What did you do on President's Day? As the official title of the federal holiday, Washington's Birthday was originally implemented by the federal government of the United States in 1880 in the District of Columbia (20 Stat. 277) and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices (23 Stat. 516). As the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen, the holiday was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22. On January 1, 1971 the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. A draft of the Uniform Holidays Bill of 1968 would have renamed the holiday to Presidents' Day to honor both Washington and Lincoln, but this proposal failed in committee and the bill as voted on and signed into law on June 28, 1968 simply moved Washington's Birthday. It is also interesting to note that "Presidents Day" is not always an all-inclusive term. In Massachusetts, while the state officially celebrates "Washington's Birthday," state law also prescribes that the governor issue an annual Presidents Day proclamation honoring the presidents that have come from Massachusetts: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge, and John F. Kennedy. (Coolidge, the only one born outside of Massachusetts, spent his entire political career before the vice presidency there. George H. W. Bush, on the other hand, was born in Massachusetts, but has spent most of his life elsewhere.) Alabama uniquely observes the day as "Washington and Jefferson Day", even though Jefferson's birthday was in April. In Connecticut, while Presidents Day is a federal holiday, Abraham Lincoln's birthday is still a state holiday, falling on February 12 regardless of the day of the week.
I spent some time with my wife and caught a couple of movies: Juno and There Will Be Blood. Both were excellent and I recommend them highly.
Although I didn't blog on this, my normal day off, I did think about President's Day and what it was meant to celebrate. Here is the official origin of President's Day courtesy of Wikipedia. Who knew?
In the late 1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term Presidents Day began its public appearance. The theme has expanded the focus of the holiday to honor another President born in February, Abraham Lincoln, and often other Presidents of the United States. Although Lincoln's birthday, February 12, was never a federal holiday, approximately a dozen state governments have officially renamed their Washington's Birthday observances as "Presidents Day", "Washington and Lincoln Day", or other such designations.
In Washington's home state of Virginia the holiday is legally known as "George Washington Day."
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
President's Day Trivia
Monday, February 18, 2008
Bush: Kosovo Independent? Maybe
It's so nice of Bush to give a definite "maybe" regarding the independence of Kosovo."We'll watch to see how the events unfold today," Bush said in a live interview aired on NBC television from Arusha, Tanzania. "The Kosovars are now independent. It's something I've advocated along with my government."
I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty cool. They don't care what Bush has to say. They know they're independent.
T Minus 337 Days
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Mark Penn Has Jumped The Shark
Well... I really don't know what to say about the latest comments from Clinton Campaign chief strategist Mark Penn except that it seems Hillary should have fired his ass a long, long time ago.
In his most recent effort to garner support for his candidate, Penn came up with this gem:“Winning Democratic primaries is not a qualification or a sign of who can win the general election. If it were, every nominee would win because every nominee wins Democratic primaries.”
So, let me get this straight, Mr. Penn: you are suggesting that even though Barack Obama is kicking your candidate's ass in primary after primary, winning in almost every demographic, raising $1 million a day in online donations and swinging some superdelegates over to his his side even after they've initially supported Clinton, the primaries really don't mean anything in terms of who can win in November.
Two questions: 1 - How did you get this job? and 2 - From what position were you fired previously?
The notion that Hillary has a better shot to win the general election when she can't even get a majority of Democratic voters to support her in the primaries would be a laughable one if it weren't so sad.
Bob Cesca analyzes Penn's tortured logic by stating, " [Penn is saying that] what the DNC should do is actually nominate the person who gets fewer votes/delegates/states in the primary process. Okay, okay, Mark. Bring on Democratic Nominee Joe Biden!"
Mark Penn has jumped the shark.
(H/T Cesca)
Saturday, February 16, 2008
T Minus 339/338 Days
"The senator has got to understand if he's going to have - he can't have it both ways. He can't take the high horse and then claim the low road."
-About Sen. John McCain,
Florence, SC, February 17, 2000
Chicken George the Fearmonger
Once again, Chimpy has stated that "our country is in more danger of an attack" because of Congress' failure to adopt a Senate bill that includes telecom immunity protecting them from liability in possible lawsuits for violating Fourth Amendment rights.
"American citizens must understand, clearly understand that there's still a threat on the homeland. There's still an enemy which would like to do us harm," Bush said. "We've got to give our professionals the tools they need, to be able to figure out what the enemy is up to so we can stop it."
As usual, Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow explain it so simply, even a moron can understand it... uh, that is, almost any moron.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Andrew McCarthy on FISA Bill
This is just a laugh.
Steve Benen at C & L notes National Review's Andrew McCarthy and his latest editorial calling House Democrats out for playing partisan politics by not passing the horrible FISA bill with retroactive telecom immunity, which he admits is a bad bill, but what other choice do we have?
Here's another choice. No immunity. As Kevin Drum points out: , "...if it’s that important, there’s a simple answer: pass the bill without telecom immunity. Then come back and introduce immunity in a separate bill. If you’ve got the votes for it, fine. If not, too bad. I’m against immunity myself — though hardly hellbent on the subject — but whichever way the vote went, in the meantime we’d have the FISA extension and surveillance could continue normally."
Drum also notes that the "FISA extension" is shorthand for the Protect America Act, which passed last November and extended (i.e., changed) the then-current FISA legislation in various ways. PAA sunsets on Saturday if a new bill isn't passed, but the original FISA legislation will stay in place. It just doesn't magically disappear thereby materializing nasty Muslims on the streets who want to kill us for our freedoms.
As I said before, if it were truly a matter of life and death, why would the president effectively veto the bill by threatening to do as much without the immunity provision? Answer: Because there's no "there" there. The only reasons the administration wants immunity passed is so they can get away with the further erosion of the Constitution, protect corporations yet again while screwing its citizens and hide the crimes they have committed. Immunity equals no investigation.
So who's playing political football with national security? The Democrats who are trying to preserve Fourth Amendment rights for US citizens, or the Republicans who walk out of Congress, holding their breath til they get their way, crying "it's my ball and I'm going home"?
This false argument that we need to protect the telecoms from lawsuits or else they won't help us is complete bullshit. Case in point were the telecoms who stopped providing the information because the FBI failed to pay their phone bills! If they were really doing it "in good faith", then the information would have kept on flowing. So there goes that argument.
