Political Thunder

Glenn Beck to Join FOX News

2008-10-17T03:46:00.003-04:00

Oh, BIG surprise... Following Huckabee, Glenn joins the dark side. Maybe it was because his ratings were so low...

Politico:

Drudge teased this earlier, and Fox News has announced that conservative radio and television host Glenn Beck is joining the network, leaving behind CNN's Headline News. Beck will host a show at 5 p.m. on Fox beginning in the spring (Full release after the jump).

It hasn't yet been determined when Beck's last day will be, but I've heard from a network source that Headline News was already preparing to re-air "Lou Dobbs Tonight" at 9pm, instead of Beck's show (which first airs at 7pm). When Beck leaves, Dobbs show will be in the 9pm slot, but no decision on 7pm.

"Glenn has been a terrific employee and colleague to many of us at CNN," a network spokesperson said in a statement. "We wish him well.”

LINK: Glenn Beck joins Fox News

Yeah, yeah. I know I've not been posting. I'm sorry, I'm still on a break.

-Mr. Joseph

Huckabee rips Pat Robertson!

2008-08-28T05:22:00.003-04:00

Referencing Pat Robertson's "ability" to predict and prevent storms from striking America, Mike Huckabee made quite a humorous dig at the aging TV evangelist.

Think Progress...

During his radio show today, conservative talker Rush Limbaugh asked former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) how he believed the Republican party would respond if Hurricane Gustav makes landfall in New Orleans during the Republican National Convention. “I think they’ve called in Pat Robertson to pray it off the coast,” Huckabee jokingly responded.

LINK: Huckabee jokes that Republicans have ‘called in Pat Robertson to pray’ Hurricane Gustav ‘off the coast.’

You can listen to it here.

A couple of things strike me in this clip. First of all, when did Mike Huckabee and Rush Limbaugh become so friendly? Earlier in the primary season, Rush repeatedly bashed Huckabee. And Huckabee was not so gracious towards Rush, either. However, he did eventually rolled over and knelt at the feet of the talk show giant. This is also interesting about Huckabee because he has been called "the new Pat Robertson" regarding his influence in the evangelical movement and his upcoming TV show on FOX. So, is this his way of attempting to push Robertson out the door? Is this a sublte attempt to undermine Pat Robertson's credibility? Remember, Huckabee is no fan of Robertson, he implied that Robertson 'lost his way' here. Also, I thought this might be a subtle dig at Republicans who still support Robertson or perhaps an even sublter criticism or how the Republicans handled Hurricane Katrina. (Here's how John McCain handled it.)

To this day, Mike Huckabee is my favorite of the former GOP Presidential contenters, and altough I think he has become a parody of himself in sorts, I still think he's pretty cool. At least he has a sense of humor.

-Mr. Joseph

PT Update...

2008-08-28T02:34:00.004-04:00

Hi all, as you can tell, I have take the better part of the Summer off from blogging. I have been paying close attention to politics and I am watching the Democratic National Convention as I write this, but I haven't updated this website since July. And for that, I'm sorry. I've been spending most of my time working, preparing for my second semester of college, and dealing with West Allis Public Access regarding my documentary (which I plan to release by the end of September).

I've also spend a lot of time going to classic rock concerts. Since the end of June, I've seen the Steve Miller Band, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Styx, Boston, Elvis Costello, The Police (currently on their final tour), Alice Cooper, REO Speedwagon, and I have tickets to see Bruce Springsteen on Saturday (my birthday!) and then the Eagles in September! I don't know about you, but I have learned that I LOVE live performances! But I digress.

As you know, I have skipped covering a lot of major news this summer -- most notably, the Edwards Sex Scandal. I am in a bit of a predicament with that -- I endorsed him and repeatedly announced good news from his campaign. I also was very proud that I was able to meet the man in person. So, given his admission to the affair and the obvious end of his career, I guess I will have to accept that he will never hold office again, which is dissappointing because he had more political potential than almost anyone in the country. But I what I will not accept is the idea that because he had an affair, he is no longer to be deemed credible. This is nonsense. Edwards's message is as important today as it always was. And that message of "Two Americas" must not be ignored simply because he cheated on his wife. Speaking off, I really feel just awful for Elizabeth. Her lifelong career of bringing important issues to the forefront of political discussion is now being sideswiped by the media's fascination with scandal. This is reprehensible -- Elizabeth has worked too hard to be overshadowed by John's poor decision. I am happy, by the way, that John did not drag Elizabeth for his Nightline interview. That is just so degrading and it just makes me furious when guys like Larry Craig or Elliot Spitzer bring their respective wives into the spotlight just to make it appear they have marital support.

Well, I'm done ranting and I'll close this post with saying that I will start posting more often, and I will have two essays entitled "The Case Against McCain" and "My Endorsement of Obama" that I will release soon.

So check back soon!

-Mr. Joseph

PS I will also review some political events I attended including a speech by David Horowitz, an Obama campaign rally, and a private Republican dinner with McCain that I worked at.

PT Presents Creedence Clearwater Revisited!

2008-07-17T05:39:00.002-04:00

Obviously, I am taking a Summer break of blogging. And I'm sorry for the false promises, but I have been quite busy. I will pick it up again soon enough, but for now -- enjoy these two videos I took of Creedence Clearwater Revisited at Summerfest 2008 in Milwaukee!

LINK: Down on the Corner (Live)

LINK: Who'll Stop the Rain (Live)

-Mr. Joseph

PT presents the Steve Miller Band!

2008-06-30T18:28:00.004-04:00

The Steve Miller Band performed live at Summerfest last night, and I was lucky enough to get tickets. I was also lucky enough to smuggle my video camera in and record one of my favorite Steve Miller songs.

So, for your listening pleasure, here's "Abracadabra"...

LINK: Abracadabra (Live) - The Steve Miller Band

-Mr. Joseph

Gore endorses Obama!

2008-06-16T20:28:00.005-04:00

I know how quiet it has been around here -- my summer has been quite busy, but don't worry, after a few days I'll be able to start posting again.

Until then, here's an update from the campaign trail...

MyWayNews...

Al Gore is endorsing Barack Obama and promising to help the Democrat achieve what eluded him - the presidency.

In a letter to be e-mailed to Obama supporters, the former vice president and Nobel Prize winner wrote, "From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected president of the United States."

In 2000, Gore won the popular vote but lost the disputed 2000 election to George W. Bush, who captured Florida and its electoral votes after a divided Supreme Court ended the recount. Since then, Gore has made combatting global warming his signature issue, and has been recognized worldwide for his effort - from an Academy Award for a documentary for his effort to the Nobel prize.

"Over the past 18 months, Barack Obama has united a movement. He knows change does not come from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or Capitol Hill. It begins when people stand up and take action," Gore wrote. "With the help of millions of supporters like you, Barack Obama will bring the change we so desperately need in order to solve our country's most pressing problems."

The former vice president also asked for donations to help fund Obama's effort - the first time he's asked members of his Web site AlGore.com to contribute to a political campaign.

Gore is one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, but he kept a low profile in the primary campaign. He's planning to appear with Obama at a rally in Detroit Monday night.

LINK: Gore endorses Obama

Good to read...

Mr. Joseph

PS In addition to regular posting, I'll also have my videos of John Edwards, Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich and others up soon. I'll also have video and summary of when David Horowiz visited UWM in late April.

Edwards Endorses Obama!

2008-05-15T01:16:00.003-04:00

Well, this is it. I am now 100% behind Obama. Edwards finally announced his endorsement of Barack Obama. This is fantastic news. Hopefully, it will help bring an quicker end to this ridiculously long primary battle.

NY Times...

At a rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Wednesday evening, John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama, who was on the stage with him, to be the Democratic nominee for president.

Sounding a theme of a nation divided into parts by walls, Mr. Edwards said, “The reason I am here tonight is that Democratic voters in America have made their choice and so have I.”

Mr. Edwards then went on to say, “There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to tear down that wall and make one America, Barack Obama.”

Mr. Obama, who had introduced Mr. Edwards as “one of the great leaders we have in the Democratic Party, ” responded by saying he was grateful to him for coming to Michigan and giving his endorsement.

Mr. Obama also noted how Mr. Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, had emphasized health care as an issue that is of primary concern, then said it would be a major issue in his administration.

The endorsement comes at a time when the appeal of Mr. Obama appears to be lagging among white, blue-collar voters, a group to which Mr. Edwards openly appealed.

Mr. Edwards’s endorsement also brings in tow 19 convention delegates he won in early party selections. He could certainly urge them to give their support to Mr. Obama, though they would not be obligated by party rules to do so.

Mr. Edwards had campaigned for the Democratic nomination for 13 months before dropping out of the race in January. He had been the first major Democrat to declare his candidacy.

Although Mr. Edwards had declined to endorse either of his rivals, there were signs that his political positions were more closely aligned with those of Mr. Obama than Mrs. Clinton. Most of Mr. Edwards’s former staff and advisers, including David E. Bonior, his former national campaign chairman, declared their support for Mr. Obama after Mr. Edwards left the race.

Mr. Edwards sought to make economic and social issues the center of his campaign and called for efforts to combat poverty in the United States. He announced his candidacy in New Orleans some 16 months after Hurricane Katrina struck and, echoed his 2004 bid for the Democratic nomination, by seeking to cast himself as the populist candidate and focusing on economic issues and job creation. He gained early support from a number of labor unions.

Mr. Edwards’s wife, Elizabeth, campaigned actively on his behalf, focusing on access to health care as her primary issue. Mrs. Edwards, who had been diagnosed with cancer during the 2004 campaign, said during this campaign that it had spread but had stopped.

Mr. Edwards alienated some supporters by abandoning his approach in the 2004 campaign in which he refused to criticize his rivals by name. After running unsuccessfully as John Kerry’s vice presidential running mate, Mr. Edwards began positioning himself for a second run at the presidency.

Early election results were disappointing for Mr. Edwards, who could not manage to gain headway against Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton. He came in third in the South Carolina primary, the state in which he was born and which he won during the 2004 presidential primary.

He announced his withdrawal from the race in the same place he began his campaign — against a backdrop of New Orleans houses damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Edwards did not make an endorsement at that time, but said both candidates had told him they would continue his theme of ending poverty as part of their campaigns.

The endorsement ended months of speculation over Mr. Edwards’s preference in the Democratic nominating contest, during which he mostly stayed silent and close to home in Chapel Hill with his wife, Elizabeth.

But in recent days, Mr. Edwards had made his choice all but obvious, giving a series of television interviews hinting that he was close to endorsing Mr. Obama, who last week he called “clearly the nominee at this point.”

And it was little surprise to close observers of Mr. Edwards on the campaign trail in the past year, when he regularly attacked so-called establishment politicians like Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and teamed with Mr. Obama against her in debates.

Throughout his second bid for the Democratic nomination, Mr. Edwards clashed repeatedly with Mrs. Clinton, criticizing her for accepting campaign contributions from lobbyists, a practice that he fiercely opposed.

And much of his campaign pitch centered on the notion that Washington politicians have become corrupted by the influence of lobbyists for drug companies, oil companies and other corporate interests.

“You can’t just trade corporate Republicans for corporate Democrats,” he told audiences frequently, an attack aimed at Mrs. Clinton.

But aides to Mr. Edwards said despite his personal admiration and respect for Mr. Obama, he was concerned about Mr. Obama’s experience and readiness for the job.

And he had another consideration: how to position himself for a job in the next president’s administration. As Mr. Edwards saw it, aides said, Mrs. Clinton seemed to be more likely than Mr. Obama to win the nomination.

That was before the nominating contests on Feb. 5, however, when Mr. Obama came out virtually tied with Mrs. Clinton; and the subsequent primaries and caucuses that Mr. Obama won decisively, giving him a significant advantage over Mrs. Clinton in the delegate count.

Mr. Edwards has carefully played down his aspirations for an administration role. In an interview in January, he said he would not accept a vice-presidential spot or Cabinet position. “No, absolutely not,” he said, shaking his head emphatically when asked.

But privately, he told aides that he would consider the role of vice president, and favored the position of attorney general, which would appeal to his experience of decades spent in courtrooms as a trial lawyer in North Carolina; and his desire to follow in the footsteps of Robert F. Kennedy, one of his heroes.

Not long after Mr. Edwards dropped out of the race, John C. Moylan, a close friend and adviser who ran his South Carolina campaign, said Mr. Edwards he would consider a Cabinet spot. “You don’t run for president unless you want to work in the administration,” Mr. Moylan said.

Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton have both heavily courted Mr. Edwards’s endorsement, calling him frequently and sending messages through surrogates. Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Clinton secretly met at his home in Chapel Hill in March; a meeting with Mr. Obama, scheduled several days later, was rescheduled because of intense media attention once news of the two meetings became known.

Since dropping out of the race, he has stressed his devotion to the issue of poverty, and promoted his new antipoverty initiative, Half in Ten. He extracted promises from both candidates to focus on poverty as president, and Mrs. Clinton, in a clear gesture to Mr. Edwards, said she would create a Cabinet-level “poverty czar” if she is elected president.

Even before Mr. Edwards withdrew from the presidential race, he began lengthy discussions with his advisers about whom he should endorse. His top aides were split: among them, Joe Trippi, a senior adviser, strongly favored Mr. Obama; Harrison Hickman, his longtime friend and pollster, argued for a Clinton endorsement.

But the kinship between the two campaigns has become most plain by the migration of most of Mr. Edwards’s former staff members and aides to the Obama campaign.

Terry McAuliffe, the Clinton campaign chairman, responded to the endorsement: "We respect John Edwards," he said in a statement, "but as the voters of West Virginia showed last night, this thing is far from over."

LINK: John Edwards Endorses Barack Obama

FLASHBACK: PT endorses John Edwards

-Mr. Joseph

Vintage O'Reilly Meltdown: "Fuck it! ...Fuckin' thing SUCKS!"

2008-05-15T01:00:00.005-04:00

An recently released clip of Bill O'Reilly losing his temper on his old set at Inside Edition hit the internet this week, and it is just so hilarious that I had to download it.

O'Reilly explained it as "...just me practicing for my conversations with Geraldo."

Enjoy...

RELATED READING...

LINK: Top Ten Angry On-Camera Meltdowns

-Mr. Joseph

PS With summer beginning, you can expect me to start posting again quite regularly.

Colbert Report: "edWORDs"

2008-04-19T06:48:00.003-04:00

This is probably the funniest thing I have seen in awhile. Edwards reminds me again why he was the candidate that I picked to support in this race. He also reminds me why he is one of my favorite politicians: a genuine sense of humor.

Crooks and Liars...

Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards took over the Wørd segment from Stephen Colbert to discuss the all important demographic in this election: white, male voters. And who better to talk about their values than Edwards?

You know, Stephen, you’re right about white males playing an important part in this election. Their votes are being courted as a demographic tiebreaker between these two tough candidates and no white male’s vote is being courted more vigorously than this one. [points to self]

It is no secret that both campaigns have sought my support. So far, I haven’t decided which of these excellent candidates I’m going to endorse. On the one hand, I don’t want to be seen as anti-hope. On the other hand, I don’t want James Carville to bite me. So who? Who am I going to vote for in the next to the last primary, North Carolina? Well, I’ll support whoever presents a platform that’s consistent with my values. I’ll support the candidate who’ll raise the federal minimum wage. Someone who’ll fight for the 37 million Americans who wake up in poverty every day. Somebody who’ll protect the interest of working families. Also, I’d like a jet-ski.

LINK: The Colbert Report: EdWørds!

Of course, to counter my favorite candidate of the 2008 race doing a very funny monologue, my least favorite candidate of the 2008 race did a very unfunny monologue. (But I have to give Mitt credit -- the "number one" reason was hilarious!)

-Mr. Joseph

"Six months at a time..."

2008-04-10T06:26:00.003-04:00

Sorry I have not been posting much. I will return to more consistent news coverage soon.

Check out this new video by MoveOn.org...

LINK: Endless war on the installment plan

RELATED READING...

LINK: Straight Talk McCain

LINK: The Real McCain

-Mr. Joseph

Bay Buchanan at UWM!

2008-03-26T01:38:00.003-04:00

Conservative pundit and sister of Pat Buchanan, Bay Buchanan, came to deliver a speech entitled "The Failure of Feminism". I, of course, decided to show up with the UWM feminists from VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood.

Less that thirty people showed up, which was too bad. But on the up side, I got to ask her a question. I also got to speak with her after the event. In addition, I got some good photos and a little bit of video. Hopefully, I'll get all my videos on this computer soon. I'm still working on it. I have video of John Edwards, Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich, and Barack Obama.

Her speech on feminism were the usual complaints about abortion, divorce, and promiscuous sex. She spoke briefly on immigration, leadership, and the 2008 election, too. I was so happy when she declared that there was "no excitement in the Republican Party for John McCain". Eventually she got to answer questions. Several members of VOX challenged her abortion stance for the most part, she held her own. The questions got a little silly at times -- from a guy who asked the question twice about why being a "moderate" was the best political position, to even a Ron Paul fanatic!

The highlight of my night was when I asked her a question. I first asked how her brother (Pat Buchanan) was and if "he was going to run for president again?". She laughed and said that she "never knows" what he's up to. Then I brought the hammer down.

I then said, "In your speech, you said that you believe that abortion is the single most selfish act is abortion and that you couldn't thing of anything more selfish. Might I suggest that rape is?"

The room was silent and her tone changed immediately. She said that because rape is a criminal act that is wasn't comparable. She then gave the talking points about how terrible abortion is. But she acknowledged that I had a good point. And that was important because she stressed that everyone should acknowledge when their opponents have a good point.

After speaking to her for awhile afterwards, I remembered that I am not a complete partisan. There are some traditional conservative beliefs that I agree with (such as securing the border). And both Bay and Pat Buchanan hold some liberal beliefs (like Fair Trade). So it was really refreshing to see a conservative give a speech with some points that I could agree with.

Here's a photo from the event...
Yep, I'm also surprised she posed with me!

All in all, it was a good time. I got everything I hope for when I go see speakers. So now my list of political figures I have seen can now include Bay Buchanan.

-Mr. Joseph

Also, I found out that David "Democrats are worse than terrorists" Horowitz will becoming to UWM in late April. I plan to attend that, but I doubt I will enjoy it as much as this one.

Coulter's Credit Card: DENIED

2008-02-27T16:13:00.002-05:00

This is hilarious.

NYPost...

Ann Coulter suffered a serious embarrassment over the weekend when her credit card was declined in Palm Beach. According to our spy, the nutty arch-conservative was caught at 9:45 p.m. Saturday night in the 10 Items or Less line at the local Publix when her card was rejected. "She was embarrassed but didn't make a scene," our witness said. "She just paid with cash and ran out of there. But at least she's eating."

LINK: STRICTLY CASH

RELATED READING...

LINK: Coulter’s Credit Card Denied at FL Supermarket

I know how embarrassing that is, but I'm not a millionaire like her. It looks like she needs to book a few more speeches, considering her book sales are suffering...

On a related note, this is funny, too.

-Mr. Joseph

Obama wins WI primary!

2008-02-25T14:22:00.002-05:00

And by a huge margin! Congratulations to Sen. Obama! And to Christopher Larson, a local politician who won his primary for Milwaukee Country Supervisor. I was happy to vote for both.

NY Times reports....

Senator Barack Obama decisively beat Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Wisconsin primary and the Hawaii caucuses on Tuesday night, accelerating his momentum ahead of crucial primaries in Ohio and Texas and cutting into Mrs. Clinton’s support among women and union members.
With the two rivals now battling state by state over margins of victory and allotment of delegates, surveys of voters leaving the Wisconsin polls showed Mr. Obama, of Illinois, making new inroads with those two groups as well as middle-age voters and continuing to win support from white men and younger voters — a performance that yielded grim tidings for Mrs. Clinton, of New York.
On the Republican side, Senator John McCain of Arizona won a commanding victory over Mike Huckabee in the Wisconsin contest and led by a wide margin in Washington State. All but assured of his party’s nomination, Mr. McCain immediately went after Mr. Obama during a rally in Ohio, deriding “eloquent but empty” calls for change.
For Mr. Obama, Hawaii was his 10th consecutive victory, a streak in which he has not only run up big margins in many states but also pulled votes from once-stalwart supporters of Mrs. Clinton, like low- and middle-income people and women.
Mrs. Clinton wasted no time in signaling that she would now take a tougher line against Mr. Obama — a recognition, her advisers said, that she must act to alter the course of the campaign and define Mr. Obama on her terms.
In a speech in Ohio shortly after the polls closed in Wisconsin, she alluded to what her campaign considers Mr. Obama’s lack of experience, and his support for a health insurance plan that would not initially seek to cover all Americans.
“This is the choice we face: One of us is ready to be commander in chief in a dangerous world,” Mrs. Clinton said in the remarks, which she also planned to expand upon in a speech in New York City on Wednesday. “One of us has faced serious Republican opposition in the past — and one of us is ready to do it again.” Mrs. Clinton did not mention the Wisconsin results; she did, however, call Mr. Obama to congratulate him on the victory.
As Mrs. Clinton was speaking, Mr. Obama appeared on stage at a rally in Texas, effectively cutting her off as cable television networks dropped her in midsentence, a telling sign of the showmanship power of a front-runner.
“Houston, I think we achieved liftoff here,” Mr. Obama told a crowd of 20,000 people in that city as he hailed the voters of Wisconsin. “The change we seek is still months and miles away, and we need the good people of Texas to help us get there.”
With 90 percent of the electoral precincts in Wisconsin reporting, Mr. Obama had 58 percent of the vote to Mrs. Clinton’s 41 percent. On the Republican side, Mr. McCain had 55 percent to Mr. Huckabee’s 37 percent. And early returns in Washington State showed him with 48 percent of the vote to Mr. Huckabee’s 21 percent. In Hawaii, Mr. Obama had 75 percent of the vote, with 71 of precincts reporting, while Mrs. Clinton had 24 percent.
More...

