Progress.

In a poll released by Pew today, respondents were asked to describe George W. Bush in a word.  Fifty six percent said  “incompetent.”  Nuff said. 

See full survey here

This past weekend on This Week, George Will said that John McCain’s response to this financial crisis made conservatives “fearful” of McCain’s decision making process.  We have been saying this all along.  McCain tends to make knee-jerk, impetuous, impulsive decisions out the box and then tries to clean up after himself later.  This could not be more evident than when he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate.  The McCain campaign has chosen to shield Palin from the press in hopes that the American people will forget that she is applying to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.  We pointed out back in May that people should look at McCain’s temperament and decide if the Arizona senator is the type of person we want making decisions for our nation in times of crisis.  Will said on Sunday that McCain “showed his personality [last] week.”  We agree.  McCain is showing us how he will lead, we should pay attention and believe him.  When you have a hard core GOP conservative like George Will raising red flags about McCain’s temperament……again, pay attention.  Will expands on his concerns below.

Channeling his inner Queen of Hearts, John McCain furiously, and apparently without even looking around at facts, said Chris Cox, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, should be decapitated. This childish reflex provoked the Wall Street Journal to editorialize that “McCain untethered” — disconnected from knowledge and principle — had made a “false and deeply unfair” attack on Cox that was “unpresidential”

In any case, McCain’s smear — that Cox “betrayed the public’s trust” — is a harbinger of a McCain presidency. For McCain, politics is always operatic, pitting people who agree with him against those who are “corrupt” or “betray the public’s trust,” two categories that seem to be exhaustive — there are no other people.

Conservatives who insist that electing McCain is crucial usually start, and increasingly end, by saying he would make excellent judicial selections. But the more one sees of his impulsive, intensely personal reactions to people and events, the less confidence one has that he would select judges by calm reflection and clear principles, having neither patience nor aptitude for either.

It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed? “

David Gergen broke down the code for “uppity” to his colleagues on This Week. The analyst also discusses the obvious racial undertones of the McCain campaign.

George W. Bush has decided to lift the Executive off-shore drilling ban in an effort to goad Congress into lifting its ban.  I guess he forgot that the oil companies already have 1000′s of leases for millions of acres of oilfields that they have not bothered to drill on.  Fortunately, the President also needs Congress to lift its legislative ban in order to begin exploration.  As we have mentioned here before, off-shore drilling will produce zero short term benefits to our oil crisis but would have long term repercussions to our coastlines.  The negligible affect that drilling would have on gas prices would not accur until 2030. The ten year timeline being pushed by the GOP  is the timeline for pumping the oil.  Any consumer benefit would not be felt until twelve or thirteen years following.  By then we will have alternative energy mechanisms in place so that the drilling and its minor benefit will be moot.  Sen. Barack Obama proposes giving a $1000 middle class tax cut that would go to 95 percent of all families and off-set the burden that such skyrocketing gas prices have presented.  In addition, Obama proposes investing in renewable energy sources for the long term.  While the Bush-McCain solution would only worsen our addiction to oil by increasing our dependence.  McCain claims that he would like to employ a cocktail of solutions to solve the energy crisis, but including off-shore drilling in his mixture is unnecessary and meaningless.  We have the technology and supply on hand today (wind, solar, biomass, strategic petroleum reserves) to affect the price of gas, so giving oil companies more oilfields to hoard in their reserve is just greed and completely pointless.  This solution does nothing more than increase the value of the stock of oil companies.  One other possible piece of legislation affecting gas and oil prices that Congress plans to address next week is to the Enron loophole.  The democrats in Congress plan to introduce a Speculation bill next week that will address the loophole.

As for the Bush-McCain plan, exactly the type of sensible solution that would be utilized by a drug addict. 

As one of her last messages to West Virginia, Sen Clinton tells West Virginia to “send them a message.”  I am not sure if this is simply a coincidence but “send them a message” was the battle cry of George Wallace in the sixties during the height of racial tensions in this country.  Bob Herbert of the New York Times seems to think that it was a little too convenient for Sen. Clinton to include such statement in her final appeal to West Virginia voters.  The slogan was originally used by Wallace in an effort to get voters to send Washington, and those in support of civil rights, a message by voting for him and his segregationist platform.  Wallace was staunchly against the civil rights movement and built his political career on segregation.   I wonder if West Virginians are familiar with the history behind the final plea.  Apparently Bob Herbert is very aware and said as much today.  In addition,  and before Clinton’s “send them a message” comment, Bob Herbert wrote the following piece regarding Clinton’s southern strategy:

There was a name for it when the Republicans were using that kind of lousy rhetoric to good effect: it was called the Southern strategy, although it was hardly limited to the South. Now the Clintons, in their desperation to find some way — any way — back to the White House, have leapt aboard that sorry train.