If the US government has a warrant, then the telecoms HAVE TO comply and no lawsuit would stand up in court. But the fact of the matter is that the US government doesn't want to pick and choose who they need to surveil on real facts and real leads. They just want to look like they're doing something so they record and read EVERYTHING from EVERYONE... how in hell can they effectively sort through all that data? It's the equivalent of the "no-fly"watch list being 800,000 people long (and including Senator Ted Kennedy). If everyone's on it, then it's absolutely useless.
I'll have more on this later because in skimming through McCarthy's editorial, it reads like your basic GOP talking points memo through and through, so I feel the need to stab a few holes in it when I have more time... much more time.
Wexler's Email: Defending the Constitution
Here's his webiste: Wexler for CongressToday, thanks in great part to your advocacy and persistence, the House of Representatives took a major, tangible step towards holding the Bush Administration accountable.
In a vote on the House floor, we acted to enforce the law and our Constitution, and hold former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten in Contempt of Congress.
Bolten and Miers have ignored congressional subpoenas for nine months and thumbed their noses at Congress and the American people.Executive privilege has never permitted officials to avoid appearing altogether when subpoenaed. This behavior is unprecedented and outrageous. Now, these two renegade officials must face up to their blatant disregard of the law and constitution.
Our message of accountability for Bush/Cheney is finally resonating on Capitol Hill. Judiciary Chairman John Conyers fought hard to bring this to a vote, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi herself took the floor to support contempt.
While Democrats may not all agree on how to press this Administration, one thing is clear: Today, Congress has asserted its rights under the Constitution. We must not back down. We must never cede the rights of the Congress to the Executive. I am pleased to inform you that today's legislation allows Congress to bypass the Attorney General (who has stated to me this week that he would not enforce contempt) and immediately take action in the courts.
Today, Congress finally defended the Constitution and our rights as an equal branch of government.
Yours truly,
Congressman Robert Wexler
T Minus 340 Days
GOP Walks Out Of House - Dems Say Keep Walking
Today, House Minority Leader John Boehner accused the Democrats in the House of Representatives of "political stunts" in bringing to the floor a vote on a resolution to hold Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas isued by the Judiciary Committee. Then he and his rat bastards colleagues pulled their political stunt and walked out of the chamber in a seemingly "impromptu" moment... to a waiting podium and microphones on the Senate steps.
All this under the guise of accusing the Dems of wasting valuable time instead of bending over and letting the Bush Crime Family fuck them again, and by using the fear card (the only card in their deck) to attempt to scare the American people yet again, with threats of terrorism and imminent attacks if the House didn't acquiesce and give telecom companies immunity in the latest FISA bill.
But who knew that finally, Nancy "Impeachment Is Off The Table" Pelosi would show more balls than Harry Reid and continue with the vote while the Rethuglicans froze their asses out on the Senate steps?
It's about fucking time you started showing you're in the majority, Nancy. Thank you!
And yet we have Chimpy saying he'd delay his trip to Africa so he can sign the legislation that the House must pass, then only to find out that the whole "walk out" backfired... so he decided to leave anyway.
To Mr. Bush I say this: Get a warrant, you fucking criminal. It's worked for 200 years.
And I say this to Boehner and the rest of the filthy pigs who walked out on their oath to defend the Constitution agaist ALL enemies, foreign and domestic: Keep walking you miserable motherfuckers. You are useless, obstructionist, do-nothing assholes with absolutely no regard for the rule of law, complete neglect for the system of checks and balances and you have spit in the face of Congressional oversight.
If we truly were in imminent danger as these Chicken Littles suggest, they why in the hell would Bush threaten to veto any legislation without telecom immunity attached and also deny an extension of the current law? The answer is because there is no imminent danger.
Here's Keith Olbermann with another amazing Special Comment, in which he calls Bush a liar and a facist! Incredible!
So, fuck off George. Fuck off, John "Boner". And fuck off, all you Republicans who walked out of the House of Representatives today.
Here's the "did not vote because God forbid we expose the administration for what it truly is and we can't do that because we are cowardly bastards, so we'd rather walk out and make believe we're doing it to protect the people" list. File it. Keep it. Highlight it. Do whatever you need to do to remember these names and do everything you can to vote them out of office when the time comes.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Waxman Bitchslaps Clemens
Looks like Roger Clemens isn't used to being in a situation where he isn't the domineering intimidator, after interrupting the Committee Chairman during his closing statements.
And as John Amato notes, "Watching the Republicans on the committee go out of their way to protect Roger Clemens, a Texan and fellow Bush supporter was sad. Steroids in sports is not a partisan issue. Andy Pettitte’s testimony, another Texan and Clemens pal is most damaging to his case... [Waxman] also apologized for the hatchet job that was done to McNamee by Chris Shays, Davis, Burton and Co."
(H/T C & L)
Senate Ethics Panel Admonishes Craig
The Senate Ethics Committee sent a letter to Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) saying he was a nasty, bad, naughty boy.
In a letter to the Republican senator, the ethics panel said Craig's attempt to withdraw his guilty plea after his arrest at a Minneapolis airport was an effort to evade legal consequences of his own actions.
Craig's actions constitute "improper conduct which has reflected discreditably on the Senate," the letter said.
...The six members of the committee - three Democrats and three Republicans - told Craig they believed he "committed the offense to which you pled guilty" and that "you entered your plea knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently."
The panel said Craig only tried to remove his guilty plea after his attempts to avoid public disclosure had failed.
"Your claims to the court ... to the effect that your guilty plea resulted from improper pressure or coercion, or that you did not, as a legal matter, know what you were doing when you pled guilty do not appear credible," the letter said.
The panel also said Craig should have received permission from the ethics panel before using campaign funds to pay his legal bills. Craig, who is not running for re-election, has spent more than $213,000 in campaign money for legal expense and public relations work in the wake of his arrest and conviction last summer.
Bill Kristol On "A" Daily Show
Isn't is sad when a Republican operative disguised as a "political pundit" gets schooled by... a comedian?
My favorite line: Stewart after Kristol is still trying to sell the Iraq occupation and escalation as a good thing - "I understand why you feel like you have to say that a lot to yourself, because if I had suggested going in there ten years ago and it turned out this way, I'd feel shit too."
T Minus 341 Days
"[Laura is] out campaigning along with our girls. And she speaks English a lot better than I do. I think people understand what she's saying."
Bush to House: Approve Immunity Or We All Die
NY Times: President Bush strongly urged the House of Representatives on Wednesday to quickly approve a surveillance bill passed by the Senate Tuesday evening, saying he would not agree to a further extension of the current eavesdropping law.