LINK: Obama Extends Streak to 10 and Makes Inroads Among Women

I was able to see both Sen. Obama AND Sen. McCain the Saturday beforehand. In addition, my grandmother and aunt met Hillary Clinton, while Mike Huckabee campaigned within three miles of my house.

It was all very exciting. More on this later.

-Mr. Joseph

Wednesday Funnies

2008-02-20T11:08:00.002-05:00

The latest "This Modern World" by Tom Tomorrow is quite funny...LINK: This Modern World

-Mr. Joseph

Al Gore voted for...

2008-02-07T22:59:00.000-05:00

...someone we will not know...

The Politico...

Al Gore hasn't made an endorsement, but he has made his choice.

Gore's Smith County ballot was one of the 631,680 counted yesterday in Tennessee, where Clinton won the state by a 54% to 40% margin.

"He early voted," said Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider. "As a private citizens, neither of the Gores are releasing who they voted for."

LINK: Al Gore's vote

I'm surprised he did not endorse anyone. But, I can understand: it's a tough choice. However, I hope Edwards will choose to endorse.

-Mr. Joseph

Eastwood on Coulter: "very masochistic"

2008-02-07T22:21:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite actors, Clint Eastwood made a great point about Ann Coulter and other conservatives (like Rush Limbaugh and James Dobson and Glenn Beck) in response to this...

Chicago Tribune...

Clint Eastwood, actor, film director and producer and himself a smalltown mayor, sees a sense of masochism in the Republicans -- like Ann Coulter -- who say they cannot support John McCain's bid for the White House.

And Coulter has a new line of her own.

Happy Chinese New Year.

In an interview with FOX Business Network’s Neil Cavuto live from Pebble Beach, Calif., at the site of the AT&T National Pro-Am Golf Tournament aired this evening, Eastwood talks politics.

Eastwood has this to say about Ann Coulter’s claim that she would vote for Hillary Clinton over John McCain: "Conservatives, often times, are very masochistic. They say, 'I’d rather not show up than have so-and-so. If it’s not my guy then I won’t show up’. You can’t be that way.”

Coulter, commentator and author of If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d be Republicans, had said last week on FOX's Hannity and Colmes that she'd sooner campaign for Clinton than vote for McCain.

Tonight, on Cavuto's show, Coulter made a new offer: “If McCain weren’t a dunce, what he would do is take Mitt Romney as his vice president,'' she said on FOX. "That’s the only way, I think, you could get me to vote for him and that’s my final offer.”

Eastwood had this to say about the nomination of McCain, which was propelled today by the withdrawal of Mitt Romney: "If that’s the way it’s supposed to go then that’s the way it’s supposed to go. I like John McCain, personally, very much.”

“John McCain has talked about keeping down spending," Eastwood says, "and we’ve got to do that... IIt’s a surprise that Mitt Romney dropped out so soon, but it’s an expensive deal…and it’s an expensive deal emotionally on the family.”

Finally, sounding a bit like McCain on the campaign trail, the "Make my day" actor turned director has this to say about political spending: "Both parties and both houses seem to be spending like drunken sailors. No offense to the Navy, of course."

LINK: Clint Eastwood: Ann Coulter, others, 'masochistic'

Also, a humorous story from Think Progress...

Brian Faughnan from the Weekly Standard reports from CPAC that right-wing pundit Ann Coulter still has plenty of books to sell:

Curiously untouched: Ann Coulter books. There are plenty left if you need to complete your collection. Note to my family: you know what you’re getting for Christmas.
Coulter was not offered a speaking slot by this year’s CPAC organizers.

LINK: Coulter’s books ‘curiously untouched’ at CPAC.

Clint Eastwood just made my day.

-Mr. Joseph

ROMNEY'S OUT!

2008-02-07T21:55:00.001-05:00

Victory! The Romneybot 3000 is out! He's done! Oh, what a relief. Easily the worst candidate from the start (besides Brownback). Now I can sleep easy.

MSNBC...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney used this year's CPAC confab here as the venue to bring his presidential bid to a close.
"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Sen. Clinton or Obama would win," Romney said in his remarks.

As the results were rolling in on Super Tuesday, the Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes correctly predicted on FOX that Romney would likely exit the presidential race during his CPAC appearance.

Several scenarios abounded regarding the road ahead should Romney have stayed in the race (including a situation the campaign explained to the New York Times that had the campaign hoping they could nab many of the delegates up for grabs in the event of a Huckabee concession), but too many prognosticators deemed the odds mathematically impossible.

Romney employed many of the same lines in his speech that he's used on the stump throughout his campaign. And he confirmed one obvious thing that he admitted in his book, Turnaround, following his failed 1994 Senate campaign: He hates to lose.

LINK: Romney Makes It Official; He's Out

RELATED READING...

LINK: Obama On Romney: An "Ineffective Candidate"

LINK: Huckabee vows to press on

LINK: Transcript of Romney’s Speech Withdrawing From the Race

Today is a good day.

-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (2/25/08):

Oh, is he...?

Rev. Haggard exits "restoration" process early

2008-02-07T05:32:00.000-05:00

I guess he realized you just can't "quit" being gay.

Colorado Springs Gazette...

New Life Church said Tuesday that former pastor Ted Haggard has prematurely ended a "spiritual restoration" process begun when he was fired for sexual misconduct.

Haggard was fired from New Life Church and resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals in November 2006 after a former male prostitute alleged they had a cash-for-sex relationship. The man also said he saw Haggard use methamphetamine.

Haggard confessed to undisclosed "sexual immorality" and said he bought meth but didn't use it.

New Life said in a written statement that "the process of restoring Ted Haggard is incomplete and (New Life) maintains its original stance that he should not return to vocational ministry."

Haggard and his family moved to Phoenix last year. As part of a severance package that paid Haggard through 2007, he agreed to leave Colorado Springs and not talk about the scandal publicly. But Haggard made public an e-mail asking for financial support, drawing a rebuke from the restoration team.

Haggard couldn't be reached.

He had agreed shortly after his dismissal to the restoration process, which was expected to include counseling and prayer and last five years or longer. New Life officials made it clear that restoration would not include a return to the pulpit.

On Tuesday, New Life said Haggard will maintain an undisclosed "accountability relationship" with Phoenix First Assembly of God and the Rev. Tommy Barnett.

Barnett was one of three evangelical elder statesmen who served on the restoration team.

No one answered the phone at Phoenix First Assembly after hours on Tuesday.

New Life's statement said Haggard's leadership of the church had been extraordinary "for many years" and wished him and his family well.

Haggard was replaced in August by Brady Boyd, who had been an associate senior pastor at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas.

LINK: Haggard exits restoration process early

RELATED READING...

LINK: C&L: Ted Haggard Premature Ejection From “Restoration Therapy”

Wonderful...

-Mr. Joseph

Olbermann Promo: "Who will steal the Political Thunder?"

2008-02-04T13:05:00.000-05:00

Last night, a promo for Countdown's pre-Super Tuesday coverage ended with the phrase, "Who will steal the 'political thunder?". That's awesome. An unintentional shout-out to my blog. And by my favorite anchor, Keith Olbermann. Well, I'll be watching his show tonight, for sure.

Anyway, guess who my "ideal candidate" on the Indecision 2008's quiz is. Yep, John Edwards.
In addition, I have been asked to do an interview for the radio show, "The Lake Effect" on WUWM. The interview is in regards to this article, in which I was mentioned.

Today has been good to me.

-Mr. Joseph

No Savage!

2008-02-03T23:35:00.000-05:00

Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films have started yet another great campaign -- to get the Islmamophobe, Michael Savage off the air.

Check out this video and get involved!

LINK: Michael Savage Hates Muslims

Fight the bully at NoSavage.org!

-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (2/11/08):

LINK: TP: Five More Advertisers Abandon Michael Savage’s Hate-Filled Radio Show

Russ Feingold on the new FISA legislation

2008-02-03T23:33:00.001-05:00

I'm so proud he is from my state. He is right on every issue. Especially these important ones...

Video...

LINK: Russ Feingold on the New FISA Legislation

-Mr. Joseph

Ann Coulter endorses Hillary over McCain!

2008-02-02T05:24:00.000-05:00

Wow, I'm sure Sen. Clinton really does not want this endorsement, but she's got it.

These two videos say all that needs to be said...

LINK: Coulter: I'll campaign for Hillary if McCain is the nominee

I love Alan Colmes's reaction near the end of that clip. I also like how it is impossible for Hannity to even acknowledge her point.

LINK: Coulter: No, I'm not kidding about backing Hillary

Just another reason for me to dislike Romney.

-Mr. Joseph

RELATED READING...

LINK: Ann Coulter endorses Hillary Clinton

UPDATE (2/7/08):
Apparently, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and James Dobson are also vehemently opposed to McCain.

However, Coulter has stated that "If McCain weren’t a dunce, what he would do is take Mitt Romney as his vice president... That’s the only way, I think, you could get me to vote for him and that’s my final offer."

John Edwards drops out...

2008-01-31T02:33:00.001-05:00

Well, I was ever disappointed to get this news. Edwards was my candidate. And now I can't say that I met the man who might be President. Oh well, it was a long shot anyway and he gave it a good run. All this means is that Obama probably has a better chance of getting the nomination.

From JohnEdwards.com...

I began my presidential campaign here to remind the country that we, as citizens and as a government, have a moral responsibility to each other, and what we do together matters. We must do better, if we want to live up to the great promise of this country that we all love so much.

It is appropriate that I come here today. It's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path. We do not know who will take the final steps to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but what we do know is that our Democratic Party will make history. We will be strong, we will be unified, and with our convictions and a little backbone we will take back the White House in November and we'll create hope and opportunity for this country.

More...

LINK: Remarks Of John Edwards Today In New Orleans

Video...

LINK: Thank you.

Best of luck to you, Senator...

-Mr. Joseph

PS Anyone remember this great story the Onion did of him?

Giuliani drops out, endorses McCain

2008-01-30T18:07:00.000-05:00

Wow, this guy was at the top of the list this Summer, and McCain was all but out. What a turn of events. So his "Florida or bust" strategy went bust, and even Ron Paul lasted longer than "America's Mayor".

MSNBC...

At a very well attended press conference here just a few hours before he was scheduled to participate in yet another GOP debate, Rudy Giuliani announced his departure from the presidential race and his endorsement of John McCain.

"I'm fully aboard, 100%," Giuliani said, announcing that if McCain would have him, he plans on campaigning on the senator's behalf in Feb 5th states. "I don't do things half way. I do them 100%, and when I believe in a man – like I do John McCain – this will become, to me, as important as my own election was."

With Cindy McCain looking on adoringly, Giuliani added more evidence to the 'anti-Mitt Romney' story line, as GOP establishment becomes more content lining up behind McCain's candidacy.

"There will be a clear choice this November and I believe that my life has prepared me for a life of service and a life of dedication," McCain said. "My strong right arm and my partner and my friend in this effort will be the former mayor of New York City, all-American hero, Rudy Giuliani."

McCain explained that he and Giuliani were uniquely aware of the threat of 'radical Islamic extremism,' and when he talked about a "clear choice" in November he implied that the Democratic candidates were not up to what he often calls "the transcendent challenge of the twenty first century."

Less than an hour after McCain and Giuliani left the spin room virtually arm-in-arm, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger held his own press conference and openly hinted that his own endorsement of McCain could come as early as tomorrow. When asked specifically if he is planning an endorsement, Schwarzenegger said he had "no news today" on the topic.

But he said that Giuliani's departure from the race certainly indicates that "the dynamics have changed," and he went on to announce that he will be attending an event with McCain tomorrow that will focus on conservation and the environment.

Schwarzenegger's endorsement – if it does come – could have the same effect that Gov. Charlie Crist's endorsement had on McCain's campaign in Florida, providing an influential last-minute bump in a delegate-rich state.

LINK: RUDY DROPS OUT, THROWS SUPPORT TO MCCAIN

And then there were four...

-Mr. Joseph

Clinton, McCain win Florida...

2008-01-30T17:57:00.000-05:00

In a repeat of New Hampshire, Sen. McCain and Sen. Clinton won each party's primary in the state of Florida...

Epoch Times...

With all but a few precincts reporting, the results of Florida's primary election are clear: Sen. John McCain and Sen. Hillary Clinton are the big winners in Florida.
Arizona Sen. McCain defeated former Massachusetts Governor Romney 36% to 31%, a healthy margin of victory in a state full of transplanted Northeasterners.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who had counted on scoring big in Florida to prove his campaign's viability before Super Tuesday, garnered less than 15% of the vote.
Some media are reporting that Giuliani will withdraw form the race and endorse McCain.
As for the Democrats, Hillary Clinton decisively defeated Barack Obama by 17 percentage points, 50% to 33%. John Edwards finished with 14.5%.
Some exit polls showed Obama as a clear favorite over Clinton. It remains to be seen exactly where Sen. Clinton drew her support, and where Sen. Obama will have to work harder if he is to remain an par with Sen. Clinton.
Florida used to hold its primary election in March, but switched to late January to give the state a greater voice in determining the fate of the Presidential candidates.
This switch angered both national parties. The Democratic national party actually has a rule which states that no Democratic primaries can take place before February 5 (Super Tuesday.) Because of this, democratic candidates were not allowed to campaign in Florida. Many feel that this gave the GOP a chance to convert some Floridians in this important swing state.
Because official campaign efforts were prohibited, the results of the democratic vote likely reflect the strength of the different candidates' grassroots campaign machines. With no official support form the candidates, the ability of the citizens' organizations probably made the difference.
Florida voters are also deciding to adopt or reject property tax reform measure Amendment One, which would raise the Florida Homestead Exemption, cap property tax increases for Florida residents buying new homes, and change the appraising methods for determining the value of some properties.
Many voters found the amendment confusing, while others resented the scare tactics used by its opponents, who claimed that if Amendment One passed, essential services such as police and fire protection would be cut.
Ultimately, the prospect of lower property taxes and transferable resident benefits won the day.
Because of an amendment passed in 2006, future amendments to the Florida State Constitution would require a sixty percent majority to pass into law. Amendment One earned nearly 65%.

LINK: McCain Beats Romney, Hillary Beats Obama in Florida Primary

I am absolutely stunned that McCain is doing as well as he is right now.

-Mr. Joseph

Obama wins SC Primary!

2008-01-28T01:41:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Barack Obama! Alas, John Edwards' campaign is in trouble, but hopefully his role as "kingmaker" will make Obama the nominee.

CNN...

Sen. Barack Obama claimed a significant victory in the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday, telling supporters "we are hungry for change."

The Illinois senator earned more than twice the vote that rival Sen. Hillary Clinton did, 55 percent to 27 percent, unofficial returns showed.

Former Sen. John Edwards was third with 18 percent.

"Tonight, the cynics who believed that what began in the snows of Iowa was just an illusion were told a different story by the good people of South Carolina," Obama said to supporters Saturday.

A win in South Carolina was considered crucial for Obama, who won Iowa but finished second to Clinton in New Hampshire and Nevada. See what the results mean »

"I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina. I saw South Carolina," he said.

"The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders," Obama said. "It's not about rich versus poor; young versus old; and it is not about black versus white.

"It's about the past versus the future."

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Obama had 55 percent of the vote. Clinton was second with 27 percent, followed by Edwards, with 18 percent. Obama's victory capped a heated contest in South Carolina, the first Democratic primary in the South and the first with a largely African-American electorate.

Obama, who is hoping to become the the nation's first African-American president, did well with black voters, who made up about half of Saturday's electorate, according to exit polls.

Black voters supported the Illinois senator by a margin of more than 4-to-1 over his nearest rival, exit polls indicate.

Among white voters, Obama took about a quarter of the vote, with Clinton and Edwards roughly splitting the remainder, according to exit polls.

Clinton congratulated Obama and said she was excited to move forward to the Super Tuesday contests on February 5.

"Millions and millions of Americans are going to have the chance to have their voices heard and their votes counted," she told supporters at Tennessee State University.

Edwards also looked ahead to the next contests.

"Now the three of us move on to February 5, where millions of Americans will cast their vote and help shape the future of this party and help shape the future of America," he said.

"Our campaign from the very beginning has been about one central thing, and that is to give voice to the millions of Americans who have absolutely no voice in this democracy."

More...

LINK: Obama claims big win in South Carolina

And as long as more Democrats are voting than Republicans, it can only be good news.

-Mr. Joseph

Sylvester Stallone endorses McCain!

2008-01-26T04:07:00.000-05:00

Mike Huckabee has Chuck Norris, but McCain now has Stallone. I hope this being stuck in the back of my mind won't ruin the new Rambo movie for me. I'm seeing it tomorrow.

Crooks and Liars...

GOP presidential hopeful John McCain joined the Fox & Friends gang Thursday morning and they had a little surprise for him. Apparently, actor Sylvester Stallone is a big fan of the Senator and thinks he’s the right man for the job. McCain gets all fired up and does his best Rocky impression and Steve Doocy tells him to go pound a side of beef. Watch out, Governor Huckabee — your celebrity endorsement just got some competition. Oy…

LINK: Chuck Norris Hearts Huckabee, But McCain has RAMBO!

Priceless...

I wonder if this means that Stallone has to fight Chuck Norris...

-Mr. Joseph

Kucinich to drop out

2008-01-26T03:32:00.000-05:00

I'm surprised by this news. In 2004, he continued to run after Kerry had been nominated. This will probably disappoint a few of my friends.

Alas, here is the scoop...

Cleveland.com...

Dennis Kucinich is staying home.
Two weeks after insisting he could run for Congress and president at the same time, his decision Thursday to drop his second bid for the White House suggests he is concerned about winning a seventh term in Congress.

He faces four candidates in the Democratic primary, including Cleveland Councilman Joe Cimperman, who has become his chief rival by raising hundreds of thousands of dollars and winning media attention.

Kucinich, 61, who has easily won re-election, wouldn't say Thursday what influenced his contested congressional race had on his decision to drop out of the presidential contest. Kucinich will hold a news conference at noon today at a downtown union hall to explain his decision.

He cited his exclusion from national debates and the practical strains of running a national campaign as reasons for leaving.

"There is a point at which you just realize that you, look, you accept it, that it isn't going to happen and you move on," he said during a Congressional endorsement interview with The Plain Dealer editorial board and reporters. Kucinich stayed in the 2004 presidential race until late summer, when he had little competition for re-election back home.
Kucinich said he will not endorse another Democrat in the primary.

Kucinich is seeking a seventh term in Congress, but his long-shot bid for the White House has drawn four Democratic opponents.
When he kicked off his congressional re-election bid Jan. 9, he said he would focus on his local race, but then ratcheted up his presidential bid, campaigning in Michigan and Nevada and filing unsuccessful legal appeals to stay on the ballot in Texas and to win a spot on stage during presidential debates. He has fared poorly in early presidential contests.
More...

LINK: Kucinich drops presidential bid

Video...

For more coverage of Dennis Kucinich, go to the Openers blog.

It's just Hillary, Obama, and Edwards now... and Gravel.

-Mr. Joseph

PS Although I never totally supported his candidacy, I will always appreciate his stance on the SOA. And my favorite photo from the SOA Protest last fall was one of Kucinich's youngest supporters...

O'Reilly vs. Levin?

2008-01-23T21:14:00.000-05:00

Even though he's got Scarborough, Imus, Snoop Dog, Al Franken, Olbermann, David Brock, and so many others ready to duke it out with him, I never thought I would hear about this feud...

OpEdNews.com...

Attack. Demonize. Divide and Deride.

It's the right wing Lords of Loud bread and butter. Ripping the opposition is as comforting to talk show hosts as Jessica Simpson is to a New York Giants fan.

Oh, they'll yell all day how the evil Left throws around the Nazi card. Meanwhile, Jonah Goldberg's newest tome, "Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning" is being pimped across the dial by right-minded Lords of Loud.

But this week the Right Wing whack attack took an even darker turn...inwards. And when I heard the light and lilting modulated tones of talk show host Mark Levin on his daily show throwing down the gauntlet at the feet of journalist Bill O'Reilly yesterday, I nearly fell off my No Spin Recliner.

Levin was royally annoyed that Bill had anointed himself chief oversight for talk radio standards of demeanor when he brought on six talk show hosts on the TV Factor to discuss what is the right or wrong behavior for radio hosts.

Though no names were bandied about on the Factor, Levin felt Bill was referring to Levin himself as an example of someone who had the temerity to mock politicians, physically and otherwise.

How upset was the normally calm and collected Levin? After saying that O'Reilly had no audience and would be off the air in a year, he said the worst thing you could say about the performance of a host, that O'Reilly "phones it in." In radio parlance, he basically just shows up and wings it.

But the real shot hit the fan when Levin reminded his audience that Bill was involved in a "porn"(Levin's word, not mine) scandal where he was taped sexually harassing a younger subordinate, one in which Bill had to pay millions to make it go away. Levin said that if Bill didn't stop taking on the mantel of talk radio's ombudsman, he would "do an hour on the porn" during his own show.

Yikes.

While Levin's show is syndicated by ABC and O'Reilly by Westwood One so there's no love lost there, but there are outlets, like KABC in Los Angeles, where both shows broadcast over the same station. Having one host going to war with another one in the same lineup should make for a bunch of tight sphincters in a number of program directors' offices.

Will Bill acquiesce to Levin's demands or will the Nospinster tell Levin to stick it where the AM signal is difficult to receive?

Will Levin allow O'Reilly to tell him how he should behave on his own show or will he end up broadcasting a show that would guarantee to draw Levin's largest audience?

We should know soon, but I can already feel the WWE verberations on the airwaves.

Levin vs O'Reilly.

Steel Cage Radio Match

No Loofas Barred

Vince McMahon, eat your heart out.

LINK: Right Wing Talk Wars! Mark Levin Threatens O'Reilly With Hour Exposing Bill's "Porn"

And by the way, yes, the Mark Levin mentioned here is the same one that was dubbed Sean Hannity's "Cabin Boy" by Alec Baldwin.

