Clipmarks | Political Clips

Just 2 Things America Would Need Desperately

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:36:02 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: In order to change the political landscape:
Campaign Finance Reform= $ 6 Dollars for All
as a Donation and Rid us of the electoral college vote-Start here

Clip Source: www.just6dollars.org

Public Funding Pilot Successful in New Jersey

The Center for Governmental Studies has published a very positive report on New Jersey's public campaign financing pilot program, deeming the pilot a success and recommending it be expanded to all legislative districts.

The report also recommends expanding the system to primaries and supporting third party candidates, two key provisions of the federal Fair Elections Now Act.

Everyone does better with Dems in the White House

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:06:47 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Over the last six decades, whether rich or poor, everyone has done better with Democrats in the White House.

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

Why McCain and the GOP Are So Afraid of Discussing the Economy

Over the last six decades, whether rich or poor, everyone has done better with Democrats in the White House.

From 1948 to 2007, the average annual growth of real gross national product was 1.64 percent per capita under Republican presidents versus 2.78 percent under Democrats.

Blinder notes that this 1.14-point difference over eight years would yield 9.33 percent more income per person

Alan S. Blinder, in the New York Times, drew recently from Unequal Democracy, a new book by Princeton political science professor Larry M. Bartels. His takeaway could be a game-changer:

real per capita GNP grew 69.5 percent faster under the Democrats

Families at the 20th percentile (the poorest) did significantly better under Democrats t

The best-off families

fared almost as well under Republican

Income inequality

trended substantially upward under Republican presidents but slightly downward under Democrats

Tags: economy, republican, democrat

Mystery McCain Mansion Solution Theory

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:37:45 GMT

clipped by: armoredbaby

Clip Source: talkingpointsmemo.com

Late Update: I'm surprised this hadn't occurred to me. But several readers have suggested that perhaps one of the tech geeks charged with setting up the audio/visual bells and whistles for the evening was tasked with getting pictures of Walter Reed Army Medical Center but goofed and got this instead. At first I thought, No, that's ridiculous. This is a major political party with big time professionals putting this together. Nothing is left to chance. I mean, is this the RNC or a scene out Spinal Tap or Waiting for Guffman? I still have a bit of a hard time believing they're quite that incompetent. But when you figure in what appears to be the utter lack of any logic for this school being behind McCain and the fact that it has 'Walter Reed' in its name, I'm really not sure you can discount this possibility.

The Relevance of Community Organizing

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:31:02 GMT

clipped by: sillysam

Clip Source: article.nationalreview.com

Obama spent three years in housing projects in Chicago and — according to his book, Dreams of My Father — even he couldn’t explain what he was doing. “When classmates in college asked me just what it was that a community organizer did, I couldn’t answer them directly,” Obama wrote. Indeed, who could say what a community organizer does? The Obama campaign sent out an e-mail after the fact: “With the nation watching, the Republicans mocked, dismissed, and actually laughed out loud at Americans who engage in community service and organizing.” That misses the point. Palin and Giuliani didn’t mock people who work for the betterment of their communities. They mocked Obama for embracing the vague title of “community organizer,” which might as well be the political equivalent of “I’m working on a screenplay.” It also doesn’t help that “organizer” is essentially a morally neutral term and to the extent it’s political it evokes shades of left-wing labor politics.

Light bulb goes on for Public Service Commission

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:23:14 GMT

clipped by: CohoctonWindWatch

Clip Source: www.democratandchronicle.com

After some internal disagreement — the PSC staff was against the sale as originally proposed — and arm-twisting from the political and business wings, the commission struck a sensible compromise. To come aboard in New York, Iberdrola will have to cut delivery costs for ratepayers, including those in this region, by 5 percent over five years. That comes out to $275 million, which is close to the company's offer. The PSC staff initially wanted a $646 million relief package, which was excessive.

Tags: iberdrola, nys psc, industrial wind, wind turbines

Word cloud of Democrats and Repulicans

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:59:07 GMT

clipped by: magicaldroplets

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

The words that speakers used at the two political conventions show the themes that the parties have highlighted. Republican speakers have talked about reform and character far more frequently than the Democrats. And Republicans were more likely to talk about businesses and taxes, while Democrats were more likely to mention jobs or the economy.

Tags: politics, elections

Straight From the Horse's Mouth

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:30:28 GMT

clipped by: powerof2

Clip Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

Lindsay Lohan wrote in her blog this week:

"I think the real problem comes from the fact that we are taking the focus off of getting to know Sarah Palin and her political views, and what she can do to make our country a less destructive place. Its distracting from the real issues, the real everyday problems that this country experiences."

Palin and Biden

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:28:19 GMT

clipped by: lp97702
clipper's remarks: The reality is neither will win or lose this election....

Clip Source: www.bloglines.com

Sarah Palin is receiving a highly partisan reception on the national political stage, with significant public doubts about her readiness to serve as president, yet majority approval of both her selection by John McCain and her willingness to join the Republican ticket.

Given the sharp political divisions she inspires, Palin’s initial impact on vote preferences and on views of McCain looks like a wash, and, contrary to some prognostication, she does not draw disproportionate support from women. But she could potentially assist McCain by energizing the GOP base, in which her reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

At the same time, the story in the ideological center is different: Among moderates, Biden registers as a net 15-point positive for Obama. In the same group, Palin shows no effect on support for McCain.

Tags: palin, biden

Moscow’s Plan is to Redraw the Map of Europe: Mikheil Saakashvili

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:55:56 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Since Russia’s invasion, its forces have been “cleansing” Georgian villages in both regions – including outside the conflict zone – using arson, rape and execution. Human rights groups have documented these actions.

