Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

Two interesting pieces this morning...the Wash. Post says Ron Paul raised over SEVEN million dollars yesterday, a 24 hour period of time.

Also, in the NY Times Paul Krugman takes on a recent Obama/Edwards flap, and comes down on Edwards' side.

Frank Rich:
The answer is simple. Mr. Romney didn’t fight his church’s institutionalized apartheid, whatever his private misgivings, because that’s his character. Though he is trying to sell himself as a leader, he is actually a follower and a panderer, as confirmed by his flip-flops on nearly every issue.

Oops...I gave Ron Paul a million too much....just looking back over that article and it says he raised almost six million yesterday.

He'll have it by tonight, though.......

Ron Paul is the six million dollar man?

Hillary is doing well on Morning Joe even with cross questioning between Joe and Mika. Big focus of course Health Care and Energy.

I think it'd be a real treat if the republicans were faced with a choice between Hillary and Ron Paul......

"Back home from my brother's wedding...it was lovely and fun! And now my sister-out-law is my sister-in-law. I'll kinda' miss her old nickname...I liked it!"

Give her my congratulations HW.

Jamie, I was slightly concerned when Mika asked the "have you ever teared up" loaded question. If Hillary had answered yes, then she's a weak sister...if she said no, then she's a brittle bitch. Wisely, she made it into a joke about getting up at 4:00 a.m. to be on the show.

Speaking, of course, of tearing up....Mitt Romney is without a doubt the biggest phony on the planet.

Patsi,
"I was slightly concerned when Mika asked the "have you ever teared up" loaded question."

No need to be concerned. Nobody watches MoJo ;-)

Ok, full disclosure. I accidentally clicked on MoJo this am when Hillary came on. I thought she did pretty well. She gave the stock answers, but that's ok. She gets asked the same questions over and over.

The only thing she needs to work on is with some of the questions, her mouth was smiling but her eyes were saying "I'm not happy."

I'm surprised they didn't ask about the Bill Clinton statement to Charlie Rose that it'd be a miracle if she won in Iowa.

Patsi,

It concerned me as well. That Hillary was deft enough on her feet to gently sidestep it was a mark in her favor.

I've been "tearing up" since 2000.

zoey,
"In a local interview John Edwards was asked if he would consider another VP run or what would be next for him if things didn't go his way? He smiled and said it was going to go his way. Hmmm, does that mean he thinks he is the King and is inevitable. He better watch out or the press will mock him and call him on his statement of inevitability just like they did Hillary."

All candidates say it will be them. The difference is that Edwards smiled. Hillary sighed when asked that question. Here it is at about 2:59 into the clip:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=07BPFPy6tkE&feature=related

"I've been "tearing up" since 2000."

I wish Hillary had said that!

Sturg for President!

If nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve

but now taking donations at sturgeone for president dot calm............

thank you, thank you, and next time you must come to my house......

---Robt. Heinlein

Sturge....you have my vote. GREAT line....

I'm wondering if the DSR endorsements help McCain more than Hillary. Since McCain hasn't spent a whole lotta time in Iowa, this could be a boost, and possibly allow him to spend more time in NH and SC.

I don't have a clue what the impact of the Lieberman endorsement will be.

dnd -- I heard someone speculate that Lieberman's endorsement might remind many hard core Repubs that McCain is "suspect." But, like you, I have no idea what it might really mean. I think this whole thing depends on two quest: can Huckabee raise the money and put together a national campaign....and who does the powers behind the Repub machine support? Is it Romney? If so, they may bury Huckabee like they once did McCain.

By the way, I couldn't believe I heard a newswoman on c-span saying that Huckabee's kid hanging a dog shouldn't matter. If he's such a righteous man, how the hell did he wind up raising a boy who -- at 17 -- would hang a dog?????? Sounds like a serial killer in training to me. Can you imagine the furor that would be going on if it were a Democrat candidate? The entire news cycle would be devoted to all the reasons liberals are evil and can't parent.

mornin' all.

