[Above: Sunset, near Savannah, Missouri, September 29th, 2005, 7:59p.m.]

“He makes a great mistake… who supposes that authority is firmer or better established when it is founded by force than that which is welded by affection.“

Who said it?

Publius Terentius Afer, Roman poet (whom we call Terence), 190-159 B.C., from Adelphi (act I, 1, l. 40)

Hillary Clinton quoted Terence yesterday on Capitol Hill at her Secretary of State confirmation hearing: “In every endeavor, the seemly course for wise men is to try persuasion first.”

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

“The President-Elect and I believe that foreign policy must be based on a marriage of principles and pragmatism, not rigid ideology. On facts and evidence, not emotion or prejudice. Our security, our vitality, and our ability to lead in today’s world oblige us to recognize the overwhelming fact of our interdependence.” - Hillary Clinton, testifying before Congress today.

That was, of course, well-received, but there were signs today the ride might be a bit bumpier than she’d like.

To which I say: good.

Marc Ambinder has her full opening statement & more analysis.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ending her campaign on June 7th.

&

Click here to view the embedded video.

The tears that turned around her fortunes in New Hampshire.

LOW WATER MARK (3-WAY TIE)

Click here to view the embedded video.

1. Caught completely flat-footed on Iowa caucus night, in which she lost big to Obama. Based on what I’ve read, she & her husband literally had no idea they’d do that badly. This was the beginning of the end.

Click here to view the embedded video.

2. Lying about arriving in Bosnia under sniper fire on March 17th.

Click here to view the embedded video.

3. Bringing up the assassination of RFK as a way to say “hey, anything can happen & that’s why I’m still in the race.”

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Above: a Democratic primary debate in Iowa late last year.

Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Obama’s unveiling them as we speak; look for the clip from that news conference in this post shortly.

Click here to read more about some of the people pictured above, & here to see which slots in the cabinet are filled.

Read what the AP’s saying about the news conference so far after the jump.

CHICAGO (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his former chief rival for the Democratic nomination to be his secretary of state.
At a news conference Monday in Chicago, Obama announced that he’s chosen Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to lead the State Department.
He described her as a friend and colleague, as well as a source of counsel and a tough opponent. He added that she’s someone of tremendous stature who can advance America’s interest around the world.
In order to make it possible for his wife to take the job, party officials say former President Bill Clinton agreed to disclose the names of contributors to his foundation and step away from day-to-day management of it. He’ll also submit his speaking schedule to review by the State Department and the White House.

.

CHICAGO (AP) - The man who’s served as President George W. Bush’s defense secretary will be staying on.
President-elect Barack Obama said Monday he’s chosen Robert Gates to continue as Pentagon chief.
It’s a move that brings continuity amid the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the terrorism that erupted last week in India.
Obama says Gates won the confidence of U.S. commanders and military personnel. He says Gates will face a new mission of bringing a responsible end to the war in Iraq.

.

CHICAGO (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to head the Department of Homeland Security.
He told a Chicago news conference Monday that Napolitano has spent her career protecting people. He said she understands the need to protect against terror attacks and to respond to natural disasters - and that she also understands as well as anyone the danger of unsecured borders.
The announcement came as Obama filled out the key national security posts in his Cabinet.

.

CHICAGO (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama is nominating Susan Rice to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
He calls her a close and trusted adviser who knows the global challengees the nation faces.
Rice was a senior foreign policy adviser to Obama’s presidential campaign. She’s a senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution.
She earlier served on the staff of the National Security Council during the Clinton administration.

.

CHICAGO (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Washington lawyer Eric Holder to be attorney general. If confirmed, he’ll be the first African-American to hold that post.
At a news conference Monday in Chicago, Obama said the former Justice Department official has the experience to succeed from his first day on the job. He said Holder has distinguished himself as a prosecutor, judge and in government service and is deeply informed on the nation’s law enforcement challenges.
Obama said that in his administration, it will be clear the attorney general serves the American people. Obama expressed confidence Holder will respect the public trust and adhere to the Constitution.

.

CHICAGO (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama has selected retired Marine General James Jones to be his national security adviser.
Obama told reporters at a Chicago news conference this morning that Jones would prove a skilled national security adviser. He praised Jones’ experience, having served the country “in uniform and as a diplomat.”
Noting that generations of the Jones’ family have served the country, Obama said Jones “has commanded a platoon in battle, served as supreme allied commander in a time of war and worked on behalf of peace in the Middle East.”
Jones says he’s deeply humbled to have been asked to serve during what he called challenging times. He said national security in the 21st century has a broader scope and he sees the role as helping to make the world a better place.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

The reasons behind Obama’s selection of Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State are varied & multi-leveled.

