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  Media & Politics (only one section today) 10-May-08 Permanent link to MTA daily media news Sexism Remains Rampant (by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft) Balloon Juice and Oliver Willis enjoyed this nasty bit of sexism - Hillary Clinton: Psycho Ex-Girlfriend Of The Democratic Party. Is there any self awareness left in the blogs? Or do these folks really want to alienate every Clinton supporter in the country? Here’s a good way to celebrate Mother’s Day—tell your mother how you treated the first viable woman candidate for president.  You want her to be proud, I know you do. Media Tenor: Media Declare Obama As Winner (by Media Tenor) •  A split image: Obama winning, but not fully convincing •  Last week’s concerns remain •  Decreasing media interest in McCain this week Math that matters most… (by V at No Quarter) Many people are asking. “Why isn’t Hillary leaving the race?” Or, “Isn’t the math prohibitive?” Well, the answer is given quite simply by Karl Rove. Now Karl may be a lot of things, but he is not stupid and he knows politics and elections. Unlike Hillary and her surrogates in the Democratic party, he does not have to say, “either candidate can win the general but Hillary is stronger.” He can tell the unvarnished version which is that Hillary wins against McCain and Barack loses. So it’s simple, a vote for Barack in the primary is tantamount to a vote for McCain in the general. Click through for another study that confirms Rove’s analysis.  The LA Times is reporting that Clinton and Obama both marginally beat McCain, but I don’t believe them. Electoral-Vote.com, May 10, 2008 (270 needed to win) Clinton             280        McCain     258        Tie       0 Obama              254        McCain     273        Tie     11 Click through to see the maps. In the Shorts (as it were) (by ronkseattle at The Confluence) Clinton a 3-1 favorite versus McCain. Obama a 10-1 underdog. Unelectable (a tribute to Barack Obama) – (video by Flineo, words by John: south of Melrose at Liberal Rapture) The Obama Democrats’ Ostrich Moment (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter) Hillary’s only hope is that the super delegates will come to their senses and realize that Barack Obama’s relationships with the corrupt Tony Rezko, the racist-wife stealing Jeremiah Wright, and the unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers will provide the Republicans with ammunition they have never had at hand to use against the Democrats’ candidate. This is particularly true of that flag stomper, Bill Ayers… This is not a question of whether or not the Republicans will use this material. They will… It is one thing to have a name that sounds like the terrorist who attacked us on 9-11. But it is an entirely different matter to be close friends with an unrepentant terrorist who bombed U.S. Government buildings. There is no where to run. The relationship is genuine. This is a stonewall that will not stand. Daily Presidential Tracking Poll (Rasmussen, Friday, May 09, 2008) Rasmussen Reports will soon end our daily tracking of the Democratic race and focus exclusively on the general election competition between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. Barring something totally unforeseen, that is the choice American voters will have before them in November. While we have not firmly decided upon a final day for tracking the Democratic race, it is coming soon. And that is the last time I will visit Rasmussen’s website or quote them.  Ever.  Did they do this when Ted Kennedy stayed in the race until the convention?  Or any of the other penis-encumbered so-called humans who were NEVER TOLD TO QUIT—BY ANYBODY?  Why not tell Rasmussen what you think? Phone: 732-776-9777, Email: info@rasmussenreports.com. Rasmussen says these are the only two people you can vote for: ARG Poll: Clinton Holds Huge Lead in West Virginia (Political Wire) A new American Research Group poll in West Virginia finds Sen. Hillary Clinton way ahead of Sen. Barack Obama, 66% to 23%. Key findings: Clinton leads among men, 57% to 27%, and she leads among women, 72% to 20%. Clinton leads among white voters, 70% to 19%, and Obama leads among African American voters, 91% to 3%. African Americans voters, however, only account for 5% of likely Democratic primary voters in the state. West Virginia could spell trouble for Obama (Los Angeles Times) Obama may have emerged from his double-digit victory over Hillary Rodham Clinton in North Carolina and his razor-thin loss in Indiana on Tuesday with a virtual lock on the Democratic nomination. But his performance did little to reassure political leaders [in West Virginia] concerned by his sagging numbers among once-loyal white Democrats, who have steadily abandoned their party over the last several presidential elections. In These Primary Numbers, Warnings for the Fall (Alan Abramowitz, professor of political science at Emory University) Sen. Barack Obama is the all but certain Democratic nominee, but voting patterns in Indiana and North Carolina show that resistance to a black candidate among some white Democrats remains a serious threat to his chances in November… Obama continues to have particular difficulty with one segment of the Democratic electorate: white working-class voters. Well, that’s no problem, Prof. Abramowitz, we’ve been informed that the Obama revolution doesn’t need our racist asses. Clinton: Dispute Over