tagged w/ Presidential Race
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Love or hate him, Texas Congressman Ron Paul just might be the least understood presidential candidate in recent history. To his opponents, Paul is stuck in the 19th century, a cranky closet-segregationist who wants to isolate us from the rest of the world and is prone to conspiracy theories. To his supporters (myself included), he is a Jeffersonian prophet and a true statesman, warning us all about the dangers of government power and defending liberty, peace, and a free economy.
Full Story: http://www.policymic.com/articles/8437/should-i-vote-for-ron-paul-2012-complete-guide-to-ron-paul-s-stance-on-every-issue/featured_scrollerLove or hate him, Texas Congressman Ron Paul just might be the least understood... more
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“We are absolutely not dropping out of this race! We are focusing our efforts squarely on winning delegates and party leadership positions at state conventions.”
- Jesse Benton, Campaign Chairman
Ron Paul announced today he would not be competing in the upcoming primary states, saying that he would focus, instead, on his delegate strategy. A strategy that is working, by the way, and transforming the Republican Party. It is something he has said many times since the February 11, 2012 caucus in Maine.
Only this time, the main stream media gave the announcement full attention and treated it like the end of his campaign. Drudge ran it as a front page headline “Ron Paul is out.”
It is all evidence that Alfred Harmsworth’s famous quote that “news is not when a dog bites a man but, rather, when a man bites a dog” has now been offciaily turned on its head.
For the last two years the national media has been saying that Ron Paul is out. So how could that possibly be news? One might ask, “When has the mainstream media ever thought that Ron Paul was in?”
Bracing for a Ron Paul win in Iowa, major new outlets last January announced that if he won, the Iowa Caucus, itself, would be discredited. According to the New York Times and the Associated Press, Ron Paul is still listed as the recipient of one, count em, one delegate from Iowa, a state that he now dominates.
Likewise, the fact that Ron Paul supporters took a big chunk of the delegation of Mitt Romney’s home state of Massachusetts was not big news. This was evidently not a man biting a dog. There were no headlines, just small reports saying we were “flooding” state conventions with delegates. We were sucker punching the front runner. Even this, “we were stealing delegates.” Now, that’s a trick.
http://youtu.be/PHwshLUlJLI“We are absolutely not dropping out of this race! We are focusing our efforts... more
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But, like all conventional wisdom, it’s only true until it changes. And, on Monday, a new poll came out that provided at least a hint that the CW might be in for a shift.
In Gallup’s first tracking poll of the general election, Romney took 47 percent to Obama’s 45 percent nationally.
Both men won 90 percent of their self-identified partisans, with Romney’s overall margin coming from his six-point edge among independent voters.
Before we go any further, it’s worth making note of a few caveats.
1. On Monday, CNN released data that showed a much different picture: Obama with a nine-point edge over Romney.
2. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll showed the former Massachusetts governor with a 35 percent favorable rating and a 47 percent unfavorable rating — not exactly stellar numbers.
3. All polls amount to a snapshot in time, making it difficult to draw broad conclusions from any single one.
Even taking into account those three caveats, however, there’s reason to suspect that the race is heading toward a closer result — both in the near and long term — than most people currently think.But, like all conventional wisdom, it’s only true until it changes. And, on... more
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By Eric W. Dolan
Thursday, March 29, 2012 16:21 EDT
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said Thursday that corporations could be elected president according to the rationale of the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
“I remain troubled today that the Supreme Court extended to corporations the same First Amendment rights in the political process that are guaranteed by the Constitution to individual Americans,” he said at a hearing on the DISCLOSE Act of 2012. “Corporations are not the same as individual Americans. Corporations do not have the same rights, the same morals or the same interests. Corporations cannot vote in our democracy.”
According to the Supreme Court’s logic, we should elect corporations to public office, Leahy said.
“This country has elected General Eisenhower as president, shouldn’t we elected General Electric as president? We know we like to elect a lot of yahoos as vice president, why not elect Yahoo as a corporation as vice president. ”
“Vermonters and Americans across the country have long understood that corporations are not people in this political process,” he continued. “Unfortunately, a very narrow majority on the Supreme Court apparently did not.”
