Dean is first!

115.

Susan Rowe
Thu, 12/13/07
4:18 pm

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DFA HQ,

This baby is past due. We're packed, the family and the doctor have been called. It's time to get into the auto machine and drive us to the hospital. I hope it's not too far away.

Please repair this blog before Christmas.

This blog's clock and comment count are broken. When you post a comment please place a number at the top of your post along with the time and date of your post.

[see example]

#32
3/30/2007
3:32 EST


Thank you,

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Kucinich should have been invited, he would have added to the debate. They could have dropped a couple of the questions to fit him in. (New years resolution?) Had he had a campaign here I'm sure he would have been invited to participate, and I don't think it will make much of a difference with his supporters who might be even more determined to come out and vote.

Susan if I had known the friggen broken blog was going to bump you I would have said Howard Dean is first.

Phil try logging out and then log back on.

This should be number 6 at 3:48 PM.

So the Iowa Hicks held their little debate among the Corporate Dems, who mostly avoided the tough questions.

From AP

The field of debaters was trimmed to six at the direction of the newspaper that hosted it. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio was excluded because he does not have a campaign office in the state. His supporters protested the decision, but to no avail.

It was not clear why the same rules did not exclude former Ambassador Alan Keyes from the Register's debate of Republican candidates on Wednesday. A spokeswoman for the newspaper did not immediately return a telephone call or e-mail.

There are way too many weddings that happen during the months April and May. Mother's Day is in May. It has always been a very special time of year for Mid-Westerns. It's a day that was created for peace. Folks attend church services on Mother's Day weekend and then take thier Moms out to eat.

btw, I love to attend weddings.

Hillary was eloquent in her defense of the family farm, but in 1998 when the Packing Plants wanted a captive supply they put the squeeze on family hog farmers and illegally drove them out of business so they could integrate vertically with contract growers, and Bill Clinton's Justice Department gathered the evidence and then the chief lawyer Joel Klein switched sides and quit his public job and joined them, and they got away with destroying many lives.(to give a comparison for you about what happened it would be the current equivalent of the Dow falling to under 3000,caused by Hedge Funds selling short so they could buy cheap)

Paul Wellstone came to Iowa and stood with the hog farmers against the corporate monopolies. John Edwards did in North Carolina where the problem was even worse. There is a record.

Paul Wellstone made a very symbolic act at a gathering with a bunch of farmers I had assembled. Despite his religion he ordered ham. It went to the core of who he was that he would share that "sacrament" of a shared meal even if his religion said no. and what he meant by that as he explained it to me was that he would go all the way in his fight to the very essence of what he was as a human to stand together and fight, to his "gut".

and so when Edwards said that I couldn't help but think of Wellstone

there is only one Wellstone in this race. I still miss Paul.

Though I didn't intend on watching the "debate" I did watch most of it while working around the house.

This was the best debate for this primary. It actually was a debate at times, as the hose, Carol, asked a question for two candidates only to answer. That is what a debate truly is. One on one, or team on team. The candidates were polite.

Obama and Dodd were easy winners today. They both are very quick thinkers on their feet and no questions seems to leave them grappling for answers. They both helped themselves today.

Richardson was in his usual fashion copying others or repeating the already long-known answers to some questions. Biden was rather lazy and not up to his usual self today.

Clinton laughed much too loudly when a question was asked of Obama about using some of Bill Clinton's advisers. Obama quickly put her back in her place by saying that he would also like her too to be in his administration.

Hill continually and transparently referred to the "90's" when talking about the economy, but avoided the 90's when answering NAFTA questions, attempting to imply she had everything to do with anything good in the WH, but nothing to do with the bad.

Edwards remained his usual self. I'm glad to see him attempting to keep the thumb down and use his arms and full hands more instead of the thumb bit.

Just my take on it.

Joan

I thought we saw  a good debate too. Too bad Biden had a cold and was off his form, but he and Dodd had to put up with gotcha questions. Biden on race and Dodd a smear of his father. They both kept their cool and gained the upper hand from a low question. Hillary's handlers just have to lay off that "laugh if you get the chance" advice. it didn't work

Susan

since I post random thoughts at times they might as well be in random order

and we thought we were down the rabbit hole with ghost threads

I say again Dodd would make a good President.

an Obama/Dodd ticket would be very strong

I'm sorry, I just can't take the Iowans seriously.  I just heard them saying that they take their caucuses seriously, yet if that were true, Dodd and Richardson and even Gravel and Kucinich would be polling better. 

