President Obama's post-partisan America has disappeared, replaced by the politics of polarization, resentment and division.God, that’s hilarious (and not particularly original either, as noted here...last bullet).
In a Univision interview on Monday, the president, who campaigned in 2008 by referring not to a "Red America" or a "Blue America" but a United States of America, urged Hispanic listeners to vote in this spirit: "We're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us."
Recently, Obama suggested that if Republicans gain control of the House and/or Senate as forecast, he expects not reconciliation and unity but "hand-to-hand combat" on Capitol Hill.
What a change two years can bring.
We can think of only one other recent president who would display such indifference to the majesty of his office: Richard Nixon.
Continuing with Caddell/Schoen…
As Election Day approaches, the president and others in the Democratic leadership have focused on campaign finance by moneyed interests - an ancillary issue serving neither party nor country. They have intensified attacks on business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and individual political operatives such as Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie - insisting that organizations are fronting for foreign campaign money and large secret donations and campaign expenditures. Even the New York Times has noted that "a closer examination shows that there is little evidence" that these organizations have engaged in activities that are "improper or even unusual."In response, I give you Greg Sargent responding to a similar charge from Karl Rove (here, and I would ask that you substitute the Sierra Club with the League of Conservation Voters for the purposes of argument)…
It astounds us to hear such charges from the president given that his presidential campaign in 2008 refused to disclose the names of all of its donors, and in past election cycles many liberal groups, such as the Sierra Club and the Center for American Progress, refused to disclose their contributors.
The comparison to the Center for American Progress is absurd, because it does not and has never run campaign ads. The League of Conservation Voters has only spent a paltry $1.3 million this cycle -- an infinitesimal fraction of the right's spending. It pays for ads out of several committees. Nearly half of LCV's spending came from a committee that does, in fact, disclose its donors, according to a group spokesman.And on top of all this, the following New York Times article shows why, when it comes to campaign contributions, the Nixon White House had more in common with Karl and his pals (including Caddell and Schoen) than Obama ever will.
LCV does also spend for ads out of a 501 c4, which doesn't disclose donors, but there's substantial donor overlap between the two committees, so we already have a very good idea of who they are. The Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund is also a 501 c4, and doesn't disclose.
But even so, Rove's assertions about these groups are still absurd, because we already know what their issue positions and agendas are. What's more, Obama and Dems tried to pass the DISCLOSE Act this summer -- which would have forced such organizations to disclose their donors.
As for Rove's claim that literally tens of millions of Obama's contributions remained secret, the reality is that 90.2 percent of the hundreds of millions Obama raised were disclosed. And the comparison of conservative spending to labor, echoed by many on the right, has already been debunked by one lone blogger, Ben Smith.
By all means, let's fact-check the living heck out of the White House/Dem attacks on Chamber foreign money. But the steady stream of falsehoods and distortions coming from major players on the right deserves a look, too.
And based on this, it’s pretty clear who the drillers are bankrolling in the PA gubernatorial election, thus expecting Tom Corbett to do basically whatever the drillers want (all the more reason to vote for Dan Onorato tomorrow).
(House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi has boasted of the $5 trillion increase in the national debt and the punitive, legislative warfare that she championed through Congress that has squandered our treasury and left us the greatest debtor nation on earth. Restoring some level of fiscal sanity will not be easy, but it is the most urgent task. Fiscal discipline will require a line-by-line review of the budget, a practice that elected officials love to discuss but rarely execute.On the subject of “restoring some level of fiscal sanity,” I give you the following from here, when Doan took up space as Bushco’s head of the General Services Administration (referencing a nested New York Times story from 2008)…
Americans cannot continue the Pelosi madness of borrowing money from China to redistribute to union activists and favorite left wing causes. Nor can our nation, once again, extend unemployment benefits for additional years after making payments for the already mandated two years.
Consider the State Department employee who slapped down a government credit card to buy $360 worth of boutique lingerie before heading off to drug enforcement training in the Ecuador jungle. Or the postal worker who ran up $14,000 in Internet dating services on his federal card. And a now legendary Forest Service official who used government credit to pay off $640,000 worth of gambling debts, car expenses and six years of mortgage payments. What makes it even more outrageous, is that it took a whistle-blower, not an internal monitor, to uncover this wholesale trashing of the government’s — i.e. the peoples’ — credit.What does Doan have to do with this? Well, when she was GSA head under Bushco, her agency failed to do its due diligence and let these charges all slip by (on our dime, of course).
