March 26, 2007

3/26: Where's The Beef?

That's what lefty bloggers who attended 3/24's SEIU forum in Las Vegas, NV are asking after seeing Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). Those blogging from the event were "surprised" Obama would come to a health-care forum with only "basic principles" and no "concrete offerings." The Blogometer is not used to reading negative things about Obama, but as we move from already enthralled crowds to yet unconvinced audiences who want more than "platitudes," can Obama keep the magic alive?

CLINTON: "Bubba, Don't Sista Souljah Us"

Bill Clinton's "it's just not fair" complaint to hundreds of supporters on conference call about netroots backing for Barack Obama as an anti-war candidate drew wide negative reaction including:

• Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher: "I don't know if Bill quite understands that much of the netroots hostility the Clintons generate is the result of his trashing of Ned Lamont on Larry King. Nobody really doubts that he saved Lieberman in order to protect Hillary's war voting record and keep the heat off of her. Perhaps he doesn't even care."
• Bob Johnson at Daily Kos: "The story is noteworthy for the hemming and hawing explanation Bill offered which was sadly reminiscent (for me, anyway) of John Kerry's tortured explanations on his various Iraq votes. And it highlights the problems facing Hillary Clinton's campaign moving forward as the war grows increasingly unpopular with voters. ... Get a clue, Bill. I'm not sure you're helping your wife's cause."
• BooMan Tribune: "The Big Dog can cry me a river. His wife gave the keys to the neo-cons and she knew better. Just like Kerry, she thought her future presidential viability depended on getting on the right side of a war. ... I doubt it will work out any better for Hillary than it did for John Kerry.
• MyDD's Aiko: "I love Bill Clinton and I can't believe that I am about to write a diary criticizing him but I am. ... I remember knowing full well that a yes vote meant that Bush would eventually go to war. It wasn't about semantics.It wasn't an issue of what the resolution said. Today Bill Clinton re-writes history to suggest that the resolution didn't mean war it just meant....fade to bulls**t."

Not blogging on Bill's call, but on TNR article instead, Matthew Yglesias has similar thought on HRC's Iraq vote: "...she thought it was the right thing to do; it appears that she won't apologize for it because she doesn't think she was wrong; and, last, it appears that her views on both these things are connected to a larger worldview that's more militaristic than your average liberal's. ... She's so stuck with the "calculating" tag that even in the face of all the evidence, Clinton's views on Iraq get read exclusively through the lens of political calculation (like any pol, of course, she does in fact do some calculating) without any consideration of the possibility that there are real views her."

CLINTON II: As Long As We're Not On The Subject ...

She may not be a netroots favorite, but even bloggers noticed the warm reception HRC received from the SEIU Health Care Forum audience in Las Vegas, NV. Taylor Marsh, who live-blogged the event, says "Hillary Shines" and blogs: "Yes, my fellow Americans, there is an issue beyond Iraq. It might even be one that outlasts the war. ... The clear winner was Hillary Clinton. Period. No one came close to her passion, energy and details, as well as the humor and, yes, humility she brought to the subject at hand: health care."

Also in Vegas, The Nation's Marc Cooper says HRC "made a spirited presentation" and MyDD's Jonathan Singer has audio of her speech and adds: "Clinton's biggest applause line, however, came when she said she believed the IRS should stop harassing tip earners and start looking into the improper use of loopholes by corporate CEOs."

EDWARDS: Someone Get The SEIU Some Absentee Ballots

As well as Hillary Clinton did at the SEIU forum, it appears John Edwards did even better. The Nation's Marc Cooper says Edwards "Stands Out" on health care and quotes a "high-ranking West Coast SEIU official" off the record: "If the election were held today, we'd be supporting Edwards." Cooper adds: "Edwards was also the only candidate who said that, without doubt, taxes would have to be raised to be pay for the $90-120 billion price tag on his plan for universal coverage."

MyDD's MeanBone also appreciated Edwards call for higher taxes: "Edwards has a very realistic shot at making universal health care a reality, because he is being very realistic up front, both about the cost of universal health care and about the implementation. ... The best part is that Edwards is selling the American people on the idea that some things are worth higher taxes (especially on the wealthier people who can afford to pay them). When he gets elected, Edwards will have the political clout to make universal health care happen ... because he had the courage to run on it."

EDWARDS II: Carrying Rush's Water?

