Good story in the NYT on spending by the Clinton and Obama campaigns. The focus seems to be the mis-management of spending by the HRC camp. But this little nugget caught my eye:

“Mr. Obama broadcast 3,000 more advertisements than she did, and he was able to air those ads not only in the states that were immediately up for grabs but also in contests on Feb. 5 and beyond. Mr. Obama spent nearly $480,000 on 1,331 spots in Missouri; he won the state’s primary, a closely fought contest and a national political bellwether, by one percentage point.”

No matter who wins, this campaign will be sliced and diced and examined for years to come.

Hey, nobody is more surprised than I by my political awakening. My fear simply overcame my cynicism. But hang on, it’s almost over and I see four possible outcomes:

1. Hillary gets the nomination and wins the White House. We’ve already seen what a Clinton administration looks like.
2. McClain wins in November and gives us four more years of Bush.
3. Obama gets the nomination and wins in November (long shot). But turns out to be like every other politician to plop his ass down in the Oval Office.
4. Obama gets the nomination, wins in November and delivers on some of his promise of change. (Long, long shot)

If any of the first three occurs, I’m done. We missed our chance. Maybe the last one for good long while. If #4 comes in… I’ll rent Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Dave and then shut the fuck up.

MSNBC is airing an episode of their Headliners and Legends series from October 20, 1999. It’s a profile of Hillary Rodham Clinton. It’s accurate, as far as I know, and so flattering it could have been produced by her campaign. I tried –unsuccessfully– to find it online.

I’m watching and thinking, “Wow! You couldn’t buy that kind of publicity.” Then it hits me. Is NBC doing damage control?

“Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday morning ripped MSNBC over reporter David Shuster’s suggestion that Chelsea Clinton was “sort of being pimped out” by the campaign.

The Clinton campaign immediately demanded an apology and floated the possibility that Clinton would no longer participate in an MSNBC debate, scheduled for Feb. 26. The campaign did not explain under what conditions Clinton would participate in MSNBC’s debate.” — The Politico:

How about if NBC runs an hour-long special in the middle of a hotly contested primary campaign? This pre-empts the regularly scheduled programming, a show called Deadly Encounter.

How flattering was this profile? I’m voting for Obama but this segment had me thinking that HRC might be a good president. I’m okay now, but for a few minutes….

“I’ve never made a speech like this at a political event before. So what am I doing here?” De Niro said. “I’m here because finally one person has inspired me. One person has given me hope. One person has made me believe that we can make a change.”

“Some of you know I now have Secret Service protection,” Obama said.
“Those guys never smile; they are always cool. But I noticed when De
Niro walks in, they’re all like elbowing each other.”

I’ve always been a cynic when it comes to politics. I recall saying something derisive along the lines of, "I think it’s precious that you believe it makes a difference who is in office" when someone would praise or knock a politician.

George Bush and Dick Cheney have burned that cynicism right out of me. It does matter. And while I don’t know which candidate  –if any– can get us out of the jam Bush and his buddies have put us in, it’s time to stand up and be counted.

I’m voting for Obama. If he wins and makes things worse, you can send me a link to this post and hold me accountable. And I promise not to hide. Funny, but I can’t find a Bush supporter anywhere these days.

This post is just for the record. No need for comments. I urge everyone to pick a candidate and support them.