Racist on day one.

Are you fucking serious?!

She's been sick?

She's on medication?

I DON'T GIVE A FUCK.

I don't care if your being beat upside the fucking skull with the ass end of a '72 Buick. You (or anyone apologizing for you) can NOT use that as a got damn excuse. Think about what they are asking you to accept.

Allow me to paraphrase .

Since she is in pain, she's probably cranky and short tempered and less likely to invest the time to sugar coat her statements or tell the necessary social 'white lies' to get along in public.

Ummm... I'll take kiss my black ass for $2000.

That means that she is normally thinking and living in that mind state.

Fuck you Geraldine, eat a dick and choke.

Find out for yourself... here.

20th debate super quick rewind

Yeah, I've been slacking, I have almost all humanities classes (lots of writing) so deal...

************************

[6:00 P.M. PST]: Start

Clinton message altering montage…

Clinton: This is a contested campaign, but we have differences; but his tactics were disturbing, he forced my hand… goes into her mandated health care defense. States her plan will cover everyone and it would be affordable… calls his statements about it inaccurate.

Obama in Somali garb

Clinton: Continues plausible deniability defense

Obama: Takes Clinton at her word… goes into defense of mailer; draws the differences between the health care plans (95% similar) talks about her mandate… gives her wiggle room with Massachusetts example, says shes whining about negative campaigning

Clinton: This is a really important issue, she states that Obama’s plan has a mandate that require parents to insure their children; says that insurance companies will benefit without a mandate; repeatedly states that she has experts agreeing with her health care plan

Obama: responds with his own experts including ex-pres Clinton’s staffer, says his reduces cost the most and looks for her mandate enforcement

Clinton: goes back to the parent’s children’s mandate and says there is no difference (her voice raises a few octaves) compares her plan to a new deal plan or a 401k… and says hers is cheaper overall

Obama: refutes her cost control spin, defends his children’s mandate, says her experts claim there is no real difference between their plans

Clinton: presses on, continues to talk over the moderaters and Obama

Obama: cites specifics refuting her claims

NAFTA

Clinton: goes into the the Saturday night live defense; says she has been a critic of NAFTA from the beginning, said she didn’t have a public forum in the administration… says it works in some areas of the country and not in others. Wants to do a trade “time out” to reassess and reconfigure the plan, it doesn’t work, cries foul again

Obama: It inaccurate that she had been always against NAFTA; cites her Senate run where she said it was good for NY and good for America. Hes into the “When I am President of the US” thing

Will you end NAFTA? (Tim calls her on her record of defending NAFTA)

Clinton: No. Will renegotiate. Keeps trying to shift the questioning to Obama and off of her. Continues to say its working some places and not in others

Obama: No. Agrees with Clinton’s position; cites Tribune Senate endorsement for his stance against NAFTA (does the when I’m pres thing again)

Has it been good for Ohio?

Obama: Not completely, blames administrations stewardship of the economy… spins into stump speech about his economic plan.

Tim calls her on job production failure in NY

Clinton: blames Bush on her failure in NY, states she’ll have more power as pres; cites her husband’s job production record… spins into economic stump

Clinton’s comments about foreign policy

Obama: Clinton conflates longevity of experience, cites his judgment on Iraq; attacks McCain, goes specifically hawkish on ACTUAL Al Qaida.

Is Obama qualified?

Clinton: experience blah, blah, blah… just a speech, when they were both in office they were the same, states he’s wrong about Pakistan and meeting with dictators. Thinks she can compete better with McCain on foreign policy

Obama: States that he was in a hotly contested Senate campaign so that speech DID have real risk for him. Says she was ready on day one, states she was ready to give in on day one (to Bush). His claim is not just a speech, but judgment.

If Iraqi gov’t asks tells you to get out, will you?

Obama: Yes. But thinks we can be in a partnership, we have to send a clear signal to the gov’t that we won’t be their forever; we cannot be held hostage by the Iraqi gov’t… expenditure is unsustainable

Clinton: Yes. There is no military solution.

If Iraq goes to hell do you think you have the right to reinvade?

Clinton: Tim, stop making up shit. Says we will have an orderly withdrawal. Says Obama has never done oversight on his Europe (NATO) committee

Obama: Became chair @ the beginning of this campaign, we are getting resistance from our allies in putting more troops into Afghanistan because we fucked up so bad in Iraq.

