Hillary's handlers are already failing her

Now I am willing to admit that I may be irritated about this ad soley because of James Carville and Paul Begala. I do not like them and I find this ad of arrogant and annoying

I mean really, was the conversation not already in progress before Hillary threw her hat into the ring? Haven't we in netroots and the grassroots(readers, bloggers, and activists) been discussing the future of our country already?

"Let the conversation begin"???? Hillary's stances on the war, etc. have made her late to the party. She's playing catch up. This is where her handlers are going to mess up her campaign and maybe our chance at the presidency. Democrats are too willing to give this a pass, no knowing or understanding that is it this very framing of words that gives the Republican's power to paint her as an aloof, uncaring, arrogant, shrew.

She is reportedly a very warn, caring, and genuine individual. If her handlers are going to continue with these kind of statement of the presumptive heir, well it's lost before it's begun.

But then again, it may just be me who is totally put off by this ad.

Dear Ms. Hillary Rodham-Clinton

Dear Ms. Hillary Rodham-Clinton,

I am writing you this open letter because you have now formed an exploratory committee for the office of the President of the United States.

I wish you well, however from this side of the aisle I want to make something clear.

I fully believe and blame our loss of the House and Senate 12 years ago, and the loss of the Presidency 6 years ago on your husband and his campaign administration, this includes James Carville and Paul Begala. Triangulation is only good for one campaign cycle and then is can’t be used again for a generation.

It can only be used once, after that it allows your opponents (and they have radio stations and microphones) to define what you are and your party is, without being effectively and locally challenged. People remember being "snubbed" and ignored. This allowed Limbaugh and the like to use the term “fly over country” to make the populace feel unimportant to your husband and his administration. It allowed those who are diametrically opposed to Democrats to paint the party as elitist and people who only believe that certain places were important. Your husband administration did nothing to counter that.

Howard Dean (who Carville and Bagala have maligned), however, believes that we must be on the ground in every state and hamlet letting people know who we are and that we must define ourselves. His vision is combined with our upsurge in recognizing that we also must have the platform of talk radio are major reasons we now have the House and Senate. He’s the one who brought us to the dance, and I believe you need to remember that.

Forgetting that you seem to be the darling Democratic candidate of the right, which I am highly suspicious of, getting advice from any of those I and many progressive Americans feel are the reasons we lost the House, the Senate and the White House will cause great alarm and re-evaluation.

If you do get the nomination and if there is any hint of the business and triangulation used in your husband’s campaigns. I will do something that I said I would never do, vote for an independent candidate. I’m not alone in my feelings about this and I believe the netroots would do and endorse something similar.

You carry the baggage of your husband’s failures; please do not make the same mistakes.

A Tale of Two Children: 9 Years, 2 Presidents and 1 War Apart

Way back in 1997 the neo-cons got their knickers in a twist over a teacher keeping a 4th grader from reading "The Way Things Out to Be" by Rush Limbaugh and the "Limbaugh Letter" in the classroom during personal reading time (probably during D.E.A.R - Drop Everything And Read)

Part of the news release read:

"We are deeply concerned about these additional infringements," said Wayne Haig of Donald W. Huffman & Associates, who is handling the case for The Rutherford Institute. "School should be a place which tolerates the free discussion of different views and beliefs."

The original complaint included an incident in which teachers took Rush Limbaugh's "The Way Things Ought To Be" away from Jason when he attempted to read it during a free-reading period.

"There is no tyranny quite like the tyranny of the classroom," said Haig, "where a teacher uses her authority to censor the small voices of children with viewpoints contrary to her own. As far as school children am concerned, the teacher is the law in the classroom, and there is normally no watchdog to guard the constitutional rights of the students, We commend the Gardners for taking a stand."

In this instance I agree. I've fought for 1st Amendment rights, and I've read "The Way Things Ought To Be." If a 4th grader can read and understand it, then I don't see a problem with it. I don't agree with the what is inside the book, BUT it doesn't contain overt sexual and violent content that is too much for a 4th grader.

Fast Forward to 2006, an 11 year old girl, Molly Shoul, wants to sing Pink's "Dear Mr. President" for her school talent show. The principal is barring it after deeming it inappropriate and too political

The reasons?

The song does not mention abortion, and the profanity mentioned is the word "hell." The drug use refers to Bush's alleged conduct before he became president.

… What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away

… And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay

… I can only imagine what the first lady has to say

… You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine

Another portion criticizes Bush for the war:

… How do you sleep while the rest of us cry

… How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye

Molly said Thursday she thought the song was "really cool" because it spoke about important subjects like war and homelessness.

Molly said she liked the way the song addressed the president directly

One wonders if the Neo-cons will step up and be as outraged that Freedom of Speech is being denied for this girl as they were for the boy in 1997. Probably will not, they are hypocritical that way.

But do you know what she will sing if she is not allowed to sing a song about social conscience and concern for one's fellow man? She will sing a hip hop song about 2 girls fighting over a boy. Hmmm... something more up the theocons alley.

Here's hoping that Pink contacts this little girl, and that she will be able to sing about something that means something her and that is social relevant and not some mindless drivel.



The video

keywords: Molly Shoul, Nancy Shoul, Jason Gardner