Breaking scandal in Nevada involving, of course, a Republican

BIG UPDATE: Did Gibbons' wife, the possible next First Lady of Nevada, commit perjury?

The local news coverage, in the video below, makes clear that Gibbons' wife Dawn signed federal legal documents in 1988, under the penalty of perjury, stating that everyone knew the woman, Patricia, was undocumented and that she'd worked for the family since 1987, cooking, cleaning and babysitting, and even had an employment contract for $800/month. The employee, Patricia, says she was paid every two weeks, and worked ten hours days, 50 hours a week. But then, at the end of the broadcast we learn that the TV news team has just received a statement from Dawn Gibbons claiming that she tried to help Patricia for a time, but only with occasional odd jobs, and not as a full time employee. The news broadcaster said that this statement contradicts what Dawn Gibbons said under oath in the federal documents. If true, that's called perjury - from the woman who plans on being Nevada's next First Lady. This story is huge.
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This time it's the governor's candidate, Republican Congressman Jim Gibbons, the guy who was accused last week of attacking a young woman in a parking lot. Today we find out that the very anti-immigration Gibbons had an illegal alien working for him for years, and even hid her in the basement.

It's 8 minutes and 24 seconds of local news in Nevada, that is a HUGE story, no one does a story that long.

Oh man. Here is the local news story in Nevada from the 5pm news tonight in Las Vegas.

Read the rest of this post...

Some Virginia electronic voting machines get the candidates' names wrong

We live in a banana republic. The Republican Congress and George Bush had six years to get these voting problems right, and it's still screwed up. How could people buy machines that don't even work right? No one tested them with "long" names... like James Webb? This is their excuse? Seriously, how could we still be having these problems six years after the joke of an election of 2000? And then the same things happened in 2004. Is no politician willing to stand up and demand that these things be fixed? Read the rest of this post...

Don't forget about state legislative races this year

If a Democratic wave is building, let's make sure it sweeps along the state legislatures. Democrats tend to keep their focus on top of the ticket Congressional races. On the Republican side, they have a better track record of looking further down ballot. Tom DeLay used it to his advantage in Texas. Control of state legislatures matter. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) does the yeoman's work on state leg. races -- working with the state caucuses around the country.

Yesterday, USA Today laid out the state of play in the states:

Republicans hold the governorships and both chambers of the state legislatures in 12 states; Democrats, in eight. Republicans' control is in jeopardy in three of those states: Ohio, Alaska and Indiana.

Democrats face the possibility of losing dominance in only one state: Maine. Meanwhile, the party has a chance for control in eight other states: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana and Tennessee.

In Arkansas, Maryland and Massachusetts, Democrats hold majorities in the state legislature and are hoping to take the governor's mansion. In other states, races for the state legislature will decide whether the one party can take control.

That has turned usually little-noticed races into heated contests.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee hopes to spend $10 million on state House and Senate races this year, up from $7 million in the 2004 campaign cycle.

It would be a shame to take control of Congress and not make similar gains at the state level. In 1994, the GOP's success was mirrored at the state level.

State legislative control matters. It matters for redistricting. It matters for the development of progressive policy. And, it matters for the creation of a farm team of future leaders.

And PS, don't forget to give to Gary Trauner (D-WY), who is running for the sole congressional seat in Wyoming. He's running against a far-right Bush clone and is within striking distance.

The Iraq debacle: $330 billion.

The look on Dick Cheney's face when we take his old congressional seat: Priceless.

Democrat Gary Trauner (WY-01): $

Read the rest of this post...

Who says Dems don't fight back?

Wow.



Hat tip, 10ZenMonkeys.com. Read the rest of this post...

Senate candidate Bob Corker (R-TN) says Republican National Committee is refusing to remove racist TV ad from Tennessee

Well that's interesting. Bob Corker, who is a Republican running for Senator from Tennessee, says that the Republican National Committee - that would be the Republican party in Washington, DC - is refusing to stop running a racist TV ad that they're broadcasting in Tennessee. When pressed by CNN's Wolf Blitzer as to whether he has called anyone at the RNC or the White House to demand that the ad be taken down, Corker couldn't answer the question.

