What Stood Out This Week - 7/13-7/19

I can't believe you haven't gone to Iraq! You're pandering to voters by going to Iraq! Stop hitting yourself! So let's see What Stood Out This Week...

The Republican

Remember Phil Gramm, that guy who called us whiners? He's a resigner. He also produced soft-core porn films, but that's totally irrelevant to the party of family values and, of course, the election.

A term that I'm becoming more aware of in this campaign is "surrogate." It seems to be a way for both campaigns to disavow campaign missteps. "No one listens to surrogates," "That surrogate doesn't speak for our campaign." "That surrogate has to give us the baby." Phil Gramm was a surrogate, you see.

Another surrogate says that the Muslims are going to kill us all, so that's nice.

John McCain spent a good chunk of his week going after minority voters, speaking in front of the NAACP and a Latino group whose acronym I can't remember. I can't help but feel that McCain's going after this group of voters for the same reason Obama's campaigning in, say, Texas: it makes one's opponent put resources into getting the "safe" votes. Oh, and Obama spoke in front of them, too.

And then McCain's bold economic solution for the week was to extend the gas tax holiday for a few more months. This is right up there with balancing the budget via victory in Iraq for clear economic thinking.

The Democrat

Barack Obama's making his plans for a world tour. He's pulling a John F. Kennedy and speaking in front of the throngs of Germans, hopefully to tell them that he's some sort of jelly donut to massive applause.

Polls are up and down for Barack, depending on who you ask, when, and where. Sometimes he's leading and sometimes it's a dead heat with McCain. One poll stood out this week: Obama's supporters are more enthusiastic about their candidate than McCain supporters. So the motivation to actually get out and vote leans Obama.

This Week's Argument

John McCain's been hammering Obama for a little while about his lack of visits to Iraq. "How can he expect to lead if he's never been on the ground in Iraq?" Because Iraq visits from political leaders tend to be realistic presentations of what the war is really like for the everyday people of Iraq and the everyday soldiers of the United States.

So now that Barack's planning a trip, McCain says Barack's pandering for votes. What a dick. You can't have it both ways, you big jerk. And anyway, what's this about you missing every vote on Afghanistan in the past two years?

When Barack is actually going is relatively secret for security reasons, but McCain said that he'd be arriving in Iraq this weekend. Now, if he's guessing and he guessed right, McCain's just insensitive. But if he knew the plans and shared that, he's a total Dickhead that just created a security nightmare for the Obama campaign. Either way, shame on you, John McCain.

Barack arrived in Afghanistan this morning, the country John McCain's forgotten about and, if we want to buy into the right-wing framing of the argument, the origin of our "war on terror."

It astounds me that somehow the Republican Party is the party of national security. They've really fucked everything up in big bad ways.

This Stood Out so much this week you've probably already seen it, but if you haven't it will amuse. JibJab's at it again with their latest campaign spoof, and I think it includes the best Obama parody I've seen...



And that's What Stood Out This Week.

Time to Break Out the Fear

This morning I was doing my regular trolling of the news over coffee when I caught this headline:

Chertoff: European terrorists trying to enter US

My immediate response was, "Of course Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff is saying that. There's an election coming up."

Then I was like, "Oh, come on, Baldy, it's too early in the morning for cynicism."

But there, buried deep into the story were the words that confirmed my suspicions:

Chertoff and other intelligence officials have delivered similar warnings before, and he offered no new information about specific threats or an imminent attack.

I'd like to add, "particularly during election cycles" to that sentence, set off by commas, between before and and. Remember how often Tom Ridge was spewing out warnings during the 2004 election? It was genius.

Later in the day, a friend, sensing my cynical frame of mind perhaps, passed along this local election website from my home state of Kansas (although not from my home town). It offered me a much-needed touch of idealism. And it's a cartoon, or perhaps a comic (for I've never been clear on the difference, although I'm sure Titivil could explain it), but not one that will bring out the (self-)righteous indignation of the recent New Yorker cover.

Even if you don't join the small throngs of people donating to his campaign, his comic/cartoon will make you happy. And who can't use a little happy from time to time?

Liddy Hates Jesse

North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole made an attempt to honor the late Senator Jesse Helms by adding his name to an HIV/AIDS bill.

Those of us paying attention in the 80s and 90s might remember Jesse Helms as the man who fought tooth and nail against any bill that provided any sort of funding for any sort of HIV/AIDS research, care, education, etc. Jesse Helms believed that the gays deserved the AIDS plague and fuck them for screwing monkeys. Or something like that. It was hard to figure out how that twisted mind of his worked.

So when Liddy Dole added an amendment to the recent HIV/AIDS bill to have it named after Jesse Helms, there was really only one possible explanation: Elizabeth Dole hates Jesse Helms and wants him to spend eternity spinning in his grave.

The bill passed without Jesse's name attached.

Oh, We're SOOOOOOO Offended

It's outrageous! Egregious!

Terrorist Obamas--terrorist Michelle dressed like a militant and terrorist Barack dressed like a "Muslim"--doing a terrorist fist-jab in a terrorist Oval Office with a terrorist's portrait on the wall while the terrorists burn an American flag.

A couple days later, and I'm still trying to figure out why anyone cares. People who think it's serious won't be voting for Obama anyway, and people who realize it's satire (and debate whether it's "good satire" or not) think that the people who think it's serious are idiots.

So really: what's the fucking problem?

What Stood Out This Week - 7/6-7/12

How many screw-ups does it take to sink a presidential candidate? Well, that depends. Is your name John McCain? Let's see What Stood Out This Week...

The Democrat

Barack and Hillary are raising money for each other, and nothing unifies like money.

Of course the big story this week--in all of its campaign relevancy--was that Jesse Jackson expressed interest in castrating Obama. Well, that doesn't sound very Christian, Reverend.

Apparently, Reverend JJ thinks Obama's getting a little condescending with his talk about responsible fatherhood within the black community. And Reverend JJ believes that the best way to handle it is to remove Barack's testicles.

Castration is a very controversial subject. There are some in the criminal justice system who want to see if it helps keep serial rapists and child sexual abusers from committing their heinous acts. But this is the first time I've heard it suggested for condescension. Boy, that Reverend Jesse Jackson has bold solutions. This is probably why he won the South Carolina primaries in 1984 and 1988.

I was most surprised by his use of nuts, as slang for testicles. Balls certainly would've been more predictable. And I've always been partial to cohones.

But at some point this week, nuts became one of the so-called "seven dirty words." They wouldn't even print nuts in the Associated Press article about it.

I find this very disconcerting, as I'll now have to censor myself when writing about n***s, whether discussing the p****t, a****d, w****t, p***n, h******t, or b****l n*t.

Other than that, I'm convinced that Obama is, in fact, another centrist, and that the progressive movement projected everything onto his blank-slate (and lovely) rhetoric. Still, it's up to progressives to push (pull?) him further to the left on a few key issues. They certainly have a better chance of doing that with Obama than with McCain.

