Yes, we can.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

The idea that that this time next year Bush won't be president is exciting enough to begin with!

Yes, but the poor imcoming President will have a huge elephantine pile of Bush's poo to clean up. (No offense to the heffalumps for the reference, btw)

[Ghoulish Delight]

The prospect of John "Doesn't know the difference between Al Qaeda and Shiite Muslims" McCain get scarier by the day.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Hillary wants to flip pledged delegates?

Yup, she doesn't care if you voted for someone else, she wants those delegates to vote for her.

[Alex]

Well, technically she's right. And so long as it is within the agreed rules I don't really have a problem with it beyond the appearance of poor sportsmanship.

While I don't think she'd really have any success in flipping a significant number of pledged delegates I can think of a reason to prod them towards showing at least a willingness to consider it. She needs to keep the superdelegates from committing en masse to Obama after the last primaries. There'll be a lot of pressure for them commit themselves ASAP so as to avoid going to the convention with things in the air and to allow Obama to begin running against McCain rather than Clinton.

And if it seems inevitable that Clinton will lose at the convention no matter what I imagine that's exactly what the superdelegates will do. However, if she can convince the superdelegates to keep the outcome in limbo past the first ballot by showing that on subsequent ballots, once the delegates are freed from their commitments, she'll get a lot of transferred support then she might be able to convince a lot of superdelegates that really do prefer her to hold off.

I still don't see it working. But this is all also part of what Clinton needs to be doing. She can't say "well, we're pretty much out of it but I like campaigning." She has to be putting out paths to the presidency, regardless of how unlikely they really are.

[innerSpaceman]

Technically, electors of the electoral college are also free to vote for whomever they please, regardless of the vote tallies in their respective states.

But, um, that never happens. Pledged delegates to the Democratic Convention aren't likely to switch allegence away from the voters and towards Hillary either.

But it's not playing dirty for her to allege that it's legal, because it is.


It's just not gonna happen.

[Kevy Baby]

As much as I dislike Hillary, I have to agree with Alex on this one.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Yeah, I don't blame her, it's the only gambit she's got left. I would however aim a stink eye or two at any pledged delegates that happened to agree to flip, within the rules or otherwise.

[BarTopDancer]

Gotta agree with Alex.

[Morrigoon]

CP: good meaty stuff in one of the reader comments on that site you linked.

(edited for Alex's sake)

Originally Posted by Someone

As to her Senate record, no one in the press has had the diligence to lay out her record for the public to assess.

"Senator Clinton, who has served only one full term (6yrs.), and another year campaigning, has managed to author and pass into law, (20) twenty pieces of legislation in her first six years.
These bills can be found on the website of the Library of Congress (www.thomas.loc.gov), but to save you trouble, I'll post them here for you.
None of these bills are substantial!!

1. Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site.
2. Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.
3. Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
4. Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall.
5. Name courthouse after James L. Watson.
6. Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea.
7. Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
8. Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
9. Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death.
10. Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
11. Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
12. Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program.
13. Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda.
14. Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death.
15. Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty.

Only five of Clinton's bills are more substantive.

16. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
17. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
18. Assist landmine victims in other countries.
19. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
20. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.

There you have it, the facts straight from the Senate Record.
-----------------------
Now, I would post those of Obama's, but the list is too substantive, so I'll mainly categorize. During the first (8) eight years of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced

233 regarding healthcare reform,
125 on poverty and public assistance,
112 crime fighting bills,
97 economic bills,
60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills,
21 ethics reform bills,
15 gun control,
6 veterans affairs and many others.

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These included:
**the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 (became law),
**The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, (became law),
**The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate,
**The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, (became law),
**The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, (In committee), and many more.

Don't know how accurate it is, but if accurate, is pretty damning.

[Alex]

Regardless of accuracy, I tend to disregard anybody who tries to use "sodomy" as a scare word.