An Off Week

No primaries this week as we head into the day that is also a sentence, March 4th. So just doing a little pre-spring cleaning here in the Angry Middle.

A STARBUCKS DEMOCRAT ?
Recently I've been reading some articles about this group of people are that group of people supporting a particular candidate. Latinos in Texas are for so and so, Asians in Ohio are for this guy, etc. The most recent conventional wisdom is that working class lunch bucket Democrats are for Hillary Clinton and the latte drinkers are for Obama. The exact quote from the Machinists Union President (when's the last time that guy paid for a meal anyway) I've got news for all the latte-drinking, Prius- driving, Birkenstock-wearing, trust fund babies crowding in to hear him speak! This guy won't last a round against the Republican attack machine. He's a poet, not a fighter.”

Now if this guy were working for Karl Rove's attack machine, I'd get it, but he's supposed to be "one of the good guys." with friends like this, who needs enemies. Step 76 on the road to the defeat for the Democrats. I'm unsure what Buffenbarger (onomatopoeic if you ask me) was trying to due, but it's been a weird time for the Clinton campaign, not quite lemmings but certainly the cyanide is being passed around the Clintonbunker just in case. Her campaign reminds me somewhat of the Birmingham campaign for Governor in 2002, the what the hell are they talking about campaign. The more qualified candidacy just mailing it in.

So the analogy being made for Clinton v. Obama is Dunkin' Donuts v. Starbucks. So, is the argument both are overpriced for what you get? You got to wait in a long line burning fuel for Clinton? If you're an Obama supporter you have no idea what you're ordering when you go there and you have to listen to bad music at the same time? Frankly I think both places are a waste of money so maybe that makes me a lukewarm Mr. Coffee Nader voter.

The analogy of course is that people who are for Obama are Sissycrats who have never worked a day in their life and sit around and read, the classic "where's the beef", the other are tough lunch bucket "guys" and their families who work from paycheck to paycheck. I have no idea where this came from, did Time magazine talk to seven guys? Most of these lunch bucket folks have long left the Democratic Party during the Reagan Revolution, those that may remain, from Public Employee unions are likely to vote either way and certainly don't look at Hillary Clinton as the savior of working class America.

I need to find a new party, my party is just stupid. How the hell could you lose this year?

UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED REDUX

There certainly is a time to stop, Godfather III, Jaws II, Caddyshack II, but Ralph he just keeps on going. After the aberration of 2000, there was a lot of hating going on for Nader. Now granted if Gore could have carried his home state, he would have won the election, how the hell do you not carry your own state? Ralph 2008 will be taken a lot less seriously, even less seriously than in 2004. He'll certainly pick up some contrarian voters, the "don't blame me I voted for someone else" voters, the same type of people that watch the Superbowl for the commercials, that don't want any real investment except to not be wrong.

I have mixed feelings about a Nader candidacy. One says the more the merrier, a divergent number of ideas for a common vision and purpose is a good thing. Nader's argument is that there is little difference between the corporatist parties, in fact he says he once asked his father if he ever though there would be three parties and his father said, I hope someday there are at least two. The other is that it is an egotistical distraction for Nader in a time of great need for leadership in this country, no one wants to watch a folk singer while your house is on fire. He's the guy who stands behind you while your trying to fix something telling you you should have bought a different brand. Timing, my friend.

SENATORS PREFER BLONDES

So the trash begins to fly. The formerly somewhat respectable Grey Lady begins to publish gossip using some named sources and some unnamed sources about Senator McCain and a blond lobbyist. There are two different levels of looking at this, the more lascivious way of looking at it, the senator having an affair with a much younger blond woman resembling his wife but some 25 years younger or the more common way, an elected official who has always claimed to rise above such nonsense doing political favors for a lobbyist.

The first is more fun, it's gossip, it's interesting in a world filled with reality TV, skinny woman romping around in bikinis flirting with their boy toys, in this case the boy toy being an aging senator/war hero. The second, in reality of course is more disconcerting, not just because of the Senator, but that it shows that all of Congress is for sale. This is not something that is unusual. Huge money is spent by lobbyists to influence policy and various tools certainly used to get influence.

All things equal, education, skills,etc. it would make more sense to influence the white, old man's club with a pretty blonde than someone like myself. Even men who have no intention of cheating are impressed by the attention of good looking women and the unconscious flirtation that take place and looks at every level are an entry point. But certainly this isn't the point. Huge money buys influence, on all sides, regardless of party. No one is going to attack McCain on this point because it is just hypocritical. In many ways, this has worked out at a good time for the Senator, nearly eight months for this to blow over and enough time for the conservative right to get behind their candidate as their greatest enemy the liberal media has emerged for the fight.

