Friday, October 31, 2008

Palin Thinks That Anyone Who Criticizes Her is Violating Her Rights!!

I don't know whether she's just this absolutely pig-ignorant about how the U.S. Bill of Rights actually works, or whether she has the frighteningly authoritarian view that the press has no right to say anything about her public pronouncements. Probably some of both.

I not only want her and McCain to go down in flames on Tuesday, I want to see Alaskans vote her out as Governor in 2010. I want to see this woman's political career annihilated.

Yeah, I'm a vindictive sumbitch. 

They'll Stop at Nothing!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Bastion of Conservative Capitalism Endorses Obama

That would be Britain's The Economist, perhaps the most respected mass circulation current affairs magazine in the Western world. And this has just gotta sting:

Meanwhile his [McCain's] temperament, always perhaps his weak spot, has been found wanting. Sometimes the seat-of-the-pants method still works: his gut reaction over Georgia—to warn Russia off immediately—was the right one. Yet on the great issue of the campaign, the financial crisis, he has seemed all at sea, emitting panic and indecision. Mr McCain has never been particularly interested in economics, but, unlike Mr Obama, he has made little effort to catch up or to bring in good advisers (Doug Holtz-Eakin being the impressive exception).

The choice of Sarah Palin epitomised the sloppiness. It is not just that she is an unconvincing stand-in, nor even that she seems to have been chosen partly for her views on divisive social issues, notably abortion. Mr McCain made his most important appointment having met her just twice.

Ironically, given that he first won over so many independents by speaking his mind, the case for Mr McCain comes down to a piece of artifice: vote for him on the assumption that he does not believe a word of what he has been saying. Once he reaches the White House, runs this argument, he will put Mrs Palin back in her box, throw away his unrealistic tax plan and begin negotiations with the Democratic Congress. That is plausible; but it is a long way from the convincing case that Mr McCain could have made. Had he become president in 2000 instead of Mr Bush, the world might have had fewer problems. But this time it is beset by problems, and Mr McCain has not proved that he knows how to deal with them
.

Oh, and that other British hotbed of Commie-Socialist-Terrorist-Radicalism, The Financial Times has also endorsed Obama. And it's also noteworthy that Obama was a very highly regarded and well liked teacher at that Marxist fever swamp called The University of Chicago.

When you hear the lying conmen of the Right call Obama a "socialist" or a "Marxist", keep these things in mind. And when the head grifters, McCain and Palin do so, treat them with the scorn and contempt they deserve.

Oh, and one other thing: I doubt that Caribou Barbie even knows how to define the word socialism.

Or maybe even how to spell it.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

In Case You Didn't See It--Obama's Presentation Tonight

(Without the 3 minutes live in the original broadcast.)

What Bush and the Republicans Have Done to America

See the original here. This is the situation the next president will be facing. Key excerpt:

When George W. Bush became president nearly eight years ago the world was largely at peace, the U.S. military was largely at rest, oil was $23 a barrel, the economy was growing at more than 3 percent, $1 was worth 116 yen, the national debt was just under $6 trillion and the federal government was running a sizable budgetary surplus. The September 11 attacks, for all they cost us as a nation, increased the world's willingness to cooperate with us. You, by contrast, will inherit wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tired and stretched armed forces, a global struggle with terrorism, oil that has ranged as high as $150 a barrel, a weaker dollar (now worth 95 yen), substantial anti-American sentiment, a federal budget deficit that could reach $1 trillion in your first year, a ballooning national debt of some $10 trillion and a global economic slowdown that will increase instability in numerous countries.

Thanks to Bart at BartCop for the heads up!

BTW, I question the judgment of anyone who thinks Sarah Palin is up to the job of dealing with the multiple crises Bush has inflicted on us.

Just a Reminder: McCain has a 1 in 5 Chance of Dying Between Now and 2013





AND, ABOVE, YOU SEE EXACTLY WHO AND WHAT WILL BE WAITING IN THE WINGS IF HE DOES.

And by the way...

WHY DOES SHE STILL REFUSE TO DO A PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE ELECTION SIX DAYS AWAY?

WHERE ARE HER MEDICAL RECORDS? WHAT IS SHE HIDING?

WHY AREN'T WE HEARING ABOUT HER HUSBAND'S TIES TO A GROUP OF ANTI-AMERICAN TRAITORS?

It's Joe Six Pack vs. Joe the Plumber

See more Thomas Haden Church videos at Funny or Die

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Flood of Republican Lies Continues

The latest disgusting slime attack is deconstructed here. *

Racism, xenophobia, slander, smear, death threats, ranting hatred, and sheer, utter g-d damned lies is all we're getting out of the Republican Party these days. We can see them truly for what they are. And it's a repulsive sight.

*BTW, I am not the author of the article cited, even though we share a name.

The Blunt and Terrible Truth

Monday, October 27, 2008

Palin's Connection to Convicted Criminal Ted Stevens

Alaska REPUBLICAN Senator Ted Stevens was today convicted on all 7 counts in his criminal trial for various forms of corruption. MyDD examines the link between phony "reformer" Sarah Palin and the disgraced Senator here.

Gee, do you think the Alaska Disasta is gonna vote for ol' Ted? After all she did head up Stevens' 527  organization, don't cha know? Oh, you betcha. Here's some relevant details:


At the time Stevens revealed the existence of the 527 group -- a type of independent political corporation named for its the section of the tax code -- ethics experts questioned whether it was appropriate.

The Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reported that several experts called the group an example of the fine legal line between a legal effort to conduct political activity and then-new prohibitions against raising unlimited soft-money.

Board members of Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service were legally allowed to raise as much money as they wanted from corporations or unions or unlimited donations from individuals -- all of which would have been illegal for Stevens to do himself.


And of course Palin has stonewalled the IRS concerning just how much money the 527 raised.

Gee--what a "reformer" she is.

Civil War Between McCain and "Rogue" Palin

Heh heh heh.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

It's Simple, Really

The United States of America is the most powerful nation on earth, a nation afflicted with massive problems and confronted with life-or-death issues. If, God forbid, something were to happen to the next president, it really comes down to this: Who would you want to step into office if such a tragedy struck?

Choice A:



Choice B:



At this point, you may be thinking, "Is this a trick question?"

There is no contest. There is only one choice.

And it ain't the Alaska Disasta.

After All is Said and Done, It's Simple:

DO YOU WANT A THIRD TERM FOR GEORGE W. BUSH?


Saturday, October 25, 2008

Fox "News" Analyst Says Obama is Linked to Satan

And no, I'm not making this one up either. (See next post.)

I used to try to be respectful of conservatives. Hell, I used to be one. It was this kind of raving, bloody-fanged lunacy that drove me out. What in God's name has happened to these people? Has the radical right gone completely insane?


Pennsylvania Republican Party Compares Obama to Hitler

And no, I'm not making that up or writing it as a joke. The details are here.

I thought these right wing assholes couldn't sink any lower. I was wrong.

The Full Extent of Palin's Dangerous Fanaticism

Discussed by Andrew Sullivan and The New York Times here.

Palin is a border-line theocratic lunatic who wants to be president so she can rid the world of demons. Of demons, for crying out loud. Her positions are so extreme that even other Pentecostal Christians are disturbed by them.  She has also asked her witch-doctor fighting African spiritual advisor for protection against witchcraft. Yes, against witchcraft.

This isn't true Christian witness. This is perverse superstition.

What century is this woman living in, mentally? The 14th or the 15th?

Friday, October 24, 2008

Scenes from a Dying, Vicious, Morally Bankrupt Campaign

--The McCain campaign was trying to push the now utterly discredited story about an "attack" on a McCain supporter by an Obama supporter. They have now been caught and exposed. (BTW, the whole right wing blogosphere was hyperventilating about this, with a few exceptions, and has now once again shown itself to be populated largely with lying/delusional thugs.)
--McCain robocalls are now accusing Obama of being a terrorist sympathizer, against the sentencing of criminals for serious crimes, an enemy of America, and every other lying, gutter-level accusation the McCain campaign can think of. I'll say it once again: John McCain is a DISHONORABLE, MORALLY BANKRUPT PERSON, and he has been for quite some time. The people in charge of running the robocalls, incidentally, were the people who destroyed McCain with similar filth in 2000.
--While Obama continues to draw gigantic crowds--35,000 in Indianapolis, 30,000 in north central Virginia, 75,000 in Kansas City, 100,000 in St. Louis--McCain continues to be largely ignored. McCain's most recent Colorado rally was in front of 1200 people in a half-filled arena.
--McCain's people are already sending out resumes, and this is 10 days before the vote. Man, nothing says confidence more than that!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

You Gotta Love Ron Howard

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Palin, the Anchor Dragging McCain Down to Defeat

Yes, the right wingers who live in their little cocoon love her, but Sarah Palin has been an utter disaster with the vast majority of the voting public. By 55%-40% in the latest NBC/WSJ Poll people say she's not even qualified for the office she's running for. And now, Editor and Publisher has the verdict from newspapers across the nation: Palin is the deal breaker. Samples:

ASBURY PARK PRESS (NJ)
“If McCain, who is 72 and has a history of cancer, should die in the presidency, he would be succeeded by Sarah Palin, whose selection as the vice presidential candidate calls McCain's judgment into serious question. She is not qualified to lead a nation facing its toughest challenges in decades.”

HOUSTON CHRONICLE
“Perhaps the worst mistake McCain made in his campaign for the White House was the choice of the inexperienced and inflammatory Palin as his vice-presidential running mate. Had he selected a moderate, experienced Republican lawmaker such as Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison with a strong appeal to independents, the Chronicle's choice for an endorsement would have been far more difficult.”

STOCKTON (Ca.) RECORD
“If elected, at 72, [McCain] would be the oldest incoming president in U.S. history. He's in good health now, we're told, although he has withheld most of his medical records. That means Gov. Sarah Palin could very well become president.


And this statement by McCain when questioned about Palin is just scary or funny, depending on your perspective:

Yet McCain said today, referring to Palin, "I think she is the most qualified of any that has run recently for vice president.”

Does that statement include Cheney? Lieberman, his first choice until the right wing radicals vetoed it? Joe Biden? Is that statement supposed to be a joke, or is McCain simply incapable of admitting error?

Deal breaker indeed.

(HT: Digby)

Al Qaeda Hoping for a McCain Victory

Details can be found here. It's no surprise, really. Bush, Cheney, McCain, and all the other right-wing idiots have been pure gold for our nation's enemies. Can there be any doubt, by the way, that the Bin Laden tape released in late October 2004 was designed to give Bush the final nudge into victory? 

The CIA came to the conclusion that Bin Laden wanted a Republican victory, because the Republicans have been so good for terrorist recruiting.