Mich. and Fla. Votes “A Civil Rights Issue” WASHINGTON, DC — In her harshest words yet over the disputed votes in Florida and Michigan, Hillary Clinton called it “a civil rights issue”. You bet it is. Clinton makes another electability argument (War Room, Salon) Hillary Clinton’s campaign is apparently hoping that if impassioned pleas won’t persuade superdelegates to support Clinton, snazzy graphics will. The campaign has sent a PowerPoint presentation to superdelegates that illustrates her primary success in what it terms the “tough districts.” According to the chart, she has won 16 of the 20 districts that went in George W. Bush’s favor in 2004 but turned around and elected freshman Democrats to Congress in 2006. The presentation reiterates the message the Clinton campaign has repeated frequently lately, that Clinton is the better general-election candidate because she can win the votes of blue-collar whites, the elderly and Hispanic voters, while Obama cannot. Former Gov. Hulett Smith endorses Clinton CHARLESTON– Former West Virginia Governor Hulett Smith announced his endorsement of Hillary Clinton for President Friday, citing the Senator’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, veterans, and the economy.  Carney announces support for Clinton U.S. Rep. Chris Carney ended months of mulling it over and announced Thursday he’s backing New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for president Joe & Valerie Plame Wilson for Hillary (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter) The Clinton campaign released this television ad today in Oregon: Click through to watch the ad. A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can’t Win (video interview with Shelby Steele, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and an African American) Shelby Steele talks about the challenges that Senator Barack Obama will face in his quest for the presidency.  He examines the race issues surrounding Senator Obama’s presidential bid and argues that voters may be more interested in the historical implications of his win than in his policies.  Mr. Steele says that Senator Obama must find his own political voice and offers ways to overcome these and other challenges. If your eyes are on me, you’re looking at country. (by garychapelhill at The Confluence) Now the attention turns to West Virginia and Kentucky and the MSM/Obama nutroots/Obama campaign want to remind us just how racist those Appalachian hillbillies are. “May 9, 2008 — WASHINGTON - First it was Bill Clinton dismissing Barack Obama as just another black candidate winning South Carolina. Now comes Hillary Rodham Clinton, splashing moonshine onto those smoldering embers by telling West Virginia voters that ‘hardworking Americans, white Americans’ support her, not Obama.” Now isn’t Charles Hurt from the NY Post the clever one? With his headline “Desperate Hillbillies Threaten to Break Up Party” and his first few paragraphs, he managed to insult a former President, the junior Senator from New York, AND 21 million people in 13 different states. See, it is perfectly alright to use derogatory, inflamatory, and prejudicial language against people, as long as they are poor white people who have a history of being looked down upon and pigeon-holed as “white-trash” and “rednecks”. And don’t even think about comparing them to African Americans. Apparently their fragile psyches (or at least those of the white people who pretend to speak for them) can’t possibly take the trauma. Is It Bad To Compare Obama To Kerry? (by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft) I have long admired WaPo columnist Eugene Robinson but I found his last column offensive and wrongheaded. Like many, Robinson is taking to accusing anyone who recognizes the problem as arguing that white working class voters will not vote for African American candidates. That is a nasty smear from Robinson intended to shut down the discussion. Shame on Eugene Robinson for doing that. Robinson wrote: “Lower-income white Democrats may well defect to John McCain in the fall if Obama is the nominee, Clinton is arguing … Clinton implies but doesn’t quite come out and say, is that Obama is black — and that white people who are not wealthy are irredeemably racist.”… That is simply false… Is i[t] racist to compare Barack Obama to John Kerry and Michael Dukakis? Eugene Robinson goes beyond advocating the ostrich approach. He is engaged in a race baiting attempt to censor discussion of Obama’s white working class problem. And that is disgraceful. Quitters Never Win (by Ellen R. Malcolm, founder and president of Emily’s List) So here we are in the fourth quarter of the nominating process and the game is too close to call. Once again, the opponents and the media are calling for Hillary to quit. The first woman ever to win a presidential primary is supposed to stop competing, to curtsy and exit stage right… Hillary Clinton certainly has the right to compete till the end. But I believe Hillary also has a responsibility to play the game to its conclusion. For the women of my generation who learned to find and channel their competitiveness, for the working women who never falter in the face of pressure, for the younger women who still believe women can do anything, Hillary is a champion. She’s shown us over and over that winners never quit and that quitters never win. We’ll cheer her on until the game is over. And we hope that when the final whistle blows, we will have