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The holidays have passed, but it’s never too late for politically themed Christmas carol YouTube videos.
This one comes from James Quill, who sings his tribute to Barack Obama to the tune of “The Little Drummer Boy.” Here are the lyrics, from his Web site (footnotes are his own):
Come, he calls me,
Ba-rack O-ba-ma!
A new democracy,
Ba-rack O-ba-ma!
He was born in Hawai'i,
Ba-rack O-ba-ma!
He's gonna beat Hillary**,
Ba-rack O-ba-ma!
Barack O-ba-ma!
Barack O-ba-ma!
Dreams from Kenya,
Ba-rack O-ba-ma!
Schooled at Columbia,
Ba-rack O-ba-ma!
Endorsed by Oprah!
Ba-rack O-ba-ma!
Audacious Hope-Ba-a-
-Rack O-ba-ma!
Barack O-ba-ma!
Barack O-ba-ma!
He's no white zombie clone!
Ba-rack O-ba-ma!
He'll bring the troops home!
Ba-rack O-ba-ma!
Gay muslim, I beg your pardon?
Ba-rack O-ba-ma!
He knew since Kindergarten,
Ba-rack O-ba-ma!
Barack O-ba-ma!
Barack O-ba-ma!
**Have you noticed that transcripts of Obama's speeches always spell it "gonna" instead of "going to"? Is this a new phenomenon, is this now acceptable in print?
And, as for this line, it can easily be updated to "Giuliani", "Huckabee", or "Romney."
That's about 50 times better than "Breakfast at Huckabee's."
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During tonight's cat fight, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton rehashed a slew of issues from months past. No reason to be embarrassed if you had no idea what they were talking about; we're here to help. Here's a primer on tonight's hot discussion topics so you can sound smart at work tomorrow.
- Tony Rezko (a.k.a. the "slum lord"): Rezko was a Chicago landlord, political fundraiser, and Obama friend. Rezko was indicted on corruption charges and his trial is set to begin on Feb. 25. Obama has said Rezko raised at least $60,000 for him throughout his entire political career, more than $10,000 of which was given to his senate campaign fund. (Obama donated those monies to charity once Rezko was indicted.) Rezko's corruption charges has led some to call him a slumlord.
Complicating things is Obama's pursuit of Rezko's advice on a housing deal while Rezko was under investigation by the feds. It was widely reported that Rezko was under investigation, and Obama has since admitted it was a "bone-headed mistake." Obama then purchased a housing lot that was adjacent to one Rezko's wife purchased on the same day. Furthermore, there are questions about whether Obama did legal work on Rezko's behalf. The campaign says no, but others say yes.
Recommended reading: Chicago Sun-Times (
x2),
ABC News,
Wikipedia article for Rezko.
- "Present" votes: Clinton and John Edwards both scolded Obama for his "present" votes in the Illinois state senate that allowed him to show up for a vote but not commit to an aye or nay. This was a minor problem for Obama before the Iowa caucuses, with both of his opponents saying it showed Obama lacked the courage to take a stand on tough issues. Some of Obama's present votes were on hot-button issues like abortion or sex-shops. Obama maintains that it's common practice in the Illinois senate. Recommended reading: New York Times, Chicago Tribune.
- Obama's "party of ideas" and Reagan comments: Before the Nevada caucuses, Obama told the Reno Gazette-Journal's editorial board that he thought the Republican party was the "party of ideas" and that Reagan "changed the trajectory of America...in a way that Bill Clinton did not." Needless to say, that didn't sit well with other Democrats, and the comments have since been misquoted over and over again. Recommended reading: Reno Gazette-Journal (video), Associated Press, New York Times.
- Bill Clinton talks too much: Today Good Morning America ran an exclusive interview when Obama told Bill Clinton to stuff it. Essentially, Obama said he's ready to engage both Clintons and that he found Bill's campaign behavior "troubling." At the debate tonight, Obama said sometimes he can't tell which Clinton he's running against. Recommended reading: ABC News, Clinton's official "Fact Hub."
