Maryland became the eighth state to approve gay marriage.

As people find out that nothing unusual happens with gay marriage, states feel safe to let gay people have civil marriages with all the rights and privileges thereupon.

While there’s still a referendum coming, the example of gay married Marylanders will help defuse that [...]]]>

There was actually good news today…

Maryland became the eighth state to approve gay marriage.

As people find out that nothing unusual happens with gay marriage, states feel safe to let gay people have civil marriages with all the rights and privileges thereupon.

While there’s still a referendum coming, the example of gay married Marylanders will help defuse that issue.

The Egyptian Hostages are free and coming home.

Another foreign policy success for Obama. So much for that “Black Jimmy Carter” thing….except for the improved situation in the Middle East, and a second start with alternative energy, and finally getting the health care that Jimmy tried to get. Maybe in a second term he’ll try to get the relaxation on pot that Jimmy tried to get as well.

I think this will be the Wylie Coyote Election for the Republicans. If you take a second look, Mitt Romney is an even worse candidate than John McCain, who at least had the cachet of being a war hero and Sarah Palin. Mitt has simply nothing to inspire the imagination or [...]]]>

A comment of mine from Balloon Juice:

I think this will be the Wylie Coyote Election for the Republicans.
If you take a second look, Mitt Romney is an even worse candidate than John McCain, who at least had the cachet of being a war hero and Sarah Palin. Mitt has simply nothing to inspire the imagination or excitement or even confidence in his own base. That would be bad enough, but the Mormon thing dogs him terribly in the South. He will be forced to take Santorum on as a running mate, as everyone else with prospects decide that waiting until 2016 is a better bet.

After that, everything backfires-the voter suppression suppresses the “wrong” people and is elsewhere ineffective against a Republican base that refuses to turn out for Romney, Democrats who are terrified of Santorum being only a heartbeat away, and an economy that despite higher gas prices, street battles in Europe, and saberratting in the Middle East, refuses to sink.

Obama, 55-42, we will lose Nebraska and Dorgan’s seat, will hold Missouri and give coat-tails to Claire McCaskill and flip Massachusetts back again. We hold Senate by a thin margin, and flip the House.

Americans Select will have to settle for a last-minute candidate, and gets about a million votes, all too scattered to affect anything.

The Wyle Coyote part for voting is that the elderly who are more likely to vote Republican stay home due to lack of id issues, while a massive campaign in the minority community gets everybody an id in the meanwhile. So Republicans really lose the Senior vote that they need, and some folks squeak through.

Pessimists who think about Baby Bush forget that the Democratic Party in 2000 and 2004 was a mess-underfunded, disorganized, and lacking a real ground game.

Both Kerry and Gore were woefully underfunded because they took matching funds, leaving the massive funds raised in the primary on the table. They relied on unions and independent groups to get out the vote, meaning there was no coordinated get-out-the-vote that could have meant the difference. There was no Election Protection to help people kept away from the polls.

Those things would have made the difference back in 2004 and 2008. Victory in 2008 was because of those hard lessons.

And remember Shrub just barely won both times under dubious circumstances and left with one of the lowest approval ratings in Presidential history.

We Democrats tend to forget how far we have come from those disorganized, underfunded days of 2000, and the time when Clinton used the DNC as his personal campaign office. It’s a stronger party now, with more attention to grass-roots and local politics thanks to Dean.

And Chicago hard-nosed politics is not adverse to throwing elbows against Mitt Romney. And they will throw an anvil to Wylie Mitt or Wylie Santorum if necessary. The only difference will be the weight needed for either to sink quietly below the waves.

One of the many reasons I love the Stephanie Miller show. What other political show has so much fun and so [...]]]>

What Height Is That Tree by Mike In Raleigh

One of the many reasons I love the Stephanie Miller show. What other political show has so much fun and so much humor?

It’s clear now about why the drones were sent. Who among that crowd would have tried to even turn over al-Alawaki, let only try him for terrorism?

Christmas morning, a young man who he supplied with a strap-on bomb lit it on a crowded airliner over Detroit. It was alert passengers who were not going to die [...]]]>

http://www.lawfareblog.com/2012/02/justice-department-memo-on-al-aulaqi-and-abdulmutallab/

It’s clear now about why the drones were sent. Who among that crowd would have tried to even turn over al-Alawaki, let only try him for terrorism?