Ross Douthat has spotted one of them:

“…there will be difficulties - maybe a lot of difficulties - along the way, and it’s very easy to imagine a scenario in which the withdrawal from Iraq ends up dominating the foreign-affairs side of the ledger in Obama’s first term, and not necessarily in a good way. And by putting the job in the hands of Robert Gates and Hillary Clinton - a Republican appointee and a primary-season rival who attacked him from the right on foreign policy - Obama has effectively given realists and liberal hawks partial ownership of whatever happens in Iraq between now and 2011. In a best-case scenario for progressives, Gates and Clinton will play the role Colin Powell played in the run-up to the Iraq War (except with a better final outcome, obviously).”

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“In matters of foreign policy, it has been proved time and again, the Clintons are devoted to no interest other than their own. A president absolutely has to know of his chief foreign-policy executive that he or she has no other agenda than the one he has set. Who can say with a straight face that this is true of a woman whose personal ambition is without limit; whose second loyalty is to an impeached and disbarred and discredited former president; and who is ready at any moment, and on government time, to take a wheedling call from either of her bulbous brothers? This is also the unscrupulous female who until recently was willing to play the race card on President-elect Obama and (in spite of her own complete want of any foreign-policy qualifications) to ridicule him for lacking what she only knew about by way of sordid backstairs dealing. What may look like wound-healing and magnanimity to some looks like foolhardiness and masochism to me.”

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Well, it looks like after several days of waffling, Hillary Clinton has decided to accept President-Elect Obama’s offer to be Secretary of State:

Mrs. Clinton came to her decision after additional discussion with President-elect Barack Obama about the nature of her role and his plans for foreign policy, said one of the confidants, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the situation. Mr. Obama’s office told reporters Thursday that the nomination is “on track” but Clinton associates only confirmed Friday afternoon that she has decided.

The good news about this pick: it sends a great signal - & lesson - to world leaders who have rivals & factions & sects of their own. (see LBJ’s famous (& warning: salty) quote to understand the philosophy behind it)

She will be a good “face of the USA” around the world, there’s no question.

But in another respect, you should color me none-too-happy about this development.

Why?

I chose the picture above for a reason:

Click here to view the embedded video.

On St. Patrick’s Day of this year Hillary Clinton made what I consider one of her most stupid, unnecessary blunders of this campaign: claiming she as First Lady arrived in Bosnia in 1996 “under sniper fire,” assuming that the cameras she saw then weren’t rolling on any kind of videotape that could be preserved & replayed in the future.

Her husband Bill followed suit in the foot-in-mouth department in regards to this issue a couple of weeks later.

It was around then (perhaps before, but this incident really solidified it) that my opinion of Hillary Clinton took a severe nose-dive.

How could she have been so blind/stupid?

It was this incident I remembered as talk of her being Secretary of State surfaced late last week.

& don’t forget these other arguments that should cause concern.

As far as the grand scheme of things - staying on message, following Obama’s lead - I think she can do this & won’t be terrible. Certainly better than Rice or Christopher.

But ’sniper fire’ raises red flags for me when it comes to those casual, negotiating behind-closed-doors, seemingly-insignificant moments. It shows she thinks she can get away with peddling b.s., when she can’t. I’m really worried about that.

that & Bill. get the guy a muzzle.

I’ll be watching.

But feel free to disagree with me - what do you think of Clinton as Secretary of State.. or my worries about it?

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

image by Matt Brunson

Bill Clinton now says he’s on board with making the vetting process easier.. but others (including me) still aren’t so sure this is a great idea.

Broder:

“The last thing Obama needs is a secretary of state carving out an independently based foreign policy. He needs an agent, not an author.

Even if Hillary Clinton were ready to play such a subordinate role, which she might be, in return for a promise that her voice would be heard in the most serious policy debates, the presence of Bioll Clinton makes that a doubly difficult assignment. The former president has, through the Clinton Global Initiative and his own extensive foreign travels and worldwide contacts, made himself a force in international affairs. It would be unfair, and unlikely, for him to shut down his own private foreign policy actions because they might conflict with his wife’s responsibilities. But foreign leaders would inevitably see Bill Clinton as an alternative route toward influencing American policy. And he would be unlikely to remain silent.”

