Impeach Chimpy and Shooter

Good morning fellow Democrats. Don't forget to duck and run into your car when leaving your house, you never know when a sniper will take you out.

Blue Collar, Bare Cupboards
By Sasha Abramsky March 26, 2008

Ten miles outside Eugene in west central Oregon, little wooden houses and mobile homes make up the town of Alvadore. The homes are too far apart to give the town--population 1,358--the appearance of a city, yet too close together for it to come off as true countryside. Old, domestically manufactured cars line the streets, as well as a few rundown mom-and-pop convenience stores.

Small farmers, mill workers and construction people live here. And they work hard--or at least they do when they can get employment. There's a dry nuts and prunes plant just outside town, as well as a Country Coach facility that manufactures motor homes. Many of the residents hold down several jobs to make ends meet. Yet for an increasing number of people in Alvadore, getting a paycheck--or even several paychecks--is not the same as earning enough to put food on the table.

Schools throughout the counties of central Oregon, the state's hunger belt, report that kids come to classes hungry on Mondays--and endure the long summer vacation months when no free school lunches exist.

Alvadore, like many dilapidated towns in modern-day America, is at the wrong end of an array of economic changes--from globalization to higher energy costs--and many of its citizens are falling through the social safety net. The result: increased hunger.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3574/
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America is resembling the 1920's depression era more and more.

Posted by justaguy on March 27, 2008 at 09:14 AM

I'm going to the donut shop in Spring, Texas for my morning donut. Have to keep up my weight. Will wear my old Risistol to protect from sniper fire!....Later....John Boy.....

Of the nearly 40 million who fear going hungry, an estimated 11 million-plus Americans occasionally miss meals, according to the USDA. They include many adults in a family who sacrifice their own portions to ensure their children are fed.

In most countries, such people would be defined as being “hungry.” Bush’s America uses a more Orwellian term.

In 2006, the USDA instructed government agencies to no longer refer to this group as being hungry. The change came about after a Committee on National Statistics of the National Academies reported it could not conclusively determine whether people who couldn’t afford to buy food actually experienced “discomfort, illness, weakness or pain that goes beyond the usual uneasy sensation.”

As a result, the 11 million Americans who cannot afford to stock their houses with food are now classfied as experiencing “very low food security.”

In the decades since the Great Depression of the 1930s, this category would have been made up largely of the long-term unemployed, the homeless, perhaps the mentally ill and other marginalized groups.

These days, however, increasingly it is the working poor—whose wages have stagnated, whose cost of living has gone up with higher gas, food and healthcare expenses, and whose time is now spent standing in line at food banks.
A 21st century depression

Over the past decade, the percentage of food bank clients in Oregon who are members of a family with at least one person employed has gone from 30 percent to 47 percent—an increase that translates into tens of thousands of Oregon families.

But this problem is not exclusive to Oregon, where the local economy has been decimated by the collapse of the timber industry, and the threat of going to bed hungry absent the aid of food charities is constant.

Throughout the United States, a startlingly raw form of poverty has entrenched itself within the bottom tier of the economy. In Appalachia, where hunger has never been far from the surface, states such as Virginia and Tennessee continue to see high levels of hunger.

In parts of Texas, especially border regions dotted with the colonias of immigrant populations, food insecurity swells.
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Impeach the damn Chimp!

Good morning, all.

• Tens of thousands of Shiites protest crackdown on Iraqi militias
• Official: Taiwan did not examine missile parts shipped by U.S.
• Economy nearly sputters out with 0.6 percent growth
• Flight cancellations for wire inspections spread to Delta
• Poll suggests Obama unscathed by pastor controversy

I don't know which one of these Yahoo New articles to read first.

You have your standard Bush Blunder/Surge Made Things Worst story, your Bush Incompetent Regent College Grad Official Screwup story, your GOP Trickle Down Economy Fiasco story, your Republican No Regulation/Safety story, and then your Rove Dirty Tricks Backfire story.

It's just another typical day in BushWorld. And the media pundits will tell you that Obama or Clinton supporters will vote for McCain before the other Democratic candidate come November.

Yeah, sure. We want another four years of this crap and a third Bush term?

These days, however, increasingly it is the working poor—whose wages have stagnated, whose cost of living has gone up with higher gas, food and healthcare expenses, and whose time is now spent standing in line at food banks.
A 21st century depression
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Everyone is seeing it now. There is no doubt that America is now in a depression era ... never mind recession. This is the result of 30 years of conservative policies aided and abetted by some misguided Democrats.

I don't care about Clinton V Obama race anymore unless they start talking about these sort of issues. I know McCain has no answers ... he never will. McCain will just make it way worst.

justaguy,

Where are you living theses day? The Green Zone? Or across the street from Cheney's target practice range?

Posted by SandyH on March 27, 2008 at 09:29 AM
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Sandy, the media are GOP tools. No one is voting for a 3rd Bush term just because their "horse" didn't win the Dem primary race. They may say that in an act of petulance but given the facts of what a McCain presidency would mean it isn't going to happen.

What a disgrace the GOP is! While their country falls apart around them, in some cases quite literally like the bridge collapse in Mn and Katrina, they want to spend more on war and even less on healing their country. The GOP are traitors. Bush is a traitor. McCain is a traitor (and I don't give a hoot about his military record ... it don't matter when he sells his country out).

MAR - that article you linked to about Hillary is frightening, perhaps if more knew - more would oppose her.

Posted by SandyH on March 27, 2008 at 09:32 AM

I live in the zero crime area of Fort Mill SC. VERY NOT SCARY, unless you are afraid of crazy right wingers. Which we should be LOL.

Good morning, ALL!

This is HILARIOUS!!

Well, have to put my burny hand in ice water agan - the pain is coming back.

later

“very low food security.”

could not conclusively determine whether people who couldn’t afford to buy food actually experienced “discomfort, illness, weakness or pain that goes beyond the usual uneasy sensation."

rjsnj,

I guess that uneasy feeling could refer to any number of failed Republican policies?

Food is relative? Especially when you're losing your home, your son or daughter is being re-deployed (with McCain planning to send them back before they come home again...and besides Cheney said they volunteered for this), you're having to train your Indian replacement worker for your job that is being outsourced overseas...and that is a good thing because you can no longer afford to drive your car to work?

But I hear the big Story of the Day with the entertainment 24/7 is that there is a new contest where teenage girls compete to see who is America's biggest bimbo. The Bush twins are probably fighting for the honors versus Paris and Britney. The winners, of course, will be Condi Rice and Dana Perino?

Gotta run. later.

I vote Dana Perino for America's biggest bimbo. It's a tough choice though - there are so many tenacious competitors.

Will There Really Be A Change on Trade?
David Sirota's picture

By David Sirota

March 26th, 2008 - 12:49pm ET

The Chicago Tribune publishes an overview of the debate over trade, evaluating whether the Democratic presidential candidates are serious about their fair trade rhetoric. While the article is encouraging in that it at least covers the issue, its contours show the big obstacles we still face in this debate, despite the fact that polls show the vast majority of Americans want a change.

