As I flipped through the news channels yesterday morning, I saw something that brought a smile to my face. And it has lasted for the last 24 hours.
Fox News was discussing Hillary Clinton's call for a Lincoln-Douglas style debate with Barack Obama. Take a look at the video and the picture they put up as they were discussing this topic in the above clip.
What a bunch of fucking morons!
The photo they put up is of Frederick Douglas, famed 19th century abolitionist, and not Stephen Douglas, Lincoln's debate opponent in 1958. Why on earth would Lincoln debate someone who was on his side?!!?
I can just see how the knuckle dragging minds at Faux News connected the dots on this one: Lincoln...black people....Douglas ...Frederick Douglas...black...find photo...fire bad...water good...
For those of you on the right who want to be taken seriously and treated as scholars, you are going to have to start by ceasing to defend Fox Noise as reliable news source.
The real question is...did any of their viewers notice?
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Wrapped Neatly With A Bow
Monday, April 28, 2008
We Have No Plan

It goes on further to say that "the United States has not met its national security goals to destroy the terrorist threat and close the safe haven in Pakistan's FATA region," referring to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. In addition, the report details how the Bush administration has relied heavily on Pakistani forces to deal with the problem.
All of you may recall a column I put up in December of 2005 entitled Flunk You! , which detailed the Bush Administration's complete ineptitude in enacting nearly all of the 9-11 Commission's recommendations. Here we are, nearly two and a half years later, and guess what? They still don't a have a plan! Great...
So, my question to conservatives is....and I am beginning to tire of this seeming endless broken record....why do you continue to support a policy and an administration that so clearly does not care about national security?
To this day, I am still amazed at the complete ignorance and seeming laissez faire attitude amongst supporters of this policy. I am beginning to feel like Sandy Berger during the transition in 2000....jumping up and down, waving my arms at what I see as being an extremely serious threat...only to be met with laughter and derision by folks on the right who feel that Iraq is more important. Even Barack Obama has been chastised by the right for wanting to bomb targets inside of Pakistan that may be Al Qaeda strongholds.
Huh?
What in the fuck happened to "if you harbor a terrorist than you are a terrorist?"

