The Clinton campaign has now enthusiastically adopted right-wing talking points to attack her party's presumptive nominee.  Barack Obama, it seems, is "not only elitist but patronizing."

Elitist.

Never mind that she and her husband have ascended to the political, social, and economic stratosphere and have inhabited the world stage for years.

Never mind that they've been able to monetize the public trust and respect accorded them to the tune of $109 million, plus untold millions for the Clinton Foundation and Library.

Never mind that lobbyists are people, too.

Hillary Clinton is the very definition of "elitist," because Hillary Clinton thinks we are stupid.

This is the ad Obama has running throughout Texas tonight:

A month ago, there was quite a ruckus here when the NYT broke a story about the symbiotic relationship between Bill Clinton's philanthropy and Frank Giustra's mining interests in Kazakhstan.

With the February 5th primaries fast approaching, some were inclined to shrug the story off, given its complexity and the lack of any obvious connection to Hillary Clinton's campaign.  Sure, some would say* -- Clinton used his imprimatur to help Giustra make a boatload of money from an oppressive Kazakh regime -- but it was for "a good cause."

* That's what I said, at the time.

I recently contacted an old friend from college (old, in the sense of a few years), and I made the mistake of assuming that he would be supporting Obama in the upcoming CT primary.

His response:

All we need is another Jesus/JFKish-inspirational-devotional-televangelical- devoid-of-any-substance-President!

It's natural enough for a committed environmentalist and supporter of gay rights to get behind Clinton, but I found the hostility toward Obama somewhat surprising.  Of course, he didn't expect me to have "bought into the dream" and become an Obama supporter.  Fair enough, given that in the past we related more by our cynicism than our liberalism.

His take on Obama:

You're always going to have 50%+1 electoral strategy in a two-party system. Barack may brand himself as a "uniter," but every wannabe bigwig says that, and every time, within a year of taking office, the government descends into partisanship, pork, and pollsters. I would like to think that somebody could break the pattern, but it's impossible in our system. Sure, politicians can try. They don't get reelected. Those who take their place do so because they practice and perpetuate 50+1. Game theory will tell you that.

Nine years later, viewing an electoral map with "reversed" colors is somehow startling.  Dislocating.  And, I believe, absolutely essential.

Acting Governor Richard Codey has been frequently suggested, but Codey has insisted that he's not interested. Moreover, an "insider" pick like Codey or Menendez would likely feed into negative perceptions about the state's political culture. The other possibilities currently have less statewide name recognition, but Corzine has the opportunity to immediately elevate the profile of a worthy public servant who is, for the moment, less known.

My pick is Congressman Rush Holt (NJ-12). If you're not yet familiar with Holt, he is a brilliant scientist, effective public speaker, and stalwart progressive. He has been out in front of a number of important issues, including verified voting. He has spoken out against the Iraq war and Bush's disastrous tax policy. And he could very well be the first rocket scientist in the Senate - a reality-based statesman who would earn the respect of both Democrats and moderate Republicans.

After two weeks (more than 360 hours) of round-the-clock "filibustering" outside the Frist Campus Center at Princeton University, are now protesting on Capitol Hill!

FilibusterFrist.com

[Update] Senator Frank Lautenberg will appear @ 2:00pm!

"Filibuster Frist" Goes to Washington!

After two weeks (more than 300 hours) of round-the-clock "filibustering" outside the Frist Campus Center at Princeton University, we are taking the protest to Capitol Hill!

FilibusterFrist.com

As you may have read on Kos a week or two ago, students have been protesting round-the-clock outside the Frist Campus Center at Princeton University, denouncing the "Nuclear Option" being pushed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Class of 1974.

After more than 300 hours, the "filibuster" is still going strong.  On Wednesday, we will begin "Phase 2"...

As you may have read on Kos previously, students have been protesting round-the-clock outside the Frist Campus Center at Princeton University, denouncing the "Nuclear Option" being pushed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Class of 1974.

This also happens to be "Houseparties" weekend, when Princeton students put on their formal attire and head to the "Eating Clubs" on Prospect Avenue for several nights (and days) of drunken revelry. On the way, they pass by the "Filibuster Frist" student protesters, who are determined to continue "filibustering" until the "Nuclear Option" is defeated.

Last night, they were subjected to verbal, physical, and sexual harrassment. Below is an account from Tom Smith, who was supervising the night shift...

Students have been protesting round-the-clock outside the Frist Campus Center at Princeton University, denouncing the "Nuclear Option" being pushed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Class of 1974.  Yes, it's that Frist's campus center...

[Update] Student protestors subjected to verbal, physical, and sexual harrassment

Any Senator or other elected official who is interested in speaking on campus should e-mail Asheesh Siddique.

Much has been said about energy alternatives, but perhaps we've been saying it the wrong way.  The word "alternative" may seem fine to us, but to people like Rep. Gibbons (R-NV), it is evocative of "tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippie, tie-dyed liberals" or the "alternative lifestyle" of homosexuality.  For some, this is a negative connotation.

Tonight I made the highly masochistic decision to attend a James Madison Institute lecture titled "Lawrence v. Texas: The Worst Supreme Court Opinion in History?"  Lawrence, for those of us who are not fluent in constitutional case law, was the 2003 decision that declared state laws against homosexual sodomy to be unconstitutional.  It was not legal jargon that made the lecture so painful, however, but the delight with which guest speaker Nelson Lund of George Mason Law ridiculed a decision that protects the rights of a minority population.