Andrew's Tiki Lounge

Police Crackdown in Minnesota

There were a few minor incidents of police abuse in Denver during the Democratic National Convention. On the whole, though, the week-long event passed relatively smoothly, with a minimum of civil liberties violations. Alas, the same cannot be said of the upcoming Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. Even before opening day, there have already been police raids on the homes of protesters. It is not an exaggeration to say that Minneapolis-St. Paul is starting to resemble Beijing during the Olympics. One of the best reports of these heavy-handed actions comes from Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com. Typical of the raids was one that occurred in south Minneapolis, described by an activist named "Alex" in an interview with MinnPost.com: "I was sleeping, and awoke to shouting of an official warrant. I looked out the window, and they all pointed guns at me, so I raised my hands to show I had no weapons." The scene was repeated several times over the weekend all over the Twin Cities. In particular, police are targeting members of a group called the RNC Welcoming Committee. Sheriff Bob Fletcher released a statement to the press -- reminiscent of the over-the-top scare tactics of the Democratic National Convention forty years ago -- warning the public about the dangers of the RNC Welcoming Committee. It reads, in part:

The 'Welcoming Committee' is a criminal enterprise made up of 35 anarchists who are intent on committing criminal acts before and during the Republican National Convention. These acts include tactics to blockade and disable delegate buses, breaching venue security and injuring police officers. They have recruited assistance in their criminal conspiracy from other anarchists groups throughout the country. Through their plans and actions they have exhibited a blatant disregard for the law and the safety of others.

According to MinnPost.com, to justify the raids, police released a list of items seized inside the homes of the anarchist protesters. The confiscated goods included:

• "Materials used in creating "sleeping dragons" (PVC pipe, chicken wire, duct tape)
• Large amounts of urine (including 3 - 5 gallon buckets of urine)
• Wrist Rockets
• Assorted edged weapons including a machete, hatchet and several throwing knives
• Gas mask and filter
• Empty glass bottles
• Rags
• Flammable liquids
• Homemade Caltrops (devises used to disable buses in roads)
• Metal pipes
• Axes
• Bolt cutters
• Sledge hammers
• Old tires (for burning)
• Repelling equipment
• Kryptonite locks
• Empty plastic buckets cut and made into shields
• Material for protective padding
• An army helmet

Glenn Greenwald's coverage of the raids for Salon.com has been absolutely first rate, the very best that investigative journalism has to offer. Other newspapers in Minnesota have been reporting the police raids in great detail.  But, not surprisingly, the story is being ignored or downplayed by the national media. City council member Gary Schif was quoted in the Minnesota Independent as saying, "I'm disappointed, to say the least. Targeting political organizers in a pre-emptive strike is a tactic from the ’60s. This country is better than that."

Below, I have posted Greenwald's video of the police raids from YouTube:

Here is another excellent video, from a local television station in Minneapolis-St. Paul:

Three Years After Katrina: The Wrath of Gustav

Hurricane Gustav, a Category 4 monster storm, is heading to the Gulf Coast of the United States. At the time of this writing (12:12 a.m.), the center of the storm is over the Gulf of Mexico and it appears to be heading straight for New Orleans, a city that still bears the scars of Hurricane Katrina three years ago. Forecasters predicted the storm would intensify into a Category 5 before morning. It should come as no surprise that 1 million people have already evacuated the Gulf Coast region. We can only hope that the storm somehow miraculously misses New Orleans and other major population centers along the Gulf Coast. Still, the people of New Orleans aren't taking any chances. Mayor Ray Nagin called Gustav the "mother of all storms." At a press conference, Nagin warned, "This is the real deal, this is not a test. Not evacuating, he told the inhabitants of his city, might turn out to be "one of the biggest mistakes you could make in your life." By the evening, Nagin estimated that half of the city had evacuated. There are plenty of people like 52-year-old Dale DeBruyne, who said, simply, "I'm not leaving. I stayed for Katrina and I'll stay again."

