Tag: Fox News

Spike Lee: Who’s Paying Rev. Wright?

Trish

Director Spike Lee questioned the timing of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s press conference this week, and the statements he made.

Lee hinted at a political conspiracy behind the Chicago pastor’s recent, contentious attempts to justify his remarks. “It looks like he’s being paid to keep talking,” he said…”I’m starting to wonder whether somebody has been contributing to the building funds of his church. Seriously.” Lee, whose films have frequently tackled the issue of race relations in the US, believes that Obama had hoped to survive the presidential contest without talking about race: “But now he’s been forced to – by a combination of Jeremiah Wright and the Clintons.”

Is Lee on to something? Is someone exploiting the split in Obama’s relationship with Wright? And are they paying — in money, favors, or future promises — for his continued high profile?

Clinton Campaign Manager on Board of Group That Made Robocalls

Trish
Clinton campaign manager and board member of Women’s Voices, Maggie Williams

A whole bunch of African-American registered voters in North Carolina recently received a strange automated phone call. Suddenly they were registered and confused, which investigators think was most likely the purpose of the calls.

“Hello. This is Lamont Williams. In the next few days, you will receive a voter registration packet in the mail. All you need to do is fill it out, sign it, date and return the application. Then you will be able to vote and make your voice heard. Please return your registration form when it arrives. Thank you.”

In fact, the deadline to register for the May 6 Democratic presidential primary had already passed…The call and follow-up mailings left many wondering whether they were registered for the primary or not.

This sounds like a classic example of voter suppression — sowing confusion in order to drive down turn-out. The calls seemed to be aimed at African-American communities…

The calls were traced back to a group called Women’s Voices, Women Vote. And that’s where it gets interesting. Among its board members is former Pres. Clinton Chief of Staff John Podesta and Hillary Clinton’s campaign manger, Maggie Williams.

A “Lamont Williams” robocall ran in Ohio last fall. In Virginia, robocalls days before the February primary caused voters to flood the board of elections with phone calls, in turn triggering an investigation by the state police.

Among Billaryland’s inner circle, Maggie Williams is renowned as the ultimate Hillary loyalist, fierce and unwavering in her devotion for nearly 25 years…

A Kansas City native, Williams, 53, was a central player in the Clinton damage-control machine during the White House years.

In 1995, a uniformed Secret Service officer swore under oath he saw her leave White House lawyer and Hillary confidant Vince Foster’s office carrying documents after Foster committed suicide. Williams denied it.

She ran up more than $100,000 in legal bills defending Hillary in various investigations.

The North Carolina calls aren’t the first, or even the first to receive complaints and investigations.

The Institute [for Southern Studies, which is investigating] turned up other complaints about the group as well, in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. A “Lamont Williams” robocall similar to North Carolina’s ran in Ohio last fall. In Virginia, robocalls days before the February primary caused voters to flood the board of elections with phone calls, in turn triggering an investigation by the state police.

[Institute Director Chris] Kromm says this shows at least five months of a “deceptive tactic, illegal in many states.” He notes, “Each time this group is criticized for this activity, they apologize for the confusion.”

The North Carolina attorney general says the robocalls are illegal. State law requires that automated phone calls identify the sponsoring group and give the recipient a phone number or other means of contacting the group. The Lamont Williams call did neither.

It’s easy to apologize when you’ve already achieved your objective. “Whoops, our bad. Now where’s the next primary?”

Palfrey is the Second Suicide in D.C. Madam Case

Trish

Jon posted earlier about the apparent suicide of Jeane Palfrey, convicted of running a prostitution ring that served such clients as Sen. David Vitter (R-La.). He ended with the invitation, “Let the conspiracy theories begin…”

In fact, digging a little deeper might be a good idea. This is curious.

Brandy Britton committed suicide in January before she was scheduled to go to trial

One of the escort service employees was former University of Maryland, Baltimore County, professor Brandy Britton, who was arrested on prostitution charges in 2006. She committed suicide in January before she was scheduled to go to trial.

Palfrey said last year that she, too, was humiliated by her prostitution charges, but said: “I guess I’m made of something that Brandy Britton wasn’t made of.”

Whoa. And there’s also this, from her mom.

Blanche Palfrey had no sign that her daughter was suicidal, and there was no immediate indication that alcohol or drugs were involved, police Capt. Jeffrey Young said…

Palfrey apparently hanged herself with nylon rope from the shed’s ceiling. Her mother discovered the body.

