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October 31, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

I haven't done one of these in a while, so time to get back into that habit. Here are just a few of the posts you're all writing over at PartyBuilder:

For some good meta, take a look at Shopman's Did you ever notice...

Dan Slater: Delegate Selection Plan Approved … County Delegate Numbers Released … And Where is the GOP on the Web?

Happy Halloween, everyone. Chat away...

Posted by Michael Link at 06:10 PM | Comments (47)

White House Withholds Abramoff Documents

From ThinkProgress:

Today, House Oversight Committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) wrote to White House Counsel Fred Fielding and requested that the administration hand over more than 600 pages of documents relating to the White House’s activities with fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

You can read the entire letter from Congressman Waxman here (PDF). This isn't a small amount of information being withheld, either -- it's said to be about 600 pages.

Posted by Michael Link at 04:05 PM | Comments (4)

Republicans Don't Have Time for All Americans

The Republicans are skipping another debate, and this time it's by the Congressional Black Caucus. The GOP presidential field has come under fire recently for skipping debates and thereby alienating black and Latino voters, among others.

Here's a list of some GOP snubs this past year:

National Urban League, July 25-28
Univision Forum, August
NALEO, June 30
NCLR, July 21-24
NEA, July
College Republicans, July 12-15
Young Republicans, July 4-8
LOGO/HRC, July
SEIU, March 24
Tavis Smiley, September 27

And now they can add one more to the never-ending list.

Posted by Michael Link at 10:28 AM | Comments (5)

Key Bush Adviser Karen Hughes Resigns

Karen Hughes, the last of Bush's old-guard advisers who has served with him since his days in Texas, has resigned her position at the State Department. From MSNBC (h/t Think Progress):

President Bush had asked Karen Hughes to go to the State Department and help sell America’s ideas about democracy and the war on terror around the world. Polls show that there has been no improvement in the way the world views the United States since Hughes took over. Now it appears she’s resigning.

Hughes told her staff "improving the world’s view of the United States is a 'long-term challenge' that will outlast her."

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 10:26 AM | Comments (10)

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:14 AM | Comments (145)

October 30, 2007

Tuesday Evening Open Thread

Chat away... about the debate! 9PM ET on MSNBC.

Posted by Michael Link at 07:04 PM | Comments (42)

Dick Cheney's Secretive Hunting Trip

More details of Cheney's secretive hunting trip...

The Clove Valley Rod and Gun Club is an exclusive place: Its 70-odd members are said to pay as much as $100,000 a year for the privilege of hunting ducks and pheasants on 4,000 acres of land on the west side of Clove Mountain, an expanse of shrubs and trees speckled in orange and gold.

Locals are used to visits by high-ranking generals and politicians. But according to resident Dan Roth:

"Dick Cheney gets people talking, though...People wonder if he’s going to shoot something. Or someone."

Cheney left without speaking to reporters. He also did not acknowledge the three children standing by the road holding "Bush-Cheney" signs.

Their mother said, "What we’re really curious to know is if he shot anything. No one will tell us."

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 01:32 PM | Comments (4)

Governor Dean On Hardball Before Debate

You'll be pleased to know that Governor Howard Dean will appear on Hardball with Chris Matthews today at 5:00 PM Eastern, prior to the Democratic debate.

The Democratic candidates will debate at Drexel University in Philadelphia on MSNBC at 9PM - 11PM ET. It will be hosted by Brian Williams and Tim Russert.

When the time comes, you'll be able to watch the debate streaming live on MSNBC.com or liveblog it over at PartyBuilder, where anybody can voice their support for their candidate's performance directly to our website.

Posted by Michael Link at 11:05 AM | Comments (13)

Rudy Giuliani Says Clinton and Obama Would Invite Osama Bin Laden 'To The Inaugural Ball'

Rudy Giuliani's rhetoric in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination is becoming more weird and inflammatory. Criticizing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, he launched into a sudden tirade yesterday:

"This is the world we live in. It's not this happy, romantic-like world where we'll negotiate with this one, or we'll negotiate with that one and there will be no preconditions, and we'll invite (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad to the White House, we'll invite Osama (bin Laden) to the White House," Giuliani said.
"Hillary and Obama are kind of debating whether to invite them to the inauguration or the inaugural ball," he added.

(Needless to say, this is not true.)

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 09:43 AM | Comments (3)

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:48 AM | Comments (141)

October 29, 2007

Monday Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Michael Link at 07:03 PM | Comments (83)

Debunking Dana Perino

Last week, White House press secretary Dana Perino argued that global warming is a good thing, saying:

"It is true that many people die from cold-related deaths every winter. And there are studies that say that climate change in certain areas of the world would help those individuals."

So, taking her words seriously for the sake of argument--is it better for the planet to be hotter? Here's the research, thanks to Huffington Post:

The increase in extremely hot summers predicted by climate change models will lead to a higher death toll that will not be offset by fewer deaths during warmer winters, say researchers.
"The increase in mortality when you have one extra cold snap is 1.59%, but the increase in mortality for an additional heatwave is 5.74%," explains Mercedes Medina-Ramón of Harvard University's School of Public Health in Massachusetts, US.

Medina-Ramón and colleagues looked at how temperature correlated to mortality in 50 US cities between 1989 and 2000. They found that heart attacks and cardiac arrest were the causes of death that were most likely to increase with more extreme temperatures.

So, there you have it. Dana Perino, debunked.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 05:01 PM | Comments (2)

Rudy Giuliani Misrepresents Important Health Care Facts

The Republican presidential nominees haven't had a stellar track record of being forthright about policy discussion--but in a new radio ad describing his cancer diagnosis, Rudy Giuliani misrepresents several important facts about health care. In a post titled "Rudy's fuzzy healthcare math," ABC news notes that,

But the data Giuliani cites comes from a single study published eight years ago by a not-for-profit group, and is contradicted by official data from the British government.
According to the United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics, for men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1999 and 2003, the "five-year survival rate" -- a common measurement in cancer statistics -- was 74.4 percent.

The statistics show that the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer victims in the UK has been steadily rising to approach the survival rate Giuliani cited for the United States.

Ezra Klein argues that not only is the data fuzzy, but that the actual rate is virtually the same between both the United Kingdom and the United States.

England and America have virtually the same mortality rates from prostate cancer. In England (as of 1997), 28 males of every 100,000 died from prostate cancer. In America, the number was 26.
Problem is, most of those cancers simply aren't deadly, or even necessarily damaging. They're slow-moving and benign. It's like saying we have a lower death rate from car crashes because we record more near-misses in the statistics.

UPDATE: The mortality rate of prostate cancer survivors is nearly the same as the mortality in the United States. In the United Kingdom the rate is 17.9 per 100,000 males where it's 15.8 per 100,000 males.

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 04:54 PM | Comments (2)

Bush Administration's Voting Rights Chief Apologizes

Earlier this month, Bush administration voting rights division chief John Tanner created a firestorm when he said that "minorities don't become elderly the way white people do: They die first." He made the remarks before the National Latino Congreso, while trying to argue that voter ID laws discriminate against white people--because white people (in his opinion) are a disproportionate percentage of the elderly population.

He has now apologized for the remark. From TPMmuckraker:

In the letter, Tanner does not recant his analysis that voter ID laws actually discriminate against whites, but does apologize that his "explanation of the data came across in a hurtful way." Others who worked in the Justice Department, of course, including Toby Moore, a former redistricting expert in the section who will be testifying alongside Tanner tomorrow, disagreed with more than his tone.

Interesting that he sees this merely as a "poor communication" problem--while his own co-workers say he's "cherry-picking the data."

