Submitted by BuzzFlash on Wed, 08/20/2008 - 12:04pm.
Dave Lindorff
Well, it's happened, and it's no surprise. Barack Obama, the prospective Democratic presidential candidate, has managed to turn a 5-8 point lead over prospective Republican opponent John McCain into a 7-point deficit -- a double-digit slide -- in just two and a half months following a campaign that had voters really excited over his candidacy. How did he manage this feat (which is documented in the latest Reuters/Zogby poll)? Simple: he followed the tried-and-true strategy of Democratic centrist advisers who have increasingly dominated his campaign since the end of the primaries, and who have a proven track record of producing Democratic electoral disasters now for several decades. Like John Kerry and Al Gore before him, Obama, who ran his primary campaign as a liberal, staking out an anti-war position, has morphed over recent weeks into a Republican-lite candidate, calling for a hard line against Palestinian rights, threatening to attack Iran, calling for an expansion of the disastrous war in Afghanistan, and backing away from genuine health care reform and other important progressive goals here at home.  Technorati Tags: Dave Lindorff Barack Obama John McCain lesser of two evils Zogby progressive Loserville Kerry Gore
Submitted by Chad on Wed, 08/20/2008 - 10:34am.
Be-Elected
I have been talking this week about the neglected topics of the 2008 presidential campaign. So far, I have mentioned education and health care, two topics where Obama stands head and shoulders above McCain, yet the topics haven't seen much light. But today's topic is one where it isn't clear where both candidates stand: the Fourth Amendment. "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
The idea that in 2008, we need a discussion on privacy and the Fourth Amendment is beyond outrageous. We grew up in school learning and believing in the Constitution, but especially the Bill of Rights. The Eighth Amendment has taken a cruel and unusual beating from the Supreme Court. We know the Second Amendment is thriving, thanks to questionable interpretations designed to lead to more murders in our nation's urban areas. And you haven't had to stow away any military personnel lately, so the Third Amendment is in good shape. Technorati Tags: Be-Elected Chad Rubel 2008 race Barack Obama John McCain privacy Fourth Amendment FISA PATRIOT Act
Submitted by Chad on Wed, 08/20/2008 - 9:07am.
Be-Elected
So Barack Obama might decide his running mate today, or not. Hey, it's not like he has to decide soon. Uh, really? Next week? Wow!! Maybe we will know soon.
I have been critical of this timetable because it will diminish momentum for his VP pick. But given the choices so far, perhaps the strategy is brilliant.
Oh, the names being talked about are certainly capable, and are qualified, and are ZZZZZZZZZZ.
In any other year, the names being toted by the MSM as the shortlist would be perfectly acceptable. Same goes for John McCain. But there is something about 2008 that makes the ordinary seem, well, not good enough.
Technorati Tags: Be-Elected Chad Rubel 2008 race Barack Obama John McCain vice president Caroline Kennedy
Submitted by pmcarpenter on Wed, 08/20/2008 - 7:16am.
P.M. Carpenter
THE FIFTH COLUMNIST by P.M. Carpenter
Ah shucks, no announcement yet on Barack Obama's veep choice? I am positively … underwhelmed. I don't mean to imply that I'm apathetic about who Obama's choice (Joe Biden) might be. Naturally it's an important decision for the Democratic candidate, and of course the suspense (Joe Biden) is killing me. But the real veepstakes drama is being played out on the GOP side: It is there that John McCain is rumored to be pondering an actual, honest-to-God, I-kid-you-not game-changer, perhaps with pro-choicer Tom Ridge, or even an 1864like fusion ticket with 'Democrat' Joe Lieberman. Should McCain choose one of them, then finally I would be, well … whelmed. Until such time, however, what's capturing my interest is the apparent,
Technorati Tags: P.M. Carpenter obama mccain presidential campaign attack politics
Submitted by mark karlin on Wed, 08/20/2008 - 4:16am.
Be-Elected
You can register here for the BuzzFlash Conference on "The War Against the Working Class," to be held on Saturday, September 27th at the Philadelphia Convention Center: https://www.buzzflash.com/store/buzzcon08/ With rare exception, the progressive movement does not emphasize working class and union issues. It's time to change that, and that is why this conference will be attended by bloggers, workers (union and wanting to be union), progessives and advocates. Technorati Tags: Be-Elected War Against the Working Class Sep 27th Conference
Submitted by meg on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 2:51pm.
Analysis
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Meg White
One of the favorite adages of journalists was once, "If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out." Now it seems that we've shifted to "I read it in a best-selling non-fiction book; it must be true... oh, it's not? Well, who cares." Jerome Corsi's new, widely discredited book The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality sustained its number one spot on The New York Times bestseller list yet again this week. And for some reason, I find myself thinking of the waves of untruths that have passed through the hands of editors of late. Technorati Tags: Analysis corsi obama matalin obama nation threshold swift boat editing publishing conservative lies
Submitted by Mark on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 11:06am.
Interviews
I mean, what they’re talking about has nothing to do with issues or governing, but it’s just like another bit of noise that goes on. And this campaign has been 23 months long. It is literally a sign of social insanity to take 23 months to elect your leaders. I mean, the Brits can do it in six weeks, and we’re – so we’ve replaced everything with this bizarre sort of horse race. -- Dick Meyer, Author of "Why We Hate Us" * * * Technorati Tags: Interviews Dick Meyer Why We Hate Us Interview
Submitted by Chad on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 10:03am.
Be-Elected
Next week is the Democratic National Convention, the first chance for a lot of voters to see what the Democrats want to do if the party wins the White House in November. We have seen national security and the economy dominate the conversation. But in this series throughout the week, I want to shine a spotlight on the ignored topics. Yesterday, I dealt with education. Today, I deal with a topic that got some notice in the Democratic Party primary, especially between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton: health care. But as horrible as our health care situation, we have heard virtually nothing since early June. There are a lot of American citizens who either voted for Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, or George W. Bush who have a health care nightmare story or know someone who has a health care nightmare story. And yet, they voted for those Republicans for other reasons, certainly not for better health care. Technorati Tags: Be-Elected Chad Rubel 2008 race Barack Obama John McCain health care General Motors health-care plan
Submitted by findingavoice on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 9:14am.
Ann Davidow
FINDING A VOICE by Ann Davidow
Apparently nothing is off limits as McCain seeks to gain the White House. Much time is spent denigrating Barack Obama and trying to befuddle the public with a skewed vision of domestic and world events. With a nod to the religious right, it is clear no stone will be left unturned as he works to grind out a few more votes. Supporters remain enthralled with the celebrity-drill-drill-drill gambit, since these efforts seem to be "working." And just in time to affect the final months of the campaign, Corsi's book arrives to dredge up every debunked ti
Technorati Tags: Ann Davidow McCain Georgia faith
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