elected the first female president and the best president our country has ever had. The Fight Stuff (by Susan Faludi) NOTABLE in the Indiana and North Carolina primary results and in many recent polls are signs of a change in the gender weather: white men are warming to Hillary Clinton — at least enough to vote for her. It’s no small shift… [W]hile the commentators have been tut-tutting, Senator Clinton has been converting white males, assuring them that she’s come into their tavern not to smash the bottles, but to join the brawl. Deep in the American grain, particularly in the grain of white male working-class voters, that is the more trusted archetype. Whether Senator Clinton’s pugilism has elevated the current race for the nomination is debatable. But the strategy has certainly remade the political world for future female politicians, who may now cast off the assumption that when the going gets tough, the tough girl will resort to unilateral rectitude. When a woman does ascend through the glass ceiling into the White House, it will be, in part, because of the race of 2008, when Hillary Clinton broke through the glass floor and got down with the boys. Trib’s Clinton-dead horse editorial “went right to the edge” The imagery in a Chicago Tribune Eight Belles/Hillary Clinton editorial made public editor Timothy McNulty queasy. He writes: “Notwithstanding the playful, even clever, writing of the editorial, it was wrong, I believe, to use language that conflates the presidential race and the sad need to euthanize a female horse.” Editorial page editor R. Bruce Dold says: “We want to write editorials that are provocative. This one went right to the edge.” It was way over the edge.  It was mean and spiteful and hateful.  Just like Obama.  Just like his wife.  Just like his supporters. As Obama gains superdelegates, Ted Kennedy says Hillary not fit for veep Ted Kennedy, the aging liberal lion of the Democratic Party, took a nasty bite out of Hillary Clinton Friday, saying she shouldn’t be vice president because the job requires “real leadership.” “I don’t think it’s possible,” Kennedy, a Barack Obama supporter, told Bloomberg Television when asked about an Obama-Clinton ticket. Kennedy added that he hoped Obama would choose a running mate who is “in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspirations of the American people.” Thanks so much for your opinion, Senator Kennedy.  We all know how much your opinion of Senator Clinton helped Senator Obama in the Massachusetts primary.  And, of course, we know how debased Clinton’s aspirations are for the American people, so we’re with you on that. Ted Kennedy’s Divisive Rhetoric (by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft) I am a big fan of Ted Kennedy but he does the Democratic Party a great disservice with this type of talk [see above]… What a terrible terrible thing to say. The Obama camp should disavow it. Unless he said it at their behest. In which case, we are gonna lose in November. Obama Camp Not Interested In Unity (by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft) First it was Ted Kennedy. Now we hear it is Michelle Obama: “Close-in supporters of Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign are convinced he never will offer the vice presidential nomination to Sen. Hillary Clinton for one overriding reason: Michelle Obama… According to Obama sources, [her] public utterances do not reveal the extent of her hostility.” If this type of petty nonsense is holding sway in the Obama camp, Obama will lose in November. It is one thing to hear this ridiculous nonsense from absurd and unimportant bloggers. It is another thing to hear it from the Obama camp. I hope someone with more maturity reins in this juvenile, divisive and destructive behavior from the Obama camp. I am heartily disgusted. They seem determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Sharpton to Clinton: It’s over (CNN) – The Rev. Al Sharpton has some blunt words for Hillary Clinton: “It’s over.” Speaking on NY 1 Thursday night, Sharpton said it is now impossible for the New York senator to win the White House “without the total destruction of the Democratic Party. Sharpton also likened Clinton to an entertainer that doesn’t know when to exit the stage. And we’re really interested in YOUR opinion, Rev. Sharpton.  How’s the shakedown business going? Sharpton and His Businesses Own Almost $1.5 Million in Back Taxes (by Jonathan Turley) Al Sharpton is once again in the legal news with the disclosure that he and his various enterprises owe $1.5 million in back taxes. Currently under criminal[l] investigation, the question is why Sharpton appears to get a free pass with politicians like the Clintons and Obamas despite a history of overt race baiting and alleged corruption. It has been well-known that Sharpton is under criminal investigation, including tapes showing him shaking down individuals in his own version of “pay-to-play.” Saturday: Keep your head (by riverdaughter at The Confluence) Conflucians, the haka is getting very intense. There are senators we once respected going on news shows that some of us vowed not to watch for the next two weeks, who are saying insulting things that are designed to discourage us… Oh, and then there’s Chris Dodd telling Wolf Blitzer that the party will fall into line in November after we’ve all been dosed with Kool-Aid. Well, maybe party members might. But as of two days ago, I am no longer a member of the “Misogynists for Barry” party. So, their assumptions of automatic votes is incorrect. As an “unaffiliated”, they are going to have to bust their balls to get my vote now… I know what abuse feels like and I won’t take it from a party. They have to get right with me not the other way around. It’s too bad that all these things can only happen in my dreams (by vastleft at Corrente) Sure, I understand that to overtake a more-popular and more-experienced party rival, it’s necessary and appropriate to destroy her and her husband’s reputation via completely fraudulent charges of racism. Sausage ain’t beanbag, as they say. But was it necessary to piss away this “change year,” this once-in-several-decades opportunity to repudiate the Reagan Revolution, selling a mere façade of change and propagating — as shystee so succinctly put it — “the absolute fabrication that the problem with Washington is excessive partisanship”?… In my assessment, the North Carolina vote was the clincher. We’ve all-but-officially got a truthy candidate who disrespects us, instead of a feisty warrior who’s got a real good grudge goin’ against the VRWC [Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy]. My hats off to the millions of Americans who turned out for Hillary, in spite of the unfathomably huge Clinton-hate campaigns from the right and what used to be the left. Whatever happens, one thing’s for certain: What if No One Comes to the Revolution? (by Anglachel) So I’ve been reading that the Sippy-Kup Kidz (those who cart around their kups of kool-aide and suck on them constantly lest the buzz fade and reality intrude) have been crowing about what a superdoublewidefantastic party organization The Precious has built, how it’s cool and digital and virtual and full of lots and lots of bloggers and money. They are especially touting his new voter registration drive efforts and how this will power him to victory in the future. All of which makes me go so where were those voters in Indiana? Pensylvania? Even in North Carolina, where he should have had a much better showing if his registration drives had been as effective as claimed?… So what about the millions of new voters who are signing up? Evidently, they are either voting approximately equally for The Precious and for Hillary, or else they are not any larger of a group than is already voting for Hillary. Reveling In The Demise of Their Relevance (by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft) Susie Madrak on Matt Stoller: “Obama’s now vacuumed up the majority of the grassroots donors, is discouraging his donors from giving to anyone else, and there’s no point whatsoever to placating the netroots. I can’t believe Stoller doesn’t get that. They don’t need us, and we will have no influence whatsoever in an Obama administration. Those of you who dream of a new progressive netroots Utopia will have a rather rude awakening, I think. (Not that this makes some huge difference in my own life - I’ve never thought bloggers were anywhere near as influential as they like to think.)” Yep. It’s not that the Netroots sold out. It’s that they got nothing on issues, or anything else, in exchange for their unstinting support of Barack Obama. The whole thing has been extremely strange. MSM’s Obama-love: ‘Like a 9th-Grade Boy Embarrassed to Stand Up’ Thrill up my leg”? Forget about it. Chris Matthews’s famous description of the excitement he gets from Barack is nothing compared to the tumescent terms in which MSNBC senior campaign correspondent Tucker Carlson has depicted the intensity of the MSM’s love affair with Obama. Tucker appeared on today’s Morning Joe. “TUCKER CARLSON: It’s gonna be such a great election; it has been so far. JOE SCARBOROUGH: Especially when you have the media loving one candidate as much as they love Barack Obama.” It won’t last, though.  They love McCain more. Right-wing echo chamber promotes doctored and deceptive audio clip of Al Gore. (Think Progress) Earlier this week, the Business & Media Institute (BMI) – a right-wing front group founded by Brent Bozell – spliced and doctored an NPR interview of Al Gore in order to allege that Gore said something which he did not. The organization published a false headline which blared that Gore called the Myanmar cyclone a “consequence” of global warming. Drudge promoted it on his site. Oh, but they won’t do that to Obama!  I know because the Commissar Who Kidnapped Josh Marshall told me so. GOP Attack Ad — Ready to Lose the WH Again? (TexasDarlin) So much for John McCain’s promise to stay positive. Check out this new GOP ad against Obama, straight from their website. I am sure this is only the beginning, they must have a treasure trove of video files ready to go. This one doesn’t even mention Rev. Wright; they’re probably saving that… Sad to see but truth is….Barack Obama is just not electable with all the explosives in his baggage. Click through to watch the ad. Most Race-Baiting Column EVER! (by Steve Young at the Huffington Post) In one of the most incendiary columns ever written, Race And The Presidential Election,”  Bill O’Reilly sets the race-bait bar to record-breaking…depths.  Short of saying that Barack Obama wants to sleep with your pearly-white daughter, O’Reilly uses just about every button meant to alarm his white fans to the fact that Barack Obama is BLACK and that just his running for, let alone becoming, president, could set off race-laced fireworks. But they CAN’T use race against Obama!  