We are right back to where we were on Sept 10, 2001, complete with wall to wall coverage of shark attacks (see: Fox News) and meaningless gossip about celebrities' blow job habits. Al Qaeda has made it very clear that they want to outdo 9-11 in their next attack. We know what they are capable of doing. Can anyone out there think of a reason why we don't have a plan?
More importantly, does anyone care?
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Son of Oh No....
Oh No.....
If a quarter of the the Republican base vanishes in the general election, either by staying home, voting for the Democrat, or voting independent, you can rest assured that however "weakened" the Democratic candidate is from the primary, they are going to slaughter McCain. All you have to do to see that I am right is look at the voter registration, state by state, and see that the Democrats outnumber the Republicans 4-1 in some cases.
Smells like the beginning of a whole lot of dead elephants.......
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Straight Poop
A point that has come up repeatedly with Hillary Clinton's strong wins in blue-collar states is can Obama get downscale whites to vote for him in the general election? The NY Times has a story about polling on this issue in these states. The bottom line is that while many blue-collar workers prefer Clinton, they still prefer any Democrat to John McCain so the Democrats are not in grave danger of losing states like Pennsylvania that they must win in November. What Obama brings to the table is sudden competitiveness in states like Virginia, Iowa, Missouri, and Colorado, which Republicans normally win easily.
So, basically, when you hear the "liberal" media talk about how Obama can't close the deal with white, blue collar voters, they are sensationalizing the story to make the race seem more exciting. He will win all the states John Kerry won plus Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, and very possibly two of the following four states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Texas.
Sounds shocking, I know, but these states are totally in play. Dean's 50 state strategy may be more realistic than was thought a few months ago. Hillary has no clue what she is talking about when she says that the Democrats have no chance of winning them. It is so demonstrative of how this election really is about folks who are trapped in the old way of doing politics simply not getting it.
Speaking of not getting it, the North Carolina GOP is running attack ads against Obama, courtesy of the guy who brought us Willie Horton. Thanks, GOP NC and please keep it up. We are starting to see a correlation between more votes for Obama when people go negative on him.
I suggest mentioning his middle name a few times.....
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Pennsylvania Wrap Up
Senator Clinton: 1,258,245 votes, 80 delegates
Senator Obama: 1,042,297, 66 delegates
Looking at the percentages, she wins 55-45, 3 more points than I had predicted. The percentages look bad but the actual numbers look pretty even...depends on how you want to look at it. The "liberal" media is spinning that Obama can't connect with the white, beer drinking, bowling, gun loving crowd so McCain will some of those votes. I think it is complete crap and here's why.
First of all, Hillary had the entire Pennsylvania machine behind her...Governor Rendell, both mayors and tons of elected officials. Obama had Senator Casey and Rep Murphy. If Obama gets the nomination, they will be working to get the vote out for him.
Second, take a look at this map from CNN of all the counties in Pennsylvania. At first glance, you might say that Hillary was more in touch with the rural vote with all the light blue. Scroll your mouse over...say...Buck's County, which is basically the crowd with whom Obama supposedly can't connect. He gets 42,000 votes to her 71,000...a large victory for her to be sure but he is still getting a good chunk of people in these areas. Take a look at some of the smaller counties. She gets around 60 percent of the vote but he still gets people in these very rural counties. It doesn't seem like they ALL were for Hillary as the media makes it appear.
If I were the Obama campaign, I would interview some of these folks and find out why they voted for him. He needs to know this so he can use it in Indiana. If he can win Indiana, it's over. Remember, he won in Iowa and Wisconsin, states that have similar demographics.
Here's my question....two million people voted...what happened to the other two million?
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Pennsylvania Prognostication
So, I think Hillary will win tonight by 7 points. This is more than what most are predicting but less than the large margin she needs to convince superdelegates that she should still be in the race. It's going to be interesting to see how she does in the "Alabama" part of the state. If she wins 70-30 or more than I think we can safely say that Obama offended the white, beer drinking, bowling gun nuts. Anything less than that and I don't think his comments made much of a difference and I would call it a small victory for him.
I also want to say to those Democrats who are expressing concern that Obama, should he get the nomination, will not be able to win Pennsylvania....You are idiots. Please shut the fuck up. John Kerry carried that state in 2004. If HE can carry Pennsylvania, Obama will win there for sure, given the fact that people are even more dissatisfied with the shape of the country.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Gee, I'm Shocked
But the best part of the Time's investigation is the exploration of the links between these retired military officers and defense contractors. From the article...
The effort, which began with the buildup to the Iraq war and continues to this day, has sought to exploit ideological and military allegiances, and also a powerful financial dynamic: Most of the analysts have ties to military contractors vested in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air.
Those business relationships are hardly ever disclosed to the viewers, and sometimes not even to the networks themselves. But collectively, the men on the plane and several dozen other military analysts represent more than 150 military contractors either as lobbyists, senior executives, board members or consultants. The companies include defense heavyweights, but also scores of smaller companies, all part of a vast assemblage of contractors scrambling for hundreds of billions in military business generated by the administration’s war on terror. It is a furious competition, one in which inside information and easy access to senior officials are highly prized.
Records and interviews show how the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse — an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks.
To the people out there who still support the war....do you understand what is going on here and why we are really in Iraq? Or is this just another traitorous article from the Times?
If you answered yes to the last question, put down your cup of Kool Aid and please report to your local neurosurgeon for your annual checkup on the lobotomy you received in November of 2000.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
.....then you are an Idiot.
"If you think Barack Obama is going to take away your guns, the you are an armed idiot."
This leads quite nicely into the next clip, shown earlier in the show, in which author Jeremy Scahill goes into some small towns in rural Pennsylvania and sees if Obama offended anyone with his "bitter" remarks. As I had hoped, the "Alabama" which is in between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, is more pro Obama than one might think. I think some folks over on Kevin Baker's blog aren't going to be too happy.
They are probably going to blow a bowel when, in the last part of the segment, Scahill visits a gun range and finds Obama supporters there as well. I am reminded of the 2004 election and how out of touch liberals seemed with what was really driving voters to the polls (fear, gays, doom etc..). This time around it is apparent to me that conservative pundits and much of the "liberal" media don't have a fucking clue what is really on people's minds.
Shh....let's not tell them.
Aw, who I am kidding? Like they would be reflective, change their mind, and listen.
Sheeya....right!
Friday, April 18, 2008
An Excellent Strategy
Why?
Since the debate Obama has picked up five more superdelegates which add to his overall delegate lead. I think it is very likely, based on the polls as well as the "man on the street" reaction to the debate, that in the last few primaries, as well as the general election in the fall, the American people aren't going to react kindly to "gotcha" politics any longer. Sure, they might vote against Obama because they think Hillary will do a better job on health care or they don't want government running their health care. That's fine by me. They are voting on the issues and they should keep drilling Obama on why he is not being specific enough on some of his key policy points, my chief complaint about him thus far.
But the rest of it? The flag pin-Ayers-Wright-elitist stuff? I spent most of the week pissed off that people weren't focusing on the issues. Actually, they are. ABC received 15,ooo negative emails in anger that it took 52 minutes to get to an actual issue in the debate last Tuesday. Some conservatives I know are lamenting the fact that we didn't get to see Obama's stance on certain issues so people could really see how off base he is in regards to some of these topics. Even John McCain, recently a guest on the Hardball college tour with Chris Matthews, said he is going to stop any 527s that are running these kind of attacks against Obama. He asked Obama to do the same.
Bottom line, the more these topics come up, the more it benefits Obama. I think McCain knows this and is trying to get the loud mouth putzes in his party to shut the hell up. McCain is a smart guy and he has been out there talking to people. They don't want to hear this crap anymore. It is also becoming evident that these attacks on Obama toughen him up for the fall and exposes, a think a bit prematurely, the right's game plan.
So, by all means, keep piling on. It seems to be working for Obama. Thanks!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Last Night
-whether or not Obama is an elitist vis a vis his comments in San Francisco
-Reverend Wright
-William Ayers
-Flag pins.
If these are the issues that people want to focus on, our country is doomed. There is no other way to put it. I am hoping that voters in 2008 are smarter than that.
We'll see.....
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
So far, no effect
I'd like to see what the polls show later in the week after the 24-7 news coverage of the comments by the "liberal" media soaks in a little more. Those will be the ones that will really show the effect.
Crabmaster threw down the gauntlet over on Kevin's blog that I haven't made any predictions because I'm (gasp!, sniffle sniffle) scared that I will be wrong. So, I have decided that on Monday I will predict how the rest of the primary season will play out.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Nice Quote
By cynically twisting Obama's comments about small town voters in a way that confirms every right-wing demagogic caricature of her own Party, Hillary Clinton has adopted the frames, lies, stereotypes and destructive clichés long embraced by the likes of Lee Atwater and Karl Rove. She has clearly decided that the road to victory runs through scorched earth. The question is, if she succeeds, what kind of Party will she be left to lead? She's burning down the village to save it -- or to prove that she would make the best fire chief. But the village won't be saved; only one house will be left standing. A house with room for just two occupants: Hill and Bill.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
We Don't Deserve It

