Clinton Strongarms Obama to Repay Campaign Debt

Only in America can you nearly sabotage a political party and still have the clout to demand help repaying the campaign you ran into the ground. (In other countries they just take the money)

The buzz over the weekend involves Hillary and Bill Clinton's comments that they won't be able to campaign for Barack Obama unless he helps them pay down the debt Hill Dawg ran up during her campaign.

Obama and his wife wrote personal checks totaling $4,600 as a symbolic gesture that's supposed to coerce Obama's massive donor network to give to Clinton's campaign.

The Clinton's still have a massive amount of clout in the Democratic party, so unfortunately Obama has to help them out to increase his chances of winning in November.

This would be like Ralph Nader asking Al Gore for $20 to get home after George Bush's inauguration ceremony.

A McCain/Romney ticket?

Mitt Romney is reportedly near the top of John McCain's list of potential running mates. The former Massachusetts governor and recent McCain rival is the one being talked about by GOP insiders, even though he and McCain ran a fairly bitter campaign against each other before Romney dropped out in February. Here's why McCain would be wise to consider him.

• He's still a big name. Romney raised his profile considerably during his presidential race and could offer McCain a higher bounce in the polls upon announcement of Romney as a running mate than a lesser known prospect, like Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty would.

• He's from Michigan. McCain's trying to take Michigan and other Rust Belt states that went for Kerry in 2004 away from the Democrats. Romney easily won Michigan's Republican primary, and picking Romney could make things tougher on Barack Obama in Midwestern swing states.

• Apparently, he "looks presidential."

Of course, there are also some reasons why he might not be such a good pick.

• He was a flop. Despite being one of the favorites to win the GOP nomination heading into 2008, Romney finished a disappointing third behind McCain and Mike Huckabee in the primaries. How much of a momentum boost can you get from a guy who squandered all of his and let a guy who was left for dead last summer and a guy who had less national name recognition than Tommy Thompson lap him in delegates?

• He's not winning any popularity contests in the South. Romney didn't do so well in Southern states during primary season, as evangelicals tended to favor Huckabee. Normally this wouldn't matter, as the South tends to go Republican regardless of who's running. But a big part of Obama's strategy is trying to pluck some southeastern states from the Republicans. Vrginia, Georgia and the Carolinas (with their combined 51 electoral votes) are suddenly being talked about as battleground states instead of surefire red states. McCain can't afford to lose any of them, and Romney's not going to help.

• It's too safe. McCain's trailing in the nationwide polls. He needs something between now and November that's going to energize undecided voters or possibly sway some Obama voters. Mitt Romney isn't going to do that. It's the political equivalent of calling a bunch of short running plays in order to grind out the clock in football. Sure it works when you're ahead. But McCain isn't ahead. He needs some trick plays.

In the end, I can't see McCain picking Romney to be his running mate. At least not if he wants to win.

U-N-I-T-Y spells Unity (, New Hampshire)

Barry and Hill Dawg showing unity in Unity (ZOMG I just got that!)

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton made their much talked about joint appearance in Unity, NH (get it? They're showing unity in a town CALLED Unity. That works on SO many levels!)

USA Today had a good live blog of the speech from Unity Elementary School. Among the highlights were Obama concurring with someone in the crowd that Clinton does indeed "rock," Clinton calling her campaign with Obama "a spirited dialogue" to the complete shock of the audience, Clinton telling any of her supporters that may vote for John McCain to "reconsider."

Despite all the hype this rally has recieved, I doubt it will have much of a long-term impact on this election. Clinton's supporters knew where they were going within a couple of weeks (to come back from what was likely a tough emotional letdown) after she dropped out of the race earlier this month. Those who decided to come back into the fold of the Democratic party did so, while those who really meant what they said about voting for McCain have joined Harriet Christian and Tracy from West Virginia in going for McCain.

While I'm sure this story will get a lot of play over the weekend, it will have little effect on the Democrats chances this November.

Nader Accuses Obama of "Talking White"

He's watching Friends, not Comicview.

For the past six months, Barack Obama denounced everything except his skin color to avoid race during the intense Democratic primary race. Now, Ralph Nader, the perennial presidential monkey wrench (and token independent white guy), is accusing Barack Obama of not being racial enough.

According to Nader, Obama is "talking white" by not talking about poverty and inner city issues.

But of course, if he does talk about these issues, he becomes another "militant" black man who white people can easily dismiss and ignore like Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson.

Maybe Obama will wear a leather Africa medallion and a pick with a fist in it to his next speech, that might make Nader happy.

Minnesota: Land of 10,000 Video Crops

The hell kind of state is this?

The US Senate race in Minnesota between Norm Coleman and Al Franken has officially turned weird. Some liberal blogs in Minnesota accused the Coleman campaign of super-imposing Senator Coleman's wife Laurie into an ad. Check it out.



