More good news

CA-11: McNerney (D) 48%--46% Pombo

Check out all the results of what Chris Bowers at MyDD calls an impressive poll from Majority Watch. Great Map.

Oh...and don't foget about Halliburton...

Another reason the Republican Congress and President (and vice-president) are worried about a Democratic takeover in 2 weeks....

(AP) The special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction found that Halliburton's Kellogg, Brown & Root Services routinely marked all information it gave to the government as proprietary, whether it was or not.

.................

Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record) of North Dakota, chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee, said that in 13 oversight hearings on the war in Iraq the committee found more than $1 billion in waste, fraud, abuse and what it called "shoddy work" by contractors.

"I'm convinced that this is the most significant waste, fraud and abuse in the history of this country," Dorgan said.

If the Democrats take control of the Senate, he said, they will launch oversight hearings on war matters ranging from faulty intelligence leading up to the war to wrongdoing by contractors.

Foley Ethics Investigation Finished!

True to form for the Republican Congress, the findings of the investigation won't be released until after the Elections. From the Washinton Post, via TPM Muckraker

The House ethics committee has all but wrapped up the investigative phase of its probe into the actions of former representative Mark Foley, informing key witnesses that they will not be summoned back for more questioning, lawyers in the case said yesterday.

But those lawyers indicated that the committee is unlikely to release its report on the Florida Republican -- or even an interim memo -- before the Nov. 7 elections.

Phone Banking at Home or Nearby

You can join Moveon.org's Call For Change either by going online HERE and calling on your own time OR you can attened a local event listed HERE.

Hear John Dean at Glendale Public Library Weds. Nov. 15

Conservatives Without Conscience is John Dean's book about his discovery of the destructive psychological syndrome of Authoritarianism which has taken control of the Republican party and this country's political constructs. Until they are finally forced by reality to disengage themselves from the cognitive dissonance that "double high" authoritarian leaders, like Cheney and Rove, fool them with millions of authoritarian followers have willingly allowed themselves to be misled from honorable and true conservatism. (Which, by the way, turns out not to be very far at all from true and honorable liberalism in terms of basic human and constitutional rights and expectations. )

The book is a great read and helps one understand why all this has happened, and why many thinking conservatives have realized the reason we have been so split in this country is not because we disagree on surface issues but because the psychopathic syndrome of these particular party spoilers has set out to split us apart. This book goes a long way toward helping us get back together as a nation of laws and civil cooperation.

It will be fascinating to hear what John Dean has to say about all this exactly one week and a day after the election. Dean appears as part of the Author Night series of the Friends of the Glendale Public Library and the following is what they say about the evening.

John W. Dean
Conservatives Without Conscience Wednesday, November 15, 7 pm
Central Library AuditoriumInformation: (818) 548-2042

Over a decade ago, John W. Dean and the late Arizona Senator Barry M. Goldwater began a joint inquiry into what was happening to conservatism. At the time, the movement was becoming increasingly radical, religious, and self-righteous. When Senator Goldwater's health precluded his continued work on their planned book, the project was set aside. But Dean did not stop searching for answers to their questions, particularly after the failed effort by conservative Republicans to overturn the 1996 presidential election by impeaching President Clinton and, more recently, with the so-called conservatism of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

John Dean, White House legal counsel to President Nixon for a thousand days, also served as chief minority counsel for the House Judiciary Committee and as an associate deputy attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice. He writes a widely read bi-weekly column for FindLaw (http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/).

Conservatives Without Conscience is Dean's seventh non-fiction book, and it is not a partisan work, rather that of a "Goldwater conservative" distressed by today's conservatism.

Help us build on the momentum from Wednesday's debate. Contribute Today On Wednesday, I debated my Republican opponent, appointed Secretary of State Bruce McPherson. The debate gave me a great opportunity to highlight our differences and to demonstrate why I am the best qualified candidate to clean up our elections system. As I said in Wednesday's debate, the only way to restore confidence in our country's voting systems is to open things up -- let citizens observe every part of the process, from the certification of systems to the audits after the election. The only thing about voting that should stay a secret is the way in which a voter casts his or her ballot. Secretary of State McPherson has certified voting machines, including Diebold, that are insecure and unreliable, with a litany of proven and well-documented flaws -- and before the public had any opportunity to see the review he relied on. That study determined that a hack of a mock election conducted in Florida by Finnish programmer Harry Hursti worked, and also found "another category of more serious vulnerabilities...that go well beyond what Mr. Hursti demonstrated, and yet require no more access to the voting system than he had. These vulnerabilities are consequences of bugs -- 16 in all." When the security conditions McPherson imposed to safeguard the system against those bugs were violated, he took no action. When poll workers were instructed not to use paper back up ballots, he took no action. When a voting machine that was used all day in the June primary reported no votes cast at the close of the election, he took no action. At the same time, McPherson implemented a new voter registration database that prevented nearly 26,000 new registrants in LA County from voting in the June primary. McPherson's regulations made it so difficult that only 263 out of those 26,000 voted even though they were legally entitled to do so. Given an opportunity to acknowledge a single one of these failures in leadership during Wednesday's debate, McPherson refused to. In fact, he warmly embraced these flawed voting systems. What's more, he accused me of seeking to disenfranchise blind and disabled voters by daring to question the integrity of error-plagued voting machines! As I said Wednesday, that was clearly not McPherson's finest moment in public service. Blind and disabled voters, just like all other voters, deserve to vote in manner than will accurately and securely record their votes. But McPherson did say something I agreed with: "The biggest difference of opinion I have with Debra is that she doesn't trust the systems, and I do." I couldn't have said it better myself! Our voting system isn't designed to run on trust. It's designed to run on proof and verification -- for the very same reason that we have a government of checks and balances. Unfortunately, Bruce McPherson hasn't followed the critical advice of President Ronald Reagan: trust but verify. Play, but cut the cards. Californians deserve that much from their Secretary of State. I was very pleased with the outcome of Wednesday's debate. If you have some time and want to watch more of the debate, you can do so here on the Bowen Blog. Now with only 18 days left before Election Day -- and millions of absentee ballots already distributed to voters across California -- it's up to you and me to get our message out. So please, sign up for our "Phone From Home" program to contact undecided voters near you. And contribute $100, $50, $25, or whatever you can afford to help power our campaign here in the homestretch. Finally, let me just say how grateful I am for all of the grassroots support I've received from across California and across the country. I'm honored by the trust that you have placed in me, and I'll do everything I can to repay that trust. On to victory! Debra Bowen California State Senator P.S. Help me spread the word. Please forward this email to everyone you know! Contribute Today! Paid for by Debra Bowen for Secretary of State 578 Washington Blvd. #409, Marina del Rey, CA 90292 (c) 2006 Debra Bowen for Secretary of State, ID #1271345

