The Supreme Irony of Life...

Send Joe Packing

2008-11-07T10:31:00.004-06:00

I don't understand why there has to be a protracted discussion about Joe Lieberman's future in the Democratic Caucus. It's one thing to disagree with the party on issues. It's another thing altogether when your disagreement leads to actively campaigning for your party's defeat.

Lieberman should be stripped of his committee chairmanship, reagardless of whether he threatens to bolt the party or not. Democrats don't need "supporters" like that.

The Real Good News Story from Last Night

2008-11-05T11:03:00.002-06:00

After the record setting 2004 election, the predictions were that 2008 was going to be another banner year for voter participation.

As it turns out, that was the case:

More than 130 million people turned out to vote Tuesday, the most ever to vote in a presidential election.

With ballots still being counted in some precincts into Wednesday morning, an estimated 64 percent of the electorate turned out, making 2008 the highest percentage turnout in generations.

In 2004, 122.3 million voted in what was then the highest recorded turnout in the contest between President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.).

This, more than anything else, give me great hope.

Regardless of which party one supports, the fact that we are seeing such great participation from Americans means alot. While listening to the C-Span call-in segment after Obama's acceptance speech, I heard some people who demonstrate a profound ignorance about Obama (and some about McCain), these people are a tiny minority, and their impact on the outcome is blunted, and overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people who chose to participate.

Let's hope this trend continues.

President Obama

2008-11-04T22:03:00.000-06:00

Get used to it.

Poor Lanny Davis

2008-11-04T15:27:00.004-06:00

After watching his pal Joe Lieberman sink into the abyss, he tries his hand at the new meme:

Whether Barack Obama or John McCain wins the presidency today, it should be clear that at no other time since 1864 have the need and the chance for a bipartisan coalition government been greater.

With the American public seemingly ready to vote in a Democratic President, and expanded Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, what gives Lanny Davis the idea that the American public wants a bipartisan Obama administration?

Oh, that's right. The beltway punditocracy wants that, so they can pretend they are still relavent.

Lies of Omission, or Just Plain Ignorance?

2008-11-04T12:39:00.003-06:00

The Right is all up in arms, because supposedly Republican poll watchers are being ejected from Philadelphia polling stations:

Both campaign finance fraud and voter fraud have become significant elements of the Democrats' electoral strategy. Reform is urgently needed, but the Democrats won't let it happen.

However, and with most breathless pronouncements from the likes of Powerline, redstate.com, and the like, there is more, much more than they want you to know.

Namely, not just Republican poll watchers, but, all poll watchers are being asked to leave, because of overcrowding:

Leventhal spoke to a Republican poll watcher who said he'd only be allowed "intermittent" access to watching people vote; a Democratic poll watcher said the same thing. That's because it's the law -- observers can check in and make sure everything's running as it should, but watchers can't just take up space in a crowded precinct and watch every voter pick up a ballot.

The level of paranoia is outstanding to watch.

America's Finest News Source

2008-11-04T11:00:00.000-06:00

George Bush's latest press conference:

"So it's over, right? Can I stop being president now?" Bush said after striding to the podium in a Texas Rangers cap and flannel shirt, carrying a fully packed suitcase. "Let's just say I'm done as of now. Presidency over." When informed by Washington Post reporter David Broder that his presidency would continue through early January, Bush stared at him quizzically, sighed, and shuffled silently back into the White House

*sigh*

76 more days.

The Counting is Fast and Furious

2008-11-04T09:04:00.003-06:00

The second round of vote tallys are in, from Hart's Location, New Hampshire.

The results?

Barack Obama: 17
John McCain: 10
Ron Paul: 2

I don't know if we can keep up this pace of counting ballots.

Vote

2008-11-04T08:47:00.001-06:00

Yes, today is the day to vote, even if you are a Democrat, and someone told you the Democrats are supposed to vote on Wednesday.

They lied to you. Shocking, I know.

Dixville Notch, New Hampshire

2008-11-03T23:12:00.002-06:00

The first votes counted in the 2008 Presidential election:

Barack Obama 15
John McCain 6

Welcome to election day (well, still 45 minutes from now here in Austin).

Barack Obama's Grandmother

2008-11-03T16:40:00.001-06:00

My condolences to Barack Obama and his family.

So Long, Farwell

2008-11-03T14:12:00.002-06:00

I don't know if flory is right, when she saysMcCain will ride off into the sunset with a hearty "Fuck You!" to the Republican Party, but nonetheless, reading her interpretation of McCain, I am reminded of Dylan Thomas' poem:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Now Is Not The Time ...

2008-11-03T11:09:00.003-06:00

For overconfidence.

