ThinkFast: January 3, 2007
ThinkFast: January 3, 2007
The Wall Street Journal writes that tonight’s Iowa caucus presents “the first test of whether a populist message can resonate in the 2008 campaign. In the frantic closing days, as candidates have touted their resumes and needled their opponents, two leading contenders from each party — Democrat John Edwards and Republican Mike Huckabee — have ramped up their anti-corporate, anti-Wall Street rhetoric.”
The Bush administration will “open up nearly 46,000 square miles off Alaska’s northwest coast to petroleum leases next month, a decision condemned by environmental groups that contend the industrial activity will harm northern marine mammals.”
Supporters of Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) conducted a sit-in at his Brooklyn office yesterday, calling for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney. The activists want Nadler to use his position as the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Constitution to force a hearing on the matter.
This holiday season, no Marines based out of Camp Pendleton died in fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan — the first time a month has gone by without a death since March 2006. “I look at it as good news,” said Staff Sgt. Johnathan Turner, a veteran of three tours of duty in Iraq. “It means things are getting better over there.”
“Iran’s leaders are no longer supplying weapons or training to Islamic militants in Iraq,” according to a spokesman for Gen. David Petraeus, who “sees Iran as following through on assurances it made to Iraqi and U.S. officials last fall not to assist extremists in Iraq.” Petraeus also credited the Syrian government for cutting the flow of al Qaeda fighters into Iraq.
“U.S. admissions of Iraqi refugees are nose-diving amid bureaucratic in-fighting despite the Bush administration’s pledge to boost them to roughly 1,000 per month, according to State Department statistics.” For the past three months, the number of refugees admitted has declined, hitting just 245 in December.
Former Sen. Conrad Burns, (R-MT), who received extensive contributions from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, “is no longer under investigation by the Justice Department for his connections” to Abramoff.
An FEC audit revealed that “Sen. Arlen Specter’s 2004 re-election campaign collected more than $1 million in excessive contributions, failed to properly disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in receipts from political party committees and political action committees, and missed a key reporting deadline before the primary election.”
And finally: Author Nora Ephron isn’t happy about Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol receiving a column in The New York Times. Number five on her list of New Year’s resolutions is to get Kristol “fired” from the paper. “I don’t think any actual work is going to be required in this area; this will come to pass as soon as he starts writing for the paper and whoever hired him actually reads his copy,” she writes.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
her list of New Year’s resolutions is to get Kristol “fired†from the paper.
This is good news.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:09 amThe Bush administration will “open up nearly 46,000 square miles off Alaska’s northwest coast to petroleum leases next month, a decision condemned by environmental groups that contend the industrial activity will harm northern marine mammals.â€
Bush’s reasoning: If we can make all the arctic animals go extinct by polluting their environment first, no one can complain about us making them go extinct through global warming later.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:10 amSupporters of Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) conducted a sit-in at his Brooklyn office yesterday, calling for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.
This is good news.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:10 amNora is scared of Kristol.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:15 amHillary fades to number three in Iowa, so much for the candidate of inevitability.
Maybe if she had told her tale of dodging snipers in Kosovo one more time, Iowans would have recognized her massive experience in foreign affairs.
Sing it Hillary: “Nothin’ But the Funk”!
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:19 am“Iran’s leaders are no longer supplying weapons or training to Islamic militants in Iraq,†according to a spokesman for Gen. David Petraeus..
Assuming they were ever doing that in the first place. One must remember that the only proof we have that Iran was meddling in Iraq was our government telling us that was the truth. And we all know how our government would never lie to us…right…
One must also look at the wording of that statement. It says “Iran’s leaders” are no longer supplying weapons. I doubt that Iran’s leaders ever had anything to do with the situation, even if it was occurring. But, we must always make Iran into the boogy man so we must accuse it’s leaders of complicity.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:20 amFor the past three months, the number of refugees admitted has declined, hitting just 245 in December.
See how much we really care about the Iraqi’s? We don’t care about all the Iraqi’s who helped the US occupy Iraq. We don’t care that when we leave, they are likely to be targeted because they helped us. At the very least, we should be allowing those people to immigrate to the US.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:22 amHillary Clinton’s Hawkish Record
“…(Hillary) opposes the international treaty to ban land mines. She also voted against the Feinstein-Leahy amendment last September restricting U.S. exports of cluster bombs to countries that use them against civilian-populated areas. She opposes restrictions on U.S. arms transfers and police training to governments that engage in gross and systematic human rights abuses, such as Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Israel, Pakistan, Cameroon and Chad, to name only a few.”
Full story:
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:22 amhttp://www.commondreams.org/views07/0309-23.htm
Hillary Clinton on International Law
Senator Clinton’s hostility to international law and the UN system is perhaps best illustrated by her opposition to the International Criminal Court. In 2002, Senator Clinton voted in favor of an amendment by right-wing Senator Jesse Helms that prohibits the United States from cooperating in any way with the International Criminal Court, and its prosecutor.
Full story:
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:24 amhttp://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4803
Former Sen. Conrad Burns, (R-MT), who received extensive contributions from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, “is no longer under investigation by the Justice Department for his connections†to Abramoff.
Of course he isn’t. And I’ll bet that all the other investigations into Republiscum malfeasance will simply disappear also. The Republiscums are in enough trouble as is without adding to it with criminal investigations. Mulkasey is definitely showing that he understood the loyalty oath he took, to Bush and not to the constitution. Thanks a lot Diane Feinstein.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:24 amComment by 2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda
Is your sole purpose here to bash Hillary? If so, you are preaching to the choir. There aren’t many Hillary supporters here, so why don’t you go peddle your Hillary hatred elsewhere.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:27 am#6, Bilbo,
I agree.
