Go and read this

An excellent post on the PUMAs, and their candidacy for Hate-Group status. This crap is soooo not even about Hillary anymore.

A FIELD GUIDE TO FRAIDY CATS

If nothing else, just click the link to see the wonderful cartoon/illustration.

(I was PUMA-watching for awhile, but there's only so much venom I can ingest without feeling sick. I may as well watch FoxNews or listen to Rush or Ann Coulter.)

More fake facts

Here it is, the last day of the Primary season and the last States vote today, but it still may not be over. Hillary is using a last-ditch pitch to sway both uncommitted and Obama superdelegates her way. Trouble is, the "facts" she's pitching are not factual.

Here’s what she told the New York Times:

“I’ve been closing very strongly since Feb. 20,” she said, referring to the day after Mr. Obama won Hawaii and Wisconsin. “I have won more votes and won more states than Senator Obama. All the independent analyses break in my direction. A lot of the key states that we have to win, I win those states.”

Her math has been different from anyone else's, and DailyKos (among others) has an explanation (go there for the numbers).

She argues that she has the popular vote, and the superD's should go to her. But...

1. she is counting votes from territories who don't vote in the general election, so being popular there is irrelevant.
2. she is NOT counting caucuses!! So Puerto Rico counts in her world but Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Washington and Wyoming do NOT.
3. she is counting Obama's Michigan votes as zero, since the flawed primary in Michigan permitted no Obama votes. Zero.

She stated that she has won more states than Obama.

No. He has won 33 contests (and is expected to win the next 2). She has won 21. I am using the CNN tallies. America Blog figures that she must be using the Feb. 20 date to spin her statement about winning more states. Very deceptive.

SuperDs... I hope you are not falling for this. We have made decisions based on blatant lies too many times. That needs to stop.

Scorched earth, bitter people

The Clinton campaign has nurtured a huge movement of people, many of whom will not even vote for a Democrat in November if their candidate -- the one entitled to the mantle in spite of losing the contest using every measurement -- is not the nominee.
Well, if their own racist feelings will not permit them to vote for a black person, then the white guy might represent them better anyway.

I watched some of the proceedings yesterday. I thought it was as good as any reality TV show can be. Wexler and many others made their points with extreme passion. Here's a clip where he smacks down Ickes.

Here are links for the rest of his debate speech. Good stuff. He simply kicked ass. Not that some of the others didn't...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

And Ickes made it plain that party unity will only be achieved when ALL their demands are met, and they get their way 100%. Compromise is not what the Hillary presidency would be about (a quality that she shares with Bush, along with delusional).

She will win Puerto Rico today, so she can add those numbers to her "I have the popular vote" tally even though Puerto Rico is irrelevant because they don't vote in the Presidential election. And telling more lies, making claims to be "the most fiscally responsible candidate" even though she has not even been able to manage a campaign budget without going $20,000,000 in debt. Just saying something over and over doesn't make it true, but there are plenty of people who believe every word.

I am not ashamed of people who vote their conscience no matter who they vote for. This is America. I am ashamed of the way the Clintons have built this wall through the heart of what can be a strong, unified party that will take back the White House from its permanent Republican Neocon Rovian grasp that is destroying this country and everything it is supposed to stand for.

This election is about the American people, Hillary. It's not about YOU.

The needs of the many are greater than the needs of the one. Go back to the Senate and later you can run for Governor of New York and win. It's a powerful position that will probably be available soon. That's your pacifier... so suck it.

Skin deep thoughts

[LINK] This is a free tattoo being offered by a Hillary supporter in Baltimore. He thought that offering the tattoo would give Clinton more exposure. (I am wondering who in this country actually thinks she needs more exposure!!! I guess that question is answered.) The location of the tattoo is interesting... on the upper thigh... you can see a few short curlies... I am thinking that if Bill Clinton had been graced with this, he might never have ended up in the kind of trouble that got him impeached. At least it would have served as a possible deterrent. You think? (probably not)

All this HRC talk about being the better candidate because of getting the uneducated, white supporters... seems to me if you were a Democrat (and all Democrats in power are wanting to unify the Party, right? regardless of which groups might prefer you?) and you thought a whole bloc of people were voting for candidates based on their skin color or gender, that you might want to say a few words to inspire the populace to not be doing that. Tell them to vote for you, that's one thing, but to brag about your divisiveness is another.

If you are part of that bloc of voters who'd vote for a road kill possum before a black person, whether or not you've already got the Hillary on your thigh, consider the one below*:


...and if you're game for that one, you might be radical enough for this one, you shit-for-brains racist hick:


In fact, you just might be part of the demographic who would be proud to sport this*:


*photoshopped

Republicans don't listen to those elitist experts either!!

Then: It’s the Economy, Stupid!
Now: It’s the Economists Who Are Stupid.*

Robert Reich (Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, now endorsing Obama) has some good points to make on the subject of HRC’s push for the “gas tax holiday.” Economists have been advising her that it’s a bad idea and will make things even worse in the long run. Her response, "I'm not going to put my lot in with economists,” is disturbing. He writes:

"In case you’ve missed it, we now have a president who doesn’t care what most economists think. George W. Bush doesn’t even care what scientists think. He rejects all experts who disagree with his politics. This has led to some extraordinarily stupid policies.

