Blogging on Meds

Those Crazy Dems

1. John Edwards as Patrick Batemen
“Beautiful, world-weary, and not yet 21, Alison Poole is what her new boyfriend calls a postmodern girl,” first sentence of the jacket copy from Jay McInerney’s Story of My Life (Atlantic/Grove 1988).

This John Edwards love child scandal is mind blowing. Dude supposedly screwed Rielle Hunter, a videographper who was the basis for Alison Poole, a fictional character in Jay McInerney’s second novel, Story of My Life. Poole was stolen from McInerney by his friend and fellow novelist Brett Easton Ellis, who killed her in American Psycho, then brought her back to life for Glamorama. The Edwards-Hunter scandal broke c/o (who else) The National Enquirer.Of course, Page Six is destroying this story like it’s 9/11. Meanwhile, Romenesko, a blog about the death of newspapers, is covering the story’s noncoverage by national newspapers. All this makes for the most postmodern political scandal ever.

Edwards always claimed to be a populist crusader. But his 6000-sq ft, $6 million house is the most expensive in his North Carolina county. His wife has terminal cancer and he’s still fucking a former NY party girl. I thus suspect John Edwards has a small penis. How else can you explain it?

2. Hillary and Obama Need to Cut the Shit, Announce Joint Ticket, Win White House
The Veepstakes are moving along with all the excitement of mold growth. None of the prospective picks (Kaine, Warner, Webb, Bahy etc) have the national following that could help Obama win voters’ trust (polls call him 24% “riskier” than McCain). In about two weeks, it’s all gonna come down to polling—what do women want; who polls best with the working class—but right now the Clintons are again stealing headlines. The NY Observer, like NY Mag before them, says Obama’s best way to win in November is with a Clinton VP:

But there’s another way that may seem more tempting now than it once did: teaming up with Clinton. Yes, her presence would turn off some independent voters, but it would also fully unify the party and – far more importantly – it would offer powerful emotional reassurance to the wavering voters who want to support Obama but who are liable to succumb to attacks on his experience. For millions of casual voters, Clinton has come to represent the very toughness and seasoning that Obama is said to lack. They want to vote Democratic this fall, but if they believe Obama is too risky, they will default to McCain, the “safe” choice. By picking Clinton, Obama would be telling these voters, in effect, that he’ll be operating with adult supervision.”

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Slate…

Even if there’s little evidence for rumors that Hillary Clinton is positioning herself to be Barack Obama’s running mate, this week’s newest poll suggests voters have somewhat latched on to the idea.

According to a May 30-June 3 CBS News poll (PDF), 59 percent of Democratic primary voters want Clinton as Obama’s running mate. That sentiment was similarly echoed in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll conducted on Thursday, in which 54 percent of registered Democrats also supported the so-called “dream ticket.”

Presumably, those numbers possess increased significance in an election fraught with discussion about defection rates. According to the CBS poll, 22 percent of Clinton supporters say they prefer John McCain to Barack Obama. Additionally, 7 percent claim they’re undecided, and 8 percent say they won’t vote at all.

CBS reports that 12 percent of all Democrats currently support McCain, an increase from the 8 percent that deserted John Kerry for George Bush in 2004. Just more than half of Democratic voters—54 percent—reported feeling that the prolonged primary fight has hurt the party’s chances in November, regardless of whom Obama actually taps as his running mate.

I’m not going to piss anymore people off with stating why I’m pro-joint ticket (mainly because it’s a guranteed  win in November, but also because it’s the will of the people, Hilllary’s experience is a net plus for Obama and a way to help him to avoid Bill’s Clinton’s first term missteps, the VP would neutralize Hill from becoming a Senate foe to O’s prez legislature etc). If these numbers don’t change in the coming months, Obama may have little choice but to ask Hillary to jump on board. 22% of Hillary’s 18 million voters is about 4 million people. Bush beat Kerry by about 3 million votes in 2004. Or, Obama needs those votes.

Obamaniacs warmed to Hillary this weekend. (Is saying “I like O” and women rule really all it took?) Let’s watch the polls to see if Obama can convert Hill’s women and white trash–I mean blue collar–honks on his 17-stop working class tour this week.

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The Associated f–king Press is running the world today:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton has told congressional colleagues she would be open to becoming Barack Obama’s vice presidential nominee, saying she would consider it if it would help Democrats win the White House.

Clinton, a New York senator, made the comment on a conference call with other New York lawmakers Tuesday, according a participant on the call.

The senator’s remarks came in response to a question from Democratic Rep. Nydia Velazquez who said she believed the best way for Obama to win over key voting blocs, including Hispanics, would be for him to choose Clinton as his running mate.

“I am open to it,” Clinton replied, if it would help the party’s prospects in November.

