PUMA stands for "People United Means Action!" You may know that there is another, more defiant meaning for the acronym P.U.M.A. There will be no unity in the Democratic party until the voices of the 18 million voters who support Hillary Clinton are heard and heeded.
We are motivated to action by our shared belief that the current leadership of the Democratic National Committee has abrogated its responsibility to represent the interests of all democrats in all 50 states. They are misleading our party and aim to mislead our country into nominating an illegitimate candidate for president in 2008. Our goals are fourfold:
1. To support the candidacy of Hillary Clinton in 2008 / 2012.
2. To lobby and organize for changes in leadership in the DNC
3. To critique and oppose the misogyny, discrimination, and disinformation in the mainstream media, including mainstream blogs and other outlets of new media
4. To support the efforts of those political figures who have allied themselves with Hillary Clinton and who have demonstrated commitment to our first three goals
DAILY Rasmussen Poll:
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows Barack Obama attracting 49% of the vote while John McCain earns 46%.
CNN) — Evan as Hillary Clinton praised the newly-minted Democratic presidential ticket Saturday, some in her circle are furious Barack Obama did not appear to give the New York Democrat serious consideration for the No. 2 spot, or even ask for her consultation on the matter.
"Set aside that Obama said she'd be on anybody's short list, set aside anybody's feelings on whether she was deliberately snubbed and the pros and cons of whether it should be her," a former Clinton strategist told CNN's Candy Crowley. "Focus on the politics of it and you have about a quarter of Clinton loyalists still not joining the caravan…for God's sake, not to even make a show of taking her seriously is flatly stupid."
A top Clinton advisor also told CNN they were "outraged," over how the process was conducted.
"You can't put [Obama VP vetters] Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy on an hour plane ride to Chappaqua just to check the box? They should have done it just for the optics," this person said. "Barack never even said to her, 'Here's how I envision the job'– not one discussion with her about [the position]."
"They thought her supporters were mad before? They are really mad now," this person also said. We knew it was never going to happen but you would have thought they might at least make a show of it."
Former Clinton strategist Paul Begala echoed similar frustrations on CNN Friday night.
"I think there are a lot of Hillary voters who are going to say, 'Hey, wait a minute, man You said you were going to put her on the short list. You know, you didn't even vet her. You didn't call her. You didn't seek her advice,'" Begala said. "By the way, he didn't seek President Clinton's advice either. He's actually the guy who I think picked the best vice president in American history. You would think maybe you would sort of check in with him."
Meanwhile, two sources familiar with Obama's VP search tell CNN's Roland Martin Clinton was very much under consideration, and it's wrong for anyone to suggest that she wasn't.
One of the sources noted the Clintons have lived a very public life, and it's inconceivable for anyone to think that there really is more that needs to be learned from them by requesting additional paperwork, citing the release of documents by her during the primary season.
The other source said both Holder and Kenndey are very familiar with Sen. Clinton and that there was substantive and lengthy conversations among the Obama team with regards to Clinton as vice president.
The McCain camp is already emailing around a YouTube of Obama's slip at the end of his speech, when he introduced Biden as "the next President" before catching himself.
It's ironic the silver-tongued Obama would be the one to make the first slip, especially that one. Biden made a few verbal stumbles of his own, and he gave us all a flash of the limitless future gaffe possibilities when he randomly went off script toward the end to describe his wife as "drop dead gorgeous" and then make a crack about her being a teacher. More...
He also gave us a glimpse of the sort of blue collar, attack dog fire he's literally - not figuratively but literally - going to bring to the race.
Biden may or may not be an inspiring pick for Obama, but he sure is an inspiring pick for the media.
UPDATE: The McCain has now followed up with a statement from spokesman Ben Porritt on Obama's "Freudian slip:"
"Barack Obama sounded as though he turned over the top spot on the ticket today to his new mentor, when he introduced Joe Biden as the next president. The reality is that nothing has changed since Joe Biden first made his assessment that Barack Obama is not ready to lead. He wasn't ready then and he isn't ready now."
Barack Hussein Obama’s choice for his VP spot is so predictable and ludicrous, it doesn’t deserve a full article.More...
It does, nonetheless, deserve pointing out a few important things:
1. It bluntly confirms what everybody knows; that Obama is utterly CLUELESS about foreign policy (even though he had the ‘cojones’ to say that said subject was his “strongest suit”).
2. Because of this cluelessness, he has been forced to pick a man who has lost every single attempt at his party’s nomination, just to make the case that he finally has somebody to “help him out”. Isn’t this the only ticket truly reminiscent of Bush - Chenney 2000/2004?
