Probably the Only Thing Dick Cheney and I Will Ever Agree On

With the death of President Ford it seems the nation is revisiting his pardon of Nixon. Many on the left link Bush's near absolute power in the bungling of Iraq, and there is a connection there. Those on the right like Cheney view the pardon as an act of national healing, a way to cleanse the national psyche. If that had occurred, we wouldn't be discussing it still today, but it was the right thing to do.

What Ford did was preserve the Presidency, if Nixon had gone on to do prison time it would have minimized the Presidency for decades. Quite possibly it wouldn't have regained its stature until September 11th, you could argue that it would have required an attack on such large proportions to bring the presidency back to relevancy. Whether or not that would have happened, the country would have been a quasi-parliamentary government for 25 plus years. Do you really think Denny Hastert would've been a better leader then Bush? Me neither.

What the left misses when it says that Ford beget Bush is this, if Ford had allowed Nixon to go through the legal system, if he had allowed the nation to accept that the Office of President could be convicted along with the man who had held it, then Bill Clinton would have surely been impeached and convicted. Once you've been down that road it is so much easier to go down it again, and there were plenty of Republicans who would have loved to see Clinton go down, to become the disgraced poster boy of all the thing the "Moral Majority" says we stand for in the Democratic Party. You think there favorite phrase is "Yeah but Clinton..." now, just imagine if they had removed him from office.

So while Cheney thanks Ford for allowing him and the President to expand the powers of the Executive Branch to an overwhelming degree, I thank him for preserving the relevancy of the Presidency, we'll undue the damage of Bush more quickly then we would've undone the damage of an irrelevant President.

What Can Big Blue do for You? Apparently Not Much.

A lot has been said about the failure of Texas' efforts to privatize their welfare system under Accenture. So how has IBM faired at privatization?


"An $80 million contract to build a gigantic data repository for over 1 million students and teachers in North Carolina has ended acrimoniously, turning into a war of words between contractor IBM Corp. and state officials.
“We have told IBM that we’re terminating the project for failure to perform,” says Vanessa Jeter, public information officer at the state’s Department of Public Instruction. She would not reveal specific details.
The initiative, called the North Carolina Window of Information on Student Education (NC WISE), is a Web-based system for collating and analyzing student data, such as report cards and transcripts. But the system -- developed by IBM -- has been dogged by systems crashes and major delays."

Mitch can talk about incompetence and fraud within FSSA all he wants, but replacing it with privatized incompetence and fraud isn't a solution. And for what its worth, all these "dirty" departments of state government that Mitch railed against, what has he done to clean them up?

Ask the Joint Chiefs

Its telling that less then a week after Rumsfeld's last day that the Joint Chiefs are telling the President that a major departure from our current Iraq strategy is required. Telling because its hard to believe that they just though of it this week, but its the first time we've heard anything about current thinking among the Joint Chiefs in quite some time. For all Rumsfeld's talk about rebuilding and modernizing the military, in the end he'll be remembered for his autocratic and stubborn refusal to adept to the realities of the civil war raging in Iraq.

More pressing for the future is a somewhat ominous note at the end of this article:

A constant subtext in the meeting yesterday, and in the ongoing White House
review, is the Joint Chiefs' growing concern about the erosion of the U.S.
military's ability to deal with other crises around the world because of the
heavy commitment in Iraq and the stress on troops and equipment, said officials
familiar with the review. The chiefs planned to tell Bush of the significantly
increased risk to readiness in the event of a new emergency, rather than push
for a timeline to leave Iraq.

An undercurrent of the conflict over the last six months is the toll it is taking on our battle readiness, and the administration's unwillingness to acknowledge this. While this isn't new, to hear that the Chiefs have begun to press this issue would lead one to believe that the situation is more dire then we think.

He's the Snake to My Mongoose, or the Mongoose to My Snake.

E.J. Dionne argues in his column in the Washington Post that a Barak Obama candidacy is good for Hillary Clinton, as well as Sen Bayh. The concept is that instead of a Hillary/ anti-Hillary primary, Democrats would be treated to a primary where candidates would need to define themselves, and more importantly take chances.

The idea that caught my attention was his comparison of Obama to the Bill Clinton of 1991/92.

In 1991 Gov. Bill Clinton railed against politicians who "have divided us
against each other, pitting rich against poor, playing for the emotions of the
middle class, white against black, women against men, creating a country in
which we no longer recognize that we are all in this together."
In his New
Hampshire debut over the weekend, Obama said that we had "come to be consumed
by" the "24-hour, slash-and-burn, negative-ad, bickering, small-minded politics
that doesn't move us forward. . . . There's no sense that they are coming
together in a common-sense, practical, non-ideological way to solve the problems
that we face."

Cloak, Dagger and... Google?

Recently when the Bush Administration went to the CIA for names of Iranians who could be sanctioned for their involvement with Iran's nuclear program the CIA refused saying there sources were to valuable to expose. So what did they do when rebuffed? They googled it.

Frustrated, the State Department assigned a junior Foreign Service officer
to find the names another way -- by using Google. Those with the most hits under
search terms such as "Iran and nuclear," three officials said, became targets for
international rebuke Friday when a sanctions resolution circulated at the United
Nations.

The results? About what you'd expect when you try and replace a clandestine intelligence network with an internet search engine.

There is nothing that proves involvement in a clandestine weapons program,
and there is very little out there at all that even connects people to a
clandestine weapons program," said one official familiar with the intelligence
on Iran. Like others interviewed for this story, the official insisted on
anonymity when discussing the use of intelligence.

So what was the purpose, to try and look tough? To pointedly rebuke the Iraq Study Group's recommendation that they negotiate with Iran? To show the world how impotent the civil war in Iraq has made us?

12 Years Older and Deeper in Debt

With the House's adjournment at 5am Saturday the GOP's 12 year run in Congress ended. A "movement" that rode in on the back of the Contract with America seemed to be the start of a Republican stranglehold to match the decades of Democratic control reaching from Roosevelt to Clinton (with brief interruptions.) The threat of the Republican Revolution to undue the social programs that served as the primary safety net for millions of Americans never occurred, if anything the period will be remembered for wild spending that has occurred during the Bush administration.

But setting the chaos of Iraq aside for a moment, will the last 12 years be remembered? One historian says not so much:

Compared with the liberal ascendancy, which ran from Franklin D.
Roosevelt's New Deal to Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society and arguably Ronald
Reagan's election, the conservative era has been brief and relatively
inconsequential, said Julian Zelizer, a Boston University congressional
historian. Nothing in the past 12 years compares with the creation of Social
Security or Medicare, the voting rights and civil rights acts, the Marshall Plan
or Dwight D. Eisenhower's interstate highway system. Nor were any of those
big-government achievements fundamentally altered.

A Story of Lobbyist Run Amok

There aren't really any winners or losers (other then the consumer) in this story, everybody seems to be plenty wealthy. And it isn't a story of Democrats vs. Republicans, neither side can point to this as shinning example. And while there is no hero there are plenty of villains; lobbyist.

In this article at the Washington Post front page we learn about the laws governing milk production in the US and how laws are written to allow dairies in one state (Nevada) to ignore federal regulations, while forcing one specific dairy to follow them. It servers as a microcosm of American politics today where legislation often goes to the highest bidder.

Excuses

I like this column because it combines my two favorite things this year, Butler winning the NIT and Democrats taking control of Congress. The uniting theme? That the media insists on making excuse for the losers.

How Not to be President

In today's Washington Post Doug Brinkley has an interesting preview of how history will judge President Bush. The answer is not well.

This last point is crucial. Though Bush may be viewed as a laughingstock, he won't have the zero-integrity factors that have kept Nixon and Harding at the bottom in the presidential sweepstakes. Oddly, the president whom Bush most reminds me of is Herbert Hoover, whose name is synonymous with failure to respond to the Great Depression. When the stock market collapsed, Hoover, for ideological reasons, did too little. When 9/11 happened, Bush did too much, attacking the wrong country at the wrong time for the wrong reasons. He has joined Hoover as a case study on how not to be president.

When an historian is comparing you to Hoover, you've got problems. Big problems. Even worse when this judgment isn't including the worsening situation in Afghanistan, the war he fore sake for Iraq.

Just an FYI/Heads Up: Indiana May Outsource Welfare System via IBM

You may encounter an ad you can click through on the link above.

Indiana May Turn Over Welfare System To IBM Under $1.6 Billion Outsourcing Deal


IBM would provide Indiana with intake processing services and set up an automated welfare eligibility application system that will be accessible online 24 hours a day.

By Paul McDougall
InformationWeek

Nov 29, 2006 03:00 PM

"The state of Indiana is close to outsourcing the technology and back-office operations that support its welfare system under a contract that, if approved by the governor, would be worth $1.6 billion to IBM and a handful of partners, including ACS and Phoenix Data Corp.