And one more thing--if Al Qaeda had endorsed Obama, every yapping, lying, smearing Republican thug in America would be shouting about it.


Tuesday, October 21, 2008

About the Military Times Poll

You may have seen this item about the poll done by Military Times which reflects a huge lead among military personnel for McCain. What you may not have heard is that the poll is NOT SCIENTIFIC, and Military Times' editors indicated this. It was a self-selected poll based on responses to a questionnaire sent out to tens of thousands of military people. Moreover, this needs to be noted:

As with previous Military Times surveys the respondents in 2008 were disproportionately white, male and officers. The actual Army population is about 85% male, 14% regular commissioned officers (not including Warrant Officers), and 60% white. The active-duty members of the Army who responded to the Military Times poll were 90% male, 45% regular commissioned officers, and 71% white. Furthermore, the Army's junior enlisted ranks are dramatically underrepresented in the Military Times surveys. About 47% of the Army serves in the ranks of E-1 through E-4. These ranks comprise only 6% of the active Army population included in the 2008 Military Times survey. (The samples of each of the previous Military Times surveys are nearly identical in the degree to which they represent the active military population). Bottom Line: these surveys should in no way be used to assess aggregate attitudes across the force.

And it is worth noting that contributions to McCain and Obama from military members are about even. Further, from the New York Times story on military contributions (17 October):

The report also shows that Mr. Obama also is ahead of Mr. McCain in military donors with overseas addresses, both those working for the Department of Defense as well as members of the uniformed services. A total of $74,650 came in for Mr. Obama from those posted overseas to $16,600 for Mr. McCain.

The military just might have more Obama supporters than you think.

Ultimate Statement on Those Still Undecided

By David Sedaris, here:

To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?

By the way, I consider Obama-Biden to be the nice chicken dinner--in case you haven't guessed.

Monday, October 20, 2008



Hat tip: Emily Likins!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

What is McCain Hiding?

Huffpo reports that The New York Times is planning a major story about McCain's health, one that raises important questions about the possibility of McCain's cancer reoccurring. In light of the fact that McCain's running mate is a lying, grossly unqualified, batshit crazy, ultra-right wing lunatic who thinks the John Birch Society is too liberal (for real), I'd say these questions are pretty damned important. McCain has been uncooperative in the extreme about all of this, and Palin won't release her medical records at all, for whatever reason.

So again...

WHAT IS McCAIN HIDING??

McCain and the Radical Right Continue to Lie About Obama's Abortion Record

Of all the ugly lies the Right is circulating, none is more terrible than the assertion that Obama favors letting infants who have survived an abortion simply die without medical care. The Los Angeles Times dealt with McCain's attempt to repeat this lie in the last debate here:

McCain also criticized Obama for his position on an abortion-related bill while a state legislator in Illinois.

"Sen. Obama, as a member of the Illinois state Senate, voted in the judiciary committee against a law that would provide immediate medical attention to a child born of a failed abortion. He voted against that," McCain said.

Obama said the bill would have undermined legal protections for abortion provided by Roe vs. Wade. He defended his vote by saying that "there was already a law on the books in Illinois that required providing life-saving treatment, which is why not only myself but pro-choice Republicans and Democrats voted against it."

Factcheck.org supports Obama's assertion that there was already a law protecting such babies and has criticized an ad by an antiabortion group featuring a woman who says she was born in a failed abortion. The woman says she would not be alive "if Barack Obama had his way."

Illinois law since 1975 requires that if a child is born alive during an abortion, the physician "shall exercise the same degree of professional skill, care and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as would be required of a physician providing immediate medical care to a child born alive in the course of a pregnancy termination which was not an abortion."

Failure to do so is a felony in Illinois
.

So, is everyone clear on this now?

Snopes Catalogs the Incredible Volume of Lies About Obama

It's fairly amazing.

The Republican base is filled with lying, bigoted losers. I have NOTHING but contempt for them.

"Don't forget. He's definitely black. And he may be a terrorist."

The Republican line of attack on Obama stripped down to its basics. Josh Marshall lays it out here in the plainest possible manner:

That's the message. The nuts and bolts is a concerted effort to keep Democrats from voting -- through intimidation, by striking new voters from the rolls, which is going to happen to lots of them, clogging polling stations to create delays that keep late day (predominantly) Obama voters from voting altogether. Smears in the air and voter suppression on the ground.

Many people say, well ... all this stuff just hasn't worked. But the truth is that the really corrupt and vicious part of McCain's effort only comes now because it's only in the last couple weeks that you can pull stuff that the press won't get to call you on before election day -- after which it doesn't matter. Will it take Obama down? So far McCain's gutter campaign has hurt him more than helped. But there's no reason to be sure it will continue that way. And many Obama supporters, sure the election is basically wrapped up, appear ready to slack in the stretch and let McCain smear and cheat his way into office
.

Marshall speaks the truth. I can't help but notice that nobody reading this blog has contributed any money to my Obama fund raising page in the last couple of weeks (although many of you already have, for which I am VERY grateful.) Remember this:

WE DO NOT HAVE THIS THING WON YET. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT. THE RIGHT WING CRIMINALS WHO RUN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL USE ANY ILLEGAL METHOD, ANY LIE, ANY VICIOUS TACTIC, TO WIN. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT. KEEP WORKING, KEEP GIVING, KEEP FIGHTING!!