I’m not saying HRC is George Bush. And I'm not suggesting economists have all the answers. But when economists tell a president or a presidential candidate that his or her idea is dumb – and when all respectable economists around America agree that it’s a dumb idea – it’s probably wise for the president or presidential candidate to listen."

It’s also disturbing that both she and Bill have spoken out against gas tax elimination in the past. She is on record as supporting the gas tax back in 2000 when she was running for Senate, and publicly stated:

“[…] one of my fundamental disagreements during this campaign with my opponent was when he called for the repeal of the gas tax. Now, the gas tax is one of those few taxes that New York actually gets more money from Washington than we send. And we are totally reliant on it to do things like finishing I-86 in the Southern Tier, or the fast-ferry harbor works up in Rochester, as well as the work we need to do here in the city. So you can count on me to support infrastructure, […]”

Here’s Bill Clinton at a press conference in 2000 explaining that a gas tax holiday would not pass the savings on to the consumer:

Q. Mr. President, in light of the fact that OPEC has decided to increase production, do you see it as a mistake for the Senate to proceed with a bill that would suspend the gas tax? […]

A. […] the problem I have with it, apart from what it might do to the Highway Trust Fund and the spending obligations that have already been incurred by the acts of Congress, the budgets, is that I'm not sure that the savings would be passed along to the consumers in addition to that.[…]

So... voted for the war... would nuke Iran... recently turned pro-gun... thinks McCain would be a better choice for President than Obama... has been caught on tape completely fabricating stories about her "experience"... wants a gas tax break instead of infrastructure support and jobs, pro-free trade (in spite of lies claiming the opposite)... doing her best to take down the Democratic party...

{groan}

Tags: Clinton - Hillary - Obama - Tax

*(derived from something I saw in a comment out there in blogworld…)

The Tank of Gas and Cup of Coffee Show

A local news station in N. Carolina got wonderfully snarky in documenting Hillary's gas station photo op, and provided video:

But Clinton faced her toughest challenge yet at a gas station in Indiana, where she squared off against a coffee machine. The cup of joe proved elusive, and the senator from New York threw in the towel.

After admitting she hadn't used a gas pump in years, Clinton asked the store manager to help her pour the cup of coffee she wanted.

Hope she's more skillful with a gun than with that coffee machine!!

But seriously, this gas station photo op deserves the derision. [AP Read about it here] She rides into the gas station in a large pickup truck, followed by a Secret Service motorcade (including SIX Suburbans and two squad cars) and a green SUV containing the media. The behemoth truck gets $63 in gas, and the cameras roll. This is the person claiming Obama is all show and no substance? Give me a break. This is a case of a Democrat luring Democratic followers down the Republican ideological path.

Clinton is aligning herself with McCain's views on the gas tax holiday reduction. Her new ad says she wants to use big oil's windfall profits to suspend gas taxes. That's no solution. It's not even a bandage. Obama is not in favor of it, and if you are wondering how on earth anyone could oppose it, watch this video. He's making a lot of sense. He suggests that without the added tax, demand for gas could go up and actually end up raising the price. That's why it's no solution.

He has also produced a campaign video with a similar (but shorter) message,  read the content below.

I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.

I'm here to tell you the truth. We could suspend the gas tax for 6 months, but that’s not going to bring down gas prices long-term. You’re gonna save about 25, 30 dollars…or half a tank of gas. That’s typical of how Washington works. There’s a problem, everybody’s upset about gas prices – let’s find some short-term, quick-fix, that we can say we did something even though, even though we’re not really doing anything.

We cannot deliver on a better energy policy unless we change how business is done in Washington We've got to to the oil companies and look at their price-gouging. We’ve got to start using less oil and that means raising fuel efficiency standards on cars and developing alternative fuels.

That’s the real honest answer to how we’re going to solve this problem. That’s what you need from a president, someone who’s going to tell you the truth.

Tags: Clinton - Hillary - Obama - Tax

A debate topic for Philly: "Screw 'em"

That's a quote from Hillary Clinton in 1995 about working class white southerners, "lunch-bucket Democrats," who were both leaning and voting conservative in the 1994 congressional elections. Her advice:

"Screw 'em," she told her husband. "You don't owe them a thing, Bill. They're doing nothing for you; you don't have to do anything for them."

Author Benjamin Barber witnessed and wrote about in his book, "The Truth of Power: Intellectual Affairs in the Clinton White House"

Read the whole article on HuffPo.

So, if the majority of the Democrats vote and have voted for someone else, and are therefore doing nothing for her, I'm thinking the same attitude is there. Screw 'em, they don't matter... and won't stand in her way of getting this thing by hook and crook, schmooze and booze, god and the devil, lies and more lies, lawyers, guns and money.


And just so as to not end this on a "bitter" note, Bruce Springsteen has just endorsed Obama on his website, so listen to Bruce below singing a song that Woody Guthrie wrote. It reminds me of why I care about this stuff.