I know, because Markos Moulitsas told me so. Where did the Web rumors about Obama come from? (McClatchy) WASHINGTON — Some things about Barack Obama rub some voters the wrong way. “We don’t need a Muslim,” said Jannay Smith, a retiree from Kokomo, Ind. “Who’s to say if he gets in there what he’ll do?” Added Steve Shallenberger, a Kokomo electrician: “He’s just calling himself a Christian because he knows that’s what we in Indiana want to hear.” Then there’s Sherry Richey, also from Kokomo: “He wouldn’t put his hand on the Bible; he wanted the Quran. He won’t put his hand over his heart during the anthem or say the Pledge of Allegiance. He’s too un-American.” All of these slurs on Obama are categorically untrue. Obama, the front-running Democratic presidential candidate, is a Christian, has never been a Muslim, swore his Senate oath on the Bible, says the pledge and generally puts his hand over his heart when he sings the national anthem. So why were people aware enough of current events to attend political rallies in the days leading up to the Indiana primary saying such things? They’d been misled by the Internet. But people won’t believe that stuff!  I know, because Chris Bowers told me so. Overt, Not Covert (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter) [W]e do not have to invent fantasies or frauds about Obama. Let’s stick to the truth… Bill Ayers is not a figment of my imagination. Jeremiah Wright is not a media creation. Tony Rezko is not some character from a novel. Barack’s relationships with these people are fair game and merit serious examination. If his judgment is so flawed that he does not recognize the dangers inherent in associating with these kinds of people, on what basis are we to trust him to suddenly grow a brain if he becomes president? Ain’t going to happen. Obama says McCain has tried to ’smear’ him, is ‘losing his bearings’ (On Politics, USA Today) John McCain has been using “smear” tactics, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama says today in a pre-recorded interview that will go on the air during CNN’s The Situation Room (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET). Specifically, says Obama, it is “offensive, and I think it’s disappointing” for McCain to say that Hamas would prefer that Obama be elected in November. So here’s how Obama’s going to try to play this out.  Early on, he attacked Clinton on her strongest suit, as admitted by chief strategist David Axelrod, her experience.  He belittled the significance of spending EIGHT YEARS IN THE WHITE HOUSE as part of a policy team.  His supporters picked that up and turned it to a sexist mantra.  They would not call her by her own name or title, they would only call her “President Clinton’s wife”. Then Obama hinted at a bit of sexism.  Then racism.  So here it’s obvious that he’s going to try to go after McCain’s strength also—and try to make McCain look like a doddering old fool.  Well, it ain’t gonna work, Barack.  The only time these sleazy tactics worked for you was when the media hated the person you were using them against.  The media LOVE McCain, and you will pay a price for attacking him.  A big price.  And then we’ll ALL pay a big price with another four years of a Bush regime.  And he’d better be careful about saying who’s losing his bearings.  See below. WHOA! Obama Knows Nada About the U.S. States, Either! (and I’m not talking about the Great Lakes….) (by GRL at InsightAnalytical) After writing about all the foreign policy issues Obama is probably not prepared to face, this pops up! Apparently, Obama thinks there are 59 states in the union!… OK, so maybe he’s tired….but he’ll be more tired if he makes it to the White House. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton looks fresh as a daisy…. Does this guy really have what it takes to survive a general election campaign and take the pressures of the Presidency? Just asking…. Click through to watch the video. Obama Campaign Introduces Customized Lapel Pins (by TexasFred) Memo from McCain Adviser Salter (The Page, Time Magazine) First, let us be clear about the nature of Senator Obama’s attack [Thursday]: He used the words ‘losing his bearings’ intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain’s age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning. We have all become familiar with Senator Obama’s new brand of politics. First, you demand civility from your opponent, then you attack him, distort his record and send out surrogates to question his integrity. It is called hypocrisy, and it is the oldest kind of politics there is. It is important to focus on what Senator Obama is attempting to do here: He is trying desperately to delegitimize the discussion of issues that raise legitimate questions about his judgment and preparedness to be President of the United States. Change the gender of the pronouns, and you have exactly what Obama has done to Hillary Clinton.  