Bottom line, he's not trying very hard to get the racist ad off of TV. (Or, it's as he says - the Republican Party leadership is refusing to stop running a racist ad because it believes racism wins white votes, and I suppose on that account they're immoral but correct.) How hard is it to get the head of the Republican party to stop running a racist ad in your state that you, the Republican Senate candidate, feel is hurting your race? It's not difficult at all.

Corker is lying.

Josh Marshall has the racist ad, an analysis of it, and he exposes how the RNC is now lying about it simply has no power to pull down its own ad.

So much for that Republican outreach to the black community. I guess, in the end, the Republicans figured that you can get a lot more white voters with racism than you can black voters with civil rights. Disgusting.

Here is how Josh describes the ad:

The ad, in case you aren't familiar with it, is a cartoonish spot which might be subtitled, 'Harold Ford is an uppity negro who does the wild thing with white women.'

Read the rest of this post...

Bush administration now says we may need more troops in Iraq

No, really? And you know that if they're saying this two weeks before the election, then things are really desperate and they're going to need those troops asap.

Had enough? Read the rest of this post...

CNN on Michael J. Fox being attacked by Rush Limbaugh who doesn't believe Fox's Parkinson's symptoms are real

This was just uploaded, if it says it's no longer there, come back in a few minutes, it will be. You need to see this. CNN shows footage of Fox speaking at another event, footage in which his symptoms were just as bad as they appeared in the TV commercial he just taped. CNN juxtaposes Fox's appearance with Limbaugh's voice calling him a fake. It's disgusting. But the question remains whether Jim Talent (R-MO), Michael Steele (R-MD), and Mark Green (R-WI) agree with Limbaugh's disability-bashing. And does the White House plan on sending more senior members of the administration to appear on Limbaugh's hateful show, as Dick Cheney did last week?

Read the rest of this post...

Limbaugh attacks Michael J. Fox, says his Parkinson's is just "faking." Do Talent, Steele, and Green agree?

Rush Limbaugh today sparked outrage by attacking actor Michael J. Fox, claiming that Fox is faking his deteriorating condition from Parkison's. Fox is appearing in a series of TV ads about the importance of stem cell research, the Washington Post notes that the ads are meant to help three Democratic candidates (you can see the ad at the end of this post):

In the commercial, Fox throws his support behind Democratic Missouri Senate candidate Claire McCaskill, who supports stem cell research, against Republican James M. Talent. Fox also taped similar ads for other Democratic candidates, including Benjamin L. Cardin in his Senate race against Republican Michael S. Steele in Maryland and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D), who is seeking reelection [against Republican Congressman Mark Green].

The Post has more:

"He is exaggerating the effects of the disease," Limbaugh told listeners today, encouraging them to go online to watch Fox's commercial, which first aired Oct. 21 in St. Louis during a World Series game. "He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act."

Do Jim Talent, Michael Steele, and Mark Green agree with Rush Limbaugh that Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's is a joke?

Jim Talent has some special explaining to do. He has introduced legislation to name the new federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri after the late Rush H. Limbaugh Sr., Rush's grandfather. Talent is clearly connected to the Limbaugh family. Does he agree with these outrageous, vicious, statements about a man's disability?

Here is the ad, which has been seen by nearly 1 million people on YouTube.



Vice President Dick Cheney appeared on Rush's show just last week. What does he have to say? Does the White House plan on continuing to appear on the show of someone who is so hateful and extreme? Read the rest of this post...

Please support Gary Trauner (D-WY)

Gary Trauner is running against 5-term incumbent Republican Barbara Cubin for the single congressional seat in Wyoming. Think of your contribution to this race as your own personal gift to Dick Cheney.

Democrat Gary Trauner (WY-01): $

This one shouldn't be a race at all - the Democrat shouldn't have a chance, but he does. Wyoming is one of the most Republican states in the country, but they do have a Democratic Governor. Also, as we all now know, there is a Libertarian, Thomas Ranking, in the race. He is the guy who the Republican incument, Cubin, recently threatened to slap if he "wasn't in that wheelchair."