For instance, check out the disgust some fellow Democrats and their K Street cronies in Washington have for the concept of fair trade:

"I don't know if they're really serious about going back and redoing NAFTA," said Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the House majority leader. Hoyer supports increased trade, as does Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), the House Democratic Caucus chairman. Emanuel notes that both Clinton and Obama backed a recent trade deal with Peru. "That's all I have to say," he said.

Emanuel is factually correct that the two candidates did support the NAFTA-style Peru agreement. It is his flippant, seemingly psyched attitude that really shines through hear. Emanuel has long been known as one of the most loyal corporate manservants in Washington, D.C. - a guy who just last year gushed to newspapers about his efforts to shakedown cash from banks and the "distressed debt" industry that was in the process of manufacturing the financial crisis we now are living through. Though he has a reputation for "toughness," that very word - "toughness" - is Washington, D.C. code for corrupt corporate power-worshipper. That's how he's made his career - riding the culture of corruption for his own career, first as the White House staffer pushing NAFTA, then as an investment banker, then as a congressional candidate buying a Chicago House seat, now as a lawmaker laughing off the majority of Americans who want a change in our trade policy.

And as the Tribune article shows, Emanuel's sentiment is backed up by the biggest of Big Money:

"There obviously has been a lot of rhetoric and discussion on the campaign trail," said Christopher Wenk, the senior director for international policy of the pro-trade U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "You talk to anybody in Washington; I think there are concerns there about what's being said. But many of us, myself included, are taking this with a grain of salt...Bashing NAFTA plays well with Ohio voters."

Do you see that divide right there? The lobbyist for the Chamber of Commerce is publicly acknowledging while K Street in Washington is worried, it's not too worried - because the fair trade rhetoric is only meant for us lowly voters, and things meant for lowly voters are not to be taken seriously.

Finally, there is the Tribune reporter's assumption that supporting trade reforms is "anti-trade" and supporting the status quo is "pro-trade." Last I checked, our current trade policies have delivered us a massive trade deficit, meaning Americans are - on net - sending less out than we are importing. In a way, we are trading less while our partners are trading more. Yet, perpetuating this imbalance is labeled "pro-trade" and working to fix this imbalance is considered "anti-trade."

This says nothing of the fact that there's nothing "pro-trade" about a policy that includes all sorts of anti-competitive monopoly protections for patents, intellectual property and copyrights. But to talk about that is to actually explore the trade issue beyond the soundbite of "pro-trade" versus "anti-trade" - and I guess expecting that is expecting too much from economic reporters today.
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There lies the problem. If all we are doing is placing blame on "who did it" then we really aren't accomplishing anything.

Good Morning everyone - for Pete's sake - I had an accident this morning - I picked up my curling iron not with the handle but with the hot barrel...burnt my fingers to smitherees..... waiting for a call back from Dr. - using other hand to type..not good. Alot of pain going on...

I'll be lurking this morning - not at work and nothing much to do but read....

Keep on Rockn'

Posted by Kathy_from_Indiana on March 27, 2008 at 09:13 AM

Ouch...sorry to hear about your hand, Kathy. Dang it, I think we need to ban curling irons! It's for your own good, really...besides, if you don't already have curly hair, you're going against God's plan! You straight haired people trying to pretend you are curlies...what's the matter, the hair God gave you isn't good enough?

JustAGuy,

Know exactly where you are and what you're up against. I'm about 2 hours up I85 from you. I went to a part of 8th grade in Ft Mill. Don't envy you, man; that's red-land what am red-land. Charlotte isn't any improvement, being washed-in-the-blood, dyed-in-the-wool Graham-land. Ugh. I don't miss that either.

It amazes me how folks continue to eat that mess up. My great-aunt and a few of my mom's friends worked for Ol' Billy for a number of years. Most of them despise him (and Franklin even moreso) because in private all they talked about was how much money they made and were going to make off folks who lapped up their koolade. Cynical pug tools, the lot of them, using fake religion and spreading bigotry just to get rich. I 'spect Jesus is going to have more than a few tough questions for them later on.

Chin up and keep fighting the good fight!

Chin up and keep fighting the good fight!

Posted by TheOriginalHillWilliam on March 27, 2008 at 09:55 AM

I have no choice. I have two kids who I want to leave a better America to.

Omg, the interrupt the speech on Msnbc to talk about Rev Wright

Good morning Dems!

Hey, PBJ! We're on at the same time at last?

There's an open house for Jim Neal in Durham this Monday evening. My partner and I are looking to attend. Think you'll go?

Oh, I hadn't heard about it. I havea meeting at work until about 7 in Raleigh. I'll have to see if I can bounce out early.

Anyway, I gotta go ...I called in late to watch Baracks speech :)

Posted by PeanutButterJellyGirl on March 27, 2008 at 08:23 AM

Yea, I know there are a lot of bigots out there. BUt, I don't think that article was targeted at them. I think GregL was putting all conservatives in that box, when we know by presidential approval ratings that not all conservatives feel that way. Personally, I think this is some of the uniting Obama can provide. He can bring people across the aisle, without pandering to their positions. Most people want a better America for future generations, and if Obama can provide that, maybe they'll vote for him. Not the RW nutbags, but the right-leaning independents. Who knows, maybe they'll even become left leaning.

Also, I don't think the Democratic party is about exclusion, so saying that we don't need certain people is shocking to me. Of course, I make exceptions for the hate and fear mongerers, but the normal people, I'll take.

Graham Claims McCain ‘Has Never Said That This War Would Be Easy’»

Yesterday on Fox News’ Hannity and Colmes, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) claimed that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) never said that the Iraq war would be won easily:

He has never said that this war would be easy. He has been the guy saying for four years that we’re getting it wrong. We need more troops.

Graham’s statement is absolutely false. In the run-up to war, McCain eagerly proclaimed on multiple occasions that the war would be “easy,” giving rosy predictions about the daunting war ahead:

“Because I know that as successful as I believe we will be, and I believe that the success will be fairly easy, we will still lose some American young men or women.”" [CNN, 9/24/02]

“But the point is that, one, we will win this conflict. We will win it easily.” [MSNBC, 1/22/03]

When Alan Colmes countered Graham’s statement with a barrage of similar quotes from McCain, Graham responded: “He said that beating the Saddam Hussein regime militarily was quick and it was lethal,” implying McCain knew the post-invasion would be difficult. But McCain has displayed ignorance about that as well:

“We’re not going to get into house-to-house fighting in Baghdad. We may have to take out buildings, but we’re not going to have a bloodletting of trading American bodies for Iraqi bodies.” [CNN, 9/29/02]

“There’s not a history of clashes that are violent between Sunnis and Shias. So I think they can probably get along.” [MSNBC, 4/23/03]

McCain even reflected on the war last year and said, “it was easy.” “Well, it was easy. It was easy. I said we — a military operation would be easy. It was easy. We were greeted as liberators,” he told Tim Russert on Meet the Press in January 2007.

I was going to post one for the road but the others I listed above were overkill. Instead I'd like to reply to our distingushed troll, R2D2...

