Coleman and Franken are neck and neck in the polls. But those of us who have high hopes are still waiting for Franken to pull ahead.
Palin is no longer looking like a great choice, is she?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
McCain Campaign is lying too frequently to keep up
Check out the "Count the Lies" link to the left for continued updates:
Washington Post Fact Checker blog: McCain "Seriously Misstated" Lebanon Vote. "McCain seriously misstated his vote concerning the marines in Lebanon. He said that when he went into Congress in 1983, he voted against deploying them in Beirut. The Marines went in Lebanon in 1982, before McCain came to Congress. The vote came up a year into their deployment, when the Marines had already suffered 54 casualties. What McCain voted against was a measure to invoke the War Powers Act and to authorize the deployment of U.S. Marines in Lebanon for an additional 18 months. The measure passed 270-161, with 26 other Republicans (including McCain) and 134 Democrats voting against it." [Washington Post Fact Checker blog, 9/26/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/]
FactCheck.org: McCain Voted for $3 million to study the DNA of bears. "We’ve heard that one before. McCain's been playing it for laughs since 2003. The study in question was done by the U.S. Geological Survey, and it relied in part on federal appropriations. Readers (and politicians) may disagree on whether a noninvasive study of grizzly bear population and habitat is a waste of money. McCain clearly thinks it is -- but on the other hand, he never moved to get rid of the earmark. In fact, he voted for the bill that made appropriations for the study. He did propose some changes to the bill, but none that nixed the bear funding." [Fact Check.Org, 9/26/08]
Washington Post: McCain Repeats Lie That Obama Voted To Raise Taxes on Anyone Making More Than $42,000. "John McCain claimed that Obama voted in the Senate to raise taxes on anyone making more than $42,000 a year. This is misleading on several levels. The vote that McCain is talking about was a non-binding resolution on the budget that envisioned letting the Bush tax cuts to expire, as scheduled, in 2011. But these budget resolutions come up every year, and do not represent a vote for higher taxes in future years. In fact, Obama has said that he will continue the Bush tax cuts for middle and low-income taxpayers. He says that he will cut taxes for all but the wealthiest tax-payers." [Washington Post Fact Checker blog, 9/26/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/]
AP: McCain Repeats Troop Funding Lie. MCCAIN: McCain said Obama voted to cut off money for the troops in Iraq. THE FACTS: Despite opposing the war, Obama has, with one exception, voted for Iraq troop financing. In 2007, he voted against a troop funding bill because it did not contain language calling for a troop withdrawal. The Illinois senator backed another bill that had such language - and money for the troops." [AP, 9/26/08: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PRESIDENTIAL_DEBATE_FACTCHECK?SITE=ILEDW&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT]
ABC: McCain Falsely Invokes Eisenhower Letters. "Calling on President Eisenhower to deliver a lesson about accountability, Sen. John McCain invoked two letters authored by the 34th president the night before the Normandy invasion during Friday's presidential debate. One letter, McCain said, was authored in the event that the D-Day invasion was a success and the other, a resignation, in the event it was a failure. According to the National Archives, late on the afternoon of June 5, 1944, Eisenhower scribbled a note intended for release accepting responsibility for the decision to launch the invasion and taking full blame in the event the effort to create a beachhead on the Normandy coast failed. In the letter, Eisenhower takes responsibility but makes no mention of resignation." [ABC News, 9/26/08: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/fact-check-mcca.html]
Washington Post Fact Checker blog: McCain "Seriously Misstated" Lebanon Vote. "McCain seriously misstated his vote concerning the marines in Lebanon. He said that when he went into Congress in 1983, he voted against deploying them in Beirut. The Marines went in Lebanon in 1982, before McCain came to Congress. The vote came up a year into their deployment, when the Marines had already suffered 54 casualties. What McCain voted against was a measure to invoke the War Powers Act and to authorize the deployment of U.S. Marines in Lebanon for an additional 18 months. The measure passed 270-161, with 26 other Republicans (including McCain) and 134 Democrats voting against it." [Washington Post Fact Checker blog, 9/26/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/]
