Convention News

post from DemConWatch on 10 August 2008 09:17:00 AM. © DemConWatch

Convention banners are up in Denver
Private houses and apartments near the Pepsi Center are expensive. Really expensive.
But there are still are some hotel rooms available.
The Denver Mint is closed the week of the convention.
Some street closures around Invesco announced
Chelsea Clinton to introduce Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night
GOP is or was $10 million short on their convention funding

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Phone Victims

post from Everyday Citizen on 10 August 2008 09:11:50 AM. © Everyday Citizen

Phone Victims... P.V. It's becoming our own "gang" symbol.A couple of weeks ago I took about five[...]

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Stalinism Inside The DCCC-- Beware The Red To
Blue Program

post from DownWithTyranny! on 10 August 2008 09:00:00 AM. © DownWithTyranny!

The DCCC's hopelessly corrupt and widely discredited Red to Blue Program, co-chaired by the ambitious and venal Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL), who is working vigorously for the re-election of far right Republican fanatics in South Florida, has declared for 45 candidates so far in this cycle. Very few grassroots donors give to this project but it is a veritable stamp of approval for wealthy and institutional Democrats who don't pay much attention. Savvy activists learned long ago that the DCCC is entirely untrustworthy and that many of their hand-picked candidates are the mirror image of brainwashed or brain-dead Republican rubber stamps and that, in fact, way too many support Republican principles and values.

Typically, the DCCC advises Democratic candidates to disguise their stances on controversial issues that separate the two parties. With ABC News reporting today that the lines are starting to blur between which party is pro-choice and which party is anti-choice, socially conservative candidates are meticulous in hiding their anti-choice and their homophobic manias from voters. There will always be one or two like Chris Carney (PA) who will actually lie about it when asked, but most just refuse to discuss it. Take a look at "courageous" Ohio Democrat John Boccieri tap dancing around these two issues.

Last year many of the Red to Blue candidates got into Congress and immediately started voting like Republicans-- but just on crucial issues like the war in Iraq, warrantless wiretaps, immigration reform, trade policies... If you don't pick and choose your own candidates and you instead just give blindly to DCCC Red to Blue candidates you will have donated to candidates who are social conservatives and who will oppose women's right to choice and not fight for equality for gay men and women (like, for example, current reactionary Democrats on this endorsement list Don Cravins, Paul Carmouche, Steve Driehaus, Bobby Bright, John Boccieri, and Kathy Dahlkemper). Although they try keeping it on the down low, several on the Red to Blue list are pro-war and some are corporate-leaning shills. It's never about Democratic ideal, values, principles... it's always getting as many members willing to call themselves "Democrats," for whatever reason, into Congress. That's how Democrats wind up in the majority in the House and can't get anything accomplished.

There were 17 Democrats who voted more frequently with Republicans than with Democrats on the key substantive issues that divide the two parties. Of the 17, nine are freshmen. They are, from bad to worse, Don Cazayoux (LA), Zach Space (OH), Harry Mitchell (AZ), Travis Childers (MS), Chris Carney (PA), Heath Shuler (NC), Jason Altmire (PA), Brad Ellsworth (IN), Joe Donnelly (IN), and-- with a ProgressivePunch score of 28.91 out of 100, Nick Lampson (TX). Further, 2006 Red to Blue candidates Tim Mahoney (FL) and Gabby Giffords (AZ) voted with Republicans as much as they voted with Democrats on these substantive matters. Last year if you donated to the DCCC's Red to Blue program, you helped elect people who are determined to keep the war in Iraq going, who voted to allow warrantless wiretaps, and who were willing to rubber stamp Bush trade policies that throw American workers out of their jobs... and who actually applaud Nancy Pelosi's decision to take impeachment off the table. In fact, they are a big part of the reason why Nancy Pelosi did take impeachment off the table.

That said, quite a few Red to Blue candidates this year happen to be absolutely outstanding, such as Darcy Burner (D-WA), Vic Wulsin (D-OH), Joe Garcia (D-FL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Larry Kissell (D-NC), Tom Perriello (D-VA), Eric Massa (D-NY), Judy Feder (D-VA), Bob Lord (D-AZ), Linda Stender (D-NJ), Gary Trauner (D-WY), Mark Schauer (D-MI), Jim Himes (D-CT), Judy Baker (D-MO), Charlie Brown (D-CA), Ashwin Madia (D-MN), John Adler (D-NJ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Dan Maffei (D-NY), Dan Seals (D-IL), Jon Powers (D-NY).