Posted by 5097 on March 27, 2008 at 10:22 AM

It's a shame Saddam didn't fund a lot more of thse visits. Maybe a few of the Congressmen would have bumped into the U.N. inspectors and realized there were no WMD and Bush was lying.

Indict him? Put me on that guy's jury. I'd give him a medal. He tried to stop the biggest American foreign policy blunder in history.

You Republicans can't even get your smear tacics right these days. Earth to Trolls: The American people don't want this occupation to continue and they don't give a damn about your publicity stunts.

Clinton backers warn Pelosi on superdelegate rift

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of prominent Hillary Clinton donors sent a letter to House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday asking her to retract her comments on superdelegates and stay out of the Democratic fight over their role in the presidential race.

The 20 prominent Clinton supporters told Pelosi she should "clarify" recent statements to make it clear superdelegates -- nearly 800 party insiders and elected officials who are free to back any candidate -- could support the candidate they think would be the best nominee.

Pelosi has not publicly endorsed either Clinton or Barack Obama in their hotly contested White House battle, but she recently said superdelegates should support whoever emerges from the nomination contests with the most pledged delegates -- which appears almost certain to be Obama.

Link

Now Clintonites are threatening Pelosi and other candidates, what will they do next, intimidate US like Bush does that we must support her campaign, or be more Judas's. Sounds like school yard bullies to me.

In all this Hillary has yet to attack Bush, so that means she plans to use them in her Presidency. The worst President getting his legacy with support of the Clinton's.

How do the Clinton's feel about China's clamp down on Tibet?

Quote of the day! Part of an email from my college roommate:

I can't believe that I once thought I was conservative. It makes me laugh. I feel like conservatives are kind of like murderers. It's just wrong -- ethically, morally. I just can't comprehend how any of their policies make sense. It baffles me.

See when people find their own views, instead of blindly following their parents, bosses, etc. they can come to some interesting conclusions. She's even started contributing to my liberal blog!

Good morning fellow Dems.I had a conversation with a coworker this morning about the commercial about the red phone at 3 am.He said he would rather have Mccain there to answer than either Clinton or Obama.I told him if he liked Bush's forein policy than he will love Mcain's.It's hard to say what's more dangerous - Mcain's appoach to the economy or his approach to the world. The thought of him answering the red phone at 3 am fills me with foreboding.Hell I don't want him answering the red phone at all!!

Among the signees of the letter were prominent Democrats and Clinton supporters like Robert Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television; Bernard Schwartz, former chairman of Loral Space and Communications; and venture capitalist Steven Rattner.

I wonder who else signed the letter. Maybe Obama supporters need a letter with hundreds of signatures.

Posted by 5097 on March 27, 2008 at 10:22 AM

Graft is a Republicans middle name.

I am outraged by the instant pains of the past, why isn't everbody?

I am from Ohio. Hillary Clintons win was exciting and she will beat McCain handily in the fall. Our Democrat elected govenor is well liked. He has openly campaigned for Hillary. Ohio is not in Obama camp.

Obama will never win the larger States. 2008 is what primaries are about.

We are all suffering for the 2000 voting process. We were deprived of electing our Presidednt. It was decided by a Republican Appointed Supreme Court. They are still laughing at us.

The Florida voters are finished voting. All was fair. Nobody campaigned except Obama with TV commercials which was unfair. We will allow the Florida voters to have their input into this primary. They do not need to revote.

Obama flees to the Virgin Island beaches and avoids responsibility to the Michigan voters. We now learn that Illinois attorneys decided to not allow Michigan to revote. Smells like 2000.

Now the first complaint Obam had "my name was not on the ballot". So we bend the rules and say 'ok' We will allow your name on the ballot. Now it is no "I do not want my name on a ballot"
The states of Florida and Michigan will be absent for Democrats in the fall if we do not honor their right to be heard. We should not copy the Republican Sumpreme Court.
We must ask to have the DNC request a revote in Michigan. We do not allow attorneys to decide. It must be done by the DNC for the voters. I will not send anymore money to the DNC until they make this decision.

Maybe Obama supporters need a letter with hundreds of signatures.
Posted by YoungPoet on March 27, 2008 at 10:35 AM

Hillary could probally only get hundreds. Obama would have no problem getting thousands.

Dave, the longer Sen Clinton keeps it up, the more respect for her I lose. She was my least favorite Dem candidate to start with and her petty, win-at-all-costs, scorched-earth tactics are making her out to be whiny and undeserving of the nomination. She has always been far too close to the Scaife/Dulles/Harriman neocon crowd for my comfort -- now she's showing it. If somehow she wrests the nomination, I will vote for her over McKook. But I won't be happy about it.

Margot, it has been said by better wordsmiths than me that if a person learns to think for him/herself, they'll vote Democratic every time. Chris Matthews said something else that's almost ominous: "Democrats fall in love; Republicans fall in line." Personally, I couldn't possibly surrender my mind and soul they way pubs do. Then again, they demonstrate over and over how little they care for their rights and Constitution by continually throwing both away, unappreciated.

If you want to live like a Republican, vote for a Democrat. If you want to live on your knees as an indentured servant, go ahead and throw your life away by voting Republic. It really is that simple a choice.

Good morning fellow Democrats.

I am a Democrat and I am voting for a Democrat on 4NOV08. If you can't or won't say that, why are you here?

Yes we can!

Si se puede!

Posted by Bizz on March 27, 2008 at 10:39 AM

The Michigan legislature closed their session without addressing the revote issue.

I think it would be more accurate to say we are suffering from 2004. Where OHIO was the mess up. There was voter intimdation there and that's exactally what Clinton and her suppporters are trying to do now.

Big state wins in the primary don't translate to big state wins in the GE.

(A side note,you must be forgetting about who really won TX.)

But I hear the big Story of the Day with the entertainment 24/7 is that there is a new contest where teenage girls compete to see who is America's biggest bimbo. The Bush twins are probably fighting for the honors versus Paris and Britney. The winners, of course, will be Condi Rice and Dana Perino?
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Sandy, that seems like a perfect fit for the media "whores". Yep, this country has gone totally nuts. But, I think some of this silliness will go away as conditions become more harsh. It's hard to have bread and circuses went there is no bread to hand out and you can't pay to get in to see the show.

How can it be?! To what lengths will she GO? I have to say this today to get it out. How ignorant does Senator Clinton think we are? To suggest that pledged does not have a duty to fulfil. Does this apply to pledging the flag for her also? In such a desire to acheive her ends Mrs. Clinton has repeatedly gone past, over, and erased the line. Mr. Dean and all my fellow citizens, PLEASE demand an end to this display. How can it continue with any results that are positive? To even admit to "kitchen sink" ploys suggest the low level of regard this person has for us, but to all of us who do not demand it's end we stand guilty as if we said every word put forth. I for one demand that this candidate excuse herself. She dismissed all the voters that have come since Super Tuesday because she thought she was to win by then. All these arguements are empty. Stop this madness....PLEASE save what face is left, PLEASE save us from the issues that need attention, and stand up for our future.

If you want to live like a Republican, vote for a Democrat. If you want to live on your knees as an indentured servant, go ahead and throw your life away by voting Republic. It really is that simple a choice.