Damn, sturg, you were just about to get drafted.

dnd, I am sure the DSR endorsement helps McCain more than Hillary, and I doubt that Holy Joe's endorsement will do much - other than ensure that Hillary wins CT. patsi has a good point - Politico thinks it cements his image as a moderate - and god knows the Repug base doesn't like moderates. Apparently losing the dem nomination for Sen. has been a liberating experience for Holy Joe. His new book is coming out next week - The Road to Red.

Happy to see the Saudi king pardoned the rape victim and lengthened the sentences of the perps. At least one person in SA has his head on straight (for a moment, anyways).

The competing versions of the updated unconstitutional wiretap bill come to the floor today - should be interesting to see what happens.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/15/politics/main3622108.shtml

Huckabee's kid shoudl be rooming with Michael Vick, and the news media should be asking Huckabee "Just what the hell kind of father are you, anyway, raising a sadistic little shit? And you want to be President?"

the same son who tried to take a loaded gun on a passenger airpane.

Here's a foreshadowing of what we've created in Iraq.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2228690,00.html

The Des Moine Register track record was posted in one of yesterday's threads.,,,and it is a useful endorsement and will help Clinton.

kgc, I believe that woould be correct. Speaks volumes, doesn't it?

I think the biggest story is the Plunger is stopping campaigning in NH and probaby is pretty much done.
His hope for Florida is fading fast. Despite the lies of the media...goopers don't ike him. And he isn't socially liberal, he is just a creepy creepy guy

Patsi,
Those are two very good questions. I think you're spot on.

Sturg in '08!

pogo
yeah and the gun incident was just last April
you don't see any of that son on the campaign trail
somewhere on the internets is a Christmas card from the Hucksters when he was gov and still fat...the boyz are all wearing vertical stripes and this is when you know despite fashion claims...they are not slimming

what about the gobe's record of endorsement

and the DMR endorsed Wdwards last time
not the estabishment candidate

kc, RFLMAO

Just read about Dan Fogelberg in the last thread - very sorry to hear it. I kinda liked his music even though it was a little tame by my standards. Another Auld Lang Syne is a classic.

Sr and Sra Horsedooty hereby propose the name change of the Morning Joe Show on MSNBC to The Rickey Bobby Show.

Meeting adjourned!

yo soy Horsedooty!

dog -- Ms. Washburn was questioned on the gender issue during her c-span appearance. She says that all three women on the editorial board were almost overly cautious because of just that question. But obviously she'd say that....who knows?

And if the "girlz" on the editorial board did lean to Clinton...I think it is a sign of where women voters will go,.

as long as we are reading campaign entrails

a full one third of Obama'ssupport have never voted before....I don't think I woud want to count on that for a victory

dog, in '04, the endorsement lifted Edwards from a distant 4th or so in single digits to 2nd. Could John E have beaten Bush - we can all say yes - it don't cost nuttin'.

http://firedoglake.com/2007/12/17/being-a-patriot-is-something-that-you-do/#comments

if you are interested in following the FISA fight
I wished I liked Chris Dodd a litte more

Want to know how good the polls are -or aren't? Last week's poll results from NH show a 12 point swing from one poll to the next between Obama and Clinton, with Obama ahead by as much as 3 and Clinton by as much as 9 with Edwards trailing by 10-15 or more points behind those 2.

Sturgeone

"next time you must come to my house......

---Robt. Heinlein"

Do you copy Heinlein and put your hand on your wallet whenever you are too close to a red headed man?

dog,
Great investigative reporting. Shame we don't have that with the MSM.

Leno and O'Brien will return January 2 - Private arrangement with the Writers' Union.

The endorsemenet lifted Edwards from 7% to 20+ % in the Iowa polls.

I think McCain is going to get a second look from a ot of people now. Especially since the Plunger is in the tank,

December 14, 2007
POLL: Fox New Hampshire Survey

A new FOX News/Opinion Dynamics statewide survey (story, results) of likely primary voters in New Hampshire (conducted 12/11 through 12/13) finds:

Among 500 likely Republican primary voters, former Gov. Mitt Romney leads Sen. John McCain (33% to 20%) in a statewide primary; former Mayor Rudy Giuliani trails at 16%, former Gov. Mike Huckabee at 11%, Rep. Ron Paul at 8%.
Among 500 likely Democratic primary voters, Sen. Hillary Clinton leads Sen. Barack Obama (34% to 25%) in a statewide primary; former Sen. John Edwards trails at 15%, Gov. Bill Richardson at 6%.