The 10-year deal requires the final approval of Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, who, in a statement released Wednesday, said it would make "America's worst welfare system better for the people it serves." Daniels said he will wait until the outcome of a Dec. 8 public hearing before signing off on the agreement.

Sources familiar with the negotiations say IBM prevailed over technology outsourcer Accenture.

Under the deal, IBM would provide Indiana with intake processing services and technology support for its Family and Social Services Administration. Among other things, IBM will set up an automated welfare eligibility application system that will be accessible online 24 hours a day."

Murder by Numbers

Fox TV will air the "O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened." on November 27 and 29. Hyping the up coming book "If I Did It" published by Harper Collins (also a News Corp division)its billed as "the definitive last chapter in the 'Trial of the Century.' "


Leave it to Newscorp to set a new cultural low watermark. This is the sort of thing Fox News would go into natural disaster mode to cover, if it was another network. The only good that can come from this is that hopefully Nancy Grace's head will explode from rage.

Feingold Bows out of '08

Easily the most liberal of the potential candidates for '08 Russ Feingold has chosen not to run. So far we have two in (Biden just told ABC he plans to announce after the start of the new year) and two now out (Kerry is out even if he doesn't know it.) The question now is were the liberals who saw Feingold as their standard bearer will go? Probably Obama, not because he reflect their views, but because of what he symbolizes to them.

All the same guys, its only been 5 days since the mid-term, feel free to take your time.

Now That the Election is Over We Can Get Back to Important Issues

Add to the Republicans’ coming disadvantages on the House floor and in committee rooms a growing difficulty on the greens.

The best golfer in Congress, identified last year by Golf Digest as Rep. Chris Chocola, went down to defeat on Tuesday. His 0.5 handicap was tops in the House or Senate.

The top two golfers in Congress are now — GASP! — Democrats.

As of last year, Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., carried a 1.8 handicap and Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif., held a 2.2.

The top Republican is now New Jersey’s Mike Ferguson, with a 4.3 handicap, followed by Ohioan John Boehner, with a 4.8 and Tennessee’s Zach Wamp, with a 4.9.

The GOP will need them, too. Democrats won their first-ever victory this year in September’s annual party vs. party golf tournament at Columbia Country Club.

And We Have Our First Darkhorse Entering the Starting Gate

Two days(!) after the midterm elections and we now have our first declared Democratic candidate for President. Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa announced his bid for the Presidency today and opened a campaign office and launched his website.

The first primary isn't for another 15 months, and this guy isn't exactly going to generate Obama like mania, still he'll run strong in Iowa. That is assuming he doesn't run out of money between now and then, I'm betting he doesn't have Hillary's war chest. So we'll see, he could be another Bill Clinton coming from relative obscurity, or he could end up pulling out of the race because he can't raise funds.

Congressman (Elect) Donnelly

It was a rough night in Cass County, really rough, but talking to Joe tonight knowing he was going to be my Congressman was a great feeling.

Indiana GOP Fires Harrassing Robo Call Firm

I told you so! Please warn others!

Warn Others About Underhanded Robo-calls from GOP

I just received a robo call from the Indiana Republican party. Although they were not claiming to be a harrassing Democrat as described in this article, it WAS automated as I tried to interrupt and it cut off. It was made to sound like a live person with the background noise of other phonebankers for added effect. My interruption included asking the caller if they were "live" or not---then it disconnected.

Click on the headline link to find out about a different kind of dirty robo-calling and be aware:

"What we're talking about is something a bit different. What we're seeing is an apparent coordinated effort from the NRCC -- the House GOP committee -- to place calls that appear to be from the local Democratic candidate and then automatically call the same number back as many as seven or eight times each time the caller hang-ups. If the caller listens to the whole message it goes on to bash the Democratic candidate. But if the caller hangs up prematurely, the computer calls right back. Hang-ups are the achilles heal of robo-calls. So this seems to be an attempt to cover for that weakness by making those who hang up think the Democratic candidate is basically harassing them with phone calls. The GOP wins either way."

Remember, this is illegal!

Yet Another Call for Rumsfeld to Step Down

The Military Times, publishers of the Army Times, Navy Times, Marine Corp Times, and the Air Force Times will publish an editorial calling for the resignation or removal of Donald Rumsfeld. Read by over 250,000 members of the military, the editorial this is seen as a high water mark in the growing wave of dissatisfaction in the military with the Defense Secretary.

"It is extremely widely read and influential for the professional military," said David Segal, director of the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland.

The relationship goes two ways, said Segal. "I think it would be safe to say if the Army Times is saying that, it is something they are hearing from senior officers in the Army," he said

So the rank and file as well as well as numerous retired general and a growing number of members of Congress have called for his resignation or removal. So who's defending him? The Republican leadership.

"Let's not blame what's happening in Iraq on Rumsfeld," Boehner said in an interview on CNN on Wednesday afternoon. "But the fact is, the generals on the ground are in charge, and he works closely with them and the president."

So when the generals on the ground ask for more troops, they had crackers in their mouths and Rumfeld couldn't understand them? Is that the excuse, that even though the generals have been ignored or replaced by Rumsfeld, it's all their fault?

Paging Dr. Freud, Dr. Freud to the Oval Office

Every Freudian slip has a meaning, they usually aren't this obvious.

Joe Donnelly at the St. Joseph County JJ Dinner

Can you tell I've recently discovered how to use youtube?! lol Well, anyway, I just received this clip of Donnelly and Bayh in St. Joseph County last evening. They will be here in Logansport tomorrow at the Memorial Home at 4pm! Please come and show your support if possible!

Dateline Logansport

Not something you expect to see in The Economist but as interest in Joe's campaign has built the world is taking notice. If Joe can get this type of exposure for Logansport and Cass County, the least we can do is put Joe Donnelly in Congress.

Joe Donnelly Rallies UAW Members with Evan Bayh

Evan Bayh will make an appearance in Logansport Sunday afternoon at 4pm. I believe it will be at the Memorial Home?? Cassdems? Is this correct? I know it's Sunday at 4pm for sure. Here's a chance to personally witness live a possible future presidential candidate!

-Yes that's correct.

GOP Goes All Out, and Way Over the Line

Jacob Weisberg does an effective job of detailing how the GOP has sunk to a new low this election cycle in their commercials. Yes, the Democrats run negative ads, but they're about the President, and Iraq, big oil, and corruption. The GOP?

If there were an Oscar for political slime, it would go to "Twilight Zone," a spot run by Vernon Robinson, a congressional challenger in North Carolina. In 60 seconds, the ad manages to tie Democrat Brad Miller to Osama, gay marriage, "lesbians and feminists," activist judges, infanticide, flag-burning, racial quotas, space aliens, illegal immigrants, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton. In another ad, Robinson stamps "XXX" across Miller's face, claiming that his opponent refused to support body armor for troops in Iraq but that he "pays for sex" and that he "spent your tax dollars to pay teenage girls to watch pornographic movies with probes connected to their genitalia." It's all mendacious nonsense, but Paul Nelson, a Republican running for Congress in Wisconsin, liked the ad so much he ran it virtually unchanged against his own opponent.

Even factcheck.org, an independent group that analyzes commercials for validity, finds that the GOP's ads are out of line.

Hey America! Feel Safer with Republicans in Charge?

From the New York Times. This is pretty bad.

U.S. Web Archive Is Said to Reveal a Nuclear Guide

Last March, the federal government set up a Web site to make public a vast archive of Iraqi documents captured during the war. The Bush administration did so under pressure from Congressional Republicans who said they hoped to “leverage the Internet” to find new evidence of the prewar dangers posed by Saddam Hussein.

But in recent weeks, the site has posted some documents that weapons experts say are a danger themselves: detailed accounts of Iraq’s secret nuclear research before the 1991 Persian Gulf war. The documents, the experts say, constitute a basic guide to building an atom bomb.

Last night, the government shut down the Web site after The New York Times asked about complaints from weapons experts and arms-control officials. A spokesman for the director of national intelligence said access to the site had been suspended “pending a review to ensure its content is appropriate for public viewing.”

Officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency, fearing that the information could help states like Iran develop nuclear arms, had privately protested last week to the American ambassador to the agency, according to European diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity. One diplomat said the agency’s technical experts “were shocked” at the public disclosures.

--snip--

America's Least Wanted Political Endorsement

Sullivan: "This is not an election anymore, it's an intervention"

Andrew Sullivan regarding Bush's comments on Rumsfeld and Cheney:

But it wasn't only endangered Republicans who have been calling for Rumsfeld's ouster who may have blanched. Andrew Sullivan, the conservative writer who was once a key media supporter for the Iraq war, denounced the latest Bush statement on CNN on Wednesday night, stating that the president is so delusional, "This is not an election anymore, it's an intervention."

