Lying Lou Dobbs

Oh Lou! Poor, poor, hate-filled Lou. Flag pins mean nothing to the hardships of the ordinary Americans you proclaim to care about. However if you do bring it up, try not to be dishonest about it.

Paterson Patronizes NY Reform Efforts

Wow, there's only nine more days left on the New York legislative calendar! It is already June....where'd the year go? Well, it was full of scandal, that's for sure...forget all the local NYC stuff, we had the Spitzer debacle, Diane Gordon's illegalities, trooper-gate and so on. So with all of this craziness, you'd think this might be a good year for campaign finance reform and opening up the business of Albany to those that send legislators up there. Wrong.

Of course David Paterson was supposed to champion our cause of reform. He was all for it as a State Senator. So what has he done? He issued a press release in lieu of reform groups showing up in Albany yesterday. If you were one that took the time to go up, down or across New York to work for a more open state government, how would you feel?

From The NY Times:

“These issues are not new to the governor; the role of governor may be, but he now needs to stand up and act like a governor,” said Dick Dadey, the executive director of Citizens Union, who lamented that the legislative session was coming to “an abysmal end” with “no real progress on reform.”

Blair Horner, the legislative director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, said of the governor, “It’s his job to get things done.

“The people of New York don’t send elected officials to Albany to hang out. They send them here to solve problems.”

He added, “If this were a report card, the report card would be an F.”

The news conference comes as the governor continues to struggle to pull his administration together and form his own agenda, leaving the legislative session to wind down with what critics have said are precious few accomplishments.

The order for state agencies to observe gay marriages consummated in other statesm but beyond that I can;t think of much he has done in his first year. Sure, he's new to the Governor's Mansion, but certainly not to Albany. Shame on Paterson for not doing more to clean up a state government that is known for its corruption and cronyism.

McCain Uses And Abuses Katrina Victims

John McCain tried to use "change" in his speech Tuesday by saying that he'd bring the "right" change for America. Foolishly he forgets that while he can say one thing, then another and back to the original in a week or less, his record is set in stone. He chose New Orleans as the place to contrast himself to Barack Obama and he failed miserably. Not only was the presentation of his speech terrible, any promise of change was hollow. Anyone that sees a candidate going down to the Gulf Coast understands the significance of that place and what a tremendous disgrace our government was when tepidly responding to one of our worst natural disasters in the history of the country (though the levees failing wasn't quite all Mother Nature's fault). And as John McCain was a part of that government, how did he act in the following days, weeks and months?

From DailyKos:

Who can forget McCain's indifference to the disaster as it unfolded? Appearing on Face the Nation the day before Katrina struck, he said nothing about the looming emergency. Then McCain yucked it up with Bush in Arizona even while the Gulf Coast was getting lashed. When he did get around to commenting, three days later, his office issued a tepid press release.

For the next half year, as Jonathan Stein documented, McCain was either absent from or in active opposition to substantive efforts to aid Katrina victims.

Though McCain issued a statement the next week calling on Congress to make sacrifices in order to fund recovery efforts, he was quoted in The New Leader on September 1 cautioning against over-spending in support of Katrina's victims. "We also have to be concerned about future generations of Americans," he said. "We're going to end up with the highest deficit, probably, in the history of this country."

That attitude was borne out in McCain's actions and votes. Forty Senators and 100 members of Congress visited New Orleans before he did; he finally got there in March 2006.

During that period McCain wasn't just failing to show leadership on the issue. Along with most other Republicans, he dug his heels in against spending serious money to help Americans in desperate need (contrast that with his free-spending ways on Iraq). McCain voted against extending unemployment benefits to Katrina victims up to 52 weeks, and against extending Medicaid benefits up to five months. He even voted twice against establishing an independent commission to examine the governmental response to Katrina. In May of 2006, little over a month after visiting NOLA for the first time, McCain also voted against the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill that had $28 billion for hurricane relief.

From that point on McCain's record gets even shabbier, if that's possible.

Yep, it has gotten much worse, just as George Bush ignored it again after he ignored it when the tragedy unfolded. There is no change here, it is just more of the same in brand new gift-wrapping. Even if he had the ability to speak eloquently in Louisiana two nights ago, America would still hear the ticking time bomb inside the box John McCain was carrying. He can call it anything he wants, change, experience, leadership, a military record, whatever. What he'll do for the country is just a continuation of the last eight years.

