For those about to Barack, we salute you
Feb. 9th, 2008 09:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zdashamberO my Washington peeps and the light of my life:
Today, 1:00 PM, is the day for you to go caucus for Obama. This may be the first chance you've had to have a say in who the Democratic nominee for President is, and the choice here, I think, matters a great deal in terms of the future of the country. Plus, caucuses are fun! You really get to feel like a part of a democracy when you're sitting around in someone's living room with serious faces discussing the fate of the nation with real consequences. I hear you don't even have to sit around and talk, though, if you're busy: just show up, sign in with your name and your preferred candidate, and leave, and that's good, too. The Seattle PI has info here about what to expect and where to find your caucus location.
I hope you vote for Obama. One of the most interesting reasons why, that I haven't heard much elsewhere: consider the Senate. The Democrats have a significant advantage this year in terms of defending seats vs. attacking seats. Three of the states so far where the Democrats have a good chance, according to polls, to get a Democrat into a Republican-held spot are Alaska, Colorado, and Minnesota. Obama won those states by 75%, 67%, and 67%. He wiped the floor with Clinton there: people there like him more. They will be more likely to come out and vote for him if he's the Democratic nominee, and vote for a Democratic senator while they're at it. Clinton has the advantage in only one Senate-race state so far, New Hampshire; and, like New Mexico, that one is basically a tie.
The Senate is where we can really do some good: get a solid enough majority that we don't have to worry so much about individual legislators flaking. If we're really on our game, we might be able to get a filibuster-proof group of 60 Democratic senators. (More info in a comment I left on Making Light here.)
Obama and Clinton both have about the same plan towards health care (tcha) and GLBT issues (traveling with ex-gay freak vs DOMA and "don't ask don't tell"), but Obama has put a lot more thought into the internet and technology, and he's a huge proponent of open government, which I love. As Randall Monroe of xkcd says in his endorsement,
Oh, and did I mention that Obama is a constitutional law professor, and the only candidate who supports a presidency limited by the Constitution?
And, come on, there's a endless lode of puns to be mined from the Barack = rock line. That's a plus! It totally is!
Today, 1:00 PM, is the day for you to go caucus for Obama. This may be the first chance you've had to have a say in who the Democratic nominee for President is, and the choice here, I think, matters a great deal in terms of the future of the country. Plus, caucuses are fun! You really get to feel like a part of a democracy when you're sitting around in someone's living room with serious faces discussing the fate of the nation with real consequences. I hear you don't even have to sit around and talk, though, if you're busy: just show up, sign in with your name and your preferred candidate, and leave, and that's good, too. The Seattle PI has info here about what to expect and where to find your caucus location.
I hope you vote for Obama. One of the most interesting reasons why, that I haven't heard much elsewhere: consider the Senate. The Democrats have a significant advantage this year in terms of defending seats vs. attacking seats. Three of the states so far where the Democrats have a good chance, according to polls, to get a Democrat into a Republican-held spot are Alaska, Colorado, and Minnesota. Obama won those states by 75%, 67%, and 67%. He wiped the floor with Clinton there: people there like him more. They will be more likely to come out and vote for him if he's the Democratic nominee, and vote for a Democratic senator while they're at it. Clinton has the advantage in only one Senate-race state so far, New Hampshire; and, like New Mexico, that one is basically a tie.
The Senate is where we can really do some good: get a solid enough majority that we don't have to worry so much about individual legislators flaking. If we're really on our game, we might be able to get a filibuster-proof group of 60 Democratic senators. (More info in a comment I left on Making Light here.)
Obama and Clinton both have about the same plan towards health care (tcha) and GLBT issues (traveling with ex-gay freak vs DOMA and "don't ask don't tell"), but Obama has put a lot more thought into the internet and technology, and he's a huge proponent of open government, which I love. As Randall Monroe of xkcd says in his endorsement,
Obama has shown a real commitment to open government. When putting together tech policy (to take an example close to home for xkcd) others might have gone to industry lobbyists. Obama went to Lawrence Lessig, founder of Creative Commons (under which xkcd is published) and longtime white knight in the struggle with a broken system over internet and copyright policy.Obama has managed to be a decent guy on the campaign trail, yet he's addressed worries that he'll lie there and be swiftboated; he says the Clintons have been looking for shit on him for a year or more, and all they have is that his wife helped get a lot subdivision through so they could afford their house, and then bought back the subdivided bit of lot from their corrupt friend later when they could afford it. Eh. Not terribly spicy. Versus attacks on Clinton, which come on, haven't you had enough of shitwit Republiclones saying "But Bill Clinton lied about having an affair!" whenever you mention torture or destroying habeas corpus or blowing us massively into debt with China or sinking the economy or whathaveyou... I'm so fucking sick of that line of shit.
Oh, and did I mention that Obama is a constitutional law professor, and the only candidate who supports a presidency limited by the Constitution?
And, come on, there's a endless lode of puns to be mined from the Barack = rock line. That's a plus! It totally is!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-10 12:24 am (UTC)Reality has no meaning in the slime machine. A multiply decorated vietnam vet became a coward in the machine.
Yes. Except this time, it was Hillary who used the slime. Not her best character-building moment.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-10 12:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-10 12:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-10 02:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-10 03:05 am (UTC)But you'll note that I said in my earlier comment that 'both [scandals were] overblown'. My point was not that Whitewater was ZOMG Terrible! Just that it was a scuzzy deal, and isn't fictional. Also, no-one would have cared if the Clintons hadn't risen to the Presidency.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-10 03:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-10 10:01 am (UTC)The only difference between the two was more people got thrown in jail for Whitewater. Hence, 'objectively worse'.