The Pain of Losing and Being Relevant

This picture is a great shot my wife took when we were in Cancun. After years of being an amateur photographer, I marveled at how I was "out done" by someone who appears to have a better eye than me!

Indeed, the picture serves as an interesting metaphor for a certain Presidential candidate.

In Sen. Barack Obama's book, "The Audacity of Hope", he recalls, at one point, what it feels like to lose an important race as a politician. Sen. Obama said in the book that he "still burns" from a loss to an incumbent Congressman, Bobby Rush in 2000.

No one likes to lose, and those in public office - often intoxicated from narcissism - have the most difficult time coping with a loss. Unlike private citizens who have private ways of coping with losing, politicians' losses "are on public display", he said.

And so, as I watched Sen. Hillary Clinton give her "exit speech" today, I could not help but to notice how humiliated she looked, almost disgusted or depressed as she was forced to support someone that she probably would rather excoriate. Sen. Clinton did not smile much, save when she spoke about her accomplishments and what she represented for women. At one point - and I thought it perfectly appropriate - I thought she was going to sob, only to be comforted by her husband, the former President Bill Clinton and her beautiful daughter Chelsea.

Sen. Clinton demonstrated what modern women often do in the face of adversity and defeat; she showed how women can be strong. Moreover, I thought that there was something very heroic today about her. Maybe it was the fact that she had come so far, only to lose. But heroes lose. They lose, while trying to do good for the community or a cause. Heroes don't always ride off into the sunset. The best films have heroes who beat the odds - up to a point - and die. I am thinking of William Wallace in Braveheart.

In her speech today, I saw a powerful woman, dealing with the very public loss to someone who will more than likely become the most powerful person in the world. To be sure, having the support of 18 million voters is phenomenal, but we know that the Democratic nomination - no matter what kind of delegate calculus you want to use - is arrived at by who has the most delegates.

Sen. Clinton painfully asked her supporters to support her as she backs Sen. Obama. There were some "boos" to that request, but in the end, this healing was necessary and she knew that it was one painful step towards closure that is critical for the party.

I have criticized Sen. Clilnton, at one point suggesting she suffers from mental disorders. But like Sen. Obama, politicians (all) have to be scrutinized. And the public ought to be more informed and opened about their likes and dislikes. We ought to hold them accountable.

In the end, the system worked.

Sure, the DNC will have to figure out what to do come 2012 in case other rogue states decide to violate the rules. You just can't have rules in place to punish states, only to have a meeting to reverse the policy! It has nothing to do with, in my opinion, "the right to vote"; it has more to do with implementing a policy regardless of the outcome. You break laws, there are consequences and I think that there are too many people in this country ( 2 races I can think of) who believe that laws are relative and should be modified to accommodate them.

In the end, I am glad that the Democratic party is finally moving towards unity.

So, even though Sen. Clinton's sun has set, the run for office, still, was a beautiful endeavor for someone who will remain a powerhouse in modern politics.

And that, as far as I am concerned, is what is important.

"Don't Piss On My Back..And Tell Me Its Raining!": Clinton Tries To Play The Super Delegates

When I was a young boy, my brothers and I, like most boys, would occasionally find ourselves
in trouble, having to explain ourselves to mom.

If you were clever - and there is a certain blogger who was indeed clever - you would try to get to mom first and argue your case before she meted out punishment. The logic was that you could gain an edge (e.g., less severe punishment) if you could reason with mom. I wrote hundreds of letters in my lifetime, but the proximity to mom during those days required face-to-face appeals. But, ah, if I could and if it were appropriate I would have written mom letters hoping to convince her that a very lenient approach to disciplining would be a testament to her compassion. Eloquent and convincing.

I was never effective, because no matter what happened, I would have to explain myself time and time again before listening to the sentence that mom handed down.

Sen. Hillary Clinton is no good letter writer.

She has sent a letter to all Democratic Super Delegates, outlining her case as to why they should support her. In short, why she is more qualified to be the nominee. Tragically, this is another attempt on her part to spin her position, with the ultimate goal to steal the nomination from Sen. Barack Obama.

