There comes a time in most baseball seasons when despite the fact that, mathematically, your team is still in it, you come to the slow numbing conclusion that it's just not going to happen this year. Sure the whole month of September is still left, but you trail the Yankees by 6 games, and you just split the four game series at Fenway, your biggest chance this month to get back in it. Derek Lowe just went on the DL, and Brian Daubach isn't hitting like he was in April. Despite all the hopes and expectations, the visions you had of trotting out Pedro once again in the playoffs, you get the feeling that it's just not going to happen this year.
Well, if I were a Clinton booster, this is exactly how I would feel tonight. Sure you have West Virginia and Kentucky left (6 games with the old time Devil Rays), but Obama still has Montana and Oregon (six games with Baltimore). And as for tonight, it was the chance to drive a serious blow to the Obama campaign. Jon outlined the scenarios by which Clinton could do this. It didn't happen, if anything Obama may have beaten expectations, with independents going for Obama in Indiana; Obama coming very close to victory (the networks still haven't called it as this is being written) in Indiana; and Obama getting a large victory in North Carolina.
I have never called for Hillary Clinton to drop out, and I won't now. But, for the first time since those heady, irrational days between Iowa and New Hampshire, I feel like we're at the end.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Even My Cynicism Is Too Much For This (JM)
John Challis, an 18 year-old kid from Pennsylvania has terminal cancer. He will probably die within the next two months. He loves baseball and just wanted a single at-bat in a high school baseball game. A couple of days ago he got his wish and drove an line drive RBI single in to right field. Upon getting to first base the opposing team all took off their mitts and applauded John.
Normally things this saccharin annoy me passionately, but this is real, this is genuine. So stop reading atrocious Mitch Albom books and other fodder for the USA Today bestseller list, but feel free every now and again to be moved by something real, something tragic and something pretty touching. The article by Mike White in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is a totally worthwhile read. And John, if somehow you should come across this, you've managed to crack even this hardened cynic.
And now I am going to go try to find something written by John Stossel or Daniel Finkelstein so I can get back to my old self.
Normally things this saccharin annoy me passionately, but this is real, this is genuine. So stop reading atrocious Mitch Albom books and other fodder for the USA Today bestseller list, but feel free every now and again to be moved by something real, something tragic and something pretty touching. The article by Mike White in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is a totally worthwhile read. And John, if somehow you should come across this, you've managed to crack even this hardened cynic.
And now I am going to go try to find something written by John Stossel or Daniel Finkelstein so I can get back to my old self.
The Sweet Smell of Desperation (JM)
"It's over! Why does anyone even care?!"
"Look at the Delegate Calculator, she needs to win over eighty percent of the remaining delegates to win!"
"Hillary should just drop out! She cannot possibly win!"
For people who are so sure of victory, Obama supporters are feeling more and more like people desperately clinging to a conviction slowly slipping away. It's like a game of Risk, where one opponent is about to do something that will really screw you and you insist that this is a bad move for them. The more urgently that you insist, the more sure they become that it is precisely the move that ought to be taken. Until you're screaming and yelling and threatening absurd consequences that you cannot possibly follow through on (Author's Note: Don't play Risk with me, I am unpleasant to play with).
Anyway, here's my take on tonight. This is Hillary's shot to game change, she has to win Indiana pretty well and come close or win North Carolina. There are two scenarios that work for her: 1) Huge Indiana win, tiny North Carolina loss; 2) Moderate Indiana win; North Carolina effect tie or win. Either of these scenarios really put a knife in to Obama, especially with a predicted 20 point possible drubbing coming up in West Virginia (which is basically all the parts of Pennsylvania that loved Hillary, with none of the metropolitan areas). Anything else and despite momentum I suspect Hillary is done. But then, I have thought this before.
"Jonathan, superdelegates will never allow Hillary to steal this election."
Please, hypothetical Obama-supporting strawman, you are ridiculous. The same inane group of people who think Florida and Michigan should be outright disenfranchised because "rules are rules" cannot stand that other rules will get in the way of Obama's ascendancy. But let's take this one further, oh worshipers of the might principle of democratic representation. Obama's entire delegate lead is on the back of incredibly unrepresentative caucuses. I've explained this before, but once more with feeling. Caucuses drive down turnout insane amounts and are most likely to suppress the votes of poorer working-class individuals as well as the elderly. They are often much more representative of the loudest, pushiest voters (ie. Obama supporters). Superdelegates are, for the most part, people elected by way more votes than people who actually vote in caucuses. So do me a favor and stop using the word "steal" as your last ditch effort to stop people from realizing if Hillary gets to McCain that she will flatout steamroller him.
