ThinkFast: June 23, 2008
ThinkFast: June 23, 2008
“Five years into the war in Iraq and nearly seven years into the war in Afghanistan, getting news of the conflicts onto television is harder than ever.” Almost halfway into 2008, the three evening network newscasts have shown 181 weekday minutes of Iraq coverage, compared with 1,157 minutes for all of 2007. “That’s about two minutes of Iraq coverage, per network, per week.”
“Lawyers for the White House and Congress are headed to court” today to argue whether the House Judiciary Committee can force White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former Counsel Harriet Miers to testify about their roles in the U.S. attorney scandal.
More than four years after it began broadcasting, the Arab television station Al-Hurra — the centerpiece of a U.S. government campaign to spread democracy in the Middle East – “is widely regarded as a flop in the Arab world, where it has struggled to attract viewers and overcome skepticism about its mission.”
Dr. James Hansen, who warned Congress 20 years ago today that human-induced global warming had begun, will “call for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature, accusing them of actively spreading doubt about global warming in the same way that tobacco companies blurred the links between smoking and cancer.”
On the trail today: Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will be in Albuquerque to address a small group of working women from around New Mexico. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will talk about national security and energy independence in Fresno, California.
The Army and Air Force discharged a disproportionate number of women in 2007 due to “don’t ask, don’t tell,” according to statistics obtained by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. While women make up just 14 percent of Army personnel and 20 percent of Air Force, they accounted for 46 percent of those discharged by the Army last year and 49 percent of those discharged by the Air Force.
New York Gov. David Paterson (D) said that he has reached an agreement with state legislative leaders to “extend health benefits to hundreds of workers who toiled at the World Trade Center site after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.”
It will cost more than $8 billion to replace or renovate the security around the most vulnerable U.S. embassies abroad, according to State Department documents. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush administration has spent $4.1 billion in embassy renovations, but “at least 150 American missions abroad fall short of” necessary security standards.
And finally: Counterculture comedian George Carlin died yesterday of heart failure at the age of 71. Carlin, who began his comedy career in the 1950s, was recently named the recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Here’s a clip of one of his classic routines:
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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strong>Time Magazine uncritically prints Nancy
Pelosi’s “justifications” for the FISA “compromise”
It’s hardly news that Time Magazine’s principal function is uncritically to amplify false claims from government officials, but this article by Massimo Calabresi — entitled “Behind the Compromise on Spying” — is such a masterpiece in spouting simplistic government propaganda and rank falsehoods that it is revealing on numerous levels. The article has only one purpose — to depict the spying “compromise” as a brilliant and heroic centrist masterstroke by Nancy Pelosi to protect us from Terrorists while simultaneously preserving our liberties — and it employs one factually false claim after the next to achieve this.
As for the notion that telecoms will have “hardly had a free ride” from breaking our spying laws because they had to pays fees to lobbyists to get Congress to write an amnesty law for them, and incurred some lawyers fees in the resulting lawsuits, that’s really almost too extraordinary for words.
Finally, we have this explanation as to why Pelosi and the House leadership did what they did:
Stonewalling the Administration and letting the surveillance powers expire could have cost the Democrats swing seats they won in 2006 as well as new ones they have a chance to steal from Republicans this November. “For any Republican-leaning district this would have been a huge issue,” says a top Pelosi aide, who estimates that as many as 10 competitive races could have been affected by it. . . .
Pelosi’s centrist compromise doesn’t just help House Democrats in the fall. It also gives the party’s presumptive nominee for President, Barack Obama, a chance to move to the center on national security. “Given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay,” Obama said in a statement Friday. “So I support the compromise.”
The very idea that Democrats would lose elections if they didn’t support this bill is false on numerous levels. They could have easily removed the issue simply by voting to extend the PAA orders for 6-9 months. Pelosi’s claim that they support extremist Bush policies in order to avoid election losses in “swing districts” is dubious in the extreme — an excuse to feed to Democratic voters to justify their complicity in these matters.
But whether true or false, this “justification” is precisely why I believe so fervently that the only option we have to battle against continuous assaults on core constitutional and civil liberties is to target the very seats that the Democratic leadership constantly points to in order to justify their behavior. What the Democratic leadership is saying is quite clear: we will continue to trample on the Constitution and support endless expansions of the surveillance state because that is how we’ll win in swing districts and expand our Congressional majority (Hunter at Daily Kos — “one leftist blogger” who spews rage “on the Internet” — has one of the clearest statements on why this bill is so abominable).
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/06/22/calabresi/
I completely agree with Glenn that we have to target and defeat selected Democrats. They have closed ranks with the right and the media. We are now the enemy, left-wing bloggers, Liberals, or progressives whatever name they want to call us this week. We are the ones that are angry about the expanded government power and the gutting of the Fourth Amendment. The excuse that they want to expand their majority with compromises on our civil liberties has got to be crushed.
“Pelosi’s centrist compromise doesn’t just help House Democrats in the fall.” The Times makes it sound like Pelosi is taking the middle ground between different political extremes. This is the very definition of CENTRIST, what a bold face lie, when if fact Pelosi is capitulating to the right and the media against the Constitutition. She is a disgrace not only to the Democrats but to the American People for the laws she was sworn to uphold, which she has foresaken in her quest for power.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:02 amDr. James Hansen, who warned Congress 20 years ago today that human-induced global warming had begun, will “call for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature, accusing them of actively spreading doubt about global warming in the same way that tobacco companies blurred the links between smoking and cancer.”
Karl Marx must be dancing in his grave…
While I don’t think Communism in its known form is imminent, I do think that Capitialism is beginning to grow not only tiresome, but disliked. We may soon see a transition into a more socialisit government that, unlike Capitalism, doesn’t steal from the poor to give to the rich.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:06 amWitnesses Link Chemical to Ill US Soldiers
US soldiers assigned to guard a crucial part of Iraq’s oil infrastructure became ill after exposure to a highly toxic chemical at the plant, witnesses testified at a Democratic Policy Committee hearing yesterday on Capitol Hill. “These soldiers were bleeding from the nose, spitting blood,” said Danny Langford, an equipment technician from Texas brought to work at the Qarmat Ali Water treatment plant in 2003. “They were sick.”
“Hundreds of American soldiers at this site were contaminated” while guarding the plant, Langford said, including members of the Indiana National Guard. Langford is one of nine Americans who accuse KBR, the lead contractor on the Qarmat Ali project and one of the largest defense contractors in Iraq, of knowingly exposing them to sodium dichromate, an orange, sandlike chemical that is a potentially lethal carcinogen. Specialists say even short-term exposure to the chemical can cause cancer, depress an individual’s immune system, attack the liver, and cause other ailments.
Roughly 250 American soldiers were believed to have come in contact with the chemical, according to Defense Department documents. Sodium dichromate is the same substance that poisoned residents in Hinkley, Calif., an incident made famous by the movie “Erin Brockovich” in 2000. In Iraq, the chemical was used as an antirust coating for pipes that supply water to the oil fields. After the 2003 US-led invasion, looters raided the Qarmat Ali facility; afterward, the chemical was found strewn around the facility and its grounds.
“The chromium of Iraq is going to be the same thing as Agent Orange of Vietnam,” Langford said after the hearing. “I want something done for them.” “It is almost unbelievable,” the senator said during the hearing. “We know that there has been exposure of workers and soldiers to a deadly chemical, and there has been, in my judgment, lack of accountability by those who caused the exposure and lack of accountability at the Department of Defense, regrettably.”
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/21/9792/
KBR knew that the risk of repeated exposure to Sodium dichromate may cause asthma, kidney impairments and in animal testing can also cause toxicity to human reproduction or development. These other risks were not mentioned in the article. They didn’t even warn these soldiers of all the possible side effects and long term ailments that could result. “ Lack of accountability is regrettable”, that is the best the Senator could come up with. Not good enough for me, this is not something you can say “Whoops, I’m sorry” and move on. Our soldiers deserve better than that, they deserve absolute and unequivocal outrage by ever single member of Congress. The Executive Officers of KBR should be charged in a class-action lawsuit to pay for damages and future damages of the 250 soldiers that have been exposed to this toxic chemical. That is the least we can do because I don’t believe the VA will take care of these men when more of the symptoms start surfacing.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:09 amThe Army and Air Force discharged a disproportionate number of women in 2007 due to “don’t ask, don’t tell,” according to statistics obtained by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. While women make up just 14 percent of Army personnel and 20 percent of Air Force, they accounted for 46 percent of those discharged by the Army last year and 49 percent of those discharged by the Air Force.