Colin Powell Lays It Out Directly

After his ringing endorsement of Barack Obama, Powell had this to say about the ugly, degraded McCain campaign and right-wing attitudes in general:

Saturday, October 18, 2008

"Acorn's Only Crime is Registering Democratic Voters"

It takes a British newspaper so say it clearly: the Republican attempt to smear Acorn is in itself an act of fraud which is designed to cover shockingly widespread attempts by the radical Right to prevent black and Hispanic voters from casting ballots. The Republicans hate Acorn because it's effective; their campaign against is one long despicable lie. Read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

The Consequences of the Republican Hate Campaign

Friday, October 17, 2008

The Insane Filth of the Final Republican Onslaught

The Republican Party has, in the past, harbored ultra-right lunatics like the drunken demagogue Joe McCarthy, but they usually didn't run things. But this isn't Ike's GOP any more. Now, the Republican Party is totally run by people who are so dishonest, so maniacal, so perverse, and so dangerous that I shudder at the prospect of them returning to power once again. With Barack Obama and Joe Biden still holding a lead with 17 days to go, David Corn has warned us that the final, desperate attacks of the Republicans on Obama will be so demented and over the top as to almost beggar belief. When you read of these, you might be reminded of the savage and wildly destructive kamikaze attacks launched by the desperate Japanese in the waning days of World War II. Read them and shake your head in disbelief--coddler of terrorists, secret Black Muslim, Socialist/Communist, anti-Christian, the works. And there is a viciously racist tinge to all of it.

We have to beat this back. The survival of America and the safety of the world depend on it.

ACT. Give money. Give time. Give your vote. Spread the word.

Please.


"Is John McCain Losing It?"

So asks Robert Parry here. And by losing it, he doesn't just mean the election. Excerpt:

McCain’s recent irritable and erratic behavior has grown so pronounced that it is becoming a topic of worried conversation in Washington, with hushed concerns at dinner parties about whether the 72-year-old senator is on medications related to his past cancers or on behavioral drugs seeking to control the excesses of his temper.

Last spring, the McCain campaign reacted to doubts about the candidate’s recovery from repeated bouts of skin cancer by giving a select group of reporters access to some of McCain’s medical records. The reporters, including CNN’s medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, were limited to three hours and not allowed to copy any of the records.

Gupta said later that while the records he reviewed showed no evidence that McCain’s stage-two melanoma has recurred, he could not say whether all relevant documents were included in the piles given to the reporters.

The lingering doubts about McCain’s physical – and possibly mental – health were put back in the spotlight because of McCain’s surprise choice of first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate.

Though the charismatic Palin gave an immediate jolt of excitement to McCain’s campaign, her lack of experience and her shaky performance in responding to simple questions in her few media interviews have alarmed many voters over the thought that she could be a heartbeat away from the presidency.


And by the way, folks, the election is still not won. The Obama campaign still needs YOUR HELP. 

CAN YOU REALLY RISK THE POSSIBILITY OF SARAH PALIN BECOMING PRESIDENT BECAUSE AN OLD AND ILL JOHN MC CAIN HAS DIED??

If that prospect alarms you, please contribute generously 

And remember--WE HAVEN'T WON ANYTHING UNTIL OUR OPPONENTS THROW IN THE TOWEL!


Thursday, October 16, 2008

The REAL Heart and Soul of the Republican "Base"

These are examples that represent what the Republican hard-core types really feel. Savor the full impact of their ugly, vicious racism, their insane hatred, and their desire to torture Obama.

As I've said before, these people are


THE TIMOTHY McVEIGH WING OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.














Oh, and there's a cup to match.


I Stand With This Brave Young Woman

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Good Guys 4, Losers 0

A sweep! Obama simply CRUSHED McCain in the final debate, sealing the Republican fraud master's doom. McCain tried every lie, threw every false argument, tried every trick. None of it worked. Barack mopped the floor with him. Here's a summary of the good news here:

Over at CNN, a separate poll of several hundred debate watchers again favored the Democrat by large margins: 58 percent for Obama to McCain's 31 percent. Perhaps more importantly, McCain's favorable rating dropped 51 to 49 while his unfavorable rating increased from 45 percent to 49 percent. Obama ended up with 66 percent favorable rating.

Digging into the details the news is even worse for the Arizona Republican.

Asked who "expressed his views more clearly" 66 percent said Obama, 25 percent said McCain.

"Who spent their time attacking his opponent:" 80 percent said McCain, seven percent said Obama. "Who seemed to be the stronger leader:" 56 percent for Obama, 39 percent for McCain. And who was "more likeable:" 70 percent for Obama to McCain's 22 percent.


Ha ha! And Obama even won the Fox News focus group. Oh, that's gotta sting!

Three debate victories out of three for Obama. A decisive debate victory for Biden. Four and Oh, Baby!

Keep working! Keep contributing! Keep the pressure on! Go for the landslide! 

The Democratic Party is on the march!

An Important Public Service Announcement!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Jon Stewart Reaches New Heights of Brilliance

More on Palin, the WORST Major Party Candidate in Modern History

Ah, bless the people over at Sarah Palin's Skeleton Closet for their thoroughness in gutting, and I mean GUTTING the record of my least favorite right wing dictator-wannabe. It's a treasure trove, an embarrassment of riches! Let's look at some, shall we?

Cronyism - Hiring Unqualified Friends for High-Paid Government Jobs

As both mayor and governor, Palin immediately fired lots of highly skilled, experienced staff and replaced them with "her people." What that means in practice is that Alaskan government now has tons of Wasilla residents, high school friends of Palin and members of her church in high positions, in $80,000 -$120,000 a year jobs, despite minimal or no qualifications.

