MyVote
About the Author
if the people lead, the leaders will follow
check your local PBS Friday night listings for time and station
Todd Palin is an unregistered Independent and former member of the Alaskan Independence Party. He holds a pilot's licence and a commercial fisherman's licence. On two occasions he has sacrificed job advancement for the sake of his wife's career, but he is no wimp. He is 4 time Tesoro Iron Dog (snowmobile) champion (the longest contest of its type in the world). He's a union member with a 2007 claimed income of $92,790. His stepmother, Faye Palin, ran unsuccessfully in 2002 to succeed Sara Palin as mayor of Wasilla. Faye Palin ran without her step-daughter-in-law's endorsement, because Faye is a pro-choice Democrat.
but I' love to know the size of Bristol's dowry
I have to say, if I lived in a vacuum (or a vacuous world), I'd be sold on the Republican ticket. The problem (or remedy) is that I don't, but I worry how many do. The speeches I saw were inspiring and persuasive. All of them, however, were filled with distortion, misdirection. or out right fabrication.
Carly Fiorina referred numerous times to what McCain would accomplish in 2013 and what a great manager he will be. There have to be questions about what Fiorina knows about good managing. "Hewlett-Packard's stock jumped 7% on news of her departure."
Mitt Romney is a plain and simple whack-job. Articulate, handsome, and looney as Daffy Duck. He is foot tapping for Ronald Reagan to pass him a note under the stall with instructions on how to run again in 2012.
Mike Huckabee was probably the best of the supporting cast, but as divorced from reality as everyone else in the hall. He, particularly, refused to link any of today's problems to his own Party. He claimed the American people want less government - when the problems of today are the result of failed or absent government. My personal alarm went off when he claimed of Palin, "She got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States." Factcheck please.
Rudy was true Rudy still making passing reference to 9/11 and Bin Laden. He cited Palin's experience as Wasilla mayor being sufficient to run the country in an emergency. Compared to GWB, he may have a point.
Sara Palin gave a great speech which played fast and loose with facts. I can only hope Joe Biden has the tact and tenacity to keep her on point for their debate and the gumption to call her on her inevitable lapses. If he does he wins, If he doesn't he loses. It will be as simple as that.
Last night's Republican convention was so much better than it had any right to be. The problems facing our country, according to them, just happened and, boy, shouldn't we be delirious the Republicans under the direction of the mavericks John McCain and Sara Palin will be there to fix them. Along with audience chants of, "Drill, baby, drill", there were numerous calls for clean coal - as though such a thing existed, nuclear plants - as though any state wanted them, and those tax loving democrats - as though there were not bills to pay run up by the Republicans.
Out of context, Wednesday night's convention was remarkable theater, and the players delivered their lines very well. It could have been a scene right out of "It's A Wonderful Life" except in this version George Bailey's angel is presenting us with a fictitious past, present, and future. The only real analogy which could be made is that George's company (that's them) has lost the money, and the investors (that's us) will have to make it up. None of the Republicans mentioned that.
Sara Palin's acceptance speech...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_palin_text_1
AP on Rudy Giuliani's glowing praise of Palin...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080903/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_new_york_v_wasilla_2
in case you missed the RNC schedule
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/01/opinion/20080901_opart.html?th&emc=th
We all know the price of freedom. It is the price of a congressman that keeps changing.
A friend from Arizona emailed the following news to me but I have no source to credit...
Yesterday, Nancy Pfotenhauer, Sen. John McCain�s (R-AZ) senior policy adviser, claimed that she had been "misinformed" when she falsely stated that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita "did not spill a drop of oil." Today, McCain made another "misinformed" argument, claiming that oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico "have survived, very successfully, the impacts of hurricanes":
Q: Iâ��ve been listening to your comments around renewable resources â�" solar, tide, and wind â�" youâ��ve talked a lot about that, but you keep peppering your comments with offshore drilling. But Iâ��m not sure what you think the impact on our environment is based on that.
