The Nation is reeling from eight years of the complete disregard of the most precious treasure we posess, the Constitution of the United States of America.  In that time many have sacrificed all they have because they thought that document actually means something.  There are those that have thought sacrificing some freedom for security was the only thing to do when faced with attacks on our home.  On that score the wise words of Franklin are very clear "Those who would sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither".  

Senator Obama you must look to our Founders for the wisdom to guide your stand on many issues.  Yes they owned slaves but they had one thing sorely lacking in politicians today, courage.  In their time they stood up to the greatest empire of the day to create this imperfect nation.  Each one of them did so with a real threat of death for their actions.  When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence he didn't know if he would live or die for his treason against England.  Indeed there were times when it looked as if they would all surely hang when the course of that War was going against the Colonies.  They could hear the thunder of the cannons and in their own homes they could see the price of freedom.  It was no distant conflict but one that took place on their front doorsteps.

Senator Obama there are many issues on which to compromise but the Constitution is not one of them.  I hope you spend this July 4th in deep reflection on what this day truly represents.  Perhaps a solitary walk thru Arlington Cemetary to commune with those that have sacrificed all for that document.  Yes there are the fireworks, the barbeques, family and friends, and all the celebration.  Today will also be a day when a soldier will be wounded or die somewhere in Iraq or Afghanistan.  They will do so because they believe the Constitution makes this nation worth it.

Amendment [IV] The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Senator Obama rethink your incomplete thought on FISA and don't protect those that have violated our rights under the Constitution.  (They don't deserve immunity or anything else.)  Above all have the same courage as our brave soldiers when it comes to defending our most precious treasure which is the very essence of our nation.  Rise above political calculation, or Party and become the first Statesman our nation has seen in a very long time.  The People need and want a true leader this time for the very hard path which is ahead.

Have a great July 4th

The Media continues to amaze me on it's total lack of any sense of truth in reporting on this Democratic Primary.  This morning George Stephanopoulos asked Hillary how she would 'overturn the will of Pledged Delegates'.  What the hell does that mean?  He also implied doing so would be somehow 'unethical'.  Well, George, there is no will of the 'Pledged Delegates' unless one candidate happens to have 2024* of them going to the Convention.  I don't know how many times this has to be drilled into the minds of the Media!  Setting up an expectation that merely having the most pledged delegates entitles one to the nomination is irresponsible.  

Hillary completely understands the rules and that's why she is staying in the race.   It is the media that is trying to present a picture that she is evil and only trying to destroy Obama by continuing to campaign.  She has a tremendous goal to achieve to win but I am truly impressed by her strength to carry on!  

If only the 'men', both Black and White, in the media would recognize their own 'sexism' when reporting on this race  they would stop trying to make Hillary look like the 'insane woman' trying to destroy a man!  No matter who your candidate is it's 2024* delegates stupid that entitles a candidate to the nomination not merely lead in 'Pledged Delegates'!  That's the real math not some supporter's mathematical calculation!  Can we move on now and stop all argument on this point George?

* There are some who say it is 2025.

There has been a lot of Obama partisans calling for Hillary to quit the race but that is just purely psychological warfare.  It is an attempt to make her look stupid to remain in the race.  Not only is this pathetic but the people doing it are part of a larger misinformation campaign that includes a major portion of the media.  Yesterday it was painful to listen to voters on talk radio threatening to riot at the convention if Obama has this nomination stolen from him.  Little did they realise there is nothing to steal!  If there is a riot at the convention the people responsible are the ones filling the airwaves with false information.

Let's do the math as Mr. Todd does it on MSNBC since he is one of the main sources of this misinformation.

1. 2024 Delegates are required for the nomination.

  Funny I looked at Obama's total which is 1726
   Funny I looked at Clinton's total which is 1592

So neither candidate has crossed the goal line!  Therefore neither of them is entiltled to the nomination!  So it would be stupid for either of them to drop out.  In essence there is no math to speak of since neither of them will win the required number of delegates in the remaining contests.  A team doesn't get a touchdown for merely coming close to the goal line.

2. Pledged Delegates

  These are the people you vote for in the state primary.  They are allocated to individual Congressional Districts based on a district's past loyalty to the Party.  Since the population of a district is not a consideration a smaller district may have more delegates than a larger district. They are divided porpotionaly according to who won which Congressional District.  This makes it really hard for either two strong candidates or two weak candidates to get to the 2024 number with pledged delegates.  The individual campaigns usually choose fanatical suppoters to insure that at the convention the opposition can't get them to change their vote by getting them that car or house they've been wanting to buy.  Yeah, they can change their mind at the convention and vote for someone else even though you voted for them to support a certain candidate but that is a legal basis to put them in front of a firing squad. (just kidding)

3. Super Delegates

  Usually elected individuals like Congressmen or Senators but can be anyone who has been an extremely loyal Democrat.  These delegates are not required to use any standard other than their own judgement.  In other words they could just toss a coin to decide their choice!  

If a candidate doesn't get the required delegates for the nomination in the primaries then they are entitled to make their case to the Super Delegates as to why they should be the nominee.  However at any time during the primary they may prevail on any Super Delegate for their support.  In doing so they may use any means short of physical intimidation to get a Super Delegate's vote.

4. The Convention

On the first vote at the convention if no one gets the 2024 golden number then things get steamy.  On the second vote all delegates become Super Delegates voting for whomever they please.  That's when things become really interesting with all kinds of dealing going on like a night in the Governor Spitzer room.

Today we have Clinton and Obama locked in a contest where the two candidates are very close.  Hey, if Clinton had 300 delegates and Obama had 2000, yeah, she should drop out but that's not the case!  As above the only thing either of these candidates is entitled to is making their case for the nomination to the Super Delegates nothing more nothing less.  So stop with the stupid charts and math Mr. Todd cause there ain't nothing there except spin!  

