Blue Spot

Politico: Axe ripped Fitzgerald’s patronage purge

2008-12-09T20:04:00.001-05:00

Axe ripped Fitzgerald’s patronage purge - Kenneth P. Vogel - Politico.com

Patrick Fitzgerald’s charges against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich have drawn a chorus of shock and outrage.

But Barack Obama’s message man David Axelrod once staked out a much more nuanced position on Fitzgerald’s anti-corruption crusade.

In a 2005 op-ed, Axelrod argued, in effect, that trading political favors – including jobs – is part of the grease that makes government work.

He ripped Fitzgerald at the time for trying “to use the criminal code to enforce (his) vision” of “entirely remov(ing) politics from government.”

The piece in the Chicago Tribune was prompted by Fitzgerald’s indictment of aides to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley for conspiring to give city jobs as political favors. Daley was Axelrod’s client at the time.

Axelrod stressed he wasn’t condoning the test-rigging or document shredding Fitzgerald alleged in that case.

Of course, the specifics of the 2005 case differ from the one Fitzgerald unveiled Tuesday, in which federal prosecutors accuse Blagojevich of trying to auction off Obama’s Senate seat and being involved in a wide-ranging pay-to-play scheme.
Still, Axelrod’s musings make for an interesting read while Obama – no doubt with Axelrod’s assistance – formulates a strategy for dealing with the Blagojevich case, which doesn’t implicate Obama.

“The democratic process is often messy,” Axelrod wrote in the op-ed. “Diverse constituencies fight fiercely for their priorities. Their elected representatives use the influence they have to meet those needs, including sometimes the exchange of favors – consideration for jobs being just one.

“When a congressman responds to the president's request for support for a judicial nominee or a trade deal by replying that he'd like the president's backing for a new bridge in his district, he's fighting for his constituents. If the money for that bridge is approved over a worthier project elsewhere, should the deal between the two officials become a crime?” Axelrod wondered, questioning whether a “system free of political influence … is really desirable.”

Obama says climate change a matter of urgency

2008-12-09T19:53:00.003-05:00

Obama says climate change a matter of urgency | Reuters

CHICAGO, Dec 9 (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama said on Tuesday attacking global climate change is a "matter of urgency" that will create jobs as he got advice from Al Gore, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the issue.

In remarks to reporters, Obama made clear he would adopt an aggressive approach to global warming when he takes over the White House on Jan. 20.

He and Vice President-elect Joe Biden met for nearly two hours with former Vice President Gore at Obama's presidential transition office in Chicago.

"All three of us are in agreement that the time for delay is over, the time for denial is over," Obama said.

He said he would work with Democrats and Republicans, businesses, consumers and others with a stake in the issue to try to reach a consensus on a bold, aggressive approach to tackling the problem.

"This is a matter of urgency and of national security and it has to be dealt with in a serious way. That's what I intend my administration to do," Obama said.

Obama had a willing accomplice in Gore, whose won a Nobel in 2007 for his years-long effort to educate people about the gradual warming of the planet and to argue against those scientists who believe a warming trend is a naturally occurring event.

There was no talk of offering Gore a job in the Obama administration. Gore has indicated he is not interested in a position of climate "czar" or any Cabinet post.

Just two days after Obama won the Nov. 4 election, Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection rolled out a media campaign to push for immediate investments in energy efficiency, renewable power generation like wind and solar technology and the creation of a unified national power grid.

Gore and his group are in line with most U.S. environmental groups, which believe the Obama administration has a chance to stem global warming.

Critics have accused the outgoing Bush administration of stalling on the issue, but the White House insists it is taking steps aimed at addressing the problem without damaging the U.S. economy.

"We have the opportunity now to create jobs all across this country, in all 50 states, to re-power America, to redesign how we use energy, to think about how we are increasing efficiency, to make our economy stronger, make us more safe, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and make us competitive for decades to come, even as we're saving the planet," Obama said.

IL governor tried to sell Obama's Senate seat

2008-12-09T19:22:00.003-05:00

NY Rep. King interested in NY Senate seat

2008-12-09T13:40:00.002-05:00

The Associated Press: NY Rep. King interested in NY Senate seat

WASHINGTON (AP) — New York Republican congressman Peter King told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he is preparing for a run for the New York Senate seat, even if that means facing off against Caroline Kennedy.

"I am seriously considering the race for Hillary Clinton's seat," King told The AP. "I'm very serious about it."

