Cork in the Water

Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton!

Adam — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:02:53 EDT

It infuriates me that the GOP is trying to compare Sarah Palin to Hillary Clinton, and even suggesting that Palin's presence on the GOP ticket could appeal to disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters.

That's abusrd.

I suggest that Joe Biden take a page from Lloyd Bentsen's playbook when he has his first televised Vice Presidential debate with Governor Palin:

"Governor Palin, I know Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton is a friend of mine. And Governor, you're no Hillary Clinton."

Sarah Palin = DAN QUAYLE?

Adam — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:27:02 EDT

The Palin announcement reminds me of George H.W. Bush's choice for VP in 1988. It's a desperate attempt to try to make the GOP look like something it's not.

Illinois signs bill to effectively eliminate Electoral College

Adam — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:19:30 EDT

This week Illinois joined Maryland and New Jersey in passing the National Popular Vote bill, which would guarantee that the presidential candidate who receives the most votes in all 50 states will win the Presidency, regardless of the outcome in the Electoral College.

The National Popular Vote plan is a state-based plan, not requiring a constitutional amendment. It's an ingenious and politically practical way to implement nationwide popular election of the President.

Check out this website for more information. Also, you can join the partybuilder National Popular Vote site here.

The National Popular Vote bill has now been signed into law in states possessing 46 electoral votes. This is one-sixth of the 270 electoral votes needed to bring the National Popular Vote interstate compact into effect.

Dick Cheney in 1994: Toppling Saddam would lead to "Quagmire" [video]

Adam — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:57:05 EDT

On April 15th, 1994, a sane Dick Cheney confidently explains how trying to take over Iraq would lead to a "quagmire," that wouldn't be worth the American casualties. Check it out: Link

Chickenhawk College Republicans

Adam — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 12:18:07 EDT

Funny stuff. Max Blumenthal visits a College Republican convention, and after hearing the expected GOP pro-war talking points ("what people don't understand is if it's not faught in iraq and we don't win over there, it's gonna happen here."), Blumenthal asks:

"If you support the war, why aren't you serving in the military?"

The results are hilarious.

Blumenthal doesn't just cover the war in his visit with the Chickenhawk College Republicans. When he interviews some Republicans about their feelings about gays, at first there's some old fashioned GOP anti-gay garbage. But it gets really interesting when a member of the College Republicans lets us know that he's been dealing with some suppressed feelings:

Republican Guy: "Everybody at one time in their life has had the inclination towards the other -- uh -- towards the same sex. . . . But just because you have the inclination does not mean you're gay because if you have the inclination because you're curious and stuff like that. . . . But if you accept it, and then suppress your feelings and you pray about it to god, and know that you're not -- are are so much stronger than some other people."

Max Blumenthal: "Have you accepted it?"

Republican Guy: "Yes, I have accepted it, I have prayed about it to God, and I know for a fact that I am not gay."

Not quite convincing... but funny to watch.

Anyway, here's a link to the video: Link

I love Elizabeth Edwards

Adam — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 11:34:40 EDT

I had the privilege of meeting Elizabeth Edwards at the Human Rights Campaign dinner in San Francisco this weekend, and seeing her deliver this moving speech. How can you not love this woman?

View here: Link

We're making progress in Iraq!

Adam — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:32:41 EDT

When the Iraq war was launched, Bush's secretary of Defense told us it
"certainly isn't going to last any longer" than five months.

Years later, we're told by the President that we're "making progress." But he's said that a lot over the years. Take a look at this 30-second montage (2003-2007): Link

(this clip is actually a TV spot targeting a specific Senator, but the message is relevant to a wider audience)

Don't forget what we were told:

"I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today would last five days, or five weeks or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that."

-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Nov. 14, 2002.

Please comment here or visit my larger blog, CorkInTheWater.com, at: Link

America is in trouble if Murdoch buys the Wall Street Journal

Adam — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 01:03:34 EDT

Looks like the deal is going to happen: Link

Facebook bans "The Gays"

Adam — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:38:17 EDT

No, it's not what you're thinking. They didn't ban gay people. They banned "The Gays." That is, people with the last name "Gay."

[For more information, click "read more."]

Rudy “9/11″ Giuliani

Adam — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 19:09:21 EDT

Remember the Iraq Study Group? That was the bi-partisan panel put together to come up with a proposed solution that would hopefully get the US out of the Iraq quagmire. It turns out that "America's Mayor," Mr. Rudy Giuliani, quit the Iraq Study Group in 2006 so he could do more fundraising.

