Random Thoughts, Notes, & Incidents

Big Al Gore has now officially endorsed Howard Dean for the Democratic nomination for President - if anybody cares what Big Al Gore has to say. So, does that help Dean or hurt him? It certainly doesn't help raise his stature in this household. Says Leslie, "You mean Dean isn't a Republican?" That's right - although everybody seems to be buying this new image of Howard Dean as the progressive choice, he's still a guy who can count on his 100% OK rating from the NRA.

Meanwhile, a few miles north of here in San Francisco, today is election day, with a run-off for mayor between a conservative Democrat and a Green. Big Al's old boss, Bad Bill, is in town today pulling for his party's boy. The national Democratic Party has been putting more of their attention on this election than the upcoming Presidential election, as if San Francisco were the last major battle ground for the hearts and minds of America. It isn't. It's a progressive city which should choose the more progressive candidate.

An article on the Common Dreams web site explores the question of partisanship over progressivism in relation to the SF race. In explanation of the above, the article states that, "Next year, Democrats will call on Greens and Green-leaning voters to abandon third-party politics in order to help beat George W. Bush. Many Green voters are likely to answer the call. But many others will ask why top Democrats always seem to demand concessions in the name of electing the more progressive major candidate at the national level but are not willing to make concessions in the name of electing the most progressive major candidate at the local level."