Katie Couric was roundly condemned for her 3/25 questioning of John and Elizabeth Edwards. Negative reviews include:

• Crooks and Liars' (with video) John Amato: "Isn't it nice that Couric asks all the questions [Rush] Limbaugh and conservative critics have been attacking them with? I guess it's fine as long as she masks them as if she's being a compassionate journalist. Couric should at least have the guts to tell her audience who is actually criticizing them."
• Daily KosBobcatJH: "Some people will surely come away thinking you legitimized the shameful opinions of the far-right fringe by couching them in relative anonymity. ... In other words, calling you a journalist is like calling President Bush a sophisticate."
• Kausfiles on audio of the interview: "It certainly makes you want to throttle Katie Couric."

OBAMA: My Plan Is In The Mail

Barack Obama received the first negative netroots reviews the Blogometer can remember reading following his 3/24 SEIU health care forum performance. The Nation's Marc Cooper writes: "Barack Obama, who has suffered from accusations that he deals too much in platitudes and not enough in concrete offerings, came to the forum surprisingly unarmed with details. He admitted that he has not yet finalized a plan but promises one will be forthcoming."

Las Vegas Gleaner says some in the audience were running out of patience with Obama: "But at the forum Saturday, even a mild-mannered questioner in the crowd basically ripped into him because there's no there there. ... 'He comes to a health care forum unprepared? Un. F**king. Believable.'"

Taylor Marsh had the harshest words for Obama: "The big loser was Barack Obama, who wasn't at all prepared. ... An African American man sitting next to me in the bleachers wearing an SEIU shirt said he liked Barack Obama but he "wasn't prepared," because he didn't even have a plan ready. The look on his face said it all." More Marsh: "It was obvious he wasn't up to speed for this event. I can't say it more plainly, except to add that no one in the audience was fooled. Barack Obama blew it. Hey, but it's one event."

MyDD's Jonathan Singer has audio of Obama's address and adds: "The Senator's biggest applause line came during a rousing portion in which he detailed the positive effects that organizing has not only upon members of unions but upon Americans all around the country." Matthew Yglesias found the whole event boring and isn't worried about Obama's health care credentials: "Everyone thinks he'll produce one soon enough, and it would be good to hear about it when it happens."

RICHARDSON: Skipping IA?

According MyDD's Jonathan Singer, Bill Richardson's biggest applause line "came when he said it was time to get begin getting of Iraq immediately. Perhaps the most newsworthy moment of any of the three speeches came when he said that he wanted his first victory to be in Nevada, perhaps an indication that he will not focus as much on Iowa." Audio here.

WEBB: The End Of The Affair?

Linking to Newsweekreports that Sen. James Webb (D-VA) "doesn't favor a timeline for withdrawal" Taylor Marsh reminds readers she does not "believe Congress can play commander in chief" and looks forward to "the coming legislation from Webb and [Sen. Chuck] Hagel (R-NE)" on Iraq. Marsh adds: "Both senators plan on stopping the military collapse currently underway through Mr. Bush's continued incompetence, which began under the 109th Republican Congress.

MyDD's Jerome Armstrong reacts: "Taylor, what's really interesting is that Hagel has said he'd run on the Unity ticket if he could find a Democrat to team up with him."

MCCAIN: Straight Talk About Anything ... But CFR

Eye on '08's Soren Dayton and Townhall's Matt Lewis joined "5 or 6 'old media' reporters" on John McCain's Straight Talk Express through Plymouth, and Littleton, NH. Dayton promises to post 2.5 hours of video from the bus throughout the week on YouTube here. Lewis already filed a report including:

McCain displayed the energy and intensity of someone half his age. ... His schedule would have been rigorous for even a twenty-five year old. When I asked McCain about the stress of constantly being "on," he told me: "This is the fun part!" ... Of course, I couldn't resist asking about campaign finance reform. He clearly doesn't like this question, but says that the fact a blogger (such as myself) is on the bus is an example of how free speech is alive and well. Bottom line; he's convinced campaign finance reform is a good thing. This is, perhaps, the only time the normally unexpurgated McCain refuses to elaborate.

Also on able to resist CFR blogging, Don Surber claims reports McCain will miss fundraising goals is "karma." Surber explains: " McCain-Feingold was supposed to limit money in political campaigns. That is why McCain is having trouble raising money. McCain-Feingold made him a political pariah. Republicans love him and respect his wartime heroism, but they would rather see Hillary get elected."

THOMPSON: Didn't Dick Wolf Prep With W?

Declared Mitt Romney supporter Paul Mirengoff of Power Line opens his thoughts on Fred Thompson admitting "right now Thompson appears more electable than Romney." Mirengoff explains: "In a sense, then, Thompson looks like the perfect blend of the Allen/Frist/Romney/Gingrich and McCain/Giuliani "factions." He seems to combine the conservatism of the former cluster with at least some of the popularity and stature of the latter pairing."

More Mirengoff: "Millions of Americans see Thompson exercise sound judgment every week as the district attorney on "Law and Order." I'm reliably informed that the show's creator, Dick Wolf, developed the persona of this fictional D.A. specifically for Thompson, and that the actor/politician protects his image by pushing back when he thinks his lines don't portray him in the proper light."

PROSECUTOR PURGE: The Grand Unifying Karl

Responding to "right-wing nutjobs who've written in asking just what the big deal is" Talking Points Memo's Josh Marshall explains: "What we seem to see are repeated cases in which US Attorneys were fired for not pursuing bogus prosecutions of persons of the opposite party. Or vice versa. There's little doubt that that is why McKay and Iglesias were fired and there's mounting evidence that this was the case in other firings as well. ... We all understand that politics and the law aren't two hermetically sealed domains. ... But here it appears to have become the rule rather than the exception, a systematic effort at the highest levels to hijack the Justice Department and use it to advance the interest of one party over the other by use of selective prosecution."

Firedoglake's Pheonix Woman argues the "scandal may well be the Grand Unifying Scandal that connects most if not all of the other Bush scandals" and fingers Karl Rove as the center of it. PW concludes: "If Gonzo had left last week over this, the whole bidness would have likely settled down and Rove would be safe. ... Now, too many reporters are joining with their blogger brethren into focusing on Turdblossom's role in all of this."

Also summarizing the "fishiness" of the scandal, The Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum focus on an email from "DOJ flak Tasia Scolinos" to "White House flak Catherine Martin" reading: "The one common link here is that is that three of them are along the border so you could make the connection that the DOJ is unhappy with the immigration prosecution numbers in those districts." Drum reacts: "Indeed, you could make the immigration connection if you were casting about for a semi-plausible post hoc reason for the firings. But you wouldn't have to do that if you had an actual reason at hand, would you? ... We still don't have any emails from before the purge explaining why DOJ wanted to fire these particular USAs. Surely there are some? And if not, then what was the reason?"

Netroots impeachment calls for AG Alberto Gonzales are only growing:

• Arianna Huffington: "If the president continues trying to run out the clock on this scandal, Congress should immediately begin impeachment proceedings against Alberto Gonzales. It's the quickest way to the truth."
• TAPPED's Robert Kuttner: "Why impeachment? In our system of checks and balances, the Senate confirms members of the Cabinet, but impeachment for cause is the only way to remove them. The White House, by refusing to cooperate, has now left Congress no other recourse."
• The Left Coaster's Steve Soto: "The question for Democrats is whether they should accept a serial prevaricator as the senior law enforcement official in the land ... At what point will Democrats ... accept that Bush is comfortable with lying and simply move for the impeachment of Alberto Gonzales?

Finally, CaliticsBrian Leubitz reminds readers that Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) was asking the "right questions" about the purge "way back in January." From Leubitz: "If you go back and look as the release, you will see the same concerns she was talking about back then are the same concerns right now. There are questions in all of the USA firings, but California's firings are some of the most questionable firings.

PROSECUTOR PURGE II: Doesn't His Family Miss Him?

Washington Postrevelations that AG Alberto Gonzales was involved with the decision to fire the prosecutors despite comments under oath to Congress otherwise has conservative bloggers again doubting his value to the administration:

