There was a time that Sundays would come around and you could find me posting action diaries in the afternoons/evenings. I haven't had time to put them together for a while - it takes a bit of time each day throughout the week and in the past year and a half I've had quite a few big changes and moves, in addition to working too much. I'm starting to get settled where I am now and I'm hoping to begin that Sunday series again soon - although next Sunday I'll be traveling back from Austin and Netroots Nation. I'm sure many Sundays will find me canvassing around Iowa - I fully intend to drive wherever I'm needed, but I'm hopeful I'll be able to post in the evenings on those days.
Anyway, I thought I'd provide those of you who never read one with a little preview of what's to come every Sunday. Those who have read in the past - I hope you find them useful once again.
I took the title from this piece - which dissected the "Obama is a Muslim" smear.
Today I find myself writing a diary that I should not have to write - defending a candidate that I should not have to defend against a claim that people here should be loath to repeat. This is hardly the first time a Democratic nominee has been misrepresented, lied about, smeared, slammed, etc. on a liberal blog. I'm sure it won't be the last.
Those of us who were here 4 years ago most likely remember SYFPH very well. SYFPH was born as a result of the MANY Democrats here on DKos (and elsewhere) who felt that Kerry would win no matter what, or that he'd lose and then we should all jump off bridges and move to New Zealand, or who felt that a vote for Nader was better than a vote for kerry - because Kerry was WRONG about the war in Iraq...the Republicans were right, he was a flip-flopper, etc.
There is a diary on the rec list right now, To Senator Obama, from a Dirty F*ing Hippie. This diary begins with two Obama quotes. One is from an interview with the Reno Gazette-Journal, from January.
I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America... I think they felt like with all the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s and government had grown and grown, but there wasn’t much sense of accountability in terms of how it was operating.
The second is from Obama's speech in Independence, MO.
In the early years of the civil rights movement and opposition to the Vietnam War, defenders of the status quo often accused anybody who questioned the wisdom of government policies of being unpatriotic. Meanwhile, some of those in the so-called counter-culture of the Sixties reacted not merely by criticizing particular government policies, but by attacking the symbols, and in extreme cases, the very idea, of America itself - by burning flags; by blaming America for all that was wrong with the world; and perhaps most tragically, by failing to honor those veterans coming home from Vietnam, something that remains a national shame to this day.
Tonight I thought I'd discuss a few of my favorite shows that have been prematurely canceled for one reason or another by network TV execs who must get some kick out of canceling great shows and leaving crap behind. I'm sure you'll be able to add a few of your own to this list, or perhaps you'll find some agreement with me.
Last week I finally sat down and watched the only season that exists of Firefly. I saw the film, Serenity shortly after it came out. I'd never seen Firefly when it was on tv...and boy am I bummed that I wasn't able to help boost the ratings to keep it on the air. What a great show! I highly recommend getting your hands on the DVD set. And let's face it - you've always wanted the opportunity to see a "Space Western".
So I volunteered to write tonight's diary - and I had to work all day, which meant I was without intertube access all day (job training things). Anyway, I get home and I'm all ready to start writing my fabulous Top Comments diary, and then I read that Al Gore is endorsing Barack Obama tonight!! And so of course I'm watching that...and I'm too distracted to actually write an effective Top Comments diary.
I hope you will all be able to forgive me - but Al Gore and Barack Obama on stage...together...it's like - well, let's just say that a year and a half ago, this was my dream team. It's still my dream team today. Oh, if only Al Gore would partner up with Barack :-)
Okay, so it isn't exactly late night yet, but we're nearing it anyway and I'm hungry and can't decide what to eat so I'm munching on raisins. I'm sure I'll be full soon enough, but all this thought about what to eat has me wondering about favorite foods. I am - some say - a picky eater. I don't necessarily want to own up to that distinction, but I suppose there are things I will and will not eat...
Anyway, tell me about your favorite food tonight.
