Seminole County Habitat for Humanity
Come to our Haunted House Fundraiser!!!!
Costume Contest!!!!! Kid Friendly!!!!Good Eats!!!!
$5.00 Admission and $5.00 Dinner
October 29, 30 & 31 - 6:00 - 10:30 PM
Haunted House for Habitat Houses in Seminole County, Florida or go to HabitatSeminole.org
Ask for Gayle (407) 696-5855 for more info.Come join us for a night of fright and delight! It's all for a great cause, as we seek to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make a decent shelter a matter of conscience and action - and there's no better way than by starting in our own community.
This good-time family event includes two haunted houses, games, rides, a costume contest, great eats and fun for all ages.754 Fleet Financial Court next to Big Tree Park in Longwood.Fl$5 Admission and $5 DinnerFor more information please visit HabitatSeminole.org
I always ask questions and I will tell you I don't know if I don't.
Takes me back to asking about stuff nobody wants to talk about.
How is it a great man as this goes without mark in my neighborhood?
I go and march anyway.
Back when we lived in the cold of winter, it was a proud day to get out in the cold
and march down the street.
The Cops and the Civic groups would put on colors and hold a banner and were smiling, proud.
Here I wonder what time zone, what time warp and why.
Florida still has a long way.
I imagine D.C. all cold up and frosted, and think....
In order to honor the legacy of a man who knew things could be different, the history books will come back to this day, the last days America had a singular view of what had always been and a few ,small, cold overcast days in January fractiled just right to show the glimmer of shimmering, future-light fruition of his dream in the rainbow of Inauguration Day.
VB, Oviedo
Early Voting for the entire state of Florida has just been extended.
Every Early Vote location in Florida will now be every day from 7am-7pm up through November 2.
Please pass along this great news to everyone you know who will be voting in Florida. Click here to find your nearest early vote location.
Here's the release:
GOVERNOR CRIST EXTENDS EARLY VOTING HOURS ~~ ~Ensures maximum number of Floridians can exercise right to vote~ ~~October 28, 2008Contact:GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE(850) 488-5394TALLAHASSEE - Governor Charlie Crist today signed Executive Order 08-217, extending the hours for early voting during the current General Election. Effective immediately, early voting sites will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., through Friday, October 31, 2008, and for a total of 12 hours between 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 1, and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 2, 2008. "I have spoken with the Secretary of State and members of the Florida Legislature and have concluded that it is always the right thing to do to give voters every opportunity to cast a ballot," Governor Crist said. "I have a responsibility to the voters of our state to ensure that the maximum number of citizens can participate in the electoral process, and that every person can exercise the right to vote." Prior to the 2008 General Election, Florida has seen historic numbers of Floridians registering to vote for the first time. In addition, record numbers of voters have chosen to cast a ballot during early voting. Early voting began on October 20 and runs through November 2. Current Florida law allows for early voting to be conducted eight hours per day on each weekday, and for a total of eight hours during both weekends during the early voting period. Floridians can contact their county's Supervisor of Elections for dates, times and locations of early voting. Florida voters can also request absentee ballots to be mailed to them until October 29. Please see the attached Executive Order 08-217. STATE OF FLORIDA OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 08-217 WHEREAS, early voting is scheduled to end November 2, 2008; and WHEREAS, early voting turnout has already reached record levels and is forecast to continue with record turnout. There are only 267 early voting sites throughout the state and long lines have formed at many of the early voting sites; and WHEREAS, a historic number of Floridians have registered to vote for the first time in this election; and WHEREAS, new voting equipment is being used in 15 Florida counties; WHEREAS, as a result of this unique combination of circumstances resulting from the historic voter turnout in this election, there is a possibility that election officials will be unable to conduct an orderly election, and thus residents in our state could be deprived of a meaningful opportunity to vote; andWHEREAS, because of the existing and continuing possibility of an emergency occurring before or during the regularly scheduled election, and in order to ensure maximum citizen participation in the electoral process, and provide a safe and orderly procedure for persons seeking to exercise their right to vote;NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHARLIE CRIST, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section 1(a) of the Florida Constitution, by the Florida Elections Emergency Act, and by all other applicable laws, issue the following Executive Order, to take immediate effect:I hereby declare that, based on the above-described conditions, a state of emergency exists. It is hereby found and declared to be necessary to extend the voting hours during early voting. Accordingly, I order the Supervisors of Elections to open early voting sites from 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. through October 31, 2008 and open early voting sites for a total of twelve (12) hours between 7 a.m. November 1, 2008 and 7 p.m. November 2, 2008.IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Florida to be affixed, at Tallahassee, the Capitol, this 28th day of October, 2008. GOVERNORATTEST:SECRETARY OF STATE
GOVERNOR CRIST EXTENDS EARLY VOTING HOURS
~~ ~Ensures maximum number of Floridians can exercise right to vote~ ~~
October 28, 2008
Contact:
GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE(850) 488-5394
TALLAHASSEE - Governor Charlie Crist today signed Executive Order 08-217, extending the hours for early voting during the current General Election. Effective immediately, early voting sites will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., through Friday, October 31, 2008, and for a total of 12 hours between 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 1, and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 2, 2008.
"I have spoken with the Secretary of State and members of the Florida Legislature and have concluded that it is always the right thing to do to give voters every opportunity to cast a ballot," Governor Crist said. "I have a responsibility to the voters of our state to ensure that the maximum number of citizens can participate in the electoral process, and that every person can exercise the right to vote."
Prior to the 2008 General Election, Florida has seen historic numbers of Floridians registering to vote for the first time. In addition, record numbers of voters have chosen to cast a ballot during early voting.
Early voting began on October 20 and runs through November 2. Current Florida law allows for early voting to be conducted eight hours per day on each weekday, and for a total of eight hours during both weekends during the early voting period. Floridians can contact their county's Supervisor of Elections for dates, times and locations of early voting.
Florida voters can also request absentee ballots to be mailed to them until October 29.
Please see the attached Executive Order 08-217.
STATE OF FLORIDA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 08-217
WHEREAS, early voting is scheduled to end November 2, 2008; and
WHEREAS, early voting turnout has already reached record levels and is forecast to continue with record turnout. There are only 267 early voting sites throughout the state and long lines have formed at many of the early voting sites; and
WHEREAS, a historic number of Floridians have registered to vote for the first time in this election; and
WHEREAS, new voting equipment is being used in 15 Florida counties;
WHEREAS, as a result of this unique combination of circumstances resulting from the historic voter turnout in this election, there is a possibility that election officials will be unable to conduct an orderly election, and thus residents in our state could be deprived of a meaningful opportunity to vote; and
WHEREAS, because of the existing and continuing possibility of an emergency occurring before or during the regularly scheduled election, and in order to ensure maximum citizen participation in the electoral process, and provide a safe and orderly procedure for persons seeking to exercise their right to vote;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHARLIE CRIST, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section 1(a) of the Florida Constitution, by the Florida Elections Emergency Act, and by all other applicable laws, issue the following Executive Order, to take immediate effect:
I hereby declare that, based on the above-described conditions, a state of emergency exists. It is hereby found and declared to be necessary to extend the voting hours during early voting. Accordingly, I order the Supervisors of Elections to open early voting sites from 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. through October 31, 2008 and open early voting sites for a total of twelve (12) hours between 7 a.m. November 1, 2008 and 7 p.m. November 2, 2008.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Florida to be affixed, at Tallahassee, the Capitol, this 28th day of October, 2008.
GOVERNOR
ATTEST:
SECRETARY OF STATE
Barefoot Collegewww.barefootcollege.orgwww.globalrainwaterharvesting.org
Orlando Dream Builder Group
As a firm advocate for solar energy, i am pleased to post this in hopes for a sustainability plan to introduce this brilliant idea into the United States. The Democratic party must lead America in large and small projects like this one in order to transition into a responsible energy footprint.
