Hillary’s Voice

Obama, McCain, and Gershon agree: The press needs to get off the stage (by Eric Boehlert at Media Matters)
Two hopeful sparks were visible from the campaign trail last week that suggested there is growing support for the idea of pushing the press off the stage and letting voters get on with the important business of picking the next president… [B]oth campaigns insisted that any citizen-based town hall event had to be open to all television outlets, as well as be seen on the Internet, and not be sponsored or organized by a single news organization. More important, the campaigns stressed that the town hall meeting would not be moderated by the press.The other refreshing forum being proposed for the general election is a Lincoln/Douglas-style event, which would also let the candidates address voters unfiltered and keep journalists on the sidelines, where they belong.

Barack Obama aide: Why Winnie the Pooh should shape US foreign policy (The Telegraph, U.K.)
Winnie the Pooh, Luke Skywalker and British football hooligans could shape the foreign policy of Barack Obama if he becomes US President, according to a key adviser.

Obama Insults Half a Race (by Glen Ford at the Black Agenda Report)
The Black man who wants to be president spends Father’s Day at church in loud and general denunciation of Black males. For added insult, he describes them as “boys.” Barack Obama’s primary audience isn’t the conservative Black Pentecostal congregation, but “white social conservatives in a race where these voters may be up for grabs,” says the New York Times. In America, even the “Black” corporate candidate runs against Black people. How did such madness come to pass in 2008? Blame the Black “progressive” misleaders who failed to challenge Obama when they had the chance. Now it’s too late, and African Americans are reduced to objects of derision.

At Obama’s Former Church, Hurt Lingers (Washington Post)
A vast distance separates Obama from the church he quit last month, as hurt feelings continue to fester on both sides. Obama, his patience exhausted by the most recent controversial remark from a pastor, said in late May, “Our relations with Trinity have been strained.” And some of the church’s 8,000 members — as well as some other black pastors — feel abandoned, betrayed and misunderstood after their contentious turn in the national spotlight. This was not how it was supposed to be. Obama, the biracial presidential candidate who has pledged to unite Democrats and Republicans, rich and poor, blacks and whites, was going to provide an opening for Trinity and other black churches to shatter their stereotypes and bolster their national presence.

‘Danger Signs’ as Clinton Supporters Resist Obama (by Jake Tapper, ABC News)
A[n] ABC News/Washington Post poll shows Obama, D-Ill., leading McCain, R-Ariz., by a margin of 48 percent to 42 percent. It is a surprisingly small lead considering that the incumbent Republican president George Bush is at record lows and public opinion overwhelmingly feels the country is on the “wrong track”… In an exclusive network interview with ABC News, Obama said that his long Democratic primary battle with Clinton, which wasn’t settled until early June, spared McCain critical scrutiny. “While we were doing that, John McCain basically was getting a pass, both from the media . . . as well as from other opponents. And so I think that explains it,” said Obama of the close race.

While Obama runs well among younger voters, they are not always reliable when it comes to showing up at the polls. Meanwhile, he is 12 points behind McCain among the more reliable older voters. In addition, nearly a quarter of Clinton’s voters are holding back on their support, according to the ABC News/Washington Post poll. “If that number stays that high, it will be difficult for Barack Obama to win,” [ABC analyst George] Stephanopoulos said.
It’s Hillary’s fault.  It’s the media’s fault.  It’s the stupid, bitter voters’ fault.  But it’s never, ever, Barack Obama’s fault.  Aren’t we finally just about to get rid of one like that?

An Open Letter to Vice President Gore (By Ani at No Quarter)
How can it be that Hillary Clinton, the candidate with the bold, progressive policies and clearly the most qualified of the bunch has also been unceremoniously kicked to the curb? Where are our ethics? Where is our common sense? Where is our love for the working people in this country who would most benefit from the amazing skill set, expertise and compassion she brings to the table?… The Presidency is bigger than any one person. It is not about sex, race, or age. We face some of the most serious challenges in our lifetime and cheap talk is not going to get the job done. With the unique perspective you possess, I would have thought you, of all people, would not allow another travesty of wrong, weak or questionable leadership to be foisted upon the American people.