The eight-term lawmaker from Long Island said New York's GOP chairman Joseph Mondello "supports me 100 percent," and that state Conservative Party chair Michael Long has responded positively.

The son of an NYPD lieutenant, King said he "would genuinely represent the interests of blue-collar conservatives."

King's announcement is the latest twist in a political drama over who will succeed Clinton should she be confirmed as President-elect Barack Obama's secretary of state.

Her successor would be appointed by New York Gov. David Paterson, and about a dozen Democrats are vying for that position. Kennedy's family has said she is interested in the seat.

Whoever is appointed would hold the job for two years, and run for election in 2010, against King or some other New York Republican.

King said the appointment of Kennedy would not scare him out of the campaign.

Chris Matthews Advised To Leave MSNBC And Begin Senate Campaign

2008-12-04T16:03:00.002-05:00

Chris Matthews Advised To Leave MSNBC And Begin Senate Campaign, Report Says | AHN | December 4, 2008

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - NBC anchor and pundit Chris Matthews has been advised to quit his post at the network and begin his campaign for senator of Pennsylvania, according to a report.

Speculation is rife that Matthews, host of MSNBC's "Hardball," wants to challenge Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), one of the most senior members of the Senate, in 2010. The 62-year old political commentator has been advised to resign from NBC "as soon as possible" and enter the race in order to demonstrate that he is serious about his candidacy, Politico quotes some Democratic operatives.

But the report also quotes NBC sources as saying talk of a Matthews' run is a ploy to have leverage during negotiations when his contract expires in June.

Matthews last week met with Democratic State Committee Chairman T.J. Rooney and executive director Mary Isenhour in Washington, D.C. about a possible Senate bid, according to The Patriot-News. He is also said to be looking for a house in the Keystone state.

Matthews, whose journalistic career includes more than a decade working as Washington, D.C. bureau chief for the San Francisco Examiner and a David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism, has been accused of being biased and favoring then-Senator Barack Obama during the election.

He had repeatedly expressed admiration for Obama's speeches, famously describing the feeling he had during one of them by saying there was "a thrill going up my leg." During the protracted primary race between Obaman and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Matthews had to apologize to viewers and to the former first lady after he came under fire for saying Clinton's support was due to sympathy for her and her husband's infidelity.

Gates expected to stay on as Obama’s defense secretary

2008-11-25T20:48:00.001-05:00

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Gates expected to stay on as Obama’s defense secretary « - Blogs from CNN.com

CHICAGO (CNN) – Several officials close to President-elect Barack Obama's transition told CNN on Tuesday that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to stay on the job for at least the first year of the new administration, with one source calling it "all but a done deal" that the official nomination could be announced as early as next week.

"It's now pointing in that direction," one of the sources close to the transition said of Gates being part of Obama's national security team, which many say also is likely to include Sen. Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.

"It's likely to happen," a second source close to the transition said of Gates staying on. This source noted that Gates could stay longer than a year if he and Obama end up working well together.

Sources close to the transition have said Obama is interested in some continuity at the Pentagon because he is entering office having to deal with two wars — in Iraq and Afghanistan — as well as the international financial crisis.

The president-elect also has made no secret of his interest in having divergent views within his Cabinet.

Schumer Steps Down From D.S.C.C. Post

2008-11-25T11:17:00.001-05:00

Schumer Steps Down From D.S.C.C. Post - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com

After two election cycles in which the Democrats gained at least 13 seats in the Senate, Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York is stepping down as chairman of the party’s campaign committee.

Mr. Schumer, the senior senator from New York, is expected to turn the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee over to Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey — keeping control of the campaign operation close to Wall Street, party officials said.

In 2006, Mr. Schumer led the successful Democratic drive to win back control of the Senate from the Republicans. The Democrats picked up six seats that year, bringing them to a razor-thin 51 to 49 majority, thanks to two independents who organize with the Democrats.

In recognition of his efforts, Mr. Schumer was named to a new leadership position as the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, after the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, and the whip, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois.

This year, the Democrats have expanded their majority to at least 58 seats, with two races still undecided in Minnesota and Georgia. The unfinished races in Minnesota, where a recount is underway, and in Georgia, where a runoff will be held on Dec. 2, have kept alive the Democrats hopes of controlling 60 seats — the number needed to overcome filibusters and push legislation to a vote.