Oh, just one more thing... (said like Columbo). I am tired of people referring to Obama as the candidate of the educated elite. Having a college degree does not make you a member of the educated elite, my god I know some encephalitic Obama supporters who count, statically, as members of the educated crowd. There are obviously exceptions of both sides of the table (very noted ones so if you are my friend and an Obama supporter I am probably not talking about you), but the truth is amongst my most educated friends it has always been the ones whom I have considered the smartest who support Hillary, not Obama. They are the people who rail for Obama with some sort of crazy belief that he'll actually change politics, make candy grow from trees, and turn international war crimes in to some magical, delicious form of frozen yogurt that tastes better than ice cream, but has no calories, that I lack any sense of intellectual respect for, and this usually began before they even started supporting him.
In fact, let me end with this hierarchical theory. The first plateau is working class folk, who have no time to indulge in the dream of a better world, and thus largely support Hillary. Then there are the well-to-do suckers who think that magically politics will change over night. Finally, there are the cynics who are aware that politics will always be a ground fight because it involves groups of people who very very much disagree over issues. Compromise is possible, but it's the Hillary-type, not the Obama-type that gets compromises hammered out. Obviously there are exceptions to these rules (interest groups come to mind) and not all people support either candidate for such reasons, but most do and it's pretty silly how it has been categorized.
So tonight will mean a lot in the grand scheme of things. For what it's worth I expect a tie in the sense that Hillary will get a slightly favorable outcome. I suspect a decent Indiana win and a pretty close showing in North Carolina. It probably won't matter in the long run, but I will allow myself, just for tonight, the audacity of hope.
"Look at the Delegate Calculator, she needs to win over eighty percent of the remaining delegates to win!"
"Hillary should just drop out! She cannot possibly win!"
For people who are so sure of victory, Obama supporters are feeling more and more like people desperately clinging to a conviction slowly slipping away. It's like a game of Risk, where one opponent is about to do something that will really screw you and you insist that this is a bad move for them. The more urgently that you insist, the more sure they become that it is precisely the move that ought to be taken. Until you're screaming and yelling and threatening absurd consequences that you cannot possibly follow through on (Author's Note: Don't play Risk with me, I am unpleasant to play with).
Anyway, here's my take on tonight. This is Hillary's shot to game change, she has to win Indiana pretty well and come close or win North Carolina. There are two scenarios that work for her: 1) Huge Indiana win, tiny North Carolina loss; 2) Moderate Indiana win; North Carolina effect tie or win. Either of these scenarios really put a knife in to Obama, especially with a predicted 20 point possible drubbing coming up in West Virginia (which is basically all the parts of Pennsylvania that loved Hillary, with none of the metropolitan areas). Anything else and despite momentum I suspect Hillary is done. But then, I have thought this before.
"Jonathan, superdelegates will never allow Hillary to steal this election."
Please, hypothetical Obama-supporting strawman, you are ridiculous. The same inane group of people who think Florida and Michigan should be outright disenfranchised because "rules are rules" cannot stand that other rules will get in the way of Obama's ascendancy. But let's take this one further, oh worshipers of the might principle of democratic representation. Obama's entire delegate lead is on the back of incredibly unrepresentative caucuses. I've explained this before, but once more with feeling. Caucuses drive down turnout insane amounts and are most likely to suppress the votes of poorer working-class individuals as well as the elderly. They are often much more representative of the loudest, pushiest voters (ie. Obama supporters). Superdelegates are, for the most part, people elected by way more votes than people who actually vote in caucuses. So do me a favor and stop using the word "steal" as your last ditch effort to stop people from realizing if Hillary gets to McCain that she will flatout steamroller him.
Oh, just one more thing... (said like Columbo). I am tired of people referring to Obama as the candidate of the educated elite. Having a college degree does not make you a member of the educated elite, my god I know some encephalitic Obama supporters who count, statically, as members of the educated crowd. There are obviously exceptions of both sides of the table (very noted ones so if you are my friend and an Obama supporter I am probably not talking about you), but the truth is amongst my most educated friends it has always been the ones whom I have considered the smartest who support Hillary, not Obama. They are the people who rail for Obama with some sort of crazy belief that he'll actually change politics, make candy grow from trees, and turn international war crimes in to some magical, delicious form of frozen yogurt that tastes better than ice cream, but has no calories, that I lack any sense of intellectual respect for, and this usually began before they even started supporting him.