Even though the trial was over and a lot of powerful men, including Vitter, were mopping their foreheads in relief at having not been called to testify, Palfrey made it clear she did not want to go to prison. Did she threaten to reveal things not discovered during trial if someone didn’t intervene?

Michael Moore Doesn’t Like Any of the Candidates’ Health Plans

Jon Ponder

Michael Moore recently endorsed Barack Obama but on Larry King’s CNN show last night, he said, like Clinton’s healthcare plan, Obama’s doesn’t go far enough:
You have to remove profit as a motive, just as you — it’s one of those basic services. We wouldn’t have a police department that had to show a profit every year — or a fire department that had to show a profit every year. We shouldn’t do that with our health care system, either.
— Michael Moore

KING: In January, you posted a website letters that had good things about Obama’s win in Iowa. But you also wrote this: “Barack, you can talk all you want about let’s put the partisanship aside, let’s all get along, but the other side has no intention of being anything but the bullies they are. Get your game face on now and if you can, tell me why you are now the second largest recipients of health industry payola after Hillary.”

Are you saying he — that’s what he’s getting, the industry…

MOORE: Yes. And I believe, actually, in that time since I wrote that in January, it’s flipped and he’s now number one, at least with — she’s…

KING: In funds from the healthcare…

MOORE: She has one — she’s number one, I think, with the pharmaceutical companies and he’s number one with health insurance. Or vice versa, I can’t remember what. But they’re one and two in terms of…

KING: Do you think if you take, you must be beholden to them?

That’s what Ralph Nader used to say.

MOORE: Well, you…

KING: If I take too much, then I’m beholden to you.

MOORE: Well, yes. I think that’s — I think that — I think anybody understands that that’s the way the game is played… [That’s] why neither Senator Obama or Senator Clinton’s healthcare plans will bring real universal coverage to this country, because they both allow the insurance companies to still control what’s going on. You have to remove the private profit-making health insurance companies, because as long as they have to make a profit, that means they can’t take care of everybody in the same way or they won’t make the money they need to make.

You have to remove profit as a motive, just as you — it’s one of those basic services. We wouldn’t have a police department that had to show a profit every year — or a fire department that had to show a profit every year. We shouldn’t do that with our health care system, either. And no other Western country does that.

KING: You mean health is a right?

MOORE: Well, absolutely. Yes, it’s a human right. And it is everywhere else, except, unfortunately, here.

Why Won’t the Edwardses Endorse a Candidate before the N.C. Primary on Tuesday?

Jon Ponder

With the North Carolina primary just days away, speculation is rife on why former N.C. Sen. John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, have not yet endorsed a presidential candidate. The speculation has settled on three possibilities:

A. Honest broker: Edwards, Al Gore and other neutral parties are holding back on endorsing so that, if need be, they can step in and help settle the nomination.

B. Wants to be AG: Edwards is hedging his bets because he wants to be the next Democratic attorney general fears if he endorses now he’ll pick the loser. There is also a rumor in North Carolina that he’s holding out for the VP slot.

C. The Edwards are split: Most of John Edwards’ former supporters in Congress have given their super-delegate endorsements to Obama, but Elizabeth Edwards is said to support Clinton. She endorsed Clinton’s healthcare plan over Obama’s (and McCain’s) earlier last month.

As John McLaughlin would say — the answer is A and C, but not B. Both Clinton and Obama have already picked their fantasy cabinets by now, and most presidents prefer to nominate an attorney general from within their inner circles.

Iran Goes to the U.N. Over Hillary Clinton’s Threats

Trish

Hillary Clinton is an idiot.

She recently said that as president, if Iran made a nuclear move against Israel, she would “totally obliterate” it.

Iran’s not happy.

How can anyone think this woman would make a good president?

Iran’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations sent a letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the president of the Security Council expressing Iran’s condemnation of “such a provocative, unwarranted and irresponsible statement.”

Clinton made the remarks last week while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination.

I’m so tired.

Haven’t we just come through enough of this ridiculous posturing and reckless talk by people who have never been to war to know when to stuff a sock in it?

Can you imagine what the Clinton camp would do if Obama made an irresponsible, ill-advised, bush league (literally) comment that caused a diplomatic incident in which our entire country was formally protested on the world stage?

How can anyone think this woman would make a good president?

Craig Ferguson’s Lines at Correspondents’ Dinner

Trish

I confess to liking Craig Ferguson. He was the best part of the Drew Carey Show, but I guess that’s not necessarily high praise.