Especially as Syria is forcing Iraqi refugees out.
As I recall, we accepted many Vietnamese & Thai refugees during & after the Viet Nam conflict; why are we not doing the same now?
Is it because Bushco doesn’t give a phlying phuck about anyone but themselves? Perhaps, but it also isn’t resonating with Americans in general.
245 in the month of December? My God, we see more people coming into California & Arizona in one ordinary night!
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:28 amAmericans need to “sit” on Nadler until he is forced to listen to the voice of the people and begin impeachment hearings. Unless that occurs, nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, can go right in the next year.
He who building on false grounds…..the more he builds, the greater is his ruin. Stolen elections as a beginning translates into nothing wholesome being built in this country by Bush Co. And the nightmare will continue for the next full year unless/until we do “the next right thing” which is impeachment above all else.
Impeachment is a symbolic gesture to the rest of the world that we are not hypocrites and we will permit no one to be “above the law”!
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:31 am11… I suspect it is because the Bush Administration doesn’t really trust the Iraqi refugees since they subscribe to the “wrong” religion and you know that those cunning AlQaedas will be trying to slip in as refugees. Heaven forbid we upset the population make-up of our “Christian” nation.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:36 amAs I recall, we accepted many Vietnamese & Thai refugees during & after the Viet Nam conflict; why are we not doing the same now?
Is it because Bushco doesn’t give a phlying phuck about anyone but themselves? Perhaps, but it also isn’t resonating with Americans in general.
245 in the month of December? My God, we see more people coming into California & Arizona in one ordinary night!
Comment by Zimzone — January 3, 2008 @ 9:28 am
My memory is that very few Vietnamese emigrated to the US until after the war and even then there were a lot of them left behind who had specifically been associated with the US through the work they were doing. The term “boat people” was indicative of how desperate their situation was and it wasn’t until the country had a massive guilt trip about their conditions that those people ended up in the US. Of course, there were always those with connections and wealth, whose entry was much simpler, but we just don’t have a great track record for this kind of thing.
Now if they were staunch anti-communists from Cuba . . .
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:40 amYou are absolutely right, Veritas (@12),
Unfortunately, it sounds like the vote in Kenya is almost as bogus and the 2004 vote in Ohio. I’m afraid the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004 will be used all over the world as cover for anti-Democratic actions like the election in Kenya. http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010208T.shtml
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:45 amComment by 2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda
Seriously, 2MLYTA you are so misinformed and misdirected it’s laughable. Let me explain something to you. Progressives THINK FOR THEMSELVES. I know this is an alien concept to you but this applies to rejecting slavish party loyalty, but in not believing the corporate-conservative media propaganda machine. I know CNN and FOX and Rush are telling you that Hillary will be the nominee so you think you’re getting your punches in early, but here where actual progressives live, most of us can’t stand her or her triangulating DLC whores who give the radical conservative mafiosa everything they ask for. We do not pledge undying loyalty to a party that does not represent our views or help us in any way. Maybe that confuses you but then again you’re probably one of the millions of chumps that the rightwing exploits over and over.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 amIs your sole purpose here to bash Hillary? If so, you are preaching to the choir. There aren’t many Hillary supporters here, so why don’t you go peddle your Hillary hatred elsewhere.
Comment by bilbobaggins — January 3, 2008 @ 9:27 am
No. I post on a very wide variety of topics. Perhaps the widest variety of any regular poster here. Have you not seen my posts on GM food, physics, Native Americans, Astronomy etc? Since today is the Iowa caucas I’m concentrating on what I feel to be most important. Thanks for the suggestion but I think I’ll stay. Agitation is a sign that I’m doing something right.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:47 amAsking Rupert Murdoch and the WSJ about whether a populist message can resonate is like asking Karl Rove what will make liberals happy.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:47 am“…I will not hesitate to use force, unilaterally if necessary, to protect the American people or our vital interests whenever we are attacked or imminently threatened.
…We must also consider using military force in circumstances beyond self-defense in order to provide for the common security that underpins global stability — to support friends, participate in stability and reconstruction operations, or confront mass atrocities.”
- Barack Obama, “Future Hawk?”
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:48 amMantastic,
Unfortunately, this administration is reduced to relying on coincidence and sheer luck to provide good news these days. The good news is not the result of effective planning on their part.
Bring them home, that would make for some good news.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:49 amAgitation is a sign that I’m doing something right.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:51 amComment by 2MillionLightYearsToAndrea — January 3, 2008 @ 9:47 am
So you equate yourself to a mosquito? Interesting.
By the way, great talking points from RightWingNews.
Too bad you didn’t research those on your own.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02EEDF1039F934A35752C1A9669C8B63
25 Years Later, Vietnamese Still Flock to the U.S.
By SETH MYDANS
Published: November 7, 2000
”This present emergency should not last,” said the top refugee official at the United Nations as desperate people jammed onto helicopters and small boats to flee the Communist victory in Vietnam 25 years ago.
But it did. It swelled into a vast, clamorous flood of nearly two million people, more than half of whom settled in the United States.
It was an unexpected artifact of the Vietnam War and, just as unexpectedly, it continues today. When President Clinton visits Vietnam later in November, in the first trip by a sitting American president since the end of the war, he will arrive in a country that is increasingly linked to the United States by a web of migrants who journey from teeming cities like Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, to cities and towns across America.
One result is that 26,000 Vietnamese a year now emigrate to the United States, helping to shape both countries and forming one of the half-dozen largest flows of immigrants into America from any country in the world.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:54 amSeriously, 2MLYTA you are so misinformed and misdirected it’s laughable. Let me explain something to you. Progressives THINK FOR THEMSELVES.
This morning I’ve posted only factual information back up with sources. Why does truth bother you?