[6:48 P.M. PST]: Commercial break

Hillary’s sarcasm.

Obama: Sounds good. [laughter from Hillary and the audience]

I thought Clinton showed good humor gives her points for delivery. I understand the point she’s trying to make, but I spent 20 years trying to help people. If she thinks that’s all talk, then she need to ask the people I helped. Goes into anecdote about how D.C. doesn’t listen to the little people. I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t think I could help

What did you mean by that comment?

Clinton: I know things won’t be easy, you can’t hope it will, or you can’t say it’s the right thing to do. I have a plan, it takes a fighter… goes into anecdotes from the campaign trail. Brings up their differences on fiscal votes (Energy/Credit card).

Obama clip showing the claim credit for good things in the Clinton years, but run away for the bad.

Obama: correctly states that she claims her WH years as experience, restates his claim. States he didn’t just object to the credit card thing it was the whole bill, brings up the voted for the bill but hoped it wouldn’t pass remark from Clinton. Talks about her failed healthcare strategy. We need to mobilize the people to change things.

Public campaign finance for general election…

Obama: I’m not the nominee yet, brings up McCain’s FEC troubles. Says I wouldn’t take PAC finance, got 90% of donations from small donors; $109 average

Clinton refusal to release tax return.

Clinton: The American people that support my campaign is where my money is coming from, I’ll do it when I’m the nominee maybe before that, not before Tuesday.

Will you release you itinerary as 1^st lady?

Clinton: Yes. As soon as we can.

Farrakhan backing?

Obama: I’ve been very clear in my opposition to his policies, I can’t censor him. I can’t tell someone they can’t say I’m a good guy.

About church leader?

Obama: I have support of the Jewish community. I have been a stalwart supporter of Israel. I don not tolerate anti-semitism. Wants to rebuild the historic Black/Jewish relationship.

Clinton: She said she rejected support in her N.Y. Senate run, she was ready to take that stand. (Snide calling for rejection from Obama). She thinks he isn’t strong enough in his repudiation.

Obama: If she thinks denounce isn’t stronger than reject… then I concede the point. I denounce and reject. (ovation)

[7:15 P.M. PST]: Commercial break

Most liberal voting record.

Obama: Let look at the source and the 2 vote difference. (2 year on 1 year off guest worker & external investigatory body) Calls it silly. People are past the labels.

Who is going to be Putin’s successor?

Clinton: He will be handpicked and control by Putin. The opposition was run out of town. The so called opposition leader has been praising Putin. Stumbles over his name.

Obama: agrees with Cinton’s assessment. Recalls Bush’s stupid gullibility and his lack of attentiveness to Russian affairs.

If they try to help retake Kosovo?

Obama: Work with international community. Praises Clinton intervention.

Take backs?

Clinton: Talks about her Iraq vote says she wouldn’t do it again [OMFG!!! She finally takes it back!!!] but… this election should be about the future cites other international problems and says she is better equipped to handle them.

Obama: the Terri Shiavo vote, thinks he should’ve stopped it, he didn’t act and he should have. Echoes Clinton’s praise-a-thon at the end.

Closing question: What question does Clinton need to answer to win?

Obama: Clinton is better to McCain, but I’m better than she is for the job, she doesn’t have any question to answer; I can bring the country together in a unique way.

What question does Obama need to answer to win?

Clinton: I still intend to win, still honored to run with Obama, thinks 1^st woman president would be a sea change. My experience gives me the best chance of getting things done. Goes into campaign anecdote about helping needy people , we need a middle class fighter.

As some of you know...

...I have friends in Kenya, so I'll be posting excerpts from my ongoing conversation with one of them as it applies to what's going on there.

I say excerpts because I've omitted various personal remarks and identifying details.