Some people who need a new job

Jon Kyl Rick Renzi J.D. Hayworth John Doolittle Richard Pombo Brian Bilbray Marilyn Musgrave Doug Lamborn Rick O'Donnell Christopher Shays Vernon Buchanan Joe Negron Clay Shaw Bill Sali Peter Roskam Mark Kirk Dennis Hastert Chris Chocola John Hostettler Mike Whalen Jim Ryun Anne Northup Geoff Davis Michael Steele Gil Gutknecht Michele Bachmann Jim Talent Conrad Burns Jon Porter Charlie Bass Mike Ferguson Heather Wilson Peter King John Sweeney Tom Reynolds Randy Kuhl Robin Hayes Charles Taylor Steve Chabot Jean Schmidt Deborah Pryce Joy Padgett Melissa Hart Curt Weldon Mike Fitzpatrick Don Sherwood Lincoln Chafee Bob Corker George Allen Frank Wolf Mike McGavick Dave Reichert

"After Pat’s Birthday"

Read the whole article by Kevin Tillman at TruthDig!

Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.

Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.

Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.

Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.

Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.

Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.

Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.

Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.

Somehow torture is tolerated.

Somehow lying is tolerated.

Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.

Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.

Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.

All About The Money

If you haven't heard, there is a grassroot effort going on to get Democrats in safe seats to give up some of their extra cash on hand to help Democrats win more contested seats.
Chris Bowers at MyDD:

Update: This is really working. I have heard from sources that the entire Massachusetts delegation are calling in to pledge more money. Barney Frank is giving another $253K of his $800K, or just over 30%. I have also received word that this new money will go to the further out races beyond the top twenty-five. People are getting the message, and it is much more effective coming from the grassroots, which normally doesn't ask for this sort of thing, than it would be if only other people in the leadership were asking. This is really working, and it is only going to get bigger. Keep the calls going!

Here is Bower's list. Adam Schiff has a million in cash for a contest that isn't even in question...wouldn't it be great if he pledge 400K (30% of the cash he has collected from people like us) to help out other worthy candiates like, say, McNerney or Busby.

Where is the Democratic Leadership?

I’ve been squandering much too much time over at Huffington Post in the comment sections of various news articles attempting to enlighten reactionary “trolls”. Within the heated discussion you would read a bone-headed lamenting of the “lack of leadership” by the Democrats. I posted this commentary over there last night.

People. We exist in a presidential system, not a parliamentary system.

In the second, the opposition party has a clear leader, elected at a regularly scheduled party congress. Not uncommonly, there will be a shadow cabinet consisting of high-ranking members of parliament who are selling their concepts in all the major areas of governance.

This opposition party leader is chosen under the assumption that he/she is the strongest member of the party to lead the sale of the party's agenda to the electorate, and that he/she will be Prime Minister in the event of an electoral win. In the event of an electoral failure, this party leader almost always steps down.

How hard is this to understand? Nobody, but nobody knows who the Dems are going to nominate for Pres, and we are a good 16 months easy from knowing. Get past it! Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and Howard Dean have not been chosen to form the party’s platform: that is not their function. Is Ken Melhman the head of the Repub Party, or is Bush (OK, but you take my point.)

Figure it out! The beauty thing is that the Repubs are going to go even more off the rails over the next 16 months.

We MIGHT get lucky. A candidate may step forward who just sweeps aside all the others, early on. Please don't hold your breath.

So when some bone-headed Repub demands a plan for getting out of Iraq, remind them that they are the ones who walked in, splashed gasoline all over the place, and struck the match.

If we go in with a fire hose, yes, there is going to be water damage. How is that our fault?

Debate: Secretary of State

From SFGATE:

Safeguarding the vote: Candidates for California secretary of state, Democrat Debra Bowen and Republican incumbent Bruce McPherson, meet at 2 p.m., Wednesday, before The Chronicle Editorial Board to discuss how each would oversee elections in the state. View the debate live at cbs5.com

And you can check previous debates HERE.

Surge?

....the best guess is that the permanent Republican majority will end in a little over three weeks. - Paul Krugman

Schwarzenegger a Racist?

From The Bee via Calitics

You want ugly? Check out the comments Schwarzenegger made last week about Mexicans and assimilation. In response to a reporter's question, Schwarzenegger said people often ask him the secret of his success. He tells them it requires "that you learn the language, that you learn the history of America ... and you have to become part of America."

So far, so good. But then he went for the whole enchilada

"And that is very difficult for some people to do," said the governor, "especially, I think, for Mexicans, because they are so close to their country here, so they try to stay Mexican but try to be in America."

