Axel's QC (formerly DC)

Socialism Baaad!

2009-05-25T11:15:00.001-04:00

Republicans have turned "Socialist" into a bad word and stripped it of all meaning. It is the 25-cent word for "doo-doo head" on the political playground.

They offer no substantive criticism of socialism or even a coherent definition. They even give it a partisan slant, as Bush doing the same things is not a "socialist", but a Democrat is.

Socialism is the government ownership of the means of production. The problems inherent in socialism are not because of government, but because it creates government-owned monopolies. Contrary to popular mythology, government officials are not incompetent dolts incapable of reasonable actions. They are just working in a non-competitive environment.

Private monopolies are far worse than socialism. At least public monopolies are subject to popular elections, whereas private monopolies are subject only to shareholder profit-taking motives. Monopolies stifle innovation, raise prices and are tone-deaf to consumer needs.

Instead of braying about the evils of government, Republicans should ensure that we have competitive and fair markets to prevent monopolies, public or private, from strangling our economic growth. Republicans sound more like the sheep from Animal Farm, bleating "Four legs good, two legs baaaaaad!"

Fantasy Reagan

2009-05-07T12:02:00.001-04:00

Republicans need to forget Fantasy Reagan. They remember the guy who declared war on Big Govt, brought down the "Evil Empire" and destroyed the Democratic Party.

They forget that Reagan signed treaties with Gorbachev, raised taxes in 1986, appointed liberals like Kennedy to the SC and was the head of the biggest Hollywood union. He nominated the guy who coined "Voodoo Economics" as his VP. He was largely an actor playing a role, while he compromised behind the scenes. Republicans are so enamored with Fantasy Reagan that they forget most of his successes came not from his Rambo image, but from compromising with Democrats. After all, Tip O'Neill ran the House under Reagan and Democrats retook the Senate in 1986 under Lloyd Bentsen's guidance.

Republicans need to realize that bloviating and rhetoric are only half of politics. Getting things done is the other half. Republicans fantasies about Reagan's rhetoric made them forget that he had to compromise to get permanent changes in Washington. Instead, they listened to Dick Cheney's lies that "Reagan proved deficits don't matter" and turned Reagan from a politician into a Super Hero. These myths are costing Republicans dearly, just as the JFK myth cost Democrats for decades.

Roomba Driver

2008-11-20T21:05:00.001-05:00

And now for something completely different!

Olbermann's Special Comment on Prop 8

2008-11-11T21:34:00.001-05:00

Amen!

A Night To Remember: Barack Obama Elected 44th US President

2008-11-08T18:59:00.001-05:00

Yes We Did!

Fox News: Palin didn't know Africa was a continent

2008-11-06T10:29:00.001-05:00

How hard is it to guess which 3 countries are in the North American Free Trade Agreement?

VIVA OBAMA 2008

2008-11-05T10:05:00.001-05:00

Barack in Richmond, VA:

2008-10-23T22:31:00.001-04:00

Yes We Can!

IN A SINKING ECONOMY

2008-10-10T08:42:00.001-04:00

WTF???

Obama on Iraq:

2008-10-08T09:34:00.001-04:00

I don't understand what we are doing in Iraq to begin with!

Sarah Mania! Sarah Palin's Greatest Hits

2008-10-02T10:06:00.001-04:00

Yeah, she was vetted....

Obama to McCain: You were Wrong

2008-09-26T23:39:00.001-04:00

McCain likes to talk about the Surge, but not why we are even in Iraq.

WWRR Do?

2008-09-26T12:26:00.001-04:00

What would Ronald Reagan say about Bush's massive government takeover of Wall Street?

The Dark Bailout

2008-09-26T11:45:00.001-04:00

The Thorons - Don't Eliminate Marriage For Anyone

2008-09-22T20:30:00.001-04:00

Just say "no" to discrimination.

Behind the scenes

2008-09-16T08:39:00.005-04:00

John McCain: These ads are disgusting! We can't run these.

Steve Schmidt: They will hide the issues and get people talking about nonsense.

JM: But I promised to run an honorable campaign.

SS: But you are losing.

JM: Oh, well, in that case, go ahead.

Hockey Moms Against Sarah Palin

2008-09-16T07:53:00.001-04:00

If she can't be a Hockey Mom, how can she be President?

Lowroad to the Highest office

2008-09-15T16:44:00.000-04:00

John McCain's ads are LIES. Here's the video proof.

2008-09-11T19:02:00.001-04:00

Karl Rove has taken over this campaign, and the future of America is at stake.

Rove/McCain '08 for more of the same.

ABC investigates Sarah Palin's book censorship

2008-09-11T08:17:00.001-04:00

Joe Biden On Fire

2008-09-06T21:03:00.001-04:00

This is what a candidate ready to be President at any moment looks like.

It should have been me, Really funny.

2008-08-20T21:00:00.001-04:00

Love Dawn French!

Barackroll and Rickroll - Side by Side

2008-08-15T23:46:00.001-04:00

Never gonna let you down!

Feist on Sesame Street

2008-08-15T21:15:00.001-04:00

When did Sesame Street music get this good???

Hilton Responds to McCain Attacks

2008-08-06T09:39:00.003-04:00

Paris Hilton Responds to McCain Adfunny videosFunnyOrDie.com

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Record Debt

2008-07-30T09:15:00.002-04:00

Bush surprised us all with a $490b deficit for 2008, well above his projections. He tries to downplay it by stating that it is "only" 3.3% of GDP.

However, overall debt levels paint a more stark picture:

National Debt/GDP
1980: 32.59% (909.0/2789.5)
1992: 63.14% (4001.8/6337.7)
2000: 57.02% (5628.7/9871.2)
2008: 74.46% (10,573.5/14,201)*

*Tables B-1 and B-78 of the President's Economic Report for 2008, the June 2008 report of the President's Council of Economic Advisors.

Notice how the Reagan/Bush years turned a 33% debt into a 63% debt? It ticked down slightly under Clinton, but skyrocketed to where our debt is 3/4 of our output.

These figures don't include entitlements, which are going to bust our budgets very soon. Instead of helping us prepare for the Baby Boomer retirements, Bush has sold us down the river for a phony war and enrichment of the already rich.