Christmas morning, a young man who he supplied with a strap-on bomb lit it on a crowded airliner over Detroit. It was alert passengers who were not going to die that day that stopped him. But he wasn’t going to be the last. But next time what someone else gets sent who’s more competent, and this time the passengers were ill, distracted, or things had gone to the point where it was too late to stop him? At least al-Alawaki knew he was a possible target. At least the bomber was prepared to die. But why should a mother taking her kids home for the holidays die for al-Alawakis delusions?

I understand the gut reaction regarding drones. There’s a terrifying thought of being the hunted, looking up at a clear sky at something that kills and cannot be reasoned with unlike a person who could be asked to exercise mercy. But death is death, and in war, it’s an ugly business. But why are drones worse than the other methods used to kill? Back when Osama was targeted with a cruise missle, nobody talked about how terrible that was, or how we should have brought Osama back to the United States for trial from a place where there was no law at all. And BTW, could that strike have delayed the horror for several months as alQueda tried to regroup, or minimized the damage as potential recruits realized that visiting Osama might be a one-way trip to paradise? We probably won’t know that until the records are de-classified decades from now.

Emo-progs fail to realize that sometimes a President must make hard choices that skirt the edge of the Constitution. Dropping bombs on Hiroshima. No habeus corpus in Baltimore in 1862. There are no easy answers when dealing with the weighing of the quantity of lives to be saved. A dropped bomb, or hundreds of thousands more killed in house-to-house fighting. Allowing Washington to be captured by the Confederates, and then many more massacared for daring to oppose slavery and Disunion or an iron hand. Killing al-Alawaki or waiting until one of his minions get lucky and blow up an airliner filled with people who just want to go home from vacation. Sometimes “preserve, protect, and defend” the Constitution means actions that are none to pretty or none too clear.

Romney wins big, as expected. And probably should have. He, except for Ron Paul, has the only really organized ground game and the money. Organization and preparation is 99% of victory-and survival. Those will drag his ass across the finish line, limp, tired and a little battered. But a win is a win, even if it [...]]]>

Romney wins big, as expected. And probably should have. He, except for Ron Paul, has the only really organized ground game and the money. Organization and preparation is 99% of victory-and survival. Those will drag his ass across the finish line, limp, tired and a little battered. But a win is a win, even if it isn’t with style points.

Santorum has only a couple of weeks. He hasn’t raised enough money to contend in places where precincts are the size of zip codes, and the churches haven’t really done all that much. Add his personal problems, and he’s probably phoning it in at times. I expect him to quit before Super Tuesday. His campaign doesn’t have much appeal beyond places where his church network can do one on one campaigning.

Ron Paul isn’t really running for the nomination-in my opinion. He knows that Americans aren’t going to vote in a 76year old Representative into the Oval Office. What I believe he’s running for is to transform the Republican Party. In such a quest, it really doesn’t matter whether Romney wins or loses the Presidency. Paul plans to quietly infuse the Republican Party with his ideals. If he gets enough delegates to matter, Paul could help write the platform and get members on key committees that could later organize Party organizations. Think of Paulites taking over a local party agency-like Deaniacs were encouraged to do. Like Obama people will be encouraged to do after 2013 in order to make permanent “Change We Can Believe In”. So he will go to the Convention regardless of the outcome-and may even win a few caucuses and even a primary once Romney turns his attention to the General Election.

Newt is looking for a chance to get even. If he can force Romney to spend precious dollars and time fighting him off, he can sabotage Mitt’s race, even the General Election one. Depriving Mitt of a win either way will be revenge enough for him. He will go as long as the money lasts. He doesn’t care about the future-his or the nations.

A common thing among all the remaining Republicans is that none of them really have a day job. Romney hasn’t had one since 2006, Santorum was defeated back in 2006, and Newt and Ron Paul ditto. So there is little incentive to actually quit campaigning short of debt or the convention. Why quit when campaigning keeps you active, gives you positive feedback from the crowd, and helps make you contacts you can use later? This is what makes this Republican Primary so surreal. Lacking a connection to public service of any kind, they’ve lost touch with what’s real. Moon bases? Campaigning on ending contraception? Obama a failure? Returning to the gold standard?

