Strike News (and Special Comment) for 2008-01-15 [UPDATE 1]

Alegre’s dailyKos Writers Strike has been noted by ABC, the NYT, Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic (producing over 200 frantic comments – you can guess the tone). Bring on your own sightings in comments, and I’ll update.

UPDATE: Alegre has a strike update up at MyDD, with additional coverage. Somebody please convey my encouragement. (I’ve spent a large chunk of my life on the internets, and MyDD is the only place I’ve ever been banned.)

Why Not Take Five?

Riverdaughter is taking an evening off, so the BFF is sitting in as guest host. I’m not much of a politician, but I do understand a cocktail hour. So why not take five from your busy schedule, taste some wine (I’m drinking a 2003 Medoc, Chateau Greysac) or order a cocktail — try the St. Andrew’s from Rendezvous in Cambridge: Benromach scotch, Maker’s Mark, lemon, amarene cherries, & a blood orange twist. Then relax and listen to the sound of Dave, Paul, Gene, & Joe.  Enjoy the evening, chat with friends, and please drink (and vote) responsibly.

She’s a sticker, thank God

Back in the dark days of February, I wandered over to the BoomanTribune just as Booman posted an anti-Hillary rant. Booman was totally shocked by a story he’d just read in the Seattle Times. But where he was shocked – disgusted by it – in a weird way I was charmed. And I’ve thought about the story often in the nearly two months since:

Hillary Clinton: front and center
By John F. Harris

As she ran for Senate as a sitting first lady in 2000, Hillary Rodham Clinton was facing an obstacle that her advisers found a bit awkward to discuss in her presence.

Her husband’s impeachment and the sexual affair that precipitated it were still recent memories. Now, that scandal was causing a headwind for the candidate as she found her own values questioned by a key segment of New York voters. This was the delicate subject on the table one evening at a White House strategy meeting, several participants recalled. The president gazed intently at poll data and then turned to his wife. “Women,” he announced, “want to know why you stayed with me.”

There was an awkward pause. But Hillary Clinton did not seem embarrassed. Instead, a half-smile crossed her face. “Yes,” she responded, “I’ve been wondering that myself.”

Jabbing the air for emphasis, Bill Clinton gave his answer: “Because you’re a sticker! That’s what people need to know — you’re a sticker. You stick at the things you care about.”

Five years later, Hillary Clinton’s tenacity in her personal and political life has left her the most formidable figure by far in Democratic politics — and in position to make history as the first woman to become president if she runs and wins in 2008.

In the months since I first read this quote Hillary’s campaign has seen some of the darkest days a surviving candidate could face. In some quarters, her campaign was written off months ago. But Bill’s right – Hillary’s a sticker. And where would we be if she wasn’t?

It always seemed obvious to me that Obama’s campaign was built on sand. That his lack of obvious negatives wasn’t enough to propel him all the way to the White House. And having powerful friends isn’t enough to convince Mom & Pop Voters to take a chance on a totally unknown and inexperienced candidate as we face the frighteningly critical issues we’re bound to be facing in November.

Whatever you think of the issues, you must admit that the Obama story has taken a dramatic turn. The Rezko story is expanding and the videos of Pastor Wright’s audacious rants are going viral (and isn’t there something about earmarks?)  Riverdaughter has been writing about Obama’s “Terrible, Horrble, No-Good, Very Bad Week” for a while now as his campaign spirals out of control.

But, I’m not panicking.  We’re still getting through the vetting process and my candidate is a sticker.  Thank God.

Afternoon Silliness

One thing lead to another while I was searching for the Quasimodo Sanctuary video and I found this video by serendipity.  It’s too good to pass up:

Now, now, if you’re imagining the throng doused with molten lead as Obamaphiles, that would be naughty.  Perfectly understandable, but naughty.  We do not hurt our friends with hot metals.  We use our words.  😉

I’m going out for awhile.   Don’t make a mess and no wild parties.  This is an open thread.