...more at link above from editorandpublisher.com.

With Less Then A Week To Go Dems in Good Position

Reuters has released their latest House polls and they show Joe with a 52% to 39% lead. I'd ignore the 39%, that number is probably higher then that. The important number is Joe's 52%, given that at least some of that 9% undecided will break his way means with 6 days to go he's in the driver's seat.

But Joe still needs your help to win, so if you can spare some time over the weekend and on Monday or Tuesday please call 574.722.3554 and volunteer today.

I'm Takin' My Country Back

For all you Cass County internet "honkey tonkers" out there....a pep rally!

Pink- Dear Mr President - Live

For some of the more progressives in Logansport...I keep thinking and wondering how Rep. Chocola can continue to be a rubber stamp for this administration with a clear conscience.

Check Your Votes!

I'm not trying to start a conspiracy, but please, please check the review screen when you vote to make sure its right.

Broward Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman Mary Cooney said it's not uncommon for screens on heavily used machines to slip out of sync, making votes register incorrectly. Poll workers are trained to recalibrate them on the spot -- essentially, to realign the video screen with the electronics inside. The 15-step process is outlined in the poll-workers manual.

This is the truth with touch screens, so please make sure your votes is counted for the right candidate!

Well this is Reassuring

Over 14,000 weapons bought for Iraq's defense forces have gone missing, and many more cannot be repaired due to no parts and lack of manuals according to a government audit.

The Defense Department cannot account for 14,030 weapons — almost 4% of the semiautomatic pistols, assault rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and other weapons it began supplying to Iraq since the end of 2003, according to a report from the office of the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction.

I'm not even sure I want to know what the "other weapons" are in a list that includes RPGs. But the bigger questions are how many of these weapons have fallen into the wrong hands, and how many US soldiers will be injured or killed by them?

The Final Week

Indiana Second CD is currently rated a top 10 pickup for the Democrats this year. From the National Journal to internal GOP memos everybody is saying that Joe have every chance to win this race. But he still needs help. Here in Cass County we will need a lot of help to get the vote out on Election Day. The best way to help is to volunteer, we'll need a lot volunteers, especially working the phone the last four days to make sure we get out the vote for Joe.

So please if you have any time the last four days please call 574 722 3554 and volunteer today.

Run its Nancy Pelosi!!

Jack Colwell writes today on the single thing that scares the GOP more then anything. No, not that their ill-conceived war in Iraq has lead the US to withdraw resources from Afghanistan allowing the Taliban to begin to re-establish control there.

Instead they fear Nancy Pelosi. They seem very worried about her being from San Fransisco. I'm not sure if the 49ers porous defense make them think she'll be weak on national security, or that Barry Bonds will lead her to require that all Little Leaguers use the cream and the clear, but they sure are scared of her.

My question is, are we really supposed to trust a party afraid of a 66 year old grandmother to protect us?

Those Who Fail to Learn from History...

The New York Times (reg. req.) has a story today about corporate America and the Bush admin. attempting to repeal the more stringent laws put in place post Enron. It's goal?

The groups are drafting proposals to provide broad new protections to corporations and accounting firms from criminal cases brought by federal and state prosecutors as well as a stronger shield against civil lawsuits from investors.

Less then 4 years after Enron and Worldcom and they're already trying to go back to business as usual. The idea that we should protect these people from paying for their wrongs is laughable, but most likely will occur as the S.E.C. will pass most of these "reforms" as administrative policies. The only way to stop these policies, which are scheduled to be announced the day after the election is by an act of Congress.

So ask yourself who is more likely to vote to uphold the more stringent law, Joe or Chris "Big Business's best friend" Chocola?

Great News!

To everyone in the Cass County Dems I must say, I have been hearing great things about you! I talked to Andrew from the Donnelly campaign and he said that you had around 15 vols for a canvass. Wow! I know that the Donnelly race is the least of your worries. I know that we need to get people who listen(Dems) in all levels of government. Election day is a week and a half away and we must get the people out to vote! Remind your friends, neighbors, spouses, everyone needs to vote this year. All the work that we have been doing is not going to mean a thing if we don't hit the phones and doors hard over these last few days. I must say that I am proud to be hearing that Cass County is coming alive! Everyone on the Hodes for Congress Campaign in New Hampshire knows about you guys! I think that Matt and Dave deserve a standing ovation! Give them Hell Cass County Dems!

Out of Touch

There is no other way to describe a person who would donate money to Katherine Harris. How can Chocola make any claim to being capable of sound fiscal management when he thinks giving Katherine Harris money seems like a good bet?

NYT: In a GOP Stronghold, 3 Districts in Indiana Are Now Battlegrounds

Second District

Representative Chris Chocola, a Republican, and the Democrat, Joe Donnelly, a lawyer and businessman, are in a race that was never supposed to be so close, though the district has elected Democrats in the past.

The economy and immigration loom as large as Iraq in this blue-collar district. Many auto-parts plants have closed or been cut back. Workers are nervous, and some say that Mr. Chocola does not understand their predicament because he is independently wealthy.

Plant workers blame Washington for higher gasoline prices, which hurt demand for automobiles; for spending money on Iraq that could be spent at home; and for failing, as they see it, to stop illegal immigrants from taking jobs in nonunion shops.

Mr. Chocola soundly defeated Mr. Donnelly in 2004, but polls now show Mr. Donnelly ahead. Mr. Donnelly appears to be benefiting from spending by independent groups and national Democrats. (Republicans recently stopped broadcasting advertising for Mr. Chocola, cautioning they have not given up on him but declining to say if the advertisements will resume.)

“Billions of dollars go to China, they’re taking away our jobs, and they call it free trade,” said Richard Rittenhouse Jr., leaning against a friend’s pickup after their shift at the AM General Hummer H2 plant in Elkhart.

Illegal immigrants, whose numbers are relatively small in Indiana, but are concentrated in some areas, are “working hard and cheap” in nonunion plants Mr. Rittenhouse said, while union jobs are trimmed.

He and his friend, Steve Patton, said they were also frustrated by high property taxes, the leasing of a state toll road to a foreign entity and changes in the local daylight saving time.

Mr. Chocola said he was not worried.

“This district is always competitive,” he said, after addressing students at Penn High School in Mishawaka. “Nothing unusual.”

Mr. Donnelly, who criticizes Mr. Chocola for supporting the president on Iraq and foreign trade, sounds equally confident.

“We’re going to change the country,” he said in a South Bend pub.

Will Weldon Make 5?

You've got to give Curt Weldon some credit, he has a very vivid imagination. Only he would:

Launch his own hunt for WMDs in Iraq.
Suggest that he personally convinced Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi to give up his nuclear program.
Accuse his democratic challenger, Joe Sestak, of being a carpetbagger, citing as proof the fact that Sestak's five-year-old daughter was receiving cancer treatment in Washington, D.C. rather than in Pennsylvania.

So not only is he full of it, he's a classless hack. Now we can add under investigation by the FBI to his list of "honors." Weldon's involvement with a Russian company known as ITERA has come under scrutiny, the firm also does business with Weldon's daughter to the tune of $500,000 a year. After visiting Russia Weldon began very aggressively pursuing a deal between another one of his daughter's clients, Saratov and the Navy. The product? A drone described as a "flying saucer."

So it would appear that Mr Weldon is well on his way to becoming the fifth indicted Republican Congressman this year. When Republican campaign on government corruption, do you think they add a disclaimer that they're the source of most of that corruption?

Country Democrat

I admittedly know nothing about country music, so my basic understanding of Tim McGraw is limited to he's Faith Hill's husband, and Tug McGraw's kid (I do know baseball, and Faith has done enough pop (well that and I'm not blind) to enter my radar.) So I had no idea he was a Democrat, and a fairly well spoken one at that.

The issues that matter to me are the social safety nets for people, health care, middle-class concerns. We need to take care of the middle class and the poor in our country.

That is exactly why you vote Democrat, and it's good to see somebody with "red state" appeal say it so eloquently.

Confessions of a 'Defeatocrat' (reg. req.)

There's really nothing here for me to add, I'll let Rep. Murtha speak for himself.

"Cats and Dogs, living together"

Yes the end of the world may be near The Indianapolis Star has endorsed Democrats. The good news is Joe is one of them.

Supporters of Rep. Chris Chocola are crying foul that he's taking blame for the leasing of the Indiana Toll Road to a private entity, an unpopular move in the Northern Indiana district.
But challenger Joe Donnelly is right to argue that a congressperson should at least have spoken up informally about the momentous deal involving an interstate highway, even if the federal government was not directly involved.
Making his second consecutive run at the Republican two-term incumbent, Democrat Donnelly could benefit enough from the Toll Road controversy and another state issue, daylight-saving time, to close the narrow margin by which he lost in 2004. Dissatisfaction with the national GOP and with the Iraq war also is behind one of the nation's closest congressional races.
At the same time, Donnelly, a well-spoken Mishawaka businessman and former State Election Board member, brings many positives of his own to the table, including sound, moderate positions on extrication from Iraq, immigration control and taxation. While Chocola in his brief tenure has established himself as an advocate for small business and fiscal sense, Donnelly is the better choice between two worthy candidates.

