The only thing ultimately that his running mate will be is the Republican favorite for 2012.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Not quite 300.
I know I promised reality last week, but states that are, in the aggregate, only one percentage point apart really belong in the undecided (grey) category. Thus the only changes from last Sunday are NV (blue) and AK (red). It's still out of reach for McCain and because the upper Midwest Ohio River Valley is where the contest will turn for him, expect him to pick someone like Mitt Romney (MI, kinda) or Rob Portman (OH) as his V-P. They both answer most of the doubts (McCain's age, conservative enough to satisfy the mad-dog GOP base) without raising any concerns (Crist being gay).
The only thing ultimately that his running mate will be is the Republican favorite for 2012.
<p><strong>><a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/campaign08/electoral-college/'>Electoral College Prediction Map</a></strong> - Predict the winner of the general election. Use the map to experiment with winning combinations of states. Save your prediction and send it to friends.</p>
The only thing ultimately that his running mate will be is the Republican favorite for 2012.
The Texas Observer observes something at NN
I have grieved over the loss of progressivism at the Texas Observer -- my friend Juanita's writing there notwithstanding -- but Melissa Del Bosque, who attended the blogconfab wrapping up in Austin today has a report worth repeating. I'll emphasis the cogent parts:
The Center for Constitutional Rights, a New York-based legal advocacy organization hosted a panel Saturday afternoon on Guantanamo and Habeas Corpus and what the president can do in the first 100 days of his term to restore the Constitution and the Rule of Law.As Americans we are hooked on the idea that any problem can be solved with 10 simple solutions or in some given number of days. Yesterday, former counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke plugged his 12 solutions for our national security crisis at his panel.
The consensus on today’s panel, however, from the lawyers and journalists present was that it would take more than one hell of a push broom and 100 days to clean up George Jr.’s mess. The picture was bleak: our Constitution is in tatters and the Supreme Court and Congress have descended into an Alice in Wonderland world where right is wrong and up is down.
Admittedly, it was depressing. Still it was energizing to see a large room nearly filled with extremely concerned and pissed off citizens. At one point, an attendee stood up and asked what bloggers and activists could do to turn the sinking ship around.
Panelist Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater: the Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army (yes his book was plugged at the panel) encouraged attendees to spend less time behind the computer and more time in the streets protesting.
Scahill saved his most scathing remarks for Democrats in Congress, including Barack Obama, commenting that instead of defining themselves as a real opposition party they had undermined efforts to hold Bush’s administration accountable. “Bush is operating in an enforcement-free zone inside the United States and outside the United States,” he said.
Scahill warned that the U.S. was in the midst of the most radical privatization agenda in history with a record number of private contractors carrying out government duties around the world. To illustrate this, he reminded the audience that Blackwater and Dyncorp were at the moment guarding Senator Obama as he toured Afghanistan and Iraq.
ACLU Lawyer and panelist Jameel Jaffar, told the audience that it was wrong and dangerous to blame Bush for everything. He cited the Supreme Court and Congress as miserable failures when it came to defending our Democracy and the Constitution.
“Ultimately, it will take more than a change in Administration to effect the change we want,” he said. “The most important thing in the first 100 days is to set up a truth and accountability mechanism like the 9-11 Commission,” he suggested.
The take home message was that American citizens need to keep a close eye on their government — now more than ever — and hold political leaders accountable. This includes Barack Obama, no matter how badly Democrats want to see him in the White House.
Scahill exhorted the crowd — many of them not surprisingly Obama supporters — to cheat on their love affair with Barack Obama with a little bit of conscience.
“John McCain and a head of lettuce could get the same number of votes,” he said, drawing laughs from the crowd. “Now is when you really need to hold Obama’s feet to the fire, because he needs your votes and he needs your money — he won’t need them after November.”
Forget that "Blackwater guarding Obama" part for the moment. As George W Bush helpfully reminded us almost four years ago, there comes an accountability moment, one time and one time only, in each presidential cycle. It's called Election Day.
The guy who appoints Supreme Court Justices for life gets a four-year contract with no corporate board oversight (at least not when Democrats are in charge). Probably the least we ought to do, as shareholders and all, is point out his mistakes to him when he makes them. Especially since he hasn't quite earned the promotion yet.
You've had that experience if you've worked for any corporation: you've worked hard, spent long hours at the office, paid your dues, kissed the right asses, there's a slot open -- or about to open; that dumbshit is going to get fired soon enough-- but the boss makes you keep toiling away for months or even years waiting for the promotion.
Just to make sure you don't fuck it up after he promotes you. Like the last guy. You know what I'm talking about (and it ain't Dubya).
If we don't hold Obama accountable for our convictions now, do you really think Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are going to after January next year?
Honestly, this is how the Democrats could screw the pooch in 2010, or 2012 at the latest. Do you actually believe that Obama and and a veto-proof Congress are going to turn on a dime in six months and stop the wars? They're going to bring our soldiers home from Iraq, negotiate a peace with Iran, have the good fortune to be on watch when we capture Osama, free the wrongly imprisoned in Guantanemo and force Karl Rove to testify?
Then lower gasoline prices and create millions of new jobs and fix the financial markets and all else that's wrong with our economy? And the climate?
And thereby win the love of a grateful and still mostly conservative nation?
That's a big to-do list. Shit needs to be fixed, cleaned up, some bad practices need to be ceased (torture and warrantless spying on Americans and holding corporations accountable and blahblahblah). I just don't think they can get it all done. I don't think they even want to try to fix or clean up some of it. Call me crazy.
I don't know, maybe we all should just go back to watching Dancing With the Stars. Sorry I bothered ya.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Another sign
A friend in Jefferson County sends this:
"A taxpayer voting Barack Obama is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders."A number of drivers on Twin City Highway Thursday might have seen this message on the sign in front of Bob Costilow Realtors. And at least one was offended.
"They put themselves in a crossfire," said Jevyn McDowell, who passed the sign on the way to her job. "We had our primary elections and Obama came out on top. I'm an African-American, and it looks like (Bob Costilow Realtors) is comparing black folks to chickens."
Bob Costilow, company owner, said that was not what the sign meant.
"I don't agree with what Obama proposes for taxes," Costilow said. "No more. No less."
Costilow said one of the main things he finds appalling about Obama's tax plan is his stance on the capital gains tax.
"When you sell your house, under current tax laws, you do not have to pay any capital gains tax," he said. "My view is that I don't want any more taxes."
..."I saw it in an e-mail on a sign put up by a State Farm agent in Mandeville, La.," he said. "I loved it. I have gotten some calls about it, and some of them were even congratulatory in nature."
But McDowell said she feels that Costilow was intending to be offensive to the black community.
"To me, that is more offensive than that magazine cover," she said, referring to a recent issue of The New Yorker that had a drawing of Obama on the cover in a turban with an American flag burning in the fireplace, among other things. "People at any company should not be openly offensive when it comes to politics, religion or sexual preference. As a consumer, if I was needing to buy or sell a home, I would certainly not go to that realty company."
Costilow said that he is not out to offend anyone, but if they get offended, he doesn't care.
"I don't give a damn," he said. "We have free speech in this country, and if it fluffs somebody's feathers, I'm sorry. I don't agree with Obama's tax plan."
I don't know Mr. Costilow, but I know someone who does and reports that he is as big a jerk as you would gather just from reading this article.
Hope business is booming for you over there, Bob.
An interview with Gen. Time Horizon
Q.: General, recently you changed your name from "Artificial Timetable" (or Timetable for short, or Art for real short) to "Time Horizon". What gives?
