Movers and Shakers

Yeah, that's him:



Obama as the athlete in the zone.

Continuing with the sports metaphor, DailyKos says his
ground game in Texas is pretty good. If Obama takes Texas,
it may be over. Then the real work of getting all those party
volunteers from the campaigns working together for the big
push begins.

Stuff like this isn't gonna help either:

"Give me a break! I've got news for all the latte-drinking, Prius- driving,
Birkenstock-wearing, trust fund babies crowding in to hear him speak!
This guy won't last a round against the Republican attack machine.
He's a poet, not a fighter."

It's getting to be panic time.

You know, that's another thing I like about Obama- there's no need to
go negative until we're up against the Republicans, but for now he's
running a pretty positive campaign.


Keep an eye on those superdelegates here.

How Clinton may still be able to win- at a price.

McCain, literally in bed with a lobbyist? Did he score his
Viagra© from Dole?

Bill O'Reilly's talking about lynching Mrs. Obama.

The fringe of the Right Wing are talking about lynching Mr. Obama.

Lest you forget that lynching is more than a word:



Ever since the Republicans adopted their Southern Strategy, racism and fear of
The Other have been at the core of their philosophy. Up till now dogwhistle rhetoric
is all they've needed to hang onto the Confederate wing of the party. It could
be that as the desperation builds, evoking welfare queens, reverse discrimination,
and personal responsibility won't be enough, and what they say in private will
come out in public.

Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for the rest of us, the demographics are
turning against them. While they've been waving the Stars and Bars- the rest of
the the country, unnoticed, has grown up.

Don't forget how close that fringe is to the main party.

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Mendocino's Blue Heron Pale Ale pours a stiff white head
over a slightly cloudy straw colored brew. Carbonation is
steady, and the nose is pale malt and a bit of lemony hop.
The flavor is mild light malt up against sharp hop- it finishes
long and grassy with a bit of citrus rind as well. Mouthfeel is
a little thin for an ale, but crisp. There's something about the
way Mendocino does things that just does not agree with me.
There's always something off- and this one is no exception.
The long harsh grassy finish just beats down the malt end of
things. It's not bad enough to pour down the drain, but it's not
that great either.

Tier 3



Thanks to Jed and The Big Lebowski, I'm now in a torrid
relationship with vodka. Purported to be a neutral grain
spirit, there do seem to be qualitive differences between
the stuff you mix with flavorings and the stuff in the fancy
bottles. I thought I would start with Shaker's Vodka- made
as a sideline at an ethanol plant in Benson, MN, out of
grain grown right in the state too.


Shakers Rye Vodka pour a clear liquid, with a
soft, slightly spicy nose. There's the tiniest alcohol
sharpness, but not that full on examination room
alcohol smell I've noticed in other spirits. There's no
mistaking the spiritous nature of this product once
you taste it, however, there really isn't that sharp bite
to the tongue you might expect. There's an almost
velvety mouthfeel to it, with a clean finish, and a subtle
fruitiness in the aftertaste. I can believe you can make
a martini just with this. Very smooth with just a splash
of quinine water.

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Mariachi's for Obama:



Translation here. The interesting thing about this one, just like the
The Yes We Can video (and the parodies), was that they are all
the spontaneous work of interested people.

For free. Because they wanted to. There's nothing even close to
this kind of sincere support coming out of the other side.

But that's why they call it grassroots politics. The top-down style
political campaign really isn't that different from a big advertising
campaign to sell soap, or cars, or pizza. Messages are deployed,
and the consumers consume. Or don't.

It's only from the bottom up that movements are built- one person
at a time. That's a little more lasting than brand loyalty.