John Kerry Senate Seat Replacement

Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts will be the next Secretary of State replacing Hillary Clinton.  His nomination by President Obama was just a formality.  Even John McCain is calling him "Mr. Secretary" in person.  Now the question becomes who will replace the elder statesman from Massachusetts in the US Senate?  Get rid of the hack statewide politicians that want to be the person filling the Senate chair and go with guts and a brainiac.  Someone that can speak loud and clear and get people to agree that the facts never lie.

If you know the state of politics and the mishmash of getting elected then the best choice is Dr. Rachel Maddow who happens to reside in western Massachusetts.  I can honestly think of not one soul worthy or bright enough to replace John Kerry in the US Senate.  She speaks from the gut and speaks facts from the gut because her mind is all about facts.  Her personal agenda is all about getting to the truth and putting it out there and screaming it to all that would listen.  What better person would you want for your representative in the US Senate?

Would she give up the nightly news show for a US Senate seat is another question to ask?  Against Scott Brown, she would wipe the floor with him in any debates and at the ballot box.  She is the only person I see that could be a force for true change in the Senate and in all of our nations lives for the better.

Dr. Rachel Maddow for US Senate!!!!  I'm up for that.  Sorry to toss you under the bus Rachel but your state and your country need you.  Do the right thing.  RUN for the US Senate.

Papamoka 

Keith Olbermann Suspended

This was in the email today... I signed it and you should too.

BREAKING: MSNBC has suspended star anchor Keith Olbermann following the news that he donated to three Democratic candidates this election cycle.

Sign our emergency petition to MSNBC. Tell them to put Olbermann back on the air NOW!

Then, pass this to your progressive friends.

Media are writing about this breaking story right now, and our growing petition will display the public outrage.

NBC policy does not prohibit employees from donating to political candidates. But MSNBC president Phil Griffin is miffed that Keith didn't get "prior approval" first. Seriously. His feelings are hurt.

Meanwhile, Republicans Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan also gave political contributions -- but are not suspended. It must only be ok for MSNBC employees to give to Republicans, not Democrats.

Thanks for getting Keith's back. I've said it here once before... MSNBC SUCKS!

Papamoka

Living Will or Advance Directive

One of the biggest issues that is coming under fire with the proposed healthcare reform legislation is the living will or advance directive for all citizens of the United States. Mind you, this has been backed by the US Government for twenty plus years and surprisingly by many folks on the right side of the political spectrum.

Currently, we have Rush Limbaugh of EIB fame ranting on and on against “Death Panels” which is how he defines a living will or advance directive. Then we have Newt Gingrich declaring that Americans will be euthanized because some states allow it. And then there is former Governor Sarah Palin going on her soap box to declare that “Death Panels” will ration medicine or kill Grammy and Grandpa.

What makes no sense is that each one of these same folks was for it before it became part of the discussion to fix America’s healthcare system. Each one of them is pulling a John Kerry “I was for it before I was against it” sort of move.

Where you have a living will to give medical directions aka advance directions on steps to be taken to care for you in your last days on this earth. Things like, don’t feed me through a tube, don’t let machines keep me alive, and by all means, do not resuscitate (DNR) if you go into cardiac arrest.

Check out the “I was for it before I was against it” video from MSNBC and Rachel Maddow…

Video Link

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It’s very interesting how quickly politics plays into this healthcare issue. I can understand Rush Limbaugh flipping opinion for a dollar but you know that Gingrich and Palin are towing party politics to stir up the base even though they were “For It before they were against It”.

Papamoka

Health Care Debate Violence

It doesn’t surprise me that this simple discussion about healthcare for all Americans has become violence prone. All sides of the debate are getting pissed, miffed, angry, and riotous and it makes no sense. Is it not fair to say that the argument on the right is being fed misinformation from organizations that just don’t want healthcare for everyone? There isn’t a Republican I know that would walk away from someone that was injured or bleeding on the street. Same goes for any Democrat, Green, or Independent that I know. Democrats are not being told the whole truth either given the White House’s recent backing off of a deal with the pharmaceutical companies that would have negotiated prescription drug pricing for people on Medicare.

I find it stupefying when you see people estimate healthcare for all Americans at one trillion dollars but leave out the fact that that is a Washington budgetary term that is in fact spread out over ten years. So the discussion should move to what can be cut in the federal budget to pay for health care for everyone? Can we cut tax subsidies for oil companies that are basically having a freebie on oil leases on public land and seas? Or can we even go so far as to cut the spending for maintaining a military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan and bring our troops all home and hopefully in one piece?

One thing is certain, America needs to fix its health care system and it will not get fixed when everyone is yelling and screaming at one another. It certainly won’t fix itself or even remotely heal with violence breaking out at Town Hall meetings to discuss health care. It’s one thing to discuss an issue, it is entirely another when violence becomes the high point of any political reporting on what the changes of our health care system are or can be.

When you really look at America, we have a diverse culture and collection of people. We can be best of friends on Facebook or Myspace and yet not recognize one another and become violent with one another over healthcare? Does that make sense to you? In the end, if the violence wins the day and kills healthcare for all Americans, what has the political movement on the right really won? David Frum has his opinion on that…

Makes me wonder if outside influences and special interests on both sides are pushing the buttons to force matters and discussions regarding healthcare into a violent end. Otherwise, I think we can all agree that Kate Smith had it right with her inspirational rendition of God Bless America. At the end of the day, we are all still Americans and we can not and should not ever forget that.