Three years ago, during Hurricane Katrina (left), the city of New Orleans offered shelter to families in the Superdome. But times have changed, as the Washington Post reported: "Police with bullhorns plan to go street to street this weekend with a tough message about getting out ahead of Hurricane Gustav: This time there will be no shelter of last resort. The doors to the Superdome will be locked. Those who stay will be on their own." The Post estimated that between 310,000 and 340,000 people will remain in New Orleans. Emergency Preparedness director Jerry Sneed warned that if they don't leave, they must accept "all responsibility for themselves and their loved ones."

Why is the city of New Orleans not providing shelter for its citizens? The move is intended to discourage people from staying. The state of Louisiana has spent $7 million to provide bus transportation to evacuate the poor, sick and elderly. The current evacuation is mandatory. State and municipal officials do not want to take any chances of a Katrina repeat, when approximately 1,600 people perished as a result of the deadly storm. But even with a mandatory evacuation, it is unrealistic to expect that everybody will leave. And if Gustav is even half as destructive as Katrina, New Orleans will be a grim place if it fails to offer shelter to its citizens.

There is never a good time for a Category 4 or 5 hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast, but this is a particularly awful moment for Republicans, who may have to reschedule their convention in St. Paul, Minnesota (left). "GOP faces steep odds, and Gustav isn't helping," said a headline in the San Francisco Chronicle. There have been conflicting messages coming from the Republican Party. Earlier today, Convention Director Mike Miller said, "There are no plans for any postponement." But John McCain told Chris Wallace, "It just wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster, so we're monitoring it from day to day and I'm saying a few prayers too."

This is a very delicate situation for Republicans. If (and hopefully this scenario does not play out) Gustav slams the Gulf Coast and GOP planners do not postpone the convention, it will be political suicide for McCain. The Bush administration was heavily criticized for its inaction around Hurricane Katrina. A replay of that debacle -- with the same Republican indifference rearing its ugly head again -- will wipe out the McCain campaign. And McCain knows it.

The world of American politics changes on a daily -- no, make that hourly -- basis. Thursday, all the talk focused on Barack Obama's spectacular acceptance speech. Friday, attention turned to Gov. Sarah Palin. On Saturday, Palin was old news and all eyes were on Gustav. What will tomorrow bring?

Odds & Ends: Prayers, high gas prices & four-eared cats

Praise the Lord and Pump the Gas!: This summer, a new movement spread across the country like wildfire. A group calling itself Pray at the Pump has been encouraging Americans to pray for lower gas prices. Its founder, Rocky Twyman, told the Los Angeles TImes: "Prayer is the answer to every problem in life. If the whole country keeps on praying, we can bring down prices even more, to even less than $2." That philosophy seems to be catching on all over the country. At gas stations from Maine to California, there have been "pray-ins" as the devout plead to God to lower gas prices. At a Shell station near Washington, D.C., Twyman and eight other Pray at the Pumpers joined hands and sang "We Shall Overcome," adding the lyric, "We'll have lower gas prices." Their efforts appear to be paying off. Gas prices in the United States declined slightly between mid-July and mid-August, which can only be the work of divine intervention. Still, gas prices are higher now than they were in April. Be that as it may, Pray at the Pump is having its 15 minutes of fame. Even late night talk-show host Jay Leno got in in the act in his July 29 monologue. "Hey, have you heard about this group called Prayer at the Pump?" Leno said. "They're a prayer group that sprang up, and they go to gas stations and they hold hands and they pray for lower gas prices. Otherwise known as the Bush energy plan." (Source: The Los Angeles Times).

Pet of the Month: Speaking of 15 minutes of fame, the country can't seem to get enough of Yoda. No, not Yoda of Star Wars fame. In this case, people want more of Yoda, the Four-Eared Cat! The feline, who lives in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, is famous all over America as a result of his photos being published on the World Wide Web. Yoda is owned by Ted and Valerie Rock, who have had to deal with the sudden rise to stardom that comes with owning a four-eared cat. When British tabloids published his photos and likened him to Batman and the Devil, the Rocks' phone began ringing nonstop. The couple adopted Yoda from a bar owner in Blue Island, Illinois, who kept the cat on display for the amusement of his patrons. Now, thanks to the Rocks, Yoda lives a relatively normal life. But the press won't leave the poor cat alone. Ah, such is the price of fame. (Source: The San Francisco Chronicle).