Oh, please let this escalate!

-Mr. Joseph

The 2008 Presidential Elections: A Closer Look at the Democratic Candidates

2008-01-23T19:04:00.000-05:00

With the primaries heating up, I thought it would be a good idea to analyze the remaining Democratic candidates, given that I am a Democrat. I may analyze the Republican field later this week.

Hillary Clinton...

Senator Clinton is the obvious establishment candidate on Democratic aisle. She has been involved in politics for all her life and she is clearly an expert in the arena. I like Senator Clinton and I could vote for her in good conscience because she is an effective Democrat, a natural leader, and has lead a life full of political experiences. It seems to be an ignorant trend to whine and promise to "move to Canada" if she is elected, and unfortunately, that ignorance is heard quite a bit. But the bottom line is that we all know she would be a very effective President. She's Pro-Choice, pro-civil unions (believes states should decide on gay marriage), against CAFTA (despite her husband supporting NAFTA), pro-gun control, and claims she is the best to implement a "uniquely American" universal healthcare. In addition she has voted with Democrats 96.7% of the time and, although deeply spiritual, she has a near flawless voting record on supporting the separation of Church and State.

In short, like I said, she is an effective politician and reliable Democrat. However, for years she has been the target of some of the most vicious Right-Wing attacks, I would argue that she has endured the most vile smear campaign against of all recent politicians, so one has to admire her resolve.

My only criticism is that she is, in fact, the Washington Insider. She is the Establishment candidate in an election focused on change, and because of that, I personally cannot endorse or support her, unless she is nominated. And that is because, although the establishment candidate, she is definitely more qualified than ANY of the Republican candidates. I'll get to them later.

LINK: Hillary Clinton on the issues

Barack Obama...

Senator Obama has run a fantastic campaign that focuses on the theme of change. He claims that he can bring the honesty, integrity, and positive change that Washington so desperately needs. His campaign has focused on reaching out to others, rising above the petty politics of a campaign, and ending the culture of corruption this last administration has allowed and encouraged to flourish.

Although his record in national politics is limited, his campaign articulates that he is very much Pro-Choice, pro-civil unions (although against gay marriage), interested in amending NAFTA, very pro-gun control, supports comprehensive health care reform, and wholeheartedly supports the separation of Church and State.

I was overjoyed to see Obama win Iowa, and I really hope he will get the nomination, for it seems (at least at this point) he is the only Democrat who has a chance at defeating Hillary in the Democratic primary. His message is uplifting, his speeches are inspiring, and his campaign has been run very well. However, I am terribly upset set to see the topic of race being brought up. Clearly this country still has a problem with racism and I am ever disappointed in this part of the American public that still have issues with a black President.

LINK: Barack Obama on the issues

John Edwards...

Senator Edwards is my pick for President. The man is intelligent, compassionate, and capable of leading this country. He truly cares about the working class -- there is a reason so many major unions endorsed him early. Alas, the media has decided that the Democrats are in a two-person race and have unfairly counted Edwards out. Because of this, Edwards will probably end up taking the role of "kingmaker" by choosing to either endorse Hillary or Obama.

He is staunchly Pro-Choice, pro-civil unions (he still struggles on the issue of gay marriage), very pro-union, opposes NAFTA, has promised to end the Iraq War within his first year, pro-gun rights, and is for universal healthcare. Martin Luther King III and Ralph Nader have endorsed him, and Michael Moore hinted that he is the best choice on healthcare issues.

People like to crack jokes at Edwards because of the $400 haircut nonsense and the "Breck girl" comment, but the bottom line is that he is a man of integrity who cares deeply for those who are struggling in this country. His message has always been one about standing up for the little guy, and although cliche, I believe he means it. I don't agree with Edwards on everything, but I honestly believe he is the best choice for the Presidency.

LINK: John Edwards on the Issues

Dennis Kucinich...

I have not followed the Kucinich campaign as closely as perhaps I should have. His candidacy is, unfortunately, not one that is taken seriously (aside from those on the far Left). I saw him speak at the SOA Protest last November and it was very moving. He has a great message, but his attitude perplexes me. He consistently looks for ways to differ from those in his party on issues he should agree with -- from not boycotting a FOX News debate to refusing to sign a "loyalty pledge", Kucinich appears to be antagonistic when it comes to party loyalty. However, some see this as a good thing.

He's right (in my opinion) on all the issues -- Pro-Choice, pro-gay marriage, against NAFTA, he promised to end the War in Iraq immediately, he is pro-gun control, pro-universal healthcare, and is, apparently, deeply spiritual.

Alas, he will get few votes except from his die-hard supporters, which is too bad, because, even if I am not supporting him right now, I agree he deserves much more credit than he is given.

LINK: Dennis Kucinich on the Issues

Mike Gravel...

I did not know much about Mike Gravel at the beginning of the campaign and I still do not. I know he is to the Left on every position, which is good on some issues, but bad on others. Extremism is never good, and I believe Gravel pushes that on some issues.

His campaign is even less serious than Kucinich's. At his highest popularity, Gravel polled at 1%, and now his campaign stops include high schools. In addition, he has been shut out of more debates than he has been invited to.

Personally, I am not much of a fan of Gravel. I like most of his social positions, but his foreign policy seems a bit off, and his personal demeanor strikes me as odd. He seems to be, perhaps delusional.

Whatever the case, Gravel added something to this election and I am glad he still pursues his campaign even though it was over before it began.

LINK: Mike Gravel on the Issues

So that's my late analysis of the remaining Democrats. Like I said earlier, I hope to discuss the Republican field next. Also, please note, all the facts I listed can be verified at OnTheIssues.org.

-Mr. Joseph

Gore supports Same-Sex marriage

2008-01-23T18:55:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why he released this video, but it has a great message. Hopefully, this will prod the '08 Dems to step up and take this position too.

Video via Current TV...

LINK: Gay men and women should have the same rights

RELATED READING...

LINK: Gore for same-sex marriage

Global Warming, the War in Iraq, Healthcare, and now Same-Sex Marriage -- Al Gore is right about everything.

-Mr. Joseph

Still Lazy Like a Fox: Thompson is out!

2008-01-23T01:21:00.000-05:00

Fred Thompson marks the first of the top-tier candidates to drop out. Alas, this will probably have little effect on the race. His campaign will be noted by his unfortunate endorsements, a reputation for being lazy, and Nixon's damning words...

Breitbart.com...

Republican Fred Thompson, the actor-politician who attracted more attention as a potential presidential candidate than as a real one, quit the race for the White House on Tuesday after a string of poor finishes in early primary and caucus states.

"Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort," the former Tennessee senator said in a brief statement.

Thompson's fate was sealed last Saturday in the South Carolina primary, when he finished third in a state that he had said he needed to win.

In the statement, Thompson did not say whether he would endorse any of his former rivals. He was one of a handful of members of Congress who supported Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2000 in his unsuccessful race against George W. Bush for the party nomination.

Thompson, best known as the gruff district attorney on NBC's "Law & Order," placed third in Iowa and South Carolina, two states seemingly in line with his right-leaning pitch and laid-back style, and fared even worse in the four other states that have held contests thus far. Money already tight, he ran out of it altogether as the losses piled up.

Thompson, 65, exits the most wide open Republican race in half a century; three candidates each having won in the six states that have voted.

In Florida, McCain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani are battling for the lead ahead of its Jan. 29 primary, while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee evaluates his next steps amid money troubles.

Thompson's withdrawal capped a turbulent 10 months that saw him go from hot to not in short order.

He began toying with a presidential run last March, emboldened by a fluid Republican nomination fight and a restive conservative GOP base. He also was charmed by resounding calls for him to get into the race—and his meteoric springtime rise to the top of national and state polls.

Fans trying to draft him as a candidate launched an online effort, seizing on his conservative Senate voting record as well as his lumbering 6-foot-5 frame and deep baritone as they argued that he was right out of central casting. They painted him as the second coming of Ronald Reagan and the would-be savior of a Republican Party demoralized after electoral losses in 2006 at all levels of government.

Expectations rose higher—and his standing in polls started to fall as he failed to meet them.

Thompson played coy about his intentions all the while taking steps to prepare for a formal entrance into the race with a flourish. He cut ties with NBC, visited early voting states and delivered high-profile speeches. And, he started raising money and set up a preliminary campaign organization.

He delayed his expected summertime entrance in the race until fall, perhaps missing an opening created by McCain's near campaign implosion.

As he prepared to officially join the race, Thompson was plagued by lackluster fundraising; high-profile staff departures, including some prompted by his wife Jeri's involvement in the campaign, and less- than-stellar performances on the stump. Thompson also endured repeated questions about his career as a lobbyist and his thin Senate record.

Thompson formally announced his bid in early September, but hit a rocky patch from the get-go.

His easygoing style and reputation for laziness translated into a light campaign schedule that raised questions about his desire to be president. A spate of inartful answers to campaign-trail questions—on everything from the Terri Schiavo case to Osama bin Laden—didn't help matters.

Though his star had faded, Thompson earned positive reviews for a series of debate performances last fall and earned an endorsement by the National Right to Life Committee.

More...

LINK: Fred Thompson Quits Presidential Race

-Mr. Joseph

FLASHBACK VIDEO...

LINK: Thompson: Applaud ME

MLK III endorses Edwards!

2008-01-22T02:51:00.000-05:00

Crooks and Liars...

On Saturday afternoon, John Edwards met with Martin Luther King III, son of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., at the King Center in Atlanta. He received this note (.pdf) from him the following day:
…I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.

You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don’t have lobbyists in Washington and they don’t get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.

I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.[..]

I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.

So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father’s words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.

I don’t know about you, but if I got a letter like that, it would be framed and on my wall where every visitor could see it.

LINK: Martin Luther King III to John Edwards: I challenge all candidates to follow your lead

On a day that celebrates MLK's legacy, Edwards receives a wonderful complement from the man's son, and all the media does is declare that the Democrat are in a "two person" race.

-Mr. Joseph

McCain narrowly beats Huckabee in SC

2008-01-20T06:02:00.000-05:00

Damn! More bad news -- I want Huckabee to get the nomination because I think he will be the easiest for the Democrats to beat the in the general election. Well, at least Romney came in fourth -- even Fred Thompson beat him!

What cracks me up is that it is only Guiliani who has not come close in any of the early primaries. What a mess the Republican party is in. And I love every minute of it...

NY Times...

Senator John McCain staved off a spirited challenge by Mike Huckabee to win the South Carolina primary on Saturday, exorcising the ghosts of the attack-filled primary here that derailed his presidential hopes eight years ago.

Mr. McCain’s victory here, on top of his win earlier this month in New Hampshire, capped a remarkable comeback for a campaign that was all but written off six months ago. In an unusually fluid Republican field, his aides said they hoped the victory would give Mr. McCain a head of steam going into the Jan. 29 Florida primary and the nationwide series of nominating contests on Feb. 5.

“It took us a while, but what’s eight years among friends?” Mr. McCain said at a boisterous victory celebration that broke out into shouts of “Mac is back! Mac is back!”

Mr. McCain did best among voters who said experience was the most important quality in a candidate, among those who said the Iraq war and terrorism were their top concerns and among the state’s veterans, who made up a quarter of the vote. He ran about even with Mr. Huckabee, who pressed a populist message here, among the many voters who said their top concern in the election was the economy. He also continued to draw strong support from independents.

Mr. Huckabee’s loss in a Southern state with a strong turnout of religious voters was a setback to his campaign as it heads toward potentially less hospitable states.

Nearly 60 percent of the voters in South Carolina identified themselves in exit polls as evangelical Christians, a group that was heavily courted by Mr. Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher. While Mr. Huckabee captured 4 in 10 of their votes, Mr. McCain also made inroads with the group, capturing more than a quarter of their vote.

The South Carolina primary has accurately predicted the Republican presidential nominee since 1980, and since 1988 it has often played a decisive role. The McCain campaign sought to highlight that history here this week, but he is still left facing a scrambled field of opponents, including Mitt Romney, whose lopsided victory in the lightly contested Nevada caucuses Saturday gave him his second win in a week. He defeated Mr. McCain in the Michigan primary on Tuesday.

In his concession speech, Mr. Huckabee praised Mr. McCain for running “a civil and a good and a decent campaign” and vowed to battle on.

“The reason that I want to encourage you tonight is to remind you that politics — and particularly this year, more than perhaps any other — this is not an event,” he said. “It is a process. And the process is far, far from over.”

With 94 percent of the electoral precincts reporting, Mr. McCain had 33 percent of the vote, Mr. Huckabee 30 percent, Fred D. Thompson 16 percent, and Mr. Romney 15 percent.

The distant third-place finish was a severe blow to the candidacy of Mr. Thompson, an actor and former Tennessee Senator. He had been counting on a strong showing in a Southern state to revive his fortunes, and gave a rambling speech in which he urged his followers to “stand strong.”

More...

LINK: McCain Has Big Win in South Carolina; Huckabee Falls Short

We will see how the Democrats fair next week.

-Mr. Joseph

Romney, Clinton win Nevada (and Michigan)

2008-01-20T05:39:00.000-05:00

Yuck. I was hoping for a repeat of Iowa, but it wasn't meant to be. Hillary adequately beat Obama, and Romney destroyed his opponents (Ron Paul came in second)! But I don't think this means too much -- there have been now three different GOP winners in four contested primaries (Iowa, NH, Michigan, and now Nevada), so there is no clear front-runner. And Hillary has only beat Obama twice in the three contested Democratic primaries (Obama and Edwards were not on the MI ballot). In addition, both Obama and Edwards beat Clinton in Iowa. So basically, all this means is that nothing is for sure. South Carolina only added to the utter confusion for the GOP and the SC Democrat primary is not until next week, so there is still some time for Clinton, Obama, and Edwards to recoup.

So here's the story on Nevada...

VOA News...

Hillary Clinton has won the Nevada Democratic Party caucuses, after a hard-fought campaign against Senator Barack Obama and former Senator John Edwards...Mitt Romney easily won the Republican race in the state.
This is New York Senator Clinton's second win in Democratic Party preference contests, after a victory in the New Hampshire primary January 8.

Senator Obama, who was backed by a strong local labor union, came in second and former senator Edwards came in a distant third.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney campaigned heavily in Nevada and gained an easy win in Republican caucuses over Arizona senator John McCain and Texas congressman Ron Paul. Romney said the people of Nevada had cast their vote for change, and this victory is important. "It's huge for us, and we're very, very pleased," he said.

Michelle Romero, a bellhop at the Las Vegas Hilton, took part in a Democratic caucus held in a casino, and spoke of the issues that concern her. "The economy, our jobs, schools and our family," she said.

Both winning candidates say the economy will be an important issue in the national campaign. Democrats will hold their next primary Saturday in South Carolina, and Republicans are focusing on the Florida primary three days later. Both parties are looking ahead to Super Tuesday, when more than 20 states will hold primaries and caucuses.

LINK: Romney, Clinton Projected to Win Nevada Caucuses

And here's the scoop on Michigan from FOXNews...

... With 100 percent of the voting in, Romney earned 39 percent of the vote over McCain with 30 percent. Mike Huckabee had 16 percent while Ron Paul polled at 6 percent. Fred Thompson had 4 percent and Rudy Giuliani was at 3 percent.

“Tonight proves you can’t tell an American there’s something they just can’t do because Americans can do whatever they set their hearts on, and tonight is a victory of optimism over Washington-style pessimism,” Romney said to a raucous crowd of supporters in Southfield, Mich. “The lobbyists and the politicians realize that America now understands that Washington is broken and we’re going to do something about it.”

Democratic delegates are not being seated at the national convention and most of the party’s candidates withdrew from the Michigan race, leaving Hillary Clinton, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel the only active contenders on that ballot.

With 100 percent of precincts in, Clinton had won 55 percent compared to 40 percent for “uncommitted,” 4 percent for Kucinich and less than 1 percent for Gravel.

The win put Romney in a strong position heading into Saturday’s South Carolina primary, Florida’s primary on Jan. 29 and Super Tuesday on Feb. 5.
More...

LINK: Romney, Clinton Win Michigan Presidential Primary

To quote John Edwards -- "...what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...".

-Mr. Joseph

Duncan Hunter drops out!

2008-01-20T05:30:00.000-05:00

Finally! Now the Republican field is purely made up of *only* the "top-tier" candidates (including Ron Paul) and Alan Keyes. No word from Michael Savage, but what is this talk about drafting Lou Dobbs?

Anyway, USA Today reports...

Rep. Duncan Hunter ended his long-shot bid Saturday night for the Republican presidential nomination, citing his poor showing in the Nevada caucuses earlier in the day as the reason for dropping out of the race less than two weeks after insisting that he was staying in.
Standing at the same navy pier where he announced his candidacy in October 2006, Rep. Duncan Hunter conceded that his dark-horse campaign had failed to capture voters' attention in a crowded candidate field.

"I will take full responsibility for the failure of this campaign to gain traction," Hunter said in a speech to campaign volunteers, friends and a handful of curious onlookers who stopped as they walked along the twinkling harbor front.

"But I don't regret a minute of it — I'll tell you what, it was a lot of fun."

Hunter, a San Diego-area Congressman, said he'd planned to keep his campaign going "until I didn't think there was daylight." In Nevada, a state he thought would be receptive to his rhetoric on securing the border and beefing up national security, he polled just 2%.
Still, Hunter said he felt he scored a political victory in forcing other campaigns to take on issues he championed — border security, the burgeoning economic threat of China and the need to rebuild America's military.

"The other candidates today are talking about things I brought up," he said, alongside his wife, Lynne, and their two sons. "So I think that in itself is a great victory for this campaign."

Hunter, a San Diego-area congressman, spent most of Saturday in Nevada, campaigning in Reno and farther south in the state before returning to California.

In recent weeks he was forced at every stop to dispel rumors that the campaign was already dead and was unable to talk about the issues, campaign spokesman Bob Bevill said. The best showing of Hunter's campaign was in Wyoming's Jan. 5 caucuses, in which he won 8% of the vote — and one delegate — after finishing third behind Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson.

On his way out, Hunter took a gentle jab at Rudy Giuliani, noting that he still boasted one delegate more than the former New York City mayor.

Hunter declined to say whether he planned to endorse another candidate.

He said he planned to return to Washington, where he is the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, to begin working on the upcoming defense authorization bill.

Hunter, 59, was elected to Congress in 1980 as part of President Reagan's sweep into power. The Vietnam War veteran, a recipient of a Bronze Star, has made his mark on Capitol Hill by advocating for a strong military and border security, and played a leading role in the construction of a 14-mile double fence on the U.S.-Mexico border that is nearing completion in San Diego.

He has cruised to re-election in his conservative San Diego County district since he, as a 32-year-old criminal defense attorney, rode Ronald Reagan's coattails to unseat a nine-term Democratic incumbent. His son, Marine Capt. Duncan D. Hunter, is running to take over his seat when he retires from Congress at the end of the year.

LINK: Rep. Hunter drops out of GOP presidential race

Now who will Ann Coulter support?

-Mr. Joseph

Kerry endorses Obama

2008-01-10T20:24:00.001-05:00

Wow, that is quite the dis to Kerry's former running mate John Edwards. Edwards must feel like Joe Lieberman when Al Gore endorsed Howard Dean...

Yahoo! News...

John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, gave Barack Obama a timely endorsement Thursday, snubbing Hillary Rodham Clinton as well as his own vice presidential running mate.

Kerry came to South Carolina to embrace Obama, two weeks before the state's primary and with Obama needing a boost after Clinton's emotional victory over him in New Hampshire.

Quoting a black American hero in endorsing the man who hopes to be the first black president, Kerry told a cheering crowd, "Martin Luther King said that the time is always right to do what is right." Now is the time, Kerry said, to declare "that Barack Obama can be, will be and should be the next president of the United States."

The Massachusetts senator said there were other candidates he had worked with and respected but Obama was best able to bring Americans together.

"Who better than Barack Obama to turn a new page in American politics so that Democrat, independent and Republican alike can look to leadership that unites to find the common ground?" Kerry said. "That's what this is about."

Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the third contender in the Democratic presidential race, was Kerry's vice presidential running mate in 2004. Despite their political alliance, the two men were not close personally and differed behind the scenes on campaign strategy in a race that President Bush won.

Edwards responded to word of the endorsement with a diplomatic statement: "Our country and our party are stronger because of John's service, and I respect his decision. When we were running against each other and on the same ticket, John and I agreed on many issues."

Edwards defeated Kerry in the 2004 South Carolina Democratic primary. Kerry had considered running again but decided a year ago he would not.

Kerry dismissed Obama critics who say the Illinois senator lacks the experience to be president. And he took a swipe at Clinton, saying, "Some have suggested in this campaign that Barack is guilty of raising 'false hopes.' ... My friends, the only charge that rings false is the one that tells you not to hope for a better tomorrow."

In a debate in New Hampshire, the New York senator said in comparing her ability and Obama's to fulfill pledges to bring about change: "I think it is clear that what we need is somebody who can deliver change. And we don't need to be raising the false hopes of our country about what can be delivered. The best way to know what change I will produce is to look at the changes that I've already made."

Returning to the subject, Obama said when he took the microphone from Kerry: "In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope."

Obama supporters were hoping the timing of Kerry's endorsement could give him a lift as he seeks to put his New Hampshire primary loss behind him. Obama also picked up the endorsement of South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson.

Obama praised Kerry's Vietnam War service, calling him a patriot and a man of conviction.

Kerry was Obama's political benefactor once before, selecting the relatively unknown Illinois senatorial candidate to deliver the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. It was Obama's first turn in the national spotlight and helped launch him on a remarkable ascent that has made him one of two leading contenders for the party's presidential nomination only four years later.

