Ed's Daily Rant

2009-08-17T17:47:00.004-04:00

Gregg (N.H.), the senior Republican on the Budget Committee, told The Hill in a recent interview that Republicans will wage a vicious fight if Democrats try to circumvent Senate rules and use a budget maneuver to pass a trillion-dollar healthcare plan with a simple majority.

Judd Gregg speaking in favor of using Budget Reconciliation to ram through drilling in ANWAR in 2005:

"We are using rules of the Senate here. Is there something wrong with majority rules? I don't think so."

SO when they do it to ram through their agenda, it's simply the "rules of the senate" and theres nothing wrong with it. When we try to do it, It is "circumventing" those rules.

Will the media call him out on this, or will they continue to paint reconcilation the way Republicans want them to, as a way of "cheating"? I'm not holding my breath.

2009-08-05T18:00:00.003-04:00

Idiots. It should be Egypt(D-FL)

2009-05-11T10:12:00.001-04:00

A friend sent this to me. Not sure who posted it originally so I can’t give credit. I'd like to though as I think it's perfect.

2009-04-22T10:18:00.001-04:00

Is there anything Dick Cheney won't lie about?

Last night, Cheney said he’d asked the CIA to release memos he had read containing all the intelligence that had been collected via torture. “I’ve now formally asked the CIA to take steps to declassify those memos so we can lay them out there and the American people have a chance to see what we obtained and what we learned and how good the intelligence was, as well as to see this debate over the legal opinions,” Cheney said.

...

“The agency has received no request from the former Vice President to release this information,” the source told me a few moments ago.

11% of Americans are admitted traitors?

2009-04-20T22:24:00.004-04:00

This is pretty shocking. 11% of Americans hate our country so much they would secede. What's even more shocking is the state with the highest amount of traitors per capita. Massachusetts? California? Nope.

That independence is clear from the slightly higher levels of support for secession among Texans. In a separate survey, 31% of Texas voters say that their state has the right to secede from the United States. However, just 18% would vote to secede, while 75% favor staying a part of the United States.

I thought Bush was a disastrous President in many ways, and personally responsible for treating the constitution like a roll of toilet paper, but I never in a million years would want to sedcede or even consider something so ridiculous. I am and always will be a proud American.

The irony is Texas rakes in about twice as many federal dollars as they pay in taxes, so if they did decide to betray their country and secede, it'd actaully help with the deficit...

Bill Kristol Immune to Irony

2008-11-25T12:21:00.002-05:00

“So I hope the best and the brightest who will be joining the new president will at least entertain the possibility that a lot of what they think they know is wrong.”

7/15/07
“We’re not in a civil war. This is just not true.”
8/24/07
The U.S. can afford to “stretch our Army and Marines” for “another year or so” in Iraq. [8/24/07]

9/13/07
Vouched for a “a ticket of Fred Thompson and David Petraeus” in 2008.

April 4, 2003:
"There's been a certain amount of pop sociology in America ... that the Shia can't get along with the Sunni and the Shia in Iraq just want to establish some kind of Islamic fundamentalist regime. There's almost no evidence of that at all. Iraq's always been very secular."

November 30, 2005 (column titled "Pelosi's Disastrous Miscalculation"):
All this made me think the 2006 elections could result in a Speaker Pelosi. I now think that unlikely. Pelosi's endorsement today of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq makes the House Democrats the party of defeat, the party of surrender. Bush's strong speech today means the GOP is likely to be--if Republican Congressmen just keep their nerve--the party of victory. Now it is possible that the situation in Iraq will worsen over the next year. If that happens, Bush and the GOP are in deep trouble. They would have been if Pelosi had said nothing. But it is much more likely that the situation in Iraq will stay more or less the same, or improve. In either case, Republicans will benefit from being the party of victory.

Get Out The Vote

2008-10-31T13:03:00.004-04:00

What I've been up to for the last few weeks, albeit in a different state.

2008-10-10T16:49:00.007-04:00

After watching the increasing amounts of vitriol and hate speech coming from the McCain/Palin KKK rally's, I have an idea for Republicans if they want to rally their base in 2012.

Ahhh, Schadenfreude

2008-10-10T11:31:00.001-04:00

"I can't stand to look at him, I don't trust him. I don't like the circle of friends he keeps, I don't like his policies," Schmitz said of Obama. "I'm pissed off by it. I'm beyond mad. How is he climbing up in the polls?"

Palin's Latest Stump Speech

2008-10-08T11:17:00.001-04:00

A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab?

2008-10-07T16:40:00.002-04:00

2008-10-03T10:58:00.000-04:00

“And we will do what is best for the American people in tapping into that position and ushering in an agenda that is supportive and cooperative with the president's agenda in that position.”

2008-09-30T10:31:00.000-04:00

Favorite vignette about the bailout vote on the floor yesterday? Diana DeGette in the cloakroom screaming “We need 5 votes! We need 5 votes!”

2008-09-27T14:06:00.001-04:00

Ever wonder who that 20% of america is left that supports Bush? I think this helps answer the question.

McCain Saves the Economy!!!

2008-09-25T13:37:00.002-04:00

2008-09-24T09:52:00.000-04:00

2008-09-20T11:31:00.003-04:00

From Boing Boing, a perfrect illustration of Bill O'Reilly stupidity. His MO is he just doesant know anything but thinks he does. So he bloviates. But when he actually comes into contact with someone who knows the subject at hand, she destroys him with facts. Billo then simply devolves into nonsensical analogies abot his grandmother sending birthday money, instead of, you know, debating the laws in questions. WHen she comes back with an ACTUAL analogy that is relevant, meaning what if FOX news obtained information saying the candidates were involved in some huge conspiracy would they air it knowing it was obtained illegally? OF course they would. Billo's defense is jsut "well, I'd have to see it" and then he changes the subject. Stupid people hate facts.

It just goes to prove, if you can huff and puff and get angry, you can have a show on TV. it doesnt matter if you dont know shit about anything. That is so not important. Bill O'Reilly is no different than Morton Downey Jr.

Time Magazine turning into FOX news?

2008-09-11T09:36:00.001-04:00

It’s Mark Halperin being very Mark Halperinish;

The new Quinnipiac University swing state poll finds that Palin is helping McCain pull away from his Democrat rival in Florida and is narrowing the gap in Pennsylvania.

Democrat rival? Really? Just can’t bear to use the proper term democratic rival can you Mark? I guess he got the GOP talking points.

Says it all

2008-09-03T12:10:00.001-04:00

2008-09-02T21:11:00.002-04:00

Direct quote from Orrin Hatch (R- creepy Mormon)regarding Palin's "experience".

"Have you ever run a small town? its tougher than running big towns in a lot of ways!"

2008-09-02T17:46:00.006-04:00

A direct quote from Bill O'Reilly (That is, if he wasn't a total hypocrite)

"On the pinhead front, 17-year-old Bristol Palin is pregnant. The mother of Bristol says she is shocked. I bet.

Now most teens are pinheads in some ways. But here the blame falls primarily on the parents of the girl, who obviously have little control over her. Look at the way she behaves."

Updated with more Limbaugh!

A direct quote from Rush Limbaugh (That is, if he wasn't a total hypocrite):

CALLER: Would you tend to think that a family in this position, though, wouldn't you think that there would be a more watchful eye as a parent to be watching over these kids so this doesn't happen to them?

RUSH: I would certainly hope so, but it's long past time for this to happen. The parents here are the culprits!

CALLER: (chuckles)

2008-09-02T17:38:00.002-04:00

As mayor Palin tried to ban books:

Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them.

The books in question?

Safe Sex 101: An Overview for Teens

What Smart Teenagers Know...About Dating, Relationships & Sex

2008-09-02T11:56:00.003-04:00

The 2006 gubenatorial questonnaire filled out by Sarah Palin:

3. Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of for explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?

SP: Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.

2008-09-02T11:51:00.001-04:00

The Wasilla Alaska town hall/laundromat/video store.

2008-09-01T15:06:00.001-04:00

When Sarah Palin's daughter was born with Downs syndrome it was a perfect way to shore up your pro-life credentials. So she issued a press release.

But now we hear her underage daughter is knocked up? Well, that's different;

"The Palins asked the news media to respect the young couple's privacy."

2008-09-01T11:19:00.003-04:00

The right wings answer to Hilary Clinton. Sure she has virutally no experience, but I bet she could do a mean keg stand.

