Did anyone see Obama on Hardball? What did you think?
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BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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I think Chris Matthews is insufferable.
That would, you know, REQUIRE ME TO WATCH HARDBALL.
Thin layer of disgust/loathing and all.
I missed it. Chris Matthews said we’re not regular people, that’s if you’re Af-Am, or college educated or advanced educated.
BooMan, what’s your take on this piece Politico has up?
DNC convention stance surprises campaigns
what’s going on..a precursor to WWIII?
to 50/50 them and seat them.
Somebody over at Kos proposed a way to resolve the issue with the Michigan delegates-
There should be another election in Michigan. Nobody gets to campaign there. And only Obama and Undecided can be on the ballot.
Average that out with the election that Hillary `won’ in Michigan, and presto! Crisis solved…
Love it!
Zandar1,
I note this paragraph from the article you posted:
The DNC’s rules committee regulation 5.6 states that: “Standing committee members selected pursuant to a Plan found in non-compliance by the RBC shall not be included on the membership roster by the DNC Secretary nor shall those individuals be allowed to participate as members at the standing committee meeting…”
Seems to me the DNC would be in violation of its own rules to try to seat FL and MI representatives on the credentials committee.
I broke my rule and watched Hardball just to see how Obama would handle Matthews. Obama was calm as a cucumber. When Matthews pressed his trademark lines of absurd questioning, Obama just smiled benignly at him. He proved he knows how to suffer fools graciously.
My one disappointment was Obama’s saying that “Nobody predicted 9/11.” That echoed Condi Rice’s infamous remark.
The student audience was crazy about him.
I noticed that too.
Says it all for me.
Same old, same old.
Pony up for change!
Saw a little bit and cannot figure out when it will be rebroadcast.
Obama was fine but looked and sounded exhausted.
It’s on the official Obama YouTube stream: http://youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom.
I’m not sure it’s actually worth watching… but I watched the whole thing anyway. Chris Matthews made me wince a lot, and Obama made me wince a little: on his pro-Afghanistan war stance (I think that war is mostly about oil and not terrorism) and his civil-unions-not-marriage stance. Otherwise… wow. He’s not my ideal progressive dream candidate, but he might be the closest real-world equivalent.
Ahem, sorry for getting all fangirl there.
there is some natural gas in Afghanistan but pretty much no oil.
It’s not about Afghanistan having oil, it’s about it being a logical host to an oil pipeline (if only it could be secured): I’ve been semi-swayed by the below arguments. Have I been hoodwinked by liberal conspiracy theorists? I honestly don’t know, and if you have good information about this, I’ll gladly read it.
http://www.alternet.org/story/11692/?page=1
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/03/05/7493/
Yes, we want oil and gas pipelines to take energy out of central asia without transiting Iran. To do that, we need some level of security in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. That is a major reason why the Clintons and the Bushes (prior to 9/11) had at least somewhat cordial relations with the Taliban.
However, the pipeline theory is way overblown. First of all, it’s a decent solution, and the world needs the energy. But even for the people that think 9/11 was self-inflicted, the subsequent decision to move on Iraq disproves the theory.
Isolating Iran and ending our containment policy in Iraq were prime motivations for the neo-cons. Pipelines out of Afghanistan only interested a couple of UNOCAL and Chevron executives, and that was derailed by the decision to move on Iraq.
If Afghanistan were really important we would have kept our focus there. The real dollars are in Mesopotamia.
Fair enough. The other, perhaps stronger part of my anti-war feelings in Afghanistan is that it seems doomed…. I’s like to see a focus on improving public image throughout the Arab world (it could hardly be worse) and then small, targeted military ops.
Obama seems to be pandering in his war talk – “look at me, I can be a hawk too.”
Afghans are not Arabs. And we have a NATO led coalition in Afghanistan intent on providing some level of a decent life for the people there. It’s failing largely because our whole strategy is ridiculous and anti-Muslim…sees all political opposition as terrorism, etc.
