Saturday October 30, 2004
Protesting radical fundamentalists...
This page contains a few pictures from a protest of Operation Rescue's visit to our sleepy little town (other towns are also shown on that page).
A friend had the best poster.
Operation Rescue had no one turn out for their event but 25 protestors. They were not too happy. They held a fake prayer vigil (I overheard them, heads bowed, talking about their next event) and skedaddled.
Bin Laden...
David Brooks is, as usual, wrong. The surfacing of Bin Laden's video isn't a litmus test, it's a Rorschach test.
What do you see when you see Bin Laden's face on the TV screen?
The Republicans see him as another attempt to instill dread in the American people. That, and another way of coming up with a truly absurd political attack ("Kerry should show proper deference to the appearance of the video by not attacking Bush." Or "We're not sure that Kerry really hates Bin Laden enough.") Seriously, folks, read Brooks' article -- he uses both of them.
There are others who see Bin Laden as a symbol of the miserable failure of this administration. His video appearance proves that he has not been captured and that he has the power to insert his cause into a situation at a time of his choosing. It proves the essential truth of the Bush administration: when they had an opportunity to focus our attention on the rise of radical fundamentalism and create a coalition to not only dismantle the Al Quaeda organization but target the roots of fundamentalism and violent uprising with novel foreign policy, when they had the opportunity to do the right thing, they failed.
When I see Bin Laden, I see the shadow of this failed administration. What do you see?
Friday October 29, 2004
Sorry, but...
...this is just craptastic.
Wednesday October 27, 2004
Letter to the Editor of the Nation
Below is a letter to the editor of the Nation magazine, responding to Christopher Hitchens' tepid endorsement of Bush:
Christopher Hitchens proves in his endorsement of Bush that he is a member of that dreaded specie of citizen, the "single issue" voter.
But he is even less than that. He is a "partial single issue" voter. Hitchens endorses Bush on his recognition of the essential "single issue" of our age, but he barely touches upon the monstrous, blazing failure that Bush's Iraq plan has become.
But let's consider for a moment that Hitchens is right, and Iraq is the sole issue in this campaign.
If Kerry can get honest management into the Iraq reconstruction funds (instead of brainless management by pre-pubesecent Republican sycophants from the Heritage foundation), if he can get these funds into the hands of Iraqi construction firms, if he can put the brakes on the laissez-faire giveaway of Iraq's economic interests to foreign plunderers, if he can bring the possibility of better, secure training for the Iraqi troops, if he can relieve Halliburton of its burdens in Iraq (honesty is hard work!), if he can begin the process of engagement with allies about realistic solutions, if he can tell the American people the truth just once about the situation on the ground in Iraq -- if John Kerry can accomplish any one of these in his first term, America and Iraq will be better off.
We know that Bush is fundamentally incapable of accomplishing any of them. He does not deserve to be re-elected.
Tuesday October 26, 2004
"Mosh" to debut on MTV's Total Request Live today
Apparently Kos got out the vote on MTV's Total Request Live (TRL), and Eminem's new song "Mosh" is going to debut on the show. The show's on now, so check it out...
Eminem comes down hard against Bush
"Let's disarm this weapon of mass destruction...."
"Maybe this is God just saying we're responsible for this monster, this coward that we have empowered."
Check out the video at the link (Quicktime required). It's actually quite good -- no matter what you think of Eminem.
Sunday October 24, 2004
Kerry in Florida and Bush in... Texas?
What? Bush and Cheney have decided to take a break during this election?
It seems like they've given up on Ohio and Pennsylvania, and instead are focusing on Iowa, New Mexico, and Wisconsin.
The issue is that Bush might be ahead in the polls, but it's increasingly clear that that margin is in already red states, where it does him no good. In the battleground states, the states that he has actually been campaigning in, he is either tied or behind.
That second piece, the one at Daily Kos, talks about a rally in NM that Bush is participating in, instead of his one day Crawford vacation break. But the first article notes that he's taking that break in Crawford, with Cheney relaxing in Wyoming. Is this overconfidence? Or is it resignation? They have to know that the polls are bad for them. They can lie to the American people, but they haven't gotten to where they are by lying to themselves. They knew when it was time to support the Homeland Security Act, to support the 9/11 Commission...
