Archive - Mar 2008

Obama gains more ground in Texas conventions - As the smoke cleared from this weekend's regional Democratic conventions, Barack Obama emerged with a majority of the state's at-large presidential nominating delegates and possibly a majority of all Texas delegates.

Justices Let Stand Ruling on Illegal F.B.I. Search - The Supreme Court on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that the F.B.I. went too far in searching the office of Representative William J. Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat accused of using his position to promote business deals in Africa.

Sources: Iran helped prod al-Sadr cease-fire - Iran was integral in persuading Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to halt attacks by his militia on Iraqi security forces, an Iraqi lawmaker said Monday. Haidar al-Abadi, who is with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Dawa Party, said Iraqi Shiite lawmakers traveled Friday to Iran to meet with al-Sadr. They returned Sunday, the day al-Sadr told his Mehdi Army fighters to stand down.

US plans finance system overhaul - The US Treasury has revealed its blueprint for the biggest overhaul of regulation of the financial sector since the 1930s. Critics have said that the credit crunch and resultant market turmoil made a strong case for change. But Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson rejected claims that existing regulations have led to the turmoil. And he said the plan should not be implemented until current difficulties roiling financial markets are resolved.

Cubans can now stay in hotels for foreigners - New President Raúl Castro's government has lifted a ban on Cubans staying at hotels previously reserved for foreigners, ending another restriction that had been especially irksome to ordinary citizens. Some hotels scheduled meetings with all staff members to discuss the changes, and officials said new rules also will allow Cubans to rent cars at state-run agencies for the first time.

I have been entertaining this idea for a while now and I feel that I am correct in speculating that Gore is a closet-Obama supporter (not that it is a bad thing) and I shall explain.

Most high profile Democrats have publicly declared who they are endorsing. Those that have waited ended up endorsing Obama which in itself does not warrant that Gore is leaning to Obama but hear my case out. There is no reason why Gore should not have already endorsed Clinton by now.

Gore may publicly excuse himself but deep down he knows that he supports Obama but in order to respect Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, he will not disclose his support publicly until after and if Obama secures the nomination. You see . . . Gore spent 8 quality years with the Clinton's
and they had no trouble supporting him when he made his run back in 2000 and I don't mean the primary. Gore understands how the media will spin his endorsement for Obama and understands that it can be detrimental to Hillary's campaign if the former Vice President of the United States does not endorse the former President's wife.

One should entertain that a direct endorsement or lack thereof by Gore should be seen as support for Obama. Gore is attempting to remain neutral but it is that neutrality that screams "I want to endorse Obama but I can't" to me.

Why hasn't Gore endorsed Obama yet? Because, like I speculate he understands the firestorm it may create within the party. Heck, the way the media handled the Richardson situation should have traumatized him. I will go out on a limb and claim that Edwards is playing it safe for that reason as well. I imagine that Richardson secured a cabinet post before the public announcement and that is why he went public. Gore does not have such future aspirations in my opinion. He is currently wrapped up in his own personal projects that public life in the political spectrum is not a priority.

Gore, may have the privilege of delivering the coup de grâce to the second place candidate come June, which I see being Clinton the way the primary is playing out. I have said only 1 other time, I voted for Clinton here in Texas but I am a realist at the same time and to ignore the 100+ deficit when it comes to the delegate count is not optimism. Nonetheless, I understand the predicament that Gore faces and it makes perfect sense why he has been low key this primary season.

Many liberal bloggers attempt to make the argument that Clinton should quit the race as soon as possible . . . correction . . . many liberal bloggers that are Obama supporters attempt to sway Democrats into thinking Clinton should bow out of the race. The claim is there but there is no logical justification that comes to mind that explains why Clinton should bow out.

Some state that it is tearing the party apart or it is prolonging the process a bit to much. I have never understood the argument since it doesn't make any sense. Even Obama states that Clinton "can run as long as she wants."

Steve Benen entertains the idea of what may be keeping Clinton around for another 5 months and offers a solution to Democrats. Funny enough it is the same solution that I provide to Obama supporters.

