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Mass's Journal
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editoria... /
JOHN KERRY is facing his first primary opponent since he was elected to the US Senate in 1984. Perhaps he has become a larger target since running unsuccessfully for president four years ago, or, in some quarters, because of his vote in 2002 to authorize the use of force in Iraq. But over a long career Kerry has been steadfast in his commitment to Democratic principles, and he has worked tirelessly to advance those principles in straitened political times. The Globe endorses John F. Kerry in the Democratic primary for US Senate Sept. 16.
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More broadly, Kerry has been a strong and often prescient voice: on climate change, on global terrorism threats, on AIDS. He led the 2005 filibuster that ended - by one vote - the Republican effort to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He has been a stalwart friend to veterans, increasing their pay, helping them get small business assistance and fighting for improved healthcare. With a fellow veteran, Republican John McCain, he negotiated painful issues regarding wartime MIAs, which led to normalized relations with Vietnam.
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Kerry has long labored in the shadow of the senior senator, Ted Kennedy, perhaps the most accomplished legislator in US history. Kerry is no Ted Kennedy, nor does he want to even consider a day when he may need to take over Kennedy's role. But we suspect part of the message the Democratic state convention was sending Kerry when O'Reilly won 23 percent of the vote in June was that Kerry needs to step up the pace, applying his prodigious smarts and connections to achieve gains in public policy.
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And this very weird local editorial, of which I cannot figure out whether it is positive or negative? I wonder what you think. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/... /
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You've been loyal to your party, flying around the country and raising millions to help elect other Democrats, even after giving up on another presidential run of your own.
And even though you still get grief for your constituent services, you have 14 workers in Massachusetts working 800 cases a month for veterans and immigrants and fans who wanted the Patriots' last game of the season to be broadcast outside I-495.
A lot of people are saying you've got a chance to be secretary of state, or defense, if Obama wins. You bat back that talk, knowing that your critics would accuse you of using your office as a stepping stone, even after 24 years, if you didn't.
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http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08... /
The Vice President is a heartbeat away from becoming President, so to choose someone with not one hour’s worth of experience on national issues is a dangerous choice.
If John McCain thought that choosing Sarah Palin would attract Hillary Clinton voters, he is badly mistaken. The only similarity between her and Hillary Clinton is that they are both women. On the issues, they could not be further apart.
Senator McCain had so many other options if he wanted to put a women on his ticket, such as Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison or Senator Olympia Snowe – they would have been an appropriate choice compared to this dangerous choice. In addition, Sarah Palin is under investigation by the Alaska state legislature which makes this more incomprehensible.
Rendell, on Fox News yesterday:
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I think during this entire primary coverage, starting in Iowa and up to the present -- FOX has done the fairest job, and remained the most objective of all the cable networks.
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Who knew?  (sure, pushing racist and sexist memes is doing the fairest job. Congratulation. Gov, Rendell. I assume this is what you can call desperate) http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/03/... video at link) EDIT: changed surrogate to supporter, so that the stupidity of the claim does not get lost in trivial hair splitting.
and is tied with Clinton on white people, slightly lower for women, slightly above for men. He also won low income people, people without a college degree, and hispanic voters. Enough of the strawmen arguments. http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/prima...
So much for the Clinton campaign last rampart against misogyny.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/1774... Profile In Courage? 02.07.08 -- 10:58AM By Josh Marshall There was a big stimulus bill vote last night. And the senators still in the presidential campaign were back in town to cast their votes. All except John McCain (from the AP, emphasis added) ...
Senators in both parties prepared to greet the presidential race's front-runners Wednesday, as McCain, Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., left the campaign trail to vote for a proposed $205 billion economic stimulus package. McCain returned to Washington but made an eleventh-hour decision to skip the vote, aides to his campaign said.
Eleventh hour decision not to show up for the key vote even though he was actually in Washington? Tapper, at ABC, says that his vote wouldn't have changed the outcome and that McCain supports the Pelosi/Bush bill from the House. But it's still not clear to me what the '11th hour' decision means. He's in the city; why not vote? Late Update: Here's the story on just what issues were at stake. My hunch is that looking toward the November election didn't want his hands on the Republican blockage of the expanded bill.
I had not heard of him for months now. You can count on Romney to have decent surrogates.  http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles... /
Romney supporter Santorum questions McCain's 'temperament'
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February 4, 2008
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. - Mitt Romney's campaign is blasting out automated phone calls that feature a recording of former senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania raising questions about John McCain's "temperament" - a hot-button issue that Romney himself has assiduously avoided.
