(HT to Daily Kos)
The Clinton campaign is getting a tad obsessive-compulsive as they have started an on-line petition aimed at, what else, forcing the DNC to recognize the delegations from Michigan and Florida or else promise to hold new elections.
Michael Kempner, a Clinton donor and PR exec, says; “For whatever reason, the DNC seems to be captive of the Obama campaign. The fact is that many, many long-time supporters both financially and non-financially, that have a very different point of view. We very much want to put them on notice.”
Kempner then went on to say that the campaign wants DNC chairman Howard Dean “to exercise some leadership.”
Wow… first, let’s start with the fact that the DNC is NOT captive to Sen. Obama but, in fact, is captive to its own rules… and in abiding by those aforementioned rules, Dean is showing some fantastic leadership.
Why in God’s name should the DNC help Florida and Michigan skirt the rules when 48 other states were able to abide by them? It doesn’t make sense… and as far as new elections go, Dean has said all along that he and the DNC would recognize new contests in both states, but both states passed on that option because, well, because they’re idiots…
None of this has anything at all to do with Dean or Obama but more-so two state’s (bipartisan) decisions to chuck the rules in the toilet and do what they wanted to do…rules be damned. And now, just like we teach children to do, the DNC is abiding by the rules… but Clinton and her people – knowing there is no math anywhere in this world or out of this world that will give her the needed number of delegates – are trying to browbeat HER OWN PARTY… AGAIN... to do what benefits them… rules be damned.
Explain to me again why she has any supporters left?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Make it stop
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Please stop, you're making a spectacle of yourself
I don’t want to start trashing Sen. Clinton on this blog as I used to have profound respect for both her and her husband… respect though that I see being tarnished with some of her and President Clinton’s actions in the last few weeks.
Despite that, I've tried to hold my high ground and have refused to get into trash posting like I've seen on other blogs... but what she said this morning on NPR was simply too much for me to ignore.
First you should know that Ms. Clinton, along with Sens. Obama and Edwards,
signed a pledge not to campaign OR PARTICIPATE… and this morning she appeared on NPR:
Clinton: “Well that was his choice, remember. There was no rule or requirement that he take his name off the ballot, and his supporters ran a very aggressive campaign to try to get people to vote uncommitted. So it wasn't that he didn't participate at all. In fact there was a real effort to get people to vote uncommitted and I still won 55% of the vote.”
NPR: “You say that was a fair result even without Barack Obama's name on the ballot?”
Clinton: “Well that was his choice, Steve”
NPR: “Wasn't it the Democratic Party's choice that it would not be a result that be counted and most people took their names off the ballot?”
Clinton: “No...I think that the Democratic Party said that they would not under the circumstances count the votes. But we all had a choice as to whether or not to participate in what was going to be a primary. And most people took their names off the ballot, but I didn't. And I think that was a wise decision because Michigan is key to our electoral victory in the fall. And I think if there is to be any difference between my proposal that we count those votes and any other course of action, it should be a complete redo of the primary. Nothing else is fair and I feel strongly about that.”
So how is this NOT a direct and unequivocal violation of her pledge to the DNC and Democratic voters?
Simple… it IS a direct and unequivocal violation of her pledge to the DNC and Democratic voters… she’s just choosing to change the rules to benefit her, because she wants the presidency so badly that she’s under the impression that she’s not only destined for it, but that the office is somehow owed to her.
My favorite part of her interview was her saying; “…we all had a choice as to whether or not to participate in what was going to be a primary. And most people took their names off the ballot, but I didn't. […] And I think if there is to be any difference between my proposal that we count those votes and any other course of action, it should be a complete redo of the primary. Nothing else is fair and I feel strongly about that.”
Really Ms. Clinton? You’re going to bring up fairness? Seriously? Explain to me and everyone else in this country how the hell it would be “fair” to count two states who broke the rules… how would it be “fair” for you to go back on your pledge?
Fair...
Ms. Clinton’s actions of recent weeks reminds me that we haven’t seen someone like this – someone so intent on getting elected president that they would even throw their own parent under the bus to achieve it – since one Richard Milhouse Nixon ran for president… and we all know how well THAT one turned out.
And before I get flamed for making a parallel to Clinton and Nixon, keep in mind that I’m not comparing the person per se, but rather the lengths they would go to in order to achieve this specific goal…
Sen. Clinton is starting to make a spectacle of herself, and a fall from grace when you're as high-up as she is, can really hurt...
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Please, make it stop
Just when you think Sen. Clinton can’t say anything that would surprise you, she says something that surprises you, but really shouldn’t considering who it is.
Sen. Clinton told a gaggle of reporters yesterday that she and the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain offer the experience to be ready to tackle any crisis facing the country under their watch, but Barack Obama simply offers more rhetoric, saying; “
I think you'll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say. […] He’s never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002.”I’m sorry… did she just endorse the presumptive republican nominee over her fellow Democrat??