I know CNN and FOX and Rush are telling you that Hillary will be the nominee so you think you’re getting your punches in early
I don’t think I’ve ever listened to Rush more than five minutes in my life. I only watch CNN when its on in the exercise room.
…most of us can’t stand her or her triangulating DLC whores who give the radical conservative mafiosa everything they ask for. We do not pledge undying loyalty to a party that does not represent our views or help us in any way. Maybe that confuses you but then again you’re probably one of the millions of chumps that the rightwing exploits over and over.
I haven’t even a clue what you’re talking about. The rightwing exploits me? I don’t listen to any right-wing sources. Very bizarre criticism. I assure you there’s no progressive who engages in independent thought more than I (or is it me?).
Comment by lefty — January 3, 2008 @ 9:46 am
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:56 am2MillionLightYearsToAndrea
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hillary-Clinton-Battles-Manhunt-2-and-Wii-Zapper-71506.shtml
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/13/news_6129021.html
Because parents think a game called Grand Theft Auto is just peachy keen for the tots and the Wii is training up a generation of killers.
Wanna bash Hillary? Get something different when you do.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:57 amBush standing on another pile of rubble.
Turning the most productive fishing grounds in the world into an oil slick. There is no means to clean up an oil spill on ice broken seas and this is where Dick and Bush plan to drill.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:58 am14, Gummitch,
Thanks for setting me straight. You’re right, of course. I had forgot about the boat people and delays in getting many refugees to America.
It would appear, though, that we didn’t learn a whole lot from that experience.
I also agree with you that AQ, the bogeyman, would be a prime concern to the present people in power.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:59 amAgitation is a sign that I’m doing something right.
Comment by 2MillionLightYearsToAndrea — January 3, 2008 @ 9:47 am
So you equate yourself to a mosquito? Interesting.
By the way, great talking points from RightWingNews.
Too bad you didn’t research those on your own.
Comment by DRxJ — January 3, 2008 @ 9:51 am
Um, I did research them on my own. A caller to the Ed Schultz show yesterday said Hillary was opposed to the International Criminal Court. So I looked it up and found multiple sources confirming it. If you have information showing this to be incorrect please present it. Otherwise you sound irrational. I take no offense at being proved wrong. Progressives/Independent like to learn. And yes, If I can agitiate (or a better word might be awaken) the Hillary supporters then I’m accomplishing my goal.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:00 amFrom Raw Story:
Cost of coitus: Male monkeys pay for sex
Selling sex is said to be humankind’s oldest profession but it may have deep evolutionary roots, according to a study into our primate cousins which found that male macaques pay for intercourse by using grooming as a currency.
Michael Gumert of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore made the discovery in a 20-month investigation into 50 long-tailed macaques in Kalimantan Tengah, Indonesia, New Scientist reports on Saturday.
On average, females had sex 1.5 times per hour.[. . .]
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:01 amOur military spending exceeds the rest of the world’s spending combined, and we spend almost 10 times what the second-place country, China, spends. So how do the Democratic frontrunners feel about it?
To help our forces recover from Iraq and prepare them to confront the full range of twenty-first-century threats, I will work to expand and modernize the military so that fighting wars no longer comes at the expense of deployments for long-term deterrence, military readiness, or responses to urgent needs at home.
- Hillary Clinton
I will double the budget for recruitment and raise the standards for the recruitment pool so that we can reduce our reliance on felony waivers and other exceptions. In addition, I will increase our investment in the maintenance of our equipment for the safety of our troops.
- John Edwards
Source: Glenn Greenwald, Salon dot com, Jan. 2, 2008.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:04 amOn average, females had sex 1.5 times per hour…-Barfly
Hmmm,
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:05 amI’m familiar with the .5 sex experience, but is George Allen? I believe this was the root of his ‘Macaca’ moment.
#27 – “And yes, If I can agitiate (or a better word might be awaken) the Hillary supporters then I’m accomplishing my goal.” Comment by 2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda — January 3, 2008 @ 10:00 am
Here’s a good hypothetical question for you: (Serious one, too!)
It’s November 4th, and you’ve got a choice. Clinton or Huckabee?
Or will you vote for Bloomberg? Or Nader? Or write in your own candidate?
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:08 amDETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. picked India’s Tata Motors Ltd. as the top bidder for its Jaguar and Land Rover units, the Detroit automaker said Thursday.
Wow. The old order changeth. I’m sure it was bad enough that the Yanks had taken over these British automakers–but now the Indians? Take your Raj and stuff it, old chap.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 amResearch Shows That War Isn’t Caused by Instinct
…One of the world’s finest peace theorists, the late Dr. Randall Caroline Forsberg, believed that “a single ‘modest’ change could serve as an initial step toward the abolition of war and, ultimately, the permanent abolition of war.â€
That single modest change would be the development of a commitment in the great majority of the world’s public “to the democratic value that violence is never morally or politically acceptable except when used in defense against violence by others who have not accepted this principle, and who have in fact initiated acts of violence.â€
Based on this underpinning premise, she and other colleagues have developed a creative step-by-step systematic plan for world disarmament education known as Global Action to Prevent War. For details of the program go to globalactionpw.org.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/12/27/6019/
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 am“I’m familiar with the .5 sex experience, but is George Allen? I believe this was the root of his ‘Macaca’ moment.”
Comment by Zimzone
The article said that market forces were at work: when there were more females around, the time required to primp was greatly reduced. And when satisfied by a males primping, the hourly rate jumped to three times an hour, instead of 1.5.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:11 amWhat did we miss?
Today’s Must Read
By Paul Kiel – January 3, 2008, 9:43AM
The eight year Constitutional law seminar that is the Bush Administration continues!
Today’s lesson: the pocket veto.
