I don't think Clintons would be able to fight back very well this time. Rethugs would have painted Hillary as lesbian and Bill as wandering dick and both as happy abortionists and traitors---with or without any evidence. We'd be in the same place we are now.
jcgraham77
· 1 year ago
There wouldn't have been any "painting" the Clintons. Their problems are out in the open so they can throw all the mud they want. What would McCain have come out with--"Bill is an adulterer and Hillary is a bitch?"--old news. At least they were well defined and knew how to play the game to win. The problem with them is that half of the Democratic party found a shinier penny to play with. I am fearing that Obama and his campaign's newness is wearing off and they aren't going to stand up to McCain's shit. I hope to God I am wrong and just paranoid.
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
Bill is taking money from shady characters in the Mideast for his presidential library?
LunaStick
· 1 year ago
They know how to win elections?
Then do please explain why SHE LOST when she should have won easily! The fuck up is in our own damn panic. We are letting our fears of the dreaded "Rove Machine" get the better of some of us. Perhaps it is we who are the wimps who won't fight back.
jcgraham77
· 1 year ago
She lost because half of you chose principle over politics. You can't play that game with convervatives. They will choose winning the game over upholding principles every time. How did Bush get re-elected? Cause we chose the shiniest penny--Kerry. Smooth talking smarty pants. Everyday people just don't go for that but the Democratic leaders really get off on it. Taking the high road may lead to nomination victory for Obama--but it isn't leading to the White House.
LunaStick
· 1 year ago
This is something you Clinton supporters don't seem to get. There was (and still is) a lot of people who were against her from the beginning. It wasn't that Obama so much as won us all over as much as it was he showed himself to be the strongest rival to Clinton and thus all who were against her rallied behind him. She could have still won the nomination if she ran a better campaign but she didn't. Quit blaming this "shiny penny" crap on her loss, she could have won the nomination but she was never going to win the general election. Many of those that were against her in the primaries would have NOT voted for her in the general. More than there are Clinton supporters who won't vote for Obama. You guys need to wake up to the fact that it was Hillary that was not wanted more than it was Obama that was wanted.
Busboy
· 1 year ago
Ever since his Messianic reception in Europe, Obama has been coasting. Someone needs to wake him up and tell him that Germans don't vote.
tlsintx
· 1 year ago
whiner
Busboy
· 1 year ago
Obama? Yes, in the endgame; he may become a whiner. That would not be good for the Democratic Party.
Fireblazes(cheetohsandcatfood)
· 1 year ago
To paraphrase Lady Bunny talking about Clinton followers: "I don't like the fact that every morning I wake up and see a fat 46 year old transvestite, still living in a one room apartment. But that's who I am so I just have to get over it. And so should those that supported Clinton."
hawkseye
· 1 year ago
Hillary only had an inevitability strategy. Now she has a screw Obama strategy. I read somewhere that her brother and some top supporters are having or had a meeting with McCain. Very cute.
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 1 year ago
Some questions: Do MOST voters have the time or energy to read political blogs? Are bloggers just feeling dissed, and losing perspective on their relative (un)importance? Are blog addicts just a relatively small number of the total electorate? Don't most voters, over the age of 50, follow the election to the extent they do by watching Larry King and the 3 network anchors, pretty inattentively at that (even Fox News is still a relatively small block of voters)? Don't most right-wing voters get their worldview shaped for them by talk radio rather than political blogs? Would an Obama campaign focus on "blog outreach" only divert assets away from necessary outreach via other media, since the progressive blogs already compose a converted church choir?
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
I think the blogs are more important than their raw numbers would indicate.
A lot of the time, something will ping around the blogs for a day or two before the Corporate Media deems it appropriate to pick up.
We saw that with McCain's "cross in the dirt" lie. While the "cone of silence" thing was actually broken by MSNBC, I think the blogs kept it alive until the other Corporate Media outlets started picking it up.
Also, a lot of people who read the blogs are the same people who write letters to editors, call in to radio and tv shows, and write to sponsors, etc.
Finally, a lot of poltical professionals read the blogs, and they'll sometimes be informed by the blogs and use those items in their own dealings with the media.