There is nothing unique or new that, in my opinion, should convince the Super Delegates. Sen. Clinton argues that 17 million people have voted ("supported") her in "my effort to become the Democratic nominee". This is not true, and she knows it. We have been here before. And yet, Sen. Clinton wants to count things that cannot be counted. RealClearPolitics has all the math you need to see that her math is shady. The nomination, according to the rules, will be determined by whichever candidate has the most delegates (2026). So you can argue about how many people supported you (popular) vote; and you can spin the math, but there is a reality and reason why the DNC has 2025 or 2026 as the finish line.

In the letter, Sen. Clinton writes, "[voters] want a President who shares their core beliefs about our country and its future and "gets" what they go through every day to care for their families, pay the bills and try to put something away for the future."

What? Are you kidding me?

How can someone who pulled down over $100 million in less than 10 years "get" what other people are going through? How can you grasp and fully understand how Americans are literally crushing under the combined weight of high gas prices, low home values and an unbelievably selfish government?

Well, Americans "get" that lying about sniper fire is not the best method to win the nomination. We also "get" that accusing your opponent of plagiarism seems odd, when you plagiarize your husband and the former Presidential candidate, Sen. John Edwards in your speeches...."I can take a hit.." or whatever it was... Americans "get" that referencing the assassination of a Kennedy as a suggestion that your opponent may get killed is insane. Americans also "get that if you talk about the inability of your candidate getting the white vote, you maybe a closet racist. They get stuff like that..

One of the best quotes I ever heard that can be used when someone is trying "play games with you", while being less than honest about a situation..." is "don't piss on my back and tell me its raining..." Someone who took home $100 million dollars cannot "get" what everyone else is going through. Okay?

I wanted to go to bed, but wanted to see what else was in this "love letter" to the Super Delegates. I found particularly interesting that Sen. Clinton wrote about how "recent polls and trends" show that she is the better candidate to beat Sen. McCain. "Recent polls and election results show a clear trend", she said. In her letter to the Super Delegates, I believe she mentions one poll. Awful. Just awful.

She later talks about her analysis with..."I've enclosed a detailed analysis of recent electoral and polling information, and I hope you will take some time to review it carefully." So, let me get this straight. She is writing to the Super Delegates, many of whom are well conversant with politics, telling them that they should review her analysis of polling data? You gotta be kiddin' me!

It's late now..and I can only think of one thing; how much Tylenol is in the medicine cabinet.

Maybe someone on her campaign staff with bring in a doctor or psychiatrist..and just have them travel with the campaign in case things get too out of hand for Mrs. Clinton.

Sen. Clinton's Sun Is Setting

Sometimes a failed endeavor is a process.

It is like puzzle parts coming together, giving you a realistic picture of how things cannot be for you. We see this with athletes and entertainers, and of course, politicians. The smarter person can see these puzzle parts as signs that it is time to pack it in.

The fool presses on, not caring who she or he might hurt in their path. They are blind and mental. They are obssessed with a non-reality. Perhaps in the "other universe" - the parallell universe, their endeavor is crowned with happiness.

I agree that it is a good thing to be ambitious, but in the midst of mounting odds, it can be a losers bet.

One of the central arguments Sen. Clinton is giving for staying in the race is that she believes the votes from Michigan and Florida ought to be counted, even though the states - who knew the consequences - moved up their primaries in defiance of the DNC rules. As a result of "busting in line", those delegates, as it stands now, will not be seated. Sen. Clinton is praying for a miracle; that the Rules Committee of the DNC, which meets at the end of the month, will somehow give her a pass and seat those delegates.

If this happens, I imagine riots. The odds are that it won't.

The problem that I have with Sen. Clinton - indeed there are several - is that she is constantly changing her narrative, or trying to modify the requirements in order to secure the nomination. The key metric is delegates - 2025. Florida and Michigan are not included. We visited this issue before. When you look at every category (i.e., popular vote, delegates, Super Delegates etc..), Sen. Clinton is not leading in either one!

Super Delegates are fast gravitating to Sen. Obama. Former Presidential candidate, Sen. John Edwards, recently announced his endorsement of Sen. Obama. Things are changing rapidly. Nearly every day, Sen. Clinton's predicament becomes even more grave. Her campaign, strapped for cash, is on life support.

The sun is setting on Sen. Clinton, and she cannot accept that reality.

What kind of a message does she need in order to be convinced, "not this time...maybe 2012" or, "pack it up and unite..."? I wrote about her obsession with winning in a previous post, and I still believe that it is an element of her neurosis that has blinded her.

