by pudge, 09:47 PM
From a CNN article:
WATERTOWN, South Dakota (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama linked Sen. John McCain Friday with what he called "the failed policies" of the Bush administration, accusing the presumed Republican presidential nominee and the White House of "bombastic exaggerations and fear-mongering" in place of "strategy and analysis and smart policy."
So what about Senator Obama's own "bombastic exaggerations and fear-mongering" in place of "strategy and analysis and smart policy" that link Senator McCain to "the failed policies" of the Bush administration"?
Just curious.
Cross-posted on <pudge/*>.
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by Stefan Sharkansky, 04:28 PM
The NYT's David Brooks explains Barack Obama's position on Hezbollah:
[Obama says] the U.S. should help the Lebanese government deliver better services to the Shiites "to peel support away from Hezbollah" and encourage the local populace to "view them as an oppressive force." The U.S. should "find a mechanism whereby the disaffected have an effective outlet for their grievances, which assures them they are getting social services."Let me paraphrase:
You go into these small towns in Lebanon and, like a lot of small towns in the Mideast, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Siniora administration, and the Hariri administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them ... as a way to explain their frustrations.
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by Stefan Sharkansky, 12:17 PM
Seattle Times editorial writer Bruce Ramsey on the Times editorial blog today:
Democrats are rebuking President Bush for saying in his speech to the Knesset, here, that to "negotiate with terrorists and radicals" is "appeasement." The Democrats took it as a slap at Barack Obama. What bothers me is the continual reference to Hitler and his National Socialists, particularly the British and French accommodation at the Munich Conference of 1938.Without bloodshed? Whatever. I wonder how "not unreasonable" Hitler's demands appeared to those in Austria and other "German-speaking areas" who were looking at being on the wrong end of, say, the Nuremberg Laws.What Hitler was demanding was not unreasonable. He wanted the German-speaking areas of Europe under German authority. He had just annexed Austria, which was German-speaking, without bloodshed.
But you know, promoting appeasement of Hamas and Iran now by saying that appeasing Hitler in 1938 was reasonable at the time, is not a very persuasive argument.
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by Eric Earling, 07:32 AM
Interesting thoughts from David Horsey this morning. Really.
And here's that Westneat column he refers to but which the laws of competition might forbid him from linking too. Interesting reading as well.
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by Eric Earling, 07:22 AM
It's still a crime to play online poker in this state, at least for cash. The legal logic in upholding the law is understandable, the purpose of passing it to begin with is much less so.
Past local criticism is worth revisiting on the occasion of this litigation, given that it is a display of the nanny state at its preening worst.
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by Eric Earling, 09:40 PM
Doug Sutherland had a highly competitive race in 2004, thanks in part to heavy environmental group spending against him. Netroots favorite Peter Goldmark is picking up the D banner this year. The TNT's Political Buzz blog has an update:
Sutherland touts bipartisan endorsements; raises $200,000...
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by Eric Earling, 08:14 PM
With the atrocious farm bill (more here and here) moving through Congress with minimal GOP opposition - kudos to Dave Reichert for opposing it - my aspirations for this election season may have been crystallized:
1) Hope John McCain, the notably lesser of two evils (think judges, national defense, and government spending) defeats Barack Obama.
2) Hope Dino Rossi pulls out a win in the Governor's race to jolt the tired, stale status quo Establishment in this state.
3) Expect Rob McKenna, Sam Reed, and Doug Sutherland hold on to their statewide seats...maybe even...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 07:29 PM
There is an interesting trend unfolding on some corners of the left, as certain supporters of Barack Obama earnestly insist he doesn't have problems with white, working class voters, especially outside of Appalachia. This is a bit like a right-of-center observer trying to deny the current lack of enthusiasm in the GOP base or the troubled state of the Republican brand name. It doesn't ultimately lend much credibility to the commenters other arguments.
This is largely the point of Sound Politics commenter and Horses's Ass contributor thehim/Lee. I took the rare step of responding in the comments at...Read the rest >>
by DonWard, 04:39 PM
It's a nice, easy way to do your part to save the environment.
Farmers and industries still need to cut down on methane emissions to prevent Global Warming though...
A Sound Politics "No Prize" will be mailed to commenters with the best examples of environmentalist paradoxes...
