Redstate

Posted at 12:00am on May 10, 2008 Oh, Barry. Are we *tired*? [Now with a MAP.]

Do we need to have someone make the bad woman *stop*?

By Moe Lane

Do you need a nap? Have you gotten to the point yet where you need to be reminded what day it is, what state it is, and what the word "breakfast" means? Are you beginning to think that Charlie Stross was right when he claimed that all hotels are really the same hotel, linked somehow in a nefarious, yet inexplicably pointless, global conspiracy?

Because it sounds like you went a little out there recently.

(Via Hot Air; see also Marc Ambinder, who is infinitely nicer about this than I plan to be. Bad idea to try to go after your opponent's fundamental mental state, Barry. Bad idea.)

But see: this is the sort of thing that you can make work to your advantage. Just announce that this was actually part of your new plan regarding foreign policy! Heck, I'll even give you the new States to annex.

Read on. But have a soothing drink first.

Posted in 2008 | A New American Empire | Barack Obama | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (17)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:25pm on May 9, 2008 Meet Democratic Super-delegate Steven Ybarra.

A man who knows what he wants.

By Moe Lane

And a man ready to name his price:

DNC Superdelegate Puts His Vote Up For Sale
Steven Ybarra Wants $20 Million For His Vote

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CBS13) ― In this tight battle for the Democratic nomination we've heard a lot about the candidates courting superdelegates.

But, one superdelegate is courting the candidates. He says he'll sell his vote for a price. A very high price: $20 million.

Steven Ybarra of Sacramento says that eight-figure price is peanuts for the presidency.

This is not going to be an attack on Mr. Ybarra, by the way: he's just an example. The real problem for the Democrats are the super-delegates who are being quiet about their special needs.

Read on.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | superdelegates | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (11)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 5:45pm on May 8, 2008 Permit me to translate this letter for you.

Just because.

By Moe Lane

It's a letter from Senator Clinton to Senator Obama regarding the Michigan and Florida delegations (via Hot Air), and like all such letters what the writer would like to say is not necessarily what it does say. Fortunately, I am in the throes of a telepathic trance (or a minor throat infection, which has roughly the same effects), so let's rectify that, shall we? The actual letter is in blockquotes: my, ah, channelings of what Senator Clinton actually wanted to say and/or include are in italics.

Senator Barack Obama

Obama for America
P.O. Box 8102
Chicago, IL 60680

Dear Senator Obama,

[Me channeling HRC: Guess what? I'm still here. I guess Jimmy was right: give you one of mine and we'll both have two. Oh, by the way, Jimmy really appreciated the way that you just sat there and took the insult to both you and your wife not like a man at all. "Performance art?" You're from Illinois: did you really think that'd play in Peoria?]

[Read on, Barry.]

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (10)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:43am on May 7, 2008 Obamomentum, Revisited

Obama Gets A New Injection Of Fumes To Run On

By Dan McLaughlin

Most anyone watching the primaries had expected all along that Obama would win North Carolina - where the Democratic primary electorate is dominated by African-Americans and college towns - and Hillary would win the more conservative white Democrats in Indiana last night, but Hillary's relatively narrow margin of victory in Indiana and the simple fact that Obama notched a victory in a state of significant size after a string of losses both add up to an undeniably good night for Obama. Let's update the chart I ran previously of the popular vote since the beginning of March:

As you can see, over this period - covering the time after the genuine cracks in Obama's previously untouched public brand image had appeared - Obama is still behind in the popular vote, and with only Oregon on May 20 as a likely source for significant number of votes for Obama, that's not going to change.

Read On...

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (52)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:28pm on May 6, 2008 Going forward: Is Tom Maguire right?

OK, well, he often is. But is he right *now*?

By Moe Lane

He's on course for getting the first three right:

My utterly unscientific prediction follows the principle established in Pennsylvania - neither Howard Dean's luck nor the luck of the Democratic Party has changed, so the result tonight will be whatever is necessary to maximize confusion. That will mean Barack wins North Carolina, Hillary wins Indiana (and the white sub-primary in North Carolina, natch[*]), and neither margin will be viewed by anyone as decisive.

...and the fourth is a judgment call anyway. All in all, I think that we need to put the DNC on our collective Christmas card lists...

Moe Lane

*60/40 Clinton, apparently.

