Feingold helped screw the democratic party over, by working with wingnut McCain to take away contributions that primarily helped democrats. Not big corporate money, but contributions from unions, women's rights groups, environmental groups. Of course the corporate interests and their wealthy owners could keep right on giving.

Feingold helped the corporate elites consolidate their power, because smaller donors could never compete with the super wealthy and corporate interests. Dems in congress ultimately started taking corporate money and we've seen what comes of it.

So don't anyone dare annoint Feingold as being some saint of the party. The man is a pathetic backbencher who hasn't had an original thought in his head. He's been either a willing dupe or a sell out.. not that some of you could tell the differece.

John Edwards is a man of principle who cares about the issues. So what if he has taken moderate stances on some issues, he is democrat of the mold of JFK and RFK. He cares about human rights, civil rights and social justice from a wider, fuller more humane perspective.. you know, the one that actually includes the issue of poverty and the problems that arise because of it.

Again, I can't see myself voting for any candidate who wins the support of armchair fascists like too many of the posters here.

Posted at February 18, 2008 10:06 PM in response to Report: Edwards Thinks Hillary Has Courted Him More Effectively

ROFLMAO! The superdelegates would push for Clinton, do not be so simple minded to think they are sweet on Obama..

I'm sure their corporate paymasters would be willing to court Obama were he to attain the presidency, and I'm sure he'd sit quite happily in their pockets (don't get all snippy now, you know it's true, he's been a bought man for at leasst 20 years), but Hillary is not only committed, she's connected up the yazoo to the same people Bush is. Understand this, there is a lot of money and power at stake and the superdelegates will try to steal this election for her, because she is already a known, reliable quantity for the corporate and foreign interests. She should NEVER be within an inch of the presidency, and that means not in the VP slot either.

Posted at February 18, 2008 9:54 PM in response to Will Supers Push Obama Into Being Independent

Hillary Clinton is little more than a corporate tool. I would sooner vote republican (definately NOT McCain, I'm speaking figuratively) than Clinton. I am holding out to see who Edwards endorses. He was the only decent candidate running. Short of that I do not know what I will do. There are many democrats who are considering a tactic to punish the democratic party, no matter who the dem nominee is, the thought is to give the congress back to the republicans, to force the democratic party back to the populist core of the party. Away from both the far left extreme, and from the pro-corporate interests the far left have allied with (and that is not an exageration). I'm sorely tempted.

Posted at February 17, 2008 9:49 PM in response to Obama World

Dr. Gitlin,

The facts are, if there is a "president" of the free world, it won't be the American president. To even believe such a thing would happen is incredibly naive, and I know you are not naive.

Given the state of our economy, the massive debt, the cruel, crushing poverty of our country. The way MFN status for China, NAFTA and other bad trade deals have increased power and control of corporate interests, and incentivized them to betray our nation.. we are neither wealthy and powerful as a nation, strong or secure.

Both political extremes, the far left and far right actively work to destroy our country, our rights and freedoms. Anyone who cares to pay attention sees that our members of congress ignore individual liberties, and civil rights. We have leaders of what remains of the civil rights movement who are unbelievably out of touch or simply not caring about the realities and/or wider implications of policies they attach themselves to.

We have a so called "progressive" movement that is regressive to the extreme, and is willingly funding itself through the same corporate and similar interests they purport to disdain. Some of them like Medea Benjamin take funding from those who profit from the war in Iraq, and she undermines legitimate efforts to end the war by displacing legitimate voices in the protest movement against the war, and turns it into a circus.

It is incredibly sad, and tragic. I can not even begin to imagine how these people can live with themselves. Were they ever even slightly idealistic, inspired to help others, or were they solely motivated all along by selfish motives, greed.

Posted at February 16, 2008 11:59 PM in response to Obama World

Levin and the rest deliberately sought to deprive the citizens of Michigan and Florida of their votes.

I know full well that Levin knew that given a real choice, Michigan voters weren't going the way he wanted them to, Clinton, if they had a complete and free choice of whom to vote for. Too many stayed home because they didn't want to vote for Clinton and certainly weren't going to vote for Kucinich or Gravel. It's the same reason Michigan republicans (and some dems) voted for Romney instead that old turkey McCain.

Michigan dems I know don't want the delegates seated. They wanted a caucus initially instead of that idiotic front loaded date. They were supremely pissed off over that. There's going to be a rout next election. Granholm doesn't care, she's hoping Hillary will appoint her to something.

Posted at February 15, 2008 12:27 AM in response to Every Vote Counts

There's a lot of squawk about the legacies of RFK, and MLK jr, in this election. I don't feel I'm exagerating when I say both are probably spinning in their graves over this.

When John Lewis spoke about Obama inspiring the hope of an RFK, I rolled my eyes heavenward. I know it might be unfamiliar to the readers here, and I don't think it's a stretch to say that it might not mean much to your lot (though that has more to do with the lack of clarity of your vision, and your commitment to social justice and civil rights), but this is what inspired people about Robert F. Kennedy:

“Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of ourpublic officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans.” Robert F. Kennedy

After Kennedy ran for the senate, he introduced several projects in the state of NY, including assistance to underprivileged children and students with disabilities. He established the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation to improve living conditions and employment opportunities in economically depressed areas of Brooklyn.

Robert F. Kennedy addressed the needs of the poor, the young, racial minorities and Native Americans. It was a bit over 41 years ago, that he raised the awareness of the American people, and challenged them to consider the plight of the poor by going into urban ghettos, Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta and migrant workers’ camps.