Kerry had withheld his endorsement, hoping to have an impact on the race and avoid the fate of fellow Democrat Al Gore, the 2000 nominee who endorsed Howard Dean in 2004 shortly before the former Vermont governor's campaign imploded. Gore has made no endorsement so far this year.

While Kerry has been close to Clinton's husband, the former president, he was incensed in 2006 when she chided him after Kerry suggested that people who don't go to school "get stuck in Iraq." Aides said Kerry meant to jab at Bush and say "get us stuck in Iraq," and that he didn't appreciate Clinton piling onto the criticism he was already getting for the remark.

Kerry's own hopes to run for president this year fizzled with that botched comment. For many Democrats, his words revived bitter memories of his missteps in 2004. troop withdrawal deadlines. In another area, he has backed environmental causes, writing a book with his wife on the issue.

Kerry should be able to provide some organizational and fundraising muscle to Obama.

Since losing the 2004 race, Kerry has kept a national network of supporters intact. He has an e-mail network of 3 million supporters, according to aides. He also has traveled extensively raising millions of dollars for Democratic candidates nationwide.

The Republican National Committee was dismissive about Thursday's endorsement, branding Kerry and Obama "liberal soul mates."

LINK: Former Dem nominee Kerry endorses Obama

RELATED READING...

LINK: John Kerry Endorses Barack Obama

-Mr. Joseph

And another one bites the dust: Doolittle to resign

2008-01-10T20:15:00.000-05:00

Following Sen. Lott and others, Rep. Doolittle once again proves that it is no fun if you are not in the majority. Or if you have a huge criminal investigation bearing down on you...

Think Progress...

For months, Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) has resisted his fellow GOP lawmakers’ calls for his resignation. In September he defiantly announced, “I will not step aside. I am running again, period.”
Nevertheless, this afternoon at a press conference in his home district, Doolittle reluctantly said that he would be retiring at the end of his term:

“My wife, Julie, and I have made this decision after much prayer and deliberation. It was not my initial intent to retire, and I fully expected and planned to run again right up until very recently,” Doolittle said after addressing supporters in his Northern California district.

“But it distilled upon us that we were ready for a change after spending almost our entire married lives with me in public service. We are at peace with this choice and look forward to starting a new chapter in our lives.”

Doolittle was gracious in his speech today, but he clearly blames others for his downfall. He has consistently refused to admit to his mistakes, instead resorting to attacks and name-calling against his critics. A look at the individuals and organizations Doolittle likely blames for his resignation today:

FBI: In May, Doolittle accused the government “of leaking word of an FBI search on his home” a day before Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified before Congress on the U.S. attorney scandal, in an attempt to show that the Justice Department wasn’t partisan.

Justice Department (General): Doolittle said that the Justice Department’s long-running probe of his ethics violations “borders on harrassment.” He also compared himself to the Duke lacrosse players who were falsely accused of rape, lamenting that people were rushing to “unfounded conclusions.”

Justice Department (Democrats): In May, Doolittle claimed that “embedded Democratic staffers in the Justice Department” were responsible for the investigation against him because they were allegedly interested in “rehabilitating the reputation of embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.”

His GOP critics: In September, Doolittle called his Republican critics “weasels” for pressuring him to resign. “This is just self-interest on the part of ambitious people,” he said.

CREW: In September, nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington listed Doolittle in its annual list of the “most corrupt members of Congress.” Doolittle called the group “underhanded and vile.” “There’s nothing responsible or ethical” about Crew, he said.

Doolittle and his wife are currently under federal investigation for their role in the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal, and questions have been raised about his ties to Cunningham co-conspirators contractors Brent Wilkes and Mitchell Wade.

LINK: Embattled Rep. Doolittle Retires Under Pressure From GOP ‘Weasels’

I wonder if he will "do little" when he's retired. Ha! Ha!

Either way, it is interesting just how far the Abramoff scandal reached...

-Mr. Joseph

Richardson to drop out

2008-01-09T19:41:00.000-05:00

From Yahoo! News...

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ended his campaign for the presidency Wednesday after twin fourth-place finishes that showed his impressive credentials could not compete with his rivals' star power.

Richardson planned to announce the decision Thursday, according to two people close to the governor with knowledge of the decision. They spoke on a condition of anonymity in advance of the governor's announcement.

LINK: Richardson ends bid

I'm surprised -- I thought he was going to keep on for awhile...

-Mr. Joseph

Ron Paul’s Old Newsletters Filled With Bigotry And Conspiracy Theories

2008-01-09T05:01:00.000-05:00

This is why I don't like Ron Paul and I think he is so overrated...

Think Progress...

Beginning in 1978, Rep. Ron Paul’s (R-TX) name graced newsletters that were released on a seemingly monthly basis: Ron Paul’s Freedom Report, Ron Paul Political Report, The Ron Paul Survival Report. “The Freedom Report’s online archives only go back to 1999,” but The New Republic’s Jamie Kirchick recently tracked down physical copies of many of the pre-1999 reports.
According to Kirchick, they’re peppered with a “decades worth of obsession with conspiracies, sympathy for the right-wing militia movement, and deeply held bigotry against blacks, Jews, and gays.” Here are a few examples:

On David Duke: “Our priority should be to take the anti-government, anti-tax, anti-crime, anti-welfare loafers, anti-race privilege, anti-foreign meddling message of Duke, and enclose it in a more consistent package of freedom.”

On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “[A] comsymp, if not an actual party member, and the man who replaced the evil of forced segregation with the evil of forced integration.”

On African-Americans: “I’ve urged everyone in my family to know how to use a gun in self defense. For the animals are coming.”

On Gays: “Homosexuals, not to speak of the rest of society, were far better off when social pressure forced them to hide their activities.”

In his article, Kirchick writes that “with few bylines, it is difficult to know whether any particular article was written by Paul himself” and that “the vast majority of the editions” that he “saw contain no bylines at all.” Paul emphasized this point in his response to the article:

The quotations in The New Republic article are not mine and do not represent what I believe or have ever believed. I have never uttered such words and denounce such small-minded thoughts. […]

Several writers contributed to the product. For over a decade, I have publically taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name.

But as Kirchick — who has been criticizing Paul for months — notes, “[I]t is difficult to imagine how Paul could allow material consistently saturated in racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, and conspiracy-mongering to be printed under his name for so long if he did not share these views.”

Some of Paul’s supporters in the blogosphere give him more of the benefit of the doubt, but still admit that the “truly odious material” released under his name is “really stunning.” Andrew Sullivan writes that “it’s up to Ron Paul now to clearly explain and disown these ugly, vile, despicable tracts from the past.”

PDFs of some of the old newsletters can be found here.

UPDATE: A 1992 Ron Paul Political Report said: “I think we can safely assume that 95% of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal.”

LINK: Ron Paul’s Old Newsletters Filled With Bigotry And Conspiracy Theories

I also don't like why he is crossing the picket lines to go on Jay Leno's show: "He doesn't care about the unions or the pickets."

-Mr. Joseph

McCain, Clinton win in NH

2008-01-09T04:24:00.000-05:00

From The Observer...

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton powered to victory in New Hampshire's Democratic primary Tuesday night in a startling upset, defeating Sen. Barack Obama and resurrecting her bid for the White House. Sen. John McCain defeated his Republican rivals to move back into contention for the GOP nomination.
"I felt like we all spoke from our hearts and I am so gratified that you responded," Clinton said in victory remarks before cheering supporters. "Now together, let's give America the kind of comeback that New Hampshire has just given me."

Her victory, after Obama won last week's Iowa caucuses, raised the possibility of a prolonged battle for the party nomination between the most viable black candidate in history and the former first lady, seeking to become the first woman to occupy the Oval Office.

"I am still fired up and ready to go," a defeated Obama told his own backers, repeating the line that forms a part of virtually every campaign appearance he makes.

McCain's triumph scrambled the Republican race as well.

"We showed this country what a real comeback looks like," the Arizona senator told The Associated Press in an interview as he savored his triumph. "We're going to move on to Michigan and South Carolina and win the nomination."

Later, he told cheering supporters that together, "we have taken a step, but only a first step toward repairing the broken politics of the past and restoring the trust of the American people in their government."

McCain rode a wave of support from independent voters to defeat former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, a showing that reprised the senator's victory in the traditional first-in-the-nation primary in 2000.

It was a bitter blow for Romney, who spent millions of dollars of his own money in hopes of winning the kickoff Iowa caucuses and the first primary - and finished second in both. Even so, the businessman-turned politician said he would meet McCain next week in Michigan primary, and he cast himself as just what the country needed to fix Washington. "I don't care who gets the credit, Republican or Democrat. I've got no scores to settle," he told supporters.

After Iowa, Clinton and her aides seemed resigned to a second straight setback. But polling place interviews showed that female voters - who deserted her last week - returned to her column in New Hampshire column.

She also was winning handily among registered Democrats. Obama led her by an even larger margin among independents, but he suffered from a falloff in turnout among young voters compared with Iowa.

Word of Clinton's triumph set off a raucous celebration among her supporters at a hotel in Manchester - gathered there to celebrate a New Hampshire primary every bit as surprising as the one 16 years ago that allowed a young Bill Clinton to proclaim himself "the comeback kid."

She was winning 39 percent to 36 percent for Obama. Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina trailed with 17 percent. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was fourth, polling less than 5 percent.

Despite running a distant third to his better-funded rivals, Edwards had no plans to step aside. He pointed toward the South Carolina primary on Jan. 26, hoping to prevail in the state where he was born - and where he claimed his only victory in the presidential primaries four years ago.

It was hard to tell who needed a Republican victory more - McCain or Romney. McCain was the long-ago front-runner who survived a near-death political experience when his fundraising dried up and his support collapsed. He shed much of his staff and regrouped. An unflinching supporter of the Iraq war, he benefited when U.S. casualties declined in the wake of a controversial building in U.S. troops. By the final days of the New Hampshire race, he held a celebration of sorts to mark his 100th town hall meeting in the state he won eight years ago.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the leadoff Iowa GOP caucuses last week, was running third in New Hampshire.

McCain was winning 37 percent of the Republican vote, Romney had 32 and Huckabee 11. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had 9 percent, Texas Rep. Ron Paul 8.

Clinton's triumph was unexpected - and unpredicted.

Obama drew huge crowds as he swept into the state after winning Iowa. Confident of victory, he stuck to his pledge to deliver "change we can believe in," while the former first lady was forced to retool her appeal to voters on the run. She lessened her emphasis on experience, and sought instead to raise questions about Obama's ability to bring about the change he promised.

The grind took a toll on both of them.

Obama suffered from a sore throat, while Clinton's voice quavered at one point when asked how she coped with the rigors of the campaign. That unexpected moment of emotion became the talk of the final 24 hours of the campaign.

Clinton's performance came as a surprise even to her own inner circle.

Officials said her aides were considering whether to effectively concede the next two contests - caucuses in Nevada on Jan. 19 and the South Carolina primary a week later - and instead try to regroup in time for a 22-state round of Democratic contests on Feb. 5.

These officials also said a campaign shake-up was in the works, with longtime Clinton confidante Maggie Williams poised to come aboard to help sharpen the former first lady's message. Other personnel additions are expected, according to these officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity while discussing strategy.

The close Democratic race resulted in Clinton and Obama each winning nine national convention delegates, with Edwards getting four, according to an AP analysis.

In the overall race for the nomination, Clinton leads with 187 delegates, including separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates. She is followed by Obama with 89 delegates and Edwards with 50.

McCain won seven Republican delegates to four for Romney and one for Huckabee. New Hampshire originally had 24 Republican delegates, but the national party stripped half as punishment because the state broke party rules by scheduling its primary so early.

In the overall race for the GOP nomination, Huckabee leads with 31 delegates, followed by Romney with 19 and McCain with seven.

Obama's defeat came as he won an endorsement from the Nevada chapter of the Service Employees International Union, which represents 17,000 workers in the state that votes next. He is still strong in South Carolina, where the Democratic electorate is heavily black and likely to go for the most viable black presidential candidate in history.

The Republican race turns next to Michigan, where McCain and Romney already are advertising on television, and where both men planned appearances on Wednesday. Huckabee also was expected to campaign in the state.

According to preliminary results of a survey of voters as they left their polling places, more independents cast ballots in the Democratic race than in the Republican contest. They accounted for four of every 10 Democratic votes and about a third of Republican ballots. The survey was conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks.

Republicans were split roughly evenly in naming the nation's top issues: the economy, Iraq, illegal immigration and terrorism. Romney had a big lead among those naming immigration, while McCain led on the other issues.

Half of Republicans said illegal immigrants should be deported, and this group leaned toward Romney. Those saying illegal immigrants should be allowed to apply for citizenship leaned toward McCain, while the two candidates split those saying those here illegally should be allowed to stay as temporary workers.

Among Democrats, about one-third each named the economy and Iraq as the top issues facing the country, followed by health care. Voters naming the economy were split about evenly between Obama and Clinton, while Obama had an advantage among those naming the other two issues. Clinton has made health care a signature issue for years.

About one-third said if Bill Clinton were running, they would have voted for him on Tuesday.

LINK: Clinton and McCain Pull Off Upsets in NH

I was happy to see Romney lose again, and given the GOP candidates, I find I dislike McCain the least (besides Huckabee). I was very disappointed to learn that Hillary won, but we can't have everything. Edwards is right: 48 states to go.

RELATED READING...

LINK: Edwards Fights to Stay Relevant

LINK: Richardson: 'On to the West'

LINK: Kucinich said N.H. shows race wide open

LINK: Giuliani Focuses on Florida After Loss

LINK: Huckabee OK With Third

On to Michigan now...

-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (1/09/08):
Once again, Think Progress presents...
LINK: Live New Hampshire Primary Updates

FOX Business News has very low ratings!

2008-01-07T09:24:00.001-05:00

Like Glenn Beck and Tucker Carlson, Rupert Murdoch's FBN is tanking...

NY Daily News...

Only 6,000 people are watching Rupert Murdoch's new all business cable network during the work day, according to Nielsen ratings data obtained by the Daily News.
And, after eight weeks on the air, Fox Business Channel is averaging just 15,000 viewers in prime time.
If the average number of viewers at night all got together, they wouldn't even fill Madison Square Garden.
For comparison, 284,000 viewers tune in to CNBC during the day, with 238,000 in prime time.
The folks at Fox aren't sweating the low preliminary returns.
"It's so early, I don't know what to make of them," FBC anchor Neil Cavuto said. "We're just coming out of the gate. Going in, I had so low expectations."
Cavuto said the numbers reminded him of 11 years ago, when he joined the then fledgling Fox News Channel. "For years after I left CNBC, it was as if I had entered the witness protection program," he said.
It took FNC several years to make a dent in the ratings and more than five years to beat CNN.
The FBC's audience peaks at 27,000 viewers at 8 p.m. weeknights, the data show. Another high point has been 2 p.m. weekdays, when 17,000 check in.
"I'm not a stranger to this sort of thing," Cavuto said. "I'm a realist. These things take time. It's tough to rate this kind of thing with an audience so small."
"It has not affected our ability to get the President of the United States, all of the candidates, every top-name CEO," he said.
FBN is available in 30 million homes, with an overwhelming majority of that only in homes with digital service. CNBC is in 94 million homes, all of it available to basic subscribers.

LINK: Fox Biz Channel all but invisible

No Fox News is good news...

-Mr. Joseph

Bill O'Reilly Confronts Obama

2008-01-07T09:02:00.001-05:00

What ridiculous antics this guy is up to. Has he no sense of decency?

Crooks and Liars has video and a *very* rough transcript...

After Bill O’Reilly had an altercation with Marvin Nicholson, Obama’s National Trip Director—he crashes and asks Obama if he’ll come on The Factor.

Obama: There’s a whole bunch of people over there I’ve got to talk to.

O’reilly: Thank you very much, You’re a good guy. We like you.

Obama: After the primary we’ll go on.

O’Reilly: After New Hampshire.

Obama: After the primary.

LINK: O’Reilly crashes Obama’s NH speech and asks to interview him! Don’t do it!

RELATED READING...

LINK: Bill O’Reilly in confrontation with Obama staffer at rally: Screams at Marvin Nicholson

LINK: O’Reilly says he called Obama’s staffer an SOB!

LINK: Obama staffer says Bill O’Reilly confrontation got physical!

LINK: Secret Service Restrains Out-Of-Control O'Reilly

LINK: Fox News' Wilson falsely claimed that O'Reilly said "confrontation" with Obama staffer was "just verbal"

LINK: O'Reilly falsely claimed "Obama has dodged every tough interview"

Most ridiculous item of the campaign trail...

-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (1/09/08):
Robert Greenwald and FOXATTACKS! did a great job of summing up this incident.

LINK: Bill O'Reilly attacks Obama staffer

Biden, Dodd drop out after Iowa results...

2008-01-04T04:58:00.000-05:00

Joe Biden and Chris Dodd have both acknowledged that this is as far as they are going to go and have stepped aside. I liked both candidates to a degree. I support Biden's plan for Iraq and I found Chris Dodd to be a very likable candidate (I especially liked his answer about what his "guilty pleasure" was). However, this is a good time for both candidates to step aside and celebrate how far they got.

The Associated Press reports on Biden...

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden abandoned his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday after a poor showing in the state's caucuses.
Biden was expected to announce his decision to withdraw from the contest at a campaign rally in Des Moines, according to advisers who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The veteran lawmaker and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee received less than 1 percent of the vote in Iowa's caucuses despite a spirited campaign in which he emphasized his international policy credentials and long career in public service.
It's a case of deja vu for Biden, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination 20 years ago — in 1988 — but left the race before the Iowa caucuses that year amid accusations that he had plagiarized from speeches by a British Labor Party leader.
Biden campaigned extensively in Iowa, focusing his pitch on his plans for ending the Iraq war and the broad foreign policy experience he gained from decades in the Senate. Biden also noted the many time his rivals acknowledged that they agreed with him.
His advisers had hoped for a fourth-place finish and thought even third place was possible.
Biden, 65, has served in the Senate since 1973 after winning a race few expected him to. He was only 29 when elected, but turned 30 — the minimum age for service in the Senate — shortly thereafter.
More...

LINK: Biden to Abandon Presidential Bid

Reuters reports on Dodd...

Long-shot Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Christopher Dodd was expected to announce his withdrawal from the White House race after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses, sources close to the senator said on Thursday.
Dodd, a senator from Connecticut, heads the important U.S. Senate Banking Committee which is has been working on legislation to address the subprime mortgage crisis.

LINK: Democratic hopeful Dodd to drop White House bid

RELATED READING...

From Dodd's website...
LINK: ChrisDodd.com

From Biden's YouTube page...

LINK: Thank you

Congratulations and best of luck to both...

-Mr. Joseph

Obama, Huckabee win in Iowa!

2008-01-04T04:38:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Sen. Obama and Sen. Edwards for defeating the so called "inevitable" Sen. Clinton. It was fantastic to see both of them win. Also, congratulations to Gov. Huckabee for coming from 1% to the Iowa caucus winner!

What a great night!

Here's the story on Sen. Obama's win...

A victorious Barack Obama portrayed his decisive first-place finish in the Iowa Democratic caucuses as a "defining moment" that he said would lead the way to change in Washington and an end to the war in Iraq.

The first-term senator from Illinois promised "a nation less divided and more united" and told those at a victory rally they could some day "look back and say this is the moment where it all began."

Obama, 46, is bidding to become the first black president. He garnered about 38 percent of the vote, comfortably ahead of former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former first lady.

"They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. ... But on this January night, on this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. You did what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days," Obama said.

If elected, Obama vowed, "I'll be a president that ends this war in Iraq and finally brings our troops home, who restores our moral standing, who understands that 9-11 is not a way a way to scare up votes but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the 21st Century."

"Hope is the bedrock of this nation, the belief that our destiny will not be written for us but by us, by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is but who have the courage to remake the world as it should be," he said. "That is what we started here in Iowa and that is the message we can now carry to New Hampshire and beyond."

More...

LINK: Obama Says His Victory Will Bring Change

And on Gov. Huckabee's win...

Long-shot Republican candidate Mike Huckabee declared "a new day in American politics" Thursday after riding strong support from evangelical Christians into a decisive victory in the Iowa caucuses.

Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister and, like Bill Clinton, a native of Hope, Ark., managed to win despite trailing badly in national polls for most of the year. He out-hustled runner-up Mitt Romney and better-known candidates John McCain, Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani with a coalition of pastors, home schooling adherents, gun rights advocates and supporters of a new national tax system.

"This election is not about me. It's about we," the former Arkansas governor told supporters here. He said the victory would ignite "a prairie fire of new hope and zeal."

The victory makes Huckabee a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination. That was confirmed instantly Thursday night when the Democratic National Committee's website headlined, "Mike's Win Means More of the Same … Huckabee Promises Third Bush Term."

Now, he moves on to New Hampshire, where Romney and McCain are battling for the lead in the nation's first primary Tuesday. He was scheduled to appear there today with actor Chuck Norris and to play his bass with a local band, Mama Kicks.

More...

LINK: Huckabee: 'A new day in American politics'

RELATED READING...

LINK: Clinton Unbowed by Third-Place Finish

LINK: Romney falls to Huckabee in Iowa

LINK: A Second-Place "Victory" for Edwards?

LINK: Thompson Says Campaign Will Continue

LINK: Ron Paul gets some revenge

LINK: Richardson Stays in Democratic Contest

LINK: Hunter keeps on, despite lacking funds, attention

LINK: Giuliani Praises Huckabee's Iowa Win

LINK: Gravel fights on

I was happy to see Gov. Huckabee defeat Romney, and I was very happy to see both Sen. Obama and Sen. Edwards defeat Sen. Clinton. I had hoped Sen. Edwards would beat Sen. Obama, but alas, one cannot have everything.

It is my prediction that Guiliani's gig is up and he's done. I also predict that if Sen. Clinton comes in third in New Hampshire, she will be out of it.

Now things get interesting...

