2008 Primaries Thread 2: THE QUICKENING

A college administrator standing on the sidelines of a rally at Temple University last week complained that she hadn't been able to "connect" with Obama in part because his speeches lacked specifics. A young law student from Cotulla, Texas, suggested Obama fans were being had and said she'd have a hard time supporting him.

"If Barack Obama wins, I'll have to wait. I've told people, I have to do a lot of self-cleansing, meditation and yoga," said Vanessa Russell-Evans, 26. "As a woman and as somebody who's wanted Hillary to run since I was 10 when she became the first lady, it's almost like it's being taken away... (by) someone who is saying a lot of poetry, a lot of fluff, a lot of stuff that I feel that, you know... (George W.) Bush did that eight years ago. He ran on a campaign that was compassionate conservatism. It was this wave of coolness, and I feel that Obama's campaign is like that, too. It's this wave of coolness; everybody's sort of being sucked in. I mean, the rallies are sort of like revivals.... People are fainting."

As a woman and as somebody who's wanted Hillary to run since I was 10 when she became the first lady

what fucking twerp.

what A fucking twerp, sorry. i read that quote and the red mist descended.

I have to do a lot of self-cleansing, meditation and yoga

I have to do a lot of self-cleansing, meditation and yoga
I have to do a lot of self-cleansing, meditation and yoga
I have to do a lot of self-cleansing, meditation and yoga

Ha ha, I was just going to post that!

what the hell is she even saying there, gah

She may be unaware of it, by I read it as an admission that she's full of shit.

it reads like a total non-sequitir

that she has to do a lot of self-cleansing, meditation and yoga? (xxpost)

that quote made me angrier than the stream of racist, hate-mongering comments from m1chelle malk1n's site that my friend has been forwarding to me all day.

what's she going to "wait" for? weird.

a vision quest.

A president has very little time in which to use his political capital, and if Obama gets elected I suspect he'll be the most legislative strong-armer since the first six months of Reagan's term. This is where "charisma" and intelligence count. If he wins, a large portion of Washington will genuinely want him to suceed.

(that right-wing media will remain suspicious is a moot point)

xxpost:
http://thecia.com.au/reviews/c/images/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-4.jpg

it's almost like it's being taken away...

Seems to be a common thread among outraged Clintonites.

You know what pisses me off? If HRC's campaign hadn't resorted to being so vicious, I wouldn't have any problem with much of her campaign. I think it very well could be inspirational to have a female president and it comes right back to the whole 'well behaved women rarely make history' bullshit wherein women give themselves an excuse for treating other people as means because the ends justify it. How is that feminist? I'm down with saying that Nixon was a son of a bitch, but not so down on imitating his way of doing business, and if certain feminists want to merely ape the worst behavior of the men who once had the monopoly on power here because they feel entitled to it a priori, they're not only going to alienate people like me but they're selling short the very real transformative possibilities of feminism.

yeah gf & her mom have been reiterating this since december.

fwiw, gf is taking down her clinton signs because she now thinks she's essentially out of the race.

xp

juan williams thinks he should have thrown wright under a bus

Williams, a FOX News analyst, questioned why Obama allowed himself to remain publicly associated with Wright. He said Obama did not address the “judgment and character” issues that he’s running on.

“I think he had to take responsibility … and that’s what he didn’t do,” Williams said.

of course that's what juan williams thinks

hasn't Bill Kristol thrown Juan Williams under the bus yet?

With the Wright thing and HRC basically out of the last several news cycles, I'm def getting a sense of exhaustion from the Hil people.

I think they're ready to get out.

Sometimes it's like MWhite and I share a brain...

I think it very well could be inspirational to have a female president and it comes right back to the whole 'well behaved women rarely make history' bullshit wherein women give themselves an excuse for treating other people as means because the ends justify it. How is that feminist?

Um, seems like you're straw-womaning here, but if any feminist actually uses the quote that way they're obviously distorting it. "Well-behaved women" is supposed to imply women that are too ladylike and afraid of stepping out of line to get anything accomplished, which is in turn supposed to hint at patriarchy. It does NOT suggest that you should be a complete jerk in order to get things accomplished.

http://bp3.blogger.com/_s3qR1IWHXYM/R-A4bXW4ZTI/AAAAAAAAA-k/43afGW3hMZo/s1600-h/Obama-thumb.jpg

fuckin

http://xs225.xs.to/xs225/08122/oreo988.jpeg

Sometimes it's like MWhite and I share a brain...

It wouldn't be the first time I've been accused of having half a brain.

Hurting, it shouldn't suggest that, but I hear it all too often. I am so tired of the conflation of ladylike and timid. Some of the fiercest and most stalwart people I have ever known were extremely well-raised and well-mannered ladies.

Opps, substitute shouldn't, plz. My half-brane not work so good today.

Listened to Hannity on the way home. He was REALLY reaching hard today.

hasn't Bill Kristol thrown Juan Williams under the bus yet?

lolz

Listened to Hannity on the way home. He was REALLY reaching hard today

did you see his junk?

