Hillary’s Voice

Taking a Cue From Ants on Evolution of Humans (New York Times)
Many evolutionary biologists have been persuaded, by works like “The Selfish Gene” by Richard Dawkins, that the gene is the only level at which natural selection acts. Dr. [Edward O.] Wilson, changing his mind because of new data about the genetics of ant colonies, now believes that natural selection operates at many levels, including at the level of a social group. It is through multilevel or group-level selection — favoring the survival of one group of organisms over another — that evolution has in Dr. Wilson’s view brought into being the many essential genes that benefit the group at the individual’s expense. In humans, these may include genes that underlie generosity, moral constraints, even religious behavior.

“Groups with men of quality — brave, strong, innovative, smart and altruistic — would tend to prevail, as Darwin said, over those groups that do not have those qualities so well developed,” Dr. Wilson said. “Now that, obviously, is a rather unpopular idea, very politically incorrect if pushed, but nevertheless Darwin may have been right about that. Undoubtedly that will be another big controversy.”
The reason why the right is so wrong is that right-wing ideology presumes unbridled selfishness is not only good, it’s what leads to the best outcome for us all. As this article shows, more and more research is available showing that selfishness isn’t the whole answer.  It’s a complete mystery why I can’t get a book published on this topic, as applied to the political process.

Former Obama Supporters - dot - com (by TexasDarlin at No Quarter)

“Gaffes Drove the Campaign Narrative Last Week: July 7 - 13, 2008? (Project for Excellence in Journalism)
[Rev. Jesse] Jackson’s derogatory remarks about Obama, made when he [supposedly] thought he was off camera and off mike while preparing to appear on a Fox News program, was the biggest campaign storyline in the media last week, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism’s Campaign Coverage Index… It was not the only statement by a non-candidate to steer the campaign narrative last week. The comments by John McCain economic advisor, former Senator Phil Gramm, that the country’s economic problems are mostly a “mental recession” in the minds of whiny consumers, was the second-biggest storyline last week. Indeed, together the two gaffes comprised nearly a quarter of the campaign coverage studied (23%)… One other trend to emerge last week was that Democrat Obama again received more coverage than Republican McCain. Obama was at least a significant presence in fully 77% of the campaign stories studied, compared with 48% for McCain.

African-American Media Waiting on Barack’s Big Bucks
Think He Doesn’t Need to Court Them? Think Again, Say the Experts

Throwing low-level Democratic staffers under the bus (by lambert at Corrente)
Sounds like the Hill is not gruntled with all the Hope and Change: “Some Capitol Hill Democrats have begun to complain privately that Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is insular, uncooperative and inattentive to their hopes for a broad Democratic victory in November…” Obama spokesman Bill Burton dismissed the criticism as not-for-attribution complaints of staffers who aren’t knowledgeable about the campaign’s Hill coordination efforts… Oh, and of course — “Sun slated to appear in East” — the Obama campaign blames Hillary: “Other Obama campaign sources repeatedly noted that the drawn-out fight with Clinton has ‘put the campaign behind schedule’ in terms of Hill outreach and message operation, but that the campaign remains confident it can make up lost ground.”

Dem Superdelegates Rule After All (by Craig Crawford at Trailmix, CQ Politics)
There was a time months ago — when Hillary Rodham Clinton led the Democratic nomination race — that party superdelegates were the bad guys according to the rhetoric coming out of Barack Obama’s camp. Obama supporters trashed the unelected, automatic and unpledged delegates as undemocratic autocrats when it looked as though they might put Clinton over the top. Not anymore. With the dust settled on the primary season, one thing is clear: Obama is the presumed nominee thanks only to superdelegates. He never did win enough pledged delegates to reach the winning number, falling about 350 votes short. His expected victory stems from beating Clinton among superdelegates 463-257, according to a tally on Real Clear Politics.

