Archie Bunker on the Democrat Party

Can You Describe the Ruckus, Sir?

This is a nice little graphic containing the results of the poll that's become the talk of the heads this weekend.

If nothing else, I was kind of interested in how they chose to present these numbers. They were able to cram a lot into this, but I might have put the adjectives on left and right side, alternating by whether the word was positive or negative.

I think that would have made it easier to scan up and down for within-group trends.

Oh well...

Great Moments in Convention History

One of these days, I am going to challenge a certain co-worker to a duel, just like Zell Miller did to Motormouth Matthews in 2004...

"Go forth in love and peace — Be kind to dogs — And vote Democratic."

I came across a mention, the other day, of Tom Eagleton's goodbye note to friends and family when he knew his time was short.

I thought it was kind of funny.

Here's to Ann Curry

Usually, fluffers like Ann annoy me when I see them on Today, but I have to admit enjoying her insistence on asking all the Dems she could find whether or not we were going to have an insurrection at the Democratic National Convention.

Three cheers!

DNC Podium

Courtesy of Ambinder's blog at The Atlantic

clipped from marcambinder.theatlantic.com

Nunn of the Above

Torie Clark made an observation on the This Week round table this morning that should be made more often when we discuss the Veepstakes in 2008 and beyond.

Sam Nunn gets talked about as a Democratic running mate each four years, his resume suggests he's fit for the job, but he won't get the nod.

The Times ran a similarly-themed item in its Week in Review section in June.

I'm not sure why this is so, but thinking back, every time I discuss with friends who the new Dem nominee is going to pick, Nunn's name comes up as the most sensible mainstream choice, but it just never comes to fruition.

So let's give it up, Citizens of the World. Drop Sam off the list and find a new perennial tease. How about someone who really represents the heart, soul and character of the party.

How about Alcee Hastings.

The Sun Doesn't Shine on the Same Dog's Ass Everyday

But US Rep Charles Rangel (D-NY) has not seen a ray of light all week long.

First, the New York Times blew his cover last week on having four rent-controlled apartments in a nice Harlem building. This situation ranges somewhere between unethical and illegal.

(A story came out today that he's getting rid of the one used for campaign office space.)

This morning, the Washington Post goes after the House icon for soliciting donations for the future academic home of his papers...from businesses with interest in front of his committee!

As usual, the surprise would be if things like this didn't happen, but the timing just seems unfortunate for this sharpest dressed of Congressmen.

Maybe I Should Vacation in Denver This Summer

The LA Times' political blog, Top of the Ticket, has a little snippet that there's now a lot more rooms available in Denver in August, now that so many Clintonistas won't feel like partying down in the Mile High City.

Dan's eyebrow arches mischievously...

Barney Frank...One Cool Dude

This morning, the New York Times ran a front page article about one of my favorite members of the US Congress, Barney Frank (D-MA).

And I write that without a drip of sarcasm.

Frank is the most well-known homosexual in Congress, the poster child for contemporary liberalism, a man with biting wit and one of the smartest dudes in that joint.

I don't always agree with where he comes down on certain things, but the guy is one of the real true-believers in there and I pity the fool who tries to challenge his grasp of what he's talking about. (Frank is the chairman of the Financial Services Committee and the article is about his working for a deal to help out people being hurt during this housing crunch/crisis.)

They cite someone from the White House who just calls him 'scary smart.'

Below, I pulled out some of his funnier lines from the article....

MARCH 11 “Mr. Speaker, a parliamentary inquiry. Mr. Speaker, is blatant hypocrisy a violation of the rules of the House?”

Responding to Republican complaints that Democrats had extended the voting period for 15 minutes to win approval of a bill creating an independent House ethics office. In 2003, the Republicans once extended the voting period for three hours to get their desired outcome.

NOV. 7, 2007 “I am grateful for the obscurity of the opposition’s argument.”

In a debate over the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, a bill to prohibit discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation.

JULY 18, 2006 “So, apparently, same-sex marriage is the V8 juice of America.”

