God has already picked the president of the USA .... that's my belief, as the Bible says that God selects our rulers and I hear that, as I have bored people with before, ...

"The President will be a young male." ~2007

Love, Char

Dear Mallika,

I believe and i think you know too, that it is not only the President but as much and even more the people around him.

In my view the so-called "system" may perhaps be in need to get cleansed from the inside.

So it is the whole democratic party and the republican party too that need to look deeply inside about the way politics has been practised up till now.

Your country is not the only country who is dealing with this. Here in Europe this is going on too.

Things are going to change from bottom up this time and not from top to bottom anymore :)

You can almost say that it is the "trend" of today.

Mieke

Aloha Mallika

I saw a wonderful dvd; Innocent Voices. If you want to witness the harm American Democracy can do, this is an excellent dvd. Films are an excellent source of education to grasp the whole picture.
love patty

Mallika...

it's all about change and the repubs represent more the same...same as hillary...

Obama is about change and this country is ready for change...big time..no more bushmen...i am sure as the campaigne moves along...u'll get onboard the Obama unstopable train...damn, girl!

Obama is a winner...all the way...he will kick any repub's ass...i can't wait...i don't think u really support Billary...u are sitting on the fence...ready to jump over to the Obama side any minute...i bet yah!

Hello Mallika and Everyone,

I hear you loud and clear Mallika! The great news is that we have some time to consider the options.
The race is starting to get VERY interesting and all the candidates are going to have to work twice as hard, twice as long and we will get to see and hear how they hold up, how they handle the challenges of trying to win the highest office in the land.

One thing is for sure there are no saints running for political office, especially, for the Office of the Presidency..Just men and a woman, all very ambitious, politically, for sure and all very human with strengths, weaknesses, and their own self interests.

I think, right now, the media hype between Obama and Clinton will be played to the hilt for as long as possible...it is like the media have finally found fuel for their campaign fire and the will ignite it as much as possible. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out...

have a great evening everyone, ruth

Hi Mallika,
I am afraid that you still stuck in the Democrat-Republican paradigm.
Have you read any books by Noam Chomsky? I advice you to read one and get a different perspective.

regards

Clinton, Obama, Romney and Guilliani take huge sums of money from DRUG COMPANIES. That in my book excludes them from being honest candidates.

Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul are the only two candidates with enough integrity to get the ship straight.

Make sure you vote smart because lives are at stake.

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp?Ind=H04

dude ...give it up...

all that crap won't stop people from voting for change...also Paul and Dennis have a snow ball's chance in hell of being elected prez of the USA ...maybe prez of WalMart a possibily......shows how much u know about anything...dude!

say...have u heard of or seen any UFOs ...lately? whoahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!>>>.....!

Hello Mallika and Everyone,

Just caught a little of Jack Cafferty on CNN..he is asking a question about Obama's theme for his campaign which is "Change." It was easy to see that Jack is an Obama fan...so much for objectivity in news today...with disdain he mentions how some had themes that talked "experience"(I wonder who he was referring to?haha)

Anyway he was also mentioning how Obama is getting people to crawl out of the woodwork to go and see him, he says he hasn't seen anything like it befor....I just would like to remind him that in fact he did.. remember...the Dean fella from was it Vermont? How Dean got a rolling early in campaign and all the college folk came to see him and rally him on and how he used the internet to gather incredible support and the media held him in the palm of their hands until that infamous day when it all when south and Dean got caught acting...a little too wild for their taste and his whole campaign was in the toilet....yes, I have seen this Obama frenzy before...also remember when...the media slowly helped take us to war? The slow build up...all the commentators bowing at President Bush's feet..oh, strong leader take us to Iraq so we can kick some...bass. Gee, remember when the media didn't start to ask the questions until oh, about 6 months before the surge..yes, the media...yes, the media...love to play it up, yuck it up, use you then flush you when something they think is better comes along..

hope? change? how much do you really think is going to change when we have a new President? I will answer for meself..Whoever is elected will have so many pressing problems...economy, foreign policy..social security..oil..global tensions, drug companies, health insurance companies, medicaid issuse, more baby boomers retiring, special interests...money, money, money..and it does equal power in our material world no matter how much we wish that were not the case, what I am getting at is change....really, I would like to know exactly what Obama is going to change, really change? We know his skin color will bring a significant change and that does count for something very important, very hopeful and a very big step in exercising inclusivness for our political system...Hillary Clinton being a Woman would do the same for the gender issue so those two changes are nothing to belittle but kind of equal each other out. So, I guess what I think is that there will be no change really..because our problems are too many, too serious, our funds are stretched our resources pretty much spent, recklessly by this administration..so think about it..if it were you being elected how much change do you think you could really accomplish considering all the need and all the opposition that you are going to come up against, because there will be opposition with a capital O, that is unless this new President also want to invade another Nation, it seems everyone is always up for a good fight, that is unless we are years into it and losing...

i am just a'wondering tonite...have a good one everyone, ruth

Cash-Starved Clinton Considers Skipping Next Primaries!