G.T.H.: Well, the surge is workin', it don't look like we're goan hafta fight 'em over here instead of over there, here meanin' home, the good ol' US of A that is, and we dam shore ain't goan cut n' run.
Q.: What does that have to do with you suddenly changing your name, General?
G.T.H.: Well it don't got nuthin' ta do with that liberal socialist Hussein Obama, that's fer shore too.
Q. Mr. Obama is supposed to meet with you in Baghdad sometime this weekend, according to John McCain yesterday. Most American officials have visited Iraq without public announcement in order to avoid alerting terrorists to their arrival. Why did McCain announce his political rival's trip ahead of time to the media?
G.T.H.: Well hell, he wants to win the election. This is war and we can't let the terrists win.
Q. Obama has been in favor of a timetable for withdrawal all along. Hasn't the Bush administration, under pressure as well from Iraqi prime minister al-Maliki, simply decided to face reality?
G.T.H.: What reality you talkin' 'bout, Willis? This is an asspirational goal, to draw down troop strength in Iraq so we can send 'em to Afghanistan to get killed and maimed. And we're also goan need fresh meat for the coming battle with Iran.
Uh, forget I said that last part.
G.T.H.: Well, the surge is workin', it don't look like we're goan hafta fight 'em over here instead of over there, here meanin' home, the good ol' US of A that is, and we dam shore ain't goan cut n' run.
Q.: What does that have to do with you suddenly changing your name, General?
G.T.H.: Well it don't got nuthin' ta do with that liberal socialist Hussein Obama, that's fer shore too.
Q. Mr. Obama is supposed to meet with you in Baghdad sometime this weekend, according to John McCain yesterday. Most American officials have visited Iraq without public announcement in order to avoid alerting terrorists to their arrival. Why did McCain announce his political rival's trip ahead of time to the media?
G.T.H.: Well hell, he wants to win the election. This is war and we can't let the terrists win.
Q. Obama has been in favor of a timetable for withdrawal all along. Hasn't the Bush administration, under pressure as well from Iraqi prime minister al-Maliki, simply decided to face reality?
G.T.H.: What reality you talkin' 'bout, Willis? This is an asspirational goal, to draw down troop strength in Iraq so we can send 'em to Afghanistan to get killed and maimed. And we're also goan need fresh meat for the coming battle with Iran.
Uh, forget I said that last part.
Friday, July 18, 2008
NYT Op-ed: Israel will attack Iran
Sometime between November and January -- which presumably means with George Bush's approval and the assistance of United States military forces. So overlook, for a moment, the horror of handing off another war to President Obama, this one could very likely go nuclear:
Gee. What do you suppose that will do to gasoline prices?
Israel will almost surely attack Iran’s nuclear sites in the next four to seven months — and the leaders in Washington and even Tehran should hope that the attack will be successful enough to cause at least a significant delay in the Iranian production schedule, if not complete destruction, of that country’s nuclear program. Because if the attack fails, the Middle East will almost certainly face a nuclear war — either through a subsequent pre-emptive Israeli nuclear strike or a nuclear exchange shortly after Iran gets the bomb.
Gee. What do you suppose that will do to gasoline prices?
It's that stormy time of year again
And T.S. Cristobal has caught the attention of the best hurricane tracker around. By the middle of next week it could potentially be Category 1 or 2 and on a collision course with Texas. It's not too early to have gas in the car, a few supplies stocked in just in case you need to shelter in place, and an evac plan.
You don't want to get stuck in the world's worst traffic jam like last time, do you?
You don't want to get stuck in the world's worst traffic jam like last time, do you?
Not NN'ing
One long weekend at the hottest time of the year in Austin was enough for me.
Vince is doing duty at KXAN and has a nice Watergate-across-the-generations post up, with John Dean and Joe Jaworski photo'd together.
Karen Brooks is doing a good almost-live-blog -- here she is with the Obama Grrl -- Eileen is too, and BOR is taking the point, as usual. Last night's parties here, some aggre-posting from Phillip here. Pictures here.
The Godfather is pulling his weight as well.
Update: Non-Texans have some things to read; Todd Beeton from MyDD has Wesley Clark and Howard Dean's keynote live-blogged. Booman says it's hot.
Vince is doing duty at KXAN and has a nice Watergate-across-the-generations post up, with John Dean and Joe Jaworski photo'd together.
Karen Brooks is doing a good almost-live-blog -- here she is with the Obama Grrl -- Eileen is too, and BOR is taking the point, as usual. Last night's parties here, some aggre-posting from Phillip here. Pictures here.
The Godfather is pulling his weight as well.
Update: Non-Texans have some things to read; Todd Beeton from MyDD has Wesley Clark and Howard Dean's keynote live-blogged. Booman says it's hot.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
"A near universal lack of recall"
Must be the Ambien:
A "striking lack of recollection" by White House and military officials prevented congressional investigators from determining who was responsible for misinformation spread after the friendly fire death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman, a House committee said Monday.Although military investigators determined within days that the onetime NFL player was killed by his own troops in Afghanistan following an enemy ambush, five weeks passed before the circumstances of his death were made public. During that time, the Army claimed Tillman was killed by enemy fire.
Also:
The committee says that in their quest to find out when officials first knew about the possibility that Tillman's death was not due to enemy fire, they were "frustrated by a near universal lack of recall," according to the report.
The committee interviewed several senior White House officials including former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, communications director Dan Bartlett, former Press Secretary Scott McClellan, and chief speech writer Michael Gerson.
"Not a single one could recall when he learned about the fratricide or what he did in response," says the report.
Perhaps a large public outcry could result in their firings. Oh, right.
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers told the committee that he learned by the end of April that Tillman's death was possibly due to friendly fire, but that he could not remember whether or not he passed that information to Rumsfeld.
Members of Tillman's platoon, however, knew "almost immediately" that Tillman had been killed accidentally by fellow Rangers, according to the report. Within days of his death, Colonel Craig Nixon, a top officer in Tillman's battalion, passed on that information to the commander of the joint task force in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChyrstal, who in turn sent a message to top generals, including General John Abizaid, commander of CENTCOM. ...
"I felt that it was essential that you received this information as soon as we detected it in order to preclude any unknowing statements by our country's leaders which might cause public embarrassment if the circumstances of Corporal Tillman's death become public," McChrystal wrote on April 29th, 2004.
A deputy commander of SOCOM told the committee that as soon as McChrystal's message was received, Tillman's family should have been notified.
Yet on the same day that McChrystal sent his memo warning that officials may be making erroneous statements, Tillman was posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal for "gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States".
Damned erroneous statements. Not just Tillman, either:
The committee also examined the circumstances surrounding the misinformation that was released following the capture and rescue of Private Jessica Lynch in Iraq in 2003. Sensational media reports attributed to military officials erroneously said that Private Lynch had engaged insurgents before her capture, firing until she ran out of ammunition. But as in the Tillman investigation, the committee said that it was hampered due to a "pervasive lack of recollection" about how that misleading information got released.
This is that "fog of war" thing, isn't it?
"Asian stocks fall as confidence in U.S. financial system erodes"
That's a great headline to wake up to, now isn't it?
I suppose if I owned any Asian stocks I might be concerned, but I'm not even all that worried about my bank's 35% drop in stock price yesterday, as it prepared to report a second-quarter loss, laid off workers, and "moved to reassure investors that it was sufficiently capitalized".
I mean, whaddya gonna do? Make a run on the bank? Pull out all your money and hide it in the mattress, or bury it in the back yard?