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by Jim Miller, 02:05 PM
This morning I was listening, briefly, to local talk show host Dave Ross. Ross is what you might call a member of the Defeat Now! caucus. He wants an American defeat in Iraq, and he wants it now. I came in during the middle of the discussion, so I did not hear why he thought that would be a good idea, but I did hear the end, and was horrified.
Ross was being challenged by a caller who asked him to consider the possible consequences of a victory for terrorists in Iraq. Ross responded to the challenge in two...Read the rest >>
by DonWard, 11:05 AM
Perennial presidential candidate Ralph Nader visited Seattle yesterday speaking before 400 supporters at the University of Washington and garnering little media attention. (For some reason "Microsoft Word automatically inserts the word "perennial" in front of Nader's name whenever you type it in...)
This hicktown reporter was able to chat with the consumer rights activist making it an exacta over the past two days for Sound Politics coverage of presidential candidates who believe in Anthropomorphic Global Warming.
Gotta work on a trifecta now...
Working on an extended write-up. Although this blog isn't exactly a hotbed of Naderite support there is lesson...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 10:09 PM
Some commenters at this post missed the real point of the thread by asserting that fundraising in and of itself really doesn't matter. True, on one level.
The point in this case, however, is that fundraising is one measure by which we can tell that something unique is happening with Dino Rossi's campaign (which is quite literally crushing the benchmarks set by his previous financial success in 2004). Moreover, anyone who has spent some time talking to Republicans at Lincoln Day Dinners, county conventions, or anywhere else the grassroots are assembled can attest to the palpable enthusiasm for...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 09:55 PM
It has come to my attention that regular commenter "Unkl Witz" has called into question the armed services bona fides of fellow commenter "True Soldier" in scurrilous terms (see #33 here and #13 here) Allow me to do a rare thing and referee this one.
I have corresponded personally with True Soldier regarding his service both while he has been stateside and while he has served in Iraq, including assisting in gathering some information for some fellows in his unit at his request while they were in the field. He has since been honorably discharged with...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 09:38 PM
Some members of the left and the Democratic Party are quite pleased with things after last night's special election win in Mississippi (example here). Understandable, but a bit of perspective has been lost.
So much so that even Josh Feit at the Stranger has weighed in, noting the hypocrisy of poo-pooing results in West Virginia while cheering events in Mississippi:
But it's funny to read breathless accounts about Mississippi's "Conservative Democrat" strategy this morning on the D blogs--or "Mississippi Democrat" as Childers called himself on the trail--side-by-side (that's you DailyKos) with dismissals......Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 07:01 PM
Right-of-center website and magazine Red County has branched out into our lovely backyard with a Washington State offering.
From talking with them, it looks like one can expect focused coverage of the Governor's race as well as state initiatives too...plus potentially more to come. They're definitely worth checking out and a welcome addition to the local blogosphere given the comparative dearth of conservative voices.
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by DonWard, 10:10 AM
Here are some more excerpts from Sen. John McCain's environmental roundtable discussion yesterday in North Bend.
Global Warming
"Suppose that we who believe that climate change is real are wrong. Suppose that all the scientific data that is being accumulated and all the things we can see with our own eyes and the information that is given to us by the most cautious of all groups - National Academy of Sciences and others - but we're wrong and we adopt green technologies. Then it seems to me all we've done is hand off to future generations a cleaner and better...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 07:31 AM
Not only has Dino Rossi already surpassed his donor total from 2004. Not only is he raising money at a brisk pace against a Democratic incumbent (PDC reports as of the end of April show Gregoire with about $3.7 million on hand to his $3.1 million). He has already raised more in Snohomish County in this cycle than in the last:
"Frankly it's been remarkable how responsive people have been," said Tom Hoban of Everett, owner of Coast Real Estate Services and a leader of Rossi's finance team in the county.Read the rest >>Rossi received $348,000 from county donors...
by Eric Earling, 07:22 AM
Follow-up to this post:
Last night's special election results in Mississippi confirm that yes, indeed, the generic GOP message is exceptionally bad these days. It had already grown stale by 2006, even before the Duke Cunningham's and Mark Foley's of the world poisoned the well with vigor. Yet, as Patrick Ruffini has discussed, that which is being communicated by notable portions of the Republican Party in this cycle is remarkably insufficient and uninspiring.