On President's Day

3oo MILLION

As of today there are over 303 million people in this country. Of those about 2.2 million are incarcerated, about a quarter of this number are children and likely another quarter are between 18 and 35, leaving roughly 150 million people that are eligible for the Presidency. OK, that's an exaggeration, exclude non-citizens and many others and the number is actually much smaller, but my point is, after all the millions of dollars spent we are basically down to our last three candidates, a woman who is the spouse of an ex-President, likely one of the most divisive figures in recent political history, a young Black guy with a thin resume and an old, angry white guy that conservatives don't really seem to like.

So those are the options. Barring a run by a strong independent, this is what it boils down to. The desk and button get handed from GW to someone a little higher on the US leadership depth chart, but still not anywhere close to the first string. The strength of a Washington, the wisdom of a Jefferson, the moral fortitude of a Lincoln, the creativity of a Teddy Roosevelt is devoid from these candidates that will attempt to reconfigure the US economy, build the US image in the world, protect the country from enemies foreign and domestic and ensure the economic security and healthcare of a rapidly aging population. So here, we go, certainly there have been accidental presidents that have brought great success to this country and our hope is that this will be the same.

PASSING THE TORCH

So Mitt's millions and miscellaneous movement towards the right didn't secure him the Republican nod for the Presidency. The savior of the Winter Olympics (assisted in a great way by the US taxpayer) and part time Governor of Massachusetts couldn't triple axel his way to Pennsylvania Avenue.

I'm unsure what this newfound darling of the conservative movement will do for his next move. He has endorsed McCain which is the non-astronomical equivalent of the sun rising but it remains unclear if he has the chops for the vice presidency under an old and battered Senator McCain. It seems that chief of staff which would likely be the best position considering his business leadership background would be "beneath him", but certainly he would do well in the cabinet in some function.

I think the idea of the CEO presidency should be put to rest. Certainly there is room for various business leadership models in government, but the techniques of Bain Capital can only go so far in leading the American people. Certainly George W. tried to use the business model of governing but made the mistake of taking bad counsel, and in fact there is no golden parachute for the Commander in Chief. No reward for failure as you move on to your next corporate governance position. Usually it is not the CEO's job to inspire your "customers", the job of President goes beyond cost cutting, supervision and marketing.

THE RUMBLE CONTINUES

The battle for second place continues. A close run that will likely end up at the convention and decided in a somewhat undemocratic way by party bigshots outside the troublesome swarm of hoi polloi that will flood into Denver in August. So the show is on. Today's battle was around a candidate's wife that is proud of her husband and the Senator's bidenesque use of language from his friend Deval Patrick. Certainly, now we are talking about the issues. You know, the things that separate Senator Clinton from Senator Obama as the best representative of the Democratic party. The circular firing squad begins to take shape.

A year or so ago, it seemed that the Democrats would walk into the White House, as Bush fatigue turned into exhaustion, now it's hard for me to envision how either of these candidates, once the 527's and media machines get fired up can possibly beat a McCain who while disliked by the right has unquestionable appeal as a war hero and patriot. So if you're either senator how do you sell yourself to the American people? How do you appeal to people who want someone who is tough on national security and terror but still want to be inspired to believe in America again. Bush fatigue will not bring enough energy to those beyond the activists on the left to bring you to the White House, a real connection with the American people is the only path.

SEPARATION

The race for the Republican nomination is just about sewn up. With Governor Huckabee a mere speedbump at this time, Senator McCain after being declared politically dead only several months ago will walk into the hall in Minneapolis and be annointed the GOP candidate for the White House. Gone are the candidates of the hour, Rudy G. gone the way of a Tito Jackson album, Mitt the way of Vanilla Ice and Mike Huckabee the way of some guy who thought weight loss, guitar playing and baptist preaching would bring him to the secular promised land of politics.

Also gone is the McCain of 2000, the attractive, maverick candidate whose strokes of independence repulsed the "conservative" stalwarts that brought the mess of George W. into office. McCain soon saw the "errors" of his way and largely bended to the neo-con's and theocon's that provide the rock of the Republican party. Soon he was eating cake and hugging the President while still remaining a bit of maverick tendency around some issues that still got stuck in the craw of conservative activists during the primaries, but not enough to keep him from reaching the pinnacle through the support of the non-lunatic fringe of his party.

Now McCain has to make a decision. A move to kiss and make up with the Republican party base or a move towards the center to sew up the White House for the party. The rhetoric that will come from the candidate in the months leading up to the convention will be telling, will it be concilatory, a willingness to work across the aisle, something that might be attractive to moderates and independents or will it be continuing the business as usual and paralytic dysfunction of American government? John McCain has the benefit of campaigning to the middle, the rumored conservative staying home on Election Day is not going to happen in the face of a Clinton or Obama opposition. The choice of a vigorous, moderate vice presidential candidate would certainly bring energy to the general campaign. Senator McCain has an opportunity to save his party from the cuckoo's and win the White House simultaneously, the choice is his.