I blame our instant gratification society. This is a primary folks. Think of it like the regular season of baseball or basketball. There is a schedule that has been set and it ends in June. This is no secret, we have known this for years. It hasn't changed that much. It was the same for Kerry when he ran in 2004. It was even similar for Bill Clinton when he ran in 1992. You see . . . if the Democratic Party wanted to make this a quick and easy thing it would not take place over 6 months. But it does and that is the reality.

Just because there are two qualified, competitive and may I say great candidates, it does not mean that one should have to concede before it is over.

Clinton still has a chance but as a realist I do not expect her to secure the nomination nonetheless, I do not consent to negating the possibility that she fight it until the end. If Obama supporters want to end this primary (or Clinton supporters as well) then your candidate of choice needs to step it up and blow out the other opponent.

The primary season still has a few more months to go and until one candidate secures the minimum delegate count for nomination it is preposterous to ask either or to bow out. No matter what happens from now until then, it is a different story in my opinion how that second place candidate should conduct themselves at the Party Convention. Until we reach the playoffs in Denver though . . . as Yogi Berra said, "It ain't over until it's over!"

On a side note . . . I wanted to poke some fun at Steve Benen for titling that last post, "She’s in it to win it — for at least another five months" because who's in it to lose? As Bill Engvall would say, "Here's your sign." j/k . . . lol, oh I am having too much fun this Sunday morning.

[Update at 10:30 am]

Benen has just released a post about the primary and the shenanigans surrounding it. He offers some legitimate reasons why the primary should not keep going on and as to not repeat what I already said earlier today I shall only add.

Benen claims, "Yes, there are 10 contests left, but that’s hardly a good reason to keep a nomination fight going. Primary contests are usually over by now; we rarely weep for those states that play a minimal role in picking the next nominee." I agree what just because there are 10 that is not a good reason[in itself] to continue the primary but because the Primary is "usually over by now" in itself is not any better. Heck the Democratic primary is usually won by a white male . . . sort of throws that argument into a spin this time around. In fact, Bill Clinton did not secure the Democratic nomination until April when he beat Jerry Brown in New York back in 1992.

He then asks, "Who really believes a 14-month campaign (so far) for the nomination is insufficient?" I agree . . . I do not think anyone will be foolish to claim that it is insufficient but that is not the issue at hand. No one has secured the minimum required delegate count and that reason by itself is good enough to continue. How would it look if party members call of the primary because they want to unite behind one candidate without giving the process a chance to finish.

I also agree with Benen when he notes that, "states have a choice about moving up their primaries/caucuses if this is a priority," if they want a voice in the primary. I actually offer this as a solution but the fact of the matter it they did not want a contest to last this long (oh the horror of the past 3 months) it would have never been setup the way it is.

Benen concludes by entertaining the following, "If you’re a consultant/strategist at the RNC right now, are you worried that a prolonged Democratic process is going to help Dems with voter registration and battle testing, or are you doing the Happy Dance that the Clinton/Obama fight is going to continue for the foreseeable future?"

This is quite elementary my dear . . . the RNC shall be worried not because of the the number of voters registering (although that in itself should be a nightmare) but how can you do a Happy Dance when you don't even know who you're opponent is let along what to attack them on. Plus, it does not help that your nominee is getting neglected and ignored half the time. It also gives plenty of time for McCain to make a fool of himself as he becomes restless about the process.

[Update at 5:45pm] Justin Gardener over at Donklephant just made a post about Clinton going all the way. I recommend reading my entire post to understand my position on the argument and I shall only add now.

First of forth-most, why are people shocked that Clinton is going all the way? She has not been blown out of the water to warrant her departure. As I said she still has a chance . . . a slim one but she gets the opportunity to entertain the nomination as long as the elections are there or she has enough money. There is no reason why she or Obama should have to bow out. Should we have expected Obama to quit when late last year Clinton looked like the sure shoe in? No, and we should not be surprised that Clinton does not want to be forced to step down. Most candidates bow out because they never got the support early on to make it a viable candidacy. Must I remind folks that Clinton and Obama have practically split the popular vote. Obama may have the edge on candidates and popular vote but as he stated she can continue as long as she wants to.

