Blog Reader's great letter to the editor: will they print it?

BlogReader Ed Taub sent me a copy of the letter to the editor he sent the San Jose Mercury yesterday. We'll see if they prinit :

Both George Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger are presenting themselves as our strong protectors. They exploit their images as cowboy and movie action hero respectively.

But in reality they do not care about the weak. Their real protective instincts are always to protect the strong, to give only to those who can give back and support their true goal: the accumulation of even
more power.

If you need help, if you are struggling to survive in an economy that is rewarding the top tiers at the expense of the rest of us then you do yourself a disservice by trusting these phony father look-alikes. They are deadbeat dads. Just ask the poor people of New Orleans or the soldiers that have been sent into combat with outmoded armor and weapons. Vote for Phil Angelides, a decent man who really
cares about middle class working Americans.

So, what letters have you written to the editor this election season?

Mail them to me, and I'll print them here!

I loves me some Keith Olbermann

I know I've linked to him a couple of times lately, but that's because the man is on fire!

Check out this video of Olbermann's commentary on the now-infamous Clinton/Wallace smackdown on Fox News.

Is there anybody else in the world of traditional (and therefore theoretically objective) media who is willing to tell it like it is like Olbermann? (And no, much as we love them, Air America doesn't count...they're no more objective than Fox News, right?

Ten major stories no one is covering?

In case you missed this a couple of weeks ago, Thomas Kostigen posted 10 major stories he thinks the mainstream media is missing on MarketWatch.

I'll list the stories, but you must click through to his story to get the details. You must! (And I'm sure you'll want to once you see the headlines.)

1. The Feds and the media muddy the debate over Internet freedom
2. Halliburton charged with selling nuclear technology to Iran
3. World oceans in extreme danger
4. Hunger and homelessness increasing in the United States
5. High-tech genocide in Congo
6. Federal whistleblower protection in jeopardy
7. U.S. operatives torture detainees to death in Afghanistan and Iraq
8. Pentagon exempt from Freedom of Information Act
9. World Bank funds Israel-Palestine wall
10. Expanded air war in Iraq kills more civilians

Clinton on FoxNews

Clinton was with Chris Wallace on FoxNews.

Atrios has the transcript.

Crroks and Liars has the video.

It got contentious.

But at least Clinton finally ably defended his own record on national security. Key excerpt:

Clinton: Now, wait a minute -- wait, wait, wait. (CROSS TALK)

No, no -- I authorized the CIA to get groups together to try to kill him. The CIA was run by George Tenet that President (Bush) gave the medal of freedom to, and he said he did a good job setting up all these counter terrorism things. The country never had a comprehensive anti-terror operation until I came there.

Now if you want to criticize me for one thing, you can criticize me for this: after the Cole, I had battle plans drawn to go into Afghanistan, overthrow the Taliban and launch a full-scale attack search for bin Laden. But we needed basing rights in Uzbekistan -- which we got after 9/11. The CIA and the FBI refused to certify that bin Laden was responsible. While I was there, they refused to certify. So that meant I would have had to send a few hundred special forces in in helicopters, refuel at night. Even the 9/11 commission didn't do that.

Now, the 9/11 commission was a political document, too. All I'm asking is, anybody that wants to say I didn't do enough, you read Richard Clarke's book ...

Wallace: Do you think you did enough, sir?

Clinton: No, because I didn't get him.

Wallace: Right.

Clinton: But at least I tried. That's the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now. They ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try, they did not try. I tried. So I tried and failed. When I failed, I left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy and the best guy in the country, Dick Clark, who got demoted.

Keith Olbermann on a roll

Keith Olbermann is to the President Bush disaster what Anderson Cooper was to the Katrina disaster...the one journalist who seems to have the cojones to tell it like it is.

Check out his 9/11 commentary here.

Now, I think there's a little more blame that could be spread around the hallways of New York's City Hall for the fact that the site of Ground Zero remains a gaping hole...a gaping wound really. But he takes that gaping wound and takes us up to the 40K foot level to look at the "lessons" of 9/11 that really haven't been learned.

Check it out.

The world according to Republicans

Presented here today is a list of recent quotes by Republicans. Please note that you have not entered the Twilight Zone, these are real quotes.

Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, whose recent comments have stirred controversy, says the United States is up against a faceless enemy of terrorists who "drive taxi cabs in the daytime and kill at night."

U.S. (Republican) Sen. Conrad Burns urged Gov. Brian Schweitzer to declare a fire state of emergency Thursday and activate the Montana Army National Guard for firefighting - more than a month after Schweitzer had already done so.

In a brief letter faxed to the governor's office Thursday, Burns, a Republican up for re-election in November, expressed his concern for the gravity of the 80,000 acre Derby Fire near Columbus.

"Entire ranches have been consumed and homes have been lost," Burns wrote. "Based on these conditions, I am requesting that you declare a State of Emergency."

Schweitzer declared just such a state of emergency on July 11 - thus, activating the Montana Army National Guard. He issued a second declaration on Aug. 11.

Limbaugh: At least here in America, didn't teach them how to fish, we gave them the fish. Didn't teach them how to butcher a - slaughter a cow to get the butter, we gave them the butter.

At an August 11 event, Sen. George Allen (R-VA) ridiculed a South Asian-American man who worked for his political opponent. In front of a large audience, Allen called S.R. Sidarth "macaca" (a racial slur), and said to Sidarth, who was born and raised in Virginia, "Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia!"

First, Allen's campaign manager referred "to the 'macaca' story with a barnyard epithet and insist that the senator had nothing to apologize for." Then, as criticism mounted, Allen apologized.

But yesterday on Fox, Allen said that Virginians don't "actually care" that he made the remarks and it's "only the media" who thinks it's an issue.

Last week, Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.)
raised a few eyebrows by insisting that voters had to elect Christians to avoid "legislating sin," calling the constitutional separation of church and state a "lie," and arguing that God did not intend for the United States to be "a nation of secular laws."

Pat Buchanan has been a constant presence on cable TV since the release of his book, State of Emergency. Last night on Hannity and Colmes, Buchanan explained that he's motivated by his desire to keep the country overwhelmingly white.
Buchanan told Alan Colmes: "What I would like is - I'd like the country I grew up in. It was a good country. I lived in Washington, D.C., 400,000 black folks, 400,000 white folks, in a country 89 or 90 percent white. I like that country."

Bush II; Day 558: Letter from a Bush Voter

Doug McIntyre is the host of a morning talk show for KABS radio. And he is also a chagrined and regretful Bush voter. He explains why at great length on KABC's web site.

The reasons are familiar:

"But in the months and years since shock and awe I have been shocked repeatedly by a consistent litany of excuses, alibis, double-talk, inaccuracies, bogus predictions, and flat out lies. I have watched as the President and his administration changed the goals, redefined the reasons for going into Iraq, and fumbled the good will of the world and the focus necessary to catch the real killers of September 11th."

"After five years of carefully watching George W. Bush I've reached the conclusion he's either grossly incompetent, or a hand puppet for a gaggle of detached theorists with their own private view of how the world works. Or both.

Presidential failures. James Buchanan, Franklin Pierce, Jimmy Carter, Warren Harding - the competition is fierce for the worst of the worst. Still, the damage this President has done is enormous. It will take decades to undo, and that's assuming we do everything right from now on. His mistakes have global implications, while the other failed Presidents mostly authored domestic embarrassments."

My own S.O. rails against the two-party system, so I know liberals and conservatives alike have issues with it. But the simple truth is that just about everything McIntyre complains about in his long rant simply wouldn't have happened under Democratic rule.

There is a difference between the Republicans and we, Democrats. And it's a big one.

The environment
Human rights, from women's rights to control their own bodies and medical decisions to gay rights.
Balanced budgets vs. no-tax/all-spend (I got your fiscal responsiblity right here, buddy!)
Health care
Immigration
Church/State
Saving Social Security, not starving it

On and on. The Democratic position is markedly different and more in line with the principles of the American people when they're asked about them line by line.

So, admitting you're wrong on a guy is nice. Admitting you've been wrong about your entire philosphy...priceless. (And I'm still waiting.)

Bush II; Day 521: I'll take Misuse of Power for $1000, Alex

Was pointed to a wonderful post about the President and his sense of entitlement via arse poetica.

The Final Jeopardy Question, courtesy of Elizabeth de la Vega from Common Dreams:

Is a President, on the eve of his reelection campaign, legally entitled to ward off political embarrassment and conceal past failures in the exercise of his office by unilaterally and informally declassifying selected -- as well as false and misleading -- portions of a classified National Intelligence Estimate that he has previously refused to declassify, in order to cause such information to be secretly disclosed under false pretenses in the name of a "former Hill staffer" to a single reporter, intending that reporter to publish such false and misleading information in a prominent national newspaper?

The answer is obvious: No. Such a misuse of authority is the very essence of a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States. It is also precisely the abuse of executive power that led to the impeachment of Richard M. Nixon.

Why do Republicans seem so unphased by how low our standards have fallen since Dubya took office? We're in no position, it seems, to discuss ethics and morals and the concept of right and wrong. We're left to argue over what obscure methods and arguments can be used to find the right loophole to squeeze Dubya through.

Can you not see that those of us who have a problem with that approach to leadership have that problem because we believe in our country and expect more from it and our leaders than we're getting?

Sigh. So sad.

The George Clooney Kerfuffle

It seems George Clooney is a little miffed about the HuffPo's conversion of his interview responses into a blog post. They claim to have gotten his publicist's OK. He's a little cranky about it anyway. And I just linked to it today.

Oh dear.

Bush II; Day 490: My favorite Oscar moment

George Clooney professed his pride at being part of the "out-of-touch" Hollywood that raises difficult subjects and shines a light on darkness.

You go, George.

So, if you felt the same as me, read Clooney's post at the HuffPo: I am a Liberal! There, I said it!

Bush II; Day 427: Advice for the Democrats in 2006

...from Andrew Foster Altschul

Amen.

Altschul is my new PoliBlog crush. Who's with me?

Bush II; Day 415: Borrowing another leader's Christmas message

While still staggering over Dubya's "it's been a good year" reflection, I thought I'd pull a couple quotes from some other leaders who have a year end message of hope that still manages to acknowledge some of the difficult times that many people around the world have suffered this year:

Queen Elizabeth II, UK

"This Christmas my thoughts are especially with those everywhere who are grieving the loss of loved ones during what for so many has been such a terrible year...The last year has reminded us that the world is not always an easy or a safe place to live in. I believe also that it has shown us all how our faith - whatever our religion - can inspire us to work together in friendship and peace for the sake of our own and future generations."

"A united humanity will be able to confront the many troubling problems of the present time: from the menace of terrorism to the humiliating poverty in which millions of human beings live, from the proliferation of weapons to the pandemics and the environmental destruction which threatens the future of our planet."

Happy Holidays, and may 2006 truly be the year where a united humanity works toward peace and comfort for those currently in turmoil and unease.

Bush II; Day 413: Bush's "good year"

I guess my idea of what constitutes a "good year for the American people" must be very different from President Bush's.

Denial and Delusion.

The true leadership qualities that will uplift and inspire us as we look forward to the hard work ahead in 2006.

Uh huh.

Bush II; Day 400: Do you know what it means to kill New Orleans?

Absolute, no-doubt-about-it, must-read NY Times Editorial on the slow death we, as a nation, are helping subject New Orleans to.

"If the rest of the nation has decided it is too expensive to give the people of New Orleans a chance at renewal, we have to tell them so. We must tell them we spent our rainy-day fund on a costly stalemate in Iraq, that we gave it away in tax cuts for wealthy families and shareholders. We must tell them America is too broke and too weak to rebuild one of its great cities."

Is this what we want?

Bush II; Day 395: Worst President Ever?

Well, you know I think so, but I'm hardly the only one.

Read Richard Reeves' great USA Today article to see the whole list of reasons that historians have listed as reasons that Dubya qualifies for that unfortunate superlative.

Couple of key points:

"He has taken the country into an unwinnable war and alienated friend and foe alike in the process

He is bankrupting the country with a combination of aggressive military spending and reduced taxation of the rich

He has deliberately and dangerously attacked separation of church and state

He has repeatedly "misled," to use a kind word, the American people on affairs domestic and foreign"

Yup, those are pretty good (or shall I say bad) reasons.

Bush II; Day 367: Ouch! The NY Times with the Smackdown

Wow, this NY Times editorial doesn't pull a single punch in lambasting the Bush Adminsitration, but much more specifically Bush himself, for the current state of American affiars. Not even just domeitcally or in the MIddle East, but worldwide...focusing on last week's Latina American jaunt.

The NY Times points out that we should all hope that Dubya finds a way to turn his second term around, because it is in our own best interests to not have conditions and global relations degrade any further.

I'm really having trouble...not imagining that he could turn it around if he had the will, but imagining that he actually has that will.

He'd have to fire a bunch of people.

He'd have to use the veto power he has never used.

He'd have to admit errors and take responsibility.

He'd have to rein in the Republican powers-that-be-crazy in the Congress.

Can't see it. Just. Can't.

One-liners on Ah-nolds Propositions

After attending E-Board last weekend, and the County Committe meeting last night, I am here to give you your one-line positions on Ah-nold's ridiculous propositions being voted on next month at his ridiculously unnecessary and wildly expensive special election:

Prop 73:
They call it Parental Notification. We call it Teen Safety. Let's call the whole thing off and remember this:

This prop. tries to sneak in language defining when life begins. This is the peak of the steep slippery slope.