The Republicans won’t take that shit. The Obama Policy Train Wreck (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter) Talk about a preview of the horror show that would be a Barack Obama administration. Despite running a pretty good operation in collecting delegates, Barack is a disaster at managing policy. Here’s the headline from the London Times–Barack Obama sacks adviser over talks with Hamas. Yep, another “advisor” of Barack goes under the bus… Rob Malley joins an august group of Obama advisors found suddenly disposable once the public discovers that they represent out of the main stream policies. I give the Illinois Senator credit–he recognizes that these policy positions will kill his chances in the fall and is busy trying to re-invent himself. But a careful look at the train wreck of Obama advisors reveals a more fundamental problem with Barack. Click through to refresh your memory. Bush Business Donors Shunning McCain for Democratic Candidates May 9 (Bloomberg) — Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, is struggling to attract money from some of the same industries that helped bankroll President George W. Bush’s record-setting fundraising. Employees from the securities, construction, pharmaceutical and energy industries, who accounted for about a tenth of Bush’s money in 2004, are turned off by his record and giving more to his Democratic rivals, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. McCain Pushed Land Swap That Benefits Backer (Washington Post) PRESCOTT, Ariz. — Sen. John McCain championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers. Anti-Pork McCain Speaks At New Jersey Museum Funded By Nearly $1 Million In Earmarks (Think Progress) One of Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) signature campaign pledges is to “do away” with the “pork-barrel-laden bills” from the past few years. Today, McCain held an event at Liberty Science Center, the “most visited museum in New Jersey and one of the most intensively used in the country,” to discuss his environmental agenda. But McCain’s event at Liberty Science Center conflicts with his promise to abolish earmarks from the federal budget. The museum, in fact, has been the beneficiary of multiple federal earmarks. New CBO Report Proves McCain Is ‘Full Of It’ In His Opposition To Webb-Hagel GI Bill (Think Progress) Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and the Pentagon have voiced their opposition to the bipartisan Webb-Hagel GI Bill by spouting fears that “too many will use it,” and it will therefore “harm” the military. A new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report analyzing the impact of the GI Bill shows that McCain is indeed “full of it.” While the report explains that troop retention will decline because some troops will take advantage of their new education benefits, the loss in retention will be entirely made up for by increased military recruits: McCain’s Big Idea: Create A Human Trafficking Task Force (That Already Exists) (Think Progress) In Rochester, Michigan [on Wednesday], Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) delivered a speech outlining his “vision for defending the freedom and dignity of the world’s vulnerable.” During the speech, McCain noted that “the State Department estimates that between 15,000 and 18,000 human slaves are brought into the United States, many of whom are forced into the sex trade every year.” Arguing that the U.S. government has not done enough to address this dire situation, McCain said “we need to do more,” adding that as president, he would establish a task force to “increase cooperation and communication between” federal agencies to combat human trafficking… While McCain’s proposal sounds great and creates the illusion that he is a champion of this particular cause, there is one problem — an “Inter-Agency Task Force on Human Trafficking” already exists. Why, pretty soon people are going to start claiming that Social Security is some kind of FEDERAL PROGRAM!  Click through to watch the video. McCain: Embattled U.S. attorney has done a ‘good’ job. (Think Progress) Today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) spoke in New Jersey, confessing to reporters who pressed him about local issues that he knows little about the state. “I’m not that familiar with the political situation on the ground here,” he said. Asked about New Jersey’s U.S. attorney, Chris Christie, McCain simply claimed Christie has been “good”… Christie’s work, however, has been highly controversial. Last fall, he awarded his former boss, John Ashcroft, a lucrative no-bid contract to “monitor a large corporation willing to settle criminal charges out of court.” The contract appeared to be “political patronage,” spurring congressional hearings on contracting. Congress is still investigating the matter. Top McCain Aide Sponsors Ritual To Attack Christianity (by Cliff Schechter) Progressive author John Gorenfeld recently released a book exposing the unsavory ties between the GOP and billionaire, Washington Times Publisher (and convicted tax cheat) Reverend Sun Myung Moon. In his book, Bad Moon Rising, Gorenfeld shows the relationship between many in the Republican hierarchy, including the Bush clan, and a man who has often been charged with being a leader of a cult. What is beyond question, however, is that a high-ranking McCain Campaign official, Charlie Black, has planned ceremonies for Moon to be crowned “King Of America,” and Moon has had damning things to say about the Christian faith. I’m sorry to say that my congressman, Danny Davis, was involved in that stupidity.  