Friedman:

“Foreign leaders can spot daylight between a president and a secretary of state from 1,000 miles away. They know when they’re talking to the secretary of state alone and when they are talking through the secretary of state to the president. And when they think they are talking to the president, they sit up straight; and when they think they are talking only to the secretary of state, they slouch in their chairs. When they think they are talking to the president’s “special envoy,” they doze off in midconversation.

“It takes America’s friends and adversaries about five minutes to figure out who really speaks for the White House and who doesn’t,” wrote Aaron D. Miller, a former State Department Middle East adviser and the author of “The Much Too Promised Land.” “If a secretary of state falls into the latter category, he or she will have little chance of doing effective diplomacy on a big issue. More likely, they’ll be played like a finely tuned violin or simply taken for granted.””

Dowd:

“At least Bill has the satisfaction of seeing that he has roiled the previously serene and joyous Obamaland. It may be Obama’s very willingness to take the albatross of Bill from around Hillary’s neck and sling it around his own that impresses Bill. Obama is overlooking all his cherished dictums against drama and leaking and his lofty vetting standards to try and create a situation where the country can benefit from the talent of the Clintons while curbing their cheesy excesses, like their endless cash flow from foreigners.”

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Chuck Todd:

“The best reason for Obama to be looking for a place in his cabinet for Clinton is simple: to get her out of the Senate. Just ask George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter what it was like to have a once or future presidential rival in the Senate serving as a one-person Roman tribunal. Remember how easily the press gravitated to John McCain in ‘01 or Bob Kerrey in ‘93 or Ted Kennedy in ‘77 to allow them to be one-senator judge/juries on Administration proposals? The upside for Obama putting Clinton at State (or even the Pentagon) is that it gets her out of the Senate and gets her out of the domestic policy debates. Also, one other thing to keep in mind if Clinton does end up at State, she’ll be off the political circuit; it’s considered unseemly to practice politics while serving in one of the big cabinet posts, especially at State or Defense. So this would mean no more Hillary on the stump for candidates, no more Hillary raising money, no more Hillary collecting chits.”

Marc Ambinder:

“The CW in Washington is that Obama wants Clinton in his cabinet more than Clinton wants to be in the cabinet, the theory being that the moment she steps into the administration, she loses her power base, she loses her Senate seat forever, and she loses her voice on domestic policy. She concedes her political identity. Actually, on policy: uncuriously silent in all this is Sen. Joe Biden, who has strong foreign policy ideas of his own and a bigger platform to share them with Obama. Would Clinton become a glorified PR tool for Obama if she accepted the job? A Powell, rather than a Rice?”"

Andrew Sullivan:

“Unlike the vice-presidency, a secretary of state has real constitutionally-designated things to do. From Clinton’s point of view, it would be a natural position from which to run to succeed Obama in 2016 (or to make an inside push to oust him in 2012). The emergence of Max Baucus as the front senator for healthcare seems to me a sign that Obama might have already been signaling this maneuver. If Clinton isn’t the lead player on healthcare, what is she going to do?

So here’s hoping he offers and she accepts. It’s an elegant and shrewd move; both public spirited and yet coldly calculating at the same time. Pure Obama.”

Al Giordano:

“The whole thing is a media freak show being served up by members of the Clinton factions in the Democratic party and obliged by a national media (some of them also Clinton noisemakers) in search of a story. The speculation is not because Senator Clinton wants the job, but because her people so desperately want to muddy the waters and throw up a roadblock to either New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson or Massachusetts Senator John Kerry - two of the leading contenders - serving in the post, whom they consider turncoats for having endorsed Obama vs. Clinton earlier this year.

…

The conflicts of interest of former President Bill Clinton and his Clinton Global Initiative - a “charity” with a $208 million dollar surplus, undisclosed donors, many of them foreign - signify that before Senator Clinton could hold the post of Secretary of State, Bill Clinton and Terry McAuliffe would have to disband their own “shadow state department” that is the Clinton Global Initiative.”

Continuing my earlier musings - While I can see the appeal of getting Clinton aboard - we all want to watch our own version of “Team of Rivals,” don’t we? - I tend to agree with the last point about the hazards of her husband.

I have nightmares about the diplomatic equivalent of “Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in 1988.” It’s his inability to keep from going off message, either in front of the microphone or behind the scenes. Bill’s gonna be looking out for Bill, 1st & foremost.

The knee-jerk for him - in any setting around the world, if he’s ever with his wife - is not going to be “how I can convey what President Obama wants me to convey” so much as “here’s what I would say/do in this situation if I were still president, & I’m sure President Obama will agree with me when I tell him about it later.”

What do you think?