Misery Index

2008-07-23T09:32:00.002-04:00

In the 1970s, economists introduced "The Misery Index". It was a way to measure how Stagflation was putting the squeeze on American families. Since we appear in the mood for 1970s retro chic, let's reintroduce the Misery Index:

2(Unemployment rate) + Inflation Rate = Current Misery levels

Right now we are at 5.5% unemployment and the CPI is 7.9%.

2(5.5) + 7.9 = 18.9% Misery

This is our benchmark, let's see where it goes from there.

Mahnahmahnah!

2008-07-19T09:15:00.001-04:00

Doo doo da doo doo

Turn about is fair play

2008-07-16T06:38:00.001-04:00

Maybe they could have included Cindy's "Everyman" moment about buying a private jet, because it's the only way to get around Arizona.

10 Questions for Tim Gunn

2008-07-13T17:12:00.001-04:00

Intelligent conversation on fashion.

A reader writes in:

2008-07-12T10:16:00.000-04:00

A reader, Ston, had this to say about John McCain:

"One thing you don't hear from McCain is the fact that he has a 19-20 year old son who has done an Iraq tour as a Marine, and another son at Annapolis who is almost certain to be deployed to the region. That's a bit of class that Obama would do well to emulate.""

I have a different take on McCain’s failure to mention his family. Think back over the years that McCain has been a public figure, have you ever seen him once look at his wife with anything bordering on affection? Have you seen them ever walking hand in hand, or laughing with each other? Or do you see him hurriedly walking, mumbling to himself, trying to keep up with his young staffers while Cindy is relegated to walking serenely several steps behind as if it were China of the 1800's and she was supposed to walk 4 paces back? The reason you never hear about John McCain’s family is because in his mind, there is himself, his ambitions and not much left over. During his Senate Tenure he spends the week in Washington, and when he does fly back to AZ on certain weekends, there are usually fundraisers and events to attend leaving little to no time with the family. Meanwhile Cindy and the kids live in AZ full time. What family man would continue to live like that for decades? Not only missing the maturing of his children but also the company of the woman he supposedly loves?

My father, a diehard Republican, even more conservative than myself says he will have a difficult time bringing himself to vote for McCain because "I don't like the way he treats Cindy" This has nothing to do with the story about the name he supposedly called her. My father is shocked, not only by what I mentioned in this letter, but more importantly, that a husband could be so oblivious to his wife that he would not notice the fact that she had been in pain to the extent that she had developed a fairly long term addiction to drugs. He said that the fact that her drug addiction had to be pointed out to McCain by another family member shows somebody too self absorbed to be either a good husband or president, he said that by themselves, he could ignore the accusations of dumping the first wife because she had lost her looks and cheating on her with Cindy, not appearing to now care for Cindy, Calling Cindy a horrible name in front of reporters, Not noticing her Drug dependency, but when taken together they paint the picture=2 0of a frighteningly unaware self absorbed man who only cares for things or people in how they will aid his ambitions. My father is a lifetime republican and in his 70's right in McCain's demo. He said he doesn't think he can bring himself to vote Obama because he is too liberal, but thinks he may just sit this one out for the first time ever.

When?

2008-07-10T09:34:00.001-04:00

Bring them home, NOW!

Bush Surveys Damage He Has Wrought

2008-07-03T09:01:00.003-04:00

I heard he's so upset that he pretended to give up golf!

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

WP Smears Obama

2008-07-02T07:30:00.001-04:00

Read this article and tell me what exactly Obama did wrong? They are implying corruption because he got a lower mortgage rate than "the average borrower", saving a whopping $300/month on a $1 million home.

The article even states that he had retired his student debts and gotten enough royalties from his book sales to buy the home with cash.

To me, this smells like a smear campaign by the WP. I got a lower mortgage rate than "the average borrower". Does that make me corrupt, or does my credit score not count for anything?

Post Yellow Journalism

Is this just an attempt to equate McCain's property tax evasion with Obama getting a good deal on a mortgage?

Barack Obama's Speech on Father's Day

2008-06-16T07:31:00.001-04:00

The 1st Mrs. McCain

2008-06-09T07:29:00.002-04:00

Some of McCain’s acquaintances are less forgiving, however. They portray the politician as a self-centred womaniser who effectively abandoned his crippled wife to ‘play the field’. They accuse him of finally settling on Cindy, a former rodeo beauty queen, for financial reasons.

John McCain's First Wife

Sunday Sermon

2008-06-08T11:27:00.000-04:00

Emily Dickinson

LVII

SOME keep the Sabbath going to church;
I keep it staying at home,
With a bobolink for a chorister,
And an orchard for a dome.

Some keep the Sabbath in surplice; 5
I just wear my wings,
And instead of tolling the bell for church,
Our little sexton sings.

God preaches,—a noted clergyman,—
And the sermon is never long; 10
So instead of getting to heaven at last,
I ’m going all along!

The Obama Map

2008-06-08T10:58:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, we looked at the McCain map for victory. It’s not that different from the Bush map of 2004 or even 2000, and relies on winning five battleground states, while holding the base states. New York, California, Illinois and most of the Northeast are off the table, while the West and South are safe and sound.

Clinton argued, and probably correctly, that she could win this 5 state battle, plus pick up West Virginia, Arkansas and maybe Kentucky. Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio seemed better bets for her. However, she gives up the West and has little room for growth in the Deep South.

Obama can also win this 5 state game, and looks slightly ahead today. However, three phenomena can crack this map wide open for him:

1) Republican depression: The GOP is in a huge funk now, losing 3 “safe” House seats this year. The primaries, even when competitive, had much lower turnout. Obama got more votes in Virginia that Clinton, McCain and Huckabee combined. The generic GOP is about 15 points behind in the polls, so Obama is underperforming and McCain overperforming at this point, and McCain is still behind.

2) Black voters: pollsters are having a hard time measuring voter turnout this year because Obama is bringing out under-30 voters and Blacks in record numbers. Obama will not only get more black votes than Kerry, probably around 95%, but could double the number of Blacks at the polls. This maybe blunted by their concentration in places that are not “swing states”, but it could, with some help, put some of the “Solid South” in play.

3) Bob Barr: former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA) is performing surprisingly well in early polls. He has the potential to draw the “Huckabee voters” and the disgruntled GOP libertarians away from McCain, particularly in the Deep South. If current polls showing Barr getting 8% in Georgia and 6% in North Carolina hold, a surge of Black voters could put those two states, among others, into Obama’s column.

