Confucious say Dean is first.

lest we forget--Dean was the one to proclaim 'you have the power'

BTW, the New Hampshire House is scheduled to vote on an impeachment resolution on April 16.  It's my understanding that, if it passes, it will be sent to the Congress and will have to be considered.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/31214 

The most remarkable moment came late in the afternoon when Republican
House member Steve Vaillancourt strode into the room to testify. After
passing out copies of the second chapter of Patrick Buchanan's "Day of
Reckoning" as supporting evidence, Vaillancourt opened his remarks
quoting "fools rush in where wise men fear to tread", and it sounded
like a set up to condemn a rush to impeach. But instead he said that
Betty Hall is neither fool nor wise man, but is a model of courage and
that her impeachment resolution should be supported.

And then the fun began.

Member Vaillancourt then gave a short history lesson, telling the
committee that until Bush/Cheney, America had never engaged in an
offensive war [sic.], and pointing out that the Truman, Eisenhower.
Kennedy and Reagan "Doctrines" had all been based on defense and had not
been offensive in nature. Warming to the subject, he delved into the
ramifications of Bush/Cheney's actions, saying that their reckless
foreign policy has been anti-American, unconstitutional, and ruinously
costly to the nation.

He was fairly thundering by the time that he pronounced that not only
should Bush and Cheney be impeached, but also they should be tried as
war criminals in a Nuremburg style trial for crimes against humanity. He
flatly stated that the war in Iraq has provided grounds for war crimes
charges against the President and Vice President. And there was not one
word of protest from a single committee member. They may or may not
support this resolution to impeach, but there seems to be no one left
with a credible argument to defend Bush/Cheney.

all the talk of screeds has me wanting to order a load of Redi-Mix and have you all over to help finish the concrete

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll share a few platform resolutions passed in our county

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

The President should not have the power to pardon any person convicted of treason. To protect someone who is convicted of treason, whether it be harboring, or pardoning, is to risk being considered am accomplice for the same crime. If a President is convicted of treason, they should not be pardoned by an incumbent, either.

Ya, Phil, lol!  That was my take on screed, too. . . .

Would encourage people to sign this petition to Pelosi to have people be the soul of the Democratic Party not by big donors threats.

Try this link for the Pelosi petition.

This came in an email:

US Senator Bill Nelson
Phone: 202-224-5274


Nelson calls for banning Electoral College

Nelson is calling for regional primaries.

(CNN) – Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, on Thursday proposed an overhaul of
America's presidential election laws, saying the current dispute over
delegates in Florida and Michigan has exposed a flawed nominating system
in need of reform.

In a speech on the floor of the Florida State Senate Thursday morning,
Nelson said he will formally introduce legislation that will attempt to
fix many of the problems exposed by this cycle's round of presidential
primaries, adding the "time for reform is now.”

"This country cannot afford to wait that long, before we fix the flaws we
still see in our election system," Nelson said. "The blessings of liberty
cannot wait."

Specifically, Nelson said he will propose ***six rotating interregional
primaries** that "will give large and small states a fair say in the
nomination process." ***The regional primaries would be conducted on dates
ranging from March to June***, Nelson also said, taking the place of the
current early-voting states Iowa and New Hampshire — states which critics
have long argued are not representative of the American electorate. The
dates would initially be set by a lottery system for the 2012 election and
would rotate positions in successive elections.

***Nelson called for early voting in every state and the elimination of
voting machines that do not produce a paper trail***. The Florida Democrat
also said ***all citizens should be allowed to vote absentee if they so
choose, and is pushing for a federal grant incentive program to help
develop voting by mail and via the Internet***.

Nelson will also formally seek award the presidency based on the popular
vote result, instead of via the Electoral College – a reform that will
require a stand-alone bill since it would require an amendment to he
Constitution.

*****"The goal is simple: one person, one vote,"***** Nelson said in his
speech Thursday.

I see Bill Nelson has contracted a bad case of intelligence.  I thought he had been immunized.

I cannot get by any graphic posted by Linda B. My PC hangs there forever. Any ideas?

thanks.

So, grab/add to an ActBlue account for "more and better Dem.," Shea-Porter.

So-called "big donors'" financial backgrounder.

I cannot get by any graphic posted by Linda B. My PC hangs there forever. Any ideas?"

Buy a MAC?  :-) 

I admire Tom for the way he ignores the meat of a post he doesn't like and dredges up the reddest of herrings.  Henry Hyde????

