Won'cha'hep'me

Time to start scratching my itch to vent.

2010-08-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Let's just start out with a great big fattie . . . . .

The itch to strike and call out some of the horrendous bullshit that spreads its ugly smell with each passing day is overcoming me, and so I'm working on some new posts that should help as least as much as cortizone. The problem is that there's so much crapola out there, I don't know where to begin.

One of the good things about living in Louisiana though is that we have so many home-grown greedy asshole politicians, all swimming in a sea of uneducated, nee stupid, voters who don't know and don't care about knowing what bullshit artists they are, so they can pretty much get away with anything. I just read somewhere that the only person that could possibly upset Diaper David Vitter in the Senate race is Lil'Bobby Jindal, and he won't even try because his sights are set higher. So that's where it starts, the two most popular politicians in Louisiana are Vitter and Jindal. No wonder the smell is so bad.

So, I'll just start by singling out one at a time. Keep in mind I have no expectation of changing anything. From now on, this will strictly be an exercise in venting. See ya. Oh, and there will be pictures.

Lil'Bobby Jindal is not a messiah!

2010-06-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

Lil'Bobby Jindal is not, repeat not, a messiah. He is purely and simply a photo-opportunistic huckster GOPer, preying, as those like him, on the tragedy of the moment to instill fear and hatred of the federal government. Despite his -and his staff's - strategy to perpetuate his image as a god-sent savior, any one with an ounce of brain power can see the truth. Unfortunately, for the undereducated masses in Louisiana, no one gives a shit!

Vitter's not a threat, just a GOPer pervert

2009-03-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

TSA On Vitter Airport Incident: He Did Not Pose Security Threat
The Transportation Security Administration has cleared Senator David Vitter (R-LA) of wrongdoing in his reported airport rage incident. To be exact, it was determined that Vitter did not pose a security threat. He did open the door to his plane's gate, which he should not have done after it had been shut, but he didn't go further after the alarm went off. The TSA's statement: "TSA worked with local partners to review the incident and determined the actions of [Vitter] did not pose a security threat. [Vitter] caused a door to alarm but did not proceed into a restricted area."Click here: TPMDC Talking Points Memo TSA On Vitter Airport Incident: He Did Not Pose Security Threat

So Sinator Diaper Dave is not a threat, he's just a plain old ordinary GOPer pervert . . . one who can count on the TSA (and probably others) to whitewash his crap . . . Whatever!

Once an asshole, always an asshole. . . . . Are we to believe that dear Wendy - the enabler - does have his balls in her purse . . . Crap, she's as bad as him . . .

Please, please, find someone to knock this guy out . . . Louisiana deserves better.

Diaper Dave's Dust-Up, again and again . . .

2009-03-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Diaper Dave’s Dust-Up
by Becky Akersby Becky Akers

A passenger recently arrived at his gate twenty minutes before his flight on United Airlines was due to depart. He found the door to the ramp already closed. So he did what many of us long to, what customers who aren’t aviation’s prisoners would do with impunity, and what formerly free Americans could once have done without fear of "detainment" or brouhaha: he tried to make his flight by opening the door.
The usual hysteria ensued. But rather than sympathizing with its victim, we can laugh ourselves sick because the guy snared this time is Sen. David Vitter (R-LA).
You might think Diaper Dave would have been so wretchedly shamed after the media exposed his dalliances with various prostitutes, let alone the rumors about his peculiar predilection, that he’d have slunk off the stage, pronto, never to be heard from again. Picture yourself in his place when little Tommy next door calls a sly "Hey, Mr. Vitter!" Your parents, your siblings, your staff, the constituent uppity enough to challenge you at the "town hall meeting," even the shoe-shine guy and the waiter who smirks as he hands you your menu in the Senate Dining Room – all know what you do and how you do it. Wouldn’t you either hole up on a desert island or kill yourself? But no: politicians will pay any price, however mortifying, to lord it over their betters, so the sleazebag pesters us to this day.
Click here: Diaper Dave's Dust-Up by Becky Akers [click to read it all.]

Vitter: "I'm the tightest-ass, blue-nose in Louisiana"

2009-03-05T15:46:00.000-08:00

DiaperDave is runnin' hard to prove he's the tightest-ass blue-nose in the State, even tighter than Lil'Bobby 'I Love Rush' Jindal. And he doesn't have to travel to raise money.

To try and strengthen his blue-nose bona fides, the good Sinator Dave proposes to withhold funding from the evil-doers at Planned Parenthood. Daily Kingfish:: Sinator Vitter Wants To Gut Reproductive Health Care For Women You have to wonder if Dave cared about health care while cavorting with his lady friends. Hypocrisy Has No Term Limits - Vitter But then Dave and his GOPer pals already covered up in 2004, so no doubt they'll do it again. Vitter and the LA GOP Cover-Up: "We Discussed This Exact Fact"

At least his kids aren't gonna suffer any financial losses because of their pop's screwing around.
Vitter Officially Closes 'Madam' Legal Fund
31 Oct 2008 U.S. Sen. David Vitter on Thursday officially closed his legal defense fund that was created following his involvement in the "D.C. Madam" prostitution case last year. The Louisiana Republican raised $200,010 through 27 contributors, many who gave the maximum $10,000, in less than a month, according to documents requested and obtained by The News-Star from Vitter's office.
Among the 27 contributors are well-known political and business figures like Donald "Boysie" Bollinger of Bollinger Shipyards; John Georges of Imperial Trading Co., who ran unsuccessfully for governor last year; Gary Chouest, a shipbuilder and part owner of the New Orleans Hornets; and New Orleans banker and real estate mogul Joseph Canizaro.
Click here: Vitter Officially Closes 'Madam' Legal Fund Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

Lil'Bobby Jindal Just Keeps on Giving

2009-03-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

Jindal Calls Limbaugh A "Great Leader" For Conservatives, Is Glad Steele Apologized
Check out this excerpt from Bobby Jindal's appearance last night on Larry King Live. Jindal was asked about Rush Limbaugh's declarations of wanting President Obama to fail. He not only couldn't bring himself to repudiate Rush's remarks, but also praised Rush as a "great leader for conservatives" -- and he said he was glad that Michael Steele had apologized for taking a shot at him:
Click here: TPMDC Talking Points Memo Jindal Calls Limbaugh A "Great Leader" For Conservatives, Is Glad Steele Apologized

Willie Nelson: Marijuana Christmas

2009-01-03T05:34:00.001-08:00

more about "Willie Nelson: Marijuana Christmas", posted with vodpod

Numbnuts is out of touch . . .

2008-11-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

Scalize just keeps on bumping into himself at every turn. And he keeps on getting caught in his web of downright lies. Why shouldn't folks in LA01 expect the numbnuts to know what's going on in LA01, especially when it's about an issue he's so interested in . . . To quote the T-P from their endorsement, Scalise " . . . pledges to continue to push for hurricane protection, including floodgates at the Rigolets." WTF?

And now the Times-Picayune reiterates their mistake in endorsing Scalise in LA01. Either the T-P publisher and staff are just too in the rightwing pocket to admit their mistake, or too lazy to review their choice in view of Scalise's continuing lies and blatant stupidity. Daily Kingfish:: LA-01: Scalise Is OUT OF TOUCH The T-P did the right thing in opting for Obama and Mary, but they just couldn't bring themselves to risk having the ole white folks LA01 turn around.

Kennedy, spinning with one foot nailed down . . .

2008-11-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

Ever since Karl Rove came down and promised him a job and fancy office in Washington, John's been spinning like a guy with one foot nailed to the floor . . .

Karl just has too many puppets in play this year, and keeps on getting'em confused . . .

Keep smiling John, the pain is almost over . . . . .

Scalise - Touring with Boehnerpalooza

2008-10-31T12:13:00.000-07:00

In July, while members of Congress were gathered in New Orleans to study the wetlands disaster, Steve Scalise was performing with the Boehnerpalooza Alaska Tour 2008. North To Alaska -Scalise Photo-Op Tour . . .

Just sayin' . . . . . . .

Scalise get endorsements, hell freezes over . . .

2008-10-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Bobby Jindal came back to Louisiana to secure his base . . .

And Steve touts Sarah in his new ad . . .

And, of course, the storm-troopers are still out there . . .

Scalise in a nutshell . . .

2008-10-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

Grab your guns folks . . . them ebil-doing, black, muslin, terrorist, socialists are coming to git'cha and take all your stuff. They gonna storm your gated enclaves, ravage your women, beat-up on all you old white guys, and give all your money to poor people. The Scaliziest Political Commercial in Louisiana That is, unless you keep folks like Sleezy Scalise in Washington so can protect you.

Scalise must have learned some things from Big Time Cheney during his few hour visit a while back, 'cause he's following the historic GOP game-play in LA01 by avoiding the issues . . . Instead he's playing to the long-standing bigotry and fear from the past.

Scalise so far has tried'em all, in his trashy ad attempting the quantum leap from Jim Harlan to Jeremiah Wright, in his gun pandering news photo-op giving a gun to the old white lady, and in his I support veterans ad returning the Gonzales medals. OK, so getting the medals back was a nice thing to do, but as pointed out elsewhere 'what took so long?' Scalise, Bipartisan? Puh-lease! Actually the GOPers could have taken care of that bizness starting back with Bob Livingston, though he was sorta pre-occupied chasing tush back then. They musta been saving this little gut-grabber for when one of their boys was heading south.

And getting Pat Konie a new gun? Well, that's a nice play for the scared white folks vote, which unfortunately is a pretty large group in LA01. NOLA Woman Gets New Gun From Scalise.

The interesting thing is that none of the supposed supporters of the Mistake By The Lake have made any notable public appearances with him or on his behalf. Even last week, Bobby Jindal made an ad for John Kennedy [ which will have all sorts of implications of its own down the line], but he has yet to speak up for Steve. Jindal is just too busy raising money in other states.

Likewise, though writers like Stephanie Grace go along with the misconception that LA01 is a lock for the GOP, Choices left and right - S. Grace - NOLA.com, none of the former GOPer Congressmen - Livingston, Vitter, Jindal - has spoken publically for Steve. Maybe he's gonna try and squeeze'em in this last week. It's just possible that none of them want to get too close to Sleezy for fear it rubs off and screws their future plans.

Answer in a nutshell: You're a dirtbag Steve, always were, always will be . . . and because you're a dirtbag, nobody wants to get too close to you . . .

GOPers, always good for a laugh . . .

2008-10-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

Just a few short weeks ago, St. Tammany GOP Chair Pam Egan got her drawers in a twist because some of her elected soldiers were supporting - gawd forbid - the evil Mary Landrieu instead of What Day Is It John Kennedy for the Senate. Northshore Republicans Upset at Leadership They even passed a finger-shaking resolution . . . whooooo . . . You boys stay in line now, or else . . .
Now, Jolly Roger Villere, the Louisiana GOPer-in-Chief, has joined in the rumble. According to news releases, the GOPer elected officials who support Landrieu are playing with fire. 2theadvocate.com : GOP may censure Landrieu supporters — And they might just get their booty's spanked if they don't repent and conform to the party line. Big Brother is watching.

Adrastos puts it in a nutshell:
GRET STET GOP PARTY LOYALTY: Louisiana GOP chairman Roger Villere is threatening to sanction Goopers who support Mary Landrieu. LINK. It's rich when your candidate is a party hopping opportunist like Neely and when the Louisiana GOP has *always* encouraged party switching. Mike Foster, Buddy Roemer and Billy Tauzin to name but a few were first elected to office as Democrats. I'd also like to see Little Roger try and spank Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand who just came out for Landrieu. Click here: http://adrastos.blog-city.com/
And, just a reminder again, wasn't it the Dirt Meister Karl Rove who came down here and offered Wannabe Something-Anything Kennedy a chance . . .

So far I'd only give Pamela and Roger a Level 3, but they're working on improving . . .

Scalise stays on the low road, surprise, surprise . .

2008-10-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

The Mistake by the Lake is way too mild a characterization of Steve Scalise after seeing his latest attack on Jim Harlan. The title Sleazy Scalise is more appropriate. It's a play straight out of the Rove-McCain-Palin 2008 playbook, complete with references to the evil twins Obama and Wright. Steve Scalise joins in on the McCain trash talk express It's bullshit, total bullshit, but a devastatingly accurate portrait of the real Scalise the GOP has been promoting as the heir to the LA01 seat in Congress.

He's so desperate he has to bring the Big Dick into NOLA, to stir up his money-makers in a secretive luncheon at Arnaud's. Won'cha'hep'me: 'Big Time' finally comes to NOLA Cheney, Scalise supporters lunch together in Quarter- Dick Cheney, WOW, the worst VP since Dan Quale! Polls: Cheney Nears Quayle as Least Popular Veep - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.c It cost a small fortune to fly the Dickster into town, and Scalise has the gall to claim his campaign paid for it. Scalise on WGNO forum - we paid for that trip WTF? You might want to ask for the paperwork on that tall tale, and keep an eye on his campaign finance reports.

Scalise really does play LA01 voters for fools. Next thing, he might as well go ahead and make personal appearances with John LaBruzzo and Michelle Bachmann. Won'cha'hep'me: What do LABruzzo, Bachmann and Palin have in common?

The third string Scalise has nothing to offer himself, so he's reduced to depending on the ignorance, bigotry and fear of the voters in LA01. He believes, and unfortunately has reason to believe, that all he needs to do is throw out a few worn-out cliches like pro-life, shared family values and 100% conservative, and all the GOPers will fall into line behind him like the dumb sheep they've become. On his website though, his values appear to be limited to being against abortion and gay marriage. Fortunately, family values extends far beyond those two red-meat issues. Defining Family Values, Traditional Family Values There's things like a right to live a healthy and safe life, a right not to be killed in war, and so on. Oh, for added flavor, he does throw out a few of the evil liberal, Pelosi, tax and spend, anger triggers.

He's nothing but a common professional hack politician who's worked the public teat since he was 30, been a loyal soldier, waited his turn while the A-team passed him by, and finally got his payoff with a big bump in salary last May. Click here: Won'cha'hep'me: Do GOPers in LA01 really want Scalise?

Because GOPers, at least in this area, are so intractably ideological, they project their sheep-like mentality on all those who oppose them, e.g., We're all the same so they must all be the same. Thus, all Democrats are evil liberals, abortionist baby killers, homos, terrorists, anti-American, and on and on, ad nauseum.

One local blogger recently claimed that since Jim Harlan is pro-life, pro-gun, and a fiscal conservative, he's really a Republican - or else he's lying. . . . The Low River Road: Scalise finally fight back Poor guy, that's just wanton ignorance. I've been a registered Democrat since 1960, and over the years I've seen folks with a wide variety of personal beliefs in the Democratic party. The thread of the Democratic party is diversity, not uniformity, inclusion not exclusion, and a commitment to seeking the common good, not ideological purity. Republicans, on the other hand, seem committed to rigid authoritarian theocratic ideology, one size fits all, and the dumbing down of America. David Brooks - Class Wars Before Palin It may have worked in an earlier time, but after the past 8 years of GOP domination, even their more intelligent thinkers, like Brooks and George Will, are rethinking the meaning of being conservative.

For the second time in a year, folks in LA01 have an opportunity to select a Congressman with real class, not just some warmed-over party hack. Last spring we had Gilda Reed who, on all counts, was better qualified that Scalise, and it got away from us, lost in the GOP logo branded on Metairie and the Northshore of LA01.

But we've got another chance to get it right, and with a candidate in Jim Harlan who, once again, outshines Scalise on all counts. And, what with all the chaos in Washington and on the campaign trail, the GOPer brand isn't so strong as it used to be . . . Scalise has shown he has nothing to run on but sleaze and brand, and hopefully it's time to change brands in LA01 and send a man we can be proud of to Washington.

Karl Rove bought John Kennedy, enough said . . .

2008-10-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

'Big Time' finally comes to NOLA

2008-10-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

On Monday 'Big Time' himself finally made a visit to NOLA, not to see the progress being made in the recovery, but to appear at a 'private' invite only money-maker for the Mistake by the Lake Steve Scalise. The cost of his 4 hour political junket - about $500m to the American taxpayers. "With little fanfare, unpopular Vice President comes to Louisiana to stump for first district Congressman Steve Scalise . . ." Click here: the reduct box

"Cheney addressed about 150 Scalise supporters at Arnaud's restaurant in the French Quarter. Tickets for the event started at $1,000. For $2,300, Scalise said, backers got their photograph taken with the vice president. Scalise supporters dined on shrimp remoulade and trout amandine in the Count's Ballroom, then sang "Happy Birthday" to Scalise, celebrating his 43rd, and ate baked Alaska. Cheney, Scalise supporters lunch together in Quarter- Damn, do the math, if they all bought the blue light special photo, it wouldn't raise enough to cover the real cost of the trip.

Wouldn't you love to have been a fly on the wall in that soup? All the Louisiana GOPer elite -and so proud of themselves and their leaders, they locked out the press. Musta been hiding something . . .
Let's see how many ponyed up for the special photo-op . . . thasa keeper . . . .