4) Hispanics: Yes, Hispanics loved Clinton, but they don’t seem to mind Obama. Even worse, the GOP’s immigration obsession cost them key Hispanic districts in Texas in 2006, especially Henry Bonilla. While McCain is more moderate on this, his stance ticks off conservatives, who could defect to Barr, leaving McCain in a delicate dance over Hispanic voters. If Obama were to pick Bill Richardson, that would motivate Hispanics even more. Obama is already slightly outperforming Kerry among Hispanics, so this could be a big opportunity for him in the Southwest, Florida and Virginia.

All these could combine for an Obama wave. Considering that only 4 of the last 26 elections have been close, and 2 were in 2000 and 2004, this remains the most likely case.

What states would Obama do well in to break this “Red State-Blue State” game?

1) Virginia (13 EVs): Obama kicked off his campaign in Northern Virginia and has been touring with Mark Warner, who is 23 points ahead Jim Gilmore to replace John Warner in the Senate. This would give Democrats the Governorship and both Senate seats in the Old Dominion. Even John Warner won’t endorse Gilmore, so Warner could be a major force for Obama. Picking Jim Webb as his VP would make an even bigger impact of swaying Virginia for the first time since 1964, and could blunt the Republican Appalachia base. The growth of the DC suburbs has really neutralized the Republican hold on this state.

2) Iowa (7): All that time in Iowa paid off for Obama with the opening shot of the primaries, and it seems to still have impressed Iowans, who have him in the lead by about 6-9 points. This is a Gore state that Kerry lost, and nice to have back in the Blue. Obama got more under-30 voters to come out in the Iowa caucuses than the over-65 voters, and this trend could help him nationwide.

3) New Mexico (5), Colorado (8), Nevada (5): Obama has broad appeal in the Mountain West, as he nearly swept those states in the primaries. They have long been GOP bastions, but Obama is doing well in Colorado, which is trending blue, and ahead in New Mexico. He was ahead in Nevada, but can compete there again with some improved national numbers. Montana (3) looks like an outside shot, and a big Obama wave could nab North Dakota (3), and possibly Alaska (3). The fact that Obama is only down by 11 in Arizona has to make McCain a bit nervous.

4) North Carolina (15): Rapidly growing North Carolina is the heart of the New South. It shares a lot of Virginia’s characteristics without the DC ‘burbs. A Barr surge and huge Black turnout could flip this state Blue. Early indicators are that Elizabeth Dole is in a dogfight for her Senate seat, which could encourage Obama to campaign even more there.

5) Indiana (11): Surprisingly, Obama is doing better in Indiana than in Michigan. This is probably because of the tight primary race and the fight over Michigan in the DNC, but it does show that Obama could sweep all 5 Ohio Valley states. A nice Democratic wave could pop Indiana over for the first time since 1964.

5) Texas (34): The Lone Star State, my original home, is the Heart of the GOP coalition today. An Obama win here would rip out the GOP heart and dance the Cotton-eyed Joe over it. Lose Texas, and McCain is in for a Michael Dukakis night. If the Republicans lose the 1st, 2nd and 3rd largest states, they are ceding 120 EVs.

Early polls put McCain ahead by about 10 points, but Hispanics, Blacks, and Bob Barr could make this competitive. Obama doesn’t even have to win here; just competing drains McCain’s precious resources as he has to pay big bucks in the DFW, Houston and San Antonio-Austin markets. With John Cornyn already only 4 points ahead in his Senate defense, Obama may be tempted down there for the double play, forcing the GOP into a battle they cannot afford to lose.

6) Mississippi (6): This state is a signal if Obama is going to get over 350 EVs. Mississippi did vote for Clinton in 1996, but is staunchly Republican. However, the MS-1st race shocked Republicans, and they are trailing in the Senate race to hold Trent Lott’s seat. A huge increase in Black voting, who make up 37% of the state, and a Bob Barr surge could put this on the table for Obama and get a Democrat elected to the Senate. Obama doesn’t need to win this, but if he does, the Republicans are going to be crying for months about it.

My Predictions:

While I think McCain could win this in a Bush-style nail-biter, the megatrends of the economy, Iraq, the GOP’s disastrous lack of appeal in 2006 and early 2008 Congressional elections, combined with amazing turnout in the Democratic Primaries have all the scents of an Obama blowout. His biggest problem right now is among Democratic voters, and Clinton seems keen on getting him elected now that her hopes are gone. Once he unites the party, he should pull significantly ahead in the polls.

Obama: 348-190
Democrats: +6 Senate: +20 House

Of course, this is five months away, but that’s where I see it for today.

The 2008 Election Map

2008-06-07T16:49:00.004-04:00

With Clinton’s official withdrawal, the 2008 Presidential Election starts its next phase.

We start with a baseline of Obama slightly ahead of McCain nationally, at about 2-3 points. That’s a nice place for Obama to be in, but certainly not enough to get comfortable. I personally think that Obama will pull further ahead as the Clinton voters come home to him, but that remains to be seen over the next couple of weeks.

With a national election that close, it comes down to the states. Let’s start with McCain’s map for victory. Since he will be restricted to $85 million to what some project might be Obama’s $300 million, McCain will have to make every penny count. McCain does have the advantage only having to hold Bush’s 2004 states, but Kerry still got over 250 Electoral Votes.

Chuck Todd of MSNBC gives him these 5 states to begin with:

1) Florida (27 EVs): Juicy, fat Florida has been getting bigger and juicer. It now has 27 EVs compared with 25 in 2000. It was the key to Bush’s 2 wins and really came home for him in 2004. Other than Texas (34), this is McCain’s biggest must win state. If the AP calls Florida for Obama, McCain needs to pull out speech #2 and start rehearsing it. He does have a nice lead there right now of 8 points.

How McCain can win it: Pick Crist as VP. That could seal the deal, and Crist’s Anderson Cooper image helps McCain out among swing voters. However, those gay rumors make him a bit of risk.

How Obama can win it: Obama consolidating Jewish voters, picking up among Hispanics (15% of the state), a nice surge among Florida’s black population(15%) and Bob Barr picking off religious conservatives in Northern Florida.

