My son is a huge fan of Hillary Clinton and took it pretty hard when she lost to Barack Obama. He's even threatened to vote for John McCain. Well, Saturday the DNC and Howard Dean brought their cross-country "Register for Change" bus tour to Baton Rouge. So we attended.

On the way there Miss Julie had an idea.

Because dailykos was started as the Bush administration was preparing to send this country to war, I've decided my first diary entry will start with my own story from that time.

In August 2002, I began my third year of college. One of my courses was Politics of West Asia, and for this class I was required to keep up with all stories relevant to this region in the New York Times. At the beginning of the semester, I opened my Times every day and inevitably found an update of the US operations in Afghanistan.

At some point in September, I started noticing a change in the Times' stories. The coverage of Afghanistan was now on page 2, 3, 4...and on the front page appeared strange articles about Iraq. I say "strange" because they often did not follow the normal Times protocol of having front page stories cover distinct and recent events. Iraq was not complying with the UN Security Council Resolutions—just as it hadn't for years. Sometimes based on vague White House statements, these articles otherwise did not seem to describe any new developments, but had the effect of replacing "Afghanistan" with "Iraq" in the top news items in newspapers around the country.

Okay, so I wasn't as consistent in my Clinton support during the primaries as some others. But I consider that I was a fairly strong Hillary supporter. I initially liked both Clinton and Obama, and it basically stayed that way. In the real world, most of my Clinton-supporting friends have switched over to Obama. Doesn't that make sense? The two are mostly different on stylistic issues. Neither one ran a perfect campaign, but there have been more negative primaries than this. Who cares, Clinton or Obama? Or for that matter, Romney or McCain? The political parties have become so well defined on the issues across the whole spectrum that you know that no matter which candidate emerges, their Presidency will be influenced most strongly by the ideas they run on which are in turn based on the ideas that their party espouses.

When we as American citizens are called upon to work for and support not only our chosen Party, but the candidate that our Party has selected for the General Election, then that is what we must do, to do other wise is to commit a serious wrong. The Constitution grants us certain rights and common sense requires that we should exercise those rights.

As our forefathers before us and the succeeding generations since have accepted the truth that all men/women are created equal; that by the very citizenship granted by this the Government of the United States of America, they must participate in the political system that these same forefathers had designed, to fail to do so will allow a government that will gather onto itself powers other than those granted by the governed.

I heard it this morning on one of the rock radio stations I listen to.  "Hillary supporters going to sit out the election."

Haven't they, we moved past this OR is this a media trumped up story because they need controversy?

Either way the Republicans can't be too unhappy.

Unfuckingbelievable.

Hillary needs to make this stop now.

Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co. and a top adviser to Republican Sen. John McCain, met with the former Clinton backers at a private home for more than an hour and a half. Fiorina said in an interview that over glasses of iced tea and finger food, she fielded questions from Democratic women she described as "intensely uncomfortable with the notion of a President Obama.’’

The Westchester meeting came at the behest of former Clinton supporters, some of whom have said – adamantly – that they won’t support Obama. Polls show Obama winning the majority of support from women voters while about a quarter of ex-Clinton supporters are leaning toward McCain.

I attended a Democratic Party Unity Rally in Worcester MA last night.  Come below the fold to see how an area where Hillary triumphed during the primary is coalescing around Barack Obama.

The Obama campaign has been pretty successful at being leak-free on the running mate front. Only two or three people outside of the candidate have a clue as to his thinking, and they aren't talking. That doesn't mean people like me can't have a little fun, and make idle speculation about the person who Obama will choose to run for Vice President. Here are the top twelve, as I see them:

(This is actually a repost from some months ago, but I put so much time into hunting down the appropriate photos, I decided to repost it; besides, I'm depressed about not being able to make it to NN this year, so I wanted to post something light to cheer myself--and perhaps others--up a bit)

Several months back, Canadian Noise posted an Oscar-themed diary which speculated on the casting for a filmed version of the 2008 Presidential race.