No doubt Big Time gave Steve some hints during that limo ride to and from the airport, because so far Stevie is staying away from the public, and avoiding any one-on-one with Jim Harlan . . .

If folks in LA01 get snookered by the GOP party bosses again, and send this fool back to DC, we all continue to lose . . . . Even the GOPers know Scalise is 3rd string, but he was a loyal boy . . .

What do LABruzzo, Bachmann and Palin have in common?

2008-10-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

What do John LaBruzzo, Michelle Bachmann, and Sarah Palin have in common?

a. They blame blacks and other minorities for the present financial crisis.
b. They believe in population design through use of Eugenics.
c. They believe that drilling everywhere will lower gas prices today.
d. They support Steve Scalise for Congress in LA01.
e. All of the above.

Steve has and will continue to do as he is told . . to keep what's left of the party going . . . He'll keep the Louisiana GOPers happy by following their instructions . . .

He's not so bright that he'll have new ideas or make trouble. He fits right in with the GOPer plan of dumbing down America . . . It's not about intelligence, knowledgable or experienced anymore . . . it's about cute, folksy and loyalty to ideology. Sooooooo . . .

And he goes right along with the GOPer announced obstructionist strategy.

And now, a few words from Harry Truman

2008-09-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

Texans, Beware Dubya in a Blue Shirt . . .

2008-09-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

You good folks in Texass better watch out now . . . George Bush is coming in his blue shirt. Why here he is speaking to his base in Houston after Gustav . . .

Hold on, wait a minute here! That picture looks familiar . . . Oh yeah, its the same picture he posed for on the Mississippi gulf coast after Katrina . . . in another blue shirt . . .

So what's the gag? How can you tell when George Bush is up to no good? When he's wearing a blue shirt.

We need another Huey Long now . . .

2008-09-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

In January, I posted an item on Huey Long, the former much maligned governor of Louisiana. Click here: Won'cha'hep'me: A Few Words from Huey Long Love him or hate him, the 'Kingfish' was not afraid to take on the establishment.
In his 1933 self-published auto-biography, Huey spoke truth to power, and railed against the corporate greed and corruption that brought about the collapse in 1929. It's time to revisit some of Huey's words:

"All the people in America cannot eat up the food that is produced in America; all the people in America cannot wear out the clothes that can be made in America; nor can all of the people in America occupy the houses that stand in this country, if all are allowed to share in homes afforded by the nation. But when one man must have more houses to live in than ninety-nine other people; when one man decides he must own more foodstuff than any other ninety-nine people own; when one man decides he must have more goods to wear for himself and family than any other ninety-nine people, then the condition results that instead of one hundred people sharing the things that are on earth for one hundred people, that one man, through his gluttonous greed, takes over ninety-nine parts for himself and leaves one part for the ninety-nine.Now what can this one man do with what is intended for ninety-nine? He cannot eat the food that is intended for ninety-nine people; he cannot wear the clothes that are intended for ninety-nine people; he cannot live in ninety-nine houses at the same time; but like the dog in the manger, he can put himself on the load of hay and he can say: 'This food and these clothes and these houses are mine, and while I cannot use them, my greed can only be satisfied by keeping anybody else from having them. 'Wherefore and whence developed the strife in the land of too much, beginning in the year 1929."(Every Man A King, Huey P. Long, 1933, pgs. 291-292)
Click here: Won'cha'hep'me: A Few Words from Huey Long

So here we are in 2008, faced with the potential for financial disaster as great as that suffered in 1929, and for many of the same reasons, the principal of which is simply greed. And once again, we need a Huey Long to speak for the common man and for the common good.

McCain throws down the gauntlet, and gets caught

2008-09-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

What's wrong with folks changing their minds about an issue? Not a day passes that we don't receive some new information that affects how we view a variety of subjects. So what is wrong with changing positions? Just don't lie about it and expect it to go away.

In the political world it's called FLOP-FLOPPING and it is made out to be a sign of wavering or weakness, or relativism, and its used as a bludgeon on one's opponents. But again, it's not "bad" in itself. What's bad is not the change of mind, but the "pandering" behind the change of mind. When a position is changed strictly because it is politically profitable, and it is calculated to "win" votes, then it becomes intellectually questionable.

Throughout the primary season this year, both Republicans and Democrats were accused, and accused each other, of the dreaded FLIP-FLOP. And on both sides of the isle, some did and some didn't. It was just politics.

What folks, and particularly politicians, seem to have forgotten is that we live in an age of high technology, of recorded audio and video, and phone cameras, and of the internet and uTube. When words are spoken, they are immediately placed in the public domain, and widely shared. We haven't quite reached the 1984 stage where facts and information can be changed at will or simply made to disappear. When a public figure takes a position or makes a statement, it's going to be out there somewhere, and savvy people are going to find it.

John McCain has gone on TV, and stated "Nobody can name an issue I have flip-flopped on". Here's the story:

"On ABC’s The View today, host Joy Behar complained to John McCain that “you used to be more of the Maverick, then you sort of turned.” “In what way?” McCain asked. “You became much more lockstep, I think, with your party, with George Bush’s policies,” Behar answered, adding, “I don’t see the old John McCain. … I understand why — you want to get elected.” McCain issued this challenge in his defense: I’ve been through this litany before, where I say, “ok, what specific area have I quote changed?” Nobody can name it. … I am the same person and I have the same principles. Click here: Think Progress » McCain Issues A Challenge: ‘Nobody Can Name’ An Issue I Have Flip-Flopped On

Now that's just throwing down the proverbial gauntlet. It's as dumb as when Gary Hart, amid carousing allegations, challenged the press to "catch me if you can", which they promptly did. And that's exactly what reporters have done to John McCain. Here is the compiled list of purported FLIP-FLOPS by John McCain:

McCain’s 42 Flip-Flops - all documented

FOREIGN POLICY* Attacking Terrorists In Pakistan* Defense Spending* Detention Of Detainees* Divestment And Sanctions* Donald Rumsfeld* Henry Kissinger* Illegal Wiretapping* Law Of The Sea Convention* Long-Term Troop Presence In Iraq* Negotiations With Hamas* Negotiations With Syria* Normalization Of Relations With Cuba* Nuclear Reactors* Nuclear Waste Storage At Yucca Mountain* Rogue State Rollback* Torture* 21st Century GI Bill
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY* Ethanol* Everglades Restoration* Offshore Drilling
ETHICS* Criticizing The Media* Katrina Investigations* Lobbyists* The Wyly Brothers
Check'em out.
ECONOMY* Americans Live Better Under Bush* Balancing The Budget* Bush Tax Cuts* Earmarks For Arizona* Fairness Of The Estate Tax* Job Losses In Michigan* Social Security Privatization* Tobacco Industry Regulations* Windfall Profits Tax
IMMIGRATION* The Dream Act
RADICAL RIGHT* The Confederate Flag* Jerry Falwell And The Religious Right* The NRA* Teaching Intelligent Design
CIVIL RIGHTS* Gay Marriage Amendment
HEALTH CARE* Abortion Exceptions* Repealing Roe v. Wade* Taxpayer Funding For Contraception In Africa

Check'em out for yourself. There may well be some that are a bit equivocal, and you might think it really wasn't a FLIP-FLOP at all. It may well have simply been a 'change of mind' based on new information, and that's alright. But more likely, each was just the same ole political pandering, and saying what was calculated to appease whatever audience he was addressing.

Bush's last visit to NOLA . . .

2008-08-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

With any luck at all, Bush's Tuesday visit to NOLA and the Gulf Coast will be his last. People Get Ready » Dubya’s last stand in New Orleans We've had quite enough of his empty bullshit. The only one who's probably gonna miss his visits is Lil'Bobby First Draft: Discriminate for Jeebus - go "Lil'Bobby" . . .

And just when you think he couldn't possibly get any dumber, George let's go with another blast of his keen intellect President arrives in New Orleans, So What! - Times-Picayune . . .

Of course we all know what he really meant to say . . .

So adios George, don'y let the door slam you . . .

GOPers send in the heavyweights & others . . .

2008-08-17T06:33:00.001-07:00

The GOPers are working overtime to help John 'wannabe something" Kennedy in his attempt to unseat Mary Landrieu. National GOP working for La. candidate for Senate - AP News - NOLA.com After the Rasputin to the Bushies decided Johnny was their best hope in Louisiana, they first sent The Decided hisself down, but even Lil'Bobby knew that was just pissin' in the wind. [click on pictures for larger image] Won'cha'hep'me: Kennedy is a Rove-Made-Man

So now they're sending the heavy weights into the Gret State. According to the AP, via the T-P, "Republican John Kennedy's campaign coffers got a boost Thursday with a fundraising visit by first lady Laura Bush, in the latest move by a GOP heavyweight to support the U.S. Senate candidate". GOP Heavyweight supporting Kennedy - NOLA.com [direct quote]

No doubt this movement to send foreign heavy weights into the Louisiana Senate race is just the beginning of a broader movement to enlist heavyweights of whatever ilk in support of Kennedy . . . This could be the start of sumpin' big . . .

And it seems to also attract some of the sworn to serve Bush loyalists from the Whitehouse crowd . . . All hand-picked, like John Neely Kennedy by Herr Karl Rove . . .

Events like this always seem to attract the best people . . .

And Ms. Pickles also enlisted some friends from her many foreign travels . . .

If all the hoopla should for some reason work, it will demonstrate once again why Louisiana is still at the bottom of the dung-heap . . . always a decade or so benind the learning curve . . .
A smarter group would just say no to Johnny Wannabe . . .

For those of us actually living in the Gret State [not impo'tent foreigners] especially at this critical time, it doesn't make a bit of sense to replace Mary Landrieu. We're gonna have a Democrat majority in Congress come January, and likely a Democratic President, and Mary has a solid 12 year tenure in that majority. Why in the world would any sane people want to trade that in for a wannabe politician who's so confused he rarely knows what day it is.
Kennedy backs off his attack ad claim- NOLA.com

Nobody's perfect, even Mary, but she's got what Louisiana needs right now - and if they were honest, even the local GOPers would agree . . .

As for Pickles, well, she's sweet, but she's on a short string with the Bushies herself . . .

Shill here, shill now, shill everywhere GOPers say . . .

2008-08-14T12:51:00.001-07:00

Beating the drums and shilling for Big Oil just gets louder and stupider with each passing day. Media Matters - Myths and falsehoods about oil policies Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the GOPer tag line is that gasoline prices will go down as soon as protected areas are opened up for drilling. Come'on folks, call it what it is, BULLSHIT! Krugman - Know-Nothing Politics - NYT

It is a cruel hoax being played for all its political drama by a desperate GOP left by a failed and corrupt Bush administration with nothing else to run on. Gingrich GOPers new $$$-maker 'Drill here-Drill now' . . . It's really about the Bushies dwindling window of opportunity to pay its Big Oil patrons by giving them control of more federal land leases . . . and the price is more campaign money from Big Oil Industry Gushed Money After Reversal on Drilling Still, a lie is a lie is a lie, until by some magical Rovian metamorphosis it isn't . . .

They're so desperate that Johnny "you kids stay off my lawn" McBush even dragged his poor wannabe Ms. Buffalo Chip off to the desert for some photo-ops Senator McChicken goes to the desert to promote coastal drilling . . . poor Ms. Chips McCain Offers His Old Lady To Gas-Guzzling Bikers

And on the local scene in LA01, Steve Scalise has nothing to lose so he ratchets up his empty bullshit and admits he and the rest of'em are shilling for Big Oil Support Big Oil - means money in the campaign bank . . . Actually "we're afraid to go home", so we'll just have a Washington sit-in during summer break . . .GOP floor revolt over inaction continues

And his Alaska travel buddy, Michelle "you gotta love her"Bachmann, possibly the craziest BREAKING NEWS: Michelle Bachmann Still Insane of the oil hucksters, now claims that Alaska's ANWR is the perfectest place to drill for oil Michelle Bachmann - ANWR - Drill Here, Drill Now ; and screw the environment because Jesus saved the earth 2000 years ago. TPM: Bachmann To Environmentalists: Jesus a;ready saved planet [I always thought Jesus was in the business of saving people.]

The best thing that could happen in LA01 is for Michelle to come on down to help her buddy Steve. General Batshittery from Scalise travel buddy Michelle Bachmann She's already helped George at the Custard Shop Found in Michele Bachmann’s Diary « The Fruit Fly So now she can help Cheney and Steve . . .

Elsewhere, even though Big Oil is exporting millions of barrels of oil products on a regular basis because they can get more $$$ by selling to foreigners US Oil Exports at Record High Drudge Retort and United States Oil - exports - Economy ; and even though the public is growing tired of the on-going canard being played out GOP Incumbents Learn The Cost Of Shilling for Big Oil , the GOPers are determined to ride this horse 'til it drops House Republicans drill point home over break- NOLA.com . . .

And we saw just last week, in the Georgia-Russia nightmare, just how far the GOPers are willing to go Neocon Nuts Call For U.S. To Launch War With Russia to keep from being tossed out in November TPM Beware Cheney-McCain on Georgia-Russia and begin facing criminal investigations . . . Just remember, it was Georgia that started the spat, not Russia, and Georgia would/could not have acted unless it had US support . . GOPers are capable of anything . . . even stirring up another war to save their sorry Texasses . . Truthdig - Georgia War a Neocon Election Ploy?

As for building up the gas supply, here's a suggestion. Everyone in the GOP can eat a couple of cans of Bush Baked Beans just before they descend on Minneapolis . . . . Groups predict prostitution spike at RNC - That should be a ton'o'fun . . .

Endnote: For one of the better summaries on the McCain flip-flop-flip-flopping on the Big Oil slick, read McCain -Changing Lanes: The New Yorker . . .

A little reminder after three years . . .

2008-08-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

On August 29th it'll be 3 years post-Katrina . . . time to pull a few photos from the archives to remind us all of the great leadership shown by Dubya. On the day of the great storm he was somewhere else celebrating John McCain's birthday, but that's another sad story. It was a few days later that he finally made his first fly-over to see our drowned city . . .

He and Poppy couldn't wait to get back to the great fishing in the French Quarter, just around the corner from his beloved Bourbon Street . . .

When he finally landed, he met with the local politicians, including Mitch Landrieu who had no idea what he was babbling about . . .

And Mayor C. Ray Nagin, who was another of those folks like the kind he'd put in his cabinet a few years back . . .

He did make a little time to visit with and entertain the ordinary folks down at the Superdome . .

He also made it a point to get with and reassure the GOPer money-men, including the head of a local shipyard . . .

And later, of course he arranged a meeting to reassure his boys on the Gulf Coast that there was plenty of $$$$ for everyone, and nothing was gonna get away . . .

He need to impress on folks that he was in charge, and things were gonna get done . . .

So they set up a stage for him in Jackson Square in the French Quarter, and in matching blue shirt and background, and with 50K in lights, he assured all of us and the world that New Orleans would get all the help it needed to be restored . . .

Like so many other things, though, he lied . . . and as soon as the speech ended, they turned off the lights, tore down the stage, and sneaked away in the dark . . . .mission accomplished . . .

New Orleans Bloggers on The Rude Pundit

2008-07-26T04:09:00.000-07:00

The Rude Pundit is one who can always be counted on to "tell it like it is", with no holdin' back, and none of the hang-ups about using the entire language. Can any of the local folks come close to his linguistic wizardry?

Beginning Monday: A Week of Guest Bloggers from New Orleans (Updated):In what's become a tradition around here, one week a year the Rude Pundit heads away from Left Blogsylvania in order to understand that there's a world possible without Cheneys or Hannitys, where the mad voices of the TV and the radio are meaningless against the rush of ocean wave and the sip of Corazon Anejo, a tequila that, after three or four slowly swallowed shots, will make you believe that furtive sand dune sex is not a horribly uncomfortable experience.This time, the Rude Pundit sent out the call to New Orleans bloggers, and he's put together a kick-ass line-up of Crescent City survivors:
Monday, July 28: Dangerblond of Dangerblond
Tuesday, July 29: Oyster of Your Right Hand Thief and Eli Ackerman of We Could Be Famous
Wednesday, July 30: G-Bitch of The G-Bitch Spot
Thursday, July 31: Bigezbear of Bigezbear and Humid City and Lord David of Humid City
Friday, August 1: Karen Gadbois of Squandered Heritage
Click here: The Rude Pundit

Not a good week for more holes . . .

2008-07-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, the GOPer Elders agreed that regardless of any facts, the country needed more holes in order to survive . . .Wonk Room » Lifting Offshore Moratorium Is Boon To Big Oil And No One Else These Elders were answering to a higher power, Big Oil . . .

They were presented with options to more holes . . . which they promptly dismissed for aesthetic reasons . . . and besides, Big Oil would be angered if they attempted to find ways not to drill more holes . . .

Even after pleading for money and taking junkets to far away places, their soldiers were in desperate straits . . . their rising star in LA01 went North to Alaska and returned with the good news that wild animals were pleased with the prospect of drilling more holes in the tundra . . .Scalise says wildlife loves oil production He apparently based this conclusion on interviews with 3 Caribou. Scalise 7-22 Newsletter We all know he needs money, and is looking to Big Oil . . .Drilling Needed to Bring Down Gas Prices - Scalise Watch out for those independent Big oil issue ads to start coming out soon . . . it's the Elder Way.

