Shame

Hillary Clinton is approaching the Ralph Nader level of people I used to respect but now want to completely disappear. She is behind Obama by almost 700,000 in the popular vote, behind by almost 200 in committed delegates and has won fewer states than BO and has virtually no chance of winning. Her pitch now is that she should be the Democrat's nominee because she has received more white votes. I was pissed off at her pandering gas tax holiday but this goes far beyond that. Is she honestly suggesting that superdelegates should consider black votes as less important than white votes? Perhaps she misspoke like she misspoke about her visit to Bosnia but I think she is far more intelligent than that. This is about as low as campaigning can go and shows that she has little inclination at the moment to help Obama defeat McCain. Rush Limbaugh is giggling happily to himself somewhere. This is a sad day that calls for sad music.

Shell Game

Hillary Clinton has joined John McCain and come out in favor of suspending the 18.4 cent per gallon federal gas tax in her quest to be the Ivy League educated Democratic nominee more in touch with the common man. Of course the idea of suspending the federal tax on gas would be almost meaningless and further deepen America's dependence on foreign oil. The reason for the price increases has been America's increasing consumption of oil plus greater demand on the world markets with the growing economies in China and India. Clinton compounds the damaging effects of this scam by proposing greater taxes on oil companies profits. This has prima face logic but would ultimately decrease oil companies' investment in exploration. With oil companies producing less oil and demand increasing worldwide, the price would continue to climb. I'm more or less reflexively in favor of higher corporate taxes but if you are arguing that higher taxes on oil companies will lower fuel prices, you are absolutely wrong. I'm also wondering if she thinks oil prices would rise or fall if the United States "totally obliterate" Iran if Iran attacked Israel.

I'll be willing to bet that Paul Krugman will be completely silent on this meaningful difference between Obama and Clinton and continue to quibble over their nearly identical health plans while acting as the principal apologist in her increasingly nasty campaign.


UPDATE
Ok. I was wrong. Krugman has responded in his blog and it predictably minimizes Clinton's endorsement of a very bad idea and returns to the healthcare issue to attack Obama yet again. It puzzles me how he thinks Clinton's pandering to voters' gas price fears is "pointless". If she were to become president the only way to slow global warning is decreasing consumption of fossil fuels which would require higher gas prices, not lower. She certainly isn't showing any political courage on perhaps the most important public policy issue.

More Paullary Krugton

Seriously. Paul Krugman's pieces in the Times should be followed by a short clip saying, "My name is Hillary Clinton and I approve of this editorial."

So again Krugman is arguing and insinuating that Hillary Clinton is more progressive than Obama. He says that her policy proposals on the financial crisis "suggests a strong progressive sensibility." Fine. I'm sure he is aware that a candidate's policy proposals are not automatically adopted once he or she is elected. Having bold ideas in not enough. We've already seen a very progressive health care plan by the Clintons crash and burn due to their attempt to jam it down the throats of Congress and in the process alienating both Republicans and Democrats that were essential to passing any meaningful legislation. And this gets to the primary reason why I'm against Hillary. It's not that I disagree with most of her policies but I think she has built up so much animosity, both fair and unfair, that she would have a very hard time getting anything passed.


While I'm sympathetic to anyone who is in danger of losing their homes because they can't make their payments I'm also not necessarily in favor of the government bailing out people who made very bad decisions on buying a house with little money down and an adjustable rate mortgage in the first place. It was hardly a secret that these adjustable rate mortgages were very risky. So Obama's somewhat "cautious and relatively orthodox" proposal might actually be the approach I favor.

Krugman turns up the hyperbole and says "Mrs. Clinton, we’re assured by sources right and left, tortures puppies and eats babies. But her policy proposals continue to be surprisingly bold and progressive." I'm reasonably certain she doesn't torture puppies and eat babies. But I'm not as certain that she and Bill aren't intentionally trying to sabotage Obama's chances in 2008 and set her up for 2012 because she's finally realized she has no shot this year. Actively trying to defeat Obama and elect McCain who would continue the disastrous war in Iraq (a war Krugman doesn't like to remind you that Hillary voted to authorize because it doesn't fit his "progessive" label) would result in thousands more deaths and probably include puppies and babies.

Metal Masterpiece

This made my shitty work week not so bad.

Listen to Rush

I think there a plenty of good reasons not to vote for Hillary Clinton but perhaps one of the best is that it greatly increases the chance of McCain winning. But don't take my word for it. What does America's favorite Oxycodone addict have to say?

What if she's not the nominee? We've got make sure she's the nominee if the Republican Party is to be unified.

If our electoral victory in November requires her being in the race, we gotta stop him; because there's no fear and loathing on Obama. You can't run against Obama fearing him or loathing him or dissing him. It isn't going to work. He doesn't have the personality that makes any of that fit. So we need to keep her in it so we can win it.

All right, we have a campaign slogan here for Mrs. Clinton, because obviously the best shot for Republicans winning the White House is Hillary as the nominee, so I'm thinking of doing this fundraiser, the slogan: "Stay in It So We Can Win It."

Well, now Obama needs a slogan. If our slogan is, "Stay in It So We Can Win It," Obama's slogan is, "A Vote for Hillary Is a Vote for McCain." It would work. It would absolutely work. The Republicans want her to be the nominee since that's the best shot for Republicans.


I hate to say it but I agree with Rush here. I must bathe.

Krugman

So when did Paul Krugman’s column become the weekly Hillary Clinton Booster? This bothers me for the predictable reason that I’m for Obama and he is not and he is a writer I have a lot of respect for. But his columns repeatedly says that Clinton is more progressive that Obama and I see very little evidence of this. Krugman made this striking remark in his March 3rd column:

Now, nobody would mistake Mr. Obama for a Republican — although contrary to claims by both supporters and opponents, his voting record places him, with Senator Clinton, more or less in the center of the Democratic Party, rather than in its progressive wing.

How does he come to the conclusion that Obama is in the center of the Democratic Party? Certainly not from his actual voting record in the Senate when the National Journal ranked him the most liberal Senator in 2007 and consistently more liberal than Hillary Clinton.

He consistently downplays Clinton's vote in 2002 to authorize the Iraq War which was perhaps the most important litmus test of a politicians liberalism in the last 40 years and she wasn't on the same side as Russ Feingold, Ted Kennedy, Patrick Leahy, Paul Wellstone or even Lincoln Chafee.

From what I can tell his claims are based on Obama’s healthcare plan not including mandates to buy health insurance where Clinton’s would. I guess that is a fair criticism although I think Obama’s reasoning that mandates that penalize people who can’t afford healthcare premiums is far from progressive is a valid counterpoint. But beyond that where is the proof that Clinton is the better choice for progressive than Obama?

There are many good reasons to support Barack Obama in 2008 but his decision to not wear an American flag lapel pin might be one of the best I've seen. I have no problem with anyone who decides to wear an American flag lapel pin. But what has happened is the wearing of a pin has turned into a requirement and anyone who doesn't wear one will be subject to having their patriotism question. It is shameful how many politicians wrap themselves around the flag while repeatedly supporting policies that desecrate the constitution through illegal wiretapping, imprisonment, torture and a disastrous war that was never authorized by Congress. The guardians of false patriotism have predictably started their Swiftboating of Obama by portraying his stand as vain and self righteous. This is an early preview of the general election where McCain will have little else to run on. But anyone who favors substance over symbolism should applaud Obama. Conservatives constantly rail against 'political correctness' and its infringement on free thought but conveniently forget this concern when faced with their own dogma. Please forgive the cliche but reminds me of yet another Seinfeld episode.