What they take seriously is their own importance and how the polls and CMWs tell them how to vote.  

There is no excuse for Dodd being in single digits.  The Register didn't give him any coverage, did it, compared to Obama and Clinton?

Fix. In. Iowa. Just. Like 04. 

Phil, the field is not even progressive, especially with Clinton in it.

Edwards, Dodd, Kucinich - that's a strong field.    IMO

9.

I wasn't aware that Biden wasn't feeling well -- it did have an effect.

Edwards is getting good grades by the after-debate focus group.

Dodd's father's smear just wasn't called for and in very bad taste for the newspaper. Dodd's father had an impressive record and life which Chris is and should be proud of.

4.

Phil Specht
Thu, 12/13/07
3 482503


Paul and Sheila Wellstone were great human beings.

And their legacy lives on.

Wellstones' Legacy Alive and Growing by Jean Hopfensperger
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0925...

11.

an Obama/Dodd ticket would be very strong

Phil,

Or a Dodd/Obama ticket. I could sleep nights again with either of them. I don't discount Edwards or Biden either.

Any others I would support but I just couldn't physically campaign for them. My $$ would go to the DNC.

Richardson couldn't pull off his beerability in that setting.

Merry Christmas from  Bush and the Repubicans!  - countdown on the 12 (11) days to Christmas....

 FIRST - upstage the Democratic Debate and -- cover for the CIA destroyed tapes, the war, the economy and oh yeah - this:   Senate Judiciary holds Rove, Bolten in contempt... Developing... 

...by taking over EVERY cable channel 'during the debates' with the sad news, of accusing so many of our favorite baseball stars of using steroids..investigations. No heroes for you.  Merry Christmas America!

and...accusing Reverend Sharpton of 'crimes' and going after him.  And of accusing the Democrats of 'folding to Bush's demands' -- after they totally wiped out his $196 billion DEMAND for the war.   Nope - just $70 billion and only through April. Sorry George.

Republicans spreading the cheer... 

The strongest ticket would be Edwards/Obama

with the failures of Dukakis and Kerry from the Northeast Dodd has to hurdle that history at the top of the ticket but he would pair up well as VP

we have a southern populist tradition in the race but are lacking a western libertarian populist bent which a Dodd would need for balance

the change people want is away from inside the beltway deal making, and caving to Republicans

they all were going to pay for things by ending the war but a better chance to end it this week is available and I didn't hear any of them being ready to go to the wall

24.

House votes to outlaw CIA waterboarding  18 minutes ago

Biden was believable in naming weapon systems he would axe. the Sensible Priorities crowd might caucus for him 

THREE CHEERS FOR IT!!!!!!!!

THEY DID AWAY WITH THE CLOCK ALTOGETHER AND THE BLOG WORKS!!!!!!!!

why did they take the time stamp away??

to shut down dissent?

and the white house is going to veto the congress on torture.

how bout wolf strutting that stuff on his show.

how bout we waterboard o'reilly and see how he likes it. it is like swimming.

The posts are numbered. What do they need a time stamp for anyway?

linda b

change is good if it ain't broke don't fix it, but if it is do something

skip the clock

now wasn't that easy

bbl

Here we go again, DFA already picking sites for training. In Michigan and they get to choose their dates even.

I already put in my plea for training here.

So, HQ, what about it?

This won't be in the news..

At a rather ‘sensitive’ time in Iraq, in the middle of a war,  who is cutting and running?  

Marines – we are leaving!   Well, just us Generals  You poor troops will have to stay for your fourth or fifth redeployments and maybe for 15 months.  We Generals are going HOME.  >>>  Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno:  >>> Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil: >>>  Maj. Gen. Walter Gaskin: >>>  Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon.

locked out?

I'm going to tell the Wellstone story when I introduce John Edwards tomorrow. He had a good debate and will be pumped up. Should be fun.

we know IT is working on the problem

it is a good thing

Thank you HQ for saving our sanity :)

I'm sorry, I just can't take the Iowans seriously.  I just heard them saying that they take their caucuses seriously......

I heard one on NPR say, "If he doesn't have the time to spend in our state, we don't have the time for him." I've seen that sentiment expressed on this blog as well. Some of the self proclaimed guardians of our democracy aren't deep thinkers.