Thank you organized religion. If you weren’t so obssessed with other people’s sex lives, then lesbians and gays serving in the military wouldn’t be an issue.
No wonder more and more people are leaving traditional religion (and their churches) for their own brand of spirituality that doesn’t include hating people who are different.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:10 amDr. James Hansen, who warned Congress 20 years ago today that human-induced global warming had begun, will “call for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature, accusing them of actively spreading doubt about global warming in the same way that tobacco companies blurred the links between smoking and cancer.”
James Hansen, smart man with great ideas. It would be nice if he could get members of Congress to see the light that creating new coal power plants is Not the wave of the future. If we could only take the lobbyists out of the equation the solution would be easy. The harm to the environment and to people is just too great.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:12 amlock_box Says:
Obama’s ties to ‘ethanol interests’
As opposed to McCain’s and Bush’s ties to BIG OIL?
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:15 amYou have nothing, troll
Now if only that skepticism were transferred to the U.S. Pollyanna viewership of corporate propaganda vehicles.
R.I.P George Carlin – the kindest eyes, the sharpest tongue: traits of an independent mind.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:17 amCondolences to George Carlin’s family.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:19 amWe have lost a great man.
I regret he did not get to see the “End of the Error”.
Not one stinking word of the FISA / Telcom immunity issue on the Sunday talking heads ‘news shows’.
Not one stinking word on the Iraq invasion on the Sunday talking heads ‘news shows’.
Not one stinking word on Executive Privilege being used to prevent Stephen Johnson testifying about the WH demanding he not grant Calif. a waiver for reduced emissions.
What can we learn from this? As the lead story above notes, the media has been coerced into not covering the invasion.
When the government coerces media to portray only what the government ‘thinks’ is news we have a fascist state.
Is that where we’re at? Congrats, Repukes, you’ve supported & encouraged an administration who’s interests don’t include the average American whatsoever.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:19 am“Lawyers for the White House and Congress are headed to court” today to argue whether the House Judiciary Committee can force White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former Counsel Harriet Miers to testify about their roles in the U.S. attorney scandal.
Excuse me, but why is this still an issue? They are in Contempt of Congress. The Democrats need to use Inherent Contempt because taking it to court at this late date is futile.
God I wish there was some way to make these spineless Democrats magically disappear, being replaced with Democrats who have a spine and the courage to do what’s right.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:19 amNew York Gov. David Paterson (D) said that he has reached an agreement with state legislative leaders to “extend health benefits to hundreds of workers who toiled at the World Trade Center site after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.”
It’s about time someone did the right thing.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:22 amWayne Says: Condolences to George Carlin’s family.
We have lost a great man.
I regret he did not get to see the “End of the Error”.
He will definitely be missed. He was a true pioneer in the Freedom of Speech for ‘everyone else’ arena.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:23 amlock_box Says:
What about your wonderful congress?
You mean the Bush lapdogs and corporate lackeys?
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:23 amI suspect many will be very surprised in Nov.
The grass roots progressives are hollering for their blood, so to speak.
cock_box Says:
Wayne Says:
What about your wonderful congress?
don’t worry.
more democrats are on the way this november.
good luck.
*
rip george carlin.
“The thing with the Amercan dream is that you have to be asleep to believe it”
– George Carlin
conservatives have no sense of humor.
*
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:24 am“Five years into the war in Iraq and nearly seven years into the war in Afghanistan, getting news of the conflicts onto television is harder than ever.”
____________________________________________________
This seems to be for two reasons: 1) many people really don’t care, and 2) the networks are serving the interests of forces that don’t want people to care.
As far as people not caring anymore, it kind of reminds me of an observation I made when I lived in the Los Angeles area. With millions of automobiles and miles of roadway in one concentrated area, traffic fatalities were commonplace enough that one rarely heard about them on the news. EXCEPT for traffic reports. If somebody was so inconsiderate to get killed in such a way that they blocked traffic, this was high interest.
As it dawned on me that the only time that people cared about people getting killed in traffic was when it personally inconvenienced them, I marveled at our ability to block out anything that doesn’t fit our vision of how we perceive the world (for example, nobody wants to think about how dangerous driving really is — if we did, nobody would ever drive anywhere).
I suspect this is how it is with our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The people who still support the war don’t want any information that conflicts with their paradigm, and the media giants are only too happy to oblige them. And with less and less to fuel the outrage, the cries of the anti-war crowd are barely registering. EXCEPT when the conflict affects us personally — high gas prices, sinking value of the dollar, skyrocketing debt, tanking economy, etc.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says: God I wish there was some way to make these spineless Democrats magically disappear, being replaced with Democrats who have a spine and the courage to do what’s right.
Does voting count as ‘magic’? :D
I think too many conservative Democrats are siding with the Republicans on too many issues and ultimately deleting the majority that Democrats officially have.
In some places we won’t be able to do better than conservative Democrats, so we’re going to have to make sure to vote for moderate and liberal Democrats (or Independents) in other places to balance them out.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 amThe Executive Officers of KBR should be charged in a class-action lawsuit to pay for damages and future damages of the 250 soldiers that have been exposed to this toxic chemical. That is the least we can do because I don’t believe the VA will take care of these men when more of the symptoms start surfacing.
I’m betting you are right. The VA will probably claim that all their illnesses are because of pre-existing conditions before they entered the military. Our government has become one big joke, unfortunately the joke’s on us.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 amPelosi & Hoyer…
When Politicians begin making decisions that impact all Americans & hedge those decisions in the interest of ‘future’ races or positions it’s time for them to be shown the door.
Complicity in Bush’s agenda of never allowing the light of day into spying that began 6 months prior to 9/11 is the final straw.
These two, and more, are acting just like the lobbyists they supposedly abhor…protecting their ‘interests’ above doing the right thing.
November is a great time of year to completely clean house. We, the American people, have been lied to, railroaded, treated like children and always run a distant second to large corporate interests.
Let’s see 2008 as the year the people replaced Congress Critters en mass and from both parties. Are you with me?
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 amSpeeders to pay for cops’ gas, too
Speeders in the Atlanta suburb of Holly Springs, Ga., will soon face a $12 “fuel fee” when pulled over and ticketed, and Atlanta itself may not be far behind. Police in the city of 7,700 were burning through their $38,050 budget for gas at a rate that would empty its coffers by late November. The new fee, which will go into effect July 1, could generate as much as $26,000 a year. The city has received inquiries on the fee from several other local governments, including Key West, Fla., and Los Angeles County.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/SpeedersToPayForCopsGasToo.aspx
Watch out speeders in Georgia, not only are you going to have to pay a fine, but you are going to have to pay for the fuel of the cop that pulled you over. Talk about adding insult to injury, this puts a whole new spin on it.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 amrog,
missed this.
good luck.
*
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:29 amDear MoveOn member,
On Friday, House Democrats caved to the Bush administration and passed a bill giving a get-out-of-jail-free card to phone companies that helped Bush illegally spy on innocent Americans.
This Monday, the fight moves to the Senate. Senator Russ Feingold says the “deal is not a compromise; it is a capitulation.” Barack Obama announced his partial support for the bill, but said, “It does, however, grant retroactive immunity, and I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses.”
Last year, after phone calls from MoveOn members and others, Obama went so far as to vow to “support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies.” We need him to honor that promise.
Can you call Senator Obama today and tell him you’re counting on him to keep his word? Ask him to block any compromise that includes immunity for phone companies that helped Bush break the law.
Obama’s presidential campaign: (866) 675-2008
Then, help us track our progress by clicking here:
http://pol.moveon.org/call?cp_id=758&tg=479
These companies helped the Bush Administration illegally spy on the emails and phone calls of innocent Americans. By giving “immunity” to these companies, all lawsuits brought against them by civil liberties groups would be thrown out of court. That means we may never find out how far Bush went in breaking the law. And once it’s done, it can’t be undone. That’s why we need Obama to promise to block any bill that has immunity.
moveon.org
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:30 amrogerse Says: The Republican National Committee ended May with 13 times more money in the bank than its Democratic counterpart and raised five times as much money in the same time frame…
So what? Obama is up by 15 points over McCain nationwide. It’s the votes, not the dollars raised, that determine who is President (unless you’re George Bush and the Supreme Court decides to intervene).
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:33 amrog,
btw, you forgot to include info
about the author of your latest
copy ‘n paste article.
here, let me help you:
Andrew Malcolm’s immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000.
it’s a blog.
lol.
keep trying rog.
send a check to the rnc today.
make it a big one.
good luck.
