Disqus - Latest Comments for Submariner

Re: Is (insert name here) a Racist?

Submariner — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:06:00 -0000

The problem with the typical cultural conservative arguement is that it neglects political and economic inputs required for the solutions it proposes. Nsangoma's response is a prime example. Who is the 'we'? What is the objective criterion for 'good' fatherhood? What is the consequence for 'bad' fathers? (Do you sterilize them?)

Let's take driving as an analogy. One must be licensed and registered by the state and privately insured in order to drive a car. If one violates traffic rules, depending upon the frequency and nature of the offense, punishment ranges from warnings to imprisonment.

Every step in the driving process, from the acquisition of licensure to operation of the vehicle, has a definite legal and economic support structure. We don't just SAY people should be good drivers. We put legal constraints on them.

Now, if being a 'good' father is to have any purchase equivalent to being a 'good' driver then a state body must be equipped with licensing authority. The 'good' father solution is legitimate only if you accept that the state will be an arbiter of parenthod credentials the same way it confers legitimacy on practicing doctors, lawyers or any other occupation or business. And violations of objective standards must incur more than pooh-pooh responses but tangible material loss.

How ironic is it that in order to come about the conservative remedy would require greater state intervention?

Re: Is (insert name here) a Racist?

Submariner — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:40:00 -0000

Nsangoma, I'm not inimical to your position. I agree in spirit. But how do you act substantively. For example, you can tell a 400 pound man to eat right and exercise in order to lose weight and be healthy. It's true but ineffective. The overweight have a diet and exercise industry supplemented by medical technology like bariatric surgery and appetite suppressants to help them meet their goals. Medical and government organizations have published guides listing ideal weight, blood pressure, blood sugar levels and screening for common cancers.

Again, telling someone to 'man up' is true but futile. It's similar to the fan watching a ballgame on TV dispensing sound but inconsequential advice.

What are the targets for 'good' fathers? What structures do we establish to make this happen? What do we do with violators? How do we establish objective criteria and apply them in neutral fashion?

Otherwise, all you're doing is making pithy admonitions like Tupac Shakur's 'Keep Your Head Up'. Nice to hum along with but utterly ethereal.

Re: Where Were You?

Submariner — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:28:00 -0000

I was doing this.

Re: Women, White Privilege, And The Bradley Effect

Submariner — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:29:00 -0000

dnA, you presented some good tough stuff. I wanted to write a commentary on the Steinem piece but it seems you did all the heavy lifting. Next time please allow me to take out the trash.

Re: Obama’s Victory Speech in South Carolina

Submariner — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:14:00 -0000

I'm in the middle of watching the superannuated Ted Kennedy deliver his endorsement of Obama. Teddy is longwinded and dissipating energy from the crowd. Also the insertion of praise for Clinton and Edwards seems more like a calculated hedge. I'll take it but Caroline's endorsement in print and onstage was much more exhilarating.

Re: Obama’s Victory Speech in South Carolina

Submariner — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:48:00 -0000

They have to come out negative, there's nothing left. Early on the candidates staked out their territory and Obama chose the high ground of aspiration and generational coming of age. His victory speech in SC forewarned such attacks. Billary have to exploit sectarianism by appealing to Latino fears of Black ascendancy and the large reservoir of apprehension and skepticism in the over 50 crowd.

Rikyrah knows electoral details better than I do but I don't think Bill Clinton ever won a majority in the national races. He was the originator of the the GW Bush method of triangulation and carving out narrow margins of victory.

The challenge will be for Obama. How does he respond to the assaults? If he's too aggressive than he becomes another angry black man. But he can't idly stand by and be swift-boated. A real balancing act is required. He needs a real pitbull or enforcer similar to James Carville or Dick Morris to act as a surrogate. A bad cop to counterweigh Barack and Michelle's good cop role. Maintain dignity and poise while Billary get ruffled up in the ring with someone else. Another thing he should do, sadly, is raise the specter of marital infidelity and moral laxity. Don't go overboard but be subtle about it. The way GW was when he would talk about restoring honor to the White House.

The endorsement of Democratic stalwarts like Leahy, Kerry, and Kennedy signals a clear rejection of the Clintons. Barack has to play this one smart.

Re: SF Chronicle Endorses Obama (video included)

Submariner — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:53:00 -0000

Can Obama win the nomination without a victory in California? I presume Hillary will win New York.

