Super Tuesday and Congressional Primaries

post from Open Left - Front Page on 04 February 2008 04:07:38 AM. © Open Left - Front Page

Even as Super Tuesday approaches, it's worth considering the impact of the primaries on lower[...]

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Justice & Hope, day 34

post from American Street on 04 February 2008 03:57:00 AM. © American Street

Beginning today, domestic partners will sign up for civil unions in Oregon after a judge appointed by Bush cleared the way. And ironically, he cited Bush v. Gore in his ruling! So this is dedicated to love, equality, dedication and family, especially for everyone in the LGBT communities throughout our state.The song comes from the [...]

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get out the pastels, 4

post from Pasadena New Progressive on 04 February 2008 03:52:00 AM. © Pasadena New Progressive

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Did AP steal a story from a blogger and ABC News

post from AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth on 04 February 2008 03:46:00 AM. © AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

Most Americans would read this AP story and think, wow, that's a hell of a scoop. They'd read how AP bought the audio tape of a new book BEFORE it was available to the public (sneaky AP), and how AP scooped the rest of the media in uncovering that the executive director of the 9/11 Commission may have been corrupt.

Of course, what you wouldn't know is that the AP story comes 5 days after a blogger already broke this story (HE got the audio tape), and 5 days after ABC News already broke the story about the blogger breaking the story, and they confirmed it. And we posted the story, crediting the blogger and ABC, 3 days before AP came out with it's "scoop." But suddenly, five days after that, AP has a story declaring that THEY have this big scoop about the executive director of the 9/11 Commision, and they got it from a pre-sale audio tape (imagine that!), with no mention of the blogger and no mention of ABC, both of whom had the story first.
It's not the first time that AP has refused to credit the blogs for stories (though this time they also are refusing ABC News). I remember going back a couple of years now that AP had said that they wouldn't credit blogs for stories because, you know, you just can't trust those crazy bloggers. But does that stop them from stealing and reprinting our crazy stories as their own? Hmmm...

Now, in this case, is it possible that the AP had no idea that this blogger had the story 5 days before, and is it possible that AP had no idea that ABC News had the story about the blogger having story also 5 days before AP? Sure, it's possible that AP has never heard of ABC News, and it's possible that AP independently came up with the crazy idea of trying to buy the audio tapes of a new book before they were supposed to be on sale, just in the hopes of finding out that, oh I don't know, maybe the executive director was corrupt. But come on. They write the same story 5 days later, don't cite the previous stories, and pretend like it's a scoop?

Now who has a blogger ethics problem?

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Obama endorsement

post from Pasadena New Progressive on 04 February 2008 03:45:00 AM. © Pasadena New Progressive

Apart from agreeing with him on most issues, I am taking it as more than an irony that the primary election falls so close to Martin Luther King day.

To me, King was THE great contemporary American prophet. His death is so recent that we haven't even really begun to completely process all that he gave to us.

In re-reading some of his great speeches and sermons (A Testament of Hope, edited by James M. Washington, is a must-have book for every library!) I have been struck more than anything else by the sad and ugly truth that King's dream is so far from a reality.

Race, to me, is the most important issue in this country. We have to learn how to understand that all people are created equal - and there is a reason for this - because this is the only way, we can then begin to properly care for, and more importantly, ensure justice for each other and our world.

It is the most important issue because our legacy of slavery and racism, has not yet been overcome, as it MUST be. This is crucial for our humanity, and King was only the beginning of reminding us of this.

I plan on supporting Hillary Clinton if she wins the Democratic election, but on tommorow, I will be voting for Barack Obama.

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vote YES on D

post from Pasadena New Progressive on 04 February 2008 03:37:00 AM. © Pasadena New Progressive

The screeching from all the right-wing bloggers would be enough reason to vote YES on this, but it is also a very good measure for our city.

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OBAMA'S APPEAL TO HOPE vs McCAIN'S APPEAL TO
RETRENCHMENT-- HOW DO THEY CROSS OVER

post from DownWithTyranny! on 04 February 2008 03:36:00 AM. © DownWithTyranny!

Tweety says McCain will attract a great number of Democrats and independents. Not only is Tweety dead wrong, McCain will have a hard time attracting even Republicans voters. People are sick of the Republican brand. Bush and his collaborators have wrecked it... really wrecked it.

And I'm not only talking about McCain being scorned by neo-fascists like Coulter, Limbaugh, DeMint, Hannity and Santorum. Mainstream Republicans feel betrayed by the corruption, the extremism, the vicious partisanism, the lies, deceit, the incompetence and the venality. Time for something new. And for many Republicans-- as well as a gigantically increasing number of Democrats-- that means it's time for Barack Obama. In yesterday's Washington Post Peter Wehner, a former Assistant to George W. Bush, tackles the question about why so many Republicans are ready to give Obama a chance.

Barack Obama is not only popular among Democrats, he's also an appealing figure to many Republicans. Former GOP House member Joe Scarborough, now a host on MSNBC, reports that after every important Obama speech, he is inundated with e-mails praising the speech -- with most of them coming from Republicans. William Bennett, an influential conservative intellectual, has said favorable things about Obama. So have Rich Lowry of National Review and Peggy Noonan. And so have I.

...Part of it is the eloquence and uplift of his speeches, combined with his personal grace and dignity. By all accounts, Obama is a well-grounded, decent, thoughtful man. He comes across, in his person and manner, as nonpartisan. He has an unsurpassed ability to (seemingly) transcend politics. Even when he disagrees with people, he doesn't seem disagreeable. "You know what charm is," Albert Camus wrote in "The Fall," "a way of getting the answer yes without having asked any clear question." Obama has such charm, and its appeal is not restricted to Democrats.

A second reason Republicans appreciate Obama is that he is pitted against a couple, the Clintons, whom many Republicans hold in contempt. Among the effects of the Obama-Clinton race is that it is forcing Democrats to come to grips with the mendacity and ruthlessness of the Clinton machine. Conservatives have long believed that the Clintons are an unprincipled pair who will destroy those who stand between them and power -- whether they are political opponents, women from Bill Clinton's past or independent counsels.

...A third reason for Obama's GOP appeal is that unlike Clinton and especially John Edwards, Obama has a message that, at its core, is about unity and hope rather than division and resentment. He stresses that "out of many we are one."

A few days ago, the media tried making a story out of Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsing McCain. It disappeared fast. But today his wife, Maria Schriver, spontaneously endorsed Obama and it really was a story. People are wondering why Gore and Edwards are taking so long. At this point it doesn't matter that much; and their supporters seem to be migrating to Obama anyway. Momentum for Obama is so huge that he has to be considered the favorite.

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