BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 19 Sep 08 - 11:55 AM

As far as I know McCain is not right at all on the "sex ed" issue, intentionally distorting it to make it sound very different than it is.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: heric
Date: 19 Sep 08 - 01:25 PM

Palin gave the crowd a Wisconsin welcome, "It's so nice to be in a state where people appreciate good hockey and good huntin' and good fishin' and great football."

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 19 Sep 08 - 01:58 PM

"Wouldn't it be absurd if we had a two party system where one party supported reality and the other opposed it? Sound like a Monty Python sketch or a sequel to the movie "Idiocracy"? Well, "Now for something completely different. It's...John McCain's Freaking Circus!"

(An interesting essay on reality and those who argue against it.)

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Sep 08 - 06:31 PM

He is still confused or dumb:

On the campaign trail in Minnesota today, McCain incorrectly suggested that the executive pay that former Fannie Mae CEOs Frank Raines and Jim Johnson earned came from taxpayers.

"That same executive got $21 million of your money," McCain said of Johnson. "And the other CEO, another supporter of Senator Obama, Mr. Raines got $25 million of your money. Let's tell them to give it back. Let's tell them to give it back."

Lucian Bebchuk of Harvard Law School, an expert on corporate governance, confirmed to First Read that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were private companies until being recently taken over by the federal government (which came after Raines' and Johnson's tenures).

Read the rest of it HERE.

Whoops...seems she's putting herself in as Prez: scroll down for video.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: GUEST,heric
Date: 19 Sep 08 - 06:36 PM

It is our money, though, after the fact. We just have to start paying now, for what we previously pretended was the glory of private markets.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 19 Sep 08 - 06:43 PM

Garrison Keillor remarks:

"It is a bold move on the Republicans' part — forget about the past, it's only history, so write a new narrative and be who you want to be — and if they succeed, I think I might declare myself a 24-year-old virgin named Lance and see what that might lead to. Paste a new face on my Facebook page, maybe become the Dauphin Louie the Thirty-Second, the rightful heir to the Throne of France, put on silk tights and pantaloons and a plumed hat and go on the sawdust circuit and sell souvenir hankies imprinted with the royal fleur-de-lis. They will cure neuralgia and gout and restore marital vigor.

Mr. McCain has decided to run as a former POW and a maverick, a maverick's maverick, rather than Mr. Bush's best friend, and that's understandable, but how can he not address the $3 trillion that got burned up in Iraq so far? It's real money, it could've paid for a lot of windmills, a high-speed rail line in Ohio, some serious R&D. The Chinese, who have avoided foreign wars for fifty years, are taking enormous leaps forward, investing in their economy, and we are falling behind. We're wasting our chances. The Republican culture of corruption in Washington hasn't helped.

And a former mayor of a town of 7,000 who hired a lobbyist to get $26 million in federal earmarks is now running against the old-boy network in Washington who gave her that money to build the teen rec center and other good things so she could keep taxes low in Wasilla. Stunning. And if you question her qualifications to be the leader of the free world, you are an elitist. This is a beautiful maneuver. I wish I had thought of it back in school when I was forced to subject myself to a final exam in higher algebra. I could have told Miss Mortenson, "I am a Christian and when you gave me a D, you only showed your contempt for the Lord and for the godly hard-working people from whom I have sprung, you elitist battleaxe you."

In school, you couldn't get away with that garbage because the taxpayers know that if we don't uphold scholastic standards, we will wind up driving on badly designed bridges and go in for a tonsillectomy and come out missing our left lung, so we flunk the losers lest they gain power and hurt us, but in politics we bring forth phonies and love them to death.

I must say, it was fun having the Republicans in St. Paul and to see it all up close and firsthand. Security was, as one might expect, thin-lipped and gimlet-eyed, but once you got through it, you found the folks you went to high school with — farm kids, jocks, the townies who ran the student council, the cheerleaders, some of the bullies — and they are as cohesive now as they were back then, dedicated to school spirit, intolerant of outsiders, able to jump up and down and holler for something they don't actually believe. But oh Lord, what they brought forth this year. When you check the actuarial tables on a 72-year-old guy who's had three bouts with cancer, you guess you may be looking at the first woman president, a hustling evangelical with ethics issues and a chip on her shoulder who, not counting Canada, has set foot outside the country once — a trip to Germany, Iraq and Kuwait in 2007 to visit Alaskans in the armed service. And who listed a refueling stop in Ireland as a fourth country visited. She's like the Current Occupant but with big hair. If you want inexperience, there were better choices."