I have to give the Star some props for acknowledging that Chocola could've done something about Major Moves, far too many media outlets have been far too willing to give him a pass on it.

Americans for Tom DeLay?

Rep. Chocola does travel in some interesting circle you have to admit. And one of the key figures in that circle continues to be former House majority leader Tom DeLay. Chocola has taken over $30,000 from DeLay, and has contributed to DeLay's defense fund as well. One would think in a tight Congressional race like this it would be a good idea to distance one's self from DeLay. But that's not how Chris rolls. Recently a group known as "Americans for Honesty on Issues" have been trying to run ads on Chocola's behalf attacking Joe. I say try because WSBT has refused to air them as being dishonest. Who is "Americans for Honesty on Issues"?

The leader of Americans for Honesty on Issues is Sue Walden, a close ally of Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader who left Congress amid questions on ethics and fund-raising. Ms. Walden has also raised money for President Bush and served as an adviser to Kenneth L. Lay, the former chief executive of Enron who died in July.

And Chris like to whine about moveon.org. Why is it every time you turn around there is another link between Chocola and DeLay? Is this some sort of pathological disorder? Chris will have plenty of time to think about it after he loses on November 7th.

Conservative Pickpockets

Maybe I'm not the only one to receive the Republican Party's most recent plea in a flier mailed out urging everyone to "vote early" or the liberal Democrats will pick your pockets!! ...or "Failing to vote could be a costly mistake" and "Hold on tight to your paycheck. Vote Republican." Funny. I recall my paycheck going further 6 years ago.

Robert Borosage, co-director of the Campaign for America's Future group, has written this article presented on tompaine.com. Please read this excellent rebuttal of their resurrected campaign meme.

Earth to Chris, Come in Chris

On the heels of the third immigration focused mailer I've received from Chocola in the last week (sorry Chris I voted this morning, and it wasn't for you) I found this article interesting.

Just 24 percent of voters name immigration as a key election issue, compared with 51 percent who cite Iraq and 37 percent who cite terrorism, according to the poll.

"It matters a great deal to a small minority of voters, but it is not a top-tier issue for a majority of voters," said Pew's associate director, Carroll Doherty.

With the scandal surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley dominating the national political discussion, it remains to be seen what impact immigration - or, for that matter, any other issue - will have on voters.

Even among Republicans only 32% identified it as a top issue. Those aren't good odds for a Congressman trying to avoid talking about Iraq and Mark Foley. And once people start learning the details of the vote authorizing the 700 mile long security fence (like the fact that the money can be transfered to pay for other homeland security projects) I'm not sure if it really is going to be a point of strength.

GOP Officials Brace for Loss of Seven to 30 House Seats

Sweet music to my senses!

Exerpt:

With four weeks left in the campaign, GOP strategists, speaking on background, have begun to outline a highly gloomy view of the House election for their party.

They are all but writing off GOP open seats in Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Florida (the one previously held by Foley). Party officials said that three GOP incumbents in Indiana are trailing in private polling and that seats thought safe suddenly appear imperiled. These include the open Florida seat vacated by Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.), who is running for senator. "It is unquestionably closer than we would like," said Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.).

NYT: In House Races, GOP Races Are Seen at Risk

See also this link for a color coded map of the congressional House races.

Ready For Some Fun? Watch This.

Here's a fun campaign ad....sure beats the heck out of the negative ad campaigns!

Have You Had Enough? Click here!

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment

Awesome commentary from Countdown's Keith Olbermann.

Indiana to take 1200 California prisoners--Thank You Mitch Daniels

I think I'm going to get sick. I've heard that the prison system is nothing more than a big business industry for the wealthy. Not only are the toll roads and our state hospitals up for leases and privatization respectively, but our nation's prison systems have also been moving to become operational through private enterprise. I wonder who are those receiving the benefits here? Into whose pockets do these tax dollars go? I am an RN and I've seen first-hand the use of agencies in the prison system. The state relinquishes the duty of providing benefits for these healthcare workers yet they pay double the salary to the contracted agencies of which the nurse only gets half of that pay on the hour...many times the nurse will receive a slightly higher payscale than at a regular facility but often without decent health benefits and no guarantee of a job when the contract is over. Every so often the state will take bids for nursing agency contracts for these prison & mental health systems and the contract, of course, goes to the lowest bidder. So where does this leave the nurse in the long run? The nurse is often forced to switch tp the agencies that pay the lowest because those are the ones who win the contracts with the state government. This is a race to the bottom in pay for nurses--if only they would understand how they are being used longterm.

But back to the article....

Do you suppose the average Hoosier Joe would be happy knowing that we will be receiving some of California's overflow of criminals?? I thought I've also recalled that our local county jails are overcrowded and much money is needed to expand these particular facilities?? I suppose those die-hard conservatives will continue to support such representatives as Daniels no matter what--so long as they "win". What a pity. What a shame. I wonder if this will make front page Hoosier news? I'll be surprised if it does.

Click here for full story in another window.

Condoleezza Rice Should Resign?

Since calls for Rumsfeld to resign have become so common place as to seem pedestrian, I thought we'd take a swing at a Condi should resign rant. Its been a few years since we've seen somebody really go after her, and what makes this all the more surprising is its from a Conservative. And it far more inflammatory then what you see coming from our side.

The fact that Rice cared nothing of the warnings, however, should surprise no one. Having a long association with neoconservatives, Rice cares nothing for the United States. As many close to her have revealed, she was secretly pleased by the 9/11 attacks (as were many neocons, like David Frum and Bill Kristol), because they could be used as a pretext to invade Iraq. Her loyalty to America is about as thick as a checkbook, and her disdain as long as the proposed NAFTA superhighway.

That sort of language from a liberal would have the lapdogs of the right (I'm looking in your direction Mr. Drudge) screaming bloody murder, and its probably one of the more polite thing said in the article. You doubt me? Try this:

She has received many reports about Iranian and Arab terrorists - Spanish speaking and disguised as Mexicans - crossing the US-Mexico border, but she has done nothing. She knows of the Mexican plan to reclaim the Southwestern United States, and she (like Bush’s left-wing Mexican nephew) secretly supports it. As someone recently said, "Condi hates traditional white America with a passion." Not many realize how left-wing Rice truly is.

Like all of her neocon associates, Rice cares for only one thing: power. She wants power, and she doesn’t care what it takes to acquire it. She is willing to throw aside the Constitution and American lives to obtain it. And she (supporting almost unlimited immigration) plans to transform the US into a third-world wasteland.

Condoleezza Rice should resign immediately and treason charges should be brought against her.

Secret plot by Mexico to retake the South West? Treason? The next time somebody starts foaming at the mouth about Cindy Sheehan, ask them to explain that.

Poll Prediction Site Links

Here are some links for some websites that track polls:

Election Projection

Election Prediction

Electoral Vote

Real Clear Politics

The Foley Follies

A lot has been made of the GOP's Orwellian Speak over the past few years, the Clear Skies initiative creates more pollution, Healthy Forests is the name of a massive logging operation.

But this one has to take the cake. No doubt we've all heard by now about Rep. Mark Foley who resigned Friday after it was revealed that he had sent explicit email to an underage page. The piece de resistance?

Foley, co-chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, helped write a law signed by President Bush in July that toughened prison sentences for sexual offenders. He told USA TODAY earlier this year the bill was needed because of online child exploitation. Referring to online predators, he said: "We're going to make your life a living hell."

Talk about the fox guarding the hen house. For those keeping track this would be the fourth Republican Representative to resign in the last year. And as we learn that Republican leadership may have been protecting Foley we may see more heads roll.

Chocola gets TV stations to yank ads against him

Click & bookmark for future reference.

Poll: Donnelly Ahead in tight race in 2nd congressional district--South Bend Tribune

Click here for full article. It's about 10 days old but I found it on another site. I think Joe is looking good right now but we must keep our nose to the grindstone. A little over a month from an election is like an eternity in politics. Much can happen. However, right now, if yard signs could determine the vote, Donnelly would be winnign in a landslide. If that's what it takes to get name recognition, it's what we've got to do.

I also heard on the radio this morning that Joe Donnelly was endorsed by the Democrat Pro-Life group. I bet many of the one-issue voters never realized he was a pro-life candidate. I remember campaigning in '04 for Donnelly and I knocked on the door of this one home in my precinct to canvass for Donnelly. The occupants didn't want to hear anything from me because I was Democrat. They were obviously staunch religious right-wing Republicans. I saw allusions to this by the stickers in their window and their bumper stickers on their car. The next week they had Chocola signs in their front yard. Little did they know they were supporting the opponent of a pro-life candidate. I tried to tell them!

