It's Monday, and that means it is time for another Texas Progressive Alliance weekly blog round-up. This week's round-up was compiled by Vince from Capitol Annex.
Muse found the potties at the Harris County D.A.’s office – right next to Chuck Rosenthal’s office – thereby making her qualified to be District Attorney (according to D.A. candidate Kelly Siegler). Muse 2012: Qualified and Potty Location Trained.
Hide the silver! Off the Kuff says Tom DeLay is back in town.
CouldBeTrue at South Texas Chisme notes that Kay 'Bye Bye' Bailey Hutchison is getting grief from the knuckle draggers in her own party for the recently passed fence amendment. Apparently, even a little bit of sanity must be stamped out by the Republican base.
Early Voting, Hal at Half Empty says, may just be something ALL Democrats need to consider this time, in order to avoid confusion at the polls when polling sites at schools are moved this coming March 4th.
The FairTax (Mike Huckabee's 30% national sales tax scheme), Texans for (Tort) Reform, and Houstonians for (Ir)Responsible Growth all have one billionaire in common: Leo Linbeck Jr. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs provides the 411 on his various conservative-populist activist fronts.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson points to an Inane AAS Editorial On AG's Health Care Gambit.
Harry Balczak at McBlogger found and interesting take on the candidates in the Presidential election.
Jaye at Winding Road notes that these are the times that try Democratic souls.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News wants Obama or Clinton to pay the $2,000 and and establish a precedent of auditing and hand-counting machine counted ballots. The complete series of the New Hampshire results and reasons it why may be a good idea to audit is here.
Vince at Capitol Annex notes that Texas Attorney General Gregg Abbott is testing the waters for his 2010 run for Lt. Governor with his asinine child insurance program.
BossKitty at BlueBloggin reviews the History Of US Backed Dictators - Redux. A historical look at the US setting up and backing corrupt dictators to serve our agenda.
Stace at DosCentavos bids a fond farewell to the history-making candidacy of Bill`Richardson. His thoughts and feelings on supporting the first Latino presidential candidate.
John Coby at Bay Area Houston wonders why State Representative John Davis in HD129 was a no show in the local paper write up concerning the race. State Rep John Davis a no show in Clear Lake news.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Edwards messaging off?
Jane Hamsher has a couple observations I agree with.
She saw Edwards in person in Iowa and thought his message was off and not resonating. He seemed more strident than empathic. Many people feel his message can't get through with the corporations and the media against him. The other day someone told me it was the two $100 million dollar campaigns he is competing against. Maybe so, but in a marketing sense his voice and message seems to be close but a bit off. She also wondered if Edwards debate performance ticked off females in New Hampshire?
Does the new ad resonate?
He might have time to retool. The new The Hill blogger -
I predict that virtually everyone you hear on cable and network television is wrong and neither party’s nomination will be decided on Super Tuesday. I predict that the most likely time the Democratic nomination will be decided will be on the day that Ohio and Texas vote, with the real possibility the Republican fight continues beyond that day....
If he withdraws and supports Barack Obama, he might become the kingmaker, if not the king. Second, if he continues on the current course, he probably runs out of money and flames out without any chance.
Edwards has a third option, and I predict this, which you have not yet heard on the cable talkies, but soon will: If Edwards slightly retools his message back towards his “two Americas” of 2004, he has a chance to win the upcoming debate so decisively that he will be able to take his case to an Alamo-like stand in Texas and Ohio.
You heard it here first: John Edwards has a chance to thoroughly win the upcoming debates with a smaller number of candidates and a greater chance to get out his message, but he must retool the message. Angry populism alone does not win presidential campaigns, and he had every chance in Iowa, where he virtually lived for six years, and it did not happen.
Edwards should return to his 2004 roots, combining a progressive populism with an optimism about what America can be if he is elected. He should talk about two Americas among voters, but also the greater America that is possible with Edwards as president and a Democratic House and Senate.
Why Not Count the Damn Votes?
Farhad Manjoo - Salon.com
Last night I had a long discussion with Brad Friedman, who runs the election-reform news Web site Brad Blog. Over and over, he said, "My biggest concern here is that 80 percent of the vote is uncounted by any human being." His request is simple and straightforward: "Why not count the damn votes?"And on Bill Maher's show on HBO:
He's right. Why not count the votes?
And thanks to Kucinich, that's what will likely happen now. It will probably take some time; weeks, if not months. But soon, we'll know what happened.
But as many voting-reform experts have argued, manually counting the votes should be a routine in any race. There are logistical reasons why it would be impractical to hand count every vote in every election. But if we're going to use machines -- optical-scan machines that use paper ballots, that is; touch-screen machines everywhere ought to be burned -- we should, at least, conduct a randomized, accountant-approved audit of ballots.
Experts skeptical results will change.MAHER: I'm not saying something went wrong, but it does bother me that a private company runs the polling machines and that only they certainly, seem to know what went on in that [New Hampshire election].Tony Snow then immediately brings up Photo ID, completely and entirely out of context, and suggests, incorrectly, that the issue is "voter fraud". It's not. It's election fraud. The voters are doing fine. Leave them alone.
CRIER: What I'm glad about is that whole controversy's come up and that they're going to go back and take a look. It's going to elevate the whole voting machine issue in the minds of the American people before the elections
[APPLAUSE]
MAHER: We have so much debate, and there's so much interest in this election…but it all comes to naught if we can't trust what the result is.
Thankfully, Maher quickly destroys Snow in return. As does Crier.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Kucinich Asks for New Hampshire Recount in the Interest of Election Integrity
Someone was reading.
Bradblog has the best story. Raw Story links to it.
Kucinich alluded to online reports alleging disparities around the state between hand-counted ballots, which tended to favor Sen. Barack Obama, and machine-counted ones that tended to favor Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. He also noted the difference between pre-election polls, which indicated Obama would win, and Clinton's triumph by a 39 percent to 37 percent margin.It would seem the Barack Obama should pay the $2000 fee and get the entire state "recounted." I put recount in quotes because us critics are wanting a "hand-count" to determine the accuracy of the Republican LHS Associates programmed machine counts.
Candidates who lose by 3 percentage or less are entitled to a recount for a $2,000 fee. Candidates who lose by more must pay for the full cost. Kucinich's campaign said it was sending the $2,000 fee to start the recount.
Scanlon said his office had received several phone calls since Tuesday, mostly from outside the state, questioning the results. New Hampshire's voting machines are not linked in any way, which Scanlon says reduce the likelihood of tampering with results on a statewide level. Also, the results can be checked against paper ballots.
"I think people from out of state don't completely understand how our process works and they compare it to the system that might exist in Florida or Ohio, where they have had serious problems," he said. "Perhaps the best thing that could happen for us is to have a recount to show the people that ... the votes that were cast on election day were accurately reflected in the results. And I have every confidence that will be the case."
Bradblog has the best story. Raw Story links to it.
We've put the words "count" and "recount" in quotes, given what we know about these machines, and given the fact that approximately 80% of the New Hampshire ballots have not actually been counted or examined by anyone. To our knowledge, only Diebold optical-scanners were used for tabulating those ballots, without any secondary cross-check or audit, to ensure accuracy. In other words, until now, 80% of New Hampshire results have been "faith-based". The other 20% or so of the ballots were counted by hand at the polling place on Election Night.The Election Defense Alliance noticed something highly unusual about the machine counted votes compared to the hand counted:
We would also caution Kucinich and his team to closely inspect the chain of custody for the ballots in question, and what has happened to them, and the vulnerable op-scan memory cards, since the election two days ago, during the period that concern has been widely expressed about the seemingly anomalous results of Tuesday's election. It's important that the chain of custody be both secure, fully logged, and transparent.
Theron Horton and I have confirmed that based on the official results on the New Hampshire Secretary of State web site, there is a remarkable relationship between Obama and Clinton votes, when you look at votes tabulated by op-scan versus votes tabulated by hand:There has been speculation in an Arizona election that the county clerk simply reversed the propositions in the software that votes would be recorded for to get desired results. A court battle is underway.
Clinton Optical scan 91,717 52.95%
Obama Optical scan 81,495 47.05%
Clinton Hand-counted 20,889 47.05%
Obama Hand-counted 23,509 52.95%
The percentages appear to be swapped. This seems highly unusual.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
What happened to the polls in NH? Update
Pollster Mark Blumenthal lists 8 possible reasons they were off including Diebold vote-counting fraud, which he is dubious about.
A big problem is that exit polls are adjusted to reflect actual results. An unadjusted exit poll is needed.
Charles Franklin feels the polling industry needs to release more data and study it to determine what went wrong. It was a ten point undercount for Hillary only.
Most people are saying there was a late surge for Hillary Clinton. But the exit poll data shows those who made up their mind in the last three days went to Obama
Not discounting vote tabulation fraud - Bradblog. He follows it up with a post using Blackbox Voting's report on the criminal felony conviction of a LHS Associates executive programmer, some mainstream coverage, and Chris Matthews admitting the raw exit polls showed Obama winning.
Another look at the exit polls that Fox News had showed it was the most liberal portion of the state where the exit polls showed an Obama win but machine counted results showed Hillary Clinton winning. I don't know about you but I think Hillary is not racking up wins in the most liberal areas, contradicting secret exit polls.
