Politirazzi

By Adrian

Memorial Day gave me a chance to relax, reflect and drink a few cold ones. During my moments of alcohol induced nirvana, I realized I was in no state to think about politics. In fact, inspired by my very close French friend, I’ve decided to go on strike! No politics for a week! No CNN, no MSNBC and just a little dose of the NY Times and WSJ Web sites.

What to do about my blog? Well, I’m going to do what any good writer (and I am not claiming such a title) would do — write a personal vignette tangentially related to politics.

Disclaimer: To whomever I may or may not be dating right now this story may or may not be true.

A couple months ago, not long after the Texas and Ohio primaries, I met a cute girl and decided to invite her out for a drink. The date was going great! She was interesting, fun and very smart. Then she popped the question: “Who are you backing in the presidential election?”

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By Jeff

As a follow-up to Meg’s post regarding just how ignorant many people are regarding this election and what are their (foolish) motives for choosing their candidate, it got me thinking about a recent blog post from Ben Smith, who makes the point that it’s actually surprising that "only" 10 percent of Americans think Barack Obama is a Muslim, given the striking ignorance Americans show in many other areas.

So, building off his base, here are a few more statistics about Americans that is really actually pretty depressing.

10 percent think Barrack Obama is Muslim.

18 percent think the sun revolves around the Earth.

19 percent accept the presence of spells and witchcraft.

22 percent think George W. Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks before they happened.

(AP)

By Meg

I should be happy. Back in November, when I decided to cast my lot for Obama, I remember exactly what I said next: “If he’s still on the ballot in February.” Now he’s all but locked up the nomination. And his opponent ain’t too shabby, either! At the very least, I’m pretty sure that McCain won’t be any worse than Bush (it’s a low bar, but I’ll take it). I should be thrilled.

So why am I so unhappy? Let’s start with how the media, less concerned with journalism than ratings, continues to lament that this primary is cataclysmic for the Democrats and traumatic for voters. How, oh, how will the Dems ever come together after all of this intelligent debate on important issues? How can they possibly heal from these months of free publicity?? My mother talks about how sick she is of this election in the same tone she uses to describe how sick she is of Rachael Ray’s inexplicable overexposure. She’s not the first person I’ve heard make similar comments in similar tones (about the election and about Rachael Ray). It seems to me that we’re following this election the same way we follow American Idol: Here are a few contestants — let’s race ‘em! It’s entertainment! Except that it’s not. Entertaining, certainly, but not entertainment.

There are other things that have contributed to this Jacobean moodiness of mine.

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By Emily

Remember when President Bush told the pope he delivered an "awesome speech"? Good times at the Bush Kappa Bush frat continued yesterday at commencement proceedings at the Air Force Academy. Yes, that's our commander in chief chest-bumping a graduate.

President Bush and U.S. Air Force Academy graduate Theodore Shiveley, from Plano, Texas, bump chests during the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony yesterday in Colorado Springs, Colo. (AP)

(and there's more)

(AP)

By Kim

I would just like to be the first to welcome former White House press secretary Scott McClellan to the "sick of the Bush administration" fold! And though he's just doing the press rounds for his new book "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception," it's about time he came out of the proverbial closet! Though I will not be buying his book, the snippets do sound quite intriguing regarding the delusions of grandeur of Bush (possibly a side effect of coke binges that he doesn't remember?) and how Ms. Secretary of State Condi Rice may be pulling more strings than we ever thought while flying under the radar!

By David

Can he win?

With the trauma of the primary drawing to a close, that is the question Democratic activists are asking themselves as Hillary Clinton sows doubts that Barack Obama can actually rally a plurality of the electorate to his side.

It’s a valid question. Barack Obama is a singular, incandescent politician, the likes of which has not walked across the public stage in years.

But he is not without serious, serious flaws as a candidate. He would be one of the least experienced men ever to sit in the Oval Office. He comes out of the ward-heel Chicago political tradition. If he wins, he will send American men and women overseas while pointedly not wearing in American flag.

