In 1960, any number of public officials didn’t want the people they were supposed to serve counted, especially in the South. So, one of the tricks they employed was to arrest the enumerator who was going door to door, preferably on a Friday afternoon, on a charge of “impersonating a census taker,” and let him languish in jail over the weekend until the federal supervisor could be brought in on Monday to authenticate his employee. No doubt, a weekend in jail was discouraging to some. Which was why many neighborhoods had to be canvassed over and over again.
.NYT article LINK
The New York Times reported today that the White House is quietly conceding that they are losing control of the Health Care Reform debate. So......in response......? A march? Rapid Fire TV ads? Formal debates moderated by NPR, PBS, ABC, NBC? Nope....a website.........That's it....a website..
The WH released a myth busters website.......What Obama should do is concede he needs a little help from his friends.....Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Howard Dean, Mike Bloomberg, Warren Buffet and other Business Leaders and even the Kennedys to get the word out and deal with the fires.
Organizing for America - Have you seen This Video Yet? More then ever, you need it now to re-kindle the spirit that lived in us all prior to the election.
We need to get this video out in the public eye in a big way to re-kindle the spirit of optimism that existed prior to the election of President Obama.
Yes We Can (Change our Destiny) that is what we need to understand.
Post the inaugural, post the election, post the optimism fading, post the Republican's battle of the wills, it's sad to see our country slowly slipping back to the bad ol' days when the President is simply a news curiosity, just some guy in the White House. Barack Obama is more then that. He is the change we all voted for.
When I get pessimistic that such talk as the above is simply the talk of a dreamer, I hear President Obama speak. For instance, his speech at Notre Dame. It was historic, incredible, inspiring. it reminded me why I was so filled with hope on November 4th, 2008. When I hear him speak, I still get uplifted and remember who is in the White House.
But let us not forget the obvious, he's a human being, he can't correct everything at once, he has information now as President about our country we will never know and he is, I am confident, desperately trying to balance it all. I have not agreed with every move, espeically preventitive detention, but should we need or expect to agree with everything that anyone does? I agree with most and that's good enough for me to be a great supporter of his. I speak out when I don't agree with President Obama or anyone, but that doesn't mean I don't ardently support President Obama. In the past, I agreed with very little our Presidents have done, so this is an extremely refreshing change, especially at a time in our history which is unparalleled in it's complexity and danger to our society, our country and our world.
My only personal regret is that the video I directed and produced to keep the dreams alive, Yes We Can (Change our Destiny) has not been endorsed by Organizing for America and posted on its home page (or endorsed by Oprah or some such celebrity that can bring instant distribution to this cause, this quest to make optimsm and involvement the norm). This video should be endorsed by someone or some organization of such stature. It should be the rallying cry that we all remember to say to ourselves every day, that "YES WE CAN CHANGE OUR DESTINY." If we realize that simple truth, that we are in control of our destinies, we will work hard for change. We will become involved. Pessimism occurs when we believe we aren't in control, when we believe that hope is lost, when we believe that we can't make a difference. But the election proved how much we can change the world, how much we can accomplish when we act in unity with hope and optimism, when our world collectively believes that YES WE CAN CHANGE OUR DESTINY.
I have tried to move on, to concentrate on other causes, problems and issues in our world and my life, to not continue to push so actively to get this video "out there" more. But every time I lose hope and become pessimistic about our world, I listen to my own words in that video and I realize that Yes I can Change My Destiny and the world's destiny, that I can be part of that, that I'm not just a weak individual without a voice. I'm just as capable of changing our world as anyone. Ghandi, Rosa Parks, Mother Theresea, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Maria Montessori, Jonas Salk, Orville & Wilbur Wright, Barack Obama, yes, these are great people, but they are people, regular individuals that began with simply a dream, to change our world. When you look back through history, it's not countries or corporations that created transformative change, it was individuals. The power of the individual is stunning.
If anyone out there in the administration of Organizing for America listening please take a moment to watch this video. It's only 5 minutes. I'm a professional filmmaker, I promise you, it will be worth your time. This video was made as my service to America. But with "only" 130,000 + views (which is teeny tiny in the world of YouTube) which occurred mostly around January 20, 2008, this video is not inspiring anyone anymore. It could be inspiring millions right now to stand up and be part of the solution, not the problem, to realize one's own civic opportunity and responsibility, if Organizing for America would simply endorse this video and place it on their home page as a permanent fixture of inspiration.
