My First Day In Denver… What An Amazing Adventure.

I came into town and immediate fell asleep.  I had driven all night from Dallas to Denver and badly need the rest.  After about 3 hours, I woke up, called my wife to check in, and then called fellow Capital Hill member Papau.

Papau was over at the PUMApac headquarters, so I got directions and headed on over.

WOW…  media everywhere, delegates stopping in, and the blogger station full of 6 people typing away.  It was a buzz of activity.

I met a bunch of wonderful people and lots of bloggers that I know and respect dearly.  I was also thrilled to hear people liked my blog…  I was shocked and humbled that people even knew who I was.  It was very nice.

Darragh was fantastic.  She came up to me and introduced herself, we talked for a bit, and became buddies quickly.

I headed over the the PUMAhomestead with Darragh Murphy, Sheri Tag, MarylandPUMA, LadyBoomerNYC, and Darragh Mom (aka Mamma PUMA).

We talked lots, blogged and got ready for the shindig and the unveiling of the Brad Mays movie, the Audacity of Democracy.

The party started at 8, by 7:15 there were 5 media vans there unloading cameras and a variety of reporters getting out of their cars.

The party was off into full swing, there was a coctail bar and catered food…  all excellent btw…  and the reporters just floated thru the crowd talking to a variety of people.  There were tons of them.

I got interviewed by AP, CNN, Le Monde, and a Japanese news paper…  and I am supposed to give a phone interview with a reporter tomorrow morning.  I saw she was holding a piece of paper with FT on it, so maybe Financial Times?  I dunno.

The one reporter that did not seem interested in talking to me at all was the guy from the Fort Worth Star Telegram…  basically, my local paper!  Weird, right?  I talked with a reporter from France for 30 minutes, but the one from home wanted nothing to do with me and was actually kinda rude about it?  ROFL.

Regardless, the interviews went well, stayed on message…  explained that it was not about candidates or platforms, it was about the process… the breaking of the rules, the changing of votes, the caucus fraud, etc etc….

I listened to Diane Mantouvalous, Will Bower, and Darragh Murphy give interviews as well, and they said much the same thing.  I was thrilled with that because the message is getting tightened up and more clearly stated.

The most shocking part of it is that the reporters were really responsive to what we were saying and that the puma narritive has really changed from the “bitter old women” meme to one of understanding…  of hey, ok, we are starting to get it now…  and oh, wow, ok your segment of the party could very well make or break this election cycle.  You people are for real.

My honest guess is that when Obama passed over Hillary as the VP, and it came out that he had not even vetted her or discussed the selection with her and then made the announcement by sending out a 3AM text message…  I think that the reporters and the media realized that it was not us that split the party, that the Obama campaign has been treating Hillary disrespectfully and by proxy the 18 million people that voted for her.

I think they are also starting to actually listen to us and why we are angry.  It is not the candidates, its how it was run.

It has been a wonderful change in the story.  It looks as if the media is turning around!

There is so much more coming up and I am looking forward to tomorrow!!!

Obama Starts The Snubs. The People NOT Invited To The Convention.

Well, I am not sure what Barack Obama is thinking, but he is snubbing a lot of very heavy hitters in the Democratic party and is sure to make a ton of enemies doing it.

So who has he told to NOT come to the convention?

1.  Kwame Kilpatrick – this was predictable, but he is an important politician in the black community and there are a lot of people not very happy about this.  I mean, I understand no speaking role, but a don’t even come?  WOW.  Even Marion Berry got treated better than that if I remember correctly…  and he was caught smoking crack with a hooker?

2.  Charlie Rangel – Arguably the most important African American in Congress, not to mention one of the most powerful people in Congress PERIOD.  This is the man who is in charge of tax policy in the United States.  This is the last guy you want to piss off, and Charlie is reportedly pretty unhappy with the snub.

3.  Wesley Clark – WOW.  Obama must have brain damage.  4 Star General Wesley Clark has been told that there is no reason to come to the convention…  which is political speak for “F off.”  Clark is beloved by the netroots, has a huge fan base, is an important fundraiser in the party getting downticket Dems elected… and would be an absoultely essential supporter for Obama, shoring up his lack of a military record…  foreign policy record…  diplomatic record…  any sort of record what so ever?

I wonder who else Obama uninvites from the DEMOCRATIC PARTY’s Convention?

Obama’s Finance Morals Under The Bus?

Yesterday I discussed how Obama was betraying one of  overarching narratives of his campaign…  that he was a new kind of politician and was above going negative…  well, that is simply not true as I show HERE.

