Hillary The Movie: Free Speech

Today, I listened to a story on NPR that had me at the edge of my seat. The link to the story is here: Hillary: The Movie Opens At the Supreme Court.

On the one hand, I hate the idea that political speech can be limited in any way (even when it's a movie made by Right-Wingnuts.) If Hillary The Movie looses, then I could see that the right wing could use similar arguments to stop people I agree with.

On the other hand, I can't stand the idea that corporations can fund political speech without being limited and without being forced to reveal who they are.

While I, as a private citizen, may be able to make a tiny You-Tube movie about, say, George Bush...I would have a hard time even securing the rights to the pictures I needed to make my point. Not to mention the ability to travel around the country to get interviews, film on location, etc.

All these things make for powerful story telling-

A large corporation, however, would have no problem doing these things and many more- and paying for a platform and advertising for their movie as well...their speech would be SO much louder than mine that there would be no hope of a fair exchange of ideas....

This is a story worth following.

Good Clean Fun.

It's no secret that American politics have been getting really poisonous in recent decades.

Recently, however, both John McCain and Barack Obama got in great digs at themselves and at the "show business" part of politics.

Watch both guys... (and Hillary)... if we can keep laughing WITH each other there's not a lot we can't do.

Here's Barack:


Here's McCain:


Have Fun!

A Disturbance in the Force

I haven't had any time to blog lately, but someone sent this you tube video to me and I had to put it up.

She Just Lost Me: Time to Bid Fairwell to Hillary Clinton

The are a lot of issues at stake in this campaign. But to me, the most important tactical issue is - will we emerge with a strong, forceful Democratic Party that is capable of engaging mainstream Americans and helping move this country toward the change we so desperately need?

It is important because, without a strong party, we have no hope of bringing about that change.

It's more important to me, frankly, than the personality issues of WHO wins the Democratic Nomination. I'd like it to be Barack Obama, but up until now, I would have been willing to do my part- phone calls, emails, donations- for whoever won the nomination...including Hillary Clinton.

As of today, this is no longer true.

What triggered this switch? Nothing big, not even a headline...rather, just a little tiny blurb inside an AP News Story about Geraldine Ferraro's Obama gaff.

The quote, buried in the story:

Clinton described Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting, as a tough adversary on national security but stopped short of saying McCain is better qualified than Obama to be commander in chief.

"I don't want to use those words. I think that voters will have to make that decision," she said

What the hell is she doing: "I don't want to use those words"?

--- Is there ANY OTHER ANSWER TO MAKE ON BEHALF OF A FELLOW DEMOCRAT, EVEN ONE'S OPPONENT, THAN BY SAYING:

"HELL, YES HE'D BE A BETTER COMMANDER IN CHIEF THAN JOHN McCAIN."

(It would be fine if she added "BUT NOT BETTER THAN ME!" After all, if she doesn't truly believe she is the best person for the job, why is she running?)

John McCain, after all, despite his deserved reputation as a hero, has been recognized by George W. Bush as the heir to America's failed Iraq War. No matter how much valor a man may have, if he is not leading his troops to better ground on which to fight, but risks them by holding a weak position, then his is not a good commander.

I would also respect Hillary's opinion if she said, flat out: "I think Barack Obama is too inexperienced to lead this country at this time. I honestly believe that we'd be better off with an experienced Republican, than with this young, very young man." I would not agree with her, but I would respect her for stating, without equivocation, that she personally thought Obama so dangerous that she needed to put the needs of country ahead of party.

But she has done none of these things. Instead, she has slithered and slid, making sideways glancing allegations, and crafty underhanded remarks.

The remark I read today is not a new trend. Visit GMD or many other left of center blogs, do a search on Hillary, and you'll see her pilloried in myriads of ways. Like you, I've heard it before. But today's little quote was the straw that broke this donkey's back.

Many who are further to the left of me will think it down right quaint that, only now, am I crying "Foul!" But,despite my personal preference for Obama, I've tried to force myself to be objective, but from here on in, I cannot give continue to give Hillary Clinton the benefit of the doubt.

I am under no illusions that my lack of willingness to help Hillary win will cause her to lose a moment of sleep....but if many other Democrats start to feel the way then she might start realizing that, even if she does win the nomination, she will loose the race.

This county needs new leadership. This party needs to focus on providing that leadership.

This party needs to say good-bye to Hillary Clinton...alas for history, she is not the one.

Has the American Media gone too far? Hell Yes!

I'm always the last kid on my block to see the really fun stuff. This may have something to do with the fact that I gave up watching TV back in 1992. Don't get me wrong, I like TV shows (about 3 or 4 of them) but I just got to where I couldn't stand the freakin noise anymore.

For the most part, I'm really happy with my decision. But it does mean that I miss out on great things others take for granted...like The Daily Show. Of course, if I had TV, I also have to listen to the news media that this clip is mocking.

Hey, maybe it's not such a bad trade after all....

Is there a New Divide in the Democratic Party? More than just Race and Gender in this Primary Fight.

Wow, I had a fun time with yesterday's blog entry- had a couple of people stop in and leave a comment. And I thank both readers for leaving their thoughts. It has helped me to start focusing more about what this primary race means (beyond the shear Horse Race aspect of it.) The comments are here, if you'd like to read them (or you can click the comment link at the end of yesterday's entry.)

This race is certainly about the politics of identity. To ignore that would be silly. The reaction to photos of Obama in African Dress proves that many see the Clinton Campaign as saying that America is not ready for a Black President. This primary fight is about Race.