Do not think I do this for any fame. I don't even want credit for this film. This project was entirely pro-bono and continues to be so. I simply want to help before my time on this Earth is over.
If you want to see more of what I do with film to try to help, please visit my "political activist" site (e.g. where i try to make a difference) My "MBMPRO" YouTube Channel
and the YouTube channel for My Production Company, MBM Productions International
Sincerely,
Steve Sulkin - Director & Activist...simply trying to make a difference
CEO, MBM PRODUCTIONS INT'L
ALL FOOTAGE IN THIS VIDEO WAS EITHER CREATED BY MYSELF AND MY PRODUCTION COMPANY, MBM, OR, AS IN THE CASE OF THE BARACK OBAMA FOOTAGE, WAS LICENSED THROUGH A STOCK HOUSE AND I HAVE FULL RIGHTS TO USE IT IN PERPETUITY.
Trying to retain the old Republican base while recruiting new members, Steele's double-talk on abortion may just alienate everyone.
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/12/abortion-a-choice-steele-tells-gq/In remarks sure to cause consternation among the pro-life Republican base, party Chairman Michael S. Steele called abortion "an individual choice" during a GQ magazine interview, though he also said the Supreme Court "wrongly decided" the 1973 case that struck down state limits on abortion and made it an individual right. In an exchange with reporter Lisa de Paulo, transcribed and posted Wednesday night on the GQ Web site, the new Republican National Committee chairman described his background as an adopted child as showing him "the power of life ... and the power of choice." "The choice issue cuts two ways. You can choose life, or you can choose abortion. You know, my mother chose life. So, you know, I think the power of the argument of choice boils down to stating a case for one or the other," Mr. Steele said. The exchange then went as follows, starting with GQ: "Are you saying you think women have the right to choose abortion?" "Yeah. I mean, again, I think that's an individual choice." "You do?" "Yeah. Absolutely." Mr. Steele then elaborated that he thought "Roe v. Wade — as a legal matter, Roe v. Wade was a wrongly decided matter," which prompted Miss DePaulo to ask: "But if you overturn Roe v. Wade, how do women have the choice you just said they should have?" Mr. Steele responded. "The states should make that choice. That's what the choice is. The individual choice rests in the states. Let them decide."
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/12/abortion-a-choice-steele-tells-gq/
In remarks sure to cause consternation among the pro-life Republican base, party Chairman Michael S. Steele called abortion "an individual choice" during a GQ magazine interview, though he also said the Supreme Court "wrongly decided" the 1973 case that struck down state limits on abortion and made it an individual right.
In an exchange with reporter Lisa de Paulo, transcribed and posted Wednesday night on the GQ Web site, the new Republican National Committee chairman described his background as an adopted child as showing him "the power of life ... and the power of choice."
"The choice issue cuts two ways. You can choose life, or you can choose abortion. You know, my mother chose life. So, you know, I think the power of the argument of choice boils down to stating a case for one or the other," Mr. Steele said.
The exchange then went as follows, starting with GQ: "Are you saying you think women have the right to choose abortion?" "Yeah. I mean, again, I think that's an individual choice." "You do?" "Yeah. Absolutely."
Mr. Steele then elaborated that he thought "Roe v. Wade — as a legal matter, Roe v. Wade was a wrongly decided matter," which prompted Miss DePaulo to ask: "But if you overturn Roe v. Wade, how do women have the choice you just said they should have?"
Mr. Steele responded. "The states should make that choice. That's what the choice is. The individual choice rests in the states. Let them decide."
Henry M
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It’s time for a serious economic conversation in the United States. We hear politicians all over the news on both the Democrat and Republican sides, but it is time for the citizens of the America to think for themselves and stop believing everything that they see on the news. What’s going on in the Congress, the DNC and the RNC right now are political games to put it politely.
We elected for change… but we must remember that a large percentage of people that voted in the United States also voted against Obama. The RNC is on its last leg and there is only one way for them to survive… that is to make Obama a failure. They are seeking to destroy Obama’s creditability as quickly as possible (You can tell the name of the game by watching Fox News or Hannity). At the same time there are big power struggles going on in the DNC to keep Obama in line with whatever they want. Remember, Obama never really got support from the Democratic Party (for the general election the DNC hardly raised a dime for the Obama campaign, even when the RNC raised millions for John McCain)…. His success came out of a support from the people (internet contributions and donations from the famous and rich). Because famous people supported him the media supported him…, but the media never really like him. The truth is that Obama’s policies threaten the powers-that-be in Washington (because when ordinary people begin to exert their power that upsets the social Darwinism philosophies that most power-players operate on). Companies that spend most of their time buying politicians have to subdue the Obama administration in order to bring-in projects and money from the government on the backs of the every day citizens.