Clinton Allies May Dump Millions Into Anti-Obama Group

January 8, 2008 12:25 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/08/clinton-allies-may-dump-m_n_80460.html

Anyone who is still beating the Ron Paul drum should read this:

The New Republic
Angry White Man by James Kirchick
The bigoted past of Ron Paul.
Post Date Tuesday, January 08, 2008

http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=e2f15397-a3c7-4720-ac15-4532a7da84ca

Ps. You can read my comments exposing Ron Paul positions and rotten reasonings on Deepak Chopra's Obama Thread.

hope abounds for old racist grannies...Billary leads 40% to 36% with 18% of votes in...but the race is far from over! u hear me! damn! we'll soon find out!

Dear Irish

What's with that word? Choose one of these instead: anti-egotistic, anti-inexperienced.

It's 40 to 34 at last count.

I agree with Mallika that BO is too young for the job in terms of experience. As he surged in Iowa, my sense of that became overwhelming. A more seasoned dude would've been mellow on the surface, but his ego was burning.

love, Heath

It's much closer now -- with 42% of precincts reporting, Clinton is 39% and Obama is 37%. Tight!!

I think its fantastic that McCain won NH -- he is the one truly intelligent and principled Rep front-runner.

WOW!and what a long boring day today has been!! Hehehe...OH!
:0 : }

Interesting that all the major media polls had Barak with a double digit win in New Hampshire. And major media has just been trashing Hillary for a couple days.

Was it just a set up to make her 'the comeback kid'?
If media is a watch dog, would they ever uncover 'Pollgate'?
Was hyping Obama's win a good way to get independents to vote in the republician primary?

Next up: Carvelle and company start to shine the light on anything that can be taken as a negitive towards Barak.

How silly of anybody who knows the Clintons to think this was over.

Now we have a real race on our hands!

I agree with Mallika Chopra; its good for the Democrats that Hillary won tonight, and good for Obama. Both will be really tested before the general elections, increasing their chances of eventually going on to win the Presidential race.

Exit Poll results:

*Obama won independents, getting nearly 50% of their votes. Independents comprised about 41% of the Democratic primary vote.

*But Hillary Clinton won among registered Democrats: 38% to 32%.

*Clinton wins women narrowly: 40% to 36%.

*STUNNER: 47% say Obama is most likely to beat Republicans, compared to 33% for Clinton. But Clinton is still viewed as qualified to be commander in chief: 37% say she's the most qualified, versus Obama at 27%."

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/live-from-manchester-its-primary-night/

so much for polls...

temporary reprieve...hillary is going down hill from here on...she loses in SC...in Cal...posssibly in NY.

Mallika

You and I are on the same page.... I watched the New Hampshire primary results until the end with as much interest as if it were the presidential race.

Congratulations to Senator Clinton. She's let go of her pride and found her self-esteem and shown again she has the capacity to bounce back from adversity and learn from experience.

To become inspired is to become interested and involved - and we need the people of our country/world, now more than ever, to take excited action on the ill issues that the world faces. After all, Universal Peace cannot be produced without the healing force of The Whole.

Barak seems to have the ability to make the idea of Peaceful progress viral. His words of strength and hope spread inspiration towards the common man/woman to take action as activists/Luvists to collectively return worldwide adoration to our country.

On the other hand, Hillary seems like she'll be the leader of a land where her supporters are separated from her because of the perceived impression that she'll take care of all of our obstacles on her own, without the inspired input that she could otherwise cause us to contribute.

In the coming years, I want everyONE to unite in the effort to produce the Peace that we all so Lovingly know we already own, but unfortunately seem to have lost underneath our modern masks of unfortunate fears. My instinct tells me that Barak will unite us to do so, while Clinton will care for us independently. Either way you look at it, both leaders have the same opportunity to create divine change, but our fate will ultimately be decided by our decision to either support or separate ourselves from the conditions of our rEvolution. And I, for ONE, want to be involved.

hey Diablo,
gotta rethink this now,
about Hilary
:)

no kate...it's only a glitch...the race is only heating up...

