The Smear Machine

Extreme right-wing crackpot Jerome "Not So Swift Boat" Corsi has hit the bookstands with his noxious, evil screed "Obama Nation." Mary Matalin's group in Simon & Schuster published it to their everlasting discredit, and it catapulted to the top of the NYT bestseller list, albeit with a "dagger" indicating the sales were essentially bulk orders from wingnut organizations intent on distributing it (we'll take a copy - for the outhouse). The WaPo editorializes that it's "rife with inaccuracies and innuendo." Eugene Robinson calls it what it is: "a volume of vitriol." We'd be less polite: it's vile shit.

Needless to say, the wingnut world is flogging it to death (Obergruppenfuhrer Sean Hannity has had the turd on both his radio and teevee shows, for example). We wonder if these fellow travelers know Corsi has called Pope John Paul II "senile" and said pedophilia is "OK with the Pope as long as it isn't reported by the liberal press."

Republicans and independents, take note. This is who and what the Republican Party is made up of these days.

(Photo: Not So Swift Boat Corsi, wingnut hero and scourge of Obama and the Pope.)

"Whiplash"

"Daily Kos" reflects today on a recent Pew (P.U.?) poll showing about 48% of Americans feel they're hearing too much about Sen. Obama. (The poll, of course, doesn't break this down as to if people are tired of hearing the negative attacks on Obama vs. general information overload). Hackwhackers wonders, too, how this comports with the earlier thirst (perhaps media-driven) to find out more about "Sen. Obama, Man of Mystery." Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

(Photo: One of the Pew Poll's sample voters.)

"Tasteless and Offensive"

The July 21 cover of the New Yorker Magazine shows a cartoon of Barack and Michelle Obama fist-bumping in the Oval Office, but what's offensive about the cartoon is the fact that he's dressed as a Muslim, she's dressed as a '60s Black Nationalist with a semiautomatic rifle slung over her shoulder, and they're standing in front of a fireplace burning the American flag with a picture of bin Laden over the mantlepiece. Nice.

Of course, the New Yorker calls the cartoon a satire, and that the article inside the magazine is favorable to the Obamas. But how many people walking past magazine racks and newstands will see the cartoon, never read the article, and form a different opinion? Millions perhaps, and that's the problem. Also, shouldn't the subjects of the satire be the wingnuts who are spreading the false rumors, not the Obamas?

The Obama campaign called the cover "tasteless and offensive." (To their credit, the McSame campaign agreed). "Stupid" would be an additional adjective that we'd choose.

Take the (Non-Federal) Money and Run!

The "main stream media" is full of righteous indignation over Barack Obama's decision to opt out of the Federal campaign funding system. Not that they couldn't see this coming for months. Egged on by McBush and the Rethugs, they've been waiting to jump on Obama, some because they're in the St. John McBush camp (Fox Nutwork, CNN, Washington Post, etc.), some because they want to make the election as close as possible in order to sell more papers/ electrons -- not mutually exclusive groups, by the way.

These are the same hacks that breezed over St. John's flip flopping over the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, off-shore oil drilling and the immigration bill he helped author. All of McBush's flip flops were his tacking to the right to shore up his wingnut base (far more fragile than the MSM would have you believe). These are policy flip flops that actually have an impact on everyday Americans, not a procedural issue, long coming, as to whether Obama maximizes his war chest to battle the upcoming smear campaign the Rethugs and their 527 groups are going to launch. And McBush has some 'splaining to do on his gaming of the campaign finance system.

So to these amoralists and feeders at the trough of profit and simple-mindedness, we say: "Stick this manufactured flap into the same sunless hole you put your flag pins and madrassas, and other caricatures." And to Obama we say: "Take your non-Federal money and run!"

The Bungled War on Terrorism

Ever since the attacks on 9/11, the conventional wisdom has been that the Rethuglicans have the political advantage when discussing national security. Dems, it is thought, should stick to health care, education, and the economy. Luckily, Sen. Obama hasn't bought into the conventional wisdom and - - along with Sen. Joe Biden - - is going on offense when it comes to the war on terrorism. Obama's point is that when the Bush Assministration decided to attack Iraq, it took its eye off of the battle with al Qaeda in Afghanistan and the northwest frontier of Pakistan. Bin Laden and his high command are still at large after seven years.

