Saturday, February 16, 2008

It's Hard Out Here For a White Superdelegate

I guess we all thought that maybe we had gotten away from the "Ole boys club" in politics. Women and minorities have come a heck of a long way since I was young. No doubt. But there is also no doubt who still runs the club.

From Politico.com:

In an ironic twist to the historic Democratic nominating contest between an African-American and a woman, the balance of power may be held by a more familiar face: the white male.
........

But superdelegates have never reflected the diversity of the Democratic party as a whole, nor were they designed to. They represent the party insiders, a group that white men still dominate.

Nancy Pelosi said recently that it would be a problem if the superdelegates chose someone who didn't win the popular vote. But will the superdelegates listen?

Susan Estrich is staunch Democrat, political analyst, and the 1988 campaign manager for Michael Dukais' run for the presidency. She was also a part of how the superdelegates came about. Here she describes how 26 years ago the big wigs of the Democratic party decided to take back control of the nominating process from the "crazies" who had dared to come out in the primaries and nominate people the "elders" didn't think could be elected in the general. These people were referred to as "Fringe types" and this was "code for feminists, gays, minorities and crazed environmentalists." (her words, not mine)

Also her words:

"What we needed, in many minds, were more white guys with cigars."

No people. This wasn't 1962, this was 1982.

Estrich was one of the few voices crying out against it:

"My principled argument was that the category of elected officials and party leaders would, contrary to the rules governing the Democratic Convention (which only two years earlier had voted to require itself to be equally divided between men and women, and to reflect the diversity of the party), be brimming with white guys. You're going to let white men decide who the nominee will be, I argued, loudly and full of conviction, to anyone who would listen. It's not democratic. It's closing up the system when we should be opening it up. Exactly, more than one person said to me. About time, others muttered."

Well, myDemocratic friends, the chickens are coming home to roost. And in a way they never expected. The superdelegates were created to keep the "crazies" from deciding the nominee. (uhh.. that would be you, if you are a feminist, environmentalist, gay rights activist, and let's just throw in anti-war activist, because you know you are in there too) What you need is smart white men to tell you who needs to be nominated. Which is exactly what you will get if Obama wins the popular vote, but loses with the superdelegates.

Ironic isn't it? The media and the left love to create the image of the Republican party as the white boys club, when in fact, they have nothing on the Democratic leadership.

But I digress.

Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania (Democrat!) recently said that the country was not ready to elect a black man.

Is he right? Or is the Democratic leadership not ready to nominate one?

Friday, February 15, 2008

A perfect Story

Two of my favorite things.

Dogs and Marines.

God knows I love them both.

h/t BigDog

Oh Barack!!!!


Friday Thoughts

I absolutely don't care that Jane Fonda said the "c" word on the Today show. It's the one show I am sure, without a doubt, that no kids are watching. Want to get offended? Check out the FX channel in prime time. "Nip and Tuck" is practically a porno and kids can easily flip to it before bedtime. But no one gets offended by that. Don't even get me started on MTV.

I care more about grass growing than I do about professional baseball, but I watched the Roger Clemens hearing. I don't know anything about him except he is some big baseball star and all I can say is he was lying. His mannerisms and his answers all said that to me. I don't care how good of a person he has been or how good of a baseball player he is. To say that you let your trainer inject your wife, but you didn't get injected, is just ridiculous. Plus, as much as I love to see Congress doing anything other than figuring out ways to spend our tax money, I don't see why the heck they are involved here.

People tell me that kids look up to baseball players and other athletes and this needs to be stopped. Please. Once again, if you care about how kids are influenced take a look at what they are exposed to daily on TV, the internet, music, and the movies and stop watching that crap so hollywood will stop making money off it and find some way to protect our kids on the internet.

Senate Democrats leave Surveillance Law to expire. Bush warns of risking intelligence gaps and Democrats accuse him of fear mongering. Heaven forbid we capture or thwart attacks by enemies such as these. Nothing fearful there at all.

And it's not like the law has actually saved American lives.