Re: Dear Undecideds, Obama Is Not A Nimbus Of Vague Hope

Submariner — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:19:00 -0000

Yes we can.

Re: Canvassing in the DC area

Submariner — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:39:00 -0000

The real test for Hillary is this Tuesday in Virginia. Despite her campaign placing its hopes on Texas the truth is that it's not a contestable state in a general election. So while Texas Democrats can help Clinton win the nomination they are not a similar asset in the general election. Virginia, in contrast, is a red state that can go blue if Obama is the nominee. If Clinton can't win VA then even if by some stretch she gains the nomination she'll lose in a way that hasn't been seen since Dukakis in 1988.

Re: Hillary: Votes Only Count If They Are For Me

Submariner — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:39:00 -0000

After tonight, barring some calamity, Obama will have secured the nomination. The Clinton campaign can't withstand another withering defeat. The idea that Ohio and Texas are waiting their turn to place Hillary over the top is the same kind of twisted logic that Rudy Giuliani conferred on Florida when he was running. It presumes the electorate will ignore everything that has gone before and act like the contest is brand new or a tabula rasa. Of course this is a lot like asking gamblers to bet on the New England Patriots to cover a twelve point spread against the New York Giants at halftime in the Super Bowl. Every reasonable spectator, even those with deep emotional investments, wouldn't have taken those odds.

It would require contamination of public drinking water with hallucinogens to make the upcoming voters in Ohio and Pennsylvania suffer such delusion on a mass scale. Tonight we will witness the electoral version of Gettysburg. Contests will continue to be waged but the outcome will remain undeterred. Advantage Obama; now we move to the Finals.

Re: Potomac Primary: Obama & McCain Win Virginia, DC, Maryland

Submariner — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 02:07:00 -0000

I concur with Bailey. When I saw Obama at College Park on Monday he had a swagger and exuded a serene confidence. He certainly has matured during this campaign. Today was a Gettysburg moment. Tactical battles will continue to be fought but the strategic outcome has been decided. Obama will be the nominee this fall.

Re: Ted Kennedy Redeemed?

Submariner — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:32:00 -0000

You know Rikyrah, I don't like that analysis because it diminishes his achievement and reinforces the narrative of highly achieving blacks needing white approval. One of the great things about Obama's victories is that they belong to him and his supporters. Gore and Edwards may jump on late but the early, most important work, was a family affair. The Kennedys' endorsement, while very welcome, came after the fact and didn't open doors that would otherwise remain closed. The elites on Obama's side were deluged like many others. Give the brother credit.

Re: Ted Kennedy Redeemed?

Submariner — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 22:47:00 -0000

Rikyrah, can I holla at you for a second?

Re: Ted Kennedy Redeemed?

Submariner — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:01:00 -0000

Kennedy matters among the bicoastal liberal elites. He has extremely limited influence on the interior of the country where the bulk of Obama's victories were gained. He certainly doesn't have the ability to arouse a new wave of voters (I heard that there was a 300% increase in the voter turnout in VA) and definitely doesn't influence any Republicans or Independents to convert to Obama. For much of the country he is the archetypal Eastern liberal.

Re: Worried about SuperDelegates Hijacking Democracy?

Submariner — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:58:00 -0000

If you heard Barack's victory speech in Wisconsin on Tuesday night you heard him mention John McCain but say nothing about Hillary Clinton or superdelegates. The nomination is his and he knows it. The superdelegate issue makes for interesting hypotheticals and adds some drama but it's highly improbable if not impossible. Such an act would make the Dems as extinct as the Whigs.

Hillary will lose Ohio and Pennsylvania. She is likely to be defeated in Texas. She is using the Giuliani strategy and counting on Texas to come through for her. But she fails to realize that with each successive contest her losses are magnified. Instead of losing by 5 points she is beginning to lose by 20 to 30. Hillary is fighting for survival and respect.

The best move would be a gracious departure as described by Jack Turner below. However, after Virginia the outcome is certain. The upcoming races don't take place in a vacuum. The people see the pattern and sense the mandate that Obama is gaining. Assuming that you're in the 20 to 40 age range this is what it's like to be caught up in a movement. There is an energy and purpose which is not to be denied. The Obama campaign is the beneficiary but not the source. That is what Clinton, the black political leadership, and popular media don't recognize. They would be better off wearing galoshes and carrying an umbrella in a tsunami.