There is an argument for isolationism, but it isn’t predicated on the fact that our presence in Afghanistan is purely venal and part of some conspiracy of the energy companies.
We should have turned Afghanistan into a central Asian Dubai. He could have done it with all the money we lavished on Iraq.
At this point we need to do a sober assessment of our mission there and consider if we can advance out national interests or not. But there is no advantage in seeing it all as some gambit for pipelines. The pipelines would be nice and beneficial to everyone. But they are not a reason to stay, or go.
See your general point, but the geography of Afghanistan is a major factor mitigating against success in transforming that area. As well as the fiercely tribal/clan culture. Finally, Pakistan, the populous and volatile neighbor.
I see it as potentially a much deeper pit than Iraq. I’m certainly open to other viewpoints on this matter.
I watched a couple of the clips and Obama was great. He does seem tired but who wouldn’t with the schedule he is keeping.
He probably figures he can sleep all the way from Election Day to Thanksgiving if he has to. I would.
Matthews was okay — with the live audience and Obama’s verbal aikido, he couldn’t get too obnoxious (I did like how Obama graciously declined to deal with hypothetical 3am call questions).
Obama seemed relaxed and comfortable, and answered questions from the students as well as from Matthews.
Going to try to catch some of the repeat, as I missed the first part.
It just started here on the Left Coast. Loved that when they asked who was here for Barack, the audience went wild. When Chris asked who favored Hillary, hardly anyone answered!
booed….ha!
ROTFLMAO!!!!!
Why?
That’s fuckin hilarious, Nancy
Did he happen to mention what he might do about the mortgage crisis? The healthcare crisis? The wages crisis? The credit crisis?
Fisa? Torture? Iraq? Stoploss? Anything significant at all?
Just wondering out here in the real world.
He answered what he was asked and he did it well.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Your cynicism is well earned but, as they say, Rome was not built in a day.
When this whole thing started we had the following prospects.
The Draft the guy that wanted Joe Lieberman a heartbeat away from the nuclear button and lost to a chimpanzee Movement.
The Draft Wesley ‘stalking horse for the Clintons’ Clark Movement.
Chris Dodd, who while mostly excellent, voted for the war.
Joe Biden, who voted for the war.
The prospect of a re-run of John Kerry, who voted for the war.
Former DLC chairman Tom Vilsack.
Former DLC wunderkind John Edwards, who co-sponsorted the war.
Former DLC chairman Evan Bayh.
Pro-life to the moment he decided to run for president, Dennis Kucinch.
Bill Richardson, who was a running on a DLC platform with an anti-war flavor.
And the DLC on steroids Matriarch of the Clinton machine, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
They all lost.
And, yet, given this tremendous victory, you act like Barack Obama is just like the others. He’s not. And he proves it every day.
Cheer up.
Cynicism? Let’s call it been there, done that…for 46 years.
You can trot out all the stats and anecdotes about this year’s beauty contest all you want (note: let’s not call super a Hillary supporter) other than Barack Obama and still have a hell of a road to travel to impress or satisfy me.
First of all, you’de be better off giving Kucinich shit for seeing a UFO than carping on his change of heart about reproductive choice. I’ll give the man credit where credit is due. It sure as hell beats advocating and voting while simultaneously giving away a little piece of my daughter’s future in order to gain some illusory dem advantage in order to impeach (hahaha) for a guy like Casey in PA. Some things…BooMan…are non negotiable. When you voted for Casey you ceded the high ground.
Second,
you’re a creature of the mainstream. I didn’t always believe that, but I do now. If you weren’t you’de push like a motherfucker to get candidates like Kucinich, Gravel and McKinney a fair slot and fair voi ce.
I’m out here in the real world, workin my ass off like i’ve always done and getting farther and farther behind. And whern i hear some dude who’s parents paid for his education telling me my cynicism is well earned
it pisses me the fuck off. Especially when you’re pushing another do nothing agent of change.. Cynicism?
Fuck off.
Oh wait! He’s ready to bowl from day one. Cute.
You seem especially disgusted with the state of the world tonight. Are you ok?
