Cynthia Ruccia and Kimberly Myers, two Clinton supporters from Ohio, were on The Factor with Bill O’Reilly on Thursday, May 15th and they laid right down on the line why so many Clinton supporters are likely to defect from the Democratic Party come the general election. These two ladies speak for many of us who view Senator Obama not only as the weaker candidate but also deeply flawed. His campaign and his supporters charge us with rascism for failing to support the anointed one, well many of us feel that they are guilty of misogynistic remarks throughout this campaign. From “Hillary you’re likeable enough” to “Hillary is a monster” to Chris Matthews assertion that the “only reason” Hillary Clinton is in the Senate is because her husband was a philander, many of us have had enough.
“Cynthia Ruccia, 55, a sales director for Mary Kay cosmetics in Columbus, Ohio, is organizing a group, Clinton Supporters Count Too, of mostly women in swing states who plan to campaign against Mr. Obama in November. “We, the most loyal constituency, are being told to sit down, shut up and get to the back of the bus,” she said.”
Here is the email address they referenced:
HCFPinOH@gmail.com
The other three didn’t work but the Ohio one did. Send them a message of support and thanks! We can win this. Let’s get the job done!
I watched Greta van Susteren last night and she had Karl Rove as one of her guests. Whatever you think of Karl Rove, the fact remains that he won two elections against incredible odds. Frankly, I believe Mr. Rove has a lot of questions to answer on a variety of topics. But that’s another matter. On politics, he is rather astute though I can’t say that I always agree with him. But what I enjoyed about last night really are the rather pertinent questions that Greta Van Susteren asked. She actually asks good questions unlike the punditocracy over on MSNBC.
As I have pointed out repeatedly Obama’s larger problems are his values more than his policies. He also suffers from the perception that he is out of touch and elitist. While the Reverend Wright controveresy will hut him in the general election, what will really sink him are his “bitter” and “clinging” comments and his relationship to Michelle Obama.
It’s hot as hell in San Francisco, someone open up a window . . .
In this clip John Adams comes to the conclusion that “one useless man is a disgrace, two useless men make up a law firm and three or more become a Congress.” Fitting as I try to ply through the Farm Bill in this heat. After I get a handle on it (a nearly impossible task), I will post my thoughts but I think I am siding with President Bush on this one. It’s a bad bill. Pity we can’t eat all that pork in this bill.
I admit I don’t care for the very junior Senator from Illinois. I know, quelle surprise. But in truth, my first choice for the nomination has never won the nomination and yet I have generally supported the nominee in the general election (I did not support John Kerry for the record, I abstained - in essence I didn’t like him and I thought my services would have been of greater use if I monitored the election instead of participating in it and so I monitored the 2004 election in Columbus, Ohio for the European Union). This time around I intend to actively oppose Obama’s candidacy full throttle advocating for a NOTA vote. NOTA stands for None Of The Above. I’ll cover more on that should the need arise because as of this writing I remain fully commited to helping Hillary Clinton win the Democratic nomination.
While I do not care for Obama, I have a deep and growing antipathy for Obama’s supporters, both those in the Democratic leadership and in the Obama fan base. Here’s some of the things that really tick me off:
Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, unable to contain himself, administered one last kick to Clinton’s dignity by opining that the New York senator lacks the “real leadership” needed for the job of vice president. He said that Obama should pick someone who is “in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspirations of the American people.”
Today in San Francisco, the California Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry in a narrow 4-3 decision.
The California Supreme Court held:
“Furthermore, in contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation, and, more generally, that an individual’s sexual orientation — like a person’s race or gender — does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights. We therefore conclude that in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples.”
The ad features John Weiler who is a Southern California police detective, a Republican, an Air Force veteran and self-described conservative. MoveOn is spending $200,000 to air the ad for one week in Cincinnati, Denver and Milwaukee, all cities in states considered general election battlegrounds. The ad will also air nationally on cable networks. I don’t see it as particularly powerful but what do I know, I am not a member of the creative class. It is inline with other ads from the DNC. Though it may change as the campaign progresses, Iraq seems to not to be the salient issue right now.
Since the birth of the Republican Party in 1856, the Democratic Party has largely been the odd man out. In the period from 1857 to 1933, only three Democratic candidates won the White House governing a combined 20 years out of a 76 year period (though it can argued that Samuel Tilden won the election of 1876 only to have slip away in a backroom deal). For much of this period, the Democratic Party was largely a Southern-based party though it also did well in New York. The economic crisis of the Great Depression allowed the Democratic Party to reinvent itself and modernize its electoral coalition. The success of FDR politically was creating a wide-based electoral coalition that encompassed the unions and the labor movement including the white working class with social progressives and northeastern liberals plus for the first time since Reconstruction adding blacks.
This formula carried the Democratic Party through the start of the current GOP run on the White House in 1968. Both Carter and more importantly Clinton were able to recreate that FDR coalition to capture the White House. In the two past presidential elections, however, the Democratic Party was unable to effect that magical formula. I believe that electoral success in November is predicated on finding that old FDR magic. Others beg to differ.
Here is the Thursday May 15th, 2008 edition of interesting reads from around the world.
Why Have Obama’s Polling Numbers Varied By Region?
Professor James Cobb of the University of Georgia explores the accuracies of Obama’s polling data in this thought piece in the History News Network.
As the Climate Warms, Biology Adapts
It was nearly 90F (32C) today in San Francisco. We rarely see days like this but they are becoming more frequent. The Australian reports on how plants, animals, ice and waters worldwide have all been significantly affected by global warming triggered by human activity. The UK Guardian has a related story. Not adapting so well to the warming climate are polar bears which were added to the endangered species list. If you want to catch them in their natural habitat, the best place for that is in Churchill, Manitoba.
Barclays Plc Writes Down $3.3 Billion in Assets
As the global financial markets continue to struggle with overvalued assets on their books, Barclays Plc, the U.K.’s third-biggest bank, reported first-quarter writedowns of 1.7 billion pounds ($3.3 billion) from declines in the credit markets and said earnings were lower than a year earlier. More from Bloomberg News and from the UK Guardian.
Islamic Terror Networks in India
The Asia Times reports on how India is bracing for an upswing from radical Islamic terror.
Indonesia Approves Subsidy to Assist with Increased Fuel Costs
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has issued a presidential instruction for the disbursement of Rp 14.1 trillion (US$1.55 billion) in direct cash assistance to help 19.1 million lower income households cope with planned fuel price increases. The Jakarta Post has the full story. Also from the Jakarta Post an op-ed on the state of civil-military relations in Indonesia.
Food Shortages in Nicaragua
As a transportation strikes continues into its second week, there is a tense calm, punctuated by violence and protests, in Daniel Ortega’s Nicaragua. More from the Miami Herald.
It’s A Breeze
On Tuesday, the US Department of Energy released a major study on the potential of wind power in the US, suggesting that by 2030 it could supply 20% of our electricity needs. Energy Outlook looks into the details of this new report.
