Boyd Reed
- : Turtle Creek, PA
- : 34
- : Moderate
- : Democrat
- : Occupation: IT Technician Born: 1974, East St. Louis, IL Family: Married, 4 children College: Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL Interests: chess, football, reading, baseball, politics, computers
- : Politico (Ben Smith) First Read (MSNBC) Political Ticker (CNN)
- : "Democracy for the Few", Michael Parenti "The Complete Curmudgeon", Jon Winokur "The Stolen Election", Lloyd Robinson "A Good Walk Spoiled", John Feinstein "Who's Your Caddy?", Rick Reilly
- : "First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." - Gandhi "A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything." - M.L. King "There is no underestimating the intelligence of the American public." - H.L. Mencken "Politicians are like diapers. They should be changed often - and for the same reason." - Anonymous
Diagnosing DEAD (Democratic Election Anxiety Disorder)
Hi. Come on in. Close the door behind you, please. Thanks. Did you find the office okay? Wonderful. Have a seat. No, not there. On the large, padded day bed over there. Sure, you can lay down if you want. ...more »
Posted on August 8, 2008 11:40 AM
The Decline and Fall of Kwame Kilpatrick
Kwame Kilpatrick, the embattled mayor of Detroit, has been ordered to jail for the night by Judge Ronald Giles. Giles ruled that Kilpatrick violated the terms of his personal bond when he went to Windsor, Ontario, to meet with city...more »
Posted on August 7, 2008 12:46 PM
The New McCain Energy Plan: Open Mouth, Insert Tire Gauge
And just when the McCain campaign was starting to show improved message discipline...someone forgot to pre-program Senator Straight Talk before letting him out of his rocker. Reuters has the latest McCain quote gem. Obama said a couple of days ago says...more »
Posted on August 6, 2008 10:51 AM
A Perspective on Milbank, Quotes and Context
Kane wrote up the recent "Countdown" comments by Keith Olbermann on the Washington Post's Dana Milbank accepting an offer to appear on another MSM outlet (CNN, as it turns out). If you are unfamiliar with this issue, you should read...more »
Posted on August 5, 2008 6:59 PM
Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm: "John McCain is ALWAYS there for our troops."
The title of this post is also the closing line of a recent attack ad John McCain aired against Barack Obama. This ad, which has already been ripped by NBC's Andrea Mitchell, FactCheck.org, and other sources, makes completely untrue insinuations...more »
Posted on July 29, 2008 3:44 PM
Rich On McCain: "The Strange Alternative Offered By The Republicans"
Yesterday, Bob Herbert dragged John McCain out behind the woodshed for a journalistic spanking. (CT Voter blogged about Herbert's article; it's a must-read, if you haven't yet.)Today, Frank Rich decided he didn't need wood, and simply took an open palm...more »
Posted on July 27, 2008 11:18 AM
Chicken Little Is Dead: The Genius Of Obama's Strategy
John McCain has become increasingly negative and uncouth this election season. The newest McCain attack ad, hitting Barack Obama for having the gall to follow instructions from the Department of Defense, is the nadir (to this point) for the McCain...more »
Posted on July 26, 2008 9:34 PM
Compiling Straight Talk: var McCain = Iraq("All Over The Map");
It's becoming more and more difficult to figure out exactly what John McCain thinks about withdrawing troops from Iraq. Today, in the Situation Room on CNN, McCain actually offered what sounds a lot like support for the 16-month timetable proposed...more »
Posted on July 25, 2008 6:21 PM
The Surge Slogan Contest!
John McCain's most recent McAncient Moment is claiming that the surge started before the surge. After all, as I understand McCain's lojik, there was a counterinsurgency (September 2006) before the surge (December 2006), and you can't spell "counterinsurgency" without "s-u-r-g-e", so...more »
Posted on July 24, 2008 12:29 PM
Veep Speculation Thread
I've said before that early Vice Presidential speculation, while sometimes entertaining, is mostly useless. This is largely because those who talk the most about it usually don't know anything, while those who know the most about what's going on usually...more »
Posted on July 22, 2008 12:06 PM
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Rec'd. Outstanding post - and, judging from your son's rather astute question, outstanding parenting.
Welcome to the party. It's going to be a stone cold groove come November 4. Can you dig it?
Posted at August 8, 2008 4:41 PM in response to In Which I Finally Get It
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Even if you want to count not addressing smears as a plan, it's a distinction without a difference. In presidential politics, rapid response is inordinately important.
