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Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Somewhere in New York, Rudy Giuliani is wailing, "Why didn't fear work for ME?"
Posted by Jill | 4:42 AM
Fear....for lack of a better word....is GOOD. Fear is right. Fear WORKS. Fear clarifies and cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Fear, in all of its forms -- fear for one's life, fear of losing one's money, fear of losing one's loved ones, fear of knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind, and fear -- you mark my words -- will save that malfunctioning corporation called the USA.

Isn't it funny how you need only change a few words from the infamous "Greed is good" speech from Wall Street, you can encapsulate the results of yesterday's Ohio and Texas primaries? The headlines this morning do everything but call Hillary Clinton "The Comeback Kid."

"BLOOD IN THE WATER" screams the New York Daily News. "HILL YEAH! Clinton Romps in Ohio and Lassos Texas" hollers the New York Post, owned by Hillary's BFF, Rupert Murdoch. Yee-hah indeed. Even the staid old Washington Post has an article titled "Tempers Flare as Contests Heat Up." The Boston Globe describes Hillary Clinton's campaign as "resurgent."

Obviously it's far better for Hillary Clinton today than it would have been had she lost either Ohio OR Texas. In the last few weeks, Obama closed a significant gap, though Clinton seemed to stabilize or pick up support in the last few days. There's going to be much speculation as to why Obama wasn't able to "close the deal", as Tweety put it last night, but I suspect that once again, going negative works, and playing on fear works.

I must confess that I had been lulled into a false sense of a return of American sanity after Rudy Giuliani's "noun, a verb, and 9/11" campaign imploded under its own ponderous fearmongering weight. But I think that despite Obama's calls to our better nature, the appeal to the reptilian brain of Hillary Clinton's "vote for me or your children will be killed by Scary Brown Muslim Men" (sic) ad worked. This clip from Sunday's 60 Minutes shows that the e-mail smears my friend had received and which concerned her are having an effect:




As much as we'd like to believe that Democrats Don't Do That Sort of Thing, unfortunately they do. More unfortunately is that they don't seem to want to do it against Republicans; only against other Democrats.

The Clinton campaign may not be responsible for the e-mail smears, but they are certainly not above exploiting them. The clip I ran yesterday in which Clinton leaves the door open for Obama to be lying about not being some kind of sinister Islamofascist™ mole demonstrated that very clearly. And if the Clintons are using the Scary Brown Men boogeyman, you can bet your life that the Republicans will use entire armies of them.

So Josh Marshall is right when he says:

A lot's getting said tonight. And a lot of it is baseless speculation. But the one thing that rings true to me is this: The Clinton campaign got rough and nasty over the last week-plus. And they got results. That may disgust you or it may inspire you with confidence in Hillary's abilities as a fighter. But wherever you come down on that question is secondary to the fact that that's how campaign's work. Opponents get nasty. And what we've seen over the last week is nothing compared to what Barack Obama would face this fall if he hangs on and wins the nomination.

So I think the big question is, can he fight back? Can he take this back to Hillary Clinton, demonstrate his ability to take punches and punch back? By this I don't mean that he's got to go ballistic on her or go after Bill's business deals or whatever else her vulnerabilities might be. Candidates fight in different ways and if they're good candidates in ways that play to their strengths and cohere with their broader message. But he's got to show he can take this back to Hillary and not get bloodied and battered when an opponent decides to lower the boom. That will obviously determine in a direct sense how he fares in the coming primaries and caucuses.


It's just not helpful to have Hillary Clinton doing the Republicans' advance work for them. Because when you look past the popular vote to the delegate count, Clinton's win is less significant. Chuck Todd explains:




So Clinton may have won Texas and Ohio last night, but she still isn't significantly ahead of where she was on Monday in terms of the delegate count. So it may still be too late for her to get the nomination. But with the help of Rush Limbaugh, who exhorted his mindless, grinning bulldog acolytes to vote for her in Texas' open primary, Clinton has succeeded in "bloodying" Barack Obama in the eyes of the media.

I just hope the Republicans are grateful to her for doing their work for them.

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4 Comments:
Blogger Unknown said...
>I just hope the Republicans are grateful to her for doing their work for them.