Posted by TheOriginalHillWilliam on March 27, 2008 at 10:49 AM

I like this quote, I'm definitely going to use it!

margot, I can't find the interview on video, but Bill Clinton had a similar thought during the 2004 election.

"When people think they vote Democrat." -Bill Clinton

Hill, if you're still around you should find this site to be interesting. My son sent it to me a while back and the fellow who's running this little farm seems to have all his ducks in the right place. Take a look.

www.tinyfarmblog.com

Posted by Doo-Bee-Doo-Bee-Doo on March 27, 2008 at 09:42 AM
___

I'll see your hilarious and raise you a snarky!

Good morning, Barbi.

It was snark-o-licious.

Holtz-Eakin: McCain’s admitted lack of econ knowledge is ‘a small joke

In December 2007, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) admitted to an audience in New Hampshire that “the issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should.” Trying to explain away McCain’s comment, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, McCain’s senior economic adviser, claimed to ABC News that McCain was merely joking. “He has this wonderful self-deprecating sense of humor and out of his months comes things sometimes like ‘yeah, I’m not that good on the economy’ in an effort to make a small joke,” said Holtz-Eakin. Unfortunately, for Holtz-Eakin, McCain has admitted his lack of econ knowledge on multiple occasions throughout the years.

Posted by YoungPoet on March 27, 2008 at 10:35 AM
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Super delegates letter to Pelosi signed by:

Marc Aronchick
Clarence Avant
Susie Tompkins Buell
Sim Farar
Robert L. Johnson
Chris Korge
Marc and Cathy Lasry
Hassan Nemazee
Alan and Susan Patricof
JB Pritzker
Amy Rao
Lynn de Rothschild
Haim Saban
Bernard Schwartz
Stanley S. Shuman
Jay Snyder
Maureen White and Steven Rattner

Good morning {Doo-Bee-Doo-Bee-Doo}.

That was a good one. Did you enjoy the "pootie" pics in the comments, too?

Good gracious! *blush*

Good morning, good {{Dems}}, too.

Gotta run out for a bit. Later.

Thanks BoilerMan! I'm in the midst of getting my raised-bed garden put together this weekend. There are plenty of trash trees to fell for the railings (me and my trusty Poulan). I was counting on having chickens this year, but winter gave me a nasty bout with fibromyalgia that put me behind in chores. On the up-side, it gives me another year to research what kind of chickens would suit my farmlet best.

I'm also kinda thinking of having a couple of pilgrim geese (mild-tempered) and some bob-whites would be nice.

I really think we're going to have to feed ourselves if the republic-raped economy gets any worse. Milk is already out of the question. Grocery store prices are becoming obscene. No wonder Bush doesn't see any problem with the economy -- he gets three hots and a cot on the public dime, along with healthcare for life, on the public dime, dental and vision for life, on the public dime, herds of secret service for life, on the public dime, and guaranteed retirement, also on the public dime.

How nice he can accept public welfare and put head to pillow at night, knowing that there are still tens of thousands (and more every day) becoming homeless, jobless and more desperate every day, thanks to his policies and his rubberstamping neoKKKons in Congress.

No brain, no pain, I suppose.

If you want to live like a Republic, vote for a Democrat. Else nobody will ever have a damn thing again.

Posted by Barbi on March 27, 2008 at 12:02 PM

Wow, the Pritzkers? They own everything. Including the Hyatt Hotel chain.

The Marmon Group, Inc.

They are looking to pocket a TON of cash soon, too, because Warren Buffet is buying 60% of the Marmon Group. (Hyatt is a separate entity, with it's own HQ a block away.)

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. to Acquire 60% of Pritzker Family Company, Marmon Holdings, Inc

Couldn't this letter be considered "extortion"? If so, a RICO investigation seems in order. Oh, FITZ? Calling FITZ!

IMO,That phrase is stupid.

I VOTE DEMOCRAT BECAUSE I WANT TO LIVE LIKE A DEMOCRAT.

Senators Don Nickles (R., Okla.), Charles Grassley (R., Iowa), Pete Domenici (R., N. Mex.), John Ensign (R., Nev.), James Inhofe (R., Okla.), Bill Nelson (D., Fla.), and Conrad Burns (R., Mont.) are referred to as "members," as are Representatives Jim DeMint (R., S.C.), Frank Wolf (R., Va.), Joseph Pitts (R., Pa.), Zach Wamp (R., Tenn.), and Bart Stupak (D., Mich.). Regular prayer groups have met in the Pentagon and at the Department of Defense, and the Family has traditionally fostered strong ties with businessmen in the oil and aerospace industries. The Family maintains a closely guarded database of its associates, but it issues no cards, collects no official dues. Members are asked not to speak about the group or its activities." Is this why Hillary Clinton has refused requests for interviews about her association with The Family?

Is this true? If so why is there any reason to believe that HRC isn't a repub? My crazy-ass senator, stupider than box of rocks is on this list.

More from the article Veneita posted.

The presidential candidate is Hillary Clinton, and the group is "The Foundation" also known as "The Family." Its leader is Doug Coe, a man described by Clinton as "a unique presence in Washington: a genuinely loving spiritual mentor and guide to anyone, regardless of party or faith, who wants to deepen his or her relationship with God." Yes, it's true, according to Kathryn Joyce and Jeff Sharlet who published an article in Mother Jones magazine in September 2007 about Hillary Clinton's deepening ties to the group.

According to Mother Jones, Clinton has been meeting regularly with The Foundation's women's bible study groups since 1993 and moving up through its ranks. Clinton herself has written in Living History about Coe and her first encounter with him at The Foundation's estate and how deeply he impressed her. According to one of Mother Jones' sources, a Coe supporter, Clinton "has become a regular visitor to Coe's Arlington, Virginia, headquarters, a former convent where Coe provides members of Congress with sex-segregated housing and spiritual guidance." The article goes on to report that "These days, Clinton has graduated from the political wives' group into what may be Coe's most elite cell, the weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast."

March 26, 2008 Obama camp talks to Thurman

The Hillary Clinton campaign has yet to express any interest in negotiating a solution to Florida's delegate mess, but a couple key Barack Obama staffers - delegate operations director Jeff Berman and political director Matt Nugen called state Democratic chairwoman Karen Thurman to talk about possible ways to give Florida a voice in the nomination.

"We're just looking for solutions," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton.

Posted in honor of the brother of one of my bff's: veteran, father, African American.

However, a growing body of research during the past few years indicates that one of the most glaring inequalities experienced by African-Americans is the disparity in health care that they receive. This week, for example, the New York Times reported that the Department of Veterans Affairs found that black patients "tend to receive less aggressive medical care than whites" at its hospitals and clinics, in part because doctors provide them with less information and see them as "less appropriate candidates" for some types of surgery.

Statistics tell the story. A new government report found the difference in life expectancy between poor black men and affluent white women to be more than 14 years (66.9 vs. 81.1 years)! African-Americans have a higher risk of dying from chronic ailments such as coronary heart disease and high blood pressure than any other ethnic group. Only part of this disparity is explained by differences in income and access to adequate medical care. On average, the most affluent African-Americans suffer more health problems than the least affluent whites.

