Prez George Bush's rather sudden decision to visit the Martin Luther King gravesite in Atlanta today, ostensibly to pay tribute on the civil rights leader's 75 birthday (but really to pick up a check at a $2,000-a-plate fundraiser), has riled up black leaders who promise a street demonstration against the president.
We reckon the administration's new Patriot Act policies of rounding up dissenters and keeping them out of ear- and eye-shot of the president will be sorely tried in this instance. But let's watch the evening network news, to see how the corporate news whores will report all of this.
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Carol Moseley, We Loved 'Ya!
The campaign news this morning is that Carol Moseley Braun is dropping out of the presidential race and will endorse Howard Dean later today.
Ambassador Braun had class and brought grace and good humor to a lot of otherwise dismal debate scrums with all those guys.
We liked her. And we'll miss her.
Ambassador Braun had class and brought grace and good humor to a lot of otherwise dismal debate scrums with all those guys.
We liked her. And we'll miss her.
Christian Coalition Cries 'More!'
The Bush trial baloon, floated only yesterday, to pump $1.5 billion into "promoting marriage," especially among the "lower classes," has only irritated the Christian right, according to this morning's New York Times. (Background, see below, "At Least It'll Be Money Well Spent!" and "Reaction to Bush's Marriage Initiative")
On the one hand, Bush's pollster Ed Goeas is telling his boss, "I think there are a lot of people that don't want to endorse a lifestyle contrary to their personal values, but they want to be tolerant, and quite frankly they don't like being put in a position where they look to be intolerant."
The Christian right ain't nothing if it ain't intolerant, and they want nothing less than a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Karl Rove, for his part, brings pressure on Bush from that side: "...citing polling data, [Rove] has often said that he believed the failure of four million conservative Christian voters to turn out in the 2000 presidential election almost kept President Bush out of the White House. Projecting another close race this year, Mr. Rove has worked hard to stay in regular contact with conservative Christian political leaders."
Gary Bauer, the diminutive troll who ran for president last time on an anti-abortion, anti-gay platform and is now president of the conservative group American Values, warned darkly, "If the White House puts this on the back burner or doesn't put political capital into it, that would deeply demoralize a large block of voters that they are expecting to turn out in November."
And the Concerned Women of America, the big-hair group cloned exclusively from Phyllis Schlafly DNA, is even more willing to devour George W. Bush whole. Their comment on Mr. Bush's promise to spend a puny $1.5 billion on promoting marriage: "This is like lobbing a snowball at a forest fire," said Sandy Rios, president of Concerned Women of America, one of the largest conservative Christian advocacy groups. "This administration is dancing dangerously around the issue of homosexual marriage."
Stand by for more developments, as George W. tries to figger out how to sup soup with the devil.
On the one hand, Bush's pollster Ed Goeas is telling his boss, "I think there are a lot of people that don't want to endorse a lifestyle contrary to their personal values, but they want to be tolerant, and quite frankly they don't like being put in a position where they look to be intolerant."
The Christian right ain't nothing if it ain't intolerant, and they want nothing less than a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Karl Rove, for his part, brings pressure on Bush from that side: "...citing polling data, [Rove] has often said that he believed the failure of four million conservative Christian voters to turn out in the 2000 presidential election almost kept President Bush out of the White House. Projecting another close race this year, Mr. Rove has worked hard to stay in regular contact with conservative Christian political leaders."
Gary Bauer, the diminutive troll who ran for president last time on an anti-abortion, anti-gay platform and is now president of the conservative group American Values, warned darkly, "If the White House puts this on the back burner or doesn't put political capital into it, that would deeply demoralize a large block of voters that they are expecting to turn out in November."
And the Concerned Women of America, the big-hair group cloned exclusively from Phyllis Schlafly DNA, is even more willing to devour George W. Bush whole. Their comment on Mr. Bush's promise to spend a puny $1.5 billion on promoting marriage: "This is like lobbing a snowball at a forest fire," said Sandy Rios, president of Concerned Women of America, one of the largest conservative Christian advocacy groups. "This administration is dancing dangerously around the issue of homosexual marriage."
Stand by for more developments, as George W. tries to figger out how to sup soup with the devil.
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
An Unnamed "Official" Corroborates O'Neill
ABC News has a story up now on its website by John Cochran that an unnamed "official" in the Bush administration is corroborating Paul O'Neill's contention that the Bushies were planning an invasion of Iraq well before 9/11. Well, now! Once you start leaking, it's hard to stop the drip.
And it was indeed on the Today show yesterday where O'Neill began taking it all back. But it's too late, Paul.
And it was indeed on the Today show yesterday where O'Neill began taking it all back. But it's too late, Paul.
