Hello Larry!

Larry David, co-creator of Seinfeld and creator of the uber hilarious Curb Your Enthusiasm, has officially chimed in on the election. His recent column on the Huffington Post is so dead on right it's scary. The best quote from the piece.

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.

An Open Letter

The following is an open letter to all voting Democrats in Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Guam, North Carolina, Indiana, West Virgina, Oregon, Kentucky, Montana, South Dakota, Puerto Rico, and the 300 or so remaining Superdelegates who are about to vote in primaries an caucuses.

It has become obvious to me that Hillary Clinton wants to be president so deeply that she is willing to become a monster in order to do it. It's odd to note that I wrote this sentence two days before an Obama aide, Samantha Power, resigned for saying the same thing. It's true, though, she is a monster and she has reminded us what defines her. In your upcoming primary or caucus, please keep the following in mind.

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. Senator Obama is about the future. He is about turning the page.

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.

Message to Republicans: You Are Fucked!

I just pulled this story off of Electoral-Vote.com.

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?

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....

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.

A Welcome Return

I thought I would bring the following comment out front for two reasons. First, it marks the return, after a unbearably long hiatus, of PL. Yeah!! Second, he asks some important questions that I would like to address.

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.

The Language of Hope and Healing

Over the course of the last week I have felt the intense rush of serendipity. Conservatives from all walks of my life have inundated me with their opinions of Barack Obama. His rise to the probable nomination for the Democratic party have left conservatives scratching their heads. They simply don't understand why his message is resonating with so many people. In fact, they don't understand his message at all. The question is why. Why? Why is it so difficult to understand what hope actually means?

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, ladies and gentlemen, is a blank canvas upon which anybody can project their fantasies, or their desires." (Rush Limbaugh)

"if you’re running for president not as an unexceptional first-term senator with a thin resume but as the new Messiah..." (Mark Steyn)

"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. Michelle Obama said last week that she can "be proud of her country again." Right wingers went nuts. How dare she say America, in the recent past, is something that we shouldn't be proud of!!

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."

I don't know about the rest of you, dear readers, but I can't be proud of a country that bemoans political prisoners in Cuba and yet has hundreds of its own. I can't be proud of a country that claims to stand for human rights and yet has people in it that think that water boarding is not torture AND want to fight for the right to water board (!). I can't be proud of a country that has millions of people who claim to be pro life and yet condone the murder of thousands of Iraqi children calling it "self defense."

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.

Each of us has that Christ power that inside of us. Every one of us has the capacity for love, hope, and peace. Everyone of us has the power to take these three fundamental traits and put them into action, not just in our communities but in our country at large. We can do this by picking an issue in our communities, getting involved and making it better. I think the reason why most conservatives don't grasp this concept is that they don't understand the difference between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. They can't understand people who are motivated to do the things purely for the joy of doing them. Most conservatives believe the only way to motivate people is through money...and fear. It really doesn't have to be that way.

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?

Family Vacation-RUINED!!

I just got this photo, courtesy of Zombie Girl. I thought you would all think it was as special as I did.

I have a few more she sent me which I will be trotting out in the weeks to come as a nice break to all the political banter.

Enjoy!

Johnny....Johnny...Johnny.....(sigh)

John McCain was quoted yesterday as saying that he hopes that "Fidal Castro gets the chance to meet Karl Marx very soon." Let's pause for a moment and put this comment into the CDBRM (conservative douche bag reprocessing machine).

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.......

Are You FUCKING kidding me?

Check out this story in the Dallas Star Telegram. Apparently the Secret Service ordered the Dallas police to stop security checks an hour before an Obama rally. They wanted the lines to move faster. As of this writing, none of the major news networks have picked this story up. Ed Schulze has been talking about it on his radio show but that's it.

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?

What is the Story?

So, is this story that the New York Times published today about John McCain's "improper" relationship with lobbyist Vicki Iseman about McCain or the New York Times? Has the New York Times gone too far and stepped out of its normal parameters of reporting news? Will they still be the "paper of record?"

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.

It's Fundamental

A while back I put up a post about the differences between the conservative brain and the liberal brain. When you think about this study, it really explains a lot and someone with deep pockets should expand this study and see what other sorts of things we can find out about the conservative brain! (cue maniacal, evil scientist laughter and maniacal organ music)

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 Hope College in Michigan, wrote:

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?

And then do you know what we need to do? I think that Stephen Biko said it best.

Change the way people think and things will never be the same.

Cheeseheads Vote

Today is Wisconsin's primary. If you believe the polls, Obama wins here and in Hawaii, who is having their caucus today. If he does well in these states with women and under 50K income people, the Clinton camp is going to start to shit pink twinkies.