In the past decade more than 100 studies have been published documenting the harmful effects of racial discrimination on a variety of health measures in African-American men and women. For example, a recent study that followed nearly 60,000 African-American women for six years found that women who reported on-the-job racial discrimination had a 32 percent higher risk of breast cancer than others who did not. Women who said they faced racial discrimination on the job, in housing and from the police were 48 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than those who reported no incidents of major discrimination. Another study of African-American women found that those who reported chronic emotional stress due to their experience of racism had more severely blocked carotid arteries (which supply blood to the brain) than those who did not. In yet another study perceived racism was associated with a significantly increased risk of uterine fibroids in black women, and this was unrelated to differences in health care utilization.

Now this is how a Dem should campaign:

Excerpts from Clinton's remarks in the North Carolina capital:

"Sometimes the phone rings at 3 a.m. in the White House and it’s an economic crisis. And we need a president who is ready and willing to answer that call. But I read Sen. McCain's plan, which does virtually nothing to ease the credit crisis or the housing crisis. The phone is ringing, and he would just let it ring and ring.

"Sen. McCain is a friend of mine, but he said himself, 'The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should.' He’d rather ignore the credit crisis and mortgage crisis — or blame middle-class families instead of offering solutions on their behalf.

CLINTON DROP OUT NOW!

This should be posted all over the United States.

Pelosi's response to the moneybags.

Pelosi stands by her comment, said her spokesman, Brendan Daly.

"The speaker believes it would do great harm to the Democratic Party if superdelegates are perceived to overturn the will of the voters," he said. "This has been her position throughout this primary season, regardless of who was ahead at any particular point in delegates or votes."

Robert Johnson makes his living through "uplifting" [NOT] programming on bet. Plenty of boobs, butts, and booty. Real honorable.

WOW is all I can say. I agree that the letter to the Speaker of the House from big money donors smells of EXTORTION bad. I for one will donate another $20 to Obama after reading this letter. I again will call for Senator Clinton to drop her bid for office of president as we do not need ANOTHER bought and paid for follower.

"It's really sad. People are basically just living there and trying to survive," the Maine Republican said. "They're constantly living under threat of shelling or sniper fire." . . . As the plane landed she took note of the fortified bunkers surrounding Sarajevo's airport. . . . She glanced at the wall of firetrucks lined up along the airport tarmac, acting as shields from any Serb gunman looking to make a name for himself. She dashed across the runway to an armored vehicle waiting to whisk the senators to the city center. She glared at the hollowed-out remains of buildings along the city's main highway, better known as "Sniper Alley."

Progressives for Obama

Tom Hayden, Bill Fletcher Jr., Danny Glover & Barbara Ehrenreich

McCain has yet to denounce or reject Hagee.
Hagee has said:

In "Jerusalem Countdown: A Prelude To war" Hagee has stated that Jews brought the Holocaust upon themselves by rebelling against God and that the Holocaust was God's way of forcing Jews to move to Israel...

Pastor John Hagee declared :

"The United States must join Israel in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God's plan for both Israel and the West... a biblically prophesied end-time confrontation with Iran, which will lead to the Rapture, Tribulation [...] and [the] Second Coming of Christ."

" I think if I could put a dividing line, the Orthodox and Conservatives who have a Torah appreciation give us wholehearted support. The rest who are not driven by the Word of God have a liberal agenda.
And the liberal agenda is they are pro-abortion. They're pro-homosexual. They're pro-gay marriage -- they want men to marry men and women to marry women -- and their difference with me is not really what I'm doing with Israel. Their hostility to me is poisoned by their liberalism."

On the September 18, 2006, edition of National Public Radio's Fresh Air, Hagee said Hurricane Katrina was an act of God, punishing New Orleans for "a level of sin that was offensive to God". He specifically referred to a "homosexual parade" that was held on the date the hurricane struck and that this was proof "of the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans" [2], even though the Southern Decadence parade was scheduled for the following week and the primary gay neighborhoods, the French Quarter and the Marigny, were spared the flooding and destruction. Another reason for God's wrath, Hagee claims, was the Bush administration's pressure on Israel to abandon settlements and the land associated with them. Therefore, God took American land in a "tit for tat" exchange during Hurricane Katrina

In the same Fresh air episode, Hagee also discussed Islam, stating that "those who live by the Qur'an have a scriptural mandate to kill Christians and Jews" adding, "it teaches that very clearly". He then proceeded to characterize the military threat posed by those who follow Islamic scripture: "There are 1.3 billion people who follow the Islamic faith, so if you're saying there's only 15 percent that want to come to America or invade Israel to crush it, you're only talking about 200 million people. That's far more than Hitler and Japan and Italy and all of the axis powers in World War II had under arms."

he Democratic Party insiders say they believe Clinton's direct attacks against Sen. Barack Obama in recent days are hurting the party and its chances in November, and also say it is showing a calculated, desperate-to-win side of Clinton that they dislike. "In looking at the manner in which the candidates are campaigning, I think it would be best they focused their attention on the presumptive nominee and showed our party which one is better in campaigning against McCain," said Garry Shay, a California superdelegate, who announced his support for Clinton.

Progressives for Obama website.

From HuffPo:

Obama Provides A Way for the Evangelicals to Redeem Themselves -- Following the Bush Disaster They Foisted on the Rest Of Us

Obama has opened an unusually honest national conversation on race but also, by default--because he suffered from smear-by-association re Reverend Wright -- a conversation on the place of religion in politics. This is uncomfortably familiar territory to evangelicals. They have had their own extremists for which their community of faith has sometimes been blamed. For instance, many evangelicals disagreed with Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson when -- in their version of "God damn America!" -- they claimed that 9/11 was an act of God punishing America for the sins of homosexuality, feminism, liberalism and abortion. Some people called all evangelicals "intolerant" because of the Falwell/Robertson remarks.

The bald fact is that the white evangelicals got away with it -- and are still getting away with it -- while loudly decrying Rev Wright. In the very least, they're hypocrites for not distancing themselves from the likes of Foolwell and Dobson.

Personally, I'm bitter from the hedonistic, holier-than-thou excesses, attacks on the Constitution, hypocrasy, and unbridled theft the far-right evangelicals have wrought on America. After 30 years with the nutjobs running the show, with their crowning achievement of successfully putting a spoiled, alcohol-soaked and coke-buzzed chimpanzee in the Oval, yes, I do believe the a certain amount of contrition is due from them

The realist in me knows better than to expect it.

besides, if you don't already have curly hair, you're going against God's plan! You straight haired people trying to pretend you are curlies...what's the matter, the hair God gave you isn't good enough?

Posted by GregL on March 27, 2008 at 09:54 AM

hmmmmm, didn't I hear that you have a god-awful comb over??? LOL!

What About Main Street?
The Fed Bailed Out Heavy-Hitter Investors But Ignored Subprime Warnings For Years
Illustration by: Matt Mahurin
By Mary Kane 03/26/2008

Now that JPMorganChase has raised its bid for Bear Stearns, angry shareholders seemed to have calmed down and Wall Street isn't as worried that the investment bank's problems will drag down the rest of the financial markets.

