I don’t normally read kos, but I did stumble across this gem:
Did you hear that O’Reilly invented the slur “San Francisco values”? Yeah, he also thinks he invented sliced bread and fire.
But let’s talk about “San Francisco values”, you know — tolerance, entrepreneurship, and creativity.
Since O’Reilly boycotts everything he hates, I look forward to his boycott of all Bay Area-origin products. Same with every conservative who bashes San Francisco and the Bay Area. So no iPods or anything Apple. No HP computers. No Google. No Yahoo. No eBay. Those conservative bloggers using Blogspot, MovableType, or TypePad? Sorry. Those products are Bay Area-based.
In what might be the most bizarre battle in the “War on Christmas” (just wait, Bill-O and Gibson will be right on top of the “story” again), a Colorado homeowner is now in a fight with her homeowners association over a wreath… in the shape of a peace symbol.
A homeowners association in southwestern Colorado has threatened to fine a resident $25 a day until she removes a Christmas wreath with a peace sign that some say is an anti-Iraq war protest or a symbol of Satan.
Some residents who have complained have children serving in Iraq, said Bob Kearns, president of the Loma Linda Homeowners Association in Pagosa Springs. He said some residents have also believed it was a symbol of Satan. Three or four residents complained, he said.
“Somebody could put up signs that say drop bombs on Iraq. If you let one go up you have to let them all go up,” he said in a telephone interview Sunday.
Lisa Jensen said she wasn’t thinking of the war when she hung the wreath. She said, “Peace is way bigger than not being at war. This is a spiritual thing.”
Thankfully, it’s not all gone pear-shaped yet:
Kearns ordered the committee to require Jensen to remove the wreath, but members refused after concluding that it was merely a seasonal symbol that didn’t say anything. Kearns fired all five committee members.
Apparently the “peace on earth and goodwill towards men” no longer applies.
Quinnipiac University conducted a “thermometer poll” of prominent politicians, and while Kerry was rightfully panned in the results (39.6 – last out of 20, and below President Bush!), their copy about Kerry was dreadful:
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic nominee who was roundly criticized before the election for suggesting that students who don’t study could end up stuck in Iraq, came in last at 39.6.
Sigh. (He didn’t suggest that students who don’t study could end up stuck in Iraq. Well, I guess he did if you ignore the context of the statement.)
However, what really struck me as astounding is the fact that Condi “I never met a government job I couldn’t suck at” Rice came in fourth – ahead of former President Clinton. Let’s not forget; Rice was the chief national security officer when 9/11 happened and when we went to war against Iraq because of the threat posed to our security by non-existent weapons of mass destruction, and was the chief foreign diplomat when Hezbollah and Israel almost kicked off a major war, tensions with Iran are at an all-time high, and DPRK has actually built and tested nuclear weapons. She also appointed a former business executive with no public health experience – and a staunch “abstinence-only” policy – to the top global AIDS position in the US government. She seems to think of every adversary (or potential adversary) as another Soviet Union, and takes actions consistent with that view. She’s a Cold War expert who thinks Cold War approaches will work in all situations.
Condi Rice is an abject failure as NSA and SoS. That so many people think so highly of her is an absolute mystery to me.
Because people like Mitt Romney are already dead-in-the-water when it comes to winning the Republican primary.
I’ll have much more on Mitt Romney’s liberal record on social issues as the primary heats up. Mitt thinks that he can just erase his Massachusetts-liberal record, but we can’t let him get away with it.
“Christianists” ($1 to Andrew Sullivan) like Matthew Naugle exert an undue amount of influence on the primary process. When Mitt Romney is “too liberal” (like Voinovich) for the base, the candidate that they’ll end up putting forth in the general election will be far too conservative for the general electorate.
Fact: Moderates are increasingly supportive of pro-choice positions. In fact, less than one in four Americans believe that abortion should always be illegal.
Fact: Barely more than half (52%) of Americans feel that gay people should be denied the legal rights and responsibilities of marriage in a “civil union” construct.