Campaign Trail Follies of 08: Sarah Palin and the Buzz from Denver

The Palin Pick: The only thing not surprising about Senator John McCain's choice of running mate are the partisan reactions to it. Democrats think McCain is doomed now that he has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate, while Republicans -- by sharp contrast -- believe McCain has the election sewn up and the White House is his for the taking. It is difficult to find a balanced perspective on the matter (one exception was Peter Baker's analysis in the New York Times). Palin made history in 2006 by becoming the first female governor of Alaska. She was 42 when voters sent her to Juneau. So she doesn't have much of a political record to speak of. Obama backers are calling the McCain camp hypocrites for constantly harping on what they perceive to be Obama's lack of experience, then turning around and selecting such a newbie. It is amusing to see the commentators -- on both sides of the political coin -- offering their views on Palin. Before today, probably 95 percent of them had never even heard of her. She is an intriguing choice: A former beauty queen, a self-proclaimed "hockey mom" with three daughters and an infant son, a social and fiscal conservative with reformist impulses. Unveiling his female Veep the day after Obama's inspiring speech in Denver was a masterstroke for McCain. This guy is no dummy. And Palin reinforces the perception he wants to maintain: That he is a genuine maverick, not tied down to old-school GOP politics as usual. Expect the buzz to continue for days. Democrats will continue to assail the move as foolish and opportunistic. Republicans, for the most part, will likely celebrate the choice. But by mid-September, the veepstakes -- Obama's decision to pick Biden, McCain's choice of Palin -- will be ancient history, to be filed alongside the Fall of Carthage at the end of the Third Punic War.

Postscript: I applaud what one of my favorite Bloggers, David Sirota, has to say about McCain's choice of Palin: "Finally, let's step back a moment, take off the partisan blinders, and celebrate. Palin's nomination all but guarantees that the United States will either have its first African American president or its first female vice-president. I desperately hope its the former, and not the latter - but the historic nature of either is something to be pretty happy about."

The Buzz from Denver: Most reputable political analysts (so we ain't talkin' Bill O'Reilly here) seem to agree that Barack Obama scored a major victory in his acceptance speech last night. Over 38 million viewers tuned in to the speech, according to Reuters, which makes it a record setter. Even with Gov. Sarah Palin on his ticket, John McCain will not pull in those kind of numbers when he accepts the nomination of his party next week. And it will be a miracle if his speech is half as memorable as Obama's. It is hard to see how the Republican National Convention will stir those who attend the way that Denver inspired Democrats. On Day One of the Democratic National Convention, Senator Hillary Clinton told a crowd of supporters, "We were not all on the same side as Democrats, but we are now. We are united and we are together and we are determined." Without question, there are still some Democrats -- especially embittered Clinton supporters -- who have misgivings about Obama. But most of the insightful and balanced political analyses agree that McCain's choice of Gov. Palin will not likely win these disgruntled Democrats over to the GOP cause.

Obama's Triumph

Making History: It is 11:20 p.m. and I just finished watching Barack Obama's speech about twenty minutes ago. Overall, it was a home run, without question. The last presidential candidate to deliver speeches this focused and tight was Ronald Reagan. Tonight, Obama sprinkled new, memorable catch phrases into his moment on center stage ("On November 4th, we must stand up and say: 'Eight is enough,'" "McCain doesn't get it," "John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives," etc.). Obama managed to squeeze a great deal into one hour. Here, in my view, are the strengths and weaknesses of Obama's historic speech.

Best Anti-McCain Line (when Obama cites McCain's record in the Senate): "Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush was right more than 90 percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change."

Weakest Part of the Speech: Despite its many strengths, the speech fell short on specifics, especially on economic and foreign policies. Without question, the balance tipped too far toward the "audacity of hope" rhetoric. Obama must continue to fine tune his policies and positions between now and election day if he hopes to win.

Obama and the Working Class: What can I say? Obama sounded more like an old-school populist than a centrist "New Democrat" in this speech. You could almost hear echoes of William Jennings Bryan in his words. Obama made lots of references to outsourcing jobs, striking picket lines, automobile assembly plants and the aspirations of working-class families. "When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed," he told the cheering crowd. Talk of his own childhood struggles only enhanced his reputation as a man of the people.

