Saturday, July 12, 2008
Germany Says Bush Did Not Pressure Them To Cancel Obama Speech
Yeah. Right. Like I believe the Bush White House had nothing to do with the "outing" of CIA operative Val Plame.
Tony Snow - Former Bush Press Secretary Passes Of Colon Cancer
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Tony Snow, former White House / Bush Administration Press Secretary, passed away at the young age of 53 after his battle with Colon Cancer.
He will be missed. I always enjoyed his perspective and his reasoned approach. He seemed like a very good person.
Friday, July 11, 2008
DNC Convention Media Walkthrough At Pepsi Center - Video
This is the video -- 35 minutes long -- of my trip to the DNC Convention Media Walkthrough in Denver, Colorado. It started with my flight to Denver on United that Monday night, which was delayed for about two hours. My intent was to get in during the day but because of the flight backup, I ended up getting in at 11 PM.
The other problem is that I'd not been to Denver since the age of 14. In other words, before I knew how to drive. So my first thought upon landing was "Where the hell am I." My second view was who do I call if I'm lost?
Yikes!
At any rate, the people at National Rental Car in Denver, were great. They gave me a Toyota Prius for rent at a cheap rate. I was inimidated just because it's a vastly different car, but after a short training session, and a drive, I was a big fan of the car.
Especially since it had a GPS device. That was a life-saver for me. Wow.
I finally got to my hotel room at the StayBridge Suite in Englewood, Co. Nice big place of a room, with a kitchen where I burned popcorn in a microwave oven. I am glad it was one night, because I couldn't even make a good pot of coffee -- it came out watery.
The next morning I got up to a bright, sunny ...and hot day. My wakeup call was 6 AM and I got going after 30 min more of slumber. Hey. I need my sleep.
After a rush-hour drive, I got to the Pepsi Center, got my credential, and made a video of interviews with Rich Grant and Chris Lopez, the communications directors for the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Denver DNC Host Committee, respectively. Grant said that he expected an economic impact of $164 million and Lopez cleared up the funding news regarding the DNC Convention, saying that of almost $40 million needed, about 70 percent, or $28 million, was raised, and that about $11 million was remaining.
Then I headed to the Media breakfast and meet and greet, where I met a number of people that I interviewed in the video and will expound more on later.
...Developing.
McCain Elderly Protester Removed - Brandon Keating Sr Starts With A Bang
See it with a click here > BRANDON!
Netroots Blog Caltics Attacking Senator Diane Feinstein
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I happened to visit the Calitcs Blog, when I saw an article calling for nothing less than the censure of Senator Diane Feinstein. Why? Because of her support for the FISA bill that just past, and her alledged role as swing vote confirming, as Caltics put it, the appointments of Michael Mukasey, President Bush's torture-condoning nominee for Attorney General, and Leslie Southwick, a racist and homophobic judge.
Yikes!
It seems that no action has stopped Feinstein, according to Caltics.:
We've tried everything to get Sen. Feinstein's attention. Phone calls. Emails. Faxes. Petitions. Protests. Smoke signals. We even launched an online petition supporting a proposed California Democratic Party censure resolution of Sen. Feinstein last November that spread like wildfire across the grassroots, with 35,039 Californians signing on in support.
The censure movement also catalyzed national media attention, fueled by endorsements from MoveOn.org, Progressive Democrats of America, the California Democratic Party Women's Caucus and Progressive Caucus, as well as 38 chartered Democratic Clubs across California.
A number of people have asked if the Courage Campaign would support holding Senator Feinstein accountable for caving on warrantless wiretapping by re-launching the censure resolution inside the California Democratic Party. It's an important question but, frankly, a censure resolution is merely a piece of paper unless there's a people-powered movement behind it.
That's why we're putting this decision in your hands today. If grassroots and netroots activists across California support a new censure resolution of Senator Feinstein, we will launch a censure campaign leading up to the California Democratic Party's next Executive Board meeting.