I’ve been through the arguments pro and con on Hillary as VP. Yes, she is a bigfoot. As is Bill. And she’s polarizing. Of course, conventional wisdom says VP’s don’t effect elections. Then there’s some who say the VP doesn’t matter at all. But I am for Obama-Clinton for three reasons. The majority of Dems support a joint ticket (55% at least). A black man has never run for Prez before and conventional wisdom need not apply in 08, so having the top brand in GOP-hate politics on the ticket is a positive. And VP’s do matter (see Cheney, Dick), and no one is more qualified than an ex-co-president. Let’s see how it plays…MSNBC (Matthews, Todd, and Micthell) is all over this one right now too BTW…

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Daily Kos is a website I check daily but rarely understand. Who are these people? Occasionally they’ll breakdown some interesting facts on the GOP. Sometimes they write stuff that is objective and progressive. Yet I can’t get over how often Kos-sters sound ideologically undemocratic. Take this post from yest, by “dansac,” on why Hillary shouldn’t be VP.

We’ve all gone through the reasons over and over as to why it’s a bad idea - or, as I prefer to say - a horrible, insane, catastrophic idea.

But let me throw just this one: Obama will be placed into an incredibly weak position if he is unable to make the VP selection for himself. By being “forced” into taking Clinton (and no amount of eloquent speech-making on his part would convince anyone that he was anything other than forced), he will instantly seem smaller, less presidential, and a less powerful figure.

Talk about hyperbole—”insane, horrible, catastrophic.” How would Obama seem less Presidential if he compromised and reconciled with his opponent? Isn’t that politics? Nonetheless, the question remains: Who is a better running mate than a woman (over 55% of Dems are women) with the second largest following in Democratic politics? Bill Richardson? C’mon. Over 50% of Dems support a joint ticket, 35% say no, with 15% undecided. Thus Hillary is the peoples’ choice. But who cares about the will of the people…

Count me as one who thinks the VP nomination is overrated. It rarely hurts a presidential nominee (although, in certain circumstances it can help). But this is a selection that absolutely would hurt our nominee.

First, the VP has become an entirely new position under Bush. Cheney has expanded the office’s power in unprecedented fashion. VP does matter.

Second, using conventional wisdom (VP “rarely hurts a nominee”) in an unconventional race (black man and a woman) is pointless. No one knows how race and gender will play in a general election—it’s never happened before. And what evidence suggests it would hurt Obama? The rate of Hillary voters who say they won’t vote Obama is approx 20%. Bringing them 100% back under the big tent is a good thing, no?

But let us no longer delude ourselves: the Clintons want this. They want on the ticket. This is a fact. And by doing so, they will instantly knee-cap our nominee and in their own special way help the Democratic ticket collapse.

By repeating her claims of disenfranchisement, comparing herself to the abolitionists, and raising the specter of Florida in 2000, she is stoking the passions of her supporters and, in no subtle way, is claiming that she was robbed of this nomination.

She must shut it down. The super delegates must shut it down. And Obama should resist every pressure to put this self-destructive person on the ticket.

Yes, the Clintons are going a bit crazy on FL/MI right now. Retroactively calling to legitimize votes they agreed were illegitimate is a bit much. Still, there’s no evidence that Hillary as VP would hurt Obama’s White House bid. All polling suggests the opposite!

And telling a fellow Democrat to stop running in a close race “because it may hurt Obama” is downright undemocratic. She has every right to run—and lose. Jeff N said it best on this site when all the “sit down Hillary” talk began, mocking, “What does this bitch think this is, America or something?”

I get it: Obama-Kos-sters are upset the Clintons employed their brand of knock-around politics against Sir Hopes-a-Lot. But what did people expect? The Clintons are who they are. They remain the second most popular brand in the land, which is exactly why Hillary should be considered for the number 2 spot.

Sometimes I wonder how this whole Hope thing became (for some) such an absolutist ideology.

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Time Magazine sent up the trial balloon yesterday—Bubba wants Hiallry as Obama’s VP—and the Times picked up the story today.

Now this:

Senator Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is in formal talks with Senator Barack Obama’s campaign about becoming his vice presidential running mate, CNN reported, without citing anyone specific.

The two Democratic campaigns are talking about ways for Clinton, from New York, to drop her bid for president that may include joining the Illinois senator’s ticket, CNN reported. Talks are in a “very preliminary” stage and are described as “difficult,” the network said.

A majority of Dems polled (55%) support a joint ticket. I don’t see how Obama can not at least offer the slot—she did get 16 million votes—especially with Bubba’s pressure. A few months ago I thought Hillary would turn down a VP slot, seeing how she spent 8 years as Bill’s de facto co-Prez. But now it seems she may take it, probably to both ensure her universal health care legacy and as the best bet for winning in 2016. Man, Obama-Clinton would be something…

UPDATE 12:35pm: Both Clinton and Obama camps deny CNN report.

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Left, for the last two days, Senator Obama has worn a flag lapel pin, proving he doesn’t hate America. Right, with Mississippi so goes the nation?

Political Round-up
Oh yeah, there was primary last night too. Hillary Clinton won West VA by a 2-1 margin, forcing NYT’s national political deity Adam Nagourney to write:

How big a problem does Senator Barack Obama really have among white working-class voters? And what —if anything — can he do about it as he heads into the general election? Those were the questions that emerged from his defeat by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the West Virginia Democratic primary on Tuesday…In West Virginia, 20 percent of respondents said that race was a factor in their decision and those voters, by overwhelming number, backed Mrs. Clinton.