The president effectively gave the House a deadline to act, since the current authority to intercept telephone conversations or electronic communications expires at midnight on Saturday.
“There is no reason why Republicans and Democrats in the House cannot pass the bill immediately,” he said in comments made at the White House, adding that the failure to do so “will jeopardize the security of our citizens.”
Keith Olbermann and Jonathan Turley have more:
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
McCain Votes FOR Waterboarding
Can we stop calling him "Maverick" now?
Faced with a vote to ban waterboarding or to acquiesce to President Bush and side with him on torture, Mr. Straight Talk decided to bend over, spread wide for the Republicans and vote against the bill that contains a provision from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that establishes one interrogation standard, requiring the intelligence community to abide by the same standards as articulated in the Army Field Manual and banning waterboarding.
The bill still passed 51-45, with every Republican voting against it, save Dick Luger and Chuck Hagel. Holy Joe LIEberman, Independent "Democrat" voted against banning waterboarding as well. The Republicans didn't put up much of a fight in expectation of a Bush veto.
Thank you for playing, Mr. McCain. We have some lovely parting gifts for you.
T Minus 342 Days
"The relations with, uhh - Europe are important relations, and they've , uhh - because, we do share values. And, they're universal values, they're not Americn values or, you know - Eurpoean values, they're universal values. And those values - uhh - being universal, ought to be applied everywhere."
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Obama Overruns Potomac Primaries
Barack Obama is literally sweeping the nation with big wins in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia tonight. He's getting 2 votes for every 1 Clinton vote in VA and MD and 3 to 1 in DC.
After tonight, Hillary Clinton can no longer claim that she leads in the popular vote.
Bob Cesca was liveblogging at Huffington Post and came up with this:
Total delegate count according to MSNBC:
Obama 1078
Clinton 969
Both campaigns told Howard Fineman that Senator Clinton will not be able to win a majority of pledged delegates.
Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign is falling apart. Clinton's Deputy Campaign Manager Mike Henry has resigned so that Maggie Williams can build her own team.
Democratic Senate Caves Again!
MOTHERFUCKER!The Senate rejected a series of amendments that would have restricted the government’s surveillance powers and eliminated immunity for the phone carriers, and it voted in convincing fashion — 69 to 29 — to end debate and bring the issue to a final vote. That vote is expected later this afternoon, with the result all but assured. On the vote to end debate, 28 Democrats and Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, opposed the measure. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Lindsey Graham did not vote.
...Beyond the immunity provision, the Senate measure would also widen the executive branch’s surveillance powers by allowing the National Security Agency and intelligence agencies to use broad orders — without getting court orders in advance — to eavesdrop on groups of overseas targets, rather than using individualized warrants.
Here are the 20, TWENTY! Democrats that voted for ending debate. I suggest you right this list down for future reference because these are the scumbags we don't want representing the Democratic party.
Baucus (D-MT), Yea
Bayh (D-IN), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Casey (D-PA),Yea
Conrad (D-ND), Yea
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Johnson (D-SD),
Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Landrieu (D-LA), Yea
Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea - They still list this motherfucker as an Independent Democrat.
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Pryor (D-AR), Yea
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Salazar (D-CO), Yea
Webb (D-VA), Yea - Jim, what the fuck?!
Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea
And our presidential candidates, how did they vote?
McCain (R-AZ), Yea
Obama (D-IL), Nay
Clinton (D-NY), DID NOT VOTE.
Is Paul Krugman Watching A Different Election?
In Paul Krugman's latest column in the New York Times "Hate Springs Eternal," the journalist seems to be fretting about the "bitterness of the fight for the Democratic nomination" and wonders why "is there so much venom out there?"
Now, I've been watching a lot of the politics that have been going on this last year, more than I ever have in the past. And I've been keeping a closer eye on the Democratic side, and I have no idea where Krugman gets his feeling from. How many times does he have to hear the candidates say they like each other, they were friends before this campaign started and they'll be friends after?
Sure, he goes on to mention David Shuster and MSNBC, as if that's the first time that the network has said something negative against the Clinton camp, but he accuses not the media, but specifically Barack Obama of using "Clinton rules"... well not so much Obama but Obama supporters. Maybe he's been reading too many comments on the internet.
But the problem is that Krugman is using guilt by association and indirectly accusing Obama. I had to reread sections of the article for it to become clear to me that he was actually accusing supporters and not Obama, likening them to a cult.I won’t try for fake evenhandedness here: most of the venom I see is coming from supporters of Mr. Obama, who want their hero or nobody. I’m not the first to point out that the Obama campaign seems dangerously close to becoming a cult of personality.
Unfortunately, Clinton fans will read this and assume it's Obama using harsh words and not the more than occasional rant in the comment sections of liberal blogs. And it's not like Clinton supporters haven't been just as vitiolic at those same sites.
What does Mr. Krugman have to say about Bill Clinton's "fairy tale" comment, or Mark Penn bringing up Obama's drug use when he was a teenager, which was already part of the public record? The Clinton's have not been playing with kid gloves through any of this campaign, they are in it to win, as well they should be; and if the public in general has a feeling or suspicion of the Clintons, it's only due to the fact that the media itself have been playing by Clinton rules for the last 15 years. Paul Krugman's own colleagues have been the ones aiming for the Clintons.
The funny thing is that I'm a Krugman fan, but he wears his heart of his sleeve with this opinion in defense of the Clintons.
Stop reading the blogs, Mr. Krugman. The comments you read are not what the mainstream voter feels. Instead, why not try watching and listening to the actual candidates and reading their words instead of biased opinions and acerbic critiques of anonymous commenters in a blog.
T Minus 343 Days
Another silly post in the countdown calendar about Bush being added to the roster of bad rhinoplasties at awfulplasticsurgery.com, so I'll find a quote myself on the Internets... yes, I know how to use The Google.
"One of the things I’ve used on the Google is to pull up maps. It’s very interesting to see — I’ve forgot the name of the program — but you get the satellite, and you can — like, I kinda like to look at the ranch. It remind me of where I wanna be sometimes."
-CNBC Interview with Maria Bartiromo, October 23, 2006
Monday, February 11, 2008
No We Can't! McCain Parody Video
This is awesome. As soon as I post the video below, (it's been out for a week or two) out comes a new parody!
By the way, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush have endorsed John McCain today.
Rep. Tom Lantos Dead at 80
MercuryNews.com: Rep. Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in Congress, died early Monday after a six-week fight with cancer, his spokeswoman said.