Yikes!
The problem is when is that meeting? The site of the California State Democratic Party presents the standing committees, but no meeting date for an "Executive Board."
I should have asked Cal Dem Party head Art Torres when I saw him at the Karen Bass event.
FISA is for "Foreign"
The last time I checked, the title of the FISA bill was Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, not "American" or AISA. What's the deal? Are we growing a nation of people who can't read? I have no problem with the FISA bill vote. But the other Feinstein matters deserve the once over. I'd stop short of calling for a censure, however. I think a fair reading of Feinstein's accomplishments is in order. Stay tuned.
FISA
DNC Convention - DNCC Releases List of Credentialed Blogs
2008 Democratic Convention Watch http://demconwatch.blogspot.com
43rdStateBlues.com http://43rdstateblues.com
AFL-CIO NOW Blog http://blog.aflcio.org
African American Political Pundit http://aapoliticalpundit.blogspot.com
AMERICAblog.com http://americablog.com
Asian American Action Fund Blog http://aaa-fund.com
Badlands Blue http://badlandsblue.com
Bagnews Notes http://bagnewsnotes.com
Beliefnet http://beliefnet.com
Bitch Ph.D. http://bitchphd.blogspot.com
Blogger News Network http://bloggernews.net
Blogging For Michigan http://bloggingformichigan.com
BlogHer http://blogher.com
Blue Hampshire http://bluehampshire.com
Blue Indiana http://blueindiana.net
Blue Jersey http://bluejersey.com
Blue Mass. Group http://bluemassgroup.com
BlueGrassRoots http://bluegrassroots.org
BlueNC.com http://bluenc.com
BlueOregon http://blueoregon.com
Buckeye State Blog http://buckeyestateblog.com
Burnt Orange Report http://BurntOrangeReport.com
Calitics http://Calitics.com
Campus Progress http://campusprogress.org
Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis http://divasblueoasis.blogspot.com
Change to Win http://changetowin.org
Colorado Confidential http://coloradoconfidential.com
Cotton Mouth Blog http://cottonmouthblog.blogspot.com
CracktheBell.com http://crackthebell.com
Crooks and Liars http://crooksandliars.com
culturekitchen http://culturekitchen.com
Daily Kingfish http://dailykingfish.com
Daily Kos http://dailykos.com
Dallas South Blog http://dallassouthblog.com
DCist.com http://dcist.com
Democracy Arsenal http://democracyarsenal.org
Democracy for New Mexico http://DemocracyForNewMexico.com
Democratic Party of the U.S. Virgin Islands http://groups.yahoo.com/...
Democratic Underground http://democraticunderground.com
Democrats Abroad Argentina http://yanquimike.com.ar
DemoOkie http://DemoOkie.com
Digby's Hullabaloo http://digbysblog.blogspot.com
Disaboom.com http://disaboom.com
Doc's Political Parlor http://politicalparlor.net
DoubleSpeak http://doublespeakshow.com
Eschaton http://atrios.blogspot.com
EverydayCitizen.com http://everydaycitizen.com
Fired Up! http://firedupmissouri.com
Firedoglake http://firedoglake.com
Florida Progressive Coalition http://flaprogressives.org
Future Majority http://futuremajority.com
Georgia Politics Unfiltered http://georgiaunfiltered.blogspot.com
Green Mountain Daily http://greenmountaindaily.com
Grist Magazine http://grist.org/
Group News Blog http://groupnewsblog.net
HispanicTips.com http://hispanictips.com
HorsesAss.org http://horsesass.org
HummingbirdMinds Blog http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com
iLind.net http://ilind.net
Indianz.com http://indianz.com
Jack and Jill Politics http://jackandjillpolitics.com
Jusiper http://jusiper.blogspot.com
Keystone Politics http://keystonepolitics.com
KnoxViews http://knoxviews.com
Las Vegas Gleaner http://lasvegasgleaner.com