Re: Texas Debate Open Thread

Submariner — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:42:00 -0000

Three things stood out with one of them occurring off camera. First, John King relayed that prior to the debate Hillary Clinton approached Barack Obama backstage with some casual banter. Second, Hillary ended by saying how proud she was to have shared the platform with Barack. I may be amplifying these gestures and wandering from my background in emergency medicine into psychoanalysis but I think these were acts of concession. As I said previously, Clinton had a Gettysburg moment in Virginia. On March 4 Texas will become her Appomattox. Finally, Senator Obama directly challenged Senator McCain by name thereby asserting himself as standard bearer for the Democratic Party. This stage has been decided. Now let's see what happens next.

Re: The Shufflin’ Gets Contagious

Submariner — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:35:00 -0000

Game over.

Re: Ohio Debate Open Thread

Submariner — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:34:00 -0000

I wanted to save this for next week but after tonight's superlative performance by Barack I simply can't contain myself.

Re: Dick Gregory’s Standing O at State of the Black Union

Submariner — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:35:00 -0000

Have you seen this?

Re: Hillary BLACKENS UP Obama in Ad?

Submariner — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:12:00 -0000

Rikyrah, I just dropped you an email.

Re: If Hillary Gets To Claim Michigan And Florida, Denver Will Burn

Submariner — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:12:00 -0000

For all the persons who think that Obama should remain above the nastiness, that time is over.

Re: Race-Baiting Fear Monger Plays Victim - AGAIN

Submariner — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:06:00 -0000

It time for Barack "King David" Obama to slay the monstrosity that is Hillary Rodham Clinton. Her campaign is doing the Republicans job for them. Barack absolutely must not allow himself to be swiftboated. It's time to get Brooklyn style on that ass. For real!

Re: In Response To My Burn Denver Post

Submariner — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:44:00 -0000

It is time for us to grow up. The pretense that the Democrat Party doesn't serve powerful interests is coming apart. Hillary has essentially run the Republican campaign in a Democratic primary. If she wins I will resign my membership immediately and register as an Independent and attempt to hook up with some like minded folks to establish a brand new party of hope and justice.

The thing is that Barack has shown me that the majority of whites are willing to unite behind a common purpose.There is no way to reasonably explain the plurality of victories Obama has achieved. Although racial overtones abound, this thing is about power, not race. Hillary Rodham Clinton is quite explicit about defining herself as a watchful, protective mother and us citizens as babes to be tucked away in bed or minors for whom she will decide the best social policy. Senator Obama has promulgated a vision of change percolating from the bottom up.

For all of my life I thought entrenched racial interests were primary determinants of public life. Barack showed me I was wrong. If the Democrat Party can't take us, black, white, Latino, everyone, to where we want to go then let's discard her and start anew. YES WE CAN.

Re: BREAKING: Obama Foreign Policy Advisor Samantha Power Resigns. When Does Mark Penn Get Fired?

Submariner — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 02:03:00 -0000

Hillary Rodham Clinton has singlehandedly disabled the Democratic Party for the next eight years. Her husband did a similar thing when he cost the Dems the Congress and later cost Al Gore what should have been a clear path to the White House. It took about ten years for Democrats to recover from the insult.

The Gettysburg moment of February 5 decided the outcome of the primary. Hillary could have continued running an issue oriented campaign. However, she not only attacked Barack on the issues but also his very nature. She cast doubts about Obama's religious affiliation, insulted his supporters as deluded fanatics, and in the ultimate act of betrayal, explicitly stated that John McCain is more qualified to be POTUS than Obama. In essence, HRC became the woman who agreed to Solomon's solution of cutting a baby in half to settle a custody suit. With such open contempt his supporters could never adopt her. It was almost as if she didn't think that she would need us in the fall campaign or actually believed her commercial depiction of the electorate as babies readily guided into bed.

The Dems can't recover. Barack was a resplendent JFK. The personal and racial attacks were sure to come in a general campaign. But to have a white female fellow Democrat slinging calumnies has prepared the nation for when the heavyweight, no condom wearing, straight ATM Republicans get into the mix. Without such preconditioning by HRC the nation would have probably been repulsed at such a spectacle, the way it was when Bill Clinton first dropped his turds in South Carolina.

