http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/23811

last thread

And remember: Howard is first!

Charlels in Montana -- sorry about the Edwards false alarm -- my bad for not reading the whole thing before spreading the 'news.'

Mike Huckabee just cheated at air hockey on Colbert--on almost national television. He cheated!

Bill Nelson speaks for Florida Democrats..."Absolutely not" to caucus.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1817

"But then we caught up with Bill Nelson today: "Absolutely not," he said when asked if caucuses might be a good idea. "It’s a huge cost."

You would think he was party boss or something.

floridagal - What on earth will happen in Florida and in Michigan for that matter? Is it true that even if they did seat the delegates that it would be almost 50/50 even though Clinton *won* there?

It really bothers me that Clinton left her name on the ballot in Michigan I might add. No one likes cheaters.

1:00 am EST

The possibility (again) of impeachment.

On Thursday, Chairman John Conyers' House Judiciary Committee held a hearing at which Attorney General Michael Mukasey said that he would not investigate torture (video) or warrantless spying (video), he would not enforce contempt citations (video), and he would treat Justice Department opinions as providing immunity for crimes (report).

None of this was new, but perhaps it touched something in Conyers that had not been touched before. Following the hearing, he and two staffers met for an hour and 15 minutes with two members of Code Pink to discuss impeachment.

Conyers expressed fear of what might happen following an impeachment, fear of installing a Bush replacement or losing an election. The "corporate power structure", he said, would not allow impeachment without unleashing "blowback." Conyers told Ellen Taylor and Manijeh Saba: "You need to be more than brave and courageous. You need to be smart."

Their response? They are asking people who care about justice to help them let Conyers know that the smart thing right now would be bravery and courage.

On Rosa Parks' birthday last week, Leslie Angeline began a fast for impeachment. Taylor and over 20 other activists have joined the fast. Conyers has agreed to meet with Angeline to discuss impeachment on Tuesday.

The Chairman told Taylor and Saba that he is listening to several advocates for impeachment, including Liz Holtzman and this author, and asked "So how would it look if I allowed two women to push me over the edge?" Conyers leaned out of his chair for dramatic effect.

A number of organizations will be sending their members this alert Monday morning:

    Let's push Conyers over the edge by flooding his office with phone calls, faxes, and Emails on Monday and Tuesday. Let him know that only impeachment hearings
    1-will make it on TV,
    2-will force compliance with subpoenas by eliminating "executive privilege",
    3-will hold brazen criminals accountable, and
    4-will convince voters that Democrats care about the Constitution.
    Call 202-225-5126
    Fax 202-225-0072
    Email john.conyers@mail.house.gov

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_david_sw_080207_conyers_says_he_s_on.htm 

We need to, at the very least , start impeachment to shoot a warning shot across the bow of the next prez.

Good morning, everybody

Boy, they must really be hard up for posts!! LOL 

5:22 AM EST

Colorado, 2/5/08 dem caucus win for Obama:

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/06/focus-on-iraq-war-worries-positioned-obama-for/?partner=yahoo

Focus on Iraq War worries positioned Obama for win

David Montero

Rocky Mountian News

Feb 6, 2008

...

5:24 AM EST

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/us/politics/06region.html

Obama Takes Connecticut, Helped by Lamont Voters

By DAVID W. CHEN

Published: February 6, 2008

Ned Lamont was not on the ballot, but his presence was nonetheless felt in Connecticut’s Democratic presidential primary.

...

voters who called Iraq the top issue who helped provide the margin of victory for Senator Barack Obama in Connecticut

...

Tuesday’s primary suggested that although he lacks a political office, Mr. Lamont, chairman of Mr. Obama’s campaign in Connecticut, might yet have a political legacy.

“The Lamont campaign was part of my political awakening,” said Bill Dauphin, 47, a technical writer who attended the Obama campaign’s victory party Tuesday night at the Sweet Jane Bar in Hartford. “That’s the thing that got me off the sofa and onto the street.”

In a state where Mrs. Clinton consistently held double-digit poll leads until mid-January, Mr. Obama ran strong among voters who made up their minds in the last month, the last week and the last three days, the exit poll showed. Thousands of unaffiliated Connecticut voters joined the Democratic Party in recent weeks in order to cast ballots in the primary, and among the nearly 20 percent of voters surveyed on Tuesday who identified themselves as independents, Mr. Obama won 6 of every 10 votes.

...

6.  You'll remember that Dodd left his name on as well, but had left the scene by the time the vote came.  The rules were that candidates couldn't campaign.  The voters were still to have a choice in indicating a preference.  Presumably, whatever super delegates those states have would take that choice into account in casting their ballot.  (Of course, I may be wrong).

Just keep repeating that "elections are about the voters" and you won't be misled.

Yes, I am going to have to write up more about "Huckabee the Honest Huckster"  Which is, of course, an oxymoron.

It occurred to me this morning that the science of economics contributes to unethical behavior because it's based on a number of false assumptions.

1)  That the participants in a transaction (buyer and seller) have an equal amount of information going into the transaction.

2)  That any economic assessment is for one moment in time and no other, and that's acceptable.

3)  That transactions not mediated by money don't exist from an economic perspective.

4)  That public transactions (government), perhaps because they are based on obligations (?), are not part of the economy.

So, what we end up with is a "values free market" which promotes the advantage of the seller by hiding that he has one.  Buyers are exploitable and exploited by the fiction that they know what they are getting into.  It's possible to perpetrate this fiction by equating expectation with experience.  In the political philosophy of conservatives this is manifest in the equation of intention with the act.

By that I mean that an act is considered complete when someone forms the intent to carry it out (Saddam Hussein posed a threat to the U.S. because that's what he intended) and the moral value of the act is similarly defined.  In other words, we've got a world where whether or not anything actually happens is irrelevant.  Nobody's responsible because nobody actually does or needs to do anything.

Experience and expectation are never reconciled.  Fact and fiction never collide.  Which is why it's a faith-based existence.  Belief in a superior being (super power) is consistent, but it's an adjunct, not determinative.  In other words, the proponents of this philosophy accept the existence of a superior being, but not as directing of their actions.  Because, they don't act.  At most, if they are aware of their behavior at all, they're reactive. 

In a sense, this world as figment of the imagination is on automatic pilot.  There once was an initiating action and ever since everything's been a reaction.  Free will does not exist.

How do we deal with this?  If some people have figured out how to escape responsibility for their actions, can we blame them?  Can we change them?  Can we force them to accept responsibility they don't want?  How do we deal with Bartleby?

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/bartleby/ 

I fear mischief in the Washington state voting as well with a caucus and a primary almost like Hillary gets two chances.

somebody from Washington please explain

Iowa has a primary in June but no Presidential portion 

Obama might have won California too since the machines didn't count the non party voters. someone from California?

 If some people have figured out how to escape responsibility for their actions, can we blame them? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

those would be Republicans (who follow orders) and the dictate after 9-11 was "go shopping"

all they want is a nation of consumers

kind of like a sewage treatment plant "consumes" the biologically active portion of the waste stream

remember your function when you get your check (and that Democrats were complicit)

7:07 AM EST

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080208/NEWS09/802080378

By JASON CLAYWORTH • REGISTER STAFF WRITER • February 8, 2008

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president.

Culver, a Democrat, announced his support for the Illinois senator's presidential bid during a rally Thursday night in Omaha. Nebraska's Democratic caucuses are Saturday.

...

Obama won the Jan. 3 Iowa Democratic caucuses, capturing the equivalent of 38 percent of the state's delegates. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards took 30 percent and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton got 29 percent.

The win had a ripple effect on Obama's campaign. In recent weeks, his national support has surged and he has been able to aggressively compete with Clinton, who was once ahead in some national polls by more than 30 points.

...

Culver, who has been governor of Iowa for about 13 months, said Thursday that he purposely waited to endorse Obama because he wanted Iowans to speak first.

