Month: June 2007

Fred Thompson’s Campaign Confuses Home State Icon Davy Crockett with Daniel Boone

Jon Ponder


The campaign team for Fred Thompson, the Tennessee-born former lobbyist who is running for president, made a mistake on its website that wouldn’t get past your average 10-year-old from Chattanooga: They confused Tennessee-born frontiersman and politician Davy Crockett with Daniel Boone, the trailblazer who was born in Pennsylvania, raised in North Carolina, and served in the Virginia legislature.

Comparing the former K Street lobbyist to George Washington is wildly hubristic, but the Daniel Boone mix-up is just sloppy.

The site serves as the official house organ for the Thompson campaign until, as TBogg says,”[Thompson] gets done with sitting on the front porch and whittling and finally moseys on into town to file papers with the county recorder or some other act suitably bucolic enough to make Chris Matthews swoon.” (We hear Thompson is fixin’ to get ready to announce in mid-July.)

Framing Thompson, who worked as a Washington lobbyist for 18 years and served in the Senate for nine years, as a “citizen legislator,” the campaign site says:

In the tradition of Daniel Boone of Tennessee and President George Washington, citizen-legislators and leaders Thompson had admired growing up, he walked away from an easy reelection victory to seek new challenges.

Leaving aside the wildly hubristic comparison with George Washington, the facts about Daniel Boone are wrong.

After his family moved south from Pennsylvania, Boone grew up in the Yadkin River Valley near present-day Mocksville, N.C. As an adult, he made his name by establishing the trail through the Cumberland Gap from Tennessee into the Kentucky wilderness. He did serve as a legislator, but in the Virginia Assembly, not Tennessee’s. In fact, while Daniel Boone lived in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and even bought land near Pensacola, Fla., he was never a permanent resident of Tennessee, as far as I can tell.

On the other hand, Davy Crockett was born in Tennessee, and later represented the state in the U.S. House. But Crockett did not walk away from an easy reelection victory.

Elected in 1828, he lost his seat in 1830 but won it back in 1832, only to lose it again in 1835, at which point he famously said to his constituents, “You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.” He did just that — leaving behind his wife, children, mother and siblings. In March 1836, he was killed at the siege of the Alamo.

Of course, what may be confusing the campaign team — which is said to include non-Tennesseans like Mary Matalan, Lawrence Lindsey, Ken Khachigian, Dave Bossie and Victoria Toensing — is the fact that Crockett and Boone were both played by Fess Parker on television 40 years ago.

Quote du Jour

Buck Banks

And if the white man thought that Asians were a low, filthy nation, Asians could still smile with relief — at least they were not Africans. And if the white man thought that the Africans were a low, filthy nation, Africans in southern Africa could still smile — at least they were not bushmen. They all have their monsters.

— Bessie Head (1937-1986), South African writer, educator

Video: Tim Griffin Cryin’ and Denyin’ He ‘Caged’ Votes for Bush-Cheney ’04

Jon Ponder
Cryin’ Denyin’

And lyin’: Former White House communications deputy Tim Griffin was caught on tape earlier this month crying about the sudden collapse of his career and then, with all faux outrage he could muster, denying he suppressed votes in the 2004 presidential election of African-American troops serving overseas — despite hard-copy evidence to the contrary.

Corporate media is ignoring the scandal despite the fact that the BBC has emails from Griffin that contain caging lists in attachments.

Griffin’s remarks were made at the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas soon after he’d stepped down as U.S. Attorney (USA) in Little Rock. The tears came as he thanked everyone who’d ever been nice to him along his career route from RNC operative to White House Communications deputy to Republican operative posing as a federal prosecutor.

The denial came in an answer to a question from the audience about reports of his involvement in caging activities in 2004. Griffin rambled a bit as he responded to charges made by BBC investigator Greg Palast dating back to October 2004, just days before the presidential elections, that Griffin and others had used “caging” to suppress Democratic votes in Florida.


Despite the fact that Palast has possession of emails sent by Griffin for which the subject was “Re. caging,” and that have caging lists — names of voters targeted for suppression — attached to them, Griffin said:

First of all, the allegations that are on the Internet and have spread through the tabloids are completely and absolutely false, number one. And ridiculous. Caging, as you may know, I had it looked up, is a direct-mail term for basically organizing returned mail. … And I’ll just say that it’s so untrue. … This is all made up and faux pas. I didn’t cage votes, I didn’t cage mail, I didn’t cage animals, I’m not a zookeeper.

From the outset in 2004, corporate media has ignored Palast’s findings on the GOP’s voter suppression activities. In May, however, their studied ambivalence was challenged — but not broached, apparently — when another White House operative, Monica Goodling, mentioned Griffin’s involvement in the caging enterprise during sworn testimony before the House Justice committee:

Despite my and others’ best efforts, [Deputy Attorney General, Paul McNulty]’s public testimony was incomplete or inaccurate in a number of respects. … I believe that the Deputy was not fully candid about his knowledge of White House involvement in the replacement decision … and failed to disclose that he had some knowledge of allegations that Tim Griffin had been involved in vote “caging” during his work on the President’s 2004 campaign.