I'm sick of all the politics so early. At this point I'm not sure who I'd vote for. I've had this weird feeling the past couple of days--that the economy worldwide is failing. Didn't this happen before WWII began? I've read where the huge steel companies conspired to start a war to bring the world out of the depression and to make huge profits. Is this really correct? Can this happen again? Seems like Iran would like to start a war with the U.S. Surely someone on this blog has the historical background to inform us.

I too am very much in support of Hilary. She has a history of working hard for the people in America. I think she will do the best job of all the candidates. I'm amazed when I talk to people who say they support Obama how few really know him or what he is really about. I think a lot of men (and suprisingly some women too) deep down (though they won't admit it) are fearful that a woman could actually do a better job. I think there is a stronger agenda going on here than who will do the best job as President. Your words and thoughtfulness, makes you the smartest of the bunch in my book. The way your dad tries to call Obama the "savior" has me so turned off I will never buy another Deepak Chopra book, cd, anything. He's no different than anyone else with pie in the sky ideals, and I thought he was so much more. I thought he had everything "figured out". Wrong!

The votes from 3 states are now in and they represent:

.

1/2 of 1% of the registered voters in America!

.

No big deal. Geez! Are we an impatient lot, or what?

Hi dear Keith,

Not impatient but very alert :)

And the rest of the world is watching with that same alertness too!

Love, Mieke

Dear Yellowrose,

#24

No it does not have to happen again. Europe has survived both wars and learned. It is still very vivid in our memory overhere.

Therefore experience AND change both are equally important. For the first time it might become an AND AND situation.

Peace within and without,

Mieke

She "found her voice"? She became angry in the debate and was on the verge of tears on a stump speech (giving her the benefit of the doubt, for this post, that the tears were not faked). All of this occurred after every indication showed that she was going to lose in New Hampshire. In other words, she became emotional when it appeared that she would not get what she wanted. Yeah, that is definitely the person I want to give the nuclear launch codes to.

BTW, her becoming emotional when she did not get what she wanted seemed to be a matter of emotional maturity, IMHO. I am not saying that she became emotional because she is a woman so please don't read that into this post. Guys do the same thing, but usually with just anger.

I'm surprised that anyone at all thought Obama could take New Hampshire. I'm surprised HE thought he could.

When I was stationed in Portsmouth in the 80's, I had a friend named Veronica. One day we happened to bring up the issue of race. She said to me, "Dana, when I walk through the Fox Run Mall, people stare at me like I'm a martian. You have no idea what it's like to be a black woman living in New Hampshire."

I'd long forgotten that conversation when I recently had to engage in an issue in court in New Hampshire. When I visited my attorney's office, I was aghast at the pictures and sculptures of "niggerized" blacks, looking servile, like dumb animals, most of them carrying big heavy things.

I was shocked because my lawyer is a blue-blood. Not some dumb hick sheriff in Alabama. (At the time, we had a Katrina evacuee living with us, and I decided not to even bring it up even though it was entirely pertinent to our case.)

I lived down South Street, about a mile from Hariett Tubman's home. New Yorkers live among great people listen for what's right. So when you hear "New Hampshire has an independent streak", you can read into it "New Hampshire supports states rights."

And from that you can conclude that they're fighting wars lost more than a century ago.

So I think it's supremely ironic that when interviewed the next day, the wife of the "first black president" fiddles around with an answer to support the stunning turnaround.

And everybody goes light on probing for the REAL answer.

Perhaps New Hampshire wanted to give Barack Obama something big and heavy to carry.

I think that's the REAL answer.

Mallika,

I don't think there is anything wrong with being realistic, or at least, not giddily optimistic, about a candidiate (Obama) who is really only gliding by on their looks and charisma. Unfortunately, I don't think he is the smartest candidate. I will admit he seems very impressed with himself. But I hear him talk and I want to fall asleep.
Hillary on the other hand, is sharp as nails, super intelligent, definitely has shown she doesn't cave under pressure. I will be voting for this intelligent woman. Obama, I think is mostly fluffy talk and no substance. Hillary's intelligence? Does this count for nothing b/c she is not a handsome man like Obama?

Or maybe Hillary is still carrying the victim mentality vote.

Hi danasheilds, there is point in your race argument, but one should note that the "independent streak" did reflect in the Independent(and Men) votes for Obama. It was the Women voters who made a dramatic turnaround towards Hillary whcoh can be seen form the NH Exit Poll category breakdowns. Read the two views one from a HuffPost blog with the speculative race view and other from the NY Times, the more plausible explanation:

>>>>>>

Obama, Polls, and Race

"The polls were hugely wrong.

Why?

It is a return to the race-gap polling problems of the 1980s and 1990s:

'This phenomenon was first noticed in the 1982 race for governor of California, where Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, a black Democrat, narrowly lost to Republican George Deukmejian, despite polls showing him with a lead ranging from 9 to 22 points. The next year, African-American Democrat Harold Washington barely won his race for mayor of Chicago against Republican Bernard Epton. Pre-election polls taken within the last two weeks of the campaign showed Washington with a 14-point lead.'

The problem was prominent in the New York City mayoral race in 1989. David Dinkins, an African-American candidate beat Republican Rudy Giuliani by only 2 points, despite leading by as much as 18 points in polls a week before the election.

Tonight, despite all the talk of how little race matters in this campaign, it is clear that race is still a big deal in bi-racial campaigns. And it has showed up for the first time, in a measurable way, in the 2008 presidential race.

It means that every poll -- from exit polls to tracking polls -- are absolutely suspect from here on out."

www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kuo/obama-polls-and-race_b_80574.html

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hillary Clinton Victory: Media Says It Was The Crying

From the NY Times:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York rode a wave of female support to a surprise victory over Senator Barack Obama in the New Hampshire Democratic primary on Tuesday night. In the Republican primary, Senator John McCain of Arizona revived his presidential bid with a Lazarus-like victory....

...Several New Hampshire women, some of them undecided until Tuesday, said that a galvanizing moment for them had been Mrs. Clinton's unusual display of emotion on Monday as she described the pressures of the race and her goals for the nation -- a moment Mrs. Clinton herself acknowledged as a breakthrough.

Several pundits have also alluded Hillary's emotional moment as one of the reasons for her her win.

Conservative columnist Bill Kristol said, "It's the tears. She pretended to cry, the women felt sorry for her, and she won."

Full Artcle here:

www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/us/politics/09elect.html?ex=1357534800&en=bdb453af6ee08529&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

I have participated in a Poll on a reliable Dutch website and am pleased for myself that the results there gave me exactly the same answer as i already felt inside:

Obama ( only slightly): first
Hillary closely after him: second

Mieke

She still looked to me like the cat who swallowed the canary.

People, both Hillary and Obama are intelligent. They would make better presidents than any neo-con including McCain.

Talking about experience, Abraham Lincoln had 2 years. There were some very experienced contestants than Hillary who were hopeless in the recent history of American Politics.

There is nothing in the constitution which says presidential candidates should have x years of....

Obama has a handicap, he is black, Hillary has, she is Woman. These will play out when the entire nation votes.

People see Clintons as cunning, calculative and of course wise. And so is Obama. Its a number game to win. But many people trust him more.

And there are those who are seriously fed up with dynasty politics Bush Clinton Bush and Clinton...come on. She was waiting for her coronation, she had this all planned...but there comes Obama with a message of hope and change, and change how politics works in this country. His record in State and US senate is good and so is his political stand on important issues. If you think he has no no plan, no depth in his policies go to barackobama.com to get an idea.

If there is someone who can reach out to the independent voters, Obama is the man. The hard core democrats who voted for Hllary in NH will vote anti-Republican anyway.

And the IMPORTANT practical question is who will the Edwards supporters go with? People canvassing will tell you the friendliness with Obama supporters. If and when Edwards chooses to drop out of race he might endorse Obama and it can well be a Obama/Edwards ticket.

PS: Obama has just been endorsed by the powerful Culinary Workers Union, virtually sealing the fate of Nevada in his favor. This after his loss.

Hello Mallika and Everyone,

Chris Matthews of the show Hardball on MSNBC said on the air that Hillary Clinton's run for the Senate and the Presidency is only because her husband "messed around." It is amazing that this man can get away with making a statement like this on his show. Really, for this man to simply disregard her accomplishments so easily in such a thoughless manner on his nationally broadcast show, or, actually, he may have said this while he was actually covering the NH primary..which would be equally astounding.. Also noted from the above comment that Bill Kristol says "she pretended to cry."..like one has to pretend to cry when you are exhausted and on the verge of losing everything you have worked for...gee, really, it is interesting that there are so many male Commentators that simply do not even bother to hide their disdain of Hillary Clinton..I find this so interesting. I mean what a threat she must be to illicit such open disdain...no wonder they all fell to their knees in adoration of Barak Obama's Iowa win...gleeful at the possibility of Hillary getting creamed...I truly think they would relish and enjoy her losing her bid for the White House.

