Apparently, President Bush has enough free time (while the media focuses on the Democratic Catfight between Obama and Hillary) to attend a taping of Deal or No Deal. That's right, President Bush is spending time making guest appearances on crappy NBC luck-based game shows instead of - what's that thing he's supposed to do? - oh yeah, run the freaking country.
Bush must have an affinity for showbiz, first breaking out a little tap dance a few weeks ago, and now this. Who knows, this could be a good thing! Judging by last week's Clinton/Edwards/Obama threesome on The Colbert Report, it appears Presidential candidates make for good guest stars. In fact, this could be a great thing if Bush were to make a stop on, oh, I don't know... The Daily Show?
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Monday, April 21, 2008
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
What's More Important--Being a Good Progressive or Being a Good Democrat?
I have to say that I'm more than a little intrigued by the prospective candidacy of Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the 2008 race for the presidency. Don't get me wrong---I'm still rockin' for Barack all day long, but Obama has a 1 in 3 chance to be the Democratic nominee at this point, if you believe in the current tiers of the race.
Here's what we as Democrats might be faced with next year:
Hillary Clinton vs Mike Bloomberg vs Any of the JackAss Repugs running. Obviously, none of us are going to run to the Dixipublicans, but we'll have a real dilemma in left vs center battle. And, in my view, our Democratic nominee would represent the center.
Bloomberg is pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, very green, anti-unilateralist, and sees politicians like himself as elected to solve problems---kinda like post-election Schwarzeneggar. And when we have people who run government believe in using the government to solve the nation's biggest problems---well, isn't that what progressives are all about?
Another thing to ponder---is it treasonous of me as not only a Dem voter but a local Dem officer to be having such blasphemous thoughts? I've been straight blue for as long as I can remember, but there's no doubt in my mind that I would cast a vote for Bloomberg over Clinton and others should they get the nomination, maybe even others considered more liberal than Bloomberg. I'm tired of the polarizing, and things need to get done. The planet is in crisis, and so is the nation's health. We need solutions. So, while I think Obama has the chance to be a generational leader, in the FDR/Kennedy tradition, I don't have that same belief about others.
Should I resign my position in the party now, or wait to see if BHO wins or not? In my heart, I'd like to think I know I'm progressive first, Dem second.
Here's what we as Democrats might be faced with next year:
Hillary Clinton vs Mike Bloomberg vs Any of the JackAss Repugs running. Obviously, none of us are going to run to the Dixipublicans, but we'll have a real dilemma in left vs center battle. And, in my view, our Democratic nominee would represent the center.
Bloomberg is pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, very green, anti-unilateralist, and sees politicians like himself as elected to solve problems---kinda like post-election Schwarzeneggar. And when we have people who run government believe in using the government to solve the nation's biggest problems---well, isn't that what progressives are all about?
Another thing to ponder---is it treasonous of me as not only a Dem voter but a local Dem officer to be having such blasphemous thoughts? I've been straight blue for as long as I can remember, but there's no doubt in my mind that I would cast a vote for Bloomberg over Clinton and others should they get the nomination, maybe even others considered more liberal than Bloomberg. I'm tired of the polarizing, and things need to get done. The planet is in crisis, and so is the nation's health. We need solutions. So, while I think Obama has the chance to be a generational leader, in the FDR/Kennedy tradition, I don't have that same belief about others.
Should I resign my position in the party now, or wait to see if BHO wins or not? In my heart, I'd like to think I know I'm progressive first, Dem second.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Green Genius
US Sen Barack Obama is taking control of the environmental issue at its very core---the manufacturing practices of US automakers. While we can talk all day about recycling and changing lightbulbs, the car manufacturers (30%) and power companies (40%) make up a full 70% of global warming-related activities.
Obama is showing strong, practical leadership in insisting that US automakers get in line with their European counterparts, and start making some headway on getting fuel efficiency standards on all US autos in the 40mpg + range in the coming years. He believes the federal government has two roles to play---first, obviously, by enacting and enforcing regulations on GM, Ford, and Daimler-Chrysler, but giving them tax incentives and employee healthcare benefits to spur the transition.
Obama's plan has been endorsed by the green giant of California, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, who has ignored his pals in the GOP in his quest to make California the greenest state. We've been spending all this time in the media trying to figure out Obama's racial identity, and I think we've discovered it---he's green.