(During the 2000 election, Goodling and Griffin worked together as opposition researchers at the Republican National Committee.)

After Goodling’s testimony, big media’s efforts to avoid this story were challenged again when Palast granted House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers’ request to see Griffin’s emails about the caging lists. The meeting between Palast and Conyers on May 31 did not go unnoticed by Griffin, however — nor perhaps did Conyer’s statement, “We’re not through with Griffin by any means.” Within hours of the meeting, Griffin resigned as the Arkansas USA.

The particulars of Griffin’s appointment last December came to light during the investigation into the unprecedented firing of USAs by the Bush Dept. of Justice when it was revealed that his predecessor, Bud Cummins, had been fired in order to install Griffin in Little Rock, apparently as a plant to oversee voter suppression in Arkansas.

Compounding the scandal, it was also revealed that Griffin was put in place under a provision the Bushies slipped into the Patriot Act that allowed the president to appoint federal prosecutors with Senate approval. (The provision has since been over-ridden.)

January 29 — Another Reason I’m Glad I’m Not a Democrat

Buck Banks

The Democratic Party of Florida is trying its mightiest to put a positive spin on its reprieve from punishment by the Democratic National Committee and chair Howard Dean. Appears the Deanster won’t whup up on Florida for moving its primary to January 29 after all.

Here’s how Karen Thurman, the reality-challenged chair of the state Dems, spins it:

It’s not as if Floridians aren’t used to being regularly disenfranchised — only every time we have a presidential election.

As Chair of your Party, I am proud to officially announce that Florida’s Democratic Presidential Preference Primary will be held on January 29, 2008, in accordance with a new state law and the will of Florida’s Democratic voters.

Although Democratic National Committee (DNC) rules can penalize states (except for Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina) that hold 2008 primaries prior to February 5, the Florida Democratic Party’s leadership determined that holding a process outside the state-run January 29th election would be detrimental to the voters of this state.

Only problem with that is, it wasn’t the Democrats who made the decision and passed the state law to move the primary date, it was the Republican majority in the state legislature in collusion with our Republican governor, Charlie Crist. In response, Dean and the national party threatened to rob Florida of its delegates, render its primary meaningless and punish any candidates who campaigned in the state. By contrast, the Republican Party was willing to give Florida’s wingnuts a pass on breaking the same primary rules.

But that didn’t stop Thurman from trying to make it sound like it was a Democratic idea all along:

Florida Democrats made it clear that a date other than January 29th would potentially disenfranchise voters and inhibit preparations for a winning 2008 campaign — a campaign that will deliver the state’s 27 crucial electoral votes on November 4, 2008, to the Democratic Presidential nominee.

It’s not as if Floridians aren’t used to being regularly disenfranchised — only every time we have a presidential election.

The Florida Democratic Party missed an opportunity to point out on a national stage the Republican machinations that nearly resulted in the country’s fourth most populous state’s primary being rendered meaningless. The Republicans engineered it, Howard Dean very publicly condemned it and now the Florida Dems are trying to sugar-coat it.

I will go to polls on January 29, to vote for property tax reform and local politicians, but, as a registered independent, I won’t vote in the primary. So I won’t be a party to the next round of Republican electoral shenanigans and, thankfully, I won’t be a part of Karen Thurman’s sorry excuse for a political party.

Neuharth on Limbaugh: What a Comedian!

Buck Banks

From Al Neuharth, the guy who brought us USA Today (or the Newspaper for Dummies Without Comics) comes this little gem about right-wing blowhard Rush “I Know a Babe When I See One” Limbaugh:

Well, when I travel across the country, my amusement comes from Rush Limbaugh’s show. I find that that’s one of the funniest programs on the air. I don’t become offended by the idiotic things he says; I become amused by them. But I also think that from my perspective that it’s OK for idiots like him to voice their opinion because that’s what this country is about and that’s what the First Amendment is about. I might add that I have become convinced, although a little reluctantly, that all the bloggers on the Internet have a right to all of their stupidity, too. And there’s a lot of it.

But I really think we’re better off with those kinds of opinions and dissenting voices than we would be if we or the government tried to control them.

Pentagon Planned to Turn Enemy Troops Gay

Trish

The Pentagon’s 1994 plan to devise a “gay bomb” is making new headlines.

More significant than whether the Pentagon has really abandoned the plan is what their research proves: sexual orientation is biologically determined — not a lifestyle choice

The DOD requested $7.5 million over six years to develop the “weapon,” which they hoped would chemically alter straight enemy troops so they would become attracted to each other. Theoretically, the hostiles would become distracted by their new relationships and stop paying attention to blowing us up. Later, morale would suffer as Joe breaks up with Jim, and Jim’s friends all tell him he’s so much better off because everyone knows Joe is jerk. Then one of them starts going out with Joe. And so forth.

