tlabra's Blog

WHAT IF THE SHOE WERE ON THE OTHER FOOT AND OBAMA HAD PALINS PROBLEMS

2008-09-02T16:26:24Z

McCain selected a far right wing VP to appeal to and excite his base, knowing that Palin is a member of a far right group with a goal to put Alaska first and possibly exit our great Union of States and that she had a teenage daughter who is pregnant.

I agree with Senator Obama that the daughter issue is out of bounds and her prIvacy should be respected--- but I only ask the question : what if it was Obama's daughter who was a teenager and was having a child out of wedlock. Would the right wing zealots and Mr. Dobson support Obama or would the discourse be different.

Likewise, what if Obama was a member of a fringe political party that wanted to separate from the United States before he was a Democrat. Would the Republican Zealots give him credit for being independent minded or would they consider his past affiliation as UN AMERICAN .

I think we all know the answer to the above questions.

Clearly , Senator McCains selection of Governor Palin was a rash and unwise decision based on Politics not governance. We have had that same decision making criteria for 8 years. ENOUGH !

ONE MORE DAY--- THEN WE CAN TURN TO EXPOSE THE REPUBLICANS

2008-06-02T11:30:03Z

I am an enthusiastic Obama supporter, but there is something inside me that just wants this to end, almost as bad as I want George W Bush's term to end . There is something about inrafamily fighting that makes it worse and more hurtful than fights with " natural " opponents. This fight between two heavy weights with diverse talents has been difficult and emotional. I , a simple citizen have often blogged from emtion, just to get it off my chest--- perhaps some things would have been better unsaid. Oh well-- I guess I am also amazed that at 46 and a little jaded by Politics that I am as excited as I was when I was alot younger.

Most of all I am glad the primaries are almost over, the supers can make their choice and we can move on to defeat the Republicans.

OBAMA Leads McCain and Clinton in Today's Gallup Poll

2008-05-29T17:23:11Z

Senator Obama Leads Senator Clinton by 10 points in today's Gallup Poll and leads McCain by essentially the same margin as Senator Clinton.

While I think these polls are hardly a prediction of anything right now, for those who like or live by them it is clear the Democrats prefer Obama by a significant margin and they perform essentially the same against McCain.

POLLS DON'T REALLY MATTER MUCH NOW--- BOTH THE GOOD AND BAD ONES

2008-05-28T23:29:14Z

Polls are fun, interesting and the only tangible thing people can use to help predict the future. Unfortunately, they are relatively useless 5 months before an election and prior to the respective conventions.There are some polls which show Obama way ahead of McCain nationally ( Zogby- May 21, 2008) and some show him marginally behind. I am not excited about either. The margins for all of the candidates are so close it appears the one thing we do know is that the race will be close and will likely be very different from the last few.

Many factors are in play which makes it impossible to predict the future, world and domestic events, VP choices, scandal-- the list goes on and on.

Additionally, John McCain has been the unchallenged Republican nominee for some time now free to attack Obama with impunity while Obama has faced two fronts . This will change soon and I suggest the dynamics of a unified Party will strengthen Obam's hand, especially as former foes and fence sitters join his effort.

The Republican's know this which is why their attacks have been almost exclusively aimed at Obama. I am relatively sure it is not because they like and respect Senator Clinton.

The post convention polls-- 2-3 weeks after will start to matter-- but anyone who relies on the current polls to determine electability or the ultimate winner is relying on foolls gold.

FORMER PRESIDENT CLINTON-- 3B's ; Bully , Baby and Brat

2008-05-27T01:52:20Z

Former President Clinton has been breathtakingly unprofessional and disengenuous throughout Senator Clinton's campaign. His allegations of unfair treatment, fuzzy math and crass conduct are unbeffiting of a former President or a spouse of a candidate.