Oh wait. Yes it has:

Americans have been kept secure by laws and initiatives like the Patriot Act and the Terrorist Surveillance Program that have foiled schemes to kill us by the tens, hundreds and thousands. The fact that none has transpired reflects the diligence of U.S. and allied cops, spies, soldiers and concerned citizens who have said something when they have seen something.

And finally, my prayers go out to the victims of the NIU shootings.

Who knew?

One of the reasons I kept hesitating about blogging again at the Houston Chronicle was because of the rudeness of the lefties that read the Chronicle.

Have you checked out TexasSparkle?

OMG, it's like writing for the KosKids. They won't just disagree with me, they have to personal insult me. If you scroll down you can see where I even put up a post on commenting and how I wasn't going to publish comments that were rude, but that hasn't deterred them at all.

I decided when I came back to blogging that I wouldn't publish any overtly rude comments, so I have been deleting comments constantly over there. Who knew there were so many bitter lefties in Houston?

Thursday, February 14, 2008

The End Game

Hillary never imagined this. By this time she figured her nomination would be wrapped up in a pretty red valentine bow. But that didn't happen.

Hillary was so sure of her inevitability she hadn't even put a field organization in place for the states that were to come after SuperTuesday on Feb. 5. Now Texas and Ohio mean everything.

This my prediction, for what it's worth. I think Hillary will win with the superdelegates. She knows how to play that game. I think she will immediately ask Obama to be the VP and tell him that if he gives a speech to accept and fully support Hillary with all the charisma and enthusiasm he is known for, then she will fully support him for the Presidency in 2016. Having Obama as VP and supporting her will ease all the anger that is sure to follow.

If the Clintons are good at anything, they are good at backroom deals.

The American Dream

This is fascinating.

Adam Shepard decides on doing a little experiment. He had a college degree and supportive parents, but he left all that behind. Never mentioning either in his pursuit of success. He arrived on the wrong side of the tracks of Charleston, South Carolina with a gym bag and $25. He lived in a homeless shelter. Ten months later he had to return home because of an illness in the family. But by then he had an apartment, a truck, and had saved $5000.

In 10 months.

I understand that many people have responsibility that make it even more difficult, but there is no doubt in my mind that the American dream is about hard work and determination.

My Dad came from extreme poverty and so many disadvantages. But he became a success in every definition of the word. I believe the American Dream is there for everyone. You just have to make good decisions.

But this part I totally agree with:

There were simple luxuries that I didn't afford myself. I had to make sacrifices to achieve the goals that I set out. One of those was eating out. I didn't have a cellphone. Especially in this day and age, that was a dramatic change for me.... I was getting by on chicken and Rice-A-Roni dinner and was happy. That's what I learned ... we lived [simply], but still we were happy.

When I was first married my husband was still in school. I took a minimum wage job in a law firm. I remember thinking twice about stopping to get a coke on my home from work. We had no money and we wouldn't take any help from our parents.

Now, we are well off. But I can tell you this. I was just as happy then.

My Dad used to say that happiness is a decision you make every morning and I absolutely believe that.

God knew what he was doing when he gave us the 10 commandments. Even if you didn't believe in God, these are rules everyone should live by. They help give us success.

Poverty comes many times from bad decisions. Having sex before you are married. Having a baby before you are married. Cheating, lying, and jealousy. Dishonoring your parents. All these are addressed in the greatest guide book of all time....The Bible.

I believe if we live by that, we succeed.

The Democrats take a first swipe at McCain

Is this the best you can do?

He's for tax cuts!! OMG!!

And that's not all. When this group of evil goe after McCain, I know I'm the right side.

via NRO

Romney makes nice

I mean real nice:

Our Democratic opponents are good at striking heroic poses. With John McCain, we have the real thing. ..With John McCain, national security is not just another agenda item. It's a lifelong commitment.

via NRO

Fighting crime in Chocolate City


People upset? Oh come on.
via Fark

GOP walks off the House Floor

"House GOP have walked off the House Floor to protest the unwillingness of Democrats to pass, or even debate, legislation that is critical to our national security. The FISA bill, which passed the Senate with a bipartisan vote, provides critical tools for our nation's intelligence agencies to monitor the terrorists who plot against this country. This authorization expires this week - yet, House Democrats can't find the time to debate it. House GOP walked off the House Floor - this legislation is critical to our national security and must be passed immediately. Here is a link from Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor's blog on the walkoff."

