Fantasy Politics USA

This past weekend Al Sharpton learned that he might be related to the late segregationists and Senator, Strom Thurmond. A Daily News reporter was getting his own family tree done, and offered to do Al Sharpton’s for him. Sharpton, said, “Go for it.” Genealogists from Ancestry.com found out that Sharpton’s great-grandfather Coleman Sharpton was a slave owned by Julia Thurmond, whose grandfather was Strom Thurmond’s great-great-grandfather. Now, to determine if they are related by blood Sharpton has decided to do a DNA test. Sharpton said he only met Thurmond once through a mutual friend James Brown, and he didn’t like it very much because he knew of Thurmonds history with segregationists.
Not to be outdone the Republicans had their own candidate with an interesting family history. Mitt Romney’s great-grandfather had five wives and at least one of his great-great grandfathers had 12. Polygamy used to be an important part of the Mormon faith, but the United States outlawed it in the 1860’s and the Mormon church banned it in the 1890’s. Romney’s great-grandfather married his fifth in 1897, after both these dates. Many Mormon’s moved to Mexico, including the Romneys to escape religious persecution and U.S. laws forbidding polygamy. The Romney’s did not move back into the United States until 1912. Mitt Romney himself is not a polygamist, and has been married to one wife for over 30 years.
Alan Cosgrove

Tom Vilsack is dropping out of the Presidential race because his campaign just doesn’t have the cash. He has only $396.000 dollars in the bank and most experts say if you don’t have 20 million by June 2007, then you don’t have a chance. He was the first to enter the race when he announced his candidacy in November 06. Vilsack said at a news conference, “It is money and only money that is the reason we are leaving today,” Obama called him almost immediatly seeking an endorsement, but was told that Vilsack wasn’t ready to commit to anyone yet. Kinda like a vulture waiting for something to die.
Mitt Romney is having a good time with the fueding Democrats. At a speech in New Hampshire Romney said, “It’s great, isn’t it?”….”I love to see it when it happens on the other side.” To prove that the Republicans are different Romney had this to say about his opponents, “I respect them. I’m sure we’ll disagree on issues from time to time, but I doubt you’ll see the rancor that apparently may exist elsewhere.” He called Giuliani and McCain friends and national heros. He also spoke about his vision of the US being energy dependent sometime in the near future. Giuliani was in New York city south, a Jewish Deli in Delray Beach, Florida. The crowd, mostly snowbirds and transplants where very excited about seeing their old mayor. Many in the crowd mentioned, if Giuliani could do for the United States what he did for New York City, that he would be a great President. Giuliani was the fourth candidate to visit the state in the last six days. Also visiting the sunshine state lately has been Romney, McCain, and Clinton.
The Republicans have been going after the conservative vote. The far right so far hasn’t been that impressed with the field and would like to instead draft former Florida Gov., Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush has said so far he is not interested, probably because of the mess his brother is likely to leave behind. Jeb Bush was not really that great of a Governor. His tax cuts only went to the top 4.7% of the Floridians, and he created less jobs for Florida than any Governor since the 70’s. But, he stood tall for Teri Schiavo, a cause célèbre for the religious right, and that’s why the hard right likes him. Jeb Bush indicated that he would probably support Mitt Romney.
Al Gore is a slam dunk to win an Oscar this Sunday for his documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.”
Alan Cosgrove

The big news of the day is a carryover from Geffen’s remarks about the Clinton’s. The Republicans are enjoying watching the Democrats tear each up this early in the campaign. It all started with an article by Maureen Dowd in the New York Times. Mean remarks by David Geffen, who is known to enjoy picking fights. He used to be big buddies with the Clinton’s, but has since split with them since the Monica Lewinsky mess, and Bill Clinton refused to give some of Geffen’s friends some last minute pardons before he left office. Now he is spewing Anti-Clinton from behind the Obama campaign. Hillary wanted an apology, but does Obama have any control over what contributors say? Then she asked Obama to give the money back. Obama said no. It is kind of hypocritical of Obama not to at least say, I didn’t say that, he did. But instead Obama’s camp went on attack, which goes agianst the very thing he is campaigning against, negative politics. The fued is now front pages, and makes both camps look like losers. Of course the real winners are Edwards, smiling on the sidelines, right wing media outlets, and Republicans. The Clinton camp is dragging Obama down in the mudd, and he is going in without to much resistance.
On the bright side for Obama, he just was endorsed by a ghost from the past Tom Daschle. Daschle said of Obama, he “personifies the future of Democratic leadership in our country.” Daschle said Obama has a “great capacity to unify our country and inspire a new generation of young Americans, just as I was inspired by the Kennedys and Martin Luther King when I was young.”
John McCain is involved in a little inparty fight of his own against the Bush administration. The Bush guys wanted McCain to apologize for calling Rumsfeld the worst defense secretaries ever. V.P. Dick Cheny said that McCain has apologized to him in the past for making critical remarks about him and the Bush clan, and he expects that McCain will apologize agian for the Rumsfeld remarks sometime soon. McCain did have a little bit to say about it today while hanging out in LA with the Terminator Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. McCain said, “I would assess this administration’s record on global warming as terrible.” He also described Bush’s handling of the war as a “train wreck.” Sounds to me like McCain is working his way towards an apology for Dick Cheney.
McCain was in LA with Arnold to call for a nationwide low-carbon fuel standard, similar to the one Schwarzenegger imposed in California earlier this year. Arnold called McCain “great senator”and “very good friend’ who shared his views on critical issues like the environment.” He almost endorsed McCain, maybe next visit.
Alan Cosgrove

