YEAH CONNECTICUT!!! So nice to see some happy around this subject.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Michigan Democratic Club vandalized
Saw it on the teevee just now- they spray painted the racist version of screw black people. The head Dem they had talking did good though, with a "We're trying to pull people together, not tear them apart with hate language" bit.
Buchanan police are investigating racially-oriented graffiti left on a politically connected building.
An employee found the graffiti outside the Buchanan Democratic Club Saturday morning, and police were alerted.
Vandals left a spray painted swastika along with derogatory remarks, police said.
The graffiti was quickly cleaned off. There are no suspects.
Times Square getting its first 'green' billboard
Pretty cool. More here also.
NEW YORK -- This winter, New Year's Eve revelers will have a close-up view of Times Square's first environmentally friendly billboard powered entirely by wind and sun.But the billboard might not be quite as dazzling as some of its high-powered neighbors along the Great White Way.
Construction on the 35,000-pound sign advertising Ricoh Americas Corp. is to begin this month across the avenue from the building where the ball drops on New Year's Eve.
Powered by 16 wind turbines and 64 solar panels, the sign is expected to save $12,000 to $15,000 per month in electricity costs. Ricoh, an office equipment and document storage supplier, estimates the sign will also keep 18 tons of carbon out of the environment.
The billboard will be lit by floodlights rather than light-emitting diodes. It won't have a backup generator, so it could go dark during a long period with little wind or sun.
But Ricoh spokesman Ron Potesky said the sign's turbines will probably be able to keep the billboard lit even after four days without breezes or bright sun.
Right-leaning media brace for shutout
Awww, the poor things. Now if they just reported the facts, they wouldn't have that problem now would they?
Since the Weekly Standard launched in 1995, there’s one scenario the conservative magazine hasn’t yet faced: Democrats in control of both the White House and Congress.
But that’s what lies ahead in just two months, leaving staffers there and at other media outlets on the right bracing for a period on the outside. looking in.
(snip)
Looking inward makes sense now that access will likely be reduced during an Obama administration. It’s doubtful that David Axelrod will answer the phone as quickly as Karl Rove, or that Joe Biden would provide a Weekly Standard writer with the exclusive access that Dick Cheney gave when he sat down with Stephen Hayes for his biography of the vice president.
Obama's Grandmother Eulogized in Honolulu
NOTE- I took out the video because I couldn't get it off autoplay (it doesn't autoplay for me because my FireFox is a POS) but you can see it at the links.
Via Jake-
At the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, in Honolulu Friday, at a memorial service for friends and co-workers, President-elect Obama's grandmother Madelyn Dunham -- who died the Sunday night before her grandson was elected president -- was eulogized as a strong woman.
There will be a private memorial for family members later this year.
VIDEO- Nationwide Gay Rights Rallies Spurred by Prop 8 Marriage Ban
Some vid to go with what Gotta wrote up here. It's a sloooow news day.
Lieberman Tuesday
By GottaLaff
Secret Ballot Will Decide Lieberman's Fate
"Senate Democrats will decide by secret ballot Tuesday whether to take away Sen. Joe Lieberman's chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee," the Hartford Courant reports.
Craig Picked as White House Counsel
By GottaLaff
Gregory Craig, "a well-known Washington lawyer who quarterbacked President Bill Clinton's impeachment defense, has been chosen White House counsel by President-elect Obama," according to Politico.
"The choice gives the president-elect both experience and loyalty. During the primaries, Craig was an early Clinton alumni defector to Obama..."
"Craig was an Obama foreign policy adviser during the campaign. At the start of the Clinton administration, he had been the State Department's Director of Policy Planning, the head of State's in-house think tank. He also was senior adviser on defense, foreign policy and national security to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA)."
TrooperGate: Threats to Wooten concern troopers
By GottaLaff
The state trooper behind the abuse-of-power investigations of Gov. Sarah Palin is getting a reassignment this Sunday following threatening telephone calls to his employer.Mike Wooten has been on desk duty for his own protection in recent weeks after troopers began receiving hostile calls from Alaskans and people outside the state, according to public safety union officials.
Callers said things like "If I ever see Trooper Wooten on the road, I'm not going to let him stop me," according to union director John Cyr. [...]
"It was clear there was a lot of feeling and misdirected feeling among the public," Cyr said Friday of the phone calls received by troopers. "The department came to us. There were worries about Mike's safety. We agreed -- and Mike agreed -- to do paperwork until after the election." [...]
Palin's spokesman, Bill McAllister, said the governor's office was not aware of the reassignment plans and was unable to comment on it."It's probably not appropriate of us to second-guess such a decision," he said. "It's not something the governor's office micromanages."
Wherever Pitiful Palin goes, hatred and hostility seem to follow.
Disastrous fires. KBR contract. Coincidence?
