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The US is too far gone for 2 parties to fix - 44% agree
Middlebury Institute/Zogby Poll: One in Five Americans Believe States Have the Right to Secede
Survey finds 18% would support a secessionist effort in their state
UTICA, New York -One in five American adults - 22% - believe that any state or region has the right to "peaceably secede from the United States and become an independent republic," a new Middlebury Institute/Zogby International telephone poll shows.
I believe any state or region has the right to peaceably secede and become an independent republic:
Agree
22%
Disagree
73%
Not sure
5%
The level of support for the right of secession was consistent in every region in the country, though the percentage was slightly higher in the South (26%) and the East (24%). The figures were also consistent for every age group, but backing was strongest among younger adults, as 40% among those age 18 to 24 and 24% among those age 25 to 34 agreed states and regions have secession rights.
Broken down by race, the highest percentage agreeing with the right to secede was among Hispanics (43%) and African-Americans (40%). Among white respondents, 17% said states or regions should have the right to peaceably secede.
I would support a secessionist effort in my state:
Agree
18%
Disagree
72%
Not sure
10%
Politically, liberal thinkers were much more likely to favor the right to secession for states and regions, as 32% of mainline liberals agreed with the concept. Among the very liberal the support was only slightly less enthusiastic - 28% said they favored such a right. Meanwhile, just 17% of mainline conservatives thought it should exist as an option for states or regions of the nation.
Asked whether they would support a secessionist movement in their own state, 18% said they would, with those in the South most likely to say they would back such an effort. In the South, 24% said they would support such an effort, while 15% in the West and Midwest said the same. Here, too, younger adults were more likely than older adults to be supportive - 35% of those under age 30 would support secession in their state, compared to just 17% of those over age 65. Among African Americans, 33% said they would support secession, compared to just 15% of white adults. The more education a respondent had, the less likely they were to support secession - as 38% of those with less than a high school diploma would support it, compared to just 10% of those with a college degree.
To gauge the extent to which support for secession comes from a sense that the nation's current system is not working, a separate question was asked about agreement that "the United States' system is broken and cannot be fixed by traditional two-party politics and elections." Nearly half of respondents agreed with this statement, with 27% who somewhat agree and 18% who strongly agree.
I believe the United States' system is broken and cannot be fixed by traditional two-party politics and elections:
Agree
44%
Disagree
53%
Not sure
3% Middlebury Institute/Zogby Poll: One in Five Americans Believe States Have the Right to Secede ... more -
Every Senate Democratic challenger supports net neutrality
I'm happy to report that every single Democratic challenger with more than $500k in cash on hand has announced their support for net neutrality. This is a milestone for the fight for internet freedom. I'm happy to report that every single Democratic challenger with more than $500k in cash on hand has announced their support for net n... more
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McCain's Foreign Policy Frustration - TIME
"The sudden collapse of McCain's Middle East policy is a stunning event."
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Matt Gonzalez - Natl Latino Congreso- Ralph Nader's VP
Listen to how intelligent this man is, Nader Gonzalez have more integrity in a pinky finger than the rest of the candidates combined
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The AT&T Democratic convention..with handycarry bag!
Well we know the Republicans are sponsored by big Oil and Now we know Ma Bell is the chief sponsor of our Democratic party... will the AT& T Jackass be next? All I Know is That Telecom legislation is sure to go in favor of the media giants and telecom companies.. Obama already voted for there immunity, you think he's gonna support net neutrality?? probably not if AT&T has anything to say.... Vote Nader!
This blogger has obtained an image of the very handsome welcome bag that every delegate and member of the media will receive upon arrival at the Democratic National Convention next month in Denver. Here is one side (in my view, the prettier side) of the bag:
article continues.. via link
Well we know the Republicans are sponsored by big Oil and Now we know Ma Bell is the chief sponsor of our Democratic party... will the... more -
Fact-finding missions
Last night, I did something I seldom do these days. I sat through about 30 minutes of punditry on CNN to get a sense of how the mainstream media is spinning Sen. Obama's trip to the Middle East.