The Republican

John McCain had a very, very bad week, but mostly it seemed like a normal week because he got away with everything. (I read a Ten Things That Should've Sunk the McCain Campaign article on the Huffington Post, so the overarching theme for that sentence is not original. This article confirms the one I linked to from The Nation last week or week before about how much the media loves John McCain.)

Just in this past week...

- John McCain called Social Security an absolute disgrace.

- One of his top advisers said that we're a country of whiners (yes, he insulted the entire country) and that the poor economy is purely psychological (no, his campaign's not out of touch with those actual high gas prices and food costs).

- McCain made the absurd claim that he'd balance the budget, somehow linking it to a victory in Iraq. His own economic team thinks that's a load of crap.

- Upon hearing that Iran's biggest export from the United States is cigarettes, McCain cracked something along the lines of "Great, maybe cigarettes will kill the Iranians." John's wife demonstrated some self-control on his behalf and gave him a poke in the back for that one. McCain consistently dehumanizes the Iranian people, and it disturbs the shit out of me, and he never gets called on it.

Those are a just a few examples of seemingly major campaign fuck-ups that the media is letting slide. If Obama had done any one of those things, the media would've eaten him alive.

And then there was an LA Times article that revisited John McCain John-McCaining his first wife. Um... He had his wedding license with Cindy before he was full divorced from Carol. Go figure that John McCain would have two wives but Mitt Romney only ever had the one.

This Week's Argument

Nothing Stood Out argument-wise this week. They traded some barbs about economics, but the media didn't much care about that. It is, after all, an actual issue of substance, and who wants to hear about that crap?

Well, that's quite a lot for What Stood Out This Week. It's summertime, B&E readers, so go out to the ballpark and eat some p*****s and Cracker Jacks, while in the dugouts, the players and coaches munch on some s*******r s***s.

FISA's Anti-Dickheads

Obama voted for the FISA bill, along with a wide majority of Senators. Two Senators deserve a shout-out for shouting out against this bill with clarity and conviction:

Russell "Oh, So" Feingold and Christopher "The Days and Nights of Molly" Dodd led a valiant (if doomed) effort to defeat the bill. As covered in The Nation, Russell "That Man Is" Feingold said:

"I don't believe this will be remembered as the 'immunity' bill... [The bill] is going to be remembered as the legislation in which Congress granted the executive branch the power to sweep up all of our international communications with very few controls or oversight."

Pulling from the same article, Chris "Mod" Dodd...

told the Senate, passage of the measure will sanction lawlessness by an Administration that has engaged in "a pattern of abuse against civil liberties and the rule of law [and] against the Constitution."

Well put, you sexy, sexy senators.

And perhaps this is a good time to remind the world (or at least those seven global citizens who read B&E) that Russell "Damn, You Look" Feingold was the only Senator who voted against the Patriot Act. And look, Democrats! He hasn't lost re-election because of it!

How in the hell did the feckless Democrats hand the lame duck Bush such an enormous victory? It's amazing.

Oh, It Stimulates the Package

It seems that many Americans, feeling the pinch of rising gas prices and drowning in their own debt, are using their economic stimulus package money for regular expenses. See, what we were supposed to do is go buy some shit. It's the American way. But we're not buying anything.

There's been one exception: porn. Summer is typically the slow time for porn membership websites, and yet since the stimulus checks went out, their sales have been, uh, tumescent.

Ah, the Republican Party, the party of family values--nay, the party of Jesse Helms! The Grand Old Party's bringing us some Grand Old Porn. Well done, Pubes!

What Stood Out This Week - 6/29-7/5

He flip-flopped! That's a flip-flop! Go get my flip-flops; we're going to the beach! Yes, it's summertime of an election year. Let's see What Stood Out This Week...

The Democrat

Barack Obama's lack of filibuster on the FISA bill (and vote in favor of it) caused quite a stir on his own community website. All those web activists sure are great until they turn on you. The single largest group on his site now are those who want him to filibuster FISA, i.e. those who disagree with him. Obama emailed a reply to the whole group (and posted it publicly), but I don't necessarily see it helping. Although sometimes people just want to know that they've been heard. I think Obama should filibuster that bullshit too, but he's been disappointing me for weeks already with his shifts to the center.

And in another creep to the middle this week, Barack Obama stated that he's opposed to late-term abortions. I find this upsetting since I think abortion should be legal at least through the terrible twos.

But seriously, folks, running to the center didn't work for Al Gore or John Kerry, so why is it that Democratic candidates, strategists, etc. still believe this is a winning strategy. "But it worked for Bill Clinton!" Did it? Bill ran against two opponents (remember wacky Ross Perot?) and actually was a centrist. He didn't have to run to the middle.

The Republican

John McCain shook up his campaign team this week, hiring an old Bush/Cheney veteran to help him hone his general election strategy. So he really is looking more and more like Bush every day. Will the Democrats pounce? I doubt it. Democrats are feckless and weak.

This Week's Argument

This running to the middle that Obama's doing has written the script for Republican attacks. "He can't be trusted! He's a flip-flopper!" And although I'm not convinced that Obama's actually shifted his stance on troop withdrawal, the McCain campaign is saying that he has. Obama's actually always said that he'd bring the troops home as soon as realistically possible depending on the situation "on the ground," that he'd work with generals to determine a proper time line.

So when Obama reiterated that position this week, the McCain campaign shouted, "We always knew he'd change his position on Iraq! And look! He did!" And the media's buying, because it's easier to believe the accusation than to figure out if it's true.

Meanwhile, John McCain has built an entire career on flip-flopping and somehow gets a free ride. "He's a maverick! He's trustworthy!" Yeah? Fucking prove it.

Oh, and both candidates offered up their definitions of patriotism this week, in honor of our nation's birthday. I didn't read either of them.

And that's What Stood Out This Week.

Best Reason to Vote Obama Yet

Is it the hope? Is it the change? What's your reason for voting Obama? What's that? Don't have one yet? Well, if hope seems too vague, and you're just a bit too cynical for change, there's finally a compellingly tangible rationale to join the "Vote Obama" movement.

An Obama Administration would rid us of a Baldwin! We would even get to keep the one that's so funny on "30 Rock"! It's one of the other, less useful Baldwins!

More change! Less Baldwin! More hope! Less Baldwin!

What Stood Out This Week - 6/22-6/28

They unified in Unity. Get it? Unity! They're fucking unified, alright? Stop asking! Let's see What Stood Out This Week...

The Democrats

Oh, Unity. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both received 107 votes in the primary in Unity, New Hampshire, and so what better place for them to show their Unity? To John Kerry it may be ironic; to most of us it's a little obvious.

But hey, I guess it's necessary. I mean, it's seems pretty clear that Barack and Hillary are getting along just fine, but if they don't parade their getting-alongedness in front of the media cameras then it'll be all about how divided the party is. And naturally, the Hillary-got-screwed-we're-voting-for-McCain fringe gets a fair amount of play.

Oh, and Bill Clinton's nowhere to be found yet. He feels like he was treated unfairly throughout the the primary and continues to pout (according to one thing I read anyway). The Obama campaign is all, "Look, people, one Clinton at a time, alright?"