The Washington Post's associate editor Robert G. Kaiser on Obama's Speech: "I honestly think, at first blush, that this was one of the very best speeches I have heard in 45 years in the newspaper business."

Grand Finale: Not bad, but could have been stronger. On a scale from 1 to 10, I'd give it a 7.5. Obama invoked the memory of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (without mentioning him by name) and the historic March on Washington 45 years ago. Then he turned to closing lines that were good but not as rousing as the earlier parts of the speech: "America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise, that American promise, and in the words of Scripture, hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess."

Georgia Rep. John Lewis on Obama: The great Civil Rights activist and Congressman John Lewis weighed in on Obama's performance by calling Obama's nomination "the fulfillment of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 'I Have a Dream Speech.'" Lewis added, "With the nomination of Senator Barack Obama tonight — the man who will lead the Democratic Party in the fight for the White House — we are making a down payment on the fulfillment of that dream."

Did the speech help Obama?: On balance, this was an outstanding speech, despite moments where Obama appeared wooden or uncomfortable. As a headline on USA Today's website announced, "Analysis: Enthusiasm a mile high at Invesco." Expect the senator to get a decent bounce from this convention. But my prediction still stands: This will be a heated race until November 4.

Where can I read the speech?: The Obama campaign distributed the speech to the media. The Associated Press posted it in its entirety.

From the Nixon Files: Nixon on Jews (or "I am not an anti-Semite!")

Below are a few choice quotes from President Richard Nixon that leave little doubt about his position on Jews.

Nixon to H.R. "Bob" Haldeman (as recorded on the Nixon Tapes): "Now here's the point, Bob. Please get the names of the Jews. You know, the big Jewish contributors to the Democrats. Could you please investigate some of the cocksuckers? That's all."

Nixon, Jews and Spies: "The Jews — the Jews are, are born spies. You notice how many of them are just in up to their necks?"

Nixon on Jews and the Internal Revenue Service, to H.R. Haldeman (again) on September 14, 1971): "What about the rich Jews? The IRS is full of Jews, Bob."

Nixon on Jews and the Pentagon Papers (to John Ehrlichman): "You can never put, John, any person who is a Jew on a civil rights kind of case, or freedom of the press kind of case, and get even a ten percent chance. . . . Basically, who the hell are these people that stole the papers? It's too bad. I'm sorry. I was hoping one of them would be a gentile. The three Jews — Gelb — the three suspects... All Jews."

Nixon on his least favorite TV show All in the Family, to H.R. Haldeman (1972): "The writers are predominantly Jewish in all … They wrote this show for the purpose of making the hard hat [Archie Bunker] look like a boob."

Nixon on why so many Jews end up becoming pinkos: "Jewish families are close, but there's this strange malignancy that seems to creep among them — radicalism."

Happy Birthday LBJ

Coincidentally, today is the hundredth birthday of Lyndon Baines Johnson and it ought to be a moment of reflection for Democrats everywhere. I could spend hours Blogging about Johnson's history and legacy, but I don't have time (alas, there aren't enough hours in the day to do all the Blogging that needs to be done). Suffice it to say that we still live in his shadow. It is interesting to note that conservative historians have sought to rehabilitate Ronald Reagan and his legacy -- and are succeeding in doing so to a great extent -- but liberals rarely invoke Johnson as inspiration, despite the fact that his presidency represented the zenith of American liberalism. This speaks volumes about the impact of the Vietnam War and Johnson's decision to deploy American troops there.

That said, I would be remiss in my duties if I did not point the way to some other outstanding articles about LBJ on his hundredth birthday.

"LBJ's Moment" by George Packer (from the New Yorker): A succinct, informative and eloquent piece about why LBJ still matters. Check it out.

Robert Caro on Johnson's Centenary (from the LA Times Blog "Jacket Copy"): A brief Blog entry that includes telling quotes from LBJ's main chronicler, Robert Caro. Well worth taking a moment to read.

"Family, friends mark LBJ's centennial" (from the Houston Chronicle): See how some of LBJ's fans are celebrating his 100th birthday in Texas.

