tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35428352008-05-08T22:41:56.743-07:00Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comBlogger3118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-68047511140053662562008-05-08T08:10:00.000-07:002008-05-08T08:13:32.530-07:00

Funny, in a sad, surreal way.

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-31844325317445075392008-04-03T15:21:00.000-07:002008-04-03T15:30:22.697-07:00

I was fascinated by this post by Digby about how America has been dominated for much of its history by two political tribes that have switched allegiance to the parties over time but which, within themselves, have remained remarkably consistent in their ideological leanings. I won't try to summarize it (go read it yourself) but the two tribes she identifies are The North and The South. What I

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-22601212857276980752008-04-01T16:29:00.000-07:002008-04-01T16:30:10.930-07:00

The truly sad development in this election is the degree to which Democrats have taken to citing as sources against Hillary the very same people who were decried by Democrats as smear-merchants in the 90s. Hell, dKos diarists post approving links to Drudge items! I'm an Obama supporter. I don't like some of things Clinton has done in this race. But I don't let that dislike cloud my judgment

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-27674629832241316812008-03-31T14:48:00.001-07:002008-03-31T15:04:51.040-07:00

I think Josh may be on to something here. The conventional wisdom on why Clinton is running so hard against Obama is that she has to damage him so much that superdelegates will quail at nominating him and will throw their weight behind her. And if she can't get it that way then she will destroy Obama out of spite. Thus the image of Hillary "I'll-do-anything-to-win" Clinton candidacy is born.

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-83963794832771728272008-03-30T23:20:00.000-07:002008-03-30T23:29:13.694-07:00

Chris Bowers: 2. Don't encourage rank and file Democrats to vote a certain way for the sake of winning elections. [...] #2 is a somewhat less obvious point, though still an important one none the less. Sure, Democrats want to win the general election, and finding a candidate who can defeat McCain is on the minds of many Democratic primary voters. However, when Democratic politicians

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-52946407058081447372008-03-29T09:21:00.000-07:002008-03-29T10:32:51.537-07:00

Note: I am an Obama supporter. What the superdelegates are doing by holding off their decisions until most everyone has voted is not stupid. What Dean, Pelosi and Reid are doing by staying neutral in the nomination battle is not stupid. What IS stupid is what some Obama supporters are doing by urging the "party poobahs" to "finish it". Here is the message you are sending to voters who have not

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-77647455143326188632008-03-25T13:14:00.000-07:002008-03-25T13:18:41.944-07:00

I have to shake my head. Not just at what Hillary Clinton is doing (latest here) but at the way supporters of both candidates react to this kind of garbage. First of all, Clinton is not trying to destroy Democratic chances in 2008 so she will be able to win in 2012. She's to smart not to know that if either Obama or Clinton loses in November the 2nd place finisher will come in for a lion-share

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-27868748090740594522008-03-25T01:23:00.000-07:002008-03-25T01:29:28.472-07:00

Jeff Fecke: Hillary Clinton is not stupid. She knows at this point that we've gone too far down the path of this primary for both Obama and Clinton not to have their careers staked on November. If the Democrats lose in the fall, the losing candidate will be the most reviled figure in Democratic politics. But the second-place finisher in this rancorous primary will be a close second. It won't

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-65751771120209865782008-03-14T14:21:00.001-07:002008-03-14T14:36:40.852-07:00

Obama has just posted a blog entry on the Rev. Wright matter over on The Huffington Post. It's pretty good, at least on first reading, but not as good as a speech would be. Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-70944495002506150512008-03-14T14:14:00.000-07:002008-03-14T14:17:06.423-07:00

TPM Reader MS foresees this line of attack: Imagine this 30 second ad, run heavily next October. I think it would be devastating among undecided and swing voters. "What does Barack Obama really believe in? His spritual teacher for 20 years has been Jeremiah Wright. Wright wedded Obama & his wife. Obama named his book from a sermon of Wright's. [insert video of favorable comment about Wright

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-63744283597959235532008-03-14T10:29:00.000-07:002008-03-14T10:30:39.952-07:00

Bush, on the soldiers in Afghanistan: "I must say, I'm a little envious," Bush said. "If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed." Bush has a real magic about him. He seems to know just the right thing to say to leave the everyone speechless.