One CNN house commentator, David Gergen, with whom I usually agree, said that Obama made his "first mistake" of his campaign not by meeting with Iraq Prime Minister Maliki, but by divulging a private conversation in which Maliki agreed with the presumptive Democratic candidate that it's time for a timetable, and that 2010 is as good a deadline for withdrawal as any.
"He's (Obama) in no position to negotiate withdrawal. He's not the commander-in-chief," Gergen said. A network staff reporter then responded by saying that Obama is "presumptuous" not presumptive, and that the trip overseas was intended to be a "fact-finding mission" only. Given what this country has done with "facts," over the past eight years, and all the two-bit fact counterfeiters, that contention is laughable.
The larger issue is what is Obama supposed to do, when confronted with what has come to be called, euphemistically, the "situation on the ground"-- play deaf, dumb, and blind?
Does Maliki have to serve Bush with an eviction notice to make it any more obvious that the country we've occupied for the past six years no longer wants us there?
Have we had so much secrecy, during the Bush years, that an attempt at openness, on the part of a prospective president, looks like presumptousness to us? The obdurate insistence by the mainstream media of maintaining control of information by selectively spinning it is, ultimately, no different than the campaign of redaction, and revision, it is seeking to expose.
If former secretary of state, Colin Powell, went shopping for uranium in Niger before accepting that there was any, and if Dick Cheney went hunting for weapons of mass destruction before committing us to an irrelevant, and seemingly endless, military engagement, this country, and planet, would be in far better shape.
Likewise, if secretarys of state, as well as our current president, paid attention to facts on the ground, we'd be out of Iraq by now, and a strike against Iran would be no more imminent than walking on Mercury. Last night, I did something I seldom do these days. I sat through about 30 minutes of punditry on CNN to get a sense of how the mainst... more -
On energy, T. Boone Pickens sees bipartisan fault
When T. Boone Pickens discusses energy policy with Democrats and Republicans this week, neither side may like all that they hear.
With average gasoline prices above $4 a gallon, energy issues have come to dominate the legislative debate this summer and both parties have sought the counsel of the oilman/investment whiz/wind power promoter.
What does Pickens, a geologist before he was a billionaire, think of the debate?
“There’s nothing they are saying that is going to solve the problem,” he told The Hill.
For example, Pickens doesn’t expect much oil to be found off the coasts. That would seem to undercut the Republican push to open the areas to drilling.
“The public thinks, ‘Well, God. If we got 86 billion barrels of oil sitting out there, why don’t we go drill it and produce it and lower the price of gasoline to $2?’ That’s kind of the way it’s been characterized. Which I think is totally misleading,” he said (editor’s note: A transcription of the interview will appear in the Business & Lobbying section of Tuesday’s edition of The Hill).
That should bolster Democratic leaders who are resisting pressure to drill, although Pickens does support conducting seismic studies to get a better handle on potential resources.
What about Democratic efforts to rein in “speculation,” a push that Democrats in both the House and Senate may make this week?
Pickens doesn’t think much of that idea, either.
“It’s a waste of time. Doesn’t have anything to do with it. … Everybody tries to place the blame, and the blame is our own lack of leadership over the past 40 years on energy.”
Pickens’s main mission in Washington this week is to promote the Pickens Plan (www.pickensplan.com.), his effort to use natural gas as a transportation fuel instead of as a source of electricity.
Wind power would replace the natural gas on the grid. And natural gas would replace gasoline, saving the country $700 billion over 10 years that would otherwise go to buy foreign oil, he said.