The latest Mason-Dixon poll, released October 17, had Cubin at 44%, Trauner at 37%. That was a 10-point drop for Cubin and a 5-point increase for Trauner over the past eight months.

Republican Barbara Cubin is a far-right George Bush clone:

* Voted NO on allowing human embryonic stem cell research. (May 2005)
* Voted YES on restricting interstate transport of minors to get abortions. (Apr 2005)
* Voted YES on banning partial-birth abortion except to save mother’s life. (Oct 2003)
* Voted YES on forbidding human cloning for reproduction & medical research. (Feb 2003)
* Voted YES on banning partial-birth abortions. (Apr 2000)
* Voted YES on barring transporting minors to get an abortion. (Jun 1999)
* Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record. (Dec 2003)

* Voted YES on making the PATRIOT Act permanent. (Dec 2005)
* Voted YES on Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage. (Sep 2004)
* Voted YES on protecting the Pledge of Allegiance. (Sep 2004)
* Voted YES on constitutional amendment prohibiting flag desecration. (Jun 2003)
* Voted YES on banning gay adoptions in DC. (Jul 1999)
* Voted YES on ending preferential treatment by race in college admissions. (May 1998)
* Rated 0% by the ACLU, indicating an anti-civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002)

* Voted YES on prohibiting product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers. (Oct 2005)
* Voted YES on prohibiting suing gunmakers & sellers for gun misuse. (Apr 2003)
* Voted NO on decreasing gun waiting period from 3 days to 1. (Jun 1999)
* Rated A+ by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun rights voting record. (Dec 2003)

You get the picture.

Gary Trauner, however, is great on the issues.

On the Economy:

...the fact that the economy has grown, it's grown for a very thin slice of people and that's corporations and big companies and the people that run them, basically. So five years into a recovery when average workers wages are down and gas prices are up and the cost of health care and education is up, and people are more likely to lose their jobs, I don't see the economy as steam rolling on.

On Iraq and the War on Terror:

The government just came out with the latest national intelligence estimate, the NIE, where all of the intelligence agencies, I believe there may be 16 of them, have gotten together to look at where we stand and they're saying: you know what, things aren't going that well. We're not doing a good job of fighting the quote unquote "war on terror", things aren't going that well in Iraq. That's not me, that's the experts from this country speaking.

On Global Warming:

I believe climate change is a serious threat and I think that we need to take steps to reduce emissions of the fuels or pollutants that contribute to that. There is generally a scientific consensus on this. People try and say that there is controversy but in the peer reviewed scientific community, there is no controversy.

On Abortion:

Generally speaking, it's all about the right to privacy as far as I'm concerned. I think medical decisions, it's on my website, should be between the people, their families and their ethical medical representatives, you know, doctors. And I'll tell you one thing: for better or worse, we have been through, my family, some very difficult medical decisions, tough ones and anyone who's had to make an agonizing medical decision whether it's birth or death or anything in between, know that the last thing that they want, the very last thing that they want is the state knocking on their door telling them what they should or shouldn't do so to me it's a privacy issue.

On Gay Marriage:

Gay marriage, I don't think that the founding fathers would look kindly on amending the constitution to limit people's rights. I think the constitution was actually written to give people rights. I think that society has every right to define marriage between a man and woman but society also shouldn't discriminate. And my point is, I don't really care what people do, if someone is dying in a hospital and they want to have their legal next of kin next to them, I don't care who that is, and I don't think that anybody should care. So my feeling is you know what marriage, men, women, great. But let's not discriminate against people and not allow them to have some of the benefits that they should be able to have.

The guy is great, and he's taking on a far-right nut. Please help him out. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread - Blogger is down, yet again

God forbid what happens next week, right before the election, when Blogger most assuredly dies again and takes all of us with it. And I shudder to think what Google, which owns Blogger, will do to YouTube's quality of service. Pathetic. We are working double-time to get ourselves off of this service asap. Stay tuned. Read the rest of this post...