Prop. 74:
They say it rewards good teachers and prevents "guaranteed employment for life." But remember this:

There is not one word about "rewarding" anyone. It is all about punishment...and the punishment is to deny teachers a hearing before being fired (which they definitely can be fired, by the way.) My question is: what's so scary about a hearing?

Prop/ 75:
They call it paycheck protection, we call it corporate corruption. But remember this:

Sure, make unions get every individual member's permission before using that individual member's dues for anything. As long as you do the same with shareholders in public companies. As soon as corporations have to play on a level field with unions (especially since corps. give to politicians at a ratio to 23 to 1 over unions) then maybe I'll listen to you.

Prop. 76:
They call it...I don't care...I call it "Say Hello to King Ah-nold." Remember this:

His own staff can analyze the situations and tell him when things are in a state that allows him to declare the kind of emergency that gives him dictatorial powers. Can you say yikes?

Prop 77:
Leave aside that there are already rules for redistricting, and that we're smack dab in the middle of the period between redistricting efforts. Remember this:

The proposition calls for the districting to be done by "retired judges". >80% of retired judges in California are older white men. Nothing against them, but at least when the Legislature does it you have some hope of diverse perspectives looking at the problem.

Prop 78:

Here's all you need to know: the pharmaceutical companies support this pharmaceutical reform proposition. Companies, which are tasked above all else to deliver profits, shouldn't be expected to reform or police themselves...and we should not take their word about the best way to reform or police them either.

There, all done.

Bush II; Day 325: Digby on Roberts and Coice

Must-read post for the day.

Seriously, how do you refute what Digby is saying in this post?

I Miss Bill

Bill Clinton on Meet the Press

Sigh.

Bush II; Day 313: How Bush Blew It

I know that I linked to this second hand (by linking to Brad De Long's post that linked to it) but you really should make a point to read the Newsweek article: How BUsh Blew It.

So depressing and amazing. Chickens. Roost. Welcome home.

And you should be reading TalkingPointsMemo on the post Katrina "responsibility" moment, especially this post.

Yeah, I know, it sounds like "fingerpointing" or playing the "blame game". So exactly what other helpful tasks am I keeping you from by asking you to think about how we got where we are; why we got where we are...and how to avoid getting there again?

Bush II; Day 307: Tone-deafness runs in the Bush family

You just have to read it to believe it.

Barbara Bush, upon viewing the scores of evacuees sleeping on cots in the Astrodome says: "And so many of the people in the arena here, you
know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this is working very well for them."

I have no comment. There is nothing to be said.

UPDATED: Bush II; Day 306: Keith Olbermann says it all. And so does Andrew Sullivan

Video of his editorial...don't call it a rant; it's controlled, it's rational. It's common sense.

One could ask where was the press when we needed it a year ago.

But let's be glad they're finally stepping up to the plate now.

UPDATED: Sure you can call Andrew Sullivan a Johnny-Come-Lately who has said some horrendous things about liberals in his time. But for the last year you cannot accuse him of being the typical partisan apologist conservative who'd rather re-elect a monkey than admit their guy is neither competent nor compassionate.

Andrew was on the Chris Matthews show Sunday morning and his anger and shame were powerful and bracing. So is this article.

Bush II; Day 248: A reasonable way to deal with Novak

Jay Rosen has a reasonable way to deal with douchebag of liberty Robert Novak:

Let him feel some chilling effects until he is more forthcoming.

And Surfette, Lisa Stone, expands on Jay's piece here.

I know this story seems like a backburner thing compared to some other events going on in the world. But there are extremely disturbing conclusions we can draw from it about how power is wielded in this country right now.

Bush II; Day 240: George Lakoff on the Huffington Post

Gets it right on Karl Rove and how the Democrats played right into his hands.

A good, bracing read and reminder of how important it is to stand up, don't backdown, and attack when attacking is justified.

As Pat Schroeder said: we are not above the fray. We are right there in it.

Bush II; Day 220: True words from Unfogged

Great post title at the Unfogged blog:

"My country right or wrong - but I much prefer right"

When people justify torture and the erosion of basic civil liberties in the name of security, this is what I'll say.

When people justify discrimination in the name of their interpretation of what Jesus must have meant, and their willful ignorance of the fact that their religion is not equivalent to this country's body of law, this is what I'll say.

When people claim on the one hand that we shouldn't care about what's happening in the Sudan or elsewhere because we gotta take care of Americans first...but then somehow that taking care of Americans doesn't include making sure American children have health care, or that American troops are well-armored, or that American seniors can afford both prescriptions and food, this is what I'll say.

I love my country despite its weaknesses...and when its weaknesses are perpetrated on the nation, and our national conscience is heavily burdened, by the actions of an arrogant, extremist minority who do not think they answer to the current laws of this country, let alone the open, generous, fair-minded spirit of this country...then it is patriotism to say it aloud:

My country right or wrong, but I much prefer right...and ladies and gentlemen what we have going on right now and right here is not right.

Bush II; Day 214: Some great speeches for your weekend

Take Back America 2005 just wrapped up, and some of my favorite speakers were there.

So if you'd like to be inspired and motivated, then watch:

Bill Moyers & Arianna Huffington

HERE.

Do it!

Bush II; Day 207: Wes Clark on Memorial Day

Yo know I love to plug the general. You can just read the transcript of his Saturday radio address.

Or you can listen to the mp3 file found over here at Kicking Ass.

I'd go for the listen. Clark gets very impassioned at the end.

Convention: Barbara Boxer Speech link

I loved Boxer as much, no really more, than Dean, so so you can watch her too.

Convention: Howard Dean video link

See Chairman Dean's speech for yourself here.

The Convention: Communications & Framing

On the final morning I attended a panel on Communications that featured some of the best content of the weekend.

The panel was led by Rick Jacobs, who's been hired to drive Democratic efforts into all of California's precincts, not just the already-blue ones. Joining him were Ann Lewis, Clinton's former Communications Director, Kevin Bleyer, the sole Democrat on Dennis Miller's writing team (and a self-proclaimed "intellectual prostitute"!) Sergio Bendixon, a pollster who focused on disturbing poll stats regarding the Latino vote in California and finally, rock star Arianna Huffington.

A couple of great lines:

Ann Lewis-"Yes, Democrats support democracy across the world...and here at home!" That got a big reaction of course.

Arianna is of course, one of my heroes. Among the many many things she said that articulated perfectly what I feel, she made one great quip:

"Republicans don't have the corner on moral values...why should Republicans have all the no-fun?"

And one great (and scary) point:

"Republicans are going to make sure we are living in a time of war."

Here's Arianna:

And the rest of the panel:

Snapshots from the Convention

Yes, I went to the Convention, and no, I haven't written about it yet. I did my best to record some of the best moments from the series of great speakers I got to see up close and personal.

I also took pictures, which really didn't come out so well, but oh well, here goes:

Is Phil Angelides our next Governor? He seems to have broad support, and he is obviously getting coaching, pulling off some good one-liners like: "We're right and he's just far right" And another speaker credited Phil with an awesome analogy...the Budweiser 401K. I don't recall all the metrics, but apparently if one had invested a thousand dollars in the stock market over the last xx years one would walk away with less money than if one invested that money in Budweiser and returned the bottles to get the deposit back! Awesome! Here's Phil:

Read on in the extended entry...

Don Perata had a couple of great quips too like: "A car is as important as a spouse in this state" "I'm a girlie-man." Now both of these are amusing only if you don't think too deeply about them, so stop and move along...nothing to see here.

I think it was Nancy Pelosi who pointed out that Ah-nold "won't eliminate the tax credit for million dollar homes, but does want to cut renter's credit for seniors making over $13k." This is why all the Republican talk about "no new taxes" is so hypocritical and disgusting. Here's Nancy:

Our own Zoe Lofgren had this to say: "Schwarzenegger has the same agenda as the Republicans in Washington...except the stuff about sex."

Barbara Boxer ROCKED. Honestly, I wish she would run for President. People think she's too liberal or too polarizing...but isn't that what they say on the end of the spectrum about Bush? But what they also say about Bush is that "people know where he stands." You and I know this is mostly BS, but he gives that illusion. With Boxer it's the real deal. She is even more up front. She puts it out there, shows some spine, and people have to respect her for it. Howard Dean (and others) reinforced this idea that Democrats need to stand, unafraid, and demonstrate their "deep convictions." No one needs to tell Barbara to do this; it's her stock in trade. Here's Barbara:

Another common theme was the Republicans "arrogance of power." In an America that fights for the underdog and doesn't like to be bullied (or, in its heart, to be perceived as the bully) this may be the downfall of the Republicans. It's not specifically about abortion or euthanasia or judge appointees or corrupt congressmen. It's about the smell of arrogance that hangs over the Republican response to each of these issues.

Howard Dean was the main attraction at the evening's dinner, and he didn't disappoint, although for my money Boxer got a bigger rise out of the crowd. Dean told some stories and made some points. Some of his salient points:

-The way these Republicans "borrow and spend" means you "can't trust Republicans with taxpayer dollars." Boom, 'nuff said.

-The Social Security debate isn't just about the money; it's about whether we still have responsibility to each other as a community.

-Some people say they're "pro-life", but that can mean for themselves. He told a great story about a Mississippi woman who said she was pro-life, meaning she wouldn't have an abortion and wouldn't want her daughter to have one. But she didn't think that meant she wanted to tell her neighbor down the block what to do. To a Democrat that smells like pro-choice.

This last point got me thinking. I think the time for framing the abortion as a "Choice" issue is gone. It implies a willfullness...one chooses because one desires. I think Dean's framing the abortion issue as a "rights" issue is better. He said, "who has the right to make your private medical decision? Congress or you and your doctor?" It's the same issue that arose over Terri Schiavo. Who had the right to step in there? People sure didn't think it was Congress.

Here's Howard Dean in a really crappy picture:

My favorite part of the convention, though, had to be a panel on the last morning about Communications and framing. So I'll give that a post of it own. Stay tuned.

Bush II; Day 138: One quote says it all

"DeLay and Hastert decided that the House Government Reform Committee, although drained by 11 hours of hearings on the issue of steroids in baseball, should launch an inquiry into the [Schiavo] case and issue subpoenas to doctors and hospice administrators to stop them from disconnecting Schiavo's tube."

Duh, sorry: Source: 3/19/05 Mercury

Seems to me that what we have here is a lot of politicians wanting to avoid the hard decisions and negotiations and compromises around issues that are on their plate: like the budget, Social Security etc. So instead we have a lot of grandstanding.

I'm just wondering exactly what steroids in baseball and Terry Schiavo's individual case has to do with Government Reform.

Is that wrong of me?

Bonus Link: Lengthy Digby post on the topic. Key excerpt:

"By now most people who read liberal blogs are aware that George W. Bush signed a law in Texas that expressly gave hospitals the right to remove life support if the patient could not pay and there was no hope of revival, regardless of the patient's family's wishes. It is called the Texas Futile Care Law. Under this law, a baby was removed from life support against his mother's wishes in Texas just this week. A 68 year old man was given a temporary reprieve by the Texas courts just yesterday.

And those of us who read liberal blogs also know that this grandstanding by the congress is a purely political move designed to appease the religious right and that the legal maneuverings being employed would be anathema to any true small government conservative."

Bush II; Day 106: What do 4500 roses look like?

Well, check out this photo of Barbara Boxer on Valentine's Day, and you'll find out. See, these are the flowers she received in her office reflecting the thanks of a grateful nation that someone has the guts to call it like it is on the election, and on Condi, and on Gonzales, and on social security. Boxer for President...what do you think?

BTW: I didn't know Boxer had her own diary on the Daily Kos site...how cool is that?

Bush II; Day 102: Howard Dean, Party Chair

I wasn't a Deaniac during the primaries. If I'm being perfectly honest I found his communication style stiff, and kind of cranky. I'm no better than those who said Kerry was boring and pedantic I guess.

But when I've heard him speak in casual settings...talk shows rather than debates...I've appreciated his blunt, open message and long thought that his reputation (ultra-liberal, nutty) didn't seem to match the substance (no-nonsense, rational.)

Now he's been elected Chair, and I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that he can encourage party unity, plainspokenness and passion in all Democrats. I think we need all three of those qualities to regain the majority our positions on the issues seem to justify us having.

Read Howard Dean's Plan for the Democratic Party, and tell me...can you disagree with a single part of it? I can't.

Bush II; Day Ninety-Six: Today's Hero: James Wolcott

I've been trying to put into words how I feel about Andrew Sullivan and his imminent departure from regular blogging.

I mean, he's a good writer, no doubt. And he was a strong anti-Bush voice...even though you could tell it was killing him inside. But he has spouted as much vicious rhetoric as the next right-winger when the mood struck him, so I never thought of him as on my side. If Bush wasn't so virulently anti-gay, Sullivan would have been stumping for him most enthusiastically and passionately, I wager.

Now James Wolcott who, I dare say, is an even better writer than Sullivan, expresses what were only wild thoughts colliding in my brain.

Must-read post of the day on Sullivan, his long goodbye and the State of the Union address.

Bush II; Day Ninety-One: The Democratic Pre-buttal to the State of the Union Address

I have to say I like that some Democrats are finally willing to stand up, stand together, make some noise.