All the more reason for Obama to make sure that there is no roll call including Clinton’s name on the ballot at the national convention — which a few die hard fans of the former First Lady are still clamoring for. Why highlight just how close the Democratic contest really was? And there is certainly no gain for Obama in dwelling on how he had to depend on superdelegates to win the nomination.

‘New Yorker’ editor says cover was like ‘Colbert in print’ (On Politics, USA Today)
Stephen Colbert uses satire to comment on politics, why not a magazine? That’s the point New Yorker editor David Remnick just made on CNN’s The Situation Room, one of the many cable news stops he’s made today.
Absolutely wrong.  Colbert and Jon Stewart are extremely funny without being mean.  They aren’t even mean to Republicans.

Cartoonists Not Fond of Obama Art on ‘New Yorker’ Cover
NEW YORK Barry Blitt’s satirical July 21 New Yorker magazine cover showing a Muslim Barack Obama and a gun-toting Michelle Obama is not getting rave reviews from other artists contacted by E&P. Association of American Editorial Cartoonists President (AAEC) Nick Anderson said he understood what Blitt was trying to do (show how the Obamas are perceived by some people, not as they really are). But he noted that the cartoon was done “clumsily.” The Houston Chronicle/Washington Post Writers Group (WPWG) creator added that it would have helped if the cover art had a title such as “The Politics of Fear,” or showed enemies of Obama painting or imagining the picture.
Click through for more reactions.

The Bad Frame: Why Are the New Yorker, Salon and Other Liberal Media Doing the Right’s Dirty Work? (by Don Hazen, AlterNet)
This week’s New Yorker cover image of the Obamas is shocking in the racism and gross stereotyping that is built into its supposed satire.
I didn’t notice Don Hazen scolding the media for their awful characterizations of Hillary Clinton.

Crowd erupts during Obama speech — but it’s over mention of Clinton (Top of the Ticket, Los Angeles Times)
An interesting and surprising little thing happened Sunday while Barack Obama was speaking (in English) to the National Council of La Raza in San Diego… The crowd was very respectful of the Democratic nominee-to-be, who easily leads among Latinos, according to polls. And Obama also talked about giving tax credits to small businesses that provide health insurance for employees. It was then that the crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause and warm cheers. But not over Obama’s policy proposal. What ignited that outburst was the mere mention by Obama of the name Hillary Clinton, his vanquished party opponent.

Karen Hughes alert: As Obama prepares overseas trip, Democrats abroad see him as bridge-builder
LONDON — From Australia to South Africa, from the Bosporus to northern France, American fans of Barack Obama have been staging rallies abroad at world-famous bridges to show support for the Democratic presidential candidate and his pledge to span old political divisions.

Obama would send 2 more brigades to Afghanistan
WASHINGTON - Democrat Barack Obama said Monday that as president he would send at least two more combat brigades to Afghanistan, where U.S. soldiers face rising violence and endured their deadliest attack in three years on Sunday.

RI Sen. Reed denies interest in vice presidency
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed says he’s not interested in being the running mate of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Obama regrets letting his kids appear on “Access Hollywood”
Barack Obama’s later regrets seemed to have less to with the interview itself than the way clips of it were played over and over on cable stations, reports David Bauder.

Poll news: Sudden shift? What sudden shift? (On Politics, USA Today)
When we pointed on Saturday to the latest Newsweek poll, which shows a sharp narrowing of Democrat Barack Obama’s advantage over Republican John McCain in the presidential race, we cautioned that most other polls had not previously been giving Obama a wide lead (Newsweek’s was 15 points last month; it’s 3 points now). It seemed that “the story” might not be just that Obama’s lead had shrunk in Newsweek’s survey, but also that what had been an “outlier” among recent polls was now in line with most others, for what that’s worth. The graphic with this afternoon’s “daily tracking poll” from Gallup certainly shows that its reading on the race hasn’t been changing much:
So the question isn’t why is Obama losing support, it’s why isn’t he gaining support.