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/nickstravaganza/magicmissile.jpg

The lazy idea that we should set ridculously low standards for throwing people off the bus, an idea that appeals to the combatative, holier than thou politician and the journalist looking for an exciting fight to cover is pernicious and practically Stalinist. I am quite pleased that Obama eschewed it in this case.

haha meanwhile McCain having trouble distinguishing between Iran and Iraq lolz

Williams, a FOX News analyst, questioned why Obama allowed himself to remain publicly associated with Wright. He said Obama did not address the “judgment and character” issues that he’s running on.

I'm probably stating the obvious, but OF COURSE Obama wasn't going to completely disassociate himself from Wright. What a disingenuous comment to make.

I listened to the whole speech today. I thought he handled it about as well as possible - disavow the inflammatory views but don't turn your back on your longtime pastor. The rest was a pretty good essay on race in America, but I think it could have been written in a more direct language so that it would get through to more people. I'd like to see him find more of a happy medium between his *inspirational* rally speaking style and his headier essayistic style that can at times make him come off like the law school valedictorian giving his address.

http://www.mentorhuebnerart.com/images/pubs/strikeahappymedium.jpg

I'd like to see him find more of a happy medium between his *inspirational* rally speaking style and his headier essayistic style that can at times make him come off like the law school valedictorian giving his address.

The introductory remarks creating a historical context -- the great problem of slavery for the Framers -- was about as plainspoken as one could hope! I wish my high school teachers had been this direct. Hours ago upthread I said that this is the mark of a good teacher.

The Democratic National Committee seized on John McCain's apparent gaffe while discussing Iran earlier Tuesday, saying it raises questions whether the Arizona senator "can be trusted to offer a clear way forward."

The misstep in question occurred during a news conference in Jordan earlier Tuesday, when the presumptive Republican presidential nominee repeatedly said Iran was supplying al Qaeda. Iran is predominately a Shiite country and is not aiding the Sunni dominated Al-Qaeda.

McCain ultimately corrected himself after Sen. Joe Lieberman whispered in his ear.

"I'm sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not al Qaeda. I am sorry, I am sorry," the Arizona senator said.

DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney quickly pounced on the misstep.

"After eight years of the Bush Administration's incompetence in Iraq, McCain's comments don't give the American people a reason to believe that he can be trusted to offer a clear way forward," she said. "Not only is Senator McCain wrong on Iraq once again, but he showed he either doesn't understand the challenges facing Iraq and the region or is willing to ignore the facts on the ground."

McCain's campaign immediately responded, saying the "Democrats have launched political attacks today because they know the American people have deep concerns about their candidates’ judgment and readiness to lead as commander in chief.”

The DNC later sent out a transcript of McCain's interview Monday with conservative Hugh Hewitt, during which he appeared to make the same mistake.

"As you know, there are al Qaeda operatives that are taken back into Iran, given training as leaders, and they’re moving back into Iraq," he told Hewitt.

how has obama not used this for a campaign theme?

infuriating responses to obama's speech from the right; all the more infuriating because of the degree to which the speech is being wholly distorted

how has obama not used this for a campaign theme?

-- Jordan, Tuesday, March 18, 2008 5:28 PM (21 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

he needs to use 'change (makes you want to hustle)' by donald byrd

Shakey, I don't mean to sound like a mere partisan dick to McCain and this is akin to something that Sarkozy said at one point, too, but wtf kind of statement is that, dude? Al Qaeda have less hatred for Jews and Christians than for Shi'ites whom they consider to be apostates and thus deserving of death. It really worries me that something so basic escapes them.

I'm well aware of the Sunni/Shi'ite split - that McCain can't keep it straight (either because he's a bellicose idiot or because conflating all Islamists together as "evil terrorists" suits his political agenda) is pathetic. Also remarkably similar to Dubyaco's neocons traditional inability/unwillingness to recognize these distinctions.

or were you just asking me a rhetorical question

When I say "more direct," I mean he has a tendency to unnecessarily break up sentences with clauses, taking some of the punch out of statements that should be very powerful (not to mention making them impossible to soundbite - is that the intention maybe?). Kerry had a tendency to do this as well - admittedly a much more pronounced tendency. Obama often avoids this pitfall, but today I felt like his speech could have been better edited.

Shakey, I know YOU know the difference but how can Senator Vote-for-me-'cause-I-am-better-on-national-defense McWarhero make such a boneheaded error? It actually frightens me when I hear shit like this. What, if they don't this aspect of the region their visiting, is going on in their heads with people like this? As Abe had it, you can fool all of the people some of the time, etc..., but even his natural electorate has to (or at least should take pause) when for whatever reason their candidate can't count up to 4 or can't remember which one's the brake and which one's the accelerator!

I don't know, Hurting. Both in spoken and written form, there's a lot of beats, lots of declarative sentences.

(xpost)

FWIW a pro-Obama friend of mine seemed less impressed by the speech than I woulda guessed: "Have you read 'Audacity'? A lot of that stuff is right out of the book. It was a pretty good speech but in a general election, independent swing voter sense it still doesn't answer the question of why you put that guy on your campaign steering committee."