I would criticize him for dropping out of such an important effort ... but since Bush ignored the Iraq Study Group Report in its entirety, I suppose no harm was done.

Will the Progressive Majority Emerge?

Adam — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:26:01 EDT

This article in The Nation is a must-read for any Progressive or Liberal in America today.

Will the Progressive Majority Emerge? by Rick Perlstein

Here's the opening. Read the rest at the link above.

For as long as I can remember, there's been a generally accepted story about the recent history of Democratic Party fortunes, a neat little morality tale that goes something like this: The New Deal majority fell apart when the party was taken over by forces outside the mainstream of American life. Getting blindsided by Reaganism was the party's just deserts. And if Democrats wanted the country back, they would just have to learn to become mainstream again.
For as long as I can remember, liberals have been complaining about awkward, self-conscious attempts to recover this "mainstream" sensibility and how they have paradoxically weakened the party. They forced Democratic politicians to become obsessed with polls. That, in turn, boxed Democrats into an identity the public--the mainstream--found the most off-putting of all: Democrats became timid. They couldn't pursue a bold public agenda because they were too hemmed in by polls. Very recently, among progressives, a new dictum has emerged: Hug close to the polls, worship the polls, be the polls.
Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes: 1987-2007, a massive twenty-year roundup of public opinion from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, tells the story. Is it the responsibility of government to care for those who can't take care of themselves? In 1994, the year conservative Republicans captured Congress, 57 percent of those polled thought so. Now, says Pew, it's 69 percent. (Even 58 percent of Republicans agree. Would that some of them were in Congress.) The proportion of Americans who believe government should guarantee every citizen enough to eat and a place to sleep is 69 percent, too--the highest since 1991. Even 69 percent of self-identified Republicans--and 75 percent of small-business owners!--favor raising the minimum wage by more than $2.

CLICK TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Why I canceled my Democracy Bond

Adam — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 23:14:59 EDT

A few months go, I signed up for a "Democracy Bond" where I would contribute money on a monthly basis to the Democratic Party. I did it around the time I started blogging on PartyBulider. I felt like it would be a real $$ contribution behind the words I was putting on the site.

But PartyBuilder is a mess. It's getting worse every month. A handful of abusive members are destroying the site, and there's no administration from the DNC.

So a few days ago I canceled my Democracy Bond, logged into the John Edwards Campaign site, and signed up for a monthly contribution there (for three times the amount).

You'll probably never see this post, because it will soon be buried among 50 spam posts from abusive re-posters, spammers, trolls.

I'm closer every day to leaving PartyBuilder.

Click here to visit the blog of the newest Toll/Spammer ruining the site.

Governing to the 26%

Adam — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:32:51 EDT

During the height of his popularity, Bush was criticized for governing only to the interests of those who voted for him, not to the interests of all Americans.

Now, as Bush's popularity approaches 1/4 of the electorate, he only seems to care about doing things which make this small minority of Bush supporters happy.

Hence, he gives Scooter Libby a "get out of jail free" card.

Most voters "wouldn't consider" voting for Clinton

Adam — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:57:50 EDT

Check out this from Salon.com:

[When asked whether or not voters would "consider" voting for a candidate,] the poll numbers for Clinton are starkly different than they are for most of the other major candidates or near-candidates.
More than 60 percent of the poll's respondents said they'd think about voting for Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson or Michael Bloomberg; 60 percent said they'd consider voting for Barack Obama; 59 percent said they'd consider voting for John Edwards; 58 percent said they'd think about John McCain; 57 percent said they'd consider Joe Biden, the same percentage that said they'd consider Bill Richardson; 56 percent said they'd consider Mike Huckabee; and 54 percent said they'd consider Mitt Romney.
By contrast, only 48 percent said they'd consider voting for Clinton.

And no, I don't think it's because she's a woman that she polls so low. It's because she's bland, watered down, overly "on message," and pre-programmed by the Professional Election Losers over at the DLC.

Is Mitt Romney an android?

Adam — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:14:59 EDT

There's something a bit "off" about Mitt Romney. He looks and sounds like a normal person, but you might say there's a certain something missing. He seems hollow somehow. Thanks to YouTube we've seen that Mitt Romney can movingly (and with the appearance of the deepest sincerity) express the exact opposite opinion from one he movingly expressed a few months before.

One could argue that this flip-floppery doesn't set Romney apart from other politicians. But to me, Romney does seems different. His hollowness goes deeper, it's more complete.

For example, what kind of a person puts a pet dog into a carrier, straps the carrier to the roof of the car, and then drives for 12 hours? Yeah, according to the Boston Globe, that's exactly what Romney did back in 1983.