And this primary fight is certainly about Gender. A post by Monica Guzman at Seattle PI lead me to a Washington Post Article in which some feminist leaders claim that:"There are some people who promote Barack Obama because they want anybody but a woman. Would they like a white man instead of a black man? Of course. But they'll take a black man over a woman. I never thought, in 2008, that we'd still be dealing with this."

(This has been a debate over at Green Mountain Daily for sometime- with NanukFC challenging male bias every step of the way.)

But there is another dynamic going on here. The press, in it's attempt to see around corners, has given us a lot of demographic information about the two camps. In addition to race and gender, we learn that the Obama camp is dominated by the young, the educated, the technically connected and savvy- people well able to compete in a global, and technology driven economy. Clinton, on the other hand, finds her support among those who are dependent on the "old" economy- blue collar and service workers- according to an article on CBS News, these are the people who respond to Hillary:

Clinton surely knows that as she promises to lower the costs of going to college, offering debt relief for people who graduate and go into teaching, or nursing, or law enforcement. “And I want to say something about all the other people who don’t go to college,” she adds. “You know, most people don’t go to college and graduate. And these are the people who build the buildings that we live and work in. They keep the economy going. They do most of the jobs in our society. I want to pay more attention to you.” She promises job training and community college programs.

At the same time, we've seen, recently on Green Mountain Daily, an anti-Clinton you-tube screed called: "The Clinton Hillbillies". Which lampoons Hillary as a carpet-bagging fake, and, by inference makes the point that her supporters are a bunch of beer drinking, tobacco spitting in-bread morons.



This race is dominated by the question of who will get the historic honor of being the first (X or Y) to be the first (X or Y) President in American history.

But on another level, I'm wondering if we are witnessing the Democratic party making a choice about which type of American we want to serve and help- and, if so, I'm wondering if it's possible to enlarge the tent again?

Why Do YOU Support Hillary Clinton?

It is very hard to ignore the primary fight from across the pond. Election results are front page news here in the UK. The bookstores are just as filled with U.S. Campaign biographies as the shops back home. People find that I am an American and are desperately anxious to learn if I know anything they don't, and eager to offer their opinion- which is always anti-Bush, and often pro-Obama. It is a reminder that whoever becomes President of the Untied States casts a giant shadow on rest of the world.

I woke up today, and learned that the primary fight goes on still. To me, this is a disappointment. I pretty much made up my mind about a year ago that Barack Obama was my candidate. A friend of mine emailed me last night, and said: I'm ready for the primary to be over so that we can focus on the issue at hand. (IE- throwing the bums OUT!) I couldn't agree more. I think that John McCain is going to be hard to beat and it's time to start.

But what really surprised me, upon reflection- was the fact that Hillary Clinton pulled off two wins yesterday.

To me, Obama seems like a clear choice. To most of the people I know, or read, back in Vermont- Barack Obama seems like a clear choice, too (or, if not, then he is TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT- there is that strain of Vermonter, too). In fact, to almost everybody I interact with on any given day, Barack Obama is the clear choice and front runner.

Nobody, but NOBODY thinks nominating Hillary Clinton would be a good idea.

And yet, obviously, a lot of people I've never heard from completly disagree with me. They got up yesterday, dragged themselves to the polls and Voted for Clinton.

And that Scares me.

I'm not scared because they voted for Clinton- I think she'd make a fine president. I just think Barack Obama would make an even better one.

No, it scares me because I realized that, once again, I don't know ANYTHING about what a LOT of my fellow Americans are thinking.

I don't need to agree with them, or they with me- but I should, at least, know where they are coming from...understand why they make the decisions they do.

Because if you don't even understand your opponent's position and why they take it, you have no chance to reason them out of it (or perhaps, to be reasoned out of your own, should it prove the weaker).

For another thing, if you don't understand why your opponents make the choices they do, it is very hard to empathize with them, and to build consensus.

If you don't know what drives them, you don't know how strong they are.

And that scares me...because this has happened to me before.

The first time I realized that there were oceans of people in America that I did not even remotely understand was on election night, 2000. It had never occurred to me to worry that Bush would even come close to the Presidency! I mean, the man was a joke, right, everybody knew it.

Well, the joke was on me. I'd just as soon it didn't happen again. And this time, the lack of mutual understanding isn't just between Liberals and the Right-Wing- it is within the same political party. We need to learn to talk to each other so that we can talk the rest of the country out of voting for John McCain.

So...please, as a favor, would anybody out there like to explain to me why you are supporting Hillary?

Post Script

I found some interesting articles on this subject.

The first is from a young reporter in Seattle who writes about what the Clinton Candidacy may, or may not mean to her. It's here.

The is another article from CBS news about Ohio voters. Working Class and feeling pressed, for them, it is, once again "The Economy Stupid".

The first comment I got on this post is also illuminating about why someone in "Obama's" demographic might choose to support Hillary as well.

Cleaning? Hell-- It'll need to be fumigated!

According to the AP, Hillary Clinton said that, after 8 years of George W. Bush, the White House was going to need a clean sweep....

....it's going need a hell of a lot more than that.

``Grab your buckets, grab your brooms,'' Clinton said. ``We're going to have to do a clean sweep because there has been a culture of cronyism, corruption and incompetence.''

Sen. Clinton said Bush has squandered the budget surplus that her husband, former President Clinton, left and damaged the nation's standing in the world with a shortsighted approach to diplomacy.

``It is important to be both smart and tough,'' Clinton said. ``I have no illusions about how hard this job is. I have seen it closely. It is always hard, and after President Bush and Vice President Cheney, it is really going to be hard.''

Really, REALLY Hard...it's a mess.