A

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Riginslinger
Date: 19 Sep 08 - 07:23 PM

He used to go after Jesse Ventura too, one of the few honest politicians I've known in my life time.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 20 Sep 08 - 11:30 AM

McCain stands accused as a liar by a simple reference to McCain's own (slightly) earlier statements. I have never heard a candidate contradict himself so often, and certainly never heard one who perseveres with lies even after they're publicly exposed.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 21 Sep 08 - 03:34 AM

Fran Rich on McCains Truthiness Tactic.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Riginslinger
Date: 21 Sep 08 - 08:50 AM

dick g. - You're right! It almost seems like the voters reward the politician who can lie the loudest and most often.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 21 Sep 08 - 11:57 AM

Right to Smear


Published: September 20, 2008
The wholesale descent into Swift Boat campaigning has been blocked — for now — by a federal judge in Virginia. But voters should not rest easy.

---

An interesting warning on thew resurgence of swiftboating, which was declared illegal after it was used against Juhn Kerry.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 21 Sep 08 - 12:09 PM

"...Mr. Obama seems likely to pick moderate justices, who would probably not take the court back onto a distinctly liberal path, but also would be unlikely to create an unbreakable conservative bloc.

Mr. McCain has promised the right wing of the Republican Party that he would put only archconservatives on the Supreme Court. Even moderate conservatives like Anthony Kennedy, the court's current swing justice, would not have a chance.

Mr. McCain, whose Web site proclaims his dedication to overturning Roe v. Wade, would appoint justices who could be expected to lead the charge to eliminate the right to abortion. The kinds of justices for whom Mr. McCain has expressed a strong preference would also be likely to undermine the right of habeas corpus, allowing the government to detain people indefinitely without access to lawyers or family members.

Mr. McCain's justices are likely to join the conservative crusade against the power of Congress. They could be expected to strike down, or sharply limit, federal power to protect clean air and water; ensure food and drug safety; safeguard workers; and prohibit discrimination against women and minorities. They would also likely further erode the separation between church and state.

Mr. McCain has voted to confirm federal judges chosen by Mr. Bush who are radicals, not conservatives. One, Janice Rogers Brown, now on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, has attacked Supreme Court decisions upholding New Deal laws as "the triumph of our own socialist revolution."

Mr. Obama, a former professor of constitutional law, has clashed with Mr. McCain in the Senate over legal issues. Mr. McCain backed the odious Military Commissions Act of 2006, which the Supreme Court held to violate the right of habeas corpus; Mr. Obama opposed it. Mr. McCain was a rubber stamp for Mr. Bush's judicial nominees; Mr. Obama voted against the worst.

Mr. Obama has said he wants justices who have "the empathy to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom" — as well as to be gay, poor or black. He has promised to make "preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as president."

At the same time, Mr. Obama has put distance between himself and legal liberals on issues like the death penalty for child rapists and the constitutionality of gun control. As president, Mr. Obama would probably be more inclined to appoint centrist liberals, like Justice Stephen Breyer, than all-out liberals, like William Brennan or Thurgood Marshall.

Predicting vacancies on the court is difficult. But odds are that members of the liberal bloc, like 88-year-old John Paul Stevens, will leave first. That means that if Mr. Obama is elected, he might merely keep the court on its current moderately conservative course. Under Mr. McCain, if a liberal justice or two or three steps down, we may see a very different America...."NYT Ed

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: beardedbruce
Date: 22 Sep 08 - 12:23 PM

latest poll results:

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/polling/index.html



Who gets which state

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/10/electoral.map/index.html

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 22 Sep 08 - 12:41 PM

The national polls, as you know, Bruce, are always formed along a spectrum depending on who polls whom and how.

RCP's current status has Obama ahead by two points on a national average:

RCP Average 09/09 - 09/21 -- 47.6 45.6 Obama +2.0
Rasmussen Tracking 09/19 - 09/21 3000 LV 48 47 Obama +1
Gallup Tracking 09/18 - 09/20 2720 RV 49 45 Obama +4
Hotline/FD Tracking 09/18 - 09/20 922 RV 45 44 Obama +1
Battleground Tracking 09/14 - 09/21 800 LV 47 48 McCain +1
CBS News/NY Times 09/12 - 09/16 LV 49 44 Obama +5
Quinnipiac 09/11 - 09/16 987 LV 49 45 Obama +4
Pew Research 09/09 - 09/14 2307 LV 46 46 Tie

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 22 Sep 08 - 09:00 PM

I guess the bad economic news is turning some away from the incumbent party:

