Redstate

Posted at 7:36pm on Apr. 26, 2008 Clinton to Obama: Come out and debate me. If you're man enough, that is. [Update: He's declined.]

I'm guessing that the Thunderdome set has long since been dismantled.

By Moe Lane

[UPDATE: I'm impressed, Senator. I assumed that you'd need at least a day to decide to run away from this particular fight. Well, that'll teach me not to wait too long on matters touching on your... ah, "uncritical willingness to accept danger" is how I think Tom Wolfe put it.]

Just her and him, in two-minute back-and-forth sessions. No props and no prepared questions. Mano-a-mano.

Senator Clinton believes deeply that political debates are a vital part of our democratic process. It is the American way to place our would-be leaders side by side to hear them articulate and defend their ideas; to challenge each other on their visions for the future; to answer the tough questions about their plans, their records and their judgments; and to celebrate their achievements.

Senator Obama has declined the invitation from CBS and the North Carolina Democratic Party to appear for a debate at North Carolina State University tomorrow evening. Senator Obama has apparently declined the invitation of the Indiana Debate Commission to appear for a debate in Indiana next week. Senator Obama has not responded to Senator Clinton’s challenge to debate in Oregon. Will there be no debates in other upcoming states? The American people, of course, deserve more. They deserve debates before casting their votes. They deserve debates just like the states who have participated in this invigorating process before them.

[snip]

In the spirit of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, we make this proposal:

Senator Clinton and Senator Obama will participate in a 90-minute debate in an open public forum. Just the two of them — no questioners, no panelists, no video clips. One candidate would speak for two minutes, then the other, alternating back and forth all the way through the debate. Their discussion – not any pre-set rules – would determine how long they spend on one subject before moving on to another. Such a debate would range across all of the challenges, large and small, we face as a nation or it could focus on the most significant issue we face today, — the economy.

This all assumes that Senator Obama thinks that he can handle it, of course.

Read on.

Posted in 2008 | Cut you if you Stand / Shoot You if You Run | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (52)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:15am on Mar. 27, 2008 Plata o Plomo.

It means, "Silver or lead."

By Moe Lane

It's a little trick that the drug traffickers came up with (or stole) down in South America. What you do, is you go up to a recalcitrant obstruction and you give him or her a choice between getting either lots of money, or a bullet in the head: and the point is, you don't really care which one the obstruction picks. Either one will clear the obstruction.

And I bring up this fascinating, yet not ostensibly relevant, cultural phenomena why?

Because Nancy got a letter.

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the US House of Representatives
Office of the Speaker
H-232, US Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Madame Speaker,

As Democrats, we have been heartened by the overwhelming response that our fellow Democrats have shown for our party’s candidates during this primary season. Each caucus and each primary has seen a record turnout of voters. But this dynamic primary season is not at an end. Several states and millions of Democratic voters have not yet had a chance to cast their votes.

Oh, yes, it gets better. Read on. (H/T: Hot Air)

Posted in 2008 | Cut you if you Stand / Shoot You if You Run | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (0)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:30pm on Feb. 22, 2008 I hope you enjoyed that week off, House Democrats.

Because the end of recess is coming up.

By Moe Lane

And you'll have to face us eventually. Via Protein Wisdom:

Now, I understand how your supporters are going to take advantage of our current administration's quaint habit of taking security clearances seriously to duckspeak about how we're not actually more at risk from your grandstanding. Let 'em: that's why they're there. But all y'all know just how badly you messed this one up... and the clock keeps tick tick ticking along until you can't run away any longer. And when you do break, next week, the elapsed time won't actually make your base less unhappy with you.

Enjoy your weekend!

Posted in Archived | Cut you if you Stand / Shoot You if You Run | FISA | Great Netroot Betrayal — Comments (19)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:29pm on Dec. 12, 2007 Sweet Jeebus, is there nobody in the Democratic Party who understands national party unity?

They really *didn't* win in 2006, did they? It's much more accurate to say that *we* lost.

By Moe Lane

Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn't just cave: she caved stupidly. Just because the rest of her Party leadership can't see beyond their own bailiwick doesn't mean that she has to, too.

Pelosi backs down in spending battle
By Alexander Bolton | Posted: 12/12/07 11:50 AM [ET]
December 12, 2007

In the face of stiff opposition from powerful fellow Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) has abandoned a proposal she supported less than 24 hours ago to eliminate lawmakers’ earmarks from the omnibus spending package.

Pelosi told the Democratic chairmen of the House Appropriations subcommittees, the so-called appropriations cardinals, that earmarks would stay in the omnibus and that Democratic leaders would accede to cut spending to levels demanded by President Bush in order to save 11 spending bills from a veto, said sources familiar with a meeting that took place in Pelosi’s office early Wednesday morning.

The House Democrats’ tentative plan is to finalize the package for passage in the next day or so, said sources.

Read on.

Posted in Congress | Courage to the Sticking Point | Cut you if you Stand / Shoot You if You Run | Defeat in detail — Comments (3)/ Email this page » / Read More »