courgood's Blog

Forgive Premature, accidental post - WHY WE NEED EDIT CAPABILITY

2008-03-18T13:48:34Z

Sorry

The End of Days - or a Chance At the Beginning (if you're an Obama supporter) - Either Way McCain Picked the Wrong Day to be in Iraq - Yesterday a Blueprint for the Smackdown in November

2008-03-18T13:44:14Z

While our so called private markets are being nationalized under our nose. Anyone in the MSM except PBS's Lehrer's NewsHour, NPR and the BBC see the long con past the short? Why, but for those three lights in the darkness, did the rest of the media focus on the mechanics of the bailout and immediate consequences - buton TVthe Internet is the salvation of the Fourth Estate

Just In... re NY Gov. Inauguration

2008-03-18T07:45:11Z

Geraldine Ferraro, former NY Congresswoman and Democratic VP Candidate -- when asked for a comment on newly sworn-in NY Governor David Paterson, said,

"He's lucky to be black AND blind..."

Details to follow.

(snark alert)

You Know It's Hard Out There For A White Woman (if you're Ferraro or Steinem)

2008-03-12T00:14:46Z

Anybody - talking smack - know what it means to walk as a black man / woman in America? I hear all of this philosophizing about it from the stale pasties. And comparing lives long past. If we're going there - back there - to, from whence we came... Let's go.

Realize that as a black citizen - you're likely mixed with all of the colors of the rainbow (as we all are) -- but even as a black person with multiple degrees - much less Ivy League - when you walk up on someone - what do they see? FITB.

Are we f'in kidding?

If this is a pissing match - must we really go through the f'in history?!?

Be brought over in chains - then talk to me...

In the bottoms of many ships - millions laying like cargo - for months and months and months - bleeding, shitting, puking and dying all over one another - crossing the Atlantic - if you survive the Middle Passage - then talk to me....

Be auctioned like cattle - after being snatched from your home - separated from your family - deprived of the ability to communicate with your brethren - deprived of any glimmer of your language, culture, religion - then talk to me...

Be treated like chattel - or like anything other than human - then talk to me...

Be legally prohibited from having a family, barred from being connected to anything other than your chains - then talk to me...

Be beaten bloody daily - to within an inch of your life - or past that inch - times millions - then talk to me...

Build a nation on your back and that of your unborn children -- only to be slighted and told you're not worthy -- time after time after time - then talk to me...

Please - talk to me about how hard it has been. On that field - matches we will we win. He's got the diaspora of struggle in his DNA.

Fuck you and all of your misguided, delusional concepts of what it means to be and succeed as a person of color - without a whine to be heard anywhere.

Fuck you - royally.

And if you want to understand what the real world is like - I'll gladly meet with you. The people herein desrcibed were not picked because of their gender - but selected for a special place in hell because of their color.

I love this country because it was built on our backs - and that's what makes it worthy...

Soul-less in the Heartland

2008-03-03T01:31:43Z

By Courtney Goodloe

For me, tonight's '60 Minutes' - was the final, irretrievable, burned, broken, bombed, never-to-be-repaired bridge.

If anyone had any question about Clinton's character (or deficiency thereof) tonight was exhibit 'A' - for amoral. Well, we're probably all the way down to exhibit 'Z' with her but 'A' works better.

Kroft's thoughtful piece about all of the forces at play in battleground Ohio encountered the laughable, kindergarteny smears about Obama's patriotism and 'secret Muslim' identity.

Ironically, Kroft corrected a potential Obama supporter - who said his only lingering doubts were with respect to these rumors. Kroft - to his credit - said forcefully, "You know that's not true, don't you?" But given an opportunity to take the same high-road - Clinton - in only the way a Clinton could - said, "I take him at his word" - which is a wink and a nod rather than a sincere rejection of this crap as preposterous. Once again Kroft, in a moment of pure journalistic integrity, pushed her on the point - ultimately exposing her as the true hack that she is. He wasn't Ed Bradley's protege and friend for nothing. Anyone still question who sent the photo to Drudge?