*
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:35 amunbelievable Says:
Does voting count as ‘magic’? :D
In some places we won’t be able to do better than conservative Democrats, so we’re going to have to make sure to vote for moderate and liberal Democrats (or Independents) in other places to balance them out.
It certainly does. Unfortunately we are in a place where the only way we can get rid of the traitors in the Democratic party is to vote for their Republican opponent. The primaries are over so we can’t get rid of them by running a good opponent against them. I certainly hope that the grass roots starts now finding suitable opponents to run against each and every turncoat Democrat in the House. Then maybe we can knock them out in the next election during the primaries.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:36 am“But whether true or false, this “justification” is precisely why I believe so fervently that the only option we have to battle against continuous assaults on core constitutional and civil liberties is to target the very seats that the Democratic leadership constantly points to in order to justify their behavior. What the Democratic leadership is saying is quite clear: we will continue to trample on the Constitution and support endless expansions of the surveillance state because that is how we’ll win in swing districts and expand our Congressional majority (Hunter at Daily Kos — “one leftist blogger” who spews rage “on the Internet” — has one of the clearest statements on why this bill is so abominable).”
I think you need to see something:
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:36 amhttp://www.votenic.com
lock_box Says
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:10 am
Missed This!!
Confidence in Congress at record low
_________________________________________________
If you’re looking for an argument on this, you won’t find it here. The Dems we elected in 2006 to hold the exec branch accountable for its actions have not made any progress in this area, and we will remember this in November. However, for other business — most of the lack of progress is due to Republican obstructionism. We didn’t make a mistake electing Democrats in 2006; we made a mistake by not electing enough of them. We plan to take care of this in November, too.
The Republican strategy seems to be to obstruct and blockade at every turn — even for legislation they would normally approve of — just to make sure that Democrats get as little credit for getting things done as possible. Then they will attempt to paint the “Democrat-controlled” congress as ineffective. And they seem to have plenty of sock puppets like you to trumpet their soundbites.
It’s not going to work. WE know what the problem is, and we will fix it in November.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:36 am#20 Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
The Executive Officers of KBR should be charged in a class-action lawsuit to pay for damages and future damages of the 250 soldiers that have been exposed to this toxic chemical. That is the least we can do because I don’t believe the VA will take care of these men when more of the symptoms start surfacing.
I’m betting you are right. The VA will probably claim that all their illnesses are because of pre-existing conditions before they entered the military. Our government has become one big joke, unfortunately the joke’s on us.
Bilbo, that is my biggest concern, if they don’t sue for damages and future medical costs they are going to be left holding the bag. All we have to do is look at the California case, if it hadn’t been for Erin Brockovich those people wouldn’t have seen a penny to help combat the ever increasing cost of medical care for all the different cases of Cancers they developed over time and other extreme ailments also. The whole thing just sickens me at the complete disregard for these soldier’s well-being.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:37 amunbelievable Says:
I think too many conservative Democrats are siding with the Republicans on too many issues and ultimately deleting the majority that Democrats officially have.
Democracy.com sent an email this morning declaring war on the 107 Bush Democrats in the House. They are joining with Act Blue to start planning replacement of every one them in this and future elections with real progressives.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:38 ambah,democrats.com sent the email
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:39 amFreedom Rebel Says: Watch out speeders in Georgia, not only are you going to have to pay a fine, but you are going to have to pay for the fuel of the cop that pulled you over. Talk about adding insult to injury, this puts a whole new spin on it.
Actually, drivers in Georgia, in general, are so rude, dangerous, and frequently foaming at the mouth with road rage that our incidents for traffic fatalities is one of thw highest in the country. I fear for my safety every time I drive to work because I know that at least one idiot driving 90 mph and tailgating will put me at risk.
In lieu of cars that don’t do over 70 mph, I think we need more police writing more expensive speeding tickets in this state (or at least pulling these people over to get them off the roadways).
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:39 amThe NYT should be ashamed of itself.
Allowing David Brooks, (perhaps the dumbest of the bunch), Bill Kristol & Karl Rove editorial space not only ‘dumbs down’ the content of the paper, it validates their opinions as ‘fact’.
Brooks called Obama ‘Fast Eddie Obama’. I called the NYT & cancelled my subscription. What else can a guy do?
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:42 amrogerse Says:
money is real, your faux poll results aren’t.
This site has been consistently correct throughout the year, because it is based on an aggregate of primarily local polls, not just one national poll like Gallup’s.
You might want to bookmark this one.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 amunbelievable Says:
Dear MoveOn member,
I have called the Obama campaign and talked to a worker. I told her that I was very angry that Obama was caving to Bush and her reply was “We’re sorry you feel that way” and it was said in a very sanctimonious and snotty manner. Part of what I told her was that I was suspending my monthly contribution to Obama’s campaign until he does the right thing. So, basically, she was being snotty to a contributor. I think Obama needs to train his workers a little better.
I have also sent him an e-mail separate from the e-mail I had to send to the finance chair to get them to stop charging my card for donations.
If you haven’t written him an e-mail or called him, do it now. This is the first test he has had to show that he really does care what “we the people” (his contributors) think about things.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:47 amlock_box
Do you see anyone here praising the current Democratic congressional leadership (Pelosi and Reid?) NO.
Do I see you criticizing the GOP for trying to block Webb’s GI Bill or trying to push for more of the tax-cuts funded by borrowed interest-bearing money that have crippled our economy? NO.
Do I see you critcizing the GOP trying to give the oil companies when they are drowning in profit? NO.
Do I see you criticizing the GOP for demanding that Telecoms can spy on EVERY US citizen, including YOU? NO.
The difference between the average Democrat and the average Republican is that the former usualy finds fault through rational and informed argument and the application of commonwealth standards of behavior and accountability, whilst the latter crticizes only that which they are told to criticize by their Party.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:51 am#34 unbelievable Says:
Freedom Rebel Says: Watch out speeders in Georgia, not only are you going to have to pay a fine, but you are going to have to pay for the fuel of the cop that pulled you over. Talk about adding insult to injury, this puts a whole new spin on it.
Actually, drivers in Georgia, in general, are so rude, dangerous, and frequently foaming at the mouth with road rage that our incidents for traffic fatalities is one of thw highest in the country. I fear for my safety every time I drive to work because I know that at least one idiot driving 90 mph and tailgating will put me at risk.
In lieu of cars that don’t do over 70 mph, I think we need more police writing more expensive speeding tickets in this state (or at least pulling these people over to get them off the roadways).
I agree every time I go through that state there are too many crazies behind the wheel. I just had to laugh at that article though about the Fuel Fine. I think it is very ingenious way to help with fueling the police cruisers. I wouldn’t be surprised if many cities across the nation adopt this policy with the price of fuel. Have a good day unbelievable! :)
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:51 amWayne Says:
bah, democrats.com sent the email
I got the same e-mail. Between democrats.com and moveon.org hopefully we can get something planned for the next Congressional election. $hit like this is going to continue to happen in Congress until we can show our representatives that we will hold them accountable for their actions. I almost wish I had one of those Congresspeople in my district. But, my Congresswoman has consistently voted on the right side of progressives since forever. Unfortunately she is retiring.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:53 amrogerse Says:
#25 unbelievable Says:
money is real, your faux poll results aren’t.
These are the real numbers, but the ONE poll you cherry-picked showing 15+ is nothing.
sounding a little nervous there rog.
you forgot this link.
nice numbers, no?
*
write another check to the rnc.
send some love to mcbush too, k?
(sorry, no more “golf gear”)
you’ll feel better.
good luck.
*
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:55 amrogerse Says: money is real, your faux poll results aren’t. These are the real numbers, but the ONE poll you cherry-picked showing 15+ is nothing.
Polls don’t elect the President either.
Your poll is the cherry picked one. Obama will be the next President. Start accepting it now and by the time it happens, it won’t hurt so much.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:56 amBTW, until Obama does the right thing on FISA, the monthly contribution I would have sent to him is going to moveon.org.
I’m wondering if Obama isn’t playing us. I’m thinking that he will attempt to filibuster the bill knowing that he has projected himself as not “soft on terror” by supporting the odious bill, but having to try to filibuster because of telcom immunity. He will lose nothing by trying because it appears that there are enough turncoat Democrats in the Senate to stop a filibuster. If Obama was truly going to act like the leader of the Democratic party, he would be telling those turncoat Democrats that they better get back in line or they would pay for it once he is in office. He can also use his standing to persuade Reid to not even bring the bill to the floor for a vote. That is the best outcome.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:56 amWayne Says: Democracy.com sent an email this morning declaring war on the 107 Bush Democrats in the House. They are joining with Act Blue to start planning replacement of every one them in this and future elections with real progressives.