But what I want to look at today isn't who is good and who is bad but at the candidates who have already been endorsed by the DCCC but who are still in the midst of hotly contested primaries: Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), Jon Powers (D-NY), Michael McMahon (D-NY), Ethan Berkowitz (D-AK), and Suzanne Kosmas (FL). The Chris Van Hollen first took over the chair of the DCCC from Stalinist Rahm Emanuel he promised-- in accord with democratic norms and Party rules-- to allow hotly contested primaries to play themselves out and not take sides the way Emanuel had done. Emanuel, you may recall, backed reactionary Establishment candidates in tough primaries against dozens of progressive and grassroots Democrats. In some cases his shills won and we wound up with pseudo-Democrats who vote with the GOP, like Tim Mahoney in Florida, or with a victorious Republican, like Vern Buchanan, who was able to beat a weak, vacillating me-too-Democratic who stood for nothing. In other cases the grassroots beat back Emanuel's anti-democratic strategy and that is why we now have progressives in Congress like John Hall (D-NY), Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH), and Jerry McNerney (D-CA). Van Hollen promised to not follow the Stalinist path Emanuel had lain out. But he has.

4 of the 5 endorsed candidates still contesting primaries are conservative, Establishment hacks fighting progressives. The DCCC's strategy of funneling money and the sense of inevitability into the candidacies of the conservatives makes it extremely difficult for the grassroots candidates to tap into traditional sources of Democratic funding. Even unions-- and not just notorious Democratic Party lap dogs like AFSCME-- often succumb to DCCC pressure to support candidates whose election is not in the best interest of progressive goals.

Recently I saw Ann Kirkpatrick speak at a Red to Blue event. My heart sank. With an outstanding, brilliant and articulate candidate like Howard Shanker in the race, the DCCC is backing a card board cutout of a candidate who stands for nothing whatsoever and is as inspiring as a potato. Better than the neo-fascist Republican running in AZ-01 (Sydney Hay)? Yes, but a C is always better than an F. What about going for an A+? Standing in front of an audience of Democrats Kirkpatrick was unable to make the case of why anyone should even bother to go out and vote. The Republican brand is so damaged in AZ-01, after the indictment of Congressman Rick Renzi, that it will be hard for the Democrats to lose the election. But if anyone can do it, it is Ann Kirkpatrick. The primary is on September 2.

Michael McMahon is so reactionary that his races for New York City Council have been endorsed by the Conservative Party-- which is to the right of the Republican Party. The Staten Island Conservative Party was about to endorse him for Congress-- they love his pro-war approach to Iraq-- when the state party jumped in and forced them to toe the line and endorse whichever Republican was the nominee that particular week. Steve Harrison is a far better choice and an actual progressive. It is unconscionable for the DCCC to try to swing the primary to someone who, of he is elected, will oppose Democratic Party positions for as long as he's in Congress. The primary is on September 9.

Similarly, In Florida's 24th CD Clint Curtis is the grassroots candidate and the DCCC shill, Suzanne Kosmas, is just some rich person who promises to be easily led around by the nose. In Alaska Ethan Berkowitz is the Rahm Emanuel establishment candidate who is running against a grassroots independent-minded progressive, Diane Benson.

The one case where the DCCC did the right thing was in NY-26, where they added Jon Powers to their list in order to forestall another disaster with disgruntled and crazy ex-Republican Jack Davis-- who switched parties and vowed vengeance when Cheney refused to shake hands with him after he gave the GOP a pile of money. Davis is spending millions of his own dollars to try to buy the seat-- even bribing third party officials to try to guarantee himself a place on the ballot after Powers kicks his reactionary ass in the September 9 primary.

If you're in the mood for helping battle this DCCC Stalinism, please consider donating to Howard Shanker today. He can win his September 2nd primary if he has the resources he needs to get out his message. In fact, everyone who donates at least $30 to Howard's campaign today at the Blue America ActBlue page will get a free copy of the book 50 Simple Things You Can Do To Fight The Right.

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Obama: Never Gonna Give You Up

post from All Spin Zone on 10 August 2008 08:47:00 AM. © All Spin Zone

Still, you’ll enjoy this video. Promise.

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Corporate journalist Danny Glover's big adventure

post from AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth on 10 August 2008 08:30:00 AM. © AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth

From Danny's Facebook page:

Corporate journalist Danny Glover, who used to write for National Journal, had a rather big stick in his craw a while back about bloggers going on trips sponsored and paid for by anyone other than themselves. Danny felt that this was a serious conflict of interest. That was before Danny got to put on a really cool helmet and goggles and fly "somewhere in the Atlantic" with the US Navy. Now, Danny is all for journalists going on "luxurious junkets." Especially when they get to fly in Navy "helos," as Danny now calls them.