NRCC head Tom Cole has now issues a very public warning:
the political environment is such that voters remain pessimistic about the direction of the country and the Republican Party in general. Therefore, Republicans must undertake bold efforts to define a forward looking agenda that offers the kind of positive change voters are looking for.
Exactly. Any Republican that doesn't is likely to get whipped at this point, deservedly so. That was the whole point of our discussion a few days ago.
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by Eric Earling, 09:05 PM
That 39% point beating Hillary Clinton laid on Barack Obama today looks even worse when you realize another 7% of Democratic voters cast a ballot for uber-populist and hair cut client to the stars, John Edwards. So, in what amounted to a giant crosstab of white, working class voters, less than three out of ten voted for the near-coroneted Democratic nominee. Her margin of victory is 50% greater than his total vote count. Brutal.
A couple additional red flags for Democrats in the exit poll, besides the depth and breadth of Clinton's win:
1) Voters were asked who...Read the rest >>
by DonWard, 04:49 PM
Hardly a shock but Hillary Clinton looks like she's going to win West Virginia. As has been mentioned before by this writer what is particularly disgusting is the shameless efforts by members of the national media to push the former First Lady out of the race.
Perhaps the most important factor in the coverage of Mountain State's primary is that after tonight Americans won't be subjected to cliche'd and hackneyed use of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by television producers and headline writers with their coverage.
So Obama is still being hailed as the presumptive presidential...Read the rest >>
by DonWard, 02:29 PM
Just got back down the hill from Sen. John McCain's environmental roundtable today at Rattlesnake Lake outside of North Bend. Since I'm serving multiple masters at the moment a longer bit of analysis is in the writing...
Knowing the Sound Politics audience there is ultimately one all-encompassing question that has to be asked in order to properly judge McCain and his view of Global Warming and climate change.
Do you believe that climate change and Global Warming; is it man-made or is it a natural occurrence?
"I think there is very little doubt that human activity... according to the National Academy of Sciences... human activities have had a significant and very large impact on the accumulation of greenhouse gases and greenhouse gas emissions and have caused damage to our climate. I agree with that assessment by the National Academy of Sciences."
John McCain 5/13/08
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by pudge, 11:16 AM
Moonbats.
This is the correct English word to use to describe people who blow up stupid things out of proportion, ignoring truth to push an ideological agenda.
Take, for example, this Daily Kos article, wherein John McCain made a mistake. According to the poster, his mistake "really is a big one."
What mistake? See if you can spot it:
There is a very clear standard in the Constitution requiring not only just compensation in the use of eminent domain, but also that private property may NOT be taken for "public use."
Yes, McCain incorrectly said that eminent domain cannot...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 07:43 AM
Much has been said nationally of Newsweek's recent coverage of Team Obama, plus Mark Salter's scathing response. For my money, Rich Lowry's overarching view of the episode explains the impact of the double standard the best.
Newsweek's pro-Obama, liberal-stereotype-of-the-GOP-on-display work in question highlights a stark difference between the parties. Republicans are viewed by some in the left-of-center as purveyors of tough politics; Democrats just nice guys - and gals - who want to talk about "the issues."
Apparently, such thinking believes the obnoxious use of George W. Bush to savage every Republican possible in...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 07:49 PM
Patrick Ruffini - like this blogger, no great fan of John McCain - has a delightful rebuttal to the chosen message by which Democrats hope to pummel McCain in the coming months. The DNC, et. al. is going to tell us ad nauseam in the coming months that John McCain equals George Bush. The problem is voters have an entrenched opinion, once one gets outside the universe of partisan Democrats, which stands in opposition to that conclusion. Or has Ruffini says: "Excuse me while I McYawn."
Case in point: John McCain comes to the Northwest talking...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 07:37 PM
Frequent commenter tc made a point earlier today that needs to be dissected, from comment #19 at this post on some of Obama's weakness.