"LBJ 100: Johnson's Legacy Lives Strongly Today" (from Channel 8 News, Austin, Texas): A balanced, short, surprisingly insightful assessment of Johnson's legacy from the local news channel in Austin, Texas. Give it a read -- it will only take you a few minutes.

Legacy of LBJ endures 100 years after his birth by Cary Clack (from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer): Another useful, journalistic assessment of LBJ, his achievements and his legacy, from a Texas perspective.

Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Celebration: A website marking the 100th birthday of Lyndon Johnson, full of information about celebrations of his life. Very pro-Johnson, but quite interesting.

Notes from the Political Junkie: The dawn of the Obama Era?

After a sluggish start, the Democratic National Convention seemed to take off last night and soar to unexpected heights. Between Joe Biden's (right) rousing keynote speech (I admit, I cried) and Bill Clinton's ringing endorsement of Barack Obama (it has, indeed, been a long time coming), the stage was effectively set for Obama's acceptance speech tonight.

"The Obama era has begun in the Democratic Party. In a prime-time speech tonight, Sen. Barack Obama will try to launch an Obama era for the country," announced the Honolulu Advertiser.

Speaking on the forty-fifth anniversary of the historic March on Washington (when Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream Speech"), Obama has his work cut out for him tonight.

The consensus across much of the country seems to be that Obama really needs to sell his candidacy to anxious white working-class voters. As Harold Meyerson astutely observed in the Washington Post:

The very voters he needs to win this election, the white working class that has been descending into post-industrial post-prosperity for a couple of decades and the past eight years in particular, are angry. American finance and corporations have abandoned them for cheaper climes, and they blame the elites of both parties for their woes. Obama's challenge is to become a tribune for some of that anger without looking like an angry black man.

Obama must be feeling the pressure right now to deliver the world in his speech tonight. There are a number of other sources pressuring Obama to clarify his message. The pundits and talking heads on TV political talk shows are telling Obama that he needs to address his apparent "lack of experience," his positions on foreign policy, his plans to revitalize the economy, his platform on energy. What are we up to now? Seventy-five minutes?

The list goes on. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell echoed the sentiments of millions of African Americans across the country when she wrote, "Barack Obama has spent the last four days reaching out to working-class white voters. I hope he spends at least a few paragraphs in his speech tonight reaching out to black ones."

Women, too, are hoping to hear some words of assurance in tonight's speech. "Convention Perspective: Obama needs to win over working-class women," said a headline in the Boston Globe. The Globe's Washington Bureau Chief Peter Canellos noted:

Instead of worrying about feminists, the Obama campaign should be thinking about women like Laura Klein, a Denver nurse, who opted for Clinton over Obama because she believes that Clinton "doesn't suffer fools gladly." Having had a "front-row seat" in the health-care system, Klein said, she was convinced that Clinton had the best plan to deliver universal coverage.

Advice, advice, advice. Everywhere you look, Obama is getting advice from someone. Do this. Do that. Say this. Say that. Reach out to X. Assure Y that you are, indeed, sufficiently experienced. Convince Z that you've got what it takes to be the president of the United States. If Obama read all the Bloggers, listened to tall of the Boob Tube commentators and radio gasbags, and paid attention to every word in the op-ed sections of newspapers, the guy would probably blow a gasket and be wheeled to a rubber room in a straight jacket.

A whole lot of folks have their hopes bound up in this election. Millions of people see in Obama what they want to see. Leftists and liberals treat him as a genuine progressive (or sometimes worry that he's not liberal enough); African Americans take pride in Obama the "black candidate" (even those who, early on, insisted he wasn't "black" enough); centrists see him as a safe middle-of-the-roader (or worry he's veering too far off to the left); conservatives play the "inexperienced" card all the time (and worry that people aren't buying it); fearful pessimists with fresh memories of 1963 worry he is a doomed man like JFK; and some Obama loyalists fear that "white working-class" voters won't vote for Obama come Election Day because they will see him as indifferent to their plight or because some of them are closet racists.

So many people are holding their breaths, praying for an Obama victory, dazed and demoralized after eight years of George W. Bush's misrule.

