The numbers keep going up - post election notes

I began writing this post last night only to be dumped by the weather -- both my Internet and cable TV connections went down about 10 PM, most likely due to the ice storm that hit our state. So I enjoyed an old fashioned election night via listening to WAKR AM's Larry States.

Last night at this time, the counter in the right hand column of this blog had not yet reached half a trillion dollars. Today it has gone beyond that -- amazing how fast a billion dollars can be spent by our insane governmental "leaders." This is what I had written before the power went off:

Not talking about the election returns this evening, but the numbers of dollars spent on the useless War in Iraq. You can see them ticking away to the right of this post. We are fast approaching 500 billion dollars. That's half a trillion not spent on health care, education, low-income housing, science research, developing green technologies and so on.

Soon after I began this blog, I found the counter you see embedded here and at that time it was around 350 billion. But dollars wasted isn't the worst aspect of this war. It's the loss of life and not only soldier lives. Every Iraqi death creates more potential terrorists among the survivors. No wonder McCain feels the need to stay there for 100 years.

Woke up this morning to find that Hillary had taken 3 out of 4 states, doing extremely well in Ohio. I wasn't surprised. Most people I had talked to were voting for her, although they also expressed admiration for Barack Obama. Many folks continue to want both of them on the ticket.

In local news, we are thrilled that Issue 8 passed and that public transportation will not be diminished in Akron.

Saddest election story is the defeat of Louise Heydorn for county council. Full disclosure -- Louise is a colleague of mine. I can attest that she is an outstanding leader: bright, collaborative, science-minded and a diligent worker. She has been the only Republican on Summit County's council for many years and had been working to develop green initiatives for our county.

She was defeated by John Widowfield, a conservative endorsed by the local Republican party. I wonder if Heydorn was hurt by Independents and Republicans crossing over to vote in the Democratic presidential primary. I hope she picks herself up and runs again in the future -- come join the Democrats, Louise! We need women of your character and intelligence to represent us.

Hillary in Akron

Some pics from yesterday's rally. My Olympus Stylus didn't really pull this one off. Or rather, I didn't do a good job with it. The best shots were outdoors, but even those were terribly out of focus for the most part.

Inside, conditions defeated me. Every time I tried to take a picture, I had to wait for dozens of hands holding cameras aloft to shift and part until I could get off a shot. I noticed that some cameras were getting really nice close-up shots, but mine doesn't have the capability.













Enough of my photographic travails. The rally was full of females of all ages with a hard core group of "Husbands for Hillary" in tow. An old codger next to me said he was there to find out about Hillary's health care plan. "Kucinich was the one who had the real thing," he said to me. I agreed with him whole-heartedly.

I was listening in a detached analytical way to Hillary's stump speech for most of it, until she got to getting rid of No Child Left Behind and then I let out a big cheer. Ditto to ending the war in Iraq. I thought she did a nice job of laying out her points. She was clear and concise, and had a few tender moments with a tale of a young woman who lost her baby and her life due to lack of health care availability in a county in southern Ohio.

Both Senators Clinton and Obama have obviously studied the campaign rhetoric of their colleague, the junior senator from Ohio. We heard about fare trade instead of free trade and bringing jobs back to Ohio. One little request please, dear candidates -- make sure those jobs don't involve polluting the air, water, or soil.

I've taken some unscientific polls among people I know and trust here in Akron, Ohio. Women are going for Hillary in a big way. But so are some men, including one tonight who gave an impassioned impromptu speech for Hillary at the end of a local theatre group's meeting. I think he gave me the final push toward marking her ballot tomorrow. That and the following picture from the rally.












So who am I voting for tomorrow? I am going with my gender demographic. If anybody has a problem with that, then I ask them if they have a problem with 80% plus African Americans going for Obama. Because I don't have a problem with it. They are proud to at last be represented at the highest level. As are these young girls to finally see a woman competing for the ultimate leadership role.

And further more, if Obama wins the nomination, I won't have a problem supporting him. I understand the great excitement within the black community surrounding his candidacy. I feel the same way about Hillary's.

They both have flaws, and they both have strengths. They'd make a great team, but they'd have to get over a lot of ego for that to happen. So may the best person win and may we all pull together to defeat the Republicans at every level in the fall.

Don't forget to vote tomorrow, and if you are living in Summit County, please vote for Issue 8 to maintain the current level of public metro bus service for our citizens. That may be the most important of all your votes.

Huckabee fans in Montrose, Hillary at Garfield HS

Yesterday, driving along Route 18 in the center of Consumer Paradise (Montrose), I could not help noticing a handful of young college-aged males waving Huckabee signs and shouting slogans into bullhorns. It was the kind of sight that makes one shudder -- poor deluded youth! No cars were honking back at them. As I drove by, I gave them a crisply delivered thumb's down sign.

Hillary Clinton will be speaking at Garfield High School this afternoon. Doors open at 3:30 PM and she is scheduled to arrive at 5:30 PM. Since this is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Kenmore, I'm planning on being there. Would have liked to attend Obama's rally last Saturday, but it was the same day and time as a major school fund-raiser, so I wasn't able to be there.

I'm still on the fence in this election and have only a couple of days left to make up my mind. It is never wise to trust any politician to the point of emotional involvement, as they will
invariably let you down. Even our wonderful senator Sherrod Brown, made the wrong choice on voting to abolish habeas corpus for the detainees. Obama and Clinton are politicians, not anointed ones come to save us from the evils of the world. They each have messages that are crafted to gain votes, but in reality -- we have no way of knowing how effectively either will carry through will all the promises. So it becomes a matter of weighing what evidence is out there while tuning out the propaganda from either side.

There are still moments when I'm considering casting my vote for Kucinich, whose name will still be on the ballot. After all, his positions were always the closest ones to my own ideas of what government could be.

Other times I think I want this divided Democratic party to unite as soon as possible, so I lean toward voting for Obama. Yet every time I watch one of the debates, I end up wanting to vote for Hillary. And thus I remain -- Undecided.

Leaning toward unity

I'm liking Obama a whole lot more since I've begun avoiding reading blogs and commentary by his most rabid supporters. I know I'll be happy to support his candidacy, and I'm still hoping that Hillary plays some major role within his campaign as VP or Secretary of State or whatever.

I'm thinking it makes more sense to cast a vote that decides it now rather than continuing the divide on through the long summer months into the convention. I've never seen a whole lot of difference between the two, except with health care. Maybe if Hillary makes a gracious concession, Barack will take a second look at his health plan and find a way to make it universal.

Here in Ohio, times are very tough and getting worse by the minute. Once a thriving state with both industrial and agricultural economies, we are now living on top of a toxic waste land. We breathe in polluted dust that has been layered on over the decades, and we produce agricultural products on depleted land laced with pesticides and other petroleum-based products. The state budget is all about cutting back. There are no steps-forward -- we are always in a reactive mode. It will be interesting to see how Ohio's Democrats eventually choose to vote in this primary season. I wouldn't be surprised if Hillary ekes out a win here. I would hope, if that is the case, that Obama learns from it and gives some focus to the needs of the Rust Belt.

I will continue to keep all options open until polling day, for just as soon as I file a mail-in vote, the candidate I vote for will make some kind of fatal error. Call me cynical, and you have part of it right. But mostly, I want and end to Republican control of this country. May the best person win, and the next best person join in a unified drive to defeat McCain in the fall.

More thoughts on the great Rodham (Clinton) - Obama divide

The more I look at this conflict, the less I like it. I don't want to bash either candidate and I don't want to have to wince every time I read nastiness from Dems addressed to other Dems. We should be having a blast, looking at McCain stumble toward the finish line, dogged by party conservatives -- while Dems prepare for a glorious run in the fall.

Remember the last debate? How respectful and thoughtful both candidates were toward each other? And the immediate post-debate comments were variations on the theme of "dream ticket?" What happened to that moment, anyway? My guess -- it wasn't exciting enough for the media. No, we have to have conflict, the more bitter and scathing the better. That's old style politics, and I don't care for it.

Whoever wins the Democratic nomination ought to immediately announce their proposed cabinet members, which should include as many of their primary opponents as possible. It is going to take an enormous amount of creativity, intelligence and disciplined commitment to overcome and turn around all the Bush damage. It will take women and men of all ethnicities as well as support from Democrats across the board.

So how to resolve this situation where roughly half of Dems want one candidate and the other half want another? I'm not talking about super delegates, either. I'm talking about looking beyond numbers to a ticket that gives everybody a stake in supporting it.

If Rodham (Clinton) and/or Barack Obama cannot bring themselves to make a deal that furthers the interests of the Democratic party, then their egos may very well bring about the decline and fall of the United States of America -- should McCain win in the fall. Likewise, if Dems can't get beyond accusations of racism or sexism because they support one or the other of the candidates, we will all lose.

This Ohioan is Leaning toward Hillary

I've been ambivalent about Hillary here, and I have had some compliments for Obama. However, as the campaign has drawn down to the final two, I find myself leaning toward Hillary Rodham (Clinton) as opposed to her opponent.