Maybe Barbara Boxer is pulling them kicking and screaming into casting aside their fear and demoralization and setting about the work to re-claim the country and its values from the neo-cons kidnapping it.

Case in point: the Democrats have issued a pre-buttal to Bush's State of the Union speech scheduled for the 2nd. We know his speech will be full of sound and fury and signify nothing, so you can watch or read some truth here:

Nancy Pelosi's Pre-buttal

Harry Reid's Pre-buttal

In Honor of MLK DAY: Listen to "I Have a Dream"

If you've only ever read it, or only ever heard snippets, then do yourself a favor and listen to MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech in its entirety.

Here.

It is more than you probably remember it being. And it resonates today, perhaps unfortunately.

Listen.

Some Links for the Weekend

Just because I'm focusing on just one (OK, sometimes two) "Outrage of the Day" here at the SCCDP blog doesn't mean I'm not still paying attention other things. So here are some good links for your weekend reading:

1. A little bit from my Personal Blog on Boxer's win and one man's quest to "re-brand" the Democrats:
Boxer/Re-branding Post

2. Salon.com report on interview with Colin Powell. Good soldier to the end. [Must watch brief ad to get Day Pass, if you're not already a member.]

3. Scathing WaPo analysis of Michael Powell's reign as FCC Chairman. Hint: "reign" was chosen on purpose to reflect Powell's desire to have dictatorial control over your TV, your radio, your phone, your PC...and probably some day your brainwaves. Bonus Link: Jeff Jarvis expose on how 3 complaints generated a 1.2 million dollar fine for ABC. Yes. 3 complaints.

4. And if you haven't already, you might want to check out SorryEverybody.com and ApologiesAccepted.com.

Quote of the Day: Oh, if only wehad known BEFORE the election

"The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved."

JOHN ASHCROFT, the attorney general, in his resignation letter.

Michael Moore: One Day Left

Lightning Rod though he may be, Michael Moore is an excellent communicator.

And he has a lot to say too all sorts of people in this, the last day before Election Day.

I find it inspiring and motivating.

How about you?

Wes Clark: Secretary of Defense? or State?

Well, for now, he's simply slamming Bush/Cheney whenever they dare to question Kerry's commitment to our troops.

You can read the latest here.

So Many Republicans for Kerry

Here's just one more, a full-page ad that the founder of Land's End took out in Wisconsin (Land's End corporate HQ.)

Can't Help...Lovin' Dat Michael Moore of Mine

Yes, I'm mixing my political blog with my musical theatre blog now...it's been a long political season.

Nothing particularly newsworthy about this...just Michael Moore up to his usual rabble rousing, using humor as the best political weapon.

A Series of Great NY Times Links

The NY Times has had a series of great column and Op-Ed pieces on the last few days.

Links and brief descriptions in the extended entry:

Unfortunately, registration is required and access is cut off after a week. The Times sucks for that!

Robert Wright on Bush's "Faith" and "Optimism"

The ever-wacky Maureen Down on Dick Cheney-stein

Paul Krugman on Al Qa Qaa as just one more in a LONG LIST of incompetencies by the Bush Administration. (And he mentions quite a few of the breaking stories that I identified as sending the momentum Kerry's way.)

Thomas Friedman on Polarization

The ever-witty and articulate Frank Rich on our mass overload on the empty, entertainment-driven presidency

Hunter S. Thompson's Kerry Endorsement: Must Be Read To Be Believed

I really can't say much else about it. Thompson is as wildly outspoken and inappropriate as you would expect.

He'd vote for Nixon over Bush! (And he despised Nixon.)

Anyway, if you're a Thompson fan, or just curious...check it out.

Eminem's New Video: Scary and Powerful

Eminem has a new video out. It is frightening in its intensity; powerful in its passion, and contains a message that is surprisingly mature.

I've never been much of an Eminem fan, nor rap in general. I remember the first rap song I ever hear, "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash. I was driving to my college job at Macy's, and I sat in my car in the parking lot listening to the whole thing. I was blown away by its message, by the anger, by the honesty. So, to me rap is about the message, but with far too many rap songs you can't understand the message, or if you can, it's about as hateful towards women, towards gays, towards various "others" as can be.

I don't deny Eminem has talent and power. But his raps are often screeds, to my ear.

So, while watching his latest, "Mosh", I kept imagining what I would think of it if the target of his animosity was something/someone I supported, rather than George Bush. I think I'd be disturbed by the imagery, by the level of hatred and anger being put out there. The video's mood of impending doom is powerful, but very dark.

But you cannot deny that this kind of anger and power will reach some number of Eminem's fans.

And by having a twist ending that asks Eminem's "followers" to be a part of the political process, rather than a new problem, the video tries to end with a message of peaceful protest and power, not the violence that felt inevitable through most of the video.

This video might not reach you, but it's going to reach some people out there. Take a look. Forward it along. I think it's a powerful statement, albeit a little frightening.

Jesse Ventura Opens Up

Jesse comes clean about why he's a Kerry supporter.

And does it in his usual, no-holds-barred style.

Check it out.

Caroline Kennedy with the Smackdown!

Caroline Kennedy doesn't want Bush using her father's name.

And Maria Shriver deprived Ah-nold of sex for two weeks after his Convention speech.

I love the Kennedy women :)

Des Moines Register Kerry Endorsement

Another well-written and convincing endorsement, this time focused very heavily on Kerry's sterling record of achievement.

Key paragraphs:

"Yes, Kerry is liberal. But what's to fear from a liberal president? That he would run big deficits? That he would increase federal spending? That he would expand the power of the federal government over individuals' lives? Nothing Kerry could do could top what President Bush has already done in those realms.

That's a key quality, especially in an angrily polarized America. Of President Bush's shortcomings, the most disappointing is the betrayal of his promise to be a uniter. America should be united at times like these - and was for a shining moment after 9/11. But the president let that slip away, deepening divisions by adopting a my-way-or-the-highway cocksureness on both domestic and foreign affairs."

Clear-headed Kerry Endorsement

The Orlando Sentinel endorsed Bush in 2000, and in fact hasn't endorsed a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964.

But Bush vs. Kerry changes all that, and they have written a very concise, clear reasoning...lacking any fervent partisan rhetoric, sticking to just the facts, ma'am.

Read it here.

Nice Kerry Quote on the 3 Responsibilities of the President

And nice, concise breakdown of where Bush stands on all three at The Talent Show.

The WaPo Endorsement of Kerry

Is here.

94 Reasons NOT to vote for George Bush

If you still needed any.

Well, maybe you don't. But if you know anybody who does...forward them this helpful compilation from the Orlando Weekly.

My New Hero: Alan Hevesi

Who is he? The Comptroller for the State of NY, whose Retirement Fund happens to be invested in Sinclair Broadcasting.

Hevesi wrote a letter that can only be described as a smack-down to Sinclair.

Find it here at truthout.org.

You don't even have to read the whole thing to fall in love Hevesi.

Most Ironic Kerry Endorsement?

Check out this site: Bush Relatives for Kerry!

Favorite quote:

" I'm voting for John Kerry because I'm a Christian. I know that my second cousin, George Bush, claims that he is the anointed leader of the American people and that God told him to run for office. I believe he may even believe that. I don't."

The Boston Globe Endorses Kerry

Kerry's hometown paper gives a ringing endorsement that is as pro-Kerry as the Times Endorsement tends toward the anti-Bush.

Key excerpt:

John Kerry's core strengths: an ability to see complex problems in new, often prescient, ways and a willingness to seek collaborative solutions. Far from being wavering or indecisive, Kerry's worldview has been steadfastly informed by these values for as long as we on this page have known him. In complex and dangerous times, the United States needs a leader who can bring together people and ideas.

Check it out

The NY Times Kerry Endorsement

More than an absolute ravaging of Bush and his heinous record, the Times talks about why thy have come to admire Kerry over this last year of campaigning.

No small part of this admiration:

1. His devotion to public service

2. His intelligence and common sense

Key excerpt:

We look back on the past four years with hearts nearly breaking, both for the lives unnecessarily lost and for the opportunities so casually wasted. Time and again, history invited George W. Bush to play a heroic role, and time and again he chose the wrong course. We believe that with John Kerry as president, the nation will do better.

But if what you want is a run-down of all of the reasons that Bush will go down in history as a terrible President, they are listed here.

Everything done that was "inappropraite".

And everything done that tells me that Bush simply is "not a good man."

Here's the link. [Registration required.]

The full text is in the extended entry.

John Kerry for President
NY Times
Published: October 17, 2004

Senator John Kerry goes toward the election with a base that is built more on opposition to George W. Bush than loyalty to his own candidacy. But over the last year we have come to know Mr. Kerry as more than just an alternative to the status quo. We like what we've seen. He has qualities that could be the basis for a great chief executive, not just a modest improvement on the incumbent.

We have been impressed with Mr. Kerry's wide knowledge and clear thinking - something that became more apparent once he was reined in by that two-minute debate light. He is blessedly willing to re-evaluate decisions when conditions change. And while Mr. Kerry's service in Vietnam was first over-promoted and then over-pilloried, his entire life has been devoted to public service, from the war to a series of elected offices. He strikes us, above all, as a man with a strong moral core.
•
There is no denying that this race is mainly about Mr. Bush's disastrous tenure. Nearly four years ago, after the Supreme Court awarded him the presidency, Mr. Bush came into office amid popular expectation that he would acknowledge his lack of a mandate by sticking close to the center. Instead, he turned the government over to the radical right.

Mr. Bush installed John Ashcroft, a favorite of the far right with a history of insensitivity to civil liberties, as attorney general. He sent the Senate one ideological, activist judicial nominee after another. He moved quickly to implement a far-reaching anti-choice agenda including censorship of government Web sites and a clampdown on embryonic stem cell research. He threw the government's weight against efforts by the University of Michigan to give minority students an edge in admission, as it did for students from rural areas or the offspring of alumni.

When the nation fell into recession, the president remained fixated not on generating jobs but rather on fighting the right wing's war against taxing the wealthy. As a result, money that could have been used to strengthen Social Security evaporated, as did the chance to provide adequate funding for programs the president himself had backed. No Child Left Behind, his signature domestic program, imposed higher standards on local school systems without providing enough money to meet them.

If Mr. Bush had wanted to make a mark on an issue on which Republicans and Democrats have long made common cause, he could have picked the environment. Christie Whitman, the former New Jersey governor chosen to run the Environmental Protection Agency, came from that bipartisan tradition. Yet she left after three years of futile struggle against the ideologues and industry lobbyists Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney had installed in every other important environmental post. The result has been a systematic weakening of regulatory safeguards across the entire spectrum of environmental issues, from clean air to wilderness protection.
•
The president who lost the popular vote got a real mandate on Sept. 11, 2001. With the grieving country united behind him, Mr. Bush had an unparalleled opportunity to ask for almost any shared sacrifice. The only limit was his imagination.

He asked for another tax cut and the war against Iraq.

The president's refusal to drop his tax-cutting agenda when the nation was gearing up for war is perhaps the most shocking example of his inability to change his priorities in the face of drastically altered circumstances. Mr. Bush did not just starve the government of the money it needed for his own education initiative or the Medicare drug bill. He also made tax cuts a higher priority than doing what was needed for America's security; 90 percent of the cargo unloaded every day in the nation's ports still goes uninspected.

Along with the invasion of Afghanistan, which had near unanimous international and domestic support, Mr. Bush and his attorney general put in place a strategy for a domestic antiterror war that had all the hallmarks of the administration's normal method of doing business: a Nixonian obsession with secrecy, disrespect for civil liberties and inept management.

American citizens were detained for long periods without access to lawyers or family members. Immigrants were rounded up and forced to languish in what the Justice Department's own inspector general found were often "unduly harsh" conditions. Men captured in the Afghan war were held incommunicado with no right to challenge their confinement. The Justice Department became a cheerleader for skirting decades-old international laws and treaties forbidding the brutal treatment of prisoners taken during wartime.

Mr. Ashcroft appeared on TV time and again to announce sensational arrests of people who turned out to be either innocent, harmless braggarts or extremely low-level sympathizers of Osama bin Laden who, while perhaps wishing to do something terrible, lacked the means. The Justice Department cannot claim one major successful terrorism prosecution, and has squandered much of the trust and patience the American people freely gave in 2001. Other nations, perceiving that the vast bulk of the prisoners held for so long at Guantánamo Bay came from the same line of ineffectual incompetents or unlucky innocents, and seeing the awful photographs from the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, were shocked that the nation that was supposed to be setting the world standard for human rights could behave that way.
•
Like the tax cuts, Mr. Bush's obsession with Saddam Hussein seemed closer to zealotry than mere policy. He sold the war to the American people, and to Congress, as an antiterrorist campaign even though Iraq had no known working relationship with Al Qaeda. His most frightening allegation was that Saddam Hussein was close to getting nuclear weapons. It was based on two pieces of evidence. One was a story about attempts to purchase critical materials from Niger, and it was the product of rumor and forgery. The other evidence, the purchase of aluminum tubes that the administration said were meant for a nuclear centrifuge, was concocted by one low-level analyst and had been thoroughly debunked by administration investigators and international vetting. Top members of the administration knew this, but the selling went on anyway. None of the president's chief advisers have ever been held accountable for their misrepresentations to the American people or for their mismanagement of the war that followed.

