Did Obama Steal the Primary or Did He Buy It?

Of this much we are certain: he stole 4 of Hillary’s delegates at the RBC hearing. Or they were stolen for him. Either way, they were ill-gotten booty resulting in the suppression of 18 million voices. But that wasn’t enough to snag the superdelegates presumably.

Well, Money Changes Everything:

Linguist Robin Lakoff had an Op/Ed in the San Francisco Chronicle called “The Democratic Party Maybe Presumes Too Much — About Women”. She makes a very good point about how successful a candidate may be based on the perception of how the campaign was run:

So many women feel that the election was somehow stolen, and by their own party, to boot. They thus feel much the way many Democrats feel about the 2000 election: bitter. When one side feels that they lost an election fairly, any bitterness recedes early on (think of the 2004 election, by comparison). But when the adjective “stolen” leaps to mind, bitterness is apt to prevail, vanquishing any desire for reconciliation and cooperation. That is what many former Clinton supporters are feeling now.

Hmmm, does the verb “bought” have the same effect? And how do the bought men and women SDs who put out for Obama feel about selling out half of the party? Maybe we should ask them

(H/T to Alegre for the links).

BTW, did you know that people of color have their own PUMA group? Calling them racists is probably a bit more problematic. Check it out at PoCPUMA.

Sweeping us under the rug

Chris Matthews’ pal, Gloria Boerger might have revealed the latest in the Obama and the DNC’s bizarre attempt at drawing in the Hillary Clinton voters.

View it here:

“Remember Hillary Clinton?” she chirps with a slight sneer when asked “for something I don’t know,” by Chris Matthews. And what does Chris not know? — That IF Hillary’s name is placed in nomination it will happen in the morning as far as possible from prime time and the bulk of American television viewers.

In a throwback to that famous fight between Donna Brazile & Paul Begala when Donna came as close as possible to throwing virtually the entire party under the bus, it seems that Obama and his lackeys want to pretend that he won the Democratic Nomination through unanimous acclimation. Hillary Clinton to be relegated to a spot opposite the Price is Right?

18 million Democrats spit on that idea!

Afternoon Tiramisu for the 18 Million

This song was featured in a post on Saturday but quickly scrolled off the screen.  Imagine my delight when I found that a Hillary fan had done a video using it.  I’d love to see a new video featuring “the nations dreamers” and the “sons and daughters” that are the PUMAs.

I nominate this as our theme song.  Do I hear any seconds?

LV vs. RV: The Democrats’ Losing Proposition

 A couple of very interesting polls have come out recently. One shows Barack Obama leading John McCain nationally, and another shows John McCain leading Barack Obama nationally. The difference between these polls? Likely Voters versus Registered Voters.

Obama was ahead 47%-44% among registered voters, down from a 6-percentage point lead he had last month. McCain led 49%-45% among likely voters, reversing a 5-point Obama lead among that group. In both cases, the margin of error is +/—4 points.

What’s going on? Here is how USA Today explains the methodology behind their polling.

To determine whether they were likely voters, poll participants were asked how much thought they had given the election, how often they voted in the past and whether they plan to vote this fall. McCain’s gains came because there was an even number of likely voters from each party. Last month, the Democrats had an 11-point edge. (emphasis added)

Now, there are two ways to look at that astonishing fact. One is that Republicans are starting to energize against Barack Obama. This is, of course, the way that USA Today interprets it.

The other is that Democrats are losing interest in Barack Obama and are planning on either voting down-ticket, staying home, or using the nuclear option (literally?) by voting for John McCain. This is the way I interpret it. I mean, gee whiz, doesn’t that huge drop in support for Obama (11 points in one month) coincide quite interestingly with the formation of a certain group comprised of Democrats who don’t support Obama? Golly, if only I could remember the name of that combine of crazy old ladies…

Tuesday: Acorns

Confluence Park in Denver

I spent last night trying to get off of Orientation Island in Second Life.  Ayayayay!  Like I need to get lost in yet another world.

There have been some murmurings on the ACORN front with respect to Barack Obama.  It’s only rumors and innuendos right now so I won’t repeat what I’ve heard.  But here is an article on the group straight from the NYTimes from a couple of weeks ago.  Here’s the lowdown:

The groups, Acorn, one of the country’s largest community organizing groups, and the Points of Light Institute, which works to encourage civic activism and volunteering, have dealt with the problems in very different ways.

Acorn chose to treat the embezzlement of nearly $1 million eight years ago as an internal matter and did not even notify its board. After Points of Light noticed financial irregularities in early June, it took less than a month for management to alert federal prosecutors, although group officials say they have no clear idea yet what the financial impact may be.

A whistle-blower forced Acorn to disclose the embezzlement, which involved the brother of the organization’s founder, Wade Rathke.

The brother, Dale Rathke, embezzled nearly $1 million from Acorn and affiliated charitable organizations in 1999 and 2000, Acorn officials said, but a small group of executives decided to keep the information from almost all of the group’s board members and not to alert law enforcement.

Dale Rathke remained on Acorn’s payroll until a month ago, when disclosure of his theft by foundations and other donors forced the organization to dismiss him.

So, the embezzlement happened 8 years ago but they are just getting around to firing the guy?  Ahh, here’s the explanation:

Wade Rathke stepped down as Acorn’s chief organizer on June 2, the same day his brother left, but he remains chief organizer for Acorn International L.L.C.

He said the decision to keep the matter secret was not made to protect his brother but because word of the embezzlement would have put a “weapon” into the hands of enemies of Acorn, a liberal group that is a frequent target of conservatives who object to its often strident advocacy on behalf of low- and moderate-income families and workers.

Oh, *I* get it.  Stealing from poor people is OK as long as the wingers don’t get hold of the information.  Well, I’m sure that Obama had nothing to do with that when he worked with them before law school. He’s a Schmoozer, not a crook.

(Blech!  {{removing neoprene gloves}}  I had to touch the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for that link}}

In other news:

• Heidi Li got a letter from Howard Dean about the convention and extolling its many virtues as being the most open convention ever.  Except for that whole chain link fence and Colorado National Guard sucking up all available sleeping space and the fact that Hillary’s name is being blocked from nomination.m   But other than THAT, it’s going to be the bestest. {{I do not think that word “Open” means what you think it means.}}  Um, Howard?  We’re just a bunch of overeducated suburban creative class types.  We can not hurt you.
• Anglachel’s back!  Yeah!!!  She has another great post.  It’s like manna from heaven after wandering 40 days in the wilderness.  Precious Little describes the emptiness that is the Obama mystique and why its power is so irresistable to the weak.  Goes nicely with myiq’s post about Digby below.  Such a shame about Digby.  I thought she’d be able to hold out.  It was not to be.