— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) July 28, 2019
Barack Obama gets credit for eight of the 10 years. So it's not like Trump gets all of the credit. He does not get even 20% of the credit. Because who launched this spaceship?
But Dems can't count on a recession to see them through.
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) July 28, 2019
“SHE’S DANGEROUS”: GOP INSIDERS FEAR KAMALA COULD BE THE NEXT OBAMA “She doesn’t come across as a nutjob,” worries one GOP operative. “Kamala is a nightmare,” says another. ...... With her surgical vivisection of Biden in the first debate, it seemed their fears had been realized. Now, as Democrats prepare for a second round of debates next week, these strategists are raising the alarm...... “She theoretically would do very well with African American turnout and end up being positioned as a Vienna Soccer Mom.” In case you’re wondering, that’s Vienna, Virginia, an upscale bedroom community just west of Washington, D.C., that has accelerated its drift from the Republican orbit since a certain former reality-television star secured the Republican nomination three years ago. Suburbs just like it in critical battlegrounds could hand the White House back to the Democratic Party in 2020....... She might have more natural political skill than any of her competitors for the Democratic nomination. She certainly checks more boxes—African American, woman, racially diverse, a legitimate strength in a party occasionally obsessed with identity politics....... Who else could they possibly nominate? ....... I think she has an appeal to the Scottsdale soccer mom who is a registered Republican. Between her appeal and Trump’s women problems, she has probably already won those voters ........ “Independents are just sick of everything, and her no-nonsense approach would have appeal broadly, and even to some white Independent and GOP men. She doesn’t have the Biden wimp factor, and that’s probably important in a place like Arizona.” ...... Harris, in her first pressure-packed presidential face-off, put on a clinic....... While most of my colleagues were in South Florida for the main event, I decided to hang out with a crowd of staunch Biden supporters at a debate watch party in suburban Des Moines that was organized by the Biden campaign. The Iowa caucuses will kick off the voting in the 2020 primary next February, and this group of likely voters knew they had just witnessed a massacre....
Imagine what Harris might be able to do against a real villain like Trump
.... ability to handle an asymmetrical pugilist like Trump
On Saturday morning just before Gymnastics, My Dranbaby found out that our President Barack Obama was no longer going to be our President!!! He has been her President all of her life and Yes her birthday is also on AUGUST 4!!!! My poor baby!!!
I almost feel this way myself. I just did not realize crying was allowed. This guy should leave the foundation and the money making through speech making and book writing to Michelle. She has been the real power behind the throne anyways. He should become president to the world. His boyhood in Indonesia deserves nothing less. Only when I read about his boyhood in Indonesia that he finally clicked for me personally. Hawaii is too exotic, even today for me. It will continue to be exotic even after I have been there. I have been in NYC over a decade, and I still feel like a tourist, in a good way. Can't wait for Barack Obama to move the city. But who said anything about retiring?
I don't want a new one either. For me personally, this whole 2008-2016 stretch has been warm up. I am just getting started. F___! The more I watch Donald Trump on TV, the more I like Barack Obama. The Chinese might as well just take over. Where are racist white people when you need them? I am willing to Feel The Bern, if that is what it takes.
Here, baby girl, this one's for you. Obama 2008. Obama Forever. I am for a monarchy by now. If the Russians can have one, I mean.
Joe Biden und Barack Obama in Springfield, Illinois, right after Biden was formerly introduced by Obama as his running mate (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Barack Obama in 2007 talked relentlessly about clean energy on the campaign trail, to the point it almost felt out of whack sometimes. Like, who exactly are you talking to? And it felt impossible. Dirty energy's dominance was total. But by now solar is about to achieve grid parity with dirty, and is on track to totally take over by 2030.
The oil spill in the Gulf was Obama's Bay Of Pigs fiasco. I think the British did it on purpose. They are like, there is a black guy in DC and an up and coming brown guy in New Orleans. This is not looking right. Bobby never really recovered.
The democratic process matters. The conversations political leaders steer with the broader electorate matters.
The gay marriage victory was pretty dramatic. And it happened faster, much faster, than anyone imagined. I for one thought it might take a few more decades.