-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (1/07/08):
Think Progress presents Live Iowa Caucus Updates.

Nader slams Hillary, endorses Edwards!

2008-01-02T03:54:00.000-05:00

With the Iowa polls to close to call for any of the three leading Democrats, hopefully Nader's endorsement will be enough for John Edwards...

The Politico...

Ralph Nader unleashed on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton Monday — criticizing her for being soft on defense spending and a chum of big business — and expressed his strong support for John Edwards.

In an eleventh hour effort to encourage liberal Iowans to "recognize" the former North Carolina senator by "giving him a victory," the activist and former presidential contender said in an interview that Clinton will "pander to corporate interest groups" if elected.

Nader specifically accused Clinton of failing to challenge military spending because "she is a woman who doesn't want to be labeled as soft on defense, and she doesn't want to be shown as taking on big business."

As Clinton campaigned through a snowstorm in southeast Iowa, pledging to "bring about the changes we need," Nader accused the Democratic senator from New York of using empty rhetoric.

"[Clinton] has not led the way against the avalanche of military contracting, corporate crime, fraud and abuse," he said. "We want to inform the people of Iowa about Hillary Clinton because all the focus is on, do they have the experience and do they have the personal charisma, and can they cross the aisle" Nader said.

"The issue is corporate power and who controls our political system and it's not who has experience for six years or two years," he said, alluding to an ongoing debate over experience between Clinton and freshman Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

"She has experience in the Senate, and what that experience has meant is going soft on cracking down on corporate crime, fraud, and abuse, soft on cutting tens of millions in corporate subsidies," he continued.

The Clinton campaign declined to comment on Nader's criticism.

Nader, a four-time presidential candidate, called Edwards a Democratic "glimmer of hope." He has long criticized Democrats as indistinguishable from Republicans, chiding both parties as slaves to corporate financing and interests.

It was Nader who famously — or infamously to many Democrats — siphoned off enough liberal votes from Al Gore in 2000 to hand New Hampshire and Florida, and as a result, the presidency, to George W. Bush. Since 2004, however, Nader has been increasingly controversial within the political left. He was booed at a national conference of progressives earlier this year.

But he remains a popular figure among some liberals. Activists are particularly influential in the Iowa caucuses, if only because participation asks hours of voters' time. Only a small portion of Iowa Democrats caucused in 2004.

Clinton is currently locked in a heated three-way race with Obama and Edwards in Iowa, the first contest of the presidential primaries.

On Monday, Nader also issued a public statement criticizing Clinton as a "corporate Democrat," echoing the exact words Edwards uses to challenge Clinton. Nader said he has watched Edwards from afar and sees his more pugilistic brand of populism as an encouraging sign.

"It's the only time I've heard a Democrat talk that way in a long time," Nader said, acknowledging what was, for him, a rare moment of praise for a Democratic leader.

"Iowa should decide which candidate stands for us," he added. "Edwards is at least highlighting day after day that the issue is who controls our country: big business or the people?"

LINK: Nader throws support to Edwards

Come on Edwards!
-Mr. Joseph

Tancredo drops out, endorses Romney

2007-12-21T01:10:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if Romney would even want this guy's endorsement. However, who remembers this priceless moment? Anyway, Tancredo will be remembered (briefly) by his ridiculous and offensive ad campaign.

ABC News...

Rep. Tom Tancredo announced Thursday he is dropping out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination and endorsing rival Mitt Romney.
Tancredo, a five-term congressman from Colorado, has consistently polled at the bottom of the nine-person Republican field. He based his campaign on fighting illegal immigration and has run television ads that link lax border control to terrorist attacks, rape and other crimes.
He announced his withdrawal in downtown Des Moines two weeks before Iowa begins the presidential nominating process with the state's precinct caucuses.

LINK: Tancredo Drops Bid for White House

RELATED READING...

LINK: Washington Post: Transcripts: Tancredo Announces Decision to Exit Presidential Race

Well, with Tommy Thompson, Brownback, Gilmore, and now Tancredo all out, this only leaves the five "frontrunners" (Guiliani, McCain, Romney, Fred Thompson, and Huckabee) and Ron Paul. And of course, Tancredo clone / Ann Coulter's pick: Duncan Hunter. Oh yeah, and resident crazy, Alan Keyes... But whatever happened to Michael Savage's run? His poll is still up on his website.

Ah, Tancredo dropped out before it was too late.

-Mr. Joseph

Coulter's latest book is a flop

2007-12-18T18:11:00.000-05:00

I knew her time was up. She peaked with the Godless controversy. So I guess now she has nothing to do, but worry about the criminal case against her.

Crain'sNewYork.com...

The auction for Karl Rove's memoir drags on a month after the Republican strategist made the rounds of publishers with Washington power lawyer Robert Barnett at his side.

“It's very, very slow,” says an executive at one of the few houses left in the bidding. Early reports had predicted a $3 million sale, but some insiders are wondering if Mr. Barnett has had trouble getting to that number. He declined to comment.

Mr. Rove isn't the only conservative meeting a backlash. The latest tome by right-wing scribe Ann Coulter, If Democrats Had Any Brains They'd Be Republicans, hasn't caught fire with book buyers.

The title spent just four weeks on The New York Times' best-seller list—compared with 12 for her previous book—and has sold 97,000 copies in the last 10 weeks, according to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks about 70% of the market.

Ms. Coulter's last effort, Godless, sold 233,000 copies over the same time span, according to BookScan.

LINK: Slow going for Rove memoir auction

Well, this puts me in a good mood.

-Mr. Joseph

Howard Dean at UWM!

2007-12-10T01:43:00.000-05:00

As I noted a few weeks ago, Democratic Party Chairman, Howard Dean came to visit UW-Milwaukee, which is where I attend classes. He came to speak on various subjects relating to the Democratic Party. He spoke very well and took some questions at the end.

He spoke on why the Democrats have not been able to accomplish much, why more Democrats must be elected, and why he needs the youth to get out and support the Democratic Party. The speech was a lot of fun and Dean was very interesting.

I videotaped the entire speech, and much like my promise on the John Edwards speech, I promise to get that online -- as soon as I have time to get it on my computer. My videocamera tapes onto Hi-8, so it will take some time. Hopefully, I will get all this online over winter break. I also took some photos...

Of course, some of my fellow Peace Action WI members showed up, as did someone with an "Impeach Bush" sign. That, I think, is always a damper. Although I believe Bush should be impeached, it should not be a priority at this point. And when people bring such a sign, it gives the local media a chance to paint any mainstream Democratic or Left-leaning event as a extreme and irrational.

All in all, seeing a prominent political figure (who was my choice in the 2004 Presidential election) give a speech is a definitely something to remember, and I was quite happy to be there.

One more thing, although I did not get a picture with Mr. Dean, something surprising did happen. Before he came on stage, cards to write questions on were passed out. I wrote "What is your plan for victory in 2008?". I figured it would be a question he was likely to answer -- and I was right! He answered my question! When the question was read, I got to stand up and he looked me in the eye as he answered. For me, that's pretty cool. You can watch what happens on the video... as soon as I upload it.

Here's how the local media covered it...

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel...

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean on Tuesday urged University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students to start knocking on doors in preparation for the 2008 election, while he also blasted Republicans on issues such as health care and the war.
"Democracy, like every other invention of mankind, dies if you don't nurture it," Dean told an audience of about 250. "We need you in politics to win elections for your generation."

Dean zeroed in on Wisconsin's record of getting out the young vote. The state had the second highest turnout among young voters in 2004 and 2006, behind Minnesota. But voting alone is not enough; he wants young people to engage voters personally by knocking on 40 doors, four times, before the election.

"What happens in Wisconsin is going to make a big difference," he said.

The students asked questions, such as: How will Democrats make college more affordable?

Dean recommended a voluntary national service program in which students would serve two years and then reap cash for college.

Carthage College student Steve Horn asked for Dean's plan for getting out of Iraq.

Get the National Guard and reserves home now, Dean said. Divert some troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. Keep Special Operations troops in the Middle East. Bring home up to 60,000 other troops within a year and a half.

"It wasn't the response I wanted to hear," said Horn, who wants the troops home sooner.

UWM student Nicole Morales, 20, said Dean's Iraq plan was the best part of his speech. "I thought it was really good," Morales said. "The only thing I have a problem with is beating up the Republicans so much."

Dean criticized what he described as an "obstructionist Republican minority" in the U.S. Senate that has prevented the country from getting out of Iraq. He disparaged President Bush's October veto of legislation that would have expanded the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP.

"We need to restore the moral leadership and moral authority in this country and the world," he said. "The Republicans have squandered our moral currency."

Republican National Committee spokesman Chris Taylor disputed Democrats' moral authority.

"This is the party that advocates cutting funding from our troops in harm's way. I wouldn't say that screams morality," he said.

Dean ended with a charge to students to get involved in a campaign. "There has been a tendency to be pessimistic about the future of America," he said. "I am not pessimistic about the future because of you."

LINK: Dean blasts GOP: DNC chairman also urges students to get involved, vote

The UWM Post...

Former Vermont Governor and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Howard Dean implored young voters to make an impact on the 2008 election races, while criticizing Republicans on several key campaign issues during a speech at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus Tuesday.

Dean, who unsuccessfully ran for President in 2004, called the Republicans “the party of the past” and identified Democrats as the only party that can unite the country.

He also spoke proudly of the diversity evident in the Democratic presidential primary race, noting that an African-American, female, and Hispanic candidate are among the party front-runners, adding that the candidate pool reflects the diversity of the country.

“You see your generation in our candidates when they get on the stage. The Republican Party is like the 1950s, where if you were of color, or a different religion, or gay, you were an invisible person,” said Dean. “We are not going back, we are moving forward.”

Dean’s criticism was met with staunch opposition from the Republican Party.

“Howard Dean's insinuation that the Republican Party lacks diversity is completely false. President Bush has surrounded himself with a very diverse group of people from Colin Powell, Elaine Chao, Alberto Gonzales, Condoleezza Rice and numerous others,” said Kirsten Kukowski, Communications Director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

In order to move forward as Dean hopes, he asked students to get involved in campaigns and contribute more than just their votes in the upcoming election year, introducing a Neighborhood Leadership Program as a way to build positive relationships with voters.

The program focuses on supporters pledging to knock on doors across the state and the country three to four times between now and November in an attempt to build a relationship that will result in party loyalty and votes.

“What happens in Wisconsin is going to make a big difference,” said Dean. “It is a big deal that you get out and vote and knocking on those doors is going to do the trick.”

Dean asked members of the crowd to “help all over the state” by electing three more Democratic state representatives in 2008, which would give the state senate, house and governorship to the democrats.

“That will put Wisconsin back on the path away from the financial problems that were left to us by Republicans, and away from the right-wing social agenda that has been foisted upon us,” said Dean.

Kukowski stated that, “Democrats have passed more bills naming post offices and highways than important legislation affecting the American people,” noting the 11% approval rating currently carried by the Democrat-led Congress.

Shifting focus toward the primary race thus far, Dean has been pleased with the decorum of the Democratic candidates heading into Iowa, feeling that much of the supposed conflict between the candidates has been overblown by the media.

“A lot of what you read about is really a hyped-up version of what people are saying. But remember, journalists fan the flames,” said Dean, who unsuccessfully ran for the nomination in 2004.

“The level of ugliness is really not what you think, and is nothing that alarms me,” he added.

Wisconsin primary elections are slated for Feb. 19. Chairman Dean’s appearance was sponsored by UWM’s College Democrats.

LINK: Former Presidential candidate Howard Dean visits UWM: Calls Republicans ‘party of the past’

Here's some video via YouTube (you can see the whole speech there broken up into parts, but I will post the entire here thing soon!)...

WISN...

LINK: Howard Dean Urges Student Involvement During UWM Visit

Panthervision...
(Click the link to watch the video!)
LINK: Howard Dean Speaks to College Students

Also, that night I saw Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping perform, it was quite amazing!
Howard Dean, John Edwards, Michael J. Fox, and Dennis Kucinich (more to come on him), and this is only the beginning. I plan to attend many political events, given I am able to go. Thanks to Chris and Chad, the two who accompanied to both the Dean event, as well as the National Day to End the War, which I also reported on...

-Mr. Joseph

FOXSports' Howie Long rips Al Gore while discussing football

2007-12-09T22:46:00.000-05:00

This is absolutely absurd. So the business channel, the humor show, and now, the sports section of the FOX empire are all blindingly partisan?

Crooks and Liars...

This morning on Fox NFL Sunday’s pregame show, co-host and former NFL player, Howie Long, decided it would be a good idea to insult Al Gore to make a point about sports. Not only is this moron’s statement wrong, it’s unprofessional and he should be called out for it. Why do people like Howie and Al Michaels feel the need to mix politics with sports? You can write to FOXSports and tell them what you think about Howie’s hackery.

Long:”…Mike Martz suffers from a rare form of the Al Gore syndrome, where Al still thinks he’s the president and Mike Martz still thinks he’s the head coach…”

*Note to Keith Olbermann - If you’re looking for someone for your Worst Person In The NFL segment tonight, I think Howie is your man…

LINK: FOXSports Turns into FOXNews - Howie Long Insults Al Gore

Here's the video from YouTube...

LINK: Howie Long pokes Al Gore

So this "buckethead" has the nerve to insult Gore about wanting to "still" wanting to be the President even though Gore was never President and he is not currently running (although, he did win once...)?

Now granted, Howie was a spectacular football player, and I am proud to own this football card of him...
...but, it ridiculous of him to attempt to insert a *very* poor politically charged joke into the world of football.

So, all this means is that his political career is the same as his movie career: lame.

Also, check out this video of Howie losing it on air at commentator Joe Buck.

LINK: Howie Long Goes NUTZ on pregame

-Mr. Joseph

Typical FOX Caption: "All-Out Civil War in Iraq: Could It Be a Good Thing?"

2007-12-09T22:22:00.000-05:00

Keeping with their legacy of baffling and partisan promos and captions, FOX adds another one for the records...

Media Matters notes this story...

Fox News featured two onscreen captions during a segment on escalating violence in Iraq that read: " 'Upside' To Civil War?" and "All-Out Civil War in Iraq: Could It Be a Good Thing?"

LINK: Only on FOX: "All-Out Civil War in Iraq: Could It Be a Good Thing?"

RELATED READING...

LINK: C&L: FOX NEWS Captions

"FOX News is partisan and misleading: Could It Be a Good Thing?"

-Mr. Joseph

Rev. Robertson to step down!

2007-12-04T21:42:00.000-05:00

Well, this is good news, I suppose...

USA Today reports...

Evangelist and political activist Pat Robertson is stepping down as chief executive officer of Christian Broadcasting Network and will be replaced by his son Gordon, the elder Robertson announced today.

Pat Robertson, 77, founded the network in 1960 and grew it into a national powerhouse, with cable and broadcast outlets across the country. He'll stay on as chairman.

"I thought that some of this day-to-day operation was important to pass down the line, especially to somebody a little more adept at figuring out the new technologies coming at such a bewildering speed to all of us," Pat Robertson said in his announcement on The 700 Club, which Gordon Robertson produces.

LINK: Pat Robertson stepping down as network CEO

The question is, will Gordon be as quite insane?

-Mr. Joseph

Murdoch expands his empire

2007-12-04T21:33:00.000-05:00

The Empire Strikes Again...

After purchasing the Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch has now acquired Beliefnet.com. MediaBistro reports...

Steve Waldman's belief paid off today when News Corp. purchased Beliefnet.com, the spirituality-based Web site Waldman founded in 1999 and has run as editor-in-chief since.

In response to an anonymous tip we received, a call to Waldman resulted in a return call from a Fox spokeswoman requesting that this item be held until tomorrow morning to be supplemented by further information. When offered the opportunity to deny the story, the response was "Okay, we're not going to comment."

Beliefnet.com, which boasts over 3.1 million unique visitors a month, won the General Excellence Online Ellie in 2007 this past May, beating out Slate and ESPN.com. On November 12, they launched a beta social networking portal aimed at religious devotees, spiritual leaders, and faith-based groups.

Specifics on the deal to follow...

LINK: News Corp. Buys Beliefnet.com

Beliefnet, Dow Jones, Myspace, and FOX? That's only the beginning: NewsCorp is a monster. This, of course, begs the question: Will Murdoch attempt to manipulate faith, too?

-Mr. Joseph

Olbermann reads Tom Tomorrow on air!

2007-12-04T03:37:00.000-05:00

Hilarious!

YouTube video...

LINK: Bill O'Reilly's Advice To Teens - Comic Strip

RELATED READING...

LINK: The comic: "Bill O'Reilly's very useful advice for young people, as channeled by vile left-wing smear merchant Tom Tomorrow."

LINK: C&L: Keith Olbermann Reads Tom Tomorrow

-Mr. Joseph

Imus Returns!

2007-12-04T03:04:00.000-05:00

Breitbart.com brings the story of Imus's return...

Don Imus returned to the airwaves Monday eight months after he was fired for a racially charged remark about the Rutgers women's basketball team, and introduced a new cast that included two black comedians.

As he did several times in the days after his comments, Imus condemned his remarks and said he had learned his lesson.

"I didn't see any point in going on some sort of `Larry King' tour to offer a bunch of lame excuses for making an essentially reprehensible remark about innocent people who did not deserve to be made fun of," he said Monday during his debut on WABC-AM.

Again, Imus apologized to the basketball players and called the ensuing furor a "life-changing experience."

"I will never say anything in my lifetime that will make any of these young women at Rutgers regret or feel foolish that they accepted my apology and forgave me," he said. "And no one else will say anything else on my program that will make anyone think that I didn't deserve a second chance."

His debut Monday completed a comeback that seemed improbable at the height of the uproar last spring over his calling the players "nappy- headed hos." CBS Radio fired him on April 12, pulling the plug on his "Imus In the Morning" program that had aired on more than 70 stations and the MSNBC cable network.

Imus' lineup of guests Monday featured two presidential hopefuls, Democrat Chris Dodd and Republican John McCain.

McCain, who called into the show, answered questions about gays in the military (he said he would continue the "don't ask, don't tell" policy unless military leaders said it wasn't working), the recent surge in Iraq (he said it was doing the job), and the 2008 presidential election.

"Thanks for having me on," McCain said upon signing off. "Welcome back, old friend."

An hour before the 6 a.m. show began, more than a dozen fans—all of them white—waited outside the Town Hall theater for the sold-out show. The $100 tickets benefited the Imus Ranch for Kids With Cancer.

Shortly after the program began, Imus introduced his new cast, including two black comedians, Karith Foster and Tony Powell. Returning was Bernard McGuirk, the producer who instigated the Rutgers comment and was fired as well.

On the air, Imus said that every time he would get upset about getting fired, "I would remind myself that if I hadn't said what I said, then we wouldn't be having this discussion."

He talked about when he and his wife, Deirdre, met with the team, their coach and some of the players' parents and grandparents, for four hours the night he was fired from CBS Radio. The team members accepted Imus' apology that evening.

"I was there to save my life. I had already lost my job," he said. "They said they would never forget and I said I would never forget."

He talked about his experience over the past 20 years as a recovering alcoholic and drug addict and said that participating in recovery programs had given him the opportunity to be "a better person ... to have a better life."

While saying he had learned his lesson, he added—to applause from the live audience—"The program is not going to change."

His guests also included historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and political analysts James Carville and Mary Matalin.

While Imus pledged to use his new show to talk about race relations, he added: Other than that, not much has changed. Dick Cheney is still a war criminal, Hillary Clinton is still Satan and I'm back on the radio."

Imus' resurrection is just the latest in his four-decade career. The veteran shock jock has emerged intact in the past after assorted firings, bad publicity and a disastrous appearance at a Washington dinner before President Clinton.

Just three months after he was fired, the Rev. Al Sharpton, one of the strongest voices calling for his firing, said Imus had a right to make a living and could return to radio. Sharpton planned a news conference later Monday.

The prospect of Imus' return had outraged critics including the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Organization for Women.

Just before his dismissal, Imus signed a five-year, $40 million contract with CBS. He threatened a $120 million lawsuit after he was fired, but he settled in August for an undisclosed amount of money.

LINK: Don Imus Back on the Air

RELATED READING...

LINK: Imus Is Back! : Highlights...

LINK: Sharpton Encouraged By Changes To Imus Show (with video)

Video...

LINK: Don Imus Returns To TV/Radio

He's back!
-Mr. Joseph

Savage to sue Muslim group that quoted him

2007-12-04T02:53:00.000-05:00

Breitbart.com...

A conservative radio talk show host sued an Islamic civil rights group on Monday for copyright infringement over the organization's use of a portion of his show in which he called the Quran a "book of hate."

Michael Savage said the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American- Islamic Relations, or CAIR, violated his rights by wrongfully using a 4-minute segment of his Oct. 29 "The Savage Nation" show in a letter- writing campaign directed against talk radio advertisers. Audio from the show remained on CAIR's Web site Monday.

In the broadcast, Savage called the Muslim holy book "a throwback document" and a "book of hate."

"What kind of religion is this? What kind of world are you living in when you let them in here with that throwback document in their hand, which is a book of hate," Savage said during the portion of the broadcast highlighted by CAIR. "Don't tell me I need reeducation. They need deportation."

In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Savage said he was talking about Iran president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his dangerous and violent brand of Islamic extremism, not about the religion in general.

Savage said he strongly supports freedom of speech, but "it's another thing to take away a man's millstone and try to put him out of business."

A CAIR spokeswoman, who said the audio was not a four-minute segment, but a series of clips separated by beeps, called the suit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, "bizarre, sloppy and baseless."

"We expect to prevail based on the facts, the law and the Constitution," Amina Rubin said.

The group's "repackaging" of Savage's comments was "deliberately designed to obscure the specific message conveyed by Michael Savage," according to the suit. "The actual message, while highly provocative and strongly worded, was not intended as an attack on people of faith."

