Political laughter

So President Obama's election committee sends out, just days after the most discouraging single election loss Democrats have had probably since Kerry lost to Bush the Lesser in 2004, a letter asking for money because, of all things, it shows how the republicans can outraise us in campaign contributions and President Obama needs help to fight back.

Fight back against what?  Near as I can tell (even though politically it may have been the smart move to not taint his campaign with such a huge defeat), President Obama didn't raise so much as a shaken fist in the Wisconsin recalls, nor did he have national Democratic election organizations help in the fight to recall  a radical republican governor who stands diametrically opposed to everything Democrats are supposed to be fighting for.

And now he wants us to have his back?  Really? 

Too funny.

Peace,
emaycee

The art of lying

Forget the talk about Thaddeus McCotter's boneheadedness in costing himself his congressional seat (not to mention that McCotter always struck me more as a somewhat eccentric loyal soldier as opposed to any kind of real leader)--the important part of this week's "Politically Speaking" column comes at the end, when John Truscott tells Jill Alper that Scott Walker's $31 million to $4 million spending advantage in the Wisconsin recall election was offset by Union spending.  Truscott didn't get where he got in life by being an idiot and I'm pretty certain he's well aware of this claim's utter absurdity--but he did get where he got by being shrewd enough to know the republican base (not the brightest bunch) would swallow it hook, line, and sinker.  I would fully expect this to be the line of reasoning for republicans as they continue to buy votes for the rest of this election year--they're just trying to keep up with the Unions.

And another fine example of what Laura Clawson noted yesterday--republicans have completely warped the role that Unions play and the major media outlets (that would be you, Detroit Free Press) have acted as their personal enablers with their lazy journalism.

We could only wish that Unions truly had the power the republicans claim they do.

Peace,
emaycee

Silver lining

For all the bitching I've done about the Tuesday Night Massacre (and I've actually been nice--every big Liberal being pushed as a saviour like Eric Griego and Norman Saloman got beat, too), after today I do see a silver lining.  I noticed in several comments sections that republicans are, as usual, overplaying their hand.  Many of them have been crowing the last couple of days (in fairness, had Barrett won I'd have flown to California and danced on Reagan's grave), and now seem to think that victory is possible in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

No, it's not--the polling aggregates are showing safe leads for Obama in all three states, and the average voter is going to be taking the summer off from politics (with family vacations and the kids out of school most folks are already busy enough) which gives the republicans exactly two months to try to reduce those leads.


So please, by all means, go ahead and pour millions into losing ventures--it's just money that won't be going to states you might win.

Peace,
emaycee

Why?

Can someone please explain to me why, after the Wisconsin recall was over, we had polls which showed us that up to 60% of Wisconsin voters didn't like the idea of a recall and we didn't know it?  I know it's easy to second guess the captain after the Titanic sinks, but for fuck sakes, Francis, all the political operatives we had up there and no one thought to find this out beforehand?  I mean don't you think it might have changed the strategy?  Or forced us to rethink the recall?

I'm probably being too hard, and maybe there really was no reason to suspect it, but 60% seems like a huge number to be missed.

Peace,
emaycee

Spin the bullshit

Eight thousand fucking e-mails, god only knows how many blog posts, and NBC calls the Wisconsin recall in less than one fucking hour for Scott Walker.  And the spin has already begun.....

It was the money--probably the best argument, but won't change in the future.  Obama won the exit polls--whoopee, they only have five months to pour a zillion dollars into making him look like the second coming of Ted Bundy.  It's a long tough slog and we have to keep our noses to the grindstone--been hearing this bullshit for the last thirty years and we just keep losing.  Barrett was a lousy candidate, the Dems only had a month to prepare...whatever, whatever, whatever.

A little more than a year ago the Dems had thousands of demonstrators in the capital of Wisconsin--and they still managed to lose this election.  There is no good spin coming out of this--republicans are going to rightly celebrate and the theme for Democrats will continue to be that we're incompetent boobs.  There is nothing good that can be said about Scott Walker--he's done a horrible job creating jobs in Wisconsin, half his staff is being investigated for corruption, he'll probably be investigated for corruption, and it's not as if he's God's gift to campaigning politicians.  Hell, the guy isn't even likable.  And still we fucking lost.

You know Kos posted this picture earlier today--I don't know if it was to show how nutty republicans are or how passionate they are, but say what you will, I'll bet the sign the idiot is holding did a lot more to fire up republicans than a thousand blogs by our brainiacs.  We are losing this war and we are losing it badly, and if we continue to think we're going to win it by going all Martin Luther King with the nonviolence and that we're going to reason with voters to get them to see our point we are going to continue to lose, lose, and lose. 

There are no fucking moral victories in elections--there are candidates that are going to take care of the poor and the middle class, and there are those that aren't.  And if we can't figure out a way to get into voters hearts on this, we are going to continue to get our asses handed to us.