2008-08-19T10:17:00.002-04:00

The jealousy from Other countries comes pouring in.

Michael Phelps is great, but not the greatest Olympian

So says the London Telegraph. Their reasons as to why just reveal how petty and jealous they are. Swimming is different because they are suspended in water, they allow multiple combined, or medley events and relays. My favorite is that they claim swimming is full of” contrived events". The whole thing is pretty pathetic.

No athlete has ever won 8 golds at the Olympics, until now. So the simple fact is he is right now the greatest Olympian. So suck on our Freedom Fries England, you waning third rate power!

USA! USA!

2008-06-30T13:54:00.001-04:00

WTF?

2008-05-27T11:41:00.001-04:00

Mitt Romney becomes confused, tells truth.

MR. HUNT: Let’s talk about current politics for a minute. You and Govs. Crist and Jindal are going to spend the weekend with John McCain in Arizona. Some say it’s a vice presidential tryout; what are specific strengths that John McCain should look for in a running mate right now?
…
MR. ROMNEY: You know, he, of course, is going to look for someone who has the capacity to be the next president, if that were necessary. And that’s the key qualification. I don’t think there’s much likelihood that I’m on that list, to tell you the truth.

2008-05-19T12:04:00.001-04:00

“I believe that it’s not an accident that our hostages came home from Iran when President Reagan was president of the United States. He didn’t sit down in a negotiation with the religious extremists in Iran, he made it very clear that those hostages were coming home.'’

John McCain, completely in the grips of senile dementia

Reagan had nothing to do with any of it. The hostages were released because President Carter DID negotiate with Iran through Warren Christopher. It was called the “Algiers Accords” where Iran agreed to release the Hostages on January 19th, the day before Reagan was sworn in. They were then released as agreed the next day, about ten minutes after Reagan was sworn in. Reagan had nothing to do with any of it.

So not only is McCain completely and totally wrong on every fact in that statement, even the point he was trying to make, “Negotiating with Iran would not have freed the hostages” was also just laughably wrong.

But not to worry, I'm sure the media will just say that the maverick was simply "misremembering" and they'll all go off to another great "press only" BBQ at his Arizona mansion while they all talk about how he’s such a “straight talker”.

2008-05-13T13:12:00.003-04:00

The Republican introduced Military Honor and Decency Act, which would ban adult magazines from miltary bases is a really dumb bill. Sure you can die for your country but you ebtter not look at dirty nipples. God doesnt want that. he jsut wants you to die in a pointless war and then have us play a Lee Greenwood song.

Republicans are just obsessed with this shit. The best part is of course the text of the bill itself:

`(5) The term `nudity' means human genitals, pubic
area, anus, anal cleft, or any part of the female breast below a
horizontal line across the top of the areola with less than an opaque
covering but does not include the exposure of the cleavage of the
female breast exhibited by a dress, blouse, bathing suit, or other
apparel.'.

I'd love to have been the poor staffer who had to put that crap together

McCain’s “respectful” campaign rolls on.

2008-05-09T15:31:00.003-04:00

"It's very obvious to everyone that Senator Obama shares nothing of the values or goals of Hamas, which is a terrorist organization," McCain said. "But it's also a fact that a spokesperson from Hamas said that he approves of Obama's candidacy. I think that's of interest to the American people."'

Time to make a list of extremist/hate filled/racist/terrorist/ organizations and/or people that support McCain because, following McCain logic, this information is “of interest to the American people”.

Where does the American Nazi party stand on McCain?
NAMBLA?
Aryan Nations?
Army of God?
Ku Klux Klan?
The Minutemen?
Neo Nazi National Alliance?

We need to know if they support McCain, regardless of whether or not McCain agrees with their views or not. If they do we need to talk about it constantly on national television. This information is of interest to the American people!

2008-05-01T11:18:00.007-04:00

Dana Perino's World:

2008-04-28T22:36:00.000-04:00

2007-12-12T13:30:00.001-05:00

Then Governer Huckabee's Christmas card.....

The best part of course was the Hucknuts.

2007-10-24T13:42:00.001-04:00

Bush ass licking, 'merica lovin Redstate.org, who previosuly stated they wished 12 year old Graeme Frost "could die for all I care" and in talking about their family said they hoped to "destroy their lives":

"I hope that with this apology I will become as insignificant as I should be."

Yes Rep. Stark, you are insignificant -- and I hope you stay that way from now on.

You know, smears and hate speech from right wing blog's are commonplace, but this is just rank stupidity. Pete Stark is the Chairman of the Health subcommittee. The man has got power. And lots of it. And the way Republicans are running these days, he will have it for years to come.

2007-08-27T10:20:00.000-04:00

Mike Pence, the Republican from Indiana who declared that Baghdad was just like "any other open air market in Indiana", has long been one of the biggest critics of the fairness doctrine. As a former right wing radio host he was on the floor of the House fighting against the fairness doctrine as it would curtail free speech and impose "government control" on peoples speech.

But know I see Rep. pence is an original cosponsor of the Family and Consumer Choice Act of 2007, which would have the government force cable broadcasters to block channels that are "indecent" and force them not to air anything "indecent" on the channels that they do air.

Eh, tomato, to-mah-to.

2007-01-28T23:16:00.000-05:00

SO D'nesh D'Souza publishes a book in which he blames all liberals for 9/11, and today publishes an op ed in the washington Post in which he is shocked, SHOCKED, that people have said nasty and insulting things about his books and his character.

Leaving aside that irony, my favorite part of his op ed is when he presents a list of "attacks" people have leveled agaisnt him, he includes this:

And in my recent appearance on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," I had to fend off the insistent host. "But you agree with the Islamic radicals, don't you?" Stephen Colbert asked again and again.

The beauty of this? Is after Colbert asked him this question, he said Yes. Some fending.

There's more:

The reaction I'm eliciting is not entirely new to me. As a college student in the early 1980s, I edited the politically incorrect Dartmouth Review and was frequently accosted by left-wing students and faculty. They called me names back then, too.

Goodness, from reading that youd think he was just a poor victimized conservative (is there any other kind?) who was attacked by small minded liberals for expressing his views! Here's a list of thigns he did at teh Dartmouth review:
D'Souza was the Review's editor when it published an offensive parody of African American Dartmouth students entitled "Dis Sho Ain't No Jive Bro."[314] With the aid of the Madison Center's internship, training and placement programs,[315] he then went to work as the editor of Prospect, a magazine funded by conservative Princeton alumni. According to author Ellen Messer-Davidow, during D'Souza's tenure, Prospect published an attack on women's studies and published an expose on the sex life of a female undergraduate student without her permission.

And this:
an interview with a Ku Klux Klan member featuring a graphic of a hanged black man; and selected words of wisdom from Adolf Hitler. The Review consistently referred to gay men as sodomites, and D’Souza himself publicly outed one gay student in an article based on stolen correspondence between members of the Dartmouth Gay Student Alliance.

And people called him names? The horror.

I have seen this tactic before. When I saw Al Franken "debate" Ann Coulter at the Connecticut Forum I remember her insulting an entire race and when people booed and hissed in reaction, she would just talk about how rude liberals are for booing her.

2007-01-22T09:53:00.000-05:00

D’nesh D’souza new book is so badly written, so full of errors and so offensive on so many levels that reading the reviews is a joy.

Washington Post:

D'Souza, the author of the bestselling Illiberal Education, has no particular expertise on terrorism, which may explain why he writes twice that there are U.S. troops in Mecca (someone should probably alert Bob Gates) or why he thinks that President Reagan's 1986 airstrikes on Libya "convinced Qadafi to retire from the terrorism trade," despite the bombing of Pan Am 103 by Libyan agents two years later. But D'Souza's inexperience doesn't explain why he so badly misreads bin Ladenist ideology, despite the peppering of jihadist quotes that he uses to lend the book a sense of authority.

The New York Times Book Review:

Like his hero Joe McCarthy, he has no sense of shame. He is a childish thinker and writer tackling subjects about which he knows little to make arguments that reek of political extremism. His book is a national disgrace, a sorry example of a publishing culture more concerned with the sensational than the sensible. People on the left, especially those who have been subjects of D’Souza’s previous books, will shrug their shoulders at his latest screed. I look forward to the reaction from decent conservatives and Republicans who will, if they have any sense of honor, distance themselves, quickly and cleanly, from the Rishwain research scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

2007-01-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

For those fools who say Bush had no foreign policy experience:

W. always acts like he's upping the ante in a board game where you roll the dice and bet your plastic army divisions on the outcome. This doesn't surprise some of his old classmates at Yale, who remember Junior as the riskiest Risk player of them all, known for dropping by the rooms of friends , especially when they were trying to study for exams, for extended bouts of ''The Game of Global Domination.''

