"Unlike almost every other presidential running mate in recent political memory, "I'm not going to be an attack dog," Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden told USA TODAY here.
...
Biden said his mission is to convince middle-class voters that Obama is one of them. "This guy scratched his way up. This guy fought for everything he's gotten," he said. "The idea of them trying to make Barack out to be an elitist is the most outrageously inconsistent argument that I've ever heard anybody make."
...

Biden said he and Obama agreed on his high-road campaign approach. "That was part of the deal," Biden said. "I'm not going to fool with my brand." ..." -- http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/el...

what's up? Or do the blogs all have that wrong?

WWTSBCFO?

Ok, a bit awkward, I know. Maybe we just need a generic wildcard character at the end: WWTSB%

% = fill in the blanks with the fault of the day. 'TSB' is already generic, thankfully. We can use it for Palin or anyone with girlie parts.

What's the standard on new ones? This one will probably only last 2 months, but then we'll need WDTSBCFO (Why Didn't...).

I'm a bit tired of people getting some sort of platform for their views just because they're famous, and not because of their accomplishments (hmmf, wherever did thatcome from? famous vs accomplished...).

She was here this morning campaigning for Democratic Councilman Mike McMahon who is running for the nomination for the House seat in NY 13. That seat has been held by Vito Fossella (R) who has decided to "retire" from politics. The seat has been in Republican hands for 25 years. Staten Island has been a Republican/Conservative holdout in NYC. Flipping this seat became very important to the Democratic strategy of increasing its majority in the House.
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/200...

or what? Because there is nothing at all in Patti Davis' essay that is in any way equivalent. Patti is actually a very nice person, a solid progressive and liberal and feminist who would never, ever even think that way. What twisted bizarreness drove you to try and put those disgusting words in the mouth of someone so decent?

Davis' clear, straightforward, earnest and surely heartfelt appeal to Hillary Clinton, begging for her help to defeat the Republicans, displays nothing snide, no diminishment, and no condescension towards Hillary whatsoever. You, on the other hand, seem determined to perpetuate the "stupid bitch" epithet at every opportunity, even when there is no connection at all with the article you cite. Somebody has issues here, but it isn't Patti Davis.

I don't know Who Kidnapped VastLeftWingConspiracy, but I would like the critical thinker and staunch supporter of progressive causes back now. IIRC the real VastLeft announced just the other day that he would be too tied down by RL to post much. Since then this imposter has shown up, with one VRWC-supportive unfounded uncritical attack on the Democratic Party and Barack Obama after another. I am deeply suspicious.

Free the real VastLeft! Free the real VastLeft!

Who do we want?

The real VastLeft!

When do we want him?

Now!

Davis’ clear, straightforward, earnest and surely heartfelt appeal to Hillary Clinton, begging for her help to defeat the Republicans, displays nothing snide, no diminishment, and no condescension towards Hillary whatsoever.

Except for the fact that she assumes that Clinton *isn't* helping defeat the Republicans. Or that it's Clinton's responsibility to take care of Palin.

Heel! [whistles]

[ ] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

so what?

Do you not know Patti Davis? She's just not that way. Y'all are jumping at shadows.

z: "Except for the fact that she assumes that Clinton *isn’t* helping defeat the Republicans."
Not doing as much as Davis, in her opinion, wants to see, and so she asks politely for more. That's now a sin, to ask for what you want?

z: "Or that it’s Clinton’s responsibility to take care of Palin."
She says no such thing. She asks for help from the person she sees as best equipped to provide it; she does not assign responsibility.

l: "we need to hear from you RIGHT NOW."
Your caps, not hers; you are accusing her of shouting, of using a command voice, when all she has done is calmly convey urgency. Is urgency a new sin, too?

l: "as Davis...ignorantly suggests."
Well. Goddess deliver us all from ignorance, and may our friends and allies forgive us when we fall short.

l: Heel! [whistles]
You've never had an obedience-trained dog, have you?

and want Obama assassinated. No one will believes her anyway when she says vote for Obama.
And she's divisive and polarizing to why would Obama want her tarnishing his unity image?
After all the misogynistic bile spewed by the media, liberal blogs and ridden with a big grin by Obama, Clinton is supposed to go nasty with the B*tch in the other party.
And I thought it was INSULTING that McCain put a woman on the ticket. Well then won't it be INSULTING if the dems send out a woman as well?!!!
God I'm sick of this never ending crap.

Hillary Clinton, The Man of My Dreams

Davis implies that she's not already doing X.

If Clinton were being called on to do more as an avatar for the Democrat's actual policies, or Obama's actual policies and intent to govern, and because she can communicate a reality-aligned message to some voters, then this might be a legit call to action (I'm ignoring the fact that Clinton already is doing everything in the letter).

