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Michal Spocko

21 hrs

Watching the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination race start on MSNBC makes me weary.

Here is my plan: Every time I see a story about Warren, Beto, Biden, Harris, Sanders or any Democratic presidential nominee. I will stop and ask myself.

"What can I do stop the criminality of Republicans? What can I do to expose the anti-democratic institutions and organization they run? Especially the ones that made Trump, McConnell, and Ryan possible."

Let's say we want our candidate, whomever they are, to support Medicare for all. How can we help ALL of them?

One way is to learn how the drug companies and health insurance companies will attack them and then prepare to beat back their lies and paid liars.

Let's say we want campaign finance reform. How can we help ALL of our side?

One way is to push to have the people who broke campaign finance laws in 2016 and 2018 to be punished. I'm especially looking at the NRA. Busting NRA executives for campaign finance violations and treason is a twofer Democrats.

Focus on REPUBLICAN problems instead of ours. A great way to lose focus on the ongoing criminality of the Republicans is when we are set up for the ol' 'Let's you and him fight" game. Don't fall for it!

The Republicans and their organization enablers should be worried about going to jail, not chortling as they watch Democratic presidential candidates attack each other.

When you have to urge to attack someone on our side or respond to a comment on a post, stop and think, "Who can I attack on THEIR side instead?"

We can channel our shared disgust for Republicans and their terrible behavior away from each other.

Try it today and make this a Happy New Year for our side.

Your comment can be the one that reminds your friends of who is the real problem.

I look forward to hearing about all the internal attacks you stopped and refocused.

LLAP
Spocko

Oh what a feeling...

I'm happy again...



Transcript here.

Here's another viewpoint

On California allowing gay marriage. Basically asking why this was brought up in an election year. We don't need to galvanize the wingnut base anymore than they are already.

That was my reaction at first, but I really can't see it doing harm to the Democratic challengers. I believe most people are so throughly disgusted with the Republicans and their utterly disastrous eight years of full control of the country that they will see this as a vote of wonderful tolerance rather than a frightening taste of what Democratic leadership will bring.

Frank Rich

Assures us the Democrats are not unraveling over the silliness of flag pins, Pastor Wright, nor bittergate, and that McBush should be careful not to get complacent:

Mr. McCain is not only burdened with the most despised president in his own 71-year lifetime, but he’s getting none of the seasoning that he, no less than the Democrats, needs to compete in the fall. Age is as much an issue as race and gender in this campaign. Mr. McCain will have to prove not merely that he can keep to the physical rigors of his schedule and fend off investigations of his ties to lobbyists and developers. He also must show he can think and speak fluently about the domestic issues that are gripping the country. Picture him debating either Democrat about health care, the mortgage crisis, stagnant middle-class wages, rice rationing at Costco. It’s not pretty.

Last week found Mr. McCain visiting economically stricken and “forgotten” communities (forgotten by Republicans, that is) in what his campaign bills as the “It’s Time for Action Tour.” It kicked off in Selma, Ala., a predominantly black town where he confirmed his maverick image by drawing an almost exclusively white audience.

The “action” the candidate outlined in the text of his speeches may strike many voters as running the gamut from inaction to inertia. Mr. McCain vowed that he would not “roll out a long list of policy initiatives.” (He can’t, given his long list of tax cuts.) He said he would not bring back lost jobs, lost wages or lost houses. But, as The Birmingham News reported, this stand against government bailouts for struggling Americans didn’t prevent his campaign from helping itself to free labor underwritten by taxpayers: inmates from a local jail were recruited to set up tables and chairs for a private fund-raiser.

The Democrats’ unending brawl may be supplying prime time with a goodly share of melodrama right now, but there will be laughter aplenty once the Republican campaign that’s not ready for prime time emerges from the wings.

I'm ready to laugh!













crossposted at SteveAudio

Friday Cat Blogging

In honor of the eternal Democratic primaries...

Wow.

Just wow.

So now there's an angry Christian pastor

Who is connected to Barack Obama.... does that finally shoot the moronic rumor about Obama's secret Muslim past in the foot?

Or will he now be called an angry Sorta-Christian Islamomuslim terrorist wannabe presidential candidate?

August Pollak has the answer.

Fox News attacks Obama

Remember this?



And now this?



Sign the petition.

Because it worked so well for Georgie

Bill Kristol recommends using the fear part of the Hate and Fear Republican Party tactics to Hillary Clinton:

This morning on Fox News Sunday, New York Times columnist Bill Kristol recommended that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) employ the “politics of fear” to attack Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL):

KRISTOL: [Obama’s] riding a wave of euphoria. She [Clinton] needs to puncture it. The way you puncture euphoria is reality, or to be more blunt, fear. I recommend to Senator Clinton the politics of fear.

Lessee.... Bush is polling at 19%. There are more than twice as many Democratic voters as Republican voters coming out for this campaign. People have begun to figure out that hate and fear aren't reality but just a very unpleasant state of mind. People are sick of dirty politics. People are really sick of negative politics. Hillary Clinton was booed when she tried to go negative on Barack Obama.

And Bill Kristol is a Neocon Rovian smirkfest.