The Austrian immigrant offered this advice: "What I am saying to the Mexicans is, you've got to go and immerse yourself, and assimilate into the American culture, and become part of the American fabric. That is how Americans will embrace you."

I'll try to keep my temperature down, but the governor's most recent comments were inaccurate, impolite, inconsistent, imprudent, insincere and incomplete:

Read why at the links above. (The Bee requires free registration.)

Further Foley Analysis

OK, let me see if I have this straight:

The fact that Mark Foley, a Republican Congressman, has been scooping out the talent among the young male pages on Capitol Hill for going on a decade is politically embarrassing for The House Republican Leadership and Republicans generally.

Hmmm. I think I get that. Yes, I agree, it is embarrassing for the Republicans.

But here is a part of the story that eludes me: the FACT that this story is embarrassing for The House Republican Leadership and Republicans is PROOF that The House Democratic Leadership is responsible for publicizing this embarrassment at a particularly inconvenient time for The House Republican Leadership, i.e. the coming election.

Further, the FACT that this is embarrassing for The House Republican Leadership IS NOT PROOF (not event an indication) that The House Republican Leadership has been engaged in a criminal conspiracy to cover up Foley’s foibles.

So, Democrats engaged in inappropriate behavior because it is inconvenient for Republicans, but Republicans did not commit a crime in their handling of this information.

Hmmmm. I need to ponder that a bit longer. But it seems to me that the Republicans are saying that if the Democrats had not cynically exploited this story, why, no one would ever have heard about it.

Now I’m beginning to understand why it is the Republicans call themselves the party of values. Not.

Dare i get your hopes up? Win The Senate!

Oooooooh, I hate to jinx it, but maybe, just maybe we can take back the Senate too!

It pains me, as a Virgina transplant, that a war hero like Webb looks to loose to a blatent racist pig like Allen, but at least the ranks of empty suits to follow in W's footsteps has been reduced by one.

Bob Greiger, whose work I am coming to admire deeply, has a worth reading post.

While at his site look back to his Friday regular bit, where he posts the week's most deranged and disturbing e-mails. You will wonder if you live on the smae planet as some of htese people.

A Poem for John McCain

I used to like John McCain
But now he gives me a pain.
He was a Bush critic
But it seems to this cynic
He’s switched his positions for gain.

His opposition to torture
Is open to forfeiture
For embracing Gitmo George.

He’ll reform campaign finance
Unless if by some chance
There’s a banquet at which he can gorge.

And suddenly the religious right
Is dandy in his new light
Of forgetting when they were his scourge.

Nobody should misconstrue
His new affection for W.
John’s running for president,
Meaning values once resident
Have all been flushed down the loo.

--Lee Wochner

Thirty-Seat Pickup In The House Starting To Look Reasonable

From My DD:

Chris Bowers dares speak that which we dream:

If Democrats pickup thirty-seats (or more) in the House this election, they will have a larger majority than Republicans have had since 1946.

Ohhhhh. I'm liking that! And:

If Republicans are placing their maximum house losses at thirty seats, then the maximum number of losses might even be higher. The NRCC has conducted surveys in more than forty Republican-held districts since July 1st, reflective of their fear of huge losses.

There is more, of course. Surf on over and enjoy!

Have I mentioned lately how much I detest modern Republicanism?

Debra Bowen gets a sensible endoresment

From The Mercury News

SB 370, which Bowen sponsored last year, perhaps best illustrates the differences in philosophy and approach between her and McPherson. Now law, the bill required that counties use the voter-verified paper receipt, which touch-screen machines are now required to produce, for recounts and for random audits. McPherson opposed the bill, in large part because county registrars didn't want it. But SB 370 provides a critical check against fraud and machine malfunctioning, which Schwarzenegger recognized in signing the bill.

McPherson is less likely to challenge county officials. But if county registrars had their way, none of California's landmark electronic voting reforms, like a paper trail, would be in effect today. A secretary of state must be willing to lead the registrars on issues of voting integrity and accountability. Bowen would do this.

McPherson restored stability to the office. Bowen would bring dynamism and skepticism that the position needs. She is our choice.

Blame The Democrats, Part 483290487372930

The Scene: The White House, The Private Residence, The President’s Bedroom

It is January 19, 2009. Tomorrow the President will watch his successor take the oath of office.

W is editing his First Great Volume of Autobiography: “Great Fart Jokes That I Have Told”.

The light in his bedside table burns out!

Across the nation, Republicans shriek, “It’s all Bill Clinton’s fault!”

Democrats Jump to a 23 Point Advantage in Generic Ballot

From MyDD

"The generic ballot doesn't tell us a lot, but this jump post-Foley is stunning, according to USA Today/Gallup.

On the question of which party's candidate would receive their vote if the election were held today, Democrats held a 23-point lead over Republicans among every type of person questioned -- likely voters, registered voters and adults. That's the largest lead Democrats have held among registered voters since 1978 and a jump from last month's 48%-48% split among likely voters.

Government corruption, Iraq and terrorism were the three most important issues to poll respondents. They said Democrats would do a better job on all three. The party had a 21-point advantage on handling corruption and a 17-point advantage on Iraq. A longstanding GOP advantage on terrorism vanished; Democrats had a 5-point edge. In other indicators:

* 57% of registered voters say their own representative should be re-elected, the lowest since just before the 1994 Republican House sweep.

* 56% said it was a mistake to send troops to Iraq while 40% said it was not -- the biggest split in a year.

* Voters gave Democrats a 54%-28% advantage over Republicans concerning which party would handle gasoline prices better despite the recent drop in prices."

