We're almost finished!

So tonight (Tuesday May 12 just so we're clear) is the evening of the West Virginia Primary and Sen. Clinton is expected to win a substantial victory and has now said that it will be yet another "game-changer" that will turn the tide in the overall race. At this point my head is splitting with the idea of every single primary being game-changing when numerically the game is essentially over. (if she were a sports team she would have been declared mathematically eliminated from the playoffs but I digress) At this point she has made comments that have been read as racist, tried very unsuccessfully to point out his supposed inexperience time and again, and on top of all that she has had the added benefit of A) having a popular ex-president as a spouse/surrogate to travel around to different markets and campaign for her/kneecap her opponent and B) she is the overwhelming choice of the right to the point that we got to see some lovely Willie Horton style smear ads paid for by the RNC against Sen. Obama, leaving him to lead a campaign that had to defend itself on three fronts and has competed well enough to be on top throughout the race when the smart money from a year ago said that in the aftermath of February 5th Sen. Clinton was going to be the nominee running away. None of that has come to pass which has left Clinton grasping at straws and figuratively ripping her hair out and you can easily visualize her at one point laying on the floor and holding her breath because it was all supposed to be hers and now she's pouting till she gets her way. (even if no one knows for sure what exactly that is) But now, Sen. Obama has shifted his focus from Sen. Clinton and the primaries to Sen. McCain and tried to address the free ride that he has gotten from the media because the democrats were involved in a battle that was too good to turn away from, allowing McCain to have what even the fair and balanced "reporters" at Fox News (the official water carriers of the Republican National Committee) have called "senior moments", the Sunni/Shia mixup among others but when he calls Sen. Obama Hamas' choice for President (even though their policies towards Hamas are nearly identical) and Sen. Obama responds by saying that he is losing his bearings which the McCain camp took as a slam against his age (even though you and I have bearings and at times we may have lost them for whatever reason). All this has lead to a point that after the longest primary many of us can remember we as Democrats will finally have a candidate that we must unite behind in order to prevent more American servicemen and women from dying needlessly in a war which didn't need to be waged and an economic policy that will benefit the wealthy while continuing to rape the lower and middle classes or quite simply another round of George Bush policies which none of us need, especially those veterans coming home from the war without any foreseeable end. Thanks for listening still and I'll try to come back sooner next time. Thank you for your comments and for even reading the crap I have to say.

Tomas Young: Happy Anniversary

Tomas Young, the Iraq War vet who is the subject of the documentary "Body of War" and who curated the film's rich soundtrack, brings his unique experience and opinion to these pages as Audiocracy '08's special contributor.

To my brothers and sisters that have served and continue to serve in Iraq I'd like to wish you all a happy 5th anniversary. It was on May 1st 2003 that George Bush made an aircraft carrier stop 30 miles out from docking in San Diego after completing a 10 month tour of the middle east so he could fly in a jet (complete with G.I. Joe style flight suit so he could look like the war pilot he never was) and land on the deck of the carrier where, underneath a banner reading "mission accomplished" he gave a speech for which he is now infamous for. Now the White House has already said that the banner should've read "mission accomplished for these sailors who are on this ship on their mission." So let's put that aside as just a gaffe.

Tomas Young: In D.C. with Tom Morello

Tomas Young, the Iraq War vet who is the subject of the documentary "Body of War" and who curated the film's rich soundtrack, brings his unique experience and opinion to these pages as Audiocracy '08's special contributor.

I know it's been awhile since I last spoke to you all but that's only because I've been busy. I went to Washington, D.C. with Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine fame and some members of IVAW to visit Walter Reed Army Hospital and meet with some soldiers. Four of the six soldiers I met with are expected to make a full recovery which is a tribute to the medical advances we've made since Vietnam. Two of the men we met however are not expected to make a full recovery and in fact have lost one or both of their legs and I gave my number to these two because the first man who was alone that day asked me how I dealt with things and he started to cry.

Arade Fire and Superchunk: Free Shows in North Carolina

Indie favorites Superchunk and Arcade Fire will play two free shows in North Carolina as part of Barack Obama’s “Change Rocks” early vote initiative. For the first time, voters who are not yet registered to vote can both register and vote at the same time and place.

The shows are free, but tickets are required. Tickets can be picked up in Forsythe, Guilford, Randolph, Almanace, Orange, Durham, and Wake Counties during early voting hours starting Thursday April 24. The first performance will take place at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex on May 1st at 1:00 PM. The bands will play the Carrboro Town Commons the next day at 1:00 PM. Both shows are all ages.