As it stands, Barack is trying to win a bike with a flat tire. By not putting Hillary Rodham Clinton in check, the party elders as well as the Black superdelegates who held steadfast even as HRC's venom reached toxic levels fractured their party. HRC can't get the nomination without mass defection and Barack is a once beautiful suit that's emerged from the dryer after being laundered.

Needless to say, HRC is finished politically. She can never be a national figure. What she did can't be undone in the next election cycle four years from now and certainly not within the current one. To openly proclaim the legitimacy of the Republican challenger over Obama has sealed her fate and maybe Barack's.

HRC can't be the nominee because of the immediate exodus which would ensue. She can't be a VP because of the nature of her attacks. She can't really throw her support behind Barack without openly marinating in hypocrisy. The scorn she has heaped on Obama and his supporters is irrational to a degree approaching Faye Dunaway's portrayal of Joan Crawford.

Barack would need to craft a political version of Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods in order to win this thing. Chuck Hagel as VP would be a prerequisite for Obama to avoid becoming another Michael Dukakis. Such a bold maneuver could not only help retool and recalibrate the campaign, but revitalize the jes grew spirit which characterized Obama's ascent.

Hillary has effectively ended her chance at higher office. Yet I'm at a loss to understand why the leadership allowed her to wreck the party? Al Gore and John Edwards should have thrown their weight behind Obama after February especially when McCain was the presumptive nominee. Howard Dean should have been more vehement about strict adherence to the rules regarding Florida and Michigan. The leadership should have spoken to big money donors and told them to refrain from putting more money into the Clinton campaign, and given off the record comments to superannuated political reporters like Bob Woodward about the futility of a Clinton resurgence. It was as if the owners of the manor just stood by idly as a mad woman defecated in the kitchen without thinking that eventually they would have to eat there. The Dems are dysfunctional.

Re: Oh And Obama Won Texas Officially BTW

Submariner — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 10:32:00 -0000

After the massacre of February 5, for Hillary to succeed would've required a Democratic version of Bush's victory over Gore in 2000. The numbers just weren't there for her to win legitimately. David defeated Goliath but the media colluded with the Clintons to create an image of viability. What Barack did was deliver a political version of the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.

The real question for Senator Obama and you guys is does Barack take this tarnished prize or does he leave Washington and stage a successful run for governor of Illinois and seek redemption in 2012 or 2016? It is undeniable that HRC has essentially endorsed the Republican challenger over Obama. She can't take that back. But has the Democratic leadership, by its silence, also done the same? Would Barack merely be a sacrificial lamb or scapegoat in the fall campaign?

Re: Obama Wins Wyoming Caucus

Submariner — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:05:00 -0000

Enough!

Re: Ferraro Says Obama is LUCKY He’s Black

Submariner — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:43:00 -0000

It's over! Enough of the whining.

I must tell you that I'm an ER physician at a hospital in inner-city Baltimore. I encounter people on a nearly daily basis in the grips of acute mental disorders. But the psychological deterioration that the public is witnessing in the Clintons is truly fascinating. I don't recall anything in public life for the past twenty-five years that approaches the folie a deux of Bill and Hillary. I wasn't alive when LBJ was POTUS and I was an oblivious infant during Nixon's reign, but I'm sure that this past year of Billary will undergo serious psychological assessment. I'm awed by how Hillary Clinton is becoming everything that she accused Obama of: a pathetic, weak little figure unfit to lead; an untrustworthy individual who makes you wonder how in the hell did they reach their position and what do her supporters see in her to believe that she could actually be POTUS? I thought Bill would be severe enough to read the writing on the wall and hang it up but Mike Tyson has nothing on this man. As it stands he is rapidly becoming another Tiki Barber and losing all ties with his former team. Bill and Hillary Clinton are going to be treated like Jimmy and Roslyn Carter: peripheral figures and distant relatives that you see once in a while at a cookout, muster a forced smile and pat too aggressively on the back and quickly excuse yourself to go to the punch bowl. How can a so-called smart power couple be so utterly inept? She has to quit the race by the end of March to keep what little political they have left. She might be able to keep her Senate seat if she does so but if she tries to raise doubts about Obama's capacity to lead at the convention right before the fall campaign she will not have a future in public life.

Re: Obama on the Cover of Rolling Stone

Submariner — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:32:00 -0000

Hey y'all, something for your perusal.

