2008 Primaries Thread

I think Daniel was riffing on Hillary.

I was, but my anemic sense of humor makes lines like that hard to understand. I need zing lessons.

hey, Daniel, did you notice the traffic on Calle Ocho the other day when McCain stopped by Versailles for his cortadito?

No, I missed it. He drew a big crowd? See, South Florida I would think is McCain Country (formally Giuliani Country), i.e., the GOP base here are mostly "Nat'l Security Republicans." It's upstate where I think McCain may have some trouble with "Social Conservative Republicans."

I am actually starting to think Mitt could be a more formidable opponent...

No.

I'm dying to hear Obama's stance on Cuba. The he-is-an-A-rab meme will circulate again on AM radio.

Will Obama's Stance on Cuba Hurt? -- Time Online Edition, 2007

he found his sister soulja, hooray

Cynic.

I'm not sure how it could hurt him - since the Dems are not contesting Florida this go round (it was stripped of all its delegates).

(That's only for the primaries, I believe.)

Yes, that's what I meant - it won't hurt him in the primaries.

His Sister Soulja killed Kennedy, how ironic.

uh taking on florida cubans is not exactly jabbing someone to your left xps

now now you're gonna make mickey kaus cry.

I just got an e-mail saying that it is likely Senator Kennedy will endorse a candidate if not tomorrow night than sometime next week. Any predictions?

Whoever he has to deal with most often in the cloakroom.

I don't think that Obama's stance on Cuba qualifies as a sister souljah moment, even by the standards of that fucked up kaus article.

There's been a lot of speculation that Ted Kennedy will endorse Obama. He reportedly phoned Bill and told him to lay off Barack. I'd imagine Obama has some other big endorsements lined up between Saturday and the 5th... meanwhile, has anyone notable endorsed Clinton lately? I mean other politicians, not the Times.

There's been a lot of speculation that Ted Kennedy will endorse Obama. He reportedly phoned Bill and told him to lay off Barack. I'd imagine Obama has some other big endorsements lined up between Saturday and the 5th... meanwhile, has anyone notable endorsed Clinton lately? I mean other politicians, not the Times.

I should say that piece of information was sent to me by someone with close-ties to the Clinton campaign. Might be nothing ... but, you know.

Mr. Goodman, are you Mark Penn?

Yes

And was your Clinton-tied source Karl Rove?

Why? You don't think his information is legit?

Karl's? No, I'm sure it's totally legit.

Even if you're getting it from a Clinton source, the rumor is still that it's gonna be Obama. Not that I think Ted Kennedy's endorsement will make a shred of difference outside possibly Massachusetts.

"Two sources say [Clinton has] directed a flood of calls the senator's way, with everyone from union leaders to his Massachusetts constituents scrambling to stop what Clinton's camp is worried could be an endorsement of Obama."

http://www.93950.com/images/lobstr.jpg

How significant, really, is Ted Kennedy's endorsement, though?

The only significance, aside from the possible "Barack is the first candidate who's inspired people like my brothers John and Bobby did," is that it might help him in Massachusetts. Obama is significantly behind in the polls, even with endorsements from Kerry and Deval Patrick.

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2984/lobsterhl0.jpg

I'm guessing HRC will do well enough in the Northeast.. Obama may have to rely on the West Coast.

While I don't know if it will translate into votes in Massachusetts or elsewhere, I don't think that Teddy K.'s endorsement, being the quintessential elder establishment Dem, is insignificant -- at least inside the beltway.

I mean, it's taken pretty much for granted that Hillary is favored by establishment Democrats, yes?

the Screaming Lobster of Hope should count on the Bay State's fishermen vote.

Sen. Kerry and Gov. Patrick have already endorsed Obama (and Teddy makes three!)

http://www.kinetictrailers.com/images/11_23/alfred.jpg

B+ (lobster is not screaming)

at least inside the beltway.

Well sure, but what I'm saying is, how does this begin to translate to primary votes?

the more you look like a winner, the more likely you are to become one. the question is how the endorsement gets played.

haha. gabbneb = our generation's Mark Hanna

who's got a screaming bill for me?

bleep u a hero dawg

How significant, really, is Ted Kennedy's endorsement, though?

-- jaymc, Friday, January 25, 2008 9:45 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

his decision to endorse obama (or establisment dems in aggregate) might tell you he knows which way the wind is blowing.

that's fine, but that doesn't mean he's being nasty or hitting below the belt - this is such totally standard-issue give-and-take it's pretty crazy the way some of you, and many elsewhere (in the pundit class) have reacted

the press have overreacted in this way because he has directly impugned their motives and behavior on more than one occasion recently. So the punditry has their feathers ruffled (see last night's Daily Show bit). BUT, this should not obscure the fact that Clinton is still being a dishonest jackass attack dog for Hillary, and that its pretty nauseating. At least for those of us who find blatant self-righteous hypocristy nauseating.

yeah, but see, HRC represents a triumph of feminism!

seriously what was that bullshit Bill was spewing about how Obama and the unions wanted their caucus-goers votes to count 5 times more than everyone else's votes, and that's why there was a lawsuit challenging the caucus arrangement? that didn't even make any sense (and that lawsuit was appropriately thrown out - not that it won Obama Nevada anyway)

In retrospect it seems clear the Clintons knew that the lawsuit was bullshit would fail and pushed it anyway just to smear Obama. They were probably planning all along to flood the at-large precincts with nurses and other workers from the vicinity who were technically allowed to vote there, even though they don't work on Saturdays. I hate them, but they're crafty.

They also got ABC News to "break" this story that Obama maybe didn't return all the Rezko money, an investigation that was already done by the Sun-Times. On the night before the SC election, too. All the while whining, "boo hoo the media is for Obama and against us."

^i take it this is what hillary was referring to before about "there being more" to the obama-rezko thing?

Clinton: Hey, maybe I want those Florida and Michigan delegates after all

Surprised they aren't worried about "Hillary will do anything" backlash.

what fucking backlash? america doesn't have enough energy to be angry at any of this shit anymore. let her have it, what is she going to do, run us further into the ground?

Honestly: If Obama is a Reaganite, then I am a salamander.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/24/AR2008012402801_pf.html

guys, this is easy. the dems are not the 'party of the powerless'. fuck that noise. they are the party that is inclusive of and willing to stand up for minorities. which means that the majority, including the less well-off, are more than willing to eschew them as long as times are ok. of course even the less well-off have been relatively comfortable since the end of wwii and especially after Dem presidents have helped give them a rising tide. this primary is a race between a democratic standardbearer (and, probably permanently sidelined, her runner-up whose daddy worked in a meal) whose claim on electability lies in no small part in her demographic majoritarian identity, and a minority representative whose claim on electability lies in his rhetorical appeal to majoritarian consensus. it's two sides of a coin, but count me among those who believe that the narrative of the latter of the two will ring truer with more people in the end.