PHARMACEUTICALS FOUND IN DRINKING WATER

A year or so ago I saw a news story about drugs like birth control, anti-depressants and viagra showing up in the drinking water in Los Angeles. The newscaster said that people must be flushing their drugs down the toilet in order for them to end up in our drinking water.

It is difficult for me to imagine large numbers of women flushing birth control pills. Or middle aged men flushing their beloved viagra.

This was all shocking enough. But the news story ended with a matter-of-fact blurb that, by the way, Los Angeles had started cycling treated waste water into the reservoirs used for drinking water. I almost fell out of my seat at how flippant this last comment was thrown into the report.

This news story (linked to below) shows that this is happening nationwide and admits that these drugs show up in the reservoirs because we secrete the excess from our bodies through our urine. The story kind of dances around the inference that we are drinking treated waste water but gets to it eventually.

And fish are being "altered" by these drugs. We are being told that the trace amounts of these pharmaceuticals are too small to affect us. Oh, really? Researchers are finding male fish who are turning into female fish. Some even grow eggs. And we are to believe that continued exposure to this is not going to affect our children? Or ourselves?

Sometimes I feel that we are a generation being used as guinea pigs. With all the genetically modified crops, cows pumped full of growth hormones... all this technology has not had their long term effects tested. One day, years from now, our government will tell us, "Whoops! Sorry about that!"

IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR

As more and more soldiers and veterans who have fought in Iraq speak out against the war more and more Americans realize that it is possible to support the troops and still oppose the decisions made by our government. If you are reading this post you probably believe as I do that the best way to support and honor the brave men and women serving in that country is to bring that back as safely and quickly as possible.

I have had a step-brother and nephew serve two tours in Iraq. Luckily the both returned home alive and unharmed. And I've seen the pain and worry in the face of my step-brother's mother.

The organization Irag Veterans Against the War will be hosting events and fundraisers all across the country from March 13th through the 16th. There is a link to a map showing events in an area near you.

IVATW - Winter Soldier

CLINTON FUNDRAISING SCANDAL - PT. 2

A good friend emailed the link to these videos to me. And as I watched through them I realized that this was related to a small news blurb I had stumbled across a few nights ago:

Clinton's To Face Fraud Trial

She really does have experience to succeed in Washington!!!

CLINTON FUNDRAISING SCANDAL - PT. 1

Dirty, dirty!

RELENTLESS DELEGATE MATH

This article shows that despite the recent victories, the delegate math facing Hillary Clinton is daunting. Not only will she need to win every remaining primary by a significant margin (margin's she has not been able to generate up to this point), but all indications are that the superdelegates will not contradict the will of the earned delegates.

I just wish it would end so that the Democratic candidate can begin focusing on the general election.

Newsweek - Hillary's New Math Problem

THE REASON BEHIND HILLARY'S SURGE?

This sounds insidious, but this author conjectures that the reason for the Clinton victories this past Tuesday was a significant number of Republicans voting for her in the open elections.

AmericanGoy - The Real Reason Behind The Clinton Surge

As proof, he offers this transcript from Rush Limbaugh:

Limbaugh Urges Republicans To Vote For Clinton

THAT CRAZY DELEGATE MATH

It seems that although Clinton won the general primary election in Texas, Obama will come out a few votes ahead as the caucus votes are counted. Despite the momentum her campaign has gained from the wins on Tuesday the likelihood of her winning with the margins needed in the remaining states is quite slim. Some say impossible.

BUSH DOES A TAP DANCE

The world is going to miss President Bush. He's funny!

"Come the millennium, month 12
In the home of greatest power,
The village idiot will come forth
To be acclaimed the leader."

Nostradamus, 1555

CLINTON BREAKS LOSING STREAK

Senator Clinton won three out of four elections last night in a very important day. Her campaign was calling these elections, particularly in Texas and Ohio, as a "firewall."

Voter turnout was quite high throughout all the states. And Clinton seems to have won the lion's share of voters who had waited until the last minute to decide.

WIthout these wins the Clinton campaign would have been in serious trouble. As it turns out, it is almost impossible for her to win enough of the remaining states by a wide enough margin to overtake her opponent, Senator Obama. Ahh... those superdelegates!