Last week, the president claimed to have sunk Congress’ defense authorization bill by pocket veto. Now Democrats are saying he can’t do that.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:11 amhttp://www.tpmmuckraker.com/
If we had instant runoff voting — or some other rank-order voting system — you could vote for Nader or Bloomberg or Kucinich as your number one choice, then put down Clinton as your number two choice and be assured that your vote would NOT be wasted. You could actually vote FOR someone, instead of just against someone.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:12 amIt’s November 4th, and you’ve got a choice. Clinton or Huckabee?
Or will you vote for Bloomberg? Or Nader? Or write in your own candidate?
Comment by Democrat Soldier — January 3, 2008 @ 10:08 am
Cynthia McKinney (Green). She’s right (correct) on most of the issues that concern me.
I may be able to pull the lever for Edwards. Perhaps even Obama, not sure on him yet. But NOT Clinton. I will not have future blood of innocents on my conscience. I will not support the further corporate fascist takeover of my country. I will not support a candidate that refuses to give up the UNconstitutional powers Bush has taken. I must get my Habeas back. No compromise on this.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:15 amWith all the clean and renewable energy plants now in the works, it seems silly to bother with drilling new fields in the US.
Oil is clearly now the past, and hydro, solar, geothermal and wind are the future.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:16 am2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda, if you don’t want to be confused with a troll then don’t act like one.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:17 amMore from the link leftcoast points to at #35…(tpmmuckraker.com)
“Congress vigorously rejects any claim that the president has the authority to pocket-veto this legislation, and will treat any bill returned to the Congress as open to an override vote,†said Nadeam Elshami, a spokesman for Pelosi. He said the Speaker is keeping all legislative options on the table.”
Nancy has a table! Is that good news? Can we urge her to put one more thing on that table?
IMPEACH NOW
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:19 am#37 – “I may be able to pull the lever for Edwards. Perhaps even Obama, not sure on him yet. But NOT Clinton.” Comment by 2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda — January 3, 2008 @ 10:15 am
I can see where you’re coming from, but I hope and pray you don’t help the White House stay in Republican hands.
Having another Republican President would break your “I will not” list faster than voting for Sen. Clinton and you know that for a fact.
Personally, there should be an option to re-do the presidential election with brand new candidates on both sides! I would vote for that! ;-)
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:22 amthe first time a month has gone by without a death since March 2006. “I look at it as good news,†said Staff Sgt…….
Like most of the Iraq reports, it seems that the inference is derived from a lack of knowledge of statistics including variance. Kind of like saying I flipped the coin once and it came up heads – therefore I have a run of “heads”.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:25 am2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda, if you don’t want to be confused with a troll then don’t act like one.
Comment by lefty — January 3, 2008 @ 10:17 am
Don’t be so quick to judge. People have complex opinions. And don’t blame others for your shortcomings.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:30 amPersonally, there should be an option to re-do the presidential election with brand new candidates on both sides! I would vote for that! ;-)
Comment by Democrat Soldier — January 3, 2008 @ 10:22 am
Great idea, we could emulate such democratic stalwarts as Pakistan and Iran; don’t like the result, just do it over. And over. And over.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:31 am“The wind was horrible, the storm intense. Then the winds calmed and the storm cleared. This is good news!”
>
Who knows what will happen since we’ve paid and armed the Suunis, paid and armed the Shiites, Turkey is bombing and shelling the Kurds, and Muqtada’s 6-month halt on Mahdi militia operations is nearing an end?
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:33 amThe following are polls from progressive groups, rating Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, on how often they vote for progressive issues. For each group, http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/011142.php
Clinton Vs. Barack Obama (progressivepunch)
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:35 amOverall Progressive Score: 92% 90%
Aid to Less Advantaged People at Home and Abroad: 98% 97%
Corporate Subsidies 100% N/A
Education, Humanities and the Arts 88% 100%
Environment 92% 100%
Fair Taxation 97% 100%
Family Planning 88% 80%
Government Checks on Corporate Power 95% 97%
Healthcare 98% 94%
Housing 100% 100%
Human Rights & Civil Liberties 82% 77%
Justice for All: Civil and Criminal 94% 91%
Labor Rights 91% 91%
Making Government Work for Everyone, Not Just the Rich or Powerful 94% 90%
War and Peace 80% 86%
*43
Was supposed to have a line about the eye of the hurricane moving on and the observer being killed by the storm, but somehow it got dropped out.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:35 amMore good stuff about the next President of the United States:
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice America 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the The Humane Society of the United States 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the National Trust for Historic Preservation 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 95 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the National Education Association 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the American Wilderness Coalition 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the League of Conservation Voters 95 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Children’s Defense Fund 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the American Association of University Women 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the National Organization for Women 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group 91 percent in 2006.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group 100 percent in 2005
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 100 percent from 1988-2003 (Senate) or 1991-2003 (House).
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the American Public Health Association 80 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Service Employees International Union 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the United Auto Workers 93 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the AFL-CIO 93 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers 84 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Worker 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees 88 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the American Federation of Government Employees 83 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the National Committee for an Effective Congress 95 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Americans for Democratic Action 100 percent in 2005.
According to the National Journal – Composite Liberal Score’s calculations, in 2005, Senator Clinton voted more liberal on economic, defense and foreign policy issues than 80 percent of the Senators.
According to the National Journal – Liberal on Social Policy’s calculations, in 2005, Senator Clinton voted more liberal on social policy issues than 83 percent of the Senators.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Alliance for Retired Americans 100 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 92 percent in 2005.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Bread for the World 100 percent in 2003-2004.
Senator Clinton supported the interests of the The Partnership for the Homeless 100 percent in 2003-2004.
