Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

Ah! The "outsider" that will transform Washington, then the country!
I am just aghast that Obomb-iranna gets away with criticizing HRC for her vote.
I mean, I can quit drinking. Then if I want to "stay quit" , I must attend meetings , as a necessary follow-up. How much of an authority am I on sobriety if I go to one AA meeting, then go boozing it up, but tell the world I am an authority on alcoholic recovery? You'd laugh like a hillary...er...hyena!
Obama has not followed up on his vote against Bush and war.
He is voting at every chance to fund the war. I understand the thinking, the "we must support the troops in harm's way" theory...but I'd like Obama to sound a little more like John Murtha and a little less like a republican when it comes to war funding. Also, Obama's 2003 words in which he strongly favored bombing Iran have never been addressed in question form by the press , or his opponents in the debates.
When Obama couldn't even answer Russert's 2013 out-of-Iraq-by-then question...well, that explains his true ideals concerning Iraq. Obama, I know Dennis Kucinich, and you're no Dennis Kucinich.

Oh...why didn't I document , with a link, Obama's 2003 words in which he strongly favored harsh attacks on Iran? Well, up until 2 weeks ago it was easy to Google the story, and also very easy to access it via the Chicago Tribune archives. Now it has just gone *poof* !! Removed . Disappeared from history!
...must have been a dream of mine, right? Right.

12 DAYS TO IMUS! GET YOUR DIRECTV IF YOU WANNA SEE HIM. CHANNEL 379.

Bill Richardson was on a local NPR program for a full hour yesterday morning and was replayed last night..... I could only catch a few minutes of the replay (been busy delivering scarves to galleries.... things are finally starting to sell)....

The host asked him about the fact that he said he would remove all combat troops from Iraq and how that can be accomplished while still protecting our embassy.....

he replied that it's always been the marines' job to protect embassies and they are not considered combat troops while doing that job.... they can only return fire if they are fired upon in that capacity.....
he then went on to say that Clinton, Obama, and Edwards have all said they would leave about 75,000 troops in Iraq until 2013.....

only reporting what he said..... wish I had had the time to listen to the whole thing......

this Clinton/Obama fight is getting pretty silly, IMO....

I grew a green bean in a styrofoam cup when I was a kid; I guess that makes me an expert on agri-business. Well-played Hil'ry, well-played.

What does voting "present" on bill so as not to alienate voters in the future say about Obama? I've compared him with W so many times, but he's not even a decider.

The Clinton Obama spat will only make each of them look foolish. The more I hear from those two the less inclined I am to vote for them in the primary. I reamin undecided in New Hampshire, but leaning towards Richardson.

Curious that Hillary, who complained about Edwards mudslinging during the last debate has decided to sling mud at Obama. Obama may have deserved it, as his statement was pretty dumb, But I agree with Bowmanc, this spat is making both of them look foolish.

However if Hillary values international experience so much, it sounds like she's endorsing Biden or Richardson.

richardson definitely has the Iraq plan which I want to see in place come january 2008. But Kucinich has that plan also or one like it, and also wants to drive a stake into the hearts of the evil chuckleheads who have smashed everything good about our country.....

Speaking of the spat, here's MoDo on it, in case anybody missed Dex's link to it in the last thread.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/21/opinion/21dowd.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Hi Renee-
You can listen to Laura Knoy's show on line at NHPR after the fact-
She has Obama on today live in studio

My question for today: will Scott McClelland be the next Alexander Butterfield?

Blue, I'm with you on the spat between Obama and Clinton. He is really starting to aggravate me. In a moment of weakness I almost told Brian I was seriously looking at Edwards again. (Don't tell him I said that, he's easily excited)

Hi Kathy....
yeah I know I can listen online..... don't have time to do that until this weekend..... will miss Obama today also..... I have to go get the pie and cookies I ordered from the Black Forest and deliver more scarves to a gallery in Amherst.....

I hope Craig gets to come down this way..... Peterborough or in your area of Keene.... I'd really love to meet him.....