Despite this – and his staunchly conservative track record – Romney is a charismatic social conservative, and clearly appeals to voters in the Northeast. He, much like Bush, could win a general election on his charisma alone. But he’s “not conservative enough” for the Christianists. And that doesn’t even begin to address the fact that over half of evangelicals would refuse to vote for a Mormon regardless.
Romney was the most electable of the “non-moderate” Republicans, and the base is staunchly opposed. Relative moderates like Giuliani and McCain, while electable in the general election, have no hope of winning the nomination as long as the Christianists maintain their current level of influence.
Apparently Naugle hasn’t learned the lesson of Blackwell’s terrible defeat. Americans aren’t interested in Christianism. Romney was the best hope you had to get a staunch social conservative in the White House again in ‘08, and you aren’t even interested. What’s the alternative? Frist? Allen? Brownback? None of those guys could win a national election. Romney could.
CNN just announced the numbers for the Kilroy/Pryce race in Ohio’s 15th.
Pryce is still ahead- but only by 1,055 votes (down from the 3,536 votes in unofficial election-night totals). The margin is so slim that it WILL REQUIRE A RECOUNT.
Wired talks about Chevy’s “roll-your-own” ad campaign.
Chevy had already enlisted Internet users for its 2005 introduction of the HHR, a retro-style SUV along the lines of Chrysler’s PT Cruiser. After almost 1,300 people submitted photos and videos promoting the new vehicle, Chevy decided it was time to try this stuff where it really mattered – on the Tahoe, whose astronomical profit margin (about $10,000 per vehicle according to one estimate) makes it critical to the success of Chevrolet and its parent, GM. The Tahoe had just gotten its first makeover in years – serious styling, luxury seats – and its relaunch was at the top of GM’s agenda. So they decided to pull out all the stops: “The Apprentice, for prime-time brand awareness,” explains Kosak, the ad director, “and digital, because everybody is into digital.”
While certain right-leaning bloggers may disagree, this generation of happy, College Republican campers has been moving away from the ’big tent’ message pushed by the GOP.
Gays, immigrants, foreigners, poor people… “Not in MY big tent” seems to be their attitude- at at any cost.
Below are just a few examples…
Local voter registration questioned by Texas A&M students
Battalion, The (Texas A&M University) (TX) — November 9, 2000
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Tuesday’s presidential election proved that every vote does count, but some Texas A&M University students expected to have the opportunity to vote, but could not.
“When the College Republican workers came out to the Callaway House on Sept. 18 to register voters for this election, I registered under the assumption that the College Republicans would be responsible enough to turn my application in,” said Josh Collins, a sophomore business major. “But when I attempted to vote on Tuesday, I was denied, being told that I had not registered.”
—–
Kerry targets GOP over offensive T-shirts… Associated Press Archive – September 26, 2003
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is appealing for donations
in an e-mail accusing college Republicans of allowing the sale of racist
and anti-gay T-shirts at a convention this summer.
Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel condemned the T-shirts …
—–
Web Site Photos Raise Ire Centre Daily Times (State College, PA) – December 5, 2003
UNIVERSITY PARK — The discovery of a photograph of a partygoer
inblackface and a Ku Klux Klan reference posted on the personal
Web page of the Penn State College Republicans’ president
drew outrage from university officials and student groups Thursday.
College Republicans’ President Brian P. Battaglia refused to apologize…
—–
Whites-Only Scholarship Gathers Support Press of Atlantic City, The (NJ) – February 18, 2004 — A whites-only
scholarship at Roger Williams University has generated hundreds of
supportive e-mails and promises of financial support, according to
the student group that created it as a statement against affirmative
action…
—–
Political direct-mail solicitor targets elderly with aggressive letters
Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News – October 28, 2004
The College Republican National Committee has raised nearly $8 million this year through
an aggressive and misleading fund-raising campaign that collected money from senior citizens
who thought they were giving to the election efforts of President Bush and other top Republicans.