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

What would have happened if she won the primaries? Some are speculating based on November 4th exit polls:

CBS News:

“As voters left the polls on Election Day, many were asked how they would have voted if the election match-up were between Hillary Clinton and John McCain rather than Barack Obama and McCain. Fifty-two percent said they would have backed the former Democratic candidate; 41 percent would have voted for McCain, wider than Obama’s 7-point margin over McCain,”

Color Nate Silver skeptical:

Would she have handled the financial crisis with as much aplomb as Obama did? Probably. Would she have been so capable and reassuring in the debates? Almost certainly. Would she have had an easier time resonating with working class voters in places like Missouri and West Virginia? Yes.

But would she have managed the media as deftly as Obama did? Perhaps not. Would Republican attacks on Bill Clinton and Kazakhstan been as counterproductive to their cause as their effort to link Barack Obama and Bill Ayers? Maybe — or maybe not. Would she have matched Obama’s field organization and raised as much money? Doubtful.

Would her campaign have had the same steely confidence as Obama’s did after the Republican convention bounce? Unlikely. Would she have delivered as strong a speech as Mr. Obama did in Denver? Iffy. Would she have catalyzed near-universal turnout in the black community? No.

If Hillary Clinton had headed the Democratic ticket, would John McCain have been dumb enough to name Sarah Palin as his running mate? One would hope not. Might McCain have been smart enough to hire Mike Murphy rather than Steve Schmidt, campaign on themes of bipartisanship, honor, and good government, and appeal as much as possible to independent voters (as the political climate dictated that he ought to have done in the first place)? Who knows. He just might have figured it out.

And what would Clinton’s numbers have looked like after the Republicans had gotten done accusing her of being a socialist, a puppet for her husband, and an all-around conniving you-know-what?

I also think this would have been a far nastier campaign, thus resulting in much tighter numbers. It would have been harder for Hillary to have made the “new kind of politics” argument that ended up working so well among the “up for grabs” voters that Obama won between the conventions & election day.

But what do you think? Please post a comment! All views are welcome.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

From the Washington Post:

“There’s talk, indeed, that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) may now be under consideration for the post. Her office referred any questions to the Obama transition; Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to comment.

The pick of the former presidential contender and Senate Armed Services Committee member would go a long way toward healing any remaining divisions within the Democratic Party after the divisive primaries. Also, Clinton has long been known for her work on international women’s issues and human rights. The former first lady could also enhance Obama’s efforts to restore U.S. standing amongst allies worldwide.”

I’m not sure this would be the wisest move.

It’s not that I don’t think she’d be up for the job. But I’ve long believed Hillary has a chance to become the next Ted Kennedy in the Senate .. it seems to me that’s her familiar stomping ground, & a place she has to excel. There’s also the husband factor, of course. He was the main reason Obama didn’t even consider Hillary for VP (at their meeting at the end of the primary season, she said she didn’t want to be vetted unless Obama was seriously considering her).

Bill Clinton proved this year that he’s a live wire. I’d avoid putting him anywhere close to this cabinet, if I could help it.

That’s just my two cents. What’s yours? Leave a comment!

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

(this post originally appeared on March 3rd):

There’s a very interesting article over at Slate that attempts to project which personality type each of the major Presidential candidates has.

One thing you have to get past first is the fact that the reporter in this story took the personality quizzes on behalf of each of the candidates herself. Assuming she gave accurate answers for each of the candidates, let’s take a look at what she found after the jump.

The test in question is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

There are four dichotomies that (supposedly) everyone falls into:

Extraversion/Introversion
Sensing/iNtuition
Thinking/Feeling
Judging/Perceiving

(the letters you see in bold will come up later)

(Where can you take the test to determine what type you are? Right here. For the record, your Vote08 blogger is an ENTJ - a “FieldMarshall“)

So here’s how each of the candidates appear on the chart [NOTE FROM OCTOBER 27th: Sorry, I've removed Hillary. Click on the link that says "March 3rd" above to see her analysis.]

Barack Obama-no one will be surprised to learn-is an Idealist. His specific type is an ENFP, what Keirsey calls “the Champion.” ENFPs, says Keirsey, are “filled with conviction that they can easily motivate those around them.” Champions work to “kindle, to rouse, to encourage, even to inspire those close to them with their enthusiasm.” Idealists “usually have a tongue of silver” and are “gifted in seeing the possibilities” of institutions and people. Here’s Obama on leadership: “[W]e need leaders to inspire us. Some are thinking about our constraints, and others are thinking about limitless possibility.”

