I generally don't enjoy Hardball, but...

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while:

Hardball

-JRo

One of the few good things to make its way out of Delaware...

Joe Biden on President Bush's comments in Israel

-JRo

So how much is a superdelegate running nowadays?

California Superdelegate Steven Ybarra is offering to sell his vote to each candidate for the small sum of... $20 million dollars. He wants to "use this money" to register and educate young Mexican-American voters and bring them into the democratic fold.

His goal of raising this as an issue is a noble one. Yet, I have a problem with his method.

I understand that he's going over the top to make a point. I get it. Thank you for the subtlety sir. But, the method he chooses to use actually trivializes the worthy cause that he embarks on.

Whether it was his miscalculation, or the media taking this in the wrong direction, the coverage the story has received has emphasized the ridiculous nature of the process rather than Ybarra's message. A more beneficial framework would emphasize the goals of the endeavour, rather than:

Fox: "Superdelegate Wants $20 Million"
AP: "California Superdelegate Wants $20 Million for his support"
MSNBC: "That's Some Price Tag"

For the Democrats to really take his notions seriously, Mr. Ybarra needs to change his method. He should Inform the party leaders on the importance of the issue, and show how it will help the party in November. Emphasize the make-or-break nature of the project, and tie it to a specific electoral strategy. Make it an ideological and electoral necessity!

-JRo

Picture of the Day

While it may have meant more before South Carolina, before Super Tuesday, before Ohio/Texas, immediately after Ohio/Texas, before Pennsylvania, immediately after Pennsylvania, before Indiana/North Carolina, and before West Virginia, it is still a nice endorsement for the Obama campaign to receive in the waning weeks of the nomination contest.

-JRo

Source: Barackobama.com

Would you like coffee with that pat down?

On my way through security this morning at National Airport, I couldn't help but notice that the man who was checking me at TSA was the very same one who served me my medium decaf latte just twenty-four hours ago. Not to be disrespectful to this hardworking gentlemen, but are you kidding DHS?

-JRo

Poll Results

Here are the results to the second poll question:

If you could only watch one sport for the rest of your life, which would it be?
3- Football
2- Baseball
2-Hockey
2- Basketball
1- Soccer

Not many participants, but unsurprisingly football comes in as number 1.

Check out the new poll!

-JRo

Huckabee and Buchanan?

Mike Huckabee is on MSNBC tonight as a guest commentator on their West Virginia coverage. Could this be a foreshadowing of the coverage we will be saying for the general? Perhaps it will depend on his performance....

-JRo

Update: Sounded like he was giving a stump speech throughout, although some of his insights were interesting.

Open Thread

Probably won't get many responses but, What're the top songs on your ipod?

-JRo

The Rovenger's Summer Reading List

The Looming Tower- Lawrence Wright
The Year of Living Biblically- A.J. Jacobs
Virtually Normal- Andrew Sullivan
John Adams- David McCullough
1776-David McCullough
The Brethren-Bob Woodward
Team of Rivals-Doris Kearns Goodwin

Anyone have any other good suggestions?

-JRo

Early Early Early Prediction

The Sunday NYT listed the states that both Obama and McCain are going to be focusing on in November. Granted, it's very early for anyone to make predictions for November. I thought it would be interesting to make some very early guesses based on my premonition of what November will look like. I'm sure things will change by the time we get there (especially since the VP picks will likely have some impact), but here are my predictions as of right now:

Solid McCain:

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
Montana
Nebraska
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
West Virginia
Wyoming

Solid States: 23
Solid Electoral Votes:189

Solid Obama:

California
Connecticut
Delaware
D.C.
Hawaii
Illinois
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin

Solid States:17 (including the district)
Solid Electoral Votes: 231


Key Toss-Up States:

Colorado- Obama (The state has rapidly shifted to the left. This year should bring about a Democratic senator and 9 e.v. to Obama)
Florida- McCain (Obama's been having serious problems with the 65+ crowd. If you want the converse opinion that McCain may have more problems than Obama: The Stump)
Iowa- Obama (His work for the caucus has laid the groundwork for a victory in November)
Minnesota- Obama (Has been Democratic as of late, will remain so in 08')
Missouri-Obama (No President since Eisenhower has won the electoral college without winning Missouri. Missouri's demographics mirror the countries. Look for Obama to repeat his primary squeaker)
Nevada-McCain (the Hispanic vote in Nevada is likely to tip this very close scale to McCain)
New Hampshire-McCain (John McCain's Iowa)
New Mexico-Obama (Democratic year in both the Senate and for Obama)
Ohio-Obama (This is really the one state that could go either way. Look for the economy to be the major issue here, and thus a break to the democrats)
Oregon-Obama (Generally a democratic state; will stay one in November)
Virginia-Obama (Slowly has been moving to the democrats. Look for a big turnout for Warner and for Obama)

Toss-Up States: 11
Electoral Votes up for Grabs: 118

Totals:
McCain: 225 (26 total states)
Obama: 313 (25 total states including DC)


My Predictions in map form:

Map: Created with:USElectionatlas.org


--------------
Take this for what it's worth. If I'm right though, there will be no living with me. It is interesting to note, that if you switch Ohio into the McCain column, Obama still wins without winning either Ohio or Florida...

Back to studying....


-JRo

Pictures of the Day!

Apparently, the sources of this 'holiday weight' are overzealous visitors refusing to follow the park's policy of not feeding the animals.