Check.
3/5/08, 6:22 AM  
Blogger Melina said...
My Mom IMed me that it was for the better because Obama needs some more seasoning...that he might make a good VP but that now that Hill's back Obama will go and wait his turn; he will be a good candidate in the next go round...
I had to send her some numbers on delegates vs. the hopes of a super delegate miracle...
Even Morning Joe is doing "real numbers vs. headlines"...
I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but my god, isn't anyone aware of how this system works?
And in order to conjure up a miracle, Hill is gonna have to go more and more negative and Rovian...
3/5/08, 7:28 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Don’t believe one optimistic word from any public figure about the economy or humanity in general. They are all part of the problem. Its like a game of Monopoly. In America, the richest 1% now hold 1/2 OF ALL UNITED STATES WEALTH. Unlike ‘lesser’ estimates, this includes all stocks, bonds, cash, and material assets held by America’s richest 1%. Even that filthy pig Oprah acknowledged that it was at about 50% in 2006. Naturally, she put her own ‘humanitarian’ spin on it. Calling attention to her own ‘good will’. WHAT A DISGUSTING HYPOCRITE SLOB. THE RICHEST 1% HAVE LITERALLY MADE WORLD PROSPERITY ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE. Don’t fall for any of their ‘humanitarian’ CRAP. ITS A SHAM. THESE PEOPLE ARE CAUSING THE SAME PROBLEMS THEY PRETEND TO CARE ABOUT. Ask any professor of economics. Money does not grow on trees. The government can’t just print up more on a whim. At any given time, there is a relative limit to the wealth within ANY economy of ANY size. So when too much wealth accumulates at the top, the middle class slip further into debt and the lower class further into poverty. A similar rule applies worldwide. The world’s richest 1% now own over 40% of ALL WORLD WEALTH. This is EVEN AFTER you account for all of this ‘good will’ ‘humanitarian’ BS from celebrities and executives. ITS A SHAM. As they get richer and richer, less wealth is left circulating beneath them. This is the single greatest underlying cause for the current US recession. The middle class can no longer afford to sustain their share of the economy. Their wealth has been gradually transfered to the richest 1%. One way or another, we suffer because of their incredible greed. We are talking about TRILLIONS of dollars. Transfered FROM US TO THEM. Over a period of about 27 years. Thats Reaganomics for you. The wealth does not ‘trickle down’ as we were told it would. It just accumulates at the top. Shrinking the middle class and expanding the lower class. Causing a domino effect of socio-economic problems. But the rich will never stop. They will never settle for a reasonable share of ANYTHING. They will do whatever it takes to get even richer. Leaving even less of the pie for the other 99% of us to share. At the same time, they throw back a few tax deductable crumbs and call themselves ‘humanitarians’. Cashing in on the PR and getting even richer the following year. IT CAN’T WORK THIS WAY. Their bogus efforts to make the world a better place can not possibly succeed. Any 'humanitarian' progress made in one area will be lost in another. EVERY SINGLE TIME. IT ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT WORK THIS WAY. This is going to end just like a game of Monopoly. The current US recession will drag on for years and lead into the worst US depression of all time. The richest 1% will live like royalty while the rest of us fight over jobs, food, and gasoline. Crime, poverty, and suicide will skyrocket. So don’t fall for all of this PR CRAP from Hollywood, Pro Sports, and Wall Street PIGS. ITS A SHAM. Remember: They are filthy rich EVEN AFTER their tax deductable contributions. Greedy pigs. Now, we are headed for the worst economic and cultural crisis of all time. SEND A “THANK YOU” NOTE TO YOUR FAVORITE MILLIONAIRE. ITS THEIR FAULT. I’m not discounting other factors like China, sub-prime, or gas prices. But all of those factors combined still pale in comparison to that HUGE transfer of wealth to the rich. Anyway, those other factors are all related and further aggrivated because of GREED. If it weren’t for the OBSCENE distribution of wealth within our country, there never would have been such a market for sub-prime to begin with. Which by the way, was another trick whipped up by greedy bankers and executives. IT MAKES THEM RICHER. The credit industry has been ENDORSED by people like Oprah, Ellen, Dr Phil, and many other celebrities. IT MAKES THEM RICHER. Now, there are commercial ties between nearly every industry and every public figure. IT MAKES THEM RICHER. So don’t fall for their ‘good will’ BS. ITS A LIE. If you fall for it, then you’re a fool. If you see any real difference between the moral character of a celebrity, politician, attorney, or executive, then you’re a fool. WAKE UP PEOPLE. ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. The 1% club will always say or do whatever it takes to get as rich as possible. Without the slightest regard for anything or anyone but themselves. Vioxx. Their idea. Sub-prime. Their idea. NAFTA. Their idea. Outsourcing. Their idea. The commercial lobbyist. Their idea. The multi-million dollar lawsuit. Their idea. $200 cell phone bills. Their idea. $200 basketball shoes. Their idea. $30 late fees. Their idea. $30 NSF fees. Their idea. $20 DVDs. Their idea. Subliminal advertising. Their idea. The MASSIVE campaign to turn every American into a brainwashed credit card, pharmaceutical, love-sick, celebrity junkie. Their idea. All of which concentrate the world’s wealth and resources and wreak havok on society. All of which have been CREATED AND ENDORSED by celebrities, athletes, and executives. IT MAKES THEM RICHER. So don’t fall for their ‘ good will’ ‘humanitarian’ BS. ITS A SHAM. NOTHING BUT TAX DEDUCTABLE PR CRAP. Bottom line: The richest 1% will soon tank the largest economy in the world. It will be like nothing we’ve ever seen before. and thats just the beginning. Greed will eventually tank every major economy in the world. Causing millions to suffer and die. Oprah, Angelina, Brad, Bono, and Bill are not part of the solution. They are part of the problem. EXTREME WEALTH HAS MADE WORLD PROSPERITY ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE. WITHOUT WORLD PROSPERITY, THERE WILL NEVER BE WORLD PEACE OR ANYTHING EVEN CLOSE. GREED KILLS. IT WILL BE OUR DOWNFALL. Of course, the rich will throw a fit and call me a madman. Of course, their ignorant fans will do the same. You have to expect that. But I speak the truth. If you don’t believe me, then copy this entry and run it by any professor of economics or socio-economics. Then tell a friend. Call the local radio station. Re-post this entry or put it in your own words. Be one of the first to predict the worst economic and cultural crisis of all time and explain its cause. WE ARE IN BIG TROUBLE.
3/5/08, 8:37 PM  
Blogger Distributorcap said...
the next 7 weeks are going to be prime fodder for the republicans come sept --- the entire strategy and content will be laid out for them
3/5/08, 9:32 PM  
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