Exit Polls: It's Still a Boy's Club

post from The Zaftig Redhead on 10 February 2008 10:44:00 PM. © The Zaftig Redhead

It seems that Barack Obama won the trifecta Saturday, winning all three contests being waged. And then Sunday, he won Maine for the weekend sweep -- damn, they just love him in the caucuses, don't they? Now it's off to the Mid-Atlantic for the Potomac Primary. While the Democratic horserace continues, there is one undeniable fact that puts a smile on the face of everyone down at the DNC: voters are stampeding their polling places, shattering all previous turnout records. This, of course, is a signal of trouble ahead for the Republicans -- but really, who needed another sign? Huckabee's staying power and Ann Coulter saying she'd vote for Hillary if McCain got the nod pretty much assures me the Grand Old Party is in wonderful disarray (although one could've wished Mitt woulda stuck around for a few more weeks -- I mean, it's not like he didn't have the buckage. Bet his sons are glad their inheritance is preserved, though).

But despite this good news, I received a question recently from one of my readers that prompted a little deeper introspection about recent results. Now, I don't want to dampen anyone's spirits, or rain on anyone's parade, or take the air out of anyone's balloon, or... well, you get the picture, and I've run out of metaphors. But given the demographic breakdown of the voters in the contests held thus far, it seems there is a question that must be asked: what's up with the white guys? They have hopped on board the Obama Express with unpredicted enthusiasm. Not to take anything away from the senator from Illinois, but the white guys have broken for him in such large numbers it begs the question asked by my learned reader: is change from a white man to a black man the only acceptable kind of change to that particular voting block? This question becomes even more noteworthy when recent horserace polls reveal that lots of white guys who vote for Obama against McCain, change their minds and vote for McCain in a hypothetical against Clinton.

The initial, general consensus was that Barak Obama would never fly in Middle America: African American, funny name, not enough experience, up against the Clinton Machine, blah, blah, blah, etc. But the exit polls have told a very different story. Obama didn't just clear the continental divide, he soared over purple mountain's majesty and vaulted amber waves of grain. I am inclined to agree with my learned reader on at least part of the reason for Obama's success, and it is simply this: at the end of the day, race trumps gender in this country -- at least for the white guys. It's been a running debate, long before this momentus election -- which would come first, a black president or a woman president. Interestingly enough, in this election we are faced with a direct test of that conundrum. And, while Obama and Clinton are pretty much neck and neck, amongst white men the choice is crystalizing: they prefer that the presidency stay a boys' club.

Now, before I get any angry messages from other readers, of course I understand that voters' choices are also informed by the particular qualities of that specific black man and the qualities of that specific woman who happen to be running. Lots of folks are voting for Obama because he is downright inspiring, and lots of folks are voting for Hillary because she's got gold star experience. Likewise, there are folks who aren't voting for Obama because they're concerned he's not quite ready for primetime, and not voting for Hillary because of the rather noticeable suitcases permanently strapped to her back.

Nevertheless, all that aside, the exit polls for white men nationwide are still striking, and not only worth the mention but worth the deeper question as to whether the nation as a whole is comfortable with the idea of a woman president. Bravo, as my reader notes, to the Hispanic guys who are apparently secure enough in their machismo to pull the lever for Hillary in really high numbers. And, white and Latino women and older people still love Hillary, and they really really like to vote, too. This has balanced out Obama's huge popularity amongst African Americans and his clear advantage with white men. What's interesting and notable, though, is that women supporters of Hillary say they'll happily vote for Obama in November if he's the nominee. Likewise African Americans should Clinton prevail. The white guys, though, have not made the same unity pledge to Hillary. Is it her? Maybe? Is it her gender? Sadly, that answer is also... maybe.

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-boys-club.html

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British Olympic team ordered to remain silent
while in China

post from AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth on 10 February 2008 10:30:00 PM. © AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

Obviously athletes are going to be there to compete in whatever it is that they do, but to specifically order the team to not discuss anything that may be politically sensitive is pathetic. I think China will be just fine regardless of what an athlete from a foreign country might say, but the UK Olympic association sure is taking a hit on the issue of freedom of speech. This is not exactly what I would expect from an otherwise democratic country that values freedom of speech. If China is unable to handle a few words in English by foreigners (and I believe they can) then they have much bigger problems. What an incredibly stupid and cowardly idea by the BOA.

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GRAPHIC VIDEO: Beef & "Small Government" in
Action

post from Acropolis Review on 10 February 2008 10:29:00 PM. © Acropolis Review

This is disturbing video revealing the effects of a USDA which has had its enforcement authority...

