2008 Presidential Campaign

Seems rather convenient for the governor to have had our Alaskan friends release the abuse of power investigation way past 5pm EST on a Friday. And it's a 263-page report at that!

It looks like a mixed bag of findings. Palin didn't break labor laws when she decided to reassign the then Public Safety Commissioner, Walt Monegan, as retaliation for his insubordination. Of course, her camp is spinning it as a decisive victory for her.

Yet the report does say she broke ethics laws by abusing her executive power. In her case though was her inability to reign in her husband's "inappropriate efforts" in trying to get their ex-brother in-law fired

From The Caucus blog :

Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen will do a benefit concert for Senator Barack Obama’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee next month at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on Oct. 16.

Mr. Obama will be appearing on stage as well for the event, which is set for the day after his debate with Senator John McCain at Hofstra University on Long Island.

The concert was being billed by Obama fund-raisers as the first joint concert for Mr. Joel and Mr. Springsteen, although they have appeared together on stage at least once before in 1987 during a benefit concert for homeless children at Madison Square Garden with Paul Simon, among others.

Tickets for the fund-raiser, which is slated to be Mr. Obama’s last in the New York area, are not cheap. Balcony seats are going for $500; a “premiere seat” costs $2,500; and a “lounge ticket” is $10,000.

I'm a member of a mailing list with a broad cross-section of women on it: Very conservative, very liberal, and everyone in between. The undecideds on the list asked both me and the resident Republican activist to write up why we support the candidate we do, with as little bashing of the opponent as possible. This is the letter I wrote them about why I support Barack Obama. If it can help you with your undecided friends, please pass it on.

I was asked to tell the undecideds here why I support Barack Obama. I've been thinking hard about this; I want to talk to you honestly. You all know where I stand on things: I am a libertarian Democrat (small L, big D). Government is rarely the best solution, but when it is, it had better serve the common people. Initially I had a much, MUCH longer statement, but instead I have decided to boil it down.

The short version: I support Obama because he's right on the issues, and he has the right temperament for the times.

Smart, very smart.

Capitalizing on the fact McCain not once uttered the words "middle class", Team Obama slapped together an ad that they're using to fundraise. They've titled it "Zero".

Here's part of the email, "In case you missed it", signed by Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe :

Just got this email :

“This was a clear victory for Barack Obama on John McCain’s home turf. Senator McCain offered nothing but more of the same failed Bush policies, and Barack Obama made a forceful case for change in our economy and our foreign policy.

While Senator McCain wants to keep giving huge tax cuts to corporations and said nothing about the challenges Americans are facing in their daily lives, Barack Obama will be a fierce advocate for tax cuts for the middle class, affordable health care, and a new energy economy that creates millions of jobs.

While foreign policy was supposed to be John McCain’s top issue, Barack Obama commanded that part of the debate with a clear call to responsibly end a misguided war in Iraq so that we can finish the fight against al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

John McCain needed a game-changer tonight, and by any measure he didn’t get it.”

John McCain is getting his ass to Grand Ole after all. Tonight's debate is on as scheduled. After all, this little stunt of his was a huge mistake.

Obama better wipe the floor with this ass rag.

Yup. John McCain's campaign was never really suspended.

Jeff Toobin over at CNN's "The Situation Room" just pointed out the obvious : McCain is still campaigning. All this screaming around Washington DC is pure political posturing.

We already saw how McCain dissed Letterman so he could sit down with Katie Couric. Somehow he found "courage" to get his ass to Clinton's Global Clusterfuck. McCain is doing the rounds at all the major networks newscasts. His flack? They appeared in six different newscasts and cable shows. That was in less than 24 hours. Wow.

Ironically, the "media deaf and dumb" Sarah Palin seemed to have engaged today the media circus assigned to her. The networks and newspapers were so shocked to have Palin taking questions today that it made headlines.

Gawker has a hilarious post about the National Enquirer's scandal digging article on Sarah Palin's alleged tryst with her husband's former business associate. The Money Quote:

The Enquirer says Sarah Palin told friends the relationship was never "consummated" but you know how they get around that in Islam.

HAWT!

Even hotter : The picture they of Sarah the National Enquirer put up with the post about the paper's article and Gawker's observation that Sarah likes her men to look alike.

Both made me laugh out loud.

After the John Edwards' baby mamma scandal, I think it is best to take seriously any National Enquirer dirt digging of politicians. And grock knows I should have known they were saying the truth about Edwards.

I know, I know, she is no Rachel Maddow (the one with the sultry voice and totally sapphic resume), and most certainly couldn't measure up to my official platonic boo, Donna Brazzille. But Lady Almighty,  Campbell Brown (btw, a totally "top" name for a girl if you ask me) totally knows how to make a feminist squeal with delight.

