Ablative Absolute

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noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:52:00 +0000

iPsychohistory

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:39:00 +0000

Days like yesterday, I secretly hope that Steve Jobs is Hari Seldon and he has already recorded keynotes for WWDC 2010 - 2050 in a vault somewhere.

Rick Santorum is Making Sense

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:43:00 +0000

Former Senator Man-on-Dog writes:

Obama also faces the reality of needing at least one Republican senator to join him to break filibusters. Many speculate that three moderate Republicans will provide the necessary Senate votes and the imprimatur of bipartisanship.

Still, Obama and the GOP moderates will not produce the kind of post-partisan harmony that Obama promised and the public now expects.

But I believe Obama has an ace in the hole among Senate Republicans. This unlikely ace can deliver not only the GOP moderates needed to break a filibuster, but also the stamp of bipartisanship: the 2008 GOP standard bearer, John McCain.

Santorum's essential point -- as much as it pains him to say it -- is that McCain, in an effort to rebuild his damaged image with the public and, more importantly, the media will now go back to tweaking the conservative GOP leadership who has done him no favors.

I believe that this is essentially correct. Further, I would wager that John McCain will, in the next four years, regain his position as the Democrats' favorite Republican Senator by delivering the dwindling block of Republican moderates and McCain buddies to Obama on critical legislation.

This is why it was smart of Obama to absolve McCain buddy Joe Lieberman of his sins, as well as nominate McCain's chief 2010 rival Janet Napolitano to Obama's cabinet.

For immediate evidence of this theory, look no further back than yesterday, when Lindsay Graham publicly supported Tim Geithner's nomination and, as Politico noted, lended "yet another bipartisan boon for President-elect Barack Obama."

Are Retiring Republican Senators More Likely To Support Obama?

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Here is a question I can't figure out: will retiring Republicans, freed from their need to appeal to their base, be more likely to support President Obama's agenda?

I assume the answer is yes, but I'm actually not so sure.

Obviously we need to distinguish between more moderate and conservative Republican retirees (i.e., Martinez & Bond vs. Brownback.)

The question does assume that their is some sort of objective "correct position" in the national interest on the issues that Republicans only stray from in order to play political games. Thus, freed from that game-playing obligation, the Senator will be free to maximize national interests, having eliminated their need to play to the base.

A good example of this is Specter, who I imagine is saber rattling on Holder more because of Pat Toomey's looming primary challenge than any real umbrage. I think this is exacerbated because of Specter's particular vulnerability on justice issues from the Conservative base. (It will be interesting to see how Specter treats Obama's judicial nominees. Harshly, I'd assume.)

But I'm not so sure that the retiring Republican votes on Obama's agenda are so assured. Take the auto-bailout bill. Martinez (who I believe had announced his retirement at that point, but certainly knew about it) still voted against it -- I'm not sure about how much foreign auto production occurs in Florida.

It is interesting to note that Bond was one of 3 Republicans south of the Mason-Dixon line (retirees J. Warner & Dole were the others) to vote for the bill. (Actually, come to thnk of it, Brownback also voted for the bailout.)

Joe Biden Gets a Puppy

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 06:04:00 +0000

Turns out Malia and Sasha weren't the only ones who were promised a puppy:

Biden's wife, Jill, made the same assurance to her husband if he and Obama, his running mate, won the election.

Jill Biden had taped pictures of different dogs on the back of the seat in front of Biden on his campaign plane to inspire the candidate as he crisscrossed the country in the final sprint to election day, according to published reports during the campaign.

Would you buy a used car company from this man?

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:28:00 +0000

This strikes me as rather inspired and sensible. From everyone's favorite sock-wearing former Governor:

We also know that the incipiency of bankruptcy tends to focus the mind and produce real offers. Why don't we tell the current Big Three that $25 billion in capital is available—but only to two of them? The surviving two will be those that submit the best, and final, binding bids, supported by all the necessary constituencies: boards, managers, suppliers, vendors, creditors, and the UAW.

Fascinating...

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:07:00 +0000

Instead of being John McCain's strongest argument, the McCain campaign now thinks that the surge--specifically Bush's post-2006 election co-option of the strategy--did him in.

Ambinder:

McInturff, McCain's pollster, told a story.: "The point was, we do the surge, John's been for it from like, 2004,45 and 6, we are the leading critic of the Bush administration, and then we get to January of '07, and then, guess what, the Bush administration ...adopts the surge, we go on TV in January on Meet the Press, and I said 'we have to say, over and over and over again, here's where I've been for years, and the president's behind me... and John was very, very tempered in a way that really affected our numbers with the base."