McCain needs to run a tighter ship for his campaign. The recent resignations of two of his staff with ties to the current Myanmar totalitarian regime does not look good. The US can no longer support these types of regimes. Bush claims to invaded Iraq to get rid of Sadaam, yet how much pressure have they put on the Myanmar (Burma) government. This is an on-going human rights autrocity, along with Dafar, and our...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 06:46 PM
Coverage of Obama so bizarre it even raises an eyebrow over at the Stranger. Very cute.
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by Eric Earling, 07:55 AM
Whenever there is talk of inflation and the rising cost of basic staples there is inevitable concern for the well-being of working class folks and seniors on fixed incomes. These are demographics groups most obviously hit hard by sustained inflation of prices for food, fuel, etc.
Let us consider one other demographic: the well-meaning middle-class. The families who make choices of sacrifice as part of what some would view to be a comfortable household budget. They have serious tuition bills, save for retirement, have comparatively modest mortgages, and give generously to charity.
These are not the folks living up to...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 06:53 AM
Local activist and blogger Warren Peterson has been tracking King County's exploration of public financing of campaigns. Check it out (and note the hearing in Shoreline on the issue next Monday evening for those interested).
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by Eric Earling, 08:59 PM
Much talk over this weekend of bad news a'coming for the GOP this fall. There is many a fair point to be had in such discussions, which seemed to rise in fervor after Newt Gingrich's five-alarm alert.
Gingrich smartly outlines the macro problems facing Republicans, even if he seems a bit hyperbolic about a race lost by a bad candidate in Louisiana and despite the fact his proposed agenda comes across as a semi-worthless exercise in small-ball politics. A couple other pundits more correctly clarify matters.
First, David Frum, in a...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 08:28 PM
Followers of this campaign season have no doubt encountered the phrase "Obamicans": those Republicans who have been supposedly drawn to Barack Obama's candidacy thanks to his inspirational qualities, the appeal of his new politics, and their disdain for President Bush. Members of the media are fascinated with these folks, for reasons that are particularly obvious to cynical conservatives.
Nonetheless, anyone who has followed the Crunchy Con path of Rod Dreher would recognize that Dreher's politics, and those of similar mind, should be fertile soil for Obama. Dreher has deep problems with Bush's time in office, is...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 08:07 PM
A loyal and trusted reader passes along a revealing site used by the Ron Paul faithful in the Evergreen State to organize for county conventions and such. Note in particular the "Convention Bullet Points":
Do not wear Ron Paul Gear- You are the candidate and you are running for a delegate position. Create your own election flyer or card with you as the candidate running for delegate...you can list credentials- soccer coach, bible study teacher, veteran, home schooler etc etc..
Translation: you're screwed if you let on who your guy is. Must assimilate.
Do not mention the war,...Read the rest >>
by Jim Miller, 12:37 PM
To all the mothers out there. This year, I don't have my usual mother duck to show you, nor even last year's flowers.
But I do have tributes to mothers from four very different bloggers: "Babalu", who reminds us of the facts of life, Dan Collins, who takes a light approach, Jeralyn Merritt, who touched my heart by describing how she is taking care of her aging mother, and "neo-neocon", who gives us three generations, and a little family history.
Cross posted at Jim Miller on Politics.
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by Eric Earling, 09:02 PM
The topic comes up in David Postman's coverage of an upcoming fundraising event for John McCain and related federal GOP efforts. Is anyone aware of any independent analyst who has said Washington state is expected to be a serious battleground in 2008?
It was in 2000, yet Gore beat Bush 50.2% to 44.6% (with 4+% going to Nader). In 2004, Kerry beat Bush 52.4% to 45.6%, though neither side spent resources here befitting a swing state.
The Republican Party will definitely end up investing significantly in Washington to support Dino Rossi, through a number...Read the rest >>
by Eric Earling, 08:48 PM
From today's Seattle Times coverage of the commencement of official talks between Boeing and the Machinists Union:
But [national Machinists Union President Tom] Buffenbarger dismissed out of hand one of Boeing's top goals: a proposal to switch new hires from Boeing's traditional pension plan to a 401(k)-style retirement plan.He said that idea, outlined recently by Kight, meddles with union members' "very sacred benefits."
He said the move would simply transfer risk from Boeing to employees.
"We are not interested on gambling our pension plans on Wall Street," he said.
At the risk of pointing out the obvious,...Read the rest >>
