Friday, May 09, 2008

Democrat Delegate Count


You might have to click inside the iframe and hit refresh to make the gadget show up.

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Thursday, May 08, 2008

Hillary's "white Americans" comment causing a quick firestorm

In another bad sign for Hillary Clinton's sinking campaign, the blogosphere is all over her racially divisive comments to USA Today about her white support (read alvernon90's diary), and the verdict is not good. The broad consensus is that Hillary's comments are clearly deepening rifts in the Democratic party and hurting the party's chances in the fall. Are you listening superdelegates?

READ MORE...

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Monday, January 21, 2008

Supreme Court denies Kucinich bid

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Friday allowed Texas to print presidential primary ballots without Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich's name.

The court refused to step into a dispute between Kucinich and the Texas Democratic Party over a loyalty oath all candidates must sign to make the ballot.

Kucinich and singer-supporter Willie Nelson objected to the party oath that a presidential candidate must "fully support" the party's eventual nominee. Kucinich crossed out the oath when he filed for a spot on the primary ballot.

MORE...

I'm with Kucinich on this one. Why should he have to abdicate his thoughts, his personal beliefs, his convictions on what's good for the future of this country to some "higher authority" when that authority is merely a political party bent on self interest?

Of course, Mr. Kucinich could start a write-in campaign (if that's even possible for this State's primary).

This is just another example of why I am an independent and why I don't much care for any of the major political parties.

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The Great Republican Screw-Up in California

Has the Republican Party really, truly been 100% infested by morons? Who thought this was a great idea? I used to think that the Bush Cabal had merely strong-armed itself into power but this sounds like the party as a whole has gone over to the Stupid Side (possibly even worse than the Dark Side, because at least then there'd be some intelligence at work even if for evil purpose).

I also used to think of the Democrats as the political party bent on self-destruction but now it seems the Republican Party has overtaken them in that particular race, too.

This will no doubt delight many Democrats but it really is not a good thing for America. I truly believe the bulk of the regular folks who are registered Republicans are basically the same as the bulk of the just plain folks who are registered Democrats. Families, working people, individuals trying to keep one foot in front of the other, trying to muddle through Life with some little measure of security and comfort.

Some folks think being a Republican is the surest way to arrive at their destination while others think being a Democrat is the way.

It's only because I think leadership in both parties is so mired in the doo-doo that they no longer hear the voices of the people (like me) that I no longer feel any loyalty to any political party. They're all full of shit.

But, when it comes to elections, it's independents like me that need convincing that one candidate or another, one political party or another, is the right choice for this country.

You see, it's precisely because I love my country that I'm an independent. Being independent doesn't always have to mean every act, every thought, every vote is a protest against one party or another.

And now, the Republicans have declared they don't want me. They don't need me. The vote of independents is of no consequence to the Republican Party. At all.

Okey-doke. If that's how they really want it...

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES:

Shut out by GOP, independents may tilt Democratic

SAN MATEO -- -- Medea Bern, once a registered Republican, is one of a growing number of California voters who shun party membership and declare themselves independent. In the upcoming presidential election, that makes her the kind of voter all the candidates would like to reach.

But when it comes to California's Feb. 5 primary, there is only one major party where she's welcome: the Democratic Party. She isn't allowed to cast her ballot in the Republican primary, and that upsets her.

She might be inclined to vote for Republican Sen. John McCain, but instead finds herself weighing a choice between Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"It really makes me mad," she said. "I haven't decided which candidate to vote for, but I'm not happy that my voice is eliminated on the Republican side. Don't they trust the independent vote?"

Unlike the New Hampshire primary, where huge numbers of independents were embraced by both parties, California's independents will be limited to the Democratic or American Independent Party primaries.Some political analysts -- including some Republicans -- say the California Republican Party blundered when it decided last year that only registered Republicans could vote in its presidential primary, unlike 2004.

