George Bush

From today's Beyond Chron.

When SF City Attorney Dennis Herrera sued last week to overrule Proposition 8, I didn't expect him to prevail - as much as I appreciated him trying.  As wrong as it sounds, the initiative process allows a bare majority of California voters to change our state constitution - and with other states having passed similar marriage amendments, I couldn't see how the courts would repeal it.  But after having read Herrera's well-written brief and done some legal research, I am now more optimistic that justice will prevail.  Prop 8 was not your typical "amendment" that merely tinkers with the California Constitution.  It was a drastic revision that deprives a "suspect class" (gays and lesbians) of a fundamental right under equal protection.  read more »

This has been a good election for map lovers.  The New York Times has a great set of graphics that shows not only results but changes from the previous four elections.

I've put together a few cartograms and gone back to the 1988 election to see what changes we've had in the last 20 years.

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David's done yoeman's work here-and elsewhere-documenting the pernicious Versailles meme that despite the stunning victory won by Obama and Democrats running for Congress, America "remains a center-right nation" and therefore Obama must not enact his planned agenda.  I finally got to the end of the 98-page post-election Democracy Corps report, "The Change Election Awaiting Change", and on page 94, I found something directly relevant to this pernicious Versailles meme: the American people overwhelmingly believe the exact opposite: that Republicans should give Obama the benefit of the doubt, and try to work with him to acheive his agenda.

Indeed, this sentiment is much more far-reaching than the core support for Obama's agenda in the first place.  read more »

In his first radio address as President-elect, Barack Obama made this strong statement:

"[We will] ensure that the rescue plan that passed Congress is working to stabilize financial markets while protecting taxpayers, helping homeowners and not unduly rewarding the management of financial firms that are receiving government assistance."

That's an important marker - this Financial Week story shows, the corporate community takes the declaration seriously. All of that is good news.  read more »

Laughing Liberally To Keep From Crying  read more »

In my previous diary, "Mythos, Logos, Racism and the 'Voter Fraud' Fraud", I wrote about why the right is so unconcerned about the factually baseless nature of their claims.  Rather than making an argument about facts, I argued, they are making an argument about the nature of the world as it should be according their own narrow-minded views.  The world of facts is the world of logos, and they are operating from the world of mythos. As Karen Armstrong explains in The Battle for God:

Myth only became a reality when it was embodied in cult, rituals, and ceremonies which worked aesthetically upon worshippers, evoking within them a sense of sacred significance and enabling them to apprehend the deeper currents of existence.

What they are doing with their voter-fraud claims is, quite simply, a form of myth-making.  read more »

Whatever else can be said of the Blue Dogs, they certainly are good at getting press:

But the three could play a big role in the success or failure of the next president, one reason Obama took a break from campaigning last week to call each of them, among the leaders of the "Blue Dog Coalition," a group of conservative-leaning Democrats who are committed to balancing the federal budget.

That is certainly a charitable way to describe the Blue Dogs. One could also describe them as an overwhelmingly white and male group within an otherwise extremely diverse Democratic House caucus, who receive 85% of their donations for corporate lobbyists and who only wield power when they threaten to throw their lot with Republicans.  read more »

One of my biggest frustrations with Democratic leaders is their refusal to embrace the energy policy Al Gore outlined this summer, which could "end our reliance on carbon-based fuels" in the next decade.

Barack Obama has offered an energy policy that's a big improvement on what George Bush has done. Unfortunately, Obama still supports more investment in so-called "clean coal" and has not ruled out expanding nuclear power.

On the plus side, Obama also calls for generating 10 percent of our country's electricity from renewable sources by 2012--which sounds great until you learn that the U.S. has already surpassed that goal.  read more »

Sadly, the bailout bill is no longer George Bush's. It's Barack Obama's:

Black lawmakers said personal calls from Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama helped switch them from "no" to "yes."

I'd say a pretty sad - though predictable - moment in Democratic Party history. The Democratic nominee helps ram a Wall Street giveaway through a Democratic Congress. At least with NAFTA, Bill Clinton relied on mostly Republican votes.

I have to say, this kind of thing just really bums me out - it takes my "hope" away, if you will.  read more »

This was not a breakthrough debate for either candidate, but both of them did pretty well.  Biden was emotional while Palin was able to filibuster and repeat talking points without being pressured by Gwen Ifill.  I suppose the mau-mauing worked.  I felt like I was watching George Bush with lipstick, the same on message mean spirited digs masked by a genteel tone of voice.

I'm curious to see what the polls say.  Probably a slight nod to Biden, but not by a lot.  read more »

Palin is saying a two state solution is the solution.  Palin doesn't think this administration has been an 'abject failure', but says there have been 'huge blunders'.  'Too much finger-pointing', and 'positive change is coming, reform is coming'.  This is George Bush with McCain's slogans.

She can pronounce the President of Iran!!!

Biden: McCain has been against nuclear arms control regimes, while Obama worked with Dick Lugar to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists.

... Palin: The countersurgency strategy can work in Afghanistan, clearing, holding, blah blah.  She's arguing for a surge in Afghanistan.  Biden: Oama, Biden called for more troops in Afghanistan awhile ago.

... Biden calls for a no fly zone over Darfur, lead NATO if we decide to take a hard stand.  "We should rally the world to act and we should demonstrate it by our own moves to get the helicopters...  read more »

Palin is always subtly making sharp digs at Biden/Obama, and Biden is being quite respectful.  Palin is now bragging about standing up to oil company CEOs, and attacking tax breaks for multinational companies.  Is this the Republican Party?  WTF?  Meh, I guess liberal rhetoric sells, and there's salespeople.  Ifill pushes Palin on not answering the question.  "I don't believe that John McCain has made any promise he won't be able to keep."

... Palin is now saying she would have supported the Bankruptcy Bill, while railing against Wall Street corruption and urging reform of mortgage lenders.  read more »

Bush gave a speech this morning and here's what he said.

"Yesterday, within the course of a few hours, the failure to pass the economic rescue plan in Washington led to the single largest decline of the stock market in two decades.

"While I, like others, am outraged that the reign of irresponsibility on Wall Street and in Washington has created the current crisis, I also know that continued inaction in the face of the gathering storm in our financial markets would be catastrophic for our economy and our families.

"At this moment, when the jobs, retirement savings, and economic security of all Americans hang in the balance, it is imperative that all of us - Democrats and Republicans alike - come together to meet this crisis.

Oh, wait, that wasn't Geor  read more »

Growing up liberal during the Reagan years taught me to go into elections expecting to be disappointed. Watching high-ranking Democrats in Congress fail to challenge the premise behind the dreadful and unnecessary proposed bailout of Wall Street, I share thereisnospoon's concern that Democrats will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again.

But looking at the polling trends in the presidential race and in key Senate races, even a pessimist like me has to admit that a big Democratic wave seems quite possible.

Currently Democrats seem poised to pick up 12 to 18 seats in the House and five to six Senate seats.  read more »

The monthly meeting of the Laramie County Democrats will be held at the Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. All attendees at the meeting will receive an English-Palin dictionary in order to really understand what she will be saying at the Thursday evening Veep debates with Sen Joe Biden. While on any given night Biden can make mincemeat out of a poser like Palin, his job is made tougher by the fact that she speaks in an unknown tongue -- when she's allowed to speak by Big Daddy John McCain.

Palinspeak was spoofed on Saturday Night Live's opening sketch this past weekend. Katie Couric (played by Amy Poehler) asks Gov. Palin (Tiny Fey) about the bailout (this excerpt from Crooks and Liars blog):


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