John Edwards: You Should Be Proud

A big round of applause goes to John Edwards for showing the way progressive politics needs to be played. He has steered the "debates" toward a more substance-based, issue-oriented dialogue that really have spotlighted where everyone stands. He has moved Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama toward the progressive side, confronting them to be more forceful in committing to pull out of Iraq, getting universal health care and getting tough with corporations who would steal, murder and plunder us. Kudos to John for his grace and fighting style, for inspiring us to believe that yes, politicians sometimes do get what's important. The race would not have been what it is without him.

I am now throwing my full support behind Barack Obama because I think he is the one who has most listened to Edwards' message. Obama has also given me confidence that he will stick up for gays, and has learned from his past mistake of appearing with an anti-gay gospel singer. The enthusiasm surrounding Barack is very palpable, and I cannot pretend that doesn't affect me. I remember Bill Clinton doing the same to me in 1992 - I only wish he could see what is going on right now and just chill the fuck out. I'm afraid he'll mostly be remembered for his self-absorption and for Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell, not the incredibly important budget battle he won in 1993, which wound up getting us out of deficits; or creating 20,000,000 new jobs, with economic growth that made the record books. Sadly none of that matters any more to our amnesiac and childish corporate media, who now refer to the presidential race as the "ballot bowl" and keeps repeating the lie that "the surge is working." Thanks a lot, CNN, for getting more soldiers killed in Iraq while you pretend you "like" Barack Obama. We all know what's coming, and it ain't challenging John "100-more-years-in-Iraq" McCain to point-by-point explain his war-mongering statements. You LOVE John McCain and would LOVE for him to start EVEN MORE wars! Prove me wrong you stinking bunch of douchebags!

Well, it's off to Super (-"douche-per") Tuesday and hoping Obama can pull it off. So far it's looking good.

Bill Clinton Slams Corporate Media: What Could Be Wrong With That?

The more I listen to Bill Clinton's "testy" exchanges with reporters who are overwhelmingly, by the way, corporate media reporters -- the more I realize how right on he is to take them on. Witness the latest exchange with a CNN reporter where Bill is asked about "tactics used in the campaign" being reminiscent of Lee Atwater. Whaaaa? As if this is the pre-eminent question to be asked of a former president after he spoke to people in South Carolina engaged as citizens in the politics of a presidential race, listening to issues and asking questions concering their futures. This hack of a reporter indeed represents the wolf pack mob that unfortunately gets first access to the candidates, asking horse-race questions always, never caring about substantive issues that affect actual people. I think when you watch this clip you will see why he has been the way he has with our masturbatory media. That Bill is only now calling them out on their shit is a little bit late to the game, of course. Still, I am happy to see him doing it.

What the fuck do we expect him to do, when faced with herd-like packs of high school newspaper-grade journalists asking questions no one else cares about but that only the D.C. press corps think of during their many cocktail-induced circle-jerks?

Who the fuck do these people think they are?

Where the fuck do they get off being allowed to ask these questions?

Please watch this clip, as I think regardless of who you are supporting in the primaries Feb. 5th this speaks to the larger issue of willful journalistic incompetence.

Monkey McChimpy: One Year Left

As I write this, it is now 365 days, 1 hour and 35 minutes until the day that the most gigantic lying and murdering asshole in U.S. history will no longer be President of the United States. This beast we have occupying the White House has shed any traces of humanity long, long ago. The people of the U.S.; the legislative branch, the House and Senate that supposedly act as a "check" on the crimes committed by the executive branch; the Supreme Court in enabling this criminal administration in their war crimes and crimes against our rights to privacy, speech and assembly; the go-along-to-get-along corporate media acting as this administration's stenographers -- all these have done essentially nothing to overthrow this stinking pile of shit we call George W. Bush. No impeachment. No investigations of those at the top. Nothing. And so, in this season of presidential primaries, campaigns, and faux debates, all arbitrated meaninglessly by corporate media masturbation, what is there to be hopeful for? The entire Republican Party and a critical mass of the Democratic Party does not want to end the American Empire Project known as the Iraq Occupation, nor even discuss it rationally. Climate change as an issue has merited, in these so-called debates, only about five questions out of thousands put to the Democratic candidates -- NOT the Republican candidates -- for discussion. Not one single Republican was asked anything meaningful about the most critical issue in history facing us. Not a one. This set of events brings a few critical choices. The Republican Party MUST be broken or we will slowly but surely become a police state and a country perpetually at war. Every single time they are allowed to have majority status since 1995, whether it be in the executive branch (100% majority rule), legislative branch or in the courts they have proven themselves to be bullies. They block, threaten to filibuster, drown out with majority rule and otherwise strong-arm the opposition so that they can get what they want, no questions asked, no meaningful debate held. There are no intellectual arguments left for them to exist. They have proven themselves unfit to govern. Corruption and incompetence are the rule with them, and they do not give a flying fuck.