Junior was known as an extremely aggressive player in the venerable Parker Brothers board game, a brutal contest that requires bluster and bluffing as you invade countries, all the while betraying alliances. Notably, it's almost impossible to win Risk and conquer the world if you start the game in the Middle East, because you're surrounded by enemies.

If only he was able to play Axis and Allies or even Risk: Lord of the Rings, we wouldnt be in the mess we're in now.

2007-01-03T10:24:00.000-05:00

I love it when god messes with Pat.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — In another in a series of notable pronouncements, religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says God told him storms and possibly a tsunami will hit the U.S. coastline, including the Pacific Northwest, this year.
Robertson has made the predictions at least four times in the past two weeks on his news-and-talk television show "The 700 Club" on the Christian Broadcasting Network, which he founded.
"If I heard the Lord right about 2006, the coasts of America will be lashed by storms," Robertson said May 8. On Wednesday, he added, "There well may be something as bad as a tsunami in the Pacific Northwest."

MIAMI (AFP) — Residents of the southern USA heaved a sigh of relief as a comparatively quiet Atlantic hurricane season nears its conclusion with none of the storms making U.S. landfall.
"The 2006 Atlantic basin hurricane season was much less active than the 2004 and 2005 seasons, but 2006 was also atypical in that there were no landfalling hurricanes along the U.S. coastline this year," leading hurricane expert William Gray said in a report released on Friday.

2006-12-22T11:19:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush asked his new secretary of defense to draw up plans to increase the overall size of the Army and the Marines, according to an interview with the president published Tuesday in the Washington Post.
"I'm inclined to believe that we do need to increase our troops -- the Army, the Marines," Bush said.

Never mind that Kerry proposed the same thing in 2004 and was roundly ridiculed by Bush at the time, what exactly is Bush saying here?

Bush’s war against invisible WMD’s has stretched the military to the breaking point, resulted in 3000 dead Americans and made the Middle East a violent unstable terrorist breeding ground. So yes, we all knew for a while that we needed a larger military (Glad Bush finally came around), but how exactly are we to go about doing this? Bush still insists that he will not reinstitute a draft, and military recruiters have been falling short of their recruiting goals for years now, even after lowering their requirements to the point of allowing borderline retards and criminals in. Are we just supposed to click our heels together and wish that thousands of Americans out there will look at the news out of Iraq and think to themselves “How do I get me a piece of that!”

Worst President ever.

2006-12-21T12:14:00.000-05:00

It depends on the meaning of the word "winning"

Asked yesterday about his "absolutely, we're winning" comment at an Oct. 25
news conference, the president recast it as a prediction rather than an
assessment. "Yes, that was an indication of my belief we're going
to win," he said.

2006-12-20T11:22:00.000-05:00

President Bush. Against increasing troops before he was for it.

2006-12-18T10:38:00.000-05:00

Remember how the Republicans used to brag about being the party of “Fiscal responsibility”, and then when they took over all 3 branches of government we had the biggest increase in federal spending in generations, went from record surpluses to record deficits, a trillion dollar war, and a Republican congress so out of control with its spending that even many conservatives turned against them?

Well don’t worry, after 65 years of never vetoeing any spending bill, even though they were bloated with billions of dollars in earmarks, more than we’ve ever seen before, now that the democrats control congress, he's changed his tune.

Setting priorities for next year, the White House said Friday President Bush
will push to cut back on the thousands of home-state projects that lawmakers
slip into spending bills.

Democrats who will take control of Congress in January already have pledged to rein in the projects, known as "earmarks," which exploded in number under Republican control of Congress over the last 12 years.

"It's important that when you have a budget process, that things are not
tucked in without consideration by members of Congress," presidential spokesman
Tony Snow said.

I mean, they’ve never had a problem with earmarks for the years that Tom
Delay has been shoving them down his throat. But I guess it took a Democratically controlled congress to help him “see the light”.

God, could this president be more of an opportunistic coward?

2006-12-11T21:24:00.001-05:00

What to do when you see a Salvation Army bell ringer.

2006-12-11T12:29:00.000-05:00

Tom Delay has a blog! Unfortunately they deleted all the comments that were critical after they realized it was a mistake to let regular people air their true feelings about the disgraced criminally indicted former Majority leader. So now all that is allowed are comments prasing him.

Fortunately, someone saved the original comments and posted them here.

2006-12-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

Why I love New York.

Sitting In Zabars on a Satuday afternoon with my bagel and cream cheese and seeing Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski come in for lunch. And then hearing someone boo her.

I didn't boo her. I actually made a Salmon joke and talked briefly with her. Shes a moderate unlike the insane Ted "Bridge to Nowhere" Stevens, who acts like a spoiled seven year old. I just found it funny that on the upper west Side of Manhattan people were informed enough to know who she was to even know to boo her. You see, being a Manhattan intellectual is actually a good thing.

2006-12-06T15:27:00.000-05:00

So I was in DC this weekend and went to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, or at least the parts that this President still recongnizes.

Sad to see how faded the original documents have become, but fascinating to see them up close. Especially fascinating to see the second amendment in its entirety, as opposed to having right wing gun nuts take the last part out of context in order to make the ridiculous claim that we have a constitutional right to bear arms (we don’t). But the most interesting thing to me was I saw a corrected mistake in the Constitution. Just to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me I checked the online version and yep, there it was. In article 1, section 10.

2006-12-05T12:26:00.000-05:00

Former President George bush today:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Dec. 5) - Former President George H.W. Bush came here Monday to talk about leadership and opened his remarks with advice on working with rivals, being patient and building personal relationships.

He then broke down in tears mentioning his son, Gov. Jeb Bush, as an example of leadership and the way he handled losing the 1994 governor's race to popular incumbent Democrat Lawton Chiles. He vaguely referred to dirty tricks in the campaign.

A Bush complaining about dirty tricks? Geroge Bush sr, who relied heavily on the sleaze of Lee Atwater to win elections, the son using the sleaze of Karl Rove, Atwaters protege, to win elections. The branding of anyone agaisnt them as traitors, the smears against McCains children in the SC primary, the endless corruption, using your son to steal a presidential election for the other son. The list goes on and on. Spare me the tears.

2006-11-14T23:36:00.000-05:00

Joe Courtney wins in the second district by 91 votes.

Which only leaves Chris "Abu Ghraib was just a sex ring" Shays as the only Republican congressman in all of the Northeast.

This is blue country bitch. (although itll probably go back into court where Simmons will try to steal it)

2006-11-14T19:36:00.000-05:00

This is a damn entertaining read.

2006-11-13T11:19:00.000-05:00

I loves me the google. A man was recently arrested for sending Keith Olbermann, David letterman Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and Jon Stewart threatening letters with white powder in it. The NY post of course, thought the whole thing was a big joke.

Since the article gives out the mans name as Chad Castagana, a Google search gives us this:

Congresswoman Katherine Harris is a remarkable lady !

She has perservered a lot to advance the Conservative Cause .

We Red-Bloooded Americans are obligated to support her, siritualy, not just politically !

2006-11-10T13:14:00.000-05:00

What can I say? It’s a good time to be Democrat. After a long time in the doghouse the American people have finally gotten fed up with the endless corruption, incompetence and I’m some cases flat out evil that is the modern day Republican party. So they went for a change. For minimum wage increases, a new direction in Iraq, healthcare for poor children. They voted For congressman who don’t want to rape underage pages and a leadership that wouldn’t cover it up if they did.

I was lucky enough to be at ground zero of one of those campaigns. My brother was a field director for the Chris Murphy campaign in the fifth district of CT. I have been spending many a weekend stuffing envelopes for Chris Murphy since the early spring when no one, including myself to be honest with you, thought he had a chance. Nancy Johnson has been in power for 24 years, has a huge war chest, had decimated every opponent who went against her, wasn't afraid to sling mud and most importantly, she had 24 years to build up a strong voter database.

