#91073 by Ernest Canning on 7/31 at 8:39 am: “...Doug, what little “funding” flows Mr. Kucinich’s way flows mainly from $100 & $200 donations from ordinary people........The most telling moment of this campaign came at the very first Democratic Presidential forum.  When asked for a show of hands who would stand with Mr. Kucinich in calling for impeachment of that war criminal, aka the Vice President, everyone of those cowards stood as stiff as statues.  Only Kucinich had the fortitute to pull out a little booklet called the U.S. Constitution, reminding these bleeting sheep what this is all about.......The essential problem goes deeper than campaign financing.  Unlike our European counterparts who are able to conduct elections in a span of weeks, ours has degenerated into a permanent election cycle....”.

Ooh, EC, now that you’re finally getting to the point, we can be proud of you. I accept what you say but it will take quite alot of $100 donations to match the corporate big-bucks. Strange that companies don’t vote but can donate to a political campaign fund. That is democracy? Hardly!

Still, if people value Kucinich highly enough, they are going to have to prove it quite soon. Getting air-time and faces and so forth in print is still essential to be able to sufficiently influence the unthinking Nascar crowd, etc etc. Getting 51% of the vote under those circumstances is a real effort although it could be done . “I have a dream”....!!!

The most telling part of the scanario is which 50% of the voting public will be bothered to vote. If they can be identified and targeted in the right way, a minimally-funded campaign could still succeed. It also requires a lot of voluntary effort in each state. Its not just up to me so ‘pull yer finger out’ and get moving, eh, ha ha!

Doug, what little “funding” flows Mr. Kucinich’s way flows mainly from $100 & $200 donations from ordinary people.  Kucinich is the “only” Democratic candidate for president calling for a repeal of NAFTA & and the WTO; the “only” Democratic who is a co-sponsor of HR 676--single payer health care which would eliminate for-profit health care insurers and HMOs, the unnecessary middle man which accounts for 31% of the spiraling healthcare costs in this country.  Your precious Hillary offers a scam “universal coverage” that is tantamount to a subsidy scheme for the health care insurance industry which is heavily funding her campaign.  It was her husband who betrayed America’s working and middle classes by joining with Reagan and Bush in raming NAFTA & the WTO through on the fast track, opening the door to the outsourcing of America’s manufacturing base in search of cheap labor--now $2/day in China, as what is left of America’s labor has been increasingly Wal-Mart-ized.

The most telling moment of this campaign came at the very first Democratic Presidential forum.  When asked for a show of hands who would stand with Mr. Kucinich in calling for impeachment of that war criminal, aka the Vice President, everyone of those cowards stood as stiff as statues.  Only Kucinich had the fortitute to pull out a little booklet called the U.S. Constitution, reminding these bleeting sheep what this is all about. 

The essential problem goes deeper than campaign financing.  Unlike our European counterparts who are able to conduct elections in a span of weeks, ours has degenerated into a permanent election cycle as most (but not all, not Kucinich) are forced to constantly troll for the corporate dollars needed to feed the conglomerated corporate media spin machine, purchasing ads that deceive rather than inform, as the corporated-owned media absolutely refuse to provide real news that connects candidates to issues that truly matter to the vast majority of the electorate--the middle and working classes.  What little “coverage” is to be found is limited to those candidates who have raised the corporate bucks, and then usually in terms of horse-race polling questions, and such non-issues as Hillary’s cleavage or the price of John Edwards’ haircut.

And, in people like you, they have found happy little consumers who will buy into this slop and pretend that all will be well if we just replace the Republican “thieves in high places” with Democratic “thieves in high places.”

If you are really interested in understanding the fundamental difference between a Dennis Kucinich and a Hillary Clinton go to:  http://www.kucinich.us

There are no more sexual mysteries in the USA. Haven’t been for decades. Sexual issues do, however, remain very effective political weapons. One example, cynical middle aged and older politicians with healthy porn appetites and/or getting some on the side with regularity (but keeping it tastefully hush-hush), are scandalized that the President can cop a bj from a young intern. You know those same hypocrites would laugh their asses off in the good ol’ boy bar when asked how Gdubba’s interns would react to his request for a penie lickin’.

As for this middle aged inveterate heterosexual male, Hillary could near on cement my vote by doing a speech topless. (Just don’t tell the wife, ok?)