The international outrage over the American invasion is now joined by a sense of disdain for the incompetence of the effort. Moderate Arab leaders who have attempted to introduce a modicum of democracy are tainted by their connection to an administration that is now radioactive in the Muslim world. Heads of rogue states, including Iran and North Korea, have been taught decisively that the best protection against a pre-emptive American strike is to acquire nuclear weapons themselves.
•
We have specific fears about what would happen in a second Bush term, particularly regarding the Supreme Court. The record so far gives us plenty of cause for worry. Thanks to Mr. Bush, Jay Bybee, the author of an infamous Justice Department memo justifying the use of torture as an interrogation technique, is now a federal appeals court judge. Another Bush selection, J. Leon Holmes, a federal judge in Arkansas, has written that wives must be subordinate to their husbands and compared abortion rights activists to Nazis.

Mr. Bush remains enamored of tax cuts but he has never stopped Republican lawmakers from passing massive spending, even for projects he dislikes, like increased farm aid.

If he wins re-election, domestic and foreign financial markets will know the fiscal recklessness will continue. Along with record trade imbalances, that increases the chances of a financial crisis, like an uncontrolled decline of the dollar, and higher long-term interest rates.

The Bush White House has always given us the worst aspects of the American right without any of the advantages. We get the radical goals but not the efficient management. The Department of Education's handling of the No Child Left Behind Act has been heavily politicized and inept. The Department of Homeland Security is famous for its useless alerts and its inability to distribute antiterrorism aid according to actual threats. Without providing enough troops to properly secure Iraq, the administration has managed to so strain the resources of our armed forces that the nation is unprepared to respond to a crisis anywhere else in the world.
•
Mr. Kerry has the capacity to do far, far better. He has a willingness - sorely missing in Washington these days - to reach across the aisle. We are relieved that he is a strong defender of civil rights, that he would remove unnecessary restrictions on stem cell research and that he understands the concept of separation of church and state. We appreciate his sensible plan to provide health coverage for most of the people who currently do without.

Mr. Kerry has an aggressive and in some cases innovative package of ideas about energy, aimed at addressing global warming and oil dependency. He is a longtime advocate of deficit reduction. In the Senate, he worked with John McCain in restoring relations between the United States and Vietnam, and led investigations of the way the international financial system has been gamed to permit the laundering of drug and terror money. He has always understood that America's appropriate role in world affairs is as leader of a willing community of nations, not in my-way-or-the-highway domination.

We look back on the past four years with hearts nearly breaking, both for the lives unnecessarily lost and for the opportunities so casually wasted. Time and again, history invited George W. Bush to play a heroic role, and time and again he chose the wrong course. We believe that with John Kerry as president, the nation will do better.

Voting for president is a leap of faith. A candidate can explain his positions in minute detail and wind up governing with a hostile Congress that refuses to let him deliver. A disaster can upend the best-laid plans. All citizens can do is mix guesswork and hope, examining what the candidates have done in the past, their apparent priorities and their general character. It's on those three grounds that we enthusiastically endorse John Kerry for president.

UPDATED: Listen to Jon Stewart on 'Crossfire'

Jon Stewart was on Crossfire today, and he ate these guys for lunch.

Stewart is far more than a fake news anchor...he is, as Arianna called him: the chronicler of our times.

Listen here.

UPDATED:

Here's a site with the video for Stewart's Crossfire appearance.

Read Salon.com's War Room...it's been great

Salon.com has been having some great stories in their daily political War Room section.

It's true, you have to watch a brief ad to get access, but it's better than requiring you to register, tight?

Put it on your book mark list. (They have an RSS feed too.)

Great Bumper Sticker I Saw on 280

"I left the Republican Party when the Republican Party Left Me!"

Great post-debate blogger psot

From The Daily Kos:

This post demonstrates why the momentum is all in our favor. but also read the comments. The 4th Comment in is damn brilliant. i wish I'd written it:

You can go read the whole entry and scroll down to the 4th Comment, you can view other Comments by this guy, VeganPa or you can read that Comment text in the extended entry:

Kerry needs to start asking the American people straight-out: Do you really believe...

If you really believe that everything is going well in Iraq, where, every month, more Americans are butchered than the month before, vote for George Bush.

If you really believe freedom is on the march in Afghanistan, where heroin production is at record levels and the Taliban and warlords control much of the country, vote for George Bush.

If you really believe that the economy is doing great, where not enough jobs are created even to keep up with population growth, vote for George Bush.

If you really believe that those earning over $200,000 a year were abused by the tax code under Bill Clinton, and that trillions of dollars in new debt don't matter, vote for George Bush.

If you really believe that a microscopic clump of frozen cells deserves more moral consideration than Michael J. Fox, Christopher Reeve, and millions of other children and adults, vote for George Bush.

If you really believe that the current administration truly cares about the millions of kids who now live in poverty who didn't in 2000, that they care more about seniors than the drug companies, and that they care more about the environment than the oil, coal, logging, and mining companies, vote for George Bush.

If you really believe that yelling at and ridiculing those who disagree with or question you is the best way to lead, vote for George Bush.

But if you recognize that America has done better in the past, and can do better in the future, vote for change. Vote for John Kerry.

Message of the Week: They're Getting Desperate

And it's not pretty.

If you send out email blasts, if you write letters to the editor, if you call in to radio shows, or if you just talk to people throughout your daily life, here is the message for this week

Everywhere you turn, there is a strange smell: it's the smell of desperation, and the Bush Team reeks of it. What are the symptoms of desperation? Telling easily disproved lies to get a momentary zinger in, such as when Cheney told Edwards he had never met him before. Telling the networks you're going to introduce a major new policy to get live air time, and then delivering your basic stump speech, as Bush did on Wednesday. Taking a CIA report that basically knocks down every reason you gave for going to war, and saying it bolsters your position. Striking fear in the populace that our children's schools are next on the Al Qaeda list, the same day that poll numbers show Kerry taking the lead and job numbers show just what a failure this president has been domestically.

It's crunch time in BushWorld, and even the mainstream media is starting to notice and call it like they see it: the desperate moves of a losing campaign. Read Howard Fineman in Newsweek for just one example:

And why do we need to remember that they're desperate? Because desperate men will say anything. And as the Bush rhetoric gets more and more aggressive and attacking, demonizing and deceptive, mistaken and misleading, we need to keep our heads on straight and continue to stop the spin.

Their desperation isn't pretty. And it will take them straight home to Crawford.

Was Bush Wired?

You MUST hear about the latest scandalous rumor racing about online...that Bush was wearing a wire during the debate and being fed his lines.

As my sister put it: well then that makes his pathetic performance even sadder.

These type of rumors have been floated about Bush before. And it would certainly explain why he sometimes has weird pauses, and why he told someone to "let him finish", even though no one was speaking.

I also think, if it's true, then the media has known about it for a long time, and they ignored the debate rule that the candidates could not be shot from behind on purpose to expose it without having to report it.

Myself? I just thought he was wearing a strangely ill-fitting suit. And considering the resources available to the President, it actually is less likely that that is the explanation, rather than a transceiver pack!

Full Salon story in the extended entry:

Bush's mystery bulge
The rumor is flying around the globe. Was the president wired during the first debate?
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Dave Lindorff

Oct. 8, 2004  |  Was President Bush literally channeling Karl Rove in his first debate with John Kerry? That's the latest rumor flooding the Internet, unleashed last week in the wake of an image caught by a television camera during the Miami debate. The image shows a large solid object between Bush's shoulder blades as he leans over the lectern and faces moderator Jim Lehrer.

The president is not known to wear a back brace, and it's safe to say he wasn't packing. So was the bulge under his well-tailored jacket a hidden receiver, picking up transmissions from someone offstage feeding the president answers through a hidden earpiece? Did the device explain why the normally ramrod-straight president seemed hunched over during much of the debate?

Bloggers are burning up their keyboards with speculation. Check out the president's peculiar behavior during the debate, they say. On several occasions, the president simply stopped speaking for an uncomfortably long time and stared ahead with an odd expression on his face. Was he listening to someone helping him with his response to a question? Even weirder was the president's strange outburst. In a peeved rejoinder to Kerry, he said, "As the politics change, his positions change. And that's not how a commander in chief acts. I, I, uh -- Let me finish -- The intelligence I looked at was the same intelligence my opponent looked at." It must be said that Bush pointed toward Lehrer as he declared "Let me finish." The green warning light was lit, signaling he had 30 seconds to, well, finish.

Hot on the conspiracy trail, I tried to track down the source of the photo. None of the Bush-is-wired bloggers, however, seemed to know where the photo came from. Was it possible the bulge had been Photoshopped onto Bush's back by a lone conspiracy buff? It turns out that all of the video of the debate was recorded and sent out by Fox News, the pool broadcaster for the event. Fox sent feeds from multiple cameras to the other networks, which did their own on-air presentations and editing.

To watch the debate again, I ventured to the Web site of the most sober network I could think of: C-SPAN. And sure enough, at minute 23 on the video of the debate, you can clearly see the bulge between the president's shoulder blades.

Bloggers stoke the conspiracy with the claim that the Bush administration insisted on a condition that no cameras be placed behind the candidates. An official for the Commission on Presidential Debates, which set up the lecterns and microphones on the Miami stage, said the condition was indeed real, the result of negotiations by both campaigns. Yet that didn't stop Fox from setting up cameras behind Bush and Kerry. The official said that "microphones were mounted on lecterns, and the commission put no electronic devices on the president or Senator Kerry." When asked about the bulge on Bush's back, the official said, "I don't know what that was."

So what was it? Jacob McKenna, a spyware expert and the owner of the Spy Store, a high-tech surveillance shop in Spokane, Wash., looked at the Bush image on his computer monitor. "There's certainly something on his back, and it appears to be electronic," he said. McKenna said that, given its shape, the bulge could be the inductor portion of a two-way push-to-talk system. McKenna noted that such a system makes use of a tiny microchip-based earplug radio that is pushed way down into the ear canal, where it is virtually invisible. He also said a weak signal could be scrambled and be undetected by another broadcaster.

Mystery-bulge bloggers argue that the president may have begun using such technology earlier in his term. Because Bush is famously prone to malapropisms and reportedly dyslexic, which could make successful use of a teleprompter problematic, they say the president and his handlers may have turned to a technique often used by television reporters on remote stand-ups. A reporter tapes a story and, while on camera, plays it back into an earpiece, repeating lines just after hearing them, managing to sound spontaneous and error free.

Suggestions that Bush may have using this technique stem from a D-day event in France, when a CNN broadcast appeared to pick up -- and broadcast to surprised viewers -- the sound of another voice seemingly reading Bush his lines, after which Bush repeated them. Danny Schechter, who operates the news site MediaChannel.org, and who has been doing some investigating into the wired-Bush rumors himself, said the Bush campaign has been worried of late about others picking up their radio frequencies -- notably during the Republican Convention on the day of Bush's appearance. "They had a frequency specialist stop me and ask about the frequency of my camera," Schechter said. "The Democrats weren't doing that at their convention."

Repeated calls to the White House and the Bush national campaign office over a period of three days, inquiring about what the president may have been wearing on his back during the debate, and whether he had used an audio device at other events, went unreturned. So far the Kerry campaign is staying clear of this story. When called for a comment, a press officer at the Democratic National Committee claimed on Tuesday that it was "the first time" they'd ever heard of the issue. A spokeswoman at the press office of Kerry headquarters refused to permit me to talk with anyone in the campaign's research office. Several other requests for comment to the Kerry campaign's press office went unanswered.

As for whether we really do have a Milli Vanilli president, the answer at this point has to be, God only knows.

Republicans for Kerry

It was never any surprise when Ron Reagan Jr. came out so strongly against Bush...he's been a lifelong liberal. It had its impact, but probably only on those who weren't really too plugged in.

Now, however, there are more endorsements coming Kerry's way, and from life-long Republicans.

The Talent Show blog has kindly consolidated 4 such endorsements into one post here.

But I wanted to especially and directly link you to John Eisenhower's column endorsing Kerry. President Eisenhower's son is a life-long (50-year) Republican who has now changed his registration to Independent.

It is not just Bush that he cannot support. He no longer recognizes his Party. This is significant. True.

And he presents his argument very forcefully and eloquently.

but look at all of the links in the Talent Show entry; they all have a point to make, and make well.

Framing the Debate

We all know that the Republicans are supposed to brilliant at "framing" the debate. Coining terms and getting their language generally accepted for common usage.

Such terms as:

Partial Birth Abortion (Not a medical term, that's for sure)

Climate Change (Rather than Global Warming)

and so on.

Well, here's a great site: AnotherRepublicanForKerry.

And here's his memo on how we should be framing the debate.

This is a great document. Yes, it mirrors most of the same arguments we have made in our handy one-page campaign literature hand-outs.

but it's worth listening to a good message twice...make sure it sinks in!

People Are Getting Riled Up

As you can imagine, I get a lot of political emails. Sure, most of them are from MoveOn and the DNC, asking for money more often than not.

But many of them are just regular folks who are riled up and trying to get other people riled up too.

One of the very common themes that explains why so many people I know are taking so much time to express themselves to pretty much everyone they know is that they don't trust or believe the media anymore. The media seems hopelessly biased to protect the incumbent and to have forgotten their job should be to investigate and inform.