A: Keep the microphone. Iâ��m aware that off the coast of Louisiana and Texas there are oil rigs, as we well know, and those rigs have survived, very successfully, the impacts of hurricanes â�" hurricane Katrina as far as Louisiana is concerned.
McCain is wrong. According to press reports, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita "tore through the Gulf of Mexico�s offshore oil and gas fields, toppling production platforms, setting rigs adrift and rupturing pipelines." The U.S. Minerals Management Service reported that the hurricanes totally destroyed 113 offshore oil platforms.
The hurricanes cost Transocean, the largest offshore driller, "about $135 million in repairs, downtime and equipment upgrades" alone, and damage to offshore producers accounted for 77 percent of the oil industry�s storm costs. One offshore rig, the Ocean Warwick, drifted 66 nautical miles before running aground.
Yesterday, Nancy Pfotenhauer, Sen. John McCain�s (R-AZ) senior policy adviser, claimed that she had been "misinformed" when she falsely stated that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita "did not spill a drop of oil." Today, McCain made another "misinformed" argument, claiming that oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico "have survived, very successfully, the impacts of hurricanes":
Q: Iâ��ve been listening to your comments around renewable resources â�" solar, tide, and wind â�" youâ��ve talked a lot about that, but you keep peppering your comments with offshore drilling. But Iâ��m not sure what you think the impact on our environment is based on that.
A: Keep the microphone. Iâ��m aware that off the coast of Louisiana and Texas there are oil rigs, as we well know, and those rigs have survived, very successfully, the impacts of hurricanes â�" hurricane Katrina as far as Louisiana is concerned.
McCain is wrong. According to press reports, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita "tore through the Gulf of Mexico�s offshore oil and gas fields, toppling production platforms, setting rigs adrift and rupturing pipelines." The U.S. Minerals Management Service reported that the hurricanes totally destroyed 113 offshore oil platforms.
The hurricanes cost Transocean, the largest offshore driller, "about $135 million in repairs, downtime and equipment upgrades" alone, and damage to offshore producers accounted for 77 percent of the oil industry�s storm costs. One offshore rig, the Ocean Warwick, drifted 66 nautical miles before running aground.
Every one of us bears a measure of responsibility for the travesty which defines the Bush administration. We allowed it to happen - and some were more complicit than others. If you voted for him you'll have to convince me why you are not just as guilty as he is. A good place to start would be telling me what you're doing to make up for it.
But if anyone, whatever they did or didn't do, thinks they are insulated from the ramifications by income or education from the blunders directly attributable to Bush and his greedy friends, think again. As the economy worsens, as the housing market crumbles, as the debt grows, who will lose the most? Those with the most to lose!
When the uninsured visit the emergency room who gets reduced care? When a pharmaceutical company buys a politician who pays? When the house next door goes into foreclosure how is your investment affected? When no one can afford your goods or services what will you be able to buy? When the oceans rise and the air becomes toxic how will you be immune?
George Bush became president because too many people were not paying attention. Too many people thought there was little difference in what each Party offered to the voters. Too many people, in plain terms, just didn't give a shit outside of themselves and their pet issues.
What we, all of us, have gotten for our complacency is
...a war that costs approximately 2 to 3 billion dollars a week. When including indirect costs, equipment replacement, long term medical costs, and interest, the total bill could easily be 3 trillion dollars. If the Iraq war were to wind up costing only 1.9 trillion dollars (low side estimate), that would be $6,300 per US citizen. *1
In hindsight, no one can argue a justification for the Iraq war, but as of today 4,151 members of the US military have died and 30,568 have been wounded. 151,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed and 665,000 wounded. *2
...an economy in tatters. Wages increasingly have not kept up with inflation. The income gap between rich and poor has not been so high since the Great Depression.The Bush presidency turned a $128 billion dollar surplus into a $490 billion dollar deficit *3, *4
The Economic Performance Index comparing Bush/Clinton:
national debt reduction - Clinton +3.89%, Bush -0.94%
jobs - Clinton +2.38%, Bush -0.17% / jobs with good wages - Clinton +4.70%, Bush -1.00%
citizens with health insurance - Clinton +0.12%, Bush -0.55%
median household income - Clinton +1.65%, Bush -1.15%
people out of poverty - Clinton +2.29%, Bush -4.33%
*5
...a Patriot Act which violates the privacy of American citizens allowing warrantless wire, email, and phone taps and incarceration of American citizens without court approval or oversight, and the guarantee of legal representation.