The lengths to which the Bush Assministration went to in falsifying, manipulating or disregarding intelligence concerning WMDs in Iraq is a sign that 9/11 provided needed cover for them to take care of unfinished business from Bush 41's administration: the toppling of Saddam Hussein. The unfinished business of 9/11 remains, and that's nothing that the Rethugs should be proud of.

The Beginning of the Bump

Polling taken just days after the Clinton concession is showing a distinct "bump" for Sen. Obama. Gallup has it as 48% for Obama and 42% for McBush; Rasmussen has it as 50% for Obama and 44% for McBush. Actually, we think the Obama numbers might be a little low in the end, since the polling methodologies are resolutely sticking to traditional voter turnout models and essentially ignoring what just happened in the Democratic primaries (millions more registered and voting). George "I Left My Codpiece at Home; May I Borrow Yours?" Will opined this as well in an appearance on Tweety's show yesterday, saying the turnout factor is being ignored by the pollsters (he also says divisions on the Republican side are worse than on the Democratic side - and here's some proof). This is why you're hearing pundits hedging their bets, saying it's going to either be a close race or a landslide. Democrats have to continue reminding themselves, however, "It's only June."

Quote of the Weekend

"I don't think my ears would fit. There's only so much rock up there." Sen. Obama responding to a reporter's question in South Dakota about whether he would like to be portrayed on Mt. Rushmore.

Our Hero, Raymond Kitchell

It seems wingnut blogger Steve Gilbert was trying to nail down some intel on Sen. Obama's great uncle, Charles Payne, who served in WWII in the 89th Infantry Division. As you may know, wingnuttia is trying to make a flap out of Obama misnaming the concentration camp that his uncle helped liberate (Obama said Auschwitz, but it was actually Buchenwald... woooo!). So, Gilbert contacted the Division's webmaster. As Sadly No! reports, Raymond Kitchell, who is an 89th Infantry Division veteran and keeper of the Division's web site, had just the right response for the poor fella. (It ranks right up there with "Nuts!")

Finance World Heavyweights Endorse Obama

Three former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairmen have endorsed Barack Obama. William Donaldson (appointed by Bush), David Ruder (appointed by Reagan), and Arthur Levitt (Clinton appointee), joined highly respected former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker in backing Obama. While we don't believe endorsements in general mean a whole lot, what this tells us is that even dyed-in-the-wool Republicans will support a Democrat if that Democrat adopts, in this case, economic policies that are prudent and sound. We get the sense that this is happening not only at the Presidential level, but in the recent special Congressional elections that the Democrats (all fiscally conservative) have swept.

John Edwards Endorses Obama

Former Presidential candidate John Edwards is endorsing Barack Obama for President. The long-awaited endorsement is scheduled to come in a joint appearance tonight in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

"The Democrats' Reagan"

It's not often that we agree (to a great extent) with George "Where's My Powdered Wig?" Will, who one suspects was born 200 years too late. But his op/ed today gives a pretty fair picture of the Clinton campaign's "audacity of hopelessness," and, more interestingly, a brief assessment of the looming fight between Sen. McSame and Sen. Obama:

"McCain's problem might turn out to be the fact that Obama is the Democrats' Reagan...he is Reaganesque in two important senses: People like listening to him, and his manner lulls his adversaries into underestimating his sheer toughness -- the tempered steel beneath the sleek suits." [edited slightly to remove Will's requisite over-estimation of St. Ronnie R]

"It Is Past Time..."

Sen. Clinton's home state newspaper, the NY Times, had an editorial this morning about the price paid for the Democratic campaigning thus far: "It is past time for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election." Sen. Obama is also criticized, to a lesser extent, in the editorial.

Let's see if maybe we can enter the end game of the final primaries in a more positive, substantive mode, shall we?

The Boss Endorses

Bruce Springsteen, Hall of Fame rocker and all-around decent guy, has endorsed Barack Obama. To us, some "celebrity" endorsements mean more than others, although in a perfect world none should influence how a person votes. But having men of Springsteen's character and intelligence, as well as Dan Rooney the other day, endorse Obama make you proud that you're on the same team.

Bonus endorsement: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsed Obama today, too.