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"I think that to me it is a relevant issue for people to consider," he said. "I think it's one without question that factors into his ability to govern, to form coalitions, and to get things done."
But Romney had insisted as recently as last week that he would not make an issue of McCain's temperament, which some critics have said tends toward the hot-tempered and angry.
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both plans are highly superior to any Republican plans and both plans are also not going to be implemented as it. The House and the Senate will not pass them as is (Hillary said as much yesterday on This Week). Enacting anything will require a lot of negotiation and conviction force! Things will be dropped of the agenda so that something can happen! Either that or we will get nothing!
So the reality is to know which between Obama and Clinton has this persistence, sense of negotiation without compromise, ... that will help us get somewhere!
So, stop these inept spins (She will garnish her wages, he does not want universal healthcare, ...) and come back to earth. We need to get something! Who can get something enacted!
If you guys can stop for two minutes your talking points, you may enjoy read something by somebody who can still think. I know, for some here, it is hard, but still worth reading for some education. http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/you... PS: Well, I guess that the point about talking points has been lost for some here. Apparently, some cannot just think by themselves.
{and I's got to hear him today on the radio after the Springfield event. He was saying pretty much the same thing). http://www.cbs3springfield.com/news/local/...  Senator Kerry in Western Mass, Supports Barack ObamaSenator John Kerry visited American International College on Friday and spoke openly about his support of Barack Obama for President, overlooking former running mate John Edwards with his endorsement. "It's a different time, there are different needs and demands of the nation," says Senator Kerry. New demands Senator Kerry says need to be handled by a new leader. "I think that he has the best opportunity to be able to unite Americans with a clean slate," says Kerry. ... "The fact is that the first candidate in this race to center his candidacy on this issue was Barack Obama," says Kerry. "And it is everyone else who is following Barack Obama. That's why I believe he is a leader." Senator Kerry says he has worked closely with all the candidates and is ready to put his full effort behind whoever wins the Democratic nomination. And Pittsfield http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story.... Senator John Kerry Speaks about Obama Endorsement  One day after his surprise endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for president, Massachusetts senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry speaks out about his decision in Berkshire County. Sen. Kerry said, "I know the democrats are going to come together and we're going to elect a democratic president." ... Sen. Kerry said, "Barack brings a galvanizing energy to the country and an ability to turn the page in a fresh new, that presents a new face for America in the world."... Sen. Kerry said, "This is not endorsement against anything or anyone and I can't emphasize that enough." ... Sen. Kerry said, "It's a point of view and I am now expressing my point of view lots of point of views will be out there and people will express them." ...
Interestingly, he does not list Edwards, but says McCain in OK! http://www.wiscnews.com/pdr/news/266652
Sen. Russ Feingold said Thursday he is leaning toward not endorsing any of the candidates for president before Wisconsin's Feb. 19 primary and might not do so before the Democratic National Convention.
"I'm torn," Feingold said in a visit with the Daily Register between rounds of listening sessions with area constituents. "I'm having trouble with this one."
Feingold said he is weighing issues of experience vs. change. He said he can envision Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as well as Republican John McCain in the White House.
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Here is what he has to say about his motivation, and later in the article, he says he wants bipartisanship. I have a great respect for Feingold, a good Democrat, but I wonder why he quoted McCain as somebody he could see. Is he discounting him?
Feingold said the debate he is having over endorsing a candidate comes from his belief that most voters don't care who he supports and that no candidate has both an extensive knowledge of government but a willingness to take the country in a different direction.
"There's a real genuine split," he said. "It's like that saying, if you could combine the best of two personalities ... "
Obama). I used to have the highest respect in Joe Conason. In the past, he has been a useful voice against the RW smears. This is why I cannot understand how he would lower himself to write this article and in effect swiftboat Obama. And it really shows how shallow is the support for Hllary in some parts of the Democratic Party. "Be very afraid, he is black and the racists will not vote for him!". . The good news is that, despite the fact that he was clearly trying to swiftboat Obama himself, he could find nothing except to tell us that we did not already know, that the racists will not vote for Obama. And his reason to support Hillary by itself is really weak. We already know what they are going to throw at her. Well, if Obama wins, we can be sure we will already know everything as the Clinton's allies will have done the job for the RW. So, no real difference, sir. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/...
The unscrupulous right wing will do exactly the same thing to Hillary Clinton if she wins the nomination -- except that those smears will have to be reruns.