It's all just a mental recession anyway, right? Why should I -- or anyone else -- whine about it?
Really now: don't the Republicans deserve continued stewardship of the nation's economy? They got us in this ditch, they can get us out (that's something I heard about four years ago, I believe).
Oh well, maybe we can drill ourselves out of it.
I suppose if I owned any Asian stocks I might be concerned, but I'm not even all that worried about my bank's 35% drop in stock price yesterday, as it prepared to report a second-quarter loss, laid off workers, and "moved to reassure investors that it was sufficiently capitalized".
I mean, whaddya gonna do? Make a run on the bank? Pull out all your money and hide it in the mattress, or bury it in the back yard?
It's all just a mental recession anyway, right? Why should I -- or anyone else -- whine about it?
Really now: don't the Republicans deserve continued stewardship of the nation's economy? They got us in this ditch, they can get us out (that's something I heard about four years ago, I believe).
Oh well, maybe we can drill ourselves out of it.
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Weekly Wrangle
Time for yet another edition of the Texas Progressive Alliance's weekly round-up, including the posts of some our newest members this week.
South Texas Chisme got what they were asking for: a spotlight on the Webb County Sheriff's race. BlackBox Voting's Bev Harris has asked for relevant auditable materials. CouldBeTrue can hardly wait to find out what happened.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on the "rail-rage" that's hitting Central Texas: Rail, Rail, Rail - Do It Right, Not Fast.
President Bush hasn't seen President Medvedev since his 'election' to the Russian presidency. Last week, he had his first opportunity to look into his eyes. Check out McBlogger to see what he saw.
Lightseeker at Texas Kaos tells the chilling tale of Goodhair and the Fire at the Governor's Mansion. Governor Rick Perry didn't light the match, but decisions laid at his door certainly made things a lot easier for the arsonist who did.
The Texas Cloverleaf examines T. Boone Picken's plan to save us from evil oil men and move forward with greener energy.
Texas Senators Cornfed and Bailey scored a perfect ten in synchronized flip-flopping on the Medicare bill last week, shortly after they and the rest of the Republicans exhibited mirror-image coordination on FISA. PDiddie at Brains andEggs has the details.
BlueBloggin sees Maliki making the same mistakes as King George: Iraq Hands Out Stimulus Money As US Shifts Occupation.
BossKitty worries about the consequences of revaluing human life in America:Dollar Value of American Life drops - Now What.
Vince at Capitol Annex notes that Texas Senate Democrats have taken a strong stance on calling for reform of the Texas Department of Insurance, with one senator even calling for the Insurance Commissioner to be an elected official.
MeanRachel wonders when politics became unpatriotic on July 4th.
Off the Kuff had a guest post from Rep. Pete Gallego about the HDCC and its efforts to reclaim the statehouse for the Democrats.
WhosPlayin was impressed that Ken Leach, candidate for U.S. Congress in CD 26 got good coverage in the Gainesville Register, even though his totally honest quote didn't pass the "smell" test.
jobsanger took a look at the lies being told in a McCain campaign ad.
Nat-Wu of Three Wise Men ponders whether long-suffering American Indians could actually make a difference in this presidential election.
Bay Area Houston details the record $52,000 fine by the Texas Ethics Commission against State Senator Craig Estes.
South Texas Chisme got what they were asking for: a spotlight on the Webb County Sheriff's race. BlackBox Voting's Bev Harris has asked for relevant auditable materials. CouldBeTrue can hardly wait to find out what happened.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on the "rail-rage" that's hitting Central Texas: Rail, Rail, Rail - Do It Right, Not Fast.
President Bush hasn't seen President Medvedev since his 'election' to the Russian presidency. Last week, he had his first opportunity to look into his eyes. Check out McBlogger to see what he saw.
Lightseeker at Texas Kaos tells the chilling tale of Goodhair and the Fire at the Governor's Mansion. Governor Rick Perry didn't light the match, but decisions laid at his door certainly made things a lot easier for the arsonist who did.
The Texas Cloverleaf examines T. Boone Picken's plan to save us from evil oil men and move forward with greener energy.
Texas Senators Cornfed and Bailey scored a perfect ten in synchronized flip-flopping on the Medicare bill last week, shortly after they and the rest of the Republicans exhibited mirror-image coordination on FISA. PDiddie at Brains andEggs has the details.
BlueBloggin sees Maliki making the same mistakes as King George: Iraq Hands Out Stimulus Money As US Shifts Occupation.
BossKitty worries about the consequences of revaluing human life in America:Dollar Value of American Life drops - Now What.
Vince at Capitol Annex notes that Texas Senate Democrats have taken a strong stance on calling for reform of the Texas Department of Insurance, with one senator even calling for the Insurance Commissioner to be an elected official.
MeanRachel wonders when politics became unpatriotic on July 4th.
Off the Kuff had a guest post from Rep. Pete Gallego about the HDCC and its efforts to reclaim the statehouse for the Democrats.
WhosPlayin was impressed that Ken Leach, candidate for U.S. Congress in CD 26 got good coverage in the Gainesville Register, even though his totally honest quote didn't pass the "smell" test.
jobsanger took a look at the lies being told in a McCain campaign ad.
Nat-Wu of Three Wise Men ponders whether long-suffering American Indians could actually make a difference in this presidential election.
Bay Area Houston details the record $52,000 fine by the Texas Ethics Commission against State Senator Craig Estes.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
289-196-53
To demonstrate what an uphill task poor John McLame has to win the presidency, this week I moved into the undecided column all states where the polling indicates either a tie (Missouri, North Dakota) or a slim one-point lead for either candidate (Alaska, Indiana, Ohio, and Nevada).
If McSame managed to win them all he would still lose.
<p><strong>><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/campaign08/electoral-college/">Electoral College Prediction Map</a></strong> - Predict the winner of the general election. Use the map to experiment with winning combinations of states. Save your prediction and send it to friends.</p>
We'll get back to reality -- an Obama total in the EV of 300+ -- next week.
If McSame managed to win them all he would still lose.
We'll get back to reality -- an Obama total in the EV of 300+ -- next week.
DeBakey, Snow, Murcer
They went in threes yesterday:
Dr. Michael DeBakey, the world's pre-eminent cardiologist, at 99 of natural causes (though did undergo one of his own procedures a few years ago).
Tony Snow, former White House press secretary, at 43 of colon cancer.
And Bobby Murcer, New York Yankees center fielder and broadcaster, at 62 of brain cancer.
Dr. Michael DeBakey, the world's pre-eminent cardiologist, at 99 of natural causes (though did undergo one of his own procedures a few years ago).
"As I studied the charts, it occurred to me that no face on them was any more important in the history of medicine than DeBakey himself,'' said (Dr. Sherwin) Nuland, a retired surgeon at the Yale University School of Medicine and author of Doctors: The Biography of Medicine. "I can't think of anyone who's made more of a contribution to the field of medicine.''
Chancellor emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine and a surgeon at Methodist since 1949, DeBakey trained thousands of surgeons. During his career, he estimated he performed more than 60,000 operations. His patients included the famous — Russian President Boris Yeltsin and movie actress Marlene Dietrich among them — and the uncelebrated."He was a great contributor to medicine and surgery," said Dr. Denton Cooley, president and surgeon-in-chief at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston and a former rival of DeBakey.
"But he left a real legacy in the Texas Medical Center and at Baylor College of Medicine, where he's brought so much attention," Cooley said. "Together, we were able to establish Houston as a world leader in cardiovascular medicine."
Tony Snow, former White House press secretary, at 43 of colon cancer.