This is the same low road taken way back when, leading up to the South Carolina primary. Clinton surrogates like Shaheen, B. Kerrey, A. Cuomo, Robert Johnson and the chief-surrogate, Bill - dropped innuendo subtle and not so - then pretended they were perplexed about the uproar as they fled.

South Carolina and every state thereafter resoundingly rejected the Clinton machine's tactics - Clintonian soon to replace Orwellian -- voting for Obama across all demographic lines - restoring my much tested faith in the electorate.

Please, Texas and Ohio do the same.

Holy Confoundemnification Batman

2008-02-27T15:09:13Z

By Courtney Goodloe

Holy Confoundemnification Batman

2008-02-27T14:55:50Z

By Courtney Goodloe

The Doer Has Done Herself In

2008-02-26T12:20:25Z

By Courtney Goodloe

Once stenched it is damn near impossible to cleanse.

You know how when you step in some dog-poo -- you can try and try and try hard as you might -- but can never quite rid yourself of the smell -- short of obliterating your shoe?

Well, what will be the final, pathetic, Clinton campaign dirty-trick was the work of a staffer who missed Rove 101 but fancied themselves a master. Was plausible deniability a casualty of incompetence, obliviousness, arrogance or just plain suicidal tendencies?

As they have all along, her campaign once again seems to miss the point that whatever else you do, your fundamental mission should be to attract voters -- no matter how preordained you think your win should be. It seems so simple that presumably one should not have to explain this to professionals, but apparently we do.

The voters she needs to be attracting and re-attracting (not repelling) have either drifted from her camp or were in Obama's already -- which by very definition shows a part of their nature to be optimistic. This group does not respond well to turd-hurling and will now be permanently alienated -- even if she were the nominee come the general. Not to mention the increased likelihood of super-delegate defection as a response to trying to take the Party down with her. And if Obama's the nominee, she has clearly abandoned the possibilities of a spot in his administration, or preserving an honorable Senate career, or running for anything ever again.

Clinton's staff seems to have perfected the multi-tasking of the Titanic -- managing to re-arrange chairs, while playing in the band and stepping over women and children all at once. For anyone looking for prioritization - finding this photo is what her staff has been spending its time doing. This, after time and time again, the only negatives that rise when she goes negative are hers.

This apocalyptic scorch, slash and burn betrays a level of cynicism which astounds. If you accept my premise above regarding what her strategy should be, then what possible logic could reside in their approach except that she's taking the ball home?

Contrary to the idea that the Republicans are relishing the 'dirtying' up - I'd imagine that their strategists are quite annoyed at the fact that Clinton is using up all their potential ammunition for the general. And in the process, her campaign is giving Obama's an opportunity to further perfect its graceful deflect, defend and rise above moves. Whatever doesn't kill you...

Oh - I thought of another possible explanation for her strategy - which I credit to NY Daily News columnist Errol Lewis. His theory, offered early on, is downright Machiavellian. That since the Clinton camp benefits from lower voter turnout, it in fact aims to disgust the electorate enough to induce apathy. This was before we grasped the strength of Obama's campaign and its supporters' passion. And abandoning losing strategies does not seem to be Clinton's strong suit.

Always several steps behind the electorate, the Clintons missed the part where we chucked the smelly shoes - a lesson lost on them while they continue to wear theirs.

No Country For Whiny, Crusty, Self-Important Wannabes

2008-02-25T16:43:26Z

By Courtney Goodloe

Well - Nader - again. Bill Murray should play him in a Groundhog Day sequel. Do you need a sequel or does the movie just spontaneously recreate itself? Jeez.

What a way to totally obliterate a legacy. Much respect for that by the way - but when you have to go back thirty years to reference your other-than-gadfly accomplishments - well either start adding to your resume or get off the stage.

On Meet the Press yesterday, he spoke of the 'right to run' - yeah well people have the right to make movies, write books, make music - and the public has the right to not buy a ticket - well, you get the point.

