Arkansas Blog

No, no, no, a thousand times no. They don't want those info-starved voters. The great unwashed just don't fit the mold.

What's wrong with a big tent?

Not a thing, Levee, and I am glad it is happening. I think Hillary is a better candidate but she can't win and I don't want the nomination yanked from anyone. The more well known Dems speak out, the sooner Hillary can fold her campaign.

Good for him.

And what does a blogger saying something ignorant have to do with whether or not Obama wants the working class white vote?

What difference does it make what "the Obama blogger" says? Is that the best scab you can find to pick?

ARK. BLOG: Easy to find. It was the lead blog headline on Talking Points Memo, one of the most widely read political blogs in America. Just a taste of the emotion out there. And really, only a more colorful expression of the official line put out by the Obama campaign for the loss in West Virginia. Elitism can be just as ugly as racism, can it not?

"the Breck Girl"- turn to "Barack Girl?"
[LINK] blue bejeeus

And, lest we forget, NARAL sold the sister our today.

Also, according to the NY Times, West Virginia was "demographically unfriendly."

Imagine the outrage on this board if a Republican were to describe parts of Little Rock in a similar manner.

I can't believe that somewhere on the internet someone can register with a web site and say something stupid. I had no idea that ever happened. Surely "Hillary bloggers" don't do that.

*looks around and laughs*

ARK. BLOG: Think back JuneOF44 to one of the early outrages pinned on Clinton that sprung from a pro-Clinton blogger unconnected with the campaign. Of course it happens. Just engaging in a little sport here. The timing was irresistible -- a headline for Edwards' endorsement popped up in tandem with the Obama blogger's dismissal of Clinton voters.

It appears that the GOP is finding ever greater demographic swathes unfriendly these days, Red. And they don't seem to know what to do about it. You been helping them out any?

Actually it wasn't on the main page at talkingpointmemo.com It's over on TPM Cafe, which is a lot like DKos in that people can sign up and start posting their own diaries.

I'm sure it's easy to dig around the internet and find people posting diaries or blog entries that are pretty derogatory towards Hillary. It's just as easy to find the same thing that Hillary supporters are saying about Obama. But, Max likes to pretend that the anti-Obama people don't exist.

You really are looking like a total crybaby today Max.

ARK. BLOG: Sorry to make you sad, Mr. Happy, but you're wrong. I found it under "Recommended Reader Posts" on the Talking Points election page. It was higher up when I first saw it than it is now, but check for yourself. Josh liked it a lot, apparently.

Memo to Democrats who continue to castigate Obama.

"He that spits against the wind spits in his own face." ---- Benjamin Franklin

A major "get" to be sure...and great timing by Obama to deflect attention from the blowout in West Virginia (and likely blowout in Kentucky next week). Lots of Obama bloggers are excitedly chattering away about an Obama-Edwards ticket.

Surely they jest. Edwards' ability to attract votes is seriously overrated. As Kerry's running mate in '04, Edwards couldn't deliver his own home state (North Carolina) and the Democratic share of the vote in the South was actually lower than in 2000. Kerry-Edwards also did worse than Gore-Lieberman among gun owners and Protestants. Click on my name for a Gallup exit poll comparison of the two elections demographically.

Not to mention Edwards' seriously wimpy performance in the 2004 debate against Dick Cheney, who bamboozled Edwards by claiming (falsely) that the two had never met before that night's debate, with no rebuttal by Edwards, whose shining moment during the debate was his clumsy reference to Cheney's "gay daughter."

A true cartoon. Click on Cato

I haven't seen anyone castigating Obama, all that is reserved for Hillary.

I must say, had I been John Edwards and received all those silly boos when he tried to praise Hillary in order to go on and endorse Obama, I might have walked off the stage and left them to themselves.

You haven't seen anyone castigate Obama? Open your eyes every now and then. I'm sick of this weepy Shrillary bit. Get over it. She got the defeat that she single handedly earned. Way to jump on board after Shrillary has already been smacked down, Edwards.

I think I just saw the ticket...Obama/Edwards,,,,and they look marvelous together....
......and, who wouldn't want Elizabeth in D.C. fighting for the little people?

Oh my, how we've strayed since January.

Max, I don't think you understand how the TPM Cafe reader posts work. It appears to be a reader-based recommendation system, and at this point the post you pointed out has a grand total of 16 recommendations from random people on the internet. Josh isn't the one putting reader posts into the "Recommended" section.

Ci.Ci. hasn't seen anyone castigating Obama? What do you mean? Max does all the time. He links to other people who do. There's plenty of other web sites I could direct you to as well if you want to read some Hillary supporters "castigating" Obama. That won't be a problem.

