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Hunh, never been called that before.
by david mizner on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 02:12:11 PM PDT
[ Parent ]
Cynics don't.
"The revolution's just an ethical haircut away..." Billy Bragg
by grannyhelen on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 02:25:48 PM PDT
I'm an optimist. I admit it.
You have to be an optimist to keep politicking in these dark times.
by david mizner on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 02:27:57 PM PDT
Obama!
by fisheye on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 07:41:35 PM PDT
a good campaigner...you have to believe your candidate can win if you want to convince people to vote for him/her. If your candidate is trailing in the polls, you have to be an optimist.
Actually, a bit of worry is probably healthy for the frontrunners' supporters, to keep them from getting cocky.
"All governments lie, but disaster lies in wait for countries whose officials smoke the same hashish they give out." --I.F. Stone
by Alice in Florida on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 07:50:42 PM PDT
Edwards on Nightly News
Edwards Supporters for Obama!
by NCDem Amy on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 05:28:13 PM PDT
"Hillary is living in a fantasy world." :)
by lenzy1000 on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 06:18:06 PM PDT
Now, since our politicians of both parties, have given away to the rest of the World so much of American manufacturing, we have to find a new focus, redefine our social issues and rebuild the US to fit the new paradigm. I think progressive populist is the right route! Big time. And John Edwards is the one to lead that. I eagerly hope Sen Edwards wins a big victory in IA. jim sfe
by mrmyster on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 06:09:30 PM PDT
...remember me from The List?
Jack Rance NYC
by jack rance on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 05:09:14 AM PDT
The Op-L ??? Why shore!! How'd Minnie? Is Wowkle knocked up? The Saloon doing OK? You are into liberal politics, are you? Hooray!!! Let's have a celebratory round of poker. I wonder what's going to happen with Mayor Giuliani as a result of today's revelations about his use of city funds? It's a most interesting development. I have long predicted (for other reason), that Gov. Romney would ultimately take the RepubliCon nomination, and now we see he just may win it by default. That should be easy to beat. Are you on OpL these days? The fall-out from Guleghina's Norma has been something else :) Please be in touch via e-mail. I don't often come here. JIM sfe mrmyster@comcast.net
by mrmyster on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 05:58:46 PM PDT
...but a pessimist is never let down," said Janis Joplin once in an interview.
by jack rance on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 05:07:21 AM PDT
It has to do with the candidate that I feel has the best platform to return America to it's previous place in the world. You know, a place that is looked up to for its freedoms. For it's compassion. For it's ability to take the poor, the hungry and the forgotten under it's wing and allow them to become something more.
You know. Americans.
Another day, another devalued Dollar. -6.00, -6.21
by funluvn1 on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 02:28:15 PM PDT
I remember the 1992 Democratic primary season. Back then, the media was IN LOVE with Bill Clinton. I had no strong opinion about any candidate going into Iowa and New Hampshire, but I do remember quite clearly that the media loved them some Bill, and were pushing his supposed virtues left and right.
Well, the New Hampshire primary came around and guess who won? It WASN'T Bill. No, instead Paul Tsongas won that night.
So, here we were, with Paul Tsongas the winner in New Hampshire. Yet who and what did the corporate media focus on all that night after the primary? Was it Tsongas and his victory and what that might portend?
If you answered "yes," to my question, then you have very poor memories or don't know what you are talking about.
Because I remember quite distinctly that that night, the media was falling all over themselves to interview . . . . BIll Clinton!! And you know what the meme was that the media was spinning around him? It was "what a strong showing Clinton made in coming in second in New Hampshire."
Just judging by the coverage alone, one would have thought that Bill actually won New Hampshire. I mean, it blew me away to see the media largely ignoring or underplaying the significance of Tsongas' win that night.
Well, let me posit a different scenario for an Edwards win than the one our diarist put forth.
I predict that even if Obama (and especially if Edwards) should win in Iowa such that Hillary comes in second (and perhaps even if she should come in third), the corporate media WILL NOT LET HER CANDIDACY DIE!!! They will come up with some meme to keep her candidacy relevant and to underplay any notion that she has been rejected by the people. They will FIND WAYS to minimize the significance of a win by another candidate, especially if this other winning candidate should be mildly-populist Edwards.
There's simply too much money that the corporate-powers-that-be have invested in the Clintons for them let them go down so easily . . . even if their annointed candidate--HRC--should lose Iowa and New Hampshire.
And if you don't believe the corporate media has the power to influence the minds of American voters, then let me immediately call to your attention some examples from recent years of how the corporate media SUCCESSFULLY manipulated the public:
by LivinginReality on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 04:14:47 PM PDT
because his hometown was approx. 10 miles from the New Hampshire border.In 1992 we diden't need another Massachusetts Greek who was a cancer patient and died anyway during what would have been his first term.
by Litvak36 on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 05:04:29 PM PDT
Cancer patient or no.
"It's a race to decide who the British goverment will follow blindly for the next 4 years" Kennedy/Kerry '08
by Salo on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 05:09:40 PM PDT
none will ever run. After John Kerry,hopefully no more Bay staters of whatever ethnic background. And please,no more Texans in the White House.
by Litvak36 on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 05:16:09 PM PDT
Because this presents another example of how the corporate media works.
I remember distinctly that in 1988, populist Jessie Jackson was running for the Democratic nomination. I was behind him precisely because he was a populist.
In fact, what was blowing me away was how well he was doing in the early primaries. At one point well into the primary season, I think, Jackson was a leading contender for the Democratic nomination. In fact, I think he was even leading in the delegate count. This was pretty amazing, because what it told me was that his populist rhetoric was apparently catching on with non-black Democratic voters in many states.
