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[littlefallsmets]

Its all about the context.

The context was a brilliant person backed against the wall, with absolutely no rational chance of success and yet no ability to admit defeat, left to sway in the wind and throw every kitchen sink she could think of without admitting that she was hucking heavy porcelain with total reckless abandon.

She'd been existing in some kind of twisted nowheresville, putting the infintesimally small chance of her grab at the big brass ring over the integrity of her party and the future of the nation... basically since Super Tuesday.

For months and aching sprawling gaping yawning burning months.

In that context, with her brilliance, anything she was saying HAD to be taken the worst and darkest way it could be reasonably read... because she had been rolling the dice on ripping the country apart for a "what if I were the last man on Earth" chance at the presidency for such an unimaginably long period of time.

With those facts at hand, there's nothing else she could've meant and I fuck*ng hate saying that.

But some of the greatest minds in our history have dashed themselves in shreds to the streets over matters of pride and... Hilary certainly falls in that wheelhouse.

[Doc]

I took it the way JL did, though I did think the fact that she'd miscommunicate so badly and was unable to control the aftermath counted against her more than anything else.

[CortJstr]

Plus the RFK comparison isn't apt. IIRC when he was running the primaries didn't start until March, not January 2nd. So still campaigning in June was no big deal at all back then.

[jay-ell]

The primaries may not have started as early then, but they didn't end any later.  We just had the last few this week.  My own state didn't vote 'til May.  Besides, whatever happened to going to the convention?  There's no shame in that.  That's why we have a convention, for Pete's sake.  People are just impatient, is all. 

[CortJstr]

The primaries may not have started as early then, but they didn't end any later.  We just had the last few this week.  My own state didn't vote 'til May.  Besides, whatever happened to going to the convention?  There's no shame in that.  That's why we have a convention, for Pete's sake.  People are just impatient, is all. 

Right. My point is 40 years ago the primaries started in March and ran through June with the convention in August. So RFK was 3 months into the process. Now we start in January and go until June so this thing has already been dragging on for 6 months. No even counting pre-primary campaigning.

And the current mentality is that if we wait until the convention then that's not enough time to effectively campaign before November. Which I can't even wrap my head around.

[jay-ell]

I was kind of hoping she'd stay in until the convention, and we'd have another '68. 

[CortJstr]

Apparently Obama is having a free rally today that's supposed to fubar traffic. Which is totally what we need after yesterday's wonderful storm-fueled commute.

[littlefallsmets]

"Going to the convention" would consist of basically three more months of this ridiculous headstart for John McCain wherein the mainstream press would continue to treat him with kid gloves because the big story would remain "the woman and the black trying to kill each other, ripping the party apart as they go".

Months will be needed to debunk the image of the most lobbyist-upped warmonger in the world as some kind of moderate maverick something or other that he has never been... it might already be too late, to be honest.

Rebranding in this media age takes TIME. For better or for worse and both.

As for "another '68"... holy shit, how did that mess work out for us? Yeah, fine, we've got some documentaries for old hippies to make bragging about their old scars, "Jaws"-style... but we ended up with Richard Goddamned Milhous Motherfuck*ng Nixon, you know.

Let alone that there is no youth movement to sustain a '68 so... even if we COULD have that, even if there was any benefit TO it, even if it wouldn't turn into some fuckin' weird parody of activism as sponsored by fuck*ng Prius and Whole Foods... "Violent Rebellion... brought to you by... Follow Your Heart Vegan Mayonnaisse and by... the NBC Television Family... remember, Green is Universal!"?

All we'd have would be a bunch of uppermiddle class white folks in their middle forties, pissed that they were too young to ever really be hippies, going to goddamned Getting Your Skull Based In By Cops Fantasy Camp...

No less sad and no more real than if, when I am forty, I have the bread to go to Mets Spring Training Fantasy Camp or goddamned whatever...

No, no, all things considered, I'd rather not have all that.

I'd rather the devil horns were stuck on McCain four months ago instead of these awful gut-churning frauds of that asshole being "cool" by chumming it up with Jon fuck*ng Stewart twice a fuck*ng week, you know?

I'd rather not see the next reality show "So You Think You Can Activist?" all over CNN for a coupla weeks in August.

