Obama: Christian.

Maybe it's the Muslim-rumor emails. Maybe it's the speeches. But no other Democrat could put out a mailer like this without getting laughed at. In fact, it'd be hard for a Republican to put something this overt out.

With Barack, it just seems so natural...

Policy over Politics

Enough said...

Just a thought...

I wish I could post this without knocking Stan's DMX post down from the top spot, because that needs to sit and simmer for a bit while the messages of Barack Obama's "More Perfect Union" speech sink into some truly ignorant fuckers...

But, I have been mulling over another take-away from his speech today. I realize that the goals of the speech were to address a major issue that still casts an ugly, unfortunate pall over our country and to seal a gap in his campaign's call to unity. However, I am also wondering if this is the much needed discussion that we need to have concerning American foreign policy. I am certainly not a pacifist, but it strikes me that the nuance that Obama sees in race relations in America is reflected in his desire to talk to countries like Iran, North Korea, and Syria. Some of the notes that he struck upon in his speech also come up over and over in the study of "extremism" or "Islamist militancy." The means and statements of those movements are detestable, but nonetheless the anger lingers. The rhetoric and goals of extremist movements are reprehensible, but their popularity is borne of the legitimate concerns of people in some truly failing societies.

The speeches of Jeremiah Wright were absolutely ignorant in their tone and message. And, I realize the danger of trying to formulate a foreign policy message around a speech that was in many ways trying to correct a lapse in judgment on behalf of Obama. The America-hating sentiments from which those speeches SEEMED to originate are not the stuff of heady international affairs discussions. However, what Obama seems to recognize is the profoundly difficult nature of being a leader (whether of a congregation, a community, a city, or a country) requires a perspective from all angles. This type of thinking is not easily translated into political speeches, which this certainly was, but it is a deep level of analysis that America must beg for, for the sake of our future as a shining city upon a hill.

I am certainly in no way trying to equate the struggle of African-Americans and other minorities with those of Islamist militants and anti-West, anti-Israel hatred. But, I would simply like to point out as a student of foreign policy that this message can resonate globally as well. We can choose the politics of 100 years in Iraq, of continued war, of continued divisiveness. Or, we can choose the politics that at least hears the other side out and tries to grasp why their message is so vitriolic. I am all for throwing Osama bin Laden under the bus, but to conduct an effective counteroffensive against his rhetoric is to acknowledge that it has an origin that is neither dead nor the past. Someone who can embrace that level of nuance and critical thinking is the one I want answering the phone at 3AM.

y'all wanna be killers? get at me dog!

You guys remember the rapper and all around piece of shit DMX? Neither did I, until loyal commenter Danny sent me this interview. He is so smart, here is an excerpt to prove it:

Are you following the presidential race?
Not at all.

You’re not? You know there’s a Black guy running, Barack Obama and then there’s Hillary Clinton.
His name is Barack?!

Barack Obama, yeah.
Barack?!

Barack.
What the fuck is a Barack?! Barack Obama. Where he from, Africa?

Yeah, his dad is from Kenya.
Barack Obama?

Yeah.
What the fuck?! That ain’t no fuckin’ name, yo. That ain’t that nigga’s name. You can’t be serious. Barack Obama. Get the fuck outta here.

You’re telling me you haven’t heard about him before.
I ain’t really paying much attention.

I mean, it’s pretty big if a Black…
Wow, Barack! The nigga’s name is Barack. Barack? Nigga named Barack Obama. What the fuck, man?! Is he serious? That ain’t his fuckin’ name. Ima tell this nigga when I see him, “Stop that bullshit. Stop that bullshit” [laughs] “That ain’t your fuckin’ name.” Your momma ain’t name you no damn Barack.

So you’re not following the race. You can’t vote right? [ed.- because he is a convicted felon]
Nope.

As long as we're here...

This certainly deserves another airing, in my mind...

This is an e-mail in response to this article:

it's like the clinton campaign is living in a parallel bizarro world...the whole time i was reading the linked article i was thinking "why the hell are they highlighting his numerical advantages???"

then i remembered that it is the same horribly mismanaged campaign that we have seen collapse like a flan in a cupboard (hat tip: eddie izzard) over the past month. the logical gymnastics of clinton's campaign are utterly mind blowing: the ferraro fiasco (tm) was obama's fault (according to ferraro and clinton's campaign manager); he plagiarizes one of his top advisers (even though gov. deval gave him permission to use the "just words" line) but she steals john edwards' parting shots about "we're going to be just fine" and her supporters start chanting "yes, she can;" the fact that she is "mathematically" out of the hunt but she wants to suggest obama can be her running mate (the serpentine logic of why he would be a good running mate but not a good commander-in-chief is just too rich to elucidate, even here); her foreign policy "experience" being greater than obama's despite numerous key players coming out and saying she has exaggerated her role in many of the situations she has taken credit for (bosnia, rwanda, china, northern ireland)...many people have been fired, publicly disgraced, and ruined for this last point alone; she has essentially embellished her resume.

again, this latter point brings up some of my earlier inquiries as to why obama is not playing up his role as an intrepid advocate in chicago politics early in his career. he is essentially neglecting his resume while she is making one up as she goes. if he truly wants to change the tone in washington then he should reflect back to the instances when presidential nominees were not always crusading charlatans, strictly shooting for 1600 penn. ave. many former presidents cut their teeth in local politics first to show their mettle and then took it national...christ, the best hillary has done is shit out an ugly baby by bill's fetid penis.

the creepy thing about her campaign is that she is obviously delusional (almost to a clinical degree...for serious) and her advisers are all drinking from the kool-aid fountain. if obama cannot do it then let his surrogates do it for him, as was suggested in The Root, and ask clinton (a la jack nicholson from the shining) "are you out of your fucking mind?"

from mississippi, with love

slight modification from the original here

everything you need to know about DC politics, in a nutshell

This post is a little out-of-date, but I couldnt get the damn picture off the camera. sue me. Anyways, the particular makeup of DC tends to make politics here rather predictable. How predictable? Well look at the scroll on the bottom of the picture below (I took it the night of the so-called Potomac Primaries"):

Thats right, with O% reporting, MSNBC calls DC for Obama.

the darker the barry, the sweeter the juice

Check it.