Here is video of the walkoff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHf9gK1Tyyo

Here is a quote from Eric Cantor on the walkoff:

"Our intelligence agencies need the tools necessary to listen in on terrorists who threaten and plot to do harm to our country. The Senate worked together in a bipartisan fashion earlier this week to accomplish this goal, but the House Democrat Leadership refuses to do the same. It Al-Qaeda is talking, we should be able to listen. Today, House Republicans stood up and demanded that Washington work for the people again."

via e-mail

Not to depress you on Valentines Day....

..but I think this may be a love story (or nonlove story) of our modern times.

Maybe you should settle instead of looking for Mr./Ms. Right.

h/t BigDog

Romney to endorse McCain

CNN's Dana Bash reports that former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will endorse senator John McCain. The endorsement is expected to happen at a Boston event at 3:30 p.m. ET today.
Two sources familiar with the decision confirmed the news, and said Romney now wants the delegates he won during his campaign to back his former rival.


Ok, it's time for Huckabee to gracefully bow out. Maybe before his trip to the islands this weekend?

A look at the hard left


Zombietime has some pics from the Feb. 12th protests at Berkeley for/against the Marines. It's always amazing to me what some people will write on a sign. Disturbing to say the least.

Happy Valentines Day!!


Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Hell just got one more guest

Nice.

My Dream Ticket

Please God, let it be so.

h/t BigDog

Ouch!

Bill Clinton's ex campaign manager, David Wilhelm, endorses Obama. He is a super delegate a well.

Delegate Count

As of 9:30pm Feb. 12th:

"DEMOCRATS
Pledged Delegates:

Obama 1,017
Clinton 942
Edwards 26

Estimated Super Delegates:

Clinton 261
Obama 178

GRAND TOTAL:

Clinton 1,203
Obama 1,195

NOTE: 180 delegates are still unallocated, including all 15 from DC, 46 from Maryland and 21 from Virginia. There are also 41 from Washington, 27 from Colorado, 10 from Georgia, 8 from Louisiana, 5 from Illinois, 4 from Alabama and one each from New Mexico, New York and Tennessee.

Super delegate numbers reflect totals gathered by the NBC News Political Unit from the campaigns and public endorsements.

REPUBLICANS

McCain 785
Romney 282
Huckabee 240
Paul 14
Others 7

There are still 103 delegates unallocated on the GOP side, including 24 in Maryland, 20 in Louisiana, 18 in Washington state, 16 in DC, 9 in California, 6 in Georgia, 6 in Tennessee and 4 in Alabama."

As mentioned before, NBC News has confirmed that Clinton Deputy Campaign manager Mike Henry resigned yesterday from the campaign.

Hillary is fighting for her life here. All eyes will be on Ohio and Texas, which are primary states, not caucus states. Obama hasn't done as well in primary states. But there is no doubt the momentum is with him.
It will be something to see if super delegate Democrats put Hillary over the top, but Obama has the popular vote.

I'm thinking some Democrats might be a tiny bit angry and Hillaryites might be a tiny bit hypocritical considering how much the "popular vote" has mattered to them in the past.

via First Read

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

McCain and Obama win...

McCain wins Virginia, but just by the skin of his teeth. Obama also wins Virginia, a big prize.

I just won't believe in a Hillary defeat until I see it.

Texas and Ohio will be the test. We shall see how my fellow Texans go March 4th.

Update: Hillary Rodham Clinton's deputy campaign manager, Mike Henry, leaves the race.

Obama in the White House?