For more information, call 919-929-3460 or visit www.nc.barackobama.com

Tomas Young: Pennsylvania Mud

Tomas Young, the Iraq War vet who is the subject of the documentary "Body of War" and who curated the film's rich soundtrack, brings his unique experience and opinion to these pages as Audiocracy '08's special contributor.

Sen. Clinton won the Penn. primary and for that she should be congratulated. Now I could sit here and write about her "kitchen sink" political tactics and how she tries to use whatever divisive comments available in a scorched earth win at all costs campaign that could ultimately cost us the White House in '08. But instead I want to talk about the recent appearance of one man in a recent ad, a man that I thought people had forgotten about, Osama bin Laden.

Usher Backs Obama

When R&B star Usher sat down for an interview for Billboard's cameras, he talked about why he thinks Barack Obama is the best presidential candidate. "I definitely am a supporter of his campaign and believe that he does, in all of his experience, or lack of experience, have a great concept about change and that's what this is all about," he said You can't tell the same story again because it ain't working, obviously."

Tomas Young: So we had a "debate" tonight?

Tomas Young, the Iraq War vet who is the subject of the documentary "Body of War" and who curated the film's rich soundtrack, brings his unique experience and opinion to these pages as Audiocracy '08's special contributor.

So ABC "News" hosted a debate last night between the two democratic nominees (which by the way was moderated by George Stephanopolous, a former press secretary for President Clinton, and Charles Gibson, who at the time of my writing this was not found to have been employed by the Obama camp although all I have used is Google so I may be wrong). The first 40-plus minutes of said debate was focused on four issues, including a question submitted to George by the great and venerable Sean Hannity about his association with a former member of a radical organization in the 70s. We were also treated to some burning issue-driven questions about Rev. Wright, flag lapel pins and the "bitter" comments. There were no questions dealing with Iraq and the only economic questions I witnessed were a petty exchange over raising payroll taxes.
At least they both agree on an issue that the entire country has been keyed up on since the whole thing started only a year ago... they both agree that the other can beat McCain but think they're the stronger candidate for the job. Whew, I was wondering about that one the other day at the VA while looking at the sad faces of the other vets waiting for MRIs. (Coincidentally there were no questions about veterans issues. But hey, Charlie did say he didn't want to ask things that had already been asked before. But I hadn't heard a lot of questions focused on us in the previous debates but maybe I wasn't listening or my memories failing me).

Steven Colbert L.O.V.E's Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama made a humorous guest appearance on The Colbert Report last night in Philadelphia. As she spoke of her husband, Colbert couldn’t help but notice Mrs. Obama’s attractiveness. “I hope I’m not out of place in saying this, but you’re a very good looking lady,” he said, comparing her to the late Jackie O. “Do you think your husband would be ok with me having said that?”

“Well maybe if you sang to me, it would make him a little jealous,” Mrs. Obama playfully responded. The audience cheered as Colbert broke into Nat King Cole’s, “L-O-V-E.” Mrs. Obama stopped him after the first line. “He has a better voice,” she said of her husband.

Springsteen Endorses Obama

All American rock legend Bruce Springsteen endorsed presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama today via his website. “Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest,” Springsteen wrote. “He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit.” This endorsement comes at an opportune time. While Springsteen’s home state of New Jersey already held their primaries on Super Tuesday, he can help garner working class votes for Obama in the wake of some controversial comments the Senator made about Pennsylvanians, who vote next Tuesday. 

Tomas Young: Oh my what's happened since I've been gone

Tomas Young, the Iraq War vet who is the subject of the documentary "Body of War" and who curated the film's rich soundtrack, brings his unique experience and opinion to these pages as Audiocracy '08's special contributor.

So while Johnny Mc is still getting a free ride from the media, my pony (Obama,, if you're new) said something that, while half true -- a lot of unemployed people I have known were bitter -- it was when he decided to add the things about guns, religion, immigrants and such that he fell off. Now he was quick to admit that he used incorrect language, yet Hillary decided to try to pounce on it and yet still in a manner that allowed Barack to use humor to deflect it, which has always been a favorite tool of mine to use. Nowadays we have the internet and Youtube where a candidate says or does one thing and it's instantly on the screen of anybody with a computer. It makes a person think about how Presidential campaigns would've gone in the past if Youtube had been around.