The question of whether the Democrats are shooting themselves in the foot with the race issue is being hotly debated on both sides of the Atlantic. Antoine Maurice writes for Switzerland's Tribune De Geneve: "Why is it such a struggle for Obama to get elected? The question of Blacks in the United States is the best kept secret in the American family. Forty years after … [Read more...] about Race: America’s ‘Family Secret’
Sexual improprieties in OH AG office lead ODP to sever ties w/Marc Dann, demand resignation
Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann (D), who, during his race for AG in 2006 named Eliot Spitzer as his role model, has refused twice to acquiesce to multiple calls to step down in the wake of admitting last week that he had a romantic relationship with his former scheduler (Dann is married with three children) and firing two of his top aides. As a result of this refusal, the … [Read more...] about Sexual improprieties in OH AG office lead ODP to sever ties w/Marc Dann, demand resignation
Dueling Clinton Obama Campaign Ads On Indiana North Carolina Primary Vote Eve
The gas tax holiday which many experts and politicians say is an ineffective idea and could make things worse is now forefront in the battle between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for votes in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries. Clinton calls for it. Obama opposes it. Hillary Clinton's new ad attacks Obama: Here's Obama's response ad: … [Read more...] about Dueling Clinton Obama Campaign Ads On Indiana North Carolina Primary Vote Eve
An innocent man chooses truth over freedom
James Woodard spent 27 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit. He was released last week as a result of DNA evidence gathered through an unprecedented cooperative effort between Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins, a Democrat and the first black DA in the history of Texas, and the Texas Innocence Project. Together they re-examined hundreds of cases and … [Read more...] about An innocent man chooses truth over freedom
Obama Leads In North Carolina Democratic Parimary Polling By 10 Percent: Public Policy Polling
We ran this post earlier giving you a wide sampling of pollling on a day before the important Indiana and North Carolina Democratic Presidential primaries. Now a new Public Policy Polling poll of North Carolina shows Obama has held onto a double digit lead against his rival Senator Hillary Clinton. Raleigh, N.C. – Barack Obama still leads by ten points in North Carolina, … [Read more...] about Obama Leads In North Carolina Democratic Parimary Polling By 10 Percent: Public Policy Polling
Honest Politician
Sandy Huffaker, Cagle Cartoons … [Read more...] about Honest Politician
Conflicting Polls As Obama Clinton Head Into Indiana North Carolina Primary
One day away from the pivotal North Carolina and Indiana Democratic presidential primaries, the polls again aren't quite in agreement -- suggesting that, unless there is some big surprise the race, Wednesday morning could well be exactly where it is now. If there is a trend in this latest batch of of national and primary state polls, it is this: the race is TIGHTENING. … [Read more...] about Conflicting Polls As Obama Clinton Head Into Indiana North Carolina Primary
Clinton, Obama (And McCain?): “Enough Baggage To Fill A Plane”
Democratic party activists and Democrats in general often say their party has two great candidates, no matter who gets the nomination -- unless they're Barack Obama supporters saying they'd never vote for Hillary Clinton if she gets the nomination or Clinton supporters saying they'd never vote for Obama if he gets the nomination. When Democrats put aside their anger, they … [Read more...] about Clinton, Obama (And McCain?): “Enough Baggage To Fill A Plane”
Gallup Poll: Wright Hurt Obama Among Independent Voters And Democrats
Yesterday we ran a post about a CBS/New York Times poll that said Democratic Senator Barack Obama has rebounded after denouncing his former pastor -- but a new Gallup poll reaches a different conclusion: it concludes Obama has been wounded among independent voters and Democrats. It also finds that Clinton's husband former President Bill Clinton is also a highly divisive … [Read more...] about Gallup Poll: Wright Hurt Obama Among Independent Voters And Democrats
Is the “Dream Ticket” Dead or Alive?
Writing for the Times of London, Andrew Sullivan seems to think it's time to breath some life into the corpse. He lists a number of factors which, in theory, make it a sensible choice. Among these are the historical parallels, such as the unlikely alliance of J.F.K and Johnson or Lincoln's policy of forming a cabinet composed of his enemies. There are also a number of national … [Read more...] about Is the “Dream Ticket” Dead or Alive?