Snow resigned as Bush's chief spokesman last September, citing not his health but a need to earn more than the $168,000 a year he was paid in the government post. In April, he joined CNN as a commentator. ...As press secretary, Snow brought partisan zeal and the skills of a seasoned performer to the task of explaining and defending the president's policies. During daily briefings, he challenged reporters, scolded them and questioned their motives as if he were starring in a TV show broadcast live from the West Wing.
Critics suggested that Snow was turning the traditionally informational daily briefing into a personality-driven media event short on facts and long on confrontation. He was the first press secretary, by his own accounting, to travel the country raising money for Republican candidates.
Although a star in conservative politics, as a commentator he had not always been on the president's side. He once called Bush "something of an embarrassment" in conservative circles and criticized what he called Bush's "lackluster" domestic policy.
And Bobby Murcer, New York Yankees center fielder and broadcaster, at 62 of brain cancer.
When he made his Yankee debut in September 1965 as a teenage shortstop, Murcer evoked images in the press of a young Mantle. Murcer batted left-handed while Mantle was a switch-hitter, but both were Oklahomans, both had been signed by the Yankee scout Tom Greenwade, both possessed speed on the bases, and both had played at shortstop in the minor leagues. ...Murcer eventually succeeded Mantle, his boyhood hero, in center field. He never approached a Hall of Fame career, but he proved an outstanding hitter and a fine fielder in his 17 major league seasons.
Murcer moved to the Yankee broadcast booth, as a commentator, the night of June 20, 1983, hours after George Steinbrenner, the Yankees’ principal owner, offered him the job during his second stint with the Yankees, when he was playing infrequently. He teamed at the outset with Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer and Bill White and remained a Yankee broadcaster most of the time after that until his death.Murcer recalled how he mangled syntax and offered a few baseball clichés as he learned his craft and how “one critic sniffed that my Oklahoma accent sounded a bit incongruous.” But, as he put it, “I’d spent almost four decades perfecting that accent, and I sure wasn’t going to change now.”
RIP, gentlemen.
John McCain's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week
During just this past seven days, McCain described Social Security as "a disgrace", his top economic adviser, Phil Gramm, called the American people "a nation of whiners", he released an economic plan that no one thought was serious, he flip-flopped on Iraq, joked about killing Iranians with tobacco products, and denied making comments that he clearly made -- TWICE. He capped it off on Friday by fudging details about an incident during his captivity as a Vietnamese POW, contradicting what he claimed in his memoirs.
Yet watching and reading the mainstream media you would think he skated through all of that. At least Jesse Jackson didn't say anything about him, after all.
Let's unpack McCain's lousy week in greater detail:
1. McCain unambiguously called Social Security "an absolute disgrace." This is not a quote taken out of context. This is shocking -- and if it had been uttered from Obama's mouth would have dominated the news coverage and the Sunday talking heads, as pundits would speculate about the massive damage the statement would cause him among seniors in Florida.
2. McCain's top economic policy adviser called Americans a bunch of "whiners" for being worried about the slumping economy. Words cannot fully explain how devastating this statement should be from Phil Gramm. But it's also what the candidate believes as well; that our economic problems are psychological.
3. Iraqi leaders call for a timetable for U.S. withdrawal, McCain gets caught in a bizarre denial and flip flop. The Iraqis now want us to begin planning our withdrawal -- so what does McCain say? First, he refuses to accept Maliki's statement as being true. Then he concedes that it was an accurate statement, but was probably just a political ploy to curry favor with his own people and WOULD NOT influence his determination to keep US troops in Iraq indefinitely. Yet McCain in 2004 at the Council on Foreign Relations said that if the Iraqis asked us to leave, we would have to go. No matter what. But that was apparently a younger and less experienced John McCain.
4. McCain's economic plan to cut the deficit has no details and is simply not believable. There are so many things here. McCain pledges he would eliminate the deficit by the end of his first term (the campaign latter flip-flop-flipped about whether it was four years or eight years), but does not provide any details about how he would do it. Economists on both sides of the political aisle said that this was simply credible, especially given McCain's other proposals to a) cut individual and corporate taxes even further, b) extend the Bush tax cuts, c) massively increase defense spending on manpower -- 200,000 more troops; and d) maintain a long-term sizable military presence in Iraq.
5. McCain's deficit plan includes bringing the troops home, and that represents his greatest Iraq flip-flop to date. Speaking of the long-term military presence, a story that has gotten absolutely no attention is that McCain now believes the war will be over soon. The economic forecasts made by his crack team of economists predict that there will be significant savings during McCain's first term because we will have achieved "victory" in Iraq and Afghanistan. The savings from victory (ie the savings from not having our troops there) will then be used to pay down the deficit. The only way this could have any impact on the deficit in McCain's first time is if troop withdrawals start very soon. So McCain believes victory is in our grasp and we can remove soldiers from Iraq right away.
That doesn't sound much different from Obama's plan, does it?
6. McCain campaign misled about economists support. In the press release the McCain campaign issued to tout its Jobs for America economic plan -- that would balance the budget in 4 years -- it included the signatures of more than 300 economists who, the campaign claimed, supported the plan. Only problem is that the economists were actually asked to sign up to SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. Um, hello?
7. McCain makes a joke about killing Iranians with cigarettes. There's that Straight Talking Maverick we've been looking for. According to the AP this was just a humanizing moment between candidate and spouse.
9). McCain distorts his record on veterans benefits in response to a question from a Vietnam veteran, who then proceeds to call McCain out on it.
There's video of this one:
10.) McCain demonstrates he knows nothing about Afghanistan and Pakistan. McCain said "I think if there is some good news, I think that there is a glimmer of improving relationship between Karzai and the Pakistanis." Pat Barry notes how crazy this comment is..."Just what "glimmer" is McCain talking about?? Maybe he's referring to President Karzai's remarks last month, which threatened military action in Pakistan if cross-border attacks persisted? Or maybe McCain is talking about Afghanistan's allegations that Pakistan's ISI was involved in a recent assassination attempt on Karzai? Maybe in McCain's world you could call that a silver-lining, but in realityland I'd call it something else."
11.) To wrap up the worst imaginable week ever in any presidential campaign, McCain misquoted himself by describing an incident during his POW captivity in Vietnam, substituting the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Green Bay Packers in the anecdote regarding the names of his squadron-mates. Of course McCain was speaking to a Pennsylvania television reporter at the time, so I'm sure it was an honest pander.
This morning expect these incidents above to get short shrift from pundit after pundit, because after all Jesse Jackson said he wanted to cut Obama's nuts off.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Synchronized flip-floppery
Yesterday our illustrious Texas Senators Cornfed and Bailey scored a perfect ten on a twin reverse-three-and-one-half forward tuck on the Medicare bill, (which immediately followed their mirror image conga-line on FISA). Let's excerpt liberally from the mighty BooMan:
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As CQPolitics explains, the Democrats were not the only party to show a shameful degree of fear-based voting yesterday in the Senate. Last month the Democrats failed in an effort to pass this year's Medicare bill when they fell one vote short of the needed sixty votes to invoke cloture. The only reason the Democrats did not have 60 votes was because Teddy Kennedy was in treatment for his cancer. No Republican was willing to acknowledge this and toss their vote to Kennedy out of respect for his years of service and his commitment to health care. It was shameful, and I said so at the time.
The Democrats reintroduced the bill yesterday and the Republicans assumed that they still had the votes to block cloture. They introduced ridiculous amendments and demanded the Democrats cave in because they knew they couldn't pass their version. But then Kennedy suddenly and unexpectedly appeared on the Senate floor. All Senators, from both parties, erupted in applause at the sight of an upright and walking Teddy Kennedy. They gave him a two-minute standing ovation.