But it's not. This is Obama and the DNC asking Clinton to put herself out there as the women's interests' Potemkin Village. It's not much different than asking a celebrity to do the campaign beat because their popularity (which has nothing to do with the competence or policies of the politcian in question) will suck in voters.

The DNC hasn't suddenly embraced Clinton's bread-and-butter brand of democratic principles, they just desperately need her to imply that they are by putting her imprimateur on a campaign that's anything but.

I don't see any of that, not at all, but then psychic divination is above my pay grade.

Oh, and could we just get a list put up here of people whose needs are not relevant? Thanks in advance.

criticizing the Davis article is based on someone's psychic interpretation of what she was thinking at the time she wrote it - not on the words themselves. It is all "assume" and "meant" or, my favorite, that Patti Davis speaks for Obama and the DNC. A real laugher, that one, if it weren't so sad.

And why, Lambert, would you suggest that your needs should be on a list of those that don't matter? An attempt at humor, perhaps, but I certainly don't feel that way and neither I am very sure does Patti Davis. I don't think you're a racist, nor would she think that, and I've never so much as hinted at it so why do you bring it up here?

If Patti Davis' needs don't matter, as you say, then clearly you have a list of those whose needs do matter and those whose needs do not; please share. Or do you just assign people one way or the other as, ahem, cough, the need arises?

Meta-meta, again, but still; Patti Davis is not your enemy.

opinion of daily events, news, issues and other opinions. That's why we're here because we CAN read and comment on articles such as Ms. DAvis'. Sounds like Ms. Davis has a whole bunch of respect for HRC but lost track of the fact that HRC is not responsible for fixing this campaign, she's off the hook. Time for Obama to put on his big boy pants and take care of business.

I love this job!

Please help us communicate that putting a woman on a presidential ticket is only a good thing if it's the right woman.

No sh!t, Shirley.

Unfortunately, the right woman is not ON the ticket.

I'm starting to mutter to myself more and more these days. Obama unrehearsed is a disaster, Biden is not allowed to be an attack dog - really, how can he be, since the focus is not on issues but personality. Every criticism there is turned around by repubs and bites Obama. Dems bitch about Palin being shielded, which is HAHA funny after Obama and his MIA routine until the convention.

The man was the supposed nominee in June, for crying out loud. He's managed to make no inroads since then, while Hillary has been working for her state, for downticket dems, and for Obama.

We picked the wrong person. Absolutely. Then Obama compounded the error by not choosing her as VP.

Good luck in November. Looks like the dems have done it again.

did I read that "liberals" would support a woman on the ticket, just not THAT woman.

Dumbasses.

Immature, little know-nothing boyz.

but she had better get her ass out there and remind people that Palin isn't either!

The Obamaphiles are creating a record to prove that if their man fails to take the White House in a democratic year that it was all Hillary's fault after all...

When it's all over, Patti can say, "I told Hillary to get out there before it was too late! If she had listened to me, then Obama would be president!"

Where was Patti Davis when Clinton was being trashed for months on end? In fact, the only article of hers I can find related to Clinton at all is a snotty piece of crap in the LA Times “offering” psychological help to both Bill and Hillary for their so-called self-destructive tendencies.

Thanks for clearing that up.

your post was snark, no doubt.

i'm still seething over the treatment that hillary received during the primaries.

patti and friends need to STFU, and like elixir said, obama needs to put on his big boy pants...

when I'm still reading stupid ass comments by Obama supporters and then this by a celebrity who's been asked, unfortunately, to add to the cacophony that this election season has become.

No one who's been paying attention cares what people who are as clueless as Patti Davis has to say at this point.

A request is not an attempt to “determine” anything; influence, persuade, beg, but certainly not determine.

Okay, I'm leaving now, 'cause it's getting deep in here.

L: "And if you think I find it humorous to be thrown under the bus on policy by people who smear me and my candidate as racist into the bargain, then think again."

No clue what you meant the first time, so I guessed; you could of course explain, or you could continue to sputter and I still won't understand.

Not that at this point it matters any more; I have shifted gears to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. High road, dontchaknow?

For BIO, Davis's request is a simple and sincere, not a demand or an attempt to shame Clinton into doing something.

On the other hand, when a "vast left conspiracy" rises up to complain about his use of Palin's 17-year old daughter in his attacks on Palin (who we all agreed is not someone we want as VP), our requests are not sincere, simple demands for decency, but an evil, cynical ploy to keep BIO from helping elect Obama President, and instead, hiding a secret goal of electing "McSame and the Handmaiden of the Apocalypse".