CLARK HOYT STOPS GETTING RESULTS: (by Bob Somerby at the Daily Howler)
[L]ast week, Obama’s children appeared on TV—and a certain columnist’s [Maureen Dowd] slender hold on sanity seems to have snapped… You have to feel sorry for the New York Times editor forced to type this on-line synopsis: “Was Barack Obama irritated that he had exposed his daughters to a television interview or that his kids exposed more delicious details about his finicky, abstemious tastes?” In a sane world, a nation’s biggest paper would hang its head at that synopsis of its star columnist’s work. But you don’t live in such a world. You live in a world which continues to melt away—just outside the ornate walls of a pseudo-journalistic palace. Inside the walls of that press corps Versailles, powdered inmates bellow and wail. On Hardball, the thinkers used to worry about why Obama prefers orange juice (to coffee). Now, the inmates tear their hair about his rejection of doughnuts.

What are McCain’s Plans for Social Security? (by Mark Thoma at Economist’s View)
Why [hasn’t the Obama campaign] gone after McCain’s “disgrace” remark regarding Social Security?… Why haven’t they hammered away at some of his statements and the inconsistencies surrounding them about carve-out privatization plans? Will they do anything with the implication identified above that McCain must be planning to cut benefits? Why so much silence from the Obama campaign on the Social Security issue?
Well, Mark, could it be because Obama has been using the same right-wing talking points on Social Security that McCain has?  Paul Krugman has noted several instances.

This Week: Ahnold Says Don’t Believe What McCain Says; Look At What He Does (by Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars)
I don’t think this is what John McCain meant by being on the Straight Talk Express.  California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger — who has endorsed John McCain — admits that even though McCain is running on a Bush third term, agreeing with him on Iraq, economic policies, tax cuts, health care and free trade, we shouldn’t take his words seriously…his actions show him to be far more moderate guy, willing to work and compromise with the Democrats in Congress.  He’s just saying what he has to during the campaign, see? He doesn’t really mean it.
Must be catching.  Click through to watch the video.

McCain forgets that Czechoslovakia isn’t a country… again. (Think Progress)
During a press availability today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said that he’s been concerned by “a couple of steps that the Russian government took in the last several day,” including “reducing the energy supplies to Czechoslovakia.” But, as TPM’s Greg Sargent points out, Czechoslovakia hasn’t existed in 15 years. This isn’t the first time McCain has made this mistake. At a debate in Oct. 2007, McCain said that America needs to “have a missile defense system in place in Czechoslovakia and Poland.”

Iraq War Not Hurting McCain (Political Wire)
“Despite broad, longstanding dissatisfaction with the war, just 50% of Americans prefer Obama’s plan to withdraw most U.S. forces within 16 months of taking office. Essentially as many, 49%, side with McCain’s position — setting no timetable and letting events dictate when troops are withdrawn,” according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll. “McCain’s competitiveness on Iraq runs counter to broader views on the war, which more closely align with Obama’s.”

Cynthia McKinney is Green Party nominee
CHICAGO - Green Party delegates have selected former Democratic Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney of Georgia as the party’s presidential nominee. Ruth Weill, the party’s national convention coordinator, said the delegates selected McKinney as they wrapped up their national convention here on Saturday.

The Power to the People Committee, Cynthia McKinney for President has purchased carbon offsets
The Power to the People Committee, Cynthia McKinney for President has purchased carbon offsets from NativeEnergy.com to ameliorate its impact on the global warming process. As they put it on their website, “Together, we can help build and support new clean and renewable sources of energy that reduce global warming pollution and create sustainable economies for Native Americans, family farmers, and local communities.”

State of the Onion (by Paul Krugman)
“Recession-Plagued Nation Demands New Bubble To Invest In” - We’re now in year 8 of the Onion Era: the era in which Onion articles have consistently proved more accurate than the stuff you read in mainstream newspapers. Remember this? “WASHINGTON, DC–Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that ‘our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over.’”

Lots more really good stuff at MakeThemAccountable.com.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com