year old girl her client raped. How's THAT for experience? Frankly, I want none of it.

Obama is also responding to attacks on his patriotism from both the Clinton campaign and the GOP.

He's also responding to a myriad of Clinton attacks. Meanwhile, you can call the Clinton campaign to give advice on how to attack Obama. I bet the RNC is going to have a HUGE phone bill next month.

More on the Clinton support for NAFTA. And hey, my uncle lost his job due to NAFTA, and he's a Mexican citizen whose skilled job got eliminated when his factory turned to making junk for the US market.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are trying to poll just how much sexism and racism they can get away with before being labeled as such. Erm, just fess up that you are. Most of us aren't so delusional we don't already know that.

And this? I just found it hilarious:

And when asked, Obama was honest in saying that if he lost as many primaries and caucuses as she has, he'd be getting much more pressure to quit. Hell, they ran off Giuliani after only six losses. She's up to 11.

Is is just me, or am I not the only one who, frankly, would love to hear a celestial choir sing more than I would listen to another "worthless" word from Shrillary?

Wow. I mean, I know it's a parody, but this is EXACTLY what Shrillary sounds like these days.

So wrong, but so good...

Above is how close the Obama campaign is to reaching a million distinct contributors. Want to know how fast this number grows? It was around 960,000 this morning.

You can go to the main site and get your donation matched dollar for dollar.

Or you can go to my fundraising page at the Obama site. I can't promise I'll match your contribution, but I can at least try. I mean, I will do so if the amount isn't too much, but we're not exactly made of money here.

Either way, the campaign wins, so I'm happy with that.

This guy keeps coming back from the dead. And I can't tell whether he's being honest, in the pocket of Hillary Clinton, or just wants some more Republican money like he got in 2004.

What I *do* know is that I have no interest in listening to what he has to say. Not that he's incorrect on most of his assessments; but really, what possible good does he expect to achieve this time around?

"I absolutely repudiate such comments and again, I will take responsibility....It will never happen again. It will never happen again."

- John McCain, showing how to be a proper opponent

So, some Racist Republican SOB warms up a crowd for John McCain and says some truly vile crap about Barack Obama. McCain hears about it later and apologizes for the comments being said and distancing himself from it.

A couple points to make here.

One, John McCain is a tad classier than I give him credit for. I'm not voting for him, and I don't condone his ability to overlook attacks on his family and friends by his party. I certainly don't want to endorse a 100 year war or turning a blind eye to torture.

Actually, I *still* have problems with the guy...

That said, point two, Hillary Clinton could learn a lot from John McCain when it comes to listening to the tiny voice that confuses character assassination with taking the high road. McCain heard someone said something vile and immediately found a microphone. Clinton stands silently while hate speech is said in her presence.

Go figure. Hillary is more Republican than McCain.

Point three, McCain can only do this for so long before he has to leave his party. The GOP is just chock-full of asshats like Bill Cunningham. Either that or its a sleazy campaign strategy. Either way, he's going to have to face reality at some point.

From Merriam-Webster (look it up yourself if interested):

denounce

Main Entry:
de·nounce Listen to the pronunciation of denounce
Pronunciation:
\di-ˈnau̇n(t)s, dē-\
Function:
transitive verb
Inflected Form(s):
de·nounced; de·nounc·ing
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French denuncier to proclaim, from Latin denuntiare, from de- + nuntiare to report — more at announce
Date:
13th century

1: to pronounce especially publicly to be blameworthy or evil
2 archaic a: proclaim b: to announce threateningly
3: to inform against : accuse
4 obsolete : portend
5: to announce formally the termination of (as a treaty)

And now, Hillary Clinton's idea of strong language:

reject

Main Entry:
1re·ject Listen to the pronunciation of 1reject
Pronunciation:
\ri-ˈjekt\
Function:
transitive verb
Etymology:
Middle English, from Latin rejectus, past participle of reicere, from re- + jacere to throw — more at jet
Date:
15th century

1 a: to refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use
b: to refuse to hear, receive, or admit : rebuff, repel
c: to refuse as lover or spouse
2 obsolete : to cast off
3: throw back, repulse
4: to spew out
5: to subject to immunological rejection

This of course, in relation to Timmah Russert and Hillary ganging up on Obama and trying to label him as an anti-Semite because Louis Farrakhan endorsed him the other day. Not that he was looking for the endorsement; but hey, Clinton will sink to any dirty trick she's got left in her bag o'tricks.

I don't know about you, but I think denounce sounds a lot worse.

Think Hillary wants to edit the Bible and make sure Peter "rejects" Christ three times instead of "denying"? Just throwing that out there.