I got a great rant-y email from a fellow volunteer yesterday on just this topic.

Favorite excerpt:

And then there were the lengthy articles in the New York Times and Washington Post abut how Bush’s and Kerry’s style may be more important than what they actually say. Yup, I’m sure gonna cast my vote for the guy who stands up the straightest at the podium. Kerry has perfect hair. But Bush isn’t wearing a tie these days. Yep, those are the real issues.

Entire text in extended entry:

Courtesy of intrepid Party volunteer, Ken:

This startling insight just in from Judy Woodruff’s column today on CNN.com:

"So...what is at stake for the candidates on Thursday?

A lot."

Hello? Judy? Are you some kind of idiot? Or do you think we are a bunch of
idiots? Fox News appears to be competing for best right-wing propaganda
disguised as news coverage. But CNN appears to be competing for the most
vapid news organization.

After Kerry's acceptance speech, Wolfe Blitzer turned to a co-anchor and
asked, "What do you think was at stake...?"

It’s time for CNN to come up with another question.

And then there were the lengthy articles in the New York Times and Washington Post abut how Bush’s and Kerry’s style may be more important than what they actually say. Yup, I’m sure gonna cast my vote for the guy who stands up the straightest at the podium. Kerry has perfect hair. But Bush isn’t wearing a tie these days. Yep, those are the real issues.

But seriously folks, there are serious issues at stake here, thought you’d never know it from the so-called news or the campaigns themselves.

And then there are the polls. It’s important to remember that if the polls meant anything, Howard Dean would be running for President today. Anybody remember Howard Dean?

The polls’ general lack of meaning hasn’t stopped, Judy, Wolfe and their colleagues from their myopia with the daily horse race and the candidates' barb of the day.

The polls, of course are all over the map. The news reports that they all show Bush ahead. But there was a poll released today that showed Kerry ahead by a point. You won’t hear about it from any of the major news organizations, because they didn’t conduct the poll and it goes against the "Kerry the Underdog" theme that the press has fallen into.

This most recent poll was conducted by Investors Business Daily and the
Christian Science Monitor. It shows Kerry with 46% and Bush with 45%.

Indeed, the media have noticed how confusing and contradictory the polls are. But instead of moving on to other topics that would actually educate the electorate about actual issues, they’re writing about how confusing and contradictory the polls are, as if that matters. In other words, the media don’t know what’s going on so they’re writing about their own lack of insight.

It comes down to this: Polls and pithy barbs are easier to write about than
poverty, global warming, national security, underemployment, etc. And the
press is a fundamentally lazy lot.

Watching the news is kinda like being a Mets fan: Sigh, maybe next season.

On Intelligence, and Why It Matters

I've been meaning to carefully read and pas along this article by blogger, Matt Yglesias, for a long time.

He makes a very basic, but forgotten argument: yes, intelligence matters, and yes Bush is NOT an intelligent guy, and yes, that should disqualify him to be our President.

And it's not so much that he's dumb. It's that he completely uninterested in thinking: in thinking about issues, thinking things through, thinking ahead.

We, as Democrats, tend to shy away from this argument. We don't want to be called elitists. This is amazing, given that our loyal base is anything but comprised of so-called intelligentsia, but rather regular, hard-working people who know we are the Party that looks out for the good of all, not the good of the few.

Yglesias does not shy away from the argument. And I find it compelling.

Read it.

Troubled Times Inspire Great Art

it's kind of a cliche, but it's nonetheless true. Troubled Times, whether personal or political, can inspire great work from artists.

E.L. Doctorow is a literary artist, and one who has explored political themes before. Earlier this month he published an essay in his local rag in the Hamptons.

One excerpt that had me nodding my head:

"But this president does not know what death is. He hasn't the mind for it. You see him joking with the press, peering under the table for the weapons of mass destruction he can't seem to find, you see him at rallies strutting up to the stage in shirt sleeves to the roar of the carefully screened crowd, smiling and waving, triumphal, a he-man."

This is what struck me after seeing "Fahrenheit 911." This president doesn't grasp the seriousness of situations with a mature and adult mind. He is a perpetual adolescent. And one who desires power and privilege like it was his life's blood.

Read the entire essay here.

Michael Moore is Singing my Song

OK, you know how I've been ranting about stupid Democrats eating their young, criticizing our candidate instead of Bush and falling into premature and unwarranted despair?

Apparently Michael Moore reads my blog, because his latest missive on his web site is in perfect harmony with my rants.

Read it...and then take it to heart. Really. Truly.

E-Bay is where all the missing family income has gone!

Check out this latest little verbal exchange between VP candidates Cheney and Edwards.

What cracks me up is Cheney's statement that Ebay-derived income is: "a source of money that didn't even exist 10 years ago"

Huh?

People act like everything that happens on the web is some kind of new magic. No, it's just the medium that is different; the activities are the same.

And before Ebay, people bought and sold stuff at flea markets, via want ads, via garage sales. Sure, lots more people are selling stuff on Ebay than probably did those other things, but most of these are not dealer-types, and they are making modest little amounts of money, that they probably spend bidding on other stuff on Ebay :)

The dealer-types were selling via other avenues before Ebay.

Once again the Internet is providing a more efficient, more scalable avenue for an activity, but it didn't CREATE the activity.

That's my opinion anyway. Am I wrong?

Wise (yet premature) Words from Robert McNamara

I've been reading Clinton's autobiography.

I've been reading it for what seems like a very long time. It is a very big book.

But last night I came upon a section that made me very sad. It represents what should be true, but isn't.

Seems that Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense and prosecutor of the Vietnam War, wrote President Clinton a letter upon his election in 1992.

Read the excerpt. It is beautifully written, amazingly relevant, and so so sad that McNamara's sentiments have not been borne out by current events.

It's in the extended entry:

McNamara's letter included the following:

"For me - and I believe for the nation as well - the Vietnam war finally ended the day you were elected president. By their votes, the American people, at long last, recognized that the Allers and the Clintons, when they questioned the wisdom and morality of their government's decisions relating to Vietnam, were no less patriotic than those who served in uniform. The anguish with which you and your friends debated our actions in 1969 was painful for you then and, I am sure, the resurrection of the issues during the campaign reopened old wounds. But the dignity with which you met the attacks, and your refusal to draw back from the belief that it is the responsibility of all citizens to question the basis for any decision to send our youth to war, has strengthened the nation for all time."

You Wanted Kerry to Fight Back? Well, Here He Goes

Read it; read it all.

The pass it along to any of your friends who have been getting discouraged or nervous or angry at Kerry, rather than that guy deserving of America's anger...Dubya.

Quote of the Day from wacky Maureen Dowd

I have to admit that sometimes Maureen Dowd escapes me. Especially if you've seen her live, say on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

But sometimes she comes out with some great quotes, and here's one today:

"Despite the fact that the economy is cratering, Iraq is teetering, Afghanistan is reverting to warlords, Dick Cheney is glowering at the world, the war on terror has created more acts of terror, Ahmad Chalabi is an accused spy for Iran and the Pentagon has an accused spy for Israel, Republicans felt so good about themselves that when Arnold Schwarzenegger said he was inspired to become a Republican by Richard Nixon, they exploded. When Tricky Dick is a hot applause line, they're feeling cocky."

Blogging the RNC Convention: Day 2

OK, again I was stuck listening to quite a bit of Day 2 in my car. Luckily my Palm Tungsten T3 has a voice recorder.

So I was recording my thoughts. Problem is, sometimes I didn't say who was speaking! Grrr.

Constant hypocrisy truly abounds in these Republican speakers though. Not one went by that didn't have me talking back to the radio.

I'm sure the other drivers along 280 South on Tuesday night were wondering about the crazy lady yelling in her car.

Of course, given the preponderance of Kerry stickers vs. Bush stickers you find in this area, I likely wasn't the only one.

Read more about it in the extended entry:

Okay, random guy #1 who said that Bush would fight for "the man stuck in prison overseas for practicing his faith", when we have a whole passel of folks stuck in Guantanamo, no charges, no lawyers, no due process? Somewhere in a foreign country they're saying the same thing about us.

Bill Frist: OMG...so MANY appalling things here.

This speech was Orwellian in its inaccurate use of wishful-thinking-language. For starters, how can Frist go on about how Bush has made sure that health insurance when you need it, when the recent Census figures clearly show that fewer people than ever actually have coverage?

And did he or did he not sound like a snale oil salesman with his "Git yer card now; it's simply; git it today; call this toll-free number." It was embarrassing, I mean this is the Senate Majority Leader we're talking about.

Can someone explain to me the logic behind saying. "Well, adult stem cell research has yielded results, but embryonic stem cell research is still in the early stages and hasn't yet yielded results." And so, of course, it follows we wouldn't want to get started as soon as possible or anything right?

Last thing about Bill Frist: does it not just epitomize the Republican affinity for the 'elites' (or Bush's base, as he likes to call them) that his big health care sob story is about a surgeon?????

Dude, his grandfather, father and he are all surgeons...most people in this country are NOT going to feel sorry for him, especially not compared to the little injured child that John Edwards went to court for.

But, oh yeah, it's all the trial lawyers' fault. Not the insurance or medical companies. I'm just not sure demonizing lawyers gets all that far.

Then NPR interviewed my favorite dude, Rick Santorum. This time not about abortion, but about the marriage issue. So Rick just thinks we ought to realize that marriage is a special thing, the best environment for raising well-adjusted children, and that children do better with a mom and a dad, so married moms and dads deserve special privileges and rights, that's all. No wonder single parent families struggle so much in this country huh? Doesn't that just discount so many people, relationships, families, and not even gay ones, that you know?

And I didn't even watch the Bush twins, but the blogosphere is buzzing about them and their poor performance.

Dan Gillmor, Business Writer, Takes on "Compassionate Conservatism"

Dan Gillmore writes about a lot of things: technology, blogging, social media, journalism, copyright laws, and every now and then, politics.

Today he gets it just right.

My favorite quote:

But now that it's election season, we're supposed to think these folks are now going to live up to Bush's 2000 promise not to be a divider? Maybe Bush is compassionate in his heart. His policies rarely reflect any such thing.

Republicans must think swing voters are stupid or have a 30-second attention span.

Honestly! A Catastrophic Success? Huh?

Sometimes Bush leaves me speechless.

This is one of those times.

here is the story.

And here is the quote that makes my head want to explode:

Bush, in an interview with Time magazine, suggested he still would have gone into Iraq, but with different tactics had he known "that an enemy that should have surrendered or been done in escaped and lived to fight another day."

He called the swift military offensive that led to the fall of Baghdad in April 2003 "a catastrophic success" even though fighting continues despite the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's government.

How exactly is it a catastrophic success that you let the enemy escape and live to fight another day?

And isn't that exactly what Guiliani was using as the reason to compare the world's leaders for the last 30 years to Chamberlain and his appeasement of Hitler?

Honestly.

They guy should just learn to not speak. Especially not off the cuff. Ever.

Results Matter? Then Why Don't You List Some?

Again, feeling nauseated by exposing myself to the noxious fumes of self-righteousness and disingenuousness, AKA the RNC Convention.

Apparently the phrase "Under George Bush's leadership" is going to be as well-worn this week as "safer at home and respected abroad" was at the DNC Convention.

But it's almost funny how they keep talking about results, but never actually listing any. Oh, sure, they'll say..."students are learning again" or "the economy is recovering" but you will wait in vain for any supporting follow-up data.

But, as ever, Arianna comes to my aid.

Read this blog entry to see some results that Bush surely doesn't want to be the ones that people think "matter."

Anyone Heard the Phrase "Two Wrongs..."

Here is an instructive quote from a recent Time Magazine interview with Laura Bush (Thanks to Atrios for the link:

TIME
Do you think these swift-boat ads are unfair to John Kerry?

BUSH
Do I think they're unfair? Not really. There have been millions of terrible ads against my husband.

So then two wrongs do make a right I guess? Wouldn't this have been an opportunity for her to take the higher ground against negative campaigning?

Well, I guess Laura really does fit right into the Bush clan, where it's really not about right and wrong; it's about effectiveness, pure & simple.

It's nice of Bush after 2 weeks of SWVFT hysteria to finally come out and say, sure Kerry was heroic, maybe even a little more heroic than I (!)

Perhaps doing that immediately when McCain asked you too might have seemed a wee bit more sincere, though, don't you think?

And maybe not having your hacks claim there was "nothing, nada, no connection" between your campaign and the ads, when you had not one but two employees have resigned because they were among those involved with the ads...maybe that would have made it all seem a wee bit more credible.

And, I'm guessing here, but it could be that your current righteous indignation about ads from 527 groups would carry a little more weight if you hadn't supported their "right to free speech" last time the issue came up.

But as always, I'm confusing my concept of "free speech" that is, for everyone, with yours, that is, for your supporters only.

Kerry on The Daily Show

Brief immediate reaction:

He did a great job. He seemed loose,relaxed, fully equipped with a sense of humor...and always driving to talk on point and message about issues. real issues. Like people losing their health care, going to war without international participation etc.

Bu the wisest thing he did: set up Bush as the one who's a good debater.

This is brilliantly turning the Bush strategy right around on him. Bush folks always try to portray their guy as just a plain-talkin' dude who doesn't stand a chance against those slick, smooth-talkin' politicians like Ann Richards and Al Gore.