RCP Average        09/09 - 09/21        --        48.1        45.4        Obama +2.7
CNN/Opinion Research        09/19 - 09/21        697 LV        51        47        Obama +4
Gallup Tracking        09/19 - 09/21        2740 RV        48        44        Obama +4
Rasmussen Tracking        09/19 - 09/21        3000 LV        48        47        Obama +1
Hotline/FD Tracking        09/19 - 09/21        922 RV        47        42        Obama +5
Battleground Tracking        09/14 - 09/21        800 LV        47        48        McCain +1
CBS News/NY Times        09/12 - 09/16        LV        49        44        Obama +5
Quinnipiac        09/11 - 09/16        987 LV        49        45        Obama +4
Pew Research        09/09 - 09/14        2307 LV        46        46        Tie

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 23 Sep 08 - 10:21 AM

UMass chaplain fails in effort to boost Barack Obama's chances
Tuesday, September 23, 2008


University of Massachusetts officials yesterday quashed efforts by an Amherst campus chaplain to offer two college credits to any student willing to campaign in New Hampshire this fall for Democrat Barack Obama.

Chaplain Ken Higgins told students in a Sept. 18 e-mail, "If you're scared about the prospects for this election, you're not alone. The most important way to make a difference in the outcome is to activate yourself. It would be just fine with McCain if Obama supporters just think about helping, then sleep in and stay home between now and Election Day."

Higgins added that an unnamed "sponsor" in the university's History Department would offer a two-credit independent study for students willing to canvass or volunteer on behalf of the Democratic nominee.

"It is relatively (easy) to do late add-ons," Higgins wrote.

But university officials disavowed themselves of the effort after inquiries yesterday by the Associated Press. They said it could run afoul of state ethics laws banning on-the-job political activity, as well as university policy.

"There is no independent study for credit in the History Department that involves partisan political work, and no such activity has ever been approved," said a statement issued by UMass-Amherst spokesman Ed Blaguszewski.

Higgins refused to identify the History Department sponsor and referred all further questions to university officials.

Blaguszewski said Higgins is one of about a dozen chaplains from different faiths working in Amherst, the flagship campus among the university's five schools.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 23 Sep 08 - 10:24 AM

5th Grader Suspended For Anti-Obama Shirt

Last Edited: Tuesday, 23 Sep 2008, 7:51 AM MDT
Created: Monday, 22 Sep 2008, 9:15 PM MDT

Aurora fifth-grader suspended for home madetshirt reading "Obama is a terrorist's best friend." 9/22/08


An 11-year-old boy was reprimanded for wearing a homemade shirt reading "Obama is a terrorist's best friend" to school this week. Do you think it was appropriate for the school to punish the student.




AURORA (MyFOXColorado.com) - An 11-year-old in Aurora says his first amendment rights are being trampled after he was suspended for wearing a homemade shirt that reads "Obama is a terrorist's best friend."

The fifth grader at Aurora Frontier K-8 School wore it on a day when students were asked to wear red, white and blue to show their patriotism.

The boy's father Dann Dalton describes himself as a "proud conservative" who has taken part in some controversial anti-abortion protests. Dalton says the school made a major mistake by suspending his son for wearing the shirt.

"It's the public school system," Dalton says. "Let's be honest, it's full of liberal loons."

According the the boy's father, the school district told the student, Daxx Dalton, that he had the choice of changing his shirt, turning his shirt inside out or being suspended.

Daxx chose suspension.

"They're taking away my right of freedom of speech," he says. "If I have the right to wear this shirt I'm going to use it. And if the only way to use it is get suspended, then I'm going to get suspended."

Daxx's dad agrees with him and is encouraging his son to stand his ground. "The facts are his rights were violated. Period."

Aurora Public Schools would not talk about the case but said the district "Respects a student's right to free speech, such as the right to wear specific clothing," but administrators say they review any situation that interrupts the learning environment.

Paperwork submitted by the school district says Daxx Dalton was not suspended for wearing the shirt, but for willful disobedience and defiance.

The boy's father says he intends to pursue a lawsuit against the district.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Ebbie
Date: 23 Sep 08 - 10:33 AM

It appears to me that the school district offered him the proper alternatives.

Had the boy turned the shirt inside out, other kids would have questioned it but the school would have made its point.

The choices would be just as valid if a kid showed up wearing a 'McCain is Senile' t-shirt.

Inside out for that one too.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 23 Sep 08 - 10:43 AM

I don't get it. The kid doesn't vote, and dioesn't even understand the writing on his own tee-shirt. Sounds to me like a made-to-order learning opportunity--have him stand up in front of the class and explain each part of the phrase until his underlying ineptitude is blatantly exposed.

The only grounds for intercession is that it is a form of hate speech, not just political speechy.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Riginslinger
Date: 23 Sep 08 - 10:30 PM

"The kid doesn't vote, and dioesn't even understand the writing on his own tee-shirt..."

