You Call This a Democracy?

My latest piece on how the GOP is making a mockery of our democratic system.

See the article here.

GOP Outsources Its Operations

From PC World...apparently the GOP is outsourcing its voter outreach efforts to India:

"When the Republican Party clinched close gubernatorial races in Mississippi and Kentucky in 2003, it relied heavily on its Voter Vault database to get people to the voting booths. Though party officials are tight-lipped about what's inside the Vault, they've acknowledged it contains records on an estimated 168 million voters. PC World has recently learned that the major development work on the Voter Vault was done in India."

Read the full story here.

Kerry's Debate Prep

Here is an article I just published at the American Prospect about the ten things Kerry can do in the upcoming debates to put himself over the finish line on election day.

The Real Truth

Kerry has been completely and totally consistent on Iraq. Bush, on the other hand, is the race's biggest flip-flopper.

Bush & Dictators

RHETORIC:

“It's hard to imagine a candidate running for President prefers the stability of a dictatorship to the hope and security of democracy.”
- George W. Bush, 9/20/04

REALITY:
	“My friend, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.” - George W. Bush, 6/10/04
	“I'm pleased to welcome my friend, Hosni Mubarak, to my home. I always look forward to visiting with him.” - George W. Bush, 4/12/04
	“I want to welcome the President of China to our ranch, and to Texas.” - George W. Bush, 10/25/02

Fox News' Latest Hypocrisy

As Fox News attempts to blame the Kerry campaign for the CBS News document controversy, they are also claiming CBS has a “liberal” bias/conflict-of-interest because a producer apparently told a Kerry aide about the documents. But a look at the record shows Fox has a far more pronounced bias and conflict of interest:

ROGER AILES GIVES SECRET POLITICAL ADVICE TO THE BUSH WHITE HOUSE: According to Bob Woodward’s book Fox News executive Roger Ailes, who formerly served as a GOP political operative, gave White House political adviser Karl Rove a confidential memo after 9/11 that advised the President on how to consolidate his power. “[Ailes] back-channel message: The American public would tolerate waiting and would be patient, but only as long as they were convinced that Bush was using the harshest measures possible" in response to the terror attacks, Woodward writes. The move was so brazen, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson told PBS “Roger Ailes is the editorial chief of fox news, and this gives the appearance of partisanship. This is sucking up to power."

FOX CORRESPONDENT JOKES ON CAMERA ABOUT HIS WIFE WORKING FOR GEORGE W. BUSH: Fox News was so openly close with the Bush campaign in 2000 it allowed Carl Cameron to cover the George W. Bush, even though Cameron’s wife was working on the Bush campaign. As the New York Observer reports, the movie Outfoxed has camera “footage showing Mr. Cameron pandering to George W. Bush in a sit-down interview on July 19, 2000: Mr. Cameron tells Mr. Bush that his wife, Pauline Cameron, was campaigning with Mr. Bush’s sister, Dorothy (‘Doro’) Bush Koch. This delights Mr. Bush.” One source familiar with the situation, who declined to be named, told NYTV “that Mr. Cameron had attempted to get his wife a job with the Bush transition team.”

FOX PUTS BUSH COUSIN IN CHARGE OF ELECTION NIGHT; CALLS BUSH 5 TIMES TO CONSULT: Fox News put John Ellis, President Bush’s cousin, in charge of its election night projections in 2000. Fox became the first network to call Florida for George W. Bush – even though the data did not support the call. AP later reported that Ellis “spoke five times with his cousin, George W. Bush” on election night.

FOX PUSHED SWIFT BOAT ADS WITHOUT CONFIRMATION OF TRUTH; NEVER GAVE APOLOGY: Fox News has criticized CBS for supposedly wanting to influence the presidential election. Yet it was Fox News that continued repeating all of the allegations of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth against Sen. John Kerry, even though there was no factual evidence to prove them. Fox News has yet to issue an apology.

FOX AIRS 20% MORE OF GOP CONVO THAN DEM CONVO; ALL OTHER NETWORKS KEPT PARITY: A study immediately after both political conventions concluded found that Fox News devoted 20 percent more air time to covering speeches at the Republican National Convention than speeches at the Democratic National Convention. The other major networks aired equal time of both conventions.

Gov. Arnold (R-Economic Girlie Man)

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) has referred to his opponents as "economic girlie men." But a look at Schwarzenegger's recent actions show it is he who deserves that label. See the news reports:

"A bill that would have increased the minimum wage and another that would have made it more difficult to build large retail chain stores were vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger...nearly 50 economics professors signed a letter urging Schwarzenegger to sign the [wage] bill into law [saying] the bill could save California taxpayers more than $2 billion in money that would otherwise be spent on social programs for low-income households...[The chain store bill] would have required cities or counties to complete an economic impact report before allowing a Wal-Mart-style superstore to be built...Supporters said the bill would have helped small businesses that are often overmatched when large retail complexes are built."

Who is the economic girlie man - courageous legislators who are fighting to make sure Californians get paid more than the poverty rate and who want to protect the state's small businesses, or the governor who bows to pressure from his corporate buddies vetoes legislation that would have helped help millions of Californians?