To Republicans, Mr. Schumer has become a symbol of raw and merciless politicking and his name is often invoked when the Republicans complain of unsavory campaign tactics such as a series of television advertisements this year attacking Republican incumbents for supporting the $700 billion bailout for the financial system.

Mr. Schumer himself voted in favor of the $700 billion bailout, but Democratic candidates made substantial gains by painting Republican Senators as beholden to President Bush on economic policies including the Treasury Department’s rescue plan.

Mr. Menendez will take over the campaign operations at a time of continuing strength for the Democrats. In 2010, 19 Senate Republicans will be up for re-election compared to just 15 Democrats, giving the Democrats an important numerical advantage.

Mr. Schumer at times has also vexed and impressed his fellow Democrats by seeming to insert himself into virtually every issue and in front of virtually every television camera. This weekend, for instance, he became the first Congressional Democrat to estimate the size of a potential economic recovery package. He pegged the effort at $500 billion to $700 billion at a time when President-elect Barack Obama and other party leaders have sought to be circumspect about the precise cost.

President pardons 14, commutes sentences of two others

2008-11-24T20:38:00.002-05:00

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - President pardons 14, commutes sentences of two others « - Blogs from CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Who might receive the ultimate in White House holiday gifts — a presidential grant of clemency — is one of the hottest Washington guessing games today.

The wait for 16 applicants is over. Fourteen people received a pardon from President George Bush and the sentences of two others were commuted, the Justice Department announced Monday. A commutation reduces a convict's prison term, but the conviction remains on the person's record.

Among those receiving commutations was rap singer John Forte, who was charged with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. He was sentenced to 168 months in prison and five years supervised release. His prison term will now end on Dec. 22 of this year, and his release will still be supervised.

Those receiving pardons were not nationally-known and included persons convicted of marijuana use, unauthorized acquisition of food stamps and bank embezzlement.

Still unknown is how many more pardons and commutations the President may grant before he leaves office.

"The President carefully considered recommendations for pardons and commutations on a case-by-case basis and made his determinations. He will continue to review clemency requests," Assistant White House Press Secretary Carlton Carroll said.

Among the many who have applied are former Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham, Republican from California, who was convicted of receiving bribes, publishing executive Conrad Black, who was found guilty of fraud and John Walker Lindh, who was given a 20 year sentence after pleading guilty to supporting terrorists in Afghanistan.

Not including the ones granted on Monday, this administration has given 157 pardons and 6 commutations — far fewer than his predecessors considering this president has served two terms.

Minn. Senate Race Tightens In Recount

2008-11-22T18:23:00.001-05:00

Minn. Senate Race Tightens In Recount, With 60% Of Ballots Re-Examined GOP Incumbent Leads By 115 Votes, But Challenges Remain - CBS News

(AP) The weekend isn't bringing any respite in the Minnesota Senate recount.

Ballots in the ultra-close race between Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken are being counted in at least three counties Saturday.

Fifty-three counties have reported complete results to the secretary of state, meaning fewer than three dozen remain. As of Friday night, at least 60 percent of the estimated 2.9 million ballots had gotten a second look.

Coleman entered the recount with a 215-vote edge over Franken. That lead has dropped to 115 votes when comparing totals in precincts where the new count is complete. But the figure doesn't include ballot challenges, which have caused vote tallies for both men to drop.

There have been 1,525 challenges between the campaigns, although some could be withdrawn before the Canvassing Board's Dec. 16 meeting.

Officials for Coleman and Franken said Friday they'll review the hundreds of challenges they've made so far in their Senate race recount - and withdraw some - before the state Canvassing Board meets next month to consider them.

Minnesota's Senate battle is one of two that are unresolved, with Georgia's headed for a Dec. 2 run-off. If Democrats win both, they would have a 60 seat majority in the Senate.

Halperin: 'extreme pro-Obama' press bias

2008-11-22T16:56:00.001-05:00

Halperin at Politico/USC conf.: 'extreme pro-Obama' press bias - Alexander Burns - Politico.com

Media bias was more intense in the 2008 election than in any other national campaign in recent history, Time magazine's Mark Halperin said Friday at the Politico/USC conference on the 2008 election.

"It's the most disgusting failure of people in our business since the Iraq war," Halperin said at a panel of media analysts. "It was extreme bias, extreme pro-Obama coverage."

Halperin, who maintains Time's political site "The Page," cited two New York Times articles as examples of the divergent coverage of the two candidates.