The position of Laurie Coleman in the kitchen, the way that she appears brighter than the rest of the commercial, the delayed reactions and the fact that she lives in California were what started the speculation. But the Coleman campaign called it goofy conspiracy theory by left-leaning liberals and stated that she was there the whole time. There's pics and video of her on the set, so that was that and we got on with the rest of our lives.

Until now. The Coleman campaign shot back at the accusations with another commercial. The point is either that Al Franken isn't a "real" Minnesotan or that Norm is a big fan of the "role play" segment on PTI.



Wow. Personally, I don't see what the big deal was over the first video. Even if it was done with a green screen (and judging from the behind the scenes footage it was not,) so what? It's a TV commercial. What difference does it make if his wife was actually there or not? And since that myth (which was a petty and superficial thing to get upset over to begin with) has been debunked, why make the new spot? All it does is draw attention to something that was bound to be forgotten by the end of the month anyway.

And NEITHER of these guys were actually born here (they're both originally from NYC,) so who gives a rat's ass who's more of a "real" Minnesotan? As far as I'm concerned, neither one of them gets to play that card. Now will these two PLEASE talk about something "real" Minnesotans care about? Like Kevin Love's outlet passing.

This week in bipartisan coattail hopping

Gordon Smith, a Republican US Senator from Oregon, is trying to ride the Obama train to re-election. Smith has a new ad running in Oregon that suggests that he has the endorsement of Barack Obama. While it's expected that Democrats are going to try and use Obama's momentum to get them elected into various offices, Smith is the first Republican running in a congressional race to do so.

The Obama camp told Smith thanks, but no thanks.

"Barack Obama has a long record of bipartisan accomplishment and we appreciate that it is respected by his Democratic and Republican colleagues in the Senate," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said after Smith's ad was released. "But in this race, Oregonians should know that Barack Obama supports Jeff Merkley for Senate. Merkley will help Obama bring about the fundamental change we need in Washington."

While this has to be a good early sign for Democrats, I doubt we'll see too much of it this campaign season. Smith is a fairly moderate republican (he has supported withdrawing troops from Iraq as early as 2006) and running in a VERY blue state (Oregon hasn't voted for a Republican in a presidential race since 1984 and only has one other Republican in Congress) that Obama is very popular in. In addition, Smith is polling at less than 50%, though he still leads his challenger Jeff Merkley.

In other words, not that many Republicans are going to be this desperate.

View the ad below.

McCain Plans to Offer $300 Millon Prize for Better Car Technology

In today's out of touch news, John McCain told a crowd at Cal State University that if he was elected President, he would propose a $300 million prize for anybody who could design some technology that surpasses the current electric/hybrid car technology on the market now.

First of all, better technology than the commercially available electric/hybrid stuff already exists (see Honda's new FCX Clarity car or the Tesla roadster), it just costs too much to build on a mass market scale or there's not enough of a support system to make the car available to everyone.

Secondly, new technology means new parts, new mechanics, and new stations to recharge/refill the car...all of which would probably cost billions.

That Tucker movie must've been on TV last night or something.

Guess Who's Back

Tom Brokaw, w/gravitas

NBC has announced that Tom Brokaw will take over the late Tim Russert's position as host of Meet The Press. Brokaw will host the Sunday morning show through the election season.

NBC still has not determined what they will do post-Election with Russert's former spot.

In my opinion, they couldn't have done a better job picking a replacement, even if only a temporary one. He doesn't come with the baggage of a Keith Olbermann or Chris Matthews and is one of the few old school national news anchors that stayed relevant and never suffered an embarrassing late-career episode like Dan Rather with the Bush papers.

Brokaw and Russert were my favorite combo to watch during Election Nights (the Russert white board will never be duplicated)

To salute Brokaw's return to television, here's his epic reporting of Gerald Ford's seath (NOTE, not actually him and not actually covering Gerald Ford's death.)

Obama campaign introduces first ad

Titled "Country I Love," this is one of what will likely be many attempts at refuting rumors that Obama is an anti-American Muslim who hates whitey without actually dignifying them with a response.

The ad includes pictures of Obama with his white mother, white grandparents, white soldiers, white people on the campaign trail and references his family's "Kansas heartland" roots. All that was missing were dogs and yoga.

Like McCain's first general election ad, it's very vague regarding any specific plans for an Obama presidency, and focuses more on introducing the candidate as a person.

The ad will begin airing in 18 states this weekend.

Friday Q&A

I talked with Michael Tofias, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, about a couple things you can look for in the upcoming primary. Here's what he had to say:

1) What do you see as the hot button issues in the upcoming general election?

Iraq. oil/energy independence/global warming. healthcare.