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 04:22 PM | Comments (1)

More Scrutiny On Missing Emails

Back in April, CREW discovered that the "Executive Office of the President (EOP) has lost over five million emails generated between March 2003 and October 2005." In addition, CREW stated in April, they took no actions to recover the missing emails.

Now the National Security Archive and CREW (PDF) have -- in separate lawsuits -- taken action to ensure that the White House "cannot render judicial preservation decisions meaningless."

Nobody quite knows what's in these emails. The first hint that something was up occurred when Patrick Fitzgerald, who led the case against Scooter Libby, warned that while he had no evidence that emails related to the case had been destroyed, he could not be sure due to some emails not being preserved.

This, of course, wasn't the only trouble they've had with missing emails. There was also the infamous "Eighteen Week Gap" of emails by Karl Rove using an email system maintained by the Republican National Committee. This "gap" occurred after "legal inquiries" that led to a "hold" being placed to prevent this very type of destruction.

Posted by Michael Link at 01:34 PM | Comments (2)

Tom Tancredo Leaving Congress

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) says he will leave the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008--no matter what happens with his long-shot presidential campaign. From the Rocky Mountain News:

Tancredo parlayed a back-bench seat in Congress into a national megaphone to oppose illegal immigration, denounce a so-called "cult of multiculturalism" and warn about a "clash of civilizations" between radical Islam and Western civilizations.

Tancredo's departure is the latest in a mass of Republican retirements--now thirteen (and counting) from the House of Representatives.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 01:21 PM | Comments (3)

John McCain Criticizes Giuliani For Disagreements With Conservatives

Not too long ago, his independent thinking was the hallmark of his popularity. Wonder what happened?

Republican John McCain said today that "it's hard to imagine" Rudy Giuliani as the GOP presidential nominee. "It's hard for me to accept the fact that we would nominate someone who has fundamental disagreements" with conservatives on core principles, he said on ABC's This Week.

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 12:23 PM | Comments (1)

For Fred Thompson, Success In Iraq Means 'Not Getting Blown Up'

Well, I guess this would be one way to measure success...

He said it was going to take a while to get the situation under control and described his definition of success in Iraq as people being able to worship without fear of being blown up and political leaders being able to meet without fear of being blown up.

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 12:09 PM | Comments (6)

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:15 AM | Comments (162)

October 28, 2007

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:14 AM | Comments (169)

October 27, 2007

Governor Dean Delivers Democratic Radio Address

Governor Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, delivered the Democratic radio address this week. He highlighted the fact that while all of the Republican presidential candidates support borrowing $196 billion for the war in Iraq they all oppose spending $7 billion next year for the bipartisan plan to provide children health care.

Chairman Dean called on Republicans in Congress to join Democrats in overriding the President's veto of the Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), especially after Democratic leaders recrafted the bill in response to Republican concerns. Dean also drew a clear contrast between the Democratic and Republican presidential fields on the war in Iraq, the culture of corruption, and fiscal responsibility.

To listen to the address, click here.

Transcript of Radio Address:

Good morning. I'm Governor Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

I want to start by joining all Americans in offering my thoughts and prayers to the people of California devastated by the wildfires this week. And our thanks to the firefighters, the National Guard, local agencies, and neighbors for their extraordinary work. You serve as a reminder that when we work together, Americans can accomplish anything.

We need more of that spirit of cooperation in Washington, DC today. Despite significant bipartisan support for the country's health insurance program for our children or "S-CHIP," every single Republican running for president sided with President Bush in keeping our kids from getting the health care that they need.

Turning our backs on our children is not the way to lead our country. It's bad policy, but it's also politics at its worst.

Just weeks after vetoing S-CHIP, the Bush Republicans wanted to borrow a total of $196 billion to continue the wars in Iraq and then Afghanistan, but they wouldn't spend $7 billion for the health of our children.

The Republican leaders have made their choice. They want to stay in Iraq and deny our kids health care. It is wrong for the Bush Republicans to stand in the way of legislation needed to protect the wellbeing of our kids.

This week, Democrats in Congress re-crafted the legislation to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program and provide health care for 10 million uninsured children. It is time for Republicans to join the Democrats in overriding President Bush's veto and to reauthorize this program. Eighty-one percent of the American people and governors of both parties from states all across the country support our effort to cover these 10 million uninsured children.

Again, all of the republican candidates for president support President Bush's veto on health care for our uninsured children. And every one of them supports spending a total of $196 billion to send brave Americans to fight in a civil war in Iraq. America can not afford four more years of a president who borrows for the war and denies health insurance for our kids.

It's a time for a return to American values-- and a return to the era of fiscal responsibility we saw during the last Democratic administration. It's time we restore America to its position of moral leadership throughout the world. And, it's time we fulfill our moral obligation to care for our nation's children.

I know it can be done. In my home state of Vermont, 99 percent of all children under the age of 18 were eligible for health insurance when I left office. If we can do that in a small state like Vermont, we can do it in the greatest country in the world.

The contrast in the presidential race is so clear.

Democrats want to end the war in Iraq, the Republicans would continue President Bush's failed strategy. While Democrats will ensure our kids have health care, the Republicans will deny our kids. The Democrats want to end the culture of corruption, the Republicans support the pardoning of corrupt officials.

And while Democrats will balance the budget and restore fiscal discipline, the Republicans will borrow against our children's future.

The choice is clear in 2008. If you believe in supporting our kids, making our economy stronger, creating jobs, and ending the war in Iraq, please vote for a Democrat in 2008.

I'm Governor Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Thanks so much for listening.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 11:00 AM | Comments (2)

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:00 AM | Comments (142)

October 26, 2007

Remembering Paul Wellstone

It's been five years since we lost Senator Wellstone's voice. On the fifth anniversary of his passing Senate Democrats put together a video remembering Paul Wellstone and his words.

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 07:07 PM | Comments (3)

Thompson Has Changed His Tune On Presidential Power and National Security

Fred Thompson used to support limits on presidential power.

In 1974, the Nashville Tennessean quoted a 31-year-old lawyer named Fred Thompson -- the chief GOP counsel on the Senate Watergate Committee -- saying that since the nation was "really angered" by the Nixon administration's abuses of national security classifications, things would change.
"I think obviously that in the future the president is not going to be the sole individual to determine what is a matter of national security," Thompson said at the Austin Peay State University campus in Clarksville, Tennessee.

The newspaper reported that "Thompson suggested the possibility of an executive and legislative committee to take on the task."

We asked Thompson about this in our Nightline swing through Florida with the former senator, turned GOP presidential candidate.

"I thought I confiscated all of those," Thompson joked when I took out a copy of the article.

I suggested that if Thompson were to become president, he would likely not be in favor of this joint legislative and executive committee.

"My concern at that time of course was the abuses of the presidency at that time," Thompson said. "And clearly the president at that time had used the umbrella of national security to do some things that were not in fact in the interest of national security."

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 02:07 PM | Comments (2)

John McCain Refuses To Stop Running Ad Using Fox Logo

Well, we all knew he was low on cash...

Republican John McCain on Thursday rejected a Fox News Channel request to stop airing a television ad that includes footage of the presidential candidate at a debate sponsored by the cable network.
In the ad, McCain is shown at the debate saying: "A few days ago, Senator Clinton tried to spend $1 million on the Woodstock concert museum."

"Now my friends, I wasn't there. I'm sure it was a cultural and pharmaceutical event," he says. "I was tied up at the time." It was a reference to the 5 1/2 years McCain spent in a North Vietnamese prison.

The Fox News logo is in the corner of the ad.

But Fox News bars candidates from using debate clips in ads, and officials there sent a cease and desist letter to McCain. McCain rejected the request, arguing that he is within the law's "fair use" rights to use an 18-second clip of a 90-minute debate.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 01:54 PM | Comments (1)

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:20 AM | Comments (271)

October 25, 2007

Fred Thompson 'Not Sure' What's Going On Among the Ranks

What "experts" is he talking about here?