You can read the whole transcript at CNN.com :

I call upon the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower who will wilt at any moment.

This woman is from Alaska for crying out loud. She is strong, she is tough, she is confident. And you claim she is ready to be one heartbeat away from the presidency. If that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now. Allow her to show her stuff.

[...]

Mayor Michael Bloomberg used his first public appearance since announcing switching from the Republican Party to being an independent, a press conference celebrating the alleged success of his 311 program, to showcase his policy creativity to the media.

Bloomberg’s aware that his leaving the Republican Party would confirm to the media, his current constituents and potential presidential voters, that he’s pursuing an independent Presidential candidacy, despite saying wink, wink, I’m not running, and knew the world be watching his first appearance after making public his official political independence. This is why Bloomberg is using a press conference honoring 311, a program that he is particularly but unjustifiably proud of, as the location of his personal Presidential Debutante Ball.

Bloomberg hoped touting 311 success would perpetuate the myth that he’s a non-partisan problem solver. But the emperor has no clothes. 311 is useless.

For non-New York readers, 311, which New Yorker City residents can dial like 411 directory assistance or 911 emergency services, is an information system designed to help people navigate the government maze. Sometimes it’s useful, mostly it’s not, often directing people to call the same agency whose action or lack of such inspired the 311 call to begin with. But the primary reason why 311 is a joke is that Bloomberg doesn’t let 311 operators have internet access. I first mentioned this in the blogosphere in a comment on Andrew Rasiej’s Huffington Post blog in 2005. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-rasiej/the-power-of-many_b_5892.htm...

CBS News reports that the Rev. Jesse Jackson has endorsed Barack Obama's campaign for the Democratic nomination for the presidency.

CHICAGO, March 29, 2007
Presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson are seen at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Awards Breakfast in Chicago on Jan. 15, 2007. (AP/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Quote

"It is because people like Jesse ran that I have this opportunity to run for president today.”
Barack Obama, in a written statement

(AP) Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said Thursday he's backing Democrat Barack Obama in his presidential bid, giving his support to a new generation of black politicians.

“He has my vote,” the Rev. Jackson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Jackson sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, winning 13 primaries and caucuses in 1988. His son, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois, already has endorsed Obama.

Jackson represents a different era of black politician, battle-tested by the civil rights struggles of the 1960s with Martin Luther King Jr. CBS NEWS

After seeing that Bill Richardson was the first candidate to agree to participate in the Prez on the Rez forums in Indian Country, and got some info about him from Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century, I decided to visit his website. More on that later when I do some reviewing of Presidential candidates in the near future. But I immediately noticed one thing that impressed me. On Bill Richardson's blogroll, are all the usual sites (dKos, Atrois, myDD, etc.) but he also has Culture Kitchen and Political Cortex, both of which are among my favorite sites. (By the way, I have Margarett Bassett to thank for knowing about Political Cortex...she told me about it).

So, Bill Richardson's campaign is giving some love to us over here at Culture Kitchen, for which we thank him. Made me wonder which of the other candidates include us on their blogrolls. Well, I only looked at the top four, and first thing I noticed, Richardson is the only one who has an easily found blogroll. I couldn't find a blogroll on either Clinton's or Obama's sites. Maybe they are there, but I couldn't easily find it. Richardson's jumped out when I scanned his blog page. Edwards' campaign site has a blogroll, but it was hard to find. And we aren't on it. Haven't they heard about Bouldin's great diaries on Edwards? Don't we deserve some love?

This doesn't need much commentary. John "Escalation" McCain, the man who would be King after King George II, is touting his extremism. From the Washington Post:

"I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned," the Arizona senator told about 800 people in South Carolina, one of the early voting states.

Wingnut. I don't know why he is a hero to so many. I mean his record from Vietnam was very brave and honorable. But since he got screwed from behind by Bush and Rove he has been worse than useless. Now he is just another barking crazy rightwinger with no respect for our troops or the Constitution.

Our junior new york senator, Hillary Clinton, today on her website announced that "I'm in and I'm in to win" Formally announcing formation of her presidential exploratory committee. The link is:

www.hillaryclinton.com

Its interesting that many women and other feminists have not yet warmed to the prospect of Hillary's campaign. She is the very first serious, viable, top-tier female democratic party presidential candidate. The first who is going to have a true shot at winning. If the time has come for a woman to be President, she's the first one who has ever been in the best position to do it. I would think that women's groups and other feminist groups would grasp the historical nature of her campaign and wish her well.

I haven't decided myself who I'm supporting yet. Barack Obama's campaign is also historical. But I think its a great thing that both of them are running. It speaks to the diversity of the democratic party. I wish both of them the best in their campaigns.