Craig, if I don't get to see you on this visit..... I hope you have a great time in my state....... and try to behave yourself..... :)

Yes , Jamie! Join the Breck Side! Support Edwards! Tuesday marked 12 years for me at my place of employment. I just realized that last night. There went 12 years of my life that I'll never get back!

I sent this card out last night. Check out the link to it and have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
http://www1.americangreetings.com/ecards/display.pd?prodnum=3126715&path=98440

There there Corey. I'm still a Biden Booster, I'm just looking around because Obama is just plain aggravating.

My cousin teasingly actually uses the phrase "Young Whipper Snappers". One more whiny rant and I'm just going to put YWS after every Obama statement.

Renee-
Mitt is here for a "town hall" at 5:30 Sunday and Kucinich has about 7 appearances the same day all around Keene- so we'll have to see-
Did you catch that Ron Paul came in 4th in the UNH poll? Thaat pollis usually the most accurate- but we are still a tad less than two months out-

Romney has a lot of support within the republican machine in these parts=

Here's the latest UNH info

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/20/poll.dems.nh/

11/20/2007 -- MANCHESTER, NH-- A new CNN/WMUR poll released today shows New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson surging in New Hampshire, climbing six points to pull even with John Edwards and shrinking the gap with Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Richardson has spent the past two days in New Hampshire unveiling his "New Hampshire Veterans and Military Families for Richardson" and discussing his agenda to protect veterans, active military, and their families.

"The momentum we are seeing in New Hampshire is happening in all of the early states," Contarino added. "Voters are looking for bold solutions, backed by a real track record of success, and more and more are supporting Bill Richardson."

According to the new CNN/WMUR poll:
Hillary Clinton 36%
Barack Obama 22%
John Edwards 13%
Bill Richardson 12%

The new poll of 389 Democrats was conducted Wednesday through Sunday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

For more information about the poll, click here.

I wonder what the chances are of the lower tier candidates after Iowa pulling out and endorsing before NH?

The Key thing to rememeber about NH-

as good as the UNH polls are- this is a poll of democrats. Despite having turned blue, NH is primarily made of of undeclared voters. I suspect- at this moment- that most will take a democratic ballot, and also, that this support would go primarily to Obama, Richardson, and even a few few for Biden. There have been some good posts at www.bluehampshire.com.

I do not see Hillary pulling in undeclared as much as the others could grab some- of course that could change as it is very, very, up for grabs

If they have so little support in Iowa that they drop out, I doubt that an endorsement would help another candidate much. Kucinich won't quit, he is nuts enough to think he has a good shot at the nomination.

As much as I like Bill Richardson, I'm sorry to see him surging in New Hampshire. He's getting the bounce out of Hillary's "experience" statement that I hoped would go to Biden.

The fact that Richardson, Biden, and Dodd are considered second tier candidates compared with Hillary, Obama, and Edwards shows that experience is not valued as much as star power. It also, shows that our political system is upside down. Maybe over this holiday weekend, I should re-read Lewis Carroll.

Yesterday was apparently Joe Biden's birthday...and we missed it. Happy belated birthday, Joe!

EdVb

My consolation is that except for dictator oriented, incompetent, humans such as Bush and Cheney, the chief job of the President is to be a cheer leader and pick talented, intelligent, and effective people to run things. He sets policy, the truly great minions execute. I would love to know who the top contenders would consider for cabinet appointments.

What are you all you undecideds waiting for? We've been at this for over a year and you still don't know who you're going support?

I think a lot of people don't pay attention until the very end, speaking from observation of some friends and family. Brian, you might actually be the exception; lots of ppl here have been shuffling between 2-3 favorites (and most of us live in states that vote too late in the cycle to make a difference).

dog I'm not talking about people on the outside, I'm talking about the crowd that hangs around here. You know where the candidates stand on the issues, you know their style, you know their records and still waiting to decide. I don't get it. As wrong as dnd is in his choice I respect him for his passion support of Gov. Bill. The rest of you I don't get, it's like following sports and not caring who wins. What fun is that?