During a debate over a “marriage protection” amendment, Mr. Frank said he did not understand Republican arguments that gay marriages would undermine traditional marriages, as if happily married men in Indiana, Nebraska, Kansas and Mississippi, learning that same-sex marriage was legal in Massachusetts, would smack themselves in the head and declare, “Wow, I could have married a guy.”

SEPT. 11, 1986 “I am afraid that this bill is becoming the legislative equivalent to crack. It’s going to give people a short-term high, but it is going to be dangerous in the long run to the system and expensive to boot.”

During debate on a bill authorizing $4 billion for the war on drugs, and allowing the military to protect the nation’s borders from drug traffickers.

MARCH 6, 1984 “Well, if this is a Christian nation, how come some poor Jew has to get up at 5:30 in the morning to preside over the House of Representatives?”

Mr. Frank, in an interview describing his reaction when Representative Marjorie S. Holt, Republican of Maryland, declared America to be a Christian nation during an all-night debate over school prayer. Mr. Frank, who is Jewish, was presiding as the speaker pro tem.

Will Candor in San Francisco Get You Votes in Scranton?

As I sifted through the morning newspapers and shows, I knew that Barack's candor this week reminded me of something.

But I just couldn't think of what it was...

Until now...

"Mr. Reagan will raise taxes, and so will I. He won't tell you. I just did."

Minnesota's Fritz Mondale in San Francisco, accepting the Democratic Party's nomination for President, July 19, 1984. Reagan/Bush soon commenced to kicking the ever-living crap out of he and Geraldine Ferraro.

Ed Rendell as Running Mate?

I went through a little bit of a (relative) political lull for a while, but am starting to gear up again for the Pennsylvania primary in two weeks.

Last night, Chris Matthews floated the idea of Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell as a running mate for Barry, should he get the Dem nod.

While I have a terrible track record when it comes to predicting these things, Sir Talksalot argues that he could help bring PA, OH and other risky rust belt states as well as balance out Obama's youth and inexperience.

As evidence of Rendell's intentions to get the job as well as of the prediction's plausibility, Matthews cites how Hillary's biggest cheerleader plays it soft when it comes to discussing Obama. He's left himself a nice comfortable nest to fit into should Hillary lose.

Hello, Dolly!

Our Dear Leader met another Dear Leader over in India yesterday.

With all the troubles going on in Tibet, it was a wonderful photo op for all involved.

This picture from the Times captured the moment in all its majesty.

CNN and the Race

I'm sitting here watching Wolfie's Gabfest this morning and have to sit back and chuckle a little bit.

Continuing CNN's obsession with racial politics, he has Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Gregory Meeks on, talking about the state of the Democratic primary.

He's pulling up some of the apparently-inflammatory stuff said this week about how African-Americans will vote in the fall, given different ultimate candidate outcomes.

Predictably, Meeks and Jackson expressed outrage at the divisiveness expressed by folks on the right with whom they don't agree.

The sham here is almost breathtaking. Neither of these two politicians have ever shown the least aversion to mobilizing black voters to join together to advance their agenda. There's nothing wrong with this. It's perfectly American and reasonable to do.

However, the moment that someone else takes a look at the slice of the pie they've created, and sees it from a slightly different point of view, they're being 'divisive.' As if the fence were erected solely by others.

I can only think of it if I put up a big fence in my backyard. From where I sit, it makes my yard look beautiful, comfortable and predictable. But is it absurd for my neighbor, who has to look at the fence from his window, to have a different viewpoint of the walls I've put up?

The Crying Game

It's hard for me to write anything about the current Democratic campaign without overtly expressing my glee.

What reasonable story is there that one can tell me that provides for a quick, painless resolution to this process?

I'm drawing a blank.

The one thing that's become clearer as time goes on, however, is that this has become a season where the strategy of choice has become crying for fouls, the way that happens in a close basketball game towards the end...exaggerating perceived fouls by the other side.

