May

7

bataan death march

Filed Under Barack Obama, Democrats, Politics, Primaries, hillary clinton, john mccain | Leave a Comment

Yesterday, Jon Stewart referred to the ongoing Democratic primaries as “the long, flat bataan death march to the Whitehouse.” Amen, brother. Check out these two emails:

First, from Hillary’s campaign:

Dear Abi,

Tonight’s victory in Indiana was close, and a margin that narrow means just one thing: every single thing you did to help us win in Indiana helped make the difference.

Every call you made, every friend you spoke to about our campaign, every dollar you contributed made tonight’s victory possible. And I couldn’t be more thankful for your hard work.

Every time we’ve celebrated a victory, we’ve celebrated it together. And tonight is no exception. This victory is your victory, this campaign is your campaign, and your support has been the difference between winning and losing.

Thank you so much for making this campaign possible. Let’s keep making history together.

Sincerely,

Hillary
Hillary Rodham Clinton

Next, from Barack:

 

Abigail –

We just won a decisive victory in North Carolina thanks to people like you.

Indiana remains too close to call. But what is clear is that we did much better than all the pundits predicted, despite Republicans changing parties to support Senator Clinton, believing she would be easier for Senator McCain to defeat.

Here’s where we stand.

As of Tuesday morning, we needed just 273 delegates to clinch the nomination. When the votes are fully counted Wednesday morning, we will have gained more than a third of them in a single day.

We have a clear path to victory. But now is the time for each one of us to step up and do what we can to close out this primary.

Please make a donation of $25 right now:

https://donate.barackobama.com/results

Thank you for everything you’re doing,

Barack

 

Can they really not see the damage this is doing to the party? I was gratified to hear Barack say on Meet the Press that no matter what, he wants to see a Democrat win in November. I haven’t heard such a comment from Hillary. In fact, she’s already lumping Barack in with the losers and aligning herself with McCain as the best candidates, which is troubling. But what can we do?  One more month, and the death march is over. Let’s hope someone is still standing!

(I am in no way belitting the harrowing experience of the actual Bataan Death March. Please don’t take it that way.)

Apr

17

Grey areas

Filed Under Barack Obama, Democrat Debate, Democrats, Politics, Primaries, get informed! | Leave a Comment

It’s hard to know what’s true. Yesterday, I posted this email I received from Obama’s campaign…touting the largest grassroots movement in US history, and today, I read this story on Yahoo! about Obama’s contributors working for lobby firms.

So..what’s the truth here? Obama says he doesn’t take money from lobbyists. I take this to mean that he doesn’t have any PACs - fundraising, mud-slinging organizations. And that he’s not going to give any one favor for their fundraising efforts, except maybe Oprah :) I think it means that high-powered attorneys that happen to work or run law firms that also house lobbyists have taken a shine to what Barack has to say.

It’s all grey areas. (Notice the absense of a black and white joke here.)

Jan

10

the decider…

Filed Under Barack Obama, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, John Edwards, Presidential Debates, Primaries, bill maher, get informed!, hillary clinton, presidential candidates, republicans, selectsmart.org | Leave a Comment

So, it’s coming down to the wire around here. My primary is coming up next month, and I’m still on the fence. I’m having trouble finding the nuances of difference between Clinton, Obama and Edwards, and I have to say, the debates are really helping.

I posted a quiz site a while back, and I just took the quiz again. My results were the same. If my theoretical candidate gets 100%, Barack is #2 at 78%. With Kucinich coming in 3rd, Hillary coming in 7th and Edwards coming in 9th. So there you go.

But then I’ve been watching the AMC series Mad Men and I can’t help but be grateful to Hillary and women like her for women’s lib and I think I’d love to see a woman president. Can I vote for her because of that? Do I really prefer what Obama stands for more? I’m not sure…I liked his book a lot. Especially what he had to say about ending the generational poverty in poor areas. But I also agree with Edwards “no special interest” rantings.

What I’d really like to do is squish them into one person.

As for the republicans, I just like to squish them.

Anyway, take the quiz. It’s fun. And informative. After you’re done, you can post your candidate preferences on a forum. I clicked around a few and a everyone I looked at was the polar opposite of mine. It just goes to show you that what Bill Maher says is true, we are like two separate countries voting for two separate presidents. (If you don’t have HBO, like me, you can download Real Time with Bill Maher on iTunes for free!)

I wonder if anyone will really be able to bridge that gap - or cross the aisle.

Nov

2

Get informed…but how?

Filed Under Politics, Primaries, get informed!, voter research | Leave a Comment

Primaries are looming. Candidates are stumping. Sound bites play in endless loops on media outlets. Congress is flailing, and choices are coming down to the wire. In some states, primaries are in two months! Do you have a front runner in mind? Do you think Stephen Colbert has a chance?

I’d like to know where you’re getting your info. What’s your #1 source for voter research and candidate info?

And how about those early primaries? I would think that the few states holding out until June will have more sway than the early states. I mean, let’s say Rudy is winning the GOP nomination in February, but Romney voters really rally in March and June? I kind of wish my state was having a later primary, so I’d feel more like my vote was going to make a difference - like a close game in football, where the last few minutes make all the difference.

Any opinions on what’s better? Early or late primaries?

Oh, and one more thing about primaries. How about the states that are holding the Democratic primary on one day and the Republican primary on a totally different day. I guess there will be no way for people to keep their parties secret - if anyone cares about that these days. I hope that no one will succumb to peer pressure and vote with their friends because they don’t want any one to know they’re secretly liberal or conservative.

So, to sum it up, I’m looking for:

  • Your #1 source of voter info
  • Your opinions on the timing of the primaries.

Leave a comment already - don’t just get informed, get involved!

Oct

16

2008 Primary Schedule

Filed Under Democrats, New York Times, Politics, Primaries, get informed!, media, republicans, voter research | Leave a Comment

Not sure when your Primary will be? The NY Times has a very clear schedule - not only of when Dems and Reps will vote, but what the candidates will need to ensure victory. Check it out - and stay informed!

Democratic Primaries

Republican Primaries