Category: Politics

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Breaking: In Speech to the Nation Tonight, Bush Will Announce Long-Term Stay in Iraq

Jon Ponder

On Hardball at around 2 p.m. Pacific, NBC News Washington bureau chief Tim Russert reported that in a briefing with television news anchors this morning, Pres. Bush said that in his speech to the nation tonight he will announce that Iraq and the United States are discussing forming a long-term security arrangement similar to pacts the United States has with Israel and South Korea.

Hardball host Chris Matthews said that a security agreement would likely keep American troops in Iraq for decades to come.

Maybe Democrats Should Take Spanish Lessons — from the Republicans

Buck Banks

In a breathless e-mail I received Tuesday, Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman wrote of the previous Sunday night’s Univision Democratic presidential debate (emphasis added):

On Sunday night, Democrats made history at the University of Miami when, for the first time, our presidential candidates directly addressed the issues of the Hispanic community in Spanish.

Sitting in the arena, I was surrounded by hundreds of prominent Democrats from across the country and more than a thousand students. An almost euphoric excitement filled the room. The momentous event reached a record 4.6 million viewers via the Univision television network — more than any other debate or forum this year.

Besides her overblown prose, Thurman also overstated the viewership, which was more like 2.2 million — less than the Fox Network’s Republican prez debate a week earlier.

Amusing malaprops and glaring grammatical mistakes mar the Spanish language websites of the Democratic presidential candidates.

It seems typical of the Democratic Party’s approach to what seemingly every pundit and their consultant was referring to as “Latino Power” after the debate (which ignores the fact that most Cubans and Latin Americans in my part of the country hate being called “Latino”), which is to exaggerate its efforts to woo Hispanic voters away from what appears to be a vacuum on the Republican side. But more on that later.

La Politica is a new publication that is set to debut Nov. 5 and provide analysis of the Hispanic-wooing efforts of the candidates for the ensuing year before the elections. The publisher is sending around a prototype PDF of the magazine to potential advertisers and subscribers. It looks both promising — and uncompromising. I particularly enjoyed its analysis of the Democratic presidential candidates’ efforts to cage a little of that “Latino Power” thing:

Amusing malaprops and glaring grammatical mistakes mar the Spanish language websites of the Democratic presidential candidates.

Hector Orcí, chairman of Hispanic marketing agency La Agencia de Orcí & Asociados, derides the websites as “not particularly interesting, nor effective, nor well-written … If they were doing as bad a job in English as they are doing in Spanish, none of the candidates would get elected with the exception of Bill Richardson.”

Although the article goes on to point out that Richardson’s Web site is rife with errors, too:

Spanish is obviously the second language of the campaign´s Spanish-language blogger whose very first post includes the phrase “Bill Richardson está corriendo porque quiere ser el próximo presidente.” In Spanish, unlike English, you cannot write a candidate is ”running” for office. Yet, the writer opted for the literal translation of “running” as “corriendo.” The second sentence of the second post manages to misspell five words. The third post includes a videotaped testimonial by Rep. Ben Luján, speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives, who praises the Governor for “dando relief en los tax issues.”

[…]

Christian ‘Family’ Group Deploys Sexy Videos in New Fundraising Appeal

Jon Ponder

Last year, the Mississippi-based American Family Association (AFA) reported a net worth of $32 million, most of which it raised by its relentless message of hatred for gay people.

It’s a win-win. AFA raises millions from the sexy videos, and the burger chains get tons of free promotion among a key customer demo: sexually repressed Christian carnivores.

It’s way too soon to surmise that professional homophobia is losing its financial luster but it is interesting to note that in a recent fundraising email, AFA has turned its sights on a burger chain’s use of sexy women in television ads. The AFA fundraiser says:

CKE Restaurants, Inc. (Hardees/Carl’s Jr.) is hitting new lows in their latest round of television commercials. After offending families with Paris Hilton and Hugh Hefner-driven ads over the past few years, the hamburger chain is taking its history of sleaze marketing to a new level.

One of the latest ads, now on national television, depicts a sexualized female teacher in a high school classroom doing a stripper-style dance on top of her desk, while male students do a rap song about her “flat buns.” [Video above left. – Ed.] (Warning: This ad is offensive and provided only for the purpose of educating our members).