"I think Iowans have spoken loudly and clearly in the Iowa caucuses, and now the campaign will come into a new phase," Culver said.

Culver's wife, Mari, endorsed John Edwards during the caucus campaign.

7:10 AM EST

http://www.projo.com/news/politics/content/chafee_vote_02-08-08_A88UCGM_v13.37f3a0e.html?npc

Chafee

Driven by his strong opposition to the war in Iraq, former Republican U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee may do something radical, at least for him: cast a vote in a Democratic primary.

Chafee, who lost his reelection race in 2006, left the GOP last summer and joined the ranks of Rhode Island’s unaffiliated voters, who can participate in either party’s primary on March 4.

In his deliberative manner, the former senator says he is considering a vote for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who opposed the Iraq war from the beginning.

“It’s a big decision to go into the Democratic primary,” Chafee said in an interview yesterday.

Chafee was once a leader of the Rhode Island Republican Party, as his father, John Chafee, a former governor and U.S. senator, was before him.

But the moderate Lincoln Chafee found himself increasingly at odds with a party that had moved to the political right. “It’s not my party anymore,” Chafee said last September.

No issue isolated Chafee among national Republicans more starkly than the war in Iraq. He was the only Republican senator to oppose it.

...

In his upcoming book, Against the Tide [due April 1 from St. Martin’s Press], Chafee excoriates congressional Democrats who voted in 2002 to give President Bush the authority to invade Iraq.

He writes: “Being wrong about sending Americans to kill and be killed, maim and be maimed, is not like making a punctuation mistake in a highway bill.” Some leading Democrats “argue that the president duped them into war, but getting duped does not exactly recommend their leadership. Helping a rogue president start an unnecessary war should be a career-ending lapse of judgment.”

Obama was not in the U.S. Senate in 2002; he declared his opposition to the Iraq war in a speech delivered in Chicago that October.

Two other leading candidates, Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain, voted for the 2002 resolution that gave the president the authority to attack Iraq.

I'll be seeing Chet Sat. afternoon rdorgan and will let him know I approve of his choice. The Edwards supporters are the key to Iowa's final delegation to Denver. The allocation happens March 15th after Ohio and Texas and will be influenced by those elections.

7:18 AM EST

Phil -

Good to hear.  Thanks.

Yeah, mary vb got a little excited last night when she saw a news title that stated "Edwards endorsed Obama".  She posted it so quickly here and then later realized, in the body of the news piece, that it was Donna Edwards running in Maryland, who did the endorsing.

Edwards is a common name, so the CM should be more careful with their titles (or the reporter was just trying to be a little cute, or, as the Brits say, cheeky).

As for Chet, I wonder if his decision now to endorse was also helped later along by his wife Mari, after Edwards dropped out, and there was only one left standing in the way of a Hillary dem corination.  (sorry to any Gravel supporters here but realistically ?)

http://hannah.smith-family.com/?p=2230

I found this on CommonDreams...
What does “losing a war� mean?????
Of course, this isn’t really a war, but an illegal occupation of a sovereign nation (which was SECULAR, btw, where women were treated as human beings as opposed to Saudi Arabia, our great big buddy) whose only fault was to possess a lot of oil which our HUGE cars suck on daily, hourly.
If you have to call it a war, who are we fighting? Not the poor bedeviled Iraqis who are caught in our crosshairs and crossfires. Or we just “fighting� a small group GB & Co. call TERRORISTS. Who knows who these TERRORISTS are? Are they the little people who would like us to get the h out of their country? Are they the Al Qaeda who were never there before the U.S. invasion? Are they young boys whose lives have been ruined by our occupation, whose families may have been just the collateral damage, or whose little brothers and sisters may have stepped on our land mines (weren’t they forbidden?).
Let’s drop the “WINNING� word–we’ve already LOST piles and piles of people, money, good will, and the price of our GAS has never been higher, and never have the big oils made so much PROFIT.
What’s left to lose? Pride? Give me a break. If your pride is synomnous with Winning, redefine your pride before the U.S. goes broke as all the empire seeking nations have before us. And the good old dollar continues to sink everywhere.
I believe that of all the candidates, only Obama has expressed any interest in even talking with our ENEMIES. There is a chance for peace with him. With H and Mc, it’s more of the same, and watch our economy, our lifestyle, as well as our morale and integrity get flushed… while the super wealthy just keep getting wealthier… they are probably already converting to Euros…they’re not stupid, only greedy and amoral, folks.

7:48 AM EST

http://www.sj-r.com/News/stories/24865.asp

Illinois voters worry about economy, its ties to Iraq war

Published Friday, February 08, 2008

It’s understandable that people whom the war hasn’t personally touched would be more aware of lighter pocketbooks. And it doesn’t discourage war opponents, who say more people are recognizing the war’s monetary drain.

“The underlying issue is the war,” said Sister Karen Nykiel of the Lisle-based Illinois chapter of Pax Christi, a Catholic peace and justice group. “The economy is where it is because of the war.”

The American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker-backed peace movement, estimates the U.S. has spent $1 trillion in Iraq through the end of last year.

“If you want to stimulate the economy, stop the war and spend that money domestically,” Friends regional director Michael McConnell said.

...

Question to ponder.

How can you have equal opportunity when you don't have equal information?

Information can be equalized, but not by demanding more education and irrelevant training. The participants in the market place aren't unequal as a result of a personal insufficiency, but because of a logical impossibility.  You can't know what you haven't experienced.  So, it's up to those with experience to compensate for in-experience.

Instead, in assuming that experience and expectation are equal, economic theory (and policy) sanctions the exploitation of that inequality.

For a practical example, consider this scenario.  A man owns a piece of land, including whatever lies beneath it (water, minerals, gas) but of which he has no knowledge.  Another man comes along and performs tests on the substrate that determine the presence of a valuable ore, such as uranium.  So, this second man sends a representative to the owner of the land and offers to purchase the owner's interest in whatever lies beneath at a minimal price, without making any representation as to what his associate has learned.  Economic practice sets no moral requirement that the information on which this offer is based be shared to equalize the participants in a transaction.

Now, it seems that the Peru trade deal, for example, makes an effort to compensate for the unequal information base.  However, the provisions which prohibit challenges in the courts after the fact, in the event that the one party feels cheated, suggests that the imballance which promotes exploitation is being legally affirmed.  Making participants more equal does not make them equal. 

Tom Vilsack was just a trusted community leader in Mount Pleasant  Iowa until a mad gunman shot down the mayor in an incident like Kirkwood Missouri.

takes a little bit of courage to go sit in that chair, and it meant quite a bit that the community asked him to do it

I'm sure the news of the day today has upset him.

since he and Culver have split their endorsements it is still a draw

 You can't know what you haven't experienced

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

experience is the best teacher, but I spend a lot of time going through safety protocols with new hires, because some mistakes are deadly

22.  What is being "lost" is our Super Powe status.  You know, that which we suddenly enjoyed when the Soviet Union was revealed to have been a figment of the imagination?  Iraq is important as a staging area for our military assets in the Eastern Hemisphere.  That there's oil under them there sands is lagniappe.  Though it does make it more likely that our Air Force won't be strapped for fuel.

What we need to recognize is that this is an Air Force project--projecting power around the globe by maintaining dominion over air, sea, land and space.  I'm beginning to think that the restrictions on civilian air travel are not incidental, but rather central to the over-all strategy to exercise dominion.

The absence of information about what happens up in the air is worrisome.  Why, for example, was it considered acceptable to inhibit the formation of a nuclear weapons free zone in central Asia with the explanation that such a declaration might preclude the transport of nuclear weapons through the air-space of the signatory nations on U.S. planes?   

26.  I made that statement in the context of differentiating between expectation and experience.  And would argue that unless an individual's expectations are informed by another's experience that is shared, no individual human is likely to survive for very long.  Which is probably why I consider the withholding of the information gained by experience as fundamentally immoral.