Olbermann Strikes Back At Fox News

Go get em' K.O! Show the world Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch, Bill O'Reilly et. al for the scum that they truly are:

The Clinton Saga Ends Saturday

Finally, at long last the tumultuous journey that Hillary Clinton has been on will come to an end. It was a hard one to bring to a close but now we have confirmation she will endorse Senator Obama as the nominee this Saturday. Even last night as Obama crossed the threshold by earning enough delegates, Clinton gave a speech that touted her misleading popular vote count and single win of the night in South Dakota. Except for a few lines, there was no message of unity and certainly not one that addressed the reality of the race. Tonight that is thankfully changing.

From The NY Times:

Her decision came after a day of conversations with supporters on Capitol Hill about her future now that Mr. Obama had clinched the nomination. Mrs. Clinton had, in a speech after Tuesday night’s primaries, suggested that she wanted to wait before deciding about her future, but in conversations throughout the day on Wednesday, her aides said, she was urged to step aside.

“We pledged to support her to the end,” said Representative Charles B. Rangel, a New York Democrat who has been a patron of Mrs. Clinton since she first ran for the Senate. “Our problem is not being able to determine when the hell the end is.”

Mrs. Clinton’s decision came as some of her most prominent supporters — including former Vice President Walter F. Mondale — announced they were now backing Mr. Obama.

Most likely what happened today was a series of denials and refusals by influential Democrats on Capitol Hill that told her she had run out of gas. Some probably talked regretfully (like Rangel), others were pressing her to concede and the rest told her that the way she was going at a V.P. nod was absolutely insane. If she wanted that, Clinton should have met Obama privately. Of course that may have happened and after being denied, she went public...something that made the situation worse. Thankfully she realized tonight that she should stop digging and start helping the nominee. Time will only tell what her conduct will be from now until November, but it will definitely have a bearing on how her political future unfolds.

Obama Puts Lieberman In His Place!

Earlier today the nominee, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were both at AIPAC and I must say Senator Clinton did the right thing by speaking the truth about Senator Obama and how he will be as a President concerning Israel. His speech was convincing enough by itself. However, there was one turncoat afterwards that did not have very nice words for Obama. That's probably because he is supporting John McCain and goes by the name of Joe Lieberman. Usually I'd expect the Democrat to disregard Zell Miller reincarnate people like Joe but Obama thought otherwise.

From Talking Points Memo:

From Roll Call ...

Furthermore, during a Senate vote Wednesday, Obama dragged Lieberman by the hand to a far corner of the Senate chamber and engaged in what appeared to reporters in the gallery as an intense, three-minute conversation.

While it was unclear what the two were discussing, the body language suggested that Obama was trying to convince Lieberman of something and his stance appeared slightly intimidating.

Using forceful, but not angry, hand gestures, Obama literally backed up Lieberman against the wall, leaned in very close at times, and appeared to be trying to dominate the conversation, as the two talked over each other in a few instances.

Still, Obama and Lieberman seemed to be trying to keep the back-and-forth congenial as they both patted each other on the back during and after the exchange.

Afterwards, Obama smiled and pointed up at reporters peering over the edge of the press gallery for a better glimpse of their interaction.

Obama loyalists were quick to express their frustration with Lieberman's decision and warned that if he continues to take a lead role in attacking Obama it could complicate his professional relationship with the Caucus.

Now that's what I'm talking about. Joe Lieberman or any other Republican should be on notice next time they go after Barack Obama. That goes double for any Senator while Obama still works in the Chamber. Lieberman isn't going to be able to have things both ways anymore, that was made crystal clear today.

Forget The Mets Or Yankees, Thats A Great Hat Hillary!

And I hope to see it on her in the not-so-distant future because what she's doing now is completely unacceptable.

Bloomberg Thinking Of Term Limiting Term Limits

Perhaps with all of Michael Bloomberg's media experience and the last few years in the political realm, he is getting good at throwing curveballs out on a whole range of issues. His temper needs work, but when it comes to thinking about his stay in Gracie Mansion, this is the work of a pro (unfortunately so for New Yorkers that have lived under his reign for the last eight years).