Bear in mind that I am about as Left as you can get, so I am looking at two people who do not represent my views very closely. Both are overtly religious, but I know that in my lifetime there will never be an avowed freethinker running for president. Both have voted consistently to fund the Iraq War. However, no one on the Republican side could ever get close to offering up a platform that I could accept in any way.

Realistically, if you look at Rodham (Clinton) and Obama, they are more alike than different, except Hillary's health care plan is better and Obama seems weak on details, although strong on metaphors. I'm in a detail kind of mood these days and not so keen on oratory without substance.

But the truth of the matter is, the more I read Democrats viciously attack Hillary, the more I'm inclined to vote for her. That's what it is coming down to. I cannot stand to see the term "Billary" for example. Like the users of said term have some kind of deep insight into the Clinton marriage. I know I don't and I don't trust the media to inform me about it either. Look at the Urban Dictionary's definitions of the term "Billary" and you see definitions that reek of unkindness if not downright cruelty.

Likewise, the critique that we don't want another Clinton is spurious. She has no Clinton DNA in her, which is why I will call her Rodham (Clinton) from now on as a response to the "Billary" derogatory.

The term "triangulation" -- why is it used to denigrate Hillary, but not Barack? I just saw a speech in which Barack boasts of his "Obamicans" -- Republicans that are voting for him. He is putting his ideology "above and between the left and the right" -- just as his fans accuse Hillary of doing.

In short, I am seeing way too much Hillary hatred and far too little in the way of concrete reasons to vote for Barack other than "we need change." Well duh, yes we do! Change from Republican theocratic war-mongering. Here's an example of a list of reasons why a Democrat blogger (Dave at Radio Free Newport) doesn't want Rodham (Clinton). Where's his list of reasons why he wants Obama? What is he doing to the outcome of this race? Rodham (Clinton) represents a large group of constituents. Why alienate the white women? Because Dems assume we'll just come around and forget the way Obama fans talked about Hillary?

I have said repeatedly here that I'd like to see them both on the same ticket. The Hillary attackers will have none of that, and are are attempting to make sure that the label "unelectable" sticks. What a shame it is to see Democrats smearing their own.

For a more thorough critique of Hillary-hating, please go here. Stanley Fish deals quite nicely with the media play-up of the supposed Clinton race-bashing for example.

I don't have time to answer all of Newport Dave's list tonight, but I will try to deal with them throughout the week. I will say that I am a huge fan of his blog, but his post today really got my goat! Not because I think he is sexist, but really -- the comment about Baby Boomers. Talk about your blatant ageist remarks! Look buddy, I didn't choose to be born into a generation that was tagged with such a hideous name, and I can tell you that throughout my life and in my art, I have been actively anti-war! And I am not alone in my generation to wave the banner of peace. Shame on you for such stereotyping!

Half way through the debate...

And I still want them both on the ticket. I like the focus on the policies and the plans to implement them. I like the tone of civility between the two -- they'd make a fantastic ticket. The longer the "debate" goes on, the closer Clinton and Obama appear to be on all the issues.

Wolf Blitzer is trying to stir things up as we go into the Iraq portion of the debate, but fails miserably. Both candidates are taking the arguments to the Republicans and getting strong audience responses.

As far as Hillary's vote for the war, yes -- she shouldn't have done it but she explains it in depth. It leads to a broader question that no one has answered -- is it a good thing to use the threat of force in negotiating? These are the moments when I think about Kucinich's plan for a Department of Peace at the cabinet level. It seems to me that threats generally lead to lines being drawn and bombs bursting in air.

Almost reaching the end, and the question arises of a "dream ticket" with both of them on it. I'm still rooting for it at the end of this debate.

End of the Week Musings

Heck of a week for political theatre. I for one, am glad the show didn't end in only one short act, comprised of two scenes. We though Iowa was thrilling, little knowing what amazing plot developments would come out of New Hampshire.

The bumpersticker you see pictured here at the Village Green, has been riding around on my vehicle since the day after Kerry lost in 2004. I was madder than all get out and wanted to put something out there to double-whammy hex all those Bush/Cheney stickers. I made a couple dozen of these stickers to send out to my Happy Hour Atheist and Agnostic mailing list friends. Half said "Obama/Clinton," the others said "Clinton/Obama." It didn't really matter to me what order the names were it. What mattered was that these two names would make Republicans shudder. I can't tell you how tickled I am that these two names are now the top choices for the Democratic party.