This is part of the problem I have with Clinton, her claims that she is ready to be the commander-in-chief from “day one.” But what I want to know, and what a reporter asked her at press conferences, is if she can name a particular instance in her past that equips her to deal with a national security crisis.
When asked by the reporter yesterday she stalled and said “Well, I was involved in a lot of the decisions that were made.”
Huh? What decisions and when?
As a Senator?
As a First Lady?
When? How? What?
Come on, inquiring minds want to know Ms. Clinton… give us some examples... but she won’t… because she doesn’t seem to have any.
And then there’s this tasty tidbit from the Chicago Tribune’s The Swamp that happened earlier this week to an Ohio lawyer;
Sad… sad and pathetic…So last night around dinner time, the phone rings. It’s the Hillary campaign–official number, per the caller ID. The woman on the other end asks me if Hillary can count on my support Tuesday. I say I have not decided.
At the end of her spiel, she says, “And we haven’t heard anything that specific from Osama bin Laden.”
I say, “You did not just say that.” She replies, “I’m sorry . . . just a slip of the tongue.” She then thanks me for my time and encourages me to vote for Hillary on Tuesday.
But really, what else should we be expecting from her campaign now?
Friday, February 22, 2008
Enough already Ms. Clinton
Is it possible that Sen. Clinton is getting the worst political advice in history? It certainly seems that way as any thoughts of her bowing out gracefully can be thrown out.
Sen. Clinton needed to knock one out of the park last night during the most recent Democratic debate… it didn’t happen. And in failing to do so, she exposed herself to more negativity stemming from a problem that we’ve been talking about for the last week.
Her campaign’s desperation.
No, we’re not talking about her campaign setting up a hotline yesterday for supporters to call and offer their advice on how to defeat Sen. Obama (though that is pretty damn desperate… and sad… and pathetic… and inane), but more so her campaign pushing reporters a story about Sen. Obama and his supposed ties to former members of a radical domestic terrorist group, Weather Underground. (BTW, the ‘ties’ the article refers to is a $200 contribution to Obama in 2001 from William Ayers, a founding member of the group)
What makes this even more pathetic, with a nice dose of irony thrown in for good measure, is that President Clinton pardoned a member of the same group mentioned in the Obama stories before he left office.
Oops…
Clinton spokesperson Phil Singer, in a desperate attempt to divert attention from the desperate act of pushing the story into reporters faces and facing the subsequent backlash, said in an email to the media; “Wonder what the Republicans will do with this issue.”
Yeah… I wonder.
I WONDER what the republicans will do with ammunition given to them by someone who claims that she wants to lead the Democratic Party.
This is how she operates now… just look back at last night's debate. For the first 45 minutes or so of the debate last night, she conducted herself like the candidate many thought she was, elegant, poised, polished, calm… then she went into her plagiarism and “change you can Xerox” then back, with her closing statement, to some signs of graciousness at the end.
Then we hear about this… which sort of tells you that the only reason she laid off the attacks last night is that she didn't want to get booed again… so she unleashes her hired political goons to do the smearing.
As I said yesterday, if Clinton continues to act this way, she will be lumped into the same category as Joe Lieberman…
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Crossing a Line
For the last several days I’ve been posting about how Sen. Clinton’s presidential campaign is getting desperate…from pushing for states whose delegates weren’t supposed to be counted, Florida and Michigan, to BE counted… to smacking some states in the face by saying their primary results didn’t matter…
Now we get something that reeks of desperation… something that would have been done the last time someone was so obsessed with winning the presidency they were willing to, essentially, sell their soul…. Mr. Nixon, I’m looking at you.
After suffering a debilitating, and somewhat mortifying, 10-state loss to Sen. Obama, Sen. Clinton is set to swiftboat her Democratic rival with the formation of a well-financed 527 organization called the American Leadership Project (ALP).
Stay classy Hillary…
(Sidebar: A 527 group, named after the section of the Internal Revenue code that “regulates” them, is an organization whose purpose is to influence federal elections. As such, donations to 527 groups are limited to $5,000, but it is that cap that gets circumvented as the argument of those who do so is that the language of the law applies only to their activities in federal political races. Because there are no contribution limits for work by 527s in state and local political campaigns, they argue that these organizations can establish “nonfederal accounts” which can accept unrestricted “soft money.”)
According to The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder, ALP is “canvassing Clinton donors for pledges of up to $100,000 in the hope of raising at least $10M by the end of next week” so the group could then unearth negative information about Obama and strike at him with TV, mail and phone banking in the upcoming primary race states of Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania.
Already the group has developed three ads, called “If speeches could solve problems” that are aimed at pushing the idea that Obama is a talker and not a doer while drawing contrasts between the two on vital middle-class issues like healthcare and the economy.
Then consider this from Adam B at Daily Kos:
“Let's be clear: when a 527 forms for the express purpose of electing or defeating a particular federal candidate, and engages in public advocacy towards such ends -- as opposed to discussing issues -- it is breaking the law. Period. The Media Fund, Swift Boaters and other 527s have paid six-figure fines for acting like a political action committee -- i.e., engaging in express advocacy and soliciting its donors with the major purpose of helping identifiable federal candidates -- but without abiding by any of the individual contribution limits or disclosure requirements attaching to PACs.”
