Thinking Right

By Ms Tucker

November 12, 2008 8:07 AM | Link to this

Cynthia Tucker

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

For several years, Republicans have waged a brilliant, Machiavellian campaign against the right to vote, persuading Americans that fair elections were under attack from a widespread and pernicious campaign of voter fraud. It’s classic sophistry; there is virtually no fraud by fake voters showing up at the polls.

Nevertheless, the voter-suppression campaign succeeded in state legislatures, where Republicans passed restrictive voter ID laws, and in courtrooms, where judges upheld them. Republicans also won the public relations battle, taking on a veneer of moral authority as they posed as protectors of the ballot.

But Barack Obama’s awesome get-out-the-vote machine overwhelmed the GOP’s cynical tactics, which had depended on shaving off a few hundred or a few thousand votes of poor and elderly Americans who didn’t have driver’s licenses, and who just happened to tend to vote for Democrats. In Obama’s winning campaign, the GOP couldn’t deter enough Democratic voters to make a difference.

Republicans didn’t just lose the presidency and congressional seats around the country. They also lost the veneer of respectability covering their campaign to block the ballot. They panicked as Obama’s poll numbers rose and in their desperation, they began throwing out one tactic after another to try to discourage voters from going to the polls. The alarm they raised was so absurd that it was comical.

Karen Handel, Georgia’s GOP secretary of state, became a partisan martinet, the Katherine Harris of this campaign. (You may remember Harris as the Republican secretary of state who dutifully carried water for George W. Bush in Florida eight years ago.) Handel took aim at Jim Powell, a Democrat running for the Public Service Commission, insisting that he didn’t meet residency requirements. Even though courts kept ruling against her, she kept after Powell until she was finally slapped down by a unanimous ruling of the Georgia Supreme Court.

But she was undeterred, finding other ways to harass Democrats. Having first declared that Democrats were having little luck registering new voters, she later did every thing she could to try to keep as many new voters as possible from casting a ballot. The Department of Justice finally put state election officials on notice because they subjected an unusually high number of registered voters to background checks. It later turned out that, in most cases, errors such as typos in electronic databases were the problem, not voter fraud.

And when Handel saw that legally registered voters were enduring four- to six-hour waits to vote early, she refused to try to extend early-voting hours, hiding behind the claim that Georgia law didn’t explicitly give her authority to do so. Operating under a similar law, however, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist extended early voting there.

(On the other hand, Handel is correct to investigate Fulton County’s lengthy and disorganized process for counting absentee ballots. Election officials allowed workers to leave the premise and return later to finish the task, in apparent violation of laws intended to guarantee ballot security.)

Meanwhile, state Rep. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) actually denounced early voting, even though he and other GOP officials had voted in favor of the practice earlier this year as a way to make elections more convenient for their suburban constituents. Johnson lost his enthusiasm for early voting when he saw hundreds of thousands of black Georgians taking advantage of it.

“Even if it was well-intentioned, we may find that we’ve opened up more opportunities for those people who are looking for ways to cheat,” Johnson said, adding that early voting allows “the ability to have time to go out there and pick up homeless people, and carry them to the polls, and register cats. It just opens up a 30-day period of time when, if your goal is to undermine democracy, you’ve got 30 days to do it instead of one.”

Johnson didn’t explain how cheating is any more likely with early voting than with Election Day balloting, since the same state-sponsored photo identification is required for both. Instead, he and Handel managed to shred their carefully constructed rationale for harassing legally qualified voters. Their campaign against voter fraud is, well, a fraud.

By Churchill's Mom

November 12, 2008 8:12 AM | Link to this

Here’s today’s Palin, Personally I don’t understand how she cas work with a SLIMEBALL like Chambliss but I’ll go see her any way as long as I don’t have to vote for the Draft Dodger.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is in the midst of a whirlwind media tour aimed at answering her critics and positioning herself for a possible run for president in four years time.

By Thursday of this week, Palin will have sat for interviews with Fox News Channel’s Greta Van Susteren, NBC’s Matt Lauer and CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. Her week will culminate that day with a press conference (novel idea!) and a speech entitled “Looking Toward the Future” at the Republican Governors Association meeting in Miami.

The goal of Palin’s busy week is clear: for her to remain a national player in the Republican party and a legitimate contender in 2012, she must beat back the various negative stories about her being peddled to the media.

Palin remains a darling of conservatives for her “regular gal” appeal, but she is a savvy enough politician to know that if the GOP smart set completely sours on her (the result of the $150,000 clothes story and the rumors about her decided lack of knowledge of foreign affairs), she will struggle to overcome the conventional wisdom that she was a mistake-pick by John McCain and nothing more than a national flash in the political pan.

In her interview last night with Van Susteren, Palin laid out the framework for how she will handle the various questions sure to come her way over the next few days and weeks.

On the $150,000 in clothes: “I did not order the clothes,” said Palin. “Did not ask for the clothes. I would have been happy to have worn my own clothes from day one.” And, she added, the whole issue is largely “irrelevant” when compared to the huge and historic changes happening in country.

On whether Africa is a country or a continent: It was all a big misunderstanding because, of course, she knew Africa was a continent. “I don’t know how they took our one discussion on Africa and turned that into what they turned it into,” she said.

On her lack of media interviews during the campaign: It was a decision made by the McCain team that she disagreed with. Asked by Van Susteren what she would have changed, Palin said: “I would have preferred more opportunity to speak to the media more often, because there were a lot of things that I think it could have, should have said that could have, would have helped John McCain.”

But, by far the most important element (for political junkies at least) of Van Susteren’s interview came when the FNC anchor asked the Alaska Governor about her future plans.

Palin responded (and we are excerpting the whole thing because it’s important):

“I can’t predict what’s going to happen a day from now, much less four years from now. You know, I have — faith is a very big part of my life. And putting my life in my creator’s hands — this is what I always do. I’m like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I’m like, don’t let me miss the open door. Show me where the open door is. Even if it’s cracked up a little bit, maybe I’ll plow right on through that and maybe prematurely plow through it, but don’t let me miss an open door. And if there is an open door in ‘12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I’ll plow through that door.”

The key phrase? “Plow through that door”. As we have written in this space before, Palin, plucked from relative obscurity by McCain in late August, has absolutely no plans to go quietly into that good night.

Her media tour this week and her speech at the RGA on Thursday are all aimed at a single thing: establishing herself as a power player in the party over the next four years.

Expect Palin to make some appearances in key races — maybe as soon as this month for Sen. Saxby Chambliss in his Georgia runoff — to show her drawing power and popularity among grassroots Republicans.

For Palin’s future prospects, the next few months are crucial. Will she be remembered as a blip in the Republican history books or a force to be reckoned with in 2012?

By Saxby's in it for the LOBBYIST

November 12, 2008 8:13 AM | Link to this

As a combat vet in Viet Nam there is no way I could vote for Saxby. How about the way Saxby worked with Kennedy, Pelosi, Reid, Frank, And Dodd on Amnesty, over ridding President Bush’s 3 Vetoes of Saxby’s farm Bill, the Gang of 10 TRAITORS and the $700,000,000,000. bail out of Wall Street with an added $153,000,000,000.00 of pork. Fire Saxby Now, Fire Saxby Now, Pay Less

By Ragnar Danneskjöld

November 12, 2008 8:14 AM | Link to this

Good morning all. This is one case where I favor big government activity. Each fraudulent vote nullifies a valid vote, thus disenfranchising the truth. Every election should have a nationwide audit of voting – cross-checking voters against social security records, to attempt to discover all frauds. Will never happen of course, and the intra-Georgia audit would be an appropriate validation of the vote.

Outside the box: as cheap as modern digital technology is, why do we not photograph every voter on appearance at the poll? As to absentee ballots, the defect is in our notarization laws – they should be amended to require the digital image recordation as a conventional element of notarization.

Distantly related – is anyone watching the ACORN-taint arising in Minnesota? “Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” I suppose that is Juvenal of me.

By Saxby's now a Bank

November 12, 2008 8:16 AM | Link to this

Going to get bailed out by getting money form the $700 Billion Bail Out Wall Street..

By Lobbyist for Saxby

November 12, 2008 8:19 AM | Link to this

Our man Saxby has collected over $13,000,000.00 from us & yesterday he called asking for more because he is broke. We think he is pulling a “David Scott” & skimming 15% off the top as a management fee. Saxby Chambliss will do anything for a buck.

By Redneck Convert

November 12, 2008 8:23 AM | Link to this

Don’t go checking to see who voted more than once in GA. I got enough troubles already. You don’t know what it’s like to set in a trailer with one eye on the TV and the other on the outside to see if any cops are pulling up.

Course, if you can find a way to keep Those People from voting, that would be fine with me. Getting picky with photo ID would help. You know how Those People all look alike. They could say the picture don’t look like them and turn them away.

Check to see if people are voting in two different states. Channel 2 run a report about finding hundereds of people that voted in GA and another state too. They tried to innerview one guy in FL that voted in Atlanta and FL too. He was standing in front of a big mansion and they showed his big mansion in Atlanta too. You know how those librul Democrats like to buy more house than they can afford. He needs to be put in jail.

Anyhow, just when things were getting quiet Wooten has to drag up this voting thing again. I wish he would go on vacation and just stop putting things in the paper while he’s doing it. Anyhow, me voting up in Rome and Forsyth County didn’t make no diffrence in the outcome. This Obama is going to be President anyway. To our great shame. He beat old man McCain so bad he ought to be arrested for abusing old people. Anyhow, no harm, no foul, I always say.

Have a good day everybody.

By Ragnar Danneskjöld

November 12, 2008 8:26 AM | Link to this

In my 8:14 shorthand I omitted an obvious audit check – for multiple-state voting. In national elections each state’s voters should be crossed against all other state’s voters. A simple computer scrub, every marketing company has to do that before making telephone solicitations, so the technology is not a reach.

I see the weird anti-Saxbe postings aleady begin. Here, as a public service, are the responses to the whinings of today’s paid democrat bloggers and for the other Saxbe Derangement Syndrome sufferers:

(1) No, he didn’t smear Max Cleland and he did not question Cleland’s patriotism; here is the ad, see for yourself. He did challenge Cleland’s judgment, legitimately. Mr. Cleland richly deserved to be fired for insisting on unionizing Homeland Security, then in formation; as rotten as that agency is, can you imagine how bad it would be if it had been unionized? Last week, in this space albeit in another context, we discussed the inherent economic problem that arises with unionized bureaucrats. Democrats always claim that their judgment on policy matters should not be questioned, that same is “smearing.” This was a valid economic challenge – Saxbe was not merely a screaming monkey jumping on Cleland’s shoulders – and there is no doubt in retrospect that the voters made a good decision. (Note that Mr. Cleland is never mentioned prospectively for statewide office in Georgia. Isn’t that the real difference between a smear and a valid criticism?)

(2) The reasons to vote for Saxbe are

(a) Mr. Chambliss’s unflinching support of the military missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. He gets to share the credit for the victories - (a) the extinguishment of al Qaeda all over the world and (b) the formation of a true representative democracy in the heart of the Arabian Middle East - because he never demanded unilateral withdrawal, when the screaming monkeys were baselessly demanding surrender. Mr. Martin lacks Mr. Lieberman’s character (that’s not particularly a criticism of Martin, few people do), and would have knuckled under to party pressure.

(b) Mr. Chambliss’s unqualified endorsements of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, in the confirmation process. I think a majority of democrats opposed both, and the conservative bloc has been correct on every issue, even when in the minority. Mr. Martin does not appreciate the virtues of conservative justices.

(c) Mr. Chambliss is “open” to Fair Tax, even if, as friend Ga Values argues, Chambliss does not understand it. Mr. Martin is not open to the Fair Tax, and willfully misrepresents the nature of the plan. Before Boortz and Linder, I advocated elimination of the income tax and substitution of a national sales tax, both on grounds of “fairness” and simplicity. (By the way Ga Values, I went to the weblink you provided and found no critique on fair tax. Can you help me out there? I am comfortable in my belief of the superiority of any “national sales tax” or similar substitute for the income tax, and stand ready to address any reservations.) Amusingly, Mr. Martin’s total argument against the Fair Tax seems to be that democrats cannot be trusted to really abolish the income tax; perhaps he is correct in his character analysis there.

(3) We don’t care about lobbyists. If you have any suggestion of “bribery,” take it to the Obama justice department. Otherwise the activities of Chambliss and family are indistinguishable from those of the prospective vice president. I acknowledge my weasel-words there, as I have a profound contempt for the democrat-like standards that have lured formerly-honest conservatives to the dark side.

(4) The headline of today’s WSJ reads, “Democrats Plot Detroit Rescue.” While there may be some argument in favor of government intervention to preserve confidence in the financial system, as that meaningfully implicates every other business in the country, that same argument does not validate corporate welfare to the failing automobile giants. Mr. Martin does not distance himself from the “democrats” in the headline, and thus cannot possibly claim a favorable distinction from Mr. Chambliss.

(5) The headline says it all.

By gafarmer

November 12, 2008 8:27 AM | Link to this

Full moon tonight? The lunatics are out this morning. Saxby ain’t perfect but he’s better than those who came before him and he will tackle tough issues.

By ron

November 12, 2008 8:29 AM | Link to this

Good morning,Yes ,I believe that Republicans are actively trying to supress votes.It is a rare occasion when I’m on the same page as Cynthia Tucker,but this time I am there.Both figuretively and literally this day.Karen Handel is Georgia’s poster child for this movement.At the very least she was over zealous in her pursuit of fraudulent voters,but I believe it goes deeper than that and so too did the judges.

By S. Ga Hunter

November 12, 2008 8:32 AM | Link to this

To steal a quote from the messiah’s pastor Jeremiah Wright….“Saxby was ridin’ dirty with the other side, sayin’ one thing at home and doin’ a different thing someplace else. Those chickens came homeeeeeee to roost”.

By swolf

November 12, 2008 8:42 AM | Link to this

Main reason for voting for Saxby….you’re stupid.

By ron

November 12, 2008 8:47 AM | Link to this

Ragnar,I would support a national sales tax in lieu of an income tax as long as there are no exemptions of any kind.None,zero, nada.Tax every financial transaction as it is made and provide substantial penalties for transgressors.Other that that.no.

