April 29, 2008 - Pensito

Here’s the latest report from our friend in the Tarheel state:

O.K., so they announce on Friday night that Barack will be in Wilmington on Monday, speaking at University of North Carolina-Wilmington on Monday. In order to attend, you need to go to Democratic headquarters to pick up a ticket.

I head out on Saturday morning. Long lines (good) extending two blocks to get the tickets. But the reason for the lines was people have to register their name, provide phone number, e-mail address, etc. What a pain in the ass. There’s no way they did this ticket thing earlier in his campaign or their campaign would never have gotten off the ground.

Tickets were already gobbled up (Democratic headquarters opened at 8:30; I arrived at 10 a.m.) by the time I made it to the door. That’s pretty impressive because Trask Arena holds 5,000 people. The local TV stations pick it up with a general theme of he’s like a rock star, actually using that phrase; people want to go see him and are very disappointed to find they can’t. “Just like a real rock concert!” says the newscaster.

Hillary quickly announces she’s having an open-air gathering on the riverfront Sunday night to get to know the people â€” “I just hope the people of Wilmington will want to see me as much as I want to see them!” Barack does cell-phone interview with the lead local news station (Fox affiliate) for late-night news and comes off good. “People are concerned about health care, the war, gas prices, not distractions from real issues.” Hmmm. What distractions?

Beautiful weather on Sunday, big turnout (5,000 people) for Hillary Sunday night. She speaks in front of the battleship and indicates she’ll be back next Saturday to mark the launching of a nuclear submarine called the U.S.S. Carolina in Wilmington (apparently giving us fair warning to lock up our valuables). Her talk is a real snooze, average age of the audience is about 69; average profession is retired schoolteacher. Many of them actually do doze off as she deals with controversies like end of grade testing to show her mastery of the issues we typical folk all discuss at the dinner table before paying our bills. Her moment of passion: “Come debate with me, Barack Obama! Anytime, anywhere!”

[…]

Day: April 29, 2008

Quote du Jour

One will seldom go wrong if one attributes extreme actions to vanity, average ones to habit and petty ones to fear.

â€” Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher

Campaign Report from Our Guy in North Carolina

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“The man is afraid of the voice of the people and that the people understand and know what he’s doing. He’s trying to stifle the ability of journalists to let the people of America know what’s really going on with their government.”

— “Kamala Harris called President Donald Trump’s ban of CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House ‘absolutely abhorrent,’” The Wrap reports.

“Not one of them is trained in technical skills. Not one research PhD, as opposed to China, where half the cabinet is science and technology PhDs. We’re led by grifters and fools.”

— Columbia professor Jeffrey Sachs, on X, on President Trump’s 35-person cabinet.

“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far… The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”

— Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), breaking with President Trump in a direct-to-camera video.

Numerati

1,000

10%

“The unprecedented spate of mid-decade redistricting for the U.S. House has changed the congressional districts for one-tenth of Americans and significantly altered the makeup of at least one-fifth of districts, according to a new study,” the Associated Press reports.

71%

A new Fox News Poll finds 71% of voters think the Trump administration lacks a clear strategy for ending the Iran War, including 95% of Democrats, 83% of independents, and 43% of Republicans. Sixty percent say U.S. military action against Iran was the wrong decision, while just 37% say it was right.

$9.5 billion

“The Trump administration last year spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave for federal workers as part of its plan to shrink the government and save taxpayers money, according to a new estimate by a congressional watchdog,” CNN reports.

470

Reuters has documented at least 470 targets of retribution under Trump’s leadership – from federal employees and prosecutors to universities and media outlets. The list illuminates the sweeping effort by the president and his administration to punish dissent and reshape the government.