So Hillary and Barack donated the maximum allowed under law to each other's campaign. Nothing says, "I love you" like $4,600 per couple. It's a modern-day swingers party! Obama's helping with Hillary's debt, and Hillary's hooking Obama up with some of her monster donors.

See? Unity!

Also, taking a card out of the Clinton playbook, Obama continues his creep to the middle, stopping short of filibustering the Telecom Immunity bill and stating that he supports the states' rights to use the death penalty for child rapists. I guess Barack Obama doesn't so much have a problem with the death penalty then.

See, now this is why I've never been an Obamaniac, or whatever the hell you want to call those people who make Barack Obama feel more like a cult leader than a political leader. Those on the left are going to find themselves exceptionally disappointed in a man who's never even tried to deny that he's a pragmatist. The progressives have projected a much more progressive ideology on Obama than what he's ever professed. God knows I want him to win. Badly. But it remains to be seen if he'll disappoint my liberal hopes as much as Bill Clinton did over his two centrist terms in office.

The Republican

Apparently, some muckraking LA Times reporter discovered that John and Cindy McCain hadn't paid taxes on their California home in years. So they've now done that, but still owe the penalty for skiving. I guess John McCain also John-McCains his taxes!

Most of my information about John McCain this week came from my perennial favorite The Nation, which had a very nice article (in last week's issue - I'm always a week behind) about McCain's free ride in the media, and outlines very clearly where he's done complete 180-degree turns on quite a number of positions.

I still hear a lot from people I consider well-informed that at least John McCain is a "reasonable Republican." I keep telling them that this is not the same man who was running in 2000. If you still think that McCain's reasonable, please read this article.

This Week's Argument

McCain's chief strategist (the one with the really suspicious lobbying ties to such things as the Myanmar junta) said that another terrorist attack would really help John McCain in the general election. Let's the righteous indignation begin! McCain backed away from his remarks; the Left got offended. I guess it's a pretty stupid and insensitive thing to say. It's also honest and forthcoming, and it's all about creating controversy.

But he's also wrong. If there was another terrorist attack before the election, wouldn't that somehow demonstrate that this fucked up foreign policy that McCain has every intention of continuing isn't working? Hell, man, I even heard something this week about how the Taliban can't accommodate all of the suicide bomber wannabes. This foreign policy has created generations of people who hate us -- people who have nothing and are willing to die to defeat us.

It's time to do some global repairs, and John McCain ain't that guy.

And that's What Stood Out This Week, dear B&E readers.

Dude, You Went to Yale

Some of you may remember the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004, a man by the name of John Kerry. His campaign was forgetful, so if that doesn't ring any bells, just hang in there. The rest of this posting will make sense anyway.

I'm still on John Kerry's email list. His emails tend to be as long-winded and dull as his speeches, appearances, debates, etc. during the 2004 contest. So I usually read the first sentence just to see if I really need to read the rest. Oftentimes, I don't.

Yesterday's email was a minor exception. I read the first two paragraphs. He was discussing the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton rally in New Hampshire yesterday. He wrote this:

The unity of our Party is on hand for all to see today - in - ironically -- Unity, New Hampshire.

Really, John Kerry? Ironically? I think you mean quite the opposite of ironic. Appropriately, perhaps. Heavy-handedly, probably. But not ironic.

His use of hyphens in this sentence is also confusing.

John Kerry got the best education money can buy. But I guess I shouldn't be that surprised that the concept of irony is lost on him. You can't go through the rituals of Skull and Bones with any sense of irony. If you stripped and howled and fucked a goat with a sense of irony, you might realize how silly your secret society is.

On a separate but related matter, I'm convinced that if John Kerry had managed to win the 2004 election, John McCain would be elected in 2008.

What Stood Out This Week - 6/15-6/21

Ready... Set... Go! It's the sprint to the middle! Who'll get there first? And which versions of the candidates are the real ones? Will the real Slim Shady please stand up? Let's see What Stood Out This Week...

The Democratic Candidate

This week, Obama said that he's a free-market guy, he admonished African-American fathers, he supports immunity to the telecommunications corporations, and he says he doesn't want "filth" on the air.

The Republican Candidate

McCain's trying to prove he's no Bush by spending more time in the flooded regions of the midwest than Bush ever did in New Orleans. Oh, you're SO moderate.

This Week's Argument

Obama opted out of public financing, and McCain's accusing him of backing out of his earlier campaign promise to accept public financing if his Republican counterpart would also. Obama says the system's too broken for him to participate. McCain says Obama's a flip-flopper. Hey, if it worked on Kerry, maybe it'll work on Obama, except of course that McCain's done a lot more flip-flopping over the years than Obama, so he might want to avoid pursuing that particular line of conversation.

I don't much care for this decision. Yes, I want Obama to do whatever he can to win, and the fact is, without spending limits, Obama's a financial juggernaut. But because I believe that all private money should be cleared out of public elections, the decision worries the shit out of me.

It worries the shit out of me.

Other Relevancies

Rudy Giuliani's back to do some more shouting about 9/11. When he says it, it just sounds so dirty. Oh, Rudy, say it again...

Vice Presidents, anyone? McCain seems to like the Governor of Louisiana who says there's some good science behind that Intelligent Design. The Obama camp leaked the names of John Edwards and Sam Nunn. I think they're all a bunchy of red herrings.

And that's What Stood Out This Week, dear B&E readers.

What Stood Out This Week - 6/8-6/14

Ssshhh... We've got primary hangovers. So let's see What Stood Out This Week...

The Democratic Candidate

Obama's been visiting swing states and getting his general election organizing together. He's going to be the first Democratic presidential candidate to have paid staffers in all fifty states. That he's the first to do this (don't know if that means "ever" or "for decades") is mind-boggling to me. If the fundraising-deficient Republican Party has to put enough focus on states that have been "sure things" for them, that opens up the whole map to Obama's campaign.

One of Obama's VP vetting team had to resign because he got a sweet deal on a mortgage or something.

Obama's also centralizing the DNC operations in Chicago. We're getting Chicago-style on your asses now, motherfuckers!

The Republican Candidate

John McCain canceled a fundraiser this wee because the host, a former Texas gubernatorial candidate, had once made a completely unfunny joke about rape. So when those comments resurfaced, John McCain John-McCained the fundraiser.

I don't really know what else he's been up to.

This Week's Argument

Both sides are bitching at the other about the whole how-are-we-going-to-debate question. John McCain wants nothing but town halls. Barack Obama wants a town hall and some debates. Both sides are very disappointed in the other and accusing the other of being petty and inflexible.

Other Relevancies

Once again I saw a little something about a prominent congressman who thinks the Democratic fifty-state strategy is a waste of resources. Thanks, Rahm Emanuel (fellow alum), but you're really wrong about that.

Hillary's been out of sight this week, taking a much needed rest. I hope she gets out there soon. One of her elected delegates has endorsed John McCain. The delegate is going to vote for Hillary at the convention and vote for McCain in the general election. I'm not sure what's wrong with those people.

