You will not out hustle Joe Sestak

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Saturday May 09, 2009 · 11:34 AM PDT

2009/05/09 · 11:34

Now that the dust has settled somewhat on the Specter fade to blue, and as it appears, with Ridge out, that he won't face a challenge on the right, it's looking more and more like Joe Sestak is it. If anyone is going to take Specter down, it's Sestak.

It's worth noting, as various people are opining about Joe Sestak's chances of being a viable primary contender, that campaigns aren't held on paper. On paper, Joe Sestak is a longshot. But campaigns are held in offices, on phones, on doorsteps, at events.

In that vein, I wanted to share with you a story told last March by one of the posters at my blog, TheCrossedPond.com. Jack is a 24-year veteran of the United States Navy, recently retired. Apropos of nothing, he told a story last year about an admiral he served under called "Smokin' Joe". With his permission, I'd like to pass it along.

glibfidget

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Friday February 06, 2009 · 4:00 PM PST

2009/02/06 · 16:00

Cross-posted at Donklephant, and hat tip to Adam at TheCrossedPond, himself a physicist, for catching this. As the battle to frame the stimulus package is being lost to the Republicans, congressional Democrats and the President are getting antsy to find some kind of compromise, quick, before the whole thing goes tits up. And it looks like science, technology, research, and higher education are going to be big losers.

glibfidget

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Monday November 10, 2008 · 6:45 PM PST

2008/11/10 · 18:45

From a kernel posted at TheCrossedPond

The story this week from the Democratic caucus is, clearly, what to do with Joe Lieberman. The day of reckoning finally draws near, but more and more signs point to the probability that Reid reckons he doesn't have to do anything at all. And in it all, the cover being advanced on Joe's behalf is that he agrees with and votes for the Democrats 90% of the time. Lieberman, really, is 90% a Democrat, and only 10% troublesome.

That sounds pretty darn good...but what about that 10%?

glibfidget

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Monday February 11, 2008 · 3:00 PM PST

2008/02/11 · 15:00

I have a lot to say about this, so much so that it's trapped in my throat. Thoughts of entitlement, of the psychology of dynasticism, of the real nasty and pernicious kinds of racism...just too much. Too much to express in a mere diary, too much to boil down to a stupid online flame-war. Maybe my race colors me when I hear things like this and just bristle and cringe.

I think I'm going to let it just speak for itself, except to add that if it comes down to Clinton-McCain, I doubt very much I'll be voting Democratic this year.

glibfidget

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Wednesday January 30, 2008 · 2:21 PM PST

2008/01/30 · 14:21

It's now safe to say that McCain has all but wrapped up the Republican nomination. He is also the one Republican running who regularly beats or gets within the margin of error against Hillary Clinton in a general election matchup (he beats Obama too, but by less). McCain, it has to be noted if we're being clear-eyed, is, of the entire Republican field, the one guy that can be competitive outside of the Republican base. He can bring in Independents, he can cross party lines and poach votes from beyond the Republican core. He does better the more open the primary, and his popularity ratings, unlike all the other Republicans, actually rises as the constituency gets less right-wing, relative to other Republican figures at least.

The question is, does that become a factor in your vote?

glibfidget

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Friday December 07, 2007 · 1:08 AM PST

2007/12/07 · 01:08

I'm talking about the most recent in a long, long string of surrenders on Iraq War funding. The Democratic party seems to be finding more and more creative ways to write blank checks.

How frustrating to be a Democrat. I'm not a Democrat, and I'm continually frustrated beyond belief.

Here they are, in the majority, holding positions on most of the hot button issues that a VAST majority of the country agrees with them on, and yet they continually hem and haw and outright balk, and not only fail to pass their agendas, but continually get thwarted at a 2nd grade level in opposing the minority's.

glibfidget

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Tuesday October 30, 2007 · 3:10 PM PDT

2007/10/30 · 15:10

This was posted to a mostly conservative audience at The Crossed Pond, so it's without some of its context.