In fact, let me end with this hierarchical theory. The first plateau is working class folk, who have no time to indulge in the dream of a better world, and thus largely support Hillary. Then there are the well-to-do suckers who think that magically politics will change over night. Finally, there are the cynics who are aware that politics will always be a ground fight because it involves groups of people who very very much disagree over issues. Compromise is possible, but it's the Hillary-type, not the Obama-type that gets compromises hammered out. Obviously there are exceptions to these rules (interest groups come to mind) and not all people support either candidate for such reasons, but most do and it's pretty silly how it has been categorized.
So tonight will mean a lot in the grand scheme of things. For what it's worth I expect a tie in the sense that Hillary will get a slightly favorable outcome. I suspect a decent Indiana win and a pretty close showing in North Carolina. It probably won't matter in the long run, but I will allow myself, just for tonight, the audacity of hope.
Monday, May 5, 2008
The Temples of Modernity (JM)
Well ladies and gentleman of the blogateria, have you missed me nearly as much as I have missed you? Paris was fantastic with a couple of debaclesque footnotes. I also have contracted some form of 18th century lung disease that is usually found in coal miners, but we have a job to do so I am going to walk it off and deal with this nonsense. The Grey Lady has seen fit to do reviews of all of the finest chain restaurants in existence (with one notably large snub ignoring the finest of these establishments, Pizzeria Uno). A lot of the blagoverse (or rather two of my favorites from the Atlantic) got up in arms about the condescension of this piece, but I am not fussed, most of the reviews are pretty good. I just think most people understand these sorts of places the wrong way.
You see, I love chain restaurants. Not always or often, but certainly on occassion. If someone came to me and said, you can go to either Per Se or the OG (The Olive Garden for those not in the know) I would almost certainly choose Per Se if someone else were paying. That said, there is very clear case to be made for the OG in the long run. Is the food great at the OG or Friday's or Chili's, not especially, but it's definitely not terrible. But they provide something different and more important. A sense of place and community and commonality. In many ways, chain restaurants (along with chain bookstores and malls, which I will get to in a moment) are our modern temples. As we live in a secular, corporatized world we lose one of the very important things that institutionalized religion brought to the table, a sense of common living. In other words, religions bring us together with shared rituals, values and stories. "Hey Jesus, I've heard of him too." is the kind quote that let's us all know that despite living a million miles apart, with different lifestyles and maybe even worldviews, we have some semblance of commonality. So too do we get this out of chain restaurants and their ilk, "Hey Blooming Onion, I've eaten that."
Now obviously this is seemingly a banal connection, but I actually don't think it's any worse or any better than religion or other value systems. It's not just chain restaurants, it's summer blockbuster movies, it's shows like Friends and Sex and the City, it's Borders Books, it's the mall and, yes, it's the freakin' Cheesecake Factory. Admit it, for the most part there is something very comforting about being inside on of these places. When I am stressed or feel alone I will often wander in to a Borders (this also because I am obsessed with books) and find some sense of relief. Not because there are people there, but because we are all sharing some sense of a common experience. Heck, I can walk in to any of these places anywhere I am and feel the exact same experience I would half way across the country. Here's why these types of experiences might be more valid unifiers than religion or nationalism: they are value neutral. The Outback Steakhouse doesn't really care what you believe, you can be a Neo-Nazi so long as you enjoy a decent tasting piece of steak. Borders requires nothing more than a love of pretty decent iced tea and browsing a fairly generic history section. None of these are places or deepness, specificity or perfection, but they do bring us as a people together and ask so very little in return.
Now I suspect many of your objections to this might lie in the fact that this is an implicit celebration of crass, commercial capitalism, so it is in fact unity with a particular value structure. Alright, by many of you I really just mean me and maybe four of you, but that's fine. I think that's probably true in its way, but not overtly and perhaps not as insidiously as the other ways in which corporate commercialism rules our lives. So sure, people wearing GAP t-shirts are not exactly modern day Dalai Lamas, but they do fulfill the similar role of knowing that we are not so different from each other that we cannot have the same day to day experiences. So when I sit down to my next set of unlimited breadsticks at the OG, I will be thinking of all the rest of y'all who have, at one time or another, bitten in to the same generically delicious garlicky goodness and feel a little less alone in this world.