When T. Boone Pickens discusses energy policy with Democrats and Republicans this week, neither side may like all that they hear. ... more -
Obama: The Middle Class's Grand Illusion
Barrack Obama is having an identity crisis with the middle-class voters of America. It is this disconnection with middle-class voters that casts a grand illusion on Obama's campaign. Barrack Obama is having an identity crisis with the middle-class voters of America. It is this disconnection with middle-class voters ... more
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The Plan For A Sustainable America
IT'S TIME TO STOP AMERICA'S ADDICTION TO FOREIGN OIL
America is in a hole and it's getting deeper every day. We import 70% of our oil at a cost of $700 billion a year - four times the annual cost of the Iraq war.
Watch this video and see this solution. Then join if you agree
To view full website and join click here http://www.pickensplan.com/index.php IT'S TIME TO STOP AMERICA'S ADDICTION TO FOREIGN OIL ... more -
Subscribe to Uncle Jay's political and social commentary !!
Uncle Jay is an equal-opportunity skewer-er [sp?].
Excellent political and social commentary that will amuse or irk everyone here.
He tells the truth, whether you can take it or not.
Whether you agree or not.
[just like me, but funnier, and more video.]
enjoy! Uncle Jay is an equal-opportunity skewer-er [sp?]. Excellent political and social commentary that will amuse or irk everyone here. ... more -
Democrats voted for FISA out of fear
It was not the fear of terrorist attacks by Islamic fundamentalists that motivated Barack Obama, many Democratic senators and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to grant President George W. Bush expanded powers to wiretap Americans in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Instead, it was the fear of Republican campaign operatives who paralyze Democratic lawmakers with these words: "My Democratic opponent is weak on terrorism."
The advice that Washington wise men give to Democratic incumbents is that, even if you think it is wrong, vote for the president's anti-terrorism bills or the Republicans will do to you what they did to Max Cleland. A decorated Vietnam War hero, Cleland lost his seat in the U.S. Senate in 2002 when Georgia lawyer Saxby Chambliss ran ads declaring Cleland was soft on fighting terrorism.
Although it was six years ago, the shadow of Chambliss ads still looms large over the 21 Democratic senators, including the party's presumptive presidential nominee, who voted last week to loosen court checks on government wiretaps. It was not the fear of terrorist attacks by Islamic fundamentalists that motivated Barack Obama, many Democratic senators and House Sp... more -
Obama poll results withheld by ABC News/Washington Post
In disclosing the results of their poll, conducted July 10-13, ABC News and The Washington Post issued staggered releases, withholding from their first release on July 14 poll results favorable to Sen. Barack Obama, including the finding that 50 percent of registered voters would vote for Obama "[i]f the 2008 presidential election were being held today" versus 42 percent who favored Sen. John McCain.
A partial release of the results, "embargoed for release after 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 14, 2008," was titled "McCain Stays Competitive on Iraq; It's About More than Withdrawal" and disclosed the results of only 10 questions relating to foreign policy.
Among the results, the release noted: 72 percent of respondents think McCain would be "a good commander-in-chief," compared with 48 percent for Obama; "50 percent of Americans prefer Obama's plan to withdraw most U.S. forces within 16 months of taking office," compared with 49 percent who side with McCain's position; 47 percent of respondents said they trust McCain more on Iraq, while 45 percent prefer Obama; and 51 percent of Americans "now say the U.S. campaign against the Taliban and al Qaeda there [in Afghanistan] has been unsuccessful." Following the July 14 release, ABCNews.com posted an analysis of only the foreign policy poll results under the headline "McCain Tops Obama in Commander-in-Chief Test; Stays Competitive on Iraq."
Similarly, Time magazine senior political analyst Mark Halperin linked to the ABCNews.com analysis using the headline: "Poll: McCain Wins More Confidence as Commander in Chief." In a July 15 article headlined "Poll Finds Voters Split on Candidates' Iraq-Pullout Positions," the Post reported only the poll results disclosed in the first release. The article did not mention Obama's 8-point lead over McCain among registered voters on who they would vote for "[i]f the 2008 presidential election were being held today."