CAIR claims advertisers have stopped airing or refuse to air commercials during Savage's show.

Bill Crawford, a spokesman for Talk Radio Network, which syndicates the Savage show, said "there have been advertisers who've canceled Michael's show because of the CAIR situation." He refused to identify the companies or reveal the amount of lost revenue. Savage said he's lost at least $1 million in revenue.

The suit alleges CAIR is not a civil rights group, but a political organization funded by foreigners with ties to Hamas and other terrorist groups. CAIR denies those claims, saying it opposes terrorism and religious extremism.

LINK: Radio Host Sues Group That Quoted Him

If Don Imus got fired for "nappy headed hos", then why hasn't Savage?

-Mr. Joseph

Link of the Day: "Greg from the Left"

2007-12-03T09:56:00.000-05:00

In the interest in gaining alliances in the blogging world, I present "Greg from the Left", a fellow blogger who is out of Nashville, TN. It is styled in a way very similar to mine; so if you like this blog, then "Greg" should be something you may want to look into.

He states...

This is the G-Funk from Nashville, Tennessee. Instead of mass emails, I decided to post my criticism of the fascist Right on this blog. You'll find my favorite people here...Marsha Blackburn (my Congressman...yes, she prefers to be called CongressMAN Blackburn), Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and others! If you aren't already there with me, greetings from the Left!

LINK: Greg from the Left

http://gregfromtheleft.blogspot.com/

Check it out! There is some good stuff on it!

-Mr. Joseph

It is no fun if you are not in the majority...

2007-12-01T02:20:00.000-05:00

It looks like Sen. Lott is not the only one...

Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott's resignation announcement on Monday was the latest in a wave of retirements to hit congressional Republicans, making an already difficult 2008 electoral landscape even more complicated for the minority party.

Party officials insist that the retirements -- 17 members of the House and six senators -- are simply the result of individual decisions and not indicative of a broader negative sentiment within the party. "I don't hear a drumbeat that 'We're not effective and I don't like it here anymore,' " said National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole (Okla).
But with so many lawmakers -- including a large number from competitive states and districts -- heading for the exits, it's hard not to point to the GOP's newfound minority status in Washington, the turnover in party leadership and the perilous political environment heading into 2008 to explain the exodus.

Another surprise yesterday came from Rep. J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), who was toppled from the speaker's chair by Republican losses in 2006 and had said in August that he would not run for reelection. Hastert revealed that he is leaving immediately, allowing Illinois to hold a special primary election for his seat Feb. 5.

"The one thing the open seats have in common is that there is no one who can squeeze [an incumbent] into an uncomfortable place to convince them to stay," said Dan Hazelwood, a Republican direct-mail consultant who has worked on dozens of House campaigns. "There was always a cogent and powerful person to say: 'The team needs you.' There is less of that, but it's also unclear that the team needs them."

Regardless of the reasons for the retirements, Republicans find themselves in serious danger of falling deeper into the minority in both the House and Senate in 2008.
Many retirements have come in seats and states that are competitive between the parties. Republican senators' retirements in Virginia, Colorado and New Mexico have created races in which Democrats are favored to win next November. The same holds true in the House, where open GOP districts in Ohio, Arizona and Illinois are primed to go to Democrats.

Emboldened by the House and Senate majorities they won last year, Democrats have had almost no retirements. Five members of the House are stepping down or running for higher office in 2008, but none of the vacated seats is expected to be competitive. No Senate Democrat up for reelection this cycle has announced plans to retire.

Republicans also face a daunting financial gap at the congressional level, the likes of which they have not seen in decades. At the end of October, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had $29 million in the bank to spend on House races -- roughly 14 times the $2.56 million its Republican counterpart had at that time.

The disparity on the Senate side is smaller but no less significant. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee showed $23.4 million on hand at the end of October, compared with $9.5 million for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

"The challenge is that [open seats] spread thin resources even more thinly," said Glen Bolger, a prominent Republican pollster. "Places you'd like to play offense, you might not play because you have to play defense" elsewhere.

Pointing to millions spent on open-seat contests in recent years, one senior Republican strategist was blunt. "Open seats are bought, not won," the source said.
More...

LINK: GOP Comeback Climb Is Increasingly Steep

The more that resign, the merrier. That's what I say!

-Mr. Joseph

Gore meets Bush, declares it 'cordial... substantive'

2007-11-26T17:33:00.000-05:00

From The Swamp...

Al Gore slipped out the side door of the West Wing.

In his private Oval Office meeting with President Bush, the former vice president insisted that they had spoken about global warming "the whole time.'' It wasn't clear if the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, who shared the honor for his work on climtate change, was serious.

"Of course,'' they had spoken about global warming, Gore said, strolling down a rain-slick Pennsylvania Avenue with wife Tipper Gore after a private session with the president. For Gore, who had gone into the White House for a reception for the American winners of the 2007 Nobel Prizes, this was his first return to the Oval Office since leaving office.

But Gore, calling the meeting with Bush "very cordial'' and "substantive,'' declined to elaborate on their meeting. "I'm not going to do an interview here,'' Gore said in his walk down the streets outside the White House. "I don't want to comment more.''

This was the first private meeting of Gore and Bush since the Tennessee Democrat won more of the popular vote than Bush in the presidential election of 2000 but lost in the Electoral College – following a 36-day court fight over Bush’s disputed 537-vote margin in Florida.

This may have been a cordial reunion of erstwhile adversaries from a contested election, but it was kept discreetly private, within the confines of the Oval Office – where only photographers arrived near the end for “a photo-opportunity.’’

Gore had come, along with the other American winners of the 2007 Nobel Prize, for an official reception by the president.

The president, who had personally telephoned Gore to invite him and arranged the date of the Nobel recognitions to fit Gore’s own travel schedule, also received the Democrat and wife Tipper Gore for a private session before the “photo-op’’ with Gore’s fellow Nobel laureates.

Gore shared the Nobel Peace Prize this year for his work fighting global warming, a cause that Bush has only reluctantly embraced – with the Bush administration lately acknowledging the role that humans play in global warming, but still opposing mandatory caps on polluting emissions.

Gore also has been outspoken in his criticism for other administration policies, most notably the war in Iraq.

The White House insists the president holds no ill will toward Gore, who carried his challenge of the outcome of the 2000 election to the Supreme Court.

“I don’t believe so,’’ Bush Press Secretary Dana Perino said of any “bad blood’’ between the two. “I know this president does not harbor any resentments. He never has.’’

The two had met one another publicly at the dedication of the Clinton presidential library in Arkansas, and both had attended the funeral of President Gerald Ford, but the White House said Monday’s meeting was the first opportunity they had to meet privately.
“The president didn’t make a calculated decision to invite Al Gore to the White House... He invited him because he’s one of the Nobel winners,’’ said Perino, pressed about the purpose of the additional private meeting. “I didn’t psychoanalyze the president to find out why… It was a presidential, gentlemanly thing to do.’’

LINK: Gore meets Bush, declares it 'cordial... substantive'

I imagine the meeting, perhaps, was a bit tense.

-Mr. Joseph

Lott to Resign!

2007-11-26T17:12:00.000-05:00

After realizing that it is no fun to be in Congress without a majority, yet another prominent Republican is stepping down. This week, it is heavyweight Senator Trent Lott.

Think Progress covers the story...

Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) is reportedly informing close allies that he plans to resign his Senate seat before the end of the year. NBC reports, “It’s possible a formal announcement of his plans could take place as early as today.” Politico adds, “If he resigns, Lott would become the sixth Republican senator to announce they were stepping down this election cycle.”
UPDATE: Lott was forced from his Senate Majority Leader seat in disgrace in late 2002 after hailing the segregationist platform of former Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC). Speaking at a 100th birthday party celebration for Thurmond, Lott said, “I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn’t have had all these problems over all these years, either.” He regained a leadership post after the 2006 midterm elections.

UPDATE II: Lott has “scheduled two news conferences in his home state later in the day.” AP reports, “No reason for Lott’s resignation was given, but according to a congressional official, there is nothing amiss with Lott’s health. The senator has ‘other opportunities’ he plans to pursue, the official said, without elaborating.”

UPDATE III: Lott’s term expires in 2012, therefore a resignation would trigger a special election for a replacement to serve the remainder of his term.

UPDATE IV: “While the exact reason Lott is stepping down before he finishes his term is unknown, the general speculation is that a quick departure immunizes Lott against tougher restrictions in a new lobbying law that takes effect at the end of the year. That law would require Senators to wait two-years before entering the lucrative world of lobbying Congress.”

UPDATE V: Politico reports that Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) plans to run for Senate Minority Whip.

UPDATE VI: “Speculation on who Barbour might pick includes Rep. Charles W. “Chip” Pickering Jr. (R-MS) and Rep. Roger Wicker (R-MS). For Democrats, former Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore (D) is the most prominent Democrat mentioned as a possible candidate for the seat in 2008.”

LINK: Breaking: Trent Lott To Resign Before End Of The Year

Think Progress also covers what Senator Lott will be going into after he reigns. You guesses it -- lobbying...

Earlier today, news broke that Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-MS) intends “to resign his seat before the end of the year.” Lott will explain his plans in two news conferences in his home state of Mississippi later today.
Though the reasons for Lott’s resignation are still unknown, a “congressional official” told the AP that “there is nothing amiss with Lott’s health” and that “the senator has ‘other opportunities‘ he plans to pursue.” NBC News reports that Lott’s “other opportunities” involve joining the “lucrative world of lobbying Congress” before “tougher restrictions in a new lobbying law” take effect:

While the exactly reason Lott is stepping down before he finishes his term is unknown, the general speculation is that a quick departure immunizes Lott against tougher restrictions in a new lobbying law that takes effect at the end of the year. That law would require Senators to wait two-years before entering the lucrative world of lobbying Congress.

“A Lott friend” confirmed to the Politico that the new lobbying law is “a factor in the timing” of his resignation.

Lott, whose son is a lobbyist, was part of a small bloc of conservatives who voted against the ethics reform bill in August that included the two-year revolving door ban. His vote reflected his longtime position as an opponent of lobbying reform. Here are a few more examples of Lott’s defense of his potential, soon-to-be job:

- In Jan. 2006, Lott praised “the practice of secretly inserting special projects into spending bills at the behest of lobbyists,” calling it “an effective way for Congress to address a problem or need back home.”

- In Feb. 2006, Lott derided the effort to fix lobbying loopholes after the Jack Abramoff scandal as “the usual over reaction that we see happen quite often in Washington.”

- In March 2006, Lott voted against establishing a Senate Office of Public Integrity.

- In March 2006, when Congress sought to ban free meals from lobbyists, Lott defended the free meals, saying a ban would imply “that we can be had for the price of a lunch or dinner.”

Lott’s defense of lobbyists should come as no surprise considering how well they treated him while in office. Earlier this year, the Washington Post reported that Lott topped “the list of current lawmakers who have most frequently been jetted around the country aboard the luxurious private jets of Corporate America.”

Now, with tougher restrictions looming, Lott appears likely to pass through the revolving door to take the type of “lucrative” lobbying job that he fought so hard in the Senate to protect.

UPDATE: In a press conference today, Lott denied that the upcoming ban played “a big role” in his decision.

LINK: Lott Resigns To Enter ‘Lucrative’ World Of Lobbying That He Worked In The Senate To Protect

Enjoy the private sector, Senator. And please, try not to be racist... again...

-Mr. Joseph

What do conservatives spend their time thinking about?

2007-11-23T18:29:00.000-05:00

From the Agonist...

One answer is provided by Conservapedia's most viewed list:

1. Main Page‎ [1,897,388]
2. Homosexuality‎ [1,488,013]
3. Homosexuality and Hepatitis‎ [516,193]
4. Homosexuality and Promiscuity‎ [416,767]
5. Homosexuality and Parasites‎ [387,438]
6. Homosexuality and Gonorrhea‎ [328,045]
7. Homosexuality and Domestic Violence‎ [325,547]
8. Gay Bowel Syndrome‎ [314,076]
9. Homosexuality and Syphilis‎ [262,015]
10. Homosexuality and Mental Health‎ [249,14]

I'd like to add something witty, but really, what is there to say after that? Especially since I can barely stop laughing.

LINK: What Do Conservatives Spend Their Time Thinking About?

This probably explains Ted Haggard, Mark Foley, Larry Craig, and Fred Phelps...

-Mr. Joseph

Huckabee lines up some awesome endorsements...

2007-11-21T12:43:00.000-05:00

First Chuck Norris...

Then Ted Nugent (yes, that Ted Nugent)...

GLENN: ...Ted, one more thing. Let me ask you, have you made a decision on if you had a gun to your head today -- and I just want to make it very clear, you don't have one. But if you had a gun to your head today, who would you vote for?

NUGENT: Do I really have to answer that question?

GLENN: Yeah.

NUGENT: It's tough. My favorite man or individual running for the presidency of the United States of America right now today, since you're holding that gun to my head.

GLENN: Yeah.

NUGENT: Is a man who covers all the bases for we the people, the U.S. constitution, the Bill of Rights, decency and that's Mike Huckabee.

GLENN: Mike Huckabee, I would have thought you were a Ron Paul guy.

NUGENT: Ron's a good man, Fred Thompson's a good man, I like Mitt Romney and Mr. Giuliani on many levels. But no one in my estimation today -- and I'm not voting today.

GLENN: No, no, if you had a gun to my head. We're the same way. I would never draw a gun on you because I'd lose.

NUGENT: But Mike Huckabee, I'm telling you I've spent time with the man, I've watched how he conducts his personal life, his family life as governor of the State of Arkansas.

GLENN: Oh, Ted, personal life doesn't -- personal life, personal life doesn't matter. You know that. You learned that.

NUGENT: Well, a person's moral compass, I believe.

GLENN: What did you say?

NUGENT: It's an indicator of a person's moral compass, I believe.

More from the interview with Glenn Beck here...

And now WWF star, Ric Flair, are all agreeing with me on the best Republican candidate: Governor Mike Huckabee.
CNN reports...

In the race for presidential endorsements, Mike Huckabee has the kitschy pop culture celebrity vote on lockdown.
First it was martial arts hero and "Walker, Texas Ranger" star Chuck Norris, who appears with Huckabee in his first TV ad.

Then hard-rocking hunting enthusiast Ted Nugent jumped on the Huckabee bandwagon, citing the Republican's support for second amendment rights.

Now, Huckabee is getting ready to rumble: wrestler Ric Flair, a.k.a. The Nature Boy, is supporting the former Arkansas governor in his bid for the White House.

CNN has learned the WWE wrestler is on board with Huckabee, and will co-host a campaign tailgate with the candidate at the South Carolina vs. Clemson football game on Saturday afternoon in Columbia, South Carolina. More details are forthcoming.

LINK: Wrestler Ric Flair supporting Mike Huckabee

Can Huckabee's candidacy get any funnier?

-Mr. Joseph

PS Crooks and Liars found a great retro video of Ric Flair from 1988. Note the racism and craziness.

LINK: Ric Flair 1988 wrestling interview

DeLay: "I'd like to bitch-slap" Paul Krugman

2007-11-21T12:28:00.000-05:00

Oh Really?

From The Examiner...

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay may not be in a leadership position on Capitol Hill anymore, but that doesn't mean he can't weigh in on the current GOP leadership.

DeLay told Yeas & Nays that Republicans in Congress are "looking for something to believe in" and "they're not getting it out of this Republican leadership. … The leadership just isn't getting it."

"They're looking for some backbone," said DeLay, who also chimed in on the 2008 election. He said the Republican party is "going to get our clocks cleaned in 2008" and unequivocally said that "Hillary [Clinton] will be the next president." Which ought to give DeLay’s newest projects, the Coalition for a Conservative Majority and a consulting firm called First Principles, LLC, plenty to do.

DeLay gave us is his dour assessment at a book party for former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, which was held at the Georgetown home of former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman. The party was a virtual "who's who" of the conservative movement: Lynne Cheney, Liz Cheney Perry, Scooter Libby, David Keene, Vin Weber, Grover Norquist, Barbara Comstock, Armstrong Williams, Mary Matalin, Ramesh Ponnuru, John Fund, Byron York and Kate O'Beirne.

But, lest you think that The Hammer is about to start playing for the other team, he did poke fun at New York Times columnist -- and favorite conservative punching bag -- Paul Krugman: "I'd like to bitch-slap him." DeLay also ruled out another stab at politics, even if GOP fortunes reverse: "I'm 60 years old, I'm through."

Elsewhere around the party: Mehlman called Bolton "the Atticus Finch of the United Nations." Mehlman said he sees similarities between the Finch character in "To Kill A Mockingbird" and the famously pugnacious Bolton, praising Bolton for always "earnestly making his case." Bolton kept his remarks brief, but did end with a rallying call for conservatives: "I sure hope we win next year."

LINK: DeLay Knocks GOP: ‘The leadership just isn’t getting it’

Where does he get the audacity? Well, he's just mad because he got bitch-slapped out of Congress.
-Mr. Joseph

Imus to Return to Television as well...

2007-11-20T13:22:00.000-05:00

It looks like Imus is reclaiming some of that lost territory...

Yahoo! Finance...

Imus to Hang Cowboy Hat at New TV Home

Don Imus is hanging his familiar cowboy hat in a new television home: RFD-TV.
The radio personality, who returns to the airwaves Dec. 3 on WABC-AM, will debut the same day on the seven-year-old cable and satellite television station that caters to viewers with homes on the range, the Rural Media Group, Inc., announced Wednesday
The radio show will be simulcast on weekdays from 6-9 a.m., and will be rebroadcast from 6-9 p.m. each evening, said Patrick Gottsch, founder and president of the Rural Media Group. The program will also be available to RFD's nearly 30 million homes through on-demand services, Gottsch said.
Imus signed a five-year agreement with RFD, Gottsch said. An e-mail sent to Imus' lawyer for comment was not immediately returned Wednesday.
Two weeks ago, Citadel Broadcasting Corp. announced it was bringing Imus back to host a New York-based morning drive time show. The cranky Hall of Fame broadcaster was fired eight months earlier after his "nappy-headed hos" crack regarding the Rutgers University women's basketball team.
RFD, with studios in Nashville, has a mostly rural audience that receives programming like "The Cattle Show," "National Tractor Pulling" and the "Largent and Sons Hereford Cattle Auction."
"Don's passion and understanding of rural America fits in so well with our ongoing effort to bridge city and country folks with this channel," Gottsch said. His station launched in December 2000, billed as the first 24/7 television network dedicated to rural America.
The previous incarnation of "Imus in the Morning" was simulcast on MSNBC, which dumped the show shortly after Imus' ill-conceived comment.

LINK: Imus Returns to TV, Too

-Mr. Joseph

Sean Hannity is made the fool

2007-11-15T05:04:00.000-05:00

While I was surfing YouTube today, and it did not take me very long to spot a few videos of Sean Hannity that quite entertaining.

First, WeAreChange (a pro-Ron Paul / 9/11 Conspiracy Theory group) confronts him at a book signing...

LINK: Sean Hannity meets CHANGE
...Wow, I was so happy to see him called that to his face...

Next, Howard Dean (who is coming to UWM in about two weeks!) "outfoxes" Sean by mentioning one of my favorite documentaries, Outfoxed.

LINK: Howard Dean outfoxing Sean Hannity

Beautiful.

This next one is particularly interesting -- I agree with Hannity in this argument. An obnoxious Catholic priest of some Right-to-Life group criticizes Hannity's position on birth control. I cheered for Hannity on this one (something which hasn't happened since this...)

LINK: Hannity Bullies Clergyman

Although it was rewarding to see Hannity be called a "heretic", I was quite disturbed when the priest said, "good!" when Hannity accused him of driving people away from the Catholic faith.

And finally, a little bit of humor at Sean's expense. A clip of a terrible rendition of "Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the "heretic" himself.

LINK: Sean Hannity singing "Devil Went Down To Georgia"

I actually laughed when I saw Colmes with his hands over his ears.

Watch Outfoxed,

-Mr. Joseph

Bounty Hunter "Dog" is a racist

2007-11-14T04:02:00.000-05:00

I don't pay a lot of attention to unintelligent television shows, but on occasion, I have seen "Dog: The Bounty Hunter" on A&E. This show is beyond stupid. And back in September of 2006, I was only too happy to find out that he had been arrested in Hawaii. I blogged about it on my old blog. I also blogged about the ridiculous attempt of 29 Congressmen to get Secretary of State Rice to prevent him from being transferred over to the Mexican authorities. Video of his testimony here...

Anyway, I was even more delighted to hear that just recently, 'Dog' had been caught up in a controversy after a very racist rant of his was caught on tape.

I will link to where I originally read the story, of all places, the National Enquirer.

AUDIO / LINK: DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER'S RACIST RANT -- CAUGHT ON TAPE!

You can listen to the rant there.

Now, of course, like Don Imus and Michael Richards, Dog is making the rounds and apologizing. But the most pathetic aspect of all this controversy was Sean Hannity's "exclusive" hour-long interview with Dog. Like always, if there is a conservative in trouble (for instance, Mel Gibson), Hannity proves to be the biggest apologist.

Disgusting. Both of them.

-Mr. Joseph

Here Comes Huckabee! (and Edwards)

2007-11-14T03:30:00.001-05:00

My apologies for the lack of postings around here. I know there is plenty of news out there, but I have been terribly distracted. Anyway, I had to note this because my favorite Republican candidate is doing very well in the polls. This is good news for me, because like I have stated before, I believe that (aside from Ron Paul) Huckabee is the only honorable Republican of the bunch. However, more importantly, the candidate I officially endorse, John Edwards, in neck and neck (and neck) with Hillary and Obama. In fact, according to a CBS / NYT poll...

Democrats and Republicans are both headed toward heated showdowns in Iowa, where, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll, Hillary Clinton holds a statistically insignificant lead over John Edwards and Barack Obama, and GOP hopeful Mitt Romney finds his long-held position as the state's front-runner challenged by a surging Mike Huckabee.

