Clinton wins Kentucky- Man goes jogging

Poor white people in Kentucky prefer a very rich white woman over a somewhat rich black man.

Yawn.

This is like watching preseason football in the post season...

Stay tuned for Oregon, this could be an interesting night.

Election Day 12.0

Today, like so many Tuesdays before it, is the pivotal day in the Democratic primary. For starters, I want to thank our turd of the day, former NYC Mayor Ed Koch, for bringing up Rev. Wright in his last gasp defense of Hillary Clinton. When I think turd, I think Koch.

Speaking of which, did anyone see Penn Jilette on MSNBC's Morning Joe earlier? If not, here is a summary and video from the Huffington Post:

This morning on MSNBC, magician Penn Jillette repeated an admittedly
"cheesy" joke that performed really well on a recent tour — that Barack Obama
did well in February because it was Black History Month and Hillary Clinton did
well in March because it was "White Bitch Month."
Jillette used the joke to
underscore his point that there is a huge reserve of hatred out there for
Hillary, but anchors Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough were not amused and did
not appreciate his comment. Watch as he repeats the joke and then is condemned
by Mika and Joe, with Mika saying, "I didn't think it was funny, and I gotta
tell you, with all the work Hillary Clinton is doing, I'm insulted,
actually."

I watched this and must say, I am insulted by her being insulted. Mika and Joe and their outrage is outrageous. Penn was making a point that he told this joke, which he called very cheesy at the onset, to show that most people in his audience tend to not care when Clinton is called a bitch, and implying that most people see her as being bitchy, which I think is (perhaps unfairly) true. I don't think of her as being a bitch, in the context of being one that "bitchs and moans." I think she is more in line with the likes of Mao, meaning, she is perhaps tyrannical and unethical, but not bitchy.

But I digress. The problem here is political correctness is necessary in a diverse society, to a point. I don't know when, but it is my strongly held belief that we overshot that point by a few time zones. I think the one place where P.C. should ever have to appear is in comedy, and Penn, like him or hate him, is a comedic entertainer. So Mika and Joe are our runner up turds of the day....

Which reminds me, I am way off point. I sat down to with the intention of offering my predictions for today's contests, which are as follows:

North Carolina-

Obama: 58.7

Clinton: 42.2

Other: .1

Indiana:

Obama: 50.2

Clinton: 49.8

I think afterwards she is going to drop out of the race, quit the senate, and get a gig working in a factory to be with her people who she cares so much about. After all, one can't think of the common man without thinking of Hillary Clinton.

Who knows, maybe she stays in the race and runs as a third party candidate in the for the Dems for McCain party.

Of course, I could be wrong. Check in with us for election coverage all night long.

As Tito Santana used to say: Ariba!

Early Exit Poll Numbers...

Scroll to the bottom for the latest exit poll numbers.

From CBS:

Voters' loyalty to their chosen candidate was high, as more than six in ten (64 percent) Clinton voters said they would not be satisfied if Obama ended up the Democratic nominee, and more than half of Obama voters (54 percent) said they would not be satisfied if Clinton won the nomination. Overall, 70 percent of Pennsylvania Democrats would be satisfied if Clinton were the nominee, while 64 percent would be satisfied with Obama.

Now the question I have is would these voters actually vote McCain in November because their candidate didn't win? We all know that Hillary supporters are generally older females and people with lower level education (HS diploma). Obama backers are overwhelmingly younger and college graduates. I can honestly see the older crowd going over to McCain and maybe some of the illiterate ones as well but I find it hard to believe that an educated democrat would switch aisles because Hillary stole the nomination. Am I wrong in this logic? Only time will time I guess.

UPDATE: Numbers show that voter turnout will be at least 52% which would be almost DOUBLE the number from 2004. 17% made up their minds in the last 3 days and 10% decided today.
67% thought Clinton attacked Obama unfairly. 49% thought Obama attacked Clinton unfairly.

UPDATE: Here's a breakdown of exit polling numbers highlighting gender, race, education and income: (From HuffPo)

race and age:
white 18-29 53-47 clinton
white 30-44 53-47 clinton
white 45-59 59-41 clinton
blacks 92-8 obama
education:
high school 65-35 clinton
some college 50-49 obama
college grad 55-45 obama
postgrad 54-46 obama
family income:
under 15K 51-49 obama
15-30k 56-44 clinton
30-50 57-43 clinton
50-75 53-47 clinton
75-100 54-46 obama
100-150 59-39 obama
200 plus 68-32 obama

UPDATE: 5:58 pst. MSNBC just projected Hillary the winner with 3% reporting. What the final number will be is the big question. It's 55-45 right now.
Side note, why does MSNBC feel the need to let Pat Buchanan spew his shit on their airwaves?

