I must say, I have railed for months against those who say that Obama supporters have "drank the Koolaid." But, geez, the utter absence of critical thinking in the comments of Obama's FISA response is pretty embarassing.
In response to a commenter pointing out the total inadequacy of Obama's response:
Eric have you ever thought about that maybe Barack has more information then what we know?
This sort of thing popped up over and over:
Resa has an opinion but NO PROFILE
I guess you have to be part of the club before you'll even be heard. Also, apparently, not having a my.barackobama.com profile precludes one from volunteering or donating:
no profile...yet you've volunteered and donated? Howz that? On your teeny-weeny little own self?
wow, the trolls are out in full force
In response to a comment on Judge Vaughn Walker's recent decision and the myth of exclusivity (yes, it's just as non sequitur as it comes across):
Then you can vote for Nader who you have supported all along. Good luck with that strategy. And tell me exactly WHAT has he done in the last 10 years besides elect George W. Bush?
Here's a common sign-off:
In Obama We Trust!
Setting a record for the quickest self-contradiction in written history:
This not a CYA. He said two weeks ago that he didn't think they would be able to strip the immunity. He said he would work to have it removed, but would vote for the bill whether the immunity is stripped or not.
I realize this sample says nothing about Obama supporters generally, because it's a population comprised entirely of people who are already active on my.barackobama.com and have handles like "Debbie for Obama". But it does bode ominously for an Obama Accountability movement. How many core supporters just won't be listening?
Today you are going to waste $10.00. Whether it is at Starbucks getting your carmel mocha skinny latte and bagel or at McDonalds or at the vending machine -- you are going to waste $10.00.
He goes on to say that you should give $10 to Rep. Don Young's Republican primary challenger, Sean Parnell.
So, Obama hasn't been doing so hot with white voters in West Virginia and Appalachia.
I think there's a crucial point that gets missed in the lengthy discussions on race and voting patterns: namely, that Obama doesn't fare poorly among white voters; he fares poorly among white Democrats in a contest with Hillary Clinton--in certain parts of the country.
All that we really know is that white Appalachian Democratic voters prefer Clinton to Obama, not that Obama has a "white voter" problem. We should avoid making generalizations about the national electorate or predicting a "white voter problem" in the general election this November.
Okay, so that's more of a comment than a diary. Too bad. The internet does what I tell it to.
Much time has been spent discussing the recent rise in food prices. Many, including Sen. Dick Durbin, have rightly attributed part of the rise in costs to the diversion of corn to ethanol.
This is an extremely important issue. Corn-based ethanol is terrible policy; we literally sacrifice food for gasoline and gain only marginal amounts of energy in the process. It's basically just another boondoggle federal handout to farm states.
Reliance on ethanol is a key indicator of a politician's grasp of energy science and their willingness to pander for Midwest votes and endorsements. So where do our candidates stand?
Clinton:
60 billion gallons of home-grown biofuels available for cars and trucks by 2030
Obama:
# Deploy Cellulosic Ethanol: Obama will invest federal resources, including tax incentives, cash prizes and government contracts into developing the most promising technologies with the goal of getting the first two billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol into the system by 2013.
# Expand Locally-Owned Biofuel Refineries: Less than 10 percent of new ethanol production today is from farmer-owned refineries. New ethanol refineries help jumpstart rural economies. Obama will create a number of incentives for local communities to invest in their biofuels refineries.
Obama passed legislation with Senator Jim Talent (R-MO) to give gas stations a tax credit for installing E85 ethanol refueling pumps.
First, the differences between cellulosic ethanol and corn-based ethanol are:
1. Cellulosic ethanol uses the whole plant, instead of just the kernel or seed
2. Cellulosic ethanol is theoretically far more efficient
3. Cellulosic ethanol doesn't really exist right now, hence Obama's call for R&D;
The fact that Obama understands the distinction and clearly grasps the superiority of cellulosic is admirable and encouraging. That said, there is still way too much corn in his energy policy.
My judgment here is that Obama's take on ethanol is more nuanced, and that Clinton's is just more of the same garbage that helped cause this food crisis in the first place. Which is disappointing, because Clinton's energy plan looks pretty great otherwise.
Accepting Stoller's premises that Obama will be the nominee and that the netroots go largely unheard by his campaign or staff, the best way forward is to ensure that this subtle but vital policy plank is forefront in our minds as we work for Congressional candidates. Any energy plan will have to go through Congress, and we need to have House members who are willing to stand up to corn-based ethanol.
It will be difficult, as this is not a priority for much of the electorate. But hey, Democrats make decisions based on policy, right?
Italy's new parliament met for the first time today with applause for Rome's mayor-elect, Gianni Alemanno, a day after followers celebrated his triumph with straight-arm salutes and fascist-era chants.
Alemanno, a former neo-fascist youth leader, took 54% of the vote in a run-off on Sunday and Monday, crushing his rival, Francesco Rutelli, a deputy prime minister in the last, centre-left government.
Silvio Berlusconi, who won a general election earlier this month, welcomed the latest evidence of Italy's leap to the right by declaring: "We are the new Falange". Although he took care to wrap his remark in a classical context, his choice of words appeared to be a nod and a wink to his most extreme supporters.
The original Falange - the word means "phalanx" - was the Spanish fascist party, founded in the 1930s, which supplied Francisco Franco's dictatorship with its ideological underpinning.
The worst days of history are not necessarily behind us, and Western democracies are not necessarily tolerant.
"I don't know what the left wants [but] we are ready," he told reporters. "If they want conflicts, I have 300,000 men always on hand."
On Monday night, the area around Rome's city hall rang to chants of "Duce! Duce!", the term adopted by Italy's dictator, Benito Mussolini, equivalent to the German "Führer". Supporters of the new mayor gave the fascist Roman straight-arm salutes.
For whatever reason, the people of Iowa have been blessed with a hugely disproportionate amount of influence over the nominating process in our Presidential elections. As a late-state voter, this laserlike focus on early states generally and Iowa specifically has the essential effect of disenfranchising me during the primaries.
I find it strange that Iowa, for some reason, holds this authority and that the rest of America is willing to cede it.
Part of the status quo is the myth that winning Iowa means a Democrat can win it all. But that just isn't true.
I haven't been following Darcy Burner's campaign in WA-08 all that closely, but this strikes me as a great campaign move and good food for thought.
From the Seattle Times:
"Concerned about high levels of lead in toys?
This weekend, the Darcy Burner Campaign team and Essco Safety Check of Redmond are sponsoring a toy test in seven Eastside and South Sound communities looking for lead contamination and other toxic chemicals. Parents can bring in toys (or other children's products) and have them tested on site without charge."
So not only do they get great PR, they also get instant access to a large group of concerned parents in the context of trade with China, an issue that is probably a big winner for Dems. Pretty creative.
It's also just a nice thing to do. Kudos.
Also, if anyone wants to teach me how to code an inset box, instead of using quote marks, I'd be much obliged.
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