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=WNY99268
She was promoting universal coverage before it was cool. Furthermore she helped to create the SCHIP program. And most importantly she was dead on in the debate the other week where she said political will was the most important thing needed to push health care reform through and we know without a doubt she has that.
She has fought unrelentingly for a woman’s right to choose as well as women’s rights both domestically and abroad
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:36 amAnd some more:
In the White House, Hillary led efforts to make adoption easier, to expand early learning and child care, to increase funding for breast cancer research, and to help veterans suffering from Gulf War syndrome who had too often been ignored in the past. She helped launch a national campaign to prevent teen pregnancy and helped create the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, which moved children from foster care to adoption more quickly and the number of children who have moved out of foster care into adoption has increased dramatically.
She was instrumental in designing and championing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which has provided millions of children with health insurance. She battled the big drug companies to force them to test their drugs for children and to make sure all kids get the immunizations they need through the Vaccines for Children Program. Immunization rates dramatically improved after the program launched.
Hillary has been a leading member of the Environment and Public Works Committee since she was elected to the Senate. Today, she chairs the Superfund and Environmental Health Subcommittee and in that capacity has promoted legislation to evaluate and protect against the impact of environmental pollutants on people’s health and clean up toxic waste.
Global warming and Clean Air
Spoken out forcefully about the need to tackle global warming in hearings, speeches, rallies and on the Senate floor and co-sponsored “cap and trade” legislation.
Worked to reduce air pollution that causes asthma and other respiratory diseases by writing and helping to pass new laws to clean up exhaust from school buses, and other diesel-powered equipment.
Supported legislation to reduce pollution from power plants, including harmful emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, and carbon dioxide – emissions that contribute to poor air quality, smog, acid rain, global warming, and mercury contamination of fish.
Aggressively fought the Bush Administration’s ill-advised attempts to weaken clean air laws.
Improving Water Quality and Protecting Drinking Water
Helped to overturn the Bush Administration’s attempt to allow more arsenic in drinking water.
Cosponsored legislation to protect lakes, rivers and coastal waters by fighting the spread of destructive invasive species, such as the zebra mussel.
Helped ot pass new clean water laws, including measures to protect New York City’s water supplies and clean up Long Island Sound.
Protecting Public Lands
Fought oil company efforts to pen the Artic Wildlife Refuge in Alask and Pacific and Atlantic coastal waters to drilling.
Cosponsored the Roadless Area Conservation Act, which prohibits road construction and logging in unspoiled, roadless areas of the National Forest System, and voted for additional funding and manpower to combat forest fires in the west.
Reducing Dangerous Chemicals and Cleaning Up Hazardous Waste
Supported legislation to restore the “polluter pays” principle by reinstating a chemical company fee to fund cleanups of highly contaminated “Superfund” waste sites.
Cosponsored the “kids-Safe Chemical Act,” which requires chemical companies to provide health and safety before putting new chemicals in consumer products.
Proposed legislation to create an environmental health tracking network to enable us to better understand the impact of environmental hazards on human health and well-being.
Tackling the Toxic Legacy of 9/11
Pushed for health care benefits for first responders, residents and others whose health has been impacted from breathing the toxic dust and smoke in New York City after 9/11.
http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/8/20/134810/677
Hillary Clinton co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, a state-level alliance with the Children’s Defense Fund, in 1977. In late 1977, President Jimmy Carter (for whom she had done 1976 campaign coordination work in Indiana) appointed her to the board of directors of the Legal Services Corporation, and she served in that capacity from 1978 through the end of 1981. For much of that time she served as the chair of that board, the first woman to do so. During her time as chair, funding for the Corporation was expanded from $90 million to $300 million, and she successfully battled against President Ronald Reagan’s initial attempts to reduce the funding and change the nature of the organization.
Following the November 1978 election of her husband as Governor of Arkansas, Clinton became First Lady of Arkansas in January 1979, her title for a total of twelve years. Bill appointed her chair of the Rural Health Advisory Committee the same year, where she successfully obtained federal funds to expand medical facilities in Arkansas’ poorest areas without affecting doctors’ fees.
Hillary Clinton chaired the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee from 1982 to 1992, where she sought to bring about reform in the state’s court-sanctioned public education system. One of the most important initiatives of the entire Clinton governorship, she fought a prolonged but ultimately successful battle against the Arkansas Education Association to put mandatory teacher testing as well as state standards for curriculum and classroom size in place. She introduced Arkansas’ Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youth in 1985, a program that helps parents work with their children in preschool preparedness and literacy.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:37 amInformation out of context is crap. Single out the one positive and hide the negative–Iraqi deaths are up, US deaths are trending upward again–was the surge responsible for a placebo effect, combined with ethnic cleansing effects? How are things in Glockamorrah or in Kurdish areas of Iraq?
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:39 amAnd a bit of stuff from the White House years:
Along with Senator Ted Kennedy, she was the major force behind the State Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997, a federal effort that provided state support for children whose parents were unable to provide them with health coverage. She promoted nationwide immunization against childhood illnesses and encouraged older women to seek a mammogram to detect breast cancer, with coverage provided by Medicare. She successfully sought to increase research funding for prostate cancer and childhood asthma at the National Institutes of Health.
The First Lady worked to investigate reports of an illness that affected veterans of the Gulf War, which became known as the Gulf War syndrome. Together with Attorney General Janet Reno, Clinton helped create the Office on Violence Against Women at the Department of Justice. In 1997, she initiated and shepherded the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which she regarded as her greatest accomplishment as First Lady.
