California Faultline

Please indulge me as I color outside of California’s borders (and possibly political sanity) and propose for discussion a possible other dream ticket for the 2008 Presidential race:

McCain/Clinton.

Sure, there are countless reasons why this wouldn’t happen, but if The Huffington Post can suggest Republican Chuck Hagel as a potential running mate for Barack Obama based largely on Hagel’s anti-war stance, I think I can suggest that a McCain/Clinton ticket stands far more a chance.

Here’s six reasons you should spread this rumor, and why it isn’t that far fetched:

6. The Obama machine isn’t slowing down, regardless of who he picks as a VP. McCain, on the other hand, needs someone to energize prospective voters and prove he won’t be “another 4 years of Bush.” There isn’t a single Republican prospect who could improve on this (save for Condi Rice).

5. McCain and Clinton aren’t shy to hide their affection for each other, and have brought up their close relationship on countless occasions.

4. They’re already attempting to create policies and a shared platform - such as the summer gas tax cut plan (that California Progress Report believes will cost our state over 23,000 jobs).

3. On more than one occasion, Hillary has said endorsed McCain’s qualifications as President while decrying Obama. In a speech on March 3rd, Clinton said, “I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House. I know Senator McCain has a lifetime he will bring to the White House. And Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002.” She added that along with her, McCain had also passed the “commander in chief threshold,” but Obama had not.

2. Independent voters would go koo-koo for coconuts over a bipartisan ticket, as would anyone else feeling disenfranchised or disgusted by the partisan vitriol that has divided the country over the Iraq war.

1. The number of Clinton supporters she’s be able to carry over would far outweigh the Republican voters McCain would lose.

While it would certainly upset both party systems, I think a win would be virtually guaranteed.

Thoughts?

A California Democratic superdelegate who the New York Post dubbed a “super Latino” says his choice between Clinton or Obama rests on whoever “shows him the money.” $20 million, specifically, in “an ironclad promise to spend that heady amount to register Mexican-American voters and get them to the polls in November.” [from  the Associated Press via MyWayNews]

Steven Ybarra of the DNC Hispanic Caucus also made news in February for sending a email criticizing the Clinton campaign for removing Patti Solis Doyle, a Latina, as campaign manager, saying the decision was “disloyal to Hispanics” and “dumb as a stump.” [New York Post]

At last week’s California Democratic Council Convention, two superdelegates who had previously sworn allegiance to Hillary Clinton openly voiced reservations of continued loyalty:

Christopher Stampolis of Santa Clara, a superdelegate who endorsed Clinton after the Iowa caucuses, said that he remained in the New York senator’s camp but that his commitment expired with the end of the primaries.

“When it’s done, all of us, whether we’re committed or not, we’re going to take a look” at the final eight contests, said Stampolis, who until recently worked in external relations for a Bay Area environmental firm. “Our job is to represent the constituents who trusted us to win the White House.”

Garry Shay, a Los Angeles attorney, said that if Clinton remained about 150 pledged delegates behind Obama, the current estimated margin, he would have to “reassess the entirety of the situation.”

“It doesn’t mandate me switching,” he said, “but it does mandate me reconsidering.”

From the LA Times.

From KNBC:

Two couples found tattered halves of the pig in their yards, a few miles from the festival grounds…

Susan Stoltz found a plastic heap in her driveway Monday, but said she didn’t know what it was until she read about the missing pig in the Desert Sun newspaper…

Another resident of the same neighborhood, Judy Rimmer, said she found a piece of the pig draped over a front-yard plant.

Each family will receive $5000 and a single lifetime pass to Coachella, splitting the award.

Last week I spoke with City Councilperson Janice Hahn on her winning one one of the spots as a Hillary Clinton delegate representing the 36th Congressional District. Over 200 people had shown up at the caucus to choose between 25 candidates vying for four spots - two women, one man, and an alternate

At my Obama caucus visit, numerous candidates had insisted that their convention votes wouldn’t be swayed, and seemed disturbed that anyone would try to change it. They definitely have reason for concern: Hahn unabashedly told me she cemented her win by telling caucus voters that she’d be able to persuade Obama delegates to vote for Hillary on the floor of the Democratic Convention.

I also asked Hahn why Clinton would be good for Los Angeles, and her thoughts on running for congress… (more…)

No, you’re not stoned - that headline is correct. And no, this blogger isn’t stoned either. However, I can’t say the same for the crowd of thousands at last weekend’s Coachella Music Festival who looked on as Roger Waters’ giant, helium filled pig floated up and away as he performed a set that included the complete album of his and Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.”

Dave Bullock at Wired, who also snagged the photo, writes:

The pig was covered with political graffiti: “Don’t be led to the slaughter,” read one slogan. “Fear builds walls,” read another. A cartoon Uncle Sam painted on the pig held two bloody cleavers, and the porker’s belly read “Obama,” with a checked ballot box alongside…

If you happen to find the pig you’ll be rewarded with four lifetime passes to Coachella and $10,000. Hate to say it, but that’s a hella lot of bacon.

