o brave new world

Hard not to sit up and take notice of stories like this from the Washington Post (via MSNBC). Given the apparent antipathy of Appalachia and the Rust Belt (see, e.g., DHinMI's post or Al Giordano's before it), which the Clinton campaign hasn't shied away from stirring up--with nods and winks and sometimes even bald-faced race/racial-baiting--I just wonder how much more shrill such voices will become in the months ahead. Hate, especially the insidious and dormant kind, when woken up and cornered, can lash out in unpredictable ways.

Let's all keep an eye on this; it, too, is still very much a part of who we are, Obama's conciliatory eloquence notwithstanding.

- dave //

No wonder Hillary has lately found common cause among anti-intellectuals: people who think have a nasty habit of paying attention to those annoying little things called 'details' and tend to find bald-faced contradiction and hypocrisy anathema. Thanks, Keith, for telling it like it is.

"But, eh, what can you do?" so the argument goes. "All politicians engage in convenient prevarication and hyperbole, no?" Actually, no: not all politicians are made of the same stuff. I reject the argument of equivalence between Obama and Clinton unequivocally.

I've been in a bit of a blogging funk.

Really, I have. It's had something to do with my fatigue with the Democratic primaries. It's had something to do with being busy with work and love.

That's more or less why I've been gone for the past month or so.

Somewhere along the line, as I focused on organizing the 36th district Obama supporters for the district caucuses, I just found myself running out of gas. And, once elected to the congressional district level, as things turned to what leaders around the CD were doing/going to do for the CD caucus coming up on May 19, I got a strange taste in my mouth that no amount of mouthwash could wash away.

What was it? I think it's that I was not having fun with it anymore. Things started to become narrowly competitive as well-meaning folks began to campaign for themselves for those coveted few slots at the national convention. I was suddenly unsure that I wanted to do anything more to organize the get-out-the-caucus effort, along the lines of what had been proven so successful in the 36th. People started to turn aggressively to self-promotion, and I wanted none of it.

So I'm going to do something different, whether or not I decide to put my name forward and make a speech at the CD caucus. I'll let you know what that is as soon as my plans gel, which should be within the next few weeks.

In the meantime, if you're wondering still why this election is so freakin' important, consider what Al has to say. His recent post lays bare the rot in our system--and in our souls, if I may go so far: we are all responsible, ultimately, for continued tolerance of the racist underbelly of this country, which the Clinton campaign has shown little restraint in exploiting (and I can guarantee you, the GOP and the right will show NO restraint in exploiting).

Consider it long; consider it deeply. Things like this are what propel me on.

- dave //

Guess Lorne Michaels wanted to show that he isn't a total Clinton partisan: amusing Tracy Morgan "Weekend Update" commentary sent to me by Jack (thanks, Jack!).

- dave //

Olbermann on Clinton: scathing.

- dave //