For example, she named Franci Havemeister (a high school friend) as director of Alaska's Department of Agriculture at $95,000. Asked for her qualifications, the former real estate agent said that she loved cows as a kid.

[And much more]

Abuse of Power

Sarah Palin is extremely vindictive. In a unique twist, she attacks not only her own enemies but even people who have divorced her friends. The most famous case of course is her sister's ex-husband, Mike Wooten (an Alaskan state trooper). Palin's pursuit of him (and her husband Todd's pursuit) is somewhere north of abuse of power and just south of flat-out stalking; she and aides following her orders may actually face criminal prosecution for actions such as opening confidential Workers' Compensation files to use against him.

A bipartisan investigation issued a 263-page report - with a confidential 700 page appendix -- meticulously documenting how Palin and her husband abused power by using the governor's office to hound Wooten. 36 times, Palin, Todd or one of their staff members contacted the office of the chief State Trooper to express anger that Wooten was still employed. They even found out he was going to appear in costume as "Safety Bear" at the Alaska State Fair and got him removed. When a year and a half of this did not get Wooten fired (he was protected by a union), Sarah Palin fired Wooten's boss, and claimed Wooten was not the reason. (But when her staff called his successor, and then interviewed him, they asked about Wooten each time and didn't mention any of the other 262 troopers.)


[And much more]

Liar

I know, I know, "every politician lies." Well, no, that's not true. All politicians spin things to sound good for them, leave out inconvenient details, and make promises that they don't actually keep. But very few will flat-out lie to your face, when it's easy to prove that they are lying, and keep doing it even after they have been caught. Sarah Palin is that kind of liar. The most famous example is the "Bridge to Nowhere" but there are many. In her debate against Joe Biden, she said she and McCain supported letting bankruptcy courts restructure homeowner's mortgages (a lie) and repeatedly said Biden supported John McCain on Iraq until he was chosen as Obama's running mate (a flat-out lie. In fact, Palin also attacked Biden for opposing the surge, which he did, so she herself proved that she was lying). Palin also claimed that her administration fought to divest Alaska's investments in Sudan, because of the genocide in Darfur. That's also a lie. Her administration actually opposed a divestment bill, killing it. (At the very end of the session they said they support it, but too late get it passed.) In any case, she has the power to divest today, without any legislative action, but the state still holds $22 million of investments. When Katie Couric asked for an example of McCain pushing to regulate Wall Street, she said "I'll get back to ya on that" when she clearly had no intention of doing so (and of course didn't). There are dozens of examples. These aren't mistakes -- they are full, knowing lies.

The Bridge to Nowhere lie was amazing because, even after being caught lying, she kept repeating it every day for 10 days. It was as if she thought she could outlast the press, because if they kept pointing out that she was lying every day, it would look like they were biased against her. But, of course, when a candidate blatantly lies and keeps repeating the lie, that is in fact news. Most politicians either quietly drop the lie, or find weasel words that make it not exactly a lie. Palin kept repeating "I killed that Bridge to Nowhere and told the federal government, 'Thanks but no thanks. If we want a bridge, we'll build it ourselves.'" Except that Alaska (and Palin) DID want the bridge, and fought for it for years. She officially ended the program only after they lost the fight to get the feds to pay for it. And not only did Alaska (with NO taxes and billions in surplus oil revenue) not pay for it, they actually KEPT the federal money and used it for other projects -- including a $26 million road to nowhere on that same island, that stopped in a cul de sac right where the bridge would have been.


Feathers Her Own Nest

Sarah Palin claims to be a reformer who cleaned up the corrupt Republican political structure in Alaska, and she is definitely cleaner than the many Alaskan officeholders indicted or convicted for accepting bribes and other crimes. But "not a convict yet" isn't the same as being honest.

The most blatant abuse is that Palin pocketed $17,000 in government travel expense payments for food and lodging for the 312 nights she slept in her own house. She also pocketed over $40,000 in travel allowances for both her and her husband Todd, who is not a government employee, got him a state-paid Blackberry, and took her daughter to stay in a luxury New York hotel on the state's dime. Her excuse? She didn't take as much travel money as her predecessor Frank Murkowski. True, but she was only elected because Alaskans were so disgusted with him, so that's not saying much.


[More]

Ties to Militant Right Wing Party

The Alaska Independence Party is a radical group registered as a political party in Alaska. It calls for Alaska to leave the United States (to enjoy its oil wealth, no doubt) and claims that the Alaskan statehood vote was illegal. But that doesn't begin to describe the AIP's extremism. Its founder Joe Volger said "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. And I won't be buried under their damn flag." Volger is dead but still celebrated on the AIP website. He died in 1994 when a blackmarket deal to buy plastic explosives went bad. His body was found in a gravel pit east of Fairbanks, wrapped with a blue tarp and duct tape.

Official voter registration records show that Palin was never an official member, but her husband Todd was, from 1995 to 2002, and Palin attended several of their meetings and conventions. (The McCain campaign confirms that she attended their 2000 convention; AIP officials add that she also attended in 1994 and 2006). Several officials of the party thought Sarah Palin was a member before she became Wasilla mayor, and said so publicly. (One of them went on to say that members should "infiltrate mainstream parties.") As recently as this year (2008), Sarah Palin taped a special video for the AIP's convention, saying "we have a great promise to be a self-sufficient state" and "Keep up the good work and God bless you."