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.

The Map

Take a look at this map showing the states Obama has won and the states Hillary has won. Obama has won 22 states and Clinton 13.

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.

Bile For McCain

Here is an article from The Toronto Sun about the loudmouths against McCain hilarity. I flicked around the dial these past couple of days and they are still going at it. Pretty funny and pretty self defeating.

Three Great Wins

Well, the Man who could change the World has finally put Hillary in the rear view mirror with wins last night in DC, Virginia, and Maryland. Can you say BIG MO??!!

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.

Notice The Cheese Has Slipped Completely Off Their Cracker

Just when you thought the conservative movement in this country couldn't descend any further into mental and emotional psychosis, they seem to have a found yet another level of dementia. John McCain, the inevitable Republican nominee for the 2008 Presidential race, is apparently not conservative enough. Unless you are fully rooted in the delusion of this hysterical ideology, apparently, you are not allowed in the club.

Let's take a moment to review what it means to be a member of this club, shall we?

1. National Defense. The United States is always right in everything we do in the world, everyone else is wrong, we never start anything, we are perfectly innocent, and the only way to solve a problem is to blow it up and kill people.

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)

3. Health Care. Socialized Medecine is directly from Satan's own pit of fire. If people can't afford to buy health care, fuck em. They should be dead anyway.

4. Abortion. All human life is sacred. Liberals have murdered 70 million people.

5. Torture. We must maim or murder anyone who stands in our way...quickly...the clocks is ticking....ahhhhh...hurry......ohhhh....ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

6. Supreme Court. Only judges who see things our way are good. Otherwise they are all liberal judges who legislate from the bench. (keyword to beat incessantly into the ground: ACTIVIST JUDGES)

7. Immigration. Fuck you, get out of our country.

8. Campaign Finance Reform. Also the work of Satan. Churches should be allowed to contribute and control any campaign they want.

9. Climate Change. Completely False. A fantasy made up by the left to hoodwink voters amnd money. There is no climate change and don't ever mention it again. Begin Fox News scroll of scientists who don't believe in climate change. Don't confuse this list with C PAC members. They might look identical but always remember our motto: Don't believe what you are seeing. It is all a liberal trick!

10. Gay Marriage. All faggots should be treated like animals and burn in hell. What's that? You think I am a bigot and intolerant? How dare you criticized my personal beliefs! Wah!!!!!!!!!!

11. Education. We must stop the teaching of all things that don't adhere to our platform. They are poisoning our children's minds. Seig Heil!

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.

"NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!!!"

was the five year old temper tantrum-esque cry of conservative pundits. It must be 100 percent conservative, good and wholseome like white milk, or we will all perish in a boiling pit of sewage! Eternal child Rush Limbaugh has been on a tirade, going as far to say that supporters of John McCain suffer from anal poisoning. Odd, considering that it was an anal cyst that got Limbaugh out of Vietnam. Laura Ingraham, Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved, Michelle Malkin and a host of other CM (conservative movement) douche bags are fit to be tied. They are out of their minds with anger that Republicans are turning out in droves for John McCain.

Sure, he is tough on terror, pro life, pro big business, against universal health care, against spending on Education, and would appoint strict, conservative judges to the court BUT he won't support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage (even though he opposes gay marriage), he gave amnesty to illegal immigrants, he believes that climate change is real, and (mother of all that is holy) thinks that torture is wrong. What a fucking liberal! Even Ann Coulter (hall hath no fury like a woman-oops-man scorned) says that she will campaign for Hillary Clinton if McCain is the Republican nominee.

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?

It looks as though they might not because the people are speaking-in a very loud tone-and they like John McCain. I like John McCain. I disagree with him on a number of issues, chiefly Iraq and health care, and would probably vote for Hillary over him but at least if he won we would have a person, unlike now, who is fucking qualified for the job. President McCain would be an intelligent, passionate, empathetic, and strong leader. He is a real patriot, not a faux one invented by the pea size intellect of the Rush Limbaughs of the world. Come to think of it, those four traits that I just listed above describe everything the CMDBs completely and utterly lack. No wonder they don't like him!

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.

Great Quotes!

Two great quotes to start off the week.

"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.

Stinking Liberal

Colin Powell, in a recent interview on CNN, called Barack Obama an "exciting person on the political stage who has energized people here and around the world." He also says he is keeping his options open as to who he will support this year in the presidential election.

I wonder what the neo conservative douche bag machine will think of this one....

Feeling The Strain

Apparently our military is beginning to admit the strain of what two extended tours of duty can do. Check out this article just posted today.

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?