VB Oviedo
The following can be researched at www.pbs.org
TestimonialWinning the Alcan Prize- the world’s largest award on Sustainability- has endorsed the value, relevance, importance and urgency of the ‘ barefoot approach’ of empowering poor illiterate (but educated) communities to control, manage and own their technical and financial resources thus demonstrating how poor communities all over the world can be self reliant.
Today is the day for the VP picks to get clear on the issues and muster the best political posturing that they can tonight.
When I lived in Danville Kentucky, a friend from Fort Pierce, Fl convinced me to go help with a restaurant there. It was a Cajun Restaurant in a dry county of Kentucky so naturaly it subsided. This small town held a few stores, two or three car lots and Center College. It did however host the first ever VP debates at Center College. When I attended the event, I was in awe of how Americans can be apathetic and rally at the same time. A cast of people that in some respects conjured images of some of Flannery O'Connor's stories....Let the games continue...
Let's see where we will go with tonights debates.....
If you are in Oviedo,Fl your destination must be R.J. Gators at the Oviedo Marketplace where we will gather at 9pm.
Hope to see you there!!!!
"Young women are the least likely to be registered and the least likely to vote."
Change that: Time to GET OUT HER VOTE!
http://www.feministcampus.org/vote/default.asp
The Feminist Majority Foundation's massive Get Out HER Vote Campaign (GOHV) is the nation's only student voter education and registration initiative aimed at significantly increasing registration and voting by young women. GOHV legally targets young women and students of color because they are traditionally underrepresented Here's your chance to get involved!
The Feminist Majority Foundation has compiled an action Tool Kit and this website to help you launch a successful Get Out Her Vote (GOHV) campaign on your campus. With these materials on-hand, your FMLA/affiliate is empowered to get out the feminist vote. Remember – your national campus organizers are available and more than willing to help!
Feel free to contact us with any questions! --
The Campus Team can also be reached via email at campusteam@feminist.org.
Call the
"Obama Says If He Wins Florida, He Wins the Election"
So...we have to "put the pedal to the metal." We only have until Oct 6 to register our TARGET DEMOGRAPHICS.
Time is our most precious resource right now...we will never get this week again.
If you're not already involved in a registration drive, please contact your field director or precinct captain through your local office; they know the best. target rich places to go. If you can't do that, take the volunteers at your office some food. They rather work than take time out to go get food. While you're there, ask if there's anything else you can do--
46 offices now open- http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/floffices
"Obama Says If He Wins Florida, He Wins the White House"
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/09/20/politics/fromtheroad/entry4462359.shtml
From CBS News: (MIAMI) - Barack Obama will be campaigning in Florida for the second day in a row today, making up for lost time during the Democratic primary, when the Democrats agreed not to campaign here after the state moved it's primary to January, in violation of party rules. At a fundraiser here last night, Obama’s pitch to donors included a prediction – if he wins Florida, he will win the election. “I’ll tell you, we can win this thing without Florida, but boy, it’s a lot easier if we win Florida,” Obama said, adding, “If we win Florida, it is almost impossible for John McCain to win.” While speaking at the home of supporters, Irene and Chris Korge, Obama also had sharp criticism for both George Bush and John McCain’s response to this week’s financial crisis. Obama accused Bush of being absent, saying that there has been a “vacuum” of leadership from the White House. “Here we have the greatest crisis probably since 9/11 and our president was absent.” He went on to link McCain to the Bush Administration, charging him with having to borrow ideas from Bush and Karl Rove because he doesn’t have his own.
It's getting close to November and I would really like to do something in our key battleground state to excelerate the momentum for Obama. Valencia has alot of students that are uninformed and therfore are unsure of what decision to make come election time. I feel that hosting an event at my campus, or any other campus for that matter, would be beneficial to the message of change in our community.