3. Barack Obama voted for cloture on FISA. Which killed the possibility of a Dodd filibuster (it needed 41 votes and got 26). Which says, "Let's get this show on the road so I can get back out on the campaign trail".
I expect a lot more leadership than that out of my presidential candidate, especially when it comes down to defending his oath of office as well as the 4th Amendment itself.
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As CQPolitics explains, the Democrats were not the only party to show a shameful degree of fear-based voting yesterday in the Senate. Last month the Democrats failed in an effort to pass this year's Medicare bill when they fell one vote short of the needed sixty votes to invoke cloture. The only reason the Democrats did not have 60 votes was because Teddy Kennedy was in treatment for his cancer. No Republican was willing to acknowledge this and toss their vote to Kennedy out of respect for his years of service and his commitment to health care. It was shameful, and I said so at the time.
The Democrats reintroduced the bill yesterday and the Republicans assumed that they still had the votes to block cloture. They introduced ridiculous amendments and demanded the Democrats cave in because they knew they couldn't pass their version. But then Kennedy suddenly and unexpectedly appeared on the Senate floor. All Senators, from both parties, erupted in applause at the sight of an upright and walking Teddy Kennedy. They gave him a two-minute standing ovation.
Kennedy, 76, entered the chamber midway through the roll call vote. With an arm around his shoulder was presumed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama of Illinois. As they walked through the door, stunned fellow senators, aides and gallery watchers broke into raucous applause.With the cheers still cascading, Charles E. Schumer , D-N.Y., walked to the center of the aisle and blew a kiss at the Republican side, grinning.
Sen. Schumer blew them a kiss because he knew that the Democrats now had the needed 60 votes to invoke cloture and pass the Medicare bill. And then a funny thing happened.
And this time around, Republicans fled the president once it became obvious that Kennedy’s vote would give supporters of the bill the 60 votes needed to advance it.Nine Republicans who had voted against the bill on June 26 switched to vote in favor of the Medicare measure.
Here are some typical explanations for the flip-flop:
“We’ve had a very dramatic moment in the room here,” said Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. “I voted for the bill. It’s not the way I would have written it,” she added.Even as he criticized the bill, John Cornyn , R-Texas, explained his vote for it. “It reversed the cut. That’s the commitment I made to the physicians in my state,” he said.
Cornyn is referring to the portion of the bill that will prevent a dramatic cut in doctors' compensation. In opposing the bill, he was reneging on a promise he had made the physicians' groups to prevent the cut. In supporting the bill, he sought to take credit for keeping his promise. Hutchison's explanation was more honest, but not honest enough. Both Texas senators were more than willing to kill the bill, but they were not prepared to be on the record as opposing it if it passed. This is the exact kind of behavior that has many Democrats seething at Barack Obama. This 'against it before I was for it' voting strategy doesn't inspire any confidence or respect from voters. It is not an example of moderation. It's a matter of fear.
The Republicans are discovering that very few seats are safe. Ideally this would lead the Democrats to press their advantage and repeatedly probe for weaknesses and ways to crack Republican unity. On the Medicare bill, they found a fissure in Republican resolve. But on many other issues, the Democrats are afraid to rock a boat that seems to sailing with so much wind at its back. FISA was a case in point. The Republicans have tried unsuccessfully in several special elections to turn the Democrats' respect for civil liberties into a weakness against terrorism. But, even though they haven't won any elections using this strategy, they did succeed in making a rump of Democrats afraid that opposing FISA would lead to damaging 30-second spots. It's the same reason that John Cornyn caved on Medicare and it comes down to this ...
It's easy to say in a 30-second spot that John Cornyn voted against the Medicare bill and broke his promise to doctors. But it takes too much time to explain that John Cornyn only kept his promise when it became clear the bill would pass without his support. Cornyn flipped to add ten seconds of explanation to a 30-second ad. It's as simple as that. That's what politics has come to in this country. Sometimes it is even worse. Politicians will make bad votes in an effort to prevent an opponent from distorting their record. I'm sorry, but if you distort your votes to prevent someone from distorting your record, you are doing their job for them. There was a lot of shame to go around in the Senate yesterday.
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Three things, tangentially related:
1. Corndog is scrambling, because he is really scared he's going to lose to Rick Noriega.
2. Rick Noriega had the right thing to say on FISA:
"Many times throughout my lifetime I have sworn an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. This isn't a part-time Constitution. We as a nation cannot grant anyone sweeping amnesty if they break the rules. It's appalling that my opponent, John Cornyn, puts his special interest campaign contributors ahead of the Constitution. Texanshave had enough.
Americans will not accept an abuse of power, and they will not accept corporations getting away with breaking the law.
We already have a law in place that balances national security concerns while adhering to the Constitution. This is not the time to compromise the privacy of the American people and not the time to disregard the Constitution of United States. I regret that the Senate has voted this way."
3. Barack Obama voted for cloture on FISA. Which killed the possibility of a Dodd filibuster (it needed 41 votes and got 26). Which says, "Let's get this show on the road so I can get back out on the campaign trail".
I expect a lot more leadership than that out of my presidential candidate, especially when it comes down to defending his oath of office as well as the 4th Amendment itself.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
RIP Fourth Amendment. Capitulation Accomplished.
- Dodd Amendment (to strike immunity) fails, 32-66. Those voting in favor included Biden, Boxer, Clinton, Kerry, Obama, Tester and the leaders of this effort, Dodd and Feingold and Leahy. No Republicans, of course. The disturbing part? Democrats voting against included Bayh, Carper, Conrad, Feinstein, Inouye, Johnson, Kohl, Landrieu, Lincoln, McCaskill, Mikulski, both Nelsons, Pryor, Rockefeller, Salazar, and Webb. The two missing votes belonged to Kennedy and McCain.
- Specter Amendment (allows broader court review) also fails, 37-61. The five Senators who switched to the good side here include Conrad, Kohl, McCaskill, Webb and Arlen Specter, the lone R.
- Bingaman Amendment (delays immunity until completion of the IG report) also fails, 42-56. The five additional lame defenders of the Constitution and their oath of office are Feinstein, Johnson, Lincoln, Mikulski, Nelson of Florida, and Salazar.
- Motion to Invoke Cloture on H.R. 6304 (ends debate, eliminated the possibility of a filbuster by Dodd) passes 72-26. This number portends the final tally on the bill itself.
- H.R. 6304, the FISA amendments act of 2008, passes 69-28. Those voting no -- the last-gasp defenders of a citizens' right against unreasonable search and seizure -- are, in alphabetical order: Daniel Akaka of Alaska, Joe Biden, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Barbara Boxer, Sherrod Brown, Robert Byrd, Maria Cantwell, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, Bryan Dorgan, Dick Durbin, Russ Feingold, Tom Harkin, John Kerry, Amy Klobuchar, Frank Lautenberg, Pat Leahy, Carl Levin, Bob Menendez, Patty Murray, Jack Reed, Harry Reid, Bernie Sanders, Chuck Schumer, Debbie Stabenow, Jon Tester, and Ron Wyden. If their name isn't on that list, they are no better than a Republican. I'm looking at you, Barack Obama.
This action today by the Congress signals not just forgiveness of what the telecoms did, but also the felony committed by the President of the United States. As for the legislation, the ACLU will challenge its constitutionality the minute it is signed into law:
"This fight is not over. We intend to challenge this bill as soon as President Bush signs it into law," said Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project, in a statement. "The bill allows the warrantless and dragnet surveillance of Americans’ international telephone and email communications. It plainly violates the Fourth Amendment."