Obama and his supporters would love for Hillary to quit but then I would love for my landlord here in NYC to tell me I don't have to pay rent anymore!

One more thing if the Democratic Party doesn't want the primaries to go till June then have all the states vote by the end of March 'Duh!'

PS Feel free to make suggestions for any section but keep it simple!  Try not to be an Obama or Clinton idiot!  (I know this last part will be really hard.)

Obama's speech was one of the historic moments of this campaign for the presidency.  If only he had given it before the South Carolina Primary it may well have propelled Obama to the nomination.  As it is it looks to be a speech given out of political calculation.  He gave this speech only when his poll numbers started to slip because of Reverend Wright.  Prior to that he thought 'plausible deniability' would work.  Before and during the South Carolina Primary Obama had no interest in giving a speech on race but actually fed the beast of racism.  We all remember how President Clinton's 'Fairytale Remark' was totally distorted by the Obama Campaign from a comment about Barrack's anti-war record to a comment about his run for the presidency.  Hillary's comment about Dr. Martin Luther King suffered the same fate.  

Obama has made the same mistake many other politicians make by setting themselves up on the pedestal of being different and somehow more trustworthy.  He has lost that high ground which is the basis of his campaign.  Americans, for all that they might be, despise people who try to fool them on that score.  The polls are reflecting those feelings as Obama's numbers continue to downtrend.  Obama couldn't afford to lose his credibility and win the nomination.  The Democratic Party now has a very big problem going into the Convention, Obama is the weaker candidate in the frontrunner position.  

Maybe it isn't fair to condemn Obama for Reverend Wright's statements but that is reality.  This is not a run for student council president but for the most powerful office in the world.  People make the decision to vote for a candidate on the trust they feel for that candidate.  Republicans won't waste any time pounding the Wright issue and it will be effective.  This along with the Florida and Michigan debacle in which Obama is on the side of not counting the votes makes for great political ads.  Timing is everything in politics and the timing of Oabama's brilliant speech on 'Race in America' may be a case of too little too late.  

Disclaimer: I don't support Clinton or Obama

DailyKos has become an intolerant, close minded, verbally violent and censorship site reminiscent of the days in 1920's Germany.  In the early days of the Nazis rise to power opposing views were met with physical attacks.  They would demonize and silence their opponents.  Their followers would mindlessly support the actions of the party and it's candidate.  There was no open political discourse and those that attempted it paid a price.  The Nazis were and remain the extreme example of what happens when good people don't pay attention.  This is not to say that the DailyKos has become like the Nazis but it is in the very early stages of approaching the entrance of the highway to censorship which is never a positive thing.

The most troubling aspect on the DailyKos site is that the Obama supporters don't see their own tactics as abusive.  We have seen many examples on the news of what 'Internet Violence' is capable of doing.  In the extreme it has led to death.  Politcal bullying on the Internet has replaced 'physical intimidation'.  Otherwise 'good individuals'  become something else when in a group as if the personality of the group replaces the individual's personality.  DailyKos would be an excellent study in group mentality and it's effect on individual minds.  Indeed even Kos himself has been infected perhaps with a 'perception of power rather than real power', (ie. the darkening of Obama's photo).  Above all the barrier of the Internet itself lends to individuals 'expression of thought with no consequence'.  The anonymity of the crowd has led to some of the most grotesque abuses in the world.  Today we have the 'anonymity of the Internet'.

The DailyKos is free to follow whatever course it will but if the purpose is free and open political dialogue, the train has jumped off the tracks.  Of course political campaigns in our nation have always been 'spirited'.   It is when free and open political discourse is replaced with 'Internet Intimidation', physical violence, censorship or mindless, unquestioning loyalty that the warning bells should sound.  It is only when a party or a candidate's ideas are weak and fraught with deception that censorship or intimidation become acceptable to the supporters.

Disclaimer: I don't support Clinton or Obama.  For having expressed my views on DailyKos I have been censored.    

For the Record:  I don't support either Clinton or Obama!

The rules of the Democratic Party are that if a candidate goes to the Convention with less than 2024 delegates they are not entitled to the nomination.  The Super Delegates have no standard to adhere to when voting for a candidate other than their own judgment.  The news organizations are completely wrong to suggest the Super Delegates are bound by the popular vote or a small lead of pledged delegates.  Clinton and Obama knew these rules at the start of the Democratic Primaries.  To change any of these rules now to favor one campaign over the other will end in a Democratic defeat in November.  

Obama has demonstrated his inability to win big states with primaries as most of his delegates were won in caucuses.  The loss in Ohio is truly significant and Texas verified this trend.  Obama should have trounced Clinton in Ohio as conditions were definitely in his favor at this late stage of the primaries.  Obama out spent Clinton, was holding rallies in stadiums, won 11 straight primaries, and had the news cycle.  A loss in Pennsylvania will put to rest any claim Obama has on the nomination as the Democrats can hardly win a General Election loosing more than one of the major industrial states.  It's not easy to see the truth.

Clinton has a problem being not as inspiring or likable but she does appeal to the working class.  There is also the Bush Clinton Bush Clinton problem.  Her husband also seems to be a liability.  She will unite Conservatives and precipitate a larger Republican turnout.  The vote in 2002 to give Bush the authority to use military force plays heavily against her in certain parts of the Democratic Party but she is the blue collar candidate.  A loss in Pennsylvania will play heavily against her claim on the nomination.

There are a lot of `fantasy' matchups against McCain but I can't understand why people put any kind of credibility in these useless exercises in futility.  The primaries have proven beyond the shadow of a doubt the danger of putting any value on polls.