If this is what passes for political thought and erudition on the Daily Kos, then I am glad I was never a fan. To be frank, the Daily Kos is no different than the fanatical right. Their politics may be different but their approach to politics and their tactics are the same. Abhorrent. Who in the right mind encourages voters of one party to cross over and vote in the other party’s contest so as to disrupt the results? Only the lunacy of Markos and Rush.
This is not the first time I have gotten into a tiff with the kid from Oakland who plainly shows his youth and inexperience by failing to remember facts and details. On Saturday as I investigated the role that the Daily Kos has played in the doctoring of the 1992 Mickey Kantor video (for this story, head over to Larry Johnson’s No Quarter USA, he has all the nasty details of Obama supporter’s desperation), I ran across this little diary by the kid from Oakland Against Hillary: This is Personal. What has the kid from Oakland so enraged? Clinton’s gas tax holiday.
May Madness in Indiana and North Carolina. It is as if this were an NCAA Final Four Collegiate Basketball Championship, a repeat of the 1981 title game between the Hoosiers of Indiana University and the Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina. Clinton and Obama looking to score decisive victories that may help seal the road to the nominating convention in Denver. But the story of the Democratic race has been that demographics is political destiny. In this regard, Tuesday is likely to be a split decision. Clinton wins Indiana and Obama wins North Carolina.
The latest polls in Indiana on Sunday night from Indianapolis Channel 6 News point to a Clinton slam dunk in Indiana. A statewide poll indicates a dramatic shift of support from Senator Barack Obama to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton ahead of Tuesday’s Indiana Democratic presidential primary. The survey, conducted by Indianapolis-based TeleResearch Corp. and released exclusively to 6News, showed Clinton with a 10-point lead over Obama in Indiana — 48% to 38% — with 14% of respondents undecided. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3%. Other polls have the race tighter but only one poll points to an Obama win. The likelihood of a Clinton win here is pretty good.
Over in North Carolina, it is a different story. (more…)
The Bolivian province of Santa Cruz went to the polls today in a referendum that Bolivian Evo Morales had termed “illegal.” The early reports from Santa Cruz indicated that the referendum passed overwhelmingly winning an 85% yes vote. So far, there is no indication of the turnout but it is believed that the majority of the near one million residents of the province. The ones boycotting the vote were the “chollos” the Bolivian term for someone of Indian descent. There was some violence reported: one dead and 35 injured in Santa Cruz’s Plan 3.000 barrio, a chollo stronghold.
By itself this referendum is not likely to mean much even though Santa Cruz is Bolivia’s largest and wealthiest province. It is doubtful that Brazil will negotiate with local authorities royalities for natural gas if the Brazilians believe the central government in La Paz still in control. However three more provinces vote next month on autonomy and as evidenced by the video, Bolivia’s regional polarization grows ever slightly more dangerous.
Several women now serve as Prime Ministers or Presidents of their countries. And in Spain, the Spanish Prime Minister and self-avowed feminist, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has appointed a cabinet with a female majority that I highlighted earlier in a post. A conservative Spanish commentator dismissed it as “battalion of inexperienced seamstresses” and the Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi added:
“Zapatero has formed a government that is too pink, something that we cannot do in Italy because there is a prevalence of men in politics and it isn’t easy to find women who are qualified.”
Misogyny knows no borders. Happily the Spanish cabinet is winning praise from all sectors of Spanish life though the seven months preganant Defence Minister Carme Chacon did ruffle a few feathers when she banned the Ministry’s personnel from cruising the Internet, especially sport and leisure sites. Spaniards, however, were quite pleased with her toughness.
Another woman, Helen Clark of New Zealand has been quietly, after all we are talking about New Zealand, governing in Wellington for nine years.
Here is Sunday’s edition of interesting reads from around the world.
News from the Front
The New York Times asked local writers from North Carolina and Indiana to contribute an op-ed about the Clinton and Obama campaign’s last minute efforts in advance of Tuesday’s primaries. The first is by Allan Gurganus and is entitled Songs of Eloquence and Experience. The second is entitled Clinton at the Crossroads by Porter Shreve.
Seoul Looks at Price Controls to Stem Rising Prices
With worries on inflation, especially on food items, the South Korean government is floating the idea of price controls on 30 of 52 key household items. The full story in the Korea Herald.
Dutch Low Paid Workforce Doubles
Approximately 18% of the Dutch population now earns less than €10 per hour or $15.50 USD. The story is in Dutch News. The euro, by the way, is off its recent highs $1.60 to the dollar down $1.55 to the dollar in less than a fortnight. I would not say this is making the Europeans nervous but they have taken notice as evidenced by this story in the Financial Times.
What’s In Store for the British Economy
The always brilliant Martin Wolf writes in the Financial Times on the changes that are likely to take place in the British economy.
The Honeymoon is Over for Japanese PM Fukuda
Junichiro Koizumi’s tenure as Prime Minister of Japan was lengthy by Japanese standards. Koizumi lasted five years in the Land of the Rising Sun, more than twice as long the average. His successor Shinzo Abe didn’t make it a year in office and now Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda’s popularity is less than that of US President George W. Bush at 25%. Here’s the story in the Asia Times. Perhaps we should call Japan the Land of the Setting Prime Minister.
Sri Lanka Sets Up Local Provincial Council for Tamils
Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been but its civil war has kept tourism from playing a larger role in the economy. On Friday, the Sri Lankan government set up a multi-party political council to advice on the administration of development and rehabilitation projects in the war-torn Northern Province, which includes Jaffna and the districts under the control of the Tamil Tiger rebels. More in the New Independent Press.
Hillary Clinton spent this Saturday morning leading a panel discussion sponsored by MomLogic with a group of working moms on topics ranging from girl-on-girl violence to her daughter’s early dating years and a funny story about a coconut.
