Archive for May, 2008
Meet Brian Schweitzer
Like many Obama supporters I’ve been entertaining myself by tossing around VP ideas. The person Obama runs with should bring qualities to the table that serve to round out his candidacy. Things like executive and/or military experience come to mind. Also an appeal to the regular, working class folks would help counter the “elitist” misnomer. A woman candidate would appeal to the die hard Hillary feminists. Several names are being thrown around as VP hopefuls, all of which have some of the qualities above. Upon looking a little closer a firecracker of a guy popped out at me.
Gov. Schweitzer (D. MT) is an intriguing character. Although the state doesn’t bring much for electoral votes Schweitzer is popular in the mountain west and represents a new breed of Democrat that is rising there. He has a folksy and authentic appeal. Mark Sundeen writes for NYT in 2006:
As soon as Schweitzer was elected in 2004 — the same night that George W. Bush carried Montana by 20 percentage points — pundits began declaring him the future of the Democratic Party…………No fewer than four recent books by Democratic strategists have mentioned Schweitzer as the kind of guy Democrats need to win back rural America.
Several of Gov. Schweitzer’s positions dovetail nicely with Obama’s. He didn’t take any PAC money for his campaign and enjoys going toe-to-toe with lobbyists. He also spoke out against the war from the start. Other qualities round out the package. He’s more of a centrist and as an executive has a track record of lowering taxes while building a surplus. He opposes gun control while being a strong proponent of alternate fuel sources. And he reached across the isle by choosing a Republican as his running mate.
And then there’s the intangible. He’s just plain likeable, campaigns well and doesn’t take any crap. He cut’s to the chase and speaks in terms the sound bite crowd responds to.
“Schweitzer has the ability to reduce a complicated issue to a few sharp lines, reframing it with themes of patriotism and underdog know-how” says Sundeen. When asked if he was sufficiently tested in his first session Schweitzer told the reporter
It was my first day on the job, and I was working with lobbyists and legislators who’d been there for years. We had a State Assembly that was deadlocked. But I pushed through the most progressive legislative agenda in the country. It was not easy. I took on the lobbyists. I wrestled them to the ground, and now I’m kicking them in the ribs.
There’s another quality he has that brings to mind Obama. From the article:
“I’m just a rancher who ended up governor of Montana,” he likes to say. But Schweitzer is not a politician only in the sense that the young Cassius Clay was not a boxer; by the time his opponent realized he’d been hit, he was already on the mat.
Take a look for yourself, I think your gonna like this guy.
Cross posted here
Trotta’s Assasination Comment Outrage: Stand Up And Be Heard
May 26, 2008 at 4:42 pm · Filed under Election '08 ·Tagged Assasination comment, Barack Obama, Fox News, Liz Trotta
On Fox News this weekend contributor Liz Trotta openly and laughingly wished for the assassination of US Sen. Barack Obama. In discussing Hillary’s Friday remarks referencing the assassination of RFK in June Trotta says
Where am I living? How is this in any way acceptable in our country? This is our mainstream media, albeit with a right-wing bias, and they are publicly musing about the murder of a high ranking member of the US Government and a presidential front runner. Exactly what empowers these people to assume that a statement like this in any way or under any circumstance appropriate?
I am outraged that anyone would assume that they have a significant audience for airing this type of thought on television. I cannot even imagine hearing that in someone’s living room. This is way beyond unacceptable and it’s way beyond just complaining to Fox News. I strongly urge you to file a complaint with the FCC. You can go to the form for a general media complaint by clicking here. It is a brief form and will only take a minute or two to fill out. We have to speak out and let it be known that as a people we have standards and we will not stand for this type of callous and sinister message to be perpetuated over our media channels. Here also is a petition to sign calling for Ms. Trotta’s resignation. I also urge you to sign the petition. You can make a complaint to Fox News at here and/or by calling 888-369-4762. To send a comment to the US Secret Service Office of Government and Public Affairs go to here. I suggested she be questioned and that they should investigate to determine whether any criminal negligence took place. Our media should be held to even higher standards than our citizens based upon the audience they have and their ability to influence them.
Enough with this already. It’s time for us to stand up and be heard.
Cross posted at TPM
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