And with a middle name of Hussein, an international upbringing and law professor pedigree, he doubtless strikes any voters as strange, if not downright Manchurian. Does he even own a dog?

Recent polls suggest that a growing number of Democratic primary voters won’t vote for Obama because he’s black, but race may turn out to be the least of Obama’s problems with Main Street.

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You can't ignore Dem beats. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are stumping in Puerto Rico (which holds its primary on June 7), but not without showing off some hot steps. Check out these videos of Hil and Barack breaking it down. Thanks, Spin Cycle.

— Emily

(AP)

By Jeff

At the adult table (as always) is the Republican Illuminati of James Baker, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, a picture of baby Jesus and George W. Bush in his rocketship seat. At the kids table is all the people who may potentially be vice presidential candidates: Bobby Jindal, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Charlie Crist and Tim Pawlenty.

Poppa Bush says, “Alright men, while McCain’s back at the grill we need to determine — Dick, quit eating that puppy carcass for a second, this is important — by the end of this day, we’re going to decide who is assigned as vice presidential nominee. Rove, go.”

“Well, it really needs to be someone young and energizing to fight the Obamania factor, and someone with a strong conservative record to placate the core Gays/Guns/God crowd that doesn’t think McCain is conservative enough” as Karl looks over while Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee arm wrestle to see who gets to say grace. “It would also be ideal to get someone who could help us carry some swing states.”

Baker butts in, “I think we should start excluding some guys. We’ll get Florida even if Crist isn’t on the ticket — I made sure of that last time — plus he’s got white hair, and we’ve already got one of them. Huckabee is a nice guy, and I’m really impressed with his weight loss, but is it just me, or does he come off as a bit crazy? When he tries to be funny, it just kind of creeps me out. Liability.”

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By Kim

Tensions rise at the Asylum as vice presidential hopefuls Gov. Bobby Jindal, Gov. Charlie Crist and Mitt Romney fight to look the least Democratic while eating calamari. “Your sweatshirt is a nice shade of green, senator,” remarks Romney, “Brooks Brothers?” McCain lets out a sigh at Mitt’s unabashed pandering that makes even him cringe.

“So, Bobby,” McCain turns to his left, “I can’t believe they had steak on the kids' menu!” Jindal rolls his eyes and turns up his iPod. Forty years of a generation gap will not be filled so easily.

McCain looks awkwardly around and meets the gaze of Crist. He holds out his plate and asks, “Charlie, can you serve me Florida?”

When is the last time someone so visible made such an error? Liz Trotta mixes up Obama and Osama (not the newest of screw-ups), but then laughs it off, saying both men should be assassinated.

Many columnists are right that Hillary Clinton's ill-timed RFK assassination comment was made worse by Obama supporters and the media, but Trotta takes it to a level that's offensive, embarrassing and unforgivable.
— Emily

By Dan

Cheers of "Barr/Root" went up from the crowd (which sounded like the Hebrew derivation of Barack Obama's name, "Baruch" meaning "Blessed") after the results from the 5th ballot were posted to the floor at this year's Libertarian Party convention in Denver, Colo., when third-place finisher Waybe Allyn Root asked his supporters to throw their support behind a Barr/Root ticket in 2008.*

On the sixth ballot, the Libertarian party chose its presidential nominee. Bob Barr will be at the top of the ticket, after running neck and neck with Mary Ruwart through the first five ballots. During Bob Barr's acceptance speech, he gave a shout out to his campaign staff including the Marijuana Policy Project's executive director, Rob Kampia, who stood on the stage behind Barr, and shook his hand as he walked off the stage. Proving once again that libertarian party politics makes the strangest bedfellows.