Along with Senator Ted Kennedy, she was the major force behind the State Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997, a federal effort that provided state support for children whose parents were unable to provide them with health coverage. She promoted nationwide immunization against childhood illnesses and encouraged older women to seek a mammogram to detect breast cancer, with coverage provided by Medicare. She successfully sought to increase research funding for prostate cancer and childhood asthma at the National Institutes of Health. The First Lady worked to investigate reports of an illness that affected veterans of the Gulf War, which became known as the Gulf War syndrome. Together with Attorney General Janet Reno, Clinton helped create the Office on Violence Against Women at the Department of Justice. In 1997, she initiated and shepherded the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which she regarded as her greatest accomplishment as First Lady. As First Lady, Clinton hosted numerous White House Conferences, including ones on Child Care (1997), Early Childhood Development and Learning (1997), and Children and Adolescents (2000), and the first-ever White House Conferences on Teenagers (2000) and Philanthropy (1999).
Hillary Clinton traveled to over eighty countries during this time, breaking the mark for most-travelled First Lady held by Pat Nixon. In a September 1995 speech before the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, Clinton argued very forcefully against practices that abused women around the world and in China itself. She was one of the most prominent international figures at the time to speak out against the treatment of Afghan women by the Islamist fundamentalist Taliban that had seized control of Afghanistan. She helped create Vital Voices, an international initiative sponsored by the United States to promote the participation of women in the political processes of their countries.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:39 amhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton
Muqtada’s 6-month halt on Mahdi militia operations is nearing an end?
Comment by CZ-1 — January 3, 2008 @ 10:33 am
Word is that he’s studying to become an Ayatollah and may extend the halt on operations. Which may not necessarily be so good cause it could cause some of the Mahdi factions to break off and begin fighting each other.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:39 amWord is that he’s studying to become an Ayatollah and may extend the halt on operations. Which may not necessarily be so good cause it could cause some of the Mahdi factions to break off and begin fighting each other.
Comment by toasterhead — January 3, 2008 @ 10:39 am
And of course after as-Sadr becomes an Ayatollah he’ll be really pissed cause his student loan payments will start coming due, so we can expect a major increas in violence after that.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:40 amLefty – I can give you a list of progressive bloggers, the most popular names, the most widely read and respected. And they’re often very critical of all the Democratic candidates, YES, especially Hillary. Are they trolls by your definition?
Then I can give you names of the Air America/Progressive Radio Hosts. Many of them find Hillary distasteful. Ed Schultz (strongly dislikes her) or Stephanie Miller (Obama supporter, but clearly she’s not fond of Hillary). Thom Hartmann (it appears) supports Edwards or Kucinich. Randi Rhodes says she’ll support whoever the nominee is but its clear her first choice isn’t Hillary.
This is the MAJORITY of the PROGRESSIVE opinionmakers. This is the LIBERAL movement. It ain’t just me. If you want to attack my candidate, Kucinich, as long as you stick to facts, I have no problem with it.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:42 amWord is that he’s studying to become an Ayatollah and may extend the halt on operations. Which may not necessarily be so good cause it could cause some of the Mahdi factions to break off and begin fighting each other.
Comment by toasterhead — January 3, 2008 @ 10:39 am
####
He had a recent meeting with Hakim, from the Badr Corps, where they claimed to come to an agreement, but I doubt it will last. I wrote an article on this issue, if you care to check it out –
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:42 amhttp://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=219D4A365D8F8BF702D29452BB97771F?diaryId=302
http://www.vetvoice.com/frontPage.do
…Sadr declared a cease-fire at the end of August after his militia took the blame for fighting in the holy city of Karbala. But it retains its ability to fight other militias in southern Iraq. It is also still active in Shi’ite neighborhoods of Baghdad, even though its leaders have held back from fighting American troops for control of the streets. In fact, the cease-fire may have allowed Sadr to consolidate his fragmented and often unruly organization.
Meanwhile, Sadr’s militia may be asserting mafia-like control over the poor Shi’ite areas where it has long provided the services and security the government has not. “What you do have is, the Mahdi Army, Inc.,” said Petraeus, backing up an earlier assessment by U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker. The militia has come to dominate not simply by force, but also by controlling staples like fuel and electricity.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:47 amHealthcare 98% 94%
Comment by Perry logan — January 3, 2008 @ 10:35 am
I’m running out of time this morning. I can find a lot to dispute in your list. For example Healthcare. Neither Hillary, Barack or John have ANY healthcare policy whatsoever. They’re in the Insurance Policy Sales business. Period. An insurance policy is NOT a healthcare plan. Its a plan to make Insurance companies WEALTHIER. Tell me, those policies they sell to the 50 million uninsured, what will they cover? Will people have to fight the insurance companies for every claim? Do they cover dental and mental health care? I cannot see how FOR PROFIT companies will be able to insure the entire country, especially those who are truly in need, and not run into a huge mountain of problems. How will they maintain their for profit existence promised to shareholders? It’ll be a disaster. Healthcare for all can only be delivered if we eliminate ALL the middlemen and make it not-for profit. Their plans are doomed for colossal failure that’ll leave millions in the worse position of paying for healthcare not delivered, and holding policies that are virtually worthless. Because if you think the insurance companies won’t fight EVERY claim you’re wrong.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:54 amI wrote an article on this issue, if you care to check it out -
Comment by Chris L — January 3, 2008 @ 10:42 am
Good article – thank you! Though I think there’s one other enemy of as-Sadr and the Jaysh worth a mention: the Sunni Awakening Councils we’re arming in Anbar and Baghdad. Many of these tribal leaders say they plan to eradicate the Shia one they’re finished with AQI.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:02 amComment by Perry logan
What’s her take on revamping FISA?
On redeployment?
On Turkey’s taking a post inside Iraq?
On Iraq’s sovereignty?
