John Edwards learned some very wrong lessons from Barack Obama's very strong performance at the NAACP Democratic debate. Obama spoke forcefully on race issues and stole the show. Edwards now seems to calculate that the cat is out of the bag. Obama has been outed. He is black. Now is the time to try and drive a wedge between Obama and white America.
I was under the impression that perhaps Edwards was doing some good work on the poverty issue the past few years like he had been advertising. Now it looks like all that was sham. His big house has blinded him. He can not feel your pain.
Did I hear it right? Edwards' idea of curing poverty in the poor neighborhoods is to offer vouchers.
A voucher by definition, if it works, will work for a select few. You can not move the entire neighborhood out of the poor neighborhood. The poverty is not geography, as in let's all of us move out of Staten Island, and then we will be fine.
Edwards has been outed. He now comes across as a guy who is fundamentally incapable of understanding poverty. How can you cure that which you do not understand?
Have not the Republicans been suggesting the same for poorly performing schools? What's the difference?
You could brush the whole episode off as Edwards' ignorance. But there is more to that than meets the eye. What is most offensive about Edwards' premise is that there are clear racial overtones to what he is saying. He is clearly not talking about the poor, white Appalachia. He is talking about the predominantly black inner cities that seem to suffer from seemingly incurable poverty.
This is wrong. It will not fly. In trying to play this race card, Edwards comes across as a candidate who is growingly desperate. It is not just Mike Gravel, and Kucinich, and Richardson. Edwards is part of that crowd. Why is it not obvious to him that he stands absolutely no chance of becoming president? Will someone inform him? Hello? Anyone upstairs?
Edwards needs to offer an apology. This is not a lapse of judgment. This is most definitely not a tongue slip. This is the exposing of a deformed constitution.
And as a political operative, he has seriously misjudged America's contemporary standing on race issues, especially when offered the Obama prism. The race card will backfire, big time. It will backfire so thoroughly it is already obvious this is the last election Edwards will ever lose. He will not run again for anything. He won't even have a Poverty Center to go back to.
Race has to be talked about. Obama was right in giving a strong performance at the NAACP event. Gender has to be talked about. Obama is also someone who has to engage in more gender talk. It is only fair.
Edwards has the option to apologize and continue to contribute to the Democratic discussion. Or he is going to flame out earlier than he is expecting. He will lose Iowa. I mean, he will lose Iowa regardless, but if he makes idiotic remarks like this one, he seals his own fate.
Obama has to try and take the lead in the national polls some time in the fourth quarter, and it is very possible. Otherwise the fight will be longer than expected.
But then who would have thought Obama would beat Hillary in fundraising two quarters in a row? The amount of money he has raised, and the number of donors he has had tells me once people get to know both, they like Obama more. The Clinton brand name is well established. People are giving a Pavlovian response. The word Clinton reminds them of the roaring 90s. They like the ring of it. Once they find out this is a different Clinton, they will pause and think.
Obama's talk of a new kind of politics is real and appealing. What that means is he does not make personal attacks on Hillary. But he does have to differentiate. This is not Coke and Pepsi. This is orange juice and soda. Her Iraq vote has turned Hillary into soda.
How to grab the lead in the national polls?
(1) Iraq, Iraq, Iraq
Hillary fails the judgment test. Iraq has been a diversion against the just war on the Al Qaeda. It is about security. The Al Qaeda is stronger than ever before. Bush is to be blamed. Hillary partly shares that blame. She was an enabler.
(2) Health Care
Hillary says by the end of her second term. That is blackmail. If you don't elect and reelect her, you don't get it. Obama says by the end of his first term. He is respectful of voters. He is not counting on reelection to deliver.
(3) Obama Bio
Only a few months back, half of America had never heard of him. That number has gone down, but not much. Innovative ways have to be found to get him well known. The half dozen basic facts about him have to be made well known. Clinton's lead comes from her name recognition. That brand name is well established.
(4) Debates
They matter. They are of central importance. Got to prepare. Got to deliver.
(5) The Fundamentals
Hillary is methodical. She likes to do her homework. So you don't get to cut slack on the fundamentals.
(6) Raise Money
Raise, raise, raise.
(7) Spend Money
The trick is to know how to spend well. You don't want to spend so little that you are a loser on February 6 with gobbles of cash in the bank. On the other hand, you don't want to wake up on February 6 with a fighting chance and no money in the bank. Money raised from many small donors has to be spent respectfully.
Edwards: Voucher Man
John Edwards sounds like the Republicans on poverty. He wants to give the poor vouchers to get out of poor neighborhoods. That is such a false proposition. His heart is not in the right place.
Hillary: This Woman Deserves Her Revenge
Hillary has made Bill Clinton possible. It does not bother me that she taps on Bill Clinton when she can.
Hillary is strong and smart in her own right. I have always liked her, as I do today. I think she will be a great Vice President.
Sexism is such a thing all over the planet, it is nice to see Hillary aspiring for high office.
This line is from the movie Kill Bill: "This woman deserves her revenge."