And yet, that's what our economic system promotes when it sanctions 'proprietary' rights and 'confidentiality' provisions.

When Huckabee suggests that moral considerations need to be relegated to the church and the prayer closet, he's arguing for an immoral economy. 

8:35 AM EST

Sierra Leone's economy is finally starting to improve, now that they are no longer involved in a war:

http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200802070822.html

Post-Elections - Country is Coming in From the Cold

Concord Times (Freetown)

OPINION
4 February 2008
Posted to the web 7 February 2008

By Karamoh Kabba
Freetown

The ruling All People's Congress (APC) and the opposition parties [the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) and the People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC)] of post-elections Sierra Leone in West Africa have all put their shoulders on the wheels of governance

...

Sierra Leoneans have taken a bold step in redeeming themselves from their infamous warring reputation in the recent past

...

I may also not be any different from the often ten days foreign pundits and journalists who come here mostly in search of sensational stories. My observation, for the most part, is from a similar position I have to admit, having been away for so long. The only difference I may make, I am a Sierra Leonean who has seen enough reason in the three peaceful postwar elections to return to tough it out here at home: I need no interpreter of the lingo spoken here or for the body language of the people-I lived among for the first twenty-seven years of my life.

All I can say, this nation is bustling with life once more. I must also admit that though government is making tremendous efforts in restoring the previously dashed hopes of the people

...

Well, I would be informed later that, with the coming back of electricity after over ten years of darkness here, the price for ice water has been slashed by 50 per cent and ice cube has plunged from 500 leones to 100 leones.

Up the stairway past worn out and not properly kept walls at Latihide, one of two female dormitories at FBC into what seems like a six by eight cubicle with two small bunk beds for two adult female students, I met a student who only wants to be called Lucy with an unbelievable hope in this nation and its new leadership. "Once there is energy to turn the wheels of production the prices for essential commodities will plunge. At least we get occasional light now," she said.

...

Amidst unaddressed social problems here in Sierra Leone, is a glimmer of hope in the president's "attitudinal change" campaign that has just been launched. I attended the second much inclusive brainstorming meeting that is supposed to suggest a roadmap for the attitudinal change campaign. I hope that a huge government and citizenry propaganda campaign will soon come out of this effort to help change the mindset of the people about civic responsibility and national allegiance.

In a cordial discussion with Vice President Sam-Sumana, "My critiques were more concerned with experience than my vision," he stated. "But I asked them to show me where I could find some experience to buy before I start the job, if that would have made them comfortable. But apparently, we could not find a manufacturer or a retailer of experience," he laughed.

The Vice President added, "My being here in this office is a chance that has been given to our generation to prove itself in restoring the confidence of the people. If I allow my vision to be blurred by my critiques, I will fail myself, I will fail you and I will fail the entire generation that has been given the chance with governance," he concluded.

...

When Huckabee suggests that moral considerations need to be relegated to the church and the prayer closet, he's arguing for an immoral economy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

yet voters see him as arguing to bring the spiritual into that other "closet" the voting booth

"

8:39 AM EST

Sierra Leone voters went with something this past Nov, with a change agent called Ernest Bai Koroma.  He has inspired a lot of Sierra Leoneans to have hope for the future and to start thinking about how their own attitudes can negatively impact the nation, how the I should not always come before the WE.

IMO, America is at a similar crossroads now.

Two nations that I call home.

Monica

who has access to the proprietary information that is being swept up in the warrantless electronic surveillance is of immense commercial interest

I know one thing, I would sure like to know whether certain hedge funds will be long or short soybean futures today, and could listen in to orders to the floor. The opportunity for corruption is immense.

8:45 AM EST

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//080128/ids_photos_wl/r457442669.jpg/

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown (R) and his wife Sarah (L) pose with Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma and his wife Sia outside 10 Downing Street in London January 28, 2008.REUTERS/Stephen Hird (BRITAIN)

