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Because Democratic Corporate Tools are more dangerous than Right Wing Corporate Tools.

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Hello, Hello, Hello

Is There Anybody Out There?!

I get it, everyone is busy and sick and completely bored by the blogosphere. The fight was won. Bushco and his criminal crew are gone in just a few short days. We are on to a new chapter in this country...a blissful new chapter of Peace and Love. [Pay no attention to the multiple wars and the economy in the crapper.]

There is nothing left to fight for. Right?

Wrong.

Dammit. We have more work to do than we did when we were fighting the criminality of the Bush Administration and the corrupt Republican Congress over these last 8 long fucking years.

Obama needs a movement.

And, the thing is, Obama recognizes this. Obama knows that he will not be able to implement any significant change unless the people are louder than the lobbyists. It is not enough to police the Democratic Congress and then bitch about it when they do wrong. This will not get us anywhere except for providing us a place to come and bitch and agree with each other. This is not what we need.

This is what Change.gov is all about. It is also why Obama continues to send us a zillion emails. It is not about fundraising right now...we won. There will not be an election for President for four years. All of this communication with us is not for show - it is because Obama needs a movement. Without us screaming louder than the frickin' lobbyists the change will not happen.

There is also Change.org which is a division of Democrats.com. This is the people's side of the Change movement. (Don't go to change.com unless you want to jack-off; change.com is the underwear manufacturer.)

The bottom line, even though we are tired and we are bored, we have work to do. I warned about the let-down and people seemed to agree with me that it would happen. I thought that it would have happened earlier and been over by now...but, I am thinking, the Holidays might have postponed it and might have added to it (family really is a pain in the ass.)

Consider this the pep-talk. (I can only give them, I have a hard time actually following them up with action - so I expect you all, my friends, to call me on it when I start whining...) We have work to do people. Our blog should be more active than it was while fighting the GOP. There are hearings to watch and policing of the Congress to do. Phone calls to make and letters to write. Volunteering to participate in. Movements to initiate. Media to watchdog.

Just nod if you can hear me - Is there anyone at home?

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"(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)"

With a big hat tip to iamcoyote, the republi-con hyprocisy is in high gear. (my highlights)

MINNEAPOLIS-- As residents of New Orleans were fleeing Hurricane Gustav, top Republican party officials donned pink boas and swigged vodka shots at a wild whirl of corporate and lobbyist-paid parties this weekend in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Many corporate sponsors and their lobbyists carried through with plans for lavish entertainment of GOP lawmakers and others despite calls from the campaign of Sen. John McCain that Republicans should tone down the convention festivities.

"We will be contacting corporations and others to ask them to be respectful of events in the gulf," McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said Sunday afternoon.

Yet, last night lobbyists for the National Rifle Association, Lockheed Martin and the American Trucking Association put on a raucus six-hour party at a downtown bar featuring music by the band "Hookers and Blow." There was no evidence of any actual prostitutes or cocaine.

No night off for these republi-con party animals... I'm convinced they were glad the convention got curtailed by an act of God!

And yes, after what this country has been put through for the last 8 years, I'm an intolerant liberal blogger.

One observant Democratic challenger was ready to go... as pointed out by DvilleDem at Daily Kos.

Congressman Bill Shuster (R-PA), a GOP House deputy whip, was seen meeting with a group of lobbyists, who bemoaned McCain's call to tone down the parties which had already been paid for...

On the Sept. 1st Broadcast of ABC’s World News Tonight however, the Congressman can be seen arguing with reporters, fighting for his right to party.

Shuster’s opponent in the 9th Congressional district Tony Barr made the following statement. "We are saddened but not really all that shocked. At a time when the citizens of the Gulf Coast and literally running for their lives, and citizens here in the 9th District are feeling the pinch of an economy floundered by the policies of George Bush and Bill Shuster, where is our Congressman? Holding court with lobbyists who advocate the same failed polices that got us into this mess in the first place. At a time when drugs and drug related crime are the scourge of our streets, there’s Bill Shuster, partying with "hookers and blow!"

I can't wait for the pictures of this party.

UPDATE: Now we know why ATA was supporting a republi-con convention party. ATA (American Trucking Association) will support higher fuel taxes. The bastards...

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It’s the Leadership Dammit

I am angry but it is not materializing in that way...there is this very numb kind of surrender that makes me want to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head.

I am sure that this will return to some kind of outrage that begets action in a couple of days, but right now I am wondering what the point is.

I am not as disappointed in Obama as I am in all of the Dems - most specifically the leadership who did not need to bring this bill to the floor.

I have no idea why they would do this and why they would put the other Dems in the position of having to vote for this stupid piece of shit legislation knowing that many of them need to be re-elected in red districts.

Why would they do this?

As for Obama, and yes I am making excuses, I get why he voted like he did. The vote was 69-28 - voting "Nay" would have made all of us happy but it would have not have changed the final result and would have offered the McCain campaign endless material for "Obama being weak on fighting the terrists."

Right now the only question in the polls where Obama is losing to McCain is in “fighting terrorism.” Obama had to vote for this.

It was posited, by David Bender on AAR the other day, if we could choose for Obama to win the election or to vote “No” on this FISA bill, wouldn’t the choice be clear? I think that this was our choice; it is absolutely possible that voting No on the FISA bill might have killed his campaign. Probably not, but I am not willing to take that chance.

Yes, I am a Progressive and I live in a very Progressive area of the country. Obama does not need to try to win my vote. He does have to try to win the vote of the people in the middle of the country and the people who do not follow legislation closely – the ones who are genuinely afraid of the terrorists and the ones who are swayed by sound-bites.

