If John S. McCain was a automobile engine, it would have problems. the noises you hear are a lack of lubrication and serious internal damage. His statements speak to softwear issues with the computer controlling that engine also.
He needs to have his crankshaft and camshafts reground and retrued. Oh wait. Then he will be wedded to fossil fuels to keep his motor running.
Why can't he say "Czech Republic?" Is it too hard for him to remember correctly what recent discussions he's been exposed to and should remember for the past several years? . (More)
Forget all the talk about what it takes to make it as a POW. Let's talk about the job McCain is actually running for. What does it take to make it as Chief Executive?
One of the hallmarks of an effective executive is their ability to attract and retain talent. It doesn't matter whether they work in the public or private sector, whether they are running a sports team or a political campaign.
Executives with a pattern of churning through talent eventually get a reputation for being difficult to work with and people with real talent start avoiding them. That's a major problem. Once you are tagged with that label, it's just a matter of time before the bottom falls out. No surprise then McCain's campaign is in shambles.
It's clear the corporate media is going to bend over backwards to avoid looking at this story in detail, so why not take a look for yourself at McCain's history for churning through talent? Watch your step as you head over the fold ... this guy runs through top advisors the way some people run through wives.
I've been here for more than four years, I've probably written 300 diaries, and Buddha knows how many comments. But, as much as I love Daily Kos, I love the real world even more.
And I absolutely have loved participating in the real world the last two weekends. Last weekend, I took the family out to a festival, and we registered voters. This weekend, we went to a Democratic picnic to support the local party and sign up as volunteers for neighboring swing states Virginia and Pennsylvania.
After a 4th of July vacation, we'll be hitting both states frequently, taking our toddler and infant along on neighborhood walks, to fairs and festivals, getting out the vote for Barack Obama.
At a recent town hall meeting, John McCain indicated that he felt it was "tough" sometimes to be proud of our country. He said that we needed to be "more humble, more inclusive."
I will not stand for this anti-American rhetoric. We cannot have a President who feels that it is sometimes tough to be proud of America. For all I know, he's just a secret Muslim terrorist. I want a President who LOVES our country, and who is ALWAYS proud of our country, and never realizes that it has any faults... because it never does! More after the jump.
An interesting article from the AP just came up. It shows how even strong Black republicans are feeling the pull of history and may end up voting for a Democrat for the first time in their lives.
Black conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams has never voted for a Democrat for president. That could change this year with Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's nominee.
The AP is running a story that blows up the myth that Barack Obama will have problems in key demographics this fall against John McCain:
Polls this month show the Illinois senator leading McCain among women, running even with him among Catholics and suburbanites and trailing him with people over age 65. Results vary by poll for those without college degrees. And though Obama trails decisively with a group that has shunned him against Clinton — whites who have not completed college — he's doing about the same with them as the past two Democratic presidential candidates.
Yeah, so, that whole "will women support him?" myth? Busted.
I remember a time not so long ago when this image was an unambiguous sign for any person with liberal or progressive sensibilities that something is seriously wrong with the world:
But now many Democrats have become de facto Ditto-heads, gladly nodding their approval whenever Rush Limbaugh or some other right wing lunatic makes some derogatory remark about Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton (whichever one they don't like).
Take a little stroll with me below the fold. I'd like to show you something.
[Update] Please read at least the first 3 paragraphs before flaming ;-)
...According to the Head-to-Head tracking polls against McCain
...According to the snapshot electoral maps against McCain (Clinton // Obama)
This argument cannot be ignored. By definition, the stronger Democratic candidate is the one who is most likely to beat the Republican nominee in November. If, in fact, Hillary Clinton would perform better against John McCain than Barack Obama, then she is the stronger candidate. End of story. Discussion over.
The problem is that there are three significant overlooked factors that head to head tracking polls, as well as their corolary snapshot electoral maps, do not account for. These make any such claim to Hillary's stronger candidacy problematic.
First, let me say that I think the flag pin "flap" is a non-issue and is completely absurd. Having said that, I think the Republicans will make it an issue in the campaign. I don't think it will have a huge impact, but it will come up from time to time and cause the Obama campaign a minor headache.
Second, as I have stated in previous diaries I am not a religious person. I do, however, have tremendous respect for Bilblical literature and often find valuable insight contained within the pages of my NRSV translation (and my NA27, for all you Bible nerds ;-) ).