So the Show will go on to the expected end.

http://www.bareknuckles.org/bkp/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=820 Newt In 2012? Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 12:40 am by Carol Johnson Duharat Lately we’ve heard speculation that Newt Gingrich could make his way to the nomination in 2012. With the otherwise lackluster group so far, it’s not impossible to think that Newt just might get the nomination. He’s still popular with some Republicans, can raise [...]]]>

Newt In 2012?

http://www.bareknuckles.org/bkp/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=820
Newt In 2012?
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 12:40 am
by Carol Johnson Duharat
Lately we’ve heard speculation that Newt Gingrich could make his way to the nomination in 2012. With the otherwise lackluster group so far, it’s not impossible to think that Newt just might get the nomination. He’s still popular with some Republicans, can raise funds, and has enough political savvy to run a decent race.

Of course, he has a ton of deficits, but like Sarah Palin, he may be just good enough to win despite them against a weak field. And unlike Sarah, he can raise some money and follow directions. No, he’s not charming,but smarmy and arrogant, but the Republicans don’t have many people dripping with charm either, and they’ve stopped even trying to find someone who does appeal to anyone other than hard-core Repubs anyway.

And he can’t wait four more years for an open race where he would be running against younger and more talented Republicans in the Presidential Primary, jockeying for a true open seat.

Pretty Prescient. Nobody thought that Newt would even be in the race back then.

(Courtesy Christian Science Monitor)

Newt wins. I never thought I would say those words. As someone who remembers Newt’s antics back in the 1990′s, I can only hold my breath and wonder just when he self-destructs in some spectacular manner. While the people of South Carolina don’t care, I imagine Republicans elsewhere must be wondering [...]]]>

(Courtesy Christian Science Monitor)

Newt wins. I never thought I would say those words. As someone who remembers Newt’s antics back in the 1990′s, I can only hold my breath and wonder just when he self-destructs in some spectacular manner. While the people of South Carolina don’t care, I imagine Republicans elsewhere must be wondering if another shoe will drop-a long-term groupie or some financial shenagans that make Mitt’s money weaseling look positively frugal.

The people who won the South Carolina primary for him-only 10% of his voters were under 40. Talk about out of touch to say the least with economic and social realities-snowbird whites who live in gated communities, elderly locals who resent the changes in society. Talk about the cranky vote. Angry and uninspiring and out of touch never Presidential elections. Ask McCain, snoozing his way through what will be his last term, ending not in a blaze of glory but with reciminations between him and the Palin grifter.

So the Romneybot will need some rebooting. And will Reboot in a nasty way. Romney is of the class that’s used to getting is way, and if they don’t, they get really nasty. There was no way he could get at war hero McCain back in 2008, but Newt just might have enough ammo for a fulll-scale assault, fair or foul.

It should be interesting.

And here is Harry Truman on [...]]]>

While Obama isn’t the first musical President, he’s the only one who could have had a career as a professional singer….example this video:

And here is Harry Truman on the Piano:

Primary Results

Touchscreens. I think they should be banned on principle. I know enough about computers to know the easiest key to operate is a delete key, and it’s possible through algorithms to shift votes. And I’m one of those people who at the most can handle her own website. Experts can do [...]]]>

South Carolina Primary Day Weather

Primary Results

Touchscreens. I think they should be banned on principle. I know enough about computers to know the easiest key to operate is a delete key, and it’s possible through algorithms to shift votes. And I’m one of those people who at the most can handle her own website. Experts can do far worse, and probably have. Expertise does not give a person ethics, and even good people can be paid. Newt and others better hope that Romney hasn’t greased a few palms beforehand or owns stock in the company. I prefer mail-in paper ballots for a trail and to keep them at least scared, if not honest

Security or shoeshine, he lives the life of the 1%

While today and the media attention is focused on Republicans, Democrats aren’t idle. Democrats are taking advantage of a very rare opportunity-a noncompetitive Presidential Primary- to train, organize, and register voters. (The last such opportunity was back in 1996 with Clinton)Which impresses me to no end about the Obama people. They don’t sit around and miss opportunities to improve their game. I don’t know how Clinton did it in his year, but I bet it was nothing like this kind of forethought and organizing.

http://www.facebook.com/ofa.sc

Back in 1996 I wasn’t on the internet (I got my own stuff back in 1998), so I wasn’t aware of what Clinton did with his non-competitive primary, and I was also absorbed with personal stuff. Could anyone tell me what that was like?