In another ad, a scantly-clad woman gyrates to a countdown of things she wants a man to do to her. All the time, she is eating a “patty melt” sandwich. [Video above right. – Ed.] (Warning: This ad is offensive and provided only for the purpose of educating our members).

Yeah, right! The AFA would never dream of using sexy videos on the internet to raise money. Sending around salacious material like that might offend its members — or about half of the men, at least:

A new survey shows that five of ten Christian men in the U.S. — and two of ten Christian women — are addicted to pornography. The survey was conducted by ChristiaNet.com, an online Christian Internet community.

The AFA email concludes with its money shot:

Thanks for caring enough to get involved. If you find our efforts worthy, would you consider making a donation to help us continue?

Sincerely,
Don

Donald E. Wildmon, Founder & Chairman
American Family Association

P.S. Please forward this e-mail message to your family and friends!

It’s easy to dismiss AFA’s actions as silly prudery but even well-funded enterprises like AFA and its competitors in the homophobia industry, which collectively gross over $400 million annually tax free, do not need expensive marketing research to know what any kid in Marketing 101 can tell you: Sex sells.

The bottom line leads to a cynical conclusion: Sending out a fundraising email with links to sexy videos may well be a win-win for both AFA and the fast-food joints. AFA could raise thousands or more in tax-free dollars, and the restaurants will get tons of free publicity among a key customer base: sexually repressed Christian carnivores.

Outings in Offing Disavowed, But Flynt Says He’s Got ‘One More’ Gay Congressman in His Sights

Jon Ponder

Mike Rogers of Blogactive, who is widely credited with setting the outing of Sen. Larry Craig in motion, wrote yesterday to disavow my assertion that two Republican senators were on his list to be outed.

If there are more outings in the offing, it will be interesting to see if the GOP continues its pursuit of moral relativism by allowing Sen. Vitter to stay in office while forcing out another one of their own because he is gay.

“Come on guys,” Rogers wrote. “Do the fact checking. I am not Down With Tyranny I am Blogactive. Please get my name off this rumor and innuendo…IT’S NOT ME.”

Rogers was referring to the story, Four More Top GOP Outings Could Be in the Offing, published on Sept. 4.

Rogers has a reputation for being careful about his reporting, and the attributions were confused, so I removed links to Rogers (including one to his site, Blogactive, and another to Counterpunch) but preserved sourcing to this and other assertions by Klein:

Interesting that [Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky)] is moving rapidly against his fellow homosexual [Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho] — who loudly denies having done anything wrong — while he never did a thing when it came to David Diapers Vitter (R-Louisiana), who admitted to hiring prostitutes (a crime). The right-wing grassroots is howling for homo blood and McConnell is more than aware how quickly that could turn against him — and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who is already in trouble with the violently homophobic Know Nothing wing of the GOP for his support of Bush’s immigration agenda.

Meanwhile, my colleague Trish noticed that ABC buried a lede in the final paragraphs of its story about Larry Flynt and Wendy Cortez, the New Orleans woman who says she had a four-month sex-for-pay relationship with Sen. David Vitter, the GOP family values ideologue from Louisiana:

“We’ve got a lot more coming,” claimed Flynt. “There is one more gay senator or congressman, and he also votes against matters of self-interest all the time. … I think he should go, he’s at the top of the agenda now.”

If there are more outings in the offing, it will be interesting to see if the GOP continues its pursuit of moral relativism by allowing Vitter, who has admitted illegally paying female prostitutes for sex, to stay in office because he would be replaced by a Democrat, while forcing another closeted gay congressman because his seat is safely Republican.

Richard Viguerie Is Kind of Right About Who Bush Should Choose for AG, But for the Wrong Reasons

Buck Banks

My favorite right-wing punching bag Richard Viguerie has an op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times today in which he proves once again why he’s not in George W, Bush’s cabinet. His free advice to Bush on who he should choose to replace disgraced Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has some elements that I actually agree with — but for reasons different from Viguerie’s.

Nominate someone with a record of toughness on law-and-order issues who
will not shy away from investigating government corruption.