This ability to move people through imagery and rhetoric carries a danger for the ENFP, says Keirsey-a belief in “word magic.” “Word magic refers to the ancient idea that words have the ability to make things happen-saying makes it so.” This is the basis of the critique of Obama by his less-soaring opponents. Hillary complains that people ask her to “give us one of those great rhetorical flourishes and then, you know, get everybody all whooped up.” (As if she could.) Says John McCain, “To encourage a country with only rhetoric is not a promise of hope. It is a platitude.”

Keirsey says Idealist leaders should be called catalysts because “[t]he individual who encounters such a leader is likely to be motivated, animated, even inspired to do his or her very best work.” The New Yorker’s Packer writes, “Obama offers himself as a catalyst by which disenchanted Americans can overcome two decades of vicious partisanship. …”

Idealists are deeply introspective. According to Keirsey, their “self-confidence rests on their authenticity,” which makes them “highly aware of themselves as objects of moral scrutiny.” Idealists, such as Thomas Paine, Mohandas Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr., tend to be leaders of movements, not office-holders. If Obama is elected, not only would he be the first black president, but according to Keirsey, he’d be the first Idealist president. (Kroeger speculates that Lincoln may have been an Idealist.) Idealists are rare in any executive position. In a survey Kroeger did of the personality types who make it to top management, less than 1 percent were ENFPs-while almost 30 percent were Hillary’s type, the ESTJ. But the 16 types are not evenly distributed in the population and ENFPs themselves are rare-Keirsey estimates only about 2 percent of people are ENFPs. Kroeger says the ENFP can be an effective boss. “At their best they bring a refreshing alternative style to top management and decision making.”

Keirsey says that the Idealist is the unusual leader who is “comfortable working in a climate where everyone has a vote.” In a Vanity Fair profile, Todd Purdum quotes a Harvard Law School classmate of Obama’s describing his collaborative style as editor of the Law Review. Obama was “someone who wanted the group decisions to reflect the group’s intent, not Barack’s intent.” (This classmate added, “I actually would have been happier for him to say sometimes, ‘This is how we’re doing this, and shut up!’ “) Wanting inclusiveness has been a hallmark of Obama’s career and his campaign. Purdum noted that in the Illinois Legislature, “Obama made friendships across the aisle” and used his people skills to get some difficult legislation passed. In a speech, Obama described this ability: “If you start off with an agreeable manner, you might be able to … recruit some independents into the fold, recruit even some Republicans into the fold.”

As leaders, Keirsey says, the Idealists possess a “diplomatic intelligence.” They “seek common ground,” want to “forge unity,” arrive at “universal truths,” and are “trusting.” Given these qualities, it should be no surprise that Obama says that as president, he would quickly sit down with our enemies. He told Paris Match, “I want to have direct talks with countries like Iran and Syria because I don’t believe we can stabilize the region unless not just our friends but also our enemies are involved in these discussions.”

Plans such as this have resulted in Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, and others accusing the possible next commander in chief of naiveté. Keirsey says the Idealist has to be careful not to make errors in judgment by projecting “their own attributes onto others.” Because they tend to have a positive outlook, they can be “surprised when people or events do not turn out as anticipated.”

The ENFP can have a problem with “restlessness,” says Kroeger. “As a task or responsibility drags on and its mantle becomes increasingly routine, the ENFP can become more pensive, moody, and even rigid.” Obama himself referred in a debate to his disorganization and dislike of paperwork-and his self-knowledge that “I need to have good people in place who can make sure that systems run.” But as Purdum writes, it is Obama’s “restlessness” that prompted him “to take a chance, to aim higher-when others told him to wait his turn.”

John McCain is an Artisan, and his specific type is an ESTP, what Keirsey calls the Promoter. The ESTP is, according to Keirsey, “practical, optimistic, cynical, and focused on the here and now.” If the ESTP portrait gives you a feeling of déjà vu, it’s because George W. Bush is an ESTP, too. They are a common presidential type: Both Roosevelts, JFK, and LBJ were ESTPs. “Artisans need to be potent, to be felt as a strong presence and they want to affect the course of events,” writes Keirsey. They hunger to “have a piece of the action,” “to make something happen” whether “on the battlefield” or “in the political arena.” So many politicians are Artisans because “politics allows not only for maneuvering, excitement, and risk-but for powerful social impact.”

In a Newsweek profile of McCain, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said, “He’s a real player in the Senate. He has tremendous impact.” As McCain said to Esquire, “I get attacked everyday because I’m working with Ted Kennedy. How can I work with Kennedy? Because I want to get something done.”

