Claim vs. Fact Database
Thu Apr 29, 2004 at 09:58:52 AM PDT
As most of you probably already know, the Center for American Progress has been doing a bang-up job of highlighting the staggering gap between the rhetoric of the Bush administration and reality. Its daily
Progress Report has become one of my favorite reads--up there with dKos.
Confucius Says
Tue Mar 09, 2004 at 04:23:13 PM PDT
I apologize in advance for this diary's lack of substance, but I wanted to share something I read in
The Wisdom of Confucius (ed. P Sellers) that struck me as timeless in general and particularly apt in any thoughtful consideration of George W. Bush:
Man who fart in church must sit in own pew.
I'll be interested in your thoughts.
A Belatedly Candid White House
Tue Feb 03, 2004 at 04:04:36 PM PDT
I must admit I'm stunned. I have become so inured to this administration's evasions, obfuscations, hyperbole, and falsehoods that it's hard to acknowledge their
rare moments of candor. And yet, as the linked picture shows, they are capable of frank self-appraisals. Well, everyone but Lott.
Winning and Electability
Mon Jan 26, 2004 at 10:19:06 AM PDT
Electability seems to be the number one issue with voters this year, apparently helping Kerry and hurting Dean so far. But if Dean wins New Hampshire or pulls a close second, how will his performance affect his perceived electability?
Dean within 7 in New Zogby Poll
Sun Jan 25, 2004 at 10:52:04 AM PDT
Here's th
link. In Saturday polling alone, Zogby had Kerry with 28% and Dean with 25%. The tracking numbers for Sunday are:
Sun. Sat. Fri.
Kerry 30% 31% 30%
Dean 23% 22% 22%
Clark 13% 14% 14%
Edwards 9% 8% 7%
Okay, Then, Outrage Instead of Diversion
Mon Jan 19, 2004 at 03:13:52 PM PDT
My
Bookie of Virtues diversion didn't last very long, so here's a diary on something truly outrageous. This morning, I found in my driveway two pieces of paper rolled in a rubber band. When I unrolled the pages, I first saw a picture of a charming little girl over the caption
MISSING. Quite a tug on my heartstrings--she looked slightly younger than my biggest girl.
But here was her description (close paraphrase): Missing, young child with blonde, brunette, or red hair, blue, brown, or green eyes, innocent disposition. She and millions like her will be missing in our future unless we come together now to combat the third-world assault on our racial heritage. You can imagine the rest.
The second page featured a police photo of a black man and offered claims about how 9/10s of AIDS infections [sic] are spread by black men and gave the names of three who had spread AIDS to "dozens of white women."
This, on MLK Day.
Is this outrage an outlier? Is there any temperamental linkage to the young Rethugs who crashed rallies in Iowa? Make no mistake about it: 2004 is going to have some incredibly ugly moments. We need to resolve now never to stop fighting, and we should be comforted by the fact that, while there are too many Americans who can be swayed by appeals to hate and division, there are many more who will be won by the opposite. I know what our guys are selling and what Bush is selling. As long as we stick together and fight, we will win.
Seeking Diversions on Caucus Day
Mon Jan 19, 2004 at 02:08:18 PM PDT
My dKos crack been real bad this weekend, real bad!
And in trying to think of worthwhile diversions, I got on the subject of mocking Republicans. Now I'm wondering: Am I the first person to suggest that Bill Bennett by called The Bookie of Virtues?
re:My Bet for Iowa
Sat Jan 17, 2004 at 09:32:21 AM PDT
Okay, everybody, I'm ready to put my cash on the barrel. I bet you that, if Gephardt finishes fourth in the Iowa caucuses, he drops out of the race.
I'll give you even money. Takers?
re:How Do We Coordinate Our Responses to the Media?
Tue Jan 13, 2004 at 06:54:42 PM PDT
Many diaries over the past few weeks have focused on outrageous articles, rendering infamous the likes of Nedra Pickler. I have dutifully written my share of emails to journalists with praise or blame--probably about 15 in the past six months, including five in the last week, as things have heated up. I know many of you have done the same, and I believe these emails make a difference.
But the question ought to be: What approach will make the biggest difference?
Vote-Swapping in Iowa
Fri Jan 09, 2004 at 03:09:17 PM PDT
We've had plenty of discussions around here about vote-swapping in Iowa. The original thinking was that the Gephardt, Kerry, and possibly Edwards campaigns each might consider throwing some of their support to whomever looked most likely to beat Dean. Edwards, for instance, might be hurt more by Dean gathering huge momentum from wins in Iowa and New Hampshire than he would by Gephardt winning and sticking around through February 3. So if Edwards cannot break 15%, the minimum for delegates, his best move might be to have his supporters get behind Gephardt. If Kerry couldn't win Iowa, he might throw some of his support to Gephardt, to keep Dean from rolling into New Hampshire with a win.
Anyway, that was the conventional wisdom on vote-swapping. Now, however, it seems that the campaign likeliest to throw votes is Dean's.
Winning North Dakota
Tue Jan 06, 2004 at 02:33:46 PM PDT
Last night, Howard Dean spoke before a crowd of 825 supporters in Fargo, North Dakota. This event is notable for several reasons:
Dean at $14,193,791.81
Tue Dec 30, 2003 at 10:09:44 AM PDT
As of Tuesday at 8 AM, the Dean campaign has posted a total of $14,193,791.81 in fourth-quarter contributions. They are encouraging supporters to surpass the third quarter's official total of $14,831,982.61 in the remaining 40 hours of this year. That $638,190.80 or $15,954.77 per hour.
My guess is they will raise $15.3 million. Yours?
My Thanks to All--and Hopeful Predictions for Dean Fans
Thu Dec 25, 2003 at 01:48:40 AM PDT
I wish everyone here at Daily Kos happy holidays! This place means the world to me. It is a home for me and a haven. I am grateful to everyone who invests time and thought into dKos. I am thankful for your energy, your commitment to the principles that matter to us all, your analyses of the world around us. I am relieved that many if not most of us turn much of our energy outward, too, especially when we work toward a renewal of Democratic principles at home, which must help the world around us.
Dean Leads in South Carolina
Mon Dec 22, 2003 at 12:57:04 PM PDT
A new
poll shows Dean leading in South Carolina:
Earning the African American Vote
Thu Dec 18, 2003 at 12:06:32 PM PDT
I heard an NPR story this morning on African American voters in South Carolina, who are expected to cast half of the votes in its February 3 primary. Who do they like? Who don't they like? Will they flock to Sharpton and Moseley Braun? Is Edwards their favorite son?
Read on!
Really Smart Politics
Wed Dec 03, 2003 at 11:42:51 AM PDT
Some people seem to feel that Dean's encouragement of contributions to Leonard Boswell is open to criticism on the grounds that he's playing for votes in Iowa. I disagree.
It's entirely appropriate to assume that both high-mindedness and cold calculation went into choosing Boswell first. In fact, assume the latter predominated greatly. It doesn't sully this act to call it a political calculation. Indeed, if Dean had instead requested that his supporters contribute to a congressman in, say, North Carolina, whose primary is in May, we'd all be scratching our heads and saying, "Well, that's nice, but how exactly is it related to what's going on now?"