Well, I don’t agree with everything the Goldwater conservative says:

Liberal commentators and, I’m sure, spineless Republican consultants are advising the president to attempt to make peace with such critics as Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) by naming a nonpartisan, inoffensive
fellow like Edward Levi, whom President Ford picked as AG in the wake of Watergate and of the 1974 election of a left-wing majority in Congress. Of course, Levi’s appointment did nothing to appease the liberal Democrats and deprived Ford of a legitimate political weapon against Democratic corruption. Levi wasn’t even the “moderate” he was advertised to be; he pushed Ford into appointing to the U.S. Supreme Court the radical John Paul Stevens, who remains there today.

Viguerie says the Democrats cannot be appeased, and he’s probably right, and I do agree with his next suggestion to Bush:

… nominate someone with a record of toughness on law-and-order issues who will not shy away from investigating government corruption (including vote fraud), and who will push for the nomination of highly qualified judges who faithfully follow the law rather than making it up as they go along.

That’s good, sound advice that Bush won’t take because a true law-and-order AG would have to be willing to investigate the party in power and oh, say Dick Cheney and his gang, which ain’t going to happen. But it’s still the description of the kind of AG who should always be sought out, instead of a party-line stoolie.

But then Viguerie goes off the rails back onto his familiar complaint that the Democrats want an activist judiciary — as if the Republicans don’t:

If the Democrats block the confirmation, expose them for their partisanship, for their refusal to be tough on law enforcement out of fear that they will upset their own base, and for their efforts to use the unelected judiciary to create policies that would never be enacted through a democratic process. 

[…]

Selective Enforcement: Dean Seems O.K. with Rich, White New Hampshire Changing Primary Date

Trish

Another state is vowing to move its primary forward so it can be at the head of the line in determining the next presidential candidates. You know what that means: lots of blustering from DNC Chair Howard Dean about taking away their delegates and refusing to count their votes at the national nominating convention.

New Englander Howard Dean has no righteous indignation over New Hampshire moving up its primary date in violation of DNC rules

Except the state in question is New Hampshire and New Englander Howard Dean is strangely silent on the matter. The lack of righteous indignation has drawn its own attention from Democratic Senators Bill Nelson (Fla.), Carl Levin (Mich.) and Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), who have lodged a protest.

New Hampshire is talking about moving its Jan. 22 primary to stay ahead of Michigan’s Jan. 15 primary and South Carolina Republicans’ January 19 primary and the DNC is saying nothing, the letter said…

Democratic Party rules say states cannot hold their 2008 primary contests before Feb. 5, except for Iowa on Jan. 14, Nevada on Jan. 19, New Hampshire on Jan. 22 and South Carolina on Jan. 29.

Why is New Hampshire, the 41st most populous of the 50 states, so important to the primary process? It’s certainly not because of the diversity of its residents, nor their reflection of the country as a whole, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

New Hampshire Florida America
Population 1,314,895 18,089,888 299,398,484
Whites 96.1% 80.4% 80.2%
Blacks 1.0% 15.7% 12.8%
Hispanic/Latino* 2.2% 19.5% 14.4%
Asians 1.7% 2.1% 4.3%
Median HH Income $53,377 $40,900 $44,334

* Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.

It makes me wonder if all that sputtering about respecting the process is really about protecting somebody’s idea about rich white folks needing to go first. How very undemocratic of the DNC.

A New Online Compendium of Republican Sleaze

Jon Ponder

A Review:Tommy Korioth at Basket of Puppies deserves kudos for the hard slogging he did in putting together the Republican Culture of Corruption – An Extended List.

During divorce proceedings, one Focus on the Family physician and Bush FDA appointee was accused of anally raping his wife for eight years. When asked about it, he said, “I missed.”

There are around 200 entries categorized by high profile crimes (espionage, corruption and bribery and perjury), sex-related offenses (child rape, child pornography, rape, sexual harassment, lewd conduct and prostitution) and lesser offenses including drugs and DUI.

The list also looks at specific cases, including those of Jack Abramoff, Tom Delay, the Merit System Scandal in Kentucky and the incredibly under-reported White House gay prostitution ring in the George H.W. Bush administration.