2) What is a strength/weakness of Obama and McCain? (What will they attack each other the most on?)

The media has treated both of these candidates very well and given
both very positive images. I think we will see the candidates go after
these images. look for mccain to start by going after obama's decision
to forego the public funding/contribution limits.

3) Who are potential VP candidates for Obama and McCain?

No idea. or rather too many to list. i think this is more of a fun
game for political enthusiasts and the media than substantively
important. there are nearly as many different theories about how
tickets should be constructed as there have been presidential campaigns.

4) Why do you think Obama has so much trouble attracting votes from blue collar workers with no college education?

In reality, he doesn't have any trouble. but it makes for a good
story, so it keeps getting repeated.

5) Are the Republicans really united under McCain?

No. the republicans are actually quite divided even though the media
attention has focused on the obama/clinton schism.

McCain: No drilling in ANWR (maybe)

Yes, this is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of oil drilling. Blame Warren Moon.

John McCain, on a campaign stop in St. Paul (hey, I know that place) stated his opposition to drilling for oil in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR.) But on Wednesday, in a speech on the campus of Missouri State University (I remember the 2006 Bracket Buster with sad memories) that he would "be more than happy to examine [drilling in ANWR] again."

McCain says that his position has stayed firm, and that this is not a case of flip-flopping.

“People have said to me, ‘I’m going to bring you new information about ANWR, how environmentally we can make it safe,’” he said. “I’ll be glad to
accept new information but my position has not changed.’

In other words, while he doesn't support drilling in ANWR now, he'd consider it if someone could make an effective case for it being safe.

While McCain does still support increased off-shore drilling to possibly offset the high price of oil, his stance on alternative energy sources remain unchanged since he first ran for president.

Look, I love my petroleum fueled car (not a gas guzzler but not exactly the most fuel efficient car in the world) as much as anyone, but in 2008, isn't it time for a presidential candidate to at least THINK about something other than a finite resource that even one of the world's wealthiest oil men admits isn't going to last forever?

I know we're going to be stuck with oil for the near future, but does anyone want to at least throw a new idea out there?

Obama Not Taking Public Funds For Campaign

Image via New York Magazine

Barack Obama has turned down $84 million in public funds for his presidential campaign. He is the first presidential candidate to do so since the introduction of the current public financing system shortly after Watergate. Had he accepted the $84 million, he would have been limited to using only that money in the months between the DNC and the election. Instead he can dig into the vast war chest he's amassed since his campaign began.

He's catching some hell from the McCain campaign, because Obama had initially decided to accept public funds if McCain did the same. While McCain hasn't officially announced whether or not he will, he is expected to. McCain has raised $96 million during his campaign, compared to the $265 million raised by Obama.

It's a shrewd move by Obama. It gives him the possibility of outspending McCain in the crucial final months before the election while allowing him to be able to tell voters "I'm not doing this on your dime." It's the best of both worlds; he can look like a populist while actually having boatloads of cash at his expense.

As for the flip flop that the McCain camp brings up, thinks McCain needs to stop hating and get money.

Obama ahead in 3 key states

He's coming for you old man.


Fox News is saying Obama is ahead of McCain in early polling in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania.

This is great news for Obama's campaign because these are all states that Obama lost in the primary season, and they're all chock full of the middle-class white voters with no college education that eluded Obama versus Hillary Clinton.

It also shows that the Democratic party might be able to recover and unite after a brutal primary that involved alot of mud-slinging and controversy.

The three states are key swing states with big amounts of electoral votes, with Ohio determining the 2004 election, and Florida being the clinching state in 2000.

New MoveOn.org ad: Exploitive?

Moveon.org, no stranger to controversy, has partnered with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees on a new ad criticizing John McCain's "stay in Iraq for 100 years" remark. Like LBJ's famous "Daisy Girl" ad, this spot, titled "Not Alex," goes for emotion by putting a small child in your face among the talk of war.

Personally, I don't think this is anywhere close to as bad as the "Daisy Girl" spot, but I do get uneasy whenever kids who obviously have no idea what they are doing are used to make a political statement. But if I were to rip every political ad that uses kids to try and make it's point, I'd run out room on blogspot.

The ad begins airing nationally on CNN and MSNBC (not Fox News?) and local markets in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Gore to Endorse Obama, Campaign Doomed

Obama doesn't know whether to smile or cry.


With the Democratic nominee finally settled, Al Gore has decided to throw his support towards Barack Obama.

This could be a problem for Obama, as Gore is the political equivalent to the Buffalo Bills, politics' most infamous loser.

For those who have been living under a rock for the past eight years, Al Gore lost the weirdest election in history to George Bush in 2000. Although Gore won the popular vote, Bush managed to win the perfect combination of states to give him more electoral votes than Gore, which gave him the presidential nod.