Some of the media spinned her win in WV as if it were some enormous feat, a sign of a possible comeback. But we have been here before. We saw how she squandered a 20+ point lead going into the PA Primary and we saw how she barely took Indiana. In North Carolina, she had her head handed to her. Sen. Clinton is being beaten horribly all over the country, and there is no argument that she can make - that will convince the remainder of the Super Delegates - that will alter the momentum that Sen. Barack Obama has.

Puzzle parts.

It is not only Democrats, but the nation as a whole is yearning for closure with this mess. Sen. Clinton may not believe that the sun will rise the day after she gives up.

If she wants to exercise some element of power, the power to give in, then now is the time. Now is the time to concede and graciously exit, and just let someone else have their turn.

Rev. Wright Got It Wrong

I tried hard to be objective. I watched the Bill Moyers' interview and came away thinking that this was a reasoned and cautious man. I felt that he presented, with some inaccuracies, the plight of the African-American situation with some clarity. I was concerned about his remarks, "I do what I gotta and he says what he has to say as a politician..". At some point, I felt that there was some tension. I dismissed it, because this was a civil dialogue between a journalist I admired and someone that I had heard about.

But then, he took the bait.

The media dangled the cameras in front of him and everything went to hell from there.

When atoms decay or split, they can create a reaction. Depending on the type of atoms (and I want to be careful, lest our Iranian friends are reading), and depending on the amount, you could have enough of splitting and decaying that could create hydrogen bombs or nuclear bombs.

The fallout with this Rev. Wright, who, within a matter of 2-3 days has morphed into a lunatic of the highest order was a nuclear explosion. We will feel the fallout now and probably through the election.

The tragedy of this recent act of stupidity on Rev. Wright's part is that it completely negates (in part, figuratively) what minorities, particularly African-Americans believe.

Yes, there are different styles of worship and learning, but that is where it ends. Wright, naturally, does not speak for the black community. He is a shadowy pastor wanting for the attention that he sees a former member of his church getting - someone who could very well be the next President of the United States and the most powerful man in the world.

As I watched this disaster unfold, it dawned on me that Rev. Wright, though articulate, does possess some of the hallmarks of the underachiever; he wants the attention that someone else is getting, something that he will never get, something that he never had. He wants the successes without the sacrifices. He strikes me, at this point, as someone who harbors an inferiority complex and is quietly intimidated by others. But that is for the psychiatrists to determine.

The reality of Wright's "not deficient, just different" argument, is that if you argue the point ad nauseam, you flirt with negating the very merits of equality (Brown v. Board, Sweat v. Painter)...and what the Constitution and Declaration of Independence addresses.

Moreover, while it may be true that African-American ancestors were on the bottom portion of slave ships, as Rev. Wright reminded us, it is equally important to note - and historically accurate! - that some African Chiefs played a critical in the slave trade and probably could be seen waving goodbye, with loads of gunpowder (in exchange for women and children) as the Colonists left the coasts of Africa!

Therefore, by way of Rev. Wright's reasoning, this would mean that the slave traders and African-American ancestors who sold others into slavery, worshipped the same God! This would contradict what he argued in his speech. Is it possible for the slave trader and African Chief to have the same God in Wright's world?

In Sweat v. Painter, the University of Texas (1946) did not want to admit Mr. Painter to the all white law school, because he was black. As a result, they set up an underfunded school for black law students. It is reported that some black students had to borrow books and faculty from the main university!

A "we're not deficient, we're just different" philosophy would have been applauded by our friends at the University of Texas. Hell, Rev. Wright, even as an African-American, could have been made chancellor with his ridiculous logic. With his reasoning, Sen. Barack Obama, if alive in 1946, would be studying in a school that was "separate" - and "different" of course, with hardly any books and no faculty!

The recent numbers - CNN's Poll of Polls - have Sen. Obama's lead cut, yet,
again.

NATIONAL

45% Obama
44% Clinton

Real Clear Politics Poll

NORTH CAROLINA

+10.3% Obama

INDIANA

+2.2 Clinton

Sen. Clinton's Narrative Myth: The Result of Obssessed Ambition

I know that many voters are having trouble understanding the delegate math, or "delegate calculus" as some pundits like to call it. But a strange thing has happened since the Pennsylvania Primary. Clinton's narrative has morphed ever more into myth.

