Open Thread

John McCain, Worth the Fighting For:

For a long time, Robert Jordan was the man I admired above almost all others in life and fiction … a hero for the twentieth century, my century.

Recommended diaries at 8 am, Wednesday, May 07, 2008 :

The Clinton bashing ends TONIGHT (updated) by smash artist From a Clinton Supporter - It's Time to Concede by johnnygunn To My Fellow Hillary Supporters by Delaware Dem BREAKING VIDEO: Russert Says It's Over - Clinton Cancels Appearances by HoldEmAccountable Hamilton County! by clownsaw Investigate the Pentagon Pundit Program [updated] by John Kerry OBAMA FUNDRAISER: $4,000,000 IN 24 HRS.... by NMDan Update Welsh 82189 Pence 38031  IN-06 by Barry Welsh

•  I love the smell of

  toast in the morning.  ;-)

  by minerva1157 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:31:14 AM PDT

  •  burnt toast smells even better.... n/t

    by playtonjr on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:32:18 AM PDT

    •  Just make sure the smoke detector is working n/t

      by Muzikal203 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:33:11 AM PDT

      •  nearly lunchtime...

        

        by voila on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:50:55 AM PDT

        •  Hey, that's my neighbor!

          We watch the Ospreys fishing every morning.  Sweet pic.

          Speaking of morning, we are collecting favorite moments from last night in my diary.

          Good times.

          by Rian Fike on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:45:50 AM PDT

  •  Me too

    And coffee. I also love that "whoosh/click" of the toaster. Poof. It's toast!

    by Kestrel on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:33:21 AM PDT

    •  Toaster Ovens

      Are a ridiculously poor substitute.

      Moreover, there is this rather unfortunate tendency when one is expecting other people to toast, for example, one's bagel, or one's toast, and, it's like, "Will you toast the goddamn thing?"

      by potownman on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:47:02 AM PDT

      •  I do not own

        a toaster oven. You're right.

        by Kestrel on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:50:02 AM PDT

        •  Glad you reminded me

          the toaster needs to be cleaned and we need a toaster over for Hon. #2 Daughter.  She makes plastic beads and shouldn't be using the oven.

          by Powered Grace on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:53:48 AM PDT

    •  The drip drip drip

      first thing in the morning. Ahhhhhh!

      by kitebro on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:56:43 AM PDT

  •  Wait,

    but over at mydd they're saying "On to West Virginia!"

    It's really sad.

    by JoeW on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:34:02 AM PDT

    •  Clinton supporters are delusional, I'm all for

      wanting to go out on a win, but really, what's the point?

      This is my friend's status message on Facebook (he's the only Clinton supporter out of about 600 friends on facebook:

      "******* thinks that Lake County can go straight to hell. ***** is thrilled with his candidate and is very much looking forward to campaigning for Hill in West Virginia."

      They are their own worst enemies.

      But unless she is loaning herself more money, she's going to be broke soon. She probably already is thanks to NC (since she decided to contest it she put a lot of time and resources into it) as evidenced by her campaigning on the back of a pick-up truck.

      by Muzikal203 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:40:36 AM PDT

    •  Well, Hillary is saying the same thing

      That's where she is today.

      by CA Libertarian on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:41:44 AM PDT

      •  Another planet.

        That's where she is today.

        by kitebro on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:59:20 AM PDT

    •  I heard them last night and this morning

      First of all, they are arguing about the number of delegates it takes to nominate; they are arguing that MI and FL has to added to the total needed.

      Then you are off to the races, with their take on the remaining primaries and uncommitted SDs. They include FL and MI delegates in Hillary's column. (since Hillary controls the rules committee)Then they argue that once Hillary shows momentum in WV (and Puerto Rico is the key to the whole nomination) the SDs will flock to her and then Obama's SDs will switch.

      So Obama's win in NC will energize Hillary's base and she will be the nominee.

      I am not kidding.

      by entlord1 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:33:15 AM PDT

  •  I accidently burned my bacon this morning :o(

    by Muzikal203 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:37:49 AM PDT

  •  Can you smell what Barack is cooking?

    by aaraujo on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:38:10 AM PDT

  •  Or crow.