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Papamoka

Pat Buchanan, the other White Meat

It doesn't take much to come to the conclusion that Pat Buchanan, former Nixon speech writer and Republican candidate for President long ago in a galaxy far far away is a white supremist. In his fat and happy little world, all things are controlled by rich, white, Republicans. There are no woman equal to the task of the SCOTUS, there are no people of any race other than his lily white skin that deserve to be in high office.

I think it is only right that we award Mr. Buchanan the SCUMBAG trophy. This idiot that MSNBC has on the payroll for every news magazine show they have is a throwback to times long gone bye bye. I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears for this interview with Rachel Maddow with our SCUMBAG recipient. Pat actually thinks that America was built only by rich white folks. He actually thinks that someone like Judge Sotomayor, who graduated at the top of her class isn’t smart enough for SCOTUS??? MSNBC should fire his fat white ass! Or is MSNBC backing up what their paid political spokesman has to say?

Here we go from You Tube…
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Thank you Rachel Maddow for bitch slapping this moron! Here is your SCUMBAG award Pat, hand crafted by artisans working with a shovel down at the local sewerage treatment plant. You might want to run the AC in your car on the way home Pat, heat tends to make our trophy give off odors that tend to match the words coming out of your mouth.

Papamoka

Joe Scarborough is a Red-blooded American Twit!

Hello Bloggers - Did you guys see the way that A-HOLE Joe Scarborough made a fool of himself on MSNBC this morning?! It was outrageous - I'll look for it on YouTube.

He made a complete ass of himself this morning by accusing his co-hosts of being anti-American and anti-Texan. The really sad part was that he wasn't joking - if he was, you couldn't tell. He actually looked offended.

It happened when the Morning Joe program came out of a commercial early this morning when they showed a shot of the Dallas skyline. Mike, Willy and Mika (the "liberal/progressive" co-hosts) were trying to figure out the significance of the Dallas skyline shot. They quickly concluded that it had something to do with a baseball game.

Joe "the deaf and dumb" Scarborough, sitting in another studio somewhere with what must have been a bad audio connection, starting accusing them of being anti-American for mocking the idea of showing a picture of Dallas. He simply jumped to the conclusion they were mocking America and Texas. The weird part is they never said anything of the sort. It was very strange to watch.

He didn't seem to be kidding. He seemed to be kind of angry. It was so weird to watch him accuse his co-hosts, and his countrymen, of hating America - right there on national TV. The others just sat there in shock for a moment. Then Willy Geist responded by saying that he didn't need his patriotism questioned "by the likes of you." I thought that was pretty cool. Mike and Mika just sat there stunned. They quickly cut away to another shot in another studio.

I'm not a regular viewer, but I will say that I was extremely offended by Joe's remarks. It was embarrassing and rude. I hope to never watch the a-hole again. The man comes across as a reactionary moron. He should be suspended, or maybe fired. Who needs that crap? We the viewers certainly don't. I guess MSNBC does for ratings, but they should think twice on this one.

I don't care if he's controversial and represents a segment of society - it's a very UGLY SEGMENT OF SOCIETY to the majority of Americans. To me, the guy represents what's wrong with the right today. In my opinion they're harboring deep anger towards us on the left. That little scene showed the real Joe - and they way people like him think.

In my opinion there are too many hot-headed Republicans out there screaming about progressives being anti-American these days. I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired of having my patriotism questioned - like Willy Geist. Who the hell do they think they are? I don't want to hear any more of their crap! He and his ilk are all a bunch of intolerant twits! I only hope he pays a price for his stupidity.

Btw, on a similar note, let's add one more psycho story to the list of Republican psycho stories. In addition to the developing list of red state calls for succession these days, we now have Congressman Nathan Deal, a Republican candidate for governor of Georgia, proposing to change the long-standing federal policy that automatically grants citizenship to any baby born on U.S. soil. Of course, it's pretty much opposed by immigrant rights advocates.

Deal and his supporters say the 14th Amendment wording was never meant to automatically give citizenship to babies born to illegal immigrants. "This is a sensible, overdue measure that closes a clause that was never meant to be a loophole," said Bob Dane, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which seeks tighter immigration restrictions.

Under Deal's proposal, babies born in the U.S. would automatically have citizenship only if at least one of their parents is a U.S. citizen or national, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., or actively serving in the U.S. military.

I wonder how the Hispanic community will react to the Republican Party after hearing that little tidbit? I'll leave it to the courts to decide, but I do think it's fascinating to watch the Republicans constantly shooting themselves in their electoral foot.

Wow, think about it, if they add that campaign to a serious one against Supreme Court Nominee Sonia SotaMayor, they may as well go all the way. They should just start slurring the Holy Mother, wear cheap sombreros and sing tasteless Latin music. That might attract even better publicity. LOL!!