This is the content summary only. Visit www.acropolisreview.blogspot.com for more.

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Krugman Needs New Material, Part Infinity

post from THE LIBERAL JOURNAL on 10 February 2008 10:27:00 PM. © THE LIBERAL JOURNAL

It?s Monday again, meaning it?s Krugman?s column day, so Obama supporters brace yourselves. Here are some of the juicy excerpts (in italics):

?Why, then, is there so much venom out there?

I won?t try for fake evenhandedness here: most of the venom I see is coming from supporters of Mr. Obama, who want their hero or nobody. I?m not the first to point out that the Obama campaign seems dangerously close to becoming a cult of personality. We?ve already had that from the Bush administration ? remember Operation Flight Suit? We really don?t want to go there again.?

Krugman attacks Obama supporters and then makes a bizarre analogy to Bush, because mentioning Bush?s name, even if there is no line of logic, makes Obama look weawy, weawy baaad.

Obama supporters, who are a mostly reasonable and well-educated bunch, are not cultists. Rather, it has been Mr. Krugman, which has dedicated at least one column a week for the past ten weeks or so telling us how bad Obama will be. And the vast majority of the time, Krugman has one lonely issue to point to?mandates. And even though Bob Reich thinks Krugman could be completely wrong on that issue, Krugman presses on.

Krugman refuses to put as much scrutiny on foreign policy as the singular issue of healthcare mandates. Hillary Clinton perpetuated the propaganda that 9/11 and Iraq were linked, and voted for this war without reading the NIE, and receives boatloads of money from defense contractors, and voted for a bill which declared Iran?s special forces as a terrorist group.

And basing my decision on these facts makes me an irrational cultist? Hardly.

?What?s particularly saddening is the way many Obama supporters seem happy with the application of ?Clinton rules? ? the term a number of observers use for the way pundits and some news organizations treat any action or statement by the Clintons, no matter how innocuous, as proof of evil intent.

[?]

During the current campaign, Mrs. Clinton?s entirely reasonable remark that it took L.B.J.?s political courage and skills to bring Martin Luther King Jr.?s dream to fruition was cast as some kind of outrageous denigration of Dr. King.?

Actually there was a series of incidents, which collectively did show a pattern of injecting racial imagery into the campaign. It?s these types of incidents which are supposed to differentiate Republicans from Democrats. But Krugman disregards the others and picks one out and dismiss it. If this nothing wrong was done, why is Bill Clinton making apology tours?

?And the latest prominent example came when David Shuster of MSNBC, after pointing out that Chelsea Clinton was working for her mother?s campaign ? as adult children of presidential aspirants often do ? asked, ?doesn?t it seem like Chelsea?s sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?? Mr. Shuster has been suspended, but as the Clinton campaign rightly points out, his remark was part of a broader pattern at the network.

I call it Clinton rules, but it?s a pattern that goes well beyond the Clintons. For example, Al Gore was subjected to Clinton rules during the 2000 campaign: anything he said, and some things he didn?t say (no, he never claimed to have invented the Internet), was held up as proof of his alleged character flaws.

For now, Clinton rules are working in Mr. Obama?s favor. But his supporters should not take comfort in that fact.?

This is the Clintons are battle-tested argument. Let?s get things straight. Bill Clinton may not have won if it wasn?t for Ross Perot in 1992. He won in 1996 because he began governing like a moderate Republican midway through his first term. If anything, the Clinton?s political prowess has reached one of mythical, or dare I say, cultlike proportions.

Instead of asking whether Obama is tough enough to beat McCain (when polls consistently showing him picking up many more independents than Billary), maybe we should ask how tough the Clintons will be if they can?t even beat a ?naïve idealist? in a primary where they were heavily favored. You know, especially considering how they keep shuffling their campaign every few weeks and their now former campaign manager wasn?t even answering simple phone calls. Let?s try that line of argument just once.

?I?d like to see more moments like that, perhaps starting with strong assurances from both Democratic candidates that they respect their opponents and would support them in the general election.?

If party unity is Krugman?s overriding principle, maybe it is time he stopped comparing Obama to Bush and started practicing what he preaches. Even if Krugman believed so strongly that Obama is the wrong candidate, it is somewhat hypocritical to concurrently assert that Obama supporters should not be as vociferous in their support. Especially when they have legitimate grievances about his candidate--arguments which he doesn?t even address.