By Yarballs

November 12, 2008 9:06 AM | Link to this

And start with the absentees in Hancock County.

By David

November 12, 2008 9:07 AM | Link to this

I think Mr. Wooten opens with the wrong question. The correst wuestion is do we seriously believe partisans are trying to keep legitimate voters from voting? To that answer I would have to say yes.

Be it through redistricting, required return mailings, unverified voter purge rolls, or anything similar, I regret to say that I do believe those who we elect to office are often willing to look past the rights violations of a few if it keeps them in office.

By tcoach

November 12, 2008 9:09 AM | Link to this

How hard is it to get a driver’s license?

I mean they are $10. If you do not want to vote bad enough to go get a drivers license for $10, then you do not really want to vote.

The license is good for 10 years so it is like a dollar a year.

If you really want to vote go get a license.

What is the harm in requiring that we can actually identify that the person voting is the actual person registered?

By Ga Values

November 12, 2008 9:18 AM | Link to this

Ragnar Danneskjöld 8:26 AM

As a Republican opposed to Chambliss I’ll respond to you. For the record I voted for Saxby 6 years ago because I was mad at Max about the Boy Scouts.

a.Saxby is a Chickenhawk. Except for the full of pork farm bill Saxby has voted with President Bush on everything. As a Combat vet I have a big problem with Chickenhawks like Saxby.

b.Both our senators are on record as being in favor of a Up or Down vote on ALL judicial nominees. If Saxby was telling the truth he will NOT participate in a fillabuster. If he did not tell the truth about a up or down vote, he will trade his vote for a little more ETHANOL subsidy.

c. You need to go to the link I gave you yesterday. Allen Buckley points out why the National Sales Tax will not work. Take the time to do a little research & you will see Saxby is just pandering to pick up a few votes. By the way the Congressional scoring committee says that the National Sales Tax rate will have to be 40% not 23%.

3.All you have to do is look at Saxby’s Farm bill to see the effect that Lobbyist money has on legislation. Below is President Bush’s Veto message. Calls & Emails against the Wall Street Bailout were running 1,000:1 against, yet Saxby took the over $2,000,000.00 from Wall Street Lobbyist & voted with the Liberal Democrats. As I remember we we both VERY opposed to this waste of Taxpayer Money.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080509.html

To me the most important reason to fire Saxby is that it will send a message to Jonmmy the Socialist & the other RINOs that they need to vote for the taxpayers not the Lobbyist.

By Curious Observer

November 12, 2008 9:18 AM | Link to this

What is the harm in requiring that we can actually identify that the person voting is the actual person registered?

Then please explain why no identification is required for absentee voting. Could it be that most absentee voting is done by Republicans? I’ll believe in the innocence of your protest when I see you advocating for an ID requirement for absentee voting—where most fraud occurs, incidentally.

By David

November 12, 2008 9:20 AM | Link to this

I think Mr. Wooten opens with the wrong question. The correst wuestion is do we seriously believe partisans are trying to keep legitimate voters from voting? To that answer I would have to say yes.

Be it through redistricting, required return mailings, unverified voter purge rolls, or anything similar, I regret to say that I do believe those who we elect to office are often willing to look past the rights violations of a few if it keeps them in office.

By Devastator

November 12, 2008 9:26 AM | Link to this

NEW YORK (CNN) — As his presidency nears its end, a reflective President Bush suggested Tuesday that he regrets some of his more blunt statements on the war on terrorism over the last eight years and said he wishes he had not spoken in front of a “Mission Accomplished” banner only a month after U.S. troops in Iraq were deployed.

President Bush says his wife told him that as president, he should watch his words carefully.

“I regret saying some things I shouldn’t have said,” Bush told CNN’s Heidi Collins when asked to reflect on his regrets over his two terms as president. “Like ‘dead or alive’ and ‘bring ‘em on.’ My wife reminded me that, hey, as president of the United States, be careful what you say.”

The interview, aboard the USS Intrepid in New York, came after the president addressed a Veterans Day ceremony.

Shortly after the attacks of September 11, the president said of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden: “I want justice. There’s an old poster out West that said, ‘Wanted, dead or alive.’ “

By Reality Check

November 12, 2008 9:27 AM | Link to this

Good morning all,

Can anyone give us even one example where LEGIT voter fraud has been proven. And can it be really attached to the Dems? I often hear those on the right complain about dead people voting or people voting multiple times, but no one ever offers up any proof. Could it be that it really is just urban ledgend and lies? It has been proven to me for sure that the republicans want to reduce the number of voters in the pool, now I would like it if someone could give me something concrete from the right side…..

By Dannon Yogurteskjöld

November 12, 2008 9:29 AM | Link to this

So there’s this religious radio talk show in Tennessee and the preacher hosts are talking about temptation when some guy calls in and asks off topic, “Do you think it’s possible Obama might be the anti-christ?”

Taken aback, the preacher said, essentially, well, I don’t think so, but you can never truly know anyone’s true self. He went on to point out that people raised the same question about Clinton and Bush.

That call was followed by two rabidly foaming callers who said the “only acceptable,” response to such an “obviously racist,” question was “absolutely not.” I put quotes in because both callers said the same things in the name indignant, angry tone.

I know that end-timers have for years asked if the latest president is the anti-christ. How is that question now “obviously racist”? And, why is there only one “acceptable,” answer?

Is this how it’s going to be now? I’ll hang up and listen to you all rip me several new ones.

By findog

November 12, 2008 9:33 AM | Link to this

Jim,

This comes down to the need for a National ID Card. Is solves the illegal immigrant employment problem and the voter fraud problem. With a centrally issued ID tied to a national database no one could be registered to vote in multiple locations, the really dead people would be purged, felons would be dropped, and the poor Smith and Jones clans would not have all those problems of being dropped from the voter roles because of a similar name being used in the purge. The problem is two sided and must be addressed as such.

Now if we could just get a bill written with enough privacy protection to keep the paranoid 1984 crowd in check… but then again is there constitutional right to privacy?

By Devastator

November 12, 2008 9:33 AM | Link to this

What I would like to ask is, why are voters required to have ID with them at the polls, but are allowed to mail in ballots with no ID.

The righties believe that their voters are more likely to mail in than democratic voters.

This is definitely an attempt to suppress voters and obtain unfair advantage. Oh well, no sense in complaining about it now: OBAMA has kicked a$$ in ‘08!!!!!

By El Jefe

November 12, 2008 9:41 AM | Link to this

Voter fraud, Yes there is enough of it to make any honest(very rare) politician run scared.

For example, if Pablo has gathered the right kind of fake id, he then applies for a Georgia Drivers License. On the form, it asks if he is registered to vote. After reading the warnings, he says yes and is now a registered voter.

Two crimes here - id fraud and voter registration fraud.

Thanks to the Democrats and their minions, we can register anyone to vote, no questions asked.

Thanks Bill Clinton for Motor-Voter. How about we do the same at the Starbucks drive up window. Instant registration.

By Disgusted

November 12, 2008 9:44 AM | Link to this

How about an effort to remove dead people from the county voter rolls? One investigation found that numerous dead people had actually voted in Cobb County—after their deaths! I hope these people presented suitable photo IDs. Check out the Channel 2 Website for the report. It does no good to cross-check voter rolls of counties if there is no effort at all to verify that listed voters are living human beings.

By Devastator

November 12, 2008 9:46 AM | Link to this

WASHINGTON - President-elect Obama has hired former Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sam Nunn to help shepherd his Pentagon transition, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Nunn, a former Georgia senator and veteran Democratic defense adviser, was once rumored as a potential running mate for Obama. Transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Nunn will perform “an informal senior adviser role throughout the defense transition process.”

Nunn’s role has been described by others, speaking anonymously because the transition teams have not been announced, as the leader of Obama’s defense transition. Similarly, a senior administration official said former Secretary of State Warren Christopher would advise Obama on his State Department transition.

By Reality Check

November 12, 2008 9:48 AM | Link to this

El Jefe @9:41

Can you please give us some proof? PLEASE???!!! I understand there is still some bitterness in your post, but please give us something other than scary stories oooohhhhhh!

By The Republican

November 12, 2008 9:50 AM | Link to this

I wish only my kind of people could vote.

Everyone should think and be like me!!!!

By El Jefe

November 12, 2008 9:52 AM | Link to this

Voter Fraud, you betcha.

Snowbirds from New York with a condo in sunny Florida are registered in both places. With no cross checking between states, guess what,? Voter fraud.

In the AJC this weekend, a person said they made their living in New York, but voted in Georgia to help Obama. Wait a minute, if they make their living in New York, then they must have a hell of a commute.

By Newt/Palin 2012

November 12, 2008 9:52 AM | Link to this

Do you think Newt’s 3rd wife wooed him with her blow job skills since that is his “preferred MO which allows him the ability to deny extramarital affairs” while he was trying to impeach Clinton?

By The Anti-Wooten

November 12, 2008 9:57 AM | Link to this

Saxby’s gotten into the real spirit of this debate. When asked why his race for Senate turned out the way that it did he had some interesting things to say.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/11/chambliss-our-folks/

Functionally, his point is that all of those awful Knee-Grows ruined his day and made him work a lot harder to get back into the Seat of Theft.

By Southern White conservative

November 12, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this

I tried to stop the end of slavery. I did my best to prevent integration. Now, I’ve failed at stopping the first Ni,uh, I mean African American president.

What’s an individual in my situation gonna do?

By tcoach

November 12, 2008 10:10 AM | Link to this

Curious sorry was busy did not see your request.

I did not state either way I feel you should have to show some type of ID to cast any vote.

It would be more difficult but we could also go with a finger print on the absentee ballot. If they have a driver’s license then their finger print is on file.

I do appreciate you assuming I was slanted in my question, because we all know it would be absurd to actually just be asking a question.

Try not to be so paranoid.

So what is the problem with having a license as a requirment?

I answered yours……

By why do republicans lie?

November 12, 2008 10:10 AM | Link to this

Why do you poor hillbillies support suxby when he represents people who make over 250,000 a year, you hicks never speak on the issues at hand but corny lines like get the terrorist, stop the gays, stop abortion,wise up and start thinking RIGHT for yourself and not for people like suxby to think for you. P.S. remember before suxby got into office times were good, you had a job, a trailorhouse, and you could EAT but look at the economy now blame it on the rethuglicans, vote for suxby and you will continue to get nothing for your vote!

By Puzzled

November 12, 2008 10:12 AM | Link to this

I keep wishing and hoping for an honest to goodness conservative voice with some integrity that sticks to the real issues. In “Thinking Right” this past Friday Jim Wooten once again undermines his credibility by making light of the attempt to change the name of a school in Jacksonville. Nathan Bedford Forrest was a Confederate General with considerable evidence of having committed war crimes and later named a Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Why would you feel the need to put that in your article? Makes sense to me that a school with a diverse population would want a name with a more reputable historic basis.

By Ragnar Danneskjöld

November 12, 2008 10:25 AM | Link to this

Dear GA Values @ 9:18, while we enjoy much common ground in our world perspectives, we also have fundamental disagreements.

(1) You affirm “chickenhawks” are not competent to exercise judgment on whether to go to war; I disagree. A “chickenhawk” is as competent to exercise that judgment as is a draft dodger or even a repentant member of Black Panthers or Weather Underground. The maturity of judgment is not necessarily a function of military service, the honorableness of the latter notwithstanding. By your argument only those who suffer discrimination are competent to write laws on discrimination, only victims of armed robbery are competent to write penalties for theft, only taxpayers should be allowed to vote on those with power to spend, etc. While there is an emotional appeal there, it is not a logical argument. To the extent that extinguishment of al Qaeda – in Indonesia, Philippines, Iraq – was a sound policy, the warmongers – including Saxbe - deserve sole credit for the effort. I think you disagree with me on the soundness of the policy of extinguishment of al Qaeda, as they were not exclusively located in Afghanistan prior to the Bush initiatives.

(2) “Up and down” vote is not the issue for me – approval of conservative judicial nominees is. Mr. Martin is not on record as favoring strict constructionists, whether “original intent” or “original meaning.” I hold total contempt for the “living, breathing” Constitutionists favored by the left, and believe anyone so favoring the arbitrary theory of interpretation is incompetent for the Court. I perceive Saxbe would vote against such nominees, and that Mr. Martin would vote the democrat line. I agree that filibuster is inappropriate for any presidential nomination, and should be reserved for policy disputes.

(3) I navigated much – although admittedly not all – of Mr. Buckley’s site yesterday and was unable to find anything on Fair Tax. Perhaps that reflects a personal limitation on my search skills. I will accept your theory that Mr. Buckley offers the greatest argument against Fair Tax and similar reform efforts, but as I have not enjoyed opportunity to review his arguments, I do not accept them. For now I prefer (a) one who would pander in the correct tax philosophy – Saxbe - than (b) reject on principle in favor of a flawed tax philosophy – Martin. I remain receptive to counter-argument, but I have not seen one. As to “40%” vs “2%” – that is irrelevant. If the gross amount of taxation is the same, the “correct rate” does not matter – it is the method of taxation that matters, and a national sales tax would be an improvement over graduated income tax in every respect.

(4) You are correct to affirm our common opposition to wasteful expenditure, and I agree that Saxbe’s participation in the formation of the wasteful agriculture bill gave cover to the free-spending democrats in control of the body. That is not a strong argument in favor of adding to the numbers of democrats.

(5) I agree that corporate welfare is a push in a choice between Chambliss and Martin. The “global warming” lemmings headline was my idea of a joke, semi-seriously recognizing that Chambliss would be theoretically free to oppose cap and trade (although he probably wouldn’t – too much potential for graft), although Martin, a true believer, would favor cap and trade.

Thus, by my analysis, Chambliss’s weakest policy points match those of Martin, and Martin offers no policy position superior to one held by Chambliss. That leaves a simple calculus for me.

Dear Curious @ 9:18 and Devastator @ 9:33, I cannot speak for the law in Georgia – I have never voted absentee here – but most states required notarization for an absentee vote, a level of proof superior to merely presenting a picture id.

Dear Dannon @ 9:29, well-phrased, logical question, my compliments. Wish I had asked it.