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Obama Changes Position On Torture Prosecution

I should start off this post that I am a firm believer that those that endorsed torture during the Bush AKA I’m really the President Cheney administration deserve no respect or gratitude from any American citizen. We live in a land of laws, and in those laws are protections of not only our citizens but our enemies. Believing in our nation comes with a price and that price is full respect of the law that we not only pass in this nation but laws we agree to as a nation with the rest of the world. That can get complicated but Prisoners Of War, POW’s, deserve fair treatment from every nation in the world. That may first sound ridiculous but how many Vietnam POW’s do you know that faced horrible torture? Just ask John McCain while he isn’t on the campaign trail on his true feelings and thoughts on torture.

President Obama today stated that he is now open to the justice department looking into prosecuting the people that authorized torture under the guise of US Government protection of America. With limitations? Over at MSNBC they have this video with President Obama explaining his change in position when it comes to prosecuting anyone involved with torture…

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Freedom comes with a price, and that price is an understanding of what is right and what is wrong. It’s called the law of the land. In respect to President Bush and what part he and his co-horts played in this torture debate, I have to honestly think they deserve a full Presidential pardon from President Obama. President Bush swore to respect and defend America as best he could and that is what he did. He dropped the ball on respecting America but he did in fact defend America to the best of his sometimes incompetent abilities. How Bush defended America after 9/11 is up to historians to decide and not for lawyers, prosecutors, and courts to decide. An American President swears to defend America first above all else, how he or eventually she does that is for them to decide. I'm pretty sure that this Liberal is extemely controversial on this issue in asking for a pardon for President Bush. Screw Cheney though!

As for Dick Cheney, former Vice President, all of his talk on the networks is turning the tide of many moderates that used to be in the Republican Party against the Republican Party. People that have sons and daughters in the military want to know that if our government endorses torture, which Cheney denied originally, will not have their sons and daughters tortured. Parents want to know for sure that our sons and daughters will not face the same forms of torture today or in the future if their children serve proudly in America’s military. Any argument Cheney gives defending torture is an argument that has no weight to it. Go back to your hidey hole in Wyoming Dick and shut the hell up! America has grown up since the days of we must live in fear forever after 9/11. It just isn’t in our blood to do so.

The world is a much smaller place than it used to be and we need to work with our friends in the world to make it a better place to live, if not just for today but for decades to come.

Papamoka

Limbaugh Listeners Revolt

The ditto heads of Limbaugh’s EIB network are fed up and Rush pretty much insists that you are ignorant if you as a Republican believe that torture is okay. Even if you are a former soldier, marine, or past member of any part of the military. According to Rush, people that think that torture is wrong have no place in “His” Republican Party. And in Rush’s mind, people in the middle of the political stratosphere that do not follow the Rush Almighty Republican philosophy are to blame for President Obama being elected.

Let me just say this, I think I know now what the Democrats are doing with the money they had previously appropriated for liberal blogger advertising, they gave it all to Rush Limbaugh. I’m loving this!!! Over at Countdown with Keith Olbermann they have this great piece…

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How classic is this for Democrats? The global warming “Phenomenon” has finally reached the EIB and the meltdown of Rush has begun. Here is Rush Limbaugh being called out by a former Marine radio broadcast listener and blamed for the downfall of the Republican Party. What I find truly funny is that all that the esteemed brain on lone from God shock jock could do was to attack the listener rather than offer a clear well thought out rebuttal. Then again isn’t that typical of the Ditto Heads, if you don’t agree with them, then you are Un-American and unclean.

Getting back to the caller and the torture issue, the caller holds the higher ground as far as being against torture and let me tell you why. The caller, a former US Marine and Army service member put his life in danger and the possibility of being tortured actually existed if he was captured in a hostile situation. Rush Limbaugh’s only chance of that happening is if he spills his coffee at the drive up because he never served in the military.

I’m loving it, the more Rush talks, the better it is for those of us with left leaning political thoughts. Some of which just happen to be fed up life long Republicans. Come on over to the left folks, take your shoes off and relax. We are not the big scary monsters that Rush told you we were. Group hug!

Papamoka

Senator Morning Joe

Is MSNBC a gene pool for potential future leaders of the Congress? Just a few months back there were reports off the cuff that Chris Matthews of Hardball was going to take a run for office and now we have reports coming in that Joe Scarborough of Morning Joe is going to run for the Senate. I found this little nugget of information over at Memeorandum and I do thank them for the tip!

By Jeremy Wallace

Published: Monday, February 9, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, February 9, 2009 at 1:14 p.m.

Television host Joe Scarborough has a new radio show and is feeling good about the influence he's having on politics.

But the former congressman from Pensacola said he may run for office again, maybe even the U.S. Senate in 2010.

"I haven't closed it off," said Scarborough, a Republican who is scheduled to address the Manatee County Republican Party at its annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Feb. 20. "I've been getting some calls from some fundraisers in Florida."

Scarborough said he is also hearing from other U.S. senators who want him to run for the seat that Sen. Mel Martinez announced he is leaving next year.