Apparently losing 10 contests in a row makes a person think differently… naturally though the Clinton campaign is spinning the news; “I certainly can't imagine that Sen. Obama is in any position to make an issue of this, given the fact that there was a 527 organization -- I believe it was called Vote Hope -- that spent millions of dollars on his behalf in California.” Yes… but they weren’t swiftboating a member of their own Democratic party like Clinton’s 527 is aiming to do…
If this is true, and she’s planning on doing this to someone within her own party in a year where the Democrats have an outstanding possibility to win back the White House, she should be grouped into the same category as Joe Lieberman and ex-communicated from the Democratic Party.
Also, there is a HUGE probability of this backfiring on Clinton, and if that happens, it’s unlikely that she would be able to recover.
But that’s just my opinion…
Sunday, February 17, 2008
The Weekly Rewind
After setting up a new home network at my finacee's house I am able to access the world wide web and sum up some of the things that are going on in this country and maybe one or two things that affect the world.
Applaud: to keeping things clean on our side of the fence. In response to a campaign mailer from the Clinton camp, Senator and Obama backer Ted Kennedy spoke out against the ad saying that the tactics are ones of "distortion, misrepresentation," and "fear-mongering." The Senator further stated that this type of ad is divisive and "I think it does a great disservice to all of us who are interested in universal comprehensive healthcare." Thank you Senator! The Democrats can and should point out differences in the others platforms, however those differences nust not be used as openings for the right side of the aisle to distort for political advantage come November.
Heckle: to changing the rules mid stream. As everyone knows the DNC stripped Florida and Michigan of their delegates as punishment for moving up their primaries. Now, in an act of desperation the Clinton campaign is trying to rally support behind their call to include those states delegates at the nominating convention. Whaaa, Whaaa, whats that sound? Yeah the Clinton staffers crying like babies.
Heckle: to speaking out of both sides of your mouth. For as much as Bill Clinton states that he wants to take a back seat in a Hillary Clinton campaign and administration, he sure keeps popping up and grabbing headlines. As a huge supporter of the former President, it pains me to say this...Mr. President it would be better for everyone if you took one or two steps back from your wifes campaign.
Heckle: to continuing distortion. In resposne to ad's criticizing the Obama camp for not agreeing to a Wisconsin debate, the Obama camp let loose with a new ad critical of Hillary Clinton for essentially being part of the machine politics that the Senator Obama is trying to change. After 18 debates, that's right....18 debates do we really need more? What is there left to say? Senator Clinton you need to focus on some real issues......
Heckle: to the Big Easy still being big time messed up. It's been roughly 2 1/2 years since Katrina ripped through New Orleans and the surrounding areas. So why is the lower ninth ward still one of the most depressing areas we can think of?? Because the Bush administration cannot follow through on promises. Once again, January 20, 2009 cannot come soon enough.
Heckle: to 100 years. In defending his statement on having a 100 year troop presence in Iraq, Senator John McCain clarified by stating that it would be no different than our bases in Japan, Germany and South Korea. I'm sorry the big difference is that we had real reasons for being in those countries in the first place.
Heckle: to yet more trouble for Hillary. In a sign of the closeness and varied feelings of this primary race, some super-delegates that were previously committed to Senator Clinton are reevaluating their support. Rep. Davis Scott has already switched his support to Senator Obama and Rep. John Lewis is considering switching. as are others. As we have said before, this is far from over and will continue to be a roller coaster.
Applaud: to winning hearts, minds, and union endorsements. Senator Obama this week picked up the endorsement of the United Food and Commerical Workers Union and the Service Employees InternationalUnion. Two very large and influential unions.
Okay folks that is it for me this week. My esteemed collegue has done an amazing job of gathering and summarizing most issues in his daily posts. I will have to be on my game next time.
Be good, stay informed.....later.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Weekly Rewind
Good Day and welcome to our review of the weeks political events that we call The Weekly Rewind.
We await the results of today’s Democratic Primary in South Carolina. There has been a lot of speculation that all of the mudslinging back and forth between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama could in fact help the primary chances of Senator Edwards. I personally do not see much of a fall out effect from the debate and can see Senator Obama winning by a very commanding margin.
Okay, I am going to call the parties ticket for the November general election, Senator Obama for President and Edwards as the Vice-Presidential running mate.
Alright, enough of my own speculation, lets get to the rewind.
Heckle: to leaping onto the wagon when it’s moving at full speed. The Federal Reserve, confronted with a global stock sell-off fanned by increased fears of a recession, cut a key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point on Tuesday. Funny thing is that it didn’t turn the markets around as they are looking for even more cuts.
Heckle: to waiting until it’s too late to take any action. President Bush’s attempt to revive the world’s biggest economy was greeted with heavy skepticism on Tuesday as markets tumbled across the globe. Markets in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney all fell farther in late trading Tuesday than they had all day on Monday. They continued an up and down pace for the week. Watch your 401k!
