Tag Archives: National Dems

Republicans Just Can’t Fake It

After watching the first night of the Democratic National Convention I was impressed by how “on message” the Dems were.  I also couldn’t help but draw comparisons between what I saw last night and what I saw last week – And here’s where I’ve arrived: Republicans just can’t fake it for Mitt Romney.

Mistermix at Balloon Juice says it better:

One of the most interesting aspects was that the speakers I saw weren’t afraid of saying Barack Obama’s name, and they also didn’t let their ambition get in the way of doing their convention job.

Of course, that’s how the Republican convention should have been, too, but clearly something is badly wrong with the Romney campaign. The Eastwood debacle is just the tip of the iceberg. Deval Patrick is every bit as interested in 2016 as Chris Christie, yet he was able to say Obama’s name long before two-thirds of his speech was over, and he didn’t take credit for everything that’s going well in his state. Listening to Patrick, you’d think Obama came to Massachusetts in person to help Patrick fix the mess that Mitt Romney left.  [emphasis mine]

The theme of the 2012 Republican National Convention?  Every man for himself!  Which makes sense when you realize that not one of them is for Mitt.

Wisconsin Dems Set Up Offices With A View

Via TPM:

Access to the state Capitol building in Wisconsin has now been heavily restricted, so some Democrats are providing a solution to members of the public who can’t get to assembly members’ offices: They’re bringing their offices to them.

“Obviously there was a court order to open this building and anybody with a brain would tell you they’re defying the court order,” Barca told WisPolitics.

I am very impressed with Wisconsin Democrats.  I’m also in awe of the people of Wisconsin and their commitment to this fight.

Something tells me this situation isn’t going as Scott Walker envisioned.

Dear Dr. Liberal: Storytime!

Dear Dr. Liberal:

So a Republican male centerfold beats a Democrat in Massachusetts and its the end of the world for Democrats. While late last year a Democrat beats a teabagger in historically strong Republican Congressional district and there wasn’t this cry of anguish from the Republicans.

Why are the Democrats the biggest bunch of spineless reactionaries around? Or, in Dr. Liberal terms, why are most Democrats douchenozzles and run with the fight gets tough?

Sincerely,

A Democrat with a Spine

Dear Spiney,

Pull up a chair.  Warm your hands by the fire and help yourself to a glass of bourbon.  No. Not that Maker’s Mark.  That was a gift from Michael Moore which he gave to me when Jesse Helms died. Yes, the Jack Daniels is okay. It isn’t really Bourbon of course, but it is fitting because the story of our party’s demise goes back to the hills and hollers of old Tennessee.

It all began with a man named Albert Arnold “Al” Gore, Jr. who was born in Washington DC on March 31, 1948 but pretended to be from Tennessee.   Gore served as the 45th Vice President of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Then he ran a shit ass campaign for President hiring both Donna Brazil and Joe Lieberman for key positions. His shit ass campaign was a disaster for the country.  Mainly because it allowed the truly execrable George W. Bush to become the President of the United States, but also became the pattern for Democratic sissyhood that continues to this very day.

You see Spiney, Al Gore ran an “electoral college (50% plus 1) campaign”. That means he ran on the assumption that Democrats have no core values, but can win by pandering to a few voters in Ohio and a few in Florida while taking for granted that all liberals will vote for the Democratic candidate, because WTF? They aren’t going to vote for Bush right?

This strategy (if you can call it that) is rooted in a Washington DC based idea that Democrats are eggheads and can’t win over the “middle” by talking about things they want to do.  It is a strategy predicate on the assumptions that the obvious outcome of running on the democratic values of “reason based” policy making and economic justice would be electoral disaster when voters only want to know one thing – which candidate would I rather have a beer with?

During the 1990’s people like Al Gore and Donna Brazile, and John Kerry had lots of talks with David Broder over cocktails and salmon roe canapés in Georgetown, and they all agreed that average beer drinking, NFL football watching Americans would never go for Democrats acting like Democrats.  David Broder, the Dean of Washington Journalists,  spoke to a taxi driver once and therefore, he was dead certain that the more Democrats act like Republicans, the less Democrats talk about rich people and corporations getting a free ride compared to people making $30,000 a year,  the better they will do in elections.   The two worst thing Democrats could ever do would be to listen to its base and have a coherent message.

The rest is history.  Every Democratic retreat, capitulation, compromise, was foretold by Gore’s failure to forge a modern vision for the Democratic Party that energized its base voters while ignoring inside the beltway conventional wisdom.   From the flaccid Gore capitulation to GOP bullying during the recount, to the abysmal John Kerry “electoral college” strategy loss to our recent folding of the tent on Health Care Reform.

The point I’m making, of course, is that to win – we have to compromise MORE with Republicans, not fight.  Fighting would make us look angry and partisan.  David Border’s taxi driver hates that shit.  Also, we need to be vigilant.  We started to have a coherent Democratic message during the Obama campaign when he spoke about Health Care reform being a moral issue at every campaign stop, but luckily that has been fixed.  We have to make sure a coherent message does not come back into the picture or we might fire up the base and thereby lose in Lake County Ohio.

Corrections:

I may have something to correct someday, although I seriously doubt it.

The Doctor is out!

I Wasn’t Sure How I Felt About Panetta Until…

Dianne Feinstein and Jay Rockefeller – two of Bush’s most ardent enablers – came out against him.  Now, just like Glenn Greenwald, I’m lovin’ the pick.