Re: Ferraro Says Obama is LUCKY He’s Black

Submariner — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:31:00 -0000

For Anon 8:16, your gal Hillary done answered your question. Check this out and tell me one unsubstantiated point.

Hillary is losing all credibility. She is becoming a grotesque joke. If she wants to still be influential and remain a senator, then she must quit the race by the end of March. Any potential gain she achieves in Pennsylvania will evaporate the following month in Indiana and North Carolina.

The outcome has been mathematically decided. She's gotta go freely or face eviction. And with the new scandal involving Gov. Spitzer, the media no longer has a vested interest in perpetuating the illusion of a viable Hillary.

This race was effectively decided in February. It was a Gettysburg moment. Sure the campaign continued, but the end was foretold. None other than Bill Clinton said that Hillary needed overwhelming victories in Texas and Ohio on March 4 in order to have a chance. That didn't happen.

I'm sorry for you and other Hillary supporters. The mainstream media and the Clintons colluded in deception. They made you think she had a real shot at winning legitimately. But now the media is moving on to fresh meat and is no longer propping up the house of cards.

Make no mistake. The convention is a coronation. The Clintons have made their supporters believe that something could be finessed at the convention but that hasn't been true since the Sixties.

Essentially Bill and Hillary have been hoping for the Democratic Party elites to do Barack what the Supreme Court did to Al Gore: ratify an outcome not supported by the numbers. This just can't happen without destroying the party apparatus.

If she cares about you and her supporters and is indeed the one to do the things that you describe, then Hillary needs to exercise the moral courage of a Robert E. Lee at Appomattox and concede the prize to Barack by the end of this month. They can put aside past differences and work together for the good of the nation and secure a Democrat victory.

But this relentless, win-at-all-costs thrust for the nomination is more becoming of a recklesss gambling addict doubling their bets after losing than an honest sober leader.

Re: Ferraro Says Obama is LUCKY He’s Black

Submariner — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:14:00 -0000

Hate to burst everyone's fun but it's a wrap. With a story like this contrasted against Barack's ability to help Dems pick up a net gain from Dennis Hastert's district while not even yet POTUS, it's clearr for all to see. Too late for Hillary to step down gracefully and remain in Washington. She's outta here.

Re: Obama Wins Mississippi

Submariner — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:04:00 -0000

I think the Democratic Party is in the middle of some tricky surgery right about now. But the patient is Hillary and the scalpel is Florida.

Re: CENTCOM Commander, Admiral William Fallon Resigns-Perk Up Those Ears for the Drumbeats

Submariner — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:06:00 -0000

This is a very, very dangerous and unsteady posture to assume. A classic Gulf of Tonkin move: create a provocation to incite Iran and turn to the American public and say, "See what they did?" And launch a 'just' war.

This is why people who say that there is no difference between Dems and Repubs or Hillary and Barack are wrong. The commander-in-chief reference that she dropped last week was a thinly veiled expression for willingness to go to war. That is why Hillary put herself and McCain ahead of Obama and why she will never be the nominee. Nancy Pelosi has practically ruled Hillary out.

There is some serious jockeying among the elites right now. The outcome is no longer in the voters hands. The Dems are in the tenuous position of extirpating the hawks in their midst. Hard to do this without disemboweling itself, to be sure. The chess match isn't just between the candidates but what they represent. The Dean and Pelosi wing will never countenance the Clintons. That is why Lieberman had to go and Hillary has to go. But you can't just expel them. This is Shakespearean drama being played out in real life: King Richard the Second(Clinton) versus Bolingbroke (Obama).

Re: CENTCOM Commander, Admiral William Fallon Resigns-Perk Up Those Ears for the Drumbeats

Submariner — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:23:00 -0000

D. you need to go back to your homework, and not the high school or college kind either. Even a cursory appraisal of the Iraq War will show you that military elites wanted no such endeavor, however, they were strongarmed by civilians. In our system of governance the military is always subservient to policymakers. I would refer you to The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam as the classic exegesis of deliberate war making by civilians. Even in his Personal Memoirs, Ulysses S. Grant relays how policymakers in Washington ordered US Army troops to the Texas border on a pretext to provoke the Mexixcan War. So don't tell me that civilians genuflect to the recommendations of the military.

