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I have to shake my head at the rather transparent timing with which the DC media hacks seem to have trained their sights on Barack Obama. Howard Kurtz this weekend was tut-tutting at his fellow journalists and their glowing coverage of Obama, urging them to be more critical. It was a clarion call to the jackals, one of the many signals this week that we've entered the second phase of the build-up/tear down process that the Beltway Bores so cynically love to engage in, where yesterday's darling now becomes today's object of mockery and derision.
Now that it looks like Hillary Clinton may be down for the count, David Brooks is right there ridiculing Obama as the "hope pope" ("When the Magic Fades"), McCain gets traction for calling Obama "naive", Bill O'Reilly is threatening Michelle Obama with a "lynching" and everyone is calling Obama the most liberal vote in the Senate. Things that never bothered them before -- well, just seem to get in their craw now. Because after all, Obama is no longer running against John Edwards and that haircut, or the shrill Hillary Clinton. Obama's now running against St. John McVain, He Who Must Be Annointed.
It's heartening to see this small, self-important, self-appointed group of pundits at work as they set themselves to the task of deciding who our next President will be. And it does look like there's almost no way Hillary Clinton can make it back from where she's at, with few plans having been made by the campaign for post-Super Tuesday races. Mike Lux and John Hood say not to count Clinton out, given the formidable will and resources she is able to call upon. But if by chance a miracle happens and she does pull it off, it'll be in no small part due to the fact that the pundit class jumped the gun and decided to start installing McCain before the Clinton campaign had totally expired.
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Z?
Aloha, Jane!
Jane! The media has no credibility. None. Which is more than they deserve.
They are trying to take Obama down by editing Michelle Obama’s words, taking what she “really” said out, and painting her as an ungrateful, unpatriotic black woman.
Oh Jane, I just love the way you turn a phrase.
Who could have known?
-G
That’s what the repubs say too. Nobody’s right if everbody’s wrong.
Yeah, they are already running the ‘militant’ rhetoric.
I am so tired of these dinks.
-G
Hell, people were doing that HERE today!
Things will seem very different come November I’m afraid.
That Saint shall be defrocked by the Hope Pope…! ;-)
Dinks. . .wow, dinks in the wire!
I’m kind of surprised that those videos side by side aren’t getting sunshine on them….
Hey. I resemble that headline. Last name use to be St. John.
Deb St. John had a nice ring to it and my youngest still has that handle, but the McCain part makes me, you know, wanna barf in my mouth.
McCain and Bush: Together 4Ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjqZ5rrWaYA
I think they’re still holding back on Obama-bashing. O’Reilly defended the plagiarism b.s. and he didn’t go all-out on criticizing Michelle (yet). They’ve decided that they want to run against Obama. A month from now, they will be brutal.
A-yep.
You missed the lynching comment?
Exactly.
Have you seen them anywhere?
The video I saw yesterday didn’t have the “really” part in it, and I’ve been wondering all day, not saying I disbelieve what people say…but still.
Do we know for sure and true that the edit happened?
If it did…mmmmmmm, I’d say there should be hell to pay.
I could maybe forgive McVain for some of his positions–well, not for supporting torture, but there must be something we agree on.
But I cannot stand hearing him say “My Friends.” Or winking at people in the audience. Or grinning at inappropriate moments.
It’s going to be a long campaign.
I’m a Poly Sci grad and I’m still perplexed as to why the delegate race is so close, yet, Obama has received 2+ Million votes and Hill has only received 1+ million…? Things that make ya go, Hmmmmmm…….
And now the question becomes — will it be effective? My guess is no, then again, I am as well-known for my guessing as McCain is for his straight-talking-Maverick-style.
Ask McBush’08 how he’s gonna clean up corruption in DC? Like he did with his buddy JackA.
Both versions of the video: http://www.dailykos.com/commen.....3/3494/127
I can only point out to corporate media blackout on reporting anything that would interfere with a portrait of the GOP as a dignified wax tableau of Very Serious and Important dependable big daddies marching towards victory.
So,
-obviously rigged GOP Washington state primary and caucus process -nothing reported in corporate press,
-GOP House re-election committee accounting so fraudulent, only laughable forgeries can be supplied to inquiring GOP House member and federal investigation initiatited -nothing reported in corporate press,
-corrupt goings-on and protection of influence and wealth in US-Mexico border fence -nothing (there are standard sob-stories on hurt little people, but I have seen nothing on the Fat Cats being protected in national press, I’ve only seen the Fat Cat protection racket reported in the SW local press.
So, I think this corporate press fraud needs to be pointed out.