I have never organized anything before and would really like to find some veterans of communtiy organization to help me get started. I am here and ready to donate my time. I am also available to further the cause at other campuses as well. If you can help get this going or just need an extra hand for your even then feel free to email me at csmith197@live.com or send me a message here. Thank you.
Rudy said tonight that Sarah Palin had more foreign policy experience than Obama and Biden combined...follow this if you will
P = Palin's experience
OB = Obama plus Biden's experience
M = McCain's experience
A Proof According to Rudy Giulianni:
P > OB
OB = 36 years in Senate + 4 years in Senate
My extension of Rudy's Proof:
M = 26 years in Senate
OB > M
So, P > OB > M
SO, Palin for President????
It's official, Barack sent out the email this morning, did you get it?
Friend --I have some important news that I want to make official.I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate. Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.Please let Joe know that you're glad he's part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we'll make sure he gets it:Welcome Joe Thanks for your support,Barack
I have some important news that I want to make official.
I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.
Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.
I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.
Please let Joe know that you're glad he's part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we'll make sure he gets it:
Welcome Joe
Thanks for your support,
Barack
Send Joe a note! Welcome Joe!
Make sure to turn on your TV at 3:00 p.m. to join Obama and Biden in Springfield, Illinois. Or, watch online at http://www.BarackObama.com.
Check out the numbers in Miami-Dade this year alone, from January to August:
January 1, 2008:
Total Dem Rep White 263,649 119,026 85,021 Black 217,371 178,878 9,278 Hispanic 535,188 138,622 252,896
Total 1,083,720 459,370 360,458
August 1, 2008 (PDF):
Total Dem Rep White 271,244 123,603 86,406 Black 239,486 200,666 9,358 Hispanic 581,069 164,529 260,222
Total 1,169,252 515,545 369,771
Of 85,532 new registered voters in the south Florida county, 56,175 were Democrats, only 9,313 were Republican. That is, 66 percent of new registration were Democratic, only 11 percent were Republican (the rest were third party and "no party affiliation").
Even more incredible is the shift in the Latino voter away from the GOP. Of the 45,881 new Hispanic voters, only 7,236, or 16 percent, registered Republican. 25,907, or 56 percent, registered Democratic. The ranks of registered African American has grown by over 10 percent. And sure, Republicans picked up 80 of them, but another 22,035 of them slotted in with the Democrats.
Want to see how far Democrats have come? Let's go back to January 2000:
Total Dem Rep White 269,642 133,719 92,191 Black 160,934 139,114 6,921 Hispanic 354,009 86,682 203,403
Total 811,599 370,404 309,915
In 2000, Democrats had a roughly 60,000-vote advantage in the region. Today, it's 146,000. In 2000, 57 percent of Latinos (mostly Cuban Americans) registered Republican, while only 24 percent registered Democratic. That gap has closed significantly today, to 48 percent Republican, 28 percent Democratic. I'd bet quite a bit that the swelling ranks of Latino "no party affiliation" are full of closeted Democrats too ashamed to tell their hard-core Republican parents of their true party sympathies.
This obviously has huge repercussions in several races this fall. At the top of the ticket, Obama will obviously benefit from the increased Democratic performance in the region, and his continued voter registration efforts in Miami-Dade are epic. The campaign plans to squeeze out every last Democrat possible. But lower on the ballot, these numbers have benefits to our three South Florida Democratic challengers in FL-18, FL-21, and FL-25. None of these districts reside entirely within the boundaries of Miami-Dade, but the bulk of their voters do live in that county. Let's see how those district have changed from January 2008 to August 2008 (PDF):
In FL-18, O2B Democrat Annette Taddeo is taking on Illeana Ros-Lehtinen in an R+4.3 district (Bush won it 54-46 in 2004):
Republican 107,295 109,562 Democrat 89,289 102,433
Total R+18,006 R+7,129
In FL-21, Democrat Raul Martinez is taking on Lincoln Diaz-Balart in the toughest district of the lot -- R+6.2 (Bush won it 57-43 in 2004).