Perfect!
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:57 amI see R-2 has found a poll that is ot to his liking, and so is back to dismissing all polls.
On the plus side, R-2 has banked 30 cents towards a Bomb Pop™ when the ice cream man comes around! Way to go, rog!
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:57 amrogerse Says:
like I said, the poll was wrong, now your just changing the subject with less-relevant polling.
Isn’t it amazing how a troll can know for certain that a poll is wrong. Does it have a magic ball that it gazes into and the ball replies “if if is a poll that favors Democrats, it is wrong”?
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:58 amunbelievable Says:
Start accepting it now and by the time it happens, it won’t hurt so much.
My standard reply to trolls today is that they start getting therapy now for the outrage and grief they are going to be experiencing on November 3. It may prevent their heads from exploding.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:00 amThe Army and Air Force discharged a disproportionate number of women in 2007 due to “don’t ask, don’t tell,” according to statistics obtained by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. While women make up just 14 percent of Army personnel and 20 percent of Air Force, they accounted for 46 percent of those discharged by the Army last year and 49 percent of those discharged by the Air Force.
Let me guess: Some military guy made a proposition and got turned down, so must mean the woman is a lesbian.
**eyes rolling**
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says: I have called the Obama campaign and talked to a worker. I told her that I was very angry that Obama was caving to Bush and her reply was “We’re sorry you feel that way” and it was said in a very sanctimonious and snotty manner. Part of what I told her was that I was suspending my monthly contribution to Obama’s campaign until he does the right thing. So, basically, she was being snotty to a contributor. I think Obama needs to train his workers a little better.
I truly hope the power isn’t starting to crack the foundations so soon. Especially when he’s now counting on contributors like you to finance his campaign.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:02 amOkay, rog, we know you dispute the poll results, but can you tell us why?
Some flaw in the methodology, perhaps? A demonstrably more accurate poll that contradicts this one’s findings?
Thanks, dude. We await your anlysis.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:03 amover shadowed by the passing of george carlin:
francis h. powers.
tough times ahead for the gop.
*
of course, if francis h. powers had been a democrat…
good luck.
*
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:06 amrogerse Says: nope, sorry,every major poll still shows a 5-point margin, so unless there atleast a second 15-point poll, you were completely wrong in cherry picking it, with all the other polls available.
Yep. Unlike your fantasy poll that wasn’t even real, the poll I referenced was the most current one available, put together by a major news source and had no margin of error.
If this is all you have, rogeres, really, it’s pathetic.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:08 amralph,
it’s not the polls that are irrelevant.
it’s rog.
good luck.
*
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:08 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says: It may prevent their heads from exploding.
Why prevent that? :D
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 amrogerse Says:
nope, sorry,every major poll still shows a 5-point margin, so unless there atleast a second 15-point poll, you were completely wrong in cherry picking it, with all the other polls available.
I can see why you want to ignore the linked site I provided, especially because of the Electoral Vote results being predicted by the polls. Obama 317 McCain 194 has got to sting. As the Republicans were so fond of pointing out in 2000, the popular vote doesn’t count, so whether McCain trails by 5 or by 15 doesn’t matter. What matters is where he trails.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 amMcCain offers $300 million for new auto battery
Sen. John McCain hopes to solve the country’s energy crisis with cold hard cash. In a speech being delivered Monday at Fresno State University in California, McCain is also proposing stiffer fines for automakers who skirt existing fuel-efficiency standards and incentives to increase use of domestic and foreign ethanol.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080623/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_energy_1
That is John McCain’s solution. What he needs to do is throw that $300 million into alternative fuel sources. Such as hydrogen fuel cells and electric power and have three fuel pumps at every gas station across American. (Gas, Hydrogen, & Electric) But that would go against all the money he is getting from Big Oil, he has received over 3/4 of a million dollars from them to date. I don’t believe he would actually fine the automakers over fuel-efficiency standards when he is one of the biggest enablers of their lack of accountability in keeping so many gas-guzzling vehicles still being produced today.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 amZooey: “The Army and Air Force discharged a disproportionate number of women in 2007 due to “don’t ask, don’t tell,”
Meanwhile in the UK they have a policy of “Don’t Care”.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:11 amObama statement on FISA
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:12 amunbelievable,
give rog a break.
he’s feeling a bit like francis h. powers
right about now.
good luck.
*
rog,
here are some rnc talking points you can copy ‘n paste.
feel better, k?
*
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:13 amFreedom Rebel Says: Sen. John McCain hopes to solve the country’s energy crisis with cold hard cash. In a speech being delivered Monday at Fresno State University in California, McCain is also proposing stiffer fines for automakers who skirt existing fuel-efficiency standards and incentives to increase use of domestic and foreign ethanol.
In the Situation Room, the CEO of Chevron was whining to Wolf Blitzer about the notion of a ‘windfall tax’ against them. He lamented that they used their profits to work on alternative fuels and that a tax that would take that money for alternative fuel research would actually hurt the research. Such BS that I couldn’t listen to anymore.
If the BIG Oil companies were really investing billions of dollars in alternatives, don’t you think they’d have produced something by now? The Prius came out 5 years ago.
McCain is just trying to look like he’s doing something. He’s a joke.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:17 amrogerse Says:
unbelievable Says
what a dumbass…you still don’t get your one poll is contradicted by all others, and more recent..money, and polling is not on your side.
uh, oh rog is cursing again.
(he gets like that when he’s really frustrated.)
keep rubbing that magic lamp rog
maybe you’ll get a pony too.
good luck.
*
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:17 amOh, the irony:
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:18 am
Keith H. Says:
Obama statement on FISA
Looks like all of the calls and emails are making a difference. Keep up the good work guys and gals.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:19 am“Five years into the war in Iraq and nearly seven years into the war in Afghanistan, getting news of the conflicts onto television is harder than ever.” Almost halfway into 2008, the three evening network newscasts have shown 181 weekday minutes of Iraq coverage, compared with 1,157 minutes for all of 2007. “That’s about two minutes of Iraq coverage, per network, per week.”
But the war is so BORING!! I mean, it’s not like I’ll let MY kids join the military, so it really has nothing to do with my family. Hearing about people getting blown up is so gross! I’m glad our President won’t allow pictures of the coffins of the dead troops, he’s protecting us from feeling bad about the war, and besides, I don’t know any of them anyway. Dancing with the Stars is on tonight, and I really can’t miss it. And did you hear? Britney is getting to see her kids more and more. That’s such a relief. I know she can be a good mom if she’s given the chance. A black guy is running for President — how scary is that!? Senator McCain says he’ll continue our President’s policies and tax cuts, and that makes me comforted somehow. I like feeling comfortable….
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:19 am/snark
5th Estate Says:
Zooey: “The Army and Air Force discharged a disproportionate number of women in 2007 due to “don’t ask, don’t tell,”
Meanwhile in the UK they have a policy of “Don’t Care”.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:11 am
That’s an excellent policy. :)
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:22 amrogerse Says: you still don’t get your one poll is contradicted by all others, and more recent..money, and polling is not on your side.
No rogerse, it’s you who doesn’t get that money doesn’t pick the President – people do. Throughout the history of polls, the candidtae who was in the lead, even this early in the race, won.
Not all poll are created equal, by the way. Polls that exclude people who only have a cell phone have a bias toward conservatives, meaning that your polls is absent of balance and reality…. I know it hurts to think, but try anyway.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:22 amRoger2,
If the republics are going to do so well in November, why are you guys the 23%ers? HMMMMMMM
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:26 amunbelievable Says:
No rogerse, it’s you who doesn’t get that money doesn’t pick the President – people do. Throughout the history of polls, the candidtae who was in the lead, even this early in the race, won.
roger2 will like this headline, and that’s as far as he will read.
It discusses the fact that his fundraising in May was down, although there is a kicker:
And then there’s that poll that roger2 doesn’t want to hear about.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:28 am
rogerse Says
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:14 am
what a dumbass…you still don’t get your one poll is contradicted by all others, and more recent..money, and polling is not on your side.
_______________________________________________
It’s kind of sad when a troll is reduced to this. Yes, one poll shows Obama ahead of McCain by 15 points. Yes, it’s true that no other poll shows this kind of margin. However, every other major poll shows Obama ahead of McCain, and only the Gallup poll shows an Obama lead that’s less than the MOE.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html
When the major polls are averaged together, Obama still leads by 6.6 points. Is this what Rogerse means by “polling is not on your side”? He’s in for a rude surprise in November.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:28 amgummitch Says:
This site has been consistently correct throughout the year, because it is based on an aggregate of primarily local polls, not just one national poll like Gallup’s.