अमरिका पर बिन लादेन ने बाद में हमला किया। उससे पहले हमला बोला बुश ने। Record Surplus को Record Deficit बना दिया। इतना बड़ा टैक्स कट किया कि देश सीधे मुह के बल जा के गिर पड़ी।
जनता मुर्ख। उसने वैसा ही मैंडेट माँगा था। जनता ने दे दिया। अमेरिका के गरीब जनता को social issues पर इस तरह डिवाइड कर दिए हैं ये नियमित अपने अहित में वोट देते रहते हैं।
९/११ हुवा। तो अफ़ग़ानिस्तान पर वार करो। कि पर्ल हार्बर पर अटैक किया जापान ने और तुम ने अटैक कर दिया इंडोनेशिया? Looking Tokyo Going London? अभी भी ४०% अमेरिकी कहते हैं ९/११ किया सद्दाम ने। ४०% वो वही हैं जो नक़्शे पर प्रशांत महासागर नहीं ढूँढ सकते। २०-३०% अमरीकी कहते हैं ओबामा मुसलमान है।
कितने लोग मरे वो भी हिसाब करो लेकिन ओ अलग करो। इस ब्लॉग पोस्ट में सिर्फ पैसा की बात करते हैं। एक से १० लाख के बीच लोग मरे सब मिला के। युद्ध के कारण जो सिविल वॉर हो गया उसके मृतक भी तो गिनोगे। जितने अमरिकी ९/११ में मरे उससे जयादा इराक में।
युद्ध का बिल बुश का तीन ट्रिलियन डॉलर। वो इतना ज्यादा पैसा है लोग सोंचना ही छोड़ देते हैं। कहीं १०० डॉलर पॉकेटमारी होती है तो पुलिस बुलाओ। एक लाख डॉलर का फ्रॉड होता है तो पुलिस बुलाओ केस करो। मिलियन डॉलर करप्शन को लफड़ा हो जाता है। लेकिन तीन ट्रिलियन। उसको तो छोड़ दो।
ट्रिलियन से नीचे का तो गप्प ही नहीं है बुश काल में। पहले तो एक ट्रिलियन सबसे धनाढ्य लोगो को बाँट दिया। बाँट ही दिया। लो, मुफ्त का पैसा। मेरे बाप की कमाई। तीन ट्रिलियन युद्ध में खर्च। MasterCard swipe करो। खर्चा कौन भरेगा? चीन किस कामके? वॉल स्ट्रीट पर ट्रिलियन डॉलर का फ्रॉड। तो अर्थतंत्र जब तास के घर के माफिक गिरा ........ बिन लादेन ने तो सिर्फ वर्ल्ड ट्रेड सेंटर गिराया। बुश ने पुरे अर्थतंत्र को ही गिरा दिया। अर्थतंत्र कोलॅप्स हुवा तो १३ ट्रिलियन डॉलर ऐसे गायब हुवा जैसे पीसी सरकार ने आ के गायब कर दिया हो। सफाचट। Wiped out, gone forever.
यार, किसी की भी ब्रेकिंग पॉइंट होती है। अमेरिकी अर्थतंत्र का भी था, वैज्ञानिक बुश ने पता लगा के छोड़ा।
अमेरिकी सरकार का एक साल का बजेट होता है तीन ट्रिलियन। यानि कि बहुत बड़ा अमाउंट है जिसकी मैं बात कर रहा।
अभी कहानी ख़त्म नहीं हुवी। तो स्टिमुलस कह के ७०० बिलियन खर्चे करने पड़े। करना चाहिए तीन ट्रिलियन लेकिन बुश के पार्टी ने होने नहीं दिया। तो देशको monetary स्टिमुलस के रास्ते जाने पड़े। उसका मतलब प्रिंटिंग प्रेस चालु करो और पैसा छापो। Basically पैसा छापो और बड़े बड़े बैंक को मुफ्त में दे दो। जीरो इंटरेस्ट रेट पर। सब तरफ बुश के दोस्त ही दोस्त।
Quantitative easing is distinguished from standard central banking monetary policies, which are usually enacted by buying or selling government bonds on the open market to reach a desired target for the interbank interest rate. However, if a recession or depression continues even when a central bank has lowered interest rates to nearly zero, the central bank can no longer lower interest rates. The central bank may then implement a set of tactics known as quantitative easing. This policy is often considered a last resort to stimulate the economy. ...... A central bank enacts quantitative easing by purchasing—without reference to the interest rate—a set quantity of bonds or other financial assets on financial markets from private financial institutions...... Quantitative easing, and monetary policy in general, can only be carried out if the central bank controls the currency used in the country. The central banks of countries in the Eurozone, for example, cannot unilaterally expand their money supply and thus cannot employ quantitative easing. They must instead rely on the European Central Bank (ECB) to enact monetary policy.
