Saturday, April 12, 2008

Clinton - Hi, I'm a soundbite away from winning this mofo

While the Obamanator is holding a big enough delegate lead in the Dem race for our next president, his latest "Gaffe" leaves me reminded that politics is veering to what it's always been, a collection of sound bites and empty promises.

So, what did the Harvard-educated, black, former community organizer do this time?

Said that Midwestern voters may be insulated and afraid and possibly putting false blame on bogiemen! ***Gasps with shock!***

Here goes the Tribune's account of what Obama said in response to why he might not be hitting it off with Joe six-pack:

"It's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations (with losing manufacturing jobs, etc).''


Now, I see this as part of a nuanced discussion on why different perspectives lead to alternate realities (I believe Obama had referred to this as " different lenses" through which people see the world). Working or unemployed Midwestern folks do by and large blame problems on free-trade policies and Mexicans. And us Midwesterners like our guns.

Not that that's necessarily wrong. It's a free country, and you can pin problems on any bogeyman you want: Muslims, Immigrants, Jews, Right-Wing nuts, Left-Wing nuts, Bush and Cheney, the Kennedy family. Let's just be conscious of who we are naming as our "Devil," and whether it's fair to do so or try to find solutions.

Clinton's response is a the best part of this whole debacle. She names the devil, those elitist liberals, of which she is not. And talks about how she TOTALLY identifies with you.



Clinton is the most in touch after all. Her grandfather worked in a factory and everything. I mean, her and Bill pulled in couple million since 2000, living on franks and beans as Hillary donned her best Ebonics accent.

Also, she likes guns:

“You know, my dad took me out behind the cottage that my grandfather built on a little lake called Lake Winola outside of Scranton and taught me how to shoot when I was a little girl,” she said.

Just don't be Gov. Richardson to the Clinton household. Bill Clinton nearly chewed his head off for not being a grateful puppy dog. I mean, Richardson has a lot of his political career owed to the Clintons, and they watched the Super Bowl and everything.

Don't worry, cries of blame and desperation will help McCain in November, then we can look forward to new wars, not really knowing much about the economy...

Is this the best we can come up with?

Busee Bee

For all you loyal "fans" out there, sorry that it's been a while since I've got the blogger 2000 up and running. I've a good excuse in that in the past two months I've lost a love one, started a new day job selling books, had my house broken into and laptop stolen, and I've been trying to keep up my writing at New City in Chicago.

Don't panic. I'm good. But renter's insurance is slightly overrated.

I was very happy with the latest art show at the Around the Coyote gallery around the 1900 West Block of North Ave in Wicker Park, doing an extended profile in it here at Chicago's "street-smart" alt-weekly.

Haseeb Ahmed presents several works of Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali, 20 years after al-Ali's death. Al-Ali's work is featured as a symbol of resistance for the Israel-Palestine conflict, with works making fun of political figures of all stripes while acknowledging the oppressed - their personae similar to any group of common folks trying to survive.

It reminds me every day that the world is infinitely larger than our individual perspective can completely comprehend.