And even after the victories last night, the net delegate gain for Clinton is somewhere between +15 or, in one news story, -3.

What I found interesting are news stories that A significant number of Republicans voted for Clinton in the open Texas election. And I listened to the Republican governor of Florida arguing that the Democratic party should seat the delegates of his state, which went to Clinton. She was the only candidate who campaigned in that state, along with Michigan, who had been warned that their votes would not be counted due to known rules violations. Such an event would definitely benefit Senator Clinton.

Suspicious that a Republican would want this to happen.

Caucus Votes Still Being Counted In Texas

PLAY THE DELEGATE GAME!

This is great! An interactive map which lets you play the guessing game with the Democratic candidate delegate counts. You simply change the sliders for the remaining states to bias one candidate or another and the map will update to show you how those vote outcomes will affect the delegate count.

Because they are all elections in which delegates are awarded proportionally, the possible permutations are endlessly fun!

The Delegate Game!

REESE WITHERSPOON CHANNELS HILLARY

I couldn't resist. Now, I'm not implying that Hillary Clinton's personality mirrors the Witherspoon character in the movie "Election" in any way. I mean, the Witherspoon character is vicious, willing to do anything and everything to win, believes in her bones that she deserves to win and that anyone standing in her way is trying to steal the post ordained for her. And that Flick character is just a mean, mean person.

I am NOT making that inference at all. Just thought the clip was humorous is all.

Are Americans Stoopid?!

Americans are stupid - Watch more free videos
This is as scary as it is funny! You absolutely MUST watch this video!

SOURCE OF IRAN NUKE EVIDENCE IN QUESTION

Despite the Bush administration pointing to a laptop with over 1,000 pages of documents as primary evidence for the existence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program. Like the now infamous "yellow cake" evidence, other countries have expressed serious doubts about the authenticity of this information.

This news article reports that there is now evidence that the source of these documents was in fact the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency.

Fortunately, recent National Security Estimates (NIS) have minimized the immediacy of the Iranian nuclear weapons development. A mistake which added to the drumbeat leading us into the march to war in Iraq.

Iran Nuke Program Info

CLINTON'S INFAMOUS "IT'S 3AM" AD & THE OBAMA RESPONSE

WHO DO YOU WANT ANSWERING THE PHONE?

Hillary Clinton recently released an ad in which she asks America "who do you want answering the phone" in a moment of national crisis. The argument plays off of one of the main themes in her campaign; that she has close to two decades of political experience. Last I checked, she has not been a senator quite that long, but who's really counting?!

A reporter from Slate released a portion of a phone interview with a Clinton campaign staffer at the point that he asked in which way was she challenged in a foreign policy capacity...

... and then there was a moment of silence. Take a listen.

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2008/02/pregnant_pause.html

RESULTS OF '08 ELECTION LEAKED!

Okay. This is a joke from the hilarious mock news site "The Onion." Hopefully bring a moment of levity and laughter to the political process as it gets more and more contentious.

FIGHT OVER CANDIDATES TURNS REAL BAD

After arguing over who they were supporting amongst the two remaining Democratic candidates the two men broke into a punching and choking match. And then, well, one man stabbed the other (his brother in law) in the abdomen! The victim was admitted to the hospital in critical condition.

Of course it should be noted that the Clinton supporter did the stabbing.

Smoking Gun - Clintonite Stabs Obama Supporter

THE MAGIC POWER OF WORDS

Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post web site has written a great article about how the often-used Clinton indictment that Obama treats words as some magical thing, devoid of real power and substance. In fact, according to Arianna, it is Senator Clinton and her campaign who is most prone to utter words and, because they said so, the things they hope and want will somehow magically be true.

Huffington Post - Clinton, Obama And The Belief In The Magical Power Of Words

CLINTON CAMPAIGN CALLS FOUL TO THOSE CALLING THEM OUT ON SLEEZY TACTICS

The Drudge Report ran an article about a photograph of Senator Obama dressed in Somali garb. In response, the Clinton campaign released a statement bashing the Obama campaign of being divisive for calling them out on their somewhat sleezy tactics.

