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Thursday, March 27, 2008

Political parties squabble over who's dirtier

Today's visit by President Bush to the U.S. Air Force's National Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base today triggered a flurry of accusations from state officials in both major political parties about who has accepted more tainted campaign contributions.

Bush was guest at a fund-raising lunch sponsored by the Ohio Republican Party -- after his Air Base speech -- at the Bellbrook home of Lisa and Marty Grunder.

Ohio GOP spokesman John McClelland said state Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern “is apparently all twisted up this week about a fundraiser we're hosting. . . Unfortunately, the Democrat Party boss would rather point fingers at everyone else than clean up his own house. The hypocrisy continues.”

Today’s fund-raising event was sponsored by the Ohio Republican Party. The Victory 2008 reception raised money for the state GOP's federal fund, which could help Arizona Sen. John McCain, the Republican Party’s likely presidential nominee.

The private GOP reception and photo opportunity with the president cost $10,000. A $1,000 campaign donation covered lunch only.

Redfern was critical that one of today’s fund-raising co-chairs was convicted of three misdemeanor money-laundering charges and fined $30,000 in 1993. Another owns a company that outsources jobs overseas.

“This speaks to the priorities of President Bush,” Redfern said in a statement. “George Bush comes to Ohio, not to address the faltering national economy or the foreclosure crisis, but to raise money from a job exporter and a money launderer on behalf of his protégé, John McCain.”

McClelland counterpunched by saying Redfern said nothing when Ohio Senate Democratic Leader Ray Miller of Columbus was fined for multiple campaign finance violations or it was revealed Gov. Ted Strickland received $10,000 in campaign cash from former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Strickland donated the money to charity after Republicans called on him to return it.

Read more about President Bush's visit here, and in Friday's Enquirer.

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20 Comments:

at 5:01 PM, March 27, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

This isn't news, it's not even interesting. This blog is so laughable you would think it's in part Fox News. Jon, if this is all you've got, take the day off.

 
at 5:25 PM, March 27, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

What, no links to the GOP's talking points? Oh, wait...julie didn't write this piece......

 
at 8:11 PM, March 27, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Let's see, the British pulled out of Basra & turned it over to the Maliqi Iraqis (not to be confused with the Sadr Iraqis, or the Sunni's, or the Kurds.....)
And W in Dayton tells us this is a wonderful thing because it shows that the Iraqis are taking charge of security?!?!
10 more months of this guy - I'm not sure he won't completely cripple us.

 
at 9:51 PM, March 27, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Let's examine the accomplishments in our new Amerika under the Bu$h/Cheney Regime:

• the formation of "free speech zones"

• spying on US citizens

• "sneak and peek" provisions

• CIA secret prisons

• "extraordinary renditioning" (and the endorsement of torture)

• the prisoner abuse scandals of Abu Ghraib, Bagram Air Force Base and Guantanamo Bay,

• the circumvention of laws such as the Geneva Convention, habeas corpus and use of the FISA courts

• "signing statements"

• "pre-emptive" war

• blatant war profiteering taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan

• shamelessly obvious lies coming from the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and National Security Advisor that are too numerous to mention in a single post

• the Unitary Executive Power theory

• rampant corruption in our judicial, legislative and executive branches of government

• the "documented facts" regarding election fraud in the 2000, 2002 and 2004 elections

• the loss of respect and dignity that these actions have caused us in respect to our international standing.

If you don't believe me... let's see what the Associated Press has to say:

The Associated Press provided the following list of some of the fundamental liberties that have been lost under Bush/Cheney:

*FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION: Government may monitor religious and political institutions without suspecting criminal activity to assist terror investigations.

*FREEDOM OF INFORMATION: Government has closed once- public immigration hearings, has secretly detained hundreds of people without charges, and has encouraged bureaucrats to resist public records questions.

*FREEDOM OF SPEECH: Government may prosecute librarians or keepers of any other records if they tell anyone that the government subpoenaed information related to a terror investigation.

*RIGHT TO LEGAL REPRESENTATION: Government may monitor federal prison jailhouse conversations between attorneys and clients, and deny lawyers to Americans accused of crimes.

*FREEDOM FROM UNREASONABLE SEARCHES: Government may search and seize Americans' papers and effects without probable cause to assist terror investigation.

*RIGHT TO A SPEEDY AND PUBLIC TRIAL: Government may jail Americans indefinitely without a trial.

*RIGHT TO LIBERTY: Americans may be jailed without being charged or being able to confront witnesses against them.

 
at 1:06 AM, March 28, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

excellent summary anon 951.

Does anyone notice that the only person without mud on his face in this argument is barack obama?

I will say it first - right here, right now - if Clinton manages a coup of the nomination - obama should run as an independent or for the green party - wouldn't that be incredible if possible

 
at 2:18 AM, March 28, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

.
"Anonymous said...9:51 PM, March 27, 2008"

No doubt about it: Winning hands down under the restroom partition, the wRong wingnut whackos are 'filty'

No foot-tapping around the 'culture of corruption' facts !