What the results from West Virginia and Pennsylvania did do was crystallize just how important Mrs. Clinton could be to Mr. Obama’s general election hopes, assuming he goes on to win the nomination.

She has managed to connect with white, blue-collar voters in way that has eluded Mr. Obama. Her embrace of Mr. Obama once this is over — delivered without reservation and accompanied by vigorous campaigning through the fall — could make it far easier for him to win the backing of white voters who have come to embraced Mrs. Clinton as their champion.

I’ve said for some time that without the full support of the Clintons, America’s first family of GOP hate, it will be much harder to make a case that McCain is Dr Evil this fall. In a CNN poll of Democrats, over 55% supported a joint Obama-Clinton ticket, with over 30% saying no, and a further 17% undecided. (75% of Clinton backers want her VP as do 40% of Obama’s.) “The bottom line is this: The White House is won in the swing states, and I am winning the swing states,” Clinton said in her victory speech. TNR argues against a joint ticket, but I disagree:

…the working-class whites who vote in Democratic primaries are often very different from the working-class whites who don’t. In particular, Hillary may be as disliked by the latter as she is beloved by the former.

Now, there is clearly a subset of working-class whites who aren’t high on Obama either. (Race may be a factor, as my colleague John Judis writes this week.) The problem is that the working-class whites who don’t like Obama may be different from the ones who don’t like Hillary, in which case you risk alienating two groups of working-class whites by putting her on the ticket.

“Often” “may be”…not convincing language in the unprecedented 2008 race. You can’t use conventional wisdom this year beacuse we’ve never had a black man and a woman involved. New emotions and values are at play. Still, if the majority of Dems want a joint ticket, democracy dictates you go with the will of the people.

But the biggest political news of the day comes from Mississippi, where Democrat Travis Childers handily beat GOP candidate Greg Davis for a House seat in Trent Lott’s district. The seat has been Republican since 1994. The WSJ reports:

The defeat is another blow to congressional Republicans following the two prior losses in Illinois and Louisiana special elections. The losses have also come at a hefty price, as the National Republican Congressional Committee, the party’s campaign arm, was forced to funnel millions of dollars to unsuccessfully defend the three seats.

The outcome could also increase doubts about Republicans’ broader election strategy to nationalize House races by negatively tying local candidates to figures such as Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.That strategy was used in the Mississippi race, as well as in early May in the Louisiana House race against Democrat Don Cazayoux, who defeated Republican Woody Jenkins.

If race-baiting didn’t work in Mississippi, a state with a long history of negro-hating, hopefully it won’t work in the general election either.

The quote below sums up how big a loss this was to the GOP, via POLITICO:

A GOP House leadership aide told Politico last week that “if we don’t win in Mississippi, I think you are going to see a lot of people running around here looking for windows to jump out of.”

Overall, today is great day for America.

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It’s fun to think about, but there are so many obstacles, and Ted Kennedy isn’t buying, he said on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital With Al Hunt,” which airs this weekend.

“I don’t think it’s possible,” he told Hunt of the joint ticket, continuing that: “Obama should choose a running mate who “is in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspirations of the American people,” Kennedy said. “If we had real leadership — as we do with Barack Obama — in the No. 2 spot as well, it’d be enormously helpful.”
Ouch.

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As the sun rises on what is sure to be another week of intense competition for the hearts of Democrats, I can’t help but cringe at the thought of what low blows and long shots are going to be coming out of the Obama and Clinton camps, (luckily this morning’s headline on CNN.com is still a gnarly picture of Chuck Manson). Maybe Team Hill will leak info on some questionable comments made by Barak’s barber, or Obama will call for the release of all of Clinton’s pap smear results for the last 20 years.

The fact is, I am sitting here watching two candidates -both of whom I like, neither of whom I love- tear each other apart over ridiculous shit, causing me to like both of them less and less. Meanwhile, John McCain is running around the globe acting like the next leader of the free world, getting nothing but love from anybody, (except the foot-in-mouth Times).

We’ve discussed our concerns over this here before, and we’ve all held our breath at the hints of a joint ticket, but here’s an idea: Why don’t these two just agree -on the record- that whoever has the most delegates by Denver is President, and whoever has the second most is VP? Guaranteed joint ticket, with the possibility for both to keep trying to convince us they should be on the top. This would force them to lay off the nastiness and name calling, and -god forbid- maybe start articulating some policy proposals.

It would break Rush Limbaugh’s “heart” too.

Just a thought.

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Say what?

LAT Reports:

The morning after regaining some political momentum by winning three of four primaries (after losing 12 in a row), the former first lady happened to mention on some early news shows the possibility of her and Sen. Barack Obama forming a joint ticket to face the new Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain.

Clinton went on some morning news programs, according to the Associated Press, and appeared to raise the possibility of a Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton ticket.

“That may be where this is headed,” she said, “but, of course, we have to decide who is on the top of ticket. I think the people of Ohio very clearly said that it should be me.”

Democratic wet dreamz…

That ticket really could change the world. A black dude and a white chick? Sign me up for 16 years of Dems in da White House.

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