And right before Ohio too? Well what would be the point of that...oh wait...I see...Awesome. Somewhere out there is the unpaid staffer with shitty MS paint skills who actually did this. Which brings up another point. Does everything the devil in the red pantsuit does have to be so damned amateurish? Jesus. Take some of the five million dollars you loaned yourself and hire a professional. You know, like these guys. (h/t spencer)

Wait, so I guess this means he is "black enough" now? How about now?

Beginning of the End

It was only 8 weeks ago that we watched Iowa propel Barack Obama into the status of front runner for the Democratic Presidential nomination. How far we have come...It will now be a long 7 weeks till we get to the next big primary in Pennsylvania (or, as someone once said "Pittsburgh and Philadelphia with Alabama in between).

Last night was disheartening to say the least. We watched an experienced political team mount an incredible comeback against the fresh face of the party. It came with a well placed ad that kept the pundits buzzing for days. It also came with a former supporter entering a serious criminal trial. When fighting history while trying to stay above the fray Obama was placed in a tough position.

Where the race goes from here is any one's guess. I believe that we are looking at the end of what should have been a very promising year for the democratic party. Instead we are now faced with the prospect of Obama and Clinton tearing each other down, possibly till the convention in August, while McCain and Bush sit back and enjoy the show. Whoever wins the nomination is going to come out facing a rested and ready Republican machine and what should have been a landslide in November now looks like a repeat of 2000.

As I stood in line to caucus last night I had a sinking feeling that things were not going to turn out well. I didn't imagine walking home, turning on the television, and seeing Obama down almost 20 points in Ohio at one point. It made me feel tired. I'm tired of Clintons and Bushs running the country. I'm tired of watching every policy matter tied down in partisan bullshit. It is time the country gave itself something to feel good about.

Isn't Obama the realization of the American Dream (if it still exists)? I know the guy isn't perfect. I know he will probably fuck up on a couple of things and I will probably be pissed at him at least a dozen times during his first year in office. But unlike any candidate we have seen in a long time he has an ability to motivate and lead that we have not seen in a long time. Fuck, my 65 year old dad made his first political contribution this year. Isn't that saying something?

As I said, I have no idea where the race is going from here, but I don't see it ending well. Call me a cynic (and I am) but the idea of watching this primary dragged out another 3-5 months makes me want to go hangout with Sawyer and Hurley for a while.

O' Hai...Ohhhh

people in ohio are fucking bigots...Guuuhhh

Cacklin' Cankles Sings Da Blues...

so let's review where the fuck we are at now that three-fifths of dude weekend has officially endorsed barrack obama by way of posts on this blog. on the eve of critical primaries/caucuses in texas and ohio (as well as other states) i am making a prediction that clinton is out by the end of the week. that's just me, and it feels good to write it...

but, i have this sneaking suspicion. it is as andrew sullivan put it; it's that eerie quiet before the storm. the clinton machine could come back to shame us all. but, speaking of shameful, let's just give a cursory rundown of the shitty tactics recently embraced by the queeen of beefy achilles heels...yeah, i know i am getting porky too, so shut your fucking mouth.

first and foremost, there is the shameful somali garb incident, which the knowledgeable stan-wise gamgee has commented on. disgrace.

then there is the plagiarized "red phone" ad by clinton's campaign that highlights her utterly non-existent foreign policy credentials. hey, cacklin', you didn't have security clearance during bill's presidency...ergo, you weren't in the room to help with these decisions...go fuck yourself.

then, boys and girls, there is the latest smear that the clinton campaign tried to unload against sen. obama. face it, sister, you are acting like a ferret backed into a corner because you were completely deficient in your campaign planning. i hope your self-entitlement tastes bitter because for me it's on the other side of the tongue. it's oh so sweet. perhaps you will prove me wrong, and perhaps you are "just getting started," as you have said. but, if you happen to squeak by (yes, that is the sound you make when speaking) in this nomination process, you will always have it hanging over your head that you are a conniving whiner. the more your campaign threatens to sue the texas democratic party the more you are exposed as an elitist who will do anything to win because you feel as though you "deserve" to.

in summation, i don't like you, sen. clinton. i will be very disappointed if you win the democratic nomination because i do not think you deserve it. your tactics in the past few weeks are telling of your quality as a person and your potential as a president. that can be summed up in one word: petty.

i'll take hope; so you can take your shit somewhere else. fucker.

god, i wanted this post to be much funnier...

One more voice to the chorus

I can't let this one pass without comment. $32 f-ing million in one month! 170,000 new donors! This is fucking democracy in action. This is campaign is not about policies. It is about electing a man who could actually inspire individuals to do what is best for our community and our society. It has been said a million times but we haven't seen true leadership like this since JFK. No other candidate comes close to the universal appeal as Obama, and don't give me bullshit about no experience. He has served in elected office longer than Hillary Clinton (sorry, riding your husbands coattails doesn't count) and will certainly surround himself with the right people from day one.

Imagine the type of inaugural address we could have on January 20, 2009. I guarantee that it will give you chills.

With Clinton we are guaranteed at least four years of constant attacks from the right starting day one. And we get the added bonus of reliving the ridiculous scandals of the 1990's. Good luck getting any piece of major legislation passed!