But it's spurred by a reader email debate going on at Andrew Sullivan's (I know, I know), specifically this one. And, more generally, by something I hear a lot, either privately or on progressive boards and sites. The sentiment amounts to "I want to like Obama, but I just don't think a black candidate can win" or "I like Obama, but America's not ready for a black candidate" or "I just think there's too many people out there who won't vote for a black candidate no matter what", or some variant. I'm not talking about any other qualms about Obama, just honing in on this one.

I post it here because I think it's worth thinking about, particularly if you find yourself saying that.

glibfidget

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Wednesday May 16, 2007 · 11:45 PM PDT

2007/05/16 · 23:45

As an example of the amazing cognitive dissonance within the Republican party, compare that quote to the absolutely apeshit reaction that Ron Paul got last night in the Republican debate.

The context of that quote:

On September 13, 2001, Jerry Falwell said this on Pat Robertson’s show, "The 700 Club": "The enemies of America give us probably what we deserve." When asked to elaborate, Falwell added, "When we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way—all of them who have tried to secularize America—I point the finger in their face and say, ‘you helped this happen.’"

glibfidget

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Saturday May 05, 2007 · 1:51 PM PDT

2007/05/05 · 13:51

(cross-posted at The Crossed Pond. The writing is geared for a more conservative audience (so forgive the falling-into of vernacular like "Islamofacism", which annoys me too), but the message, I think, is for everybody. Nevertheless, I'm still preaching to the unconverted, so excuse the right-lean of some of the language and references).

Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters flags a WaPo article about a new report by the Army surveying its troops and their feelings on torture and respect for civilians in a war zone. Morrissey chides the WaPo for its negative characterization of the report (the WaPo headline "Troops at Odds with Ethics Standards"), instead preferring his own half-full perspective. Me, I think the report is a much more mixed bag than either are admitting to. It's the sort of report that people on either side could take either way, and the truth, as it often is, strikes me as a lot more thorny.

glibfidget

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Friday April 27, 2007 · 10:09 PM PDT

2007/04/27 · 22:09

You want some retail politics?

Congressman Ron Paul, the favorite candidate of every libertarian and the best Republican congressman by such a wide margin it's not even worth discussing (anti-war, anti-Patriot Act, anti-everything-not-written-in-the-constitution), visits some kid's dorm room and gives a thirty minute interview. No kidding.

Check it out.

glibfidget

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Monday March 26, 2007 · 2:21 PM PDT

2007/03/26 · 14:21

Cross-posted at The Crossed Pond, so this comes less from a Democratic perspective and more from the perspective of anyone who calls themselves a conservative, and means it.

I’ve come around to the idea that the only way to challenge this administration is Keyser Soze style, being willing to go farther than they are, or being willing to go farther than they think you have the stomach for. This position is not an emotive one on my part; it's not born of disgust, or anger, or whatever else. Rather, I feel at this point, it's a collected, measured, rational response to the situation as defined by circumstances and, more importantly, the administration itself. It's gotten to the point where impeachment becomes not an option as a last resort anymore, but as the go-to modus operandi for dealing with the administration at every level, for every battle. It is a response simply demanded by situation.

glibfidget

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Tuesday March 06, 2007 · 9:34 AM PST

2007/03/06 · 09:34

What will it be? A hardline right out of the gate from the White House, to try and parry the prosecution from further advances and go on the offensive before it gets to Cheney? Try to tuck it away in some fast-paced news cycle when attention is focused on other candidates not connected to Bush (a nice fuck you from the Old Boss)? Or the conventional standard, "pack our shit up in boxes, leave graffiti for next administration (seen scrawled in Lincoln bedroom bathroom: "for a good time, call Bob Novak..."), and on the way out, make sure you didn't leave anything, and pardon all our criminal supporters"?

Or, does the Bush administration hang Scooter out to dry?

Poll

72 votes Show Results

Pardon?

72 votes Vote Now!

Pardon?

Pre-Sentencing Pardon

12 votes

Pre-Election Pardon

6 votes

11th Hour Pardon

40 votes

No Pardon

7 votes

(Impeachment?)

7 votes

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