I don't think that's the kind of endorsement Obama is looking for at a time like this, where he's struggling to attract votes from middle (read: White) America.

Veepstakes: A McCain/Lieberman ticket?

Senator (and former Al Gore running mate) Joe Lieberman has been very supportive of John McCain, even going as far as forming a "Citizens for McCain" group. Some have even speculated about the possibility of McCain choosing Lieberman as his running mate, even though Lieberman is (kinda) a Democrat.

Could it happen? Probably not. But it is an intriguing possibility, especially if Obama starts to put some distance between him and McCain in the polls this summer.Selecting Lieberman as a running mate could strengthen McCain's support among independents. It would also hurt Obama's ability to portray him as another Bushian Republican.

Of course, it could just as easily blow up in McCain's face to tab a pro-choice Democrat for his running mate, but he should definitely keep Lieberman in mind.

The Straight Dope on Taxes

Neither of these guys will fix your tax problems

Apparently, Barack Obama and John McCain are arguing over who will take less of your money over the next four years.

John McCain is saying that Barack Obama's tax plan will add over a trillion dollars in new taxes over the next ten years, when economists have already said that his plan will lower taxes for the low and middle classes.

The fatal flaw in Republican thought about taxes is that it assumes that all businesses are moral. We all know they are not.

Their theory is that if you cut taxes for the rich, they will re-invest the money into their businesses to create more jobs for the lower and middle classes. But in reality, they take that extra money, streamline their businesses, and move jobs overseas. Rich people get rich by saving money, not spending it.

The problem with taxing the rich to balance the budget is that the rich will get rid of their bigger expenses (managers and such) to make up the difference, and you're still out of a job because "times are tough."

The choice is yours.

Ron Paul drops out

Out of gas

Surprising those of his who forgot he was still running, Ron Paul is calling it quits. Only three months after John McCain unofficially became the Republican Party nominee and a week after the primaries ended with Paul winning zero states, you could say this was expected. You could also say it was irrelevant.

The Texas Congressman may not have received many votes, but his libertarian platform got him a lot of grassroots support among young people, conspiracy theorists, and the internet.

Now it really is a two man race between the agent of Satan and the lizard person (but you have to guess which is which.)

McCain, Obama still have work to do at home

Before Barack Obama and John McCain can woo the undecided swing voters, they might need to touch up their own party bases first. Yesterday Oklahoma Congressman Dan Boren, a Democrat, made news for stating he would not endorse Obama, calling him "the most liberal senator" in the Senate. Combine this with Joe Lieberman (technically listed as an "Independent Democrat") coming out in support of John McCain and it seems Obama has a problem on his hands.

Unfortunately for McCain, he can't do much to take advantage of this, because according to The Hill, at least 14 Republicans in Congress have not endorsed McCain, even though he has been the party's presumptive nominee for over three months.

Republican members who have not endorsed or publicly backed McCain include Sens. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and Jeff Sessions (Ala.) and Reps. Jones, Peterson, John Doolittle (Calif.), Randy Forbes (Va.), Wayne Gilchrest (Md.), Virgil Goode (Va.), Tim Murphy (Pa.), Ron Paul (Texas), Ted Poe (Texas), Todd Tiahrt (Kan.), Dave Weldon (Fla.) and Frank Wolf (Va.).

McCain has always been painted as a maverick who isn't afraid to break with his party on issues such as immigration and campaign finance reform. Among the "Gang of 14," McCain's energy policy and his plans for Iraq are some of the chief concerns.

Prediction: Sound and fury signifying nothing. With maybe a couple exceptions, expect most legislators to hold their tongues and vote among the party line in what looks to be another very close election.

Bush to Foreign Press: "Sorry y'all"

Not President Bush

President Bush told The Times of London that he has some regrets about taking a hardline unilateral approach to the Iraq War and hopes to leave his successor a more diplomatic situation with Iran.

Phrases such as “bring them on” or “dead or alive”, he said, “indicated to people that I was, you know, not a man of peace”. He said that he found it very painful “to put youngsters in harm’s way”. He added: “I try to meet with as many of the families as I can. And I have an obligation to comfort and console as best as I possibly can. I also have an obligation to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain.”

In the same interview, he also expresses regrets over not signing the Kyoto Protocol (remember when people were mad about that?) and says he can now see why much of the world thought of him as “guy really anxious for war.”

I'm guessing with his approval rating hovering between 25-30% and this being his last year in office, Bush feels like he has to leave some kind of positive legacy. Like when Bill Clinton made it his mission to try and bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians in 2000 (as opposed to any of the other seven years he had been in office,) this is an example of a president scrambling at the last minute to do something future generations can look back on and remember him by.

But if he thinks an apology on his tone is going to make anyone think differently about his eight years in office, Bush is (yet again) sorely misguided.