The campaign recently lost Nelson Warfield, a political media strategist, and New Hampshire Republican Dan Hughes said he had switched to John McCain's team.
"You know, the campaign can address that. I can't really address who's doing — and who was doing — exactly what at every level of this campaign," Thompson said after speaking to about 300 people at a restaurant in South Carolina. "They're the ones who know what's going on on a daily basis. ... I'll let the experts speak on that."

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 04:15 PM | Comments (2)

As Presidential Campaign Falters, Maybe McCain Should Consider NOT Abandoning His Day Job

John McCain skips an important vote--on his own immigration bill.

The latest legislative attempt to give illegal immigrants a path to American citizenship is foundering, its fate symbolized by the fact that Senator McCain, whose name was once synonymous with such immigration legislation, skipped a vote on the bill.
The Arizona Republican rearranged his campaign schedule to return to Washington yesterday for a vote on a judicial nomination, but he did not stick around for a key vote just an hour later on the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, an immigration bill he co-sponsored in an earlier version.

The DREAM Act, which fell eight votes short of the 60 it needed to advance in the Senate, would allow illegal immigrants who came to America when they were younger than 16, have been enrolled in college for two years, and have lived in America for five years to apply for legal residency.

UPDATE: Today he told a gathering of right-wing bloggers that he would have voted against the bill that he co-sponsored in 2005.

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 03:52 PM | Comments (3)

Governor Dean on the California Wildfires

Governor Dean's statement on the California wildfires:

"As the wildfires continue to rage, our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of California. In this time of crisis, you are not alone. I also want to thank the firefighters, rescue workers, volunteers, National Guard and all who have answered the call to help. Their service and sacrifice demonstrates the best of America and affirms that in times of need, we come together to help one another."

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 10:56 AM | Comments (17)

Fred Thompson Will Raise Money In Fire Ravaged Communities

Yesterday we blogged about a story that said that Fred Thompson was setting up last minute fundraisers in some of the communities ravaged by fires in Southern California. The Huffington Post is now reporting that Fred Thompson is still planning to continue with the fundraisers, including one in Rancho Santa Fe, which according to local news sources is evacuated because of fire.

The Republican field has yet to issue any statements about the fire.

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 10:17 AM | Comments (5)

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:57 AM | Comments (297)

October 24, 2007

Report Shows Bush Administration Not Prepared For Fires

Now it turns out that the Bush administration was not prepared for the disastrous wildfires in southern California. Again.

The Government Accountability Office, Congress's nonpartisan auditor, issued stark warnings earlier this year on shortcomings in the administration's plans to fight fires.

The Bush administration had been warned that the $3 billion annual budget for fire prevention and suppression was being wasted on private contractors and government bureaucracy--such as the federal red tape that prevented the use of more DC-10 airplanes that could have dropped flame retardant on areas that were on fire.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 04:52 PM | Comments (14)

Rudy Giuliani Meets With Neocon About 'World War IV'

Rudy Giuliani has been meeting with right-wing pundit Norman Podhoretz about the possibility of war with Iran.

"I was asked to come in and give him a briefing on the war, World War IV," said Mr. Podhoretz, a founding father of neoconservatism and leading foreign policy adviser to Mr. Giuliani. "As far as I can tell there is very little difference in how he sees the war and how I see it."

Podhoretz, whose newest book is titled World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism, added that he told Giuliani:

"The choice before us is either bomb those nuclear facilities or let them get the bomb."

Maybe even scarier:

In late spring, he met with President Bush at the Waldorf Astoria to share his views about what to do with Iran. As Karl Rove took notes, Mr. Podhoretz stressed that anything short of military action to prevent Iran from getting nuclear capabilities would fail, and that American needs to strike to prevent another Holocaust. Mr. Bush and Mr. Rove, Mr. Podhoretz recalled, laughed when he indirectly referred to the futility of the current American policy of pressuring Iran with sanctions and diplomatic isolation.

And the drumbeat for war with Iran continues...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 02:17 PM | Comments (11)

Fred Thompson Schedules Fundraiser In Southern California

You know, where those deadly wildfires are raging right now...

From Campaign Spot reader Nick:
Several of my family members in southern CA received invitations today in the mail for a group of high-dollar Fred Thompson fundraising events across southern California--taking place on Monday and Tuesday of next week! None can ever recall getting initially solicited for events this close to the event date.

Seems like a serious lack of advance planning.

Not the campaign's fault, but the first event will almost surely have to be canceled--it's scheduled for next Monday in Rancho Santa Fe, which is currently evacuated and the scene of part of one of the large fires.

I wonder if instead of the fundraiser, Thompson--or any other candidate, really--ought to tour one of the scorched areas (once the fires are out), write a big personal check to a relief fund on the spot, and offer words of encouragement for people who have just been through hell. Responding to disasters is one of the duties of a president; once the immediate danger has passed, the candidates might as well start demonstrating this ability as well.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 12:38 PM | Comments (1)

How Does Mitt Romney Respond To All Those Flip-Flops?

Mitt Romney's campaign has been doing a lot of work over the last year getting ready for his run for the White House. He's changed his position so many times on so many issues that he's been tagged as a flip-flopper. A Boston television station does a report on the war room that monitors the television and web for "Mitt-flops."

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 11:54 AM | Comments (2)

Condoleezza Rice Will Testify Before Investigating Committee

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has quietly agreed to appear before Congress--although her office says she won't talk about controversial topics like the Iraq war. From the Huffington Post:

After years of ignoring congressional letters and rejecting requests for testimony, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has finally agreed to subject herself to a grilling before Henry Waxman (D-CA) and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, October 25, 2007, at 10 a.m. More from Nico at HuffPo:

Rice still appears unwilling to speak candidly. According to a State Department official, she will balk at discussing "the administration's use of intelligence before the Iraq war and the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame," though she's "more willing to discuss department policies implemented during her tenure as Secretary of State." How gracious.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 11:49 AM | Comments (6)

South Carolina Leader Now Says That Endorsement Was Mistake

Mitt Romney's support in South Carolina is already slipping.

South Carolina pastor Don Wilton said Oct. 23 he made a "personal error" in agreeing to support the campaign of Mitt Romney for president.
The pastor of First Baptist Church in Spartanburg and a former president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, Wilton said the Romney campaign has agreed to withdraw all references to his endorsement of Romney as a candidate.

On Oct. 19, the Romney campaign issued a press release stating Wilton had "announced his support for Governor Mitt Romney and his campaign." The release, which received attention from national media, quoted Wilton as saying, "We need someone in Washington who will stand up for traditional families and Governor Romney is that person." It also said that while they disagreed on theology, "his values are my values -- protecting the sanctity of human life, defending marriage and strengthening the family."

But Wilton now says that endorsement was a mistake.

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 11:18 AM | Comments (3)

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:12 AM | Comments (297)

October 23, 2007

McCain Hypocrisy on Earmarked Projects

John McCain may be making an issue out of earmarks for other members of Congress, but he's been hypocritical about earmarks that support causes in his home state.

And yet, less than two years ago, it was McCain who was on the receiving end of rebuke over a pet project deemed overly parochial and "porkish." In February 2006, McCain teamed up with fellow Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl on a bill to direct $10 million over five years to help create the William H. Rehnquist Center at the University of Arizona Law School.
The bill never passed, but Democrats and even some government watchdog groups perceived McCain's project much the same way the Woodstock memorial was greeted among the Republican presidential hopefuls.