"The example that I use, at the end of the campaign, was the two profiles that The New York Times ran of the potential first ladies," Halperin said. "The story about Cindy McCain was vicious. It looked for every negative thing they could find about her and it case her in an extraordinarily negative light. It didn't talk about her work, for instance, as a mother for her children, and they cherry-picked every negative thing that's ever been written about her."

The story about Michelle Obama, by contrast, was "like a front-page endorsement of what a great person Michelle Obama is," according to Halperin.

The former ABC News political director acknowledged that some of the press coverage was simply reflecting the reality of Obama's presidential campaign.

"You do have to take into account the fact that this was a remarkable candidacy," Halperin said. "There were a lot of good stories. He was new."

New York magazine's John Heilemann, one of Halperin's co-panelists, offered another reason for all the positive press coverage Obama received.

"The biggest bias in the press is towards effectiveness," said Heilemann, who is authoring a book on the 2008 race along with Halperin.

"We love things that are smart."

Because Obama's campaign was generally so well run, he argued, the press tended to applaud even his negative tactics.

"We'll scold you for being negative," Heilemann said, "but if it seems to be working, the tone of your coverage becomes more positive."

Another of Halperin's fellow participants, Los Angeles Times writer Mark Barabak, disagreed more strongly with the Time writer's comments. Still, Halperin's general point met with little resistance

"I think it's incumbent upon people in our business to make sure that we're being fair," he said. "The daily output was the most disparate of any campaign I've ever covered, by far."

Will Obama's biggest confrontation come from the left-wing?

2008-11-19T22:02:00.009-05:00

Democracy Now! | Ex-CIA Officials Tied to Rendition Program and Faulty Iraq Intel Tapped to Head Obama's Intelligence Transition Team

...questions are already being raised about the people heading Obama’s transition efforts on intelligence policy. John Brennan and Jami Miscik, both former intelligence officials under George Tenet, are leading the review of intelligence agencies and helping make recommendations to the new administration. Brennan has supported warrantless wiretapping and extraordinary rendition, and Miscik was involved with the politicized intelligence alleging weapons of mass destruction in the lead-up to the war on Iraq.

MELVIN GOODMAN: OK. John Brennan was deputy executive secretary to George Tenet during the worst violations during the CIA period in the run-up to the Iraq war, so he sat there at Tenet’s knee when they passed judgment on torture and abuse, on extraordinary renditions, on black sites, on secret prisons. He was part of all of that decision making.

Jami Miscik was the Deputy Director for Intelligence during the run-up to the Iraq war. So she went along with the phony intelligence estimate of October 2002, the phony white paper that was prepared by Paul Pillar in October 2002. She helped with the drafting of the speech that Colin Powell gave to the United Nations—[inaudible] 2003, which made the phony case for war to the international community.

So, when George Tenet said, "slam dunk, we can provide all the intelligence you need,” [inaudible] to the President in December of 2002, it was people like Jami Miscik and John Brennan who were part of the team who provided that phony intelligence. So what I think people at the CIA are worried about—and I’ve talked to many of them over the weekend—is that there will never be any accountability for these violations and some of the unconscionable acts committed at the CIA, which essentially amount to war crimes, when you’re talking about torture and abuse and secret prisons. So, where are we, in terms of change? This sounds like more continuity.

Left-wing concerned over Obama foreign policy
Uploaded by marc1a

The left-wing is starting to show concern over Obama's recent choices for his transition team, his cabinet and what seems to many in the anti-war movement as an embrace of the militaristic policies of the 90's. Obama's foreign policy critics may soon come from many on the left-wing who may have supported Obama's campaign but now want to make sure he lives up to the promises he made for true change.

Senator rips auto industry at bailout hearing

2008-11-18T19:42:00.002-05:00

Senator rips auto industry at bailout hearing - Nov. 18, 2008

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The case for a bailout of U.S. automakers came under sharp scrutiny on Tuesday at a congressional hearing that portrayed the Big Three as both short-sighted in their business strategies and central to the economy.

"Their board rooms in my view have been devoid of vision," said Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. "They have promoted and often driven the demand of inefficient, gas guzzling vehicles, and dismissed the threat of global warming."

Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, spoke as Congress kicked off the first of two days of hearings over whether the government should extend a lifeline to the nation's troubled automakers.

The head of the powerful United Auto Workers union, testifying side by side with the industry's top CEOs, said the failure of one automaker would shatter consumer confidence in the other two.