Many of the top donors were in their 80s and 90s. The donors wrote checks – sometimes hundreds and,
in at least two cases, totaling more than $100,000 to groups with official sounding-names
—–
Work for Democratic change Daily Campus, The (University of Connecticut) (CT) – September 20, 2006
(U-WIRE) STORRS, Conn. — The College Republicans are probably best known for making
Ann Coulter $16,000 richer to come here and tell us that if she had a gay son, she
would tell him he’s adopted. But providing easy money to Ann Coulter is not all they
are known for. Some famous former College Republicans include super conservative
lobbyist and admitted felon Jack Abramoff, as well as the almost-indicted Karl Rove.
—–
Washington State U. College Republicans’ demonstration sparks controversy
Daily Evergreen (Washington State University) (WA) – November 13, 2006
(U-WIRE) PULLMAN, Wash. — A 24-foot chain-link fence placed on the Glenn
Terrell Mall on Nov. 2 by the Washington State University College Republicans
has become something of a battleground in recent days. WSU faculty, College
Republicans and other students allegedly fired racist and derogatory comments
toward each other, groups said. More than 10 minutes of footage was videotaped
the College Republicans and posted on YouTube.com on Wednesday.
President of the BU College Republicans, and life-long white guy, Joe Mrosczyk announced today that his group will offer a scholarship exclusively for white students.
Evolution happens. But it can also stop and turn on a dime.
A new study of lizards in the Bahamas shows that the natural selection pressures that drive evolution can flip-flop faster than previously thought – even in months.
“Darwin was right about so many things,” said Jonathan Losos, a former Washington University biologist who led the study. “In this case he was wrong. He thought that evolution must occur slowly and gradually.”
The lizards and their changing leg lengths are yet another case of evolution occurring in real time. From finches that evolve longer beaks in a few years to bacteria that adapt to strange feeding regimens in days, evolution, as a science, has leapt out of musty museums and into the field.
Fine, Speaker-Elect Pelosi is thinking about giving the GOP just that, except not the kind of bipartisanship they really care about. Via the Hill:
Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has drafted legislation that would grant soon-to-be-unemployed Republicans severance pay while they look for jobs after Democrats take over control of the chamber on Jan. 4, according to a senior Democratic aide.
Democratic aides have kept details of the proposed severance package secret, such as how much former Republican aides would receive and who would be eligible for compensation. And it is not certain that Pelosi will introduce the resolution on the House floor at all.
Aides do the gruntwork in Washington. They write our laws, take care of constituent services, and fill the basic roles that keep America turning. Through crafty legislation, DC politicians have ensured their salaries go up every year while they have largely forgotten the aides that do the most work for our nation. The Speaker-elect’s bill is a testament to both bipartisan spirit, and appreciation for the hard work these men and women have given for their nation.
And for curious minds, the Senate already has a hefty benefits package that allows aides to receive compensation up to two months after they lose their jobs. One of my dear friends in Senator DeWine’s office certainly needs that pay as she looks for work elsewhere. However, she’s not sad. She voted against her boss.
COLUMBUS – Those involved with the campaign to elect Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell governor argued among themselves and made a lot of mistakes in the months leading up to his defeat on Nov. 7.
On the other hand, those who ran Democrat Ted Strickland’s campaign stayed on message and made the right moves. “You see the result,” said Norman Cummings, Blackwell’s campaign manager.
Cummings and Republican political consultant Paul Wilson appeared last week with Strickland campaign manager Aaron Pickrell and Democratic consultant Will Robinson at a campaign review sponsored by the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at The University of Akron.
The two campaigns took different approaches to the campaign. “We saw issues as important,” Wilson said. “Ken was highly issue-driven. He’s a policy wonk.”
The Strickland camp, on the other hand, focused on its candidate’s image. “We first had to establish trust with the voters,” Pickrell said. “People wanted hope.”
Pickrell said the best way to deal with voter cynicism about politicians, Republican and Democratic, was to define their candidate and connect him to voters.