GOP Speaker Denny Hastert testifying today about his role in Foley child sex predator scandal

Not a great image two weeks before the election. Though I guess it beats a cemetery. Read the rest of this post...

Wyoming GOP congressional candidate threatens wheelchair-bound opponent with violence. Victim calls on GOP candidate to resign.

UPDATE: The disrespectful Republican candidate Barbara Cubin just gave us our next fundraising candidate. Gary Trauner, her Democratic opponent. This is for the sole congressional seat in Wyoming. Trauner is not far behind Cubin, which is frankly insane in a state as red as Wyoming. He's got a real chance, and now an even more real chance. Give, give, give!

Democrat Gary Trauner (WY-01): $

Jackson Hole Star-Tribune

The Libertarian challenger for Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat says Rep. Barbara Cubin offended him by uttering a slur related to his physical disability.

Thomas Rankin said Cubin approached him after a campaign debate on Sunday and said, "If you weren't sitting in that chair, I'd slap you across the face."

The Cubin campaign did not deny the remark, but a spokesman for the six-term congresswoman said Rankin started the exchange.

"He misrepresented her and insulted her integrity during the debate," Cubin spokesman Eric Cullen said, reading from a prepared statement....

"There's no way to undo what she has done," he said. "That shows her insensitivity to people with disabilities."

He started it? That's her response?

More from Jackson Hole Star Tribune

Rankin said he wanted Cubin to resign over the incident.

“The best response Barbara Cubin could give would be a resignation,” he said. “Nothing less than that would satisfy me.

“She is not the type of person Wyoming residents want representing them,” he said.

Read the rest of this post...

Who do you have to sleep with to not get a top rating from the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family?

Apparently philandering and being accused of beating (and strangling) your mistress isn't enough to get the political arms of the religious right's Family Research Council and Focus on the Family to drop you as a favored candidate.

FRC Action and Focus on the Family Action have given rave reviews - an 85% positive rating - in their latest "Voter Scorecard" to Rep. Don Sherwood (R-PA), who not only admitted recently to having a five year affair with a woman not his wife (five years folks, this wasn't just a one-time indiscretion), but what's more, Sherwood's mistress has accused him of beating her for five years and frantically called 911 claiming Sherwood had just attempted to strangle her in the midst of one of their romantic trysts in his DC love pad.



The list of issues the FRC and FoF looked at in deciding who was a good "pro-family" member of Congress were: abortion; gay marriage; the pledge of allegiance; stem cell research; abortion again; defunding the ACLU; and gay marriage yet again.

FRC and the FoF had enough room on their scorecard list to include abortion and gay marriage twice, but they couldn't include adherence to the Ten Commandments even once? Adultery is a pretty big sin in the Bible, and I'm sure it's not a big stretch to find some Biblical admonition against trying to kill your mistress.

This is why I have a big problem with the religious right, and especially with groups like the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family. They're a bunch of hypocrites. They want us to believe that they're not a bunch of hate-filled homophobes who simply use God to cloak their bigotry and intolerance, but when push comes to shove, they'll embrace a serial adulterer and a man accused of beating a woman for five years, as if it were a simple traffic violation.

Normal people of no faith would be repelled by someone accused of beating a woman for five years. Yet the self-proclaimed keepers of the faith couldn't give a damn.

I have one question for my friends in the religious right: Who would Jesus beat?

Then again, even an admitted child predator approaches a respectable 50% rating from God's self-anointed messengers:



And don't even get us started on this guy:

Read the rest of this post...

Former GOP Senator says Republicans are running racist ads in Tennessee against Harold Ford, Jr.

Apparently the Republican National Committee strategy of going after the black vote has taken a back seat (in the bus) to winning at all costs. I guess black is the new gay (and in reality, gay was the new black for a while but now black is back as the bigotry du jour of the GOP).