The media's coverage is almost unbearable to watch..I find I have to turn it off and tune it out and just peek in now and then because there is so much crap coming from the Commentators.

One thing I did hear last night was that Hillary Clinton got a larger percentage of the vote from people who make 50,000 dollars or less while Barak got a higher percentage of the vote from people who make more than $50,000. Her percentage was also higher among single woman.

well, the race is in full swing and the media is, well,, our media, they are not the best of what America has to offer and actually they are quite petty, childish and immature far from being the professionals they could be...it is the media I dread...not the race, the campaign...

have a great day everyone, ruth

"Obama has just been endorsed by the powerful Culinary Workers Union, virtually sealing the fate of Nevada in his favor. This after his loss."

...and they did it not because he has better looks, or he is male or black or young but because they believe in his positions and in him to deliver goods. The believe in him to win the popular vote against the Republicans.

Clinton: Tearing Up "Could Well Have Been" My Turnaround

"Clinton attributed her win in part to her success late in the race in telling voters why she's in public life, a reference to her choking up when a voter asked her how she was faring. Asked whether that was a turnaround for her, she said, "I think it could well have been." AP

I think this says it all:

The NY Times
Op-Ed Columnist

Can Hillary Cry Her Way Back to the White House?

By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: January 9, 2008

When I walked into the office Monday, people were clustering around a computer to watch what they thought they would never see: Hillary Clinton with the unmistakable look of tears in her eyes.

A woman gazing at the screen was grimacing, saying it was bad. Three guys watched it over and over, drawn to the “humanized” Hillary. One reporter who covers security issues cringed. “We are at war,” he said. “Is this how she’ll talk to Kim Jong-il?”

Another reporter joked: “That crying really seemed genuine. I’ll bet she spent hours thinking about it beforehand.” He added dryly: “Crying doesn’t usually work in campaigns. Only in relationships.”

Bill Clinton was known for biting his lip, but here was Hillary doing the Muskie. Certainly it was impressive that she could choke up and stay on message.

She won her Senate seat after being embarrassed by a man. She pulled out New Hampshire and saved her presidential campaign after being embarrassed by another man. She was seen as so controlling when she ran for the Senate that she had to be seen as losing control, as she did during the Monica scandal, before she seemed soft enough to attract many New York voters.

Getting brushed back by Barack Obama in Iowa, her emotional moment here in a cafe and her chagrin at a debate question suggesting she was not likable served the same purpose, making her more appealing, especially to women, particularly to women over 45.

The Obama campaign calculated that they had the women’s vote over the weekend but watched it slip away in the track of her tears.

At the Portsmouth cafe on Monday, talking to a group of mostly women, she blinked back her misty dread of where Obama’s “false hopes” will lead us — “I just don’t want to see us fall backwards,” she said tremulously — in time to smack her rival: “But some of us are right and some of us are wrong. Some of us are ready and some of us are not.”

There was a poignancy about the moment, seeing Hillary crack with exhaustion from decades of yearning to be the principal rather than the plus-one. But there was a whiff of Nixonian self-pity about her choking up. What was moving her so deeply was her recognition that the country was failing to grasp how much it needs her. In a weirdly narcissistic way, she was crying for us. But it was grimly typical of her that what finally made her break down was the prospect of losing.

As Spencer Tracy said to Katharine Hepburn in “Adam’s Rib,” “Here we go again, the old juice. Guaranteed heart melter. A few female tears, stronger than any acid.”

The Clintons once more wriggled out of a tight spot at the last minute. Bill churlishly dismissed the Obama phenom as “the biggest fairy tale I’ve ever seen,” but for the last few days, it was Hillary who seemed in danger of being Cinderella. She became emotional because she feared that she had reached her political midnight, when she would suddenly revert to the school girl with geeky glasses and frizzy hair, smart but not the favorite. All those years in the shadow of one Natural, only to face the prospect of being eclipsed by another Natural?

How humiliating to have a moderator of the New Hampshire debate ask her to explain why she was not as popular as the handsome young prince from Chicago. How demeaning to have Obama rather ungraciously chime in: “You’re likable enough.” And how exasperating to be pushed into an angry rebuttal when John Edwards played wingman, attacking her on Obama’s behalf.