So... tell us again why this man is getting air time?

There's nothing cultish about it

Four Legs Good at Got Pitchfork writes about a visit to Obamaland:

Over and over I heard conversations of people describing why they were there- how frustrated they've been and how they feel the tide is turning, because they, themselves are turning it. There were a lot of strangers connecting in almost a sweet way- lots of shy smiles and nods, the sharing of stories... there was some kind of basic, almost primal recognition going on. "I know you, you are part of my tribe." It was community, which is what being a democrat is all about, no? For me it was extraordinarily moving. I've rarely been so proud to be an American.

Thousands of students walk seven miles to vote:

Early voting starts today in Texas. In Waller County, a primarily rural county about 60 miles outside Houston, the county made the decision to offer only one early voting location: at the County Courthouse in Hempstead, TX, the county seat.

Prairie View A&M students organized to protest the decision, because they felt it hindered their ability to vote. For background, Prairie View A&M is one of Texas' historically Black universities. It has a very different demographic feel than the rest of the county. There has been a long history of dispute over what the students feel is disenfranchisement. There was a lot of outrage in 2006, when students felt they were unfairly denied the right to vote when their registrations somehow did not get processed.

According to an article in today's Houston Chronicle:

Waller County has faced numerous lawsuits involving voting rights in the past 30 years and remains under investigation by the Texas Attorney General's Office based on complaints by local black leaders. Those allegations, concerning the November 2006 general election, related to voting machine failures, inadequate staffing and long delays for voting results.

The article adds,

"I was angry after registering to vote in the 2006 election only to be turned away at the voting booth," said sophomore Dee Dee Williams.

So what are the students doing?

1000 students, along with an additional 1000 friends and supporters, are this morning walking the 7.3 miles between Prairie View and Hempstead in order to vote today. According to the piece I saw on the news (there's no video up, so I can't link to it), the students plan to all vote today. There are only 2 machines available at the courthouse for early voting, so they hope to tie them up all day and into the night.

I love stories like this where people rise up and do what is good. But the rabid wingnuts are not going to take this lying down. Just a note of caution and a warning to be alert:

David Neiwert of Orcinus reminds us of the horrible pestilence lurking in the sludge.

And Lance Mannion warns us of the incoming ugliness of the Right Wing Smear Machine as it grinds into high gear :

Now that he's the clear front-runner and favorite to win the nomination the bloom isn't off the rose yet but plenty of the petals are showing signs of blight. The Media Insiders are beginning to see him and write about him as what he is, the Democrat who would be President unless they stop him.

And the Right Wing Smear Machine, which for some reason some very smart people seemed to think would go silent as long as we didn't nominate Hillary, is already geared up and ready to roll against Obama, and if you thought it would was going to be ugly if Clinton was running, watch and listen to the race-baiting that's on the way. No dog-whistles either. The attacks will be overt and unashamed, except for the National Review types who will phrase their racism with their usual apparent cognitive dissonance: "Since I know I'm not a racist, I can say whatever racist thing pops into my head, and if you think the racist thing I just said was racist that proves you are the real racist."

Glenn Greenwald of Salon:

Nor, contrary to what appears to be the unduly optimistic belief of some Obama supporters, will the sleazy right-wing noise machine change its tactics in the slightest. Immediately before I read Lisa Schiffren's "half black/half Jewish, red diaper baby" rant, I watched Mike Gallagher on Fox News explain, to a sympathetic host, that Sharon Stone ought to be "charged with treason" for pointing out that insufficient attention is paid to the death of Iraqi civilians.

It's vitally important to remember that our political life is suffuse with lowlifes and hatemongers like this. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter -- the heart and soul of the right-wing -- aren't going anywhere, nor are the media-connected, Swiftboat-spewing operatives who function in the shadows and the sewers. As Digby pointed out yesterday, the Right has already created a new, extremely well-funded organization -- overseen by the incomparably slimy and truth-free Ari Fleischer -- preparing to unleash exactly this sort of bile. As Digby said, the Democratic primary is exceedingly polite when compared to what is coming: "Just wait until you see what Ari Fleischer and his quarter of a billion have in store for us."

Rise up with joy and go forth with strength. But don't be naive and don't be shocked.

But we can do this, bring a Democrat into the White House, and we can protect him (or her) while we make sure his (or her) administration does not run off the rails. The Republicans will resist helping, the Bush administration will most assuredly have deposited land mines both within the White House and outside in the world. There will be determined sabotage. Because this is what they do.

But we can be ready.

John McCain is promising nothing more than a third Bush term

Howard Dean writes a letter: (my bold)

Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are done. John McCain will be the Republican nominee -- he's the only one with a reasonable path to the nomination.

So how do we beat him? We stand up -- right now -- start fighting, and show the American people that he's not who they think he is.

We can't wait for Hillary or Barack to win the nomination. Now that the Republicans have a candidate, the dollars are starting to pour in from special interests who will do anything to beat the Democratic nominee. They're just waiting for us to decide so they can start smearing.

Here's what U.S. News and World Report recently reported about how the RNC is getting ready...