We are one year away from something. Whether that will be any meaningful change depends on on a lot of things. Certainly whoever the Republican nominee is, and let's face it, it is going to be John McCain, will want to stay in Iraq indefinitely, which means that a Republican in the White House will, to the degree that he has an environmentally friendly agenda, only undermine it: resources and money will instead go to the military, defense spending, the Iraq Occupation and perhaps a war with Iran. McCain -- and we have to assume the worst on this -- wants to do some things to end abortions, which means his party will force him to sputter more pablum about the rights of the unborn and the "sanctity of life." Possibly he will succeed in overturning Roe vs. Wade by nominating and confirming a Supreme Court justice that will want to do that. Well, encouraging us to have more babies and then not caring for the ones that aren't wanted is a sure way to increase crime, and not very conducive to conserving what resources we have left to live on a healthy planet. You see, then, how all of these issues would - would, if people just, for once, think about who they push that lever for! - conspire to undermine an ostensibly "moderate" but in reality politically expedient and cowardly President McCain.

There is the distinct possibility of a Clinton Democratic candidacy going up against McCain in November. I still hold out for Edwards, but at this point it is worth discussing possible scenarios given our fucked-up electoral system and how stacked it is against those who would be good, sensible candidates wishing for honest, intelligent, rational discourse by Our Dear Corporate Media on What Really Matters. My second choice, I should state clearly, is Barack Obama, a man who, like Edwards, would be a transformational candidate and likely president, willing to tackle issues of race, civil rights and climate change in an honest, intelligent, straightforward manner (let's face it, civil rights is indeed an issue once again). And, I think he would beat the pants off McCain. All that said, we still need to consider Clinton as the nominee this fall. I would support her one hundred percent, but I have many doubts and fears about her viability against a McCain. Her record in the Senate on Iraq was uninspiring at best, pro-Bush at worst and always calculating for a run for president. She's smart as cookies and sharp as a whip, even more so than Bill I think, but she leaves me fearing that she will not differ from a John Kerry in style and forcibleness. She has to come out fighting and not stop until all the polls have closed on November 4th. She must go on the offensive like Kerry never could, and be willing to respond immediately and with full force to Swift-Boat-like attacks that are sure to come her way like a flood, not only from McCain's campaign but from outside 527 groups. She will need to attack McCain on his record, his lies about being a straight-talker, and on his voting in the Senate time and again for whatever Bush wanted, and for not fighting for the things he disagreed with Bush on, namely torture. McCain allowed a bill to be passed in the Senate and signed by Bush that allows torture, and Clinton needs to remind people of that, over and over and over again. She needs to stress her youth over his old age, her sensibleness over his macho and warmongering posturing. She has to stress the sense of history in her becoming the first female president, all the while making herself look fresh while making him look like an old, pasty white guy. Her husband did a marvelous job campaigning in 1992, was able to respond right away to GHW Bush's slurs and attacks, and was able to, as they say, capture people's imaginations like no other candidate since JFK. Obama has those same qualities -- I see it in front of my eyes. I don't know if Clinton does, and her negative ratings scare me. I don't want to see another Kerry meltdown. I'm in no mood to start thinking about having to move to Canada, which might become a reality given Republican meanness towards gays and the very real possibility of a police state that results from endless war. I hate all of these possibilities, yet what would Hillary Clinton have to fear, like John Kerry, if she lost? A cushy mansion in Westchester, a respectable career in the U.S. Senate, secret service protection for life...these things do not seem to me to be the best motivators not to lose. How do I know from having watched her how Hillary will govern, given her mixed record in the Senate? How tentative will she be on ending our disastrous occupation in Iraq? Words are nice, Hillary, but we need to see more fight in you.

