It was brutal. And all of it needed to be said. It was, however, hard to watch at times. I don't hate Jim Cramer. I love Jon Stewart, for all the reasons we all watch The Daily Show as our source of real news in America. It's so on-the-money. But I couldn't help feeling, and I know I may be skewered for this, that Jon Stewart is big coward. Many big name, network news personalities have appeared on The Daily Show. Many men and women who used their air time to promote and defend George W. Bush and the disaster that is Iraq and now our economy. His treatment of them is dramatically different then what he did to Jim Cramer. I'll use one example, though I think there are many: Brian Williams. Mr.Williams, when he was primarily on MSNBC routinely mocked Al Gore, the MSM favorite whipping boy during the 2000 Presidential campaign. Later, along with many of the other network/cable talking heads, he cheered on the lead up to the war. We all know the rest with how these people became surrogates for Bush's crimes. When these people have appeared with Jon it's playful back and forth, with some bite but very little bark. It's safe, and within the rules. Everyone comes away still able to be invited to the same parties. These MSM people have as much blood on their hands as George W. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, go down the list. Jim Cramer is an easy target. Stewart was right. But he has not and will never do the kind of brutal, evisceration to big name news personalities that he did to Mr. Cramer. Just think what could have happened if a Brian Williams, a Tom Brokow, a Tim Russert, a Barbara Walters, a Charlie Rose, stood up and said on the air, this is madness, what are we doing. You know, pulled an Ed Murrow. They didn't. But they get the playful treatment. Cramer got ruined. Jon Stewart, I still love you man, but I think you play the game.

I needed to pull back from it all. TPM, Huffington Post, Olberman/Meadow, all the Hillary demonizers.  Because I had doubts and suspicions about the character and motivations of Senator Obama and whether he was truly a new bred of politician and a genuine agent of change I expressed my concern. I was told by Obamamaniac's that HRC was a power hungry, Machiavellian politician who would do anything to win votes. How can you not hate her when we have before us a knight in shining new armor who will do things differently, who will bring about real change?  I had doubts. Strong doubts about the man. At the end of the day I was told I was a racist. That was a real cute moment, the progressive wing of the democratic party had become the evangelical wing of the Republican party. So I needed some distance from it all, backed away and shut out all the noise.  Hillary ( the devil ) lost, Obama ( the angel ) won. And now what do we have? I won't go through the entire list of Senator Obama's recent actions just his decision to opt out of public financing and going along with the FISA cave in. I know all the political reasons why it was a smart thing to do so spare me the list.  He is not an agent of real change, he is not a new bred of politician, he is not going to change the system. He is everything I thought he was...a politician, sly, slick, scheming, willing to do whatever it takes to win votes and power. Please understand, I have NO PROBLEM with that. But what was the point of hating Hillary? We got her anyway.
Johnny Pro  

It has reached a point where I can no longer be a part of the Democratic Party. Elements of my party, have become as sick, sad, vicious, and dangerous to this democracy as the intolerant, thoughtless, robotic zealots of the far right. Fundamentalists who have disgraced and left my country in shambles. Zealots who controlled the air waves and fed the mainstream media a steady, relentless stream of slander, lies, vicious innuendo fueled by an envy and outright incomprehensible hatred of Bill and Hillary Clinton for over ten years. It helped create for the MSM a grotesque standard applied and executed against only the Clintons that continues today. And worse, it has infected my party. The liberal wing of the Democratic party, unfortunately the ones who will nominate the next Democratic Presidential candidate, has become as irresponsible and vicious toward the Clintons as conservative fundamentalist and the MSM. Reading the responses on TPM, not so subtly fueled by TPM, to Hillary Clintons defense of her daughter, HER CHILD, HER CHILD regarding the obscene, mean-spirited comment by David Schuster made me sick. Made me ashamed. And it made me realize the liberal wing of the Democratic Party has drunk the kool aid of this unfair standard provided by the right wing and the MSM. The same kool aid we screamed against for the last eight catastrophic years. Arianna Huffington has described this Presidential race thanks to Barack Obama as a search for our better selves: " the importance of having someone in the Oval Office who can inspire us to tap into the better angels of our nature -- who can stir people to expect more of themselves than they otherwise would." That's funny coming from her. I don't mean that in a mean way. It's just funny coming from her. The self that is emerging from my party is not very pretty, not very pretty at all. Hillary Clinton has the audacity to run for President, Hillary Clinton stands up for her daughter and it brings out the butchers with their cleavers. When it happens, and it will, when the talking head easily blurts out a vicious,ugly racial slur, and not the kind served up by sad, pathetic Rush Limbaugh, about Senator Obama believe me there will be no weird oh it's only the Clinton's standard applied to that moment. And there should not be. The Left Wing of the Democratic Party will demand more than someone being fired. You will want that someone skinned alive.