In just the last few weeks, we've had whining from either side about:

• An Obama aide referring to their opponent as a "monster."
• Hillary's answer to a question about which God Barry gets down on his knees to.
• An MSNBC anchor referred to their superdelegate strategy of "pimping" out their daughter.
• People using Obama's full name or asking him to categorically explain his position on Louis Farrakhan.

All of these things, mind you, are legitimately distasteful. But they are hardly new to the world of political campaigns. In fact, when you think back to, say, the Willie Horton ad, they're really softball.

But now, it seems, the political world has again become feminized...paradoxically given the establishment candidate.

Michigan and Florida Crybabies

So my premise going forward here is that the drama in this race is great. Any one of the three remaining major candidates would make fine Presidents, in my opinion. So while I may have had a little fun in voting yesterday, it was not the same as voting for a professional wrestler for Governor.

That said, I'm enjoying the hell out seeing the Democrats jockey for position. And it's not only the candidates, or course, who are raising a ruckus.

The Florida and Michigan Democratic parties must have just been bluffing last year when they decided to buck the system and move their primaries out of sync with what the Politburo wanted, so they knowingly disenfranchised their states' respective voters.

Now, both are crying bloody murder that they can't play a meaningful role in this, the best pre-election political race of my lifetime.

Looks like everyone's interested in finding some way of revising history a little bit.

Much as I'd like to throw down a little Gambler action, I will have time for that later, so let's take it back a few years to this cut of Janis singing Cry Baby in Toronto, 1970.

On to Wyoming!

A Bit of a Cheapshot, But Funny Nonetheless

From politicalpartypoop....

clipped from politicalpartypoop.com

Timing is Everything

Sometimes it benefits you, sometimes it doesn't.

When you can control the timing, it's perfect.

I turned in right around the time the heads were calling Wisconsin and Hillary was coming on to give her speech in Youngstown last night.

(Side note...picking one of the most depressed areas in the state to give her talk should give you an idea of who she's got her sights set on.)

Anyway, after she was on for 10 minutes giving a nice, calm speech, the networks cut over to Barack who was partying like a rock star in Texas. He totally cut her airtime.

Nice move and more on last night's events later on...

Why I Hope the Democratic Race Goes to the "Fifth Quarter"

I'm just about as close as I've ever been to praying for a political outcome.

Aside from the fact that it will give me a few months of entertainment to watch the Democrat Party duke it out, I have a bit of a larger interest here.

During the 2000 Presidential post-election ruckus, all I heard was this talk about how the Republicans would do anything to get elected and they engaged in all kinds of immoral shenanigans during the election season.

Now I don't dispute the plausibility of those assertions, but I do question the presumption of complete innocence on the part of the Democrats.

If you believe their pitch, they just ran some grassroots campaign originated in union halls and kitchen tables. Then along came the Republicans, who happen to be unique in choosing to run their campaigns on money and influence from powerful people.

If this thing goes the way I hope it does, we'll see yet again that this country has no shortage of sleazeballs who want to live on Pennsylvania Avenue and one's propensity to engage in bad behavior is associated with their point on the politial spectrum as it is to with posession of testicles.

Selah.

Hey, Where are the White Women At? Or the Black Ones? Latinas?

The Politico, which I hope is proving to be a viable long-term press outlet, has an article today that lays out what you would already suspect.

For all the high talk about how "diverse" the Democratic party is, and how they provide such a nice contrast to the lilly-white GOP, when push comes to shove, they're pretty old skool over there, too.

While the voting base of the Democratic party admittedly looks more like the quilt that makes up our country, that's the bottom of the pyramid.

The top is still inhabited by white men.

70% of the perhaps-crucial superdelegates just happen to be white men.

This not-surprising finding doesn't really need a whole lot of pontificating on my part. It's what you already knew if you'd taken a moment to think about it.

Bill Clinton used to like to talk about diversity, opening his cabinet up to African-Americans and the like, but he got backed into a corner, he wasn't at all scared to call them uppity if it meant hanging on to what was his.