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:02 amAnd some more:
In the White House, Hillary led efforts to make adoption easier, to expand early learning and child care, to increase funding for breast cancer research, and to help veterans suffering from Gulf War syndrome who had too often been ignored in the past. She helped launch a national campaign to prevent teen pregnancy and helped create the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, which moved children from foster care to adoption more quickly and the number of children who have moved out of foster care into adoption has increased dramatically.
Comment by Perry logan — January 3, 2008 @ 10:37 am
I appreciate your effort to defend your candidate. But I ask you…How will she continue to Pay for all these Programs going forward? As long as the Defense Budget keeps increasing (and she’s promised to keep increasing it) and the National Debt keeps rising, where will the money come from?
The Defense Budget needs to be slashed IMMEDIATELY by 25 to 50%. Its absolutely and completely outrageous. I suggest you read Glenn Greenwalds column over at salon dot com yesterday. Until someone is willing to slash the defense budget, return the upper tax rate to 50%-90% and force corporations to once again pay taxes there’s no money for anything, unless you want to continue our dangerous borrowing from China and Saudi Arabia. So I ask, where will the money come from to pay for Hillary’s programs? Or does asking that question make me a troll?
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:07 am#59 I’m no Hillary fan but maybe she can pay for them the same way that Bush has paid for his pet programs? (Iraq being the biggest) In other words who cares how we pay for them, lets just spend spend spend, cut revenue because cutting revenue is raising revenue. Essentially she can become a Bush conservative and adopt his fiscal policies. It seems to be entirely acceptable to the 30% remaining on the right.
Sounds like a plan to me.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:17 amDid Democracy Now broadcast this morning? I’ve been refreshing their site all morning but they still have the January 2 show up.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:29 amThanks for all those links everyone! Especially leftcoast, toasterhead and ChrisL.
leftcoast – love the way that article begins! “The eight year Constitutional law seminar that is the Bush Administration continues!”
ChrisL – good article/info on a difficult-to-understand subject! (keep up the good work – I think you’re very brave)
toasterhead – yah, “Iran’s leaders are no longer supplying weapons or training to Islamic militants in Iraq” (were they ever? will we ever know?) but apparently we are! I’m not sure I look forward to seeing what Iraq has become in about 10 years!
Keep caring dudes.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:36 amYou already know the answer to this…..it will come from taxes. Democrats believe in the notion that if you want things then you must find a way to pay for them. The credit card spending spree of the republicans is near it’s end and then reality sets in…..as usual the adults must step in when it is late in the game and set things back on course…..eg fiscal responsibility. We will tax the corporations and they will pay. The end is near for the republicans in this country….they have lied their way into a corner.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:45 amNora has to much fath in Pravda on Hudson.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:46 amComment by Fred — January 3, 2008 @ 11:45 am
And then the right-wing will bellow for decades, “See! See! We told you they’d raise taxes! We told you that Democrats are anti-business and bad for the economy!”.
I sure hope that the Democrats get their act together and learn how to sell their strategy better. They need some good marketing talent.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:52 amMary,
I think they have driven us so far in debt that even they are ready for someone else to run things because they have take us into the ditch and don’t know how to get out.
The bs about anti-business is just that……business did just fine in the 90’s.
Americans are gullible but eventually they must pay the piper….that time is now in the US.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 amRemember Mary, the economy is in trouble again….just as it was at the end of the Reagan/bush1 admin……remember…it’s the economy.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:01 pm2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda, if you don’t want to be confused with a troll then don’t act like one.
Comment by lefty @ 10:17 am
Don’t be so quick to judge. People have complex opinions. And don’t blame others for your shortcomings.
Comment by 2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda @ 10:30 am
boy, i’m not sure what happened to get 2Million in such a pickle…
it seems the first to kick was bilbobaggins, whose response seemed much too unbelievably touchy, even antagonistic… not at all sure why…
acting like a troll, lefty? wow… not what i got at all…
i myself was glad for that hillary link as i plan to pass it along to a lady i know who leans toward a clinton candidacy…
but then i’ve been away a good while… maybe i’ve missed something…
oh yea! like bartlebee! … what’s with that? i hear he’s now a troll… HUH?!
come together, people…
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:02 pmTrolls have completely shut down a couple of threads here the last day or two……probably why folks have little patience.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 pmwas nora ephron one of the strikers who helped with
letterman’s TOP TEN LIST last night?
that was a great show… good solidarity shown also…
did anyone catch the huckster on leno? … not me…
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:08 pmLeave 2M alone, let him voice his opinions backed by links. It doesnt hurt that I agree with him for the most part. I would hate to have to hold my nose and vote for her. Do we really want to continue the Bush/Clinton Monarchy? Do we really want someone in office who wont appologize for her support of the biggest blunder in the last hundred years?
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:15 pm“Remember Mary, the economy is in trouble again”
Comment by Fred — January 3, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
But, but I thought the economy was doing great!
Seriously though, I wish I shared your optimism about the intelligence of the average voter. I’m not convinced that most people really know how badly in dept we are. They know about oil prices but some people are so brainwashed that they probably blame the oil prices on the left for allowing oil drilling in Alaska.
We need some good media handlers working for the power of good. Which is of course what most progressives work for.
: )
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:21 pmAnd, in other news, Iran’s leaders stopped beating their wives…
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:22 pmDo we really want someone in office who wont appologize for her support of the biggest blunder in the last hundred years?
Comment by jpoke42 — January 3, 2008 @ 12:15 pm
I agree with you. Especially on this last bit. I don’t know why she has to be so freaking stubborn on this one. Just admit you were wrong and move on! My guess is that she’s afraid that she’ll appear too anti-war or something. I don’t like that she’s afraid OR obstinate!
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:23 pmObviously, I meant that they (uninformed voters) probably blame the oil prices on the left NOT allowing oil drilling in Alaska.