Republican 107,536 110,278 Democrat 76,491 85,635
Total R+31,045 R+24,643
And in FL-25, O2B Democrat Joe Garcia is taking on Mario Diaz-Balart in a R+4.4 district (Bush won it 56-44 in 2004).
Republican 110,925 114,048 Democrat 97,577 110,424
Total R+13,348 R+3,624
In a series of elections were every vote will count, the GOP's rapidly eroding voter registration numbers are a telling harbinger of what's to come. All three of these House elections will be close, as will Florida's presidential contest. Every voter registration gets us one step closer to victories that would be game-changing, truly epic.
Corsi on Islam: "a worthless, dangerous Satanic religion"
John McCain's reaction to Corsi's Book: "Gotta keep your sense of humor"
On the other hand, in case you missed Senator Obama's must-see interview on Larry King Live last month, please check it out here:http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/politics/2008/07/15/lkl.obama.long.cnn?iref=videosearchTo quote Obama from the transcript: "One last point I want to -- I do want to make about these emails, though. And I think this has an impact on this 'New Yorker' cover. You know, this is actually an insult against Muslim Americans, something that we don't spend a lot of time talking about. And sometimes I've been derelict in pointing that out. You know, there are wonderful Muslim Americans all across the country who are doing wonderful things. And for this to be used as sort of an insult or to raise suspicions about me I think is unfortunate. And it's not what America is all about."Corsi and his right-wing backers are counting on you not to fight back. Spreading these lies about Barack Obama and Muslims is their best chance to elect John McCain and continue George Bush's failed policies for another four years.>>>>> Forward this message to your friends and family or use this online form to push back with the truth: http://my.barackobama.com/bookoflies
The latest research on Jerome Corsi's writings:HATRED AND INTOLERANCE TOWARD ISLAM
On Islam and Arabs
CORSI: Let's see exactly why it isn't the case that Islam is a worthless, dangerous Satanic religion? Where's the proof to the contrary? (04/24/2004)
CORSI: Islam is like a virus -- it affects the mind -- maybe even better as an analogy -- it is a cancer that destroys the body it infects... No doctor would hesitate to eliminate cancer cells from the body. (11/26/02)
CORSI: Islam is a peaceful religion as long as the women are beaten, the boys buggered, and the infidels killed. (11/22/2002)
CORSI: How's this as an analogy -- the Koran is simply the "software" for producing deviant cancer cell political behavior and violence in human beings. (02/15/2002)
CORSI: Think the liberal press will ever let out that these 2 were lovers -- typical Islamic boy-buggering -- older man, younger man -- black Muslims? I doubt it. Not a pretty picture, but one certain to be hidden by PC media. (11/08/2002)
CORSI: Isn't the Democratic Party the official SODOMIZER PROTECTION ASSOCIATION of AMERICA -- oh, I forgot, it was just an accident that Clintoon's first act in office was to promote "gays in the military." RAGHEADS are Boy-Bumpers as clearly as they are Women-Haters -- it all goes together. (11/18/2001)
TOO CRAZY EVEN FOR SWIFTBOAT LIARSCorsi Was Dropped From Unfit for Command Promotions Because of His Anti-Muslim, Anti-Catholic Comments. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote in an editorial, "Corsi not only considers Muslims to be pederasts, but he took the trouble to slam Catholic priests and refers to the pope as senile. Rather than wonder whether a book written by such a man can be trusted, the marketing tactic has shifted to pretend Corsi doesn't exist." [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania), 9/19/04]
John McCain's reaction to Corsi's Book:
What was McCain's reaction when a journalist asked him today about Corsi's book? As CNN reports:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/15/mccain-meets-with-t-boone-pickens/#more-12728
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/15/mccain-on-anti-obama-book_n_119203.html"Gotta keep your sense of humor," McCain responded, before his aides shuttled reporters away.