I repeat the meat (on impeachment) with emphasis:

Kucinich is right on impeachment and a lot of other things. Shirking ones duty is not political pragmatism--it's sheer cowardice.

These guys are not guilty of screwing the help. They're guilty of war crimes.

 We hanged a lot of Germans and Japanese in 1946 for the kinds of crimes that Cheney Bush have committed in our names.

I'm also very glad that Dennis Kucinich was able to stave off a brutal and Clintonesque attack by the Democratic Establishment and win the primary against 3 Democratic bozos.

6:07pm

Mid-afternoon tidbits.

MIDEAST: Flowers, Strawberries, and Missiles

And on the subject of impeachment, which is consistently mocked by the Pelosi fan club:

http://www.counterpunch.org/nader03272008.html

I apologize to our inept HQ crew and Sitka in advance for the long post, but this is one where you can't post a teaser:

Chairman John Conyers
House Judiciary Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Congress
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Conyers:

Prominent Constitutional law experts believe President Bush has engaged in at least, five categories of repeated, defiant "high crimes and misdemeanors", which separately or together would allow Congress to subject the President to impeachment under Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution. The sworn oath of members of Congress is to uphold the Constitution. Failure of the members of Congress to pursue impeachment of President Bush is an affront to the founding fathers, the Constitution, and the people of the United States.

In addition to a criminal war of aggression in Iraq, in violation of our constitution, statutes and treaties, there are the arrests of thousands of Americans and their imprisonment without charges, the spying on Americans without juridical warrant, systematic torture, and the unprecedented wholesale, defiant signing statements declaring that the President, in his unbridled discretion, is the law.

In 2005, a plurality of the American people polled declared that they would favor impeachment of President Bush if it was shown that he did not tell the truth about the reasons for going to War in Iraq. Congress should use its authority under Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution to officially determine what President Bush knew before going to war in Iraq.

Your files and retrieval systems are bulging with over-whelming evidence behind all these five categories. When constitutional duty combines with the available evidence, inaction amounts to a suppression of that evidence from constitutional implementation.

When the Democrats were heading for a net election gain in 2006 in the House of Representatives, many observers of presidential accountability entertained the hope that the Judiciary Committee, with its new chairman, would hold hearings on an impeachment resolution. No way! The next backup was the belief that there would an impeachment inquiry (fortified by your own op-ed in the The Washington Post) No way! The next lowered expectation backup was just a hearing on impeachment urged by several of your present and former Congressional colleagues. So far, no way!

The fourth fallback was simply a hearing on the criminal and constitutional violations of Bush-Cheney by your Committee, as urged in a letter sent to you earlier this year by, among others, several of your former Congressional colleagues, including Senators George McGovern and James Abourezk, and Representatives Andy Jacobs and Paul Findley, along with Rocky Anderson, former mayor of Salt Lake City, and the undersigned. So far, no progress.

There is another option: do nothing. Since January 2007 - the politically expedient option of doing nothing has triumphed. Volumes can and will be written, about what can go down as the most serious abdication of impeachment responsibilities by a Congress in its history. No other president has committed more systemic, repeated impeachable offenses, with such serious consequences to this country, its people, to Iraq, its people and the security of this nation before, than George W. Bush. James Madison, Thomas Jefferson and their colleagues had just these kinds of monarchical abuses and violations in their framework of anticipation.

Declarations by Bush on the somber occasion of the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq this past March 20, 2008 demonstrated his criminal, unconstitutional arrogance and his confidence that this Democratic Congress will continue to be cowed, continue its historic cowardliness, and continue to leave the American people without representation. Even should he unilaterally attack Iran. The Democratic Party has abandoned its critical role as an opposition Party in this and other serious matters.

In a January 6, 2008 op-ed in The Washington Post, former Senator George McGovern wrote an eloquently reasoned plea for the impeachment of George W. Bush. More than two out of three polled Americans want out of Iraq, believing it was a costly mistake.

Repeatedly during the past seven years, Mr. Bush has lectured the American people about "responsibility" and that actions with consequences must incur responsibility.

It is never too late to enforce the Constitution. It is never too late to uphold the rule of law. It is never too late to awaken the Congress to its sworn duties under the Constitution. But it will soon be too late to avoid the searing verdict of history when on January 21, 2009, George W. Bush becomes a fugitive from a justice that was never invoked by those in Congress so solely authorized to hold the President accountable.