Rudy Giuliani's offering to help Republicans raise money. But only if you'll help him pay off his campaign debt. That guy's an asshole even when he's trying to help.

And finally, Tim Russert... His death is sad indeed. I'll always remember his whiteboard scrawls during the 2000 stolen election. NBC had all the graphics people at their disposal, and yet there was Tim writing illegibly on a whiteboard. It was brilliant. And Tim was a great interviewer, not afraid to use people's own words against them. He was knowledgeable and prepared. This year's election analysis will suffer without him. NBC must seriously be shitting bricks right now. And they're probably mourning a bit, too.

Infrastructure Is Sexy

We've got ourselves a heat wave on the east coast, and for those of you wondering, it takes about two-and-a-half days of near hundred-degree heat before New York City smells like a garbage dump.

This is the first real heat of 2008, and Con Edison, our faithful (and most likely corrupt) public/private utility service provider, has been issuing power usage warnings and guidelines. Certain neighborhoods should use necessary electricity only. There have been a few brown outs across the City already, and shit, it's early June.

Queens had a lengthy blackout just a couple years ago, and my 'hood was one of the harder hit. My apartment was one of the lucky ones. We had fluctuating, throbbing power in two random outlets. They weren't on the same circuit, and I never did understand the strangeness of it. Most of our neighbors were completely without power. For more than a week.

Looks like NYC's got itself an outdated power grid. ConEd can't keep up with the power demands of a growing city, and across the United States, there's been a distinct lack of investment in infrastructure (if that bridge in Minneapolis is any indication).

In the ever-reliable The Nation magazine a few months ago, the editors asked the primary candidate dropouts of both parties to write about what issues they felt should be discussed more on the campaign trail but were being largely ignored. Tom Tancredo used the opportunity to issue yet another screed about the evils of immigration.

Christopher Dodd wrote about infrastructure, as a topic that should be on full-throttle yet gets little discussion at all. He and anti-war Republican Chuck Hagel have proposed the creation of an infrastructure bank to help pay for all of the things around the country now crumbling thanks to a lack of investment.

I tell you what... I think it's a great idea to throw a shitload of money at public works. Hire a bunch of out-of-work folks (that unemployment rate just keeps on climbing) to fix our busted-up, broken-ass country. Save the bridges, fix the roads, invest in broader public transportation, plant trees, reclaim and restore abandoned buildings... And they're jobs that can't even be outsourced (living wage required!).

Infrastructure discussions won't win elections (even if you couple it with standing up to warrantless wiretapping - Sorry, Dodd), but if those discussions get moved into action, the investment can really make a difference in our neglected communities.

Dude, infrastructure's totally hot.

What Stood Out This Week - 6/1-6/7

The election is over! Let the election begin! Let's see What Stood Out This Week...

The Democrats
Obviously, What Stood Out This Week is that Barack Obama is now the Democratic Party's nominee for president.

Yes, there were a few remaining contests, once again split by Obama and Hillary, and there was the initial "I'm making no decisions tonight" speech by Hillary, even after Obama had officially clinched the nomination. Then, there was that secret meeting at Dianne Feinstein's house (which totally sounds like something I did in grade school), and by Saturday, Hillary had come around. Now if we can only convince all of her supporters.

I've always like Hillary a lot more than the people she was surrounded by. Mark Penn, Terry McAuliffe, Harold Ickes, and James Carville are not my favorite Democrats. But her concession speech was as good as it should've been. At times maybe it seemed all about her, but when it comes right down to it, I do believe she wants what's best for the Party, and her speech on Saturday was a good beginning.

VP choice? Don't think it'll happen. And I don't think it'll change that much about how she functions. I think she'll campaign and stump for Obama either way. Considering how much I disliked how her campaign team operated during the primary, I have a lot of faith in Hillary's desire to do what's best.

The best part is that now Barack Obama can focus solely on John McCain.

The Republican
Hey, remember John McCain? He chose to give a "major speech" on Tuesday, the day that the Democratic contest was finally decided.

On a day of three speeches, McCain went first. It was widely agreed that it was terrible, from the green background to the stilted phrasing and nervous laughter. I caught about five minutes of it in total, and I don't mind telling you, the shit was creepy. And not just because I'm predisposed to disagree with the fella. It was creepy.

Hillary was next on the docket, and even though she didn't concede the election, it was a pretty damned good speech. Granted, after McCain, the Hunchback of Notre Dame would've seemed to give a good speech. But Hillary's speech was as good as any I've seen her give. She seemed relaxed and natural, and even if I was like, "Concede already, please," I was impressed.

But obviously, Obama can really bring major league game when it comes to speechifying. And he did. He claimed his victory, and no doubt about it: the man looked downright presidential.

Oh, but that's not the Republican...

McCain's challenged Obama to a series of town hall meetings, and you know what? I'm all for it. Yes, McCain will look good in this atmosphere, but so will Obama. And I for one welcome the chance (and change) to hear two men express how they view various issues differently from one another. Plus, it's not like McCain will be able to avoid giving speeches off of teleprompters the entire campaign.

So that's What Stood Out This Week. Let the election begin!

It's Like, "No Duh!"

Obviously there's a hell of a lot of political news going on this week, and I'm finding it hard to resist holding out for my weekend What Stood Out posting. So there's one separate-but-related item I'd like to point out.

Some of you may remember the 2004 presidential candidacy of Howard Dean. I was an early Dean supporter. I'd stop short of calling myself a Deaniac, but his was the first political campaign I donated to. So when it became clear his candidacy wasn't going to come of anything, and we were going to be left with Mr. Personality as the Democratic nominee to face off against the most dangerous presidential administration in history, I feared that Dean would disappear into the background of politics never to be heard from again.

Instead, Howard got himself elected Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, much to the chagrin of party establishment insiders. It turns out that this is a perfectly good place for him to be. He had ideas, you see. Rather than shifting the entire party to the middle to reach out for Wall Street bucks (like, say, Terry McAuliffe), Dean thought maybe we should actually compete and organize locally. Like, in all 50 states.

Before Dean, the DNC didn't even have paid staff members in every state. I'm going to repeat that: The fucking Democratic Party national organization didn't have people in every state. But under this new idea, rather than focus on a few key battleground states every single election and pour millions into those places and ignore everyone else, Dean and the DNC would offer every state resources to put up a good goddamn fight.

Now, to most of us, this seems about as logical as arriving to a job interview on time. Dean had to fight for it. My own senator Chuck Schumer thought Dean was an idiot. Most of Bill Clinton's money people (who really did a hell of a job fundraising, I admit) thought Dean was flushing money down the toilet. All sorts of in-fighting took place, some private, some public.

Then the 2006 midterm elections validated Dean's approach. Or so you would think. But a movement persisted to try to stop Dean wasting time and money in places like Mississippi that Democrats will "never win" and go back to the old way that served President Clinton so well.

Meanwhile, Dean's 50-state strategy has continued to work. The Democrats recently won a special election in Mississippi, where Democrats never win.