“We looked at who Ted Strickland is and was,” Robinson said.
Then the campaign tackled issues associated with Strickland’s Turn Around Ohio theme. Robinson said Strickland’s positive ads were “30-second oases” in a sea of negativity and people noticed.
Cummings said the Blackwell camp faced major obstacles, including a lack of money caused in part by a brutal primary battle with Attorney General Jim Petro.
Because they were unable to make a dent in the double-digit lead Strickland had in multiple polls throughout the campaign, they found donors unwilling to provide money.
“We came out of the primary with no money,” Cummings said. “The biggest fear I had was the Strickland campaign would jump on us early. I was never comfortable that we could match them in a head-to-head shootout. We had very long and loud discussions about when we should start (advertising) and what the message would be.”
The campaign had “soft” biographical TV ads prepared but ran them at the end of the campaign instead of the beginning. They went with attack ads instead. Cummings called that a mistake.
The ads had little impact on Strickland. “By mid-July, we were losing ground for no apparent reason,” Cummings said. And from July through mid-September, “nothing happened” to whittle Strickland’s lead. “It was our worst fear.”
Without money, the campaign went silent on TV for six weeks. And even when positive ads started airing about Blackwell’s background and plans to create jobs, his negative numbers went up.
“It was disheartening,” Wilson said.
And while Blackwell linked unpopular Gov. Bob Taft to Petro during the primary, he couldn’t attack Taft in the general election for fear of alienating Republicans he needed to win.
The Blackwell camp had a hard time distancing its candidate from Ohio’s corruption scandals. “This corruption issue was a very big albatross,” Wilson said.
A former GOP fundraiser at the center of a scandal-plagued state investment in rare coins that helped Democrats seize power in the midterm elections was sentenced Monday to 18 years in prison.
Tom Noe, a prominent coin dealer accused of taking at least $2 million, was convicted last week of theft, corrupt activity, money laundering, forgery and tampering with records.
Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Osowik, who described the crime as an “elaborate scheme of theft on a large scale,” also fined Noe $120,000.
“You continued to spend the bureau’s money at what I thought was a shockingly, alarmingly large rate, and done for one purpose: to present some type of a facade that you had a bottomless cup of wealth and luxury at your disposal, when in fact it was at the state’s expense,” Osowik said.
Just wanted to ping the world to let everyone know that I’m back from a productive week in Tampa (and one crazy college football game) with all my fingers and toes intact. Just working thru the backlog, and with Thanksgiving coming up, it may be a little while yet before I can settle back into the daily routine of posting on Plunderbund.
Just wanted to squash the rumors, in case anyone cared: “I’m not dead yet!”
The nefarious “liberal media” strike again!
by Brian on November 27, 2006 · Comments
Quinnipiac University conducted a “thermometer poll” of prominent politicians, and while Kerry was rightfully panned in the results (39.6 – last out of 20, and below President Bush!), their copy about Kerry was dreadful:
Sigh. (He didn’t suggest that students who don’t study could end up stuck in Iraq. Well, I guess he did if you ignore the context of the statement.)
However, what really struck me as astounding is the fact that Condi “I never met a government job I couldn’t suck at” Rice came in fourth – ahead of former President Clinton. Let’s not forget; Rice was the chief national security officer when 9/11 happened and when we went to war against Iraq because of the threat posed to our security by non-existent weapons of mass destruction, and was the chief foreign diplomat when Hezbollah and Israel almost kicked off a major war, tensions with Iran are at an all-time high, and DPRK has actually built and tested nuclear weapons. She also appointed a former business executive with no public health experience – and a staunch “abstinence-only” policy – to the top global AIDS position in the US government. She seems to think of every adversary (or potential adversary) as another Soviet Union, and takes actions consistent with that view. She’s a Cold War expert who thinks Cold War approaches will work in all situations.
Condi Rice is an abject failure as NSA and SoS. That so many people think so highly of her is an absolute mystery to me.
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