Sen. Clinton won this primary by 10pts, even though weeks before the primary she was ahead by over 20pts. She argued that Sen. Obama can’t "seal the deal" but she cannot explain why she squandered a 20pt lead and nearly lost a state where she has so many ties.

Sen. Clinton seems to have forgotten basic math, especially when it comes to adding.

The DNC decided not to seat the delegates from Florida and Michigan because they moved up their primaries. These states, violated the very rules that they agreed to have the DNC impose if a state were to breach. Somehow, Mrs. Clinton thinks that, in her calculations, she is ahead in the popular vote. (this could possibly be true if you count FL and MI).

The DNC Chairman, Howard Dean, said that he will not change the rules at the end of the game. Florida and Michigan, sure, are swing states, but that does not make them more important than other states, he said. Case closed.

So what’s Sen. Clinton’s angle here? Why is she spinning that she has more votes?

Mrs. Clinton is trying to convince voters (and the superdelegates!) that she is more credible, because of the "higher amount of votes she has" in her calculations...which is no calculation... The superdelegates know that she doesn’t have more popular votes; she knows it; Sen. Obama knows it, but as always, she is playing some voters for a fool, thinking that they have forgotten that FL and MI are not included - and will not be - in the calculation.

I think she has given in to her own myth. And this is the result of an obsessed ambition. Perhaps she thinks that she can convince voters that FL and MI are being counted, much like she convinced the voters in Ohio that they really did lose jobs because of NAFTA without admitting that she supported the legislation with enthusiasm.

It seems to me that Sen. Clinton is addicted to her own myth.

She simply cannot get away from twisting the truth. We know she cannot provide health care for every American; we know she did not dodge sniper fire in Bosnia and we know that Chelsea was not in New York on 9/11. Sen. Clinton said that she negotiated open borders in Macedonia to fleeing Kosovar refugees. But the border was opened a day before she arrived! And now, she expects the voters to believe that somehow Florida and Michigan are counted in the primary math here.

Here is some math from RealClear Politics that is simple and needs no re-interpretation. I hope she can figure it out.

1. Total Delegates Obama +135
2. Total Pledged Delegates Obama +156
3. Popular Vote Obama +1.7 percentage pts
4. North Carolina (Polls) Obama +15.5
5. Indiana (Polls) Obama +3.0

RCP Avg

Democratic Nomination Obama 48.8%
Clinton 42.2%

Sen. Clinton is a lawyer, so I suspect, at this stage of the primary, she knows what the phrase,
"compelling argument" means.

Sen. Clinton Will Destroy The Party Before Seeing Obama As President

I am of the belief that Sen. Hillary Clinton would rather see Sen. John McCain get elected as President of the United States, than lose to Sen. Barack Obama and return to the Senate.

The evidence that points towards this is overwhelming; delegate math, negative campaigning, and of course her response to Sen. Obama's comments about voters in "small towns" in PA. Here is an excerpt of what Sen. Obama said:

"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years. ... And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Sen. Obama was not "looking down" on anybody. He was pointing out a real truth that has plagued, not just small towns in PA, but also towns in Ohio (remember NAFTA?) and other states that have lost jobs because of the current administration and lunatic policies (NAFTA) that Sen. Clinton supported.

Sen. Clinton responded with, "that's not my experience" in response to Sen. Obama's remarks. Oh really? Well, what is it then? You cannot tell me that people who have seen jobs leave their towns are happy and enthusiastic. You cannot tell me that people in PA or Ohio who have seen plants shut down have not either privately or publicly displayed some level of bitterness.

Mrs. Clinton used this as opportunity to make it seem as though Sen. Obama was "looking down on people".

"They take refuge in their faith and their community, and their family, and the things they can count on.", Mr. Obama said. That, to me, clearly does not sound like someone is looking down on another person or persons.

It is tragic, that Sen. Clinton on the brink of failure - failure to get the nomination - will stoop so low, after squandering a double digit lead in the PA polls, and suggest that her "opponent" is so insensitive that he would suggest such a thing.

These are the politics of a desperate candidate, who, after having her own ethics called into question, will attempt to create an image for her opponent that would be unappealing to the voters of PA.

Once again, as with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright issue, the media picked up on this - something which really had no fuel - and gave into the Clinton machine. And sadly, we have another fight; never mind the issues - the main issues - but now we have merely a comment made and then the media and Sen. Clinton hit the airwaves with their spin.