FactCheck.org: McCain Voted for $3 million to study the DNA of bears. "We’ve heard that one before. McCain's been playing it for laughs since 2003. The study in question was done by the U.S. Geological Survey, and it relied in part on federal appropriations. Readers (and politicians) may disagree on whether a noninvasive study of grizzly bear population and habitat is a waste of money. McCain clearly thinks it is -- but on the other hand, he never moved to get rid of the earmark. In fact, he voted for the bill that made appropriations for the study. He did propose some changes to the bill, but none that nixed the bear funding." [Fact Check.Org, 9/26/08]
Washington Post: McCain Repeats Lie That Obama Voted To Raise Taxes on Anyone Making More Than $42,000. "John McCain claimed that Obama voted in the Senate to raise taxes on anyone making more than $42,000 a year. This is misleading on several levels. The vote that McCain is talking about was a non-binding resolution on the budget that envisioned letting the Bush tax cuts to expire, as scheduled, in 2011. But these budget resolutions come up every year, and do not represent a vote for higher taxes in future years. In fact, Obama has said that he will continue the Bush tax cuts for middle and low-income taxpayers. He says that he will cut taxes for all but the wealthiest tax-payers." [Washington Post Fact Checker blog, 9/26/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/]
AP: McCain Repeats Troop Funding Lie. MCCAIN: McCain said Obama voted to cut off money for the troops in Iraq. THE FACTS: Despite opposing the war, Obama has, with one exception, voted for Iraq troop financing. In 2007, he voted against a troop funding bill because it did not contain language calling for a troop withdrawal. The Illinois senator backed another bill that had such language - and money for the troops." [AP, 9/26/08: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PRESIDENTIAL_DEBATE_FACTCHECK?SITE=ILEDW&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT]
ABC: McCain Falsely Invokes Eisenhower Letters. "Calling on President Eisenhower to deliver a lesson about accountability, Sen. John McCain invoked two letters authored by the 34th president the night before the Normandy invasion during Friday's presidential debate. One letter, McCain said, was authored in the event that the D-Day invasion was a success and the other, a resignation, in the event it was a failure. According to the National Archives, late on the afternoon of June 5, 1944, Eisenhower scribbled a note intended for release accepting responsibility for the decision to launch the invasion and taking full blame in the event the effort to create a beachhead on the Normandy coast failed. In the letter, Eisenhower takes responsibility but makes no mention of resignation." [ABC News, 9/26/08: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/fact-check-mcca.html]
Friday, September 26, 2008
First Presidental Debate Won't Change Any Minds-
Both delivered as was expected of them- but hey, McCain showed up.
And did McCain really just admit that the US has tortured prisoners? He did declare that we would 'never again torture prisoners.' "AGAIN" Cheney will love it.
And did McCain really just admit that the US has tortured prisoners? He did declare that we would 'never again torture prisoners.' "AGAIN" Cheney will love it.
Tom Harkin, Russ Feingold, Barack Obama, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Walter Mondale, John Kerry, Al Gore, where are you?
Al Franken has been a progressive voice for the better part of the past decade. As such, he has benefited Democrats around the country with their various campaigns.
Al is in the fight for his own political life. If would seem fitting if the well-known and highly- regarded would take an afternoon to collectively work against the red machine in an all out blitz to rock Norm Coleman right out of his (elected) seat.
Harken, Feingold and Klobuchar, along with Mondale, have the least far to travel. Perhaps they can be thrown into the mix with a joint appearance by Obama and Biden. Al Gore is coming out on his own on October 4th to appear with and give his continued support to Franken.
Hillary Clinton could make a similar appearance as an Obama surrogate- she could promote Franken-and he in turn talk about the importance of an Obama win in November.
No one really cares about Kerry- but if he offers, don’t say no.