As for infighting in Democratic primaries -that piffle is magnified. Everyone should remember that the corporate press is trying to play us. As Franking said: We must all hang together, or we will assuredly hang separately. One would hope politically speaking, but another four or eight years of the current gang, who knows?
I get a kick out of Tucker Carlson. He’s great at tossing out worthless generalities and when someone tries to pin down what McBush has going for him he ignores the question. McBush economnics? Tucker has laryngitis. The shitstorm in Iraq? Tucker has laryngitis.
It will be much shorter and easier if you avoid TV news - like I do. Would rather get my info here.
Upon further review, I guess I was wrong:
O’Reilly Producer Defends ‘Lynching’ Remark
Okay, so “lynching party” may not be the best choice of words to use when discussing a black Presidential candidate and his wife. But don’t expect Bill O’Reilly to apologize, a la David “Pimped” Shuster and Mark “Pussy” Halperin.
In fact, O’Reilly was defending Michelle Obama, who’s taking some heat herself over comments she made to Newsweek, when he used that term — a fact his executive producer, David Tabacoff, made when I contact Fox News for a comment.
“What Bill said was an obvious repudiation of anyone attacking Michelle Obama,” he said, via email. “As he has said more than ten times, he is giving her the benefit of the doubt.”
I had them both bookmarked, but today all of my bookmarks disappeared. The post at Kos that had them disappeared for awhile. It may still be there in the archives…actually, it should be on FDL’s posts yesterday where it was posted many times. The videos had the same timestamp…it is the same video with “really” edited out…on the other one…she quite clearly says “really”.
They just keep on playing the edited one….over and over and over.
It seems questions are (1) is there any rational scenario under which the Clintons have more elected delegates than Obama going into the DNC?; (2) is there any rational scenario under which the the Clintons have more aggregate popular vote going into the DNC?
If (1) and (2) are in the negative is there any rational scenario under which the Clintons gain a majority of all delgates without a plurality of elected delegates and popular vote going into the DNC?
Bottom line, if Barack is ahead with 100+ elected delegates going into the DNC, the Clintons can only steal the nomination with unelected delegates. Highly unlikely.
Will the Clintons try? Probably, if the Clintons “win” Texas and Ohio.
ABC reporting that Hillary’s campaign sending around the Tweety sandbag video. Heckuva job.
I heard about it. But that was it. When BOR wants to bury you, he spends an half hour driving home his point, then he has a body language expert come on to prove that you’re lying/arrogant/angry/(whatever), then Dennis Miller comes on and mocks you while they both laugh. He hasn’t done any of that yet. But, of course, he will.
LS, do you use Firefox?
Don’t worry, I am sure we’ll be watching the Great Congressman William Jefferson Corruption Trial of the Century on all networks come October.
-G
Tucker is mouthing John McCain’s talking points on Obama…
Mc Cain is all over Obama for saying he’d go after Bin Laden in Pakistan. He says it’s naive and you don’t “telegraph what you are going to do”. Ask him what the American Air Command did in Vietnam vis-a-vis bombing North Vietnam. They made the pilots fly the same paths day after day, it was so predicable that charlie could use field phones to call from the Laotion border and rell the air defense we were coming. It’s probably why he got shot down. He did not fly from Thailand but you get the idea.
A mighty big ‘If’…! ;-)
Charlie don’t surf the net.
I should have been clear. “Win” means only obtaining a pluality of the vote, not a plurality of elected delgates from Texas and Ohio. The Clintons, through Carville and now Bill Clinton are setting the bar that low.
Yes.
Thanks Lou and to LS also.
But, but, now, I’m really kinda pi**ed off.
Isn’t there a rule that says you shouldn’t do that?
That’s context, baby.
Changes it, a lot in my opinion.
And, now I’m off to pick up the young master St. John from school and I hate to Drive Mad.
Watch out LA, crazy mommie on the freeway.
It’ll get worse before it get better.
They ALL (MSM) are! They FEAR The BigO. Right now Faux/Brit is attacking BHO of behalf of sHillary. So PHONY…I’m laughing my ASSOFF!
This has been an interesting primary season and the new kid on the block, a black with a arabic name has gotten 2x the votes the presumed front runner and 5 or 10x what McBain received.
If the people’s votes actually counted we wouldn’t be wondering who is the nominee going to be or the next president.
Meanwhile the country is going to hell in the next 6 months.
email me at ellieelliott, gmail
you’re bookmarks are still on your computer
The “timemarks” have been changed 1:13 and 4:13…also notice the guy behind her…same guy…same movements…everything.
Bill is starting to realize that he’ll have to settle for the Naval Observatory mansion instead of the White House…! ;-)
That suck, suck, sucks…
But, I must be going…
I shall return.