Most of the other blog commentary on New Hampshire is on Hillary winning the women's votes for various reasons and taking it from Edwards.
WILL RON PAUL AUTHORIZE AN AUDIT OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY? It was his website that posted the first looks at vote results differences by hand count versus electronic count.
When all the candidates are acceptable you too can be Undecided, and changeable?
I am not accusing any campaign of anything but a recount of the Concord/West segment of the state and possibly the South should be undertaken now.
As an aside, New Hampshire's TV winner was Rachel Meadows.
Update - Let me make it clear I do not think that the Clinton campaign stole the election. I think that every time the Republican LHS Associates machines total the ballots some of their totals should be hand audited. I don't trust businesses that design their software to be easily hacked and employ felons.
UPDATE - Dallas Morning News: Bloggers form theory New Hampshire vote was rigged.
Truthseeds.org: Did machine errors remove votes from Ron Paul and Barrack Obama?
HBO: Hacking Democracy.
A big problem is that exit polls are adjusted to reflect actual results. An unadjusted exit poll is needed.
Charles Franklin feels the polling industry needs to release more data and study it to determine what went wrong. It was a ten point undercount for Hillary only.
Most people are saying there was a late surge for Hillary Clinton. But the exit poll data shows those who made up their mind in the last three days went to Obama
Not discounting vote tabulation fraud - Bradblog. He follows it up with a post using Blackbox Voting's report on the criminal felony conviction of a LHS Associates executive programmer, some mainstream coverage, and Chris Matthews admitting the raw exit polls showed Obama winning.
Another look at the exit polls that Fox News had showed it was the most liberal portion of the state where the exit polls showed an Obama win but machine counted results showed Hillary Clinton winning. I don't know about you but I think Hillary is not racking up wins in the most liberal areas, contradicting secret exit polls.
The folks at Fox News headquarters in New York, my companions on election night, told me that they found discrepancies between the exit poll results and the actual tabulated vote in exit poll precincts in the Concord/West segment of the state, a liberal area that has been leaning Vermontward in its politics and was the strongest area for Howard Dean in 2004. This is a bit puzzling, since the exit poll, like the actual vote, is a secret ballot: The voter gets a ballot that he marks up and then deposits in a box....So was it organization turning out the votes in areas that I think should have gone for Obama or Edwards or the folks at LHS trying to throw a monkeywrench into the results?
The Manchester area was Hillary Clinton's strongest region in the state, and she carried next-door upscale Bedford (by just a few votes) and most of the other surrounding towns. The initial exit poll precincts showed Clinton carrying the region denoted "South" (these definitions were made back in the 1970s and reflect demographic conditions then, not now), about which I was skeptical. But as the votes came in, it became clear that she indeed was carrying most of the towns in these areas....
Clinton carried Manchester 45 to 31 percent and Nashua, seemingly less favorable ground, 45 to 33 percent. She racked up big margins in the former mill towns of Dover, Rochester, and Somersworth on the Maine border, where turnout was almost double that in 2000.
Most of the other blog commentary on New Hampshire is on Hillary winning the women's votes for various reasons and taking it from Edwards.
WILL RON PAUL AUTHORIZE AN AUDIT OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY? It was his website that posted the first looks at vote results differences by hand count versus electronic count.
When all the candidates are acceptable you too can be Undecided, and changeable?
I am not accusing any campaign of anything but a recount of the Concord/West segment of the state and possibly the South should be undertaken now.
As an aside, New Hampshire's TV winner was Rachel Meadows.
Update - Let me make it clear I do not think that the Clinton campaign stole the election. I think that every time the Republican LHS Associates machines total the ballots some of their totals should be hand audited. I don't trust businesses that design their software to be easily hacked and employ felons.
UPDATE - Dallas Morning News: Bloggers form theory New Hampshire vote was rigged.
Truthseeds.org: Did machine errors remove votes from Ron Paul and Barrack Obama?
HBO: Hacking Democracy.
Chris Matthews should be removed from covering politics at MSNBC
Media Matters has the goods on Chris Matthews. The Philadelphia Inquirer magazine reported in June 2001 that Matthews told an MSNBC colleague, "I hate her. I hate her. All that she stands for."
Comparing Matthews remarks about Rudy Guiliani and Hillary Clinton the last three months:
Matthews on Clinton's debate performance: "good enough here for women who wanted to root for her anyway"
The rest of MSNBC's New Hampshire coverage was the best on TV but even other hosts kept edging away and objecting to Chris Matthews who would not shut up and kept dissing Senator Hillary Clinton.
Chris Matthews outdoes himself.
Crooks and Liars - Matthews needs to be removed from election coverage.
firedoglake - "What is wrong with Chris Matthews? With all of these media people? I mean that, in all honesty, what in the hell is wrong with them? Their personal loathing of Hillary Clinton shone through in every sniggering, overwrought report this week."
Comparing Matthews remarks about Rudy Guiliani and Hillary Clinton the last three months:
Matthews made 82 negative remarks about Clinton during this period. They cover a wide range of topics, but most have to do with character issues -- that Clinton is overly calculating, disingenuous, or unethical.After vowing not to underestimate Clinton, Matthews asserted, "[T]he reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around"
Matthews made 28 positive remarks about Rudy Giuliani, most concerning how much of a leader and how tough Giuliani is.
Matthews made eight negative remarks about Giuliani, most about his stance on immigration.
Matthews on Clinton's debate performance: "good enough here for women who wanted to root for her anyway"
The rest of MSNBC's New Hampshire coverage was the best on TV but even other hosts kept edging away and objecting to Chris Matthews who would not shut up and kept dissing Senator Hillary Clinton.
Chris Matthews outdoes himself.
Crooks and Liars - Matthews needs to be removed from election coverage.
firedoglake - "What is wrong with Chris Matthews? With all of these media people? I mean that, in all honesty, what in the hell is wrong with them? Their personal loathing of Hillary Clinton shone through in every sniggering, overwrought report this week."
Rosenthal - How did my campaigning get on my office computer?
I told you there was a problem. And not just with porn and love notes.
Channel 11 News -
Channel 11 News -
AP HOUSTON — The Texas Attorney General’s office has agreed to investigate the actions of embattled Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal.
Harris County Attorney Michael Stafford asked the attorney general Wednesday to look into the case following the release of sexually and racially charged messages that Rosenthal sent and received using his county e-mail account.
The e-mails also show Rosenthal used that e-mail account to strategize about his campaign. It is illegal in Texas to use government property for political activity.
Rosenthal dropped his re-election bid under pressure from local Republican leaders. Those leaders are now calling for his immediate resignation.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Boom - Sibel Edmonds Nuke Revelations tied to BCCI
The nuclear arms spy and corruption network recorded by FBI wiretapping which Sibel Edmonds revealed has ties to the Bush family and BCCI. See also the bottom Postscript of this article.
OhMyNews - Spy Story Bombshell Rocks Washington. Note, OhMyNews in South Korea is a very popular citizen journalist site. US coverage - zero, international coverage - some.
What are the odds the only thing that comes from this is Edmonds getting jail time for revealing national security secrets?
OhMyNews - Spy Story Bombshell Rocks Washington. Note, OhMyNews in South Korea is a very popular citizen journalist site. US coverage - zero, international coverage - some.
What are the odds the only thing that comes from this is Edmonds getting jail time for revealing national security secrets?
Establishment Comeback in New Hampshire - Update
Democratic polls were wrong and Hillary wins it. This win comes after three days of even her own camp believing she would lose.
On the Republican side, the establishment candidates of McCain and Romney are one and two. Rudy Giuliani still is waiting for Florida. Huckabee should be getting good news as the campaign heads south.
Both McCain and Hillary Clinton could claim "Comeback Kid" honors. The huge surprise was Hillary but a month ago everyone believed McCain, once the front runner, was all but dead. Can Thompson experience a similar resurrection? The establishment rallied after losing to progressives in Iowa.
McCain, Romney and Huckabee will battle for Michigan. On the Democratic side in Michigan it will be Clinton versus uncommitted for no delegates.
Ron Paul did not get the 12% I predicted, only 8%, beating Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter. His racist, sexist, anti-homosexual newsletters surfaced.
Expect to hear two things in post analysis of New Hampshire: the crying moment where Hillary reconnected with woman voters(?), and the Bradley effect where white voters say they will vote for a black man but in a secret ballot won't(?).
Obama will have a hard time in the South, along with Clinton. Just today I opened an email from my Dad and it was the false claim that "Obama is a radical Muslim who won't pledge allegiance."
This is false as I explained to my Dad and referred him to the debunking at SNOPES. Let me repeat for you other Southerners here.
