I think Biden can be assigned responsibility for Guliani in the primaries taking the spiral nose dive into the asphalt without being able to pull himself out.

Rarely has a Gooper been laid so low by so little. I was proud of Biden that day.

He would seem to be the right man at the right time. I am certain that he will insert-foot between now and the election – I want Obama to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

I think Biden can be assigned responsibility for Guliani in the primaries taking the spiral nose dive into the asphalt without being able to pull himself out.

I thought Obama would pick him for Secretary of State and that he would make one of the greatest in American history. As Veep, Biden will be a excellent checkmate to McCain in dispelling the GOP’s maniacal fabrications. As a Veep should during election.

A great asset and strong advisor for Obama if he makes it. Choosing what he needs to Govern if he gets it vs someone that might bring him votes in a state. Very wise choice from this young presidential (Green) candidate. Unlike McCain, who will most likey choose a Romney because he brings his money and a possibility of what Romneys father might bring in votes from being Governer of Michigan. Which was a long time ago.

I now need to get me a Obama-Biden T shirt or something.
It is something to be excited about. Ans who knows, those nilly nervous nanny voters out there might see Biden as security for Obama and touch the Diebold machine for Obama, eh?

I’ve been thinking that BO has a problem taking the raw meat approach to McCain and the Republicans because of racial/cultural considerations. It is one thing to be very well spoken, obviously well educated and informed as to issues and all, it is another to confront what happens when the image is of an aggressive black man runs up against a voter who on one hand understands personal economic self interest in Democratic terms — but culturally remains caught in racist attitudes and beliefs that include fear of Blacks. I think when Barack talked about his grandmother, who had devoted herself to raising him, and who obviously loved him, also telling him that she experienced fear meeting some black people on the street — he was identifying this phenonema. He didn’t doubt her love — but he understood that she had learned “the fear” and irrationally, it still remained.

I think we all would profoundly wish that this would disappear, and I suspect for younger people raised in environments where racist expression is socially sanctioned in many situations, it is infact becoming less of a factor. And if Barack Obama becomes President, I believe we will accomplish a good deal toward this end. But successfully electing him involves negotiating ourselves around this set of realities, not ignoring them. And in many ways, asking Barack Obama to be overly red meat aggressive in attacking Bush/Cheney and McCain is also asking him to heighten that irrational and perhaps unconscious fear that in the end might lead all too many Democrats who understand their rational economic self interests, to vote their fears which may be quite sub-conscious.

Would that we would not have to consider such — but racism is real, and getting it out of our American Culture has been a very long term proposition. It is profoundly rewarding that so many of today’s younger people are seeming more free of it all. But as a white someone who spent ten years in the 1960’s working in the Civil Rights Movement, I also know that the only times the movement enjoyed better than 50% support during the protest period between 59 and 65, was when the TV News carried video of police dogs attacking children. Less than 7% of the white 18-30 age group in the early 60’s actually participated in any civil rights activity or organizations — perhaps more supported generally and could not be activists, but it was really a small part of that white generation. Today those who were in their 20’s in the 1960’s are in their 60’s and 70’s — and those are precisely the demographic with which Barack Obama is having difficulty. They were the bystanders in the days of “the movement” and because they never took sides, they never confronted their cultural fears. And those fears still determine how they can overlook their economic interests, and irrationally vote for McCain.

My generation in the civil rights movement accomplished much, but it was limited to changing the laws which favored discrimination and segregation to laws which made racial discrimination and segregation illegal if done in the marketplace or by government. We really did not address private beliefs, and we had limited success with attitudes. (Just look at the way “driving while Black” and complaints of police brutality remain huge issues.) In fact we even had a slogan in those days that was dismissive, “If you aren’t part of the solution, you are part of the problem.” Such a slogan did not get at that part of my generation who were bystanders.

So I am delighted with the Biden Selection, largely because I hope it means Biden can do the needed and necessary Red Meat against Bush/Cheney and McCain — and allow Barack Obama to remain slightly less aggressive in ways that would call out the “irrational fears” of the aggressive black man. In no way do I believe he should refrain from being aggressive on issues, or if he is attacked, but given the demographics of a Presidential Election, I know we cannot succeed if the “fears” dominate, and economic self interests in the Democratic agenda irrationally are diminished. Asking Obama to “get rough” is, in my mind, asking him to give up potential voters who otherwise would be with the Democratic Agenda.

We have never had an election such as this where the raw psychology of racism is so much a core matter. If we win it, we probably end a good deal of this phenonema that has haunted this country since our founding. If we don’t appreciate the nuance of what we are attempting, I hate to think of the consequences.

This year is the 60th anniversary of Hubert Humphrey’s “Sunshine” speech at the Democratic Convention in Philly, 1948 — first convention after we understood Hitler’s “Final Solution” and a few months after Truman had ordered the integration of the Military. Humphrey mentioned neither as a specific, but everyone understood his meaning. “Come out from under the dark shadow of State’s Rights into the bright sunshine of Human Rights.” And the Southern Dixiecrats all walked out and formed their own party, and nominated Strom Thurmond — and it was only when Bloggers protested Trent Lott’s admiration for Thurmond’s segregationist agenda a few years ago that the media noticed, and Lott lost his leadership position. And the media did a piss poor job of telling that history. I don’t remember one major media that actually linked it back to Humphrey’s Civil Rights platform plank and speech. But guess what — it was that effort which Truman had to accept, that won him that election, and kept the Southern Democratic Racist Committee Chairs in control of the Senate in 1948. Why? Because the Black Migration for defense jobs in the North — where Blacks could vote — during World War II, changed the demographics, and the polls based on the 1940 census didn’t pick up on that vast change.

We are part of a profound progressive elaboration since that event in 1948. We need to be very smart about how we understand it, and how we move it forward.

Does John McCain remember what his positions were this morning?

That Wascal Waverick!!

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I have enjoyed the tête-a-tête this evening fellow pups. Bonsoir mes ami(e)s.