He just needs to decide whether he could have as much influence on public policy as one of 100 senators as he does now on his MSNBC program "Morning Joe," he said. - Herald Tribune

Don’t get me wrong, in their own television news magazines both of these gentleman ask or state some provocative opinions that I sometimes agree with and other times throw a shoe at the television. Chris and Joe are both pretty head strong individuals and sometimes when people don’t agree with them they throw little tantrums right on the air. Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann are a good example during the Democrat Convention with Chris pretty much having a hissy fit on Keith over reporting emotions rather than facts. Joe Scarborough and former Secretary of State Zbigniew Brzezinski where the Z’ster had to tell Joe he didn’t know what the hell he was talking about concerning world diplomacy.

In the end, these two are a bunch of hot heads and that may sell on viewers but it will not sell in the halls of Congress.

Papamoka

Catching Criminals is Important Too Mr. President

Hello Papamoka Bloggers - It's only the first week, and I don't wish to be negative, but so far President Obama seems lukewarm on Bush crimes. It's early, but I'm still nervous. He signed impressive executive orders restoring transparency and ethics, and ordering Guantanamo Bay closed and ending torture, but going after Bush crimes and Justice Department priorities are still a mystery.

Republicans are still trying to cover their tracks. Many believe Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) is delaying the confirmation of Attorney General nominee Eric Holder by one week to delay him from going after Bush, Cheney et al on wiretapping. They may be trying to make a deal. Other Republicans are threatening to withdraw their support on the stimulus bill and other legislation if the Administration moves against Bush. So far there's a lot of smoke, but the fire is missing.

The biggest crime is about to expire, and Obama knows it. George Bush reauthorized the illegal wiretapping himself because Colmey stopped the hospitalized John Ashcroft from signing the paperwork. Remember, Colmey criticized Gonzales for trying to force him in front of that congressional committee. Well, that bit of lawbreaking is about to expire - the statute of limitations runs out in March. We need Obama and his Justice Department to act soon .

Whistleblowing on the day Obama took office has revealed the extent of the wiretapping. The NSA spied on all Americans, including journalists and politicians. George Bush probably benefited from knowledge learned through wiretaps. It's probably one reason why he always seemed to have inside information. His Administration, especially Rove and Cheney, were a little too good at exploiting weakness; it's obvious now they had an edge. If they did it, it represents a string of felonies and it should NOT BE IGNORED! Obama must act!

I find the whole justice debate mind-blowing. Evidence of Bush lawbreaking is extensive, yet the majority of Republicans still defend him. They impeached Bill Clinton over perjury, yet fail to criticize Bush over anything. They act as if he's above the law. They call anyone who questions him an "extremist." They always describe him as a "good guy" who "did his best" during very "difficult times." They describe him as a "decent man" who "tried to do the right thing" but fell short. It's extraordinary listening to them.

My Republican friends and family won't even question his past actions. They're almost "sheep-like" in their reverence for the man. They say "he kept us safe" as though nothing else matters. It's obvious to me now that objectivity, self-awareness and reflection are not strong Republican personality traits.

It's obvious there's a double-standard in the country today, but I can't figure out why. Is it party loyalty? It's very strange. We threw Nixon out of office, and he was a Republican, so why not question Bush? Do we need White House tapes? What do they need? Ordinary Americans appear almost brainwashed. They scream about Blago, and call for investigations and justice against Democrats on a regular basis, yet rarely question their own actions. It's amazing to watch.

Even journalists seem to ignore the severity of the Bush crimes. Dismissing FOX "News," correspondents on corporate news networks like CNN and MSNBC these days talk about how "difficult it would be to prosecute" and how "most in Washington are looking ahead." Except for a few like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, they talk as if enforcing the law [for politicians] is optional. I often walk away from the news dumbfounded that our nation has become so selective in the way it views justice.

So, ask yourself what will happen if nothing happens? I'll tell you! Average Americans will begin to question the fairness of justice, and start to see unequal justice. "Why care if they don't" will be asked everywhere? It will mean a slow and steady erosion of respect for the legal system. Is that wise? It may not be obvious right away, but it will begin to surface in courtrooms across America over time. Do you really want to take that risk Mr. President?

The Obama Administration may be playing political gamesmanship, knowing something we don't know. We can only hope they're doing the right thing, because inaction would be a disaster for the future of the nation. A majority of the country knows that Bush lawbreaking was extensive, and ignoring it would set a dangerous precedent for future presidents - both Republican and Democrat. American justice should be more important than political expediency. Catching criminals is important too Mr. President, so please act soon.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Media Frenzy on the Economy

There is a media frenzy over the financial crisis that America is facing and it's almost tantamount to Chicken Little screaming that the sky is falling but people are actually listening to the main stream media. You can not turn on a news magazine talk show and not here opinions from the host that are just that… OPINION! These people that sit in the chairs that stare into a camera or talk into a microphone and just babble on based on what they think are by no means financial experts. And yet, America is listening and the belts of the folks still with good jobs at great wages are listening as if these news reporters or “entertainment news anchors” are their Sunday morning preacher declaring the Rapture just after this paid advertisement. And those belts all across America are tightening by people tuning in day after day on the financial crisis news. It becomes a self induced prophecy of our economy. All of the networks are bashing people over the current economic crisis and not a one is innocent…

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For the record I don’t believe political polls but I believe in people that will speak honestly when it comes to their feeling about the current economic situation here in the states. People talk money and vote money when you come right down to it. In elections, they look at the money proposed on campaign promises as somebody else that is spending the money that really is not their money, but in the general economy polls, it is their money and their jobs. Wallets and personal checking accounts come into play.

