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Stephen Views the News 10/15/08

Written by: Stephen Weinstein on Oct 15, 2008 6:52 AM EDT

Stephen Views the News 10/15/08

http://stephenviewsthenews.blogspot.com/

* Naked on the right - The demise of the most recent version of conservative economic and political policies has the populist talking heads of conservatism in a dither. Examples include Neil Cavuto and Rush Limbaugh from viral broadcasting and the right-sided writing of the Washington Post’s Charles Krauthammer. They currently are desperately grasping for a hold on respectability and relevance. In order to protect their message they have concocted faux targets to divert attention from misguided and wrong counsel. One of their disingenuous maneuvers is to place the blame for the current financial crisis on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.” Look out for those liberal-supported policies designed to assist lower income families to invest in homes.” “Those damn left-wingers.” Fortunately, there are still some in the Fourth Estate doing their job.

The McClatchy Newspapers Washington Bureau just removed the wheels from the canard that conservatives are riding. The article is titled “Private sector loans, not Fannie or Freddie, triggered crisis.” It was an unregulated private sector gone wild that brought our economy to its knees, not regulated government-assisted programs. I highly recommend a read of this article as an aide to understand what took place and, just as importantly, guidance for future policy. Republican conservatives bemoan the fact that the current financial crisis has altered the parameters of the upcoming election. I agree that it is unfortunate. We all had to suffer the effects before their failed policies were laid bare. The policies that they promoted should be evaluated and voted upon by the electorate, without spin and din.

To borrow an often used phrase of Barack Obama, “Let me be perfectly clear.” I do not advocate a national discourse devoid of conservative ideas any more than it would be appropriate to give voice exclusively to liberal thinking. It so happens that conservatives have dominated the national landscape while their views were implemented dishonestly and incompetently by President George W. Bush and the Republican Party. Liberal thinking and the Democratic Party are not without criticism. Going forward America’s best chance is a synthesis of views from all positions. It is likely that the first step will require that the political house be cleaned, with many more Republicans than Democrats being left for the trash pickup. A return to normalcy will be accompanied by a return to balance. At some point in the future this lesson will be forgotten and the process will cycle again. At best, we can hope for less dramatic swings of the political ideology pendulum and greater integrity in the people that we elect.

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Evening Watercooler

Written by: DFA Community and you

DFA's home for a free form, open-ended discussion of what matters most to committed progressive activists.

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On Associations, Or, I'll See Your Ayers, And Raise You A Saddam

Written by: fake consultant on Oct 15, 2008 3:55 AM EDT

Linked to groups: DFA Night School, Democracy for Illinois, Quad Cities Trained Activists, Young Democrats of IL, Blog For America

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

Barack Obama is a Threat To America, we are told, because he served on a board of directors and had other contacts with William Ayers, who, in the 1960s, was, or was not, involved in terrorist acts for which he was never convicted of any crimes.

So imagine how serious of a Threat To America we would have if, last month, one of the two candidates hired someone to lead their transition team—the person who would recommend who should be selected for every appointed office of the new Administration—who, at the time of the 9/11 attacks, actually worked for Saddam Hussein...and who ended up working for him for five years.

Well, one of the candidates did, and I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t Obama.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s time to meet William E. Timmons, Sr.

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Wednesday picks

Written by: Gerry L on Oct 15, 2008 8:03 AM EDT

Wednesday~

***************round of articles about our domestic ‘issues’ ~ October 15th, 2008

=========================================

Professor Juan Cole:

The Great Reagan Pyramid Scheme Comes Crashing Down

The Republican Party that Nixon invented melded the moneyed classes of the Northeast with the white evangelicals of the South. This odd couple went on to simultaneously steal from and oppress the rest of us. The moneyed classes were happy to let the New Puritans impose their stringent morality, since they could always just buy any licentiousness they wanted, regardless of the law. And the New Puritans were so consumed with cultural issues such as homosexuality, abortion, school prayer and (yes) fighting school desegregation that they were happy to let the northeastern Money Men waltz off with a lion's share of the country's resources, consigning most Americans to stagnant wages and increasing debt. The Reagan revolution consolidated this alliance and brought some conservative Catholic workers into it. ~more

http://www.juancole.com/

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Hank Paulson and His Wall Street Cronies Move to Plan B

By Nomi Prins, The Nation
http://www.alternet.org/story/103004/

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Happy Days Are Here Again? Not Yet. But Look Up at the Moon

Written by: Eric Weis on Oct 14, 2008 3:26 PM EDT

Linked to groups: The Passaic County Green Party, Pequannock DFA, Passaic County DFA, BlueWaveNJ, DFA County Committee Project, NJ for Democracy

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

Did you breathe a little easier yesterday? Stock market up 11%. No blaring catastrophes on the news. The G7 ministers offer soothing advice and common action. John McCain is telling his crowds to cool it. North Korea will let nuclear inspectors in. Obama revealed a fresh economic recovery plan. Paul Krugman earned the Nobel Prize in Economics. Jewish people are celebrating their Thanksgiving (aka "Sukkot").

This time is perhaps was the "pause that refreshes". Remember that line? You could feel good, while killing yourself with a nicotine addiction foisted on us by a pernicious tobacco industry. The trouble is, the tobacco nightmare is not over, and neither is ours.

What is the measure of real happiness? For me, it is the feeling that my life has counted, that the world will be a better place as a result of my existence and that I have contributed something to humanity. On a personal level, it is having an expectation that my kids will have a better life than I did.