The U.S. government’s response to the financial crisis and ensuing Great Recession included some of the most aggressive fiscal and monetary policies in history. The response was multifaceted and bipartisan, involving the Federal Reserve, Congress, and two administrations. Yet almost every one of these policy initiatives remain controversial to this day, with critics calling them misguided, ineffective or both. The debate over these policies is crucial because, with the economy still weak, more government support may be needed, as seen recently in both the extension of unemployment benefits and the Fed’s consideration of further easing. ....... without the government’s response, GDP in 2010 would be about 11.5% lower, payroll employment would be less by some 8½ million jobs, and the nation would now be experiencing deflation. ...... When we divide these effects into two components—one attributable to the fiscal stimulus and the other attributable to financial-market policies such as the TARP, the bank stress tests and the Fed’s quantitative easing—we estimate that the latter was substantially more powerful than the former.
Barack Obama and Michelle Obama (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I volunteered for Barack Obama in 2007 expecting him to be a wonderful president. He has been more wonderful than I expected him to be. What more can one ask for!
I just read a pretty interesting speech by Bobby Jindal. I take ethnic pride in Bobby, I always have. The guy is smart as a whick. But he also amuses me in that he is at the other end of the spectrum, especially on social issues. I could start a meme that goes, Things That Bobby Says. But I am also cognizant that on social issues this is a live and let live country. Barack Obama coming to the White House has not been an existential crisis for those who have alternate social views. And so Bobby's social stances are amusing to me, not threatening. Live and let live. I think the next President Of The United States should be someone who will help create the industries of tomorrow. That has got to be the number one quality. And right now I am asking if Bobby might be that person or not. I don't know. The guy is a blip on the radar right now. But then where was Bill Clinton in the polls in 1991? Make it 1989.
To Bobby's credit, thanks to him, I have taken a genuine look at many conservative positions. I have been like, really? You believe that? For example, guns. I watched American Sniper last night at a theater near Times Square. It broke my heart that this dude was felled by a stray bullet. To me that is a gun control issue. Bobby feels differently. But I also give that Bobby's Second Amendment stance is symbolic of the rugged individualism this country was founded on that I find so endearing. I like individualism, I like personal space. I just want that rugged individualism to not be dependent on guns.
Bobby says it is White House or bust for him. I like that attitude.
English: Total Solar eclipse 1999 in France. * Additional noise reduction performed by Diliff. Original image by Luc Viatour. Français : L'éclipse totale de soleil en 1999 faite en France. * Réduction du bruit réalisée par Diliff. Image d'origine Luc Viatour. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The 2008 economic meltdown came out of nowhere. Literally no one saw it coming. No economist of any renown had foreseen it. That is like having an army of astrophysicists none of whom can predict the next solar eclipse. I am not too impressed with the economists of the world. Reality is ahead of theoretical progress in the field, obviously.
And even when the crisis hit, the prescriptions were hotchpotch. They were coming from policymakers who sort of kind of knew what needed to be done. That is a sad state of affairs. I still see that theoretical void. It goes unfilled.
One prescription was the 700 billion dollar stimulus. That helped but was too small to make full use of the crisis. Another prescription was the Fed simply printing and pumping dollars into the economy. And that is intriguing to me. Simply by printing more dollar bills, the Feds were also having positive impacts on far flung countries.
Image by cliff1066™ via FlickrI am so looking forward to the Reshma 2010 event tomorrow. (Gandhi, Reshma And Tornadoes) I did 400 push ups already in preparation. I will likely do more. It is good to see Arthur Schwartz as one of the listed names. Slowly but surely the Obama crowd is rallying behind Reshma 2010. A presidential campaign lasts months, but for a congressional race these final weeks are when the coalescing happens. It is now a sprint to the finish line.