No, The Clintons are going to be ambassador to Burma or running a hedge fund somewhere. No way are they on the national ticket.
According to TPM, they were actually from two different speeches. I saw that Kos diary disappear too and assumed that the author deleted it:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/179344.php
Like I said last night, somewhere under a dank rock Karl Rove celebrates thinking, “They bought it! They thought we thought we could win against Hillary and have settled on the one guy in the race we can rip to shreads and win against” It’s a feint or a bait-n-switch, call it what you will. One can only hope that they celebrate too soon. If Obama wins because of his oratory, he has the mandate to be hopeful for Democrats. Should Hillary pull it out and win, she walks in with a mandate for all of the policies she has campaigned on. Repugs are will practiced at trampling hope. It is a mandate for specific policies that they fear.
It’s quite possible that she could give him a couple of years in office, declare his presidency a failure, and start running against him for 2012.
Is Hillary allowed to campaign? If so, what is the problem with this?
It seems to me this is well within the Marquess of Queensberry’s Rules of politicking.
Ha!
I don’t think the Party Machinery would eschew Billary like that… I think Hill should be the Veep, even tho, I think Edwards deserves it instead… The coat tails would certainly sweep in more Dems, if not better Dems…!
oh thank you Jane, I didn’t know there were two speeches.
Sure it is, and we get to say what we want about her lying scheming ass.
JANE!!
OT:
Two US fighters missing over the Gulf of Mexico near Florida. Hope they were only carrying conventional weapons (and that the crews are OK).
Back to read.
FunnyDiva
The tut tutting of Obama has begun. David Brooks is a reliable barometer. He gets his talking points and you can almost count the seconds before he starts dutifully regurgitating them. He hasn’t had a thought of his own for so long that he wouldn’t recognize it if he had one. So if he is writing that the shine is off Obama you can take it to the bank that this is the new right wing meme of the week.
Spot on as usual, Jane.
Organisms like Brooks are hard for me to fathom. I spoze it’s the heady broth of denial, delusion and privilege in which these creeps seem to perpetually bask that allows them to ignore at least momentarily the terrors that lurk immediately beyond the haze. But let any of them poke a snoot through the fog to get a look at the real landscape, and the proofs of their irrelevance—along with the signs of their imminent extinction—are numerous, large, and alarmingly close. When it’s mountain gorillas or orangutans facing the end of the line, it’s tragic. When it’s the ruck of beltway and MSM invertebrates, it’s a hoot.
I believe the Clintons are unelectable at any level and that Obama will end run them, not out of vindictiveness but because the Clintons are only a source of problems. Barack does not want the Clinton foundation around his neck, neither does the good old USA,
We knew it was coming. This behavior is all cretins like Howard Kurtz know (uhm, is Kurtz even smart enough to correctly be called a cretin - just wondering, I mean that hairpiece alone is enough to make one ask the question).
But, I just read a very encouraging sign - Obama is about to get his one millionth donor. That is amazing, and with that breadth of support I hope it really means people are sick of this type of politics. The type where they can see just when the corporate media got their chain jerked by the troglodytes and given the message.
Did y’all see this yet about how McStain failed to get enough signatures in a Repub stronghold county in Indiana and has been challenged?
Sweet.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/.....hallenged/
Yup. Good point. Hmmmm Also, has there been any investigation into the NYC election in which in various places Obama received zero votes.
1,762 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Citizen oldgold and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
“…what is the problem with this?”
The problem with this is that, especially at this time in the campaign when it is clear she can’t win, she is focusin’ fire on the Democratic nominee tryin’ ta attack his strengths and bring up his negatives instead of clarifyin her own politics and goin’ after the fascists. This behavior is reminiscent of her BFF Joe Lik*derman durin’ Monikagate or Mr. Clinton when he convinced his congressional majority to back tax hikes and then walked away from ‘em in the followin election. I have been sayin for years that the Clintons are NOT Democrats and her behavior durin’ this entire campaign is evidence for that belief.
Mrs. Clinton is bought and paid for by the corporate oligarchy and she is now playin’ political suicide bomber to take out the Democrats in the fall election.
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITIION, THE ENEMY IS COMIN’ IN RANGE!!
Is Hillary allowed to campaign? If so, what is the problem with this?
Because it’s disgusting, that’s why. She sent a strongly worded letter to MSNBC about their sexist ways and now suddenly Matthews is her bestest friend in the world.
Obama has a good record in the Senate and a good record in public service before that. Passing around that video is yet another lame ass false attack from the Clintons.