PATHETIC !

HAD ENOUGH, VOTE DEMOCRAT 2008 !

 
at 8:08 AM, March 28, 2008 Blogger Quimbob said...

Anon 3/27 9:51
You have convinced me !
I will NOT be voting for Bush/Cheney in the upcoming election.

 
at 4:30 PM, March 28, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Quim,

I'm glad to hear it!

The problem is... will our next president reverse the current policies of the past 8 years? Particularly when it comes to presidential signing statements. Once that power is 'stolen' from the american people it is very unlikely to be reversed.

Unless we DEMAND IT from whatever new administration is elected in 2008, those policies will remain in place. And don't get me wrong, the 8 years of the Clinton administration did severe damage to our civil liberties as well.

I'll repeat what many in our past have said but few had tried to implement. "If the american people would actually realize the power that 'we the people' have as a cohesive unit, we could undo all of the damage of the past."

 
at 9:50 AM, March 29, 2008 Blogger usefullidiot said...

9;41 and boldboy....

Take heed, help is on the way!!!

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/in_the_know_is_the_government

 
at 3:25 PM, March 29, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Idiotboy blogs day and night, under different names. It's all ha has in life.

 
at 8:59 PM, March 29, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

what is a wRongnut any way? it's not even a word...get a grip.

 
at 10:48 AM, March 30, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

.
Friday, March 28, 2008

OH-08 GOP John Boehner: He's Been Hanging Out In Libya With Col. Kaddafi


MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (TDB) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been giving the Chinese hell. House Minority Leader John Boehner has been making nice with Col. Moammar Kaddafi, the Libyan strongman. News of the Butler County Republican's soiree is here on JANA, the Libyan news service where Kaddafi is identifed as the "leader of the revolution." Boehner reportedly was interested in tapping the Libyan oilfields. Here's another story about the meeting from AFP, the French wire service. And here's Boehner's press release (h/t Weapons of Mass Discussion), which talks about enlisting Kaddafi in the War on Terror.

Seems the foot-tapping, wRong wingnut whacko, culture of corruption is willing to jump into bed with anyone !

Guess that Iraq scheme didn't work out so well for the 'culture of corruption' oil stash ?

Let's see the wRong wingnut whackos will sell the manufacturing sector to the commie Chinese. They will mislead the world in a war for oil. They will jump in bed with a Libyan Dictator, but, they condemn and embargo a dully elected president that has 25% of the worlds oil supply because he returned the nations resources to his country and not the imperialist corporations. Now: That is just WHACKO !

PATHETIC 'family values' !

HAD ENOUGH, VOTE DEMOCRAT 2008 !

 
at 2:53 AM, March 31, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bush Gets Loudly Booed At Nationals Home Opener

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/03/30/bush-gets-loudly-booed-at-nationals-home-opener/

Tee hee hee, Chimpy gets bood at the ball game........

 
at 1:52 PM, March 31, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

.

Where is the use-less, ****ing idiot of the NAZI party (tnp) regarding the following ?

Probably in the airport restroom foot-tapping around the facts in a crony scheme with XXX judge Tryintofoolyou !

Alphonso Gets Evicted


This morning, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson announced he is stepping down effective April 18. While the White House has so far refused to give a reason for his departure, Jackson faces ongoing probes "by a federal grand jury, the Justice Department, the FBI and the HUD inspector general." Earlier this month, Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT) sent a letter to President Bush "urging him to request Mr. Jackson's resignation, arguing that accusations of wrongdoing had made him ineffective." Their calls joined similar ones from Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), and Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) in 2006. Jackson was one of Bush's few remaining holdovers from Texas, after a parade of these loyalists -- including Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, and Dan Bartlett -- left the White House last year. Like so many of Bush's Texas friends, Jackson's legacy will be one of incompetence, corruption, and political cronyism. While he was busy awarding lucrative no-bid contracts to his golfing buddies and erecting giant photo homages to himself, the nation was spiraling into the worst housing crisis since the Great Depression.

A PHILADELPHIA STORY: One of the most recent scandals to come to light focuses on Jackson's willingness to retaliate against employees unwilling to participate in his cronyism. In 2006, Jackson allegedly demanded that the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) "transfer a $2 million public property" at a "substantial discount" to Kenny Gamble, a developer, former soul-music songwriter, and friend of Jackson's. When PHA director Carl Greene refused, Jackson and his aides called Philadelphia's mayor and "followed up with 'menacing' threats about the property and other housing programs in at least a dozen letters and phone calls over an 11-month period." For example, Orlando Cabrera, then-assistant secretary at HUD, suggested in an e-mail that the agency "make his [Green's] life less happy." Kim Kendrick, an assistant secretary who oversaw accessible housing, proposed that they "[t]ake away all of his Federal dollars." According to Green, Jackson's politically motivated plan to remove federal funds from Philadelphia "could raise rents for most of its 84,000 low-income tenants and force the layoffs of 250 people." "This kind of stuff undermines public confidence in our officials," Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) said to Jackson during a recent congressional hearing.