               Would you agree that the kid is a victim in all of this, and that making him stand in front of the class to explain his t-shirt would do more damage than good. Are we in the process of creating another Columbine shooter?

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Sep 08 - 11:27 PM

The conclusion of George Will's column for today (you might have to sign in to access it):

Conservatives who insist that electing McCain is crucial usually start, and increasingly end, by saying he would make excellent judicial selections. But the more one sees of his impulsive, intensely personal reactions to people and events, the less confidence one has that he would select judges by calm reflection and clear principles, having neither patience nor aptitude for either.

It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?

From the NYTs:

WASHINGTON — One of the giant mortgage companies at the heart of the credit crisis paid $15,000 a month from the end of 2005 through last month to a firm owned by Senator John McCain's campaign manager, according to two people with direct knowledge of the arrangement.
Slatest political news from around the nation. Join the discussion.

The disclosure undercuts a remark by Mr. McCain on Sunday night that the campaign manager, Rick Davis, had had no involvement with the company for the last several years.

Mr. Davis's firm received the payments from the company, Freddie Mac, until it was taken over by the government this month along with Fannie Mae, the other big mortgage lender whose deteriorating finances helped precipitate the cascading problems on Wall Street, the two people said.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Riginslinger
Date: 24 Sep 08 - 06:25 AM

I think most people are aware that McCain wouldn't select Supreme Court justices that would suit George Will. That's probably why its become a non-issue in the campaign.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: katlaughing
Date: 24 Sep 08 - 11:36 AM

George Will is a conservative. The judge thing is not as important as his conclusion that McCain is not fit to be president. That is HUGE, coming from such a bastion of the conservative base. He as good as told his readers to vote for Obama because McCain is not capable.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 24 Sep 08 - 03:13 PM

U.S. Democrat Barack Obama has opened a nine-point lead in the race for president against Republican John McCain amid voter concerns over the U.S. financial crisis, according to a poll published Wednesday.

The Washington Post-ABC news poll suggests Obama has backing from 52 per cent of voters, compared with McCain, who has support from 43 per cent of voters.

According to the poll, respondents gave Obama a double-digit edge in his ability to handle a troubled economy over McCain, while just nine per cent of those questioned rated the economy as being in good or excellent shape, reported the Washington Post.

The new numbers mark the first time Obama has garnered more than 50 per cent of the vote, and indicates a significant shift in voter attitudes compared with two weeks ago at the conclusion of the Republican national convention.

With McCain's newly appointed vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin garnering headlines and handclaps across the United States, the Republican candidate held a slight lead in polls, edging Obama 49 per cent to 47 per cent.

But the economy has since become the top issue in the race to the White House following widespread turmoil in U.S. financial markets.

McCain has repeatedly come under criticism for his handling of the issue, particularly for comments he made a week ago when he characterized the economy as "fundamentally sound." ...

(CBC News)

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Riginslinger
Date: 24 Sep 08 - 09:37 PM

"'McCain has repeatedly come under criticism for his handling of the issue, particularly for comments he made a week ago when he characterized the economy as "fundamentally sound." ...'"


             Fortunately, he didn't really screw up and indicate that he thought Barack Obama was fundmentally sound."

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Ed T
Date: 24 Sep 08 - 10:12 PM

Much noise in your house? Could it impact your politics?
Check out the latest science.

http://www.world-science.net/othernews/080917_physiology.htm

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 24 Sep 08 - 11:09 PM

Rig:

What is this passion of yours for the snide, the snarky, and the cutting? Are you working on an MA degree in passive aggression?

Obama IS fundamentally sound, and any one who has examined his policies and accomplishments would recognize that.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Riginslinger
Date: 25 Sep 08 - 08:35 AM

"Obama IS fundamentally sound..."

                     At least Tony Rezko thinks so...

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Ebbie
Date: 25 Sep 08 - 12:32 PM

I suspect you consider yourself a wit, Rig. As my brothers used to tell each other, at least you are half right. *g*

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 25 Sep 08 - 01:28 PM

Vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin met with a series of world leaders as a sort of crash course on foreign policy. What do you think?

Johnny Moreland,
Hotel Clerk
"Wow, she's a lot better at meeting people than I expected."

Kevin Freamon,
Tour Guide
"All she needs to do is make a simple mnemonic device for remembering each country, its form of government, its gross domestic product, its military history, its relationship to the United States, and what it's best known for."

Karla Greggs,
Rock Climbing Teacher
"This should allay voters' concerns about electing a candidate with no experience being photographed with foreign leaders."

(Compliments of the wags at The Onion, a parody site.)

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Sep 08 - 01:36 PM

FOX said that Obama and Olain have now met with the same number of foreign leaders.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 25 Sep 08 - 02:28 PM

Right. And a six-year old girl is just as good at being a Mom as a thirty-five year old one because she has the same number of body parts....