Let's hope it is still a contest come March. I think Hillary Clinton needs to be challenged at least through April, like her husband was in 1992 and which made him a stronger candidate against a seemingly popular incumbent president. Unlike Bill Clinton in 1992, Hillary Clinton in 2008 has D.C. baggage that she needs to reconcile. The sooner, the better.

The Strange Irony of Mike Huckabee

So Mike Huckabee is the "likeable" sort of candidate, an honest and decent man fighting the big bullies of the Republican machine. Really? As Jack Nicholson in The Shining sneeringly says to Shelly Duvall while locked in the food locker, "Wendy? Wendy? You got a big surprise comin' to you. You're not goin' anywhere. Go check out the Sno-Cat and the radio and you'll see what I mean. Go check it out. Go check it out! Go check it out."

Mike Huckabee's certainly got a big surprise for us. Go check out his remarks conflating homosexuality and bestiality and you'll see what he means. He apparently wants to change the Constitution to conform to God's standards. OK, Mike, whatever you say. Had to go there, didn't you? You sort of had me for a while thinking you were at least decent. Now you're just a bat-shit crazy, hateful motherfucker. And in a more insidious and less smarmy way than George W. Bush could ever be. And that's what makes your candidacy all the more deadly.

You will notice that the Republican Establishment will not be condemning him for these blatantly bigoted remarks. No, what they hate is his populist and quasi-eco-friendly message. How dare he talk about reforming health care! How dare he talk about being good to the earth! He's not a true Republican...like Ronald Reagan! He's not a true conservative! As if the the right wing blowhards ever had the slightest idea of what the word 'conservative' means. Christ these people are freaks. And they just can't get over their obsession with Mr. Senile-While-In-Office, Mr. Welfare-Queen-Driving-Cadillacs, Mr. Deny-AIDS-Is-An-Epidemic-While-Thousands-Suffer-And-Die-In-New-York-And-San-Francisco Ronald freakin' Reagan. Go ahead, have him, Republicans. He's in every fucking one of your freak candidates for president, only you're too blind, confused and otherwise fucked up in the head to see it. And yes, he's in John torture-boy McCain, too.

Republicans(TM). Hating On America For Thirty Years (And Getting Away With It)!

And Now, Corporate Media Douchebag #3: Tim Russert

Way to go, Timmah, asking those important questions about climate change and Iraq -- oh right, you were too busy concerning yourself with ridiculous "pledges" candidates should make, or asking insipid questions about "strengths and weaknesses" that any moron asks college interns at job interviews. You fucking washed-up corporate douchebag. Oh, and then there's that pretty-boy frat punk Brian Williams joking about shooting craps and sounding "serious" about yellow lights and red lights and being seven feet away from the candidates.

Please do not be fooled by these shows of "civility" and "respect," for these inhuman corporate-bots moderating these "debates" (one cannot speak of our network corporate media these days without using quotes ad infinitum, and frankly I'm sick of it but this is what has to happen when you have a culture that values what these morons say over other more independent and intellectually competent voices such as those of Truthout, The Nation, MotherJones,...oh let's face it, the left is just smarter, more innovative, creative, interesting, moral and all around better!) will only turn on the Democratic nominee come summertime, and anoint John McCain as the "serious" candidate for these "serious" times. Expect the Rethuglicans to swift-boat whoever is the presumptive nominee, assuming we have one by May or later; and watch with horror as the All-Knowing Media that is ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX/CNN just repeat the allegations as if it were news, like the fucking stenographers they are. Think it won't happen? Just look at what happened to John Kerry in '04, and he was a true war hero. The corporate media just do not like Democrats, this is fact and has been since the 2000 election cycle. These primaries and debates are just a ruse to butter the Democratic candidates up and set them up for a sucker punch. And whoever is our nominee had god-damned better be prepared to call these bastards out on all their shit. And she/he had better go after McCain/Romney/Ghoul-iani/Fuckabee hard and not give up. No trips to Sun Valley, ID for a ski vacation, no wind-surfing in Nantucket Sound, no assuming that your reputation is unimpeachable and not worthy of responding to attacks like Kerry did in '04. Because, Dem nominee, if you do this then You. Will. Lose.

McCain-Bush!