I'll be green, the other person is red

I know you're probably busy, but seeing as how there is worldwide reported organized violence in your general location, don't you think you might:



a.) check in a bit more often, so people who are concerned about your well being don't have to suffer premature gray hair



b.) if you're not in danger, report on what is actually going on from your point of view so we can compare it to the media coverage and have your unique insight?

hey...am fine...working hard at keeping the country informed and reminding people that ruining your neighbours property really has no impact on politicians...



am not in danger but then again am part of the establishment though everyone is affected because we all have some family in affected areas



foreign media houses [cnn, bbc, reuters etc] are being sued by the govt for inflammatory and sensationalist journalism so keep that in mind as you watch the news...
you can only report on JLos butt size for so long, so when an actual death comes along journalists get their dicks hard trying to make a name...



am pissed off at foreign media because i work in a news room...
yes people have died...
yes Kenyans are afraid for their very lives and our country...
yes we are pissed off at Kibaki and Raila...
but to act like we will never recover is irresponsible when you consider what this country means to the region... if Kenya coughs, the region catches pneumonia...
the rwandese are rationing fuel, ugandans are buying it at extortionate prices..

anyway i will keep you posted and not be so quiet :)

Keep the factual insight coming...

Stay safe...

its raining in Nairobi which is highly uncharacteristic for January but its great because Kenyans are solar powered so there will be no riots or so called peaceful demonstrations that involve tear gas...



am safe and my family is safe but i cant say the same for my colleagues families... all this tribal animosity creates distrust on such a fundamental level... suddenly what were kikuyu jokes, are now inflammatory statements... and you can only smile at people for so long when their tribesmen killed your family upcountry.. you know?

I don't actually exactly know how you feel about the smiling at people who've done your family wrong. The only thing I can relate it to is the strange compartmentalization that I quickly manifest when I get the "...but I didn't keep slaves or MY family didn't own slaves..." remarks. It keeps me from killing people. In my imagination I would just intensify that visceral lust for righteous retribution to simulate an approximation of your situation. That being said, I don't know if I could keep myself from participating in the violence. The reptile brain is sooooo seductive.

Nevada debate (semi-live)

Race / Drugs


Clinton: no card playing; lauds MLK ties all 3 together under dream umbrella, reiterates the squash of the beef between her and Obama

Obama: leads in with stump speech; can't solve race issue unless we come together as a people

Edwards: we made progress, but we're not done, gives anecdotal story about past; we should move forward


Accountability for race explosion?

Obama: expresses contrition, states that campaign staff can be overzealous; segues into economic issues; states that Clinton simply out worked him in N.H., not race

Clinton: says she's willing to believe Bob Johnson's retraction, states that campaign is too important to have the real issues cloud the issues; segues into economy


E-mail question -no real candidate difference; why should she have to choose between 1st black and 1st woman

Edwards: leads in with stump speech, states that you should decide based on what the candidate will do for you;


What do you do against them (Clinton/Obama)?

Edwards: reiterates that you should choose based on actions/agenda


Regret the N.H. debat 'likable' comment?

Obama: yes, it was taken the wrong way; we should focus on real issues; segues into 'we should bring people together to effect change', meme; choose based on what candidate can accomplish


Were you 'piling' on?

Edwards: No. My job is to speak the truth, speaks to the entrenched corporate intrests (which implies that his attack on Clinton, was based on his perception that she is allied with them)


Your husband said he could win, could your comments damage Obama in the fall?

Clinton: We're in hard fought contest. Has higest respect for her opponents, falls back on the 'ready on day one' meme, dogs Bush for going to the middle east with his hat in hand begging for good oil prices; will not back off of her unique 'readiness' stance.


You said you weren't an operating officer...

Obama: I was describing how I view the presidency; thinks that it is about vision and bringing together the best people and getting ideas, and then getting the populace mobilized to back them

Greatest strength / weakness?

Obama: bringing other disparate people together / slight absentmindedness

Edwards: fighting spirit / strong emotional response to the plight of others

Clinton: starts off off topic, mini-stump experience/change/blah,blah,blah... impatient & frustrated (attacks Obama for not being a manager|compares him to Bush) /

Obama: you do have to ba a good manager; you get the BEST people for your team and hold them accountable; to look at Bush, says he couldn't get past his ideological perspectives and the Bush couldn't manage costs and ask questions and had no vision


Lots of false information about you, alleges that you are a Muslim... how do you respond?

Obama: States all the correct information (Christian/Bible/Pledge); states that the people are smart enough to not be taken in by misinformation; brings up climate change, taxes,
other platform issues;


Economy... Citigroup and Merrill Lynch asking for money to stay afloat from 'essentially bad people'. Is that wrong?

