Mountain Sage: What Really Happened In The Texas Primary?

This is a fantastic article and I am glad someone took the time to put this up!

From Mountain Sage

There have been allegations by Hillary Clinton supporters of Caucus fraud on the part of the Obama campaign in various states. While this may have been the case in many of the states they cite, it can not be true in one of them… Texas.

The reason it cannot be true it Texas is that Texas does not have a Caucus.

Oh, I know that is what the media has told you and what everyone would like you to believe, but Texas does not have a caucus, you don’t get to “vote twice” for the nominee, and most importantly… no one “wins” part two of the Texas Two-Step the night of the primary.

Contrary to what the media, the pundits and the Obama campaign would have liked you to believe, Texas is no different than any other state in the delegate selection process. Texas has a primary and then a series of conventions that select the delegates to the national convention, just like every other state. There are small differences in how this selection is conducted though. But one of the differences is most certainly NOT a caucus.

First, lets talk about two mythical states and how they conduct their elections… each one has 100 delegates that they send to the national convention, but one has a primary and one has a caucus. These generalizations are true for every single state. Including Texas.

Follow the link…  the rest of the article explains how Texas’ primary really  works, what happened and offers some really interesting questions at the end.

Good stuff from Mountain Sage as usual!

If You Are Looking For A Great Orator… John McCain Is Not It. BUT….

If you are looking for a great orator, the kind that makes your knees weak and has you screaming “hallelujah” to the rafters, the John McCain is not your guy…

BUT

If you listen to the content of his speech, to his words, they are chock full of wonderful reasoning and incredible insight.

His speech tonite, while not delivered with the oratorical skill of an Obama, was true and spoke directly to the heart.

He called for an optomistic view of America.  He realizes things are not great for America but has the faith that Americans can change things and make them better.  He believes very deeply in the greatness of this country and he made that abundantly evident tonight.

He also called for the end of petty bickering between the parties and called out his own party for it’s own failings, something that both he and Palin are known to do on occasion.  He also promised that if anyone pulled anything shady or stuffed a bill with pork, he would not only fight it, but that he would make sure we knew who they were.

He said that the Republican party had gotten away from it’s core principles, those of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt…  and he’s right.  They have.  And he promised to get them back to that.

He told people that “We” are not the ones we have been waiting for, that YOU are the one YOU have been waiting for.

He called for people to stand up and fight, fight for what is right and good in our lives and about this country.

If anyone remembers the Barack Obama’s speech in 2004 about Red States and Blue States…

This is a man that LIVES that idea.

And the thing about John McCain is that I KNOW I won’t always agree with him, but I KNOW that he will listen with an open mind and an open heart.

I don’t have to “hope” when it comes to John McCain…  I know.

HERE is the full text of his speech.

Sarah Palin’s Speech….

Out of the park….  Home Run.

You can find the full text here

“I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids’ public education better. When I ran for city council, I didn’t need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too. Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves…

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities.“

“Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America’s energy problems – as if we all didn’t know that already. But the fact that drilling won’t solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all. Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we’re going to lay more pipelines…build more nuclear plants…create jobs with clean coal…and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources. We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers.”

“Here’s how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.”

This lady is a ringer and a bad ass.

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Obama is so screwed.

Per FoxNews TV – McCain Raises $47M In August

John McCain raised $47 million in the month of August, the most he has raised so far…  and $10M+ of it since he announced the VP pick only days ago.

With the announcement of at least 1 major Clinton backer switching to McCain (HERE) and his prediction that you will see many more making the same move, as well as the groundswell of support for Palin among the “PUMA” voters, the Republican record breaking fundraising month is a sure sign that McCain is picking up speed.

The Hurricane Gustav interefered with the Republican Convention, but it has afforded time to get a few little tidbits out into the news, trooper and baby “gates”,  that would normally garner much more attention than they are because of the storm.

The storm has also afforded McCain another opportunity to look Presidential, and another opportunity for Obama to look not so Presidential.  (HERE)

We will see how things work out at the end of the week.

John McCain’s New Ad Is Brilliant

This ad does 4 things…

1.  It is a pre-emption of a “race card.”

2.  It takes a bit of news time away from the Democrats, no matter how small.

3.  It makes it a tiny bit less of Obama’s special day and more of America’s special day.

4.  It emphasizes what a good and decent human being McCain really is.

Absolutely brilliant.

Aside from that…  I too must congradulate Barack Obama on this day for his historic accomplishment.  This is a great day for all Americans.

Day 3… Hillary Day

Damn that lady is brilliant.

She spoke twice yesterday.  Once at a “Women Count” function and second at the convention.  She absolutely hit it out of the park with her speech.

She also did what she had to do…  threw full weight behind Obama.  Maybe now they will leave her alone now.

Oh, and Bill, a man of pure brilliance, posed a hypothetical yesterday…

“Say you have candidate x and you agree on all the issues with that candidate but you don’t think they can deliver on any of them.  And then you have candidate y and you agree on half the issues with them but you think they can deliver on all of them.  The question becomes for whom will you vote?”

he then quickly added that this has nothing to do with what is going on now….  ROFL.

LOL, I love Bill

You Know How Most Candidates Get A Bounce…

You know how most candidates get a bounce after they name their VP and during their convention…

Apparently that is not working out so well for Barack…

The newest Gallup daily tracking poll has it at McCain 46, Obama 44.

Not good news.

Day 2… Ok, So I Gave A Speech At The Rise Hillary Rise Event…

Somehow Darragh Murphy conned me into giving a speech at the Rise event in Cheeseman Park, and it was pretty tough on me.  I have been on a sort of outrage autopilot, but getting up there to give the speech I had to communicate what I saw to others, and it made me very very sad.

I had not prepared a speech, so whatever I gave was completely extemporaneous…  and so here I will recreated as best I can the speech I gave (with a few corrections and clarifications)

Hello, I blog as Texas Hill Country.  Some of you may know me and some may not, so…  hi.

First, I would like to talk a little be about myself, where I come from and how I ended up here.  You know, I have not had a life that was really all that different from Barack.  I was born to a middle class family.  We didn’t have a lot when I was a kid.  I lived in a muslim country for a few years as a child.  I then got bounced around between family members for a little while.  I have lived in several countries and even more states.  In high school, I worked at a Blockbuster video store right next to a Baskin Robbins.  Oh, and I am still paying on the student loans I took out to go to law school.  I went to Washington DC and worked for more than 143 days…  but, unlike Barack, I don’t think I am qualified to be President of the United States.  (punctuated with a snarky smile btw)

I come from a very old Democratic family.  My great grandfather was a Congressman under Roosevelt and fought to pass the New Deal.  My parents knew the Kennedys and went to the Holy Trinity Catholic church with Teddy and, occassionally, Bobby.  My Dad was going to Georgetown Law and my Mom worked in the Jesuits office.  Every so often, Father McSorley at the school would ask my Mom and a few of the students to help Kennedys and do odd jobs, small clerical stuff and the like.

As a kid growing up I always heard how inspirational and how amazing the Kennedys were and just how much Jack, Bobby and Ted meant to my parents.

Well, fast forward to the 90′s.  Bill Clinton came on the scene, I could vote and I was intensely interested in politics.  Very quickly, the man from Hope, Bill Clinton, became my Jack Kennedy. After Hillary gave her speech in Beijing on how women’s rights are human rights I was floored by her.  She became my Bobby.  I love them dearly.  They have meant so much to me and inspired me in incredible ways.

But I will never forget or forgive how their character was assassinated this year.

It is fortuitous and ironic that we gather here, in Cheeseman Park, the site of a former cemetery, to celebrate the death of democracy.

And, so I stand before you with hope.  Hope for change, but not the type of change Barack Obama wants.

I have hope that I will live in a country where our votes are respected.  I have hope that I will live in a country where our votes cannot be changed.  I have hope that I will never have to look into the eyes of my wife or future daughter and say “You almost made it.  I am sorry the boys held you back.”

And I want change.

I want to change this country back to one where I don’t worry about my vote counting.  I want to change the Democratic party leadership to one where I don’t have to worry about whether or not they will listen.  I want to change this country back to one where I don’t have to worry about the sanctity of the vote.

And I want to change this country to one where we no longer have to hope…

We can just be.

So, there it is…  my speech.  A bunch of crap I put together off the top of my head.  I hope it makes sense to some of you.

love to all.

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!!!

PUMApac Headquarters Location And Events

PUMApac Headquarters is located at 1325 Deleware St in Denver.  Please stop by, say hello, and check up on all the events!

The Times UK: “Yes, We Can?” Make That “Oops We May Not.” Cancel The Coronation…

There is an absolutely fantastic article in the Times about the race between Obama and McCain…  just amazing.  I encourage everyone to read it.

CLICK HERE

There’s trouble in paradise. Cancel the coronation. Send back the commemorative medals. Put those “Yes We Can” T-shirts up on eBay. Keep the Change.