By GottaLaff
KBR Awarded Disaster Relief Contract by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Under Initiative for Emergency Power 11 Nov 2008 KBR today announced it has been awarded a disaster relief contract, valued at up to $75 million over a five-year period by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Pittsburgh District, for its advance contract initiative for emergency power for the Western region of the United States. The disaster relief contract was created by the USACE to respond immediately to power emergencies resulting from a natural or manmade disaster. KBR will provide all labor, transportation, equipment, materials, supervision and required internal logistics support to perform generator set activities in the Western Region, Geographic Area 3. KBR services will mobilize immediately upon activation by USACE to the "disaster" area. The company will work to quickly provide emergency power to the critical public facilities designated by the State and FEMA as directed by the USACE.Timing is everything.
Los Angeles fears blackouts as wildfire burns --"The fire is threatening the power of the city of Los Angeles. We may have to move to rolling blackouts." 15 Nov 2008 A wildfire whipped up by hurricane-force gusts raged through northwestern Los Angeles foothills on Saturday, burning some 165 homes and threatening the power supply of California's largest city. More than 10,000 residents were under mandatory evacuation orders as the fire, which has burned more than 2,600 acres, spread westward fanned by dry winds. A separate fire burned a second day in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, where 111 homes have been destroyed. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the fire in the foothills at the edge of San Fernando Valley near Sylmar had destroyed more than any other in the past decade and that flames could take down power lines.
VIDEO: Rahm Emanuel roasts Stephen Colbert
By GottaLaff
Via Huffington Post we get Rahm roasting Colbert, and Colbert firing back, and then some. It's 30 minutes long, pretty echo-y, and a tad rough, but who cares, right? So get yourself into a comfy position at the computer and prepare to laugh:
Here's a little of what Rahm said:White House chief of staff-designate Rahm Emanuel took some time off from the transition Friday night to hurl barbs at his longtime pseudo-nemesis Stephen Colbert (as well as Joe Biden, Sarah Palin, Joe Lieberman, et al...)
Colbert was roasted as part of a charity event for the Spina Bifida Association, organized every year by Judy Woodruff and Al Hunt. (Click here to donate to the cause.)
[V]ideographer/journalist Liz Glover was kind enough to pass along video of the event.
On Sarah Palin, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Lieberman: "I'm scared of Stephen Colbert. I'm not alone. My colleagues in Congress, political operatives, the top minds in Washington, even some of the people in this room -- we're all scared of Stephen Colbert... We're scared of Stephen Colbert in the same way Sarah Palin is scared of a geography bee. We're scared of him the same way that John Edwards is scared of the National Enquirer. Mary Matalin is scared of Stephen, and she's seen Carville naked! ... Even Hillary Clinton is scared of Colbert, and this makes no sense to me -- she is a woman who braved sniper fire at the Battle of Bosnia's Airport. We're frightened of Colbert, but we know that deep down, underneath the Republican character you see on TV, there's still a good man, there's still hope for him. It's the same way we feel about Joe Lieberman."Here's a snippet from Colbert:
On Chris Matthews: "Chris Matthews is here tonight, thank you so much for coming here tonight. People are asking, how did he come here, doesn't he have a show? Well what people don't know is that many nights, Chris just puts a blond wig on a potato and nobody notices. You're a good man -- good luck in Pennsylvania on that run."For more of the text, go here.
Gay rights rallies held across US over Prop 8
By GottaLaff
As Bucky said to me in an IM a few minutes ago:
"A number of people see [Prop 8, which amended the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman, overturning a recent California Supreme Court decision] as a political issue ... and that their side won and our side lost. They don't understand that it isn't about politics, it's about fundamental human freedom. Which is beyond and above the mere political."Today, there is a countrywide backlash:
I can say without reservation that my marriage has not been in the least bit affected by anybody else's, gay or straight. Honest.Crowds gathered near public buildings in small communities and major cities including New York, San Francisco and Chicago to vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships and renew calls for change.
"Civil marriages are a civil right, and we're going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens," Karen Amico said in Philadelphia, holding up a sign reading "Don't Spread H8".
"We are the American family, we live next door to you, we teach your children, we take care of your elderly," said Heather Baker a special education teacher from Boston who addressed the crowd at Boston's City Hall Plaza. "We need equal right across the country." [...]
However, representatives of Join the Impact, which organized Saturday's demonstrations, asked supporters to be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups during the rallies.
The mood in Boston was generally upbeat, with attendees dancing and signing to the song "Respect." Signs cast the fight for gay marriage as the new civil rights movement, including one that read "Gay is the new black."
But anger over the ban and its backers was evident at the protests.
One sign in Chicago read: "Catholic Fascists Stay Out of Politics."
"I just found out that my state doesn't really think I'm a person," said Rose Aplustill, 21, a Boston University student from Los Osos, Calif., who was one of thousands at the Boston rally.
Three more years?