A fellow-travelers on that trip, Michele Bachmann (MI06) was just as pleased because she saw no animals being molested by drilling holes. Michele Bachman sez no wildlife in ANWR Of course, the last time we saw her, she was drilling a hole down Dubya's throat after the SOTU . . . Michele Bachmann Says Wildlife Go "Where the Action is"

That didn't sit well with Lady Pickles. All was forgiven though, since Pickles had more pressing problems with George. Click here: George and Laura Bush to divorce after election because of Condi Rice? - Pravda.Ru Probably just more nasty gossip . . .

On another front, Elder Diaper Dave Vitter welcomed newby John Kennedy into GOPer-land, and promised to share their common values with the good folks in Louisiana . . . Daily Kingfish:: LA-Sen: Kennedy "Honored" To Campaign With Sinator Vitter And John instantly became one of the Elders with his proclamation that we needed more holes . . . Daily Kingfish:: LA-Sen: Kennedy Joins the Shilling for Big Oil

By the end of the week, what with Hurricane Dolly squashing the McCain/Jindal photo-ops, and the dumping of a few thousand barrels of oil into Big Muddy on the middle of New Orleans, it just didn't go well for the Elders and their dream of drilling more holes . . Firedoglake » Majority of Americans Not Fooled, Say More Drilling Won’t Reduce

Even one of the most revered of the Big Oil Elders, Mr. T. Boone Pickens hisself, suggested the Elders stop makin' noise about more holes. Pickens Tells Offshore Drilling Advocates: ‘You’re Going To Get A . . . What we really need here is more windmills. Air Don't burn . . . but then with T. Boone, there's gotta be an angle . . .

The Elders need to remember that KARMA never stops working.

Just stop with the gawd-damn lies . . . .

2008-07-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

It might be easier to stomach if these greedy politicians would just stop lyin' about (1) needing to drill to reduce prices at the pumps; and (2) there were no oil spills after Katrina and Rita.

There may be some good reason - though I haven't heard any I'd accept - for opening up more areas for drilling. Just stop lying and treating folks like fools. Granted, Big Oil has spread it's tenacles [and its money] into the talking-head class, and they're staying on message. So let'em make their case if they can, just stop with the lyin' . . .

Of course, there were oil spills after Katrina and Rita - millions of gallons of oil. And when the greasy pols say there wasn't - well, it's the old joke, who you gonna believe, me or your eyes. There's pictures people, and video, for gawd's sake.

And more areas for lease! What the fuck do they need it for? There's millions of acres already leased and not used - and they want more? Why? And on the Louisiana coast, aren't there enough wells already?

Big Oil is just greedy. Enough said . . .

Big Oil and their Mouthpiece-in-chief from Texass, the bloody oil monkey hisself . . .

PBJ's just another run-of-the-mill politician . . .

2008-07-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

Lil'Bobby seems to have a bad case of Bushivitis, in trying to creat his own alternate reality. And also by trying to keep the actual reality secret.
Smart isn't always smart. There's book smarts, which Lil'Bobby seems to have; and then there's street smarts, which he clearly doesn't have. Through the campaign season he and his handlers were able to project the book smart side, mainly by talking fast and avoiding head-to-head encounters with opponents.

Talking fast with a thousand details impressed plenty of media folks and voters, more than enough to get him elected. And those who recognized his crap and tried to alert folks were summarily smeared. He was, after all, the incredible PBJ.

Now that he's in office, his carefully constructed alternate reality is beginning to fall apart. Lil'Bobby appears to be letting his Lil'Ego get in the way of doing his job in Baton Rouge. Maybe it's still just his handlers, Timmy and Melissa, getting confused from lack of age and experience; but more likely it's Lil'Bobby's craving for bigger and higher office that's screwing things up for him. He's never been one to stick with one job too long.
The fall from grace started with the BobbleHead payraise crap - just after Lil'B got the try-out call from Johnny McCain. And it's been downhill ever since.

There was his stupid TV comments that there were no oil spills after Katrina. Jindal Unaware Katrina Caused ‘Major’ Oil Spills A GOPer lie since expounded by both GOPer Scalise and newly minted GOPer Kennedy. No Nonsense Kennedy on Oil Spills That thousands of photographs of the spill are on the inter-tubes has no impact on the attempt to sell the alternate reality. Hurricane Katrina Oil Slicks - September 2, 2005 Just keep on plugging it over and over and over . . .
And now, he's gone and made more enemies with his veto pen. There's plenty written about this crap, best summarized at Library Chronicles - Plenty on Jindal Veto crapola Check it out, with references, for all the stupid details. For the entire list of vetoes, see forgotston.com » NGOs-the complete story

The bottom line though is that the cracks in Lil'Bobby's facade are getting wider and wider. His alternate reality is fast falling apart. And while he may be able to keep his fundy cracker base in line by tossing'em a few bones like creationism, school vouchers and guns-at-work, and confusing'em with his fast talk, his pre-election wunderkind image is shot. The Nation: The Jindal Mystique
As it turns out, he's just another run-of-the-mill conservative politician, always better at campaigning than doing the job.

North To Alaska - Scalise Photo-Op Tour . . .

2008-07-13T08:11:00.001-07:00

A while back LA01 rep Steve Scalise stood before a massive crowd at a Chevron station in Metairie, and announced he had a plan to save us all from the crushing weight of high gasoline prices.

It wasn't his original plan, but he had read the GOP Talking Point Memo carefully, and he was a 100% conservative soldier. Whatever the Memo said, he would sell it.
Can You Dig It? Should We Dig It?

This happened to be the Memo hawking the GOP idea of opening up more land to oil well drilling. The GOPer idea hadn't been selling well lately, and their client Big Oil had become restless, so they had injected the old reliable fear into the mixture to push it along.
McCain's Cruel Offshore Drilling Hoax - Yahoo! News If there's only one thing Scalise is good at, it's sellin'oil . . .

Big Oil already had millions of acres of unexplored and undrilled land under leases, and thousands of unused drilling permits, but that just wasn't enough to satisfy their greed. The GOPers had already voted down requiring them to use those leases and permits, so they wouldn't. GOPers Vote Against Quick Oil Drilling On Existing Leases There was more out there, and Big Oil had to have it.

It also didn't matter that even if they had the land, it would be easily 5-10-or more years before it would have any impact on the price of gasoline. Drill Bandits: $140-a-Barrel Lies - Candide's Notebooks They would have control, and that's what mattered.

Because they need to reinforce the drilling idea, Scalise and other GOPers need photo-ops to illustrate how safe and desirable more drilling will be - especially in places like ANWR. the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve. Boehner Announces American Energy Tour No matter that opening up more land to drilling won't make a wit of difference in our lifetime . . .

Steve is already on the Natural Resources Committee with his mentor Don Young (R-AK), so he's gonna get some great pics for the guys back home. GOPers Head To ANWR . . Scalise

Hope you have a great time . . . can't wait to see those photos in your new ads . . .

Kennedy's mentor is on the lam . . .

2008-07-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

Karl Rove, John N. Kennedy's mentor, is on the lam. Think Progress » Rove avoids subpoena by fleeing the country. Rather than face questioning under oath, he has fled the country.

It's OK though. He's gonna come home sometime. And when he does, there'll be an arrest warrant all ready for him.

John Kennedy might want to start looking for a new mentor . . .

Kennedy is a Rove-Made-Man

2008-07-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

Let's go back a little in time. Remember in mid-2007, when Karl Rove was on his way out the WH back door, and Dubya had to tell him in a church so he wouldn't have a hissy-fit. Bush confronted Rove’s sins in church He looked around for someone to use as his stooge for a last fling. His one fading chance to realize his dream of a GOPer majority . . .
Rove knew he was on his way out of the mainstream, and was looking for new horses to continue his dirty antics in his battles with destiny . . . Rove Seeks Challenger to Landrieu

And who was there for him - John Kennedy. A mostly wash-up Democrat politician from Louisiana, who never quite made the A-team, Kennedy was willing to do anything for the limelight, even joining the GOPers. He welcomed the attention of Herr Rove. John N. Kennedy Looks to Bush & Rove

Karl thought he recognized a good thing, someone he could use to further his own schemes. Someone who was eager to do his bidding, just for a little attention.
And so now, a year later, John Kennedy announces his run for the US Senate before a record standing-room only crowd in downtown Kenner. Where’d y’all go? Kennedy for Whatever .

He responded to questions that party doesn't matter to him, he can go whichever way the wind blows. And he is proud to have the support of Karl Rove and other famous GOPers, like Lil'Bobby and DiaperDave. Kennedy-Office Shop 'til You Drop

So now, thanks to the puppetmaster Karl Rove, John Kennedy is a Rove-Made-Man, with all the baggage that's attached to that status.

Lil'Bobby is still just Lil'Bobby . . . .

2008-06-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

Well Lil'Bobby finally gave into the people and reneged on his deal with the Bobble-Heads. It doesn't mean shit now. The bottomline here is simply that Lil'Bobby is still Lil'Bobby . . .

This is, after all, Louisiana, where you don't play around with the big dogs just because you say you can. So being the little boy in the big house, and counting on his little boy friends to help him, Lil'Bobby has fallen flat.

And he's still got 3.5 years to go . . . . . .

PBJ sez 'no substitutions, please' . . .

2008-06-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

Finally, there's a crack in the surface and the veneer is starting to peel off the carefully painted image of Lil'Bobby. With all the wailing over the payraise, the voutchers, the creationism law, his ethics reform, it's time to start saying we told you so last year and the years before.

Lost his balls! When has he ever had'em? He's never stood up to any one or anything. If it doesn't fit his rigid plan, he just lets it slide on through. What is it, 100 times already?

Lil'Bobby sez he's not going to veto the Bobbing-Head payraise because (1) he wants the Lege to govern itself; (2) he doesn't want his reform agenda to be in jeapordy; or (3) he won't take a chance on crossing his rightwingnut backers. Jindal traded payraise for voutchers-creationism

On the payraise:“We strongly oppose it, but we don’t want to give anybody any excuse to slow down the reforms that are so important to the people of Louisiana,” Jindal said. “But I strongly encourage the Legislature — they still have days left until Monday’s end of session — I strongly encourage them to undo what they’ve done.”Lil'Bobby is just a total wuss
He just can't risk anything interferring with the take-over of public education. PBJ Trades Lege Pay Raise ... For School Vouchers
Seems Lil'Bobby's got one of those no substitution menus . . .

Lots of Lil'Bobby's former supporters - setting aside the rightwingnut 100% conservative lemmings - are waking up to the fact that they have been taken for a ride. They shoulda been listening, and reading the fine print in Lil'Bobby's press . . .

Since the likelihood of a recall is slim and none, the best we can do is just keep on plugging, picking up his stones and showing'em the light of day . . .

It's time to get back to bizness . . whuppin' Stevie . .

2008-06-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

Enough with Lil'Bobby already. It's time to shift focus back to Stevie Scalise, and his run for re-election to the United States Congress from LA01. Remember he was just elected in November. And now we have another shot at him. Scalise Update Newsletter 6/24

For those on his mailing list, you've probably just received his latest news letter, begging for money to fight off Nancy Pelosi and the evil libruls leadership in Congress - and all because of his conservative record. They're even recruiting someone to "run against me" - of all the nerve. Same ole boogie man and worn-out script, Miss Nancy and them libruls.

How times change. Stevie was all smiles with Nancy earlier this year. Wonchahepme: Surprise, surprise, Scalise is a Dubya Ass Kisser . . During his short tenure in Congress, Stevie has indeed proven himself as a 100% pure Bush Ass-Kisser, just as he promised. LA01 gets what the GOPer bosses paid for . . . And now he needs more money to fight them evil-doers . . .

His latest vote was against the Price Gouging Prevention Act, proving his unthinking 100% Bush loyalty. FederalPriceGougingPreventionActVote And it's all 'cause Miss Nancy and them libruls in Congress oppose lettin' us drill in ANWAR to put more profits in Exxon and Chevron's pockets - and no doubt more $$$ in Stevie's campaign chest . . .

Let'em gouge man, that's their job. And stick it to the working folks . . .

Folks in LA01 deserve better than this mindless magpie in Congress. It's one thing to have opposing views on issues, but entirely different to just be cold stone stupid and follow his leader blind. House Republican Conference - Gas Price Gouging Bill Damn, even Johnny McCain's people admit the idea of opening up to more drilling is nothing more than a psych-op for the Bushies, and pay-back to big oil. Christ, they're about to get all the Iraq oil fields, at a cost to US of $1 gazillion and 4000+ dead. Why-the-hell do they need ANWAR too . . .

And speaking of Johnny McCain, no doubt Cindy's all wet thinking about the beer $$$$$ once she get's herself into the WestWing . . . Buttweisers new slogan . . . DRINK DON'T DRIVE . . . it's cheaper . . .

You can almost see the $$$$$ in that girl's eyes . . . .

Yes folks, it's gonna be fun between now and November. Stevie, Johnny & Cindy are truly the gift that keeps on giving . . . Are we gonna have some good times . . .

Keep it up Lil'Bobby, you're doin' just fine . . .

2008-06-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

Several happenings over the past few days have taken the starch out of Lil'Bobby's blue button-down shirts, but none seems to slow him down. From being a wunderkind a couple of weeks ago, he's being stripped of his polished veneer day by day . . .
There's the on-going flap over the Bobbing-Head pay raise. He won't veto it, but he won't sign it either. So in the end he and his sidekicks, Timmy and Melissa, have pissed everybody off. Enough said on that subject.

His creationism bill is moving on through. Salon.com Politics Louisiana schools open to creationism? And even though Melissa sez it isn't his, and it isn't creationism but an opportunity to broaden the student's perspective, everyone knows it's hogwash and just a toe in the door of religious crapola in public schools. Even Lil'Bobby's professor from Brown University is appalled and calling on him to stop. Jindal's College Professor Says . . . ; Jindal's genetics professor speaks out . Clear your head Lil'Bobby, and listen up to your elders.
And speaking of public schools, we may be seeing the end in sight in New Orleans and elsewhere. Lil'Bobby is keynoting the charter schools round-up, and no doubt will heartily endorse their grab for more education dollars. Another step toward the conservative dream of disaster capitalism in education. His vouchers have already moved some of the money.
Frankly I love it. I love to see the new face of the Republican Party getting a comeuppance. He even needs his own monument. Monument to Lil'Bobby In just a few short months, he's done a complete turn-around and has followed his leader by becoming the Worst Louisiana Governor in history. Bobby Jindal : Louisiana’s laziest Governor

See you at the polls, folks . . .

2008-06-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's a pilfered picture, from Forgotston.com. But it sez exactly what needs saying, to the Bobbing Heads and to Lil'Bobby. Screw every one of you! Lil'Bobby Jindal, Ann "Mercedes" Duplessis, Karen "Jaguar" Carter . . . all of you . . .

I'm outraged, you're outraged, everybody's outraged . . . the best report I've seen so far is this from the folks at Wonkette.com :

"Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the Indian street urchin who is also somehow a Mexican Catholic exorcist, is 36-years-old and supposedly “beloved” by his backward state, for being charismatic and Strong. He has been a governor for literally -2 hours. The state has chosen this moment to start hating him, for reneging on a campaign pledge in a comical fashion that marks the birth of a new, iconic American Failure.
It’s extremely simple: on the campaign trail, Jindal promised to veto any bill in which legislators raise their own pay, because there are only four dollars total in the all of Louisiana and they must be spent on Gas. Now both houses of the state legislature have passed a bill to raise their salaries from $16,800 to $37,500. The bill is sitting on Jindal’s desk. He has his veto pen. But he just. can’t. do it!
He has until July 8 to veto the bill or it becomes law. They are calling it the “20-day death march” in Louisiana, which is kind of funny. Jindal is such a loser, too, that he keeps asking the legislature to consider changing its mind. Obviously the legislature doesn’t give a shit." Click here: Wonkette: The D.C. Gossip » Blog Archive » Bobby Jindal Is A Total Wuss, Everyone In Louisiana Agrees & Hates Him

Remember too people, that according to Rush "Drug Damaged" Limbaugh, Lil'Bobby is the "new face of the Republican Party" . . . . . . Wahahahaha . . .

That wraps it up for now, folks . . . see you at the polls . . .

Wake up and smell the bullshit . . . .

2008-06-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

How come the newspapers, TV stations, and bloggers have their drawers in a twist because Lil'Bobby sez he won't veto the Bobbing Heads pay raise? Government Spending the reduct box

Just because he said he wouldn't allow it when he was in campaign mode didn't mean shit. forgotston.com » Jindal breaks word to voters Daily Kingfish:: Governor PBJ Trades Lege Pay Raise ... For School Vouchers He said lots of things when he was campaigning. After all, he and his posse were creating a legend.Daily Kingfish:: Governor PBJ ... Girly Man?