II still have my wits about me, if that’s what you mean. Super is gettin thin in patience, is all.
I don’t think I had any meaning in mind. I was just checking on you. In a general way.
You do look thinner … 😉
I call it aerodynamic.
Thanks
almost sprayed the screen with coffee. Too funny.
Good morning, Super.
I’m a mere 39 years old, but finding myself gaining cynicism exponentially. I’ve expanded beyond just politicians, though, because I find our entire cultural down shift grotesque- and probably unstoppable.
As a nation we lack adults who take pride in being contributers to the common good. Everything from denying school funding to refusing to hand out food bank supplies to women and children because they might already be on WIC, and thus “double dipping,” reflects our petty grasping and sniping. When I found a local seamstress to help hem a pair of pants she explained how she set her sewing machine up to watch out the window in case her neighbors showed signs of leaving their front door open too long when she knew they were getting heating assistance.
This is a massive cultural problem. Everyone seems to be squabbling over their one piece of detritus, rather than lifting their heads and seeing what could be.
So the reason I hope for Obama actually has little to do with himself or his policies. I think our entire cultural outlook has to change before any progressive policies can be conceived of seriously. What his campaign brings to the nation is a sense of “We’re all in this together.” Until our nation shifts away from the petty disdain, social Darwinism, and entitlement we’ve had since Reagan made it “acceptable” nothing will change.
He is attracting a movement of young and old, male and female, Democrat and Independent, and at the base of this is a sense of unity. We desperately need this.
Once we’re back to being in this together then we can have the power to do what needs to be done so urgently. In my naivety I hope this starts right away and builds because we so need it to.
Anyway, I thank you for all that you do and have done to help repair this world.
Excellent post. Thoughtful, cordial and supportive.
I am approaching 70, and I attest to the fact that there has been a sea change in our attitudes toward our role in the community and also in our respect for learning and uplifting subjects like fine arts. And it isn’t just the younger generations. We have people here who attended public schools, sent their children through public schools and have grand children in public schools but evade real estate taxes by putting a few grazing animals on their land.
Everyone seems terrified that others might get something for “free.” Few seem half as concerned about the corporate billionaires who are being bailed out by the taxpayers or the outright cheating on defense contracts, etc.
It’s going to take a recommitment to each other before much will be changed.
Are we fellow Coloradans?
It’s going to take a recommitment to each other before much will be changed.
This is what I tried to explain in my whole post. I wish I’d distilled it as well as you!
Yep. I live up in the central mts. Where are you located?
And BTW, I am an Obama delegate to the state convention in May. Any chance you’ll be there?
I live on the Front Range, in Boulder County. Congratulations on going to the state level! I really wanted to be a delegate, but bowed out when we had overwhelming numbers of wannabees at the caucus. Mom got to be one, though, and I put up massive Obama signs when they held the county convention right across the street from my house.
So do you think Colorado is unique in their dismal, self-righteous greed? It wasn’t this way when I was growing up.
Nah. I came here from SoCal. Not as bad as the Bay Area where much of our family lives, but only because it’s a lot harder to accumulate wealth in SoCal without the high paying jobs and still very high living costs.
I have a several close friends in Boulder. One formerly part of the Lamm family and the other with the ACLU.
Many people bowed out of the delegate competition to let those of us new to the state or the process participate. Very thoughtful.
Tehanu,
thanks for this reply.
My anger, and I guess my fear too, is beginning to get the better of me and I’m losing my once innate ability to raise my head above my own single detritus and maintain an even keel or sense of the bigger picture and how to remain focused on it.
I agree with you wholeheartedly that our society is broken and ugly. But i think of less as a shift away from something we once were than as a realization of what we’ve always been despite our lofty back patting and preaching. I know that now more than ever we’re called to adhere to principal and optimism and even hope, but I’ve lost or at least misplaced my ability to do it any longer.