By GottaLaff
Supporters of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr chant slogans next to a banner picturing Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, a revered Shiite religious leader and father of Muqtada al-Sadr as they demonstrate against the proposed security pact between Iraq and the U.S., in Baghdad's Shiite stronghold of Sadr City, Iraq, Friday, Nov. 14, 2008. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday renewed threats to resume attacks on U.S. forces if they don't leave Iraq, deepening the unease over a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security agreement that would allow American troops to stay for three more years.(AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) (Khalid Mohammed - AP)
I posted about the possibility of an agreement earlier. Now we have one:U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have agreed on a draft of a security pact that would allow American troops to stay in Iraq for three more years after their U.N. mandate expires Dec. 31, a senior aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday.Let's see if this big news had any effect whatsoever:The aide said the draft could be put to a Cabinet vote in an emergency meeting Sunday or Monday. [...] If adopted by the Cabinet, it would then require parliamentary approval.[...]
The Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, al-Maliki's senior coalition partner and the country's largest Shiite party, has said that it would only sign off on the agreement if it does not breach the country's sovereignty and is endorsed by the country's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
Also Saturday, a suicide car bomber struck a commercial district in the northern city of Tal Afar, killing 10 people and wounding 20, the U.S. military said. Iraqi police and hospital officials said seven people were killed and 32 wounded in the blast, which occurred near a used car lot. The discrepancy couldn't immediately be reconciled. [...]Nope.
In Baghdad, a car bomb parked near the National Theater exploded in the mainly Shiite district of Karradah, killing at least five people and wounding 23, including some who were heading to see a play, according to police and hospital officials. [...]
The U.S. military also said an American Marine died from wounds suffered in a roadside bombing west of Baghdad on Friday.
Obama News Mosaic
Much better than the faces of soldiers that died in an unjust war.
Barack Obama in a collage of over 600 headlines from around the world on November 5th, 2008 after wining the US presidential election.
North Carolina cops investigated for MySpace slurs toward Obama
By GottaLaff
Two posts in a row on racism by the police make Laffy a very sad blogger:
Police in Durham, NC, are investigating derogatory and potentially racist Web postings from at least two of their officers directed at Barack Obama.Durham's NAACP president Fred Foster Jr.:
Details of the investigation remain murky, and Durham's chief of police has insisted that a "racial slur" is not the subject of the investigation, but civil rights groups are demanding more information.
The local NAACP says police need to release copies of the Web postings, which appeared on officers' MySpace or Facebook pages.
"We believe that if these comments are against people of color, then it will be hard for those officers to serve and protect without prejudice and that they should not be allowed to wear the uniform representing public trust." [...]Why? ::heavy sigh::
"There's no exact words that were said," said Police Chief Jose L. Lopez Sr. told the paper. "It wasn't a racial slur, but we're still investigating it."
VIDEO-- Lawsuits: Chicago cops engaged in election night hate crimes
By GottaLaff
This video is from CBS 2 Chicago.
Why? As the Illinois senator ascended to the highest office in the United States, a family on Chicago's west end allegedly met the business end of racial hatred enshrined by law. The family is suing the Chicago police department.CBS 2 has more details here.
Niger Arnold claims that as her neighbors celebrated Obama's election in the streets, police fired pepper spray into the crowd. As she and her family scrambled indoors, five white officers burst into her home with guns drawn.
She claims that no reason for the forcible intrusion was given, and instead the officers cursed at her, and made racist remarks.
Begich lead grows yet again
By GottaLaff
Since Paddy posted, Begich's lead has widened an inch or two:
| US SENATOR | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | |||
| Number of Precincts | 438 | ||
| Precincts Reporting | 438 | 100.0 % | |
| Times Counted | 293995/495731 | 59.3 % | |
| Total Votes | 290122 | ||
| | |||
| Begich, Mark | DEM | 137527 | 47.40% |
| Bird, Bob | AI | 11933 | 4.11% |
| Gianoutsos, Ted | NA | 1218 | 0.42% |
| Haase, Fredrick D. | LIB | 2215 | 0.76% |
| Stevens, Ted | REP | 136466 | 47.04% |
| Write-in Votes | 763 | 0.26% | |
He's now up by 1061.
In hard times, the people turn to...
Spam? My brother will be thrilled. I'm not really getting this since it sounds like the price of Spam is pretty comparable to say a pound of (cheap) ground beef.
AUSTIN, Minn. — The economy is in tatters and, for millions of people, the future is uncertain. But for some employees at the Hormel Foods Corporation plant here, times have never been better. They are working at a furious pace and piling up all the overtime they want.
Through war and recession, Americans have turned to the glistening canned product from Hormel as a way to save money while still putting something that resembles meat on the table. Now, in a sign of the times, it is happening again, and Hormel is cranking out as much Spam as its workers can produce.
(snip)
But these days, consumers are rediscovering relatively cheap foods, Spam among them. A 12-ounce can of Spam, marketed as “Crazy Tasty,” costs about $2.40. “People are realizing it’s not that bad a product,” said Dan Johnson, 55, who operates a 70-foot-high Spam oven.
