Hillary and OPEC... Energy Vampires

What do Hillary Clinton and oil sheiks have in common?

Energy.

Hillary is sucking the energy out of the Democratic nominating contest.

And, energy prices are sucking our economy dry.

Hillary, the monster energy-rabbit.... is evidently determined to beat her "popular vote" drum into Denver, drowning out Barack Obama's voice as John McCain's marches to the White House.

Jonathan Alter explains this in "Popular Vote Poison... How Hillary's latest math hurts the party." (Newsweek) "Clinton has continued with one claim that could have a pernicious effect on the Democats' chances in November. While she knows that the nomination is determined by delegates, Hillary insists on saying at every opportunity that she is winning the popular vote."

Alter says "popular-vote pandering is poison for Democrats..." after the experience of 2000, "this argument is sure to make it harder to unite and put bitter feelings aside.

"Oh, and it's not true."

Regardless of the destructive effect of her popular-vote drumbeat, the "shorthand many Clinton supporters are already taking into the summer is that she won the popular vote but had the nomination 'taken away' (as Joy Behar said on 'The View') by a man."

Voters wilting under Hillary's constant and distorting thrumming are also being thrashed at the gas pump as "Skyrocketing Oil Prices Stump Experts." (WaPo) Everyone blames someone else.... oil executives blame financial speculators, speculators blame supply and demand, Congress looks to OPEC but they blame everyone including wasteful U.S. consumers.

Really? Experts don't have a clue?

Could it be because oilmen Cheney and Bush DIDN'T PUT IN PLACE AN ENERGY POLICY... except to give their oil buddies tax breaks without insisting on the development of production capacity.

"Whatever the causes, one of the most dizzying runs in the history of oil prices picked up pace yesterday - again - as crude oil prices jumped to settle at more than $133 a barrel, up $4.19 in one day...."

Whatever the causes? How about when The Decider invaded Iraq the price for a barrel of oil was $25. And, the Bush administration policy of giving manufacturers tax incentives to ship manufacturing abroad.... leading to China gorging on our economy, fueling China's growing appetite for oil.

China is now binging on oil as the result of it's "need for extra fuel to run generators to compensate for disruptions in coal deliveries and hydropower resulting from the recent earthquake."

Energy.... it's in short supply.

Sit down Hillary.

And, no more useless begging trips to Saudi Arabia for The Decider. No more closed-door confabs with energy tycoons for Cheney. No more finger-pointing by profit-bloated OPEC.

Patience is also running on empty.

Mothball the Electoral College

The current year-long and obscenely costly slog leading to the election of our president has become, well, ridiculous.

And that's just the primaries!

The subsequent bruising focused-saturation-advertising race between the nominated party candidates has become a statistician's joyride.... crunching the numbers to come up with the dozen or so "battleground" states, slotting states as red or blue.... with the end game being to secure the most Electoral College votes regardless of the national will of the majority of the voters.

This could change. And we have Maryland to thank for leading the way.

On April 10, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed into law a measure that would circumvent the Electoral College by awarding the state's electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes nationwide.

It's called the National Popular Vote plan. The idea is that once enough states have signed on to put together a majority of electoral votes (270) those states agree that their electors will always vote for the winner of the popular vote in all fifty states plus D.C. This would make presidential elections truly national, every citizen's vote would count.

No need for the Supremes to swoop down to award the presidency.... neither nine citizens nor a select few states would have such power over the outcome of a presidential election.

Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000. Imagine if the National Popular Vote plan had been in effect...an intelligent response after 9/11.... the ability to stem the runaway spending of the GOP-led Congress.... an action plan to reduce man's contribution to global warming.

An experienced leader with management skills and a proven interest in the advancement of us all, not just corporations, would have been at the helm.

Contact your state representatives, your governor. Find out if they are considering the National Popular Vote plan. Encourage and educate.

It's our best hope for reining in this presidential race lunacy, and for electing a leader who can unite because he represents the will of the majority.