For late-night comedy writers, these findings and numerous other abuses are priceless. For all other taxpayers, they’re appalling.
Millions of dollars in charges ranging from questionable to outrageous were uncovered in just a 15-month spot check of a few agencies by Congressional auditors. One sampling of $2.7 million in card purchases found more than $1.8 million worth of laptop computers, iPods and digital cameras could not be accounted for.
And here are some more credit card charges…$14,000 for Internet dating services and a dinner at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Orlando, Fla.; $45,000 at Brooks Brothers and similar stores for tailor-made suits — $7,000 of which were purchased a week before Christmas; and $642,000 from 180 convenience checks written by an Agriculture department employee for a live-in boyfriend over a six-year period.
Only in the wingnutosphere could someone like Lurita Doan pose as an expert in money management. I suppose clownhall’s next editorial offering, then, will be Karl Rove on the importance of campaign finance reform.
And…Marine Vet: “Mike Fitzpatrick, I Fought For Your Freedom. Stop Playing Politics With Our Votes.”
Decorated Marine veteran tells Mike Fitzpatrick to put a stop to the political games and let his mother vote; Joins other Bucks County residents whose votes are on GOP-Fitzpatrick target list and in danger of not being counted.
(Bristol, PA) – On Saturday, October 30, Patrick Murphy joined voters who had already cast ballots, only to learn on Friday that their votes are in danger of being tossed out due to a massive, far-reaching challenge by GOP operatives intent on using Florida-style Bush tactics to suppress turnout and steal the election in Bucks County. They called on Mike Fitzpatrick put an end to the efforts to disenfranchise thousands of voters in Bucks County.
Tony Rakoczy, a young decorated Marine from Levittown, talked about fighting for his country at the Battle of Fallujah in 2004 and suffering severe injuries after an IED blast nearly cost him his life. Though the explosion left him 100% service-connected disabled, Tony was proud to serve his country and fight for our democratic freedoms. Today, six years after returning from battle, Tony’s mother is being denied the very democratic freedoms for which Tony risked his life. Patricia, a longtime Levittown resident and registered Democrat, is going to be out of Pennsylvania on Election Day and so voted by absentee ahead of time. But Republican operatives desperate to win an election have filed a baseless challenge to her vote in a sweeping Florida-style attempt to toss out thousands of valid Democratic ballots and steal the election for Mike Fitzpatrick.
“Fitzpatrick is playing politics with the freedoms I risked my life to defend, telling my mom her vote isn’t going to county,” Tony Rakoczy said. “Mike Fitzpatrick, I fought for your freedoms. Now I’m asking you to do the right thing. Stand up, be a man, and stop playing political games with my mom’s right to vote.”
“I did everything I was supposed to do and sent in my vote,” Patricia Rakoczy said, “but Mike Fitzpatrick and the Republicans are trying to take that away. My baby fought for his country. This isn’t right.”
Bill Kiernan from Levittown spoke for his daughter, Sam, a college student in Maryland and read a statement for her:
“Even though I’m at college, I was determined to have my vote count. I made sure to apply on time for my ballot. I filled out my vote, signed it, double checked it, and stuck it in the mail – just like I was supposed to do. Now Mike Fitzpatrick tells me, if he gets his way, my vote won’t count because he doesn’t like how I voted. Unfortunately, Mr. Fitzpatrick, I learned in my political science intro class that it doesn’t work like that. I’m asking you to do the right thing. Stop playing political games with my right to vote. Sincerely, Sam.”
Her father added, “Mike, how dare you try to disenfranchise my daughter – a registered eligible voter – because you will do anything to win your election. I know that I can look my kid in the eye and tell her I’m doing everything I can to protect people’s right to vote. Can you?”
Also, I should note that the Bucks County Courier Times has featured a few full-page ads over the last two weeks accusing Murphy of everything under the sun, and each day, a little blue dot in the paper’s front-page banner has been telling everyone to go to the page where the ad is located (assuming the paper’s readers are not able to find the full-page ad on their own).OUTRAGE: More Dem Voters Targeted by GOP Witch Hunt Voice Anger
Bucks County voters call on Mike Fitzpatrick to end political games and protect their right to vote
(Bristol, PA) – Democrats in Bucks County continue to discover that they are targets of the GOP’s witch hunt, as more learn that their names are on a list of voters that Mike Fitzpatrick and his GOP operatives are attempting to disenfranchise. Voters on the target list – including disenfranchised veterans, a nine-month pregnant woman, and college students - are joining the calls for Mike Fitzpatrick to put an end to the political games and allow their eligible vote to count.