But in this day and age, when you make a comment like this:
"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow those communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.And it's not surprising to me then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti immigrant sentiment or anti trade sentiment as to way to explain their frustrations."
well, you are God Damned all to hell!!
And Tinkerbell's light goes out and she dies.
Because as all good Americans know when you make any kind of remark that even is slightly negative about guns or religion (even if it is true), you are the pure embodiment of evil and are against all that is wholesome and good. One need only look at fellow blogger Kevin Baker's site to see the all too predictable reaction. I wonder if any of them will compare the reaction of Senator Obama's comments on gay marriage with the most recent ones and see a difference.
Probably not.
Anyway, I think when you look at the reaction to his statement on small towns, it becomes quite obvious that it is accurate. This reaction is typical of the "rock granite" stubborn refusal of some people to look at who is actually fucking them over and continually blame the "other" which, ironically, is what Obama is describing. It's a distraction from the serious issues of the day and it puts energy into something that will ultimately solve no problems--which works out perfectly for the people (Bush, Cheney and pundit machine) who supposedly are on their side. The people they should really be pissed off at are laughing all the way to the bank.....the people that have manipulated their bitterness and their honesty into votes.
Some people that post here lament long and hard about how liberals are "sheeple" who follow along with whatever their side says. To a certain extent and with certain liberals, this is true. However, the art of getting people to become sheeple has never been more perfected than it has with the "stupid rednecks in flyover country who believe in God, guns and country, " as Kevin describes on his blog. This recent flap is an excellent example.
It illustrates how the "fake outrage machine" works in this country. A bunch of people will now get angry at Obama for being "condescending" or the terribly false belief that he actually looks at people as Kevin says he does So, by all means, let's continue to debate, ad nauseaum, how Senator Obama is an "elitist" or a hater of Meanwhile, Bush Co will dance with glee as it continues to pull several layers of wool over millions of eyes and the real problems out there...the ones that Senator Obama is best equipped to face....continue to get worse.
A while back, a friend of mine told me that she didn't think we were ready for BarackObama..that our country was too petty and stupid to want a real leader who would actually take this country to the next level. If this bullshit continues on into next week, I fear she might be right. In which case, we deserve people like John McCain or Hillary Clinton, who most assuredly will be business as usual and definitely make the majority of our country's problems even worse.
Perhaps now is not the time for change because I'm not sure if we deserve it.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
The Rankings
And McCain is more conservative than everyone, save four senators. This is based on their voting record and the median of 7 liberal interest groups. This seems to jibe with many of the other rankings out there.
So, why do conservatives hate McCain so much? His voting record is clearly more conservative than people like Saxby Chambliss or Sam Brownback.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
The Ronulan Invasion
There a lot of pissed off people in the Republican Party. McCain has basically been propped up because the country club Republicans (aka money guys) know he is the best chance to win and they know that if they let the other two thirds of their loony bin put up someone (that would be the evangelicals and the Waco brigade) they will lose the election to the Democrats.
So, enter Ron Paul. He doesn't have a prayer of getting the nomination but there are enough people that love his libertarian booty that he will get some say at the convention and could lay the groundwork for a real revolution.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Check this out!
In the meantime, check out this site. It is hilarious. I have been raving about it to friends for the last two weeks and last Friday they decided to get political. Check out the comments. Sounds like the usual debate on this blog.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
A Heavy Heart

The last few weeks had been particularly bad and his quality of life was terrible. He passed away in his sleep Tuesday morning April 1. The photo to the left was taken two years ago as he was reading to my son.
For the last day I have been thinking about all of the things he saw in his full life...the first automobiles (he was born in 1916!) and a man on the moon, two world wars and the birth of some nations, the first calculator, the first computer, and the Internet. What an amazing life and all the things he saw come to pass!
He served in the Army from 1942-1945 as a cartographer, sometimes going behind enemy lines in the South Pacific to map out areas so our guys could figure out their way around. He was one of the first men to land in Korea and take it from the Japanese in 1945. I just found out today that his service, this Saturday in St Louis, will be a military service with a 21 gun salute, as he is one of the last WWI vets in the area. I am looking forward to being there to honor this great man.
The pride that I have in him is something that cannot be put into words. I will miss him very much but I am happy that he had a full life and was there for me well into my adulthood. Rest In Peace, Poppo, my heart will be always be with you and I know that you went home with more integrity that anyone I know.
Monday, March 31, 2008
It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City
And Steve Massey, principal of the high school and his staff would have been tarred and feathered in the public square for treason. Why?
Last Tuesday, March 25th, the Vets For Freedom National Heroes Tour was scheduled to stop at the school and speak to a social studies class on politics and the war in Iraq. This event was worked out between Massey and Forest Lake alum Pete Hegseth, an Iraq veteran who heads the Heroes group. The group decided, however, to contact the press and make an "event" out of the visit, complete with rally outside before class. Soon it was learned that Michelle Bachmann, last seen ejaculating on President Bush during his walk in to the State of the Union speech in 2007, was going to attend and speak. Hmm....
Sniff Sniff. What's that I smell? Ah yes, not an educational event at all really. Sounds to me like a propaganda tour to me. A propaganda tour selling a bill half truths and outright lies. You know the kind of horse shit I am talking about....something like this...
"We are in Iraq to protect our freedom and safeguard the world from tyranny."
Does anyone out there actually believe this anymore or are they that fucking clueless?
It would've been one thing if Hegseth had come to the school and had a low key classroom discussion. But no. Oh no. That's not how it works with these people. It has to be a big show because they have a point to make and if you don't agree with it...well....guess what happens?
Since relocating the event to the American Legion, mainly due to security concerns over protest groups also wanting a chance to speak, Massey has received 1200 emails and about 250 phone calling him a coward, a Communist, and a spineless America hater.
Remember this photo?