That's my feeling, anyway.
Busboy
· 1 year ago
I think what you said is excellent analysis. It's "trickle up" from the grass roots to the powers that be. They're in NYC, LA and DC. Isulated, they don't know what's happening until they see it on a blog...
John Aravosis
· 1 year ago
That's actually an excellent description of what blogs do, what role they serve. I think too many politicians think of blogs as being about raising money or getting votes, and they say "eh, 350,000 unique visitors a month is nice, but no big deal in terms of votes, etc." What they don't realize is that what blogs excel at is messaging, serving as the echo chamber, serving as a resource for media looking for stories, but also keeping the media in check when they go bad. Overall, yes, blogs help create the news, good and bad. And I don't think the politicians in DC get that yet.
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
I trust your opinions, John and Joe.
Some other bloggers seem to be dying to find fault with Obama.
jr
· 1 year ago
I honestly don't think Obama wants to win. We never hear about the Keating 5, Carol McCain, McCain's net worth so why bother with blog outreach
Gryphen
· 1 year ago
I have to disagree with the idea of a coordinated effort coming from the Obama campaign. I have always believed that bloggers are more effective when their ideas are more organic and do not grow out of an organized agenda.
I also believe that as long as the larger liberal blogs continue to visit and borrow good ideas from some of the smaller fringe websites that may be bringing a fresh and unique viewpoint to the blogoshere the better educated and well rounded the Obama supporters will be.
I think it is a strength of the progressives to have numerous opinions floating around to be analyzed and accepted or rejected by the majority of liberal web surfers.
Personally I hate when i hear the same talking points repeated ad naseum by the right wing, and occasionally even by the left wing. I much prefer when some small kernel of information is uncovered or revealed and starts to ricochet around the blogoshpere and the cable news shows.
Just my opinion as one of those smaller fringe bloggers.
NovaNardis
· 1 year ago
Frankly, why bother with the Hillary bash here? It accomplishes nothing, and only sounds petty.
Ann_in_KC
· 1 year ago
Hey John...Jerome won't like that snark about Hill. I know, you're kind of agreeing with him because she didn't use it and see what happened, but again, MyDD is so not over it.
All Comments
Guess we all fucked up again.
Obama has never lost an election. I just hope he can extend his streak.
That was awhile ago, tho.
Lost the first time (in his congressional primary against Bobby Rush); and won the second time (in his senate primary against Dan Hynes).
(President at the time) Bill Clinton supported Bobby Rush over Obama too.
http://www.chicagoreader.com/obama/000317/
Mmmmmm......
Then do please explain why SHE LOST when she should have won easily!
The fuck up is in our own damn panic. We are letting our fears of the dreaded "Rove Machine" get the better of some of us. Perhaps it is we who are the wimps who won't fight back.
A lot of the time, something will ping around the blogs for a day or two before the Corporate Media deems it appropriate to pick up.
We saw that with McCain's "cross in the dirt" lie. While the "cone of silence" thing was actually broken by MSNBC, I think the blogs kept it alive until the other Corporate Media outlets started picking it up.
Also, a lot of people who read the blogs are the same people who write letters to editors, call in to radio and tv shows, and write to sponsors, etc.
Finally, a lot of poltical professionals read the blogs, and they'll sometimes be informed by the blogs and use those items in their own dealings with the media.
That's my feeling, anyway.
Some other bloggers seem to be dying to find fault with Obama.
I also believe that as long as the larger liberal blogs continue to visit and borrow good ideas from some of the smaller fringe websites that may be bringing a fresh and unique viewpoint to the blogoshere the better educated and well rounded the Obama supporters will be.
I think it is a strength of the progressives to have numerous opinions floating around to be analyzed and accepted or rejected by the majority of liberal web surfers.
Personally I hate when i hear the same talking points repeated ad naseum by the right wing, and occasionally even by the left wing. I much prefer when some small kernel of information is uncovered or revealed and starts to ricochet around the blogoshpere and the cable news shows.
Just my opinion as one of those smaller fringe bloggers.