#90827 by Ernest Canning on 7/30 at 8:20 am: “… aka Hillary Clinton, the largest recipient of health care insurance industry dollars in the Senate?  We’re suppose to assume that Mr. Kucinich “can be bought” even though his entire career belies that...?”

Well, I hope Kuchinich can’t be bought - and that if enough people do vote for him, he will be a worthy leader instead of yet another puppet of the ‘haves’ vs the ‘have nots’. So, where is he getting his campaign funding from then? Will they all accept that he has no favors to repay if he is elected? Would you do the same or would you expect some influence with your chosen and financially supported candidate?

Conversely, Hillary has no more or no less obligation to her campaign fund supporters. That is the rub. That was one of the things that brought Bill down from early on, but that is history. Unless you are somehow powerful enough to say “Do it my way”, a president always finds that he/she has to mindful of the fact that they are only one among many of influence despite holding the highest position in the land. Even a military dictator has the same limitations and is always beholden to his backers and supporters.

As pernicious as it is, the real problem with campaign funding is when the supporters demand something which is detrimental to the interests of others although beneficial to themselves in the short term. The military/industrial complex are by far the worst in that regard and you can count the cost in body bags and bereaved families, EC. Of course, you can also count the stats for hospital deaths related to the auto and tobacco and chemical industries and the like too.

The essential problem is the lack of morality in a permissive society in which the $$$ always reigns supreme. The fact that some morals still do exist in the hearts and minds of some senators and congress-people and that some do limit the demands of their supporters must be evident or Iran would already have been nuke dseveral times over sinc ethe 1970’s. When a few more in government are as mindful of their consciences as their funding, the country might even improve a little.

After all that, I hope Hillary’s breasts are worth the effort, ha ha!

By the way, “The next time you post something about this issue that makes any sense will be the first.......” EC

So, Mr. Chalmers, we are supposed to believe that the “only” way to rid ourselves of the Republi-crooks is to elect a Republican-lite, aka Hillary Clinton, the largest recipient of health care insurance industry dollars in the Senate?  We’re suppose to assume that Mr. Kucinich “can be bought” even though his entire career belies that?

The next time you post something about this issue that makes any sense will be the first.

90623 by Dr. Knowitall, PhD, PhD on 7/29 at 9:28 am: “...And for the next gruesome 18 months, the sport of electing yet another lying, inept president of the US....”

I think you’ve missed something, Knowitall..... its the only chance of getting rid of the one you/we’ve got!

The hedge funds are now in crisis, the military is becoming unaffordable, the climate is changing radically .....and nothing is quite the same any more. Neither is the US$......

Yep, that’s what America’s about.  Tits, Beer and NASCAR.  And for the next gruesome 18 months, the sport of electing yet another lying, inept president of the US.

Okay, news alert, Hillary has tits. Yawn. Oh yeah, by the way, she is also the closest thing the Republicrats have to George Bush after you toss a few of the the fringe candidates out. Ardent supporter of the Iraq war from day one? Check. Voted yes on first vote for every appropriation for it until the last one? Check. Opposes cheaper pharmaceuticals from Canada? Check. Owned by corporate cabals that own Bush/CheneyReich? Check. But wait, she has breasts. Well, so do Bush/Cheney. I don’t want to see theirs either.

#89937 by DennisD on 7/26 at 7:23 pm: “...Hillary still has the lights on but no one’s home in that politically conditioned brain of hers. Hi, my name’s Hillary what do you want to hear me say now, just pull the string on my back, thank you for your contribution....”

Yes, its called a “product” for marketing...... Americans love it packaged .....breasts will do fine, thanks!

#89877 by Ernest Canning on 7/26 at 5:14 pm: “...Judging from the way the vast majority of Americans approach how we go about selecting something as important as President of these United States, I would suggest that the largest “cleavage” is the one that splits down the middle of the robotic minds of the same people who were so easily misled into waging an Orwellian “war on terror.” ......and thanks to a vast swath of Americans who are comfortable in their ignorance, Kucinich is barely a blip on the radar....”

Ha ha, Ernest, good to see you have a discernable opinion (beyond “shill”, that is...) - apparently you haven’t read too many of my posts, either, but perhaps Kuchinich can be bought too? That is how they usually get into politics in the fiirst place...... “Just keep watching Hillary’s neck line.....” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJklyhWniDQ - this is old but very “Orwellian”...... ‘1984’~2008!