Barack Obama’s historic procession to the American presidency has been rudely interrupted. The global healing he promised is in jeopardy. If you’re prone to emotional breakdown, you might want to take a seat before I say this. He might not win.

How can it be, you ask? Didn’t we see him just last month speaking to 200,000 adoring Germans in Berlin? Didn’t he get the red carpet treatment in France – France of all places? Doesn’t every British politician want to be seen clutching the hem of his garment?

All true. But as cruel geography and the selfish designs of the American Founding Fathers would have it, Europeans don’t get to choose the US president. Somewhere along the way to the Obama presidency, somebody forgot to ask the American people.

And wouldn’t you know it, they insist on looking this gift thoroughbred in the mouth. Who’d have thought it? You present them with the man who deigns to deliver them from their plight and they want to sit around and ask hard questions about who he is and what he believes and where he might actually take the country. The ingrates!

The is so much more to the article…  very insightful and a great read.  Highly recommend.

Thanks to Kelligesq

Bad Habit: The Party Of Rights And Freedoms? I Think Not.

Mary Ellen over at Bad Habit has a fantastic post on the contrast of what the Democratic Party is supposed to be about and how they are running their primary and the Convention in Denver.

I HIGHLY suggest it.  CLICK HERE

And here is a pic from her post to entice you to do so…

Hillary Should Bring The Casserole Dish And Smile? Seriously???

GRL over at Insight Analytical has a new post up about a pundit who said the following…

Hillary’s job is to bring a casserole dish and to serve it with a smile.

Do anyone of these people even think about the connotation of their words?  Seriously?  In a campaign where the specter of sexism has reared it’s ugly head and raised it high, why do these people continue to bring up the most sexist imagery possible in their metaphors…

It makes me shudder to think what metaphors would have been brought up if Hillary had won, and Obama had to make nice…

CLICK HERE to read GRL’s article…  it is fantastic!

Wesley Clark Un-Uninvited To The Convention, Or Is Showing Up Anyway

A few days ago, I discussed some of the people told to NOT attend the Convention (LINK) and Wes Clark was one of them…

Well today in a live online interview through the Washington Times site, Wesley Clark was asked if he was really not going to be at the Convention.

In response, Gen. Clark said that the will be overseas “on business” having “meetings” that he “couldn’t reschedule” but would be at the Convention Thursday night….

SO…  either

the Obama campaign woke the hell up and realized what we all did…  How friggin moronic could Obama be to NOT invite the most prominent 4 Star General that is also a DEMOCRAT that would give Obama some BADLY NEEDED FOREIGN POLICY CRED

OR

We Clark is going to show up anyway.

You know, I kinda want to give Obama the benefit of the doubt and hope that they woke up or that it was some lower level person that authorized the disinvite of Clark and the higher ups freaked out and reversed course…  but somehow, i don’t think so…  I think Clark is crashin the party.

And good for him.

I Thought We Were Supposed To Fall In Line? Oh Well….

Well, it looks like that whole disrespectful attitude that the Obama campaign and the DNC had when addressing the concerns of the Clinton supporters is really paying off turning into a predictable disaster.

Now that McCain is in a virtual tie (and even ahead in a few polls) with Obama in a year that there was supposed to be no way in hell a Democrat could lose, I guess they were wrong when they felt like the could remain arrogant and treat Clinton supporters like crap….

But, in their words, “they will fall in line…  there aren’t that many of them and where else do they have to go?”

Well, it looks like they found a place and there is a hell of a lot more of them than anyone thought.

According to MSNBC

Yet perhaps the biggest factor keeping the presidential race close has been Obama’s inability to close the deal with some of Hillary Clinton’s supporters. According to the poll, 52 percent of them say they will vote for Obama, but 21 percent are backing McCain, with an additional 27 percent who are undecided or want to vote for someone else.

So that means that 48% of 18 million people, or 8.64 MILLION DEMOCRATS will not vote for Obama?  8.64 MILLION!!!!  That is a whole lot of people saying No Deal.

Considering the last 2 Elections were decided by less than 10,000 people, 8.64 MILLION is a hell of a lot of people….

And yeah, you might say he was the strongest Democratic candidate to go up against Obama….  Ummm, no.

From MSNBC

It’s also worth noting that while Obama leads McCain by three points in the poll, Clinton edges the Republican by six points in a hypothetical match up, 49 to 43 percent.

So wait…  She is not even actively running anymore and she still beats McCain???  Seriously???

I hope the Super Delegates and Delegates think about that as they are casting their votes in Denver… and think real hard on whether they want to win or lose in November.

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

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!!!!