Wake up and smell the bullshit people? He's said he won't veto it, but is he gonna sign it? Or, is he gonna cover his slithering ass by letting it become law without his signature. "Who me, I didn't sign that!" Which he's done 40+ times so far . . . .

Please Johnny, take him! Please . . . . . Lil'Bobby will fit right in on the Doubletalk Express . . .

Come'on Johnny, please pick Lil'Bobby . . . . .

2008-06-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be nice if Johnny McBush did pick Lil'Bobby Jindal as his VP running-mate. One thing's for sure, the sleep-walking GOPer sheeple in Louisiana might finally wake up and smell the bullshit Lil'Bobby and his posse have been shoveling the past few years.

A good place to start is this diary from Firedoglake about Lil'Bobby's determination to remake New Orleans in the GOPer capitalist image. Firedoglake » Bobby Jindal: Worse Than Katrina?

Then the McSame folks have to figure a way to shut Lil'Bobby's motor-mouth . . . .

Why just this week alone he's agreed to the 2X payraise for his bobbing heads in Baton Rouge, in exchange of course for his school voutcher plan and his voodoo creationist nonsense in public schools . . . and he's doing all he can to assist in finally sinking NOLA . . . Click here: Daily Kingfish:: Governor PBJ Trades Lege Pay Raise ... For School Vouchers

Where do we start there, with Lil'Bobby's crimes against NOLA, and good sense. Let's see now -Well, first deny folks jobs, affordable places to live and health care; then declare it illegal to be in any way different; and then if all that don't work . . .

Scare the b'jebus right out of them. Crooks and Liars » We’ve heard of politicians battling demons, but this is rid Exorcise ole scratch right outta there. As an added bonus, it gets rid of all those cancers from the river to Baton Rouge.

That Lil'Bobby's a piece of work, alright. A real legend in his own mind. With his work record so far, he could be called a "2-2 Man" . Two years [give or take a few months] on the job, doesn't quite finish what he starts, and then leaves a mess for the next poor sucker . . .
So please Johnny, please, please, please, pick Lil'Bobby . . . let the real newshounds and bloggers put their mojo on him . . .

Into the black hole with McSame . . .

2008-06-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

In the same way they followed Lil'Bobby Jindal and Stevie Scalise, the voters in LA01 will no doubt follow McSame into the black hole.

I just dont get it, never did, never will . . . .

Condi Rice & Grace Mugabe, Separated at Birth

2008-06-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

Condi Rice has had such a free ride during her 8 years as Bush's hand-maiden. She's pictured as a brilliant, stylish, modern, in-charge woman. She is packaged and sold as the great American story. Pieces of it are, of course, true, but in most cases the hyperbole is staggering. And in "10 Percent Intellectual", John Brown peeks behind the icon to paint the real Condi.
In the case of men, fashion and shoes, Condi's long lost twin has appeared in the person of Grace Mugabe, secretary-mistress, now wife of the murderous dictator Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. From all appearances, they could have been separated at birth?

We know Condi best, not because of her skills at diplomacy, but because of her many short-comings, such as her fantasy love affair with her wannabe husband George, or her orchestration of torture, or her obsession with shoes - especially Ferragamo shoes, which she was caught purchasing in NYC a couple of days after Hurricane Katrina - while folks were dying in New Orleans.

It turns out Mrs. Mugabe also has very expensive taste, likes to go shopping, and is especially fond of guess what - Ferragamo Shoes. On her latest shopping spree in Rome, Grace reportedly spent thousands of her husband's ill-gotten money on hotels, and more thousands on clothes and shoes. Responding to criticism that her spending on her size 8-A feet jarred with the crushing poverty in her country, she told one reporter: "I have very narrow feet, so I wear only Ferragamo." Wow, Zimbabwe has its very own "let'em eat cake" Condi.

Best of all though, and in addition to their expensive taste in clothes and shoes, the two re-joined sisters also seem to have the same taste in their men. Grace has her Robert Mugabe.

The murderous never elected president of Zimbabwe, who hates George Bush because the two have so much in common, has even denounced Bush as an interferring fascist at the UN.

And Condi has her Dubya - well, Condi's close enough anyway. Both men have vitrually destroyed their respective countries during their stolen presidential tenures. A 2007 piece, American Mugabe, sez it all in too much detail.

Two women, with identical taste in men and identical taste in shoes and high living. Can it be that these two long lost sisters will reunite - and perhaps write a real pot-boiler of tales from the dark side.

Destonio: Current events with a touch of crass . . .

2008-06-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

In keeping with my journey into the world of political satire, humor, graphics, whatever, I give you Destonio.

Be sure to explore the website. http://destonio.net/index.html

He shows no mercy to anyone, no where, no how.

These samples just tickle my funny-bone at the moment.

LA01 gets what the GOPer bosses paid for . . .

2008-05-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Well. folks get what they pay for, or rather they get what their bosses pay for; and the GOPer bosses in Louisiana and LA01 are sure getting what they paid for in Steve Scalise. So far he's been a 100% conservative Bush ass-kisser, just as predicted, and judging from the convoluted bullshit coming from his town-hall meet-ups, he ain't gonna change.

So far he's voted against the Agriculture Bill because it provided too much food for poor people, including BTW lots of folks who now can't afford food because the Bushies sent their jobs overseas. He's voted against the Veterans Bill that would have provided better education funding for veterans, because too many soldiers might prefer getting an education to being cannon fodder - but he does tout the funding for a Veterans Hospital in New Orleans as if he brought home the bacon. [Actually since he didn't serve, he should follow McCain's admonition and just shut the fuck up on veterans issues.] He voted against the Foreclosure Prevention Act because we can't have interference with predators gobbling up folks homes. Screw homeowners, we gotta protect those banks. And he voted against the suspension of purchases for the Strategic Oil Reserves. Keep buying oil at top prices and keeping if off the market so the prices will stay high. Then he bitches about not having a national energy policy - so we need more drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve, the Everglades, and coastal waters.

Maybe he's just not been in Washington long enough to know that the Presnit does have an energy, it's called getting the fuck off oil. Check out Click here: Daily Kingfish ... A Progressive Political Blog For Louisiana ... Ryan sez it all and gives references.
But that's OK, since more drilling won't have any adverse effect on the environment. According to numbnuts Scalise, since Louisiana hasn't been screwed up and polluted by oil drilling, we need to do all we can to fuck up Alaska and the Everglades and the California Coast . . . Of course, anything supporting more oil drilling will continue to sell in LA01 - new Regional home of the mighty Chevron . . .
Perhaps Steve needs to consider taking the first step . . . . . . .

Just take a deep breath and let it out . . . . .

Scottie gets mashed by the wingnuts . . .

2008-05-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

True to form, the Wingnuts jumped Scottie the Rat today over his tattle-tale book. Not so much about the truth of his tales, but more that he was a disloyal little snit betraying his pals for a quick buck. And Weezie Rice was right at the front line.

They were after all just little lies, just what we needed to jump-start the taking down of the Evil Saddam. We did, though, have to get lots of folks to tell those little lies.

4000 dead, so what! It worked! And, everybody got on board - except that little rat Scottie.

My Man had to have his war, and we never coulda done it without a few little twisters here and there.

We got what we wanted. And Scottie can rot in hell with the rest of the rats.

Bush mouthpiece, what a sicko job. Scottie sucked then, and still does, and he might have saved lota of lives by coming clean then instead of now. But then Ari Fleicher, Tony Snow and Dana Perino all suck too. It's their job to lie for the Man. A real bunch of sick fucks.

Well beam me up, Scottie . . .

2008-05-28T16:16:00.000-07:00

So Scottie's written his tattle-tale book, and the Bushies are all over his fat-ass for talking out of school. What's the news? Duh! Attacking the messenger is so borrrring . . .

Haven't read his book, and doubt that I'll waste the time. He's just the latest worm to try to turn a few bucks off his misadventures in the House of Bush. Harriet Meiers is no doubt swearing out of her born-again thin-lips because Scottie beat her to it. Remember August 6, 2001, at the Crawford Ranchero . . .

And Scottie's buds in the Gang of Liars. Oh yeah, Scottie wasn't alone in the shit. Poor Karl's up to his knees in other poo right now, and probably pissed Scottie got the jump on the money-maker. Karl needs that lawyer money more than ever. But fuck Karl, John Conners needs to get Scottie under oath.

Might as well name'em all. There's probably gonna be a string of exposes, but Scottie got the running start . . . We need some subpoenas out there.

He did, of course, stand up and take the heat for Big D, so it seems fair that he gets first shot at the easy money. Doesn't keep him from being a slimebag, though, then or now. Nobody likes a liar, or a mouthpiece for a liar . . . but then nobody likes a snitch much either . . .

It does sorta make your skin crawl, don't it . . .

Don't cry Scottie . . . .

New neighbors with some ugly baggage . . .

2008-05-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

Chevron recently moved its regional offices from New Orleans to Covington, along with some 500 good paying jobs. Some folks think that's a good thing for the Northshore.

But Chevron also brings with it some ugly baggage.

Even though the Bushiviks are publically rebuking the military dictatorship in Myanmar for it's Katrina-Like performance following the recent cyclone, Chevron is continuing to help finance the junta by refusing to sell off its investment in the Yadana natural gas and pipeline operation.

The original American partner in the pipeline venture was Unocal, which was sued by EarthRights International for millions because the pipeline was built with slave labor - people forced into labor by the military junta. As soon as that lawsuit was settled, while Condi Rice was on the board of Chevron, the Unocal interest was bought by Chevron. And, because Unocal was in business before the Bush sanctions, Chevron was grandfathered in and allowed to continue doing business in Burma. Since then it is the profits from Yadana gas and pipeline projects that have financed the military control in Maynmar (Burma).

Last year the military junta was murdering Buddist protestors. Laura "The Decider's Wife" Bush took up the cause against the brutality, and shook her finger, but apparently couldn't convince Dubya to stop Chevron from doing business there. So the killings went on. There is no way to know how many Buddist priests and their followers have been murdered. More recently, she shook her finger again with no tangible results - so she switched to wedding planning . . .

Once again OIL and GAS are at the core of the problem. Human rights organizations have called on Chevron to sell off its investment in Myanmar, but Chevron's CEO David O'Reilly has refused, calling its project an attractive asset. "Somebody's gonna do it, so why not us?" Chevron did, however, generously pledge $2Million (tax deductible) in relief after the cyclone. And well it could, since its reported profits for the 1st quarter 2008 was $5.17Billion.

And while relief is starting to trickle into Myanmar since the cyclone, the military is still very much in charge, and Chevron is continuing to play their part in financing that military.

SO. We have new neighbors on the Northshore. But sometimes there's more to your neighbors than meets the eye. You gotta watch those folks moving across the causeway.

Cheney not happy getting stimulated . . . .

2008-05-14T19:37:00.001-07:00

A rare sighting of the Dickster out of his cave . . .

Just making sure they spelled his name right . . .

And if everybody spends their stimulating $600 on PlayStations at Whale-Smart, the debt to China goes up another gazillion . . . . . . . SO!

Surprise, surprise, Scalise is a Dubya Ass Kisser . .

2008-05-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

True to his word, Scalise is a 100% Dubya Ass Kisser, voting with only 25 of his fellow ass-kissers against the bill to temporarily halt the daily shipment of thousands of barrels of oil into the government's emergency reserve. That's right folks, Lil'Stevie was one of the 25 GOPers in the 385-25 House vote yesterday. Gotta try and keep those prices up, especially now that Chevron has moved into LA01.

"The votes were symbolic, in their strong bipartisan support, of lawmakers' frustrations at not being able to agree on anything more substantive in response to public anger over near $4 a gallon gasoline and oil prices in the $125 a barrel range."
"We are buying the most expensive crude oil in the history of the world and storing it," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. "When American consumers are burning at the stake by high energy prices, the government ought not be carrying the wood."
Click here: Print Story: Congress urges Bush to halt oil reserve shipments on Yahoo! News

[More to come on our new neighbor Chevron.]

Ain't nuthin' like the real thing . . . .

2008-05-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

There ain't nuthin' like New Orleans JazzFest. no way, no how . . . and what would be better to kick it off than a little JJ 'Cool' Davis in the Gospel Tent . . .

Followed later on by the sweet voice of Aaron Neville on the Gospel Stage in his first appearance in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina . . . welcome home Aaron . . .

Then there was the happy music and antics of Kermit Ruffin, makin' everybody feel welcome and sassy . . .

Naturally there's visitors . . . Pearl and The Two Janes from The Big Apple . . . there ain't nuthin' like the real thing, gyrls . . . . .

Young Mr. Derek Trucks. Damn, take me back, take me back, to the Allman Brothers and Dickie Betts. He's gettin' there . . .

And we gotta have Randy Newman singing, of course, Louisiana 1927 . . . when it rained all day and rained all night . . .

Finally, the end of a long hot day . . .whew . . . . . . come on tomorrow . . . . .

Things are going just 'swimmingly' in Baghdad . . .

2008-05-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

According to the Dickster, everything in Baghdad is going just swimmingly, with the soon to be open Baghdad Disney World.

While campaigning for GOPers in Mississippi, ole Dick spilled the beans. The Pentagon is fast-tracking the development of the “Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience, a massive American-style amusement park that will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum.” The firm designing the project also developed Disneyland. The financier, Llewellyn Werner, has admitted that he is doing the project not to help Iraq, but because he wants to make boatloads of money: Click here: Think Progress » Cheney: Bagdad’s Disneyland-Style Amusement Park Is Evidence That Things Are Going ‘Swimmingly’ I

The Pentagon is also now backing a $5 billion plan to create a “zone of influence” around the new $700 million U.S. embassy. The area will include luxury hotels, a shopping center, and condos in an effort to “transform” the Green Zone into a “centerpiece for Baghdad’s future.”

I hate to be a sour-puss, but shouldn't we be rebuilding America - like New Orleans - before we spend billions Americanizing Baghdad?

The Wife of Decider Scolds Myanmar . . .

2008-05-08T06:45:00.000-07:00

"Had the Bush [my husband] administration — hypothetically — been dealing with a major natural disaster about to ravage the United States, numerous warnings would have been released in strong terms from the President himself, to underscore the severity of the situation. And if the President's efforts weren't effective enough before the storm, immediately afterwards he would've been devoting himself 24/7 towards managing the relief efforts, even if the citizens were very poor. This is how the Bush-led government would've handled the post-natural disaster situation if it had happened in the United States." Click here: Bastions Of Morality: Bush Administration Scolds Another Government For Not Dealing With Natural Disaster Effectiv

Voters in LA01 are the real losers . . .

2008-05-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

Pearl and I spent the last two weekends at JazzFest - every day but one and we spent that showing some friends from the Big Apple around the Big Easy. So, after voting early Saturday morning, we didn't know the news until late Saturday night; and we almost didn't tune in because we were anxious about the outcome.

Gilda Reed is/was such a great candidate for the LA01 seat. She's the first in many years that all of us could really love, believe in and support with our heads and our hearts. And for the first time in 30 years, we in LA01 could have had a representative in Congress who truly cares about us, and would courageously work for the common good of the folks in LA01. There was more than just a glimmer of hope for the miracle.

But alas, it wasn't to be. And we are all saddened by the outcome. The 25% Gilda received was better than past selections, but not enough to overcome the apparently locked-in mind-set of the GOPers in this District. Gilda will get over it, and will continue the good fight; and we who supported her will get over it and continue to rage against the machine.

The real loss here is to the rest of LA01, to those who didn't support Gilda, and to those who just didn't care enough to vote. There is no doubt that Gilda was the better qualified candidate, that she was better educated and informed about the issues that really matter to the voters in LA01, or that she was better situated to begin truly working for us on the very first day she entered Congress. But what the voters chose instead is the GOPer's third string bench-warmer, the computer tech who got his turn only because he was loyal enough to the party to step back while their Rhodes Scholar stars - Vitter and Jindal - used LA01 to pad their resumes for higher office.

We all have GOPers friends, or family, and those I've spoken with can't or won't say why they voted for Scalise in this election. When asked about issues, the answers I get are almost all consistent with the positions taken by Gilda. They know better, but they still vote as they are told by the GOPer powers, the business lobby, the insurance lobby, and on and on ad nauseum. Early on in this race, the GOPer controlled Times-Picayune wrote that the State GOP was supporting Scalise in this race, not Tim Burns, who himself was clearly better qualified for the job. Scalise's only qualifications were that he was a 100% rock solid conservative, he was 100% pro-life, and that he voted against all, that is all, taxes. No matter that he had a couple of ethical ambiguities. If he stands by his declared positions, then he takes nothing useful to LA01 to Congress. He will simply be another obstructionist face in the ever dwindling GOP minority; and that precludes him from having any meaningful voice on issues relevant to LA01.

He's said he will follow in the footsteps of Lil'Bobby Jindal and work for recovery aid. But he's even confused on who worked for aid to Louisiana. It wasn't Lil'Bobby, but Mary Landrieu who did the heavy lifting for recovery aid. So if he's really following in Lil'Bobby's footsteps, perhaps he really means he'll be an absentee in Congress while he runs for the Senate after the GOPers abandon Vitter in 2010. After all, LA01 is just a rung on the ladder . . .