"It was an earmark in training," Keith Ashdown, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, recalled for the Huffington Post. "This is how bad projects get started... The Senator has generally been good on these issues. But if you want to criticize, you should be ready to take it on the chin."

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 05:45 PM | Comments (4)

Mitt Romney Buys Support In South Carolina

Mitt Romney's strategy to win the Republican nomination: buy it. First, the Associated Press reports on Romney's endorsements in South Carolina.

Last week, Romney won the endorsements of Bob Jones III and Robert Taylor, the founder's grandson and a top dean respectively here at Bob Jones University.
He also gained the backing of Don Wilton, the immediate past president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention and pastor of a nearby megachurch, as well as Dr. John Willke, a founder and past president of the National Right to Life Committee.

During the same one-week period, the former Massachusetts governor eked out a win in a straw poll at the socially conservative Values Voter Summit in Washington.

Then the New York Times reports that Mitt Romney is buying most of his support with hard dollars from his PAC.

Some movement conservatives are buzzing this week about a new report that Mitt Romney, a millionaire buyout investor and prodigious fundraiser, made some strategic donations to a number of well-connected conservative groups in the pivotal early primary state of South Carolina.
Harper’s magazine reported this week that a state political action committee Mr. Romney set up in South Carolina gave an unspecified sum to the Palmetto Family Council, the state affiliate of Focus on the Family; $5,000 to an organization that sponsored a ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage in the state constitution; $2,000 to a coalition of conservative Charleston school board candidates called the A-Team; $1,000 to the South Carolina Club for Growth; $1,000 to a school choice group called South Carolinians for Responsible Government; and $500 to the anti-abortion group South Carolina Citizens for Life.

Keep reading "Mitt Romney Buys Support In South Carolina"

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 05:14 PM | Comments (2)

White House Says It Is 'Premature' For Bush To Visit Southern California

As wildfires rage across southern California, destroying thousands of homes and displacing hundreds of thousands of residents, the White House says that talk about a presidential visit to the region is "very premature."

White House press secretary Dana Perino said it was "very premature" to talk about a presidential stop in the region.
"All of us across this nation are concerned for the families who have lost their homes and the many families who have been evacuated from their homes," Bush said Tuesday. "We send the help of the federal government."

But there is much less federal help to send since 46,797 National Guard and reserves are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to recent Department of Defense stats.

Instead, more than 2,300 prison inmates are being used to help fight the blaze--as well as borrowed firefighters from neighboring states.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 04:23 PM | Comments (7)

Republican Dirty Tricks Back In California

A controversial Republican effort to change the way California distributes its electoral votes is back. Previously, we reported that the effort was dead--but it's now been revived by top Giuliani donors and aides. From the Los Angeles Times:

Veteran Republican consultants said Monday that they were relaunching a drive to change the way California allocates its electoral college votes, aimed at helping the 2008 GOP presidential nominee capture the White House.
Political strategist David Gilliard said he was taking over the ballot initiative campaign, along with strategist Ed Rollins and fund raiser Anne Dunsmore. Consultant Mike Arno will oversee the signature gathering effort.

"Our budget is going to be whatever it takes to make the June ballot," said Gilliard, who played a key role in placing the 2003 recall of California Gov. Gray Davis onto the ballot.

Rudy Giuliani's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination is seen as deeply involved in the effort. A major Giuliani donor, vulture fund mogul Paul Singer, donated $175,000 to the initiative. Anne Dunsmore previously oversaw fund raising for Giuliani.

Republicans believe that the change would allow them to pick up the equivalent of another Ohio in electoral votes, winning the White House in 2008.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 02:05 PM | Comments (37)

Giuliani Comes To Aid Of Accused Child Molester

From ABC News:

Presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani hired a Catholic priest to work in his consulting firm months after the priest was accused of sexually molesting two former students and an altar boy and told by the church to stop performing his priestly duties.
The priest, Monsignor Alan Placa, a longtime friend of Giuliani and the priest who officiated at his second wedding to Donna Hanover, continues to work at Giuliani Partners in New York, to the outrage of some of his accusers and victims' groups, which have begun to protest at Giuliani campaign events.
[...]
At a campaign appearance in Milwaukee last week, Giuliani continued to defend Placa, who he described to reporters as a close friend for 39 years.

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 12:16 PM | Comments (10)

More Money For Iraq?

Bush will request another $196.4 billion to be thrown into Iraq (mostly), according to the Associated Press. Given that the war has already cost the American people $455 billion -- and more importantly, thousands of lives -- I'm sure we can expect to see Rep. Boehner telling us what a "small price" it is.

Over at Americablog, however, they make the point that Bush is asking for this money despite the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction suspending an audit of a contract "after administration officials told investigators they had no confidence in their own accounting records."

This is a $1.2 billion contract, yet the State Department agency responsible for it doesn't even know what they received for most of it.

Yet I'm having trouble finding anything about this over at the State Department's blog, but if it isn't on their mind, at least they're having fun.

Posted by Michael Link at 10:18 AM | Comments (24)

State Department Can't Account For $1.2 Billion Paid To Private Contractor

A new report reveals that the State Department can't account for $1.2 billion paid to private contractor DynCorp. From the New York Times:

...records documenting the work of DynCorp, the State Department’s largest contractor, are in such disarray that the department cannot say "specifically what it received" for most of the $1.2 billion it has paid the company since 2004 to train the police officers in Iraq.

The State Department has three private security contractors in Iraq--Blackwater, DynCorp International and Triple Canopy. The extreme lack of oversight first came to public attention last month when Blackwater guards killed 17 Iraqi civilians.

The only response from the Bush administration was from a State Department spokesman, who said that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would "closely examine" the report’s findings.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 10:01 AM | Comments (22)

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:28 AM | Comments (251)

October 22, 2007

Waxman: Blackwater May Have Evaded Taxes

In a new 13-page letter, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman writes that Blackwater may be hiding "tens of millions of dollars, if not more" in federal taxes.

Waxman cites a March 2007 IRS ruling that spoke specifically about one Blackwater employee, but, according to the ruling, "may be applicable to any other individuals engaged in the firm."

Blackwater is using a loophole in the tax code that makes a distinction between employees and independent contractors. As Waxman notes, the IRS explained:

An employer must generally withhold federal income taxes, withhold and pay social security and Medicare taxes, and pay unemployment tax on wages paid to an employee. An employer does not generally have to withhold or pay any taxes on payments to independent contractors.

The letter, which is available here, goes into great depth about the details of tax law on this matter.

Posted by Michael Link at 04:05 PM | Comments (7)

Giuliani Is For The Flip-Flop

Mitt Romney may be more proficient at the art of the flip-flop but there's very little doubt that Giuliani is better skilled at the art of the flip-flop, especially after this weekends attempt to pander to the religious right. This weekend Giuliani flip flopped on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, saying that he would support such an amendment if more states allowed gay and lesbian citizens to marry.

Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, told The Hill Saturday that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) would support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
Perkins said Giuliani told him in a private meeting that if the Defense of Marriage Act appeared to be failing or if multiple states began to legalize same-sex marriages, then he would support the constitutional amendment.

In 2001, when Giuliani was living at the house of friends, his friends recalled a completely different view on marriage equality.

But, says Mr. Koeppel, ''He did tell us that if they ever legalized gay marriages, we would be the first one he would do.''

This adds to a crop of recent flip-flops from Rudy on social issues.

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 04:00 PM | Comments (2)

Income Inequality Described As "Greatest Since Depression"

The wealth inequality in America is described as "the most intense since the Depression era." According to the newly-published Internal Revenue Service figures on 2005 individual income tax returns:

The top 1 percent of all taxpayers earned 21.2 percent of all the money that individuals in the country earned in 2005. So one-hundredth of the taxpayers earned one-fifth of all income.