“In the end, the question is not whether a candidate can show a hint of breast but whether you can have breasts and be president.”

That remains to be seen. Even if the American people are ready to vote for a woman, if they are susceptible to this kind of underhanded attack, they just might not. The R’s will gleefully exploit any weakness. I remember how delighted they were when Kerry was nominated, “Senators can never be elected”. Then they turned around and used every vote change he’d ever made (due to the usual give-and-take of amendments etc) to beat the Flip-Flop theme.

Wow, Doug, most people I know complain that I am to the left of Ralph Nader.  Yet, you think I’m one of the Republi-crooks!  Apparently you haven’t read too many of my posts.  Then, again, perhaps the Repugs have really moved way to the left.  Wouldn’t that be refreshing?

Just keep watching Hillary’s neck line and forget that she was on the Wal-Mart board; that her husband joined with Reagan and George H. W. Bush as he betrayed America’s working and middle classes by ramming NAFTA and the WTO through on the fast track permitting the ruling class (aka the top one percenters) to outsource America’s mfg. base in an incessant search for below subsistance level labor ($2/day in China) while what was left of American labor has been increasingly Wal-Mart-ized.  Focus on what Cyrena describes as the “right colors, right style, right fit” as Hillary, the recipient of the largest amount of healthcare insurance industry lobby money, moves to the far right by proposing “reforms” that amount to subsidy schemes for the healthcare insurance industry.

And hey, as Ellen Goodman points out, Hillary has breasts, two of them!  Wow!  What an impressive feat!  So why bother paying attention when, while pandering to AIPAC, Hillary moved to the right of Joe Lieberman by stating that “nothing was off the table” with regard to Iran--code words for use of nukes.

Judging from the way the vast majority of Americans approach how we go about selecting something as important as President of these United States, I would suggest that the largest “cleavage” is the one that splits down the middle of the robotic minds of the same people who were so easily misled into waging an Orwellian “war on terror.”

If the American people would turn off the propaganda network, aka television, if they would actually turn to reason and intellect, carefully examining candidates on the basis of where they stand on issues that truly matter, Dennis Kucinich would have about 70% of the vote.  But, unfortunately, thanks to a corrupt corporate media that never misses an opportunity to ignore his existence, except when deriding him as it relegates him to the far left of the podium, and thanks to a vast swath of Americans who are comfortable in their ignorance, Kucinich is barely a blip on the radar.  Hell, the guy doesn’t even have breasts.  Why pay attention to him?

#89740 by Mike Mid-City and #89705 by Ernest Canning:-

Talk about “shills” and “boobs” - you two are RepublicanS!

#89679 by RAE on 7/26 at 6:31 am: “...So when she wins how is she to be addressed?
MRS. President? MS. President?
Or is it written that ALL presidents, past and present, must be addressed as MR. President? Ain’t that gonna be fun when both Bill & Hillary are in the same room.....!”

Its “Hillary and Bill” now, RAE. “Yessir, Ma’am!” was how the Marines once put it, ha ha! Then again, he mightn’t be around after the election anyway. Have you noticed how gray he has suddenly become?

“Re her cleavage....” though, I am happy to look - anything is better that those dark-suited old goats they have there now! And those old sperm-compressors make those really grinding noises whenever they speak.....so awful.

She is still a shill for corporate America.  None of the rest of this crap means anything.

So when she wins how is she to be addressed?

MRS. President? MS. President?

Or is it written that ALL presidents, past and present, must be addressed as MR. President? Ain’t that gonna be fun when both Bill & Hillary are in the same room!

Re her cleavage.... AMERICA… GROW UP! Your snickering, adolescent attitude towards the human body, its constructions, functions and conditions is making you the laughing stock of the adult world.

The entire NATION needs therapy, especially regarding the human sexualities. Please do so… right after you get rid of the even more ridiculous religious right-wingnuts which make an even greater mockery of human spirituality than inherently exists.

Boo!

Watching her campaign, I’m glad she’s finally gotten it right—right colors, right style, right fit. I’d give her clothes the female presidential seal of approval. But is there one?

Me too. I was really impressed with her wardrobe at the debate. I would have selected something similar, or even just a longer version of the top, into a dress. Very stylish, very professional.

Great essay.