A

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Riginslinger
Date: 25 Sep 08 - 02:33 PM

Only in Democratic Party circles!

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 25 Sep 08 - 03:19 PM

Snark, snark, snark, Rig. Your humor is on a par with W's, I believe.



A

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Sep 08 - 03:25 PM

OHmygawd, Amos! I think you just outed the shurb as a Mudcat member!! That's why Rig seems so non-sequiterish, etc.!

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 11:34 AM

A beautiful, thoughtful essay on the state of the nation just before the election, by Peggy Noonan. Recommended.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 02:49 PM

Wesley Clark, U.S. General, comments on McCains qualifications for command.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 02:52 PM

"Another early newspaper endorsement for Barack Obama, and this one is as much a critique of John McCain, particularly his judgment in picking Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Endorsing a Democrat for president for the first time in 72 years, the Stockton Record in California praised Obama as an inspirational leader.

"He has demonstrated time and again he can think on his feet. More importantly, he has demonstrated he will think things through, seek advice, and actually listen to it," the newspaper said in its Sunday editorial. "Obama is a gifted speaker. But in addition to his smarts and energy, possibly his greatest gift is his ability to inspire."

Of McCain, the editorial compared him unfavorably to President Bush, saying "He tends to shoot from the hip and go on gut instinct. The nation cannot go through four more years of literally and figuratively shooting now and asking questions later."

It also questioned the Republican for his surprise choice of Palin, who struggled in her interview last week with Katie Couric of CBS. "We worry he won't have four years," the editorial said. "If elected, at 72, he would be the oldest incoming president in U.S. history. He's in good health now, we're told, although he has withheld most of his medical records. That means Gov. Sarah Palin could very well become president. And that brings us to McCain's most troubling trait: his judgment.

"While praiseworthy for putting the first woman on a major-party presidential ticket since Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, his selection of Palin as a running mate was appalling. The first-term governor is clearly not experienced enough to serve as vice president or president if required."

"

Boston.com

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Amos
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 07:41 PM

I'm in love with Tina Feye



A

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Riginslinger
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 09:29 PM

As soon as John McCain fixes the financial crisis, he can take the time to wrap up the election.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 03 Oct 08 - 09:31 AM

Not worth a new thread.

Any comments on this? What if it was in support of McCain?

----------------------------------------------------------------
Virginia Teachers Union Sparks Outrage With 'Obama Blue Day'

NEW YORK: Virginia Republicans are in uproar over state teachers union's effort to get educators to show their support for Barack Obama during school hours.

Thursday, October 02, 2008


Virginia Republicans are in an uproar after the state teacher's union sent an e-mail to its members encouraging them to wear blue-colored shirts to school to show their support for Barack Obama.

State Republicans are calling it an undisguised attempt to influence students' political views.

The Virginia Education Association sponsored "Obama Blue Day" on Tuesday. In an e-mail sent last week, it urged teachers to participate by dressing in blue.

"There are people out there not yet registered. You teach some of them," the Sept. 25 e-mail reads. "Others, including our members, remain on the fence! Its time for us to come together, voice our unity, because we make a difference!"

"Let's make Obama Blue Day a day of Action!" the e-mail continues. "Barack the vote!"   

In a statement released to FOXNews.com Thursday, VEA President Kitty Boitnott defended the e-mail, saying that it called for teachers to wear blue shirts, but not ones that mentioned a candidate.

The invitation was not intended to "encourage teachers to use their classrooms for partisan political purposes," Boitnott said.

"The e-mail did not encourage teachers to talk with students about voting for any specific candidate, although it did suggest that teachers can encourage eligible students to register to vote. There certainly is nothing wrong with encouraging students who are 18 years of age or older to register to vote."

But many state Republicans are miffed by the plan, which they characterize as an obvious attempt by the teachers union to encourage young, impressionable voters to cast their ballots for Obama.

"It's a breach of public trust on many levels," Virginia Republican Party Communications Director Gerry Scimeca told FOXNews.com.

Scimeca, who described the VEA as a "very political organization," said the school environment is "a completely inappropriate place for teachers or education staff to be politicking on behalf of any candidate. Parents send their kids to school to get a bipartisan education."

The controversy surrounding the VEA's "Obama Blue Day" is not the only clash between partisan politics and education this election season.

The teachers union in New York has also come under fire for distributing thousands of Obama campaign buttons to its members, prompting a backlash from education officials and parents.

"Schools are not a place for politics and not a place for staff to wear political buttons," New York Department of Education spokeswoman Ann Forte told FOXNews.com.

"We don't want a school or school staff advocating for any political position or candidate to students and we don't want students feeling intimidated because they might hold a different belief or support a different candidate than their teachers," she said.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Riginslinger
Date: 03 Oct 08 - 10:14 AM

The self interest of the teachers is obvious.

               Keeping political bias out of the classroom is one of the toughest things a teacher is faced with, and absolutely essential.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Ebbie
Date: 03 Oct 08 - 11:24 AM

In my opinion the email and the mindset behind it are completely out of line, whether for Obama or McCain.

Once a candidate has been elected I am all for it, whether for the sake of a policy or a project or a person.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 07 Oct 08 - 08:19 AM

Obama doesn't weed out illegal cash, GOP says
Sun Oct 5, 2008 5:15pm By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican Party on Sunday said Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama had not done enough to screen out illegal campaign contributions and asked U.S. election officials to look into the matter.

Citing news reports, the Republican National Committee said Obama had accepted contributions from foreigners and taken more than the $2,300 maximum from donors who give in small increments. The Obama campaign denied the charges.

The RNC said it will ask the Federal Election Commission to examine Obama records in detail to determine the extent of the problem.

The Obama campaign could face fines if found guilty of violations by the FEC, but any decision would likely come after he faces Republican John McCain in the November 4 presidential election.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the McCain campaign has had to return over $1.2 million to donors who potentially violated the law with their contributions, including money from foreign nationals.

"Our campaign has shattered fund-raising records with donations from more than 2.5 million Americans. We have gone above and beyond the transparency requirements," Burton said.

"While no organization is completely protected from Internet fraud, we will continue to review our fund-raising procedures to ensure that we are taking every available to step to root-out improper contributions," he said.

But Republican officials said the Obama campaign had not done enough to weed out illegal donations.

"It seems to the RNC that the Obama campaign knew they were excessive," RNC chief counsel Sean Cairncross said in a conference call. "Yet they appear to have taken no action on their own."

Obama opted out of the public financing system so his money totals include both the primaries and the general election. More than half of the $454 million raised by Obama has come in small increments of $200 or less.

By contrast, one-third of McCain's $230 million raised during the primary campaign has come in small donations. McCain is taking public funds in the general election campaign so he is limited to $84 million.

Campaigns are not required to report small donations, and some donors appear to have given well beyond the legal limit, Newsweek magazine reported.

Two apparently fictional donors using the names "Doodad Pro" and "Good Will" gave Obama more than $11,000 in increments of $10 and $25, according to Newsweek.

Other news accounts suggest that roughly 11,500 donors who gave a total of $34 million to the campaign may be citizens of foreign countries, who are not allowed to contribute to U.S. elections, the RNC said.

"We see a lack of control, a lack of willingness on the part of the Obama campaign to ask relevant questions," Cairncross said.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 07 Oct 08 - 08:20 AM

RNC to File FEC Complaint on Obama Fundraising Practices
By Matthew Mosk

A lawyer for the Republican National Committee today said the party will ask the Federal Election Commission to look into the source of thousands of small-dollar contributions to the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama.

The RNC is alleging that the Obama campaign was so hungry for donations it "looked the other way" as contributions piled up from suspicious, and possibly even illegal foreign donors.

"We believe that the American people should know first and foremost if foreign money is pouring into a presidential election," said RNC Chief Counsel Sean Cairncross.

Cairncross alleged there was mounting evidence of this, and cited a report in the current issue of Newsweek magazine that documents a handful of instances where donors made repeated small donations using fake names, such as "Good Will" and "Doodad Pro."

The Newsweek report says that earlier this year the Obama campaign returned $33,000 to two Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip who had bought T-shirts in bulk from the campaign's online store -- purchases that count as campaign contributions. The brothers had listed their address as "Ga.," which the campaign took to mean Georgia rather than Gaza.

"While no organization is completely protected from Internet fraud, we will continue to review our fundraising procedures," Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt told the magazine.

At the heart of the RNC complaint is a federal fundraising rule that lets campaigns accept donations under $200 without itemizing the names and addresses of the donors on its campaign finance reports. The rule was intended as a matter of practicality -- it did not seem reasonable to ask a campaign to gather that information from every five-dollar donor.

But the Obama campaign has raised more than $200 million this way, a staggering sum for donations that will not be subjected to outside scrutiny.

Obama campaign aides said today that a number of steps have been taken to safeguard against foreign or illegal contributions coming in in smaller increments. The measures include: requiring donors to present a passport at fundraising events held for Americans overseas, ending contributions to the Obama Store from contributors with addresses outside the U.S. or its territories, and requiring donors to enter a U.S. passport number when contributing via the Americans Abroad page.

