(Old) Epistemic Ingemination

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NOTE: this blog is no longer active as of 12/07. New one: http://blog.kirchhof.com

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.

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Sun, 31 Oct 2004

Jot These Down

Election Protection Hotline:

1-866-MYVOTE1 to report problems

1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683) for immediate legal assistance

Posted at 09:19 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Fri, 29 Oct 2004

Kerry And Iraq

If you are a supporter of the invasion of Iraq -- and, yes, there are thoughtful people of this opinion -- then I strongly suggest that you read Bradford Plumer's article on why Kerry is the better choice at this place and time. Kevin Drum does a nice Cliff Notes summary of this excellent and dispassionate article:

Plumer acknowledges up front that (a) Iraq is a mess and there aren't very many good options left at this point, and (b) Kerry is highly unlikely to have much success at "internationalizing" the occupation. I agree on both points. Starting from that realistic assessment, though, he argues that Kerry has several modest but important advantages over Bush that could make all the difference between success and failure in Iraq:
First and foremost, he's almost certain to be more competent than Bush, who is unwilling to hold people to account or fire them for incompetence. Kerry's advisors, people like Richard Holbrooke, are fundamentally more grounded than Bush's in facts rather than ideology.

Kerry has a better understanding than Bush of how to deal with the Iraq's various ethnic and political factions. "You can't impose [democracy] on people. You have to bring them to it. You have to invite them to it. You have to nurture the process." It's a lower key approach, but it's more likely to lead to genuine democracy than Bush's.

Although internationalizing the occupation itself is probably a nonstarter, Kerry can make considerable progress by internationalizing the reconstruction in ways that Bush is unwilling to consider. And if there's any chance at all of getting foreign troops into Iraq, it's going to take UN auspices to do it. Kerry is far more likely to get this than Bush.

The Bush administration has been obsessed with economic privatization to the exclusion of practical, short-term job creation strategies. Military commanders, by contrast, understand the necessity of simply creating jobs as quickly as possible. Kerry will listen to them.

Both Iran and the Kurdish north are problems that Bush has almost completely ignored. These are both painfully difficult situations to deal with, but Kerry's willingness to try diplomacy holds out at least a hope of making progress on these fronts.

I do disagree with both on one point. I think that Kerry will have much more success than the current punditry zeitgeist seems to expect in internationalizing the effort. For two reasons. One, there is a lot of money to be made, and an enormous amount of trade in the future in building infrastructure and restoring the Iraqi consumer society. The world sees this clearly. And two, most of the world is eager to show their solidarity with the American People once we depose King George II and regain our sanity. I think that we'll be viewed as a good friend who went through a serious crisis and lost their head, like your buddy who went on a week-long bender after his Dad died.

Nations are, in the final run, a lot like people. Madness comes and goes. If this nation has the horse sense to evict the current occupant of the White House, I think that the wonkery mongers will be surprised at the depth of the well of goodwill that still exists out there. We are not alone in this world. But that goodwill is now flatly denied our country -- and would continue to be -- with Little Caesar at the helm.

I strongly urge my hawkish and/or conservative friends to set aside their cement ideology, turn off Rush and Fox, and to think -- really think -- about the good of their nation in the next four days. If you examine the whole of the quilt, rather than pieces of the patchwork, I believe that you may well join me in voting to change our national leadership.

It's been a hell of a bender. Time to clean up.

Posted at 09:13 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

More On Voter Supression

Over at New Donkey, there's a good article. Here are some excerpts:

The latest political news from Ohio is important and instructive. A federal judge in Columbus blocked Republican efforts to force county election boards to review tens of thousands of new voter registrations. Before the ink was dry on the judge's order, the Ohio GOP's top lawyer said the action meant the GOP would challenge such voters at the polls on November 2. "We wanted to have all these questions resolved this week," said attorney Mark Weaver. "Now they won't be resolved until Tuesday, when all of these people are trying to vote. It can't help but create chaos, longer lines and frustration."
In other words, the GOP is using the demise of one prong of its voter supression strategy to pre-justify the other. And I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly the way they planned it. Now they can can get their "volunteers" out to "create chaos, longer lines and frustration" in minority polling places and sadly say that an "activist judge" who didn't care about voter fraud left them no choice. It's going to get worse, too: mark my words, when Democrats, civil rights attorneys, and voters themselves get visibly angry about this gambit, the GOPers will start whining about "potential violence" at the polls, and even pretend their goons are being intimidated and harassed. If nothing else, it will give them an excuse to go to court to contest Ohio's outcome if the state goes for Kerry.
[...]

He goes on to analyze classic Rove techniques. Very informative, and worth a read. Also worth your attention: this, and a good piece over at Tapped.

Got your cameras ready, brethren and sistren?

Oh, yeah, earlier ~~today~~ yesterday I said below that the GOP was deploying 3400 "poll watchers" in Ohio. That is incorrect. They're deploying 8000 in Ohio, and paying them $100.00 each.

Posted at 08:02 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Whatever It Takes

From Salon, we learn that the new Bush/Cheney ad is a collection of photoshop-esque fakery. Here's a frame, with the telling areas highlighted:

The ad title?

"Whatever It Takes."

Posted at 00:29 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Thu, 28 Oct 2004

Humor

thanks Mary...

Posted at 15:51 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

The First Volley From Jeb

Sigh. From the BBC:

Florida ballot papers go missing
Tens of thousands of postal ballots have gone missing in the US state of Florida, sparking fresh concern over irregularities in the poll campaign.
Authorities are investigating the apparent loss of 58,000 absentee forms in Broward County, north of Miami.
[...]
A police investigation into the missing ballots has not uncovered any indication of criminal wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the US postal service inspectorate said it was highly unlikely that 58,000 pieces of mail had just disappeared.
[...]
In 2000, Broward gave Al Gore his biggest margin among Florida counties. He won 67% of the vote there, while losing the state to George W Bush by 537 votes.
"It looks like they're trying to steal the vote again," said Diane Glasser, vice-chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party.
[...]

Posted at 15:35 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Today's Best Lede

From Slate:

A Democratic lawyer friend of mine now teases his Republican clients by asking whether they want "faith-based" advice or "reality-based" advice.

Posted at 12:27 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Voter Intimidation - Very Important

From the Times:

G.O.P. Bid to Contest Registrations in Ohio Is Blocked
By JAMES DAO
Published: October 28, 2004
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 27 - A federal judge on Wednesday blocked six boards of elections in Ohio from proceeding with hearings into Republican-initiated efforts to knock tens of thousands of registered voters off the voting rolls.
The temporary restraining order issued by Judge Susan J. Dlott of Federal District Court in Cincinnati made it likely that few, and perhaps none, of the challenge hearings would proceed before Election Day, state officials said.
"This is an important victory for all Ohio voters because it means this cynical and desperate effort by the Republican Party to prevent tens of thousands of legal registered voters from casting their votes has backfired," said David Sullivan, a lawyer for the Ohio Democratic Party.
[...]

Folks, this is as real as a heart attack. The National Republican Party is deploying 3400 "poll watchers" in Ohio alone. As I am sure readers here know, you are not required to show anyone except sworn-in election officials any credentials when you vote. Period. If someone outside the polling place tries to intimidate you in any way, they are guilty of a Federal crime. Make sure that everyone you know is aware of this. The elderly and minorities in liberal districts will be targeted by these facists.

Democrats and the blogosphere are responding. The suggestion is to wear some sort of non-specific political wear that identifies you as a liberal and bring a video camera with you. (If you are wearing a Kerry/Edwards or Bush/Cheney or whatever shirt, you'll be allowed to vote, but after that, you'll have to stand at least 100 feet from the polling place door. I think that a Burning Spear t-shirt will be my attire of the day.) After you vote, go back outside, turn your camera on, and observe. If you see these criminal activities going on, stand right beside the "poll watchers" and tell voters that they do not have to produce any credentials or speak to anyone outside of the polling place. Get it on tape. Call the Feds. And put a Republican Racketeer in prison for the good of your country and your democracy.

I am a very fortunate man this election. I am informed, I have access to a camera, I can take Tuesday off, and I happen to live across the street from a polling place in a district that is full of liberals, elderly, and minorities. I fully intend to do exactly what I've described above on Tuesday. I'll probably take a comfortable chair along. And I will not hesitate to file a Federal Voting Rights Act complaint with the FBI on every goon that I see and videotape. If I can get my hands on a cell phone for the day, I will call the FBI at the moment of the act.

It is my humble suggestion that you consider doing the same. We need at least one person (and preferably several) at every polling place in this country on Tuesday. Because they'll likely have someone there waiting for you.

[ Update: this is a surprisingly popular piece. Lots of hits today. One thing to add -- a rethink. I'll wait until the end of the day to vote. That way, if anyone tries to intimidate me, they can go to federal prison for twenty years or so. ]

Posted at 15:38 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Wed, 27 Oct 2004

Paranoia Watch #3

A continuing... series...

The Beeb reports:

Surfers outside the US have been unable to visit the official re-election site of President George W Bush.
The blocking of browsers sited outside the US began in the early hours of Monday morning.
Since then people outside the US trying to browse the site get a message saying they are not authorised to view it.
The blocking does not appear to be due to an attack by vandals or malicious hackers, but as a result of a policy decision by the Bush camp.
Traffic control
The international exclusion zone around georgewbush.com was spotted by net monitoring firm Netcraft which keeps an eye on traffic patterns across many different sites.
Netcraft said that since the early hours of 25 October attempts to view the site through its monitoring stations in London, Amsterdam and Sydney failed.
[...]

thanks, Slashdot...

Posted at 15:52 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Let The Paperless Nightmare Begin

From Albuquerque:

Kim Griffith voted on Thursday -- over and over and over.
She's among the people in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties who say they have had trouble with early voting equipment. When they have tried to vote for a particular candidate, the touch-screen system has said they voted for somebody else.
It's a problem that can be fixed by the voters themselves people can alter the selections on their ballots, up to the point when they indicate they are finished and officially cast the ballot.
For Griffith, it took a lot of altering.
She went to Valle Del Norte Community Center in Albuquerque, planning to vote for John Kerry. "I pushed his name, but a green check mark appeared before President Bush's name," she said.
Griffith erased the vote by touching the check mark at Bush's name. That's how a voter can alter a touch-screen ballot.
She again tried to vote for Kerry, but the screen again said she had voted for Bush. The third time, the screen agreed that her vote should go to Kerry.
She faced the same problem repeatedly as she filled out the rest of the ballot. On one item, "I had to vote five or six times," she said.
Michael Cadigan, president of the Albuquerque City Council, had a similar experience when he voted at City Hall.

Read the full article here...

Side note: this came from Frank. My German friend. In Germany.

Posted at 14:17 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Good Show, Folks

Well over half a million early voters in Travis County as of the 25th...

Posted at 08:43 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Tue, 26 Oct 2004

Wow...

I am not, as a rule, a fan of rap, nor am I a fan of Eminem. But here is a stream of his new video release: "Mosh."

It is one of the most powerful pieces of political protest that I've ever seen. Breathtaking.

UPDATE: Realplayer and Quicktime too.

Posted at 10:28 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Let Us Not Forget

One week from the election. Let's remember how this President gained office. Remember what stopped the ballot recounts in Florida shortly after it seemed that legitimate President Gore had a lead. The "citizens" started what was later called "the preppy riot". Screaming, yelling, pounding on the walls, these "outraged citizens" intimidated the polling officials to halt the court mandated recount. A closer look reveals who they really were. They were bussed and flown in at Republican lawmakers expense. Some even flew in on Tom Delay's private plane.

From the Project for the Old American Century's "What is Facism?" page.

Posted at 08:45 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Epiphany Of A Conservative

THE LAST STRAW
Carl F. Worden
That's it, I've had it.
I've been a registered Republican since I pulled my first lever in a voting booth, and I've voted as a loyal Republican for Republican candidates consistently every year. I am 55 years of age. I am considered a right-wing Christian conservative and strict constitutionist who knows the Framers of the Constitution expected strict adherence to that original document unless and until it is amended.
You don't get much more conservative and constitutionally-minded than I am, and that is why I just cast my Oregon vote-by-mail ballot for Democrat John Kerry as the next president of the United States. So did my wife -- and she's a very independent thinker. I know there are thousands of lifelong Republican/Independent conservatives who are going to do the same thing on November 2nd, because they've written and told me so.
The absolute last straw for me took place at the Bush rally, held in Central Point, Oregon on October 14th. President Bush stayed in Jacksonville, Oregon overnight after the rally, and protesters and police clashed on the streets. I sent out a photo of a Jackson County Sheriff's Deputy, all Nazi'd up in black leather riot control gear and grinning evilly as he shoved a woman holding her 5 year-old daughter. It wasn't the finest hour for local law enforcement, but even that wasn't the last straw for me. No, the last straw for me happened just before the Bush rally itself.
Three local teachers got tickets to the Bush rally, passed all the security checkpoints and scrutiny and got in. They never created or caused a disturbance, and they were perfectly peaceful members of the audience waiting to hear Bush speak. But before they got to hear Bush, they were expelled from the rally by Bush rally staff who objected to the words printed on the T-shirts they were wearing.
No, the words on the T-shirts the ladies were wearing did not disparage Bush, nor did they suggest support for Kerry or any other candidate. The words did not condemn or support the war in Iraq, nor did they slam any Administration policy. No, the T-shirts the three women wore showed an American flag, and under it the words, "Protect Our Civil Liberties". That was all -- I kid you not.
That was it. That was the last straw for me. That was the defining moment I'll never forget. That was my epiphany.
Bryan Platt, Chairman of the Jackson County Republican Central Committee, said he stood 100 percent behind the person who made the decision to exclude the women, removing any doubt that one or two individuals exceeded their authority and blew it. No, it was solid, Republican neo-conservative fascist policy on open display, and the Brown Shirts weren't about to apologize for it. No way.
I am now a man without a political party. I will never again register as a Republican unless the party returns to what it was before the fascists took it over. I'm certainly not a Democrat or a liberal, but I might just register as a Democrat to help them avoid mistakes in the next primary, like running another John Kerry for president. Any moderate, pro-gun southern Democrat would have easily swept Bush aside this election. As it is, the race is so close it could go either way at this point.
My decision to vote for Kerry was a vote to get Bush and his administration out. I could have voted for a third party candidate who couldn't possibly win, but that would have translated into a vote for Bush, and I just couldn't do that. Too many kids in uniform have already been killed and maimed for nothing, and I see it as my primary duty to save as many of them as I can. If my vote for a third party candidate means Bush wins and more kids come home dead and mutilated, then I have abrogated my duty as an American, as a Christian and as a decent human being. I didn't know better during the Vietnam War, when I voted for Nixon twice, but I would be without excuse if I did it again now.
This election is different: In this election, we all have to answer the call to vote wisely. Lives depend on it, and God is watching how we vote as well. When an individual sins, God deals with him individually. When a whole nation sins, God deals with the nation nationally. It's right there in the Bible.
The way I see it, the threat Bush presents is just too great. I know what Bush did with his first four years on good behavior, and so do you. What scares the bejeebers out of me is what Bush would do with four more years with nothing to lose -- and an assumed mandate from the people for what he did the first four. At least a Kerry Administration would be strapped down by a Republican Congress, so I'm not too worried about major gun control bills being passed, and as far as abortion is concerned, it really doesn't matter what a president believes, because that issue is decided only by the Judiciary Branch now.
Regardless of the proclaimed Bush position on abortion, he never issued an executive order banning any form of abortion because he knew such an order would be overturned by the courts. Oh, and that phony Late-Term Abortion Ban Bush signed? It's as good as dead -- and I have a niggling feeling it was intended to be killed even as they wrote it. The lower Federal Courts are already finding it unconstitutional, and why?, because the people who authored it left no possibility for a woman to use late term abortion to save her life, let alone to preserve her health. In lieu of that provision, any first year law student knew the federal courts would overturn it, so why did seasoned lawyers/legislators write it that way? Don't even try to convince me they overlooked something as obvious as that.
I still believe this election is going to Kerry, no matter what the polls predict. Last time, it was so close the Supreme Court had to decide the outcome. This time, a huge number of former Bush Republicans like me have bolted to Kerry. Unless a large number of former Gore supporters are going to vote for Bush this time, I don't see how Bush can get re-elected. Add to that the massive numbers of young voters who are registered to vote for the first time under threat of a draft, and I see Bush being shown the door by more than a close vote. But we'll see...
What I do know is that any party that would find the words, "Protect Our Civil Liberties" offensive or even threatening, is a party I won't belong to anymore.
That was the last straw.
Carl F. Worden

Original is here.

Posted at 08:22 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Mon, 25 Oct 2004

HST

Hunter S. Thompson is still on his game...

Presidential politics is a vicious business, even for rich white men, and anybody who gets into it should be prepared to grapple with the meanest of the mean. The White House has never been seized by timid warriors. There are no rules, and the roadside is littered with wreckage. That is why they call it the passing lane. Just ask any candidate who ever ran against George Bush -- Al Gore, Ann Richards, John McCain -- all of them ambushed and vanquished by lies and dirty tricks. And all of them still whining about it.
That is why George W. Bush is President of the United States, and Al Gore is not. Bush simply wanted it more, and he was willing to demolish anything that got in his way, including the U.S. Supreme Court. It is not by accident that the Bush White House (read: Dick Cheney & Halliburton Inc.) controls all three branches of our federal government today. They are powerful thugs who would far rather die than lose the election in November.
The Republican establishment is haunted by painful memories of what happened to Old Man Bush in 1992. He peaked too early, and he had no response to "It's the economy, stupid."
Which has always been the case. Every GOP administration since 1952 has let the Military-Industrial Complex loot the Treasury and plunge the nation into debt on the excuse of a wartime economic emergency. Richard Nixon comes quickly to mind, along with Ronald Reagan and his ridiculous "trickle-down" theory of U.S. economic policy. If the Rich get Richer, the theory goes, before long their pots will overflow and somehow "trickle down" to the poor, who would rather eat scraps off the Bush family plates than eat nothing at all. Republicans have never approved of democracy, and they never will. It goes back to preindustrial America, when only white male property owners could vote.
Things haven't changed all that much where George W. Bush comes from. Houston is a cruel and crazy town on a filthy river in East Texas with no zoning laws and a culture of sex, money and violence. It's a shabby sprawling metropolis ruled by brazen women, crooked cops and super-rich pansexual cowboys who live by the code of the West -- which can mean just about anything you need it to mean, in a pinch.
[...]
Richard Nixon looks like a flaming liberal today, compared to a golem like George Bush. Indeed. Where is Richard Nixon now that we finally need him?
If Nixon were running for president today, he would be seen as a "liberal" candidate, and he would probably win. He was a crook and a bungler, but what the hell? Nixon was a barrel of laughs compared to this gang of thugs from the Halliburton petroleum organization who are running the White House today -- and who will be running it this time next year, if we (the once-proud, once-loved and widely respected "American people") don't rise up like wounded warriors and whack those lying petroleum pimps out of the White House on November 2nd.
Nixon hated running for president during football season, but he did it anyway. Nixon was a professional politician, and I despised everything he stood for -- but if he were running for president this year against the evil Bush-Cheney gang, I would happily vote for him.

Posted at 11:03 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Pocketbooks Of The Rich And Famous

Who contributed to whom?

Posted at 10:36 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Beyond Incompetent. Criminal.

Washington, DC Kerry-Edwards Senior Advisor Joe Lockhart issued the following statement on reports of missing explosives in Iraq:
Today, the Bush administration must answer for what may be the most grave and catastrophic mistake in a tragic series of blunders in Iraq. How did they fail to secure nearly 380 tons of known, deadly explosives despite clear warnings from the International Atomic Energy Agency to do so? And why was this information unearthed by reporters -- and was it covered up by our national security officials?
These explosives can be used to blow up airplanes, level buildings, attack our troops and detonate nuclear weapons. The Bush administration knew where this stockpile was, but took no action to secure the site. They were urgently and specifically informed that terrorists could be helping themselves to the most dangerous explosives bonanza in history, but nothing was done to prevent it from happening.
This material was monitored and controlled by UN inspectors before the invasion of Iraq. Thanks to the stunning incompetence of the Bush administration, we now have no idea where it is.
We need to know what the administration knew about this and when. We need to know why they failed to safeguard these explosives and keep them out of the hands of our enemies. The National Security Advisor should be at her desk in Washington tomorrow to work this problem and answer these questions, instead of giving speeches in battleground states.

(From Atrios)

Kos sums it up nicely: 380 tons. Less than one pound was used to bring down Pan Am Flight 103. The terrorists hit the mother lode, all thanks to Bush.

Posted at 10:07 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Sun, 24 Oct 2004

This Is Journalism?

The Austin American-Statesman today endorses George W. Bush. I had to read it three times, it is such a mess of equivocations, redundancies, and excuses.

Apparently, the editorial subtext is "Yes, he's an incompetent and dishonest madman who is bankrupting the country and turning it into a police state, but it takes a madman to deal with madmen, and he really ought to do a huge number of things differently, and he should appoint moderates to the supreme court, and we bet he'll change if we re-elect him. And, yes, we know what we're doing here."

Just a breathtakingly stupid, irresponsible piece of work; this would be tossed out of a junior high school journalism class. The rock-dumb lack of credibility is astounding.

Posted at 14:39 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Fri, 22 Oct 2004

More Friday Humor

Banana Republican

Posted at 07:29 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Today's Humor

Q. What's the difference between the Vietnam War and the Iraq War?
A. George W. Bush had a plan to get out of the Vietnam War.

Posted at 07:14 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Thu, 21 Oct 2004

"Because Blood Is Thinner Than Oil"

Bush Relatives For Kerry.

Thanks, Lissa!

Posted at 16:47 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Too, Too Good

From the American-Statesman today:

State District Judge Paul Davis Jr. on Wednesday temporarily froze the corporate accounts of the Associated Republicans of Texas, just two weeks before the Nov. 2 election.
The judge ordered the political action committee, which has existed for three decades, to stop raising and spending corporate money to pay its overhead until after a Nov. 3 hearing on whether ART, as the committee is known, should have raised and spent corporate money in the first place. The committee is not accused of giving corporate dollars to candidates, and the lawsuit does not accuse any candidates of wrongdoing.

Posted at 11:27 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Lefty Rag (well, Forbes, anyway) States The Obvious

From back in July, Forbes Magazine tells us:

Over the years, several studies have shown that the stock market has fared markedly better under Democrats than Republicans. (see: "The Presidential Portfolio") The difference, according to Pedro Santa-Clara and Rossen Valkanov, both professors at the University of California Los Angeles Anderson School of Business, is much too large to be random and cannot be explained by fluctuations in the business cycle. Nor can it be explained by higher interest rates in Republican administrations.

Can you hear me now?

Thanks, Andrew...

Posted at 08:15 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Best Headline Of The Week

Andrew Tobias: "The Fat Lady Has Grasped the Armrests of Her Chair."

Posted at 08:06 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Wed, 20 Oct 2004

Iran Endorses Bush

TEHRAN, Iran - The head of Iran's security council said Tuesday that the re-election of President Bush was in Tehran's best interests, despite the administration's axis of evil label, accusations that Iran harbors al-Qaida terrorists and threats of sanctions over the country's nuclear ambitions.

Historically, Democrats have harmed Iran more than Republicans, said Hasan Rowhani, head of the Supreme National Security Council, Iran's top security decision-making body.

[...]

Posted at 07:43 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Bush's America

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. -- Three Medford school teachers were threatened with arrest and thrown out of the President Bush rally at the Jackson County Fairgrounds Thursday night, after they showed up wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Protect our civil liberties."

[...]

The women got past the first and second checkpoints and were allowed into the Jackson County fairgrounds, but were asked to leave and then escorted out of the event by campaign officials who allegedly told them their T-shirts were "obscene."

[...]

Posted at 07:45 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Local Early Voting

Burnt Orange Report makes an observation today on Travis County Polls:

It's really quite amazing. I can't wait to see the rest of the state's numbers to see if it's just us or not. From the County Clerk's Office...
Travis County Early Vote
Monday: 15,983
Tuesday: 15,857

Mail Ballots received
Monday: 715
Tuesday: 976

Total Daily Vote
Monday: 16,698
Tuesday: 16,833

Total Travis Vote to Date: 33,531
A full 6.06% of this county's voters have already cast their ballots. That didn't happen until Day 5 of early vote in 2000. In fact, the very fact that Day 2's vote total is almost exactly the same as Day 1 is shocking!

Go Homies!

Posted at 07:26 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

State Of The Electorate

There's an article over at Political Strategy worthy of attention. Here's the lede:

This election is not just any old presidential election. To Progressives, it's a matter of life and death.
It will be the difference between global respect for America and multilateral cooperation or increased anti-Americanism and never-ending, preemptive unilateral war...the difference between American values of civil liberty and freedom or curbs on inalienable rights and invasions of privacy...the difference between a future of hope, health, safety, peace and prosperity or one of isolation, violence, debt, and fear.
And this brings me to the reason that we will win in November...
...because we have to.
This 'do or die' perception is what is going to drive progressives and moderates to the polls in record numbers to end the madness. This is why the traditionally apathetic 18-24 year old demographic (Also known as 'Future Casualties of Bush Wars') is going to put down their cell phones long enough to pull the lever for Kerry.

He then goes on to list the "Top 35 Trends that say Kerry will Take the White House in November." These include polling issues, seniors, independents, Soros, 527's, and many other factors.

Just don't let it create any complacency. Vote. And make sure your friends do, too.

Posted at 06:57 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Mon, 18 Oct 2004

Good. Keep going...

Article:

In March 2003, days before the start of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, American war planners and intelligence officials met at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina to review the Bush administration's plans to oust Saddam Hussein and implant democracy in Iraq.
Near the end of his presentation, an Army lieutenant colonel who was giving a briefing showed a slide describing the Pentagon's plans for rebuilding Iraq after the war, known in the planners' parlance as Phase 4-C. He was uncomfortable with his material - and for good reason.
The slide said: "To Be Provided."

Posted at 23:31 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Sun, 17 Oct 2004

How Very Refreshing

Jon Stewart of the Daily Show went on Crossfire the other night, and instead of doing "comedy," he eviscerated them with an in-their-face critique. Watch the streaming video or read the transcript, although you really should watch it. It is the best television of the year.

Favorite moment: Stewart, to Tucker Carlson:"This is theatre. How old are you?" Carlson: "Thirty five." Stewart: "And you wear a bow tie."

Jon Stewart, my new hero. I wonder if you can get an Emmy for a talk show guest appearance?

Posted at 15:43 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Thu, 14 Oct 2004

Humor

Bush's debate notes.

Posted at 07:18 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Wed, 13 Oct 2004

No Depths To Which They Won't Go

All over the blogs today. This is culled from Political Strategy.

Employees of a private voter registration company allege that hundreds, perhaps thousands of voters who may think they are registered will be rudely surprised on election day. The company claims hundreds of registration forms were thrown in the trash.
Anyone who has recently registered or re-registered to vote outside a mall or grocery store or even government building may be affected.
The I-Team has obtained information about an alleged widespread pattern of potential registration fraud aimed at democrats. Thee focus of the story is a private registration company called Voters Outreach of America, AKA America Votes.
The out-of-state firm has been in Las Vegas for the past few months, registering voters. It employed up to 300 part-time workers and collected hundreds of registrations per day, but former employees of the company say that Voters Outreach of America only wanted Republican registrations.
Two former workers say they personally witnessed company supervisors rip up and trash registration forms signed by Democrats.
"We caught her taking Democrats out of my pile, handed them to her assistant and he ripped them up right in front of us. I grabbed some of them out of the garbage and she tells her assisatnt to get those from me," said Eric Russell, former Voters Outreach employee.
Eric Russell managed to retrieve a pile of shredded paperwork including signed voter registration forms, all from Democrats. We took them to the Clark County Election Department and confirmed that they had not, in fact, been filed with the county as required by law.
So the people on those forms who think they will be able to vote on Election Day are sadly mistaken. We attempted to speak to Voters Outreach but found that its office has been rented out to someone else.

[...]
The company has been largely, if not entirely funded, by the Republican National Committee. [emphasis mine.] Similar complaints have been received in Reno where the registrar has asked the FBI to investigate.
[...]
Speaker of the Nevada State Assembly (House) Richard Perkins and State Committee Chair Adrianna Martinez held a press conference at 8:00 PST outlining the case much as it was earlier stated in the earlier KLAS Report which I posted. Tomorrow the Democrats will be launching a new NEVADA VOTER PROTECTION PROJECT, the specifics of which will be outlined tomorrow. Speaker Perkins noted that every effort will be undertaken to assure that all Nevadan who have registered have the right to vote on Election Day. So the gauntlet has been laid down.

I herewith challenge my right-wing friends to defend their party.

Posted at 11:49 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Tue, 12 Oct 2004

Hit 'Em Where It Hurts

Here is a list of Sinclair Broadcasting's advertising clients. Get busy, chirren.

Posted at 07:59 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

On Broadcast Conglomerates

The blogosphere is alive with ideas on how to deal with the Sinclair Broadcasting anti-Kerry program question; read any of the "must read" sites at over on the left for more info. And as Atrios points out, "we should all be shorting Sinclair stock", which is currently at $25 or so and has at least one new price target of $3.

But the real issue has been ably discussed over at Legal Fiction. You can drop in "mass media" whenever you see the word "radio" and it turns into some pretty spot-on prediction:

There is no agency so fraught with possibilities for service of good or evil to the American people as the radio. As a means of entertainment, education, information, and communication it has limitless possibilities. The power of the press will not be comparable to that of broadcasting stations when the industry is fully developed.... [Broadcasting stations] can mold and crystallize sentiment as no agency in the past has been able to do. If the strong arm of the law does not prevent monopoly ownership and make discrimination by such stations illegal, American thought and American politics will be largely at the mercy of those who operate these stations. For publicity is the most powerful weapon that can be wielded in a Republic, and when such a weapon is placed in the hands of one, or a single selfish group is permitted to either tacitly or otherwise acquire ownership and dominate these broadcasting stations throughout the country, then woe be to those who dare to differ with them. It will be impossible to compete with them in reaching the ears of the American people.
Texas Congressman Luther Johnson, 1926, debating the to-be Radio Act of 1927

Posted at 07:48 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Fri, 08 Oct 2004

A rather dry Bush Joke

Q: How many Bush officials does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: None. "There's nothing wrong with that light bulb. It has served us honorably. When you say it's burned out, you're giving encouragement to the forces of darkness. Once we install a light bulb, we never, ever change it. Real men don't need artificial light."

Via Steve Chapman, via Andrew Sullivan, et al...

Posted at 16:04 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Happy Friday

There's a new JibJab offering today.

Posted at 13:40 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Watching the sausage get made

The American Progress Action Fund sends along the following:

TAXES
The $145 Billion Abomination
What started as a modest effort in Congress to replace a $5 billion-a-year export subsidy that the WTO ruled was illegal has turned into a $145 billion, 633-page corporate tax giveaway (link) . Opportunistic members from both sides of the aisle united and cast aside fiscal responsibility to reward favored special interests and score political points in an election year. The bill still requires final passage by the House and Senate. The one potential bright spot was a bipartisan agreement to allow the FDA to regulate tobacco in exchange for a $10 billion buyout of tobacco farmers. But at the behest of tobacco companies, the provision allowing FDA regulation of their products was stripped out by Congressional negotiators. (The $10 billion buyout stayed in.) Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) called the bill "a disgrace" and " a complete sellout to the tobacco companies (link) ." At the urging of corporate lobbyists, lawmakers inserted so many last-minute changes "it will take weeks if not months for even the most skilled tax experts to identify all the deals that took place." Here are some highlights:
$27.9 BILLION FOR CORPORATIONS THAT EARN PROFITS ABROAD: The bill would allow corporations that have accumulated billions in untaxed overseas profits to bring the money back to the United States at a fraction of the normal tax rate. Even Treasury Secretary John Snow admits the provision discriminates "against companies that don't have large overseas operations." (link) It would be a $20 billion windfall for giant corporations like Hewlett-Packard and Eli-Lilly. A separate provision would change the way overseas profits are calculated -- at a total cost of $7.9 billion -- saving General Electric Co. alone hundreds of millions of dollars.
$101 MILLION FOR NASCAR: The bill makes technical changes in the tax treatment of grandstand facilities, which will be worth $101 million to race track owners (link) struggling to make ends meet.
$44 MILLION FOR IMPORTERS OF CHINESE CEILING FANS: The bill suspends a 4.7 percent duty on ceiling fans through 2006, a provision that primarily benefits Home Depot. (link) Lobbyists for Home Depot also had the provision inserted into the administration's energy bill (link) , but that bill failed to clear Congress.
$28 MILLION FOR CRUISE SHIP OPERATORS: A provision in the bill would allow cruise ship operators to delay paying taxes for certain products. The delay is worth $15 million for Carnival Corp. and $8 to $10 million for Royal Caribbean (link) .
$27 MILLION FOR HORSE AND DOG GAMBLERS: The bill exempts foreign gamblers from paying taxes (link) up front on their winnings at horse and dog tracks.
$11 MILLION FOR FISHING TACKLE BOX MANUFACTURES: Excise taxes on tackle boxes would be reduced from 10 percent to 3 percent. One of the biggest beneficiaries would be Plano Molding Co. -- which just happens to be headquartered in House Speaker Dennis Hastert's district. (link)
$9 MILLION FOR BOW AND ARROW MANUFACTURES: The bill eliminates taxes on "youth bows" (link) that are not powerful enough to be used for hunting. It also reduces taxes for a device -- called a broadhead -- that is attached to the tips of arrows.
THE "REVENUE NEUTRAL" MYTH: The legislation is billed as revenue neutral because its proponents claim that tax cuts are off-set by closing other tax loopholes. But " the full costs have been glossed over and disguised (link) by delaying the starting date of some provisions and scheduling others to end after several years." The Washington Post notes, "once Congress passes a tax break, lawmakers typically extend it when it comes up for renewal."

Posted at 09:37 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Wed, 06 Oct 2004

Go, DNC

The rapid response team over at the DNC is doing a great job this year. Check out the brand new "Cheney vs. Reality" spot over at the DNC website.

Marvy.

Posted at 11:12 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Tue, 05 Oct 2004

Utterly Sublime

Taken verbatim from Kevin Drum, this is tooooo good...

FACTCHECK.COM....Heh heh. This is pretty funny.

During the debate, Dick Cheney mentioned that you could go to factcheck.com to get the real scoop on Halliburton. What he meant was factcheck.org, a nonpartisan site run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

But if you click on factcheck.com, as many people probably will, you get redirected to.....

Oh, just go ahead and do it. This is really too rich to give away.

Posted at 23:42 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Insta-opinion

Watched the entire Vice Presidential debate; I thought that it was a tie for all practical purposes. Both got in their digs, neither made any fatal errors. Republicans will think Cheney won, Democrats Edwards. Net plus to the democrats, as Edwards is now a more known quantity.

I guess that one could say that the only obviously unqualified candidate on the ticket at this point is the President.

[ UPDATE: the initial polling seems to indicate that a very solid majority feel that Edwards was the clear winner. Interesting. I'm glad, but I still don't have any great feeling of a dem smackdown on this one. Friday's Q&A presidential debate, however, will be a bloodbath for the republicans. Expect a full ninety minutes of Bush's lame talking points ad nauseum, combined with deer-in-the-headlights periods of dread and silence. It may be a complete live political meltdown. ]

Posted at 23:01 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

So, how do you handle a record of failure?

Watch the Quicktime video here.

Brilliant.

Posted at 08:47 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Mon, 04 Oct 2004

Register!

Today is the last day that you can register to vote in the Presidential election. Please head for your nearest County Clerk satellite office and do it.

If you're in Travis County, TX, you can check and see if you are registered at the website. Other Texans can call (800) 252-VOTE.

Posted at 07:41 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Sun, 03 Oct 2004

Polls Revisited

For those who would like to immerse themselves in polling wonkery, the National Council on Public Polls has an article on how to evaluate a given poll entitled "20 Questions A Journalist Should Ask About Poll Results." Enjoy.

Posted at 10:57 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Tue, 05 Oct 2004

Faces Of Frustration

There's a wonderful silent video of George Bush's faces of frustration today over at the DNC Site.

[ UPDATE: it's been moved here. ]

Posted at 16:48 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]

Fri, 01 Oct 2004

The Debate

After going through all of the usual sites this morning, it's clear that Kerry won, and won big. Most pollsters have Kerry winner at between 50 and 55 percent (and those polls are skewed towards Bush; see below.) Bush gets from 32 to 37%, with the remainder undecided.

I left the room and listened to most of the debate on the radio; it was an interesting experiment. What I saw on television was a Bush who looked impatient and peeved; what I heard on the radio, without the benefit of the visual, was a scared, rudderless man.

I don't think that George Bush has had to endure any criticism inside his cocoon for the last four years, and it shows. He is out of practice. Bubble Boy Bush suddenly found himself in a very real, very big world. All he had to work with was his list of talking points, and Kerry snipped them cleanly, one by one. Bush was left with nothing but the complaint that his job was "incredibly hard work," repeated over and over. Oh, yes, and how Kerry "forgot Poland" in the so-called coalition that Bush put together for the war. Expect this line to be late night talk show fodder for at least a week. The best line of the night -- maybe the campaign -- was Kerry's "You can be certain and be wrong. Certainty sometimes will get you into trouble."

Next up: domestic policy. If Kerry won this one so cleanly, in Bush's erstwhile strongest area, he will eviscerate Bush on domestic policy. The next two debates are going to be extremely interesting to watch. We might see a complete stammering meltdown.

Posted at 15:34 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink] [Reload all] [E-mail]