Over at Breitbart.Com they have this to say about the media frenzy and its influence on the overall economy…

Poll: 77% of Americans Blame Media for Making Economic Crisis Worse

Jan 1 11:09 AM US/Eastern

- New Poll Conducted by Opinion Research Corporation -
NEW YORK, Jan. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Seventy-seven percent of Americans believe that the U.S. media is making the economic situation worse by projecting fear into people's minds.

The majority of those surveyed feel that the financial press, by focusing on and embellishing negative news, is damaging consumer confidence and damping investment, making a difficult situation much worse. The poll was conducted via telephone, December 4 - 7.

The US survey of 1000 adults was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation and is statistically representative of the total U.S. population. The survey question: "Do you think the financial press is making the economic crisis worse by projecting fear into people's minds?" While the overall response indicated that 77% of Americans answered YES, here are highlights of note: Household Incomes: $25k - $35k -- 79% answered YES $35k - $50k -- 88% answered YES $50k - $75k -- 76% answered YES $75k - more -- 78% answered YES Demographics: 85% of young adults (18-24 yrs old) answered YES 77% of males and females alike answered YES 65% of blacks answered YES. - Breitbart.com

I stopped watching Fox News after they defended and justified the price of gasoline at the pump hitting almost five bucks a gallon so I can’t say what Fox News and their talking heads are doing on this subject but I can say that I do watch MSNBC in the morning and at night. Morning Joe is a joke with non expert experts that claim to know the ins and outs of the economy and declare their words to be gospel before the real experts come on and give their opinions. I’ve literally watched as Mike Barnicle, a frequent contributor espoused on what is wrong with Detroit and the automakers and he has no clue what it takes to actually build a U.S. made car! He probably drives a friging Toyota! The same man was there spouting off on the problems of Wall Street but he wasn’t demanding as much from those criminals as he was of the working man or woman on the production lines at GM, Ford, or Chrysler?

My point is, just because you are a reporter does not make you an expert on every financial issue. But they sure as hell can scare the hell out of many people with their self righteous pompous attitude that is fed into our living rooms. Mind you, I’m not just talking about MSNBC either and their talking heads. All of the networks have the same hype built news magazines and I don’t mean to single out Mike Barnicle or MSNBC.

If I were contacted for this poll I would have more than positively stated that the media is starting a stampede against the economy simply because fear sells better than hope on television or the radio. Fluffy kitten stories are not news people want to hear. Drama, anger, fear, and corruption is what draws viewers and listeners.

There is a real danger in the media today, that danger is when reporters and hosts of a television or radio program for entertainment purposes are taken as fact based voices for the majority of the populous in America. These people are selling just air time and the facts may be further from the actual truth.

Whom would you trust more? Zbigniew Brzezinski a former Secretary of State and real life expert on foreign affairs or Joe Scarborough TV News show host? How about Rep. Barney Frank who has worked on real Banking Legislation change for decades or Bill O’Reilly, an extremely volatile and contraversial entertainment news personality? In each case the news entertainer maligned or tried their best to discredit the expert because they are the shows host. That is Yellow Journalism on television at its best. That sells better airtime than the actual truth that is kind of boring and ho hum news.

Thank you Memeorandum for the news tip...

Papamoka

Shoes Thrown at Bush in Iraq

Over in Iraq today President Bush had the greatest insult an Iraqi can offer. Throwing of the shoes. Remember back to the days when the Sadam Hussein statues were torn down and the people attacked the replicas by slamming their shoes at it over and over again. President Bush just received the same acknowledgement. MSNBC has this video on it...

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Can't say that I blame the guy for tossing both shoes at President Bush. I'm sure that there are a couple of people right here in the United States that would love the same opportunity.

Papamoka

*****Gun Toting Liberal has linked in... Thank you!

Pardon Power and Bush Candidates

One of the perks when being President is that you can let criminals walk free of the law just because you say so. No matter the law, umm, I think murder is out, but the President exiting the White House can pardon anyone. No reason needs to be given, the President says so and that is it.

President Ford gave a blank pardon to Richard Nixon and most political theorists believe that he actually needed to do so in order to get America back on track and dealing with real American issues. Nixon more or less needed to be laid to rest political in order for Ford to lead.

This has me wondering whom will get a pardon from W and his crew of thugs and mischievous near do wellers. Scooter Libby has already received his pardon and commutation of his jail sentence. Is Dick Cheney next? Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzaleze? How many current or past cabinet members will President Bush have to pardon?