Don't Touch That Salsa!

Nowadays, even tomatoes aren't safe.

As if record-high gas prices, a tumbling economy and a weak job market wasn't enough, now you can't even eat a plate of spaghetti without getting sick.

Major news outlets are reporting that a salmonella outbreak is prompting grocery stores and restaurants to pull tomatoes off shelves and menus.

At least 145 people have gotten sick across the country.

Round, Roma and Plum tomatoes are the varieties in question, three of the most popular kinds of tomatoes.

McDonald's has pulled tomatoes from their menu (like you could taste it through all the grease and special sauce anyways), and most other restaurants have taken tomatoes and tomato-based items (salsa, pasta sauce) off the menu until they find out where the killer tomatoes are coming from.

If you want tomatoes in the next week or so, your best bet would be to find a local farmer's market, which would probably be cheaper and fresher than your local grocery store anyways.

Congrats to Ken Griffey, Jr.

Last night in Miami, Ken Griffey, Jr. became the 6th player ever to hit 600 home runs, and the 4th to do so without heavy suspicion of using steroids (though he did have a brief addiction to Mr. Burns' nerve tonic.)


Watch more videos at SportsTube!

Kucinich pulls out ray gun

(And I know "ray gun" doesn't work here, but I can't say he pulled out his bush.)

Ohio Representative and joke candidate for President Dennis Kucinich introduced articles to impeach President Bush on the floor of the House yesterday. While he brings up many valid points, it seems like he's a day late and a dollar short with this. Bush has less than a year left in office. Even if he were to be impeached by the House and then thrown out of office by the Senate, that would just leave a few months of Dick Cheney as a lame duck president, with either Barack Obama or John McCain taking over for a full term shortly after.

But judge for yourself. Here are two clips of Kucinich introducing the articles from CSPAN.

National Gas Average Breaks $4

Even I have no words for that.


The AAA reported that the national unleaded gasoline average topped $4 a gallon for the first time ever on Monday.

A record-high $11 surge in crude oil price to $138 a barrel likely sparked the jump.

It was only eight years ago around this time when the national average was $1.52.

If you want to save money on gas, most areas have a website that lists gas prices in that particular area, check and see where you can find the best value.

Kanye West also has a tip for getting the most out of your gas dollars:

Fist Bump: Innocent gesture or TERRORIST SIGNAL?

Cmon. Enough with this already. I was there and I barely even gave it a second thought. Let us move on.

And I don't know a whole lot about being a news broadcaster, but why tease something as a "terrorist fist jab" and then not even explain what you meant?

Good enough, smart enough, but do people like him?

DFL Senate candidate Al Franken

Over the weekend, Al Franken was endorsed at the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor party convention as it's candidate to take on Republican Senator Norm Coleman in November. Franken, the former comedian, Saturday Night Live writer/performer and author, won fairly easily, with the only competition coming from college professor/activist Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer.

Even though Franken had been the heavy favorite to win the endorsement heading into the convention, his nomination wasn't without controversy. According to MinnPost, the DFL feminist caucus had some concerns over an essay Franken wrote for Playboy (it involves robot blowjobs) and some of his SNL material.

Though Franken was able to win their support, the Coleman campaign is going to hammer Franken with his past and try to paint him as a "Manhattan/Hollywood" outsider with little understanding of Midwestern values (which are pro human-blowjob for the most part.) But who will be the first candidate to mention Lateline?

FIRST!

John McCain has unveiled the first TV advertisement of the general election today. The ad is running in Michigan, Colorado, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. With the exception of West Virginia and Ohio, all of these are states that either voted Democrat in 2004 (and Ohio was very close) or states where Barack Obama has been running strongly in.

Titled "Safe," the spot plays up McCain's military background. It's rather vague, as it does not discuss any specific McCain stances or ideas; just the fact that he has been to war and "hates war."

Judge for yourself.

Airlines on Course to Crash Land

The days of flying cross country whenever you want may be numbered.

The airlines survived 9/11, but it doesn't seem like they'll make it through $135.

In the face of record-high oil prices American and United Airlines, the nation's two biggest commercial carriers, have grounded flights and cut up to 12% of their routes. Continental Airlines has also foll cut 3000 jobs and slashed capacity

Similar to the new policy on charging for the second piece of checked luggage, expect this trend to trickle down throughout the rest of the industry in coming months as the airline industry does whatever it can to stay afloat through this economic downturn.

Continental Airlines has already followed suit today by cutting 3000 jobs and slashing capacity by 11%.

What this means to you is that it's about to become more expensive and inconvenient to fly until either the economy gets it's act together, or airlines find a more cost-efficient way to do business.

Three HS seniors barred from grad ceremonies for idiocy

Not them, but would you be surprised?