You might want to bookmark this one.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 am
_______
It is a good site, though it also predicted Kerry winning in 2004 by 24 votes.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:34 amgummitch Says: roger2 will like this headline, and that’s as far as he will read.
True. His attention span is only about 4 or 5 words in a row.
I figure the only reason he’s still here is that the rest of the trolls are hiding under Tracy’s bed with Tracy and there’s no room under there for Rogerse.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:35 amWhy even discuss the current polls? We all know that McCain will continue to make speeches and whenever he opens his mouth, he slips a little bit lower in his ratings.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:36 amrogerse Says:
so obama actually leads by 6, just above the margin of error, and still months before the election.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:33 am
_____
Yup – plenty of time for Bush and Olmert to bomb Iran.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:37 am#63 unbelievable Says:
Freedom Rebel Says: Sen. John McCain hopes to solve the country’s energy crisis with cold hard cash. In a speech being delivered Monday at Fresno State University in California, McCain is also proposing stiffer fines for automakers who skirt existing fuel-efficiency standards and incentives to increase use of domestic and foreign ethanol.
In the Situation Room, the CEO of Chevron was whining to Wolf Blitzer about the notion of a ‘windfall tax’ against them. He lamented that they used their profits to work on alternative fuels and that a tax that would take that money for alternative fuel research would actually hurt the research. Such BS that I couldn’t listen to anymore.
If the BIG Oil companies were really investing billions of dollars in alternatives, don’t you think they’d have produced something by now? The Prius came out 5 years ago.
McCain is just trying to look like he’s doing something. He’s a joke.
That “windfall tax” doesn’t hurt them at all if they would actually use some of their profits for alternative fuel sources. It actually gives them a break then, more rhetoric lies. I have to laugh about him trying to do something, which I agree unbelievable is a joke.
You are right, if they had put some of their profits into alternatives their wouldn’t be a problem today. Greed and short-sightedness has always been Big Oil’s weakness. The consumers by buying cars with alternative fuel sources will give them a wake-up call eventually. Plus at the rate we keep going on lowering the miles on our vehicles will also impact their bottom-line also. Motorcycles sales are going through the roof also, when you consider $8 for a tank of gas versus $50 to $70 which option is easier. The Motorcycle is winning in the fuel crunch also. We have three of them, the fuel savings and wear & tear avoided on the vehicles is incredible. Fuel alone last year we saved about $900 and that doesn’t even include the price of tires for an average vehicle.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:37 amhussein toasterhead Says: It is a good site, though it also predicted Kerry winning in 2004 by 24 votes.
Considering the rampant computer machine glitches that actually reversed votes, in conjunction with the historical precident of exit polls that also showed a Kerry victory, it’s still not certain that Kerry didn’t win.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:39 amYou’ll have to excuse rogerse, though. He has a birthday party to go to later. That’s why he’s in his clown suit here this morning.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:40 am>I completely agree with Glenn that we have to target and >defeat selected Democrat.
If anyone wants to start an organized effort to get rid of Pelosi in november, count me in. She could have stopped this but she didnt.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:41 amDoes anyone have any polling about the effect of Sheehans campaign against her? Is there a viable republican running.. I would GLADLY see her lose her seat to ANYONE…is anyone trying to put together an organization for FISA-angered folks to help get rid of her?
Wayne, the statement of Obamas was dated January…It is now the end of june..I hope you all are correct but, perhap’s we would be better served with a candidate that didn’t have to be told by the voter’s what is the right thing to do concerning our constitution..Once in office will these candidate’s revert back to what they want?….Just saying my thought’s…Blessings
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:42 amOkay, is rogerse(rogerdo) actually arguing that the polls indicate Obama and McCain are in a virtual tie (if you include the margin of error)?
And is lock_box(and hide from the big scary gay black man) recommending his posts?
Reaching, my friends. Reaching.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:45 am“stiffer fines for automakers who skirt existing fuel-efficiency standards” (fr. #58 Freedom-Rebel)
ROFL! The existing CAFE standards are 30 years old and only modified in December 2007 when “light trucks” (i.e. SUV’s) were finally included in the manufacturers CAFE ratings as passenger vehicles (but which also includes for example the Chrysler PT Cruiser, which is patently NOT and never was a “light truck” in functional terms).
In 2004 the Pew Center found US average vehicle economy standards were HALF those of Europe and Japan. The US average has improved since then, but that’s largely due to the inclusion of licensed and re-badged European and Japanese-sourced models, not domestic US development.
Of course the reclassifaction of certain former “light trucks” to “passenger vehicle” status in the reckoning of fleet averages and CAFE compliance coincided with plummeting sales of SUV’s in light of increased gas prices, so as the number of former light truck SUV’s (now passenger vehicles drop) they factor less into the fleet average equation and thus BigAuto doesn;t hav to improve economy in the rest of its fleet: “Look! Our CAFE fleet average is dropping! Our fleet is therefore MORE ECONOMICAL! Therefore to improve the government mandated fuel-efficiency of our cars, we’ll need government money because otherwise, it’s impossible–the fleet average statistics provie it!. Yay!”
Way to go out on a ‘populist limb, McCain, you poltroon!
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:45 amThere’s only one kind of polling that the trolls like. Ironically it’s the kind of polling that gets done in airport men’s rooms around the country. Strangely this is the only form of polling where Republicans lead consistently.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:46 amThey enjoy what they refer to as the weekly “Larry Craig Bump” which when done correctly has only a small margin of error.
Freedom Rebel Says: You are right, if they had put some of their profits into alternatives their wouldn’t be a problem today. Greed and short-sightedness has always been Big Oil’s weakness. The consumers by buying cars with alternative fuel sources will give them a wake-up call eventually. Plus at the rate we keep going on lowering the miles on our vehicles will also impact their bottom-line also.
I also think it’s interesting that the Saudis are now worried that they will see a decline in their profits, so they are going to try to increase production to “help”. Even greedier pigs.
I truly hope that containing fuel prices with an increase in supply won’t stop our efforts toward alternative fuels and higher gas mileage. I just have learned to expect our laziness in putting every possible thing off until some later date…
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:47 amA Patriot Acting Says:
They enjoy what they refer to as the weekly “Larry Craig Bump”
Hemorrhoids?
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:48 amrogerse Says:
misshusseinmolly Says:
so obama actually leads by 6, just above the margin of error, and still months before the election.
flip,
flop.
good luck.
*
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:52 ami just called the OBAMA campaign office to vent a bit about the FISA vote…
i told the guy that i may have sent my latest check too soon as i’m not real happy about “my senator’s statement on the FISA bill”, that i wanted a message to get to obama, very simple:
“No Immunity. Filibuster as promised.”
the guy said “all right. and would you like me to transfer you to the REFUND office also, or just pass on the message?”
whoa… wasn’t expecting that…
“just pass on that message.”
866.675.2008 (when prompted to press 4, press 6 instead)
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:52 amClowns are creepy…
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 amLet the 2008 swift boating begin.
Interesting to see what they come up with.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 amSo far, the Muslim aspect failed.
The controversial pastor failed.
The no Made in China flag pin wearing failed.
The wife’s “whitey” quote failed.
The no hand over the heart during the Pledge of Allegiance failed.
What do they have left?
That he threw out the first pitch of the 2005 World Series that included, the *gasp* “WHITE” Sox????
rogerse Says
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:33 am
so obama actually leads by 6, just above the margin of error, and still months before the election.
____________________________________________
You’re implying that McCain is in a better position? What IS your point, exactly?
Granted, today’s polls don’t indicate the election is over. Yes, there’s still a lot of the campaign left to go. We haven’t even had the conventions yet, nor have we experienced the bounces these conventions bring.
But there is a lot going for the Democratic side. And I feel pretty safe in claiming that Obama is the one with the advantage based on these factors:
1. Obama is currently ahead of McCain in the polls.
2. Obama is gaining support as many of Hillary’s supporters are now supporting him in far greater numbers than are supporting McCain. He’s trending up, not down.
3. Eight out of ten Americans believe our country is on the wrong track, with about three quarters of the population blaming the Bush administration. McCain has done little to distance himself from Bushco — even all his “maverick” stances are falling one by one as he morphs into a Bushbot.
4. A clear majority of the American people are against the war in Iraq, and against the idea of bombing Iran — both pet issues of McCain.
5. A poor economy usually means a switch in parties at election time. Think 1932, 1960, 1980, 1992, etc. The economy was poor those years, and the American public reacted by switching parties in the White House.