With 96% reporting (Democrats Bold)
Hillary..... 110,172..... 21.8%..... 9
Obama....... 102,409..... 20.2%..... 9
McCain....... 86,551..... 17.1%..... 7
Romney....... 73,681..... 14.6%..... 4
Edwards...... 47,650...... 9.4%..... 7
Huckabee..... 25,958...... 5.1%..... 1
Guiliani..... 20,009...... 4.0%
Ron Paul..... 17,788...... 3.5%
Richardson... 12,936...... 2.6%
Kucinich...... 3,841...... 0.8%
Thompson...... 2,796...... 0.6%
Hunter........ 1,191...... 0.2%
Biden........... 615...... 0.1%
Gravel.......... 397...... 0.1%
Dodd............ 193...... 0.0%
NYT - From a Big Boost for Obama to a Sharp Blow
WP - Another Comeback Kid
WSJ - Clinton Defeats Obama in Primary; McCain Takes Republican Contest
Time - The Comeback Kids
UK Guardian - Hillary fights on with full heart
Look to what happened with the Democratic polls here - it looks like college-educated women went big for Clinton in the last two days.
There were three great speeches tonight. I'll try to post videos when they show up online.
Update: Concerns raised about LHS vote counting software hacking the vote for Clinton. A Ron Paul supporter already has a results by town that shows Obama won on the hand-counted results. A quick audit of a few townships recounting by hand comparing the totals from the LHS Associates vote totals would quickly resolve this.
TalkLeft - This is good for the Democratic Party and for Democratic values.
Amanda - I got angry at Edwards. I think maybe some other women did too. Edwards: I wasn't criticizing Hillary for emotional moment - video.
Dana Milbank - Clinton and reporters had prepared for wake, came back to Lazarus.
Videos of New Hampshire Obama, Edwards, and Hillary. Could have been great but then ended on Michigan and Democrat bashing - Romney.
On the Republican side, the establishment candidates of McCain and Romney are one and two. Rudy Giuliani still is waiting for Florida. Huckabee should be getting good news as the campaign heads south.
Both McCain and Hillary Clinton could claim "Comeback Kid" honors. The huge surprise was Hillary but a month ago everyone believed McCain, once the front runner, was all but dead. Can Thompson experience a similar resurrection? The establishment rallied after losing to progressives in Iowa.
McCain, Romney and Huckabee will battle for Michigan. On the Democratic side in Michigan it will be Clinton versus uncommitted for no delegates.
Ron Paul did not get the 12% I predicted, only 8%, beating Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter. His racist, sexist, anti-homosexual newsletters surfaced.
Expect to hear two things in post analysis of New Hampshire: the crying moment where Hillary reconnected with woman voters(?), and the Bradley effect where white voters say they will vote for a black man but in a secret ballot won't(?).
Obama will have a hard time in the South, along with Clinton. Just today I opened an email from my Dad and it was the false claim that "Obama is a radical Muslim who won't pledge allegiance."
This is false as I explained to my Dad and referred him to the debunking at SNOPES. Let me repeat for you other Southerners here.
I keep an eye on the delegate count and the total votes for each primary.Obama did not attend a radical Muslim school but a Catholic school when he was young and then a secular public school in Indonesia. They were both the best schools in his neighborhood.
He became a Christian before he entered politics. He says he has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He attends the Sunday 11 AM service at his church whenever he is in town.
You may get other emails saying this is a radical communist church. It is a large popular Church of Christ mainly black church with a history of helping people in the community. He met many members of the church while working as a $13,000 a year community organizer dealing with neighborhood poverty caused by closed steel plants.
He has recited the pledge of allegiance in public many times and normally places his hand over his heart. Many pictures are available of this.
Obama took the oath of office on a Bible, not the Koran.This a false lie spread by ignorant people.
With 96% reporting (Democrats Bold)
Hillary..... 110,172..... 21.8%..... 9
Obama....... 102,409..... 20.2%..... 9
McCain....... 86,551..... 17.1%..... 7
Romney....... 73,681..... 14.6%..... 4
Edwards...... 47,650...... 9.4%..... 7
Huckabee..... 25,958...... 5.1%..... 1
Guiliani..... 20,009...... 4.0%
Ron Paul..... 17,788...... 3.5%
Richardson... 12,936...... 2.6%
Kucinich...... 3,841...... 0.8%
Thompson...... 2,796...... 0.6%
Hunter........ 1,191...... 0.2%
Biden........... 615...... 0.1%
Gravel.......... 397...... 0.1%
Dodd............ 193...... 0.0%
NYT - From a Big Boost for Obama to a Sharp Blow
WP - Another Comeback Kid
WSJ - Clinton Defeats Obama in Primary; McCain Takes Republican Contest
Time - The Comeback Kids
UK Guardian - Hillary fights on with full heart
Look to what happened with the Democratic polls here - it looks like college-educated women went big for Clinton in the last two days.
There were three great speeches tonight. I'll try to post videos when they show up online.
Update: Concerns raised about LHS vote counting software hacking the vote for Clinton. A Ron Paul supporter already has a results by town that shows Obama won on the hand-counted results. A quick audit of a few townships recounting by hand comparing the totals from the LHS Associates vote totals would quickly resolve this.
TalkLeft - This is good for the Democratic Party and for Democratic values.
Amanda - I got angry at Edwards. I think maybe some other women did too. Edwards: I wasn't criticizing Hillary for emotional moment - video.
Dana Milbank - Clinton and reporters had prepared for wake, came back to Lazarus.
Videos of New Hampshire Obama, Edwards, and Hillary. Could have been great but then ended on Michigan and Democrat bashing - Romney.
Rosenthal - How did that porn get in my emails?
The Houston Chronicle, which barely mentions the really good stuff:
Rosenthal was using his tax-payer-funded computer inappropriately for campaign purposes, which the GOP head in Harris County dismisses as "everyone does it." Of course, the GOP went after Al Gore as Vice President for doing it.
Kelly Siegler, a new GOP candidate for Harris County Attorney, perhaps should be asked why she hasn't investigated her husband for sending email porn.
"It's time for Chuck Rosenthal to pack his bags and leave," said county GOP Chairman Jared Woodfill.As someone who receives over 10,000 items of spam a month the story provides too little information to determine if all the porn was simply spam. I hear it wasn't. He was receiving porn from friends but not forwarding it.
Rosenthal declined to comment late Tuesday.
Among e-mails that concerned Woodfill were video clips of nudity and sex acts and a racist joke forwarded by Rosenthal that compares former President Bill Clinton to a black man.
The e-mail says Clinton played the saxophone, smoked marijuana and gets a check from the government each month.
Also included within the e-mails is heavy traffic between Rosenthal and Sam Siegler, Rosenthal's physician and the husband of Kelly Siegler, who is running for district attorney.
In one e-mail from Sam Siegler to Rosenthal, an attached video shows women having their breasts exposed after men forcibly pulled down their blouses in public. The video called the act "sharking."
Rosenthal was using his tax-payer-funded computer inappropriately for campaign purposes, which the GOP head in Harris County dismisses as "everyone does it." Of course, the GOP went after Al Gore as Vice President for doing it.
Kelly Siegler, a new GOP candidate for Harris County Attorney, perhaps should be asked why she hasn't investigated her husband for sending email porn.
'I am not a politician but I am a kook'
Republican candidate for Lampson's congressional seat vows to eat only military MREs until primary day.
Rep. Nick Lampson is a strong supporter of veterans, even those who vow to fight the global war on terrorism by eating MREs. Nick Lampson also supports improving veterans mental health benefits.
Brian "I-Am-Not-A-Politician" Klock, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 22nd District, announced today that he will show solidarity with American Forces fighting the Global War on Terror by lunching exclusively on MRE (Meals, Ready to Eat) rations through the March 4 primary election.There are ten Republican candidates in this race and no one has heard of Klock.
A Commander in the U.S. Navy reserve, Klock will officially announce his candidacy, outline his principal campaign themes and answer questions from the press on Thursday, January 10th, at 11:00am at the Doubletree Guest Suites -- Galleria, 5353 Westheimer and again on Friday, January 11th, at 11:00am at the American Legion Post -- Ellington Field, 11702 Old Galveston Rd.
Rep. Nick Lampson is a strong supporter of veterans, even those who vow to fight the global war on terrorism by eating MREs. Nick Lampson also supports improving veterans mental health benefits.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Ron Paul's Revenge - The Tonight Show
Faux News landed Ron Paul an exclusive spot with Jay Leno with a much bigger audience and a chance to bash Fox News and woo more voters.
A big boost to the campaign which I think will hit 12% or more in New Hampshire today. More people watch Jay Leno than Fox News.
A big boost to the campaign which I think will hit 12% or more in New Hampshire today. More people watch Jay Leno than Fox News.
Pasadena Mayor's Race
Nice article in the local paper about the race revving back up.
An Isbell victory is not certain but looks to still lean that way.
Riggs has picked up supporters and workers from the other candidates. Isbell has experience. I am not sure if Riggs main theme of being a full-time mayor cuts into the support Isbell gets from the police endorsement. Or if Harrison's mailers about Isbell raising taxes and business problems have hung around.
The one surprise in the race, Douglass's robo-called endorsement of Isbell to every Pasadena voter, was an unexpected blow to the Riggs campaign. There was an expectation that as acting mayor Douglass would stay out of the race. It appears that Jack Douglass just thought that experience counts. I think I would disagree but it is a reasonable argument.
Edge still to Isbell but turning out your voters for these low turnout local Texas elections is the key.
An Isbell victory is not certain but looks to still lean that way.