"It's pretty hard to build a big tent if you don't let anybody else in," said Dan Schnur, a veteran Republican political consultant. "It doesn't make sense for a party that wants to and needs to broaden its base to throw this kind of obstacle in the path of an independent voter who wants to hang out with us."

Not surprisingly, the Democratic Party is delighted at the prospect of attracting hundreds of thousands of independents to vote for one of its candidates next month. Democratic strategists believe that an independent who votes Democratic in February is likely to vote for a Democratic candidate in November too.


READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

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Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Who Can Win in November? A guide to 'electability,' as the voting draws nigh

Even at this late date, more than half of all voters in Iowa and New Hampshire say they have not made up their minds for sure. Many are still deciding which candidate they think would make the best president. But thousands of others are wrestling with a more cold-blooded question: who can win in November?

Most early head-to-head polls show John McCain and Barack Obama as the strongest candidates in a general election, a reflection of their slight edge over their primary opponents among independents, who make up at least a third of the electorate and often determine the outcome.

But "electability voters" need more than polls. With the stipulation that 10 months is an eon in politics, let's make some educated guesses about the pros and cons of how each of the plausible candidates would do in the Big Show.

READ THE ARTICLE

I probably won't have my mind made up with 100% certainty until the moment I mark my ballot but in all likelihood, I think I would prefer to vote for Barak Obama even though I do not believe he can win a general election. I don't think the scum of society with all its racist blatherings (which you can find in plentiful supply on many right-wing messageboards) is enough to keep Barak Obama from winning. I do believe a general lack of confidence in his ability to lead just because he doesn't have much of a track record in national leadership will keep him from winning an election.

Hillary is fifty-fifty. I think she is the best qualified in terms of national and world experience for the job but she has a lot of negatives. If she was the only name on the ballot, I think there would still be a significant portion of the voting public who would come out to vote against her if that was an option on a Hillary-only ballot.

I can't think of a single Republican candidate that I would consider voting for. I think I am most closely aligned, politically speaking, with the candidacy of Rudy Guiliani but I think his past numerous ethical challenges are good reasons to be concerned. I don't think I can vote for him. Pity.

Even with all the rats scurrying to desert the sinking Bush ship, I do believe he is going to drag the entire Republican Party down with him. The Republicans have not seen an election disaster like this looming since the Watergate era.

It's all up to the Democrats now. Will they follow their own usual course and shoot themselves in the foot, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory? Really, '08 is the Democrats' election to lose.

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Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Some Political Resources

From McClatchey Papers:

MONEY
Federal Election Commission
Center for Responsive Politics
Political Money Line

POLLS
American Research Group
Mason-Dixon Pollings & Research
Pew Research Center
Real Clear Politics

MEDIA
Council on Foreign Relations
Media Matters For America
Media Research Center

DEMOCRATS
Sen. Joe Biden profile / official site
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton official site
Sen. Chris Dodd official site
Former Sen. John Edwards official site
Former Sen. Mike Gravel official site
Rep. Dennis Kucinich official site
Sen. Barack Obama official site
Gov. Bill Richardson profile / official site

REPUBLICANS
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani official site
Former Sen. Fred Thompson official site
Rep. Duncan Hunter profile / official site
Sen. John McCain official site
Former Gov. Mitt Romney official site
Rep. Ron Paul official site
Rep. Tom Tancredo profile / official site
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee official site

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Saturday, November 17, 2007

Political Blogs

So... being the political junikie that I am, I am constantly looking for new political blogs to explore as well as revisiting old favorites. So, I decided to see what I could see at Google Blog Search and here are a few of the blogs Google says answer to the tag of "politics":

Real Clear Politics
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Polls Show Tight Race For Hastert Seat; Kerry Vows to Disprove Swift Boat Claims; Looking Ahead To 2010; Barry Bonds indicted on perjury and obstruction of justice charges in steroid case.