the I should not always come before the WE.

~~~~~~~~~~~

that will be the distinction Republicans will try to blur with the WE of security

I find it incomprehensible that 60 Senators will go along with warrantless wiretapping after their oath to defend the Constitution.

are we so corrupt that they are being bought off?

someone can be getting very,very, wealthy with insider trading

the Bush tax cuts robbed the productivity gains of working people and shoveled a trillion dollars for the common welfare to a few tens of thousands of individuals

if they give back just a tenth of one percent as a kickback to corrupt the political process that is a billion dollars into those coffers

do they get back access to intelligence?

30.  Yes, all of our understanding is colored by our prejudice.  It's really hard to keep our assumptions in mind and dismiss them when they are steering us wrong.  But that's what we have to do.  Pay really close attention.

9:12 AM EST

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/american.morning/

..

Would McCain fare better against Clinton or Obama?

9:14 AM EST

results so far:

Obama

35.  I think, Phil, it's a matter of pride.  Our Senators think they are too smart to be duped.  They can't imagine that they are being taken advantage of.

Rockefeller, of course, knows better.  He and his kin have been in the duping business for a long time.  Somebody needs to call his bluff.  What happened to his calls for the realease of information when he was in the minority when he assumed the chair?  Total silence, as far as I know.  Jay Rockefeller has betrayed his oath. 

I have no doubt that there are al-Queda sleeper cells in the United States and communications have been intercepted. (that could have also been obtained with a warrant) so the black mail that appears to me to be working is that such information would be leaked as an October surprise and held against the Democrats by voters, to me that is the most likely reason for the treason

36.  Yes, but the tax cuts are just a pacifier.  The real powers don't pay taxes.  They hide their wealth in non-governmental organizations and foundations and other eleemosinary institutions.

The real powers don't pay taxes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

which is why Obama has called for the Clintons to release their tax returns

Americans are ready to throw the bums out and make a fresh start in Washington which is the Obama appeal against McCain that Clinton would lose.

al Qaeda is a CIA creation 

setting up corporations is a habit that's peculiar to the U.S. It's a strategy designed to shirk personal responsibility.  The rest of the world has an honor system.  It allows them to claim moral superiority.  Claiming personal responsibility is a moral virtue. 

From the perspective of the theorcratic state, the secular state is ipso facto immoral.  Which means that Islamists and Christians are actually on the same side--the side of hierarchy and obedience as opposed to individual authority and self-control.

Is the individual capable of virtue or must he be subject to social direction? 

sequence check

9:39 am

Yes, and the list of donors to the Clinton Foundations.

Yes, it's 9:40 AM EST

PARTNERS IN CRIME

Making predictions, whether about sporting events or political events, is cheap entertainment.

9:45 am 

14.Phil - I got the scoop a couple of days ago. The primary which is the 19th of February does not count - only the Republican's count with that. The caucus is for the Dems.

I called the Elections Office who gave me misinformation. They told me to send in our primary ballots. But then I saw info about caucuses on the Obama website. So I contacted the Dem party in WA. They told me we had to caucus. This has caused a bit of confusion in the state. When we lived in WA before - we caucused. So, even though primary ballots were printed with Dems names on them and sent - they are not valid.

Are you confused yet?

I don't know if it is kosher to do this.  But here goes.  Anyone who is so inclined please call WA state voters to let them know they have to caucas for their vote to count.  I made calls last night, there were so many voters who thought the mail in primary vote counted.  You can get the names on Obama site. Thank You.

9:45 AM EST

online CNN poll going on now:

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/american.morning/

Phil Specht
Fri, 02/08/08
___________________________________________________________________________

Its 9.45am Friday 2008........agreed Phil.............IF the Democrats are smart(lol) they would put up the youthfulness and obvious vigor and enthusiasm of Obama against the old war hawkish Mccain..............I dont trust the American voter however...........1980, 1984, 1988, 2000, 2004 is evidence enough...........I still say Mccain in the finale.

maryvb and the WA caucuses: good on you for checking things out and bad on the Elections Office. *Eternal vigilance* and all that.

Mz Little must be awfully busy right now; it's too bad that she hasn't had time to post lately.

GLEN FORD

http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=523&Itemid=1

For an overwhelming number of Black folks, Fat Tuesday and Super Tuesday were the same in both coincidence of date and emotional impact. Both were welcomed as causes to celebrate for celebration's sake. The Mardi Gras in New Orleans was no doubt a joyous occasion, as usual, to "let the good times roll," this past Tuesday - despite the fact that the Gulf region has been sucked into the bottomless Black Hole of Disaster Capitalism, from which it will never return in the absence of a broad and sustained people's movement.

In the rest of the nation on Tuesday night, African Americans celebrated Barack Obama's "Big Mo" - his truly amazing momentum towards capturing the Democratic presidential nomination. The white elite have caught the flavor and the fever, as well. Carl Bernstein, of the Watergate journalism team Woodward and Bernstein, quoted Black luminary Vernon Jordan as saying, "It's hard to run against a movement," as an explanation for Hillary Clinton's inability to crush Obama. But of course, the Obama campaign is not a movement - it's a parade, a corporate-engineered, multi-million dollar enterprise that promises Black and poor people virtually nothing of substance, just like that of his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Obama puts on a far better show than his political twin, Clinton; his float is the gaudiest in the line of march. Barack's parade crews throw the plastic dubloons and beads farther and with much more enthusiasm than Hillary's - but the trinkets come from the same manufacturer: the corporate wing of the Democratic Party. After the parade is over, both crews will park their flatbed trucks and disassemble the colorful facades in the same grimy industrial zones.

9:50 AM

I see that the blog is still behaving in surreal fashion ,,, keeping us on our toes.

Were the Clinton's *money troubles* a ruse?

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2...

If so, David Geffen was right about the way they can lie so effortlessly.

I don't have any information at this point that McCain is in the pockets of the Rockefellers and Stephens and Tyson and WalMart and MobilExxon and Monsanto and Armand Hammer and Goldman Sachs.  I am sure that the Bushes and Clintons and Huckabee are.

9:53 AM EST

rae -

Ever see a street vendor playing a shell game ?  I have in NYC and the guy was literally quite smooth with his moves.

The Hillary and Bill, that they themselves are showing America right now (IMO quite a difference than when they first came into office as First Lady and President in 1992), reminds me a lot of that street vendor.  He got rewarded with a lot of awes and dropped dollar bills in applause.

Anni, I WISH that I could vote for Donna Edwards (and yes, I knew the difference ... LOL). I am in a different district.

Last night we went to Baltimore for the BSO concert "Provacateurs" which was excellent. It was my first time to see the new music director, Marin Alsop, who has been getting rave reviews.

Marin Alsop's story is one that should make us think a bit. And that is all that I have been trying to do here, even though some think either that I should just shut up (on this blog, of all places … LOL) and consider Obama as flawless. So far as I recall, there is supposed to have been only one human being who was flawless.

I believe that the Dems have two excellent options left. I have repeatedly said that, while I favor Obama, there are times here when Hillary undeservedly (IMO) gets short shrift. For example, even though her voting record is very close to that of Barack, some people state that they absolutely will not support her if she is the nominee. Charles has nailed the really important thing: I want the 'Thugs out of the WH at all costs. I won't need to *hold my nose* or anything else when voting for either of the two possibilities. There are pros and cons for each, so far as I am concerned. I have also repeatedly said that why I lean Barack is because of two of Hillary's actions that I still have a lot of trouble accepting: her IWR vote and Kyl-Lieberman.

But back to Marin Alsop. She is an outstanding woman conductor and has been conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony (in the UK) since 2002. She is apparently still under contract to Bournemouth through 2008. She has also been recognized (by Europeans) as an outstanding European woman, although she is a *natural born* American. Here is her background as per Wiki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marin_Alsop...

She is the first woman to head a major US symphony. Yet, despite her outstanding credentials, she was subjected to unprecedented revolt when her selection was announced.

=========

Marin Alsop breaks the glass baton
The first woman to head a major US symphony wants to make the music hall a welcoming place, not an austere temple of culture.
By Elaine F. Weiss
Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

[...]

Alsop's journey with the Baltimore Symphony began on a shrill note. When her appointment was announced in the summer of 2005, she was greeted by an unexpected – and very public – rejection from the musicians. The players' relations with the BSO management had been sour for some time, and they staged a revolt over the selection process. Alsop got caught in the crossfire. She was stunned and hurt. Friends advised her to walk away, but that's not her style. She also had to consider how her actions might affect the next woman to be offered the baton of an important orchestra.

[...]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0926/p20s0...

===============

The words *sexism* or *gender* were never uttered as a reason for this result, yet how many times has such a thing ever happened to a male conductor?

Just think about it. That’s all that I ask.

10:01 AM EST

oops, meant to direct to mary vb, so here's corrected statement:

mary vb-

Ever see a street vendor playing a shell game ?  I have in NYC and the guy was literally quite smooth with his moves.

The Hillary and Bill, that they themselves are showing America right now (IMO quite a difference than when they first came into office as First Lady and President in 1992), reminds me a lot of that street vendor.  He got rewarded with a lot of awes and dropped dollar bills in applause.