2) Michigan (17): this is not a must-win for Obama, but pretty close. Michigan is always tight, but last went Republican in 1988. Obama should win there, but McCain is up by around 4 points now. This is largely because Obama is only getting 69% of Democrats, with 22% undecided (Rasmussen May 2008). Obama is not helped in either state by the DNC primary battle, but if he can consolidate his own party, he could pull comfortably ahead.

How McCain can win it: Exploiting Democratic divisions, and spending lots of time there. Some think picking former Governor George Romney’s son, Mitt Romney will help him there, but I tend to think that would be far offset by Huckabee voters in the South rejecting a Mormon on the ticket.

How Obama can win it: Uniting the party and spending time there. The state has a Democratic governor and 2 Democratic Senators, so he has a lot of party support there. Michigan has been heavily by the manufacturing downturn, so the economy plays in his favour. The state is 14% black, and a surge there can really help him. He should win this one, but a loss here could doom his candidacy.

3) Ohio (20): The other key to the 2004 election, Ohio wasn’t decided until nearly 24 hours after polls closed. This loss ended the Kerry dream, but a big state that close can’t be taken for granted. Obama has a tiny 1 point lead there now, so this is tight. However, 2006 was a big year for Democrats in Ohio, picking up a Senate seat, the Governorship and 3 House seats.

How McCain can win it: Another older state with lots of older white voters who should like McCain. His brand of Republicanism plays well there. The GOP was hurt badly in 2006, so that limits his base there, but he can play off his “maverick” image.

How Obama can win it: He could pick new Governor Strickland, who helped Clinton win the Ohio Primary. The state again has a lot of black voters (12%), and the economy is sluggish there, though not as bad as Michigan. Given his tiny lead there before consolidating his party, I give Obama a slight edge here.

4) Pennsylvania (21): As Joe Scarborough said, Republicans always think they can win Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and they never do. Both last went Republican in 1988, a landslide year for Papi Bush. Obama has a 6 point lead now, and the state has a Democratic Governor and a split Senate delegation, but Obama is close to Santorum-slayer Sen. Bob Casey.

How McCain can win it: This one is tough, but he can really hurt Obama by winning here. Not a lot of specific strategies as the state leans as strongly Democrat as Florida leans Republican.

How Obama can win it: Hold steady, win over Gov. Rendell (or even pick him as VP), and get the black vote out in Philly.

5) New Hampshire (4): New Hampshire loves the spotlight. With its “first in the nation primary” and being the only 2000 Bush state that swung to Kerry in 2004, politicians spend nearly 2 years in this little state begging for its support. By far the tiniest swing state, and the only one in New England, if Gore had but won it in 2000, he would have been President. However, given its size, it only really matters if both candidates are over 260 EVs.

How McCain can win it: He has won the NH GOP Primary twice now, in 2000 and 2008. The voters know and love him there. He holds a modest 1 point lead there now.

How Obama can win it: Since Kerry won it in 2004, he just has to build off there. It is a largely white state, but more liberal than West Virginia. The Democrats got big wins there in 2006 with the Governorship and the Senate seat. He may not need to campaign much there if his national numbers go up even slightly.

Next time: Obama’s Electoral Map

Will YouTube Kill the McCain Candidacy?

2008-06-04T22:20:00.001-04:00

Can McCain win a debate with himself?

Hillary Clinton's Last Word on the Primaries

2008-06-04T17:13:00.001-04:00

She's telling us, she's not going!

And we're gonna love her.

This brought tears to my eyes:

2008-06-04T08:46:00.002-04:00

www.andrewsullivan.com:

This Moment

04 Jun 2008 12:28 am

A reader writes:

My grandfather, 86 years old and a veteran of WWII, just gave me a call. He was calling all of his grandchildren to let them know what an important night this was in the history of our country.

Grandpa drove a truck for over 50 years, and he told the story of how he drove with a team of drivers, 2 white (including him), and 4 black. When they stopped at the truck stops, the black drivers had to use seperate restrooms and showers, and had to eat in a small room in the back of the kitchen. Grandpa and his co-driver would eat in the back with the rest of the team, and while they didn't speak of it at the time, they knew it was wrong yet felt powerless to change it, and believed that it would never change.

Tonight, he told me, we have come full-circle. Many people, especially the younger generation who supported Obama, will never fully realize the historical import of what happened tonight. But he wanted his grandchildren to know this story that he had never told us, and it was the second time in my 33 years that I have heard my grandpa cry.

Yes We Did

2008-06-04T00:04:00.001-04:00

Obama's amazing crusade continues to the general election!

Cool Hand Barack

2008-06-01T13:06:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, Obama again proved why he should be the nominee and why Clinton shouldn't. He came to the Rules Committee table ready to negotiate, knowing exactly what he needed to take away and what he could afford to give. He told his supporters not to attend and not to engage the Clintonistas, trying to avoid an embarrassing spectacle for the news cameras.

She came to the table, full of huff and rhetoric. She had 13 allies out the 28 members of the Committee. She rounded up the rabble rousers to make a big show of it. Even her allies on the committee were visibly annoyed by her supporters.

Her offer for Michigan was an insult, not a negotiating point. Who really thinks he deserves NOTHING in MI? Her motions were quickly voted down with little support, even from her allies.

When it got past rhetoric to votes, the Florida compromise passed 27-0, taking it off the table. Obama had 15 votes to take a 64-64 split of delegates, but he opted for 69-59 (halved) to get 19 votes. Instead of a narrow win, he got 70% of the committee to agree to a compromise. This makes it extremely difficult for her to challenge on any logic, other than the emotional impact of her losing.

Ironically, she would have gotten a better deal out of Michigan if she hadn't rejected the Michigan Democratic Party's 69-59 split last month, giving her +10 delegates. Instead, she gets the same split, halved, and she loses her only rationale for staying in the race.

So, when you talk about Iraq, health care or Congressional relations, which candidate looks better prepared for Day 1?

You want drama and emotion, vote Clinton. You want long-term strategy and cool efficiency, vote Obama.

Summer Driving

2008-05-28T07:47:00.002-04:00

Takes the Cake

2008-05-27T15:47:00.000-04:00

At this point, if Obama baked McCain and Clinton birthday cakes:

McCain would lash out at Obama for making age an issue in the campaign.