The photo is that of Senator Obama wearing the traditional garb of a Somali elder. It was taken during one of his trips to Africa. He was presented with the garments as a gift and, in an act of respect and kindness, tried the clothing on for his guests. The military officer who accompanied and was present when the photo was taken likened it to someone trying on a garment which was given as a christmas gift. He also said it was a generous gesture on Obama's part.

Yes, it is sad that the flagging Clinton campaign would release such a photo, bearing their fangs and showing the true nature of themselves and their candidate. But what is most sad is that they believed we still live in a country where people will respond negatively to this photo. Seeing someone dressed in African or "Islamic" clothing is still a red button issue for some.

Carl Rove would be proud!

DRUDGE - Leaked Obama Photo

CLINTON'S VIEWS ON NAFTA

Although Senator Clinton issued her infamous "shame on you" proclamation to the Obama campaign for having sending out materials that insinuated she had supported the NAFTA agreement, it is fairly clear that she in fact did support this legislation. And that would make sense, given that her husband is the guy who championed it!

Clinton On NAFTA

CLINTON ATTEMPTS TO MOCK OBAMA

Senator Clinton mocked the message of hope and progress which has become the hallmark of the Obama campaign. Personally, I think it is a losing battle. It would be like telling Kennedy that he was just an immature dreamer for thinking we could do something as believe we could launch men into space and eventually to the moon.

Not a very enlightened or enthusiastic message to take a generation of Americans into the future.

Here is the clip and the Huffington Post article.

Huffington Post - Clinton Mocks Obama During Campaign Rally

WHAT THE CANDIDATES ARE RAISING & SPENDING

The NY Times has compiled information on how much the candidates have raised, spent and where they have raised the money from. The tremendous campaign contribution disparity between the two parties is amazing!

CLINTON REFUSES TO RELEASE TAX RECORDS

Despite Senator Obama asking Hillary Clinton to follow him in releasing her personal tax records she continues to refuse. But don't worry! She has proclaimed that she will in fact release these records if she becomes the party nominee.

Senator Obama took the unusual step of releasing his tax records in April. Not required but he chose to do so regardless.

Personally (thankfully this is a personal blog with my personal opinions), I think the Clinton refusal of disclosure could likely be signs of things to come. We now have one of the most secretive administrations in U.S. history. Not something we need to continue into the future.

WSJ - Clinton Tax Returns Would Cast Wider Light

WHAT IF OBAMA HAD GONE 0-FOR-10?

Imagine what the media, the Democratic Party and the Clinton campaign would be saying if Senator Obama had lost 10 straight elections? If he was still struggling to find a message that resonates and was having issues raising money?

What if, given this situation, Obama was staking all his bets on winning the next two elections? And that he would need to win every remaining state by a 60-40 margin? Something that most think is pretty much impossible.

Well, that is the situation Senator Clinton finds herself in. The Washington Post article does a great job of contrasting the likely message Obama would be getting in these circumstances versus the message Clinton is getting.

I wonder why?

IF OBAMA WENT 0-FOR-10

OBAMA'S VOTING RECORD

MSNBC published this great article about the voting record of Senator Obama. The non-partisan Congressional Quarterly has analyzed the votes of Senator Obama from 2005, 2006 and 2007. This is a thorough and seemingly fair analyses of how the senator voted.

The importance of this analysis is that he public can learn quite a bit more about Obama's views and possibly project how he would act if elected president of the United States. This is something useful whether you are a supporter or not.

MSNBC - Obama Senate Voting Record

HILLARY'S VERY OWN '527'

A "527" is a group of individuals who are able to bypass campaign financing limits and contribute as much as they choose for a candidate.

A group of obviously wealthy politicos, calling themselves the American Leadership Project, has formed in order to raise money to air campaign ads for the Clinton campaign. The deal is that it is illegal for the Clinton campaign to directly influence these 527s, so as long as they act independently it is all fine and good.

But this story, when combined with the previous story of the multi-million dollar campaign funding deficit, it makes for an interesting picture of the financial well-being of the Clinton campaign.

Daily Kos - American Leadership Project

THE MONEY GAME

While the Clinton campaign has reported a debt of just under $8 million in the month of January, the Obama campaign is on track to raise another $30 million in the month of February. And this debt apparently does not include the $5 million she loaned her campaign.