I care who wins! Go, John!!! (Or Joe, if John doesn't make it....)

dex, you've inspired me this morning. Just signed up to have DirecTV installed this Sunday...so I'll have it in time for Imus' 12/3 debut. Yahoo! RFD-TV, here I come!

Jan are you resisting temptation and not unmolding the cake and sneaking a taste?

So far...it's sitting happily in its little mold, unblemished and untasted...though I tasted the batter before I baked it (it's yummy!). At 11:00, it will have chilled for 12 hours. I'll try to take it out of the mold sometime after that. 'It' is the first cheesecake I've ever made...a pumpkin pecan cheesecake. Y'all come over for a slice!

I'll be over as soon as I get the apples peeled and sliced and the pie is in the oven!

Wonderful! You'll be here in time to taste-test the cranberry-orange sauce and the cornbread dressing. Oh...I love Thanksgiving!

harborwoman,
It's 28 degrees here today. And snowing. I'll be making your black bean/sweet potato chilie.

Brian,
"You know where the candidates stand on the issues, you know their style, you know their records and still waiting to decide."

What would be interesting is to rank how we feel about each of the candidates, like in an instant runoff election:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting

ran, are you still around? I tried to email you on this and it bounced.

Okay, maybe I'm being to tough on MSNBC. If you are in the U.S. and speaking to a newsperson in London, would you recognize that they were speaking in front of the London "EYE" or would you say, "What's that behind you, a big Ferris Wheel?"

dnd...I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of the chili. I'll probably be having a bowl of it for lunch today, myself.

Pumpkin Pies are in the oven. Ambrosia is made. Cranberry Relish next and hard boiling eggs for the deviled eggs addictees.

Brian,

Give those undecideds credit for wanting to weigh all the facts. We chose our candidates early and refuse to let other developments dissuade us. We get points for loyalty, but not necessarily intelligence and deliberation.

What bothers me more is the fact that people in South Carolina or any state would make their decision based on who did well in Iowa or New Hampshire, or whatever state voted most recently. I don't even think it's a follow the flock mentality. I think they just want to pull the lever for someone, who might get the nomination.

At the track, I want to pick the horse who will win the next race. At the polls, I want to pick the best horse.

Ed the primaries are not about voting for who you think might win, it's about supporting who you think would make the prez.

It's either too many interruptions at work, or I type to slowly. I'm submitting comments about picking candidates and you guys have moved on to Thanksgiving dinner.

God Bless all you real cooks. I'm hopping in the car in the middle of the night, so I can pick up son in Brooklyn around 6 AM, then on to DC, where he and I will take orders from the daughter on crutches, and try to come up with a decent meal for the three of us.

Ed...

Your Thanksgiving sounds wonderful...a real family day. And some of us 'real cooks' are frauds. I only started learning to become a 'real cook' after I retired and gained enough time to pay attention and care. That's probably why I'm having so much fun with it.

speaking of which, time to go peel the apples and start the pie, and no store bought crust for me either!

Safe travels for those driving, and safe cooking for those preparing the goodies. The second group is allowed wine in their efforts.

And a big THANKS to Craig for getting us all together in friendship.

Ed,
Here's what we do:
1. get rid of the electoral college
2. get rid of the primaries
3. limit the campaign to two months prior to the election
4. publicly finance the campaigns, with most of this financing going to debates on broadcast tv.
5. pick the prez with instant-runoff voting.

Have a safe trip and happy Thanksgiving.

EdVb

One of the reasons I detest the "horse race" broadcasting by the media is that there are a lot of people who go to the polls and vote for 'emotional" reasons, knowling little about their candidate.

Now I understand the ones who stick by their candidate no matter what and only shift if their person bows out. But the ones who vote only party and who's leading the lineup completely mystify me.