Ah shoot, I see that I misspelled "Provocateurs* ... I DO know better.

**************
Developing story in the UK. The Archbishop of Canterbury must have had some momentary insanity here.

Church and state must remain separate.

=============
Sharia law would be 'catastrophic' for Britain, says Blunkett
James Sturcke, Hélène Mulholland and agencies
Friday February 8, 2008
Guardian Unlimited

Formalising sharia law in the UK would be "catastrophic" for social cohesion, the former home secretary, David Blunkett, warned today, as uproar continued over comments by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Blunkett said Rowan Williams' views were "very dangerous", adding that people must not be excluded from the law because of their culture or faith.

[...]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,33243...

All is kosher in the way of getting the correct information to voters, rae.

Here's a similar Sharia law controversy, even closer to home.

But what is even more startling is that faith-based tribunals existed in Canada.

==============
Sharia law in Canada, almost
A 2004 report recommending that Muslim faith-based tribunals be allowed in Ontario, Canada, triggered huge controversy.
February 8, 2008 1:11 PM

The introduction of sharia law in Ontario, Canada, was effectively recommended by a 2004 report which prompted debate and street protests, both for and against its findings.

Family faith-based tribunals had been set up by Catholic and Jewish communities following the passing of the province's Arbitration Act in 1991.

The act was an attempt to deal with a backlog of court cases. It enabled groups to use the guiding principles of their faith to help settle disputes over divorce, inheritance and custody.

In 2003, the Islamic Institute of Civil Justice said it intended to establish similar tribunals for the 400,000 Muslims who live in Ontario.

[...]
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/2008/02...

20.

* rdorgan
Fri, 02/08/08

Reply to this
7:18 AM EST

Phil -

Good to hear. Thanks.

Yeah, mary vb got a little excited last night when she saw a news title that stated "Edwards endorsed Obama". She posted it so quickly here and then later realized, in the body of the news piece, that it was Donna Edwards running in Maryland, who did the endorsing.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

rdorgan -- don't blame mary vb for my sin -- I posted before I read it -- what great critical thinking skills lol.

Well, however she died, the point is that she did, so the assassination worked.

===============
Bhutto died from head injury in blast, Scotland Yard says
Mark Tran and agencies
Friday February 8, 2008
Guardian Unlimited

The former Pakistani opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, died of a head injury caused by a suicide bomb blast and not bullets fired by the lone attacker, a British police report said today.

The report has not silenced her supporters, who are claiming a government cover-up and have repeated their demand for a UN investigation.

[...]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,33242...

10:14 AM EST

Annilow -

Oh, ok (sorry mary vb).  Yeah, Edwards is not as popular a name as Smith but it's up there.

Kudos to Donna for doing so.

One serious consequence of lost credibility ...

=============
Nato crisis grows over Afghan troops
· US presses Europe to strengthen fighting force
· Alliance could split as credibility is threatened
Richard Norton-Taylor and agencies
Friday February 8, 2008
Guardian

The US yesterday kept up pressure on Europe to contribute more troops to Afghanistan as Nato defence ministers met in Vilnius to discuss what officials now admit is a growing threat to the credibility of the alliance.

Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, attending the meeting in the Lithuanian capital, said he was disappointed that some countries had not sent combat troops to Afghanistan.

His message was echoed by Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, who, with Britain's foreign secretary, David Miliband, was in Kabul on a visit to frontline troops in Afghanistan. "Frankly, I hope there will be more troop contributions and there needs to be more Afghan forces," she said.

[...]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,33242...

Gregoire just endorsed Barack. This is good news since we here at dfa helped pay for her recount.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2...

Thanks, Anni. I read rd's comments and thought *hmm, that wasn't me*. I think I've been posting too much lately. LOL

16.

Phil Specht
Fri, 02/08/08


...the dictate after 9-11 was "go shopping"

all they want is a nation of consumers

kind of like a sewage treatment plant "consumes" the biologically active portion of the waste stream

remember your function when you get your check (and that Democrats were complicit)
------

Good break into the essence!

Remember also that ultimate "product" that is consumed by this "treatment plant" is we, the people themselves.

JudyforDean thx for news on BSO conductor. When I was in NY last summer at the NYC (I think) ballet they had a substitute conductor - an Asian woman -- I thought she did a great job -- to this day I have no clue who she was.

Here's how the London Times sees the Dem contest.

It reminds me a bit of the blogspots that lots did after Dean's supporters were characterized in somewhat the same way.

=================
From The TimesFebruary 8, 2008
Latte liberals v Dunkin Donut democrats
Trouble distinguishing between Obama's policies and Clinton's? Here's a consumer's guide
Gerard Baker

[...]
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment...

8.

seashell :-)
Fri, 02/08/08

..........
Conyers expressed fear of what might happen following an impeachment, fear of installing a Bush replacement or losing an election. The "corporate power structure", he said, would not allow impeachment without unleashing "blowback." Conyers told Ellen Taylor and Manijeh Saba: "You need to be more than brave and courageous. You need to be smart."
--------------

The contradiction between being brave/courageous and smart is a good indication of dying off system.

Anni - the concert really was excellent. It featured a modern piece with a percussionist soloist, but also music by Wagner, Debussy & Stravinsky.

Evidently, the turnouts for concerts this year have been outstanding.

Glad to see that other women are also in the running.

Anyway, my so-called better half is getting impatient with me and we have lots to do, so gone for now.

Gregoire just endorsed Barack. This is good news since we here at dfa helped pay for her recount.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2...

+++

mary vb -

It seems like the fairly recently elected are endorsing Obama.  That's good to hear, that change agents stick together.  Kudos to Washington Governor Chris Gregiore.

maryvb and the WA caucuses: good on you for checking things out and bad on the Elections Office. *Eternal vigilance* and all that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(I'll just say a birdie told me) that if the caucuses don't turn out for the Clintons they will play up the voting if it goes the other way, we have learned from Florida they don't think the rules should stand in their way.

Obama needs an overwelming turnout in Washington. 

February 7, 2008 2:05 pm EST

Suicide Terrorism Expert Professor Robert Pape Named Ron Paul 2008 Foreign Policy Advisor

Ivan Eland, Leon Hadar also added to Ron Paul foreign policy team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 7, 2008
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – Today University of Chicago professor Robert Pape has joined the Ron Paul 2008 campaign as a foreign policy advisor.

Dr. Pape is the foremost expert on suicide terrorism and the founder of the Chicago Project on Suicide Terrorism. He is also the author of Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism and has published numerous articles on suicide terrorism and the use of air power in war.

Regarding the campaign, Professor Pape said, “Ron Paul's campaign is making a lasting contribution to the security of the United States and its allies. Indeed, I often tell audiences ‘Ron Paul has the right foreign policy to safeguard America.’�

Middle East expert Leon Hadar and national security analyst Ivan Eland have also joined the Ron Paul campaign as foreign policy advisors.

Leon Hadar is a Washington-based global affairs analyst whose commentary on U.S. foreign policy has been published in leading newspapers and foreign policy journals. A former UN correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, he is the author of Quagmire: America in the Middle East and Sandstorm: Policy Failure in the Middle East.

Ivan Eland is senior fellow and director of the Center on Peace & Liberty at The Independent Institute. Dr. Eland spent 15 years working for Congress on national security issues, including stints as an investigator for the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Principal Defense Analyst at the Congressional Budget Office. He is the author of several books, including The Empire Has No Clothes: U.S. Foreign Policy Exposed.

http://www.ronpaul2008.com/press-release...

an overwhelming turnout wouldn't hurt either lol

I fear I'm the bad speller that is driving out the good, replacing "Chinese currency "in the current accounts deficit.

well, off to Richmond and our Virginia Democratic JJ Dinner tomorrow nite with both Barack and Hillary.

No computer so I will report back later. like sunday nite.

Peace.

enjoy your accolades linda b

you sure earned them

the crewe

8.

seashell :-)
Fri, 02/08/08

..........
Conyers expressed fear of what might happen......The "corporate power structure", he said, would not allow impeachment without unleashing "blowback."
--------------------

I’m curious what “professional politician� Mr. Conyers think the "corporate power structure", would allow without unleashing "blowback." besides...allowing status-quo?

Carnival and Sub-Cultures

Up until the 'Orpheus' crew was founded in 1994, crews were segregated by race and gender. Orpheus lets anyone ride, as long as you can afford the cool boarding fee of six hundred and seventy-five dollars. Nevertheless, New Orleans is a divided city, both racially and economically, and every section of the community celebrates in their own way.

In the Treme neighbourhood, for instance, which lies just North of the French Quarter, the references aren't to Greek Gods but to Native American and African cultures. Black New Orleaneans have been parading as Indians for over a hundred years. It is a celebration of the protection given to fugitive slaves by the Native American tribes that lived in the swamps. The 'Indian' gangs patrol the streets, looking for other gangs to challenge in song and dance.

The big procession on Mardi Gras day is Zulu, which was set up in 1916 as a parody of the all-white crews. Like every crew, Zulu has its dress rules - instead of a mask, participants wear afro wigs and face paint in a mockery of racist stereotypes.

http://www.pilotguides.com/destination_guide/north_america/deep_south_usa/new_orleans_mardi_gras.php