I know so many, too many, people like the seamstress you describe. I’m surrounded by them. They seem incapable of compassion. They forget how quickly all can fall to pieces and how a once independent and self sufficient family could find themselves beset on all sides by circumstance, poor choices, and predators of all sorts and how quicly fortunes can change. I think though that Hemingway’s words, “ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee”, are more prescient now than ever. Many of these people who now look down at their neighbors in distrust and disdain will hear the bell tolling for them. Sad to say that i won’t feel sadness for them.
I’ve told you before that you and I seek the same outcomes, only different vehicles of change. And when I see people who are so similar to my own thinking doing what I consider settling for more of the same I become frustrated and bewildered even. I don’t mean to say you are naive. It may be that I’m the naive one to believe that real change is possible. That Americans have the wisdom and foresight to recognize the futility of replaying the same game over and over. Clinton never had a chance with me. But Obama has disappointed me more as he’s revealed bit by bit that there’s little that is unique about him. I cannot hear this call to unity when it comes from the mouth of someone so…conventional. The real agents of change, or at least those courageous enough to communicate their convictions, have been jettisoned once again by the apparatus, the machine. People like Cynthia McKinney and Cindy Sheehan are labeled as freaks when they are among just a handfull of people actually speaking the truth without regard for political expediency and trepidation. And as this game plays out once again I’m coming to the painful conclusion, despite my capacity for hopefulness, that nothing is changing. Only calls to believe. To place my faith in someone, any new someone, who offers little more than vague glimpses of some foggy notion of how to achieve a movement of, by, and for the people. I don’t believe that any of that is acheivable without a real commitment to challenge the status quo. To bravely state the facts of our government’s active impriconment of it’s own people. Imprisoned in the growing struggle just to provide for ourselves and stay above water.
Nowhere do I see a hint of the courage required to do that in any “viable” candidate.
This past week I’ve gone back to the speeches of Dr. King and felt a renewed sense of awe and respect for his courage and his unflinching commitment to social justice for all. That man is still unmatched in his ability to call out to all of us to reach for a higher love. In his ability to reach across all divisions and touch each of us ina way that demands through love that we love and support one another. The more he becomes a part of the past, the more we need him now. But I look around and I look again and I see no one willing to do more than use his legacy as a tool to further their own aims and goals. I wonder what Dr. King would make of Barack Obama. I think he would be disappointed in a person who is squandering his unique chance to stand forcefully against all that is wrong and criminal in this country. And maybe this is where I lose that need to embrace hope because I know to play in politics means to play the man’s game. And that’s why Dr. King was murdered. Because he would never compromise his ideals and the need for honesty in order to play it safe within the system. I am certain he would find little to be hopeful for in any of our candidates because none are truly willing to risk all for all.
So you see, in believing these things I’ve placed myself outside of the political reality. I’m asking for more than what is possible. As I’ve been told several times now on this site, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Nevermind that Rome signifies all that is wrong and monsterous in our empire. And if that’s what we’re supposed to be striving for then I want no part of it. And I want no part in supporting anyone who through their complacency or cowardice does little more than feed this empire. And it’s sad that I find it necesarry to quantify that to mean all of them, not just Obama.
Sorry to lay all of this on you, Tehanu. I’m speaking more generally about where I am than specifically to you. But I wouldn’t say it someone that I felt could not understand me. You are among a dwindling few here that I feel that way about. The way you describe having your hands in the earth and helping to make things grow has touched me deeply. Kindreds are hard to find.
Oh, and one more thing, whippersnapper :o) I’ll gladly trade my 46 years for your mere 39 :o)
Take care
I was just reading at TPM about the controversy between Bill Richardson and the Clintons where Richardson supposedly told the Clintons that he’d never endorse Obama because he didn’t think he was electable.
I think Camp Obama has a real opportunity here. If I were them I’d encourage Richardson to address this head on and admit that at the beginning he didn’t think Obama was electable – that he fell into the same old groupthink that we’ve always lived with. But then explain what Obama did to make him a believer. Coming to support a candidate is a process and voters understand that.
It would be of a piece with Obama’s response to the attacks on his Pastor – he took the opportunity to address the issue and then go further. They could do it with Richardson too.