Among the many reasons that I support Barack Obama, there are two that I want to discuss. Why? Because I have not seen anyone discuss them yet. These two reasons are the following:
If he's going to win in November, especially with the kinds of margins that will give him a free hand over obstructionist Republicans, Barack Obama needs Hillary Clinton - not as his VP, but to campaign for him with all the ferocity and resilience she's shown campaigning for herself.
Many senior Democrats say Mrs Clinton owes Mr Obama a generous exit in order to make up for the fact that she has handed the Republicans plenty of material for attacks against him....
The fact that Mr McCain has been sticking closely to Mrs Clinton’s criticisms of Mr Obama – at times paraphrasing her words – has led some Democrats to accuse Mrs Clinton of running a Republican-style campaign against Mr Obama...
Below my ramblings you will find the prepared remarks for a speech Sen. Barack Obama gave in Oregon today. I searched and searched and searched for a mention of the Senator from New York and found none.
Senator Obama knows who his opponent is now. I suggest following his lead and moving on. I realize there are some dead enders out there trying to sway superdelegates to stick with Clinton. And yes, there is a fancy powerpoint presentation making the rounds tossing about today's argument for why Clinton should be the nominee.
But it is time to move on and focus energy on November. It ain't sexy. It doesn't fill the 24/7 breaking news bin. It isn't as exciting as watching momentum build as superdelegates commit to the winner.
It just lays the foundation for real change to come to America.
The spectacle of Clinton and Obama and their partisans unbridled personal ambition and "winner take all" competition with superdelegates taking no leadership role for innovation or another choice is truly depressing. It may cost the party the election at a time when the country most desperately needs a definitive change of party in the White House and Congress.
Wednesday is the last day of the month, and the last day used to calculate April financials. The last thing we need is press reports stating Obama's fundraising has tailed off in April. Let's help him show once again that he's the candidate (presumptive nominee) who can raise the most money. I know that a lot of you may have given to the Obama campaign before, and that times are getting pretty tough economically, and no one should put themselves into hardship giving to an election campaign. Ever. However, for those who can, won't you join me in giving whatever you can to the Obama campaign.
If this is your first donation, you can donate here. If you've given before, consider matching someone else's donation by going here.
I sent in [another] $25.01 this morning with a nice message for someone giving for the first time. It's a great way to help encourage new donors. Please excuse the commercial. I know this isn't much of a diary, but I'd appreciate it if Obama supporters would rec it anyway so we can remind people it's the end of the month.
Friday morning, when I probably should have been milling around among my students making sure they were on track with the work they were doing on their projects, I was at my desk reading diary after joyful, inspiring diary on this site.
In my defense, I knew I was going to be leaving town for a retreat right after school, wouldn't have access to computer or MSM over the weekend, and would be gone until late Sunday night, so I needed to stock up on current events to carry me through the weekend. (Besides, my students could and did come talk with me at my desk if they needed help.)
The news was so good: Poll numbers improving, 50-state registration drive, 20+ supers set to drip endorsements in from now till May 6 -- arguably even Obama's scheduled appearance on Fox was good, because it meant he was looking toward the GE, and pretty much viewing Clinton as his Huckabee. But now I'm back home, and it's ugly.
It's everything I want to see from the DNC and the Obama campaign. Make all those voters considering casting their lot with McSame think again. It's hard hitting, it's the truth.
But I'm old enough to remember when "Women's Lib" was considered radical fringe politics. When "Ms." was the name of a magazine, not a form of address used in front of a person's name. Well, unless that person was Gloria Steinem. I remember that back in those days when I was advocating for passage of the ERA and eagerly scanning lists of possible female Presidential candidates within the next decade, Anita Bryant was widely admired for taking a stand against all those man-haters, and urging women to embrace their womanhood -- HER version of womanhood, which was stuck squarely in the 1950's, even though she was speaking in the late 70's.
But even at that time, when publicly questioned, many individuals who opposed "women's lib" would preface their opposition remarks with, "Of course, I think women should get equal pay for equal work, BUT . . . ."
Cross-posted at Project Vote's blog, Voting Matters
Weekly Voting Rights News Update
By Erin Ferns
Young voters have arrived.
Finally.
Since the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1972, predictions of the increasing impact of young voters on the outcomes of elections have consistently been proven wrong on Election Day. In fact, youth voting rates have rarely been as strong as they were in 1972 and young people continue to be among the least represented groups in the electorate and in the voting booth.
Forget all the talk about what it takes to make it as a POW. Let's talk about the job McCain is actually running for. What does it take to make it as Chief Executive?