Squirm Patrol -- More on O'Neill
I've heard it but haven't found it in print yet ... that Paul O'Neill yesterday told somebody (The Today Show, maybe) that he's probably still vote for Bush ... which is in itself jaw-dropping, considering.
And he's beginning to backtrack on his story, supported by numerous documents he gave to Ron Suskind, that the Bush administration was doing anything relative to Iraq other than continuing the policies of the Clinton administration.
Here's Billmon's take on that waffling: "Like I said at the start, it's not surprising O'Neill is changing his story now -- not when you consider the enormous pressure being applied to his skull by the administration, the GOP attack machine and the right-wing media. In a way, O'Neill reminds me of the middle-aged businessman in Sinclair Lewis's novel Babbit, who briefly and naively rebels against the conservative establishment that has shaped his life, but quickly backs down once he realizes the establishment has it in its power to crush him like a walnut."
And he's beginning to backtrack on his story, supported by numerous documents he gave to Ron Suskind, that the Bush administration was doing anything relative to Iraq other than continuing the policies of the Clinton administration.
Here's Billmon's take on that waffling: "Like I said at the start, it's not surprising O'Neill is changing his story now -- not when you consider the enormous pressure being applied to his skull by the administration, the GOP attack machine and the right-wing media. In a way, O'Neill reminds me of the middle-aged businessman in Sinclair Lewis's novel Babbit, who briefly and naively rebels against the conservative establishment that has shaped his life, but quickly backs down once he realizes the establishment has it in its power to crush him like a walnut."
The Goon Squad
Josh Marshall, chronicling the difference between this administration's reaction to Paul O'Neill's revelations and the exposure of the wife of one of its critics last year:
"Number of days between Novak column outing [CIA operative] Valerie Plame and announcement of investigation: 74 days.
"Number of days between O'Neill 60 Minutes interview and announcement of investigation: 1 day.
"Having the administration reveal itself as a gaggle of hypocritical goons ... priceless."
"Number of days between Novak column outing [CIA operative] Valerie Plame and announcement of investigation: 74 days.
"Number of days between O'Neill 60 Minutes interview and announcement of investigation: 1 day.
"Having the administration reveal itself as a gaggle of hypocritical goons ... priceless."
Left-Wing Talk Radio
Finally, comedian Al Franken, author of Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, has signed on to do a three-hour talk-radio show exactly opposite Rush Limbaugh's, on the new liberal Progress Media network, set to launch in Chicago. (Drudge has the press release)
Franken said, "My first priority is to get sued by a right-wing jerk in order to generate interest in my new show, The O'Franken Factor. Our hope is to do drug-free talk radio, although I understand it's never been done."
Lawyer and environmental activist Robert Kennedy Jr. has also signed on to do a show.
The Progress Media network will aim first at getting airplay in major cities, so don't look for their programming locally on Jason Forbes' talk station any time soon.
Franken said, "My first priority is to get sued by a right-wing jerk in order to generate interest in my new show, The O'Franken Factor. Our hope is to do drug-free talk radio, although I understand it's never been done."
Lawyer and environmental activist Robert Kennedy Jr. has also signed on to do a show.
The Progress Media network will aim first at getting airplay in major cities, so don't look for their programming locally on Jason Forbes' talk station any time soon.
Howard Dean Porn
Okay, this is hot and now screaming all around the Internet ... pictures of Howard Dean in his youth, including one with his shirt off ... which political pundits far & wide are saying would win him the election if his campaign would just release these into the general media stream.
Reaction to Bush's Marriage Initiative
This just in from Redmon17, in reaction to the New York Times article on Bush's marriage initiative (immediately previous posting):
"BTW, there are a couple of things this piece does not mention. One, when it says 'statistical evidence suggests that children fare best, financially and emotionally, in married two-parent families,' what it should be talking about is unconditional love ... a concept which this Administration and many of its supporters clearly are far from grasping.
"Second, what exactly is a 'healthy marriage?' Would that be one in which the wife is barefoot and pregnant, and subservient to the hubby (a la fundamentalist doctrine) or where the wife is an autonomous human being, free to make her own choices (oops, naughty word) ... to include not 'baking cookies.'
"Finally, the poster child for the initiative surely must be Britney Spears. How else to reach the younger generation of air heads?"
"BTW, there are a couple of things this piece does not mention. One, when it says 'statistical evidence suggests that children fare best, financially and emotionally, in married two-parent families,' what it should be talking about is unconditional love ... a concept which this Administration and many of its supporters clearly are far from grasping.
"Second, what exactly is a 'healthy marriage?' Would that be one in which the wife is barefoot and pregnant, and subservient to the hubby (a la fundamentalist doctrine) or where the wife is an autonomous human being, free to make her own choices (oops, naughty word) ... to include not 'baking cookies.'
"Finally, the poster child for the initiative surely must be Britney Spears. How else to reach the younger generation of air heads?"
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