Rick Davis repeats "celebrity" jab.

post from The Osterley Times on 31 July 2008 08:25:00 AM. © The Osterley Times

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Rick Davis is continuing the "Obama is a celebrity" theme of the McCain campaign by stating, "Barack Obama has more fans across the world than Paris Hilton does."

Davis now argues that the only people objecting to his claims are Obama supporters in the media. Perhaps Davis is forgetting this:

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People aren't shocked at McCain's campaign engaging in this sleaze having promised not to, it's to be expected from the Republicans. What shocking is that it is so cheap, amateur and blatantly false.

We expected this shit to at least be done with an ounce of credibility. This is just embarrassing. They're trying to turn Obama's popularity into a negative. It's simply ludicrous.

Tags: John McCain, Barack Obama, US election 2008, Rick Davis

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Fuck the Constitution: Small Video Cams Are Your
Best Protection Vs.The Pigs

post from My Left Wing - Front Page on 31 July 2008 08:20:13 AM. © My Left Wing - Front Page

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Via RawStory:

A New York City police officer has been placed behind a desk after being caught on tape deliberately pushing a man off of his bike during a Friday Critical Mass event in Times Square.

22-year-old rookie Patrick Pogan, former football offensive lineman and son of a retired NYPD detective, claimed in court documents that 29-year-old Christopher Long of Bloomfield, New Jersey was "forcing multiple vehicles to stop abruptly or change their direction to avoid hitting the defendant." Pogan also alleged that Long knocked him to the ground after deliberately aiming the bicycle towards him.
Video uploaded to YouTube appears to contradict that claim, showing Pogan moving in front of Long as he attempted to ride past the line of officers, and shoving Long to the ground. The footage, the New York Daily News noted, "clearly shows Long trying to dodge Pogan, who appears to have remained upright the entire time."
"The police officer looked to see who he was going to pick off," said witness 54-year-old Craig Radhuber. "All of a sudden the cop picked this kid out and bodychecked him...I couldn't believe what was going on."

Body-checked, my ass. It was a fore-arm shivver. Cops will ALWAYS support one another's versions of events, whether they have to lie to do it or not. They all bleed blue.

So the only recourse must be to have your own, irrebuttable account of events. Never trust cops to be on your side, no matter what. They are the official, mortal arm of the State.

Did I mention that I REALLY hate cops? Well I do...(Originally posted on The Pond)

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Is Kaine a Smokescreen for Kathleen Sebelius

post from TalkLeft on 31 July 2008 08:20:00 AM. © TalkLeft

I just spent two hours writing up a theory that came to me at midnight. The gist is that Sen. Barack Obama, by leaking to the mainstream media that Hillary is not on his shortlist while not discouraging talk about Virgina Gov. Tim Kaine, is manipulating a planned succession of leaks.

Obama has hit his truth in advertising wall: He's got to show he's the progressive candidate for real change because that is how he sold himself to American voters. He's committed to expending untold sums of money to go after unregistered voters in the swing states -- the young, minorities and others who firmly believe he represents change. If his VP choice doesn't also embody change from politics as usual in Washington, he becomes reduced to spouting just words about change, which in turn gives him an electability problem. The young will believe he's a sellout, pointing to FISA. The elderly, with enough uncertainty in their lives as to their final years,will have more important things to worry about than deciding between two same-olds, one of whom came out of nowhere. That's leaves Obama's path very clear. He's been working on it for year and I as wrote earlier, it will be on full display in Denver. He's going after unregistered voters, the disaffected among us, because Obma is banking on them buying into his grand plan to have them enter the Big Tent as invited guests. [More...]

For reasons I describe in my next post, which may or may be finalized tomorrow, Tim Kaine doens't fit the mold. Either does Evan Bayh. Joe Biden kills it. Kathleen Sebelius could be his key.

I've broken down the analysis but it needs fine-tuning and I need to add source links before I go public on it. Right now, my money is on Sebelius. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Sebelius.

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Abbreviated Pundit Round-Up

post from Daily Kos on 31 July 2008 08:10:34 AM. © Daily Kos

Your one stop pundit shop.

Henry Kissinger, dusting off his arguments on why we should stay in Vietnam, tells us we must stay the course in Iraq and that any objective observer would agree. Oh, and I'm sure it was just an oversight on the part of the Washington Post, but in Kissinger's little biographical blurb at the end, they forgot to mention that he endorsed John McCain.