A lovely Christmas greeting for all to enjoy...no matter your holiday persuasion....

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=QS30253287

Krugman endorses Edwards (at least in the Edwards-Obama health care reform dustup)

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/opinion/17krugman.html?ex=1355547600&en=b3ebc8d6afdec377&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

hw, very nice card - thanks

As much as I wish Edwards would be the Dem candidate, the field is so good that almost any of them would please me. On the Republican side, I really prefer McCain. I'd rather see someone I at least believe is an honorable man in the WH, in case something happens to cause a Republican ascendancy between now and 11/08, than any of their other candidates.

You're welcome, pogo. I think it's beautifully done....

The Register is owned by Gannett. Check it out, of course they are not going to endorse Edwards.
http://www.gannett.com/about/company_profile.htm

DUH!

Senor Dooty

I concur with your motion and laughed a lot
I thought that movie was pretty funny and am looking roward to "Walking Hard"

Thank you, iowarick, for making that point! All MSM outlets, including newspapers, are owned by BIG CORPORATE INTERESTS. None of them will EVER endorse an Edwards presidency...not in their perceived best interests. But it sure the hell would be in OUR best interests if Edwards became our next president. What he's saying isn't angry, and it's silly to keep calling it angry. It's honest and forthright, and it's impossible for me to imagine that any of us can be blind to what's been done to this country...hell, to this world! By big business and the politicians they've bought.

If there's a God, dog, Guiliani's bid will last about three more minutes...then end with a whimper. Geez! He's a nasty little man!

Senor dooty...It's belated, but many congratulations to Jake on his fine rodeo performance!

How long will the Plunger last?

If he finishes less than second in Fla he should get out then. Currently I think he is third.

*L* @ horse.

tt

I heard a comment over the wekend that I thought was right - the first campaign to drop out is the first campaign that runs out of money. I doubt that Rudi is on the ropes quite yet - but then again... compared withthe dems he might facee in the general, he's drivin' a chevy.

http://opensecrets.org/pres08/index.asp

Dooty -- harbor's post reminded me that I'd not offered Jake congrats....that's impressive. Rodeo ain't an easy life.....my old pal Chris LeDoux had the scars to prove it!

"Why can't we have capitalists with a conscience and compassion? Capitalism and the good of greater society do not necessarily have to be adversarial"

What gets me is that all the creeps who praise "Adam Smith and the Wealth of Nations" always seem to have skimmed past that part of the theory and the moral component necessary for Capitalism to continue to exist.

Aagh! My kingdom for an edit feature...and no, Craig, I didn't preview my last post! Please...in your mind's eye...delete that apostrophe in female's....

The DMR board is all women and there was a lot of talk that they would be likely to pick Clinton because of gender. However the speculation at the time of the endorsement was all about Obama

If they did endorse her ONLY because she is a woman so what. It means that is how women are thinking. So no matter how you try to spin it -- it is good news for Senator Clinton.

Editor

And she did an excellent job...the best I've seen so far!

because the usual editorial board is old white men

which is so representative of the public

dog...I wasn't at all suspicious of what you were saying regarding the DMR editorial board's competence. I tend to think they're more swayed by their corporate interests than by gender, if they're swayed at all....

KGC,
"If they did endorse her ONLY because she is a woman so what. It means that is how women are thinking."

I'm curious. What if was Kay Bailey Hutchinson that was running and got the endorsement ONLY because she is a woman, would you feel the same way?

dnd
You are missing the point.
Some are arguing the endorsement means less because they only endorsed her because she is a woman. Since where old white woman vote is an issue in this election, this is a pretty good indicator of how they are making that choice.

Well...this old white woman will vote for Hillary only if forced to....