You may have heard about Madame Tussauds wax museum in DC that puts Obama in the Oval Office with Hillary and Bill standing nearby.
The video of the unveiling is here.

Hillary says there will be no Bill Clinton scandal

From the Media Blog:

The senator was asked a question from a Politico.com reader in Santa Monica, Calif., who was seeking assurance that "no new business or personal scandal involving Bill Clinton" could erupt if she were in the White House and give fodder to Republicans.

"You know, I can assure this reader that that is not going to happen," she said. "You know, none of us can predict the future, no matter who we are and what we are running for, but I am very confident that that will not happen."

You have to wonder how she can be so confident?

I'm back blogging at The Houston Chronicle

Here is my first post there: What Obama means to me.

Check it out.

Is Hillary ticking off Hispanics?

A prominent member of the National Democratic Party and a California superdelegate who heads the voting rights committee of the DNC Hispanic Caucus, Steven Ybarra sent an e-mail out saying that the removal of Hillary's campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle with Maggie Williams, who is black, was disloyal to Hispanics.

Ybarra told The Post yesterday that the loss of Solis Doyle, a child of Mexican immigrants, just weeks before the Texas primary, where 36 percent of the population is Hispanic, was "dumb as a stump."

I find it amazing that to some people like Ybarra everything must be judged on race or ethnicity. Should Hillary keep someone who is not doing a good job just because they are Hispanic? Ridiculous. But this is what you get with identity politics.

via Drudge.

What Romney did that Hillary or Obama will not

Neither will quit the race for the good of the party.

It's a showdown between Hillary and Obama. It's a neck and neck horserace. Everyone agrees. Everyone also agrees that the campaigns are exhausted. They both will continue to spend money and energy at an alarming rate, and it looks as if it will end up in the super delegate's (a select number of Democrat big wigs) hands anyway.

Democratic lawyers are polishing their briefcases getting ready for the fight, because of the distinct possibility that by convention time the candidate leading in the popular vote in the primaries will be trailing in the delegate count. Challenges and litigation are soon to follow. Hillary will insist that Michigan and Florida delegates be counted (she has already said as much). Hillary will never ever give up until they bodily throw her out of the convention hall. We all know that.

If she wins the delegate count and Obama wins the popular vote (does this sound familiar to anyone?), it will be a fight like we have never seen.

Meanwhile, John McCain rests up, organizes, fundraises, and does some face time on TV doing something that looks very presidential.

Democrats have told me that they are happy with either candidate (which I understand, since there isn't really a dime's worth of difference between them on the issues). So why won't one of them step aside and let the other use their energy to get ready for the general election?

Because both of them see themselves as historic and important. More important than the good of their party it would seem.

Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan abducted

Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan has been abducted in a troubled tribal border region just hours after a senior Taliban commander was arrested.
Tariq Azizuddin, the Pakistani envoy to Kabul, disappeared with his driver while travelling the Khyber Pass on the road between the Pakistani city of Peshawar and the Afghan border.

In addition, two employees of Pakistan's atomic energy agency have been abducted on the same day in the country's restive north-western region abutting the Afghan border.

They apparently want Mansoor Dadullah, a Taliban commander in southern Afghan traded. He was captured earlier by Pakistani troops earlier. Dadullah has been traded back before.

via Captain's Quarters

Monday, February 11, 2008

The Youngest Suicide Bomber

It's a night for surreal posts.

This boy of 12, whose father was a Taliban fighter killed by British soldiers in Afghanistan was recruited by terrorists shortly after his father's death. They told him he must become a martyr and avenge the death of his father. During intensive mountain training he was taught how to handle explosives and sophisticated detonators. He even went on dummy missions with bags taped to his body. He was instructed to wander towards British patrols pretending to be lost and then blow himself up as they try to help him.

One day the boy confesses to his horrified mother who puts together enough funds to smuggle him to Britain. The immigration officials learn of his horrifying story.

Guess where the boy is right now? In middle school in Britain. That is right. Without the parents of the his classmates knowing anything about his tortured past. The officials in Britian are saying that being in this school "will hopefully convince him how evil his Taliban masters had been.”