He therefore exceeds expectations when he doesn't start jabbering like a monkey.

As Kerry very correctly points out though: Bush has won every debate he's had...with Richards; with Gore. So he clearly a very good debater.

Nice job, Senator.We're gonna have to play their game, and that was a lovely lob right there.

Fox News Channel Parent Co. President is for Kerry!

I LOVE this. Ah, the irony.

Peter Chernin, President and C.O.O. of News Corporation (yes, Rupert Murdoch's company and parent of Fox News Channel) is one of Kerry main supporters. Not just a supporter, but one might call him a rabid supporter.

Here's Chernin with the smackdown:

"The Kerry-Edwards plan for America is exactly what is needed to jumpstart businesses and get America working again. It will lower healthcare costs and cut taxes on corporations and small businesses to strengthen our economy today and invest in education, science and innovation to help us stay competitive in the economy of tomorrow."

Bill Clinton on TDS

Great quote from Bill Clinton just now on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart:

"Democrats win when people think."

This is why the terror alerts keep on coming.

This is why Bush is talking in slogans, while all the right wing pundits keep asking where Kerry's detailed plans are.

If they can keep us feeling fearful and feeling uncertain, the Republicans win.

We've got to keep thinking and make sure other people do too.

THK Puts It Quite Succinctly

Teresa Heinz Kerry, a smart and well-informed woman, had a quick retort for some Bush supporters who showed up at an appearance and started chanting "four more years" during her speech.

Without a moment's hesitation, she simply told the crowd:

"They want four more years of hell."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Source: 8/3/04 Washington post article

Ron Reagan Puts It All Out There

Ron Reagan gave an effective, but carefully non-partisan speech at the DNC Convention last week. Sure, you couldn't help but realize that it was a strong anti-Bush move to speak at the Convention. Sure, if you follow news much, you knew that he was decrying Bush's policy and praising Kerry's, in regard to the limited arena of embryonic stem cell research.

But now Reagan has written a column for Esquire that will eliminate all need to say: "But tell us how you really feel, Ron." It's entitled "The Case Against George Bush."

And he builds quite a case indeed.

This is truly an article to pass around amongst your friends.

Read it now. And share it.

Where You Can Listen to Convention Speeches

This just in:

Apple is providing FREE downloads of the convention speeches (audio only) at the iTunes Music Store. This store is compatible with both PCs and MACs, so if you're not already an iTunes user, you can go here and download the software app free, then download the speeches..again FREE! Woo hoo!

Also, C-SPAN is a source to watch the speeches.

If nothing else watch:

Al Gore
Bill Clinton
Barack Obama
Al Sharpton
Wes Clark
John Kerry

My humble opinion.

Blogging the Convention: Day Four, John Kerry & Co.

Well, if we judge a man by his children, then I'm doubly for Kerry now.

Vanessa and Alexandra Kerry were both articulate, passionate and gracious representatives for their father. They each told a small story about their father that illustrated his humanity and his heart.

Fashioning the copper wire tree with fall foliage demonstrated humanity and creativity. And as an animal person, I really loved the hamster story.

But the point is they painted a very human, wise, loving portrait of their Dad.

And read more abut what their Dad said in the extended entry:

So taking his cue from Clinton at his convention, Kerry made his entrance through the crowd. Nice man of the people touch.

But how did he do in his speech? I thought he did great! Way better than my expectations. I came away not just enthused on paper about his positions in a kind of dry way. I came away enthused about him as a person and a leader. As a man with a vision for America, and who is answering a call to help America.

So, some excerpts:

"This nation's history is written in blood, idealism and hope..."

Honoring the youthful idealism of the 60's...something the right wing would like to demonize and have us forget:

"We believed we could change the world. And you know what? We did! But the March isn't over."

Kerry sprinkled in humor:
"I was born in the West Wing" (of the hospital where he as born.)

Pointed critiques:
"I will have a Vice-President who won't have secret meetings...and an Attorney General who will uphold the Constitution."

After 9/11: "There were no Democrats; there were no Republicans. there were only Americans. And how we wish it had stayed that way!"

"Strength is more than tough words."

"Values spoken without actions taken are just slogans."

Direct answer to his critics:
"They say this is the best economy w ever had, and that anyone who doesn't think so is a pessimist. NOTHING is more pessimistic than saying this is the best we can do."

"I will wage this war with the lessons I learned in war. I defended this country as a young man, and I will defend it as President."

"I don't wear my religion on my sleeve...I don't want to claim God is on our side. but rather pray humbly that we are on God's side."

Support for his family and followers:
Teresa "speaks her mind and speaks the truth, and I love her for that too."

"We may be a little older; we may be a little grayer, but we still know how to fight for our country."

A couple of noteworthy shout-outs:
To teachers: "Treat teachers like the professionals they are."

To Silicon Valley: In his "what if" section...he mentioned how American inovation, putting so much information on such a small chip, changed the world.

And his own inspiring and uplifting rhetoric:
"The future doesn't belong to fear; it belongs to freedom."

"The flag doesn't belong to any President, ideology or Party. It belongs to all American people."

"We are all in the same boat"

Kerry focused on the future, but didn't shy away from scolding those who are bungling our present by not learning from the past.

Each day of the convention had its stars, maybe one or two per day:
Monday: Clinton & Gore
Tuesday: Obabamania, baby!
Wednesday: Sharpton and Edwards

But Thursday was ALL about Kerry. He rose to the occasion and touched my heart as well as appealing to my mind.

Go watch his speech on cspan.org if you didn't see it. it will get you energized for the battle ahead!

Blogging the Convention: Day Four

OK, I admit it. I hit the wall on Day Four.

We Democrats were practically Republican in our adherence to staying on message and on point. Through seven hours of speeches.

I'll blog about the Kerry speech and accoutrements in a separate entry, but here is what stood out to me in the other 5 hours. In the extended entry of course:

I'll start with my hero, Wes Clark. Through the first days I was anxiously awaiting his speech, and he did not disappoint. I hope he is made Secretary of State or Defense in a Kerry Administration. He would represent our country with such honor and intelligence.

He started out, as an "old soldier", defending the honor of our party, the Democratic Party:
"Anyone that tells you any party has a monopoly on the best defense of our nation is committing a fraud on the American people."
and
"Repetition does not transform a lie into truth."
And...about our flag...
"Nobody will take it away from us."

I liked how Clark was one of the few to acknowledge Kerry's anti-war activism. I guess they only wanted actual military folks to talk about it. But what he said was great. He respected him for going to war, and "he came home to fight a peace, and I respect him for that too!"

And I liked how Clark lauded Bill Clinton. I certainly hope Kerry doesn't make the Gore mistake of distancing himself from Clinton. "...great Democrats like Bill Clinton who confronted ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia, and with diplomacy, backed by force, brought peace to a shattered land!"

His last minute was great, talking about right here, right now, getting the country back on track, renewing our spirit and "securing a future for our children, that is worthy of our heritage"

Clark used strong, no-nonsense words, as befitting an "old soldier." He has my great respect, and my trust.

--------------------------
Now on to the others:

Barney Frank said one thing that was really powerful and true:

Given the Republican, or should I say Bush, position on adding bias against GLBTs into the Constitution, Frank pointed out that Ralph Nader saying there is no appreciable difference between the parties "trivializes our lives."

Yes! Great point. That is what is so, so insensitive and infuriating about Nader's argument. OK, you want to argue that both parties take corporate donations? Fine. We can argue about percentages and totals. But saying that one factor makes the parties the same...trivializes the lives of the GLBT community, trivializes the environment he claims to care about, trivializes the right of a woman to choose, trivializes the unfair tax structure we have today.

Kweisi Mfume, President of the NAACP dropped this little news item: he requested to address both Conventions, but the Republicans didn't want him.

Joe Biden had a couple of good ones:
"Because we waged war alone, we are responsible for the aftermath alone."

"It's only leadership if someone follows."

And the DeGaulle story...during the Cuban Missile Crisis Kennedy sent someone to get France's help, and brought with him the photographic evidence. DeGaulle reportedly said it wasn't necessary. It was enough that the President said it was so. And Biden asked if anyone would ever say that again? Well, certainly not with a Bush rep bringing the 411.

Madeline Albright was, as always, an impressive speaker:
"President Kerry will use intelligence to shape policy, not twist intelligence to justify policy." OUCH!

Blogging the Convention: Day Three: Al Sharpton & John Edwards

Al Sharpton gave a fiery and impassioned speech on a national stage last night.

John Edwards was strong and personal.

Read about these two in the extended entry:

First the Reverend Al Sharpton:

Some of his statements were scathing:

"If George W. Bush had picked the Supreme Court in 1954 [Ed. Note: the year that they decided on Brown vs. Board of Education] Clarence Thomas would have never gotten to law school."

Ouch!

Some he repeated for good measure:

"We need a government that doesn't seek to regulate your behavior in the bedroom, but to guarantee your right to provide food in the kitchen."

Some were just laugh out loud irreverent, while making a point:

"We never got the mule, so we'll ride this donkey as far as it can take us."

And, like Kucinich, he made sure to run down the Party's historical legacy of reaching out to African Americans over the last 60 years.

Sharpton mentioned Bush's rhetorical questions to the Urban League at a speech recently, and said he would proceed to answer them. I actually went and looked up that story, because I wanted to make sure Al was quoting Bush accurately. (Here's the New York Times report on the speech.) Apparently Bush said the following:

"Is it a good thing for the African-American community to be represented mainly by one political party? That's a legitimate question. How is it possible to gain political leverage if the party is never forced to compete?"

I find this an incredibly cynical and appalling comment. It basically confirms that Bush considers politics and policy to be a quid pro quo deal...you don't do what's right; you do what someone has paid you for, whether in money, critical votes, influence, whatever. Pretty disgusting.

And Sharpton treated it with the disdain it deserved:

"This vote is sacred to us; our vote is not for sale."

He closed with an exhortation to "Make America beautiful again!"

And was played off by Ray Charles' rendition of that tune.

It was a masterful performance, particularly the latter half.

John Edwards had a different goal in mind...to show off his renowned charm and charisma, but to appear serious and stable and experienced. he also needed to set the stage for Kerry. He scored on those counts I believe. I think, as I've said before, that it is a perfectly valid and effective strategy to have the firebrands out there who stoke the fires of outrage, who work up the base of the party, who galvanize and inspire the non-voters: the Sharptons, the Moores, the Huffingtons, the Kennedys, the Gores.

But we need our candidates to realistically appeal across the broad spectrum that is America, and we need to have them realistically say that they will be true uniters, not dividers, And I honestly believe that is what America most desperately needs now...an end to our polarization and the decline of civil political discourse in this country.

Edwards did hit the mark with several resonant statements:

"Reward work, not just wealth"

"Because it is wrong." (And doesn't that just stick it to Bush's comment about "leverage"?

"Working full time and living in poverty? Not in OUR America!"

Where is it appropriate to discuss matters of race and division? "Everywhere!"

Edwards has that great orator's trick of repeating things in threes.

The other great part of Edwards' speech is where he took a step back and said he knew everyone had one question about these great plans he and Kerry have: "How you gonna pay for it?"

And he continued on to say they would maintain the tax cuts for 98% of Americans and roll back the cuts for the top 2%. I thought it was good to put it out there on the table.

All in all, he projected the right image and clarity and strength that he needed to. And now I am simply all atwitter waiting for Kerry's speech tonight!

So, our mission is clear:

We know 100% of the 2% vote! And as an advocate for people to get involved in the political process and do their civic duty, I'm not complaining about that. But we also know another large percentage of people think they are in the top 2% even though they are not. And we know a lot of people don't vote.

It is time to do two things:

1. Make sure most people who vote understand that they do NOT personally benefit from Bush's policies...and more importantly that our greater national welfare doesn't benefit either.

2. Make sure that people who do not vote understand what's at stake. And how easy it is to register and vote.

The biggest area where the Party needs volunteer help is in voter registration and precinct ownership. You can make a difference, one vote at a time.

Start here and fill out a Volunteer Form.

Blogging the Convention: Day Three

So, I'm getting a little tired. I'm sure I have never watch so much political speechmaking in such a short amount of time in my life. That being the case I did a lot more skipping through and a lot less sustained viewing.

Nonetheless, I did hear some gems. Read about it in the extended entry:

Harold Ford Jr.:
"I'm a Democrat because it's the party that believes every American owns a part of the American Dream"

Steve Westley, our very own state controller:
First I'd just like to say that I'm happy to see someone who belies the myth that once someone gets wealthy through business, one becomes a Republican. This guy must be loaded, but he chose to go into public service rather than retire and eat bonbons by the pool. I admire that. I also liked his characterization of Republicans as believing:
'Maybe one day, tax cuts for the few will benefit the many"

Carolyn McCarthy, a Representative from NY:
Another inspiring story of someone who turned personal tragedy (her husband was killed and son injured in the LIRR Massacre over a decade ago) into a call to public action and service. She brought up the impending expiration of the assault weapons ban and urged all people to call their Representatives AND the President and protest, loudly, that they would let the ban die.

Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey:
Israel has come up very rarely through the Convention, which shows what a touchy subject it is. But I was gratified to hear someone remind us that they are a Democratic society in the region, that they have been our constant ally, and that they are under the constant threat of terrorism on their land.

Representative Rangel was a firebrand! I was wondering if the Democratic Party had approved his near-Call for Revolution, or if he slid that in there extemporaneously.

Daniel Leahy, recipient of the famous F-bomb:
First of all I had never eard that phrase 'F-Bomb' before this whole Cheany/Leahy dust-up. Leahy gracefully made reference to the altercation without dwelling on it overmuch. and he had this one great quote:
"We want a government that stays off our backs, but stays by our sides."

RFK Jr. on the environment (and losing his voice poor guy):
We now are encountering the gravest threat to our environment and to some degree because Republicans believe:
"we have to choose between environmental protection and economic propserity" and that is a "FALSE CHOICE"

And they are: "treating our planet like it's a business in liquidation!" (Which I thought was totally brilliant!)

And it took "300 years to build reservoirs of moral authority and 3 1/2 years to destroy it."

And there are "other appetites than money"

RFK Jr. was impassioned and a man on a mission. He came; he spoke; he strode away without soaking in the applause.

I also really enjoyed David Patterson, the blind New York state representative. While he might have leaned a little heavily on the "sight" and "vision" metaphors, I really liked his key phrase:
"I cannot see it with my eyes, but I can feel it in my heart."

Rock on Dennis Kucinich...you can see why this guy got people fired up. I think at one point he actually said: "Oh, the humanity!"

Kucinich did a great job of reminding us of our great Democratic Party legacy: the Party to pass all sorts of laws that protected and lifted up people. And he talked about an alternate set of Weapons of Mass Destruction: poverty, joblessness, homelessness, fear, racism..."we must disarm those weapons!"

All in all, because Democrats are being extremely disciplined about staying on message, Day Three got a little old. But what is sad is that the average American will see NONE of the above.

I heard the networks didn't show one bit of Barack Obama's speech. That's a crime.

Love Him or Hate Him: Moore Incites Passion

The following is a link to a speech Michael Moore gave to a bunch of people waiting outside who couldn't get in to hear his official speech. it's from this week in Boston.

I've seen Moore speak, and he does have that ability to get you engaged and enraged. And like any good marketer for his cause, he never fails to issue a Call to Action. He issues several here.

Moore and Arianna are on the same page when they call out for us to galvanize and energize the non-voters, rather than lure the small number of swing voters.

I'm glad we have folks like the two of them to do that job so well...remember back in 2000 they both were not backing the Democratic candidate. They're sorry now, and they are doing everything they can to get John kerry in the White House.

Check out this audio link.

More Obamamania

Thank to blog BoingBoing.net for transcribing one of Obama's great paragraphs that I neglected to:

"If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental belief-I am my brother's keeper, I am my sisters' keeper-that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E pluribus unum." Out of many, one."

Read what he said next in the extended entry:

"Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America-there's the United States of America.

There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."

Stirring, emotional, patriotic stuff.

Blogging the Convention: Day Two, Barack Obama

I'm just going to say this right off the top.

When this guy finished his speech, I yelled up to the S.O.: "This is the guy who will be the first African-American President of the United States."

He was that strong. And articulate and so natural up there. But he also clearly touched his audience, and moved the crowd. Brains and heart...a winning combination. (Along with being quite handsome...which can never hurt.)

Some of his good motifs:
Talking about a "tolerant America and a generous America."

"We don't want our tax dollars wasted by a welfare agency or by the Pentagon>"

A great riff on how the fallacy of the Blue and the Red states belies all of our similarities in this one United States of America.

"...the audacity of hope..."

And lastly, referring to himself:
"...the skinny kid with the funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too."

Obama is a political rock star.

And it would be pretty fun to sing the name game with his name...anyone wanna give it a try? (And, no, I'm sure that's NOT an original idea.)

Blogging the Convention: Day Two

There were some moments today that made me take up my pen and try to be a stenographer.

Check them out in the extended entry:

Jon Corsine:
"Diversity is our Party's hallmark and this country's greatest strength"

Kwame Kilpatrick:
"Dare mighty things!"

Actor Benjamin McKenzie admitting he didn't vote in 2000 because he didn't think it would matter. And reminding people that all of John Kerry's great qualities won't get him elected...votes will.

Maya Angelou, despite shuffling around her papers and making me nervous, managed to make the point that it's okay to dream for better and it's okay to question.

Ted Kennedy (looking quite fit and dapper, I have to say)
Never has he observed a "contrast so sharp or consequences so profound" in a presidential election.

Quoting John Adams hope that "none but the honest and the wise" shall reside under the White house roof.

Sly dig about the "monarch George who inherited the crown."

I can only imagine what the right-winger media will do with Kennedy's rousing and no holds barred speech. But this is a man who has won many a Senatorial race and been in the public eye his entire life. You can bet he knows how to get a message across.

Ron Reagan on embryonic stem cell research:
"The theology of a few shouldn't forestal the health of the many."

And little Ilona Wexler who founded Kids for Kerry! As my S.O. said: "I'm glad she's on our side! What a pistol. I loved her idea of giving Cheney a loooonnng time-out!

I think cspan.org will have video on all these speeches.

Blogging the Convention: Day Two, Teresa heinz Kerry

So my close personal friend (by virtue of shaking her hand) Teresa Heinz Kerry spoke, and reaffirmed my impression of her as the very definition of a formidable woman.

She repeated a message I really liked from when I saw her speak before:

Someday a woman will not be considered "opinionated" but rather "smart & well-informed."

Also, to answer the query of an blog reader's email, here is the quote you were looking for (thank goodeness for TiVo):

"It is not a moralistic America we seek. It is a moral nation. It is a moral nation that understands and willingly shoulders its obligations. It is a moral nation that rejects thoughtless and greedy choices in favor of thoughtful and generous actions. A moral nation that leads through the power of its ideas an example."

Smart and well-informed indeed!

Oh, and by the way...

BeBe Winans sang an absolutely terrific National Anthem.

Thank goodness he showed some restraint. I am not one who goes for all that running around the melody until you can barely recognize it, and certainly no one can sing along.

Winans held that kind of stuff to the very minimum.

He sounded beautiful! Put a tear in my eye.

How can that be? I'm a liberal and a Democrat! I'm not supposed to love America like that, am I?

Well, put this in your pipe and smoke it Bill O'Reilly etc.: the National Anthem can make me teary.

Blogging the Convention: Day One; Part II

Here are some of my favorite moments from the convention tonight.

First of all it is way better to watch on C-SPAN and not have to hear any mindless news anchor chatter. I highly recommend it.

Now, find the great quotes in the extended entry:

Former Defense Sec'y. Wiliam Perry:
"Isolate the terrorists, not the United States."

Roberta Achtenberg:
"Safety without freedom is servitude, and security without liberty is weakness."

Michael Negron, the winner of the MTV "Choose or Lose" Essay contest, rocked, although I didn't write down a specific quote. He is young and articulate.

And now, on to a completely revitalized and resurgent Al Gore. Something has lit a fire under him like you cannot believe. He was loose, relaxed, funny. His speech flowed and had passion and fire. His great messages:
"Make sure the Supreme Court doesn't pick our next President, and that this president doesn't pick the next Supreme Court."

We can be "strong AND wise".

"Stronger at home and respected in the world"

Moving on. Sorry, but Gore has got it going on lately.

Anyway, Carter got a good one in talking about how the Republicans represent a "radical departure from American values". Yeah. I'm sick of it being them sticking it to us on values issues. Carter also listed several things that are, well, bad:
Polarization
Public Panic
Mistreating others

He also made this great, rhythmic statement:
"The US cannot lead if our leaders mislead."

And he closed by saying something I believe very strongly:
"Our nation's soul is at stake"

From Stephanie Tubb Jones:
"Hard working families deserve a president who will work as hard as they do."

The final three speakers were great evangelists for the party and our candidate.

The Reverend David Alston actually is a preacher, and was a fellow soldier on John Kerry's Swift boat in Vietnam. He got warmed up and had it going ON. I didn't write down full quotes because I became mesmerized, I think. But he did mention Kerry's willingness to speak "truth to power", which I thin was an oblique reference to Kerry's testimony before Congress after returning from Vietnam.

If I have quibble with most of the speakers, it's that they seemed to speak in short-cuts.I think to avoid bashing Bush, since it is our strategy to present a positive vision for America, there were lots of oblique references like that one. Now we who are political junkies are going to get that reference, and we're going to know Tubb Jones was referring to Bush's love of vacations in her quote above, and we'll know that all those references to what we should do for vets are being said because Bush has cut their benefits and by a lot.

I just hope that the rest of the people who watch understand that every positive thing being said about Kerry does have a negative side of the coin, represented by Bush and his Administration's actions.

Hillary was next, to introduce her husband, but she took a moment to speak out very strongly for Kerry. She is a strong speaker, definitely. She could use a speech writer like Gore's or Bill's to give her some quotable quotes though. Like her autobiography, she tends to be a bit prosaic.

And finally Bill Clinton. It was good just to hear them play that Fleetwood Mac song I thought I'd never want to hear again! Bill looked great: relaxed, healthy.

True to form he had many great moments:

Rather than act cooperatively when we can and unilaterally when we absolutely have to: "[Republicans prefer to]...act unilaterally when we can, and cooperatively when we have to."

"They need a divided America. We don't."

When discussing the need for diplomacy:
"We cannot kill, jail or occupy all of our adversaries."

Bill made a GREAT speech. Personalizing it in a self-deprecating and humble way.

What a great tactic to talk about how Bush's tax cuts now benefit him. That Republicans cut various services to protect his tax cuts. That must just give the right-wing conspiracy folks an ULCER!

When praising Kerry for volunteering for military service, he included himself in a list of young men at that time: Bush, Cheney, Rove, who found ways to not go overseas. Brilliant!

Now, unfortunately I was watching this via TiVo. And not to surprisingly, Bill ran over time, so my recording cut him off. But not before I heard this last great pearl from him:

"Strength and wisdom are not opposing values."

It was an awesome speech.

The last few speakers really got me pumped up.

I hope you folks got to watch some of it too, and will continue to do so.

You will be proud to be an American, and proud to be a Democrat.

Blogging the Convention: Day One

Okay, so I didn't get credentials to blog the convention from Boston, but hey that's what C-SPAN is for. Of course, I'm running a couple of hours behind since I had an afternoon meeting earlier today.

Anyway, I'm blogging my impressions as I TiVo. You can read them in the extended entry:

Day One; Part One

I loved Representative Gregory Meeks from NY. He even managed to make the old saw about a woman's place being in the House seem fresh. (Referring to Nancy Pelosi and hoping she'll be the first female Speaker of the house.)

Linda Chavez-Thomson is an impressive woman. You cannot help but admire anyone who rose from being a $.30/hour field worker at 10 years old to such prominence.

And Andrew Tobias gave a short, but extremely impactful speech.

He's a noted author on financial and money management issues, and he is the Treasurer for the DNC. So, first he talked about money. That it's only the top 2% or so who have really seen a net benefit from Bush's tax cuts. He hammered home the point that not only are the tax cuts pretty small for most folks, but they're offset by higher local and state taxes, higher education and health costs, higher just about everything else. It was simple; it was easy; it is the crux of the matter when we talk about economic recovery that it ought to be for most Americans, not just a few.

But then he repeated a line I guess he has used before:

"What good is net worth, if you don't have self-worth?"

And he went on to talk about he and his partner Charles, together for 10 years, and unable to have the rights and responsibilities of other couples, despite the high amount of taxes they dutifully pay.

Great. Direct. Point made; point taken!

Another Great Reagan Jr. Quote on Dubya

I'm thinking Ron Reagan Jr. may be Dubya's biggest NON-fan after reading this additional quote from him:

"[Bush]...lost a lot of other people's money in the oil business. What is his accomplishment? That he's no longer an obnoxious drunk?"

ROTFLMAO, as they say.

Quote of the Day: Reagan Jr. on Bush Jr.

Kudos to the Political Animal for featuring this quote in his blog:

"Dad was also a deeply, unabashedly religious man. But he never made the fatal mistake of so many politicians, wearing his faith on his sleeve to gain political advantage. True, after he was shot and nearly killed early in his presidency, he came to believe that God had spared him in order that he might do good. But he accepted that as a responsibility, not a mandate. And there is a profound difference."

I have no idea if the above is actually true of Reagan or not, but I do know it sounds like a premeditated slam of Dubya's "direct line to God" form of policy-making.

You go, Ron Jr.

Now I am just waiting for the right-wing media to shake their heads over the politicization of a solemn occasion, as they did over Paul Wellstone's funeral.

Their heads must be about to explode, struggling between wanting to strike back at Ron Jr., and not wanting to highlight any dissension or discord associated with Ron Sr.'s funeral.

Quote of the Day: From Ernie the Attorney

I recently discovered Ernie the Attorney's blog.

He's a lawyer, and I suppose part of the site is giving tidbits of legals advice to market his services. But he also writes about a lot of other stuff, including politics.

He has a great quote today regarding the latest non-scandal-that-should-be, the memos on torture:

Presidential Perks - You get to approve torture
In addition to the big house, the plane, and the military helicopter, it appears that another perk of being the POTUS is that you can legally sanction torture.

I guess the trick is to be really picky about who you torture and so forth. After all you can't just torture people indiscriminately. You have to have standards, right?

Ouch!

Quote of the Day

From Richard Cohen, NY Times:

"The Bush administration's rap on John Kerry is that he is inconsistent. The president's virtue, on the other hand, is supposedly his consistency. But to stick to the same rhetoric when the facts have changed, to insist on what is palpably false, to render black as white and to say it all with a childlike faith in civics class bromides is not commendable consistency. It is instead the mark of a narrow mind overwhelmed by large events."

Great Link: The Salon.com Interview with John Kerry

here is another must read story.

And you know, entries like this are not only must-read, but must-forward. These links, like Gore's speech, like Wes Clark's brilliant dissection of the Bush strategy for the Middle East, and like this interview with John Kerry should go out to everyone you know.

If you'd send someone a joke, or a poem about Wonderful Women Week, why would you not help them gather data to help them make a decision in this, the most important election in decades?

Yes, these links are not to a 30-second sound bite, or simple paragraph of homilies and stirring, but meaningless words. These are long, and sometimes they're even nuanced, but they represent a truth that the mainstream media is not as anxious to focus on.

The Kerry interview in Salon establishes Kerry as a candidate with ideas, with guts, with intelligence.

For those people you talk to who think, but don't know WHY they think, that Kerry is a flip-flopper or a scary liberal, this interview should help them start to realize that Kerry is a guy with a better idea, a better plan, and a better chance of executing the job of president of the United States with competence and honesty...two things we're missing right now.

Bear in mind if you're not a premium Salon member, you'll have to view a brief advertisement to see the whole interview. Do it. It's worth it.

Recent News: Kerry quote for the day

While both Clinton and Gore are praising Kerry for staying a tiny bit above the fray when it comes to the crisis in Iraq, it's not like Kerry is staying completely silent. here's a great quote for the day from Kerry:

"They looked to force before exhausting diplomacy, they bullied when they should have persuaded. They have gone it alone when they should have assembled a whole team. They have hoped for the best when they should have prepared for the worst. They have made America less safe than we should be in a dangerous world. In short, they have undermined the legacy of generations of American leadership, and that is what we must restore, and that is what I will restore."

You know, all these Republicans seem to think that Kerry should prove that he has a completely thought out and guaranteed plan for Iraq to justify our call to boot out Bush. But you know, most of them have been in business at some time in their lives.

And I'll ask them: "Haven't you ever fired someone for incompetence before?"

That's what you would do in a business.

And you line up a replacement that has the qualities, values, perspective, background that would enable them to succeed in the job.

And that's what Kerry needs to have, and does have, not a guaranteed alternative plan.

Discussion: Which Democrat WON'T You Find Hassling Kerry?

Why our former President, Bill Clinton, that's who.

Obviously following my repeated advice to Democrats to get off Kerry's back, Clinton is offering only encouraging and supportive words to Kerry's campaign, particularly what he is and isn't saying about the Iraq situation.

I knew I liked that guy.

read his comments in the extended entry:

Bill Clinton: Kerry runs smart campaign
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Sara Kugler, Salon.com

May 28, 2004  |  New York -- Former President Clinton said Thursday that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is smart not to comment daily on every development in Iraq because "he recognizes that he's not the president."

Speaking at his office in Harlem, Clinton said he didn't think the Massachusetts senator was running "too safe a campaign" as some political strategists have suggested. Among the criticism is that Kerry is failing to exploit increasing skepticism about President Bush's handling of the war.

"He recognizes that he's not the president, and he's not, he's the candidate for president, he's not somebody that's supposed to give day-by-day commentary on events," Clinton said. "He's made quite clear what he believes about the major issues in the news today, and I think he's shown a certain reticence."

The former president said that "given the seriousness of the problems we face in the world today, I think it's been quite appropriate."

Clinton said Kerry should be focused on letting "the American people get to know him, who he is, what he's for, what he wants to do, and then clarify, on his terms, the differences between himself and the president."

Clinton on occasion offers campaign advice to the Democratic candidate. Kerry aides have said the former president will play a prominent role at the Democratic convention July 26-29 in Boston.

The former president dismissed suggestions that his memoirs, to be released June 22, will steal the spotlight from Kerry.

"I think that it will not detract in any way," Clinton said. "I hope it will make citizens believe in politics more and believe in the importance of elections more and understand the honest differences between the two parties more."

"My Life," expected to be about 900 pages, has a first print run of 1.5 million copies.

Soapbox: Oh My God: He didn't just say that did he?

Have you heard the one about the brown people trying to self-govern?

No?

It's a truly heinous gaffe made by Bush, disturbing on multiple levels.

But wait, let me take a breath and fill you in.

Talking to reporters in the Rose Garden the other day, with the Canadian Prime minister at his side, Bush veered of topic to make the following statement:

"There's a lot of people in the world who don't believe that people whose skin color may not be the same as ours can be free and self-govern. I reject that. I reject that strongly. I believe that people who practice the Muslim faith can self-govern. I believe that people whose skins aren't necessarily -- are a different color than white can self-govern."

Let me count the ways that statement bothers me...in the extended entry.

First thing:

"whose skin color may not be the same as ours"????

Who is he talking about? Americans? Politicians? North Americans?

In any case, it is soooo insulting and exclusionary. I live in California, a state where white people are now the minority. But even the US in general is very far from a homogenous society.

Forget the percentages anyway, this is a country that USED to pride ourselves on being a melting pot, not a paternalistic white nation.

As for the "lot of people who believe" non-whites can't self-govern...who is he talking about there? His neocon buddies? Our one remaining "willing" coalition member of any notable size, the UK? Anyone who thinks he may not be going about promoting democratic ideals in the Middle east in the most alluring way possible?

The irony is to see Bush try to cow critics of his efforts to in Iraq by attributing their objections to racism, but to do so with a statement marked with, at worst, a different form of racism and certainly, at the least, condescension.

So, all you people of color involved in all levels of government and politics, or hell, even going to the voting booth, you are side notes to this great white democracy. In case you didn't know.

Anyway, you know something is really a blooper when George Will, arch-conservative, weighs in, and I mostly agree with him. He takes the opportunity to also hammer home another point I really agree on: that this Administration cannot adjust to realities that don't fit with their political ideology or agenda.

As Arianna Huffington said Friday night:

Repeating identical actions, but expecting different results is the definition of insanity.

And accusing those who point that out of being racists won't make that simple fact go away.

Recent Kerry Quote: He must be reading this blog!

Fast on the heels of my entry that I'm sick of my patriotism being question, it turns out John Kerry is too!

I LOOOOOVE this quote:

"I'm tired of these Republicans who spend so much time denigrating Democrats and other people's commitment to the defense of our nation. I'm tired of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney and a bunch of people who went out of their way to avoid their chance to serve when they had the chance. I went [to Vietnam]. I'm not going listen to them talk to me about patriotism."
-John Kerry, April 16th on the University of Pittsburgh Campus

You GO, John! We, as Democrats are SICK of having our values, our ethics, our patriotism and our judgment questioned and maligned. I'm glad Kerry has the cojones to fight back.

Careless People in Power

An article by George Will.

"Life has been called a series of habits disturbed by a few thoughts. Civil society is kept civil by certain habits of restraint. Inflammatory political ideas can overturn habits, sometimes for the better, usually not. But no discernible ideas, at least none that are more than appetites tarted up as ideas, account for the vandalism by political overreachers of both parties."

View the full article here.

Why I Am a Democrat

How do you know if you're a Democrat? If you've ever met someone down on his or her luck, and you wanted to help, then you're a Democrat. If you have ever seen the look in a child's eyes of fear, of hunger, or of aspiration, and wanted to help, then you're a Democrat. If you have ever wanted leadership that had common sense, that cared about the future, and that wanted progress over partisanship, then you're a Democrat. If you believe that we are better off working together than apart, then you're a Democrat. If you believe in community, opportunity, and responsibility, then you are a Democrat.

I am a Democrat because Democrats fight for, and not just talk about, the American dream. We work to ensure that children do not have to experience fear, neglect, nor hunger, but instead grow up with the hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow. We understand that in working together we are greater than the sum of our parts. Democrats strive to be courageous leaders devoted to progress, rather than be roadblocks in the name of partisan battles. We are the party of diversity and inclusion, of innovation and inspiration, and of energy and optimism.

I am a Democrat because we welcome those who are downtrodden, neglected, and cast aside just the same as we welcome those who have the promise of a brighter future set in their dreams. I am a Democrat because we welcome you whether you're black or white or brown or red or a nice shade of purple. We welcome you whether you pray at a church or a mosque or a temple or a synagogue or at your kitchen table. We welcome you whether you're young or old or just don't want to tell your age. We welcome you regardless of what gender you are or what gender you want to hold hands with. I am a Democrat because we don't care where you are today, but where you dream you want to be tomorrow. This is the spirit of our Party and it's why I am proud to be a Democrat.

Rally 'Round the Flag, But Never Lose Your Voice

RALLY ROUND THE FLAG, BUT NEVER LOSE YOUR VOICE!

By Eric C. Bauman, Chair, LA County Democratic Party

Good evening and welcome to the 2001 JFK Awards. I'm pleased to see so many of you joining us to honor those who have done so much on behalf the Democratic Party and all Californians.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. It seems like only yesterday he uttered the challenge that inspired the entire nation: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

How many times have we thought about those words and that President as a pivotal moment in our history and our political development?

Not long after those auspicious words were uttered, we became deeply enmeshed in the Vietnam War.

Many of our brothers and sisters heeded the President's call and went to a far-away land to fight, while others found the streets and protested against a war they didn't understand, that didn't make sense and seemed immoral.

Many of us in this room found our political activism because of the Vietnam War, as our Party and our Nation were cleaved by the conflict.

Some took President Kennedy's words to mean that our duty was to take up the call to war, while others took his words as a commandment to speak out and protest; both were expressions of patriotism, liberty and freedom.

Today, in light of the recent terrorist attacks against America, President Kennedy's words again challenge us.

We Democrats have rallied 'round the flag. We have demonstrated our support for the Commander-in-Chief, in these trying times. We show our support for the men and women who are risking their lives to protect our homeland and us: those young soldiers and sailors and marines. We proudly honor those brave fire fighters and police officers and emergency personnel who have put their lives on the line, some paying the ultimate price, on our behalf. And many of us proudly display the stars and stripes.

We have done all of that in the name of patriotism; in the honor of those who were killed at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; and in solidarity with our brothers and sisters across this great nation.

But just as we are proud Americans, we are also proud Democrats, and our responsibility goes beyond reflexive patriotic displays. Our responsibility goes beyond supporting the President's agenda and supporting those whose lives have been put in harm's way.

Democrats have a special responsibility: it is our solemn responsibility and duty to speak up for those who have no voice.

We are obliged to stand up for those hundreds-of thousands of people who have lost their jobs in the last five weeks or who didn't have a decent job in the first place.

We must give voice to the nearly 43 million Americans with no health insurance, and those who have only limited access to basic health care.

We must never forget the tens-of-thousands of kids who still can't read or write and who go to school with their stomachs empty.

We must continue to be champions for the seniors who each month must balance how much medication to buy with how much food to buy.

And we must continue to wage battle for all those who still have not had a shot at the American dream.

Would we be unpatriotic to speak out about these issues at this time of national conflict? Would we be unpatriotic to challenge those in Washington who would use the circumstances of September 11th to advance an unpopular partisan agenda?

I think not. I believe it would be unpatriotic not to speak out.

I rarely, if ever, reach to the words of Republicans, but no one has spoken so clearly and eloquently on this as President Theodore Roosevelt, in 1908:

"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country."

My friends, it is right for us to support the Commander-in-Chief, when he is acting in the best interests of our country. It is right for us to support the men and women of our armed forces and our police and fire fighters who are putting their lives in jeopardy for us. It is right for us to be proud of our nation.

But it is essential that we remember that we are Democrats. We can never, ever forget those whose lives and livelihoods depend on us. We may never abrogate our responsibilities to those who are not favored by the powerful.

As Congressmen Brad Sherman and Xavier Becerra, who are in this room, will attest, there are those who are desperately trying to use the cover of war, this great national tragedy, to take advantage of the rising sense of national unity to do what they couldn't accomplish just six weeks ago.

They want to use this situation to open up ANWR (the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve); they want to drill for oil off our coasts; they want to privatize social security; they want to refund billions in taxes paid by the largest corporations in our nation; and they want to limit the protections of first and fourth amendments to our Constitution.

These same ideologues oppose using our nation's resources to help those who have lost their jobs and health insurance. They oppose federalizing airport safety because it might create 30,000 new, high-paying, union jobs. They oppose using federal resources to rebuild the lives of those most damaged by September 11th.

And these extremist voices are the first to call us unpatriotic if we challenge their agenda.

Well my friends, we know President Kennedy's challenge was not "...ask what you can do for Wall Street." It was "...ask what you can do for your country."

As Democrats, we must speak up loudly for what is right. We must never forget those in need. We must not fear George Bush's 90 percent approval rating; remember the fate of the last George Bush with a 90 percent approval rating.

If we do our job, we will protect those who need us most. We will ensure the public's safety and security without allowing our Constitution to be abrogated and without wiping out the U.S. Treasury to bail out greedy corporations and insurance companies.

If you do your job as Democrats, we WILL take back the House of Representatives next year, re-elect our Governor and take every constitutional office in this great state; and, dare I say, reclaim the White House in 2004.

Democrats, your challenge is to rally 'round the flag, but never, ever, lose your voice!

Thank you and good night.