Archive for September, 2006

I dunno… looks like he is in his element.

“Put this on for me, will ya son.”

This Cheap Straight, err… shot of the week brought to you by McCranium.org

Remember Mark Foley?  If you followed Brad Blog you would. Foley was the Florida Congressman who was so close to the Florida voting machine scandal it is surprising he was still a congressman after 2001. Naw, just kidding.  That would never happen in this political environment where despite enormous character flaws and crooked dealings, Republicans are getting away with about anything they want.  But for Foley,  the irony is almost too much to take. 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Six-term Republican Rep. Mark Foley of Florida resigned from the U.S. Congress on Friday following reports he sent sexually inappropriate e-mails to underage male congressional interns.

Foley, chairman of the House caucus on missing and exploited children, said he would resign after ABC News reported he sent messages to current and former congressional pages with references to sexual organs and acts.

“Today I have delivered a letter to the Speaker of the House informing him of my decision to resign from the U.S. House of Representatives, effective today,” said Foley, who is single, in a statement.

Wow.  I mean fucking WOW!  But if that doesn’t just blow your mind - I mean, this guy was the chairman on missing and exploited children! - wait until you hear the rest… of the story [from America Blog].

Seems so. Republican House Speaker Denny Hastert has some serious explaining to do, after today’s revelations that they knew about ex-Congressman Mark Foley’s sexscapades a good year ago, and did nothing.

Whether or not the kid’s parents were fine with letting it go, which the story says is the case, why did Republican House Speaker Denny Hastert permit Foley to remain in the House GOP leadership for almost a year after they knew he was having sex talk with minors online, minors he met on the job?

Why did Republican House Speaker Denny Hastert leave Foley as the co-chair of the House body in charge of child sex offenses for a good year after they knew?

Why did Republican House Speaker Denny Hastert permit Foley to stay in the House at all, where he would be around other pages every day all day long?

And just as importantly, why did Republican House Speaker Denny Hastert let Foley lie publicly yesterday about the emails, claiming they were innocent, and simply a dirty attack from the Democrats, when the House leadership knew the real story?

And finally, we find out that the FBI was contacted two months about this story. Was there any follow-up from the Bush FBI? Or did they just let this potential case of child sex offense go by the wayside because it involved a friend of Bush?

It looks like Congressional Republicans special code of secrecy now includes hiding the stark realities that some of their members are sex offenders.  And that my friends, is bad.  The San Francisco Chronicle goes is equally enlightening [America Blog provides a PDF copy of the following exchange between Foley and a young male page].

ABC News reported Friday that Foley also engaged in a series of sexually explicit instant messages with current and former teenage male pages. In one message, ABC said, Foley wrote to one page: “Do I make you a little horny?”

In another message, Foley wrote, “You in your boxers, too? … Well, strip down and get naked.”

This is sick stuff folks.  And the fact that house leadership knew about these issues and did not act is another glaring example that the republican leadership we have today is just another good ol’ boys club (and young boys apparently). 

Since the revelation of Foley’s activities did not come to Speaker Hassert first hand, one has to ask, ‘who else knew?’  Not only is soliciting a minor against the law, a law with even more consequences thanks to the perp in this story, Mark Foley, but there are serious ethics issues as well. 

So I just have one question to ask.  And I think you should too since he is the “Ethics Chair”.  Hey Doc, did you know too?

We will find out soon enough.

And not just the 4th, but the 5th and the 8th Congressional Districts as well.  If you don’t like the idea of an endless war, and don’t condone torture to win it. If you don’t like the astronomical federal deficit and if you are sick and tired of the same old shit when congress and the Bush administration does whatever the fuck they want regardless of what you think, then it is time to step up and give to these candidates.  You may hate it.  You may be totally disgusted that money play’s such a factor in getting good people elected.  But that is the way it is folks and until it can be changed, that is the way it will be.  This congress is lock step in line with one of the most authoritarian administration American history.  And it must change.

Give to Richard Wright, Peter Goldmark and Darcy Burner.

end vent… err….. restart vent…

Update: This is what ticks me off.  There are folks here in Eastern Washington who want change, yet refuse to make the commitment to change.  It doesn’t happen without your help.  If you got an extra $5 give it. If you have more far out!  But give to make a change or this is what we will have to look forward to.  More sexually repressed imoral hacks pretending to be congressmen.  Look, not all republicans are bad.  I think good republicans are the just as important as good democrats.  We just need more of them and right now some balance is in order. 

What a sad day that our own government would give up our values, our system of law, our international agreements for something so immoral.  You righties will obviously scratch and growl that it is necessary for our security and the nebulous war on terror.  But things like this have consequences.  And also a past. A past where the pawns that played the big game of war were marched, starved, electrocuted, whipped… the list goes on. That is why the Geneva Conventions rules were adopted.  It was no accident that those rules were put into place.  The wars that those rules applied were surely different, but ruthless foes have been defeated before without our rules for the humane treatment of prisoners being interpreted otherwise.   Those rules have not always been followed by others, and those rules have been bent by us in the realities in the field, but never before have they been sanctioned by our own government so openly and without regret.