Spokeswoman Lynne Weil said this morning that the 80-year-old Lantos died at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in suburban Maryland. He was surrounded by his wife Annette Lantos, daughters Annette and Katrina, and many of his 18 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
His wife said in a statement that her husband's life was "defined by courage, optimism, and unwavering dedication to his principles and to his family."
Obama's Already Been Tested By Clintons
Jumpypants brought this up regarding Obama's lack of experience and Hillary Clinton saying as much on 60 Minutes (only click on the link if you can stomach Katie Couric's softball interview and another "Day One" quote). Her argument is that he'll be unprepared to handle the Republican Smear Machine which she has experience in dealng with. The problem is that any vetting the Republicans do to Obama has already been done... by the Clintons.
Daily Kos' davefromqueens has a laundry list.
NY Times: Army Buried Study Faulting Iraq Planning
Michael Gordon reports that the RAND Corporation submitted a study in the summer of 2005 critical of and identifying problems with every organization or leader involved in the reconstruction of Iraq. The report was buried by the Army.Asked why the report has not been published, Timothy Muchmore, a civilian Army official, said... “After carefully reviewing the findings and recommendations of the thorough RAND assessment, the Army determined that the analysts had in some cases taken a broader perspective on the early planning and operational phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom than desired or chartered by the Army... Some of the RAND findings and recommendations were determined to be outside the purview of the Army and therefore of limited value in informing Army policies, programs and priorities.”
In other words, the report was too detail-oriented to be of any use to the government. We don't want details. It just needed to state that all was well in the rabbit hole. Anything other than that could undermine the propaganda.
Could it also be due to the fact that the study was critical of George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and Gen. Tommy Franks?One serious problem the study described was the Bush administration’s assumption that the reconstruction requirements would be minimal. There was also little incentive to challenge that assumption, the report said.
“Building public support for any pre-emptive or preventative war is inherently challenging, since by definition, action is being taken before the threat has fully manifested itself,” it said. “Any serious discussion of the costs and challenges of reconstruction might undermine efforts to build that support.”
Another problem described was a general lack of coordination. “There was never an attempt to develop a single national plan that integrated humanitarian assistance, reconstruction, governance, infrastructure development and postwar security,” the study said.
Lack of coordination? On only has to look at Hurricane Katrina and the FEMA fiasco to know that "lack of coordination" is the Bush administration's middle name. Besides, it's hard work to coordinate the running of a country when all coordination recources are being used for voter supression, firing US attorneys, rendition, torture, rigged elections and caging lists, not to mention the coordination of hiding the truth in any study done or report published (or not published) from the American public.
T Minus 344 Days
While hunting for quail in Texas on February 11, 2006, Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shoots his hunting partner Harry M. Whittington with 200 pellets of buckshot... in the face.
Obama Wins Grammy
Barack Obama couldn't lose anything this weekend! Not only did he take four states, he also won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling) beating out Maya Angelou, Alan Alda, Jimmy Carter and ... Bill Clinton.
Obama won for "The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream".
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Roy Scheider Dead at 75
Roy Scheider, a versatile and appealing actor who appeared in more than 70 films, including Steven Spielberg's Jaws and William Friedkin's French Connection, died on February 10 at 75.
Matt Taibbi: The Chicken Doves
Great story by Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone about the spineless Democratic Congress and how they sold us down the river.The story of how the Democrats finally betrayed the voters who handed them both houses of Congress a year ago is a depressing preview of what's to come if they win the White House. And if we don't pay attention to this sorry tale now, while there's still time to change our minds about whom to nominate, we might be stuck with this same bunch of spineless creeps for four more years. With no one but ourselves to blame.
By no means is he suggesting to vote Republican, just to vote for the right Democrats.
Obama Leading In Maine - Edwards Meets With Candidates
With 59% of the precincts reporting, Barack Obama is leading Hillary Clinton 57%-42%.
I think that'll seal it for Obama in Maine. Meanwhile, CNN reports that John Edwards met with Hillary Clinton Thursday, and is meeting with Barack Obama Monday, to discuss a possible primary endorsement.
Clinton Campaign Manager "Steps Down"
NY TIMES: Patti Solis Doyle has stepped down as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign manager, the campaign announced on Sunday.
She will be replaced by Maggie Williams, a senior adviser to the campaign.
Ms. Solis Doyle will stay on as a senior adviser and “will continue to be a key part of the campaign,” said Mo Elleithee, a spokesman.
Smooth transition, I'm sure. But it does seem odd, doesn't it? A little panick perhaps? The campaign claims it is not a "shakeup."
I got a real kick out of this:
The announcement of Ms. Solis Doyle’s replacement came minutes after Mrs. Clinton was grounded by what her campaign said were high winds at Dulles Airport. After arriving at the airport for a charter flight to Roanoke, Mrs. Clinton, her staff and the traveling press corps were not allowed to board the plane.Well, Senator Clinton, you're too important to let fly in this dangerous weather, but fuck these other plebians. They fly coach anyway.
A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton said high winds at the airport had forced “a number of planes” to be kept on the ground, and that some planes that had taken off today had suffered structural damage. (Other planes at the airport were taking off as Mrs. Clinton’s motorcade drove away, en route to Washington.)
Frank Rich on Clinton's Hallmark Town Hall
...However boring, this show was a dramatic encapsulation of how a once-invincible candidate ended up in a dead heat, crippled by poll-tested corporate packaging that markets her as a synthetic product leeched of most human qualities. What’s more, it offered a naked preview of how nastily the Clintons will fight, whatever the collateral damage to the Democratic Party, in the endgame to come.
For a campaign that began with tightly monitored Web “chats” and then planted questions at its earlier town-hall meetings, a Bush-style pseudo-event like the Hallmark special is nothing new, of course. What’s remarkable is that instead of learning from these mistakes, Mrs. Clinton’s handlers keep doubling down.
Mets Original Sign Man Dies
NY TIMES: Karl Ehrhardt, who through championship seasons and woeful ones and grand slams and botched plays let the Mets know what he thought of them by raising block-lettered signs from his box seat behind third base at Shea Stadium, died Tuesday at his home in Glen Oaks, Queens. He was 83.
...On Oct. 16, 1969, when left fielder Cleon Jones caught the final out of the World Series, a choked-up Sign Man held up, “There Are No Words.”
...In an interview with The New York Times in 2006, Mr. Ehrhardt said, “I just called them the way I saw them.”