Riggs has picked up supporters and workers from the other candidates. Isbell has experience. I am not sure if Riggs main theme of being a full-time mayor cuts into the support Isbell gets from the police endorsement. Or if Harrison's mailers about Isbell raising taxes and business problems have hung around.
The one surprise in the race, Douglass's robo-called endorsement of Isbell to every Pasadena voter, was an unexpected blow to the Riggs campaign. There was an expectation that as acting mayor Douglass would stay out of the race. It appears that Jack Douglass just thought that experience counts. I think I would disagree but it is a reasonable argument.
Edge still to Isbell but turning out your voters for these low turnout local Texas elections is the key.
Early voting by personal appearance has already begun and will continue through Jan. 15.
Early voting only takes place at City Hall from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. There will be extended hours for early voting on Jan. 14 and 15 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The deadline for receiving an application for mail ballot is 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 11, 2008.
On Election Day, Jan. 19, polls will be open at their normal district polling locations from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For questions about voting, contact the City Secretary's office 713-475-5513.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Texas Round-Up 08 #1
It's a New Year (and a Monday), and that means it's time once again to bring back the Texas Progressive Alliance's weekly blog round up. This week's round-up was compiled by Vince from Capitol Annex, who offers a thousand apologies for it being tardy this week.
TXsharon burned despair's chair. See Bluedaze for an inspirational New Year's message of hope.
Off the Kuff asked a variety of interesting people to write a post for him called Looking Forward to 2008. Topics ranged from music and television to local, state, and national politics. The entire series, which wrapped up last week, can be found here.
Barfly at McBlogger says thank you to our neighbor to the north for giving us some of our most cherished celebrities. Like Celine Dion.
John Coby at Bay Area Houston lists who is running for office and who is not in Clear Lake.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News saw the Iowa results as a Progressive sweep and picked out the winners and losers.
In all the undignified events surrounding the Harris County District Attorney's office, the announcements on KHOU-TV and KPRC-TV regarding assistant district attorney Kelly Seigler's run for her boss' job has taken the proverbial cake. Jaye at Winding Road in Urban Area notes that it is just charming that Ms. Seigler said on camera, that aspects of being district attorney "sucks." Nothing says "get to know me" the first time a voter may see a candidate like saying the job I want, "sucks!"
nytexan at BlueBloggin points out the newest GOP stunt to block the Senate and screw up another presidential election. With the primary season underway for the most important presidential race the Federal Election Commission has shut its doors.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes James 'Rick' Perry ignored ceremony for fallen Texas military hero. That's how Republicans support and honor our troops!
It was a bad start to 2008 (if you happened to be a Republican), no matter if your name was Vicki Truitt, or Chuck Rosenthal, or Jared Woodfill, or Mitt Romney. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has more on the conservative misery.
WCNews at Eye on Williamson opines about the death of Ric Williamson and who will be The Next Leader Of TxDOT.
To start 2008 off for Texas Kaos, Lightseeker takes a look at some of The Big Texas Issues we'll be talking about in the coming year.
Muse is only now able to get her bulls---t detector to quiet down after Harris County DA, Chuck "Romancethal" Rosenthal, told the Houston Chronicle that he was only sending romantic emails to his secretary because she had personal problems. Right (wink, wink, former FBI agent wife). What else happened? Pity sex?
Phillip at Burnt Orange Report takes a preliminary look at some numbers on filings for the Texas House, including the large number of Republicans that are facing both a primary and general election opponent.
Texas Toad at North Texas Liberal introduces the new slate of Denton County Democratic candidates, as revealed at a press conference promoting the strength of the local party with high hopes for 2008.
Capitol Annex (complete with a new look following a weekend redesign) tells us that a federal court has upheld Texas' moment of silence law passed for school children in 2003 and notes that another major lawsuit related to the new pledge to the state flag still looms.
The TexasCloverleaf cautions some to smoke 'em if they got 'em, but they still might go to jail. DFW area law enforcement is ignoring the new option to give citations to pot smokers.
On The Texas Blue this week, contributor David Gurney explains that he doesn't really buy this business of a "war on Christmas."
TXsharon burned despair's chair. See Bluedaze for an inspirational New Year's message of hope.
Off the Kuff asked a variety of interesting people to write a post for him called Looking Forward to 2008. Topics ranged from music and television to local, state, and national politics. The entire series, which wrapped up last week, can be found here.
Barfly at McBlogger says thank you to our neighbor to the north for giving us some of our most cherished celebrities. Like Celine Dion.
John Coby at Bay Area Houston lists who is running for office and who is not in Clear Lake.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News saw the Iowa results as a Progressive sweep and picked out the winners and losers.
In all the undignified events surrounding the Harris County District Attorney's office, the announcements on KHOU-TV and KPRC-TV regarding assistant district attorney Kelly Seigler's run for her boss' job has taken the proverbial cake. Jaye at Winding Road in Urban Area notes that it is just charming that Ms. Seigler said on camera, that aspects of being district attorney "sucks." Nothing says "get to know me" the first time a voter may see a candidate like saying the job I want, "sucks!"
nytexan at BlueBloggin points out the newest GOP stunt to block the Senate and screw up another presidential election. With the primary season underway for the most important presidential race the Federal Election Commission has shut its doors.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes James 'Rick' Perry ignored ceremony for fallen Texas military hero. That's how Republicans support and honor our troops!
It was a bad start to 2008 (if you happened to be a Republican), no matter if your name was Vicki Truitt, or Chuck Rosenthal, or Jared Woodfill, or Mitt Romney. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has more on the conservative misery.
WCNews at Eye on Williamson opines about the death of Ric Williamson and who will be The Next Leader Of TxDOT.
To start 2008 off for Texas Kaos, Lightseeker takes a look at some of The Big Texas Issues we'll be talking about in the coming year.
Muse is only now able to get her bulls---t detector to quiet down after Harris County DA, Chuck "Romancethal" Rosenthal, told the Houston Chronicle that he was only sending romantic emails to his secretary because she had personal problems. Right (wink, wink, former FBI agent wife). What else happened? Pity sex?
Phillip at Burnt Orange Report takes a preliminary look at some numbers on filings for the Texas House, including the large number of Republicans that are facing both a primary and general election opponent.
Texas Toad at North Texas Liberal introduces the new slate of Denton County Democratic candidates, as revealed at a press conference promoting the strength of the local party with high hopes for 2008.
Capitol Annex (complete with a new look following a weekend redesign) tells us that a federal court has upheld Texas' moment of silence law passed for school children in 2003 and notes that another major lawsuit related to the new pledge to the state flag still looms.
The TexasCloverleaf cautions some to smoke 'em if they got 'em, but they still might go to jail. DFW area law enforcement is ignoring the new option to give citations to pot smokers.
On The Texas Blue this week, contributor David Gurney explains that he doesn't really buy this business of a "war on Christmas."
Whistleblower Charges High Level Nuclear Weapons Cover-Up
Former 'Gagged' FBI Whistleblower Alleges Pentagon, State Department Officials Overheard Receiving Payoffs in Exchange for Classified Info; Crimes Covered Up at Highest Levels of Bush Administration
Headline News in London.
BradBlog has been covering this story from the start.
Sibel Edmonds Claims Former Turkish diplomat captured on tape selling nuclear secrets.
Note - I started blogging on her story in 2004.
Last October she tried to get any major US media to report the story.
Bradblog:
There are other related bombshells in reports from other bloggers: The #3 guy at the State Dept facilitated the immediate release of 911 suspects at the request of targets of the FBI's investigation.
The usual gang of suspects, us liberal bloggers, have been demanding hearings for years with little success. Last year she was begging for the media to let her name names. Now she has in pictures.
I have followed Sibel Edmonds story for a long time and she has repeatedly been found credible and the Bush administration has gagged her story and our media will not follow-up.
You can see why Bush&Co. would. Many administration members, including names you may recognize, have been selling our nuclear secrets to the highest bidders in the Middle East. But the Democrats in Congress have been too afraid to investigate because of "national security concerns." Rep. Waxman has pretty much admitted he waits until the US media will cover a story to proceed on House hearings. And the Senate committees are worse.
Investigative journalist Larisa Alexandrovna, after years of not getting the US media to pick up her story, also drops a few names.
Sibel Edmond's Website.
Daniel Ellsberg - Sibel's story is more explosive than the Pentagon Papers.
There is more including more bloggers but we seem to be giving the NSA supercomputer fits, I keep losing the connection to all the sites. (Pure speculation.)
Managed to get through and will add Raimondo at AntiWar.com. "We're in big trouble if even half of what Sibel Edmonds says is true… "
Tags: Sibel Edmonds, FBI, treason, corruption, nukes, nuclear secrets,
Headline News in London.
BradBlog has been covering this story from the start.
Sibel Edmonds Claims Former Turkish diplomat captured on tape selling nuclear secrets.
Note - I started blogging on her story in 2004.
Last October she tried to get any major US media to report the story.
Despite broken promises for hearings on her case by U.S. Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA), support from Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Patrick Leahy (D-MI), and a number of mainstream expos̩s several years ago detailing aspects of her story before she was willing to break her unprecedented "States Secrets Privilege" gag order, none of the American broadcast media outlets took her up on her offer.She claims that the FBI was also gathering evidence against senior Pentagon officials Рincluding household names Рwho were aiding foreign agents.