The situation in Iowa, where nominating caucuses are scheduled for Jan. 3, is in stark contrast to New Hampshire, where Clinton and Romney continue to hold large leads among those likely to vote in the state's first-in-the-nation primary, which could come only days after Iowa's contests.

But in both states, large chunks of voters have yet to make up their minds, meaning the results of the contests that will kick off the 2008 nominating season are still difficult to predict.

In Iowa, the Democratic contest is knotted up. Among likely caucus-goers, Clinton came out on top with 25 percent support, but she was trailed closely by Edwards at 23 percent, and Obama at 22 percent. With a margin of error of 4 percentage points, there is no clear leader. Trailing behind was Bill Richardson, at 12 percent, with all other candidates in single digits.

...

While the Democratic contest in Iowa has been a three-way battle for some time, most polls have shown Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, with a strong lead in the Hawkeye State, dominating the GOP field. Recent surveys, however, have shown Huckabee picking up steam, and he is well within striking distance in the CBS News/New York Times poll, where he trails Romney, 27 percent to 21 percent, with a 5 percent margin of error.

Rudy Giuliani was in third at 15 percent. All other candidates were in single digits, including Fred Thompson, who had 9 percent support among likely caucus-goers.

While Romney still leads in Iowa, his support base is far softer than that of Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor whose campaign has gained momentum in recent weeks. Half of Huckabee supporters said they had made up their mind, compared to two-thirds of Romney supporters who said they could change their mind before caucus night. Overall, 57 percent of GOP caucus-goers said they haven't settled on one candidate.

Huckabee could run into trouble if immigration is as important an issue as the poll indicates. When asked what issue candidates should discuss, illegal immigration topped the list at 20 percent, and 44 percent of caucus-goers said illegal immigrants should lose their jobs and leave the country. Huckabee has been criticized for supporting pre-natal care for immigrants and educational opportunities for the children of immigrants, and only 13 percent said Huckabee agreed with them on this issue, compared to 26 percent for Romney.

More on page 1, page 2...

LINK: Poll: Top Democrats Deadlocked In Iowa

So, there is some good news out of Iowa for this blog. Now, I will be gone this weekend: off to Ft. Benning, GA for the annual School of the Americas Protest, something that was almost successfully closed this past Summer. I will blog about my experience when I return.

-Mr. Joseph

Chuck Norris Endores Huckabee

2007-10-23T00:53:00.000-04:00

Well, Chuck and I agree on the best Republican candidate. We certainly did not agree on the last.

CNN...

It could be the latest so-called Chuck Norris fact: The American people don't choose presidents, Chuck Norris does.
The cult hero of “Walker Texas Ranger” fame said Monday he’s backing Republican Mike Huckabee for president.

“Though Giuliani might be savvy enough to lead people, Fred Thompson wise enough to wade through the tides of politics, McCain tough enough to fight terrorism and Romney business-minded enough to grow our economy, I believe the only one who has all of the characteristics to lead America forward into the future is ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee,” Norris wrote on the conservative Web site World Net Daily.

“Mike is also a respected and fearless leader, and he does not cower to the cries of any majority or minority,” Norris added. “He doesn't abandon his values for what's expedient. Like our Founding Fathers, he's not afraid to stand up for a Creator and against secularist beliefs.”

Huckabee’s campaign has not responded to a request for comment.

LINK: Martial arts TV star picks presidential candidate

The Indecision 2008 blog had a great "Mike Huckabee Facts" parody...

You may be wondering why Chuck Norris has decided to throw his massive support behind Mike Huckabee for president. Turns out there's a bunch of reasons...
When Mike Huckabee participated in the Iowa Straw Poll, they had to re-name it the Iowa Iron Pole.

Mike Huckabee can cut taxes... with his penis.

Stephen Hawking told Mike Huckabee the universe was 12 billion years old once. Once.

Mike Huckabee lost 100 pounds of body fat by eating it.

Jesus asked Mike Huckabee for career advice, but Huckabee was too busy body-slamming Satan.

Mike Huckabee flosses his teeth with the bones of abortion doctors at least twice a day.

Mike Huckabee is forbidden to interfere with human history.

Top scientists believe global warming is a direct consequence of Mike Huckabee getting angry.

Mike Huckabee opposes gay marriage because every man on earth wants to marry him.

Mike Huckabee won't repeal the Estate Tax out of sympathy for the families of his victims.

Mike Huckabee has completed six marathons, two of which aren't until next year.

Fred Thomspon, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani all got cancer because Mike Huckabee looked at them too hard.

If Mike Huckabee is elected, he'll bring all the troops home--he can handle this himself.

If Mike Huckabee had been around in Biblical times, the symbol of Christianity would be Pontius Pilate with a cross up his ass.

Mike Huckabee would've stopped the attack of 9/11, but there was an asteroid hurtling toward Earth that day.

Mike Huckabee doesn't talk in sound bites; he speaks in decibel munches.

Charles Darwin was actually born the same year as Mike Huckabee, but Huckabee punched him back to the 1800s.

If Mike Huckabee had been President, the levees in New Orleans never would've broke, because Katrina would've known better.

Mike Huckabee's philosophy on showing mercy is "abstinence-only."

Atheism can be cured by Mike Huckabee's farts.

Mike Huckabee is so powerful, even the ugly, unwanted, weight he discarded is running for president: Dennis Kucinich.

Most bass players tune to a low E; Mike Huckabee tunes to F U.

The 1976 Tangshan earthquake killed over 250,000 people. Nine months later, the Huckabees welcomed their first son.

Mike Huckabee spelled backwards is "Jesus Loves You." It's not? I dare you to tell that to Mike Huckabee.

Mike Huckabee is only running for President because he's reached his term limit as Grand Master of Space and Time

Mike Huckabee opposes the right to die... painlessly.

Mike Huckabee is running the greenest campaign transporting his entire staff from state to state on his c*ck and huge rolling balls.

In Soviet Russia, President runs for Mike Huckabee!

Fifteen years ago Mike Huckabee cured "Andrew" Coulter of his vestigial male genitalia.

If elected, Mike Huckabee will replace the Justice Department with his fists.

LINK: Propaganza: Mike Huckabee Facts

Go Huckabee?
-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (11/19/07):

LINK: Mike Huckabee Ad: "Chuck Norris Approved"

You really can't make this stuff up.

9/11 Truthers Interrupt Bill Maher

2007-10-21T09:50:00.000-04:00

I don't know how I feel about these "Truth about 9/11" people. I saw 9/11 in Plane Sight, I've been meaning to watch Loose Change, I interview a 9/11 conspiracy theorist, and I've had questions before. But when they pull stunts like these, it is ridiculous...

All videos via Youtube...

LINK: 911 TRUTHERS INFILTRATE BILL MAHER AUDIENCE

This was all probably in response to these comments...

LINK: BILL MAHER *9/11 TRUTHERS SHOULD BE MEDICATED*

LINK: Bill Maher brushes off 9/11 truth

LINK: Bill Maher attacks Charlie Sheen 9/8/06

Well, the "Truthers" got back at him...

LINK: 9/11 Truthers Respond to Bill Maher

Lame, huh?

Well -- they also struck at FOX News' Alan Colmes...

LINK: Change Confronts Alan Colmes

I really think these guys shoot themselves in the foot when they come off as such jackasses. Maher and Colmes are critical of the Bush Administration's response to 9/11, and that should be the focal point. What happened after 9/11, not if it were some inside job.

-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (10/25/07):
Now they're going after Clinton...

LINK: Bill Clinton Takes On 9/11 Conspiracy Protesters

Fred Phelps endorses Fred Thompson!

2007-10-19T04:05:00.000-04:00

The Westboro Baptist Church is disgusting. I, actually, feel bad for Thompson. Who would want their support? But then again, why would he work for them in the first place? Well, I certainly don't support Fred Thompson.

The Associated Press...

Members of the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church are urging Fred Thompson to support their stance on homosexuality — a position on which they say the Republican presidential candidate once "saw eye to eye" with them.
Thompson was hired for a mid-1980s legal case in Kansas on the recommendation of Margie Phelps, daughter of Westboro founder Fred Phelps.
The Topeka, Kan.-based church is now best known for protesting at soldiers' funerals, claiming their deaths are retribution for the nation's acceptance of homosexuality.
Thompson campaign spokeswoman Karen Hanretty on Wednesday dismissed the church as "a radical fringe group, looking to draw attention to themselves."
"Their behavior at the funerals of fallen soldiers is disgraceful and reprehensible," she said. "In no way do these people share Fred's values."
Church members released an open letter to Thompson this week, saying he had discussed his views on homosexuality with them while handling the case of a woman who had sued the state's Republican attorney general for sexual harassment.
"We know what your position used to be on the homosexual question — and it was wonderful, and we saw eye to eye," church members said in the letter to Thompson.
That statement appears to conflict with comments made by Margie Phelps to the Journal-World of Lawrence, Kan., in June about her interaction with Thompson.
"I'm quite confident he would've completely disagreed with everything about my faith," she told the paper.
Phelps' sister, Shirley Phelps-Roper, said in a phone interview Wednesday that while Thompson might disagree with the church today, he didn't disagree then.
And yet, Phelps-Roper said, "He wouldn't dare stand up and say that when he's running for president."
Thompson, a former Tennessee senator, has said he favors a constitutional amendment that bars judges from legalizing gay marriage but would leave the door open for state legislatures to act.
Thompson was hired in 1985 to represent Marcia Tomson Stingley, who sued Kansas Attorney General Bob Stephan, accusing him of violating a confidentially agreement on a sexual harassment case she had filed against him.
Margie Phelps, the original attorney on the harassment case, could no longer represent Stingley because she was now a witness. She recommended Thompson because she had just read a book about his representation of Marie Ragghianti, a Tennessee official fired by the state's governor because she refused to go along with a cash-for-clemency scheme.
Thompson won a $200,000 judgment against Stephan, who abandoned plans to run for governor because of the controversy. Stephan avoided paying by declaring bankruptcy.
A campaign spokesman this summer said that Thompson's firm did not make any money off the case.

LINK: Anti-Gay Church Says Thompson Agreed

Ridiculous.

-Mr. Joseph

Brownback to drop out

2007-10-18T17:41:00.000-04:00

Following Jim Gilmore, Tommy Thompson, and Newt Gingrich, my least favorite 2008 Presidential candidate, Sam Brownback, is dropping out.

Yahoo! News covers the story...

Republican Sen. Sam Brownback, the Kansas conservative who struggled to raise money and gain recognition in the 2008 presidential campaign, will drop out on Friday, people close to him said Thursday.
Money was a main reason for his decision, said one person close to Brownback who requested anonymity because the candidate had not yet announced his plans. Brownback is expected to announce his withdrawal in Topeka, Kan.

It's widely anticipated Brownback will run for Kansas governor in 2010, when his term — his second — expires. He had promised in his first Senate campaign to serve no more than two terms.

"He also mentioned he is really looking forward to spending more time in Kansas," the person said.

As recently as last week, Brownback indicated he would keep campaigning through Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses in January, saying he would exit the race if he finished worse than fourth there.

But his fundraising has sagged. Reports released Monday showed that of the nine Republican candidates who filed reports, Brownback was seventh in fundraising from July through September and had a mere $94,000 cash on hand, less than any of his rivals. Brownback raised nearly $4 million overall and was eligible for $2 million in federal matching funds.

He spent a good chunk of his money on the Iowa straw poll, an early test of strength whose significance diminished after Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani decided not to compete. He finished third in the August contest behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

The straw poll gave a boost to Huckabee, said Chuck Hurley, an influential Iowa conservative who is friend and adviser to Brownback.

"Brownback's campaign didn't catch fire," Hurley said. "It's just the field is still so full, and the pool of voters he was most fishing from was almost perfectly split between him and Mike Huckabee."

Hurley said Brownback called him Thursday morning to say he was dropping out.

Nationally, Brownback had the support of 1 percent of Republicans in this month's Associated Press-Ipsos poll, after peaking at 3 percent in June.

Besides money, Brownback was hurt because he supports a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, an issue that angers conservatives who influence voting in Iowa and other states that are struggling to provide education, medical care and other services to an influx of immigrants in recent years.

People close to Brownback said it was unlikely he would endorse another candidate on Friday.

It's uncertain how much weight a Brownback endorsement would carry. While the anti-abortion senator is a favorite of religious conservatives, he failed to become their consensus candidate and ranks low in national polls and state surveys.

Still, a nod from Brownback could bolster the conservative credentials of a candidate such as McCain or Huckabee, the rivals who appear most likely to receive his support.

Brownback and McCain are close Senate comrades and have refrained from criticizing one another, instead assailing Romney.

While McCain has a voting record similar to Brownback's on cultural issues, McCain prompts skepticism on the right flank of the party because he isn't a high-profile crusader against abortion rights and gay marriage. Brownback's backing could signal to Christian conservatives that they can trust McCain.

Campaigning in Spartanburg, S.C., on Thursday, McCain said of Brownback, "I'll miss him in this debate. He's a voice for family. He's a voice for the pro-life movement and community in America."
Huckabee, a Southern Baptist preacher, is another favorite of religious conservatives. But like Brownback, he has struggled to rally that voting bloc around his candidacy. He, too, could benefit from Brownback's backing.
Huckabee, campaigning in Rindge, N.H., declined to comment on Brownback's withdrawal because he hadn't heard it officially.
It's harder to imagine any other Republican in the field getting a Brownback nod, although former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is a possibility. The Kansas senator has bitterly criticized Romney, and Giuliani is disliked by many religious conservatives because of his abortion rights and gay rights positions.

LINK: Brownback to withdraw from GOP race

RELATED READING...

LINK: Report: Brownback dropping White House bid

Well, I wasn't worried -- he wouldn't have won my home state, anyways.

-Mr. Joseph

Drudge breaks story on the Imus Return

2007-10-15T13:30:00.000-04:00

From the Drudge Report...

THE RESURRECTION OF IMUS: RETURNS ON NATION'S TOP TALK STATION Mon Oct 15 2007 07:52:30 ET **Exclusive** In a dramatic and dazzling career rebound, controversial radio host Don Imus has secured a deal returning him to the airwaves on December 3 -- this time on the nation's most listened to talk station, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned! "Imus In The Morning" will make a high-impact resurrection on WABC in New York City, top sources reveal. "We'll have him on a standard 40-second delay," a studio source explains. "Don is rested, humbled, and ready for war!" Specific terms of the deal will not be released, but the host, who was fired by CBS and MSNBC after making disparaging comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team, has inked a eight-figure, multiyear contract with WABC parent company, CITADEL BROADCASTING. But who will his GUESTS be? Will senators come on? Presidential candidates? Tim Russert? Anna Quindlen? Who's the guest now? WILL THE ELITES TURN THEIR BACK ON HIM? MORE The stunning comeback is a defeat for those who protested and picketed Imus earlier this year. Imus is said to be particularly incensed by Senator Hillary Clinton's "shameless exploitation" of the Rutgers situation. The senator, who Imus has called "satan" and the "devil", traveled to Rutgers in April to praise the women's basketball team for its response to the controversy. In a campaign email, Hillary called Imus's comments "small-minded bigotry and coarse sexism." "Hillary, prepare to meet your maker!" a source close to the host joked early Monday. Station executives are still tinkering with the new schedule at WABC, which will likely see current morning jock Curtis Sliwa paired with late morning's John Gambling. Imus will be interviewed by Barbara Walters for a coming special. Developing...

LINK: THE RESURRECTION OF IMUS: RETURNS ON NATION'S TOP TALK STATION

-Mr. Joseph

The 2008 Presidential Elections: An Early Look at the Democratic Candidates...

2007-10-14T22:14:00.000-04:00

With this spectacle of the 2008 elections already heating up. I figured the Political Thunder Blog should analyze each candidate and then announce which one we here at PT support. This first edition will analyze the Democratic candidates.

Democratic Candidates:

Hillary Clinton...
Hillary Clinton, although the first woman from a major political party to ever run for President, is the Establishment candidate. She's played the game of politics all her life. She is intelligent and well spoken. And although she brings out the worst in pundits of the Right-Wing, she would be a fine President. Unfortunately, the possibility of her winning the 2008 Election is slim. She has a strong base of voters, however that base won't likely grow very large given the other candidates. She does not appeal to moderates. And that is because of the conservative hit machine that does its best to bring her down. This campaign is led by conservative pundits like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Glenn Beck.

I wish her the best, but I think her campaign will be a difficult one to sell. "Love her" or "hate her" ones always are. If nothing else, her campaign will decide if America is ready for a female President.

On the Web...

LINK: HillaryClinton.com (Official Website)

LINK: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator from New York (Senate Website)

LINK: Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign, 2008 (Wikipedia)

LINK: News results for "Hillary Clinton" (Google News)

---

Barack Obama...
Jon Stewart once described Barack Obama as the first black man to ever "have a prayer" of becoming President (which is ironic because Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are both reverends). Barack is the people's choice for President. He is man of popularity. His charisma wins over huge groups of people and it doesn't take much effort for him to convince people that he is a good guy. Unfortunately, his amount of experience in national government is limited. This is his biggest weakness. Also, he can be an easy target for the media. In Mid-December of '06, CNN ran a story on his name alone. Racism is also a factor. Rush Limbaugh dubbed him a "Halfrican American" and "Barack, The Magic Negro". Glenn Beck said that Obama is "colorless ... he might as well be white".

All this is just the beginning of the smears. They go on and on and on. The media has overblown every story with even a hint of controversy -- from Sen. Joe Biden stating that Obama is “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy” to the "Hillary 1984" attack ad.

I would love to see Barack Obama as President, for he is a breath of fresh air in the world of politics. He doesn't fight dirty and he believes strongly in bipartisanship. Hopefully, the smear campaign against him won't defeat his cause.

On the web...

LINK: Obama '08 (Offical Website)

LINK: Barack Obama, U.S. Senator for Illinois (Senate Website)

LINK: Barack Obama (Wikipedia)

LINK: News results for "Barack Obama" (Google News)

---

John Edwards...
John Edwards is a man with a lot to offer. He is strong supporter of unions and he will fight for the working class. Ann Coulter hates him enough to call him a "faggot", so he must be doing something right. Unfortunately, his campaign was struck with the sad news of the return of his wife's cancer. I salute them for pushing on with the campaign, and I hope Elizabeth has a swift recovery. I also salute her for her brave confrontation with Ann Coulter.

I met Sen. Edwards in September of 2007 and saw him give a speech. I have a video of his performance that I hope to get online somewhat soon. He truly came across as very Presidential. And this suprised me quite a bit. Before I saw him talk, I thought he came across as lackluster, but that is no longer my belief. In fact, when I started this analysis, I intended this to be the announcement of the official PT Blog's endorsement. However, after meeting him in person, I could not hold back my support for Edwards. And I officially support Senator John Edwards for President.

Now, unfortunately, with the release of this embarrassing video, the "Breck Girls" nickname, and news of his $400 haircut, he is already an easy target by the brain-dead media and immature Right-Wing. All in all, I wish him the best.

On the web...

LINK: John Edwards for President (Offical Website)

LINK: John Edwards (Wikipedia)

LINK: News results for "John Edwards" (Google News)

---

Bill Richardson...
Governor Bill Richardson is another "first [minority] to run for President". Although one of the most experienced and qualified candidates of the whole group, his nomination is unlikely. He's not as mainstream as Hillary, Obama, or Edwards. He does have chances to be a VP, however. With the way this election has ALREADY become grandiose and, quite frankly, ridiculous, Richardson will probably be swept under the rug by the mass media. He is one of the few candidates to promise immediate withdrawl from Iraq, something I personally disagree with.

I admire the man's career and I wish him the best, but unfortunately, I see his campaign a difficult one to pursue.

On the web...

LINK: Bill Richardson for President Exploratoy Committee (Offical Website)

LINK: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (Governor Website)

LINK: Bill Richardson (Wikipedia)

LINK: News results for "Bill Richardson" (Google News)

---

Chris Dodd...
The head of the New Hampshire Democratic party said Dodd told her that he wasn't "going to do the exploratory thing, I'm going to plunge right in." And he did. Unfortunately, it was on the recently disgraced Don Imus' show, Imus in the Morning. I don't really know why he is running for President. He doesn't seem to have much of a chance. I know very little about him, only that Dodd and Sen. Ted Kennedy once formed a "human sandwich" with a female waiter. Oh, and something called a "Dodd Pod".

His chances are minimal, so I only hope he brings some relevant discussions to the campaign. However, when I saw his performance on Real Time with Bill Maher, I was impressed.

On the web...

LINK: Chris Dodd for President (Offical Website)

LINK: U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd | D-Connecticut (Senate Website)

LINK: Christopher Dodd (Wikipedia)

LINK: News results for "Chris Dodd" (Google News)

---

Joe Biden...
I am not much of fan of Biden. Even thought he apologized, his comments about Barack Obama were irresponsible and stupid, even if they were misinterpreted. However, some believe the what he said wasn't important at all. What was even more irresponsible was his comments about Indian-Americans, when he said, "I've had a great relationship. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian Americans — moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking."

To his credit, The Biden-Gelb Plan for Iraq does make a lot of sense. In fact, it makes the most sense of all plans for Iraq. It is very reassuring to see that some Democrats do actually have a plan for Iraq.

The bottom line is that I really believe that his 2008 bid will end on something embarrassing, as it did in 1988. Biden, hopefully, will drop out soon because he nomination is incredibly unlikely and his election is even more unlikely.

On the web...

LINK: Biden for President '08 (Offical Website)

LINK: Joseph R. Biden, Jr. U.S. Senator from Delaware (Senate Website)

LINK: Joe Biden (Wikipedia)

LINK: News results for "Joe Biden" (Google News)

---

Mike Gravel...
Former Senator Mike Gravel was a name unknown to me. After doing some research, I found that he was instrumental in ending the draft and releasing the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War. So, he's a pretty cool guy.