“I actually have emotions,” she told CNN’s John Roberts on a damage-control tour. “I know that there are some people who doubt that.” She went on “Access Hollywood” to talk about, as the show put it, “the double standards that a woman running for president faces.” “If you get too emotional, that undercuts you,” Hillary said. “A man can cry; we know that. Lots of our leaders have cried. But a woman, it’s a different kind of dynamic.”

It was a peculiar tactic. Here she was attacking Obama for spreading gauzy emotion by spreading gauzy emotion. When Hillary hecklers yelled “Iron my shirt!” at her in Salem on Monday, it stirred sisterhood.

At Hillary’s victory party in Manchester, Carolyn Marwick, 65, said Hillary showed she was human at the cafe. “I think she’s really tired. She’s been under a lot more scrutiny than the other candidates — how she dresses, how she laughs.”

Her son, David, 35, an actor, said he also “got choked up” when he saw Hillary get choked up. He echoed Hillary’s talking points on the likability issue. “It’s not ‘American Idol.’ You have to vote smart.”

Olivia Cooper, 41, of Concord said, “When you think you’re not going to make it, it’s heart-wrenching when you want something so much.”

Gloria Steinem wrote in The Times yesterday that one of the reasons she is supporting Hillary is that she had “no masculinity to prove.” But Hillary did feel she needed to prove her masculinity. That was why she voted to enable W. to invade Iraq without even reading the National Intelligence Estimate and backed the White House’s bellicosity on Iran.

Yet, in the end, she had to fend off calamity by playing the female victim, both of Obama and of the press. Hillary has barely talked to the press throughout her race even though the Clintons this week whined mightily that the press prefers Obama.

Bill Clinton, campaigning in Henniker on Monday, also played the poor-little-woman card in a less-than-flattering way. “I can’t make her younger, taller or change her gender,” he said. He was so low-energy at events that it sometimes seemed he was distancing himself from her. Now that she is done with New Hampshire, she may distance herself from him, realizing that seeing Bill so often reminds voters that they don’t want to go back to that whole megillah again.

Hillary sounded silly trying to paint Obama as a poetic dreamer and herself as a prodigious doer. “Dr. King’s dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act,” she said. Did any living Democrat ever imagine that any other living Democrat would try to win a presidential primary in New Hampshire by comparing herself to L.B.J.? (Who was driven out of politics by Gene McCarthy in New Hampshire.)

Her argument against Obama now boils down to an argument against idealism, which is probably the lowest and most unlikely point to which any Clinton could sink. The people from Hope are arguing against hope.

At her victory party, Hillary was like the heroine of a Lifetime movie, a woman in peril who manages to triumph. Saying that her heart was full, she sounded the feminist anthem: “I found my own voice.”

www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/opinion/08dowd.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5090&en=194b4a0569a97dbc&ex=1357534800&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

it's me again,

I just read Maureen Dowd's column in the nytimes about Hillary's tears...her take is that Hillary won the Senate because she was embarrassed by a man and again she won the NH primary because of more embarrassment by Obama's win and the remarks during the debate about him being more likable than she is...
Wow, all this talk about a lady who teared up from exhaustion during a tense and difficult campaign race for the highest Office in the land..

It is interesting how it is okay to be a man and be ambitious, cool, aloof, business like, focused, terse, direct, and have your eye on the ball of winning, accomplishing, getting, having, wanting...power....but for a Woman to do it, well, she is a phony, a b-tch, a scheming winch or any other negative term you can come up with..

Barak Obama is just as politically ambitious, ambitious period or he wouldn't be doing what he is doing and going after what he is going after...His writing his book with the title the Audacity of Hope...was a title well thought out, well planned...it is a great intro to launching a campaign for the Presidency....and I haven't heard a negative peep out of anyone about his ambitions....just his "inspiring words"...his deep knowledge of self, yet if Hillary Clinton had done the same thing she would be called a conniver.

REally, I think a lot is being overlooked about Barak Obama simply because he is a man...men and the hunger for power is A-okay and for Barak and Edwards it is seen as a plus. Women and the hunger for power is Very Bad....and make no mistake about it....if you are running for the Presidency of any Nation..you are ambitious and power hungry and to a certain extent you are in it for yourself, first and the good of the Nation second.

thats my take today, ruth

Good points, Ruth. This coming from a Proud American...Ruth

Thank you for your honesty. I have been waiting for someone on this blog to do so. By not commenting, this blog could be guilty of the "Bradley Effect." However, you are a true democrat and once again your party will vote based on their fears and experience the usual results. Give Hope a chance. Isn't that what this whole thing is about?