And the right wing assholes at her mini-Nuremberg Rallies shrieking "Kill him!" (in reference to Obama) just love her. She is one of the most dangerous, criminally dishonest politicians in America, and she needs to be not only wiped out on 4 November, but she needs to be turned out of office in Alaska so she can never threaten our dear Republic again.

The Voice of the Republican "Base": "TRAITOR! TERRORIST! KILL HIM!"

I'm sorry if it offends you, but the people who say this garbage--including Palin--are just radical right wing scum.



These are the people from whom a potential assassin of Obama would come. And these are the people who would cheer if Obama were murdered.

THE TIMOTHY McVEIGH WING OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Sarah Palin's ASTOUNDING Lies

This woman is one of the most dishonest people I have EVER seen in public life, and that includes people like "Dick" Cheney and Cockroach Man, aka Tom DeLay. Her lying is simply amazing in its brazenness.


Sunday, October 12, 2008

Todd Palin and the Traitors of the Alaskan Independence Party

Todd Palin, husband of pathological liar and right wing radical Sarah Palin, was a registered member of the Alaskan Independence Party from 1995 to 2002. Documentation here.

Gail Fenumiai, director of the Alaska Division of Elections, said Todd Palin twice registered under the Alaskan Independence Party — in 1995 and 2000. Some members of the party have advocated secession from the United States, though that is not a goal listed in the party's platform.


Not a goal listed?!?  Then what are we to make of this? From the website of the Alaskan Independence Party:


ALASKA FIRST!

Until we as Alaskans receive our Ultimate Goal, the AIP will continue to strive to make Alaska a better place to live with less government interference in our everyday lives.

The Alaskan Independence Party's goal is the vote we were entitled to in 1958, one choice from among the following four alternatives:

1) Remain a Territory.
2) Become a separate and Independent Nation.
3) Accept Commonwealth status.
4) Become a State.

The call for this vote is in furtherance of the dream of the Alaskan Independence Party's founding father, Joe Vogler, which was for Alaskans to achieve independence under a minimal government, fully responsive to the people, promoting a peaceful and lawful means of resolving differences
.

And who exactly was Joe Vogler? Check these quotes out:


"The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government," Vogler said in the interview, in which he talked extensively about his desire for Alaskan secession, the key goal of the AIP.

"And I won't be buried under their damn flag," Vogler continued in the interview, which also touched on his disappointment with the American judicial system. "I'll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home."

At another point, Volger advocated renouncing allegiance to the United States. In the course of denouncing Federal regulation over land, he said:

"And then you get mad. And you say, the hell with them. And you renounce allegiance, and you pledge your efforts, your effects, your honor, your life to Alaska
."

So let's see if I have this straight: Todd Palin, husband of the Republican candidate for president, was a member of a political party that is frankly pushing TREASON against the United States, and this isn't a problem with the right wingers? And perky little Sarah has been playing footsie with these traitors, too.



Now why in the hell would you videotape a welcoming message to a party of anti-American traitors? Whatever happened to "Country First", the bullshit slogan of the McCain-Palin campaign?

Oh, and one other thing: Joe Vogler was being sponsored by the government of Iran. Check it out here:

Before his strange murder in 1993, party founder Vogler preached armed insurrection against the United States of America. Vogler, who always carried a Magnum with him, was fond of saying, “When the [federal] bureaucrats come after me, I suggest they wear red coats. They make better targets. In the federal government are the biggest liars in the United States, and I hate them with a passion. They think they own [Alaska]. There comes a time when people will choose to die with honor rather than live with dishonor. That time may be coming here. Our goal is ultimate independence by peaceful means under a minimal government fully responsive to the people. I hope we don’t have to take human life, but if they go on tramping on our property rights, look out, we’re ready to die.”

This quote is from “Coming Into the Country,” by John McPhee, who traipsed around Alaska’s remote gold mining country with Vogler for his 1991 book. The violent-tempered secessionist vowed to McPhee that if any federal official tried to stop him from polluting Alaska’s rivers with his earth-moving equipment, he would “run over him with a Cat and turn mosquitoes loose on him while he dies.”

Vogler wasn’t just a blowhard either. He put his secessionist ideas into action, working to build AIP membership to 20,000 — an impressive figure by Alaska standards — and to elect party member Walter Hickel as governor in 1990.

Vogler’s greatest moment of glory was to be his 1993 appearance before the United Nations to denounce United States “tyranny” before the entire world and to demand Alaska’s freedom. The Alaska secessionist had persuaded the government of Iran to sponsor his anti-American harangue.

That’s right … Iran. The Islamic dictatorship. The taker of American hostages. The rogue nation that McCain and Palin have excoriated Obama for suggesting we diplomatically engage. That Iran.  [End of excerpt]


What in the hell is going on here? Republican idiots at Palin rallies are screaming "Kill him" and "Traitor" and "Terrorist" in reference to Barack Obama, while the Palins are associated with actual, real-life traitors and secessionists. And the Republicans have the g-d damned nerve to question Obama's loyalty?

As I said, just what in the hell is going on here?

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Stripping the Klan Hood Off of the Political Right

Democratic Strategist has the goods here. Right wing Republican hate propagandists and their cretinous listeners and readers are spreading the lie that "minorities" are responsible for the economic crash because of all their defaulted mortgages. Naturally, Neo-Nazi Ann Coulter is leading the charge. The spectacularly vicious lies these people are telling reflect their deep seated hatred and stubborn racist attitiudes. 