Prop 90

Taking advantage of the fear the Kelo v. City of New London Supreme Court decision instilled in private home owners across the country, Prop 90 would change the California constitution to make it harder for cites or the state to use eminent domain to seize private land for public use (and in the Kelo case, to then sell it to a developer in the name of community development.)

But Prop 90 does two things, not just the one:

This measure amends the California Constitution to:

• Require government to pay property owners for substantial economic losses resulting from some new laws and rules.
• Limit government authority to take ownership of private property.

This measure applies to all types of private property, including homes, buildings, land, cars, and “intangible” property (such as ownership of a business or patent). The measure’s requirements apply to all state and local governmental agencies.

Examples of laws and rules that would require compensation:

• Downzoning Property. This term refers to decisions by government to reduce the amount of development permitted on a parcel. For example, a government action to allow construction of three homes on an acre where five homes previously had been permitted commonly is called “downzoning.”
• Limitations on the Use of Private Air Space. This term generally refers to actions by government that limit the height of a building. For example, a government rule limiting how tall a building may be to preserve views or maintain historical character often is called a limitation of “air space.”
• Eliminating Any Access to Private Property. This term could include actions such as closing the only public road leading to a parcel.

Obviously, this could have a major negative impact a cities ability to manage the growth of the community. I don't see how this benefits us regular working folks much.

Under the initiative, governments would have to pay landowners if they set limits on how tall buildings or homes could be built. The analyst's office said the initiative could force governments to pay landowners after establishing limits on pollution levels or high apartment prices.

I'm not for intrusive government regulations, but I think we can all appreciated that our neighbors can't build 5 story tall cinder block towers that start at the sidewalk.

But what about demanding that new business have enough parking? If we change those rules, do we reduce the value of that property? If the total retail space is decreased for parking, guess who gets to demand compensation. We already have to fight developers in Burbank to get adequate parking, this law would add to that the burden of paying developers huge sums of money when we make those rules. I see that as way to take the power of government out of our hands and putting inthe hands of big business.

And then you see who is funding this Proposition....

A network of tax-exempt advocacy groups -- all with ties to a New York real estate investor -- is funneling millions of dollars to the campaign for a California property rights measure in a way that cloaks the identity and number of financial supporters.

The intricate financial web is the source of nearly all the money used to promote Proposition 90, an initiative on the November ballot aimed in part at curbing the power of government to seize private property. The financing network has spent more than $14.6 million around the country since late last year on 20 initiative drives, most concerning property rights and taxes.

The man at the center of this national effort is Howie Rich, a wealthy libertarian who believes in limited government and has long used tax-exempt groups to promote his favored candidates and political beliefs -- property rights, term limits, tax cuts and school vouchers, among others.

I'll have to vote no on this one.

Yes on 87

http://www.yeson87.com/

Just a reminder...

Got a good beat, and you can VOTE to it

Gotta catch this from YouTube … the incarnation of our newly minted fave election anthem, Rikki Lee Jones’ and the Squirrel Nut Zippers’ snappy “Have You Had Enough,” already spotlighted earlier on our blog (below) with its master lyrics and an mp3 download for all your catchy political music needs.

Now Blue America off CrooksandLiars.com rolls out localized versions for 15 House races—including our own beloved McNerny-Pombo, Brown-Doolittle and even McKeon-Rodriguez and Bono-Roth clambakes in California… plus Hastert, “Mean Jean” and others.

LOVE the Atomic Cafe-style '50s clips they came up with, and, again, the catchy tune that just won’t stop. Imagine a nationwide marathon wallpapering of these commercials rolling across all the TVs in every market of every Repub district! Who could resist it? What would it take? Merely money?

Burbank Democratic Club endorsements and recommendations

Burbank Democratic Club endorsements and recommendations

GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 7, 2006

National Congressional Candidates

Adam Schiff
Brad Sherman

Statewide Constitutional Candidates

Phil Angelides, Governor

John Garamendi, Lt. Governor

Debra Bowen, Secretary of State

John Chiang, Controller

Bill Lockyer, Treasurer

Jerry Brown, Attorney General

Cruz Bustamante, Insurance Commissioner

Judy Chu, Board of Equalization


Statewide Legislative Candidates

State Assembly 43rd District Paul Krekorian


Proposition Recommendations for November 7th, 2006 Election

Proposition 85 -- NO
Proposition 87 -- YES
Proposition 89 -- YES

Close races moving toward Democrats

Cook Political Report has 4 governors races and 14 House races moving toward Democrats (in addition to previously reported races).

Both Pombo and Doolittle have seen slippage:

CA-04 Doolittle Likely Republican to Lean Republican
CA-11 Pombo Likely Republican to Lean Republican

It ain't over -- we're all still awaiting the October surprise -- but not one race is slipping the other way.

A new (fictional) president

Even THIS would be an improvement.

He's still got that panicked look, though.

35 new local Democrats

In just the past few weeks, we've registered 35 new Democrats from our modest little table in the Burbank Town Center mall. (And we've still got three weeks to go.)

Think 35 doesn't sound like many?

Consider this: earlier this year, Howard Dean was relating how just 10 more Democratic votes per district in scattered areas of the U.S. would have tipped Congress, and how just a slightly larger effort could have elected Kerry president.

Moreover, it's not just that we've registered 35 new Democrats -- it's also that some of them were Republicans before stepping up to our table. Like you, they've had enough.

Hats off to Janet Reynolds for coordinating this registration drive, and a deep thank-you to all the volunteers of the club who are taking turns manning the table. You are all helping to elect Democrats and to restore checks and balances.

Nancy Pelosi's plan for a New Direction for America

Nancy Pelosi has a plan for her first 100 hours as our new Speaker of the House. Check out her website and click on "A New Direction for America."

http://www.house.gov/pelosi/

This is our time - this is real - this can happen.

