Politics
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Stalemate
Stalemate is the narrative that currently defines the Democratic race. In high-level chess, either a draw or a stalemate is considered a quasi-victory for black because of the inherent tempo disadvantage of making the second move. White has an advantage, just as in tennis the player who has the serve does. Only the clearly superior
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Dear Hillary Supporters: (Updated)
I am an Obama supporter, but I understand where you’re coming from, and I respect your candidate. If you are a woman, I think it’s easy to understand what she represents and how this candidacy was too long in coming. If you’re someone who admires Sen. Clinton’s intelligence, savvy, experience, and toughness, I won’t try
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Super Tuesday (Update 1-2)
I had a plumbing quasi-crisis I had to deal with most of the evening, so I have only been able to pay intermittent attention. A good, not great, showing overall for Obama, although a 55/45 loss in California (with 20% of the vote count in as I write) seems to be a pretty big disappointment
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What It “Means” to Be Conservative
In Balloon Juice: Scarborough had an endless stream of guests and snide comments claiming that Romney was the “real conservative choice” and the “true conservative.” The last guest was Mary Matalin, a Bush/Cheney advisor, and I am now completely convinced that there is no such thing as “conservative” principles. It is a joke, an empty
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Which Side of History Are You On?
Lakoff today in Huffpost: This nomination campaign is about much more than the candidates. It about a major split within the Democratic party. The candidates are reflecting that split. Here are three of the major "issues" dividing Democrats. First, triangulation: moving to the right — adopting right-wing positions — to get more votes. Bill Clinton
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Si, se puede
Here’s some of that cool, blue flame: [If you’re having trouble with YouTube, you can also find it here.]
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Obama vs. the Smear Machine
Robert Parry makes the case that Obama is less vulnerable to right wing attacks than Hillary: What Sen. Obama didn’t say out loud, but what Democratic voters surely recalled was the endless baiting of John Kerry for having been “for the war before he was against it,” earning a place – as George W. Bush
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America’s Political Fissures
Hat-tip to GuyFawkes for making me aware of this excellent article by in the Guardian. Jonathan Raban, an Ex-pat Brit living in Seattle, talks insightfully about the American political scene, describing, for instance the Republican party as "like an Italian coalition government on the brink of collapse." But his primary focus in this piece is
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Cool Debate
A couple of quick thoughts: No clear winner, but I think Obama helped himself a little more. And if his poll trajectory is, in fact, up and hers is down, that’s good enough for him. He didn’t have to score big. Clinton came across very well. I don’t think she hurt herself, but I’m not