There has been a double standard in this campaign, but it has been to give legitimacy to the outlandish assertions and tantrums of President Clinton and the Clinton campaign. If any other spouse of a Presidential candidate acted like President Clinton has in this campaign they and their candidate would have been laughed off the campaign. Only because who he is and the amount of money he can still raise among Clinton Loyalists has he not suffered such a fate. However, I sugggest his reputation , which was already lacking among many prior to this campaign has been further tarnished.

As a former supporter of President Clinton I have been surprised by the tactics he has and continues to use in this campaign. Only a herculean effort by him and Senator Clinton on behalf of Obama in the general election will mitigate his conduct and start to rebuild his reputation.

He has been nothing short of a hysterical Bully, Baby and Brat who throw's tantrums when the majority of others do not see things his way. Neither he or Senator Clinton are victims of prejudice , bias or unfair treatment, only of their own dreadful and deceptive campaign.

The Clinton's have run out of time, it is the 4th quarter and they are behind by so much they can only win by forfeit or some type of horrible occurence ( One like the one Senator Clinton recently reffered to) .It will be over next week and hopefully we will then begin to see different conduct befitting of a former President and of a spouse of candidate who did not prevail. We can only hope .

There is no Proper Context for Senator Clinton's RFK Comments

2008-05-26T01:49:05Z

The Clinton's are master manipulator's and when they make a mistake of gross proportion they deny, obfuscate and blame everyone else. No matter what the contaxt of her statements regarding RFK's assasination, there is no place for them in this campaign. The timeline excuse is rediculous as the campaign season was totally different in 1968 . When RFK was assasinated in June of 1968 the Democrats were in the middle of the campaign whereas this campaign ends June 3rd and Obama already has a majority of elected delegates.

This is the same tactic the Clinton's used when Senator Clinton repeatedly lied about the Bosnia bullet dodging trip. At first they tried to discredit Sinbad and others who were also on the trip and then once they were caught red handed on tape Senator Clinton said she was tired and remembered incorrectly. Unfortunately, that excuse was also a lie as she had told the same story months earlier in Iowa and again prior to the prepared remarks on St Patrick's day.

The excuse Senator Clinton gave for the RFK comment was that the Kennedy's were on her mind because of Ted Kennedy's illness.( Please, one can only imagine how much Senator Clinton despises Senator Kennedy for his stalwart support of Senator Obama) Again , the problem with that excuse is that she made the same exact comment regarding RFK to Time Magazine before Ted Kennedy was known to have a tumor.

There is no place for Senator Clinton's comments and her non apology is par for the course. Fortunately, this sad season in Democratic politics is alamost over and hopefully the Clinton's lies and manipulations will then be back page news or part of political courses as to how a political campaigns should not be run.

Senator Clinton' s Friends and Undecided Super Delegates Must Tell Her It is Time to Stop

2008-05-25T11:22:07Z

As Ariana Huffington stated in her most recent post, it is time for us ordinary Democrats to stop hoping Senator Clinton will do the right thing and instead contact her allies and undecided superdelegates to persuade them that in the interests of winning in 2008 this race needs to end-- Now.

Senator Clinton's reasons for staying in the race or contending Obama has not won under the Rules set by the DNC and agreed to by all candidates are quite disturbing and destructive even giving them the most favorable interpretation. ie; I have won the votes of hard working White people, RFK was assasinated in June, my husband did not wrap up the nomination until June, Michigan and Florida are a matter of Civil Rights, .( Senator Clinton agreed to and signed a pledge to abide by the disqualification of Michigan and Florida-- thus she condoned and pledged to adhere to Civil Rights Violations and months later seeks to be the liberator of those same alleged violations. This is akin to kidnapping a child and then seeking a reward for letting the child go)

Each one of these reasons are contrary to Democratic Party ideals and any objective reality. They are all fase issues with false premises designed to harden her supporters and weaken Obama . Her staying in through West Virginia, Kentucky and Puerto Rico was also designed to embarrass Obama in the minds of the public and superdelegates as the math and path to the nomination was over some time ago. Of course , Senator Clinton lost by a landslide in Oregon and North Carolina--- hardly a meaningful dent in Obamas momentum.

