You've washed it.

You've scrubbed it.

You've sand blasted it.

You've covered it in UNICORNS and poured FANCY DANCING PRINCESSES on it.

It seems there's NOTHING you can do to remove the stain of

L O S T    R E C O M M E N D A T I O N
        A N D
R A T I N G    P O W E R S ! ! ! !

You might as well give up, right?

No!

Not yet!

Now that the primary is FINALLY over...

(No wait! It's a tie!)
(Shhh!)

...shouldn't us pox-covered doxies, us slattern-branded Obamatons, Kool-aid addled we may be, get back our ability to say, "hey, good job fellow democrat!" or "Mojo to thee -- Joe Biden WOULD chair a good Blue Ribbon Panel on American Policy Toward Qatar."

(It's not over 'till Denver!!!)
(I said SHHH!)
(DENVER DENVER)
(Don't make me call the Shamwow guy! I'll do it!)

So post here if you're like me and still can not voice your GOD GIVEN RIGHT to give one of three possible numbers to stories you read (Two numbers, technically, since zero isn't really a number in the way black isn't really a color, tomatoes aren't really vegetables and Pluto isn't really a planet.)

The Disenfranchisement must end. Maybe give us fractions of Mojo, but allow us full access to SuperTroll distinctions or somthing.

Pretty please?

I'd encourage people to recommend this diary, but, as usual, I'd imagine, as in the past, those who still care about this issue, still can't.

I wanted to take a minute to acknowledge the blatant and outright disrespect- nay, disenfranchisement- Obama supporters have been shown on this site. And I want to thank Senator Clinton for the courage and strength to give me the right words to use to frame this very important argument.

There's a reason why so many have fought so hard and sacrificed so much this primary season. It's because they knew that to be a citizen of this country is to have the right and responsibility to help shape its future. Not just to have your voice heard but to have it count. People have fought hard because they knew their rec/rate ability was at stake, and so, by proxy, was their children's futures.

Those people refused to accept their assigned place as second-class citizens. Men and women who saw America not as it was, but as it could and should be, and committed themselves to extending the frontiers of our democracy into the blogosphere. Just like the abolitionists, and all who fought to end slavery and ensure freedom came with the full right of citizenship. Just like the tenacious women and a few brave men who gathered at the Seneca Falls convention back in 1848 to demand the right to vote.

We're seeing a situation occurring just like this, right now in Zimbabwe. Tragically, an opposing viewpoint was held, the site moderator lost it, and then refused to abide by the will of the people.

So we can never take for granted our precious right to rec and rate. It is the single most important, privilege and right any of us have, because while rec'ing and rating, we are all equal. You're equal to a billionaire. You're equal to the president, every single one of us.

Why, Jerome? Why are you disenfranchising us? It's unconstitutional. Sure, you may say, this blog would constitute a private organization, and as such abilities such as "voting" are entirely at organization's behest, but really- this transcends such legalities, because it's so important. Sure, Obama supporters apparently "broke" the rules, but those rules were unfair to begin with, and even when we agreed to them, when the situation changed, we all know we no longer have to agree with them or abide by them.

Don't disenfranchise us, Jerome, or we may not show up in November to click on links and drive site traffic for you to remain profitable with. I'm not bandying that about as a threat, mind you- we'll all have very valid reasons for not showing up come November. In no way is this an episode of "stamp feet, take ball, go home"- this is serious. And you should take it seriously.

Thank you.

Dear Jerome,

I understand, Hillary has lost and it is hard to deal with. I remember in 2004 how distraught I was when John Edwards wasn't going to be the nominee but after a  couple of weeks I moved on and made sure that the nominee, John Kerry had my full support. With that said, what is your problem? No seriously what is going on with you?

Let me bring you up to speed with reality.

You claim that Hillary will win the popular vote at the end of the season. I'm sorry Jerome that is just not correct. Maybe you forgot about all those caucus states that don't keep a record of the popular vote.  If those were primaries, Obama would be ahead by over a million votes as Hillary had no plans after Super Tuesday.  Currently, he is ahead by 800K votes and when states finish counting provisional ballots like Ohio did in which he closed the gap by 2%, he will increase his popular vote lead.  There is still a chance that he might actually win Indiana as Hillary currently leads by less than 1%. I would also invite you to start reading El Nuevo Dia which is the prominent Puerto Rican newspaper and things aren't looking so good for Hillary in Puerto Rico.  Puerto Ricans don't like losers and won't vote for them no matter what you tell them.  

As for your dubious popular vote argument.  Wait, don't the Democrats select nominees based on delegates? Of course they do and they always have.  No, the popular vote will not be a valid metric because you will end up disenfranchising those in caucus states.  I know that disenfranchising voters is alright in caucus states but not MI and FL. You are entitled to your opinion but it is not based on any facts.

Finally, I think your main argument that Hillary would be more electable is because of the states that she would carry.  Did you not notice that her map to victory is the exact same map that Democrats have used in the last two cycles?  Please keep in mind that she would have to hold onto all of the Kerry states and win Ohio and/or Florida. The problem with that is she is polling weak  in WA, OR, MI,MN  which are states that we also need. Furthermore, should she become the nominee, she won't win because you need African-Americans to come out in droves which they won't. If you don't believe me take a look at recent polling form Rasmussen and Bloomberg.  On the other hand,  Obama is very strong in those states as well as other western states and Virginia is very much in play. I know you are going to say that it's the south and the south isn't ready for a black president even though they had a black governor but that's not the point. The point is that you are doing a severe disservice to your readers when you let your own blind hatred for Obama cloud your reasonable judgment.  