Obama is showing strong, practical leadership in insisting that US automakers get in line with their European counterparts, and start making some headway on getting fuel efficiency standards on all US autos in the 40mpg + range in the coming years. He believes the federal government has two roles to play---first, obviously, by enacting and enforcing regulations on GM, Ford, and Daimler-Chrysler, but giving them tax incentives and employee healthcare benefits to spur the transition.
Obama's plan has been endorsed by the green giant of California, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, who has ignored his pals in the GOP in his quest to make California the greenest state. We've been spending all this time in the media trying to figure out Obama's racial identity, and I think we've discovered it---he's green.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Coming Out for Obama
I'm supporting Senator Obama for many reasons, but what put me over the top is his stand against and continued leadership in the US Senate regarding the Iraq War. I believe that the Iraq War is the greatest atrocity of a generation, in terms of what it has done to our military and their families, and, just as importantly, to the Iraqi people. I believe that George Bush and Dick Cheney fit the textbook definition of "war criminal," and many Democrats, fearing for their political lives four years ago, signed on as enablers of this awful, shambolic misadventure in American foreign policy. Among these enablers, unfortunately, were Hillary Clinton and John Edwards.
It's easy to dismiss Senator Clinton, because she's the consummate "finger-to-the-wind" politician, even more so than her husband, and she just joined the anti-war movement a few months ago. She expects us to forget what she has done---she didn't just vote for the resolution late in 2002, she was one of the staunchest hawks in a Congress that enabled Republicans to lay waste to our military and cause the deaths and maimings of over 30,000 American soldiers and tens of thousands (maybe even hundreds of thousands) of Iraqis.
Edwards is a little more difficult, but I must ultimately put him gently to the side as well. While he's still my "#2," assuming Gore doesn't take the plunge, saying you're sorry isn't enough. Edwards and Clinton are running all over the country saying things like "I'm accountable for my vote," or "I take responsibility for my vote." This is code language for "thanks for bringing that up, but let me dismiss that issue in one sentence."
True responsibility and true accountability often means that you face the rewards or consequences for your actions. And the consequence, for Sens Edwards and Clinton, is that they won't get my vote for President of the United States. When you see the carnage and waste (what EVIL profiteering we are seeing while Iraq burns and our own soldiers don't even have the boots and toiletries they need, much less body armor!), you have to remember that when these folks had their time in the hotseat, they wilted, either due to political calculation (Clinton) or just plain getting it wrong (Edwards, as he admits). While I admit that we can't know for sure how Obama would have voted as a US Senator had he been one at the time, we do know how Clinton and Edwards cast their respective lots.
So, while all the Dems would be a million times better than Bush, my choice is simple. While they all have great plans and records on the environment, healthcare, and helping the disenfranchised, not to mention women's reproductive rights and civil rights in general one, and only one, has an unblemished record of leadership on the number one issue in the realm of war and peace in our time---Barack Obama.
Even still, I love Edwards (and I really love the details of his plans for America), and I'll forgive him and give him my support if Obama fails in his run . But for now, I can forgive him and support somebody who's gotten this one right from the start. As angry as I've become about the war (see Anglico's blog about how Republicans treat the troops), I just can't support anybody in the primary who's got blood on his or her hands, even if it's just a small amount (Edwards) or covered with it (Clinton). I'm not trying to be vindictive---I love Edwards and can even bring myself to like Sen Clinton quite a bit sometimes, it's just how I'm making my choice.
It's easy to dismiss Senator Clinton, because she's the consummate "finger-to-the-wind" politician, even more so than her husband, and she just joined the anti-war movement a few months ago. She expects us to forget what she has done---she didn't just vote for the resolution late in 2002, she was one of the staunchest hawks in a Congress that enabled Republicans to lay waste to our military and cause the deaths and maimings of over 30,000 American soldiers and tens of thousands (maybe even hundreds of thousands) of Iraqis.
Edwards is a little more difficult, but I must ultimately put him gently to the side as well. While he's still my "#2," assuming Gore doesn't take the plunge, saying you're sorry isn't enough. Edwards and Clinton are running all over the country saying things like "I'm accountable for my vote," or "I take responsibility for my vote." This is code language for "thanks for bringing that up, but let me dismiss that issue in one sentence."
True responsibility and true accountability often means that you face the rewards or consequences for your actions. And the consequence, for Sens Edwards and Clinton, is that they won't get my vote for President of the United States. When you see the carnage and waste (what EVIL profiteering we are seeing while Iraq burns and our own soldiers don't even have the boots and toiletries they need, much less body armor!), you have to remember that when these folks had their time in the hotseat, they wilted, either due to political calculation (Clinton) or just plain getting it wrong (Edwards, as he admits). While I admit that we can't know for sure how Obama would have voted as a US Senator had he been one at the time, we do know how Clinton and Edwards cast their respective lots.