    That must smell great, frying up over at HRC HQ.

    by CA Libertarian on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:40:47 AM PDT

    •  Maybe Penn

      Will get "fired" again.

      What a fucking waste of money that schmuck was.

      And reflective, of course, of rather poor leadership.

      by potownman on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:49:10 AM PDT

  •  ... but it doesn't beat a good cup of coffee. n/t

    by Dauphin on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:01:08 AM PDT

•  I sense a big metashift...

  leaning toward against McCain here on Dkos.

  Which means that...

  Awesome!

  :::::

  by nowheredesign on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:31:36 AM PDT

  •  Let's start sensing that metashift

    in the TM...

    by wry twinger on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:32:56 AM PDT

    •  But I don't know

      how to drive a metashift.

      by JoeW on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:34:37 AM PDT

      •  The shifter is on the column. :)

        by nowheredesign on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:36:34 AM PDT

        •  The fifth column? n/t

          by JoeW on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:40:58 AM PDT

          •  Lol... Do you even have a drivers license? :)

            

            :)

            :::::

            by nowheredesign on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:42:38 AM PDT

            •  Yeah, and I can even drive a stick

              But "Never let the truth get in the way of a dopey joke" is JoeW's motto.

              by JoeW on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:45:32 AM PDT

              •  Funny... I learned how to drive a stick..

                in a Targa with a racing clutch at the Tuttleman Estate.

                Being a Valet for so long had its perks.

                :)

                :::::

                by nowheredesign on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:48:10 AM PDT

                •  I Learned to Drive Stick

                  from a very temporary boyfriend who showed up, steered me to a VW bug (on which I put decals) that had the small taillights, if anybody remembers what that meant. He taught me to drive my bug and Poof! he was gone. I don't even remember his name.

                  I still love driving a stickshift.

                  by JG in MD on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:56:42 AM PDT

                •  hmmmm

                  I learned on a VW Jetta, which is not quite so cool.

                  by JoeW on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:00:56 AM PDT

        •  or the floor

          anywhere but the trunk.

          by entlord1 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:33:53 AM PDT

•  Breathe

  Stretch. Breathe. Repeat.

  by Kestrel on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:31:58 AM PDT

  •  Are we about to

    give birth to a new American future?

    by JoeW on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:35:10 AM PDT

    •  Let's hope so

      I'll take any future - that W is leaving is a wonderful foothold.

      by michele2 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:39:34 AM PDT

  •  Breathe

    :::::

    by nowheredesign on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:37:43 AM PDT

•  Oh, what a beautiful morning...

  oh what a beautiful day...

  by wry twinger on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:32:19 AM PDT

  •  I have a wonderful feeling

    everything's going my way.

    by gchaucer2 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:35:40 AM PDT

    •  The corn is as thick as an elephtant's

      $%^^NO CARRIER

      by khereva on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:50:23 AM PDT

•  Who is Robert Jordan?

  by environmentalist on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:32:28 AM PDT

  •  Either the author

    of the Wheel of Time fantasy series

    or a communist terrorist character from "For Whom the Bell Tolls".

    by Crisis Corps Volunteer on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:41:34 AM PDT

    •  Hemingway

      The character from For Whom the Bell Tolls was my first thought.  My second was....wait a minute....

      by environmentalist on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:53:52 AM PDT

  •  Who is John McCain? n/t

    by stevej on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:43:59 AM PDT

    •  Who cares?

      McCain, McInane, McSame....whatever...who the hell is this Jordan hero!

      by environmentalist on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:53:10 AM PDT

  •  SF author

    VN vet, helicopter doorgunner, series author. He was kind of the heir apparent at one point to Robert Adams.  

    by entlord1 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:35:47 AM PDT

•  Which Robert Jordan?

  The fantasy author who's Wheel of Time series kept going and going and going and going and...?

  There's probably some good ironic lesson in that, but it's too early in the morning for me to think of one.

  -dms

  by dmsilev on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:32:32 AM PDT

  •  lol

    John McCain is "The Phantom Menace" of sequels. A pale shadow of what he used to be.

    by JoeW on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:37:27 AM PDT

  •  Since he's dead now

    it won't be going on that much longer.

    by Crisis Corps Volunteer on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:44:02 AM PDT

  •  Robert Jordan is the prime example of someone who

    ..couldn't close the deal (yes much, much worse then Obama and Clinton).