UPDATE: 6% in and the margin in 53-47 Clinton. Weeeee this should be an interesting night!

UPDATE: 10% in and we're now back at 55-45. Still closer than I think Clinton wanted so far.

UPDATE: 15% in and the big number is 53-47.

UPDATE: 20% reporting and it's still fairly close at 53-47. Speeches from the candidates will be coming soon.

UPDATE: 38% and the number is 54-46. Go Obama!

UPDATE: Halfway home at 50% reporting and we stand at 54-46.

MSNBC is reporting most of the rural counties have reported and that Philly and the surrounding burbs have not. This tends to look like the number might slide a bit to Obama when it's all said and done. We'll see.

UPDATE: 73% reporting and we're at 54-46.

UPDATE: 85% in and the number is 55-45. It looks like the margin will fall somewhere between 8 and 10. I was hoping for closer to 6 but who am I to bitch. It seems all but hopeless for Clinton in the end.

UPDATE: With 95% reporting it at 55-45, it looks like Hillary will win by 10. Not bad but not nearly good enough. She needed to trounce him in PA and 200,000 or so votes isn't going to do it. Obama will cover that number in NC and then some the polls are showing. He has too much money for you Hillary. You won't win Indiana by a margin needed to catch up. It's time to pack it in and ride off into the sunset.

Is Hillary on Steroids?

Until recently I really liked Hillary Clinton as a potential president. Unfortunately, I have lost all respect for her. Her campaign is not just malicious; it is extremely damaging to the Democratic Party as a whole. It is hard to believe that a Democratic Presidential front runner would sabotage her own party’s strides for her own power enrichment. If a meteor strikes Obama in the head, I do not know who I will vote for, but I do know that I will not vote for Hillary Clinton or John McCain. My list of cons for Hillary Clinton continues to grow.

Further, I am continually amazed of the people, that I run into every day, who don’t seem to keep up with current events in any way. There are still voters out there that are concerned that the “Muslim” Obama could be our next president. Even if he was a Muslim, so what? Remember, this is the country with religious freedom. By the way, if you are one of the people who didn’t know, Obama is a Christian. I am not a Christian myself, but I am not opposed to a Christian president. I still like the old concept of separation of church and state.

Sen. Clinton Is Killing Her Campaign and Obama's!!!!

The Paste Eater's strategy to get McCain elected is working! Hillary is as hated as ever, but Obama is catching up! Any Democrat that supports Hillary Machiavelli hates the middle class, wants all Iraqis dead or maimed, and of course, eats glue.

There is no logic to any of this other than the fact that perhaps, Clinton wants to use that Tonya Harding strategy to run in 2012. One is right to ask, is it Hillary or nobody???

Tonya Harding Option

- ABC news has introduced a new wrinkle in the Clinton strategy:

What will she have to do to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, in order to eke out her improbable victory?

She will have to "break his back," the official said. She will have to destroy Obama, make Obama completely unacceptable.

"Her securing the nomination is certainly possible - but it will require exercising the 'Tonya Harding option.'" the official said. "Is that really what we Democrats want? (Click here for more)

I love the reference to Ms. Harding, and think that its accurate. The very idea should disgust any democrat or person that believes in the most basic forms of decency. Anyone that thinks all Democrats will come together in August is drunk on their own stupidity. Americans have very short attention spans in general, but not when it comes to hate and anger.

-

Osama Bin Laden’s Agenda

Bin Laden warns Europe over Mohammed cartoons


WASHINGTON (AFP) — Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden warned Europe Wednesday of a "reckoning" for publishing controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, monitoring groups said.

You can read the full article by clicking here.

There is something fishy going on here. There are only a few reasons for Bin Laden to continue to taunt the U.S. Here are some of my theories. First, the Bush administration planned the 911 attacks and the atrocities that followed with Bin Laden to grow personal wealth. Second, Bin Laden did not post the new video; rather, it is a phony produced by the Bush administration to help support McCain’s candidacy. Third, Bin Laden is egging on the US, so the US continues its war efforts in the Middle East. If governments collapse, it would make it easier for Bin Laden’s gorillas to take over more regions.