"If one of these companies goes into bankruptcy, I'd be willing to bet it takes two, or possibly all three, with them," said Ron Gettelfinger , president of the autoworkers' union, said during questioning.

The industry, already struggling because of high labor costs and weak sales, is being stung as car buying grinds to a halt amid credit difficulties, job losses and fears of a recession. The industry has been lobbying hard for a $25 billion loan from the $700 billion bailout slated for the finance sector.

One Republican lawmaker, Sen. Michael Enzi of Wyoming, said he was uncertain a bailout would work.

"We have little evidence this $25 billion will do anything to promote long-term success," Enzi said.

But the industry and its advocates, as well as many experts, say that without federal help, General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) will likely go bankrupt within months, and that Ford (F, Fortune 500) and Chrysler LLC could soon follow.

Clinton-Era Figure a Top Contender For AG

2008-11-18T17:08:00.002-05:00

ABC News: Clinton-Era Figure a Top Contender For AG

Washington lawyer Eric Holder has emerged as the top contender for the attorney general post in Barack Obama's administration, and key Senate staff members are fielding questions about how a potential Holder confirmation hearing could play out, ABC News has learned.

Holder, 57, would be the first African-American attorney general if nominated by Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. President-elect Obama has made it clear that Holder is his choice to run the Justice Department, transition team officials say, and staff members are reviewing Holder's background before he receives an official offer.

He served as the first black deputy attorney general, working under then-Attorney General Janet Reno during the Clinton administration.

While at the Justice Department, Holder was viewed as a centrist on most law enforcement issues, though he has sharply criticized the secrecy and the expansive views of executive power advanced by the Bush Justice Department.

But Holder could face some obstacles because of a controversial Clinton pardon and the Elian Gonzalez saga.

Ayers on Good Morning America

2008-11-15T10:23:00.005-05:00

Former 60's radical Bill Ayers appeared on Good Morning America and called the attacks on him and the attempts to associate Obama to him a "dishonest narrative."

Amy Goodman on CNN Newsroom

2008-11-15T10:09:00.001-05:00

Amy Goodman on Obama's historic election, Bush's signing statements and shutting down Guantanamo Bay.

Obama considers Clinton for secretary of state

2008-11-14T09:54:00.002-05:00

AFP: Obama considers Clinton for secretary of state: reports WASHINGTON

(AFP) — US president-elect Barack Obama is considering naming former first lady Hillary Clinton -- his onetime rival for the White House -- as his secretary of state, US news media reported on Friday.

Two unnamed Obama advisers told NBC News network that Clinton, now a senator for New York, "is under consideration" for the post.

According to NBC, Clinton flew to Chicago -- where Obama is based -- on Thursday, but an adviser said it was on personal business.

Obama sources confirmed to CNN that Clinton was being considered, but her spokesperson Philippe Reines was non-committal when asked.

"Any speculation about cabinet or other administration appointments is really for president-elect Obama's transition team to address," Reines told CNN.

Clinton, 61, has extensive foreign policy experience from her time in the senate, where she serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and indirectly when her husband Bill Clinton was president from 1993 to 2001.

Several big names have been mentioned in the press as possible Obama secretaries of state including another former Democratic presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry; New Mexico governor and former UN ambassador Bill Richardson, a favorite of the Latino community; and moderate Republican senators Richard Lugar and Chuck Hagel.

NY gov seeks $2 bln spending cuts, led by schools

2008-11-12T21:20:00.006-05:00

UPDATE 2-NY gov seeks $2 bln spending cuts, led by schools | Markets | Markets News | Reuters

NEW YORK, Nov 12 (Reuters) - New York Gov. David Paterson on Wednesday proposed $2 billion of spending cuts, led by aid to schools and health care for the poor, to clip a widening budget deficit as fallout from the financial crisis crimps revenues.

Paterson said the legislature agreed not to increase personal income taxes at a special session set for next week to reduce the state's $121 billion budget.

Paterson, a Democrat who says the state must reform its long history of over-spending, said he hoped to avoid an income tax hike next year -- though he did not rule one out.

"If we're not getting cooperation, and can't get any other way to do it, then it would become a possibility," he told a news conference, warning against relying on more aid from Washington to fix a two-year $14 billion deficit.

Assembly Democrats had pushed to increase the personal income tax on millionaires, a move that the Senate, led by lame duck Republicans, blocked.

Under Paterson's proposal, school aid would be cut by $800 million and funding for Medicaid, the joint state-federal health-care program for the poor, would be cut by $572 million. Those cuts will come even as more people are expected to seek health benefits as the economy falters.