LOYAL BUSHIES ONLY: In May 2007, Jackson testified to Congress, "I don't touch contracts." In retrospect, that statement appears to have been at best a gross inaccuracy, and at worst, an outright lie. In 2006, Jackson told a group of business leaders in Texas that he refuses to award contracts to people who disagree with the President. During this controversial speech on April 28, 2006, Jackson recounted a conversation he had with a prospective contractor who had a "heck of a proposal." This contractor, however, told Jackson, "I don't like President Bush." Jackson said that he thought to himself, "Brother, you have a disconnect -- the president is elected, I was selected." Jackson subsequently refused to award the man the contract, despite the merits of the proposal. A former HUD assistant secretary also confirmed that Jackson told agency employees to "consider presidential supporters when you are considering the selected candidates for discretionary contracts." He also said that he "did not want contracts" awarded to certain "political groups," which included "Democrats." Jackson's actions appeared to violate the Federal Aquisition Reguations (48 CFR 3.101-1), which states, "Government business shall be conducted in a manner above reproach and...with complete impartiality and with preferential treatment for none."

CRONYISM OVER COMPETENCE: In Oct. 2007, federal investigators looked into whether, after Hurricane Katrina, Jackson lined up an emergency "no-bid contract" at the HUD-controlled Housing Authority of New Orleans for "golfing buddy" and friend William Hairston. According to HUD, the emergency contract paid Hairston $392,000 over a year and a half; Hairston's partner companies also received "direct contracts" with HUD. One of the companies which received a contract in New Orleans, Columbia Residential, had "significant financial ties to Jackson." Jackson's wife also had "ties to two companies that did business with the New Orleans authority." Atlanta lawyer Michael Hollis, another Jackson friend, "appears to have been paid approximately $1 million for managing the troubled Virgin Islands Housing Authority," despite having "no experience in running a public housing agency." A "top Jackson aide" reportedly made it clear to officials within HUD that "Jackson wanted Hollis" for the job. Curiously, Hollis received more than four times the salary of his predecessor.

NO bout a doubt it, the wRong wingnut whackos are 'filthy'

PATHETIC 'family values'

HAD ENOUGH, VOTE DEMOCRAT 2008 !

 
at 9:29 AM, April 01, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

anon@2:53...why don't you post Hillary being boo'd at Madison Square Garden by "first responders" after 9-11? There was NO applause mixed with the BRONX CHEERS.

 
at 2:11 PM, April 01, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are absolutely right about Hillary being boo'd by 9/11 first responders. Here's why:

70% of first responders are sick due to their exposure to the contaminated air quality at Ground Zero from 9/11.

From the EPA on September 18, 2001, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced “We are very encouraged that the results from our monitoring of air quality and drinking water conditions in both New York and near the Pentagon show that the public in these areas is not being exposed to excessive levels of asbestos or other harmful substances,” Whitman said. “Given the scope of the tragedy from last week, I am glad to reassure the people of New York and Washington, D.C. that their air is safe to breath and their water is safe to drink,” she added.

LINK: http://www.epa.gov/wtc/stories/headline_091801.htm

Hillary will not stand up for these heroes.

Visit:
www.fealgoodfoundation.com
www.1stresponders1st.com

 
at 3:35 PM, April 01, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

What more evidence do we need to shut down the entire Republican Party as a corrupt organization under the RICO statutes? How many more criminals can we be subjected to in one organization before we see the light and realize that the entire organization is corrupt to the core?

 
at 7:16 PM, April 01, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great question Anon at 3:35 pm. Unfortunately for our 'withering republic', our elected officials are almost ALL compromised by lobbyists and big business. Both sides of the aisle.

Then we have a mainstream news media who's primary interests are increasing their stock values for their investors. So what if one (NBC) is owned by GE (a major government weapons manufacturer). You can guess where their priorities lie. Another, FOX News, cranks out Bush propaganda to such an extent that they spawn Tony Snow, White House spokesperson. While the remaining few media companies are more interested in gaining favor with the FCC to increase local market shares with more local tv stations, radio stations and newspapers. Truth in news be damned! They'll report what the administration tells thm to report.

Do you remember the mid 1970's movie 'Network'? Who would have thought that that film would be so prescient?

On a positive note, more and more people are ignoring the mainstream media (tv news and newspapers) and getting their news from alternative websites.

Much to the dismay of Judith Miller, Michael Gordon, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and all the other 'pundits' who call themselves journalists.

 
at 7:35 AM, April 02, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Everyone KNOWS that everything published on the Web is 100% true, right? Good place to get your news.

 
at 6:18 PM, April 02, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Of course not everything on the web is true. Sean Hannitty, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly and all governement departments have websites. Particularly, www.whitehouse.gov. I rest my case. Wake up man!!!

 
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