ARK. BLOG: Better yet. Lots of Obamaists liked the post and promoted it to the elections page. Makes the point better. But, again, I liked the irony of the appearance of the two things together, particularly since it underscored the Obama campaign's dismissal of the dumb poor white folks in W.Va.

It should come as a surprise to no one that I am voting for McCain this fall, but I have to admit, I have a deep-rooted respect for Obama for finally ending the Clinton dynasty. Bill and Hillary had gotten about as bad as Tommy Robinson in their sense of entitlement. Maybe Hillary will be more humble as she struggles to retire $20 million in campaign debt.

Or maybe she'll just leave all those small business owners holding the bag. She is a Clinton, after all.

Max, have you insulted Obama and I missed it??????

Well, I think you guys don't know castigation when you see it, which proves my point that any criticism of Obama equals some horrible insult to Obama supporters. I wonder what you guys will do when the Swiftboaters let loose on Obama nationwide. Castigation is calling Hillary a whore or a nutcracker. Pointing out weaknesses in Obama's campaign and mistakes he has made is not castigation. No one could get away with calling Obama nasty names and I am still amazed that it is okay to do so to Hillary.

Jazzy, you said "...who wouldn't want Elizabeth in D.C. fighting for the little people?" Maybe you think that Elizabeth will just meekly follow here 'better's' lead, but somehow I didn't see her on that stage tonight. But, maybe she was back home baking cookies.

Maybe the first concession to get the Edwards support will be in healthcare. I don't think Elizabeth would be on board with Obama's voluntary plan because lots of people would still be left out. Elizabeth may be the most genuine person around these days. It was pointed out by some of the pundits that she wasn't there. Who knows?

CiCi, I believe the word you're going for may be "slander".

Castigation is criticism. Merriam-Webster defines it as "subject to severe punishment, reproof, or criticism". "Pointing out mistakes" as you rather weakly put it could well be castigation. Calling someone a whore is not castigation, it's more like slander. I would not say Max has slandered Obama that I've noticed.

What will we do when the much dreaded Swiftboaters let loose? Why, have as much fun with them as we do with the Hillaryites, of course!

"Bill and Hillary had gotten about as bad as Tommy Robinson in their sense of entitlement."

A more accurate analogy is: Bill and Hillary had gotten about as bad as Bush, Sr. and Bush, Jr. in their sense of entitlement.

"Well, I think you guys don't know castigation when you see it, which proves my point that .. '

Susan Jacoby, in a recent column in the LA Times ("The closing of the American mind") made the following observation:

"It's getting harder to find anyone who's willing to give a fair shake --- or any hearing at all --- to opposing viewpoints. Whether watching television news, consulting political blogs, or reading books, Americans today have become a people in search of validation for opinions that they already hold. Such close-minded stubbornness is not only lazy; it makes you very vulnerable to being duped and misled. We have no one to blame for our growing national ignorance but ourselves."

I like your honesty, prouster, for admitting you like Obama because you find the Clintons so repugnant. Good thing we had BushII, an un-entitled self-made man, to save us from the 90s...thought we'd never survive. And, good thing you've the chance to vote for McBush, to vote for another un-entitled self-made man. He'd never ride family money/legacy to get into the Naval Academy and work his way to the bottom of the graduating class (well, fifth from the bottom...I thought pilots were from the cream of the Acadamy)...or join crooks like the Keating Five to fleece average citizens out of their savings and force us taxpayers to bail them out. ("McCain received $112,000 by 1987 from Keating and Keating's relatives and employees to McCain's Senate campaign, more than any of the other Senators.") Yup, no entitlement in your guy.

Oh yeah...I think the entitlement crap about the Clintons is just sour grapes from people like Howard Dean/Kennedy/Kerry/etc...and just your everyday Clinton bashing from Republicans. Seems to me that both worked damn hard to get to their colleges and then worked damn hard to graduate at the top of their classes. Guess Bill's family connections got him the presidency, though. It is nervy of him, however, to think his good work as president and popularity within the American public entitles him to some respect. It's also quite presumptive of him to think he ought to be forgiven for a blow job. After all, that almost destroyed the world as we know it. Same with Hillary...how dare she forgive a cheating husband. How dare she run for the Senate and win.

How about Elizabeth Edwards for VP...I'd vote for her over just about anyone.

Elizabeth called in to one of the on air shows, I flip around so don't recall which one, she
had a previous commitment to the Think Tank she has founded.

So, June, pointing out problems, even politely, in an opponent's campaign or policies is castigation? Okay........I guess we are all guilty, but that isn't the way I think of castigation.