Notwithstanding HRC's race-baiting, the most important story is this one posted by Rikyrah. Like the EADS contract for USAF refeulers and this one, it is the underreported story that is of most significance. It's not that we will go to war with Iran next week or next month. It's just that all the assets are being moved into place such that it makes an unstable situation even worse.

As for the utility of war, we are a war socialist economy so the costs is a relative term. Some sectors benefit greatly from such activity. Check out http://subrealism.blogspot.com/ for some more on this.

Re: Geraldine Ferraro and the Clinton Campaign’s Strategy

Submariner — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:56:00 -0000

Bill Clinton's legacy will be that of a racist. Hillary Clinton's legacy will be that of a racist.

Party leaders must act now to end this before the party is destroyed. Super Delegates were created after Ted Kennedy took a wounded and fruitless candidacy to the convention in 1980. Super Delegates have the job of stopping wounded and fruitless candidacies, like that of Senator Clinton.

Amen, bagofhealthandpolitics. Hilary and Bill won't go peacefully. It's time for the leadership to denounce and reject their and Barack needs to take this opportunity to appear presidential and make a measured careful speech on the matter and show us his supporters why we need him and risk his political capital and make a speech on primetime in Indiana about racial reconciliation and moving away from using blacks as political football. The Clinton's have set race reconciliation back to the Eighties and are pushing it to the George Wallace style Fifties. The CBC en bloc, including HRC kneegrows, must NOT FUCK UP! This is making me boiling mad. TAVIS SMILEY needs to STAND THE FUCK UP and in his words "question" Hillary Rodham Clinton on this decided turn for the worse.

Re: Keith Olberman Comes Correct On Clinton And Ferraro

Submariner — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:29:00 -0000

Everyone, please write your elected officials and let them know in no uncertain terms that if HRC is on the ticket then we are done with them for life. I live in Maryland. My governor and congressman and senator endorsed Clinton. I have written them stating that I cannot remain a Democrat or support their future efforts if this is allowed to pass.

The CBC is particularly galling. They are merely interested in patronage. And where the fuck is Tavis Smiley's State of the Black Union when this shit is going down? I knew he was full of shit when he was talking skeptically about Barack's platform on home foreclosure and healthcare against a backdrop that promoted his sponsors, Wells Fargo and McDonalds. And to talk about Iraq and conveniently not mention his other sponsor, ExxonMobil, was also self serving.

The thing is that a day of reckoning is upon us. Maxine Waters and others politicians can talk all that pro-Black bullshit but the proof is their silence on this latest reckless and ill-conceived move by the Clinton camp. Someone earlier was right in pointing out that if a faintly antisemitic remark was uttered then swift universal rebuttal would have ensued. But with us it seems we are now encrusted with black apologists for Democratic racist smears.

For anyone out there who lives in one of these kneegrows' districts and has aspirations for assuming their offices please drop your email address or a link to your organization. As Barack has shown, sometimes a thing just grows. An entity arises from a discrete voice saying, "I can." And it replicates in viral fashion to overwhelm a nation. Barack has given us a blueprint for action. Let's use it. I promise right now that if you are legit that I will lend you a hand. Let's purge these second and third line muhfuckin inheritors of the Civil Rights Movement from the body politic.

Re: Keith Olberman Comes Correct On Clinton And Ferraro

Submariner — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:15:00 -0000

Terrence, what country have you been in for the last ten years? The Clinton's are fiercely embraced by the large segment of the black populace despite the deleterious effects of welfare reform and mandatory prison sentencing which were enacted by Bill. It was Hillary flying in a chopper telling Barack to 'get some' that got folks started. And even now, I have yet to hear of any black superdelegate say that they are withdrawing their support from HRC.

So Terrence you are going to have to raise your game to at least JV level to hang out in this forum. It's not that I have a problem with contrary opinion; I've got a problem with completely unsubstantiated remarks like yours that try to pass for fact or serious social commentary and analysis. That's just weak. Sort of like HRC herself at this juncture.

Re: She’s Baaaaack. Stephanie Tubbs Jones On Ferraro (video)

Submariner — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:29:00 -0000

Does anyone know how many of the superdelegates are black? And if the CBC came out en bloc and declared that they were withdrawing their support from Clinton would her campaign be viable? If so then shouldn't we take our aim at the chinks in the Clinton armor: the CBC and Democrat congressional and campaign leadership of Nancy Pelosi and Howard Dean? Because with the most recent attack on the black church it's clear that Hillary and Bill are playing get some. Yet if the CBC is in her corner, it makes it nearly impossible to have the charge of race baiting, except if she overtly called him a nigger, become an albatross around her neck.