John Breaux should also endorse Gilda Reed in LA01

2008-04-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

On Friday afternoon, former Democratic Senator John Breaux officially endorsed Don Cazayoux, who is running against rightwingnut Woody Jenkins in the LA06 congressional showdown. Here is what Senator Breaux had to say about Don Cazayoux:

"Louisiana, especially the 6th district, needs Don in Washington. I know that Don will reach across party lines and work with both sides of the aisle in Congress to best serve the people of Louisiana. We need more moderate members in Congress like Cazayoux - we can make Congress less partisan if we simply send people there who are moderate and willing to work with both sides to get things done. I know Don Cazayoux will be that kind of Congressman."
Click here: Daily Kingfish:: LA-06: John Breaux Endorses Don Cazayoux

Well said Senator Breaux, and thank you. But you should remember that Don Cazayoux is not the only progressive Democrat running to bring moderation back to congress. GILDA REED is running in LA01. So you can simply substitute Gilda Reed for Don Cazayoux.

And, like Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Woody Jenkins and Stave Scalise are so joined at the hip on their 100% rock-solid conservative values, it is imperative for Louisiana that both Don Cazayoux and Guilda Reed be elected to represent us in Congress.

We call on you, Senator Breaux, to publicly and strongly endorse GILDA REED in LA01.

Straight out of Scaliseland "conservative values"

2008-04-26T06:38:00.000-07:00

This story sounds like something straight out of Scaliseland - some more of those 100% rock-solid conservative values he will champion as part of the GOPer obstructionist minority if (God forbid) he is elected to represent LA01. Scalise, and this guy Wicker, need to go out and buy some bigger jockeys. Damnit, we deserve better than this mindless bigotry.

It’s Not Called the Hate Amendment for Nothing WOW. At first glance, that’s all I can say about the comments from Pastor Hayes Wicker of Naples, Florida. Here’s what he said at an anti-gay event last week: "This is a tremendous social crisis, greater even than the issue of slavery."
For those who don’t know, fundamentalist right-winger(nuts) in Florida are attempting to pass a constitutional amendment in Florida this year that would ban gay marriage in the Sunshine State. The same gay marriage that is already illegal under four separate parts of state law. And this amendment wouldn’t just ban gay marriage, it would also prevent civil unions, cities and corporations from offering benefits to gay couples and anyone from giving benefits to unmarried straight couples. [That should cover just about everybody but him and his Christian (not) flock.]

Conservative Values in practice . . . shameful . . .

2008-04-24T05:19:00.000-07:00

62 RIGHT WING NUTS VOTE TO CUT BILLIONS FROM MEDICAID

Today most of the economic justice energy was over at the Senate. However, the Democrats in the House managed to pass-- with an overwhelming veto-proof majority-- a bill protecting the Medicaid safety net. The House responded to Bush Regime plans to slash federal Medicaid funding to states for vital programs and services by about $18 billion over the next five years. Bush and McCain are screeching like 2 old fishwives at a market about how they can't change the unfair tax code during a recession but neither has any problem whatsoever eviscerating medical care for the poorest Americans-- just as long as the richest-- the ones who donate to their political careers-- don't have to pay their fair share of taxes. The bill that passed the House today with a 349-62 vote-- most Republicans (128) abandoning Boehner, Blunt, Howdy Doody and the rest of the worst GOP extremists-- puts off any changes to Medicaid until 2009, when Bush is safely out of the White House.

Click here: DownWithTyranny!: 62 RIGHT WING NUTS VOTE TO CUT BILLIONS FROM MEDICAID

Why can't Congress provide all citizens with the same free medical care they enjoy?

Let's be clear about those "conservative values"

2008-04-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

No surprises here. The GOPers in LA01 and LA06 are running on the promise that they are 100% rock solid conservatives and intend to return conservative values to Congress. Torture your brain with that!

Howze'bout a nice piece of elephant . . .

2008-04-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

Fool me once, er twice, three, not again . . .

Der Dear Leader doin' what he does best . . .

We have spoken, Lil'Steve gets the nod . . .

Ah, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing

VoterStory Counter - use it when you vote

2008-04-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

Because honest, uncorrupted voting is more important than ever, challenge any type of voting interference, even those seemingly innocent suggestions by independent poll managers.

The VoterStory web widget is programmed to collect and classify voter complaints in real time across the Internet and will provide a data feed of complaints that can be addressed in real time by Voter Protection groups who partner with VoterStory. Originally developed for the 2006 General Election, the VoterStory Web Widget is distributed web technology that enables a broad and expandable network to easily place sophisticated voter protection functionality on news, organizational web pages, blog and social media sites such as FaceBook or MySpace.
The VoterStory widget will be active on April 15, 2008. Complaints generated in the Pennsylvania Primary will be shared with election protection partners.

On the Healthcare Issue in LA01 Gilda Wins

2008-04-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

Healthcare is consistently rated as one of the top campaign issues. With some 53 million Americans either uninsured or underinsured for medical costs, it is an issue that must be addressed both locally and nationally within the next few years. In Louisiana alone, the Department of Health and Hospitals estimated over 650,00 uninsured in 2007. Its report also found some 91,000 children uninsured; and for children it is especially important because poor health has consistently been shown to be a deterrent to learning. Some change has occurred recently, but not enough and not soon enough for many folks.

When healthcare is discussed as a political issue, the suggested solutions range from the far right complete privatization and management by insurers and HMOs, to the far left ideas of a one payer tax-based system. The catch phrases universal health care or socialized medicine are often used in campaign blather, but in reality universal only means everybody's got it, and socialized means it's regulated by government in some way. Regardless what some may point to as great successes or failures in other countries, the answer to the conundrum in America lies somewhere in a mix of private insurance, tax-based support and employment based support.

Rock-solid conservatives, as a matter of principle, are opposed to any form of public or tax-based healthcare. In his recently released detailed health care plan, John McCain, the presumptive GOP candidate, proposes ideas of individuals having control over their healthcare decisions, and offering incentives to insurance companies to provide coverage at lower costs. Incentives, of course, being the code-word for subsidies or tax breaks in return for their promise to make coverage more affordable. In reality it is simply another way of funneling public funds into private pockets. It is a simplistic catchy answer to a very complex problem.

In the LA01 Congressional race, Steve Scalise has very little to say about resolving the healthcare dilemma. On his web-site, he says only that he will "work to give individuals and families more options to choose affordable healthcare" and that we should "create incentives for the private sector to provide more affordable healthcare." He offers nothing more that the worn-out GOPer talking points, focusing on funding the private sector, i. e. insurance companies and healthcare corporations. In all likelihood he would, if pressed on the issue, say that he supports McCain's plan a rock-solid 100%. His action in voting against the plan to rebuild LSU-Charity in New Orleans highlights his position. Even now that the plan has passed without Scalise, he still argues that we should spend millions more in consultant fees to be sure it's the best deal.

People in the South Louisiana LA01 area are justifiably suspicious of insurance companies, and especially so when it comes to recovering the benefits they are owed in exchange for those high premiums paid over the years. Since Katrina a good deal of that suspicion arises from the unpaid or denied property claims, but every one knows someone who has been denied necessary medical care by an insurance company or HMO. And, in all fairness, it's not because insurance claims managers are bad people (though arguably some are), but because insurance is a for-profit business. Their job is to take in as much as they can through premiums, and limit their medical payments (losses) by screening out high-risk clients and by excessively denying valid claims. In this respect, health insurance is no different from homeowner's or automobile insurance. To even suggest that insurers should be rewarded with "incentives" or subsidies to insure more Americans flies in the face of reason and good sense. It also overlooks a basic human and corporate flaw - GREED.

Gilda Reed supports universal health care, that is "affordable health care for every American man, woman and child". See for yourself what she supports on her website. Good health is a basic right. It should not be controlled by profiteers, nor should it be completely controlled by government. For those who can pay something, there must be viable and reasonably priced coverage, and for those who can't there should be still be necessary medical services available. We must take some daring steps to correct many of the give-a-ways that were enacted in the early years of the Bush Administration, the most glaring of which is the prohibition against Medicare negotiating with pharmaceuticals for lower drug prices. Billy Tauzin might not like it, but lifting this prohibition would save the sick and elderly millions in drug costs - and in some cases save lives by making newly developed illness specific drugs affordable. It does no good to a lot of folks if that new cancer-curing miracle drug costs $400.00 or more a week. We must make healthcare providers answerable to people's needs, not to their own bottom line.

People in LA01 are blessed in so many way. More of our citizens can afford reasonable health care than in other parts of Louisiana, But we must remember that we are not an isolated community. We are part of a State and a Nation, and we are obligated to look beyond our own self-interest and to the common good. Charity Hospital, for example, never was and will not be, solely a New Orleans hospital. When it is rebuild, it will return as a regional teaching hospital, serving all of South Louisiana, including the citizens of LA01.

No one expects any elected official to get everything they believe in and emphasize in their campaign. What folks do expect is for that elected official to have well thought out and viable ideas to bring to the table for discussion. Healthcare in America, and especially in Louisiana, is in a crisis, and will be overhauled over the next few years. The US Congress will be discussing how to balance medicare, medicaid, private insurers, employment based coverage, and whatever other creative ideas can be introduced, in order to provide fair and adequate healthcare for all Americans.

We in LA01 must be an active and viable part of that discussion, not obstructionists who cling to the same old cliches of more individual choices and incentives to insurers. We need a representative in Congress who is dedicated to exploring new ideas, reeling in the give-a-ways, expanding available healthcare and working with an open mind to come up with solutions that benefit all of the folks in LA01 and in America.

We need Gilda Reed to represent LA01 in Congress.

Do GOPers in LA01 really want Scalise?

2008-04-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Do the GOPers in LA01 really want Scalise in Washington? Or is it just that the GOPer bosses have ordained that it's his turn at the seat since he's been so loyal to wait for Vitter then Jindal to pad their resumes? Looking at the scant turnout for the GOPer run-off it's hard to know who really wants Scalise representing LA01 in Congress, except Scalise and his extended family. After all, the pay is somewhat better than a State Senator or computer tech makes.

One thing is sure about the GOPer politicians - they're good at job-hopping while at the same time covering their butts with a fall-back government job. Just look back at the play between Jindal and Scalise in the last election cycle. Jindal had carpet-bagged into LA01 after losing the governor's race to Blanco, and then got his ordained seat in Congress when Vitter hopped on up to the Senate after Breaux retired. Scalise was an ambitious GOPer, but had followed his marching orders like a good soldier and not challenged either Vitter or Jindal for the LA01 seat. Besides he had a safe job in the State House.

Now Jindal was already running for governor again, after his loss to Blanco, and the LA01 seat was the perfect platform for his campaign. Then along came Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, which pretty much shot Blanco's chances of re-election, so good GOPer Jindal was in high cotton and on his way back home to Baton Rouge. And though he was the odds-on favorite from the git-go, Jindal wasn't so confident that he would resign that seat in Congress. No, rather than resign early on, he just didn't show up for the last year while he campaigned for the better (?) job as Governor.

Meanwhile, Scalise decided he's been a State Representative long enough and he wanted to move up to the State Senate. He knew, of course, that the big money was betting to Jindal being elected Governor, and when that happened Jindal would have to resign from the LA01 Congressional seat, and that would require a special election to fill the seat. And if Scalise could get the LA01 seat, it would fulfill his self-proclaimed lifelong ambition. In the meantime he would claim the Metairie Senate Seat, just to be on the safe side. So what if it might require another expensive special election. In keeping with that game plan, Scalise announced for the LA01 seat even before he was sworn in as State Senator.

Alas, in the natural order of GOPer politics in the presumed safe LA01 Congressional District, we're being used again by the GOPer bosses to advance the career of their loyal soldier. It resembles a kind of divine succession: Livingston>Vitter>Jindal>Scalise. And, of course, once again the big money is on their anointed one. And, if something should go wrong, Scalise always has his Senate seat to console him. Staying in the public eye is important.

A very real question for voters in LA01 to ask themselves is whether, given the recent history of musical job-hopping, they really want Scalise. Without even looking at his nonsensical positions on issues, and his mindless parroting of worn-out GOPer talking points, there is the obvious question of his dedication to the common good of the folks in LA01. Based on his history, and the looming cloud hanging over Senator Vitter, there is every reason to believe that Scalise will be eager to move on up to the US Senate in 2010. And this time, the bosses just might abandon the tarnished Vitter and put the big money on Scalise to win.

With so many of the post-Katrina issues in LA01 remaining unresolved, we don't need a representative in Congress who is harboring the prospect of a bigger bite at the public teat; and with Scalise there would always be that question in the shadows. GOPer voters may be, should be, looking at that likelihood.

LA01 needs, and deserves a representative who is dedicated to the common good of the LA01 voters, committed to staying in the House and building seniority, and in a position to work with, not in opposition to, the majority leadership. We need someone to look out for us in the long haul ahead. We need Gilda Reed.

Elect Gilda Reed and take back LA01

2008-04-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

There's a great post today at DownWithTyranny on the LA06 Congressional race in Baton Rouge. And it looks as though the Democrats are going to take that seat back. Click here: DownWithTyranny!: THE BAD NEWS TRAIN ROLLING TOWARDS ANOTHER RED DISTRICT? LA-06 TURNING BLUE? Hooray.

We have an all important race here in LA01 also. Tomorrow, the GOPers hold their closed "members only" run-off between Tweedledee (Scalise the Anointed) and Tweedledum (Burns the Upstart). It doesn't matter who wins, they're both ethically challenged and beholden to big money. No doubt either would follow in the footsteps of their forefathers in LA01, Messrs. Bob (adulterer) Livington, David (whoremonger) Vitter, or Lil'Bobby (running for Goobner) Jindal. It's been 30 years since LA01 has actually had a real representative in Congress.

Well, now we have a chance to elect someone who will truly represent the people in LA01, stay and build seniority, and do the job for us. By all accounts, we're going to have a Democratic House of Representatives and Senate after November, regardless who is elected President. We need someone who is part of and has the ear of the Democratic leadership. We don't need a Tweedledum or Tweedledee member of the minority who can do nothing but nay-say and block any attempts to bring real progressive change to the USofA and Louisiana.

We Need Gilda Reed.

What's a poor guy supposed to do . . . . . . . ?

2008-03-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

The Illustrated Daily Scribble

2008-03-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

Here's the newest offering of humorous political art. The Illustrated Daily Scribble. This fellow is an astute observer of all things funny on a mostly daily basis, and certainly worth checking out regularly.

Vitters "quibble" is plain ole bullshit

2008-03-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

One positive effect of the Eliot Spitzer mess in NYC is that it highlights the hypocrisy of the GOPers in Louisiana, and David Vitter in particular. Vitter and Roger Villere (head LA GOPer) can quibble all they want as to whether or not his "sin" is similar to Spitzer's, but in this case quibble is just another word for bullshit. The bottom line is that Vitter betrayed the public trust, his wife, his family and his public persona just as Spitzer did. Both held themselves out as paragons of virtue and disdainful of all "immoral" behavior; and publicly chastised and prosecuted those who did not adhere to their high "moral" principles. And both did it while publicly courting voters in elections and at the same time betraying the public by their secret behavior.

In one aspect at least Vitter's behavior was more reprehensible than Spitzer's. If, as Vitter claims, his "sin" was in the past and he had reconciled with his wife Wendy and his church, and his family, then his entire campaign for Senate based on his strong "family values" was a lie. And if, as has been reported, his wife and the GOPer leadership were aware of his "sin", then they too were complicit in his campaign of lies. In doing so, David Vitter, Wendy, and the GOPer leaders willingly risked exposing his family - their children in particular - to shame and ridicule solely in order to further their political ambition of establishing a "republican majority" in Louisiana. Shame, shame, shame . . . . . .

This is not going to go away, regardless how much "quibble" theGOPers put on it. Spitzer had the brass to acknowledge his abuse of public trust and resign. Scout Finch has a good piece at DailyKos distinguishing between the two fallen angels.

Something to get angry about . . . .

2008-03-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Taxpayers in Louisiana Congressional District 1 - LA01 - paid $615.1 million for the cost of the Iraq War through December 2007. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

183,500 People with Health Care OR
445,631 Homes with Renewable Electricity OR
17,777 Public Safety Officers OR
12,457 Music and Arts Teachers OR
138,253 Scholarships for University Students OR
56 New Elementary Schools OR
7,391 Affordable Housing Units OR
477,433 Children with Health Care OR
93,379 Head Start Places for Children OR
12,553 Elementary School Teachers OR
10,492 Port Container Inspectors

Notes and Sources Go to Cost of War Counter

Not Bad Being a "Bleeding Heart Liberal"

2008-03-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

What about "tax and spend",and "bleeding heart" Liberals?
Conservatives have no problem with government taxing and spending so long as the spending is done on their own businesses and industries, so that they add to their own bottom lines. Liberals, on the other hand, believe in taxing "the haves" -- which often includes themselves -- in order to distribute wealth back to "the have-nots."