Cool Brother In Chief
Seems we weren't the only ones who liked this photo of the President Elect. On the newstands January '09. h/t Greg.
Professors See Recount Favoring Franken
Senator Franken has a real nice ring to it.
Andrew Gelman points to a Dartmouth College study of Minnesota's U.S. Senate race that concludes the pending recount will likely prove to be supportive of Al Franken's (D) bid to unseat Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN).
Coleman now has a 204 vote lead over Franken.
Meanwhile, the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes a big issue in the recount is whether rejected absentee ballots should be re-evaluated.
Remember Valerie Plame? Fitzmas?
Man, it all seems so long ago! The movie is finally coming out, starring Kate Beckinsale as our "heroine" Judy Miller. Greg says they made the Fitzgerald character "evil".
Local Papers Report More Anti-Obama Incidents From Maine to California
Sadly, this is only part of what E&P has gathered. More at the link.
NEW YORK Earlier this week we started covering (see link at bottom) anti-Obama, often racist, incidents taking place around the country, generally overlooked in the national media -- but covered by local papers. This seemed to strike a nerve with many readers so we will continue regular updates.
Local stories show that anti-Obama incidents (including physical and verbal abuse, KKK outfits worn, flags burned on front lawns) are occurring on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line.
AP reports today that "in a Maine convenience store, an Associated Press reporter saw a sign inviting customers to join a betting pool on when Obama might fall victim to an assassin. The sign solicited $1 entries into ''he Osama Obama Shotgun Pool," saying the money would go to the person picking the date closest to when Obama was attacked. 'Let's hope we have a winner,' said the sign, since taken down."
Begich Lead Grows
Or as I like to think of it, Stevens loss widens.
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) "is in grave danger of losing re-election after Mark Begich (D) widened his lead to 1,022 votes Friday," the Anchorage Daily News reports.
"More than 90 percent of the votes are now counted, and Friday's count of absentee and questioned ballots could have been Stevens' best chance to make a comeback. That's because it included all the ballots left from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, where Stevens has enjoyed his most unwavering support."
Friday, November 14, 2008
Happy Photos & Bleg
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*Note- Hard to find Happy Pictures these days since everyone is hiding in Cheney's undisclosed bunker.
VIDEO: Obamas Describe Moment Of Victory
By GottaLaff
Suh-weet:
(CBS) President-elect Barack Obama and First Lady-elect Michelle Obama describe the moment on election night when the reality of his victory hit home in their first post-election interview.
The interview was conducted Friday in Chicago by 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft and it will be broadcast on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
Let them eat cake
Shafer Cabernet “Hillside Select” 2003 can go for as much as $500 a bottle.
Maybe the post title should have been, "Let them drink $500 wine":
[W]orld leaders who are in town to discuss the economic crisis are set to dine in style Friday night while sipping wine listed at nearly $500 a bottle.According to the White House, tonight's dinner to kick off the G-20 summit includes such dishes as "Fruitwood-smoked Quail," "Thyme-roasted Rack of Lamb," and "Tomato, Fennel and Eggplant Fondue Chanterelle Jus."
To wash it all down, world leaders will be served Shafer Cabernet “Hillside Select” 2003, a wine that sells at $499 on Wine.com.
The exceedingly pricey wine may seem a bit peculiar given leaders are in Washington to discuss a possible world financial meltdown, but Sally McDonough, a spokeswoman for Laura Bush, said it "was the most appropriate wine that we had in the White House wine cellar for such a gathering.
Yeah, we wouldn't want them to bring out them $399 bottles. That would be tacky.
McDonough also said the White House purchased the wine at a "significantly lower price" than what it is listed at.
"Of course the White House gets its wine at wholesale prices," she said. "Given the intimate size of the group, it was an appropriate time for The White House to use this stock."
So they paid, what, about $250 a pop wholesale? What a bargain.
I hope they remembered to purchase their quail at Costco... in bulk. After all, that's a heckuva big group they've invited in for supper.
Obama talks to Clinton, Richardson, and John McCain
By GottaLaff
See that blog post title? That should give everyone more on which to speculate, since it's become a hobby of sorts (read: Cable TV). Here's the scoop:
President-elect Barack Obama is considering primary election rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Richardson to be his secretary of state, according to Democratic officials who revealed his secret meetings with both as he weighed the decision on folding former foes into his new administration.Obama met with Richardson Friday in Chicago, a day after conferring one-on-one with Clinton at his Chicago office, said several Democratic officials.
[...] But where she stands in contention for the post came into question as other Democrats, also speaking on condition of anonymity about the private discussions, said Richardson was brought in as well.