Is this the massive Bush precedent you and your colleagues wish to convey to presidential successors who may be similarly tempted to establish themselves above and beyond the rule of law?

Is this the way you and your colleagues wish to be remembered by the American people?

Sincerely,

Ralph Nader

Mid-afternoon tidbits.

*********************** 

ARGENTINA: The Return of the "Cacerolazo"
Analysis by Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, Mar 26 (IPS) - Thousands of middle-class Argentines took to the streets late Tuesday in a "cacerolazo" or pot-banging protest, this time against the centre-left government of President Cristina Fernández, showing that the methods learned in the crisis that broke out in late 2001 are still alive.

"The social and political memory is not in our minds, but in our bodies. Faced with the need to mark limits for political action by a government, society acts based on what it has learned," sociologist Federico Schuster, dean of the social science department at the University of Buenos Aires, told IPS.

"Neighbourhood assemblies, ‘piquetes’ (roadblocks) and ‘cacerolazos’ were very strong experiences that are latent but still alive. The return to a certain institutional normalcy does not mean that this spirit of rebellion has completely disappeared. In the face of a new disappointment, the mechanisms are activated," said the professor.

However, there is an enormous difference between the contexts in which the current protests are taking place and those that brought down the government of Fernando De la Rúa in December 2001.

While Argentina was already in a deep recession back in late 2001, the crisis facing Fernández today is occurring in the midst of strong economic recovery and a heated debate on how the country’s growing wealth should be distributed. 

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41749 

Dear Hillary, Is this really what you want to destroy?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3...

Cute little guy got all dressed up. Great picture.

This is psychologically intriguing and could be interpreted several ways.

MIDEAST: Germany Backs Israel All The Way
By Peter Hirschberg
JERUSALEM - It was a show of unbridled support that Israelis, used to being criticised for their treatment of the Palestinians, especially by European leaders, are not accustomed to.

Speaking of debates, when if the next one and can the moderators be ohhhh maybe kucinich or gravel or biden or edwards or the league of women voters?  Were they *fired* becuz they asked good questions?

POLITICS-US: We Don't Do Torture - Especially in Debates
By William Fisher

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton square off in New Hampshire on Jan. 5, 2008.

Credit:motherpie

WASHINGTON, Mar 10 (IPS) - Media critics, foreign policy experts and human rights advocates are charging that questions asked by the moderators of the televised debates among U.S. presidential hopefuls have frequently been trivial and designed to produce conflict to boost ratings, while ignoring many of the most pressing issues facing the United States.

Danny Schechter, editor of Mediachannel.org, a media watchdog organisation, told IPS that the failings of the candidate debates "lie with the whole process which focuses on personalities, media mediated discussions, and what I call 'electotainment' -- stoking conflict, not searching for solutions. Heat, not light."

His view was echoed by many others who are harshly critical both of moderators for failing to ask a wide range of serious questions and of candidates for failing to raise these questions.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41534 

GODD MORNING VIETNAM!!

http://www.feralscholar.org/blog/index.php/2008/03/27/good-morning-vietnam/

Nouri al Maliki, at the behest of his American masters, has thrown the new Army of the Republic of Vietnam against the militias of the most powerful and cohesive popular movement in Iraq, that of Muqtada al Sadr. By all accounts, even with their American advisers, tactical air and intelligence support, this operation appears to be a stupendous failure; the Mehdi Army of Sadr is reported to be routing the Iraqi “government” forces at every turn.

Moreover, it has ignited an uprising that stretches from Baghdad to Basra and all points in between. This flagrant violation of the ceasefire that the Sadrists renewed only days ago for six additional months, by the American-controlled puppet government, has set the stage for the most dangerous moment in Iraq for the occupation forces since the dual rebellions in Fallujah and Najaf in April 2004

The same US press, which has parroted the absurd claims of “surge success” for months now, a success that was based on successful ethnic cleansing in Baghdad combined with the Mehdi Army’s ceasefire, will now have to tie itself in rhetorical knots to explain how this success is now adrift in the columns of black smoke rising from one of the two main oil pipelines passing through the port-transit city of Basra, and why rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds are splashing onto the Green Zone like a storm.

6:27PM

all the talk of screeds has me wanting to order a load of Redi-Mix and have you all over to help finish the concrete  

Phil,

What's the pay scale? I have some experience with concrete finishing, rough and smooth!

I heard  Bill Nelson's speech live today to the Florida State Legislature.