Excellent post, Durango. I couldn't agree more. It is most uncomfortable to sit where I sit and really like both Hillary and Obama very much and have to listen to even the mildest criticism of Obama bring out a howl of protest, but if you defend Hillary from vicious slanderous attacks, you are uninformed, racist, etc. I didn't have a dog in this fight until the blogisphere errupted with all this vile crap aimed at one candidate as though she had stepped out of her preordained seat in the classroom and had deigned to interfere with Obama's rise to sainthood.

Wait! Wait! Ohhh! Ohhhh! I got it! I got it! Today as I was heading to...well, never mind....I was heading ya see...and I had a revelation! I nearly ran off the road into the yard of the former mansion of the owners of the late great Boston Store...the revelation was so strong and good! Here it is!

Barack Obama is our Presidential nominee. Oh...that one was easy. For the VP slot on the ticket it is William Jefferson Clinton! Then Hillary drop kicks Harry Reid out and becomes the Senate Majority Leader and John John Edwards becomes our new Attorney General! Talk about kicking ass and taking names!

Before Satan Cheney our VPs were our nation's roving Ambassadors to the world. WHO better to do that job than Bill Clinton? Harry Reid talks a good game with his turtle-accountant voice, but we've yet to see fire and action. Hillary can energize the Senate and get those suckers back to work. John Edwards as our AG can fire every Bush-ite in the Justice Department on the first day and bring in some honest people who will slap a subpoena on both Republican and Democrat alike if needs be and get our Justice Department out of Cheney's man-sized safe.

You talk about a DREAM TEAM....ohmygoodlord I've wet my pants thinking about it! You know Barack and Bill would grow to love each other after all this campaign crap floated on under the bridge. And unlike a lot of others, Bill Clinton, for the good of this country, would gladly accept any position if he thought he could help. Cain't think of another ex-President would be willing to lower himself to be VP, but I know in my heart Bill Clinton would do it if it would restore our nation.

Barack Obama can do the impossible and assemble a team of good people, not place-holders, not show dogs, good people to help dig us out of the Cheney-Bush hell we're in. Bill Richardson needs to be in that mix and a few others. Our grandchildren will be talking about the Obama Legion of Super Heroes that way back in the '00s wrestled America from the grasp of evil neo-cons. BAM!

Socked them into various War Crime Trials. BOOM! Carried their sorry convicted asses to Federal Prisons in the deepest dampest parts of Louisiana. POW! Stopped the War for Oil. ZONK! Brought our troops home and restored peace and kindness to the globe! SPLAT! And made America once again the one true shining light of Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Amen! Do it!

Obama/Clinton/Edwards/Clinton/Richardson/Dodd/Kucinich '08!!!!!

Is this how the Civil War began? brother against brother, father against son.........
damn, I thot the repugs were the evil enemy.........
where is Rhett Butler when we need him????

Elizabeth Edwards probably was not there because she is being treated for terminal breast cancer.

I have one thought to make me warm all over. I have NEVER seen such an outstanding
group of men, and one woman, running for prez this year, as the Dems had.
Any one of them was head, shoulders, arms, legs over any repug put forth.
I didn't have a fave,,,,would have been overjoyed with any one of them.

Did anyone see Keith Olbermann tonight on MSNBC, he torn Moneyboy a new one....scathing, scathing attack. i must say I was taken aback to hear someone carrying on so about a sitting President.......of course he deserved every foul thing Olbermann said........

I'm with you, jazzy (other than the Rhett Butler part).

I've gone ahead and sided with Obama--Hillary Clinton lining up with John McCain on the gas tax fiasco pushed me over the edge--but I'm pretty sick of both sides whining and moaning every time anyone on either side twitches.

Let's talk about John W. McCheney and his lobbyist buddies who defend the interests of dictators around the world, shall we?

John AA, I assure you the aside about Rhett Butler was typed with my tongue firmly
in cheek.....but, it was a great movie.
Frankly my dear I don't give a damn.

I prefer DBI's dreamoffices. But the Senate has this sticky thing called seniority. And that other Clinton, what's his name, playing Second Fiddle? Can't see that one unless he's pretty sure there's a straight shootin assassin waiting in the shadows.

I hope to see one "debate" question put thusly: Which one of you will assure the Am people Blackwater contracts will be audited then terminated and all bosses in Blackwater will be investigated?"

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
John McCain's campaign relies on well-heeled Washington lobbyists to run and raise money for his White House bid. In fact, he's relying on at least 112 lobbyists as staff or fundraisers, including at least ten who represent brutal dictators, human rights abusers, and other unsavory foreign interests.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

<<<<<<<<<<<(at my name)
The McCain-Lobbyist Connection

Not only does the McCain campaign have more current and former lobbyist bundlers than any other candidate, but McCain has more current and former lobbyists working on his campaign staff than any other candidate in the 2008 presidential election. Media Matters for America has previously catalogued the extensive number of lobbyists and their deep connections to industries, such as the communication and financial industries, which McCain oversaw as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee.