    I loved Jordan's first 6 books of the wheel of time saga, but after book 6 it went downhill and somewhere around book 8 or 9 i gave up out of frustration (hardly half the issues where dealt with and more issues where introduced giving the impression that it would never end).

    Had Jordan been able to write and finish his story in 6 books (which is already a hell of a lot more to read then most epic saga's) he would have been without doubt the best fantasy writer since Tolkien. But his inability to bring conclusion to the series at least in my opinion have ruined his grandness.

    If John McCain is anything like Robert Jordan we will be stuck with him till 2357.

    by DarkOmnius on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:47:43 AM PDT

    •  I too survived the first six

      but they weren't that good. I gave up around five, gave it one more and couldn't bring myself to start another.

      Count me a doubter 'cuz I'd pick George RR Martin by a country mile over Jordan. Much more in depth and believable in terms of character development and the political intrigue is delicious.

      by potty p on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:36:02 AM PDT

    •  Close a series?

      ERB and REH knew better than that. You keep on spinning it out and with a little luck you get renowned enough you can hire other writers to write the series so you don't have to waste your time.

      After all, being an author and being a writer are two different things.

      by entlord1 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:37:38 AM PDT

    •  I read the whole damn series...

      Over the course of fourteen years.  Great vision, and I like that it was long...  but 12 massive books to get to the one important conclusion...  and now, he's gone.

      oh well.

      by gloriousbastard on Wed May 07, 2008 at 07:37:49 AM PDT

    •  He's a lousy writer.

      I couldn't get far into it, despite recommendations from friends. He can only write two stock female types! - the slip-of-a-girl and the superhardcore bitch. The varying degrees of sympathy with which these two archetypes are portrayed accounts for his entire female cast.

      Admittedly, male heroes and villains tend to be the real subjects of the fantasy genre, and even there he does a subpar job. He "characterizes" his villains by showing them participating in depravity, and his heroes by showing them whining. Beyond that, they're as superficially drawn as his women characters.

      It's an ideal book series for teenage boys with little experience around other people.

      by Joseph Hale on Wed May 07, 2008 at 09:35:10 AM PDT

  •  Slow crappy author who should have stopped

    the series after the third book but he kept it up just so the money would keep coming in.

    by jabbausaf on Wed May 07, 2008 at 07:03:36 AM PDT

•  I was gonna write a diary about this

  but I don't want to waste it.

  People, it's too soon to be talking about "we need to be nice to clinton supporters" I mean, we should be nice ANYWAY, but until Hillary CONCEDES and DROPS OUT and ENDORSES BARACK, we are STILL opponents.

  Hate to break it to ya and kill the Kumbayah mood.

  Obama is the nominee at this point, but Hillary AND her supporters are not letting go.

  by Muzikal203 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:32:41 AM PDT

  •  Yep.

    This is like every other "cease fire" we've been asked to initiate, which has preceded Hillary's knife in Obama's back every. single. time.

    She's campaigning in West Virgina today.

    by khereva on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:35:17 AM PDT

    •  EXACTLY, it's not like she's going quietly into

      the night, we feel great right now, but it's not over by any means, and it's really pissing me off that people are basically saying we shouldn't celebrate last night because it may hurt the fragile feelings of Clinton supporters.

      They know this is a very Pro-Obama site, if they can't handle it, they shouldn't come here. I never go to pro-Clinton sites because I don't want to deal with it.

      I don't get why we have to baby the Clinton supporters.

      by Muzikal203 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:37:06 AM PDT

      •  ::sigh::

        You're right.

        She's not done.

        I'd love to be wrong.

        by JoeW on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:38:04 AM PDT

  •  heh i wrote just a diary

    just now. i don't let them off the hook, but i'm extending the olive branch.

    by terrypinder on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:41:17 AM PDT

    •  Too soon for olive branches

      We can't be too nice to these people, they have a habit of taking an inch and trying to go a mile.

      by Muzikal203 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:42:12 AM PDT

      •  Shift to GE mode

        We don't need to get nasty; we need to marginalize her.  