As if that wasn't strange enough, the Boston Globe adds this disgusting but revealing detail:

As the oldest son, Tagg Romney commandeered the way-back of the wagon, keeping his eyes fixed out the rear window, where he glimpsed the first sign of trouble. ''Dad!'' he yelled. ''Gross!'' A brown liquid was dripping down the back window, payback from an Irish setter who'd been riding on the roof in the wind for hours.

As the rest of the boys joined in the howls of disgust, Romney coolly pulled off the highway and into a service station. There, he borrowed a hose, washed down Seamus and the car, then hopped back onto the highway.

I mean, I'm sure the station wagon was crowded, but who treats the family dog like a suitcase?

A strike against Hillary Clinton

Adam — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:44:13 EDT

I'll get behind Hillary Clinton if she wins the Democratic nomination, but I hope she doesn't. Why? Because she, unlike Edwards or Obama, is deeply associated with the inaptly named "Democratic Leadership Council," or DLC.

Bush at 26%

Adam — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:18:56 EDT

26% seems high to me. It's hard to imagine that a quarter of Americans still think Bush has done a good job.

View the Newsweek Poll Here

It's only this high because 60% of Republicans still adore President Bush.

The lighter side of W

Adam — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:40:15 EDT

Hi everyone. I just posted a short "best of" video, showing some of Bush's funniest verbal blunders. I can't figure out how to embed videos here on PartyBuilder, so if you want to watch it, visit my other blog: Link

Happy Friday

Adam — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 21:09:21 EDT

Check out this graph of Bush's approval ratings, starting at the beginning of his term in 2001 to the present: LINK

a cold night in Ohio, 2004

Adam — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:49:10 EDT

In November, 2004 , I traveled to Columbus, Ohio the week before the presidential election to volunteer for John Kerry. Kerry wasn't my top choice for candidate, but we all knew how important it was to defeat Bush. When I got there, you wouldn't believe the energy in the air. It was amazing. People of all ages, races, religions, backgrounds, from all around the country (and local people) converging to volunteer and help.

And you know what happened? The local Democratic Party squandered about 99% of that energy.

I remember the night before the election standing in a big auditorium packed with volunteers, and watching the local party officials (through astounding incompetence and ego) throw away all that effort. They were supposed to be training us for election day, but they didn't bring the training materials, and none of the dozen party officials would get off the stage and drive the 5 miles to go get it. Instead, they all had speeches to give. I offered to drive and get the materials, and to make Kinkos copies myself (as did several other volunteers) but the offers were refused. "That's now how things are done." This happened with 2 consecutive volunteer trainings, both with the auditorium filled to capacity. And so the next day, Election Day 2004, those volunteers who hadn't given up and gone to work for MoveOn were untrained and uncoordinated.

The next day I showed up at a polling place in the heart of a low-income neighborhood on Columbus, Ohio. Party officials sent me there with a specific goal: I was supposed to answer voters' questions, and to check voters' names off the official party (registered voter) list as they came to the polling place. The idea was that this list would be picked up by a Party official in the afternoon, use it to find out which Democrats hadn't voted, and send volunteers knocking door to door and encourage them to vote. It's the classic Election Day "get out the vote" effort.

But after I stood all day at the election place, outside in the pouring rain, nobody from the Democratic Party ever came and picked up my voter list. I'd meticulously introduced myself to every voter and checked their name off the list. I still have that list, because nobody from the Party ever picked it up. I found out later, that this exact story repeated itself at polling places all over Columbus Ohio. The volunteers did their jobs, and there were more volunteers waiting to go door-do-door. But at polling place after polling place, Democratic Party officials pick up the voting lists! So it was all a waste. No door-to-door follow up at the homes of Democrats who hadn't voted yet.

This was Ohio, 2004. Remember Ohio, 2004? This was the State that decided the election. This was the State where Kerry lost by a handful of votes.

Up until the night before the election -- that night in the auditorium -- I was 100% sure we'd win. And suddenly that cold night, a tiny feeling crept in: "Oh my God. we're going to lose this. We're going to throw away the election that was handed to us on a sliver platter." I never forgot that night, and I never forgot how incompetence and ego in the senior local party officials threw away party energy and enthusiasm.

Since then I've been a deep supporter of the netroots, Howard Dean, and the 50-state strategy. I'm sure not every local party organization is as bad as the one in Columbus in 2004 -- for example, the local Democratic Party here in San Francisco runs a tight ship -- but where it's still like it was in Columbus, Ohio in 2004, we can't stand still. We need to take back our Party from incompetents and fools, this confederacy of dunces. We need to win.