• The Corner's Jonah Goldberg: "Some readers are cross with me for using the word "lied" in reference to Gonzales. Okay, he may simply have been deeply, deeply, confused, out of touch and unprepared to give a press conference which was supposed to put an end to the "scandal" and instead poured gasoline on it. ... Maybe, just maybe, a good "CEO" would have asked his staff, "Hey, before I unequivocally tell the world I was out of the loop, let's double check and make sure I wasn't in the loop. Okay?" ... Doesn't Gonzales need to spend more time with his family?
• Captain's Quarters: "Even if Gonzales didn't intend to deceive -- that is to say that he honestly didn't recall sitting in on that meeting -- wouldn't a competent CEO (as he described himself) do some research before making categorical statements? ... Gonzales and others who have presented misleading versions of the project are either incompetent or deceptive. We should not accept either in the office of the highest-ranking law enforcement officer of the United States, regardless of whether he is a Republican or Democrat.
• Power Line's Paul Mirengoff: ".... politics aside, Gonzales should not continue to serve if he lacks the president's confidence. I have no idea where Bush is on this, but my confidence in Gonzales, already shaky, would diminish if it turns out that Gonzales misrepresented his involvement in the firings to the press. As noted, though, it's not clear that Gonzales did this.

IRAQ: Born Fightin'

Talk Left's Big Tent Democrat questions whether the Iraq supplemental was really the "Big Win" fellow netrooters claim it is noting that the Senate fight will be over "non-binding deadlines." BTD then links to Taylor Marsh thoughts in favor of Sen. James Webb's (D-VA) non-deadline-for-withdrawal position and comments: "Oh by the way, look and see who you'll be fighting with."

Also dissenting from the netroots "first step" talking points, The Left Coaster's soccerdad writes: "The fact that so many progressives are celebrating the passage of this bill is mind boggling. ... Bush is right for once when he called this political theater. They have set the bill up to make maximum political advantage as the 2008 elections approach without sacrificing the war."

Still on message, Daily Kos' Hunter hits back at Washington Postcriticism of the bill: "Both the Post and the New York Times proved to be devastatingly incompetent during a period in which the United States very much needed the voices of a strong free press. ... That Iraq War failure, in itself, is nothing more than an extension of the ever more asinine failures of the national press for the last dozen-plus years. ... We don't trust the editorialists of the press anymore, as an institution, and that has implications for the entire American political debate."

IRAQ II: Washington Does Love Hogs

Conservative bloggers are playing up on Club for Growth efforts to punish Blue Dogs for abandoning their pledge to restore fiscal responsibility to Congress by voting for the "outrageous pork projects" laden Iraq supplemental bill:

• The Right Angle's Ivy Sellers: "The Club, a conservative PAC devoted to restoring fiscal responsibility to Congress, also singled out five freshmen who broke their word by voting for the bill: Representatives Nancy Boyda (KS-2); Heath Schuler (NC-11); Nick Lampson (TX-22); Tim Mahoney (FL-22); and Harry Mitchell (AZ-5) all ran on platforms of fiscal responsibility and promised voters they would cut out earmarks, not vote them in.
• RedState's Adam C: "Hopefully Club for Growth will run issue ads pointing out their promises and how quickly they became comfortable in the DC pork culture."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: At Some Point You Might Just Try Governing For A Change

Commenting on Washington Postreports that Karl Rove spoke with political GSA appointees about ways to help GOP candidates, Matthew Yglesias comments:

The irony in all this, at some level, is that if the Bush administration had spent less time thinking about ways to abuse their power for electoral gain and more time thinking about ways to govern the country in a non-disastrous manner, they probably would have done much better in the midterms. At some level, there's no substitute for knowing how to do your job properly.

The Washington MonthlyKevin Drum reminds readers the John DiIulio had similar thoughts over four years ago

LEST WE FORGET: From Starbucks, With Love

BlogAdsHenry Copeland points us to a Starbucks employee rant that moved from Craigslist to the Starbuck's gossip blog. The barista's complaints include:

• We are not your friends. We are usually not your neighbors. In most cases, we absolutely loathe you.
• Oh, you work from home? We are not your water-cooler break.
• SKIM MILK is the same as NONFAT MILK. Do not order a "skim nonfat latte" - it's redundant.
• If you are yapping away on your cell phone when you get up to the counter, TELL THE PERSON ON THE OTHER END TO HOLD ON. Do not try to communicate what you want by hand gestures. Do not stare at me blankly - YOU approached ME.
• If you order a Frappuccino, I will hate you even more.
• Order by the names on the menu, because I've had people ask for a "medium coffee" and get inexplicably pissed off when I give them a grande. Which is a medium coffee. If you eat at McDonald's, you put a "Mc" in front of just about everything - get the f**k over yourself and get used to it.
• When you order "three shots of espresso, over ice, in a venti cup, extra ice" - WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. You're stealing.

Posted by Conn Carroll at March 26, 2007 12:41 PM