Like a lot of pols are learning this season - you missed your moment. And no amount of repeats are going to make you the Third Party messiah. He seems to have missed the lecture on movements - people actually have to follow you. The very premise of your run requires same - we haven't and we won't. He thinks he can piggy-back the surge in political participation which he nearly murdered.

Nader misses the true fount of our national resentment. More than his being an accomplice to the Gore mugging - more than the condescending tone - more than the uneasy feeling we get in any arena when someone keeps missing the graceful exit - America resents late-coming, bypass an entire process kinda candidates.

So now after the earliest starting Presidential primary processes ever - after we and the candidates have put in all the hard work, of dialogue (Nader you are not excused from this), volunteering, reading, Dante's seven levels of debate hell - oh yeah, and SURVIVING THE BUSH YEARS - he pops up now - much like the annoying latest-arriving party guest.

Sir, do you know why you come across as completely inauthentic and self-interested? It is because you have been remarkably muted over the last seven years of our country's near decimation. You'd seasonally stick your head out of the hole - much like Pennsylvania bellwether animal - just to remind us of your 'potential' to up-end the process.

No Sir, the last few years you did not spend that time actually building a movement or doing something valuable like having a shadow government - answering all the administration BS loud and clear at every turn. No - after you surface just to run - you go right back into your hole with no acknowledgment of the storm vortex you created - oh, but with the perfunctory, occasional gracing us with your presence.

For all of the bashing of our system - although admittedly, much of it deserved - at least the people you malign participate consistently. All the 'revolution' you tout - would actually require your hanging round for more than the blasts of attention you so seem to crave. Oh wait - definitely don't want to encourage your hanging 'round.

Go back into your hole, please.

Caught With Her Pantsuit Down

2008-02-24T15:19:40Z

By Courtney Goodloe

The Clinton scold heard yesterday 'round the world was 'shockingly' not about direct mail or tactics or anything but the defensive posture of someone whose central character and resume point has been so thoroughly and embarrassingly debunked as myth.

The irony is that we have all been chasing the 'authenticity' story as it relates to Obama. But as this campaign wanes, win or lose, whose persona appears to be deflated here and whose currency has risen?

The self-described (other-described) uber-prepared and hardest working pol in the biz has been shown to be exactly, well, not. In fact, so unprepared and apparently outworked so as to confound. If you could not summon these traits from the opening shot - then hmmm.

Is Clinton now actually more vulnerable to the infamous 'talking vs. doing' contrast than her opponent. It seems that while she was 'talking' about being prepared and working hard -- he was 'doing' just that.

I need not recount every single Clinton campaign mis-step here as they have now become legion -- as has a closer analysis of "ready on day one..." But the mind-bending whoppers -- choice of personnel, money mismanagement, lack of ground-operations in key places, forfeiting caucuses, playing catch-up in understanding the TX delegate process -- show a candidate who was anything but ready.

Interestingly, what it speaks to is one of two possible explanations (perhaps both). Either very Bush-like -- over-delegating and just 'stepping in' after blindly accepting what was offered by staff -- without keeping some degree of a personal handle on things, OR, as many others have floated -- having staff so unwilling or unable to speak truth to her that things fell apart while she was being told otherwise. Either scenario is troubling because they illustrate a lack of competence that is quite frankly, stunning.

In my mind, more telling than yesterday's cringe-inducing "shame on you..." was Clinton saying, "enough with the speeches and rallies..." Really, do you mean essentially, enough with campaigning??? Seriously?

Next, was the bizarre line about, "Let's start having some elections and seeing the results..." I don't know where Clinton has been since February 5th - but the last ten contests qualify as results - unless she's confusing her zero wins with meaning 'nothing' happened.

Every Clinton campaign negative gambit, tactic, ploy, response, attack -- reveals a certain level of tone-deafness and a drifting ever farther away from an accurate reading of the national mood. This inability to 'see' and to 'hear' does not bode well for adjustment.

What is the definition of insanity -- repeating the same... well, you know the rest.