~~~~~~~~~~~

the blog is posting at enter again evidently

bbl

WA - Confusion over registering at Caucus Sites.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2...

Good grief. This whole Washington Caucus/Primary/Registration is going to be a bit messy. I'm armed with information so I know the score. I will do my best this Saturday to ensure things at my precinct go smoothly. I feel badly for young people or people who have moved to WA recently. They're getting a lot of mis-information.

Phil - Well, in that case we'll also sound out the ballots marked for Obama. We're voting anyway because of the school measure for our community. ALWAYS support the schools!

11:07 AM EST

Well, since when I first looked at this CNN poll this morning, Clinton has gone from 51 to 53% and Obama from 49 to 47%:

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/american.morning/

mary vb

the Clinton team has figured out that newbies aren't breaking their way so will not be making things easier

the good thing about a caucus is that the group can rise up and demand things be done fairly

11:16 AM EST

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hqblog

...

The front page of today's Omaha World-Herald...

Have any female Governors endorsed Hillary? It seems Barack is getting the lions share.

Google: Richardson Beard .  What do you think?

Richardson should have run with that look. It is high time we had a President with a beard.

12:12 PM EST

Have any female Governors endorsed Hillary? It seems Barack is getting the lions share.

+++

mary vb -

for Hillary:

Gov. Ruth Ann Minner (DE) - endorsed on 1/9/08 

for Barack:

Gov. Janet Napolitano (AZ) - endorsed on 1/11/08

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (KS) - endorsed on 1/29/08

Gov. Christine Gregoire (WA) - endorsed on 2/8/08

{fyi - Gov. Jennifer Granholm (MI) - endorsed Hillary but so far MI superdelegates don't count}

http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/01/superdelegate-list.html

Thanks, rd. It's interesting that Barack has most women Gov's lined up.

Thanks, rd. It's interesting that Barack has most women Gov's lined up.

+++

mary vb -

Actually, if the list upthread is accurate, that's it -- all five female govs have already endorsed. 

The remaining govs who haven't endorsed (see link below) are men (11 of them; whilst those male governors who have endorsed already, include:

8 for Hillary, all endorsements in 2007 [half of those in early 2007], except for 1 {Ed Rendell (PA) on 1/23/08}

5 for Barack, three in 2008, the other two, 1 in late 2007 and only IL's Gov. Rod Blagojevich in early 2007

Thus, the name of the game is that Hillary is essentially an incumbent (is the establishment/status quo candidate) and Barack has had to play catch up ever since.  He ends up having to work twice as hard IMO to even get near Hillary's superdelegate count.

http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/01/superdelegates-who-havent-endorsed.html

Why using people's personal pain and fear to win an election is unethical and immoral.

---

Why sadness can blow your budget

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- If you're sad and shopping, watch your wallet: A new study shows people's spending judgment goes out the window when they're down, especially if they're a bit self-absorbed.

Study participants who watched a sadness-inducing video clip offered to pay nearly four times as much money to buy a water bottle than a group that watched an emotionally neutral clip.
The so-called "misery is not miserly" phenomenon is well-known to psychologists, advertisers and personal shoppers alike, and has been documented in a similar study in 2004.

The new study released Friday by researchers from four universities goes further, trying to answer whether temporary sadness alone can trigger spendthrift tendencies.

The study found a willingness to spend freely by sad people occurs mainly when their sadness triggers greater "self-focus." ...

...Despite the big difference, participants in the sad group typically insisted that the video's emotional content didn't affect their willingness to spend more -- an incorrect assumption, said one of the study's co-authors.

"This is a phenomenon that occurs without awareness," Jennifer Lerner, a Harvard professor who studies emotion and decision making, said in a phone interview. "This is really different from the idea of retail therapy, where people are feeling negative and want to cheer themselves up by shopping. People have no idea this is going on."

The researchers concluded sadness can trigger a chain of emotions leading to extravagant tendencies. Sadness leads people to become more focused on themselves, causing the person to feel that they and their possessions are worth little. That feeling increases willingness to pay more -- presumably to feel better about themselves. ...

full article: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/...

Hi Folks,

This for your amusement.

Chinese New Year this time around is the Year of the Rat, which brings with it the promise of prosperity. The Chinese admire the rat for its quick mind and ability to gather valuables and save them for the future. Since 2008 is the Year of the Rat, the year ahead should offer many opportunities to acquire wealth, as well as the ability to make choices that enable us to provide comfort for a long time to come.

Since the rat sign is the first in the Chinese zodiac calendar, we may feel the energy of a cycle beginning. We may also feel a pioneering spirit that helps us to forge ahead with a completely new endeavor. Looking beyond Western culture’s distaste for rats, we may be able to appreciate their ability to thrive in less than ideal conditions. This quality might offer us hope that whatever challenges we may face will only serve to make us stronger and more able. The rat’s ability to solve problems is well-known, so we can choose to enjoy any challenge that helps us keep our minds sharp while also making life more of a game. A competitive nature may develop within us, leading us to use the rat’s ability to focus on priorities. The rat can also remind us to be less worried about pleasing everyone we meet and more focused on our goals.

We should be aware of the rat’s habit for collecting and not allow ourselves to become so focused that we neglect those around us. Being constantly on the alert for opportunity can be stressful, so we can make the decision to balance our pursuit of prosperity with the enjoyment of good food and atmosphere and the people we trust to offer us both support and space. With the energy of challenge and possibility, the year is likely to be exciting without being explosive. The Year of the Rat is sure to offer the type of enjoyable challenges that will enable us to become all we can possibly be.

Quick thought:

I'm still reading Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope.  He discusses CAFTA, which he voted against.  He says that we are a global economy, and that won't change.  H points out the factors that we have to address for our own economy if we are to remain competitive.

He offers an interesting analogy: The Reagan era brought back The Gilded Age, laissez-faire capitalism, which forced the Democrats into defending FDR's socially conscious measures to help out the poor and middle class.  Neither are suitable and workable today. Reagan's era was the 1900s; FDR's was the 1930s and '40s.

We won't ever go back to being an industrial economy, nor a subsistence economy.  We are a knowledge-based economy, and we are not making higher education more accessible to our children.  Google, Yahoo, and other major computer companies are hiring Indians and Chinese and others because we don't have the need ednumber of competent and educated engineers.

Further, he points out that from the 50s to the 80s we invested 30 percent of our federal budget in research and development. Now we invest less than 10 percent..  Those funds helped develop the Internet, medical cures, and many other inventions and processes which have contributed to our prosperity.  

Guess what I"m trying to offer is that simplistic solutions ideologically oriented won't do it.  We've had 7 tyears of that kind of thinking.  Going back to the Clinton 90s isn't going to do it either.  For people who want simplicity, staetments that will be the solution to all problems, I'd advise skepticism.  The solutions aren't simple.  My dear friend who has worked in the nursing profession her whole life, who has taught in China and South America tells me that there is no solution to the health care insurance crisis except to begin the conversation with the American people

I think Obama's our most hopeful candidate because of his ethics, experience, intelligence, training and openness to new ways of tackling problems.  I think he will need his own Robert Kennedy or Lyndon Johnson to work the details of bureaucracy so that he can lead the conversation and consensus building that will allow us to become part of the 21st Century.

He is the future; Hillary is the present; McCain is the past.  (Just opinion.) 

New thread, where Dean should be first, but it's not taking comments......
jane

There is a new thread but comments are closed.

I just rec'd a request for money from dfa. Not until the blog is fixed.

Yarmuth endorses Barack.

http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/312372...

I think Clinton is also the past somewhat, Pat. She keeps referring to the 90's and and how we can have that back again. Not very inspiring to me nor futuristic to me.

s/b also about the past.

1:25 PM EST

New Mexico's 2/5 dem caucus results won't officially be known until 2/15:

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/02/08/new_mexico_caucus_count_expands_to_feb_15/6801/

----- Original Message -----
From: Roy Carter
To: Susan Rowe
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 9:51 AM
Subject: Campaign Update and DFA Results!!!


Friends,

I am proud to have received the support of so many concerned citizens in our district and throughout the country during the DFA Grassroots All-Star competition. Our ability to come in second, ahead of 96 other congressional campaigns is a testimony to your hard work and dedication.

Voters in this competition have spoken loud and clear. They have responded to my campaign's message by an overwhelming margin because they want a leader who believes that people always come before politics.

Thank you again for all of your hard work in this competition, and for all that you do!

Sincerely,

Roy Carter

---

ROY CARTER RECIEVES DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA ENDORSEMENT

Roy Carter has been endorsed by Democracy for America (DFA) as a result of his second place finish in DFA's national Grassroots All-Star competition.

Democracy for America is a national organization that promotes grassroots activism, progressive ideals, and fiscal responsibility at all levels of government.

The DFA Grassroots All-Star competition originally featured 98 congressional candidates from districts across America and was narrowed down during two rounds of online voting. According to DFA, an astounding 51,000 total votes were cast in the competition.

Carter's DFA endorsement and second place finish in the Grassroots All-Star competition has put the national spotlight on a congressional district that has previously been considered difficult for Democrats. Roy Carter received more votes in the DFA competition than over 30 campaigns that have been targeted as "competitive" by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

anyone in virginia beach area of Va. Barack Obama will be at the Va Beach Amphitheatre on Sunday, Feb 9, at 7:30 pm

Please join Barack Obama at a 'Stand for Change' Rally at Virginia Beach Convention Center, where he'll talk about his vision for bringing America together and bringing about the kind of change we can believe in.