Clinton: I'm very concerned, displays technical economic jargon, wants transparancy and control; we got here because business bet wrong, brings up her economic plan

Edwards: states all economic growth is only in the largest/richest sector, middle class is financially insecure, appeals to Nevada specifically, then to everyone;

Obama: Ties lack of energy policy into financial crisis; talks about all the sun in Nevada -- subprime problem happened because there is no oversight,


You voted for bankruptcy bill, do you regret it?

Edwards: I regret it, ties bankruptcy problems to medical debt, launches into populist spiel... agrees with Obama about energy, talks about student loans

Clinton: She regrets her vote also; happy that it never became law; wants bankruptcy reform, references her economic plan, talks about the head of Countrywide's golden parachute; naked courting of minorities; states that we can't wait

Obama: I opposed them both, I thought they were bad ideas; agrees with Clinton for reform, references bill he submitted; cites lobbyists as problem... uses anecdotal story to reference his economic stimulace package


Middle class retiree how can you protect our income?

Obama: Middle class exemption for capital gains and dividends; speaks to his fairer tax plans, gives examples, cites uneven tax burden


Mentioned freezing interest rates; what are long term effects?

Clinton: wants to do it to match the ability to pay mortgage, references more of her economic plan


Two questions for each from everyone else...

Edwards - Campaign finance, asks to Med donations

Obama: States that small med donors are registered as med no matter what, cites his wide finance pattern and his law that gives some transparancy

Clinton - War in Iraq, private agreement from Bush to Iraq gov't, introduced a bill to congress to force Bush to come to congress-- Will Obama co-sponsor?

Obama: We can work on this issue, doesn't want next president's hands tied; talks about his opposition to the war and his plan to leave Iraq

Clinton & Edwards agrees with Obama's troop re-deployment

Obama: Corrects record on Iraq deployment question

Clinton: Continues states wild difference between Dems and Repubs

Edwards: Clairifies his position about all combat troops in the 1st year

Obama: asks for clairification

Edwards: says he would keep a force in Kuwait


Domestic issues

Too many poor and minority, statute that colleges need to have ROTC and room for recruiting stations, will you enforce that?


Clinton: Absolutely, lauds any national service; dengrates the Bush admins treatment of soldiers

Obama: Yes, states that rural communities are part of the uneven burden; thinks we need more troops to cut down fatigue; also speaks to need for non combat service

Edwards: Yes. speaks about homeless vets; and wants to take care of all vets and their retraining

Obama: speaks to failures of Bush admin, uses Walter Reed as an example

Clinton: agrees with others, brings up traumatic brain injury, refers to some of her legislation


Yucca mt Nuke storage

Obama: Vows to end it, doesn't want a situation that harms the people of Nevada

Clinton: I voted against it, held hearings about it... brings up one of Obama's benefactor as being pro-Yucca and Edwards' vote for it

Obama: His home state has many plants, but he's always been against it

Edwards: reiterates that he is against Nuke plants

Clinton: brings up his votes again

Edwards: repeats his access to the new information


New Nuke plants...

Obama: voted for it because of the large amount of clean fuel investment; if we can safely do Nuke pwr, we should, goes into carbon cap spiel

Clinton: attacks the bill, calls Cheney to attention said it was special intrest pork, references her economic plan, once again bashes Obama via 'hope' comment

Edwards: states Nuke is not the answer talks about other energy sources; references Clinton's largets share of money from those energy interests; wants to make the polluters pay; wants to stop the building of coal fired power plants

Clinton: references her energy plan, uses Apollo as example

Obama: says we should cut down our energy usage; we need to be more efficient, states that it is the easiest change


Immigration...

Edwards: We need to make a path to citizenship for the undocs, wants fines, wants them to learn to speak english with our help and that language should be a requirement

Clinton: Hispanic voters don't vote for Black people, says that it was a historical statement; feels there hasn't been enough minority discussion

Obama: is there a non-voting problem?; no, they voted for me (gets laugh), references his stand w/ McCain and Kennedy


e-mail question... What is the cause of Black male drop out rates


Obama: equates it with latino drop out rate; wants more early childhood education so that minorities don't start behind, segues into teacher stump speech; wants to have parents do their part in the process (calls out fathers specifically)

Clinton: wants to continue discussion, states that the family needs their tools, highlights her connections to the 100 Black Men

Edwards: wants universal pre-K


Gun deaths...