Another person featured in that video is Jeff Kurzon. The first time I met Jeff was near the Gandhi statue in Union Square. I was not even aware there was a Gandhi statue there until that day. That was the summer of 2007 right before the walks for Obama. Well, Jeff asked for a Gujarati and he got one now: Reshma. (Reshma Is Gujarati Like Gandhi, I Am Bihari Like Laloo)
Crain's New York: An Insurgent's Long Shot: Last year, Reshma Saujani was no more than a foreign-sounding name on a long list of candidates who wanted to run for the seat on the verge of being vacated by Rep. Carolyn Maloney. When Ms. Maloney decided last August not to run for the U.S. Senate, the other would-be candidates dropped out in deference to the incumbent. Ms. Saujani, a 34-year-old hedge fund lawyer, stayed in. .... eliciting scorn from the city's Democratic political establishment, which sees Ms. Maloney as the unassailable matriarch of a district that she helped transform into a Democratic stronghold.... Ms. Saujani has eschewed the more traditional route of first running for a minor office and cultivating endorsements among labor and elected officials to build a base of support. ..... her fundraising prowess ..... “I think we need to have new people, fresh faces running for Congress,” Ms. Saujani says—”people who are passionate and energetic.” ..... Ms. Saujani's campaign has captured the attention of many, including Bishop Mitchell Taylor, the influential senior pastor of the Center of Hope International and the chief executive of the East River Development Alliance. He invited Ms. Saujani, just as he had Ms. Maloney, to speak to his small but fervent congregation in Long Island City. ...... On Jan. 14, 1973, her parents landed in Chicago wearing T-shirts and shorts, with $50 in their pockets. ...... a compelling political biography that has impressed wealthy Upper East Side donors, financial services executives and Internet entrepreneurs. She first demonstrated her fundraising skills at age 28, when she raised $1 million from South Asians on behalf of John Kerry's run for the presidency—an accomplishment that gave her access to Hillary Clinton, whom she supported in 2008. Ms. Clinton later offered her a job in the State Department as a senior adviser on South Asia, which Ms. Saujani turned down in order to run for office. ....... Maloney's $2.1 million in cash. ..... Of about 228,000 registered Demo-crats in District 14—68% of whom are white—37,529 voted four years ago. ..... her opponent has portrayed her as a creature of a greedy industry ..... One of her biggest supporters is Diana Taylor: a lifelong Republican, former New York state superintendent of banks, and the girlfriend of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Ms. Taylor is part of a coterie of high-powered women who are advising Ms. Saujani and encouraged her to run on her corporate experience. ..... “She sees Congress as an entry-level job,” says one exasperated Democratic consultant. .... She was twice denied by Yale Law School before getting accepted as a transfer student. Becoming a member of Congress has also been a lifelong dream. If she loses, she says, she will begin her campaign for 2012. “We run the next day in the same race,” she says. “We start the next day.”
New York Post: The Underdog: 35-year-old Reshma Saujani, is generating an unusual amount of interest for an untested candidate ....Saujani, who has never served in public office, has become a darling among the city’s power brokers, including Maureen White, former national finance chair for the Democratic Party; Judith Dimon, wife of JPMorgan CEO Jamie; hedge fund billionaire Marc Lasry; and Mayor Bloomberg’s daughter, Emma — all of whom have helped her amass a $1.2 million war chest..... Hillary Clinton, for whom Saujani once worked, gave her campaign an unofficial nod of approval..... Mayor Bloomberg’s girlfriend, Diana Taylor, is even advising Saujani’s campaign after meeting her and being impressed with her go-getter attitude..... Saujani also has developed a cult following among the city’s burgeoning tech community, with Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, Facebook honcho Randi Zuckerberg and Gilt Groupe founder Alexis Maybank all tweeting her praises. High profile bloggers like Rachelle Hruska have helped generate buzz among the 20- and 30-something crowd that usually doesn’t follow local politics...... A practicing Hindu, she lives in an East Village rental, and is still paying off some $200,000 in student loan debts after putting herself through school. She works out at Equinox so that she can afford to cave to her favorite temptation: the black and white shake from Shake Shack..... “At age 28 I was one of John Kerry’s top fundraisers in the country,” Saujani said in an interview from her makeshift campaign office on 33rd Street and Madison Avenue. “It’s unusual for a young woman to be sitting with trustees who had been donors for generations. I had never asked anyone for a check before besides my parents.” ...... She’d be the youngest woman elected to Congress if she wins, as well as the first Hindu. She claims she was the first New York politician to come out strongly in favor of the Ground Zero mosque...... it’s when she talks about tech that she becomes most engaged....... “When I set out to run, one out of three of my friends was unemployed, laid off from law firms or media firms, and it wasn’t going to get better until 2013,” she said. “I believe people need to start their own companies. I’ve gone to tech meet-up after tech meet-up and asked people, ‘What is it that you need to start your next company?’ It’s that first $50,000 or $100,000 they need.” ...... Until now Maloney had no particular reason to acknowledge Saujani’s campaign, but after three months of nipping at her heels, Maloney agreed to a radio debate scheduled to air Sept. 7 on WWRL at 11 a.m....... “You don’t expend that political capital for name recognition. You do it to win.”