But among people who've been dealing for a long time with the fallout from the kind of subprime loans Bear Stearns aggressively pursued and profited from, emotions are running high.

(Matt Mahurin) They're stunned that the Federal Reserve Bank stepped in to engineer the deal and to provide $30 billion in guarantees, considering consumer advocates have badgered the Fed repeatedly for years to curb subprime lending, to no avail. They can't believe that the Fed demanded nothing in return from the banks -- like accepting more lending oversight or modifying high-rate mortgages. They find it hard to sympathize with reports of billionaire shareholders losing money or Bear Stearns employees crying in their offices while selling off their wine collections. Mostly, they can't believe the question of fairness surrounding the deal isn't being debated more during a heated presidential campaign.

http://www.washingtonindependent.com/view/what-about-main
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McCrap said yesterday that "it's all the borrowers fault". Typical GOP defrauding of the public. Bail out the crooks and send the citizens into usury. That's the GOP for you and McCrap.

McCrap!

I really think we're going to have to feed ourselves if the republic-raped economy gets any worse.

Posted by TheOriginalHillWilliam on March 27, 2008 at 12:16 PM

Hill, just got back in from tilling up a couple of rows each for string beans and corn. But while out there, I was thinking the same thing about feeding ourselves. It occurred to me that we can do enormous good if we, as progressive concerned democrats, help out some of these communities like the one in oregon mentioned earlier. Buying seed individually can be a fairly expensive prospect, but buying in bulk reduces the cost substantially. Imagine the good will we could generate by sending 'care packages' of seed to hard put communities around the country with the label 'Compliments of the Democratic Party'. And with this being the beginning of spring, now is the time to do it.

After that Housing Crisis speech I think McCain must have watched that new movie too many times. You know the one, Horton Hears a Hooverville.

BBL

Posted by BoilerMan on March 27, 2008 at 01:43 PM

What a GREAT idea! THAT"S "thinking outside the box" (or seed package in this case.)

Posted by BoilerMan on March 27, 2008 at 01:43 PM
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BolierMan, I like that idea. I do what I can to donate to my local food bank but it's anonymous. Maybe the DNC can take in small donations just for that purpose ...

Posted by Cubilist on March 27, 2008 at 01:09 PM
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McCrap!

How nice he can accept public welfare and put head to pillow at night, knowing that there are still tens of thousands (and more every day) becoming homeless, jobless and more desperate every day, thanks to his policies and his rubberstamping neoKKKons in Congress.
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Impeach Chimpy ... take his goodies away!

McCain ... same as Bush.

Democratic race over? Clinton doesn't think so

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Somebody forgot to tell Hillary Clinton the Democratic presidential race is over and Barack Obama won.

ADVERTISEMENT

Obama has captured more state contests, more votes and more of the pledged convention delegates who will help decide which Democrat faces Republican Sen. John McCain in November's presidential election.

But Clinton, a New York senator who has flirted with disaster before in the back-and-forth nominating battle with Obama, shrugs off growing predictions of doom and still sees at least a narrow path to victory.

"I hear it in the atmosphere," Clinton said of the increasingly loud chatter about whether she should drop out and let Democrats focus on the general election campaign.

"But the most common thing that people say to me ... is 'Don't give up, keep going. We're with you.' And I feel really good about that because that's what I intend to do," she told reporters on Tuesday.

Clinton has not been hearing those words of encouragement from a chorus of media commentators and Obama supporters who have questioned why she is pursuing her uphill fight to catch the Illinois senator.

The Politico newspaper declared Clinton "has virtually no chance of winning." A New York Times columnist called her campaign "the audacity of hopelessness" -- a pun on Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope."

Krauthammer: McCain Has ‘Hidden Agenda’ To ‘Kill The United Nations’

Yesterday in an foreign policy address in Los Angeles, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) called for the United States to create and lead a “League of Democracies” in order to “harness the vast influence of the more than one hundred democratic nations around the world to advance our values and defend our shared interests.”

Numerous media outlets interpreted McCain’s speech as a call for “cooperation” and “collaboration” with allies and the rest of the world, “drawing a sharp contrast to the past eight years under President Bush.” But last night on Fox News, conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer revealed the true meaning behind McCain’s “League of Democracies”:

KRAUTHAMMER: Well, I like the idea of the league of democracies, and only in part because I and others had proposed it about six years ago. What I like about it, it’s got a hidden agenda. It looks as if it’s all about listening and joining with allies, all the kind of stuff you’d hear a John Kerry say, except that the idea here, which McCain can’t say, but I can, is to essentially kill the U.N.

MAR - that article you linked to about Hillary is frightening, perhaps if more knew - more would oppose her.

Posted by Kathy_from_Indiana on March 27, 2008 at 09:38 AM

I picked it up on this blog a few days back and remembered... hope your hand heals quickly!

How can Hillary be a "feminist"? Answer that one for me will you? Her definition and mine probably differ. Will clarify later...

Bush and McCain's idea of progress.

McClatchy reports civil war violence in Iraq for Wednesday:

Baghdad

At least 20 people were killed and 115 wounded in clashes that broke out on Tuesday evening and lasted until Wednesday morning between Mahdi army militia and the Iraqis security forces supported by the American forces in Sadr city in east Baghdad.

US embassy in Iraqi said that three US officials were wounded seriously in one of the attacks that targeted the green zone on Wednesday morning.

Around 5:30 a.m. three mortar shells hit the green zone. No reports about casualties.

Around 8:00 a.m. the US forces left Sadr city after clashing with Mahdi army. The final toll of the casualties is 20 people killed and 115 wounded.

Five people were injured when members of Mahdi army opened fire targeting civilians in al Kifah neighborhood in downtown Baghdad around 8:30 a.m.

Six people were injured when members of Mahdi army opened fire targeting civilians in Sadoun Street in downtown Baghdad around 9:00 a.m.

Around 9:15 a.m. three mortar shells hit the green zone. A fourth shell hit one of the buildings in Salhiyah street near the green zone. One civilians was killed and 6 others wounded.

Two civilians were wounded in an IED explosion in al Fallah intersection in Sadr city in E|ast Baghdad around 11:00 a.m.

Three civilians were killed and fifteen others were wounded when four mortar shells hit different parts in Karrada neighborhood.

Three civilians were killed and twelve others were wounded when threemortar shells hit Risala neighborhood southeast Baghdad around 12:00 p.m.

Around 1:00 p.m. mortar shells hit the green zone in downtown Baghdad. No reports about Casualties.

Two civilians were killed and five others were wounded when two mortar shells hit Sayd Idrees shrine and the social car house in Karrada neighborhood in downtown Baghdad around 1;30 p.m.

Four civilians were inured in clashes between insurgents and the Iraqi national police in Shaab neighborhood in north Baghdad around 1:30 p.m.

Around 2:00 p.m. clashes broke out between the Iraqi army and members of Mahdi army in Kadhemiyah neighborhood in North Baghdad. No casualties were reported.

Around 3:00 p.m. mortar shells hit the green zone. No casualties reported.

Four civilians were wounded when a mortar shell hit Beirut intersection in east Baghdad around 3:00 p.m.