3. Biden is an old dog of Washington (in both the literal and symbolic sense of the word!), which then defeats the ENTIRE premise for Obama’s run. Is this really “change we can believe in” and “new politics”?
4. As the McCain ad proves above, Biden has been notorious in his criticisms of Obama and other similarly ‘junior’ candidates. By contrast, there are PLENTY of quotes from him in favor of McCain from Mr. Biden. This will then paint a picture of Biden as a sleazy hustler and dishonest buffoon, which is not very flattering to Mr. Obama (who already has a similar reputation).
5. The entire spectacle looks like a joke, when the only person who could effectively engage McCain is the VP candidate, while the head of the ticket is remains an irresponsible, corrupt, inexperienced and arrogant fool. Characteristics which, in a similar fashion to George W. Bush, will only allow him to either get manipulated by his old advisers or simply ignore them out right, out of his own self serving egocentrism.
6. The Hillary Clinton factor cannot be overlooked. The mere fact that Obama picked an old loser in favor of her (even though she was not going to say yes) demonstrates the utter disrespect that he offers the Clintons and their supporters. After all the nonsense about “being right on the war”, he picks a man who was a HARDCORE advocate of removing Saddam Hussein from power. Wasn’t this the reason that he attacked Clinton over and over?
In other words, Joe Biden was the predictable choice for a man who now admits to the world that he doesn’t have a freaking clue about what he is doing. Polls already indicate that most Americans favor McCain over Obama (and yes, over Biden) in foreign policy, so this choice is politically ineffective. Polls also indicate that Americans trust McCain over Obama even in economic matters, making the pick of Biden an even more ludicrous one.
Today, this means that the choice in November is between a man with whom people feel more comfortable in both the economy and military matters, or a young brat who doesn’t know anything about either subject, but at least has an old man who has lived in Washington all of his life to help out.
All McCain has to do now is pick ANYBODY as his running mate, albeit preferably Mitt Romney, and he will close the deal with a comfortable margin.
—————————————
In commemoration of this political gaffe on the side of Mr. Obama, let’s watch a few fun videos on this subject.
First, let’s see what “The Ultimate Jew” has to say about Barack Obama and his experience:
Second, let’s see how the McCain campaign views Obama and his supporters:
And finally, how the GOP and the rest of America will perceive him in November, irrespective of his running mate:
**PLEASE REMEMBER TO SEND IN YOUR OWN ARTICLES TO savagepolitics@gmail.com!
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(08-23) 02:02 PDT DENVER, (AP) -- The candidate of change went with the status quo.
In picking Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, Barack Obama sought to shore up his weakness — inexperience in office and on foreign policy — rather than underscore his strength as a new-generation candidate defying political conventions.
He picked a 35-year veteran of the Senate — the ultimate insider — rather than a candidate from outside Washington, such as Govs. Tim Kaine of Virginia or Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas; or from outside his party, such as Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; or from outside the mostly white male club of vice presidential candidates. Hillary Rodham Clinton didn't even make his short list. More...
The picks say something profound about Obama: For all his self-confidence, the 47-year-old Illinois senator worried that he couldn't beat Republican John McCain without help from a seasoned politician willing to attack. The Biden selection is the next logistical step in an Obama campaign that has become more negative — a strategic decision that may be necessary but threatens to run counter to his image.
Democratic strategists, fretting over polls that showed McCain erasing Obama's lead this summer, welcomed the move. They, too, worried that Obama needed a more conventional — read: tougher — approach to McCain.
"You've got to hand it to the candidate and the campaign. They have a great sense of timing and tone and appropriateness. Six months ago, people said he wasn't tough enough on Hillary Clinton — he was being too passive — but he got it right at the right time," said Democratic strategist Jim Jordan. "He'll get it right again."
Indeed, Obama has begun to aggressively counter McCain's criticism with negative television ads and sharp retorts from the campaign trail.
A senior Obama adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, said his boss has expressed impatience with what he calls a "reverence" inside his campaign for his message of change and new politics. In other words, Obama is willing — even eager — to risk what got him this far if it gets him to the White House.
Biden brings a lot to the table. An expert on national security, the Delaware senator voted in 2002 to authorize military intervention in Iraq but has since become a vocal critic of the conflict. He won praise for a plan for peace in Iraq that would divide the country along ethnic lines.
Chief sponsor of a sweeping anti-crime bill that passed in 1994, Biden could help inoculate Obama from GOP criticism that he's soft on crime — a charge his campaign fears will drive a wedge between white voters and the first black candidate with a serious shot at the White House.