I know that the polls show what could be an easy win for Barack Obama, however for those of you who are Formula One fans and saw the Brazilian Grand Prix yesterday, should know, it's not over until the checkered flag falls.

For those of you who didn't see the race, a quick summary.

Ferarri driver, Felipe Massa and McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton came into the final race of the F1 season battling for the drivers championship, separated by only a few points.

The final standings were going to be determined by where each driver finished the race. Approaching the final corner of the final lap, Hamilton was in sixth place, which would have given Massa the championship based on the number of race wins (they would have been tied in points, and the tie breaker is based on the number of wins, and other factors).

When Massa crossed the finish line it looked like he had the drivers crown in the bag, since Hamilton made a mistake, and dropped from fifth (the furthest back he could finish) to sixth. On the final corner, with rain falling, Toyota driver Timo Glock, on dry weather tires, could not hold his fourth place position and slid wide on the final corner, allowing Sebastien Vettel (5th), and Lewis Hamilton (6th), both on wet weather tires, to pass him giving Hamilton enough points to win.

The lesson here (other than that McLaren should have been fighting for a higher position throughout the race), is that eventhough the finish line is within sight, it's not over until it's over.

Make sure you, and all your friends and neighbors get out and vote.

And We're Back

2008-11-03T10:02:00.001-06:00

I don't know how much I will be able to keep this up, but for election night, I definitely will be watching.

Tomorrow will be a wild ride.

Goodbye.

2008-08-09T23:34:00.002-05:00

I hate to do this, because I truly enjoy working on this blog. However, because of my new job, I have to suspend daily writing on this blog.

I'm sure it has been obvious, to the few readers I have remaining.

At some point, in the not too distant future, I will resume writing this blog. However, for now, we have reached a stopping point.

Cheers,

David

Thought for the Day

2008-08-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

"It is dangerous for a national candidate to say things that people might remember."

--Eugene McCarthy

Thought for the Day

2008-08-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Charles Mackay
|||Yesterday 19:00|rss@quotationspage.com (Quotes of the Day)"Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one."

Thought for the Day

2008-08-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

"Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever."

--Albert Einstein

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

2008-08-05T13:00:00.000-05:00

Such is the message of Texas Republicans:

There’s a situation brewing around the state that I wanted you to know about. Barack Obama’s financial influence is being felt in key legislative races; I am seeing it in the field reports I’ve been reading these last several days.

Are you seeing it in [YOUR TOWN]? I’d appreciate any news or anecdotes you might have about local races.

In just 13 weeks voters will go to the polls for what promises to be the most important election cycle in decades. The stakes are high. We have skyrocketing property tax burdens. Businesses are struggling with the new margins tax. Spending by local government is out of control. And everyone is worried about the stability of our economy.

Barack Obama and his team are focused on drawing Texas’ district lines and consolidating power with the grow-government crowd. That’s right – Obama is committed to spending money here so he can influence our redistricting battles

It really is hard to overstate what this note from Empower Texans PAC means. Particularly when you have GOP state legislators calling on Libertarian candidates to withdraw for fear of Democrats being elected:

Tom Craddick, Suzanna Hupp and the Republican Party are shameful. The Republican Party of Texas started the 2008 cycle attempting to silence the voice of the voters by asking judges to remove candidates in Midland and Fort Worth. They failed. Now Craddick has a new tactic- remove a third party option all together.

PDiddle first reported on this story Sunday calling it "Republican Desperation".

Suzanna Hupp and Tom Craddick are rightfully concerned. We have strong Democratic incumbents and challengers like TexBlog PAC endorsed Chris Turner, Diana Maldonado, Sherrie Matula, and others like Robert Miklos, Joel Redmond, Joe Moody, and many many more.

The scary thing is the blatant disregard the Republican Party has toward Texas voters. Their desire for power and control means they are trying to actively remove third party candidates from the ballot.

Today, Laylan Copelin is reporting that Craddick is meeting with Libertarian's in the Speaker's office to ask them to remove their names. This is tantamount to being called into the principal's office and being asked to go to a different school or just drop out.

Just a year ago, I would never have believed for a moment that the Republican party would be feeling this insecure about their position in 2008. Certainly, trends have been pointing to a longer term realignment, more towards parity, rather than a Democratic resurgence, but there must be some real bad internal polling in the Texas GOP for them to pull out all the stops like this.

Good news all around, it seems.

Thought for the Day

2008-08-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

"In real life, unlike in Shakespeare, the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears. Things are not only what they are. They are, in very important respects, what they seem to be."