This little boy has found his...at such a young age:
A few weeks ago there was a diary, "I would never vote for a woman or a n****r". (It was on the rec list - why, I'm not sure - because it was a concern troll diary.) DHinMI later wrote, How Kentucky, West Virginia and Racism Could Screw Up the Clinton Exit - and in that post he quoted a piece from The New Yorker, The Race in Eastern Kentucky. There were countless diaries about how "racists" in Indiana and North Carolina would tighten the races there - how Obama would get trounced in Indiana due to racism...how white people in North Carolina simply would not vote for the black candidate. There were countless anecdotal stories about how white people would vote for John McCain in November rather than Barack Obama. A lot of those assumptions didn't pan out in reality - interestingly enough.
Feminisms is a series of weekly feminist diaries. My fellow feminists and I decided to start our own for several purposes: we wanted a place to chat with each other, we felt it was important to both share our own stories and learn from others’, and we hoped to introduce to the community a better understanding of what feminism is about.
Needless to say, we expect disagreements to arise. We have all had different experiences in life, so while we share the same labels, we don’t necessarily share the same definitions. Hopefully, we can all be patient and civil with each other, and remember that, ultimately, we’re all on the same side.
TrueBlueCT has a diary up about a CT super delegate who is rumored to be leaning towards Hillary Clinton.
Well, I've got a bit of a project that I'd like to start that's related to this. I would like for us to go - state by state - and convince the remaining undecided super delegates to support Barack Obama. In order to do this, I will need your help. I didn't necessarily plan on having CT go first, but since the rumor is that Olson may be leaning, let's start with CT and go from there!
Here's what is ahead in this diary:
First, a breakdown of the current super delegate situation. Second, some background on the undecided super delegates. Third, some reasons why they may want to consider supporting Barack Obama (besides the fact that he is clearly the best candidate, is energizing young voters, has raised the most money, has won the most states...I could go on all day here, so I'll just stop now). And Fourth - some contact information.
Warning: Rant ahead, but if you read to the end you'll see that I need your help...I need you to make a pledge.
Just this morning while I got ready for classes I watched CNN - I saw them cover Wright's comments at the National Press Club. The assessment of all the pundits - "the sky is falling" for Obama with regard to Wright. I got home from class and turned to MSNBC where Jonathan Capehart was saying that Obama can in fact be held accountable for the various things that other people say. Are you serious, Capehart? Come back to reality here. I know you work at the WaPo - and it's difficult to pull your head out of the ass of Republicans as a result, but on what planet can Obama be held accountable for something he never said - when the person who DID say it is someone who Obama has already clearly stated he disagrees with?
Oh - but it doesn't stop there...
CNN spent a good twenty minutes talking about how the television series, Gossip Girl is just too shocking for words! They actually have billboards and posters that say, "OMFG"...and according to one interviewed viewer on the street, "that's blasphemous"...but the VP of the network, CW, says that people can interpret it different ways, like, "Oh My Fricken Goodness"...so it's ok.
In a piece on MSNBC today entitled, Do Women want to see Hillary fail?, Susan Shapiro Barash argues that women who aren't voting for Hillary want to see her fail. Why? A few reasons...
Female rivalry / we're jealous: Instead of being expansive toward other women, we believe in a "magical theft," as if somehow Hillary's ascension connotes another woman's lost opportunity.
Women who don't support Hillary are confused by the patriarchy: As if the gender card doesn't carry enough weight (only 21 percent of the primary voters in Pennsylvania felt that gender was meaningful in their decision), the female argument against Hillary is that she shouldn't be supported just because she's a woman. This proves that the mixed messages of our society continue to confuse women.
But don't worry! Hillary won 57% of female voters in PA - so there's hope for us women and for unity yet!!
Susan Shapiro Barash wants women to be united - and she thinks she'll accomplish that task by saying that women who support Obama are just jealous of Hillary, and that we're confused by the patriarchy. Our choice has nothing to do with Obama being the better candidate. Nope.
Important update before I begin: Go here and help Gilda Reed! She's a great candidate! Go Recommend and then come back here........you haven't gone yet? Hurry up!
I thought I'd continue the History education of the readers of Top Comments. A few weeks ago I put together a diary based on a little book I bought recently. Here's what I said about that book:
The other day I bought a small little book, Ignorance Is Blitz, by Professor Anders Henriksson. It begins by talking about the job of a historian and then takes the reader on a trip through history through the eyes of some pretty interesting college students. I'm wondering how these students ever got into college, and I'm hoping none of them passed without some pretty serious hard work. This book is hilarious though. I figured I'd offer up a few excerpts and then we could get to the top comments.
Consider tonight Part 2! Add any individual funny student stories in the comments!
Welcome to Obama Action Week. We have very little time left before votes start being cast in Pennsylvania. As Geekesque notes in his recommended diary, Reality check on Pennsylvania: It's Clinton by double-digits, expectations are that this race is closing. That may be the case, but I fully expect Clinton to win this thing - by double digits. As far as I'm concerned, Obama is down by 19%. He will likely lose PA and we can't expect anything other than that.
At the same time I am sure Obama will lose PA by double digits, I'm also sure that Obama will be our Democratic Nominee and I'm damn sure that PA will be classified as a swing state in November. In light of this, I think it's crucial to do the ground work in PA now. At this rate, I'm hoping that I surpass my pledged goal of 2000 calls to PA. The more Obama supporters, Republicans, and Undecideds we can identify through calls now, the more benefit to the Obama Field team in PA in the coming months.
Well, our own Kath25 announced Obama Action Week on Tuesday afternoon in her diary, Welcome To Obama Action Week! It didn't hit the rec list, or get many comments, so I was concerned you may have missed the announcement! Populista continued the action through the week, posting several calls to "Obamaction!" And now, here I am...writing another Obama Action Week diary. My goal? To put you to work helping Obama win Pennsylvania.
I'd like to call a small victory for hope this week.
You're wondering why?
Here's a little story:
I teach English Comp. One of the schools where I teach is in a pretty bad neighborhood. This semester I've got several students who are incredibly energized by Barack Obama's message, by his campaign, by just about everything Obama. They saw my bumper stickers a few months ago and ever since - whenever we're outside of class - "Ms. E, did you see that debate?" or, "Ms. E, what do you think of that Wright controversy?", etc. The questions just keep coming. They registered people to vote in their state. They are energized. They can't wait for Obama to be declared the official nominee. Pretty nice group of kids overall.
The other day I bought a small little book, Ignorance Is Blitz, by Professor Anders Henriksson. It begins by talking about the job of a historian and then takes the reader on a trip through history through the eyes of some pretty interesting college students. I'm wondering how these students ever got into college, and I'm hoping none of them passed without some pretty serious hard work. This book is hilarious though. I figured I'd offer up a few excerpts and then we could get to the top comments.
These are actual responses from students - either from papers or from exams:
The major cause of the Civil War is when slavery spread its ugly testicles across the West.
A factor in this was the Dead Scot decision. This case made a bang in President Buckanon.
The Civil War began in 1830. Many soldiers repeatedly gave their lives for their country.
The Confederates were greatly damaged by navel blockage.
So according to the more recent fashion trends among today's youth (which I'm apparently not a part of anymore), we're currently re-living 1987. Once wasn't enough?
For several weeks I've been listening to Tucker Carlson and Wolf Blitzer and other media pundits tell me that the Democratic race is tied, and that Hillary Clinton can win. Like Markos, I believe the only way Clinton can win at this point is "via coup by super delegate." And yet, the media seems to have made a decision to ignore the facts and instead create a different narrative, one where Obama will be brought down by 20 second sound-bytes of Reverend Wright that they play over and over again.
They've covered Hillary's Bosnia lie, but already that story seems to be dying down - and at least twice I've seen this reported on CNN as being similar to the Wright "scandal", but you know, Wright somehow shows Obama has bad judgment, while the Bosnia lie shows that Hillary just misspoke.
TPMtv provides us with a compilation video, diaried last night by Virginia Dem.