From The Daily Gotham:

Oh boy. As the end of his term nears, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and his senior advisers have been exploring strategies that would allow him to remain in political life, including undertaking a campaign to overturn the city's term limits law or making a bid for governor, according to two people who have been briefed on the deliberations. Mr. Bloomberg, as part of that effort, commissioned a poll recently to determine whether city voters would be open to lifting the term limits law, which forces him and other elected city officials from office after two four-year terms. The poll found that even as voters approved of his performance as mayor, they would strongly oppose any attempt to undo the limits. Voters were receptive to the idea of a Bloomberg candidacy for governor, however. Either move by the mayor would dramatically shake up the political world in New York and beyond, given his national profile and previous pledge to try to shape the presidential campaign this fall, perhaps by establishing an independent political organization. [Emph. added] Two things: first, you really have to wonder what the outcome would be if there were a statewide referendum on term limits. Such as, say, term limits applicable to the state legislature. The rock-solid support for such limits in the City most likely is not confined to the five boroughs. If two terms and eight years were good enough for George Washington, why aren't they sufficient for Sheldon Silver and Joe Bruno, in office for thirty-two years, or Joe Lentol, at thirty-six?

I don't even want to imagine an eternal back and forth between Silver and Bloomberg. That sounds like a nightmare and antithetical for reforming politics in New York. Bloomie may have his high hopes and ambitions, but no polling effort is going to give him everything he desires. Didn't he learn his lesson the first and second time around? New York City needs a progressive voice after too many years of a technocrat.

A Small But Sweet Victory For The Environment

Despite the crazies out there that still try to deny what is happening to our planet, most people can see what is going on and are starting (albeit slowly) to catch on that we all need to do something to stem the tide of climate change. Although we really need strong governmental and international action to make things happen on a large scale, the consumer can help out as well. With gas prices climbing at an exponential rate, people are doing that when it comes to what they drive. When they do that, we see things like this.

From ThinkProgress:

Today, General Motors announced that it will be closing four truck and SUV plants in North America and may discontinue its Hummer line, citing the slumping sales of large vehicles brought on by high oil prices. Sales of the Hummer were down 61 percent last month, and May was also the first month in which cars outsold the Ford F-series truck since 1992. In place of the Hummer, GM CEO Rick Wagoner announced that the GM board has approved production of a new small automobile and a new electric car. As CBS reported, Wagoner “said the change in the U.S. market to smaller vehicles likely is permanent.”

It is a shame that GM didn't catch on sooner, but marketing the "American Dream" of gas guzzling was supposedly the thing to do for far too long. American car makers have a long way to go in matching the demands of a market that doesn't want to buy too many $4 gallons of gas. Still, it is a promising start to see the icons of that sub-culture fall.

Obama V. McCain, It Isn't Even Close

Here is McCain's speech from last night and here are the reviews comparing that to this:



Hope and inspiration next to a lime green catastrophe.

Not. Even. Close.

The Machinery Went To Work In Queens Yesterday

While we were all watching the returns of South Dakota and Montana, the speeches of McCain (if you can call it that), Clinton and Obama and the announcement of the Democratic nominee...the machine in Queens quietly hummed. A little over 7,600 people showed up for the special election in the 30th Council District and they split their votes mostly even between the establishment candidates and the ex-Councilman that occupied the seat. Charles Ober, the man who was worked for and in the community, endorsed by the Times and the progressive community barely got ten percent of the vote.

From The Daily Politics:

With 100 percent of the vote in, it appears the Republicans have just barely managed to hold on to the 30th CD seat that used to belong to former Councilman Dennis Gallagher, maintaining their three-member conference.

The unofficial results, according to the city Board of Elections, are as follows:

Anthony Como: 2,352, 31.71 percent.

Elizabeth Crowley: 2,282, 30.77 percent.

Thomas Ognibene: 2,031, 27.38 percent.

Charles Ober: 752, 10.14

UPDATE: There are 196 valid absentee ballots so far, according to board spokeswoman Valerie Vasquez-Rivera, and they can be received by the board up until next Tuesday.

I doubt 196 ballots can turn it for Crowley and it certainly won't help Ober or Ognibene. The two top vote-getters were the people the local committees were pushing. So with the split on the left, Como barely got a victory and maintains the three seat hold that Republicans have in the Democratic-dominated Council.

McCain Places Third In Montana

Nearly three months have passed since John McCain became the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party. You'd think it would be pretty easy for him to win the remaining primaries and caucuses after everyone else had dropped out. Blow out margins are what we expect, yet for the last few contests he could barely register 70-80% of Republicans that turned out. Now tonight, in the nation's last contest, McCain couldn't even win. He couldn't even place second.

How's that for a unified base? The Democratic Party will come together, the Republicans should have for their own sake months ago.

UPDATE: Alright, so the Republicans held their Montana race in February. Still, the fact remains that McCain is not able to keep his base together