Matthew Artus, Metsblog: So raise a glass for Karl Ehrhardt, and think of him the next time you hear the Cowbell Man banging away - because it's these small gestures that make going to a baseball game all the more memorable.Four days til pitchers and catchers.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Obama Wins Nebraska, Washington & Louisiana...
...and the Clinton Camp spins.The latest Clinton Campaign spin, straight from the press office, in an email to reporters that seeks to set the expectations for the night:
And this through Bob Cesca from the Obama website:
Tonight there are contests in three states that the Obama campaign has long predicted they would win by large margins. According to a spreadsheet that was obtained by Bloomberg News, the Obama campaign predicted big victories in Washington State, Nebraska and Louisiana.
The Obama campaign has dramatically outspent our campaign in these three states, saturating the airwaves with 30 and 60 second ads. The Obama campaign has spent $300,000 more in Louisiana on television ads, $190,000 more in Nebraska and $175,000 more in Washington.
Although the next several states that hold nominating contests this month are more favorable to the Obama campaign, we will continue to compete in them and hope to secure as many delegates as we can before the race turns to Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania. The Obama campaign submitted an urgent request for assistance to the Secretary of State's Division of Elections today, after receiving widespread reports from Democrats across Louisiana who reported that they were not allowed to vote because their party affiliation had been switched.
Is this being reported? Why is it that we worry ourselves about every fucking Iraqi purple finger but we let this shit happen in our own country while shugging our shoulders?! It's disgusting.
Looks like Huckabee is ahead in LA too.
Huckabee Wins Kansas
Mike Huckabee is the winner of the first state to report results today: Kansas.
Don’t expect results to come quite so easily in neighboring Nebraska, where the Democrats are trying to caucus. The Omaha World-Herald’s liveblog details overcrowded sites, with some caucuses being moved to parking lots and other sites running out of registration forms.
Great Schmuckabee quote: "Am I quitting? Let's get this settled right now. No, I am not... Folks, I didn't major in math, I majored in miracles and I still believe in miracles." That's great, Mike. We already have someone in the Oval Office who says he can hear Jeebus and can't count to 20 unless his shoes are off. Thanks for the reminder.
Tentative Deal Is Reached in Writers’ Strike
NY Times: An end to Hollywood’s long and bitter writers’ strike appeared close on Saturday, as union leaders representing 12,000 movie and television writers said they had reached a tentative deal with production companies.
Just in time for the Academy Awards.
T Minus 346/345 Days
"But the true strength of America is found in the hearts and souls of people like Travis, people who are willing to love their neighbor, just like they would like to love themselves."
Friday, February 8, 2008
Holy Joe Stripped
Holy Joe LIEberman has been stripped of his Democratic superdelegate status.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for president, will be disqualified as a superdelegate at the Democratic convention "under what is informally known as the Zell Miller rule." In 2004, Miller -- then a Democratic senator from Georgia -- attacked Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) in a speech at the Republican National Convention. The DNC "responded with a rule disqualifying any Democrat who crosses the aisle from being a super delegate."
Democratic State Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo said Lieberman will not be replaced. Now if they'll only strip him of every Democratic Committee chair he holds...
Shuster Apologizes But Clinton Threatens MSNBC
Last night, David Shuster made an inappropriate comment while interviewing a couple of analysts regarding Chelsea Clinton's role in her mother's campaign and calling the hosts of The View as well as superdelegates trying to garner support for Hillary Clinton.SHUSTER: ...there's just something a little bit unseemly to me that Chelsea is out there calling up celebrities saying, "Support my mom." And, apparently, she's also calling these super delegates... doesn't it seem like Chelsea's sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?
Now we all know what he meant by that comment and it was a definitely a slip of the tongue and inappropriate for Shuster to use that particular slang phrase. Had Shuster said Chelsea was "being used" instead of being "pimped out," there would be absolutely no story here. But apparently the public flipped out to the extent that MSNBC has suspended Shuster from all NBC broadcasting except to apologize for the remark, which he has done.
Story over, right? WRONG.
Now the Clinton campaign has threatened not to participate in any MSNBC sponsored debates.
In a conference call with reporters, Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson on Friday excoriated MSNBC's David Shuster for suggesting the Clinton campaign had "pimped out" 27-year old Chelsea by having her place phone calls to celebrities and Democratic Party "superdelegates" on her mother's behalf.
Wolfson called Shuster's comment "beneath contempt" and disgusting.
"I, at this point, can't envision a scenario where we would continue to engage in debates on that network," he added.
I now call "BULLSHIT" on Wolfson. Who the fuck does he think he's kidding? If Hillary Clinton doesn't want to participate in the debates, then fine. We're done with it. They won't participate on MSNBC, but they're ready to debate on Fox News? Are they fucking insane?
Just last week, Clinton was begging for a chance at weekly debates as her funds were running low and the contests would provide free exposure, but now that she's gotten an influx of internet cash after revealing that she has signed a $5 million personal check to keep her campaign going, NOW the campaign is threatening MSNBC? Really?!
You know what, Hil? Go ahead. Shoot yourself in the foot, because that is exactly what you're going to do if you decide to renege on MSNBC. Obama will say no to Fox, and you'll be back at square one, with maybe one debate on CNN. All this after MSNBC has suspended Shuster from any NBC broadcast due to the comments for which he's already apologized.
You've had 18 fucking debates already! I'm sick of hearing "ready to lead on day one," and "35 years of experience," so unless you have a new talking point, I think I've heard your entire schtick multiple times. I don't need to hear it another five times before March 4th. Debate exposure at this point is only going to benefit you, so if you really want to pull the trigger before removing your gun for its holster, be my guest.
T Minus 347 Days
"In my judgement, when the United States says there will be serious consequences, and if there isn't serious consequences, it creates adverse consequences."
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Huckabee On Colbert - Updated!
I just watched Mike Huckabee on the Colbert Report playing air hockey with Stephen Colbert using a Texas-shaped air hockey puck. What the fuck? I shouldn't eat so late.
Hopefully, video to follow.
UPDATE: Video!
...And Conservatives FREAK OUT!
This made me chuckle.
There was a palpable sense of shock both in the audience and among the advisers [at the Conservative Political Action Conference] after Mitt Romney abruptly announced on Thursday that he was exiting the presidential race.What was originally thought to be a small earthquake on the east coast at the time of Romney's announcement wound up being Rush Limbaugh falling out of his chair at the radio studio.