Al is in the fight for his own political life. If would seem fitting if the well-known and highly- regarded would take an afternoon to collectively work against the red machine in an all out blitz to rock Norm Coleman right out of his (elected) seat.
Harken, Feingold and Klobuchar, along with Mondale, have the least far to travel. Perhaps they can be thrown into the mix with a joint appearance by Obama and Biden. Al Gore is coming out on his own on October 4th to appear with and give his continued support to Franken.
Hillary Clinton could make a similar appearance as an Obama surrogate- she could promote Franken-and he in turn talk about the importance of an Obama win in November.
No one really cares about Kerry- but if he offers, don’t say no.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Al Franken (falsely) accused of lying about Coleman's lack of oversight in Iraq
The article linked here sites Senator Laugtenberg with specific information that indepentently verifies Franken's assessment of Coleman's performance.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
But wait, It worked with Gustav
If you are John McCain you need to be careful.
Your campaign keeps accusing your opponent of acting too much like the president- while not actually being the president. And when confronted with a natural disaster coinciding with your political party's convention you talked your party leadership into delaying and rearranging much of the festivities so that you would not be seen celebrating while the south drowns.
Never mind that there is little you or anyone else at Xcel Energy center could actually do about the hurricane anyway. They demonstrated that convincingly during Katrina three years ago and reminded us of that fact when ke struck outside the range of political cameras.
Now, after demonstrating a complete lack of knowlege on these matters, John McCain is going to mount a white horse and ride into Washington and save us from ourselves.
If he really cared about a non-political answer where was such a move last week? If this wasn't solely about political theatre why does he make such a proposal on national television rather than call the Barack Obama Camp himself?
It is now being widely reported that such a move is exactly what Barack Obama did in calling the McCain Camp this morning (8:30 AM Eastern) with a proposal for a joint statement from the candidates.
When did the Maverick turn nto such a show horse?
The scary pattern developing on the McCain side of things is an inability to multi-task and to set priorities. With regard to Hanna, and now this financial mess- that they have known about for a long time- it is not as if the Bush proposal hasn't been in the works for a long time (it is just that congress is getting very little time process it)- McCain keeps wanting to stop the game clock and take a time-out so that he can get it right.
His campaign surrogates are now spinning this as if he is the one who is reaching out to Obama.
Clever move. But the public needs to keep its eye on the ball. McCain made his name as an advocate for the same kind of deregulation that caused this mess. He consistantly votes in favor of business over the worker (Wall Street over Main Street).
The Gustav gambit worked (modestly). The Sarah Palin show added a well needed shiny object to keep people distracted frm real issues - so much so that Hurricane Ike and a lack-luster response from Government officials went almost unnoticed and the markets made their slide allowing the Bush administration to put forth their 'bail-out' plan for a rushed response from congress.
If the gamble works and McCain creates a new drama to distract people from the issues -including McCain's record on financial issues- it would be unfortunate.
Your campaign keeps accusing your opponent of acting too much like the president- while not actually being the president. And when confronted with a natural disaster coinciding with your political party's convention you talked your party leadership into delaying and rearranging much of the festivities so that you would not be seen celebrating while the south drowns.
Never mind that there is little you or anyone else at Xcel Energy center could actually do about the hurricane anyway. They demonstrated that convincingly during Katrina three years ago and reminded us of that fact when ke struck outside the range of political cameras.
Now, after demonstrating a complete lack of knowlege on these matters, John McCain is going to mount a white horse and ride into Washington and save us from ourselves.
If he really cared about a non-political answer where was such a move last week? If this wasn't solely about political theatre why does he make such a proposal on national television rather than call the Barack Obama Camp himself?
It is now being widely reported that such a move is exactly what Barack Obama did in calling the McCain Camp this morning (8:30 AM Eastern) with a proposal for a joint statement from the candidates.
When did the Maverick turn nto such a show horse?