They do so in part for perfectly selfish reasons, believing that when poor people do not have reliable and sufficient income, they are much more likely to resort to crime to get what they need to support themselves and their families. But another reason they do so is the inspiration they have gotten from the teaching of the great prophets of the Hebrew Bible on the one hand, and from Jesus of Nazareth on the other. See LiberalsLikeChrist.Org/GODvsGreed.

Conservatives try to intimidate people like me by referring to us as "bleeding-heart liberals", because of the many instances in which we are concerned about the suffering of needy and helpless people. Have we ever seen or heard the media refer to "bleeding heart conservatives"? "What is that?" you ask. Why it's Conservatives who -- instead of commiserating with the suffering of the poor -- "feel the pain" of the super-wealthy.

Conservatives cringe at the thought of multi-millionaires being required to pay taxes on their million dollar income from dividends and capital gains, just like common laborers are required to pay taxes on their income from labor. It's Conservatives who "feel the pain" of the children of those millionaires, who have to pay estate taxes on whatever they inherit from their parents through no merit of their own, after the first million dollars or so is entirely exempted from that tax. The only time we will hear criticism of these views in the media is every two to four years, when a Liberal candidate has paid thousands of dollars to buy a few seconds of air time from the Conservatives who own just about all of the major media in America these days.

A Liberal woman I know told me about a date she had with a Republican: "When I asked this guy why he was a Republican, he said, and I quote exactly, "because I believe that there are the haves and the have-nots in this world, and being one of the haves, I vote to keep that." Rarely do you find such candor, especially from a conservative Republican!

Wendy Vitter to counsel Silda Spitzer

2008-03-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

You gotta love it when the self-righteous and mighty get caught red-handed in their own pool of hypocrisy. Eliot Spitzer, the law and order Prostitution Ring buster, caught with his hand in the cookie jar, so to speak. We in South Louisiana can thank him for bringing to the forefront once again the sad tale of our own David Vitter, and his wife Wendy. Recall she threatened to pull a Bobbitt on him under similar circumstances. When interviewed about the Spitzer matter:
She didn't have much to say at first, but the folks in the press kept on pushing.

So now we know the rest of the story. I hope it turns out better for Eliot.

Remember this picture and their GOPer enablers . .

2008-03-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

Every man and woman of voting age in South Louisiana should remember this picture. It is Messrs. Bush and McWalnuts celebrating McWalnut's birthday on August 29, 2005, while thousands of folks were being washed out of their homes and lives by Hurricane Katrina and broken Corps of Engineers levees. The Smirking Bastards.

And remember that these two GOPers and their family values and disaster capitalists cronies in Washington did everything they could do, and are still doing, to stall and hinder the return of South Louisiana and New Orleans - to preserve it only for their disaster capitalist profiteering friends. The War in Iraq, and the aftermath of Katrina are the worst of the many Bushivik GOPer atrocities, and McWalnuts just wants to keep'em going on forever. In fact he may just turn out to be worse - if that's possible - than Dim Son. Just remember that these two were yukking it up in Arizona while Katrina was bearing down on you and yours.

Remember also that during and after Katrina, the United States Congressman from LA01 was the now Goober Lil'Bobby Jindal, who'd only recently carpet-bagged into Metarie when David Vitter, who slipped into Bob Livingston's LA01 seat when he was outed by Larry Flynt of Hustler, moved to the somewhat more dignified Senate, where he could deal with a better class of whores. And Congressman Jindal - our man in Washington after the storm -wasn't even in Washington most of the time, but rather was in Louisiana making the rounds of the money-men campaigning for his next step up to the big time.

Thus LA01 has a strange history of really meaning nothing to anyone who represents us except as a stop-over point for a better job - padding the resume if you will. Word is that Lil'Bobby Jindal has put his Metairie house on the market, where even in this GOPer induced housing market crisis, it'll be snapped up by some political friend. Now he don't need us no more, so he's returned to Red Stick in Da Big House. Livingston-Vittycent-Jindal - and now, who? Are we gonna get Tweedledum GOPer or Tweedledee GOPer - Scalise or Burns.

Saturday we had primaries for Congress in Louisiana. And here in our LA01, Gilda Reed won the Democratic primary walking away, which most of us knew would happen. And it looks as though finally a strong appealing Democrat is gaining traction in this backwater GOPer lair. But, as in all elections there was a downside - the numbers: LA-01: Special Closed Primary Results

CenLamar provides a complete breakdown of the votes in LA01, and they're not pretty. The Democratic primary, open to Dems & Friends alike, drew about 16,800 votes; and the GOPer primary, open only to GOPer fellow travelers, drew over 34,000. A margin of over 2 to 1. In my own precinct in Mandeville, the margin was 2.5 to 1 for the GOPers.

I asked my son-in-law today if he voted. His answer, "No, it wouldn't have done any good. This is repug country and it's gonna stay that way. I'll vote in May, but why bother now?" [Hell, you better vote, boy, or no more nice in-laws.] Truth be known, that's probably a clear statement about not voting in the primary, it didn't make a difference - but it could have!

The real vote for LA01 is in May, after Messrs. Burns and Scalise have taken distaste for each other and downright hatred for all things liberal to a new level of Dante's Inferno. The attacks on each other should at least provide some humor through their run-off in April, their programed bullshit spoken through shiny white teeth. Southshore versus Northshore. [I say we put'em both out in the middle of Lake Pontchartrain in pirogues with paddles, survivor wins, just like on TV.]

What's troubling about Saturday's two primaries is the 2 to 1 margin of GOPers to Dems who actually voted in their respective primaries. And, since independents and other free thinkers were allowed to vote in the Democrat primary, I was looking forward to some more balanced results in turn out. Maybe there just wasn't a real enough of a contest between Vinny and Gilda.

I've only met Vinny once, and he's a good man, very easy to like and respect. And also, being truthful, I've only met Gilda once, but there was a look me in the eye strength in her that drew me in. She's got it, chrisma, determination, and a complete and utter belief and conviction that she is doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason - the Common Good. Since that one meeting, I read all I could find on her, and I've spoken with others who feel the same way. She is the person we need to represent all the people of LA01, not just the business men, the law enforcement community, the real estate brokers and developers, etc, etc. In other words, we need her in Congress to represent the ordinary folks in this district. The folks that get up early, work long hours for low pay, and are watching daily as the price of food, of gas, of housing, of clothing, rise; the people who are rebuilding their lives and homes, not the contractors and bankers and profiteers; the people who need available personal health care, not the insurance companies and HMOs who make it unaffordable; the folks who actually do the labor and not the corporate bosses who cut jobs, pay and benefits to gorge themselves on more profits.

As disappointing as the number of votes in Saturday's primary were, it's gonna get better. All each of us have to do it take one or two new voters with us in May. I for sure am taking my daughter and son-in-law . . . . . and I'll remember that picture of the two GOPers

Enjoy the 'toons of Pablo at PabloOnPolitics

2008-03-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday, and while we're waiting for the results of the 1st Democratic congressional primary since the days of EWE, let's enjoy the 'toons of Pablo at pabloonpolitics.com . . . This first is a simple statement on the condition of the economy under the GOPers. Maybe this is what Steve Scalise and his friends at the Club for Growth have in mind for our future. I just hope the folks at BunnyBread are able to keep puttin' out that great sliced white bread.Then of course no 'toonist could overlook the great potential in Johnny McWalnuts. Let's all hope he doesn't make it to the WH, but if he does we can at least look forward to more years of great humor in the finest tradition of George, JEB, Poppy, Babs & Laura, and friends.

Even after he loses in November, old Johnny McW will still be somewhere making funny, maybe feeding bar-b-que to his buddies Russert and Matthews at his Sedona get-away.

Be sure and check out Pablo, and his great archives . . .

LA01 has a chance, don't blow it again . . .

2008-03-07T17:52:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow's the day people. For the first time since the days of Edwin Edwards, Louisiana will have separate party primaries for Congressional seats. The recent presidential primaries don't really count for anything here, but these do. And in this district, LA01, it is important. There is a really well qualified progressive Democrat running in the person of Gilda Reed, and she's sure to win the primary and then face off against whoever wins the GOPer primary. And for the first time in many years, there is a very real chance we could end up with a Democrat representing LA01 in Congress.

As of today, it looks as though the GOPer race is between two uber-conservatives, Scalise and Burns, each trying his best to out conservative the other. They're both 100% against everything GOPers are supposed to be against. They hate homos, abortions, taxes, people in general and anything considered liberal. What is it with that hate thing? Most liberals are pretty nice folks.

Is this little reminder from Roget's Thesaurus really true. Well, if you pull up your Roget's, or any other dictionary or thesaurus, you'll find that it is. We're not mean spirited or selfish. In fact, one of our best selling points is that we believe in the common good, e.g. what's good for me is good for you is good for all of us.

Take the issue of taxes for instance. Of course, no one likes to pay taxes, who would. But to hear Messrs. Scalise and Burns take on it, you'd have to believe there's no such thing as a good tax, period, none, no way, no how. Doesn't matter what the tax is for, or who pays it, or how much it is, taxes are bad. So the fight in GOPer circles is who did and didn't vote for TAXES!!!

Then take their so-called family values. GOPers say they want to go to Congress so they can return to family values. Remember this was one of the buzz-word flash points GOPers came up with in the Reagan years. GOPers then couldn't really win by telling folks they were for lower taxes on rich folks, abolition of the social safety network, Milton Friedman trickly-down-your-leg economics, so they came up with the family values scam. It's basically the same fear scam they still use. We'll make you afraid of the other, the homosexuals who're gonna currupt your kids, the abortionists who kill babies, the colored folks who'll ravage your women-folk, and we'll package it all in a nice little kit called family values. Don't be concerned that the schools and the infrastructure are rotting, or that businesses are failing or migrating overseas, or that you can't pay the mortgage because there's no oversight preventing lenders from robbing us blind, we'll protect those unborn cell clusters, and keep them homos out of your lives. Family values my ass.

We just went through 7 long years of conservative family values in Congress, and look at the mess we're in today. What is with these neanderthals in Louisiana. The rest of the country is finally waking up to the fact that so-called conservative values do not work, never did, never will.

We in LA01 actually have a chance to climb up out of the wilderness, up from the dark ages, into the 21st century, and elect someone who can do what is right for the common good. GOPers by their nature are not interested in the common good.

McCain-Hagee-MSM the "New Axis of Evil"

2008-03-04T15:16:00.000-08:00

What is it with this guy? Ole Johnny McWalnuts just keeps on stepping in it, and he's still smelling like a rose to the guys in the MSM - like his blow-buddies Timmy Russert and Tweedy Bird Matthews. He hugs and swoons over the likes of Rapture-Meister John Hagee, and the rightwingnuts who hated him two weeks ago now see him as the second coming; and climb on board so as to not get Left Behind. WTF is this shit all about?

This guy is a certified nutcase folks! Wake up and smell the coffee! It's bad enough that he loves Bush and Family, and is suffered by them so he can hold the WH for Jeb's restoration, but he's also a habitual adulterer, a panderer to lobbyists, a manipulator of the FEC and election laws, a Friedman free-trader, and a war-monger without peer.

Republicans have no shame! And their acceptance and adoration of McCain is the perfect example of their complete lack of morals and judgment in politics.

Ol'Johnny's in deep shit, keep him there . . .

2008-02-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

Poor John McWalnuts is in deep shit right now, and it's time to move in for the kill on this sleazy fake. It's time to pile on folks. He's got not one, not two, but three separate piles of crapola to explain away; and he just keeps on plugging away with that "I'm an honorable man" crap, and the wingnuts are eating it up. "I'm just a poor victim here, blame everybody else, not me, not me . . ."

For starters there's the NYT story last week with the underlying inference that Ol'Johnny's been messing around with some lobbyist that strangely enough looks like his wife, only 2o years younger. Now that sounds like our very own Senator Vitter, who's girlfriend not only looks like his wife, but has the same name - Wendy. It must lessen the chances of a verbal slip. Anyway, who really gives a damn about whether Ol'Johnny can or could still get it up. He can always claim, like Vittycent, that at least it wasn't no homo. It's a distraction, not a story.

Next, the real story in the NYT article this week was the bringing to light Ol'Johnny's cozy relationship with the K Street and beyond lobbyists. Nothing new here, he's been on the take dating back to the Keating 5 savings and loan shine. For the first time in this present campaign, though, the NYT was able to lite a spark under some talking heads in the MSM and pundit class so that they're now talking about the Maverick's connections to the money boys and girls. For gawd's sake, people, he's dissing lobbyists and most of them are on his payroll campaign staff. Wake up and smell the horseshit. How many sides does this guy have to his mouth?

And the third story to follow is Ol'Johnny's scheme to game the Federal Election Commission's rules on matching campaign funds. Simply put, he opted out during his campaign until he needed to use the possibility of future funds to secure a loan to get enough money to claim he can opt back into the system and stand on his high horse and claim that since he's an "honorable man" that Barack Obama must opt into the matching campaign funding. WTF is that all about?

All three of these tawdry tales exemplify the best of Republican politics. Screw around, go for the money, and game the system when you can. Not only has Ol'Johnny opted into the Bush 43 philosophy of more war, less jobs, more debt, less healthcare, etc, he has co-opted their game plan. It's no wonder the Bush Family Evil Empire considers him worthy to hold the seat for Jeb.

They Don't Call Him McWalnuts for Nothing

2008-02-23T07:28:00.000-08:00

The Wizard of Whimsy

2008-02-23T07:21:00.000-08:00

Another artiste worthy of exploring. The Wizard of Whimsy illustrates the often bizarre world of our Dear Leaders, including this one of Dim Son enjoying MardiGras after Katrina.
See more of the Wizard at WizardofWhimsy.com

GOP(er) powerbrokers annoint . . .

2008-02-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

So the "GOP(er) powerbrokers . . . are now rewarding (Steve) Scalise for patiently waiting his turn" to run for the LA01 seat in Congress. This news right from Stephanie Grace in this morning's T-P, the straight poop on GOPer politics in the Gret State.
Click here: GOP ready to reward patient Steve Scalise- NOLA.com
If all she says is accurate, then it seems the third time is the charmer for SS, after being shoved aside for Vitty-Cent and Lil'Bobby. They're gonna allow him his turn.
If I were a GOPer in LA01, I'd be pissed-off at being informed the power boys have already decided it's Scalise's "turn" at the trough. Not that any of the other GOPer runners are any better, but it's just downright insulting for the elites in the GOP, presumably those on the RSCC and LCRM rosters, Vitter, Villere, Boise, et al, to tell me who it's gonna be. Even if I'm a wingnut who believes the rich should be richer, homos are gonna destroy my family and there needs to be a 10' wall the entire length of the mexican border, it just ain't right. I can decide for myself who to vote for. Hell, they already confused me enough with that “fusion” slate, labeled the “Pro-Life/Pro-Family”, or whatever that was in the caucuses last month. So yeah, I'm insulted and I want those "powerbroker" boys to spread their money around. I wanta see'em all.
But I'm not a GOPer in LA01, so what do I care if they eat their own. Maybe some of them will just ignore their bosses and stay home, and eat fried squirrel.

Democrats, 70-30% folks.

2008-02-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

Don't tell me that folks aren't fed-up with GOPers. Yesterday in Louisiana, for Democrats it wasn't so much that Barack beat Hillary as it was that Democrats whopped Republicans in voter turnout. According to the Secretary of State, yesterday's two primaries drew over 545,000 voters, 384,000+ to the Democrats and 161,000+ to the Republicans. That's 70-30% people!
Click here: Louisiana Secretary of State--Multi-Parish Elections Inquiry

Unless I'm missing something important, those are great numbers. Of course, the GOPer response will be that this election didn't really count for anything, and they'll do better when push comes to shove later on. Right!! But didn't they have Republican State Central Committee members to vote on? Wasn't that important enough to command a greater voter turnout? And didn't they have to show the colors for the race between McCain and Huckabee, between the war-monger and the 'creationist'? It seems to me that the everyday GOPer has given up on the characters they have to choose between for the Whitehouse; and that they don't care about who represents them on the RSCC.

Recall just a few months back, Lil'Bobby was waltzing into the governor's house with a massive GOPer backing, banners were flying, they were drowning in corporate money, and Vitter and his LCRM were in fat city. Now there's a slightly different picture, and things are still changing. Lil'Bobby is in office now, still promoting his now shadowy 'ethics', while involved in his own campaign messup, and refusing to consider any ethical change to the LCRM corporate money man structure. It turns out a lot of that criticism and concern about Lil'Bobby during the primary was true - and it didn't take much time to start finding out.

So back to the numbers. The next important election for me are the primaries in March for the LA01 seat abandoned by Lil'Bobby. I haven't broken down the LA01 from Saturday, but someone who has more patience than me will. And I'll bet they're good. Unless Saturday's numbers were just a complete anomaly, and don't have any predictive meaning, it looks like the GOPer creeping virus in Louisiana might be slowing down. However it's read I take it as a positive step towards returning to progressive sanity.

To me it's looking better every day. Stick at it, and we'll get a Democrat back in LA01.