On February 6, 2008, we crown her. She becomes running mate.
Africa Unite
I want to see full fledged democracy movements in all African countries that are not there yet. President Obama will be the inspiration. What his administration can do it will do, the rest will be done by Africans in New York City and elsewhere.
I would like to have Third World dictators for breakfast.
In The News
Old wisdom unites to solve global dilemmas ABC Online The Elders involved include the former secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, and former US president Jimmy Carter. ..... former Irish president Mary Robinson and Archbishop Desmond Tutu ..... The Elders can speak freely and boldly. ..... One of the world's greatest players, Brazil's Pele, led a group of 50 players in an Africa versus the 'Rest of World' match labelled as '90 minutes for Mandela'. China GDP growth jumps to 11.9 percent Washington Post straight fifth year of double-digit growth and to overtake Germany as the world's third-biggest economy -- perhaps as soon as this year. ...... Goldman Sachs, for one, now expects eye-popping growth of 12.3 percent in 2007. ..... the economy, which is firing on all cylinders. ...... 10 million jobs every year for workers leaving the land and flocking to the city ..... After leapfrogging Britain in 2005 to become the fourth-largest economy, China is now breathing down Germany's neck. China's GDP was $2.7 trillion in 2006, just below Germany's $2.9 trillion Al Qaeda group's ranking Iraqi is captured, US saysLos Angeles Times Can Google Defy Gravity Again? Probably. Forbes Its not the Internet that’s suffering—its just Yahoo! ..... The company’s advertising business, which accounts for nearly all of its revenue, is still growing. Most of the headroom lies in international markets. Analysts expect 46% of the company’s gross revenue to come from companies outside the U.S. in the second quarter. ..... even though eBay is Google’s single largest advertiser, responsible for nearly 5% of the company’s revenue, the eBay ads-hiatus won’t hurt Google’s revenues. Other smaller companies eager to advertise with Google snapped up the inventory briefly vacated by eBay. Sprint, Clearwire to build national WiMax network Kansas City Star Sprint will focus on building out the network primarily in a series of larger metropolitan markets covering about 185 million people. WiMAX to Present More Opportunities Than Threats for Satellite ... Earthtimes.org Google to sell ads for more than 225 papersLos Angeles Times They include the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and the Washington Post, and have combined circulation of almost 30 million Bush Rejects GOP Appeals to Compromise on Health Bill Washington Post saying that expanding the program would enlarge the role of the federal government at the expense of private insurance. ..... would rely on a 61-cent increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes, to $1 a pack, which Bush opposes. ..... a product "that will never be safe." Focus of Iraq War Debate Shifts to House New York Times Dems wield war debate to weaken GOP in 2008San Francisco Chronicle Sleepless in the SenateSalon Web brings jerks—and spoilers—from woodwork Chicago Tribune Hillary's Primary Problem: Her Shift On Iraq Forbes Clinton was one of the most forceful Democratic proponents of U.S. intervention in Iraq during the 2002 congressional debate. While she has steadily distanced herself from this position, anti-war sentiment within the party is now so strong that it has become one of the major obstacles to her nomination. .... (July 12-15) Gallup survey gives Clinton a 34%-to-25% ..... near-universal name recognition, formidable fund-raising ability and sound campaign management skills, coupled with an effective and deep grassroots organizational structure, an impressive array of loyal, experienced and competent advisers--including her husband--and a demonstrated ability to listen to and act upon sound advice. ....... serving as a very able senator, and building a formidable organization in New York state ...... The tremendous momentum that Obama enjoyed after entering the race in February has stalled. He seems to have settled into a deliberately low-key campaign mode, eschewing charismatic oratorical displays and concentrating on fund-raising ....... it is not clear whether she read the key comprehensive 90-page National Intelligence Estimate, which assessed whether Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction--and poured cold water on its alleged connections to al-Qaida ....... 82% of Democrats believe that sending U.S. forces into Iraq was "a mistake," compared with 62% of all voters. Nepal's government to hold peace talks with ethnic rights group to ... International Herald Tribune Giuliani: More Ethanol, Nuclear Power Forbes Presidents going back to Richard Nixon have promised energy independence, "and we haven't made much of a real dent in getting there" .... We have a country like France that's 85 percent nuclear power. We haven't built a new nuclear plant in 30 years. Poverty emerges as Democratic campaign issue Los Angeles Times to stake his own claim as a poverty warrior — and present a vision for fixing struggling inner cities that directly challenges that of Edwards. ...... Edwards has focused on the malignant effects of concentrating poverty in the inner city. He has argued for dispersing low-income families by replacing public housing projects with a greatly expanded rental voucher program to allow families to move where there are more jobs and better schools. ....... Though Obama offered some of the same proposals as Edwards, such as a transitional jobs program and expanding the earned income tax credit, he presented a sharply different overall objective — fixing inner city areas so they become places where families have a chance to prosper, without moving elsewhere. ..... "If poverty is a disease that infects the entire community in the form of unemployment and violence, failing schools and broken homes, then we can't just treat those symptoms in isolation," Obama said. "We have to heal that entire community." Big B bails out of land mess, 'donates' farmland CNN-IBN The actor had received the state-owned farmland from the previous UP government headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav. Bachchan had then allegedly used forged documents - approved by the then UP government - that certified him as a farmer to buy over 20 acres of agricultural land in Pune district. ..... As per Section 63 of the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act 1948, no person can purchase agricultural land in Maharashtra if he is not a farmer. ..... the three plots measuring around 4.5 bigha of agricultural land in village Daulatpur in Barabanki which gave him the status of a 'farmer', legally enabling him to buy land in Pawna. Murdoch bid splits Dow family Seattle Post Intelligencer HP further boosts market share over Dell MSNBC consumer shipments declined rapidly with Dell moving away from the low end ...... the biggest PC makers were beginning to move beyond price to battle with each other on other fronts. .... "System design, customer service, channel coverage and market expansion are all playing key roles in winning business." Dell Going Small In AsiaForbes Breast cancer study: Fruits, veggies not the answer Houston Chronicle Gene Linked to Restless Leg Syndrome FoundForbes RIM Announces '8820': WiFi Blackberry TrustedReviews So, Does Harry Potter Live? BusinessWeek Harry Potter 'leaks' spread to ChinaCNET News.com The books about the boy wizard have sold 325 million copies worldwide so far, and anticipation over what happens at the end of the series is high ahead of its official publication at one minute past midnight British time on Saturday. ...... China, which has a reputation for its poor protection of intellectual property rights. .... In 2002, an entirely fake Potter book, entitled "Harry Potter and Leopard Walk Up To Dragon," appeared in China. .... Deathly Hallows, which many expect to become the fastest-selling book ever. ..... In the United States, media has reported photographs circulating on the Internet of every page of Deathly Hallows, although publishers declined to say whether any were genuine. ..... "I hate it when people ruin things like this for everyone else who wants to enjoy it the right way," one contributor wrote on the Mugglenet site. "I think that's just the most awful thing ever. Especially when there's spoilers where you least suspect it. People are jerks." Facing al-Qaeda Washington Post the threat that it will stage another major attack against the U.S. homeland is a serious one. .... make hard decisions about how to protect the country. ..... an al-Qaeda sanctuary exists in Pakistan. But they have rigidly stuck to a strategy of depending on Pakistan's autocratic president ..... The administration says it has a comprehensive strategy that involves funneling $750 million over five years into development programs in the impoverished tribal areas and beefing up the Pakistani forces that patrol the frontier with Afghanistan. ..... a revived al-Qaeda organization able to strike the United States from a secure base ...... order targeted strikes or covert actions by American forces Al Qaeda's ComebackCBS News Even last year, officials were still describing al Qaeda as an organization gravely damaged by U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan and the capture or killing of key operational lieutenants but that still remained an inspiration to other jihadists. ...... a coordinated recruitment effort by al Qaeda leaders to bring operatives with useful skills and languages into Pakistan to train them toward the eventual goal of their infiltrating the United States ........ the type of attack that al Qaeda's operatives are most interested in staging inside the United States. Unlike the kind of smaller-scale plots seen recently in Europe, such as subway bombings, U.S. intelligence agencies agree that al Qaeda wants its next U.S. attack to be a spectacular one. In particular, operatives want to focus on "prominent political, economic, and infrastructure targets with the goal of producing mass casualties, visually dramatc destruction, significant economic aftershocks, and/or fear among the U.S. population." ....... a "flow" of operatives traveling from North Africa (particularly Algeria and Morocco) to the tribal regions of Pakistan to undergo training at al Qaeda's new compounds ...... al Qaeda's Maghreb group boasts long-standing networks in Europe that could theoretically be used to help operatives infiltrate the United States. ..... Hezbollah, which reportedly receives arms and other support from Iran, "may be more likely to consider attacking the homeland over the next three years if it perceives the United States as posing a direct threat to the group or Iran." A Frighteningly Irrefutable NIECommentary the CIA might be continuing to wage guerrilla warfare against the White House ....... Having missed the 9/11 attacks, and then botched its assessment of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the second Gulf War, the CIA is locked in perpetual defensive motion. ..... terrorists remain a hard target; they cannot be counted by satellites like Soviet ICBM’s ...... a continued effort by these terrorist groups to adapt and improve their capabilities. ..... Is there anything in the above paragraph that could not be deduced by reading a leading newspaper, like the New York Times? ...... al Qaeda will continue to try to acquire and employ chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear material in attacks and would not hesitate to use them if it develops what it deems is sufficient capability. ...... Is there anything in the above paragraph that could not be deduced by reading the footnotes of the wikipedia entry on al Qaeda? ..... the NIE appears, at least in its unclassified form, to be a shining example of bureaucratic self-protection. The CIA and affiliated agencies do not want to be wrong again; and they have found a way never to be wrong: by stating the obvious and calling it a National Intelligence Estimate.