Left In Alabama http://leftinalabama.com
Left in the West http://leftinthewest.com
Michigan Liberal http://michiganliberal.com
Minnesota Monitor http://minnesotamonitor.com
MOMocrats http://momocrats.typepad.com
My Left Nutmeg http://myleftnutmeg.com
MyDD http://mydd.com
New Nebraska Network http://NewNebraska.net
NewsOne.com http://newsone.com
No Rest for the Awake http://minagahet.blogspot.com
NorthDecoder.com http://northdecoder.com
Obsidian Wings http://obsidianwings.blogs.com
Ohio Daily Blog http://ohiodailyblog.com
OliverWillis.com http://oliverwillis.com
Open Left http://openleft.com
Pam's House Blend http://pamshouseblend.com
Political Base http://politicalbase.com
Political Wire http://politicalwire.com
PoliticalLunch.com http://PoliticalLunch.com
PolitickerNJ.com http://politickernj.com
PoliticsOnline http://politicsonline.com
Pop and Politics http://popandpolitics.com
Prairie State Blue http://PrairieStateBlue.com
RaceWire http://racewire.org
Raising Kaine http://raisingkaine.com
Raw Story http://rawstory.com
Rhode Island's Future http://rifuture.org
Room 8 http://r8ny.com
Rum, Romanism and Rebellion http://rumromanismrebellion.net
RuralVotes http://ruralvotes.com/...
Scholars & Rogues http://scholarsandrogues.com
Seeing the Forest http://seeingtheforest.com
Sepia Mutiny http://sepiamutiny.com
SquareState.net http://squarestate.net
Talking Points Memo http://talkingpointsmemo.com
TalkLeft http://talkleft.com
Taylor Marsh http://taylormarsh.com
The Albany Project http://thealbanyproject.com
The Center for Emerging Media http://centerforemergingmedia.com
The Iowa Independent http://iowaindependent.com
The Natchez Blog http://natchezms.blogspot.com
The Seminal http://theseminal.com
The UpTake http://theuptake.org
The Utah Amicus http://utahamicus.com
The Washington Independent http://washingtonindependent.com
Think Youth http://thinkyouth.org
Thought Theater http://thoughttheater.com
TommyWonk http://tommywonk.blogspot.com/
Tondee's Tavern http://tondeestavern.com
Towleroad http://towleroad.com
Turn Maine Blue http://turnmaineblue.com
Under The Dome.com http://underthedome.com
Uppity Wisconsin http://uppitywis.org
USAmerica Vota '08 http://usamericavota08.blogspot.com
VivirLatino.com http://vivirlatino.com
West Virginia Blue http://wvablue.com
What About Our Daughters? Blog http://whataboutourdaughters.com
Working Life http://workinglife.org
Zennie's Zeitgeist http://zennie2005.blogspot.com
Faith, Hope, and the Courtship of South Carolina
"Truth to tell, we South Carolinians have been jilted before we got to the altar so many times we don't bother with trousseau shoppin' any more. We've lost faith. Abandoned hope. The Dems gave up on us long ago and the GOP knows we can be had, cheap."
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall...The times?
They are a-changing: In the summer of 2007 Senator Barack Obama promised the people of South Carolina he'd work for them if they'd have him. Obama's keeping his promise, which reflects his fifty state strategy.
Ms. Hansen compares the state of the McCain & Obama campaigns, and while the polls suggest that McCain has the traditional lead, the mood on the ground is - evidently - not indicative of a Republican lock on the electoral votes come November.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Freedom Of Speech has it's limitations
McCain Advisor Phil Gramm "We're A Nation Of Whiners" - Video
Senator John McCain's campaign will look back on this as a terrible day and a major one in what seems to be an incredible one-week meltdown that will certainly lead to a bump in the polls for the already leading Democratic Senator Barack Obama.
