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Lula (1988-2006)

post from Shimmy's Blog on 11 May 2008 04:59:00 PM. © Shimmy's Blog

My cousin Lula divided her time between Sharon's apartment and a blanket in a bureau cabinet that used to contain sweaters. Lula kept close surveillance on her sister, Stubby, at the windowsill, in case a pigeon tried to fly into Stubby's mouth -- or to catch Stubby conspiring with the rhubarb, robin feathers, salmon, and yogurt flowers that peeked from cracks in the pavement below. Her favorite television show was anything by Lama Yeshe, and her favorite CD was Lama Zopa reciting the "Sutra for Entering the City of Vaishali." She taught Stubby how to guard their bowls on the kitchen floor so that Condoleezza Rice wouldn't steal their food or water. She fought the unseemly unrolling of the yoga mat and the jumpy frenzy of Sun Salutations. But Savasana is noiseless and benign -- they close their eyes and no one can pick you up or look at you -- and she always sat sideways in corpse-pose next to Sharon, purring and petted. May Lula have happiness and the causes of happiness, and be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.

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http://shimmykat.blogspot.com/2008/05/lula-1988-2006.html

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Whatever Happened To The Politics Of Contrast

post from TalkLeft on 11 May 2008 04:56:00 PM. © TalkLeft

A friend of mine writes this comment:

At one point in time Armando was one of this site's most passionate and articulate voices about ending racism and empowering people of color. As well as promoting a "politics of contrast." . . . Armando used to speak of a Lincoln 1860 strategy, but Hillary has been playing a Harrison 1840 strategy instead ("look at me! i can play the strong warrior champion of the white working class too!").

Short answer - Hillary Clinton is not a Politics of Contrast candidate. I am not a fan of Hillary Clinton's campaign. I defy anyone to find a post where I extol Hillary Clinton's candidacy or campaign. There are no such posts. And when racial comments were made by Clinton surrogates, I severely criticized those comments, including those by Bill Clinton.

More . . .

I have been extremely critical of the sexism and misogyny that has surrounded the coverage of Hillary Clinton's campaign by the Media and the Left blogs. I will remain so. My friend used to be a champion against sexism and misogyny. No longer, at least when it comes to Hillary Clinton. What happened to him?

As for the challenge "to show . . . how Hillary's attempt to employ the Nixon-Atwater-Rove playbook and rerun the 1988 election is exactly a "politics of contrast[,]" I demur. Both on the description and the substance. clinton's campaign has not been a Nixon-Atwater-Rove campaign nor has it been a Politics of Contrast campaign. My friend writes:

Armando used to speak of a Lincoln 1860 strategy, but Hillary has been playing a . . . "look at me! i can play the strong warrior champion of the white working class too!".

Indeed she has. Would that Obama learned some lessons on that. And there's the rub. The REAL issue my friend has is he does not like that I am critical of Barack Obama's failure to run a Politics of Contrast campaign. He has decided, as has most of the so called Left blogs, that unflinching allegiance to the Obama Movement is how being a progressive is defined now. I reject that categorically. Here is what my friend wrote:

This is Who Obama Is.

by eugene

The handwringing around the progressive blogosphere regarding Obama's Fox News appearance, including Open Left and our own bonddad, seems a bit like Captain Renault being shocked, shocked to discover that there is gambling going on at his establishment. (h/t to Paul Rosenberg for that.) Stoller is calling Obama's campaign right-wing enabling liars and bonddad is vowing to never vote for Obama again.

To which I have to ask: which Barack Obama have you been seeing these last four years? At the core of Obama's political philosophy is the belief that real divisions should not stand in the way of conversation. He has always believed that it is right and necessary for us to speak to folks on the other side of the aisle, to speak with our enemies. That to do so is a sign of strength, of problem-solving, and that it can be done without having to compromise any of our own values in the process.

I don't agree with this strategy. At all. But I respect it. I understand it. And I made my peace with it long ago when I came around to openly supporting Obama's candidacy at the beginning of the year. For progressives to suddenly complain about this suggests they either haven't been paying attention to Obama's core values, or have conveniently decided to only remember them now in order to beat him over the head.

(Emphasis supplied.) I do NOT agree with this strategy. I do NOT respect it. I have NOT made my peace with it. I am NOT suddenly complaining about it. I have been complaining about it for years and complain about it now and I will complain about it tomorrow.