Screams of "no" and tears came from the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C. One attendee lamented the "bombshell."
As the speech was made, Romney's wife sat quietly in the front row. Cameras zoomed in on her mostly expressionless expression, occasionally broken by a slight smile. But not all of the campaign's associates were as composed. Behind the curtains, Bay Buchanan wiped the moist from her eyes. "This is rough," she told the Huffington Post, "very rough."
Boy, they really can't stand John McCain!
Commenters at Michelle Malkin's site were not faring much better.
(h/t Bob Cesca)
Mitt Romney Drops Out
Maverick Skips Stimulus Vote
Republican presidential candidate John McCain skipped a difficult Senate vote Wednesday on whether to make 20 million seniors and 250,000 disabled veterans eligible for rebate checks as part of a proposed economic stimulus package.
Senate Republicans blocked the passage - final vote 58-41. The "support the troops" party decided that extra money for disabled veterans and seniors, or extending unemployment benefits is just too much stimulus apparently. (60 votes were needed to pass. Harry Reid voted no in order to be able to bring the bill up at a later time.)
So let's do the math. 58 yeas, Reid's would've been 59. 99 Senators who voted. One Senator didn't vote. Where as Mr. Straight Talk, my friend?
...Asked Wednesday morning to comment on the pending vote, McCain talked about the need to pass a stimulus measure quickly. Later, on his plane, he said he was not sure he would make the vote.Yes, that's what we need in a new leader, ducking out of difficult choices when he is most needed to make a decision. His plane landed at Dulles at 5pm. Reports say it was plenty on time to get to the 5:45pm vote. But he had a couple of "meetings." Even his own staff was confused as to whether he was going to make the vote or not.
"I haven't had a chance to talk about it at all, have not had the opportunity to, even," McCain said. "We've just been too busy, focused on other stuff. I don't know if I'm doing that. We've got a couple of meetings scheduled."
Whichever way McCain may have voted, it would have been a difficult choice given his status as the Republican presidential front-runner.
Senate Democrats cleverly bundled the rebates for seniors and veterans, key voting blocs, with expanded unemployment benefits and home heating subsidies for the jobless and poor. President Bush and Republican leaders, as well as conservatives McCain was scheduled to woo on Thursday, vehemently oppose the expanded benefits and subsidies.
That put McCain in a bad political spot. Voting "no" with Republican leaders would have offended millions of Social Security recipients and the disabled veterans not scheduled to receive rebates. Voting "yes," on the other hand, risked alienating Bush, GOP leaders and conservatives already suspicious of McCain's political leanings.
"While he says one thing on the campaign trail, when the time came to act, John McCain was absent," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. "America doesn't need four more years of a president who puts what's good for him ahead of what's good for our country."
T Minus 348 Days
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Clinton Cash Crunch
The Clinton campaign is running low on funds as Obama continues to outspend Hillary. And now Hillary Clinton has acknowledged that she has loaned the campaign $5 million out of her own pocket in addition the $13.5 million that was raised in the month of January. Compare that to the $32 million that Obama has raised in the same month. They're also on pace to raise $30 for February.
This is why Clinton would like to have a weekly debate for the next four weeks: free advertising.
I love this though:The Clinton camp was eager to take the luster off of Obama's status as a "movement candidate" who has generated unprecedented activism and fundraising through the Internet. Clinton strategists went out of their way to label him an "establishment candidate" and worked to pitch her message to online activists.
So what is it? Is he inexperienced or is the "establishment" candidate? You can't have it both ways, Hillary. And have you noticed how she's mentioning her website multiple times in every speech now? I think Mark Penn's figured out there's money to be made by the little donors on the internet. Too little, too late.
Conservative Blowback Against McCain
This is what I'm talking about. No need to fear about the Democratic party still undecided about their nominee when the GOP are eating each other.
From Crooks & Liars:
"Obama won significantly more votes than GOP candidate John McCain — in many cases, winning more votes than the top two Republican candidates combined."
"The media is showering John McCain with praise, but never mention the fact that he got far fewer votes than Democratic candidates in most states — Clinton took in over one million more votes than he did in California alone."
Limbaugh and Ingraham, the galvanizers of the right wing, are now leading the sheeple right off the cliff. And that's fine with me.
And now James Dobson has come out and said if McCain is the nominee, he will not, in good conscience, cast a vote for President for the first time in his life. The evangelical right is staying home. And that's fine with me too.
Here is Dobson's statement as read by Laura Ingraham:
(h/t Crooks & Liars)
False Perception
I rarely disagree with Bob Cesca. He's an excellent writer with my kind of humor but in his latest post, I couldn't disagree with him more.Regardless of who won or lost yesterday, every day this battle continues is a good day for the Republican chances in the general election.
...those of us arguing and spitting at each other over the merits of our candidates could be turning what used to be an historically exuberant primary nominating process into an irreparably damaged Democratic Party in November.
...I can't help but to think that the DNC is considering some serious options here for the good of the party. They have to step up at some point and throw their considerable weight around (think cash) because if this goes to the convention, as more and more people are suggesting, John McCain is the next president.
Since when has the Democratic Party ever marched in lockstep? The idea that a fractured Dem Party heading into the spring, let alone the convention, would create the opportunity for a crumbing GOP to seize the day is something I'm just not willing to buy into.
Within the next 2-3 weeks we'll have a better idea of who the nominee will be and judging by the amount of money raised, enthusiam generated, and what I predict will be the continuing uptrend in polls, Obama will be the nominee. He received 42% of the vote in California, a state in which Clinton was far ahead just a few weeks ago, even with early voting before the Obama surge.
McCain's pro war stance is in opposition of 70%+ of the voters. His "moderation" is so abhorrent to the GOP base, that Limbaugh and Coulter are vehemently against him, the latter saying she would campaign for Clinton if McCain won the Republican nomination, for Christ's sake! The backbiting by the GOP candidates is much worse than what's happening on the Democratic side and GOP voters are so discouraged, their voting numbers are 25% of what the overall Dem numbers are. McCain is actually the most divisive candidate for their party.
I think panicking this early is the mistake that would make the Democrats look weak and unorganized. The masses coming out to vote shows us the opposite and we will all proudly stand behind either candidate in the general election when the time comes.
New Mexico Still Up For Grabs
With 98% of the precincts reporting by noon today, Obama leads Clinton by just 71 votes.
Obama: 65,036
Clinton: 64,965
Edwards: 2,002
Richardson: 1,164
Uncommitted: 398
Obama & Clinton Trade Victories...