And yet, still, there was talk about ousting Dean. Some people speculated that the primary would determine Dean's fate. Many of Hillary's supporters (including Terry McAuliffe, of course) still think the strategy is crap. If she'd won, Dean's tenure as head of the DNC could well have ended.

Of course, she didn't. And Obama was a community organizer, as we now hear so often. So he understands the value of a genuine local grassroots base and heartily supports Dean's 50-state strategy.

Today, Obama confirmed it: Dean stays. Obama's also gotten the DNC to agree not to take lobbyist or PAC money. This shit was unheard of four years ago (under Terry McAuliffe).

Dean's 50-state strategy was intended to be a long-term strategy. Even Dean expressed surprise that the 2006 midterms were so successful, and perhaps other factors were at play (people's dislike for Bush finally reach a tipping point?). So it's not clear exactly how much affect the strategy will have on this year's general election.

But there's no doubt in my mind that Obama's the candidate to test it. Although he still needs to convince a large part of the Democratic Party base, he's proven that he's got massive independent appeal, which potentially puts a lot of new states in play. Virginia's the most obvious possible red-turned-blue state, but just about everything out west could be on that list and even a few places in the south.

And remember: Barack Obama hasn't really started running against John McCain yet.

I've been burned on numerous occasions when I've raised my expectations of the American people. But today I'm still cautiously optimistic.

And seriously, Dean's 50-state strategy is as obvious as Dick Cheney's sense of humor. The Democrats have a long history of fucking up good things, but hopefully this one stays around for the time being.

What Stood Out This Week - 5/25-5/31

Is this fucking thing still going on? Yes, it fucking is. So let's see What Stood Out This Week...

The Republican

John McCain attended a fundraiser with President Bush. I guess the man needs Bushie's money. It was also closed off to the media to limit the number of photos of Bushie and McCain together.

Meanwhile, Johnny Mac can't seem to get rid of his lobbyist problem. Looks like everyone in his campaign team is having to quit these days. Oh, yeah. He's trustworthy.

If I were a Republican, I'd be feeling mighty nervous that my candidate isn't taking better advantage of the bickering Democrats.

The Democrats

Today's the day for some sort of decision from the DNC about the Florida and Michigan delegates. I'd just like to remind my dear B&E readers that primary voting isn't actually a constitutional right. Each state party decides who participates and how with approval from the national party. People of undeclared party in New York cannot vote in a primary election. Are they disenfranchised? No. Because they can vote in the general election. Primaries aren't the same thing at all.

The state parties in Florida and Michigan broke party rules by changing the dates of their primaries. To blame the national party or a particular candidate for the state parties fucking it up for their state's primary voters is unfair to say the least.

Anyway, some sort of compromise will probably be reached today.

Puerto Rico votes tomorrow (even though PR is not a state and its residents can't vote in the general election). Then finally, on Tuesday, the final contests: Montana and South Dakota, I think.

Even Hillary suspects that after Tuesday's elections, the bulk of the undecided superdelegates will finally make their decisions and give us an official nominee, once and for all.

So this week felt very much like a let's-wait-until-next-week week.

And that's What Stood Out This Week.

What Stood Out This Week - 5/18-5/24

If the reality of a campaign won't convince a candidate to quit, will a stupid comment instead? Let's see What Stood Out This Week...

The Republican

It's time for the Veepstakes, dear B&E readers! Who will John McCain pick? Who will he McCain?

- Mike Huckabee's making a pretty open plea to join the ticket. That would throw a bone to the evangelicals.
- Charlie Crist, governor of Florida, appears near the top of any list. He's very popular in Florida, and we all know how important a role Floridians play in US elections.
- Mitt Romney, former candidate and current Mormon, had a sit-down as well. He's a pompous, rich prick with excellent hair. He'll appeal to other pompous, rich pricks with excellent hair, with crossover support from rich, pompous pricks with crappy hair.
- There are a couple of others, too, but they don't Stand Out.

The Democrats

Hillary said something about staying in the race as long as Robert F. Kennedy, who of course had to drop out of the primary campaign in 1968 because he was assassinated.

Now, I'm not the Hillaryist of Hillary supporters, but even I know that she didn't mean to imply that she should stay in because Obama might be killed. Alas, the media (and large swaths of America) love to get offended by unintentionally insensitive remarks. So now, the Obama campaign sits back and watches the fire grow out of control.

These remarks came at an inopportune time for the Clinton Campaign. Bill was floating, even campaigning, for Hillary to join Obama on the ticket as VP. Whoops.

Meanwhile, Obama's campaign has been secretly seeking VP candidates. The potential list is pretty long...

- Jim Biden and Christopher Dodd would bring some national security heft to the ticket.
- Jim Webb would bring military service and a tough attack dog attitude. He'd also bring Virginia into play.
- Bill Richardson would bring a great deal of experience and help in the southwest states (McCain country). He's really not great in a debate, if that matters.
- Kathleen Sebelius, governor of Kansas, would make for a historic ticket, but she lacks charisma, which you might remember if you watched her response to the state-of-the-union address earlier this year.

I think that's pretty much What Stood Out This Week. At least right now. Happy Memorial Day, dear B&E readers.

What Stood Out This Week - 5/11-5/17

If a presidential candidate trounces her opponent and no one cares, did it really happen? Let's see What Stood Out This Week...

The Democrats

Hillary won a convincing victory in West Virg... OH, LOOKY! JOHN EDWARDS ENDORSED BARACK OBAMA!

Obama didn't even really try to compete in West Virginia, but seriously, Hillary killed him there. I'm amazed at the number of people willing to go on camera to explain that they don't like Barack Obama because "he's different," "I'd never vote for his kind," or "Hussein! HOO-SANE! I'm done with Hoo-Sane!"

Even though I find myself saying often, "Never underestimate the level of bigotry in America," I'm constantly amazed at the level of bigotry in America.

Things will be similar in Kentucky this week, I expect, and again, Obama hasn't even really bothered to campaign there, but he will probably fare better in Oregon.

So Hillary forges on, basking in her racist support, while everyone talks about how best she can exit the race without taking too big a bruising to her ego.

The Republicans

John McCain had a couple advisers resign because they've lobbied on behalf of the military junta in Myanmar/Burma. This same military junta has been hoarding all the good humanitarian aid post-cyclone and sending the rotten shit to the dying people.

Cindy McCain sold off some investments she had in the Darfur. So that's more millions she made we'll never actually hear about.

The Quitter

And as mentioned John Edwards finally offered his endorsement. I think the hope is that he can help Obama shore up the male working-class white vote that seems to prefer Hillary. I hope John spends a lot of time campaigning. That guy's a good stumper.

There's probably much more, but I'm a bit tired this morning, dear B&E readers. So that's What Stood Out This Week.

But What's Really Astonishing...

John Edwards endorses Obama. A third staunchly pro-Republican seat in Congress (this one in Mississippi) turned Democrat. And Fernando Tatis hit a single in last night's Mets game.

Really? Fernando Tatis?