“When the moving van leaves 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue”

Hillary had a great day in Pittsburgh yesterday. She made a couple of stops including a gathering at Soldier and Sailors Hall. See the video from those gatherings here from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (sorry no embed 😦 ) Here’s my favorite line:

“In less than a year, the next president of the United States, will walk into that Oval Office, and waiting there will be alllll of the problems and the unfinished business, left behind when finally the moving van departs from 1600 Pennsylvania avenue.”

Yeah, George, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. We’ll be singing, “Welcome Home Hillary!”

Saturday Morning in March

Seriously, guys, I have to break out the vacuum and the Clorox cleanup today and start pitching stuff out. But before I get to that, and I suspect I will procrastinate quite a bit, here are some interesting things for your perusal and reflection:

• Let’s start with Mawm, the comedic genius I found at Taylor Marsh’s site in the comments. First, let me back up to a passage in Obama’s letter on the Huffington Post where he throws his pastor and member of his campaign’s spiritual advisory board under a bus:
  

  The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation. When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign.

  We’ll get back to Obama’s declaration in a sec. But for now, here’s Mawm’s suggestion for a skit:

  I’d love to see a skit where Obama is watching a Wright sermon that is nothing but love and peace talk. He has to get up to go to the bathroom. As soon as he leaves, Wright launches into one of his tirades. When Obama comes back Wright starts talking nice again. This could go on for 20 years in the skit. Have you noticed Obama is never around when he might have to take a stand?

  Why, yes, Mawm, I *have* noticed that. And as I have said before, I don’t want to dwell too much on a few examples of Wright’s psychogenic fugues that have been taken out of context and blown up to monumental proportions. Yeah, it’s not pretty but we all occasionally reveal a darker side to our natures. However, I do find it interesting that Obama states that he knew about the Reverend’s offensive language at the time he began his presidential campaign, which would make that over a year ago. What does it say about his judgment that he let the thing fester to this point? The thing that jumps out at me over the past couple of weeks during the Samantha Power kerfuffle, the piling on of Geraldine Ferraro (and how much Obama’s campaign enjoyed it) and this latest turmoil over Wright is how Obama and his camp seem to think their feet don’t get dirty in all of this. They’re still floating above it all, at least in their own minds. It’s annoying to them that the rest of us don’t see them as simply too young, beautiful and creative to be dragged into the mud. No doubt they are sighing with exasperation and impatiently glancing at their watches, wondering when it will all be over so they can get back to disenfranchising those pesky voters in Florida who are standing in their way. Little do they know that this is just the beginning. But I wonder who has been giving them assurances that this too shall pass, it’s all in the bag?

• Florida might need to rethink its mail-in primary. Actually, it was my impression that they had studied it for more than a year. In any case, an expert from Washington state says he doesn’t think that fraud or coercion will be big problems but that logistics for the state of Florida will make it very challenging to distribute ballots to everyone who needs one. Let’s hope the Florida Democratic Party has mindmapped and Gant charted this adventure. Of course, probably the best solution would be for Obama to wave the rules and have the delegates seated as is. It would save him the humiliation of losing a second time.
• Congratulations American Federation of Concerned Bloggers! You have been cited on many blogs as of this morning including MyDD, Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic, and Taylor Marsh. I seem to recall there were others. When I find more, I’ll update. People are taking notice. Good work!
• Jamison Foser at Media Matters highlights journalistic inconsistency between reporting on Democrats vs Republicans. (Well, that ought to be an easy job) Specifically, he is referring to the issue of the Villager’s harping on Hillary’s tax returns but *not* harping on John McCain’s, who also hasn’t handed it over for us to examine in minute detail. If the Clintons have planned this well, there will be a big lead up to the PA primary in April, then they will release the returns and the media will discover… nothing.
• Geordie reminded me of this scene from The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Yes, we are sanctuary.