Haliburton has moved out of the country to Dubai so that group of Soprano thugs is out for a Presidential Pardon. Is Karl Rove on the to do list of President Bush? Dick Cheney has to be high on the list. To date over 2300 requests for pardons have been received by the White House according to MSNBC and Rachel Maddow. I wonder what her spin on the Bush pardon legacy will be…



I think we can all assume, and I hate to do that, that President Bush will cover his ass and everyone that covered his ass in the deceptive way he governed America. Anyone under indictment or in process of being convicted by the Justice Department for any crimes if they even remotely linked back to the White House will get a full unconditional pardon. Especially, the many friends that helped run the Iraq War. The key points of the list to watch of pardons will come down to who was not under investigation and gets a pardon anyway. That is the hardcore list of folks that screwed the American people most for personal gain. President Bush will cover the back door for them and they in turn will treat him like a God in his retirement. Isn’t this a great country where piracy in our government is forgiven! If Bush’s legal team could skirt the Constitution for eight years then I’m pretty sure there is an attorney out there that can charge him with treason. Bush sold America out to the highest bidder and he and his crew never blinked an eye in doing so. A precedent needs to be set. Even the President of the United States of America has to stand by the laws of the land. Where do we set the bar for standards for the highest office in the land? If we go by the Bush standard, you wipe your back side with the Constitution and flush it away as useless paper.

Papamoka

New Regulations and Bush Last Days

All over the news fit to report is the fact that President Bush is going to ram through hundreds if not thousands of regulations that would tie his successor Barack Obama down to eventaully look like an ass. Bush pased it, Obama owns it and can not overturn it easily. From clean water to power generation, to toxic waste dumping to you name it and Bush and company is going for one last screw you America. Bush is going to regulate it alll and make the message that Obama won the Presidency illegitimately. With only a 28% approval rating President Bush is going to burn all the bridges that lead to the White House because he is a spoiled rotten brat. Not that we did not know that already but he needs mom to stop by more often to wipe his snivels and tears of his ludicrous lack of popularity.

You know that old story that if you don’t lie you never have to remember the lie? Well the Republican Party lied to America and in this case, they are stuck with the lie that they passed to protect President Bush from Bill Clinton in his last days as President. Damn you double edged swords! Who authorized sharpening both edges of that political blade?

Over at Politico they have this to say on last minute regulation changes by Bush and Screw You America Incorporated…

Congressional Democrats are eyeing a little-known, Clinton-era law as a way to reverse Bush administration midnight regulations — even ones that have already taken effect.

It’s a move that would undermine the White House’s attempt to finalize its energy and environmental regulations by November so that Barack Obama couldn’t undo them after he’s sworn in as the 44th president on Jan. 20.

“Fortunately, [the White House] made a mistake,” said a top Senate Democratic aide.

Last May, White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten instructed federal agency heads to make sure any new regulations were finalized by Nov. 1. The memo didn’t spell it out, but the thinking behind the directive was obvious. As Myron Ebell of the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute put it: “We’re not going to make the same mistakes the Clinton administration did.”

President Bill Clinton finalized regulations within 60 days of the 2001 inauguration, meaning Bush could come in and easily reverse them.

It could take Obama years to undo climate rules finalized more than 60 days before he takes office — the advantage the White House sought by getting them done by Nov. 1. But that strategy doesn’t account for the Congressional Review Act of 1996.

The law contains a clause determining that any regulation finalized within 60 legislative days of congressional adjournment is considered to have been legally finalized on the 15th legislative day of the new Congress, likely sometime in February. Congress then has 60 days to review it and reverse it with a joint resolution that can’t be filibustered in the Senate.

In other words, any regulation finalized in the last half-year of the Bush administration could be wiped out with a simple party-line vote in the Democrat-controlled Congress. - Politico

Then we have this over at MSNBC that has this talking point on the issue…

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Pay close attention these next few weeks and months, the election is already in the history books but the deception from the Bush administration has only just begun. President Bush is going to chuck America the finger and show all of us who is really in control and has the power. As soon as he lands in Crawford Texas law enforcement people should put him in handcuffs and put him in an orange prison jump suit. No President in the history of this nation has ever been so corrupt and in the tank for his own special interest friends. How many ways does he have to chuck us the bird and then declare himself a public servant to the people before we all get the joke?

I’m so glad that Precedent Bush and Company put out enough rope to hang themselves with because of the way he and his friends have left our nation, we really can not afford to buy the rope ourselves. Anyone have a coupon?

Papamoka

Rachel Maddow and Barack Obama Interview

Let me start off by saying that NBC and MSNBC is highly favored by the Obama campaign for good press but that does not stop Rachel Maddow from asking some tough questions of Senator Obama. Rachel Maddow still does not think this election is in the bag for either candidate and that makes this interview all that much more interesting. Below is part one of the interview in Sarasota, Florida. This interview took place in the former Secretary of State and Congresswoman Kathryn Harris district. Whatever happened to her by the way?

Video Link Part 1



One of the things that I did not know about Obama and his campaign is that he does not go after Conservatives at all, or for that matter he does not direct his comments to people as Republicans but what his opponent John McCain representing that party believes. Senator Obama is reaching for Republican voters and Republican servants in our nations government. It isn’t that he has to if he wins the election, it is that he knows that he needs too! Both political parties are not perfect but working together is better than banging our heads together time and time again on issues after issue where nothing gets fixed. We can do better.

America has many issues facing her over the next four or more years starting with the meltdown on Wall Street, our economy teetering on a recession if not worse, the housing collapse, two wars on two fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan and the shrinking job market here at home. These are serious issues that takes more than just one persons opinion to work on.