It hopes the west will forget ethnic cleansing in Abkhazia drove out more than three-quarters of the local population – ethnic Georgians, Greeks, Jews and others – leaving the minority Abkhaz in control.

Last week Vaclav Havel, the former Czech president, put us on alert: “Russia does not really know where it begins and where it ends.” He noted that the Moscow regime is “a lot more sophisticated” than the Soviets under Leonid Brezhnev. He should know – he was on the front line the last time Russia invaded a European country.

Backing Georgia with Europe’s political and financial institutions is a powerful response.
The most potent western response to Russia is to stay united and firm by providing immediate material and political support.

Clip Source: www.ft.com

Any doubts about why Russia invaded Georgia have now been erased. By illegally recognising the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s president, made clear that Moscow’s goal is to redraw the map of Europe using force.

This war was never about South Ossetia or Georgia. Moscow is using its invasion, prepared over years, to rebuild its empire, seize greater control of Europe’s energy supplies and punish those who believed democracy could flourish on its borders. Europe has reason to worry.

Our first duty is to highlight Russia’s Orwellian tactics. Moscow says it invaded Georgia to protect its citizens in South Ossetia. Over the past five years it cynically laid the groundwork for this pretence, by illegally distributing passports in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, “manufacturing” Russian citizens to protect. The cynicism of Russia’s concern for ethnic minorities can be expressed in one word: Chechnya

This cynicism has become hypocritical and criminal

Tags: georgia, south ossetia and abkhazia, medvedev, georgian "cleansing", arson, rape and execution, human rights groups, vaclav havel, czech president

Measure of the Man

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:17:20 GMT

clipped by: lifecyce1898

Clip Source: powwarrior.wordpress.com

The Measure of The Man: Why John McCain doesn’t measure up ….

Since his return from Hanoi, McCain has …

~Ignored pleas of POW/MIA Family Members for his political influence in the overall POW/MIA Issue as well as with their individual cases

~Verbally abused POW/MIA Family Members in public and private

~Attempted to negatively influence those who testified before the 1992 Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs

~Diminished legislation that gave oversight and protection to the families

ismantled protection to any future servicemen that go missing.

Cruel Encounters with McCain by POW/MIA Family Members

The 1991-92 Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs

The Truth Bill

The 1995 Missing Service Personnel Act

Cpl. Greg Harris, USMC

Conclusion

McCain's hero aura inoculates him against critics

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:02:33 GMT

clipped by: lifecyce1898

Clip Source: m.apnews.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — How dare you say that about John McCain, war hero?

That, in so many words, is the line of counterattack coming from Republicans who only four years ago dismissed the war service of another decorated Vietnam veteran with his own story of bravery.

Think McCain owns too many houses to relate to the common American? Not fair — he lived in a North Vietnam cell for 5½ years. How dare you?

Question his temperament or his temper? Look what he's lived through.

Yet McCain stands accused of lapses of judgment, moral failings and selfishness. He's been called "dishonest" and a "coward" for putting political expedience ahead of principle in the 2000 campaign, during the debate over the Confederate flag. And it's been said that Hanoi really didn't change the kind of person he was.

US lobbyist jailed for corruption

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:59:36 GMT

clipped by: sahara

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff has been sentenced to four years in prison for corruption.

Abramoff's assistance led to other corruption convictions

Abramoff had pleaded guilty in a Washington court to charges of trading expensive gifts, meals and sports trips in exchange for political favours

The case caused a scandal in Washington and sparked off a wide-ranging public corruption probe

The court had heard how Abramoff made tens of millions of dollars by steering clients to consultants who charged excessive fees and then split the profits with him

In 3,000 hours of interviews with the FBI, he gave information leading to the conviction of a string of lawmakers and high-profile political figures, including one member of Congress

He said that much of the activity of Washington "lives in the loopholes" but that he had "blundered farther than even those excesses would allow

The BBC's Richard Lister in Washington says that the scandal was a disaster for the Republican party

Abramoff conviction

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:57:00 GMT

clipped by: wjbarnes
clipper's remarks: First clip, test

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff has been sentenced to four years in prison for corruption.

Abramoff had pleaded guilty in a Washington court to charges of trading expensive gifts, meals and sports trips in exchange for political favours.

Abramoff is already serving a six-year term for his role in an unrelated fraudulent Florida casino deal.

The Presidential Energy Scorecord - Side By Side Comparison of Obama & McCain.

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:58:43 GMT

clipped by: zalisan

Clip Source: www.thegoodhuman.com

The Good Human

Sustainability, Environment, Progressive Politics, Peak Oil, Being Green.

With energy at the top of the political agenda right now, and Americans demanding action from their leaders, the Sierra Club has released a new side-by-side comparison to help its members and the public compare the energy plans of John McCain and Barack Obama. The scorecard examines the candidates’ energy plans in four key areas: taking on Big Oil, investing in the clean energy economy, fixing global warming, and increasing fuel economy.

Taking On Big Oil

Investing in the Clean Energy Economy

Fixing Global Warming

Increasing Fuel Economy

God's Will Is The Pipeline-

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:03:04 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: Creationism, war and pipelines are the Will of God

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Palin's Church May Have Shaped Controversial Worldview

Three months before she was thrust into the national political spotlight, Gov. Sarah Palin was asked to handle a much smaller task: addressing the graduating class of commission students at her one-time church, Wasilla Assembly of God.

Speaking before the Pentecostal church, Palin painted the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair in which the United States could act out the will of the Lord.

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

$30 billion national gas pipeline project that she wanted built in the state. "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said.