Well, the political winds may not change much right now, but a cold wind just blew in from the north. I think it has dropped about 20 degrees since 6 am. Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

Wow! Amen to both dog's and dnd's posts! (especially the wine ;-)

HW.... good luck with RFD-TV.... the bull I saw being auctioned while at the feed store was very well hung...... :)

Jamie..... that really mystifies you?....
why do you think advertising works..... human nature is such that most people prefer to back a winner.... it might not work on you or me.... I tend to shop at galleries and buy handmade unique gifts..... most people do prefer to shop K-Mart or the Gap..... most people buy brand names....
it's the same psychology when people vote for a candidate... that's why "name recognition" really is such a huge factor....

all this talk about food is getting me hungry..... time for lunch...

Obama vs Clinton: This is just training for the general election when the Republi-slime will hit the fan.

GOP Strategies: A &B
A: if Clinton is nominee: burn the witch!
B: if Obama wins: get a rope!

dnd - First, you must undo human nature. Then, your plan can be successfully implemented.

Unfortunately, you over-estimate human beings who love to vote/give their opinion (as do I, what with being a human being and all) and in many cases based on flimsy info or just a gut feeling.

Sadly, the Sanjaya factor shows us that the electoral college must continue to save us from ourselves.

Two months is not long enough for a wave of more-or-less undeserved popularity to fade. The more we find out about candidates, the less likeable they all become...and I think that's a good thing.

Remember, Rudy was lionized for quite awhile and he's trying to keep the memory of his glory days alive. Do you really want that? I don't.

OK, see ya next week. Have a good one.

jamie said, "What's that behind you, a big Ferris Wheel?"

that is what I would have said.

yo soy Horsedooty!

re: Scott McLellan's book

After 27 years of increasing power leading to a short-lived period of complete dominance, the GOP is falling apart.

Poor Scotty. Cheney forced him to resign, then arranged it so no one would hire him. What did they expect him to do? Fall on his sword?

(None of these Bushies HAS a sword.)

dnd,

I have kind of an affinity for the electoral college. Maybe it's because we're both dinosaurs.

The first positive result I'd see from abolishing the electoral college would be that we'd do away with Tim Russert's white board. Can you imagine what election night coverage would be if the talking heads and networks couldn't start calling states for candidate A or B at 9:01 EST and actually had to wait until ALL the votes were counted?

I'd celebrate every election night by watching re-runs of The West Wing.

Line-up of guests for Imus's first show...
* 4 calling birds,
* 3 French hens,
* 2 turtle doves,
* and a nappy-headed ho in a pear tree.

(And Bernie plays the Monsignor.)

dnd: modifying your plan (which is still way better than the disaster we have now):

Primaries included, but they are regional on a rotating basis, and Iowa and NH lose special status. (Well, maybe NH could continue its primary, but NO MORE caucuses.)

Primaries allow vote by mail, are held on weekends, and cannot be scheduled before May 1. Would actually like to hold them closer to November election day; what do you all think?

Further, the Bush clan is banned from national electoral politics until we pay off the debt from W's splendid little war.

dnd: One advantage of our crazy primary system is that it is more difficult for big-money contributors to control the process. Voters in Iowa and NH, for exmaple, are pretty resistent to campaign ads.

Good luck trying to get public financing. Few politicians ever seriously try to advocate that and the public appears indifferent.

Blue,
"Two months is not long enough for a wave of more-or-less undeserved popularity to fade. The more we find out about candidates, the less likeable they all become...and I think that's a good thing."

Good point, and since the campaigns are publicly financed, we'll have equal opportunity to get sick of them equally.

Ed, dog and nash,
With instant-runoff voting, there's no need for the primaries or the electoral college. But to make this work, campaigns need to be publicly financed.

And think of it. If campaigns were publicly financed, no more beholding to special interests, and all that time spent fundraising could be better spent working...

Nash,

Is what you said about Scott McClellan not finding a job, post White House true? And about Cheney making it so?

Dooty and Jan both have put me in my place. The London Eye was created for the bicentenniel celebration and remains the single favorite thing for tourists to do in London. Apparently you can see a huge swath of England from the highest point

http://www.london.world-guides.com/london_eye.html

Here's why I (mostly) agree with dnd's 12:27 post...