In actuality they need to get about 67% of the vote (both in caucus and primary votes) in both of those States to catch up with Obama in delegates. The polls in Texas and Ohio show that Obama is too close in Ohio and may actually be ahead in the popular vote in Texas, and in delegates he may split or have an advantage in Texas. That’s because of Texas’ odd way it distributes delegates to Districts that brought out more Democrats in the prior General Election. Hispanic Districts (El Paso, San Antonio, Corpus Christie) had poorer turnouts than places like Austin, Houston, Pt. Arthur, Dallas-Ft. Worth. The latter are areas likely to lean for Obama (or even have strong turnouts for him).
So even if a deluge of Hispanics (and that is not actually a certainty) came out for Clinton, a smaller number of Obama supporters could neutralize them. The Delegate sizes are set out already, turnout in the districts will only impact who wins THAT district’s allocated delegates, not the overall State.
Tweety is about to try to get some answers about Obama’s achievements as a lawbreaker. I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess the list is nowhere near complete.
Biodun announced his support of Obama earlier today. I suppose for what little it is worth I will announce mine. I would have preferred a more progressive candidate but I think what we see in the Clinton campaign is the kind of top down authoritarian management style we would see in her Presidency. Clinton has a tendency to persist in her mistakes. I think Obama would be more flexible. In any case, either would be infinitely better than a decrepit, antiquated, antediluvian, superannuated, ossified candidate like McCain.
1,762 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Citizen RobZuber and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
“Because it’s discusting…”
But it’s also racist and exposes her biggest weakness which is her character, or lack of it and her lack of interest in identifyin’ and leading a constituency which in this case this the Democratic Party. The Clintons are NOT Democrats and this behavior is proof.
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION…FEAR DIES IN THE FACE OF HOPE!!
If you watch the two…everything is the same…the same guy behind her looking exactly the same, the same camera angle, the same clothes and the time is changed from 1:13 and 4:13…
The only explanation is that she gave the exact same speech in the exact same clothes in the exact same location with the exact same guy behind her. Could be…could be two different groups of people at the same venue. Looks the same to me.
Whether HRC or Obama is best against GOP? That is mere tactics for the GOP. The strategy will remain the same no matter who is nominated.
I heard a news report about some swindlers trying to cash a check made out to a dead guy. They rolled the corpse up to the bank door and a couple of the swindlers went into the bank. The bank teller was flummoxed and didn’t know what to make of it. Swindlers said the dead guy was sick couldn’t get into the bank, and they threw around a bunch of official looking papers and badges. I guess from the tellers window the dead guy looked not so dead. Swindlers were busted when passersby could not help noticing there was a dead guy in a wheelchair outside a bank door and called the cops to took into it.
So the whole strategy of GOP and corporate media framing is to keep the public far away from the stinking corpse of a powerful complex of a reactionary segment of US corporatations and individuals and GOP, keep the public looking at the rotting corpse through thick plate glass windows, from a distance, while swindlers, hacks and whores assure us everything is OK. From that distance and through that frame the dead guy might look steady, dignified and safely reliable. Can’t smell the smell of rotteness and death.
I think it is the strategy that we have to attack. Worrying about which candidate will be best against details of GOP tactics is secondary. But then I also think presidential is just one part of campaign to restore consitutional and non-criminal government. Congress, and state legislatures and governorships just as important.
Obama’s crew is media savvy. He is going to win and win big. Anybody who tries to stab him or his wife is going to find a shiv in his or her career. The rethug MSM problem is that they’ve been doing this gig for nigh on 20 years. It worked but everybody knows the changes. They are completelyi predictable in the way that Hillary’s campaign was completely predictable. Obama’s team is playing chess against incompetent checker players.
The team will start branding O’Reilly and his ilk as right-wing hacks. The hacks will scream bloody murder, but it will stick. They can’t take ridicule.
I would not want to go up against Oprah. That’s who we are talking about.
Preview is my friend! I meant lawmaker, not lawbreaker. This is embarassing.
Okay, I give. She did say it at two different speeches…the Kos diary posted to clips from the same speech.
Thank you!!!
I’m dismayed, but I’m glad to see that.
I don’t think so. They fear Obama’s rhetoric, and with reason.
Whew, hard to argue with that bleak assessment…! ;-)
Clinton found her voice a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, she had nothing to say.
On David Brooks hackery: it’s a living, like the world’s oldest profession, but less honorable.
Unlike past elections, the poor will be out voting in force this November.
The pundits will ignore this revolting development for as long as they can.
I thought it was humorous, in a cynical way, when Hillary supporters on dKos were making lists of people who voiced objection against a post.
Hmmm… I don’t know if I want to fly again, Rachel was just relating a recent news story, that the Hawaiian Air crew took a 20 min. snooze between Honolulu and Hilo, a 45 min. flight…! I live in Hilo…!
