Month: April 2006

Predictions for Upcoming White House Staff Shuffle

Jon Ponder

I’m ready to predict the next round of White House staff shuffling:

  • Andy Card will replace John Snow as Secretary of the Treasury. That’s a no-brainer.
  • Former FEMA head Michael Brown, who has completely rehabilitated his Katrina-tarnished reputation, will replace Scott McClellan as White House spokesperson. I’m sure he’ll do a heckuva job.
  • Scotty, who is used to being the whipping boy of the press, as well as the president’s bitch, is ideally suited to take the FEMA job, which has been turned down by everyone from D.C. to LA.
  • Attorney General Gonzalez will get the next Supreme Court seat.
  • And Tom DeLay will be appointed as Attorney General, pending any indictments.

Is Bush’s New Chief of Staff Gay?

Jon Ponder

Back when Bo Derek, the Republican actress, was single, she was seen on the arm of closeted gay House Republican David Dreier (above, left). Was she similarly a beard for the new White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten (above, right)?

“Live and let live,” you say? “Why does it matter who Bolten sleeps with?” It matters because, if it is true, he is a key player in the Republican smear machine that uses its power and vast fortune to trash the dignity and worthiness of people like himself — that incites fear and loathing among intolerant people in order to trick them into voting Republican even though they are voting against their own financial and security self-interests.

The idea of a gay person working inside the modern GOP is as heinous as the idea of a Jew collaborating with the Nazis, or of an African-American collaborating with the Klan — and it ought to be just as unthinkable and shameful.

That being said, I don’t know whether Josh Bolten is gay or not but as one wag put it:

“Being 45 and unmarried in itself is not evidence of being gay. Being Bo Derek’s date in itself is not evidence of being gay. Being into motorcycles bigtime in itself is not evidence of being gay. Being 45, unmarried, dating Bo Derek and being into motorcycles… bingo! We have a winner.”

Sorry, fellas, Bo is dating the actor John Corbett now, so you’ll have to find some other hot Republican Hollywood chick to squire around now.

Mystery Flu Hits 400 Chinese College Students

Buck Banks

From news reports: The Henan Department of Health has refused to reveal the cause of a flu-like outbreak that has infected 400 students at a university in the province.

Students at Henan University of Science and Technology, in Luoyang city, started to become ill on March 26, 2006, many needing hospital treatment, as many as 400 according to state media.

‘We are sure the students are not victims of an epidemic influenza infection’
— Henan Health Department Spokeswoman

The Henan Department of Health said laboratory tests showed the infection
is not type A or type B influenza. When asked why so many students contracted the disease at the same time, vice director of the disease control and prevention division of the Henan Department of Health, Shan Xinguo, declined to give details. He said, “What I can say is the infection is now under control, and we can’t give any further information.”

Shan Xinguo said the students had contracted upper respiratory tract infections. He said, “It’s normal for students to have upper respiratory tract infections, especially in spring. And at colleges, students are concentrated, so it’s easy for many students to become infected with the disease at the same period of time.”

Another official from the Henan Department of Health, who declined to be named, said the situation is now under control, and the fever — some students having fever as high as 103.2 F — was starting to pass.

“The reason why so many students developed fever continuously still remains unclear,” she said. “We are still investigating the matter, but we are sure the students are not victims of an epidemic influenza infection.” She said the main symptoms of the sick students were fever and joint pains and that most recovered one or two days after medial treatment.

Shan Xinguo said the ill students had been quarantined and treated. Over 2000 dormitories as well as 130 classrooms are now being sanitized twice a day. As of 2 Apr 2006, 10 students were still in hospital for clinical observation.

Polls: Embattled Repugs Rattled by Dems

Buck Banks

Outta here: The latest round of Wall Street Journal/Zogby Interactive statewide polls shows an interesting political terrain for both Democrat and Republican incumbents and challengers.

California: Terminator Terminated
California voters are seriously dissatisfied with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Fewer than one in three (30 percent) approve of his job performance in Sacramento, and just one-third (34 percent) think he deserves re-election. Matched up against potential Democratic opponents, the Gubernator does better than previous poll numbers had suggested, but he still trails both potential opponents. State Treasurer Phil Angelides leads Schwarzenegger by five (46 percent to 41 percent) and state Comptroller Steve Westly holds a nine-point advantage over the incumbent, 47 percent to 38 percent.