Mr. Cohen: Secondly, I think the Republicans have to be careful, also, in terms of not engaging in conduct. And I was watching the - the Tennessee race, specifically. It reminded me of what happened in North Carolina with Harvey Gantt, a purely overt racist approach.

Mr. Blitzer: You are talking about the new RNC ad which has this white woman talking about Playboy and the - the African-American candidate, Harold Ford Jr., the Democratic candidate.

Mr. Cohen: It’s - to me, at least as I watch that, is a very serious appeal to a racist sentiment. And when the question is always asked, why - he would be the first African-American since Reconstruction elected to the Senate, you say, well, why is that the case? So, why is the South different? Why would they not elect someone…?

Mr. Blitzer: So, you’re a former Republican senator. Is the R.N.C. playing the racial card against Harold Ford in Tennessee right now?

Mr. Cohen: I think they are coming very close to it, if not doing it exactly. And I think they ought to stop it. I think that they have a candidate, and discuss the - the issues on the merits, and not get into that kind of personal type of an attack.

Read the rest of this post...

New MSNBC/McClatchy Senate polls look good for Democrats

I woke up to Tim Russert on the Today Show unveiling a new round of Senate polls conducted for MSNBC/McClatchy by Mason-Dixon. The numbers look good for the Democrats considering most of these are Republican held seats:

In Pennsylvania, incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Santorum is well behind his Democratic challenger Bob Casey, with Casey currently ahead by 12 percentage points, 51 percent to 39 percent, with 7 percent undecided. In an MSNBC/McClatchy poll conducted in late September, Casey was up by 9 percentage points.

In Rhode Island, Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse has opened a slight lead over incumbent Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee, with Whitehouse supported by 48 percent of likely voters, compared to Chafee’s 43 percent. There are 9 percent undecided. A month ago, Whitehouse and Chafee were tied at 42 percent to 41 percent.

In Missouri, Democrat Claire McCaskill and incumbent Republican Sen. Jim Talent remain virtually tied, with McCaskill supported by 46 percent of likely voters and Talent supported by 43 percent, with 9 percent undecided. Last month, the candidates were tied with 43 percent each, and 13 percent were undecided.

In New Jersey, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez remains tied with his Republican challenger, Tom Kean Jr., with 45 percent of likely voters supporting Menendez and 42 percent supporting Kean. There are still 11 percent undecided. In late September, the candidates were also in a virtual tie (44 percent for Menendez to 41 percent for Kean).

In Washington, incumbent Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell has increased her sizable lead over Republican challenger Mike McGavick. She now leads by 15 percentage points, 52 percent to 37 percent, with 8 percent undecided. Last month, she led by 10 percentage points (50 percent to 40 percent).

In Ohio, incumbent Republican Sen. Mike DeWine has fallen behind Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown, with 40 percent supporting DeWine to 48 percent for Brown. There are 9 percent undecided in this race. Last month, a Plain Dealer poll showed the candidates tied (45 percent for Brown to 43 percent for DeWine).

In Montana, incumbent Republican Sen. Conrad Burns is now in a virtual tie with Democratic challenger Jon Tester. Burns trails by a very narrow 43 percent to 46 percent margin, with 9 percent undecided. A Mason-Dixon/Lee Newspaper poll last month also showed Burns trailing (41 percent to 47 percent).

In Tennessee, Republican Bob Corker and Democratic Rep. Harold Ford Jr. are still in a virtual tie, 45 percent for Corker to 43 percent for Ford, with 9 percent still undecided. In late September, a Mason-Dixon poll for the Memphis Commercial Appeal/Chattanooga Free Press showed Ford with 43 percent and Corker with 42 percent.

And in another Mason-Dixon Virginia Poll, the race is still close, with incumbent Republican Sen. George Allen struggling to win a seat that was once thought to be a “sure thing” for Republicans. Allen is slightly better off in this poll, with 47 percent, while Democrat Jim Webb remains at 43 percent. Undecided voters have dropped to 8 percent. This compares to a 43 percent-to-43 percent tie in late September.

NJ keeps looking better for the Democrats. The GOP is building a "firewall" in Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia. Those races are going to get even nastier. Read the rest of this post...