Unfortunately, the diary didn’t get much notice, but I thought it was such a fun idea that I ran with it, and came up with the following. The only rule I made for myself is to take it seriously—no cartoon characters, no dead actors; all of the choices have to be current, professional film or TV actors. Feel free to toss your own ideas into the ring; I know that I’m way off on at least some of my choices, but what the hell...

Per CNN:

McCain's strongest denunciation of Obama came when discussing the Democrat's health care plan, which would cost $50-65 billion per year but would not mandate insurance coverage for all adults, only children.

"My friends, we've seen this movie before," McCain said. "It was called 'HillaryCare' back in 1993, and we're not going to do it again. We're not going to have the government take over the health care system in America."

So much for the respect for Hillary Clinton...

Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act of 2008

McSame Sh*it, Different Day McSame AWOL, AGAIN, on another crucial vote.  McSame didn't 'show up' to vote on the original Medicare bill, or the veto over ride, thereby default, 'supporting' Bush's opposition/veto.

It's great that Barack Obama is doing well, but we must not fall into the trap of thinking this election is over and an automatic landslide.

I published a diary yesterday about a Clinton bundler named Ricki Lieberman who was pushing Clinton supporters to refuse to give any money or support to Obama or to the DNC, and try to get Hillary the nomination in Denver.  Interesting responses so far.

For some reason, John McCain and his fans think he's funny? Huh?

Do they really think he's funny, or his fans know that they're supporting a Pre-internet politically incorrect boob, and have no choice but to clumsily support him?

Many Democrats have been calling McLame a goof ball, sexist, not funny, angry, scary, grandpa, etc., for years now. What's this "ol goof's" problem we ask, and "where's the media"on this?

Well today Ben Smith (of Politico) wrote a very revealing(for the press) 2 page article on J. McCain's jokes,titled "McCain's humor often backfires", and how often, many of them aren't funny, insulting and considered sexist(Rape, J.Reno, French Joke, etc.).

I know many liberals, criticize Ben Smith at times. But we should give him kudos on this one. I never expected it. I'm sure he'll receive a lot of push back by the McCain camp. But what took him so long?

Politico(technically)is not the MSM. But let's be honest. Most of the media, gets their stories from a few web sources(like Drudge, Halperin), and Politico, is definitely one of them.

Here's the link & some highlights below:

http://www.politico.com/...

NEVADA LYON CO. DEMS---

TO ALL OF YOU HILLARY SUPPORTERS... You don't HAVE TO fall in line!!
It's not over!   Nationally:    http://18millionvoices.blogspot.com
      locally:  http://hrclinton.blogspot.com/...

--If you are for Obama, and you are having second thoughts!
          It's not over!   Nationally:   http://18millionvoices.blogspot.com
      Locally:   http://hrclinton.meetup.com

--If you're, just...Obama's:  May the best man win in August!!    

Thanks all for your time!
nevadavoices@yahoo.com

I have exciting news!

This Thursday, Lilly Ledbetter -- the Alabama woman who was paid less than her male co-workers for nearly two decades -- will be standing alongside Congressional leaders, and supporters like you, to rally in support of the bill that bears her name, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Featuring:

• Lilly Ledbetter, plaintiff in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.
• Speaker Nancy Pelosi
• Senator Barbara Mikulski
• Senator Hillary Clinton
• Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

http://nwlc.blogs.com/...

It seems to me that after years of Bush II and the Primary Wars many of us have misplaced or completely lost our political sense of humor. We dare not poke fun at our candidate, the economy, the war or anything else. And for those that do, they are given some label decrying their lack of sensitivity or PCness.

Why is Rasmussen still polling McCain vs Hillary?

Here - http://www.rasmussenreports.com/...

Obama vs McCain - 45% to 41%
Hillary vs McCain - 50% to 42%
Gore(!!) vs McCain - 50% to 43%

Why is Rasmussen wasting their time & money polling Hillary & Al?

Are they joined the PUMA coalition? Do they think the SD's are going to suddenly go haywire & nominate Hillary at the convention?