NEWS
POPULAR FMR NC CONGRESSMAN ENDORSES SIGMON OVER MCHENRY; MCHENRY DISPUTES
BILL CLINTON PROCLAIMS HIMSELF: ‘AMBASSADOR TO SMALL-TOWN AMERICA’
CONGRESSMAN MAY FACE JAIL IN DWI CASE
BOBBY JINDAL VICE PRESIDENTIAL RUMORS SWIRL
CONGRESSMAN ADAM PUTNAM AMBUSHED…BY TMZ
GAY BLOG ATTACKS MCHENRY IN RUN-UP TO PRIMARY
SIGMON VOWS TO SUPPORT GOP; BUT NOT MCHENRY
‘DC MADAM’ COMMITS SUICIDE IN FLORIDA
NORTH CAROLINA CR STATE CHAIRS ENDORSE SIGMON
ABOUT
about TRUTH
dead to me
E-MAIL
email TRUTH
AIM SEARCH ALERTS MAPS
crnctruthcaucus
click to search
get text alerts
cancel alerts
maps
TELL ME SOMETHING I DON’T KNOW…
John Edwards will appear on the Today Show this morning…
He could make things interesting…
Update: He appeared on the Today Show, and said nothing noteworthy
TO WIT – IS IT OVER YET?
As the Myanmar cyclone death toll moves from 5,000 to 10,000 to 100,000 (it remains unclear how these things are counted), as the U.S. gives relief money (that it may not have), as a five-hour Hollywood telethon may be the only solution (otherwise known as the American Idol results show)…
As Patrick McHenry celebrates a 67-33% victory over Lance Sigmon…
As Dick Morris predicts Ben Netanyahu will win election in Israel—and then bomb Iran. (This is what we call a “game changer.”)
As Mitt Romney warns “the presidency isn’t an internship.”
All eyes turn to the Democratic primary.
Last night, the pundits called the race. They put on their best suits, fluffed their pocket squares, shined their lapel pins (err…).
Prior to last night, Hillary Clinton was expected to win Indiana and Barack Obama was expected to win North Carolina. That happened. But, for various reasons, the pundits decided the expected was not enough. They had to kick it up. (Sort of like when Charlie Crist drinks Red Bull and…Merlot.)
Tim Russert declared on MSNBC: “We now know who the Democratic nominee’s going to be, and no one’s going to dispute it.”
Mr. Russert, apparently, is the puppet-master of the Democratic Party (when not having off-the-record conversations with Matt Cooper).
Not to be out done by his rival, George Stephanopoulos said: “This nomination fight is over.”
You can’t get anymore declarative than that.
Other pundits chimed in, but it wasn’t enough. More gravitas was needed.
Only the sagest counsel could solidify the media’s conclusion on the race’s end. Only the wisest soul could unilaterally deliver the declarative consensus we thirst.
The man network pundits turn to when conventional wisdom must be set in stone: George McGovern.
“All the mathematics seem to be on his side,” McGovern said of Obama.
But, the telling information comes here:
McGovern, 85, said he told Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, of his surprise decision in a telephone call, and that Clinton made no attempt to change his mind.
“He just wanted me to know that he thinks that Hillary has made a great race and it’s up to her to decide when she leaves. And I don’t argue with that,” McGovern said.
This means the Clintons are working on their end game. (For all future purposes, “end game” is interchangeable with the year “2012.”)
But Democrats should worry 2008 will go the way of 1968.
Or 1972.
I wonder what George McGovern thinks about that?
NOTES AND ERRATA
To Wit will appear tonight, letting the political landscape settle from the late events last night.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
TELL ME SOMETHING I DON’T KNOW…
Hillary Clinton has canceled all appearances on the Wednesday morning talk shows, fueling speculation she is considering her candidacy’s fate. Clinton has also canceled her public appearances.
She was set to appear on the morning news shows, but advisors canceled the appearances late into the night.
TO WIT – THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME
As North Carolina and Indiana attempt to settle the Democratic Party’s presidential question, as Yahoo and Microsoft decline to marry, as the death toll from the Myanmar cyclone could reach 10,000…
As the Clintons ask fellow Democrats: Do you really want to spend October with Barack Obama? (Anything’s better than the New York Yankees.)
The Democratic race vaguely reminds me of the Richard Connell short story The Most Dangerous Game, where a North American big-game hunter gets shipwrecked on a deserted island and is hunted by a Russian aristocrat.
Controversy after controversy (or dare we call them “scandals” by now?), Barack Obama appears like a candidate sent into the wild with only a sack of food and a knife. Meanwhile, the Clintons live for the hobby—a form of political hunting, so to speak.
Oh, the game is dangerous. But there’s nothing like the thrill. The thrill of hunting the human race.
The thrill of pure politics. Leak after leak. Play by play.
But the news cycle is about more than Barack and Hillary. It’s about Bill Clinton getting his groove back
.
It’s about the fabulous 4-hour PBS documentary on George H.W. Bush.
It’s about John McCain launching a Spanish-speaking website on Cinco de Mayo. (No habla Espanol.)
The news cycle is about DC madams and teachers who molest children and people who stalk Uma Thurman.
It’s about an Austrian father who created a secret dungeon to build an incestuous family that would never see the light of day.
(Okay, nothing can top that one.)
Hillary must be wondering, however. Can that dungeon be re-created?
Just for the game. The most dangerous game.
WHO’S WORKING HARDEST?
CR ALUMNI NETWORK STRIKES…RON PAUL
A special operative writes:
The Ron Paul people are trying to win delegates to the national convention at the state conventions across the country.
They successful disrupted Nevada state convention that was run by local McCain and local Romney operatives last weekend and nearly won a large number of delegates before convention was recessed.
Therefore the national campaign, led by Political Director John Yob, put together convention strike forces across the country that included CRNC alumni.
John Yob, parliamentarian Burke Balch, Bart Haggerty, and Jason Zanetti all attended the Maine Convention. Other former CRNC leaders are said to be helping in upcoming conventions.
Arizona is next weekend where Brett Mecum is the state party Political Director.
Here is the Ron Paul team response after getting crushed (must watch):
Here is the AP story: [Associated Press]
SHOULD BILL BE CONCERNED…
about this Hillary Clinton-Evan Bayh embrace?
LENNOX ENDS STATE HOUSE CANDIDACY
Dennis Lennox, the Central Michigan University student, has ended his candidacy for the Michigan State House.
“Lennox tells CM Life the decision came after incumbent Republican Kevin Elsenheimer on Friday decided to run for reelection in the 105th district instead of leaving to run for the Michigan Court of Appeals,” the Associated Press reports.
NOTE TO FUTURE POLITICOS
Perhaps the only way to avoid scandals involving pastors and churches and endorsements is by having politicians who don’t go to church.
TRUTH BE TOLD
If you read today’s To Wit, you recognize my ability to pick a winner.
TO WIT – WHORING, DRINKING, GAMBLING
As degenerate gamblers gather at OTBs across the country (too bad Matt Elliott’s in jail), as the ladies don colorful hats, as the gents use a little extra spit and polish, as cocktail waitress pour mint juleps…
As TRUTH CAUCUS only likes sports where fans aren’t allowed to tailgate (think baseball, tennis, golf, and yes, horse racing)…
I bet Hillary Clinton is rooting for the horse “Recapturetheglory.”
Here’s an overview of the horses.
I’m putting my money on the favorite: “Big Brown.”
But the news cycle is about more than horse racing. It’s about out-of-control preachers. It’s about superdelegates. It’s about women who run whore houses and commit suicide.
It’s about feuds between Lauren and Heidi…
And Patrick and Lance.
It’s about symbols and bludgeons and stuff that happened in 1988.
The news cycle is about home wreckers and people Barbara Walters slept with 30 years ago. (I can hear your dry heaves.)
It’s about mafiosos and Hillary Clinton’s “Ace.”
California political operative Ace Smith, Hillary Clinton’s top aide working in North Carolina, is profiled in this must read:
“I believe that every life lesson in politics can be extrapolated from ‘The Godfather,’ “ said Chris Lehane, a Democratic strategist and friend of Smith’s who has worked for the Clintons.
“Some people are Fredos; at game time they disappear. There are Sonnys, who yell and scream. . . . The most effective ones are the Michael Corleones. Very quiet, they know under which rib to insert the knife. . . . Ace is a Michael Corleone.”