Hope for the USA

Posted on April 14th, 2008 by Brad

This is very encouraging:

Several audience members told CNN after the speech they came to the forum to hear each candidate talk about trade issues, and were not interested in the political back-and-forth of the Democratic primary race.

When Clinton focused on policy and expounded on enforcing trade agreements, creating new jobs and standing up to China, she received some hearty ovations.

The Democrats would be much better prepared to beat St. BBQ in the fall if they talked more about this stuff and less about each other.

(Via Righteous Bubba)

UPDATE: Here’s some more stuff that people like Jake Tapper and Chris Matthews won’t be talking about:

Steve Tarpin can bake a graham cracker crust in his sleep, but explaining why the price for his Key lime pies went from $20 to $25 required mastering a thornier topic: global economics.

He recently wrote a letter to his customers and posted it near the cash register listing the factors — dairy prices driven higher by conglomerates buying up milk supplies, heat waves in Europe and California, demand from emerging markets and the weak dollar. […]

U.S. food prices rose 4 percent in 2007, compared with an average 2.5 percent annual rise for the last 15 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And the agency says 2008 could be worse, with a rise of as much as 4.5 percent.

Higher prices for food and energy are again expected to play a leading role in pushing the government’s consumer price index higher for March.

Of course, the real question is whether or not Hillary Clinton has an annoying laugh or whether Barack Obama has a good bowling score. That’s much more important than not being able to afford food.

Posted in Uncategorized

Comments: 46

spencer

April 14th, 2008 at 9:48 pm

Why are our so-called “leaders” always the last to figure this shit out?

April 14th, 2008 at 9:49 pm

Furthermore, today when Clinton attempted to bring “bittergate” in a speech before some manufacturing group, there were loud groans from the audience.

Most people really don’t give a shit about nonsense like that. Look, it’s a real simple formula: if you don’t care about it, and no one you know cares about it, and the only people who do care about it are TV gasbags and other politicians, then…no one fucking cares about it.

Righteous Bubba

April 14th, 2008 at 9:50 pm

Really via here:

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/louisiana_mississippi_post.php#comment-2720598

But thanks for the nod.

Patkin

April 14th, 2008 at 9:58 pm

They think it’s important because the media, who’re the only people that give a fuck-all about Democratic in-fighting because they can sell more anecdotal bullshit, are the only people who’re important to people like McCain or Clinton.

Also, I’d just note that we’ll stand up to China about the same time we stand up to Saudi Arabia. Which is to say, not fucking happening ever in the current Beltway.

t4toby

April 14th, 2008 at 10:03 pm

Sort of O/T:

Introducing Gooky, The Severed Head!

steve evfuture

April 14th, 2008 at 10:24 pm

If Clinton would focus on getting her sorry ass out of the race, then it would happen even faster.

Jake Tapper, super journalist guy and awesome American

April 14th, 2008 at 10:32 pm

According to the comments on my blog, which are censored across every inch of their being, Americans uniformly care about the Obama Is Elitist issue, so that’s what we should report about! Not stupid economy or boring trade issues! America is a democracy, and majority rules in a democracy, and the majority of comments on my blog say that Obama = Elitist is a very interesting issue to talk about, so we should be talking about this! Giggle!

What do you think?

-jpt

t4toby

April 14th, 2008 at 10:45 pm

When are you and McAddled tying the knot, Jake?

Christopher

April 14th, 2008 at 10:46 pm

From t4toby’s link:

COURIC: Based on the reaction your comments have inspired, Sen. Obama, do you plan to keep talking about reality in this campaign?

OBAMA: When appropriate, yes. Otherwise, I will issue insincere apologies and play to the fantasies and delusions that make this country great.

Ah, that’s the stuff.

Me said,

Most people really don’t give a shit about nonsense like that. Look, it’s a real simple formula: if you don’t care about it, and no one you know cares about it, and the only people who do care about it are TV gasbags and other politicians, then…no one fucking cares about it.

It’s because nobody cares about it that it gets reported on so much. It’s part of a broader effort to keep you disillusioned with politics, thus making sure you don’t rock the boat too hard.

If you start to get a piercing headache whenever you read about politics, they’re doing their job.

Garbly Puppet

April 14th, 2008 at 10:47 pm

I like pie!

Jake Tapper, super journalist guy and awesome American

April 14th, 2008 at 10:49 pm

I just finished super-exclusive interview with Glenn Reynolds, who says Obama is an elitist! What a scoop!

What do you think?

-jpt

Bitter Scribe, an accomplished, well-rounded writer,

April 14th, 2008 at 10:50 pm

Hell, this Tarpin is lucky to have a specialty food product. The ones really taking it in the shorts are the Kraft Foods of the world. They have to pay ever-higher prices for ingredients and packaging which they can’t pass on to grocery shoppers, since private-label goods are breathing down their neck.

(And before you say boo-hoo, poor ginormous corporations, let me point out that they’re staffed by actual people, who have to eat and pay the mortgage just like us blog-obsessed goofs. Other actual people own stock, either directly or though things like retirement plans.)

Shell Goddamnit

April 15th, 2008 at 2:14 am

Grrr…first time caught by motherfucking wordpress. WHY did I not select & copy??

Well wouldn’t this apply as well to say Lockheed?

If there is to be no rejoicing even when completely unsustainable market sectors feel pain then we might as well just get drunk or something.

I mean, it’s a nominally capitalist system. Our choices for bending it in the direction we want are 1) regulation 2) taxation and 3) market forces. In the current climate the first two are out of the question, apparently; so our only hope of minimizing unsustainable ultra-high energy & transport costs industries is market forces. And we aren’t to be allowed to cheer them on?

Pah.

Crissa

April 15th, 2008 at 8:26 am

Why can’t people just say, ‘The cost of the cream in my cream pie costs more, so the pie costs more.’ instead of always finding some weird thing like ‘heatwave in Europe’ or blame it on?

I know that stores selling lentils last year had to say, ‘I’m not receiving more lentils. The lentils I can get will costs twice as much. Here, your price will consequently also increase.’

Like duh, prices rise and fall all the dang time. If you haven’t noticed, they do that.

Lesley

April 15th, 2008 at 10:30 am

Thank God somebody’s booing this childish crap. After all Americans have been through with the Bush administration, you’d think the candidates would behave like grown ups and stick with the issues.

Somebody should build a few placards that say “I’m not your mommy so don’t whine to me while you’re here about what Obama/Hillary said about you” or “Not interested in your petty internal squabbles.”