After the comments that Massey, his staff, and several students have received, you are all going to have to excuse me while I tell the putz brigade, who lately have been amusing me with their Jonah Goldberg loving assess, that if you want to find a group of people most likely to be fascists, TAKE A LOOK IN THE FUCKING MIRROR, DOUCHE BAGS. The Michelle Malkins of the world need to realize that when they behave like this, they are acting in the EXACT SAME WAY THE SS DID!!!!
They call people like me "unpatriotic" when all I really want is for our troops to be sent in harm's way when they are actually protecting us (Afghanistan) as opposed to fighting for the interests of very select group of people on the world in two very specific industries (Iraq).
I have to say that in many ways I am soooo tired of this idiocy. Can't we be done with these people now? My patience is at an end and when they behave in this fashion, I really have to say that there is no hope in building any bridges. The last eight years of Bush Co have basically given them a license to tap into their jingoistic, inner moron and make up whatever bullshit they want about they world and then have the audacity to play the victim when someone like me calls them on their complete ignorance.
President Obama (aka an intelligent adult) can't come soon enough....
Thursday, March 27, 2008
The Full Speech
Here is the full speech. I have some problems posting from YouTube these days. Sorry about the technical malfunctions.
I was listening to Michael Medved yesterday and he was talking about this speech. He said that, with this speech, Obama has aligned himself with the reparations section of the civil rights movement. Did he hear the same speech I did? Perhaps he might want to listen again.
I wonder how minds like his (and the people who is speaking to) actually work with all the cognitive dissonance kicking around in there. Of course, they do pay him to shape and frame thinking:)
Saturday, March 22, 2008
We Got Bill!
Richardson is a huge power player in the Democratic Party, second only to Al Gore perhaps, and his endorsement yesterday of Senator Obama was a huge boost. I'll be the first to admit that my guy had a bad week, even with the instantly historical speech made on Tuesday. In my view, this erases any negativity felt about Senator Obama within the the ranks of the Democratic leadership.
Governor Richardson called Barack Obama a "once in a lifetime" leader.
Oooo...you damn right!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Really?
Meanwhile, over in warrantless wiretap land.....someone or a few someones have been looking into Senator Obama's passport information....illegally. CNN has the story.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Obama's Historical Speech On Race 3-18-08 Pt. 2 of 4
I have to admit the cynical side of me thought this speech would be more of the same. Boy was I wrong! On Hardball yesterday, Chris Matthews called a speech that will read and examined for years to come like the Gettysburg Address or Wilson's 14 points. I agree. It was stunning.
Think about what this man is going to be like as president. Think of the poise and intelligence he is going to use when he tackles issues that are as big as this.
Part 3 tomorrow...
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Obama's Historical Speech On Race 3-18-08 Pt. 1 of 4
I had planned to write a column about the Reverend Wright business but apparently someone can speak more eloquently on it than I.....
Parts 2, 3, and 4 to follow.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Failed?
Iraqi leaders have failed to take advantage of a reduction in violence to make adequate progress toward resolving their political differences. No one in the U.S. and Iraqi governments feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation or in the provision of basic public services.
Hold on a second...does this mean that the surge has failed? How dare he! Doesn't he know that everything is going according to plan in Iraq?
I guess he missed the interdepartmental memo.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
My Birthday Horoscope!
It's not that you ALWAYS should get your way, but often you should. And you have the necessary diplomacy to do it now. Furthermore, it just so happens that the whole world will be a better place when you do.
Yeah, baby!
Friday, March 14, 2008
The Bootlicker Brigade
Many Republicans on the committee fought the very premise of the hearing. “This is a hearing in search of bad guys,” said Darrell E. Issa, Republican of California. “Are there bad guys in front of me? I’m not seeing it.”
I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Ferraro's Foolishness