How much do the top 1 percent of taxpayers earn? At least $364,657 -- after deductions and corrections.

But the income for the median taxpayer was $30,881, a 2 percent drop from 2000 after inflation. The bottom 50 percent of taxpayers earned just 12.83 percent of all income.

Related: Forbes Magazine dropped 82 billionaires off its "400 Richest Americans" list, because being worth $1 billion isn't good enough anymore.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 03:35 PM | Comments (17)

Giuliani Shuts Out Kerik

Refuses to allow connected witnesses:

Rudy Giuliani's law partner has been told to monitor the criminal probe of disgraced ex-NYPD boss Bernard Kerik, which threatens to muddy up the former mayor's bid to become president.
As part of his sensitive assignment, Marc Mukasey has thwarted Kerik's lawyer from interviewing witnesses who might help his defense, sources told The Post yesterday.
[...]
Marc Mukasey's task to keep an eye on Kerik's criminal investigation shows Giuliani's concern with how the legal fate of his former NYPD and correction commissioner could affect his presidential campaign, sources said.

Posted by Michael Link at 01:28 PM | Comments (1)

Blackwater Softens Their Image With New Logo

Stephanie, not me, has been on the Blackwater beat with lots of background information. But I couldn't resist this story in the New York Times today (via ThinkProgress) about them attempting to soften their image with a "less threatening" logo, claiming the decision came before "the day a Blackwater team guarding a State Department convoy in Baghdad fatally shot 17 Iraqis near a bustling traffic circle."

You can see the evolution in their image below:

Posted by Michael Link at 11:41 AM | Comments (12)

Scandal At the Values Voter Summit

The straw poll of Republican presidential candidates at the Values Voter Summit last weekend has resulted in controversy and a contested vote count.

Immediately after Tony Perkins announced the result of the FRC Action straw poll, in which Mitt Romney edged Mike Huckabee by 30 votes out of 5,775 cast, Huckabee boosters cried foul--and reporters peppered Perkins with questions about the legitimacy of the poll.
Turns out that Huckabee won a majority of the votes cast in person at the Values Voter Summit, 51 percent, and Romney only took 10 percent. Some unknown number of votes were cast online by people who also attended. But other votes were cast anytime online between August and Saturday. That’s how Ron Paul showed up in third place with 865 votes even though he was picked by only 25 in-person voters.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, apparently spoke with Mitt Romney at length over the weekend. Perkins later refused to tell reporters who he voted for.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 10:48 AM | Comments (3)

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 09:11 AM | Comments (152)

October 21, 2007

GOP Country Club Debate

The Republican Candidates are debating tonight at a country club. We'll be watching them and documenting their flip-flops, exaggerations, and pandering in this thread.

Keep reading "GOP Country Club Debate"

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 07:54 PM | Comments (4)

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Michael Link at 07:58 AM | Comments (62)

October 20, 2007

From the Archives

Posted by Michael Link at 11:16 AM | Comments (8)

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Michael Link at 08:18 AM | Comments (162)

October 19, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

From PartyBuilder:

Shopman notes that Mel Martinez (R-FL) is quitting as chair of the Republican Party. Why? He was "increasingly uncomfortable as the face of the party."

Speaking of Florida, draft Katherine Harris? (via Jim Callahan)

And for those of you looking for some activism, see Letitrip's Save Darfur.

The Democratic Party gives anybody the ability to write blog posts directly on our website over at PartyBuilder (PB). You can read what everybody has to say, or you can create your own account and start writing posts yourself.

This is an open thread. Chat away...

Posted by Michael Link at 05:50 PM | Comments (51)

The Friday Five: Year Out Event Edition

Every Friday we're highlighting five events happening around the country, but with the one year out events approaching (November 3rd), we want to make sure all of you take part. It's going to be our first nationwide organizing push, and we're going to unveil our confidential organizing plans for those who attend.

Here are 5 of the hundreds of events happening around the country. You can find an event to attend -- or start your own -- by clicking here!

Shreveport, LA Year Out Party!!!! (Shreveport, LA)

We meet at Brother's Seafood Restaurant in Shreveport. We will Listen to Gov. Dean and our Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate in anticipation of the 2007 & 2008 elections!

Ellen Schutte House Party (Montreal, MO)

1 year out event to be hosted by Ellen Schutte

Lincoln County Year Out Organizing Training (Ruidoso, NM)

Democatic Party of Lincoln County will be hosting a training with DNC Field Organizer Miriam Diemer.

Circleville GOTV Gathering (Circleville, OH)

Join Democrats from Circleville and Pickaway County as we get out the vote for our 2007 City Council candidates and kick off our 2008 volunteer effort!

1-Year 'til Change Office Party (Globe, AZ)

Join us for a message from Gov. Dean, a presentation on how we're going to take back the White House in 2008, and then go door to door with us right here in Globe and meet the people who are going to make this happen!

Posted by Michael Link at 03:24 PM | Comments (1)

Temporary Restraining Order Recommended Against White House

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) recently sought a temporary restraining order against the White House in order to make sure that copies of millions of deleted White House email from March 2003 through October 2005 were preserved.

Today Magistrate Judge John Facciola recommended that the requested temporary restraining order should be issued against the White House.

CREW is suing the Bush administration over the deleted emails, arguing that the White House is required by law to keep all records, including electronic records. More from the CREW site:

The court refused to accept the last-minute proffer of the White House to provide a declaration in lieu of a court order, explaining that a declaration is not sufficient because a violation is not punishable by contempt. The White House has 10 days in which to file an objection to this recommendation, after which District Court Judge Henry Kennedy will issue an order.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 02:44 PM | Comments (2)

Republicans Have Uphill Battle In Senate

More bad news for Republicans.

They have twice as many seats to defend as Democrats next year in the narrowly divided Senate. The Democratic presidential candidates are raising twice as much money as the Republicans. And now it looks like the party will even have trouble holding its ground in the House, which had been considered its best shot.
A dozen House Republicans have announced they won't stand for re-election next year, a wave of retirements that could grow and leave the party with fewer seats next year and perhaps well beyond. Even veterans in safe Republican seats are heading for the exits, including former Speaker Dennis Hastert. This summer he announced he would be leaving Congress at the end of this term, but yesterday aides said he would step down late this year or early next year.

The Republican congressional campaign committee is in debt, while the Democrats' committee said Wednesday it has raised $28 million. "Right now we're in a race with ankle weights," Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, the committee's chairman, said this week.

Without campaign funds to spread around, the party is having trouble recruiting candidates. Meanwhile, the Iraq war has energized the liberal Democratic base and angered independents, who deserted the Republican Party in 2006 and seem unlikely to return.

Meanwhile, Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fl) will resign today from his position as chairman of the Republican Party.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 12:10 PM | Comments (12)

Christian Conservatives Divided On Republican Candidates

No Republican presidential candidate has captured the support of evangelical Christians yet.

Today, thousands of Christian conservatives will gather in Washington to confront the fact that none of the candidates has won them over.
[...]

"At the moment, there's nothing but confusion every place I go," said Chuck Colson, who runs the Prison Fellowship, a national Christian ministry. "They lament the fact that there's no one candidate out there around whom evangelicals and conservative Catholics can sort of coalesce around and get excited about."

He added: "Nobody has rung the bell yet."

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 11:47 AM | Comments (6)

Mitt Romney Prepares For Record-Breaking Loan

Mitt Romney, who once said that donating to his own campaign would be "akin to a nightmare," prepares to donate millions--to his own campaign.