...reports the New York Times....It was a night of drama as millions of Democrats cleaved sharply between two candidates offering them a historic first: The opportunity to nominate a woman or an African-American to lead their party’s effort to reclaim the White House. Yet it was also a night when neither Mr. Obama nor Mrs. Clinton could decisively lay claim — or even secure an edge — to the nomination, assuring an electoral fight that will unfold for weeks to come.
Mrs. Clinton won 584 delegates in Tuesday’s vote, bringing her total to 845, according to a count by The Associated Press. Mr. Obama won 569 delegates for a total of 765, The A.P. reported. A candidate needs 2,025 votes to win the nomination.
T Minus 349 Days
"There is no such thing necessarily in a dictatorial regime of iron-clad absolutely solid evidence. The evidence I had was the best possible evidence that he had a weapon."
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Super Tuesday Results
Trying a little live blogging here. Sort of a futile excercise when no one but me is reading. I'll do as much as I can until dinner time... you gotta love take out.
7pm - NBC projects Obama wins Georgia. Exit polls show Obama getting 43% of the white vote and 49% of voters aged 40-59.
7:20pm - Early delegate estimates: 35 for Obama. This number is off - 103 total in the state.
7:25pm - Republicans too close to call in GA. Three way race: with 3 precincts reporting, McCain 38%, Romney 28%, Huckabee 27%
7:37pm - The MSNBC ticker is reading the GOP caucus in West Virginia as 100% reporting and Huckabee wins with 52%, Romney coming with 47%. Eight states close their polls at 8pm EST. Much more then.
8pm - Obama projected winner in Illinois. Clinton projected winner in Oklahoma. Romney takes Massachusetts, McCain takes New Jersey and Connecticut.
8:04pm- McCain takes Illinois.
8:13pm - Too close to call in NJ, CT, TN, too early to call in AL for the Dems.
Too close to call in MO, OK, TN and too early to call for the GOP.
Taking a break. More later.
9:15pm - Obama takes Delaware. Clinton wins Tennessee and Massachusetts! This after the Kennedy endorsements... perhaps a few days too late? Two trains of thought: Speculation is that the message of change that Obama touts was possibly hampered by the Kerry and Kennedy establishment. Point two is that Obama was only polling at 22% an MA before Kennedy's endorsement so anything more than a 22% return is a boost.
Delegates won so far: Clinton 93, Obama 43.
Chuck Todd trying to figure out the delegate math.
MSNBC predicts New Jersey for Clinton at 9:20pm. McCain projected winner in NY. Looks like McCain is picking up speed.
9:25pm - Obama is the projected winner in Alabama.
10:28pm - NBC projects Obama to win Connecticut! That's big. It's almost a 50/50 split.
10:33pm - Romney's speechifying in Massachusetts about a run to the convention and predicting a victory. He has fallen down the rabbit hole.
Here are the results so far:
Democrats-
Clinton: MA, NY, NJ, TN, OK, AR
Obama: CT, IL, DE, AL, GA, MN, ND, KS
Republicans-
McCain: NY, NJ, CT, IL, OK , DE
Romney: MA, UT
Huckabee: GA, WV, AR, AL
Severe weather in Tennessee caused polls to close early. Possible tornadoes. Two fatalities reported so far. Arkansas was hit as well.
10:50pm - Hillary Clinton speaking about the little people. The Republicans want more of the same.
10:54pm - Obama is ahead in Idaho 75% to 23% and ahead in Minnesota with 64% of the vote after 40% of the precincts have reported in both states.
11:02pm - California too close to call for both parties. AZ goes to McCain (duh...). Romney wins ND. Obama wins MN and ID.
11:06pm - Huckabee's being interviewed by Chris Matthews and claims he's not dropping out until someone wins the 1191 delegates needed for the GOP. He's staying in until St. Paul unless the trip is meaningless.
11:58pm - Romney wins Montana... what is that? Three delegates?
12:04am - Obama has finished another stirring speech. I'm signing off now but will try to stay up for the California result.
Goodnight.
12:12am - I'm back. Hilllary Clinton and John McCain are projected to win California. Looks like Romney might be out considering he needed it badly.... Apparent winner in MO is McCain. Still waiting for the Democratic winner.
12:22am - Obama leads Clinton in MO by 4600 votes with 98% reporting.
12:26am - Obama leads by 4926 votes in MO.
12:30am - MSNBC: Tomorrow will be a day of "frank discussions" in the Romney camp after big blows in California and Missouri.
12:38am - The spin begins. Clinton campaign spokesman Jay Carson says they always thought this race would be tight and they withstood this massive surge by the Obama camp. In actuality, Obama has overcome double digit deficits in a just a few weeks and Clinton was lucky to win as much as she did in my opinion. Had Super Tuesday been next week or had California not vored early, the outcome would be completely different. And we'll find out over the course of the next week with more primaries and caucuses to go.
12:40am - Barack Obama is the apparent winner in MO! Carson still spouting the "ready to lead on day one" talking point. Claire McCaskill speaking for the Obama camaign retorted that we need someone with the right judgement to lead on day one.
12:43am - Obama wins Alaska.
Okay, now I'm going to bed even though Chris Matthews just asked me not to. Maybe he likes my musk and has a man crush on me.
Worst Dow Jones Day In A Year
Did Bush have a speaking engagement?
What was it that Bush the Incompentent said in his State of the Union Address?NY Times: Stocks plummeted on Wall Street on Tuesday after a business survey provided another strong signal that the United States may be in the early stages of a recession. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 370 points.
The Institute for Supply Management reported that activity in the non manufacturing sector contracted in January for the first time since March 2003. The institute’s non-manufacturing business activity index fell from a seasonally adjusted 54.4 in December to 41.9 in January — the lowest level since October 2001. Readings below 50 indicate a contraction.
Boy, am I glad we're all getting $300 to offset that "non-manufacturing business activity."In the long run, Americans can be confident about our economic growth. But in the short run, we can all see that that growth is slowing. So last week, my administration reached agreement with Speaker Pelosi and Republican Leader Boehner on a robust growth package that includes tax relief for individuals and families and incentives for business investment.
UPDATE: Just heard Tom Brokaw say this was the worst stock market day in two years.
Super Tuesday - Note To Dems: Don't Panic!
Go out and vote today.