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-44307826125575333042008-03-14T10:07:00.000-07:002008-03-14T10:13:53.051-07:00

I don't think Obama should outright "reject and denounce" Rev. Wright. Pulling a Sister Souljah on him would (1) seem like a sign of weakness (run away! run away!) and (2) be divisive (since a lot of people agree with what Wright said). I think political campaigns today spend to much time running away from a controversy instead of embracing it as an opportunity to make a statement that elevate

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-6474740241072746002008-03-14T09:40:00.000-07:002008-03-14T09:51:15.499-07:00

Polimom at The Moderate Voice: I firmly believe that Barack Obama’s feelings and views about race are precisely as he’s presented them — both on the campaign trail and in his books. However, I also think Obama’s going to have to draw very strong, clear distinctions between himself and Jeremiah Wright for the citizens of this country — much more than he’s thus far done. I think this is spot

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-41502460325904248222008-03-13T23:24:00.000-07:002008-03-13T23:30:29.347-07:00

I think the Rev. Wright situation demonstrates the point I was making in my post below about what would happen if the Clinton/Obama situations were reversed. Consider that Wright made his comments at a time just after the New Hampshire primary when it looked like Clinton might retake the momentum in the race. Wright, as the above linked post at TPMCafe discusses, was almost palpably frustrated in

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-14021235676164933942008-03-13T16:36:00.000-07:002008-03-13T16:50:31.250-07:00

Oliver Willis argues that the attempt to make Obama look like a militant black by playing up the words of his pastor will fail because people just don't see Obama that way. Well, a lot of people don't, but some do and stories like this could increase the margins of those who do. Not a lot, but certainly enough to make a difference in the Fall. Lincoln was wrong when he said, "You can't fool

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-35108268465995191092008-03-13T16:21:00.000-07:002008-03-13T16:22:24.672-07:00

Stop trying to use logic in dealing with things like this. It doesn't matter that no reasonable person could blame Obama for the (idiotic) thoughts of his former pastor. But what matters is that a LOT of people will only hear "Obama's pastor says 'God damn America'" and that will be enough to hurt him. Dismissing this as illogical is only burying yourself politically. I certainly hope Obama

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-12901178867790727662008-03-13T13:40:00.001-07:002008-03-13T14:06:49.312-07:00

Just a few years back, before the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, there was a strong possibility that both the Sox and Chicago White Sox would go to the World Series in the same year. This meant that one of them would finally break their bad streak and the other would be left fuming at yet another lost opportunity. Fortunately, for the peace of the baseball world, this didn't happen. The

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-82481171989019101442008-03-11T14:58:00.000-07:002008-03-11T14:59:28.570-07:00

Yeah, this pretty much sums up how I feel about it. Would it help if some people would just engage a neuron or two every now and then?

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-8966039124822149142008-03-09T16:01:00.000-07:002008-03-09T16:10:31.324-07:00

I find it odd and telling that quite a few Obama supporters, upon watching the above video clip, see it as SNL giving tacit support to Hillary Clinton. Even nominally non-partisan journalists, such as the local political report Jeff Mapes, seem to think it is sufficiently anti-Obama that they have to give a warning to Obama supporters ahead of time. Now, the clip does contain a disparaging

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-58491564054436972022008-03-08T17:12:00.000-08:002008-03-08T17:16:47.828-08:00

I've been wondering when a candidate would commit to this: Barack Obama told a cheering crowd at a town hall meeting in Casper today that he would restore respect for law in the White House by reviewing every executive order issued by President George W. Bush and discarding any deemed unconstitutional. Good! I'd also like to see a commitment to shutting down Guantanomo.

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-24596306449723880512008-03-06T13:11:00.001-08:002008-03-06T13:12:32.358-08:00

(Photo courtesy Hobson's Choice)

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-92084852049642414772008-03-05T16:05:00.000-08:002008-03-05T16:06:06.074-08:00

And a lot more helpful.

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-65249528682688665022008-03-05T15:49:00.000-08:002008-03-05T15:51:21.891-08:00

Still not helping. (And the answer is still yes)

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-60666320954203274632008-03-05T15:19:00.000-08:002008-03-05T15:20:51.178-08:00

Obama has played rough politics. But he has done it better than Clinton. Which is another reason to support him. Some people want their politics to be pure. They are naive, at best. Politics is never pure. Politics is War by other means. You don't win without getting bloody. The secret to a successful political system is not purity but being able to put the political guns aside when the

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542835.post-38521854652952051472008-03-05T14:50:00.001-08:002008-03-05T14:53:27.292-08:00

The primary reason I am choosing Obama over Clinton is that I think Obama has a better chance to build the Democratic Party and the Democratic Brand and that doing both is essential to the long-term health of the progressive movement and that that movement is essential to the long-term health of this country. But, you see, I'm a middle-class white guy who makes $100,000 a year, lives in a nice

Chris Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.com