The Caucus (New York Times Political Blog)
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Politics, Vegas Style; Sunday’s Breakfast Menu, Nov. 18; Behind Clinton’s Diamonds and Pearls; All Politics Is Local; Turning the B-Word Into Cash

Chris Pirillo
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: How to Make Games; Instant Messenger Virus; Open Source Backup Program for Windows; The Internet is Shaping Politics - Ron Paul


Politics Blog
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Straight Reggie Bushin'; Herschel: "Once again, you are using your public office as an appendage of your political campaign." ; Mud and Guts


Burma Sitmone Weblog
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Chinese Communist hate Freedom Of Burma!; Burmese bloggers are united; Life under Military Boots, Latest News from Burma at MoMakha


Politickles - jokes and political cartoons
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: George Bush on “We’re going to have the best educated American people in the world”;


Pakistan Politics
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Govt Notifies Newspapers Not to Discuss Geo TV Shut Down; Background on Hardline Islamists Who Beat Up Imran Khan; Letter From Activist Lawyer in Karachi;


Politics Junky
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: But the Dems are cutting earmarks in half...; Rudy's New Ad - I Kicked New York's Ass; Ron Paul's voting record; 25% of homeless Americans are veterans; Clinton Caught with Planted Questions; early Guiliani political ad with Donna Hanover


Politics & Funk
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Does Pat Robertson Hate You? ; Don Vito, Ralph Nader, and My Green-Fringed Jacket Listen to Simon and Garfunkel Together on Halloween and Marvel at the Cold, Moonless Night


'08 Roadies (Salon.com)
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Why Britney Spears should be a campaign reporter; Politics ain't beanbag


Daily Kos
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Sunday Talk: Gobble Gobble Up Those Savings Edition; Blackwater : The Great Dismal Swamp Part II ; the whores of war; Distorting the IAEA report on Iran; Antibiotics, Evolution, and Creationism


Hang Right Politics
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: The Candidates on Illegal Immigration: Mike Huckabee; Disgrace In Cambridge; CNN - Even Libs Think They’re the Clinton News Network; Unstoppable Farce; The continual perpetuation of BDS.; Examining BDS: Is Reason The Real Enemy?

Future Majority
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: YDA Day 2: Building Consensus; CNN Gets it Wrong Wrong Wrong... Again; Obama in Iowa: Pro and Con; Blitzer You Ignorant Slut


YP4 (Young People For)
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: The Right's Attack on the Black Church; Olga Reyes: Victim of "Pro-Life" Politics; Expunge Neoliberalism; water is a human right, why is it so elusive?; Senate fails to help DREAM of immigrant students


ChronWatch
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: "No Child Left Behind" Should Be Left Behind; Pin the Noose on the Honky; FISA Football; Politics, American Style?; Success in Targeting Terrorists


Radical Left
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Clip: Fox News Porn; The Pharmaceutical Industry: Creating Mental Illness for Profit; Economy: America Is a Beached Whale; Facing Economic Collapse: Hedge Fund Managers Jump to Their Deaths; American Men Want Their Women to Be Weak; Fox News: Sex, Hamburgers & Hypocrisy; At Last! Bush Receives Treatment for His Psychotic Attacks


Politics and Christianity
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Al Sharpton, Hate Crimes, and Justice; How Did The Truth Hold Up In The Democratic Debate; NY Firefighters Considering Swift-Boating Giuliani; John McCain and the 13th Imam; Clinton Said To Have Scandalous Information On Obama; Clinton Tags Romney As A Flip-Flopper


Undernews
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: JUDGE BULLIES PARENTS OVER VACCINATIONS; NBC Fires 90% of Saturday Night Live Production Staff; HOW JOHN KERRY SWIFTBOATED HIMSELF; Obama Responds to Alleged Clinton Rumors of Scandal


Charlotte Gore
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: BBC Bring Up Dirty Campaigning; The Big Unanswered Question


Gun Legislation & Politics in New York
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Schumer’s pandering part 3; Tom Tancredo at NRA’s Celebration of American Values Conference; Police: Robber shoots himself during home invasion

Politics and Pigskins
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Ed's Sunday Sermon: Religionism vs. Deism (Part 1)