So, while all the Dems would be a million times better than Bush, my choice is simple. While they all have great plans and records on the environment, healthcare, and helping the disenfranchised, not to mention women's reproductive rights and civil rights in general one, and only one, has an unblemished record of leadership on the number one issue in the realm of war and peace in our time---Barack Obama.
Even still, I love Edwards (and I really love the details of his plans for America), and I'll forgive him and give him my support if Obama fails in his run . But for now, I can forgive him and support somebody who's gotten this one right from the start. As angry as I've become about the war (see Anglico's blog about how Republicans treat the troops), I just can't support anybody in the primary who's got blood on his or her hands, even if it's just a small amount (Edwards) or covered with it (Clinton). I'm not trying to be vindictive---I love Edwards and can even bring myself to like Sen Clinton quite a bit sometimes, it's just how I'm making my choice.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Another reason I'm proud to be a Democrat
Just this weekend, a good, dual illustration of why I'm proud to be a Democrat:
In Washington, conservatives gathered to hoot and laugh at a Democrat being the object of a homophobic slur.
While in Selma, Alabama, the leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination were competing to show who has taken the greatest stand for and has the greatest appreciation for the civil rights movement in their respective careers.
When we talk about character issues defining parties/candidates/campaigns, let it be said that the Democrats stand up for the least among us so that we are all better for it.
In Washington, conservatives gathered to hoot and laugh at a Democrat being the object of a homophobic slur.
While in Selma, Alabama, the leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination were competing to show who has taken the greatest stand for and has the greatest appreciation for the civil rights movement in their respective careers.
When we talk about character issues defining parties/candidates/campaigns, let it be said that the Democrats stand up for the least among us so that we are all better for it.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Wasted
The Straight Talk Express is off the rails, for sure. John McCain now apologizes for saying the lives of 3100 service men and women have been "wasted" in Iraq. He claims he should have used the word "sacrificed" instead, after the Democratic National Committee hit out against him for his "calloused" comment.
This is ironic, because Barack Obama was lambasted by the right-wing hit machine for using identical terminology when he announced for president and referred to the "wasted" lives of US soldiers in Iraq.
For once, I agree with both McCain and Obama. Before they were chastised and backpedalled as a result, they were speaking the truth. Those lives have been wasted. Dictionary.com defines waste as "uselessly employed." That's a pretty accurate description of folks who have been sent to the wrong country to fight a war! That's pretty damn useless if you ask me.
If I were McCain or Obama, I'd amplify my comment, not backpedal from it. I'd say that Dubya has TRAGICALLY wasted American lives in Iraq and brought chaos to the Iraqi people.
This is ironic, because Barack Obama was lambasted by the right-wing hit machine for using identical terminology when he announced for president and referred to the "wasted" lives of US soldiers in Iraq.
For once, I agree with both McCain and Obama. Before they were chastised and backpedalled as a result, they were speaking the truth. Those lives have been wasted. Dictionary.com defines waste as "uselessly employed." That's a pretty accurate description of folks who have been sent to the wrong country to fight a war! That's pretty damn useless if you ask me.
If I were McCain or Obama, I'd amplify my comment, not backpedal from it. I'd say that Dubya has TRAGICALLY wasted American lives in Iraq and brought chaos to the Iraqi people.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Finally, John Kerry speaks up for himself!
It only took three years to do it, but the JFK who didn't become President is finally standing up to the Swift Boat Veterans for Smearing Democrats. The Naked Emperor nominated one of the Swifties' biggest donors, Sam Fox ($50,000), for the position of ambassador to Belgium.
And guess who's sitting on the commitee that approves the nomination for full Senate advise and consent: poor old John Kerry. And with our man Barack having his back, Kerry will most certainly derail Fox's nomination. I can't see someone engaged in what Kerry called "personal destruction" getting a paid vacation to western Europe.
Allez Jean Kerry!
And guess who's sitting on the commitee that approves the nomination for full Senate advise and consent: poor old John Kerry. And with our man Barack having his back, Kerry will most certainly derail Fox's nomination. I can't see someone engaged in what Kerry called "personal destruction" getting a paid vacation to western Europe.
Allez Jean Kerry!
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