Coupled with last Friday's unemployment numbers, this is an utter disaster.

Peace,
emaycee

Depressing, Part I

After the ass kicking that was the 2010 elections, one could argue that the Wisconsin uprising in the winter of 2011 went a long way toward resurrecting the Democratic Party (the 2012 republican primaries certainly didn't hurt, either) to at least a level of respectability, and gave us somewhat of a chance in this year's elections.

Which is why the lack of funding from the President and the DNC for the Scott Walker recall effort is so disappointing.  A win for the Democrats could have major repercussions this November--it gives the Dems momentum, issues to hang their hats on.  If nothing else, it puts Wisconsin more likely into the Dem column.

The fact that the numbers in this race are so close has always bothered me--Walker has corruption issues, the state is getting clobbered in jobs, and Walker isn't exactly Mr. Charisma.  But getting outspent 20 to 1 is likely to make an ogre look a lot more like Brad Pitt.

Peace,
emaycee

The dice are loaded

There was a strange stench in Michigan--then I realized Scott Walker was here to raise money for the recall election in Wisconsin next month.  The piece said he received standing ovations--for attempting to destroy the middle class' only hope these days, unions, for denying women equal pay, for sticking the government in a woman's womb, and for leading Wisconsin to the worst job growth in the fifty states last year.

One supposes the good folks at Walker's fundraiser would cheer the villain who puts out his cigar in the starving children's gruel and then kicks the family dog on his way out the door.

It's sad but predictable that there are Michiganders stupid enough to think the worst governor in America is worthy of their cash, but what's worse is this poll showing the recall election in Wisconsin to be a toss up.  We've seen an uptick for Willard Romney since he became the likely republican nominee for President, and perhaps the same will happen for the Democrats in Wisconsin after next week's primary, but still it's somewhat disheartening that this race isn't all but over.  It's amazing what tons of Koch brothers cash can do for a really bad candidate, and despite The Daily Kos cheery outlook for Dems this November (and President Obama here), it's news like this that makes me very wary of what will happen come November.

Willard in the White House--let the Hunger Games begin....

Peace,
emaycee

Same as the old boss II

It's time for...Donnie Downer!

Pretty much every Liberal organization whose messages fill my AOL mailbox sent me an e-mail today.  They're spinning it on O'Donnell, Maddow, and Schultz on MSNBC.  The Daily Kos chimed in trying to be positive.  Even the often cranky Digby was trying to put the best face on it. 

Forget about it.

I really appreciate that it was an uphill battle--five of the six districts in Wisconsin are very red leaning districts.  I appreciate the effort that thousands of people put in to try to recall these six republicans.  Hell, here in Michigan, despite having a governor that is just about as radical as Scott Walker, the best the Democrats here have offered is voting against Gov. Snyder's proposals (oooh, scary).  I know that 16 Democrat state senators is better than 14.

But any way you slice it, we lost.  We absolutely got our ass kicked in three districts and while the fourth is being pointed to as a "oh, we came so close" it really isn't (and we poured a ton of money into that one).  Yesterday's results are not going to scare any republicans into doing the right thing or compromising in the best interest of the country.  Even numbers guru Nate Silver says the Wisconsin numbers extrapolate to only a fifty-fifty chance for Gov. Walker to be recalled. 

With all the enthusiasm we had we still couldn't get the votes.  And with the Capitulator-in-Chief at the top of the ticket in 2012, how many depressed Democrats are just going to stay home?  Fucking Obama, the gutless wonder, didn't lift a finger to help the cause.  Can anyone imagine, had these recall election happened during the Bush the Lesser presidency, that GWB would have done the same?

And the money--Christ, for the Dems it's like fighting the U.S. Marines with pea shooters.  Other than our numb nuts President, we just can't raise the kind of cash that republicans can.  And thanks to Citizen's United, we never will again play on an even field financially.

There's an old saying:  Money talks and bullshit walks.  We better get used to doing a lot of walking.

Peace,
emaycee

A Matter of Degree

Did you know...that 162 laws have been passed this year regarding abortion, 80 of which further restrict the right to choose?  Even though a majority of Americans continue (however much distaste they may have for abortion) to support a woman's right to choose, republicans have still made inroads on an issue of importance to them.  How much could we have accomplished had we remained as vigilant on gun control or the death penalty?

I mention this because of this piece on our continuing losses in the class war.  If we continue to put as much effort into it as we have on past issues, there's going to be plenty of poor and middle class Americans going hungrier and without decent shelter.  Capitulation--or as Obama refers to it, compromise (I smell...horseshit!)--is not an option and we have to learn to throw the right cross because left jabs are getting us nowhere.

If we aren't willing to fight with everything we've got for putting food on our tables, what will we fight for?

Peace,
emaycee