When these politicians talk about their different methods for fixing the economy they all use words that never helps the average person understand what will or won’t help in the end.
What is the National Debt? It is the money barrowed from either another country or itself from future income from taxes from its citizens’ children.
What is the real solution to the economic crises? Companies’ are playing big games with the lives of normal people (social Darwinism at its best). To defeat the power they have average citizens have to do what Kind did with the civil rights issues and boycott certain companies that are playing these games and then redirecting their support to either companies that will support job production or give their support to smaller businesses that exist and do the same things the big companies do (this will catapult the small companies into the major leagues of the stock market and force the other companies to compete by conforming to the people’s needs or buy the new companies out keep the same pro-American job policies).
The other goal is to push Congress to create and support laws that will help job creation within the United States and aid those who have lost their jobs because of these political games. Let’s have no misunderstanding here… the United States doesn’t lack productivity, workers, or finances. There are 360,000,000 million people in the United States, we have a 20 percent unemployment rate which depending upon the work force. If the work force is half of the population, then the number of unemployment is 72,000,000. The stimulus plan just reached $925,000,000,000 billion dollars which if given to every unemployed worker $12,847 is enough to re-stimulate the economy in a heart beat. Those who have credit card and mortgage debts will repay them… those that without debts will put there money in banks (thus supplying them with investment money) and others will spend the money in the auto industry (solving that problem by busting the companies and creating jobs), create small businesses that will give lower income families money and the final group will invest the money into the stock market (at least 128 shares of a 100 dollar stock per investor) and cause the NASDAX to skyrocket. So the real power is in the hands of the people to solve their economic troubles and politicians (the people’s reps) to support them.
Many will jump to say that this is a socialist philosophy, however, the government giving companies money and calling it a bale-out is a socialist philosophy.... one that Republicans had no problem supporting before. Yet when it comes to saving the jobs of thousands of Americans and aiding those hurt by the recession they say it is un-American... when that is the most patriotic thing we can do.
BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREERepublicans: "Look Y'all–We Got Us One Too!"I hate to be cynical, and I certainly hate to drag the issue of race back into the public debate while President Obama and literally millions of Americans of good will are working so hard to put this ugly issue behind us, but where I come from we believe in calling a hat a hat. And the fact is, the Republican Party's selection of Michael Steele as the very first Black chairman of the Republican National Committee in its 153 year history, just reeks of political manipulation.But I'm virtually certain that my Republican friends are going to say, "We just can't win–first you criticize us for not being inclusive enough, now you're criticize us for electing a Black man as head of the party. Exactly what do we have to do to make you happy?"
Stephen Views the News 1/30/09
http://stephenviewsthenews.blogspot.com/
* Joke of the Week ~ A pig in a $3000 suit is still a pig – President Obama, members of congress, cable news pundits and editorials across America bemoaned what Wall Street has done or not done with the $350 billion they received in a financial bailout several months ago. My local newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer, said in an editorial titled Rewarding the Bad Guys, “Wall Street still doesn’t get it” as it was learned that these financial firms handed out $18.4 billion in bonuses this past year as their firms were reaching economic critical mass.
I am surprised and shocked that everyone is shocked and surprised. The financial collapse resulted from greed on steroids by financial institutions and head-up-their-butt government oversight. And the financial collapse changed nothing. Congress gave Bush and his Treasury Secretary $350 billion to bail out the Appalling Street of Financiers. These two geniuses then handed over the cash to the guys in fancy suits like drunks lusting for a lap dance at a gentlemen’s club - no enforceable guidelines, no strings attached, no oversight and the salacious alcohol-induced fantasy that the cash recipients will perform as desired. Now everyone is stunned that the money was not used intelligently, as intended, as naively hoped for. Like drunks with empty pockets and lust unfulfilled we gird for the morning-after hangover. Wall Street has given prostitutes a bad name and our government has once again proven to be hapless schmucks.
* Quotes of the week - The following two quotes are from the same article:
PBS Journalist Bill Moyers – “So here's the lens through which I see things. From my days in President Johnson's White House onward, I have defended Israel's right to defend itself, and still do. But killing innocent people is wrong, whether in Vietnam, Israel, Iraq or Gaza. Sometimes a candid critic is a country's best friend.”
Former Israeli soldier turned journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, wrote in the NY Times this week – “Hamas cannot be bombed, nor cajoled, into moderation. Tanks cannot defeat deeply held beliefs. No. Waging war on an entire population guarantees one thing: the radicals get what they want, and the innocents, on both sides, suffer.”
The lessons identified above have been hard learned but remain elusive as the errors are repeated over many decades and in many locations. The loss of innocent lives is but one of the tragedies that taint the past 50 years.
The same noted article includes an exchange between Moyer and Abraham Foxman, National Director, Anti-Defamation League. It is a read I highly recommend for anyone attempting to seek clarity or a moral footing relative to Israel’s recent invasion of Gaza. To take a position that our own government or an ally can do no wrong is naïve and belies the evidence. I recall the pushback to protestors who were against the Viet Nam War being told, “America, love it or leave it.” This same mentality is exhibited by orators on the Fourth of July recognizing the brave men and women who gave their lives defending American democracy but then too often want to deny democratic expression when it does not suit their politics. How quickly we have forgotten the era of McCarthyism and the lives destroyed as Congress looked for Communists behind every curtain and every word spoken. Was this same political ploy not used by Bush and Republicans in the lead up to and execution of the Iraq war? Opposition was labeled as unpatriotic. Opposition was tainted as un-American. I would suggest that if the citizens who loved America enough to criticize their own country did not stand up we would indeed have a country and political system worth leaving.
* Derriere Orifice of the Week ~ ta da, Rush Limbaugh – This is not the first time the blunderbuss of talk radio has received this ignominious “award.” His recent exploits are so well documented that I will forgo the usual quote or explanation that usually accompanies this segment. I will simply say that this airwaves sewage pump is the Derriere Orifice of the Week because he is an unmitigated asshole. And, most fitting, he is now the spokes model for the Republican Party.
* Good News of the Week ~ hurray for less frequent mail – The Postmaster General has said it may be necessary to reduce the number of days that mail is delivered from 6 to 5 days. Personally, I could use an extra day of not receiving all the ad and solicitation mail that I did not request and do not want. The last time that there was a postal increase I had the thought to keep the rates lower by delivering the mail every other day. I will get over the disappointment of delaying for one day the receipt of the menu at the local Chinese restaurant, the next mattress sale or the discount coupon to have my chimney swept.
While on the subject of mail I suggest that the postal service be barred from increasing the cost of sending a letter by only one or two cents. I have a drawer full of odd stamps and I do not know what they are worth any more. I have to believe that when the cost increases by such insignificant amounts the post office winds up losing money given the cost of the transition and the millions of inquiries it must address relative to new postage rates. Like many departments in our government administration an upgrade in management skills would be a blessing.
* Comment of the Week – In an interview this week Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that Bush was a burden on the Republican Party. McConnel failed to note that he and the other Senate GOPers marched lock-step for eight years supporting George W. Bush and his failed policies. Republicans are full shareholders in the disastrous Bush years. Now they are rat-like abandoning the ship of fools. The American people have not been fooled as they have voted Republicans into minority status and given the White House to the Democrats. Unfortunately, it took a crushed economy, devastating foreign policy and further debilitating of the federal government by Bush and Republicans for the American people to fully grasp this failed leadership. Fortunately, you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.
* Election of the Week ~ meet Michael Steele – The former lieutenant governor of Maryland and long-time conservative commentator on FOX News has been elected the Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC). What do we know about the man selected to lead the Republican Party out of purgatory? When Steele ran for the Maryland senate seat two years ago he ran a campaign “worthy” of his party. His backers went to Philadelphia and hired 300 poor, mostly unemployed African Americans and put them on Trailways busses bound for Maryland. They were deployed to African American communities and given fliers to hand out to residents. “They spent Election Day handing out glossy fliers headlined "Democratic Sample Ballot" or "Official Voter Guide." The fliers employed the phrase "Ehrlich-Steele Democrats." And they featured images of prominent African Americans, such as former Democratic congressman and NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume, above the words: "These are our choices."