There's this strange idea out there that has seemingly come out of nowhere overnight, that if the Democratic nominee isn't decided upon fairly soon, the appearance of a fractured party going into the convention will shift the tectonic plates, cause the earth to rotate off its axis, followed by disatrous earthquakes and cataclysmal tsunamis and give John McCain a victory in the general election in November.
Paul Krugman: Via Duncan Black, Clinton’s people think this might go to the convention. I hate this thought. I feel obliged to write about the Dem horserace because there are real policy issues at stake, and I think it’s important to highlight those issues. But I hate doing it; I hate the whole nastiness between people who should be able to realize that they’re fundamentally on the same side. I really really want this thing to be over.
Calm down, Paul. Nastiness? Yes, there are substantive policy issues between Barack and Hillary, but they were playing pattycake at the California Debate compared to the McCain-Romney slugfest on the other side.
Call me naïve, but wasn't this the the original intent of primaries and caucuses? Now that the ordinary people, the plebians, are speaking out and making this a real horse race between Clinton and Obama, the pundits are getting all nervous about it. Isn't this the way it's supposed work?
I don't remember ever being engaged enough in previous primaries to care to vote because our candidates were basically chosen for us ahead of time, so why bother? But now the unfounded threat of a Democratic Party with no candidate by February 5, nine months before the general election, is supposed to propel McCain? I don't buy it.
Monday, February 4, 2008
The Hillary Hate Factor - Part II
A few months ago, I wrote about the Republican party's rabid hatred of Hillary Clinton, and how it has manifested itself out of thin air. I didn't think I'd be writing a "Part Deux". (Of course, at the time, I mentioned Huckabee in that post and how he seemed to "have his head on straight" and how John McCain had no chance of winning the Republican ticket. ...Boy, how things change in a few months.) But I digress.
The Republicans are down. They've suffered a horrible blow by the neocons and by the betrayal of the Bush administration. They've been embarrassed by scandal after scandal showing the "family values" politicians revealed as hypocrites, from David Vitter to Larry Craig. Evidence of their apathy and disgust for the party they once held dear is clear by the lack of voter turnout on the Republican side in the primaries and caucuses.
Now comes a new op-ed from Stankey Fish and he brings up the incoherent hate that Hillary Clinton draws from the wingnut right. And in my opinion, this is a major issue in this election.
You may dislike her policies (which she has not been reluctant to explain in great detail). You may not be able to get past her vote to authorize the Iraq war. You may think her personality unsuited to the tasks of inspiring and uniting the American people. You may believe that if this is truly a change election, she is not the one to bring about real change.
But the people and groups Horowitz surveys have brought criticism of Clinton to what sportswriters call “the next level,” in this case to the level of personal vituperation unconnected to, and often unconcerned with, the facts. These people are obsessed with things like her hair styles, the “strangeness” of her eyes — “Analysis of Clinton’s eyes is a favorite motif among her most rabid adversaries” — and they retail and recycle items from what Horowitz calls “The Crazy Files”: she’s Osama bin Laden’s candidate; she kills cats; she’s a witch (this is not meant metaphorically).
...Back in November, I wrote a column on Clinton’s response to a question about giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. My reward was to pick up an e-mail pal who has to date sent me 24 lengthy documents culled from what he calls his
“Hillary File.” If you take that file on faith, Hillary Clinton is a murderer, a burglar, a destroyer of property, a blackmailer, a psychological rapist, a white-collar criminal, an adulteress, a blasphemer, a liar, the proprietor of a secret police, a predatory lender, a misogynist, a witness tamperer, a street criminal, a criminal intimidator, a harasser and a sociopath. These accusations are “supported” by innuendo, tortured logic, strained conclusions and photographs that are declared to tell their own story, but don’t.
Compared to this, the Swift Boat campaign against John Kerry was a model of objectivity. When the heading of a section of the “Hillary File” reads “Have the Clintons ever murdered anyone?” — and it turns out to be a rhetorical question like “Is the Pope Catholic?” — you know that you’ve entered cuckooland.
This is why we need someone the likes of Barack Obama, who can bring people together, not that I'm necessarily a "can't we all get along" type of guy (as my friends will attest). I'm sure Hillary Clinton is perfectly capable of leading the country. Judging by the polls and the information gathered after completed primaries so far however, the numbers indicate that Obama can attract more crossover votes than Clinton, moderate Republicans as well as Independents, and in my opinion, the chances of a Democratic victory come November are much better with Obama as the Democratic nominee.
Am I deluding myself in believing that Obama can overcome the racism he will face (and has probably already faced) as we draw nearer to post time? Or perhaps the question should be: Are the American people ready to overcome racism in the face of one of the most important choices a voter will make this generation? Only time will tell.
Bush Unveils Budget and Lunacy
Lame Duck Georgie the Loon has unveiled his spending plan for the 2009 fiscal year: $3.1 Trillion package. THREE. POINT. ONE. TRILLION. DOLLARS. And guess what it includes? Yes! Increased military spending, permanent tax cuts for the wealthy and $196 billion in savings from Medicare and Medicaid.Even with those savings, Bush projects that the deficits, which had been declining, will soar to near-record levels, hitting $410 billion this year and $407 billion in 2009. The all-time high deficit in dollar terms was $413 billion in 2004.
Democrats attacked Bush's final spending plan as a continuation of this administration's failed policies which wiped out a projected 10-year surplus of $5.6 trillion and replaced it with a record buildup in debt.
"Today's budget bears all the hallmarks of the Bush legacy - it leads to more deficits, more debt, more tax cuts, more cutbacks in critical services," said House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt, D-S.C.
..."The president proposes more of the same failed policies he has embraced throughout his time in office - more deficit-financed war spending, more deficit-financed tax cuts tilted to benefit the wealthiest and more borrowing from foreign nations like China and Japan," said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D.
The chimp is certifiable. And yet, somehow Republicans are always accusing Democrats of loose pocketbooks. Unbelievable.
Clinton & McCain: Wage Garnishing and More Corporate Tax Breaks
What the fuck?! You turn your back for one minute to relax and watch the Super Bowl and the politicians think no one is looking or listening.
The New York senator has criticized presidential rival Barack Obama for pushing a health plan that would not require universal coverage. Clinton has not always specified the enforcement measures she would embrace, but when pressed on ABC's "This Week," she said: "I think there are a number of mechanisms" that are possible, including "going after people's wages, automatic enrollment."
Yes! Yes! More tax breaks for the weathly and for corporations! That's what we need! At least that's some straight talk for ya.
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