The Clinton campaign raised $20 million in January. This amount included the infamous $5 million loan from her own coffers (I personally did not know the Clintons were rollin' like that!). But the campaign spent $29 million that month.

The good news is that chief consultant and advisor Mark Penn accounted for $2 million of that debt. So at least someone is getting something out of it!

Politico - HRC Campaign Debt

19% APPROVAL FOR PRESIDENT BUSH

This might be a historic moment in American history. A sitting president , our president George H. W. Bush, has a 19% approval rating amongst Americans. The unfortunate thing is that it took almost 8 years or his supporters to arrive at this opinion. After all, he has not really changed in personality or policy since his first day in office, so what gives?

Better late than never.

SOLDIERS SPEAK OUT

I just stumbled onto an article about soldiers are Fort hood who have begun speaking out critically about the ongoing war in Iraq.

I've personally not served. I have had family members do multiple tours of duty on the ground in Iraq. And while I admire their commitment and courage I do not now nor ever have supported the war. When I hear Senator Clinton evading her affirmative vote to authorize engagement in that country with the excuse of "if only I knew better" it infuriates me!

There were MILLIONS of people worldwide who opposed this war. It comes down to judgement and she failed miserably to adequately use her to avoid a catastrophic and costly error in her own judgement.

Yes. It is possible to support the troops while not supporting the war the have been asked to fight in.

This quote from the article sums up the critical feelings of some of these troops:

"The honest truth is that if the American people knew what was going on over there everyday, they would be raising their voices too. They would be saying, 'Hey, bring those guys home."

Fort Hood Soldiers Breaking The Silence In Iraq War

Worldwide Marches Against the Iraq War

CLINTON SHOWS HERSELF AS POOR LOSER... AGAIN

Senator Clinton lost tonight's primary election in Wisconsin. And not only did she fail to even mention the contest but failed the traditional congratulations to her opponent. This is not the only time she has chosen to act in this way.

It appears that she has had to combat the public perception of being aloof and callous. An indictment often leveled by our friends on some of the radio stations espousing the views from the other side of the aisle. Unfortunately, the very public actions and reactions of herself and her husband have not gone far to dispel this perception or to soften an otherwise hard persona.

The upcoming primary elections in Texas and Ohio are absolutely crucial to the Clinton campaign. And not only must she win every remaining state, she must do so by a 60-40% margin. Something she has not been able to do in any of the contests up till now. And now that Senator Obama has all momentum, which results in a lot of free publicity via the press coverage of his successes (everybody loves a winner!), it is going to be quite difficult for Clinton to pull off this feat.

And the word on the political street is that if Senator Obama gains a lead in elected delegates of 100-150 over and above the number amassed by Clinton, the superdelegates will have A LOT of pressure to vote with the clear will of the majority of Americans in the Democratic party.

CNN - Clinton Speech Fails To Mention Election

DEAD HEAT IN DELEGATE-RICH TEXAS

The substantial lead that Senator Clinton had in the state of Texas, one of her "firewalls," has diminished such that now she and Senator Obama are in a dead heat according to most of the recent polls. Perhaps this points to the momentum one of the candidates has and the other so desperately is trying to gain.

CNN - Dead Heat In Texas

143 MILLION POUNDS OF BEEF RECALLED

Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture recalled 143 million... yes, million, pounds of beef from a southern California slaughterhouse.

The Chino-based facility is at the center of a case involving abusive behavior against livestock. It is against the law to slaughter sick livestock for consumption. So the workers of this plant were caught on tape doing all sorts of foul things to cattle so sick that they. The goal was to get them to stand up... then the could be slaughtered and be in your local grocery store before you could say "BSE."

Because this beef was not adequately tested it was all designated unfit for human consumption. This is the largest recall of beef in U.S. history. And while I am glad that this case was brought to light due to some good and fortunate investigative reporting, the fact that this country tests less than 5% of the beef introduced into the food system leaves me less than confident that we are not just scratching the surface here.

Then again, I stopped eating beef just over seven years ago.