Mfume was not supporting Steele and Steele was running on the Republican ticket. The group Progressive Maryland described Steele’s campaign as one of "Lies, Dirty Tricks, and Fraudulent Fliers Designed to Deceive African American Voters." Steele lost the election but apparently shored up his Republican credentials. Yes, Michael Steele meets most of the qualifications to be the leader of the Republican Party – the one exception being that he is an African American. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the almost last stronghold of the Republican Party – the Land of Dixie.
* This is the 100th post of Stephen Views the News. What began as a brief email to 15 friends in June 2007 soon became a forum to address issues I deemed of national concern and to publicize the machinations and failures of the Bush administration that I came across, often in less than mainstream media. By almost any standard this blog is narrow in influence and yet it has enabled me to feel I have made a small contribution to readers’ awareness on a broad range of subjects. The writing of SVN has resulted in making new relationships across our country and the resulting dialogue and feedback has contributed to shaping my views and opinions. In addition to my own web page SVN is posted at barackobama.com and the national website of Democracy for America where it is made available to hundreds of local DFA affiliates. It is impossible to know how many people read my work at these other sites. I do know that several thousand individuals have visited SVN, coming from 42 countries and nearly 1000 cities. The internet is truly an amazing gift and the newest tool for shining a bright light on our leaders.
* “It may well be that our means are fairly limited and our possibilities restricted when it comes to applying pressure on our government. But is this a reason to do nothing? Despair is nor an answer. Neither is resignation. Resignation only leads to indifference, which is not merely a sin but a punishment.”
Elie Wiesel (born 1928) Holocaust survivor, Jewish writer, professor, political activist and Nobel Laureate
MANCHESTER - Fred Bramante, a member of McCain's New Hampshire Leadership Committee and a 2008 Alternate Delegate to the Republican National Convention today announced his support for Senator Obama's Campaign for Change. Bramante, a Co-Chair of Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign and former Republican gubernatorial candidate, is a past Chairman and current member of the New Hampshire State Board of Education. His endorsement marks the first time nationally that a delegate or alternate delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention has publicly announced their decision to support Sen. Obama. "I believe that America is at a critical point and that how our nation addresses the issue of education redesign will hold the key to America's future," said Fred Bramante. "Barack Obama is committed to reforming our public schools instead of abandoning them. To my disappointment, Senator McCain continues to support the use of vouchers, a divisive approach to education which has gotten us nowhere for decades and will not ensure that our children will live their lives in another American Century." On the call, the Obama-Biden Campaign also announced 20 other prominent New Hampshire Republicans who support Obama for president. "As a lifelong Republican and father of two, I believe Obama is the best choice for the future of our country. He has my support because of his views on the economy, his concern for America's standing in the world, and his opposition to the war in Iraq," said Barry Schuster of Lebanon. "As the former Chair of the school board, I know improving education policy will be critical to the Senator because of his own experiences and the value he places on reforming the system." "It has been the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, who has demonstrated sound judgment in dealing with this economic crisis," said Pamela Diamantis of Greenland. "I am supporting Obama because he meets the criteria I want in a president, which is someone who is a strong leader who has conviction around his ideas and has the skills and desire to effectively communicate and build a consensus." This group of 20 New Hampshire Republicans joins a long list of other prominent Republicans supporting Obama including Republican State Representative Sandy Kearns, former Republican State Senator Richard Russman, former Republican State Representative William Tsiros, and former Republican State Representative Liz Hager.
MANCHESTER - Fred Bramante, a member of McCain's New Hampshire Leadership Committee and a 2008 Alternate Delegate to the Republican National Convention today announced his support for Senator Obama's Campaign for Change.
Bramante, a Co-Chair of Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign and former Republican gubernatorial candidate, is a past Chairman and current member of the New Hampshire State Board of Education. His endorsement marks the first time nationally that a delegate or alternate delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention has publicly announced their decision to support Sen. Obama.
"I believe that America is at a critical point and that how our nation addresses the issue of education redesign will hold the key to America's future," said Fred Bramante. "Barack Obama is committed to reforming our public schools instead of abandoning them. To my disappointment, Senator McCain continues to support the use of vouchers, a divisive approach to education which has gotten us nowhere for decades and will not ensure that our children will live their lives in another American Century."
On the call, the Obama-Biden Campaign also announced 20 other prominent New Hampshire Republicans who support Obama for president.