Tags: Clinton - Obama - Springsteen

Archie Bunker mentality

This is one reason I'm not a Libertarian. The philosophy that we just give everybody a gun, and the good guys will automatically police the bad guys, and it will all sort itself out. [LINK] Some Ohio lawmakers want to allow students to carry concealed weapons at public universities to protect themselves against another gunman. The reason Archie Bunker was funny was because his ideas were so ridiculous, and also, unfortunately, fairly common.

Gone Gone Gone, Done Me Wrong

I have met Hillary Rodham Clinton. It was in 1996 during her book tour for "It Takes a Village". I must admit that I didn't read the book. Actually, that makes it more valuable now because it's a pristine copy, only cracked open by the First Lady to sign it and a couple of times since then by me, to look at it, and recently to photograph the signature for eBay. Yes, it will be sold on eBay.You know how Bill Clinton is known for pointing with his thumb, and now Hillary is known for pointing with her index finger? I was wearing my "Clinton/Gore" button, and she pointed at it in that manner, and said, "thank you for wearing that," and I responded with something typical of a fangirl, I'm sure. That was the extent of our 10 second meeting.

When I think back to that, it makes me sad. I loved the Clintons. I am sad because they have now ruined my positive perception of them during this nasty campaign. They could both have gone on to other pursuits involving public service or continued in politics, retaining their dignity and class. The legacy would have been a positive body of work (but not without some rough patches and controversy, but many of those only increased my respect for the way they dealt with the difficulties). Now, in my mind, they are both power-mad, desperate, willing to openly lie, cheat, wallowing in the slime with the worst of the worst, schmoozing and sleazing up to Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, not denouncing Ann Coulter's support, and The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy of Richard Mellon Scaife -- effectively becoming no better in my mind and on no higher ground than any of those. It's Tonya Harding and Jeff Gillooly kneecapping the only chance this country has of escaping from the muck of permanent right wing rule -- whether by helping the Republicans win, or purposefully hurting their own party. They hit the ceiling at being compared to her? This situation is even worse. I think it's a shame.

Randi Rhodes was suspended from Air America for referring to Hillary and Ferraro as "whores" during a public appearance. OK, I think Ferraro is better described as a racist and out of touch with reality than a whore, but the non-sexual definition of "whore" in Merriam-Webster is "a venal or unscrupulous person". I looked up "venal" too:

1. capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration : purchasable; especially : open to corrupt influence and especially bribery : mercenary venal legislator
2. originating in, characterized by, or associated with corrupt bribery

If you are steaming with rage at Randi's tirade, think about the meaning of the word. Tacky to say it? Probably. Would she have been suspended for saying the same thing about a right-winger? Unsure. Is the word a fair one to use in this case? Given some of the meanings of it, possibly so. Shameful and sad.

Tags: Clinton - Ferraro

Experience Lying to the American People = Presidential?

I'm sure most of you have seen this bit of fun by now:

news source links: [AP] [CNN] [Sinbad's recollection of the events in Bosnia]

She misspoke. Mistake, or lie?

This particular “misstatement” was described in detail at least 3 times in her recent campaign. It’s quite an elaborate fantasy; snipers, running with their heads down, too dangerous for a welcoming party… clearly, it didn’t happen this way. She described it in such detail, that it was very believable. What I have noticed about people who tell a lot of lies is that they actually believe their own words after awhile. That’s how they are able to continue telling those complete fabrications with a straight face.

Her defense:

"I say a lot of things -- millions of words a day -- so if I misspoke, that was just a misstatement."

Today, she has a new defense for the statement:

She told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "I was sleep-deprived, and I misspoke."

She told KDKA radio in Pittsburgh: "You know, I have written about this and described it in many different settings, and I did misspeak the other day. This has been a very long campaign."

Yes it has, and if you can't take the stress of a campaign without having hallucinations, just wait until the real work of the Presidency begins, and the phone starts ringing at 3AM, bringing about even more sleep-deprivation.

I doubt that the latest defense is a valid one anyway, based on other "exaggerations" of events that she's told. There was the "helped bring peace to Northern Ireland" one, that was dismissed by Lord Trimble of Lisnagarvey, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former First Minister of the province.

The website factcheck.org (a neutral group not committed to any candidates) has an abbreviated rundown of her claims of experience in foreign relations, compared with the facts. Included are her claims regarding Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Rwanda. Clinton also credits herself with a speech that she made in Beijing as part of her experience, but you know what she has repeatedly said about the value of speeches. (so OK... that last one is not a lie, it's just hypocrisy)

Then there's the NAFTA lie:

"I have been a critic of NAFTA from the very beginning."

Paraphrasing from The Nation, "Clinton Lie Kills her Credibility," She held 5 meetings to help win congressional approval for it. In a closed-door session (where she was the featured speaker), ABC News reported that "her remarks were totally pro-NAFTA" and that "there was no equivocation for her support for NAFTA at the time."


Tags: Clinton - Bosnia - NAFTA