...an administration bent on packing every available opening in every branch of the government with campaign contributor surrogates and ideological sympathizers. Under the Bush reign everything has been up for bid, your land, your water, your air, your resources, your airwaves, your privacy, your freedoms. Certainly, he was not the first, but his policies have been a giant President's Day mark-down sale.
A full list of assaults by this administration on the Constitution, the physical resources of the country and its the economic security, the sanctity of individual freedoms and personal opportunities are just too vast for me to recount. The bottom line is that we need to take heed of what has been done in our name and with our tacit agreement. We need to question our own integrity. Each of us needs to lead on doing what is right rather than being the last to give up doing what is wrong. We need to think past ourselves and today, and consider the community around us and tomorrow. The onus is ours. We let it happen and now we need to own up and act responsibly.
*1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_cost_of_the_Iraq_War
*2
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
*3
http://current.com/items/89145005_bush_presidency_turns_128b_surplus_into_490b_deficit
*4
http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=107&subsecID=295&contentID=252964
*5
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a08O9REm5k9c&refer=home
But if anyone, whatever they did or didn't do, thinks they are insulated from the ramifications by income or education from the blunders directly attributable to Bush and his greedy friends, think again. As the economy worsens, as the housing market crumbles, as the debt grows, who will lose the most? Those with the most to lose!
When the uninsured visit the emergency room who gets reduced care? When a pharmaceutical company buys a politician who pays? When the house next door goes into foreclosure how is your investment affected? When no one can afford your goods or services what will you be able to buy? When the oceans rise and the air becomes toxic how will you be immune?
George Bush became president because too many people were not paying attention. Too many people thought there was little difference in what each Party offered to the voters. Too many people, in plain terms, just didn't give a shit outside of themselves and their pet issues.
What we, all of us, have gotten for our complacency is
...a war that costs approximately 2 to 3 billion dollars a week. When including indirect costs, equipment replacement, long term medical costs, and interest, the total bill could easily be 3 trillion dollars. If the Iraq war were to wind up costing only 1.9 trillion dollars (low side estimate), that would be $6,300 per US citizen. *1
In hindsight, no one can argue a justification for the Iraq war, but as of today 4,151 members of the US military have died and 30,568 have been wounded. 151,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed and 665,000 wounded. *2
...an economy in tatters. Wages increasingly have not kept up with inflation. The income gap between rich and poor has not been so high since the Great Depression.The Bush presidency turned a $128 billion dollar surplus into a $490 billion dollar deficit *3, *4
The Economic Performance Index comparing Bush/Clinton:
national debt reduction - Clinton +3.89%, Bush -0.94%
jobs - Clinton +2.38%, Bush -0.17% / jobs with good wages - Clinton +4.70%, Bush -1.00%
citizens with health insurance - Clinton +0.12%, Bush -0.55%
median household income - Clinton +1.65%, Bush -1.15%
people out of poverty - Clinton +2.29%, Bush -4.33%
*5
...a Patriot Act which violates the privacy of American citizens allowing warrantless wire, email, and phone taps and incarceration of American citizens without court approval or oversight, and the guarantee of legal representation.
...an administration bent on packing every available opening in every branch of the government with campaign contributor surrogates and ideological sympathizers. Under the Bush reign everything has been up for bid, your land, your water, your air, your resources, your airwaves, your privacy, your freedoms. Certainly, he was not the first, but his policies have been a giant President's Day mark-down sale.
