The recent political hardball being thrown in the Democratic primary between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama has a lot of hand wringing in the Democratic party and a lot of Republicans complaining about the Clinton's tactics.
While people may not like how the Clinton's are campaigning, one has to remember that Bill Clinton is the only Democrats who have been able to take the White House in more than 30 years. In the last eight years, many Democrats fed up with how the GOP has campaign have said that the Democrats need to take up the mantra of Jim Malone (Sean Connery's character) in the Untouchables movie.
You wanna know how you do it? Here's how, they pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue! That's the Chicago way, and that's how you get Capone! Now do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that?
One only has to look at how Al Gore won the 2000 election but was too much of a statesman and American to challenge the theft of the presidency. Unfortunately that may go down as one of the greatest mistakes in American history. Perhaps he had no chance with the way the House of Representatives would have settled the election, but we will never know.
Sen. John Kerry also didn't respond adequately to the false attacks by those on the Right and George Bush was given another pass to the White House. Today many Americans who voted for Bush rue their vote.
The hardball politics makes Democrats uncomfortable because they don't live by the "any means necessary" mentality permeating in the Republican Party. They view their party as the party of hope, as portrayed by Obama. Which is great except for people need to remember who they are campaigning against.
The Republicans farm out their gutter politics to their hate radio division, GOPTV (aka Fox News), or any one of a number of editorial page columnists newspapers feel they must carry to appease those on the right. If one can stand it, one only has to listen, watch, or read a little to the see the impact this unpaid, but very valuable, support has had for the party.
With supporters on the left concentrating on reason over gutter politics, Democratic candidates often find they have to fill the role of "media gutterists," and the results aren't pretty (just ask former Sen. Max Cleland).
However, this year because of the revulsion over George W. Bush, the Democratic Party may not need to get in the gutter with the GOP, but they need to be prepared to go there.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
McCains claims victory after GOP abandonment
One of odder items about Sen. John McCain's "victory" in South Carolina is the fact that he saw his support drop from 2000 and also the number of Republicans voting dropped significantly, leading one to believe McCain won a dying party's primary.
In South Carolina, McCain saw his support drop from around 240,000 in 2000 to around 143,000 in 2008, or a drop in percentage from 42 percent of the vote to 33 percent.
McCain's "victory" came about because of a greater split in the GOP and also apparently a number of people abandoning the GOP. In 2000 more than 573,000 Republicans voted in the South Carolina primary. In 2008 only around 431,000 Republicans voted, or a drop of more than 25 percent.
Supposedly McCain won with the support of independents but one has to wonder if most are just waiting for the upcoming Democratic primary to vote. But perhaps McCain can be comforted by the fact that the party's nomination he is after is filled by people who hate him.
One only has to look at those making allegations he collaborated with the North Vietnamese while he was a POW. And one thought these people were slimy with their allegations about Sen. John Kerry.
In 2004 McCain had the opportunity to ditch these hatemongers, instead he doubled his efforts to win their support. If this is the party he wants to lead so badly perhaps he should have it.
In South Carolina, McCain saw his support drop from around 240,000 in 2000 to around 143,000 in 2008, or a drop in percentage from 42 percent of the vote to 33 percent.
McCain's "victory" came about because of a greater split in the GOP and also apparently a number of people abandoning the GOP. In 2000 more than 573,000 Republicans voted in the South Carolina primary. In 2008 only around 431,000 Republicans voted, or a drop of more than 25 percent.
Supposedly McCain won with the support of independents but one has to wonder if most are just waiting for the upcoming Democratic primary to vote. But perhaps McCain can be comforted by the fact that the party's nomination he is after is filled by people who hate him.
One only has to look at those making allegations he collaborated with the North Vietnamese while he was a POW. And one thought these people were slimy with their allegations about Sen. John Kerry.
In 2004 McCain had the opportunity to ditch these hatemongers, instead he doubled his efforts to win their support. If this is the party he wants to lead so badly perhaps he should have it.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Endorsing Obama
Sen. John Kerry's endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama may come as a surprise to some but it was Kerry who gave Obama his chance to be seen as keynote speaker of the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
Some might have thought that he would endorse Sen. John Edwards, but while the two may have made a good looking team, they could never quite mesh, not even being able to agree on whether to use "Help is on the Way" (Kerry) or "Hope is on the Way" (Edwards).
At a Edwards presidential campaign kickoff campaign stop in Des Moines in late 2006 the usual background music was being played and when Bruce Springsteen's "Land of Hope and Dreams" came on it reminded me of the Kerry campaign of 2004. However before the song was finished it was cut off and replaced with another tune, as if it was a bad reminder of 2004.
Endorsing Sen. Clinton was also probably be inappropriate after her criticism of Kerry's joke about Bush in 2006, which the MSM/right wing spun as some attack on the troops. Only the deceived, dishonest or delusional could have said that Kerry's comments were anything other than a criticism of Bush and Sen. Clinton's criticism played into their hands.
Sen. Clinton, of all people, should understand the need to not let the right wing rewrite events to their liking and to their advantage. Someone, other than Keith Olbermann, should have pointed out the truth about the comment. Instead the GOP got Kerry to apologize, giving credence to those who thought he said something against the troops.
Comedian Bill Maher was closer to truth when he said "John Kerry made a joke about Bush being a moron, and now Bush wants morons to think it was a joke was about the troops."
Some might have thought that he would endorse Sen. John Edwards, but while the two may have made a good looking team, they could never quite mesh, not even being able to agree on whether to use "Help is on the Way" (Kerry) or "Hope is on the Way" (Edwards).
At a Edwards presidential campaign kickoff campaign stop in Des Moines in late 2006 the usual background music was being played and when Bruce Springsteen's "Land of Hope and Dreams" came on it reminded me of the Kerry campaign of 2004. However before the song was finished it was cut off and replaced with another tune, as if it was a bad reminder of 2004.
Endorsing Sen. Clinton was also probably be inappropriate after her criticism of Kerry's joke about Bush in 2006, which the MSM/right wing spun as some attack on the troops. Only the deceived, dishonest or delusional could have said that Kerry's comments were anything other than a criticism of Bush and Sen. Clinton's criticism played into their hands.
Sen. Clinton, of all people, should understand the need to not let the right wing rewrite events to their liking and to their advantage. Someone, other than Keith Olbermann, should have pointed out the truth about the comment. Instead the GOP got Kerry to apologize, giving credence to those who thought he said something against the troops.
Comedian Bill Maher was closer to truth when he said "John Kerry made a joke about Bush being a moron, and now Bush wants morons to think it was a joke was about the troops."
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