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The weather in NE Ohio has been ridiculously bizarre, even by our usual standards of unpredictability. Upper 60s and bright sunshine as the week began interspersed with high volume wind storms. Obie, the huskador retriever, is shedding heavily -- in the depths of winter when he normally wears his luxurient thick double coat out into the snow storms.

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Just to let you know, VegiTerranean does really good take-out meals. I zipped over there to pick up a lunch via the Innerbelt. My goal for 2008 is to try everything at least once on their menu. For the record, today I went with the Tuscan "steak" panini with delicious vegetables and sauce. It came with a side of white bean salad and was portioned so generously I could save half to take home for dinner.

No, I'm not getting paid to plug the restaurant. I just think it is really cool that there is an actual vegan restaurant in Akron. It would be really fun to have an Akron blogger's meet up there some evening. What say you all?

Thank you NH for providing some balance

What fun watching the media types scrambling to figure out that beating up on a woman for stupid things can lead people to turn out to vote.

Women are going for Hillary in a major way in NH.

Maybe I'll get my dream ticket after all!

To see rankings based upon progressive views, you can go to Progressive Punch to find that Hillary Clinton is ranked at 29, which is two positions higher than Ted Kennedy. Barack Obama is 43, one below Claire McCaskill, Our own Sherrod Brown ranks 6 -- go Sherrod!

Meanwhile, it is loads of fun watching the media pundits get slapped in the face by the women of New Hampshire. Those bad media boys totally can't handle tears. Don't they know real men aren't ashamed to show their emotions. Neither are real women. Emotions are part of what makes us human.

From Hil to Vil and back again

When Hillary announced her run for president, a call for blog postings went forth from her campaign web site. I sent in one that wondered out loud if Hillary could set her own policy apart from her husband's center right pro-business/rich people who are friends with Bill position. That post was not selected as the winning entry, however what I did get was inclusion on her email fund-raising list. Over the months, my email box has been full of missives from various power women, leading politicians, that icky James Carville, and of course, hubby Bill is forever emailing me.

Today, I get one from Hillary and it so appalls me, I must break my reticence to address her candidacy. Truth is, there has been a small part of me that roots for her because she is a woman. I wanted to think that she'd bring a more collaborative approach to problem solving than all those men. Yes, I know -- my gender stereotyping is showing.

But today's email from Hil to Vil is enough to shake me out of my gender-partisan views.

Dear Village,

Running for president means asking a lot of people to put their faith in you -- and putting your faith in a lot of people.

Sorry, Hil -- I never put my faith in politicians or anybody else for that matter. "Faith" is certitude of truth, even when there is no evidence. I was raised without faith, which means that I weigh the evidence and then establish the odds. To base a decision upon anything else would be foolish. I see you have been having some problems with people you supposedly put "your faith in" to run your campaign effectively. The world is taking notice that all is not what it should be in Hillary Land.

You've never let me down, and my promise to you has always been this: if you put your faith in me, I will fight for you every day when I'm president.

This clearly is addressed to another Village, as I have let you down time and time again, ignoring your fund-raising appeals. I will not be seduced by your husband's appeals, either!

When I get to the White House, I'll end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home.

Why should I believe you? You and the other Democrats haven't done anything in the senate or the house that would indicate a passionate interest in stopping the Bush regime dead in its tracks. And you conveniently didn't say when you'd bring the troops home or how many of them you are going to leave there.

I'll stop the cowboy diplomacy and Bush's war on science. I'll reverse the attacks on our Constitution and civil liberties. I'll ask the Congress to send me everything that Bush vetoed, like stem cell research and the Children's Health Insurance Program. From day one, I'll be fighting for you, because America needs a clean and decisive break from seven years of George Bush.

You haven't yet convinced me that you would break the cycle of American bullying around the globe. You might have to prove you have "the balls" enough to drop some bombs into some land filled with enemies of the American way of life.

Not one of the Republican candidates is capable of making that happen. They're all promising four more years of the same failed policies.

I'll grant you that. The Republican candidates certainly make the case for devolution.

They see Bush's failure in Iraq and want to continue it. They see failure of leadership on the economy and want to repeat it. They see his assault on civil liberties and the disgraces of Guantanamo and want to carry them on.

They want power and control, as do you. The problem is figuring out if there is anyone who can be given all that and actually do some good for the common people. You have pretty much stuck with the Republican bashing, which got you lots of mileage, building up your campaign chest and lengthy roster of endorsements.

We need a candidate who can beat them. Will you put your faith in me today...

No, Hil. I will not put something I don't know how to muster into your hands.

and make a contribution so I can take on the Republicans in 2008?