Pennsylvania: Santorum Toast
For Sen. Rick Santorum, considered the most vulnerable incumbent in the nation, election night is shaping up to be a big disappointment. But the race is far from over, with a nasty battle brewing within Democratic ranks over Democrat Bob Casey Jr.’s support for the pro-life position on abortion. The state Treasurer, Casey is beating Santorum by eight points, 47 percent to 39 percent. Just 40 percent give Santorum a positive job approval rating, and fewer (38 percent) think he deserves to be re-elected.

The fight for the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion continues to be close. But incumbent Democrat Ed Rendell, former Philadelphia mayor and Democratic National Committee chairman, may be opening up a lead over former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann. However, as an African American Republican with high name recognition, Swann will be able to attract national Republican resources for his race.

Illinois: Democratic Stronghold
In spite of a mere 33 percent job approval, incumbent Gov. Ron Blagojevich still holds a six-point lead (43 percent to 37 percent) over the GOP nominee, Judy Baar Topinka. However, Topinka, the Illinois state treasurer, receives more positive approval ratings (44 percent) than give Blagojevitch positive marks (42 percent).

Illinois voters remain strongly Democratic, the survey shows, reflecting the same political make-up that gave John Kerry a victory there in the 2004 election. Just 37 percent give President Bush positive marks for his work on the job, and Democrats enjoy a 50 percent to 36 percent lead when Illinois voters say which party’s congressional candidate they intend to vote for in November.

Florida: Still Red
The governor’s race is looking very close, with Republicans holding only a slight margin, despite outgoing Gov. Jeb Bush’s job approval rating of 54 percent. Republican Attorney General Charlie Crist currently is the marginal front runner. He tops both Democrats — Congressman Jim Davis by two points (42 percent-40 percent) and State Sen. Rod Smith by five points (43 percent-38 percent). Democrat Davis tops the other Republican candidate, state Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, by three points (41 percent-38 percent), but Gallagher is in a dead heat with Smith at 38 percent each.

Despite President Bush having just 42 percent of voting Floridians approving of his performance, the state remains closely divided. Democrats have a slight edge (44 percent-40 percent) in the generic Congressional ballot, but most Florida voters think Republicans better represent their conservative principles.

Harris’ ‘Total Commitment’ to Campaign Short About $7 Million

Buck Banks

Short change: The “Miami Herald” reports today that Fla. Rep. Katherine Harris did not make good on her promise to place her entire personal fortune of $10 million into her lagging campaign for U.S. Senate. Harris, who is trailing Sen. Bill Nelson by double digits and whose campaign has seen a mass exodus of staffers in the past week, only deposited $3 million into her campaign account.

Harris’ smaller-than-expected investment could further hurt her credibility, already damaged by a staff mutiny, tepid support from leaders of her own party and shifting explanations about her campaign finances. Last month, she said on television that the $10 million would come from an inheritance from her late father. Days later, after persistent questions from reporters, she said the money would come from selling off her own assets.

Harris’ new campaign spokesman, Chris Ingram, said Harris will invest $10 million by Election Day.

”The plan is still the same,” Ingram said. “You start with the foundation, and then you put up the walls and the roof.”

‘If the $3 million is a down payment toward $10 million, she’s like any other good investor’
— Kellyanne Conway

Sounds more like she’s holding out, waiting to see if the Republican Party is going to stop picking on her and start supporting her. After all, why shoot the moon on a horse that might not even finish the race?

Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway said the party needs to stop questioning Harris and rally around their presumptive nominee.

”You’d be hard pressed to find any other Republican candidate — especially one who invests $3 million — who receives such scrutiny,” she said. “If the $3 million is a down payment toward $10 million, she’s like any other good investor.”

Big “if.” That’s the problem with Katherine Harris — it’s not just about investing money, it’s about being 100 percent invested in the campaign and willing to, as we say in Cracker country, “Root, hog, or die.”

LitPAC: Reading Repugs Out of Office

Buck Banks

Mighty, mighty pen: LitPAC is a coalition of authors that is planning a series of readings around the country to register voters and raise money for liberal candidates in the upcoming congressional elections.