Our nation is in crisis and John McCain is not the answer with his coined responses to serious questions. As much as I respect him as a Veteran, I could not trust him with my children’s future and what America could be if special interests are holding the White House hostage through political contributions. In the back of many voters minds is the greed and deception of our political leaders over the last eight plus years and enough is enough. People are tired of seeing elected leaders step down in disgrace over one controversy or the other. People are tired of being treated like the bottom of the barrel and we do not deserve our governments leadership. People are tired of seeing only the top income earners get tax breaks while inflation is ripping the middle and lower classes off year after year with stagnant wages.

The time for change is coming on November 4th and you don’t have to vote, you must vote! Otherwise, shut the hell up and say hello to $4.00 per gallon gas, no jobs, special interest and corporate greed gone super nova, our military used as Pons to benefit corporations and the list goes on.

Vote for Barack Obama. Place your confidence in the hands of a man that is not afraid to face the issues and tackle them the minute they arise. Obama’s campaign against John McCain has shown that he is a true fighter with all the mud thrown at him.

Papamoka

The McCain Campaign's Chemical Breakdown

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - Anybody who watched Hardball yesterday would have noticed the remarks made by MSNBC's Political Director Chuck Todd after he sat in on the Nightly News interview with McCain and Palin. He kept telling Chris how he felt their was "NO" chemistry between them.

Todd kept saying it over and over. It was obvious to him. He also said that he sensed a great deal of "tension" in the room. I wonder if they had a big fight before the interview. McCain did make faces during the interview - then again, when does he not make stupid faces. I wonder if McCain is beginning to blame her for his own problems and screw-ups. The really funny part is that they're both pretty awful.

I don't know about you guys, but most Republicans I know are famous for passing the buck. The ones I know rarely take any personal responsibility. I'll bet that's happening with McCain. He's probably blaming her for everything. I'll even go so far as to bet the man's a misogynist - just look how he treats his wife at times. He's probably regretting the Palin decision and it's starting to show. Oh well, all the better for us.

It's also reported on Raw Story this morning that the New York Times Magazine is set to publish an explosive story on Sunday detailing "the inner workings and combative personalities" of the McCain campaign.

Raw Story reports that the piece, written by Robert Draper and titled The Making (and Remaking and Remaking) of the Candidate, will highlight "a growing weariness within a campaign that seems more interested in tactical victories and the next compelling narratives than an overarching strategy." It sounds interesting, but it's been pretty damn obvious to me for a while.

Excerpts:
"Having interviewed several of the Senator's chief aides, Draper details the process by which McCain ultimately chose his running mate (New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg was surprisingly high on the list). And the decision may have been even more impulsive than initially thought. Gov. Sarah Palin, who had never been on the VP shortlist, was advanced at the last minute by Schmidt and Rick Davis, and was picked after a chat with McCain at his ranch in Arizona."

"From there, Draper tracks the campaign through Palin's widely praised convention speech, the roaring early campaign events, and then the first glimmer of doubts. There are additional, juicy nuggets that he uncovers earlier and along the way. These include the birth of the Obama-as-celebrity attack line -- the campaign felt it was on the wrong track, its pollster described their situation as "third and nine," and Schmidt "blurted out the epiphany concerning Obama. 'Face it, gentlemen,' he said. 'He's being treated like a celebrity.'"

Reports like that confirm a great many of my suspicions. The ironic thing is that everybody I know in Washington (I used to work for a Senator on Capitol Hill) tells me that John McCain has the ultimate celebrity ego. Supposedly, in addition to an early film about his time in Vietnam, he expects a full-feature film spanning his Senate years one day. If it's true, than Obama's rise to fame - at his expense - must be leaving him feeling pretty sore.

I'm a big believer that "the fish rots from the head down." It's not a pretty saying, but it sums up my belief that the top dog creates the "personality" of any organization - based on who he draws into it.

It's pretty obvious that McCain attracts awful people that don't function well together. Think about it, there have been rumors since the primaries about the infighting. That's a pretty damn good reason to vote against him right there. Just think about his potential White House. Scary!

John McCain is a negative person who surrounds himself with negative people. Unfortunately, the fruits of his labor are beginning to rot, and the stench is getting out. It's interesting to watch. I'll bet they're all pretty sick of each other at this point. I suggest we all just sit back and watch the fireworks. If it continues in the same way, there should be a pretty good finale.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

*****Our good friend Gun Toting Liberal has linked to this post! Thank you GTL!

Olbermann Slams McCain Campaign

I happen to love a good rant and Keith Olbermann can out do me any day of the week when it comes to the issues of the past week in politics.

You have to check this video out, Olberman goes after Palin on the “Pro-America” stance. Then Minnesota’s Congresswoman Michele Bachman for requesting a McCarthy like hearings on Anti American Democrats! Then he goes after one of McCain’s spokeswoman on Virginia and the race for President that she perceives as us against them. Limbaugh made the rant on Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama where Rush thinks it is a African American sticking with another African American. Then he goes after McCain on responsibility for what his spokespeople are saying in all aspects of his campaign.

This was an amazing rant from Keith Olbermann and I think many people will agree that he isn’t far off from the truth on this one.

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Papamoka

McCarthyist Tactics and The Republican Path to the Darkside

Good Morning Bloggers - I don't know if you guys noticed yesterday, but the Republican talking points moved from simply crazy to "serial killer-kind-of-crazy" in my opinion.