USDA Recalls Beef

AS ONLY "SIR CHARLES" COULD SAY IT

Charles Barkley has never held his tongue. On anything. For better or worse he says exactly what is on his mind. Just as he has in this interview on the CNN news show "Situation Room."

SEIU ENDORSES OBAMA

The Service Employees International Union gave their endorsement to Senator Obama today in what one official described as "overwhelming support." With hundreds of thousands of members nationwide and a history of going out in large force, knocking on doors to actively support their endorsed candidates, this could help to close the lead that Senator Clinton currently has in both Texas and Ohio.

A big endorsement indeed!

SEUI Endorses Obama

HILLARY CAMPAIGNS RATHER THAN CASTING VOTE ON DOMESTIC SPYING

There was a vote this week to extend the domestic wiretapping program in the U.S. Unfortunately, there was little backbone to end the program entirely. What problem would any of us have with the U.S. government tapping into the conversations that we have with family and friends abroad?

The key point of this vote was an amendment purging the bill of retroactive immunity for telecommunications firms who had participated in the wiretap program. Many have argued that the program is completely illegal, hence the strong push by the administration to grant this immunity from prosecution, for past events as well as future transgressions.

Both McCain and Obama returned to cast their votes. McCain voted to grant the retroactive immunity while Obama voted to strip this immunity. And where was Senator Clinton?

Rather than casting a vote on this important legislation, she decided to forego her duties as a lawmaker and spend the time in Texas to campaign. I suppose, with so much on the line, she might feel this is a far better use of her time.

Clinton Skips Out On Vote

ATTEMPTED COUP TO OVERTHROW FDR - PART 3

FInal installment of the BBC documentary about the attempted fascist coup to overthrow FDR.

IN GOOD HANDS

The future looks bright, knowing that these brave and articulate young men and women represent some of the best this country has to offer in the near future. I found this video several months back after having a similar discussion with a couple of my gung ho coworkers, both of whom nearly choked on their lunch when I suggested that there was no more true a measure of the support for the war than for them to enlist.

Needless to say, they are both still working at the studio with no immediate plans to enlist in the armed services.

BUSH ADMINISTRATION SHUTS DOWN SITE TRACKING ECONOMIC DATA

The administration has decided to shut down a web site which tracks economic data in the U.S.

Forbes has awarded this site an award for excellence. Nevertheless, this site will be shut down on March 1st. The reason given: "budgetary constraints." Which is rather ironic. If not entirely unbelievable.

This administration has argued that it is the "liberal media" constantly feeding a negative viewpoint of the economy into our empty little heads. Same for Iraq... things have been going well over there all along. We've just had the wool pulled over our eyes the entire time. If only we could really see how great the administration has been running things over there.

ECOMONIC SITE SHUT DOWN

ANOTHER SWEEP FOR OBAMA & McCAIN

Senator Obama swept today's "Potomac" primaries, pretty much splitting the white vote in the contests. That caps a 7 state sweep. The next big prizes are Texas and Ohio and Clinton was campaigning in the Lone Star State before the dust could settle on today's voter results.

She could likely do quite well, particularly in Texas. Hispanics seem to be voting more solidly for Clinton than even whites these days. Although I have heard on a news talk show that Obama is making gains amongst the hispanic population as his name recognition increases and that community learns more about him.

The news is calling Texas and Ohio the "fireline" for Hillary. If she cannot stop the Obama momentum there it could be all over for her campaign.

THE STRIKE HAS ENDED

You might be asking yourself, "what strike? Have I been missing something?"

Chances are that unless you work in "the Industry" (don't you just love the pretension?!) or have grown so tired of reality television that you are ready to throw your tv in front of the next large truck plowing past your house... you don't really care that much that the Writer's Guild of America has voted to end their walkout.

The strike, which has lasted close to three months, has had a widespread effect in Los Angeles. For example, I know a couple who are in dire financial straights due to the strike. The husband is an assistant cameraman and the wife is a hair & makeup artist servicing the entertainment industry. And there has not been any work for them for three months. Imagine that! Caterers. Film processing labs. Local restaurants. The impact has been substantial.

Why did the writers walk off their jobs? Money, of course? And not that that is a bad thing; there was a lot at stake and a lot worth fighting for. Particularly when this is your livelihood and how you feed your family and pay your mortgage.

