Is there some "politicians wear flag pins at all times" norm he's violating that I just didn't know about? I'm having trouble with the back-story here.
Which part of the whole thing, Fobama Labs?
When I was competing in this national moot court competition, me and my partner noticed that all the contestants from a particular school were wearing flag pins on their lapels. My friend was like "what's up with the pins?" and this girl said "well, you can get them on the internet...". My friend said "no, I mean why are you all wearing them?" She kept sputtering. It was pretty funny.
I think they thought it was going to make them look cool/political/official or something. Maybe it worked, I guess; a team from their school won the regional (we came in 4th.. bastards).
There is no back story, it's a bullshit excuse to attack a Dem candidate. Anyway, I have no doubt they're all going to be recalled for containing too much lead paint. "Vote Obama- the only candidate without brain damage."
luckily we have a mere 13 months left. there's no way it could get any more ridiculous in that short amount of time.
I dunno. I'm inclined to accept this as being, in some sense, a legitimate topic of conversation. It was Obama who chose to make this an issue of principle.
It's a shame that the principle involved seems to have gone unexamined.
there's no way it could get any more ridiculous
This is a phrase that the cumulative events of the past 6 years or so should have effectively banned.
I understand Obama pronounces the word "shibboleth" as "sibboleth," too.
I'm considering throwing the much coveted helpy-chalk endorsement to Obama, in part because someone has to beat Hillary, and I don't think Edwards can do it. Does anyone know offhand how he polls against the republican frontrunners?
I saw Goody Obama dancing with the devil!
Goody Obama has often laughed in church!
Wait, do Clinton or Edwards wear flag pins? I thought by now flag pins were universally acknowledged to be the equivalent of yellow ribbon stickers - empty displays of false patriotism by jingoistic right-wing yahoos.
11: I think Obama is getting heat because he openly said that flag pins are empty displays of false patriotism by jingoistic right wing yahoos. Another reason I like him.
It seems that Edwards's decision to accept matching funds pretty much rules him out as the nominee, right? So it really is a two-person race on the Democratic side.
Edwards's decision to accept matching funds pretty much rules him out as the nominee, right
Only if people decide not to vote for him based on that.
12: Those are really good numbers for Edwards. But isn't a vote for Edwards right now a vote for Hillary?
Yeah, if he wins he'll have less money for the summer, but not no money. I can't see that as insurmountable.
You should probably ignore the polls this far out. Vote for who you like best.
13: The most heartening thing about Obama, to me at least, has been his tendency to make off-the-cuff remarks that are remarkably reasonable, and that drive the lunatic Beltway consensus apeshit. If his "gaffes" are in fact indicative of his instincts, then he's one of the good guys.
Yes, but I'm tired of voting for people like Kucinich.
I was assuming you were reasonable in the first place, helpy-chalk*. My bad.
*I outsource Kucinich-hating to snarkout; take it up with him.
You should probably ignore the polls this far out.
Can we agree this is true for all values of 'this far out'?
if he wins he'll have less money for the summer
The campaign has said that he's only accepting matching funds for the primaries, not the general election.
He can't use general-election funds until he's officially nominated at the convention.
24: Could the party reschedule the convention for a hotel room somewhere in early April to get around that technicality? They could still have the giant useless party thing with the journalists later on.
Right, the problem is the dead time between the end of the primaries and the convention. I actually don't think this is huge -- he's worrying about swing voters, mostly, and I don't think they're really paying attention until the end of summer anyway. If he runs a strong primary campaign, he won't lose Democrats by being quiet for a couple of month.
If he runs a strong primary campaign, he won't lose Democrats by being quiet for a couple of month.
He will if the press says he will. Which they will. "Why is he not fighting back against the Swift Boat Fags For Haircut Truth ads? Doesn't he realize how wimpy that makes him look?"
"I don't think they're really paying attention until the end of summer anyway"
The doldrums are when the opposition start the Swift-boating. Unless there is a missing white woman, oppo research shit is the only story around in July & August. And the Boys & Girls on the Bus are bored outta their minds by that time.
Swiftboating in summer, then the War in September.
To be fair, I'm not sure there's evidence that actual voters give a crap. There are plenty of problems with real voters, but they're infinitely preferable to the Imaginary American Voter that lives in the pundits' heads.
Obama's has a fantastic week as far as I'm concerned.
Sept. 28: great speech on inequality in the justice system--discusses the possibility of reforming mandatory minimum sentencing laws, & the need to improve public defenders.
Oct. 2: great foreign policy speech. My personal favorite is the part about a national declassification center.
Oct. 3: good response to the Blackwater thing; even better that he already had a bill on this in February.
Oct. 4: blocks a terrible nomination for the Federal Election Center.
Oct: 4: responds immediately to the reports of Torture memos 2.0 & 3.0 in language forceful enough to satisfy me.
If he keeps this up for another week--or does nothing to seriously annoy me or backtrack, at least--I think I'm going to finally buy that bumper sticker.
oops, the second link about his response to the torture memo thing is wrong--here's the text:
Well, I think that this is an example of what we've lost over the last six years and what we have to recapture. You know, all of us believe we've to track down and capture or kill terrorists who threaten America, but we have to understand that torture is not going to either provide us with information, and it's also going to create more enemies. And so as a strategy for creating a safer and secure America, I think it is long wrong-headed, as well as immoral.So I wish that was surprised. I don't think I'm that surprised. I think this administration basically viewed any tactic as acceptable, as long as it could spin it and keep it out of the public eye.
And I think that we've got to do a thorough investigation on this.
I'd really like to see a snap poll of the electorate taken tomorrow to see if more people are familiar with the most basic facts of yesterday's torture memo 2.0 and 3.0 story (which I would say are "When a previous legal opinion authorizing the use of so-called 'harsh interrogation techniques' became public, the President disavowed it. Shortly thereafter, he secretly got another such opinion authorizing the same conduct.") or the Obama doesn't wear enough flair story.
If the results are what I predict they'll be, I then want some people who choose what stories get how much coverage to take long walks off short piers. Though it's not totally their fault, the torture memo story just is more complex than the unacceptable lack of jewelery story.
No, it's totally their fault. They get paid reasonably well to do this. There are a lot of people who want those jobs--it's a job I couldn't get if I wanted it.
@29: I'm glad he's stepping it up; I want to support him and think he's the most talented of the frontrunners. It's probably easier, as I've suggested before, for him to take good foreign policy and civil liberties positions than it is for HRC, but thems the breaks.
I think I'm going to finally buy that bumper sticker.
They give those things away.
Really? Then why am I spending all this money on wallpaper?!?
It's probably easier, as I've suggested before, for him to take good foreign policy and civil liberties positions than it is for HRC, but thems the breaks.
Why? They're both senators who feel pressure to not act too different from a white male.
I could see that making sense if it's because HRC is more beholden to people who will insist that she take bad positions.
Now Edwards, there's a guy for whom it's easy to take a good position on something.