As for John McCain:
Obama also is reaching out to Republican Sen. John McCain, hoping to make an ally of the man he defeated for the presidency only last week. [...]Let's throw another name in, just to confuse everyone:Advisers to both McCain and Obama say they don't expect an administration post for the defeated Republican presidential nominee, but Obama's aides say he would like to have the Arizona senator partner with him on legislation they both have advocated, such as climate change, government reform, immigration and a ban on torture.
All this fits with an idea that Obama often talked about on the campaign trail, as he praised the presidency of Abraham Lincoln as described by Doris Kearns Goodwin in her book "Team of Rivals."
"Lincoln basically pulled in all the people who had been running against him into his Cabinet because whatever personal feelings there were, the issue was: How can we get this country through this time of crisis?" Obama said at one point.
Lincoln appointed three of his rivals for the Republican nomination to his Cabinet.
Another Democrat emerged as a possible contender for an administration post Friday - Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle was contacted by Obama's transition team, according to a gubernatorial spokesman who did not disclose details. Doyle, a two-term governor and former state attorney general, was an early backer of Obama.Chew on that for awhile.
Details on Hillary-Barack Meeting: No hard offer
By GottaLaff
As I've been saying, let's just give him some rope here. We trusted him enough to elect him, so let's trust him enough to be our president.ABC News' Martha Raddatz reports: President-elect Barack Obama met with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Thursday in Chicago to discuss the possibility of the senator becoming secretary of state.
A source with knowledge of the transition process describes the meeting as not a hard offer. Obama is more cautious than that.
He is doing this more elegantly, but a source said Obama took a big step toward Hillary. They had a long private meeting in which they talked about their philosophies and what had transpired during the campaign.
He was extremely respectful, saying she was great, and giving her a huge amount of support. He said that he knew how much she cared about health care but said there are other challenges, and wanted to reach out to her about secretary of state.
They were both cautious but again took a big step toward her. She reciprocated.
Obama does not want to be seen as being rejected by her, but it is “hers to turn down,” one source put it.
They have an agreement to have another meeting or phone conversation about this very soon.
Valerie Jarrett is in
By GottaLaff
Officially now: Valerie Jarrett will be a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, a transition official confirms.
Why Obama wants a Secretary of State Clinton, among others
By GottaLaff
Obama is ready to do something big, New Deal big, and therefore wants heavyweights to help him do the work, not second stringers. He wants the top tier, which, per Tweety, is why he's meeting with John McCain, and why he hired Rahm Emanuel right off the bat. He'd like the big guns with him, so he'll have the political team he needs in order to pull this off.
To pull off real change, he needs real heft. So says the Tweetster.
Nate calls it for Begich
By GottaLaff
Nate the Great of FiveThirtyEight called it for Begich on Hardball. He gives us this take on the Franken-Coleman race:
Dartmouth professors Michael Herron, Jonathan Chipman and Jeffrey Lewis have put together a terrific study of the recount situation in Minnesota. They suggest that -- while many African-American voters in the Minneapolis area may have skipped the senate race intentionally -- the majority of unintentional undervotes that will be counted during the recount process are also liable to favor Franken.They don't predict the outcome, but Nate suggests we follow the link (pdf) and read the rest.We show using a combination of precinct voting returns from the 2006 and 2008 General Elections that patterns in Senate race residual votes are consistent with, one, the presence of a large number of Democratic-leaning voters, in particular African-American voters, who appear to have deliberately skipped voting in the Coleman-Franken Senate contest and, two, the presence of a smaller number of Democratic-leaning voters who almost certainly intended to cast a vote in the Senate race but for some reason did not do so. Ultimately, the anticipated recount may clarify the relative proportions of intentional versus unintentional residual votes. At present, though, the data available suggest that the recount will uncover many of the former and that, of the latter, a majority will likely prove to be supportive of Franken.
The Obama Transition: Five Queasy Pieces
By GottaLaff
Via Ambinder:
[F]ive things to watch:Ponder away.
1. Which comes first? Climate change legislation or health care? Obama has certainly thought about this, and his advisers don't really agree. [...] The impetus to do health care early is coming from some of the party's most prominent voices, like the SEIU's Andrew Stern, as well as from a lot of the corporate types that Obama consorts with. On the other hand, Obama has said that we're in a post-consumer spending economy and that the future economic growth will be predicated on establishing energy independence and new sources of energy. [...]
2. China. No one's watching China. We're borrowing more and more; the budget deficit might approach a trillion dollars this year. [...] [W]hat if China decided what the U.S. was no longer creditworthy? What if they expect more from the U.S?
3. Obama and technology. [...] What Obama's government-wide chief technology officer will be empowered to do and who'll get the position are probably the subject of more speculation and outside-the-Belway interest than any cabinet position save for Treasury. Will there be an attempt at standardization? A White House blog with more content than just press releases? A White House blog with comments enabled? A petition forum? How will the administration manage the trade-off between transparency and efficiency?