On to the Supreme Court eventually, during an Obama administration (and perhaps with a different combination of Justices than the current).
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Contemplating the 5-0
Fifty years and about three hours ago your intrepid reporter entered this realm (I've always been an early riser).
Around 5 a.m. at the St. Therese Hospital in Beaumont, Texas; seven pounds five ounces; a thick shock of wavy black hair, delivered by Dr. Lamar Bevill (I would meet him twenty years later at Lamar University as an undergraduate; he was serving the campus as the medical center's physician).
Herewith an executive summary of my life by decades in approximate:
-- In the summer of '69 I was a Tenderfoot at summer camp in the Boy Scouts of America. It was my first time away from home overnight (beyond the kiddie sleepovers, of course).
-- 1978, age 20: Completing my third year in the college of business at Pecker Tech. Had just moved into Morris Hall and pledged Delta Sigma Pi.
-- 1988, age 30: Two years newlywed as well as advertising director for the Plainview Daily Herald, had a nice party with all of the requisite black and death-themed motifs at one of the finest lounges in town, Reflections at the Conestoga Inn.
-- 1998, age 40: Had just returned from a week-long Alaskan cruise and was fired from my position as financial services manager for Gillman Mitsubishi in Houston (the old Bellaire location that's now a large green field). My old boss -- he was fired shortly thereafter -- was unaware it was my birthday, so I'm guessing he might've waited a day had he known. Anybody who's ever been canned after coming back from vacation knows that they're about to get it anyway.
-- 1998, age 40: Was set to begin at the spanking-new Lexus of Clear Lake as financial services manager, my last job in the car business and in fact my last job ever working for someone besides myself.
-- And here we are today. All I really want for my birthday, in case you were wondering what to get me, is better health and much better government. The United States Senate is poised, unfortunately, to deliver some bad news about the Fourth Amendment.
I'm not going to lie and tell you that the FISA bill (containing retroactive immunity for the telecommunications companies for warrantless wiretapping on Americans) isn't going to pass today. I can't see the Senate Democrats mustering more than twenty votes to block it, to strip immunity, or to pass any amendments.
But that doesn't mean that you won't feel better about it if you call your senators between now and when the vote goes down. You can use this tool to clear your conscience.
As Glenn Greenwald notes:
I'm going to give Barack Obama holy hell about it here, but it's a mistake to blame Obama mostly for it without placing equal blame on the other 99 senators (and the House, for that matter).
Take a moment to go on the record. You'll feel better.
Update: Greenwald, at Salon, reports that the vote will be not today but tomorrow ...
That is without a doubt the best thing that nasty evil bastard ever did.
Around 5 a.m. at the St. Therese Hospital in Beaumont, Texas; seven pounds five ounces; a thick shock of wavy black hair, delivered by Dr. Lamar Bevill (I would meet him twenty years later at Lamar University as an undergraduate; he was serving the campus as the medical center's physician).
Herewith an executive summary of my life by decades in approximate:
-- In the summer of '69 I was a Tenderfoot at summer camp in the Boy Scouts of America. It was my first time away from home overnight (beyond the kiddie sleepovers, of course).
-- 1978, age 20: Completing my third year in the college of business at Pecker Tech. Had just moved into Morris Hall and pledged Delta Sigma Pi.
-- 1988, age 30: Two years newlywed as well as advertising director for the Plainview Daily Herald, had a nice party with all of the requisite black and death-themed motifs at one of the finest lounges in town, Reflections at the Conestoga Inn.
-- 1998, age 40: Had just returned from a week-long Alaskan cruise and was fired from my position as financial services manager for Gillman Mitsubishi in Houston (the old Bellaire location that's now a large green field). My old boss -- he was fired shortly thereafter -- was unaware it was my birthday, so I'm guessing he might've waited a day had he known. Anybody who's ever been canned after coming back from vacation knows that they're about to get it anyway.
-- 1998, age 40: Was set to begin at the spanking-new Lexus of Clear Lake as financial services manager, my last job in the car business and in fact my last job ever working for someone besides myself.
-- And here we are today. All I really want for my birthday, in case you were wondering what to get me, is better health and much better government. The United States Senate is poised, unfortunately, to deliver some bad news about the Fourth Amendment.
I'm not going to lie and tell you that the FISA bill (containing retroactive immunity for the telecommunications companies for warrantless wiretapping on Americans) isn't going to pass today. I can't see the Senate Democrats mustering more than twenty votes to block it, to strip immunity, or to pass any amendments.
But that doesn't mean that you won't feel better about it if you call your senators between now and when the vote goes down. You can use this tool to clear your conscience.
As Glenn Greenwald notes:
What all of this is really about — the reason why political elites like Nancy Soderberg are so eager to defend it — is because they really do believe that lawbreaking isn’t wrong, that it doesn’t deserve punishment, when engaged in by them rather than by commoners. People who defend telecom immunity or who say that it’s not a big deal are, by logical necessity, adopting this view: “Our highest political officials and largest corporations shouldn’t face consequences when they break our laws as long as they claim it was for our own good.” That’s the destructive premise that lies at the heart of this deeply corrupt measure, the reason it matters so much. Just like the pardon of Nixon, the protection of Iran-contra criminals, and the commutation of Lewis Libby’s sentence, this bill is yet another step in cementing a two-tiered system of justice in America where our highest political officials and connected elite can break our laws with impunity. ...
Our Congress, with the political and media elite cheering, is about to violate every one of these principles. They are taking away from the judiciary the power to adjudicate allegations of lawbreaking. They are creating a two-tiered system of justice in which our most powerful corporations can break the law with impunity and government officials remain immune from consequences. And they are, in unity, spewing rank propaganda to the commoners — who continue to be subjected to the harsh punishment for violations of the law and one of the world’s most merciless justice systems — in order to convince them that granting license to our political and corporate elites to break the law is necessary for their own Good and for their Safety.
I'm going to give Barack Obama holy hell about it here, but it's a mistake to blame Obama mostly for it without placing equal blame on the other 99 senators (and the House, for that matter).
Take a moment to go on the record. You'll feel better.
Update: Greenwald, at Salon, reports that the vote will be not today but tomorrow ...
The votes in the Senate on various amendments to the FISA "compromise" bill and to the underlying bill itself were originally scheduled for today, but have been postponed until tomorrow (Wednesday, July 9) to enable Senators to attend the funeral of Jesse Helms.
That is without a doubt the best thing that nasty evil bastard ever did.
Monday, July 07, 2008
The Weekly Wrangle
Time for another edition of the Texas Progressive Alliance's Weekly Round-Up, composed each week of submissions by TPA member bloggers, and compiled by Vince from Capitol Annex.
According to PDiddie at Brains and Eggs, if Chris Bell -- in his current inclination toward making a run for the Texas Senate in District 17 -- were to stand next to Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa, it would appear to be at a 90-degree angle compared to him.
It was a week for new contributors at WhosPlayin. Kit asks a million tough questions about America's interventionism and the illusion of national security, and txdemjen expresses the frustration a lot of us have with Obama's sudden right-ward bend.
CouldBeTrue from South Texas Chisme is appalled that special prosecutor Terry McDonald gives former sheriff Michale Ratcliff a sweet plea deal for the sexual assault of a minor supposedly under his protection.
Bay Area Houston says Governor Perry is calling for an investigation into the insurance industry.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News now sees his Pasadena neighbor Joe Horn saying he is no hero. Will he be subject to the same attacks those who have been saying that all along have experienced? Gary has been on vacation, mostly, but remains ticked off over the stupid.
Lovelie99 at McBlogger takes some time out of her busy schedule to inform us about the plight of supermodels. Apparently, there is a shortage of H-1B work visas since far too many math nerds are being imported to, you know, make stuff and program computers and stuff. And make other stuff, such as cellphones, such as. Which means there are too few supermodels who are allowed to work in the US. Well, at least the kind who are emaciated, gaunt and angular. We at McBlogger wondered if possibly there are math nerds who could do double duty. Then we laughed and laughed and laughed.
The Texas Cloverleaf wonders which is the better place to live... Collin County or New Jersey?. Forbes has the answer.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts the latest toll scam we'll be paying for soon: Going "Cashless" Will Cost Us All.
Off the Kuff notes a recent CNN presidential poll and says it's not a dead heat if someone is leading.
Last week was a great one for evolutionary biology, but sucked if you happen to be a Conservapedia believer. Over at Texas Kaos Boadicea shares the tale of a Conservapedia Ignoramous Schooled by Evolutionary Biologist, and then discovered a sequel in which Lenski Meets the Naked Scientists.
refinish69 ponders the American Dream on the 4th of July at Doing My Part For The Left.
North Texas Liberal reports on Kim Brimer's cowardly move to keep worthy opponent Wendy Davis off the ballot in Fort Worth's SD-10.
Vince at Capitol Annex tells us about state Rep. Warren Chisum's announcement that he'll be trying again to pass legislation creating a two-year waiting period before couples can divorce.
According to PDiddie at Brains and Eggs, if Chris Bell -- in his current inclination toward making a run for the Texas Senate in District 17 -- were to stand next to Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa, it would appear to be at a 90-degree angle compared to him.
It was a week for new contributors at WhosPlayin. Kit asks a million tough questions about America's interventionism and the illusion of national security, and txdemjen expresses the frustration a lot of us have with Obama's sudden right-ward bend.
CouldBeTrue from South Texas Chisme is appalled that special prosecutor Terry McDonald gives former sheriff Michale Ratcliff a sweet plea deal for the sexual assault of a minor supposedly under his protection.
Bay Area Houston says Governor Perry is calling for an investigation into the insurance industry.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News now sees his Pasadena neighbor Joe Horn saying he is no hero. Will he be subject to the same attacks those who have been saying that all along have experienced? Gary has been on vacation, mostly, but remains ticked off over the stupid.
Lovelie99 at McBlogger takes some time out of her busy schedule to inform us about the plight of supermodels. Apparently, there is a shortage of H-1B work visas since far too many math nerds are being imported to, you know, make stuff and program computers and stuff. And make other stuff, such as cellphones, such as. Which means there are too few supermodels who are allowed to work in the US. Well, at least the kind who are emaciated, gaunt and angular. We at McBlogger wondered if possibly there are math nerds who could do double duty. Then we laughed and laughed and laughed.
The Texas Cloverleaf wonders which is the better place to live... Collin County or New Jersey?. Forbes has the answer.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts the latest toll scam we'll be paying for soon: Going "Cashless" Will Cost Us All.
Off the Kuff notes a recent CNN presidential poll and says it's not a dead heat if someone is leading.
Last week was a great one for evolutionary biology, but sucked if you happen to be a Conservapedia believer. Over at Texas Kaos Boadicea shares the tale of a Conservapedia Ignoramous Schooled by Evolutionary Biologist, and then discovered a sequel in which Lenski Meets the Naked Scientists.
refinish69 ponders the American Dream on the 4th of July at Doing My Part For The Left.
North Texas Liberal reports on Kim Brimer's cowardly move to keep worthy opponent Wendy Davis off the ballot in Fort Worth's SD-10.
Vince at Capitol Annex tells us about state Rep. Warren Chisum's announcement that he'll be trying again to pass legislation creating a two-year waiting period before couples can divorce.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Montana turns blue
Let's move Florida and Georgia and Missouri back into The Maveprick's column -- the Barr effect is yet to really show up there -- and let's hold off on Indiana for Obama for the time being.
But the Big Sky is turning blue. I give you The Votemaster (with the requisite cautionaries) ...
Happy Independence day, everyone! Flags as big as baseball fields are all the rage these days. And if you are more into auditory than visual celebrations, how about having someone read the Declaration of Independence out loud? It takes only 6 minutes.Of course the 438,000 people who lost their jobs this year (including 62,000 announced yesterday) may not be so happy. People who own stocks may also not be so happy with the current bear market (the Dow is off 21% from its recent high). And people whose house was foreclosed may not be so happy, either. All this bad economic news is going to make the Republicans unhappy as the economy is overshadowing everything else as the key election issue and poll after poll shows that the voters prefer the Democrats on the economy. Barack Obama has a built-in advantage here because Democrats believe the government should do something. Republicans believe that leaving matters to the free market is a better approach than having government bureaucrats run the economy, even if it means short-term pain for some people. But it is a tough sell to tell an unemployed steel worker in Ohio that soon there will be a lot of jobs for multimedia specialists in California.
We have four polls today, two of them surprising. Rasmussen has Obama ahead in Montana by 5%. That seems very questionable. Let's wait for a few more before jumping to the conclusion that Montana is competitive in the presidential race (although both senators, Jon Tester and Max Baucus, are Democrats and so is Gov. Brian Schweitzer). The other surprising poll is in Georgia where McCain leads Obama by a mere 2%. Again, even with Bob Barr in the race (polling at 4%), this may not last. But if Obama can register vast numbers of blacks and young people, he could at least make Georgia competitive.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Bell leans toward Senate run
Italy's Tower of Pisa stands straight up by comparison. Alan Bernstein, honing the snark:
Officially, Democrat and former Houston congressman Chris Bell is considering running for the seat in the state Senate vacated by Republican Kyle Janek. Bell, the Democratic candidate for governor in 2006, even acknowledges that he is leaning toward running in the District 17 race.But, with Bell's permission, a current lawmaker and a former lawmaker already have scheduled a July 24 fund-raising event for Bell's candidacy and that of Joe Jaworski, who is running for state Senate in an adjacent district.
State Rep. Craig Eiland of Galveston and former state Sen. Lloyd Criss are helping together the Galveston Yacht Club event (.pdf).
As leanings go, this one's pretty sharp.
Bell said today that he approved the preparations in case he runs. And, he will make his decision public by four days before the fund-raising event. Guess what he'll say!
The district runs from southwest Houston to the Beaumont area to Key West and Cuba. Well, not that far, but the strangely shaped boundaries do go from Braes Bayou to the eastern edge of the state (.pdf).
News we've been eagerly anticipating for some time now. With Joe Jaworski and Wendy Davis and Chris Bell in the Texas Senate, we go a long way toward reversing the red tide in Texas.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Extremism in the defense of liberty
" ... is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."
-- Barry Goldwater, the nation's last respectable conservative (apparently)
(Thanks to Dallas Sidebar)
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Patriot primer
Read Christopher Hitchen's account of getting waterboarded. Watch the video of the "exercise". Spoiler alert: he didn't like it. Thinks it's torture.
Then there's the New York Times' account of how Gitmo interrogators inadvertently adopted Chinese-Korean War-era interrogation methods (once upon a time referred to as "torture" and "brainwashing") that are proven -- like waterboarding -- to produce false confessions. Oops.
Almost as informative: how large GOP donors can influence policy in Texas in a New York minute, or give to both John McCain and to Latin-American death squads. Now that's as All-American as Ollie North and Ronald Reagan.
The tug-of-war going on between my friends and associates in the progressive community revolves around a couple of whip counts worth pondering over the long holiday: how many of us think that things are so bad that the best course of action is to let them get much, much worse so that "things come to a head" and we don't delude ourselves into thinking that our country can get by with incremental changes ...
... and how many of us think things are so bad that the best thing to do is to work as hard as we can to get Barack Obama elected, and likewise elect Democrats in sweeping victories in both houses in Washington, in Austin, and in Harris County so that we can emphatically reject Republican rule and get started ASAP in a better direction.
Or some half-measure of the above (the centrists, in other words).
Personally, I'm still deciding.
Then there's the New York Times' account of how Gitmo interrogators inadvertently adopted Chinese-Korean War-era interrogation methods (once upon a time referred to as "torture" and "brainwashing") that are proven -- like waterboarding -- to produce false confessions. Oops.
Almost as informative: how large GOP donors can influence policy in Texas in a New York minute, or give to both John McCain and to Latin-American death squads. Now that's as All-American as Ollie North and Ronald Reagan.
The tug-of-war going on between my friends and associates in the progressive community revolves around a couple of whip counts worth pondering over the long holiday: how many of us think that things are so bad that the best course of action is to let them get much, much worse so that "things come to a head" and we don't delude ourselves into thinking that our country can get by with incremental changes ...
... and how many of us think things are so bad that the best thing to do is to work as hard as we can to get Barack Obama elected, and likewise elect Democrats in sweeping victories in both houses in Washington, in Austin, and in Harris County so that we can emphatically reject Republican rule and get started ASAP in a better direction.
Or some half-measure of the above (the centrists, in other words).
Personally, I'm still deciding.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Why don't we celebrate the 4th on the 2nd?
John Adams predicted in a letter to his wife Abigail that Americans would celebrate their Independence Day on July 2. Off by two days -- not too bad for government work.
On July 2, 1776, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, signed only by Charles Thompson (the secretary of Congress) and John Hancock (the presiding officer). Two days later Congress approved the revised version and ordered it to be printed and distributed to the states and military officers. The other signatures would have to wait.
Many actually viewed the Declaration of Independence as a yawner -- a rehashing of arguments already made against the British government. John Adams would later describe the Declaration as "dress and ornament rather than Body, Soul, or Substance." The exception was the last paragraph that said the united colonies "are and of Right ought to be Free and Independent states" and were "Absolved of all Allegiance to the British Crown."
For Adams, it was the momentum towards achieving American independence initiated on July 2 that future generations would consider worth celebrating, not the approval of this document on July 4.
Interestingly, the pomp and circumstance that many Americans presume took place on July 4, 1776, actually occurred days to weeks afterwards.
The Philadelphia Evening Post published the Declaration's full text in its July 6 newspaper. And the Declaration of Independence was publicly read from the State House in Philadelphia on July 8. Later that day, it was read in Easton, PA, Trenton, NJ, and to the local embryonic militia to provide much-needed inspiration against the formidable British.
The shouting and firing of muskets that followed these first public readings represent America's first celebrations of independence.
As copies spread, the Declaration of Independence would be read at town meetings and religious services. In response, Americans lit bonfires, fired guns, rang bells, and removed symbols of the British monarchy.
The following year, no member of Congress thought about commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence until July 3 -- one day too late. So the first organized elaborate celebration of independence occurred the following day: July 4, 1777, in Philadelphia. Ships in the harbor were decked in the nation's colors. Cannons rained 13-gun salutes in honor of each state. And parades and fireworks spiced up the festivities.
Fireworks did not become staples of July 4 celebrations until after 1816, when Americans began producing their own pyrotechnics and no longer relied on expensive fireworks from across the pond.
Since 1777, the tradition of celebrating America's independence on July 4 has continued.
More of these leading up to Independence Day ...
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Olbermann on Obama/FISA
I snipped a bunch so it's best to just go read the whole thing. Maybe more than once (I had to, in order to fully get it):
Update: via Socratic Gadfly (who is similarly unimpressed), the legal POV from bmaz at emptytwheel is that we are still hosed:
The Democratic leadership in the Senate, Republican knuckle-dragging in the same chamber, and the mediocre skills of whoever wrote the final version of the FISA bill, have combined to give Senator Barack Obama a second chance to make a first impression.And he damned well better take it. ...
Frankly, Senator, this political tight-rope act you’ve tried on FISA the last two weeks, which from the outside seems to have been intended to increase the chances of your election, probably hasn’t helped that chance in the slightest.There is, fortunately, a possible — a most unexpected — solution.
Your second second chance.
Since the final version of the FISA bill was passed down from on high, John Dean has been reading it, and re-reading it, and cross-referencing it with other relevant law, and thinking.
Something bothered him about it. Or, more correctly, something didn’t bother him about it.
Turns out lawyers at the ACLU have been doing the same thing for the last ten days. John compared notes with them, and will be devoting his column at “Find Law” this week, to this unlikely conclusion:
The Republicans who wrote most of this bill at Mr. Bush’s urging, managed to immunize the telecoms from civil suits.
But not from criminal prosecution. ...
Keep your eye on the wording of the legislation to make sure the Republicans don’t realize its flaws. Then vote for the amendment to strip telecom immunity out of the FISA bill.Then after that fails, vote for the FISA bill, if that’s your final answer.
Then the minute the president has signed the FISA bill, you announce that you voted for it because it renews FISA and because it permits a bigger prize than just civil suits; that it allows for criminal prosecution of past illegal eavesdropping.
Say, loudly, that your understanding of this bill is such, that if you are elected, your Attorney General will begin a full-scale criminal investigation of the telecom companies who collaborated with President Bush in eavesdropping on Americans.
And mention — oh by the way — that your Attorney General will subpoena such records, notes, e-mail, data, and testimony, from any and all Bush Administration officials, FBI or CIA personnel, or any members of the Executive Branch, who may have as much as breathed in the general direction of these nefarious acts of domestic spying at Mr. Bush’s behest. ...
You’ve already taken the political hit from the Right, for saying you’d seek to strip out, or rescind immunity. You’ve already taken the political hit from the Left, for saying you’d vote for the FISA bill even with the immunity. You’ve paid the political price in advance.
Now buy yourself — and those who have most ardently supported you — something worth more than just class action suits against Verizon.
Explain that you are standing aside on civil immunity, not just for political expediency, but for a greater and more tangible good — the holding to account, of the most-corrupt, the most dangerous, and the most anti-democracy presidential administration in our long history.
Of course, if you disagree with this interpretation — if you think the FISA bill doesn’t have the giant loophole, or if you don’t think you, as president, would be ready to support criminal prosecution of… well, criminals — then your duty is clear.
Vote against the FISA bill, if it still carries that immunity.
The Republicans are going to call you the names any which way, Senator.
They’re going to cry regardless, Senator.
And as the old line goes: give them something to cry about.
Update: via Socratic Gadfly (who is similarly unimpressed), the legal POV from bmaz at emptytwheel is that we are still hosed:
Telcos hire the best, most persistent, and most capable lawyers available. Always. They will not be being represented by some sleepy, understaffed and overworked public defenders; they will have the best criminal defense talent in the world. It will not be necessary; a child could win these proposed Olbermann/Obama master plan prosecutions. So easy that even Alberto Gonzales could carry the day. Bottom line, this is one of the most ridiculous non-starters I have ever heard. If this is the "Master Plan", we are in a world of hurt.
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