Re: Hillary "Tonya Harding" Clinton Big Dollar Donors Threaten Pelosi & DCCC

Submariner — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:42:00 -0000

I would refer you to an underrated Orson Wells film, The Magnificent Ambersons. It depicts what happens to an aristocracy when confronted with change not of its own design and the prospect of being displaced by an elite which derives it prestige not from family ties and origin but by its ability to harness the forces of industry and capitalism.

The Clinton donors face the same existential threat in Obama. For what is the good of being a millionaire or billionaire if an upstart candidate can come along and raise more money from small donors and secure the nomination if not the presidency? Gone will be the days of having to come hat in hand to a small cadre of the ultra-rich. They need Obama the way a stagecoach manufacturer needed the automobile. This is why Hillary Rodham Clinton is still in the campaign. It's not just her and Bill's future at stake but a whole political landscape dominated by the power elite but marketed as democracy.

Re: Hillary " Tonya Harding" Clinton Attempts to Mess with the Voting in Texas - AGAIN

Submariner — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:36:00 -0000

The Dems are in the middle of civil war.

Re: Slam Poet Predicts Obama And Reaction A Year Ago (video)

Submariner — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:03:00 -0000

Did Condi Rice covertly endorse Obama?

Re: JJP To Be On CNN’s Campbell Brown Blogger Panel Tues Night 8pm ET (Updated)

Submariner — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:46:00 -0000

The Clinton's built a bridge to the 21st century - Barack Obama IS the 21st century.

Wow! I've never heard that before. That is the puchline which you have to skillfully apply during your discourse. If appropriate, use it at the opening but maybe not in the middle where it's likely to be overlooked. Definitely use it in your closing remarks. I hope Barack's people are reading this or watching tonight because this is a line that has great potential for his partisans on the public airwave battle. Pass it along to his campaign managers if possible.

If Jeremiah Wright comes up then be prepared to quote MLK. And if antisemitism makes an appearance be absolutely sure to name Pat Buchanan and how his past responses could be considered antisemitic.

Re: Tuesday Open Thread: What’s Up, People?

Submariner — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:26:00 -0000

I'd like to share this. In light of the recent charge of elitism thrown at Senator Obama, I'm concerned that we need the anchor of history to prevent us from losing our equilibrium. Obama's ascendancy is certainly a good thing for America. It would be the end of beginning to tear down the pillar of racism that our country was founded upon. Racism is a boil that must be lanced and the ugly truths, including black co-conspirators, must be extruded. But it would be an unforgivable error on our part to miss out on how class oppression is tied into this mess.

Re: Tuesday Open Thread: Hi Everybody

Submariner — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:27:00 -0000

I too am feeling a little down, but I just posted something for encouragement. Ronnie B thanks for the uplift.

Re: Hillary "Tonya Harding" Clinton Fully Vetted? Not with 24 MILLION of Bill’s income unexplained

Submariner — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:42:00 -0000

She needs some good advice.

Re: Appalachia

Submariner — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:04:00 -0000

This was an excellent post with superb and refreshing commentary from the readers. You folks really made me think. Here is something to bring levity to such a vigorous and bright exchange. Keep up the strong work, JJP and readers.

Re: Obama Puts Bush and McCain On Blast

Submariner — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:05:00 -0000

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but I seriously think that Obama is going to choose Chuck Hagel as his running mate. Note his acknowledgment of a bipartisanship approach to foreign policy while objecting vigorously to Bush/McCain. While speaking of failed Bush policies he avoids disparaging Republicans.

The old ways will not do, and Senator Obama is changing the political calculus. Hagel represents the vanguard of Republicans who are sensible and don't need controversial cultural issues to provide legitimacy. Also with a distinguished Vietnam War record of his own, Hagel is the perfect counter to McCain. Additionally, unlike Wesley Clark, Hagel has the proven skill for tough negotiation which is critical in Washington.

As tough as the primary was, this fall campaign will prove to be more arduous. This is no time for political neophytes like Clark or servile adherence to a safe, little known Midwestern Democrat. Obama needs the big joker to win this thing. Only a bold choice like Hagel will solidly confirm Obama's vision and suck the oxygen from McCain. Obama/Hagel '08.