Now, I have no problem with Danny going on a taxpayer funded junket to the mid-Atlantic. I'm sure it was in fact "really cool." And I even don't have a problem with Danny donning that cute little Michael Dukakis helmet and goggles. I do have a problem, however, with corporate journalists who criticize bloggers for doing the exact same things that they do.

Here's what Danny had to say two years ago about bloggers going on government-funded trips:

What's more, transparency is not sufficient justification for media outlets -- and that's what blogs want the U.S. government to call them -- to accept favors from an agency with an agenda. Bloggers rightly maligned columnists Armstrong Williams and Doug Bandow for taking money from the Bush administration and Abramoff. Now some of the them are guilty of similar arrangements with the government of Netherlands, and they deserve the same scorn.

No one who makes the trip is compelled to write one word, good or bad, about Amsterdam, and maybe some bloggers will return home and say nasty things about the place. But somehow I doubt they will.

Pretty unequivocal. Accept travel from governments and you deserve scorn because it will be impossible for you to ever write anything negative about the people sponsoring the trip, per per Danny Glover.

Now, it's possible that Danny paid for this entire trip out of his own pocket. Uh huh. But if he didn't, then we can only assume that Danny will no longer be writing anything, anywhere, about the US military, or any topics involving Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, or anything else dealing with US security policy. After all, how many times did I write about Amsterdam and Edinburgh after I visited there on my junkets? Zero, Danny, zero. Here's hoping for the same level of professionalism from a "real" journalist.

And PS, Danny. First rule of junkets. Never let them sucker you into putting on funny outfits. The pictures always get out.

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Abbreviated Pundit Round-Up

post from Daily Kos on 10 August 2008 08:12:23 AM. © Daily Kos

Your one stop pundit shop.

Terry Box isn't going to feel guilty about his car, and says that:

...despite the growing drumbeat against them, the allegations that they're melting glaciers and maiming thousands, the claim that we're choking on them, the fear that they're our worst national addiction, I love them dearly.

They are my "carma." And I refuse to go on the national guilt trip about them.

Peter Mansoor, David Petraeus' former boy Friday, makes a thinly veiled pitch for John McCain's plans for Iraq.

Ed Feulner says that Barack Obama wants to stick it to the rich and is apparently one of the few people on the planet who wants to return to the '70's. Key scary word: Carter.

Jeffrey T. Kuhner thinks that:

President Bush's decision to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing was a disgrace - both to the United States and to China's long-suffering people. Mr. Bush's appearance has given political legitimacy and moral credibility to Beijing's murderous regime.

Kuhner also hopes the U.S. kicks ~~commie~~ neo-fascist empire ass and brings home the gold.

Nicholas Kristoff says that there's a cancer on our foreign policy and that:

In short, the United States is hugely overinvesting in military tools and underinvesting in diplomatic tools. The result is a lopsided foreign policy that antagonizes the rest of the world and is ineffective in tackling many modern problems.

After all, you can’t bomb global warming.

Maureen Dowd continues to waste space, using 800 or so words to tell us that John Edwards is a narcissist.

Joseph L. Galloway says that more troops won't make a difference and that we can't "shoot our way out of Afghanistan."

Thomas Friedman thinks we need to take a page out of Denmark's book when it comes to dealing with an energy crisis.

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Sunday Morning Bobblehead Thread

post from Crooks and Liars on 10 August 2008 08:00:03 AM. © Crooks and Liars

Max and the Marginalized - Antiseptic All in an hour, misuse of power Will not encode within the waves that beam from the tower The map to death?s door, oh that was forged All might be fair in love but I?m afraid it?s not in warSo Max and I were emailing each other (he’s on [...]

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Sunday Talking Heads, August 10, 2008

All the listings for the Sunday Talks shows, it's the most complete list at your fingertips on the web.[...]

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Docudharma Times Sunday August 10

Breathing Easy At The OlympicsIf You're An Exhaust Pipe Sunday's Headlines: Michael Phelps is off to a roaring start?Sarkozy accused of hypocrisy as his wife meets the Dalai LamaRussian ballet students: Pirouetting for Putin Mbeki flies in to speed[...]

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Worse than Bush

BY TAYLOR MARSHWatching John McCain in the montage above is tremendously depressing... for Republicans. Honestly, I’ve never seen a worse campaigner. Not even Bush is this bad.What are you reading in the news today? One bit of news comes from the[...]

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