[...]

"What really happened," McInturff said, "was that John McCain really became President Bush's spokesperson on Iraq."

The 3OBARACK Story

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:23:00 +0000

From our humble beginnings at Camp Obama - Los Angeles in August 2008 to our final Election Weekend of phonebanking at Culver Studios with 1,650 people making 117,000+ calls to battleground states.

Enjoy.

The best moment of the night

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:11:00 +0000

I have to be honest, the whole thing still hasn't quite sunk in for me. But in the height of yesterday's craziness, the campaign asked us to make 5,000 emergency calls to New Hampshire in one hour before the polls closed.

In that melee, I saw a guy waiting around who had no cellphone. Without thinking, I handed him my iPhone and told him to get calling.

I completely lost track of him over the next hour and a half, which started to stress me out.

I eventually did find him and he returned my phone intact. (And yes, I did check to see how many calls he made. 64 calls in 2 hours. Man, the Obama campaign is good.)

Then, about two hours later, after McCain conceded and Obama was about to give his speech, I got a call from a strange number--and I picked up.

The woman's voice on the other end of the line said: "Hello, California?"

"Yes?"

"This is Iowa. We want to thank you for everything you guys did for us!"

The floor cheered.

Who Are You?

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:13:00 +0000

The Pessimist
You've seen this story before. Democrats, poised for victory in the White House, get it stolen away at the last minute. Maybe it's because of faulty voting machines, citizens stricken from the voting rolls, dirty tricks, judicial fiat, or maybe we just get out-hustled at the last minute. Whatever the case, you wake up Wednesday morning devastated and wondering how this could come to pass.

And now this year is no different. You're looking at those critical battleground state polls and seeing tightening across the board. Those people who were undecided just a week ago now seem to be flocking to John McCain, and the Republicans are guaranteeing victory. After the last eight years, you cannot understand why.

The country's character is about to be tested, and you harbor dark thoughts about the secret feelings that live deep inside America's psyche.

You are beside yourself with anxiety--and don't know what to do.

Here is the only prescription for your ailment:

Get involved. Come to our phonebank and be inspired by the hundreds of other people who care enough to call voters across the country urging them to vote and to make the right decision.

Instead of sitting helplessly watching MSNBC, do something. Make a difference.

Click here to sign up to come TODAY.
Click here to sign up to come on ELECTION DAY.

The Optimist
After eight years, it is almost "Morning in America"...again. You look at the television and see tens of thousands of Democratic voters in Atlanta, Georgia willing to stand in line for eight hours to vote early for Barack Obama. You're looking at those critical national polls and seeing widening across the board. The independents and moderate Republicans are flocking to Barack Obama. After the last eight years, you understand why.

You see Democrats united as they have never been before. You see prominent Republicans endorsing Barack and Joe. You start hearing terms like "filibuster-proof majority," "landslide" and "mandate"--and you think this could happen. You're seeing polls with Barack tied or ahead in states like North Carolina and Indiana---and Georgia and North Dakota!

For you, this is not about getting 270 electoral votes--this is about getting 370. About crushing the soul of the party who has steered America on the wrong course. Years like "1932" and "1980" come to mind, where the entire political map was redrawn for decades.

You don't just want to win. You want to win big.

You want to run up the score.

And most of all, you cannot wait to celebrate the biggest transformation of American politics in your lifetime.

You are beside yourself with excitement--and don't know what to do.

Come celebrate with us. Come to our phonebank and begin the party early. Enjoy meeting fellow Obama supporters and share your stories and enthusiasm and be a part of history.

Click here to sign up to come TODAY.
Click here to sign up to come on ELECTION DAY.

---

We cannot do this without you. The entire Obama campaign is premised on two things: a once-in-a-lifetime candidate, and the support of energized volunteers who believe that we can make a difference.

Let me know if you have any questions -- I hope to see all of you there.

Barackbar!

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:27:00 +0000

These are getting better and fancier

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:51:00 +0000

Do it for this little guy

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:21:00 +0000

Election Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:33:00 +0000

"Don’t believe for a second this election is over. Don’t think for a minute that power concedes. We have to work like our future depends on it in this last week, because it does."

-Barack Obama, October 28th, 2008.

---

Many of you have been asking how you can help the most on Election Day.

Here is the answer.

Next Tuesday, we are going to be running one of the biggest, most powerful Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Phonebanks in the entire country. California is going to make the vast majority of GOTV calls for the entire Obama Campaign on election day.