A full list of assaults by this administration on the Constitution, the physical resources of the country and its the economic security, the sanctity of individual freedoms and personal opportunities are just too vast for me to recount. The bottom line is that we need to take heed of what has been done in our name and with our tacit agreement. We need to question our own integrity. Each of us needs to lead on doing what is right rather than being the last to give up doing what is wrong. We need to think past ourselves and today, and consider the community around us and tomorrow. The onus is ours. We let it happen and now we need to own up and act responsibly.
*1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_cost_of_the_Iraq_War
*2
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
*3
http://current.com/items/89145005_bush_presidency_turns_128b_surplus_into_490b_deficit
*4
http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=107&subsecID=295&contentID=252964
*5
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a08O9REm5k9c&refer=home
Bush will not attend the convention
I am probably what the right wing would call a flaming liberal. I do not believe liberals have much to apologize for or be ashamed of. I base my liberalism more on reason than emotion. I simply believe humans can accomplish more through benevolent collectivism than through anarchy - but I also believe it is an individual's duty to maintain constant skepticism.
I can't figure out who is smarter (or dumber), the Republican machine which sits back and tries to exploit every chink in every wall of their thick-as-a-brick constituency or the Democratic machine which gets pushed into taking right positions by its members but fails to convert the unconvinced, or even try.
As usual, Bill Moyers Journal provoked my consideration with this week's program. As part of a guest introduction he made the following comment...
Watching the convention this week, I was reminded of another historic moment. The second of July 1964. The day my boss, Lyndon Johnson, the President of the United States, signed into law the Civil Rights Act, ending segregation in public facilities.
With Martin Luther King and other movement leaders crowding around him, it was quite a celebration. But, that evening, as I went over to the living quarters of the White House to take the President some official papers, I found him disconsolate.
"What's the matter," I ask, "this was a great day. You should be jubilant." He looked at me morosely and said, in effect, "I think we just handed the south to the Republicans for the rest of my life and yours." And so we had.
The south has since become more racially tolerant, but the Republicans have found, or created, other wedge issues to cement their hold over Dixie. Their principle tool is the promotion and reinforcement of ignorance. The south, and other Republican strongholds, can be identified by less spent on education, more breaks for corporations and, predictably, lower wages. That is not to say southerners are inherently dumb but they have, counter to their own self interests, been convinced the government will just waste the taxes levied on their harder-to-come-by wages. And Democrats have been sorely remiss in letting the Republicans get away with that argument.
The tale of governor Bob Riley (Alabama) personifies everything wrong with politics today. (Please do your own research for the complete story.) In his first term the staunchly Republican Riley proposed Amendment One which would have reformed the state's tax system, arguably the most regressive in the country. Taxes on business would be raised, taxes on the majority of citizens would be lowered, the gain would mostly go toward education. These changes would not have made Alabama a beacon but merely brought the state in line with its neighbors. To promote his point Riley asked the voters, "How would Jesus vote?"
Business hated the idea. The Republican machine hated the idea. The Democratic machine hated the idea (because it came from a Republican). Religious organizations were wary. All of the opponents distorted the facts and 68% of the voters rejected it. Riley was chastised, contrite, and is still in office.
In light of the Riley example, just envision where we (all of us) would be if the very liberal Lyndon Johnson had not been nudged into making the "right" choice. And consider, too, the failure of Democrats over the years to provide practical education to bolster their moral programs. Contrary to the Republican's contention, idealism can indeed be pragmatic - but you couldn't prove it by the Democrats
As we look forward to an Obama presidency, it behooves us to keep our skepticism on high alert and to weigh our national education needs. I am convinced we should take a hard look at both the Republican emphasis on business and science and the Democratic leaning toward arts and literature. In my opinion we should instead place a priority on ethics and civics.
