20080522

Florida recount redux

After playing a populist tune for weeks, Hillary is focusing on the nasty side of party politics, pulling all the DNC strings she can. And the Clinton camp is putting all its weight in the May 31 meeting where the destiny of Michigan and Florida delegates will be sealed.

Actually, since she cannot change the maths, HRC's only way of winning now is to change the rules and thus to focus on those who make the rules.


The Senator of NY is rumored to hold a majority in the committee. Her Supreme Court may not produce such a fair and sound outcome.

Not a big change for Florida : the Sunshine State still remembers the Y2K bug with a nasty backstage rally courtesy the Bush friends and family.

PS : Hillary wants every FL and MI voter to count and I agree. But how about the voters who decided not to vote because they were told their vote wouldn't count, and / or because their favorite was not even on the ballot ? The figures of voters in FL and MI are impressive because those states are well populated, but compared to other primaries the proportional turnout was dramatically weak.




20080512

Values Question Marks

Douglas E. Schoen raised the "Obama and the Values Question Mark" issue in the Wall Street Journal.

I do believe the question marks to be much bigger as far as John McCain is concerned.

Obama didn't have to make compromises as damaging as those made by his GOP rival.

And McCain can lose his independent base as well as the theocon base he's desperately been courting for months : he will be under sniper fires from both sides.

... not to mention Obama who will ask a few questions. Such as :

- did you actually vote for Roe vs Wade before you voted against it ?
- did you actually not vote for Bush before you asked for the vote of his followers ?
- was your conference at the Discovery Institute a sign of change in the US educational system ? do you favor Intelligent Design ?
- ...

Question marks, anyone ?

---
PS (addendum 20080514) - ethics an issue, anyone ? - Amy Poehler a definitely spitting image of HRC :

20080507

Obama-Pelosi vs Operation Chaos

Rush Limbaugh delivered Indiana to the Clinton camp just like he did for Texas*.

I told you Hillary would either win ugly or lose uglier, but mercifully this time may be the end of this sick race were Hillary outroved bad cop Karl and Barack outkerried good cop John.

I hope Superdelegates will flock in tomorrow and end this mess. I've been longing for the Obama-Pelosi ticket for too long.

And I hope Billary will have the decency to give up before May the 31st their claim for delegates from Florida and Michigan (their campaign team actually did vote for the 2025 mark before they voted against it and started mentioning a 2029 "magic number").



* see "
Les conservateurs poussent Clinton" (20080317)


20080428

J Street - at last

With the benediction (!) of their Christian-and-Muslim-fundamentalist counterparts, warmonging hardliners managed to kill Rabin and redirect Israel towards the path of theocracy.

But being "pro Israel and pro peace" is becoming politically correct again. Even in the US, where the AIPAC is no longer the only lobby defending the interests of Israel.

Actually, AIPAC is acting against the interests of Israel and only defending the interests of hardliners. AIPAC is part of the mob deliberately fueling anger against Israel across the Muslim world and beyond : they paradoxically need to spread antisemitism everywhere, just because it helps their beloved dieharders to keep alive.

These guys have definitely been ruling the show for too long, and caused too much damage (even if the worst may still be to come - see "
Iran : who wants war and why" - 20070925).

This world does need diversity, especially as radical theories and overheated fake debates are overwhelming the media. No, this ain't no clash of civilizations. No, fundamentalists have no right to act as if they had already destroyed democracy. And yes, the public needs to know that Israel is no more a monolith than Iran, France or the US, that peace will happen in spite of what they're told.

But now there is hope for the vast majority of the moderates (Jews, Muslims, Christians, atheists, whatevers...) : a new a lobbying and advocacy organization really working for the good of Israel and its neighbors, and in favor of sounder international policies from the US of A.


I sincerely hope J Street are as good as they pretend to be, that they will be heard, and that they will reach out for their Muslim and Christian counterparts, taking part in the much awaited war of independence against fundamentalism (see "Universal Declaration of Independence From Fundamentalism" - 20070809).