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http://liberaljournal.blogspot.com/2008/02/krugman-needs-new-material-part.html

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Time Magazine Hillary Photo

post from TalkLeft on 10 February 2008 10:26:00 PM. © TalkLeft

Is this an appropriate photo of Hillary Clinton for Time Magazine? Not to my mind. I think it's very offensive. Not just the depiction, but the uneven anatomy. Gross.

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An Open Letter to Senator Charles Schumer

post from Docudharma - Front Page on 10 February 2008 10:19:59 PM. © Docudharma - Front Page

To the honorable Senator Schumer,Hello sir! It is unlikely that you know who I am, although I have written to you before and even once had the pleasure of working with your daughter. But I hope you will take a moment to hear what I have to[...]

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Maine Caucuses and Superdelegates

post from Open Left - Front Page on 10 February 2008 10:16:19 PM. © Open Left - Front Page

I was on Al Jazeera tonight for about three minutes with host Anand Naidoo, and I actually learned[...]

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Cheney trying to block video taped depositions in
the Denver/Secret Service case

post from Crooks and Liars on 10 February 2008 10:00:55 PM. © Crooks and Liars

Cheney has been trying to hide from this case for a while now: The office of Vice President Dick Cheney is seeking to block the release of videotaped depositions given by two aides who witnessed a physical encounter between an Iraq war opponent and Cheney. In a motion filed Saturday, Cheney’s office contended that [...]

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Some Iraqi bloggers losing hope

post from Out Of Iraq Bloggers Caucus on 10 February 2008 09:44:00 PM. © Out Of Iraq Bloggers Caucus

Photo: A door riddled with bullet holes from a joint raid conducted by the Iraqi and U.S. Forces is seen as a boy walks out from a house in Baghdad's Sadr City February 7, 2008. (Kareem Raheem/Reuters)

Sunshine talks about the hard times in her city of Mosul, but she is one of the few bloggers who still seems hopeful. But as you can see, her situation is very difficult:

On Wednesday the situation was really bad, in the morning there were shooting all the time, at 4:30 pm I was combing my hair, and about to continue studying, something like an earth-quake happened, without thinking I knew it?s an explosion, I didn?t have time to run or hide, BOOOOOOOM, I felt like the blaster pushed me, I ran, and tried to avoid something but it hit me, I wasn?t sure what was it, smoke filled the rooms, I was glad to see everyone ok, I went to my room to see what has happened to it, the thing that hit me was my mug, and thank god we didn?t have many losses, I saw an orange smoke, we thought it was CL gas, so we put wet towels on our noses, grandpa and dad closed all the windows, and replaced the broken ones with cartoons ..
In the next day, my mom went to work, she said there were so many people in the hospital, and from time to time a family would go out crying loud because their wounded member died, it was a painful view..
On Thursday morning I couldn?t study well, there was a fight in the street behind our house, and I had to stay in the corridor, I was angry, and told grandma when she asked me to stay in a safe place ?THE TERRORISTS ARE CHALLENGING ME, BUT I WILL STUDY NO MATTER WHAT? so I brought my books, sat on the floor, and studied , at noon, I got a phone call from my headmistress , she said Z was very badly injured, I couldn?t take it anymore, I lost my ability to tolerate, I was devastated, and I had a killing headache..

Sunshine has some even more hopeful words to say about the recent massive bombing in Mosul:

There were many terrible stories, people lost their whole family members, mothers lost their kids, etc, you most saw that in TV. But I heard stories made me feel how great people the Iraqis are.

I heard a talk show in the radio, when A man said ? I was in the hospital in the day of explosion, and I saw the ambulances bringing people injured very badly, I wanted to help but didn?t know what to do, so I took my car, went to a neighborhood and started to shout ? an explosion happened in a neighborhood, many people were injured, is there any one willing to donate with blood?? and I came to the hospital with about 25 guys?

Many people called and adopted the orphans, many people donated with money, clothes, & medicines, my mom and her friend called every dentist they knew collected money to the wounded people.

A man called the radio and his words touched my heart he said ?I don?t have money to give, but I?ll work for free and re-build the destroyed houses and shops? and he gave the reporter his number, the world needs more people like him.

Amazing words from someone living in a war zone who is only 16 years old!

Baghdad Dentist also talked about the massive bombing in Mosul, where he is currently living. He called it a disaster.

even the word disaster doesnt describe the crime happened there. as if a nuclear bomb were thrown there.the trees were 100metre away. the bricks of the buildings were everywhere.the power cables were in pieces allover the place. i couldnt distinguish the houses from each other and from the shops. a cyclon is less less destructive. i stood astonished there. i havent seen like this only when the b52 aircraft bombed one of the buildings during war in baghdad. without any exaggeration 20 houses were severly ruined up and nearly 35 affected. who was that monster who did it? he is the evil himself. the people who live in this area are poor and lovely and they can't harm a creature. one is working and doing his best to build a house and to grow his children up in a life with dignity and in a second all this just vanished so easily. after all i have seen I went back home and pain was tearing my heart.