Don't accuse me of starting the rumors, but now Bobby is in contention to be McCain's running mate: Bobby Jindal For President Of The United States 2016. It is entirely possible he will be keynote speaker instead of running mate, but running mate is a big possibility. I think it will be good for the country if Bobby gets to be on the ticket. I take ethnic pride in him, but he is so much of a social conservative, he is scary. He is "100%" opposed to abortion, he is totally opposed to the very idea of gay marriage, he is for teaching intelligent design in schools, he is against gun control. A lot of Indians in the diaspora are pissed off enough that he converted to Catholicism - he was born a Hindu - and I am not one of them. I think he is an amazing political talent, but his social conservatism is hard on me. I can't bring myself to swallow. I am primarily a progressive, a Democrat for social reasons. On the economics the wisdom fluctuates, and sometimes the Republicans do make sense. But Bobby seems to want to turn the clock when it comes to social issues. How can you be so smart and so damn conservative? I mean, intelligent design, that is not education, that is superstition. But just like I accept white conservatives to be part of the political reality, and black conservatives, I am going to say Bobby is entitled to his views. He is as Indian as anyone else. Go rumbo. If someone of Bobby's ethnic background can run for Vice President of the United States, there is something very right about this country.
"Rush Limbaugh has described Jindal as "the next Ronald Reagan."" Hmm.
May 24, 3 PM
To: Tracey Denton
Hello Tracey.
The urgent aspects of my Nepal and Obama work are behind me. And my primary focus is on my young company, but I am a political animal and you know it. It is in my blood from both sides of my family. I can't stay away. I seek to become active. And I am thinking the first organization I got associated with after arriving in the city might be the best vehicle for the kind of work I seek to do.
I instigated a French Revolution in Nepal, and you watched it in the local media in April 2006. None of the DFNYC Executive Directors have done anything like that. I want to be made the fifth Executive Director. Step one would be a one on one conversation with you. You are the organization's dynamo. I would want to put across 10-20 questions that will help me understand DFNYC and DFA the way you don't understand by just showing up for events. Then I would want to carve out a role for me. I am not a loner seeking to become a team player. I am a digital democrat wanting to digitize all aspects of DFNYC and possibly even DFA. We are the original grassroots people.
In short, give me a conversation. But if you don't, I will understand DFNYC is not interested in my active participation. And I will show up for select events, and DFNYC will be a spectator sport to me like it was in the early months, for some very different reasons.
It was good to see you the other day do your video camera thing.
Take care. The Drinking Liberally Charm
I think there is a certain charm to simply showing up at Rudy's and making small talk with all sorts of liberals. Politics does not seem to dominate the conversations, not at all.
In The News
Hillary's Vice-Presidential Tango Time the Naval Observatory, where vice presidents live in Washington ....... the Clintons tried something similar — though far more muted — about this time four years ago ...... a "whisper" that never amounted to "pressure," but was an unmistakable pass nonetheless. ..... female voters who had backed Clinton and were reluctant to transfer their loyalties. ...... the female-voter-threat idea What Does Hillary Want? a business as fraught with ego and ambition ....... key supporters of Hillary Clinton who are showing signs of wanting to jump ship ....... In Bill Clinton's view, she has earned nothing short of an offer to be Obama's running mate ....... her lopsided victories in Kentucky and West Virginia have helped her narrow his lead in the popular-vote count to a virtual tie. ....... crucial voter groups that Clinton won — women, Latinos, older voters, blue-collar whites — ........ she is likely to insist that her name be placed in nomination on the first ballot, opening up all the divisions once again. The Keys to McCain's VP Pick He said that while he liked Quayle, he felt the former vice president had "not been briefed and prepared for some of the questions." ........ and Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard Scouting Micro Social Networks gather.com, which is sort of like a slow-going, pared-down Facebook. Jindal, McCain's probable running mate NDTV.com, India Bobby Jindal represents the same for the Republicans. ...... At 36, this second-generation Indian-American Rhodes Scholar is America's youngest governor in a southern state with a long history of racial discrimination. ...... a fervent opponent of embryonic stem cell research and abortion and even favours teaching ''intelligent design'' in schools as an alternative to evolution. .... This could help win votes among evangelicals who have not yet warmed up to McCain because of his moderate views. ..... a win-win situation for Jindal. .... 'He goes from being a state party leader to becoming a national Republican Party leader. Either way, he will be considered as a candidate for President in the next elections'' ...... the only grilling that will take place this weekend will be the steak. ..... Jindal's age, conservatism, and executive experience Who wins if Bobby Jindal gets tapped for veep? American Thinker, WA the notorious Landrieu clan of Democrats ...... Jindal next to the top of the GOP ticket poses the most serious threat yet to Sen. Mary Landrieu's re-election. 