Rivals say presidential hopeful Mitt Romney (R) is preparing for his biggest self-financing campaign loan yet--some estimate between $20 and $40 million--to be delivered in what could be the final competitive month of the primary season: January 2008.
Opponents’ campaigns are concerned that the former Massachusetts governor will tap into his substantial wealth yet again for one final push that would boost his campaign in the states holding the Feb. 5 primaries. Such a sizable loan could buy substantial advertising airtime on cable networks in several states simultaneously.

"They are prepared for it because they think it is coming. It is a huge issue," said a consultant close to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s (R) campaign.

"It is something people are thinking about, or aware of," said an aide to another opponent’s campaign.

Kevin Madden, Romney’s press secretary, did not deny such a loan was in the offing.

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 10:32 AM | Comments (1)

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:49 AM | Comments (93)

October 18, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

Read them all.

Chat away...

Posted by Michael Link at 06:20 PM | Comments (67)

Governor Dean Responds to Republicans Who Blocked Children's Health Coverage

Today Democrats in Congress tried to override Bush's veto of children's health coverage on Thursday, but Republicans stopped them from reaching the needed majority.

Governor Dean's response:

"Today, Republicans in Congress chose to side with President Bush and leave millions of children behind. Bush Republicans will spend billions of dollars on their failed strategy in Iraq, but have no problem denying millions of children the health care they need and deserve. This is shameful. Democrats remain committed to the children in our country and will continue to fight Republicans until every child has the health care they need and deserve."

A new poll from CBS shows that 8 in 10 Americans support the legislation. Meanwhile, Think Progress reports that Bush says he vetoed children's health care in order to "stay relevant." Watch it.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 05:21 PM | Comments (1)

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert Abruptly Ends 21-Year Career

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) will resign before his term ends 15 months from now, according to Republican aides. He had previously announced he would not seek re-election in 2008, but now says he will leave office as soon as late 2007.

The abrupt end of his 21-year career in Congress will mean a special election, probably in early 2008, in his Chicago district. According to the Associated Press:

Republicans would like to secure the seat ahead of the November 2008 election, which some fear will draw large numbers of Democratic voters unhappy with President Bush and the Iraq war.

Sources also said that Hastert postponed his announcement so that the Democratic governor of Illinois wouldn't be able to schedule the special election on Feb. 5--the day of the state's presidential primary. Republicans believed that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's presence on the ballot may have produced a big Democratic turnout.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 04:20 PM | Comments (1)

Republicans Block Health Coverage For Children

Democrats in Congress just tried to override Bush's veto of children's health coverage, but didn't have the two-thirds of votes necessary. The bill would have brought health coverage to approximately ten million children in need, while continuing coverage for all 6.6 million children currently covered by the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

The final vote was 273-156, and happened almost entirely along party lines. Because of this vote, millions of low-income, uninsured American children may not have access to health care over the next five years.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 12:23 PM | Comments (79)

Debate Happening Now On Children's Health Coverage

The effort by House Democrats to override Bush's veto of children's health coverage has begun. The debate is happening now (broadcast live on CSPAN). The vote is expected at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 11:54 AM | Comments (0)

Sam Brownback Expected to Drop Out of Race

There are reports that right-wing Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) will drop out of the 2008 presidential campaign tomorrow. He is expected to announce his withdrawal in his home state of Kansas.

Supporters said he was dropping out because of a lack of money. He only raised $4 million overall, including a paltry $800,000 in the third quarter of this year. Over at TPM, Eric Kleefeld speculates about the impact of the announcement on the overall race:

So where will Brownback's support, such as it was, end up going? That's a good question. On the one hand, Romney's campaign has been trying to consolidate the Christian right into a unified anybody-but-Rudy campaign. On the other hand, Brownback's camp had been bashing Romney to no end, taking every opportunity to call him a phony.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:33 AM | Comments (185)

October 17, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

Read them all, then chat away...

Posted by Michael Link at 06:30 PM | Comments (41)

1988: Bush On National Guard

From the archives comes this footage of George W. Bush at the Republican convention dismissing allegations that Dan Quayle had received help getting into the National Guard during Vietnam.

Bush's statement that America "could have done better in Vietnam" if we had deployed the National Guard overseas is more distressing considering the stress the occupation of Iraq has put on National Guard troops across the country.

Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress are trying to ensure that the National Guard soldiers from Minnesota who were sent home one day before they became eligible for full GI benefits will receive those benefits after all.

UPDATE (by Mike): In the video, Bush is asked whether anybody ever made phone calls on his behalf to get him into the National Guard. He says no, he doesn't think so.

But as the AP reported back in 1999, "The former speaker of the Texas House of Representatives acknowledged Monday that he called the head of the Texas Air National Guard in 1968 to recommend George W. Bush for a pilot slot during the Vietnam War."

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 04:56 PM | Comments (3)

Niki Tsongas (D) Wins Special Election in MA-05

Niki Tsongas (D-MA) won a special election yesterday for an open seat in the U.S. House. She beat a tough challenge from Republican Jim Ogonowski to capture the 5th District seat and succeed Democrat Martin Meehan, who resigned to become chancellor of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Tsongas, widow of former Democratic senator and 1992 presidential candidate Paul Tsongas, becomes the first woman to represent Massachusetts in Congress in nearly 25 years.

Tsongas will be sworn in at the Capitol on Thursday morning, just in time for her to cast her first House vote as part of the effort to override Bush's veto of health coverage for poor children.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 04:47 PM | Comments (1)

Bush Approval Rating Sinks To 24 Percent

After Bush vetoed health coverage for children this month, his approval rating sank to historic lows:

Bush's job approval rating fell to 24 percent from last month's record low for a Zogby poll of 29 percent.
..."There is a real question among Americans now about how relevant this government is to them," pollster John Zogby said. "They tell us they want action on health care, education, the war and immigration, but they don't believe they are going to get it."

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 02:57 PM | Comments (9)

On Children's Healthcare, The American People Support Democrats

New polling from NPR and the Kaiser Family Foundation indicate that by large margins--and even among Republicans--the American people support the Democratic expansion of SCHIP to cover more uninsured children. The poll finds that a large margin of Americans support the expansion (70%). Even after voters hear the Bush Administration's argument against children's health care, 65% of Americans support the expansion. That includes a solid majority of Democrats and Independents, and nearly 50% of Republicans.

Yesterday, Niki Tsongas beat anti-SCHIP Republican candidate Jim Ogonowski. Ogonowski underperformed both Mitt Romney and Kerry Healey (the 2006 Gubernatorial candidate), in one of the most Republican districts in Massachusetts. Niki Tsongas will be seated in time to help override Bush's veto on SCHIP. We're at over 200,000 letters to Congress urging an override of the SCHIP veto. When will Republicans listen?

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 01:05 PM | Comments (5)

The Mukasey Hearing

This morning the Senate Judiciary Committee began its hearing for Bush's replacement for Alberto Gonzales, Michael Mukasey. I'll be following TPM Muckraker for updates, and I suggest you do too.

One item they've flagged is this exchange over the enforcement of a citation of contempt by Congress of a White House official. It's a question he probably expected, but he still didn't give a very clear answer: "I hope and pray for a lot of things, and one of them is that I won't have to make that decision."

Here's the video:

Posted by Michael Link at 12:58 PM | Comments (1)

Mitt Romney Ponied Up Big Bucks For Iowa Straw Poll

When in doubt, buy the election!

The third-quarter campaign filings revealed for the first time details of the lengths to which Mr. Romney went to win the Iowa straw poll in August, an event that had been a bellwether for the Republican nomination in years past but diminished in significance when Mr. Giuliani and Mr. McCain pulled out.
Nevertheless, Mr. Romney’s costs for pulling in 32 percent of the vote, compared with Mike Huckabee’s surprise second-place finish with 18 percent, included more than $213,000 on buses to transport voters to the event in Ames, Iowa; $35,000 on catering from Hickory Park, a local barbecue restaurant; $25,000 to secure a central location for his event tent, and more than $250,000 in tickets for supporters. (The event is a fund-raiser for the Republican Party of Iowa, and campaigns pay the $35 entrance fee for supporters to attend.)