“Artisans also make everyone else look like amateurs when it comes to improvising survival tactics,” writes Keirsey. Their wily ability to make do in dire circumstances makes them “successful scroungers as prisoners of war.” Newsweek describes how “McCain survived in prison camp by sheer cussedness.”

Artisans “are not threatened by the possibility of failure in themselves or others, so they are likely to take risks and encourage others to do the same.” That is how a man whose election prospects were dim only a few months ago can say to the Washington Post of the campaign, “Actually, it’s been very invigorating, it really has been.”

Promoters have strong people skills, but it is not the warm sense of connection one gets from an Idealist like Obama. “Promoters are so engaging … that they might seem to possess an unusual amount of empathy, when in fact this is not the case,” writes Keirsey. “Rather, they are uncanny at reading people’s faces and observing their body language.” Or as the Wall Street Journal recently wrote, “When Mr. McCain took the stage in Sun City, the applause was polite. When he finished, he got a standing ovation. … [H]is ability to sense and ride the emotional flow of an audience is astonishing.”

Grand theories are not for the ESTP. “No high-flown speculation for the Artisan, no deep meaning or introspection. [They] focus on what actually happens in the real world, on what works, on what pays off, and not on whose toes get stepped on.” This is how you get labeled a “maverick” and “Sen. Hothead.” This is why the Wall Street Journal writes, “Mr. McCain’s great political strength has also been his main weakness, which is that his political convictions are more personal than ideological.”

Keirsey says Artisans “are the world’s great risk-takers. They delight in putting themselves in jeopardy, taking chances, facing hazards.” (Does this sound familiar? See: Iraq.) When times call for careful planning, or consistent, long-term management, you don’t call on the ESTP. Keirsey writes that they “may be careless about details” or “they can be unprepared at times when preparation is called for, and can spring the unexpected on colleagues.” “They are like firemen who, having nothing to do set fires so that they can put them out.”

So what do you think? Are these portrayals accurate? Which personality type would you most like to see in the White House, out of these three choices? Weigh in by posting a comment!

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Picture if you will…

What if Obama’s father hadn’t ever left Kenya to meet his mother?

Above: here are your two tickets.

As of October 13th, after more than six months of wearying negative campaigning on both sides, Clinton has a slight lead in the polls thanks to the financial crisis.

Polls remain very tight.

3rd party candidates are much more in play (Paul/Bloomberg?). Ceiling of 3rd party vote nationwide is about 4%.

Mike Huckabee is the race’s “Sarah Palin.”

Final electoral tally reaches a margin of victory smaller than 2004’s.

What if Obama lost the primaries?

Above: Here are your two tickets.

As of October 13th, the McCain campaign is in nearly exact same position as now in the polls, possibly worse.

Polls tend to be closer to what they are in reality.

Obama is the race’s ‘Sarah Palin.’

Final electoral tally reaches a margin of victory greater than 2004’s.

What do you think?

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Above: in Springfield, Missouri, this past weekend.

Below: Bill & Hillary Clinton campaign with Biden in Scranton, Pennsylvania - where Biden was born - yesterday.

The New Yorker’s Ryan LIzza has a piece in this week’s issue about the process behind Obama’s running-mate selection:

“Obama also asked Biden whether he thought that he was more suited to a different position. “He said, ‘You have a great interest in national-security policy, foreign policy,’ ” Biden told me. “He wasn’t offering me this, but he said, ‘Would you rather be Secretary of State instead of Vice-President?’ And I thought a lot about that.””

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bill Clinton speaks for the first time on the current financial situation.

Watch, & let me know what you think!

FURTHER READING: The New York Times takes a look at an increased interest in how the ladies of ‘the View’ are covering politics.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Goodness gracious, the GOP in the last 12 hours have been in a tizzy! & all over the use of the word lipstick? Give me a break.

Let’s start from Sarah Palin’s line in her convention speech:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Flash-forward to yesterday, when Obama used this line on the campaign trail:

Click here to view the embedded video.


I didn’t realize the phrase “lipstick on a pig” is now off-limits.

It’s certainly a phrase that the current nominee has used in reference to Hillary Clinton in the past:

Click here to view the embedded video.

& of course the right wing has had no problem whatsoever making further connections to Hillary’s supposed ‘porcine’ roots:

So what gives? I thought the GOP was supposed to be against political correctness!

Palin supporters, it’s time to make a choice, because you can’t have it both ways.

EITHER

Sarah Palin is a victim of sexism on the campaign trail, & her opponents are shameless in exploiting it!