He can’t win! Don’t you understand? He’s black! He’s black!

The Clintons have been trying to embed that gruesomely destructive message in the brains of white voters and superdelegates for the longest time. It’s a grotesque insult to African-Americans, who have given so much support to both Bill and Hillary over the years….

But it’s an insult to white voters as well, including white working-class voters. It’s true that there are some whites who will not vote for a black candidate under any circumstance. But the United States is in a much better place now than it was when people like Richard Nixon, George Wallace and many others could make political hay by appealing to the very worst in people, using the kind of poisonous rhetoric that Senator Clinton is using now….

But it’s one thing to lack class and a sense of grace, quite another to deliberately try and wreck the presidential prospects of your party’s likely nominee — and to do it in a way that has the potential to undermine the substantial racial progress that has been made in this country over many years.The Clintons should be ashamed of themselves. But they long ago proved to the world that they have no shame.

The defections from the Clinton campaign have begun.  George McGovern, who endorsed Clinton back in 2007, has just endorsed Barack Obama!  McGovern is also urging Clinton to get out of the race.  The former Iowa Senator has been a long time friend of the Clintons since the then unmarried couple were instrumental in the Texas effort of McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign bid. McGovern says that he will call Bill Clinton to inform him of his decision.  UPDATE:  McGovern says that he has talked to President Clinton and informed him of his decision.  The former Senator also said that he and Bill had a pleasant conversation with no voices being raised.  McGovern gives as his reason for endorsing Barack Obama the following; ”the time has come for democrats to unite and get ready for a tough race against John McCain.”  He says that he is “hopeful that Sen. Clinton will see fit fairly soon.” 

Kantor: “Look at Indiana – 42-40. It doesn’t matter if we win; those people are shit.” The original video also alleges that Kantor said “How would you like to be a worthless white ni***r?” UPDATE:  Kantor and the director of the film dispute the video’s authenticity.   Kantor denies that he has ever used the N word. However, it does appear, at least in the documentary “The War Room,” that Kantor did refer to Indianans as “sh*t.”  Judge for yourself.

The Washington Post printed this story in 1993

“War Room” is shot in the nonscripted, cinema-verite style by D. A. Pennebaker (whose follow-around films on President Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey and Bob Dylan are documentary classics) and Chris Hegedus. Whether Carville and company are play-acting somewhat for the cameras becomes less important as the film progresses. One can only keep up an act for so long — especially in the throes of a campaign. Carville’s tearful farewell speech to his staff as they close up just before the election, Stephanopoulos’s frank talk with a potential blackmailer and a Mickey Kantor comment about the people of Indiana (when it looks as though Clinton’s ahead in Dan Quayle’s state) attest to this. Read the remainder of the story.

Iowa Rep. Bruce Braley announced today that he would be supporting Barack Obama.   Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) also announced her support for Obama today.  Indiana Rep. Baron Hill will endorse Obama tonight.  One Senator also says that Obama has dozens of superdelegates lined up.  Hillary Clinton recently received superdelegate and North Carolina Governor Mark Easley’s endorsement yesterday.   Bill George of Pennsylvania also just announced his support for Clinton.  Obama is leading among committed superdelegates in the Senate 18-13, while Clinton leads in House superdelegates 77-74.

Former senator and Democratic presidential aspirant George McGovern says he sees some striking similarities when it comes to his run at the White House and that of Sen. Barack Obama. But ultimately, McGovern argues, Obama has organized a much wider political coalition and thus a greater chance of electoral success.

“I think that is his strength,” McGovern told The Huffington Post. “He has very broad appeal. He certainly is going to galvanize the black vote. But he has strong appeal to voters of all kinds. Some of the old buckaroos out here in South Dakota are for him.”

In recent days, following Obama’s loss in the Pennsylvania primary, concern has been raised in Democratic circles that the Illinois Democrat could not expand his political base beyond African-Americans and college students — a limitation that stunted McGovern’s candidacy.

But McGovern, who lost the 1972 election to incumbent Richard Nixon by landslide margins, doesn’t attribute his defeat to merely the contours of his political base. Indeed, he argues that his candidacy was damaged more by the infighting that occurred within the Democratic Party even after he had secured the nomination.

“After I had the nomination won and everything except the crowning at the convention, the other candidates that I had defeated in the primaries and the caucuses ganged up on me and spent the next month just bad mouthing me around the country,” he said. “And, of course the Nixon people used some of the quotes and threw them back at me in the general election.”  Continue reading

President George W. Bush approval rating has dropped to a historical low of 28%.  During the course of the Bush administration the President’s approval ratings has averaged at about 52%.  These numbers reflect a very low approval rating from most democrats and independents and a mere 66% approval rating from his republican base.  According to the Gallup poll, the average approval rating for all prior presidents is 55%.  George Bush Sr.’s approval ratings during his last year in office also fell to a historical low of 29%.  Like father, like son.  It is widely reported that the economy, the unpopular war in Iraq, and gas prices, are reasons why a mere 85% of Americans are unhappy with the way things are going in the United States.