"As a lifelong Republican and father of two, I believe Obama is the best choice for the future of our country. He has my support because of his views on the economy, his concern for America's standing in the world, and his opposition to the war in Iraq," said Barry Schuster of Lebanon. "As the former Chair of the school board, I know improving education policy will be critical to the Senator because of his own experiences and the value he places on reforming the system."
"It has been the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, who has demonstrated sound judgment in dealing with this economic crisis," said Pamela Diamantis of Greenland. "I am supporting Obama because he meets the criteria I want in a president, which is someone who is a strong leader who has conviction around his ideas and has the skills and desire to effectively communicate and build a consensus."
This group of 20 New Hampshire Republicans joins a long list of other prominent Republicans supporting Obama including Republican State Representative Sandy Kearns, former Republican State Senator Richard Russman, former Republican State Representative William Tsiros, and former Republican State Representative Liz Hager.
I'm so proud to be voting for Barack Obama in the 2008 General Election, but I have to say, I am emotionally wiped out from the bizarre, trick-laden, deceitful, garbage-filled campaign that John McCain and the RNC have run.
We've been through so much horrible stuff these past eight years thanks to George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and their cronies. Eight corruption-filled years in which we've watched our nation deteriorate right before our eyes. A war in Iraq we didn't need. New Orleans ravaged. Our national debt out of control. Our economy destroyed. Oh yes, and the bad guys still on the loose.
Who in heck do the Republicans think they are? To me, they are not the pro-corporation, fiscally conservative party I remember from decades ago. Instead, what I see is a neo-conservative, hard right, religiously extremist party who will act above and outside the law whenever it suits their advantage. I don't like it, I don't get it, and it gives me an off-balance sense that we're growing our own terrorists right here in country.
I'm still learning about politics, but what I would expect to see in a presidential campaign are exchanges of ideas and forums where citizens can learn what the candidates stand for. From what I can tell, that doesn't exist any longer, at least on the Republican side. Any trick they can come up with to win a media cycle, any slime they can hurl to hurt an opponent, any lie they can tell to ruin a decent human being, is how they run a campaign.
Why, I wonder. Why?
To the campaign and Senator Obama - Please, please do not allow the Republican Party to steal this election from you. Here is some info that I have received about that subject:
fyiROLLING STONE: IT'S ALREADY STOLEN
Investigation by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast released today Don't worry about Mickey Mouse or ACORN stealing the election. According to an investigative report out today in Rolling Stone magazine, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast, after a year-long investigation, reveal a systematic program of "GOP vote tampering" on a massive scale. - Republican Secretaries of State of swing-state Colorado have quietly purged one in six names from their voter rolls. Over several months, the GOP politicos in Colorado stonewalled every attempt by Rolling Stone to get an answer to the massive purge - ten times the average state's rate of removal. - While Obama dreams of riding to the White House on a wave of new voters, more then 2.7 million have had their registrations REJECTED under new procedures signed into law by George Bush. Kennedy, a voting rights lawyer, charges this is a resurgence of 'Jim Crow' tactics to wrongly block Black and Hispanic voters. - A fired US prosecutor levels new charges - accusing leaders of his own party, Republicans, with criminal acts in an attempt to block legal voters as "fraudulent." - Digging through government records, the Kennedy-Palast team discovered that, in 2004, a GOP scheme called "caging" ultimately took away the rights of 1.1 million voters. The Rolling Stone duo predict that, this November 4, it will be far worse. There's more: - Since the last presidential race, "States used dubious 'list management' rules to scrub at least 10 million voters from their rolls." Among those was Paul Maez of Las Vegas, New Mexico - a victim of an unreported but devastating purge of voters in that state that left as many as one in nine Democrats without a vote. For Maez, the state's purging his registration was particularly shocking - he's the county elections supervisor. The Kennedy-Palast revelations go far beyond the sum of questionably purged voters recently reported by the New York Times. "Republican operatives - the party's elite commandos of bare-knuckle politics," report Kennedy and Palast, under the cover of fighting fraudulent voting, are "systematically disenfranchis[ing] Democrats." The investigators level a deadly serious charge: "If Democrats are to win the 2008 election, they must not simply beat McCain at the polls - they must beat him by a margin that exceeds the level of GOP vote tampering." Block the Vote by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. & Greg Palast in the current issue (#1064) of Rolling Stone. [Media enquiries - Dave Falkenstein, Sunshine Sachs & Assoc, via interviews@gregpalast.com.] Note - Kennedy and Palast are releasing, simultaneously with the Rolling Stone investigative report what they call, the vote-theft 'antidote': a 24-page full-color comic book, Steal Back Your Vote, which can be downloaded or obtained in print from their non-partisan website, StealBackYourVote.org For updates and video reports, go to RollingStone.com, www.GregPalast.com and StealBackYourVote.org.
-- Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?M.Oliver
…for finally doing the right thing, by abandoning the hateful, racism-tinged rhetoric his campaign has broadcast at their rallies and in TV ads this week.
at a rally today, mccain finally acknowledged that obama is a “decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States,” going on to say that “He’s a decent, family man, [a] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that’s what this campaign is all about.” kudos as well for making these statements even while being booed by his supporters - that takes guts, and i’ll give him that.
while this is a good step, calls should be made to his campaign and to the RNC to cancel their TV ads which echo the same misleading and hateful sentiments, including a new one released for broadcast even today which states that he “worked with a terrorist when it was convenient” which is a blatantly dishonest implication. in addition, the american people should be demanding a public apology and denouncement for john mccain, sarah palin, and the RNC’s previous statements.
i believe an apology is necessary here, because even though mccain seems to be abandoning the rhetoric, his and palin’s comments were clearly “over the line” and if he hopes to be taken seriously as a positive candidate, being able to acknowledge fault would be a big first step.
-h
When they can't win the race, they try to change the rules or have the game called early in their favor:
By Matthew MoskA lawyer for the Republican National Committee today said the party will ask the Federal Election Commission to look into the source of thousands of small-dollar contributions to the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama.The RNC is alleging that the Obama campaign was so hungry for donations it "looked the other way" as contributions piled up from suspicious, and possibly even illegal foreign donors."We believe that the American people should know first and foremost if foreign money is pouring into a presidential election," said RNC Chief Counsel Sean Cairncross.Cairncross alleged there was mounting evidence of this, and cited a report in the current issue of Newsweek magazine that documents a handful of instances where donors made repeated small donations using fake names, such as "Good Will" and "Doodad Pro."The Newsweek report says that earlier this year the Obama campaign returned $33,000 to two Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip who had bought T-shirts in bulk from the campaign's online store -- purchases that count as campaign contributions. The brothers had listed their address as "Ga.," which the campaign took to mean Georgia rather than Gaza."While no organization is completely protected from Internet fraud, we will continue to review our fundraising procedures," Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt told the magazine.At the heart of the RNC complaint is a federal fundraising rule that lets campaigns accept donations under $200 without itemizing the names and addresses of the donors on its campaign finance reports. The rule was intended as a matter of practicality -- it did not seem reasonable to ask a campaign to gather that information from every five-dollar donor.But the Obama campaign has raised more than $200 million this way, a staggering sum for donations that will not be subjected to outside scrutiny.Obama campaign aides said today that a number of steps have been taken to safeguard against foreign or illegal contributions coming in in smaller increments. The measures include: requiring donors to present a passport at fundraising events held for Americans overseas, ending contributions to the Obama Store from contributors with addresses outside the U.S. or its territories, and requiring donors to enter a U.S. passport number when contributing via the Americans Abroad page."When we were made aware of an ad for a Nigerians for Obama fundraiser in a Nigerian paper, our attorneys sent a letter to the paper making it clear the event had nothing to do with our campaign, and that we would not accept contributions from the event," one Obama aide said.And aides note that Sen. John McCain had his own foreign fundraising issues, having been forced to refund about $50,000 in donations solicited by Jordanian Mustafa Abu Naba'a, who was raising money on behalf of one of McCain's top Florida bundlers.
By Matthew MoskA lawyer for the Republican National Committee today said the party will ask the Federal Election Commission to look into the source of thousands of small-dollar contributions to the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama.The RNC is alleging that the Obama campaign was so hungry for donations it "looked the other way" as contributions piled up from suspicious, and possibly even illegal foreign donors.