Republican Party Betrayed by Its Own

Writing in "The Hill", a Bloomberg Publication, Alexander Bolton reports:

(T)he whistleblower was a paid GOP staffer when the documents were first given to the media.

Darn! And I was really prepared to believe that this was a conspiracy among bad, bad librul Democrats intent on stopping Saint Mark's predation on children! I mean! Denny and Newt have never lied to me before! I'm really disappointed!

Mr. Bolton, who I suspect is French, continues:

These revelations mean that Republicans who are calling for probes to discover what Democratic leaders and staff knew about Foley’s improper exchanges with under-age pages will likely be unable to show that the opposition party orchestrated the scandal now roiling the GOP just a month away from the midterm elections.

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) yesterday called for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) to testify about what and when they knew of Foley’s contact with former pages (see related story).

House GOP leadership aides have said they would like to see investigations of Foley examine how the story became public. ABC News’s website first reported the e-mails just as Congress was about to recess for the election.

Yes! By all means! We need to get to the bottom of how this sensitive and personal information got out among the prols where it could possibly cloud their (limited) judgment. I say Pelosi (is that French?) and Emanuel (that has to be French!) have a lot to answer for. Because without the leak to the evil librul news media Saint Mark would still be diddling little boys and Denny would still be covering up. And that's the way we want it, right?

Blame Democrats for the Foley Tragedy

(The Party Of Personal Responsibility has a bulletin for all you low-born yokels.)

As I've written before, I find it disgusting, just disgusting, that Democrats would cynically exploit a sexual embarrassment this way. We all know the Republicans would NEVER do such a thing, right? It is ONLY Democrats who would point to one opponent’s personal failing and tar the whole other party as morally corrupt, right, right???

Apparently the fact that The House Republican Leadership deliberately and criminally hid a pedophile and his diddling of children is inconvenient for Republicans! Who'da know'd? Not, apparently, The House Republican Leadership.

Now comes the revelation that Denny (yer doin' a heckava job) Hastert, Newt (please sign this divorce decree even if the chemo is making you nauseous) Gingrich, and assorted other Saints of God's Own Party have decided that Poor Beleaguered Mark Foley's (disgusting but we need to accept them in a politically correct world run by libruls) foibles would never have come to light had it not been for wicked librul Democrats.

Denny and Newt cannot offer, (and of course we should not ask for) any proof that the original information about Saint Mark's penchant for pedophilia (why do you think he understood the need for all those anti-predator laws? He was just the right man for the job! Republicans can pick'em!) left the Hollowed Halls of Congress in the hands of a Democrat (I can hardly stand to type that filthy word, Jehbus protect me!)

So this is how it is: If some evil Democrat librul had not told George Soros about Saint Mark, then things would still be going along nicely up at the Republican controlled House of Representatives: Mark would be diddling pages while Denny (yer doin' a heckava job) Hastert covered up for him and the House passed laws allowing Our Dear Leader to conduct, at will, yet more cruel and abominable forms of torture, all part of 'Merican law. And that's God's plan for 'Merica! More torture! More torture!

(Actually, the fact is that the original citizen who dared to buck the current hateful fear mongering racist fascist power structure is a life-long Republican {surprised? I am!}, and the thread of this snark is lifted from Josh Marshall.)

Foleygate revelations -- page's identity, and vicious counterattacks

First, in case you haven't seen them, here are the IM's between Foley and the Congressional page.

It's pretty clear that the boy is well aware that the Congressman is flirting with him -- it couldn't be any more obvious or audacious, and at age 16 in America 2006 most kids are pretty knowledgeable.

The troubling part is that the boy is just that -- a MINOR -- and that it is a Congressman involved in this behavior with him.

Just a reminder: Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky = two consenting adults. Mark Foley and Jordan Edmund? 52-year-old Congressman and, at the time, 16-year old boy employee. Big difference. (And no, I still don't like that Clinton lied under oath. But I like the larger lies of the new guys far less.)

For MUCH more on all this, if you're interested, visit here, which includes the story of how Mr. Edmund's identity was revealed -- and the vicious attacks against the reporting blogger and his family from the right wing.

Here we go again: grabby George

As if we needed more besides Foleygate and Iraq and all the rest, more news today that's not to be overlooked about yet another Bush signing statement that usurps Congress:

Our good ol' unitary executive dictator explicitly retains the right to CHANGE newly mandated Homeland Security reports to Congress himself, re: various background checks on citizens—and, oh yeah, overturns the job specs for FEMA chief (five years’ experience in the field is too much, apparently) …

CHECK OUT Hastert's competition - John Laesch

This young man is running against Denny Hastert in Illinois and can use all the help he can get. He has been on the Ed Schultz Show a number of times (on KTLK 12 to 3 M-F) and is intelligent in his response, has a platform that he articulates well and can't get a debate with Hastert. He knows he has a huge mountain to climb but interest in him has been increasing 10 fold since this Foley mess and since Ed Schultz has had him on the show. Check him out --

So, who is the candidate opposing Denny Hastert in Illinois’s 14th congressional district?
A U.S. Navy veteran, a labor union guy, a straight-shooter. What more could we ask for?
Any financial support would be welcome - check him out at http://www.john06.com/ He needs all our support to get Hastert OUT OF CONGRESS! Hastert now says he'll take responsibility for the Foley mess but won't step down. Let's make him step down on November 7th. Things have to and MUST change.