We have a soundstage at Culver Studios that will be able to seat 200 people.

Starting at 6 AM, we are going to start calling the East Coast. Then, hour by hour, we are going to work our way across the country with states selected by the Obama campaign based on the exit polling they are receiving on Election Day in real time.

We will be calling the most important, highest leverage voters in the country -- the voters that we have to turn out in the states that we have to win. Quite simply, there is nothing you can do to make a bigger difference on Election Day.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Sign up for a shift by clicking here.

We really need you to officially sign up, because the campaign wants to know how many callers we are going to have.

2. If you can, take November 4th off---if you can't take the whole day, please come for a couple of hours before work, during lunch, or after work.

3. Bring your friends.

4. Come to The Megabank!
Culver Studios – Stage 2
9336 West Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232

5. Please forward this to all of your Obama supporting friends in Los Angeles. In order to make this work, we need hundreds of callers even for an hour or two.

6. If you can't make it, you can help by donating food and drinks for our hungry and thirsty callers! (and if you are coming, please feel free to bring snacks or food, potluck style too.)

Click here for more information.

I hope to see you there.

Obama's Closer

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:54:00 +0000

He's awesome.

7 Days to go.

Et tu, Romney?

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:21:00 +0000

Remember when I said that Mitt Romney would try and sink Sarah Palin behind the scenes?

Gotcha.

Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers, some of whom are currently working for Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin's bid for the White House, have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election. "Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012," says one former Romney aide, now working for McCain-Palin. "The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney. He's in charge on November 5th."

Jon Hamm and SNL

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:15:00 +0000

It may be a bit premature and sacrilegious to say, but Jon Hamm's SNL appearance last night felt very much like an early 1990's Alec Baldwin episode.

That's pretty much my highest compliment possible.

True

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 13:54:00 +0000

On the heels of yesterday's Ron Howard nostalgia, a little memory lane for something a little more recent.

NY Times Endorsements

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:17:00 +0000

The New York Times's Presidential Endorsements through the years.

Abraham Lincoln, 1860:

Things will go on very much as they have hitherto—except that we shall have honesty and manliness instead of meanness and corruption in the Executive departments, and a decent regard for the opinions of mankind in the tone and talk of the Government on the subject of Slavery.

Good For Apple

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:15:00 +0000

From their start page:

No on Prop 8
Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.

Republicans Endorsing Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:54:00 +0000

Now that Colin Powell has sounded the call, there has seemed to be a constant drip-drip-dripping of moderate (and not-so-moderate) Republicans coming forth to endorse Obama.

It seems to be me that this trickle of GOP endorsements is being as effectively stage managed as the the stream of Democratic endorsements in the primaries.

Powell, of course, is by far the biggest, but the less prominent Republicans seem to be getting more and more prominent by the day.

A few days ago, it was a Wisconsin state senator.

Now, Republican former governors William Weld and Arne Carlson both endorsed Obama.

If I had to make a prediction, I think that the prominence of the Republicans coming out for Obama are going to get bigger and bigger.

Culminating with election eve endorsements from a pair of sitting Republican Senators in a very competitive state and district perhaps?

I also wouldn't be surprised about endorsements from Ross Perot and possibly Bloomberg in the next few days either.

UPDATE:
Slightly more obscure to the layperson, but symbolically powerful. Legal scholar Charles Fried just announced that he's voting for Obama. Besides being Reagan's Solicitor General, Fried was (until this morning) one of John McCain's legal advisors!

Ouch.

Little Opie Cunningham Endorses Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:09:00 +0000

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Joe the Plumb Crazy

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:45:00 +0000

Hoo-boy:

We have the tape of a 911 call made by John McCain's brother earlier this week.
He called the police emergency line because he was angry he was stuck in traffic.

The 911 call came into the City of Alexandria on Oct. 21st That's creating some buzz because it appears to come from Joe McCain, John McCain's brother.

Operator: 911 state your emergency

Caller: It's not an emergency but do you know why on one side at the damn drawbridge of 95traffic is stopped for 15 minutes and yet traffic's coming the other way?

Operator: Sir, are you calling 911 to complain about traffic? (pause)

Caller: "(Expletive) you." (caller hangs up)

John McCain's response: "Say it ain't so, Joe."

For Sarah

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:05:00 +0000

Now that she thinks she's going to run the Senate:

McCain goes full Bush

noreply@blogger.com (Sood) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:35:00 +0000

Brutal. Oof.