Minnesotans have a history of responding to quirky political ads so why shouldn't Al Franken give it a shot.

Mrs. Molin

There's more...

I am an upper-middle-class white male.

Because of this, I realize that my talking about race or gender politics has the potential to get me into a very dicey situation. I know that one thing said wrong and my credibility instantly crumbles. However, I've been noticing a trend here in the blogosphere regarding race and gender and the presidential election, so I think it's worth talking about.

I am also writing because of this:
Esquire - August 2007

There's more...

This is a topic that's been bothering me for quite some time now, and I think that writing a diary about it will be the best way to get it off my chest, rather than endlessly debating it in the comments.

As a fairly regular reader of MyDD, and as an Obama supporter, I can't help but notice a recurring theme in the comments about the presidential race. There seems to be a tendency for the supporters of other candidates to sometimes dismiss Obama supporters as so uninformed about or charmed by or enamored with Barack Obama that we clearly overlook the real issues. I've even seen it referred to as "Obama Worship." The gist of this idea is that because Obama is a charismatic and captivating politician (some might say "rock star"), then hi supporters are drawn not to the issues he stands for, but to his star power. I've seen comments that say Obama supporters are blind followers of a media creation. A diary I wrote was referred to as "the Church of Obama." One lovely commenter even went so far as to suggest that I didn't know the meaning of my user name (if anyone was wondering, it comes from the famous sticker that Woody Guthrie would put on his guitar), because one of the tenets of fascism was the blind, rabid support of a single leader.

There's more...

A brief introduction/disclaimer: a popular topic on MyDD recently has been the increase in the number of 'hit diaries' dealing with the presidential race and the lack of diaries focus on the issues of substance. While I don't think this is a hit diary, it is certainly focused on the race rather than the issues. The issues are important, but it is also important for us to analyze why we obsess over the campaign minutiae, and why often discussion of the campaign turns nasty.

There's more...

                                    AL GORE TO RUN?

Although many believe that a ticket such as Gore/Obama would be unbeatable, Gore's entry into the race is far from certain.  Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Dick Polman thinks not and lays out his reasoning in his blog (www.dickpolman.blogspot.com).

His main point is that Oscar winner Gore is having too much fun playing himself in the media and all over the world.  Mr. Gore is now on a book tour for his new book, "Assault on Reason".  Polman believes that the honest and scathing criticisms in the book are not those of a typical, cautious candidate. Finally, why relive the negatives and disappointments of the past when the present is so enjoyable?

So I guess that we'll just have to await his next publication, "The Al Gore Diet and Exercise Book".

Homer   www.altara.blogspot.com

There's more...