The controversial Citizens United ruling struck down key provisions of the federal McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law and gave rise to super PACS, which have caused campaign spending by outside groups to skyrocket. Super PACs have also exploited a loophole that allows them to postpone the disclosure of their donors until after the elections they participate in.
The DISCLOSE Act of 2012 would require any organization that spends 10,000 or more during an election cycle to file a report with the Federal Election Commission within 24 hours. It would also require the head of any organization that puts out a political ad on TV or radio to state that he or she approves the message, similar to what candidates must do now.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/29/sen-leahy-supreme-court-thinks-corporations-can-be-president/
The DISCLOSE Act of 2010 was blocked by a Republican filibuster in the Senate.
Watch video, uploaded to YouTube on March 29th...
"Right On Senator Leahy, my Hero of the Day!!!!" =)By Eric W. Dolan
Thursday, March 29, 2012 16:21 EDT
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said... more
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KB723
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2 months ago
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Sen. Sanders discusses the initiatives in 60 Vermont towns to overturn the Citizens United decision.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101715197
"Another reason I would like to live in Vermont, Right On Bernie Sanders!!!" =)Sen. Sanders discusses the initiatives in 60 Vermont towns to overturn the Citizens... more
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KB723
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3 months ago
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Will he endorse a candidate? If so, which one? If not, will he finally jump into the ring himself. And as what? A Republican? Too late to get on the ballot, isn’t it? An independent? Could be. Who knows?
Whatever. But it’s official. You know it’s official because Donald “tweeted” it himself on his Twitter doohickey.
http://deepbrainmedia.com/2012/02/02/trump-to-make-major-announcement-thursday/Will he endorse a candidate? If so, which one? If not, will he finally jump into the... more
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So, you'd vote for Ron Paul if it weren't for his wacky foreign policy?
U.S. military veterans and active duty soldiers overwhelmingly support Ron Paul for President in 2012. Find out why.
This video explains why they support Ron Paul so overwhelmingly, including a discussion of "blowback" resulting from U.S. interventionist foreign policy.So, you'd vote for Ron Paul if it weren't for his wacky foreign policy?... more
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mab001
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7 months ago
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In a desperate bid to knock frontrunner Mitt Romney off his perch, the other candidates got nasty.
It's already being called Las Vegas Fight Night -- the moment the Republican presidential rivals turned the heat on each other, and the moment it all got personal.
In a desperate bid to knock frontrunner Mitt Romney off his seemingly inevitable course, the rest of the pack piled into him during last night's GOP debate, attacking his stance on everything, from immigration to healthcare.
The man most desperate to restore some glitter to his rapidly fading star, Rick Perry, could barely contain his hostility. There were narrowed eyes. There was shouting. There was even some actual snarling.
It all came to a head over an episode in 2007 when Romney hired a lawn company which was later found to have employed illegal immigrants. Not so much a debate, more of a slanging match ensued, as Perry went in for the kill (see video above). "The idea that you stand here before us and talk about that you're strong on immigration is, on its face, the height of hypocrisy." Romney fired back, with a sort of hollow laugh: "Rick, I don't think I've ever hired an illegal in my life. And so I'm looking forward to finding your facts on that." That made Perry even madder: "It's time for you to tell the truth".
Outside, chief strategists for the two men were frantically trying to spin this loss of cool -- Perry's man accusing Romney of being "very rattled" -- while the Romney lot called Perry a desperate hothead.
And we haven't even got around to Herman Cain yet. The man who's been briefly enjoying his moment as the anyone-but-Romney favourite had an even worse night.
In the debate itself, he came under repeated questioning over his 9-9-9 tax plan, which wasn't helped by a report from the non-partisan Tax Policy Centre. They said his proposals would cut taxes for 95 per cent of America's millionaires, while raising them for most people earning less than $100,000. And the six other candidates siezed their chance, dubbing it dangerous and simplistic.
Asked about foreign policy, the former pizza mogul was stumbling all over the place. At one stage, he said he could see himself negotiating with al-Qaeda, if he were elected. He later had to back down on the Anderson Cooper show, admitting he had "misspoke", before blundering on: "Because I didn't, you know, things are moving so fast, I misspoke."
Turns out he'd got himself all confused between the whole al-Qaeda thing and Israel's decision to release hundreds of prisoners in exchange for the captured soldier Gilad Shalit. Which doesn't exactly inspire confidence in a man vying to be the figure with his finger on the nuclear button.