More Signs of Dissent from the Military

What started out as a few retired Generals publicly criticizing the preparation leading up to the war has now spread inside the Pentagon. Army chief of staff, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, who has in the past weeks made pointed criticisms, has refused to submit the Army's 2008 budget. After Secretary Rumsfeld limited the Army's budget to $114 billion Schoomaker responded:

On Aug. 23, at a speech before the National Press Club, Schoomaker publicly threw down the gauntlet: "There is no sense in us submitting a budget that we cannot execute … a broken budget."

The problems with Rumsfeld's budget cap?

A month earlier, Government Executive reported that Schoomaker had told a group of congressional staffers about grave backlogs at the Army's repair depots. Nearly 1,500 Humvees, M2 Bradley fighting vehicles, and other vehicles were awaiting repair at the Red River Army Depot in Texas. The same was true of 500 M1 tanks at the Anniston depot in Alabama. None of the Army's five largest depots was operating at more than 50 percent capacity—all because of a shortage of money.

The cost to repair the Army's equipment damaged in Afghanistan and Iraq is in excess of $17 billion. Due to the budget shortfalls the Army's 3rd ID, the group that so successfully charged to Baghdad currently faces a situation where half of it's brigades have no armored vehicles and only half it's troops.

The war in Iraq has taken a toll on this country, the loss of over 2500 young men and women, thousands more wounded. This war has become a recruiting poster for Al Qaeda, failed to find any of the WMDs that Iraq once had, and further destabilized the region. Now we are finding that it is eroding the military, leaving us with an Army that is increasingly struggling to meet it's duties, and leaving America less safe then it was before.

Does anybody really want to argue that the GOP is the party of national security?

Lesson in Honor from the Military

Somewhere along the line the people who run this country failed to learn some valuable lessons about honor and integrity. What is stupefying about that is for all of the "reverence" they have for the military, they've never seemed to absorb any of the morals to the stories they love to tell. The fact that so many retired officers have spoken out in the last 2 years should be telling them something, but it isn't. What are they missing?

The retired officers believe that the negative consequences of the president's anti-terror policies could have been avoided if the administration had followed traditional military practices. Retired Marine Maj. Gen. Fred E. Haynes, 83, is a veteran of World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. In 1945, he was a captain in the regiment that seized Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima and raised the U.S. flag there. In March of that year, his unit found two U.S. soldiers dead, apparently victims of torture. On March 17, about 10 days before the battle ended, a Japanese soldier, wearing nothing but his boots and a cotton jock strap, stepped out of a cave with his hands up. He had read one of the leaflets Americans were distributing in artillery shells that promised that anyone who gave up would get his wounds treated and his stomach filled.

The Moral?

"The moral of the story," said the general, "is we Americans have been so thoroughly imbued with the idea that you have to treat prisoners humanely — and this [story] is an example of why. It is an illustration of how by treating an individual decently you are much more likely to get any information you might want — and it's more likely to be correct."

How are things done today?

Retired Brig. Gen. James P. Cullen was chief judge of the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals. "I grew up in an Army where the rules were very clear and where serviceman and women had no question about what their obligations and responsibilities were under both the Geneva Convention and our domestic law," he said. "When you have a winking-and-nodding policy [as was the case at Abu Ghraib], that just brings about the consequences that we came to view at [the prison]."

What further fuels the officers' outrage is that the policies they believe have undermined the military were mostly formulated by men, like Bush, who have not seen combat.

"[Vice President Dick] Cheney made mention in the days after 9/11 that he wanted to operate sort of on the dark side," Cullen said. "Here was a guy who never served, and now something terrible had happened, and he wanted to show that he was a tough guy…. So he's going to operate outside the rules of law. Bad message."

Maybe if the administration spent more time listening to them and less parading them around like show ponies they could learn something.

Instant Terrorist, Just Add Ill-Conceived War

A leaked intelligence document shows that instead of fighting and destroying the terrorist threat with the war in Iraq, instead the opposite is occurring.

"They conclude that the Iraq war has made it worse," said a government official familiar with the document who spoke on condition of anonymity because of its classified nature.

"It paints a fairly stark picture of what we all know, and that this is a movement that is spreading and gaining momentum around the world," said the official familiar with the document. "Things like the Iraq war have given the terrorists recruiting tools and places to ply their trade and a training ground."

It will be interesting to see how the GOP and the White House try to spin this, explicit acknowledgement by it's own people that the war has in fact not made the world safer from terrorism. My guess is they'll try and attack the leak first, before eating their own.

The Week in Cartoons

Dubai Still Owns US Ports?

From NPR:

Six months ago, Dubai Ports World reached an agreement with Congress to sell its North American operations to a U.S.-based firm within four to six months. Six months later, the company still owns those ports, but says it will sell soon. Democrats say they will make it a campaign issue if a sale isn't completed before the November elections.

(Link includes audio.)

So apparently the GOP's plans to improve border security is to allow foreigners to own our ports, but not vote in our elections. I feel safer already.

They Come Here to Vote?

You know the Republicans in Congress are out of touch with reality, I know it, we all know it. But I'm still astounded at the ways in which they find to demonstrate this.

The House and the Senate moved yesterday toward a piecemeal crackdown on illegal immigration, pushing forward separate bills to require photo identification to vote, build vast fences on the U.S.-Mexico border and speed the deportation of undocumented workers.

Whatever you think about illegal immigration, I think most sane people would agree that nobody comes here so they can vote. I'm guessing the jobs are a big reason, not the chance to choose the next township constable in Marion county (yeah somehow they still have them).

So are they crazy or crazy like a fox? Sure the photo ID bill was upheld in Indiana (so far) its been struck down in Georgia and Missouri. And with the furor over immigration, we have an environment similar to the time when the PATRIOT Act was passed where reasonable dissent is seen as weakness. So it looks like the GOP has pulled a fast one, launching Strom Thurmond's revenge on the electorate in the name of national security, and getting away with it right? I have faith that the voters will see through this, they'll realize that this has nothing to do with their safety. They may not see the wrong being perpetuated by disenfranchising voters, but they'll see that this is the most hollow of security measures.

Spy for Hire?

The La Times today has an article on how the US intelligence operations are now largely dependent upon private contractors. Not just for operational support, or technology, but intelligence gathering. It would appear that it has gotten to the point where the agencies can't even control the situation.

The proliferation of contractors has outstripped the intelligence community's ability to keep track of them.

Former intelligence officials said most U.S. spy agencies did not have even approximate counts of the numbers of contractors they were employing — although several officials said the number at the CIA had nearly doubled in the last five years and now surpassed the full-time workforce of about 17,500.

"So What" you say?

"We have to come to some conclusion about what our core intelligence mission is and how many [full-time employees] it's going to take to accomplish that mission," Sanders said, adding that the growth in contracting over the last five years had been driven by necessity and was extremely haphazard.

"I wish I could tell you it's by design," he said. "But I think it's been by default."

Senior U.S. intelligence officials said that the reliance on contractors was so deep that agencies couldn't function without them.
"If you took away the contractor support, they'd have to put yellow tape around the building and close it down," said a former senior CIA official who was responsible for overseeing contracts before leaving the agency earlier this year.

Do we really want to create an environment where its pay for play on national security? If the administration is doing everything it can to make the nation more secure, then why has it allowed the intelligence agencies to wither on the vine to the point that they need this much outside help?

I Feel Your Pain

The week in political cartoons.

Have We Run Out of Troops?

In an op-ed appearing in the Washington Post this week William Kristol and Rich Lowery called on the White House to send more troops to Iraq. Calling for a return to the show of overwhelming force that has been a trademark of the US military since the Whiskey Rebellion (Washington personally lead 13,000 troops, a force nearly the size of the entire Revolutionary Army) would seem like common sense. We can't leave Iraq unstable, but we can't stabilize it with current troop levels. So whats the catch?

According to in-house assessments, fully two-thirds of the Army's operating force, both active and reserve, is now reporting in as "unready"—that is, they lack the equipment, people, or training they need to execute their assigned missions. Not a single one of the Army's Brigade Combat Teams—its core fighting units—currently in the United States is ready to deploy. In short, the Army has no strategic reserve to speak of.

The White House's reaction?

One remarkable aspect of the current disarray is how the administration has refused to face up to the problem. The military's funding requests to improve readiness were reduced by the Office of the Secretary of Defense when the Pentagon was putting together its budget request because of the costs of operations in Iraq and, to a much lesser degree, in Afghanistan. (Those costs are the major reason why the current national defense spending of $562 billion is higher in dollar terms than in any other year since World War II except 1952, the height of the Korean War buildup.) On top of that, the Office of Management and Budget cut nearly $5 billion more from the budget submission that emerged from the Pentagon.