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press, three seniors at Bloomington Kenndey High School will not be allowed to walk at graduation ceremonies for waving Confederate flags in the school parking lot on Tuesday.

The kids say they weren't being racist, just showing their love of "southern culture," which apparently includes "engines, pickup trucks and The Dukes of Hazzard." A mother of one of the boys even said that they didn't realize the flag has racist connotations.

There's nothing at all "southern" about Bloomington, Minnesota. It's bitterly cold in the winter, has many bland restaurants and is populated with slow football players. So I can see wanting to emulate the South. But you REALLY couldn't have found a different, less racist way to do it? Really? Especially when, according to the principal, one of these kids was suspended within the last year for doing the same thing? Come on, now.

Okay, so these kids say they aren't racist. Though flying a Confederate flag makes it a bit hard to believe that, I'll take their word for it. But even if they aren't bigots, they're still morons for not thinking they would get in trouble for it, and if they really don't understand that the Confederate flag has very racist overtones, then they probably shouldn't receive a high school diploma in the first place because they obviously slept through history class.

Besides, people not from the south who talk about "southern pride" are complete tools anyway. So there's that.

UW Regents Propose to Pass Tab for Vets' Education to Students

Even the baby knows this won't end well.


It looks like support for the troops stops at education these days.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the UW Board of Regents is proposing to increase tuition at it's four-year colleges by 5.5% to help offset the costs of the Wisconsin GI Bill.


The increase would amount to almost a $350 increase per semester at the big schools, and $265 per semester at the smaller ones.

The Wisconsin GI Bill is a plan implemented by Gov. Jim Doyle in 2005 that pays 100% of veterans' tuition and fees if they attend approved in-state colleges.

In the beginning the bill only paid 50%, but last year the state government upped the ante to 100% remission.

The Wisconsin GI Bill works in tandem with the Montgomery GI Bill, which currently pays $1101 a month during the school year to eligible veterans who have served three or more years of active duty.

What should happen here is the state government should just scale the program back to 75% remission or even 50%...because for the troops who get the Montgomery GI Bill, they're not paying for school anyways. They may have to manage the money they do get a little better, but the Wisconsin GI Bill and Montgomery GI Bill combined more than covers the cost of education at any university in the UW System.

A civilian student shouldn't have to work extra shifts at Ma Fischer's to pay for their education and somebody elses because the state government doesn't feel like following through on its promises to the troops.

What do you think?

Clinton to call it a race

Soon, dinosaur. Soon.

An adviser with the Clinton campaign says that she will call Barack Obama to formally concede in the race for the Democratic nomination and give a speech to thank all who supported her this Saturday.

Apparently she also plans to endorse the man she's spent the last five months dragging through the mud and will make a call for "Democratic unity." Tracy from West Virginia and the pound (about 52 seconds in) must be very disappointed.

To quote Talib Kweli, she finally fell back.

And you say Chi City

2016 Olympic mascot? Make it so!

Everyone's second favorite Lake Michigan city, has moved one step closer to hosting the 2016 Olympics.

Chicago, much to the chagrin of everyone who lives there, is one of four finalists, along with Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. Sadly, the journey ends for the cities of Prague, Doha (that's in Qatar) and the capital of Azerbajin (seriously.) Chernobyl, Beirut, and Youngstown, Ohio must have just missed the cut.

The real surprise might be how close Doha actually came to making the cut. Had they advanced, Qatar could have become the first Middle Eastern nation to host the games.

In the end, Doha was left out even though it tied for third with Chicago and was ahead of Rio in an IOC evaluation report assessing the overall technical merits of the bids.

The IOC said Doha's proposal to hold the Olympics in October, rather than July or August, to avoid the searing summer heat was the decisive factor.

The board "unanimously decided not to grant this exception as it conflicts with the international sporting calendar and would therefore be bad for the athletes and for sports fans," IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said. "It would disrupt athletes' training programs and overload the sports schedule at an already busy time of the year.

"Today the executive board felt it would be a disservice to Doha to take them into the next round."

As for Chicago, they'll find out what happens to their bid in October of 2009, when the IOC makes it's big announcement. If the Windy City does end up winning the bid, a word of advice. Keep this guy the hell away from the female gymnastics events.

Stand Down, Stupid.

Somebody needs to silence her instead.

With every major news outlet now declaring Barack Obama as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, attention has begun to Hillary Clinton's unwillingness to concede her campaign.

At her speech in NYC after a primary win in South Dakota and a loss in Montana to end the primary voting, she announced that she would not be making a decision to withdraw from the race.

Clinton hasn't been close to Obama in delegates since his streak of 10 consecutive primary victories in February, but she has hung on and annoyed us all by fighting the inevitable kicking and screaming like a little girl who's mother won't let her get the newest Barbie doll.