It would indeed be a seminal moment in our history for a president to propose that a course on ethics be introduced into our primary school curriculum. The religious right has long held the teaching of moral action as their exclusive domain. I would eagerly look forward to a debate on that notion.
What we are most in need of today are not more executives, lawyers, film makers, pundits, politicians, or pop stars, it is better people. We need thoughtful, considerate people, conscientious, socially aware people, reasonable, rational people. A more focused education system can increase that likelihood. It sure is worth a try.
I can't figure out who is smarter (or dumber), the Republican machine which sits back and tries to exploit every chink in every wall of their thick-as-a-brick constituency or the Democratic machine which gets pushed into taking right positions by its members but fails to convert the unconvinced, or even try.
As usual, Bill Moyers Journal provoked my consideration with this week's program. As part of a guest introduction he made the following comment...
Watching the convention this week, I was reminded of another historic moment. The second of July 1964. The day my boss, Lyndon Johnson, the President of the United States, signed into law the Civil Rights Act, ending segregation in public facilities.
With Martin Luther King and other movement leaders crowding around him, it was quite a celebration. But, that evening, as I went over to the living quarters of the White House to take the President some official papers, I found him disconsolate.
"What's the matter," I ask, "this was a great day. You should be jubilant." He looked at me morosely and said, in effect, "I think we just handed the south to the Republicans for the rest of my life and yours." And so we had.
The south has since become more racially tolerant, but the Republicans have found, or created, other wedge issues to cement their hold over Dixie. Their principle tool is the promotion and reinforcement of ignorance. The south, and other Republican strongholds, can be identified by less spent on education, more breaks for corporations and, predictably, lower wages. That is not to say southerners are inherently dumb but they have, counter to their own self interests, been convinced the government will just waste the taxes levied on their harder-to-come-by wages. And Democrats have been sorely remiss in letting the Republicans get away with that argument.
The tale of governor Bob Riley (Alabama) personifies everything wrong with politics today. (Please do your own research for the complete story.) In his first term the staunchly Republican Riley proposed Amendment One which would have reformed the state's tax system, arguably the most regressive in the country. Taxes on business would be raised, taxes on the majority of citizens would be lowered, the gain would mostly go toward education. These changes would not have made Alabama a beacon but merely brought the state in line with its neighbors. To promote his point Riley asked the voters, "How would Jesus vote?"
Business hated the idea. The Republican machine hated the idea. The Democratic machine hated the idea (because it came from a Republican). Religious organizations were wary. All of the opponents distorted the facts and 68% of the voters rejected it. Riley was chastised, contrite, and is still in office.
In light of the Riley example, just envision where we (all of us) would be if the very liberal Lyndon Johnson had not been nudged into making the "right" choice. And consider, too, the failure of Democrats over the years to provide practical education to bolster their moral programs. Contrary to the Republican's contention, idealism can indeed be pragmatic - but you couldn't prove it by the Democrats
As we look forward to an Obama presidency, it behooves us to keep our skepticism on high alert and to weigh our national education needs. I am convinced we should take a hard look at both the Republican emphasis on business and science and the Democratic leaning toward arts and literature. In my opinion we should instead place a priority on ethics and civics.
It would indeed be a seminal moment in our history for a president to propose that a course on ethics be introduced into our primary school curriculum. The religious right has long held the teaching of moral action as their exclusive domain. I would eagerly look forward to a debate on that notion.
What we are most in need of today are not more executives, lawyers, film makers, pundits, politicians, or pop stars, it is better people. We need thoughtful, considerate people, conscientious, socially aware people, reasonable, rational people. A more focused education system can increase that likelihood. It sure is worth a try.
My picks (in order)
Al Gore
Bill Clinton
Hillary Clinton*
Beau Biden
*In the context that she sounded a bit like she was still running
Al Gore
Bill Clinton
Hillary Clinton*
Beau Biden
*In the context that she sounded a bit like she was still running
My server went down while this was still on the front page and the pix didn't show. It seemed well received so I'm reposting.