You see, I love chain restaurants. Not always or often, but certainly on occassion. If someone came to me and said, you can go to either Per Se or the OG (The Olive Garden for those not in the know) I would almost certainly choose Per Se if someone else were paying. That said, there is very clear case to be made for the OG in the long run. Is the food great at the OG or Friday's or Chili's, not especially, but it's definitely not terrible. But they provide something different and more important. A sense of place and community and commonality. In many ways, chain restaurants (along with chain bookstores and malls, which I will get to in a moment) are our modern temples. As we live in a secular, corporatized world we lose one of the very important things that institutionalized religion brought to the table, a sense of common living. In other words, religions bring us together with shared rituals, values and stories. "Hey Jesus, I've heard of him too." is the kind quote that let's us all know that despite living a million miles apart, with different lifestyles and maybe even worldviews, we have some semblance of commonality. So too do we get this out of chain restaurants and their ilk, "Hey Blooming Onion, I've eaten that."
Now obviously this is seemingly a banal connection, but I actually don't think it's any worse or any better than religion or other value systems. It's not just chain restaurants, it's summer blockbuster movies, it's shows like Friends and Sex and the City, it's Borders Books, it's the mall and, yes, it's the freakin' Cheesecake Factory. Admit it, for the most part there is something very comforting about being inside on of these places. When I am stressed or feel alone I will often wander in to a Borders (this also because I am obsessed with books) and find some sense of relief. Not because there are people there, but because we are all sharing some sense of a common experience. Heck, I can walk in to any of these places anywhere I am and feel the exact same experience I would half way across the country. Here's why these types of experiences might be more valid unifiers than religion or nationalism: they are value neutral. The Outback Steakhouse doesn't really care what you believe, you can be a Neo-Nazi so long as you enjoy a decent tasting piece of steak. Borders requires nothing more than a love of pretty decent iced tea and browsing a fairly generic history section. None of these are places or deepness, specificity or perfection, but they do bring us as a people together and ask so very little in return.
Now I suspect many of your objections to this might lie in the fact that this is an implicit celebration of crass, commercial capitalism, so it is in fact unity with a particular value structure. Alright, by many of you I really just mean me and maybe four of you, but that's fine. I think that's probably true in its way, but not overtly and perhaps not as insidiously as the other ways in which corporate commercialism rules our lives. So sure, people wearing GAP t-shirts are not exactly modern day Dalai Lamas, but they do fulfill the similar role of knowing that we are not so different from each other that we cannot have the same day to day experiences. So when I sit down to my next set of unlimited breadsticks at the OG, I will be thinking of all the rest of y'all who have, at one time or another, bitten in to the same generically delicious garlicky goodness and feel a little less alone in this world.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Paris Je T'aime (JM)
Well cowpokes, I am off to Paris for the week. Consequently, you will almost certainly not be hearing from me (okay, maybe one wine-sodden post from an internet cafe). Hopefully Dennis will keep you sated over the next week or so. I promise the following things:
1. I will offend French people, I am Jewish, I like America and I am, unshockingly, partial to saying whatever pops in to my head with little or no filter. I fully intend to try and discuss politics, American, French and world while there. I will report back, with hopefully humorous stories.
2. I am going to go to some of my favorite historical sites and will probably be inspired to write about French history, you will all be very pleased to read such exciting posts.
3. I am going to London for a couple of days as well. I have e-mailed Daniel Finkelstein and challenged him a game of chess. We shall see if he responds. Failing that I offered to buy him a drink. I really, really hope he writes back. I suspect he won't, but you know... maybe.
I suspect I will miss writing as much if not way more than y'all miss reading, so enjoy your weeks and I will speak to you on Thursday!
1. I will offend French people, I am Jewish, I like America and I am, unshockingly, partial to saying whatever pops in to my head with little or no filter. I fully intend to try and discuss politics, American, French and world while there. I will report back, with hopefully humorous stories.
2. I am going to go to some of my favorite historical sites and will probably be inspired to write about French history, you will all be very pleased to read such exciting posts.
3. I am going to London for a couple of days as well. I have e-mailed Daniel Finkelstein and challenged him a game of chess. We shall see if he responds. Failing that I offered to buy him a drink. I really, really hope he writes back. I suspect he won't, but you know... maybe.