The scary pattern developing on the McCain side of things is an inability to multi-task and to set priorities. With regard to Hanna, and now this financial mess- that they have known about for a long time- it is not as if the Bush proposal hasn't been in the works for a long time (it is just that congress is getting very little time process it)- McCain keeps wanting to stop the game clock and take a time-out so that he can get it right.
His campaign surrogates are now spinning this as if he is the one who is reaching out to Obama.
Clever move. But the public needs to keep its eye on the ball. McCain made his name as an advocate for the same kind of deregulation that caused this mess. He consistantly votes in favor of business over the worker (Wall Street over Main Street).
The Gustav gambit worked (modestly). The Sarah Palin show added a well needed shiny object to keep people distracted frm real issues - so much so that Hurricane Ike and a lack-luster response from Government officials went almost unnoticed and the markets made their slide allowing the Bush administration to put forth their 'bail-out' plan for a rushed response from congress.
If the gamble works and McCain creates a new drama to distract people from the issues -including McCain's record on financial issues- it would be unfortunate.
McCain Claims to buy American, But...
You would think the house thing would have helped him learn his lesson. Think again. McCain tells auto workers that he has proudly purchased american made cars throughout his life. At least 4 of his current personal fleet do not fit the bill.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Shell Oil opens new office in Iraq
For the first time since 1972 a western oil company has established a field office in Iraq.
"Mission Accomplished" If there was any doubt before, it is certainly clear now that this always was and is a war for oil. As American sons and daughters continue to die on foreign soil- let's be clear about the reason why.
"Mission Accomplished" If there was any doubt before, it is certainly clear now that this always was and is a war for oil. As American sons and daughters continue to die on foreign soil- let's be clear about the reason why.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
McCain Camp admits that Sarah Palin is "disadvantaged"
They should make the same case now for McCain's lack of Stamina- otherwise this is just plain sexist-right?
Friday, September 19, 2008
This Clip is more relevant each day.
I think this sums up the whole of what is said in a 45 minute testimony. Galloway is speaking directly to Senator Norm Coleman and his condemnation is directed both at our Nation's policies leading up to the Iraqi war and the policies involved in building up and sustaining our involvement- even against the the opinions and wishes of our allies and Norm personally (because of his vocal and continuous support of those errant policies).
Why is this imortant now?
Even as our country suffers the worst economic meltdown since the Great Depression we continue to send money to our policitcal enemies for their oil- thus funding their actions against us. Further, we continue to be the sole financial contributor to the military efforts in Iraq at a rate that is almost exactly equivalent to the amounts the Iraqi's are putting into their bank accounts.
Obama has a great opportunity to rightly link our failed policy on Iraq to the overall falure of our economy. Closer to Home Al Franken can and should do the same thing.
Why is this imortant now?
Even as our country suffers the worst economic meltdown since the Great Depression we continue to send money to our policitcal enemies for their oil- thus funding their actions against us. Further, we continue to be the sole financial contributor to the military efforts in Iraq at a rate that is almost exactly equivalent to the amounts the Iraqi's are putting into their bank accounts.
Obama has a great opportunity to rightly link our failed policy on Iraq to the overall falure of our economy. Closer to Home Al Franken can and should do the same thing.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Alaska among the smallest states in the union.
John McCain called Alaska 'one of the largest states in the Union' when he introduced Sarah Palin. But according to population Alaska ranks 47th out of 50 with North Dakota, Wyoming and Vermont falling behind. The populaton of Alaska is 683,478 and, while Sarah Palin claims to be a rejector of earmarks, the state ranks the highest in dollars per capita for earmarks from the Federal Government.
Try this: Would you want the Mayor of Baltimore Maryland to be the Vice President? The population there is 635,815. A bit smaller than the state of Alaska- but executive experience is what matters -according to the Republicans.
No, how about Austin Texas? At 690,252 Austin is actually bigger than Alaska.