"We believe that the American people should know first and foremost if foreign money is pouring into a presidential election," said RNC Chief Counsel Sean Cairncross.Cairncross alleged there was mounting evidence of this, and cited a report in the current issue of Newsweek magazine that documents a handful of instances where donors made repeated small donations using fake names, such as "Good Will" and "Doodad Pro."The Newsweek report says that earlier this year the Obama campaign returned $33,000 to two Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip who had bought T-shirts in bulk from the campaign's online store -- purchases that count as campaign contributions. The brothers had listed their address as "Ga.," which the campaign took to mean Georgia rather than Gaza."While no organization is completely protected from Internet fraud, we will continue to review our fundraising procedures," Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt told the magazine.
At the heart of the RNC complaint is a federal fundraising rule that lets campaigns accept donations under $200 without itemizing the names and addresses of the donors on its campaign finance reports. The rule was intended as a matter of practicality -- it did not seem reasonable to ask a campaign to gather that information from every five-dollar donor.But the Obama campaign has raised more than $200 million this way, a staggering sum for donations that will not be subjected to outside scrutiny.Obama campaign aides said today that a number of steps have been taken to safeguard against foreign or illegal contributions coming in in smaller increments. The measures include: requiring donors to present a passport at fundraising events held for Americans overseas, ending contributions to the Obama Store from contributors with addresses outside the U.S. or its territories, and requiring donors to enter a U.S. passport number when contributing via the Americans Abroad page."When we were made aware of an ad for a Nigerians for Obama fundraiser in a Nigerian paper, our attorneys sent a letter to the paper making it clear the event had nothing to do with our campaign, and that we would not accept contributions from the event," one Obama aide said.And aides note that Sen. John McCain had his own foreign fundraising issues, having been forced to refund about $50,000 in donations solicited by Jordanian Mustafa Abu Naba'a, who was raising money on behalf of one of McCain's top Florida bundlers.
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Self-proclaimed pitbull Sarah Palin delivered a speech with real bite at the Republican National Convention. This campaign newcomer rallied the audience at the RNC with her verbal punches and had them reeling with electrified cheers and laughter.
On the basis of what, though? On a base speech, crafted to appeal only to extreme conservatives, attacking Obama and the Democratic party in the most divisive of ways.
There's a term in Law called "Ad Hominem", "to the man or person". It refers to this: When the law is against you, argue the facts. When it's the facts that are against you, argue the law. But if both the facts and the law are against you, abuse your adversary.
This, without a doubt, is the mistaken course Sarah Palin took with her entire speech. That in juxtaposition with major distortions of the truth about her own service, that is. For example, she states she rejected the so-called Bridge to Nowhere, failing to mention she had actually previously supported it. She also failed to mention that after she finally said "No thanks" she didn't return the money.
This sort of hypocrisy, disappointingly, is that to which many supporters of the McCain/Palin ticket are resorting. Many of the same extremists who had used rough language toward Hillary Clinton now say those sorts of comments are off limits to Sarah Palin. Many of those same extremists who pried into Obama's personal family life now say that sort of prying is off limits when it comes to Sarah Palin. McCain has exhibited this hypocrisy very blatantly in his on-again, off-again support of Bush. His choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate is an example of his hypocrisy, as well. His claim to be the Maverick is weakened by the fact that she was not his top choice. He picked her because the party pressured him into it. I shudder to think what else he might be pressured into by this eight-year stranglehold.
In stark contrast to the McCain ticket, Obama and Biden have facts on their side. Obama doesn't need to attack anyone personally. And he doesn't. He responded from the beginning that Palin's daughter's out-of-wedlock teen pregnancy is "off limits".
Yes, as Palin pointed out, Obama has indeed served as a community organizer. And that's what our country needs. Someone to lead us as though we are a united community. To address issues regarding our economy and education. To avoid lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to technological advancements and energy alternatives.
In the real world a pitbulls really don't make good diplomats. Problem-solving requires more thought and substance than can come from the involuntary response of gnashing jaws. In the real world Obama is who I vote to have in my corner.
- Woman for Obama
Richmond, VA
Remember how cute everyone thought it was when President Bush would pronounce nuclear as "new-q-lur?" Well, I guess Sarah Palin has the same problem. At the RNC, I was behind the stage and could read the teleprompter for all the speakers. In an attempt to help distance her from the president, I noticed that whenever Sarah was supposed to read the word "nuclear," it was spelled out "new-clear" on the teleprompter. This was the only word I noticed during the entire convention that was spelled out phonetically. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, until after the convention I was watching MSNBC and heard them talking about her pronounciation of nuclear.