Our two Democratic Senantor’s rejected this today, but so many others did not.

It is a sad day… 

It isn’t often you find the Tri-City Herald on a fact finding mission.  Actually, it may have been a mere observation, or even perhaps a pissed off phone call from 16th Legislative Representative Bill Grant (Walla Walla).  No matter.  When the remarkably lethargic Tri-City Herald gets to pointing out discrepancies in campaign ads it is a good thing.  It appears the republican challenger Kevin Young, however challenged with the truth he may be, is trying to make some hay.

After Young’s victory in last week’s primary, he wasted little time in taking his message to TV audiences. His 30-second ad doesn’t mention his name, except to report that his campaign paid for it.

[...]

The ad states, “Grant voted to keep the death tax on family farms.” That’s not true.

Grant did vote for a measure to re-implement the state’s estate tax after working to double the size of affected estates from $1 million to $2 million.

But he successfully pushed an amendment to exempt family farms from the tax altogether.

Oops.

But the distortion didn’t end there and according to the Herald…

The ad also states the Washington State Farm Bureau thought Grant was so out of touch that it “endorsed his opponent,” a declaration that is made as Young’s campaign is listed on the screen as having paid for the ad.

But the “opponent” the Farm Bureau endorsed was not Young. It was Walla Walla’s Sheryl Cox, who lost to Young in the Republican primary.

Oops again…

Young said the ad was intended to run before the primary but technical glitches held it up and he wasn’t intending to refer to himself.

Uh huh… and had the Herald not noticed you would have said…? 

You can’t make this stuff up.  Good job Tri-City Herald.  Way to uncover the truth… er… well almost.

As it happens, the Herald’s own Chris Mullick doesn’t think distorting the truth is just for Republicans these days, and suggests the same is true for the Democrats in both the Burner-Reichart race as well as Cantwell and McGavick’s. 

This is interesting on two fronts. For one, it’s the same strategy Democrats have used to try to defeat their opponents. U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Auburn, and Senate candidate Mike McGavick have been most aggressively tied with an unpopular President Bush in Democratic press releases and campaign mailers.

Let’s see. Both Bush and Rove have been out fundraising for Reichert.  Reichart’s voting record, which has been the subject of other discussions, has supported the Bush administration 86% of the time.  That might seem moderate in this political climate, but here is Reichart’s own explanation (his words):

Sometimes the leadership comes to me and says, ‘Dave, we want you to vote a certain way.’ Now, they know I can do that over here, that I have to do that over here. In other districts, that’s not a problem, but here I have to be able to be very flexible in where I place my votes. 

You really can’t make this stuff up!!

As far as McGavick is concerned, if the First Lady shows in the Mid Columbia for a McGavick fundraiser, I would say that is pretty close ties.  The insurance industry shill McGavick, is about as close to the republican leadership as it gets.  And if hob knobbing with Ted Stevens and oil industry executives isn’t saying where McGavick will place his loyalties, I really don’t know what is. 

I think the Dems got this one right. 

[But don't start sending Mullick hate mail just yet.  He does do some great stories about puppies too! (sorry, just had to do it - that will qualify as my cheap shot of the week thank you...)  And just to be fair (and to not be accused of distorting the truth myself) Mullick is part of my daily read and has some posted some rather entertaining stuff.]  

And fast too.  With that said, if you are looking for a good service provider, check out Seamlesshost.com.  They got some great tech guys!

I’ve had this site and hosting company for about 4 years or more.  But, it looks like I have outgrown the server that it is hosted on.  So over the course of this week I will be moving to a new hosting company that I will describe as a ‘bit more friendly’.  My mail is down, in fact my entire mailbox is empty and not receiving messages!  Grrr…  Perhaps I have just outgrown the service provider.

Stay tuned.  It may be completely off the map for a bit. 

I just had a great ride.  Nothing better than 1300cc’s pushing you around these corners…

It still doesn’t mean much.  But spin away… [From the Goldmark Campaign]

Washington primary reveals surprising trends for the general election in eastern Washington’s congressional race

Based on primary results, what implications can be drawn for the general election in November? One political tracker who predicted the 2004 congressional race within one percent based on primary results says this year’s results are encouraging for Democratic Congressional candidate Peter Goldmark.

Alonso Rosado, a statistical analyst in the 5th District during the 2004 congressional race, said he believes the primary results this year are a positive sign. “To see this strong a showing for a Democratic candidate in this district is a clear indication of broad-based support. It’s a sign to me that Goldmark is a strong and competitive candidate.”

This year’s primary was the first ever to use a closed ballot that forced voters to cast their votes on a Democratic, Republican or Independent ballot. In Spokane County, which has 65 percent of the district’s votes, and in several other counties, hotly contested and well-funded sheriff’s races prompted Democrats and Independents to cross over and vote on the Republican ballot. That ballot did not include Goldmark.

