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Week of March 9, 2008 - March 15, 2008

Campaigns Call Temporary Ceasefire?


Obama, Clinton, I got this idea, let me know what you think: ceasefire for just like a week.  Ok?  Look, this thing has been dragging on longer than any of us thought.  I gotta say, I'm a little tired.  I've been following all this pretty closely, and have to admit I'm way into it.  It does make for some high stakes drama.  It's 3am and the Candians are leaking my tax returns to Farrakhan so Ferraro will evict me from my Rezko financed home but it's ok because my pastor thinks I've crossed the "luck" threshold and now qualify to be VP of the Significant States of America.  I mean damn.

You two must be exhausted too.  So, take a rest.  Lets all meet back here at say 9am EST on Monday, March 24th.  In the mean time, no speeches, no conference calls, no TV appearances, no emails, no surrogates, and please no debates.  We all need some down time.  Do whatever it is you do when you aren't campaigning.  I mean, go vote on a bill or something.  Eat dinner at home.  Watch TV .... no no, not cable news ... something mind-numbing ... ok point taken, something mind-numbing other than cable news ... no I wasn't including you Tucker, you certainly are conservative, hip, and provacative, no ordinary feat.

As for us, we need a brake too.  No offense, but it's gotten to the point where it's pretty easy to predict the tenor of most posts just from the title of the headline.  About 7% are pro-Obama, 60% are anti-Hillary, 20% are anti-Obama, 3% are pro-Hillary, and 10% are incomprehensible.  Spicoli's no exception, he tends to waffle between the first two categories (with an occasional foray into the fifth), and might find himself in the second category more often than he likes to admit.  So lets all take the week to work on some new material and then reconvene.  I'm sure we all have friends, families, and jobs that would like to hear from us.

Smoke em if you got em.


If you think whatever I wrote above is vaguely decent, or not, please hit recommend.

Temporary Ceasefire?


Obama, Clinton, I got this idea, let me know what you think: ceasefire for just like a week.  Ok?  Look, this thing has been dragging on longer than any of us thought.  I gotta say, I'm a little tired.  I've been following all this pretty closely, and have to admit I'm way into it.  It does make for some high stakes drama.  It's 3am and the Candians are leaking my tax returns to Farrakhan so Ferraro will evict me from my Rezko financed home but it's ok because my pastor thinks I've crossed the "luck" threshold and now qualify to be VP of the Significant States of America.  I mean damn.

You two must be exhausted too.  So, take a rest.  Lets all meet back here at say 9am EST on Monday, March 24th.  In the mean time, no speeches, no conference calls, no TV appearances, no emails, no surrogates, and please no debates.  We all need some down time.  Do whatever it is you do when you aren't campaigning.  I mean, go vote on a bill or something.  Eat dinner at home.  Watch TV .... no no, not cable news ... something mind-numbing ... ok point taken, something mind-numbing other than cable news ... no I wasn't including you Tucker, you certainly are conservative, hip, and provacative, no ordinary feat.

As for us, we need a brake too.  No offense, but it's gotten to the point where it's pretty easy to predict the tenor of most posts just from the title of the headline.  About 7% are pro-Obama, 60% are anti-Hillary, 20% are anti-Obama, 3% are pro-Hillary, and 10% are incomprehensible.  Spicoli's no exception, he tends to waffle between the first two categories (with an occasional foray into the fifth), and might find himself in the second category more often than he likes to admit.  So lets all take the week to work on some new material and then reconvene.  I'm sure we all have friends, families, and jobs that would like to hear from us.

Smoke em if you got em.


If you think whatever I wrote above is vaguely decent, or not, please hit recommend.

Means and Ends


I begin with the premise that all Democrats want a fighter in the White House.  A more progressive agenda will not come easily.

Hillary supporters take pride in the fact she is "a fighter," which is undeniable.  As recent examples, her wins in TX and OH, and her determination in the face of a seemingly insurmountable pledged delegate lead speak to this fact.   But, is Obama not a fighter as well?  He has taken on the establishment candidate who began with far more name recognition, funding, and support from party insiders (see, e.g., her early substantial lead among superdels), and he has defied the odds, garnering more pledged delegates, total delegates, votes, and states.  Is that not fighting (especially when his opponent is herself such "a fighter")?

So, we have two candidates who are willing to fight to be their party's nominees.  The question is not desire or effort, it is means.  We all have ends that we believe are worth fighting for with everything we have.  But we also believe that not all means for attaining those ends are ethical or proper.  Thus, though all Dems want a candidate who will fight, not all of us are willing to support the deployment of "kitchen sink" tactics.  I for one have never thought we should stoop to the Rovian level; we should fight with issues, with dignity, and appeal to the better angels of our collective nature. 

Now, I don't think Hillary's means are totally Rovian, but she is coming increasingly close.  With Obama having essentially secured the pledged delegate lead, Hillary has embarked upon full smear tactic mode in an attempt to scare superdels to her side...maybe she is also trying to show them what "a fighter" she is.  Can we not condemn these means while still calling for a Democrat who is willing to fight?  Though there will certainly be some cynics among you, I think that he is making an ethical decision about how we should fight for our collective ends.  This is one of the more compelling aspects of his candidacy.

So, alas, I guess I am just tired of hearing the "she's a fighter" excuse for Hillary's actions.  It implies that he is too much of a softie, and that her means of fighting justify her ends.  I won't buy it.  We are better than this.

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jed757

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