In an earlier post I mentioned how the liberal blogs and MSM that beat up on Hillary Clinton on a daily basis would have reacted if she had run away from debates with Senator Obama in the way that he is running from her now. They would have been on her like flies on stink. The California debate, the only one-on-one debate the two Senators have had, Hillary Clinton dominated. It had a definite effect on voters. In spite of the polls which all the Hillary Haters, bloggers and pundits threw up on their sites to show the massive surge and movement of Senator Obama, all done to deflate supporters of Senator Clinton. She not only won the states the polls said were now a toss up but one poll, the Gallop showed Clinton moving ahead. Now of course the thing to do is discredit that poll. I get that. The methodology and accuracy of all that polling is madness. But when the poll suits ones purpose in promoting their guy or gal their is no hesitancy to throw it up there and say SEE, big surge for my guy, why don't you just give up! ( just a note: I see that TPM and others are at it again with the polls. Obama Stronger Than Clinton Against McCain.) But the important part of all this is that the debate mattered. Had an impact. Made people think. I'm currently working with seven young men and women in their mid twenties. Bright, well educated and living in Illinois. Barach Obama supporters. We've had political discussions. He is their guy. They all watched the Los Angeles debate. Next day at work they are talking about what happened and to a person they were stunned at how ( to use their phrase) she wiped the floor with him. Impressed with her command of the facts, knowledge and the nuts and bolts of what she wants to do in addressing the mess President Bush and the Republicans have left this country in. They were surprised at the lack of depth in his responses, just slogans and feel good phrases. On Super Tuesday four of the seven voted for Hillary Clinton. Now, I completely buy the fact that this happens the other way also. But we were suppose to be having a surge here. We were suppose to be burying Senator Clinton after Super Tuesday. I'm suppose to vote on progressive blogs whether Hillary is finished or not. And now, and to me this is big, this is why I'm writing for the first time on a blog, we have the candidate who is for change, change we can supposedly believe in and he's scared to debate this women one-on-one. And the sad nonsense the Obama camp is putting out that they have already debated 18 times could be spitting out of the mouth of Karl Rove. The two Senators have debated one-on-one only once. And it had an impact. And yes, of course not debating is strategic. Strategic in the way of all run-of-the-mill politicians...manipulative, calculating, shrewd, all the things Clinton gets skinned alive for on progressive blogs and the MSM. And of course Senator Obama will continue to get his free pass on this too. Change we can believe in? Really? Sounds like the same-old-same-old. He's afraid to debate her and that tells me something. That tells me a lot.

In an earlier post I mentioned how the liberal blogs and MSM that beat up on Hillary Clinton on a daily basis would have reacted if she had run away from debates with Senator Obama in the way that he is running from her now. They would have been on her like flies on stink. The California debate, the only one-on-one debate the two Senators have had, Hillary Clinton dominated. It had a definite effect on voters. In spite of the polls which all the Hillary Haters, bloggers and pundits threw up on their sites to show the massive surge and movement of Senator Obama, all done to deflate supporters of Senator Clinton. She not only won the states the polls said were now a toss up but one poll, the Gallop showed Clinton moving ahead. Now of course the thing to do is discredit that poll. I get that. The methodology and accuracy of all that polling is madness. But when the poll suits ones purpose in promoting their guy or gal their is no hesitancy to throw it up there and say SEE, big surge for my guy, why don't you just give up! ( and just a note: I see this morning TPM is at it again with the polls. Obama stronger than Clinton against McCain) But the important part of all this is that the debate mattered. Had an impact. Made people think. I'm currently working with seven young men and women in their mid twenties. Bright, well educated and living in Illinois. Barach Obama supporters. We've had political discussions. He is their guy. They all watched the Los Angeles debate. Next day at work they are talking about what happened and to a person they were stunned at how ( to use their phrase) she wiped the floor with him. Impressed with her command of the facts, knowledge and the nuts and bolts of what she wants to do in addressing the mess President Bush and the Republicans have left this country in. They were surprised at the lack of depth in his responses, just slogans and feel good phrases. On Super Tuesday four of the seven voted for Hillary Clinton. Now, I completely buy the fact that this happens the other way also. But we were suppose to be having a surge here. We were suppose to be burying Senator Clinton after Super Tuesday. I'm suppose to vote on progressive blogs whether Hillary is finished or not. And now, and to me this is big, this is why I'm writing for the first time on a blog, we have the candidate who is for change, change we can supposedly believe in and he's scared to debate this women one-on-one. And the sad nonsense the Obama camp is putting out that they have already debated 18 times could be spitting out of the mouth of Karl Rove. The two Senators have debated one-on-one only once. And it had an impact. And yes, of course not debating is strategic. Strategic in the way of all run-of-the-mill politicians...manipulative, calculating, shrewd, all the things Clinton gets skinned alive for on progressive blogs and the MSM. And of course Senator Obama will continue to get his free pass on this too. Change we can believe in? Really? Sounds like the same-old-same-old. He's afraid to debate her and that tells me something. That tells me a lot.

My first blogging ever. I'm strangely frightened. Josh, you have been, information wise, my saving grace for a long time. You have been my must read every morning. Sadly that has changed. I have been sickened by the brutal, unfair, and vicious coverage of Senator Clinton by liberal blogs and the MSM. I assume you've received hundreds of notes from folks accusing you of a bias in favor of Senator Obama. We can debate that until our heads pop. To wrap up my first blogging attempt I would just like to point out this morning on TPM ( it's gone now ) you had Senator Obama saying no one is clamoring for more debates. I know why he doesn't want more debates. She wipes the floor with him. Look at what happened in California. That debate had an impact. While the liberal bloggers and MSM were busy spinning what happened to cover their own fannies " The People " were stepping back and thinking. Look at the last Gallop polling numbers leading up to Super Tuesday, Hillary Clinton was moving ahead. And remember most of the polls, pundits, and liberal bloggers who hate her had her losing California, New Jersey and Massachusetts. And Senator Obama is backing away from debates. This won't get any attention today. But you and I both know if Hillary Clinton said this you, and The Huffington Post, and the MSM would be all over her like flies on stink.Thank you for listening.
Johnnypro