David Ignatius yearns for the old, mavericky John McCain and is sure that his recent negativity is simply the result of wanting to please other people. Instead he needs use his "healing gift" and remember his "voice shines through the pages of his life story." Short version; talk even more about being a POW, because it really plays in Peoria.

Daniel Schnur concludes that Mitt Romney and Tim Kaine would be poor choices for vice president.

Pundits and political backseat drivers point out that a vice presidential nominee rarely makes much difference to the voters one way or another. Both Mr. Romney and Mr. Kaine could end up having an impact — just not the type that their would-be bosses want. Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama have correctly identified what they need in their running mates. Now all they have to do is find someone who actually fits the bill.

Donald Lambro, to borrow a phrase, is a dishonest hack who apparently couldn't think of anything to write about today, so he chose to rehash the McCain talking points about Barack Obama and Iraq.

Daniel Gallington makes an important and overlooked point:

With both presidential candidates out to show that they are foreign policy and national security experts, it's a good time to interject some political reality into the debate: The candidates are both United States senators and - while perhaps counterintuitive - know surprisingly little of what actually goes on at senior levels in the national security/foreign policy departments and agencies in the executive branch of government.

Daniel Henninger asks the question that has plagued mankind since...well, the last few months..."Is John McCain Stupid?" Henninger has his own, conservative reasons for asking, but you've got to love the title.

Lanny Davis thinks that putting Hillary Clinton on the ticket is a sure-fire winner. Lanny Davis needs to find a new shtick.

Karl Rove hits the usual talking points on Obama, McCain and Iraq, and says:

Opinion surveys are notoriously unreliable in gauging public opinion on a complicated question like Iraq.

And to prove it he cites a Gallup poll.

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Republicans, working for younot so much

post from Firedoglake on 31 July 2008 08:00:30 AM. © Firedoglake

Freedom, let us make it bureaucratically inconvenient for you (that's what "it isn't free" means)[...]

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Don Siegelman: "If Congress lets this
politicization of the DoJ go unchecked and unpunished, it could become part of America's political culture"

post from DownWithTyranny! on 31 July 2008 08:00:00 AM. © DownWithTyranny!

"By ignoring a Congressional subpoena, Karl Rove has spit in the face of Congress and the American people. . . .

"If Congress lets this politicization of the Department of Justice go unchecked and unpunished, then it could well become part of America's political culture and happen again in the future. Congress needs to keep digging until they get to the truth."
-- former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, today on HuffPost

by Ken

Rove-railroaded Governor Siegelman announced today on HuffPost that he has launched a new "advocacy campaign" to help force our Karl to drag his miserable carcass to Capitol Hill and spill his rotten guts. Here's his post:

DON SIEGELMAN

Contempt for Rove

Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee voted to hold Karl Rove in contempt of Congress, moving us one step closer to the truth, one step closer to restoring justice, and one step closer to preserving our democracy. It's a huge step forward, and I'm so thankful that the committee voted for contempt.

But now is not the time to celebrate -- now is the time to take action. The House Judiciary Committee is on the record, but now we need the full House of Representatives to vote to hold Karl Rove in contempt as well.

So I've launched an online advocacy campaign at www.ContemptForRove.com where people can forward an email to their Members of Congress, urging them to take action -- and I'm asking you to join me. I need your help to speak out and urge the full House to do the right thing. Your action is critical. Timing is everything.

Please visit www.ContemptForRove.com right now to forward an email to your Member of Congress today.

While I served as Governor of Alabama from 1999-2003 and thereafter, Karl Rove and his right-wing political cronies targeted me through a malicious, unfounded, politically-motivated prosecution. I served 9 months in federal prison before the appeals court released me. And now, Karl Rove refuses to testify before Congress about his role in this whole nefarious scheme.

That's outrageous. By ignoring a Congressional subpoena, Karl Rove has spit in the face of Congress and the American people. As Americans, we deserve to know the truth about how our Department of Justice was used by Karl Rove and his rogue band of political operatives as a political tool to win elections. Only Congress has the power to find the truth.

If Congress lets this politicization of the Department of Justice go unchecked and unpunished, then it could well become part of America's political culture and happen again in the future. Congress needs to keep digging until they get to the truth. Our democracy and system of justice have to be restored. The American people need to have confidence that this kind of outrageous abuse of power is at least less likely to happen in the future.