Heavy-Handed Politics
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Judicial Watch Lawsuit: No Driver's Licenses for Illegal Aliens; Palestinian National and Former Colombian Detective Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Support the FARC And Alien Smuggling: Jersey's Counterterror Farce


Davenetics
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: An Open Response to Halle Berry; 80s Overdrive; History Goes Through Afghanistan; Falling Out of Love; Rubber Duckies on a Fantastic Voyage; Tom Cruise and Hitler


Wonkette
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Hollywood Moguls Hate Christmas; Bob Allen Sentenced, Resigns; Karl Rove Has Advice for Obama?; Get This Look: "Hillary Does Las Vegas" Eyes; Iraq to Attack Arizona


The Decembrist
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Of Coups, Their Plotters, and the Next Era of Politics; It's All the Liberals' Fault, or Maybe George Soros's; The Pure Centrists of America / Go Crazy; The Last Refuge; Who is "Serious" About Terrorism?


Poliblog
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Yet Another Narcosub Found in Colombia; The Pending Changes in Venezuela; Court May Have Derailed Early Primary in Michigan; From the “Not all Systems of Morality are Equal” File


The Raw Story
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: TUCKER: Why isn’t Dennis Kucinich a frontrunner?; Renters are losing their homes without missing a payment; Pro-waterboarding professor: 'Sometimes torture works'; Lebanese spy to return to CIA despite lies to Gov't?; Fox's Chris Wallace: CNN debate made me 'even stupider'


Think Progress
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Kos, Rove columns debut in Newsweek.; Hume: Bush Is Bringing The Troops Home, Time To ‘Declare Victory’ In Iraq; IPCC report warns of urgent need to act on global warming. ; Coburn removes secrecy measure from transportation bill.; Bush nominates judges who donated to his campaign.


Little Green Footballs
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Jacobsen: 'Suspicious Incident' on Flight to Milwaukee; Fjordman's Obsession; US Pressuring Israel; New York Times Reveals Pakistani Nuke Secrets; Steyn: The World Should Give Thanks for America


Huffington Post
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Giuliani Jets To Campaign Stops Using Casino Kingpin's Plane; Benazir Bhutto Slams Musharraf In New CNN Interview; Another Shot Fired In NY Times Op-Ed War Over Reagan And Racism; Student Says CNN Made Her Ask Hillary The “Diamonds vs Pearls” Question


Instapundit
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: IRAN SURRENDERS IN IRAQ: I credit the new Democratic congress!; HOW YOU CAN HELP Bangladesh cyclone victims; BILL O'REILLY spotted in Afghanistan.; REP. WILLIAM JEFFERSON accused of two more schemes.


Eschaton
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Suck On This; Wanker of the Day; Rudy's Their Guy; Beautiful Loserdom; War Is the Solution to All of Our Problems


Crooks and Liars
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: The Shock Doctrine - Firedoglake Book Salon Hosts Naomi Klein; Face The Nation: Congressional Gridlock; FNS: Hume says Democrats want to lose the war; John Edwards at the Global Warming Debate


Common Dreams
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: VIDEO OF TASER DEATH SPARKS PROBE, ANGERS CANADIANS; TOP POLLUTER ALSO TOP GIVER US ENERGY CO. LINKED TO BUSH; Invaders and Allies Ignore Iraq’s Humanitarian Crisis; On the Verge of Democracy Collapse Disorder; Sudan: Civilians Driven Into Camps, Then the Bush


AMERICAblog
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: A disturbing story that only the immigrant bashers could love; Mediterranean Sea is in serious trouble; When pop culture starts dissing the dollar, we're in trouble; Dems embrace blogosphere for next year's convention, Repubs not so much


Andrew Sullivan
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Reminiscing About Mailer; Goodbye To All That; The Waterboarding Artist; The True Cost Of The War; CNN's Rigged Debate?