Jeremiah Wright & Martin Luther King: “Tolerance” v. “Equality & Justice for all”
I came across a Sarah Posner interview with Black religion expert Jonathan Walton in Salon the other day and it has stuck with me since. In it Walton explains how King used direct nonviolent confrontation as a means to reconciliation: King believed in nonviolent, direct confrontation. And thus when we come marching through the town, we are trying to expose inequality and … [Read more...] about Jeremiah Wright & Martin Luther King: “Tolerance” v. “Equality & Justice for all”
About Indiana: Twelve Mostly Beloved Oddities About Hoosiers
I've written a sometimes column at The Moderate Voice, called "Our Hometown," mostly real news from my hometown and the outlying villages and towns around it. Like the young guy in the wheelchair whose handle grips got caught in the grill of an 18 wheeler and the trucker drove five miles on the interstate with the guy in the wheelchair like a cow catcher on the front of his rig … [Read more...] about About Indiana: Twelve Mostly Beloved Oddities About Hoosiers
Poll: Obama Rebounds After Denouncing Former Pastor Wright
A new poll indicates Democratic Senator Barack Obama is rebounding after denouncing his former pastor -- and it shows a majority of voters polled approve of how Obama handled the political crisis involving his pastor. But this does NOT mean Obama isn't damaged by the controversy. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama appears to be rebounding from sliding poll … [Read more...] about Poll: Obama Rebounds After Denouncing Former Pastor Wright
The American Law of the Jungle
After six years at Guantanamo Bay prison, the only journalist yet to be incarcerated there, Sami Al-Hadj, was released last week. The case of Mr. Al-Hadj, who was a cameraman for Al-Jazeera, has sparked renewed outrage around the world. It's not easy reading for an American, but a good sampling of the emotion in the Arab world over the case can be found in this article from … [Read more...] about The American Law of the Jungle
Senator McCain and The “Me-Me On Camera” Pastor Hagee Problem
It's hard to see how it will be avoided. See YouTube. Keywords: “John Hagee" or "Hagee Catholic Hitler." As Mr. Frank Rich over at the NYT so descriptively put it: [on Youtube, you will see] Rev. John Hagee, lecturing in front of an enormous diorama. Wielding a pointer, he pokes at the image of a woman with Pamela Anderson-sized breasts, her hand raising a golden … [Read more...] about Senator McCain and The “Me-Me On Camera” Pastor Hagee Problem
The Standards Of A Free Press
Respondents to my "Macrame Journalism" post make some engaging points, while other points need clarification. The post was not a defense of journalism (I'll get into that another time), but a definition of it. Readers are correct to say that journalism today suffers from self-inflicted damage. But what divides journalists from macramé journalists is education and training. … [Read more...] about The Standards Of A Free Press
Infidelity: An American Social and Political Obsession
If one wanted to know the difference between being an American and being a European, this article from France's Le Figaro newspaper would be a very good place to start. From Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky to client number nine Eliot Spitzer and 'Kristan,' Europeans have looked at the effect that sex has on American politics with a collective shake of the head. … [Read more...] about Infidelity: An American Social and Political Obsession
Disease Control Hugely Boosted In China by…The Olympics?
China, meaning those men and women at the top of all things, has sent out a country-wide alert to try to get Chinese citizens to wash their hands more often and to spray disinfectant -- all in order to deal with a disease called Entero-virus 71, described as a hand, mouth and foot virus. (not the same as hoof and mouth disease in cattle) In one city alone, Entero-virus 71 … [Read more...] about Disease Control Hugely Boosted In China by…The Olympics?
The Obama-Bill Clinton Thing
All along, below the radar of contesting Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama has been matched up with her husband in a battle of both substance and style that reflects generational differences. Now, at the end of Jeremiah Wright Week, as Obama is out there doing TV interviews to stop his slide in the polls, the contrasts with Bill Clinton are coming into sharper focus. In his … [Read more...] about The Obama-Bill Clinton Thing
Eight Belles: A Lost Story about Why Horses Came to Earth
Barbaro. Now Eight Belles. My father comes from a place where the old men and old women still consider horses to be gods who came to earth. In Hungary, every tiny village had a council of elders: the old men in their szurs, long wooly white shepherd's capes, the old women in their red boots with the black heels, the fine leather pleated and stitched with red thread all … [Read more...] about Eight Belles: A Lost Story about Why Horses Came to Earth