Former Senator and McCain Advisor Phil Gramm made a comment that's caught fire. Everyone's having a field day with what Phil Gramm said. Former Senator Gramm seems to think that Americans should just shut up and take the fact of the worstening economy without comment:
“You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession,” Gramm, a former Texas senator, told the newspaper, adding that the presumptive Republican nominee will face an uphill battle fighting those perceptions.
“We have sort of become a nation of whiners,” he said. “You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in ‘decline’ despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy.”
This didn't miss the eye of "RaisingKaine"'s Lowell, who writes Yeah, Sen. McCain, you certainly were correct when you said you didn't know much about economics!
The comment by Senator Gramm did not miss the eye of Senator Barack Obama. The Presumptive Democratic Nominee said "We already have one Dr. Phil" referring to the television star therapist.
Meanwhile, Senator McCain, facing yet another reason to get mad at someone, which he's proven he's good at, immediately threw McCain under the bus, banishing him to Belarus. According to Fox News Mosheh Oinounou...
“I don’t agree with Senator Gramm. I believe that the person here in Michigan that just lost his job isn’t suffering a ‘mental recession.’ I believe the mother here in Michigan and around America who is trying to get enough money to educate their children isn’t ‘whining,’” McCain told reporters today. “America is in great difficulty and we are experiencing enormous economic challenges as well as others. Phil Gramm does not speak for me. I speak for me. So, I strongly disagree.”
McCain has previously said that “no one is more qualified” on economic issues than Gramm, who serves a national campaign co-chair, but made clear today that he was unhappy with the former Texas senator when asked if Gramm would have a role in a future McCain administration.
“I think Senator Gramm would be in serious consideration for ambassador to Belarus, although I’m not sure the citizens of Minsk would welcome that,” McCain said.
For his part, and I think this is the most damaging to McCain, Senator Gramm stood by his remarks. "I'm not going to retract any of it. Every word I said was true," Gramm said.
Wow.
I guess Senator Gramm wants to stick it to Senator McCain. Sure looks that way, yes? On top of that, Senator McCain looked totally uncomfortable in the way he ducked a question about Viagra and health care. More on that soon.
Jesse Jackson doesn't speak for me.
Have Reverend Jackson and Pastor Dobson jumped the shark?
read more | digg story
Fox News' Fred Barnes Baffoonery: "Who Reads Bloggers?" He Asks.
Barnes -- on today's Fox News Panel With Britt Hume -- famously observed, in response to how some liberal browsers were attacking Obama on his support of the reformed FISA Act, said "Who Reads Bloggers?"
Well, in the sprit of that civic dis, we have "The Fred Barnes Watch" -- coming soon.
Senator Clinton and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg On Obama Plane Wednesday
Senator Clinton and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg On Obama Plane Wednesday
What does it tell you when Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg (who's heading Senator Barack Obama's search for a vice presidential candidate) are on the Obama airplane on the same day that Senator Obama casts a vote in favor of a slightly refined Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that Clinton opposed?
It tells me that Clinton's going to be the Vice Presidential Canidate for Obama.
This story comes from The Washington Independent, who's contributor SRIDHAR PAPPU wrote:
We awoke on the Obama plane on the Reagan International Airport tarmac with news that we'd have not one, but two special guests on our trip to New York. The first was Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama's onetime nemesis and now seemingly close cohort as she tries to both influence the direction of the general campaign and recoup the millions of dollars in debt she owes as the result of the race. The second? Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, daughter of the late president and vice presidential search committee.
The latter arrived on the plane with Obama, sporting some aviator sunglasses. At the moment, his "body man" Reggie Love is passing out cookies to those press held up in the back of the plane. We'll return with a beverage update if time permits.
This is a great political "headfake" that was so good, it caught Pappu off guard, treating it as routine news. It's anything but
The FISA issue and Obama's vote caught the press entirely off-guard. CNN took the bait hook-line-and-sinker today, reporting that Clinton and Obama were "at odds" with each other, and that the issue could harm her VP chances.
Hah!