10 Things You Didn't Know About Bobby Jindal U.S. News & World Report, DC As a young convert, he wrote of the emotional and intellectual struggles of his spiritual journey in several articles that were published in the New Oxford Review, a Catholic magazine. ......... He turned down admissions to medical and law schools at Harvard and Yale to attend Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar. ....... While attending Oxford, Jindal contemplated joining the priesthood. ...... In 2006, Jindal and his wife, Supriya, delivered their third child at home. Barely able to call 911 before the delivery, Jindal received a nurse's coaching by phone. Just as he was completing the umbilical cord procedure with a shoestring, paramedics arrived. ....... Prior to public service, Jindal worked for the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. ...... Jindal's first bid for governor was unsuccessful. ...... In 2004, he sought the congressional seat from Louisiana's First District. He won with a whopping 78 percent of the vote and was re-elected in 2006 with almost 90 percent. ..... In 2007, Jindal ran for governor again and won. The victory was largely attributed to old-fashioned politicking, which included Jindal "giving testimony" in Pentecostal and Baptist churches in rural and remote sections of Louisiana. Jindal Meets With McCain WDSU, LA Jindal is being seriously considered for a prominent role at the party convention this summer. .... one more chance for the nation to be focused on levees and wetlands restoration ....... Jindal has been positioned as a rising star in the Republican Party. Four years ago, another rising star was featured as a speaker at the Democratic National Convention. That speaker, Sen. Barack Obama, is now the likely presidential nominee for his party. Who Is Bobby Jindal? Donklephant Jindal heading to McCain's ranch, fueling speculation about ... Leesville Daily Leader, LA McCain invites VP frontrunner Jindal to weekend retreat Hindu, India Norquist likes Jindal for Veep Politico, DC Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist believes Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal would be the strongest running mate for John McCain this fall. ..... a true movement conservative ...... Once thought of as something of a longshot, Jindal has now drawn praise from opposing factions of the GOP: from Rush Limbaugh, an early fan, and Norquist to McCain loyalists Louisiana Jindal, McCain and Motivations Bayou Buzz, LA Jindal Plans To Talk With McCain About LA, Not About VP KSLA-TV, LA Jindal back in contention as McCain running mate Hindustan Times, India I Can’t Like Bobby Jindal Progressive.org, WI Jindal has embraced a really conservative version of Christianity ......... he is “100 percent against abortion, no exceptions.” He has supported the teaching of intelligent design and opposed stem-cell research. He is backing as governor a statehouse bill, with the Orwellian title of the Louisiana Science Education Act, to allow intelligent design in schools ......... He is adamantly pro-gun ...... favors a constitutional amendment to ban flag-burning. ....... “Anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti-secular, pro-war, anti-science . . . the list is endless” ...... he stooped to using timeworn coded racist language to deride Jena protesters as “outside agitators.” ........ And Jindal has run away from his Indian heritage as a way to ingratiate himself with the majority. Shashi Tharoor, former U.N. undersecretary general, reveals that Jindal once mangled the pronunciation of his own brother’s name while accepting an award. As a Congressman, Jindal pointedly skipped a function organized by the Indian community to commemorate Diwali, the festival of lights, the biggest religious celebration among Hindus. (Not that this has stopped him from showing up at Indian-American fundraising events.) ....... “Indians beam proudly at another Indian-American success story to go along with Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams, Hargobind Khorana and Subramaniam Chandrasekhar, Kal Penn and Jhumpa Lahiri,” writes Tharoor. “But none of these Indian Americans expressed attitudes and beliefs so much at variance with the prevailing values of their community.” ....... now in the running for the second-highest office in the land, a startling achievement for someone who is a member of a tiny ethnic minority and so young. Louisiana Gov. Denies Veep Rumors ABC News Exclusive: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Family Security Matters, NJ Invitation puts Jindal in pivotal position 2TheAdvocate, LA • Jindal trying to quiet talk of McCain's No. 2 The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com, LA Senator John McCain considers choosing Asian running mate to take ... Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom audition by barbecue ..... At 36, Mr Jindal is also half Mr McCain's age ...... parents who arrived from India in the 1970s ...... a staunch conservative on social issues such as abortion, stem cell research and gay marriage ..... a bit of a domestic policy wonk ...... Mr Jindal has followed protocol by saying he is not interested in the job but stopped short of ruling himself out of contention. Roemer says Jindal is on McCain's VP list WWL, LA Jindal restates intent to remain governor Opelousas Daily World, LA “I don’t think Sen. McCain is going to offer it to me.” ..... Standing near Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, who would become governor if Jindal were elected vice president, Jindal said “I’ve teased Mitch about planting these rumors.” Leave Jindal Alone! City Journal, NY Jindal - 'I've got the job I want' KTBS, LA A Shot at Veep with McCain, Romney, Crist and Jindal The Ledger, FL McCain to vet Jindal as running mate Calcutta Telegraph, India McCain Veepstakes: Bobby Jindal Human Events, DC What About Jindal? RealClearPolitics Blog Lack of Progress in McCain’s Bid Is GOP Concern New York Times the holiday weekend at his Arizona ranch along with three Republicans assumed to be under consideration as his running mate ...... Although Mr. Obama has continued to raise far more money than Mr. McCain, Mr. Bush’s