Chicago 1968-Denver 2008 "NOT AGAIN"

2008-02-09T20:20:00.000-08:00

Democrats have a way of being on the high ground and blowing it. Here's hoping that some - at least those of us who were involved that summer - will remember the lessons learned and not repeat it in Denver. Read this piece from Steve Pizzo, and learn . . . .

Chicago 1968 -- Denver 2008
From Steve Pizzo at News For Real
"On August 25 Democrats will gather in Denver for their nominating convention. Ironically it comes precisely 40 years since the party opened it's 1968 convention in Chicago. The 1968 convention was the most significant in my lifetime - until now. The Democratic Party and the nation paid a horrible price for what transpired at that convention, a price we may be about to pay again.The Democratic convention this August faces many of the same issues as Democrats face in 1968. Change vs. same-old, same-old. Machine politics vs. people politics. The will of the people vs. the will of party insiders. They are all in play again." [Read it in full and learn.]
Click here: News For Real

Passing the Baton

2008-02-09T15:02:00.000-08:00

Come fall, it looks like we're gonna be facing opposition in the person of John McCain. There are a couple of things we need to keep in the public eye.
In 2000, Bush and Rove slimed McCain in the South Carolina Primary, and then:

Who's gonna be his VP running mate? My bet is on Jeb Bush.

And then the Dim Son will pass the "Baton of Power" to John McCain to hold in trust for the restoration.

Cognitive Dissonance Illustrated

2008-02-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

Fun with the Wingnuts at CPAC

2008-02-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

At this very moment, the GOPers are having their annual hate-fest in Washington - the yearly Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) -Click here: CPAC 2008 - where all the leading wingnuts gather to praise Ronald Reagan and the Royal Bush Family. Unlike the crazy-hat wingnut party that's coming later this summer to annoint McWalnuts heir, this one is where the "movement conservative" folks get their fill of red-meat, and learn how to hate in a positive way.
One of the early crowd pleasers was the vivacious Ann Coulter, queen of the trash-mouth gobbleheads. She gonna support Hillary in order to drive Democrats into voting for McCain.

There's plenty more, of course, including Dick "Dr. Evil" Cheney, snarling and growling to the cheers of the crowd: "Cheney said that he supported President Bush's national security decisions, which included the approval of waterboarding along with other harsh interrogation tactics. "I've been proud to stand by [Bush], by the decisions he's made," said Cheney, who then asked aloud, "Would I support those decisions today?" "You're damn right I would," he answered himself, to loud cheers."

Not to be outdone by his vice, Dim Son stirred the crowd with his rendition of "It's An Upside Down World" with his best line: "Prosperity and peace are in the balance," the president said in speech excerpts the White House released on Thursday night. "So with confidence in our vision and faith in our values, let us go forward ... fight for victory ... and keep the White House in 2008." One thing you've gotta say about Dim Son, his cognitive dissonance is consistent. He doesn't let little things like a busted economy and perpetual war into his lil'head.

To LA01 none of that crapola matters, except for the laughs; and an observation that none of the GOPers running for the seat abandoned by Lil'Bobby were in attendence. Instead, they were all prancing before the River Region Republican Women, a newly formed Nancy Reagan hair-do look-alike group. [It's always amusing to check the Mandeville section of the Times-Picayune each week to see the latest full-page spread on a recent GOPer get together.] None of the candidates said anything new or unexpected. They're for securing the borders and a "free-market" health care system; devoted to "traditional conservative values"; and, of course, cuttin' back on all that government spending, which is caused by them Democrats. Blah, blah, blah . . .

Come'on boys, you can do better than that. Remember you've got an in-house primary coming up in March to see who makes the cut and has to stand against Gilda Reed in May. You've already lost the "moral highground", so you might as well sharpen up on the red meat wingnut crapola coming out of CPAC.

"Its Got a Bunch of Numbers in It"

2008-02-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

"It's got a bunch of numbers in it."

Here's a little sumpin' I overlooked earlier. Directly from Pottersville . . .

"The man who’d once poo-poohed the nonexistent budget of Texas by saying, “It’s got a bunch of numbers in it” at least has his priorities in order. So while indigent, elderly, sick and infirm people get the shaft, at least they have the consolation of knowing that the money that would’ve been allocated to the social service programs on which they used to depend will be used to fund an army of pissed-off Islamophobic virgins.

Oh, yeah, and to further bloat the already-wealthy with another round of tax cuts. As with the outgoing GOP-dominated 109th Congress, which we lib bloggers had predicted would try to grab as many piles of cash and put up as many sawhorses as possible to impede the path to any meaningful progress, Bush’s final budget has many agendas, not a single one of them working to the benefit of more than 10% of the electorate.

It will hamstring any Democratic president coming in with a real vested interest in a competent, responsible government and will be the bad guy in his/her efforts to raise taxes, which is really the best or fastest way to begin balancing the budget that’s been perpetually unbalanced by neverending rounds of tax cuts.

Or this Draconian and most heartless of budgets will give a flying head start to (Lord help us) any Republican that Diebold and the Supreme Court can shoehorn who will no longer feel the need to repudiate Bush and will of course embrace the endless tax cuts and Fuck Everybody But Me and Mine 2009 budget.

Bush’s proposals would last until the end of the legitimate 43rd president’s first term, therefore assuring GOP dominance until after Junior has made millions on the lecture circuit kind of in the way one’s dysfunctional DNA survives one after their death.

If Congress passes this budget, which exceeds last year’s budget by two hundred billion while slashing funding from 151 programs across half the Cabinet while allocating an additional $36 billion for the biggest earmark of all, the military, then that, if nothing else, should give us a reason to clean house this November.

A great way to start would be to take that fat $600 check you'll be getting this May or June and contribute it to a true progressive candidate's candidacy. Granted, your check, unlike Bush's or Cheney's, won't have "a bunch of numbers in it" but still...It's just an idea...
Click here: Welcome to Pottersville

Stay awake, and pay attention, folks

2008-02-06T07:07:00.000-08:00

While New Orleans was in the madness of Mardi Gras yesterday, the rest of the country was totally engaged in the SuperduperTuesday Extravaganza. Fortunately I was able to sleep through most of it. This morning, though, is another story. The talking heads have got their drawers all twisted up and are babbling away about Clinton and Obama, and about McCain and Huckabee and Romney. On television, on the internet news, on the blogs, it's everywhere. It's a damn one-trick pony this morning. The troubling thing is that it's gonna happen again this spring, this summer and in November. Please folks, give people a break. At least throw in a couple of blurbs about the rest of the story.

For instance, has any one heard much about Dim Son's new BUDGET proposal for 2008. If so, its probably not very much. I've seen nothing on the television "news", but maybe I just missed it. And I've only come across a few articles on the internet "news" sites, and blogger sites. This is important stuff, people, pay attention. Here's a couple of good reads:

The Legacy of Bush II By Robert Scheer
Curb your enthusiasm. Even if your favored candidate did well on Super Tuesday, ask yourself if he or she will seriously challenge the bloated military budget that President Bush has proposed for 2009. If not, military spending will rise to a level exceeding any other year since the end of World War II, and there will be precious little left over to improve education and medical research, fight poverty, protect the environment or do anything else a decent person might care about. You cannot spend well over $700 billion on “national security,” running what the White House predicts will be more than $400 billion in annual deficits for the next two years, and yet find the money to improve the quality of life on the home front.
Click here: Truthdig - The Legacy of Bush II

Bush Budget Would Bring Record Deficits By ANDREW TAYLOR – 1 day ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The record $3.1 trillion budget proposed by President Bush on Monday would produce eyepopping federal deficits, despite his attempts to impose politically wrenching curbs on Medicare and eliminate scores of popular domestic programs.
The Pentagon would receive a $36 billion, 8 percent boost for the 2009 budget year beginning Oct. 1, even as programs aimed at the poor would be cut back or eliminated. Half of domestic Cabinet departments would see their budgets cut outright.
Slumping revenues and the cost of an economic rescue package will combine to produce a huge jump in the deficit to $410 billion this year and $407 billion in 2009, the White House says, just shy of the record $413 billion set four years ago.
Bush's lame-duck budget plan is likely to be ignored by Congress, which is controlled by Democrats and already looking ahead to November elections. His long-term projections are mostly academic since he's leaving office next January.
The president forecasts a $48 billion surplus by 2012, keeping a promise he made two years ago when strong revenue predictions made it look far easier. Now, he's relying on spending cuts — for everything from transportation to Medicare and Medicaid to nonprofit groups that help the poor — to do the job in order to keep his signature 2001 and 2003 tax cuts intact instead of expiring at the end of 2010.
"Our formula for achieving a balanced budget is simple: create the conditions for economic growth, keep taxes low and spend taxpayer dollars wisely or not at all," Bush said in his budget message.
---
Jim Nussle, the White House budget director, said the softening economy, continuing war costs and the deficit-financed economic stimulus measure soon to clear Congress were responsible for the worsening deficit picture. And he said that the deficits experienced during the Reagan years and Bush's father's administration were far worse when compared to the size of the economy.
"It's a manageable deficit — it isn't the largest in history by any stretch of the imagination — and it's one that can be managed if we get economic growth back on track," Nussle said.
Click here: The Associated Press: Bush Budget Would Bring Record Deficits

So there you have it. Why do the wiseguys keep on saying that Dim Son is concerned about his legacy. His trophy war in Iraq is a bust, he's working on starting a 3rd war in Iran/Israel, he's blown the US economy to hell, and now, instead of learning anything, he's proposed a budget that increases the military spending on weapons - that is to say more money to Halliburton, Bectel, Boeing, etc., etc. - while cutting the medical benefits for those coming home from his trophy wars. Of course - god willing - it won't pass, but the very idea of proposing it and then saying it's "a managable deficit" is appalling. It's one of those "too funny to be true or too true to be funny moments". [One possibility is that Dim Son the Lame Duck is just trying to make one last "run on the treasury" for his monied chronies.]

In Louisiana we're having Congressional elections this spring. I'm in LA01, and, of course, I'm betting it all on Democrat Gilda Reed. My thought is that she'll take one look at Dim Son's proposal and say "what the hell is this crapola?" This is what this proposal means to LA01:

Taxpayers in Louisiana Congressional District 1 (LA01) will pay $209.6 million for proposed Iraq War Spending for FY2008. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

53,373 People with Health Care OR
151,882 Homes with Renewable Electricity OR
6,455 Public Safety Officers OR
4,438 Music and Arts Teachers OR
47,440 Scholarships for University Students OR
21 New Elementary Schools OR
2,519 Affordable Housing Units OR
138,866 Children with Health Care OR
31,669 Head Start Places for Children OR
4,424 Elementary School Teachers OR
3,270 Port Container Inspectors
Notes and Sources Go to Cost of War Counter

Actually, those numbers don't reflect the current Dim Son proposal, but are based on the projections from the 2007 budget, so up the numbers by about 8%. And this is what we in Louisiana have paid for Dim Son's trophy war through 2007, and what could have been.

Taxpayers in Louisiana will pay $3.5 billion for the cost of the Iraq War through 2007. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:
884,063 People with Health Care OR
2,515,747 Homes with Renewable Electricity OR
106,925 Public Safety Officers OR
73,509 Music and Arts Teachers OR
785,786 Scholarships for University Students OR
352 New Elementary Schools OR
41,723 Affordable Housing Units OR
2,300,146 Children with Health Care OR
524,558 Head Start Places for Children OR
73,276 Elementary School Teachers OR
54,171 Port Container Inspectors
Notes and Sources Go to Cost of War Counter

Besides more dollars for guns and ammo, and less health care for returning veterans, the proposed budget of Dim Son also cuts or fails to even increase for inflation all domestic social services programs, all education programs, and all infrastructure funding. It means that we the people, here in LA01 (and the rest of Louisiana) will receive less Federal funding. All of this results from the GOPer mantra of more guns, less food, lower taxes, less health care, every man for himself, blah, blah . . . .

If we're lucky, Democrats in Congress will get some backbone and tell Dim Son to take his budget and shove it. Then, come November, we'll elect a Democrat president, a huge majority in Congress, and begin taking giant steps to clean up the GOPer catastrophe and bring these United States of America back from hell.

LA01 is not a safe-seat for GOPers

2008-02-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

Thomas Frank published a book in 2004 entitled What's The Matter With Kansas? The book is a native son's look back at the political and social revolution in his home state, and his attempt to unravel the question: Why do so many Americans vote against their economic and social interests? Why do poor farmers and factory workers vote for movement conservatives whose objective is to consolidate all the small farms and send factory jobs overseas? Who do the poor vote for those who favor the rich? And the answer, while complex in its strategy and implementation, is actually quite simple. They were conned. They were conned into voting emotionally, not rationally, for voting based on their fears and prejudices, and not on what is sound policy for the future security of their families.

With changes of names and places, the book could just as well be entitled: What's the Matter with Louisiana? Or, to be more precise, with Louisiana's First Congressional District (LA01). For a superb analysis of the political demographics of LA01, and "how it came to be that way", read the 3-part series by YatPundit published on January 14th - 16th. Click here: YatPundit. While not in complete agreement with his views on the "physical" rebuilding of Western St. Tammany, the observations on the political mind-set are right on the mark. When I moved to Mandeville from New Orleans 10 years ago, a neighbor suggested right off that I remove my FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS VOTE REPUBLICAN bumper sticker. It is noticeably worse today. There is absolutely an unearned and undeserved GOPer arrogance on the Northshore.

Today is MARDI GRAS, and while we in south Louisiana will spend the day playing and drinking and getting ready for the beginning of Lent tomorrow, the rest of America is participating in the SuperduperTuesday extravaganza. By late tonight, squeezed in between the final parades and the mounted police sweep of Bourbon Street, and the televised meeting of the Courts of Comus and Rex, we'll be told who won, who lost, who lost but really won and who's still in or out; and we'll be bored senseless by the talking heads. By that time, I'll be asleep.

Saturday is the presidential primary for Louisiana, not today. We may or may not still have any voice in the ultimate choices of candidates by then, but I hope folks here still take it seriously and get out to vote. According to the sample ballot from the Secretary of State's office, there is still a full spectrum of both Democrat and Republican candidates, including the drop-outs, so there are choices to be made. Click here: Louisiana Secretary of State--Precinct Ballot Data Inquiry That is unless some are scratched beforehand.

And, while most Louisiana political wiseguys view LA01 as a safe GOPer paradise, that may not be the case since Hurricane Katrina. Again, according to the Secretary of State's records, there are: 167,336 registered Democrats; 160,438 registered Republicans; and 105, 146 registered other party. I'll vote Saturday in the Democratic primary, but that's not what I'll be watching.
I'll be looking at the numbers in the Republican Primary, and trying to make some sense of them; and I hope other Democrats will do likewise. How do the Republican voters break-down, from uber-right, to right, to moderate, etc.

For the GOPers, Saturday is just a prelude to their closed primary on March 8th for their presumed safe-seat in Congress. I'm looking forward to watching Scalasi, Burns & Morris battle it out scratching for the wingnut vote. And then I'm looking forward to Gilda Reed taking back LA01 for the Democrats in May.

My Decision is Barack Obama

2008-02-05T04:36:00.000-08:00

In January 1953, my deep south 4th grade teacher lined us up to walk two blocks to a classmates house to watch the inauguration of President Dwight Eisenhower on his new black and white television. It was the first time I gave any thought to who was leading these United States of America, and actually the last for many years. I had too many other things on my mind. And for me the remainder of the '50s dragged on in black and white.

I turned 18 in 1960, graduated high school, left home and went off to college at Tulane University in New Orleans. There I met wonderful and diverse new people, teachers and students, some of whom challenged many of the ideas I had accepted growing up. It was a time of enlightenment for me and, to be honest I resisted much of the new thought because it flew in the face of my southern roots in Mississippi and Georgia. Racial equality, social justice for all, women's rights, what the hell were these all about? Everybody had his own place in my little world, and these ideas sure didn't square with that! My redneck world had structure, dammit.

That November, the junior Senator from Massachusetts, John Kennedy, came from nowhere and was elected president of these United States. I was finally beginning to wake up and take notice. And at his inauguration in January 1961, I found myself once again glued to a black and white television. Only this time, I actually listened to his words, and for the first time saw the leadership of these United States not as a bunch of stuffy old men, but as young and vibrant and enthuiastic. His final challenge to us all, to "ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country", was an inspiring invitation to participate in the future. It changed my life in a profound manner.

This past week, images and recollections of JFK have consumed the news, as one after another of the Kennedy family, friends and supporters have reached out to give their support to Barack Obama in his quest for the Democratic nomination. Its been stated over and over ad nauseum that John Kennedy was the face and voice of a whole new generation of Americans. Younger to be sure, but not based so much on youth as on a new vision of what America was and could be again in the future.

I agree that Barack Obama is the best person to lead us into the future at this most critical time in American history. He is the new voice, the person to remind us of what America was, and what we can be again in the future. So I will vote for Barack Obama in the Louisiana primary, and I will support him in November.

