Now that the legacy media has acknowledged what most of us have known for some time—Barack Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee—it’s taken much of the ratings-boosting drama out of covering the conflict between Democrats. So they’ve finally started to focus on the ratings-boosting drama in covering the conflict between Republicans.
Sen. John McCain is sailing toward his coronation as the Republican presidential nominee while the Democratic candidates battle fiercely. But Republicans also are engaged in some infighting that could disrupt the national convention and make it more difficult for him to unite the party in the fall.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., faces enormous pressure from social conservatives to ignore his repeated commitment to change the GOP’s platform on abortion.
“If he were to change the party platform,” to account for exceptions such as rape, incest or risk to the mother’s life, “I think that would be political suicide,” said Tony Perkins, the president of the conservative Family Research Council, to ABC News. “I think he would be aborting his own campaign because that is such a critical issue to so many Republican voters and the Republican brand is already in trouble.”
In primary after primary, 20 to 30 percent of Republicans have refused to cast ballots for their party’s nominee, a storyline the media has up until now almost completely ignored… as they have ignored the extraordinary movement that’s continued to build behind Ron Paul. But conflict breeds drama which breeds ratings, so they have to find it somewhere.
John McSame’s answer to the 23% pay gap between men and women who do similar work is that women should “get more education and training.” As if getting the same E & T that men have does them any good …
So … if a male pharmacy manager makes $100,000 and his female counterpart makes $77,000, McSame’s “solution” is … what? She should go to beautician school?
If you want 4 more years of the same Republican bullshit; if you want to elect Bush to a 3rd term; then vote for Senator McSame. Because there’s no difference between his bullshit and Monkeyface’s bullshit. Shit is shit … it all smells the same.
Bush’s Privatization Whacks Husky Fans In The Pocketbook
Under new federal rules, Metro can no longer provide game shuttles to Husky fans if a private operator is available to provide the service, even if the “privatized” bus rides cost more and are less safe (because of undertrained and low-paid drivers). The policy took effect May 1.
What about the “hard working white Americans” that Hillary Clinton refers to? It is one thing for Clinton to claim that she would do better among white voters, than Barack Obama would do.
But this comment is a real faux pas, if I ever saw one. Clinton says only WHITE people are hard working:
“Sen. Obama’s support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again”
Clinton isn’t getting a lot of press attention or condemnation on this one yet, probably because her campaign is viewed as just about defeated right now.
“Clinton says only WHITE people are hard working”
That’s a stretch, Richard. You’re beginning to sound like the Republican you used to be. Ah well, some backsliding is to be expected among ex-druggies, ex-alcoholics, and ex-Republicans. Is it a stupid, insensitive, un-Democratic remark? Yes. Is Hillary as good as defeated? Yes. Would it be good for the party for her to leave the race sooner rather than later? Yes. Did she say minorities aren’t hard-working? No. You’re reading something into her remark that isn’t there.
The truth always finds a way of coming out. Hillary is just echoing how white democrats feel about blacks. Democrats are the real racists.
So … if a male pharmacy manager makes $100,000 and his female counterpart makes $77,000, McSame’s “solution” is … what?
Impregnate the male and have him go on maternity leave for six months. That way they both make 77k. That’s the only fair way to do it.
re 3: She said nothing of the sort. On occasion, even a white person must refer to race, as it is just something out there — like the sun, moon, and stars, not to mention the cedars of Lebanon.
As a white person yourself, surely you have noticed that many are hard-working.
re 6: Male salaries have stagnated while women’s have crept up to almost ‘equality’. That’s why there are so many women in the work force.
Republican ‘family values’ at work!
I not only don’t like Clinton’s campaign tactics, I don’t like her period! So why did I vote for her in the caucus, and why do I continue to support her at this stage of the campaign? There’s no single answer; I’m not a one-issue voter.