Super Ain't It

PRIMARY BLOGTOPIA
Ah, after a dissapointing to disgusting superbowl game, time to grab the couch and a cocktail and see what CNN blasts through the tube. It can be a pretty long night. You get to listen to some interesting comments, Bill Bennett for example just made a comment of how some conservatives speaking out about McCain not being a conservative as "being Trotskyists" in looking at some kind of purity in the party. It's a strange world in which McCain isn't a conservative and an indication of how far the Republican party has swung to the right. Similarly, the Democratic party swung to the left as identity politics and the the "mainstreaming" of the New Left led to a legacy of losing from Humphrey to Clinton I, (leaving out the outlier of Jimmy Carter, a reaction to Watergate more than the strength of the candidate himself) leaving out lunch bucket Democrats. The question is where is the Democrat's Ronald Reagan, the candidate that can clean up the disaffected "left wing" of the Republican party and moderate independents.

TRENCH WARFARE
The finest day that I ever had was when I learned to cry on command Love myself better than you I know it's wrong So what should I do? Nirvana

Being a Democrat in a Democratic hotbed means you get lots of phone calls, lit drops, mailings, etc. This year, we also have a contested state rep race, making the calls even more intense and the recycling bins fill up quick. State Rep seats open up about every two cicada cycles, so people who are interested jump on high and hard. Perhaps the most annoying thing is when a stranger calls you for support, when you personally know the candidate, real turnoff, know you're tired and busy but call those people yourself.

Being of Latino descent and having a Spanish surname, I get the pleasure of getting things in two languages, seemingly ignoring the fact that the vast majority of Latinos who are US citizens are either bilingual or English dominant. Culturally competent? I dunno, more pandering to me. You want to do right by Latino voters, it's not about immigration or welfare or some other racist notion, it's about jobs, schools that are held accountable for educating our children and public safety, wait is that what everyone else wants, ahhhhhh, now you get it.

As we walked to vote today, I still hadn't decided who to vote for, I had Edwards who has "suspended his campaign" on my mind as a broker at the convention, a spokesperson for the Two Americas, etc. I got no idea why he dropped out, he could have coasted to 15% all along the way and had a lot of influence. I eventually voted for Obama, "the half breed with a funny name", mostly out of solidarity. Not really but it's a good story and probably the only thing I'll remember when I age.

Neither of these candidates really impress me. I love portions of both of them, Hilary's potential wonkiness, Obama's rhetorical style but neither of them has really said anything yet. It's mostly intentional, any program or idea that you bring out has the potential to be overanalyzed and destroyed in the media which tends to be too shortsighted and slowwitted to understand the nature of policy development. I voted for Obama on the grounds of meritocracy and electability. It is a strange time in American history where I can say the black guy with the middle name Hussein is the more electable Democrat. The other point is the meritocracy of Obama, a guy who really made himself, who's to say what Hilary Rodham would have become, corporate titan?, senator from Illinois on her own volition? Dunno, but lets say the election of her husband as President certainly vaulted her into the public light and a possible building of a Clinton dynasty.

YOU GO THIS WAY, I'LL GO THAT WAY
So I don't mean to dismiss the Huckabee campaign here, in fact he seems to be doing fairly well in some of the southern states. Mitt's a moving target here as he tries to carve himself into a Reagan suit in a weird silence of the lambs fashion. McCain tries to keep up some Conservative "cred" when he actually can't wait to kick Dobson down a flight of stairs and draft Rush Limbaugh into Scudbusting service. It's not that McCain isn't a conservative bastard, he just wants to do it by his own angry man rules, with a little spice of mavericity.

McCain, of course hopes to win quick, and not have to run and pander to every right wing kook. Again, in something I though would never say or type, Bill Bennett has got it nailed, he fears this, he fears that the Republican rift will lose those folks who helped to build the Republican power base, those who had become disaffected with the leftist control of the Democratic party and the perceived celebration in the Democratic party of big government and a lack of self reliance. The party for most Republicans is not the party of the neo-cons or the theo-cons.

Governor Romney has the bankroll to keep it going and likely will spin his victories in 2 of his 4 homestates on Super Tuesday as a kick off for the rest of his campaign as the real conservative in the race. Seems like Muffy and Billy Weld have both resurfaced for Mitt's Massachusetts renewal speech, best part of the speech is a large group of yankee republican engaged it call and response. The focus is now totally on the economy and those fat cats in Washington. Wow, now that was inspirational.