Senator Clinton's strategy has worked in part, but mostly she has embarrassed herself and the Democratic Party. Of course this is not helpful to anyone and the longer it goes the more destructive it will be.

So, what to do . I suggest you go to Senator DIANE FEINSTEIN'S web site and e-mail her your thoughts as I did earlier today and contact undecided superdelegates.Senator Feinstein is a thoughtful and genuine Senator who is likewise a supporter of Senator Clinton. My gut tells me she will do what is in the best interest of the Party. ( Go to Huffington Post and Ariana Huffington has a list of undedided superdelegates).

Those are the best steps to seek to stop the nonsensical destruction going on now. Senator Obama has been taking arrows form the Media , Republicans and Senator Clinton for to long and it is time to even the playing field a little. Lets move forward together to win this thing in 2008.

Senator Clinton's Deception Never Stops

2008-05-22T12:55:08Z

    I know as Obama supporters we are supposed to be "nice" as form any objective standpoint Senator Obama has won the nomination, but Senator Clinton's recent remarks regarding the Florida and Michigan delegations top even her most egregious deceptions to date. Comparing the seating of the Michigan and Florida delegations to the Civil Rights Movement , Zimbabwe and Bush v. Gore is facially absurd and must be another attempt by the Clinton Campaign to bate a racially charged debate.

Senator Clinton's position is duplicitous to the highest imaginable degree. It was Senator Clinton and her supporters who created the rules barring Florida and Michigan and it was Senator Clinton and all other D    emocratic presidential candidates who signed a pledge agreeing to the ruling .While I have no real problem with seeking to seat the delegations in some fair way for sake of " Party Unity", Senator Clinton's use of the issue as a Civil Rights issue and wedge issue is maddening and destructive.

The only apt analogy I can come up with is that Senator Clinton created the slavery and months later is seeking to champion the release of the slaves. It is similar to John McCain claiming to be a reformer when he is drowning in lobbyists running his show and financing his campaign.

Many celebrate Senator Clinton's never say die, take any position candidacy, but I continue to believe it is destructive and dishonest to the core.

Sorry to all of those who want to play nice--- Let me suggest it is time for Senator Clinton to take stock of her future and play the "hero" now instead of the person in the scary movie who gets bludgeoned and keeps on coming back ---- we all know the eventual end to those movies..

Obama 's Troubles Show His Strengths

2008-04-30T09:14:57Z

Obama's troubles in reconciling his message of change and unity with a few divisive figures in his life such as Reverand Wright show his strength in speaking clearly in defining his values and his vision for America. That vision, the one many of us are so attracted to and articulated by Senator Obama throughout his campaign , has not changed. Senator Obama , however , has changed in that he has realized that even people he may care for must be taken to task at times. The true character of this uniquely talented man and politician has shined through the smoke of controversy.

While I may be in the minority, I prefer the Obama I know today to the one I knew when this process started. I feal the opposite about the other Democratic contender.

In the end alot of this is and has been a product of different forces ( Senator Clinton and the Republicans)seeking to bring Obama down and a media which obsesses on controversy as opposed to what most Americans really care about. No Democrat can doubt that the Republicans have been singularly focused on bringing Obama down as they see him as a short term threat in 2008 and a long term threat from an electoral and financial standpoint. It certainly is not because they like Senator Clinton and think she will be better for the Country.

If Obama can get his meesage through notwithstanding the controversy and various forces opposing him he will win the nomination and I believe be elected President. If he cannot he may lose in the short term ( as will the American people in my opinion) but will there is no doubt by correctly taking on Wright and Sharpton directly he has secured himself as a force for the future. His short term success depends on whether his supporters gain strength through the hard times or cower in the face of difficulty. That is the test of a leaders real support .