Only 4,516 people voted for Mr. Romney at the straw poll, however, meaning the campaign bought tickets for more than 2,500 people who failed to show up, did not vote or voted for someone else.

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 12:35 PM | Comments (2)

From Wide Stance to Series of Tubes

The excuses just keep on coming from Senator Larry Craig. No longer content with his first tale -- that he simply uses a "wide stance" -- he's now claiming he didn't know about the bathroom's history because he doesn't use the Internet.

Essentially, he's claiming to have about the same understanding of the Internet as his "Series of Tubes" colleague, so he couldn't have known about the restroom's online reputation.

The Examiner says not to believe it:

» In an op-ed he wrote this summer on the SCHIP health care program, Craig refers to doing a Google search on the term “mission creep.”
» He’s a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus.

» He co-sponsored a bill designating June 2007 as National Internet Safety Month.

» He was presented with the 2007 Internet Keep Safe Coalition Award.

» On his Web site, he lists as a top accomplishment a Silver Mouse Award given to his site in 2003 and 2006 by the Congressional Management Foundation in 2003 and 2006.

» When he endorsed Mitt Romney for president, he did so on YouTube.

Posted by Michael Link at 11:49 AM | Comments (2)

Democrats Phone Bank For SCHIP

The Democratic Party has been running a phone bank from Washington DC informing voters about the SCHIP veto override vote. Over the last two days more than thirty Democrats have filed into the Democratic Party's headquarters in Washington. If you live in the area feel free to join us:

Wednesday, October 17th. 5pm - 9pm
Friday, October 19th. 5pm - 9pm.
Saturday, October 20th. 11am - 4pm.

The Democratic party is located at 430 S. Capitol St. SE in Washington, DC. You can join the Democrats below by signing up to phone bank at our website.

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 11:38 AM | Comments (1)

Global warming and the Republicans

Today the NY Times reports that the issue of global warming is dividing the Republican presidential candidates.

True enough.

While it touches on some of their history on the issue, there are a few bits of information that were left out of the article:

At his first major fundraiser, Rudy Giuliani's emcee, Dennis Miller, mocked global warming, saying, "Excuse me for not believing temperatures from 1906, when we were still s-ing in the woods."

Mitt Romney criticized Republicans for "embracing the radical environmental ideas of the liberal left."

Fred Thompson mimics Bush on global warming. He "defended Bush's stance on the Kyoto Protocol," which he refused to sign, and in a 2000 appearance on CNN noted that Bush's statement on climate change "sounds like exactly what I just said."

Posted by Michael Link at 10:56 AM | Comments (2)

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 09:10 AM | Comments (119)

October 16, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

To give you just a taste at what you can expect over at PartyBuilder, here's a policy post and a politics post:

Jim Callahan writes about the High Risk Economy.
And shopman takes note of the large number of Republicans retiring after their term ends.

This is an open thread. Chat away...

Posted by Michael Link at 06:09 PM | Comments (127)

Governor Dean Joins the Fight for Children's Health Care

Here's a statement from Governor Dean on the fight for children's health care:

"What happened to compassionate conservatism? President Bush and his Republican friends are willing to spend billions of dollars on their failed Iraq strategy, but they have no problem denying our children the health care they need and deserve. That's just plain wrong.
"Just as bad, the Republican presidential candidates all support Bush's foolish veto. It is time for Republicans to do the right thing and join Democrats to override the President's veto. But if they choose instead to turn their backs on America's children, electing a Democratic president next year will be the only way to ensure that America's families are represented in the White House."

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 03:51 PM | Comments (7)

Republican Leader McConnell's Office Behind Concerted Attack On 12 Year Old SCHIP Recipient

The Journal Courier in Kentucky reports today that Senator Mitch McConnell's staff has admitted that they tried to fan the flame of the smear campaign against the Frost family last week.

In the e-mail, Stewart claimed that research by conservative bloggers proved that Democrats did a bad job “vetting this family.”
Stewart acknowledged yesterday in an interview with the Louisville Courier-Journal that he “pointed out” the smear campaign to reporters.

As ThinkProgress and BluegrassRoots point out, even in admitting culpability in pushing the smear campaign, McConnell's office misled reporters by claiming they only pointed to the story, rather than pushing it.

The only “skepticism” Stewart showed in his original email was a veiled partisan attack that came in the form of a question. He never “vetted” the research he was propagating to reporters.
As Greg Sargent notes, “when Michelle Malkin pointed her finger at the Frosts and started howling, McConnell’s staff immediately joined in the fun — that is, until they realized that they had a big dud on their hands.”

Television station WHAS-11 is unhappy that Senator McConnell mislead the new station about the story.

It appears Senator Mitch McConnell may have misled WHAS11 News when he told us nobody on his staff had anything to do with an effort to dig into the background of a 12-year-old boy.
...

WHAS11's Mark Hebert asked the senator about it on Friday.

“There was no involvement,” McConnell said. “None.”

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 03:13 PM | Comments (3)

Democrats Fight for Children's Health Care

The fight for children's health care is heating up this week, as House Democrats have one last chance to override Bush's veto.

Bush vetoed legislation that would fund and expand the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) earlier this month. CHIP is a highly successful program that makes sure poor children can receive medical care when they are sick.

Senate Democrats passed the legislation by a veto-proof margin of 69-39, but the 265-159 vote in the House wasn't enough. House Democrats need 25 more votes than they had during the first vote in order to override the veto.

You already sent almost 200,000 letters to Congress last week using our online tool, which is a great start, but phone calls would also help. Over at firedoglake, Christy Hardin Smith has the whip count and the toll-free numbers for the House switchboard.

For an example of why this bill is so important, look no further than Graeme Frost. After a serious car accident, 12-year-old Graeme suffered from severe brain trauma and lost the ability to eat or walk. He received the medical care he needed because of CHIP. Graeme bravely spoke out about the importance of the program--you can hear it here.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 02:25 PM | Comments (16)

Giuliani's Advisers

Josh Marshall tracks down some of Rudy Giuliani's foreign policy advisers and finds that "If you look at the people who are advising Rudy Giuliani it turns out that they seem to be all the people who were too insane or too extremist to even get on the George W. Bush team." He's fully embraced some of the most extreme elements in American foreign policy thought.

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 01:07 PM | Comments (4)

U.S. General Says 'Of Course It's About Oil'

Retired General John Abizaid, the former CENTCOM Commander, said on Saturday about the Iraq war that, "Of course it's about oil, we can't really deny that." More from Matt at Think Progress:

Abizaid has previously argued that the U.S. would need "to keep a long-term military presence in Iraq" in order to protect "the free flow of goods and resources" such as oil, but his Stanford comments go much further in pinning oil as a prime motivator for the war.
[...]

Though Abizaid says that Bush’s Iraq policy seeks to keep oil "prices low," the per-barrel cost of oil has risen dramatically since the U.S. first invaded. In March 2003, the price of oil was roughly US$35 a barrel. Today, prices reached "above $85 a barrel for the first time."

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 12:41 PM | Comments (8)

Republican Candidates Not So Fiscally Conservative When It Comes To Their Campaigns

Republican front-runners must be feeling the burn. John McCain raised a little more money this quarter--but he's still almost broke.

The presidential campaign of Arizona Senator John McCain spent 95% of the money it took in during the third quarter of 2007.
Combined with money left over from previous fundraising quarters, the campaign has $3.5 million cash on hand.