1. get rid of the electoral college
I'm so tired of my vote only counting in the context of how the remainder of voters in my state voted. I would like my vote to count for the candidate of my choice in the context of all the voters in the country.

2. get rid of the primaries
I'm not sure about this one...don't feel strongly enough to state an opinion.

3. limit the campaign to two months prior to the election
Well, I enjoy politics, so I'm okay with the longer exposure, and after reading blue's post, feel she made a strong point in favor of the longer exposure to the candidates.

4. publicly finance the campaigns, with most of this financing going to debates on broadcast tv
Public financing...absolutely yes! That is the only way to end the inappropriate influence of the wealthy, the powerful, and big business. I'd go a step further and require broadcast tv to allow debates and candidate appearances to state their platforms on issues FREE. That should be their contribution to the democratic process.

5. pick the prez with instant runoff voting.
Not sure....

Renee...still chuckling about that bull. It's gonna' be interesting to see how we all feel about RFD-TV in a couple of months....

Yes, TV and cable have their spectrums "in the public interest" and nonstop Paris Hilton and missing white woman coverage is not it.

System as it stands is a boondoggle for TV stations, which charge expensive rates for campaign ads.

YES YES YES to public financing. And the public better wake up and make the connection between the present system and "is this the best our country can put up?" voters' remorse around Election Day.

Maybe a lot of dogma will get rethought once Bush is out of office. His administration has been an object lesson in how bankrupt the ideology is.

And now our economy is heading that way too. There's leadership for you.

HW,

Interesting take on the value of your vote as part of a state rather than nationally. Being from a more populous state, I've always felt there was a potential for my vote to mean more in a presidential election. (Although, New York's electoral votes have decreased as the population has moved west.) If a 2008 candidate won New York by one vote, mine naturally, he or she would be 31 electoral votes closer to the Presidency.

Do you feel safe living in a country that would give Brian and me that much power?

Dog

"System as it stands is a boondoggle for TV stations, which charge expensive rates for campaign ads."

I can't speak to TV, but political ads are both a blessing and curse for radio stations. On the blessing side, they bring in a flood of revenue that might be the difference between red and black for many stations. on the curse side, by law they "must carry" and that means short changing a lot of their stalwart local and national advertisers in the high priced "drive time" slots right when they are advertising for the Holidays.

This is one reason you will see a lot of "remotes" scheduled usually for charitable activities. The sites will be the heavy hitter local advertisers who get all the announcements for free plus the association with "doing good" for the community and a lot of the "give aways" come from the Nationals

All of the regular commercial spots will become wall to wall political advertising that pay the lowest rate going on the station in the past 30 days. For drive time this is the high rate, but for other hours it can be a lot lower and/or free unless the station pays attention and makes sure the top of their rate card is all that is charged for a month before the election ... You should hear the regular advertisers scream about that one.

.

"Do you feel safe living in a country that would give Brian and me that much power?"

Hmmm...after much thought, yes...but they need to take the vote away from Tom Delay, Bill Frist, George Bush, Dick Cheney, etc...easily done, they're all felons in my view, just unconvicted at this point....

(Tried to think of a funny response, but gave up....)

Dog,

Give "W" credit for consistency. He's only doing for the country, what he's done to every other business enterprise he's ever run. Only this time, he won't need Dad's friends to bail him out. He'll just hand the keys over to his successor and smirk.

Man...I've had no trouble staying out of the cheesecake, but if I don't lay off the cornbread I'm making, there won't be enough for dressing...trouble in Gig Harbor!

HW,

I knew including Brian in there would make you have to think long and hard on that one.

I am kind of amazed that this site has attracted only two New Yorker state residents on any regular basis. And of course Brian and I are worlds apart. When he walks his dog this afternoon, he'll probably ignore more people than I'll see in Schoharie between now and New Year.

Thanks to all of you for being so much fun.
As I survey the amount of food and alcohol assembled for the next few days --I think you all could join in and save us from ourselves.

Shrub's defense against McClellen's statement --
I would never use my press secretary that way...
well what about the Rumsfeld firing? Wasn't there a bunch of lying going on then?