Treasure of Baghdad watched the video released of Iraqi children being trained as ?al qaeda? although some of the training seems to him to be regular military training. He identifies the children and their adult trainers as being Iraqi from the accent. He thinks the trainers are former members of Iraqi?s military which was disbanded in 2003.

God! What does Iraq have anymore? The entire new generation is going down. It is impossible Iraq would improve or return to its former shape at least after having this new generation destroyed. Of course, they are destroyed! They have nothing to see except death, bombs, warplanes, helicopters, dead and wounded bodies, shootings, beheadings etc? It has been five years since the war started. It has been five years of their eight or ten years, seeing all of these things in front of their eyes. It?s been five years of complete failure of the Iraqi politicians to sit down and see how grave the danger surrounding us has become. It has been five years of concentrating on who gets more, who changes the flag, and who prays for God. It?s been five damned years and all Iraqis could see is nothing but collapse, segregation, hatred, and blast walls surrounding their once opened neighborhoods.

He concludes by saying that ?And you know what? It?s not only al-Qaeda whom we should blame for that. It?s a lot of people.?

A Star from Mosul is in college in Mosul, and she reports on what is happening in her city and her life. She talks about two university professors who were killed and the massive explosion in her town. She titled her piece Dead Zone.

It is a bad dream, but that's it, it doesn't end. You just have to live through it and put all your feelings in some jar because they won't do you any good. During the exams a car bomb exploded in our street and broke some of the windows.. And during the exams, and in the midst of the mess, they decided to change the flag. And they did. And we the people didn't have a say in this.. They're just way too wise to be true.

Now it's the break.. and I hate breaks.. I'm sitting here at home waiting for the decisive battle on Mosul.. I'm waiting for them to come search the house.. and I do not feel like writing, so excuse me.

She sums it up with this sentence: ?In short very little is going right, and the situation in Mosul is going from really bad to much worse.?

In Last of Iraqis blog, Mohammad says good bye to Iraq. He is 25 years old and a dentist living in Baghdad, and is planning on immigrating to Jordan. The title of his blog ?Last of Iraqis? came from his belief that he might be the last Iraqi in Iraq, and his fear that Iraqis are going to be extinct. Mohammad completely rejects the new Iraqi flag, and is very distressed about what has happened to his country, and distressed that he feels forced to leave.

Nothing is like it used to be in my country?.or what used to be my country?poor Iraq, everything beautiful in it was destroyed, everything was stolen, they even messed with the most important thing that identifies it, they even messed with the great and beautiful Iraqi flag, I wonder when will they change it's name claiming that it's a Baathiests name or Saddamists name!!!!
I wonder when will they have enough of messing around and destroying our country, I wonder when will those idiots who calls them selves politicians working for a new Iraq stop messing up Iraq!
They changed the flag, the great Iraqi flag the rolled the dead bodies of the brave soldier whether Shiite, Sunni or Kurds?.it's the flag the covered the coffins of millions of Iraqis it's the flag that fluttered for many years in the Iraqi sky.

Neurotic Iraqi wife reports on an encounter with an acquaintance in a post called The Silently Grieving Black Veils. At first she did not recognize her, then the women took off her sunglasses and veil. Neurotica was disturbed by the change she saw in this women, and started to question why and if this total change in dress was only in Basra. This is what her acquaintance had to say:

She stopped applying her makeup, turned towards me and said in the saddest voice ever ?Oh Neurotica, this is happening everywhere in Iraq, not just in Basrah or here but everywhere. We have become easy targets for those animal extremists?. The sadness in her voice slowly turned into anger. ?Yes we suffered under Saddam?s regime, but atleast then, we knew who to blame. Now Neurotica, now, we don?t even know who to point the finger at? The Sadr Militias? The Badr Brigades? The Al Qaeda Wahabi extremists? Who do we blame Neurotica? Even the US forces are guilty.?

?I don?t even know if my neighbour will tell on me, or my friend. Or that old man I buy the vegetables from. Or that small boy sitting in the corner begging. I don?t know who will shoot me first. The militia? The police? The Americans? Or maybe a drug addict, or a drunk man? Who is it gonna be? If it wasn?t for my elderly parents I would have left long long time ago."