So in a world where Afghanistan isn't yet stable, Iran wants the bomb, and North Korea has it, we're tapped out. Is this supposed to be how we make the US safer from terrorist? Do we really believe that our current strategy is going to defeat terrorism?

"Bad Presidents Happen to Good People"

Video of Bill Maher's appearance on Hardball last night.

Voting Machine Irregularities in Ohio? That's Unpossible!

In the first thorough study of a paper-backed system -- often seen as an answer to concerns about touch-screen voting -- the nonpartisan Election Science Intistute (sic) found that about 10 percent of the paper ballots sampled were uncountable. And in Ohio, that's a big problem: The paper ballot is the official ballot if there's a recount.

If Diebold's ATM machines failed to record a transaction 10% of the time they'd be out of business, and would have the Feds breathing down their necks. But voting machines fail? Meh. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I think incompetence can explain most things like this, but do we really want incompetence deciding an election?

Lag Time

A report from the International Telecommunications Union ranks the US as 16th in the world in broadband access. The sad thing is, that's the good news, the not so good?

The U.S. has the fourth highest level of students who have never used a computer, among these nations, exceeded only by Turkey, Slovakia and Mexico

For being the country that invented both the computer and the internet, that's not great company to be in. Why should we care? I'll let FCC Commissioner Michael Copps answer that one:

The reason is that we do not have a national strategy to get broadband out to our people. I think we're probably the only industrialized country on the face of the earth that lacks a coherent national strategy to build this infrastructure, and it's damaging for all Americans. It's damaging for small businesses who are unable to compete, and most of all, it's damaging for minorities and diversity communities, people who live in the inner cities and people who live in rural America, where the market, I don't think, is just going to automatically take all of this infrastructure.

More National Exposure

The American Enterprise Institute takes up the story of the imperiled Indiana Republicans. But I think its this quote that deserves noting:

In addition to the poor political climate, Democrats have fielded a very strong group of conservative Democrats. Baron Hill and Ken Lucas lost to Sodrel and Davis in 2004. In the 108th, Hill’s voting record was among the most 25 percent conservative for Democrats. Lucas was the fourth most conservative Democrat in the House. Hostettler faces elected sheriff Brad Ellsworth. Chocola faces a popular businessman Joe Donnelly. All are running significantly to the right of the national Democratic Party.

Remember all those Chocola ads calling Joe a liberal? Not so much, but what do you expect from somebody as desperate as Chris?

No ZZ Top isn't Holding a Tryout

Gary Weddle says he won't shave until Osama bin Laden is caught.

Makes you wonder how long it will get before he can cut it? If he can ever cut it. Anybody want to guess what the odds are we'll find Osama in Iraq?

Olbermann

If you have a broadband connection watch the video.

Ethanol production comes at a high price

Click here for the Rutland Herald, Vermont, aticle.

I am all for the local ethanol plant to be built here. However, this is no cure for our present dilemma of oil addiction. This article explains, in part, why. I advocate the ethanol be used within the region and locally. I fear the politcians advocating for these ethanol plants to be built have this big utopian scenario in mind. Wide-scale use, purchase, and consumption of our ethanol plant products will deplete many of the resources we have locally. As an alternative in thinking, each region in the United States should require its own regional-type of energy production in order to become more self-reliant within the region.

In the same manner as other addictions, sometimes the best way to stop an addiction is to go cold turkey. If one can't go cold turkey, the next best thing is to cutback. What does this mean in terms of oil addiction? Conserve, conserve, conserve! (bet you thought this "librul" would never say that word!) The worst thing one can do to combat an addiction is to replace it with another addiction that is unhealthy. Forfeiting the resource depletion of one form of finite energy for the depletion of multiple other locally derived finite resources is not the answer!

In the spirit of conservation and replacing one addiction with another, I support local biking trails whereas more people can cut driving and rather walk and ride bikes! Buy locally grown food rather than having it grown, shipped, and packaged 2000 miles away! Support local mass transit with things such as buses, light rail, and trolleys! These are healthy substitutes, people!

These things listed above are the REAL answers to oil addiction. Not subsidies given to special interests with taxpayer money. In other words, technically, we will be fitting the bill for these plants that will suck our aquafiers dry. If you don't want the cost of your water to skyrocket 10-20 years from now, then please understand what this article is saying. Water wars are already happening in other parts of the U.S.

Don't let the Chocola ads trick you. He really IS beholden to special interest groups , and he is a millionaire who has received lots and lots of money from the likes of Tom DeLay. I tried to call, write, and email Mr. Chocola concerning oil depletion 2 years ago and all I received was a response about drilling in ANWR and the wildlife refuge. He didn't have a clue of what I was referring to concerning oil depletion/dependency. He thought I was some enviromentalist who was concerned about the caribou or something. Seriously--he didn't listen to a word I wrote or the references I gave him to read. And I don't know for sure but isn't Mr. Weatherwax tied in with the Andersons that are building the ethanol plant here in Logansport somehow? Follow the money. Follow the money trail if you can.

A Change is Gonna Come?

There has been a lot of news lately on how Indiana has become the epicenter of our chance to take back the House, and a lot of that attention is focused on how Joe is up on Chocola. What has bothered me is that all of these articles seem to always blame Chocola's problems on somebody else, take for example today's column from the South Bend Tribue:

Converging to threaten Chocola are some elements beyond his control, the angry winds whipped up by the Toll Road deal and daylight-saving time confusion. Gov. Mitch Daniels' high pressure system collided with a Washington low as shown by a dropping political barometer for President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress.

All of these articles seem to say the same thing, this isn't poor Chris' fault, its just happening to him.

Bull.

If Chris had taken care of his district this wouldn't be happening. If he had taken care of North Central Indiana on the transportation committee we wouldn't need to sell off the Toll Road to fund new highway spending. If he hadn't so blindly followed Bush he might have known to vote against going into Iraq when we hadn't finished the job in Afghanistan. If he meant what he says about being fiscally conservative, he wouldn't spend government funds franking mailings on government waste. And if he had the maturity to understand the causes of poverty he'd be fighting them, instead of saying incredibly stupid stuff like this. Hey Chris, one in three people living below the poverty line is a child, what choice did they make again?

Dancing with Tom DeLay

Apparently looking to practice his lobbying skills ahead of his big career as a paid shill (or ahead of his 18-24 months trying to not get shived) Tom DeLay has sent out an email asking for people to support Sara Evans (?) on Dancing with the Stars. To quote the Hammer:

One of her opponents on the show is ultra liberal talk show host Jerry Springer. We need to send a message to Hollywood and the media that smut has no place on television by supporting good people like Sara Evans.

Uh, isn't Sara agreeing to promote smut by appearing on the show with Jerry? I've heard about how hard the transition into retirement is, but come on Tom at least try the shuffleboard before you spring straight into crazy old coot.

National Coverage Roundup

Here is a roundup of national coverage of Joe's race to unseat Chocola.

Washington Post (reg. required)

MSNBC 9/6 8:18am

Bloomberg

New York Times (reg. required)

No Wonder They're Praying

After having spent $67,000 of public funds on his personal crusade to make the General Assembly pray his way, Speaker Bosma is now asking for private donations. Setting aside the idea that maybe he shouldn't have spent any public funds, let us focus on the thing the Speaker isn't focusing on himself:

Indiana leads the nation in foreclosures.

In 2005 Indiana's unemployment rate exceeded the national average

The number of Hoosier living below the poverty line grew 13% last year

More then three quarter of a million people now live below the poverty line

The poverty line is a poor reflector of how much income it takes to subsist, a better indicator is the Self Sufficency rate
A lot more people live below that line

Indiana has lost 100,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000

Indiana ranks 27th in Median Household Income

600,0000 Hoosiers have no health insurance

The fastest growing segment of the uninsured is the middle class ($50,000 to $74,999)

Though they still trail those making less then $25,000, 1 in 4 lacks insurance

But its not being able to say specific prayers that has Speaker Bosma spending public funds. He can offer prayer, just not the prayer he wants. All the Hoosiers who need good jobs, safer communities, and better education, and this is what the GOP has chosen to focus on. Praying may be the only thing that improves the above stats, the GOP sure isn't interested.

Not So Good News

You remember Afghanistan right? The Taliban, Osama, Al Qaida, any of this ringing a bell? Well the New York Times (reg. required) has a piece out today that paints a not so rosy picture of life in Afghanistan.

Some of the lowlights:

Across Afghanistan, roadside bomb attacks are up by 30 percent; suicide bombings have doubled. Statistically it is now nearly as dangerous to serve as an American soldier in Afghanistan as it is in Iraq.