In fact, in ascending order there are 15 more cities that have larger populations than all of Alaska. Columbus Ohio, San Francisco, Jacksonville Fl., Indianapolis, Indiana, Detriot, MI., San Jose, CA., Dallas TX, San Diego, San Antonio, Pheonix, AZ., Philidelphia PA, Houston TX, Chicago Ill. (at 2.85 million, more than 4 times the size of Alaska), Los Angeles and New York.
Try this: Would you want the Mayor of Baltimore Maryland to be the Vice President? The population there is 635,815. A bit smaller than the state of Alaska- but executive experience is what matters -according to the Republicans.
No, how about Austin Texas? At 690,252 Austin is actually bigger than Alaska.
In fact, in ascending order there are 15 more cities that have larger populations than all of Alaska. Columbus Ohio, San Francisco, Jacksonville Fl., Indianapolis, Indiana, Detriot, MI., San Jose, CA., Dallas TX, San Diego, San Antonio, Pheonix, AZ., Philidelphia PA, Houston TX, Chicago Ill. (at 2.85 million, more than 4 times the size of Alaska), Los Angeles and New York.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
What does Obama need to do to win this?
If Obama wants to win this election he needs to reclaim the “audacity of hope.”He needs immediately to stop worrying about what the opponent is doing and focus on his message.
At the same time his surrogates need to start taking apart every false claim that is levied against Obama.
As the standard bearer for the party Obama needs to bring his optimism and hope and message to every battleground state and stand side-by-side with every candidate in every race however tightly contested.
For my money, I would have him start in Minnesota with Al Franken and Tim Walz- throw in an appearance by Amy Klobuchar for good measure. Neighboring Tom Harkin from Iowa could come along- he is highly regarded in these parts.
Then swing through Colorado with Mark Udall and New Mexico with Bill Richardson and Tom Udall. While there is little if any chance of him winning Alaska I believe too he could serve Mark Begich well by going up there and standing with him for a rally.
Wisconsin would be a profitable stop, at least once.
Michigan deserves to see the top of the ticket again as well- probably twice.
Then Ohio and Pennsylvania.
He should swing through Indiana again for good measure, perhaps with Hillary.
He should make a visit to the pacific Northwest with a planned televised event in Washington.
Florida would benefit from a visit from both Clintons and Obama together and a permanent campout of Bill with frequent visits throughout the region.
VA is not gone yet - even though the Republicans think so. Standing alongside the popular Mark Warner would be a great move.
I could go on. But the main point is that Obama needs to give the media a story changer here so that they stop talking about lipstick and other nonsense.The Dems have every reason to believe that this is theirs to win at all levels. They need to start behaving like it is okay to be unified for the change we so desperately need.
At the same time his surrogates need to start taking apart every false claim that is levied against Obama.
As the standard bearer for the party Obama needs to bring his optimism and hope and message to every battleground state and stand side-by-side with every candidate in every race however tightly contested.
For my money, I would have him start in Minnesota with Al Franken and Tim Walz- throw in an appearance by Amy Klobuchar for good measure. Neighboring Tom Harkin from Iowa could come along- he is highly regarded in these parts.
Then swing through Colorado with Mark Udall and New Mexico with Bill Richardson and Tom Udall. While there is little if any chance of him winning Alaska I believe too he could serve Mark Begich well by going up there and standing with him for a rally.
Wisconsin would be a profitable stop, at least once.
Michigan deserves to see the top of the ticket again as well- probably twice.
Then Ohio and Pennsylvania.
He should swing through Indiana again for good measure, perhaps with Hillary.
He should make a visit to the pacific Northwest with a planned televised event in Washington.
Florida would benefit from a visit from both Clintons and Obama together and a permanent campout of Bill with frequent visits throughout the region.
VA is not gone yet - even though the Republicans think so. Standing alongside the popular Mark Warner would be a great move.
I could go on. But the main point is that Obama needs to give the media a story changer here so that they stop talking about lipstick and other nonsense.The Dems have every reason to believe that this is theirs to win at all levels. They need to start behaving like it is okay to be unified for the change we so desperately need.
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