So, I remember Jackson being a leading contender in terms of the delegate count back during the 1988 season. What did our lovely corporate media do?
Well, they pretty much marginalized him by giving him and his campaign and his successes very little substantive coverage and by focusing upon Mike Dukakis instead--the "safe," "corporate friendly," candidate who, compared to Jackson, was a centrist. Also, the Democratic Party power brokers and elites at the time, were panicked by the idea of a Jackson candidacy, and were visibly throwing their weight behind Dukakis. (The same thing happened in 2003-04 when most of the Dem insiders and elites threw their weight behind Kerry, and torpedoed Dean--something I predicted they would end up doing if Dean's candidacy proved viable such that he was a real contender for the nomination.)
So, this is an OLD STORY. IT'S and OLD SCRIPT. And I've been watching the political system in this country a LONG TIME.
Not much changes.
by LivinginReality on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 05:27:39 PM PDT
Otherwise the only thing to do is to give up. Is that what you suggest?
Visit EENR blog for Progressives
by pioneer111 on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 05:41:04 PM PDT
for the bit about Jesse Jackson leading in the delegate count? At what point in the race would that have been? What I remember is that he may have done better than many expected, but he never came within striking distance of the nomination. He brought out the black vote big time, but had very little support among whites...and then there was the "Hymietown" thing...
by Alice in Florida on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 07:43:53 PM PDT
upon my own memory of events as they were unfolding at the time.
But I believe that as far in as two or three months into the primary season, Jessie was for a brief time leading or near the top in the delegate count.
I disagree that he had very little support among whites (although I'm certain that that is probably what the media wanted Americans to believe.) His "rainbow coalition" and accompanying rhetoric was resonating with enough whites to have him in serious contention for the nomination.
But then, round about the time when it looked as if Jessie might actually be a viable contender, suddenly, the heavyweights of the Party all came out in favor of Dukakis, while the media marginalized and ignored Jessie. And before long, Dukakis' ascension to the nomination became unstopable.
In fact, I remember commenting to my friends and family at the time that it appeared that the Party elites had conspired against Jackson to make sure that he didn't get NEAR the nomination. And I also noted the lack of substantive media coverage of Jessie's successes.
Furthermore, I also remember that a big question going into the convention season by the time it was pretty clear that Dukakis would get the nomination, was whether, after how the party establishment had treated him, Jackson would end up supporting the Dem nominee or whether he would do something else.
The only scientific way to prove my original assertion would be to go back and look up the state-by state results of the various primaries at the time and add up the delegate totals as they were being amassed week by week. I don't have the energy or inclination to do that right now.
Sorry.
by LivinginReality on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 08:38:35 PM PDT
I caucused for Jesse in Minnesota, and he won our caucus precinct! I was stunned. And I'm still not sure why the momentum stopped after that, but I think your logic works.
"That flag flyin' over the courthouse means certain things are set in stone. Who we are, what we'll do, and what we won't." Springsteen "Long Walk Home"
by pmcmscot on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 10:35:11 PM PDT
Electing conservatives is like hiring a carpenter who thinks hammers are evil.
by bwintx on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 06:08:16 PM PDT
The relevant thing is, he aspires to be a Texan....grew up there, put in a lot of "hard work" trying to sound like a Texan...adopted the over-the-top macho attitude that has been previously shown to lead to committing US military forces to war under false pretenses.
by Alice in Florida on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 07:47:20 PM PDT
Nice comments. Do you feel the same way about black people, Michiganders, or anyone from any other state, region, or ethnicity? Do you feel that someone expressing opinions similar to yours about these other groups would look bad?
In my opinion, it's a candidate's positions that matter, not his ethnicity, where he lives, his accent, or where he grew up.
by Michigan Transplant on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 06:21:03 AM PDT
he siphoned a significant number of votes away from Romney's Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey in the gubernatorial election here, much to the benefit (although he didn't need it to win the election) of Deval Patrick. He's far from progressive though, more like a kinder gentler Ross Perot.
Hey, how about Deval Patrick?! If he's running in 2016, you'll shun him just because he's from MA?
Cripes, I guess we won't be putting you on the callee list for the "draft Matt Damon" campaign. :)
by waytac on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 09:54:26 AM PDT
deal with my main point, which has to do with the way the winner of a primary was ignored in terms of favorable corporate media coverage in favor of the corporate media's favorite son . . . who had in fact lost . . . and the memes the corporate media came up with to prop up their chosen "golden boy" (Bill Clinton).
by LivinginReality on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 05:18:18 PM PDT
If Iowa comes out something like Edwards 27%, Obama 25% and Clinton 23%, you're dead on. The media will paint it as "it's anybody's ballgame", and won't give Edwards the credit he'll deserve on what should be his big night.
Edwards or Obama will have to win by at least five percentage points but probably by 10 for the media to really paint a picture of either one of them as the big winner.
by King Folderol on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 06:47:40 PM PDT
They have made it out like Edwards wasn't in the race, if he comes in first that will have to be the headline.
The media doesn't have some sort of hard conspiracy going on behind the scenes. They have some bias, sure, but they also fall in love with their own narrative, until the point where it's turned upside down and they have to change their tune.
Don't like XOM and OPEC? What have YOU done to reduce your oil consumption? Hot air does NOT constitute a renewable resource!
by Asak on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 08:00:34 PM PDT
Let's hope its the right one.
Outstanding, thought-provoking diary.
by John Poet on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 05:45:58 PM PDT
A billion here and a billion there, and soon you're talking about real money. Everett Dirksen
by Sargent Pepper on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 06:13:23 AM PDT
wide narrow
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