The rest of us are lucky if a candidate even finds time to visit our states because they all have to camp out in Iowa for a year and hold every voter's hand and tell them how pretty they are over a box of chocolates; and Iowans write off candidates who don't spend ENOUGH time (and money) in their state.

The strongest ticket would be Edwards/Obama

Most "electable"? We all know how that turned out last time. 

THREE CHEERS FOR IT!!!!!!!!

THEY DID AWAY WITH THE CLOCK ALTOGETHER AND THE BLOG WORKS!!!!!!!!

As a reward, I hope they take the money Susan collected and go out for an expensive dinner.  

who is cutting and running?

DCDems in the face of LameDuck George's veto pen. 

----- Original Message -----
From: Caroline Fredrickson, ACLU
Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2007 1:30 PM
Subject: Emergency Alert: Senate Set to Cave on FISA


As soon as tomorrow, the Senate will begin to debate legislation that would give the president greatly expanded powers to spy on Americans. There isn't a moment to lose. Call now. https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?al...

Even though the Senate Judiciary Committee passed legislation that provides greater protections for privacy and doesn’t give amnesty to telecommunications companies, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has decided to move the bad Senate Intelligence Committee bill. This is not good news for those of us who respect freedom, the rule of law and the Constitution.

Tell your senators and Senator Reid to vote against this awful legislation. https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?al...

This Intelligence Committee bill, negotiated closely between the Bush administration and Senator Rockefeller, contains retroactive immunity for the phone companies that illegally turned over private phone and email records to the government and completely eliminates warrants and court review of government spying.

Instead of capitulating to the White House, senators should be listening to you. Recent polls show that 61% of American voters believe the government should have to get a warrant from a court before wiretapping the overseas conversations of U.S. citizens. And 59% of American voters reject amnesty for phone companies that may have violated the law.

Sadly, Senator Reid is asking senators to decide where they stand on spying after a secret meeting taking place today with Attorney General Mukasey and Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, a day before voting is scheduled to take place. Director McConnell played a central role in negotiations around the Protect America Act and, acting on behalf of the White House, used questionable tactics and misinformation to convince members to eviscerate the Fourth Amendment.

Because this meeting is secret, we obviously don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors. But if history is any guide, this meeting could be used to provide misleading information about the current threats facing America to scare your senators into continuing the Bush Administration’s secret spying free-for-all.

There isn't a moment to lose. Call now.

https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?al...

We each need to do our part. Senator Reid needs to lead. All of our senators need to vote against the Intelligence Committee bill, anything resembling the Protect America Act or any bill that grants immunity to telecommunications companies that have broken the law over the past six years. We are also asking senators to join the filibuster of any bill with telecom immunity.

Your call today could mean the difference between our continued freedom as Americans and a secret government operation with no accountability. Please join us now in fighting this bad bill, which goes against our democratic values. https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?al...

Your continued actions and support have carried us this far; we cannot give up now. Don’t let history repeat itself. Make the calls, tell your friends and family and continue to carry the torch of liberty. Our country is counting on you.

Sincerely,

Caroline Fredrickson, Director
ACLU Washington Legislative Office

With all of the Ospama we've been subjected to of late, I feel compelled to post this:

http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?

Media determine our pubic consciousness. America's billionaire-owned media maintain a nearly seamless bubble of false reality in which we are invited to live large parts of our lives. Resources devoted to journalism and news coverage have radically shrunk, so that the corporate-created culture of celebrity has come to dominate our daily discourse.

 Inside the bubble, corporate resources devoted to newsgathering have been relentlessly shaved, so that far fewer journalists are at work today than a generation ago. Inconvenient and unprofitable news operations have been trimmed, often replaced with no notice to audiences with corporate PR print, audio and multimedia productions, and infected by the passive celebrity worship that permeates the rest of our mediascape.

The Obama campaign is heavy on symbolism, and long on vague catch phrases like "new leadership," "new ideas," "a politics of hope," and "let's dream America again" calculated to appeal to millions of disaffected Americans without actually meaning much of anything. Corporate media actively bill Obama as "the candidate of hope," and anointed representative of the "Joshua generation." There are good reasons campaign placards at Obama rallies say "change we can believe in" instead of "stop the war --- vote Obama" or "repeal NAFTA - Barack in '08." The first set of messages are hopeful and vague. The second are popular demands among the voters Obama needs against which his past, present and future performance may be checked. When the comparison is made, the results are dismaying to many who want to support Barack Obama.