As Mel Allen might've said, "How about that?"

Scottish Labour Reverses, Spins, Fades

I made the mistake of reading an article about Scottish politics before having my morning coffee.

So best I can tell, as follow up to that last post about the Scotland Referendum of Independence, Scottish Labour Leader Wendy Alexander has now been shamed. There's no longer a Labour Party line on a referendum, no matter what she said about not standing in the way.

The Tories continue to mock the national Labour Party, and Gordon Brown responds the way any good American would: He proposed a new tax cut.

What Stood Out This Week - 5/4-5/10

Is it over? It's over. But is it over over? Let's see What Stood Out This Week.

The Republican

John McCain got himself in the news a little bit this week, doing more than just letting his Democratic rivals pummel each other while he masturbated from the sidelines. On "The Daily Show" McCain once again discussed Obama's endorsement by Hamas. Obama accused him of "losing his bearings" with such attacks. The McCain Campaign accused Obama of using that phrase deliberately, injecting age into the race. I'm not sure that he was, McCain Campaign, but thanks for reminding us how fucking old John McCain is.

Cindy McCain says she will never ever ever ever ever, not in a million years release her tax returns. She's like Mitt Romney rich and is very private about it. Plus it's important no one ever finds out just how much John benefited from her extreme wealth. DUDE, IT'S TOTALLY EXTREME WEALTH! WOO-HOO!

Oh, and McCain may not have voted for Bush in 2000.

The Democrats

Barack Obama trounced in North Carolina; Hillary Clinton won a squeaker in Indiana. And news broke of a $6.4 million personal loan from the Clintons to the Clinton campaign. Thus endeth Hillary's claim on momentum. And even though it clearly (finally) spoke the end of Hillary's campaign, she soldiers on, like we all knew she would.

Her latest acts of desperation include, but are not limited to, the following:

- Trying to change the official delegate count. Now when Obama reaches the threshold of 2,025 to claim the nomination, she can still say he's got another 200 to go.

- Race-baiting. She's done well among working class white folks, and she called them "hard-working people, white people." Because, you see, the black folks of the Democratic Party are lazy bums. And we over-educated white people are just a bunch of effete elitists, like Hillary. But to be fair to myself, I wasn't born with nearly the privilege that she was. Anyway, race-baiting is ugly, Hillary, and shame on you.

So the question becomes, "What's her new agenda?" Now that the math has made it impossible for Hillary (Obama has overtaken her lead in superdelegates as well), what is she running for?

A generous possibility

Hillary's very likely going to win the West Virginia and Kentucky contests coming up. It would look better for the Democratic Party if Obama lost to Hillary rather than to no one. So maybe she's staying in to make Obama look better! Hello? Anyone? No?

A few more likely possibilities

1) Hillary's campaign is massively in debt - to her personally and to others. Maybe as much as $25 million in debt. Obama could pay that shit off today if she asked. It's a tricky proposition, though. A lot of Obama supporters wouldn't like it much, especially since so much of the debt is owed to Hillary's head Dickhead Mark Penn. Still, there could be some behind the scenes maneuvering to get the debt paid off in return for a graceful exit (if that's even possible at this point).

2) Hillary's angling for a leadership position of some sort. The most obvious, of course, would be Vice President. I'd be surprised if that's what she wants, though. The Vice President has traditionally been totally isolated from the administration it serves (Gore and Cheney being recent exceptions, but exceptions nonetheless). The Nation featured an online article stating that if Hillary's VP Obama should name Chelsea official food taster. Gee, it's almost like people expect anything from the Clintons. And I'd be very surprised if Obama would want Hillary as his VP anyway. I could see that being a deal-breaker.

So if not VP what other possibilities are there? Senate Majority Leader? Supreme Court Justice (when some of those old liberals retire/die)? Secretary of State? I actually think that Hillary would be a hell of a Senate Majority Leader, and maybe Harry Reid would even take a dive on behalf of party unity.

3) She's running for 2012. Maybe her goal is to make Obama such a broken candidate that he won't win in 2008, and she'll be able to run again in 2012. I'd like to think that even the Clintons aren't this devious, but the longer this primary drags out the more sense it makes to me.

A Quitter

John Edwards voted this past week in the North Carolina primary, and wouldn't say for whom he voted. But he may have slipped up, referring to the recipient of his vote as "him." On the other hand, it could've been his Southern drawl, using the plural pronoun them to replace the singular neuter candidate and shortened to 'em. If he and Elizabeth can agree on an endorsement, they'll go public soon. I'm guessing they split their votes.

There you go: McCain focuses on Obama; Obama focuses on McCain; and Hillary continues to attack Obama.

And that's What Stood Out This Week.

Keeping an Eye on Scotland

The missus and I try to keep up with the goings-on in Scotland (it being the missus' home country and all). And I've attempted to explain on B&E, occasionally incorrectly, Scottish politics, which are endlessly fascinating and more than a little confusing.

We have a two-party duopoly in American politics (yes, I'm on Ralph Nader's email list, too), but in the United Kingdom they believe in a real range of political parties. To the outside observer (me), the various parties and parliaments and leaders get rather confusing. Commoners, Lords, Ladies, wigs, no wigs, earwigs... it's all a lot to take in.

And let's not even start considering the role of the Royal Family. Duke of Edinburgh? Holyrood Palace? Whaaaaa...?

I was going to link to myself for some backup information, but it's so inaccurate in so many ways, I should probably just re-summarize. At best, the following will be oversimplified. At worst, I could get some things wrong. I'm American, after all, and we like our politics black and white (or male and female).

Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament was created in the 1990s and has a somewhat limited scope. Scotland is after all part of a larger Britain (one might even call it a Great Britain--England, Scotland, Wales) and a United Kingdom (Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and various smaller islands). So Scottish Parliament can make decisions about how tax revenue is spent, for example, but they can't raise or lower the taxes on their fellow citizens. Major decisions are still made in the UK Parliament in London.

Political Parties in Scotland
Labour Party - Scotland has typically been a Labour supporter. They were traditionally considered a working class party until Tony Blair and Gordon Brown (more on him in a moment) shifted "New Labour" to the right politically. Bill Clinton was the moderate Democrat president, and Blair entered office as a moderate (or relevant, depending on whom you ask) Labour prime minister. Best I can tell, the Labour Party in Britain is closest to the current Democratic Party in the U.S.

Conservative Party - The Tories are the party of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. They've hit a bit of a rough patch in recent years, in part thanks to the New Labour movement and in part due to their own failings while governing. I've never met a Brit with good feelings about Thatcher. People must've liked her at some point (she was in office for a long time), but those people must either be dead or hiding. They're now led by a cunning fellow called David Cameron. The Tories are Britain's Republican Party.

Liberal Democrats - I don't really know, but I assume that the Lib-Dems grew in power along with New Labour (although they're still definitely a smaller party). They are to the left of Labour politically, and I'm assuming that as New Labour walked away from "old" Labour policies, the Lib-Dems started gaining support. They're led by Nick Clegg, a man I know absolutely nothing about. I'd compare the Lib-Dems to the Green Party, except that there's a pretty influential Green Party in Britain too. Really, the Lib-Dems are like FDR Democrats. If the Democratic Party left had rebelled against Bill Clinton's run to the middle and formed its own party, maybe they'd be the Lib-Dems.