So, I guess I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the bizarre statements she has made in the last few days regarding why Barack Obama is doing as well as he is in the election. I really have my doubts that she is racist. Out of her mind and out of touch, partially due to drugs? Yes.
Racist? No.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Hello Larry!
I watched, transfixed, as she took the 3 a.m. call...and I was afraid...very afraid. Suddenly, I realized the last thing this country needs is that woman anywhere near a phone. I don't care if it's 3 a.m. or 10 p.m. or any other time. I don't want her talking to Putin, I don't want her talking to Kim Jong Il, I don't want her talking to my nephew. She needs a long rest. She needs to put on a sarong and some sun block and get away from things for a while, a nice beach somewhere -- somewhere far away, where there are...no phones.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
An Open Letter

For the last week, Hillary Clinton has played the fear card (the 3am phone call ad), lied about who winked to Canada regarding NAFTA, and, on at least two occasions, placed herself and John McCain as being more qualified to be president. Similar to the end of nearly every Scooby Doo episode, Hillary has been unmasked and revealed to be.......KARL ROVE!!
There is no mathematical way she can win the election, even if she wins all 11 of the remaining contests by a large majority. She is also behind in the popular vote. The only way she can win is by bribing the superdelegates and, if that happens, she will have become the second person to steal a third election in the last eight years. If you are a superdelegate and you are reading this, imagine what the party will become if this happens. You are going to alienate ALL of the Obama voters. The Democrats will be terribly weak going into the general election and she WILL lose to John McCain.In poll after poll, Barack Obama is the stronger candidate against McCain. Imagine all of the crap that is going to come out against her in the general election.
Even if she somehow manages to win, both the nomination and the White House, get ready for four years of a mountain of bullshit, scandals, daily rectals, and maniacal tirades from both sides that will make the last eight years look like a church fucking social. Folks, we have done the Clinton thing and, while it was fine in the 90s, it is woefully shop worn. They had their time in the White House and it is time to move on.
In essence, that is what this election is really all about. That is why people like Hillary Clinton and her supporters are throwing the kitchen sink at Barack Obama. She can see the writing on the wall. This is her only shot and if she loses and he wins...and wins the general election against McCain...people like her and others in DC that benefit the most from the current schema, will lose forever. If Barack Obama becomes president, their party will be over.
I have watched with great interest the bemusement of conservatives commenting on the Democrats infighting. As usual, they don't get it. This primary is not about petty liberal squabbling. This election is about the past versus the future. We can see this divide clearly in each of their supporters. Hillary supporters will follow Obama. Obama supporters will not follow Hillary because to them she represents everything that is wrong with this country in the same way George Bush represents everything that is wrong with this country. She is about the past, the status quo, and the fucked up way things have always been done in Washington.

People are excited about politics again. They are inspired and motivated to make this country a better place and it is because of Barack Obama, not Hillary Clinton. Give her the nomination and you lose all of that.You have a chance to stop an insanely retarded tendency to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Don't fuck it up.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Message to Republicans: You Are Fucked!
In case you missed the news yesterday, Democrat Bill Foster beat Republican Jim Oberweis for Dennis Hastert's seat in a very special election in IL-14 west of Chicago. The NRCC spent $1.3 million of the $6,4 million it has in the bank to hold a seat they have owned for more than 20 years in a district that is strongly Republican (PVI R+5) and lost to a nuclear physicist who has never run for public office before. Now Foster is a very smart guy, no doubt about that, but he is a newbie to politics. Obama helped Foster and McCain helped Oberweis but this race was in Illinois not Arizona so it is not really Obama vs. McCain, the prequel. Still, many GOP congressmen may be starting to think carefully if this might not be a good time retire voluntarily, rather than involuntarily.
29 of them already have retired. Combine that with the 19 Senate seats that Republicans are defending...precariously...and you have all the makings of a bloodbath in the fall. This is assuming, though, that Obama gets the nomination. If Hillary does, the Dems won't get their filibuster proof majority.
A Republican loss in an R+5 district? Wow. Somebody gone and done fucked things up for conservatives right good....gee, wonder who that could be?
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Hillary Clinton angling for McCain VP Spot
Seriously, why is anyone in the Democratic party voting for this....person? After this, I can understand why Republicans would....
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Hillary Rove-Bush-Cheney
Here is the commercial, airing in Texas, that everyone is talking about. This proves, undoubtedly, that my assessment of her is correct: She is no different than Bush and will use the same old tired tactics (i.e. do anything) to win.
Sad and pathetic.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
A Welcome Return
This conservative, for what it's worth, welcomes a win by Mr. Obama. Normally I might feel somewhat dirty after typing such a sentence, but in this case I have my reasons. Long story short, I see two primary benefits:
1) Too much of a good thing is bad, and for too long businesses in this country have lived the good life with respect to the US being an economic superpower. A return to liberal domination in the executive and legislative branches, while undoubtedly painful at the microeconomic level for many, should force many companies to adjust their perspective to focus on service/quality. We'll get killed in the international markets, but that's happening already, so there's only so much more damage that can be done. The upside will hopefully be that fewer people will be living their lives boiling over with rage, and I have to think that's a good thing.
2) An attack on the wealthy means that more money will be in the hands of those who are too stupid to hold onto it, offering an attractive opportunity for more of it to end up in my hands.
I would, however, issue the following challenge to those on this blog who are going on record with the predictable and tedious conservative bashing. I challenge you to now go on record with what scorecard you are going to use for Mr. Obama should he be elected President. You cannot measure "hope" or "good will", except perhaps via grossly subjective polls, so I want to know from you when, if ever, you might ever conclude that Mr. Obama is failing as President.
Long-timers on this blog know that despite my political allegiance I didn't vote for GWB in '04. Common sense clearly indicated that in no circumstance would GWB actually be able to accomplish anything in his second term, no matter how valid or viable his ideas might be, therefore a vote for him was a vote for nothingness. At the time I laid out that "accomplish" meant things like implementing tax reform, education improvement, health of economic indicators, and so on. As predicted, he has failed to accomplish almost anything of significance in the past four years.
So Markadelphia, et al....let's hear it. How and by when will we know that Mr. Obama (presumably with a continuing majority in the Senate and House) is proving to be the leader that we [conservatives] are told he will be?
NOTE: It goes without saying that Mr. Obama winning the White House will be accompanied by four years of the predictable and tedious blame game with respect to whose fault whatever the problem-du-jour truly is. Here's your chance to prove yourself more than just another liberal sycophant by holding up an objective measuring stick to your boy. (No, Markadelphia, not that boy....I meant Mr. Obama.) Are you as open-minded and visionary as you profess to be?
I think we will know, PL, what kind of a leader Senator Obama will be in the first 100 days. That is usually the barometer for seeing how effective a presidency can be. As far as how, I think you need to measure how he energizes the country. Will more people get involved to make our country a better place? Or will they expect government handouts? Will special interests put up a big fight? Another good test is to see how the good ol boys in the Democratic Party react once their playhouse is torn down. Will they go quietly into that good night?
I think I will be open minded for this main reason. Mr. Obama has a lot to live up to, in my eyes, and I will be just as critical with him, possibly more so, than I have been with President Bush. I predict that, if elected, Senator Obama will make mistakes, one or two of which will be enormous. The test for me will be how he learns from those mistakes. Will he self actualize or will he be an eight year old putz, as we have now?
Of course, I am not going to FIND things to fault him with if I think and feel there are none. As we learn more about Barack Obama, we can begin to see a level of maturity in him that is really going to be difficult for the eight year olds, on the right, to attack. So, I guess the final measure for me, in regards to Mr. Obama, is going to be how much he rises above that crap and even nullifies it.
Monday, February 25, 2008
The Language of Hope and Healing