Bradblog:
In our mid-November follow-up article, the legendary 1970's whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg had excoriated the U.S. media for their failure to cover the story, even as Edmonds was risking jail in order to expose crimes and massive corruption, allegedly, in the highest levels of the government. At the time, Ellsberg told us that he believed the information she had been forced by the Administration to withhold "is far more explosive than the Pentagon Papers."Among other allegations:
Foreign intelligence agents from Turkey, Israel and Pakistan enlisted the support of high-level US officials in order to acquire a network of moles deep inside of sensitive American military and nuclear agencies, including "PhD students – with security clearance [at] Los Alamos nuclear laboratory in New Mexico, which is responsible for the security of the US nuclear deterrent."In a somewhat related story it is alleged that former Speaker Hastart recieved $500,000 in bribes from Turkish citizens. Hastert resigned after reports of Department of Justice investigations linking him with convicted lobbyist Abramoff.
Well-known US officials were then bribed by foreign agents to steal US nuclear secrets. One such incident from 2000 involves an agent overheard on a wiretap discussing "nuclear information that had been stolen from an air force base in Alabama," in which the agent allegedly is heard saying: "We have a package and we’re going to sell it for $250,000
Nuclear secrets were then subsequently sold by foreign agents to America's enemies, including Iran, North Korea and Libya.
Pakistani officials involved in the nuclear black market network have significant cross-over with al-Qaeda and 9/11. Officials such as the chief of ISI, Pakistan's spy agency, allegedly sent $100,000 to 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta, and aides of A.Q. Kahn --- who had used the stolen secrets to develop nuclear weapons for Pakistan --- met with Osama bin Laden "weeks before 9/11...to discuss an Al- aeda nuclear device."
Elements of the US government have repeatedly shut down investigations into these crimes under the guise of protecting "certain diplomatic relations."
The US government has been aware of all of the above information since at least 2001.
There are other related bombshells in reports from other bloggers: The #3 guy at the State Dept facilitated the immediate release of 911 suspects at the request of targets of the FBI's investigation.
The usual gang of suspects, us liberal bloggers, have been demanding hearings for years with little success. Last year she was begging for the media to let her name names. Now she has in pictures.
I have followed Sibel Edmonds story for a long time and she has repeatedly been found credible and the Bush administration has gagged her story and our media will not follow-up.
You can see why Bush&Co. would. Many administration members, including names you may recognize, have been selling our nuclear secrets to the highest bidders in the Middle East. But the Democrats in Congress have been too afraid to investigate because of "national security concerns." Rep. Waxman has pretty much admitted he waits until the US media will cover a story to proceed on House hearings. And the Senate committees are worse.
Investigative journalist Larisa Alexandrovna, after years of not getting the US media to pick up her story, also drops a few names.
Sibel Edmond's Website.
01/26/05 "ACLU" -- -- After her termination, many of Edmonds' allegations were confirmed by the FBI in unclassified briefings to Congress. More than two years later, in May 2004, the Justice Department retroactively classified Edmonds' briefings, as well as the FBI briefings, and forced Members of Congress who had the information posted on their Web sites to remove the documentsCannonFire: Terrorists had a lot of drug money. They used that money to buy officials in the U.S., who allowed moles to enter our most sensitive installations.
Daniel Ellsberg - Sibel's story is more explosive than the Pentagon Papers.
There is more including more bloggers but we seem to be giving the NSA supercomputer fits, I keep losing the connection to all the sites. (Pure speculation.)
Managed to get through and will add Raimondo at AntiWar.com. "We're in big trouble if even half of what Sibel Edmonds says is true… "
As Edmonds says, "we have the facts, we have the documents, we have the witnesses. Put out the tapes, put out the documents, put out the intercepts – put out the truth."How credible is she. 60 Minutes found her very credible in 2002 - video. All of her information was available in 2002 but the media didn't pursue it and the government covered it up. Now she is willing to risk going to jail to get it out.
If a nuke ever goes off in an American city, it will probably have been stolen from our own arsenal – once the American people wake up to that scary fact, the rest will follow automatically.
Tags: Sibel Edmonds, FBI, treason, corruption, nukes, nuclear secrets,
Blogger dies in Iraq, gets the last word
Andrew Olmstead's Final Post:
I suppose I should speak to the circumstances of my death. It would be nice to believe that I died leading men in battle, preferably saving their lives at the cost of my own. More likely I was caught by a marksman or an IED. But if there is an afterlife, I'm telling anyone who asks that I went down surrounded by hundreds of insurgents defending a village composed solely of innocent women and children. It'll be our little secret, ok?
I do ask (not that I'm in a position to enforce this) that no one try to use my death to further their political purposes. I went to Iraq and did what I did for my reasons, not yours. My life isn't a chit to be used to bludgeon people to silence on either side. If you think the U.S. should stay in Iraq, don't drag me into it by claiming that somehow my death demands us staying in Iraq. If you think the U.S. ought to get out tomorrow, don't cite my name as an example of someone's life who was wasted by our mission in Iraq. I have my own opinions about what we should do about Iraq, but since I'm not around to expound on them I'd prefer others not try and use me as some kind of moral capital to support a position I probably didn't support. Further, this is tough enough on my family without their having to see my picture being used in some rally or my name being cited for some political purpose. You can fight political battles without hurting my family, and I'd prefer that you did so....
This may be a contradiction of my above call to keep politics out of my death, but I hope not. Sometimes going to war is the right idea. I think we've drawn that line too far in the direction of war rather than peace, but I'm a soldier and I know that sometimes you have to fight if you're to hold onto what you hold dear. But in making that decision, I believe we understate the costs of war; when we make the decision to fight, we make the decision to kill, and that means lives and families destroyed. Mine now falls into that category; the next time the question of war or peace comes up, if you knew me at least you can understand a bit more just what it is you're deciding to do, and whether or not those costs are worth it.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Obama's New Year?
Sometimes you need to step back, take a deep breath, and start over. January is a good time to do that. Sorry, this is going to be long.
On the presidential race front Obama has been amazing and his momentum is growing. He is either the new Kennedy, Bobby or John, or as Andrew Sullivan has just called it, the new Reagan. The Australian:
Another British journalist calls Obama the new JFK.
A young conservative talks about voting for Barack Obama:
I am also having to consider Barack Obama as a more prudent, more unifying, more transformative call for a new direction than Edwards. As Andrew said "no one captures the sheer, pent-up desire for a new start more effectively than Obama." And as Howard Dean writes: "Seven years after taking office, President Bush's approval rating is stuck around 33 percent. Roughly two-thirds of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. But on issue after issue, while Democrats offer real solutions and new ideas to provide the American people with the change they want, the Republicans offer a third Bush term."
In every way the most transformative change would come from Obama but paradoxically he could also be the most unifying change candidate. My only doubt about this being Obama's year comes from my sister. My sister, a conservative Independent, doesn't like Obama and thinks "he acts like he is entitled." She favors Hillary Clinton.
I think Edwards is still the top tier candidate with the most progressive message but he now seems almost a one-trick pony and is not the inspiring, hopeful choice. I am not the only progressive who is torn between the two candidates - Still True to ObEdwards – Why I Keep Donating to Both Edwards and Obama. RIght now I will also keep a dual endorsement, Obama has been added to your left. I sometime wish for a British type of system where we elect a party and the top posting is all internal party stuff.
So how are the candidates doing? Obama jumps to a 13 point lead in New Hampshire. Edwards is also moving up in polls but it looks like Obama, Clinton, Edwards.
CNN National Poll Matchups 12/12/07- John Edwards Still Most Electable Democrat. Will that change after next week?
Tags: Barack Obama, 2008
On the presidential race front Obama has been amazing and his momentum is growing. He is either the new Kennedy, Bobby or John, or as Andrew Sullivan has just called it, the new Reagan. The Australian:
Could Obama be a potential liberal version of Ronald Reagan? Could he do for the Democrats what Reagan did for the Republicans a quarter century ago? It's increasingly possible. Reagan was the cutting edge of the previous realignment in US politics. With a good-natured civil appeal to Democrats who felt abandoned by their party under Jimmy Carter, Reagan revolutionised the reach of his party.Even conservative Pat Buchanan, who is not a Obama supporter, believes this could be The Last Hurrah for the Reagan Coalition. "The Party of Reagan is losing the country because it is no longer the party of the principles, policies and persona of Reagan, as applied to the problems of our time."
He didn't aim for a mere plurality, as Bill Clinton did. Nor did he go for a polarising 51 per cent strategy, as George W. Bush has done. He ran as a national candidate in search of a national mandate, a proud Republican who nonetheless wanted Democrats to vote for him.
He came out of a period in which Americans had become sickened by the incompetence of their government. Reagan shocked US elites by pivoting that discontent into a victory in 1980. And by his second term, he won 49 out of 50 states.
You can see the same potential in Obama. What has long been remarkable to me is how this liberal politician fails to alienate conservatives. In fact, many like him a great deal. His calm and reasoned demeanour, his crisp style, his refusal to engage in racial identity politics: these appeal to disaffected Republicans.