As the graphic below illustrates, McCain's presidential campaign is chock full of former and current lobbyists. Point your mouse at one of the campaign staffers surrounding McCain to see who they have lobbied for.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

elwood, I like your debate question about Blackwater. While they're at it they should ask why all kinds of American contractors in Iraq make way more money than the soldiers doing the same tasks (but who also must protect the contractors).

Terry Gross interviewed journalist Tom Shorrock, who wrote "Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing".

Snipped from the article at my name:

Fresh Air from WHYY, May 14, 2008 · It's become a $50 billion a year industry: Corporations like Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, and IBM are being paid to do things the CIA, the National Security Agency and the Pentagon usually do, including analysis, covert operations, electronic surveillance and reconnaissance.

...........................................

This is not the U.S. of A. that my father fought for.

Bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, down 3 to 2, a line drive over second base, perfect weather, what a night Travs.

Y'know? John Edwards is cute. And that's all I'm interested in.

I'm voting for the cutest. Plus, or course, NO marital-infidelity issues.

Because infidelity just . . . well, I don't know . . . it just . . . I mean, seriously.

Infidelity?

Like every President since Washington, except Carter (who kept his lust in his heart, according to his Playboy interview) . . .

The whole thing is Looks, right? Isn't that what counts?

So, Hillary's pantsuit number, particularly the mustard-yellow one, is terrific. From the waist up. Which is how she's usually displayed. Unless she's shown fully.

Shown head to toe, Hillary's the Venus of Willendorf.

Too wide-bodied to win.

The Presidency is all about looks, Hogs.

Google "images," Hillary Clinton," non-fiction freaks.

Then there's McCain. He WAS cute, but he's aged badly. War Prisoner Stress. OLD! So I have to rule him out on the "cute" scale, because cute is everything. Plus that thing going on with McCain's left jaw that he won't talk about. What's up with THAT, John?

Then there's Obama. The Big "O."

Basically, seriously butch and relatively young. Shoots hoops like a 17 year old!

Only Candidate to photo-op shirtless.

No fucking WONDER!

WOOF!

Totally inexperienced, but let's cut to the beefy chase, Americans.

Barack is SO cute! (And Michelle, you can tell, is kinda pissed about it.) I mean, every sentient woman's gonna pull Barack's lever in the voting booth.

My Presidential Prediction? Based on "Cute?"

OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA!

Whatta hunk! And after all, isn't that what we look for in a President?

A National Hunk?

Based on my "cute" quotient, I'm going with Obama and Edwards.

Here's the kicker.

Pix of one of the youngest Presidents in US history. First black President. One of the youngest Vice-Presidents. White.

It's Barack Obama and John Edwards, on the "cute" scale.

It's 2008.

You heard it here first.

Looks are definitely important, height even more so. The taller candidate almost always wins. Sometimes it's hard to tell because they all hover around the six foot mark. It's hard to get far in the primaries without height on your side. Not that all candidates can be as good looking as a John Kennedy or a Barak Obama, but as long as they're over 5'10" and aren't fat or bald they'll probably win over a candidate who is.

'Obamabots' BOO John Edwards for saying the 'C' word.
Their excuse: The 'DEMANDOCRAT' Party AKA The-disenfranchise-Florida/Michigan-West Virgina's-IQ-is-lower-than-Arkansass'-Party. 'DFMWVAP,' this ain't your papa's party anymore Dorothy!

OK...if looks matter so much how did Monkeyboy get to the presidency...oh never mind...I remembered as I was typing that they stole the damn thing. Plus...there ain't no looks in the Republican Party.

That isn't the first time Obama's fan club booed Hillary, bejeeus...disgusting anti-Democratic behaviour. And one of the reasons I grow steadily more disenchanted with em.

I don't mind the fact they boo Hillary, she is their opponent for the time being, but to boo John Edwards who is there to do their azzes a favor was crude IMO. They didn't have to cheer and they didn't have to agree but they could have sat quietly and listened. they certainly would have learned a thing or three.

Edwards is still pissed he wasn't the presumptive candidate. He's been biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to get the most spotlight and do the most damage to Clinton. He's been waiting to see who would be the presumptive nominee so he could trade his endorsement for VP. Sexism and racism again, pure and simple. He's pissed off at Clinton, and it's more acceptable to throw in with the somewhat black man than the also white woman. Because she is white and Obama is popular, she would likely have to choose Obama as VP if she gets the nomination, a double blow to Edwards. Some Americans will not vote against a white man (McCain) for a woman/black man ticket. Hence there will be a white male on the Democratic ticket in November.
Penes unite to elect Penis of the United States.