J Street members are likely to receive quite a few blows from the AIPAC, but I hope they can take it. Make that double for Robert Malley, also an advisor to Obama (and thus familiar with hope, yesyoucanness, and undergoing nasty attacks from people supposed to defend the same values).


---

You too, take the time to read from J Street :

"Support a new vision for American policy in the Middle East


For too long, uncompromising right-wing leaders have imposed their narrow definition of what it means to be "pro-Israel" on American policy, undermining long-term Israeli and American security interests while squashing real debate about America's foreign policy in the Middle East. It is high time that mainstream Americans fought back.

Fight back today with J Street, a new pro-peace, pro-Israel political movement dedicated to a new direction for American foreign policy in the Middle East:
http://www.jstreet.org/signup

Together, we will fight for the best interests of Americans, Israelis, and all residents of the Middle East by forcefully advocating for a truly pro-Israel policy. We will make our case both on Capitol Hill and in the media by seeking (1) a real American commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and (2) an American policy towards the Middle East based on working with allies and resolving conflicts through diplomacy.

Sign up today:
http://www.jstreet.org/signup

Sincerely,

Jeremy, Carinne, Joel, and Isaac
The J Street Team

P.S. If you're on Facebook, join our Facebook group here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14133986845 "

20080426

Billarsea outroving Karl Rove : the "Bradley effect" story

How to optimize Hillary's under 2 digit victory in PA ? Her staff spinned already well known demographics into the "Bradley effect" story and voilà, here you have Barack Obama, who rallied within a few weeks from a 20 point deficit in that State, presented as a perennial loser.

Come on.

The Billarsea (that's Billary + Chelsea, who's harrassing superdelegates until 3AM and beyond) machine is fighting the wrong war, destroying everything on the way to Clinton's nomination. I knew Hillary would either lose ugly or win uglier but this is getting nastier by the day.

20080421

Pope Music

Benedict XVI paid a visit to George W. Bush who greeted this fellow fundamentalist like the most important statesman on Earth... which he happens to be from their theocratic point of views.

Benedict XVI denounced paedophilia, nazism, and attacks against human rights (whose universality relies on - guess what ? - "natural law" and a divine origin). He even dared say religion shouldn't be part of any government... which would indeed appear pointless in his World where government is part of religion, and where no law is above God's law.


After six days of lamentation and contrition the show is over. From John Paul II's rock star attitude towards Benedict XVI's self lapidation, nothing changes.

Certainly not those other elderlies rolling stones in front of Scorsese's camera, and selling sympathy for the Devil to the masses.

20080408

McCain - Rice 2008

John McCain picked the one size fits all answer to Obama - Clinton : she is black and female, she enjoys youth and experience, she was in favor of the war in Iraq and fought against Rumsfeld...

So instead of 42's wife, we could have a Veep who happened to call 43 her "husband".

Too good to be true ?

Can somebody who trusts George W. Bush and whom George W. Bush trusts be one heartbeat away from the top job ? Her "Transformational Diplomacy" sounds great but includes such stances as "we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud" or "punish France, ignore Germany, and forgive Russia".

This ticket is a pure marketing gimmick. Dems definitely should end their internal battles as soon as possible, and I keep checking every day the 2008 Democratic Convention Watch website : 25 superdelegates today, down from the upper 30s during the Wright controversy - go 'bama go (that's for Obama, not Condi's native state).

20080319

Iraq - 5 years of success for fundamentalists

"Mission Accomplished" : five years later, Iraq is dead. Around one million Iraqis are dead. Around four million Iraqis have been displaced by the war. Collateral damage : moderates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, USA, and the rest of the World are, more or less literally, either already dead or on their way.

Five years later and as expected and announced in these virtual pages*, fundamentalism is blooming because from the start this war was meant by fundamentalists in favor of fundamentalisms (of all shapes and sizes - Islamists, Christian, Jewish... you name it).

The war in Iraq ? Five years of total success for George W. Bush.