He is particularly attractive to those on the US Right who feel betrayed by the Bush administration's version of conservatism, just as many Democrats felt betrayed by Carter's liberalism.
These voters -- non-evangelical, fiscally and militarily prudent, socially tolerant -- do not feel at home in the angry, southern, anti-immigrant Republican Party of the past few years.
Almost one-quarter of those voting in the Democratic caucus last Thursday night were Republicans or independents. In both categories, Obama beat Hillary Clinton by more than two to one. In New Hampshire, independents are even more prevalent and may well represent 40 per cent of the Democratic vote. (In Iowa as well as New Hampshire, you can change your party registration on the day of the vote.)
Reagan won a national victory on the strength of Reagan Democrats. Obama could win with Obama Republicans. That's remarkable in itself. When you realise he's also a liberal urban black man whose middle name is Hussein, it's gobsmacking.
Put these disaffected Republicans together with a spectrum of minorities and a black vote potentially greater than at any time in history, and you begin to see what Obama offers his own party.
The other strikingly Reaganite aspect to Obama is his appeal to the younger generation. People forget that the oldest president was extremely popular among the under-30s.
Another British journalist calls Obama the new JFK.
A young conservative talks about voting for Barack Obama:
From somewhere among the motley crews of aged, disgruntled Republicans who have done nothing but inspire fear, from the midst of shrill Democrats who did nothing but talk about “taking down” the rich – somewhere from out of this variegated array of fatalists, one voice rose above it.Those who do not see Barack Obama as a new Reagan see him as a new Kennedy, a deeply inspiring candidate:
I think that an opportunity will have presented itself for conservatives if they are able to vote for Obama in the general election. There are two aspects to his persona that appeal to me. The first is the charismatic side; the side that rejects precedent, that defies tradition and seems to eschew the crusty old cynicism that dominates party politics. Whether you view it as artificial or sincere, it is something our country needs.
The second aspect that appeals to me is his ideology. If Obama is a “moderate,” he’ll be no worse than Huckabee if he is the Republican nominee. If Obama is an extremist, he will illustrate for America what socialism looks like. When Lyndon Johnson did that for us nearly five decades ago, it acted as a catalyst for the coming of Ronald Reagan.
In either case, it is something the nation will easily survive. The latter possibility is something that conservatives can even benefit from.
On the other hand, if we vote for Mike Huckabee, we will be condoning a continuation of the Bush legacy. I find that to be much more frightening than anything the Democrats have presented. Liberalism is what it is, what it has always been; we are all familiar with it, and we know what to expect. It is socialism. It is a destroyer of nations. What else is new?
"For many months, we've been teased, even derided, for talking about hope," he said. "But we always knew that hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead, or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it."The conservatives who have rejected Bush and the new strident bellicosity "win at any cost" direction of the Republican party seem drawn to Obama. Here is what Andrew Sullivan wrote about Obama almost a year ago:
Powerful stuff, given with a goose-bump delivery -- by a victorious black dude in Iowa.
Going forward, this campaign could redefine American politics for a generation, or more.
This guy is a liberal. Make no mistake about that. He may, in fact, be the most effective liberal advocate I've heard in my lifetime. As a conservative, I think he could be absolutely lethal to what's left of the tradition of individualism, self-reliance, and small government that I find myself quixotically attached to. And as a simple observer, I really don't see what's stopping him from becoming the next president.And today: "What strikes me about Obama is not that he is conservative or liberal, it is his policy liberalism with conservative temperament. It is his movement beyond these exhausted ideologies." And Friday: "Obama's legislative record, speeches, and the way he has run his campaign reveal, I think, a very even temperament, a very sound judgment, and an intelligent pragmatism. Prudence is a word that is not inappropriate to him."
I am also having to consider Barack Obama as a more prudent, more unifying, more transformative call for a new direction than Edwards. As Andrew said "no one captures the sheer, pent-up desire for a new start more effectively than Obama." And as Howard Dean writes: "Seven years after taking office, President Bush's approval rating is stuck around 33 percent. Roughly two-thirds of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. But on issue after issue, while Democrats offer real solutions and new ideas to provide the American people with the change they want, the Republicans offer a third Bush term."
In every way the most transformative change would come from Obama but paradoxically he could also be the most unifying change candidate. My only doubt about this being Obama's year comes from my sister. My sister, a conservative Independent, doesn't like Obama and thinks "he acts like he is entitled." She favors Hillary Clinton.
I think Edwards is still the top tier candidate with the most progressive message but he now seems almost a one-trick pony and is not the inspiring, hopeful choice. I am not the only progressive who is torn between the two candidates - Still True to ObEdwards – Why I Keep Donating to Both Edwards and Obama. RIght now I will also keep a dual endorsement, Obama has been added to your left. I sometime wish for a British type of system where we elect a party and the top posting is all internal party stuff.
So how are the candidates doing? Obama jumps to a 13 point lead in New Hampshire. Edwards is also moving up in polls but it looks like Obama, Clinton, Edwards.
CNN National Poll Matchups 12/12/07- John Edwards Still Most Electable Democrat. Will that change after next week?
Tags: Barack Obama, 2008
The Dave Barry Campaign
He has now reached New Hampshire and is running into the other candidates:
There was a good crowd on hand, although the most enthusiasm was generated by a small group of young men who were in favor of electing Chuck Norris president. There was also a person dressed as a snowman, wearing a big snowball head and a T-shirt about global warming, which I assume the snowperson is against.
Speaking of warming, the crowd was warmed up by a blues-rock band called Mama Kicks, and when Huckabee surged into the gym he picked up a bass and joined in playing "In The Midnight Hour." It was a little rough at the start, and Huckabee turned around and bent over to fiddle with the amplifier, so for a few seconds the crowd was basically looking directly at the Huckabutt, which is a view you rarely get of a leading presidential contender, fortunately. But then the band got it together and did decent versions of Twist and Shout and Mustang Sally, rocking the house New-Hampshire style, with people keeping time by rhythmically thrusting signs that said "HUCKABEE" and "MAKE GLOBAL WARMING A PRIORITY" into the air....
After roughly 43 hours of remarks by prominent New Hampshire Democrats living and dead, the crowd heard from major contenders Dennis "The Only Dennis Kucinich on Earth" Kucinich, Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson and Barack Obama. All of them are for change. Until you have heard major Democratic contenders, you do not realize how many times it is possible to use the word "change" in a single speech. They're in a big fight over who will be the best changer. At one point, Clinton, sounding like a veteran toll-booth attendant, said, "I've been making change for 35 years."
Tags: humor, Dave Barry
NYT - Huckabee's Unfair Tax Plan
It is not the same as a normal sales tax, however. Under the proposal, the tax is included first. That means a $100 item would cost $130, or 30 percent more. The plan’s supporters say that works out as a 23 percent rate because $30 is 23 percent of $130. Americans would no longer face federal withholding from their paychecks. But most analysts say the tax rate necessary to replace current federal revenues, under any likely plan, would actually need to be much higher. By some estimates it could add 40 percent, if not more, to the cost of living.
Whatever the rate, critics say, a steep federal retail tax, piled on top of existing state sales taxes, would encourage widespread illegal tax evasion, black market transactions and other forms of cheating, creating a cycle that would require even higher tax rates.
“Even with the rebate counted the way FairTax supporters want it calculated,” said Bruce Bartlett, a conservative tax analyst and policy maker in the Reagan administration who has emerged as one of the proposal’s most powerful critics, “there would be an enormous shift in the tax burden from the wealthy to those with lower and middle incomes.”
Anti-Edwards Bias at Washington Post
Not just me saying that. Jack Betts, a Charlotte Observer associate editor, wrote:
And though he still finished second in Iowa, Edwards couldn't get much credit for it in the news media. Here's how the Washington Post reported it online:Liberal media my blue donkey ass!
"DES MOINES, Jan. 3 -- Sen. Barack Obama, riding a message of hope and change and buoyed by extraordinary turnout, decisively won the Iowa Democratic caucuses Thursday night, dealing a significant setback to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the battle for the party's 2008 presidential nomination.
"With all of the state's 1,781 precincts reporting, Obama (Ill.) won 38 percent of the delegates being awarded in the competition. Clinton (N.Y.) took 29.5 percent to run third behind former senator John Edwards (N.C.), who drew 29.8 percent."
You'd have thought Edwards had come in third -- and in the Post story, he did.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
John Edwards
Edwards gets cash bonus for Iowa results.
Perry like my post on Iowa results. I could say I get a second-hand link from the Houston Chron from him. One thing I haven't mentioned, the actual delegate count was closer in Iowa than the percentages reported. An AP analysis of the Iowa caucus results showed Obama winning 16 delegates, followed by Clinton with 15 and Edwards with 14.
Did Edwards win Iowa for Obama? John Edwards showed the way as his positions keep getting adopted by the other candidates.
Not much of a bounce for second place. Latest New Hampshire poll, first post Iowa - Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. Hillary Clinton, 37% to 27%, in next week's primary. John Edwards is third with 19%, followed by Gov. Bill Richardson has 8%. That was a big bounce for Obama. These poll results are uncertain. In Hampshire turnout is high, but it is an open primary. When a voter walks in, an Independent has to decide if they want a Democratic ballot or a Republican ballot. About 40% of the New Hampshire voters are registered as independent and many of them like both Barack Obama and John McCain.