As Senator Obama has said from the outset, real change is difficult and will be fiercely resisted by the forces of status quo. While he may not have expected those forces to include some he has been close with in the past, taking them on is just as important, albeit more difficult, than taking on the more natural foes.

Senator Obama should trust his insticts and judgment, speak the truth and see where it goes. As long as he continues to do that I will support him in good times and bad. I did not sign up for an easy ride, just a real one .

Senator Clinton Can't Explain why People Don't Want To Vote For Her-- I Can

2008-04-19T08:44:40Z

Senator Clinton has blamed everyone for her losses--- but the real answer is Obama's talent and her lack candor. Sorry so short but I think that is it in a nutshell.

SENATOR CLINTON IS SUPERBAD

2008-04-19T08:26:41Z

Senator Clinton's bashing of certain Democrats who do not support her is disheartening and duplicitous on many levels.

First, and most importantly, it unfairly seeks to characterize Senator Obama's popularity and ability to raise funds as being an extension of Democratic activists. In fact, from the start Senator Obama's support has been from a broad section of the Democratic base. The intensity is just as strong in many "moderate " democrats such as I generally consider myself than it is from the " Democratic Activists " she seeks to demonize.

Second, Senator Clinton in desparately seeking to explain her many landslide losses seeks to diminish the deep respect and enthusiasm many Democrats ( and others) have for Senator Obama . Her statements and her entire strategy is to tear Obama and his supporters down rather than lift herself up. I do not seek to diminish Senator Clinton's supporters, which includes my wife, and I do not think the Obama campaign has either. Senator Clinton's landslide losses are a result of Senator Obama's talent and a real thirst for change among millions of Americans -- away from slash and burn politics to something that resembles sound thinking and judgment even if it is outside the box of traditional Washington thinking.

Finally. Senator Clinton's remarks once again underscore her lack of candor and fundamental devisive nature which has been a hall mark of her entire political career. She seizes on any controversy and lets it rip irrespective of the facts or her own past conflicting positions snd then equates such conduct with toughness. The tactics of seeking to raise the negatives of your opponent and diminish voter enthusiasm are classic , but that does not make them less repulsive or disingenuous .

There will be an end to this soon, it will not be pretty, rather, it will likely be a lot like Senator Clinton has been acting--- Superbad.

Whether time will heal the wounds is unknown. I think it will as the wounds are superficial and the Country's desire for change will most likely trump the gotcha politics. The challenge is to continue to talk about the real issues facing our Country and how to solve them even when the noise and media seek to change the subject.

Senator Clinton blames the 2000 and 2004 Presidential losses on Gore and Kerry being Elitist-- But it was really President Clintons Fault

2008-04-14T02:11:32Z

In an extraordinary recent comment, Senator Clinton in seeking to paint Obama as elitist and warn against nominating an elitist candidate asserted the Democrats lost in 2000 and 2004 because the candidates, Gore and Kerry were viewed as elitist by the voters. The premise and veracity of Senator Clintons statement is fundamentally flawed for several reasons.

First, Gore won the 2000 election and it would have been a landslide in his favor had President Clinton not created a toxic environment by his lies to the American people and under oath regarding the Lewinsky matter.

Kerry would never have been a candidate if Gore had "won" and the Democrats would not have had to run against a sitting President in 2004.

Further , Kerry lost because he could never explain his vote on the Iraq war-- just as Senator Clinton has stumbled through her explanation time after time.

The Iraq war is and will remain a central issue in 2008-- including the judgment of each candidate and their respective positions in favor or against the war from the outset. It is an unavoidable subject as the war continues to drain our military and overall economic resources with no forseeable end, plus the continued tragic loss of lives. .

Finally, if there is any candidate in this race who is elitist, condescending and disengenuous-- Senator Clinton need only to look in the mirror .

By seeking to put the blame for prior losses by Gore and Kerry on the voters alleged impression of them as elitist shows how out of touch Senator Clinton is with reality as such an argument only highlights her own weaknesses and further undermines her depressing campaign .

