The Veep Guessing Game

We should know by Friday (or, Thursday when the Obama camp promises to ‘leak’ the choice to selected bloggers who will immediately ‘leak’ it to the rest of us). Who will it be? Will we be surprised? Disgusted? Outraged? Glad?

Don’t know if I have a favorite in this beauty contest. I’ve heard a lot of things, and thought about others. I’ve heard Hillary is out of the running, but she sure seems to still feel it’s her ‘right’ to be on the ticket. And given that she got half the votes cast, she may have a point. But how effective could Obama’s leadership be if he had a 2-fer on the Veep end that worked constantly against his policies and hogging the spotlight? So no, I wouldn’t be happy to see Hillary’s name drawn.

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Oh John, You Handsome Cad!

Well folks, it’s 8-8-08, which of course means it’s the End of the World. Right on cue, it’s revealed that John Edwards, best-looking Presidential Wannabe in this nation’s history, was revealed today to have enjoyed an extramarital affair. Might even have fathered one of America’s many (a majority these days) “fatherless” bastards. Wow. I’m so not frothing.

No, we don’t use the word “bastard” anymore to talk about REAL fatherless children. We call him or her our “Love Child.” It’s been that way since the 1960s, becomes more popular every year. Yet the leftist Democratic blogosphere goes absolutely ballistic over this non-news, as if the socialist-leaning, populist, progressive population is this country isn’t the exclusive enclave of Hippies who managed to live through those glorious ’60s (and their children, and their grandchildren, many/most of them fatherless or on step-father #4 by now).

Suddenly they’re all strict Old Testament moralists of the Pharisee variety, buying fake beards and arming themselves with stones. It’s just enough hard core, disgusting hypocrisy to make me sick to my stomach. Get a life, people!

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Edwards Finally Endorses Obama!

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton soundly won Tuesday’s (May 13) West Virginia primary 2-1, surprising no one. On Wednesday evening (May 14) ex-presidential candidate John Edwards formally endorsed Barack Obama.

“There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to create one America - not two - and that man is Barack Obama,” Edwards said at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Things did look a little iffy recently, when some of Edwards’ campaign staff worked on behalf of Clinton prior to the North Carolina primary on May 6. Edwards is a North Carolina resident and ex-Senator for the state. Obama in turn embraced Edwards’ Half In Ten initiative to reduce poverty in the U.S. by 50% within the next ten years.

Additionally, on Thursday, May 15 Obama received the endorsement of the United Steelworkers union. This fight may soon be over, the better to take on Republican candidate John McCain in the real race to the White House. The full endorsement speech is available in the videos below, parts 1 and 2:

Part 1

Part 2

Links:
Ex-Rival Edwards Throws His Support to Obama
John Edwards: “We must come together…”
Steelworkers Endorse Obama
Half In Ten

Texas, Ohio, Vermont, Rhode Island…

AAARRRRRGGGGH!!!!!

Well, John McCain locked up the Republican primary last night, and his only remaining rival Mike Huckabee good-naturedly dropped out as expected.

But alas, neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton managed to lock up anything - though God knows they should probably think about locking up their most rabid supporters, who aren’t the least bit shy of ravaging the Party while lobbing nasty epithets at each other.

I’d say it’s a problem with our primary system, which does have many problems, but I don’t really think it’s that. I think people are just too emotionally involved with personalities, and not very well-versed on how politics actually work in this country. Where “Machines” generally run the show and the best any candidate can do is hope to contribute to the policy platform come convention time.

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The Health Care Plans: Worthless

Now that I’m over my disappointment in the sudden withdrawal of John Edwards from the nomination race, I’m back to officially “undecided.” I’ve reservations about both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, beginning on the policy side with health care.

Since both Clinton and Obama developed their plans while taking large campaign contributions from insurers, it’s not surprising that their plans are “insurer-friendly.” Both involve mandates requiring citizens to purchase health insurance from an insurance company. Both avoid highlighting problems with the way insurance works as the reason our system is in such outrageous disarray.

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Corporate Media versus John Edwards

We in the political blogosphere who have a low opinion of the various celebrity puppets, talking heads and pompous clowns of the major news organizations used to call it “Mainstream Media” - MSM for short. Not really wondering why they always echoed right-wing talking points, or make bad attempts to pass off blatant propaganda, disinformation and Britney’s latest pantyless booze-binge as real news.

Now the buzzword is “Corporate Owned Media” - COM - for short. COM is actually more accurate, given the major media’s heavy-handed attempts to control the 2008 primaries (as well as which Democrat we’ll get for President in November, since Republicans don’t have a prayer). But these last couple of weeks definitely take the cake.

I am complaining about the decision of the COM to pointedly ignore John Edwards as a viable candidate for the Democratic nomination and pretend that the only ones running are Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Despite the FACT that after 1 primary and 1 caucus (of 49, Michigan doesn’t count), John Edwards BEAT Hillary Clinton in Iowa and the delegate count is very close. The split works out thusly:

Obama: 25
Clinton: 24
Edwards: 18

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Let’s Talk Nukes and Politics

I consider health care to be the #1 concern for the future viability of this nation, though oil wars/energy independence, revamped ag policies top to bottom and regulatory housecleaning across the board are all important issues as well.

Under the heading of energy policies, I’m going to have to weigh in on the whole renewed “nuclear option” horsehockey disguising itself as a cure for global warming and a means to energy independence in the 21st century. Nuclear power is a pig not even in its poke anymore - it’s fat and ugly, it’s voraciously greedy, it’s arrogant of its filth, and it can’t even fly. Hogzilla Unleashed.

We tried to leash it, honest. Succeeded for more than a quarter of a century, too. But they think we’re all dead now, or maybe just so old we’ve forgotten. We have not.

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The Iowa Surprise Package: Analysis

Obama! …and Huck?!?

The Dems

For those of us who weren’t thrilled with the idea of revolving political dynasties - the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton mantra - Iowa’s caucuses came as a refreshing surprise. Given Hillary’s “brass balls” approach to belligerent foreign policy, obvious ties to Big Business and business as usual, and her penchant for dirty politics, I think she got what she deserved - a sound slap-down.

It’s not that I like Barack Obama that much either, or that the mostly rural, stoically rustic population of Iowa is a particularly good representative of America in general (or the political leanings of the nation). But when Hillary Clinton set her staffers on Obama with repeats of already established lies and smears, it’s gratifying that Iowans turned against her in droves. The *last* thing this country needs is just another dirty politician in a bad suit.

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“Suffer the little children…”

President Bush promised in July to veto legislation reauthorizing and expanding the decade old State Children’s Insurance Program [SCHIP] to include about 3.3 million more children in addition to the 6.6 million already enrolled, and expanding eligibility requirements. The bill had bipartisan support on the Hill, but Bush objected on philosophical grounds.

The philosophy is well known by now - Grover Norquist’s vision of shrinking government until it’s small enough to “drown in a bathtub.” Which might seem hypocritical coming from the man responsible for the largest increase in government since the New Deal, but we’re not supposed to notice that. This is the man who glibly sells our children’s economic future to China at the rate of $10 billion per month ($3,800 per second) just to keep his war of aggression going against the nation of Iraq. So it can’t really be about cost…

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