As the months went on and the possibility of him winning became more and more prominent, things got really exciting. I got to meet Rahm Emmanuel at a fundraiser, Ned Lamont about 15 times, Susan Bysewiecz, Dick Blumenthal. They all became my BFF's to one extent or the other.

When the polls in the last weeks of the campaign showed Chris pulling ahead I then actually started entertaining the idea that goddamit, he might actually win this thing. Chris, the guy that would hang out with us at the headquarters shooting the shit, may actually be a congressman? So at the last minute I booked my hotel room for the Courtyard Marriott in beautiful Waterbury CT, the Dirty Water as they call it, for the election night party. Granted it was a gamble, as no one wants to get stuck at a party where the guy loses. Thankfully I warned Sarah, Chris’s campaign manager that the second it looks like Chris is losing I’m so outta there. The Larson party was only a half an hour away!

But that was all unnecessary. Chris won, and he won big. And we took the house and, eventually, the Senate. So here is my little recap of the evening, with accompanying pictures and video.

I started the day at my polling place where I voted. Dem’s all the way down the line, including Ned, to which I had to hold my nose as I did it. I would have voted for Joe but since I knew he was gonna win anyway, I figured id help pump up Ned’s #'s. Then I showed up at the campaign headquarters in New Britain at around 9 am. The place was abuzz, but not nearly as much as I excepted it to be. People were answering phones left and right from the "hotline" put in place to monitor any election day problems (ie: republican dirty tricks). Some reports in Wolcott of Republican volunteers handing out pencils with the Republican logo and information on the side for people to fill out their ballots were reported. Totally against the law, but they put a stop to it after they got caught. A few machines broke down in Hartford but that’s in another district. At one point a woman in Cheshire was having trouble voting. The poll worker there for whatever reason told her she could not vote. The woman had a fit and yelled out loudly "They wont let me vote, doesn anyone care?" To which a Murphy poll watcher stood up and told her she would help her out. They called in to our hotline where we were able to contact the polling place directly and straighten it all out. The kicker? This woman was a republican there to vote for Nancy Johnson, but the Johnson poll watchers didn’t bother helping her. By us helping her even though we knew she was a R, she switched her vote to Chris. that the difference between us and them. Where Santorum’s people will pump money into the green candidate, or make racist ads in Tennessee to make sure Harold Ford Jr. doesn’t win, we actually have a soul.

Soon I was out working the polls with Kevin’s girlfriend Jenn and some girl we just met named Elizabeth. Waving at passers by, handing out literature (Vote Row B for Chris, etc). There were Nancy Johnson people there was well, but from the looks of it they were probably staffers flown in from DC. All dressed in suits and such. After they switched out a few new Johnson poll people came by, and it was a little unfair since they were really hot chicks in tight jeans. Even I was thinking of voting for Nancy at that point. All we had was me, Jenn, Liz and a really creepy old guy who was on a town council somewhere. Town council people are weird. Not as weird as Lamont people, but weird nonetheless.

After a few hours of standing out on the cold (to which I got yet another cold that I am still fighting) we then delivered some lunches to the other campaign stops and then after a brief visit tot eh mall for my election night outfit, back to HQ. there I helped man the phones and pace around nervously with people from the campaign and a lovely young lady in from DC to help named Jessica. At a round 7 o’clock we made the trek down to Waterbury to check into the hotel.

The crowd early on

I checked into my hotel room and did the three S’s and was ready to go. Down to the ballroom. We had two TV’s set up to watch the returns and since it was 8 o’clock things were trickling in. The first returns showed Chris up by almost 20 points but it was 1% reporting so I wasn’t getting too excited. We watched Rick Santorum go down, which created a cheer in the ballroom, the same for Conrad Burns in Ohio.

Me, Jenn and my sister Rose

Instead of watching television for the returns for Murphy, we were able to get it straight from the horses mouth. The horse being my brother, and the mouth being the felt pen he was using to put the town #’s up on the big board. He would come in and everyone would watch as he put up the numbers for each town. Meriden, Kent, Canaan, Newtown, Bethlehem. All were going for Chris. I was told early on that the town to watch for was Burlington. It has a lot of homeowners, majority white, and a 1 percent poverty rate. If Chris can take that town, it means he can take the district. Then Kevin started writing the numbers. We took it. Cheers everywhere.

Once I heard this I called my friend Sue in DC who was hosting a returns party and wanted constant updates. I was explaining to her exactly what was going on and about five minutes in someone told me that since I was on the stage next to the microphones everyone could hear what I was saying. Thank god I didn’t call anyone a macaca.

Putting the numbers up on the board

A few minutes alter the word started trickling on. Boomer, Johnson’s campaign manager, called into the New Britain office for Chris. They were calling to concede. It was a landslide victory. Once I heard this I whipped out my camera and took a video of the ballroom as everyone realized Chris won:

Now it was just waiting for the man of the hour. Everyone was grinning ear to ear. Campaign workers were bursting into tears. My brother, after months of 16 hour days and 2 days without sleep actually cracked a smile.

The wall

The crown began to gather at the stage. The chants of “Murphy, Murphy, Murphy” were deafening. Then Chris entered to rock star like applause. Holy shit, he actually did it. then the conquering hero entered. The place went nuts.

Kevin and Ben Murphy.

Congressman-elect Murphy

The future Mayor of Cheshire being congratulated

Kevin and Taylor

After that everyone started drinking and celebrating,. Chris gave interviews and we all continued to watch the House and senate returns coming in. The party then moved up to the presidential suite where the staff volunteers and Chris all hung out and watched more returns come in. We also finally found time to eat.

An amazing night I’ll never forget.

In the suite watching the returns

2006-11-09T22:27:00.000-05:00

Where has Cliff Schecter been all my life?

2006-11-01T12:44:00.000-05:00

Like an Democrat I don’t like Lieberman, but these Lamont bloggers need to stop smoking crack.

Dkos discussing Liebermans 12 point lead:
Can Lamont close enough of the gap where his field operation pushes him over the line? That's the real question. I suspect it'll be a nail bitter.

As someone who actually lives in CT and has canvased for Dems let me spell this out. Lamont is going to lose. Everyone knows it. The field directors, the canvasers, the volunteers. And even if I lived in freaking Alaska even I know that a 12 point lead is a 12 point lead. Even if Lamont's ground game was excellent (and it’s actually not), he has no chance. He’s dead in the water. The congressional candidate I canvas for, we don’t even bother asking the Lamont questions or handing out the Lamont literatre any more. Because 1. he’s going to lose and 2. he’s polarizing and 3. I want the terrorists to win.

2006-10-27T13:18:00.000-04:00

Like Clockwork.

Gulf Terror Alert

Then when you read the fine print, the usual patterns emerge:

A British navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said a threat from al-Qaida last month to target Gulf oil terminals had resulted in the stepped-up security and vigilance.

The alert was ordered "as a precaution" based on general public threats made by al-Qaida and additional intelligence about possible terrorist attacks on oil facilities, the sources said, while emphasizing that it was not based on any specific intelligence that pinpoints a possible time or place for an attack.

2006-10-26T19:54:00.000-04:00

MIkeCT made this video for the blog My Left Nutmeg. It speaks for itself.

2006-10-24T15:42:00.000-04:00

My prediction:

Democrats will control the house 224 to 211 and the senate by 51 to 49.

MAke your own predictions here.

2006-10-20T15:06:00.000-04:00

You know thigns are getting desperate for the GOP when Sean Hanntiy is reduced to simply begging Democrats to not vote.

2006-10-13T11:24:00.000-04:00

Tom Delay, former majority elader who resigned in disgreace and is on trial for bribery and money laundering, a months ago:
Sara Evans has been a strong supporter of the Republican Party and represents good American values in the media. From singing at the 2004 Republican Convention to appearing with candidates in the last several election cycles, we have always been able to count on Sara for her support of the things we all believe in. … One of her opponents on the show is ultra liberal talk show host Jerry Springer. We need to send a message to Hollywood and the media that smut has no place on television by supporting good people like Sara Evans.

And here of course, is the punchline:
LOS ANGELES - Country singer Sara Evans on Thursday announced she was filing for divorce and quitting the “Dancing With the Stars” television competition.
Evans filed for divorce from Craig Schelske in Williamson County, Tenn., where she lives, according to a statement issued by Allen Brown, her representative at Sony BMG Music Entertainment.

“Recent events that shed light on the status of her marriage prompted Ms. Evans to make the filing,” Brown said in the statement. He declined to elaborate.