Who cares if her intentions are to continue until the last primary. That is how our democratic process works. Who decides when it has become to long? Did they really make the primary a 6 month event because they never thought anyone would care what happens in June? Now, what happens once the last ballot is counted on the last day of the primaries is a different story and that in itself can be a topic of its own.

Files Released by Colombia Point to Venezuelan Bid to Arm Rebels - Files provided by Colombian officials from computers they say were captured in a cross-border raid in Ecuador this month appear to tie Venezuela’s government to efforts to secure arms for Colombia’s largest insurgency.

Clinton rejects calls to quit Democratic race - Sen. Hillary Clinton on Saturday rejected calls by supporters of rival candidate Barack Obama to quit the Democratic presidential race, and Obama said Clinton should remain in race "as long as she wants."

Blu-ray copy protection 'cracked' - A company claims it has cracked the anti-piracy technology on Blu-ray discs. Slysoft says the new version of its AnyDVD programme allows users to make "backup security copies" of high definition movies. The claim is a blow to Sony which developed the Blu-ray format.

Sadr Makes Truce Offer - Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is offering to pull his fighters off the streets of Basra and other cities if the government halts raids against his followers and releases prisoners held without charge. The offer is contained in a nine-point statement issued by his headquarters in Najaf.

'Open Skies' heralds new era in air travel - The first plane has landed under the "Open Skies" agreement between the United States and Europe, heralding what many hope will be a new era in air travel. The Continental Airways flight from Newark to Heathrow touched down under rainy London skies at dawn on Sunday morning.

I'm sorry but I will have to rant about polls for a minute now. Perhaps, because the poll numbers they are currently releasing aren't of any value because the primary isn't until late April . . . a little less than a month away!

I have always disliked polls . . . because they are irrelevant and I still do not understand why the media likes to present them as news. You may ask yourself why or David there is a purpose . . . no, not really. Polls just serve as a popularity contest and only reassure folks of who they should vote for since most people want to vote for the "winning candidate"

Don't get me wrong . . . there is a purpose for polls but those that benefit from them are political insiders that crunch the numbers in order to know how well they are marketing the campaign. The news needs to stop highlighting the number of points a candidate is a ahead every day. Who cares? It doesn't matter because it is just a hypothetical analyzation of what pollsters anticipate based on a small sample group. I wonder what do regular Americans think they gain from seeing the latest poll. It is detrimental to the democratic process and has no productive purpose whatsoever so the next time you hear about a poll . . . make up the results because it's just as relevant as hearing their numbers.

I am currently blogging live from the Harris County Delegate Convention taking place at the Geroge R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. The hype about the Texas Primary and Caucus may be over but the this two-step continues. Unlike the Precinct Convention, this convention is a bit more organized which makes sense. Texans learned the hard way how democracy works during their Precinct Convention so most expected the next step to be a bit more brutal since it is larger That is not the case though. I would estimate that there are around 1000 delegates and it seems like they expected around 2000 with all the empty chairs visible.

Currently we are waiting for the event to take off at approximately 9 am CDT. I spoke to my girlfriend briefly who is a delegate out in Travis County aka Austin, Texas and she said parking and signing in was hectic. I understand why parking may have been an issue since their convention center provides free parking unlike Houston. I had to shell out about $15 but thats okay because I am contributing to the democratic process right? It is no secret that Obama won the caucus in Texas and I expect that to play out our convention since we are the largest urban city in the state. The Obama supporters and Clinton supporters are out in full force and it was pleasant to see a Rick Noriega volunteer informing fellow Democrats of this fellows run for the Senate in November.

[Update @ 10:25 am] So the convention had been at full swing for about 1 hour or so. I was surprised with the morning prayer that began the convention . . . so much for separation of church and state. Nonetheless, after the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem, we heard several local politicians speak about the change in administration and policy expected in November. We currently voted for the delegates that will represent this Precinct at the State Convention. My Precinct was only allocated 2 delegates. Nonetheless, I am going to apply for an at-large position and hopefully make it out on the first weekend of June to Austin. I now understand why there are not as many people as I expected at this convention. Apparently, this is a Senatorial convention, unlike what is going on throughout the state in which there are county conventions. Houston and what I expect is going on at other large metropolitan areas is divided into conventions based on the Senate district. That explains why the process has been smooth so far.