In the third quarter the campaign raised $5.7 million, spent $5.5 million, and had about $1.7 million dollars in debt--which means they only retired about $50,000 in debt during the quarter.

And Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney are spending more than they can raise.

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, raised $9.5 million over the summer but spent more than twice that much, $21.3 million. Mr. Romney lent his campaign $8.5 million, but even with the loan, his expenses outpaced his receipts. His campaign reported that it had $9.2 million left for the primaries.
Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, raised more than any other Republican candidate this summer, $11.6 million, but he also spent more than he raised, burning through $13.3 million without running a single television commercial. His campaign reported having $11.6 million on hand for the primaries.

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 10:52 AM | Comments (5)

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:46 AM | Comments (128)

October 15, 2007

Monday Evening Open Thread

Have a good night.

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 05:54 PM | Comments (63)

They're All From The Bush Wing Of The Republican Party

On Friday Mitt Romney, the candidate who's flip-flopped on every major issue of the last generation, stood on stage and stole a phrase from Governor Dean and the late Senator Paul Wellstone by saying he represented the "Republican wing of the Republican Party."

Senator John McCain reacted, trying to paint himself as more conservative, but after opposing health care for children and supporting an endless war in Iraq it's safe to say that all the Republican candidates represent the George Bush wing of the Republican party.

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 05:05 PM | Comments (0)

Giuliani Spent $13M in 4th Quarter

Rudy Giuliani's campaign spent $13 million dollars between July and September--far more than Fred Thompson, his closest competitor.

Giuliani raised $11.4 million during the quarter, with about $10 million of it available now for his contest for the GOP nomination, according to a report filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission. His campaign listed $16.6 million cash on hand, $11.6 million available for the primaries with the rest designated for the general election.

It was the first time that the Giuliani campaign spent more than it raised during a quarter.

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 04:15 PM | Comments (0)

Mitt Romney Loses Nevada Straw Poll To Ron Paul

The embarrassing part is that Mitt Romney actually showed up...and Ron Paul didn't.

Ron Paul won the GOP presidential straw poll conducted by organizers at the Conservative Leadership Conference held at the Nugget Casino this weekend "by a large margin," according to an organizer.
Paul won with 33 percent, Romney came in second with 16 percent and Duncan Hunter was just behind with 15 percent. "Undecided" was fourth with 11 percent, and Thompson and Giuliani were next and ahead of the rest of the pack--all in single digits. Raw numbers haven't been provided, but there were approximately 430 registrants at the opening of the conference.

Although many of the Republican presidential teams had surrogates representing them at the conference, Mitt Romney and Duncan Hunter were the only candidates to speak at the conference, and the victor himself was not there.

Posted by Mike Gehrke at 03:15 PM | Comments (2)

Fred Thompson Proposes Social Security Cuts

Fred Thompson's Social Security program is all or nothing.

The Thompson campaign provided an example under which a $40,000-per-year worker born in 1975 would receive $1,562 per month under the current system, compared with $1,424 a month under Thompson's proposal. An $80,000-per-year worker's benefit would go from $2,469 to $2,085.
"For future retirees, instead of having nothing, which is what they're headed for under the current situation that's unsustainable, they would have protection," Thompson said in the Oct. 9 debate in Michigan.

Thompson's economic adviser, Lawrence Lindsey, said the Tennessean is considering proposals that would soften the impact of the cuts, but details have not been finalized.

Rudy Giuliani Not Prepared For 9/11

Rudy Giuliani knew that New York City firefighters had faulty emergency radios--and he did nothing.

Brave New Films has documented how more lives could have been saved on 9/11 if Giuliani had acted to provide firefighters with the equipment they needed. Watch the powerful new video:

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 10:59 AM | Comments (39)

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Stephanie Taylor at 08:45 AM | Comments (157)

October 14, 2007

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Michael Link at 08:18 AM | Comments (166)

October 13, 2007

From the Archives

Dick Cheney, post election interview, November 4th, 1976:

Posted by Michael Link at 11:12 AM | Comments (7)

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

Posted by Michael Link at 07:39 AM | Comments (195)

October 12, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

Read them all, and then chat away...

Posted by Michael Link at 06:03 PM | Comments (43)

Kerik-Gate Headache Continues For Giuliani

The New York Daily News reports the Kerik business partner, and close friend Bernard Kerik may have some legal headaches soon.

Bernard Kerik's legal nightmare is about to get worse, with federal prosecutors expected to file charges against the former police commissioner that will likely include allegations of bribery, tax fraud and obstruction of justice, the Daily News has learned.
The indictment, expected next month, could prove to be an embarrassing obstacle for Kerik's former mentor Rudy Giuliani, who is cruising at the top of the polls heading into the presidential primary gauntlet.

The bribery allegations against Kerik stem from a secret meeting at a bar in Tribeca, according to two sources familiar with the federal probe.

Kerik's lawyers recently agreed to waive the statute of limitations on the tax charges until Nov. 17, which will allow them to make one last plea to try to ease the pain.

As Greg Sargent points out Kerik isn't some distant associate of Rudy Giuliani.

Lest this get forgotten, it's worth remembering that Rudy personally advocated for this fellow to be the chief of Homeland Security -- that is, to be the chief defender of our nation against what Rudy terms the Terrorists' War on Us.

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 02:38 PM | Comments (1)

Congratulations To Vice President Al Gore

Vice President Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this morning. He'll share the prize with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Governor Dean released the following statement this morning after news that Vice President Gore was awarded the prize.

"I want to congratulate our former Vice President Al Gore for winning the Nobel Peace Prize today. No other person has worked harder or done more to draw much needed attention to the crisis of global climate change, one of the most critical issues facing our planet. Future generations will thank him for his work to save our way of life. But the fight is far from over. His example should motivate each one of us to commit ourselves to doing everything we can in our own lives to save our precious planet."

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 01:20 PM | Comments (23)

Friday Open Thread

Sorry that it's late.

Chat away...

Posted by Kombiz Lavasany at 12:33 PM | Comments (65)

The Friday Five: Year Out Event Edition

Here are 5 of the hundreds of events happening around the country. You can find an event to attend -- or start your own -- by clicking here!

Clean Elections House Party (Anchorage, AK)

Join us to learn how Alaska Democrats are doing more than just talking about possiblie solutions--we are working provide actual results...but WE NEED YOU.

Democrats of Kerr County Year Out Event (Kerrville, TX)

Come join other Democratic activists in Kerr County, learn how to help Democrats win back the White House and Texas and then take action! Call Frank Ferrigno, President of the Democrats of Kerr County, for further details.

Dems Now! (West Hollywood, CA)

It's the first organizing event of the next Presidential election. One year out, we are planning our strategy, block by block. Cause if each of makes sure that ten more people commit to returning our nation to the America we grew up with, we'll take the White House in '08.

Garden City One-Year-Out Party (Garden City, KS)

Join me at my home for a message from Gov. Dean, a presentation on how we are going to take back the White House, and then do a little door to door to meet the voters who will help us take back the America!

Kick Off the Vote! (Barre, VT)

If you want to help us win in '08, come to our Barre house party. Learn all about Vermont's "Kick Off the Vote" Victory Volunteer voter contact program.

Posted by Michael Link at 10:33 AM | Comments (3)

October 11, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

A couple posts, from PartyBuilder.

In Hardest Working Congress Ever, D. Tree says that while he's not completely pleased, he notes that "the House last week held its 943rd roll call vote of the year, breaking the previous record of 942 votes, a mark set in 1978."

And to john R bennett, who is going through tough times, don't forget that you've got a lot of friends on PartyBui