Applaud: to a little humor on the campaign trail. In this weeks CNN Democratic presidential candidate debate, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) was asked about novelist Toni Morrison’s salute to Bill Clinton as “the first black President.” Obama replied: “I would have to investigate more Bill’s dancing abilities and some of this other stuff before I accurately judged whether he was, in fact, a brother.” I’m sure even the audience was glad for a more humerous moment.
Heckle: to not coming out publically with your opinion. In “private,” Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke “has expressed growing pessimism about the economy,” reportedly saying that “the first six months of this year will be “bad.” He also suggested that “there is better than a 50-50 chance for a recession” and believes the ensuing recovery will be “weak.”
Heckle: to holding justice and truth hostage. The House has postponed votes on “criminal contempt citations against White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers” in order to foster “bipartisan unity” while working on an economic stimulus package. I’m sorry, is anyone surprised by this?
Heckle: to a statistic that is just plain sad. Many of the poorest people in the United States are still struggling to recover from the effects of a recession that ended six years ago, making them very vulnerable as the country stands on the brink of a new downturn. In 2006, 12.3 percent of Americans were living in poverty, compared with 11.7 percent in 2001, the year of the last recession. In this day and age there is no reason for a increase in the number of our citizens living in poverty.
Applaud: to standing up for what is right. “I am a Republican, and at times I’m embarrassed by the lack of cooperation that this president and his appointees have had with the legislative branch,” said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) in a hearing yesterday. “There is a seething resentment by members of Congress who are Republicans by the fact that this administration has not even cooperated with us.” Now if we can get more house members to stand with Congresswoman Rohrabacher!
Applaud: to keeping up the pressure. Americans United for Change plans to spend $8.5 million in an effort to make sure President Bush’s public approval doesn’t improve as his days in the White House come to an end. The bulk of the money will be spent on advertising that keeps the focus on the Bush administration’s failures. Although I think the administration does a nice job of airing their shortocmings and failures all by themselves!
Applaud: to an ever increasing base. A new Harris Poll finds that Americans are unhappy with the current state of the union, a few days before President Bush gives his own State of the Union address on Monday. Eighty-one percent of Americans believe “the current state of the country is fair or poor” and 66 percent say the Iraq war is “going poorly.” It’s nice to see more and more people coming around to realize the truth surrounding this administration.
Heckle: to once again being perceived as an Ostrich. A group of nearly 200 “climate experts, scientists, and mayors” delivered a “State of Climate” assessment this week , ahead of Bush’s State of the Union speech. In it they stated “[T]oday our nation stands virtually alone in the world community in refusing to accept the need for decisive action,” they report. “We regret to report that the state of the nation’s climate policy is poor.” But what do they know, they are only educated, learned experts ?
Heckle: to the Administration for 79 percent. Which is the percentage of Americans who believe that a recession is likely within the next year, according to a LA Times/Bloomberg poll. Ninety-two percent of people earning more than $100,000 a year “feel safe” financially, “while more than half of those bringing in less than $40,000 a year describe their finances as ’shaky.’” Count me among the 79 percent.
That’s it for now. Back to waiting for primary results.
Be good, stay informed….later.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
The Weekly Rewind
Ok, it’s that time of the week again. Yep, the time tested, mother approved, patented….ok so it’s not patented….well anyway, it’s time for The Weekly Rewind.
Before we get to this weeks edition regular readers may be asking “Oh my god, it’s Scott! He’s posting again, where has he been?! Well I have had a number of things going on in my life the past 4 to 5 months that have been pretty stressful. I will write about those on my personal blog shortly for anyone who is interested. And while I may not have been writing and posting myself, Kemp and I talk almost daily and I have tried to keep my hands in with thoughts and opinions. To that point I must also say how much I appreciate Kemp having taken over and running everything for the past few months. He understood at the start many of the things I was dealing with and told me to not worry that he would run with things until I was ready to jump back in. He is a good man and a true friend.
Ok, now it’s time to hand out some applauds and heckles, please forgive me if I am a little rusty on the dive back into the fray.
Heckle: Finding someone who will volunteer to be a scapegoat. The White House wants to appoint someone to essentially be a “War Czar”. Good luck with that! I mena, look at the problems this administration is having with it's failing policy in Iraq and they think that someone is going to jumo at the chance to be named as an Assistant to the President, be given the 'power' to make decisions (again it's so hard to express sarcasm in the written form..) and then when things break bad (as if it could get worse) they would be the one that the White House would point to and blame for Georges ineptitude at running a 'war' that has now gone on longer than our countries actual involvement in WWII. Three retired Generals who have reportly been approached have flatly said 'NO'. Hopefully whoever ends up with this job asks for the giant tube of KY to make thier eventual ass reaming a little easier....maybe Scooter Libby wants the job.