Republican political consultant Lee Atwater was right:

You start out in 1954 by saying, “Nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can't say “nigger”—that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites.

And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me—because obviously sitting around saying, “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “Nigger, nigger".


And now, the Republicans have their new variation on "nigger, nigger, nigger"--the economic crisis is all their fault. The Republican-led elimination of regulation in 1999 and 2000 had nothing to do with it--it's all the fault of the lazy, shiftless, welfare-queen Negroes. (And don't forget the Latinos--some right wing cretin on Lou Dobbs this week said that 5 million illegal alien mortgages have failed, a figure which he has pulled out of the deepest regions of his ass.)

The hard-right conservatives will NEVER change. From their opposition to abolishing slavery in the new Constitution to their starting of the Civil War to their Jim Crow tactics and lynching to their ferocious opposition to civil rights in the modern era, they will never change. Well, almost never. Because you see, as far as the right wingers are concerned,  everything that's wrong isn't just the fault of the "niggers". There's the "spics", too.


BTW, Coulter is trying to spread the bullshit that McCain was "exonerated" in the Keating Five scandal. The truth of the matter is here.

John McCain is Mentally Unstable and Is Not Fit to Be President

More damning evidence:

Ahh, the Glorious Republican "Base"

They're pretty damned base, all right. Check this out:

Saturday, October 04, 2008

MY VERY DEAR RAMPANT READERS:

I will be out of town starting Sunday morning and I won't be back until Friday. I have a very, very special request of you. Please consider contributing to my Personal Barack Obama Contributions Page here.

Why? Because this election isn't won yet.

Because McCain is desperate and will slime and smear Barack Obama relentlessly in the last 30 days.

Because Sarah Palin has a 1 in 5 chance of being president if McCain somehow wins.

Because in order to bury the right wing lunatics that are killing our nation's future, we need to win BIG.

And that takes money. I know times are tough, but it's kind of interesting--the more you give now, the better off you'll be later.
Think of it as a good investment.

PLEASE GIVE ANYTHING YOU CAN,  $5, $10, ANYTHING AT ALL.

The Country You Save May Be Your Own.

Friday, October 03, 2008

Yes, McCain Wants to TAX YOUR HEALTH CARE BENEFITS!



This needs to go VIRAL! Help us out! Pass it on!

McCain's SHOCKINGLY Anti-Veteran Voting Record and His APPALLINGLY BAD JUDGMENT on Iraq

Check both of them out here, courtesy of VoteVets. The record is nothing short of astonishing. Highlights:

Voting Against Veterans

Veterans Groups Give McCain Failing Grades. In its most recent legislative ratings, the non-partisan Disabled American Veterans gave Sen. McCain a 20 percent rating for his voting record on veterans' issues. Similarly, the non-partisan Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America gave McCain a "D" grade for his poor voting record on veterans' issues, including McCain's votes against additional body armor for troops in combat and additional funding for PTSD and TBI screening and treatment.

McCain Voted Against Increased Funding for Veterans' Health Care. Although McCain told voters at a campaign rally that improving veterans' health care was his top domestic priority, he voted against increasing funding for veterans' health care in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. (Greenville News, 12/12/2007; S.Amdt. 2745 to S.C.R. 95, Vote 40, 3/10/04; Senate S.C.R. 18, Vote 55, 3/16/05; S.Amdt. 3007 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 41, 3/14/06; H.R. 1591, Vote 126, 3/29/07)

McCain Voted At Least 28 Times Against Veterans' Benefits, Including Healthcare. Since arriving in the U.S. Senate in 1987, McCain has voted at least 28 times against ensuring important benefits for America's veterans, including providing adequate healthcare. (2006 Senate Vote #7, 41, 63, 67, 98, 222; 2005 Senate Votes #55, 89, 90, 251, 343; 2004 Senate Votes #40, 48, 145; 2003 Senate Votes #74, 81, 83; 1999 Senate Vote #328; 1998 Senate Vote #175; 1997 Senate Vote #168; 1996 Senate Votes #115, 275; 1995 Senate Votes #76, 226, 466; 1994 Senate Vote #306; 1992 Senate Vote #194; 1991 Senate Vote #259)

McCain Voted Against Providing Automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustments to Veterans. McCain voted against providing automatic annual cost-of-living adjustments for certain veterans' benefits. (S. 869, Vote 259, 11/20/91)

McCain Voted to Underfund Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted for an appropriations bill that underfunded the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development by $8.9 billion. (H.R. 2099, Vote 470, 9/27/95)

McCain Voted Against a $13 Billion Increase in Funding for Veterans Programs. McCain voted against an amendment to increase spending on veterans programs by $13 billion. (S.C.R. 57, Vote 115, 5/16/96)

McCain Voted Against $44.3 Billion for Veterans Programs. McCain was one of five senators to vote against a bill providing $44.3 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, plus funding for other federal agencies. (H.R. 2684, Vote 328, 10/15/99)

McCain Voted Against $47 Billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain was one of eight senators to vote against a bill that provided $47 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. (H.R. 4635, Vote 272, 10/12/00)

McCain Voted Against $51 Billion in Veterans Funding. McCain was one of five senators to vote against the bill and seven to vote against the conference report that provided $51.1 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as funding for the federal housing, environmental and emergency management agencies and NASA. (H.R. 2620, Vote 334, 11/8/01; Vote 269, 8/2/01)