I suspect I will miss writing as much if not way more than y'all miss reading, so enjoy your weeks and I will speak to you on Thursday!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
This Is a Dreadful Idea (JM)
Dear Bunch of People From Other Countries Who Are Calling Here to Convince Us to Vote For Obama,
I know you really like Barack Obama, he's exotic and liberal, he is just like you! He is basically a European's European. That's fine, you have a right to like people, I like foreigners. I would, for instance, vote for Dame Maggie Smith to run Britain, with the assistance of Lord Alan Rickman (I know he is not a Lord, but he should be). Anyway, let's say I even agreed that you have a right to try and influence our election, which I don't, but it's pretty irrelevant. You can't. I mean seriously, if you're calling a Hillary or swing voter this little script of yours probably won't be all that successful. To prove my point, a play:
Indiana Joe: Ach, who is this? It's four o'clock in the morning!
British Obama Supporter (for sake of convenience, let's just call him Daniel): Well, jolly good day sir, my watcherola says it's nine AM here. Anyhoo, if you can spare a minute I would like to tell you just how Barack Obama can improve the world.
Indiana Joe: Are you kidding me, it's four AM?!
Daniel: Sir, please don't be so Amerocentric, I said it was nine AM, so nine AM it is. You see sir, hope for the international community is so important. Are you aware that America's standing in the world has been declining steadily due to your arrogant foreign policies?
Indiana Joe: Is this Mickey?! Are you drunk? I have to fucking work in the morning. This isn't funny!
Daniel: Golly gee sir, no I am Daniel, and this isn't funny. It's dreadfully important. You see, I feel that Barack Obama would be a good influence on our government and make us a whole lot cheerier with you?
Indiana Joe: Are you serious? Is this really some British person telling me who I should vote for at 4 AM?! Why would I care who you want me to vote for, I work at a factory part time and make 22 thousand dollars a year! I have three kids to support.
Daniel: Well I don't think you understand our perspective here. There is more than just America to consider. Think of it this way, Barack Obama inspires thoughts of Britain's greatest Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston.
Indiana Joe: Lord Palmerston?! Try, Pitt the Elder!
Daniel: Lord Palmerston!!
Indiana Joe: Pitt the Elder!!
Lawyer: Excuse me gentlemen, I represent the estate of Matt Groening, you are quite guilty of copyright infringement.
Daniel: See, yet another reason to support Barack Obama.
Indiana Joe: This is insane, how did that lawyer even get on my phone? Also I am a Hillary supporter.
Daniel: Well one of the positives of Barack Obama is he is not a lying, cheating monster like Hillary Clinton. Also did I mention that Muslims in Holland love him?
Indiana Joe: Muslims love him?
Daniel: Oh yes, in all international polls he is by far the preferred candidate. In Europe, Africa and the Middle East!
Indiana Joe: Oh... I see.
Daniel: Yes, well I do rightfully hope I have helped you make a sensible decision today.
Indiana Joe: I dare say you have old chap.
Fin
Note that this play followed the script provided pretty accurately. I think we can all agree that even without my strawman portrayal, this is just a terrible idea for Obama's supporters.
I know you really like Barack Obama, he's exotic and liberal, he is just like you! He is basically a European's European. That's fine, you have a right to like people, I like foreigners. I would, for instance, vote for Dame Maggie Smith to run Britain, with the assistance of Lord Alan Rickman (I know he is not a Lord, but he should be). Anyway, let's say I even agreed that you have a right to try and influence our election, which I don't, but it's pretty irrelevant. You can't. I mean seriously, if you're calling a Hillary or swing voter this little script of yours probably won't be all that successful. To prove my point, a play:
Indiana Joe: Ach, who is this? It's four o'clock in the morning!
British Obama Supporter (for sake of convenience, let's just call him Daniel): Well, jolly good day sir, my watcherola says it's nine AM here. Anyhoo, if you can spare a minute I would like to tell you just how Barack Obama can improve the world.
Indiana Joe: Are you kidding me, it's four AM?!
Daniel: Sir, please don't be so Amerocentric, I said it was nine AM, so nine AM it is. You see sir, hope for the international community is so important. Are you aware that America's standing in the world has been declining steadily due to your arrogant foreign policies?
Indiana Joe: Is this Mickey?! Are you drunk? I have to fucking work in the morning. This isn't funny!