According to a New York Times article, Clinton-backers are campaigning for Hillary to be added to Obama's ticket as the Vice President, but given the aggressive nature of Hillary's campaign against Obama, this seems highly unlikely.

If the Democrats expect to have any chance of getting back the White House in November, it's time for them to band together to tell Hillary Clinton thanks for the good show, but its time to go.

McCain Could Suffer From "Ring Rust" in General Election

This smile could turn into a frown real fast if he's not on his A-game in the General Election.


When Sen. John McCain clinched the Republican Presidential nomination three months ago with little competition, it could end up being the worst thing to happen to his presidential hopes.

The popular political pundits (say that three times fast) haven't talked about it yet, but McCain could suffer from "ring rust" in the upcoming general election after having to wait so long for a Democratic opponent since clinching the nomination on March 4.

For those unfamiliar with the term, ring rust refers to the sloppiness a boxer displays during the early rounds of a fight after a long layoff.

McCain has had to watch Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton slug it out for the Democratic nomination for three months without the ability or reason to debate and campaign.

He may not be able to respond immediately when faced with a battle-tested
candidate coming off of the battle of his or her life.

To use another sports analogy, in the 2001 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers coasted through the playoffs with a record of 10-0 and had to wait for a Philadelphia team that battled through a 7-game-series with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The long layoff combined with a hungry Philadelphia team led to the Lakers losing game one of the series by a score of 107-101.

The Lakers went on to win the next four games of the series to win the championship, but for that one game, they were vulnerable.

If McCain doesn't come to play, he could find himself in a deep hole, fast.

Finally, Bar-ack HAS COME BACK to Minnesota (Part Two)

The invisible man can still draw a crowd

While the South Dakota and Montana polls closed and Hillary made her (not really a) concession speech, we were kept in the dark. The scoreboard stayed showing crowd shots (even with a crowd this hype, it got really old after the camera had been around the arena three times,) Obama highlight reels, and that Will I am video (overheard by some people near me: “Who’s that tall one?” “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.” “Who?” “The guy who did the skyhook.” “Ohhhh, him.” Somehow I think that description didn’t help.) Most of the crowd had no idea that Hill Dawg did not actually concede during her speech, as we missed out on the tragic story of the kid who sold his bike and video games so we could hear a medley of songs that included U2’s “City of Blinding Light,” The All American Rejects “Move Along” (a subliminal shot at the Clinton campaign?) and at least one country song that had something to do with America, or at least had “America” somewhere in the hook. Hell, if not for the couple with the binoculars that could see into the luxury boxes (which were all tuned to MSNBC despite the fact that no one was using them,) I wouldn’t even have known that she gave a speech.

Yes, the best shot of her I got was on the scoreboard. Be mad.

Finally, at about 9 p.m. (there were no clocks in the arena,) University of Minnesota communications teacher Joann Syverson gave her introduction. Even though most of the crowd had no idea who she was, her speech went over incredibly well to the warmed up crowd, even though she was playfully booed for admitting she was at one time a Republican. Then she said the words “Michelle and Bar . . .” and at that point my hearing almost stopped (BTW, the purple dress on Michelle was a nice touch.) The X was going absolutely batshit insane. I’ve seen a Senator who got 85% of his state’s vote speak on election night, and I saw George W Bush speak, months after 9/11 (you know, when he was still popular) in a very Republican town. Take the reaction to those two events, combine them with the Minnesota Wild’s first ever franchise victory (which also happened to be the first event at Xcel I ever attended) and you still don’t have the reaction Obama got from that crowd. He could have gone up there to read the warranty on his microwave and people would have absolutely loved it.

Hey, is that John Cand . . . nope, just some blogger.

If you saw the speech, you know what happened. He declared victory in the Democratic race, thanked Hill Dawg for putting up a fight and started in on McCain. At times, the crowd was too loud to even hear him, so I had to turn to the closed captioning on the scoreboard. Around me, everyone was standing. Several times the candidate had to stop and quiet the crowd, like during the Orwellian moment when a random “Yes We Can” chant broke out.

At about 9:45, the speech ended and people eventually filed out of the arena. Aside from being asked to save suffering animals in South St. Paul (isn’t telling me about something that lives in South St. Paul “suffering” redundant?) it was a peaceful walk to my car.

A few months from now, the scene at the X will be quite different. It will be Republicans packing the house to hear John McCain (among dozens of others) speak. And while I don’t doubt there will be some memorable moments at the RNC, the bar has been set pretty high if they want to turn this traditionally blue state red in November.

Finally Ba-rack HAS COME BACK to Minnesota (Part One)

The first thing I noticed was the helicopters. Stepping out of my car (don’t ask what I paid for parking, I’m trying to block it out of my memory,) I saw at least three news copters hovering above downtown St. Paul for what would turn out to be Barack Obama’s victory speech.