After the amounts of pandering and stupidities I have read about Pakistan in these last few days, particularly coming from the pols in general and the presidential campaigns in particular, it is good to read something thoughtful, whether I agree with this totally or not (not is the answer) readhttp://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brian_katulis/2007/12/air_of_uncertainty.html
Air of uncertainty
Bhutto's assassination throws Pakistan's fragile political process into turmoil - and next month's parliamentary elections into doubt
Brian Katulis
December 27, 2007 6:00 PM | Printable version
Today's murder of opposition leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is a seismic event, one that will have far-reaching ripple effects for the days and weeks ahead in Pakistan. Having just returned from Pakistan last week, this incident does not come as a complete surprise to me. On the eve of a crucial election, tensions on the street and among the political class were palpable, and violence was escalating in recent months.
Bhutto narrowly survived a suicide attack in October that killed 150 people in Karachi, and about 50 people were killed last week in a suicide bombing at a mosque in northwestern Pakistan aimed at a candidate for parliament and former interior minister. The attack on Bhutto wasn't the only one to occur today - four aides to Nawaz Sharif, another leading opposition figure and former prime minister, were killed at a separate election rally in Pakistan's capital of Islamabad. ( my comment: yes, the attempt nobody speaks about, as we do not like Sharif)
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All too often in recent years the United States has looked to elections in other countries as the primary indication for success or failure in a country's progress toward political reform. The US has also become singularly focused on individual leaders like Bhutto. Her murder is a tragedy, and Musharraf has called for a three-day mourning period. As the world remembers her contributions, it should also keep her record in perspective. Under Bhutto, Pakistan provided support to the Taliban in the 1990s. Some observers note that Bhutto was not the saviour of democracy she claimed to be, including Bhutto's niece in a recent, biting op-ed in the Los Angeles Times. And it was also in part on Bhutto's watch that Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father Pakistan's nuclear programme, built an international network that led to dangerous transfers of nuclear technology.
As Pakistan enters an even more complicated period, US policymakers should resist the temptation to see the situation in simplistic, black-and-white, freedom-versus-terror terms. Past experience in Pakistan and elsewhere demonstrates that putting our hopes on a single leader or a single election rarely makes Americans safer or advances stability and prosperity in other countries.
Just to remind those who want to make of Bhutto's death a political argument in their presidential campaign, and particularly to their supporters, that nothing is perfect anywhere.
< http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/1205-... [br /> div class="excerpt"] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DECEMBER 5, 2007 12:44 PM CONTACT: Public Citizen Angela Bradbery (202) 588-7741 Craig Holman (202) 454-5182 Much-Needed Legislation Would Overhaul the Financing of Presidential Campaigns $1 Billion Projected to Be Spent in 2008 Race to Buy the Presidency; Bills Introduced Today in House and Senate Would Curtail Influence of Wealthy Interests WASHINGTON, DC - December 5 - Public Citizen today heartily endorsed new legislation introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives that would overhaul the faltering presidential public financing program. The bills are by Sens. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.); and Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), David Price (D-N.C.), Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), Mike Castle (R-Del.) and Todd Platts (R-Pa.). First implemented in 1976, the presidential public financing system worked admirably for decades in helping to level the playing field among presidential candidates. Under the system, challengers defeated sitting incumbent presidents half the time. But its limits on campaign fundraising and spending have languished because the system has not been updated in more than 30 years. Today, very few presidential candidates agree to participate in the public funding system because they can raise much more money from wealthy special interests and because they believe they could be at a disadvantage compared to other candidates who do not opt to take public financing. “The 2008 presidential election will likely be the first $1 billion presidential campaign in history,” said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen. “Most of this money will be coming from the very same wealthy corporations and industry groups that have business pending before the federal government, and they expect favors, access and even jobs in return.” Enacted after the Watergate election scandals, the presidential public financing system is supposed to reduce the clout of special interest money in presidential campaigns by providing qualified candidates with significant amounts of public funds in the primary election and nearly full public financing in the general election. Public financing dramatically reduced the need for presidential candidates to seek money from wealthy corporate interests who regularly benefit from their contributions and bundle campaign money from others as well. Prior to the 2000 elections, only three presidential candidates – each independently wealthy – opted out of the public financing system in the primary elections. Since 2000, however, the list of candidates opting out has swelled. In the upcoming 2008 election, few serious presidential contenders are expected to stay in the public financing system. This time, candidates are choosing to forgo public money not because they are independently wealthy but because they can raise and spend more money than if they accepted the public dollars. The consensus of many: The current presidential public financing system must be updated. “The presidential public financing program of 1976 has not kept up with the times,” said Craig Holman, legislative representative for Public Citizen. “The spending ceilings are unrealistically low and don’t keep pace with what is being spent. Further, spending ceilings are fixed in stone. They are not even increased to match excessive spending by candidates who opt out of the system.” The Presidential Funding Act of 2007 would: * Increase the spending ceilings for publicly funded candidates in both the primary (from about $50 million to $150 million) and general elections (from about $80 million to $100 million) to reflect the true costs of running a presidential campaign. The spending ceilings would be increased further if a non-participating candidate spends in excess of those ceilings. * Provide a 4-to-1 match of public funds to private donations of $200 or less, which means that a $200 contribution would provide $1,000 to a participating candidate in the primary elections. In the general election, participating candidates would receive all their campaign budget in public funds in exchange for giving up special interest contributions. * Enhance the funding source for the program by increasing the voluntary tax check-off system from $3 per individual to $10. The check-off does not add any tax burden to taxpayers; it simply allows a taxpayer to designate a portion of his or her taxes to help clean up presidential elections. * Prohibit the national parties from using unregulated special interest money to pay for their national party nominating conventions, better known as party “soirées.” * Require presidential campaigns to disclose all their fundraising “bundlers” – those who receive credit from a campaign for collecting a large number of contributions from individuals, usually in an effort to curry favor with the presidential candidate – and the amounts they raise.