Corsi and his right-wing backers are counting on you not to fight back. Spreading these lies about Barack is their best chance to elect John McCain and continue George Bush's failed policies for another four years.Check out some facts about Corsi and his desperate fabrications in the DNC research document below. Forward this message to your friends and family or use this online form to push back with the truth:http://my.barackobama.com/bookofliesTogether we'll show Corsi and the right-wing smear machine that we won't back down from a fight.Thanks,Obama Action Wire.
Contact Jerome Corsi: jcorsi@worldnetdaily.com
When contacting the media, please be polite and professional. Express your specific concerns regarding that particular news report or commentary, and be sure to indicate exactly what you would like the media outlet to do differently in the future.
A wonderful letter posted on the “Our Story” wall
Whoa! Visitors including local volunteers, members, and state representative candidates showed up in the hundreds for the outstanding opening of Orlando’s Obama for America office; crowds even overflowed in the hall at one point. Gustavo Rivera, a Florida director from “Campaign for Change,” sent out email invitations and the response was overwhelming. And yes, even a few interested Republicans stopped by. Ashley Ball, Obama staffer, graciously presented the local campaign strategy that will help Barack Obama win Florida.
After the presentation, visitors had the opportunities to reach out to others and share their stories. “Unless we make the change in direction, things will never change for this county,” Dr. Sultan Rahaman, a local resident who has been living in Central Florida for over twenty years. Dr. Rahaman has never volunteered for a political campaign until Barack Obama came along; he recently hosted the “United for Change” meeting.
Another visitor who has never volunteered for a political campaign before was Horace Dawson. He has opened up his home for Obama staffers to lodge in. “Excited...great opportunity for the country. Barack impresses our dreams so well,” Horace is a local member of the Metropolitan Orlando Urban League who helped put together the recent National Urban League Conference in Orlando. Geraldine F. “Geri” Thompson, current state representative of District 39, Scott Randolph current state representative of District 36, Jim Martin, candidate for Orange County Tax Collector, Lonnie Thompson, candidate for state representative, 38th District, were all on hand for the opening.
By Bob CescaPosted August 7, 2008 | 04:36 PM (EST) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/protecting-mccains-ignora_b_117565.html
Senator Obama on Tuesday said of the McBush Republicans, "It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant." After eight years trapped aboard this dark ride, finally hearing a Democratic presidential candidate publicly and forcefully refer to the Republicans as ignorant liars ought to be enough to coax even the most indecisive leaner into the Obama column.
But let's take the senator's remark even further. The McBush Republicans don't just take pride in their ignorance -- their entire electoral strategy depends on it.
This is obviously a risky strategy given the existence of things like "reason", "facts" and "truth" -- each readily available to anyone who's industrious enough to seek them out. Fortunately, though, for the McBush Republicans, there's an outside collaborator working in their favor: the barbecue media whose success also depends greatly upon both ignorance and disingenuousness (Olbermann and others excluded). Paraphrasing Woody Allen, ignorance and disingenuousness are, collectively, their various breads and various butters. So the Republicans have a convenient and sizeable zero-barrier of protective stupid surrounding their golf courses and mansions and trophy wives, shielding them from reality. Let's call it the Great Wall of Duh.
To wit: Paris Hilton and Toby Keith have occupied above-the-fold placement in our national political discourse this week.
Barbecue media players like TIME's Mark Halperin are somehow taken seriously even though he's on record having recommended to Senator McCain that he frame Senator Obama as a "Manchurian Candidate" (read that: Islamic terrorist), while also recommending that Senator McCain allow his surrogates to engage in race-baiting. Very serious!
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal told us this week that Senator Obama's thin physique might make him unelectable in a nation of fatties.
Professional television broadcasters from Dan Rather to Chris Matthews can't stop confusing Senator Obama with Osama Bin Laden; and that's only after they wonder out loud whether or not Senator Obama is capable of speaking "mumble talk" in a diner.
And then of course there are the four horsemen of lying ignoramuses: O'Reilly, Hannity, Doocy and Kilmeade. The entire success of FOX News Channel depends on its audience accepting everything at face value.