But by all means, keep spinning. It has a certain entertainment value.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 amDRxJ Says:
“Hemorrhoids?”
Sadly yes, this can happen when that margin of error comes into play. Fortunatley for those afflicted, most doody-free shops offer a discount to RNC card holders on all Tucks products.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
——————————————————————————–
God I wish there was some way to make these spineless Democrats magically disappear, being replaced with Democrats who have a spine and the courage to do what’s right.
I could not agree with you more! What is wrong with these SPINLESS “D’s?
This Fisa Immunity bill is a case in point and the single most important issue of the day! If this passes the senate then any hope of ever holding this administration accountable for ALL of the Many laws that it has broken (FELONIES, Mind you!) is LOST!
I am urging everyone to call Obama’s campaign 1-866-675-2008×6 and Demand that he declare that he not support this bill Unless immunity is Stripped from it. His position now is that he will work to remove immunity but will suport it none-the-less. That is not CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN! Then call every member of the Senate and tell them you will work hard to see them removed from office if they vote for Immunity.
Obama and the Senate are our last chance at justice and if this bill passes BUSH GOES FREE and we LOSE OUR RIGHTS!
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:59 amMcCain has spent the week focusing on energy policy, making some surprising, and inaccurate, statements.
Among them:
He said that ending a moratorium on offshore oil drilling “would be very helpful in the short term in resolving our energy crisis.” But according to a government report, offshore oil wouldn’t have much of an impact on supply or prices until 2030.
McCain tried to paint Obama as an opponent of nuclear power, yet Obama has said he is open to nuclear energy being part of the solution and has supported bills that contained nuclear subsidies.
He has soft-pedaled the “cap” portion of his cap-and-trade proposal for greenhouse gases, even denying that it would be a mandate. The cap is a mandatory limit, however, and McCain even says so on his Web site.
McCain’s new ad, running this week, rightly says that he bucked his party in supporting action on climate change years ago. But its images of windmills and solar panels are misleading in that he supports subsidies for nuclear power, which isn’t pictured, and opposes them for wind and solar energy.
McCain continues to say that a suspension of the federal gas tax will lower prices for consumers, though hundreds of economists say he is wrong.
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/mccains_power_outage.html
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:00 amunbelievable Says
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:39 am
Considering the rampant computer machine glitches that actually reversed votes, in conjunction with the historical precident of exit polls that also showed a Kerry victory, it’s still not certain that Kerry didn’t win.
_________________________________________________
You raise an excellent point. When I was listing factors that favored an Obama win, I forgot about election mischief. If Obama is only 6 points ahead in an average of all polls, the election can still be stolen with voter caging and Diebold tinkering.
Stealing would be a lot harder to do if Obama was ahead by — oh, say — 20 points on average. Which he may be after the conventions.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:03 amThey enjoy what they refer to as the weekly “Larry Craig Bump” which when done correctly has only a small margin of error.
“The Larry Craig Bump?”
With all that unprotected gay sex with strangers he should have a doctor look at it, to be safe.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:04 amKaty says:
the guy said “all right. and would you like me to transfer you to the REFUND office also, or just pass on the message?”
Shoulda said transfer me and tell him not a dime more until he does the right thing and defends the constitution!
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:06 amI know you all think I am a spoiler here, I’m not….Just trying to point out the huge issues of war (people are dieing)…Israel and it’s hold on our country to the point they could get us and the planet blown to bit’s and the FISA bill…
It seem’s to me patition’s and calling representative’s is what we have been doing for almost 8 year’s…Those are the thing’s we have to do once they have wooed us into getting them into office…..Now the plan is to do the same with a candidate that isn’t in office yet.?….Why are we being conned with buzz word’s and then refuse to watch and listen to what the candidate really doe’s and say’s that is opposit and call them to try and get them to do what is right…
I understand some people’s thinking but not mine…We are suposto be hiring the next most powerful person in the pretend free world….The qualification’s are, continue the war, back Israel 100% and screw the constitution with FISA.?
Come on, I’m not buying and I’m not going to hire someone who already show’s they are not suited for the job…The three item’s above prove that….Why would I spend my day trying to make this person fit into a job they clearly don’t intend to fulfill in the beginning and will do what they say they intend to do later in office…Blast away at me all ya want, I’m leaving to do laundry and hug tree’s…Blessings all.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:14 ammisshusseinmolly Says: Stealing would be a lot harder to do if Obama was ahead by — oh, say — 20 points on average. Which he may be after the conventions.
I think this one is going to tough for them to steal and not expect countrywide violence in the streets if they do. The people are fed-up and frustrated.
All the Republicans I know, with the exception of my brother – who I have started calling ‘Bill O’Reilly Jr.’ – are either voting Obama, Barr or not at all. If that’s what’s happening in places like Georgia where racism is alive and well, and the Rebel Flag is an option for a license plate, that can’t be a good sign for a valid McCain Presidency.
If McCain steals this one, I fully expect riots.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:16 am#81 Chocolate Jesus Says:
>I completely agree with Glenn that we have to target and >defeat selected Democrat.
If anyone wants to start an organized effort to get rid of Pelosi in november, count me in. She could have stopped this but she didnt.
Does anyone have any polling about the effect of Sheehans campaign against her? Is there a viable republican running.. I would GLADLY see her lose her seat to ANYONE…is anyone trying to put together an organization for FISA-angered folks to help get rid of her?
Good Morning :) The only info. I could find quickly is that she had raised about $100,000, as of April, most of which is coming from outside the congressional district.
Plus she needs 10,198 autographs of her closest friends, signatures to get on the ballot in California to face House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by August 8th. I do not know if she has reached that goal yet.
If I find out any more I will let you know…
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:19 amrogerse Says: but you forgot money is on the gops side, and so far almost on mccains… its only the national polls and the money that are actual proof, your speculation about public perception is meanngless.
No. Once again, money does NOT determine the Presidental election. Electoral counts do (which represent people).
Rogerse, you are going to be very disappointed in November.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:19 amWitch1 Says: Why would I spend my day trying to make this person fit into a job they clearly don’t intend to fulfill in the beginning and will do what they say they intend to do later in office…Blast away at me all ya want, I’m leaving to do laundry and hug tree’s…
Someone somewhere said that he liked Obama the candidate better than Obama the nominee. I don’t want to have to agree with him, as we’ve all been so optimistic after suh a long period of malaise, but you raise very valid points. No one should blast you. We need to be having this conversation now. Unfortunately, at this point, four months and two weeks from the election, what are our alternatives?
I’m thinking that even if Obama turns out to be a compromise, at least he is a compromise in the right direction. I don’t expect him to be prefect, but if he can be beholden to We The People on most things, we will have hopefully made a huge first step, out of the steaming pile of dung that has been the Bush Regime, in the right direction.
I’m still skeptical myself. You’re not alone with your concerns.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:26 amunbelievable,
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:30 amAmong my family and friends, we are seeing quite the crossover.
My bro-in-law, who voted for Bush twice, is voting Obama.
My father-in-law, who voted for Bush in 2000, and who can be a bit racist, is voting Obama.
My mother, a born again Conservative Catholic, is at least thinking about Obama, as she does not trust McCain, but it’s been a tough battle. (Unfortunately for her, Faux news is her primary “trustworthy” news source. She can’t even stand them hate filled liberal bloggers, until I told her I am one. She’s recanted on that).
And although I have a few Republican friends who will always vote the lever indicating (R), I do have one who will vote Obama.
It’s been interesting to observe, as even some of the hardcore righties among the group at least admit this administration has been a complete failure (except for one, but he is a true 23%er, who actually believes the occupation in Iraq is justified because of the outdated gas cannisters that were “found”. Can you say “ditto head”?).
unbelievable,
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:31 amI hate clowns, too…especially the one in the Oval Office.
Witch1,
Another point to consider:
There are more Atheists and Agnostics in America than Jewish people in the entire world, and yet every Presidential candidate ignores those of us who don’t believe and caters to a pro-Israel minority. Why? Hard-core Christians who think Jews are the chosen people, and money. And yet people wonder why I am so anti-organized-religion…
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:31 amunbelievable Says:
rogerse Says: but you forgot money is on the gops side, and so far almost on mccains… its only the national polls and the money that are actual proof, your speculation about public perception is meanngless.
No. Once again, money does NOT determine the Presidental election. Electoral counts do (which represent people).
Rogerse, you are going to be very disappointed in November.
He also persists in ignoring the fact that Obama’s fundraising is “record shattering” and far exceeds McCain’s.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:32 amunbelievable Says
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:19 am
No. Once again, money does NOT determine the Presidental election. Electoral counts do (which represent people).