"Use it or Lose it" is gaining attention, makes the NY Times. Time for safe Dems. to pay up

Last week, Chris Bowers from MyDD came up with a terrific idea: get the ultra-safe Democrats without opponents or with just token opposition to donate from their huge war chests to the DCCC.

That idea evolved in to a netroots campaign called "Use It or Lose it".

MoveOn got on board providing a handy reporting page. There are 70 House members in the safe category sitting on $50 million. The Democrats cannot be outspent this year -- and if their caucus members would chip in, they won't be.

Today's NY Times covered the growing movement to get the Democrats to pony up to win:

Chris Bowers, who writes for the popular political blog MyDD.com, conceived the idea that MoveOn adopted. It was an outgrowth of an online discussion about how Democrats were considering taking out a loan of up to $10 million to challenge Republicans in seats that once did not appear competitive.

“This is an extraordinary election cycle,” Mr. Bowers said. “By challenging every seat, we actually stretch Republican resources so thin that we could swing the election.”

By the close of business on Monday, organizers said, only Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts had agreed to contribute 30 percent of his campaign balance, which would amount to nearly $74,000. But other members of Congress, the organizers said, are considering answering the appeal.

Only Barney has come through. That's pathetic.

If your members of Congress are on the safe list, call them and urge them to chip in. MyDD and MoveOn both have the lists and the contact info. Now is not the time for the safe Dems. to hoard campaign money. Read the rest of this post...

Tuesday Morning Open Thread

The Bush administration has banished "stay the course" from their vocabulary. However, the policy is still "stay the course." Just change a few words. That's how they are addressing Iraq.

We really need to change the Congress.

What's going on out there? Read the rest of this post...

Majority of Brits have had enough

Tony Blair's war continues to lose popularity. I hope that he's revving up his PR campaign for his post-PM endless tour of America because he's not looking very popular at home.

Some 61 percent of the 1,019 people surveyed by polling firm ICM for The Guardian said British soldiers should leave Iraq before 2007 -- 45 percent want them to withdraw immediately, and a further 16 percent say by the end of the year -- even if the United States requests that they stay on.

By contrast, just 30 percent backed keeping the troops there as long as is considered necessary.

Read the rest of this post...

Skilling receives 24 years

I thought he deserved a life sentence but it may be about the same in the end since he will be in his seventies by the time he is out if he serves his full term. What I don't understand is why the judge let him go home instead of going immediately to prison. Greed was good for Skilling, for a while. It's unfortunate that so many people had to lose so much money - many their life savings - all because of a handful of greedy people. When is enough, enough? Read the rest of this post...

$20,000 - sweet

Now I can go to bed. Well done. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Read the rest of this post...

Two weeks before the election, White House desperately changes message, but not strategy, on Iraq

It's very odd, and very un-Republican-like. The Bush White House, and the Republicans at large, are running scared from their own message on Iraq. For a long time now it's been "stay the course." Now, the White House is running from the phrase and denying they ever used it. Two weeks before the election that looks, and is, and smells, desperate. It reeks of flip-flopping. And it suggests, and is, weakness.

Hate when that happens.

Tomorrow's Washington Post, front page, has a blistering story about Bush's flip-flop.

...the White House is cutting and running from "stay the course." A phrase meant to connote steely resolve instead has become a symbol for being out of touch and rigid in the face of a war that seems to grow worse by the week, Republican strategists say. Democrats have now turned "stay the course" into an attack line in campaign commercials, and the Bush team is busy explaining that "stay the course" does not actually mean stay the course.

Josh Marshall does a separate analysis of Bush's panicked last-minute message malfunction, and why Bush (and by extension all of us) is simply screwed in Iraq:

But President Bush can't and won't withdraw from Iraq because when he does, under the current conditions, he'll sign the epitaph, the historical death warrant for his presidency. Unlike in the past there are no family friends to pawn the failure off on and let them take the loss. It's all his. So he'll keep kicking the can down the road forever.

Read the rest of this post...