On July 15, the day after the initial release, ABC News and the Post issued a second release disclosing the results of 18 questions "embargoed for release after 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, 2008." Included in the release was the result that overall, Obama leads McCain by 8 percentage points among registered voters. Additionally, the release stated: "Obama continues to hold most of the advantages in the presidential race, in enthusiasm, levels of partisanship, personal qualities and trust on top domestic issues, notably No. 1, the economy; and he's improved in the past month among swing voter groups." The release noted that Obama leads McCain by 19 percentage points on the question of which candidate respondents "trust more to handle the economy." In disclosing the results of their poll, conducted July 10-13, ABC News and The Washington Post issued staggered releases, withholding... more -
McCain adviser on Iraqi PM's Obama endorsement: 'We're f**ked
Senator John McCain ridiculed Senator Obama's timetable for Iraq withdrawal as a tactic aimed only at getting votes.
For the Iraqi Prime minister, it apparently worked.
The clear endorsement of Senator Barack Obama by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Saturday morning came as a strong blow to the McCain campaign.
McCain has claimed a superiority to Obama in matters of foreign policy as a major selling point to his candidacy for president, but that position is more difficult in the wake of al-Maliki's statement.
After hearing of the announcement, a sometime adviser to the McCain campaign said in an email, "We're f**ked," according to Mark Ambinder of The Atlantic.
A senior McCain campaign official responded to Ambinder about the development.
"His domestic politics require him to be for us getting out," he said on the condition of anonymity. "The military says 'conditions based' and Maliki said 'conditions based' yesterday in the joint statement with Bush. Regardless, voters care about [the] military, not about Iraqi leaders."
But it will be difficult for McCain to deny his own statement in 2004 that the United States would have to leave Iraq if the nation's leaders requested it.
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QUESTION: Let me give you a hypothetical, senator. What would or should we do if, in the post-June 30th period, a so-called sovereign Iraqi government asks us to leave, even if we are unhappy about the security situation there? I understand it’s a hypothetical, but it’s at least possible.
McCAIN: Well, if that scenario evolves, then I think it’s obvious that we would have to leave because — if it was an elected government of Iraq — and we’ve been asked to leave other places in the world. If it were an extremist government, then I think we would have other challenges, but I don’t see how we could stay when our whole emphasis and policy has been based on turning the Iraqi government over to the Iraqi people.
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McCain's criticism of Obama as less able in matters of foreign policy has increased during the week leading up to Obama's trip overseas which began this weekend and will continue into next week.
"This success that we have achieved is still fragile and could be reversed," McCain said to Reuters Thursday. "And if we do what Sen. Obama wants to do, then all of that could be reversed," and leave behind chaos and Iranian influence, he said.
A ad released by the McCain campaign Friday sharply criticized Obama of shifting positions on Iraq "to help himself become president."
An MSNBC story discusses McCain's attacks on Obama leading up to his trip to Afghanistan and other Middle East countries.
Senator John McCain ridiculed Senator Obama's timetable for Iraq withdrawal as a tactic aimed only at getting votes. ... more -
Amazing things are happening this election year....
Another convert... and his reasons why....
I'm backing Barack Obama
BY LARRY HUNTER
Wednesday, July 16th 2008, 7:39 PM
I'm a lifelong Republican - a supply-side conservative. I worked in the Reagan White House. I was the chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for five years. In 1994, I helped write the Republican Contract with America. I served on Bob Dole's presidential campaign team and was chief economist for Jack Kemp's Empower America.
This November, I'm voting for Barack Obama.
When I first made this decision, many colleagues were shocked. How could I support a candidate with a domestic policy platform that's antithetical to almost everything I believe in?
The answer is simple: Unjustified war and unconstitutional abridgment of individual rights vs. ill-conceived tax and economic policies - this is the difference between venial and mortal sins.
enjoy!