Daniel: Golly gee sir, no I am Daniel, and this isn't funny. It's dreadfully important. You see, I feel that Barack Obama would be a good influence on our government and make us a whole lot cheerier with you?
Indiana Joe: Are you serious? Is this really some British person telling me who I should vote for at 4 AM?! Why would I care who you want me to vote for, I work at a factory part time and make 22 thousand dollars a year! I have three kids to support.
Daniel: Well I don't think you understand our perspective here. There is more than just America to consider. Think of it this way, Barack Obama inspires thoughts of Britain's greatest Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston.
Indiana Joe: Lord Palmerston?! Try, Pitt the Elder!
Daniel: Lord Palmerston!!
Indiana Joe: Pitt the Elder!!
Lawyer: Excuse me gentlemen, I represent the estate of Matt Groening, you are quite guilty of copyright infringement.
Daniel: See, yet another reason to support Barack Obama.
Indiana Joe: This is insane, how did that lawyer even get on my phone? Also I am a Hillary supporter.
Daniel: Well one of the positives of Barack Obama is he is not a lying, cheating monster like Hillary Clinton. Also did I mention that Muslims in Holland love him?
Indiana Joe: Muslims love him?
Daniel: Oh yes, in all international polls he is by far the preferred candidate. In Europe, Africa and the Middle East!
Indiana Joe: Oh... I see.
Daniel: Yes, well I do rightfully hope I have helped you make a sensible decision today.
Indiana Joe: I dare say you have old chap.
Fin
Note that this play followed the script provided pretty accurately. I think we can all agree that even without my strawman portrayal, this is just a terrible idea for Obama's supporters.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
I Still Hate Claire McCaskill (JM)
I'll make a deal with all Obama supporters. I will start supporting him if you will join me in drumming Claire McCaskill out of the Democratic Party. Today she claimed the Clintons "keep throwing nails in front of the bus" as a justification for bringing up things like Whitewater and Clinton land deals for which they were long ago exonerated. I mean go negative if you want, I hope everyone enjoys a heaping dose of the "new politics" and "hope" we are getting. But there are two quick things I want to address here:
1. If you cannot beat Hillary and "unify" the Democratic party then how in the world are we supposed to believe that you can "unify" red and blue states. On face such a claim is absurdist, if you have to roll in the mud to beat someone with almost exactly the same positions as you then you are not going win against the GOP in any other way. In fact, if this is what it takes to win then why not nominate Hillary instead, she is much better at it and more competent.
2. I wish Obama supporters would understand the weird, disingenuous nature of phrases like "throwing nails in front of the bus". Essentially, since he won Iowa, his supporters are treating Hillary like a felon for trying to win the nomination. This is the presidency and quite frankly it deserves to be contested, especially between two very strong candidates. This weird notion that Obama's politics and negative campaigning somehow legitimate, but Hillary's is not is actually one of the slimier tactics used by Obama and his supporters.
Anyway, I still hate Claire McCaskill and I definitely hate self-righteousness. We are about to see how genuine is the Obama campaign's commitment to a "new politics". My guess is that they will have surrogates go negative and deny responsibility and when they go negative themselves they will blame Hillary. New politics, just like the old, but looks more like an iPhone.
(Hat tip: Ben Smith)
1. If you cannot beat Hillary and "unify" the Democratic party then how in the world are we supposed to believe that you can "unify" red and blue states. On face such a claim is absurdist, if you have to roll in the mud to beat someone with almost exactly the same positions as you then you are not going win against the GOP in any other way. In fact, if this is what it takes to win then why not nominate Hillary instead, she is much better at it and more competent.
2. I wish Obama supporters would understand the weird, disingenuous nature of phrases like "throwing nails in front of the bus". Essentially, since he won Iowa, his supporters are treating Hillary like a felon for trying to win the nomination. This is the presidency and quite frankly it deserves to be contested, especially between two very strong candidates. This weird notion that Obama's politics and negative campaigning somehow legitimate, but Hillary's is not is actually one of the slimier tactics used by Obama and his supporters.
Anyway, I still hate Claire McCaskill and I definitely hate self-righteousness. We are about to see how genuine is the Obama campaign's commitment to a "new politics". My guess is that they will have surrogates go negative and deny responsibility and when they go negative themselves they will blame Hillary. New politics, just like the old, but looks more like an iPhone.
(Hat tip: Ben Smith)
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