My friend Eugene is comfortable with Obama's political style. I am not. And he complains because I do not agree with his acceptance and acquiescence with a political style that I believe damages Democratic values.

I deeply resent the implication that to NOT be for Obama is to no longer care about empowering people of color. It would be the equivalent of me accusing him of opposing empowering women because he does not support Hillary Clinton.

My friend Eugene asks "what happened to Armando?" My answer - nothing. I remain true to my principles, beliefs and prior writings. The question is what happened to people like my friend Eugene who used to believe in a Politics of Contrast but have decided it does not matter anymore. It still matters to me. As much as ever.

Speaking for me only

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TalkleftThePoliticsOfCrime/~3/288229202/314

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That's billion with a "b".

post from the field negro on 11 May 2008 04:51:00 PM. © the field negro

If you have heard this joke before hang with me while I tell it again.

I went on a blind date with a very attractive woman last night. When I say her I was so taken by her beauty that I asked her what she wanted to do. She told me she wanted to go to the most expensive place in town; so I took her to the gas station......Okay, so it's not exactly Pryoresque.

But I thought of that joke today while I was gassing up my car. $3.85 a gallon? Are you kidding me? And yet, as someone pointed out, a gallon of gas is still cheaper than a gallon of milk.

Honestly I don't know how some people are making it in this country. I do alright money wise, and I even noticed that the cost of things like groceries have shot up over the past few weeks. I suspect that this has something to do with the cost of fuel as well. After all, someone has to drive those groceries to the grocery store.

But how did this happen? Weren't the Iraqis supposed to be giving up their oil to us after we kicked their asses? Didn't we put an oil man in the White House for this very reason?

11.6 billion in one quarter that's how much Exxon made in profits last quarter. Nothing wrong with that of course, this is A-merry-ca, if the market demands it, they have every right to make money. But at what point does the market stop demanding it? When do A-merry-cans say enough? I suspect that if gas was $6 a gallon mofos would still be driving around in Ford Excursions, Hummers, and all sorts of big ass fuel guzzlers. And most folks would still jump in their cars and drive a quarter mile on a beautiful day to buy a newspaper, instead of just hoofing it. This is what we have become as A-merry-cans, we are lazy, and spoiled.

Now the conservatives are blaming the dumbocrats: They won't drill in the ANWR(Arctic National Wikdife Refuge), the damn environmentalist won't let us explore nuclear energy as an alternative to what we have now, we can drill off the coasts, and on an on. That, of course, is bullshit. Because no matter how much oil the oil companies drill, they will still not release it all to the market. No, they will hold back to create demand just like the Arabs are doing now. We have been down this road before. Give these corporations a chance to make more profit and guess what they will do? Make more profit. And if you think they will pass it down to you, the consumer, I have a slightly cracked bell here in Philly to sell you.

So now one of the hottest sellers at Pep Boys is the gas caplock. This is the case because people steal gas now, and it's only getting worse. People in our area have been going to the mall with a full tank of gas, and after a full day of shopping, they find themselves heading back to a car with an empty tank of gas. Talk about a mood killer.

Every now and then I see signs that A-merry-cans are reaching their breaking point. But then as I sat stuck in traffic on Bustleton Avenue this Saturday--- of all days, I had to rethink my position. Here in A-merry-ca we are still driving every damn where, and it doesn't look like the gas price is effecting our habits very much.

So we will keep bitching and moaning, the oil companies, and Manny Moe and Jack will continue to get rich, and the politricksters that we send to Washington will keep pointing fingers at each other to score political points.

I should have bought a hybrid.

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http://field-negro.blogspot.com/2008/05/thats-billion-with-b.html

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A Third Bush Term

post from MyDD on 11 May 2008 04:48:11 PM. © MyDD

I don't think this is exactly how the GOP wants this election to play out... WOLF BLITZER: You just heard Congressman Van Hollen say that he represents a third Bush term. You know how unpopular the job approval numbers are right now. HOUSE GOP WHIP ROY[...]