Whatever.

-----------------------------

Around these parts we call cucumber slices circle bites

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/090...

zerObama and gliBiden give me the shivers.

...only legitimizes them. Just sayin'. It's sad seeing a regular turn themselves into an agitator and antagonist just because the board isn't going in the direction they want it to.

Looks like the Village wants to drag back out the workhorse because the showhorse can't be bothered with heavy lifting.

Surrogate, indeed.

What the fuck are the rest of you even talking about?

Reading the comment threads here at Corrente is becoming increasingly like trying to break the code employed by a cult.

When did it become okay to stuff a bunch of nasty words and images in someone else's mouth. No need to bother with an argument that attempts to show how whatever Patti Davis thinks she's doing she is somehow validating every rotten attack on Hillary during the primary.

And the lengths that the rest of you are willing to go to in the latter parts of the thread to insist that Patti Davis is a villain, and all of you represent the truth and the light.

You people have the gall in post after post to complain about the STFU attitudes of other blogs, those benighted ones that don't realize that the entirety of original liberal blogisphere, that 1.0 version, is no longer functional, not like the mighty Corrente, sole protector of the light and the truth...my sarcasm fails me in trying to express the truly loathsome superiority complex that is expressed here on a daily basis. Who is good enough to post, be taken seriously, or comment at Corrente - only the happy few, and don't bother to apply, there are already far too many of us - way to go guys, way to build an alternate liberal-progressive blogisphere/ social movement.

I'm actually too angry and depressed to say much more, except to note that most of what most of you end up saying here has nothing to do with the argument that BIO was making. It's the argumentation, stupid. That's what BIO is trying to point out. He isn't defending the sexism of the primary campaign, he's talking about what liberal argumentation ought to look like, not in content, but in the manner in which it is argued. In thread after thread at Corrente these days, I find exactly the same style and methods of argumentations that I find on rightwing blogs, and this thread is a superb example of same.

for what ever little good it may have done.

Deep breath, now. Long haul still to go. :-)

just one reason, btw-- "... the Democratic National Committee failed to rise to the challenge, trotting out female Obama supporters to fight yesterday's policy and gender wars instead of the new, gender-neutral, policy-empty culture war the Republicans have unleashed. ..." -- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/m.s.-bello...

The periodic hit-and-run jobs that make sweeping generalizations about the integrity and fairness of the current crop of active Corrente posters and commenters.

This blog -- along with a handful that didn't think much of either leading Dem candidate (Arthur's, Avedon's, Black Agenda Report, Empire Burlesque) -- stayed honest in media and political critique.

What a shitty place this is to be associated with!

Since your comment is unspecific about the sins of this thread, I'll explain my part in it.

1. Hillary Clinton has been maligned by the Obama camp and the media throughout the campaign. "WWTSB" is a term of art here, which crystallizes the constant bullying and judging that is her unique and unearned burden, the legacy of CDS+misogyny+Obamania.

2. Hillary Clinton delivers a speech for the ages on behalf of Obama after suspending her campaign even though the difference between their totals was within the discretionary margin of superdelegate voting, and even when there was outright fraud in assigning unearned delegates to Obama. She also suspends delegate voting at the convention, to avoid embarrassing Obama over his wafer-thin victory.

3. Her reward? Patti Davis publicly urges her to do more, and pronto, dreaming up a claim that she must be on vacation to explain her curious failure to fulfill her obligation to get Obama some girls. Hillary, per Davis, and not Obama or Biden is the one whose job it is to heal the wounds caused by that the misogynistic assaults she endured and that are now resulting in a crisis for the Democrats. Davis handily sidesteps that fuller context, that many women are now suspicious about the Democratic Party's sensitivity to misogyny after few spoke up because Howard Dean didn't pay his cable bill.

So, I'm taking Davis to task for offering Hillary a cup of "what have you done for us lately?" after the Obama campaign absolutely demolished her and her husband's reputations, and when she has been the definition of grace in her support for Obama. Media figures -- well intentioned or otherwise -- can't help themselves but yank the strings of their favorite marionette, and I think someone ought to give them a little chin music.

You do what your candidate asks, and you don't go shooting your mouth off.

HRC is not the candidate. Obama is. So if she wants to help him, she waits until he asks her to do something. If she were to take Davis' suggestion (and I'm being charitable by calling a "suggestion," rather than a "demand,") and go freelance on Palin, without Obama having asked her for her help, then she'd be stepping on Obama's toes. And possibly being off-message.