George W. Bush's Best Buddy: John McCain!

John McCain's Best Buddy: George W. Bush!

Brenda Dickson Like You've Never Seen Her!

So some gal named Deven Green has become famous for her voice-over of Brenda Dickson (aka Jill Foster Abbot from Y&R, 1973-80, 1983-87). This has got to be among the funniest things I've ever seen. Take a looksey. Oh, and then there's this, this and this. And, finally, watch this.

Enjoy!

World's Second Biggest Douchebag: Lou Dobbs

...Because he is such a xenophic, racist and, of course, elitist asshole. Number 3: Bill "Roll 'em" Bennett, also of CNN, declaring how nice Iowa was because people weren't shooting other people like in Iraq, a war WE started and a mess WE created. Fuckwad!

On another note, about that Obama "big win" in NH. Oops. I guess it's good that it's now a real race. Whatever. We should have one national primary, or at least a series of regional primaries, and they should start no earlier than March. Why states get all selfish about being "first" when it comes to picking a president for the WHOLE FRIGGIN' COUNTRY I can't really fathom. Really. So two small, largely white states making up maybe 2% of the population get to choose which 3 or 4 candidates are "viable" for the rest of us? Really.

So, to recap. Matthews, Dobbs, Bennett: Douchebags! John King, Howard Fineman, Andrea Mitchell, and oh yeah that really old looking pasty guy that stands in a corner with Soledad O'Brien yapping away about what voters are thinking in the deepest recesses of their cerebral cortices -- wankers, all of them. Obama: hope. Clinton: getting better when actually faced with the possiblity of losing the nomination. Edwards: a fighter I'm still going to vote for. Kucinich: a dream candidate I would love to support but can't afford to. BOLLOCKS!

My Prediction for NH '08 Primary: Chris Matthews Will Become World's Biggest Douchebag

Chris Matthews, a.k.a. Tweety. Expect him to fawn over McCain's come-from-behind victory, milking that story over Obama's likely big win and over the likely scenario that Obama takes more independents than McCain. Just as he condescendingly described the youth vote going to Obama in droves in Iowa as being desperate, watch him tonight as he tries to crown McCain the Repub (more like Rethug) nominee, going against an inexperienced Obama. Maybe he'll say there's still hope for Clinton -- after all, even though Edwards finished second in Iowa, she was the story about being the viable one. Stupid fucking arrogant, entitled, elite asshole. Keith Olbermann should have Matthews' seat, hands down. Ever notice the puzzled Jim-from-The-Office-like look on Olbermann's face looking into the cameras after having to endure Matthews' completely insane and baseless commentary? I love that he doesn't engage in the madness but rather moves on to the straight story. You'll see it again, tonight. And Matthews looks tired, pasty and old, and he is completely insane. He only knows what he hears at DC cocktail parties, he's washed up.

And then there's this. Chris Matthews is a disgusting, sexist pig.

Olbermann for top political MSNBC desk anchor!

Immigration Is a Fake Issue Drummed Up by Republicans & Mimicked by the Corporate Media

First, last night's caucuses. A hearty congratulations goes to Obama for an incredible turnout and getting new voters and independents to support him. And what an awesome speech he gave -- Jeff and I were in tears. That said, I am still supporting Edwards because I like his anti-corporate message better and because I think he is hitting all the right notes regarding the awesome destructive power corporations have wielded in this country and in Iraq, and the influence they have had in making us a fearful and consumptive and anti-intellectual society. That said, I think Obama could be an absolutely amazing, energizing candidate, the force for change we desperately need. And he could easily get elected President. I admit, emotions play a factor with me when I think about Mr. O, but I am confident he, like Edwards, is on the progressive side of the Democratic Party, the side needed so badly right now.

So, on to my subject for this post - immigration. The reason I made the title so long is because I want to drive home the point that immigration as an issue in this presidential race is one wholly fabricated by the right-wing machine, and now, as is usually the case in these dumbed-down times, it is being faithfully echoed by the corporate political press as a major issue. It is not, and has not been, a major issue for a majority of Americans. It is entirely a Republican issue and one that those who identify as Republicans make an issue because those who identify as Republicans act like sheep and do what the right-wing media and political (i.e. Republican) machine tell them to do, and believe what the right-wing media and political (i.e. Republican) machine tell them to believe. No, most people know that immigration is what made us who we are, that we have in place now rational immigration policies that have worked well for over a century, that need only minor tinkering so as to let more good people who are not citizens to become citizens. Of course, the Republicans would never end our corporate "free" trade that enslaves and disenfranchises millions of non-Americans, that enriches the pockets of American CEOs, that allows us to and begs us to mindlessly consume more and more stuff we do not need. No, no, no. The answer, these Republican terrorists tell us, is to deport these undesirable brown people and have more Americans report them to "authorities" so that they can deport even more undesirable brown people.