An Endorsement With Weight

Pittsburgh Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney endorsed Barack Obama yesterday, joining former Steelers Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis in the Obama camp. Rooney's endorsement means a lot in the Pittsburgh area and around the state, as the Rooney family is much admired for their community consciousness and as seminal NFL franchise owners. As Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA), who represents Pittsburgh and the surrounding area, said, Rooney's endorsement "carries a hell of a lot more weight" than the recent media-fed "bittergate." Also, on Sunday, the Scranton Times-Tribune endorsed Obama, saying he was the right choice for Pennsylvania Democrats.

(Photo: AP)

Robert Reich on "Bitterness"

This right-on blog by former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich on the silly flapdoodle revolving around Sen. Obama's remarks about bitterness in small-town America, says it all about the cynical spinmeisters and the numbnuts in the media who've jumped on this like it was the next Rev. Jeremiah Wright clown car leaving town.

Nailing It

A YouTube video of Senator Obama's response to charges that the he doesn't understand the people of Pennsylvania. The standing ovation he gets from the Indiana audience at the end tells you that he nailed it. He needs to run an ad in Pennsylvania that captures this moment.

The Endorsements Continue

Two more Democratic superdelegates have come out for Sen. Barack Obama today: former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton, who was co-chair of the September 11 commission, and Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal. Obama already won the Wyoming primary and it's believed that Hamilton's endorsement, as a respected senior statesman, will help in the upcoming Indiana primary, which is essentially a toss-up at this point.

Kraphammer's Fraud

Reading Charles "Kraphammer's" syndicated column in today's WaPo was ultimately an exercise in repressing the gag reflex. Entitled "The Speech: A Brilliant Fraud", Kraphammer attempts to take down Sen. Obama's speech on race relations, but entirely distorts the meaning, as expected. As an example, Kraphammer says the Obama compared his grandmother to Rev. Jeremiah Wright, which of course, he didn't. He simply indicated in his speech that there are misconceptions about race among whites and blacks, his grandmother and Rev. Wright being the examples. Talking Points Memo's M. J. Rosenberg documents Kraphammer's own strident neocon racism toward Arabs. He's becoming our contemporary Dr. Stangelove.

Obama, Clinton, and McBush

One of the threads of the last few days has been "What impact will the Rev. Wright controversy, and the subsequent Obama speech, have on the voting public?" The controversy continues to be flogged by those wishing to distract people from issues that are damaging to their cause (i.e., the Rethugs and their network, Fux News, are desperate to distract attention away from 7 years of unrelenting Rethug incompetence), or by those thinking it could help their cause (i.e., the Clintonistas using the controversy to dissuade superdelegates from backing Obama). We saw this cartoon, by Chris Britt of the Springfield (IL) Journal-Register (via C&L), that says it all (note especially the final frame, with the TV turned to Fox News). It would appear from recent news cycles that, aside from the above-named provocateurs, attention will slowly be turning away to focus on the next colorful item that can be dangled in front of the deep thinkers in the MSM.

Meanwhile, Gallup is showing McBush with 47 or 48 % of the vote in match ups with Obama and Clinton. Yes, it's mid-March, 8 months to the election (sigh), but it boggles the mind to think that nearly half of the electorate wants another 4 years of Bush Rethuggery. McBush has been variously referred to as "St. John McCain," "Teflon John," etc., and his fawners in the media are legion (see below). If the Democrats ever get behind their candidate and start directing fire toward McBush, his numbers will go down. But the longer we wait for that to happen, the more time McBush and his wingnut media can define (i.e., personally attack) Obama and/or Clinton, and make McBush look like the elder statesman. And the longer it takes for the public to connect the dots.

Don't Confuse Them With the Facts!

Media Matters wonders what speech Pat Buchanan heard yesterday, since it couldn't have been the one the rest of America heard Sen. Obama give on race in America. Not only paleo Rethug Pat, but a whole slew of wingnut slimeballs made a curiously similar "mishearing" of one portion of Obama's remarks, those dealing with African Americans accepting responsibility for their lives. Both Brit (the new Fox "Mr. Whitey?") Hume and Juan "BINO" Williams stated after the speech that Obama blamed white America, and didn't say African Americans had to take responsibility for themselves. What part of "...And it means taking full responsibility for our own lives" don't they understand??

It seems the wingnut wurlitzer was spinning out talking points before it actually heard the speech. Either that or it thinks its audience is so numbingly dumb that it can tell them they didn't hear what they just heard, and get away with it.