And now we find out that Barack Obama, who has long decried the large donors and talked about how small donors were the key to his success, is now personally soliciting soft money…  some of the dirtiest money around.

Why?  Because the DNC is having trouble paying for his rockstar coronation and is facing a budget shortfall…

From The LA TIMES

Facing a large deficit in the Democratic National Convention budget, officials from Barack Obama’s campaign have begun personally soliciting labor unions and others for contributions of up to $1 million. In exchange, donors could get stadium skyboxes for Obama’s acceptance speech and other perks.

Obama has regularly criticized politicians seeking large donations outside the framework of campaign finance regulations — so-called soft money — while touting the virtues of relying on small donations.

Oh, and here is my favorite part…

“While we recognize that the steps we have taken are not perfect or even a perfect symbol, they do reflect the fact that Barack Obama shares the urgent desire of the American people to change the way Washington operates.”

And how is that?  By working loopholes in the system and selling special briefings, skyboxes and tickets in a package that runs $1,000,000 so that you can have the most self-aggrandizing primary coronation of all time?

That doesn’t sound like a different kind of politics to me…  and certainly only symbolizes that, in a narcisistic crunch, all of Obama’s ideals go under the bus so that he can play President Superstar.

You know, if you are gonna run around talkin all that game, you should at least somewhat resemble what you are talking about…  DAYUM.

McCain Snark Update #4 – McCain’s Crashing The Party

Following my 3 previous updates, HERE HERE and HERE, comes the newest update on the unexpectedly colorful McCain campaign…

From The Washington Times:

Sen. John McCain has so much spare cash on hand — he collected a record $27 million in July — that the Republican candidate plans to run campaign ads during the networks’ coverage of the Democratic National Convention later this month.

Because Mr. McCain has agreed to accept $84 million in public financing for the general election, the presumptive presidential nominee has only until Sept. 4, when he accepts his party’s nomination, to spend the more than $21 million he has on hand.

Political strategists said airing ads during an opponent’s convention makes sense.

“The McCain camp is building a case about Obama’s ability to lead and needs to keep the pressure on his weakness with voters.”

WOW…  McCain is full force attack…  and being a snarky irreverent smart alec about it too!

Most times candidates will go quiet during the others convention.  A sort of respectful nod to the special moment that the nomination is…  but McCain has been doing far more fundraising than ever expected and needs to drop $21 million dollars by the time the Republican convention happens or he has to return the money to the donors…  so why not drop it on advertizements during one of the most heavily watched television moments this month?  The DNC Convention….

They gotta have a special advert just for this…  I wonder what it is?

Thanks to Goldie

Hillary’s Name In Nomination Sham.

From Politically Drunk On Power!

Media outlets around the nation heralded the news yesterday that Hillary Clinton’s name would finally be placed in nomination and that a roll call would take place at the upcoming Democratic National Convention. The story was considered important because of the 2 months of lobbying by Clinton’s supporters to secure her place on the DNC ballot. Although media outlets were quick to report the news, most were just as quick to overlook the downside to the so-called victory for Clinton. After all, you can’t have a “deal” without concessions by both sides.

In reality, yesterday’s decision is nothing more than another propagandist message put forth by the Obama campaign and the DNC to attempt to re-attract Clinton supporters back to the Democratic party. Clinton’s name being “placed in nomination” is essentially pointless considering that the agreement also called for Clinton to release her delegates; a move that will all but assure the nomination of Obama. Why Is This Important?

Read the rest HERE

HuffPo – Why Hillary’s Folks Won’t Quit

I have not been a fan of the Huffington Post during this election cycle.  The Huffington Post, along with DailyKos and DU, lead the charge in the online attack against Clinton, at least perceptually.

Since the end of the primaries, when the real numbers are coming in and critical votes came up, and Obama did not perform as these entities would have liked, they started to get a bit more critical of Obama…  thus the advent of articles like the following…

LINK

One thing that can be said about Hillary Clinton’s backers is that the word quit is not in their vocabulary. Their thinly disguised end around at the Democratic presidential nomination shouldn’t really surprise. The end around is the soft soap announcement that they’ll keep her name in play as a Democratic presidential candidate at the convention. There are several reasons why there’s no quit in Hillary’s folks. They make up a big percentage of the Party, and they still fervently believe that she’s the best, maybe only, Democrat who can beat McCain.

Their passion is driven by an odd, troubling and invigorating, commitment mix of dedication, gender support and racial fears. It’s also driven by the growing unease that the steam is leaking out of Obama’s turbine. Despite seven weeks of non stop media fawning over and adulation of him, Obama still can’t give McCain the shakes in the polls. Worse, McCain seems to have gotten better. He’s sharpened his message, his attacks and confidence.