And all of this is leaving aside the fact that Davis couldn't even be bothered to find out whether Clinton was, in fact, on vacation.

but out of respect for the person I believe coined it (was it really lambert?) I've kept my chin music to myself on that score, and even fallen into the trap of using the 'term of art' myself. But that 'term of art', when employed as I believe its inventor meant it -- a scornful repudiation of the notion that anyone in their right mind would consider HRC so -- has worn its welcome more than out with me. The primaries are over now.

Let's move beyond that reductio-ad-absurdum term for an involved woman whose political career is noteworthy, may we?

Let's move beyond language that doesn't clarify, and might obfuscate. Let's focus and let's force that focus to be, as a magnifying lens can, bright enough to start a fire.

Language is a tool. Rhetoric is a weapon. The blowback of "why won't that stupid bitch" (whether that term is aimed at Ms. Clinton or Ms. Palin, or somebody else) makes the weapon less effective than we need, IMNVHO.

We can admit that we're killers ... but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes! Knowing that we're not going to kill today! ~ Captain James T. Kirk, Stardate 3193.0

And her open letter is just another W**********. She addressed it to Hillary Clinton, the loser of the primary, second place in a race where there is no prize for second. A person in no position to determine when or where to campaign except at the request of the Obama campaign (and in accordance with her own conscience). If Davis, as a professional politial commentator doesn't understand this situation, that is just accusing Davis of professional incompetence.

If she had addressed her request to Obama, such as "Dear Barack, why aren't you asking Hillary to help you campaign more, we need her help...." that would have made all the difference in the world. A Spinal Tap, "smell the glove" difference, where a little difference makes all the difference.

But, Davis had to do it this way instead, where she holds Clinton responsible for that for which she is NOT responsible. Davis compounds it by insultingly asking whether Clinton is on vacation, i.e. recharging her soul, all tired from the gruelling campaign which ended last June.

If she had just quit like she was supposed to, maybe she wouldn't be so tired now, too tired to campaign for Obama.

Is this really how it's done?

-----------------------------

Around these parts we call cucumber slices circle bites

Bringiton, could you possibly name drop Patti Davis some more? Because it's not clear yet that you know Patti Davis, while the rest of us don't understand the wonderfulness and pureness of intent that is Patti Davis. I don't want to be unfair to Patti Davis, when Patti Davis is certainly someone we should not criticize, as we do the non-Patti Davis-like people.

"Boldly shrill, except of course where Patti Davis is concerned."

Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis
Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis
Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis
Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis
Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis

Of course, I should have understood that questioning the character of Patti Davis and the intent of Patti Davis meant that no one familiar with her and her long years of arguing for progressive causes could dispute the misinterpretations presented here. Because she's famous, her opinion doesn't matter and her voice should not be heard. Because she's bold enough to speak her mind and voice her wishes, she should be condemned. Because she spoke directly to the person whom she wishes to influence, she should be condemned because some bullshit pulled-right-out-of-somebody's-ass made-up protocol demands that Davis should have asked Obama to ask Hillary, except that would have been condemned as dissing Hillary because of course it isn't right to ask him when the decision belongs to her. What a colossal load of asinine fuckwittery.

Oh, and:

Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis
Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis
Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis
Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis
Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis Patti Davis

"Because she spoke directly to the person whom she wishes to influence"

Patti Davis could have done that, but Patti Davis didn't; Patti Davis sent a letter for everyone to see, which indicates that Patti Davis wasn't interested just in influencing Hillary Clinton. Someone of Patti Davis's stature could have called or written to Hillary Clinton directly. Years of dedication to good causes notwithstanding, Patti Davis did a lousy thing here. I don't think that anyone on this site has opined that famous people shouldn't express their opinions. Your response seems out of proportion to the original post, which continued a line of criticism developed by lambert and continued throughout the election season. Why so bugged now?

Amazed you didn't notice. Perhaps I should have been more direct. Said what I have to say above, including why.

L: I don’t think that anyone on this site has opined that famous people shouldn’t express their opinions.

Here:

It's hard to tell sometimes
Submitted by pie on Sat, 2008-09-06 18:20.
when I’m still reading stupid ass comments by Obama supporters and then this by a celebrity who’s been asked, unfortunately, to add to the cacophony that this election season has become.

No one who’s been paying attention cares what people who are as clueless as Patti Davis has to say at this point.

And this:

Yes, in case you couldn't tell...
Submitted by kensdad on Sat, 2008-09-06 18:07.
i’m still seething over the treatment that hillary received during the primaries.

patti and friends need to STFU, and like elixir said, obama needs to put on his big boy pants…

But oh yeah, I'm not supposed to complain when people say STFU; makes other people upset if I point it out.

doing search-and-replace on one of those "chuck norris lists"