________________________________________________
We went through this fairly recently with Hillary Clinton, when she made the claim that she had more popular votes than Obama in the primaries (once she applied “hillarymath” — counting states that didn’t count, and not counting caucus states that did). Furthermore, she claimed to have more votes in large states, which she tried to spin as worth more. It didn’t deter her that this was like determining the winner of a football game based on passing yardage — while a lot of passing yardage can affect the game, the winner is still determined by who gets the most points up on the scoreboard.
Just as it is with money. Money certainly helps a campaign, but we don’t determine the winner by number of dollars raised.
But let’s look at the money situation, just for giggles. Obama has done quite well with small donations from many, many people — the vast majority of whom aren’t even close to the $2,300 cap. He can tap this resource over and over. And now that he has abandoned public financing, there is no limit to the amount of money he can raise.
McCain will be depending on private fundraisers with fat cats for his money, and that’s a finite source. Furthermore, his recent fundraising bounce was just that — a bounce — with no indication he will be able to sustain this rate week after week. And Obama’s fundraising has been steady for some time.
So far, Rogerse has gained no traction on EITHER of his points regarding fundraising or polls. He must be really scraping the bottom of his toolbox this morning.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:35 amI apologize for posting the outdated link.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:35 amI don’t know why I thought it was recent.
DRxJ,
That’s good news. It’s almost surreal to me how much the arguments we’ve been making for the last few years have been finally paying off, and people are seeing the light. I guess it’s hard for most people to ignore reality indefinitely. Probably doesn’t help to have all these catastrophes occurring at the same time at the end of the Bush Regime’s lookout.
There is hope yet for our country to fix our broken government. But I am still skeptical.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:36 amrogerse Says:
but you forgot money is on the gops side, and so far almost on mccains… its only the national polls and the money that are actual proof, your speculation about public perception is meanngless.
rog,
are you sure “the money”
is in good hands?
yes, no, maybe?
good luck.
*
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:37 amZimzone Says: I hate clowns, too…especially the one in the Oval Office.
LOL. Officially 6 months, four weeks and and six days to go…
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:38 amgummitch Says: He also persists in ignoring the fact that Obama’s fundraising is “record shattering” and far exceeds McCain’s.
I am calling it ’selective reading’…
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 amFreedom Rebel Says:
The Executive Officers of KBR should be charged in a class-action lawsuit to pay for damages and future damages of the 250 soldiers that have been exposed to this toxic chemical. That is the least we can do because I don’t believe the VA will take care of these men when more of the symptoms start surfacing.
Throw in some 15-Life prison sentences for those bloodsucking, scumsucking KBR/Halliburton ba$tards and I think you’d be on to something.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:40 amGood morning FR…Thanks for your posts this morning, as usual :)
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:40 amrogerse Says:
unbelievable Says:
fundraising is a good measure of popularity, and ability to campaighn…your trying another weak argumant at twisting the facts.
rog,
this is getting out of hand.
you need to take a remedial english class
at your local community college.
good luck.
*
*
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:40 amrogerse Says: fundraising is a good measure of popularity, and ability to campaighn…your trying another weak argumant at twisting the facts.
No silly boy, it is not. No more than death tolls = record breaking flood levels. Rich people can give more than working-class people. If one rich person gives $2300 and ten working class people give $100, the one rich person has given more money, but is still the minority in terms of popularity.
I’ve twisted nothing. Just because you do not like the facts doesn’t mean I twisted them.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:42 amunbelievable Says:
Thank you organized religion. If you weren’t so obssessed with other people’s sex lives, then lesbians and gays serving in the military wouldn’t be an issue.
No wonder more and more people are leaving traditional religion (and their churches) for their own brand of spirituality that doesn’t include hating people who are different.
Organized religion = mind control
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:42 amBy the way, I have never contributed to a political campaign. Ever. Don’t really need to discuss in detail why, but I will say that I believe my charitable contributions should go towards those in dire need.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:43 amExcept this weekend, my wife and I did contribute some to Obama and the DNC. We believe change is a must. We believe that if McSame is elected, this country will be in “dire” need, as the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the middle class gets squeezed out. Which is unacceptable.
rogerse Says:
fundraising is a good measure of popularity, and ability to campaighn…your trying another weak argumant at twisting the facts.
I knew he wouldn’t read the linked article.
Hey rog!
If fundraising is a good measure of popularity, what does all this say about McCain?
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:45 ammisshusseinmolly Says: So far, Rogerse has gained no traction on EITHER of his points regarding fundraising or polls. He must be really scraping the bottom of his toolbox this morning.
Indeed. Though, it is funny to watch him pitch endless temper tantrums while more and more conervatives move further and further away from him and his ridiculous, puerile arguments. What are they down to now – 23%?
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:47 amExit Stage Left Says: Organized religion = mind control
That’s the nice way to put it :D
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:48 am>If I find out any more I will let you know…
keep me informed. we need to teaach these people a lesson, the wolves in sheep’s clothing, although i dont want to see the dems lose wholesale, because there are some decent ones there…
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:54 amOne last post before I leave…Good to read you here Unbelievable…Every one want’s the same thing’s……Peace, prosparety, good will on the planet and saving the earth, well most do any way…I hope for all of those in the big picture, not just part’s…
I have spent most of my life being self taught and a spotter of thing’s to fix or repair…Flaw’s by profesional photographer’s for the most part…Very far sighted to the point I can catch a deer blink at 200 yard’s in a landscape and not see the huge bear standing motionless next to me..One speck that can screw up the entire landscape is what I am seeing..The bear being Iran, Lebanon or any other non threat….The blink being the Iraq war, Israel’s warmonging and our constitution…I have left out our debt to china, pollution, giving nuke’s to any one with mango’s and our alliance with the one country that got a free ride to bomb us and play footsie with the bush family, Saudi Aramia..Not enough time.
I have also been a manager for a casino, year’s ago and had to hire fire, pull a shift, do schedules and train people for all the job’s in food service..There were 90 people, 3 shift’s of waiter’s bus persons, cook’s and dish washers.Three dining room’s from seating 400 down to 65….In all that time I never hired some one who came in the door and told me what they wanted to do regarding the job, that was against the major basic’s of doing the job and then hired them….Never.
I don’t dislike Obama, I’m sure he’s a good person he’s just not good enough for me to vote for or waste my time trying to get him to do what he should of been doing now before he is elected..He has showed me what he will do, just like Hillery did and I wouldent vote for her either…Right now today I’m looking at several that have held steadfast in agreement with me from the beginning and a couple in other partie;s I’m still checking out…..Later.Sorry for the length.Blessings
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:56 amrogerse – Obama is NOT the DNC and McCain is NOT the RNC.
These are separate entities that raise money individually.
You can keep arguing that money will elect the next President, but as we’ve been telling you all morning, you’re in for BIG disapointment in November. Obama will be the next President. End of discussion really.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:57 amrogerse Says:
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:59 amLooks like we got us a poll-smoker here…
rog,
why are you so embarrassed by
poor, old alfred malcolm?
here, let me help you explain who he is:
Andrew Malcolm’s immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000.
credit where credit is due, rog.
good luck.
*
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:59 amAmerica, take note: If Obama can’t keep his word before the election, how well do you think he’ll do if elected?
Look in the mirror, buddy. McFlipflop hasn’t shown any profiles in courage, with his pandering to religious nutjobs, and reversing his stances more often than Larry Craig in a pay toilet.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:00 pm#125 – lock_box Says:
————————————————————”America, take note: If Obama can’t keep his word before the election, how well do you think he’ll do if elected?”
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:50 am
I would have to say that he’d do one heck of a lot better at “keeping his word” than would Sen. McCain!
No politician is perfect. In fact, that would be a contradiction in terms: perfect politician. Sen. Obama is a much better choice than is Sen. McCain. I don’t see myself voting for McSame-as-Bush, so . . . .
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:00 pmWitch1 Says: I don’t dislike Obama, I’m sure he’s a good person he’s just not good enough for me to vote for or waste my time trying to get him to do what he should of been doing now before he is elected.
I think our Founding Father’s warned us that this would be the case, and that we’d have to remain on top of these people constantly to assure our freedoms, because they understood that power corrupts.
I am proud that we, the grassroots, are making an impact. I’m certan it will require us to be constantly vigilant no matter who we elect. So, you keep watching with your far-sightedness. So far, it’s been quite insightful. :D
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:02 pmkaty Says:
i just called the OBAMA campaign office to vent a bit about the FISA vote…
866.675.2008 (when prompted to press 4, press 6 instead)
Thanks for that tip Katy. I’ve been trying over and over by pressing 4, as instructed.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:10 pmI got through the very first time when I pressed 6. I spoke with a very nice woman named Mia who claimed to be writing down the comments of each caller with regard to the FISA immunity fiasco. Hopefully it will do some good, although I’m not confident of that.
