It's all on the table with that ridiculous comment.  We've been thinking it since 2002, and America sort of crossed their fingers and hoped it wasn't the case in 2004.  But that despicable quote sums the whole thing up.

Another terrorist attack on U.S. soul would "certainly be a big advantage" to John McCain. Well, as someone who's lived in New York City for years, I'd like to remind Mr. McCain about the last big terrorist attack on U.S. soil.  

Remind him of the video played endlessly as an American Airlines jet, no different from the American Airlines jets I've boarded at least ten times this year.  Next time you're on a public plane, Mr. McCain (which isn't often, I understand), take a look around.  Peek from behind the first class curtain at the families, babies, children, husbands and wifes, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers.  Now imagine them incinerated in less than 3 seconds as the plane you're on plows into steel and glass and desks and water coolers and computers and phones and PEOPLE.  Is that an advantage?

Remind him of how it must have felt to be in those buildings- one minute you're checking email, or sneaking a peek at the sports scores before your meeting, or finishing up a big presentation.  Maybe working up the nerve to ask for a raise.  And then the building shakes, and then ten minutes later you're hanging out of a 93rd story window, gasping for oxygen that's not coming, and making a decision to jump rather than get burned alive.  Is that an advantage?

Remind him about what those of us that were lucky enough not to be in the buildings that day felt.  About how every time we went outside for the next month, we had to inhale the stinging scent of chemicals, electrical fire, and death.  About the coughing a lot of us developed, even though the EPA told us the air was "totally safe".  About those of us who lost friends, family, loved ones.  Is that an advantage?

These are the people we are up against.  This ultimate cynicism, where tragedy is a political tool to be wielded.  These are the people that, on September 11th, began plotting how to spin the situation to use it to invade Iraq.  These are the people that callously put the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City, and moved it to early September, solely to tie into the memory of the attacks three years before- holding the convention so late it took a special resolution from the Illinois legislature to even allow Bush to be on the ballot.  These are the people who would have you believe that only the Republicans can keep America safe from the big, bad terrorists.

Let's show McCain that we're not falling for that line of thinking anymore.  Donate a few bucks to Barack Obama or The DNC to mark this unfortunate, bullshit quote from an "aide" that's actually one of his top advisers (still).  It's not 2001, and it's not 2004, and what we didn't fall for then only strengthens our resolve now.

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I don't have links to websites hating on any candidate, current or former.  All I have is a desire to win this election.

So rather than donating so a candidate who (let's be honest) overspent can retire her debt- despite the fact that, as her more fervent supporters call Obama the elitist, she could easily write a check to make this debt go away- why don't we spend so our current candidate can deliver us a DEMOCRATIC White House?

And hows about throwing something to the DNC as well?  A little 50 state strategy anyone?  Seems to be paying off so far...

So here's my challenge: I'm giving $100 to Obama and $50 to the DNC.  Anyone wanna match me?

DONATE TO OBAMA

DONATE TO THE DNC

Let's do it!

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In tuning into the primary results, one thing struck me the most.  With about 20 minutes of real news spread over 6 hours, there was simply too much time to fill.  Nothing but gasbag after gasbag after asshat blindly spewing rhetoric in favor of his/her candidate.  Telling us things we already knew, contradicting each other.  Repeating themselves.

I'm planning on having a gathering of people on election day this year.  I'm going to hook a digital projector up, and aim it at a wall.  But I do not want to show CNN.  Or MSNBC.  Or anyone.

What I want, and I'm wondering if this exists on the internet (I actually did it on my own blog in 2004 since I couldn't find it anywhere): a stream, constantly updating, with the latest results.  No commentary, no editorial content whatsoever.  Merely the latest numbers, streamed in a way that we can stay updated to the minute without hearing the douchebags.

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This is more of a discussion thread than a full on diary, because I want to hear from both Clinton and Obama supporters (as well as Kucinich, Biden, Dodd, Edwards, Richardson, Gravel, and anyone else's supporters- hell, our new Republican members are welcome to chime in).

But I'm curious- now that the furor from the primary is dying down, what does everything think?  Did it help?  Did it hurt?  Did the attacks get so nasty as to hurt our chances, or were we just vetting our candidate?

I was looking through old Kos diaries today, and found something that sent me dumbstruck that I wanted to share from June 27, 2007- nearly one year ago:

People have pointed out the value in vetting our own and I don't have a problem with honst questions.

What I do have a problem with are the diaries that get posted that are nothing more than hit-pieces full of hearsay, innuendo and outright lies.

The purpose of this diary is to urge people to post information about their candidate without attacking the others.  

Take a look at my diaries from last week (linked above).  Not once do I mention the other candidates.

Not once.

And here's some food for thought...

Geekesque notes below that it was one of our own who hung the pair of flip-flops around Kerry's neck in the primaries.  I hope people remember that lurking goopers read these diaries and if we keep this shit up, we're only giving them ammo to use against our nominee (whoever s/he may turn out to be) in the general election.

Wise words- but what surprised me is that they came from none other than Alegre, who quickly changed her tune as most know.  What do you think- was she right?

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When, oh when, did lattes becoming a tool of the right wing?  Such creamy coffee goodness, co-opted for evil by bad, bad, people.  It got a lot of exposure in this infamous Club for Growth ad:

And since then "latte-drinking liberal" has cropped up time and time again as an example of what's wrong with our country (at least according to those in, ahem, smaller locales).  

Well, I want to defend the humble latte.  In all of it's milky, caffeinated goodness.

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...is two below this one, Maryscott O'Connor's "An American Stain", and the fact that it's not on the rec list yet is a bit mind-blowing.

Go read, and recommend.

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Mark my words.  She's fundraising for the next two days, hoping to bank $10 mil from her supporters.  Then she concedes.

In the meantime, parroting incorrect talking about

the popular votes and how she's the best to beat McCain.  

Donate away, Clinton fans, but do it at your peril.  It's like buying Enron stock the day before.

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Mark my words.  She's fundraising for the next two days, hoping to bank $10 mil from her supporters.  Then she concedes.

In the meantime, parroting incorrect talking points about the popular votes and how she's the best to beat McCain.  

Donate away, Clinton fans, but do it at your peril.  It's like buying Enron stock the day before.

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As I imagine, once the wounds heal, most of you guys are, too.

This isn't a "now we need unity" diary.  We'll get it, for the most part.  It won't be automatic, but Obama will do his best to earn it.

This isn't a "she tried her best" diary.  But she did, and ran one hell of a campaign.  The results could easily have been very different, and that's a credit to her supporters and to her.  When my daughters tell me they want to be president, the first thing that's going to come to mind is going to be the fact that Hillary Clinton nearly was (and may be- 2016 is closer than we think!).

This definitely isn't a "ha-ha told you so" diary, and I hope not to see any.

This is a shout out to all of you.  While it got a little nasty at times, for the vast majority of what was the most intense primary battle we've had in years, I think most of us kept it together.  

Democrats had a bad run from 2000-2006, and for a while, I know I felt like someone I wanted in office would NEVER win.  That's why we threw ourselves behind our respective candidates so passionately.  While we disagreed with each other on the why and who, there's zero doubt in my mind that every single person here firmly believed their candidate was the best person to lead this country, and fought for it accordingly.

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