Even though I wish that he would have stood on his principles – I still believe that he has these principles. I cannot say the same for McCain.

Feingold lays out all of the reasons why this bill is so dangerous and his statement proves why he is, and always will be, my first choice for President. Feingold still believes in Obama and stated, when asked by Rachel Maddow last night, “what is the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans?” that our last, best hope is to elect Obama because “he believes in the Constitution.”

McCain only throws out the word “Constitution” when it sounds good but he prefers to actually throw out the Constitution in practice.

So, when I stop feeling powerless and begin to channel my anger back into action the ACLU is going to court and Strange Bedfellows are also taking action. There is Feingold and he is hiring. Then there’s Bob Wexler. There’s Progressives for Obama who continue to push him.

And, there is always, Obama himself, who invites discussion and dissent and, who I believe, is teachable.

The Leadership of the Congress – the Democratic leadership – brought this piece of shit legislation up. They are the cesspool Id, I get it, but I do not think that we can fault Obama fully for this – what choice did he have? He has to win to make the changes we need. If this vote was the way to winning then I can forgive that. And, fer gawd’s sake, this is not a re-hash of the Obama vs. Hillary fight.

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Dammit, Dammit, Dammit

Full list of capitulators here.

If you have not yet called your Representative and two Senators, please do so now. We have the slimmest possibility of a successful filibuster in the Senate...the slim prospect swells a little with every call to the Senate supporting it.

Greenwald's excellent rundown is well worth the read.

Wired has a fantastic article up as well as links to historical articles on the danger of this bill.

And, as always, Firedoglake is on top of it.

Telecom Immunity - Retroactive Immunity - is such a travesty. I was listening to the call-ins on the SPAN after the vote. Only one caller, out of about 10, Democrat and Republican, supported this vote. Of course, in his heavy southern accent, he pleaded with all of the ignorant callers to "remember 9/11 and the terrists!"

This Country does not support the destruction of our Constitution; the Congress members who underestimate the public's knowledge of what they are doing will be sorry in the fall.

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"McCain’s Murderers Row"

Cliff Schecter is doing a great job on exposing John McCain and his campaign staff.

A new website (firethelobbyists.com) has been created by Campaign Money Watch, to convince Senator McCain to fire three lobbyists working on his campaign that have ties to ruthless dictators. You may recall that over the past two days, two McCain aides have resigned because of their willingness to do public relations work for the Burmese Junta.

It turns out that they have friends in low places, however. I contacted David Donnelly, Director of Campaign Money Watch, for a comment, and what he had to say explains what his group is trying to accomplish:

"John McCain ought to immediately fire three lobbyists — Charlie Black, Tom Loeffler, and Peter Madaigan -- whose lobbying for brutal dictators and foreign governments is every bit as bad as the two lobbyists who left his campaign over the weekend. Frankly, McCain’s campaign is turning out to be an effort of, by, and for these types of Washington influence peddlers. His credentials as a reformer are gone."

Pretty strong words. Yet, if you read what these men have been up to, perhaps not strong enough. It ain't pretty:

"Charlie Black, McCain’s senior counsel and spokesman, began his lobbying career by representing numerous dictators and repressive regimes Black’s firm represented the governor of Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos. According to a 1985 report, the firm Black, Manafort & Stone earned $950,000 plus expenses for its work to provide “advice and assistance on matters relating to the media, public relations and public affairs interests.”1 Black’s firm lobbied on behalf of Mobuto Sese Seko of Zaire, earning $1 million a year for his efforts.2 Black’s firm lobbied on behalf of Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.3 Black’s firm represented Nigerian dictator Ibrahim Babangida, earning at least $1 million for his efforts.4 Black’s firm has represented Equatorial Guinea, an oil-rich state “best known for the outlandish brutality of its rulers.”5 Black represented Angolan rebel and “classical terrorist” Jonas Savimbi, a job that earned him $600,000.6 “We have to call him Africa’s classical terrorist,” Makau Mutua, a professor of law and Africa specialist told the New York Times. “In the history of the continent, I think he’s unique because of the degree of suffering he caused without showing any remorse.”7 In recent years his client list has also included the Iraqi National Congress8, Friends of Blackwater9, and the China National Off-Shore Oil Corp.10 Since 2005, BKSH has received more than $700,000 in fees from foreign entities.11 Thomas Loeffler, co-chairman of McCain’s campaign, has represented the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia paid the Loeffler Group “a whopping $7.9 million from December 1, 2005, though November 2006 -- the largest fee collected from a foreign government by any lobbying firm in 2006,” according to National Journal.12 The Washington Times reported that “Mr. Loeffler's firm has received more than $10 million since 2006 from the Saudi Embassy and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”13 Much of this work was centered on gaining admission for the Kingdom to the World Trade Organization.14 Since 2005, according to the Washington Times, “the Loeffler Group reported more than $11 million in fees from foreign lobbying clients.”15 Peter Madigan, a leading McCain fundraiser, lobbies on behalf of the king of Dubai Madigan has earned upwards of $800,000 to improve the United Arab Emirates’ reputation in the face of a class action lawsuit over the enslavement of boy camel jockeys.16"

You may also remember our story on Charlie Black the other day, regarding his involvement in setting up an anti-Christian ceremony for the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, a man who is not only a felon but in league with Kim Jong-Il of North Korea.

Pleasant company to be sure. And it is only the tip of the iceberg. In The Real McCain, I have two chapters outlining McCain's sordid associations. People who make Jeremiah Wright look like a Red Cross worker.

We need all the ammunition we can get come the fall. It is a national imperative that the republi-cons are defeated.

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