Posted in 2008 | Democratic Primary | DNC | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (0)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:59am on May 5, 2008 News From The Redneck Riviera: Obama Is NO Tiger Woods

By haystack

In this "poke fun at the South because it's fun" piece, compliments of the always-neutral International Herald Tribune, we come across a real beauty:

"Tiger Woods is a genius. He is revered. He is above race. But we've learned Obama is not Tiger Woods. If you paid attention to what Reverend Wright said about Obama, then you heard him described as a lightweight, a guy Wright believed had the reflexes of a pol."That famous speech in Philadelphia about race? Wiped out now. What Obama can't deliver ever again, apart from talks and promises, is the certainty he's his own man."

Boy howdy...

Mind you, author John Vinocur doesn't appear to have much respect for southerners, but the wisdom of gun-totin' God-fearin' white and middle-aged "old colonels, the Christian right, and convinced conservatives" can't be ignored:

For the Red Neck Riviera of Florida's Panhandle (or the Emerald Coast in the more genteel vocabulary of the tourist brochures) Obama has become so totally exposed - as a leftist, an elitist out of touch with vast segments of the white majority, a dubious healer saddled with disreputable friendships and unknown debts and obligations - that the colonel could say "McCain is seven strokes ahead on the back nine," and the presidency is in Republican reach.

You know, the more I hear Obama say this race isn't about race and the more I hear his Dem opponent rooting for Obama injuries exactly BECAUSE of race, the more I long for another bag of popcorn and a six-pack of good old-fashioned "angry white guy" (or gal) cheap beer...

Funny how race keeps coming up when Hillary is just ahead or just behind in some bonny new meaningless poll.

As Moe would say:

Best.Democratic.Primary.Ever.

Posted in 2008 | Obamafiles | Rooting For Injuries | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (6)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:35am on May 5, 2008 Michelle Obama says Barack is angry, frustrated.

*Really.* Do tell.

By Moe Lane

And so we greet a lovely Monday morning in the Spring of Pain.

Michelle Obama: Barack has hit boiling point

Michelle Obama lifted the lid on the irritation felt by the leading Democrat candidate for the White House at the way anti-American outbursts by his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, have dogged his campaign.

He is said to be itching to turn all his fire on John McCain, the Republican candidate, who is benefiting most from Mr Obama's protracted tussle with Hillary Clinton.

Mrs Obama told a rally in Durham, North Carolina, on Friday that only her husband's desire to change US politics had helped him to control his feelings: "Barack is always thinking three steps ahead – what do we need to do to make change."

Her husband was thinking "I can't let my ego, my anger, my frustration get in the way of the ultimate goal," she said.

Permit me to quote from Bob Heinlein's - a writer who I am morally certain that Michelle Obama would never read voluntarily - quite good and habitually misunderstood Starship Troopers:

I may have given the impression that boot camp was made harder than necessary. This is incorrect.

It was made as hard as possible and on purpose.

Read on.

Posted in 2008 | Obamafiles | Spring of Pain | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (25)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:21am on May 2, 2008 Lag time on the Wright Meltdown.

Heck of a thing when you have to hope that your staff's just incompetent.

By Moe Lane

You have to wonder whether these are rhetorical questions coming from Daniel Henninger:

This week we learned the limit of a dream in American politics. At Barack Obama's darkest hour, not one prominent ally came forward to support him. Everyone abandoned Everyman.

No prominent black clergyman came forth to make even the simple point that Jeremiah Wright's notion of the "black church" is but one point on a spectrum of faith. Rev. Wright, now written off as a virtual nut case, got more support from black clergymen than did Obama.

Barack Obama was bleeding by Monday and needed cover. Where, when he could have used them, were Obama's oh-so-famous endorsers: Jesse Jackson, Ted Kennedy, Oprah, John Kerry, Chris Dodd, Patrick Leahy, Tom Daschle, Amy Klobuchar, Claire McCaskill, Jay Rockefeller, John Lewis, Toni Morrison, Roger Wilkins, Eric Holder, Robert Reich, Ted Sorenson, Alice Walker, David Wilhelm, Cornel West, Clifford Alexander, Donald McHenry, Patricia Wald, Newton Minow?

Where were all the big-city mayors who went over to the Obama camp: Chicago's Richard Daley, Cleveland's Frank Jackson, Atlanta's Shirley Franklin, Washington's Adrian Fenty, Newark's Cory Booker, Baltimore's Sheila Dixon?

[H/T: The Campaign Spot]

...or, at least, questions that can be answered by perusing the data found here. But then again, possibly not.

