When Dems go bad

Can't say I feel sorry for the guy. Read the rest of this post...

The White House is now the RNC

No real surprise. All the White House ever does is spin and campaign. They can elect Republicans, but they can't run America. The White House has turned in to a purely political operation:

Bush has turned his attention to the campaign. Six months before the election, he has made 36 fundraising appearances, more than at this point in 2002. He spoke at a party gala last week that broke off-year records for hard-money fundraising and later attended events in Virginia and Kentucky. Vice President Cheney has been even more active, making 62 fundraising appearances, including one in Nashville on Saturday, and he plans three more in California in the next couple of days.

With Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove reassigned from day-to-day policy management to concentrate on the fall campaign, the White House has begun setting an agenda. Bush focused on stopping illegal immigration with his National Guard plan announced in an Oval Office address last week, followed a few days later by a visit to the border. In between, he signed legislation extending $70 billion in tax cuts that he has made a signature issue on the campaign trail.

Every tax dollar we spend on the White House operation is really just paying for the GOP campaign operation. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Chris in Paris is now considering getting one of the new MacBookPros. He will be assimilated.

I'll update you on my progress with my Mac after dinner... Read the rest of this post...

VIDEO: Great Saturday Night Live clip from last night

Click it. Read the rest of this post...

GOP is now taxing teenagers - Bush violates his anti-tax promise

Well kids, forget about saving for college because the GOP needs to help those least in need.

Forget about the Dick Cheney's of the world, the GOP is taxing the teenagers of America to pick up some of the slack in the latest round of reckless tax breaks for those at the top of the food chain. I know that the GOP likes to think that only Democrats raise taxes (except in Ohio) but isn't this a tax increase? Where's the veto George? Notice how the WH quietly altered their story about tax savings for everyone who pays taxes? The world needs ditch-diggers too according to the GOP. What a proud moment this must be for everyone who voted to tax Americas youth.

Under the new law, teenagers age 14 to 17 with investment income will now be taxed at the same rate as their parents, not at their own rates. Long-term capital gains and dividends that had been taxed at 5 percent will now be taxed at 15 percent. Interest that had been taxed at 10 percent will now be taxed at as much as 35 percent.

The increases, which are retroactive to the first day of the year, are expected to generate nearly $2.2 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, which issues the official estimates.

And Bush's promise not to raise taxes? Hmmm, it sounds like he lied and violated his promise and we know how much he values honesty.

"If elected president, I will oppose and veto any increase in individual or corporate marginal income tax rates or individual or corporate income tax hikes," he wrote in June 1999 to Grover Norquist, president of the Americans for Tax Reform.

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An analysis of how Lieberman is doing in his re-election run

Some of you were debating in the comments a few days ago whether things were, or weren't, looking bad (or at least worse) for Lieberman over the past few days. Here's an analysis from the local paper that says things are looking worse. I would agree. It's not a slam dunk for Lamont yet, but this is NOT a good sign for an almost 20 year incumbent. Read the rest of this post...

Suicide bomber kills 12 in Baghdad restaurant

Ah, a new day. Read the rest of this post...

Bush claims progress in Iraq...again

Hey, Bush says we're making progress in Iraq!!! (He has a plan for victory, after all.) It really helps if you do what he does and just ignore the on-going violence. If you do that, things look really good:

Bush briefly spoke to reporters from the White House with his wife, Laura, at his side, to highlight the political development without mentioning the violence that still rages in Iraq.

The president did not speak of the spree of bombing, mortar rounds and a drive-by shooting that killed at least 18 Iraqis and wounded dozens - most of them hit by a suicide bomber who targeted a Baghdad restaurant during Sunday's lunch hour.

Classic example of why no one trusts Bush anymore. Read the rest of this post...

Sunday Morning Open Thread

Let's talk about the talk shows for starters. Gonzales and Rice are on spin patrol:

FOX NEWS SUNDAY...: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice , Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Marisa West of Prom Dress Express.

THIS WEEK...: Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales , former senator John Edwards (D-N.C.) and "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh .

FACE THE NATION...: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) and Gonzales .

MEET THE PRESS...: Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), Rep. Charles Whitlow Norwood Jr. (R-Ga.) and Rice .