Shapiro has final thoughts on Edwards in Iowa:
Chris Matthews, with Elizabeth Edwards on, still tries to ignore the John Edwards campaign.
Corporate Media blackout of Edwards campaign gets worse.
Tags: John Edwards, New Hampshire, 2008, primary
Despite Edwards' admission to not be one of the "moneyed" candidates, his fundraising campaign appears to be riding the coat tails of his second-place finish, reporting record-breaking online fundraising totals.Would have been a gusher if he had actually won.
The campaign declined to release actual figures, but said donations began pouring in shortly after the results of the Iowa caucus were announced, and continued to grow Friday to amount to what could be the best fundraising day since the candidate's website was launched a year ago.
Perry like my post on Iowa results. I could say I get a second-hand link from the Houston Chron from him. One thing I haven't mentioned, the actual delegate count was closer in Iowa than the percentages reported. An AP analysis of the Iowa caucus results showed Obama winning 16 delegates, followed by Clinton with 15 and Edwards with 14.
Did Edwards win Iowa for Obama? John Edwards showed the way as his positions keep getting adopted by the other candidates.
Not much of a bounce for second place. Latest New Hampshire poll, first post Iowa - Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. Hillary Clinton, 37% to 27%, in next week's primary. John Edwards is third with 19%, followed by Gov. Bill Richardson has 8%. That was a big bounce for Obama. These poll results are uncertain. In Hampshire turnout is high, but it is an open primary. When a voter walks in, an Independent has to decide if they want a Democratic ballot or a Republican ballot. About 40% of the New Hampshire voters are registered as independent and many of them like both Barack Obama and John McCain.
Shapiro has final thoughts on Edwards in Iowa:
As someone who has watched Edwards closely since 2001, I would like to dissent from the fast-forming conventional wisdom that the 2004 vice-presidential nominee lost in Iowa because his populist message was too harsh. Edwards lost because the fervor for Obama overwhelmed everything else in Iowa. In fact, since turnout was almost 100,000 greater than the Edwards campaign had anticipated, it says something that he still managed to run even with the Clinton machine.Edwards: This is not a two person race.
And a final word about Iowa's runnerup: According to a statistic that I read in this morning's Des Moines Register, Obama spent more days in the state this year than supposedly Iowa-centric Edwards.
Chris Matthews, with Elizabeth Edwards on, still tries to ignore the John Edwards campaign.
Corporate Media blackout of Edwards campaign gets worse.
Tags: John Edwards, New Hampshire, 2008, primary
Hillary Clinton
Media Matters on how the media portrayed Hillary's 29% as a huge defeat but McCain's coming in fourth with 13% was a big win.
Here is the pro and con on Hillary from The American Prospect. I am of this view by Sam Rosenfeld and Matthew Yglesias:
Will she become the new comeback kid? The Clinton legacies are on the line.
Clinton to get tough - "for a candidate who once hoped to make it inevitable, interesting is a very bad thing."
Uh-Oh, Hillary.
The view from the right - Clinton will go negative because that is what they do. That is also the view from the center - Bill Clinton's excuse of the media makes us do it doesn't cut it.
Tags: Hillary Clinton, 2008, primary, New Hampshire
Here is the pro and con on Hillary from The American Prospect. I am of this view by Sam Rosenfeld and Matthew Yglesias:
Liberal Democrats should want a nominee who is, in fact, a liberal. And liberals and moderates alike have should want a nominee who's seen as a moderate by the median voter. Clinton, however, is a moderate who people think is a liberal. This is a terrible combination of qualities from almost every point of view -- except, perhaps, for the faction of her advisers whose views are probably too right-wing to be associated with the Democratic presidential nominee, unless they can latch onto the one candidate both blessed and cursed with an undeserved reputation for liberalism.Roger Simons says Hillary's problem is she is too logical.
Will she become the new comeback kid? The Clinton legacies are on the line.
The Clintons have been at their most effective when they have had their backs to the wall together.Hillary booed in New Hampshire. The big mo is with Obama.
That was true in January 1992 when she helped him recover from allegations of womanizing and draft-dodging early in the nomination fight. It was true six years later, in January 1998, when the White House was reeling and even some Clinton aides thought resignation was a possibility over the Monica Lewinsky scandal. She rallied a demoralized Clinton team and sent notice inside the White House and to the public at large that they were going to fight.
A thought to ponder: The tenth anniversary of her famous comment on the "Today" show that the Lewinsky allegations were false and the work of a “vast right-wing conspiracy” will come between now and the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday primaries.
Clinton to get tough - "for a candidate who once hoped to make it inevitable, interesting is a very bad thing."
Uh-Oh, Hillary.
In virtually every demographic category where Obama found his greatest strength in Iowa, New Hampshire's electorate has at least as many or more of those voters, based on a comparison of the entrance polls from Thursday's caucuses in Iowa and from the 2004 Democratic primary in Hampshire.Clinton: Obama's too liberal.
The view from the right - Clinton will go negative because that is what they do. That is also the view from the center - Bill Clinton's excuse of the media makes us do it doesn't cut it.
Tags: Hillary Clinton, 2008, primary, New Hampshire
The Economy - The blogs told you so
I had neglected to post a link to Jerome a Paris's review of years of warnings about the housing crisis, oil prices, the falling dollar, and the fundamental problems of the Greenspan and post-Greenspan financial era. There were fundamental problems blogs were warning about.
Another economic writer to watch is bonddad, both on Daily Kos and his own blog. Here is what to look for in 2008.
Brad DeLong, blog here, is another who has been correct. In non-economic news he wonders if our longest national nightmare may be coming to an end. Catch the quote about McCain and note that has never been mentioned in any of our So-Called-Liberal-Media. "Remember John McCain's line about Chelsea Clinton--that she "is so ugly because her father is Janet Reno.""
Of course, we can't forget Krugman. Although interestingly he wonders if because of rising exports we are dodging a bullet on recession. I don't think the stimulus from export growth balances all the other negatives, but I don't have a PHD in economics.
Economists React, "looking for a bunker to hide in."
Tag: economy
Debt funding consumption...Perhaps some should quit their Wall Street Journal subscription and turn to good economic bloggers. Jerome has an update - the recession is already here for most.
Debt hiding the lack of real economic progress for most...
Increasing reliance on the housing and financial sectors for "growth"...
Massive overbuild underway...
All flagged 3 years ago....
Weakening of regulation...
Increasing risk raking...
with the impression that risk has been covered ("hedged") and that all is well...
The big underlying trend of the past 25 years, and of the last 7 in particular, has been the increasing concentration of wealth in a very small number of hands - roughly the top 0.1% in the US and a few European countries. They have managed to essentially capture all income growth for themselves, leaving everybody else with stagnant real incomes.
In that context, plentiful and cheap debt was a simple way to distract people from their plight, by giving them a convenient way (and, when backed by house price increases, an apparently safe one) to continue on spending even without the requisite income, and thus to feel prosperous.
Another economic writer to watch is bonddad, both on Daily Kos and his own blog. Here is what to look for in 2008.
Brad DeLong, blog here, is another who has been correct. In non-economic news he wonders if our longest national nightmare may be coming to an end. Catch the quote about McCain and note that has never been mentioned in any of our So-Called-Liberal-Media. "Remember John McCain's line about Chelsea Clinton--that she "is so ugly because her father is Janet Reno.""
Of course, we can't forget Krugman. Although interestingly he wonders if because of rising exports we are dodging a bullet on recession. I don't think the stimulus from export growth balances all the other negatives, but I don't have a PHD in economics.
Economists React, "looking for a bunker to hide in."
Tag: economy
Friday, January 04, 2008
Progressives Sweep Iowa
The two leading progressives on the Democratic side come in first and second - final results. Even the Republicans picked a conservative who speaks for the middle class and shows compassion. Ron Paul, not a progressive but against the war, gets 10% of the GOP vote.
Democracy For America ran a Unite for a Progressive President educational campaign for the Democratic caucuses urging support for Obama, Edwards or Kucinich.
Big Winners - Obama and Huckabee, the big wins transform the race. Democrats because of the huge Iowa turnout. Almost twice as many as last time which then was considered a very large enthusaistic turnout.
Perhaps a Winner: McCain by coming in tied for third without really campaigning while Romney lost to Huckabee showed that McCain has recaptured some of his viability.
Big Losers - Dodd and Biden dropped out. Richardson and Gravel should. Hunter on the GOP side should.
Other Losers - Edwards does not have a path for victory now except for a brokered convention or a huge misstep by one of two experienced politicians. Romney also has huge problems finding a winning route now. Thompson is still sinking. Maybe Rudy, because it still looks like his "wait until Florida" strategy could be a disaster.
Screams of pain and outrage - The Democratic and Republican establishments. The Club for Growth and other wealthy Republicans will spend millions to see that Huckabee, a skilled politician but considered by them to be a hick from the wrong side of the tracks, doesn't get the nomination. Clinton and her allies are looking for a Plan B to victory. Both establishments have plenty of money and will fight dirty.