What are your theories?

McCain Might Have Dementia

This article was posted on Press TV.
.....................................................................................................................

McCain: Hasty Iraq pullout boosts Iran


Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:55:16



Hasty pulling out of Iraq is a 'mistake' that would boost up Iran and al-Qaeda and damage America's credibility, Sen. John McCain claims.

"Visiting Iraq ... it just becomes so palpably clear what a mistake it would be if the United States precipitously withdrew our forces,'' McCain told reporters in Jordan on Tuesday before moving on to Israel.

"The victors in that (pullout) would be the extremists, and America would lose its credibility,'' he added.

"Al-Qaeda and the Iranian extremists would be the winners,'' claimed McCain.

The claims came after McCain met with US and Iraqi diplomatic and military officials in Baghdad on Monday.

The Arizona senator, however, failed to elaborate on the negative effects of the long-fought war in Iraq which was supposed to be quick and cheap.

He was a strong supporter of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and US President George W. Bush's troop increase last year.

McCain, the likely Republican nominee for the US presidential election this year, has linked his political future to America's success in Iraq.

MHE/DT
..............................................................................................................
My Thoughts and Questions

I learned in grade school that we study history to learn from decisions of the past. When studying history, one has the advantage of hindsight to see how all decisions in regards to matters played out. McCain’s support of the Iraq war baffles me, in part, because he is a Vietnam veteran. Apparently he did not learn the lessons that the majority of our citizens have learned from the conflict. Additionally, he is still playing the fear card in his speeches. Is it possible that McCain really believes the Bush rhetoric? Does he really believe that he can eliminate Al-Qaeda, Iran, and all other Bush proclaimed “Evil-Doers”? McCain made it clear yet a gain today that a vote for him means a continued war with Iraq and a soon to be war with Iran. Will he go after the other member of the “Axis of Evil” (AKA N. Korea) too?

Obama is Teflon Man

As many of you are by now aware, Sen. Obama gave (what I thought was a brilliant) speech today. This is an expert from on A.P. story that covered the address:

Obama Confronts Racial Division in US

By NEDRA PICKLER and MATT APUZZO – 1 hour ago

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Barack Obama unsparingly criticized his longtime pastor's words while strongly defending the man himself Tuesday in a politically risky speech that appealed to the country to overcome racism and the black anger and white resentment it spawns.

Forming a more perfect union "requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams," said the Illinois senator running to be the first black president.

"This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected," he said.

In his most pointed speech of the campaign, Obama confronted the nation's legacy of racial division head on, tackling black grievance, white resentment and the uproar over his former pastor's incendiary statements. Drawing on his half-black, half-white roots as no other presidential hopeful could, Obama urged Americans to break "a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years.'"

"The anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races," he said in a speech at the National Constitution Center, not far from where the Declaration of Independence was adopted. (Click here for more)

Here is a video of the speech:


If you wish to read his remarks, click here.

I think it is cheap and small minded to say that this was a racial address. This talk was far too broad in its scope to be reduced to just one issue, even one as important as race relations in the United States. Obama was really speaking to the idea of empowerment for the downtrodden and dispirited citizens of the United States. Race was a huge component of the speech, but like Dr. King's historic "I have a dream speech", or his brilliant Letter from a Birmingham Jail, or JFK's Moon Speech for that matter, Sen. Obama, by touching on the rawest of nerves, was addressing the notion of possibility. He was touching upon the very idea that we can be the country we aspire to be, but in order to do so we have to recognize the ugly, naked reality of our past and present. However, we also have to take pride and understand the obvious achievements that we have made in regards to race. But in so doing, we have to take stock in the opportunity gap that exists in this country. White kids in poor schools are just as screwed as black or Hispanic kids, ect.


I also noticed that it was a smaller crowd than I am used to seeing Obama address. This seemed like a small conference room, not a basketball arena, perhaps setting a more serious tone. To me, the most profound words he uttered this morning were the following:

Ironically, this quintessentially American – and yes, conservative – notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright’s sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change.