The conversation
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The conversation
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The Dems get Connecticut back for the presidential race.
I presumed the entire state would vote Republican if Lieberman were chosen as McCain's VP just so they could get rid of him.
I presumed the entire state would vote Republican if Lieberman were chosen as McCain's VP just so they could get rid of him.
Germans probing whether Bayer pesticide caused honeybee colony collapse
McClatchy Environment news
By Sabine Vollmer, Raleigh News & Observer Tue Aug 26, 08
RALEIGH, N.C. Bayer CropScience is facing scrutiny because of the effect one of its best-selling pesticides has had on honeybees.
A German prosecutor is investigating Werner Wenning , Bayer's chairman, and Friedrich Berschauer , the head of Bayer CropScience , after critics alleged that they knowingly polluted the environment.
...
On the other side of the Atlantic, the Natural Resources Defense Council is pressing for research information on clothianidin.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the pesticide in 2003 under the condition that Bayer submit additional data. A lawsuit, which the environmental group filed Aug. 19 in federal court in Washington , accuses the EPA of hiding the honeybee data.
Bayer is not touting this story but rather their new plant in China...
August 21, 2008
Further expansion of activities in China:
Bayer MaterialScience starts (EUR 2.1 billion) construction of a world-scale TDI (toluene diisocyanate) plant in Shanghai
Bayer's most well known consumer item is aspirin but they make a raft of other products which we should all consider boycotting. Read More »
McClatchy Environment news
By Sabine Vollmer, Raleigh News & Observer Tue Aug 26, 08
RALEIGH, N.C. Bayer CropScience is facing scrutiny because of the effect one of its best-selling pesticides has had on honeybees.
A German prosecutor is investigating Werner Wenning , Bayer's chairman, and Friedrich Berschauer , the head of Bayer CropScience , after critics alleged that they knowingly polluted the environment.
...
On the other side of the Atlantic, the Natural Resources Defense Council is pressing for research information on clothianidin.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the pesticide in 2003 under the condition that Bayer submit additional data. A lawsuit, which the environmental group filed Aug. 19 in federal court in Washington , accuses the EPA of hiding the honeybee data.
Bayer is not touting this story but rather their new plant in China...
August 21, 2008
Further expansion of activities in China:
Bayer MaterialScience starts (EUR 2.1 billion) construction of a world-scale TDI (toluene diisocyanate) plant in Shanghai
Bayer's most well known consumer item is aspirin but they make a raft of other products which we should all consider boycotting. Read More »
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity..."
The Democratic Convention will move from the 20,000-seat Pepsi Center to 76,000-seat Invesco Field for Barack Obama's acceptance speech on the final night, Thursday. John McCain, on the other hand, would be lucky to fill the Minneapolis VFW Post 246 were it not for... #1 the corporate crooks and liars, #2 the "I want to cram my religious beliefs down your throat" contingent and #3 the die-hards who believe, contrary to all evidence, Republicans are good for defence and the economy.
But look at the difference. Republicans are supporting an ideology, The Democrats are supporting a pop star who will make it all better. Not! Each of those perspectives are wrong. We are in the fix we're in not because we didn't have an Obama. We are here because we relied on others to stand in front of the tanks and they ran for cover.
There may not be an adult in the US who has not heard the phrase, "tax and spend" applied to the Democrats. Conversely, I have never heard a Democratic politician refer to the Republicans as the Party of "borrow and spend". Of course the Republicans offer temporary benefits. They do it on our credit card. Of course the Republicans are strong on defence. They invade Granada and Panama and rush to the aid of Kuwait.
The words above from the Preamble to the Constitution do not say we the undersigned, they say we the people. The people are responsible for filling those promises, not the President, not the Supreme Court, not the Congress. We will always be vulnerable to the Republican ideologists as long as we are willing to look the other way, or look for a redemptor, or look to the stars for salvation. We the people let Bush happen and we the people have a debt to pay.