Apparently, in 1972, he ran for Vice-President. In 1980, he was ousted in the Democratic primary by the grandson of the man Gravel had defeated in a primary 12 years earlier. Oh, the irony. However, he didn't take it to well. "I had lost my career. I lost my marriage. I was in the doldrums for ten years after my defeat," was what he said regarding the 1980 election.

He made a major error in judgment in 2003 when he gave a speech that was co-sponsored by Holocaust deniers (the Barnes Review). At least, he made a point that he did not share their view when he stated that "You better believe I know that six million Jews were killed. I've been to the Holocaust Museum. I've seen the footage of General Eisenhower touring one of the camps. They're [referring to the Barnes Review] nutty as loons if they don't think it happened".

His positions are very liberal (he supports legalizing marijuana), and he has been ignored by the media. Add that to the fact that only about 0.5% of Democrats support him, his candidacy is all but dead. Although his chances are nil, I hope he can bring some important discussions to the table and be a strong voice for the far left of the Democratic Party.

On the web...

LINK: Gravel 2008 (Offical Website)

LINK: Mike Gravel (Wikipedia)

LINK: News results for "Mike Gravel" (Google News)

---

Dennis Kucinich...
I don't care what anyone says -- Dennis Kucinich is cool... to an extent. I don't have too much to say about his current campaign. He is, potentially, undermining black voices by not boycotting the (now cancelled) FOX News Democratic debate. And, after missing the point of the boycott, he is taking potshots at the other Democratic candidates.

Kucinich is an odd character. He was named "among the ten worst big-city mayors of all time" by Melvin G. Holli. In 2003, Kucinich was the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award, an annual award bestowed by the Religious Society of Friends-affiliated organization Promoting Enduring Peace. In more recent times, he started impeachment proceedings against Vice President Dick Cheney.

Unfortunately, he is ultimately just the punchline for the joke that is his own campaign. Even though he has laid out a plan for Iraq and put together a very nice liberal campaign platform, everyone already knows his campaign will go nowhere. Hopefully, he will be able to bring some good discussion to the campaign.

A part of me wishes he would win -- back in 2003, he was the only candidate who promised (and is currently only one of two) to close the School of the Americas, a cause that is very personal to me.

On the web...

LINK: Kucinich for President 2008 (Offical Website)

LINK: Congressman Dennis Kucinich (House Website)

LINK: Dennis Kucinich (Wikipedia)

LINK: News Results for "Dennis Kucinich" (Google News)

---

Well, that is it for the official Democratic candidates. However, I find it important to analyze the two major potential Democratic Candidates, Gen. Wes Clark and Al Gore.

Wesley Clark...
Although the Draft Clark movement was pushing for a Clark candidacy, it seems that he has entirely rejected the chance to run for President in 2008. And, along with other ex-Democratic Candidate Tom Vilsack, has given his endorsement to Hillary Clinton. Which, some think, will make him a possible VP choice.

On the web...

LINK: Wesley Clark's WesPAC -- Securing America (Offical Website)

LINK: Wesley Clark (Wikipedia)

LINK: News results for "Wesley Clark" (Google News)

---

Al Gore...
If the latest Nobel Prize laureate were to enter the race, he could easily thunder into the primaries and steal a lot of votes from the Clinton campaign, but, in all reality, he will not. Gore loves his work for the environment and is doing a fantastic job at it, so there is no reason for him to enter. And, unlike the Republicans, Democrats are mostly satisfied with their choice of candidates; so if Gore were to enter, it would have mixed responses.

I must admit, up until I met Sen. Edwards, Al Gore was my hope for the White House. But, I have to face reality and understand that he has no reason to enter and he, most likely, will not. However, if he actually does enter, I will give him my utmost support.

On the web...

LINK: An Inconvenient Truth -- ClimateCrisis.net (Offical Website)

LINK: Al Gore (Wikipedia)

LINK: News results for "Al Gore" (Google News)

---

So there you have it, the 2008 Democratic Presidential Candidates, and my endorsements -- Sen. John Edwards or (if he enters) Vice President Al Gore.

-Mr. Joseph

What follows Gore's Nobel Peace Prize?

2007-10-14T06:38:00.000-04:00

What an honor. Following an Oscar and an Emmy, Former Vice President Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Politico documents the part of story on everyone's minds...

Former Vice President Al Gore was named joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his environmental activism, likely increasing pressure from his supporters for him to enter the Democratic race for the White House.

Sources say Gore will resist entreaties but will continue to tease by not ruling it out.

Just this week, an unofficial "draft Gore" movement bought a full-page ad in The New York Times — a move that succeeded in amping up the buzz among pundits and operatives.

The announcement boosts Gore's leverage with his party's presidential candidates and the next White House, if a Democrat wins. Now he and his agenda will command more attention.

The former vice president scheduled a news conference for 1:30 p.m. Eastern time in Palo Alto, Calif., at the offices of the nonprofit Alliance for Climate Protection, of which he is chairman. The group receives 100 percent of Gore's proceeds from the film and book versions of "An Inconvenient Truth."

A top Gore adviser said the prize — the latest in a string of awards Gore has won for his environmental work, including an Oscar in February — will not push him into running.

“My sense is that this won’t affect that calculation," said the adviser, Michael Feldman.

"He has said all along he has no plans to run for president. He’s been spending all his discretionary time on the climate crisis. This great honor will further enhance that.”

Gore said in a statement he was "deeply honored" to win the prize.

"The climate crisis is not a political issue; it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity," Gore said in comments e-mailed by his office 44 minutes after the prize was announced at 5 a.m. Eastern time. "It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level."
He said he would donate 100 percent of the proceeds of the award to the Alliance for Climate Protection.

Denied the presidency in the chaos of the Florida recount of 2000, he now has received what is arguably the most prestigious award in the world.

Gore, 59, shared the $1.5 million prize with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The citation praised him and the U.N. panel for their effort to “disseminate information about man-made climate change” — in the former vice-president's case, most notably with his book and movie, "An Inconvenient Truth."

Kudos from potential rivals

Gore was in the San Francisco area when the Nobel Foundation announced the prize in Oslo.

Democrats are already buzzing about the possibility that he could get a high-level post in a Hillary Rodham Clinton administration, perhaps as a roving ambassador charged with seeking global cooperation on climate change.

Fifteen minutes after the announcement, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards was out with a three-paragraph congratulatory statement praising Gore's “prescient and compelling — and often lonely — advocacy for the future of the Earth.”

Friday morning, the home page of Clinton's presidential campaign featured a large photo of Gore in a thoughtful pose and a huge "CONGRATULATIONS!" A tribute says his "dedication and tireless work have been instrumental in raising international awareness about global warming."

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), another leading presidential candidate, issued a statement saying: “By having the courage to challenge the skeptics in Washington and lead on the climate crisis facing our planet, Al Gore has advanced the cause of peace and richly deserves this reward."

On Thursday, Clinton told MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann when asked about the prospect of running against Gore: "There isn’t anybody who deserves it more, for the work he’s done for the past 20 years or more on behalf of sounding the alarms in the world concerning global warming."

There was a flurry of speculation on Thursday that Gore would win the Nobel when he unexpectedly canceled some appearances for what Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) called "an exciting and urgent mission that could result in a major breakthrough in the fight against global warming."

The Gore camp pushed back against the rumors, saying the former vice president had meetings in Asia which were later canceled.

Gore is also on the board of Apple Computer Inc.; is a senior adviser to Google Inc.; is chairman and founder of Current T, an independently owned cable and satellite television network for young people; and is chairman and founder of Generation Investment Management, a private partnership focused on "sustainable investing."

LINK: Gore's Nobel boosts talk of White House run

In an email, Gore's statement was this...

Dear Joseph,

I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This award is even more meaningful because I have the honor of sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change--the world's pre-eminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis--a group whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years. We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.

My wife, Tipper, and I will donate 100 percent of the proceeds of the award to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan non-profit organization that is devoted to changing public opinion in the U.S. and around the world about the urgency of solving the climate crisis.

Thank you,

Al Gore

LINK: AlGore.com

Brent Budowsky wrote another fantastic essay in response to Gore's victory...

As these words are written the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize has been chosen but not yet announced and for purposes of the future of America the great and inconvenient truth is that this does not matter.

America does not need another prize, we need another president.

Americans deserve a president who aspires not merely to wield power but to use the office of the presidency as the center of action to lift our land to the greatness that was bestowed to us by Americans who came before us.

My hope is that Al Gore is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He deserves it, and it would be a great moment for America and a great statement about the future of the earth.

But America does not need another prize, we need another president. “An Inconvenient Truth” was a brilliant, noble and historic undertaking, but if saving the planet from the ravages that threaten it is our purpose, in a journey of a hundred steps, the film took us one step, not 99.

The Assault on Reason will be viewed by historians as possibly the most sweeping and profound analysis of the troubles of our times, and the most brilliant manifesto of where an American president in the tradition of Roosevelt and Kennedy would lead this land we love.

But America does not need another brilliant book with a compelling program; America needs another president to make it happen.

The concert for the earth was a wonderful and important moment that brought to the attention of the planet the latent idealism and dreams of young people who want to inherit the wind of a better world, not merely the winds for another war, and a statement of generosity and conviction of stars who joined with kids on every continent of the earth.

But now, America does not need another concert, we need a new courage, a new conviction, and a new president to bring out the best of all of us, and make America a force that brings light to the world…

Personally I will support any of the Democrats over any of the Republicans, but does anybody believe that the campaign of 2008 has given any hint of a renewal of American greatness?

In my view, never before in memory have the man, the moment and the magic come together as they come together for Al Gore in 2008.

My hope is that he is awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace, but whether or not that comes to pass does not ultimately matter.
There is a far higher stake than another honor, another prize and another award, and that is the future of a great country that deserves a remembrance of our past, a renewal of our better angels, a reform of our shortcomings, a revival of our national spirit and unity, and a restoration of our role as the true leader of the free world.

LINK: Al Gore for President

TIME Magazine covered this aspect of the story of well. And, of course, Political Humor did a fine wrap-up of Gore's career. Keith Olbermann weighed in as well.

Congratulations, Vice President Gore.
-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (10/21/07):

LINK: The Daily Show: "Gore and Peace"

LINK: Colbert Report - Enviro-medal Disaster

Interesting Trivia about the '08 Candidates...

2007-10-14T06:30:00.000-04:00

Via RadarOnline...

Meet the Candidates
How well do you know your presidential hopefuls? Radar helpful voter's guide compiles a few fun facts they left off their resumes

LINK: Meet the 2008 Presidential Candidates

The profile include info on the candidates' religious background, youth, "relevant experience", "family values", and other odd trivia.

-Mr. Joseph

PS Also, check this out.

Political Quiz

2007-10-05T16:59:00.001-04:00

I just took this random political quiz. Here are the results...

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Working Class Warrior, also known as a blue-collar Democrat. You believe that the little guy is getting screwed by conservative greed-mongers and corporate criminals, and you’re not going to take it anymore.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

-Mr. Joseph

Friday Funnies

2007-10-05T03:55:00.000-04:00

This was actually posted last Friday, but I couldn't help it...

LINK: Mother Goose and Grimm

-Mr. Joseph

Gingrich: Out

2007-09-30T21:01:00.000-04:00

Following Thompson's (and Keyes') entrance to the 2008 Presidential race, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has decided to stay out of this race. He isn't endorsing anyone and he insists he would have been a contender...

My Way News:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday he could have been a contender, but has no regrets about skipping the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.
Gingrich said he'd had a Web site ready to launch this week and already had received several million dollars in pledges.
"I think we would clearly have been competitive financially within three weeks, and we literally had not even set up the Web site yet," he said. "But what hit me was it would have been an underdog campaign. I mean, clearly, if you were going to come from behind, I think it would have been a real campaign. I think we would have had a chance to win."
Gingrich spokesman Rick Tyler said Saturday that Gingrich opted out of the race, a crowded one with nine candidates, after determining he could not legally explore a bid and stay as head of his tax-exempt political organization.
Besides the potential legal difficulties, Gingrich said running would have wasted the effort spent building up American Solutions for Winning the Future, the tax-exempt political arm of his lucrative empire as an author, pundit and consultant.
"To give up and kill an organization we spent a year on and that had 2,000 sites around the country where people had now invested their time and effort just to look at whether or not you could run, I thought would be irresponsible," he said on ABC's "This Week."
Just last week, Gingrich said he had set an Oct. 21 deadline to raise $30 million in pledges for a possible run, acknowledging that the task was difficult but not impossible.
He said Sunday that the deciding factor was learning he risked violating the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law.
"I thought there was a way that you could continue the momentum of those ideas while I began to prepare a presidential campaign," Gingrich said. "What we learned yesterday morning was, I mean, it's literally a go to jail, criminal activity."
In a taped appearance broadcast on "Fox News Sunday," Gingrich also criticized the law.
"The effect of the McCain-Feingold censorship act has been to weaken the middle class, to make it harder to have a middle-class candidate and to make it much, much harder to raise money and so I think you've got to be realistic about what it takes to campaign," he said.
Gingrich said he would not align himself with any of the candidates.
"I'm not going to endorse anybody. I'm going to try to offer ideas that hopefully all of them can look at," he said.
Gingrich is the latest Republican to decide against joining the race. In early September, Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel announced he would not run for the White House or seek a third term.

LINK: Gingrich Says He'd Have Been a Contender

Well, this makes the campaign coverage a bit easier...

-Mr. Joseph

I met John Edwards!

2007-09-11T16:00:00.001-04:00

I know I'm a bit late in reporting this, but college life has been tough. I am constantly busy. I have school at UWM, my job at American Serb Hall, and my internship at U.S. Senator Herb Kohl's office. So, I apologize in being late.

Anyway, what happened was pretty cool. John Edwards was campaigning in Milwaukee, at my place of work -- Serb Hall. So my boss (a Republican) told me Edwards was coming. He told me he would let me in free and I could bring my video-camera. So I did. I showed up and hour early and waited. Edwards, naturally, didn't start till 45 minutes after he was scheduled, even though he was in the building. While we waited, I looked around to find a good vantage point for video-recording. My boss, who was supervising the event, told me what door he was coming in, so I staked out there.

When he finally came out, it was fantastic -- I got a great shot of his entrance and some lovely video of him shaking hands with people. In fact, on my video, you will see a close-up of stomach as he shakes me hand. You can also hear me say, "Good luck, Senator." Original, I know.

Anyway, he started his speech and I videotaped the entire thing -- it was a wonderful speech. He really has put together a good campaign. Also, I took a lot of pictures that night. I shook his hand three different times, each hoping for an autograph or a photo with him. Alas, I got none. The masses were just to hard to get through.

When he left, I felt a tad disappointed that I didn't get a photo with him...

...Until the next morning when I checked to see what our local media had to say about the event.
The picture at the top is me and Sen. John Edwards. It is from the TMJ4 (NBC affiliate here in Milwaukee) website. This is the photo they used to report the event. Needless to say, I am quite happy. I got a photo with him after all. I'm also in the TMJ4 video for about 3 seconds.

As soon as I get the video onto my camera, I will upload it here and you will be able to watch it. However, I have an older camera and I have to get a friend to help me get he video off of it first. When I post the video, I will repost this entry.

I can, however, post a few photos from the event...

...A picture of the TV as the local FOX affiliate reports life.
...My one cell phone picture that is worth posting,,,
...Giving his speech...
...This is kind of a funny photo...
...Edwards was kind enough to sign autographs for awhile...
At the end of the event, I watched him drive away and realized that, potentially, I had just met the President of the United States. I also realized that when my parents or relatives would tell me they met Clinton, or Reagan, or Mondale, or whoever -- they met them at events like these. And these events are fun and easy to go to. Considering how early this ridiculous 2008 race is, I am very excited -- I intend to go to a lot of political rallies, Democrat and Republican.

On a side note, one of the managers at Serb Hall apparently asked Edwards, "If you get the nomination, who will be your running mate? Hillary?" To which Edwards responded, "Oh, Hell no."

I heard this secondhand -- it's not official, but I don't doubt the source.

One last thing this even helped me realize: it is too late for Al Gore to enter the 2008 Race. So I need to stop pretending and pick a candidate. And my candidate is John Edwards.

Here's the story from the local news media (Today's TMJ4), video is on this page...

The election is more than a year away - but candidates for president are already targeting Wisconsin as a key state. Democrat John Edwards was in town Monday night.

Three years after winning Wisconsin as John Kerry's running mate, John Edwards is back for another round.

Some issues are the same. Some have changed.

“We don't need a surge in Baghdad,” Edwards told the Serb Hall crowd. “We need a surge in New Orleans!”

Edwards voted for the Iraq war, but now says it was a mistake.

"I think it's time for Congress to do what the American people put them in charge of doing and that is to bring an end to this war," Edwards said.

He's also critical of General Petraeus' report Monday that hints at progress in Iraq with the troop surge.

TODAY'S TMJ4's Charles Benson: "Do you think there's any value to the Petraeus report that adds value or trust to the debate over whether we should be in or out of Iraq?"

John Edwards: "The problem with what Petraeus is saying is he's not addressing the underlying question: What are we doing to make any political progress in Iraq?"

Most of the issues Edwards talked about are familiar to Wisconsin voters from his presidential campaign in 2004 and he hopes that will help him in 2008.

Charles Benson: "What do you think of this state given that the presidential primary could be over by the time you come back to Wisconsin?"

"The flip side to that is that the presidential primary in Wisconsin could be critical," Edwards said.

We should know in about five months.

LINK: John Edwards Campaigns In Milwaukee

MSNBC also reported on the event...

Link: John Edwards in Milwaukee

ABC's affiliate, WISN, also reported on the event...

LINK: Edwards Gets Endorsement, Cash During Milwaukee Campaign Stop

VIDEO: John Edwards' Campaign Stop in Milwaukee (It wasn't working for me)

FOX's affiliate, MyFoxMilwaukee, also reported...

VIDEO / LINK: John Edwards Visits Milwaukee (Notice the FOX-style subtle salute to Ronald Reagan at the end)

The Edwards campaign team also noted the event here (more pictures).

First, Michael J. Fox, now Edwards, who's next?
-Mr. Joseph

Lazy Like a Fox: Fred Thompson is in!

2007-09-04T03:09:00.000-04:00

As Tommy Thompson steps out, Fred Thompson steps in...

Newsweek did an extensive article on his entrance of the 2008 Presidential Race...

Fred Thompson does not want to meet the Butter Princess. Everywhere he turns at this morning's meet-and-greet at the Minnesota State Fair, he is surrounded by hundreds of star-struck onlookers, many of them "Law & Order" fans who line up three-dozen deep for a close-up with the actor who would be president. Thompson, a sometimes reluctant campaigner, is in full movie-star mode, and has his good-ole-boy charm set on high. All the women he meets are "honey" and the men "buddy." Even dressed down in khakis and a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, he is hard to miss. At 6 feet 6, he is head-and-shoulders taller than anyone around him. Posing for picture after picture, he reflexively stoops to fit in the frame. Some fans ask him to autograph DVDs of "The Hunt for Red October" and "In the Line of Fire," movies in which he had small but memorable parts playing powerful, world-weary men. "Run, Fred, run!" comes a shout from the crowd. Thompson lets out a long, low chuckle. All in all, he looks downright thrilled to be here.

More...

Page: 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

LINK: Is Fred Thompson Made of Presidential Material?

VIDEO: Thompson: Ready to Run

The "Law and Order" Candidate is in! Will Gore, Gingrich, or Clark also enter?

-Mr. Joseph

Sen. Larry Craig arrested, pleads guilty to "lewd behavior" in a men’s public restroom

2007-08-29T05:09:00.001-04:00

Following in the footsteps of Rep. Mark Foley, Rev. Ted Haggard, and Sen. David Vitter, another influential Republican is the subject of an embarrassing sexual scandal. However, this happened way back in June. Where was our news media? Anyway...

Think Progress reports...

Roll Call reports today that Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) was arrested in June at a Minnesota airport for “lewd conduct” in a men’s public restroom. On Aug. 8, he pleaded guilty to “misdemeanor disorderly conduct. He “paid more than $500 in fines and fees, and a 10-day jail sentence was stayed. He also was given one year of probation.” The arresting officer’s report explains:
My experience has shown that individuals engaging in lewd conduct use their bags to block the view from the front of their stall. From my seated position, I could observe the shoes and ankles of Craig seated to the left of me. […]
At 1216 hours, Craig tapped his right foot. I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct. Craig tapped his toes several times and moves his foot closer to my foot. I moved my foot up and down slowly. While this was occurring, the male in the stall to my right was still present. I could hear several unknown persons in the restroom that appeared to use the restroom for its intended use. The presence of others did not seem to deter Craig as he moved his right foot so that it touched the side of my left foot which was within my stall area.

UPDATE: Larry Craig called Bill Clinton “a bad boy, a naughty boy” in 1999.

LINK: Sen. Larry Craig arrested, pleads guilty.

LINK: Craig: It’s the Idaho paper’s fault that I pleaded guilty.

LINK: MM: Fox News gave slim coverage to Sen. Craig story

LINK: C&L: News Anchors re-enact Craig’s Men’s Room incident

LINK: C&L: 1982 Larry Craig denial, 1982: Updated

"I am not gay!" -- Does anyone believe this?

-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (9/1/07):
Senator Larry Craig resigned, effective Sept. 30th! ...Attorney General Alberto Gonzales also resigned. So did Tony Snow. And Senator John Warner. Three of the four are deeply involved in scandals. And the other has cancer.

UPDATE II (9/5/07):
Apparently, Sen. Craig is reconsidering his resignation. Can he do that?

UPDATE III (9/28/07):
Yes, he can: Sen. Craig will stay in office "for now."

UPDATE IV (10/5/07):
He's in it till the end... As Matt Drudge put it, "I'm here... get used to it!"