The Bawdy Cloister

My second pick for #2

Well, my man, Bill Richardson, didn't appear to be very high on the shortlist of Vice Presidential picks released today.  That is to say, he wasn't among the 15 named.  My feeling is Obama feels he's got the Latino vote secured, Richardson's primary campaign didn't hold together well or attract many voters, and New Mexico isn't a "big state" politically.

Now, I've already sent a letter to Obama telling him and his campaign that my support for him is contingent on him selecting a running-mate that that did not endorse the invasion of Iraq.  That's because I stick to my promises.  I want to see the Democratic party purified of any element that thought unilateral invasion of a sovereign nation was appropriate under those circumstances (got that Hilldoggers?)  They stand for nothing but bad judgment waiting to repeat when the public grows hawkish.

Obama isn't perfect.  He doesn't advocate a single-payer health care system and he supports civil unions but is opposed to gay marriage.  Those are two major strikes against him.  But he appears to be reigning in the Democratic party from conceding any further to the right.  That's an action I want to support and I'm willing to temporarily set aside my disagreements with him to make that happen.  Likewise, I don't expect Obama's running-mate to be perfect either. 

My second pick for VP isn't perfect, but Sam Nunn brings a lot to the table that will enable Obama to effect his vision of change....

Sam Nunn & Rowdy outside the Senate chamber, June 1988.

Let me first recognize the giant elephant in the room.  Yes, this is the Sam Nunn who, as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, helped persuade President Clinton to adopt "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  But before we dismiss him for that we must recognize that when he endorsed Obama back in April he said, "My own role in this campaign will be as an advisor - particularly in the field of national security and foreign policy.”  That is to say, Nunn's influence regarding gays in the military already holds tremendous weight with Obama regardless of Nunn's official title.  For what it's worth (and by its timing I'd be skeptical) Nunn recently said it's about time to review DADT.

But just think of what Nunn brings to the ticket.  He's a popular Democrat from Georgia.  That's right, folks in Georgia elected this Democrat to the Senate.... 4 times!   Nunn is also well respected on both sides of the aisle for being knowledgeable, matter-of-fact and of sound judgment when it comes to national security.  We're not going to appease all the Bubbas, but Nunn is our guy who can wrangle in the most and give Obama the best chance to turn Dixie blue.  Nunn opposed the invasion of Iraq from the beginning and he gives Obama what he needs to win.

Agree or not, tell me what you think.

Take the Stripes Off of Texas... It's Obama's

You might recall Texas held its primary last March and awarded Hilldog 65 delegates and Obama 61.  Media outlets quickly declared Hilldog the winner of Texas despite the fact that only 126 of the state's 193 delegates were awarded that night.  It seems that early on folks forgot that there were another 67 delegates yet to be selected through the caucus process... and the earliest polls indicated that Obama was doing well among Texas' caucus participants.  Nonetheless, many national media outlets declared the state for Hillary which, in part, added to her momentum and gave her reason to continue her campaign. 

In the days following the Texas primary, a number of news agencies recognized the fact that Hilldog didn't necessarily have Texas in the bag, but that the caucus results weren't going to be finalized until June.  Rather than return Texas to "Undecided" they created primary maps with stripes over Texas.  Just take a look at this one from NPR.  Unbelievably, a number of maps are still painted in solid for Hilldog (ex. ABC, CBS and FOX.) This latter group is simply ignoring 67 delegates!  To put that in perspective, 27 states* have less than 67 delegates each.

Well, the Texas Democrats held their state convention this weekend, and shortly before Hilldog announced she was dropping out officially, the Texas caucus results were finalized.  What was the result?  29 to Hilldog and 38 to Obama; add that to the primary results from March and Obama wins 99 to 94!

Credit: Off the Grid

That's what we call the Texas Two-Step.

So now I'm calling on all you media pundits out there to update your maps.  Obamanos!

*27 States with less than 67 delegates-- State/# of Delegates:
NH/30, NV/33, SC/54, AL/60, AK/18, AR/47, CT/60, DE/23, ID/23, KS/41, NM/38, ND/21, OK/47, UT/29, LA/66, NE/31, ME/34, HI/29, RI/32, VT/23, WY/18, MS/40, WV/39. KY/60, OR/65, MT/24 and SD/23

Post Script:  I'm still on sabbatical but am finding small pockets of free time to blog, so you might check in weekly.  Will be back full-time in August.