I believe he has since distanced himself from Moon. John McCain’s Penchant for Skirting Campaign Finance Laws (by Bill W. at Crooks and Liars) [Wednesday] night while in NYC for his appearance on The Daily Show, John McCain also made time to attend a controversial fundraiser hosted by New York Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson IV on his behalf that may not have violated the letter of the campaign finance laws that McCain championed just a few years ago, but certainly the spirit of them. The event was said to have raised over $7 million, including a pledged $100,000 each from the 19 co-hosts and another $25,000 from each of the 39 co-chairs. Donors were apparently not limited by the $2,300 cap on individuals and could give tens of thousands of their own cash thanks to McCain’s Victory Committee created specifically to get around donation limits. McCain to Bush in 2000: “Don’t Give Me That Sh*t. And Take Your Hands Off Me.” (by Jon Perr at Crooks and Liars) Four days after Arianna Huffington first reported it, John McCain’s 2000 VoteGate has become the election issue du jour. The New York Times, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times have all run stories confirming Huffington’s account that in 2000 a still steaming McCain did not vote for George W. Bush, the man who savaged him and his family during the Republican primaries. But as the fevered denials from his campaign show, the story of McCain’s hate-love relationship with Bush is the tale of Mr. Straght Talk’s tightrope walk from personal pride to political opportunism. We’ll ‘never’ see the McCains’ tax returns? (by Steve Benen at Crooks and Liars) The Obamas released tax returns for both Barack and Michelle. The Clintons released returns for both Bill and Hillary. But when John McCain released his tax returns a few weeks ago, Cindy McCain’s tax documents will remain private. It’s not too hard to understand why. The McCains are extraordinarily wealthy — one might even be tempted to call them “elites” — and Cindy McCain’s assets are estimated to be about $100 million, including a private jet, which her husband has been borrowing at a reduced rate. Given the other candidates’ disclosures, and McCain’s own alleged commitment to transparency, will we ever see Cindy McCain’s returns? She was asked on the “Today” show this morning, and said, politely, “Never.” Media Matters for America headlines • On at least 15 occasions on May 8, Fox News promoted notion that McCain is reluctant to discuss his POW experience • Blitzer failed to challenge Romney’s suggestion that he had not attacked McCain’s lack of accomplishment “in the world of business” • CNN military analyst Shepperd on trip to Gitmo: “Did we drink the government kool-aid? — of course” • Reuters reported McCain attack on Obama on campaign finance, did not mention that McCain may be breaking campaign finance laws • CNN’s Blitzer, on-screen text misled on cost of housing bill • Wash. Times issues correction for uncritically quoting Indiana man calling Obama a Muslim Rocket hits BBC bureau in Baghdad; no injuries BAGHDAD - The British Broadcasting Corp. says a rocket hit the building housing its Baghdad bureau, causing damage but no injuries. From Places Unexpected, Support For the Press Conservative voices offered perhaps the broadest defense of reporters’ rights during oral arguments in a case involving the refusal of a reporter to disclose sources. Cartoon Editor Disillusioned With U.S. Press A Danish newspaper editor is accusing his American counterparts of undermining free speech More Journalists Detained In Zimbabwe The editor of a Zimbabwean independent weekly newspaper has been arrested for publishing an opinion piece written by an opposition leader. Online Library Quashes National Security Letter (American Constitution Society) An online library, the Internet Archive, successfully fought off an FBI request to obtain information about one of its patrons, Wired reported. The FBI had issued a National Security Letter — a subpoena demanding information related to a terrorism investigation, which is never approved by a judge and prohibits the recipient from disclosing the order – to the library. The Archive challenged the letter in court, and on April 21 the FBI agreed to withdraw the letter and unseal the court case. BREAKING: News Corp. Withdraws Bid For Newsday; Likely Winner Will Be Cablevision (Paid Content) News Corp has withdrawn its $580 million bid for the Tribune’s Newsday, calling it “uneconomical,” according to Reuters via The New York Times. The remaining likely bidder for the New York newspaper is cable TV operator Cablevision, which also operates in Long Island. A News Corp spokesman told Reuters the deal the comapny was unable to justify outbidding Cablevision’s $650 million offer, calling it “uneconomical.” Besides Cablevision, New York Daily News owner Mortimer Zuckerman was known for also bidding $580 million for the paper. How far along is Murdoch in his campaign to reinvent WSJ? “We’re a six to seven on a scale of ten,” WSJ publisher Robert Thomson recently told staffers. Gabriel Sherman says in recent weeks, a rough portrait of Rupert Murdoch’s Journal has emerged: more news, shorter stories, snappier headlines, and increasing political and general-interest coverage. Scripps Gets Board Approval To Spinoff Interactive And Local Media Divisions (Paid Content) E. W. Scripps’ board has approved executives’ plan to separate Scripps into two public companies, effective July 1. The board’s vote follows Scripps decision in October to split into two companies, one focused on interactive services and the other on local media businesses, including newspapers and TV stations. Liberal Talk Show Host Bernie Ward Admits to Distribution of Child Pornography (by Jonathan Turley) Bernie Ward, San Francisco’s leading liberal radio host, has admitted to distribution of child pornography by e-mail. He will now face at least five years in prison and as much as ten years. Ward, 57, is a former Roman Catholic priest who became known as the “Lion of the Left.” In a hearing before Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, Ward (who had previously denied the allegations) pleaded to a single charge of distribution, involving “exchanging an image of a minor engaged in sexually explicit activity” in December 2004. However, the plea agreement references between 15 and 150 pornographic images via e-mail. I am SO sorry to hear this.  