Best Speeches - Barack Obama on the politics of hope.
Democracy For America ran a Unite for a Progressive President educational campaign for the Democratic caucuses urging support for Obama, Edwards or Kucinich.
Big Winners - Obama and Huckabee, the big wins transform the race. Democrats because of the huge Iowa turnout. Almost twice as many as last time which then was considered a very large enthusaistic turnout.
Perhaps a Winner: McCain by coming in tied for third without really campaigning while Romney lost to Huckabee showed that McCain has recaptured some of his viability.
Big Losers - Dodd and Biden dropped out. Richardson and Gravel should. Hunter on the GOP side should.
Other Losers - Edwards does not have a path for victory now except for a brokered convention or a huge misstep by one of two experienced politicians. Romney also has huge problems finding a winning route now. Thompson is still sinking. Maybe Rudy, because it still looks like his "wait until Florida" strategy could be a disaster.
Screams of pain and outrage - The Democratic and Republican establishments. The Club for Growth and other wealthy Republicans will spend millions to see that Huckabee, a skilled politician but considered by them to be a hick from the wrong side of the tracks, doesn't get the nomination. Clinton and her allies are looking for a Plan B to victory. Both establishments have plenty of money and will fight dirty.
Best Speeches - Barack Obama on the politics of hope.
"They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. ... But on this January night, on this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. You did what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days," Obama said.Huckabee on Hope, optimism and love:
If elected, Obama vowed, "I'll be a president that ends this war in Iraq and finally brings our troops home, who restores our moral standing, who understands that 9-11 is not a way a way to scare up votes but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the 21st Century."
"Hope is the bedrock of this nation, the belief that our destiny will not be written for us but by us, by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is but who have the courage to remake the world as it should be," he said. "That is what we started here in Iowa and that is the message we can now carry to New Hampshire and beyond."
Now, ladies and gentlemen, for the same reason that our founding fathers and those before us saw what was behind us and gave it their best, I ask you to join me across Iowa and the rest of America to look out there in front of us and not to hate those, but to look behind us and to love them so much that we will do whatever it takes to make America a better country, to give our kids a better future, to give this world a better leader.Hillary Clinton was gracious and optimistic about the race still after her disappointing third place finish:
And we join together tonight for that purpose. God help you and thank you for all you've done. I'm so grateful for the support, the incredible work that you've done. And now we've got a long journey ahead of us.
There will be a lot of people who will get involved, as they have here in Iowa, of all ages. That is what we want, because we’re not just trying to elect a president; we’re trying to change our country. That is what I am committed to doing.More results from Iowa.
I have set big goals for our country. I want to rebuild a strong and prosperous middle class. And to me, that is the most important job the next president will have here at home, because if we don’t begin to pay attention to the people who do the work, and raise the families, and make this country great, we will not recognize America in a few years.
And I want to make it absolutely clear I intend to restore America’s leadership and our moral authority in the world. And we’re going to tackle all of the problems that are going to be inherited because of the current administration, including ending the war in Iraq, and bringing our troops home, and then giving them the support that they need.
And we’re going to reform our government. We’re going to make sure that it is not the government of the few, by the few, and for the few, but it actually works for every American again.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
More religious anti-science wingnuttery!
Math is the root of all evil, including evolution. "...math is ultimately the basis of a grand anti-religious conspiracy to replace god with randomness and evolution!" MarkCC finds one of the Christian replacements for real science sites.
From the Good Math, Bad Math science blog:
A book on what would be called this "common sense science" was published by the Institute for Creation Research. Their quack orbitals and other quack chemistry and physics was published repeatedly in the Creation Research Society Quarterly.
This is the religious base of the GOP and these religious home-schoolers are carrying Huckabee tomorrow. This is common sense that isn't. Have some recent real common sense discussion.
From the Good Math, Bad Math science blog:
In their page on "Atomism and Quantum Mechanics", they go into a diatribe against Lucretius, claiming that all of modern physics is derived from the idea of atomism as proposed by Lucretius, and that Lucretius proposed atomism not as an explanation for how things work, but as a way of freeing mankind from the bonds of religion.The really troubling thing about the site Common Sense Science is that they publish both textbooks for home-schoolers and pseudo-science journals to spread their insanity.
A book on what would be called this "common sense science" was published by the Institute for Creation Research. Their quack orbitals and other quack chemistry and physics was published repeatedly in the Creation Research Society Quarterly.
This is the religious base of the GOP and these religious home-schoolers are carrying Huckabee tomorrow. This is common sense that isn't. Have some recent real common sense discussion.
Home buyers out of luck in home builder bankruptcy
NYT:
More on the home market and the economy - even people with good credit are getting foreclosed and the housing market hasn't reached bottom.
Their builder is Levitt & Sons, a unit of the Levitt Corporation, which ran out of cash in October and declared bankruptcy in November. All work on this planned 460-home development for retirees, grandly named Seasons at Prince Creek West, has ceased. The Levitt employees were laid off, the subcontractors put down their tools, and the Costanzos found themselves in limbo.I wouldn't be buying houses now unless they were complete. Actually, I wouldn't be buying houses now. Prices are still coming down.
The collapse of Levitt, the first big home builder to fail in the current slump, illustrates how the turmoil in real estate is spreading far beyond subprime borrowers who cannot pay their mortgages. Levitt had a fabled brand, decades of experience and enthusiastic customers with good credit, but none of that was enough to save it.
More on the home market and the economy - even people with good credit are getting foreclosed and the housing market hasn't reached bottom.
Houston DA Rosenthal resigns at last minute
Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal waited till 3 minutes before deadline to withdraw. He is now under investigation for attempting to destroy emails. Some may have been destroyed. His withdrawal extended until 6 p.m. Friday the deadline for candidates to sign up for the GOP primary for district attorney.
I wonder what the conservatives think about how the so-called-liberal wealthy defense attorney's support GOP county prosecutors. I just notice how most of these old wealthy defense attorneys are the remnants of the old conservative Democratic party and most do not support the newer more moderate and liberal Democrats in elections. I do not support Rosenthal whose actions continued the tradition of Harris County being the legalized murder capital of the United States.
Charles Kuffman has the the local filing news. I was going to file today to put my name on the ballot for precinct chair but I am down with sinus and respiration problems or the early stages of something else. I think I will use my old list and wage a write-in campaign. That should really get my ass moving introducing myself to Democrats in this pretty solid R area.
...Several prominent defense lawyers urged Rosenthal to stay on the job, saying his administrative skills were intact and that the scandal was surmountable. Richard "Racehorse" Haynes, a leading figure among Houston lawyers, was said to be among those who urged Rosenthal to resist making an exit. Haynes in an interview said he would not confirm or deny that he gave such a message to the district attorney.At least Rosenthal and his family has been spared the embarrassment of a sex video.
With would-be candidates gathered at party headquarters to ponder their moves, Rosenthal's withdrawal letter finally arrived, on district attorney's office stationery rather than campaign letterhead.
The GOP winner will face former Houston Police Chief C.O. Bradford, a Democrat, in November.
I wonder what the conservatives think about how the so-called-liberal wealthy defense attorney's support GOP county prosecutors. I just notice how most of these old wealthy defense attorneys are the remnants of the old conservative Democratic party and most do not support the newer more moderate and liberal Democrats in elections. I do not support Rosenthal whose actions continued the tradition of Harris County being the legalized murder capital of the United States.
Charles Kuffman has the the local filing news. I was going to file today to put my name on the ballot for precinct chair but I am down with sinus and respiration problems or the early stages of something else. I think I will use my old list and wage a write-in campaign. That should really get my ass moving introducing myself to Democrats in this pretty solid R area.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Oil passes $100 milestone for first time
Investment for the year - gold.
Lower-income families feel the effects of price increases most dramatically.
Lower-income families feel the effects of price increases most dramatically.
Romney's VC Firm buys Clear Channel
Nothing like a GOP presidential candidate buying right propaganda radio. FDL had more.
I brought this up because a number of my conservative friends were wondering why Rush and others were attacking Huckabee and McCain and have toned down their previous support for Rudy.
I brought this up because a number of my conservative friends were wondering why Rush and others were attacking Huckabee and McCain and have toned down their previous support for Rudy.
Military Excess
United States annual military spending $623 billion.
Rest of the world - $500 billion.
Should we attack all of the rest of the world now or wait until we have a 2-1 superiority?
Why don't we attack China? We have almost a 10-1 superiority.
There is no need for this arms build-up unless you want to attack someone. So who is it?
Or could we just realize this is the big reason we don't have universal health care, don't have better jobs and that the average American's quality of life is going downhill.
An excellent Greenwald post, read it.
Rest of the world - $500 billion.
Should we attack all of the rest of the world now or wait until we have a 2-1 superiority?
Why don't we attack China? We have almost a 10-1 superiority.
There is no need for this arms build-up unless you want to attack someone. So who is it?
Or could we just realize this is the big reason we don't have universal health care, don't have better jobs and that the average American's quality of life is going downhill.
An excellent Greenwald post, read it.
The US military budget was almost 29 times as large as the combined spending of the six "rogue" states (Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria) who spent $14.65 billion.
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