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« "It Might Be A Recession" | Main | Presidential Campaigns Update »

April 03, 2008

Comments

Erick

Sorry to hear about all the drama. Dkos got pretty nasty when they saw a link to your blog. Tempers may flare, but I think party leaders will help bring us together. I just read that Donna Brazille is blaming overzealous HRC supporters for drying up her Super Delegate support.

Hillaryis44.org is full of hate on the other side. I would almost mistake it for a GOP site with all the Muslim and Affirmative Action smears.

Chris Blask

Sorry you have to take heat, John, but we're all getting it. You should see some of the bumf I've taken on MyDD.com - you'd think some of the folks out there were Limbaugh dittoheads (I'm sure some actually are, just as sure there're some shrill folks on both sides regardless). Jerome (MyDD admin) has started to delete some of the worst diaries there and some of us trying to cool down the hotheads in either camp in other places, but with emotions as high as they are it's a battle.

And no, these are not the people we want phone-banking in October.

FWIW I've met lots more level-headed Obama supporters than the opposite (and talked some of the misguided down from the trees) and had several very cogent conversations with Clinton supporters in recent days, so imho most folks out there are rational. Just hard to hear them above the din, sometimes...

-cheers!

-chris

Zoey

This election is so important. People are sick and tired of being sick and tired of government. It's become personal for so many people because no one wants four more years of McSame. I know it's sometimes hard not to associate the renegade supporters with the candidate, but that's what we all really have to do. Otherwise, we'll never pull it together for the general election.

Kevin

Look, lots of these young people (I'm one of them) are first time canvassers. I've heard complaints about Clinton canvassers being equally rude ("if you're voting for Obama, then you're uninformed"). I think it's pretty mean to single out some random volunteer to bash him on your blog. Young canvassers will make some mistakes. Are older Democrats going to run around knocking on every door this year? No, most are not. Young people are the foot soldiers of the Democratic primary for both campaigns.
This post is petty.

Emmavoberry

I can commiserate, Mr. Morgan. I got fairly bashed by Clinton supporters on KOS. But in your case, you know the past history and it does not bode well for future participation in the primary. You have had to take drastic measures to ward off what sounds like inappropriate, personalized, defensive, and downright off-kilter comments and accusations. Your point that such support for the candidate is worse than no support at all is well taken.

I'd suggest that, in terms of the campaign, outrageous rudeness and disastrous public relations will be at least equal on both sides. Not much can be done there except in a really drastic case to "heads up" privately so that those who appear to threaten the grassroots image can choose to work it alone. In relation to your own blog here, it sounds like you have taken steps you needed to take.

It's funny, I was just thinking, perhaps in an overly partisan way, that the Obama supporters I have encountered online were such a reasonable, intelligent, thoughtful, and sane lot while HRC online support seeemed to have about it a-- I'm a woman so I can say this- a rather hysterical, borderline "paranoid" edge. Well, I'm braught down to earth by your blog. Cuts both ways.

Emma

Truth

Will this get any better after Obama becomes the party's nominee and the grownups take over, or will the "kiddies" be allowed to keep writing with their crayons all over the walls?

You "first time canvassers" can be your guy's own worst enemy.

Back way too many years ago, I cut my political eyeteeth in a Presidential year. That year, the "kids" did grunt work and got some "perks", but we DIDN'T run the campaign, even locally.

Grey haired people with loose skin did, Damned good thing, too. Kids have "pi$$ and vinegar", but lack judgment, all too often.

Try not to get too disillusioned. This effect will potentially hurt even more when you start noticing that the some of the "pros" that are brought in used to be Hillary's people. OUCH!

Kevin

To Truth:
I will not get off your lawn. The pros on Hillary's campaign are doing a marvelous job of losing a primary campaign to a first-term senator whose spouse wasn't a popular Democratic president. Obama would be stupid to hire them. Mark Penn's company also consults for campaign, so he'll make the easy transition from undermining the Democratic party in the Hillary campaign to undermining the Democratic party in the McCain campaign.

Steve Bac

What I find most shocking about the Ranting Article you quoted is an idea that middle aged and older people are, in short, lazy and misinformed and stupid. Thanks youngin'! Seriously, experience counts for something in this world and those that choose to support Senator Clinton do so out of a history of understanding about politics, policy and looking deep into the information that politicians throw at us to get us to vote for them.

If the young people of America are voting for Obama because he is hip, sexy and eloquent over knowing full well the difference between character, policy and experience between Obama and Clinton, then we will all suffer together at the expense.

