By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

I just ran across this story about how Donna Brazile continues her seeming drive to beat Speaker Pelosi for the "most divisive Dem" prize:

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

I am an avowed supporter of free trade agreements like NAFTA. But I am not a rube. I realize that demagoguing against free trade is now standard issue Dem politics, but that does not mean it is right. Today The NYTimes explains why:

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

Via andgarden, here and here should explain my obsession with solving the FL/MI problem, preferably with revotes.

Those 44 electoral votes will likely decide the election in November. At the very least, a revote in Michigan is essential.

By Big Tent Democrat

Democratic FL state representative Ted Deutch (a Clinton supporter) recites the case against the DNC's handling of the FL/MI situations:

. . . It's clear that Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan and Florida all violated the same rule and should be treated the same. But that's not what happened. While the rules designate a 50 percent delegate reduction, the DNC imposed the death penalty - a 100 percent reduction - on Florida and Michigan. Amazingly, the other "rule-breakers" got no penalty at all.

The DNC has chosen to waive the rules when it believes that it suits the DNC's purposes. If the DNC insists on treating Florida differently, then it should be reminded that its own rules establish a 50 percent penalty rather than the death penalty given to Florida Democrats. . . . Rather than continue this divisive debate, the DNC should simply return to the rules that it drafted.

Read the whole thing.

What did you think? Actors playing Hillary and Bill discuss their tax returns and making money and whether Hillary will step aside.

"So, at this point I think it would be in the best interest of the party if I stepped aside for the Obama campaign. That's not going to happen. I am not jumping out of this until after the inauguration. Even then I won't be gracious."

It wasn't particularly funny or memorable. Host Christopher Walken's opening was much better and funnier, although it had nothing to do with politics. He is such a good actor.

Here's Hillary Clinton in Oregon today:

Hillary Clinton delivered an impassioned defense of her continued candidacy in Eugene, Oregon — telling a young Obama supporter who asked whether she really wanted to help the Democratic party or was merely being “self serving” that the race “is not a coronation. It is a contest.”

“Election are about choices. You’re supposed to present your case and you’re supposed to critique the other case. That’s what you do in an election,” she said. “This country is worth fighting for, and I’m going to fight for it.” The crowd erupted in a standing ovation.

She also addressed hope and change: [More...]

Charlton Helston has died.

It was 48 years ago yesterday that Ben Hur swept the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. Mr. Heston was a long-time political activist:

In his earlier years, Heston was a liberal Democrat, campaigning for Presidential candidates Adlai Stevenson in 1956 and John F. Kennedy in 1960. A civil rights activist, he accompanied Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights march held in Washington, D.C. in 1963, even going so far as to wear a sign that read "All Men Are Created Equal". Heston later claimed it a point of pride that he helped in the civil rights cause "long before Hollywood found it fashionable", as he often says in his speeches. Heston had also planned to campaign for Lyndon Johnson, but was unable to do so when filming on Major Dundee went over schedule.

More...

Update: Hillary's speech focused on policy. More on the dinner is here.

Update: As others have noticed, Obama didn't realize Montana holds primaries, not cacuses. See below.

***

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are speaking two hours apart tonight at the Mansfield-Metcalf Democrats Dinner in Butte, Montana. Obama's speech has already concluded.

“I know that there’s some people who have been saying that these caucuses — the caucus states out West with these small populations, they don’t really count all that much,” Obama said in a thinly veiled reference to Clinton.

“I don’t know about you but I think they’re pretty important,” he said to loud applause. “I think it’s important to note that we have seen record number of Americans who turned out for us in Idaho, and in Wyoming, and in Utah, and in Colorado.”

It's not just the size of the states, it's their composition that's the point. There is no chance Montana, Wyoming, Idaho or Utah will go Democratic in November. (More...)

In Oregon today, Hillary Clinton explained why the FL and MI votes count:

"Some say their votes should be ignored and the popular vote in Michigan and Florida should be discounted. Well, I have a different view," Clinton said at a rally here. "The popular vote in Florida and Michigan has already been counted. It was determined by election results, it was certified by election officials in each state, it's been officially tallied by the secretary of state in each state, and the question is whether those 2.3 million Democrats will be honored and their delegates seated by the Democratic party."

...Both states saw record turnout in their primaries and the former first lady won both contests.

5,000 Oregonians came out to see her at one stop.

And Helen Thomas weighs in, arguing Hillary should hang in there: [More...]

Florida selected 27 delegates for the Democratic Convention today.

Of the 27, three will go to the Convention not pledged to a candidate: Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller and House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber. The other 24 were allocated based on the statewide results from the January 29th Presidential Primary: 14 pledged to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton and 10 pledged to U.S. Sen. Barack Obama.

In May, the delegation will be completed with 40 at-large delegates. In March, 121 delegates were elected at the Congressional District-Level. Florida has 23 unpledged delegates ("superdelegates") - 13 Members of the Democratic National Committee and 10 Democratic members of Congress.

By Big Tent Democrat

A new North Carolina poll:

Democrat Barack Obama leads Hillary Clinton 35 percent to 26 percent among likely voters in North Carolina's May 6 Democratic primary. But nearly four in 10 are still undecided. . . . Among likely primary voters, the two virtually split the support of white voters and women while Obama has a strong -- 59 percent to 7 percent -- lead among African Americans.

This poll seems extremely suspect to me. The undecided number is ridiculously high. The demographics of the expected turnout is not offered. Obam's A-A number are obviously too low (his white numbers seem high as well).

By Big Tent Democrat

I do not link enough to Bob Somerby. I thought this was pretty funny:

This week, we emitted a low, mordant chuckle at one part of this David Sirota piece, to which we’d been linked by the person who has kidnapped Josh Marshall.

Some days I feel like the entire Left blogosphere has been kidnapped.