2008 Primaries Thread

I know Clark got trashed in '04 for being a Clinton surrogate, and he was supreme NATO Commander during Bill's presidency and was similarly smeared for actions over Kosovo. But no, I don't know the man's mind. Why, do you know something about his affiliation with the Clintons that I don't?

Also, "liberalist entourage" = I really don't know what you're talking about.

Webb is more likely to be a Hillary veep than an Obama veep, if anyone

Why? HRC doesn't need someone to shore up her hawkish bona fides, so someone like Webb is less valuable to her (unless he brings certain states into the Democratic column that would otherwise likely go Republican).

Webb is a much more ideologically centrist Dem

True, but he could help drive Obama (in voters' minds) toward the center.

By contrast, HRC is already in the center (on many issues, at least), so Webb doesn't help there, either.

I want to change my username to "liberalist entourage".

Haha, I'll stop saying "latte liberal" when people stop referring to the concept without actually using the phrase.

The more obvious move is to find a Sister Souljah--after Saturday--to stiff arm. The most promising candidate is not a person, but an idea: race-based affirmative action. Obama has already made noises about shifting to a class-based, race-blind system of preferences. What if he made that explicit? Wouldn't that shock hostile white voters into taking a second look at his candidacy? He'd renew his image as trans-race leader (and healer). The howls of criticism from the conventional civil-rights establishment--they'd flood the cable shows--would provide him with an army of Souljahs to hold off. If anyone noticed Hillary in the ensuing fuss, it would be to put her on the spot--she'd be the one defending mend-it-don't-end-it civil rights orthodoxy.

I can't think of a better plan. Can you?

P.S.: Abandoning race-based preferences would certainly solve Obama's Boldness Gap, as described by Dan Gerstein.

yeah, he should just skull-fuck MLK's corpse at a klan rally.

that would solve all his problems.

how the fuck does mickey kaus still have a job

there should be an agreed-upon standard that if in your career as a pundit you're flat-out wrong on shit more than 80% of the time you are forced to retired

there should be an agreed-upon standard that if in your career as a pundit you're flat-out wrong on shit more than 80% of the time you are forced to retired

Charles Krauthammer and William Kristol to thread. . .

Clark and Webb are both part of the military and foreign policy establishments writ large, which in general are more comfortable with Hillary than Obama. Hillary needs men, and Webb is an alpha male poster boy. Clinton and Webb have worked together in the Senate. I'm sure there are lots of people who would like an Obama/Webb ticket, myself perhaps included, and I wouldn't rule it out, but I think it's less likely - they have fewer personal connections and Obama is more likely to pick someone with more experience and more outsider cred.

it amuses me that the leftbloggo falls over Clark because a) he would have been a Republican if Karl Rove had returned his phone calls, b) he was arguably inserted in the 04 race by the Clintons to bring down Dean by splitting his vote, c) the idea that he's-a-general + he's-anti-war = victory is like ron-paul-level simplistic, d) he's a pretty bad politician, and e) cringe at that outkast shit. also the dude just kinda creeps me out.

he doesn't blink

Who will get the crucial Kucinich vote?

his blinking, like the rest of his brain processes, are too fast for mere mortals to observe

c) the idea that he's-a-general + he's-anti-war = victory is like ron-paul-level simplistic

gabbneb.... otm?

You seem surprised.

lol i forget who but i read some smug righty article during the 04 race: "it's so cute when the dems pull out a general or a defense expert. nice going, we've got thousands where that came from."

"it's so cute when the dems pull out a general or a defense expert. nice going, we've got thousands where that came from."

Yes, Republicans have 1000s of generals and defense experts stored away in the closet.

ted haggard, mark foley, larry craig...

they've got lots of things in those closets.

(xpost: damn you!)

So Sly Stallone now supports McCain and Chuck Norris supports Huckabee. Not fair. Every candidate should have an aging action star in their entourage.

So . . . Tom Cruise for Ron Paul, maybe? Others?

http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Tom_Cruise.php

kucinich: david carradine

HRC/Cruise. Hmmm. . . Both have crazy bug eyes, sometimes. Could work.

Their laughs are both very creepy.

Good point!

Edwards/Cruise works, too, tho.

It's the hair. And the teeth.

back to race again - hillary's status as white non-ethnic may bode pretty well for her electability, given that white non-ethnics Johnson and Carter are the only Dems in modern history to win with a majority of the vote, and the only other white non-ethnic we've run, our hero Algore, 'won' with a plurality. Scandinavians Humphrey and Mondale and Irish McGovern and Greek Dukakis didn't come close, while half-Czech Kerry missed the cigar. Irish(?) Billy C. won twice, of course, but both times with only a plurality, even after he was an incumbent, and in any event he may have signified as a sort of sui generis figure.

and after Reagan made the Irish safe for America

Romney/Timothy Dalton!(Or Pierce Brosnan.)

Oh, right right, back to the race . . .

and Clinton's ancestry in the US dated to the 18th C

http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/ <-- some of the R backers on here are o_O (Adam Sandler) Mr Rogers :(

mr. rogers is fucking dead

Dabney why you brake heart

That list is awesome, especially -- as you say -- for the GOP doners.

Hey, GOP, you have exercise guru Denise Austin and game show host Bob Barker and magician David Blaine and Jack-Of-All-Trades Drew Carey and Dabney Coleman on your side. Flaunt Your Star Power, GOP.

drew carey o gnoooes

Jessica Alba gave $600.00 to Harold Ford, Jr.

(She's hott.)

ROGERS, FRED M
PITTSBURGH, PA 15213 KERRY, JOHN FORBES (D)
Senate - MA
KERRY COMMITTEE $1,000
general 10/16/02
ROGERS, FRED
PITTSBURGH, PA 15213
F C I THORNBURGH, DICK (R)
Senate - PA
THORNBURGH FOR SENATE COMMITTEE $1,000
general 09/20/91
ROGERS, FRED
PITTSBURGH, PA 15213
FAMILY COMMUNICATIONS INC HEINZ, HENRY JOHN III (R)
Senate - PA
PEOPLE FOR JOHN HEINZ COMMITTEE

Dabney Coleman is the "you forgot Poland" of celebrity campaign doners.

ie he's obviously friends w/ Teresa

she was a board member of the company that produced the show

That web site has a GOP delagate count on the right hand side, showing Romney ahead. With a possible small lead in Florida now, his spin team needs to quickly and forcefully send out the message that as GOP contenders drop out, Romney's support will rise as the "anti-McCain" (Romney appears to be picking up Fred Thompson's Florida supporters).

Hopefully, that will propel him to a win in Florida, and then beyond.

i think you guys are overestimating the opposition to mccain

You think McCain has won over the hearts and minds of the GOP?

That would be bad.