Having him as the host of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this year had to beat the crap out of last year’s pick — Rich Little. At least nobody has to consult DeadorAlive to see if Ferguson is still with us.

Here are some of his lines from the dinner.

Ferguson: “I’m a late night television show guy. I make up crap that isn’t true then I say it on TV. I’m like Fox News.”
  • “I spoke to a lot of journalists about how I should speak up here. And all the journalists said ‘Craig, Your duty is to speak truth to power. That’s what you do, you hold the truth up for everyone to see, that’s your job.’ I’m sorry. I don’t see it that way. That’s your job. You’re journalists. I’m a late night television show guy. I make up crap that isn’t true then I say it on TV. I’m like Fox News. I’m not a journalist.”
  • “It’s your task to watch the government, to make sure they don’t exceed their power. [Stops and looks over at Dick Cheney.] And well done with that, by the way, the last eight years.”
  • “The New York Times unfortunately did not buy a table. They felt, I just want to make sure I got this right, they felt this event undercut the credibility of the press. It’s funny. You see, I thought that Jayson Blair and Judi Miller took care of that.”
  • “Listen, I don’t envy the person who wins the Democratic nomination for the presidency because they, he or she will face the full force of the Republican attack machine come the election. Bill Kristol, Bob Novack, George Stephanapoulos.”
  • [Turning to Bush] “You’re retiring as a young man. What does a president do? You could look for a job with more vacation time.”
  • “During your administration there was not one single sex scandal in the White House except the time when Barney humped the Pope’s leg.” [That one had to be repeated to Bush, who didn’t get it the first time. The second time he laughed.]
  • “Tonight we mark the end of an era. George W. Bush leaves in eight months. The vice president is already moving out of his residence. It takes longer than you think to pack up an entire dungeon.”

Lupica on Clinton: She Can’t Win and She Won’t Quit

Trish
The woman with the plan

New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica’s sportswriter background is showing but he makes more sense than most of the strictly political pundits.

Through it all, Clinton continues to run on the idea that she is ready “day one” to be President, when she wasn’t ready on day one for a rookie like Obama.

…She is supposed to be the one with the great sweeping plan for America, and she didn’t have one for Obama. Now she is where she is and so is her campaign.

So the Democrats don’t run against John McCain or against the ruling party that has given us this President, the biggest lightweight and most unpopular of anybody’s lifetime. The Democrats don’t run against record disapproval ratings for a Republican President and record foreclosures and record oil and gas prices…They continue to run against each other. The campaign is about the campaign.

The Democrats continue to run against each other. The campaign is about the campaign.

…This system was tailor-made for her by Terry McAuliffe when he was running the Democratic National Committee, before he became Clinton’s boy cheerleader. She had the name, the money, she was favored everywhere; the whole thing was supposed to be like a first-round knockout.

But the candidate who was supposed to have all the answers didn’t have an answer for Obama.

Now she talks about “who would be the best candidate against McCain,” as if only the superdelegates should get to decide, as if she wants this to be selection by committee. As if this is the NCAA basketball tournament.

So they slouch toward Indiana and North Carolina. She can’t win, and won’t quit. Maybe in two weeks. Clearly she and her finger-wagging husband, who makes Richard Nixon look like a model of grace as an ex-President, still can’t believe it ever came to this.

You are allowed to be as cynical as you want about Obama, and ask the same question Clinton asks about why he can’t put her away, even though a much better question is why she didn’t put him away at the start of this.

Will the Democratic Candidate Go Broke Before the General Election?

Trish

The Democratic primary, or as many refer to it, our long national nightmare, will be remembered for a lot of reasons. One of the biggest — literally — is the amount of money spent.

John McCain continues to be the main beneficiary of this wasting of Democratic bucks

Obama and Clinton have spent a combined $110 million on TV ads to this point; we’ve had a race that’s literally gone on since last summer for ad spending,” said Evan Tracey of TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group…

“We’re beyond what has been record spending in previous presidential nomination campaigns. John Kerry spent close to $20 million to get the nomination four years ago. Barack Obama’s already approaching $70 million.”

$50 million more than four years ago? In the primary? But wait, it’s not over yet.

Meanwhile, John McCain continues to be the main beneficiary of this wasting of Democratic bucks. The big question is, will Clinton or Obama be able to keep going back to their respective wells of financing? At some point — and $4 per gallon gas might be that point — people just run out of extra money.