Among those involved are Dave Eggers (“A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” McSweeney’s Internet Tendency), Jane Smiley (“Horse Heaven,” “Thousand Acres”) and Daniel Handler, aka “Lemony Snicket.”

‘We’re not George Soros; we’re not going to make a massive impact’ — Stephen Elliott

“We feel we can raise $75,000 in hard money for congressional candidates, at $5,000 apiece,” says LitPAC executive director Stephen Elliott, who has written four novels and a political memoir, “Looking Forward to It.”

“We’re not George Soros; we’re not going to make a massive impact. But if you ask any non-incumbent candidate if $5,000 is a big chunk of money, they’ll tell you it’s a very big chunk of money.”

Other LitPAC authors include Mary Gaitskill, whose “Veronica” was a finalist for the National Book Award, Tobias Wolff (“Colected Stories,” “This Boy’s Life”), Rick Moody (“Garden State,” “The Diviners”) and Anthony Swofford (“Jarhead : A Marine’s Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles.”)

What’s interesting to me is these authors are, except for Swofford, not overly political in their writing. They certainly are not militants. But it’s still way cool that they are doing this, so if they come to a bookstore or school near you, go.

FL Prosecutors Reportedly Implicate DeLay in Abramoff-Related SunCruz Murder — Gov. Bush and Feds May Have Obstructed Their Investigation

Jon Ponder

“The story behind the story: DeLay’s involvement with Florida gangland mobsters probed by prosecutors [was] stymied by withheld FBI interview forms and obstruction from George W. and Jeb Bush.”
— Wayne Madsen Report

Prosecutors have preliminary evidence that SunCruz was wrested from Boulis to enable laundering hundreds of millions in cash from the casino boats into Bush and DeLay election campaigns.

Earlier I suggested that disgraced Republican Rep. Tom DeLay’s resignation yesterday may have been triggered by the guilty plea to corruption charges last week by his former staffer, Tony Rudy. Conventional wisdom indicates that Rudy could have ratted out DeLay on bribery and corruption charges in order to receive a lesser sentence.

Now comes word of a development that, if true, could implicate DeLay in the gangland murder of Gus Boulis, the former owner of SunCruz casino cruise ship line in Florida.

The news comes via an April 4, 2006, story in the Wayne Madsen Report, starting with a generally overlooked but possibly stunning development in the Boulis murder trial in Miami last week. Prosecutors say they belatedly learned that one of the accused murderers, Gambino family associate, Anthony “Big Tony” Moscatiello, was an FBI informant for 15 years:

[…]

Buh-bye Tom. Hello to the New Jack Abramoff

Trish

While I applaud Tom DeLay’s decision to resign the House of Representatives, his threat to find new ways to save the world from Democrats bothers me.

“My love for the Republican Party has played no small part in this decision,” he said.

I predict Tom will be the new Jack Abramoff. Older, uglier, and more obnoxious maybe, but just as rotten to the core.

Democrats retaking Congress, he said, would be disastrous, replete with tax hikes, a cut-and-run stance in the war on terror and antics such as a presidential impeachment gambit.

See what I mean? Much as I’d like to rejoice with abandon, I’m afraid we haven’t heard the last of Tom.

“After many weeks of personal, prayerful thinking and analysis, I have come to the conclusion that it is time to close this public service chapter of my life,” DeLay said.

“It’s time to begin opening new chapters and pursuing new opportunities to engage in the important cultural and political battles of our day from outside the arena of the United States House of Representatives,” said DeLay.

Hmmm. You know he took long enough from all that “prayerful thinking” to include a little “planning and scheming thinking” in there too.

Now that Tommy will no longer be a public “servant,” he will be free of many of those cumbersome restrictions on accepting and using the funds raised for his PAC to run the DeLay household and pay off his allies. Big Pharma and foreign governments, start making those withdrawals! I predict Tom will be the new Jack Abramoff. Older, uglier, and more obnoxious maybe, but just as rotten to the core.

Yes indeed, the sky’s the limit. No wonder Tom’s future is so bright he’s gotta wear shades.

…I’m excited about the future, which holds as always America’s brightest days and mine, too. Thank you and may God bless you all. He has certainly blessed me.”

Or maybe you’re just living proof that nice guys finish last.