Applaud: let’s keep this moving forward. This week the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to none other than Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The subpoena was issued as the committee has grown impatient with the Justice Departments delays in providing information deemed pertinent to the ongoing investigation of the firing of eight U.S. attorneys last year. Those of us who think that Alberto will be totally open and honest with the committee, raise your hands……ok, now for the 70% of you who didn’t raise your hands, lets move on.
Heckle: Happy anniversary, now get out. On the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad and the toppling of Saddam’s statue, up to one million Iraqi Shias summoned by Moqtada al-Sadr “have gathered in the holy city of Najaf for a mass demonstration calling for US-led troops to leave Iraq. If you were looking for a sign, this would appear to be a big one.
Heckle: Straight from the horses mouth. The Washington Post interviews a man who helped sledgehammer Saddam’s statue: “We got rid of a tyrant and tyranny. But we were surprised that after one thief had left, another 40 replaced him. Now, we regret that Saddam Hussein is gone, no matter how much we hated him. I think this guy needs to do the Sunday morning talk show circuit.
Heckle: Say what? In a speech on Wednesday, perpetual Presidential Candidate John McCain (R-AZ) defended the ‘war’ in Iraq and stated that history will side with the President and the conflicts supporters. Nevermind that two-thirds of the country totally disagree with this viewpoint, and I have a feeling that number will grow before this is over. He also stated that the ‘war’ is “necessary and just”. I'm sorry, 'necessary'??
Heckle: Just when you thought the attack on civil liberties had taken a break. National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell has circulated a draft bill that would expand the government’s surveillance powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, liberalizing how that law can be used. The court-approved surveillance could include planting listening devices and hidden cameras, searching luggage and breaking into homes to make copies of computer hard drives. You know those e-mails of recipies from your aunt or the chain e-mails for good luck could actually harbor evil thoughts.
Applaud: We need more of this. Former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca lambastes the Bush administration in his new book. “Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening?” Iacocca writes. “Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. … But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, ‘Stay the course.’ Ok, where are Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and the other new age ‘captains of industy’?
Heckle: more jobs lost. This week the financial services behemouth Citigroup announced it would cut 17,000 jobs and transfer 9,500 jobs to cheaper locations around the world. Now while 17,000 jobs being cut out a total worldwide workforce of 327,000 (operating in over 100 countries) doesn’t seem like much, nearly half (43 percent) of the positions being cut will be right here in the good ole U.S. of A. And if you think about it, the 9,500 transfers can also be counted as job cuts as those jobs will be moved oversees and will result in 9,500 less jobs here in our country. (Next time you hear the administration talk about how many jobs were created, you also need to remember and offset it with how many jobs were lost. But you never hear the administration make that comparison as it wouldn’t look that good now would it?)
Applaud: The continual awakening of the American public. A new Bloomberg/LA Times poll finds that six in 10 Americans expect a recession within a year and disapprove of President George W. Bush’s handling of the economy even though the unemployment rate is at a five-year low.
Applaud: Standing up to the bully. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have rebuffed an invitation to meet at the White House with the President to discuss congressional funding bills for the ‘war’ in Iraq and Afghanistan. Stating that since Bush has set ‘preconditions’ for any discussions (meaning it’s my way or the highway) any meeting would be an exercise in futility. In case you have been living under a rock recently, Congress wants to pass funding bills with timetables for troop withdrawls, while Bush states that any timetable will force him to veto the bills. Each side says they support the troops, but as we have pointed out before they have very different ways of showing support.
Applaud: Just say no to Fox News Channel. Sens. John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton are not taking part in the Fox News presidential debate cosponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus. Why participate in an event where you know what the outcome is going to be before it even starts. Fair and Balanced my ass.
Heckle: What a surprise. President Bush has threatened to veto a Senate intelligence bill that’s inudated with provisions that would force the White House and spy agencies to be more responsive to Congress. Wow, what a concept, holding governmental actions to a standard of responsibility!
And finally this week’s Wingnut Tool(s) of the Week. Karl “If I were the King of the Forest” Rove. Who this week, through his attorney, on the topic of deleting e-mails from a Republican-sponsored computer system stated that his understanding “was that those e-mails were being archived” in accordance with the law. Nevermind the fact that these e-mails may be pertinent to the ongoing investigation into the firing of US attorney last year due to questions of administration loyalty. It was also disclosed that the Justice Department (co-tools) took political activism and membership in a conservative law group into account when evaluating our nations federal prosecutors. I guess it’s not enough to do your job and do it well, you gotta suck up and suck hard….
Well that’s it for this week. As I said, it’s my first time back in the saddle in a while, it feel good to be back, but if you will give me a week or two to get back into the swing of things, I am sure I will be back in true form.
Be good, stay informed, later…..