A lie unresponded to becomes the truth. This is something Rove & Co. understood well. It's also something Obama has shown twice this week. Look at his response to McCain's energy criticism - "They're lying about my energy plan." And today's Sevugan response to the latest McCain ad - "This ad is a lie." Notice the direct language. Obama clearly realizes that GOP lies must be branded as such - within the 24-hour news cycle.
You are correct about what Kerry believed. However, not responding to criticism is NOT a plan (or, at least, not one worth following). Kerry's admitted as much.
Finally, I don't dismiss concerns about Obama, and I've called no one delusional, so please drop that. On the contrary, I've brought up Obama concerns myself from time to time, and I've repeatedly said that those who are concerned should not be ignored. (My blog history has proof of that.)
But for you to insinuate that Obama is going down the same road as Kerry is inaccurate at best. On the contrary, Obama's already shown better rapid response in the last few weeks than Kerry showed throughout his campaign. Which is not surprising, as Kerry has given numerous interviews stating that he's advised Obama to do exactly that.
Posted at August 8, 2008 4:36 PM in response to Diagnosing DEAD (Democratic Election Anxiety Disorder)
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But point (4) of the statement is no longer true in your alteration.
If you don't perceive that difference between the Kerry campaign and the Obama campaign, well, that's unfortunate.
Posted at August 8, 2008 3:33 PM in response to Diagnosing DEAD (Democratic Election Anxiety Disorder)
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Well done. Thoroughly rec'd.
Posted at August 8, 2008 2:40 PM in response to A Top Arizona Journalist Runs Down McCain History - lots of info with some new, damning anecdotes
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But they DID list Daily Kos. The same site that Markos described as "the lion's den" for GOPer trolls. Ingenious.
Posted at August 8, 2008 2:15 PM in response to McCain Campaign Snubs TPM
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You give a little love and it all comes back to you
(la la la la-la-la-la)
You're gonna be remembered for the things that you say and do
(la la la la-la-la-la)
You give a little love and it all comes back to you...Posted at August 8, 2008 2:08 PM in response to Bill Clinton to Speak at Democratic Convention
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I do not think this will happen.
Having said that, I'd dearly love to be wrong.
Posted at August 8, 2008 2:04 PM in response to Bill Clinton to Speak at Democratic Convention
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Well, it's not entirely true, given that he made the same statements in 2003 and 2004 that he made in 2002. So, it wasn't one speech - it was a consistent position. But, I'll even concede that point to you, for the sake of discussion.
I voted for Obama because I feel he's the best candidate. As far as her possibly being VP, I don't vote for presidents based on their running mates. However, I didn't think there was much chance of Clinton being on the ticket - precisely because of her elevating McCain over Obama in some of her attacks. (Obviously, I still hold that view.)
Playing political hardball has its consequences - and if you lose while playing hardball, that's when the consequences are at their worst. There was a big risk to those attacks. She took that risk, and lost. She created the environment that will now most likely keep her off the ticket. It's too bad, as I believe she's a tremendous politician. But it is as she made it, no?
Posted at August 8, 2008 12:23 PM in response to Apophasis: Don't Read This
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It's possible they're right. It's also possible they're wrong.
I think the only application of "clever" is in the simplicity of the Republican approach. They just say the same stuff, over and over and over. And people buy it every time.
The fact is, Americans will believe most anything they see on TV, especially if it's said by someone with lots of microphones in front of him.
This is what I think scares a lot of people about Obama's approach - rather than get out and give the typical loud denial or return smear, he's not blowing his top in response. I think it's working. I imagine you disagree. That's okay.
Posted at August 8, 2008 12:13 PM in response to Apophasis: Don't Read This
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Here's a paper bag. Inhale and exhale deeply into it until you calm down.
Feeling a little less panicky now? Good.
Seriously...all the commenters on here talking about how Obama's campaign is not up to snuff...quick, tell me what you base that on.
National tracking polls? Here's a towel. Dry that wet stuff from behind your ears. National polls (most of which Obama has led in since June 3) do not matter. Why? Two words: Electoral College.
Now, follow the electoral college projections. Every single one (even Karl Rove's) has Obama winning.
Understand that Axelrod & Co. (1) have been doing this a lot longer than you, (2) are much better at it than you, and (3) clearly have a plan to win the general. Just because you may not like the plan doesn't mean the plan isn't working.
Posted at August 8, 2008 10:52 AM in response to McCain's LEAKED MEMO is FREE advertising