It's time Jerome to come back down to earth. It's okay to mourn Hillary's loss but there is no reason for you to spew hatred towards the democratic nominee. If you need a shoulder to cry on, just ask.

Signed,

Sweet Potato Pie

A few days ago Jerome posted something that irked me, that somehow there was some "Obama of February" who no longer exists. I desperately wanted to believe he was wrong and tonight I feel confident that he was. Both in the electoral results and in his oratory tonight Barack Obama was every bit the electrifying and paradigm shifting candidate that he was in winning 11 primaries in a row in February. He showed a side of himself in that speech that clearly demonstrated why he is running, what he stands for, and why he loves the country. And he returned again and again to the notion of uniting the country across all manner of artificial boundaries. This was the Obama that electrified the country earlier in this campaign and I hope that Jerome will wake up Wednesday morning and concede this point.

And to top it off I think it was the gas tax argument that put him back on his game. As much as Jerome wanted to believe that it was a winning issue for clinton I think tonight's results show that Obama got the better of this argument by trusting the American people to understand the truth.

What a night!!!!

I'm so happy that Texas Darling is back on this site.  I also really enjoyed the diaries of Universal.

Can the mods reconsider reinstating Universal (with a warning for whatever s/he did) as well?

Thanks

There is an Is Obama a Muslim diary up right now.

This is absurd... What is this site turning into? How can this diary even be allowed to be up?? Seriously.

This is what I would expect on Redstate or Michael Savage's site.  To make it worse there are actually commentors that are saying that he is a Muslim.

Please take this diary down.  You are quickly losing credibility

Now, I'm a simple man, with a simple question.
Why is Jerome counting Michigan's delegates in the Democrat's flash counter to the left, when Michigan has no delegates, and won't get their delegates back?

This has the effect of making it seem like Clinton is winning by a huge margin, when in fact she is losing by two delegates.

Now, I could imagine possibly noting her victory, had she not been the only real contender on the ballot, and therefore, the automatic victor.

In fact, her victory in Michigan is entirely meaningless, so why is Jerome even noting it? and doing so in a way that artificially  pumps up Clinton, despite the actual case of events.
Smells of bias to me.

It's even more bizarre, since he could just pump her up by adding the super-delegates.

In the past few months, when the Washington intellectual incoherent and their sycophants see the enormous and steadfast support that Barack Obama is getting across the country, they were tension-shocked; thereby, making them to employ their callous and lucre-minded tactics of the past 16 years against his candidacy.
In Washington, the more divided the country is, the more financial gain they get. In every move they make, the concerns of the people in the heartland of America are quite secondary. It is in concert with this that you see the desperation on their path to blaspheme and ridicule the trifocal ideas by Sen. Obama that would not only transform this nation, but propel the nation from gory to glory.
In every society, corruption and thirst for power rather than service of inclusion, always sets a darkling phenomenon on the progress of such nation. A leader who does not see any need to foster a transcending vision that will bring about a new generation of leaders, such person does not deserve honor of leadership. You know the two families that represent this view.
For those that seek hateful, senseless, brutish, blind ideological and self-serving motives against this noble man's candidacy, in the end, the guilt of wounded self-respect, would always returns to haunt you.
Some on this blog (Jerome) have deviated from the great spirit of the progressive movement where ideas always surpass loyalty to corrupt and fan faring political figures in the Democratic Party. Dr. Howard Dean, who most of our progressive bloggers loved in 2004, was blatantly hated by the party establishment for advocating our values.
Today, his bold ideas of fearlessly advocating progressive visions are the center reasons why the Republican hysterical minions are in disarray today. Even after he lost the nomination in 2004, the Clintons and their hangers-on did not stop; they mounted their machine to stop him from becoming the party chairman. But as God always plan; the voices of helpless activists like you and I across the country took whole and Dr. Dean won the election.
Today, those that where at the forefront of the movement to bring about leaders who will faithfully advocate progressive ideas are now bought by the Washington establishment. The question that I have for them is: why betray your followers for a potage of soup?
For whatever attacks employed against the candidacy of Obama, it wouldn't work--because, his supporters are not hangers-on; they are true believer, who desperately need a fundamental change in the way we do business in Washington and around the world. Dr. Dean shows us the way that we should not settle for less and we will not.
 This is a movement that is not based on blind ideology or self-serving interest--it is a movement to end the bigotry and dynasty of the past 16 years that have yielded no substantial results for party and the country. Remember what they ill-conceived goal did to Al Gore--the result; George Bush.
To buttress my point, Jerome and co, Obama's supporters across the country are embarking on raising a total cash of $100,000 and food items nationwide to help those among us that can't afford to have food this summer season. It is an idea that stems from message of HOPE and OPTIMISM by Sen. Obama. Instead of contributing money to celebrate his birthday, his supporters are contributing this money to commemorate his 46th birthday by feeding the poor among us. That is what inspiration and vision can do to a nation.
As for me and other true progressive believers, we will not sell our conscience for a cheap short-term political gain.
Thus, if anyone thinks that attacking Obama would dissuade his followers, such individual needs to do a rethink. We are here to stay and to win the next battle for America. United we stand!