+af Another convert... and his reasons why.... I'm backing Barack Obama BY LARRY HUNTER Wednesday, July 16th 2008, 7:39 PM ... more -
Live streaming politics: Netroots Nation
Netroots Nation 2008 is in full swing this weekend in Austin, Texas - but you can join in from your couch in your PJ's if you'd rather.
The convention, formerly known as YearlyKos, is an outgrowth of popular blog DailyKos. You can watch all of the action (or at least all of the keynotes and panels) at netrootsnation.org. Netroots Nation 2008 is in full swing this weekend in Austin, Texas - but you can join in from your couch in your PJ's if you'd rather... more -
Obama Touches Down in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama met Saturday with officials of a region of Afghanistan that has been a hotbed of Taliban and al-Qaida activity, offering his support for reconstruction and security there and throughout the country, an official said.
The Illinois senator, undertaking a campaign-season tour of combat zones and foreign capitals, began his first-ever visit to Afghanistan as part of an official congressional delegation that landed in Kabul.
Obama and other members of Congress visited Bagram Air Field, the main U.S. military base in the country, to meet with top U.S. military leaders and troops, according to a U.S. military statement. KABUL, Afghanistan - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama met Saturday with officials of a region of Afghanistan that has b... more -
18 in '08: Vote?
Seventeen year-old David Burstein made his documentary film "18 in '08," as a call to action for youths to vote and get involved and engaged with politics. What are the big issues facing America's youth in the face of the 2008 presidential election? And who are America's youngest voters? Seventeen year-old David Burstein made his documentary film "18 in '08," as a call to action for youths to vote and get involved and e... more
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You could vote for "None Of The Above" and have it count
Recently I wrote a page on why we should or should not vote at all based on my feelings that 99.9% of politicians are not qualified for the job and how for some time now our government system is actually more to blame than even the politicians. You can read about that here if you'd like:
http://current.com/items/89107141_voting_for_the_lesser...
Surprisingly to me I received a lot of flack for this story and was even accused of being a neo-con and actually supporting John McCain - this could not be further from the truth
However after writing the story I was made aware of an option to vote for "none of the above" and that vote actually counts as a vote, so if the NOTA vote gets the majority then none of the candidates win and there would need to be new candidates chosen to run for their hopeful office.
So... If a majority of people voted for "None of the Above" rather than "voting for the lesser of evils", it might force a situation where Voters would have to find someone competent to lead them. This sounds like a great idea to me and this would prevent candidates from being able to "play the game" and would make them really earn our trust. So... In any state with a binding "None of the Above" ballot option, the list of candidates for each office would be followed by the votable line "None of the Above; For a New Election", or something similar. If the that option gets more votes than any candidate for the office, then no one is elected to the office; instead, a follow-up by-election with new candidates must be held to fill that office, until a candidate wins a plurality of votes among all other candidates including "None of the Above."
Here's a run down of how it would look and also some links to petitions where you can get this into play in your own state and possibly in presidential elections as well where I think it is most needed.
Statement of Principle: All legitimate consent requires the ability to withhold consent; therefore, the legitimate consent of voters requires they be able to withhold their consent in an election to office.
Statement of Purpose: We are working to enact a Voter Consent law in all 50 states, preferably by adding after the candidate list for each elective office the following permanent line, or otherwise to assist in the enactment of Voter Consent Ballot Options.
Typical Current Ballot:
(Competitive Race) ~OR~ (Noncompetitive Race)
[ ] Candidate A [ ] Candidate A
[ ] Candidate B
Voter Options: Vote for a candidate. If voters do not like any (or the only) candidate for the office, they can either: 1) not vote; or, 2) vote for the least objectionable candidate, the so-called "lesser evil"; or, 3) write-in a name, in jurisdictions allowing it, the so-called "Mickey Mouse option."