[Update @ 3:50 pm] I am still at the Senate Convention and two cups of coffee later we have ordered pizza and expect to spend the next three hours here. Currently, we are approving and amending resolutions. Most of our precinct has left and only those that are going to be delegates are hanging around. I spoke to Becky and it seems that it is the same situation in Austin. There was a moment when there was a heated debate about recognizing same-sex marriages.

I left around 7:30 while resolutions were being read. I grew restless and tired after being there for over 10 hours. For about 15 minutes there was controversy as some Obama supporters failed to follow parliamentary procedure when nominating a secretary for the convention. That was laid to rest once their concerns were taken care off. Nonetheless, it went smoothly after that. The resolutions took a while since some people had opinions about certain ones such as tolls, same-sex marriages and medical marijuana to name a few.

Treasury Dept. Plan Would Give Fed Wide New Power - The Treasury Department will propose on Monday that Congress give the Federal Reserve broad new authority to oversee financial market stability, in effect allowing it to send SWAT teams into any corner of the industry or any institution that might pose a risk to the overall system.

Zimbabwean voters elect president - People in Zimbabwe are voting in an election that will decide whether President Robert Mugabe, in power since 1980, wins a sixth term in office. Queues formed early at many polling stations, with voters determined to cast their ballots. The MDC fears the poll will be rigged but Mr Mugabe said as he cast his vote in Harare: "We don't rig elections."

First cities go dark for Earth Hour - Sydney's iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge went dark Saturday night as the world's first major city turned off its lights for this year's Earth Hour, a global campaign to raise awareness of climate change. This year, 26 major world cities and more than 300 other cities and towns have signed up for the event.

First, Self-Control. Then, Debt Control - If you have gotten in over your head in credit card debt, you are in good company. The Federal Reserve says Americans have accumulated nearly $1 trillion, a record amount, in what it calls “revolving credit.” But while the financial experts are urging people to pay down debt — particularly expensive credit card debt — that is easier said than done.

Bible course sparks wrangle - More disagreement surfaced Friday over the public school Bible course Texas lawmakers approved last year. The latest issue hinges on whether the state must adopt specific curriculum standards for the course, an elective that's supposed to start in the 2009-10 school year. 

Consumer spending hits lowest point in 17 months - Consumers, jolted by a credit crisis, job cuts and soaring energy costs, turned in the weakest spending performance in 17 months in February, further evidence that the risks of a recession are increasing. The Commerce Department said today that consumer spending edged up by just 0.1 percent last month, the poorest showing since September 2006. And if the effects of inflation are removed, spending was flat in February, the third consecutive month of sluggish activity.

China Law Could Impede Microsoft Deal for Yahoo - Microsoft’s hostile-takeover attempt against Yahoo may encounter an unexpected hurdle in August after a Chinese antimonopoly law takes effect that will extend the nation’s economic influence far beyond its borders. The law, which goes into effect on Aug. 1, is intended to strengthen an existing set of antitrust regulations the Chinese originally established in 1993.

Ledger's Joker could be biggest posthumous movie role -  Heath Ledger's frenzied reinvention of the Joker had fans and colleagues buzzing. His dreadful clown face was seen online by millions, and stood as the goosebump-raising image upon which nearly all early marketing of "The Dark Knight" hinged. Now the Batman archfiend stands as Ledger's next-to-last performance. And while it's not the first, "The Dark Knight" has already emerged as arguably the biggest movie featuring a posthumous role in Hollywood history.

Cuba lifts curbs on mobile phones - Cubans are to be allowed unrestricted access to mobile phones for the first time, in the latest reform announced under new President Raul Castro. Some Cubans already own mobile phones, but they have had to acquire them via a third party, often foreigners.

Human noses 'can detect danger' - Our noses can quickly learn to link even subtle changes in smell with danger, claim scientists. Volunteers who could not differentiate between two similar smells found they could do it easily after being given a mild electric shock alongside one.