Stand for Change Rally with Barack Obama

Virginia Beach Convention Center
1000 19th St
Virginia Beach, VA

Sunday, February 10, 2008
Doors Open: 5:30 p.m.
Program Begins: 7:30 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but an RSVP is strongly encouraged. RSVP now:

http://va.barackobama.com/vabeach

For security reasons, do not bring bags. Please limit personal items. No signs or banners are permitted.

Please note: RSVPs do not guarantee admission. Admission is on a first come, first-served basis. Seating is extremely limited.

The Democrats' Class War By David Sirota

For all the hype about generational and gender wars in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, we have a class war on our hands. And incredibly, corporate America's preferred candidate is winning the poorer "us" versus the wealthier "them" — a potentially decisive trend with the contest now moving to working-class bastions like Ohio and Pennsylvania.

In most states, polls show Hillary Clinton is beating Barack Obama among voters making $50,000 a year or less — many of whom say the economy is their top concern. Yes, the New York senator who appeared on the cover of Fortune magazine as Big Business's candidate is winning economically insecure, lower-income communities over the Illinois senator who grew up as an organizer helping those communities combat unemployment. This absurd phenomenon is a product of both message and bias. ... full article: http://www.creators.com/opinion/david-si...

http://lessjobsmorewars.com/?utm_source=...

1:38 PM EST

Hollywood:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/la-et-cause8feb08,1,6074518.story?track=rss

Let the bet hedging begin

Anyone else getting a front page post w/comments closed by CC?

1:43 pm ESt

Oops! See it's not just me, vb.

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. . . . Wonder how they 'spect to be taken seriously? Or maybe they don't, eh?

2:05 PM EST

Anyone else getting a front page post w/comments closed by CC?

+++

puddle -

"Stuck In The Middle With You" -- great 1972 song by the group Stealers Wheel.

As for abbreviations, just an fyi - CC, I knew you meant Charles Chamberline, because I too can't get into his closed posted entry.

However, CC can also stand for cChalafonte.

I found out the hard way when I responded weeks ago to Huron John comment by my using the initials HJ.  Holly J piped in to wonder why I was responding to her.

So initials here can get tricky.

The last time I went to a JJ dinner Columbia crashed and my Dad died. 

I don't go to JJ dinners anymore!

Seeing TV ads for Obama and McCain in the DC market so far.  I'd guess the McCain ads were bought before Romney dropped out.  Don't know why Hillary hasn't shown up yet, unless she decided to concentrate her buy closer to primary day (or not buy TV because she's running short of money).

2:06 PM EST

typo - Charles Chamberline

s/b - Charles Chamberlain

He's got a great blog entry regarding Iraq.  IMO the greatest drag on the U.S. economy is the war in Iraq.  Those who authorized the president to go to war (go to invasion) in early 2003, are to blame for our current economic doldrums in the U.S.

As for David Sirota, he's no fan of Obama.

http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/23820

new thread

sorry - no comments on new thread - just article

78.

* rdorgan
Fri, 02/08/08

11:07 AM EST

---

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/american...

Would McCain fare better against Clinton or Obama?

Clinton 60% 863
Obama 40% 575
Total Votes: 1438

Obey endorses Obama.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2...

What say you, Russ?

ScienceDaily (Dec. 24, 2007) — A new biochip technology could eliminate animal testing in the chemicals and cosmetics industries, and drastically curtail its use in the development of new pharmaceuticals, according to new findings from a team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of California at Berkeley, and Solidus Biosciences Inc.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071217171354.htm

2:17 PM EST

Well, since when I first looked at this CNN poll this morning, Clinton has gone from 51 to 53% and Obama from 49 to 47%.

Now, Clinton has gone from 53 to 60%; Obama from 47 to 40%:

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/american.morning/

Would McCain fare better against Clinton or Obama ?

Clinton 60%  868 votes

Obama 40%  576 votes

Total votes: 1444   

Well, we didn't go to Barack's rally in Seattle. My husband had an emergency in Vancouver, BC so he left about 5 AM. My daughter really wanted to go but with five AP courses - she can't afford to miss any. From what I understand - the line started quite early this AM. Guess I'll have to catch it on the news. ;-(

Trouble with some Hillary fundraising?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2...

She's doing more fundraisers.

rdorgan - I think Sirota's article actually made some sense. I like Sirota a lot.

Questions for Dr. Retail

DAVID BROOKS
Published: February 8, 2008

QUESTION: Dr. Retail, now that the Democratic presidential race has entered its long, bloody slog phase, I figured it was time to get a fresh perspective. Can you explain to me what it’s all about?

DR. RETAIL: Why do you bother me with simple problems? Listen, the essential competition in many consumer sectors is between commodity providers and experience providers, the companies that just deliver product and the companies that deliver a sensation, too. There’s Safeway, and then there is Whole Foods. There’s the PC, and then there’s the Mac. There are Holiday Inns, and there are W Hotels. There’s Walgreens, and there’s The Body Shop...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/opinio...

If there are no comments, then they can't be out of order, can they?

:-) 

2:33 PM EST

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hqblog

2:34 PM EST

mary vb -

I stand corrected.

Ok, maybe Sirota has moved on a bit since Edwards has gotten out of the race.  IMO he used to be rather critical of Obama aways back but as Obama's candidacy has progressed, maybe Sirota's opinion of him has been altered.

2:48 PM EST

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=282335

David Obey really did want to vote for John Edwards for president.

In fact, aside from the former candidate himself, there could be few better barometers than the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee for defining where "the Edwards vote" is headed now that his backers must choose between New York Senator Hillary Clinton and Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

And Obey has made that choice.

"For eight long years, in extreme partisanship, George W. Bush has governed this country by dividing it," the senior Democrat from Wisconsin explained in an email sent to this reporter after we spoke about the race Thursday. "(Bush) has pursued disastrous foreign and domestic policies and has stubbornly refused to listen to anyone's views except those who march in lockstep with him. America desperately needs a new president who can reach across old barriers to form new alliances that can produce a new era of optimism and a healthier respect for the needs of others. I had originally supported John Edwards for President, but with his withdrawal I am voting for Barack Obama."

...

We are a knowledge-based economy

~~~~~~~~~~~~

with a very sizable fraction that doesn't believe that the single most important scientific organizing principle of biology is true

and products of such an economy being possible anywhere in the world and shipped a lot cheaper than the manufactured goods they replaced 

to say that we are a service econom,y doesn't mean it has been a good trend

hopefully it is closed because they are working on it, but I doubt it

The comments may be closed but the blog by Charles Chamberlain is great!

~~~~~~~~~

Got home about 25 minutes ago, turned on MSNBC and they have been showing a live rally of HRC since then.

Wonder if Barack has or will have equal time or is the fix already in.

Pat

year of the rat?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Printable version

Aid workers have warned that the destruction of crop has left the people in a "near-famine situation".

Local Seattle news said that the Key Arena seats 17,000 and thousands more were turned away. Sheesh, on a work day mid morning. Unbelievable. Hope these people all caucus tomorrow.

how many recommends does it take to open the comments?

I recommended it but I do that all the time at browse all

Printable version

Putin comments

In a nationally-televised speech, he condemned Nato's expansion and the US plan to include Poland and the Czech Republic

136.

Local Seattle news said that the Key Arena seats 17,000 and thousands more were turned away

mary

Kinda reminiscent of the Dean campaign in Seattle that was held in the street. Some estimates were 20,000.

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New Mexico caucus problems are such a horrible reminder of Ohio 2004 general election. People turned away, provisional ballots taking 10 days to count and check, long lines where people simply left.

There are no excuses for such huge problems in America.

Its 3.24 pm Friday......the other thread is ..................dead.