Talk show hosts get their own break-out as do Republican serial killers. There were at least two: Dennis Rader, the BTK killer, and Ted Bundy.

As extensive as the list is, there is so much Republican sleaze out there that no one person could list them all. A couple of notable omissions here include the DUI of George W. Bush at age 30, and Dick Cheney’s two arrests in the 1960s.

(Korioth’s list also does not cover adultery, per se, however for a review of the most egregious cases, we put together The Real Threat to Marriage: Top 10 GOP Adulterers last year.)

A few notable from the Republican Culture of Corruption that were news to me or that I’d forgotten:
[…]

New Site Helps Brides Figure Out How to Vote

Trish

You know how most young women who are planning a wedding are totally consumed by candidates’ positions on Iraq, health care, and global warming? And how their fondest wish is to be able to compare and contrast platforms and then examine their findings in online discussion groups?

According to a new web site the last thing on today’s bride’s mind is seating charts or engraved matchbooks. She’s not looking for the perfect photographer, just the perfect presidential candidate.

BridesDecide.com is helping brides “get engaged in the 2008 election.” The site is surprisingly good, though the bizarreness is hard to ignore.

Where else could you find out that Bill and Hillary met in the library, and only had 15 guests at their 1975 wedding? And also that Hillary supports a guest worker program allowing illegal immigrants to participate in Social Security while tightening borders, cracking down on employers who hire undocumented workers, and allowing illegal immigrants a chance to pay fines and back taxes, learn English, and wait in line for legal status?

Oddly, only one wedding date is cited for Rudy Giuliani — May 24, 2003 — although listed are children Andrew, 21 and Caroline, 18.

This site makes me want to propose a toast to the new couple of voters: May they have many years of nonpartisan happiness!

Petreaus Says He Doesn’t Know If the War in Iraq Is Making the U.S. Safer

Jon Ponder

During the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today:

WARNER: I hope in the recesses of your heart that you know that strategy will continue the casualties, stress on our forces, stress on military families, stress on all Americans. Are you able to say at this time, if we continue what you have laid before the Congress, this strategy, that if you continue, you are making America safer?

PETRAEUS: Sir, I believe that this is indeed the best course of action to achieve our objections in Iraq.

WARNER: Does that make America safer?

PETRAEUS: Sir, I don’t know actually. I have not sat down and sorted out in my own mind. What I have focused on and been riveted on is how to accomplish the mission of the Multinational Force in Iraq.

If the head of our military in Iraq doesn’t know if the war there is making us safer, who does?

Cross posted at the BRAD BLOG

Looking for a Dogfight This Weekend?

Buck Banks

There are four states where it’s perfectly legal to watch a dog fight: Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho and Montana. In 26 other states, it’s only a misdemeanor to watch. Of course, it’s a felony to organize dogfights in 49 states; it’s a misdemeanor in Idaho. It’s legal to possess fighting dogs in Georgia and Idaho.

Vick’s longest-lasting legacy will be accidental but far more important: bringing political pressure to bear upon a most repulsive pastime.

But in the wake of NFL star quarterback Michael Vick’s arrest for breeding, training and fighting dogs, the few remaining states that allow the blood sport are considering bolstering enforcement, and even the generally worthless congress has got three bills moving through the Senate and House that would strengthen federal restrictions on dogfighting.

The Politico suggests that such legislation will be what Vick is remembered for:

There was a time when it was thought Vick would revolutionize his position in pro football with his unique athleticism. It is turning out that his longest-lasting legacy will be accidental but far more important: bringing political pressure to bear upon a most repulsive pastime.

Vick, who faces federal jail time because his dogfighting operation crossed state lines, represents just the tip of the iceberg in U.S. dogfighting:

Although there’s no national tally of enforcement numbers, Pet-Abuse.com, a Web site that attempts to keep track of dogfighting citations, recorded 167 police cases so far this year, on a pace ahead of 2006, when a total of 127 cases were filed against organizers, and 2005 with 129 cases.

Still, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) estimate there are as many as 40,000 people who stage organized dogfights in the country and many more having impromptu dogfights on the street.

Maybe, with legislative task forces at the state level and tougher federal legislation coming down the pipe, law enforcement can take a bite out of this heinous crime.