Coming from the party that allegedly follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, it is even more perplexing.What is uncanny and terribly ironic about what the right is saying about Obama is that it sounds eerily familiar to what the "non believers" said about Christ during his time on earth. Let's take a look at some recent quotes.
"I think Obama is a charlatan and I think his follows are brain dead zealots who either lack the education, intelligence or insight to see through his empty rhetoric. I think his followers are a cultish lot with some type of messiah complex and hope that he will fulfill whatever needs they're missing in their lives. Empty, sad, shells of people looking for someone else to make them whole. And when it's President Obama, the veil will be pulled back and the awakening will be very rude." (just Dave from comments)
"Barack Obama shares the same ideology as Hitler and Stalin: socialism" (Dennis from comments on The Smallest Minority)
Dave's comments are actually accurate...if you are describing certain conservatives who laughingly call themselves "Christians." Sadly, what Dave and others fail to see that what is really happening is that people are sick and tired of criminals running and ruining our country. They are energized because they think they can make a difference again and make out country strong and respected again, as opposed to weak and reviled. They see Barack Obama as a shining example of FINALLY having a leader with whom we can be proud.

Well, she's right. Deal with it. Stop trying to blame the media, our education system, or any of your other usual suspects that you point to when you hilariously shift the blame for the ills that befall our country. You sound like children, pointing to the guy next to you saying, "He did it! It's his fault."

Fellow blogger Kevin Baker asked me this question on his blog the other day: how will Obama heal our souls? The question reminded of another question that was asked in comments last week: how will Obama get able bodied men to work who are lazy and don't want to? The answer to both questions is the same.
Barack Obama is not the messiah. He will not heal our souls. What he can do is lead us to the beginning of the path and the rest of it is up to us. In effect, each one of us is a messiah to ourselves. Believe me when I tell you, we really NEED to start down that path or it's over for our country.

When you break out of that system, you gain power.
Believe me when I tell you that people like Dick Cheney, Grover Norquist, and James Dobson don't want us to get in touch with that power. They view Christ as a means to an end to control people. They believe in structure and steel enforced granite rules with a select few people in control. The reason why you see conservatives so upset right now and making comments like the ones above is that they are afraid of losing that control.
People are starting to realize how much power they have. Obama is telling them that they can break out of it. Many, many people are believing him and, thus, believing in themselves. And that's why people are worried about him getting shot. Not because of Steyn's death messiah fantasy talked about in comments. It's because people that understand these things know what has happened before...with JFK, Dr. King, Bobby Kennedy....these leaders who would have made things better for more people were killed because they represented a threat to those who want power for few and hate, misery, and fear for the rest of us.When you lose these three things, you lose control. It is starting to slip away and that's why we are starting to hear people say things like the above mentioned quotes.
I have to admit that I felt a lot of anger when I read some of these comments. I mean...seriously!....They take a message of restoring simple human dignity to Americans and becoming better ambassadors to the world then twist into a cynical distortion that would make Goebbels proud. Scary, huh? It's almost as if they have a filter in their brain that transforms all words said by anyone that doesn't think exactly the way they do into the foolishness we see above.
After a day or two...well....now I just feel pity, really. I think it is tremendously sad that there is such a large group of people in this country who see villains around every corner.....who constantly give into fear and fall into backwards thinking (e.g. Barack Obama is a communist)....who are so insecure with the word change that they demonize that which could be helpful....who are so trapped inside of an ideology that they will never realize their true potential as human beings.
All of this begs the question...do conservatives understand the language of hope and healing?
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Family Vacation-RUINED!!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Johnny....Johnny...Johnny.....(sigh)
beep....blurp...wham....boff....squirt
Ah, here it is. What he was really saying. "I am saying this to rally more of the conservative base to my cause who will mistakenly believe that the only reason why America hates Cuba is because Fidal Castro is a murderer, fornicator, and communist. I, of course, know that the main reason why our government doesn't like Cuba is because Castro, instead of American industry, is pillaging and financially raping his own people. Dang, it'd be great to get a crack at that cheap labor and make all that money that Castro is making instead of us. Fucker....!"
Perhaps ol' Johnny Boy should more worried about this.......
Friday, February 22, 2008
Are You FUCKING kidding me?
Folks, I can see this shit happening all over again. The people (and you know who the fuck I am talking about) who have the most to lose from an Obama presidency are going to try to take him out and blame some crazed racist.
Was this a test run?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
What is the Story?