I had only attended one other political victory speech before, when I was assigned to cover the Herb Kohl and Gwen Moore victory party in 2006. That was at the reception hall of Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee in front of maybe a couple hundred people. Outside of some brief cameos by local TV news correspondents, there was little media presence there. It was a charming little affair with a table full of snacks, free beer and a lot of people walking around in baseball caps and hoodies.

This was (reportedly) 17,000 people in a big-time arena, one that will play host to the Republican National Convention in September, covered by every important news outlet in the country and broadcast live across several networks.

Needless to say, there was no snack table and free beer.

After a quick bite and a couple drinks at Patrick McGovern’s (the artichoke dip is delicious but in no way should that much food ever be considered an appetizer) I made my way to the Xcel Energy Center amid a swarm of people. While most were lined up outside the arena to see the speech, others were there to try and make a buck. There were street vendors selling a variety of Obama buttons and t-shirts, and some of them seemed to making money hand over fist. Though there were some clever designs, none matched a homemade shirt worn by an over 30 white woman that said “White woman over 30 for Obama.” Stylish AND practical. Never underestimate people’s willingness to buy a cheaply made article of clothing they’ll only wear once and forget about if they see other people doing the same thing.

Can't knock the hustle

We then had the pleasure of waiting in a line that started across the street from the arena, which is every bit the logistical nightmare it sounds like. This gave me a chance to interact with my fellow Minnesotans. Typical conversation went something like this.

“This is the line?”
“Yeah.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“This is some bullshit.”
“Pretty much.”

Waiting to get in

Three days later, we were finally in the building, and after being told to walk all the way to the other end of the arena because those were the open seats, then told that those seats were full and the open seats were in fact on the other end of the arena (the one we entered) I was finally able to sit down. I was, appropriately enough, in between two college freshmen and a senior citizen couple.

The scoreboard in the arena was showing MSNBC’s election coverage, and all I’m going to say is you haven’t really seen Tim Russert until you’ve seen him on a jumbotron. This was how much of the crowd seemed to pass the time while waiting for the rest of the arena to fill out, since for some insane reason they weren’t selling beer. Then again, considering this is one of only six states that actually forces stores to stock 3.2 beer (if you don’t know what that is, you’re lucky,) it’s not that surprising.

More Chris Matthews than you thought possible

But even so, people were fired up. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak got loud ovations from the crowd, who the scoreboard was constantly telling to get “fired up.” When MSNBC showed a map of where some of John McCain’s possible running mates might come from, people cheered for about thirty seconds when Minnesota was shown (Gov. Tim Pawlenty is a long-time McCain ally,) until they realized exactly what the pundits were talking about.

Even though we were an arena full of people who were technically watching nothing, it had the feel of a sporting event. Vendors roamed the aisles selling overprices soda and popcorn, fans held up letters spelling out “CHANGE,” the camera panned the audience putting people on the scoreboard (most common reactions on the scoreboard were, in order: waving, throwing a peace sign, giving the double thumbs up, flashing devil/metal horns, and one guy in a maroon U of M shirt who threw up the ROC.) At some point, people even started doing the wave. All that was missing was the annoying clamor of Thunderstix.

Hey, you guys misspelled "Char . . " oh wait, I gotcha

I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to point out the Xcel Center’s brilliant crowd manipulation. During John McCain’s speech, which the crowd initially booed but soon got bored with, they cut to a scoreboard shot of the quickly-filling-up arena, which led to a loud cheer. They quickly cut back to McCain (booooo) but then back to the crowd (hey, that’s us! Yaaaaaaaay!) People who have been waiting all day for something are not hard to draw a reaction out of.

Democratic race finally over (we think)

The AP has called the race for Democratic presidential nomination in favor of Barack Obama. When this all started in January, Hillary Clinton was the seemingly unstoppable front runner and Obama the young, inexperienced go getter. Several million dollars, ballots, YouTube clips of Jeremiah Wright (and his hilariously white counterpart Michael Pfleger,) "working class" cold ones and Donna Brazile CNN appearances later, we have found out that she is not in fact, the winner.

Obama is giving a speech tonight at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul (home of this year's Republican National Convention) where he is expected to formally declare victory. As for Hill Dawg, she may be joining her former rival on this fall's ticket.

According to one participant in an afternoon conference call among Clinton and members of the New York congressional delegation, Rep. Lydia Velasquez said she believed the best way for Obama to win over Hispanics and members of other key voting blocs would be to take the former first lady as his running mate.

"I am open to it," Clinton replied, if it would help the party's prospects in November, said the participant, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the call was a private matter.

We're just glad this mini circus is over, so we can spend the next five months focusing on the real circus that will be the general election.

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