After years of dishing out celebrity gossip and advice on relationships, decorating, cuisine, fashion and what books to read, Oprah fits nicely into the corporate PR juggernaut behind the Obama campaign. Winfrey didn't become a billionaire by speaking truth to power. She is a master marketer whose skill is assembling and influencing vast audiences on behalf of her corporate sponsors. She knows how to stick to a script, or if need be how to write one. Oprah skillfully employs fake controversies such as Obama's alleged "lack of experience" to draw attention away from questions of real import, like her candidate's serial equivocations on war, peace, health care and NAFTA. She helps create the illusion of difference between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama when the two are, on almost every issue closer than Siamese twins.

Winfrey and Obama work well together. Both are accomplished manipulators of narratives and symbols with immense emotional value in the minds of their audiences. Barack can claim to Blacks that he represents the "Joshua generation" out of one side of his mouth, while telling whites that "there is no Black America" out of the other. Oprah can put on her best girlfriend-churchlady persona and come "stepping out of my pew" to declare Obama's election is the ultimate fulfillment of Dr. King's dream.

At this time, Obama appears certain to have earned the number one or two spot on any Democratic ticket. Democratic voters, who turned out in record numbers in 2006 and voted to end the war will once again be compelled to choose between a pro-war Republican presidential ticket and a pro-war Democratic presidential ticket including Barack Obama.

Do you know the definition of cruel?  Having a tooth root canaled, a post inserted then crowned.  Then claiming it didn't all get done and now they have to go through the gum and bone to get the rest of it.  Then after having that done, have your tooth get so loose they tell you OOPS, we have to pull it anyway.

 mprov and paine, I may be having stronger than my last one tonight. 

Snippet from Kucinich Campaign Statement

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_press_re_071213_kucinich_campaign_s_.htm

What is clear, the Kucinich campaign said, is, "The Des Moines Register, for reasons known only to its top executives, has excluded the candidate who swept 47 of 50 states in the Democracy for America poll, topped all other Democrats in the Progressive Democrats of America poll, and was the runaway winner in a poll by one of the nation's leading political publications, The Nation. His national poll numbers are higher than senators Biden and Dodd - who were deemed 'qualified' by the newspaper - virtually tied with Governor Richardson in some polls, and only a few points behind former Senator Edwards in other polls.

"If the Register based its decision on the fact that this campaign hasn't bought ads in the newspaper, or because its insurance advertisers don't want the public to hear about the Congressman's universal, not-for-profit health insurance plan, or because his positions on Iraq, Iran, impeachment, the Patriot Act, NAFTA, or any other issue may make the other candidates or the newspaper's editor uncomfortable, they should be honest enough to admit that.

"Setting arbitrary Iowa-specific criteria for a debate that will be broadcast all across the nation and around the world is a ruse and a fraud. It is a disservice to the people of Iowa, to voters everywhere, and to the spirit of democracy. The Des Moines Register has imposed itself as the ultimate arbiter of who should be heard, what should be heard, and what is important. This is a disgraceful display of elitist arrogance and journalistic manipulation of the democratic process."

forgot to add that 43was posted at 6:23 PM EST. If people simply post the time from their cpu clock, the we can keep track of time!

6:26PM

DO THE MATH

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_dave_lin_071213_imagine_a_campaign_t.htm

What if the US just packed up and left Iraq and Afghanistan, and brought the troops all home, shut down the 750-odd overseas bases we operate around the globe, and slashed our military budget by 75 percent?

That would be an instant savings of roughly $365 billion per year.

Now, the first thing we need to do is address the criticism that such an action would be abandoning the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, whose countries we have been systematically destroying for the last four to six years.

Okay. I agree we have an obligation here. So let’s allocate say $50 billion in annual aid to those two countries, to be funneled through international aid organizations, from the U.N. to CARE and the Red Cross/Red Crescent.

That still leaves $315 billion in funds to play with.

We also have to address those who will ask fearfully if we aren’t opening ourselves to attack from our many enemies abroad.

' But hold on a minute. If we cut the US military budget down to a paltry $115 billion a year, that would still leave us with by far the largest military budget in the entire world. The next biggest spender on its military is China, at $62.5 billion, followed by Russia, at $62 billion. That is to say, our military budget, if slashed by three quarters, would still be about equal to Russia’s and China’s military budgets combined.

6:31 PM

New thread

Mark Fiore

http://www.markfiore.com/ 

Can someone explain why the IA dem debate was on during the day when people are working or shopping for Xmas?