Speaking of which – when did they get permission to drill off the coast of Alaska? Did I miss something?
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:26 pmThis economic fall is far from over….the facts have been hidden for as long as they can be hidden….The reality is setting in as I said….again. It always happens and it seems to always happen in almost the same way….going back to hoover.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:31 pmWith as much as this adminsitration has lied or fudged everything I seriously wonder if they have not been fudging ecnomic figures for years.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:33 pmAs much as I might loathe voting for Mrs Clinton, I will not waste my vote or vote for a repuke.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:41 pmOnce in office, we can start looking for her replacement, but no more repukes, either by voting for one, or voting for a third party candidate whose votes will siphon off enough strength to get the repuke installed.
Remember 2000?
I agree with you Fred and Severus. But I’m hoping that when the economy hits bottom and taxes necessarily rise and the truth about the numbers comes out that we have someone super-smart and savy who can make sure that the American voters understand that it was the GOP who made it happen.
The left just hasn’t been good at the information game. Rove and his minions still seem to be getting the upper hand with the media. Those of us who take the time to read and learn for ourselves are the minority.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:41 pmI totally agree with this……we can make the necessary changes after we staunch the bleeding.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:46 pmI agree with this only to a point Mary. The simple fact is that people like the idea of something for nothing which is what the repubs sell……once the bill comes due that all changes…..rove or no rove.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:49 pmI am not saying that I will vote for a Repub, maybe at one point in my life I would have considered it (I kinda liked the 2000 version of McCain), but not now. I wish there could be a big grass roots campaign to change our election process to a runoff process which would allow for 3rd parties, but both parties would never let that happen.
No, I will probably have to vote for Hillary if it comes down to it, but PLEASE, PLEASE don’t let it come to that! ANYONE but Hillary on the Dem ticket.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:55 pmMary, the right are masters of manipulating the growing class of uneducated Americans. It is precisely their plan to keep Americans dumb so they can sell them one liners all day long.
Lets call it what it is, Americans are dumb. I had hope until the 04 elections which proved my assertion. I just hope they wise up. To what they wise up to, I don’t know. The Dems have done NOTHING to gain their support.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:00 pmI respectully disagree….for one thing we would not be in Iraq right now if ANY democrat had been elected…….a democrat will do more for the American citizen by accident than a republican will do for them on purpose.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:06 pmhttp://www.americanprogress.org/aboutus
this is just to remind everyone that this site is part of Hillary’s think tank, my guess is that no matter how much you hate the woman you’re probably helping her by posting here; Perry Logan looks like a Hillary Troll sent in because there was some substantial criticism of General Hillary, I’m gonna repost this
http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0309-23.htm
Think Progress is really more of a “democrats good, republicans bad” zone, I consider myself progressive and do not consider any of the high profile presidential candidates as progressive. I’d say you’ve got to go somewhere like
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:07 pmhttp://www.gp.org/index.php
or Z online, or Dissident voice, or BlackAgenda or Common Dreams to see some blurbs that approach progressive.
I might be able to stomach a vote for Edwards, otherwise I’m voting Green.
Good work 2M
in solidarity
no Democrat would have gone so far out of thier way to destroy democracy in this country as the repubs and that is where our hope lies.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:08 pmYes, Fred I agree with you too., but we cannot rewrite history to include a Dem prez. What we can do is look back on the actual history of the last year and see that Dems have done NOTHING significant with the power that was entrusted to them. Their consistent inaction makes them complicit.
Jaded? Why, yes I am. This is why we can’t elect Hillary, it will just be more of the same.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:14 pm…….a democrat will do more for the American citizen by accident than a republican will do for them on purpose.
fred, that’s a marvelous quip, may I use that in the future?
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:14 pmhillary baaaaaaaad
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:21 pmhey my links arent showing up, here’s another try
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:22 pm
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/02/6118/
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:23 pmWhat you are seeing in the congress and Senate is the democrats acting like they respect democracy. Which is not what you saw with the repubs in power…remember the nuklear option against a legitimate democratic fillibuster……give me a break. If you want the dems to run things you have to give them back the power to do so. They belong to us and will not hi-jack democracy for greed…..we will have a chance if we are willing to put out the effort. The repubs wish to take that away from you…….
Yes that includes Hillary….she is a dem and will not try to take your democracy away from you….no she’s not close to what I have in mind either but she’s not a repub…..so far.
absolutly….feel free
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:24 pmAh, Fred, I am not talking about doing anything underhanded like the nuke option. I believe in the rights of the minority. Let us not forget where the real power is… MONEY… without it, nothing happens! Now, lets see… who has the power of the purse again….
I’m not just talking about Iraq (although that is my biggest point of contention), lets take the whole VP office ordeal hiding things from Americans. Obstruct the congress??? Fine, you just lost your funding. This is exactly the kind of power that has been squandered by this congress.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:32 pmjpoke42, Who’s idea was it to make the lobby system what it is today? Raygun….a republican. Until you reform the lobby system then it is votes for sale. Do you think that can ever be changed with repubs in power? No. We have a chance to change it however if dems are in power. That is all I am saying. We can’t just go bury our head in the sand an call it a game now can we?
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:47 pmNo, Repubs certainly wont change anything, but I am afraid that neither will many of the Dems (Hillary being one of them). I will not bury my head in the sand, you are just more optimistic than I. I will continue to scream for change to anyone who will listen – right beside my more optimistic colleagues ;-)
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:58 pmWe can’t give up…..we have children.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:15 pmQ: How do I cancel my subscription?
A: To cancel your subscription, please call 1-800-NYTIMES (1-800-698-4637).
press #4
then press #2
You will be connected to a customer care representative.
Be sure and mention Kristol as the reason.
January 7th, 2008 at 2:27 pm