Scottish Nationalist Party - The SNPs refer to themselves as a "left-leaning nationalist party advocating secession from the United Kingdom." The SNPs were founded in the 1930s by a group of nationalists, obviously, that included the missus' grandfather. Today they're led by a bloke called Alex Salmond, which is like the fish but with a "d" on the end. We have no comparable party in the U.S. Maybe if New England Democrats wanted to declare independence from the rest of the country, they'd be like the SNPs. Actually, I could get behind a party like that.

The Greens and the Socialists usually have a tiny voice/representation in government as well.

Quick aside: I love that the names of the political parties in the U.K. actually give you a good idea of what they represent/where they stand on various issues.

Last year's Scottish elections
Historically, Scotland has been very pro-Labour. Tony Blair screwed that up. Even now that Gordon Brown (a Scot) is Prime Minister, many Scots have turned their backs on Labour. The Tories don't typically fare very well in Scottish elections. In fact, the Lib-Dems have usually done better. And the SNPs have always had their supporters, but until recently, they were mostly considered a one-issue party: independence.

But Alex Salmond and the SNPs were vocally against the Iraq War before it began (the loudest voice of dissent in Scotland), and because they've been proven right, they've also gotten themselves some legitimacy.

So during last year's Scottish Parliament elections, they pulled a lot of support away from Labour and eked out a win to be the ruling party. Alex Salmond, then, is first minister of Scotland.

The SNPs don't have a majority. It's difficult for a single party to hold a majority thanks to the many parties. So the ruling party forms coalitions with parties that share their interests. In this case, the SNPs reached out to the Lib-Dems, but the Scottish Lib-Dem leader wouldn't agree to an official coalition unless the referendum for independence was off the table. They're the SNPs. They want independence. So the SNP's rule as a minority.

Based on reports from the missus' father (who very often gets things wrong) and others (including newspapers), it seems that Salmond and the SNPs are doing a good job in this role. Salmond made one misstep in his attempt to partner with Donald Trump to build a giant-ass golf course, but a couple shepherds kept that nonsense from happening. Mostly, Salmond and the SNPs are just hunkering down and doing the work of the Scottish people, proving that they're about more than just independence.

The Referendum for Independence
Salmond has been saying that once they get a couple years of ruling under their belts, the SNPs are going to bring this referendum for independence to the people for a vote. It's not clear at the moment whether the Scottish people would vote independence or not. It definitely seems to be gaining support, but there are a lot of Scots who are Unionists (support a United Kingdom). It has seemed that 2010 was a target year for the referendum.

Naturally, most of the other parties are against independence and against putting forward a referendum. No party is more vocal about this than the Labour Party. Gordon Brown's a Unionist and head of the Labour Party, and he's said in no uncertain terms that he would never support a referendum. And this was Labour's official party line.

Enter Wendy Alexander, Labour's Scottish leader. In an attempt to call Salmond's bluff, she said, "Bring it on" to the referendum, and no time like the present. But you see, Salmond's not bluffing. He heads the Scottish Nationalist Party. Salmond is thrilled that suddenly he's got Labour's support for a referendum, even if the timing isn't quite right.

And wackiness ensues...

Tory leader David Cameron is now accusing Brown of losing control of his own party. Wendy Alexander is saying that a) the referendum won't pass now and b) she's got the support of Gordon Brown for this stunt, even while Gordon Brown tries to stay the fuck out of it. Meanwhile, Salmond's inviting Scottish Labour to join him for a lively eightsome reel, possibly to distract everyone from realizing that he really would like to hold off on the referendum for a couple years.

But how crazy would it be if Scottish Gordon Brown's legacy as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was un-uniting the Kingdom and losing his native Scotland to independence? Would either the English or the Scottish let him live amongst them?

There's much more to this all, of course, and the Guardian and the Scotsman both have summaries that are a little hard to understand when I'm still getting my head around the delegate system of electing a presidential nominee within the Democratic Party of the United States of America.

What Stood Out This Week - 4/27-5/3

If I didn't know better, I'd say Jeremiah Wright is running for president. Let's see What Stood Out This Week.

Republican

John McCain continues to sport a giant erection, thanks to Democratic Party in-fighting.

Democrats

Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton in today's Guam caucus by seven votes. Out of more than 4,500. Seven votes. Several dozen people who couldn't be bothered to vote today are kicking themselves. Imagine a voting process in which your vote really does count. That's just crazy. They split the delegates down the middle.

Big votes again on Tuesday in North Carolina and Indiana. Both should be close, and both will inevitably somehow encourage Hillary to stay in the race.

At this point, I defer to Dana, who's written two fine posts over at a blog you should check out in general, Art On My Mind. The first, earlier post, implores Hillary to stop treating us all like idiots in blistering terms I so admire. The second explains why we shouldn't despair too much about Obama's current position of threatened front-runner.

What else Stood Out This Week? Honestly, all I seem to hear about is Reverend Jeremiah Wright. I've seen and heard the clips, like everyone, and I don't get the hubbub. At worst it's mediocre comedy shtick (funnier than Dane Cook, though!): "White people clap like this, but black people clap like this!" And cue laugh track.

People feigning offense (most of the so-called "offended") should be called out on their bullshit. Those few people who are genuinely offended by Wright's routines and not just posturing should meditate, breathe, chew on some Quaaludes... Anything that'll help them fucking relax. Getting upset about this is a total waste of high blood pressure.

Look, white people who clap on one and three should be mocked. So get over your bad selves.

And that's What Stood Out This Week.

What Stood Out This Week - 4/20-4/26

Pennsylvania voted, and everything's the same. Let's see What Stood Out This Week.

Democrats

Pennsylvania voted, and everything's the same:

Republican

Pennsylvania voted, and everything's the same.

Although it should be noted that John McCain got 73% of the vote. That means 27% of Republican voters voted against the party's nominee (16% for Ron Paul, and 9% for Mike Huckabee). A rare good sign for the Democrats who are, as hard as possible, doing everything they can to fuck up what should be the easiest ever election to win.

That's right: the feckless Democrats are screwing it all up. But then...

Pennsylvania voted, and everything's the same.

And that's What Stood Out This Week!

Timing Is Everything

There's a little New York Times headline that simply says, "McCain criticizes Katrina response."

Well, I criticize your Katrina response, Herr McCain. Maybe if you'd said something back in September 2005, it would've made a goddamn difference, and fewer residents of New Orleans would've McCained the city they love.

What Stood Out This Week - 4/13-4/19

I'm a bit of a political junkie, as B&E readers well know, but even I'm getting burned out on this here election, especially when it's been so long since we've held a vote. I'm keeping an eye on things, of course, but I think maybe I'm suffering from Primary Fatigue. So let's see What Stood Out This Week...