1. As I previously stated on this blog, I believe Obama is setting himself up for failure. Promising to “reach across the aisle” and work with Republicans in an effort to “heal” our country’s partisan divisions is great-sounding rhetoric, but won’t work in the real world. That’s because Republicans aren’t constructive, and aren’t interested in “working with” Democrats, or in negotiation or compromise. They are united behind a solitary goal: Sabotaging the Democratic agenda and blocking Democrats as much as humanly possible, by fair or foul means. Every inch Obama gives them will be used against him and the Democratic majorities in Congress to bring the country to a standstill. We can’t “work with” today’s GOP; we’ve got to run it over.
2. Clinton supports universal healthcare; Obama doesn’t. I believe this is the #1 issue. Our private health system is out of control and now poses the top economic threat to America’s working and middle classes. The situation is as bad as it possibly could be:
a) Employers are opting out of covering their employees in droves.
b) Insurance companies are making arbitrary decisions to deny their insureds the health care they paid premiums for.
c) The costs of caring for the uninsured are being dumped on the families and individuals who pay health insurance premiums and/or doctor and hospital bills.
d) Whether you have insurance or not, behavior of the health care industry that you can’t control could bankrupt you and your family, and take away everything you spent a lifetime working for.
e) The healthcare and health insurance industries are afflicted with the same runaway greed — including monster CEO compensation and arbitrary, inflated pricing — that characterizes the worst corporate behavior under our current system of unregulated pirate capitalism anywhere else in the economy.
Healthcare needs to be drastically reformed, period. The unregulated private sector can’t be trusted with our healthcare dollars. They are a grave threat to the economic security of every one of us. This needs to be got under control, and Clinton is the only candidate with the commitment and toughness to get it done.
3. Obama caters — if not panders — to a younger set of voters, and I don’t entirely trust him on Social Security, Medicare, and other issues directly affecting senior citizens.
Yes, there’s plenty of negative things I could say about Clinton — her apparent willingness to continue a U.S. troop deployment in Iraq for some time into the future; her tendency to hold political grudges, which could substantially interfere with the effectiveness of an Obama administration if she loses the nomination fight and returns to the Senate; the nasty tone of her campaign against a fellow Democrat; her catering (if not pandering) to Wall Street money interests, and taking gobs of campaign cash from corporate CEOs and former Bush fundraisers; and what you might call the “selfishness” factor (many Democrats, myself included, feel she cares more about personal ambition than the good of our party and our party’s agenda). She definitely has a dark side. Have I been tempted to turn my back on her and flip to Obama? Absolutely, many times, at many points of this campaign. But I keep returning to the three items above. I’m not worried about beating McCain; I’m confident Obama can do that. But my perception remains what it has been all along — we need the bitch in combat boots if we want to get our agenda enacted. I’m much less confident he can do that. It’s not enough to have a likeable, articulate guy decorating the Oval Office; the country is a mess, we have a huge agenda in front of us, there’s a massive amount of executive and legislative work to be done, and we need to be led by someone with the street smarts and toughness to make it all happen. That’s why I’m still a Hillary supporter.
But I don’t need tea leaves to see this thing is over.
re 6: Male salaries have stagnated while women’s have crept up to almost ‘equality’. That’s why there are so many women in the work force.
Republican ‘family values’ at work.
8
I blame “democrat family taxes”
re 9: Yup! Been saying that since my father and father-in-law have been crowing about how their generation defeated the ‘hippies’ by voting for that empty suit, Ronald Reagan.
My father-in-law was recently attempting to point out (in what he thought was a humorous fashion) that the democrats would finally have a ‘first’ — electing either a bitch or a nigger to the presidency.
I responded by telling him that we could never, however, be the party who first elected a retarded president. Well, this left him in a huff, and he swiftly wheeled off on his ‘Rascal’!
@6 Maternity leave has nothing to do with it. Unmarried women; women over child-bearing age; and women who have already had their children face the same pay discrimination as mothers. It’s not discrimation against mothers; it’s discrimination against the entire gender, motivated by employers’ desire for CHEAP LABOR.
This is why we don’t let dogs vote. They’re too stupid and ill-informed to be trusted with the vote. So are Republicans. It’s time we treat Republicans like dogs. They deserve it.
@8 “Male salaries have stagnated while women’s have crept up to almost ‘equality’.”
Nope. The gap is about 23%.