SNIP

The hard numbers and demographics certainly are good reason for terror over an Obama loss. His caucus and primary wins in the red states and the handful of endorsements he got from the Democratic governors and senators in those states hardly spell a breakthrough for the Democrats in the head to head match with McCain. Obama swept to primary or caucus wins in Idaho, North Dakota, Kansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia and Nebraska. Bush won these states handily in 2000 and 2004. But that’s only the start of the problem. Republicans outnumber Democrats in Idaho and Utah by a crushing margin of a three to one, and in other states by margins of two to one and half.

The red states that Obama won in the Democratic primaries have been the guaranteed pathway for Republican presidents Nixon, Reagan, Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. to win and stay in the White House. Their 170 to 200 electoral votes are virtually in the GOP’s coffers before the first vote is cast on Election Day. The states are so bankable and reliable for the GOP that it’s the rarest of rare sighting to see a GOP presidential candidate even bother to make anything more than a token appearance in these states in the stretch run of the campaign.

Read the rest…  except for a detail or two (ie the injection of race…  they just can’t leave it alone, can they?) it is a really good article.

It’s Official – Hillary’s Name Is Going In Nomination!

CNN

The presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton announced Thursday that Senator Hillary Clinton’s name will be placed into nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

“Since June, Senators Obama and Clinton have been working together to ensure a Democratic victory this November,” said the campaigns in a joint statement. “They are both committed to winning back the White House and to to ensuring that the voices of all 35 million people who participated in this historic primary election are respected and heard in Denver.

“To honor and celebrate these voices and votes, both Senator Obama’s and Senator Clinton’s names will be placed in nomination.”

Great Job PUMAs!  Way To Keep The Presssure Up!!!!

UPDATE – Obama Pulls Edwards From Convention

We recently found out that Edwards did have an affair with the documentary film maker, and now Barack Obama has come out with his reaction…

In an extremely well practiced move, Edwards is under the bus.  I know…  you are shocked.  I can feel it….

Obama says that John Edwards will not have a role at the Democratic National Convention in Denver at the end of the month.

From ABC

John Edwards’ admission that he had an extramarital affair puts pressure on Sen. Barack Obama to quickly distance himself from the former North Carolina senator and prominent Democrats are calling on him to announce immediately that Edwards will not have any role at the Democratic National Convention.

Obama was traveling to Hawaii for a weeklong vacation at the time the story broke, but upon landing in Honolulu told reporters Edwards has indicated that he won’t be speaking at the convention.

I am just waiting for the “He is not the John Edwards I once knew” comment out of Barry Obama…

I was never a huge John Edwards fan, though I did respect him and especially his wife Elizabeth, but I think this is a very sad loss for the Democratic party.

Breaking – Bill Clinton Gets Key Speech Time At Convention

Looks like the Obama camp and the DNC is starting to bow to the power of the Clintonistas…

From MSNBC:

CHICAGO – In a hurried move to put an end to the tensions between supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and those of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Obama campaign has offered former President Bill Clinton a speaking role at the Democratic National Convention, NBC News reported Thursday.

The Clinton’s have accepted the offer, and Bill Clinton will speak before the vice presidential running mate speaks, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reported.

Earlier Thursday, Obama told reporters that their staffs were working out mutually agreeable convention logistics. At the same time, Clinton was assuring her supporters in an online chat that she and Obama were “working together to make sure it’s a big success.”

The PUMA’s have them runnin’ scared!

Well, I say “Be afraid…  be very afraid.”

 

 

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Breaking: Hillary Clinton Wants Her Name Put Into Nomination

Per MSNBCtv

“Hillary has given a speech saying she wants
her delegates recongnized and treated with respect. And she wants her
name put in nomination at the convention .”

Nice one Hillary!!!

 UPDATE:

More From MSNBC with Video!:

“Because I know from just what I’m hearing, that there’s incredible pent up desire,” Clinton said. “And I think that people want to feel like, ‘OK, it’s a catharsis, we’re here, we did it, and then everybody get behind Sen. Obama.’ That is what most people believe is the best way to go.”

 

Now, I will grant that the last part of the sentence regarding getting behind Obama is there, BUT…

1.  She has to say that…  she is being forced to

2.  It opens up the opportunity for 150 delegates (less if the credentials committee fixes Michigan) to change their minds…  and out of 4000+ delegates, with Obama’s latest flipflops, it could happen.