Disappointment

Two bits of bad news today:

• (1) The County Recorder's office informs me that, while I can vote in the general state primary later this year, even if my party isn't on the ballot, as a registered Green I cannot vote in the Democratic or Republican Presidential primary. Which means my choice for the Democratic nomination now has no weight whatsoever. Which takes some, but not all of the bite out of this next item;
• (2) Denis Kucinich is dropping out of the Presidential race to focus on his congressional re-election in Ohio. I don't particularly blame him, he was treated like dirt. At least in Congress he has the ability to push his agenda. As a former legislator and failed presidential candidate he would have more time to spend with his wife, which wouldn't be all bad. But you have to assume she's with him at least in part because of his political convictions.

There's more bad news out there, but this is what's hitting home for me at the moment.

GOP: The Party of Family Values

The new anti-Hillary 527, created by former Nixon staffer Roger Stone, is a one trick pony. The idea is to sell T-Shirts with the group's name and slogan. You can click the link for a full description of the T-Shirt, but here's a hint: the acronym of the group's name is a dirty word, and the slogan is "a 527 Organization to Educate the American Public About What Hillary Clinton Really Is." I find it interesting that a party that trumpets "family values," and advocates censorship, has no problem using foul language in public when it: (a) suits their purpose, and (b) is directed against women.

I look forward to seeing what acronym they come up with if Obama is the nominee. They're certainly educating the public about what the Republican Party really is.

A Few Changes

Well, Bill Richardson got out of the race. I'm a tad disappointed, but maybe he'll get involved in some other way, some time in the future. One can only hope. On the right hand side of my blog you'll new see that Gov. Richardson's campaign page is no longer linked. In its place I've put Barack Obama, John Edwards, and the Green Party's Cynthia McKinney. I'm still digging around to see just how the GP primary works, so I'm not sure I'll be able to vote in it. Greens don't currently have ballot status in AZ, but that may not matter. I've gotten the impression that the process for the GP primary is divorced from the major party primaries on February 5th. If so, I may be able to vote for a Democrat on the 5th and a Green at some later date. Hooray!

I'm leaning toward Obama at this point for the Democratic nomination. Neither he, nor Edwards is quite anti-war enough for me, but Obama has certainly made a splash by saying he'd be open to talking to hostile leaders -- a step I think we need to take if we're being realistic. Edwards is more anti-corporation than Obama which makes me happy. On the other hand, he's been a force for change outside the system, much as Gore has in recent years. It's possible his personality is more suited to advocacy than politics. I've left Dennis Kucinich on my list because I think he's great, but I don't find him presidential.

Cynthia McKinney is still a candidate I need to do more research into, but she's got a few things going for her. First, she's Green Party, which means her politics are likely to be more closely aligned with mine than a Democrat's would be. If this isn't so, I'll take her off the links. Second, she doesn't have the baggage Ralph Nader has. Third, she's got the distinction of actually having been elected to office, something Nader has never done because he's never set his sights on anything below president. That always upsets me. Pick an achievable goal, dude! Superficially, Cynthia McKinney offers the perfect permutation for those who can't choose between voting for a black man (Obama) or a white woman (Clinton). Either would, of course, be historic and wonderful. McKinney, however, gives us the chance to go straight past that and vote for a black woman for president. If she starts getting anything resembling a foothold in the polls, look for the Right Wing to pull out all the stops and show off just how racist and sexist they are. I'm including the Democrats in the Right Wing in this.

The other change I'm making to the site right now is that I've re-enabled comments, but there's some sort of log in process that you'll have to do. Hopefully this will stop the spamming I was getting before, while allowing others to comment on my blog.

/Green Bandit Out.

2008 Predictions and Resolutions

Here's the deal. Every year I post my New Year's resolutions online, so that I can go back in 12 months time to see how I did. I always post my top ten resolutions and top ten predictions at my LiveJournal account, and this year's crop can be found here. This year I'm stretching myself by separating my political and personal resolutions and predictions. Which means I have 20 chances to fail miserably, and 20 chances to be utterly and horribly wrong.

Resolutions
10. Spend less money at major chains.
9. Invite friends over for an Earth Day party.
8. Buy nothing on Buy Nothing Day.
7. Make it through an entire calendar year without shopping at Wal*Mart.
6. Read at least 12 new (to me) nonfiction books.
5. Volunteer at least once a month with Friends for Flagstaff’s Future.
4. Educate myself on all the local offices on the Flagstaff ballot before November.
3. Blog all the Ballot Propositions.
2. Volunteer for a Campaign.
1. Get active in the Green Party.

Predictions
10. Barack Obama will win the Democratic Nomination for President.
9. Mitt Romney will win the Republican Nomination for President.
8. Cynthia McKinney will win the Green Party Nomination for President.
7. Nader will run anyway (I get to call this one “right” whether he wins the GP nomination, or runs as an independent after loosing it. So there!).
6. The Reform Party (or other alternative right-wing party/independent candidate) will make enough of a showing in the polls to get their candidate to at least one Presidential debate.
5. The Democrats will take the White House.
4. The Democrats will increase their majority in Congress.
3. George W. Bush’s fist shaking toward Iran will spark at least one military incident, likely involving Israel.
2. Pervez Musharraf’s role in Pakistan will change dramatically by the end of 2008.
1. Record high temperatures this summer across the United States.

EDIT: The above post was made before the results of the Iowa Caucus.