@11 Let’s put you in a box and drop you off on a desert atoll in the South Pacific so you can spend the rest of your days living untaxed in a no-taxes, no-government-services paradise.
re 11: Well, maybe some more tax cuts for the upper 1% will ease the situation. You’ll be in trickle-down heaven. Maybe I’ll do a little trickling on you, myself!
If females want equal pay they should work for the guvmint. That way they can do nothing and get paid equal to their male counterparts who also do nothing.
Farmer Goldy
Drop me an email if you would like some free heirloom tomato starts. I have loads of them and only live a half dozen blocks away from you. They should be ready to plant by the end of the month.
ratcityreprobate
We repubs already proven you can beat a democrat for president with a chimp and a retard. We can run a cement block and still win. heheheh
@12 “my father and father-in-law have been crowing about how their generation defeated the ‘hippies’”
The hippies aren’t defeated; they’re sitting in federal agencies, Congress, and the courts. They’re all Republicans now.
@12 “Well, this left him in a huff, and he swiftly wheeled off on his ‘Rascal’!”
Is that the brand name of a scooter that Medicare bought for him?
Maybe it’s time to post “Joe Republican” again …
“Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican
“By John Gray Cincinnati, Ohio
“Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised.
“All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.
“Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
“Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn’t think he should loose his home because of his temporary misfortune.
“Its noon time, Joe needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression.
“Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.
“Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican’s would still be sitting in the dark)
“He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.
“He turns on a radio talk show, the host’s keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn’t tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day) Joe agrees, ‘We don’t need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I’m a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have’.”
@16 Speaking of trickle-down, economic statistics show that although America’s GDP has grown substantially in recent years, real wages are still stuck at 1970 levels, which means all of the economic gains of the last 35 years have gone to the richest 2% of Americans. In other words, the trickle-down benefit to ordinary Americans of increased wealth for the rich is zero.
@19 That doesn’t say much for Republican voters, does it? They’re all as stupid as dogs.
Last time I checked, no candidate has reached the number of delegates needed, whereas McSame has.
Just because the media is in a rush to declare, doesn’t mean jack shit. Who will get to 2025/2209? So far, neither candidate has, and neither candidate will after the next 6 races are decided.
Roger (at 12:47)
You make a couple of points that seem to negate your main argument about continuing to support Senator Clinton.
While I can understand your point about some folks over on the Republican side, there are still a few folks over there willing to listen to reason and work for the good of their constituents.
The fact that the NRC has essentially told all of the Republicans running for national office that they’re on their own for financing and campaign help should bring a few more over to that viewpoint. After all, it’s difficult for the NRC to browbeat legislators by threatening to withhold campaign money when there isn’t any money to be withheld.
In that way, President Obama may be the best thing that could happen for any Republicans that are still in the party because of ideology rather than expedience. We can work with honest conservatives (in the Eisenhower and Goldwater tradition).
Yes, we need to have a large enough majority to overwhelm those Republicans that stick to the obstructionist, neo-con agenda, but extending an olive branch to folks like Senator Snowe and even Senator Specter could eventually help get that party back to traditional conservative roots. It could give people two legitimately competing views of government, rather than what we have today which seems to be a choice between honest liberals and a bunch of self-serving criminals, with honest conservatives having no voice whatsoever.
With regards to health care.
Senator Clinton’s health care package may well be better than Senator Obama’s with one small exception. His has a chance of actually being enacted, while hers probably wouldn’t make it through Congress without changes that would make it look a lot like his, and she has already shown us once that she isn’t likely to let that happen.
So, we get a choice between an improvement over the status quo (Obama) that gets implemented, and a really good plan (Clinton) that sits on a shelf.
One of Senator Clinton’s attributes that actually seems to endear her to her supporters is that she isn’t willing to settle for “half a loaf”. It’s all or nothing.
But the last time she tried that, the result was “nothing”, and I don’t see anything to suggest that the outcome would be any better this time.
Half a loaf is better than nothing, and a health plan that is available to everyone at a reasonable price is a lot better than what we have today.