Clinton's Political Hail Mary Wont Work

2008-04-13T11:29:49Z

I just blogged about my thoughts about Senator Clinton's latest political hatchet job over Senator OBAMAS " bitter comments". Another reader correctly pointed out that I miswrote and then went on to demean my opinion . I stand corrected but I hope the reader will learn to accept others errors in a less harsh way. That was part of the point I was trying to make in the blog. Tom Abrams

Clinton's Political Hale Mary Wont Work

2008-04-13T10:55:19Z

Unfortunately or fortunately , the reasons many of us have great admiration for Senator Obama also lands him in hot water now and then. From the start he has been unconventional in that he talks , often dispassionately, about normally taboo subjects-- race, religion and human nature. I mean he talks about them in real terms , not just poll driven stereotypical statements. There are many good reasons Politicians and even neighbors ( in big and small towns) stay away from these topics as they are extremely complex and it is unavoidable to potentially offend if one tries to be honest about his or her views or is somewhat inarticulate in presenting them.

Obama, on many different occaisions has taken these sensitive issues in ways which make conventional politicos shutter, yet his core beliefs and ultimate ability to cogently explain them has alllowed him to bounce back from extreme criticism .

This most recent controversy is no different, instead of giving a standard political answer to supporters as to why he does not do better among small town white populations in the midwest, he gave an analysis which was generally true but certainly offensive in the manner it was stated. Does this make the thrust of what he said less true -- No, does it make him less electable-- I do not think so in our current climate where many voters are angry and yes bitter about politics, politicians and the general state off economic and foreign affairs. I am in that category of voters and I think many others are as well which has fueled Obamas campaign.

Obama could have given a standard stump speach for the rest of the campaign and out lasted Senator Clinton as her unpopularity among almost all groups except her base of white females over 45 is palpable. For whatever reason , Obama is just different and he feels compelled to give honest snd sometimes politically unconventional answers to questions posed to him by the media and voters. Foe example,his analysis of the political history of Politicians who changed the trejectory of our Country was certainly unconventional and made for great fodder by the Clinton campaign and media in the run up to the Nevada primary because of the implicit praise of Ronald Reagan as a transformative Political figure. Of course , what Senator Obama said was ture-- but no conventional politician running in a Democratic primary would dare say such a thing as it opened the door to sound bite criticism by Senator Clinton and her supporters. Of course , Senator Clinton and President Clinton had heaped much greater and direct praise on President Reagan in speeches and memoirs. This does not matter to the Clinton campaign as long as there is Political hay to be made in the short term.

This latest dust up is more of the same-- but now the door is closing on Senator Clinton's campaign so the calculation to unleash this Political Hale Mary was an easy one. It is in line with the only winnable strategy Senator Clinton has had since the February primaries--- try to ruin Senator Obama and make him appear unelectable by exploiting to grossly disproportionate degrees Senator Obama's ill chosen comments on why many voters are bitter.

It is no coincidence Bill Clinton was scheduled to appear yesterday in 6 or 7 small towns in North Carolina with pre made stickers saying " Im not Bitter:" and Senator Clinton appeared in Indiana to the music of " Small Town" by John Mellancamp , downed a shot of Whiskey and raved about her love of guns. The pure political calculation and disingenous nature of it all is the reason Senator Clinton is so unpopular. Maybe that is who she really is and her support of gun control and past positions have been a ruse-- who knows and no one will ever know--as the truth is a rare and long dismissed commodity for Senator Clinton and her campaign.

I just don't thin Senator Clinton's Hale Mary will work as this voter and many others want a new politics , something different than the politics as usual and some one who will genuinely speak to the anger, bitterness and cynicism inside us because of the lies and lack of Political courage we have seen for way to long. ( That is why President Bush's popularity is around 30% and Congress is even lower). Yes , to put in more blunt vernacular-- people are pissed and it isn't just small town America.