The New Frontier

I've been talking a lot these past few weeks about the presidential election. As the saying goes, though, all politics are local. So, on the eve of Super Tuesday, I thought I would talk a little bit about my congressional district, the 3rd in Minnesota, and who I think would be the best person to represent it.

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.

Ashwin Madia's parents moved to America from Mumbai, India. They had only $19 in cash when they first arrived. Madia's family settled in Plymouth, Minnesota, where he went to Osseo Senior High School. He attended the University of Minnesota where he became student body president. While in this position, he worked to cap tuition increases and fees. He then attended New York University School of Law. He was in New York on Sept 11, 2001. After that day, he decided to join the marines. Ash completed basic training in Quantico, Virginia. His first duty station was Okinawa, Japan, where he served as a prosecutor, defense counsel, and legal advisor to a Marine Corps commander.

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.

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!

Ah...too much happening...head hurts...

Wow. Holy crap. Talk about a crazy last 48 hours. Alright, let's see if we have this straight.

1. Edwards: Gone. So much for "going all the way." He is now in a very strong position to be kingmaker. I predict he goes for Obama and then Hillary will be in big trouble this Tuesday.

2. Giulianni: Gone. Really sad. Our Mayor had to bow out and, with it, the only chance I would have of voting Republican.

3. Hillary: Shucks, isn't it too bad that JFK's daughter endorsed Obama? As I have said before, the torch is passed...

4. McCain: Part of me is happy for him..the comeback kid..er...well maybe not kid. The other part of me knows that if he wins the presidency, we will have a nation that has decided to remain an immovable object.

5. Paul: Still in...and with plenty of money and pissed off "real" conservatives behind him.

6. Huckabee: Looking for a miracle...or the VP spot with McCain.

7. Romney: Ward Cleaver is going to have some problems on Tuesday.

8: Obama: I think he might surprise some people on Tuesday....people with last name Clinton. I don't think anyone has any idea how many "non-voting" voters he is going to bring to the polls. I predict it is going to be staggering. If he gets the Democratic nod, you are going to see many of the "other hundred million" vote. The people of this country can sense that something wonderful could happen and they could help be a part of it. He's close....I'm nervous....too nervous..

Some interesting quotes from comments from Monday's post that I thought I would bring out front and comment on:

"very few people (Mark included) ever talk about Obama's voting record"

Quite a bit has been made about Obama voting "present" when he was in the state legislature. There are people talking about it. I don't talk about it much because I'm not sure how that will translate on a national stage.

"'Equality in all areas of our country would have been the order of the day.' I'm sorry but mankind will never be remade like that and I get leery of politicians taking steps to enforce their definition of fairness."

Spoken like a true conservative. While I am not advocating a collectivist culture, cultures that favor the individualist have higher rates of loneliness, more divorce, more homicide, and more stress related diseases. Remember, too, Obama is not saying that HE will do anything. It will be OUR responsibility. All he is doing is opening the door...which, for the last eight years, has been eight foot thick of metal with seven thousand locks on it.

"Hillary is enough of a polarizing figure that I think McCain wins that one."

Agreed. Democrats, please don't fucking nominate her.

"I foresee a rejuvenation of “Where’s the beef?” analogies. However, Obama is still trouble because too many people live for that sunny rhetoric and a return to Camelot."

Also agreed. Do you know that they changed Obama's web site about a month ago? It used to have very detailed ideas and plans. Now it seems too light and airy. I want to hear more specifics as well. They really need to put back the old site.

"we still have super Tuesday coming up and neither political party has anyone set in stone yet."

It's going to be really cool, I agree. I do like how exciting the race is on both sides.

Oh, and how totally mega is the debate tomorrow night between Hillary and Barack now? I will be glued to my wide screen...

American Monarchy

A while back I was a at get together for Keith Ellison, esteemed congressmen for Minneapolis. Keith wasn't there but plenty of his supporters were and we all started talking about who we liked for president. There were some Edwards' supporters and some Obama.....one or two Richardson folks but the overwhelming majority loved Hillary Clinton. In fact, one of my friends there said something that struck me.

"Well, I suppose I'm for Hillary...so we can continue the whole Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton thing."

To this day, I don't know if she was serious or kidding. Either way, we have a serious fucking problem on our hands, folks, and the Democrats who support Hillary don't seem to care. Ask yourselves this question: do you want to allow the same two families to run our country for at least 24 years? That's an entire generation!! Good God, people!!! Can any of you see what is happening to our country? Do we want to live in a monarchy!?