- Health care: Obama's plan doesn't have a mandate for adults, Clinton and Edwards' do. Clinton and Edwards say that means Obama's plan isn't universal, because it would leave 15 million people without insurance. Obama disagrees. Around and around we go. Recommended reading: Paul Krugman, Slate, FactCheck.org.
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From the department of inadvertent grammar mistakes, Time.com's The Page files a classic:
In CNN debate, Obama and Clinton let it all fly — invocation by Him of
her days as a corporate lawyer on the board of Wal-Mart, invocation by
Her of Obama’s ties to the indicted contributor Rezko.
We know Obama has a Messiah complex, but the capital 'h's go a bit too far.
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A few months back, the Republicans all made their cases by saying they
were the best candidates to beat Hillary. Now the Dems are talking the
same way about McCain.
“It’s becoming increasingly likely that John McCain is the Republican candidate,” John Edwards says. And he’s the best candidate to beat the Arizona senator: “I can go anywhere in America and compete against John McCain and win."
UPDATE 9:58: This turns out to be the closing theme. (If you don't count their filler about Martin Luther King, Jr.) Edwards says he can beat McCain because he doesn't accept money from lobbyists. Given that McCain is such a strong proponent of campaign finance reform, "I think it’s dangerous to send someone against him who presents a contrast to what he represents." In other words, Hillary has lobbyist donors and McCain will punish her for that.
Hillary says that in fact she is the best person to beat McCain because a general election match-up against him will be about national security. She says she's "better equipped" to handle international challenges than these two little boys.
Obama agrees that McCain would make national security the focus, but says that rather than out-gunning him, the Democratic nominee "has to be someone who can serve as a strong contrast to overcome politics of fear." What he doesn't say is that McCain has huge appeal to independents and even some Democrats. Against someone with such broad support, Obama's own appeal to indies and even some Republicans could carry weight.
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What could have been an incredibly awkward moment somehow isn’t. The question is for Obama: “Do you think Bill Clinton was our first black president?”
Obama handles it with poise: “I think that Bill Clinton did have—still has—an enormous affinity with the African-American community, and that’s well earned. Like John, what I’m inspired by is young men and women who grew up in the South when segregation was still taking place.”
But more importantly, he says, “I’d have to investigate Bill’s dancing abilities before I accurately judge whether or not he is in fact a brother.”
"I’m sure that can be arranged," Clinton replies, laughing.
Worth noting: It's no small feat to crack jokes about race that don't make the entire room uncomfortable.
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Furthering the widening gulf between the GOP and Democrats' celebrity endorsement pool, CNN shows us that Dave Chapelle is at the debate tonight. Something tells us he's not a Republican.
Maybe he gave up his Comedy Central show to get involved with politics. If so, we suggest he follows Parliament Funkadelic's example they laid out in their black-politics classic, "Chocolate City:"
And don't be surprised if Ali is in the White House
Reverend Ike, Secretary of the Treasure
Richard Pryor, Minister of Education
Stevie Wonder, Secretary of FINE arts
And Miss Aretha Franklin, the First Lady.
Might we suggest he take Richard Pryor's place? If he does, Clinton--George Clinton, that is--would be proud.
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After spending the first half shivving Obama in the back, Edwards tries to make a joke about Obama's vocal tic of repeating lines. It falls sort of flat. For a second, I worry it could become Edwards' second pink jacket moment. But Obama saves the moment with a zinger:
Obama: “Charlie [Rangel] is absolutely right that Americans should vote for what’s best for them, their children, and their country. … in the same way that Hillary would tell you women should vote for what’s best for them, their children, and their country.”
Edwards: Why don’t you say that a little more often.
Pause, nervous audience laughter.
Obama: … Same as John wants white males to vote for what’s best for …
Laughter.
Five minutes later, Obama makes a similar joke. In this race, he says, "You’ve got an African-American, a woman, and John." Edwards doesn't seem to be laughing this time.
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Remember everything you thought you knew about presidential debates? Guess what. It’s wrong.