The profound mistake of Reverend Wright’s sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It’s that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country – a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old -- is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know -- what we have seen – is that America can change. That is true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope – the audacity to hope – for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

We are not stuck. We can change our lot, or circumstance, because it is possible. That to me is the handle between the Obama and the Clinton supporter. The Clinton supporter, in my opinion, tends to be more pragmatic in the sense that they are generally occupied by the possibility of improvement within the system as it currently framed. The broader structures are not as relevant as immediate and tangible results. And that is logical if you are without a job and have no health insurance. I imagine, even if I had a fatal form of cancer, I would be more concerned with fixing a broken arm after a bicycle accident than the disease that will likely do me in.

I am not sure if Obama put out the fire on this controversy, but I do think this will blow over for anyone that does not use Sean Hannity as their primary source of information, and lets be honest, most of those folk are not going to vote for a Democrat of any color or creed. I do think that the silver lining here is that Obama got to give what I think might be the most important political speech I have heard in my 33 years of life, and that his words will turn out to be far more important and long lasting than those of his pastor.

For me, listening to Obama give this speech on my way to work this morning conjured up images of the great Michael Jordon dropping 50 points on the tragic Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks. Which really got me thinking, Hillary Clinton is the political equivalent of Patrick Ewing, who probably would have won a handful of titles if his prime did not coincide with Jordon's. Ewing, like Clinton, was great. But Obama, like Jordon, appears to be timeless.


*UPDATE* Here is a collection of opinions on Obama's speech, courtesy of the Huffington Post.

(LATE) Morning Memo:

- Dateline: Tamarac, Florida- A town once famous for being the home of the great Kathy Willets, held an election yesterday where nobody showed up to vote. For the record, had anyone showed up the votes would have counted.

- Some of you may recall that war in Iraq. If so, you may remember the Carlyle Group. One of its subsidiaries, Carlyle Capital, is about to go under, as they can't pay a margin call. Normally when scum go down in flames I am happy. But when bastards like this are falling, that reflects the overall vulnerability of everyone in this economy, and that reality is something I can not rejoice.


- The Pentagon is seeking a uniform policy on video taping interrogations. I actually think all such interrogations should be recorded and filed away. Then, after a reasonable period of time (save for circumstances extreme in nature- ie- pending doom), they should be available to the public. While I recognize this would give prisoners a chance to prepare for their interrogations, the civil libertarian in me would rather error on the side of transparency and due process than brutality and safety.

- Lastly, the Chinese are again cracking down on the good people of Tibet. Please, boycott the 2008 Olympics...

Good look at the Dem Primary

Here is a good look at the Democratic primary:

A campaign that degenerates into name-calling and mud-slinging will hurt Mr
Obama more than
it does Mrs Clinton. He has campaigned on messages of “change” and “hope” so he
faces an unenviable choice in the long run-up to Pennsylvania. If he lets the
Clinton team fling the brickbats without retaliation she may set the tone of the
campaign. But respond in kind and his message of a new politics is tarnished.
Even though he is behind there in the polls, Pennsylvania cannot come soon
enough for Mr Obama.

This is a real strategic quandary for Sen. Obama. He needs to stay out of the gutter, that is Se. Clinton's home turf. He has the lead. Furthermore, he can afford to lose Pennsylvania. He still has (pledged delegate votes for each in parenthesis): Indiana(72), North Carolina(115), West Virginia(28), Kentucky(51), Oregon (52), Montana (16), and South Dakota (15) all waiting to deliver for him in May and June. That represents 347 pledged delegates at stake in those states, which more than doubles the pledged delegates left in Pennsylvania (158).

He really needs to stay on his game and keep his campaign clean. Make no mistake, this is his election to lose. He is ahead by every conceivable metric. He has more cash, enthusiasm, delegates, states won, ect. All he needs to do is run out the clock.

Super Delegate Madness

Wikipedia has a decent breakdown of Superdelegate totals to date.

Can We?

While pondering the three words helping to fuel Barack Obama's run toward the Democratic nomination, Yes We Can, I thought it would be helpful to look at another movement that has relied on these same trio of words. That movement is the anti-children's asthma campaign that can be found at:

http://www.communityhealthworks.org/yeswecan/


In the five minutes I have I was unable to find any statistics pertaining to this breath related menace. It is however worth asking what will happen first, the eradication of asthma in our young or the election of Barack H. Obama to the White House?

More soon...

Like Hope... But Different

Yes We Can

Definitely the coolest and most inspiring thing to come out of this election season so far: