Republican Convention Condensed

Down to 1 minute 38 seconds:



If they put in all the "John McCain was a POW" stories, it would be 10 minutes longer.

Chesapeake Primary: Early Results

My sister voted for Hillary this morning in Virginia. Here's how she described it:

Just voted....and it was more emotional than I would have guessed, to pull the lever (or in this case touch the screen) next to a woman's name for President of the United States.

MSNBC just called Virginia for Obama.

The good news for Hillary today is the new SurveyUSA poll from Ohio, one of her must-win states (along with Texas), in which she leads Obama 56% to 39%.

So, it looks like Obama will take all three contests today. The fun will come from seeing how many Republican voters stick it to their presumptive nominee, John McCain, by voting for the Squirrel Fryer. Go Squirrel Fryer!

Squirrel Fryer to Broker Republican Convention

Republican Party in crisis! Couldn't happen to a bunch of more malevolent, creepy dudes. McCain, the man conservatives love to hate, won 9 states last night, but more importantly, 455 delegates; the Mittwit hung on for seven (including some that he hasn't ever declared his primary residence, imagine that), and the candidate of the religious right, a/k/a "Squirrel Fryer", Mike Huckabee, won five.

So the Republican race goes on, even though Romney is reportedly having "frank discussions" with his staff today ("Don't spend the entire inheritance!" advisor Tagg cries) and McCain has declared himself the frontrunner.

Squirrel Fryer's acolytes, on the other hand, are calling for their man to broker the convention. From your lips to God's ears. I can hear his campaign song now. "We're gonna ban some evolution, yeah, you know we're gonna change the world...."

Bye Bye Rudy

Rudy Giuliani (noun) is dropping out (verb) despite the broad appeal of his heroic mayoring on 9/11. Now the Republican field is down to the Mittwit, St. John McCain (the "less jobs, more wars" candidate), and Huckleberry Huckabee. Choices, choices.

AP: Giuliani to Exit Presidential Race Today

NYTimes: For Giuliani, a Dizzying Free-Fall

The more that Republican voters saw of him, the less they wanted to vote for him.

Corporate Media Ignoring Global Warming

Glacier National Park, 1925; Library of Congress
San Francisco Chronicle: Media consign global warming to back burner

The League of Conservation Voters has been tracking the number of questions asked of the presidential candidates on the Sunday news shows and the debates televised by the major networks. Of the more than 2,900 questions asked, only four have mentioned the words "global warming."

The article also lays out the positions of the candidates. The Republicans are laughable, especially that whackjob Ron Paul.

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON

Supports a cap-and-trade system on emissions and a new $50 billion fund for clean energy, which she predicts could help create 5 million new jobs. She says all new coal plants should have to capture their carbon.

BARACK OBAMA

Wants economy-wide limits on emissions and would require big carbon emitters to pay for the right to emit greenhouse gases. Like Clinton and Edwards, he supports increasing automobile fuel economy to at least 40 mpg within 10 years.

JOHN EDWARDS

Opposes expanding nuclear power and backs a moratorium on new coal plants that don't capture their carbon. Like Clinton and Obama, he would require utilities to get 25 percent of their power from renewables by 2020.

JOHN MCCAIN

Has been a chief sponsor of a bill since 2003 to cap greenhouse gas emissions, but his measure would not go as far as some proposals in Congress in cutting emissions. He believes new coal plants should be equipped to store carbon.

RUDY GIULIANI

Says global warming is real, but he prefers voluntary measures by industry to cut emissions, rather than government regulation. He's called for more investment to boost conservation and energy efficiency.

MITT ROMNEY [Of course he has changed his position!]

Backed a state climate action plan when he was governor of Massachusetts but now says Republicans should not "embrace the ideas of Al Gore." Before the Michigan primary, which he won, he criticized "Washington-dictated" increases in fuel economy.

MIKE HUCKABEE

Supports a cap-and-trade system but has not laid out a detailed plan. He favors drilling for oil offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge but only until the United States can wean itself off oil. He supported the recently passed fuel economy increase to 35 miles per gallon by 2020.

RON PAUL

Says the jury is still out on whether global warming is human-caused. He advocates markets as the best way to address all environmental problems and has proposed abolishing the Environmental Protection Agency.

Salon.com (watch ad to view): TV news is too cool
Major TV interviewers have asked presidential candidates 3,000 questions -- only six of them have been about global warming.

Jan. 28, 2008 | At the Republican debate Thursday night in Boca Raton, Fla., moderator Tim Russert asked Rudy Giuliani about global warming. "Florida has 1,200 miles of beautiful coast, which can be threatened with climate change, global warming, in a major way, as the world's population goes from 6 billion to 9 billion and the level of greenhouse gases doubles over the next 20 to 30 years," Russert said. "Yet you are against a mandatory cap on greenhouse gases. Why?" Giuliani's jumbled answer included a bevy of buzzwords such as "hybrid vehicles," "biofuels," "carbon sequestration" and "clean coal," before he asserted that U.S. industry would be "crushed" if we curbed our greenhouse gases.

Rudy is such a dope. For a more hopeful view of the future, read former Colorado Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate Gary Hart's article, touting the Presidential Climate Action Project in Huffpo, which has many links to climate research and articles. You can sign the Project's statement here.

Republicans Embrace Iraq War and Bush

Only the Republican field for the 2008 election can make batshit Ron Paul look reasonable. From last night's debate, aka Beddy-Bye in Boca:



hat tip to Hullabaloo

Huckleberry Huckabee Stoops, Again

wikipedia
Huckabee wraps himself in the Confederate Flag. What, squirrel frying didn't cement the South Carolina redneck vote? His statement on the South Carolina flag also appeals to his homophobic base. A twofer from the candidate of the last century. I place him squarely in the 1920s, frying squirrel before donning his white hood.

“You don’t like people from outside the state coming in and telling you what to do with your flag,” Mr. Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, told supporters in Myrtle Beach, according to The Associated Press.

“In fact,” he said, “if somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we’d tell them what to do with the pole; that’s what we’d do.”

Check out this hilarious dailykos diary: Huckabee Attacked by Disgruntled Squirrel over Views on Confederate Flag

Huckabee Brags About Eating Fried Squirrel

Does he think this will endear him to South Carolina voters? Is there a big constituency in South Carolina for fried squirrel eaters? Every time I hear this clip played on TV I think of Sharon Stone's description of Dwight Yoakum: "A dirt sandwich." And this joker won the Iowa primary? Watch and be amazed.

Huckabee: No Separation for Church and State

This guy is batshit crazy. He says he wants to amend the Constitution "so it's in God's standards". Somehow, I doubt that he really means it. Will he end the death penalty? Thou shalt not kill instructs the King James Bible (not that I'm a believer or anything, but the King James has the prettiest and most colorful language of any of the Bible versions). No, Huckabee is in favor of the death penalty, and as Arkansas governor the state carried out 16 executions. Thou shalt not kill being apparently advisory in nature to god-squadder Huckabee. He is the extreme example of the Republican party's capitulation to the religious right.

rawstory: Huckabee: Amend Constitution to be in 'God's standards'

"I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution," Huckabee told a Michigan audience on Monday. "But I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living god. And that's what we need to do -- to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view."

Here's the video:

Rudy In Freefall

Smell the desperation: Mr. "Immigrants Should Speak English" releases Spanish ad in Florida

Yesterday it was announced that Rudy Giuliani's senior campaign staff ("voluntarily", right) wouldn't be paid for the month of January. Not a good sign. He has also pulled all his paid staff out of Michigan and South Carolina. But it's not helping. In the most recent CNN poll, Rudy is third in Florida with 18%, far behind McCain at 34% and trailing even no money, no organization Mike Huckabee at 21%.

I think it's over for Giuliani, and the writing's been on the wall for some time. However, he still has a few days left to make his signature gaffes. Like this one (from Newsday, via firedoglake):

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Rudy Giuliani loves baseball, but does he know the game?

According to a clip played by sports reporter Jared Max on WCBS-AM Thursday morning, Giuliani spoke about the impact of the steroids scandal on the pursuit of the record for all-time most home runs by Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez.

"Is Bobby Bonds' record a legitimate record that A-Rod should be shooting for," Giuliani asked, "or should A-Rod be judged by the Babe Ruth standard, assuming A-Rod did not take steroids?"

A good question, except Bobby Bonds, long retired from baseball, is the late father of the current homerun record holder, Barry Bonds. It's Barry who is accused of using steroids, though he denies it.

And if Barry Bonds is stripped of his record, it reverts not to Babe Ruth, who had 714 home runs, but Hank Aaron, the former Atlanta player who hit 755 before retiring years ago.

He should have stuck to his usual "Noun, verb, 9/11" script.

Here are some of the headlines in the media about Rudy's flailing campaign:

LATimes: Giuliani is feeling the squeeze
Some staffers forgo their pay as the GOP presidential hopeful bets heavily on a victory in Florida.

Miami Herald: Salary cuts dull Giuliani message

The Weekly Standard: The Giuliani Implosion
From frontrunner to also-ran in eight short weeks.

Melbourne (AUS) Sun:
Rudy Giuliani's nomination snub gamble backfires
ONE-time Republican frontrunner Rudy Giuliani's high-stakes gamble of bypassing the early presidential nominating contests has stamped a "big L" for loser on his forehead.

Later that day; edited to spell "desperation" correctly, I hope.

Mike Huckabee, Among Other Faults, Is A Dope

I linked to this video before, but it's still a classic. Canadian comedian Ric Mercer interviews Americans asking false questions about Canada. Watch the first two minutes to see Mike Huckabee opine on Canada's National Igloo. Really.

Why Obama and Huckabee Won

Sunny optimism. People like nice people, happy people, cheerful people. We are afraid of anger. As a trial attorney I learned not to show anger towards a witness until the jury was already angry. Otherwise I'd turn them right off. I could express their anger, but not mine until they had it, too.

Most voters don't have time to get past the surface of a candidate. That's why George W. Fuckup is president. We pointy-headed intellectuals knew he was a malevolent pile of shit, but he exuded sunny optimism. He was a compassionate conservative! You and I knew this was crap, but it worked. People liked his chuckle. They liked his upbeat pronouncements about the future of Amurrika.

And to me that's the secret of Obama and Huckabee. They're both very charming in their own way. I know that Huckabee is a whackjob, but most people only see the charm. I know that Obama has been waffling right to court the media, but most people just hear his theme: hope. And who wouldn't rather hope than worry?

Democrats Sweep

Barack Obama Iowa Caucus Victory Speech

Obama won 37.6% of the Democratic caucus vote, Edwards second with 29.8, Hillary third with 29.5, but all three trounced Two Buck Huck, the Republican 'winner'.

These are the really important numbers (thanks Group News Blog):

Total Voter Turnout (approximate)

356,000

Percentage of total vote

24.5% Obama
20.5% Edwards
19.8% Clinton
11.4% Huckabee (R)

Disgraceful: WaPo Runs Reviews of Presidential Candidates' Clothes. Really.

Robin Givhan, How I Think She Looks:
Wears glasses in vain attempt to look intelligent
The Washington Post is running a series on the leading Presidential candidates. They call it The Front-runners: A revealing look at each of the leading presidential candidates

Good luck to you in finding any actual substance in this series. It is a vehicle for the most puerile and vapid information to be dispatched to the American voter. For example, WaPo Style writer Robin Givhans has a daily article. Originally headlined "How He Looks", now each piece is given an individual title and listed as "[Candidate's] Style".

But the pieces are still completely superficial discourses on the candidate's look and how that reinforces Robin Givhan's belief in the conventional wisdom about that candidate. So far, she's riffed on Hillary Clinton's pantsuits (damn feminist! Robin wants you to wear a dress, or at least show cleavage so she can vamp about that); Romney's perfect hair (too perfect; manufactured); Edwards down-home clothes (fake); Fred Thompson's boring clothes (doesn't really care) and McCain's too young clothes (too old). We breathlessly await her discourses on Obama (too young, inexperienced), Huckabee (hanging off him; not ready for primetime, or bariatric surgery?), and Giuliani (ambition, ambition, ambition).

There are also "tag clouds" called Free Association for each candidate (really), a summary of the candidate's stump speech, 4 things you might not know about the candidate, and a five-page story outlining the candidate's life.

Markedly, there is no special section for each candidate on anything of substance, like "Policy Positions", or "Record on Issues" or anything serious like that. It's all horserace and no soul.

How Robin Givhan looks for writing these empty pieces: Stupid. How the Washington Post looks for running them: Sad.

Journalism is dead. Long live the corporate media!

What Romney Left Behind

Another parody ad. Living in Massachusetts is really tough since the Mittwit left us!

Mike Huckabee Parody Ad

It's only a minute, and you will laugh.

Huckleberry Huckabee Leads National Polls

Republicans really are desperate. Nutjob Mike Huckabee is leading the national polls.

LATimes: Huckabee does a flip-flop on Cuba

Five years ago, in favor of ending embargo on Cuba trade. This week, embargo away! Last week, favored education for illegal immigrants in Republican debate. This week, wants them all deported within 120 days. Sounds practical to me. I think he could start with Mitt Romney's yard workers.

And he's a religious fanatic. This is a quote from Huckabee in 1998: "I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ."

I mean, Jesus H. Christ, He did sign the Declaration of Independence, didn't He? (I am reliably informed of his participation in the events of 1776 by White House Hostess With the Mostest Press Secretary Dana Perino, with her encyclopedic knowledge of American history.)

dailykos: Top 10 Moments in Mike Huckabee's Extremism (Go to the post for an individual write-up of each moment)

1. Huckabee Calls for the Quarantine of AIDS Victims
2. Huckabee Enables the Politically-Motivated Parole of Repeat Rapist/Murderer
3. Huckabee Offers Faith-Based Pardons
4. Huckabee Undermines the Teaching of Evolution
5. Huckabee Speaks for God
6. Huckabee Speaks to God
7. Huckabee Claims God Behind His Rise in the Polls
8. Huckabee Proclaims His Theology Degree a Unique Qualification to Fight Terrorism
9. Huckabee Flip-Flops, Calls for Federal Abortion Ban
10. Huckabee Calls for Consumption Tax, Abolition of the IRS

Republican Candidate Scandal Updates

Upper Left
Rudy Giuliani let taxpayers pay for security for his lover Judith Nathan even earlier than first reported -- for months before their affair was public.

Mike Huckabee's former senior aide contradicts Huckabee, says Huckabee did indeed tell the Arkansas Parole Board that he supported the release of convicted rapist Wayne Dumond.

The painting company that painted rabid-anti-immigrant-crusader Mitt Romney's Belmont mansion last year is under investigation by the state for labor law violations including using illegal immigrants. Mittwit.

If You Lived In Iowa or New Hampshire: The Rethugs

A compilation of snippets (actually, pretty funny) of the TV ads being run by the Republican candidates. Hat tip to Talking Points Memo.

I Hate Huckabee

Because he's a dope: The Politico: Huckabee not aware of NIE report on Iran Two days after it came out, the night after Bush gave his lying press conference, and dim Huckabee wasn't aware of it. Probably too busy consulting his Bible, and I also hate him...

Because he's a religious fanatic dope who believes things like this: dailykos: Huckabee: Gay Marriage Would End Civilization

Oh, c'mon. That's just ridiculous.

And finally, and here's the thing that should keep him from the nomination, because he forced the pardon of a convicted rapist, Mike Wayne Dumond, and Dumond promptly raped and killed at least one other woman. He did this "despite being warned by numerous women that the convict had sexually assaulted them or their family members, and would likely strike again." And why did Huckabee do this? Because the first woman the scumbag was convicted of raping was a distant cousin of Bill Clinton. Clinton hatred taken to its nth degree.

He's been lying about it ever since, and this week journalist Murray Waas dug out the letters from the rape victims that Huckabee has been hiding and denying for a decade. He is a liar and a loon, a fitting successor to George W. Bush, but in no way qualified to be President of the United States.