Right on, CT Voter. The Clinton campaign has a lot of debt, sure, but a lot of that is outstanding to caterers and venues.

On top of that, though, I think the Clinton campaign has demonstrated a significant level of support among a subset of registered Democrats. Unlike the Obama base, the danger isn't "vote for the Democrat or stay home." The danger is "vote for the Democrat or the Republican."

I couldn't speculate as to how the Clintons or their surrogates would play it if the Obama campaign left them high and dry. I can say, in terms of risk management, it's beneficial not to tempt a powerful adversary with a history of petty jibes and underhanded attacks.

Posted at May 10, 2008 2:53 PM in response to N.O.P.E. (Not One Penny, Ever)

Yes, but CFG's overall strategy is predicated on being able to dominate the narrative. If the Republican Party is weaned of all moderates AND the Democratic Party is able to hit them on it, describe them as radicals, then they become cornered.

I'm not saying we'll get 1965 numbers (68 in the Senate...sigh), but let their market fundamentalists grab hold of their Party. If we can prevent them from pretending to be reasonable in that debate, we win.

That's why we're taking back the narrative, slowly but surely, from the lazy cowards who currently pass for journalists.

Posted at May 10, 2008 2:35 PM in response to Club For Growth Airing New Ad In Key Senate Race, Attacking S-CHIP

Yes, but CFG's overall strategy is predicated on being able to dominate the narrative. If the Republican Party is weaned of all moderates AND the Democratic Party is able to hit them on it, describe them as radicals, then they become cornered.

I'm not saying we'll get 1965 numbers (68 in the Senate...sigh), but let their market fundamentalists grab hold of their Party. If we can prevent them from pretending to be reasonable in that debate, we win.

That's why we're taking back the narrative, slowly but surely, from the lazy cowards who currently pass for journalists.

Posted at May 10, 2008 2:35 PM in response to Club For Growth Airing New Ad In Key Senate Race, Attacking S-CHIP

Operation Chaos comes into play when (undeclared) superdelegates look at the numbers, not now.

With 217 pledged delegates to go, it looks like Obama will finish tonight about 180 delegates away from the magic number. Let's assume he only wins half of those remaining pledged delegates: 217/2 = 108. 180-108 = 72.

OK, so then 72 is the magic number. And approximately 270 superdelegates are undeclared, meaning only 1 in 4 needs to swing to Obama. The transparent meddling of Republicans in our primaries is convincing evidence on its face.

(Thanks, DemConWatch.blogspot.com, for making the math so easy for all of us.)

Posted at May 7, 2008 12:30 AM in response to Hillary Reportedly Will Hold No Public Events Tomorrow

It's an announcement like this that makes Idiotic's absence deafening.

Posted at May 7, 2008 12:17 AM in response to Hillary Reportedly Will Hold No Public Events Tomorrow

I generally see politics as Ambrose Bierce did: "A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of ideas."

However, as someone who was evacuated from NOLA prior to Katrina and who saw the infrastructure of a million-people-plus on the Gulf Coast crumble and languish, fuck this guy.

I can't help but get my hackles up when I think about Stevens. Yeah, tubes, haha, but his vindictive ignorance and petty feuds have had a real impact on my life by delaying emergency infrastructure funding for the sake of his ego.

I'm not even kidding when I say I thought long and hard about moving all the way up to Alaska just to help knock his ass out. Sometimes ideas and interests dovetail nicely like that.

Yeah, this is great from a position of strategy because it kneecaps senior leadership and forces money to be spent where it isn't otherwise, but I would happily lose two other seats just to see a win here.

Posted at April 10, 2008 8:51 AM in response to Rasmussen: Mucky Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) In Dead Heat Against Dem Candidate

This assessment of his reasoning for not running sounds pretty explicit and surprisingly frank, if indeed he ever wants to run for a federal office. If not, saying that he just doesn't have the hustle in him is almost tantamount to a Sherman statement (unless he's very young, I don't know).

Still, I can't help but think that one aspect of that assessment is missing: it sucks to be in the minority. The Democrats might expand their roughly +33 majority (excluding 4 vacancies) by ten seats, meaning around 50 blue dogs would need to cross the aisle to buck the majority leadership.

Unless you're in it for the long haul or as a stepping stone into lobbying, a Republican freshman in the 111th Congress is looking at an indefinitely masochistic job.

Posted at April 10, 2008 8:41 AM in response to NRCC Now Trying To Recruit Democrats As Candidates — And Failing

Whenever I get a package of plain M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and robustness of the candy as a species. To this end, I hold M&M duels.

Taking two candies between my thumb and forefinger, I apply pressure, squeezing them together until one of them breaks and splinters. That is the "loser," and I eat the inferior one immediately. The winner gets to go another round.

I have found that, in general, the brown and red M&Ms are tougher, and the newer blue ones are genetically inferior. I have hypothesized that the blue M&Ms as a race cannot survive long in the intense theater of competition that is the modern candy and snack-food world.

Occasionally I will get a mutation, a candy that is misshapen, or pointier, or flatter than the rest. Almost invariably this proves to be a weakness, but on very rare occasions it gives the candy extra strength. In this way, the species continues to adapt to its environment.

When I reach the end of the pack, I am left with one M&M, the strongest of the herd. Since it would make no sense to eat this one as well, I pack it neatly in an envelope and send it to M&M Mars, A Division of Mars, Inc., Hackettstown, NJ 17840-1503 U.S.A., along with a 3x5 card reading, "Please use this M&M for breeding purposes."

This week they wrote back to thank me, and sent me a coupon for a free 1/2 pound bag of plain M&Ms. I consider this "grant money." I have set aside the weekend for a grand tournament. From a field of hundreds, we will discover the True Champion.

There can be only one.

Posted at April 9, 2008 12:42 AM in response to These reader posts suck

It looks like more EXCELLENT! NEWS! for the Clinton campaign.

Posted at March 28, 2008 1:43 AM in response to Pew Poll: Obama Up 10 Points Over Clinton

Is the speculation that Rudy is being recruited for this dead?

I heard that both Rudy and Bloomberg both are interested in running for NY Governor, but that - given how formidable Bloomberg is - Giuliani might consider hopping across the river.

So, this isn't going to happen?

Posted at March 26, 2008 6:56 PM in response to Send In The Clowns: Jersey GOP Candidates Make For Good Comedy