4. What Obama's going to do with his list of names, emails and numbers. Who administers it. What the DNC becomes. This is the subject of intense discussions among very senior people. Steve Hildebrand, one of the architects of the campaign's field strategy, favors an independent entity.
5. Obama versus the Congress. We all want to know: what will their first confrontation be about? Ethics? The CR? Strings attached to an auto industry bailout? A nominee? Earmarks?
Officials: Obama Offered Clinton Secretary Of State
By GottaLaff
Via Huffington Post:
President-elect Barack Obama offered Sen. Hillary Clinton the position of Secretary of State during their meeting Thursday in Chicago, according to two senior Democratic officials. She requested time to consider the offer, the officials said. [...]H/t: BuckyA longtime aide to the New York Senator argued to the Huffington Post that there are strong reasons why Obama would be inclined to make the post worth Clinton's time.
"She is a beloved figure around the world. She has visited over 80 countries, as first lady and senator together," the aide told the Huffington Post. Noting the fact that Clinton learned as first lady how to be effective as a "backdoor diplomat," the former White House assistant said Clinton mastered "a lot of the intricacies of these issues before ever joining the Senate's Armed Services committee. She's tough; she had meetings with some Prime Ministers and Presidents where she had to deliver some blunt messages for us."
The offer shows that the Obama team is, in fact, serious about bringing all types of political officials -- former foes included -- into its governing tent. [...]
As for Clinton, the Secretary of State post offers her tremendous responsibilities as well as a national platform from which, theoretically, she could launch a second White House run. But it also takes her away from the domestic issues, like health care reform, that she seemed poised to tackle as one of the Senate's leading Democrats.
VIDEO: Blanket pardons would be 'final nail in Bush's coffin'
By GottaLaff
In keeping with my earlier post about the corrupt Bush administration, here are Rachel and Jonathan Turley discussing the mistake the Bush administration made in not knowing the deadline to slip through last minute regulations, and whether Bush will try to give blanket pardons at the end of his term:
Don't bet on Rendell joining the cabinet
By GottaLaff
Gov. Ed Rendell coulda been a contender, but not any more:
Here's why: If Rendell is appointed, Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor would be sworn in as governor. However, Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll -- a Democrat -- passed away last week. As a result, the Pennsylvania Senate Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati will ascend to the lieutenant governor’s office.
The catch here? Scarnati is a Republican. So Obama picking Rendell would result in a Republican becoming Pennsylvania governor.
Palin left out of RGA leadership
By GottaLaff
Today, the RGA made that sentiment official, by not voting her in to any of the organization’s leadership positions:
The Republican Governors Association announced its new leadership lineup today after their annual meeting concluded Thursday in Miami.
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford was voted RGA chairman, taking over the top job from Texas Gov. Rick Perry who will now serve as finance chairman. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is vice-chairman, while Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will serve as chair for the annual RGA gala, and Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue will head up the recruitment effort.
Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will also sit on the RGA’s executive committee. […]
Not on the list? Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who also attended the Miami meeting.
Poor Pitiful Palin wore out her welcome.
McCain campaign manager: "It was a failure of management"
By GottaLaff
Rick Davis:
“We flew her out from Alaska to Arizona to Ohio to introduce her to the world and take control of her life. She didn’t think ‘dress for the convention’, because it might have just been a nice day trip to Arizona if she didn’t click with John. Very little prep had been done and if it had, we might have gotten picked off by the press. We were under incredible scrutiny."Good thing they lost. Imagine if they'd been dealing with something a tad more dicey like, you know, nukes.
"We were under incredible scrutiny," he added. "We got her a gal from New York and we thought, ‘Let’s get some clothes for her and the family.’ It was a failure of management not to get better control and track of that. "The right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing, what it was worth or where it was going. No one knew how much that stuff was worth. It was more our responsibility than hers.”
365-162
By GottaLaff
President-elect Barack Obama has won one of Nebraska's electoral votes, making history in a state that has never split its electoral votes.After all remaining ballots were counted Friday, Obama emerged with a 3,325-vote lead over Republican John McCain in unofficial results in the 2nd Congressional District. The district covers Douglas County, which includes Omaha, and portions of adjacent Sarpy County. [...]
Obama now has 365 electoral votes to McCain's 162.
GObama!
Justice Department Cover-Up in Siegelman Case
By GottaLaff
Don Siegelman
Butch Dill / AP
Don: There are new revelations that DoJ was involved in a cover-up of the unethical and seemingly criminal activity going on in the Alabama's U.S. Attorney matters. A juror had romantic fantasies of the FBI sitting at the U.S. Attorney's desk at the trial... it wasn't disclosed, whether there were personal contacts (she did have contact with the U.S. Marshall)... the DoJ finds out and they cover it up!
Thom: A corrupted jury on top of everything else.
Don: I was selectively prosecuted in 2007. This year, 60 Minutes showed that the prosecutors extorted false testimony from a felon to get me convicted.