So the question is whether Biden's depth counters Obama's inexperience — or highlights it?
After all, Biden is anything but a change agent, having been in office longer than half of all Americans have been alive. Longer than McCain.
And he talks too much.
On the same day he announced his second bid for the presidency, Biden found himself explaining why he had described Obama as "clean."
And there's the 2007 ABC interview in which Biden said he would stand by an earlier statement that Obama was not ready to serve as president.
It seems Obama is worried that some voters are starting to agree.
____
EDITOR'S NOTE: Ron Fournier has covered national politics for The Associated Press for nearly 20 years.
Is it true? It looks like Presidential UNSUB Barack Hussein Obama the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party made a choice of Joseph Biden as his running mate … Delaware Can anyone even find Delaware on a map? What a great day for John McCain but not so for America. I will allude to my post of 8/22/08 where I put Biden on my short list. As I had stated… Obama will be making a deal with the devil with the choice of Biden and now in doing so becomes a very dangerous Presidential UNSUB for America.More...
As a Clinton Republican and now a McCain Independent, I like this pick for my political purposes. Biden has a rich history of verbal divisiveness with his uncanny ability to say whatever he pleases whenever he wants. Biden is able to absorb all the dissension with his over the top rhetoric and give Obama some needed breathing room. This will not bode well for the likes of PUMA… etc… Biden will take up the attack and initially deflect the focus off of Obama, but McCain knows Biden and his tendencies. Any push that Biden gives, pushes these groups closer to McCain and it will not take as much to reach out and embrace them. As for Hillary… she will be treated as a footnote after the Convention and may feel dissed enough to cozy up with McCain.
There is a catch. Biden has a poker style tell… Most of the time, when he is saying something that is truly for effect or won’t stand behind when it comes to crunch time, he exaggeratedly raises his brow line and straightens his face. Just keep it in the back of your mind when he is speaking.
Biden and his record speaks for its self, you either agree with his legislation and socialist agenda or not. There is not a great deal of genuine bipartisanship about him. As for his personal baggage, you can judge this by your own moral standards. As a politician, Biden is the complete package of good and evil, and if the press chooses they could have a field day with him. Obama’s bump from this choice should be on the order of a piece of sand in the oceans… total bump of no more that 5 ~ 7 pts by Conventions end. This bump will fall far below modern bumps from Veep and the Convention. This will quickly dissipate in the next 3 weeks and McCain will be riding high again by mid September. The side note… Keep an eye on Michelle Obama. Biden and his mouth will give Michelle a new lease on life. We should see a great deal more of her. Also, Hillary is caught in a very tight place with this choice. She might want to reconsider the cozy up attitude. POSTED BY Sic Transit Gloria from pyros gang
Hillary fans come to terms with ticket Glenn Thrush and Amie Parnes August 23, 2008 11:33 AM
Hillary Rodham Clinton is urging her followers to back a “purposeful and dynamic” Joe Biden even as some backers, already resentful that she wasn't even vetted for the slot, detect a whiff of mockery in Obama’s 3 a.m. running mate announcement. Only about half of former Clinton voters say they’ll back the Illinois senator — and it’s not clear if the Biden choice will attract or alienate those who have yet to embrace Obama. Former Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson predicted her troops would eventually fall in line but suggested that Biden needed to project toughness — as Clinton did — to win over voters. More...
The question, Wolfson said, is “whether Joe Biden is willing to go after John McCain.”
"I don’t think this will either antagonize or assuage her supporters,” Wolfson added. “Sen. Clinton likes Joe Biden, and I don’t think he said a bad word about her during the entire campaign — there’s no animosity or enmity at all — in that sense he’s a safe pick ... . But she’s the only person who was going to automatically bring her supporters back into the fold."
“In naming my colleague and friend Sen. Joe Biden to be the vice presidential nominee, Sen. Obama has continued in the best traditions for the vice presidency by selecting an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant," Clinton said in a statement released this morning. “Sen. Biden will be a purposeful and dynamic vice president who will help Sen. Obama both win the presidency and govern this great country."
Clinton’s hardy troupe of die-hards had hoped against hope until the last minute — and reacted to the announcement that Obama had chosen Biden as his running mate with a mixture of anger, resignation and gallows humor.
Amid reports that Barack Obama’s team hadn’t even bothered to vet Clinton, some of her staunchest supporters were still floating optimistic e-mails on Friday, buoyed by pie-in-the-sky rumors that Obama had swallowed his pride and reached out to the former first lady.