Weak On Terrorists

President Bush has lately been speaking a lot about how he is doing everything possible to track down terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who is thought to be orchestrating deadly attacks on U.S. soldiers in Iraq. What he is not saying is that the Bush administration repeatedly rejected Pentagon plans to neutralize Zarqawi in 2002 and 2003 before the war. According to NBC News:

"Long before the war, the Bush administration had several chances to wipe out his terrorist operation and perhaps kill Zarqawi himself — but never pulled the trigger...In June 2002, U.S. officials say intelligence had revealed that Zarqawi and members of al-Qaida had set up a weapons lab at Kirma [the autonomous northern Iraq region not controlled by Saddam Hussein]. The Pentagon quickly drafted plans to attack the camp with cruise missiles and airstrikes and sent it to the White House, where, according to U.S. government sources, the plan was debated to death in the National Security Council...Four months later, intelligence showed Zarqawi was planning to use ricin in terrorist attacks in Europe. The Pentagon drew up a second strike plan, and the White House again killed it...In January 2003, the threat turned real. Police in London arrested six terror suspects and discovered a ricin lab connected to the camp in Iraq. The Pentagon drew up still another attack plan, and for the third time, the National Security Council killed it. Military officials insist their case for attacking Zarqawi’s operation was airtight, but the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam."

You can read the full NBC News story here.

Cheney Went Abroad To Attack America

Check out the newest article Jonathan Baskin and I published - it shows how Dick Cheney actually did business with regimes the State Department listed as state-sponsors of terrorism. It also shows how Cheney actually went abroad in the 1990s to attack the U.S. government for not loosening sanctions on terrorist countries.

The story can be found at the American Prospect.

Cheney Loves Trial Lawyers

For the last four years, Vice President Dick Cheney has been out on the campaign trail saying “we need legal reform because the strength of our economy is undermined by frivolous lawsuits." Just a few months ago, the LA Times wrote a piece headlined "Cheney Says Rivals Too Cozy With Lawyers."

But as a new report shows, Halliburton CEO Dick Cheney had a love affair with trial lawyers, filing 151 court claims in 15 states in just 5 years. On average, Cheney’s company petitioned America’s legal system 30 times per year. Most of the suits were against corporations – the exact kind of torts Cheney now says he wants to limit.

Even today, Halliburton is actually suing its own retirees because they complained about health benefit cuts.

Why Is The White House Fighting Reimportation?

President Bush continues to refuse to support allowing American seniors to purchase lower-priced, FDA-approved medicines from Canada. His administration has claimed such medicines are unsafe - parrotting the drug industry's argument. But according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, even some high level pharmaceutical executives now admit just how much of a red-herring that assertion is:

Peter Rost, vice president of marketing for endocrine care at Pfizer said "During my time responsible for a region in northern Europe, I never, not once, heard the drug industry, regulatory agencies, the government or anyone express any concern related to safety. And I think it is outright derogatory to claim that Americans would not be able to handle reimportation of drugs when the rest of the world can do this...We have to speak out for the people who can't afford drugs, in favor of free trade and against a closed market."

See the full article here.

Politicizing the War on Terror

Judd Legum and I wrote the cover of the upcoming edition of The Nation magazine about how President Bush and the Republican Party have shamelessly politicized 9/11 and the War on Terror. It comes out the same week Vice President Cheney made the irresponsible and wholly unsubstantiated claim that there is a greater chance terrorists will strike America if John Kerry is elected.

Read the article here.

Tricky Dick

As the campaign rhetoric heats up, here is an article Jon Baskin and I just had published by the American Prospect...it goes over each and every charge that Vice President Cheney has made against John Kerry, and shows that, in fact, Cheney is guilty of almost everything he impugns.

See the article here.

Bush Impugned Others National Guard Service

As George H.W. Bush and the current White House complain that questions about the President's National Guard service are unfair, check out this article which shows how it was George H.W. Bush who impugned his opponents for the very same thing - and far more brazenly. In fact, his campaign actually attacked Sen. Lloyd Bensten for supposedly getting Bensten's son into the same Texas National Guard Unit that George W. Bush was in. This was the same presidential campaign George W. Bush was working as a top strategist in.

From the 8/23/88 LA Times:

[Bush campaign co-chairman John Sununu] accused Bentsen of helping his son get into the National Guard...Lloyd Bentsen III, said in an interview with The Times Monday that he was 'absolutely furious' about the charge...The charge, made on ABC's "This Week With David Brinkley," was "unfortunate and inaccurate," Dukakis said...The younger Bentsen served in the 147th Fighter Group of the Texas National Guard along with George W. Bush, the vice president's son. Both men enlisted in the late spring of 1968. At the time, the senior Bush was a congressman.

What's He Trying to Say?

"Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."
– President Bush, 9/6/04

(See the video for yourself.)

Late, Great Middle Class

Check out the op-ed John Podesta and I published in today's Los Angeles Times.

Happy Labor Day!

The Bush Nanny State

This from conservatives who rail against Big Government, say government should get out of people's lives, and rail on the "nanny state":

"White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said yesterday that President Bush views America as a '10-year-old child' in need of the sort of protection provided by a parent. 'This president sees America as we think about a 10-year-old child,' Card said."

See the whole article here.

Separated At Birth?

The evil Emperor from Star Wars and Sen. Zell Miller really do look alike...

GOP on "Winning" the War

Earlier this year, the Republican Party attacked Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) for saying that "the direction [of the Iraq war has] got to be changed or it's unwinnable." It was a far more harmless comment than President Bush who stated flatly this week that the War on Terror could not be won. Yet, here is what the GOP had to say about Murtha. Will they say the same about Bush?

“In a calculated and craven political stunt, the national Democrat Party declared its surrender in the war on terror...That position – that baseless, partisan, shocking position – is that American troops aren’t up to the job... It tells our enemies that if it’s unwinnable to us, it’s winnable to them.” – Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), 5/7/04

“In a world of instantaneous global communication, we need to be very sensitive to what we say…. We should be very careful not to encourage our enemies. This war is winnable, but if insurgents heard his words, it was harder to win than before he spoke.” - Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), Floor Statement 5/19/2004