[ Posted Friday, March 21st, 2008 – 16:33 UTC ]
Like the hapless characters in Waiting For Godot, America sits and watches in fascination as the Democratic nomination race grinds into yet another calendar season. At this point, it is looking like it may well go unresolved all the way to the Democratic National Convention in late August.
But it doesn't have to be this way. Nancy Pelosi and all the other undeclared superdelegates have it within their power to call "Palomino!" on this whole process. Because there are enough of them left to swing the contest to either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. They should do so now.
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[ Posted Thursday, March 20th, 2008 – 13:37 UTC ]
Every election season in American politics, speculation begins in late summer what the other side's "October Surprise" is going to be. What event will happen, what subject will be brought up during the final phase of the campaign, one month before everyone votes? Well, this year Democrats don't need to wonder any more. Because the Republicans have basically announced in advance what they hope to ride into office this year: provincial elections in Iraq.
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[ Posted Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 – 14:49 UTC ]
Barack Obama has taken a big step on the road to talking about and solving these lingering racial problems, and he should be commended for that. But it's going to be a long road until we get there, which is something everyone should realize.
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[ Posted Tuesday, March 18th, 2008 – 15:36 UTC ]
Perhaps John Edwards still hasn't made up his mind. Edwards will be appearing on Jay Leno's Tonight Show this Thursday night, which is where he will likely publicly announce who he is endorsing. But I'm wondering now whether Obama's speech today will have any influence on Edwards' decision....
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[ Posted Monday, March 17th, 2008 – 14:37 UTC ]
So, Senator Edwards... we're all waiting to hear whether Richard Stengel was right or not. How long is it going to take you to make up your mind? That creaking sound you hear is your window of opportunity, slowly sliding shut. If you're going to endorse either candidate, you need to do so soon, before it slams shut entirely.
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[ Posted Friday, March 14th, 2008 – 16:13 UTC ]
As Robert Anton Wilson pointed out (or William S. Burroughs, if you prefer), hexagram 23 of the I Ching is "breaking apart." Anyone who subscribes to his "23 enigma" theory will note that this is the twenty-third installment of this column. If you throw hexagram 23, the I Ching cautions: "the roof is shattered, the house collapses." I leave you, dear reader, to draw your own conclusions as to how this relates to Democratic politics for this particular week.
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[ Posted Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 – 15:25 UTC ]
I (and many others like me) have become so addicted to watching primary returns come in that six weeks seems an eternity. Primaries, caucuses, even Texas two-step primacaucuses -- it was all good. But now, a stark seemingly-endless month-and-a-half before political addicts can get another "fix" of that sweet endorphin rush that comes from watching the numbers mount on election night? I don't think I can take it....
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[ Posted Monday, March 10th, 2008 – 12:48 UTC ]
Because once the ticket's formed, the presidential candidate is supposed to be uplifting, with soaring rhetoric designed to make everybody feel good about voting such an optimist into the Oval Office. The vice presidential candidate, on the other hand, is supposed to be the attack dog. All the negative, scathing comments directed at the other team are supposed to originate from the number two candidate on the ticket. This allows the leader of the ticket to distance himself from the political fracas a bit, but also keeps the pressure on the Republican candidate as much as possible. These are the traditional roles in any presidential campaign. Now, who does each of these roles actually sound like this year? If you were casting this for Broadway, whom would you pick for each role?
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[ Posted Friday, March 7th, 2008 – 16:04 UTC ]
The first was the fact that (although few noticed it) she blew the opening line on her appearance on Saturday Night Live. For the almost the entire 82-year history of the show (ahem), the opener has been the very-easy-to-pronounce: "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!" Hillary went all Ivy League on us, changing it to "it is Saturday Night." Sheesh. Luckily for her, nobody in the media noticed the gaffe, and it went largely unremarked. But some things are sacred, which is why I feel duty-bound to point it out here.
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[ Posted Thursday, March 6th, 2008 – 15:02 UTC ]
They are called many things. Party leaders. Party elders. Senior statesmen. Bigwigs. Movers and shakers. But whatever you call them, the big voices of the Democratic Party have been remarkably silent when it comes to endorsing one candidate over the other for the party's nomination for president. I speak of such big cheeses as Al Gore, John Edwards, and Bill Richardson. It's time to lay your cards on the table, boys, and let us know which side you're on.
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