That truth-finding starts by having Karl Rove under oath before the Judiciary Committee. We the People must insist that Congress do its job and hold Karl Rove in contempt for failing to obey a subpoena. The house of cards will start to fall soon thereafter.

What would happen to the unemployed steel worker, the housewife, or the taxi cab driver who ignored a subpoena? I give you one guess: They would be behind bars. Karl Rove is not above the law, and Congress needs to make that plain and clear to Karl Rove and to everybody else.

Please visit www.ContemptForRove.com right now to forward an email to your Member of Congress today.

Our democracy will cease to exist as we know it if the government is allowed to use its power to prosecute their political opponents. This fight is not about me but about saving our democracy and restoring justice in America.

That's why I'm asking you to write Congress today and urge them to act. When Congress holds Rove in contempt, the truth will begin to become exposed. This ball of string will come unraveled. The truth will be known.

I am in this fight not only for my own freedom but also to ensure that Karl Rove is held accountable for his sins.

Together, we can fight to get the full truth from Karl Rove and restore integrity to our system of justice. America deserves nothing less.

#

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Are You Excited

post from DemConWatch on 31 July 2008 07:59:00 AM. © DemConWatch

Earlier this week, Gallup came out with two polls that seemingly contradicted one another. In the poll of "registered voters", Obama came out ahead, and in the poll of "likely voters", McCain came out ahead.

The difference between a registered voter and a likely voter is the poll respondent's answer to the question: "Are you planning on voting in November?" or some variation of that question. If someone says "YES! I wouldn't miss it. This is the most important thing I'm going to do this year", they're a likely voter. OK, that's over the top: the truth is, it's multiple choice: some variation of likely, unlikely, unsure. Sometimes the poll will then push for a lean to likely or unlikely.

Then, the pollster weights the responses in extrapolating the polls out. They give less weight to people in certain demographics who tend not to vote. Therefore, since young people vote at a lower percentage than other age groups, the pollsters often consider that they won't necessarily vote in November.

In one of the NY Times op-ed pieces yesterday, they talked about the potential affect of third party candidates on the November 2008 outcome.

The NY Times raised an interesting point yesterday. They talked in an op-ed piece about the potential effect of third party candidates on the November outcome. One of the factors that they looked at in terms of whether actual voters stick with their candidate relates to the enthusiasm of a candidate's supporters.

I believe that the single thing that will turn "registered voters" into "likely voters" is enthusiasm. I've never actually seen any research on this point, but intuitively, it makes logical sense.

The Times looked at the enthusiasm gap over the last three elections.
If you look at the table, you'll see that no matter what the poll number, the person with the higher enthusiasm "quotient" won the election over the last three cycles. So, two poll questions:

Online Surveys & Market Research

Online Surveys & Market Research

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Britney disses McCain

post from Koulflo Memo on 31 July 2008 07:47:13 AM. © Koulflo Memo

What does it say about your campaign for president when even pop culture’s biggest media whore doesn’t want her image associated with your campaign.It says things are not looking upBritney spears goes to the 711sans underwear just to be mentioned in the tabloid rags.For her to tell the McCain campaign not to use her likeness [...]

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The Swift Goading of Barack Obama

post from BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash on 31 July 2008 07:37:27 AM. © BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash

THE FIFTH COLUMNIST by P.M. Carpenter

Well, we've already made it to the entrée of our quadrennial feast, which is always previewed on the democratic bill of fare in the spring as an autumnal exchange of ideas on fiscal and foreign policy, energy independence and the like; you know, the stuff that actually matters to 299,999,998 Americans. But, of course, the menu always gets changed, because the sizzle is truly more marketable than the substantive steak. So here it is, still only July, and we're already feeding exclusively on what the media thinks of what one candidate thinks of what the media thinks of the other candidate, or some such thing in some such order. Welcome to Chez Democracy, American style.It was Bookmark/Search this post with:

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The Pasadena Weekly, Rene Amy AND Peyton Wolcott

(Image: Peyton Wolcott from her website peytonwolcott.com, subhead "The Nation's 1st & Only Daily Conservative Public Education Commentary"*)

* Wolcott's site displays and cheers nation-wide media "busts" of "corrupt" school district officials. These place Rene Amy in a national context.

http://www.peytonwolcott.com/MinutemenReneAmy.html

Modern Minutemen: Rene Amy
by Peyton Wolcott

excerpt:
Twice named "Editor's Pick Citizen of the Year" by [the] Pasadena Weekly

Why?

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