Now DoJ has been covering up. We asked for documents relating to Leura G. Canary's (a U.S. Attorney in Montgomery whose husband was Alabama's top Republican operative and who had for years worked closely with Rove) recusal, a recusal that didn't exist, and they were never turned over. Even after a subpoena.
There's a pattern of cover-up from DoJ re: anything to do with Rove and the U.S. Attorneys, and the prosecution of my case. Call your Congressmen and Senators, blow the lid off this stuff. Surely the Obama administration will look into this, support the Judiciary's call for Rove. Karl Rove won't tell the truth, or he'll take the 5th.
Thom: This will bust open the criminal activity of DoJ/Rove, which will lead to the White House. This is The Case. Congress.org has a list of phone numbers of your reps. Call them, ask them to hold Rove in contempt and continue to investigate the Siegelman case. DonSiegelman.com will get you more details.
Don: The article about this is on Time's website. There will be more revelations coming out on line. This is coming unraveled. There is another whistleblower waiting in the wings. Congress, if they dig, they'll discover links from Rove to the war in Iraq, the firing of the U.S. Attorneys, etc.
From the Time piece:
Conyers says the evidence raises "serious questions" about the U.S. Attorney in the Siegelman case, who, documents show, continued to involve herself in the politically charged prosecution long after she had publicly withdrawn to avoid an alleged conflict of interest relating to her husband, a top GOP operative and close associate of Bush adviser Karl Rove. Conyers' letter also cites evidence of numerous contacts between jurors and members of the Siegelman prosecution team that were never disclosed to the trial judge or defense counsel.
Odds Favor Begich in Alaska
By GottaLaff
I would like nothing better than to have one more Dem in the Senate while simultaneously putting Senator InterTubes in his rightful place: jail.
Fifty six percent of the 41,000 votes yet to be counted in Alaska's U.S. Senate race come from areas of the state that backed Mark Begich (D) over Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) on Election Day, according to analysis by the Anchorage Daily News.Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease.
Begich currently holds an 814 vote lead.
The state will count about 40% of remaining ballots today and the rest early next week.
When Begich was on Rachel Maddow's show last night, he seemed very at ease and confident. See for yourself in the video.
Maliki now supports new U.S. troop deal
By GottaLaff
Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has informed Iraq's presidency council that he now supports a security agreement with the United States, a Shiite Muslim legislator who's close to the premier said Friday.[...]Stay tuned for the next episode of "Deals of Our Lives".The only person who dissented was the Sunni vice president, Tariq al Hashimi.
Askari said Maliki planned to address the nation in coming days to ask for the people's support of the agreement, which Iraqi officials now call the "withdrawal agreement."
This would represent an about-face for the Shiite prime minister, who was a hard-line holdout throughout the negotiations and had publicly criticized early drafts of the agreement. [...]
"We can't get any more," Askari said. "In practice, the Americans, they can't do anything alone, according to this agreement. . . . He (Maliki) feels now after all the amendments it's not a perfect agreement but he can now go to the people and say look this is far better to accept this than the other options."
While the United States didn't give in to Iraqi demands for the power to prosecute American soldiers, Maliki now thinks that this is the best deal they can get, Askari said. [...]
Currently the draft calls for U.S. soldiers to withdraw from Iraqi cities by the end of next June and to withdraw from the country by the end of 2011. The latest pact had about 100 changes requested by the Iraqi government, including an agreement for the government to inspect American cargo that it's suspicious of, Askari said.
Larson Likely To Become House Democratic Caucus Chief
By GottaLaff
...Rep. John B. Larson is already considered a lock to take over the chairmanship of the Democratic caucus in the House. He would be the fourth-most-powerful person in House leadership, three rungs under Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.UPDATE: Here's info on his voting record.
With just days left before next week's caucus vote settles those leadership positions, Larson is counting on support from at least two-thirds of his colleagues, an aide said.
The chairman's position — held most recently by Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, tapped to be President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff — is among those that formulate the Democratic agenda, and with such a strong majority of Democrats in Congress this next session, that's no small thing. [...]
In the interview, in which he took questions during a taping of C-SPAN's "Newsmakers," Larson said his approach would be different from Emanuel's. "How do you replace Rahm Emanuel? The short answer is: You don't. We have completely different styles."
"My role, as I see it, is to shine the spotlight on the many talents that we have in our caucus," he said. In other words: He says he's willing to share his microphone time.
He compared Emanuel with Gen. George S. Patton, the stop-at-nothing warrior, and himself with the less colorful Gen. Omar Bradley, who became the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. [...]
Asked whether the leadership was swinging left after this month's election success, Larson said the agenda would be "center — leaning left — on social issues, and center — leaning right — on fiscal issues." But, he said, "It'll be in the center. We all understand what you have to do."
Among his own priorities: an economic fix, a new health care system and, his staff said, climate-change legislation.