Abortion Positions Could Swing Election (Political Wire)
A new Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll commissioned by NARAL finds that once “balanced information” about Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain’s respective positions on abortion are introduced, Obama gains 6 points nationally, with his lead in battleground states expanding from a net 2 points (47% to 45%) to a net 13 points (53% to 40%). Other key finding: “Despite the fact that the national focus seems to be on the economy, among pro-choice Independent women, pro-choice Republican women, and liberal to moderate Republican women, the issue of abortion produces a larger advantage for Democrats than the economy, the war in Iraq, or health care.”

Wednesday: The Roe Ruse (by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
Friends, this nonsense that the Obama camp is spewing about abortion rights is moot.  If the court wanted to outlaw Roe tomorrow, they already have the votes to do it… But the Republican dominance of SCOTUS appointees never really was about Roe.  Roe was a way for the GOP to get candidates elected… It’s really all about overturning all of the laws that FDR and earlier progressives managed to slip through.  Oh, and segregation… And now we have a presumptuous nominee who we can’t quite pin down when it comes to policy on much of anything.  But we know who is championing him: libertarian Democrats, former moderate Republicans, young college aged students from affluent backgrounds and a bunch of academic liberals wo don’t like to get their hands dirty.  The part of the party that is being purged consists of working class, elderly, latino, women, GLBT.  Just the kind of people who benefit from New Deal programs and the Great Society.

Now, I don’t know about you guys but the candidate that just got to where he is by capitalizing on the overt sexism of the media and the hidden currents of the culture at large, has a lot of nerve trying to capitalize on the fears of young women regarding their reproductive rights, especially when he is actively courting the evangelical constituency.  It’s cynical at best and I sure as hell am not falling for it.  No, I am looking behind the curtain at what he might be planning regarding overturning the law that allowed for Social Security.  That’s not a stretch at all to me and in this regard, he may be indistinguishable from John McCain when it comes to SCOTUS.

Has the “states’ rights” argument become a progressive argument? (by garychapelhill at The Confluence)
As a Democrat, I have always adhered to the notion that progressive causes in this country are better addressed at the federal level… But recently there seems to be more progressive reforms happening on the state level as opposed to the federal level… The first example we have of progressive state leadership comes in the form of gay marriage… [Monday] California became the second state to give full marriage rights to same-sex couples… The second area where states have shown themselves to be progressive is on the health care front… [N]early two-thirds (32) of states expanded access to their Medicaid and SCHIP programs between July 2006 and January 2008… On a third (quite unexpected) front it seems that states are beginning to take action on protecting fundamental human rights…  North Carolina is pondering the banning of torture…

Despite the protestations of the “sweeties”, I think we can thrive under a McCain administration.  As I noted yesterday, CA legalized gay marriage despite having a Republican governator.  Obama’s ruthless centralization of all that he surveys is not a good omen for these progressive trends to continue.  And I don’t trust him to do the right thing on any of theses issues, not even Supreme Court Justice appointments.  Why should I expect anything more than the outright cronyism that has been a hallmark of his campaign?  So, although I know that some of you can’t stomach the thought of voting for McCain, I propose that even with a Republican president, progressive agendas can continue to grow on a state by state basis.

Obama camp sketches new electoral path
Barack Obama’s campaign envisions a path to the presidency that could include Virginia, Georgia and several Rocky Mountain states, but not necessarily the pair of battlegrounds that decided the last two elections Florida and Ohio.

A Disconnect (by Evan Thomas, Newsweek)
[M]oney–perfectly legal money–can trump idealistic campaign promises in a city thick with more than 30,000 lobbyists… I am part of that Washington world as a journalist and I have low expectations that any politician, no matter how gifted, can change it in a significant way.  At the same time, standing in the press gallery on the floor of that arena in Detroit, I was moved by Obama’s ability to rouse and give hope to so many people who really seem to believe he can achieve the change he talks about. There is a disconnect here, and I don’t see what’s going to change it. Obama is a shrewd and realistic person, as far as I can tell. I wonder what he really thinks.