Friday, March 16, 2007
The Weekly Rewind
It’s (finally!) the end to a very busy week. Hopefully next week will slow-down a bit. Anyhow, even though we weren’t able to post much this week, we still have this weeks Weekly Rewind, enjoy:
Applaud: to the American public. An overwhelming number of polled Americans, 67% to be precise, don’t want “President” Bush to pardon Scooter Libby. 67… as opposed to the 21% who are absolute morons believe he should (It’s things like this that give me some hope for the common sense of
Heckle: to CNN’s Glenn Beck. Speaking of Hillary Clinton (D-NY), the conservative schmuck commentator said that she is the; “stereotypical bitch”… (People in glass houses Glenn… people in glass houses)
Applaud: to the American public… again… 85% of Americans think that global warming is an important or critical threat and that something needs to be done sooner rather than later, which falls in line with a new poll that finds widespread agreement in 17 countries across the world that say climate change is a pressing problem… now, if only we could get conservatives to see the damn writing on the wall, maybe something could actually get done…
Heckle: to being involved more than they’re letting on. Emails have been leaked that point towards Karl Rove and Alberto Gonzales being involved in discussions of a radical shake-up of U.S. Attorneys around the country… this comes amid a growing call for Gonzales’ resignation, Gonzales’ COS, Kyle Sampson, resigning earlier this week… and now, one of the purged attorneys, John McKay, believes a a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate the entire matter… (this whole thing is funny to me, from the gop trying to claim Clinton did it when he clearly did not, members of the gop asking for the AG to resign, the use of “hazy memories” coming from the White House, the Justice Department saying they would have kept the attorneys on staff… it’s pathetic. But like the Libby trial, it’s a perfect example of the way this administration works. January 20, 2009 can NOT come fast enough…)
Applaud: to republican number 1… no, wait… number 2… no, wait… number 3. Three republicans, Sen. John Sununu (R-NH), Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) & Rep. Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA), have now joined the chorus of Democrats calling for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales… it’s only a matter of time…
Heckle: to the Senate rejection of a Democratic-led resolution aimed at withdrawing most American combat troops from Iraq in 2008 even though a similar measure advanced in the House. An applaud within a heckle to the Senate Democratic leaders who have vowed to keep challenging “President” Bush’s strategy (or lack thereof) in
Applaud: to Senators John Warner (R-VA) and Ben Nelson (D-NE). They’re drafting a joint resolution on
Heckle: to idiotic veto threats with inane reasoning over a bill that is, quite frankly, too damn important to be held up . “President” Bush is threatening to veto a bill that would implement “many of the remaining reforms suggested by the Sept. 11 commission.” Why the veto threat? Because of a provision that would “expand the labor rights of 45,000 airport screeners.” Ignoring the fact that the Senate voted 60-38 to approve legislation that saw ten republicans cross party lines, Bush’s threaten of a veto is not only idiotic, but sophomoric and troubling, certainly more troubling than presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) skipping the vote so he could fundraise in California, but troubling all the same. This bill would make the country safer… isn’t that what republicans are supposed to be better at than Democrats???
Applaud: to allowing the public to see what is going on… with broad bipartisan support, the House passed three bills that are going to “roll back administration efforts to shield its workings” from the American public as the measures will “streamline access to records in presidential libraries, expand safeguards for government whistle-blowers, and strengthen the Freedom of Information Act,” (The going-ons in the federal government are our business and we should be allowed to see what’s going on… about time someone noticed that this administration was doing its hardest to shield itself…)
Heckle: to the government flipping-off the city of
Applaud: to someone hopefully clearing things up a little. Outed CIA agent Valerie Plame is on Capitol Hill today giving her side of the leak story… all I’ll say is; let the chips fall where they may, but when she says and does things like accusing the White House and State Department of "carelessly and recklessly" destroying her cover for political purpose… people are gonna listen…
Heckle: to Haliburton moving their base of operations to
Applaud: to doing things by the letter of the law. Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald was asked to appear on Capitol Hill to give testimony about the Plame-outing, but he said he did “not believe it would be appropriate for me to offer opinions…about the ultimate responsibility of senior White House officials for the disclosure of Ms. Wilson’s identity.” (very classy Fitz, very classy indeed. Question; could anyone have seen Ken Starr doing that? I didn’t think so…)
Heckle: to Fox “News”. Just on general principles alone…
Applaud: to picking up the slack for a temporarily sidelined colleague. A handful of Democratic senators have been holding fundraisers for Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) as he convalesces from a December brain hemorrhage.
Heckle: to the White House for just not getting it… and for being dumb enough to NOT cover their tracks regarding PlameGate. The Director of the Office of Security at the White House, Dr. James Knodell, told a Capitol Hill committee that the White House never ordered a probe, report, or imposed sanctions as a result of the outing of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame. (Talk about ego… Every politician knows to cover their tracks if they do something wrong– unless you’re so goddamned smug and egotistical that you don’t think you’ll ever get caught. All I can think of to say is this warning; karma’s a bitch boys, you better watch out)
And finally… what have the 2008 Presidential nominees been up to this week? Clinton has found a new strategy regarding Iraq, including keeping some troops stationed there… Richardson is pondering legalizing medicinal marijuana… Edwards is calling for the creation of a new cabinet position aimed at fighting poverty… Obama is vowing to not get personal in the campaign… On the gop side, McCain has stuck his foot in his mouth again, but quickly apologized… Romney has publicly condemned the comments about homosexuals made by JCOS Chairman Pace, but remained silent when Ann Coulter called Edwards a “faggot”, interesting isn’t it… Brownback agreed with Pace…Giuliani’s lobbying firm has ties with Hugo Chavez…
Take ‘em as you will...