[Contribution link deleted.]

There's a couple more paragraphs exhorting me to have faith in Hil's ability to fight for me against the Evil Empire of Republicans, ending in one more Contribute Here link. Like I'd skip the first one and reconsider at the end.

I may have to end up voting for you in a general election, but don't ever assume that I will blindly believe that you are always going to "fight for me." And of this moment in the time line marching forward to primaries, I am not at all keen on voting for you.

A visitor to the Village Green

This grand creature hung out in my back yard all afternoon, sipping at the zinnias and the purple cone flowers (echinacea).

This angle gives us a tail display to frighten away all the predators -- looks like a vampire owl from Mordor!

I've been commenting over at Pho's Akron Pages about Dennis Kucinich. The New Republic published a pretty dismissive article about Dennis, which I admit I just skimmed through, my gorge rising and steam pouring out of my ears!

I don't care if people disagree with his ideas, but I really don't like it when he's treated with derision or as some kind of joke. Yeah, it gets kinda personal-- I had a Dennis Kucinich bumper sticker on my vehicle for the 2004 primary season. And I'll tell you why here at the Village Green tomorrow.

Presidential Debate II

In the blogosphere I reside in, John Edwards is not the front runner and definitely did not win tonight's debate. The folks at Daily Kos are all for him. I wasn't wild about him when he ran for VP and I don't see much to recommend. Oh yes, he has "good ideas" and "progressive values" -- but can he hit the ground running and take care of all the major problems if elected president? I don't see much evidence of practical experience in his resume. He was in government for one term as a US Senator. Before that he made lots of money as a lawyer, and was evidently effective at using emotional manipulation in making his jury summations. Good thing I was never on one of his juries, as he has yet to move me in any discernible way. Wikipedia has a lengthy overview of Edward's career in law as well as in politics.

Barack Obama was sounding better to me tonight, until the moment of the hypothetical question: Would you order the slaughter of Bin Laden if you knew he could be taken out and you only had twenty minutes to get it done? Obama would "take him out," while Dennis Kucinich very properly said he should be put on trial for his crimes.

But Hillary Clinton trumped everybody with her refusal to answer all the leading hypothetical questions. She comes across as the one who knows how to get things done. Although I'm glad that Mike Gravel and Kucinich are continuing to ask the tough questions, at the end of the race, I do expect Hillary to take it all and I'll be glad to vote for her.

Obama, Clinton, Richardson et al for President

The Village Green endorses Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama, Bill Richardson, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Christopher Dodd, and Dennis Kucinch for Democratic presidential candidate to win in 2008. I'm afraid I can't endorse the one whose name begins with V because I know nothing about him. He may very well be a good guy and a decent candidate, but he's going to have to work harder to get my attention.

I don't think Kerry should run again, but if he does it will be to be a power broker in who ultimately wins. Ted Kennedy is backing Kerry, which is a very utilitarian thing to do. He and Kerry (who honestly can't think that he'd win the nomination) don't have to go out on a limb and can watch it all shake out while holding on to MA's votes.

As for Al Gore, he doesn't need to be president to accomplish his goals. Once whoever is elected is in office, Gore can be appointed to head up the Department of Climate Change. The rest of the field should be given first look for all key positions. The only way to solve all the problems and clean up all the messes left by the Greedy for Oil Party will be as a strong united front. Put Kucinich in as head of the Department of Peace. That department should always be at the forefront of resolving conflicts.

The day after Kerry lost to Bush, I cranked up my printer and made some Obama/Clinton in 2008 bumperstickers. I also made some that said Clinton/Obama in 2008. It didn't really matter to me at the time which was president and which was vice president. I wanted to strike fear in the hearts of Republicans throughout Akron and Summit county. I passed them out to friends here and yond. You can see mine is still readable and I hope it doesn't fade until after election day 2008. May it continue to strike fear in the hearts of local Republicans!

On Meet the Press this morning, Ted Kennedy dominated the interview, like the mighty tribal elder with words of powerful wisdom. This after the first half hour of McCain dodging bullets about the surge in Iraq as well as his well-documented flip flops on social issues.

It was a pleasure watching a master politician at the top of his game. Kennedy took each question and turned it into an opportunity to make point after point, relentlessly tearing down any rationale for troop build up in Iraq. I am pleased to see that Sherrod Brown is a co-sponsor of the Kennedy Iraq bill that would stop

I can't find today's appearance on YouTube, so you will have to go to NBC's page to view it. I did find a nice clip from Kennedy's appearance before the Press Club. That was a very stirring speech: