"Yesterday alone, Clinton did a retail stop at a gas station" - hey eriposte, you left off the part about how she didn't even know how to pump the gas.
The MSM and others want the masses to keep the demon pictures of her in the minds of people and not let people see her the way she really is. It's Obama who is the fake. Like T2's gas comment, which means nothing to the common man.
Posted by kefa at May 2, 2008 07:01 AMAnd had difficulties with the coffee machine. Hey folks, I got to give her credit. She's quite a campaigner. Gave a very honest answer at the gas station too...she hasn't got to fill up in a long time because of the Secret Service. She seems to be more capable than the young Obama lad at sustaining a fevers pitch on the campaign trail. McOld outdoes them both. He's waring out the reporters following him.
From the other side, she's gaining a lot of creds, not votes, but credit for her dedication during this primary season.
Posted by peter at May 2, 2008 07:04 AMyeah, kefa, just like H.W.Bush's grocery store incident didn't mean anything. To the common man it means "privilege". To me, it just means stupid. Here's a quote from Clinton yesterday "If we had the Republican rules, I would already be the nominee". Maybe she's in the wrong party? McClain/Clinton sounds good..she'd take over in 2012 from the old codger, run as a Lieberman independent.
Posted by T2 at May 2, 2008 07:14 AMA couple of weeks ago I had trouble with the new slurpee machine at the 7-11. Ended up with the frozen mocha instead of the frozen cola. Obama still wins with the math. I hope that eriposte can get it together to back him after this is all over in a few weeks.
Posted by Bob In Pacifica at May 2, 2008 07:17 AMFolks, you might want to check out the latest Rasmussen Poll just released...significant findings amongst Democrats and indi's.
Posted by peter at May 2, 2008 07:17 AMHey! In NJ we can't pump our own gas, it's against the law. Every time I drive to NY or PA, I look like a total moron when I have to do it myself. Every fricking machine is different. But I digress...
I have to agree with eriposte that all the frantic events are an attempt to get past the media filter. I think this is also why she's been on Countdown and
The O'Reilly Factor. They're never going to be her friends but if she can sneak something past them directly to the audience she wins on two levels: 1.) She demonstrates her "testicular fortitude" by taking on her enemies and 2.) she shows how smart, funny, warm, confident and poised she is. She's very presidential and it might be the only chance she gets to reach some of the rural areas of IN and NC via TV.
"If we had the Republican rules, I would already be the nominee".
I heard Rachel Maddow say that same thing a few weeks ago - and it's true. The rules for Republican primaries are different, aren't they? I guess making an observation of some silly little fact is now cause for ejection from the party, huh? Prolly for Hillary, just waking up in the morning is cause for some...
Posted by iamcoyote at May 2, 2008 07:32 AMThe role of psychological conditioning in terms of the public perception of Hillary Clinton is a most fascinating thing to observe to many of us elite academics.
The concerted demonization and dehumanization of Clinton, originally driven by right-wing lies, smears, and talking points, followed by left-wing lies, smears, and talking points, and the way that a certain segment of our society has lapped this up and internalized it unconditionally and uncritically to the point that they simply repeat these statements like robots is both fascinating and alarming.
Of course, she is nothing like the monster that some portray her as. She is also far from perfect as a democratic politican. She is a human being with strengths and flaws. The extreme negative characterizations about her that are parroted by some commenters here and elsewhere speaks volumes about the minds and characters of the parroters, not her.
Posted by at May 2, 2008 08:28 AMHow's these three headlines for ya?
Sidney Blumenthal Uses Former Right-Wing Foes To Attack Obama
excerpt: Almost every day over the past six months, I have been the recipient of an email that attacks Obama's character, political views, electability, and real or manufactured associations. The original source of many of these hit pieces are virulent and sometimes extreme right-wing websites, bloggers, and publications. But they aren't being emailed out from some fringe right-wing group that somehow managed to get my email address. Instead, it is Sidney Blumenthal who, on a regular basis, methodically dispatches these email mudballs to an influential list of opinion shapers -- including journalists, former Clinton administration officials, academics, policy entrepreneurs, and think tankers -- in what is an obvious attempt to create an echo chamber that reverberates among talk shows, columnists, and Democratic Party funders and activists. One of the recipients of the Blumenthal email blast, himself a Clinton supporter, forwards the material to me and perhaps to others.
The Note: Split Screams
Clinton Tries Party's Patience, As Race Reaches Crossroads
Speaking of math -- the Obama campaign rolls out another former DNC chairman's endorsement on Friday: Paul Kirk, a superdelegate who led the party from 1985-1989, is coming out for Obama -- a day after Andrew's switch, an Obama campaign official tells The Note. (And don't count on that being it for the day, as the dribble continues.)
Black-Issues Group: Price To Pay If Clinton Wins Through Superdelegates
One of the nation's largest Black American grassroots advocacy organizations is drawing a line in the sand for Democratic leadership: if Hillary Clinton is awarded the nomination by overturning the pledged delegate count there will be a political price to pay.
Color of Change, which has a reach of more than 400,000 people, is organizing a petition campaign to persuade superdelegates and congressional leaders that a Clinton win through the hands of party insiders would "disenfranchise millions" and constitute "a shocking attack on voting rights and democracy."
she finds herself in one hell of a predicament. she needs to win everything, or risk splitting the party. tell me is her winning worth a shattered party?
Posted by anthony at May 2, 2008 08:34 AMFirst, I don't think I know anyone who maintains the kind of extraordinarily grueling schedule that Sen. Clinton☼ does -
I have a feeling that if Sen. Clinton stopped walking in mid-stride we would have to pull your head out of her butt using a block and tackle.
...answering questions about policy in amazing detail—...