--Hubert H. Humphrey

The Honorable Saint John McCain

2008-08-05T09:08:00.002-05:00

Without putting too fine a point on it, there is literally nothing John McCain can do wrong:

In fact, it’s striking the way McCain simply can’t lose when it comes to media adulation — if he runs a positive, substantive, issue-driven campaign, media personalities will sing his praises. If he runs a negative, dishonest, character-assassination-style campaign, media personalities will still sing his praises, blaming his team of Karl Rove acolytes for steering John The Great in the wrong direction.

We talked yesterday about Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter, in an otherwise great column, falling into the same pattern. McCain, Alter argued, is waging a negative and dishonest campaign, but this is “out of sync with the real guy.” McCain may be on the attack, but his “heart’s not in it.” He’s foolishly taking the advice of “knuckleheads.” It’s that darn Steven Schmidt who deserves most of the blame.

It really is something to watch. No matter what the McCain campaign does (I am curious to see how far it could go, actually), the media will not hold the person whose name is on the campaign responsible.

No matter the lies or sleaze that gets tossed out, Saint John McCain is not responsible.

Via Memeorandum

More of This Please

2008-08-04T14:33:00.003-05:00

I believe that John McCain is an easy target for Barack Obama to go after. There is no need to go after him on personal issues, like the Republicans do regularly. He has been in Washington for 26+ years. There is an ample record that should make for easy pickings to break down the facade that the media has helped to erect.

Hopefully this will be the start of this campaign, and not a one off:

Barack Obama sought to regain the political offensive on Monday, painting John McCain as part of the problem when it comes to comprehensive energy reform. Quoting the Arizona Republican as saying that "our dangerous dependence on foreign oil has been thirty years in the making," Obama leveled one of the more direct criticisms he's offered in this campaign.

"What Senator McCain neglected to mention was that during those thirty years, he was in Washington for twenty-six of them," said the Senator. "And in all that time, he did little to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. He voted against increased fuel efficiency standards and opposed legislation that included tax credits for more efficient cars. He voted against renewable sources of energy. Against clean biofuels. Against solar power. Against wind power. Against an energy bill that -- while far from perfect -- represented the largest investment in renewable sources of energy in the history of this country. So when Senator McCain talks about the failure of politicians in Washington to do anything about our energy crisis, it's important to remember that he's been a part of that failure."

I have said repeatedly, in different forums, that this is the very tactic that the Obama campaign needs to run with this season.

There is so much that McCain has lingering out there, against him, that to not fully exploit it all is just silly.

Let's hope this is just the beginning.

Thought for the Day

2008-08-04T12:00:00.001-05:00

"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it."

--Malcolm Forbes

So What About That Anthrax Investigation?

2008-08-03T11:57:00.003-05:00

As Glenn Greenwald, continues to document, ABC News is protecting someone who has lied repeatedly:

Whoever fed ABC News the false "bentonite" stories weren't "sources" in any meaningful sense; they used ABC to disseminate to the public highly significant, and very consequential, lies. What possible justification is there for ABC to continue to protect the identity of those who deliberately foisted on the public such a destructive fraud?

ABC News is allowing itself to be part of a lie, and helping to disseminate those lies to the American public.

Either they abetted the lies, or were being played as fools, and with the revelation that they were duped, is still protecting the person(s) who have perpetrated this lie on the American public.

The fact that ABC News is still protecting their "source", indicates, to me anyway, that someone at the company knew what was happening, and approved of it.

The Stupid. It Still Burns

2008-08-01T14:25:00.003-05:00

The fine individuals over at Sadly, No! troll the Opinion section of the Wall Street Journal, so you don't have to.

They have uncovered the latest idiocy to emanate from their minds:

Too Fit to Be President?
Facing an Overweight Electorate, Barack Obama Might Find Low Body Fat a Drawback
By AMY CHOZICK
August 1, 2008; Page W1

Speaking to donors at a San Diego fund-raiser last month, Barack Obama reassured the crowd that he wouldn’t give in to Republican tactics to throw his candidacy off track.

“Listen, I’m skinny but I’m tough,” Sen. Obama said.

But in a nation in which 66% of the voting-age population is overweight and 32% is obese, could Sen. Obama’s skinniness be a liability? Despite his visits to waffle houses, ice-cream parlors and greasy-spoon diners around the country, his slim physique just might have some Americans wondering whether he is truly like them.

My god!

The good folks at WSJ are convinced that people will not vote for Barack Obama because he is fit?

Must be something in the water.

Thought for the Day

2008-08-01T14:20:00.001-05:00

“One of the indictments of civilizations is that happiness and intelligence are so rarely found in the same person.”

–William Feather