        It would be nice if she didn't get nasty either.  Bets on that?

        by 57andFemale on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:47:46 AM PDT

        •  We'll see what she says in WV today, won't we?

          by khereva on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:51:27 AM PDT

        •  It's not about being nasty

          it's about not bending over backwards to suck up to her supporters since that's probably want they want (at least from what I'm seeing).

          When you support a candidate, you support the CANDIDATE, not his supporters. Unless the person is an official campaign surrogate doing interviews on TV, it shouldn't matter what they say.

          The clinton supporters that have really offended me are the official ones that get up and talk about us as cultist, latte-sipping, Prius driving, Birkenshock wearing, trust fund babies, who only vote for Obama because he's the "cool" "black" candidate.

          I could care less what joe schmo on the internet says, my beef is with the official people, and NO ONE in the Obama campaign has insulted CLINTON SUPPORTERS. We can't say the same for her.

          So just like they are BITTER, we are HAPPY, and we'll continue to be HAPPY.

          :o)

          by Muzikal203 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:54:11 AM PDT

•  John McCain is lying again.

  His century was the fourteenth.

  by JoeW on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:33:19 AM PDT

  •  Wait just a minute!

    That was my century and I don't remember that bloke.

    by gchaucer2 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:37:04 AM PDT

    •  He was the one

      decrying "activist" barber/doctors.

      by JoeW on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:38:54 AM PDT

      •  Didn't he submit...

        an anti-leeching bill to Congress last year?

        by wry twinger on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:57:35 AM PDT

        •  lol. n/t

          by JoeW on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:01:54 AM PDT

•  Down with the swine in the corporate media...

  ...off with their bought and paid for pseudo journalistic heads.

  by AaronBBrown on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:33:20 AM PDT

  •  Wow.

    That's some real talk right there.

    by Rex Manning on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:45:29 AM PDT

•  There's a post I wrote earlier

  today, which I could turn into a diary, but I don't have the time, so I shall repost it here for Your reading pleasure:

  Yes, the Russians are capable of being a threat - but they are not. Why? Because it's not in their interest. Russia can afford patience, and seeks only to restore its traditional sphere of influence over ''all the Russias'' (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus).

  Consider: They are resource exporters and their industry, especially light industry, has undergone a remarkable recovery under Putin. To alienate other countries - potential customers - would be foolish in the extreme, as they fully realise.

  Furthermore, if anyone's wondering why Putin and Medvedev clobbered the oh-so-oppressed opposition: When the Cold War ended the Russian economy was in difficulty, but the total collapse of its economy was caused by the very people who sit in opposition today and whine about being oppressed. Under Yeltsin, they caused unimaginable suffering. As our ambassador to Russia said: ''When you say the word ''democrats'' to the average Ivan, he cringes.''

  Finally, Russia cannot afford to alienate Europe. Why? China. Siberia is very, very close to China, is sparsely populated and resource rich. Beijing is sending Chinese emigrants there, especially into oil-rich areas. Not officially, of course, but the Chinese border patrols have orders not to stop anyone who wants to leave and this long-term strategy is of huge concern to Russians. They need allies. And why shoud they not get them?

  Lack of democracy? Oh, please. Compared to other people we're dealing with Russia's a democratic utopia. There are electoral shenanigans, of course, but, for a country with a very specific culture and which had had, whatm, six months of democracy before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the democratic process which has emerged is remarkable.

  All right. Tips/flames/replies?

  by Dauphin on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:34:00 AM PDT

•  So, I'm thinking the

  gasbag Limbaugh and his minions were the biggest losers last night.  Sure, perhaps if they had just not interfered, Obama might have won -- but their interference had absolutely no effect in the long run.  And I believe it is too late to do more shenanigans in the primary.

  He needs to be attacked directly re: his call for rioting.  While not an "imminent" threat -- it is a conspiracy to commit a crime.

  by gchaucer2 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:34:20 AM PDT

  •  Operation Mayonnaise Was a Failure. :)

    by nowheredesign on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:35:44 AM PDT

    •  Heh.

      Operation Oxycontin Delusion.

      by Rex Manning on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:47:20 AM PDT

  •  He turned Indiana

    And it was against the law for those 3% to vote the way they did.

    by discocarp on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:53:58 AM PDT

  •  Chuck Todd on Monday

    said last night would be the end of the primary season.  MSM will still hyperventillate when she wins WV and KY; but the big states are done and the numbers game is over.  