Al Gore would have prevented 9/11

With the revelations from Bob Woodward's latest book - the one were he finally gets it right about this administration - it is now more clear than ever that the Cheney/Rumsfeld presidency let 9/11 happen. From the attack on the Embassy bombings in East Africa (1998) and the Cole off Yemen (2000), it was clear who Al Qaida was and what they were willing to do. Clinton was laughed at here at home by republicans for his retaliatory bombings in the Sudan and Afghanistan, but it was something.. When he left office, he warned the new administration about the problem, handed them a plan and a department of experts to deal with it.

For 8 months, Condi, Dick, George and Don did nothing. In fact, they did less then nothing. They ignored the warnings of the Clinton administration, they ignored the August 8 PDB (Bush telling the guy delivering the PDB "Now you've covered your ass." And now we hear that 2 months before 9/11 Condi pooh-poohed a report from Tenent and Black about an eminent attack. Ho Hum, nothing new here.

Even if I could swallow all the crap about the reports being non-specific and the plans containing nothing actionable (which I no longer accept) - you still have to wonder why the President of the United States, especially Mr. Pre-emptive, wouldn't want to get the people who boombed our Navel ship and our Embassies? Condi heard all the reports and Richard Clarke gets demoted. And the lack of interest in Bin Laden continued. We missed him in Tora Bora (I remember hearing that week of the war in Afghanistan that we had him cornered, we going to get him and then the baffling news that the US army was pulling back to let the Afghans go in and get him? What? And then he slipped away. And just recently the group set up to find Bun Laden was shut down.

If Bush hadn't stolen the Election in 2000, Al Gore would have taken all the reports seriously...He would have continued Clinton efforts and 9/11 would most likely have never happened. Instead, for 8 straight uninterrupted months, Al Qaida was able to plan and plot and polish the details of their plan without interference from the US.

Futher Foley Folies

An excellent post over at Glenn Greenwald's on Hastert, Limbaugh, Foley and the entire fiction of Republican Moral Supremecy.

Glenn's is one of those MINDS that you don't want to mess with. Happily, he's on my side. A long quote to whet your interest:

In need of moral absolution and support from a respected and admired figure who possesses moral authority among Hastert's morally upstanding Republican base, to whom does Hastert turn? A priest or respected reverend? An older wise political statesman with a reputation for integrity and dignity? No, there is only one person with sufficient moral credibility among the increasingly uncomfortable moralistic Republican base who can give Hastert the blessing he needs: Rush Limbaugh. And so that is where Hastert went yesterday in order to obtain the Decree that He Did Nothing Wrong.

As much as I tried -- and, trust me, I really tried -- I couldn't expunge this picture from my mind yesterday because, in all its visceral hideousness, it really illustrates what I think is the principal reason why this Foley scandal is resonating so strongly. This is the real face of the ruling Republican party, and it has been unmasked -- violently -- by the exposure of Mark Foley and his allies who protected and harbored him.

If the term "moral degenerate" has any validity and can be fairly applied to anyone, there are few people who merit that term more than Rush Limbaugh. He is the living and breathing embodiment of moral degeneracy, with his countless overlapping sexual affairs, his series of shattered, dissolved marriages, his hedonistic and illegal drug abuse, his jaunts, with fistfulls of Viagra (but no wife), to an impoverished Latin American island renowned for its easy access to underage female prostitutes.

Yet that is who Hastert chose as the High Priest of the Values Voters to whom he made his pilgrimage and from whom he received his benediction. The difference between Rush Limbaugh and Mark Foley, to the extent there is one, is one of hedonistic tastes, not moral level. Rush Limbaugh isn't just tolerated within the party that stands for religious piety and moral strength. He is a leader of it, arguably the leader of its most righteous wing. Is it really all that surprising that a political movement that has chosen a moral degenerate like Rush Limbaugh as one of its most revered and morally respected leaders is not all that bothered by -- and therefore actively harbors -- the Mark Foleys of the world?

Thank you, Glenn, well stated. While you are visiting Glenn, bookmark his site, he should be on your daily read list.

N. Korea announces plans for a nuclear test

Oh, goody.

Aren't you glad that we are 3.5 years into a pointless, unnecessary quamire? Oh, and that the war that made some sense has gone so poorly that pea-brained Bill Frist is suggesting that we strike a deal with the Talliban?

Oh, yeah. Six years of a steady hand on the tiller of state, straight over the falls!

Iraq was well and truely contained, so we attacked them and refused to LOOK at Korea for a solid three years.

Are you pleased? God knows I am. Ghack, ghack, ghack.....

Update on Foley Tragedy

Are you nasty snide libruls wondering, as I am, as to why Saint Foley won't go quietly into oblivion?

The National Republican Campaign Committee recently indicated that it was prepared to take the balance of funds from Mark's campaign war chest, now that he has dropped out. Yeah, right! That's a good 'un!

Poor beleaguered, kicked by libruls Foley will not be handing over another cent, why?

Well, the first bribe in excess of $100,000 did not save his sorry bacon, did it? The Republican leadership has betrayed him, and I say look out for an old queen spited!

And notice that his lawyer is racking up billable hours, pronto!

Now it would appear that Mark was reared in the Roman Catholic Church, in more was than one. For the record, I was reared in the Roman Catholic Church as well, but in at least one less way.

How many lawyers in 'Merica have considered just who to sue, under what complaint, and for how much? And you wonder why Rethuglicans are so hot and bothered for tort reform!!!!!!!

Look how many Rethuglicans are pointing at the guy next to him today. Mark is not the only guy who will not enjoy any official imunity for his actions or lact there of!

And I apologize in advance to any old queens that I may have offended while snarking at the most vile, bigoted, self-satisfied, disgusting group of near-humans extant today, the Rethuglicans.

What is art?

So, have you heard the story about the art teacher in Texas who took a fifth grade class sanctioned by the school to the Art Museum in Dallas and has been suspended and probably will be fired because one student told parents that they had statues of naked people in the museum? If you haven't heard this story, read about it below. My mind must be going - what century are we living in?