LATE EDITION (CNN), 11 a.m.: Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Australian Prime Minister John Howard , Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert , U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad and Feisal Amin al-Istrabadi , Iraq's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

Read the rest of this post...

Bush and GOP continue to annoy everyone and lose voters

A real Midas touch, as usual. The Bush plan for trying to please everyone yet making everyone angry is working as well as expected. This seems to be working as well as the Bush plan for victory in Iraq.

A survey of 800 registered Hispanic voters conducted May 11-15 by the nonpartisan Latino Coalition showed that Democrats were viewed as better able to handle immigration issues than Republicans, by nearly 3 to 1: 50 percent to 17 percent. Pitting the Democrats against Bush on immigration issues produced a 2 to 1 Democratic advantage, 45 percent to 22 percent.

More long term, things don't look promising for the GOP either.

Even if the GOP does maintain Bush's margins among Latinos in 2008, another study found that Democrats are likely to achieve a net gain in future elections, simply because Hispanics are growing as a share of the electorate.

And the white wingnuts? They're not happy either.

In a survey by the Pew Research Center, conservative Republicans were by far the most opposed of any demographic group -- 83 percent -- to providing social services to illegal immigrants. Conservative Republicans were, in addition, the only group in which a majority supported a constitutional amendment barring citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants born in the United States. They also supported the activities of citizen militias known as Minutemen that attempt to guard the border.

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Junior Blair - A chip off the old block

Last year when Tony Blair announced that his son was going to the US to be an intern of right wing extremist Congressman David Dreier, many old Labour party members were outraged that Blair's son would intern for someone who is at the opposite political end of the spectrum. Of course, that's probably because they could not recognize or admit that the leader of their party was more of a wingnut righty than a lefty. After public complaints, Blair suddenly had a change in plans and would spend equal time with a Democrat. How generous and as we now see, what a pathetic joke.

Well after just two weeks, Blair Junior has had a temper tantrum and left that bad old Congresswoman from California, Jane Harman, because she has dared to question the lies of daddy. Let me be the first to say "good riddance" and don't let the door hit you in the ass. Like his dad, Blair Junior sounds like he's all front and no substance and listening to the truth just is not possible, because it just gets in the way. Sounds like he has a real future with New Labour.

Roll Call, a Congressional journal, even described the young Mr Blair as a "dilettante".

But another possible reason emerged for the sudden termination of Euan's tenure: Ms Harman's attitude to the intelligence promoted by his father in the run up to war in Iraq.

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This is why you should NEVER believe the conventional wisdom that tells you there's no chance of winning

Check out the four words I highlight in this story from Sunday's NYT:

For months, even in the face of an avalanche of bad news for Republicans, Democratic ambitions for capturing Congress have collided with an electoral map created to protect Republicans from ouster. Despite polls showing rising support for Democrats and scorn for Republicans, analysts have said Democratic hopes for big gains remain remote, because so few seats are in contention.

That appears to be changing.

Over the past week, a handful of once-safe Republican Congressional seats have come into play, and other Republican incumbents are facing increasingly stiff re-election battles, according to analysts, pollsters and officials in both parties. The change amounts to a slight but significant shift in the playing field, and a potentially pivotal change in the dynamics of this midterm election.

Over the past week, once-safe Republican seat have come into play. That means a week ago the pundits would have told you "no chance for dems to get those seats." Today, only one week later, they tell you that yes there is a chance dems can win.

This is why I'm constantly harping against pessimism and telling folks that we can win, we can take the House, and even possibly the Senate. The numbers change. They change every week. When someone tells you we can't win the House, they mean if the vote were today. But it's not today. Every week the Republicans are falling further and further behind.

We can take the House, and maybe even the Senate, if we continue to believe and keep reminding the country that the Republican party will destroy America if it remains in power any longer. Read the rest of this post...

Apparently the GOP is hoping the black community is going to forget how Bush destroyed New Orleans

You have to give the Republicans credit for chutzpah. Bush destroyed New Orleans by going on vacation and staying there for days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city. Recent reports say the city is still a disaster and it's not looking like the feds are planning on doing much about it. But the Republicans would like black people to think THEY'RE the real defenders of black America. Uh huh. The ones who survive. Read the rest of this post...