Hopefully?

Has the whole world gone mad?

h/t dave bones

WHAT THE HELL???


Excuse my french, but the above is a picture of Barack Obama's brand new office here in Houston!!!! Fox has the video.

I am without words (and that rarely happens) Is this the "change" Obama has in mind??
via LST

Jeb Bush endorses McCain

Not a shocker really, but here it is:

ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced that former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has endorsed John McCain for president.

"John McCain is a patriot and devoted conservative leader," said Governor Bush. "Like no other candidate in the field, John McCain has made tremendous sacrifices for this nation. He is beholden to no interest other than that of the public good. He is determined and steadfast in his commitment to reducing the burden of high taxes, restoring the people's trust in their government, and winning the war against radical Islamic extremists. It is with pride that I announce my endorsement of John McCain for
president."

Let's break it up with some music



What talent. I just love her music. A sad life, to be sure, but the music...awesome.

Extreme Patriotism

The ABC show "Exteme Makeover, The Home Edition" is always sure to make me cry. Deserving families get a new home. But last night's episode was an all out cry fest for anyone who saw it.

Daniel Gilyeat is a decorated U.S. Marine who served two tours in Iraq and lost a leg to an IED and came home to find his wife had left him with their four young children. He lived in a run down house that was not handicapped accessible, but he never complained. He even went out of his way to visit other wounded soldiers in the hopital and spoke with their families to help them understand that life does go on.

Watch a clip here. Watch the full episode here.

What made the show so touching in addition to the obvious, was that the day they show the new home to his family was also the birthday of the Marine Corp. His fellow Marines raised our flag on a new flag poll honoring not ony this Marine, but all those who have served our country so well. The patriot riders led the convoy coming in to see the house. They didn't say that is who they were, but I would recognize those freakin wonderful heros anywhere.

Someone in the crowd held a homemade sign that said "We built you a house, but you gave us freedom." That about sums up the whole show. It was a beautiful and touching tribute not only to this Marine, but to all those who give so much for our country.

It was especially nice to see this after all the idiots and undeserving people in this country who benefit from the freedom afforded us by our soldiers and Marines, but have no appreciation of them and insult them every chance they get.

Take some time today to view the episode. It will fill your heart with appreciation and gratitude for the kind of men (and women) who serve our country so honorably.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Diary of a Loser

"I am Abu Tariq, Emir of al-Layin and al-Mashadah Sector," it began.

Over 16 pages, the al-Qaeda in Iraq leader detailed the organization's demise in his sector. He once had 600 men, but now his force was down to 20 or fewer, he wrote. They had lost weapons and allies. Abu Tariq focused his anger in particular on the Sunni fighters and tribesmen who have turned against al-Qaeda in Iraq and joined the U.S.-backed Sunni Sahwa, or "Awakening," forces.

This diary was found in a safe house of al-Qaeda in Iraq near the northern city of Balad.

While al-Qaeda desperately seeks to repair itself, it is "in panic and fear," and only seems to be able to train children to kill now, and the "Anbar model" seems to be working elsewhere in Iraq, no worries, you still have Democrat American leaders declaring defeat for America.

Maybe Pelosi should catch up on her reading.


The Hillary Demise

OMG, isn't it sweet?

(AP/CBS) Illinois senator Barack Obama finished a series of weekend primary and caucus contests undefeated as he bested Hillary Clinton in Maine today, according to CBS News estimates.

Obama’s victory in the Maine caucuses follow on the heels of his Saturday sweep in which he won Louisiana’s primary contest as well as caucuses in the states of Washington and Nebraska.

His winning margins ranged from substantial to crushing.

Could this really happen?? This man may deserve all his media adulation just for standing between this horrid political machine and the American people.

But I will not celebrate yet. Watching the fangs come out on Hillary will be like watching a SAW II movie. We just won't be able to look away from the carnage.

Heh


via LST. Too funny not to post. LST thinks it was taken in Germany.