Much like the Bushie, the Hillites are passionate, driven, and centrally focused. I mean this as a negative, not a positive. To make matters worse, they want payback. Payback for the last 8 years. Some Hillary supporters I have talked to over the last few months are the biggest cunts I have ever met...and they ain't all women folks! They want to force their agenda down the throats of the American people just like Bush did and they aren't in the mood for compromise. They want to continue the childish, bickering partisan bullshit of the last ten years.

And, just as with President Bush, if this happens, nothing will be accomplished and I suspect we will be worse off than we are now. It will be four years of the conservative pundits being on the offense again and folks like Moveon.org will have renewed life on defense. These people are still going to be around and we can't be having this shit anymore. We have serious work to do, people, and our country depends on it. We don't have time for this crap anymore.

Remember my column two weeks back? Republicans want Hillary to win so they can have their perfect opponent. Unless that opponent is Rudy Giuliani, we are going to have more of the same bullshit we have had for the last eight years. Can you imagine a Romney vs. Clinton election? Or a McCain vs. Clinton election? Pee-Yew!! As Senator Obama said last Saturday, after winning the South Carolina primary, this is an election about the past versus the future.

I am speaking directly to Hillary supporters here. The Clintons are the past. They had their time in the White House. Barack Obama is the future. Bottom line: Super Tuesday is one week away and I urge all of you who are Democrats to NOT caucus for Hillary. If she wins, it forces people like myself to lose faith in the political process and not vote. Or vote for a third party candidate. I did that in 2000 and look what happened. I'm not the only one who is suffering from chronic regret.

We are on the cusp of something great here. We have a chance to really move forward. Why on earth would any of you want to move back?

France!

A little something to roil conservatives over the weekend.

Great Quote

"Giving political power to the neo-conservative is the same thing as empowering the mentally and emotionally ill"

-Todd Rundgren, Minneapolis, MN. January 22, 2007.

Remember....

Uh Oh! Now he's really done it....

Our first (potentially) post partisan president has really gone and screwed up this time. In a recent interview with the editorial board of the Reno Gazette Journal, Barack Obama said that the Republican Party has been the party of ideas for the last 10 or 15 years. In addition, he had seeming praise recently for Ronald Reagan and the way he changed our country.

Gosh, he is so divisive. You can't just hear the hatred in his words for the folks on the right side of the aisle.

Yep, sure is gonna be the same shit if he is elected.


NOT!

Absolutely Fucking False

Check this out

Obama emails are false.

If you have received any emails about Barack Obama, more than likely they are untrue. This includes the Pledge of Allegiance crap that circulated about two months ago as well as the baloney about him being raised a radical Muslim. Snopes also backs it up here.

Disagree with him all you want in the issues but don't believe much of what you hear in these claims.

They Need Her On That Wall

On Tuesday evening, January 8th 2008 around 10:30pm EST, all of the conservative douche bag ass wipe pundits in our country breathed a collective sigh of relief. Hillary Clinton won the New Hampshire primary.

They would survive.

More vehement than any ardent liberal, the Republican Party and their imbecilic propaganda machine want Hillary Clinton to win the 2008 election. How would they define themselves if she didn't win? Who would they have to go after? How would they be able to sell their advertising time to justify remaining on the air?

Sure, they could throw a few things at Obama..call him the "Magic Negro"...get some people like Al Sharpton all riled up...but it wouldn't be the same. Obama makes too many people feel empowered. He is too well liked, even by some conservatives, and he is into that whole post partisan thing. Where's the fun in that?

I watched with glee after Obama won Iowa and heard Rush Limbaugh, at one moment elated about Hillary coming in third and the next, obviously despondent over the fact that should Obama win the nomination for the Democrats, the campaign will be about the issues. His words said he wanted it but the tone in his voice sounded afraid. Scared, actually. If the campaign becomes about the issues, as opposed to the childish bullshit we hear on a daily basis from conservative pundits, they will be exposed for the frauds they are-completely lacking any substance and devoid of any real intelligence.

If you take away Hillary Clinton, how in the world are you going to get people to be pissed off and frightened? So afraid that they will vote for whomever the Republicans put up there. I submit that the game plan for the Republican Party in 2008 is this: Hillary Clinton. That's all they have left in the tank. They are going to have their asses handed to them in Congress this fall. They hate all their candidates and can't agree on any of them. They need Hillary to win the nomination in such a bad way you are starting to hear the hopefulness each time a new poll comes out with her ahead in a certain state.

Now, some have asked me: what will you do if Obama wins? What will you blog about? Well, I imagine that this blog will change. I'm sure I will crank out a rant or two on video games and the butt zombies that play them. Or a nice literary dicking of Minnesota drivers. But I suspect, for the most part, this will be a blog that focuses more on the work that needs to be done to get us back to a better place. It will be a hub for the New Camelot, if you will, that I pray is coming soon to theaters in January of 2009.