Three civilians were wounded in an IED explosion in Darwish intersection in Saidiyah neighborhood in South Baghdad around 3:00 p.m.

Around 5:30 p.m. a mortar shell hit Kadhemiyah neighborhood in north Baghdad. No Casualties reported.

Clashes broke out between the US army and Mahdi army militia in jisr Diyala area south of Baghdad. No news about casualties reported. . .

Police found three unidentified bodies . . .

Tikrit

A source in Tikrit hospital said that a patrol from the 1st battalion the 14 brigade brought the body of Mohammed Shakir Mahmoud who died after being tortured by a US sponsored militia near al Mamlaha village east of Samara on Wednesday morning.

Eight people were killed including Judge Munaf al Azawi a court judge and his two sons, two women, a child and a man when U.S. soldiers raided two houses in al Qadisiyah neighborhood north of Tikrit, Iraqi police said. The US military said that the Coalition Forces were targeting an Al Qaida member suspected of organizing car bombs for the group. During the targeted raid they came under fire and responded. . . .

Basra

Medical source in Basra province south of Baghdad said that 33 people were killed and 150 others were wounded in the clashes that took place between the Iraqi security forces and Mahdi army in different neighborhoods of the province.

Four policemen were killed when their vehicle was targeted with RBG7 rocket near Basra police directorate on Wednesday afternoon. . .

At least seven detainees were wounded when mortar shells hit the detainees affairs department in downtown Basra on Wednesday afternoon.

Najaf

A mortar shell hit al Mujtaba police station in downtown Najaf city south of Baghdad around 8:15 p.m. causing casualties among the staff of the police station, police said. The police of Najaf announced a curfew in the city until further notice. . .

Two policemen were wounded when gunmen opened fire targeting al Mujtaba police station in downtown Najaf city on Wednesday evening

Babil

At least 60 people were killed and wounded when the MNF helicopters bombed the neighborhoods of al Askari and Nadir in Babil province south of Baghdad, the spokesman the Iraqi police in Babil province Muthanna Ahmed said. The MNF couldn’t immediately confirm the strike. '

BoilerMan,

100 Attaboys for that idea! Even apartment-dwellers with a bit of porch space can have worthwhile amounts of produce in garden pots, if they're taught how. It's amazing what you can do with a little space, a little sun, a little soil, reasonable water and care.

It has worried me for a long time now that most folks have forgotten how to do things for themselves. Those of us who know how to grow, can and preserve are getting fewer. What in the world will condo-dwellers do when tomatoes are five bucks each if any are to be had at all? There's a huge price to be paid for being talked into hiving up in multi-family fartboxes with no means of supplementing your nutrition.

Looking back, I hated growing up with grandparents who survived the Great Depression and parents who spent their early childhood in privation. There wasn't electricity in my grandfolks' house until my mom left home. I learned things I thought I'd never use, but as the neoKKKon economy rolls on ever-downward, it looks more and more likely those skills and habits may be the survival of my mate and me. There will be a lot of people looking to folks like us.

The seed bank idea is a winner. I'd suggest we augment it with a skills bank, how 'bout?

Three Myths About the Democratic Race
by Peter Daou3/24/2008 11:26:17 AMMYTH: Barack Obama is running a positive campaign that will unite Americans.

FACT: Barack Obama and his advisers have conducted a divisive "full assault" on Hillary's character.

While talking a lot about the politics of hope, change and unity, Sen. Obama and his campaign have been conducting a relentless and singularly personal assault on Hillary's character. They have blanketed big states with false negative mailers and radio ads and have described Hillary and her campaign as "disingenuous," "divisive," "untruthful," "dishonest," "polarizing," "calculating," "saying whatever it takes to win," "attempting to deceive the American people," "one of the most secretive in America," “deliberately misleading,” “literally willing to do anything to win,” and “playing politics with war."

This "full assault" on Hillary's integrity and character has reached a new peak since Hillary's victories on March 4th. One of Sen. Obama's top surrogates equated President Clinton with Joe McCarthy; another called Hillary a "monster;" and his campaign manager held an angry conference call claiming that Hillary is "deeply flawed" and has "character issues." That's neither unifying nor hopeful. If Sen. Obama really is the prohibitive favorite some say he is, these negative attacks make absolutely no sense. Why would a frontrunner seek to attack and divide? If Sen. Obama can't unify Democrats in a primary, how can he unify Americans in a general election?

=====

MYTH: The delegate "math" works decisively against Hillary.

FACT: The delegate math reflects an extremely close race that either candidate can win.

"The Math" is actually very simple: with hundreds of delegates still uncommitted, NEITHER candidate has reached the number of delegates required to secure the nomination. And EITHER candidate can reach the required number in the coming weeks and months. That is indisputable. No amount of editorials, articles, blog posts, charts, graphs, calculations, formulas, or projections will change the basic fact that either candidate can win. Pundits who confidently proclaim that Hillary has no hope of winning because of "the math," have counted Hillary out of this race three times before. Each time they based their sober assessments on 'facts' and 'realities' -- and each time they were wrong.

In a campaign with dozens of unexpected twists and turns, bold prognostications should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism. Look no further than Sen. Obama's "full assault" on Hillary's character to judge whether he thinks this election is over. The fact is this: Hillary and Sen. Obama are locked in a very close, hard-fought campaign and Hillary is demonstrating precisely the strength of character required of a president. Her resilience in the face of adversity, her faith in the voters, her capacity to rise to every challenge, are part of the reason she is the best general election candidate for Democrats. And it is why she is increasingly strong against John McCain in the polls at the same time that Sen. Obama is dropping against Sen. McCain.

=====

MYTH: For Hillary to win, super delegates must "overturn the will of the people."

FACT: The race is virtually tied, the "will of the people" is split, and both candidates need super delegates to win.

The Obama campaign and Sen. Obama's surrogates have engaged in a sustained public relations effort to convince people that the election is over and that if super delegates perform their established role of choosing a candidate who they believe will make the best nominee and president, they are somehow "overturning the will of the people." They have the audacity to make this argument while quietly and systematically courting those very same super delegates. They are courting them because they know that Sen. Obama needs super delegates to win. The Obama spin is being parroted daily by pundits, but it is patently false. The race is virtually tied; the "will of the people" is split. By virtually every measure, Hillary and Sen. Obama are neck and neck -- separated by less than 130 of the more than 3,100 delegates committed thus far and less than 1% of the 27 million+ votes cast, including Florida and Michigan. Less than 1%.

An incremental advantage for one candidate or the other is hardly a reason for super delegates to change the rules mid-game. Despite the Obama campaign's aggressive spin and pressure, the RULES require super delegates to exercise their best independent judgment, and that is what they will do. Even Sen. Obama's top strategist agrees they should. If not, then why don't prominent Obama endorsers like Senators Kerry (MA) and Kennedy (MA), and Governors Patrick (MA), Napolitano (AZ) and Richardson (NM) follow the will of their constituents and switch their support to Hillary? After all, she won their states. And if this is truly about the "will of the people," then Sen. Obama's short-sighted tactic to run out the clock on a revote in Florida and Michigan accomplishes exactly two things: it disenfranchises Florida and Michigan's voters; and it hurts Democrats in a general election. Apparently, for the Obama campaign, the "will of the people" is just words...