Questions surround Obama's candidacy:
http://questionbarackobama.blogspot.com

Lisa

Pardon me for being ignorant but I have never heard any Obama supporters smearing anyone. In fact, whenever I have linked an article from the NY Times, Wash. Post, MSNBC, etc., that was not flattering to Hillary I get "yelled" at for being negative by Obama supporters! I am not kidding. They Obama supporters I hear from- from all over the country think pointing out facts about Hillary that are not favorable is "horrifying" and "not what Senator Obama stands for" and so on. So I am really puzzled by this article. Out of curiousity I went to Hillary's site and was shocked by their language. They refer to Obama as the "devil" and state that "they will do whatever it takes to make sure he doesn't get elected if he's the Nominee." This is rare, but if an Obama supporter says he/she won't vote for Clinton they get "yelled" at for being ridiculous and that of course Hillary is better than McCain. I don't doubt you that these people you describe exist but I can't imagine they are connected with the Obama campaign in any way and I would even go so far as to suggest perhaps they are not who they say they are. No one who truly supports Obama would do the things you describe- becasue his whole campaign is built on "a different style of politics" which is what attracted people. If you'd like any evidence of the statements I've made I'd be happy to offer it to you.

John Morgan

I was out covering a Congressional event last night so I'll get to these comments one by one.

This woman has repeatedly ignored facts, refused to fact check, and used her own biases to smear others. When confronted with the facts she has continued to smear others, including Hillary.

As for Kos, I was working on a story involving Markos' personal lawyer Adam Bonin. I was fact checking the story. The facts were so crucial that whether I had a story depended on those answers. The law firm responded and I did have a story. Their letter is now in the hands of the lawyers suing Cozen & O'Connor for allowing men like Adam to do considerable political work on company time but not women.

Markos does not allow fact checking and punishes those who do so consider that when reading him. He lacks integrity.

John Morgan

cats r fly fishin isn't some newbie but a Democratic Committeewoman and the head of our county committee's F Troop region.

DC93

John,

Let me ask you this, were you paid by Caltigirone to do some consulting, and was that at his behest on his own behalf, or at his behest on behalf of the Clinton campaign, as you noted on www.berksdemocrats.com that he is something of a coordinator for her campaign around here.

I want to clarify this with you John, becuase while it seems to me you are splitting hairs in a rather Clintonesque fashion about the allegations of being directly paid by the Clinton campaign, I want to make sure I get my facts straight.

So, in essence if I understand the context of your post on the www.berksdemocrats.com part of this blog, you were consulting for the local facet of her campaign, in a paid manner, according to your own blogged admission, but not being paid by the national campaign effort?

If that's the case, to me it again seems like your splitting hairs to avoid the appearance of bias or to simply dodge allegations of bias. I also want to go on record as saying I do not know the Wentz's, but I may have run into them in the course of being a once and former committeeperson. However, I did not realize that they had perpetrated a fabrication against Gajewski for the $90G HBA thing. I take a very very dim view of such types of shenanigans, as I would expect them to come from rabid politicos ala GWB not from Democrats, but I guess the saying holds true, you never can tell sometimes.

I really wonder if anyone, anywhere, anymore, in any substantive sense even tries to stick to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help them (insert preferred deity or euphemism). [And some people might wonder why I feel the way I do about not wanting to be involved with any political party or that I wish to see parties either minimized in their role or dissolved and have only the people, the true democracy, be the point of focus.]

Truth

Kevin,

What you need to understand, which political pros already understand, is that you can't use the same playbook in a General Election you used in the primary. You can win a primary by appealing to a bare majority of one party. You have done that well, young grasshopper. And that's all you have right now. A bare majority of one party. You need to bring together the other almost half of the party, plus you need to win independents and snag a few disillusioned Republicans, too.

Right now, Obama is polling behind McCain nationally. I know you think that can't be true, because of the circles you travel in. There's a famous quote: "I don't see how McGovern lost and Nixon won. No one I know voted for Nixon." Exactly. When you spend most of your time around people who love Obama, you get a skewed persepctive. If the election were held right now, McCain would be President-elect.

You have lots of work to do, and you need more help from more people than you could possibly realize at this moment. Your youth and overconfidence could be your undoing. Here's a hint: when you're out canvassing, people can and will lie right to your face.