H/t: Chris
Why Obama Wants Clinton in Cabinet
By GottaLaff
First Read: "The best reason for Obama to be looking for a place in his cabinet for Clinton is simple: to get her out of the Senate. Just ask George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter what it was like to have a once or future presidential rival in the Senate serving as a one-person Roman tribunal. Remember how easily the press gravitated to John McCain in '01 or Bob Kerrey in '93 or Ted Kennedy in '77 to allow them to be one-senator judge/juries on Administration proposals? The upside for Obama putting Clinton at State (or even the Pentagon) is that it gets her out of the Senate and gets her out of the domestic policy debates. Also, one other thing to keep in mind if Clinton does end up at State, she'll be off the political circuit; it's considered unseemly to practice politics while serving in one of the big cabinet posts, especially at State or Defense. So this would mean no more Hillary on the stump for candidates, no more Hillary raising money, no more Hillary collecting chits."Those are their thoughts. What are yours?
Putin: “I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls"
By GottaLaff
With Russian tanks only 30 miles from Tbilisi on August 12, Mr Sarkozy told Mr Putin that the world would not accept the overthrow of Georgia’s Government. According to Mr Levitte, the Russian seemed unconcerned by international reaction. “I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls,” Mr Putin declared.An historic moment: Bush (inadvertently) prevented the torture of another human being.Mr Sarkozy thought he had misheard. “Hang him?” — he asked. “Why not?” Mr Putin replied. “The Americans hanged Saddam Hussein.”
Mr Sarkozy, using the familiar tu, tried to reason with him: “Yes but do you want to end up like [President] Bush?” Mr Putin was briefly lost for words, then said: “Ah — you have scored a point there.”
H/t: Bucky
Quote-O'-The-Day: Frank Luntz slams McCain edition
By GottaLaff
"In terms of delivery, Stevie Wonder reads a teleprompter better than John McCain."Come on. That's not being fair to Stevie Wonder.
--Frank Luntz, GOP strategist
2 Reasons Not to Rake Your Leaves This Weekend
Full explanation at this link, but I wanted to get it out there for immediate use. The HoneyDo lists are being penned as I type-
1. Raking leaves may kill fish.
2. Nature will take care of them for you.
Bill O'Reilly Appears on The Daily Show
Jon got some good digs in, but I would have preferred blood.
Obama to Pay Bonuses to Campaign Staff
What I know about the Obama campaign staff is peripheral, but they sure as hell did a good job as far as I can tell.
Sen. Barack Obama "ended his campaign so flush with cash he's telling staffers to keep the change -- and then some," according to the New York Daily News.
"Long-suffering political footsoldiers who toiled tirelessly, at least since September, to put Obama in the White House recently learned they will be getting extra paychecks worth a month's salary."
Obama, McCain to meet
Name him head of Veterans Affairs and let Napolitano name a replacement. Heh.
(CNN) — Barack Obama and John McCain will meet in Chicago next week, the Obama-Biden transition team announced Friday.**Got the video in the intertube mail, and it fits perfectly!! Via our friends at Parody and Son. The Three Stooges pic killed me.
"On Monday, President-elect Barack Obama and Senator John McCain will meet in Chicago at transition headquarters,” said transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter.
(snip)
The two men spoke by phone Election Night, but have not met in person since the Al Smith dinner in New York on October 16.
Obama takes radio address online
BFCE. I mean, who really paid any attention to the Bush radio addresses unless he said something stupid?
CHICAGO — The traditional White House radio address is going virtual. President-elect Barack Obama is taping Saturday’s weekly Democratic address not just for listeners, but for YouTube viewers, his office said today. And he plans to keep videotaping the radio addresses after taking the oath of office on Jan. 20.Before then, the videos will be posted on Obama’s transition Web site, www.change.gov.
Obama is turning the radio address into a “multimedia opportunity” to communicate directly with the American people, his transition team said in a statement.
William Ayers GMA Interview About Obama - 11/14/08
Fingers crossed, we may be in that coveted Post Vietnam, DFH era.
PS- The interviewer is a total dick.
Friday Links List
Chilly, wet and overcast here. Could someone FedEx me some sunshine please?
In a New History of NSA, Its Spies' Successes Are [Redacted]
Mexico City to Give out Viagra to Men 70 and Older
KISS frontman rocks the art world
Washington Times: Drugmaker ads to target Obama idea
The nation's largest pharmaceutical lobbying group is preparing a multimillion-dollar public relations campaign to tout the importance of free-market health care and undercut an expected push by the Obama administration for price controls of prescription drugs.
Thousands pursue wacky world records
Debate: Which is the world's most invaluable species?
No, it's not a pigment of your imagination: Breakthrough drug can restore white hair to its original colour
CNN: Is Romney the man to save GOP in 2012?
As Republican leaders sift through the ruins of the 2008 election and debate the party's future at the Republican Governors Association meeting this week, one of the GOP's potential standard-bearers is instead on a Caribbean cruise.
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