Clinton would denounce Obama for mocking traditional woman's roles. She would also say that he was being sexist by trying to call her "fat".

If it were chocolate, she would say that he doesn't know how to make white cakes.

tears for fears -head over heels

2008-05-27T15:41:00.001-04:00

Librarians are hot!

Race a factor in US presidential election - 19 May 08

2008-05-22T23:03:00.001-04:00

Not sure how you expect to win over people who hate you just for the color of your skin, or why you should even try.

Clinton on Michigan/Florida

2008-05-22T16:58:00.005-04:00

Clinton's newest position on "fairness" is zero Michigan delegates for Obama. After all, he didn't care; he wasn't even on the ballot. She certainly doesn't lack for chutzpah!

Of course, she thinks we live in a world without archives, so here is her Sept 2007 position on Michigan.

Clinton agrees to boycott Michigan and Florida

PORTSMOUTH, N.H., Sept. 1 — Three of the major Democratic presidential candidates on Saturday pledged not to campaign in Florida, Michigan and other states trying to leapfrog the 2008 primary calendar, a move that solidified the importance of the opening contests of Iowa and New Hampshire.

Hours after Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina agreed to sign a loyalty pledge put forward by party officials in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York followed suit. The decision seemed to dash any hopes of Mrs. Clinton relying on a strong showing in Florida as a springboard to the nomination.

“We believe Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina play a unique and special role in the nominating process,” Patti Solis Doyle, the Clinton campaign manager, said in a statement.....

The three candidates were following the lead of Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Senators Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut and Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, who signed the pledge Friday. Their candidacies also rely upon finishing strong in the early states.

John McCain can't keep his story straight

2008-05-19T11:31:00.001-04:00

It seems to me like he is just confused.

Bin Laden: Alive and Free Despite Bush's Promise

2008-05-16T08:59:00.001-04:00

Isn't this the guy that Bush promised to catch, "Dead or Alive" about 7 years ago? It seems like giving up golf just wasn't enough to keep his word. Bin Laden looks pretty likely to last longer than Bush's presidency.

Here's a hint for Bush:

Bin Laden was never in Iraq!

Bin Laden Thumbs Nose at US and Israel

How Scary is Obama?

2008-05-15T17:42:00.000-04:00

How scary is Obama?

So scary that Bush's SEC Chairs are backing him over Clinton and McCain!

SEC Chairs Back Barack

California, Look What You've Done!

2008-05-15T15:34:00.001-04:00

Blame it on the gays!

John Edwards: YES WE CAN!

2008-05-15T00:05:00.001-04:00

John Edwards sees the light.

Hill-Billy Country

2008-05-13T16:30:00.001-04:00

Some have speculated that Clinton is doing so well in West Virginia because her campaign is spreading the rumor that Barak Obama fathered two black children.

Are you younger than McCain?

2008-05-13T09:40:00.001-04:00

Lots of things are!

Alaska is Younger than McCain!

Republican Family Values

2008-05-12T18:49:00.000-04:00

Meet Congressman Vito Fossella (R-NY). He is a family man with a wife and 3 kids living on Staten Island. He is the only Republican in Congress from New York City today.

He has a strong record on family values, consistently voting for antigay initiatives. His family values are so strong that he has shunned his gay sister and refuses to see her or go to family events if she is there.

His pleasant life came crashing down last month when he was arrested for a DWI in Alexandria, Virginia. He claimed he had to visit his sick daughter. Well, it turns out that his sick daughter was Laura Fay, a former Air Force Congressional liaison with whom Fossella has been having an affair since 2003. In fact, it turns out he is the father of her 3 year old daughter.

Now he is under investigation for a 2003 trip to Paris, France, paid for by public funds. Originally billed as a official business, it turns out that it was more of a romantic tryst with Ms. Fay.

So, our good, God-fearing Republican Congressman is now accused of DWI, adultery, fathering a bastard child, embezzlement, and general lying and hypocrisy. Good thing he's not a really bad person, like his lesbian sister and her girlfriend!

Vito the Embezzler?

MoveOn, Clinton, MoveOn

2008-05-11T14:35:00.001-04:00

Losing teams always make mistakes, but so do winning teams. The key is what mistake was the gamebreaker. Many have pointed to Clinton's 2002 vote to invade Iraq, but Kerry got the nomination (even though it handicapped him in the fall) just 2 years later. Voters are more forgiving since many of them initially supported the war. You can write that off as "Bush screwed it up."

What did Clinton in was her vote in fall 2007 for the Kyl-Lieberman amendment to authorize Bush to invade Iran. It completely undercut her argument that "Bush tricked her" in 2002. Fool me once, well, you can't fool me again, as Bush would say.

Her vote in 2007 was based on the same political calculation as in 2002: don't look weak on defense. She completely ignored the Democratic base who are angry with the Democrats for not doing enough to end the Iraqi war, but she figured they would have no choice but to vote for her.

In April, she criticized MoveOn for financing Obama, but it was her Iran vote that decided them for Obama. Once she betrayed their core issue: ending the war in Iraq, she lost them forever. They found a messenger in Obama, and provided him with an endless supply of money and volunteers. He has been winning college students and young adults overwhelmingly, and they are the small donors fueling his money machine. They were behind him when the black community was solidly behind Clinton.

Without the Iran vote, MoveOn would have at best been a non-factor. Without MoveOn, Obama would have never won Iowa. Without Iowa, Obama would have been another Mosley-Braun, while Clinton would have wrapped up the nomination on Super Tuesday, just as she thought God intended.

US govt treats American veterans like dead dogs

2008-05-10T12:46:00.001-04:00

Is this what you call supporting the troops? US war dead treated to
the same dignity as a euthanized mutt?

How can anyone pretend that Bush cares about veterans when he doesn't
even respect their ultimate sacrifice for our country? Why isn't
McCain speaking out against this, given his affinity for veterans?

I guess when you elect someone who was more interested in furthering
his political career than fulfilling his military obligations, you
should expect such cavalier attitude towards the young men and women
he sends to fight and die for his inept wars.

Pet Cemetery

McCain gets only 3/4 of GOP votes

2008-05-07T05:46:00.001-04:00

Republican presumptive nominee continues to lose 1/4 of the Republican vote in the primaries, despite having no opposition remaining in his inevitable primary campaign.