For once, I agree with Nelson and most all of his plan, especially the popular vote amendment.

I've posted in bold something that is disturbing.  Just how is she suggesting we're gonna fix our souls?  Many of our souls don't need fixing and who's to decide?  This woman is troubling and certainly naive to think that suddenly our souls are gonna be fixed and only then can the country's problems be addressed or solved. I suspect Wright has influenced her a great deal and I don't personally like fire and brimstone and people out trying to fix my soul.  Whose soul is broken?  The Jewish soul?  The Xtian soul?  Muslim, Buddhist,....? The American soul, if such a thing exists?  IOW, IMO, she's way too religious and is making a mistake bringing it into the campaign.  Wright's radical rhetoric is a far cry from that of the peaceful Dalai Lama. 

********************  

POLITICS-US: Can Obama Deliver Rebirth of a Nation?
By Ali Gharib

Digital mosaic portrait of Barack Obama using photos of hundreds of his supporters.

Credit:tsevis

WASHINGTON, Feb 29 (IPS) - Illinois Senator Barack Obama has made a political career of trying to straddle delicate lines. But come November, he hopes to instead break historic barriers by becoming the first black man to be elected president of the United States.

Driven by fervent youth support and a coalition of African-American voters and middle-class whites, Obama was catapulted to resounding victories in a string of primaries since Super Tuesday, where the Democratic electorate was effectively split.

Thus Obama arrived one step closer to his goal in these late winter days. Taking the lead in pledged delegates over his Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama became the frontrunner to win his party's nomination.

His journey to this point, as he is fond of pointing out, is a unique one. The self-described "skinny kid with a funny name" presents a new moment in U.S. politics -- but not simply because of his race.

Obama's campaign, much like his meteoric rise into the national consciousness, is predicated on change. Not limited to the oval office, or just Washington, Obama has his sights set higher -- proposing to change the political sensibility of the entire country; the world even.

In the contest for the Democratic nomination, Obama has made a name for himself not so much on issues or policy platforms, but rather on his booming oratory on the stump calling for citizens to have "hope" and claiming his campaign to be "change we can believe in".

Some critics doubt his ability to pursue change -- deriding his lofty rhetoric as the shallow idealism of a young politician. They point to his inexperience and claim that he will not be able to be the executive of a cumbersome bureaucracy and that he won't know how to pull the levers of government.

"I ask my staff never to hand me paper until two seconds before I need it, because I will lose it," said Obama in a debate when asked to identify a weakness. "And my desk in my office doesn't look good."

Nonetheless, the Obama campaign has presented the candidate as a sort of saviour, and not just a political saviour, but also a saviour of the U.S. soul -- a man ready to offer instant absolution from the "politics of the past" and all that it has wrought on the people.

"Barack Obama is the only person in this race who understands that before we can work on the problems, we have to fix our souls. Our souls are broken in this nation," said Obama's wife, Michelle, on the campaign trail.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41421 

As far as I am concerned, we don't need ANY of these big donors or need to heed their demands for a convention that accommodates their big money candidate:

Big Backers: The Democratic contributors who wrote Nancy Pelosi have been major donors to the party and its candidates.

Based on data for the 2008 campaign

Small donors who believe in democracy and fairness and the power of every single vote can and would easily replace these greedy Hillary backers.

Oh, and my choice for a woman prez would be Boxer or Carol Mosley-Braun;  never "we can't take impeachment off the table," Pelosi.  She's pro-AIPAC all the way, which means in the ME for years.  I have the quote somewhere to prove that.

How can some otherwise smart people be so dumb when it comes to editing?

How can some otherwise smart people be so dumb when it comes to editing?

(Wouldn't want Huron to think I was singling him out.) 

From $70K to food bank, one family's struggle

ALTADENA, California (CNN) -- When she was laid off in February, Patricia Guerrero was making $70,000 a year. Weeks later, with bills piling up and in need of food for her family, this middle-class mother did something she never thought she would do: She went to a food bank.

Patricia Guerrero was laid off in February. Desperate to make ends meet, she recently went to a food bank.

It was Good Friday, and a woman helping her offered to pay her utility bill.

"It brought tears to my eyes, and I sat there and I cried. I was like, 'This is really where I'm at?' " she told CNN. "I go 'no way;' [but] this is true. This is reality. This is the stuff you see on TV. It was hard. It was very hard."