Powerline
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Lawyers for Fred; Israel rescues England; Barack Obama, Neocon; Blogworld, the Video;


Hot Air
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Blogging the Qur’an: Sura 9, “Repentance,” verses 6-14; Audio Bombshell: Vilsack admits SCHIP is a Trojan Horse for socialized medicine; New Jihad Watch: The Islam is Peace Campaign’s Government Angle; Videos: Hillary denies, then plays the gender card and Edwards gets booed


Captain's Quarters
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: The Swiss Option; Right Question, Wrong Questioner; Note To Post: Some Subtlety Required; Define 'Undecided'; The Altered Calculus Of Risk


Talking Points Memo
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Ted Olson makes a funny; FEMA Trailer Dwellers Seeking Court-Ordered Safety Tests; Buzzy Gives Dirt On Cookie To Waxman; Friedman envisions Obama-Cheney '08; Why Regan matters to Rudy


Jesus' General
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Fox News: Values Network for Adults Only; Department of Book Reports 42: The Sex Club; Duck Hunting with Dick and Dancing Liberally; A march, a boy, his calf, and Jesus; Glenn Beck, Commie Hunter


The Unapologetic Mexican
SAMPLE HEADLINES/STORIES FROM THIS SITE: Tucker on Bizarro Tube; You Are a Declining Empire...; Bangladesh Cyclone Kills Thousands; Overtaking the Joneses

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Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Politics Navigator

Politics Navigator
By RICH MEISLIN
A selective guide to political sites on the Internet.


The Government
The White House
The House of Representatives
GOP.gov, from the House Republican Conference
The Speaker's News Page from the House Speaker's office
House Democrats
House Clerk's Office follows House proceedings
House Rules Committee has House rules, schedules and information on how Congress works
The Senate
Senate Republican Policy Committee
Senate Democratic Leadership
The Judiciary
Supreme Court
Federal District and Appeals Courts
Congressional Pictoral Directory Pictures of members of Congress in PDF format
Congress.org lets you find and send e-mail to federal, state and local officials.
FedWorld Information Services: Comprehensive guide to government databases
USA.gov provides access to government services for individuals, businesses and governments.
Federal Government Agencies, a clean, easy-to-use listing
Federal Web Navigator helps find government Web sites
National Governors Association
National Conference of State Legislatures
New York State Government Information Locator

Parties & Persuasions
Democratic National Committee
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
New Democrats Online from the Democratic Leadership Council
Republican National Committee
National Republican Congressional Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
State Republican parties and candidates
Libertarian Party
International Society for Individual Liberty Extensive collection of Libertarian links
Libertarian.org More about the persuasion than the party
Reform Party of Ross Perot fame
The Green Parties worldwide and Green Party of the United States
Democratic Socialists of America
Communist Party U.S.A.
Socialist Party U.S.A.
New Party
Natural Law Party
Constitution Party formerly United States Taxpayers Party
Turn Left was the home of liberalism on the Web, but is no longer updated
The Federalist Society Conservative and libertarian thought
The Christian Coalition
National Right to Life Committee
National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League
Moving Ideas from a collection of liberal publications, think tanks and organizations (formerly Electronic Policy Network)
People for the American Way "Progressive" lobbying and activism (interesting information on the Religious Right in politics)
National Committee for an Effective Congress Political information, voting and finance data from "progressive" viewpoint
Campaign for America's Future advocates what it calls "progressive reform"
New Democrat Network supports "pro-growth, pro-family" Democrats
Democrats.com online community site for "progressive" Democrats
The Interfaith Alliance seeks to counter what it calls religious extremist influence in politics
American Israel Public Affairs Committee Pro-Israel lobby
The Feminist Majority
Emily's List Political network for pro-choice Democratic women
National Organization for Women
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Rifle Association
American Civil Liberties Union
The John Birch Society
The Concord Coalition aims to eliminate the budget deficit
NetAction highlights the Internet's potential as a tool for organizing and advocacy
AFL-CIO The labor perspective
MoveOn says its goal is to bring ordinary people back into politics
Political Information
The American Presidency a history of the office from Grolier Online
Ballot Access News follows efforts to get candidates on the ballot
Cato Institute libertarian think tank
Center for Public Integrity studies the impact of money on public policy
The Center for Voting and Democracy advocates proportional representation
Congressional
Guide
A wealth of information on members and committees of the
105th Congress, from Capitol Advantage
Campaigns and Elections Election news and a political blog directory
CQ.com from Congressional Quarterly
Congressional roll calls from Congressional Observer Publications
Council on Foreign Relations tracks the candidates on foreign policy issues
DemocracyNet Information about and discussion of local elections and issues from the League of Women Voters
The Empire Page links to major news headlines on politics each day, emphasizing New York
Federal Election Commission data on campaign contributions
Follow the Money gives contribution information for state races
The Gallup Poll
Gotham Gazette New York City news and policy from Citizens Union
GovSpot Useful government information of all types
Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank InCongress collects information from interest groups on various issues before Congress