Update: It gets even better.

Among the claims made by Evans in the filed documents are:

Evans alleges that Schelske “has frequently verbally abused, emotionally abused and harassed Wife.”
Evans alleges that Schelske “frequently watches pornography” on the family’s computers and that on September 28, 2006, the couple’s oldest child “confronted [Schelske] at the parties’ residence… when he was watching pornographic material on the television.”
Evans claims that Schelske keeps more than 100 photos of Schelske “posing with his erect penis” and “there are several photographs showing the defendant having sex with other women.”
Evans also alleges that Schelske browsed personal ads on the Internet site Craig’s List for “three party sex” and “anal sex.”

Access Hollywood has not been able to contact Schelske or a representative for comment. Schleske, a Republican, had an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2002 from Oregon’s 5th District.

2006-10-10T14:33:00.000-04:00

Even sweet Nancy is using that lame "democrat" instead of democratic insult.

Nancy Johnson Statement on Foley Investigation
i If any leader from either party tried to cover up this information at the expense of the safety of our children, then they should resign their position immediately.
It would be reprehensible if any Republican leader intentionally covered up the full facts of the case, and it would be equally reprehensible if Democrat leaders sat on this information for a year in order to release it 30 days before an election.

I want an investigation to go forward to find out answers to these questions.

2006-10-04T15:05:00.000-04:00

Waiters who are nauseated by food.

2006-10-04T14:42:00.000-04:00

God how I love Katherine Harris.

Within a 10 second sound byte she attacks anyone for making this a partisan issue, then says it wasn't the Republicans fault and we should investigate and see if the demcorats are really behind it.

2006-10-04T09:57:00.000-04:00

Fox News. Fair and Balanced.

2006-10-03T10:50:00.000-04:00

Danbury Republicans. All class(thanks to My Left Nutmeg).

Still, they have awesome signmaking skills.

2006-10-03T10:30:00.000-04:00

Why doesn’t mark Foley use bookmarks?

Cuz he just bends over his pages.

But seriously folks. The October surprise is upon us and for once its coming from the other direction. Instead of some phony last minute trumped up politically motivated terror alert coupled with ads talking about how Democrats want to help terrorists win (Or as a recent guest on pumpkinheaded Neil Cavuto’s show explained “their solution to the Iraq war is for American women to make -- to wear burqas and bow down and surrender.”), it involves a Republican who liked to bang underage pages.

Of course the real scandal isn’t so much the underage anal sex by one disgraced former congressman. The real scandal is the house leadership knew about Foley’s predilections and chumminess with pages years ago and did nothing because they couldn’t afford to lsoe the seat. Specifically Speaker Hastert. It’s all about retaining power you see.

SO this year we have a choice. Either have your children vote democratic and die in a terrorist attack because they are terrorist lovers, or have them vote Republican and just get a little ass rape.

2006-09-11T12:39:00.000-04:00

DIck Cheney on Meet the Press this weekend said that when Americans debating our strategy in teh war in Iraq, it only helps terrorists:

Terrorists “are encouraged, obviously, when they see the kind of debate that we’ve had in the United States, suggestions, for example, that we should withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.”

Of course this means the only way we can not encourage terrorists is to not question the war, or the Presidents decision on how to wage it. Ever. You see, the more freedoms of democracy we engage in, the happier the terrorists become.

2006-09-06T17:31:00.000-04:00

2006-09-06T11:12:00.000-04:00

Tony Snow today:
"There have been some in the Democratic Party who have argued against the Patriot Act, against the terror surveillance program, against Guantanamo. In other words, there are some people who say that we shouldn't fight the war, we should not detain -- we shouldn't apprehend al Qaeda, we shouldn't detain al Qaeda, we shouldn't question al Qaeda, and we shouldn't listen to al Qaeda. In other words, they're all for winning the war on terror, but they're all against -- they're against providing the tools for winning that war.

David Gregory wouldnt buy it:
Q Actually, Tony, I don't think that's fair, if you look at the facts. If you look at the facts.

MR. SNOW: Well, I do, because -- no, because, for instance --

Q No, no, no. No, I don't think you should be able to just wipe that, kind of dismiss the question --

MR. SNOW: Well, let me --

Q It's not a Democratic argument, Tony.

MR. SNOW: Let me answer the question, David.

Q But hold on, let's not let you get away with saying that's a Democratic argument.

MR. SNOW: Okay, let me -- let's not let you get away with being rude. Let me just answer the question, and you can come back at me.

Q Excuse me. Don't point your finger at me. I'm not being rude.

MR. SNOW: Yes, you are.

Q Don't try to dismiss me as making a Democratic argument, Tony, when I'm speaking fact.

MR. SNOW: Well, okay -- well, no --

Q You can do that to the Democrats; don't do it to me.

2006-08-31T11:15:00.000-04:00

This article in today’s Courant was interesting for a few things. First, it points out the whiny, defensive attitude of the Lieberman people. But more importantly it shows there newest campaign tactic (after unveiling the “we’re not negative, but if you vote for Lamont it emboldens terrorists” meme). The article was about right wing conservative Dan Gernstein who has become “Independent Democrat” Joe Lieberman’s communications director.

This struck me:

This is a camp that mocks Joseph Lieberman's wife and kids and we make one honest mistake that we own up to and they jump all over it. I can send you documents that show how much more negative they are than us, how they continue to resort to these kinds of tactics. ... It's not even a close call."

What? Really? Lamont’s campaign is mocking his wife and kids? This is news to me. But then I read this later part and it all became clear:

Actually, it's very much a sunset, as pro-Lamont bloggers gleefully pointed out. They even tracked down the video used in the ad on the Getty Images Web page. Clip 843-2: "Wide shot sun setting over ocean/ birds walking along water's edge/ Santa Barbara."

"Wow," said Gazeena, the helpful customer rep at Getty Images. "That's too bad."

There is a 30-day return policy, she offered. But it's only good for half the purchase price, somewhere around $1,000, she said. "And if it's already been used, I'm not sure that applies."

Apparently that's not going to be an issue; Gerstein said they were going to continue to use the ad.

"Of course we will," he said. "Why in God's name wouldn't we, just because Ned Lamont's people reflectively attack us? That's just insane."

So that explains it. To the Lieberman campaign, a “pro Lamont blogger” is considered “Ned Lamonts people”. Interesting considering Joe “Independnat Democrat” Lieberman just invited right wing Republican Jack Kemp to campaign for him. Kemp then went on TV and called Lamont supporters “sad and pathetic”. Way to go Joe.

Of course I can’t wait for “Liebermans people” meaning everyone who expresses mild support for his campaign, to say something outrageous.

2006-08-27T12:33:00.000-04:00

Joe Liebermen in Todays Courant:

My opponent Ned Lamont, represents the old politics of partisanship, polarization and negativism.

This is the same Joe Lieberman who said this:
"If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do, get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England. It will strengthen them and they will strike again."

But Don't worry, Joe unlike Ned, has a clear plan for Iraq:

I believe that the best way for us to win the war in Iraq is to come together - the administration, Congress, and Republicans and Democrats - to find a solution that will allow our troops to come home with Iraq united and free, with the Middle East stable and the terrorists denied a victory.

THe best part of course is the title of Joe's op ed. It's entitled "Team Player". Before the primary when Ned was ahead in the polls, Blill Clinton, Diane Farrell, Chris Murphy and a host of other CT Dems were campaigning with him and supporting him. Now that Joe lost the primary he has abandoned the Democratic party, and now this:

Lieberman -- who after losing an Aug. 8 Democratic primary to Ned Lamont has launched a third-party bid to hold onto his seat in the Nov. 7 general election -- was asked whether he still endorses Diane Farrell, Joe Courtney and Chris Murphy, three Democrats looking to unseat endangered Republican incumbents Chris Shays, Rob Simmons and Nancy Johnson.

"I'm a non-combatant," Lieberman declared. "I am not going to be involved in other campaigns. I think it's better if I just focus on my own race."

Team Player my ass. The only thing Joe cares about is Joe.

2006-08-23T10:02:00.000-04:00

Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski, stung by accusations of arrogance and stubbornness, lost his bid for a second term Tuesday after polling last in a three-way GOP primary.

I wait patiently for David Brooks to pen a column about the coming “conservative inquisition” and telling us how horrible it is that the Republican party is now “purging” people for “insufficient moral purity”.

