Lucky White Girl

We are the ones

Breaking my long blog-fast to share this with you

Pew Research Finds Fewer Voters Identify as Republicans

Nader, say it ain't so!

Ralph Nader just said he's entering the race!  Please, someone tell me he's joking!  That is just... a bit hard to swallow.  I have multiple reactions to this news.  First I'm outraged.  Nader's candidacy made sense back when there was no discernible difference between the Democrats and the Republicans but now we have Obama!  Do you hear me Mr. Nader?  We have Obama!  What the f*ck are you thinking?  Then it's just embarrassing because it seems so obviously egotistic (because don't the Greens already have a presidential candidate this year?)  And then it fades into a so-what kind of reaction.  No one's going to pay him any mind.  Not this time.  Mr. Nader go home.  You're embarrassing yourself and those of us who once voted for you.  We (still) like you, Ralph.  But we don't want you at this party.  We need you in the fight but not here; not now.  Go home.  Go sue Microsoft or something.  Be useful to the cause.  Not a hindrance to it!

They wouldn't dare... would they?

Democrats fear superdelegates could overrule voters:

"The problem is [if] people perceive that voters have not made the decision -- instead, insiders have made the decision -- then all of these new people who are being attracted to the process, particularly the young people who are voting for the first time, will feel disenfranchised or in some way alienated," he said.

Hell yes, I would feel disenfranchised!  I've been saying there's no way the Dems can flub the election this time with support for the war at an all time low, the Republicans divided over multiple weak candidates...etc.  but now I think there is one way they could screw up and throw this election which should be a cakewalk for them and that's if they were to do such a thing as this!  They wouldn't dare... would they?

Super Tuesday!

Okay all you in Super Tuesday states: get out there and vote today!  We're depending on you!

MoveOn.org endorses Obama!

Good for them!

Only One Candidate can say this

“When I am this party's nominee, my opponent will not be able to say that I voted for the war in Iraq; or that I gave George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran; or that I supported Bush-Cheney policies of not talking to leaders that we don't like. And he will not be able to say that I wavered on something as fundamental as whether or not it is ok for America to torture — because it is never ok… I will end the war in Iraq… I will close Guantanamo. I will restore habeas corpus. I will finish the fight against Al Qaeda. And I will lead the world to combat the common threats of the 21st century: nuclear weapons and terrorism; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. And I will send once more a message to those yearning faces beyond our shores that says, "You matter to us. Your future is our future. And our moment is now.”

    — Barack Obama, Des Moines, Iowa, November 10, 2007

OMG!!! He did it!

Iowa wasn't a fluke!!

What would Chavez do?

My roommate woke up this morning to me talking back to the radio announcer informing us that the United Farm Workers had endorsed Clinton.  What???  I shouted a little too loudly.  Nooo...... why would they do that?  It's like seeing a good friend of yours passing up the perfect date --the cool, good-looking idealistic young man ready to fight the good fight-- and going out instead with a ho-hum bloke who doesn't stand for anything.  Like I said I don't hate Hillary.  I just think that she's not the most progressive candidate in the race.  I could see the UFW endorsing her if she were the only reasonable candidate in the race but she's the establishment candidate!  Why endorse the establishment candidate when for the first time in recent memory you have a real blue blood progressive who didn't support the Iraq war and didn't go along with an inflammatory vote meant to provoke Iran and pave the way for a war with that country as well.  For the first time we have someone like Barack Obama! Why, oh why would they endorse Hillary???

I'm not too far off in my thinking here apparently.  Randy Shaw of San Francisco's Alternative paper, BeyondChron uses history to make the point that this is NOT what the iconic labor leader would've done: 

"[Again and again] Chavez and the UFW defied the Establishment candidate to back a more progressive Democratic insurgent. And Chavez did so even when this meant bucking most of organized labor, and supporting an outsider against an incumbent Democratic President. [full article here]"

What a shame to break with that history now; to play it "safe" instead of daring to push forward a bold new agenda for a more progressive US!  This is our day!  Don't they see?  The Republicans are divided, their candidates suck and yet still some on the left seem to be unable to shake that old habit of wanting to be as conservative as possible because they feel the country doesn't really support progressive values such as human rights and equality for all.  We do!  They have to believe in the people of this country!  Have faith in us!  We are not really a confederacy of dunces, despite the past two elections.  We can do better than a blue dog Democrat.  And --someone please tell the UFW-- we can do better than Hillary.

GOP worried about Obama

Interesting article in the Washington Post today about how the GOP is worried about Obama's mass appeal; he might "I'm concerned he could push through some policy things that I fundamentally disagree with," said Rep. Jim McCrery (La.), the ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee".... um, yeah, that'd be the idea! lol...