I really liked Bernie’s shows. Asset Sales Bolster Clear Channel’s Earnings The radio and outdoor advertising company reported higher first-quarter earnings on asset sales, but operating results were flat, reflecting weak demand for radio advertising. Sex Storm at Weather Channel: Former Anchor Wins Sexual Harassment Action (by Jonathan Turley) Former weather channel anchor Hillary Andrews, 38, has won a sexual harassment arbitration ruling against her male co-anchor, Bob Stokes. Stokes is accused of some pretty raw stuff and it now looks that inclement legal conditions for the weather channel as the owner tries to sell it off. Stokes was fired after the judgment and TWC is now allegedly trying to keep the facts from being aired publicly. According to Andrews, Stokes was obsessed with her and made highly improper comments and took bizarre actions like “Will you lick my swizzle stick?” and “It tortures me when you wear those heels and skirt.” He is also accused of following Andrews like a tornado chaser, including into her dressing room. In TV dealmaking season, business may be slow NEW YORK (Reuters) - Television is recovering from one labor strike and could face another, it’s contending with digital video records, competing with new media, and trying to lock up advertising dollars in a rotten economy. Vint Cerf Supports Municipal Broadband Networks Municipal broadband networks could help boost the availability of high-speed Internet access and even help to ensure Net neutrality in the U.S., said Vint Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist at Google. Google-Yahoo: Deal or No Deal? Google faces a conundrum. If it does a deal with Yahoo, it faces antitrust scrutiny. If it backs out, it leaves Yahoo hanging in the wind. Either way, it could harm its nice-guy image. Google News exec: “We definitely respect copyright law” “When we use more than a fair use of a headline or a snippet, we will license that content,” says Google News business project manager Josh Cohen. Why not go into content creation? he’s asked. “It just hasn’t been in what we’re trying to do across the board in terms of the news side of it. Again it’s really about helping people to find the content that’s out there. We just don’t see ourselves as content creators. We’re more of a platform for that content.” Blogging Against Barbie An attempt by Mattel to market a Barbie doll collection around eco-consciousness has raised criticism from parents. Spam Moves to Cellphones and Gets More Invasive If you thought spam on your computer was a bother, brace yourself for round two: spammers want to find you on your cellphone.
• 

  RezkoWatch HotList 05/09/08

  http://rezkowatch.blogspot.com/2008/05/rezkowatch-hotlist-05...
  3 days ago in Rezko Watch · Authority: 134

  Watch for updates to the RezkoWatch HotList: Get ready for a showdown in Denver, Sen. Obama Florida Demands Representation (Project Orange Crush). 2008 Interactive Presidential Electoral Map, 270toWin.com. Jeralyn Merritt, The Electoral Map vs. the Primary Map, TalkLeft, May 8, 2008. Jeralyn Merritt, The Michigan Proposal is Unfair to Hillary, TalkLeft, May 8, 2008. Larry Johnson, The Obama Democrats' Ostrich Moment, No Quarter, May 8, 2008. S.V. Dáte, Change Jews Can Believe In. Why Obama's "Jewish problem" won't give him such tzuris come November, The New Republic, May 8, 2008. D.U. Plicity, Obama's Judgement - A Socialist Agenda - Unions - A White House They Can Trust, The Duplicity, May 8, 2008. Paul Krugman, Opinion: Thinking About November, New York Times, May 9, 2008. Ned Barnett, Hillary Clinton's Nuclear Option, American Thinker, May 9, 2008. Joan Swirsky, Obama: The Psyche of a Presidential Candidate, Family Security Matters, May 9, 2008. Patrick Buchanan, The Hillary Democrats, RealClearPolitics, May 9, 2008. D. Cupples, Michigan Dems Want to do What? They Can Do Better, and So Can the DNC, No Quarter, May 9, 2008. Jay Cost, Not Quite Yet, RealClearPolitics, May 9, 2008. Alex Koppelman, Obama basically concedes two upcoming primaries, The War Room/Salon, May 9, 2008. Taylor Marsh, Mission Accomplished, Obama Style, TaylorMarsh.com, May 9, 2008. Jerome Armstrong, Delegates matter, MyDD, May 9, 2008. Paul Lukasiak, Obama's OTHER Forgotten Demographic -- Older Voters, Corrente, May 9, 2008. h/t RV SusanUnPC, The Cruelty of Obama’s Strategies, Including Robbing the American People of an Honest Discussion about Policies, No Quarter, May 9, 2008. tnjen, It ain't over: Time to Fight On, Corrente, May 9, 2008. Swing State Democrats Say Hillary Best For Top Of Ticket, HillaryClinton.com, May 9, 2008. The Obama Strikes Back, Politically Drunk, May 9, 2008. GOP ad: "Can we ask?" / www.CanWeAsk.com Sen. Obama's hateful pastors Truthteller, Saint Sabina Raises the Roof on Obama’s Den of Political Tricks and Corruption, No Quarter, May 8, 2008.

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