2006-08-22T09:01:00.000-04:00

Lieberman campaign’s new tactic.

First this:

John Orman, a Fairfield University political science professor and a former Democratic candidate in the Senate race, filed complaints with the Secretary of the State's Office and the State Elections Enforcement Commission accusing Lieberman of creating "a fake political party" to resuscitate his re-election bid.
"He's doing anything he can to get his name on the ballot," Orman said.
Lieberman campaign spokesman Dan Gerstein said Lieberman has followed the law in his re-election campaign. "This is dirty politics at its worst," Gerstein said of Orman's complaint

Then this:

Critics asked a New Haven election official to remove Sen. Joe Lieberman from the Democratic Party on Monday, a request which could potentially lead to a hearing in which the longtime Democrat would have to argue that he still adheres to the principles of the party.

The group, whose members described themselves as peace activists, said Lieberman cannot belong to the Democrat Party while running for office under the "Connecticut for Lieberman" party banner. (AP)

“The purge campaign launched today by Ned Lamont’s supporters is dirty political tricks at its worst, ranking up there with the outrageous tactics that Katherine Harris and the Republicans used in 2000 in Florida to stop all the votes from being counted.

SO Joe Lieberman loses the democratic primary, then leaves and runs as an independent knowing that Republican support will help him win, and if anyone questions whether or not he should still be called a Democrat, it's "dirty politics at its worst". Lieberman knows that relying on Republicans to turn out to the polls to vote for him will hurt the three congressional candidates who have a shot at winning this year, but he doesn’t care. He just wants to be senator again, no matter what. Would you concider that "dirty politics"? No?

Then how about saying this:

"It's time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be the commander in chief for three more critical years and that in matters of war we undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril,"

Or maybe something like this:

“If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do, get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England,” Mr. Lieberman said at a campaign event at lunchtime in Waterbury, Conn. “It will strengthen them and they will strike again.”

A vote for Ned Lamont only makes terrorists happy. You stay classy Joe!

If a Quinnipiac poll comes out showing Lamont ahead I expect to hear Joe's campaign manager accuse the university of engaging in "dirty politics at it's worst". Or if someone serves him soggy frosted flakes he will accuse Kellogg of engaging in "dirty politics at it's worst". or if Hadassah doesn’t give him oral, she’s engaging in, well you get the idea.

2006-08-17T00:14:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you forget how frightening it is to have a president so utterly incompetent. Then things come by and shock you out of your complacency.

First this:

The White House made a big to-do about President Bush's meeting Monday with four outside experts on Iraq. Spokesman Tony Snow held the meeting up as proof that the president is interested in -- and consistently exposed to -- different points of view, and even dissent.

But the only thing that meeting demonstrated is that true dissent is still not welcome at the White House, unless you define dissenters as anyone who doesn't agree with the president on absolutely everything.

By all independent accounts, none of the academics who were granted an audience with the president Monday criticized his fundamental approach to Iraq. At most, they suggested minor course corrections.

And none of them told him what he evidently refuses to hear: That it's not working.

I've written a fair amount about the Bush Bubble over the past nearly three years. And it seems to me that, with a tiny handful of exceptions, the bubble is still fully operational.

When it comes to Iraq in particular, Bush has no interest in engaging in genuine dialogue with people who disagree with him -- even though polls suggest those people now represent a large majority of the American public.

He has no interest in actually arguing the merits of his approach, or substantively defending against the increasingly focused critique by congressional Democrats.

Rather, he describes his approach in platitudes, and uses inflated rhetoric to mock the made-up arguments of imaginary opponents. He counts on the skillful use of imagery and human backdrops to deliver his very simple core message -- "I am protecting you" -- without actually making his case.

He hides behind the presidency.

Then this:

More generally, the participants said, the president expressed frustration that Iraqis had not come to appreciate the sacrifices the United States had made in Iraq, and was puzzled as to how a recent anti-American rally in support of Hezbollah in Baghdad could draw such a large crowd. “I do think he was frustrated about why 10,000 Shiites would go into the streets and demonstrate against the United States,” said another person who attended.

Our President is utterly and completely clueless. has been since day one. The only question is, how can we minimize the enormous damage he is doing for the next 2 years?

2006-08-16T10:42:00.000-04:00

According to the CT Secretary of State, CT has 699,502 registered Democrats and 453,715 Republicans. But look how the New York Times spins it this morning:

In a state where Republican and independent voters make up a majority of the electorate, Mr. Lieberman is still developing a message about bipartisanship, but his aides say it will involve adopting positions from both parties and being willing to criticize Democrats as well as Republicans.

Well, yeah if you add in independants. But you do the same to Democrats it results in even bigger numbers, so that is deliberatley misleading.

2006-08-15T09:07:00.000-04:00

Senator George Allen. Racist caught on tape. The best part is when first asked about the Senators blatant racism, his campaign manger "dismissed the issue with an expletive and insisted the senator has "nothing to apologize for," "

Then when they realized his racism was being noticed they backtracked and said, oh, when he said macaca he wasn’t using it in the way it has normally been used as a racial slur. No no, he was referring to his haircut which was a Mohawk and it just came out wrong! OF course the kid doesn’t have a Mohawk. he does however have darker skin than the good senator.

Here’s the video. Notice all the other good ole boys laughing and clapping. That'll teach that dirty macaca!

2006-08-11T13:19:00.000-04:00

Bill Kristol cuts to the heart of the matter:

That is the meaning of Connecticut Democrats' likely repudiation of Joe Lieberman. What drives so many Democrats crazy about Lieberman is not simply his support for the Iraq war. It's that he's unashamedly pro-American.

2006-08-10T00:23:00.000-04:00

What he said.

Also, from talking with people I know, and the candidates themselves, all the major CT demcorats will support the legitimate Democratic nominee. Meaning, Not Joe Lieberman.

2006-08-10T00:11:00.000-04:00

Finally at least one Republican who is honest. From the republican primary debate regarding who is going to lose agianst Hilary in November:

While married to another woman, Spencer fathered two children with his then-chief of staff and substantially raised her salary. He eventually divorced his first wife and married his chief of staff.

So with an opening question from debate moderator Dominic Carter about whether a candidate's personal life should be off-limits, the responses got very personal, very fast.

"That's something that, in 1998, the Republican Party impeached President Clinton for exactly the same behavior," McFarland said to gasps from the audience. "If you'd been in the military, you would have been court-martialed. If you worked in the federal government, you would have been subject to indictment."

Cheating on your wife. An impeachable offense. Why couldnt Clinton have done the right thing and instead engaged in illegal wiretapping of american citizens without a warrant, ignoring laws passed by congress, torturing prisoners, etc.. At least then he would have been safe.

2006-08-10T00:04:00.000-04:00

I am an awesome blogger. I am from CT. Therefore I must weigh in with my opinion about Joe Lieberman. Only I’ll do it with about half of the self righteous annoying stupidity of the Lamont bloggers (Can someone tell “Kos” to just leave CT and never come back?).

I am somewhat tangentially involved in CT politics through friends and relatives in the great state of CT (The land of steady habits!). CT has the enviable position of having 3 congressional races in play in November. That’s 20% of what we need ot take over the house. CT is a big player this year.

Now, I held my nose and voted for Joe Lieberman for many reasons. He is apowerful senator with a lot of experience and has pull on powerful committees to get things done in the state of CT. Yes I disagree with him on a number of issues including the war. Yes he’s an arrogant ass who thinks he’s entitled to his seat. And worst of all, he’s a Jew and therefore personally responsible for all the wars in the world.

Also I voted for him because him running as an independent makes it a lot harder for all the other candidates (Joe Courtrey, Chris Murphy and Diane Farrell) to win in November. It has to do with how the ballots are set up, how the independent run will suck up all the oxygen, the idea of a unified fronted, etc.

That being said, Lieberman lost fair and square. Primaries mean something. He went around for years saying he would never leave the democratic party. He talked endlessly of how proud he is to be a democrat. Now when he loses, he’s switching to independent so he can use the republican vote to get back in office and then switch back to a dem once he gets there.

Fuck you Joe. You lost. You left the party. You’re dead to me. I may not be a huge Lamont fan (and seeing Al Sharpton standing behind him at the acceptance speech didn’t exactly endear me to him) but he is our candidate. He gets my vote. Joe just needs to bow out gracefully and then get a cabinet position on the Bush administration like he always wanted.