This could be a unbelievably damaging story to the Republican Party, not so much from the standpoint of McCain having an affair, but from the fact that he did favors for Isemen when he was the head of the Commerce committee.
Before I render any judgment, the sources that are saying McCain did have an improper relationship need to go on record. The New York Times has a lot of explaining to do and I really need to hear all that from Bill Keller, executive editor of the Times, and not the writers of the story. And by improper, I mean from the lobbyist angle not the sexual angle. Can we please move past this crap in this country? I don't give shit if McCain had group sex with the entire east wing of the Shady Oaks retirement home. The fact that we are obsessed with our leader's sex lives means we have much growing up to do.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
It's Fundamental

One thing is certain, though. As I begin to delve deeper into the life of the conservative mind, my studies have brought me to several interesting pools of knowledge. The latest is a recent study of fundamental attribution error. Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE) is the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and over estimate the impact of personal disposition. When it comes to the issues of the economy and poverty, much talked about in our presidential campaign, we see many conservatives making this error time and again.
"People generally get what they deserve."
"Those who don't work are often freeloaders"
"People who take initiative can still get ahead"
"The free market offers everyone choice and it is the fault of the individual, not society, if they can't pull themselves by their own boot straps and make it!"
We have heard these tired lines over and over. They are, in fact, completely invalid. And science....SCIENCE!!!....has proven it to be true, time and again.A typical FAE experiment involves a group of people...let's say 100. Each of these hundred will spend time talking, one on one, to a certain person, who would either act aloof and critical or warm and friendly. 50 of the 100 were told beforehand that the person they would be talking to was an actor, who was going to fake feelings, and the other 50 were told nothing. They were then asked what their impressions were of this person. Guess what happened?
Even though they knew this person was an actor, the 50 people "in the know" still regarded said person as warm or cold. There was virtually no difference between the blind group and the control group. They knew the person was behaving in certain ways due to a situation but they still saw it as being a personal disposition.
To be fair, this is a very human failing. We all suffer from it. We lack the width of vision and the clarity to correctly analyze the myriad of combination of factors that cause people to behave the way they do. At least liberals question themselves and self reflect enough to recognize FAE. 21st Century conservatives, though, are a breed in and of themselves.
Not only do they fall into the FAE trap more than your average bear, they are completely unwilling to widen their perspective. Self reflection? Well, that's for pussys! In addition, they fall into other traps as well like confirmation bias or self serving bias. In fact, this is their basis for foreign policy: we are good and they are bad. Our army is for defense and theirs is for aggression. When we attack it is to protect ourselves. When they do, it is because they are evil.
David Meyers, professor at
Information about each other's actions is then filtered, interpreted, and remembered through preconceived stereotypes. Group interaction among like minded policymakers may polarize these tendencies, leading to groupthink, whereby each sees its own group as more moral, thereby justifying retaliation.
Gee, doesn't that sound all too fucking familiar!!!
Hey, how about this classic?
"Society is not to blame for crime, criminals are"
That was Bob Dole from 1996 and I always crack up when I hear that one. In fact, I laugh so hard I pretty much throw up and need oxygen.....ESPECIALLY when I hear the red states of our fair land talk about crime. A study done in the 1990s showed how white males from southern states deal with problems that arise in everyday life. It's no wonder that our current president enjoys most of his support from this area of the country. Homicide rates and violent crime are nearly triple the rates in these states because of cultural heritage, not a person's disposition.
So when it comes to issues of poverty, the economy, and even crime, we all need to learn to shuck our innate tendency to blame the person and look at the situation as a whole. What is this person's background? What kind of an environment did they come from? What is their cultural heritage?
Change the way people think and things will never be the same.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Cheeseheads Vote
Polls say he is now tied in Texas with Hillary...basically within the margin of error and about 15 pts behind in Ohio. If he wins Texas, as in gets the most delegates, it's over.
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Map
Look at all the red states that have gone for Obama. True, this is only Democrats voting but if they are as energized in the general elections as they are now, we could see some states turn blue.
I really hope that the bigwigs in the Democratic party get the message.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Bile For McCain
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Three Great Wins
Here is a link from CNN about how well Senator Obama matches up against McCain.
Make sure you get out and vote if you live in Wisconsin. The primary is in six days.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Notice The Cheese Has Slipped Completely Off Their Cracker