Obama to visit Iraq, Afghanistan
Barack Obama, under fire from Republican John McCain who says the Democrat lacks insight into the situation on the ground in Iraq, said Monday he will visit the war-torn country before the November presidential election.

Basketball Helped Craft Obama’s Identity
Basketball has been an important part of Obama’s life, from his island childhood to his years at Harvard Law School. Even today, he brings to the presidential contest qualities that teammates and other old friends remember seeing on the court.
Does anyone else remember the stupid stories like this we used to read about George Bush?  Has the Obama campaign hired Karen Hughes?

Obama fundraiser attracts criticism from GOP, raises questions on ethics (by Alexander Bolton , The Hill)
An event Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) headlined last week has prompted head-scratching among Illinois ethics experts and drawn sharp rebuke from Republicans because one of the main organizers participated in Antoin “Tony” Rezko’s old fundraising network. John W. Rogers Jr., the chairman of Ariel Investments who gave $22,500 in contributions to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) through Rezko, hosted a top-dollar special reception with Obama Thursday to raise money for the Democratic White House Victory Fund. Rogers has also pledged to raise over $200,000 for Obama’s campaign. He was one of many political players whose name surfaced during Rezko’s recent trial. A federal jury convicted the Chicago political fixer of mail and wire fraud, aiding and abetting bribery and money laundering.

Creators of ‘The Sock Obama’ toy plan to move forward with production. (Think Progress)
Last week, ThinkProgress reported on a racially-charged stuffed monkey toy called “The Sock Obama” being sold online. After strong public reaction, the creators decided against manufacturing the product, and they posted an apology on their site… The Salt Lake City Desert News now reports, however, that the creators have retracted their apology and said that they plan to move forward with manufacturing, as “a few new opportunities have been presented.” They also “issued a long news release that defended the monkey as a victim of double standards and unfair censorship.” They blamed “blogging dens of resistance” for the initial outcry.
I abhor this kind of hateful trash, no matter who it’s aimed at.  And I have the RIGHT to complain, because I complained of the hateful treatment Hillary Clinton received.  And yet, she will meet with him next week to encourage her donors to contribute to him.  She is certainly eeee-villllll!

Obama, Clinton Plan Joint Appearance (Political Wire)
Sen. Hillary Clinton will join Sen. Barack Obama “for a joint appearance in Washington next week to persuade her donors to begin giving to the Democrats’ nominee,” the New York Daily News reports. “It’s the first known plan to bring together the victor and vanquished from the Democrat primary race and put their pledges of unity for the fall campaign into action.”

‘Mom’ to McCain: You can’t have my boy (On Politics, USA Today)
An actress playing the role of a young mother tells Republican presidential contender John McCain that she doesn’t want her little boy to go to war in a new TV ad from the liberal group MoveOn.org Political Action and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The groups say the ad will be broadcast nationally on some cable networks and locally in the “battleground” states of Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, and that it will spend $500,000 to put it on the air.

Woman, Baby Ad Talks to Already Converted (by Taylor Marsh)
This ad [is] just plain… ridiculous. First, hyperbole on Iraq doesn’t help anyone. It just makes the one doing the sensationalizing of the event look irrelevant or worse, hopelessly left wing and unhinged. There are plenty of facts on Iraq to make the case against McCain. Even the “100 year war” quote is effective, but not in this context. Secondly, we have a 100% volunteer force. So in order for the woman to be in danger of losing her baby to McCain’s “100 year war” the child would have to be drafted… Women, especially, don’t like this stuff. I did some research and a study on women voting. The answers prove the ad above just won’t work.
Click through for details.

