Stop Me Before I Vote Again

I expected Kucinich to wait a while before doing this -- a decent interval, so to speak. Nader truly surprised me.

This is really disappointing. Kucinich is smart enough to know that Obama is unqualified and weaving and wobbling far out in the center away from progressive values. I could see pushing people to Edwards who at least talks progressive, but Obama? Mr. Let's All Get Together and Be Friends?

Nader surprised me too. Kucinich, okay, the guy is after all a Democrat. But Nader? They must be putting something in the water.

Kucinich's capitulation surprises me none at all, he after all chose to entice his supporters back into the "democratic" party in 2004 after failing to secure so much as an anti-war plank in the party platform that year. It's not that I'm opposed to compromise, it's just that if one makes concessions in a negotiation, generally one should get something in exchange. Kucinich got nothing out of the Kerry program or the DLC that year, but he hustled everybody he could back into the "democratic" charade anyway. So no dice for Dennis in my book.

As for Ralph Nader, I'm genuinely surprised he endorsed Edwards, just before the election of 2004 he referred to John Edwards in a speech here in Seattle as a "smiling dog". But I think this is less about any corruption on Nader's own part than it is a public admission on his part that the oligarchy in the United States is so firmly consolidated that the only exit he can see is a vote for a semi-Rooseveltian "democrat". But Ralph has always been a little light on the analytical side of the ledger, he really does believe in Jeffersonian democracy and the yeoman gentry. Still, John Edwards over Mike Gravel, or even Ron Paul, as defenders of capitalist heaven? I'm mystified by the choice.

Last Man Standing? Hell, even semi-recumbent is a bit of a stretch. Dennis The Menace has been lying down since at least 2004. And no, I'm not the least surprised, either, as I'd predicted at least a year ago at
http://www.sinkers.org/posters/democrats08/kucinich08.jpg , on http://www.sinkers.org/posters/democrats08/index.html
Still wasting our time, as usual, huh, Dennis?

As far as the desirability of Nader throwing his influence behind Ron Paul, I can only respond:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aympZ8ILGSI

i back ralph's move

here the father and i prolly part ways

the point in edwards votes

send a message to the dem bot cadre

" the popular will change is for real "

that its jury john saying it
and geeting lots of primary votes
is more important
then if its from the mouth
of
"a real populist"

lloyd george saying
down with the house of lords
as a liberal candidate
ibefore the great war
was signifigant
in a way
laborite keir hardie saying it wasn't

I've been pissed at Nader since Erection Day 2000, when he chose winter hibernation over the obvious chance to attack the Electoral College.

And his new book is the gimpiest thing on paper. "17 traditions," with a cover that looks like granny's cookbook? Who the hell does he think we're up against here? After having reached fame by saying the problem was corporate rotten apples (and not corporations), I thought he was getting clearer on that topic circa 1995-2000.

Not.

John Edwards is a freaking creep. I wouldn't walk across the street to pull a lever for that non-entity.

John Edwards = Jimmy Carter

To wit: a southern nobody running on smiley faces and vague hopes for unpromised reforms who instead ends up delivering Zbig B., Osama BL, the MX Missile, and a record of achievements that lubed the mass orifice for the coming of the Gipper.

md

today's
j.e.speak is class poles and polls
away from jimmy carter speak circa 76
and clinton speak circa 92 or 96

even jackson speak 84 and 88
never stepped on the corporate gig this hard

this lingo ain't goin under the trans nat limbo stick

telling me he doesn't mean it
has about as much impact
as telling me
a hooker doesn't mean it

they will both perform the appointed offices
their jofhns require of them
prep[are for a massive left morph
of the dem pol cadre

if edwards strikes pay dirt here

will he ???

who knows or cares

one of these days some dem hack will
and the new fdr era will have arrived

Owen, how much of a shift do you think this represents, in elite consensus, and how much do you think it's Edwards being a chancer, as a long shot in Hillary's shadow? My own view, for what it's worth, is that Edwards is only attempting to build his market share/market value, that if by some quirk of fate he did ride this pretty far, he'd pull a Kucinich.

too self loving to be quite as abject as mr k
but yes of course
he'd "get behind the ticket "

in fact he'd do nothing substantive
even in office
the identity twins wouldn't do

let me put it this way

ralph's rootin for good news from the votin booth

yes the ballot box speaking
a people's truth to power

as to anything more then talk back
and as a result the elite doing anything more
then hearing the anger
as to elite feet
feeling the flame
that will rquire street level factory floor office cube
fight back....

i ain't seen any of that yet

To my eye, JE is merely positioning himself for the VP gig. I realize he's running ads complaining about corporate power, but he has no programs to actually counter said power. My understanding is that his health care deal is the same as all the other majors' -- a rescue of the most indefensible, already unpopular, and hence easily killed of the litany of reigning corp-cap priorities.

And there's also the issue of how JE imagines you can actually survive "the primaries" while talking about corporate power, sans any organizing efforts/subaltern constituency. The folks who "cover" and "comment on" "the primaries" are none other than corporate powers. You can't outflank these people without a pretty serious prior plan.

JE is going to wind up being the glue that binds the Kosniks to Killary. In Klinton II, he will probably end up being the marketable hand-wringer who pops up every six months to explain why withdrawal from Irack regrettably isn't yet quite possible.

Hope you all listen to Democracy Now today (1/3). Allen Nairn reveals that Edwards has corporate defense lobbyists on his list of advisers.

Our elections are as corrupt as Pakistan's.

Ralph can't figure this crap out?

Hi, Michael from Seattle.

That's another telling vacuum with all these "changers," isn't it, Linda? A real changer would publicize her/his list of new-model staffers as part of proving his/her sincerity.

These frickin creeps are all just quasi-competing to be figurehead-in-chief atop the self-same DP outhouse of Aspins, Albrights, Christophers, Rubins, Brzzzinskoids, Summerzzzez, plus of course the de rigueur unforced inclusion of a soupcon of Repudlickin call-leagues.

Op's boy Bobby might make the list as a ghetto token, provided he doesn't try to knaw off his shock-collar even there.

Scam they am.

bobby in shock collar
worthy of gunther grass

The Grass is probably greener.

And to think: The dp majors and majorettes insist on shock-collaring even chihuahuan ankle-nippers like rr, he of the "let's get competitive again" kibble and the "more worker training" squeaky bone. All because he thinks just a few more hamburgers ought to fall off the buckling beefsteak over-table...