This, after FEC returns showed Cain spent $36,000 of his campaign funds buying copies of his own book, perhaps in an effort to keep it in the New York Times bestseller list.
Last night, though, was really all about Romney, or stopping Romney. As Politico put it, for his rivals "it's a strategic imperative to halt the frontrunner". Yet all the acrimony, the shouting matches, and the attacks on each other may not have impressed any wavering voters who tuned in. And one man -- President Obama -- got off relatively unscathed. He is deep in traditional Republican territory, trying to drum up support in North Carolina and Virginia.
On that note, perhaps the last word should go to one of those warring Republicans, Newt Gingrich, who warned that "maximising bickering" might not be the best way to win the White House.In a desperate bid to knock frontrunner Mitt Romney off his perch, the other... more
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Gerryg
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The 2012 Republican Primary race continued to take shape today after high-profile candidate and real estate mogul Donald Trump decided that his public service would no longer be required.
The announcement comes just two days after front-runner Mike Huckabee decided that he would also bow out of the race.
Trump, who made the announcement in a press release Monday morning, cited his love for business, and his unwillingness to leave the private sector at this point in time as his reasons for withdrawing his potential candidacy.
"This decision does not come easily or without regret; especially when my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country," Trump said in the press release.
Trump, who is rumored to have recently purchased the paraphrasing rights to the English language, is now contractually unobligated to specify that "ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls" means that he has plummeted in recent polls and now hovers near the bottom of the pack of GOP contenders.
More at link:
http://itslonelyuphere.blogspot.com/2011/05/trump-fires-himself-from-presidential.htmlThe 2012 Republican Primary race continued to take shape today after high-profile... more
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KevJ
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1 year ago
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In Oakland, Jean Quan's riveting victory to become the mayor has brought renewed attention to ranked choice voting (RCV). San Francisco has used this system, which allows voters to rank their top three candidates, in seven elections since 2004. Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro used it for the first time in 2010.
Quan became the first Asian American woman elected mayor of a major U.S. city by coming from behind to beat the favorite, former state Senate President Pro Tem and powerbroker Don Perata, even though he outspent her 4-1. Quan showed how to win with a new kind of politics that better comports with the diverse society we have become – she used coalition building and grassroots campaigning. She told people, "If I'm not your first choice, please make me your second or third choice." She also reached out to her opponents, Rebecca Kaplan especially, saying, "In case I don't win, I think Rebecca should be your second choice." As a result, Quan received three times more runoff votes from the supporters of Kaplan, who finished third, than did Perata. That gave Quan her victory.
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION OF HOW RANKED CHOICE VOTING WORKS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqblOq8BmgM&feature=player_embeddedIn Oakland, Jean Quan's riveting victory to become the mayor has brought renewed... more
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Breaking News Updates People familiar with Mr. Keith Olbermann's plan say he has a possible deal with Al Gore's Current TV. "Tonight, Current TV host Mr. Keith Olbermann with the latest on the 2012 presidential race from commentator Al Gore…"Breaking News Updates People familiar with Mr. Keith Olbermann's plan say he has... more
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*Imagine the damage he and Palin could inflict...*
Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton says that he's still "considering" whether to run for President in 2012, but when it comes to the decision, he's still just talking to people and not taking any major steps for a run: "I'm not like the duck, placid on the top of the water and paddling furiously underneath. I'm really looking at it. It's a hard decision for me."
Bolton told Warner Todd Huston of Publius Forum: "When I say 'considering', I mean 'considering.'"
"I don't feel under enormous pressure to make a decision one way or the other," he said. "We've got plenty of time. The field is wide-open. It's very fluid."