H/T to McJoan at Kos
It’s our job to try to stop them, and to convince our leaders that it’s the right thing to do and they’ll have our support in doing so. Here’s how, again courtesy Glenn:
As the extremely pro-Obama MoveOn.org notes today, Obama’s spokesman, Bill Burton, back in in September, vowed that Obama would “support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies.” MoveOn believes Obama should be held to his word and is thus conducting a campaign urging Obama to do what he promised — support a filibuster to stop the enactment of telecom amnesty. You can email Burton here to demand that Obama comply with his commitment not just to vote against, but to filibuster, telecom amnesty:
bburton@barackobama.com
Incidentally, Chris Dodd made an identical promise when he was running for President, prompting the support of hundreds of thousands of new contributors, and he ought to be held to his promise as well.
In addition to Obama, contact Harry Reid (Phone: (202) 224-3542, Fax: (202) 224-7327), Russ Feingold (Phone: (202) 224-5323, Fax: (202) 224-2725) and Chris Dodd (Phone: (202) 224-2823, Fax: (202) 224-1083). Ask them to do what they can to derail this train.
Chances are this train is too far from the station to put a stop to. But our job as the left flank of this party, the activist wing, is not to throw up our hands in despair and accept this as a done deal with our bitter acquiescence.
Our job also isn’t go off sulking in a fit of pique because our leaders let us down. Blustering, whining, refusing to play anymore is the least helpful and productive of avenues. I keep coming back to Howard Dean and his admonition to us at Yearly Kos in Chicago that we are working on a long term project here to take our party back. Making this party ours again is going to take a lot of work and a long time. We do that by staying engaged. We do that by telling our representatives, including our presidential candidate (who is STILL head and shoulders better than the alternative) what we expect of them and by making their decisions matter.
As long as there is a fight to be had, we’re the ones to fight it and to help our allies in Congress fight it. It’s our job. If we don’t do it, if we don’t stand up for progressive values, who will?
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:15 pmWhite lie, sorry.See even witch’s can tell little lie’s..Haven’t left yet..Unbelievable you post on athiest I agree with…More than that I would cover you back if it ever came to that, you right or any one’s right of freedom from relegion…I use the term from because organized relegion is just one big business and I think it should be taxed especielly when their fund;s are used in respect to polatick’s…Seperation of church and state are a big issue with me along with a lot of other thing’s…Have a wonderful day….
In memory of my favorite comedian with wit who brought me much laughter I’m gonna go do something outragious like tell someone to F***off…George Carlin you were a delight and I will miss you…Blessings to him and his family.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:19 pmrogerse Says:
the RNC continued to vastly out-raise the Democratic Party, amassing $24.4 million just in May.
Of that, it raised $7.1 million in small donations of $200 or less,
The remaining $17.3 million it raised in gigantic bribes from corrupt corporate lobbyists.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:19 pm“Lawyers for the White House and Congress are headed to court” today to argue whether the House Judiciary Committee can force White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former Counsel Harriet Miers to testify about their roles in the U.S. attorney scandal.
Imagine if you lived in a country where executive in charge could corrupt the judiciary to punish their political enemies and could protect their political allies from being held responsible for breaking the law. It would be as if there are no laws. This is the country we live in today.
http://progressiveworldreview.com
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:22 pmDance, Monkey-boy!
DANCE!
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:24 pmWail! Let the ground shake! The sky, burst forth in wailing torrents! A giant has passed this day!
His Seven Words are engraved on the Comedic Tablets
for all time; and now he chases fallen angels, with Sam Kinnison and Lenny Bruce, in a garage in Kansas City.
We shall not see his equal, again, in our lifetimes.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:28 pm#116 Exit Stage Left Says:
Freedom Rebel Says:
The Executive Officers of KBR should be charged in a class-action lawsuit to pay for damages and future damages of the 250 soldiers that have been exposed to this toxic chemical. That is the least we can do because I don’t believe the VA will take care of these men when more of the symptoms start surfacing.
Throw in some 15-Life prison sentences for those bloodsucking, scumsucking KBR/Halliburton ba$tards and I think you’d be on to something.
Good Morning Exit Stage Left :)
I couldn’t agree more, but we have to lift that damn immunity clause out of their contracts. I will be leading the charge once that day comes.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:29 pmI understand Obama’s need for campaign money (especially early on) and the connection to his support for ethanol with those in the farm lobby. I’m not faulting him for it. It’s politics. I’m only suggesting that supporting ethanol is the wrong direction for our future energy policy.
Ethanol is not a very efficient energy source. And it diverts the corn resource away from food production to energy. Taking the corn away as a food resource, will (has) led to the inflation of food prices at least as detrimental as high energy prices.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25324195
I think the comprehensive focus should be on other alternatives (nuclear, wind, solar, hydro, etc), significant conservation and responsible mining of domestic coal and oil.
I suggest that ethanol doesn’t make sense (except to the farm lobby) because it provides little energy efficiency, while it creates a huge opportunity cost in food supply.
Ethanol is a bipartisan misstep that should be scraped; the sooner the better.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:30 pmAnd lest we miss the man, amidst the myth:
Carlin was born May 12, 1937 and grew up in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan, raised by a single mother. After dropping out of high school in the ninth grade, he joined the Air Force in 1954. He received three court-martials and numerous disciplinary punishments, according to his official Web site.
While in the Air Force he started working as an off-base disc jockey at a radio station in Shreveport, La., and after receiving a general discharge in 1957, took an announcing job at WEZE in Boston.
“Fired after three months for driving mobile news van to New York to buy pot,” his Web site says.
From there he went on to a job on the night shift as a deejay at a radio station in Forth Worth, Texas. Carlin also worked variety of temporary jobs including a carnival organist and a marketing director for a peanut brittle.
In 1960, he left with Burns, a Texas radio buddy, for Hollywood to pursue a nightclub career as comedy team Burns & Carlin. He left with $300, but his first break came just months later when the duo appeared on the Tonight Show with Jack Paar.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:34 pm#127 Chocolate Jesus Says:
>If I find out any more I will let you know…
keep me informed. we need to teaach these people a lesson, the wolves in sheep’s clothing, although i dont want to see the dems lose wholesale, because there are some decent ones there…
She is having a fundraiser June 28th, in San Francisco. http://www.cindyforcongress.org/ Here is where you can get the latest info on Cindy.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:42 pmbackup Says:
Ethanol is not a very efficient energy source.
Wow, you need tell Brazil, which uses ethanol only now. They really should be warned before its too late. =P
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:26 pmWayne. You’re right the Brazilians have it right. But, corn is not the same as sugar.
From the same msnbc link I provided above:
I admire the Brazilian plan, but corn ethanol is not the same. I wish it was.
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:56 pmYou’re right, I don’t know. What kinds of impact does it have?
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:49 pmRodger Dodger is a moron. He points to the month after the primaries over were for all all intents and purposes, sees small dip for obama and claims its trend. In his mind, people stopped liking Obama once his opponent dropped out.
Obama shows up to cheering crowds everywhere he goes, mccain cant even fill a stadium IN HIS OWN STATE HES BEEN A SENTOR OF FOR DECADES. that alone speaks volumes, rodger dodger.
MCcain claims he supports the troops but which candiate has gotten more politicans donations from real troops, rodger dodger?
McCain is chronically dishonest, (see the keating five scandal in which he was directly involved), and I wouldnt be surprised if he was fudging his numbers now just like he flip flops and fabricates his claims on taxes, social security, how well the econmy is doing, how well he understands economics, etc.
Rodger Draft dodger, if your ghastly cryptkeeper of a candidate wins, it will be because your scumbag sleaze merchants have successfully libeled obama to the point for voting for a mummy with 50 pages of medical problems every day for the past years seems like an appealing prospect.
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:37 pm>She is having a fundraiser June 28th, in San Francisco. >http://www.cindyforcongress.org/
When Ive got some free time in a month or so I’m going to look into the possibility of making a concerted attempt to form a group whose goal is get Pelosi out of office for letting this FISA travesty through. I dont agree with 100 percent of what sheehan says but if she can play the Spoiler to get Pelosi gone I’ll suppport her 100 percent. Some high profile enabler dem congressional leader needs to be held accoutable, and from what I know pelosi sounds like the best target..
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:43 pm