In the end that strong solidarity amongst writers won out...

... well, unless you are a writer for animation. The WGA dropped those hard working folks like a bad habit! What's a writer to do?

COLIN POWELL INTERVIEW ON 'LATE EDITION'

This interview and another recent interview on the Tavis Smiley Show has lead many to speculate the Colin Powell might be leaning toward the Obama candidacy. Think we'll get Condi on board next?

Yeah, I didn't think so either!

PROOF IS IN THE PUDDIN'

I found an interesting article about one of the more frequent criticisms leveled at candidate Barak Obama: that he does not have executive management experience.

And this is in fact true. But he has sure managed the heck out of his campaign. Especially when compared to the other Democratic candidates.

I would often hear from my Republican friends (yes, it IS possible to have a meaningful friendship with ultra-conservative Republicans!) that Mitt Romney's executive management experience is what made him the best candidate to run this country. Well, if his campaign was any indication of how well he manages an enterprise... he certainly did not get a good return on his investment. He outspent his Republican opponents by an enormous margin, choosing to spend his own money rather than take the time and effort to raise it from his supporters, and was still beaten handily in most of the contests.

Of course running a country is quite different than running a business. Or a political campaign. It takes vision. An ability to inspire. And the willingness and personality that will allow a leader to reach across the aisle and bring the opposing sides together. Not always easy. Hopefully made more easy by a candidate without a long history in the Beltway.

For Proof Obama Can Manage, Look At His Campaign

ATTEMPTED COUP TO OVERTHROW FDR - PART 2

"I GET TWO VOTES"

Great video I found on YouTube which explains the history of the Democratic Party "superdelegates" as well as the possible conundrum facing the party during the national convention if the race ends in a fundamental deadlock.

UPWARD TRAJECTORY

We recently had an all-hands meeting at the studio I work for. The president of the company stated that if given the choice between hiring someone who might not be incredibly experienced but was on an "upward trajectory" versus keeping an employee who night have a lot of experience but had flattened or reached their apogee... he would choose the person on the upward path every time.

This is how I see the issue of "experience" versus optimism and enthusiasm. Thousands of Americans all across the country also seem to believe that this country needs unity, energy and inspiration in order to propel itself into the future.

The campaign for the Democratic nominee will likely be a close contest, so expect a photo finish. But it is almost impossible to not feel excited by the energy and enthusiasm throughout the electorate.

CLINTON CAMPAIGN SHAKEUP

The Clinton campaign has replaced their campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle. Although Doyle has stated that she chose to leave on her own, the timing just a day after the Obama three-state sweep, one might not be looked upon too harshly to assume that the campaign is having a bit of trouble.

OBAMA PROJECTED TO WIN MAINE

Despite up to 8 inches of snow and artic cold in many areas, there were long lines reported for the Maine caucus. And just one day after sweeping three other states it is projected that Senator Obama will win the 24 delegates from the state.

Momentum seems to be picking up for Obama as he continues to win all over the country and with a broad demographic appeal.

Strong fundraising. Broad appeal. It is apparent that Obama is on an upward trajectory. Meanwhile, in the Clinton campaign things seem to be getting shaken up.

ATTEMPTED COUP TO OVERTHROW FDR - Part 1

Bet you've never read about this in your high school history class!

Long story short, several industrialists and the banking community believed that FDR had gone too far with the New Deal. There was a congressional investigation and the most damning testimony came from the Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler, the man the conspirators tried to enlist to lead the overthrow of POTUS (President Of The United States).

A grave miscalculation was that this man, who spared no love for Roosevelt, was more a patriot than he was angry.

One of the more interesting aspects of this coup attempt is that it is called a "fascist" coup. Why fascist? Mussolini, who coined the term fascism from the latin "fasces." This terms signified strength through unity in the Roman Empire. And Mussolini once stated that he thought "corporatism" was the more correct term for what he had been striving for.

Corporatism?! Now that sounds ominous given the way things are heading.

Here is the first part of a BBC documentary about the coup attempt. Also, while Prescott Bush (yes, the grandfather of out current president!) was a signatory to the American Liberty League which was allegedly involved in orchestrating the plot, his level of involvement is unknown.