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By Emily

Bill Harris, author of “The First Ladies Book: The Stories of the Women of the White House from Martha Washington to Laura Bush,” spoke with amNewYork this past week on this election cycle’s possible first ladies He offered a historical perspective on the role and how Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain figure in. Here are more excerpts from the interview:

What's the history of women campaigning for their candidate husbands?

“In 1880, Grover Cleveland ran for president for his second term. He was about 50 years old, and Frances Cleveland was 22. She was immensely popular. The story went around that he had bought her baby carriage when she was born. … He had known her all his life.”

How did she help his campaign?

“The press fell in love with her because she was beautiful and she was young. … The Democrats put her picture on the campaign posters. … She didn’t really campaign but her picture on the posters.”

No one did the same for presidents before her?

“It’s hard to imagine Martha Washington ever out campaigning for her husband. He was such a hero that people take out their hate for him on her. She was attacked more than he was.”

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By Jeff

The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and V.P. Hillary Clinton will win the presidential nomination by defeating Republican challengers John McCain and V.P. Tim Pawlenty by capturing 293 electoral votes to 245. Specific enough for you?

Every pundit and polling company is predicting the coming election, but would they really bet on it? Would Rasmussen and Zogby et al care to make a wager that their polls paint an accurate picture of the current electorate? Probably not.

Enter: Intrade. Intrade (based in Ireland) is a predictive market that lets users tap into the “Wisdom of Crowds," which essentially says that while individual perceptions and opinions of the future diverge, if you average those projections, the prediction is typically very accurate. This is one of the main premises behind the efficient market hypothesis. Intrade lets users trade on the outcome of a litany of events like levels of CO2, gas prices, if Eliot Spitzer will be indicted, tax rates in 2011 and the number of Google searches in 2008. However, they are most noted for markets involving political events.

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Barack will have to show voters that "change" is more than a banner slogan. (AP)

By Adrian

Barack Obama has been carried skyward on a cloud of “change” to his current position as the presumptive Democratic nominee. Hillary Clinton and John McCain have relentlessly attacked Obama for his stirring rhetoric backed by nothing but four years in the Senate and a few in the Illinois house. While Senator Obama has made it clear that he intends to change American foreign policy, he has given little detail and few specifics regarding his vision for domestic policy. On his Web site, Obama promises to “Cut Pork Barrel Spending,” “End Wasteful Government Spending” and has ranted against special interests. The senator says he “will slash earmarks to no greater than year 2001 levels and ensure all spending decisions are open to the public.”

But, his actions speak much louder than words. As David Brooks pointed out in yesterday’s New York Times, Obama supported the 2008 farm bill that was so laded with special interest pork barrel spending, it caused the editorial boards of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Los Angeles Times to agree!

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By LaShawnda

Another low of lows for Hillary Clinton. Just when you think she can’t sink any further, she proves you wrong. On May 15 the Washington post ran an article titled, Misogyny I Won't Miss, by Marie Cocco. Apparently, Hillary bi-passed my rebuttal here on Politirazzi, because she went and put both feet in mouth and hooked a ball and chain to her neck.

She had the gull to say she doesn’t believe racism has played a role in the presidential campaign. And in another of her double speaks went on to tell the Washington Post:

"There should be equal treatment of the sexism and the racism when it raises its ugly head. It does seem as though the press at least is not as bothered by the incredible vitriol that has been engendered by the comments by people who are nothing but misogynists."

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This is one of my favorite pics of this whole primary season; it represents the roots of this country and it’s fruit. At a rally on the Crow Indian Reservation in Crow Agency, Montana, Barack Obama was adopted by a Crow couple named Black Eagle and given the name “Awe Kooda bilaxpak Kuuxshish.” (Translation: One who helps people throughout the land.)
— LaShawnda

By LaShawnda

Here’s an interesting concept: a Web site dedicated to opposition research. (i.e. John McCain is the opposition; I’m in favor of Barack Obama).

The Democratic party created a Wiki on McCain in their continued effort to use the Internet to change the political process, scope and the participation of citizens.