2. Economy. The free market is filled with nothing but goodness and all corporate leaders should be worshiped for all the money they have. Any government interference will result in the deaths of millions of Americans and we will eventually all end up communists. (keyword to beat incessantly into the ground: TRIAL LAWYERS aka those sub human satanists who take money from the deeply wholesome and eternally benevolent corporations of America)
5. Torture. We must maim or murder anyone who stands in our way...quickly...the clocks is ticking....ahhhhh...hurry......ohhhh....ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!
12. The Media is all liberal and against us at all times. In fact anyone who doesn't completely agree with us is, in fact, a minion of Lucifer.
Apparently, the conservatives have their own little rating system (how cute) for how conservative a person actually is. They use the above points and then average the score to get a rating. Bill Bennett, conservative talk show host and former Secretary of Education, stated last week on CNN that John McCain scores an 82 out of 100.
Could it be that sane people are trying to take back the Republican party, returning it to less infantile run organization? Are we heading back to the time of when I had polite disagreements with conservatives, who were mostly sane and intelligent as opposed to insane and imbecillic? Will the CMDBs ruin this one chance to restore the Republican Party to honor and dignity?

There has been a lot of talk lately about how the Democrats might implode due to the tight race between Obama and Hillary. If you ask me, it is the Republicans who should be worried. They have allowed people with the emotional and mental maturity of an 8 year old boy run their party and look how undeniably fucked up our country is as a result of their moronic ideology. Now, decent conservatives, both in the party and across the country, are trying to make up for the colossal fuck up that is Bush- Co. They are trying to do the right thing and the CMDBs won't let them.
Rush says that a McCain ticket will destroy the Republican Party. In reality, it will destroy the CMDB part of the party and that's what he and others are afraid of. They hate John McCain because he is a living representation of the loss of control they have over Americans that is slipping every day. They can see it in their lower ratings and they hear it from the people that call in to their shows. At the end of the day, they hate John McCain because, as with all of the rest of the people that they slime, he is better than them and they know their time is just about over. (*Sigh) Such a shame......
The people are speaking and they love John McCain.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Great Quotes!
"She is a smart person, she is a capable person, she would be a vast improvement over the incumbent. What is also true is, I think it's very hard for Senator Clinton to break out of the politics of the last 15 years. I will create a working majority because I won't demonize my opponents and I already attract independent and conservative voters." -Barack Obama Feb 10, 2008
And this one...which leads into tomorrow's column.
"I think we are seeing the twilight of the loud mouth radio host."- P J O'Rourke, on the Bill Maher show February 7, 2008, in response to some conservatives dislike of John McCain.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Stinking Liberal
I wonder what the neo conservative douche bag machine will think of this one....
Feeling The Strain
Let's make sure that we don't cut and run, though, because that would put us at more of a risk. NOT! The question is...how many MORE things can conservatives be wrong about before people start getting the message?
Monday, February 04, 2008
The New Frontier
As some of you may know, Jim Ramstead, the current rep for the 3rd is retiring. He has had enough of going back and forth to Washington for almost 20 years. Jim was a perfect fit for this district-center right-which is what most people are out here in the western suburbs. It is very likely that Erik Paulsen will get the Republican nod. He says he is center-right just like Ramstead but he is completely full of shit. On the Democratic side, the choice has basically come down to two people: Terri Bonoff and Ashwin Madia.
Terri is about as old guard Democrat as you can get, which in my opinion means fucking clueless. If she is nominated you can pretty much bank on Paulsen winning the district. If that happens, we are going to see more of the same, tired ideology that will result in colossal amounts of bullshit. In order to win this district, Democrats are going to have to get people to cross party lines, get more people out to vote, and snag some independents. The person that can do all that is Ashwin Madia.

Madia later served in Iraq from September 2005 to March 2006. While there, he worked to strengthen Iraq's criminal justice system. This job included working with Iraqi judicial officers, U.S. military and civilian officials, and representatives of the European Union and United Nations, as well as briefing top U.S. generals on the status of the rule of law in the country.
I think this is the guy that can beat Paulsen. If you are a Democrat supporting Bonoff, ask yourself this question: do you honestly think she can beat him? She'll roll out the same old crap and look like a female Skip Humphrey and Republicans will be laughing to another election win in the 3rd. If you are an independent, don't waste your vote. This guy is about as progressive as they come. If you are a moderate Republican that is sick to death of Bushit, Ash will talk your ear off about fiscal responsibility and making America strong again economically.I had the pleasure of meeting Ash yesterday and I urge all of you to caucus for him tomorrow when you vote. Visit his campaign site and learn more about him. Read where he stands on the issues. This page will tell you exactly how to caucus for him. He is the exact person we need representing our district. His youthfulness (29 years old) reminds of another person running around the country these days:) His energy reminds of my own when it comes to the politics of hope. His intelligence is something that we desperately need in Washington right now. He understands, on a very deep level, that this election is about the future.
It's about the New Frontier.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Coulter Endorses Hillary
Could this be the end of the conservative douche bag pundit machine? Well, at least it proves what I have said all along-Coulter just has to say something insane once every two months or so to stay in the limelight.
Thank you John McCain!