John Morgan

Tom Caltagirone paid me from his personal funds to consult for him. Not knowledgable in FEC rules and laws he depended upon me to advise him so the operation he set up for Hillary would be in compliance. I also consulted in the leasing of the office and several othe rmatters relating to his being Berks County Chair for Hillary. I never consulted to or for the Hillary Clinton campaign and have never been paid a dime by them, something Carol Wentz keeps insisting in emails, on blogs and in person. She is also claiming this by Mark which she knows is false. She is also spreading rumors about Hillary based on very questionable sources and has refused to fact check her source. It's all her familiar modus operandi.

The Gajewski attack was based on smears sent to them by Mark Scott, the Republican Commissioner running for re-election. They knew the source but neglected to fact check the documents he sent them. This contributed to Gajewski losing his seat and the Commissioners turning from a Democratic majority to Republican. Now we have two Republicans trying to privatize CareerLink and other services, I'm sure. One of the documents Scott sent them was a diatribe from the Home Builders calling ag land preservation "communistic."

DC93

I appreciate the clarification and based upon what you've said, I would say that that genuinely does not constitute campaigning for Hillary, but only facilitating the proper and legal means of establishing a regional campaign effort, which could be for any political aspirant.

However, I would have dearly loved to see the possible response you'd've gotten had you done the same for the Obama reps to help provide consult on proper set-up. If the reaction would have been the same, or if it would have gone totally unreported by them, then that would be quite hypocritical. As it stands, it would seem to me that they did not bother to check with Caltigirone or you very well in this matter.

Although what kind of bothers me almost more than their apparent lack of fact checking, as you assert, is that others would willingly taken upon this stuff and hold it up as some gospel insight of political hay.

Another ugly sign that not only is democracy in deep trouble from boneheads like Bush, but that others are willing to let their ends justify their means and losing sight of what really matters and what such behaviors and policies lead towards.

Once more, yet another fine reason I'm glad not to be officially part of the "party" anymore and soon not be even registered to it, if this state had an open primary, I'd've been gone already from it.

DC93

I appreciate the clarification and based upon what you've said, I would say that that genuinely does not constitute campaigning for Hillary, but only facilitating the proper and legal means of establishing a regional campaign effort, which could be for any political aspirant.

However, I would have dearly loved to see the possible response you'd've gotten had you done the same for the Obama reps to help provide consult on proper set-up. If the reaction would have been the same, or if it would have gone totally unreported by them, then that would be quite hypocritical. As it stands, it would seem to me that they did not bother to check with Caltigirone or you very well in this matter.

Although what kind of bothers me almost more than their apparent lack of fact checking, as you assert, is that others would willingly taken upon this stuff and hold it up as some gospel insight of political hay.

Another ugly sign that not only is democracy in deep trouble from boneheads like Bush, but that others are willing to let their ends justify their means and losing sight of what really matters and what such behaviors and policies lead towards.

Once more, yet another fine reason I'm glad not to be officially part of the "party" anymore and soon not be even registered to it, if this state had an open primary, I'd've been gone already from it.

Army Vet

Olive branch?

Kevin

Really, people lie? My candidate might not win? Waaaahhh. I'm going to go cry in a corner. Please. I'm in it for the long-term. Save your condescension for someone else.

John Morgan

There are lies and then there are damn lies. Knowing your facts and then choosing to, repeatedly, ignore them and continue to spread the malice, is not only beyond the pale but this woman is intentionally damaging my reputation. Now I have two choices after already chastising her and her friends on this blog: publicly humiliate and expose her or sue her ass off. This is much easier and much cheaper.

It's interesting that no one on this thread has had any outrage over the authoritarian stance taken that we should disenfranchise 70-80% of all Americans. This was said by someone with enough pull on the Obama campaign to get his picture taken with the candidate and at least one paid staffer.

Army Vet

Yeah that 80% idea is as vile as the hillaryis44 crap.

Kevin

I am outraged that some random jerk in the Obama campaign is an elitist. Outraged.
More seriously, this woman is obviously not an honest person.
Please don't randomly lash out at young Obama volunteers. This guy isn't even paid. Is it really much of an accomplishment to get photo with a paid staffer? Thousands of people have gotten photos with Obama. He's a nice guy like that.

DC93

John,

I'd show outrage at the 70-80% claim, but given how hung up on party and candidate nonsense, not to mention media nonsense and spoon-fed stuff that a lot of people believe and hoist as utter fact, when maybe it ain't so, actually gives me reason to feel that a large part of the electorate is "dumb as a post", or at least at minimum "ignorant and comfortably so".