In the second half of the CNN debate, Wolf Blitzer promises us, “Whatever rules are left, they're gonna be gone.”
You know what that means. Rearranging furniture. No time limits. And, hopefully, folding chairs.
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Obama is stuck in the middle in more ways than one.
Neither Clinton nor Edwards is buying his claim that his health care plan is superior to their proposals for universal coverage. Edwards compares Obama’s attitude toward health care to George W. Bush’s attitude toward Social Security—i.e. they have the choice to buy in or not to. Hillary claims his views toward health care have “evolved.”
Obama argues that his plan prioritizes affordability over universality. He’d rather lower the cost of health care than force a family who can’t afford it to buy it. And responding to Hillary’s accusation, he says, “What’s ‘evolved’ is your presentation of my positions—which has happened frequently over the course of this campaign."
Seriously, this debate is phenomenal. It has both policy minutae and petty name-calling!
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These two lines seem to sum up the current two-way Enemy at the Gates-style sniping duel:
Hillary tells Obama: “You never take responsibility for any vote.”
Obama counters: “It’s important that people aren’t willing to say anything just to get elected.”
No wonder Edwards is feeling left out. When he finally gets a chance to speak, he sets his sights on Obama, taking the senator to task for voting “present” more than 100 times as an Illinois state senator. Obama says it’s not fair to focus on a relative handful of his 4000 votes. Edwards responds, “It’s the same thing you’ve done to us. What’s fair is fair.”
Edwards has spent the last two weeks known as Obama’s unspoken ally against Hillary. Chances are he’s sick of the lapdog reputation.
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Obama and Clinton are getting as testy as we've ever seen over Obama's comments about Ronald Reagan. For the record, here's what he said: "I think it’s fair to say that the Republicans were the party of ideas
for a pretty long chunk of time there over the last 10 to 15 years in
the sense that they were challenging conventional wisdom."
Clinton at first said that Obama claimed Republicans were the party of "good" ideas, Obama rebutted, and then Clinton realized she was wrong, causing her to say that's how it came across. Empirically, Obama is right, but perception-wise, Clinton is. And in politics, it's usually the perceptions that matter.
UPDATE Jan. 22, 8:07 a.m.: At the debate, Clinton did not assert Obama said the GOP was the party of "good ideas," although she has in the past.
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The past four minutes have seen some of the biggest slams in the race so far.
The question was about fiscal responsibility, but the answers quickly devolved into an exchange over what Obama meant when he said Republicans were the party of ideas in recent decades.
First, Obama drobs the B-bomb, denouncing it when “President Clinton says I wasn’t opposed to war from the start or says it’s a ‘fairy tale’ that I opposed the war.” Hillary clarifies that she (and her husband) were talking about Obama’s actions (or lack thereof) on Iraq in the Senate.
Obama then lets this one loose: While I was a community organizer in Chicago, “you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board of Wal-Mart.” POW!
In her response, Clinton retaliates: I was working to help poor families “while you were representing your slumlord Rezko in his real estate.” BLAM!
The audience loves it: “Ooooooo.” You half expect them to start chanting, “JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!”
Hillary smiles: “We’re just getting warmed up.”
UPDATE 8:38 p.m.: Forgot to include Obama's attack on the Clinton legacy itself: "These are the kinds of political games we are accustomed to."
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Wolf Blitzer promises that this debate will be “about the issues.” Is that a slam on MSNBC for last week?
In practice, that apparently means a loosey goosy debate format. In the first half, time limits are more guidelines than rules. In the second half, “no rules." In other words, you're done speaking with Wolf says so.
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Today's debate has a lot hanging over it: Today's market crash, major squabbles of the past week, plus the race issue, which gets extra emphasis seeing as it's MLK's birf. Speaking of which, how many people want to watch a debate on their day off? CNN's taking a ratings gamble with this one ...
Also, from local news of the weird: The same people who made last week's creepy Republican presidential Mt. Rushmore imitation have constructed their own Democratic version. See it here.