Regardless, we’ve really had our say already, and the outcome here has already been determined. More than that, the idea that the superdelegates (I really dislike that term) will overrule the elected delegates is absurd, because it would almost certainly guarantee Senator McCain would win.
That makes the “electability” argument moot, as the only truly electable Democrat is the person that wins the most elected delegates. If that person ends up being Senator Clinton, then almost all Obama supporters will bite our collective tounges and support her.
But if she gets the nomination any other way, watch for Obama supporters to abandon her in droves.
re 19: Not this time around.
I didn’t read all the crap above (yet).
Shorter conservative wisdom (or what passes for it these days):
We are all totally fucked.
And it couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of homophobic, racist, sexist bunch of goys.
@28 Executive Summary: HA’s psycho wingnut trolls are writhing in their death throes.
What’s that ad say on the top of the page?
America, love it or fix it?
So if you’re trying to “fix” america, does that mean you don’t love it?
A completely irrational and wholly laughable moron @ 5 said
Yes, that would explain why the Democratic party is nominating a black man for President of the United States.
Yes, that make sense.
If you are a completely irrational and wholly laughable moron
@30 “So if you’re trying to ‘fix’ america, does that mean you don’t love it?”
No.
@31 What do you expect from a stupid dog? They should all be euthanized! Or, at the very least, dogs shouldn’t vote.
@19 That doesn’t say much for Republican voters, does it? They’re all as stupid as dogs.
05/10/2008 at 1:58 pm
The constant whining from the democrats who always get beat by retards speaks volumes is more like it. roof roof.
Remember when all the right wing hate radio assholes were saying they’d vote Dem rather than vote for McCain? He still has a grea deal of work to win over the faaaaaaaaaaar right. When you look at the fact that the right wing nutjobs don’t like him, the republican Catholics hate him because he called their church a “whore”, when the independents see he’s a flip flopper and when the media finally starts to focus on his real problems – i.e., lobbyists and scandals like the Keating Five along with his 100 flip flops…Dems win by a mile!
Well Hillary is just one Airplane crash or bullet away from Obama, and judging from her past no wonder she’s still running.
Gotta love those Clintons, they just know how to get things done…..
The only way McCain loses is if repubs stay home. Catholics hate democrats more than they hate McCain so that’s not an issue. It is up to Rush to get the repubs to hold their nose and vote for the lesser of two evils. McCain will win handily unless a third party splits the repub vote(Perot).
@35 You think the media is going to turn on McCain? They’re the bastards that annointed him the Republican candidate, in the first place. They’ll stick with him as long as they possibly can, before finally giving in to their ingrained “must elect a Democrat” leanings. By that time, however, all kinds of skeletons are going to be seeing the light of day. It might not matter by then.
Not that it ultimately does, anyway. Dems + Reps = Power hungry, statist bastards (at least at that level).
@36 Do you know something we don’t?
@37 “The only way McCain loses is if repubs stay home.”
Or are in jail. I’m just sayin’ …
@38 Nope, Democrats and Republicans aren’t the same. Only Repubs are power-hungry statist bastards at their level.
You know they’re desperate when they go around cawing, “Democrats are just like us ….” Nope, we’re not. We’re not like them at all.
Hillary is finished. Cancel the White House Christmas party, Bill, and try to keep your hands to yourself.
Obama is going to beat McCain for two very important reasons:
1. McCain is gonna continue the Iraq Foreign Adventure, and that ain’t gonna set well with everyone. We’ve all had it: time to declare victory and leave.
2. The media are ga-ga over Obama. He’s a likable guy, so they want him instead of the Her Highness, Hillary.
That’s it in two simple statements. The Dems will have the House, Senate and White House on January 20, 2009. A love affair will ensue with the press and Obama’s White House until Obama’s camp does something to piss of Helen Thompson (assuming she’s still alive then), and the worm will turn. The press will be attacking their former glamor boy, just like they always do. Remember the fun they had with Bill Clinton and his sexual escapades?
“power-hungry statist bastards…”
Like Hillary?
@43 Unlike Rethugs … Democrats aren’t afraid of the press.
So, how does an Obama-Gregoire ticket sound?