    Obama overperformed big time last night -- after his worst two weeks ever and her best two weeks.  

    It's about superdelegates now, and everything she had said previously now has very little weight.  Her hoping that there will be an October Surprise -- even the supers will see that as evil.  You don't wish that on your party.  And they know Operation Chaos had an effect, which means Obama actually performed better than the numbers show.  He would have had his 19, 20% win in NC; which means she made no inroads there.  None. He would have won IN. And her paltry support from AA's is now half of what it was in OH.  

    The DNC needs money.  They need Obama's fundraising juggernaut to be channeled to down ticket races.  It has to start very soon.  

    The Obama people are saying May 20, when KY and OR vote.  

    That's the day.  And let's stay vigilant and focused.  It's the Clintons after all.  

    by 57andFemale on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:57:04 AM PDT

•  If Clinton gets the nomination now...

  ....revolution will be the only recourse.

  by AaronBBrown on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:34:47 AM PDT

  •  No it won't n/t

    by stevej on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:44:28 AM PDT

•  If this was Ancient Rome,

  Hillary would have won Indiana by double digits: II%.

  by kitebro on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:34:53 AM PDT

  •  And PA by four: VIII %

    by khereva on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:36:38 AM PDT

  •  lol

    How do you do a fraction in Roman numerals?

    .V?

    by JoeW on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:39:55 AM PDT

    •  You don't

      which is why we should be grateful to the Arab mathmeticians for giving us a usable number system.

      by gchaucer2 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:42:55 AM PDT

  •  Double digits

    in base two.

    10

    by Crisis Corps Volunteer on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:42:20 AM PDT

•  Russert: 'We Now Know Who the Nominee Will Be'

  O Keeper of the flame of Conventional Wisdom.

  by Scarce on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:35:52 AM PDT

•  Follow the money

  With Clinton in debt ... and little more coming in, she doesn't have the cash to stay in .. unless she really starts to spend her fortune. People can be real stupid with other people's money. They tend to be a bit more sensible with their own.

  by taonow on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:37:42 AM PDT

  •  Rumor has it she has loaned herself more money.

    by Muzikal203 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:43:07 AM PDT

    •  This morning...

      the talking heads on one of the morning shows (which one is Russert on?) suggested (I think it was Tim himself) that part of the healing of the party could be Obama offering to pay down some of her debt.

      SHE decided to stay in this long, let her dip into her savings...

      by wry twinger on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:47:36 AM PDT

      •  I agree, she was irresponsible to continue

        to spend money she didn't have, and it's not fair for OBAMA SUPPORTERS (the people who are funding is campaign) to pay off her irresponsibility.

        She's all about "accountability" she needs to be ACCOUNTABLE for her own damn debt.

        by Muzikal203 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:56:04 AM PDT

•  the media is mad because McCain won't help

  ratings at all.  He's boring.  He rambles.  And yes, he's old.

  He's only good for ratings if you make fun of him.  He'll provide lots of material for that.  But of course his best friends in the media won't ever do that.  So they are stuck.

  by duha on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:37:54 AM PDT

  •  How boring is McCain...

    he's so boring...

    by wry twinger on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:50:04 AM PDT

•  Thank you!

  Thank you NC and IN (minus the 3% limbaugh voters)!

  by discocarp on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:39:02 AM PDT

•  Good post mortem post from John Cole

  complete with singing fat lady.

  by bumblebums on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:39:53 AM PDT

  •  God of All that is Holy . . .

    that was a large opera singer.

    Anybody know who that is?

    by chrississippi on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:01:58 AM PDT

•  The Oil Companies are on C-Span

  CSpan 2. He's trying to make arguments in favor of the $2 billion oil subsidy. He's from some Exxon-like company and he's crying poor!

  They actually think they should get their taxes back in subsidies!

  by JG in MD on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:40:37 AM PDT

•  John McCain is such a joke

  The Republicans nominated a very weak candidate, who has reversed him self on every position he has ever taken, including voting against legislation with his own name on it. He is either deliberately or accidentally confusing Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam; which is worse I don't know.

  But: we are not running against McCain. Obama is right, this election is about the American people, and we are running against a scared, shocked, and angry population, or with it. It all depends.

  by dnamj on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:41:41 AM PDT

•  While savoring last night...

  let's have a peek back at What an absolute idiot Karen Tumulty made of herself in this Time article dated April 29.

  So Karen, how does it feel to be proven SOOO wrong?  I guess not too bad, figuring how much money you make and the fact that your job is in no jeopardy...

  by wry twinger on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:41:46 AM PDT

•  Recent WV/KY/OR polls?

  I'm guessing it goes to Oregon, so I'm curious if we have historical polls for these states?

  I know WV and KY are heavily Hillary, but is Oregon heavily Obama?

  by Thataboy on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:42:27 AM PDT

  •  Oregon

    Rasmussen had O +10 5/1/08

    SurveyUSA O +4 4/30/08

    After SurveyUSA's shellacking last night they may want to rethink their polling model...

    by Scarce on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:45:35 AM PDT

  •  He's leading in Oregon by 13 points

    in latest poll. People started mailing in their ballots last Friday.

    by Earl3 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:46:42 AM PDT

•  BILL??

  you're late again. this will effect your EPR. And we're using a new cover on the TPS Reports.

  by terrypinder on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:42:34 AM PDT

  •  I'm betting he was up till 3 or so

    hell, he may not have gone to bed at all...

    by khereva on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:45:55 AM PDT

•  Today Barack Obama is the presumptive nominee

  Everybody start using that phrase whenever you mention Obama, presumptive nominee.  

  by AaronBBrown on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:42:54 AM PDT

  •  I prefer "Presumptive President"

    by smithnewyork on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:08:19 AM PDT

•  Best birthday present ever! n/t

  by 57andFemale on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:45:48 AM PDT

•  Our eye on the prize

  The prize for us is more grassroots building until we actually have some power in the Democratic Party.  Right now the strangle hold is still very much with the Political Industrial Complex of pollsters, media advisors, lobbyists, corporations and their pet elected spineless Democratic officials and party hacks.  Look how everyone is so scared and spineless of Hillary as if her wishes are ours.  Our wishes are power and so are hers.  She is all for the status quo of the old Democratic Party being in the hands of corporations and her lobbyists friends.

  The time to continue to create an alternative to this force is now.  Obama will give us just a little room as he is still a community organizer but we need to even struggle with him as he is scared of the Corporations and their Corporate Media monopolies. (notice no one has even made the monopolies of Murdoch or GE or Disney ABC an issue-- scared to do it..) we are the only ones who are willing to fight this power.  Therefore we need to keep our focus which is building the grassroots.  The Obama leadership will not do that for us.  We need to do it.  More and more progressive grassroots types need to create a strategy from the convention on how to take over thier local Parties and then State then national Party. The time to end the Mark Penn/Haliburton/Fundamentalist nuts era is about to happen if we keep up this great fight.

  by john from vermont on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:48:59 AM PDT

•  What to do with Hillary?

  I'll save you the trouble of posting the obvious lame rejoinders:

  She should:
  1.) Be dipped in "Gravy Train" and tossed to wild poodles (thanx @ Dave Barry).
  2.) She should banished from the history books and all references to her existence painstakingly removed.
  3.) Go home and make cookies for her man.
  4.) Join an convent with a 30-year vow of silence prerequisite.
  5.) Open a "Famous Dave's" in the Gaza Strip.
  6.) Volunteer for "pinata" duty at the Denver convention.

  Okay ... got that out of our system?  Now let's think of some REAL answers.

  I'd be curious for some serious suggestions.

  We'll assume that Obama doesn't want her as VP.  What other baubles could be dangled in front of her to placate her and her supporters?

  --A SCOTUS nomination?
  --Appointment as AG?
  --An ambassadorship?
  --Some cabinet position (maybe something dealing with her pet interests, like Health Care?)
  --A hearty handshake and a bus ticket to Puerto Rico?
  --Bupkes?

  by RavinDave on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:49:45 AM PDT

  •  She can keep her Senate seat

    we don't need to dangle anything in front of her face. But since she's such a "great Senator" she can stay one.

    by Muzikal203 on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:57:00 AM PDT

  •  Ambassadorship to Bosnia...

    by wry twinger on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:00:21 AM PDT

    •  LOL, that was cold. . . . But funny. n/t

      by kosophile on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:54:09 AM PDT

•  Just saw Gov. Dean on CNN

  ripping on McBush and voter ID laws.  While it is all a "pipe dream" I could see him in the campaign in the VP role (i.e. attack dog) while Sen. Obama takes the high road.

  Whom ever our second seat is this person needs to be a fighter working the talking points, not like our past choices (edwards, liberman(not even my most fav. Republican any more)).

  by HowlnAround on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:50:17 AM PDT

  •  I really like the idea of a female VP...

    female that is not Hillary that is...

    by wry twinger on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:01:16 AM PDT

    •  A Gov. like the one from

      AZ...she balances the ticket with the new southwest heard from.

      by HowlnAround on Wed May 07, 2008 at 07:31:08 AM PDT

•  Obama almost doubles McCain's vote in Indiana n/t

  by Galois on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:51:51 AM PDT

•  Obama's 3 groups to target to crush Mccain

  1. elderly (they vote, usually lean democratic, but the generation gap is stark vs. McCain and they have strongly preferred Clinton all primary season)

  2. Less educated / blue collar white voters (I suggest doing a tour of Appalachia in June or something, confront your weak area head on)

  3. Latinos (McCain knows he desperately needs this group to be relatively strong for him, to counteract the backlash he has gotten from the right for his immigration stances.)

  If Obama successfully makes headway in those 3 groups, he'll win
  Pennsylvania
  Ohio
  New Mexico
  Virginia
  Michigan

  and we will get a huge electoral win in November.

  by duha on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:53:06 AM PDT

•  SurveyUSA

  Can we now put to rest the infallibility of some pollsters?

  Indiana
  ==========
  SurveyUSA 05/02 - 05/04 675 LV 54 42 Clinton +12.0

  North Carolina
  ==============
  SurveyUSA 05/02 - 05/04 810 LV 50 45 Obama +5.0

  by Scarce on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:53:42 AM PDT

•  Clintons last lie before passing from the scene.

  The Clintons lost (it's all over after Obama wins in NC and IN) not because they lied but because they did it so badly.

  Two great examples.

  1. "Obama's not ready to be president." When Clinton claimed that only she and McCain has the "experience" to be president and then contradicted herself five minutes later by saying Obama would make a great VP,ready to be president at a moments notice in crisis....Whoops guess Obama is ready to be president.

  2. "Obama can't win white voters and will lose to McCain" Then makes the argument that she stays in the race because anything can happen and even though she's run a scorched earth campaign that has seen her negatives second only to Bush's, ANY Democrat will win in November....Whoops guess Obama can the election.

  by Tuscany on Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:55:29 AM PDT

•  Hillary Clinton will concede tomorrow

  I've predicted it in diaries 6 days ago and 13 days ago that tomorrow is concession day:

  http://www.dailykos.com/...

  http://www.dailykos.com/...

  and in yesterday's prediction thread;  

  http://www.dailykos.com/...

  Everything is coming together, tomorrow is the day.  Come on Hillary, don't make me look like a fool.

  by smithnewyork on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:01:28 AM PDT

•  Foreign Governments Preparing to Charge Bush

  It's true, several Foreign Governments have serious ongoing investigations into War Crimes, and Torture. In a House hearing yesterday several of the witnesses revealed they we working with, and turning evidence over to several heads of state and other officals in regards to trials of GW Bush, Cheney, et al.
  Under International Law, if the USA does not bring charges against them it is the Duty of other countrys to do so. They take that duty serious.

  by SmileySam on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:01:30 AM PDT

•  error messages?

  anyone know why you would get an error message like this when clicking on a recommended diary?

  Service temporarily unavailable

  Reject ID: 4821a7c5-25-1a021c0a-7b6

  by docstymie on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:04:53 AM PDT

  •   unless several people clicked on it at same time

    I can think of no reason. Try cleaning your cache, then try again.

    by SmileySam on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:46:51 AM PDT

•  Drudge says she loaned her campaign 6.4m

  EXCLUSIVE: Senator Clinton has made another multi-million dollar loan to her campaign. She gave $6.4M in the past month and will be giving more... Developing..

  by verily on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:06:17 AM PDT

  •  Reported on MSNBC too. n/t

    by kosophile on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:17:48 AM PDT

    •  I'm off today & watching Morning Joe for 1st time

      Does he ever let his cohost talk?

      by jeepdad on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:35:47 AM PDT

•  CHEERS to proportional delegate allocation.

  JEERS to Rush Limbaugh.  The consummate perversion of all that is good about America.

  by BA BarackUS on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:11:18 AM PDT

•  Why does he admire

  someone who wrote such excrecable books?  At least put Lloyd Alexander, or Ursula K. LeGuin, or someone first.

  by jbelac on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:11:29 AM PDT

•  Strange doubletalk from MSNBC

  Late into the night, you had Olbermann, Tweety, HoFi, Russert, David "Have you ever picked up your teeth with broken fingers?" Gregory, and Pat Buchanan all saying that the race is over and maybe even Hillary knows it.  Because of the delegate distribution and small number of contests remaining, she's not going to catch him.

  I turned the teevee machine back on at 5am and the breathless anchor gushed that it was a tie since each candidate won one state.  "Hillary won Indiana, which she had to do, and Obama won North Carolina, which she was expected to do."  That sentence almost sounds like Hillary exceeded expectations.  

  I thought Buchanan made an excellent point that if the Clintons want to salvage their reputation they will put all their energy into electing the first African-American president.

  by Whore More Years on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:17:40 AM PDT

  •  that was a snakeoil sales pitch by Buchanan

    that didn't work.

    by mimi on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:38:08 AM PDT

•  Insisting on seating FL and MI delegates -

  Wolfson right now does it again on MSNBC.

  I fear that there is war breaking out within the Democratic party over this issue.

  Is there a solution to it that satisfy the Clinton campaign and would at the same time really make a difference in the results towards a Clinton's victory?
  Or is the fight for seating them just a face saving endeavour for the Clinton campaign, well knowing that there is no way to seat the delegates in a way that would still influence the outcome of an Obama nomination?

  by mimi on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:36:11 AM PDT

•  Finally reality starts to seep in

  When Jerome Armstrong gets it, you know Clinton is finished:

  As for Clinton's chances going ahead, they are minimal. I gave about a 10% shot after she won TX & OH, and upped that to 15% after her PA win, and around 20% a week ago. Now, it's slimmer than ever before. There's little doubt that, considering any marker, Obama is on the path to the nomination, now more than ever. Congrats to all his supporters on a good night.

  by RallyPoint on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:40:02 AM PDT

•  Arrest Immigrants As They Leave

  In todays LA Times.

  "The policies of the Bush administration are designed to make life so difficult for immigrants in the U.S. illegally that they're forced to leave. . . . Now they're arresting people who they are actually driving out of the country. . . . Unbelievable," said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a Washington-based immigration reform group.

  http://www.latimes.com/...

  by SmileySam on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:45:08 AM PDT

•  Judas Stephanoplus: Its Over...

  watched a video of him this morning saying Obama was the nomination.

  by GlowNZ on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:46:32 AM PDT

•  Robert Jordan..

  ...is the bane of any sci-fi / fantasy fan's existence.  He wrote some Conan, then ELEVEN BAZILLION PAGES of circular plot (after the first half-dozen book, oops, all the bad guys are resurrected!) and then died before finishing his law-school-syllabus-sized series.  

  Things like this make me bitter and cling to a gun.

  by dcrowe on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:51:00 AM PDT

•  New Magic Number after May 6

  DCW has updated its delegate count based on Green Papers, so the DK front page count needs to be updated also.  

  The results below are based not on DCW/GP, but rather on the Obama website, with the Dems Abroad split corrected from 5-2 to 4.5-2.5.

  <tbody></tbody>

  Delegates:	Pledged	Super	Total	Needed
  Obama	1,592.5	259	1,851.5	172.5
  Clinton	1,424.5	276	1,700.5	323.5
  Remaining	217	260	477
  (2,024.5 delegates needed for victory)

  by Jeff in CA on Wed May 07, 2008 at 06:54:57 AM PDT

•  North Carolina

  Sent a message. Obama has got this.  He took her best shot and is standing tall.

  Indiana sent the Hillary campaign a message too.