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/mydd/~3/288228905/834

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Halliburton/KBR is the kindest, bravest, warmest,
most wonderful corporation Ive ever known in my life.

post from Firedoglake on 11 May 2008 04:40:59 PM. © Firedoglake

Ex-Washington Times editor Robert Stacy McCain defends meek trembling KBR/Halliburton from the greedy advances of Jamie Leigh Jones. So, you know, a few bad apples who happen to work for KBR gang-rape Jones, and it all kind of ends there. Er. Not[...]

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http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2008/05/11/halliburtonkbr-is-the-kindest-bravest-war
mest-most-wonderful-corporation-ive-ever-known-in-my-life/

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Harwood: McCain ‘Has Benefited From Very
Friendly Press Coverage For Many Years’

post from Think Progress on 11 May 2008 04:33:00 PM. © Think Progress

During a discussion of the possible presidential general election match-up between Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and John McCain (R-AZ) on Meet the Press this morning, John Harwood — CNBC correspondent and New York Times political writer — said that the McCain campaign is already “trying to work the referees in advance” to argue that Obama gets more favorable media coverage than McCain.

But Harwood noted that some would find McCain’s strategy “ironic” because the press — whom according to Harwood were McCain’s “base” in 2000 — have been “very friendly” to McCain over the years:

HARWOOD: Now John McCain has benefited from very friendly press coverage for many years, but he’s going to try to argue, which will have a corollary benefit of rally conservatives if he can pull it off, of saying the press wants Obama to win. I?m pushing back?
RUSSERT: In 2000, Fohn McCain referred to the press as his base.
HARWOOD: They were his base.

Watch it:

video details and more

Indeed, the press have been “very friendly” to McCain, who has even reciprocated with kind gestures of his own. After hosting a barbecue last March for reporters covering his campaign, one attendee from the AP wrote an article shortly thereafter calling McCain a “man of the people” for taking a high-speed train despite noting he rode first class.

But as a number of high profile political reporters have noted, someday the media will scrutinize McCain, they’re just not sure when.

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http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/11/harwood-mccain-press/

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For Moms Everywhere

post from The Liberal Doomsayer on 11 May 2008 04:32:00 PM. © The Liberal Doomsayer

To quote Frank Sinatra, "Happy Mother's Day, all you muthas out there"...

Seriously, I thought this was actually a good column from Tom Friedman (his work has improved since he's decided not to peddle propaganda on behalf of the Iraq war).

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http://liberaldoomsayer.blogspot.com/2008/05/for-moms-everywhere.html

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WSJ's Henninger called Cindy McCain's refusal to
release tax returns "a fairly marginal issue," but WSJ urged Heinz Kerry to release hers

On the May 9 edition ofCNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, hostLou Dobbs said of the refusal of Sen. John McCain's wife, Cindy McCain,to release her tax returns: "Whose business is it anyway? She would be if he's elected, firstlady, whose business is it? And to hear all this nonsense, at least tome?" In response, Wall Street Journaldeputy editorial page editor Dan Henninger asserted, "I think it'sa fairly marginal issue." But in a July 1, 2004, editorial,the Journal asserted that it was"past time" for[...]

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http://feeds.mediamatters.org/~r/mediamatters/latest/~3/288217865/200805110001

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This Week: Campaign Surrogate Carly Fiorina
Doesnt Believe In Economists

First thing, was anyone else get surprised by the uncharacteristically accurate title given to Carly Fiorina in this segment of This Week with George Stephanopoulos? Normally, aren’t these surrogates usually called “advisors”? I guess I have to give the chyron operators credit for calling a spade a spade.John McCain has admitted that he [...]

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http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/05/11/this-week-campaign-surrogate-carly-fiori
na-doesnt-believe-in-economists/

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The Obama in the Room at Jenna Bush’s
Wedding

Seems the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, a Methodist and longtime Bush religious advisor, is a backer of Barack Obama. He presided last night at Jenna Bush’s wedding. From the NY Times:

The wedding, which began at 7:30 p.m., took place on the Bush ranch, before a white limestone altar erected next to a man-made lake. The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston officiated at the ceremony. Mr. Caldwell, a longtime religious adviser to Mr. Bush, has endorsed Senator Barack Obama.

Man, to lose the support of even your religious advisor! That’s got to say even more than Bush’s historic disapproval ratings.

Read The Full Article:
http://allspinzone.com/wp/2008/05/11/the-obama-in-the-room-at-jenna-bushs-wedding
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