After 23% of PA Republicans turned out to vote for "Anyone but McCain", the trend continued in Indiana and North Carolina.

In Indiana, McCain picked up 78% of the vote, 5% for Ron Paul, and the dead candidacies of Romney and Huckabee split the remaining 17%.

In North Carolina, McCain only got 74%, with 12% going again to Huckabee, 7% to Ron Paul, and 4% to "Uncommitted".

While many will point out that these voters may not go for Obama in the Fall, they show a continued weakness of McCain among his own base. This may depress already moribund Republican turnout. With Bob Barr running on the Libertarian ticket, these disgruntled conservatives will have a viable place to express their discontent. Worse for other Republicans running for office, they may just not show up in Novemember.
McCain bleeding Red voters

Texas: the New Swing State

2008-05-05T17:58:00.001-04:00

Texas Swing

According to the latest Rasmussen Poll (and this isn't the first time), Texas is in play in both the White House and Senate races.

5/1. Likely voters. MoE 4% (No trend lines)

Cornyn (R) 47
Noriega (D) 43

Incumbent John "Screwing Box Turtles" Cornyn has a tiny 4 point lead over Noriega, with several months to go. This is a lot closer than Jim Webb's race against George Allen. When they listed the 11 most vulnerable Republican seats, this one has never been mentioned, meaning the Republicans are really in trouble if they lost the Texas seat once held by Phil Gramm and John Tower.

On the White House side, McCain hold narrow leads over Obama and Clinton for Texas' 34 EVs. Without Texas, McCain has no large state anchor for his campaign. If he is forced to compete in Texas, it will cost him millions to pay for ads in Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth and Austin-San Antonio, three of the top 10 biggest markets in the US. If he loses Texas, and the Dems hold NY, CA, and IL without trouble, there goes 109 EVs from just 4 states. I don't see a plausible scenario where McCain loses Texas and wins the White House, as it is the only large state in the GOP fold today.

In the presidential, Democrats will be hugely competitive:

McCain (R) 48
Obama (D) 43

McCain (R) 49
Clinton (D) 43

Omens at the Kentucky Derby

2008-05-05T09:32:00.002-04:00

Sen. Hillary Clinton during a trip to Louisville this week had said she
was going to bet on Eight Belles to win, place, and show.
Eight Belles went down on the track after her second-place finish,
broke two ankles, and was euthanized.

The horse Sen. Barack Obama picked to show -- Big Brown --
won the Derby.

What if McCain Does Win?

2008-05-02T07:59:00.001-04:00

What if McCain does pull it off? What kind of presidency does he get?

Well, he starts off 2 years older than Reagan was in 1981. He
celebrates his 73rd birthday in July 2009. That means when he runs
for re-election, he has hit the average male life expectancy of 76
years old.

Even if McCain pulls off a win, his best case scenario with Congress
is stemming Republican losses. Democrats are predicted to pick up 6
Senate seats and another dozen House seats. No one predicts the GOP
has any hope of gaining seats, let alone retaking Congress. Given
that midterms usually go against the President, McCain is looking at 4
years of Pelosi-Reid running a solidly Democratic Congress.

McCain is also unpopular with conservatives, and has never been
considered for leadership in the Senate. Republicans will naturally
lean towards their president in the minority status, but most Senators
know him well and many have mixed to negative feelings towards him.
If Republicans have only 43 Senate seats, as predicted, and a dozen or
so Republicans regularly vote against him, McCain will find himself
with little support on Capitol Hill.

Economists predict pathetically slow growth for the US through 2009,
as low as less than 1%. Gas prices are going to skyrocket, some even
predicting $7/gallon. With high inflation and rising unemployment,
McCain faces Stagflation not seen since the Carter years.

Given the rising deficits that our haunting the dollar and causing
rapid inflation of import prices (namely, oil!), McCain's tax cuts are
highly unlikely to pass the Democratic Congress. He may be able to
cut some "earmarks", but without a line-item veto, he will pretty much
have to accept Congress's budget priorities just as George H.W. Bush did.

His next biggest problem will be Iraq, where support for the war will
plummet even further unless the 5 year trend line reverses itself.
Democrats will be even more emboldened to push for removing US troops,
and McCain's 100 year pledge will not sit well.

War with Iran is almost out of the question, as Americans are tired
two unfinished, interminal wars in the Middle East already. It would
take a draft and major tax hikes to fund such an effort, dooming it
from the start and threatening to put Republicans in near extinction
in the 2010 election.

This puts McCain in the position of one of the weakest presidents in
recent history. He starts off with a weak economy, rising inflation,
and a highly unpopular war, both blamed on his own party. He has
little power in Congress. His age makes people wonder how the strains
of office, which dramatically aged younger men like Clinton and Bush.
He would face re-election with a nation even more uneasy with
Republicans, as the President's party always gets the blame no matter
who controls Congress.

Republicans should ask themselves, "Is this the future we want for our
party?"

Call off the dogs

2008-04-23T09:14:00.002-04:00

The New York Times congratulates Sen. Clinton by calling her to "call off the dogs":

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Voters are getting tired of it; it is demeaning the political process; and it does not work. It is past time for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election.

If nothing else, self interest should push her in that direction. Mrs. Clinton did not get the big win in Pennsylvania that she needed to challenge the calculus of the Democratic race. It is true that Senator Barack Obama outspent her 2-to-1. But Mrs. Clinton and her advisers should mainly blame themselves, because, as the political operatives say, they went heavily negative and ended up squandering a good part of what was once a 20-point lead....

It is getting to be time for the superdelegates to do what the Democrats had in mind when they created superdelegates: settle a bloody race that cannot be won at the ballot box. Mrs. Clinton once had a big lead among the party elders, but has been steadily losing it, in large part because of her negative campaign. If she is ever to have a hope of persuading these most loyal of Democrats to come back to her side, let alone win over the larger body of voters, she has to call off the dogs.

Global Food Crisis

2008-04-21T10:14:00.000-04:00

The sudden food inflation is causing real hardships for poor people across the globe. The dramatic increase in grain prices puts a lot of pressures on families making $2/day or less.

Global Food Crunch

Baby Boomers Against McCain

2008-04-21T07:38:00.001-04:00

Don't trust anyone over 70!