But the saddest post that I have run across recently was written by HNK. She is a young college student living in Mosul, and the younger sister to A Star From Mosul blogger. This one really broke my heart.

Ended Life, Killed Laughter

Breathless, hopeless, and fatigue
That's what I am now..

I am between the devil and the deep blew see
and between them

I am wishing I am never be...

What can you say after that? Updated information on Iraq at Iraq Today blog. Updated pictures of Iraqis at Faces of Grief blog. If you would like to help bring an Iraqi child to the US for medical treatment, please go to No More Victims website.

Read The Full Article:
http://ooibc.blogspot.com/2008/02/some-iraqi-bloggers-losing-hope.html

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Campaign Soundtracks

An important element of any campaign is the music they play on the campaign trail. It is Presidential Campaigning 101 -The Soundtrack. The tone of the music is important.....it needs to be upbeat, catchy, relevant, and double bonus points for patriotism. The music steadily builds into that crescendo moment when the candidate takes the stage to raucous applause and waves of enthusiasm. The exit theme sends you out into the world with a little spring in your step and a sense of purpose.

Given that most artists - and reality - are known to have a liberal bias, there are a plethora of anthems for the Democrats to choose from. Barack Obama gets it going when U2's City of Blinding Lights comes pouring out of the loud speakers. Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Along the way he has also used Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and Jackie Wilson...reportedly selected by him from his own iPod.

Hillary had a contest on her site to let voters pick her music. She uses a mix of The Police, KT Tunstall, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Dolly Parton, Bachman Turner Overdrive, and Celine Dion (selected by the fans). The Clintons' selected Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop" as the theme for their inauguration and the band reunited for the gala. It was dreamy. Good times.

The Republicans must have a harder time finding music because there are only a handful of widely-known "conservative" artists. Lee Greenwood comes to mind, but I'm hard pressed to think of others - particularly any relevant to today's music scene. Britney Spears supported Bush, but she probably wouldn't be the best asset on the campaign trail these days. And, conservative hip-hop isn't so hip. So, it shouldn't be much of a surprise that the GOP set lists are full of liberal artists and themes. It must have started when Reagan used "Born in the USA" (which The Boss didn't appreciate). Since then, many GOP contenders have selected songs which sound patriotic - no matter what the true message of the song might be - and played them ad nauseam to throngs of adoring fans who can't be bothered to listen to the real meaning of the lyrics. Just like they can't be bothered to look beyond the GOP sound bites that have them voting against their own good.

So, how do GOP contenders get down at campaign stops? From the recently departed Mitt:

A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley
Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Heart Of Gold - Neil Young
More Than A Feeling - Boston
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet - BTO
Such Great Heights - Postal Service
Right Now - Van Halen

Mitt got his wish. Looks like we are going to be having a lot less conversation with him. But what about Lynyrd Skynyrd? Neil Young? Van Halen? Those don't sound like conservative bands to me. I would love to have been a fly on the wall when Neil Young found out that Mitt Romney was using his music.

And, despite the fact that he's long gone from the race, I can't help but post 9iu11ani's music. Given that Rudy's campaign was entirely about Rudy, it will probably come as no surprise that his music was entirely about....Rudy:

Rudie Can't Fail - The Clash
Music from the movie Rudy
Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor
Stand Back - Stevie Nicks
Fly Like An Eagle - Seal
Life Is A Highway - Rascal Flatts
Best Of Both Worlds - Van Halen

Mike Huckabee prefers Southern Rock and seems to be a big Skynyrd fan. He regularly joins in on bass with a local band at campaign stops. No wonder he has connected so well with GOP Southerners on the campaign trail:

Whatever the band is playing
Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
R.O.C.K In The USA - John Mellencamp

And finally......the maverick himself.....John McCain. What in the world does an infamous rebel play for his intro music? ABBA. No.....I'm not kidding:

Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
Take A Chance On Me - ABBA
All At Once by The Fray
I Won't Back Down - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
I Will Hold My Ground - Darryl Worley
Let's Get It Started - Black Eyed Peas
Theme From Rocky - Bill Conti

The Black Eyed Peas? Tom Petty? Freakin' ABBA? These are the bands and lyrics that represent John McCain? Well, until recently, there was one more on the list.....John Mellencamp. McCain had been playing "Our Country" and "Pink Houses", but John Mellencamp has had enough and asked the Maverick refrain from using his songs. Being the Maverick that he is, McCain honored his request and promptly dropped the songs from his playlist. After watching McCain get clobbered this weekend, one has to wonder if pleading for voters to "take a chance" is the best theme song after all. So, just for fun, what should McCain's music be as he heads into the general election?