Robert Kennedy was committed to the advancement of human rights worldwide. He traveled to Eastern Europe, Latin America and South Africa to expound upon his belief that all people should have a basic right to participate or criticize their government without fear.So it is extremely troubling to me that his brother, Senator Ted Kennedy can not spare the time to travel even to the impoverished cities and towns in his own state, Massachusetts. Where far too many American citizens, of all races and ethnicities suffer from the hardships and privations of dire poverty. Given that he has abandoned any goal of resolving the severe problems of un and under employment brought about by the outsourcing of jobs that stared in the 1980s.

The senator, who supported George Bush’s disastrous “No Child Left Behind”, has embraced the Bush administrations, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s drive to erode American wage standards and workplace laws and protections.

Given the stands taken by his late brother Robert, one has to ask why the senator from Massachusetts ignores the suffering in his own backyard? The late RFK believed in championing the causes of those in poor countries to help empower them to stand up against the dictators and despots who sought to oppress them, to demand better standards of living.

Senator Ted Kennedy, seems more interested in providing cover for those same types of despots and dictators by assisting George Bush in imposing third world wage suppression in the U.S. . The masses of illegal aliens imported into the country are being exploited to expend their energy to create the same types of economic conditions here that exist in their home countries. They are being used as pawns in a game that will lead to their own further exploitation. Immigration law is not domestic, but foreign policy. Those who seek to treat it as domestic policy do so because they wish to adopt the greedy and cruel policies of the third world.Driving down wages, increasing poverty and extinguishing hope. What this tells me is that the senator is the sort of man his two late brothers, President John F. Kennedy, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, would have railed against.

Ted Kennedy was picking a horse in a race, that is all he was doing. I grew up respecting Ted, defending him. I used to respect Patrick as well, until as a constituent of his, I learned the real truth about where he stood on the issues. Ted is a slumlord, and in the pockets of corporate and foreign interests. His brother Robert and MLK jr would Gibbs smack him were they here today.

As to Caroline, while I have respect for her, and her loss. I admire her having written a book on civil rights, the woman hasn't spoken out on social justice or even addressed the civil rights threats we face as a nation. Her endorsement, like those of her uncle Ted and cousin Patrick meant diddley squat to me.

Posted at February 15, 2008 12:11 AM in response to Hillary to voters, "Screw you."

Oh please, no way. That's what the MSM is calling for, and it would be horrible.

Howard Dean is no longer a doctor, btw. He didn't bother to renew his credentials and no longer deserves the title. Also, HoHo is not a dem, he's an opportunist who recognized willing dupes when he saw them. Y'all are such gullible fools. John Edwards isn't deceived and wouldn't expect HoHo to care.

Edwards has been attempting to get Obama to recommit to the meeting that Obama cancelled last week. I think Super Tuesday went to his head. Obama might be surprised by the wake up call that is coming his way after PA and OH. He should have called Edwards back and committed to the issues. He hasn't. If it's too late, it's no ones fault but his own.

Instead of telling Edwards what to do, you ought to be petitioning the egotist, Obama. Edwards is interested in doing what is best, and kowtowing to a pretender to social justice isn't it. Now, if I'm wrong I'll be prepared to admit it, but Obama needs to prove me wrong, but coming down out of his corporate sponsered ivory tower and sit down with Edwards.

Edwards voters aren't going to Obama 'til Obama commits to the issues. We are united on that, get over it.

Posted at February 14, 2008 11:10 PM in response to The time for games is over....Senator Edwards

One last word on the subject.. there's a lot of you who go on and on about sending a message. Well, there are a lot of us out there this year who are going to vote to send a message, and it is to you hypcritical farces who call themselves "progressive". We know that you're fascists. You are as willingly tied to power and corruption as any right winger. You've looked down your noses at the poor, viewing them as little more than chattel. You are the people you initially despised, you are the same as those who rationalized slavery. You think we have to vote your way, because we have no where else to go, so you can treat us like pawns. You either ignore or give lip service to our issues, and you do so foolishly, because in the end when you rationalize undermining our rights, you do the same to your own.

We're calling your bluff. Lord knows whatever happens there will be pain, and suffering, hey, you will too, though you are blind to that reality..

Our votes are our own, not yours. The ones who need to change are you. Because in reality, the ignorant ones, the ones wearing blinders, limited by prejudice and bigotry, racism, are you.

Posted at February 14, 2008 8:55 PM in response to Edwards and Obama Meeting Tomorrow?

I know Edwards would prefer not to, but if Obama really doesn't care about the issues, what else is he going to do?

Sorry, but the primary is Obama's to lose. If he doesn't really care, he should just be honest and admit that fact.

Posted at February 14, 2008 8:45 PM in response to Edwards and Obama Meeting Tomorrow?

No, Edwards hasn't been planning on endorsing Obama since day one. Edwards ran a serious, principled campaign. Obama, and Clinton as well have played a waiting game, evading answering voters questions when at all possible, and when they felt they had to, they obfuscated.

While Edwards has reservations about Clinton, he also has reservations about Obama. Specifically his orgasmic mindless twaddle over Reagan. A president who imposed serious harm on the most powerless. Reagan was a racist, and his administration was horribly cruel. Obama's refusal to take the problems with the economy seriously, his so called plan is little more than sitting on the fence, altering his comments based on which way the wind blows. He ought to be ashamed. He's no example of a community activist. He's more of a corporatist who rides on the coat tails of the real community activists he worked with, and only worked with for a very short period of time.

Edwards won't endorse him unless he meets with him and makes a serious commitment. Also, Edwards was and is the real deal. The problem is that too many over privileged, indifferent and clueless people only pretend to care about poverty and social justice is something they completely misinterpret.

If we get a Clinton or a McCain presidency, the fault will lie with selfish and self centered idiots who think the term liberal is a label that doesn't require thought or commitment to the wider issues. You all are not as intelligent as you seem to think you are.

Posted at February 14, 2008 7:15 PM in response to Edwards and Obama Meeting Tomorrow?