Suffice it to say, the awful bricks that form the Great Wall of Duh are practically too numerous to list.
It's no wonder that, with such an airtight cocoon, Senator McCain -- after repeatedly being debunked by numerous experts, and after personally conceding the argument -- can go around saying things like this today:
"[Senator Obama is] claiming putting air in your tires is the equivalent of new offshore drilling," McCain said. "That's not an energy plan, my friends -- that's a public service announcement."
Yes, it's a lie. Yes, it's ignorant. But most importantly, it's disingenuous -- deliberately ignorant with the intention to deceive. Not unlike FOX News Channel, Senator McCain is not just exploiting the ignorance of his supporters -- he's counting on it. He and his cynical strategists are counting on their own supporters to be unaware of the verifiable fact that if we maintain proper tire pressure, we would conserve more oil than would be attained with the McCain plan for offshore drilling. And he's counting on his supporters to blindly ditto this line -- a line that's specifically designed to be easily repeated for the sake of painting Senator Obama as weak and ineffectual. Ironic, isn't it.
The entire Bush administration, as well as the modern Republican movement before it, was built upon exploiting the naiveté and ignorance of its supporters. Start with the Southern Strategy during the Nixon years, fast forward to Reaganomics and do the list on down to "freedom fries" and "nobody anticipated the breach of the levees."
Four years ago, Karl Rove and the Republicans, protected by a patriotically narcoleptic corporate media, successfully painted Senator Kerry -- a decorated war hero -- as a gay coward who barely deserved a purple Band-Aid, much less the three Purple Hearts he earned in blood. Without this ignorant, disingenuous framing, Senator Kerry would have surely been running for reelection today. Without this strategy, there probably wouldn't have been the invasion and occupation of Iraq. And, by the way, CNN hosts like Glenn Beck wouldn't be on television -- without equal time given to a liberal talk show host -- comparing George W. Bush to Batman.
This week's episode of AMC's Mad Men reminded us that tobacco companies for years told us that cigarettes were healthy. Likewise, FOX News Channel tells us every damn day that their network is fair and balanced. Cheneybots tell us that torture yields solid intelligence. Senator McCain's entire campaign is predicated upon obfuscating the facts about everything from his support for President Bush to Senator Obama's patriotism and energy plan -- all the while painting Senator Obama (a product of a broken home and who just recently paid off his college loans) as an elitist despite Senator McCain's own wealth, heiress wife and celebrity status. And this ignorance strategy will continue to work as long as the barbecue media maintains its protective Great Wall of Duh.
So as Senator McCain continues to "surge ahead" in the polls with a huge 39 percent, we can count on him to work this ignorance strategy at every level. A month from now we can count on seeing tire-pressure gauges at the Republican convention. We can count on repeated remarks claiming that Senator Obama wants to "lose" in Iraq and, to that point, we can count on Senator McCain continuing to conflate leaving -- now, next year or many years from now -- with losing.
Here's to hoping that more Democrats will step up for a change and call Senator McCain on his disingenuousness, lying and ignorance with the same clarity and strength that we heard from Senator Obama this week.
Prior to joining CNN Business News in March 2003, Gerri Willis was the senior financial correspondent for Smart Money magazine. She attended Columbia Business School as a Knight-Bagehot Fellow in 1991-92 and was the winner of the Excellence in Retirement Savings Reporting award for 2001, which is given by the American University School of Communication and the Investment Company Institute's Education Foundation.
Her feature story, The Stock that Ate Cincinnati, was excerpted in Marshall Loeb's book, Best Business Stories of 2001. Her first book, The SmartMoney Guide To Real Estate Investing, was released in 2003; her second, Home Rich, examines how to manage home ownership into the best possible return and and was released this spring.
One of the miracles of this Presidential election campaign is that John McCain still has a chance to win, notwithstanding his best attempts to kick it away. In his latest random policy improvisation, the Arizona Senator tried to give up the tax issue.