Well, my take is that I find it almost surreal that Mitt Romney can cry openly on Tim Russert, the elder Bush can break down in sobs when introducing his son Jeb and a gaggle of men rush to embrace him with hugs and most recently, Glenn Beck breaks down in tears on his show regarding his being saved from alcholism by his wife. Those are somehow considered legitimate by the likes of Dick Morris, but let a woman who has been classified as a controlling bitch by some of these same folks because she was not taught and never learned to "make nice" or "pick her battles" as women have been taught for centuries to do in order to keep peace in any type of relationship to the point of surrendering their own authentic higher self for approval, cry and show her own compassion and suddenly she's a fraud.

Now, I for one, am happy that men have found there is no shame in crying but OMG! fellows you sure are showing you too have a bitchy side.

I would also like to say that, while I am sure there were others, the most gracious male response came from Mike Hukabee.

Male Leaders cry at funerals, seeing death and disease etc...(Ex: Bill Clinton), but they don't cry because they sense losing an election.

Hillary's crying is sincere, but the reason she cried does not inspire confidence: she cried because her ego had been damaged by the results in Iowa, and the reason she put forward for her sadness, something about wanting only the best for the country, was patently not sincere.

Now if we can move on from all that is being said about tears and NH pre-poll predictions, here's a blog by Prof. Gary Hart

The Democatic Crossroads: Stay With the Known or Accept a New Generation of Leadership

Posted January 9, 2008 | 01:48 PM (EST)

For the party of reform, it is always more complicated. If it really were about who best represents change it would be easier. But there is also the human factor of power. For better or worse not everyone gets into politics to carry out reform. Some seek power, what most people think politics is all about. For those who have had power and seek to keep it or recapture it, they can claim to be for change and reform but they cannot bring it about because there are too many old arrangements, too many deals, too many old networks. They all prevent transition to a new age.

The Democratic party is once again faced with a decision: whether to stay with the known, the familiar, and the "experienced" or whether to accept a new generation of leadership composed of those who have not had power or the experience of governing. If you believe, as I do, that the early 21st century is an age of huge transition -- of globalization, of information, of failed states, of climate change, of rising new powers, and so on -- then leadership hamstrung by old arrangements and commitments will not do.

The contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is further complicated by unusual factors. Her gender. His race. Many women will vote for her simply because she is a woman. Many minorities will support him simply because he is an unusual black-American. That is human nature and to a great degree understandable. But gender and race cannot and should not obscure the larger realities. America is stuck. Those of us who met in Oklahoma City (the "Ben-Gay forum") think we are stuck in large part because of bitter partisanship. But we are also stuck because our leaders cannot see over the horizon ("the vision thing"). They do not see that we are living in an age of huge revolutions. They refuse to understand that we cannot resolve complex security issues merely by changing America's character and making this Republic an empire of unilateral intervention and occupation.

I have personal experience of the Democratic party at a generational crossroads. In the mid-1980s the Democratic party could play it safe and stay with a candidate they knew and with whom they were comfortable and familiar. Or they could take a chance with a new generation of leadership with a new understanding of a new age and new policies and ideas. They chose the former and they lost.

Democrats and Americans are faced with a big decision. Will we play it safe? Or will we embrace the future? This is not a time to put gender or race above what is best for the country or to make superficial choices. We have huge debts and deficits. The climate is rapidly approaching a tipping point. We are stuck in the Middle East. Most of the people in the world do not like us or trust us. Our education system is declining. And the list goes on.

Only a new generation of leaders can solve these new challenges, because only a new generation of leaders is unbound by old policies, old commitments and arrangements, old deals and old friendships. This is a time when America must leave old politics behind. This election is about transition not power. We will either move forward or we will go back.

www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hart/the-democatic-crossroads_b_80723.html

Irvine...aka skep...

dude...please...put a brake to the spamming urge or u might be looking for a new id soon! ssssshuussshhhh!

Who could have thought?!

Woman Who Made Clinton Cry Voted for Obama

The New Hampshire Woman Who Sparked Clinton's Emotional Moment Voted for Obama

'"I went to see Hillary. I was undecided and I was moved by her response to me," Pernold Young said in a telephone interview with ABC News. "We saw ten seconds of Hillary, the caring woman."