"When we were made aware of an ad for a Nigerians for Obama fundraiser in a Nigerian paper, our attorneys sent a letter to the paper making it clear the event had nothing to do with our campaign, and that we would not accept contributions from the event," one Obama aide said.

And aides note that Sen. John McCain had his own foreign fundraising issues, having been forced to refund about $50,000 in donations solicited by Jordanian Mustafa Abu Naba'a, who was raising money on behalf of one of McCain's top Florida bundlers.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 07 Oct 08 - 08:21 AM

Obama's 'Good Will' Hunting
By Michael Isikoff | NEWSWEEK
Published Oct 4, 2008
From the magazine issue dated Oct 13, 2008

The Obama campaign has shattered all fund-raising records, raking in $458 million so far, with about half the bounty coming from donors who contribute $200 or less. Aides say that's an illustration of a truly democratic campaign. To critics, though, it can be an invitation for fraud and illegal foreign cash because donors giving individual sums of $200 or less don't have to be publicly reported. Consider the cases of Obama donors "Doodad Pro" of Nunda, N.Y., who gave $17,130, and "Good Will" of Austin, Texas, who gave more than $11,000—both in excess of the $2,300-per-person federal limit. In two recent letters to the Obama campaign, Federal Election Commission auditors flagged those (and other) donors and informed the campaign that the sums had to be returned. Neither name had ever been publicly reported because both individuals made online donations in $10 and $25 increments. "Good Will" listed his employer as "Loving" and his occupation as "You," while supplying as his address 1015 Norwood Park Boulevard, which is shared by the Austin nonprofit Goodwill Industries. Suzanha Burmeister, marketing director for Goodwill, said the group had "no clue" who the donor was. She added, however, that the group had received five puzzling thank-you letters from the Obama campaign this year, prompting it to send the campaign an e-mail in September pointing out the apparent fraudulent use of its name.

"Doodad Pro" listed no occupation or employer; the contributor's listed address is shared by Lloyd and Lynn's Liquor Store in Nunda. "I have never heard of such an individual," says Diane Beardsley, who works at the store and is the mother of one of the owners. "Nobody at this store has that much money to contribute." (She added that a Doodad's Boutique, located next door, had closed a year ago, before the donations were made.)

Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said the campaign has no idea who the individuals are and has returned all the donations, using the credit-card numbers they gave to the campaign. (In a similar case earlier this year, the campaign returned $33,000 to two Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip who had bought T shirts in bulk from the campaign's online store. They had listed their address as "Ga.," which the campaign took to mean Georgia rather than Gaza.) "While no organization is completely protected from Internet fraud, we will continue to review our fund-raising procedures," LaBolt said. Some critics say the campaign hasn't done enough. This summer, watchdog groups asked both campaigns to share more information about its small donors. The McCain campaign agreed; the Obama campaign did not. "They could've done themselves a service" by heeding the suggestions, said Massie Ritsch of the Center for Responsive Politics.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 07 Oct 08 - 08:24 AM

CBS Poll: Presidential Race Tightens
Survey Shows Obama Leading McCain 47 Percent To 43 Percent Among Registered Voters Nationwide Following V.P. Debate


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/06/opinion/polls/main4504633.shtml


So, Biden wins on technical points, but Palin tightens the poll numbers.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 07 Oct 08 - 08:31 AM

OCTOBER 6, 2008 A Month Away, Some Voters Can't Decide
By EASHA ANAND and BRAD HAYNES

Pete Tiffany voted for George W. Bush in 2004 on the basis of an online quiz, which asked him 12 questions about his views on issues such as abortion, free trade and gay marriage, and told him which candidate was closest to his views.

The 44-year-old construction worker in the battleground state of Virginia said he isn't sure how he will vote this year. "I want to say I'll vote on the economy, which Democrats are better on, but I'm not sure if the economy is all that bad," he said recently.

Undecided in Ohio Blog
A group of undecided voters try to figure out which candidate to support.
"Obama's pastor bothers me, but I take everything I hear on television with a grain of salt."

Mr. Tiffany is one of the select pool of voters who will have an important voice in this election -- those who say a month before Election Day that they are undecided between John McCain and Barack Obama, or may reluctantly lean toward one, but not firmly.

Mr. Tiffany was one of 9% of the 1,085 voters who participated in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll between Sept. 19 and Sept. 22 saying they were undecided or were only leaning toward one candidate. The Journal followed up in recent days with two dozen voters who said they hadn't "definitely" made up their minds, asking why they were unsure and what might make them reach a firm conclusion.

Many are like Mr. Tiffany: Voters who chose Mr. Bush in 2000 and 2004 but are unhappy with the way things turned out. They worry about their pensions and don't trust another Republican to handle the economic crisis.