Our IT specialists are working round the clock to fix it tho..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkAfCluKgGY

I think Sirota is even less tolerable of the Clintons. Tell me does any on this blog believe a word the Hillary has said? I sure don't.

I predict this blog will be fixed before a Clinton will be able to deliver Healthcare to every American and get the US out of Iraq.

I started out as anti-Hillary (I admit) but now I am pro-Barack for what it's worth. And no, I'm not a cultist.

1:12 PM PST

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/american...

Would McCain fare better against Clinton or Obama?

Clinton 61% 1061
Obama 39% 674
Total Votes: 1735

I really don't like the latest slew of polls showing Obama winning big in the primaries/caucuses this week. The expectations are daunting. I do hope he wins decisively but I'm so tired of the polls and pundits. If he falls short - then that's the headline.

The comment section works on browse all entries so we aren't stuck with one all weekend.

David Shuster has been suspended for his disgusting comments about Chelsea Clinton yesterday on MSNBC. I was also disgusted about him showing the Screamin' Dean clip in the background of his story yesterday *that this man may decide the Dem. nominee*. Tabloid journalism. I'm disappointed because Shuster has done some first rate reporting.

I predict this blog will be fixed

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you are sticking your neck out there further than Mike did predicting a Giants win Susan lol

bbl

I come from the same generation as Hillary and had hoped we would get a tie-breaker for the historic record after Clinton and Bush. But is wasn't meant to be, and Obama can define politics for a generation. I'm not that anti-Clinton, just pragmatic mainly, she can't win, Obama can.

145.

mary

Thanks for that. I never liked Shuster as he often says things like they are facts but they are wrong.

30 Minutes without so much as a break on MSNBC given to Hillary's rally this afternoon.

5 minutes max just given to Obama in Seattle, after MS used him for hours to get isteners to "stay tuned."

Something must be done about our media and soon.

It isn't Dean decided the nominees, it is the media trying to determine the Dem nominee. Obama will win despite all their interference.

N.M. Dems Get Apologies but No Winner By HEATHER CLARK

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Three days after New Mexico voted, Democratic officials offer apologies and finger-pointing — but have no winner. Hillary Rodham Clinton holds a slight lead, but the state is still counting 17,000 provisional ballots given to voters because of long lines and a shortage of ballots.

All that's really at stake are bragging rights to another popular vote victory. Only one delegate hangs in the balance. ... full article: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iuTr5...

Susan Rowe

Reply to this

... Tell me does any on this blog believe a word the Hillary has said? I sure don't.

>
What are you looking to be disappointed and irritated beyond reason? Of course there are citizens here who believe what they hear from Hillary (Bill too, bua-haha)!
But, I ain't looking for a fight, thank you very much.

Sheesh.

the good thing about a caucus is that the group can rise up and demand things be done fairly

Only if they're aware things are being done unfairly. And even then, what is the remedy if demands are simply ignored by the majority, or those in charge?

Rhetoric doesn't always match reality.

127.

FRED from Ashland OR
Fri, 02/08/08

Reply to this
Biochip Mimics Body To Reveal Toxicity Of Industrial Compounds

ScienceDaily (Dec. 24, 2007) — A new biochip technology could eliminate animal testing in the chemicals and cosmetics industries, and drastically curtail its use in the development of new pharmaceuticals, according to new findings from a team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of California at Berkeley, and Solidus Biosciences Inc.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fred that would be just wonderful news.

Obama live on cnn. 17,000 in the Key Arena in Seattle, thousands turned away. Quite incredible.

http://www.cnn.com/video/live/live.html?stream=stream3

Anybody else see this article on KOS?

"Exclusive! The FBI Deputizes Business
By Matthew Rothschild, February 7, 2008
Today, more than 23,000 representatives of private industry are working quietly with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. The members of this rapidly growing group, called InfraGard, receive secret warnings of terrorist threats before the public does—and, at least on one occasion, before elected officials. In return, they provide information to the government, which alarms the ACLU. But there may be more to it than that. One business executive, who showed me his InfraGard card, told me they have permission to "shoot to kill" in the event of martial law."

It may be too late to move to Berlin or Toronto or somewhere where civil liberties are more than just words.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2...

145.

Joan* In*Florida
Fri, 02/08/08


30 Minutes without so much as a break on MSNBC given to Hillary's rally this afternoon.

5 minutes max just given to Obama in Seattle, after MS used him for hours to get isteners to "stay tuned."


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I noticed that too. They reported that Obama's crowd in Washington state was huge. They filled the venue and thousands of folks still wanted in. I hope they all got to hear his speech. I sure hope they show up to caucus.

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I think these folks in Washington know who has the better plan and management skills needed to get Healthcare for every American.

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State's biggest labor union endorses Obama By Ralph Thomas

OLYMPIA — Barack Obama got a boost Wednesday when the state's largest labor union — the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) — endorsed him for president over Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The endorsement could be a big factor heading into the Democratic Party's precinct caucuses on Saturday. SEIU has about 100,000 members statewide and over the past decade has become one of the state's most powerful political forces.

"Nobody makes a bigger difference in organizing campaigns in this state than SEIU," said Congressman Adam Smith, Obama's state chairman. ... http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/po...

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http://www.preemptivekarma.com/archives/...

The real reason campaign Hillary needed $5 million.

February 06, 2008

Obama rocks Washington state in new poll
A fascinating new poll taken just prior to the results of Super Tuesday being known shows Barak Obama as vastly more viable in General Election match-ups than Hillary Clinton.

Clinton and McCain tie at 46% each. Hillary tops Romney 51% to 41%. But check out Obama!

Obama annihilates McCain 55% to 38% and he beats Romney by a whopping 61% to 32%.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confidence_...

5:06 PM EST

"We are all Iowans now":

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/08/opinion/main3807653.shtml

Feb. 9, 2008

This column was written by the editors of The Nation

As this year's front-loaded primary calendar took shape, capped off with the February 5 Super-Mega-Duper Tuesday, many voters once again resigned themselves to watching from the sidelines as a few early states got the privilege of choosing the party's nominee. Yet despite a schedule tailor-made to benefit the establishment candidate and confer an early victory, we are, somewhat miraculously, in the midst of the most contested primary race in twenty-four years. We are all Iowans now.

This state of affairs is thanks almost entirely to the campaign of Barack Obama, who, because of his background and his relatively brief time in the national spotlight, is a truly improbable contender for the presidency. This magazine has been critical of the senator from Illinois for his closeness to Wall Street; his unwillingness to lay out an ambitious progressive agenda on healthcare, housing and other domestic policy issues; and for post partisan rhetoric that seems to ignore the manifest failure of conservatism over these past seven years. But as Christopher Hayes argued in our cover story last week, Obama has also exhibited a more humane and wise approach to foreign policy, opposing the Iraq War while Hillary Clinton voted for it, and has been a reliable progressive ally over the course of his career. While his rhetoric about "unity" can be troubling, it also embodies a savvy strategy to redefine the center of American politics and build a coalition by reaching out to independent and Republican voters disgruntled and disgusted with what the Bush era has wrought. Most important, we feel his candidacy, in its demonstrated investment in organizing and grassroots activism as well as his personal appeal, represents the best chance to forge a new progressive majority. For these reasons we support Obama for President.

,,,

There is a new thread open for comments....

Decide to stop being so competitive.
One of Dr. Phil's guests tells him that she is competitive in everything she does, from playing a board game to dating. She says she can't turn of her competitive nature, but Dr. Phil assures her she can. "You are a free-thinking adult who can make a life decision," he tells her. It is up to you to willingly stop competing with everyone in every situation. Take ownership of your actions and decide to make a change. True competition is about doing your personal best.


Revenge and Deception
True confessions. Hidden secrets. How much do you reveal? When do you tell? Also, why lies with a kernel of truth are the most dangerous lies of all. Dr. Phil takes a look at the cost of candor and the sting of judgment.

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