Guerrero is estranged from her husband and raising her two young children. She's already burned through her savings to help make ends meet, and is drawing unemployment checks. She has had to take extreme measures to pay for her interest-only mortgage of $2,500 a month. In fact, her mother moved in with her to help pay the bills.

Guerrero even applied for food stamps, but was denied. ...

Watch Guerrero describe going to food bank » http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/...

A little dirt on Carol Mosely-Braun.

http://www.slate.com/id/2078924/

lest we forget--Dean was the one to proclaim 'you have the power'  

And he was wrong, wasn't he?

We don't have the power. The same old corporate establishment has it, and rubs our nose in it.

7:15pm

(Wouldn't want Huron to think I was singling him out.) 

 I still don't understand the comment--editing what???

Obama has a terrible habit of giving votes for his donors.

It's recorded, it's continuous. Including his short 3 months stint on a committee to get Rezko approval in Illinois state.


Most of Obama's money, FACT has come from large contributors that he's had. The small contributors only offset the average numbers.

BARACK OBAMA (D)
Top Contributors
Goldman Sachs $522,228
UBS AG $327,302
JPMorgan Chase & Co $316,892
Lehman Brothers $302,697
National Amusements Inc $293,022
Citigroup Inc $290,146
University of California $275,046
Sidley Austin LLP $271,857
Harvard University $264,941
Google Inc $259,010
Skadden, Arps et al $248,743
Exelon Corp $227,661
Morgan Stanley $225,976
Time Warner $221,878
Jones Day $212,525
Latham & Watkins $187,208
Kirkland & Ellis $181,976
University of Chicago $179,147
Citadel Investment Group $175,900
Microsoft Corp $167,990



More examples on favoritism for votes. We know well his Exelon donor, and Avian Flu, where he purchased the stocks of.

We remember when Obama wouldn't support the Cap on interest rates, right?

Obama Accepts Over $1 Million From Subprime Lending Industry

by zenful6219, Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 09:31:57 PM EST
The Obama campaign's response to the comprehensive plan Hillary Clinton laid out to address the housing crisis today was not to discuss their disagreement with her proposal, but to assert that Clinton has received contributions from subprime loan companies.
Considering that Obama has received $1.18 million from subprime lenders and has taken more campaign contributions from the top ten issuers of subprime loans, his attack rings hollow as just words. Obama has a record of talking about standing up to special interests and then caving to their demands. Hillary Clinton has a 35-year record of standing up to special interests and delivering results.

Obama has taken $1,180,103 from the top issuers of subprime loans. [cq.com]
Obama received $266,907 from Lehman. [Cq.com]
Obama received $5395 from GMAC. [Cq.com]
Obama received $150,850 from CS First Boston. [Cq.com]
Obama received $11,250 from Countrywide. [Cq.com]
Obama received $9052 from Washington Mutual. [Cq.com]
Obama received $161,850 from Citigroup. [Cq.com]
Obama received $4600 from CBASS. [Cq.com]
Obama received $170,050 from Morgan Stanley. [Cq.com]
Obama received $1150 from Centex. [Cq.com]
Obama received $351,900 from Goldman Sachs. [Cq.com]

Senator Obama has taken more money from the top 10 issuers of subprime loans than Hillary Clinton. Senator Obama has received $434,420 from the top 10 issuers of subprime loans.


BARACK OBAMA (D)
Top Contributors
Goldman Sachs $522,228
UBS AG $327,302
JPMorgan Chase & Co $316,892
Lehman Brothers $302,697
National Amusements Inc $293,022
Citigroup Inc $290,146
University of California $275,046
Sidley Austin LLP $271,857
Harvard University $264,941
Google Inc $259,010
Skadden, Arps et al $248,743
Exelon Corp $227,661
Morgan Stanley $225,976
Time Warner $221,878
Jones Day $212,525
Latham & Watkins $187,208
Kirkland & Ellis $181,976
University of Chicago $179,147
Citadel Investment Group $175,900
Microsoft Corp $167,990



When Obama says he's bringing the Corporations to his policy making table, that doesn't concern you? It sure does me. WE had that with Cheney and Bush. That's called fascism when our government is taken over by Big Business.

Sorry, repost for corrections. Duplicated Big donors and didn't post the example of voting for donors...this has been correct on this post.




Obama has a terrible habit of giving votes for his donors.

It's recorded, it's continuous. Including his short 3 months stint on a committee to get Rezko approval in Illinois state.