New York has one of country's most generous Medicaid plans and spends more per pupil -- $14,884 -- than any other state.

In addition, Paterson proposed higher fees, including a $600 increase in annual tuition at state universities and a new 5-cent deposit for bottles of water and noncarbonated drinks.

Paterson's proposals drew a mixed response from legislators.

Republic Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos said lawmakers cannot act until they see next year's budget. "We must avoid any job-killing taxes and fee increases, which the governor is proposing," he said.

Republicans will control the Senate only until the new Democratic majority is inaugurated in January.

Meanwhile, Democratic Speaker Sheldon Silver said he disagreed with Senate Republicans who say the fiscal crisis has been exaggerated.

"The Assembly will not shrink from tough choices and plans to confront New York's fiscal crisis head-on, based on the principle of shared sacrifice." Silver said.

Gays get right to marry in US state Connecticut - International Herald Tribune

2008-11-12T21:02:00.001-05:00

Gays get right to marry in US state Connecticut - International Herald Tribune

WEST HARTFORD, Connecticut: Same-sex couples exchanged vows Wednesday for the first time in Connecticut amid cheers and tears of joy, while gay activists planned protests across the country over the vote that took away their right to marry in California.

Surrounded by red roses and smiles, Jody Mock and Elizabeth Kerrigan, who led the lawsuit that that overturned the state law, emerged from West Hartford's town hall to the cheers of about 150 people and waved their marriage license high.

"We feel very fortunate to live in the state of Connecticut, where marriage equality is valued, and hopefully other states will also do what is fair," Kerrigan said.

The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled 4-3 on Oct. 10 that same-sex couples have the right to wed rather than accept a 2005 civil union law designed to give them the same rights as married couples. A lower-court judge entered a final order permitting same-sex marriage Wednesday morning. Massachusetts is the only other state that allows gay marriages.

Gay marriage advocates said they were planning nationwide demonstrations this weekend in more than 175 cities and outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington. A Seattle blogger was trying to organize simultaneous protests outside statehouses and city halls in every state Saturday.

In New York City, several hundred protesters planned to march later Wednesday on the Mormon Temple in Manhattan. The church had encouraged its members to support the California ban.

Outside City Hall in New Haven, bubbles and white balloons bounced in the chilly autumn air as well-wishers cheered the marriage of Peg Oliveira and Jennifer Vickery.

Coleman says he welcomes investigation into his finances

2008-11-12T20:51:00.002-05:00

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Coleman says he welcomes investigation into his finances « - Blogs from CNN.com

Minneapolis, Minnesota (CNN) – Just hours after a liberal-leaning Minnesota group called for an investigation into allegations that Sen. Norm Coleman accepted $75,000 worth of gifts, the incumbent Republican himself said he is eager for any probe to move forward "immediately."

Court documents allege that Texas businessman Nasser Kazeminy fraudulently ordered corporate funds be funneled to Coleman — a potential violation of Senate ethics rules.

Alliance for a Better Minnesota, a self-described progressive organization, sent letters to both the Senate Select Committee on Ethics and the Minneapolis branch of the FBI calling for a full investigation.

Al Franken’s campaign and the state Democratic Farmer Labor Party also continue to bring up the allegations repeatedly to reporters.

Coleman said the accusations were influenced by partisanship. “As another Democratic group that spent millions of dollars attempting to defeat me calls for a politically motivated investigation, I want to be clear that I not only welcome such an investigation, but I am eager to have it move forward immediately." Coleman said in a Wednesday statement. "The fact that a United States Senator is being used as a tool of extortion by private parties should be of concern to all Minnesotans. I reiterate that none of the allegations which attempt to besmirch my family’s good name and reputation are true.

"This investigation should move forward, and it is my hope that those who were behind this matter, their motives and what their connections may be to my political opponents be reviewed aggressively by the appropriate authorities and the media. This matter, which has emerged again as a result of the tactics of my political opponents, during a recount, ought to raise even further suspicions in the minds of Minnesotans as to its motives and purposes.”

Franken and Coleman remain locked in an unresolved Senate race, separated by just a few hundred votes. A state law-mandated recount is set to begin November 19.

G.O.P. Needs to Change, Pawlenty Tells Governors

2008-11-12T20:07:00.004-05:00

G.O.P. Needs to Change, Pawlenty Tells Governors - NYTimes.com

MIAMI — Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who was nearly Senator John McCain’s running mate this year, was addressing a subdued, post-election conference of the Republican Governors Association here Wednesday when he told a story about a revelation he had while looking into the bathroom mirror at his home in Minnesota.

