I just want to let everybody know, for historical reference, that this was the day the Steamship Empress of Ireland sank and 1,024 people drowned.

I just automatically think of May 29 as Empress of Ireland Sinking Day, in case that ever pops up in conversation and it seems inexplicable or inappropriate to you. That's just how I remember it's May 29.

So don't freak out or make a big deal out of it if I bring it up.

You're sounding irrational. Here's Bill Clinton's quote:

"And the party will have to decide whether they believe the caucuses -- where you get about one delegate for 2000 votes -- are more important than the primaries where you get one for 12,000," Bill told the crowd.

I have a question for you, Phoebe Fay: What do you tell your kids when they whine?

We caucused. It was awesome. We packed into a high school cafeteria, sat at tables with our neighbors and discussed politics and platforms. It's the essence of democracy.

I completely agree, Phoebe Fay. I live in a caucus state too (Minnesota) and I'm damn proud to have been a part of the process. I think every state should hold caucuses. There's nothing I can think of that's more Democratic than getting together with your neighbors to pick your party's nominee and make suggestions for your party's platform.

The Clintons have no principles, and they couldn't care less about caucuses or primaries. They're just making the case for why Hillary should be president, and anything and everything is fair game in their book. Including my vote. So screw the Clintons.

I'm past anger at Hillary and well into revulsion and disgust.

As for Bill, his behavior with Monica and the last minute pardons left me feeling only contempt.

eheheh, "poops". very appropo

Hang in there Phoebe Ray. In 2000, Warren Christopher taught us the lesson of the danger of complacency. It is incredible that now it is the former president and his wife who are using the same tactics used by the Bushes in 2000--game the system, change the rules, discount some votes, over count others, resort to lawyers and litigation if that's what it takes, say something over and over hoping people will eventually believe it's true--against their own party!! We were screwed in 2000. NOT THIS TIME. Righteous indignation!! We cannot turn our backs on the Clintons, not until it's over, and even then......

Great post as always, Phoebe. Rec'ed!

Honey, you're pissed off in general. Don't blame it on Hillary. If you do, then you'll have to find someone else to blame it on after next week.

Clinton Issues Post-Primary Schedule (Yes, Post-Primary Schedule)

I guess this headline is all there is say about Saturday's meeting...and I thought Hillary's campaign slogan was..."Solutions for America"
Doesn't this piss you off as well. It sure bakes my cake!

I enjoy your posts and share alot of your views!

The Clintons are both finding any number of worthy causes to denigrate by using them as selectively chosen rationales for shamelessly promoting their selfish ambition: voting rights, Zimbabwe, slavery, the stolen 2000 election.

If they were honest, they would say, "We want to change the rules in whatever way is necessary in order for Hill to win."

The rest of their tens of thousands of words are lies. It is infuriating.

Bill Clinton was a good president --- the best since Carter, who, if we had listened to him, might have had us energy-independent by now, but, instead, fell victim to the Iranian hostage crisis (and the failed attempt to rescue the hostages) and Reagan's nasty October Surprise.

(Yes, I'm a biased Democrat.)

That said, remember Bill's mantra-like references in 1992 and 1996 to people "who work hard and play by the rules?"

Well, now he's basically aiding and abetting Hillary's "screw-the-rules" desperation to be president. He's grown another face. Much like Bush 41, who was fairly acceptable as Reagan's primary opponent in 1984, but turned wholly Reaganesque to maintain his own hold on the GOP.

People with two faces are scary. People with two faces are disingenuous. People with two faces make me angry.

You go, Phoebe Fay!

Yes! You had me at the first sentence.

Hillary was all about the delegate count....until she started losing the delegate count.

Then Hillary was all about convincing the superdelegates to overturn the results of the primaries and nominate her....until she started losing the superdelegates.

Then Hillary is all about 'winning' the popular vote by whichever count allows her to win.....until it was shown that she loses the popular vote too.

Then Hillary is all about showing her 'electability' in the news polls...even though that's basically an attempt to convince the supers again.

And she's still trying to seat FL and MI delegates, and claim that she deserves all of them and Obama none, even though she herself admitted that those elections don't count for anything.

Gee, I can't even imagine why anyone would be angry at Hillary for drawing out this primary process needlessly, threatening to disenfranchise over HALF the primary voters in the process, opportunistically attempt to break the rules she agreed to, and weaken the man who will certainly be the party nominee. Where does that anger come from?

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I gave you the sites.

macartisan...Tell that to the caucus voters in Washington state, which by most reports had a 140% increase in caucus attendence this year -- more people than voted in the 2006 general election!

Not according to results I've seen. If you've got a link, post it.

The WA example is a good one. Obama wins the primary 51-46 but winds up with 2/3 of the delegates from the caucuses.

Will of the people, my ass.

Just because she didn't win.

dammit.

You can stereotype what it is you believe is the typical Obama-bot all you want, but I've been a democrat for coming on 20 years now.

I'm a huge Obama supporter.

I've contributed, on a small scale, to previous candidates, but not to the level that I've contributed to Obama.

I've never been moved to actively campaign for a candidate before.

I'm also convinced that the Clinton's have had their time in the White House. We've seen what dynasties get us and it's ugly.

It's time to move on.

I sympathize with the caucus-state diarist and agree with poster Yvaugn [sp?] - one thing not mentioned [perhaps only lore but believed it to be true] is that no push was made to change the hybrid primary/caucus system in place in Texas after the last convention - AND that Bill Clinton won that hybrid Texas vote.

Each state's method seems its own animal and perhaps should some uniformity should be encouraged as the methods are reviewed for next time - going forward.

But those busloads of protesters coming in on Saturday in order to convince the Rules COmmittee that the August Rule was wrong- now that is inexplicable, given the unanimity of Hillary's 12 Rules Committee supporters last August [including Harold Ickes] in voting in the Rule being protested.

I can see an attempt to convince the COmmittee that one's own supporters and all the rest on the Committee [except the single Obama supporter who aparently demurred] should not have put the Rule in place; but why the protesters? Against whom exactly are they angry? The 12 Hilary surrogates who voted the Rule in?

It is frankly dumfounding to this 57 year old feminist attorney. I hope it ends soon, that tempers cool, that we attempt to forget the 40 - 60 million dollars used up on internecine warfare; that Hillary's unpaid vendors get funded so those small lighting and catering and production businesses do not go belly up awaiting the funds needed to pay their personnel ----- and that we manage to re-focus on the matter at hand: avoiding a loss by our candidate to a Republican who will allow our mortgage crisis to escalate; our economy to tank, our treaties to die on the vine; our childrens' health plans [CHIP] and physical infrastructure to crumble; our judiciary to protect corporatists over individuals; our forests to burn untended as our drowned cities fail; and our constitution to wither.
After eight years we must, we must come together.