fund-raising machinery has helped keep the Republican Party competitive. The McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee, between them, have $11 million more on hand — about $62 million — than the combined cash-on-hand of Mr. Obama and the Democratic National Committee. ...... the Republican Party brand is very, very badly damaged, in some places broken ....... any Republican who doesn’t say panic is in the wind is lying through their shirt ...... part of a contrast he said they would draw with Mr. Obama for “giving great speeches” but having no record of accomplishment. Nepal's Prime Minister Asks Maoists to Form New Government Voice of America Microsoft Abandoned Book-Search Race With Google Enews 2.0 `Indiana Jones' Earns $56 Million in First Two Days (Update1) Bloomberg The uproar over Clinton's RFK slaying analogy Baltimore Sun Clinton blames sexism for failure to overtake Obama Sunday Herald Obama and Clinton Are Spending the Holiday Campaigning in Puerto Rico New York Times Clinton Remark on Kennedy’s Killing Stirs UproarNew York Times the comments touched on one of the most sensitive aspects of the current presidential campaign — concern for Mr. Obama’s safety ........ Bill Clinton is musing about the possibility that the vice presidency might be his wife’s best path to the presidency if she loses the nomination. ..... Privately, aides to Mr. Obama were furious about the remark. ..... Obama’s own remarks about “bitter” small-town voters ricocheted around the Internet. ...... “Earlier today I was discussing the Democratic primary history and in the course of that discussion mentioned the campaigns that both my husband and Senator Kennedy waged in California in June, in 1992 and 1968,” she said. “And I was referencing those to make the point that we have had nomination primary contests that go into June. That’s a historic fact.” ........ a new thematic landscape: a campaign that is more consumed by questions about its own future McCain, at 71, fit to lead, doctors say Chicago Tribune New questions about McCain's melanomaSan Francisco Chronicle A fit McCain set to audition Jindal, 2 others as running mateSify three potential running mates including Bobby Jindal ..... his 96-year-old mother, Roberta, still trots the globe with her twin sister. ..... Heiress to a large Arizona beer distributorship, Cindy McCain's worth has been estimated at more than $100 million. ...... state Republican leaders across the US have given a tentative nod to Bobby Jindal, the first Indian American US governor and two others as McCain's potential running mates ..... Louisiana governor Jindal, Florida governor Charlie Crist and former rival presidential candidate Mitt Romney ..... Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Say What? Hillary Clinton Does it Again what, exactly, Hillary Clinton was thinking when she referred to the assassination of Bobby Kennedy in explaining her decision to keep on campaigning ........ Clinton tried to excuse her inexcusable outburst by saying she was distracted by the shock of the news of Senator Edward Kennedy’s malignant brain tumor ...... “I think people have short memories. Primary contests used to last a lot longer. We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A.” Obama Begins Search for Vice President Obama, who intends to wait until the final primaries end on June 3 before declaring victory in the presidential nominating fight
On The Web
Bobby Jindal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia"one of America's top 10 extraordinary young people for the next millennium." ..... Rush Limbaugh has described Jindal as "the next Ronald Reagan." ...... at Oxford, he wrote an article for the New Oxford Review in which he described witnessing a friend being possessed by a demon ........ his work for Indian tycoon Lakshmi Mittal of Arcelor Mittal. ....... The meeting, however, may instead serve a different purpose, presenting Jindal with the opportunity to speak at the 2008 Republican National Convention, in a similar fashion to Barack Obama at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, cementing a place for him in the party and opening the gate for a future run for the presidency. Jindal Triumphant in Louisiana - TIMEthe youngest chief executive of any state. ...... the first non-white politician to hold the state's highest office since Reconstruction ...... "Don't let anyone talk badly about Louisana," he said during his Saturday night victory speech at a Baton Rouge Holiday Inn. "Those days [of corruption and incompetence] are officially over. ....... a region where college football is a religion ....... Jindal took almost 700,000 votes, the highest ballot numbers for a for a non-incumbent primary candidate in recent history ....... an ambitious policy whiz kid. ....... has traveled often to northern Louisiana, hitting up churches and pressing the flesh. ....... "the only colors that should matter are red, white and blue." ...... "pass ethics reforms with real teeth" and has promised to institute a variety of 10- to 31-point plans that reflect his policy wonkiness. As he put it on Saturday: "The rest of the country, keep your eyes on Louisiana." Michelle Malkin » Smearing Bobby JindalI met Bobby Jindal two years ago, and what impressed me the most above everything else was how sincere and openly he talked about his Christian faith.......... Bobby will bring a new vision to Louisiana, removing the negative image of the past and present regarding corrupt elected officials. With Bobby Jindal as our Governor, a positive light will shine on Louisiana as other states look on. ....... we finally have a chance to change how the rest of the world looks at Louisiana if we elect Bobby as our next Governor
Bill Clinton is Michael Jordan, he is one of those guys. The difference is Jordan worked his magic with his limbs, but Bill Clinton's brain is his limb. The brain is one organ that does not age. It stays with you all the way to death.
