The Wrecking Crew

post from TPMCafe on 06 October 2008 03:20:00 PM. © TPMCafe

Happy Monday Caférs,

With 106 days of the current ~~debacle~~ administration to go, Tom Frank joins us for book club this week to talk The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule.

The book takes a long hard look at the conservative revolution-- deregulation, lobbying, and institutionalized incompetence-- and the considerable aftermath. Joining Frank to talk shop will be Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), Dean Baker, the economist and co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Chris Hayes, Washington editor for The Nation, and Greg Anrig, vice president of policy at The Century Foundation and writer.

We have yet to have a more timely discussion at Café-- please join us.

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Take The Progressive Pledge

post from TalkLeft on 06 October 2008 03:18:00 PM. © TalkLeft

Digby points to the part of the progressive blogosphere I want to be a part of:

[O]nline progressives are organizing around this concept:

Anyone with common sense will vote for Barack Obama and Democratic congressional candidates this November. But it's time for citizens to fight back and take this pledge -- will you join in signing it?

"In 2009 and beyond, I will be part of the movement that pushes Democrats to be bold progressives -- and that helps pass a bold progressive agenda into law."

Sign the pledge, and then follow through with it.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TalkleftThePoliticsOfCrime/~3/413019243/4651

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"Kill him!", Palin supporter says of Obama in her
presence. She says nothing.

post from AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth on 06 October 2008 03:17:00 PM. © AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth

On the heels of a McCain supporter yelling that Obama was a "terrorist" today - and McCain said nothing in response to admonish the supporter - the Washington Post reports (via ThinkProgress) that a Palin supporter at one of her rallies today yelled for Obama to be assassinated after Palin, again, told the lie that some of Obama's best friends are terrorists:

"Now it turns out, one of his earliest supporters is a man named Bill Ayers," Palin said.

"Boooo!" said the crowd.

"And, according to the New York Times, he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and our U.S. Capitol,'" she continued.

"Boooo!" the crowd repeated.

"Kill him!" proposed one man in the audience.

Palin went on to say that "Obama held one of the first meetings of his political career in Bill Ayers's living room, and they've worked together on various projects in Chicago."

Palin went on?

Just like she did when speakers at her church said that terrorist attacks against Israelis were "God's judgment" for Jews having the audacity not to embrace Christianity. Just like she did when a visiting witch doctor at her church lamented the fact that, as he claimed, Jews control the banking industry and that's why Wall Street is so corrupt. Not a word from Sarah Palin when her supporters talk of killing Barack Obama. Not a word from Sarah Palin when her own church talks of the propriety of launching terrorist attacks against Jews in Israel.

In one day, McCain's supporters are so enraged by McCain's new rhetoric, calling Obama an un-American terrorist sympathizer, that McCain's supporters are now labeling Obama himself a "terrorist" and calling for him to be killed.

And McCain has no problem with this. Nor does Sarah Palin.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Americablog/~3/413244021/kill-him.html

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The Keating Five

post from Daily Kos on 06 October 2008 03:15:04 PM. © Daily Kos

Today the Obama campaign released a 13-minute documentary called "Keating Economics: John McCain and the Making of a Financial Crisis," outlining John McCain's role in the scandal that cost U.S. taxpayers $2.6 billion.

video details and more

The McCain campaign's response? Via Americablog:

The Keating Five Investigation was "a political smear job on John [McCain]." WTF? He called Howell Heflin, who led the hearings, a "stooge" of the Democratic machine out to get poor, innocent John McCain.

Wow, really? That's not what McCain said in his book, Worth Fighting For:

I made the worst mistake of my life by attending two meetings, the first with the chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, the government agency charged with regulating the practices of the nation’s savings and loans, and a week later with four bank examiners based in San Francisco who were at that time investigating the investment and lending practices of Lincoln Savings and Loan of Irvine, California, owned by my good friend and generous supporter Charles Keating.

And it's not what he was saying last year:

I was judged eventually, after three years, of using, quote, poor judgment, and I agree with that assessment.

But now that McCain is being called out for his role in the Keating 5 scandal, he has decided to cut and run from taking responsibility for his own actions.

(Discussion of the video's release is also going on in Steven R's recommended diary.)

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/KS92GXGIGvw/621675

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THE KEATING VIDEO.

post from Ezra Klein on 06 October 2008 03:14:00 PM. © Ezra Klein

The full, 13-minute "documentary" has been released. It's devastating:The first thing you'll notice is the production values. This video has been finished for a long time. The Obama campaign let this sit until it was necessary, or until it fit the plan.[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=10&year=2008&base_name
=the_keating_video

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Tracking Poll Update: Obama's Lead Stabilizes at
8 Points

post from MyDD on 06 October 2008 03:06:07 PM. © MyDD

Here are today's numbers: ObamaMcCain Diageo/Hotline4741 Gallup5042 Rasmussen Reports5244 Research 2000/dKos5240 Average:50.2541.75 These four polls were all entirely in the field following the Vice Presidential debate, before which Barack[...]

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DEEP IN THE WOODS.

post from Ezra Klein on 06 October 2008 03:06:00 PM. © Ezra Klein

The Dow dropped below 10,000 today, driven by sell-offs in global markets that have basically decided America is a bad bet and the situation is going to get considerably worse. Some analysts are saying this is just about "fear," but it's a bit unclear[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=10&year=2008&base_name
=deep_in_the_woods

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The Mystery of The Great Swamp

.Douche Enema Bags The “John McCain: Apocalypse Now Redux” T-Shirt can be purchased at The Zencomix Online Market.political, cartoons,political cartoons, parody, satire, Republicans, GOP, Iraq, War, Theocracy, Bush, Cheney, comics, comic strips, McCain,webcomic,Palin,Sarah PalinZencomix

Read The Full Article:
http://www.reachm.com/amstreet/archives/2008/10/06/the-mystery-of-the-great-swamp
/

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Alaska State Employees Agree To Testify In
Troopergate Investigation

Ruh roh.

Seven Alaska state employees have reversed course and agreed to testify in an abuse-of-power investigation against Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.[..]
Lawmakers subpoenaed seven state employees to testify in the inquiry but they challenged those subpoenas. A judge rejected that challenge last week. Because of that ruling, Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg says the employees have decide to testify.

AP is reporting that Todd Palin, while still not agreeing to testify under oath, has agreed to speak to investigator Timothy Petumenos. Another investigation into Troopergate (launched by the Alaska Legislature) is scheduled to release their findings this Friday, unless successfully stayed by the McCain/Palin campaign.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/alaska-state-employees-agree-testify-

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FDL Book Salon Welcomes Barton Gellman, Author of
Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency

Bart Gellman's Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency has been rightly celebrated for its detailed depiction surrounding the March 10, 2004 hospital confrontation over the warrantless wiretapping program. But it most valuable as a catalog of the ways Dick[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://firedoglake.com/2008/10/06/fdl-book-salon-welcomes-barton-gellman-author-o
f-angler-the-cheney-vice-presidency/

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