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1002-07.htm

Moyers on America this October 4th.

From the MOYERS ON AMERICA newsletter, this piece about an October 4th broadcast that should concern us all: "Capitol Crimes."

By the way, if you miss the broadcast, PBS has been very good about archiving full programs like this on their site for free watching at your convenience. As they should -- they are government-funded, and using airwaves we all own. (If only other broadcasters were occasionally reminded of the latter fact.)

And, regarding the "Citizens Class" referenced below, it's my understanding that this will be offered free of charge at the Glendale central library soon. We'll keep you posted on that.

This week, Bill Moyers returns to investigative journalism with MOYERS ON AMERICA, taking on crucial issues facing our nation. Previews available at www.pbs.org/moyers.

October 4, "Capitol Crimes" investigates the Abramoff lobbying scandal, revealing the web of relationships, secret deals and political manipulation and opening a disturbing window on the dark side of American politics.
October 11, "Is God Green?" looks at the implications of a debate among politically powerful conservative evangelical Christians over the handling of the environment.
October 18 "The Net at Risk" reports on how mega-media corporations could restrict the democratic possibilities of the Web's new future.


Join the MOYERS ON AMERICA Citizens Class!

Are you an informed and engaged citizen? In October, Bill Moyers returns to investigative journalism with MOYERS ON AMERICA, a series of three documentaries on issues affecting democracy - money in politics, the environment, and internet neutrality. You can connect, reflect, and respond to these hotly-debated topics by joining the MOYERS ON AMERICA Citizens Class. This national dialogue will take a hard look at some of today's most pressing issues and ask: What do you think?

Timed to launch with the series, the MOYERS ON AMERICA Citizens Class will host an extensive, interactive curriculum designed to spark public discourse. The workshop offers multi-media discussion and reference material summarizing the key aspects of differing perspectives; posing questions for reflection, consideration and response; and stimulating a deep and thoughtful dialogue about the issues raised in the series.

Libraries across the country are gathering members to discuss the series - is your library one of them? If not, encourage them to take part in the Citizens Class. Check www.pbs.org/moyers/citizensclass.html for more information.

McNerney pulls ahead

Some of you may know that the club has informally adopted Jerry McNerney's race against Baby-Faced Pombo. Pombo has made it his career goal to be the most corrupt clown ever to serve in Congress. You gotta hand it to the man, he sets his goals high and then strives to achieve!

In a race where Jerry was given no chance whatever, to the extent that the DCCC did not want him to run this, his second time against Baby Face, a reliable poll released today put Jerry up by two points, 48% to 46%. Now, the stinker here is that there is virtually NO useful undecided left. To win, Jerry needs (well, more votes than Baby Face) to pull a few votes away from B-F Pombo.

A happy thought? This poll cannot reflect any reaction to the Foley Tragedy (can't you just leave the poor man alone? He has asked for forgiveness!) and there is no way on God's green Earth that the Foley Tragedy, as currently evolving, helps any Republican anywhere. And I say that's a right shame too, as it is the Republicans who are dedicated to driving the gays back into the closet. (Snark.)

Take a ride over to Jerry's site, where they are shamelessly shouting the news of the poll results.

And also take a minute to send him a few bucks. Jerry recently passed the million dollar mark, and is ZOOMING along in his fund raising, but B-F Pombo is prepared to take any bribe that comes his way, and there are lots of dollars on the other side of this argument, and, really, no morals!

Foley foolishness

I'm glad to come aboard today as a blogger, and what a time to arrive!

First of all I want to dis-associate myself from all this disgusting liberal triumphalist gloting over the Foley tragedy.

As we all know, the Republicans would NEVER cynicaly exploit a sexual embarassment to humiliate or attack a Democrat, right?

Bwaaahahahahahaahaaa!!!!!!!! I just crack me up!

Seriously. Here's to hoping that Hastert continues to take his clueless-stupid pills to the end of the week and not be able to find the exit door!

The Woodward book should last through the weekend, perhaps a bit longer if we are lucky, and it's about time that Bob again do something useful for America.

And Colin Powell's book is pending. Just how many times did he tell Bush that Iraq was a WAY bad idea?

Does anyone want to take book on Karl's October surprise? A general consensus is an attack on Iran, obvioiusly so. But how to justify it? It is said that when a Gestapo operative wanted to insinuate himself into a resistance unit, he would murder another Gestapo operative, just to prove his bona fides.

So. Is an "Iranian" ship going to fire on an American ship? The Iranian nave includes several submarines. And who can say WHERE that torpedo came from?

I would not put anything past these criminals, they just have to be desperate.

Bill Moyers on Lincoln Weeps

Published on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 by CommonDreams.org
Lincoln Weeps
by Bill Moyers