McCain Voted Against $122.7 Billion for Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted against an appropriations bill that included $122.7 billion in fiscal 2004 for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and other related agencies. (H.R. 2861, Vote 449, 11/12/03)

McCain Opposed $500 Million for Counseling Services for Veterans with Mental Disorders. McCain voted against an amendment to appropriate $500 million annually from 2006-2010 for counseling, mental health and rehabilitation services for veterans diagnosed with mental illness, posttraumatic stress disorder or substance abuse. (S. 2020, S.Amdt. 2634, Vote 343, 11/17/05)

McCain opposed an Assured Funding Stream for Veterans' Health Care. McCain opposed providing an assured funding stream for veterans' health care, taking into account annual changes in veterans' population and inflation. (S.Amdt. 3141 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 63, 3/16/06)
McCain Voted Against Adding More Than $400 Million for Veterans' Care. McCain was one of 13 Republicans to vote against providing an additional $430 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for outpatient care and treatment for veterans. (S.Amdt. 3642 to H.R. 4939, Vote 98, 4/26/06)

McCain Supported Outsourcing VA Jobs. McCain opposed an amendment that would have prevented the Department of Veterans Affairs from outsourcing jobs, many held by blue-collar veterans, without first giving the workers a chance to compete. (S.Amdt. 2673 to H.R. 2642, Vote 315, 9/6/07)

McCain Opposed the 21st Century GI Bill Because It Was Too Generous. McCain did not vote on the GI Bill that will provide better educational opportunities to veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, paying full tuition at in-state schools and living expenses for those who have served at least three years since the 9/11 attacks. McCain said he opposes the bill because he thinks the generous benefits would "encourage more people to leave the military." (S.Amdt. 4803 to H.R. 2642, Vote 137, 5/22/08; Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/2/08; Boston Globe, 5/23/08; ABCNews.com, 5/26/08)


Cheerleading for War with Iraq--While Afghanistan was Unfinished

McCain suggested that the war in Iraq could be won with a "smaller" force. "But the fact is I think we could go in with much smaller numbers than we had to do in the past. But I don't believe it's going to be nearly the size and scope that it was in 1991." (CBS News, Face the Nation, 9/15/02)

McCain said winning the war would be "easy." "I know that as successful as I believe we will be, and I believe that the success will be fairly easy, we will still lose some American young men or women." (CNN, 9/24/02)

McCain also said the actual fighting in Iraq would be easy. "We're not going to get into house-to-house fighting in Baghdad. We may have to take out buildings, but we're not going to have a bloodletting of trading American bodies for Iraqi bodies." (CNN, 9/29/02)

Continuing his pattern, McCain also said on MSNBC that we would win the war in Iraq "easily." "But the point is that, one, we will win this conflict. We will win it easily." (MSNBC, 1/22/03)

McCain argued Saddam was "a threat of the first order." Senator McCain said that a policy of containing Iraq to blunt its weapons of mass destruction program is "unsustainable, ineffective, unworkable and dangerous." McCain: "I believe Iraq is a threat of the first order, and only a change of regime will make Iraq a state that does not threaten us and others, and where liberated people assume the rights and responsibilities of freedom." (Speech to the Center for Strategic & International Studies, 2/13/03)

McCain echoed Bush and Cheney's rationale for going to war. McCain: "We're going to win this victory. Tragically, we will lose American lives. But it will be brief. We're going to find massive evidence of weapons of mass destruction . . . It's going to send the message throughout the Middle East that democracy can take hold in the Middle East." (Fox News, Hannity & Colmes, 2/21/03)
.

Now, it's bad enough that McCain spits in the face of the American people by his constant lies. It's even worse that he wants to foist an empty-headed right wing clown like Sarah Palin on a dangerous world. But it's really the height of hypocrisy and dishonesty when McCain says that he "loves" veterans. BULLSHIT. And it's just a damned lie when he talks about how "right" he was about Iraq. ALSO BULLSHIT.

I am convinced the only way this lying, vicious, callous human being can win is by cheating. With only 4 and one-half weeks to go, I am convinced this is EXACTLY what he will try to do.

Democrats, don't let this veterans-hating fool steal what is rightfully yours!!

The Republicans Explain Why Palin Can't Hold a Press Conference



Er, so I guess that rules out Meet the Press, This Week, and Face the Nation, too.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

CNN Post-Debate Poll Says It All

Is Joe Biden qualified to be president?

87% say yes.

Is Sarah Palin qualified to be president?

42% say yes.



Details can be found here.

She Still Doesn't Know Squat

Fred Kaplan explains here.

I'll say it again: Palin is a fraud, a lying, dangerous ignoramus whose elevation to high office would be a disaster for America.

The Winner By a Country Mile--JOE BIDEN!


In tonight's debate, Joe Biden poured out a lifetime of service to America.

Preening fraud Sarah Palin regurgitated talking points crammed into her.

Joe Biden's answers came from a distinguished career, one in which he has made enormous contributions to our country, and from his deep and profound experience.

Sarah Palin's "answers" (she avoided almost all questions) came from briefing books she had studied for a week.

Joe Biden showed genuine humanity.

Sarah Palin was shallow and phony.

The American people saw the truth. The surveys taken after the debate (CBS, CNN, MediaCurves) showed an OVERWHELMING VICTORY FOR BIDEN.

Change is coming to America.

Count on it.

(Photo hat tip: Al Rodgers)