OBAMA SWEEPS SATURDAY VOTING

Senator Obama has won handily in most of the contests today, giving him a slightly greater lead in the delegate count. Meanwhile, McCain did not do so well as Huckabee won in both Washington and Louisiana. Huckabee pledged to remain in the race.

Many have criticized Huckabee for having "stolen" conservative votes from Mitt Romney. I am of the thinking that a candidate gets votes because they earned them from their constituents. I rejected this argument with Ralph Nader in the 2000 presidential election when he was accused of "losing the election for Al Gore" and I reject it now. Nader and Huckabee are getting votes from people who have CHOSEN to give them their votes. Pure and simple.

Obama Wins Big

WHO MATCHES UP BEST AGAINST McCAIN?

Came across this news story on YouTube. It highlights recent polls asking which Democratic candidate voters believe will match up best against McCain. It also looks at the voting data (not poll data) to ascertain which candidate is winning the Women vote and the White vote.

Yes... sad that these are still such important distinctions in the the 21st century. But, alas, they are. And being looked at.

Here in California many use a phrase "The Bradley Effect" and most will know what that means. Major Tom Bradley of Los Angeles, an African-American, was quite popular in the city and groundbreaking in that he became the major of the second largest city in the United States. He was only the second black major in the country and was elected a total of five times to the seat, from 1973 to 1993.

He ran for the governor's seat twice and polled incredibly well. But, lo and behold, when the votes were tallied Major Bradley lost both elections. They were narrow losses but the fact that the actual choices of the voters seemed to run counter to what the were saying in public was labeled "The Bradley Effect."

An interesting note with Obama is that we have actual polling data (real votes cast) and he is doing quite well amongst White voters. Not so well amongst Hispanic voters unfortunately. But doing quite well overall.

PROJECT CENSORED 2008

This is slightly old news for those who know about this book, but great information for those who have never heard of or read the yearly Project Censored books. Each year this organization publishes a book reporting what they deem to be the top 25 news stories which were underreported by the media.

These stories tend to be highly social and political in nature with potential wide ranging impacts, domestically and globally. No Britney Spears stories in this book!

Please check out the link below and, if the stories catch your interest, consider purchasing the book and supporting this great project.

Project Censored 2008

THE MONEY AND THE MO'

It looks like McCain is the official front runner of the Republican primaries. From what I have been hearing on the radio and reading on news sites, McCain has that parties nomination pretty much in the bag.

Things are not so clear on the Democratic side. The two remaining candidates are running neck and neck. Clinton has a total of 823 delegates and Obama has 741. Those totals include 630 pledged delegates for Clinton and 635 for Obama. Pledged candidates are those which have been won through the elections. The difference is made up of promised "super delegates."

On one news station this morning one political commentator said that Obama had both the "money and the mo'," meaning that he has been raising money far more successfully than Hillary Clinton and has a momentum in his political sails.

The buzz on the talk shows is that Obama has a momentum and energy in his campaign. That head to head against McCain he would be able to offer a larger contrast than Clinton would.

But this weekend I heard one talk show host say, "if your advance is easy and unhindered, that only means you are walking into an ambush." This person believed that the opposition wants Obama to win the Democratic nomination. Why?

He said that he had read that William Kristol, famed conservative strategist, once proclaimed that if they used gender as a wedge issue they would lose. But if they used race as a wedge issue the Republicans would surely win. God bless America!

One thing that seems to have changed is that blacks are now moving behind Obama. Several months back there was all this nonsensical talk about "is he black enough" coming from blacks. I found this to be, well, ridiculous. But this attitude and the doubts about his ability to compete and win have faded away it seems.

Apparently this is evidenced by the news released today that the Clinton's had to loan her campaign $5 million! This story can be contrasted with a report that the Obama campaign raised money at a 2-to-1 ration when compared to the Clinton campaign in January.

Clinton gives self $5 million loan

Obama Does Well In The South

One interesting outcome from yesterday's "Super Tuesday" votes is that Obama seemed to do quite well in the southern states. And the support seemed to be quite diverse overall for this candidate. A Democrat doing well in the south is a big thing!