Apparently, they were asking the same questions voters are asking: Where does McCain stand on the pertinent issues of the 2008 presidential election as opposed to Obama’s more fruitful agenda?

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By Jeff

Of course race, sex and age are more discussed in this election season than they have in the past; there’s a black, a woman and a 71-year old running for president. I will admit that as a straight white male, I really haven’t been exposed to prejudice in my life. I realize there are prejudiced people, and while I haven’t experienced bias, I haven’t witnessed much either. And when I have witnessed it, it has immediately been stamped out by everyone around. Racists and sexists are becoming more of a minority in this country every day. The real reason race, sex and age have been so prevalent in this campaign are because of laziness and pandering.

When Sen. Clinton’s camp talks (or plants in the press) of sexism or the “glass ceiling” in an effort to explain why she’s fallen behind Obama, it strikes me as a cheap political ploy to either energize her supporters or to try and pander to current Obama supporters. Maybe the Clinton campaign can convert some Obama supporters by appealing to their liberal guilt and questioning their sexism.

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By Matt

The most interesting “ism” at play in this year’s presidential race is racism. It is an issue that has at times shadowed and at times come to the fore of Barack Obama’s campaign. While he might have hoped to settle the issue of his race with his speech on the matter several weeks ago, it is unfortunately likely that it will surface in some serious (as in attention-grabbing) way again.

Rather than focus on the obvious racism question — something to the effect of “Will racism keep Obama from winning?” or “Can whites overcome their animus to vote for a serious black candidate?” — I’d like instead to ask whether Obama’s success in several former Confederate states says something about racism in this nation more broadly. A common notion (or stereotype) is that feelings of animus toward members of minority races are more prevalent, naturally, in the South. But do Barack Obama’s primary victories in places like, among others, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, speak to a heretofore unrecognized evolution of our fellow Americans below the Mason-Dixon line?

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Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday spoke to a crowd of 65,000 supporters in Portland, according to an estimate by firefighters. People even sat in kayaks along the Willamette River to hear his words. Remarkable, to say the least.

Check out 15 photos of the crowds here.

(AP)

-- Emily

By Kimberly

In a time when we should be zooming around in jet packs and wearing shiny clothing, we sure are seeing every kind of “–ism” rear its ugly head in 2008. After Kerry’s loss in 2004, nearly all Dems shook their fists in ire and vowed that next time around we would put up someone electable, unlike Kerry who was pegged as the Starbucks-drinking, windsurfing, French-speaking, New England liberal elite.

But only four years later, both the Dems and Republicans have an unprecedented line up of alternative nominees: a woman, an African-American man and a senior citizen. Frankly, I am excited about these options because it shows progression in the American mindset of who should lead our country. I remember people citing voting for Bush because they’d like to have a beer with him, but time has shown that people realized you should never put your drinking buddy, wing-man into office, he’ll just run up your tab and pick some fights.

In Clinton’s case, she’s been under fire for getting “vechlempt” and for not graciously bowing out like a good girl should. From what I’ve seen, however, the sexist remarks haven’t been directed at her, but rather at those who haven’t supported her like Sen. Ted Kennedy. Also, Obama himself has been labeled as sexist recently when he brushed off a young woman’s question while calling her “sweetie,” see below, (an admitted bad habit of his). Ummm ... is anyone else concerned about this habit?

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By Kimberly

An intriguing segment on ABC News discussed the differences between the front-runner presidential candidates’ official logo fonts and how they support campaign themes.


For example, Obama uses the font Gotham, a relatively young sans serif, based on the Port Authority sign — perhaps in homage to his liberal elite reputation? Collins, a branding consultant, describes this font as “blunt, friendly, new, yet familiar.” A dead on subliminal choice representing change!

Hillary, on the other hand, features Baskerville (need I bring up the hound pun?) created in 18th century England which is described as “warm, classic, and traditional,” again an excellent choice for a campaign based on experience.