The Republican

John McCain released his tax forms. He won't be releasing his wife's. After all, she's the real money in the family. That shit wouldn't have flown with Teresa Heinz Kerry. Actually, I don't really remember. Did that shit fly with THK? I think she released her tax records, but I don't know for sure. Good thing I'm writing about it! I've got all the answers!

The Democrats

Barack Obama turned in a crappy performance at the debate, and now the debate seems be more about the debate than the substance thereof. Which I guess is the point: There was very little substance in this debate. It was the only prime-time, network debate of the election thus far, and Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopolouponopolousponopoulous spent the first hour asking about stupid shit: Reverend Wright, comments about "bitter" voters, sniper fire in Bosnia, flag pins on the lapel (or lack thereof), elitism.

So Hillary did well in the debate, and Obama didn't. So Obama's all, "Hillary was right in her element in a debate of this style, and people are tired of it." And Hillary's all, "Clearly, I'm better prepared for the ugliness of a general election than that boy to my left." (OK, so really it was another person altogether who referred to Obama as "that boy," but why not throw it in there as part of it all?)

I will say this, though: Obama looked tired. Running for president would fucking blow chunks, dear B&E readers. I hope none of you have to go through it.

Emails from the campaigns are funny. Both grab onto a theme and try to raise money out of it...

Obama's all, "What's elite about the 1.3 million people who've given to our campaign? Let's make it 1.5 million!" Apparently I'm one of those 1.3 million already because I got the missus a shirt for Christmas. I mean, it was a gift purchase, not a donation.

Meanwhile, Hillary's all, "We're facing a candidate with an unlimited war chest. Even $5 can help make a difference in Pennsylvania!" Oh, Hillary, you scrappy underdog, you!

Polls, polls, polls, polls, polls polls polls. Man, there have been a lot of polls. Obama's catching up in Pennsylvania! Hillary's got the momentum! Obama can't beat McCain! Hillary never could! Obama's unelectable! Hillary's unelectable! Fuck polls. Why are we still putting so much stock in polls when they've proven to be so utterly wrong so many goddamn times?

Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean is apparently starting to put pressure on the undecided superdelegates to get off the fence and commit to someone already because John McCain is getting a free ride while the two Democrats bicker over stupid shit.

There's finally a big goddamn vote on Tuesday in Pennsylvania. Will it decide anything? Probably not. There's still a lot of election yet, and Clintons don't quit. After Pennsylvania, there's North Carolina and Indiana. They're coming up relatively soon, I guess. But gosh, this election is getting tired.

And that's What Stood Out This Week. A lot of "tired."

Blast.

For some reason, Blogger was having a hard time publishing to B&E for the past few days, so now I have no real proof that I called Hillary's campaign tactics Rove-ian before Obama did. Stupid Blogger. Anyway, shame on Hillary.

What Stood Out This Week - 4/6-4/12

I've had a particularly busy time at my job lately and have been partially living a media blackout, so let's see What Stood Out This Week. Anything?

The Democrats

I'm going to start with the Democrats. Apparently Barack Obama said something at a fundraiser about how when people get bitter they cling to God and guns.

Hillary pounced: Obama's statement shows that he's out of touch with "regular" Americans who have legitimate reasons for loving God and guns. He's a snob, he's a snob, he's a snob.

Throughout the primary, anytime anyone has attacked Hillary, for pretty much any reason at all, she calls upon one of her favorite lines, "Right out of the Karl Rove play book." (Sometimes Karl Rove is replaced by Republican.)

Portraying liberals as snobs has been one of the most brilliant tactics of the Right. We're all just a bunch of latte-sipping, gun-hating, anti-God cultural elitists. Rich, entitled, silver-spooned, privileged George W. Bush on the other hand is as a down-home, folksy, regular guy. That's the Karl Rove play book.

It is true that the Republican Machine hates the Clinton Machine. And hating Hillary is in fact one of the Right's favorite sports. But I've never been able to specifically place what it is about the various challenges to Hillary's record during the primary that comes straight out of the Karl Rove play book.

In fact, her current attack on Barack Obama might be the first time I can specifically point to using tactics "right out of the Karl Rove play book." Well done, Hillary.

Obama didn't choose his words terribly carefully in that moment, but at its core, I think what he said is correct. Angry voters will turn to the issues they connect with most. And exploiting those wedge issues is something most politicians are very good at.

I understand what Obama's getting at. But then I'm a fucking snob, too. I don't much like guns, and I really don't care what people think of God. On the other hand, I prefer regular coffee to lattes.

The Republican

John McCain is still mostly sitting back while the Democrats take care of each other. He got in a little bit on the snob thing with Obama but is mostly letting Hillary do the heavy lifting there.

And if you believe that polls are relevant, his strategy is working. Nationwide, Barack Obama used to have a ten point lead over John McCain (who has always been within the margin of error with Hillary). Now polls say that Obama's lead has vanished.

I'm getting more and more suspicious of polls, even though I usually find them interesting, but head-to-head match-up polls between two people who haven't yet run against each other are really stupid. Early on, there were all these polls showing a neck-and-neck race between Rudy Giuliani and Hillary.

It couldn't matter less what a head-to-head (still theoretical) match-up might look like (seven months before voting day). The campaign trail is meant to convince people. And neither Hillary nor Obama have actually run against McCain yet.

Although, seriously, someone needs to start to do so, and stat. The man's getting a free fucking ride.

Someone Needs to Blow Manhattan's Nose

I would normally have more to say on the matter, but for now, I'm just going to voice my displeasure at the brutal assassination of Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan. It works in London, and it could work here. I never thought I'd see the day that I'd agree with Joe Bruno about something. Shame on Sheldon Silver and the cowardly state assembly that wouldn't even bring the plan to a vote.

What Stood Out This Week - 3/30-4/5

Overall, it was a fairly quiet week on the campaign trail. Or perhaps I wasn't paying much attention. So let's see What Stood Out This Week...

The Quitters

John Edwards told a bunch of college kids that he wouldn't run for Vice President again. Is anyone surprised?

Republicans

John McCain is still out there, waiting. He gave a speech on the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. It was raining, and a black man was holding his umbrella. Particularly awesome in the context of his vote against the national holiday celebrating MLK, Jr.

Democrats

Hillary said something about how during her time as First Lady, she arrived in Bosnia in the midst of sniper fire. That turned out not to be so true. Lies from the Clintons (and politicians in general) I've come to expect, so I don't think this is that big a deal (and it's not like I'm an enthusiastic Hillary supporter or anything).

What's more interesting to me is her announcement (on the 40th anniversary of MLK, Jr.'s assassination) that she would build on his legacy and create a cabinet-level poverty czar position. I really hate the term "czar" used in this way, which is probably a post for another time (and a time that may never come), but even if this is just an obvious pander to John Edwards and his supporters, good for her. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best thing she's proposed in months.

Telling superdelegates that Obama's unelectable, however, is a shitty thing to do. She denies she said so, and blah blah blah.

Obama stayed largely off the B&E radar. I think he's putting all of his many,