OR

Like Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin deserves to be treated just like the big boys on the campaign trail, & that means attacks on her are fair game.

& no, I don’t view this ‘lipstick’ line as a slam against her. If the tables were turned, & it was Obama & a female running mate campaigning after two terms of an unpopular Democratic president, do you think McCain would hesitate to use the ‘lipstick on a pig line?’ Watch his clip above one more time before you answer that question.

Also, let’s see.. is the U.S. economy still doing poorly? Yes.

Is Osama bin Laden still alive? Yes.

Could I go on about what issues are really important in the campaign? Yes.

Here’s hoping both sides can get back to discussing the future of our country.

I can’t wait to hear what you think about it! So post a comment now! All viewpoints are welcome (including those that disagree with what I’ve written above!)!

UPDATE:

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is accusing John McCain’s campaign of “lies and phony outrage and Swift-boat politics” in claiming he had made a sexist comment against vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Obama on Wednesday called the Republicans’ criticism of his use of the phrase “lipstick on a pig” a “made-up controversy.”
On a campaign stop Tuesday, Obama criticized McCain economic policies as more of the same from the Bush administration. He said: “You can put lipstick on a pig … it’s still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It’s still going to stink after eight years.”
McCain’s campaign has accused Obama of “smearing” Palin in “offensive and disgraceful” comments.

UPDATE#2: Watch his comments here.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Click here to view the embedded video.

Yesterday in Florida she amended her convention line by saying “No way, No how, No McCain, No Palin!”

But is it enough?

From a new ABC/Washington Post poll:

–McCain is winning white women 53 percent to 41 percent.

–McCain leads married women 48 percent to 44 percent.

What do you think? Post a comment! All opinions are welcome.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

(photo from Yahoo news)

From Randy Neal (who’s in Denver) of the KnoxViews blog:

“In case you missed the photo above, the final Tennessee tally was Obama 51 v. Clinton 32. If I’m not mistaken, this means two delegates did not vote. Also if I’m not mistaken, Clinton came out of the primary with 40 pledged district delegates. This means only eight delegates changed their vote.

Every Clinton delegate I spoke to said they would vote for Clinton because that’s what voters in their district elected them to do, but they would support Obama in the general election.”

Two delegates did not vote? You spent a lot of money going all the way to Denver to represent your district & you end up sitting on your hands?? Hard to conceive. I’m sure there were reasons, but..

UPDATE: More from the Nashville City Paper:

“A breakfast for the Tennessee delegation to the Democratic National Convention had its own moment of angst over delegate loyalties Wednesday.

Just after a delegation breakfast, Tennessee’s Hillary delegates convened to discuss their options for the roll call vote. That is when things got heated.

Tennessee Hillary delegate whip Betsy Reid said that Clinton was going to speak to her delegates about how they should vote during the roll call.

Reid then said that, after hearing Clinton’s speech last night, she would be voting for Barack Obama. As soon as she finished that sentence, there were calls from other Hillary Tennessee delegates for her to immediately resign as a whip.

Reid said she would not do so, which was countered by various delegates saying they would not forget her switching her vote after all the promises made during the primary season.

Former State Rep. Bill Owen, also a Hillary whip, jumped to the podium and said that each person should vote their conscience and that he was still going to vote for Hillary. Interestingly, Owen said the day after the last primary in June at a gathering of Democrats at Swett’s Restaurant that he and all the Clinton supporters would be throwing all their weight behind Obama.

As he was speaking, one unidentified delegate rose and interrupted Owen to say that they were all Democrats, that they all need to support the Democratic ticket, and that they need to be united.

“This is an open meeting and it’s being recorded,” the delegate added, a reference to the presence of press in the room. “

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Great dramatic moment of the convention here. Hillary makes Obama’s nomination official.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Like his wife Tuesday night, Bill Clinton gave one of the best speeches of his political career, & said the 7 words Hillary apparently couldn’t bring herself to say:  “Barack Obama is ready to be President.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

John Kerry gave a pretty good speech, too - settling some old scores & having some fun with the phrase that got him into trouble “I was for it before I was against it.” He also paid tribute to Barack Obama’s uncle, who helped liberate the camps at Buchenwald in World War II, who was sitting next to Michelle in the audience.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There was  a very stirring tribute to the nation’s veterans - both from Iraq/Afghanistan & previous wars - directed by Steven Spielberg & featuring Tom Hanks (it begins at about 1:26 in this clip). Very moving tribute to our fighting men & women.