I caught Bay Buchanan on CNN and Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) on MSNBC's Hardball yesterday and both were spewing the worst paranoid politics I've heard in a long time - if ever. They seemed to take their cues from Senator Joe McCarthy, but instead of calling out communists they were calling out the millions of "anti-Americans" and "socialists" supporting Barack Obama.

Wow! I guess I'm an "anti-American socialist" now because I support Barack. Incredible! I don't think that describes me at all. I think they're just NUTS! The interviewers looked just as shocked, and intelligently each seemed to be offering them plenty of rope, if you know what I mean.

It was an incredible news day. Chris Matthews tried to get Bachmann to name who the "anti-Americans" were, but she only responded with vague comments about how they exist everywhere, including Congress. She was actually calling on the FBI and the press to expose them. My mouth was wide open by that stage of the interview. I was stunned! The only good news is that Bachmann's opponent in the Minnesota race received over $30K in contributions within hours of the Hardball broadcast.

So, they've gone from Bill Ayers and Rev. Wright to cast suspicions on everybody who doesn't support their candidates or their issues. She kept saying "are they pro-America or anti-America?" It was surreal to say the least.

I realize they've questioned our patriotism in the past, but never in such a desperate, campaign-coordinated, tactical manner. They are actually now taking a campaign-supported position that anybody who doesn't vote their way is anti-American, or a socialist. It's a bold move. It's an outrageous move.

My God, what is happening to the Republicans? How low will they go? Do they really want to win at all costs? Do they really believe the ends justify the means? I think the answer is a resounding yes, but feel free to give your opinion. That's what a blog is all about.

In my opinion they have no dignity left. They've dredged the depths of the swamp and released their noxious gases. I do wonder if they have worse, and how low will they go before it's all over? It's kind of interesting to watch, in the same way you watch a horrible crash or an unfolding disaster. It's a morbid curiosity. Oh well, no matter what, they are now befouled by their own wretched stench. They are no longer even remotely respectable.

I wonder who the Sith Lord is these days? John McCain? Karl Rove? George Bush? Dick Cheney? Whoever it is, there's no doubt in my mind now, they've all joined the darkside. There's not much good left in them. Okay, I feel better. Republicans, it's your turn.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's West Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Rachel Maddow is Awesome!

Hello Papamoka Bloggers - I hope that some of you caught David Frum, former Bush speechwriter who is now with that glorified Republican retirement home known as the American Enterprise Institute, on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show this evening. It was fantastic!

Frum was trying to say that both campaigns are showing the "ugliness of tone" that has "prevailed over the past years," and that her show was a good example. Of course, he forgot to mention that the 'tone" was mostly caused by his fellow Republicans - a very ugly crowd indeed.

Rachel offered a wonderful response suggesting that there is a difference in tone, and that comparing her show to the McCain campaign's tolerance for verbal assaults was "a sort of false equivalence." God, I love you Rachel. I agree completely. You are so damn intelligent, and funny. I guess that's another way to describe that old Rovian tactic of "muddying the waters."

Frum's attacks on Rachel's show continued describing it in almost juvenile ways. He said that her show was part of the problem with its use of "heavy sacrasm," "sneering," and its "disregard for the more substantive issues." Rachel, of course, defended her show's use of humor perfectly. We progressives love our humor, she said, or something like it.

She went issue-by-issue peeling apart his calls for more substantive debate, pointing out that people enjoy getting their issues presented in different ways (she put it better). Overall, it was a wonderful exchange that Rachel handled like the progressive hero she is, and she deserves our praise. Thank you Dr. Maddow! I love your humor!

Like so many of those "Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Wolfowitz" types, Frum annoyed the hell out of me. I lost count of the number of times he dropped the word "intelligent" into the debate; he used it like a clumsy, rocket-propelled grenade launcher. He was so obvious in his attempt at intellectual snobbery and his overuse of "Yale-speak" to be obscene.

I've often wound up debating that type at dinner parties. You know them, the ones who try to make things more complicated than they need to be. They love to try and make you feel less capable, less articulate. It's just a tactic, albeit, a very annoying tactic. They're also the ones who leave early if you start throwing it right back at them. They frighten easily.

Republicans like Frum have lost a lot of their potency over the past eight years. Decades of corruption, eight years of Bush and "Rumsfeldian double-talk" have left us bruised and burned and them cowering in their corners - at least the smart ones, the dumb ones are still talking. We don't trust them anymore. It will take a whole new generation before they recover.

If the past eight years have taught us anything it's that they're mostly hot air. They're also less competent by and large. We need to remember that the more obnoxious a person seems, and the more they throw around the word intelligent, the less we should consider them so. They flew too close to the sun, and now we have only to see them fall.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's West Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Electoral Map Analysis

Chuck Todd over at MSNBC has the greatest little toys for mapping out where the electoral votes stand in the race for President. Don't get me wrong, I miss Tim Russert and his chalk board analysis. Chuck just has the Blacberry and Ipod crowd enthralled. I just think it's neat!

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Needless to say, I think Senator McCain is in some serious trouble. Hold on, my Ishoe is ringing. I have to go, agent 99 is in trouble again...

Papamoka