Most of Obama's money, FACT has come from large contributors that he's had. The small contributors only offset the average numbers.

BARACK OBAMA (D)
Top Contributors
Goldman Sachs $522,228
UBS AG $327,302
JPMorgan Chase & Co $316,892
Lehman Brothers $302,697
National Amusements Inc $293,022
Citigroup Inc $290,146
University of California $275,046
Sidley Austin LLP $271,857
Harvard University $264,941
Google Inc $259,010
Skadden, Arps et al $248,743
Exelon Corp $227,661
Morgan Stanley $225,976
Time Warner $221,878
Jones Day $212,525
Latham & Watkins $187,208
Kirkland & Ellis $181,976
University of Chicago $179,147
Citadel Investment Group $175,900
Microsoft Corp $167,990



More examples on favoritism for votes. We know well his Exelon donor, and Avian Flu, where he purchased the stocks of.

We remember when Obama wouldn't support the Cap on interest rates, right?

Obama Accepts Over $1 Million From Subprime Lending Industry

by zenful6219, Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 09:31:57 PM EST
The Obama campaign's response to the comprehensive plan Hillary Clinton laid out to address the housing crisis today was not to discuss their disagreement with her proposal, but to assert that Clinton has received contributions from subprime loan companies.
Considering that Obama has received $1.18 million from subprime lenders and has taken more campaign contributions from the top ten issuers of subprime loans, his attack rings hollow as just words. Obama has a record of talking about standing up to special interests and then caving to their demands. Hillary Clinton has a 35-year record of standing up to special interests and delivering results.

Obama has taken $1,180,103 from the top issuers of subprime loans. [cq.com]
Obama received $266,907 from Lehman. [Cq.com]
Obama received $5395 from GMAC. [Cq.com]
Obama received $150,850 from CS First Boston. [Cq.com]
Obama received $11,250 from Countrywide. [Cq.com]
Obama received $9052 from Washington Mutual. [Cq.com]
Obama received $161,850 from Citigroup. [Cq.com]
Obama received $4600 from CBASS. [Cq.com]
Obama received $170,050 from Morgan Stanley. [Cq.com]
Obama received $1150 from Centex. [Cq.com]
Obama received $351,900 from Goldman Sachs. [Cq.com]

Senator Obama has taken more money from the top 10 issuers of subprime loans than Hillary Clinton. Senator Obama has received $434,420 from the top 10 issuers of subprime loans.


Obama Earmarks for Wife's Employer, Big Donor
Judicial Watch ^ | March 14, '08 | staff

Posted on 03/15/2008 10:57:31 AM PDT by T.L.Sink

Barrack Obama touts himself as the only presidential candidate not corrupted by Washington politics but his earmark records contradict that because he tried steering millions of federal dollars to his wife's employer and the company of a top campaign donor. Recently released earmarks reveal that he requested $1 million for the hospital that employs his wife Michelle and $8 million for a military contractor with a board member who has given hefty sums to his campaign. The $1 million was requested in 2006 to build a tower pavillion at the University of Chicago Hospitals, where Michelle Obama was vice president of community affairs. Michelle had already benefited from her husband's flourishing political career with a huge salary increase that went from $121,910 in 2004 before he was elected to the Senate to $316,962 in 2005 just after he took office. Obama requested the $8 million for weapons technology manufactured by a contractor with very close ties to a major fundraiser named Jams Crown, a billionaire who also serves on the company's board. Crown is also on Obama's national finance committee.



When Obama says he's bringing the Corporations to his policy making table, that doesn't concern you? It sure does me. WE had that with Cheney and Bush. That's called fascism when our government is taken over by Big Business.

After some hesitation and baby steps, the conservative campaign against Barack Obama has finally begun. And there's nothing subtle about it.

When the controversy over Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright reached critical mass last week, it was the political equivalent of the green flag at a NASCAR race. The conservative strategists and talkers had been slowly circling the track, feet itchy on the accelerator, just waiting for the signal to floor it. But now, as The Politico reported in a story titled "GOP sees Rev. Wright as path to victory," the Republican strategists know exactly what must be done, starting with famed ad man Alex Castellanos:

"All the sudden you've got two dots, and two dots make a line," said Castellanos. "You start getting some sense of who he is, and it's not the Obama you thought. He's not the Tiger Woods of politics."