At the same time, these voters -- many of whom don't consider themselves "political" -- don't feel like they have the information they need, particularly about the Democratic nominee. They have seen emails about Sen. Obama's upbringing, religion and associates that concern them.

William Kilpatrick, a 65-year-old corrections officer from Pennsylvania, said he is leaning "a hair towards McCain." He said he has worried about the economy since his pension "took a hosing" with the bankruptcy filing of Bethlehem Steel, but he still has concerns about Sen. Obama's background.

"What changed me was finding out about Obama going to the same church all those years when the preacher was a hatemonger," Mr. Kilpatrick said. "Why didn't he just go to a different church?"

Mr. Kilpatrick was referring to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Sen. Obama's longtime Chicago pastor. The Illinois senator distanced himself from Mr. Wright and quit his church earlier this year after incendiary comments by the religious leader were widely aired on the Internet and on television.

Though most voters tell pollsters that the economy is their No. 1 concern -- and that they favor Sen. Obama on the economy -- other issues, such as national security and the war in Iraq, often come in a close second.

Alonzo Deleon, for instance, is a 49-year-old photographer from Florida who says Mr. Bush has made him "ashamed of being a Republican." Though he thinks the economy is in bad shape, he still feels passionate about the war in Iraq and wants to put in a candidate more likely to resolve the war.

"Being a Navy man, my sympathies lie with John McCain on who should be leading us in this war," Mr. Deleon said. But Sen. McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate -- while exciting many conservatives -- has turned him off. "After he picked someone who isn't qualified to be a dogcatcher, much less a vice-presidential candidate, I'm leaning heavily against him," Mr. Deleon said.

Kathy Romero, a 47-year-old human-resources worker from New Mexico, voted twice for Mr. Bush, and is now leaning toward Sen. Obama, despite being a registered Republican with lingering loyalties to her party. She thinks the economy is "in really bad shape," and that Sen. McCain would follow too much in Mr. Bush's footsteps.

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: Ebbie
Date: 07 Oct 08 - 10:04 AM

Here is an article that explains a lot about us 'real' Americans.

Who IS a Real American?

Subject: RE: BS: Notes on the Presidential Campaign
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 07 Oct 08 - 03:00 PM

Oct 6, 8:05 PM EDT


SEC sues Democrat fundraiser for alleged $60M scam

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Federal regulators on Monday sued political fundraiser Norman Hsu for allegedly operating a $60 million investment scam and using some proceeds to contribute to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other prominent Democrats.

The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles that accuses Hsu of using a company called Next Components to solicit investments that promised high rates of return by providing short-term loans to other companies.

Instead, Hsu used the investments to pay off early investors in a classic Ponzi scheme while using the rest to make political contributions and support a lavish lifestyle, the lawsuit states.

The SEC is seeking to recoup the investors' money and financial penalties.

Public records show Hsu donated millions to numerous Democratic campaigns since 2003. He also attended many well-publicized fundraisers.

Hsu was indicted last year in New York on federal charges of fraud and violating campaign finance laws - a case that came on the heels of a 1992 conviction in California for bilking investors of $1 million. He was declared a fugitive for a while in that case, but finally was sentenced in January to three years in state prison. He has been moved to a jail in New York to await the federal trial.

Federal prosecutors said a year ago that Hsu hoped the profligate campaign spending would raise his public profile enough to draw money to his scheme.

"He allegedly then used the veneer of respectability created by his political connections to persuade his investors that the investments he offered were legitimate," said Linda Chatman Thomsen, director of the SEC's division of enforcement.

The federal indictment alleges that Hsu lost at least $20 million of the investor money, and says the rest of Hsu's assets are frozen. The federal criminal case is scheduled for January.

"He plans to contest the charges," said Martin Cohen, his defense attorney in the case.

Hsu raised more than $1.2 million for Clinton and other Democratic candidates in recent years.

The Clinton campaign returned more than $800,000 to donors whose contributions were linked to Hsu after it was revealed in 2007 that he was wanted in California since 1992, the year he fled the state after pleading no contest to bilking investors of $1 million.

He voluntarily returned to California and posted $2 million bail in August 2007, claiming that the 1992 conviction was a misunderstanding.

The next month, Hsu skipped a court hearing in Redwood City, Calif., and was once again declared a fugitive. He was arrested days later in a Colorado hospital after trying to commit suicide by drug overdose on a train.

He was ultimately sentenced to three years in a California state prison for the 1992 conviction and now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted of the latest charges.

In May, a federal judge in Los Angeles ordered Hsu to pay $28.8 million to aggrieved investors who sued him. Hsu wasn't represented by a lawyer in that case and never responded to the lawsuit.