Read on.

Posted in 2008 | Kneel Before Zod | Obamafiles | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (11)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:59am on May 1, 2008 Three words.

Howie, you're doing a heckuva job.

By Moe Lane

"Count our votes."

"Count our votes."
Polls indicate Obama slipping in N. Carolina

"Count our votes."
Clinton Bests Obama Against McCain in Swing States, Poll Says

"Count our votes."
Clinton superdelegate lead cut in half

"Count our votes."
Towards a Post-Racial Politics: Racial voting in the 2008 Democratic primaries

"Count our votes."
Former Dem Party Leader Backs Obama

"Count our votes."
Obama walks fine line in quest for white votes

"Count our votes."
Karl Rove on Surprising New Dem Polls

(pause)

Well, Howard? What are you going to do... Chairman?

Moe Lane

Posted in 2008 | Kneel Before Zod | Pass the Popcorn | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (1)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 7:17pm on Apr. 30, 2008 Travis Childers denies the Obama a second time.

Somebody go get a rooster.

By Moe Lane

Never even met the man, in fact.

He is, of course, running against Greg Davis in MS-01. Childers also needs money for the runoff (and the general): so, for all you progressive lurkers out there, be sure to send him some more.

Just... he'd like you to send it in a plain brown wrapper, OK? You have to understand: it's nothing personal, but he just can't afford to be seen with your sort.

Moe Lane

PS: Also check out this Weekly Standard piece. My, but isn't this fun...

Posted in 2008 | Obamafiles | Rooting For Injuries | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (5)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 6:54pm on Apr. 28, 2008 NC-GOV Mike Easley Endorsing Hillary

By Dan McLaughlin

This can't be a positive leading indicator for Obama, I would think. The timing is perfect to get more Democrats in the state to give her another look. And given that Hillary is taking her case to the superdelegates based on the popular vote - plus the Democrats' insane winner-takes-barely-more-than-the-loser system, she's got every incentive to contest North Carolina even if she is all but certain to lose the state.

The Clintons are not going quietly.

Posted at 4:06pm on Apr. 28, 2008 The second time, as farce.

Not that the first time was, strictly speaking, a *tragedy*.

By Moe Lane

They say two wrongs don't make it right /
But it damn sure makes it even.

- Rap artist Sister Souljah, whose famous line "If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?" that had been made about the same time prompted the following response from Bill Clinton: "If you took the words ‘white’ and ‘black’ and you reversed them, you might think David Duke was giving that speech."

Jesus said, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' You cannot do terrorism on other people and expect it never to come back on you. Those are biblical principles, not Jeremiah Wright bombastic divisive principles.

- Reverend Jeremiah Wright, on being asked if he wanted to, say, walk back a bit on his commentary of 9/11 and roosting chickens.

Two points to this: first, I am now officially unimpressed with Rev. Wright's grasp of the message found in the New Testament. Given that I'm not trained in such things and he reportedly is, that in itself is an noteworthy feat. Second, the Obama campaign has just been given a potential free Get Out Of Trouble card.

Will they take it? And if they do, will it actually work? There is a certain flavor of "set-up for a sound bite by rank amateurs" to all of this, but that may just be poor, old paranoid me.

Moe Lane

Posted in 2008 | Obamafiles | Rev. Jeremiah Wright | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (12)/ Email this page » / Read More »

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 11:25am on Apr. 26, 2008 One month in to the Spring of Pain.

...and they're tired.

By Moe Lane

Oh, so terribly, terribly tired.

Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are undeniably exhausted. They've been campaigning hard for more than a year, and their wall-to-wall schedules won't let up anytime soon. Neither wants to cede ground in their epic struggle for the Democratic nomination.

Fatigue, however, breeds unforced errors — and both candidates have made some in the past few weeks.

He turned in a weak debate performance in Pennsylvania, took heat for saying residents of small-town America were bitter and inadvertently praised Republican John McCain. She, too, had a sub-par debate and mistakenly claimed to have landed under sniper fire in Bosnia as first lady.

(H/T: NRO's Media Blog)

15 months of 20 hour days. Another month-plus of the same. All of which is mere preface to the real struggle, but that's a different political season entirely. Besides, all those people who confidently told us that it'd be all over in March are now confidently telling us that it'll be all over in June, so clearly things can't get worse for the Democrats.

Read on.

Posted in 2008 | Spring of Pain | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (15)/ Email this page » / Read More »