“As it turned out, more people voted for Goldmark in the primary than expected,” said Goldmark Campaign Manager Jeremiah Levine. “We received more votes in our primary than McMorris did in hers in Okanogan County, and had nearly the same result in Spokane County.”

I like it.  And it is a strong showing in the Big Red 5th.  There is more work to do.  Republicans know this race is competitive and will be lobbing the bombs at Goldmark increasingly over the weeks leading into November.  Give to the Goldmark Campaign and make this campaign successful in November. 

As for the Wright Campaign, I think they are exceptionally upbeat.  I stopped by the Benton County Auditor’s office last night and found an enthusiastic bunch.

While the primary numbers weren’t as close as the other two major congressional campaigns in
Washington, there are some things to consider.

1.  They have won their primary and will face Richard (Doc?) Hastings

2.  For still being a relatively unknown, pulling in these numbers in this heavy red district is a positive start to what has always been an uphill battle.

3.  Crossover votes for Claude Oliver whose 20 odd percent against Hastings will bleed back over to the Wright campaign.

4.  They are perpetually positive! (thanks for the clip Bob).

Again, there is much work to do.  And while the republicans slather the cash over their candidates in the 5th and 8th Districts, now is the time to give to the Wright campaign and give this guy a shot at getting his strong message out there to voters.

I could talk about the Burner Campaign but I don’t need to.  Goldy has taken care of that.  Go Darcy!

But one other race jumped out at me that I hope to follow real close.  That is the race between what will now be the 16th Legislative race between Democrat George Fearing and Republican incumbent Maureen Walsh.  The numbers on Fearing look very good.  What is remarkable is the low turnout in what appears to be a very active Republican party in the 16th LD.  In fact, statewide, Franklin County alone had one of the lowest voter turnouts throughout the state. Pick-a-Party is very unpopular in this neck of the sagebrush and I think the general election could produce a few surprises.  I highly recommend contributing to this candidate.  You can visit his web site here.

Again, in this primary, it likely doesn’t mean much and reading anything into it beyond “we gotta lot more work to do folks” is folly.   Give to your candidates and go Democrats!

I’m with Chris Mullick on this one.  The Washington Primary numbers don’t mean much.  There are some bright spots.  Peter Goldmark did pretty well in Spokane County in the sense of raw numbers.  Richard Wright had a good showing in a largely uncontested 4th district where many voters chose to vote republican over the empty choices for democrats on the ballot.  Especially true in Benton County where just one democratic primary race really mattered, County Coronor (A race we all wish Cope would have won), and an almost predictable turnout for Claude Oliver against Richard (Doc?) Hastings unfolding.   

But probably the most important take away from this primary is the Judicial races.  All three major seats are held.

More later…

It’s Tuesday, and Primary Day.  You know what to do…

Atomic Ale, 1015 Lee Blvd, Richland

7pm

Be there.  I will.

Thanks to mcjoan on Ko’s, Peter Goldmark continues to get “untraditional media” exposure.  Not that there hasn’t been some exposure as she points out by the many links in the post.  But still not enough considering the momentum the Goldmark race has gained against McMorris (and nearly nill by my acounts of the Spokesman Review).  But it is a good note, and my personal prediction that much of the media is playing tight until post-primary numbers are out. 

But that doesn’t matter in the Washington’s 5th CD race as there are only two for the ballot in November (or for the 4th CD for that matter).  What does matter is that the Goldmark candidacy is one of great strength.  And one that shows that it is the district that counts and not a generic republican ideology.  Candidates like this don’t come along every day folks.

Goldmark, like Tester in Montana, is the right candidate at the right time to answer this challenge. He is rural, eastern Washington and knows the problems the district faces first hand. Ag isn’t a particularly sexy topic to run on, especially on a blog like this one. But it’s vital to Washington’s fifth district, and to the entire state’s economy. But Goldmark the Kossack has found a way to bring his experience and interests to this community

When the media really picks up on this race they should thank the bloggers for giving them something to talk about.  So far as anyone could tell, we were the only ones watching.

Keith Olbermann Style…

A picture can say a thousand words…

Support Peter Goldmark for Congress.

I like this blog mostly because it is somewhat of an escape from the usual politicalness of my reading.  Lately I have felt like I just need to get away from it all as the climate sickens me.  Bob summed it up:

I hope my readers understand (and I know most of you do) this systematic sickness that oozes out of the Executive Branch is redefining, in hideously evil ways, what this nation represents to ourselves and to the world.

Spying on citizens. The Patriot Act. Torturing captives. Lies to justify invading a sovereign nation.

This is like spitting on the graves of the victims of 9/11. This is like tonguing the ears of terrorists - turning them on with our willingness to dress like them, to hurt like them, to kill like them.

I’m just in a funk.