Good morning everyone. Its finally Friday! Sadly I’m still sick so all that means is that I will have the next two days to sleep. This may sound sad but right now that sounds like the best thing in the world. Even though I haven’t quite shaken this bug I feel a lot better and I’m in a great mood. So lets get started on ruining that.
Rape Charges Dismissed Because Victim Not A Virgin
Melanie Ross, a rape victim from Georgia, had her case dismissed in large part because of her past sexual history. Against federal and state law the trial judge ordered Ross to disclose her entire personal history under the premise that prior sexual conduct is proof of consent. Because as we all know only virgins can be raped!! Read the rest here before I start swearing. This story pisses me off.
Bush Travels to Israel to Celebrate 60 Year Anniversary
[youtube width="250" height="197"]http://youtube.com/watch?v=XmUad6JOFcQ[/youtube]
Somehow he finds time to make a false and misleading political attack against Obama. Playing monkey see monkey doo McCain and Leiberman follow the leader. Of course they are playing dumb now (if playing is the right word) on their attempted Nazi smear. Joe Bidens excellent statements on Hardball are the video of the day below.
Everything Else You Need To Know
- Following up on the Marietta bar owner who is selling racist Obama: Curious George T-Shirts. Turns out that the company that owns the Curious George image is rather unhappy about the usage of their property ans is considering suing his racist ass. (h/t Melissa McEwen @ Shakesville)
- Congress passed the Farm Bill with a veto proof majority. Of course no bill is perfect but this bill should be better than nothing. I’m not up to speed on this bill so if I get time I’ll post more on it when I am better educated. Comments on this are more than welcome.
- Republicans in Congress blocked passage of the Iraq funding bill due to its inclusion of measures to help pay for the war and to increase veterans benefits. Both issues that Republicans oppose.
- Republicans also apparently hate first responders.
- UC Berkeley is going to court over their Understanding Evolution web site because they had the gall to say the truth. Specifically the truth that “some religious beliefs explicitly contradict science”. In crazy world saying the truth is a violation of the separation of church and state. (h/t Richard Dawkins)
- Obama sent out a flyer titled “Faith, Hope, Change” to voters in Kentucky in an effort to gain support among evangelicals. I think its a good move and its about time liberals stood up to the popular misconception that only Republicans can be Christians.
- Eric Zorn has listed 8 reasons why Obama should destroy my dreams of a unity ticket. Some of them are pretty good. Damn you and your logical arguments. (h/t Logan @ Loganotron)
Video of the Day
Joe Biden, who says that Bush’s smear against Obama was Bullshit, appears on Hardball to discuss the subject more. Its worth watching until the end because as always Biden does an excellent job of pointing out the many errors in this attack.
[youtube width="500" height="394"]http://youtube.com/watch?v=0IJWp9kAEUU[/youtube]
This is sad that our only two options are Clinton or Obama. Maybe there is a viable third candidate, that the superdelegates can broker a deal with. Clinton has 50% or more negatives. Obama’s negatives are growing the more people get to know him. Both of the democtratic front runners are looking less likely to win against McCain, because of their baggage. If only Edwards would have stayed in or can Al Gore come in to save the day.
I don’t see it as sad at all. Both Hillary and Barack are very strong candidates and either would make an excellent President. I think it’s sad that the only candidate the Republicans can field is a meaner dumber George Bush.
Senator Clinton made a big comeback with a 10 point lead last night and she did that while being overspent on ads. That was accomplished in some part by party-switchers whose aim was to prolong the nominee process between Obama and Clinton. Both went negative. The debate, the other night, was horrible. Clinton attacked Obama’s associatiations with radical terrorists. Obama came back with her ties with the same guy. And the world wrestling federation made fun of Obama’s big ears with their mock wresting match of the candidates in the ring. The superdelegates are holding the power. They are going to override the peoples vote. They have to be scratching their heads and thinking that neither of these candidates has a good chance of defeating McCain, with all their negatives. And there is no way that either one would assume the VP for the other. So that senario is not valid.
I’ve explained here before that while neither candidate is ideal from my viewpoint, Hillary has shown willingness to work with and vote for some of the Bush administration’s (and neocons’) legislation. “I don’t cotton to that!” Obama has done this few times by my count.
Now, to vote for someone because you know less is stupid and I have made stupid mistakes in the past – like voting to get rid of Carter who helped kill the civil service (only Reagan was far worse in many, many ways). But I guess I’m just willing to do it again. I’ll take the chance that the person who professes to care, really does.
But the most important point now is that Hillary cannot win, statistically, without brokering a win at the convention. That serves no one but the Republicans, who now have a proven record of ruining this country, and, unfortunately, her own ego, by all appearances. Honestly, if I were her and really wanted to make a difference, I wouldn’t want to step down either but I’d like to think I’d take one for the team, as I have in my own life inthe past. It shows true character to do though, and is often not rewarded, but will go a ways to healing the wounds she has helped inflict.
Wake up and smell the roses, Hillary. You. Cannot. Win. Anymore. The democratic nomination should go to the one with more delegates and more popular vote. Obama has that and will have that even if all votes from every state are counted until all 50 plus territories and outlying colonies are counted. There’d have to be some strange <0.01% fluke of statistics for it to be otherwise, and after 2000 and 2004, I don’t believe in flukes, only carefully organized deceptions.
To spend anymore time fiddling while the “rome” of the democrats lead is burned by this struggle hurts our chances tremendously in November. The party is being split; her attacks, mild or not, help define Obama in negatives, just as the Republicans want, and, to top it off, far more people don’t like her from her past associations as wife of the president, of which Obama has none, and will vote against her no matter what, come hell or high water. Some say this about McCain re his negatives, however, the neocons are already playing suck-face with with to save whatever chance they do have at maintaining some semblance of power. The one candidate McCain looks best against is Hillary. Hillary almost guarantees a close election. I’m not up for that, are you?
June is too late, Howard. May is late as it is. End this now!
A word about Michigan and Florida
Everyone’s votes should count. Unfortunately, Michigan didn’t have Obama on the ballot. Both bucked rules Clinton and Obama agreed (I believe but I may be wrong) to along with the DNC leadership. This whole thing could have been avoided by one simple step – a national primary for the party. Michigan should have a re-vote but everyone who voted to have the primary early should be fired from the Dem committees they are on. Florida should have the votes counted (assuming I have the states correct here). Regardless, we still have Obama in the lead in both delegates and popular. It’s a real shame too that some states won’t count too.
Wise up people. Get rid of delegates, super-delegates and the electoral college. Whatever happened to “of the people, by the people and for the people,” anyway? Oops! that was a Republican in the good sense of the word.