Here's the video. The comments on 2012 come at the 3:34 mark:*Imagine the damage he and Palin could inflict...*
Former U.N. Ambassador John... more
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How do you get access-all-areas to film the most powerful man in the world at work and play? Get in early, the makers of a fascinating new documentary about Barack Obama tell Gerard Gilbert
'By the People: the Election of Barack Obama' is on BBC2 tomorrow at 7.30pmHow do you get access-all-areas to film the most powerful man in the world at work and... more
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who would you vote for and why
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Iran protests: live
guardian.co.uk, Thursday June 18 2009
Daniel Nasaw and Matthew Weaver
6.44pm: Here is some grainy but fantastic footage of the march to Imam Khomeini square in Tehran, from 5 pm Iranian time. You can hear the crowd chanting "Ya Hossein! Mir Hossein!" 6.40pm: Just after 10 pm in Iran, Saeed writes that the people are again shouting "Ya Hossein! Mir Hossein!" and "Allah-o-Akbar!" (Arabic for "God is Great!") all across Tehran. 5.24pm: A reader i
(...)chanting "Ya Hossein! Mir Hossein!" 6.40pm: Just after 10 pm in Iran, Saeed writes that the people are again shouting "Ya Hossein! Mir (...)
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In the event that the divisive Ahmadinejad were to be dropped and Mousavi became president, his 25-year-long battle with Khamenei can be expected to resume in earnest. That is a strong reason for Khamenei to fight hard to keep him out. But while the warring cousins differ sharply on social issues, there may be more room for an accommodation than many suspect.Iran protests: live
guardian.co.uk, Thursday June 18 2009
Daniel Nasaw and... more
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Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
by Ilan Pappe
ISBN: 1851685553
ISBN-13: 9781851685554
Format: Paperback, 320pp
Publisher: National Book Network
Pub. Date: September 2007
Synopsis
In this controversial new book, a prominent Israeli historian at Haifa University revisits the formative period of the State of Israel. Decisively debunking the myth that the Palestinian population left of their own accord during the War of Independence, he offers archival evidence to demonstrate that a central plank in Israel's founding ideology was the forcible removal of the indigenous population. This book is a passionate plea to acknowledge the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948 as the root cause of the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict.
Publishers Weekly
In his latest work, renowned Israeli author and academic Pappe (A History of Modern Palestine) does not mince words, doing Jimmy Carter one better (or worse, depending on one's point of view) by accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, beginning in the 1948 war for independence and continuing through the present. Focusing primarily on Plan D (Dalet, in Hebrew), conceived on March 10, 1948, Pappe demonstrates how ethnic cleansing was not a circumstance of war, but rather a deliberate goal of combat for early Israeli military units organized by David Ben-Gurion, whom Pappe labels the "architect of ethnic cleansing." The forced expulsion of 800,000 Palestinians between 1948 and 1949, Pappe argues, was part of a long-standing Zionist plan to manufacture an ethnically pure Jewish state. Framing his argument with accepted international and U.N. definitions of ethnic cleansing, Pappe follows with an excruciatingly detailed account of Israeli military involvement in the demolition and depopulation of hundreds of villages, and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Arab inhabitants. An accessible, learned resource, this volume provides important insights into the historical antecedents of today's conflict, but its conclusions will not be easy for everyone to stomach: Pappe argues that the ethnic cleansing of Palestine continues today, and calls for the unconditional return of all Palestinian refugees and an end to the Israeli occupation. Without question, Pappe's account will provoke ire from many readers; importantly, it will spark discussion as well. (Jan.)Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
by Ilan Pappe
ISBN: 1851685553
ISBN-13:... more
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Former president Bill Clinton has agreed to several concessions requested by President-elect Barack Obama’s transition lawyers that could pave the way for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) to become the next secretary of state, including making public all donors to his foundation and clearing all of his future speeches and charitable activities with Obama administration officials, according to a Democratic source with direct knowledge of the negotiations.
But there continued to be some dispute about whether the job had been formally offered to Hillary Clinton. Although Obama did not formally offer her the position, aides to the president-elect said Wednesday, they said that it would be difficult for Clinton to now walk away from the secretary of state post. The aides said Obama’s staff has gone down the path of thoroughly vetting her and her husband with the understanding that, if he should make an official job offer, she would accept it. Another candidate for the post, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, emerged from his meeting with Obama last Friday under the impression that the job had not been filled, people familiar with that meeting said.
Clinton is mulling whether to take the post with her husband and close advisers, the source said, noting that becoming the nation’s top diplomat would be a major and career-changing decision for the former first lady. Of particular concern is how much influence Clinton would have in Obama’s White House, where she would compete for attention with other top foreign policy and national security advisers, said a source, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to speak candidly about the negotiations.Former president Bill Clinton has agreed to several concessions requested by... more
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