Pope blames American culture for Catholic Problems

2008-04-18T06:58:00.002-04:00

It's no irony that Ratzinger stood next to Bush while he blamed America's "depravity" for his church raping boys. With a straight face, while wearing designer Prada shoes that cost more than an average Peruvian family's income, he said that promiscuity in America forced priests to rape boys.

Of course, he made no mention of his own role in sheltering those priests, or of him shipping Cardinal Law to Rome to a cushy sinecure far away from the legal troubles he caused in the US. Instead of doing time in prison where he belongs, Law is now serving as head of La Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, where he officiated at a funeral service for Pope John Paul II.

To put this in perspective, if a high school principal had learned that a teacher had molested a student, and the principal merely transferred the teacher to another class to cover up the scandal, that principal would be in prison today. Instead, Cardinal Law is living La Dolce Vita in Rome. Ratzinger is like the Superintendent telling the parents of those abused children that if the kids weren't dressed so sluttily, the teachers wouldn't have raped them.

Blaming the Victims

Barack Obama in Raleigh, NC

2008-04-17T20:14:00.001-04:00

Just brush off the negativity.

TPMtv: Stupidest Guy on Earth Speaks Out

2008-04-17T10:19:00.001-04:00

By his logic, the US should invade China, because it poses more of a threat to us than Iraq ever did.

Bosnia and Back Again, starring Sen. Hillary Clinton-TRAILER

2008-04-16T12:38:00.001-04:00

A tale of lies and contradictions.

Gore Updates Slideshow on Climate Crisis

2008-04-11T07:57:00.002-04:00

Al Gore updated his Oscar and Noble Prize winning slideshow to demonstrate the dramatic disappearance of the Polar Ice Caps, which may be gone by Summer 2013.

Gore Talks Climate Crisis

The Buck Keeps Going

2008-04-10T09:06:00.000-04:00

Bush finally unveils his plan for Iraq: Pass the buck.

After 5 years of no post-invasion plans, Bush has finally revealed that his intention all along was to do nothing productive. He expects the future president, McCain or Obama, to solve it for him.

Truman: The buck stops here!
Bush: It ain't my problem!

Bush Passes the Buck

Obama criticizes Iraq war on 1/18/05 at Rice conf. hearing

2008-04-08T11:15:00.001-04:00

Contrast Obama's insights with Rice's canned statements. Who would you rather have running our foreign policy?

Worst...President....EVER

2008-04-06T19:07:00.001-04:00

Bush has stated multiple times that "history will vindicate" his presidency. For that to happen, he will have to wait for at least one new generation of historians.

A survey of his contemporary historians shows they are less than impressed with him. A full 98% chose "failure" when asked if his Presidency was a success or failure. When asked who was the worst president, 61% stated "Bush". In contrast, in 2004, only 12% rated him "worst ever".

“It would be difficult to identify a President who, facing major international and domestic crises, has failed in both as clearly as President Bush,” concluded one respondent. “His domestic policies,” another noted, “have had the cumulative effect of shoring up a semi-permanent aristocracy of capital that dwarfs the aristocracy of land against which the founding fathers rebelled; of encouraging a mindless retreat from science and rationalism; and of crippling the nation’s economic base.”

All in all, it maybe a long time before history books sing Bush's praises, unless the Texas Board of Education selects them all.

Worst President Ever

McCain flunks Iraq Current Events Quiz

2008-04-02T06:23:00.000-04:00

Last week McCain demonstrated that he did not know the difference between a Sunni and Shiite. He also falsely accused Iran of training Al Qaeda, which even Joe Lieberman corrected him on.

This week, he is confused about the cease-fire, stating that Al Sadr asked for it and calling that a victory, when in fact Maliki asked for it. By McCain's logic, that makes Sadr the winner in this round. The fact that Iran is the key player in this, not the US, underscores who the defeat of Saddam Hussein has weakened US influence in the region and strengthened Iran.

If McCain is going to make Iraq his primary issue, he should at least get the basic concepts done. He has already admitted that "economics isn't his thing". He has demonstrated that even he cannot live by the McCain-Feingold law. Now he is demonstrating that foreign policy "isn't his thing." For a guy with 30 years in Washington, he seems pretty out of touch and out of his depth.

Blonde Joke

2008-03-31T13:37:00.000-04:00

A Blonde walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. She says she's going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow 5,000 dollars. The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for such a loan, so the Blonde hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce parked on the street in front of the bank. Everything checks out,and the bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. An employee drives the Rolls into the bank's underground garage and parks it there.

Two weeks later, the Blonde returns, repays the 5,000 dollars and the interest, which comes to 15 dollars and 41 cents. The loan officer says, "We are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is why would you bother to borrow 5,000 dollars?"

The Blonde replied, "Where else in New York can I park my car for two weeks for 15 bucks?"

McCain's Fiscal Flights of Fantasy

2008-03-31T12:14:00.002-04:00

McCain seems to think the problem with Bushonomics is that we simply need more of it. He is proposing more tax cuts, targeted at the highest ends of the economic spectrum. The bill for this comes to about $400 billion a year, or almost as big as the projected 2008 budget deficit, the largest in US history.

When asked how he would reduce this massive debt-hike, he cited "earmarks", "reducing waste" and slowing Medicare growth.

His first assumption is that all earmarks are a waste of money. I remember one report around 2000 mocking the government for funding a study on honeybees. Well, turns out that honey bees are going extinct, and their value to our agribusiness as free pollinators is estimated in the hundreds of billions per year. Not so trivial after, and money well spent IMO.

His second assumption is a cliche in politics. Everyone wants to "reduce waste", but no one can measure its size or come up with an instant plan to reduce it significantly. I'd be hard pressed to believe that he can find enough waste to save enough money to roughly fund the entire Defense Department, although much of that waste probably is within the Defense Dept.

His last assumption ignores the realities of the world. Medicare costs will accelerate as our population ages and as medical technology advance. Unless you want to tell your aging mother than she cannot have the latest breast cancer treatments because John McCain needs to pay for corporate tax cuts, medical costs will rise. Obviously, McCain has not found a way to stop the aging process, so it looks like his "savings" from Medicare will actually be even more expenditures.

