The Enchanted Porkfist

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June 21, 2008

Where have all the smear ads gone?

Remember 2004? Jonathan Martin at Politico does:

The situation was far different this time four years ago.

The Swift Boat Veterans were unveiled at National Press Club event on May 4 that year. By late June, PFA was not only up and running but had launched ads in some key states. And a handful of well-funded Democratic third-party groups had already spent tens of millions of dollars at that point hammering Bush and the GOP.

The reasons for inactivity on the right are many: tougher FEC regulations that make it more difficult to launch attacks that aren’t tied to an issue, donor fatigue, lack of enthusiasm among Republicans for McCain, and a fear from both contributors and operatives of being painted as a racist in the first general election campaign in history that features an African American as a major party nominee.

But, in explaining the absence of any anti-Obama groups this time around, every individual interviewed for this story cited the same central reason: a fear that their party’s nominee will publicly denounce them and hold a grudge.

“Both donors and operatives know how much [McCain] abhors these groups,” said John Weaver, the Arizona senator’s former chief strategist, referring to the independent groups that have thrived following passage of the landmark McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. “If he is ultimately successful and any of these groups played a significant effort in electing him, many believe, probably rightfully, that they would be ostracized.”

But lest you think it's all about McCain's principles—

Aside from fears about antagonizing McCain, there is palpable disappointment over the failure of Hillary Clinton to claim the Democratic nomination. Many in the GOP were gearing up for, and were energized by, the prospect of a run against Clinton.

Several Republicans, including the Vice-President’s daughter, Mary Cheney, talked about creating an independent group at the end of last year but the group fizzled out during the course of the long Democratic primary, sources say.

They weren’t alone...

“We spent 18 months and millions of dollars making 'Hillary The Movie,'" laments David Bossie, head of Citizens United and a longtime Clinton tormentor. “We’re incredibly proud, but the problem is the film has no relevance anymore.”

Bossie is now rushing out an Obama movie for later this summer that he promises will include Wright and other controversial figures from the Democrat’s past. But while promising that they’ll also do TV spots, Bossie’s outfit faces the same challenges as other third-party groups hoping to engage in the race – a lack of money.

Citizens United had less than $1 million on hand at then of April.

Floyd Brown, another right-wing operative who has been thought to be planning an anti-Obama effort, has largely been relegated to broadcasting ads online and had less than $50,000 combined in two accounts at the end of March.

And Collins’s group only had raised only about $8,000 more than it spent this cycle as of March 30, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis.

Asked if they would air TV ads, Collins said, “We might.” Then he noted the cartoon-filled website they had mocking Obama. “We get a lot of hits on our internet site,” he said.

June 18, 2008

Our marital-equality style will defeat your bigotry style.

Sometimes the judicial branch of government needs to step in to bring us to our god-damned senses (see Brown v. Board of Education; Roe v. Wade; Lawrence v. Texas).

Here in California, thanks to the state Supreme Court, we've finally taken the drastic step of granting full civil rights to gay people. Hellfire and damnation will surely follow—or maybe just happiness and a strengthening of our social fabric. Can we really afford to risk either one? (Whichever perverse deity turns out to be in charge, by the way, apparently chose to take out its wrath on the Midwest.)

So in honor of our latest flirtation with sanity, here are Teresa & Jennotta and Ari & Mikko, two happy and legally married couples—via Blog For Girls, who got to be an official witness on a very good day for humans indeed.

June 13, 2008

Onrushing death, front view.

Bye, honey, I'm off to w—

—holy shit.

Unbelievably, neither the photographer nor anyone else was killed by this particular tornado.

Others weren't so lucky.

McCain as Bush's third term, in his own words.

It really makes things much easier when they say it themselves.

June 04, 2008

The Children's Tele-fuckin'-vision workshop presents:

Casino.

June 01, 2008

Is this part of the movie almost over yet?

Here's Joe Klein on today's latest act in a long, drawn-out drama:

...really, what are we doing here? The Puerto Rico "primary" is a crypto-democatic act: We are selecting delegates who will be able to vote at the Democratic Convention even though they won't be able to vote in the general. At last, a political event even more ridiculous the Iowa Republican straw poll--at least, Iowans can vote in November.

And yet, there's Terry McAuliffe bloviating on CNN about how this adds to Clinton's popular vote "victory"--a victory only if you count states that violated party rules (Florida), didn't have Obama's name on the ballot (Michigan) or aren't even states (Puerto Rico).

This sort of thing is just plain annoying, and divisive. The impotent ferocity of the Clinton campaign over the past month has done neither herself or Barack Obama much good. I suspect the Clinton campaign will be over in a matter of days....and then, I believe, the onus will be on Clinton to initiate the reconciliation process.