[RNC Chairman Mike] Duncan and his aides want to be ready to go on the offensive against the Democratic nominee presumptive in an effort to define the opposition candidate on GOP terms. Opposition research is already well along, and the plan is for surrogates to talk to the media around the country while a TV ad campaign in key states and media markets as soon as the Democratic nominee is determined.
We must be ready to fight back, and fight back hard, today.

Now that we know our opponent, it's time to build a national effort on the programs you and I have worked so hard to create over the last four years - from our cutting-edge technology to our voter protection programs, it's time to shift gears.

I need you to contribute $25, $50, or $100 to help us fight John McCain right now:

http://www.democrats.org/FightMcCain

John McCain is a media darling, but don't trust his carefully-crafted image - he's worked for years to brand himself. From Iraq to health care, Social Security to special interest tax cuts to ethics, he's promising nothing more than a third Bush term.

After championing campaign finance reform and ethics legislation to score political points, he now has a staggering amount of lobbyists involved in every aspect of his campaign. In fact, two of the top three sources for John McCain's campaign cash are D.C. lobbying firms, and he looked the other way as Jack Abramoff bought and paid for the Republican Party and the Culture of Corruption.

On immigration reform, he's run as far to the right as he can, aligning himself with the most extreme elements of the Republican Party.

On the war, McCain scoffed at Bush's call to leave troops in Iraq for 50 years, saying "Make it a hundred!"

On a woman's right to choose, McCain has vowed to appoint judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade.

On the economy, one of the issues that the American people care most about, McCain has said: "I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."

We can't afford four more years with a President who drives the economy into the ground. We can't afford four more years with a President who fights an endless war in Iraq. We can't afford four more years with a President who gives tax cuts to companies who ship jobs overseas; with a President who can't get every American the health care they deserve; with a President we just can't trust.

I don't just want to beat John McCain - I want it to be a landslide. If you're as committed as I am, I need you to make a contribution today:

http://www.democrats.org/FightMcCain

Only the Democratic Party is legally allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money to back our nominee and tell the real story about John McCain. We proved that our strategy worked in 2006, and it will work again this fall.

Help us today:

http://www.democrats.org/FightMcCain

Let's get going,

Howard Dean

Dammit.

I had been hoping he'd hang in there for Super Tuesday:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Democrat John Edwards bowed out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination on Wednesday, saying it was time to step aside "so that history can blaze its path" in a campaign now left to Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

"With our convictions and a little backbone we will take back the White House in November," said Edwards, ending his second campaign in a hurricane-ravaged section of New Orleans where he began it more than a year ago.

Edwards said Clinton and Obama had both pledged that "they will make ending poverty central to their campaign for the presidency."

"This is the cause of my life and I now have their commitment to engage in this cause," he said before a small group of supporters. He was joined by his wife Elizabeth and his three children, Cate, Emma Claire and Jack.

I'm really tired of the media tweaking the truth to get a 'two man race' and blathering about gender and race while ignoring Edwards. A really good example was on the Republican side where they frothed about Romney, McCain and Giuliani. Giuliani, who was polling LOWER than Ron Paul, yet they ignored Paul altogether.

Haven't we learned anything in the last horrible eight years? Tell us the facts and let us make up our own minds.

Asking the question

Nobody else is asking:


by Mapaghimagsik of Taking Stock.

A warning thought

Blackwater, a mercenary army built up to enormous strength by the Bush cabal, run by the 'right-wing Christian nationalist Erik Prince', and making millions of dollars off of a never-ending war has a great deal to lose by a Democratic president being elected.

Joseph Palermo of the Huffington Post has the same thoughts.

Does Chris Matthews cross his legs

And put his hands protectively in his lap when he's talking about Hillary?

Because he sure is scared of her.

Voting

Jim Yeager of skippy the bush kangaroo talks about his vote:

i don't require wall-to-wall, or blog-to-blog (for that matter), coverage of all this incessant and irritating fundraising, campaigning, fundraising, polling, fundraising, triangulating, fundraising, celebrifying, fundraising, tut-tutting, fundraising, preaching to the choir, and god-f#*k%#g-damned fundraising. i've already placed my bets -- the dems across the board, even though they suck. that's all there is to it, and any liberal, libertarian, green, or progressive purist who doesn't like it can kiss my freakin' ass.

Exactly.

Keeping track of the candidates

By the incomparable Tengrain of Mock, Paper, Scissors. Both Republicans and Democrats. We need to print these and hand them out.

Thanks to you both

Two brave souls who actually watched the Democratic debate last night.

Pygalgia

and Mustang Bobbyof Bark Bark Woof Woof

I can't do it. It's like watching commercials or infotainment shows where everything is slick and processed to the consistency of cheese whiz. The only way for me to know what these people will do once in power is to look at their background, their prior held offices, and the record. We've had enough of those who will promise the moon (or Mars) and deliver shit.

Will we get a Democrat out of this bunch who loves our country and our Constitution enough to save them?

Smacking the Democrats about

Demanding that they get a spine and stop using Republican rhetoric.

Democrats still using the Republican talking points

To talk about the war:



(This blog should help change the talking points).