No more iconoclastic bullshit, no more posturing, no more taking a hard line on this or that just for the thrill of feeling like Jesus when the dude flipped over tables...

Lets just FIX things, huh? Fix them slowly if that's what's needed, not just fail at fixing them quickly so that we can feel like we're doing things and we're oh-so-cool, fuck Ralph Nader, fuck him with an unsafe car right up your ass, you know?

Lets just start fixing things, fuck the symbolism and fuck feeling good about ourselves while we're doing it.

Work to do. But first we need a mostly-liberal president and a Congress he can work with.

So let's fuck*ng DO that.

[littlefallsmets]

Dude, by all means, vote for Babar with my compliments. Go for it. YOU CAN DO EEET!

Me, I'll be voting for the most well-meaning guy with a chance of winning.

[jaydub]

Me, I'll be voting for the most well-meaning guy with a chance of winning.

That cuts way too close to a quotation to pass up,

"...But there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong. If this is too blind for your taste, consult some well-meaning fool (there is always one around) and ask his advice. Then vote the other way."

Undoubtedly, LFM is pleased to sit in opposition to anything Heinlein had to say. 

[jay-ell]

'Course, I'm rooting for primordial root-in-the-mud gridlock as the favourable outcome of the national elections this spin of the circuit.

That's the kind of thing I like to see.  Everybody sucks, let's just put them all in a place where they can't do any more harm. 

I know that sounded sarcastic, but that is exactly the way I vote.  Democratic governor, republican state assemblies.  Republican president, democratic house and senate.  It's why we have three branches, people. 

As for "another '68"... holy shit, how did that mess work out for us? Yeah, fine, we've got some documentaries for old hippies to make bragging about their old scars, "Jaws"-style... but we ended up with Richard Goddamned Milhous Motherfuck*ng Nixon, you know.

Yeah, okay, Nixon wasn't the best outcome.  But it was exciting!  And historic!  I mean, fuck, here we are talking about it 40 years later.  We need something to happen.  The government doesn't really do anything anyway.  We may as well have some fun with it. 

I'm only half kidding.  When did I get so jaded? 

[KeithHernandez]

Holy Shit, I live in Boulder and if there were a protest (featuring the youth I have met here) it would be exactly what lfm says, only the vegan mayonnaise is called veganaise, their slogan is follow your heart.  On the other hand, there would be a shit ton of drugs, so like, I mean, you got to make compromises.  Also, veganaise is pretty good.

[littlefallsmets]

America's in that awkward stage, trying to decide whether it would be better to change and join a world wherein it is not The Empire or better to use its influence in the Middle East to trigger Armeggedon as changing takes so much thought and energy.

That's... I mean, that's the basic choice between Obama and McCain, as it stands.

A guy who really thinks that if we all get along, our grandchildren will have flying cars... or an old soldier, riddled with PTSD-fueled rage, who probably thinks this situation all so awful that perhaps there should be no grandchildren at all.

Call me crazy but the choice is wicked clear, if not perfectly fulfilling.

Our spoiled American asses want something perfect now or GODDAMNIT NO ONE CAN HAVE ANYTHING. WAH WAH WAH! To not vote or to protest vote is the choice of a spoiled and petulant child.

"I! WANT THAT! TOY NOW!" "I! WANT EVERYTHING! RIGHT NOW! OR NEVER!"

Terrible Ralph Nader gibberish.

The kind of mental masturbation that plays a fiddle perfectly while the world burns down.

[littlefallsmets]

A protest vote is, essentially, a vote against any kind of incrimental change. Any kind of step-by-step change, any kind of change that happens in shades, to forgive the subtle pun.

We like to believe that things just HAPPEN politically because... well... history writers are generally goddamned lazy and history teachers are rushed and underfunded.

There are political seasons where simply getting the nation headed back in a sane direction is victory enough and... the only reasonably possible victory at all...

And this is surely one of those seasons.

In the words of Richard Dreyfuss, "baby steps to the bathroom".

[jay-ell]

Whee!  This is fun! 

When you guys gonna start making out?  I wanna have some popcorn ready this time. 

Especially if cappy's gonna take off his shirt and reveal his firm, athletic body.