So, I will continue to embrace Senator Obama with the same respect and support I have given him since he started his improbable campaign ( be honest- did most of you realy think a 46 year old black guy named Barak Hussein Obama would get his far in American Politics and have a 50-50 chance of becoming the next President- Bill and Hillary Clinton certainly missed that calculation). Not becuse he is perfect ( because he is not), not becuse he does not sin ( which he does as do we all more often than many of us would like to admit) and not because I agree with all of his positions and everytjing he says or the way he says it ( which I do not) , but because he generally has very good instincts, is honest , inspirational and represents a new kind of Politics.

Senator Obama has often said he will rely on the basic fairness of the voter which has sustained him so far against a Political machine and now the Political right who have great fear of an Obama candidacy. ( You rarely see Senator Clinton as at target of the Political right )

I suspect Senator Clinton's politically calculated Hale Mary will backfire as prespective and proportion is weighed into the politcal onslaught. I , for one, am going to show my support for Senator Obama by giving an online contribution which I normallly do when the Clinton campaign takes out its now bloody but ever dulling hatchet .

CLINTONS ARE DUPLICITOUS-- BOSNIA TALE CONTINUES TO GROW

2008-04-11T20:16:04Z

   I previously blogged that Senator Clinton's Bosnia tale was a tragic mistake on many levels-- most importantly because of the attempt to cover up the story she had told at least three times in public as early as Iowa and as recent as in prepared remarks in a St Patricks day speech--even after reporters and individuals ( ie,Sin bad who was on the trip with Senator Clinton) called into question Senator Clinton's story. After all , it was not just any story , it was a story designed specifically to show her foreign policy mettle and bonafides.

Unfortunately, Senator Clinton diminished the recollection of others and tried to obfuscate the truth hoping it would just be one of those-- oh well its to confusing to get your arms around and who's going to believe Sin bad the Obama supporter anyway . This tactic backfired ( although because it has worked so many other times ie, NAFTA, the campaign must have figured why change now) .

This issue and this time was different. The truth and the often repeated tale told a starkly different story and there was clearly only one truth and it was not Senator Clinton's. The issue was also critical and central to the campaign-- foreign policy experience.

Only after being faced with the undeniable and irrefutable truth did Senator Clinton back off the story, but she did it in a duplicitous manner claiming she was tired an simply misspoke. This was another tale much more damaging than the initial one as the cover up was false. As referenced above and now widely reported , Senator Clinton had repeated the same story at least three times over several months and failed to retract it despite numerous off the beat media stories and personal challenges to the story.

President Clinton is a brilliant Politician, he realizes how monumental a blunder the Bosnia tale story is and yesterday tried to recast it with such a distorted and untruthful manner that it only magnified the sad history of the Bosnia tale. His belief he can talk his or his wifes way out of anything and apparent disdain for the facts probably made him think he could make the tremendously harmful Bosnia debacle a little more muddled and a little better.

It didn't work, what it did was once again show the Clinton's tag team show will say and do anything and won't let facts or others get in the way.



When facing a war hero in a general election who lingered as a prisoner of war for years in horrid conditions , even if you naively buy the Clinton spin of the story, the fact that Senator Clinton somehow thought she remembered bullets flying at her in Bosnia and mistakenly used the story as a basis to support her foreign policy credentials should be extremely worrisome-- even to the Senators most loyal supporters . This most favorable, albeit unbelievable version of the story, will in and of itself bury her if she somehow managed to get the nomination. Even the little girl Senator Clinton greeted at the Airport remembers that day and is troubled by the tale.

However, anyone following the story objectively knows the real story is much more harmful and cannot be explained away, not even by the great communicator, President Clinton.

Only one word can describe the Clintons and their sad campaign which has badly tarnished Senator Clinton, President Clinton and the Democratic party---- DUPLICITOUS !

( As an aside-- I have voted Democratic my entire life, including 2 times for President Clinton ( I am 46 ) and write this blog with a heavy heart and concern for the next 8 years)