Afghanistan now produces 92 percent of the worldÂ’s supply of opium poppy, the basis for heroin.

American officials said the country was more destitute than they had envisioned, yet the $909 million they provided in assistance in 2002 amounted to one-twentieth of the $20 billion allocated for postwar Iraq.

American officials calculated that six Afghan policemen were dying for every soldier in the National Army who was killed.

And this was supposed to be our success in the war on terror?

More Good News

From the Rothenberg Political Report's forecast:

TOSS-UP/TILT DEMOCRATIC (7 R, 0 D)
AZ 8 (Open; Kolbe, R)
CO 7 (Open; Beauprez, R)
IN 2 (Chocola, R)
IN 8 (Hostettler, R)
IN 9 (Sodrel, R)
IA 1 (Open; Nussle, R)
TX 22 (Open; DeLay, R)

We are really starting to gain some momentum, and it isn't even Labor Day yet.

"People are Angry"

Bill McInturff, the pre-eminent Republican pollster who sees survey data from all over the country, isn't any more sanguine. ``The national mood is like that of sweep elections,'' he says. ``People are angry about Iraq, about gas prices, about health care.

Joe on Immigration

I'm glad Joe brought up security at ports, that is something the GOP has been trying to get us to ignore. 94% of cargo goes uninspected, Al Qaida could ship a whole army here and go undetected with those odds. Does that really make us feel safer?

Yeah, but Who's Playing Grant?

"It's increasingly clear to observers that the Harris for Senate campaign has become, in essence, a Civil War re-enactment of Sherman's march through Atlanta, with Harris playing Sherman and her campaign playing Atlanta".

- Justin Rood, in an article on Katherine Harris' imploded Senate campaign

On The Attack

I do agree with Cass County Dems. With the Republicans pulling out of Chocola's race, now is the time to jump on the opportunity. Now being stationed in New Hampshire, I can see the difference in how well Donnelly's campaign is being run. The second district of Indiana is definately in play for the Dems. The fact is that people need to get out and vote in this election! As George Patton once said, "Attack, Attack, Attack, and when you can't attack anymore, attack!"

Cutting and Running?

This is a sign that we have to go on the attack, we are in position to win this race.

"However, the GOP has not reserved advertising time to aid Rep. Chris Chocola in Indiana even though Democrats plan to spend at least $700,000 to win the district. House Republicans have told Chocola that he must fend for himself, given his personal wealth and his ability to raise large amounts of money."

His wealth and fund raising has never stopped them from giving him money in the past, its not like he just won the lottery. The fact that all of sudden they don't want to give him money because he's wealthy means they're concerned about how effective that money will be. Now is the time to take advantage.

Common Sense Approach to Voting

Secretary of State Candidate Joe Pearson Calls for Election System Reforms

I believe that voting rights are one of the most important aspects of our democracy. Our forefathers fought for the right to vote and made that freedom the very core of our nation.

I am running for Secretary of State to expand and protect the right to vote and ensure that Hoosiers have confidence in our voting systems.

Here’s how we can make a difference:

• Work with national, state and local election officials to determine the feasibility of generating a paper trail after voters cast their ballot. If we can receive a receipt from an ATM, we should be able to have a receipt of casting a vote.
• Save tax dollars by reducing duplicate voting records
• Ensure the accuracy of records that are considered to be duplicates.
• Have meetings of the Help America Vote Act panel across the state.
• Use the expertise of the bipartisan staff of the Indiana Election Division to work with my office on recommendations to enhance the ability of Hoosiers to vote.
• Listen to Hoosiers by hosting town hall style meetings in each Indiana county to determine how we can better serve Hoosiers and can provide better election-related services.

I have always believed that our voting rights must be protected, and I worked to do so during my term as a school board member and as an aide to Governors Bayh, O’Bannon, and Kernan. I know that by addressing the problems and shortcomings of our electoral system we can make a difference in Indiana. It will be my goal, as Indiana’s next Secretary of State, to make sure that when Hoosiers cast their ballots they will know that their vote will count.

DMZ

I'm officially declaring this blog a Mel Gibson free zone. I can't take anymore of it. For the love of all that is holy people let it go, all this did was confirm what we already knew.

Slow as Slow Can Be, How Does Silverman Still Have a Job?

Well the BMV have been very busy beavers lately. First they installed a new system without properly testing it first resulting in significant customer service issues, and feeding incorrect data to law enforcement. Then they fired a woman for reporting the problems to Mitch. Now Taking Down Words is reporting that the BMV has notified county prosecutors that it can't verify driving records for the month of July, meaning they shouldn't be used in court.

All that talk from Mitch about holding government to a higher standard and we get this?

No Chance of a Cease Fire? How about peace then?

As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah enters a third week, Secretary of State Rice canceled her trip to Beirut today. The administration has parroted the same line since the start, that a cease fire would only delay the action not prevent it. And you know what, they're right. If we only broker a cease fire, it will only allow the two sides an opportunity to dig in and re-arm.

So why then aren't we pushing for a broader peace agreement? Yes Hezbollah will never agree to such a pact, but Lebanon and Syria may. If offered a chance at the funds from the West needed to rebuild it's country, and an offer of peace from Israel, Lebanon would certainly jump at such an offer. Syria as an relatively oil poor Arab nation also needs to strengthened ties with the West to survive economically. Syria is a secular Sunni nation, it's bedfellow Iran is a fundamentalist Shiite nation, that Syria must recognize will at some point look to remake in it's own image. The chance to re-ally itself with the Jordans and Turkeys and Egypts of the Arab world is an opportunity that Syria would be well advised to take. And as Libya illustrates, the US is willing to make friends with dictators, even ones who have sponsored terrorism against it.

What does this have to do with Hezbollah? Lebanon gives it refuge and it shred of legitimacy (remember Hezbollah hold a majority of seats in parliament there)while Syria provides the funding and funnels Iranian arms to it. If it loses these two key patrons it will find itself isolated from it's only remaining patron Iran.

So why aren't we proceeding with these talks? That's a question for the White House, but it is a question we need to start asking.

Disgruntled Republicans

With the price of gas now over three dollars a gallon, many Republicans are stepping back and reconsidering their party. Tonight I was talking with a friend of mine who so happens to be a disgruntled Republican. I thought it was rather interesting listening to his ideas on how the country should be ran. Interesting enough, his biggest complaint was about the issue of gay marriage. My friend stated, "you know, with the gas prices, war in Iraq, war in Lebanon, and the crisis with North Korea; the President of the United States decides that the issue most affecting us is gay marriage. I don't care if a man marries a man in Indianapolis, but I want a job and a comfortable life." He later went on to state, "with people my age being blown up, leaders of the party lying, and officials not listening, I will vote Democrat next election." Listening to his complaints, I could not help but think that this man is no different than myself. We may align ourselves with different colors and mascots, but in the end Republican or Democrat we all want the same things. Democrats have an unique opportunity to swing the country in a different direction this election year. After all, the Democratic Party is the party of the people. We Democrats in Cass County need to mobolize in mass. Not only do we need to target swing voters, but I believe that we need to target Republicans. A Democrat can win in Cass County, just look at our mayor in Logansport. Democrat or Republican, we are all Americans. Cass County can and will be a Democratic stronghold for years to come. All we have to do is work, work, work, and work some more. For now is the time to change the world!

"But history will judge you, and as the years pass, you will ultimately judge yourself, in the extent to which you have used your gifts and talents to lighten and enrich the lives of your fellow men. In your hands lies the future of your world and the fulfillment of the best qualities of your own spirit." Robert F. Kennedy

Ethics are for Others: BMV Strikes Back

Remember Mitch's pleas to government workers to report problems that go unresolved directly to him?

Yeah, not so much.

Karen Woods was fired Tuesday from the BMV the day after sending an email to the Governor's office detailing the failures of the new computer system at the bureau.

Interesting an accidental moment of truth occurred when the BMV spokesman, Greg Cook was asked if the firing was related to the email:

"I think it is," Cook said. "I don't know the specifics, but I think it is."

His Family Must Be So Proud.

Not just anybody gets to be GOP Crony of the week. Simple math will tell you that not everybody will get a turn, so for Chocola to be so honored... well he really must have worked hard to earn it. How hard? Well let's take a look at his accomplishments:

He voted against bonuses for Afghanistan and Iraq veterans (HR 3289)
He voted to cut student aid (S 1932)
He's voted with indicted former Congressman Tom DeLay 94% of the time. Including the time to ease House ethics rules to excuse some of DeLay's indiscretions.

Speaking of Tom DeLay:
He's taken $40,000 from DeLay's PAC
He's taken $6,000 from convicted former Congressman Randy Cunningham.
He's taken $8,000 from Congressman Bob Ney who has been implicated in the Abramoff scandal

So you have to ask yourself how well has Chris Chocola really represented his district? And considering he doesn't actually live in his district, does he care? Are these really the values of Cass County? Of Indiana? I hope not.