http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/4873842... Senators Call On Bush To Help Poorest Nations Deal With Consequences Of Climate Change Wed, 12/05/2007 - 14:36 — newsdesk As international talks in Bali begin, Senators Menendez, Biden, Kerry, Sanders, Dodd and Bingaman look toward "adaptation" assistance December 4, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – As the largest-ever world climate change conference gets underway in Bali, a group of U.S. Senators, led by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), is urging President Bush to help poorer nations cope with the problems caused by climate change, in order to prevent unimaginable hardship in those countries and the potential of greater instability worldwide (letter). Senators Menendez, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE), John Kerry (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) are urging the president to secure an agreement coming out of the 13th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change that will ensure meaningful assistance to developing countries to cope with the severe impacts of climate change. The Senators point out that such assistance to vulnerable nations is a moral imperative and can help prevent global conflict and instability brought on by refugees and a scarcity of resources. “We are experiencing a planetary emergency, which means that we’re all in this together,” said Senator Menendez, Chairman of the Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection. “Natural disasters on one side of the globe will affect people on the other side, so the response to climate change must be worldwide in scale. It is not only in our moral interest as the world’s strongest nation but certainly also in our national interest to help the world’s poorest nations cope with climate change and to help preserve global peace when the severe climate consequences come to bear. President Bush must treat this as the true emergency that it is and help the world prepare.” “Global warming knows no borders and many of the countries most at risk from the consequences have done little to cause the problem,” said Senator Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Supporting their efforts to deal with climate change will reduce the threat of instability in these fragile states, and will help build consensus for a global solution.” “As the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gasses and wealthiest nation on earth, America needs to lead the effort to help at-risk nations adapt to climate change,” said Senator Kerry. “These vulnerable populations are feeling the effects of climate change more than anyone on earth. They are watching their homelands suffer from flooding, droughts, destroyed crops and severe storms, but are without the capabilities to respond. To meet the challenge of global climate change, we must take immediate action to reduce our emissions here at home, but we also must ensure we do not leave the most disadvantaged behind.” “All over the world, people grapple with the crisis of global warming,” said Senator Sanders. ”We are facing an enormous tragedy if we do not get our act together. We need bold leadership in confronting this potential catastrophe.” “The United States must demonstrate responsible leadership to address the crisis of global warming,” said Senator Dodd. “To do so, we must work with the global community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work to protect impoverished nations that will be most affected by climate change. The crisis of global warming is moving at an astounding rate and President Bush must take action now.” Text of letter .
Source: Senator Robert Menendez
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The Katrina Administration
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This is the Katrina administration. It has consistently squandered time, tax dollars, political capital, and even risked American lives on sideshow adventures: A war of choice in Iraq against someone who had nothing to do with 9/11; a full scale presidential assault on Social Security when everyone knows the real crisis is in health care - Medicare and Medicaid. And that's before you even get to willful denial on global warming; avoidance on competitiveness; complicity in the loss and refusal of health care to millions.
... Robert. F. Kennedy
All great questions must be raised by great voices, and the greatest voice is the voice of the people - speaking out - in prose, or painting or poetry or music; speaking out - in homes and halls, streets and farms, courts and cafes - let that voice speak and the stillness you hear will be the gratitude of mankind." Blogroll DU Journals
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