But the best by far is McCain’s choice of Optima, a font not typically used by designers because it seemingly “can’t make up its mind.” This “bold yet elegant” typeface may perfectly represent McCain for his pandering and flip-floppy ways as seen this past week when he speaks of Global Warming on Tuesday, and then addresses the NRA on Friday. By the way, Optima was created by world renowned designer Hermann Zapf, who happens to be 90 and still cranking out work. Reach for that star, McCain!

By LaShawnda

I’ll go ahead and put it out there: I’m a black woman.

There have been a couple of instances in life when I’ve felt a sense of double discrimination. However, there have been innumerable occasions where I’ve cringed on other’s behalf -- usually minorities and women. I think Marie Cocco’s Washington Post article is a bit biased and blind to the realities of the personal attacks on both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Cocco blatantly and stupidly suggests that there would be more of an uproar in the upper echelons of the Democratic party if Barack was characterized as a blaxploitation film character versus Hillary being reduced to a character who is paid for her sexual services.

Sorry, but Obama’s critics didn’t give him the courtesy of comparing him to an overproduced black film character. This week alone, the week of Ms. Cocco’s article, Barack has been likened to the monkey, Curious George and to the monster, Adolf Hitler. There is no red carpet of niceties laid out on the road to the presidency for either candidate. All the personal attacks are demeaning, belittling and reprehensible. For Cocco to suggest that Clinton has it harder because she’s a woman is, frankly, insulting. It’s offensive to my intelligence. Is it offensive to yours?

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By Adrian

President Bush has been known for politicizing any event, be it a college commencement, anniversary of 9/11 or a state visit. It’s no surprise that he injected himself into the 2008 election today by comparing those who “believe we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals” to Hitler appeasers before World War II. This cannot be seen as anything but a swipe at Obama’s remarks that he would like to meet with Syrian and Iranian leaders.

The Obama campaign responded by e-mail saying in part that the “President's extraordinary politicization of foreign policy and the politics of fear do nothing to secure the American people or our stalwart ally Israel.” The campaign also invoked Ronald Reagan’s name as a president who successfully blended military strength with powerful diplomacy to bring about international change. Obama is continuing his tradition of including great Republican leaders as examples to support his views, a strategy that is sure to appeal to some Republicans and independents.

Obama should use this opportunity to make a foreign policy speech, similar to his speech on race, outlining just why he wants to sit down with leaders of rouge nations and what his administration hopes to accomplish with a more diplomatic approach to foreign policy.

By LaShawnda

Bush sounds like he has a new speech writer. I was somewhat impressed by his history references in his speech to Israel’s Knesset on Thursday. I had to reread his statements a couple of times because they were rather stronger (and dare I say more intelligently presented -- word choice and usage, not content -- than most of the stuff he parrots). He came out strong, unexpectedly so. Why hasn’t someone told him he’s a lame duck? He’s not even supposed to be in the fight, so why is he messing with Obama?

I guess Obama had the same question. He snapped back like a souljah! Say, what? You know who I am? (In my mind I saw the neck roll and heard his knuckles pop as flexed in his boxer stance.) Bring it, for real, tho! I’ve been holding down the Clintons for months, I can handle a Bush!

I am cracking up ... seriously. I can’t think of anything that validates Obama as presidential threat more so than the incumbent president attacking Obama while on foreign soil.

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So I have this friend (no, no, it’s not me) who is a huge “Doctor Who” fan. She watched BBC’s season three DVDs in about two weeks. (What a total sci-fi dork!) This friend also happens to be heavily invested in the primary elections.

Imagine her glee when she came across a chart listing all the past and present Doctor Whos and which presidential candidate would make his best companion. It’s back to the “McCain is old” joke when the Arizona senator is recommended to be Colin Baker’s companion because he has “first-hand knowledge of the Jurassic Period.”

Here’s a shot of the present Doctor, played by David Tennant:

Go to the Comedy Central site to read the rest.
— Emily