Did she answer the question about how the gas tax funds road infrastructure at the State level and how Oregonians would face the loss of Federal matching grants for road construction and repair? Her grasp of the issues is so savant-like.
Eriposte,
After watching the O'Reilly interview, in which Hillary Clinton was nothing short of amazing, I suddenly saw light, and wrote this at TALKLEFT (is it bad form to quote myself?):
After the O'Reilly interview, I finally understand why Republicans spent 16 years demonizing her. They must have noticed just how much superior she is to any normal politician. They must have KNOWN and SCARED SH--LESS. I understand why they spent 16 years making themselves look ridiculous, made themselves look like silly schoolkids, spent 30 million dollars to stop her in NY. They saw THIS COMING.They say they want Hillary in GE?? BULLS--T!! In all my years of watching debates, politics anywhere, I have never seen someone so prepared, so poised, and so unflappable.
Remember when Tim Russet went after her in his October debate? It took him, Williams, and help from at least 5 other guys on the stage to make her look weak on ONE question. And then the media played it for all it was worth.
It was like they all ganged up 10-1, and finally got to score one against Pele, and were still surprised.
she finds herself in one hell of a predicament. she needs to win everything, or risk splitting the party. tell me is her winning worth a shattered party?
Anthony,
by demonizing the only successfuld 2 term democratic president since FDR, the Obama campaign has already shattered the Party. It's those with Party knowledge and experience that are going to have to put it back together.
And although a Black grassroots organization may be 'angry with Hillary Clinton,' you do realize that many Black media outlets THROUGHOUT the country are pissed as hell at BO and the fact that these media outlets have litte or no access to the most successful Black Democratic candidate in history. You can only take your own people for granted for so long. BO's camp better realize this sooner than later.
kacey replies:
by demonizing the only successfuld 2 term democratic president since FDR, the Obama campaign has already shattered the Party
Obama demonizing Clinton? Good grief, how much irony can your statement drip here? Two words for you:
South
Carolina
I'm sorry, who demonized whom from the getgo?
And if you don't want your little Bubba to be a part of the fray, then perhaps Bubba shoulda stuck his big fat nose outa the damn race in the first place, much in the same fashion that Obama's wife has done (for the large part), instead of jumping in the spotlight as often and as much as Bubba loooves to do. As Obama once said in a debate, it is difficult to know who Obama is running against sometimes, Hillary or Bubba.
I find it nothing shy of hilarious and hypocritical how Clinton supporters cry wolf when Bubba gets a little mud thrown at him when he dives head first into the mudpit and slingshots Hillary to the sidelines.
And Obama shattering the Party? Umm, huh? The frontrunner who has the lead in delegates, the popular vote, and number of states is somehow shattering the Party versus the second place candidate who's chances of winning are dwindling beyond all statistical probability and has decided to dig down deep into the mud pit along with our true adversary on the GOP side and prop the GOP candidate up over our own Party's candidate?
And you have the audacity to say Obama is "shattering" our party, despite the fact that our current efforts are fighting amongst ourselves and not against those on the other side of the aisle because the second place candidate who has little statistical chance of winning won't graciously bow out and let us focus on the upcoming battle at hand?
Umm, yeah. Anything you say.
And this part really gets me:
It's those with Party knowledge and experience that are going to have to put it back together.
It really is nothing shy of flabbergasting to see how someone has faith in an individual like McCauliffe and the rest of the DLC consultants teaming up with the Clintons for all those years who've done nothing but give our party the worst advice and guidance, inevitably causing us to lose race after race nationwide and wither our party down to dust just so we can have a philandering President in the White House while the GOP and the Right Wing Noise Machine became stronger and stronger.
You know, out of all the idiot things the DLC and Beltway consultants have given us, it really was a nice breath of fresh air to have such a terrific win in 2006, mostly against the advice of those aforementioned consultant twits.
You really must forgive me if I would like to continue with a similar change of pace, rather than yearn for the yesteryear of nostalgic failure.
Posted by MisterOpus1 at May 2, 2008 07:59 PMEriposte,
Another solid, good post. Thank you.
Obamabots, piss off. You are totally unwilling to look at what your candidate is doing at all. Have you all drunk the kool aid, or are you really just Repug trolls acting like Obama supporters. Maybe we already know the answer to that question
And Color of Change, a whole lot of us supporters of your campaigns that are white Hillary supporters will not bother supporting you in the future if you just become a black cheer leading squad instead of a group fighting injustice...
Posted by kcbill13 at May 2, 2008 09:25 PMHave you all drunk the kool aid,
Does the kool aid have something in it that makes us Obama supporters so delusional about our candidate having the lead by all measurable factors at this point? Or is that in you Hillary supporters who are unwilling to concede the fact that the statistical likelihood of Hillary catching Obama in any way is dwindling down to the No-Chance-In-Hell zone?
Who's drinking the kool-aid again?
or are you really just Repug trolls acting like Obama supporters. Maybe we already know the answer to that question
Yeah, I think I know the answer too - the answer is absolute desperation on your part to make such silly accusations. You wreak of desperation that it's become beyond asinine to even try to discuss it logically. But I will try and do so by asking a Hillary supporter such as yourself one simple question, which may help answer who the real Rethug troll is:
Do you think it's appropriate to bolster the GOP candidate's experience, credentials, and abilities to be President over our Party's frontrunner? If not, then please tell me why the hell your candidate, one of ours from the Democratic party, decided to say just that?
Who looks more like a Republican and a Smear Boat attacker in that regard, champ?
Posted by at May 2, 2008 10:53 PMThanks for the linkage to my recent Hils coverage, eriposte. And no, btw, I don't mind the extended quoting at all! :-)
Posted by Melissa McEwan at May 5, 2008 11:05 AM