Re: Obama Puts Bush and McCain On Blast

Submariner — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:26:00 -0000

Au contraire, NK. Hillary Rodham Clinton has provided the GOP with a blueprint. That is a relentless, excoriating attack on Obama's character. HRC's mistake was that she started the scorched earth strategy too late. It would have been different if she seized the initiative. She made great but ultimately futile progress. Republican operatives will not wait for Barack to gain momentum before eviscerating him.

Re: Obama Puts Bush and McCain On Blast

Submariner — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:09:00 -0000

What President Bush did was wreckless. The primacy of Israel in Middle Eastern affairs is sacrosanct no matter who occupies the White House. The president knows this. By using a foreign platform, the Knesset no less, to make a domestic partisan point Bush has encouraged Israel to take ill advised risks to protect itself. That is why he has been roundly criticized. To imply that Israel would be less secure if a Democrat is in office promotes Israel to make more aggressive manuevers with the obvious adverse outcomes.

This is the sad legacy of the current president. Not merely the confluence of international and domestic disturbances which are arguably beyond his control. But the Rove doctrine of using every implement to advance partisan objectives. We saw the same thing in the actions of the Justice Department to target Democrats in public office. Bush certainly has a right and duty to lead his party to victory. However, that should not be done at the expense of inciting a global conflict which is what he did.

As for my friends who think that Obama is immune to the politics of personal destruction, you are sadly mistaken. Karl Rove's greatest contribution was that you attack your enemy's strengths. So a tremendous intellect like Gore is mutated into a geek or a decorated war veteran like Kerry is called into doubt about the bona fides of said service. Conversely, your candidate's weaknesses become virtues. So G.W. Bush's inexperience and inarticulateness makes him more connected with the common man.

At JJP it is all too easy to become enthralled with Obama's strengths and not see how they could be used against him. No doubt the political landscape is being realigned but don't become too carried away and think that Obama's considerable charm or guile will simply disarm his opponent. What will bring Obama victory is winning over Independents and disillusioned Republicans. Certainly Obama can and will compete nationally but Appalachia and Florida are probably out of reach. This means he needs to break into Republican strongholds and that will not happen because Barack is the man.

Re: Obama Moves In On The DNC- Changes Money Rules

Submariner — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:34:00 -0000

He just won this thing. If he teams with moderate Republican and Vietnam War veteran Chuck Hagel then Barack he makes Change tangible and wins by a huge electoral margin this fall.

Re: Obama Moves In On The DNC- Changes Money Rules

Submariner — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:07:00 -0000

S:

Check out my blog if you want to have a serious, prolonged discussion about the "surge" and "progress". Eat your vegetables, do your push-ups, and be prepared to bring some considerable intellectual rigor into the arena. Suffice it to say that a similar propaganda campaign was used during conduct of the Vietnam War forty years ago. Facts on the ground are completely disconnected from reality as shown by John McCain saying he never felt "safer" in Baghdad while esconced by troops and a chopper overhead and the street closed to traffic.

Re: Matthew Taylor is Ruining the RSA

Submariner — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:57:00 -0000

Very true, Guido. I used to admire the RSA. A few years ago I was approached by both the RSA and Common Purpose to become members. I went and had a look at first hand by attending a few events before making a commitment. Fairly quickly it became obvious that there was massive group think going on in both organisations, and that it was assumed you would fit into a particular broad-left big-state view of the world. As the man from the Mirror used to say, "I made my excuses and left".

Re: Hazel’s Honesty

Submariner — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:10:00 -0000

Can any psephological geniuses confirm or deny the following snippet posted by yorkshirebeard in that LabHome thread? Surely the prospect of Brown retaining the premiership after getting 31% votes versus Conservative 37% would send piano-wire makers' shares skyrocketing.
***

"Using tools provided by UK Poll Monitor:

"Assuming a uniform swing, the following result would give Labour the most seats in a hung parliament, and therefore Brown would remain Prime Minister

Con 37%

Lab 31%

Lib 25 %

Other 7%"

Re: Labour Civil War Silences LabourList

Submariner — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 06:00:00 -0000

LabourList appears, at 11am, to be off-air altogether. Coincidence?

wv, spookily, = mistsho