The Democratic Convention will move from the 20,000-seat Pepsi Center to 76,000-seat Invesco Field for Barack Obama's acceptance speech on the final night, Thursday. John McCain, on the other hand, would be lucky to fill the Minneapolis VFW Post 246 were it not for... #1 the corporate crooks and liars, #2 the "I want to cram my religious beliefs down your throat" contingent and #3 the die-hards who believe, contrary to all evidence, Republicans are good for defence and the economy.
But look at the difference. Republicans are supporting an ideology, The Democrats are supporting a pop star who will make it all better. Not! Each of those perspectives are wrong. We are in the fix we're in not because we didn't have an Obama. We are here because we relied on others to stand in front of the tanks and they ran for cover.
There may not be an adult in the US who has not heard the phrase, "tax and spend" applied to the Democrats. Conversely, I have never heard a Democratic politician refer to the Republicans as the Party of "borrow and spend". Of course the Republicans offer temporary benefits. They do it on our credit card. Of course the Republicans are strong on defence. They invade Granada and Panama and rush to the aid of Kuwait.
The words above from the Preamble to the Constitution do not say we the undersigned, they say we the people. The people are responsible for filling those promises, not the President, not the Supreme Court, not the Congress. We will always be vulnerable to the Republican ideologists as long as we are willing to look the other way, or look for a redemptor, or look to the stars for salvation. We the people let Bush happen and we the people have a debt to pay.
The pre-nup
By all measures Joseph Biden is an excellent running mate for Barack Obama. He is a card-carrying liberal. He probably knows as much about Congressional procedure as Senator Byrd. He will not upstage Obama and they already enjoy a good working relationship. He is liked and respected among his colleagues. His most important asset will be to advise the new president on how to get legislation pushed past the Republicans into law.
There is a rumor circulating, however, about a prearrangement made between the two Senators upon which the veep nomination hinged.
The dumb-shit clause
There is no question Biden is very intelligent. His only major blemish is that he tends toward the verbose. That would be in the manner of Fidel Castro revolution anniversary speech verbose. Unfortunately his mouth sometimes crosses the finish line well before his brain has gotten to the clubhouse turn. This has, on numerous occasions, lead him to make utterances which, at best, could be described as ill considered. In most instances this has been a matter of how a concept was conveyed rather than a flaw in the concept itself.
The hush-hush agreement concerns that failing. Biden has promised to rein himself in. He has agreed to counseling, therapy, whatever it takes. He has vowed, to the best of his ability - at least in an official capacity - not to say dumb shit.
Old habits die hard but any slips will probably seem tame after a generation of Bushisms . We wish the happy couple all of the best.
By all measures Joseph Biden is an excellent running mate for Barack Obama. He is a card-carrying liberal. He probably knows as much about Congressional procedure as Senator Byrd. He will not upstage Obama and they already enjoy a good working relationship. He is liked and respected among his colleagues. His most important asset will be to advise the new president on how to get legislation pushed past the Republicans into law.
There is a rumor circulating, however, about a prearrangement made between the two Senators upon which the veep nomination hinged.
The dumb-shit clause
There is no question Biden is very intelligent. His only major blemish is that he tends toward the verbose. That would be in the manner of Fidel Castro revolution anniversary speech verbose. Unfortunately his mouth sometimes crosses the finish line well before his brain has gotten to the clubhouse turn. This has, on numerous occasions, lead him to make utterances which, at best, could be described as ill considered. In most instances this has been a matter of how a concept was conveyed rather than a flaw in the concept itself.
The hush-hush agreement concerns that failing. Biden has promised to rein himself in. He has agreed to counseling, therapy, whatever it takes. He has vowed, to the best of his ability - at least in an official capacity - not to say dumb shit.
Old habits die hard but any slips will probably seem tame after a generation of Bushisms . We wish the happy couple all of the best.
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