Yesterday, Murphy listened to voters who are on the GOP’s target list express outrage over Mike Fitzpatrick and his GOP operatives’ attempt to steal the election using Florida-style Bush tactics:
“Six years ago, I put the Marine uniform on for my country and shipped out to fight in Iraq at the battle of Fallujah. I almost lost my life several times in IED blasts and fire fights. Mike Fitzpatrick, I’m asking you to step up, be a man, and stop playing political games. Let my mom’s vote count. I served my country. And I served for your freedom.”
- Tony Rakoczy, decorated Marine who served in Battle of Fallujah, 2004
“I did everything I was supposed to do and sent in my vote, but Mike Fitzpatrick and the Republicans are trying to take that away. My baby fought for his country. This isn’t right.”
- Patricia Rakoczy, Tony’s Mother, Levittown
“Even though I’m at college, I was determined to have my vote count. I made sure to apply on time for my ballot. I filled out my vote, signed it, double checked it, and stuck it in the mail – just like I was supposed to do. Now Mike Fitzpatrick tells me, if he gets his way, my vote won’t count because he doesn’t like how I voted. Unfortunately, Mr. Fitzpatrick, I learned in my political science intro class that it doesn’t work like that. I’m asking you to do the right thing. Stop playing political games with my right to vote.”
- Sam Kiernan, Levittown
“Mike, how dare you try to disenfranchise my daughter – a registered eligible voter – because you will do anything to win your election. I know that I can look my kid in the eye and tell her I’m doing everything I can to protect people’s right to vote. Can you?”
- Bill Kiernan, Levittown
“I’ve voted in Bucks County for years, and when I found out last-minute that I would be out of town for business, I immediately applied for my absentee ballot, filled it out, and sent back my vote. Yesterday, I heard I’m on Mike Fitzpatrick’s target list of the votes he’s trying to toss out – and I won’t have another chance to vote. How can he get away with this? Mike Fitzpatrick, I’m asking you to do the right thing. Stand up, be a man, and stop playing political games with my right to vote.”
- Dorothy Wax, Langhorne
Other stories have been pouring in as more people learn that the GOP is attempting to strike their vote.
“My name is Amie Proctor and I live in Morrsiville. I voted absentee because I’m nine-months pregnant and am due next week. So, I might be a little preoccupied on Election Day. Just in case there was any question, I even sent the Board of Elections my doctor’s business card so they could check. Now I’m on their target list to have my vote tossed out. Who on earth do these Republicans think they are, to tell me while I’m nine-months pregnant that I can’t vote?”
- Amie Proctor, Morrisville
“They can’t take away my vote. I am not going to be here on Election day. If they try to take away my vote, which is a legal vote, whoever is doing this is going to have a problem. I am a veteran of the Iraq War. I fought to preserve the right to vote. Whoever is doing this, will have to look me in the eye and explain how he can possibly do this, because he is wrong.”
- Stephen Capaldi, Iraq War Veteran, Levittown
“It’s my ballot. I requested it. I signed it. I sent it in. No one sent me anything or asked me to do anything. I’m disenfranchised, and I’m angry about it.”
- Vincent Plebani, 57, Langhorne
“I did fill out an absentee ballot application and I did fill it out correctly and honestly, since I am in school in Boston. I am very concerned and dismayed that Mike Fitzpatrick has discounted my vote. I wish that I were home or could get home so that my vote would count.”
- Dana Roccograndi, 20, Richboro
I have neither the time nor the desire to try and debunk the garbage the Fitzpatrick campaign and the Bucks County Republican Party has been hurling at the Murphy campaign. Even though Murphy and the Democrats have been relentless in pillorying Fitzpatrick, I believe the preponderance of truth is very much on the side of the incumbent as opposed to the challenger. And it also speaks volumes to me that Mike Fitzpatrick, in typical fashion, has chosen to hide behind sleazy ads and voter disenfranchisement tactics (apparently, aside from the testimonials above which are powerful in and of themselves, nothing happening on the absentee ballot story today) in the waning days of the campaign without even bothering to write a Guest Opinion (now watch the paper publish one tomorrow when the Murphy campaign will not be able to respond).
Please click here to find your polling place to vote for Patrick Murphy, Steve Santarsiero, John Toth, Joe Sestak, and other worthy PA Dems.
This is it!
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