National Political Index links to varied political and government sites and services
OpenSecrets.org from The Center for Responsive Politics provides extensive campaign contribution information
Political Information searches 5,000 politics and policy web sites
PoliticalMoneyLine Federal Election Commission data in a more useful format
Political Science Resources an excellent international collection of links
Politics1 Information on parties, candidates and issues
PoliticsNY looks at New York politics and links to New York candidates' and officials' sites
Pollingreport.com tracks trends in public opinion from various sources
Project Vote Smart tracks candidates, officials and issues
Public Agenda provides research on major issues in a nonpartisan manner
self-gov.org offers a quick test of your political leanings
TownHall.com Conservative news and information
Voter and registration demographics from the Census Bureau
Vote.com from Dick Morris and friends lets people "vote" on public issues
Political Media & Commentary
The Atlantic Policy & Society from the Atlantic Online
C-Span Program schedules and TV/radio feeds
Commentary
eVote, with news and features, says it "keeps score in the Great Game of Politics."
Fast Politics links to political news from many sources
Foreign Policy The venerable magazine of international politics
The Hill Capitol Hill news
National Review Online
The New Republic Online
Roll Call Online Capitol Hill news
Salon politics
Slate, Microsoft's magazine of politics and culture
Public Opinion
RealClear Politics summarizes the latest political polls

News Organizations
ABC News
CBS News
The Los Angeles Times
Minnesota Poll from the Minneapolis Star Tribune
The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
The Washington Post

Private Organizations
Gallup Poll
Ipsos Market research, advertising research and public opinion
Kaiser Family Foundation
MORI Market research organization in Britain
Pew Research Center
PollingReport.com
Public Agenda Nonprofit public opinion and policy analysis organization founded by Daniel Yankelovich and Cyrus Vance
The Tarrance Group's Battleground Polls
Zogby International State Polls
Arkansas Arkansas Poll, University of Arkansas
California Field Poll
Connecticut Quinnipiac University Poll
Minnesota Poll Minneapolis Star Tribune
New Jersey Quinnipiac University Poll
New York Marist Institute for Public Opnion
New York Quinnipiac University Poll
Pennsylvania Quinnipiac University Poll

Academic Organizations
Council of European Social Science Data Archives
Member Archives
The Eagleton Poll at Rutgers
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
National Annenberg Election Survey from the University of Pennsylvania
Odum Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Program on International Policy Attitudes
Racial Attitudes in America from the University of Illinois at Chicago
Roper Center at the University of Connecticut

-->Maintained by Rich Meislin. Revised 3/29/07.

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Friday, April 06, 2007

The Current Nancy Pelosi Hysteria

It's been obvious that the extreme uber-right-wing has been gunning for Nancy Pelosi even before last November 2006's elections. In fact, much of the shrieking hysteria I saw from the fanatical end of the right wing was that Republican power and the status quo must be preserved or else we will have *GASP!* Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House!

