Dems Renting Joe Like Dodgers Did Manny?

Obama sez "Joe can stay." Hell, even Bill Clinton's joined the action. I've gone back and forth and back and forth all over again on this. My knee-jerk response is to disagree with this play 'cuz it smacks of weakness. But perhaps we're much closer to getting those 59 Senate seats than we thought. It's tough to get a read when the "conventional wisdom" seems to change every day twice a day. Like the Dodgers did with Manny Ramirez, the Dems may be renting Lieberman's 60th filibuster-proof vote for Obama's first term. Because barring some sorta spectacular "come to Jesus moment", Lieberman will not be re-elected.

Forgiveness puts Joe on the shortest possible leash too. He'll have to toe the line or start packing. Switching parties is not a realistic option. If his ego would let him (and it won't), it would be tantamount to political suicide (see re-election). McConnell doesn't even have a ranking position to offer Lieberman let alone a chairmanship. God knows Holy Joe's done a piss poor job as Homeland Security Chair.

Reid can give Joe Veterans Affairs and tell him to shut the fuck up.

-AF
(HTs: Digby & TPM)

C'mon Hillary. Please Give It Up

Lookit. I like Hillary well enough. I was skeptical but voted for her when she first ran for Senator of my state. I enthusiastically cheered her reelection. With a few exceptions she has done an admirable job for NY. Yet with each passing day, my admiration for both Hillary and her hubby declines dramatically.

With or without superdelegates, Hillary's quest for the White House is fraught with obstacles. The Tuzla flap aside, her campaign posture has become a major turnoff. Even worse, it's disrupted Democratic voters' unity and our singular sense of purpose: to take back the White House. The Boston Globe has this:

A Gallup poll released yesterday indicated that 28 percent of Democrats supporting Clinton said they would vote for McCain over Obama in November, while 19 percent of Obama's backers said they would vote for McCain over Clinton.

That's just the acrimony (and mebbe the whisky) talking. I'm confident this is only temporary. No Democrat worth his or her salt would vote for crazy John McCain come November -- He's only gonna get crazier too as we near the election. Though through this infighting we do risk losing the so called "Obamicans" who would never vote for Hillary. Regardless, this poll is indicative of the divisiveness the Obama/Hillary war has caused. The Globe sums it up:

Clinton's campaign has been under pressure from some Obama partisans, citing his lead in delegates, total votes, and fund-raising, to give up because she has almost no chance of overtaking him in the contest for pledged delegates. With 10 contests remaining until June 3, Clinton trails Obama by 122 delegates, according to the Associated Press tally. Clinton holds an edge among the more than half of all superdelegates who have declared their allegiance.

The Clinton campaign, however, continues to send strong signals that it will not fold. Clinton said this week that voters do not want to "shut this race down."

Senator Clinton's chief surrogate, her husband, former president Bill Clinton, told voters in West Virginia yesterday, "My family's not big on quitting." He also downplayed concern over the campaign's tone, saying: "Let's just saddle up and have an argument. What's the matter with that?

Plenty, Bill, plenty. It reflects poorly on you both. Why give the Republicans the blueprint to weakening our nominee's candicacy and doing the early work for them? This is analogous to George Bush's stance i.e. putting yourself above party and party above country.

I disagree too with Hillary's contention that we voters don't wanna "shut this race down." If that were true, it would still be for the betterment of our party for her to step aside. Instead focusing on defeating the Republican nominee, this infighting is not only weakening our nominee(s) but also the party as a whole. More from The Globe:

...Some major Democratic fund-raisers who support Clinton sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi chiding her for publicly suggesting that the superdelegates should follow the will of the voters as reflected in pledged delegates and the popular vote - two measures on which Clinton faces long odds to catch up.

Chastising Speaker Pelosi for stating the obvious, right attitude is an unneeded distraction from her pressing business such as, oh I don't know, ensuring that the telecoms do not get the immunity they and the Bush Administration seek. While it may be in just some small way, this "chiding" does diminish Pelosi's standing. This comes at a crucial time in history when our party needs strengthening not weakening.

So c'mon Hillary. Please give it up. If you won't do it for your party, then do it for your country. Go back to where you can do the most good as the junior Senator for the great State of New York. Do it now before any more damage is done. Please.

-AF

+Update (3/28): Josh Marshall adds his two cents on Hillary, Bill, calls by Sen. Leahy & Sen. Dodd to step aside, the Clintons' fuzzy delegate math, shark-hopping. etc.

++Update #2 (3/28): TPM has deets on Sen. Leahy's call for Hillary to drop out.

"Change We Can Xerox": The Pot Calls The Kettle Black

Last nite Hillary misfired going all super-stupid on us with a weak, poorly timed Obama "Xeroxed change" bash. She topped her gaffe liberally borrowing from John Edwards for her eloquent closing (see above vid). Obama wisely refrained from listing Hill's own obvious snatching of bits from John Edwards (health care well, hello?), her husband and others. This is what politicians do. People do it too.

In my perfect twisted little world Obama's response to Hillary's "Xerox" charge (with apologies to Mel Brooks) would be:

Obama: Come on, you do it. You love to do it. We all do it. You do it...
Hillary: No, I don't!
Obama: I do it, I love to do it. I just did it and I'm ready to do it again, don't tell me you don't do it!

But seriously folks...I like Hillary Clinton. With a few exceptions the Hillster has done an outstanding job representing the Empire State. She should have realized it's a far too late in the game to so lamely attack Obama's strongest point, public speaking. It's not as if Obama was lifting whole passages of Thomas Jefferson, René Descartes, The Dali Lama, Thomas More, mon héros absolu François-Marie Arouet, Frances Hutcheson or James Patterson without attribution.

Barack is a wordsmith (or wordsmythe in OE). He incorporates words into his speeches suggested by trusted advisors. Obama modifies others' tried and true phrases making them his own. No need to dial 911 -- This is what orators, musicians, painters, authors and other artists do. They have done so since the fucking dawn of language.

Let's use music as an example. One of these things is a lot like the other:

The VU's "Sweet Jane" lent its chords to The Who's "Baba O’Reilly"

The Chiffons' "He’s So Fine" begat George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"

The Who's "I Can’t Explain" inspired "Clash City Rockers"

ELO's (and The Move's) "Do Ya" was lifted for It's Too Late by Bob Mould

Bob Marley copped the Banana Splits Theme "Tra La La" for "Buffalo Soldier"!

Without Iggy's "Lust For Life" there would be no "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" (Jet)

The Beatles' "Lady Madonna" imbues "What I Got"'s Sublime melody.

Oasis’ greatest songs are chock full o’ glorious melody & riff rip offs.

That's just off the top of my head on this mad snowy Friday. I'll try to slip some music links later. Other than George Harrison and Led Zep (who were repeatedly popped for their shameless plundering of the criminally under appreciated Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon, Hownlin’ Wolf, etc.) artists rarely confront other artists over it. This is what artists do. People do it too. It's human nature.

In Obama's case plagiarism is a serious unwarranted charge. Methinks this is the last we'll hear Hillary speak of Obama's "Xerox." But you can bet your bippy John McCain and the GOP are already taking notes.

-AF