But conservative pundits like Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, and Dennis Praeger? What will they do? In the beginning they might try to throw a fly in the ointment or a monkey in the wrench but after a few months they will just look like the children they are...foolish and silly. More importantly, they will look as though the world has passed them by--moving on to more worthwhile endeavors with a high degree of emotional intelligence.

They need Hillary. They need her on that wall. They have to have someone to crucify. It is their rasion d'etre and they won't survive without her.

A Response

This is response to a post by Kevin over on Smallest Minority. The quotes are from his post or from the comments after the post.

Thanks for bringing this debate out front. I'd like to start my response with a fundamental error in judgement of myself that I think all of you have made. I guess it's understandable considering that any slight wavering away from canon here means socialism-failure-death-destruction.

Fundamentally, I have no problem with capitalism. I have no problem with CEOs making more money than their employees. Back in the day of say...George Romney (father of Mitt)...CEO salaries were just fine. Mr. Romney drew a salary of 250K at American Motors. Adjusted for inflation today, that is a couple of million. Still OK in my mind. Now, we have CEOs making much more than that and, in many cases, getting fired and leaving with hundreds of millions of dollars. Quite simply, this is sadly unfair.

What I would like to see in our culture is more companies like this one:

http://www.hermanmiller.com/

This would be an example of participative management. All of the employees feel invested in the company, regardless of their salaries, and thus, are intrinsically motivated. Their company is a huge success because of, not in spite of, collectivism. And that's the real problem here. We don't have enough people in this country that are intrinsically motivated. They are extrinsically motivated and, as a result, our culture produces people lacking in inspiration and motivation.

Your example from comments, Kevin, is appropriate here. If you divided up the pot amongst rich people and poor people, you say the poor would still be poor and the rich would still be rich. This shows a fundamental, almost Galton-esque attitude towards hereditary genius. I disagree. I think there are some rich people who haven't a clue how to run a business and some poor people who would shine at it. I do agree, though, that for able bodied individuals there should never be any sort of entitlement.

"for taking the time to explain things to the clueless among us. I just rack the shotgun."

And you wonder why gun rights folks get a bad name. Mainly this quote is important because it implies that I am clueless or lacking in intelligence. I'm not. Intelligence is the capacity for goal-directed and adaptive behavior. It involves the abilities to profit from experience, solve problems, and reason effectively. I would also add that serious individual reflection plays a large role in intelligence. With the possible exception of Bilgemen, for everyone on this blog, it seems (correct me, please, if I am wrong), that the experience is this:

1. Everyone is afforded equal chance in this country. (I could barely write this sentence without laughing btw)

2. Those that don't make it are all lazy and want to thieve from my wallet.

3. All rich people made their money honestly and through hard work and should be given the worship and adoration they deserve. (Also having trouble not laughing)

4. Anyone critical of rich people are leftists filled with envy who would all seize control and throw our country into a boiling pit of sewage.

My experience has been, with the parents of school children that I see every day, that our society is built for division. The bottom line is the poor people don't have any ladders to climb out. They don't have a choice, Kevin. They really don't. I see it. You don't. Until you move beyond the limited, albeit valid, experience you have had until now (i.e. the lazy beer drinkers with the 52 inch plasma TV), you will never understand this inequality and how bad it has become.

To be clear, BOTH political parties are to blame for this. The "rich fucking republicans" maintain control of their money with their armies of accountants and lawyers. So much for individual effort and responsibilities, eh? Many liberals and Dems want people to stay on the government tit, ensuring continued support for their machine. In the end, everyone gets what they want: no ladders out. That's why I support someone like Barack Obama. This is what he wants to do: destroy the current system and build ladders. I agree, though, he needs to get to the specifics.

There are always going to be people that think that the distribution of wealth is unfair. I agree with you to a certain extent on this point. But my example of Joe Smith is still valid. Joe gets a right to free legal defense, not as good as rich person might get, but he still gets one. So why not a financial defense? A defense from all of the companies who everyday are trying to increase their profits and doing so by fucking over Joe.

"That freedom, that immense human idea, is what has made America what it is. It is responsible for the vast wealth we have made here. It has drawn the best minds from every culture around the world, fired their imaginations, and it has made people rich."

That may have been true at one time. That America is gone. It has been replaced by Blackwater and Haliburton. I wonder what Orwell would think of these companies. What do you think he would think, hmm? Anyway, I wish that America would come back because I miss it. Our society is becoming more oligarchic every day. We are not good capitalists anymore. We are bad ones. Don't take that to mean that I want to be good socialists or communists. We have let the corporations of our country whir out of control and have allowed the people that run them to manage our lives by essentially having company reps installed in our government. These are the people that control the media, Kevin, not the fantasy of the "liberal elite."