Voter Consent Law's Ballot with Binding NOTA Option:
(Competitive Race) ~OR~ (Noncompetitive Race)
[ ] Candidate A [ ] Candidate A
[ ] Candidate B [ ] None of the Above; For a New Election
[ ] None of the Above; For a New Election
Voter Options: Vote for a candidate or "None of the Above; For a New Election". If "None of the Above; For a New Election" receives the most votes, no candidate is elected to that office and a follow-up by-election, with new candidates, is held. Note that even candidates running unopposed must obtain voter consent to be elected.
links to general info and petitions:
http://www.nota.org/writein.htm
http://nota.org/
Since nowhere close to all of US citizens vote I think this NOTA option would give everyone a reason to vote and instead of not voting or writing in Mickey Mouse their vote would actually count.
Currently Nevada is the only state to have a non-binding NOTA option on their ballot
Now what do you think? Recently I wrote a page on why we should or should not vote at all based on my feelings that 99.9% of politicians are not qualified fo... more -
Gramm quits as McCain campaign co-chair
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Republican Sen. Phil Gramm said Friday that he is stepping down as co-chairman of Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign amid criticism for saying last week that "we have sort of become a nation of whiners."
Phil Gramm, left, said his comments have become a "distraction" for Sen. John McCain's campaign.
Phil Gramm, left, said his comments have become a "distraction" for Sen. John McCain's campaign.
Gramm on Friday said he would "join the growing number of rank-and-file McCain supporters."
Democrats blasted Gramm for the comments, made in a Washington Times interview published July 10, and McCain forcefully repudiated the remarks.
In a written statement released Friday, Gramm said his comments had become a distraction for McCain.
"It is clear to me that Democrats want to attack me rather than debate Senator McCain on important economic issues facing the country," Gramm said.
"That kind of distraction hurts not only Senator McCain's ability to present concrete programs to deal with the country's problems, it hurts the country."
Gramm, who advised presumed Republican nominee McCain on economic matters, made the controversial comments while discussing the economy.
"We have sort of become a nation of whiners. You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline," the former Texas senator said. Video Watch Gramm explain his comments »
"You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession."
McCain responded that day to the comments saying during a campaign stop: "I believe that the person here in Michigan who just lost his job isn't suffering from a mental recession. I believe the mother here in Michigan or around America who's trying to get enough money to educate their children isn't whining."
A day after making the comments, Gramm said he was referring to America's leaders, not the public.
He stood behind the "mental recession" comment, though, saying, "we don't have measured negative growth. That's a fact; that's not a commentary."
McCain's Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama, said Friday that news of Gramm stepping down makes little difference.
"The question for John McCain isn't whether Phil Gramm will continue as chairman of his campaign but whether he will continue to keep the economic plan that Gramm authored and that represents a continuation of the polices that have failed American families for the last eight years," Obama campaign spokesman Hari Sevugan said.
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Obama had been quick to jump on Gramm's comments last week, saying Americans need more than "psychological relief."
"I think it's time we had a president who doesn't deny our problems or blame the American people for them but takes responsibility and provides the leadership to solve them," Obama said at a Virginia rally shortly after the comments were reported. "That's the kind of president I will be." WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Republican Sen. Phil Gramm said Friday that he is stepping down as co-chairman of Sen. John McCain's presid... more -
Gore urges drive for carbon-free energy
Former Vice President Al Gore called for a "man on the moon" effort to switch all of the United States' electricity production to wind, solar and other carbon-free sources within 10 years.
He said this goal would solve global warming as well as economic and natural security crises caused by dependence on fossil fuels.
"The answer is to end our reliance on carbon-based fuels," Mr Gore told a packed auditorium in Washington's historic Constitution Hall.
"When you connect the dots, it turns out that the real solutions to the climate crisis are the very same measures needed to renew our economy and escape the trap of ever-rising energy prices."
[Credit: AP; Photo: Business Week] Former Vice President Al Gore called for a "man on the moon" effort to switch all of the United States' electricity production to wind... more
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