The latest Reuters/CSPAN/Zogby poll released today show a tightening race in Ohio.  Clinton is slightly leading, but is within the margin of error, with 44% to Obama’s 42%.  Update:  new polls released on March 1st,  show that Obama has essentially closed the gap on Clinton’s lead in Ohio.  Cleveland Plain Dealer, Zogby, Rasmussen, Survey USA, and Real Clear Politics polls, all show the two candidates tied or within the margin of error.  Less than two weeks ago, Clinton was leading in Ohio by double digits. The latest Reuters/CSPAN/Houston Chronicle poll for Texas shows Obama leading with 48% to Clinton’s 42% where again, two weeks ago, Clinton was leading by double digits.  The rolling poll questions were asked to likely democratic primary voters.  The breakdown of the candidates voting blocks are somewhat similar to voter breakdowns of previous contests.  Obama leads in Ohio among cross-over republicans, independents, young voters, higher income voters, and blacks.  Clinton leads among women, older voters, Catholics, union households and voters living outside of Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati.  Of voters who decided in the last month, Obama is significantly ahead of Clinton.  Whereas Clinton is ahead with voters who made their decision over a month ago.  It seems that Obama’s momentum continues despite what appears to be a pile-on from all directions.  Clinton, McCain, and now even George Bush has joined in by telling Obama that he should be concentrating on winning the Democratic nomination instead of what is going on in the current White House.  Can someone tell George Bush that he should be worrying about what is going on with gas prices in the United States rather than who said what in the Democratic primary.  A reporter asked Bush yesterday, during a White House press conference, about analysts recent predictions of a potential increase of gas prices to $4 a gallon.  Bush responded by saying that “he had not heard that.”  Uhhh…..but you do know the latest tit-for-tat between the primary candidates.  President Bush, please concentrate on your job, which is, in case you failed to read the job description, addressing several pressing issues facing our country, e.g.,  skyrocketing gasoline prices, the economy, foreign affairs, the Iraq war, etc…. We do not care about your punditry with respect to our next president.  In case you haven’t noticed Mr. President, your approval rating is at 30%.  It may be because you are watching too much television and not tending to the job that you were sent to Washington, DC to do.  Anyway, back to the current candidates.  Most say that Clinton has to win both Texas and Ohio, including her husband, to remain relevant in this race.  Two weeks ago, most were saying that she not only has to win but has to win by large margins.  Now they’re saying that even if she wins by a small margin as long as she wins.  And the absolute latest from the pundits and the from some in the Clinton campaign is that she only has to win either Texas or Ohio to remain in the race. Whoops…I spoke too soon, the absolute absolute latest is that Obama must win all four contests on Jr. Tuesday for Clinton to be no longer viable.  Unbelievable!! The goal post keeps moving for Clinton, and she accuses Obama of receiving special treatment from the press.  It really is time to choose a nominee, regardless of how much enjoyment the media is getting out of this long protracted primary season.  The longer this stretches out, the less time voters have to really weigh the positions of the general election candidates and make an informed decision about our next leader. 

McCain is scheduled to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference today in Washington DC. The Arizona senator, and recently self-proclaimed frontrunner for the GOP nomination, has decided that it’s time for the his conservative detractors to “calm down” and rally around the inevitability of him as the GOP nominee.  Several conservative talk radio personalities, namely Rush Limbaugh, have attacked the Senator for his refusal to always fall in line with conservative dogma.    It is believed that his speech today is an attempt to begin to bridge the divide between him and the far right, an essential voting block for any GOP candidate seeking the White House.  McCain has been labled a rebel with his own cause. This does not sit well with the far right.  According to reports, McCain ”blew off” last years gathering.  One of the nation’s most influential conservative organizations, the American Conservative Union, hosts the event.  The very high profile attendees are a virtual who’s who of the republican party. Others scheduled to be in attendance are Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Ron Paul.  Mitt Romney is also scheduled to speak today.

The actor who has been recently designated the official UN Messenger of Peace for the Darfur region has endorsed Barack Obama for President.  When asked why Obama?  The actor said that Obama inspires him to do more.  It sounds like the ability to reach people with words really can generate change, as well as unite people around a better America. 

George Clooney is speaking to the U.N. today regarding the continued crisis in Darfur.   Mr. Clooney appears as a UN designated messenger of peace from Darfur.  The actor has just returned from a technical assessment mission of the current situation in the Darfur region.  Mr. Clooney, along with fellow actor Don Cheadle, has been very involved in educating people about the devastation occurring in the region.