"But then when she turned away from me, I noticed that she stiffened up and took on that political posture again," she said. "And the woman that I noticed for ten seconds was gone." '

Article here:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4109322&page=1

Here's an interesting article, claiming the optical scanning results were different than the hand-counted ballot totals:

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_ron_corv_080109_new_hampshire_electi.htm

Hello Mallika and Everyone

Hi Bonnie, your #45 is right on the money, I forgot about all those instances of the "men" crying...and all the understanding and pat on the backs by their male counterparts...

I also think that is very interesting that of all the Candidates running for this Presidency... Hillary Clinton is the only one whose "motives" are always questioned, whose sincerity is always questioned, who is labeled a "FRAUD.".. The male Candidates may be wrong about issues or policy but Hillary Clinton is just WRONG from the inside out period...if it were not so depressing it would be laughable...Hillary Clinton...is the Devil Woman of American Politics..it is almost like a Witch Hunt from the early days of this Nation's history...will there be a public stoning if she gets to close to winning? I wonder.

have a wonderful evening everyone..ruth

According to that article, Obama won in the hand-counted ballot results.

I resonate with Danasheilds in #33. Hillary's victory proves what I have known all along. Some Dems and some northeastern liberals are the most racist people in the country. Need proof? In the privacy of the voting booth they could not vote for Obama. When they were asked by pollsters they lied and said they would vote for Obama because they didn't want anybody to know their real racist thoughts. This form of racism is more dangerous in my opinion because these Dems and NE libs lie to African Americans face and then behind the scenes act in racist ways. They gain the African American communities confidence and then act totally different when alone or with people like themselves.

"...I have done the SPADE work..." - Hillery Clinton

"..you know Ghandi he used to run a gas station..." - Hillery Clinton

Now she is claiming LBJ did more for cvil right than MLK

If any of these things were said by a Republican you would be crying racism. Lets be consistent.

Ok, lets pretend...Hillary wins. Who do you think she will pick as a VP?

Joanie

Ok, lets pretend...Hillary wins. Who do you think she will pick as a VP?

Joanie

More relevant question is, if Obama wins will Hillary agree to be the VP?

I think that would be too much ego bruise...

Hi Joanie, for an interesting take on your question check this post by David Margolick:

Do the Democrats Have Their Ticket?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-margolick/do-the-democrats-have-the_b_80633.html

Here's the thing for anyone saying b/c Hillary almost cried she won't be able to handle talking to dictators--the way I see it (although I actually like Bill Clinton a lot) if Hillary could put up with being married to him all these years, she's got more grit and toughness than any of these other candidates.
OK, so Obama didn't tear up--great. The guy seems like a pampered man. His wife worships him, he's got lots of people fooled that he's some kind of hero. Hillary's got real toughness. She's accomplished FAR more than him. He just doesn't have what it takes in my opinion. And I dislike his rambling talks that he gives. Just my opinion.

You know, I would love a Clinton Obama ticket. We made history last night just being able to actually watch a woman win this evening and the close second being an african american. It is so cool to me.

I just don't know if Hillary would behave herself with Obama as a vp...He is a charmer, but so was her hubby...I don't mean the scandle when I say that. Obama is a good orator and sincere. He is a "movement".

And I could not see a Obama Hillary as a vp...she would not be able to handle second fiddle. Now a Obama Edwards ticket? Prob not because Edwards is so strong now about not taking money from these big wigs...and both Obama and Hillary have..

Politics..aren't they fun!

Joanie

Indeed Joanie!

I believe, who ever wins, the dem candidates should put their personal egos aside and come up with a ticket that has the best chances of beating the neo-con in waiting.

36 percent of people voting in the democratic primary in new hampshire, a lot of them independants, voted for a black man. Not bad for a state that was last to call MLK day MLK day.
The law of attraction states that if you dwell on the positives the negitives will disapate.

Want to amuse some republicains? Then take the victim mentality route and make it a duel between who's being held down the most, women or black people.

So far Hillary as been playing those cards. "turn up the lights, in dark in here" she said when the 'iron my shirts' protest was happening. She was making sure the signs would make it on the youtube clip.

Is Obama really a black canidate if he doesn't have Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson following him around? Are you sure he's not one of them GW type black people like Condi Rice?

Vanessa, your post on 55 would provide--beyond someone stuffing ballot boxes--the only reasonable cause for the polls being so wildly off.

Vanessa, your post on 55 would provide--beyond someone stuffing ballot boxes--the only reasonable cause for the polls being so wildly off.

Maybe you're right. Bill Clinton was on Al Sharpton's radio program tonight defending himself from a previous remark. Just like Don Imus.