Friday, February 23, 2007
The Weekly Rewind
Today’s post takes place between 5:00 pm and 5:15 pm...
...
Sorry, I’ve apparently been watching too much “24”.
It’s Friday, and we all know what that means… it’s time for Blog of the Week winner; The "Bush"-Whacked Administration’s ‘Weekly Rewind.’
So sit back… relax… and allow us to wrap-up the week that was in the world of poltics…
Applaud: to funny news items. According to ABC’s he Blotter’: If the jury finds Scooter Libby guilty it could spur Fitz and his merry band of investigators to “explore further whether Cheney was involved in conspiring to obstruct justice.” (Wait a minute… can the Prince of Darkness really be investigated??)
Heckle: to spinning statistics that shouldn’t be spun. A government audit found that a majority of the statistics on terrorism cases from the Justice Department are “highly inaccurate” and they routinely counted cases that involved “drug trafficking, marriage fraud and other unrelated crimes.” (Foregoing any of the standard marriage jokes, this is just wrong. We are talking about terrorism here, and we should only be counting the true cases of terrorism – not using things that aren’t terrosim-related just to pad the statistics)
Applaud: to the
Heckle: to this sobering statistic from the National Health Statistics Group: U.S. spending on health care is “expected to double to $4.1 trillion over the next decade” with health insurance premiums expecting to rise 6% annually as well.
Hopeful Applaud: to Army Vice Chief of Staff Richard Cody, who stated earlier this week that he will “take responsibility” and will make sure that all problems are fixed at the hospital. (Let’s hope problems are fixed and changes are made… our brave men and women deserve better care and better residance)
Heckle: to news that, somehow, doesn’t take me by surprise. According to a stufy done by Mother Jones, the “rate of fatal terrorist attacks around the world,” along with the “number of people killed in those attacks” has “increased dramatically after the invasion of Iraq.” Even if you discount terrorist acts in Iraq and Afghanistan, which the study did, there was still a “35% rise in the number of attacks and a 12% rise in fatalities.” (Color me; not surprised.)
Applaud: to UK lame-duck Prime Minister Tony Blair. Since he’s a lame-duck now, he’s seemingly cleaning his conscience. Days after announcing that the UK would be going againt the White House and withdrawing some of its troops, he continued to show his own will yesterday when he “declared himself at odds with hawks in the US Administration” over Iran, telling BBC News, “I can’t think that it would be right to take military action against Iran. What is important is to pursue the political, diplomatic channel.” (What’s that saying; ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.’ Apparently Blair has finally grown himself some balls realized that Bush lied about Iraq – welcome to the Club Mr. Blair, we’ve got jackets – and he is NOT going to let that happen again. Mark my words, everytime Blair opens his mouth from now until he leaves office will be against whatever Bush may be proposing)
Heckle: to, once again, something that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Even though the Bush(whacked) administration swears that it’s not considering military action against Iran, the BBC reports that US contingency plans for air strikes on Iran “extend beyond nuclear sites and include most of the country’s military infrastructure.” (But we’re not considering military action… just like we exhausted all avenues of diplomacy towards Iraq… and if you believe that, I have a bridge to seel you in Florida. Good traffic, mostly drug smugglers, but )
Applaud: to targeting the proper demographic. According to a new study by the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC), Ballot initiatives for increasing the minimum wage boosted “voter motivation in five targeted states in 2006.” The study went on to say that voter motivation and reported interest in the election was “disproportionately high” among African-Americans, unmarried voters and women. (And with Senate Finance Committee member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) saying that he may block the recently passed minimum wage bill unless a larger tax cut package is included, the Democrats should continue to reap the rewards for republican idiocy and hypocrisy. Now, if only the Democrats can unite and stop arguing like toddlers, we’d be golden)
Heckle: to “revolving doors” (no, this isn’t about Michael Dukakis’s 1988 crime plan) Remember those 39 lawmakers who got booted out of office last November? Seems that five of the 39 are now at firms that lobby Congress including Sen. Conrad “Don’t Call me Monty” Burns (R-MT), who just last year said that “Congress is not for sale.” (Hey Congreess, that ‘revolving door’ lobbying restriction is working really well… it’s so hard to express sarcasm in the written form…)
Half-hearted Applaud: to Rep. Thomas M. Davis (R-VA), the top Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Applauds for ripping the army a new one earlier this week when he released a statement that said the army has known for years about “shortcomings at Walter Reed” but did nothing. The applaud is half-hearted because, being a member of Oversight, don’t you think he would have known about this before… and maybe he could have done something?? But obviously, that’s merely conjecture…