2006-07-27T12:13:00.000-04:00

OK, enough of this "woe is me we were denied entrance" crybaby stuff from the Lamont bloggers. I was at the event and every person's name was on a list. Your ticket had a # to match your name, if it didn't match you didn't get in. I got it because I was friends with a congressional campaign who are supporting Lieberman. I was required to give them my name days in advance in order to make the list. That and the fact that they closed off streets, banned all cameras and backpacks, etc, was not surprising to me for an event that is attended by the President of the United States.

It's pretty clear that the tickets both of them had were NOT THEIR tickets. Security didn't have them on their list. They ADMIT they were crashing the event, and now are whining that they got caught and playing the martyr. Stop acting like it was some sort of fascist evil move on Lieberman's part.

That being said one of the speakers did say something about the "shrill minority of the party hijacking the primary" that got my blood boiling. Sure being lectured by bloggers who don't live here ( Kos, Atrios) about who we should vote for can be somewhat annoying, but nothing is being "hijacked". It is the democratic process, and since Lamont leads the polls the guy basically insulted the majority of CT democrats in that statement.

Personally I'm still on the fence about who to vote for. Lieberman has an arrogance about him coupled with his support of the war, the Schaivo issue, the Plan B issue and his willingness to trash other dems time and again makes me not want to vote for him, but he still does have a legitimate record of delivering on many issues in our state (Groton sub base, etc) and as a senior senator he is on many powerful committees.

I met Ned Lamont. He didn't impress me that much. Other than his latching onto Lieberman's unpopularity in regards to the war, what else does he bring to the table? Is this the guy I want in the well of the senate representing me on the important issues for the state of CT other than the war? A guy with virtually no political experience whatsoever? I'm still debating that. His goofy ads don't really add a sense of seriousness either.

2006-07-25T15:18:00.000-04:00

The difference between Stephen Colberts parody and Sean Hannity's reality are literally indistiguishable at this point.

Do you think Hannity believes this or at the end of the day he knows hes full of shit and acknowledges that hes a dishonest shill peddling his ideology at the expense of honesty? Either way it makes him a pathetic excuse for a person.

2006-07-25T15:05:00.000-04:00

I forgot to even mention this. July 7th was the 4th anniversary of this retarded blog.

I'm now considered an OD, Original Dork.

2006-07-25T14:46:00.000-04:00

Bush popped his veto cherry last week and it was a totally useless hypocritical one done for nothing more than crass election year political points. But what else is new? The bill was for stem cell research. Namely allowing the use of excess embryos from fertility clinics be used for stem cell research.

"This bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others”

He’s a hypocrite. But then most pro-lifers are ( They think its murder but should these women who get them be tried for murder and sent to jail? Of course not!) . This bill would allow research on embryos that are already targeted for destruction from in vitro fertilization clinics. His vetoing the bill doesn’t stop the destruction of these embryos. They are still going in the trash. If this is “murder” why does the President and his pro life allies in congress pass a law banning the use of in vitro fertilization techniques that use excess embryos (meaning: all of them)?

This is why:
Among Bush's guests at the White House were the families of "snowflakes,'' children born from once-frozen embryos at in-vitro fertilization clinics who were donated to couples wanting children. Opponents of embryonic cell research say such adoptions provide an alternative to destroying the embryos for research.

So in vitro clinics commit murder, but we shouldn’t shut them down. Discarding embryos is murder, but we shouldn’t make it illegal, just not let them use it for important research before throwing it in the trash. And we should make it illegal to fund that research at the federal level because its murder, but states can have their own funding and you can use private funds to do it to.

Smug morally superior hypocrites. I wonder how they would react if all the people they love were suddenly stricken with Parkinson’s disease? Would they still bea gaisnt teh research? Would they refuse any medicines taht benefited from that research?

Anyways who cares. We all know the most important issue facing America today is whether or not you can put a flag in front of your condo.

I saw Clinton last night in Waterbury. Makes you wish for the good old days when we had a great president. Now I'd just settle for a barely competent one.

2006-07-05T10:21:00.000-04:00

Bush in 2001:

Q Do you want bin Laden dead?

THE PRESIDENT: I want justice. There's an old poster out west, as I recall, that said, "Wanted: Dead or Alive."

Today:
The Central Intelligence Agency has closed a unit that for a decade had the mission of hunting Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants, intelligence officials confirmed Monday.
The unit, known as Alec Station, was disbanded late last year and its analysts reassigned within the C.I.A. Counterterrorist Center, the officials said.

2006-07-03T11:40:00.000-04:00

Senator Ted Stevens explanation on why he voted against an amendment to a telecommunications bill that would have would have made it illegal for ISP's to handle its own VOIP packets faster than a competitor's.

There's one company now you can sign up and you can get a movie delivered to your house daily by delivery service. Okay. And currently it comes to your house, it gets put in the mail box when you get home and you change your order but you pay for that, right.
But this service isn't going to go through the interent and what you do is you just go to a place on the internet and you order your movie and guess what you can order ten of them delivered to you and the delivery charge is free.

Ten of them streaming across that internet and what happens to your own personal internet?
I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why?

Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially [...]
The regulatory approach is wrong. Your approach is regulatory in the sense that it says "No one can charge anyone for massively invading this world of the internet". No, I'm not finished. I want people to understand my position, I'm not going to take a lot of time. [?]

They want to deliver vast amounts of information over the internet. And again, the internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck.

It's a series of tubes.

And if you don't understand those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and its going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.

These are the men deciding our telecommunications laws. It's also worth noting that this idiot also beleives in Creatonism. I suppose we should be grateful that he wasn't conviced that the internets was a magic box.

2006-06-29T16:04:00.000-04:00

Today the Supreme Court ruled that the Bush Administration is guilty of violating the Geneva conventions.

Reminded me of this gem from the architect of the policy of torturing prisoners, Donald Rumsfeld back in 2003:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Sunday Iraqi television footage apparently showing American prisoners of war was a violation of the Geneva Convention.

On CBS "Face the Nation," Rumsfeld was shown footage relayed by the Arabic satellite station Al-Jazeera that Iraq television claimed were captive U.S. soldiers.

"That's a violation of the Geneva Convention, those pictures you showed," Rumsfeld said of the international law on treatment of prisoners of war. He said the convention prohibits the photographing or interrogation by media of those captured in battle.

2006-06-26T17:27:00.000-04:00

Geradlo Rivera says that "in the last 35 years, I've seen a hell of a lot more combat" than John Kerry.

Well, the evidence doesn't lie.

2006-06-26T17:22:00.000-04:00

Bush today on Global warming:

"There is a debate over whether it’s manmade or naturally caused."

Theres also a debate among scientists that smoking cigarettes makes your shit turn to diamonds. It's one crazy guy on the corner who drinks his own piss and calls himself a "scientist" vs. every other real scientist in the world. But because of this we have to say that the "jury is still out", and the question is still "open to debate".

Besides, global warming can't be real because Al Gore believes it and he lied about the internet.

2006-06-26T16:50:00.000-04:00

Remember the endless speeches on the floor of the United States Congress declaring anyone who wants to leave Iraq as gutless traitors? Remember Karl Rove and Tony Snow and Everyone on FOX news saying if you are for that you support terrorists? Remember the lovely congresswoman calling decorated veteran John Murtha a coward on the floor of the congress because he felt we should leave Iraq?

Todays USAToday:
WASHINGTON — A clear majority of Americans say Congress should pass a resolution that outlines a plan for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday. Half of those surveyed would like all U.S. forces out of Iraq within 12 months.
The poll finds support for the ideas behind Democratic proposals that were soundly defeated in the Senate last week. An uptick in optimism toward the war after the killing of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi earlier this month seems to have evaporated.

So the majority of Americans are now Al Queda loving traitors. But its not just America, the general in command of Iraq is also a gutless al Queda loving traitor:
Senate Democrats reacted angrily yesterday to a report that the U.S. commander in Iraq had privately presented a plan for significant troop reductions in the same week they came under attack by Republicans for trying to set a timetable for withdrawal.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said that the plan attributed to Gen. George W. Casey resembles the thinking of many Democrats who voted for a nonbinding resolution to begin a troop drawdown in December. That resolution was defeated Thursday on a largely party-line vote in the Senate.

But wait. It now seenms the democratically elected government of Iraq is also a bunch of Al queda loving cowardly America haters.

