Recently in Politics Category
I get e-mail. Specifically from the RNC. Why? Eh...why not. Anywho, today I'm told that if we don't stop Hillary now horrible things will happen. Right there I have to stop and think, wow...I wonder how bad it could be? Could we have terrorist attacks on US soil? Could we engage in the stupid foreign policy "adventure" in decades? Jeebus H. Christmas, how bad are we talking here?!?!?
The appointment of more liberal judges and the further expansion of the federal government into your daily life.
Wait. What? You mean like how the NSA, if they wanted to, could listen in on my phone calls without a warrant? Oh wait, that happens now. And the GOP is actually proud of that.
Maybe a federal agency could try their best to keep the general populace in a continual state of fear so they will never question the government. Oh wait, that happens now. And the GOP is actually proud of that.
Oh, I could be arrested for trying to protest in the vicinity of the president? Oh wait, that happens now. And the GOP is actually proud of that.
And before you pull out the tired "Clinton did..." just shut the fuck up. Seriously. If your party is "better," don't go there. But the GOP isn't better. It sucks. It sucks big time.
I'm not going to spend my time pointing out the weaknesses in the Democratic party (they do quite well on their own most of the time, thank you very little), so lets not try and take this to a "both parties suck can't we all just get along" place.
Come on GOP...sadly, I expect better.
"I think that the American people lose if I spend all my time worrying about congressional requests for information, if I spend all my time responding to subpoenas."
Um. No, Mr Gonzales. You work for us. Congress works for us. You will respond to those because we say so. We'll tell you when we lose and we'll tell you when we win. We win when government runs within it's bounds.
I'm sure you're just as confused as I am as to why Ann Coulter called John Edwards a cigarette. I mean, it just doesn't make much sense.
You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.
Here are, in order of who has announced they are actually running, the folks I'm pulling for in the Democratic primary.
Here are others I wouldn't mind, in no particular order.
- Al Gore
- Wes Clark
Clinton is not on the list because I'm honestly not a big fan of her politics. Would I take her over any GOPer that would get their nomination? Yes. Obama is not on the list because I think he might still be a little green for the job. Edwards was green, but now he has been through a crushing campaign and knows what's up. Also, this country still has it's cranium too far up it's nether regions to deal with a woman or African American as president.
Gore is intelligent, thoughtful, and has a lifetime of experience. He's been cast away by the Wise Old Men of Washington, got over it, and got back into the game. Yes, it's only on climate change right now, but he could expand that quite easily overnight. He could laughing deal with all the bullshit that people say about him now (he's a liar, he invented the internets, he's a spy for China, etc.). The years after getting ganked by SCOTUS really gave him time to re-center and refocus. Seeing him give his talk on climate change really convinced me that he is who he always said he was. There is a slim, but non-zero, chance that getting back into the race for preznit could cause a relapse to the old, stiff Al Gore that got worried when people talked about the color of his clothes.
I like Clark because he has a very real no nonsense way of talking. It's what Bush wishes he had. Clark speaks clearly and with authority, which I'm sure comes from his many years of military service. He lead NATO forces and has a good understanding of American foreign policy and military reach. While watching the debates he also seemed to learn about domestic affairs very quickly. Even after the election his podcasts focused on a wide array of foreign and domestic issues, especially after Katrina hit.
Anyway, that's where I'm leaning and why.
I have the Fourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism up on the wall in my office. I don't think Donald Rumseld knows what the hell he's talking about. But then I've thought that since the day he took over the Pentagon.
It's sad that one of the most insulting things I've read aimed at Jews lately is from a Rabbi.
I simply do not understand why so many Jews bailed on Joe. I cannot understand why Joe's percentage of the Jewish vote was not in the high 90s instead of the 54-57 percent range (according to Lieberman’s campaign). I have opinions on way too many things I don't know nearly enough about, but I know about Jews. I am a professional Jew, and yet if you asked me to explain why Jews did not vote for Joe the way blacks voted for Barack Obama or Catholics voted for John F. Kennedy I would not know what to tell you.
Maybe it's because racial/religious/ethnic blocs in America don't vote based on skin color or holy books. Maybe, just maybe they vote for the cadidate they believe in. Maybe people think for themselves and don't cling to any thread of familiarity they can find with a candidate.
Does it even matter that Obama was running against Alan Keyes, another black man? I doubt it. Illinois wasn't going to elect Keyes. Catholics voted for Bush in droves, 52% to be exact, thanks to a number of ballot issues the GOP got on the board, like all the 'Hate the Gays' amendments and the misnomer that is "The Culture of Life." Yes, the issues are more complex than that, but those are the things that annoy me the most, so they get mentioned.
Gellman goes on to explain in great detail that he doesn't get it. Funny, I could have told him that after reading the first paragraph. Joe lost because the people don't believe in him anymore. The fact that he is Jewish means nothing if he can't represent them in the Senate. They feel he failed to do that, so they voted for somebody who they thought could do the job better.
Telling somebody who is Jewish, or black, or latino, or asian, or Muslim, or Catholic that they have to vote for a candidate based on skin color or religion is really demeaning. You should know better, Rabbi.