As Castellanos knows well, these kinds of attacks have their greatest power when they tap into pre-existing archetypes voters already carry with them, and the deeper they reside in our lizard brains the better. So they will make sure white Americans know that Obama is not Tiger Woods. He's not the unthreatening black man, he's the scary black man. He's Al Sharpton, he's Malcom X, he's Huey Newton. He'll throw grievance in your face, make you feel guilty, and who knows, maybe kill you and rape your wife. Castellanos knows what he's talking about -- when it comes to painting frightening pictures for the voters, he's the Rembrandt of racial resentment. Among other accomplishments, Castellanos was responsible for a series of ugly ads on behalf of Jesse Helms' 1990 Senate re-election race against Harvey Gantt, probably the most explicitly race-baiting campaign American politics has seen since the retirement of George Wallace. The story continues:

"It's harder for people to say it's taken out of context because these are Wright's own words," noted Chris LaCivita, the Republican strategist who helped craft the Swift Boat commercials against Kerry that employed the use of their target's own language when he returned from Vietnam and returned his medals. "You let people draw their own conclusions."

"You don't have to say that he's unpatriotic; you don't question his patriotism," he added. "Because I guaran-damn-tee you that, with that footage, you don't have to say it."

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?arti...

I tend to go along with John about people having the power.
No we don't because we keep electing folks tied to the money trees.
Remove the money by public-funded elections and we will have the power.

The second most pandering statement is.."The American people are smart and..."
No they aren't..Joe sixpack is dumb as a rock and is aided by a hapless corporate media that helps to keep him that way.
Add the fact that too many school districts are run by knuckle draggers who only care about sports and the budget. We puled our kids out of schools like that.

After a lot of effort, we were lucky enough to send our kids to public schools that had very good educational systems that included the basics and arts, music, drama and other studies that turn out people who understand the world around them.
We used to combine music with history. All our kids took music lessons so for years I got to listen to fractured violin scales, or clunky piano runs, blaring trumpets or voice warm ups. And I loved every second of it. Besides being great kids, we had them go into the history of the instrument, the author of the music and maybe pick up some of the language (which I never could). They got to learn a little bit of the world around them which removes some of the fear of folks different then you. When they travel, they see the cultures as wholes instead of trying to find parts that are American and complaining that the French don't speak English...and after all we did for them...morons.

26.

mainefem
Thu, 03/27/08

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haim_Saban

http://www.fundraisers.com/people/cheryl...

http://www.opensecrets.org/pubs/loral.ht...

http://www.phoenixhouse.org/NewYork/What...

Chris Mathews asking what the voters of Mi. can do "Just get mad at Howard Dean?.

My E-mail.....

Why do you think the voters of Mi. aren't smart enough to know hat Carl Levin and their Gov. are responsible for their primary problem, just because you pretend you're not. You just want to suggest to them that it was Dean. Why don't you pull out the old tape of his Rally in Iowa? It's because people are wise to the media tricks now. You're not trusted.

How would you like it if people started contacting your station advertisers?

33.

dog soldier
Thu, 03/27/08

very old news...

38.
Linda in NM

Damn. I guess now I have to vote for the Borg Queen.

Resistance is futile. 

BARACK OBAMA (D)
Top Contributors
Goldman Sachs $522,228
UBS AG $327,302
JPMorgan Chase & Co $316,892
Lehman Brothers $302,697
National Amusements Inc $293,022
Citigroup Inc $290,146
University of California $275,046
Sidley Austin LLP $271,857
Harvard University $264,941
Google Inc $259,010
Skadden, Arps et al $248,743
Exelon Corp $227,661
Morgan Stanley $225,976
Time Warner $221,878
Jones Day $212,525
Latham & Watkins $187,208
Kirkland & Ellis $181,976
University of Chicago $179,147
Citadel Investment Group $175,900
Microsoft Corp $167,990

How long has it been illegal for corporation to contribute to Presidnetial Campaigns,  25 years???  All contributions are from individuals and are limited to what, a couple thousand dollars.  What is this list talking about??

38.
Linda in NM

Damn. I guess now I have to vote for the Borg Queen.

Resistance is futile. 

Susan Rowe
Thu, 03/27/08

Reply to this

33.

dog soldier
Thu, 03/27/08

very old news...

It sure is. So is the idea of Carol Mosely-Braun in politics.
geschehen Sie nie

27.

seashell :-)
Thu, 03/27/08


The soul is a recorder and weighs 13ozs.

http://www.helium.com/items/266524-madam...