Yikes!!
remember when the Republican Congress , in a pre-election ‘06 pander , approved 20 million for an Afghanistan & Iraq “Victory Parade” ? Did McVain vote for that ? I bet he did , since it was typical Repub tripe .
And he calls Obama naive ? ! ?
To add salt to the wound, Rachel first pronounced it Hi-Lo…! ;-)
I just heard the most disturbing report about the military and space, its connection to NASA (runs it) and the fact that “we” are going to control “near” space who can be up there and we have developed the ability to spy on the entire planet and target anyplace from inside of a mountain in CO. Our military has taken over “space” and this shot is one across the bow of any nation that thinks they can keep a satellite up there if we don’t want it.
baloney
Hugh, have you started a McBush list yet??? :>
Where did you hear the report?
Check this out!!! I’ve seen them a bunch of times, I should take a picture, but I don’t have anywhere to post a picture. I don’t use credit cards, so I can’t do the flicker thing.
http://www.chycho.com/?q=Chemtrails
Yes, of course, you can say what you like about her. I did not suggest otherwise. I simply asked, if she is allowed to campaign and, if so,
what is wrong with playing that tape?
Now, if that question makes you and others angry, so be it.
John McCain. Obama and us Dems are going to beat you soundly and roundly. This is the GOP’s Waterloo. You can count on it. Lahoma and I are really, really liking it too. Won’t you join us in savoring the moment Mr. McCain? John McCain. We hardly knew ye. And as for you, Joe Lieberman? Think about it. The rout that is on its way. It’s a tidal wave of goodness. Joe. Better run fast.
Well, certainly in the first one she makes it clear that America was something she was proud of at one point…because “Hope is making a comeback”. On can’t have a comeback unless one was once doing better in the past.
I think that America, particularly from the perspectives of African-Americans, has been a couple of generations of “promise denied”. The Great Society started to be dismantled under Nixon, and continued under Reagan and Bush’s father. Clinton’s welfare reform policies were half measures, and failed to follow through with the educational and retraining measures that he pressed before an increasingly Republican dominated House. Thus almost two generations of young black males have become enmeshed in a cycle of unemployment, crime and prison. I’d say that Michelle Obama is representing what her community felt through much of her adult life.
The Clinton years may have been better to other communities, but blacks were caught out. And even middle-class blacks would relate to the malaise in the communities they derived from.
Speaking of which, rough seas off the Northern shores of Kauai has forced the Navy to abort the mission for tonite’s window on trying to nuke the spy sat…! I wish ya’ll some clear skies for tonite’s lunar eclipse…! *g*
Don’t you think the Republicans will use this anyway? Do we have to save all the slams on Obama for the Republicans to do?
LS: If you look at the TPM story Jane linked to, they have video that is clearly from two different events with different backgrounds behind Michelle, and she says “really” in one and doesn’t in the other. The two videos on the DailyKos site are both copies of the event where she said “really”. It has been badly edited out of the audio but not the video on one copy. The time display on that video is switching between Pacific and Eastern time at the same instant in both of those copies.
I see in Obama a transformational character that we haven’t seen since Kennedy. A country being lifted up and participating in the process.
Nothing against Hillary but Obama is unusual and exceptional and a gift for our country. He makes me happy and I feel pride in our country again.
oh lordy. there’s another woman and she is a lobbyist. and he’s too vain to see that there’s a conflict of interest. enjoy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02.....in.html?hp
Michelle is fabulous…”really”!!!
I see someone who is puffed up with his own importance and is too naive to be trusted as prez.
And as for you George W. Bush? you will go down in the history books for what you are. What you have always been. A farce. And a failure.
How is it racist? I don’t see that at all.
It was on WBAI in NYC, It might be available on their archive site.
One of the really creepy things was the influence of the ex nazis on / in our space program. They were still into the “Deutchland Uber alis” stuff. Yikes
He being Vain is McVain, and not Obama, just in case anyone thought that he referred to the male subject of the previous comments. Because we are all grammar mavens here, I thought I would clarify that.
I did and Jane’s right, and I posted a comment about it above, thanks. I’m glad to just know what the truth is. I was very upset by the idea that they would edit her speech and get away with it. I’m glad someone got to the bottom of it.
I still love Michelle Obama…what an incredible woman.
We are looking to the future. We are seeing President Obama.
For a preview of the bile that is working its way up the throat of the body politic.
Swing over to Worldnetdaily.
The GOP-ers are going to want to take the country swirling down the shitter with them.
Fucking a.
-G
Ouch, so much for my feelings