Mr. Pawlenty said that he had been road-weary from the campaign trail when he looked at himself and complained about what he saw to his wife, Mary. “I said, ‘Mary, look at me,’ ” he said. “I mean, my hairline’s receding, these crow’s feet and wrinkles are multiplying on my face by the day, I’ve been on the road eating junk food, I’m getting flabby, these love handles are flopping over the side of my belt.”

“I said, ‘Is there anything you can tell me that would give me some hope, some optimism, some encouragement?’ ” he said. “And she looked at me and she said, ‘Well, there’s nothing wrong with your eyesight.’ ”

As his fellow governor’s laughed, he came to the moral of the story: “If we are going to successfully travel the road to improvement, as Republicans, we need to see clearly, and we need to speak to each other candidly about the state of our party.”

The long, sometimes painful post-mortem of the election — in which Republicans were widely repudiated, losing the White House as well as at least 6 seats in the Senate and 20 in the House — began in earnest here among Republican governors, who have historically been wellsprings of ideas and talent for the party.

In addition to Mr. Pawlenty, an array of governors positioning themselves as leaders of the party or future presidential candidates, planned to attend the conference, including Sarah Palin of Alaska, Charlie Crist of Florida, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Mark Sanford of South Carolina.

Ms. Palin, whose bid for the vice presidency ended in defeat last Tuesday, is scheduled on Thursday to deliver remarks here on ”Looking Toward the Future,” to hold a news conference and to grant several national interviews.

Mr. Pawlenty kicked off the conference with a somewhat gloomy appraisal of where things stood for the party.

“We cannot be a majority governing party when we essentially cannot compete in the Northeast, we are losing our ability to compete in Great Lakes states, we cannot compete on the West Coast, we are increasingly in danger of competing in the mid-Atlantic states, and the Democrats are now winning some of the western states,” he said. “That is not a formula for being a majority governing party in this nation.”

“And similarly,” he went on, “we cannot compete, and prevail, as a majority governing party if we have a significant deficit, as we do, with women, where we have a large deficit with Hispanics, where we have a large deficit with African-American voters, where we have a large deficit with people of modest incomes and modest financial circumstances. Those are not factors that make up a formula for success going forward.”

All this talk of soul searching sounds like what you heard coming from Democrats just 4 years ago after Kerry lost. Dems should learn from this and remember how quickly their fortunes can change if they become complacent and do not look out for the middle-class.

Priceless WW II Films Found

2008-11-10T20:17:00.005-05:00

Below is a clip of some of the found footage.

McAuliffe files candidate papers in Va.

2008-11-10T18:53:00.002-05:00

The Associated Press: Former DNC chief files candidate papers in Va.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe signed papers Monday signaling a possible run for governor next year in Virginia.

McAuliffe told The Associated Press he set up a campaign committee and will tour Virginia for the next 60 days before making his candidacy certain.

He signed papers setting up his committee after a series of barnstorming campaign appearances across the state on behalf of Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

McAuliffe would face two other Democrats already in the governor's race. State Senator Creigh Deeds narrowly lost the attorney general's race in 2005, and House Democratic Caucus chairman Brian Moran is also in the race.

Dean not to seek 2nd term as Dem chairman

2008-11-10T18:32:00.001-05:00

The Associated Press: Dean not to seek 2nd term as Dem chairman

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean plans to step down from his post when his term expires in January, wrapping up a tenure in which the party heavily invested in all 50 states for a payoff that helped elect Barack Obama president.

Dean, who was briefly his party's presidential front-runner in 2004, was elected DNC chairman in 2005 and has long vowed to serve only one, four-year term. At a postelection news conference in Washington last week, Dean indicated again that he didn't plan to stay on, aides said on Monday.

President-elect Obama, a Democrat, was expected to choose Dean's successor. Traditionally, the president selects the national chairman of his own party.

Dean was the architect of a "50-State Strategy," investing money and staff in every state — including those where Democrats had long fared poorly — to build party infrastructure and lay the groundwork for electoral gains. The Obama campaign, working with DNC organizers in all 50 states, won several states that had not elected a Democratic president in decades, including Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana.

State party chairs were generally thrilled with Dean's approach, while some Democratic leaders in Washington complained early on that the party's money would be better spent helping candidates who had a real chance of winning.