Did any of you see that Chris Evert and Greg Norman got engaged? To each other? Once...roughly 8,000 years ago...I batted a tennis ball back and forth with Chrissie for awhile...one of my brushes with fame, I guess. She was still an amateur...winning lots of tournaments, but turning down the winnings in order to remain an amateur until she turned 18, as I recall.

I need to qualify my 'old white woman' remark. Force, in the case of voting for Hillary in the 2008 election, merely means that she's the Dem nominee. The only Republican I even remotely like is McCain, and I agree with NONE of his positions...so Hillary will get my vote if she's the Dem nominee.

I am an independent, but will vote Democratic this time...and maybe for the foreseeable future.

I should also say that the more I listen to Hillary, the more substance I see in her. She could make a very good president.

the candidate with the highest negatives in the race is John McCain

John McCain: Definitely would, 12%; Would consider, 39%; Definitely would not, 47%

As you can see, McCain has edged higher than Hillary in the "definitely would not" category. WaPo comments that McCain "has become significantly less acceptable as a general-election candidate. A year ago, 28 percent of Americans said they 'definitely would not vote' for him if he were to become the Republican nominee." That's a jump of nearly 20 points.

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll is even worse for Romney: 26 percent favorable to 34 percent unfavorable, which is absolutely remarkable given his lack of name recognition,” writes Klein. “He's also the only one of the big six candidates in both parties to have a net negative rating. Giuliani has the highest rating: 64 favorable to 28 unfavorable. So in other words, more people have an unfavorable view of Romney than Rudy--even though 40 percent of people don't know enough about Romney to have an opinion, while only 8 percent have no opinion on Rudy.”

You know...I've watched Romney a lot this fall, and I think he's a sleazebag. But if I'd never seen him before, his performance on MTP yesterday would be enough to rule him out, in my book. I don't think he gave an answer to a single question that sounded like anything other than what it was...an effort to say whatever would get the most votes.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...making a pot of Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili...you're all invited over for lunch!

Question - did Gannet buy the DMR since '04? I doubt that Edwards was any less the anti-corporate control of Washington crusader he is today when they endorsed him in '04.

To expand a bit on dog's comment, and to rbut any suggestion to the contrary, no one will win any race solely with voters of their party, race and gender, and no one will get voters of only their party, race and gender. If that were the case, explain how Obama registers even a ripple in Iowa and NH. I seriously doubt that the fact that 6 of the 7 members who voted on the DMR pick did so because of their plumbing and hormones - my sense is that they take that endorsement much more seriously than that.

And McCain is right up there with the highest negatives in my book. From what I've heard o fhis Senate career he has a natural capacity to be a mean bastard warmonger who knows to smile when the cameras are rolling. We need another one? I think not.

Tucker has been taught to grown and snarl at the very mention of Hillary's name

kind of like Tucker Carson..

Tucker has admitted that he has a thing for Hillary. I'm guessing it's some kind of bdsm deal involving her putting on stilettos and then stepping on him.

*hands over the brain bleach*

Be careful what you wish for Lou Dobbs
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071217/NEWS/712170320

harborwoman,
"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...making a pot of Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili...you're all invited over for lunch!"

I'll be right over!

BTW, I made some and substituted butternut squash for sweet potato since that's what I had on hand. Not bad...

NEW THREAD

pogo...Edwards wasn't voicing his opposition to the corporate ownership of our political ship of state in 2004...at least not loudly.

kc, amazing, ain't it? Check out the last page of comments to see what so much of that issue is about. - 5 comments in a row from one of the anti illegal immigrant posters over there. It has a familiar ring to it - sounds like what the white guys said about the black guys in the trades in Alabama when I was a kid.

Craig, I realize journalists are very important people, but if you really think the opinion of a few editorialists in Des Moines will swing the votes of people in far-off states, you need to get out of the tank more often.

NEW THREAD

Craig Crawford,
Your RAGING Obama envy will finally be resolved when your dark wishes for the Senator get buried, AND PERMANENTLY, in the frozen grounds of Iowa. I just can't wait to see you burn.