RE: The Obama Record: Just Words

Yesterday, a Pennsylvania editorial board asked Sen. Clinton how she would have "responded if [her] pastor had said some of the things that Rev. Wright said?" In response, she said Rev. Wright would not have been her pastor, an honest view shared by many Americans.

The Obama campaign's response? Attack Sen. Clinton and accuse her of trying to divert attention from the Bosnia trip story and her record of foreign policy experience.

Sen. Clinton's response was sincere. The Obama attack was disingenuous.

We are happy to discuss Sen. Clinton's foreign policy experience and her record overall. Unfortunately, the Obama campaign doesn't want to discuss its candidate's record and prefers personal attacks instead.

Sen. Obama knows that if he focused on his experience, he'd get questions about the shortcomings in his record and the efforts he has made to embellish it.

He'd have to deal with the fallout from this week's Washington Post report on his gross exaggeration of his role on immigration reform and housing policy.

Sen. Obama would have to explain why the New York Times reported that he claims credit for passing nuclear leak legislation that never got out of committee.

He'd have to confront reports from FactCheck.org and other independent organizations that say his claims of providing a universal health care plan are based on selective, embellished and out-of-context quotes from newspapers.

He'd have to discuss the LA Times story that reported on how his fellow organizers say he took too much credit for his community organizing efforts.

He'd have to explain why he regularly claims he was a law professor when in fact he held no such title.

Sen. Obama seems to think disingenuous attacks on Sen. Clinton will address the concerns voters have about his record and readiness to be the Commander-in-Chief and the steward of our economy. They won't.

In the end, Sen. Obama's words cannot erase Hillary's 35-year record of action because when all is said and done, words aren't action. They are just words.

New afternoon thread now available!

Quote of the day! Part of an email from my college roommate:

I can't believe that I once thought I was conservative. It makes me laugh. I feel like conservatives are kind of like murderers. It's just wrong -- ethically, morally. I just can't comprehend how any of their policies make sense. It baffles me.

See when people find their own views, instead of blindly following their parents, bosses, etc. they can come to some interesting conclusions. She's even started contributing to my liberal blog!

Posted by margotb822 on March 27, 2008 at 10:32 AM

I'll allow for FORMER conservatives, darlin'...just not ones who think they can push their agenda of exclusion by helping elect a progressive:

So why consider Obama? For one reason only: because this liberal Democrat has promised to end the U.S. combat role in Iraq. Contained within that promise, if fulfilled, lies some modest prospect of a conservative revival.

FACT: The race is virtually tied, the "will of the people" is split, and both candidates need super delegates to win.
Posted by jenar on March 27, 2008 at 02:24 PM

This is a myth put forward by the Clinton Camp.

Popular Vote:
Obama
13,355,239 49.5%

Clinton
12,637,963 46.9%

Delegate Count (as per RealClearPolitics.com):
Obama: 1629 Total (1414 pledged, 215 superdeleg)
Clinton: 1497 Total (1247 pledged, 250 superdeleg)

Money (as per OpenSecrets.org):

Obama: cash on hand - $38,833,08
debts: $625,058

Clinton: cash on hand - $33,174,862
debts: $8,733,609
( posted yesterday by MIKaren on March 26, 2008 at 09:23 PM)

THE MATH

There are 566 pledged delegates up for grabs in upcoming contests. Those delegates come from Pennsylvania (158), Guam (4) North Carolina (115), Indiana (72), West Virginia (28), Kentucky (51), Oregon (52), Puerto Rico (55), Montana (16) and South Dakota (15).

If Clinton won 60 percent of those delegates, she would get 340 delegates to Obama's 226. Under that scenario — and without revotes in Michigan and Florida — Obama would still lead in delegates by 1,632 to 1,589.

The only remote possibility of a win in delegates would come if revotes were held in Florida and Michigan — which, again, would take a political miracle. If Clinton won 60 percent of the delegates in both states, she would win 188 delegates and Obama would win 125. Clinton would then lead among pledged delegates, 1,777 to 1,757.

The other elephant in the room for Clinton is that Obama is almost certain to win North Carolina, with its high percentage of African-American voters, and also is seen as extremely strong in Oregon...

This is true, as a matter of math. But even the Clinton campaign’s own best-case scenario has her finishing behind Obama when all the nominating contests are over.

“She will be close to him but certainly not equal to him in pledged delegates,” a Clinton adviser said. “When you add the superdelegates on top of it, I’ll think she’ll still be behind him somewhat in total delegates — but very, very close.”

The total gap is likely to be 75 to 110, the adviser said.

5%

Let’s take a look at what she’s going to put her party through for the sake of that 5 percent chance: The Democratic Party is probably going to have to endure another three months of daily sniping. For another three months, we’ll have the Carvilles likening the Obamaites to Judas and former generals accusing Clintonites of McCarthyism. For three months, we’ll have the daily round of résumé padding and sulfurous conference calls. We’ll have campaign aides blurting “blue dress” and only-because-he’s-black references as they let slip their private contempt.

For three more months (maybe more!) the campaign will proceed along in its Verdun-like pattern. There will be a steady rifle fire of character assassination from the underlings, interrupted by the occasional firestorm of artillery when the contest touches upon race, gender or patriotism. The policy debates between the two have been long exhausted, so the only way to get the public really engaged is by poking some raw national wound.

For the sake of that 5 percent, this will be the sourest spring...

Even apartment-dwellers with a bit of porch space can have worthwhile amounts of produce in garden pots, if they're taugt how.

Posted by TheOriginalHillWilliam on March 27, 2008 at 02:21 PM

I was thinking more on the community level rather than the individual level. I can't imagine a single rural village, community, town, or city in the country that doesn't have numerous vacant spaces on which community gardens could be grown. And as to the skills needed, county extension agents are available almost every where for just that purpose and could also likely be relied upon to indentify local persons having the necessary skills or experience to manage and coordinate the operation. But, a single person to 'run the show' might not be required in all cases. Last night I was looking at some of the old People's Park footage on file in the Berkeley Library and it was amazing how the people came together and cooperated almost spontaineously to achieve a common goal. It was quite remarkable. So, we know that people have it in themselves to work together, let's nurture that ability.

BBL

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THERE IS AN AFTERNOON OPEN THREAD!

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When you have Ethanol added to gas and other things, how come they still charge the same, and our bread prices increase. I also noted that there used to be $.10 spread between grades, at times I see $.20 now. Is a gallon of gasoline the same in Death Valley in the heat of the midday sun as the midnight freezing chill being pumped into the car?

With buses there are large roofs where solar panels can be mounted to charge batteries, and save especially schools gasoline outlandish prices.

How many of the Oil CEO's are Bohemian members or have visited the Bohemian Grove in secrecy discussing with Cheney and maybe Bush oil diplomacy and oil pricing. They are protected there by a National Security Act of 1947. Here the power elite have immunity to discuss anything at all and cannot be investigated by law.