No Longer Fighting with One Hand Tied Behind His Back

Probably one of the more disappointing aspects of the 2004 elections was the failure of the DCCC to support Joe Donnelly in his race against Chris Chocola. The 2nd CD was drawn to be a fairly neutral district (the fact that there is argument as to which way it leans is a sign it is close to 50/50) and Chocola was facing re-election for the first time. Two of the ingredients that you look for in an upset, a third of course being money. With the DCCC sitting it out Joe was outspent 4 to 1 and faced a late TV onslaught that allowed Chocola to win by 9 points.

Thankfully this time Joe has been able to gain the support of the DCCC via the Red to Blue program. The program that provide financial and operational support to candidates is a strong sign that Joe is in position to beat Chocola this time. With the addition of Joe, this now makes three races in Indiana that will be watched nationally, and with a net change of only 15 seats to retake the House, shows that Indiana could well be the lynch pin in November.

Getting out the Vote

First Read: Voter turnout concern - First Read - MSNBC.com

This article is definitely worth a read. It gives a general outlook for voter turnout for the 2006 elections and outlines some challenges we'll face in getting out the vote as well as some things that work in our favor.

This is going to be an interesting year for Democrats. We're living in a time when people are becoming more and more frustrated with the divisions they're seeing on Capitol Hill. Previously hardcore Republicans are sneaking glances to the left, not necessarily looking to jump ship and swim over, but maybe just to see if someone on our boat would help their boat sail a bit more smoothly. Some Republican voters may be so disenchanted with their candidates that they simply choose to stay home on election day.

Meanwhile, a fire is being lit under the Democratic Party. In a time when the Republican Party feels like its walking uphill through wet sand, the Democratic Party is finding its feet and donning roller skates. People who have never been interested in politics before are beginning to pay more attention to the nightly news. Political blog readership is up. If this administration as done anything, it has certainly taught the average citizen that feces does indeed roll downhill. The public is awakening and unfortunately, its the fetid stench of corruption and disregard for public opinion that's acting as their alarm clock.

The iron is HOT and just begging to be struck.

It is this blogger's opinion that the heaviest and most shaping blows are going to be dealt by candidates who recognize the United States' global role but who emphasize domestic consequences of that role. Public opinion is shifting but its doing so on its axis. We are still concerned about Iraq, but unlike in previous years, the main concern is less that of liberation of oppressed and terroristic countries as it is the economic pinch that liberation is causing here at home and the loss of human life. We're still concerned about the monitoring and capture of terrorists, but while the fear of attack is still on people's minds, the fear of unwarranted domestic government snooping may be a more immediate concern for voters. Our schools are in trouble. In the past few years, this administration has wanted us to believe that the problem is one of simple inadequate scholastic achievement. The public is watching education budgets being eaten by projects our president must believe to be more important and they're wondering how exactly we're supposed to ensure that no child is left behind when some schools scarely have the funding to bus them to school in the first place.

We WILL be going door to door. We WILL be calling from our phone banks. We WILL be registering voters. But when we do, it is important that we tailor our efforts to address the issues our voters are demanding to have addressed.

We cannot let this year pass us by. A midterm election is a challenge. Getting out the vote requires that we fan the flames. I think we can do it!

Relaunch Coming Soon

I admit I've allowed this blog to collect dust for a little too long. By too long I mean about six months. My apologies (assuming there is anybody to apologies to) but the good news is that we'll be adding some new people to keep it going, and I will make a concerted effort to post more often.

Bush's Mysterious New Programs

Not that George W. Bush needs much encouragement, but Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales a new target for the administration's domestic operations -- Fifth Columnists, supposedly disloyal Americans who sympathize and collaborate with the enemy.

"The administration has not only the right, but the duty, in my opinion, to pursue Fifth Column movements," Graham, R-S.C., told Gonzales during Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Feb. 6.

"I stand by this president's ability, inherent to being commander in chief, to find out about Fifth Column movements, and I don't think you need a warrant to do that," Graham added, volunteering to work with the administration to draft guidelines for how best to neutralize this alleged threat.

"Senator," a smiling Gonzales responded, "the president already said we'd be happy to listen to your ideas."

In less paranoid times, Graham's comments might be viewed by many Americans as a Republican trying to have it both ways -- ingratiating himself to an administration of his own party while seeking some credit from Washington centrists for suggesting Congress should have at least a tiny say in how Bush runs the War on Terror.

But recent developments suggest that the Bush administration may already be contemplating what to do with Americans who are deemed insufficiently loyal or who disseminate information that may be considered helpful to the enemy. Top U.S. officials have cited the need to challenge news that undercuts Bush's actions as a key front in defeating the terrorists, who are aided by "news informers," in the words of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

read full story here

Dems Don't Know Jack

So the point that people claiming that Abramoff was bi-partisan scandal try to make is that Abramoff's Indian clients were giving money to the Dems as well as the GOP. This of course misses three facts that are supported below by the numbers:

1. They didn't start giving to Dems because of Abramoff, they were already giving money to them because;
2. These state have Democratic lawmakers with whom the tribes had a pre-Abramoff relationship and;
3. After Abramoff the tribes donations to the GOP shot up dramatically. Meanwhile the donations to Dems often leveled off or dropped.


1) Tribe: Saginaw Chippewa (Michigan)
Pre-Abramoff contributions to Dems (1991 - 9/2000): $371,250
Pre-Abramoff contributions to GOP (1991 - 9/2000): $285,000
Post-Abramoff contributions to Dems (9/2000 - 2003): $191,960
Post-Abramoff contributions to GOP (9/2000 - 2003): $401,500

2) Tribe: Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana
Pre-Abramoff contributions to Dems (1991 - 9/2000): $61,320
Pre-Abramoff contributions to GOP (1991 - 9/2000): $48,560
Post-Abramoff contributions to Dems (9/2000 - 2003): $64,000
Post-Abramoff contributions to GOP(9/2000 - 2003): $162,590

3) Tribe: Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana
Pre-Abramoff contributions to Dems (1991 - 4/2001): $1,000
Pre-Abramoff contributions to GOP (1991 - 4/2001): $750
Post-Abramoff contributions to Dems (4/2001 - 6/2004): $40,500
Post-Abramoff contributions to GOP (4/2001 - 6/2004): $168,750

4) Tribe: Pueblo of Sandia (New Mexico)
Pre-Abramoff contributions to Dems (1991 - 3/2002): $24,000
Pre-Abramoff contributions to GOP (1991 - 3/2002): $15,000
Post-Abramoff contributions to Dems (3/2002 - 6/2003): $18,500
Post-Abramoff contributions to GOP (3/2002 - 6/2003): $11,500

5) Tribe: Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians (California)
Pre-Abramoff contributions to Dems (1991 - 7/2002): $371,250
Pre-Abramoff contributions to GOP (1991 - 7/2002): $400,200
Post-Abramoff contributions to Dems (7/2002 - 6/2004): $70,000
Post-Abramoff contributions to GOP (7/2002 - 6/2004): $216,708

6) Tribe: Cherokee Nation (Oklahoma)
Pre-Abramoff contributions to Dems (1991 - 1/2003): $35,470
Pre-Abramoff contributions to GOP (1991 - 1/2003): $6,050
Post-Abramoff contributions to Dems (1/2003 - 12/2003): $250
Post-Abramoff contributions to GOP (1/2003 - 12/2003): $0

7) Tribe: Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
Pre-Abramoff contributions to Dems (1991 - 1995): $4,600
Pre-Abramoff contributions to GOP (1991 - 1995): $31,000
Post-Abramoff contributions to Dems (1995 - 2004): $409,273
Post-Abramoff contributions to GOP (1995 - 2004): $884,927

New Website! HOORAY!!!

I'm thrilled to announce that the Cass County Democratic Party finally has a website I'm not embarrassed to show (probably because it was professionally developed, instead of me trying to do it.)

So please check us out at http://cassdems.org

And I want to thank the fine folks at Logical Imagination for their work. They do outstanding work, and I can't say enough about how great they are.

Abramoff Cuts a Deal

Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist at the center of the Tom Delay scandal, will plead guilty to reduced charges in return for helping the feds in their Congressional investigation.

This is big, from all appearances Abramoff was the hub for all bribery and influence peddling in Congress, if it happened he knows who did it, and for how much. So we're finally going to get the dirt on the likes of Tom Delay, and unfortunately some Democrats as well. But this going to hurt the GOP a lot worse then us.

Put Your Two Cents In

With the 2006 General Assembly preparing to go into session soon the Star is asking Hoosiers their thoughts on what needs to be changed. Interesting that most of the issues aren't one that talk about much, gas prices, health care.

Mitch's web based yes-men must still be on holiday.