On the first score, I am working on it. I won't know the outcome until my time is done. On the second subject, the evidence is that the answer is not positive. Our children will face a more difficult world, will have to work harder, and will be dealing with an earth environment which is changing very quickly in ways bound to affect our own biology. That's why I am not humming "Happy Days Are Here Again".

So what can offset these pressures and challenges?

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Important Reading

Written by: Kenneth Quinnell on Oct 13, 2008 2:25 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Florida DFA, Democracy for Florida, Democracy for America Miami-Dade (DFAM), DFA Tallahassee, Training Academy Alumni, Class of 2007, DFA at Netroots Nation (formerly YearlyKos) July 17-20, DFA Campaign Academy Alumni

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

Good stuff you all should read from bloggers in other states...

Huffington Post: Obama Advancing On The Ground, Under Pollsters' Radar

No More Stolen Elections: Great resource for fighting to save our election process

techPresident: Twitter: An Antidote to Election Day Voting Problems?

New Policy Institute: New Policy Institute Paper: Harnessing the Mobile Revolution

Culture Kitchen: Five ways to guerrilla broadcasting with your cell phone

Marion County Democratic Party: The really busy person's guide to political activism - Slate/Christopher Beam

Discourse.net: Quantity Has a Quality All of Its Own

the 13th juror: Brain injury may be the cause of homelessness for many people

Pam's House Blend: Gay or queer?

OpenLeft: Educating the Public About Organizing: Beyond "Just Doing It" (Core Dilemmas of Community Organizin)

African American Political Pundit: Black Folks, Black Facts, Black Americans, Stats on Blacks, Black Population Facts

Pushing Rope: Netroots Needs to Stop Backing Fringe Democrats

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DFA Night School Live Blog

Written by: Michael Langenmayr on Oct 14, 2008 8:34 PM EDT

DFA Night School reconvenes for this special edition for an hour long training on DFA's groundbreaking new online tools to mobilize your friends and family to vote for Barack Obama.

DFA Field Director Adam Quinn will join Night School as we go over DFA's plan to turn out millions of new voters using a combination of old school voter contact and new online technologies. This hour long online training will give you the power to run your own personal GOTV program for Barack Obama.

About DFA Night School:
Night School is DFA's interactive online training program. Every month Night School brings top campaign experts right to your home at absolutely no cost to you. You can listen live from your computer on Blog Talk Radio or call into a nationwide conference call on your telephone. The training will last approximately one hour and will be accompanied by a slideshow you can view online or download and print out.

Check out our special edition of DFA Night School over at Blog Talk Radio!

Or, call into our conference call at 888-346-3950! The passcode is 404034, followed by the "#" sign.

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Candidate Clips for October 14th, 2008

Written by: Dave on Oct 14, 2008 11:05 AM EDT

Here you are folks, the candidate clips for October 14th, 2008:

Charlie Brown, put your money where your mouth is.
10-12-08    Roseville Press Tribune    Winston_Niles
Nancy Pelosi gave $12000 to Charlie Brown, and Charlie Rangel gave $11500. Turns out Congressional life is full of deep and treacherous waters.

Congressional races in Northern California are 'on the line'
10-12-08    Los Angeles Times     Patrick McGreevy
McClintock's contest with Democrat and Air Force veteran Charlie Brown in a Northern California district is one of two federal races in the state receiving

Letters: Choose the local candidate for Congress
10-12-08    Enterprise-Record   Lance Anderson
Charlie Brown, a decorated Vietnam veteran, family man and staunch fighter for the middle class, needs our vote. John Doolittle has left in disgrace.

Maine Sunday Telegram backs Collins
10-12-08    Boston Herald     Associated Press
Tom Allen — "will undoubtedly continue to contribute to the welfare of Maine and the nation." But the paper gave its nod to Collins, crediting her with "a ...

We'll be better off if we keep Collins in Washington
10-12-08   Central Maine Morning Sentinel    Terry Tiner
I thought it was the Tom Allen who has been a representative for about 12 years in "Washington." But he keeps saying Washington needs leadership.

Summers vying for District 1
10-13-08   York Weekly   Deborah McDermott
Summers is facing Democrat Chellie Pingree in the race to represent District 1 in Washington. Democratic Rep. Tom Allen, who has held the seat for 12 years, ...

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Every morning lately...

Written by: fake consultant on Oct 14, 2008 12:31 AM EDT

Linked to groups: DFA Night School, Democracy for Illinois, Quad Cities Trained Activists, Young Democrats of IL, Blog For America

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

Every morning lately, we have turned anxiously to the news to see if financial markets are in freefall...and some days, they actually are.

Governments across the world have responded over the past two weeks--including a massive commitment by the United States Treasury that is, to say the least, highly controversial to the American voter.

As this is being written markets are opening in Asia. At the moment things are somewhat stable, and except for Shanghai and Taiwan, they’re heading upward. During the writing process, Europe has opened, and there are gains there today as well.

The US credit markets did not open today (although the stock markets did) because of the Columbus Day holiday—but anyone who recalls Mr. Dow’s Wild Ride last Friday is quite nervous ahead of the Tuesday opening.

Despite all that bailout stuff we’re hearing about, confidence doesn’t seem to be returning to the markets. Why?

Excellent question, Gentle Reader, and I have a few helpful answers.