McCain said not long ago that "economics is not my thing". He seems bound and determined to prove it as the US teeters into a recession of unknown depth, breadth and and length.

href="http://www.slate.com/id/2187570">McCain's Economic "Plan"

The Tide Is Turning

2008-03-30T22:12:00.001-04:00

Yes, We Can!

Recession: The Movie

2008-03-27T18:49:00.001-04:00

The Vietnam War spending without a tax hike created massive public debt that devalued the dollar and drove oil and food prices sky high. The resulting inflation dragged the economy down, bringing up unemployment and creating the first Stagflation recession, which lasted for the entire decade of the 1970s.

Is there any reason to doubt that the same thing isn't happening in the US today?

Hillary WASN'T LYING! Bosnia gunfire footage discovered...

2008-03-27T02:40:00.001-04:00

The truth comes out!

False Memory Syndrome

2008-03-27T02:26:00.001-04:00

CBS exposes Clinton's St. Patrick's Day tale: Clinton is a legend in her own mind.

Hillary's St. Patrick's Day Fable

2008-03-27T02:10:00.001-04:00

A tale of danger and courage, that exists only in her own mind.

Can anyone say "Quagmire"

2008-03-24T18:05:00.001-04:00

CNN's Michael Ware explains why the US cannot win in Iraq and yet can never leave.

Jerry needs no help playing with his ball.

2008-03-24T17:32:00.001-04:00

One happy little dog.

What's in a Name?

2008-03-21T13:37:00.003-04:00

An AIDS counselor was denied a passport so that he can help with training in Ghana because of his name.

The State Department, citing DOMA, refuses to allow him to travel under his married name, which is legally recognized in Massachussets. Claiming that he is not legally married, they will not grant him a passport until he legally changes his name back. I guess this is so that he won't destroy marriage throughout the US.

Gay Man Can't Travel on Married Name

Wanda Sykes on TEDS, March 2008

2008-03-13T22:33:00.001-04:00

Ellen DeGeneres Calls Sally Kern

2008-03-13T22:26:00.001-04:00

Ellen does it again!

Olbermann Slams Clinton Campaign...

2008-03-13T07:28:00.001-04:00

Racism is a sin, not a campaign tactic.

Clinton: That's the Walmart Way

2008-03-12T19:08:00.001-04:00

Clinton's ties to the most anti-union company in the US.

Ellen DeGeneres Discusses The Recent Tragic Death

2008-03-12T19:00:00.001-04:00

Thank you, Ellen.

Fed Pushing Up Oil Prices

2008-03-11T09:33:00.001-04:00

The weak US dollar is driving up oil prices, as investors are moving
out of dollar-based investments to commodities. Since the Fed began
slashing rates in late January, the dollar has fallen precipitously
across the globe, and oil has risen from $87/barrel to $107.

If the Fed continues to slash rates, oil may rise to over $120 or
higher, driving gas closer to $5/gallon. This may trigger the very
recession that the Fed hopes to avoid.

Rapidly Rising Oil Prices

Molly Ivins (RIP) Wouldn't Vote for Clinton

2008-03-08T05:49:00.002-05:00

Here's what Texas' smartest political commentator had to say about Hillary Clinton:

Columns
Molly Ivins

I will not support Hillary Clinton for president
January 20, 2006

AUSTIN, Texas --- I'd like to make it clear to the people who run the Democratic Party that I will not support Hillary Clinton for president.

Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terri Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag-burning, are just contemptible little dodges.

Molly Ivins

Clinton's Plan

2008-03-05T11:56:00.001-05:00

I think I've figured out Clinton's plan:

She knows that she can't win. Pelosi has told her as much when she said that Florida & Michigan can't decide the nominee. Tom Brokaw said that Obama has 50 more Super Delegates lined up, ending her lead in that category. She knows that she will lose Mississippi, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and most importantly, North Carolina by large margins, so even an Ohio-sized win in Pennsylvania puts her nearly 200 delegates behind.

She may be holding out for the VP. She hinted at it today. She knows that Obama need not take 2nd fiddle, but it's an opening bargaining position.

I'm no Clinton fan, but at this point, I'd sell the VP to get her endorsement. It would end the race, and she does bring a lot to the table. From her perspective, she can get 4-8 years of legitimate experience instead of pretending to have been Bill's VP (what was his name again??) At age 68, she can run in 2016 and still be younger than John McCain.

It's not an ideal scenario for those of us who want to end the Clinton dynasty, but it worked for Reagan with Bush. If Obama wants to be JFK, he may have to wed LBJ all over again.

Bass Motives

2008-03-03T21:57:00.001-05:00

Clinton's Law of politics (Hope)

2008-03-03T17:09:00.001-05:00

Clinton gives the best reason for voting for Obama.

!VIVA OBAMA 2008!

2008-02-22T14:41:00.001-05:00

Soy amigo de Obama

John McCain vs. John McCain

2008-02-20T18:26:00.001-05:00

McCain would have sold his soul, but then he found out how little it was worth on the open market.

Pelosi: FL & MI shouldn't decide nomination

2008-02-16T07:22:00.002-05:00

In a blow to Hillary Clinton's dimming campaign hopes, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that states who defy party rules should not be rewarded with deciding the race.

While the Democratic decision to disenfranchise Florida and Michigan was both foolish and undemocratic, all the candidates agreed not to campaign there. Only Clinton had her name on the ballot in Michigan. For her to win the nomination on a mock primary would cause such a rift in the party that her chances of winning in the fall would be nil, and would hurt every Democrat up for election.

Democrats need to find some other way to restore Florida and Michigan voting rights, which are key states for the fall. Seating delegates who don't represent most of the voters is worse than not seating any at all.

Pelosi will not back seating MI & FL to give a candidate a majority.

Clap Clap Point Point

2008-02-14T08:21:00.001-05:00

Clinton Can't Win

2008-02-13T07:26:00.001-05:00

Hillary Clinton cannot win at this point. According to her campaign, she hopes to only be behind by 30 elected delegates, in the best case scenario. Then she will need to get Super Delegates and seating her dubious Florida and Michigan delegates to win the nomination.

Even in that rosy scenario, uniting the party is out of the question.

Meanwhile, Obama expects to be ahead 200-300 delegates, meaning she would have to untie the Super Delegates to defeat him, and thus end democracy in the Democratic Party.