I blame some of those who foist the crapola and who put the spin and shine on the news and views of others and their words and such, but ultimately, I hope you'll agree, people need to wake up and start to assess for themselves and to be more critical and introspective and for that matter bluntly honest with themselves about what they want, and I don't mean whether to order an Iced Latte or a double Mocha, if you get my drift.

People I think have become jaded or just willing to accept whatever things are thrown at them and maybe don't have a lot of time or care to want to dig a little deeper or demand better, not that they'd get it today (my cynicism showing there). Do I think that that means they should not be allowed to vote, NO, but let us be realistic and painfully so, if need be, about the real prospects of most people being able to see a bigger picture, on their own, without slides, and without being lead to that view, which of course invites tainting and bias, not of their own making.

As has been asserted here and elsewhere, in the 2004 election, the prevalence of gay marriage bans and such trumped some states when it came to voting for President to some extent in varying degrees of impact. Had those people not only more humanity to them and realized that such bans are as dangerous for the future of heterosexuals as they were for homosexuals, by seeing the bigger picture, then I doubt things might've gone as they did.

Now, do I think the same thing will happen this time, I doubt it. Most people, even the "dumb as a post", "I only vote on one issue" crowd(s) are quite fully aware that things in general are going badly and that the underpinnings of keeping their lifestyles and livelihoods from washing out big time because of our economic and financial market woes, will probably trump some of their more typical one dimensional modes of voting; much to some peoples' chagrin I'm sure.

The thing is, I believe that even if this election unites people to vote for change, whoever and whatever that eventually comes down to, it will not be enough to simply stop at the election. It must become a new awakening a better awakening and a time to bring the whole of our nation back to some real sense and conscience that is worth having and hanging our hats on.

I listened to Bill "Windbag" O'Reilly tonight briefly about his talking points relative to MLK Jr. and Rev. Wright and the "anti-American" rhetoric that he perceives. He is so blinded by what he sees as anti-American hatred, that he believes that what we have right now, in this country is something noble.

I'd like to ask him what he bases that assertion upon, and if it equates to more than just his view of things. I think people like that are really out of touch with what is and has been going on, or actually more importantly what has not gone on that should have, if we had leaders and people who we've elected to represent us in public service had the nuts and courage to do.

I also caught MSNBC later on when they had Olbermann doing the red marker check off of which Amendments to the Bill of Rights have not been ostensibly subverted and or ignored entirely by the current federal administration, and it would seem that #3 is all that is left, and with what you posted earlier on Friday. I think that the 3rd Amendment is about to fall apart too.

So, when the 70-80% or more wake up and start acting, demanding, and seeking to make sure that no other leaders, who are supposed to be defending, not crapping on, our most deeply held principles of founding, are elected then I'll feel a little less disenchanted with the public electorate in this country. I used to think, until I was resoundingly set straight on this, that at least one of the major political parties in this country had the nuts to truly stand up for the average person or to fight the fight for the average person and that is why I wanted to be a part of it, but alas it seems I was woefully mistaken and yet I am happy to have learned of that failing. So, now I can see the Truth for what it is and not what I'd hoped or thought it to be. Even if that Truth unnerves and angers me inside all too frequently, because so many more don't see it or won't see it. Yet, I know too it must be their choice to do so. Free Will, it is the great gift and curse of mankind.

Jeremy

I am the culprit and author of the blog post in question, It was suggested that I not respond but I am not one to stand by as my reputation is being smeared...

First of all I am an intern for the Obama Campaign, so yes I was there when Senator Obama stopped by, I didn't have pull with him to get my picture taken, I was just there working in the office and barack wanted to do a group photo (there are 30 of us in the picture) so to state that I have some sort of special access or people with my views do is completely un-true.

Second... pulling out that quote there from my blog post is just great, shows the old school type of dirty politics that the Clintons and their suporters just love to highlight as some sort of incenderay remarks. If you would read, (and i'm sure the author of this post did) the whole thing in context, it would make alot more sense. I highlighted in several different spots that I very much believe in the democratic process and that I myself wasn't 100% comfortable even bringing up the subject of my post, and ultimatley at the end I did say that voting is the way it has to be.