"An inalienable right to "pursue happiness" means freedom."

More and more each day, this right is being taken away. The fundamental difference between you and I, Kevin, is who each of us thinks is responsible.

Ah, The Onion...

Will someone please explain to me how The Onion is never ripped by the conservative douche bag pundit machine? True, they are equal in their satire but let's face it, when they get it right, as with this hilarious column forwarded to me by Crabmaster, they really get it right!

Money quote:

You want compassion? Somebody who's looking out for the little guy? Why don't you take a look at Jimmy Carter, 'cause unlike, oh, every motherfucking candidate out there, he spent the last fucking quarter-century building houses for the homeless. And what does he get for it? A fucking hernia. Some fucking gratitude, you selfish twats.

New Hampshire Predictions

Quick post today because I am busy. Here are my predictions for the primary in New Hampshire.

Barack Obama will win by a large margin, with Hillary in second and Edwards in third. I think Gravel and Kuecinich will drop out...why they haven't up until now is bizarre. Richardson might hang around for awhile to see if he can pick up his home state but we are really at a three horse race right now.

If things keep going the way they are, it might actually be a one horse race. The American people are responding to Obama's message. They feel empowered and actually give a shit. It's cool! Some people (mostly conservative) either aren't listening or they don't get it. Or both. Very sad. The cynic in me says that it's about time for him to be killed. Too many people would be happy with an Obama presidency and we all know that happy Americans mean less power for....well, you know who.

For the Republicans, I predict a McCain victory with Romney a close second and Giuliani a surprising third place. The soul of the Republican party is on the line this year, folks, and I'm not sure we will know who the nominee is until the convention here in my home state of St. Paul. How about all of you? Any predictions?

Hope

Hope is not blind optimism.

Hope is not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight.

Hope is that thing inside all of us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that there is something greater inside all of us.


-Senator Barack Obama, Jan 4, 2007.

Hillary = Dick

I just heard in the Ed Schultz show that Hillary gave speech today in New Hampshire that sounded an awful lot like Dick Cheney. Apparently she told a crowd right after she got off the plane that we are probably going to get hit again, like 9-11, and she is the one that can stop it...or something like that. She also spoke of her experience and reading of daily intelligence briefs.

I haven't been able to find any video or audio yet so if anyone knows of a link, let me know.

WOW

Boy was I wrong. And you know what? I think it's time for me to stop being such cynic. I made a promise to my in laws that I am happily going to keep: I will never make fun of Iowa again.

Folks, the message from last night's caucus was about change. The people of the United States of America are tired of the same old bullshit. They turned out in record numbers to send a message to Washington. In my father in laws town alone they had ten times the amount of caucus goers. Memo to the Bush regime: people don't like you. In fact, they hate you and what you have done to this great nation. Iowa has spoken.

They want to be able to make a difference again. Words cannot describe how happy I am being wrong.

I thought that money would outweigh faith and I was wrong. But Mike Huckabee, outspent by Romney 15 to 1, won the Republican Iowa caucus. True, Huckabee and I disagree on many things but he is a good man with his heart in the right place. In some ways, as I watched him give his victory speech last night, he reminded me of a sort of JFK for the religious right. He is saying all the right things, mainly because he actually believes them. I think he is going to do much better in New Hampshire than anyone suspects.

Romney needs to win New Hampshire. If he doesn't, he is through. He put everything into these first two states. If I were Thompson, I would be embarrassed. John McCain, a man who ran a lazier campaign in Iowa than ol' Fred, is tied for third with him. Hee Hee!!

And then there is the Senator from Illinois...wow. I listened to him speak last night and I heard Jack, Bobby, and Dr. King. I cried. The torch has been passed. His trouncing of Hillary did my heart proud and it shows that people want a candidate who is going to change things. They want someone new, someone young, someone warm, and someone honest....four things Hillary is not and never will be. Now we are onto the real test. If Obama can place even a close second in New Hampshire, it will be a great race to Super Tuesday on February 5th. Edwards has to do something in New Hampshire or he is done. I suspect his defeat in Iowa is ringing more deep than we know at present. If Hillary somehow manages to lose New Hampshire, she is done.

And the conservative slime ball machine will begin shitting themselves on a daily basis. Who will they have to crucify? I heard Rush Limbaugh say it best last night on Fox: the campaign will be about the issues. That's right, bitch. If my guy gets the nomination for the Dems, bring it on!

Are you scared yet? You should be....

Let The Games Begin!!!