By bobby

November 12, 2008 10:26 AM | Link to this

I’m Still Waiting For A White Male Republican Conservative From The South To Try And Get Their Party’s Nomination For President. None Of You Hillbilly Whites From The South Voted For Obama, So Don’t Take Credit For The Other Whites That Did. Now, A Comment, Then A Question. The Republican Party Was Once Filled With Anti Slavery Whites And Abolitionists, It Was The Democrat Party That Led The Nation In Hatred Of Blacks. LBJ Signed The Civil Rights Legislation In To Law In 1964, He Was A Democrat. Afterwards, He Made The Statement That The Democrats Had Given The South To The Republicans, Because The White South Would Not Support A Party That Supports Voting Rights For Blacks(He Was Right). One Thing I Have Learned By Living In This Country Is That White Southerners Are Viewed By Other Whites As Ignorant,Stupid Racists. They See You Guys As Pickup Truck Driving, Confererate Flag Waving, Barefooted, Tobacco Chewing, No Shirt Wearing, Snuff Dipping,Inbred, NASCAR Loving, Backwoods, Missing Teeth,Moonshine Drinking,Uneducated, Country Music Loving, Shotgun Carrying Dimwits. Having Said All Of That, Here’s Two Questions. Why Is It That Southern Local News Anchors Are Told To Lose Their Southern Accent If They Want To Be On Local Southern Television? Also When Will The Day Come That A White Southern Person, Complete With The Hillbilly Accent And Everything Else, Win The Republican Parties Nomination For President? I Predict Never, Because The Republican Party Is Controlled By Northern, Northeast And To A Lesser Extint, Western, Money Barons, And There Is Simply No Way In Hell They Will Allow One Of You To Represent Their Party. They Can Always Count On You For Your Vote, But They Want Nothing Else To Do With You. McCain/Palin, W. Bush/Cheney, H.W. Bush/Quale, Reagan/Bush, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon,Eisenhower..No Southern White Males Anywhere To Be Found. There Never Will Be.The Real Republicans Would Never Allow It. They Take You For Granted. Wake Up. America Has Changed And Is Leaving You Guys Behind. Florida Is Not A Southern State, By The Way. You Guys Want To Claim It, But It Is Not. Mississippi & Georgia Yes. Florida? No. Sorry. Obama And All Of The Americans That Voted For Him, Just(Indirectly) Changed The Republican Party As We Know It. Couldn’t Happen To A Better Bunch. Thank You.

By Reality Check

November 12, 2008 10:34 AM | Link to this

EL Jefe @ 9:52

Follow the logic… If there really is this type of fraud, and it can be proven, why is there no prosecution? If theose on the right can make a real legal case, Why is no one going to jail or even being charged? Come on brother, Give me something… Anything…..?

By jm

November 12, 2008 10:38 AM | Link to this

tcoach - so I guess you are in favor of voter day registration, as long as a driver’s license is presented.

Personally, I would like to clean up (and in most cases remove) the laws we have that take away a persons right to vote.

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 10:41 AM | Link to this

bobby, The last two democrat presidents have been hillbilly white boys. Carter and Clinton. Care to argue that one?

Jim Wooten, The GOP sold Reagan out. They sold out the very pact they made in 94. The RINOS need to go, NOW! It’s time to Palin, Jindal, Steele and Romney to take over. Send out Guiliani to take out the democrats.

By Mr Snarky

November 12, 2008 10:44 AM | Link to this

Jim, the republican efforts to suppress the votes of likely democratic voters is pretty obvious and highly pathetic. It’s stuff like that that will keep you boys in the wildernesss for a long time. I hope you brought your tents.

By bobby

November 12, 2008 10:53 AM | Link to this

CommunistAJC You Idiot! Read My Post Again. Carter And Clinton Were Democrats, Not Republicans. You Can Be A Hillbilly Democrat and Get Elected President, But There’s No Way A Hillbilly Republican Can Even Win The Nomination. To Put It Another Way; Hillbilly Democrat = Hillbilly Democrat, Hillbilly Republican = KKK, Adolf Hitler, Jim Crow, Segregation, David Duke, Skin Heads, Confederate Flag,…… Sorry, But True For Many Americans.

By Saxby is a Crook

November 12, 2008 10:56 AM | Link to this

During the last 8 years Republican Congressmen tried to fix the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae mess but they were blocked by Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. The Wall Street’s Paulson along with Frank And Dodd wrote the $700,000,000,000.00 bail out Wall Street bill then added $153,000,000,000.00 of PORK for good measure. Our 7 Republican Congressmen voted against this RIP OFF of the taxpayer. Yet Saxby Chambliss (Socialist/RINO,Ga) voted for this waste. Why he has received over $10,621,716.00 from special interest much of it from BANKS & INSURANCE COMPANIES. With Saxby MONEY talks & the Taxpayer walks.

By jim is a caveman

November 12, 2008 10:58 AM | Link to this

Tcoach, there are some people who do not have and should not have driver’s licenses. Most of those people are elderly and poor. Those are the folks who get disenfranchised.

By W Chambliss

November 12, 2008 11:04 AM | Link to this

SAXBY CHAMBLISS is nothing like Ronald Reagan.—SEND A MESSAGE - VOTE MARTIN

By Frontman

November 12, 2008 11:04 AM | Link to this

I am nonplussed by the fact that so many people seem ready to treat voter fraud as a partisan issue. I would hope that people, regardless of party affiliation, would want to eliminate voter fraud in any way possible - it is a poison which can greatly taint democratic republics. Can’t we all be for a policy which tries to ensure 100% that only those eligible voters vote and that they cast only one ballot per election? If the Secretary of State is engaging in partisan disqualifications, as some say the GA Secretary did (purportedly to benefit Republicans), or engaging in partisan looking the other way to allow abuse of the system, as some say the Ohio Secretary did (purportedly to benefit Democrats), aren’t both equally wrong? The people should be demanding non-partisan updating of voter registration lists and screening of voters to ensure that each person’s vote carries the maximum weight. If you are not for this, I can only surmise that you: a) Have given up and accept voter fraud as an evil or b) Like the possibility of having your voting power diluted by a person who votes 6 times in four different counties or c) Actually endorse voter fraud as a means to allow your party to achieve its goal of ascendancy. The concept is not that complicated, people…

By Will Jones

November 12, 2008 11:05 AM | Link to this

Jim Martin is decent Georgian with the proven willingness to place his life at sacrifice for the Constitution of the United States of America in uniform under arms.

Chambliss, hiding his baldness with a bad comb-over, had neither the courage to serve with 9.2 million others during Vietnam, or the intelligence to protest a manifestly treasonous, illegal action in SE Asia fought on behalf of the Roman Anti-Christ…which he yet serves as “good buddy” to the Closet Queen-in-Chief who also dodged Vietnam and went on the commit 9/11.

By Jill

November 12, 2008 11:06 AM | Link to this

Bobby, Your Post Is Kind Of Funny, But After Thinking About It, You Make Good Points. That Is A Good Question To Ponder.

By NRA for Martin

November 12, 2008 11:07 AM | Link to this

IF we don’t send Saxby back to Moultrie,we face another gloomy six years.

By SBA

November 12, 2008 11:08 AM | Link to this

SAXBY is a rubber stamp for Socialism and Nationalization of free enterprise capitalism.

By david

November 12, 2008 11:10 AM | Link to this

I have a 91 year old aunt in a nursing home in Mcdonough. She told me she voted for Bama. She told me a nice lady helped her vote. She doesn’t know who George Bush is or what she had for lunch.

By Oscar

November 12, 2008 11:10 AM | Link to this

Chambliss and the Republicans gave us an unnecessary and never ending war in Iraq. They’ve plundered our government with the Wall Street bailout. Now they want us to be affraid of the Democrats. HA!

By Real American

November 12, 2008 11:11 AM | Link to this

Saxby and his help think that conservative Georgians have forgotten his daliance with amnesty for illegals last year.

We haven’t.

While American workers are being laid off right and left ( get it?) and our local governments’ are cutting their budgets, Chambliss still refuses to speak up and promise “no legalization” and to put American workers in American jobs by enforcing our laws.

I will vote for this character…as soon as he finds the courgae to speak up on illegal immigration and protecting American workers.

The same is true for more than enough voters to save him.

The smart money is on him remaining silent.

By Frontman

November 12, 2008 11:14 AM | Link to this

Oh, and by the way, Ms. Tucker… Not to continually quote Neal Boortz, but voting is not a right. You must meet certain qualifications in order to do so. If you cannot meet those, you may not vote. Once again, if your desire is to work the system to benefit one party or the other, your conduct is indefensible.

By Bobby

November 12, 2008 11:17 AM | Link to this

David, If That’s The Case Maybe She Doesn’t Know She Voted For “Bama” Or McCain Either. Huh?

By AmVet

November 12, 2008 11:17 AM | Link to this

He did challenge Cleland’s judgment, legitimately.

CHAMBLISS DID NOT CHALLENGE HIS JUDGMENT, HE SAID CLELAND LACKED THE COURAGE TO LEAD.

A HUGE difference, notwithstanding the attempted sophomoric spin.

And just for the really thick, he did it twice in that disgusting piece. And the only two men of honor and valor in virtually the entire Republican Party stood up and criticized it - John McCain and Chuck Hagel. That should tell one pretty much everything they need to know about the plethora of scurrilous chicken hawks in the GOP.

And yes, I fully realize that the meaning of the noun courage is utterly lost on most of the far right-wing’s keyboard kommandoes and faux conservatives.

And this inane question simply defies all logic: (Note that Mr. Cleland is never mentioned prospectively for statewide office in Georgia. Isn’t that the real difference between a smear and a valid criticism?)

Shameful Saxby - hopefully one and done.

By findog

November 12, 2008 11:22 AM | Link to this

Puzzled, @10:12

The American Civil War was fought before the Geneva Accords established civilized the terms for fighting wars. Based on that doctrine then Sherman and Grant too were guilty of war crimes; will you be looking to purge the names of all institutes named for those gentlemen too? Further, Gump’s namesake ordered the disbanding of the KKK after the fraternal order got into intimidation. You are apparently too stupid to understand history, or to realize the idea set out in Friday’s free for all was that the school is FAILING TO TEACH THE CHILDREN, and are therefore proven to be a product of our failing public education system where Political Correctness is more important than the primary purpose of all schools: to teach children.

By Frontman

November 12, 2008 11:28 AM | Link to this

Hey, Will Jones…. You were going pretty good until the crazy train arrived while you were talking about Chambliss and Bush. We engaged in Vietnam for the “Roman anti-Christ”? Don’t you realize that the idiocy you’re displaying could actually hurt, rather than help, the cause of your candidate?

By Richard

November 12, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this

A Republican accusing Democrats of scare tactics might be the single biggest instance of the pot calling the kettle black in today’s world.

By getalife

November 12, 2008 11:32 AM | Link to this

Stop whining Jim.

But now Max Baucus — Max Baucus! — is leading the charge on a health care plan that, at least at first read, is more like Hillary Clinton’s than Barack Obama’s; that is, it looks like an attempt at full universality. (The word I hear, by the way, is that Obama’s opposition to mandates was tactical politics, not conviction — so he may well be prepared to do the right thing now that the election is won.) So this looks very good for the reformers. There’s now a reasonable chance that universal health care will be enacted next year!

The power of change and Hillary Clinton.

By tcoach

November 12, 2008 11:33 AM | Link to this

jm, again sorry for the delay,

Yes I do favor having to show some type of proof to vote. The best way to guarantee that the rights of some are neglected it would be wise to have a system in place that is universal. Therefore the one thing that each state has the capability already in place to do this is through driver’s licenses.

This would solve any doubt, democrats could quit saying their is no voter fraud, and we would not have to listen to rep. talk about how voter fraud stole the elections.

In what way does having a license inhibit any-one’s ability to vote. I understand that 10 dollars can be a great sum of money and all. However if the people voting are going to have the ability for their vote to alter people’s spendable income they should be willing to pay 10 dollars every 10 years for the right to vote.

Do you honestly think that voting is not worth the equivalent of 1 dollar per year?

I will gladly pay 1 dollar for the glorious privilege to vote, or is that too high a price for you?

By Cornbread Fred

November 12, 2008 11:37 AM | Link to this

No funny people here today. C’mon, Dusty, chime in, already! I need some laughs!

By Gator Joe

November 12, 2008 11:40 AM | Link to this

By tcoach

November 12, 2008 11:43 AM | Link to this

Top those who I may have confused:

When I speak of a driver’s license I am referring to all types of government issued photo I.D.’s.

This includes simple ID’s. They are less expensive than a driver’s license, but they do run a check to make sure there are no outstanding warrents against that person.

I was saying driver’s license, however I should have been more clear and included all government phot id.

I do not think that 1 dollar a year should be too much to ask. But maybe some have a problem with the check to make sure there are no current warrents. Why would we ever as a society want to know who had warrents for their arrest?

By Steven Daedalus

November 12, 2008 11:43 AM | Link to this

Jim wasn’t to wprried about fairness in 2000 as the Republican thugs raided the recount in Florida and helped Dudya steal the election from Gore, you’re pretty hypocritical Jim.

By hirsutedawg

November 12, 2008 11:47 AM | Link to this

If Palin, Jindal, Steele and Romney is the GOP’s idea of “taking over”, us Democrats will catch ya’ll again about 2024….come to think of it it’ll probably take that long to un-do the last 8 years.

By Ragnar Danneskjöld

November 12, 2008 11:50 AM | Link to this

Dear Reality @ 10:34, “if there really is this type of fraud, and it can be proven, why is there no prosecution?” Answer is two fold: (1) first, you have to investigate the crime to prove it, i.e., Jim’s “audit” proposal today, and (2) the people who prosecute such crimes are, as often as not, the propagators. Perhaps the idea world would hold two prosecutors per jurisdiction, one democrat to prosecute republican frauds, and one republican to prosecute democrat frauds. Another plus: more jobs for attorneys.

Dear jm @ 10:38, “you are in favor of voter day registration, as long as a driver’s license is presented.” Cannot speak for tcoach, but that could theoretically work, would require us to rethink our privacy standards. So long as “probability of detection” and “severity of punishment” were sufficient to discourage fraud, it could work. “clean up (and in most cases remove) the laws we have that take away a persons right to vote.” I agree mostly – I think there is merit to barring felons from voting, where the crime reflects sociopathy. Seems today we have a huge number of political crimes and personally destructive crimes (i.e., drug use) that do not particularly reflect sociopathy, and termination of the vote is wholly inappropriate in those cases. Sometimes you think further out of the box than my limited capacity.

Dear frontman @ various times, great arguments, my compliments.

For the race-oriented among us, I found a great column today. Although Dr. Williams harshly criticized every Obama initiative so far, he cites one potential upside arising from the election of The One.

By CherokeeDave

November 12, 2008 11:56 AM | Link to this

CT: You love to try and put that “voter fraud” monkey on the backs of the Repuplican party when voter photo ID laws have been upheld across the US given the amount of immigration fraud going on, BUT you seem to always skip over that democrat bastion of fraud spelled: ACORN. Why don’t you attack the 1.4M cases of illegal voter registration activity going with them???

By tcoach

November 12, 2008 11:56 AM | Link to this

Steven, What proof do you have of them stealing the election?

If they did indeed do that then they engaged in voter fraud, and after all that was made about the Florida in 2000 mess, don’t ya think that someone, anyone would have been prosecuted.

The constitution governs these type of issues. Sorry your candidate did not win that election, but it was legal and fair.

For you to say anything to the contrary is just a fallacy and a delusional fantasy.

Show some proof that the rest of the world has been unable to uncover or quit telling lies.

By jm

November 12, 2008 12:05 PM | Link to this

tcoach@11:43 - you did not answer my question. Do you also favor voter day registration with a drivers license?

By Curious Observer

November 12, 2008 12:11 PM | Link to this

Ragnar: There is no requirement that an absentee ballot be notarized (see the GA SOS absentee voting regulations on the Web.) All that is required is completion of an application, which can be found on the Website. Such loose regulations are fraught with the potential for fraud. In fact, in all cases of fraudulent voting I’ve read about, the voting has taken place by absentee ballot. Yet, your Republican state legislators, in passing the photo ID law, flatly refused to impose any identification requirement on absentee voters. That ought to tell you something about the motives.

tcoach: I don’t want the blind or people too old to drive or too illiterate to pass a written test to be getting drivers licenses. You write as though getting a drivers license is as simple as paying a $10 fee. It isn’t. Moreover, millions of predominately inner-city voters do not own cars and thus have no need for drivers licenses. And you would never guess where most blacks in Georgia live. Hint: it isn’t in the suburbs, where driving is a necessity.

Hmmmmm—Mr. Deeppockets can vote on behalf of his dead aunt and never show any identification whatsoever. But a black guy who rides MARTA and has never driven a car in his life must show a photo ID when he shows up at the polls. Sounds fair to me.

By tcoach

November 12, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this

I’m sorry Jm,

I do not favor voter day registrations. I don’t support any voting system that does not give adequate time to the process of verifying voter registrations. Therefore to eliminate the possibility that someone could vote in two separate districts. Also the time needs to be enough so if there are problems with people’s registrations then those individuals have time to correct or alter anything that needs to be changed.

I am for each and every person who meets the criteria for voting to be able to vote. I also think their should be checks and systems in place that the entire country, not just one party or the other, is confident in.

Why even leave the system open to scrutiny, when there are ways to ensure that there is no impropriety?

By Chad Harris

November 12, 2008 12:20 PM | Link to this

Does anybody actually believe Republicans are trying to keep legitimate voters from exercising their right to vote?

I don’t.

It’s another of those scare-out-the-vote campaigns that are the hallmark of Democratic political seasons.

Just as soon as the Georgia runoffs are over

The hell it was. Handel was a partisan martinet and she’s a moron. There were about 15 federal or state lawsuits in 15 states and the Dems won every single one of them including kicking Handel’s very large butt.

Handel tried to disenfranchise many native Georgians with her stupid erratic computer programs and matching lists and the Georgia attorney general 2 assistant AGs and one Deputy AG got their butts kicked by the 3 judge panel for not pre-clearing per Title 5.

Of course White Supremacist Wooten doesnt think there were efforts to purge the black and minority and less affluent vote who tend to vote Democratic. And it did not work. Now there is a hair brained scheme to try to tweak the unique JawJaw law even further if you read Greg Blustein’s article in the AJC this morning. Rethugs are crying because Saxbutt the Draft Dodging Liar didn’t get 50% of the vote because we want to fire him.

Wooten is writing like a moron. Like most of the poorly educated Rethugs who can’t read, Wooten yammers about voter fraud that he never documents. The AJC and Cox Newspapers are carrying this Wingnut Wooten who lacks any scintilla of education and continues to delusionally see all sorts of bogey men that don’t exist.

Wooten instead of bsing on voter fraud every 5th column, find some f*cking evidence or quit crying about it.

Rethugs are suspicious because their failed politicies that have put this country in the shi*ter have been soundly rejected and will be for a long time.

All of the candidates proferred at the Rethug Gov conference are right wingnuts and they will get their butts creamed in 2012. Moron snowbilly continued not to answer even the softball questions from Lauer and the idiot Van Sustren of Faux News.

Snowbilly stole even more clothes than $150,000—and she and bozohead first dude splurged on silk underwear as if her treks across the country to foment hatred and racial bigotry that helped cost McUnstable the election were some kind of hillbilly honeymoon.

If Wooten wants to spend taxpayer money with audits for ghosts that don’t exist, let him do it with the welfare money the AJC pays him for moronic columns that spew his delusional sophistry.

No one voted twice. That’s what the computers and the Voter ID checks are supposed to be for. And as to early voting it’s a national trend. If Wooten thinks that people want the long lines to return to Tuesday which is a dumb f*king day for an election anyway, he’s out of his mind.

Read Cynthia Tucker and get an education. I notice Tucker won the Pulitzer and Wooten hasn’t won anything that amonuts to didly s*it.

Maureen Dowd NYTimes (A Real Newspaper—not this amatuer wingnut crap)

Boxers, Briefs or Silks? or Ride Snowbilly Moron Ride

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/opinion/12dowd.html?hp

Boxers, Briefs or Silks? By MAUREEN DOWD WASHINGTON

Sarah Palin represents a huge historic leap forward for women.

When Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton ran, their fates were inextricably linked with their gender. If they failed, many women felt, there was an X through the whole X chromosome. A blot on the female copybook.

If not this woman now, Hillary’s supporters would ardently ask me, what woman ever?

But Sarah Palin can come across as utterly unready to lead the world — or even find the world on a map — and that doesn’t reflect poorly on the rest of us.

It only means that she doesn’t have enough mind grapes or thoughtsicles, as Tracy Morgan refers to brain droppings on “30 Rock,” to be president soon.

(It’s W., Cheney and Edward Liddy, the C.E.O. of A.I.G. — who can’t seem to stop the conga line of bailout beneficiaries from going on luxury retreats, even though taxpayers have to keep ponying up — who may have clinched the case that overprivileged white men are biologically or cognitively unsuited to hold higher office.)

Palin told Greta Van Susteren Monday on Fox News that her faith will guide her on a 2012 run. “I’m like, O.K., God, if there is an open door for me somewhere — this is what I always pray — don’t let me miss the open door,” she said. “Show me where the open door is, even if it’s cracked open a little bit, maybe I’ll plow right on through that and maybe prematurely plow through it.”

The Alaska governor, who now thinks she is even bigger than her vast state, has certainly not missed an opportunity to throw open the door to the national press this week, letting them hang in her Wasilla kitchen as she makes moose chili and cake and baby formula and hefty servings of spin.

After her brutal transformation by the McCain campaign into a shopaholic, whack-job diva — “Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast,” as one angry McCain aide characterized it to Newsweek — Palin is now trying to unmake that makeover and morph from uptown cloistered girl back to down-home accessible girl.

Just hanging in the kitchen with her family and a bunch of camera crews, washing lettuce and washing John McCain and his tattling, gossiping sewing circle of aides right out of her fluffed-up hair. The same McCain aides who blasted the press as sexist for wondering if Palin was hopelessly over her head swiveled around and blasted Palin to the press as hopelessly over her head. The snippy McCain snipers once loved Palin’s sassy ability to burn Barack Obama and Joe Biden with snide little remarks.

So let’s see how they like the burn turned on them? She said that the anonymous aides scapegoating her were “cowardly” “mean-spirited,” “immature,” “unprofessional” and “jerks.”

She’s right. And where was the usually gallant John McCain during all this? Usually Republicans protect their own. There was plenty W. didn’t know during his coaching sessions when he was running for president, but it never leaked out from staffers.

And yet, Palin still seems disturbingly unconcerned about how much she does not know.

Calling Tina Fey. Here’s Palin defending herself on the contention that she got confused about Africa:

“My concern has been the atrocities there in Darfur and the relevance to me with that issue as we spoke about Africa and some of the countries there that were kind of the people succumbing to the dictators and the corruption of some collapsed governments on the continent, the relevance was Alaska’s investment in Darfur with some of our permanent fund dollars.”

And, she concluded, “never, ever did I talk about, well, gee, is it a country or a continent, I just don’t know about this issue.”

Palin’s father, Chuck Heath, told The Associated Press over the weekend that his daughter was “frantically” trying to sort out the clothes she got as Eliza Knowlittle so she could send them back.

“You know,” Heath said, “the kids lose underwear, and everything has to be accounted for.”

As Michael Shear reported in The Washington Post, on top of the $150,000 first cited in F.E.C. filings, Palin spent “tens of thousands of dollars” on more clothes, makeup and jewelry for herself and her family, including $40,000 in luxury goods for the First Dude. The campaign was charged for silk boxers, spray tanners and 13 suitcases to carry the designer duds, Shear reported, adding that one source said, “She was still receiving shipments of custom-designed underpinnings up to her ‘Saturday Night Live’ performance” in October. Silk boxers and custom-designed underpinnings? Sounds like Sarah and Todd were treating the vice presidential run as a second honeymoon.

Palin should follow her own reformer precedent and put the borrowed underpinnings on eBay. The windfall would undergird her new presidential bid.

By Glenn

November 12, 2008 12:20 PM | Link to this

Here in cosmopolitan Atlanta they got a place called Peachford, a public/private consortium for the fleecing of healthcare dollars from carrier and agency alike. Georgia, home of the worst public health system still in Southern existence, boasts fully eight giant State Hospitals (CA, @ 5x the size demographically, has 3 such; go figure, please) where indentured servitude and actual human slavery live long in Jimmy Carter’s proud New South. The men find themselves corralled by night, for various reasons only some of which are medical, in any given case, by one or another of the 145 cracker sheriffs, and by the next morning the “inmates”, as they are freely called, find themselves in 5-point shackles, drummed aboard subcontractors’ prison buses for work in a conscript army according to the lights of a brother-in-law’s need for free labor under some sham corporate contract with the State, and its twisted creatures and subdivisions. And ain’t a justice official in Beulah Land would take on this miserable, Somalian mess. Memo to the late Mr. Justice Harry Blackmon: Chattel slavery is indeed alive and well right here, in the proudest peacock of the New South. Send aid. Send Warren Zevon. Send the 101st Airborne, with, as before, bayonets affixed, if necessary.

Would any of you uncomfortable with this present state of things please advise as to whom I might turn, and how, with such burdensome knowledge?

By dw

November 12, 2008 12:25 PM | Link to this

Ms. Tucker,

You said alot. The standard lib dazzle, baffle, and inundate with words.

But do you think there should be an audit to check for voter fraud, party-neutral. A simple YES or NO answer will suffice. I think if a person, regardless of who they voted for, commits voter fraud or is a party to it, they should have their right to vote revoked forever as they value themselves above voters voting lawfully.

Also, I think you should stop all this other nonsense and get investigating those churches doing politiking. That really famous church in Atlanta is a place to start. Just in case you have trouble starting your investigation. You can probably even find some video evidence from election night coverage. I remember you were all fired up about that not too long ago.

By Disgusted

November 12, 2008 12:25 PM | Link to this

Silly me! When Mr. Paulson and Mr. Bernanke presented the bailout plan to Congress, I could have sworn I heard them say that the money would be used to purchase and hold troubled mortgage assets held by financial institutions, so as to free up money for lending.

Now I learn that Mr. Paulson et al. will not be purchasing troubled mortgage assets at all. Instead, they will be buying stock in financial institutions as a way of infusing capital.

I guess it’s time for that annual hearing exam. Or else those 68 remaining days of this administration can’t come soon enough.

By tcoach

November 12, 2008 12:29 PM | Link to this

Curious,

“When I speak of a driver’s license I am referring to all types of government issued photo I.D.’s.

This includes simple ID’s. They are less expensive than a driver’s license, but they do run a check to make sure there are no outstanding warrents against that person.

I was saying driver’s license, however I should have been more clear and included all government phot id.”

That is my post from 11:43.

Then you go after me at 12:11 for that very reason.

Just read my post is all I’m saying.

I made the mistake as an error from my everyday talk. When I am talking to my friends some who do not have a “driver’s” license. I will still ask them if they have their “driver’s” license to get into this place or that. My friends all always knew what I was referring to, I assumed others would as well.

I was wrong and that is why I went in and corrected what I had posted earlier, without any of you having to tell me too.

You still have not answered my question.

Do you think that 1 dollar per year, in some cases less, is too much to ask for the privladge of voting? Or is it the part of the gov’t checking to see if you have warrents when you get an ID only?

ID only are distributed at the same location as driver’s licenses.

By ron

November 12, 2008 12:32 PM | Link to this

The market is going down.

Paulson is giving all the money to the financial institutions.O.k.Henry.After that can we please have a little movement forward.

I listened to the various schemes to assist the homeowners keep their homes.They all seem designed to spread the foreclosures over a period of time rather than all at once.

Poice are in a Fort Lauderdale school.Probably more bad news.

By Chad Harris

November 12, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this

The only real voter fraud has been on the part of Rethugs like Handel

Georgia’s “Non-Citizen” Voting Controversy: A Recap

By Zachary Roth - November 12, 2008, 11:34AM So let’s briefly look back at what appears to have happened in the controversy over voting in Georgia this election cycle.

First, GOP Secretary of State Karen Handel, based on an interpretation of federal election law, purged around 50,000 newly registered voters from the rolls, based on discrepancies between the information on their voter registration form and that in state databases. About 5000 of those voters were purged because the state found that they had checked a box on their drivers license application indicating that they’re non-citizens.

Voting-rights groups sued Handel, claiming that the purge violated federal voting laws, and that the procedure for identifying non-citizens was flawed. For instance, the plaintiff in the case, Jose Morales, had applied for his drivers license while a non-citizen, but had become a naturalized citizen before the election. Since the drivers database is not automatically updated in such cases, he was still flagged as a non-citizen.

Ultimately, a judge required Handel to send a letter to the voters flagged as non-citizens, informing them that their status was in question and notifying them that they could cast a provisional ballot. But if they didn’t provide election officials with documents proving their citizenship, within a few days after the election, their ballots would be thrown out.

Many such voters — in some counties, about two thirds — did return with the correct documentation. But of course, many didn’t, and some counties began throwing out ballots this week.

And the fact that so many did provide documentation only served to bolster the contention of voting-rights groups that the process for flagging voters had been badly flawed. That claim was further strengthened by the fact that the system now seems to have flagged not only naturalized citizens like Morales, but also U.S. born voters whose citizenship has never been in question. One of these voters, a veteran of the U.S. military who received Handel’s letter telling her that her citizenship was in question, spoke to TPMmuckraker yesterday.

It’s still not clear how many voters were wrongly flagged, and either had their ballots thrown out or were discouraged by Handel’s letter from voting in the first place. The question is not academic, because a runoff vote in Georgia’s U.S. Senate race, between Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin, is scheduled for December 2nd, after neither man gained 50 percent last week. The vote is expected to be extremely close, and voters who have been designated as non-citizens, correctly or incorrectly, will presumably be barred from casting conventional ballots once again.

Handel’s office has said it’s working on compiling those numbers, though it appears to be in no rush. We’ll keep you posted on what we hear…

By Chad Harris

November 12, 2008 12:39 PM | Link to this

dw

In countless audits over 20 years that included hundreds of millions of voters and a gamut of studies by first rate universities—not keg schools like Univ of Jaw Jaw that put out idiots like Wooten who can’t butress a paragraph of craq that he spews, there has never been significant voter fraud.

There were about 15-20 failed Rethug attempts to purge voter lists by Republican SOS’s across the country and all of them were defeated in court, including the one in Ohio, and the one in Georgia.

Try wining on the issues. In case you haven’t noticed the Rethugs were stomped in the election for President, House, and the Senate. You keep putting a mushbrain idiot like Palen up and Right Wingnuts and erratic senile (not because of his age because of his brain) jokes like McCain up and you’ll get your butts handed to you for generations. That’s where you stand.

By Ragnar Danneskjöld

November 12, 2008 12:39 PM | Link to this

Dear Curious @ 12:11, thanks, did not know, I will join your campaign to tighten standards. The Lt JG, resident of Tennessee, was required to have his absentee ballot either witnessed by a superior officer or notarized.

Good afternoon Glenn @ 12:20, the story is bizarre and outside my acquaintance generally, but not beyond my belief. That story mirrors the horrors of the private “probation services” and “drug treatment” systems nominally administered by our courts, with legislative blessing. Unless or until our state judges take notice and action, nothing is likely to change. Certainly the incoming national administration is highly unlikely to do anything to loosen controls over the populace.

By MamaS

November 12, 2008 12:41 PM | Link to this

Why did I — and my deceased mother — get a postcard from the Florida Republican Committee offering to send us absentee ballots if we just signed the enclosed postcard (no ID numbers required, no notarization required, not even a stamp required)? Neither one of us have ever lived in Florida or owned any property there! We did visit Disney World once for four days! I did not return the card, and neither did my deceased mother, but I bet we voted in Florida anyway!

By findog

November 12, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this

Glenn @12:20 I’m sorry to inform you that Mr. Zevon passed away a few years back.

By Ragnar Danneskjöld

November 12, 2008 12:46 PM | Link to this

Dear Disgusted @ 12:25, you are right to be disgusted, but you misaim your venom. The patchwork spending bill passed by Congress was pre-ordained to fail – nobody wants to sell their unmarketable securities at market value (i.e., $0.) I think the plan was sold under false pretenses, and only the conservatives in the House of Representatives saw that pig-on-a-poke for what it was. But get ready, the democrats are planning to take more, for the auto industry, to protect union jobs.

By Chad Harris

November 12, 2008 12:47 PM | Link to this

From John Cole @ Baloon Juice:

Henke on the Rot by John Cole

Jon Henke, writing at the Next Right, has the following to say:

The problem is a movement that plays small-ball and cedes responsibility for infrastructure to business interests, leadership that rewards those who make friends rather than waves, an entrenched Party and Movement support system that mostly supports itself, an echo chamber that has rotted our intellect, a grassroots that is ill-equipped to shape the Republican Party, and a Republican Party that has replaced strategy with tactics, substance with marketing.

These problems can be fixed, but the fix is not cosmetic. The rot is deep. We do not need reformation of the Republican Party; we need transformation of the Republican Party. That is going to require fresh blood, new ideas, new infrastructure…and perhaps more than a little time in the wilderness.

You have earned the time you will spend wandering in the wildnerness. The land on the other side is not a promised land. It will have to be earned, too.

In the WaPo today, George Will notes that GOP carnage in the past two years has produced losses so steep for the Republicans that you have to go back to the Depression to match them, and the reason the house of cards fell so quickly was because, as Henke noted, the rot was so deep. This is not a cosmetic problem for the GOP. This is systemic.

That is what is so damned entertaining about the short-term circular firing squad- it really symbolizes how deep in denial some of these folks are. These guys are delusional if they think the problem was an insufficient number of Red State mugs on the Palin plane and inadequate fealty to the cause. The problem is not inadequate adherence to unnamed “principles,” the problem is that they simply have no principles. They have slogans. Nothing symbolizes the slogan driven tactics over strategy GOP quagmire quite like one of my favorite episodes from the last election- the tire pressure gauge imbroglio.

There was nothing that really summed up the idiocy of the GOP quite like Rick Davis and company passing out tire pressure gauges in an attempt to mock a common sense approach to dealing with one of many aspects of the energy crisis. I am sure it will surprise no one that the brain trust at Red State was issuing action alerts for this, too.

In short, America got seduced by the Republican sweet talk, we took them home into our bedroom for some good times, and instead of performance, it turns out the Republicans have a serious case of electile dysfunction. Rather than hold true to their “principles,” they chose to sit on the edge of the bed for eight years and tell us how good it was going to be, and we lost interest and fell asleep.

When we woke up, we realized that in one way, the GOP had kept their word, in a sense- we did get screwed. And we then had our own payback on Tuesday:

That is a map of the country, and the blue shaded areas are where Americans voted more Democratic than they did in 2004. Say what you will, the American people did not have performance anxiety on Tuesday, and the Republicans got the rogering they deserved.

And this is why Henke is so very right, and the purity police have it so wrong. The Republican party is a train wreck. These short term power struggles and attempts to “re-brand” the GOP are doomed to fail, even though they will be a source of endless entertainment for me. Elevating Cantor and Pence means more of the same from the Republicans.

What the GOP needs to do is cool their heels. The frenetic nonsense of the last few years has gotten them nowhere, and talking about principles is pointless when you have none. The party of limited government talks a good game, but owns the $500 billion dollar deficit this year and $5 trillion in debt from the past two administrations. You don’t get to pretend you are the party of limited government when your crowning achievement of the last eight years is the Schiavo legislation. I suspect the only principles they honestly have left are the ones they know are so repellent to the public at large that they refuse to voice them. Every now and then they act on them, and the public swats them on the nose. See Frost, Graeme.

If they were smart, they would regroup, and decide what they stand for and present it to the American people. Instead, I suspect we will get several more months of infighting over tactics and appearances, and more purges of those who wish to engage in a debate over the party’s direction. It isn’t just that many of the folks leading the purge disagree with George Will and Peggy Noonan and Daniel Larison and Sullivan and Ron Paul about the direction of the future GOP- they want them destroyed for suggesting there needs to be a debate. That is how dead the party is, and Henke is right. They need some time in the wilderness, to figure out who they are and what they believe in and why and how it will be better for the country.

Instead, I suspect we will see Palin pom poms and purity purges, which is all the more humorous given the defections from prominent conservatives to Obama, they are already whittled down to the true belivers. It would be funny if our nation’s currrent two-party system did not require a competent opposition party.

By Ragnar Danneskjöld

November 12, 2008 12:50 PM | Link to this

Bad news – Obama is already backing off his one promise, to cut taxes for 95%. Obama lied, and taxpayers cried.

By Curious Observer

November 12, 2008 12:50 PM | Link to this

tcoach: The poll tax was outlawed by the 24th Amendment in 1964. Requiring someone to pay anything, including a drivers license fee, for the privilege of voting is a form of poll tax. Ten dollars might not seem like much to you, but it is to thousands of poor people.

If the state really wanted a photo ID as a legitimate requirement, it would have arranged for providing suitable ID free of charge. Sorry, but your $1-per-year argument is bogus.

By Ragnar Danneskjöld

November 12, 2008 12:52 PM | Link to this

Hot news, since the newspaper industry is troubled, the democrats are planning to bail them out with taxpayer money, taking a percentage ownership interest.

By tcoach

November 12, 2008 1:04 PM | Link to this

Curious, It would only be a poll tax if that was all the license was used for. In this case it would be the best available way to ensure accuracy and integrity.

By your argument, the government should come pick me up from my house and take me to vote. Because does it not cost gas to get to the poll. If not gas are they going to pay for the stamp on my absentee ballot.

And it is a dollar per year, ten dollars for ten years.So who do you know that over the course of a year cannot find a way to save 1 dollar? I found 85 cent this morning at the gas station.

Why is it a problem to be able to document voters to you? Do you like leaving open teh possibilty of voter fraud, from either side?

By Ragnar Danneskjöld

November 12, 2008 1:06 PM | Link to this

(My favorite left-libertarian published today.](http://www.salon.com/opinion/paglia/2008/11/12/palin/) Admission, I made up the 12:52 post - sounds likely, though, doesn’t it? I did not make up the 12:50, will print a link when I find it again.

By GaLiberal

November 12, 2008 1:07 PM | Link to this

Moron Jim said: Democrats are fearful that the photo ID requirement intimidates those who are intimidated from voting but, curiously enough, not from renting a movie when they are required to produce proper identification.

Moron Jim must live in some uberrich white gated community where you rent movies. The people Democrats are concerned about are the ones that don’t rent movies. The elderly and the poor/homeless who don’t have a drivers license and don’t have the means (physical or monetary) to obtain a state id card. These people, who are citizens of this country, will have their right to vote usurped by some specious claim of voter fraud by the Rethuglicons.

The Rethuglicons are the masters of vote fraud. They manipulated the election in Florida by removing over 10,000 voters from voter rolls simply because their names were similar to those of a convicted felon. In Ohio, the Sec. of State issued an edict that all voter registrations must be on a certain type of paper. But the registration forms the Sec. of State provided didn’t meet that standard so all these registrations were thrown out. In both cases, these frauds gave the election to Bush. As they say, it’s not the voters that matter; it’s the number of the votes. So if the Rethuglicons can keep the number of Democratic voters down, the Rethuglicons have an edge in all elections. This voter ID law is just another way to keep the vote count down.

When you vote Rethuglicon, you vote against your own best interests. And the Georgia voter ID law is living proof.

By Disgusted

November 12, 2008 1:11 PM | Link to this

Fixed News.com is displaying an article bemoaning Obama’s plan to replace the top two US intelligence officials, McConnell and Hayden—both rabid supporters of eaves-dropping and other secret forms of spying on US citizens.

I rather thought that the winner of a presidential election earned the privilege of selecting the employees he wanted to work for him. In any case, I hope the two won’t have their posteriors damaged by the door slamming behind them.

By GaLiberal

November 12, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this

Moron Jim said: Democrats are fearful that the photo ID requirement intimidates those who are intimidated from voting but, curiously enough, not from renting a movie when they are required to produce proper identification.

Moron Jim must live in some uberrich white gated community where you rent movies. The people Democrats are concerned about are the ones that don’t rent movies. The elderly and the poor/homeless who don’t have a drivers license and don’t have the means (physical or monetary) to obtain a state id card. These people, who are citizens of this country, will have their right to vote usurped by some specious claim of voter fraud by the Rethuglicons.

The Rethuglicons are the masters of vote fraud. They manipulated the election in Florida by removing over 10,000 voters from voter rolls simply because their names were similar to those of a convicted felon. In Ohio, the Sec. of State issued an edict that all voter registrations must be on a certain type of paper. But the registration forms the Sec. of State provided didn’t meet that standard so all these registrations were thrown out. In both cases, these frauds gave the election to Bush. As they say, it’s not the voters that matter; it’s the number of the votes. So if the Rethuglicons can keep the number of Democratic voters down, the Rethuglicons have an edge in all elections. This voter ID law is just another way to keep the vote count down.

When you vote Rethuglicon, you vote against your own best interests. And the Georgia voter ID law is living proof.

By Chad Harris

November 12, 2008 1:15 PM | Link to this

By Ragnar Danneskjöld

November 12, 2008 12:50 PM | Link to this

Bad news – Obama is already backing off his one promise, to cut taxes for 95%. Obama lied, and taxpayers cried.

This is pure s*it. Obama’s been consistent on his tax policy and as usual you haven’t pointed out one significant fact to butress your claim written by a 3rd grader. There has been no change in Obama’s proposal to get Congress (you see Congress has to actually pass laws that Obama proposes) —it’s no longer going to be like Bush with the $160 billion new five sentence Paulson declaration without consulting Congress that banks would get a huge tax break on the back of taxpayers.

By GaLiberal

November 12, 2008 1:18 PM | Link to this

Moron Jim said: Democrats are fearful that the photo ID requirement intimidates those who are intimidated from voting but, curiously enough, not from renting a movie when they are required to produce proper identification.

Moron Jim must live in some uberrich white gated community where you rent movies. The people Democrats are concerned about are the ones that don’t rent movies. The elderly and the poor/homeless who don’t have a drivers license and don’t have the means (physical or monetary) to obtain a state id card. These people, who are citizens of this country, will have their right to vote usurped by some specious claim of voter fraud by the Rethuglicons.

The Rethuglicons are the masters of vote fraud. They manipulated the election in Florida by removing over 10,000 voters from voter rolls simply because their names were similar to those of a convicted felon. In Ohio, the Sec. of State issued an edict that all voter registrations must be on a certain type of paper. But the registration forms the Sec. of State provided didn’t meet that standard so all these registrations were thrown out. In both cases, these frauds gave the election to Bush. As they say, it’s not the voters that matter; it’s the number of the votes. So if the Rethuglicons can keep the number of Democratic voters down, the Rethuglicons have an edge in all elections. This voter ID law is just another way to keep the vote count down.

When you vote Rethuglicon, you vote against your own best interests. And the Georgia voter ID law is living proof.

By dw

November 12, 2008 1:20 PM | Link to this

To Chad Harris,

Good thing we have “kind” people like yourself to point the way. You use the standard lib philosophy of “don’t agree with me, then I will bash you” very well.

Yes we are well aware that the Republicans got booted out this time around. The moderates will eventually get tired of intolerant “tolerants” such as yourself and eventually vote out the socialist humanists. Then it will ping pong back and forth over time.

By the way there hasn’t been “countless” audits of voter fraud. That would be infinity and someone as wise and as educated as yourself would know that is not possible. I say any voter fraud act, should be punished, regardless of how “insignificant”.

By AmVet

November 12, 2008 1:20 PM | Link to this

The neo-con nightmare - Obama and the Democrats do what the faux conservatives never would - move towards the reasoned and reasonable center and govern accordingly.

It is yet to be demonstrated, but it certainly isn’t as far fetch as the prospect that the rabid right will move anywhere but even further to the fringe…

By Jeremy

November 12, 2008 1:25 PM | Link to this

Pot, meet kettle. If ever there was a master of fear mongering, it’s the recent run of Republicans. I doubt there is some sort of conspiracy going on as regards vote suppression, but there are certainly some people making decisions that are questionable.

By Glenn

November 12, 2008 1:28 PM | Link to this

Hey, Findog,

Glad to see you’re still pestering. I truly hope that all is well, in you and yours.

As for the bard Mr. Zevon, yes, I am well aware that he died, and died magnificently, a few years ago. So also did Justice Blackmun, whom I deliberately conflated with the scholarly journalist Douglas Blackmon; conflated, because either or both of them would be intensely interested in my crankish allegations. (The GA Dept. of Justice is, but then they defend the agencies for a living.)

Ragnar, to you, as per supra to Findog, likewise. And thank you for your responsiveness and advice.

I realize that my claim is bizarre. Less bizarre, though, when one re-reads a certain front-page story from the Sunday paper of about four weeks ago. The public justice officials are occupying the matter of Georgia’s great disgrace, its healthcare system, and are shutting down the deadliest “facilities” at an accelerating clip lest the feds once again so occupy. History does hiccup, does it not?

Also, if you find my accusations of slavery a mite hinky, then I’d be most pleased to turn you onto info in my possession detailing practices more common in Georgia’s penal and “health” franchises: the practice of medicine without proper licensure; the fielding of physicians not answerable to state or federal requirements of a “qualified physician”; serial, negligent homicide; unwarranted and freewheeling violations of Title XIII, of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and of the Constitutional rights to Free Exercise and Freedom of Association; the habitual hiding of HIPA requirements beneath the deck of idiot paperwork (federal law requires HIPA compliance first and foremost); and most importantly and Dickey-esque of all, the extreme inbred miscegenation of penal system interbodied with healthcare, as evidenced by the trademark Georgian fondness for preloaded neck injectors full of just the iffyest of g******* Big Pharma junk.

We’re from the Georgia government, and we’re here to help. Have a nice day.

By dw

November 12, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this

To AmVet,

To the reasonable center would be fine. But don’t you think the neo-libs (the rabid left) want to go way left??? Do you support that?

What changes to the current government as it sits would you say would bring it to the reasonable center? Not the I hate Bush whatnot, but actual examples of actual government in action or not in action.

By cindy

November 12, 2008 1:38 PM | Link to this

Ragnar, The “proof” of voter fraud is stronger than bush’s “proof” of WMD; however neither have been well enough defined for indictment.

By AmVet

November 12, 2008 1:40 PM | Link to this

But don’t you think the neo-libs (the rabid left) want to go way left???

Absolutely, I do.

I am hoping and I believe that unlike the brain-dead GOP they are smart enough to see that that way is death.

Conservative and moderate Democrats are not unheard of. There are numerous new young combat veterans in the Democratic Party that are much more centrist.

There are no such new faces in the GOP.

Moderate Republicans outside of the Northeast are practically impossible to find…

By Ragnar Danneskjöld

November 12, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this

The rational conservatives issue the first ruling of the Supreme Court’s new term. High Court Rules Navy Can Use Sonar In Training Exercises. There are always four loony leftists. Another interesting case arises. The right solution - the fringe group gets to place its monument on the lawn. The court’s resolution? G*d only knows.

By SOUTHERN ATL

November 12, 2008 1:47 PM | Link to this

RUN-OFF TIME

On December 2, 2008, the Congress in Washington D.C. will come to order…

They will ask “SENATOR SAXBY CHAMBLISS” to stand…..speeches will be made…followed by applauses…and a song will be dedicated… here is it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3YSHwJ_SAA&feature=related

It will be a LONG ride back to GEORGIA!!!!

By Lobbyist for Saxby

November 12, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this

Saxby Economics

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is scheduled to give an update this morning on the government’s $700 billion financial rescue package. His appearance comes as what once seemed like an ocean of money is looking more like a dwindling pool.

Of the initial $350 billion that Congress freed up, out of the $700 billion in bailout money contained in the law that passed last month, the Treasury Department has committed all but $60 billion. The shrinking pie — and the growing uncertainty over who qualifies — has thrown Washington’s legal and lobbying establishment into a mad scramble, The New York Times’ Mark Landler and David D. Kirkpatrick write.

Friday marks the deadline for institutions to apply for cash infusions under the government’s $250 billion capital purchase program. Since the program was announced, the definition of who is eligible has grown to include private banks and insurers like Allstate and MetLife, which own savings and loans. It may also encompass industrial lenders like GE Capital and GMAC, the financing arm of General Motors.

The lobbying frenzy worries many traditional bankers — the original targets of the rescue program — who fear that it could blur, or even undermine, the government’s effort to stabilize the financial system after its worst crisis since the 1930s.

By Lobbyist for Saxby

November 12, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this

Saxby Economics

American Express, the No. 4 U.S. credit card issuer, is seeking about $3.5 billion in tax-payer funded capital from the U.S. government, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation.

By Lobbyist for Saxby

November 12, 2008 1:58 PM | Link to this

Saxby Economics

The Federal Reserve’s increasingly liberal standard to decide which businesses can obtain banking licenses and gain access to government lending looks good for American Express. But, Breakingviews says, American taxpayers may come to regret it.

By Cindy

November 12, 2008 1:59 PM | Link to this

tcoach, Driving to the polls isn’t mandatory.

By Lobbyist for Saxby

November 12, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this

Saxby Economics like locking the barn door after the horses get out…

Congress, it seems, wants to hear from some of the hedge fund industry’s top earners and best-known names about the risks their firms pose to the broader economy.

By Algonquin J. Calhoun

November 12, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this

Here’s some election truth Jim: President Obama. He’s going to intensify the search for Osama bin Laden. I suggest he look in the basement of the White House before George W. Hitler leaves!

By tcoach

November 12, 2008 2:18 PM | Link to this

Cindy, Valid point but study the principle of opportunity cost in economics. You will see to do anything it cost you in another.

By getalife

November 12, 2008 2:30 PM | Link to this

Bailout cost at $3.5 trillion

All Americans should contact their reps to get the FBI involved in this looting.

By deegee

November 12, 2008 2:42 PM | Link to this

The fact that Hank the Prank Paulson can arbitrarily change the rules today is yet another insult to injury. Pile that on top of the fact that the Wall Street firms are estimating that they can now pay bigger end of year bonuses than what they thought they could considering the infusion of new capital. Bring back the guillotine. Let’s plant it right on the White House lawn and let the heads roll down Pennsylvania Avenue.

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 2:45 PM | Link to this

bobby, Ok retard, I’ll sink to your level. Troglodyte. Your glorious democrat party is the racist party. Hello Robert Byrd KKK member. Hello George Wallace and Bull Conor. Hello Jesse Jackson. Your glorious democrat party voted against the civil rights bill while republicans voted for it 2-1 over democrats. Go check comrade. By the way, George Bush is called a hillbilly by your idiotic party and he served two terms as president. GO SELL STUPID SOMEWHERE ELSE! By the way, I don’t remember Adolf Hitler having an R by his name. News to me. Maybe you should go to community college and take a few history courses. Moron.

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 3:00 PM | Link to this

Communist Party ecstatic over ‘08 election results

Voice of Marxism announces ‘hard work is just beginning’

Hailing Barack Obama’s win as a victory for the “working class,” the Communist Party USA is calling on the president-elect to carry out his promises, including his noted commitment to “spread the wealth.”

An editorial by the People’s Weekly World said the victory was for “workers of all job titles, professions, shapes, colors, sizes, hairstyles and languages.”

The newspaper, which boasts of its “partisan coverage,” identifies itself as “a national, grassroots weekly newspaper and the direct descendant of the ‘Daily Worker.’”

“We are partisan to the working class, racially and nationally oppressed peoples, women, youth, seniors, international solidarity, Marxism and socialism. We enjoy a special relationship with the Communist Party USA, founded in 1919, and publish its news and views,” the publication states.

The paper said Obama’s victory is “important … not only for people here in the U.S., but also for our sisters and brothers around the world.”

“The election outcome represents a clear mandate for pro-people change on taxes, health care, the war in Iraq, job creation and economic relief, union organizing and the Employee Free Choice Act. Reform and relief are in the air. Their scope and depth will be the arena of struggle. The best thing the coalition that won this victory can do is to stick together and help the new administration carry through on its promises,” the editorial said.

“Jubilation and celebration, yes, along with realization that the hard work is just beginning,” the PWW editorial said.

Obama’s commitment to “spread the wealth” was caught on tape as he talked with an Ohio voter, “Joe the Plumber,” who became a personality in the 2008 election campaign for the exchange in which he suggested Obama’s plan sounded like socialism.

Obama’s media team did not respond to a WND telephone message and e-mail requesting a comment.

Michelle Obama has made similar commitments, warning that some Americans may have to give up a piece of the pie in order that others may have a larger share.

“In his famous autobiography, ‘Dreams From My Father,’ Obama reveals that his earliest mentor in Hawaii was a man by the name of Frank Marshall Davis. It so happens that Davis had been sent to Hawaii in the late 1940s by the Communist Party to organize the party in Hawaii,” Blumenfeld wrote.

“Davis had begun his communist career in Chicago. He was a friend and associate of Paul Robeson, the great singer, and Harry Bridges, head of the communist dominated International Longshoremen and Warehousemen’s Union. Both men were secret Communist Party USA members.”

Blumenfeld sees sees the impact of those influences in Obama’s vision for the country.

“Obama has already proposed the creation of a homeland police force that will no doubt terrorize those in the ‘ultra-right’ who will become the most vociferous and active opponents of his socialist regime. Hitler had a similar police force called the Gestapo – Geheime Staats Polizie or Homeland State Police – that terrorized the opponents of the Nazi regime,” he wrote.

“In 1933 a majority of Germans voted for a demagogue who promised ‘change’ and seemed to be the answer to their economic and national problems. None of those voters could have foreseen that 12 years later Germany would lie in ruins and be occupied by foreign armies,” he wrote.

By Algonquin J. Calhoun

November 12, 2008 3:10 PM | Link to this

Commiesalami, that idiot from a Texas village stole two elections, got us mired in a war that never should have been waged, bankrupted the nation, stomped the Constitution, committed numerous war crimes, indulged in torture of detainees and looted what little was left in the national treasury. Thanks for the caps. Seems to me you’re the one pimpin’ stupid you bombastic twit!

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 3:14 PM | Link to this

Algonquin J. Calhoun, He did? Cause he won the electorate and the popular vote by a good margin in 04. So we should not be fighting terrorism? Did you happen to catch 911? I mean, I can still see the twin towers coming down. What university did you attend? I mean, since you are calling me a twit. What is your IQ, SAT scores and college GPA? By the way, it was Barney Frank and other democrats who got us in this mess. I bet you believe the moon landing was staged. Right? Moron.

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 3:28 PM | Link to this

Algonquin J. Calhoun, By the way, you refer to Bush as an idiot. At least he is smarter than Owl Gore.

Gore’s undergraduate transcript from Harvard is riddled with C’s, including a C-minus in introductory economics, a D in one science course, and a C-plus in another. “In his sophomore year at Harvard,” the Post reported, “Gore’s grades were lower than any semester recorded on Bush’s transcript from Yale.” Moreover, Gore’s graduate school record - consistently glossed over by the press - is nothing short of shameful. In 1971, Gore enrolled in Vanderbilt Divinity School where, according to Bill Turque, author of “Inventing Al Gore,” he received F’s in five of the eight classes he took over the course of three semesters. Not surprisingly, Gore did not receive a degree from the divinity school. Nor did Gore graduate from Vanderbilt Law School, where he enrolled for a brief time and received his fair share of C’s. (Bush went on to earn an MBA from Harvard).

By Ben

November 12, 2008 3:30 PM | Link to this

Tucker is always saying, “There’s been no sign of any voter fraud” as an arguement against ID requirements. Well, has there been any sign of voter surpression do to ID requirements? If not, then stop whining.

By AGTFan

November 12, 2008 3:33 PM | Link to this

Just let us know if you ever find an actual case of voter fraud. I’m sure that if you examine the millions and millions of votes, you’l come up with 2 or 3.

By Algonquin J. Calhoun

November 12, 2008 3:35 PM | Link to this

Well, let’s take this line by line. George W. Hitler, aided by other criminals, stole the vote in Ohio in 2004. We should be fighting terrorism. The war on terrorism was abandoned when the united States launched a war of terror upon the nation of Iraq. we all saw the towers come down. We don’t need your tearful recaap. I attended Old Dominion University for undergraduate work and my graduate work was done at Georgia State university. My IQ is 155. My grade point average was 3.7 in undergraduate school and 4.0 in graduate school. By the way, it was George W. Hitler and the dishonest, thieving, immoral Republinazi Party, led by George W. hitler, that has caused the horrific mess we are in. The moon landing was not staged but we do know that George W. Hitler sent Powell to the United Nations with an array of phony evidence against Iraq! Now, spare us any more of your mindless, Nazi ravings. You and your fellow members of the Reich are defeated rubbish!

By getalife

November 12, 2008 3:42 PM | Link to this

GA-Sen: The Fight Isn’t Over Yet by Jim Martin

Finish off the gop.

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 3:44 PM | Link to this

Algonquin J. Calhoun, I don’t see any dead Jews. I don’t see any gas chambers. Why is it that liberals always have to call republicans Nazis? I don’t get it. I have never killed any Jews. Am I still a Nazi, Calhoun? Moron. By the way, PROVE THAT 2004 WAS STOLEN. PROVE IT! SHOW US ALL THE EVIDENCE OF A STOLEN ELECTION. From your Nazi remarks I highly doubt that you have an IQ of 155. Old Dominion is a good school. Not as good as say, Duke but still a good school. As for Georgia State. Ummmmmmm. Sure, why not. Don’t know where it ranks nationally but I’m sure it’s in the top 20 of Georgia’s colleges and universities. Good day to you Algonquin J. Calhoun Hitler.

By Tom Becker

November 12, 2008 3:47 PM | Link to this

Today’s vocabulary word is Doppelganger: dead ringer. Used in a sentence? Tina Fey is Sarah Palin’s doppelganger.

Jim Wooten needs to understand that blacks have only been allowed to vote for forty years. Today, the vestiges of that ante-civil rights legislation lives in the ad-hoc photo ID bills and other voting rules that confound black voters.

The “rent a movie” line is from a few years ago, and should be beneath Wooten.

I’ve never seen the Right in such confounded disarray. Surely they are conspiring a reprisal against Obama. I mean, Read Wooten. Crazy? Guess what? He’s the normal one. That means there are lunatics in the machine; Machinations in lunar cycle.

I’d issue a red alert on this. The Rabid Right is literally foaming at the mouth.

By Algonquin J. Calhoun

November 12, 2008 3:54 PM | Link to this

Commiesalami, so? Who cares about how Gore did in college? That has nothing to do with the crimes of George W. Hitler. You seem hung up on college careers, which tells me you didn’t have one. You are an unhappy member of the Reich and you still pine for Hitler. Too bad! Those days, praise God, are over! You still search for some semblance of meaning but there is none for you. It’s a new day in America and you are yesterday’s news. I’m so happy you approve of Old Dominion and I’m sure the school is grateful too. I didn’t go to duke because I couldn’t afford it. You see, I served in the United States Marine corps , in a war, and I went to college after I got out. As for Georgia State University, it is a very good school. Transfers from UGA used to moan about how much harder it was. Now, which graduate school did you attend?
Yes, you are still a Nazi!

By Tom Becker

November 12, 2008 4:01 PM | Link to this

Obama is our president. He’s President Obama. President is he. He is President of the United States of America. President Obama is our Commander in Chief. Our Commander in Chief is President Obama, a civilian.

W is a chimp.

See the diff?

bwa

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 4:02 PM | Link to this

Algonquin J. Calhoun Hitler, Are you blind? I said DUKE! Yeah, I’m a Nazi. Just look at all these dead jews around me. I seriously doubt that you even went to college. Marines? Uh huh, sure. Most servicemen and women I know would never spew the crap that you spew. As for UGA grads complaining about Georgia State, I could care less. Last time I checked, neither school ranked in the top 50. Georgia Tech and Emory are the only ones from Georgia that I can recall being named a good school. Have fun at your KKK rally. By the way, are you one of the klan members who killed that woman at your rally in LA?

By dirty harry

November 12, 2008 4:03 PM | Link to this

CommunistAJC

You state that “Bush went on to earn an MBA from Harvard”.

What you failed to state is that the University of Texas declined his MBA application.

It looks like Texas was right, and Harvard wrong

By Saxby Draft Dodger

November 12, 2008 4:04 PM | Link to this

Sissy Saxby celebrated Veterans Day by making a new commercial attacking Vietnam Vet Jim Martin.

By Algonquin J. Calhoun

November 12, 2008 4:09 PM | Link to this

Tom, you are so right! I’ve never seen anything like it. The Klan is in the news and Nazis are hatching plans to kill Obama. Well, what can you do when the lies don’t work anymore and the suppress the vote campaign is an utter failure? Kill the guy who wins, I guess. Give Hannity a listen. That b*** is so shrill it will hurt your ears.

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 4:11 PM | Link to this

dirty harry, Who cares if Texas rejected him? Harvard or Texas, Harvard or Texas, Harvard or Texas, Harvard or Texas, ???? Hmmm, I would take Harvard any day.

By Chad Harris

November 12, 2008 4:11 PM | Link to this

Paulson to strapped homeowners: Go eff yourselves; we’re bailin’ out auto companies who stupidly made gas guzzling SUVs; takin’ care of the investment banks; and makin sure the millionaires get their Chirstmas bonuses.

No roof over your head for Tgiving—tough sh*t.

5 sentence Treasury notice-$160 billion tax break to banks— but screw Main Street anorgasmically.

ICE Won’t Say Whether It’ll Reveal Who Leaked Immigration Status Of Obama’s Aunt By Zachary Roth - November 12, 2008, 2:03PM Immigration and Customs Enforcement won’t say whether findings from its investigation into the source of an election-eve leak about the immigration status of Barack Obama’s aunt will be made public.

Kelly Nantel, a spokesperson for ICE, told TPMMuckraker in an email: “I … don’t know if the results [of the probe] are made public.”

Just days before the election, the Associated Press reported, sourced to a federal law enforcement official, that Obama’s aunt, Zeituni Onyango, had ignored a deportation order issued four years ago by a U.S. immigration judge. The leak appeared to be a politically motivated effort to damage Obama’s candidacy at the eleventh hour.

ICE, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, quickly announced that it had launched an investigation into the source of the leak, which, according to our reporting, clearly violated government regulations, and could even make it more likely that Onyango could be persecuted for having sought asylum in the U.S. if she is ultimately deported to Kenya.

But now it appears that we may never know the identity of the leaker.

String ‘em up and throw ‘em in a trash compactor.

By Churchill's Mom

November 12, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this

Tomorrow’s Palin,, Jim get to work…

Palin leaves door open on Senate run

In an interview that will be airing this afternoon on CNN’s “Situation Room,” Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin leaves open the possibility that she could run for the United States Senate if a special election was held to replace scandal-plagued Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska):

I believe that I have — I feel I have a contract with Alaskans to serve. I’ve got two more years in my term. I’m going to serve Alaskans to the best of my ability. At this point it is as governor.

Now if something shifted dramatically and if it were, if it were acknowledged up there that I could be put to better use for my state in the U.S. Senate, I would certainly consider that, but that would take a special election and everything else. I am not one to appoint myself or a member of my family to take the place of any vacancy.

A special election would be held if Stevens won the still-undecided Senate race against Democrat Mark Begich and then resigned or was expelled from the Senate. Palin would not be able to appoint herself to fill a vacancy.

Stevens leads Begich by 3,257 votes — with a large chunk of absentee votes scheduled to be counted today.

UPDATE: A spokesperson at the National Republican Senatorial Committee said there has never been any communication between “this building and Palin” on the subject of her running for Stevens’ Senate seat.

By Chad Harris

November 12, 2008 4:14 PM | Link to this

Betcha you betcha one thing goshdarnit—

President Obama will grab whoever are the ICE a***** who f*cked with his ant and haul their butts out of DOJ.

On an upnote, it’s looking like Dr. Dean could become HHS Secretary if he wants the job. Contrast Moron vet Sonny Perdue who p** away $6 million of taxpayer money on Tamiflu because he was so dumb he thought it has any impact on H4N1. Medical stupidity must be genetic in Rethugs.

By Lobbyist for Saxby

November 12, 2008 4:16 PM | Link to this

Saxby Economics

By JACK HEALY Published: November 12, 2008 Shares on Wall Street fell more than 4 percent on Wednesday as worried investors wondered how long the recession will last, how deep it will cut, and whether Washington can do anything to stanch the bleeding.

Financial markets compounded their early losses in afternoon trading. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 411.30 points or 4.7 percent at the close, while the broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index was down more than 5.19 percent for the day and more than 8 percent since the start of the week.

Wall Street spent the day looking at Washington for guidance, and investors did not like what they saw, analysts said.

“Wall Street is increasingly taking its cues from D.C.,” Marc Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com, said by e-mail. “Policymakers are deciding who survives and who doesn’t.”

The financial markets had been trading down all morning, but began a sharp slide just before Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. appeared at a lectern to discuss the $700 billion financial bailout. Mr. Paulson said government assets would not be used to buy up troubled assets, as originally planned, but would instead go to buying stock in banks and infusing money into other financial institutions.

By Vets for Martin

November 12, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this

Saxby’s campaign tactics of smearing a war veteran are indeed “reprehensible,” his record on veterans’ issues in the Senate may be even worse. Saxby voted to send our troops to war without proper body armor, voted 23 times to cut their healthcare when they return home, and even opposed a tax cut for our veterans while they serve in the line of duty. Saxby voted twice against Jim Webb’s dwell time amendment to give our troops more time with their families between tours of duties and opposed funding for traumatic brain injury research, the “signature wound” of the War in Iraq. It’s no wonder that so many veterans’ organizations have given Saxby poor and failing grades for his record on veterans’ issues – Saxby has failed America’s veterans.

By Vets for Martin

November 12, 2008 4:21 PM | Link to this

Ferengi Rules of Acquisition: #34 “War is good for business…but only from a distance, the closer to the front lines, the less profitable it gets”-8.25, -6.21

By Algonquin J. Calhoun

November 12, 2008 4:24 PM | Link to this

By CommunistAJC November 12, 2008 4:02 PM | Link to this Algonquin J. Calhoun Hitler, Are you blind? I said DUKE! Yeah, I’m a Nazi. Just look at all these dead jews around me. I seriously doubt that you even went to college. Marines? Uh huh, sure. Most servicemen and women I know would never spew the crap that you spew. As for UGA grads complaining about Georgia State, I could care less. Last time I checked, neither school ranked in the top 50. Georgia Tech and Emory are the only ones from Georgia that I can recall being named a good school. Have fun at your KKK rally. By the way, are you one of the klan members who killed that woman at your rally in LA?

This proves what i’ve been saying! This Nazi doth protest too much! He disparages the schools I graduated from but never mentions any from which he matriculated. He questions my service to this nation but does not mention how, or if, he’s served. He tells me i haven’t the right to voice my opinion while he slobbers his hate all over the internet. Typical Nazi!

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 4:30 PM | Link to this

Algonquin J. Calhoun, How does a person answer to such a complete moron as yourself? Maybe you’ve had one to many burning crosses hit you over the head. Or maybe your white sheet killed off some of your brain cells. Um, I said TWICE that I attended Duke and received my MBA there. Did you read that? Again, you called me a Nazi in your first post so it is you who has initiated this argument. Typical Klansman. Go sell stupid somewhere else. Also, please do us all a favor and at least get your GED!

By dirty harry

November 12, 2008 4:33 PM | Link to this

Yes, Mr. Communist.

And that Harvard MBA turned out so nicely for Mr Bush…Who without daddy couldn’t qualify to run the shake machine at the local Dairy queen!

A man who failed at every business he tried, and without daddy and his friends bailing his sorry a$$ out of every self-inflicted jam would be on paupers row today!

This mantra about his MBA is a joke.. he is now close to bankrupting this country much like the companies he once headed up!

Pull your head out, and look around the picture is not pretty!

By stuck in Iriq

November 12, 2008 4:36 PM | Link to this

Saxby has no feet to stand, he’s the ultimate hater of his state and country….As US Army soldier what he did in the last election is so hateful, that I don’t even know what to say about him. What a rat!

By jim is a caveman

November 12, 2008 4:37 PM | Link to this

The “rent a movie” line should be beneath Jim, but as he has proven time and time again over the last two years, nothing is beneath Jim.

Has anyone asked McCain how we catch Bin Laden? I seem to remember him saying he knew how to catch him in one of the debates. Is he going to keep that information to himself, or share it now that he has lost the election?

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 4:38 PM | Link to this

dirty harry, And Gore? His dad, a senator who voted against the civil rights act, got him in to the Ivy League. Um, buddy, I hate to break the news to you but it ain’t the GOP’s fault. The democrats have a HUGE part in this. Your bias is showing.

By neo-nazi conservative time up

November 12, 2008 4:54 PM | Link to this

notice how you hicks always lose in the end, when bush won you guys laughed at us libs you were arrogant in your ways, you won the battle, but we won the war, people young and old are waking up, the union beat the conFAGderates, civil rights beat racism, obama-biden beats mcsame-PALEn, go back to you stick made homes hillbillies cause your evil time is up

By dirty harry

November 12, 2008 4:58 PM | Link to this

I don’t know what Al Gore has to do with any of this…but, Al Gore is quite successful in private life!

George Bush has always been a spoiled, petulent LOSER…

He didn’t even finish his tour in the TANG, didn’t take his flight physical (which by the way is mandatory) No, Ol’ Georgie just walked away.

Daddy will bail me out!

By Algonquin J. Calhoun

November 12, 2008 4:58 PM | Link to this

Commiesalami, You said Duke was a better school than ODU, which is erroneous. You didn’t say you went to Duke and you never mentioned an MBA. None of that matters really. You are a Nazi and you continue to prove it with every posting. You keep talking about selling stupid. It’s illegal to traffic in human beings, no matter how insipid, so I could not possibly sell you. Besides, the market for fools has taken a nose dive. You are the one wearing the dress-white sheets with the pointy dunce cap on your pin-headed noggin. So, quit trying to deflect onto others. You’re a Nazi and your time is up!

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 5:00 PM | Link to this

neo-nazi conservative time up, GED comrade. GED. Do us all a favor and please go back to school. Leave the trailer park and apply for classes. Wow.

By Chad Harris

November 12, 2008 5:08 PM | Link to this

Keep the moron snowbilly runnin’ goshdarnit. 3/5 voters said she’s not qualified to sweep floors at a fast food.

Palin, who couldn’t get into jacksh*t of a college, wants to remind Obama that “terristsssss haven’t changed their minds.” What a moron.

A lot of loser rhetoric from the Wingnuts.

Get the f*ck used to it you morons.

LOL:

When Mr. Lauer asked her if she minded not being allowed to give more interviews during the campaign, Ms. Palin said she would not delve into that kind of “inside baseball,” and then she stole a base. “I would have loved more opportunities to speak to the American people about what I’d like to see of — happen there with our country,” she said pointedly.

Ms. Palin used the term “Sarah-centric” to describe her campaign rallies, arguing that fans were responding to her more as a symbol than as a person. “But not me personally were those cheers for,” she said to Ms. Van Susteren in an interview shown Monday night on Fox News. “But it was just for the representation of a woman on the ticket, a mom, somebody who loves this country so much, somebody very, very committed to policies that I believe will progress this country in the right direction.”

At the moment, however, Ms. Palin’s message sounds highly “Sarah-centric.” On this redemption tour, Ms. Palin is the headliner and her former running mate is a historical footnote. Ms. Palin said she wanted to introduce Mr. McCain on election night in order to “brag him up,” as she put it, “and do what John McCain just can’t seem to do for himself, bless his heart.”

“I’m like, ‘O.K., God, if there is an open door for me somewhere’ — this is what I always pray — I’m like, ‘Don’t let me miss the open door,’ ” she told Ms. Van Susteren.

“And if there is an open door in ’12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I’ll plow through that door.”

I’m like like like Valley girl like for a middle aged woman who is a morn like your “God” has a door he wants to push your bigg dumb butt through—it’s a chopper at 350 feet when you prey on unarmed wolves.”

Let’s pass a law to get a guardian for the wolves with a rocket launcher to pre-emptively take out the moron Palin.

By Algonquin J. Calhoun

November 12, 2008 5:10 PM | Link to this

Commiesalami, your flatulence is stinking up this board. Why don’t you get a whif and knock it off? You Republinazis are consigned to the s** of history!

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 5:12 PM | Link to this

Algonquin J. Calhoun, Have fun at your klan rally, grand wizard.

Chad Harris, And where did you go to college? I mean, since you are so much more intelligent than Palin.

By Chad Harris

November 12, 2008 5:15 PM | Link to this

SARAH PALIN: You know, when you talk about that white hot spotlight— that’s not really attractive to me. Because, again, you know, you gave some examples of— look what that white hot spotlight…

MATT LAUER: It’s a double edged sword.

SARAH PALIN: …does to one’s family, you know. And does to one’s credibility and record and word. So that’s not the attraction to me. The attraction is where can I best serve people whom I work for and am accountable to. Right now I am accountable to the people of Alaska. They hired me as their governor. I’m blessed to have the opportunity that I have to serve them as governor. It’s a great job. I love it. [my emphasis]

Shorter Sarah: I’m going back to Alaska where I can hide my incompetence, ethical issues, and ignorance behind my pretty face. Also.

Goshdarnit like goshdarnit like.

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 5:20 PM | Link to this

Chad Harris, What ethical issues does Sarah have? Troopergate? Um, that whole thing is over with and she was cleared. Nice try.

By v racer

November 12, 2008 5:21 PM | Link to this

Them folks that “all look alike” don’t do nothing right. As a result, most live in a world of suffering. God knows, see?

By Glenn

November 12, 2008 5:40 PM | Link to this

To those of you who took today’s Pepsi Challenge and responded to my queries concerning the sickeningly deadly state of Georgia’s public healthcare system, thank you. I’ve concluded that it’s time to send for Doc Reed and all those good Yankee physicians…

By Chad Harris

November 12, 2008 5:41 PM | Link to this

@Communist ajc:

As to ethical issues the moron whipped up enough hate to get wingnuts yellin’ about assasination.

As to legal issues the moron failed to pay taxes on the per diems that were $17,000 worth of income because stealin’ is intrinsic to the snowbilly assh*le.

The moron is being forced to return over $200,000 worth of clothes and gifts she bought for her entire family including silk underwear for her snowbilly husband and herself.

If you think Palin won for you, shen every poll imaginable showed she lost votes than keep riding her big butt to more defeats.

She lacks the basic grasp of foreign or domestic policy that an average 5th grader is supposed to have.

To defend this paragon of ignorance is an index of anyone’s ignorance including Wooten who thinks she should hold national office.

By CommunistAJC

November 12, 2008 5:45 PM | Link to this

Chad Harris, I’m having a hard time understanding moron speak. Speak proper English would you? Obama Husein said that there are 58 states in the union. Basic Geography? Hello? You there Chad? As for the $150,000 worth of clothes, she said she returned everything. So how is that a scandal? The GOP bought the clothes for her. I highly doubt Obama and Biden get their suits at KMART. Go sell stupid somewhere else.

By Allman

November 12, 2008 5:48 PM | Link to this

Of course Republicans attempt to prevent or deter voters - silly question.

Who put out fliers telling people (on official looking stationary)that due to long lines Democrats should vote Nov 5, the Girl Scouts?

Who spreads misinformation that college students from out of state can’t register and vote, the Shriners?

Who challenges voters at the polls who’ve lost their home to foreclosure, the Tooth Fairy?

Who runs Georgia elections, Mother Theresa? I think not. http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/democratsfightkarenhandeltostayon_ballot/Content?oid=589953

By Glenn

November 12, 2008 5:53 PM | Link to this

One President at a time if you please, Mr. Becker. One at a time. The present one is a chimp. The next one will be a talented pipsqueak. And so it goes. As the one drives home from the podium and the other is driven to the White House, I’ll take down my portrait of the chimp and put up my new one, of the wimp. See how it goes?

TO THOSE WHO BACK SAXBY: Come find me this weekend on the most prominent intersection in Cobb County. I’ll be wearing a fool’s sandwich board reading, on the front, “Our Saxby’s a good ole liar, but…” and, on the reverse, “…the time for Pluto-krats is OVER!”

By deegee

November 12, 2008 6:01 PM | Link to this

Regardless of what anyone says about Sarah Palin, it was Sarah Palin herself that giggled like a prom queen on the phone for at least 7 minutes when she thought she was talking to Sarkozy of France. She would still be yammering aimlessly on the phone if the Masked Avengers hadn’t stopped it. She is an embarrassment.

By catlady

November 12, 2008 6:22 PM | Link to this

*Silly me! When Mr. Paulson and Mr. Bernanke presented the bailout plan to Congress, I could have sworn I heard them say that the money would be used to purchase and hold troubled mortgage assets held by financial institutions, so as to free up money for lending.

Now I learn that Mr. Paulson et al. will not be purchasing troubled mortgage assets at all. Instead, they will be buying stock in financial institutions as a way of infusing capital.*

What a surprise! Paulson et al changing their plan after it has been okayed. More gifts from the party that keeps on taking from you and me and giving to the big-cats. Folks, our representatives, like Saxby Chambliss just got a blank check to your account, After he gave away your money in subsidies? And I still don’t see him LIMPING around the golf course!

Karen Handel should be prosecuted for her attempts to subvert voting. Don’t see the DOJ rushing to do it, however. Maybe when Obama gets to load the DOJ with his folks.

Wrongdoing in voting should be puniished. Show us the wrongdoing! Then take em to court!

There is no problem with requiring ID to vote. Just make it easy and free to get the ID. Anyone who thinks $10 for a driver’s license is “no big deal” did not live when there were poll taxes, and tests that determined if you had enough “knowledge” to vote. Read your history, children!

By Todd Palin

November 12, 2008 6:23 PM | Link to this

Leave my wife alone, she can’t help it if her head hurts when she tries to think. The Sarkozy thing would’ve fooled a linguist, the guy’s French was flawless. I wish the cowards that leaked those Africa rumors would show their faces, any woman that attended six colleges in 4/12 years, on three continents, should have no trouble finding Africa on a map.

By Call it Like it is

November 13, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this

Yea,

After all, there is no need for voter I.D. since the DumbAss Socialist Obama got elected by most who will never pay taxes, but will remain government dependent forever.

Welfare policy from Robin Hood.

By the way, the last check was the Palin has much more experience & is more qualified than the Socialist Thug that will soon be our president.

Let’s see in four years what he does for all of you.

My guess, NOTHING!

Enough Said!

By misterearl

November 13, 2008 10:13 AM | Link to this

While fear agents like Broun cry wolf, the Obama Administration gets focused on, and aggressive with, jump-starting the business of The United States

Treasury Department agency-review team leads:

_ Michael Warren, chief operating officer of Stonebridge International LLC. He was executive director of President Clinton’s National Economic Council.

_ Josh Gotbaum, investment fund adviser. From 1994 to 2001, he held Senate-confirmed positions in the Treasury and Defense departments and at the Office of Management and Budget.

State Department agency-review team leads:

_ Wendy R. Sherman is a principal at The Albright Group. She was counselor for the State Department and special adviser to President Clinton and policy coordinator on North Korea.

_ Thomas E. Donilon is a member of the O’Melveny and Myers law firm. He was assistant secretary of state for public affairs and chief of staff at the State Department during the Clinton administration.

Defense Department agency-review team leads:

_ John P. White was deputy secretary of defense from 1995 to 1997, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1978 to 1981 and assistant secretary of defense from 1977 to 1978.

_ Michele A. Flournoy is president and co-founder of the Center for a New American Security. In the Clinton administration she was principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and threat reduction and deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy.

Agency review co-chairs:

_ Melody Barnes was chief counsel to Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., on the Senate Judiciary Committee. She was also director of legislative affairs to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

_ Lisa Brown was counsel to Vice President Al Gore. She previously worked in the office of legal counsel at the Justice Department.

_ Don Gips was chief domestic policy adviser to Gore during Gore’s vice presidency. Before that he was chief of the international bureau at the Federal Communications Commission.

Working group members:

_ Seth D. Harris is responsible for the Labor, Education and Transportation departments. In the Clinton administration he was counselor to the secretary of labor and acting assistant secretary of labor for policy.

_ David J. Hayes is responsible for the energy and natural resources agencies. He is a senior fellow at the World Wildlife Fund. During the Clinton administration he was the deputy secretary of the interior.

_ Reed Hundt is responsible for the international trade and economics agencies. He was chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 1993 to 1997.

_ Sally Katzen is responsible for the Executive Office of the President and government operations agencies. From 1993-2001, she was the administrator of the office of information and regulatory affairs in the Office of Management and Budget and then deputy director of the National Economic Council.

_ Tom Perez is responsible for the Justice, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, and Housing and Urban Development departments. He is secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. He was the deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights under former Attorney General Janet Reno.

_ Sarah Sewall is responsible for the national security agencies. She was deputy assistant secretary of defense for peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance between 1993 and 1996.

_ Louisa Terrell was deputy chief of staff for Sen. Joseph Biden.

_ Ray Rivera was a political director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees public employee’s labor union and a union organizer.

_ Tom Wheeler is responsible for the science, technology, space and arts agencies. He was chief executive officer of the National Cable Television Association and the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association.

_ Jon Wilkins worked at the Federal Communications Commission between 1998 and 1999.

By DJ

November 13, 2008 10:15 AM | Link to this

YES JIM - LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF AMERICANS BELIEVE THAT REPUBLICANS ARE ACTIVELY TRYING TO PREVENT LEGITIMATE VOTERS FROM EXERCISING THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE. YOU OUGHT TO GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF RUSH HANNITY’S A## AND SEE WHAT AMERICA IS REALLY LIKE THESE DAYS. THE CHARGE MAY NOT BE TRUE, BUT YOU AND RAGNAR WOOTEN WANNABEE AND ALL THE OTHER SYCOPHANTS ARE SO FAR OUT OF TOUCH WITH AMERICA IT’S just EMBARRASSING.

By Churchill's MOM

November 13, 2008 10:18 AM | Link to this

Thanks so much… Sara Rocks….

By ks

November 13, 2008 10:56 AM | Link to this

Just so you know, the electoral map says it all. The rest of the country thinks the south is a joke, living in a past that is two centuries old. Get educated already.

By JackLeg

November 13, 2008 11:02 AM | Link to this

I just wonder with the lies the left tell about trying to suppress votes from the right, but nobody is talking about the obvious voter fraud that is going on in Minnesota? I wonder how come all the “Missed votes” so far are 100% dimacrat?

By JackLeg

November 13, 2008 11:11 AM | Link to this

I just wonder with the lies the left tell about trying to suppress votes from the right, but nobody is talking about the obvious voter fraud that is going on in Minnesota? I wonder how come all the “Missed votes” so far are 100% dimacrat?

By Dusty

November 13, 2008 11:22 AM | Link to this

The oldest son of Vice President-elect Joe Biden is scheduled to deploy to Iraq by Thanksgiving, according to sources familiar with the plans.

That will put a new spotlight on the new White House and the war zone.

Capt. Beau Biden, who is Delaware’s first-term attorney general, is scheduled to leave Fort Bliss, Texas, for Iraq in the next two weeks, along with just over 100 other members of the 261st Tactical Theater Signal Brigade of the Delaware Army National Guard.

The elder Biden saluted the crowd after speaking briefly to the unit in early October before it headed from Dover to Fort Bliss to train for Iraq.

“I’ve come here many times before as a Delawarean, as a United States senator,” he said, according to CNN. “But today I come, as you prepare to deploy, as a father — a father who had some sage advice from his son this morning: ‘Dad, keep it short, we’re in formation.’ … My heart is full of love and pride. … You are the best demonstration of both our nation’s greatness and … our people’s goodness. … Let me simply say, thank you, thank you for answering the call of your country. … So stay strong, stand together, serve honorably … may God bless you and may he protect you.”

Beau Biden, 39, is often mentioned as a possible replacement for his dad in the Senate

By Lyrical Louie

November 13, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this

Welcome back, Glenn. I’ll not pick at you this time and just enjoy reading your posts. In fact, my Creator is not posting on this blog until after Inauguration Day. Don’t tell him about this little indiscretion, OK?