Heckle: to Rush “Drug Mule” Limbaugh. The conservative blow-hard radio host said on his program earlier this week: “If we launched attacks on Iran and Syria today and went heavy metal, pedal-to-the-wall, this country would be cheering. The Democrats and the media would be in panic, but the people in this country would be cheering.” (Okay, first of all, Limbaugh wouldn’t know what the people in this country wanted if it came up and bit him on his fat ass… second, the people in this country have clearly shown that they don’t want the U.S. to attack Iran, at least not yet… and third, Limbaugh needs to stop wearing his rose-colored-conservative glasses long enough to see what is going on in this country. A change is coming… God willing…)
Applaud: to what I am sure is more Dog and Pony show theatrics, but the fact they’re doing it is still a sign of hope. A few Senate Democrats are going to unveil a plan next week that will aim to repeal the 2002 Iraq war resolution. (Ok, it probably is all for show, but still… it could work. This is something to definitely keep an eye on next week…)
Heckle: to Vice President Dick “Bunker King” Cheney. When he was asked about Tony Blair’s announcement that the U.K. will cut troop levels in Iraq by 1,600, Cheney said the move was “actually good news and a sign of progress in Iraq.” Never mind the fact that a Pentagon report starkly contradicted the White House’s “rosy” rhetoric. (Noooooooo…. Cheney bent the truth???? I can’t believe that. After all, Cheney is a stand-up guy who never lies... Ow, I think I just rolled my eyes right out of my head…)
Applaud: to Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, who gave a “detailed and businesslike” summary of the prosecution’s case against Scooter Libby earlier this week that was a stark contrast of the summary of the defense laywer, Theodore Wells, who decided to go the “Drama Queen” route and countered with an “intensely emotional defense” complete with a crying episode at the end… (Who does Wells think he is, Judge Larry Seidlin?? Thank you, thank you… I’m here all week…)
Heckle: to Bush’s escalation plan. Because of his plan 14,000 National Guard troops will return to Iraq next year after seeing their time between deployments shortened in order to “meet the demands of President Bush’s buildup.” (Nice… just nice. I’m sure the troops and their families are thrilled by the prospect of having their time cut just so Bush can try to save his ass legacy…)
And finally...
Yesterday I wrote a post about the Obama/Clinton feud. Give it a read if you haven’t yet. As Democrats and Liberals, we need to send a message to the party that we need to stop the in-fighting, come up with a united front and do what we can, all of us, to defeat the republicans in 2008 and beyond. It’s a moral imperative…
Take ‘em as you will...
Thursday, February 22, 2007
My plea to Obama & Clinton: "Stop It!"
This is going to be a long campaign… not for the candidates so much as for we the voters.
We are barely months into a race that has started WAY too early, and already we have two contenders barking at each other and slinging mud over the opinions of someone who, in all honesty, shouldn’t matter when speaking about the next President of the United States.
David Geffen is not a politician, David Geffen is not a political strategist… his political dealings are only as a donor. He’s in the entertainment business… so why should we be putting so much stock into what he says?
Plus, seeing as how this is the United States, Geffen is entitled to his opinion, and it should not be taken as anything but one person’s opinion…
Instead, it’s turned into a battle with the campaigns of Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) trading accusations of nasty politics.
The root issue is that the Clinton campaign is demanding that the Obama campaign not only give back Geffen's $2,300 contribution, but also denounces the comments made by Geffen, who once backed Bill Clinton but now supports Obama, in a New York Times articles where he said "Everybody in politics lies," and added that Bill and Hillary “do it with such ease, it's troubling.”
Uh… correct me if I’m wrong, but people are entitled to change their minds about something… and people are also entitled to voice their own opinion about something… something Geffen pointed out when he released a statement that said “My comments, which were quoted accurately by Maureen Dowd, reflect solely my personal beliefs regarding the Clintons.”
Granted, what Geffen said was harsh… but I’m not quite sure why a candidate should apologize for something said by a campaign donor (something that Obama himself questioned)
If Ms. Clinton expects this of Obama’s campaign… then shouldn’t her campaign do the same?
Recently Sen. Clinton won the support of South Carolina state Senator Robert Ford. Ford is on the record as saying that if Obama were to win the nomination; he would drag down the rest of the Democratic Party “because he's black.”
Where’s Hillary’s crusade against obnoxious stinging quotations now?
Bear in mind I am not throwing support behind either candidate yet… it’s still too early for that… but I am on the side of Obama’s campaign on this issue. Making someone apologize for something a campaign donor said is wrong…wrong and, quite frankly, pretty damn stupid.
I’ve said it before on this blog. Rather than throw mud and insults at each other the Democratic party needs to unite itself as one entity and come out against one enemy and one enemy only; the republican nominee… and “President” Bush, but that’s a given.
If that doesn’t work, maybe we could feed off the voyeuristic reality-show tendencies our nation has become enveloped in and arrange a steel-cage match… winner takes all.
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