Crunch the numbers. This is a middle aged man. He is not a Senior yet. He has at least one vigorous decade ahead of him.
Early on in the race I tried to argue Bill Clinton was a liability to Hillary, but I never believed it. This guy is an asset to the progressive cause worldwide.
So what are we going to do about him? One thing, do not attempt the Al Gore thing. It is not possible to hide this guy. If you try to hide him, the people will focus all their attention on the bulge. What is that?
He is going to be a campaign asset to the Obama-Clinton ticket.
But what I am more interested in is the after. What after victory?
Bill Clinton is a complex man. Send him to the most complex part of the world. Tell him to go finish his job on Palestine. Creating a Palestine that is a vibrant, modern democracy will go a long way in earning true security for Israel. Only a total spread of democracy in the Arab world will earn Israel the security it deserves. The Jewish people do not get to blame the Arabs for the Holocaust or the anti-Semitism in the west, but democracy is the answer in the hood.
I give John McCain five states in November. Barack is about to do what Reagan did in 1984, what FDR did after he had been in office two terms already. I was one of those who started out thinking Barack is great but this new kind of politics thing is b.s. I want some fight in me. But whatever Barack has been doing has not only been working, it has been working wonders. I hereby declare myself a student of Barack's new kind of politics, politics of hope, positive politics.
Barack is not just about to win the nomination, he is not just about to win the White House for the Dems, he is not just about to give the Dems a 60 strong majority in the Senate, this dude is about to nothing less than redefine politics itself. This guy is in the process of reinventing the game and I like him for it.
I have been in his presence. It is an almost spiritual feeling. I wondered if that is how Richard Gere felt in the Dalai Lama's presence. (I Am A Buddhist Like Richard Gere)
In The News
Obamamania Hits the House Floor Washington Post Obama was mobbed on the House floor ..... she asked them to come to her and had limited success convincing busy lawmakers to leave the Capitol. Obama showed up on their turf, walking into a packed chamber this morning in the middle of a vote. ...... Rep. Judy Biggert, from Obama's homestate of Illinois, tapped him on the shoulder to say hi. ....... Eventually, Obama escaped, only to be greeted by around 100 Congressional pages waiting in the hallway for a group photo with the Democratic front-runner. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) shrugged off the fuss, noting that "Senators come to our floor all the time. Some attract more attention than others. I'm sure if Sen. Clinton came, she would attract a great deal of attention as well." Hillary Clinton's strategy of last resortLos Angeles Times an unfair attempt to move the goal line. ...... they feared the political damage to the party if Clinton were to succeed in using the party apparatus to take the nomination from Obama ....... Ickes said that seating Florida and Michigan -- and assigning delegates according to the January voting -- was part of a broader strategy to bring Clinton within 100 delegates of Obama. Obama's got a confident new strategy he's about to try another approach: ignoring her. ....... Obama's pivot reflects a hardening belief in his camp that there are few realistic scenarios under which Clinton can capture the nomination. ....... superdelegates were still breaking for the Illinois senator at a healthy clip ...... Obama already devotes considerable time to McCain at his rallies. Obama to Declare Win, Come Hill Or High Water FOXNews Obama is looking at May 20 as the end date ...... Obama will win a majority of pledged delegates on May 20. ...... The Michigan DNC has offered a plan to divvy up its delegates, 69-59 ...... Montana and South Dakota on June 3, and McAuliffe said he expects the superdelegates to pledge their allegiances within weeks after that date. ...... headed over to the House side of the congressional campus and received rock-star treatment from pages and lawmakers alike. Hillary Clinton, Madame Vice PresidentU.S. News & World Report