Clinton: says she is against illegal guns, she is a political realist; she cops out at the fed level, does want a 'working' registry (unclear at which institutional level) references VT killings, attacks illegal gun dealers

Obama: Doesn't think he can accomplish that, what he thinks he can do is crack down on gun dealers

Edwards: picks up Clinton's mention of assault weapons ban and also wants to reinstatement...


Playing the fear card...


Clinton: refuses to "characterize" her statement, stands by her opinion; says we don't talk enough about homeland security obliquely references 9/11 by stating she represents NY, says president needs to protect the US

Obama: states we have been dominated by a politics of fear; congratulates Clinton's work in NY; states that Clinton's statement was part of the politics of fear; talks about the drain on resources that Iraq has been and that it has diverted funds from our security says he will focus on the real dangers

Clinton: defends her statement again; attempts to conflate the fact that the PM was tested with the "fact" that the new president MAY be tested


You called Pakistan when Bhutto was killed, was that appropriate?

Edwards: what I said was tough: you have to continue the march to democracy, you must allow international investigators, the elections have to take place

Given the decision to run for president is important, when did you make it?


Clinton: New years, wants to be the problem solver

Edwards: December, the cause of his life middle class and low income families

Obama: December, he thinks that there is something he could provide that no one else can, the bringing together of divided peoples...

END
*******************************
Quick thoughts

Clinton continued to attempt to press Obama on issues, but widened her scope to include Edwards, courted the Hispanic vote
Edwards attacked Clinton back and illuminated some of the truths behind statements
Obama put more of his substance on the table, courted the Hispanic vote

Consider if you will...

As the more rational people continue to point out; the three leading democratic contenders are the strongest candidates, and very little separates their policies. Since all of that is a wash; as much as you hate to admit it, if you're voting democrat, you're voting for style.

This is odd because our understanding of politics (especially in the light of the recent years of political failures) is that it is a SERIOUS THING.

With the parity of our leading candidates however, we're forced to focus on their minute differences and details; you know the superficial stuff. This is why we have intra-party political discussions that are eerily reminiscent of jr. high (also known as middle school in other places). Not surprisingly we get into extreme confrontations with our contemporaries (democrat/progressive/liberal/whatever you call it nowadays). So now we have a democratic voting bloc fractured into cliques, who wander the halls (of the internet and elsewhere) in bristling packs of insularity.

Why? Because nothing is worse than a heretic. Those people who almost agree with you. The alien mindset (in this case Republican) is written off as obviously wrong, an abstract evil to be confronted at a later date. Your fellows (in this case Democratic voters) are subject to acute, harsh, and intense criticism. Perhaps it arises from the staggering amount of commonalities that leave you frustrated that the others "get" so much of it and just happen to be "misguided" over that last bit of difference.

You can convince some of those people of the correctness of your understanding and you should, it's good politics; but hoping, wishing and working towards full unanimity in the party isn't democratic, it's fascist.

Just to make it official

for the sight impaired...


Yes, I did...

Whew...

I am obviously biased. I'm going to give you the following from my point of view. I can't give it to you from any other point of view (and you wouldn't be here if that didn't interest you in some way or another).

I watched both of the speeches. They were both essentially laundry lists of memes that have proven effective on the campaign trail that have resonated with the people. That's pretty much why you have the primary system it forces everyone to accumulate the ideas that the whole party finds important. Every candidate (even the republicans) has contributed to this aggregate of ideas.

But, the most powerful idea is the idea of change. We all know who gave birth to that meme. It's the ideological singularity of the entire election.

Many of the candidates have good ideas that's why they get assimilated readily, Barack's ideas don't get assimilated they assimilate other candidate's entire campaigns.

But back to the speeches.

Hillary's speech was made in an entirely different mode than her other speeches. She was forced to adopt a whole new style. That's what I remember, nothing specific. The meme birthed by her speech was "Hillary changed". That doesn't connect with me, it doesn't draw me in and make me think that she is going to turn things around.

Barack's speech was typical for him. I don't remember much of it either, but he co-opted and re-branded a GIANT meme. Yes We Can. Evokes images of Rosie the Riveter. You know, WWII and the empowerment of women. Not insignificant things in the mental history of the United States. That bagged me like Paula Patton posing as vice cop in a hooker sting outside of a Viagra study.

Shit yeah. We can do it. I'm sick of us not doing it. We can put our hands on the wheel and avoid the crash or just sit back and assume the airbags are working.