Three... To thelarger issue of what I said in the post: my view plain and simple is that since the Regan admin through Bushes and Clinton and up til now that the american public has been made into slaves, so much so though that most do not have the time to form an oppinion that is based on facts they get their 30 second sound bites if even that... This blog post here and my highlighted line is the perfect example... no one on here has no idea who i am or what I beleive yet you can pass judgment off of one line in my post??? Come on that sounds exactly like the kind of attack that would be started by ultra conservatives... very funny and hypocritical that the name of this blog has "prgrossive" in it... Cause from what I see at least in this attack it isn't very progressive. I still believe in something called freedom of speech, if you want to do away with it just cause you do not agree with what I say... well there again another parralel to something that would come from the bush adminstaration... But then again this is something I see a good share of the time coming from the Clintonites and from their campaign, I and many others are fed up with this political system that people like you have allowed to become (and have helped in some cases) so corupt and divided, so much so that it makes me sick. That's why the younger generation, people like me are getting involved, we finally see a chance to make up for the many mistakes that democrats in the past have made, and we have a vessel of inspiration in Barack to meet that end. And quite frankly we do not need to be drug down by the people in this party who are too set and their ways to do anything different, we have goals to achieve and unlike your generations screw ups of playing it safe (i.e. going with moderate's like the Clintons), we're going to push all the way for the real changes that we all need and deserve, if you're not apart of that transformation due to your own petty hold on what you percieve as past glory's, that's fine... you will end up thanking people such as myslef later on. I will not settle for hillary just cause of the perception that she can win and Obama can't, the Clinton's are responsible for alot of the mess we're in today... we deserve better and I am willing to fight with all my blood sweat and tears to achieve it nout just for me or people like me, but also for people like you, or like my parents, because you deserve better too, even if you don't realize it.

p.s.--- just cause you or other people on this blog may be older or more experienced, doens't mean you have a better chance of being right, especially when you're experience is one that have led to your generation making mistake after mistake and selling out to a moderate platform that has cost this country dearly as you pushed the whole playingfield way to the right... that's how a candidate like Bush comes into power, that's how the constitution is being ruined and that is how this country is falling apart... My generation and Barack's supporters won't allow that, we will not be dupped as many of you were. And we will not stand by and watch our contry's very core being erased as many of you have.

I would appriciate an end to these ridiculous attacks on our blog, I don't spy on your blog and start crap about it over on mine, but thats right I forget again you're old school and negative only way to fire up the base is to attack others and talk about negativity, rather than what we talk about which is hope and change and the optimistic view of how we're going to change the world, knowing full well the whole time that it will be difficult and their will be many challenges, but we will stand up to them, not sell out !!

Ciao
jer

John Morgan

An intern? So you actually work (unpaid) for the Obama campaign? Interesting.

I cannot republish your entire article as that would be copyright infringement. I can only use snippets of it under fair use, something which you, as a blogger, should be aware. I did not take it out of context because this is precisely the scope of your article. It does not misrepresent what you said.

If you're going to blog you should learn HOW to blog, the ethics, conventions and standards: copyright use and violations, documenting sources and using reliable sources, and linking to your sources. You also do not delete material once it has been published. You can correct, update or add to an article but you can not selectively delete. Once it's up it's up.

John Morgan

Since Jeremy is accusing me of "shows the old school type of dirty politics that the Clintons and their supporters just love to highlight as some sort of incenderay remarks" (sic) let's recap your article and its historical context, especially in regards to African Americans.

First of all I linked directly to your article, as bloggers are supposed to do, so my readers could go read it in its entirety. As I mentioned above I cannot simply copy and paste your article here because that would constitute a violation of the law. It would be the theft of your intellectual property. Conversely neither you nor anyone else can steal my work published here.

You claim, right in your title, that this is a controversial position. The title is: "Controversial Post– Should We Have The Right To Vote ?? Is US In Fact a Plutocracy?" You acknowledge before even beginning your thoughts that your is a controversial idea.

You aren't the first to be anti-democratic, to think only a select few people in a nation have the "proper" intellect, knowledge and ideas for which to run that country. In fact this is the basis for all tyrants and authoritarian governments. It's the "we know better so you lowly peasants simply rely on our advanced intellect to rule you" mentality.

How do you propose to determine who is properly knowledgeable on the issues to allow them to vote? A test? Hmmm, reminds me of the bad old days in the American South when literacy tests were commonly used to disenfranchise Blacks. Do you really want to return America to a time when a Barack Obama was deprived of his right to vote? This is an interesting position from someone who is actually working for the Obama campaign.

There's an old saying, those who don't learn from history are bound to repeat it. In your essay you obviously haven't learned from history or you'd understand the historical precedences and consequences of such an elitist, authoritarian view of voting rights. Ironically your ignorance could preclude you from being eligible to vote in your own scenario.

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