Lesson Learned, When you see this sign:

Don't feed the monkeys!

Source: The Telegraph, 5/6/2008. "Chunky Monkeys put on diet at Japanese park"

-JRo

Onion Article of the Week

Obama's Minister's Outrageous Comments
By: The Onion, Infographic. May 7th, 2008

Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., the former pastor of presidential candidate Barack Obama, has been blasted for controversial statements he made to his congregation. What are some of the remarks he's under fire for?

"Elvis is not dead and will make a reappearance in order to steal rap music from black people."
"Hurricane Katrina was created in a Pentagon weather laboratory."
"The current administration is fallible."
"Justin Guarini was voted into the American Idol finale for being part white, but was then voted off for being part black."
"Nobody ever gets tired of eating bologna, am I right?"
"God loves each and every one of us."
"Stanley Kubrick could have done a better job casting The Shining."
"Maybe it's just me, but it doesn't feel like black people are always treated as equals to whites."
_______________

Ah, truly America's finest news source.

-JRo

Poll Results

Does Barack Obama's victory in NC, and strong performance in Indiana, signify the end of the Reverend Wright scandal?

Yes- 9%
Only for the remainder of the primary- 54%
Not at all-36%

I'd have to agree with the majority. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out in the general, especially if Wright manages to get his book out before the contest

-JRo

It's that time of year again...anyone watching?

So, It's the Conference finals of the NHL playoffs, with an all Pennsylvania final in the East between the Penguins and Flyers and a revitalization of a classic rivalry between the Dallas Stars and the Detroit Red Wings. Yet, no one in this country seems to care...

Even after all of the changes the NHL has made in the past few years, the league has failed to make any headway with the American populous.

I ask, because I cannot figure it out, Why has the majority of avid sports fans in this country, fundamentally rejected the sport of hockey?

-JRo

Happy Belated St.Patricks Day!

Had to post this:

Green Puppy

-JRo

Obama is a Mensch!

I came across an interesting article about Obama's "Jewish Problem": Change Jews Can Believe in-TNR. One of the most basic points made was:

Because of his sympathy for the Palestinians, his willingness to meet with enemies, perhaps even his Arabic middle name, he averaged ten or more percentage points worse among Jewish voters in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania than he did in those states overall.

Regardless of all of the political hoops Obama is going to have to jump through to try to bring this 10% into his coalition, the larger issue at stake is why that 10% is hesitant in the first place.

The staunchly pro-Israel Jewish community, those that are the cornerstone of this 10%, needs to re-evaluate it's rigid position on Israel. There is no reason that a Jewish, pro-Israel individual can't recognize when Israel has done something wrong, or more importantly, acknowledge the plight of the Arab populous in this region. Just because a politician may show the slightest sympathy towards that population, especially when said politician acknowledges the causes of their problems as stemming from their own choices, does not signify that that politician is anti-Israel, or bad for the state of Israel. Rather, it manifests a flexible perspective that looks at all sides of any given issue.

I guess my point is that there should not be a Jewish problem for Obama. His foreign policy perspective is one that would be beneficial to the state of Israel and to the stability of the international community. McCain just represents a continuation of a policy that is going to have destabilizing effects on the Middle East, and create a further imbalance of power in the region towards Iran that could create long lasting problems for Israel.

My Fellow American Jews: Use the 60th Anniversary of Israel to re-evaluate your stance. Widen your perspective, and think about which politician truly represents your best interest, and the best interest of Israel.

-JRo

Picture of the Day

Source:The Eurasia Center

-JRo

Oh the Mainstream Media

Thank you CNN for enriching all of our lives with your meaningful political analysis....

"CNN: Obama in Jeans"

-JRo

Why Can't We Be Friends?

Bringing the Democratic party back together for the general election is going to require hard work from both candidates, local and state officials, and party leaders. I've wanted to check out what congressional establishment party leaders are neutral at this point, and thus are likely to play a pivotal role in bringing the party back together. It's also important to note that their endorsements could help bring this race to a close

Leadership:
President Pro Temp: Robert Byrd (I can't imagine he's capable of helping much)
Senate Majority Leader: Harry Reid (essential)
Speaker: Nancy Pelosi (essential)
House Majority Leader: Steny Hoyer
House Majority Whip: Jim Clyburn (only technically neutral)

Committee Charimen:
Tom Harkin (S. Agriculture)
Carl Levin (S. Armed Services) (pretty important)
Max Baucus (S. Finance)
Joe Biden (S. Foreign Relations) (very important)
Daniel Akaka (S. Veterans)
Collin Peterson (H. Agriculture)
John Spratt (H. Budget)
Howard Berman (H. Foreign Affairs)
Robert Brady (H. Administration)
Henry Waxman (H. Oversight) (somewhat important)
Bart Gordon (H. Science and Tech)
Bob Filner (H. Veterans) (not really important at all)

I Imagine that Al Gore and John Edwards will be asked to play some sort of role. Also, several leading Obama and Clinton backers including Ted Kennedy, Charles Rangel, Chuck Schumer, and the like are going to be instrumental in bringing the establishment back together.

BTW, I promise everything won't be about politics!

-JRo

The Rovenger Rolls in

Hey All,

I've decided to blog about random musings, observations, opinions, feelings, etc.... that pop in my head from time to time. Hope at least someone enjoys.


-Jro

Update: We'll see how long this actually lasts...