& then came Joe Biden’s turn to introduce himself to America. His son Beau, Delaware’s Attorney General who’s about to ship out to Iraq. His introduction was quite emotional:

Click here to view the embedded video.

& then Biden took the stage.

Click here to view the embedded video.

He was effective, though at times he made a few prompter flubs - saying “150″ instead of “150,000,” saying “McCain wants to give $100 million in taxes to corporations” instead of “tax cuts.” This “prompter problem” will be something to watch over the next 68 days.. but let me say, without naming names, that as a tv newscast producer these happen quite more often than you might think.

One of the highlights of the speech was when he paid tribute to his mother, who was in the crowd. I felt the speech kind of ended rather abruptly. I also thought it was kind of awkward near the end of this clip when Obama took the stage — this is supposed to be Joe’s night!

All in all, by far the best night of the convention for the Democrats thus far. On to Invesco field.

What do you think?

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Click here to view the embedded video.

(for optimal viewing, play speech & Helen Reddy song simultaneously)

Well, there, Hillary supporters. Do you feel better now? Did you get the closure needed to move on from the primary campaign?

FOR OBAMA SUPPORTERS:

It was good that she failed to give any hint that she has her eyes on 2012, or is hoping/thinking that Obama can’t win.

It was not good that the camera kept cutting away to Bill Clinton, who oftentimes conveyed with his eyes the fact that he wishes she were the one accepting the nomination this week.

It was good that she levelled an attack on John McCain, & put in perspective the stark choices the two candidates represent.

It was not good that she failed to repudiate the things that she said during the primary campaign that John McCain is using in current attack ads against Obama.

& finally it’s not good that despite this speech, many Clinton supporters remain divided about what to do next.

FOR CLINTON SUPPORTERS:

It was good that she had her day in the sun & got the recognition she deserved for earning 18 million votes during the primary season, & did so with a speech that’s generally considered to be a winner.

It was not good for die-hard supporters that she is urging them to switch allegiances with a full throat.

It was good that she mentioned 1848 in Seneca Falls, made allusions to Harriet Tubman, & the line “my mother was born into a country that didn’t allow her to vote & my daughter was able to vote for her mother for president” (though, perhaps for time reasons, she let the crowd step on that great line with applause).

It was not good that it became undeniably clear that a candidate like her will not be on the presidential campaign circuit for years go come.

FOR McCAIN SUPPORTERS:

It was good that her speech did not have any lines in it that demonstrated why Barack Obama would make a good commander-in-chief.

It was not good that the speech, designed more for the white voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania & Ohio, will convince more voters than not that voting for McCain would be a bad idea.

In some ways, it was good that she’s not the Democratic presidential nominee.

That’s my take. What’s yours?

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

No, we’re not going to get into the ego-drama, or what her rabid supporters/delegates might do.

But did you know that today is the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment to the Constitution, allowing women’s suffrage? Hillary’s appearance is certainly timed for that.

The Tennessee Republican party just e-mailed this to us.. & we confess.. we did not know this!

HOW A WOMAN FROM EAST TENNESSEE MADE HILLARY CLINTON POSSIBLE

Clinton Speech Tonight, On 88th Anniversary of Women Gaining the Right To Vote, Couldn’t Have Happened Without A Tennessee Republican and His Mom

NASHVILLE, TN - Hillary Clinton, who addresses the Democrat National Convention tonight on the 88th anniversary of the passage in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote, speaks often about the “18 million cracks in the glass ceiling,” the votes she received during the Democrat presidential primaries this year.

Many of those votes came from women, of course, and what few Americans know or remember is that it was a woman from East Tennessee and her Republican son, then the youngest member of the state legislature, who made possible the political floor upon which those women could stand and cast their votes.

In 1920, the proposed 19th Amendment had been ratified by 35 states, and needed only one more to become a part of the Constitution. The battle came down to Tennessee, where the state House deadlocked 48-48 until a courageous young Republican legislator, Harry T. Burn from McMinn County, Tennessee, changed his vote and, by doing so, gave 27 million American women their political freedom.

Burn, the youngest member of the state house and serving in just his first term, later explained he changed his vote and voted in favor of ratifying the 19th Amendment because his mother asked him to.

Her name was Febb Ensminger Burn.

“Tennessee has a proud role in the history of women’s suffrage,” said Robin Smith, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. “The Republican Party celebrates those who have sacrificed and fought to permit great women to vote and to serve in elected roles.”

Cool! For those of you checking this blog from out of the area, McMinn County is smack dab in the middle of the NewsChannel 9 viewing area.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08