Some passed around a YouTube clip of an old “West Wing” episode in which a Hillary-like Democratic presidential candidate tosses aside his concession speech to force a convention vote — as a nod to his fanatical supporters.
“HRC fans have been electrified by the late buzz on her dark horse potential,” one stalwart supporter BlackBerry-ed this morning. “That is, I haven't heard anything to indicate that she is under serious consideration, but that hasn't tamped down the hope.”
The news, when it broke after midnight, was deflating, if unsurprising.
“I believe the overwhelming polling data that Sen. Clinton would have helped Sen. Obama the most to win the election, especially in battleground states,” said Lanny Davis, former special counsel to President Bill Clinton and one of Sen. Clinton’s most passionate supporters. “Having said that, I completely support the decision he has made as his alone and will support Joe Biden.”
A former Clinton staffer opined: “Joe’s smart and funny, but this is not exactly an exciting choice.”
After learning that Obama aides sent the text message announcing Biden's selection just after 3 a.m., some Clinton aides wondered openly if the Obama campaign was mocking Clinton's famous 3 a.m. ad.
Hillary supporter Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) predicted the move would further anger many of the New York senator’s most hardcore supporters.
"I never thought he would pick Hillary," she said. "I know politics. Things just don't happen that way. Hillary knew that. Anyone who thought he would put her on the ticket is just clueless."
Sanchez said that she had a friend, a staunch Democrat, who is voting for John McCain because "he is so unhappy about what's happened," adding that Clinton supporters have encountered a "disconnect" with the Obama campaign.
"They're not hearing what people have to say," Sanchez said. "They have no communication with us."
Asked why Clinton was never seriously considered, one Clinton aide responded with a single word: “Ego.”
Other Clinton backers, some mulling protests in Denver to coincide with the Tuesday roll-call vote, remain bitter and believe Obama traded a possible “Dream Team” for a nightmare ticket.
“It’s a big mistake not to choose her. It’s sad and it’s a sure way to guarantee the Republicans will win,” said Jenny Doggett, founder of counteveryvotecast.org, who has urged Clinton to take her campaign to the convention floor.
“Obama can’t do this on his own. This ticket isn’t going to be able to compete and can’t overcome the lack of unity. Only Hillary can bring them that,” Doggett said.
Tuesday’s ceremonial roll-call vote for Clinton could be a flashpoint for pro-Clinton delegates disappointed by today’s decision. Earlier this week, Politico reported that Clinton adviser Craig Smith was organizing a 40-member “whip team” to keep any demonstrations from getting out of hand. Clinton has said she plans to vote for Obama and won’t urge anyone to vote for her on the first ballot.
“People will be disappointed that it’s not her on the ticket,” said Sam Arora, a former Clinton aide who recently dissolved voteboth.org, which was pushing for a joint ticket. “But we hope that enough time has passed that her supporters have gotten over it and are in a place where they can support the party’s ticket.”
Sanchez, for her part, predicted Clinton would handle herself like a "confident professional" when she addresses the convention on Tuesday night.
"She'll go in, she'll wow them and she'll get out of the way," Sanchez said.
But that may not sell all of her supporters on an Obama-Biden ticket. A NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released this week found that only half of Clinton supporters are backing the Illinois senator, while 21 percent said they will support McCain. More than a quarter remain undecided.
Still, it’s been weeks since vice presidential aspirations were seriously entertained among Clinton’s inner circle — and the senator has reportedly been telling friends she had little interest in the job.
The few public utterances on the topic from Hillaryland have been of the I-told-you-so variety. Former Clinton campaign manager Terry McAuliffe, who now backs the Illinois senator, recently said, “If [Obama] picks Hillary he gets her 18 million supporters and we would win in a cakewalk and control the White House for 16 years.”
Not everyone in Clinton’s orbit agrees.
“On a personal level, I’m disappointed by the decision," said a former Clinton staffer. "But on a political level, I don't think she'd be the best choice. It wouldn't be a good match. ... She brings some baggage and I think the fundamental problem is the Bill factor. The Obama campaign knew they couldn't control him.”
Episode 16: Public Speaking
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Here’s another experiment in podcastland. How is MSNBC hiring Ronna
McDaniel like a high school public speaking class and a couple other things
in this sho...
The One Can't Withstand Ridicule
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In the space of 5 days, the Precious One's 9 point lead over Mccain in the
Gallup Daily following survey has totally vanished. When the Oborg began
unctuou...
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