Eight of the Democratic contenders met today in Carson City in the first all-candidates forum of the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign, The forum was hosted by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union, AFSCME. Nevada has one of those early caucuses, Jan. 19, so has grown in importance these days. Notably absent from the event was Obama. He instead chose to campaign in Iowa. The candidates where to take the stage separately over two hours. They first were allowed to make a brief opening statement and then answer three questions from ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and representatives of AFSCME. The candidates did not get an oppotunity to engage with each other. First up was Chris Dodd. When asked about the possibilty of chaos by pulling troops out of Iraq, Dodd said, “How much more chaos could there be in Baghdad than exists today?” Dodd also said enough of this “on the job training”…. “It’s time for experience in the White House.” Dodd adminted he made a mistake when voted on the war, and said it was foolish to think that, “17,000 troops in a city of 6 million are going to sort out” the situation. He also pointed out that the Senate has spent the last few days debating about debating. Next up was Hillary. She addresed the Union audience with ideas of universal health care, and the right of collective bargining. Hillary said, “I want to have universal health care coverage by the end of my second term.” She was asked about some comments made by an Obama supportor (more on this down below), but sidestep that answer by saying, “I sure don’t want Democrats or supporters of Democrats to be engaging in the politics of personal destruction.” This was a theme sponsered most notably by Bill Richardson who asked for no negative stuff. Hillary did make a stab at Obama for missing this gig though by saying she was “proud to be here in Carson City.”.. “Glad to be talking to the people here today.” The third candidate to speak was Tom Vilsack. He spent most of his time talking about Iraq. Vilsack asked the audience, “I want to challenge every single one of you and ask a simple question, what have you done today? What have you done today to end this war in Iraq? It needs to be ended now. Not six days from now, not six months from now. Not six years from now. It needs to be ended now, and it is up to you.” I guess he is leaving all the work up to us. He spoke a bit a health care and closed with his he was an orphane story. Next was Edwards. He took a little jab at Hillary for her vote on the war in 2002. He has said his vote was a mistake, but he also said Hillary’s refusal to disavow her 2002 vote on Iraq was “between her and her conscience.” He referred to the audience as “brothers and sisters,” as if they where his union brothers and sisters. He also said he wouldn’t wait until his second term for universal health care, he would start it right away. After Edwards was Bill Richardson. He spoke about worker protection, and environmental protections. Also said it should be fair trade, not free trade. He also pleaded with the other Democrats not to tear each other down, instead concentrate their energy on taking the White House away from the Republicans next year. Joe Biden was up next and spoke mostly about the war. He also spoke about education, since his wife is a teacher. He also said, “We have an incredible opportunity to change the world, but Bush is going to leave the next president a mess that requires no margin for error.”
At the end of all this was Dennis Kucinich who said he he voted against the war in 2002 and, “People are looking for a president who does the right thing when it matters the most.” And the last candidate to speak was Mike Gravel who really doesn’t care, saying, “I don’t think it’s a big deal whether I get elected president or not.”
While all this was happening in Carson City there was a big to do about one of Obama’s new contributors, David Geffen, the entertainment mogul who co-founded DreamWorks studio. Geffen used to be a big Clinton backer, but that was Bill Clinton. Now Geffen says, “Everybody in politics lies, but they (the Clintons) do it with such ease it’s troubling.” He called Hillary coldly ambitious and, said Bill hasn’t changed his ways. Now Hillary wants Obama to give Geffen’s money back, but Obama says no. Obama said they didn’t seem to mind Geffen when he raised about 18 million for the Clintons in the 90’s. Then Obama’s camp sent another shot at Hillary for taking support from South Carolina state Sen. Robert Ford who has gone on the record saying, “It’s a slim possibility for him (Obama) to get the nomination, but then everybody else is doomed,” ….. “Every Democrat running on that ticket next year would lose — because he’s black and he’s top of the ticket.” So Ford, who is black, said Obama a black, will lose and drag the whole ticket down with him, and that’s why you should support Hillary.
Today was a good day of firsts. First commercial for a major candidate; first big almost a debate gathering, and now some of the first good mudslinging within ranks. No matter how loud Richardson keeps yelling for the Democrats to not attack each other it is clear from the past few days, that, It Is On…
Alan Cosgrove