On ABC's "This Week" Sunday, Mr. McCain was asked to draw distinctions between his and the current Administration's economic policy. Given an easy opening, the Senator came back with his usual hodgepodge of new child-tax credits, promises to "veto every single pork barrel bill" and close wasteful government agencies, cut dependence on foreign oil and introduce a gas-tax holiday.
Then host George Stephanopoulos raised Social Security. "You're a longtime supporter of the private accounts, as President Bush called for them." Wishing to further distance himself from President Bush, when he could have drawn an equally useful contrast with Barack Obama, Mr. McCain didn't even own up to his support for private retirement accounts, simply saying, "I am a supporter of sitting down together and putting everything on the table and coming up with an answer."
Mr. Stephanopoulos pressed, "So that means payroll tax increases are on the table, as well?" Here came the words that have caused the McCain campaign well deserved grief: "There is nothing that's off the table. I have my positions, and I'll articulate them. But nothing's off the table."
So given a chance to reiterate his opposition to tax increases -- and underscore a main contrast with his opponent -- Mr. McCain punted. Democrats were quick to pounce, with the Democratic National Committee issuing a press release headlined, "McCain Tax Pledge? Not so much." It provided citations of the presumptive GOP nominee asserting that "Senator Obama will raise your taxes. I won't." Expect the "nothing's off the table" line to show up in Democratic TV spots this fall.
The wandering candidate also put his chief economic adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, in an uncomfortable spot. Back in June, the McCain campaign went after Mr. Obama's proposal for a Social Security payroll tax increase on income above $250,000. A President McCain, his adviser then said, wouldn't consider a payroll tax increase "under any imaginable circumstances." So much for that.
Economics has never been Mr. McCain's strong suit, but with Iraq receding as a crisis the economy is the ground where the Senator will have to fight and win. And the tax issue provides him with a potent opening, given Mr. Obama's pledge to raise taxes on incomes, dividends and capital gains. In proposing to raise the payroll tax cap, the Democrat is to the left even of Hillary Clinton. Mr. McCain's Sunday blunder will make that issue that much harder to exploit.
Such mistakes also help explain the continued lack of enthusiasm for Mr. McCain among many conservatives. Meeting with us last December, before the primaries, he declared that "I will not agree to any tax increase," repeating the phrase for emphasis. He did not say any tax increase with the exception of Social Security. If Mr. McCain can't convince voters that he's better on taxes than is a Democrat who says matter-of-factly that he wants to raise taxes, the Republican is going to lose in a rout.
“He made time to go to the gym, but cancelled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn’t allow him to bring cameras.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49hC9TpP_rY
Watch it above.
Read script here.
The ad will air in select markets in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and the D.C. market.
MORE: McCain also hammers the issue home in an interview with ABC’s “This Week.”
According to an early excerpt of the interview: “If I had been told by the Pentagon that I couldn’t visit those troops, and I was there and wanted to be there, I guarantee you, there would have been a seismic event.”
Obama camp responds: “John McCain is an honorable man who is running an increasingly dishonorable campaign.” Full statement here.
FLASHBACK – Senator McCain in 2007: “How can we possibly find honor in using the fate of our servicemen to score political advantage in Washington? There is no pride to be had in such efforts. We are at war, a hard and challenging war, and we do no service for the best of us-those who fight and risk all on our behalf-by playing politics with their service.” [Congressional Record, 5/24/07]
John McCain's campaign went further on Wednesday, claiming that the major figures that turned around Anbar province would have been killed had the surge policy not been in place. "If Barack Obama had had his way, the Sheiks who started the Awakening would have been murdered at the hands of al Qaeda," said spokesman Tucker Bounds. Sadly, that murder took place even with the surge underway. In September 2007, Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, the sheik widely credited with persuading Sunni leaders to turn against al Qaeda in Iraq, died in a bomb attack in Anbar.
This video clarifies the issue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8s_NpaQGC8
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