The Election of 2008 officially begins today with the Iowa caucus. I wonder how many times the word "Iowa" has been said in the last week. Probably the same amount of times a man has drank a beer in a bar to the song "Ramblin' Man" by the Allman Brothers.

Personally, I am very excited as it marks the beginning of the end of worst presidency in US history. It also, I hope, is the end of the "conservatives making up a bunch of idiotic and maniacal bullshit, stating it as fact, and then accusing the media/schools/universities/old ladies/puppies of being traitors when they don't buy into it" phase of our country's history.

Regardless of who wins, a page will be turned. And, unless it's Fred Thompson or Hillary Clinton, our nation will be moving forward. Thank the Lord!

OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENTS
It will come as a shock to no one that Notes From the Front officially endorses Rudy Giulianni and Barack Obama for the office of President. I think that each of these men have what it takes, in abundance, to be the leader of the free world.

Each man is different and, in many cases, opposite views on many of the issues. Several of you have asked me how I can support both of them. The easiest answer is that I have opposing views inside of myself. Unlike many conservatives, I don't set my mind in stone and become an immovable object. There are a myriad of problems in the world and it is not my belief that there is only solution.


In fact, there could be several and each of these men have the integrity, intelligence, and intellectual curiosity to explore. When I say explore, I mean EXPLORE!! Our Mayor and the Man Who Could Change The World will push themselves to the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical limit to serve their country, much more so than any other candidate.

So, as we move forward in this primary and caucus season, bear in mind these words above. Whatever party you belong to, these are the best people suited for the job. Vote for them. Make me proud!

OFFICIAL PREDICTIONS

I am going to be running a series of predictions for each caucus and primary. On the day of each one, I (or a guest poster) will be putting up who will rank first, second, and third in each party. Today we have Iowa.

This one is a huge one. Whoever wins, on either side, will have the wind of the media frenzy of 2008 at their back. On the Republican side, Romney and Huckabee seemed locked in a dead heat. Romney has spent a ton of money in Iowa and New Hampshire and if he loses either, he might be done. Thompson is still out there uninspiring people. McCain has been surging recently as well. Sadly, Guilianni doesn't seem to have a prayer here.

In the end, I think it will play out like this: ROMNEY (first) HUCKABEE (second) MCCAIN (third). Too many people in Iowa like Mitt Romney. He has also spent enough money to make people like him. This will be the highest Huckabee will every rank for the rest of the primary season. McCain is like the old grandpa that everyone loves so he will be buoyed by a third place finish. Thompson will come on fourth (yawn) and Giulianni last. Duncan Hunter and Alan Keyes will be finished. And then there is Ron Paul....

I have to say that I have no idea where he will finish but he could be a wild card that will surprise people-even me!!

Turning to the Democrats, we are in a virtual three way tie. I don't think Richardson, Biden, Dodd, Kuecinich, and Gravel will be around much longer because the Dems seem to focusing on the trifecta of Clinton, Edwards, and Obama.

Hillary is in trouble. Big trouble. If she comes in third, which is very possible based on the polls, it's going to be real hard to get anywhere in New Hampshire. If she does somehow manage to win Iowa, she will get the nomination. No one expects here to win Iowa and if she does, it's over. Edwards needs Iowa bad. He has spent a lot of time there-travelling to every county in the state. If he wins, he has a chance at New Hampshire and much of the south. If he doesn't, he is probably done as well. If Obama wins Iowa, with Edward in second, he will have a ton of mo' behind him and will quite possibly take New Hampshire as well. Even if he comes in second, he could still do alright in the later states.

In the end, I think it will play out like this: EDWARDS (first), OBAMA (barely second), CLINTON (third). Folks, I hate to be the one to say this but I know, from first hand experience, that much of Iowa are bigots. They don't like black people. The four hundred dollar haircut aside, Edwards is a man and he is white. I wish I was wrong but I don't think I am. The youth of Iowa will catapult Obama into second place and Hillary will be wondering what the heck is going on.

So those are my picks, what are yours?

BEST OF 2007

Well, it's that time of the year again: my picks of the best television, film, and music of the year. So many good offerings to choose from but, alas, only one pick for each category.

BEST TV SHOW

Recovered yet from the last episode of The Sopranos? Many haven't. As the show abruptly ended to the strains of "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey, my heart sank as I thought, at the time, that an era had come to an end. Sure there are plenty of other great shows but there was nothing like The Sopranos.

And there never would be. I have to say that I really feel it is the best show of all time. The word "stunning" doesn't even come close to describing the final episodes of this wondrous show. So when it ended on June 10th, a strong sense of melancholy enveloped me. There would never be another show like this one. That lasted all of five weeks. Because on July 19, the heir apparent to The Sopranos debuted on AMC.

Mad Men is as good as The Sopranos. And, in many ways, it's cooler. So fucking cool! The show takes place in New York City, at a Madison Avenue Ad firm, in the year 1960. Can anyone say Kennedy Era Cool? Men were men and women were...well...they were sex objects. Many a hair has been pulled from my wife's head by her own hands due to the fact that the show is VERY historically accurate in regards to men's attitudes about women in that time period. Ah..the good ol' days......:)

Martinis, office romances, chicks, and groovy cats are combined with the same pathos and ethos that we saw on the Sopranos. That makes sense because Matthew Wiener, former producer on the Sopranos, is the creator of the show. Several Mad Men episodes have been written by Sopranos alum so it's no wonder that this show, just like the one in New Jersey, delves deeply into the human psyche and the nature of the beast. And that beast, folks, is lust. Yum! And it's against the backdrop of one of the coolest cities in one of the most mega times in our history.

Oh, and let's not forget Christina Hendricks (left). Words cannot describe the ass on this woman. Spectacular? Perfect? Direct from the Lord, our God? All of these do not do it justice. The episode "Babylon" (number 6 in a 13 episode first season) does a much better job of illustrating the glory and the power of Hendricks' booty more than any words of mine. This episode is also an excellent place to test the waters, if you will, to see if you like the show. Pause for a moment and check her out in the red dress above....holy friholies!!!! I love the cigarette...the look on her face....yeah, she knows that she is it....I-T....IT!!

AMC is currently re-running the first season on Mondays at 11pm. You can also download the show here on itunes. Do yourself a favor: fix a martini, work a little skirt (sorry, gals, I am in the moment and time period of the show) and check it out!

BEST FILM
Over the past three years I have always chosen serious films as my Best Film of the Year. This year, I thought it was high time to choose something a little lighter.

Knocked Up is the Best Picture of 2007. And it's not because it is fluff. Yes, it's funny, goofy, silly, and kinda light. But this film is truly an honest look at what it's like when you first learn that you are going to be a parent and what it's like when you are a parent. Ben (Seth Rogen) and Alison (Katherine Heigl) (left) hook up, accidentally get pregnant, and have a baby. The story centers around the evolution in their relationship as these events progress.

Some people I have talked to about this film don't get the point. In fact, I recall a conversation with a female friend of mine at a volleyball open gym in which she told me, "If this is the best film of the year, then this year is sad." Clearly, she didn't get it.

As I watched the story unfold, I was catapulted back to the days of when I first became a parent. Even the supporting cast, Alison's sister and family, perfectly illustrate what it's like to be in a long term relationship and attempting to be intimate with a six year old and four year old running around. In other words, to have a family. While the film uses 12 year old boy-sex-and-bathroom-humor as a shtick throughout most of the film (throw up on the seat next to you-hilarious btw), it juxtaposes this with the honest emotions of romantic and family relationships. Quite simply, it is wonderful, hilarious, and dirtily honest...or honestly dirty.

And that's just the way good art should be.

BEST CD

This was a tough one for me. It was down to two CDs. The first was The Coral, Roots and Echoes, a gorgeous record, filled with beautiful music. Every track is great and, I have to say, really was my choice for CD of the Year until about a week ago.

I have always thought that music is a passion of youth. When we listen to it, we feel young again. We remember that first time we kissed someone and really meant it...and felt it. We think back to that time when something really cool happened. We connect with that part of ourselves that is non-linear and we, like Billy Pilgrim, become unstuck in time. For a moment we are there. Really there...and it is wonderful.

So, I turned to my youth...my children...and, while they love Roots and Echoes, they are insane about Costello Music by The Fratellis (above). I debated long and hard about this one because the CD came out in the UK in Nov 2006 and the US in March of 2007. Since I go buy the UK release date, was it an official 2007 release?

Well, I decided to relax my rules a bit because every track on this disc is great and the B-sides on all the singles are equally as mega. Plus, I think I played this CD every day in 2007. Wow! They sound like mixture of David Bowie, The Pogues, The Jam, and the Sex Pistols. Making them even cooler is the fact that this was the first band I took my kids to see. On July 29th of 2007, my son and daughter got to see their first show, an in-store at the Electric Fetus, the coolest CD store on the planet. Later that night my wife and I watched them perform at the Varsity Theater and it was fucking great.

Aside from the music, these three guys just have a lot of fun. They really enjoy what they do and pour all of their energy into their music. It really shows. I highly recommend picking up this disc and downloading all their B-Sides to their singles. Being a band from the UK (natch), they have songs on their singles that aren't on the album.

So those are my picks for 2007. What are yours? As always, comments are open.