Clinton won fewer states but won the states with huge delegate prizes; New York (her carpetbag home state), New Jersey and California namely.

WHAT THE HECK IS A 'SUPER DELEGATE?'

So, it seems that the Democratic Party has set aside close to 20% of the delegates as "Super Delegates."

These individuals are appointed by the party and are not at all beholden to the voters in the primaries. Yes, they can vote for whomever they choose. So the eventual nominee for the Democratic Party will need to win a majority of the delegates by way of votes won throughout the country, but that person must also win a majority of the super delegate votes.

I suppose "win" is the wrong word. Convince? Cajole? Blackmail? Indemnify?

"Some people say" that it is bad enough that we do not have direct representation in our presidential elections (we obviously have the technology and tools to count the popular vote) and have to rely on the Electoral College (more on that later, my friends), but the voters are not even allowed to directly choose the candidate they want to represent them.

But when you consider that one of the "founding fathers," Alexander Hamilton, referred to the common man as "the Great Beast" and thought it was ill-advised that anyone but landed gentry and gentlemen of wealth had the wits and understanding to make substantive decisions about how and who should run this country. it is not surprising that remnants of diluting the popular vote still exist in our culture.

Wikipedia - Super Delegate

THE FEDERAL DEFICIT

Last week one of my coworkers argued that the federal deficit was higher under the Clinton administration than  it currently is under the Bush Jr. administration.

Of course, because I have not had my head buried in the sand for the last two decades, I knew that my friend was sorely mistaken. I asked him to produce the statistics proving his case, at which point he hemmed and hawed, mumbling something about how the "liberal media" would skew the facts. I countered by reassuring him that this is a fairly easy statistic to find and could be measured in raw numbers. Still no way he was going to produce his evidence. In fact, he could not have possibly done so even if he wanted to.

So this morning I did a quick Goggle search and found a graph from the U.S. government charting the federal deficit from 1950 to the present.

Even I was shocked at the extreme upward jump in the deficit during the Reagan administration! I have heard the phrase "tax and spend liberal" quite often. But after looking at this chart I have to say that there seems to be something going for that economic strategy when compared to the alternative. If Reagan is the poster child and prototypical Conservative this country simply cannot afford more economics of that mold.

AMERICAN DYNASTIES

I have been talking with my friends about the odd fact that there has been either a Bush or a Clinton in the White House as either President or Vice President for the last 28 years. TWENTY EIGHT YEARS!!!

Typically, when I mention this to my friends, they are shocked and most admit that they have never realized this. I think it is freaky but might be evidence of our reluctance as a culture to choose a potentially great unknown over an acceptable known.

George Bush Sr. = 8 years as VP + 4 years as Pres.
Bill Clinton = 8 years as Pres.
George Bush Jr. = 8 years as Pres.
Hillary Clinton = ?
Jeb Bush = ?
Chelsea Clinton = ?

SUPER-DUPER TUESDAY

Okay... I am a fairly political guy. I follow politics somewhat closely. not manically but I try to stay informed. And I discuss political and social topics on a daily basis with my coworkers and friends. I disagree with many of them but enjoy hearing what others think and believe. And, more importantly, the reasons behind their beliefs.

Tomorrow is a big day in presidential politics in this country. They are calling it "Super Tuesday" (we love our catch phrases!) due to the fact that several states are hosting their primaries tomorrow.

I spent the weekend listening to podcasts and doing some research online. Although the chances of me voting Republican are virtually nil I still did some research on the remaining candidates. But a lot of my time was fact checking and reviewing debates to learn more about the two remaining Democratic candidates.

I have been a registered Democrat my entire adult life. I come from a Democratic family. And I have always considered myself a liberal. I personally dislike the new term "progressive" that is used by former liberals. I think it is such a capitulation to allow the opposing party to take over your language and identity and make you ashamed of it. So I continue to call myself "liberal."

But I try to be fair. I research both parties and have felt quite upset with the current Democratic party. To me they have moved so far to the center (a legacy of Bill Clinton) that most of the mainstream Democrats are toeing the line into Conservatism.

I was not sure what I would do when the primaries came to California. But after this weekend and the last Democratic debate I am certain who I will cast my vote for.