Back in 1954, when I was a summer employee on Capitol Hill, I made my first visit to the Lincoln Memorial. I have returned many times since, most recently while I was in Washington filming for a documentary about how Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, Ralph Reed and Grover Norquist, among others, turned the conservative revolution into a racket—the biggest political scandal since Watergate.
If democracy can be said to have temples, the Lincoln Memorial is our most sacred. You stand there silently contemplating the words that gave voice to Lincoln's fierce determination to save the union—his resolve that "government of, by, and for the people shall not perish from the earth." On this latest visit, I was overcome by a sense of melancholy. Lincoln looks out now on a city where those words are daily mocked. This is no longer his city. And those people from all walks of life making their way up the steps to pay their respect to the martyred president—it's not their city, either. Or their government. This is an occupied city, a company town, and government is a subservient subsidiary of richly endowed patrons.
Once upon a time the House of Representatives was known as "the people's house." No more. It belongs to K Street now. That's the address of the lobbyists who swarm all over Capitol Hill. There are 65 lobbyists for every member of Congress. They spend $200 million per month wining, dining and seducing federal officials. Per month!
Of course they're just doing their job. It's impossible to commit bribery, legal or otherwise, unless someone's on the take, and with campaign costs soaring, our politicians always have their hands out. One representative confessed that members of Congress are the only people in the world expected to take large amounts of money from strangers and then act as if it has no effect on their behavior. This explains why Democrats are having a hard time exploiting the culture of corruption embodied in the scandalous behavior of DeLay and Abramoff. Democrats are themselves up to their necks in the sludge. Just the other day one of the most powerful Democrats in the House bragged to reporters about tapping "uncharted donor fields in the financial industry"—reminding them, not so subtlely, of the possibility that after November the majority leader just might be a Democrat.
When it comes to selling influence, both parties have defined deviancy up, and Tony Soprano himself couldn't get away with some of the things that pass for business as usual in Washington. We have now learned that Jack Abramoff had almost 500 contacts with the Bush White House over the three years before his fall, and that Karl Rove and other presidential staff were treated to his favors and often intervened on his behalf. So brazen a pirate would have been forced to walk the plank long ago if Washington had not thrown its moral compass overboard.
Alas, despite all these disclosures, nothing is happening to clean up the place. Just as the Republicans in charge of the House kept secret those dirty emails sent to young pages by Rep. Mark Foley—a cover-up aimed at getting them past the election and holding his seat for the party—they are now trying to sweep the DeLay-Abramoff-Reed-and-Norquist scandals under the rug until after Nov. 7, hoping the public at large doesn't notice that the House is being run by Tom DeLay's team, minus DeLay. All the talk about reform is placebo.
The only way to counter the power of organized money is with organized and outraged people. Believe me, what members of Congress fear most is a grassroots movement that demands clean elections and an end to the buying and selling of influence—or else! If we leave it to the powers that be to clean up the mess that greed and chicanery have given us, we will wake up one day with a real Frankenstein of a system—a monster worse than the one created by Abramoff, DeLay and their cronies. By then it will be too late to save Lincoln's hope for "government of, by, and for the people."
Bill Moyers is a veteran television journalist for PBS and the president of the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy. This week, Bill Moyers returns to investigative journalism with MOYERS ON AMERICA, taking on crucial issues facing our nation. Previews available at www.pbs.org/moyers.
October 4, "Capitol Crimes" investigates the Abramoff lobbying scandal, revealing the web of relationships, secret deals and political manipulation and opening a disturbing window on the dark side of American politics.
October 11, "Is God Green?" looks at the implications of a debate among politically powerful conservative evangelical Christians over the handling of the environment.
October 18 "The Net at Risk" reports on how mega-media corporations could restrict the democratic possibilities of the Web's new future.
###

Lamont closing the Gap

Latest Zogby Poll has Lamont down by only 2 points. The Polster.com 5 poll average has him down by only 6 and trending better.

Foleygate!

This from Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo:

The simple fact is that Foley's downfall has pretty nearly decapitated the leadership of the House GOP with just five weeks to go before election day. And that's devastating.
......

The simple fact is that to the extant campaigning determines the outcomes of elections, the race goes to the side that can remain on the offensive most consistently and define the national debate on its own terms. Foleygate has made it very hard for the leaders of the House GOP to go on the offensive on anything relevant to the election. For political purposes they're basically out of commission. And they've given Democratic challengers in every district around the country a slew of questions with which to pummel GOP incumbents or any Republican, for that matter, who puts his head up on television. This is in the context of an election that was already going very badly for House Republicans. Foleygate has now made them all but politically defenseless in the final stretch of the campaign. And that is a very big deal.

It's worth reading his whole post.

Don’t take your eye off W

While the rest of the country is distracted ... stammering in shock at the GOP meltdown over the Tom Foley cover-up, and snickering at the wimpy Bush regime response to its own “State of Denial” …


…here comes W sneaking in out West to stump for Doolittle and the rest of the GOP cling-ons. No public “rallies” … just closed-door, high-ticket fundraisers.

No pics, just payola …

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/32747.html

It's time to hit the streets

For those interested, I'd like to suggest that our club members march for peace in a rally that is being held later this month in LA. The website is

http://www.goharrison.com/petitions/gandhi.php

Harrison of Harrison on the edge (KTLK) is spearheading this march on Saturday, October 28th in downtown LA. It would be great to have a group from the Burbank Democratic Club in attendance - the time is now. We must begin to stand up for our democracy and for peace. Let's come together, let's stand together and be true patriots.

Have You Had Enough? Free MP3

Rickie Lee Jones and the Squirrel Nut Zippers have made a free MP3 available on her website, www.rickieleejones.com.

It is called "Have You Had Enough?" and is my theme for the saving of America this November. The music moves my heart and soul, too. Thanks, Rickie Lee.

Have You Had Enough?
Have you had enough of hypocrisy?
Have you had enough of the spending spree?
Have you had enough?
Does it make you want to scream and shout?

Have you had enough of the rubber stamps?
Have you had enough of the wire taps?
If you've had enough, then it's time to throw the rascals out!

We've let them take the test too long
They've gotten all the answers wrong
No plan, no shame, no oversight
Now's the time to put it right!

Have you had enough, cause they're all corrupt?
Have you had enough of being divvied up?
If you've had enough, then it's time to throw the rascals out!

Well, do what's right and spread the word
It's time to make our voices heard
You cast your vote it don't cost a dime
Sittin' it out will be a crime

I've had enough, and it's time to throw the rascals out!