Chuck Todd disses Move On’s new ad: ‘I think it was a borderline shameless ad’ (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
Well, well, well. I hate to say I told you so to all the bloggers that praised him, but in the blink of an eye the Villagers have turned on MoveOn. For all those that thought Chuck Todd was so cool—guess what? He’s going to stick with the Villagers every time. I’m not saying that he’s wrong all the time, but in the end, you’ll wind up with this. And the right wing doesn’t even have to engage them in the MoveOn ad because the Chuck Todd’s will never need any convincing to attack the left. They will instinctively do it to appease the right wing and demonstrate to them that “I’m not part of that crowd.” That’s why I focus on the media so much.

Swiftboating, HuffyPot Style (by LisaB at No Quarter)
Back in the day, you know, four years ago, when John Kerry took it on the chin about his navy career, democrats decried the “swiftboating” of his military history as republicans smeared what was, at the least, honorable service to our country. Well, some Obamoids learned the lessons verrrrrry well. At today’s Huffypot (do the google, I won’t link), Jeffrey Klein has started swiftboating John McCain’s navy career by implying McCain was both over privileged (he’s an elitist too!) and an incompetent flier… But I think the part I loathe the most is this: “The genius of McCain’s mythmaking is his perceived humility amid perpetual defiance. Having been a rebel without cause, and often a rebel without consequences, McCain apparently was not surprised when his Vietnamese captors went relatively easy on him compared to his fellow POWs.”
I abhor this kind of hateful lying, no matter who it’s aimed at.  So-called liberals who do this are no better than the worst right wingers.

McCain’s call for offshore oil drilling won’t bring relief soon (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — Opening America’s coastal waters to oil drilling, as John McCain urged in an address Tuesday, is unlikely to provide Americans with more oil for at least seven to 10 years.

Crist Angles For VP Slot: Endorses McCain’s Plan For Florida Oil Drilling Despite Opposing It Last Week (Think Progress)
[Monday], Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) proposed lifting the federal ban on offshore oil drilling in Florida. “There are areas off our coasts that should be open to exploration and exploitation, and I hope we can take the first step by lifting the moratoria,” he said, a stark departure from his previous support of the ban. As the Energy Information Administration noted, lifting the offshore drilling moratorium would have only a minor impact on production and prices. But some Florida conservatives are jumping on the McCain plan anyway. Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL) — widely considered a possible McCain running mate — as late as last week opposed the drilling. Today, he flip-flopped and announced he supports McCain.

Bush to urge lifting of offshore drilling ban. (Think Progress)
Yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) offered “a bit of a capitulation to the oil companies” by announcing that, if elected president, he would end the federal ban on offshore oil drilling. Reuters reports that tomorrow, President Bush plans to give a boost to his presidential pick by making an “announcement” about energy and also calling “on Congress to pass legislation lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling.”
Was it coordinated?  Ya think?

DNC says it will file suit to compel FEC investigation of McCain campaign (On Politics, USA Today)
There’s another step today in the on-going dispute between the Democratic National Committee and Republican John McCain’s presidential campaign over whether he did or did not do anything wrong by withdrawing from the Federal Election Commission’s matching funds program during the primary season. The DNC says it’s going to file a suit seeking to compel an FEC investigation.

Cynthia McKinney’s Call to Action in Support of Dennis Kucinich’s Articles of Impeachment Against Bush (Black Agenda Report)
Cynthia McKinney, who submitted articles of impeachment against George Bush in 2006, just before she left Congress, praises Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) for filing impeachment charges last week. McKinney, running for the Green Party’s presidential nomination, commended Kucinich “for his courage and tenacity, for the comprehensiveness of his research, and for the leadership he exhibited to press forward the democratic demands of the People for accountability and justice.” Describing the Bush administration as a “lawless, degenerate regime,” McKinney called upon “all the forces of the Black movement nationwide…to organize a mass mobilization to push the House Judiciary Committee to move on the 35 Articles of Impeachment.”
If you’re looking for an alternative to Obama or McCain, there are several third parties.

Lots more really good stuff at MakeThemAccountable.com.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com