I remember way back in the beginning of the war when I was against going to Iraq since they had nothing to do with 9/11 being accused, along with millions of others, that because f that I support Terrorism. It was jarring to hear such offensive sludge being hurled, and not by nutcase bloggers, but by senators and Congressman and the White house itself. After literally 5 years of this behavior its just become a white noise. Conservatives have been questioning the patriotism of everyone who disagrees with them on things from Iraq to even, and I’m not kidding, drilling in ANWAR. And hey it’s worked for them so far. Call everyone a traitor, thrown in a few well placed terror alerts to scare everyone. Smear and fear. That the republican plan.

Is this finally evidence that it's just not working anymore? Can we elect sane competent people to government now? Can I actually read about Congress and the senate without feeling shame and embarrassment?

Pretty please?

2006-06-14T00:03:00.001-04:00

Gotta love that LIEberal media.

Big headline on MSNBC's website:

"Boost for Bush"

THe article talks about a "spate of good news" inclunding the fact that his top advisor won't be charged with treason. Thats right. The fact that his top advisor was able to avoid being charged with treason is cause for celebration. The era of personal responsibilty at it's finest.

But hey that boost must be coming any day now. I mean, if the LIEberal media said it, it must be true.

2006-06-14T00:03:00.000-04:00

2006-06-09T12:01:00.000-04:00

Tom Delay, former House Majority leader and the most corrupt member of congress in the last half century, resigned congress yesterday under criminal indictment. His is a legacy of vindictiveness, greed and corruption that will

But not in his world. From his resignation speech:

In any place or any time on any issue, what does liberalism ever seek, Mr. Speaker? More -- more government, more taxation, more control over people's lives and decisions and wallets. If conservatives don't stand up to liberalism, no one will. And for a long time around here, almost no one did.

I’ve heard it a million times and I'll probably here it a million more. The knee jerk answer from conservatives about why liberalism is bad. I suppose I could point out the fact that the House under Delays leadership has seen the largest expansion of pork barrel spending in over 50 years and over twice as much as when the evil Clinton was President, or how he tried to curtail the personal rights of gays and women, or allowed the president to illegally spy on American citizens without warrants. I could point out that the Republican congress under dealaywas marked with rampant corruption, with Delay himself taking endless free trips to fancy resorts playing golf with corrupt lobbyists buying off other members. I could talk about how during Impeachment he would take wavering congressman to a special room with "evidence" against Clinton about how he raped a balck woman who ended up having his baby, and using that "evidence" to try and convince them to vote to impeach. The evidence was all a pack of lies and he knew it.
But why bother? Soon Delay will be in prison getting ass raped by his cellmate, and the rest of the country will be struggling to pay off the massive debt and corruption left in his wake. That will be his legacy.

2006-06-02T10:05:00.000-04:00

I spent last weekend in New York City. I had never gone downtown so I spent the afternoon there and even got to see the WTC site. Next to it is St. Paul’s Chapel, one of the oldest in the city. It was also the place where the gate outside became a wall of pictures of missing victims. They still have a small exhibit inside and its very moving. One of them is part of the wall with pictures of victims all over it, and I saw a picture of Mr. Keane, one of the few Wethersfields residents to die on 9/11 (check out the Keane foundation website here.) And today we find out that the workers from teh WTC site are sicker than we feared. Just one of those tragic things isn’t it? If only we had the foresight to track and monitor the workers health issues to help treat these heroes.

In 2002 Bush vetoed a bill that would have provided funding to establish a health screening program for the 9/11 workers. It would have created a lifelong screening program to track all who loaded and hauled debris, restored utilities and performed other cleanup work that exposed them to several toxic substances. He vetoed it. But if you dare try and cut even a scinitlla of the trillions of dollars of tax cuts for his billionare friends, they will scream bloody murder.

Also, at the time the Bush Administration deliberately withheld information about the health dangers at the WTC site. Why? They wanted to make sure Wall Street reopened. What's the bodies of a few hundred more volunteer workers when there is money to be made for rich people?

He is a disgrace. But don't worry. All you have to do is trot out the "I'm proud to be an American" song at the convention every 4 years, and make some red white and blue decorations, and Republicans can still live in the fantasy land where they are the most patriotic Americans ever. That's the truthiness of it.

2006-05-12T22:15:00.000-04:00

Gotta love that libreal media. HEres the headline on MSNBC:

Alabama Dem’s stance on Holocaust shocks party

Wow! Shocking huh? Then you read the article. He's a fringe nutcase who was a Libertarian until recently and is running 2nd in a primary race behind the leading Democratic candidate.

Whereas the Republican party has people like good ole Strom, Trent "If only segregationists won" Lott, in real and powerful positions within the party.

2006-05-12T10:10:00.000-04:00

Tony Snow, who just made a lateral move from FOX news commentator to White House Press Secretary spent his first day in the job emailing news organizations complaining that they are being misleading and biased in their coverage. Yeah, I'm not making that up.

Among many charges leveled at Axelrod, Snow declared that “CBS News misleadingly reports that only 8 million seniors have signed up for Medicare prescription drug coverage. But 37 million seniors have coverage.”

Well Tony that’s two different things. Who ahs coverage and who is enrolled. But you already knew that didn’t you? So when Tony says that 37 million seniors "have coverage" A big chunk of that coverage has nothing to do with Medicare part D or whether they enrolled in it or not. In fact millions of seniors who "have coverage" (which Tony includes in his estimate) have prescription drug benefits equivalent to Medicare but do not receive money from Medicare.

Hasn’t even had a press conference yet and he’s already blatantly lying.

2006-05-12T08:31:00.000-04:00

Evidence of the most inept Administration in our nations history example 1,456. Leave aside whether you are conservative moderate or a LIEberal. The real reason Bush is at 29% in a new WSJ poll is because his administration is simply inept at governing at every level. Even the hard-core nutcases are abandoning him at this point. We’re talking the “Clinton murdered Vince Foster” and “AID’s kills fags” bunch. Bush’s core constituency.

Take for example the CIA. Another area Bush has ruined with his mox of ineptiude, naked politics, cronyism, and utter corruption.

Porter Goss resigns abruptly. We then find out that his # 3 man, who also jsut resigned, is being criminally investigated. Soak that in. The third most powerful man in the Central Intelligence Adminstration is being criminally investigated. Now normally this would be, you know, kind of imprtant news. But at this point having an adminstration official indicted or investigated is so commonplace, it doesn't even register anymore. Bush could be caught raping puppies on the white house lawn with a SS uniform on and it would be on page B3, the style section of the Wapo, Arlen Specter would say he was "concerned” and consider opening an investigation, but then decide against it, FOX would talk about how teh puppies were probably Al Queda and then another white girl would go missing and we would all end up concentrating on that.

Worst. Adminstration. Ever.

[/end rant]

2006-05-11T12:07:00.000-04:00

Richard Cohen's take on Stephen Colbert:

First, let me state my credentials: I am a funny guy. This is well known in certain circles, which is why, even back in elementary school, I was sometimes asked by the teacher to "say something funny" -- as if the deed could be done on demand. This, anyway, is my standing for stating that Stephen Colbert was not funny at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. All the rest is commentary.

Case closed. You see, he said he's funny. Even his grade school teacher thought so for gods sake.

Also, I am smart guy. My mom even says so. So all those scientists that say global warming exists are just flat out wrong. I know because I am smart.

2006-05-11T11:56:00.000-04:00

Mary Cheney, the openly gay political operative for her father Dick Cheney, is speaking out in a new book.

"John Kerry didn't 'out me', nor did he offend or attack me by calling me a lesbian," she remarked. "It wasn't a secret that I was gay, and I certainly couldn't be offended by the truth,'' she writes. ``What was offensive was that he was obviously trying to use me and my sexual orientation for his own political gain."

Yes of course. God forbid we should offend an openly gay woman who actively supports the most anti-gay Adminstration in our history. And we all know her father would never be as crass as to use someones situation for political gain.

You picked your sides Mary, don't bitch to us because you betrayed everything you believe in. Also, your dad is a lying sack of shit, and you know it.

THis part was also nice:
"Sitting in the studio audience when Edwards mentioned her sexual orientation, Cheney said she looked at the vice-presidential candidate and mouthed the words 'Go F* Yourself' a phrase her father had earlier employed against Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy," Canada.com adds.

Those Cheneys sure have some great family values. Now go jack off to your moms lesbian porn and shut the F up.