Who will it be? McCain or Mittens?
Archives for January 2008
Richardson’s Dilemma
Bill Richardson is in the hot seat:
Richardson’s torn. He served in the Clinton White House, first as ambassador to the United Nations, then as Clinton’s Secretary of Energy. “I have a history with the Clintons,” Richardson said. “And I’ve always liked her. She always seems very genuine.” But Richardson considers Kennedy, who’s long been respected by Hispanics, as “a mentor.” In 1982, when Richardson ran for Congress for the second time — he lost two years before — Kennedy flew to Santa Fe and campaigned for him. “That might have been the reason I was elected,” Richardson said. And he said he likes Obama, telling a story about how Obama saved him during one of last year’s Democratic debates:
“I had just been asked a question — I don’t remember which one — and Obama was sitting right next to me. Then the moderator went across the room, I think to Chris Dodd, so I thought I was home free for a while. I wasn’t going to listen to the next question. I was about to say something to Obama when the moderator turned to me and said, ‘So, Gov. Richardson, what do you think of that?’ But I wasn’t paying any attention! I was about to say, ‘Could you repeat the question? I wasn’t listening.’ But I wasn’t about to say I wasn’t listening. I looked at Obama. I was just horrified. And Obama whispered, ‘Katrina. Katrina.’ The question was on Katrina! So I said, ‘On Katrina, my policy . . .’ Obama could have just thrown me under the bus. So I said, ‘Obama, that was good of you to do that.'”
I think it says something that after all those years of working for and with the Clintons, he can not automatically endorse her. Maybe my own experiences are different, but I would be able to unflinchingly endorse my boss for a job (or, just as easily unflinchingly decline to endorse them)- there would be no wavering. I would know where I stand. That Richardson can not make up his mind says something to me, and it is not favorable to Hillary.
What Happens When You Don’t Compete
Dumb voters get dumber:
Piece by piece, as the economy has faltered and as the subprime mortgage crisis has taken hold, Ivan Toledo’s grasp on his job, his house — his entire middle-class life — has come undone.
Eight months ago, he was no longer able to afford mortgage payments that rose by hundreds a month. Four months ago, he was laid off from a job at an auto body shop. Somewhere in between, five credit cards were maxed out, the car and power bills went unpaid, and the cable TV was cut off. He and his wife worry about their 18-month-old son’s runny nose, but without health insurance there will be no visit to the pediatrician.
***Toledo once thought of himself as a Democrat, but it is the Republicans whose talk of turning around the economy speaks to him now. He plans to vote in Tuesday’s Republican primary here and is deciding between former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who he sees as a tax-cutter who turned around that city, and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, whose business credentials he admires.
Anyone who turns to Rudy Giuliani to turn the economy around deserves eight more years of compassionate conservatism, but as Tim and I discussed via aol IM, this really is the outcome of the Democrats not competing in Florida. The only political news this guy clearly gets is from the brief campaign spots or literature, and as there is no Democratic campaigning (tell me if this guy does not sound like an Edwards supporter?), all he sees is the GOP campaigning, and they win by default.
Whether this can be reversed in the general election remains to be seen. And no one please tell Mr. Toledo the Republican stance on the bankruptcy bill that will make it almost impossible for him to declare bankruptcy.
Plunge
More good news:
Countrywide Financial Corp., the nation’s largest mortgage lender, said Tuesday it swung to a loss in the fourth quarter due to rising loss provisions and impairment charges.
*** Update ***
SOTU Open Thread
I am not watching. Who cares?
Crockpot Madness, aka White Trash Gourmet
Tonight’s fare, which smells so good right now I am going to nap rather than eat it early and screw up the cooking:
a couple cups of great northern beans
a couple cups of sliced yellow squash
a couple cups of sliced zucchini
2 diced onions
a shit-ton of garlic
2 cans Italian style diced tomatoes
a pound of ground italian sausage
Served on steamed baby spinach with a loaf of hard-crust Italian. I can’t decide on the wine atm.
Crockpot Madness, aka White Trash GourmetPost + Comments (81)
Comcast Problems?
Large swaths of the intertrons are unabilable to me today, and I am wondering if there are problems in the intertrons in general, or if specifically my ComCrap is to blame.