Of course, it's covered by the BBC
--Loosestrife
--Loosestrife
Obama's Audacity of Risk
0 Comments Published by Loosestrife on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 6:58 AM.
Whatever I may think of Barack Obama's positions on issues--and I continue to find many of them too cautious, too calculating, and too conservative--I am appreciative this morning of his bid to talk about race in America in an open, human, and complex way. He is not the first to do so, but to use the forum that he has as a presidential candidate to do so goes beyond the usual call of duty to which we hold our politicians and goes beyond his mantras of hope and change.
He has upped the ante for every candidate in this country. May that upped ante be viral and spread to other issues in this election--to global warming, to the reality of oil depletion, to the economic meltdown that we face, to the economic inequities presided over by our corporate masters, to the failures of our government, and to the embarrassment of our jingoistic press.
And may it signal something new in Obama too, the courage that will put teeth in his audacity.
--Loosestrife
He has upped the ante for every candidate in this country. May that upped ante be viral and spread to other issues in this election--to global warming, to the reality of oil depletion, to the economic meltdown that we face, to the economic inequities presided over by our corporate masters, to the failures of our government, and to the embarrassment of our jingoistic press.
And may it signal something new in Obama too, the courage that will put teeth in his audacity.
--Loosestrife
There will be a lot of speeches and chants and self-righteousness from Americans today.
Shock and awe?
Let us read.
--Loosestrife
Shock and awe?
Let us read.
--Loosestrife
The DFL, wanting to be part of the Super Tuesday in-crowd, moved up their caucus night to February 5 this year.
I haven't seen any comments on it, but it was, as it turns out, a really stupid move. Had Minnesota Dems stuck to their legally mandated March 4 date, the DFL caucuses would have been part of the coverage last night and would have gotten much more attention than on the overstuffed Super Tuesday.
Of course, the Greens, touting their respect for tradition, went with the March 4 date. Not that many were paying attention.
Hillary slurred and slimed her way back into the game last night--and the fad of primary date shuffling now looks severely damaging to the Dems. With the Michigan and Florida delegates left hanging going into convention because their states violated Democratic Party rules by moving their primaries too far forward and with a deadlocked presidential nomination process likely, things are truly a mess.
Michigan and Florida are big states, with 366 delegates between them. Clinton clearly will try to get those delegates seated, being the only major candidate on the ballot in Michigan and holding a substantial lead among Florida delegates.
That probably won't work as it stands. So today, stories are circulating that Clinton will push to rerun the primaries in Florida and Michigan.
If Obama is clever, he'll outflank her on this issue today and call for fresh primaries in both states himself. Not doing so will risk that the Clintonistas will pull procedural levers at the convention to block Obama's nomination if the Florida and Michigan delegates aren't seated and will claim the mantle of being truly "democratic" by forcing the issue for the seven weeks before the Pennsylvania primary, the next big prize.
None of this is good for the party, the candidates, or the country. It feeds cynicism and depresses the vote totals--just what the forces of evil want.
But this is what happens when party "insiders," too smart by half, make moves based on misguided assumptions about how much input and attention their respective state parties might get in the presidential process.
Florida, like Minnesota, would have voted last night if they hadn't moved their primary and caucus. Michigan would have likely held their primary in February. None would have diminished their standing by sticking to the rules.
By the way, I understand that Al Gore is being fitted for some new suits.
--Loosestrife
I haven't seen any comments on it, but it was, as it turns out, a really stupid move. Had Minnesota Dems stuck to their legally mandated March 4 date, the DFL caucuses would have been part of the coverage last night and would have gotten much more attention than on the overstuffed Super Tuesday.
Of course, the Greens, touting their respect for tradition, went with the March 4 date. Not that many were paying attention.
Hillary slurred and slimed her way back into the game last night--and the fad of primary date shuffling now looks severely damaging to the Dems. With the Michigan and Florida delegates left hanging going into convention because their states violated Democratic Party rules by moving their primaries too far forward and with a deadlocked presidential nomination process likely, things are truly a mess.
Michigan and Florida are big states, with 366 delegates between them. Clinton clearly will try to get those delegates seated, being the only major candidate on the ballot in Michigan and holding a substantial lead among Florida delegates.
That probably won't work as it stands. So today, stories are circulating that Clinton will push to rerun the primaries in Florida and Michigan.
If Obama is clever, he'll outflank her on this issue today and call for fresh primaries in both states himself. Not doing so will risk that the Clintonistas will pull procedural levers at the convention to block Obama's nomination if the Florida and Michigan delegates aren't seated and will claim the mantle of being truly "democratic" by forcing the issue for the seven weeks before the Pennsylvania primary, the next big prize.
None of this is good for the party, the candidates, or the country. It feeds cynicism and depresses the vote totals--just what the forces of evil want.
But this is what happens when party "insiders," too smart by half, make moves based on misguided assumptions about how much input and attention their respective state parties might get in the presidential process.
Florida, like Minnesota, would have voted last night if they hadn't moved their primary and caucus. Michigan would have likely held their primary in February. None would have diminished their standing by sticking to the rules.
By the way, I understand that Al Gore is being fitted for some new suits.
--Loosestrife