I'm talking about the fundamentalist, not the POTUS. His Mission is Accomplished indeed : he served a second term and further destroyed the US democracy from the inside, he boosted the influence of Christian fundamentalism across the US and made possible its revival across Europe, he put creationism and theocracy back on the national and international maps... His one last task to perform ? The most important and beautiful to his own eyes : to ignite the mother of all wars between Israel and Iran in order to provoque the return of the Christ**.

Just to remind you things can go even worse than the combination of a military defeat, a moral collapse, and a massive recession.

If you happen to be a US citizen, you have the power to stop this. Unite and lobby your representatives, and vote wisely.

And remember this : of the 3 remaining major candidates for Bush's job (as a POTUS), only one had from day one a sound vision of what's happening in Iraq and the World beyond. And still now, only Barack Obama condemns this war as a wrong answer to terror and as a gift to the ennemies of democracy.


* and beyond, thanks to wonderful readers from America, France, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and so many other
wonderful places where such blogules as the "Universal Declaration of Independence from Fundamentalism" (20070809) have been quite popular.
** see "
Iran : who wants war and why" (20070925)

20080301

3:10 to Yuma... and New York

Talking about Red Phone moments... let's consider the efficiency of Barack Obama's answering machine.

The Clinton campaign has been broadcasting an ad across the Lone Star state featuring a phone ringing at 3 in the morning ; a "Terminator I" scene with kids sleeping and a nuclear threat above their heads : "your vote will decide who answers the call". Brrrrr...

Here's Obama's answer : "In fact, we have had a red phone moment: It was the decision to invade Iraq. Senator Clinton gave the wrong answer. George Bush gave the wrong answer. John McCain gave the wrong answer".

1, 2, 3. That's called a strike out, Hillary. And without the help of Roger Clemens. Nor the help of Roger's helps. Nevermind the fact that that guy was born in Ohio and raised in Texas.

Barack is famous for his powerful tone but Hussein does have jug ears too, mind you. You want to be careful about what you say and the critics you use, which may be used against you.

John McCain recently experienced a similar knock-out answer. Obama considered the possibility to return to Iraq if al Qaeda were to come back there some time after the US withdrawal, and Senator McCain replied "I have some news: Al Qaeda is in Iraq (...), it’s called Al Qaeda in Iraq". To which Barack punched this final "I’ve got some news for John McCain, that is there was no such thing as Al Qaeda in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade".

Ouch.

Reminds me of a certain Cassius Clay. Beyond the loud mouth and the elegant dance on the ring, this young fella has quite a powerful fist.

And unlike Muhammad Ali, this guy won't even have to convert to Islam nor to change names in order to find peace.

20080225

Never say Nader again

It's that time of the year.

Right on time for the post-Super Bowl trauma, Ralph Nader is back, running.

And this time, not as an Independent : his main motivation is pure personal revenge against the Democratic National Committee, which allegedly conspired against his 2004 candidacy, allowing him to be present in only 34 ballots.

Ralfie definitely can't blame the GOP, considering the support he received from conservative lobbies in that quest (see "Red blogule to Ralf Nader - Independent Days are over" - 20040822).

Al Gore's nemesis has a mission : to kill the Dem candidate, man or woman, black or white. Considering his ability to siphoning liberal votes, and the way he almost praised Obama, Hillary can say "Wow - that's really unfortunate".

The Illinois Senator was more articulate and to the point ; not without praising the former advocate for his past glory and not without reminding him that, after all, Gore and Bush were not that similar, Barack noticed with that recent populist twist of his that "his function as a perennial candidate (was) not putting food on the table of workers".

In a two penny comedy, Bloomberg would chose that moment to enter the race, without waiting for the outcome of the Primaries : the Obama-Clinton race could last until the Convention and a McCain "impeachment" by the theocons could put Huckabee (or even Romney ?) back on the race.
And we're not yet at that period of the year when they start counting punches in bingo cards down in Florida.
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