“Democrats aren’t afraid of the press.”
Believe that if you want, Rabbit. I could give a shit.
“So, how does an Obama-Gregoire ticket sound?”
About the same as a Laurel & Hardy ticket. Oops! they’re both dead. Make that Ron White & Larry the Cable Guy.
I’m just thrilled that Hillary is done. If Obama wins in November (and he stands a good chance), Hillary is done forever as far as presidential politics goes. That’s such a wonderful thought!
The liberal press is almost irrelevant now. Thanks to us repubs. ehehehehe
Pelletizer@46: Like warm vomit….
When McCain wins this time will you donks finally follow through on your threats and move to Canada . Dems always lie. geeeesh
re 51: You are a doody-head!
46
I’d actually like to see Obama pick Montana’s governor as VP. Brian Schweitzer is smart as hell (being a Democrat, after all), popular as a governor, quick with a quip, a sportsman, and from the Mountain Time Zone. We don’t need Ohio anymore, as Democrats, to win the presidency. We have a shot at picking up Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and even Montana (2 US Senators are Ds, governor is a D, and state house and senate are D-controlled). The West is going D if we do things right.
Wait to go Goldy! As usual, you duck and push the scandal onto another playing field. I personally love kicking back and watching you leftist pinheads and your incompetent party dissolve. The longer this Hillary vs. Obama goes on the better! I know YLB and Rodent and a few others here are terrified they may lose their gov’t cheese because of it; and may have to actually work for a living and pay taxes…Wow! What a novelty! Back to Momma’s basement YLB! Future: Goldy is forced to get a real job, Daddy Love grows a penis, ditzy Darcy gets promoted to P.M. drive-thru assistant manager, Lee moves to Amsterdam (as he should) Daryll stops buying tampons, and everyone else gets only one vote and has to pay taxes….
re 54: You are a doody-head, too!
@23 So Carter and Clinton didn’t do anything
for wages either? Must be more to it.
Interesting – on one hand – the republican cowards say they always fight the “liberal media” now they brag about how the media is on their side. As usual – just hypocrites. Nothing new here.
46, 53:
IMHO, Richardson would be the best shoice for veep, because of his past experience and the substantial carrot (!) it provides to Latino voters.
Hey Blatantly_Obvious@31: Why should we care what you write? You didn’t even remember Obama agreeing with Wright’s comments then throwing him under da bus like is “racist grandmother”.
Shows how much you pay attention. Isn’t that called Attention Deficit Disorder…? YES!
Idiot…
Mark1 @ 54:
You really don’t understand the dynamics of this primary season do you?
While the battle between HRC & BHO makes for good headlines on the evening news – bitter comments, Rev. Wright etc. what you’re really missing and wha the voters are getting is the saturation of the Demcorats message in states where it normally doesn’t get any attention.
This is the death knell for the Republican’s. Our postive message of change will resonate with the voters. Even a portion of the core conservative base feels we are on the wrong track. Most voters today can remember the Clinton years and how prosperous it was and the shit strom we find ourselves in today.
The liberal message is being delivered to all 50 states, people want change, they can now clearly see the diffence between the Democrats and McSame.
The distinctions are cler between the two parties – more of the same from the 90’s or more of the same from Bush and McCain.
The voters will elect the first black president in the fall.
re 59: You are not a doody-head. You are a doody-pud.
Wow #61: That’s a real comeback…
You mean 57 states don’t you?
57 states is part of the change obama is talking about. Please try and keep up to the liberal message.
Marvin Stamm = complete idiot.
McSame is so stupid he doesn’t know Sunni from Shia and he keeps making the same pathetic mistake saying that Iran is supporting al qaeda.
He admits he knows “nothing” about the economy. He bakcs down on almost every pledge to curry the favor of the religious right – it is very telling that republicans don’t want to change their anit-abortion paltform, to exclude rape and incest.
If it weren’t for incest – there wouldn’t be any republicans.
What a moron in #64.
So you are the missing link stupidlyincorrectneverbright?
Yes, thought so. You and clueless idiot and bybygoober, three peas in a pod!