This is just the latest Republican wedge issue du jour, desperately employed by desperate old white men desperate to hold on to power.

'In Rainbows' Disc 2 Kicks ASS!

I've been listening to the songs of disc 2 ("bonus CD" as they called it on their blog) of Radiohead's In Rainbows on YouTube. Oh. My. Fucking. God. It is absolutely among the best music ever recorded in history.

Timeline of American Fascism, 2001-2007

Holy fucking shit. The number of laws passed by Congress, signing statements by Bush-monkey defying Congress, and US Supreme Court decisions upholding what amounts to a police state these last seven years is quite staggering. Whoever becomes president next year (assuming monkey-boy doesn't declare martial law, halt the election and declare himself president for life) had better acknowledge these blatantly un-American, illegal, immoral and destructive acts, laws and decisions.

This little-noticed blurb regarding this act of terrorism by our Senate got my attention:

October 2006
• The U.S. Senate passes the John Warner Defense Authorization Act. The act allows a president to declare a public emergency and station US military troops anywhere in America as well as take control of state based national guard units without consent of the governor or other local authorities. The law authorizes presidential eployment of US troops to round-up and detain "potential terrorists", "illegal aliens" and disorderly" citizenry.

The Iowa Caucuses Are a Sham

Why do we keep doing this? The fact that so many people are shut out of this undemocratic procedure because they simply can't make it to the precinct location at 7pm on a weeknight, for up to 2 hours or more, because they have to work/take care of kids/etc. is simply wrong. It's elitist in all the wrong ways, it allows 20% of one small state's voting population, mostly white and mostly able-bodied -- and who are vastly made up of the political activists responsible for continuing this travesty of a sham of a joke of the democratic process, the ones least likely to actually need government assistance -- to be able, in large part, to decide which two or three candidates of each party (out of 8 to 10 candidates) are viable for the rest of the primary season. And the corporate media has decided, unthinkingly and unfailingly, to declare "winners" based on delegates each candidate supposedly "won" based on not how many show up to vote/caucus (maybe an undecided person will switch to Clinton in the second round of voting/caucusing because her supporters are giving out cake) but rather based on turnout in the precinct's previous two general elections. If this all sounds complicated and obfuscatory it's because it is. Oh, and then there's this rule for the Democratic caucuses that says a candidate is only viable to pick up any delegates in each precinct (there are 1,781 precincts in Iowa for Thursday's dog and pony show) if he or she receives 15% of that precinct's caucus-goers, with two rounds of voting to try and pry off supporters of one candidate to make another viable. So, ba-bye to Richardson, Dodd, Biden, Kucinich and Gravel right off the bat.

This isn't a game, and I hate it when I hear people in Iowa staying away because they just can't make it or are uninterested. Part of me wants to kick them. Take the night off, or just bring your kids to the precinct, figure it out. But then I think, no, actually some of these people actually could lose their job for deciding to help pick a president, or just can't drive themselves, or who are just too old to be out and about that late in the evening, when it's dark. And it's fucking early January in fucking Iowa.

This sucks. It is way too early to be deciding who will be the Democratic and Republican nominees for POTUS. At best we can hope for a virtual tie in the delegate count at the end of the night Thursday, just so it can be competitive through New Hampshire (there's another sham, albeit a more democratic sham -- and New Hampshire is even whiter than Iowa) and beyond. The sad thing is it might just practically be over and a nominee all but declared by our Dear Corporate Media by February 5th, when most of the country gets to actually vote on their choices. We should really have a national primary on one day, say in late May, when everyone votes at once and candidates are forced to campaign everywhere. But no, Iowa and New Hampshire are king, "momentum" is the game, and winners must be declared before virtually anyone actually votes. Total bullshit.