 Spencer Ackerman reports that Sen. Dianne Feinstein is upset with the selection of Panetta, petulantly complaining that she wasn’t consulted in advance and that it would be best to have an “intelligence professional” in that position.  CQ‘s Tim Starks reports that Sen. Jay Rockefeller is making very similar noises about this selection.  Few things could reflect better on Panetta’s selection than the fact that Feinstein and Rockefeller — two of the most Bush-enabling Senators — are unhappy with it.

And it’s ironic that after eight years of giving a Republican President everything he wanted, these two suddenly find their tongues.  Lest we forget Feinstein voted for all of Bush’s nominees to run the CIA, including Porter Goss, and General Michael Hayden.  Not to mention she loves her some Patriot Act.  Amending the Constitution to outlaw flag burning is on her greatest hits playlist, as well.

Ryeland of Kos digs up this little nugget:

When it was President Bush appointing an idiot like Goss, here’s what Feinstein thought:
I believe the President should have the prerogative to appoint who he wants to be the DCI, or for any other senior position, subject only to the requirement that the person be qualified for the job.

Feinstein needs to sit down and shut up, which shouldn’t be too difficult since she’s had eight years of practice.

Lieberman’s second trip to the woodshed

Harry Reid will be meeting today with Joe Lieberman. I’m not sure what will happen, but I sure know what I want to happen.  I want Lieberman stripped of his chairmanships, and I realize this may be viewed as cutting off my nose to spite my face.  Sorry, can’t help it.

I don’t trust Lieberman to caucus with the Democrats.  And why should I?  The man spoke out against Obama/Biden at the Republican Convention, for God’s sake.  He picked his side in the most public way possible.  And yes, he was entitled.  But what he’s no longer entitled to is his vaulted position within a party he fought to defeat.  Why on earth would I want him in a position of power?  Why would Democrats reward that sort of behavior?  

That being said, I do hope Obama creates a bi-partisan administration.  My beef is with Lieberman, and Lieberman alone.  He made his choice.  Now he can live with it. 

(And in case you’ve forgotten Lieberman’s first trip to the woodshed… here it is!)

I had almost forgotten about Nader

Until he said this about Obama.

“He wants to show that he is not a threatening . . . another politically threatening African-American politician. He wants to appeal to white guilt. You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as black is beautiful, black is powerful. Basically he’s coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it’s corporate or whether it’s simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up.”

Spoken like a true “white” guy.
What is it about this election season that’s bringing out the stupid?

Now I’m not saying race isn’t a factor in this election, but, come on, the black is beautiful and black power slogans are so not groovy anymore.
Actually, what I believe we’re seeing is the changing of the guard, or, if you’d prefer, the extinction of political dinosaurs. I’m beginning to feel sorry for these old cats.

Is Hillary Finally Free?

I wonder how many of Hillary’s life and political decisions were tied to a desire to be President.

  • Would she have left Bill?
  • Would she have voted against the war?
  • Would she have triangulated her position on welfare and poverty?

I’m serious.  She has amassed a huge amount of political capital and I think is positioned to take Ted Kennedy’s place as the most powerful Democrat.  She really can’t lose her seat for any single vote or even a pattern of votes.  New York loves her.  She is completely free to vote without fear of being portrayed as “soft on terrorists” or “soft on crime” or “a bleeding heart liberal socialist.”  She can actually just take the stand that she wants to take, rather than the one that will become a talking point in a Presidential debate.

I’m starting to think that this isn’t such a bad deal for any of us, especially Hillary.  The Lioness of the Senate.  Perhaps she should dump Bill.

Superdelegates Starting to Break

You may have noticed the Superdelegate widget on the left hand side of the site in the past few weeks.  Big thanks to Steve Newton for pointing it out to me.

Well in the last two days I have started to notice the numbers changing slightly.  Yesterday an Illinois SD committed to Obama.  Today, CT named Obama’s state co-chair as a superdelegate.  Perhaps we have nothing to fear from the super delegates.  Obama is closing the gap.  As they say, watch this space.

A Plan For Electoral Victory

I heard an interview with Ed Rendell on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me about the need for Democrat unity.  Here is what he told a group of people in Florida:  Whatever happens with the Democratic nomination, roughly half of the Democrats will be disappointed.  After the nominee is determine (whenever that is) the other supporters have 10 days to be disappointed.  Go ahead and piss and moan.  Scream, if you must.  After 10 days, fall in line.  There will be no further bitching about what coulda, shoulda.

I am willing to take this pledge.  If you are willing, please do so publicly in the comments section.  Hopefully it will also help by tempering our criticism of “the enemy.”  The enemy is going to be John McCain, we should be prepared to meet him head-on.

The Incredible Shrinking Republican Base, or

Who Wants to Be a Republican?

This article in today’s NJ documents the increasing weakness of the DE Republican party, noting the serious shift in voter registration from R to D this year. It seems that much of the reasons for the shift are a perception of more excitement on the D side (both for President and Governor) and certainly some R fatigue.

Continue reading →

Franken Takes the Lead in MN

Al Franken is now polling ahead of Norm Coleman in the race for Senator of Minnesota.  I have been a huge Al Franken fan for a long time, and I’m overjoyed to think that he might actually get to be the Senator from his home state.  For a great time pick up any of his books, although I recommend Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Lies and the Lying Liars that Tell Them.