There’s no mistaking some sort of bias on the side of the Huffington Post editorial staff over the Democratic Presidential candidates. As evidence, take a peek at their top 10 lists of celebrity supporters for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton:

Obama has Scarlett Johansson on his side. Clinton has the other Boleyn girl, Natalie Portman. Fair enough.

DeNiro has Obama’s back… Nicholson has Clinton’s… tough call on who’d win in a bar fight.

Beyond that, the matches get pretty ugly.

For power couples, Obama has “the Kennedy women” - Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver, vs. Clinton’s team of Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen.

And while Obama’s list had no apparent trouble being stacked with George Clooney, Samuel Jackson, and, of course, Oprah Winfrey, Clinton somehow had space to fit celebrity blogger Perez Hilton into their top 10 list.

Ouch.

Complete lists follow. (more…)

Los Angeles artist Shepard Fairey’s stylized print of Barack Obama is spoofed on this t-shirt I found advertised on the Drudge Report, which also takes advantage of the frequent play on the Senator’s last name. [from Authentic GOP]

Following up on my own post this morning:

SF Weekly’s the Snitch compared the lineup to a local caucus to that for The Phantom Menace. Combined with a heat wave, it also made for interesting smells:

Sunday’s confluence of Arizona-type weather, the stress of a contested election and scads of tightly packed bodies led the caucus floor to be permeated by the pungent mixture of sweat and Old Spice. The temperature in the cramped room was such that one would have expected to see elderly gentlemen in seersucker suits lazily fanning themselves while enjoying sweet tea. In short, it wasn’t just hot, it was Atticus Finch hot.

And on the schedule for the speeches:

By the time the speeches were finished (final tally – “Change” was the more popular word than “Hope” by a 4-3 count), perhaps 95 percent of those casting votes had already done so. This is, most certainly, a curious way to do things. But, when you think about it, the whole idea of voting for delegates is curious.

Frank D. Russo of the California Progress Report attended the 9th Congressional District caucus for Obama in Oakland, where 980 candidates competed for four delegate spots:

Attendees had to navigate their way through delegate candidates with signs, literature, spiels, and in some cases cookies, to get a ballot… in what was a lovefest with not a harsh word said by a single person and folks fired up to do whatever it takes to win in November.

Ayelet Waldman, author and wife of Michael Chabon, along with UC Berkely grad Jenn Pae, attorney Fred Feller, and former El Cerrito City Councilman Mark Friedman won the District’s delegate positions.

From the San Francisco Sentinel:

In Los Angeles’ Century City area, 649 people showed up at a community center on a cloudless, unusually hot afternoon to vote at an Obama caucus, where 87 people were vying for three delegate slots.

In brief speeches to the crowd, a few candidates alluded to the disruption over the ballots, which prompted complaints about fairness and openness until reversed by the campaign

I’m still looking for reports from Clinton caucuses… if anyone finds any, please leave a note in the comments or drop me an email.

Field Report from the Barack Obama delegate caucus for Congressional District 28, April 13th, at the North Hollywood Community Center.

Erikson Albrecht, left, who went on to win delegate spot, outside the caucus. At right, candidate Anne Johnson with supporter, actress Pauley Perrette from Navy CIS.

353 registered voters braved 100 degrees temps at the Delegate Caucus yesterday to decide which two of 33 candidates to send to Denver in August to help represent Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention.

As constituents arrived, candidates and friends were on hand to appeal for their vote. Unlike a traditional election, campaigning took place even inside, just feet away from the ballot box. Some even took advantage of the scores of people playing in nearby parks, advising them of the caucus and successfully bringing them over to vote.

Candidates shrugged off questions and indicated no hard feelings about the debacle earlier in the week when all but a handful of candidates were “disqualified” for less than 48 hours, then requalified to caucus by the Obama campaign.

Inside, voters were able to select two candidates, although the two delegate spots would be given to one man and one woman.

While most votes were cast by 3pm, at 3:15 candidated were permitted to each give a 30 second speech. Many used the time to assure the audience that they wouldn’t switch their vote to Hillary Clinton at the convention

Estee Chandler won the woman’s delegate spot with 77 votes (Anne B. Johnson had 71, and Pamela Broadous 63). Erikson R. Albrecht won the men’s spot hands down with 106 votes, trailed closest by Michael Jay with 62 votes.

I was told in case of a tie delegates would be decided with a coin toss. In fact, over in Council District 31, Yosi Sargent told me he lost to the flip of a coin: “No joke… 61 votes to 61 votes. He (an opponent) picked heads… He is going to Denver…”

Read on for more pics and commentary… (more…)