My 1000th post.......and reflections

[PatGund]

Dec 08th 2003

According to my profile, that's how long I've been here.

I joined originally as a proud "Clarkie". Went though the flames of the 2004 primary. Got more and more furious overtime with the Edwards supports and their flamefests. Gradually mellowed. Bitterly disappointed when Wes Clark dropped out. Relucantly supported Kerry. Even more bitterly disappointed November of 2004, and could not believe the American people were that ignorant.

Ended up working at a Medical School in the Middle East from fall 2005 to fall 2006. It was an eye-opener on how the US was seen in the world. I remember going though the multiple layers of security at the US Embassy in Doha, Qatar, and thinking that if this is how they treat a US citizen, how must it feel to a non-US citizen? Is the "fortress america" mentality really what we want?

Went inactive for a while. Came back to the US. Ended up in Seattle. Started looking at the people running in the primaries.

Richardson seemed the best choice, but I was holding out hope about Wes Clark. Didn't feel comfortable with Sen. Clinton, I figured the Right Wing had been gearing up to run against her for 8 years now, and I didn't see how she could overcome her negatives. Figured if she got the nomination, I'd vote for her to watch the Right Wing's heads explode if she won. Sen. Obama seemed okay, but I really was uncomfortable with his experience level, and really thought there was no way in hell he'd make it though the primaries.

Wes Clark didn't run, and endorsed Sen. Clinton. I looked at her again, and decided I had to disagree with Gen. Clark on this subject.

Richardson dropped out. I was kinda iffy on Edwards due to the memories of his more rabid supporters attacking Gen. Clark's supporters in 2004. But decided I could put that past me. Supported him. Then HE dropped out. The race was down to two people, neither of which I was thrilled with. Shades of Kerry in 2004.

Then I started looking at Sen. Obama more and more. What he was saying made more sense. I was impressed with how he handled attacks, how he handled slurs. How he maintained a grace under fire.

And I felt sorry for Sen. Clinton. Here was someone who had all the cards going into the race - and was flailing. I would like to think that the decision to go negative was her campaign staff's - because she was NOT served well at her by her advisors. Granted, her entitlement mentality didn't help matters any. Still, here was someone who people felt was running long before she officially announced it, had the name, money, support, everything that popular logic would have said guaranteed her the nomination.

And it wasn't enough. I wonder how much she would have won, how many more people her message would have reached, had her campaign stayed above board and didn't fall into "kitchen sink" smears and lies. It's a shame to see really. And those of her supporters that were trying to communicate the positive aspects of her message were being drowned out by the same type of "throw everything and hope it sticks" partisan hacks that have damaged political debate in this country. I am hoping the majority of those people are actually distruptors and not a true reflection of that person's supporters.

It was "bittergate" when I became an active supporter. Because he was RIGHT. People are bitter and feeling helpless. People want hope things can get better. People are tired of the same-old, same-old.

And around that time I was laid off. Three months after my six year old daughter came to live with me in Seattle.

But I believed enough in what I was hearing that, for the first time since 2004, I donated to a political campaign. It was only $25.00, but it was what I could afford.

Miracle or miracle, I was hired for an even better job. Things are starting to look up.

I got my first full paycheck. After tackling my bills, I thought for a minute.....

And made another donation to Sen. Obama's campaign. The first was trusting in karma, casting bread on the waters to see what returned.

The second was for hope. Hope that, as things look up for me and my family, so shall they look up for our nation, and our country.

We have a long way to go to rebuild our country. But we have a great nominee in Sen. Obama. He's got the support of Sen. Clinton as well now, and Wes Clark has also endorse him. Two of the other people I supported, Richardson and Edwards, have endorsed him.

1000 posts here at DU. It's interesting to see the path things took. One person's hope at anyrate.

My daughter turns seven years old, days before the November election. I want her to have a late birthday present - hope one of her two countries, and hope for her future.

There is a NeoCon cancer eating this country. We're the chemotherapy that's going to remove this tumor from our great nation in November, and we're the ones that will make it great again. Let's make sure this cancer never darkens our government again.

[Araxen]

1. 2003?

I'm doing pretty good on my post count I say.

[Adelante]

2. Terrific 1000th post

Congratulations :toast:

[question everything]

3. Going negative, Velcro and Teflon

There will be many "obituaries" summarizing the Clinton and the Obama campaign, but a recent point stuck with me:

Clinton supposedly started to fail when she fumbled about the question of driver's license to illegal immigrants. (My comment, on these pages, was that often we would tell someone: I can see from where you are coming, but I disagree with you, which is what she was trying to say about Spitzer).

The media and, of course, DU, had a field day with her.

Two weeks later, Obama fumbled the same way and... no one said anything.

This, apparently, is when Bill Clinton got angry and said that if the media was not going to go after Obama, the campaign should.

All through the campaign, Hillary was under a magnifying glass, dissected and re-assembled in a warped way, while Obama was gliding through with no question asked.

The comments about MLK and LBJ were not racist; Bill Clinton's describing Obama's experience as "fairytale" was not racist. However, his campaign carefully circulated memos to selected audience and to African Americans describing them as racists.

Even Jonathan Alter of Newsweek, who has been adoring Obama since day one and hating Hillary, admitted that the Clintons are Velcro while Obama, like his role model Reagan, are Teflon.

[jonestonesusa]

9. Just for the record...

If what the Clinton's originally said isn't race baiting, how can circulating their words be race baiting?

Does race-baiting explain Clinton's poor performance in nearly all of the caucus states? Someone yesterday mentioned Obama got about as many additional delegate votes in the Alaska Caucuses as Clinton did in Ohio, because Obama was prepared for the caucuses. I agree with _question everything_ that the Clinton campaign's statements on race were a factor in the campaign; we only disagree in two ways really: there was no necessity to make those statements, and those statements were not the only reason for Clinton's loss, though they made the loss more likely.

Here's the link to one of the "carefully circulated" memos, with several original statements on this topic, including Bill Clinton's loving comment favoring Hillary Clinton's leadership over that of Nelson Mandela. You'll have to look elsewhere for "Obama doesn't steal cars," "hardworking Americans, white Americans," or any of the numerous unproductive talking points about Rev. Wright, black liberation theology, bittergate, etc.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/12/read-obama-campaign-memo-_n_81220.html

Thanks for the OP and best of luck, PatGund.

[JimGinPA]

4. Congratulations...

I wish I had seen more of the other 999.


K&R

[PatGund]

6. *chuckle*

Thanks!

[applegrove]

5. Congrats!

[yellerpup]

7. Congratulations on your 1000th post!

And on your good job and on your baby daughter. You have a lot in life to celebrate right now and even more in November, I'm sure! I also admire Wes Clark and hope he is either on the ticket or in the Obama administration.:party: :toast:

[gateley]

8. I so enjoyed your post! Congratulations!

:toast: