The Stonecipher Report

Sarah Palin WROTE a Book? We Doubt That She Actually Even READ It…

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Nov. 17, 2009

With the Sarah Palin book hitting bookstores today, I thought I’d share my subscription-e-mail column – from the free "And, in the News…" updates I send out twice a week – on the topic from Monday. So, it is included below…and, FYI, another couple of good, appropriate, and variously analytical pieces on the media blur of Miss Wasilla and her pretend-authored book are one by Max Blumenthal on The Nation Magazine’s website and The Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan (the gay neo-con who experienced an Obama awakening – and was quite the Palin critic – in ’08) live-blogging his reactions, rebuttals, and disputing of basic truths during Palin’s appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Some good stuff... 

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And, in the News...#197

November 16, 2009

Political Soap Box: First, "My Pet Goat," Now "Going Rogue" -- Uh, Republicans Don't Seem to Have Much Luck With Books, Do They?

Even though the piece-of-crap, rewriting-history, quickie book Sarah Palin agreed to claim she wrote -- the idiotically-titled "Going Rogue" (I mean, what does she think she is, some sort of freakin' conservative pirate?) -- has not officially hit bookstore shelves yet (it is due out widely [today]), plenty of political insiders have grabbed their early copies of it and are lashing out at its contents AND the alleged author, the former Miss Wasilla and early-quitting previous Governor of the so-so State of Alaska...

The Best Thing About Sarah Palin

Posted By: Stonecipher

August 29, 2008

Thanks John McCain!

As an Obama supporter, your VP pick today just solved the one problem for the Democrats that I was most concerned about, the relationship between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

I can't think of a better way to unite the Obama's and the Clinton's than to threaten Hillary Clinton with the possibility of another woman stealing her thunder as the most successful American female politician of all time.

The cynics have said that while Clinton would publically support Obama, she would also work behind the scenes to derail his campaign in an effort to position herself to become the 2012 Democratic Nominee after Obama loses to McCain. 

I have been one of those cynics.

And as a cynic I believe that the threat of Hillary Clinton undermining Obama behind the scenes is now gone.  Instead, Clinton now has a vested interest in defeating John McCain and the Republicans here and now in 2008. 

The timing could not be any better - Clinton can now make the case that her heart and soul are truly 100% behind Barack Obama.  She had her cathardic moment at the convention this week and now it's all business, it's all about electing Barack Obama.

This is going to be fun to watch.

Thanks again John!

McCain's VP Will Be Mitt Romney

Posted By: Stonecipher

August 28, 2008

There are rumors that John McCain will make the utterly classless move of leaking his VP choice sometime tonight during Obama's convention speech.  Even if his campaign manages to show a rare display of restraint we'll still know who the pick will be sometime before the weekend rolls around - the official announcement is expected to come on Friday.

So who will it be?

Mitt Romney

Sure Tim Pawlenty (Gov. of Minnesota), Joe Lieberman (Jerk - CT) and Meg Whitman (CEO of eBay) also appear to be on the short list, but the reality is neither of them will help McCain.

Some say Pawlenty will give McCain a boost in the Upper Midwest, but despite winning two gubernatorial elections, Mr. Pawlenty has never broken the 50% barrier winning with 44% in 2002 and 47% in 2006.  And aside from the outside chance he might deliver Minnesota's 10 Electoral Votes, unless McCain's strategy is to re-enforce his message of boringness, P-yawn-lenty is a real bad choice.

Moving down the list of bad choices to Joe Lieberman.  If there's one thing Joe knows it's losing elections.  In 2000 he lost with Gore.  In 2004 his Joe-mentum ran him into the ground as a presidential candidate.  And then in 2006 he lost to Ned Lamont in the Connecticut Senatorial Primary.  Only by leaving the Democratic Party and splitting the race three ways instead of two was Lieberman able to cling to his Senate seat.  So even though it'll never happen, please John, please...please take Joe Lieberman as your VP.

As for Meg Whitman, of the 12 people who know who she is, six of them think she's fantastic and the other six despise her.  So she's a wash, unless McCain knows of two or three other people on the planet who know who she is and actually like her.

Back to Romney. 

If you look at the numbers (which you can do below) it will become clear that Romney will help McCain in several key states and regions. 

Romney's father was the governor of Michigan and Republicans in the Great Lakes\Rust Belt region are still fond of the Romney name.  He could help particularly in Michigan and Ohio, two states McCain has been targeting with his campaign.

Also, as a Mormon, Romney is wildly popular amongst Mountain West Republicans.  Utah is already safe for the Republicans, but Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada and Montana all have Mormon pockets who are likely to turn out in greater numbers if Romney is on the ticket.  The only other name that could help McCain as much in the Mountain West is Ron Paul...and that ain't gonna happen.

Take a look at some of the primary results below.  The first six states listed below are swing states that Obama won in the primary and McCain lost...interesting:

Colorado - Obama leads 45% - 43%
             - Obama beat Hillary 67% - 32%
              - McCain lost to Romney 59% - 19%
Montana - McCain lead Obama 45% - 44%
              - Obama beat Clinton 56% - 41%
              - McCain lost to Romney and Paul 38% - 25% - 22%
Iowa - Obama leads McCain 48% - 42%
        - Obama beat Edwards and Clinton - 38% - 30% - 29%
        - McCain lost to Huckabee and Romney - 34% - 25% - 13%
Minnesota - Obama leads McCain 47% - 42%
                - Obama beat Clinton 66% - 32%
                - McCain lost to Romney - 41% - 22%
Georgia - Obama trails McCain - 50% - 43%
             - Obama beat Clinton - 66% - 31%
             - McCain lost to Huckabee - 34% - 32%
Alaska - Obama trails McCain - 44% - 39%
           - Obama beat Clinton - 74% - 25%
           - McCain lost to Romney, Huckabee and Paul - 44% - 22% - 17% - 16%

Michigan is interesting, Obama was not on the ballot, but once again, Romney won the Republican Primary there and would likely provide a big bump for McCain there:

Michigan - Obama leads 45% - 40%
              - Obama not on ballot
              - McCain lost to Romney - 39% - 30%

Finally, in the four swing states below Obama lost the primary, but McCain won.  In all four cases, however, Romney was the number two finisher and hauled in a significant chunk of votes:

Ohio - Obama trails McCain 41% - 44%
        - Obama lost to Clinton - 44% - 54%
        - McCain beat Romney - 60% - 31%
Pennsylvania - Obama leads McCain - 46% - 41%
                     - Obama lost to Clinton - 55% - 45%
                     - McCain beat Paul - 73% - 16%
Florida - Obama trails McCain 45% - 47%
            - Obama did not campaign
            - McCain beat Romney 36% - 31%
New Hampshire - Obama leads McCain - 45% - 44%
                         - Obama lost to Clinton - 36% - 39%
                         - McCain beat Romney - 37% - 32%

So there you have it, as far as the numbers are concerned, Romney is really the only pick that makes sense.  The only problem is that Romney and McCain don't really like each other much personally and they clashed many times in the primaries.  Also, Romney is even more rich than McCain, and if he really is to become the running mate he better start counting his houses now.

The Text Has Been Sent! It's Biden!

At 2:50 AM Central Time, August 23, Barack Obama sent the following text message to his supporters:

Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee.  Watch the first Obama-Biden rally live at 3pm ET on www.BarackObama.com.  Spread the word!

So Obama/Biden it is!

This is the first time ever we've been able to use the term 'historic text message'.

Is Biden the right choice? Vote in our poll which you can find in the right hand column or click here.

Also, click here for a good take on Biden as Veep.

Jo-Bama '08!

Belligerent Anti-Obama Rant From a “Hilary” Supporter

Posted By: Stonecipher

August 20, 2008

During the past week I've been reaching out across the World Wide Web, asking people to make their case for their favorite VP candidate for Obama.  Madame Fleur, one of our regular writers helped me make the case for Brian Schweitzer, JekJob made his case for Wesley Clark, I made my case against Evan Bayh and then a random Hillary Clinton supporter made her belligerent case for Clinton.

I debated whether or not to post this, but after thinking about it, I knew that this belligerence was not simply an isolated incident, but instead was part of a clear pattern from Clinton supporters.  And so far, it is part of the story of this election that is not being told.

Personally, since this campaign began, I've had a woman with Hillary Clinton stickers on her car pull up next to me, toot her horn and give me the finger and yell a not-so-nice two-word phrase at me (I have Obama stickers on my car).  I've had a woman approach me while I was at work and tell me that I was one of the "dumbest people she's ever heard speak" and that I was naive after she overheard a private conversation about Obama I was having with a co-worker.  And I've had a number of belligerent emails from Clinton supporters after making pro-Obama posts to the blog.

I have not had any of these experiences from any supporters of other Democratic candidates.  In fact, I have not had any experiences like these at all since the post-9/11 days when I was a part of that 6% that still didn't approve of George W. Bush.  Oddly, it is a very similar reaction, very aggressive, overly defensive when challenged and very thoroughly misinformed.   

So with that in mind, I have decided to publish the recent email I received from a Clinton supporter.  The email came as a response to an ad I posted asking people to submit a short piece in support of their candidate of choice for Barack Obama's VP. 

I have not edited the email in any way, shape or form except to remove the sender's name in an effort to protect the not-so-innocent:

hey here is your blog:  Obama's vp better be Hilary or he can kiss my sought-after, long time in coming vote GOOOOD bye.  It would be the greatest insult to me, and yes, I am a female but that should not matter.  Hilary is the most experienced, I mean MY God, who else would be crazy enough to stay in politics and put up with her presidential husband and file away all those millions of pieces of information that fits into her very own big head?? By the way that is the very information that we want backing up Mr. Obama when he gets caught in the middle of the dervish storm he will be in after a few weeks in office and his sweet-talking Mr. do-gooder self becomes discombobulated...no due disrespect to him,  I like his freshness but let us be realistic folks....this is a crazy info-laden world and you have to be crazy to get in synch with the mechanations of it all and Hilary is the right person to do so....she already has.....so bottom line is that I think that she AND Barack would be great for our country-he to lead us into softer times, and she to hardline him when he threatens to drool too much with his mouth hanging open  when things get too heavy for him.  besides it would be a sure-win!  Who could resist being a part of such a stunning piece of history:  America's first African-American and Female running ticket???!!!!!!!! 

The other thing is is that if Obama does not pick her(the most qualified) then it will totally seem like he is just being sexist and possible has some hidden agenda-ie..the rumored Muslim slant or possibly terrorist ultra ulterior motive.  It will also show that he is not looking out for the good of the country but only after soothing his own willowy ego.  Obama seems too soft; Hillary too hard.  Betwixt the two shall our country rise above the current regime's squandered greatlights and rickety fortressed heaps of dung collateral.  Yes, Hillary it is.

So there you have it, from the brain of a Hillary "Hilary" Clinton supporter.

My favorite part is the beginning of the second paragraph where she makes the case that by not picking Clinton as his running mate that he will be viewed as a Muslim or a terrorist.  That's good stuff.

I also liked the timing of the "no disrespect" line.  Brilliant.

There are plenty of other highlights in this incoherent blabber, but I'll save that for all of you to discuss in the comments.

Things like this make me nervous about the convention.  I don't expect Bill or Hillary themselves to cause any problems, but with nutty supporters like these, who are among the most likely to actually travel to Denver for the convention, anything can happen.

In reality, things are likely to run smoothly in Denver, but these people scare me in the same way that many brainwashed-Bush-supporters did in 2003 when they blindly followed his march to war with Iraq.  Fortunately for the rest of us, the PUMAs (Party Unity My Ass), as they like to call themselves, are very small in their numbers and their funding.  That said, they will likely be overrepresented at the convention, but the majority of people there will be sane.

In closing, in case you need more evidence that these people are crazy, here's two of their spokespeople going up against Hardball's David Schuster:   

If you haven't taken the time to do so already, vote in our VP poll over in the right hand column.

Obama Veepstakes Crunch Time: Who's it Gonna Be?

Posted By: Stonecipher

August 19, 2008

With the start of the Democratic National Convention less than a week away now it is crunch time for Barack Obama.  He needs to make the first big decision of his General Election campaign and maybe the first big decision of his presidency, his Vice Presidential Running Mate. 

The conventional wisdom is that a VP selection can't really help a candidate, but the wrong selection can hurt a candidate.  George McGovern's selection of Thomas Eagleton in 1972 proved that. 

2008 however, is shaping up to be a different kind of election.  With a man who would be the oldest president to ever serve and a man who was, until recently, unknown outside the state of Illinois, voters may be looking at the VP selections as security blankets.  And Obama needs to choose his security blanket very soon.

So who is it going to be?

Here at The Stonecipher Report we want it to be Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana, but we think it will be General Wesley Clark.

The short list is still not as short as it could be and it seems to be driving every political junkie on the planet crazy.  We've already been told by some in the media that there is a 100% chance it will be Tim Kaine of Virginia, then his name fell off the list and now some of those same pundits tell us there is a 100% chance it'll be Wesley Clark, except for the pundits who say there is a 0% chance it'll be Clark.

Really it is anyone's guess and we want to know what your guess is.  Don't tell us who you want it to be, tell us you think it will be.  You can tell us by voting in our poll and leaving a comment on it.  You can find that poll in the right hand column on this page, or you can click here for a cool map showing where all of the votes came from.

For those of you who are still undecided as to who you think it may be, here is a quick rundown of who is thought to be on Obama's shortlist:

General Wesley Clark - Clark has the most buzz this week.  JekJob wrote an excellent piece for us here at the Stonecipher Report about why Clark should and will be selected as Obama's number two.  But at the same time there are rumors that Gen. Clark has been asked not to even attend the convention.  Our money is still on Clark, but with rumors like this floating around out there, who knows.

Senator Joe Biden - The Senator from Delaware was on the original short-list, then seemed to fade away for a month or two, but now he is back with a vengeance and despite Biden himself saying "I'm not the guy" the press has been all over him lately, which is an indication that some within the Obama Campaign have leaked Biden's name and that he truly is on the short list.  Biden would bring enormous credibility to the ticket in the experience and foreign policy department, but being from Delaware he would not bring much of an advantage to the ticket in terms of the Electoral Map.

Senator Hillary Clinton - Many have speculated that the only way Obama can win is with Hillary Clinton on the ticket.  The argument is that the Hillary fanatics who feel that somehow the primary election was stolen from them will never vote for Obama and without these people he can't win.  The numbers of Hillary fanatics, however, have been greatly exaggerated in the media.  The reality is Obama can easily win without them and the addition of the name Clinton to the ticket could turn off independents and moderate Republicans who have long despised the Clintons. 

Governor Brian Schweitzer - He brings help with the Electoral Map in the Mountain West, he brings an excellent energy plan and we here at The Stonecipher Report have endorsed him as Obama's Veep choice, but there has been almost no talk of the Obama Campaign seriously considering him.  That said, some have speculated that Obama's actual selection may be a tightly guarded secret and the names Bayh, Biden and Kaine were floated as a smokescreen.  If this is the case, Schweitzer would be a perfect fit for the Senator from Illinois.

Governor Tim Kaine - Kaine is the Democratic governor of Virginia and he was among the first big names to endorse Barack Obama in the primary outside of the State of Illinois.  Virginia is no longer considered a red state, it is being called purple, but the Obama team would love to paint it blue.  In a state that could be decided by tenths of a percent, Kaine's name on the ticket could be enough to secure Virginia's 13 Electoral Votes for the Democrats.

Senator Chuck Hagel - Yes, Chuck Hagel is a Republican, but he has long been an outspoken critic of the Iraq War and of the Bush Administration.  While he is a lot more conservative than he is generally given credit for, the selection of Hagel would truly signal Obama's willingness to reach across party lines and ideologies to form his governing coalition.  Former Iowa Congressman Jim Leach, a Republican, has endorsed Obama and is pushing for Hagel's selection to the ticket.  It could bring more Obamacans out of the woodwork.

Senator Evan Bayh - His name is often mentioned in discussions about the Short list and some have suggested that Evan Bayh could help bring in the votes of moderates who are concerned about the perception that Obama is too liberal.  Others, however, myself included, believe that the selection of someone who was profoundly wrong on the Iraq War, who used misleading and dishonest tactics to attack Obama during the primaries and someone as boring as Bayh is a terrible idea.  Last week I wrote about the dangers of an Obama/Bayh ticket for the Democrats.  I'm not the only one, however, who thinks this is a bad idea.  A group on facebook is urging Obama not to pick Sen. Bayh has almost 4,000 members and they're growing every day.

Someone Else - The truth is that all of this speculation about who the running mate will be is being done, as The Votemaster of at Electoral-Vote.com points out, by people who don't really know.  While the above candidates are some of the most likely options for Obama, it still could be almost anyone and there is at least a reasonable chance that the Senator from Illinois will surprise us.  It sounds like we'll find out this weekend.

Remember to vote in our VP poll and leave a comment.  Or, if you think you're up to it, write a piece for us about who you think Obama will choose and send it to StoneTSR@gmail.com.  Include the name you want to publish it under and a brief, one or two sentence bio of yourself.  If we like it, we'll post it.

Wesley Clark is the Right Choice for VP

Posted By: JekJob

August 16, 2008

Forget everything you know about the Democratic Vice Presidential candidates.  Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, Evan Bayh, Wesley Clark, John Edwards, Kathleen Sebelius – all of them!  We need to start from the beginning and look at cold, hard facts. 

Accurately predicting Barack Obama's choice for running mate is impossible if we can't see through the murky waters of the celebrity-esque scandals and gossip that have plagued this election season from the beginning.  Obama's running mate will be chosen purely for his or her political prowess and credentials, not out of fear of hurting other candidates' or supporters' feelings.  So forget the silly notion that Obama must choose Hillary Clinton, for instance, to make Bill happy or so as not to alienate her supporters.  Clinton is absolutely suited for the job, but there is a better alternative – one that possesses her strengths and then some.

Wesley Clark is, by far, the best choice for VP.  Arguably, he is the most experienced, well-rounded candidate that the Democratic Party has seen in years. 

Seriously, Clark's resume is like a mile long.  He is a retired United States Army four-star general who served from 1966 to 2000.  He was valedictorian at West Point, earned a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and then a master's degree in military science.  He fought in Vietnam and later became the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO for about three years.  These are only a few of his accomplishments, it would take forever to list them all.

All of this looks good on paper, but his intelligence and skill really shine when they're actually put to use, as one can see in his numerous awards and honors.  According to Wikipedia, these include: Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, five Defense Distinguished Service Medals, two Army Distinguished Service Medals, a Silver Star, four Legion of Merits, two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart, the French Ordre national du Mérite, and the German Merit Cross of the Federal Republic.  Wow.

So why does this qualify Clark for VP?  Obama needs a military man. 

Unfortunately, it's become apparent during the past eight years how easy it is for malicious politicians to use military action in place of diplomacy.  Clark's extensive military experience, education and liberal background will assure the American people that he will be tough on terror, while not being an aggressor and war-monger, as the Bush Administration has become.

On John McCain's military experience, Clark explained, "McCain's weakness is that he's always been for the use of force, force and more force.  In my experience, the only time to use force is as a last resort."  (You can see his comments in the video below) He has been against the War in Iraq since the beginning, claiming that it was "never about…WMD or regime change," and that it had no connection to the War on Terror. 

In an increasingly unpopular war, Clark strengthens Obama's message and provides validity to Obama's plan to start safely withdrawing troops.  He is also against war with Iran, and in 2006 he launched www.stopiranwar.com to spread his message.

Furthermore, he is an enormous authority on foreign policy.  Perhaps Bill Richardson eclipses Clark in this field, but he is still more than qualified. 

Mr. Clark has negotiated peace treaties in the Balkans, Africa and Northern Ireland as a senior advisor to the International Crisis Group.  (An Obama/Richardson ticket would be great, but Richardson does not have military experience and he might still be seen as "Judas" by some Clinton supporters as a result of his endorsement of Obama.)

In addition to Clark's skill and experience, he also has the advantage of being a white male from the south, a demographic that Obama had some trouble with in the primaries. 

If any southern whites, or northern whites for that matter, had any qualms about voting for a black candidate, an Obama/Clark ticket could gain quite a few supporters as Clark worked the south and campaigned for southerners' votes.  He even endorsed Hillary Clinton's candidacy and campaigned for her in a few states before she dropped out of the race. 

Choosing a Clinton supporter is important, as there are still many of her supporters who refuse to vote for Obama.  Clark as VP would show Clinton's supporters that the party is indeed coming together, and that Obama is as strong a candidate as Clinton was. 

He also appeals to the Latino community because of his strong push for immigration reform.

Along those lines, Clark speaks Spanish, has a Hispanic daughter-in-law and grandchildren, has Jewish ancestry and was raised a Christian.  He is a symbol of the melting pot that is American society.  An Obama/Clark ticket would be excellent at attracting voters of many races and ethnicities.

Obama could announce his decision any day now, yet we still have very little information about who is really on his shortlist; it's mostly just speculation. 

The only hard evidence we have to go on is that when the VP speaks at the Democratic Convention, the theme will be national security.  I can think of no other candidate than Clark who would feel more at home on that subject as he serves on the Advisory Board of the National Security Network and created WesPAC, a political action committee devoted to "securing America's future."

If there is one thing that can be said of Wesley Clark, it is that he is a genuine activist.  He does not sit around in Washington, D.C. complaining about issues – he goes out and actually does something to fix them.  He cares about real issues and his actions prove it.  I have only lightly covered Clark's qualifications here, but even the few mentioned are enough proof of his abilities and expertise that he would bring to the White House.

Barack Obama is no dummy.  He knows that his VP choice could make or break his chances of taking the election in November, so he and his team will surely pick the right person.  But if I were an Obama advisor, I'd push for Clark every chance I got. 

Obama/Clark is the winning ticket.

Check out www.obamaclark.com (with which I have no association) for more information.

About the Author: JekJob is a 19-year-old from New Jersey and is fed up with America's shoddy leadership.  He frequents Digg.com and various political action websites, and is working to earn a degree in Political Science.  JekJob is a new contributor to The Stonecipher Report, although he's been a long-time fan.

Tell Obama to Just Say No to Evan Bayh

Posted By: Stonecipher

August 14, 2008

Anyone who follows U.S. politics knows Barack Obama's shortlist for Vice Presidential contenders by now: Evan Bayh, Tim Kaine and Joe Biden...and they're usually listed in that order. There have been quiet rumblings about other potential candidates as well, like New Mexico's governor Bill Richardson, but for the most part the mainstream media thinks it will be one of those first three.

So far, Barack Obama has run an excellent campaign, both in the primaries and thus far in the general election.  The people Sen. Obama has surrounded himself with like David Axelrod and David Plouffe are some of the best in the business.  So a misstep in the VP selection seems unlikely.

Unfortunately, the selection of Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana would be a huge misstep for the Obama Campaign.  My hope is that Team Obama knows this and they are simply floating the 'Bayh idea' as a smokescreen and they're running around Indiana with him in an effort to bring in some Hillary supporters (Bayh was a vocal supporter of Clinton's in the lead up to the Indiana primary).

If the rumors are true, however, and Bayh actually gets selected it would be the first major bad move of the campaign for Sen. Obama and here's why:

Senator Bayh, like Hillary Clinton, is exactly what Barack Obama has been running against, the politics-as-usual, inside-the-beltway, politically calculating, career-politician nonsense of the old school Washington politics, both Democrat and Republican.

Mr. Bayh, as the son of former Indiana Senator, Birch Bayh, was born and raised as a politician with a silver spoon in his mouth.  Unlike Senator Obama, who has taken plenty of shots for being "elitist", Senator Bayh actually is an elitist - a senator's son - the epitome of elite.

Also, for all of you true liberals out there, Sen. Bayh is not a progressive.  He is the rare staunch centrist and he stands for nothing except re-election.  He is willing to say or do anything as long as each step is very careful calculated and it benefits him politically.  This is why many in the punditocracy refer to him as the "safe choice".  It is also why he would have been the perfect fit as Hillary Clinton's VP, but not for the candidate of a new direction, Barack Obama.

Speaking of political calculation, back in 2002, when it was the politically safe thing to do, Bayh came out in full support of Bush's War on Iraq.  In fact, in October of that year, Senator Bayh was personally thanked by George W. Bush and John McCain for his support of the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.

These days, like Hillary Clinton, Bayh has not apologized for the vote to authorize war, but he has begun to criticize how the war has been conducted.  Guess what year we began hearing that kind of talk from Mr. Bayh.  Was it 2003, when it became clear there were no weapons of mass destruction?  No.  Was it the years following when casualties began piling up and civil war broke out in Iraq?  No.  It wasn't until 2006 that Bayh began speaking out against the war.  2006.  The same year the Democrats won back both houses of Congress due to an overwhelming disgust for the Iraq War. 

Evan Bayh is not a leader, he is a follower, and while Senators Bayh and Obama seem to be getting along in public these days, many of Barack's early supporters, and his campaign staff, still remember what I referred to as Evan Bayh's Imaginary Election.  It was just another example of how the Senator from Indiana, along with his old Democratic cronies, is all too willing to intentionally mislead the public for his own personal gain.

These are just a few of the reasons there has been a recent backlash against Obama's flirtation with Sen. Bayh as the VP nomination.  In fact, that backlash has led to what is being referred to as an anti-draft movement against Bayh.  If you would like to become a part of that movement and you're on facebook click here for the "100,000 Strong Against Evan Bayh for VP Campaign". 

If Barack Obama and his campaign think they need a centrist on the ticket that's fine, but rather than picking a calculating, anti-hope, war-mongering Joe Lieberman-style democrat like Evan Bayh why not pick a centrist with a record of intelligence and integrity like Bob Kerrey (D - Nebraska)(despite the gaffe about Obama's name), Bob Casey (D - Pennsylvania), Ed Rendell (D - Pennsylvania), or even a conservative like Chuck Hagel (R - Nebraska).

But whatever happens Mr. Obama, when I get that text message from you in the coming days about your VP choice please make sure it doesn't say "I've chosen Thomas Eagleton...I mean Evan Bayh as my Vice President."  It won't be pretty.

For more on the Veepstakes at The Stonecipher Report click here.  Also, check out our new poll in the right-hand column and tell us when you think Barack Obama will choose his Veep.

Obama’s Vice Presidential Pick: The Official TSR Endorsement

Posted By: Madame Fleur and Stonecipher

August 6, 2008

In the election for Vice President there is only one voter per party.  For the Republicans that voter is John McCain and for the Democrats that voter is Barack Obama.  Ordinarily, endorsements are not made for Vice President, but since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seems to be endorsing the little known Chet Edwards recently, we here at The Stonecipher Report decided it would be appropriate to make our own Vice Presidential endorsement.

If you have read the site in the past it should come as no surprise that we have chosen to endorse Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer as our choice to be Barack Obama's Vice Presidential running mate.

Gov. Schweitzer has received almost zero coverage in the mainstream media's veepstakes coverage, but he has received plenty of buzz at the grassroots level.  His name has excited many, including the readers of Eyes on Obama, who recently gave Schweitzer a second place finish (behind Gov. Sebelius of Kansas) in their Veepstakes voting.  Schweitzer survived six rounds of voting and in the final round of three he earned 41% of the vote.

Our hope here at TSR is to add to the developing groundswell of grassroots support for Schweitzer as Obama's VP and Madame Fleur has written a piece explaining why we have picked the governor of Montana out of a large field of qualified candidates:

The Official Stonecipher Report Endorsement:

Brian Schweitzer is a genuinely inspired and inspiring politician; a man we believe will reinforce all that is remarkable and fresh about Obama and who will also balance the ticket so that it will appeal to a larger demographic. Take a moment now to seriously consider what Brian Schweitzer could mean for the Democratic Party as Vice President in 2008.

Why do we support him?

For starters, he is incredibly likable: he has a refreshingly unpretentious personality and a pleasant, honest, working man’s charisma that reflects his humble background as a rancher. He uses humor and simple, common sense wording to explain his policies; "Gun control is you control your gun and I’ll control mine," is one example of the glib, simple logic he uses to appeal to voters. Just listen to him speak and you will immediately recognize the man’s intelligence and widespread appeal:

Schweitzer, like Obama, stands for change: a change in direction for this country and for American politics. He campaigned for Governor on a platform of straight talk, openly criticizing the state and federal budget deficits and promising a return to fiscal responsibility. He has no tolerance for Washington "insider politics," refusing to take any PAC money for his campaign and openly lambasting lobbyists, on at least one occasion to their faces.

Schweitzer champions the cause of energy conservation and has endorsed several promising strategies to help the US curb its addiction to oil. On a national level he advocates legislation that encourages personal energy conservation through tax credits. He’s also devised a system to restructure utilities so that consumers are able to make money selling the energy they don’t use back to the utility. In Montana he is working to expand the state’s wind-energy infrastructure and supporting efforts to make coal gasification a reality.

Given the current state of the debate between Obama and McCain, the selection of Schweitzer would instantly give Obama all the credibility he needs on the energy debate and Obama/Schweitzer would blow the McCain/Romney ticket out of the water on the issue.

And let’s not forget that Schweitzer spent six years in Saudi Arabia as an engineer and irrigation specialist.  He is fluent in Arabic and understands not only the geology of oil, but also the realities of daily life in the Middle East. His real life experiences living abroad and his in-depth geological understanding of oil make him ripe for a national position guiding US energy policies.

Why do we think he can help Obama?

While Obama’s intelligence is undeniable and his suave presence and polished speaking abilities represent us well to the rest of the world, he won’t represent the United States until voted into office.

As we learned from George Bush’s re-election in 2004, smooth-talking, liberal, urbane politicians can have trouble getting elected in post-Clinton America.  Overt political correctness and an air of superiority are often received as arrogance and condescension by many Americans. Obama cannot afford to make the same mistake that Jon Kerry made in 2004. He needs a VP candidate who can appeal to church-goers, gun-owners, and down-home Americans who are distrustful of Washington intellectuals.

With that in mind, it should be noted that Brian Schweitzer defeated incumbent Conrad Burns in 2004 on the very same day that George Bush beat Jon Kerry in Montana by more than 20% of the vote.  The very same group of people who gave Bush-43 a huge victory in this truly Red state gave a populist, pro-choice Democrat a large win on the very same day. And to prove it was no fluke, since taking office Gov. Schweitzer has enjoyed incredible popularity with Montanans.

He owes part of his victory and subsequent popularity to his pro-business policies – pro-small business that is.  As Governor, Schweitzer has worked to reverse many of Burns’ policies that favored large and out-of-state corporations over small or local businesses.

Schweitzer also appeals to hunters and fisherman who make up much of the population in traditionally Red states like Montana and Wyoming. He’s worked to keep hunting and fishing areas in state hands so that they are pristine and undeveloped for the continued enjoyment of Montana’s sportsmen.

Finally, with McCain campaigning on limited funds, he will be loath to spend funds in states like Montana and Wyoming, states he had no doubt taken for granted to go Republican in November. With Schweitzer on the Democratic ticket, McCain will be forced to spend big in those states, wreaking havoc on the aging candidate’s piggy bank.

Obama-Schweitzer in ’08!

Both Obama and Schweitzer are examples of what are being referred to as the "New Democrats." Emphasizing solutions over partisanship, change over acceptance of tradition, unity over division, and compromise across party lines, the "New Democrats" are shaking up Washington and Red states all over the country. Just as Obama has seemingly done the impossible by beating out Washington veteran Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, so has Brian Schweitzer proved that Montanans - and Americans - vote on the issues and the candidate, not along party lines. We here at TSR hope Obama will see the wisdom in this endorsement and make the right choice for the Democratic Party: Brian Schweitzer for VP in 2008!

Note: While The Stonecipher Report is officially endorsing Schweitzer as Obama's VP, not everyone who writes for us agrees.  BossE Stone and The Rick have both been invited to offer dissenting opinions, which we will offer to the readers when they are ready.

Chuck Hagel: Obama's VP or is it Just a Tease?

Posted By: Stonecipher

July 24, 2008

About a week ago I sat down and wrote this piece.  It was finished and ready to go before Obama, Hagel and Reed left for their trip to the Middle East...and then my old laptop crashed, with this piece saved on it. 

I have been unable to recover it until now, but I did want to get it posted to the blog.  Chuck Hagel's name is likely to be tossed around quite a bit between now and November and since most people know his name, but not much about him, I wanted to give the TSR readers a chance to learn a little more about the Senator from the Great State of Nebraska.

So from here on out, pretend you didn't read this post and pretend that it is last Wednesday:

Written by: Stonecipher

July 16, 2008

If you’ve followed American politics for the past few years the name Chuck Hagel may already be familiar to you, but it is about to get a whole lot more familiar to a lot more people as Hagel will accompany Barack Obama on his much anticipated trip to Iraq in the coming days.

For those of you who may not know who Chuck Hagel is, he is the senior Republican Senator from the State of Nebraska and he seems to have made a name for himself by not doing things. 

It began a few years ago when Sen. Hagel was one of the first Republicans on the national scene to not support George W. Bush’s actions in Iraq.  Hagel has consistently stopped just short of saying that the President and the Administration lied to get us into Iraq, but he has railed against their incompetence in planning, executing and even simply making the decision to go to war with Iraq.

As one of the lone dissenting Republicans on the Iraq issue prior to 2006 Hagel had no shortage of ink and air-time.  For a while it even seemed as though Hagel must be on CNN’s payroll given the number of appearances he had, particularly with Wolf Blitzer on Sunday mornings.

All of this exposure created a bit of a Chuck Hagel buzz and soon those who paid close attention to politics got word of what Washington insiders and hardcore political junkies had known for several years, that Chuck Hagel was thinking about running for President in 2008. 

By the time 2007 rolled around, despite minuscule poll numbers, many, especially in the media eagerly awaited an announcement from Sen. Hagel.  And in September of that year, Hagel gave it to them, announcing that he would not run for president as a Republican and he would also not seek re-election for his Senate Seat in 2008.  Both came as a surprise.

In the mean time, rumors had already begun that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was planning an Independent run for the White House...and Hagel was on the very short list as a potential running mate for Bloomberg.

Those rumors eventually fizzled out when no action was taken by either Bloomberg or Hagel in regards to jumping into the '08 race.

And now, Chuck Hagel is once again making headlines for not doing something, for not endorsing his fellow Republican, John McCain in McCain’s bid for the White House.

Hagel has not yet endorsed Obama either, but he has left the door open to that possibility.

As mentioned above, Hagel will be joining Barack Obama this week on a trip to Iraq along with Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed.

For months now rumors and speculation have made the rounds in the blogosphere that Hagel could be on Obama’s list of potential running mates. 

And on paper it sounds great.  Hagel would fit right into Obama’s campaign theme of unifying the country by working with people on both sides of the political aisle.  As a former Viet-Nam veteran, Sen. Hagel would also bring military and foreign policy experience to the ticket.  On top of that, any Democrat would love to see an Obama Administration packed with as many people who make Dick Cheney’s blood boil as possible, and Hagel falls into that category.

But despite all the perceived advantages as a running mate, Hagel will not become Barack Obama’s Vice President. 

The Campaign would be fine, but it would be nearly impossible for these two to govern together. 
Aside from their agreement on the war and some other foreign policy matters, the two Senators have almost no policy positions in common.

In fact, over the course of his career Hagel has earned himself an 85% rating from the American Conservative Union and voted with President Bush and the Republican leadership almost every time on domestic issues.  He is one of the most conservative members of The Senate.

If Chuck Hagel were actually to be Barack Obama’s Vice President one of two things would happen.  Either 1). Hagel would quickly reverse the direction Dick Cheney has taken the VP spot and he would become the weakest Vice President in the history of the Republic, only weighing in on foreign policy matters or 2). The Senator from Nebraska would object to nearly every issue Obama tried to get through Congress.  While there are many of us who would cherish this constant and vigorous debate nearly every day, the general American public would grow tired of it quickly.

So unfortunately, as intriguing as it may sound to put Chuck Hagel in the number two slot for Barack Obama, it’s not going to happen.

However, if you’re like me and you like the idea of having some differences of opinion within an Obama Administration, and Hagel is one of those voices you would like to hear from, there is a very real possibility that Sen. Hagel will end up in Obama’s cabinet.

There has been a lot of talk recently about Sen. Hagel becoming either Obama’s Secretary of Defense or his Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs.  This trip to Iraq may be an audition.

But before we get too excited, this may end up being just another case of everyone in the punditocracy getting all worked up about something Chuck Hagel is not going to do.

Note: Click here for a more up-to-date piece on Hagel and Obama.  Also, be sure to check out our new poll over in the far right column asking whether or not you would support an Obama/Hagel ticket.