The official line is that almost as quickly as the idea was hatched, it was scuttled. But the Sunshine Project, which monitors such hair-brained Defense Department activity via the Freedom of Information Act, says that ain’t so.

[Sunshine Project Director Edward Hammond] went on to state that the Joint Non-lethal Weapons Directorate, based out of Quantico, actually used the “gay-bomb” idea as a marketing tool in a CD-ROM from 2001-2002 and that “the Pentagon… submitted it to the highest scientific review body in the country.”

More significant than whether the Pentagon has really abandoned the plan is what their research proves: sexual orientation is biologically determined — not a lifestyle choice. That fact could blow up more Republican and Christian right fund raising campaigns than the best placed bomb, gay or otherwise.

Quote du Jour

Buck Banks

We work by exorcising incessant superstition that there are mysterious tribal gods against you. Nature has neither rewards nor punishments, only consequences. You can use science to make it work for you. There’s only nothingness and chaos out there until the human mind recognizes it.

— Edwin H. Land (1909-1991), American scientist, inventor

Chris Matthews’ New Man Crush: Fred ‘K Street’ Thompson

Jon Ponder

Left: Bush with pilot on aircraft carrier in 2003. Right: Fred Thompson, the former K Street lobbyist

Chris Matthews, the host of “Hardball” on MSNBC, has a bad habit of developing man-crushes on tough-acting politicians. He’s just getting over one of these affairs of the heart, and is showing signs that him may be ready to get back on the pony of love and ride.

“Can you smell the English leather on this guy, the Aqua Velva, the sort of mature man‘s shaving cream, or whatever, you know, after he shaved? Do you smell that sort of — a little bit of cigar smoke?”
— Chris Matthews

Like his former crush, the new one is a macho-acting Republican. And like the ex, he’s an obvious phony to anyone not smitten with him. Poor Chris. Here’s how he gushed over his new bff, the erstwhile presidential candidate, Fred Thompson:

MATTHEWS: Can you smell the English leather on this guy, the Aqua Velva, the sort of mature man‘s shaving cream, or whatever, you know, after he shaved? Do you smell that sort of — a little bit of cigar smoke? You know, whatever.

He has also recently flirted with Sen. John McCain, whose “jib” he said he liked (whereas about the New England preppie, Mitt Romney, Matthews said, “He’s got a nice chin, which I noticed.”)

Matthews’ long, lamented ex, of course, is Pres. George W. Bush. Here’s a snippet of Matthews’ perving on the president during the coverage of Bush’s landing on an aircraft carrier in a fighter jet, on May 1, 2003:

Here’s a president who’s really nonverbal. He’s like Eisenhower. He looks great in a military uniform. He looks great in that cowboy costume he wears when he goes West. I remember him standing at that fence with Colin Powell. Was [that] the best picture in the 2000 campaign?

And:

MATTHEWS: The president there — look at this guy! We’re watching him. He looks like he flew the plane. He only flew it as a passenger, but he’s flown —

[A PRO-BUSH PUNDIT]: He looks like a fighter pilot.

MATTHEWS: He looks for real. What is it about the commander in chief role, the hat that he does wear, that makes him — I mean, he seems like — he didn’t fight in a war, but he looks like he does.

But he wasn’t for real, and Matthews had his hopes crushed, and now it appears he’s about to make the same mistake.

Unfortunately, Fred Thompson is not the down-to-earth, Reaganesque figure he appears to be. In reality, he was a professional lobbyist for 18 years — twice as long as he served in the Senate.

Florida to Determine ’08 Election — for the Republican Party

Buck Banks

Deja-screw all over again: The GOP is going to party like it’s 2000 next year when Florida, through vote-count fraud and the machinations of then-state attorney general Katherine Harris, stole the election from Al Gore and gave it to George W. Bush. This time, however, the Democratic Party is playing the role of Harris in giving the election to the GOP.

‘Anybody who campaigns in Florida is ineligible for delegates.’
— Howard Dean

That’s the takeaway from Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean’s comments to a bunch of worried rubes from New Hampshire the other day.

“Their primary essentially won’t count, ” Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said of Florida. “Anybody who campaigns in Florida is ineligible for delegates.”

Why? Because Florida’s Republican legislature and its Republican governor decided to move the state’s presidential primary to Jan. 29 in clear violation of DNC rules that decreed that no primary was to be held before Feb. 5.

What’s at stake here are Florida’s 208 Democratic Party delegates and its 27 electoral votes. Florida is the nation’s fourth most populous state, which is why it can swing an election. Which is why the GOP engineered the primary move — to render the Democratic Party meaningless in Florida in the upcoming election.

Which is why the Republican candidates can ignore a major Hispanic political gathering, because they know they’ll have Florida and its large, politically active Hispanic populace to itself during the campaign.

So Howard Dean is taking his cue from George Bush and is sticking by his guns and refusing to waive the DNC’s rules, effectively punishing the Democratic Party because the Republicans screwed them over by moving the primary date. Yeeaaugh!