Ever since the Republicans' crushing defeat last November and the American public's repudiation of Bush war policy, the fanatics have had Pelosi in their gun sights and now they are in an orgasmic frenzy of masturbatory wish-fulfillment fantasy that their Number One target has committed some sort of transgression by taking seriously her obligation to represent the people of the United States.

I refer, of course, to Ms. Pelosi's U.S. Embassy arranged and supervised trip to Syria. Oh, you didn't know it was all handled by Bush administration representatives therefore, it couldn't possibly any infraction of the rules? Well. Now you know.

Sorry, Uber-Fanatics. Your balloon's been popped.

Here is my review of a related article I mischieviously placed on one of those uber-right-wing messageboards to be found in cyberspace:


I was impressed with this article for two reasons: The first being that, as a writer, I appreciate concise and effective writing skills in other writers so, entirely separate from any politics involved, I appreciate the logical and non-hysterical manner in which this article was put together. It is highly effective writing.


I suspect that there are people who would actually shriek with rage against such a writing style if it was not also used to promote their personal brand of political zealotry but, like I said, the actual writing skill involved is separate from the politics.


This article is pure reading pleasure simply for the technical writing skills of its author.


As for the politics, the article's approach is minus all the huffing and puffing and shrieking and pontificating I've seen far too much of here at BP and elsewhere on the internet and so it comes across as a breath of fresh air. When I reference the lack of hysteria in this article, I also intend to refer to the hysteria to be found on both ends of the political spectrum. This writer is no zealot or at least, there is no trace of it in this particular piece.


Some points made in the article:


Republican congressman Jim Kolbe travelled to Iraq in the Summer of 2003 because he felt, as chairman of the House subcommittee that manages America’s foreign assistance programs, it was his solemn responsibility to be "on the ground" to assess the need for the billions of dollars he knew Bush would be asking for in spite of Bush and Rice's assurances the budget would not be that high.


The Bush administration refused him entrance to Iraq at the Kuwaiti border. The reason given was that there was no means of providing for the security of non-military personnel. This, in spite of the numerous "embedded" reporters already travelling all over Iraq as well as numerous civilian contractors and their laborers who were also already inside Iraq.


Kolbe "snuck in" by posing as a contract laborer and was able to accomplish his fact-finding mission.


Kolbe's decision to oversee the spending in Iraq provides an excellent context for Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria. A major difference between the two trips is that Pelosi's itinerary in Syria was arranged by the American embassy and every contact she had with Syrian officials was supervised by Bush administration officials.


This article reminds us that Congress is charged with some very heavy responsibilities that can't always be fulfilled by sitting behind a desk in Washington. As the author of this article puts it, "They need to get out and kick the tires."


The article does give an example of how a member of Congress can and did cross the line into unacceptable usurpation of Executive branch powers. Pelosi’s predecessor, J. Dennis Hastert, conducted his own foreign policy apart from the Executive branch when it came to Colombia. He met with Columbian government representatives and sent his staff to Colombia to conduct business there. Unlike Pelosi, Hastert refused to allow United States government officials to oversee his contacts with the Columbian government even as he presented himself as a spokeperson for the United States government.


Congress would conduct billions of dollars in arms negotiations with Colombia based on Hastert's foreign policy, not on White House foreign policy. Hastert insisted the funds be inserted into appropriations bills and it would be his staff that would secure transfer of the actual weapons to the government of Colombia.


The Clinton administration did not seek any criminal or other investigation of Hastert's misconduct because Clinton's legislative priorities necessitated a working relationship with Congress and so they "looked the other way."


This example of Hastert's aggregious behavior most definitely highlights the hypocrisy of political zealots who would skewer Pelosi for her U.S. embassy arranged visit to Syria.


The article concludes that it is inappropriate for the White House or anyone else to interfere with the right of Congress to travel, ask questions, and be informed as to the serious decision making that our representatives must do.


The article states, "After all, our nation’s actions in the Middle East carry a very big price tag that Congress, ultimately, must approve. Pelosi needs to know the facts on the ground."


YOU CAN READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE.

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