But they do like to play pretend. In 2000, Rove had Bush do a "victory lap" in non-battleground states, in order to give the impression that he had the momentum and victory was assured. Could that be what we're seeing now, with today's "vacation" stop? Bush also recently stumped in New Jersey, a state that will not go for him in the election.
In Florida, here's the scene at yesterday's Bush rally:
Mr. Bush used all the trappings of the presidency to generate enthusiasm and dominate Florida's airwaves. In the morning, in the first of four scheduled appearances in the state, Mr. Bush swept over a crowd of 12,000. As his helicopter, Marine One, landed in a jammed stadium, the music from 'Top Gun,' the movie about a risk-taking Navy pilot, blared over the loudspeakers.
Shades of the USS Abraham Lincoln, no?
Friday October 22, 2004
Why don't I post as frequently? Part I
Perhaps it's due in part to disheartening stories like this.
Thomas Mann is a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, noted for his deliberateness of manner, his decency, and his near religious devotion to the ideal of bipartisan comity. Now, he says, "I see the damage to our system and our sense of ourselves as a democratic people as really quite substantial. . . . The consequences of both the policies and the processes have been more destructive of our national interest and our democratic institutions than any president I know." When someone as level-headed as Tom Mann begins to worry for the future of our democracy, that's news.
Saturday October 16, 2004
NYTimes for Kerry
Senator John Kerry goes toward the election with a base that is built more on opposition to George W. Bush than loyalty to his own candidacy. But over the last year we have come to know Mr. Kerry as more than just an alternative to the status quo. We like what we've seen. He has qualities that could be the basis for a great chief executive, not just a modest improvement on the incumbent.
Wednesday October 13, 2004
Debate summation
Kerry actually spoke to people. He spoke directly to Arizon(i)ans. To women. To minority voters. He tried to build a bridge to people.
Bush played the bongos.
Through 3 debates, Kerry was presidential. Through 3 debates, Bush was a bewildered, belligerent bongo player.
"America Votes" -- except you dirty liberals!
An RNC funded company has been registering voters, and then ripping up the Democratic registrations.
The I-Team has obtained information about an alleged widespread pattern of potential registration fraud aimed at democrats. The focus of the story is a private registration company called Voters Outreach of America, AKA America Votes.
The out-of-state firm has been in Las Vegas for the past few months, registering voters. It employed up to 300 part-time workers and collected hundreds of registrations per day, but former employees of the company say that Voters Outreach of America only wanted Republican registrations.
Two former workers say they personally witnessed company supervisors rip up and trash registration forms signed by Democrats.
...
The company has been largely, if not entirely funded, by the Republican National Committee. Similar complaints have been received in Reno where the registrar has asked the FBI to investigate.
Tuesday October 5, 2004
What does tonight's debate bring to mind?
Monday October 4, 2004
WHO cheated at the debate?
Check out Bush's notes. He's a fast scribbler -- so fast, you barely ever saw him wield his pen. That's fast. Scumbags.
Keeping America Scared at the Repub Convention
Watch. Quicktime required.
Friday October 1, 2004
Fox deception
Carl Cameron, Fox's man on the Kerry scene, is a Kerry hater. Read the genesis of the scandal at Josh Marshall's website.
Here's an excerpt from Carl Cameron's article, which was linked to from the Fox News website's front page:
Rallying supporters in Tampa Friday, Kerry played up his performance in Thursday night's debate, in which many observers agreed the Massachusetts senator outperformed the president.
"Didn't my nails and cuticles look great? What a good debate!" Kerry said Friday.
With the foreign-policy debate in the history books, Kerry hopes to keep the pressure on and the sense of traction going.
Aides say he will step up attacks on the president in the next few days, and pivot somewhat to the domestic agenda, with a focus on women and abortion rights.
"It's about the Supreme Court. Women should like me! I do manicures," Kerry said.
In addition, apparently Fox felt that W wasn't tall enough for them, so they added a few inches.