Tragic.

And yet, "it still moves". The Obama campaign will survive. Sen. Clinton does not want a position in an Obama White House, that is why she will (a) fight to the death and (b) do whatever she can to destroy Sen. Obama, thereby letting McCain win. If I can't have it, nobody in the party can...

I would rather have a President who speaks realities about my predicament, than one who lies and lies..and lies...and lies and characterizes these lies as words that were "misspoken" even though she was often reading from prepared remarks!

This is why the Democratic election is so remarkably unprecedented. Not so much because you have a woman and an African-American, but because the African-American candidate - his demeanor and his way of deflecting, and tolerating, is so representative of what many people go through day-to-day.

Sen. Clinton's energy does not come from her belief that she is "more qualified" To be sure, they are probably equally qualified at this point. But her energy and obsession is fueled by the myth that she, and her economic background (earning $109 million over a 6-7 year period) is better and that even if she lies and lies and lies, she is still entitled to win, because of who she is, and of course, who her candidate is....

She reminds me of a disgruntled baseball pitcher, whose team has no shot at the World Series.

The next batter she faces happens to be the opposing team's pitcher, who interestingly, has a pretty impressive batting average. The pitcher who is batting could very well see his team go to the World Series. As the pitcher on the mound, what does she do? Does she walk him? No. Does she throw a change-up? No. She hits the opposing pitcher who happens to be the opposing team's ace. End result? He cannot pitch in the world series.

Every time she says something, she is hitting the Democratic Party!

Shredding Of The Democratic Party

The other night, I listened to a CNN journalist grill one of Sen. Clinton's supporters about her lies regarding her trip to Bosnia, which she characterized as statements that were "misspoke".

I think the journalist was Campbell Brown, if I am correct. And if she were an attorney, she would make a good one, only because she made sure that Clinton's supporter stayed on track, when he tried to bring up Sen. Barack Obama, even though the question had nothing to do with him.

We now have more evidence which shows how awful of a candidate Ms. Clinton has become. Dick Morris wrote an interesting article on Realclearpolitics which outlines a list of lies as if it were a mulit-count felony indictment against the Senator. To listen to her attempt to explain away with comments like, "I made a mistake" and "I misspoke" or, "I am occasionally human" is disgusting, because to me, it is another attempt, on her part, to fool the voters into believing that she is above everyone else and, more than qualified than Sen. Obama - they both are wanting in foreign policy experience - when it comes to a certain area.

In a funny way, I am inclined to believe that her entire family are a bunch of unethical people. But then again, they can't help it. Here is the thing: if several years after your spouse stood before the public and lied and then apologized for lying, you find that you are standing in front of reporters, explaining why you lied (or misspoke), then I'd say there could be a few serial liars in the household!

We know that being first lady to the governor or President does not give you the right to touch up your resume to the point where you actually start believing your myth!

But more to the point.

Both candidates, and to a greater degree Mrs. Clinton, have been literally destroying the party.

The delegate math, no matter how you look at it is compelling. The odds of Sen. Clinton winning the nomination are so small, that a near miracle would have to take place in order for her to do so. This has nothing to do with the polls. It has more to do with her inability to win by big margins. More importantly, her message has not caught on. I wonder why.

To be sure, she would have to win 60% of the votes in the remaining primaries, among other things - something that she has rarely done! - if she has a chance of coming close to winning the nomination.

The tide has changed drastically since Ohio and Texas.

Her narrative has dissolved into a pathetic myth, one that she believed to be true.

Sen. Clinton has accused Sen. Obama of plagiarism while plagiarizing her husband and the former Presidential candidate, Sen. John Edwards, she has lied about her policy experience which was never experience. And now, she is participating in creating a vortex of shredding everything that matters; and every resource the Democrats need, much like the shredding chaos that happens in the middle of a black hole, where atoms are split apart.

This is how unmitigated and unjustified ambition, coupled with bouts of insanity can ruin a party.
She will take Pennsylvania, but day after day, the Super Delegates will come to their senses and quietly rally behind "the candidate", Sen. Obama. One by one, they will fall in line, and soon the end will be here for Senator Clinton.

Historians will write about the 2008 Democratic Primary with a sense of unbelievable bewilderment. Well, a lot of people are writing about it with that mindset now!