The disagreement broke into open warfare in 2006, when Dean clashed over money and strategy with New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who ran the party's successful effort to win back control of Congress. Last week, Emanuel accepted the job of White House chief of staff in an Obama administration.

Some of Dean's most vocal detractors were former advisers to President Clinton. They include strategist James Carville, who once called Dean's leadership at the DNC "almost Rumsfeldian in its incompetence."

During Dean's tenure, Democrats regained control of Congress in 2006, and captured the presidency in 2008 while increasing their numbers in the House and Senate.

Dean proved tough in enforcing party rules when he punished Florida and Michigan earlier this year, stripping them of their delegates for holding primaries ahead of schedule. The issue was eventually resolved at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August, with all the delegates restored.

Emanuel Urges Aid for Auto Industry

2008-11-09T15:54:00.004-05:00

Emanuel Urges Aid for Auto Industry - NYTimes.com

In his first televised interviews since being named the chief of staff for President-elect Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel on Sunday called for swifter action to lift the struggling auto industry and suggested Mr. Obama and President Bush might clash over a stimulus package.

On the first weekend since Mr. Obama was elected president, several of his aides said his administration would attempt to roll back a number of Bush administration policies, including tight restrictions on stem cell research and a push for oil and gas drilling in Utah. The statements indicated that the first few months of an Obama administration could bring about stark reversals on controversial policies.

But Mr. Obama’s aides emphasized that his first priority would be finding ways to repair the battered economy, whose latest woes include a steep drop-off in retail sales and the loss of millions of jobs. The auto industry has been particularly hard hit, with Ford and General Motors pleading for government help after car sales plummeted 18 percent this quarter. General Motors, the country’s largest carmaker, reported a $4.2 billion third-quarter operating loss, and said it may be on the brink of collapse.

Over the weekend, the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and the Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid, sent a letter to the Bush administration requesting that funds from the $700 billion bailout package — intended for Wall Street — be used to help carmakers as well. But the White House has signaled that it would oppose such a measure.

When asked on ABC’s “This Week” where Mr. Obama stood on the issue, Mr. Emanuel seemed to suggest that Mr. Obama, as a last resort, might be open to tapping the rescue fund to help carmakers, calling the auto industry an “essential part of our industrial base.”

New Hampshire Becomes First State Senate with Female Majority

2008-11-09T12:33:00.002-05:00

Democracy Now! | New Hampshire Becomes First State Senate with Female Majority History was made in New Hampshire on Tuesday as New Hampshire’s state senate became the first state legislative body in US history with a female majority. Thirteen of the state’s twenty-four senators are now women.

AMY GOODMAN: Yes, history was made in New Hampshire Tuesday, as New Hampshire’s state senate became the first state legislative body in US history with a female majority. Thirteen of the state’s twenty-four senators are now women. Nationally, less than one in four legislators is female. New Hampshire also has a female US senator for the first time in history, after Democrat Jeanne Shaheen defeated incumbent Republican John Sununu.

I’m joined by Nancy Mosher. She is president of the Planned Parenthood of Northern New England Action Fund. How did you do it?

NANCY MOSHER: Well, I’d love to take all the credit, but we worked really hard layering our political action with local and federal races in collaboration with our national PAC, as well as the America Votes organization in New Hampshire. I can’t tell you how helpful they were in helping us slice and dice the databases.

And what we did was we targeted women under fifty-five who were center or right-of-center, because we had research this year that showed that Planned Parenthood’s name is highly trusted by women in our country, and they really, really took us seriously when we told them about the positions of the candidates. So we were able to go out and expose McCain’s extraordinary, terribly terrible record on women’s health, zero percent rating with Planned Parenthood, as well as highlight the Senate race, the House races, where there were two pro-choice incumbents that we were working to reinstate, and the local senate races. So three-out-of-four of the targeted senate races that we worked on were won, and they were all women.

AMY GOODMAN: And the state senate, was it clear? Did people in New Hampshire realize they could possibly make history with a woman majority?

NANCY MOSHER: You know, I’m not really sure they did. I think there were some pundits who certainly were aware of it, but what we found when we were knocking on doors was that people really were unaware of the senate candidates. So if we could sort of grab their attention talking about McCain’s record, then we could say, “And by the way, you know, here’s what we have to tell you about your local senate candidate and where they stand on women’s health.” So it was very, you know, grassroots from the ground up.