But Obama cannot be all things to all people. If he appears to be making an effort to win over everybody, then common sense voters -- and there are still plenty of them in America -- will begin to see him as an unprincipled Machiavellian. So far, Obama has done a spectacular job of balancing principle and pragmatism, appearing to countless voters to be an ideal combination of both.

Obama will deliver tonight. And people need to have faith in him. He is the closest candidate to an Abraham Lincoln or an FDR that we have seen in our lifetimes. He has already made history. And he will continue to shape it in ways that will make America America again.

Democratic National Convention photos courtesy Reuters.

Dorothy L. "Del" Martin: An American Heroine

Back when Dorothy L. "Del" Martin founded the Daughters of Bilitis -- a San Francisco social network for lesbians -- in 1955, it was downright dangerous to be gay or lesbian in the United States. Gays and lesbians were hounded, harassed, threatened, beaten, fired from their jobs, intimidated, spied on by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, and generally made to feel like outcasts and pariahs. In a few extreme instances, they were even murdered in cold blood, and the killers usually got away with it.

Fifty-three years ago, when Del Martin founded the Daughters of Bilitis, she could have not have anticipated that her courage -- at a time when so many other gays and lesbians lived in round-the-clock fear (or, worse yet, repressed their identity to fit into society) -- would help create a more open and tolerant America.

Sadly, Del Martin passed away today in San Francisco. She lived a long, rich life, finally slipping away peacefully at age 87.

And while her death is a tragedy -- the lesbian rights movement lost its equivalent of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -- she did live long enough to see the results of her years of hard work, sacrifice and activism. On June 16 of this year, Del married Phyllis Lyon. The two women met and fell in love back in 1950. Fifty-eight years later, they were able to exchange wedding vows and enjoy the same rights as heterosexual Americans. But they paid a big price to get there. Here they are (right) pictured with San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom. Del is in the wheelchair.

Gays and lesbians across the country are mourning Del's passing. Farewell ceremonies are planned, Bloggers are paying tribute and people all over are remembering her courage in the face of overwhelming odds. What a fitting honor that there is a clinic in San Francisco called Lyon-Martin Health Services, which "provides personalized health care and support services to women and transgender people who lack access to quality care."

About five years ago, PBS made a fantastic documentary about Martin and Lyon called No Secret Anymore: The Times of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. If it happens to come on again, do yourself a favor: Watch it from start to finish.

Del Martin, along with her companion Phyllis Lyon, dedicated her life to fighting the good fight for people who were being savagely repressed solely because of their sexual identity. And America is a better, freer nation because of her decades of hard work.

Below: After struggling for more than a half century, Phyllis Lyon (left) and Del Martin are finally married, June 16, 2008.

Memo to Clintonistas for McCain: Good Riddance!

There is a lot of talk at the Democratic National Convention about healing divisions. And that's all good. But it is time to say "good riddance" to these turncoat Clintonistas have jumped ship and back McCain. "Angry Clinton Supporters Toast McCain, Roast Obama," said a story on CNN's Website.

Sometimes you have to know when to write off certain constituencies. If Barack Obama tries too hard to extend the olive branch to these disgruntled Democrats, he runs the risk of being viewed as an excessive compromiser who is willing to jettison his principles in order to win as many votes as possible.

Democrats need to take a page out of the Republican playbook. Do you think Republican strategists and McCain campaigners have lost a minute of sleep over the "Obamicans," the growing number of Republicans who plan to vote for Obama come November? Can you locate a single conservative Republican bemoaning the fact that Republican Congressman Jim Leach (R-Iowa) spoke at the Democratic National Convention?

Right now, the McCain Campaign is trying to exploit the divisions in the Democratic Party by fanning the flames of discontent, including organizing rallies in Denver for anti-Obama Clintonistas.

It is no secret that Republicans are also divided and a number of them are unhappy with Senator John McCain. But they don't seem to dwell on divisiveness and healing rifts as much as Democrats. They have more of a Zen attitude about politics. They're in it to win. And if they lose, they don't experience crises of faith like Democrats. Instead, they typically redouble their efforts and try again. This is yet another moment when the Democrats can learn an important lesson from the GOP.