On Saturday, vote for "The Two Elizabeths"

2008-02-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

Come Saturday in Louisiana, we get to vote in a presidential primary. My vote will be in the Democratic column, though I still haven't settled down to one person, and not from lack of trying. Truthfully, after reviewing all the donkeys and their families, etc., my Dream Ticket, and a sure winner in November would be the two Elizabeths, "Elizabeth Edwards and Elizabeth Kucinich". Those two could make a difference in these United States of America.

Louisiana Primaries Could Make a Difference Posted on Feb. 5, 2008 by Lamar White, Jr
Although political pundits have suggested that we should expect a low turn-out for this Saturday’s Presidential primaries, there is reason to believe that the results of this primary, particularly for Democrats, could make a difference. Both Hillary Clinton’s and Barack Obama’s campaigns have indicated that they may be visiting Louisiana later this week. If ground operations shift to Southern states, which seems likely given the amount of delegates Texas offers, then we’ll likely become a battleground, both for symbolic and strategic purposes.
Click here: Louisiana Primaries Could Make a Difference « CenLamar: Essays, Articles, and Commentary On Life in Louisiana

Let's Get It Right This Time

2008-02-02T07:59:00.000-08:00

Louisiana's 1st Congressional District finally has a chance to stop being a foot-stool, get it right and send a representative to the Congress of these United States who is intelligent, competent, charismatic, and committed to progressive values. We need Gilda Reed.

For the last three decades, LA01 has sunk deeper and deeper into the abyss of the uber-right conservative beast, and look what it's got us. From Bob "family-values and admitted adulterer" Livingston to David "family-values and hoe-monger" Vitter to Lil'Bobby now "Mr. Ethics violater" Jindal. All three of those GOPers have used LA01 voters as a footstool for personal political advancement, and walked away from LA01 when their next opportunity came along. The last, Lil'Bobby, even carpet-bagged himself into LA01 for the "sole" purpose of replacing his mentor Vitty-Cent, and then was a no-show in Congress for his last year while making his next move up to Goobner of the Gret State. It would be nice for a change to have a Congress(person) who actually gave a damn about LA01. For some inciteful and well-written commentary on Louisiana GOPers, check out Click here: Liberty and Justice for all! and the always enlightening Click here: Daily Kingfish ... Lord knows Louisiana needs it ...

And, from the looks of things the GOPer offerings this time around are no better than those of the last two decades. The candidates, Steve "Mr. Homophobic" Scalise, Tim "pro-life until after birth" Burns, and Ben "Falwell-aryan" Morris perform as institutionally trained GOPers. They trivialize meaningful issues and play to their respective "prejudice" bases. The best of the GOPer potential candidates, Kevin Davis, had the personal integrity to stay above the fray and continue his excellent job of rebuilding St. Tammany Parish since Hurricane Katrina.

Which brings us to Gilda Reed. Now here is a person everyone in LA01 would be proud to have as their Representative in the Congress of these United States. She is not in this race for her own personal glory, or to use LA01 as a stepping-stone for moving on up the political ladder. Her long record of achievement already speaks volumes to her leadership ability and sense of personal and community responsibility. When elected to Congress, she will stay, build seniority, and become the powerful and thoughtful representative that LA01 needs for the future.

Let's get it right this time, folks. The GOPers have been using LA01 and feeding at our trough for two decades now. Let's elect someone who will look out for us, instead of themselves. Vote for GILDA REED.

What Do We Do Now?

2008-02-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

Now that John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich and Chris Dodd have withdrawn from the Democratic Quest for the Whitehouse, the voices of populist ideals have been horse-whipped and mostly disappeared from open discussion. We are left to decide between two voices of corporate America. And, after listening to last night's "love-in" between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, it really doesn't seem to matter who takes the lead in their dance. Today some are advocating they run together, though opinions differ between "Tweedledee-Tweedledum" or "Tweedledum-Tweedledee". Here are some thoughts from The LA Times:

Clinton, Obama gently debate Iraq in Hollywood
The Iraq war reemerged Thursday as a dividing line between the two major Democrats remaining in the presidential contest, as Barack Obama used a Los Angeles debate to argue he has the judgment to lead the nation out of war and Hillary Rodham Clinton asserted that she has the gravitas to do the same.The debate, sponsored by The Times, CNN and Politico and held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, was the first one-on-one meeting between Clinton and Obama. It was also the last before Democrats in 22 states, including California, vote Tuesday.
Click here: Los Angeles Times: Clinton, Obama gently debate Iraq in Hollywood

And, assuming that Ole John McWalnuts gets the GOPer nod, we have this to look forward to in the fall. Ann Coulter: McCain nomination would make me a 'Hillary girl'
It seems as though the latest game among conservative pundits is to play "can you top this" in seeing how far they can go to proclaim their distaste for Senator John McCain. Radio talk show clown Rush Limbaugh drew media attention to himself last week when he suggested he might not support McCain if he became the Republican nominee. Now Ann Coulter has upped the ante, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity that if John McCain is the Republican nominee, she's supporting Hillary Clinton. [Is she driving Democrats towards McWalnuts?]
Click here: http://rawstory.com//printstory.php?story=9102

All things considered, perhaps its time to bring back one of the old demons of politics, the venerable RALPH NADER, who, by the way, has just announced that since John Edwards' departure, he is "considering" a new "Run for the Roses" in 2008. I know many folks feel he's just gonna screw the Democratic candidate "again", but I disagree with that notion, and with the notion that he screwed Al Gore in 2000. If you take the time to study where he stands on most issues, you'll find that throughout his long career he has consistently stood up for the people and always against corporatism. And, for good measure, he could bring along Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson for VP. I'm giving it some thought.

On the subject of humor, check out "Mr. Fish"

2008-01-31T09:14:00.000-08:00

While I'm on the subject of humor, check out Mr. Fish. I'm a big fan of good political - and other - humor, and am always on the lookout for new artists. Some are good, like Stephen Pitt, whom I posted a while ago, and some are not so good. I discovered this guy while reading Harpers Magazine, and like his acerbic wit. Stay tuned for other artists in the future.

Dwayne Booth (Mr. Fish) is a regular cartoon contributor to the print edition of the LA Weekly, and he also maintains Catch of the Day, a daily cartoon blog for the Weekly's website. Also for the Weekly, Dwayne has contributed a number of written features and he created The Reel World, a series of animated shorts.
Dwayne is a weekly cartoonist for Harpers.org, and a featured cartoonist in Daryl Cagle's cartoon archive at MSNBC.com. Dwayne's cartoons are also included in three books put out by Cagle: The BIG Book of Bush Cartoons, The Best Political Cartoons of the Year, 2006, and The Best Political Cartoons of the Year, 2007.
Dwayne also appears occasionally in Current, the Sunday Opinion section of the Los Angeles Times and is also a regular for the Webby award-winning news magazine Truthdig.
Click here: clowncrack.com

Thinking Problem

2008-01-31T06:05:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, in the face of disappointment, all you can do is try to spin a little humor, and pick up a new ride. This post from a friend is funny, but it's not the ride I'm looking for right now.

THINKING PROBLEM: It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then -- just to loosen up. Inevitably, though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker. I began to think alone -- "to relax," I told myself -- but I knew it wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time.
That was when things began to sour at home. One evening I turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her mother's. I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't mix, but I couldn't help myself.
I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau, Muir, Confucius and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing here?"
One day the boss called me in. He said, "Listen, I like you, and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job."
This gave me a lot to think about. I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I confess, "I've been thinking..."
"I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a divorce!"
"But Honey, surely it's not that serious."
"It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much as college professors and college professors don't make any money, so if you keep on thinking, we won't have any money!"
"That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently.
She exploded in tears of rage and frustration, but I was in no mood to deal with the emotional drama.
"I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door.
I headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche. I roared into the parking lot with NPR on the radio and ran up to the big glass doors. They didn't open. The library was closed.
To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me that night. Leaning on the unfeeling glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a poster caught my eye, "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked.
You probably recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinkers Anonymous poster.
This is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker. I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational video; last week it was "Porky's." Then we share experiences about how we avoided thinking since the last meeting.
I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home. Life just seemed...easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking. I think the road to recovery is nearly complete for me.
AND.................. Today I took the final step............ I joined the Republican Party.

There was John Edwards, and there's the rest . . .

2008-01-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

Now all we have left are Tweedledee, Tweedledum, Daddy Warbucks and the Mad Hatter. One thing is for sure, though, any Democrat is better than any Republican. And that, naturally, raises the next question. Is there anyone out there who's a better choice than Tweedledee or Tweedledum?

John Edwards and the Art of Losing Well

2008-01-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

John Edwards and the art of losing well
With John Edwards withdrawing from the race, I think it’s important to take note of something sort of extraordinary: he’s leaving with his reputation not only intact, but actually enhanced.
When you think about it that almost never happens. Today, we tend to be a one shot society politically — hell, in every respect, really. But sticking with politics, look at the tattered bodies scattered across the field of honor: Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John Kerry, Bob Dole, Joe Lieberman (please try not to cry for poor Joe), Michael Dukakis and so many more. All were once serious presidential candidates, people given a real chance of winning, and all suffered damage to their public reputations, in some cases severe damage, as a result of running for and losing the presidency.
But not so John Edwards. Edwards leaves the race, if anything, more highly regarded by the Democratic rank and file than he was before. He remains a viable political figure.
Why? It’s about running and also losing with grace, I think. It’s about running on the side of the poor and the working class, instead of just trying to pile up huge mounds of cash from special interests. It’s about running on issues that matter, rather than personalities and negative imagery.
John Edwards may never be president, but by conducting his campaign with honor he’s left both the Democratic Party and the nation at least a little better off for his having tried.
Thank you, John. We here at The Last Chance Democracy Café wish you and your family the very best.
Click here: The Last Chance Democracy Cafe » Blog Archive » John Edwards and the art of losing well

New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina

2008-01-30T06:09:00.000-08:00

Though I didn't catch Dim Son's SOTU the other night, I couldn't help but notice all the babble in the news yesterday. Living in Louisiana, in a New Orleans burb, one thing appeared hopeful - the announcement that the North American Summit of Canada, Mexico and the United States will be held in New Orleans in April. If true, then NOLA could certainly use the $$$ it would bring.
On the other hand, the announcement could have been just another Jackson Square moment. You remember that, don't you? Dim Son's handlers brought in tons of lighting equipment to light up Jackson Square in the New Orleans French Quarter. Wearing his blue shirt with rolled up sleeves, he gave his "we'll save New Orleans because it's a great party town" speech. Then they turned off the lights and removed the equipment, sending the French Quarter back into total darkness. And that was that. Promises, promises, promises . . .

Just Plain Disappointing

2008-01-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

To be kind, this is just plain disappointing. Mother Pelosi must have put her foot down.

Kucinich postpones Bush impeachment effort
Tuesday January 29, 2008 11:51 am
After promising to mark President Bush's final State of the Union speech by introducing articles of impeachment against Bush, Cleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich postponed the effort.
Kucinich said Monday that he met with members of the House Judiciary Committee after making last week's impeachment pledge. He said he came away "hopeful there will be an inquiry by the Judiciary Committee."
"I will give them the opportunity to proceed before introducing articles of impeachment," he said in a statement. The committee's spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.
Click here: Firedoglake - Firedoglake weblog » Kucinich postpones Bush impeachment effort

I Couldn't Do It

2008-01-29T14:06:00.000-08:00

I couldn't do it, I just couldn't bring myself to do it - watch Der Dear Leader's SOTU last night, that is. There was really no reason to watch. After listening to 7 years of mendacious shameless blathering from Dim Son and his toadies, what new was there to hear. Instead, I spent the evening listening to some old Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, and Lucinda Williams goodies, amid fantasies of hanging out at the Austin Outhouse in the 1980s. "If I Could Only Fly . . . "

Perhaps if Dim Son had spent a little more time listening to those good folks, smoking some Texas weed and letting up on the Jim Beam, we might not be in this pie-eyed mess today.

Stephen Pitt Cartoons

2008-01-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

While waiting for the rest of the events of the day to unfold, here is a little something you might enjoy exploring. Stephen Pitt has some of the very best political art work around. He has a clear message and a cutting sense of humor, and I've sent some of his images out before. And, if you're so inclined, the images make great wallpapers or a slide-show screensaver for 'puters.

" . . . . . There is a battle under way that will determine the economic and social formulas for the new millenium. Much blood has flowed at the hands of those whose nature it is to kill rather than negotiate into place, those formulae. The following images are my collective response to that reality. Their delivery is couched in the search for control of the elements of contrast."

Click here: stephen_pitt_cartoons

Monday Morning Sunshine

2008-01-28T07:10:00.000-08:00

It's Monday again, and despite the somewhat gloomy weekend, there are some things to look forward to today. To begin, despite his loss in South Carolina, John Edwards is fighting on in his quest for the Democratic nomination. This in from MSNBC:

COLUMBIA, SC -- For those who haven’t heard: John Edwards is not dropping out tonight.
Following a litany of people whose voices he said would be heard in his campaign, the South Carolina native said, "Finally, if you’re one of the millions of Americans who have yet to cast your vote in this democratic process, beginning on Feb. 5 and moving beyond, your voice will be heard and we will be there with you every single step of the way." “We get to continue running for president until we decide we’re not running for president."
Click here: Edwards fights on - First Read - msnbc.com

Then there is the State of the Union address by Der Dear Leader to look forward to tonight.
This in from Scarecrow at Firedoglake.com:

"Tonight George Bush will go before Congress to deliver the President’s annual State of the Union speech, one of the few Constitutional requirements Bush still follows. In his address he will continue the tradition of virtually all Presidents, declaring, perhaps with some evasive caveat, that the state of the union is good. It will be just another lie for the man whose administration has practiced unparalleled mendacity.
Today he will bully Congress to give up our 4th Amendment rights, as he has done relentlessly for seven years. This President has trashed the Constitution and made a mockery of his oath. He has ignored and humiliated the Congress, whose submissive behavior in the face of the Administration’s vast lawlessness has become a national embarrassment. He has turned the executive branch into an extension of a rapacious party, and so corrupted the administration of justice that Americans no longer have confidence that the rule of law will be honored at the highest levels of government. His judicial appointments, ratified by a foolish Congress, have saddled the nation with judges that will be barriers to equality, justice and fairness for decades.
Click here: Firedoglake - Firedoglake weblog » The State of Our Union (read on . . . )

And finally for now, watch for this to happen today. Dennis Kucinich, now former candidate, and perhaps the most clearly defined populist in these United States, will once more move to impeach. Despite Mother Nancy's scolding, Dennis will "party on" today. This comment in from CommonDreams.org:

Kucinich Starts New Impeachment Drive by David M. Herszenhorn
Representative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio may get excluded from Democratic presidential debates, as he has been recently, but no one can deny him the floor in the House. And today Mr. Kucinich took to the floor to fire off his latest salvo at the Bush administration: his plans to introduce Articles of Impeachment against President Bush on Jan. 28 - the day of Mr. Bush’s State of the Union speech.
Accusing the administration of lying about the need for the war in Iraq, Mr. Kucinich said he did not need to hear the president’s assessment. “We know the State of the Union,” he declared. “It’s a lie.”
He also fired a volley at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California who has maintained that impeaching Mr. Bush is not on the table for Congressional Democrats. “If impeachment is off the table,” Mr. Kucinich said, “truth is off the table. If truth is off the table then this body is living a lie.”
Click here: Kucinich Starts New Impeachment Drive - CommonDreams.org

So, all in all it might just be a really good day. And the sun is shining in Mandeville.

A Few Words from Huey Long

2008-01-27T18:46:00.000-08:00

Huey P. Long was elected governor of Louisiana in 1928, was then elected to the United States Senate, and was assassinated in the lobby of the Louisiana State Capital in 1935. Many recall him as "The Kingfish", and to this day characterize him as a crazed despot. Perhaps he was in many ways. But those who demonize his memory ignore his underlying belief in the right of every person to a decent life. His credo was "Every Man A King". And in 1933, he wrote and self-published an autobiography with that title. It wasn't a great seller, only a thousand or so copies, but there was truth in it. This passage rings as true today as it did in 1933.

"I had come to the United States Senate with only one project in mind, which was that by every means of action and persuasion I might do something to spread the wealth of the land among all of the people. I foresaw the depression in 1929. . . I had predicted all of the consequences many years before they occurred.
The wealth of the land was being tied up in the hands of a very few men. The people were not buying because they had nothing with which to buy. The big business interests were not selling, because there was nobody they could sell to.
One per cent of the people could not eat any more than any other one per cent; they could not wear much more than any other one per cent; they could not live in any more houses than any other one per cent. So, in 1929, when the fortune-holders of America grew powerful enough that one per cent of the people owned nearly everything, ninety-nine per cent of the people owned practically nothing, not even enough to pay their debts, a collapse was at hand.
-----
There is no rule so sure as that one that the same mill that grinds out fortunes above a certain size at the top, grinds out paupers at the bottom. The same machine makes them both; and how are they made? There is so much in the world, just so much land, so many houses, so much to eat and so much to wear. There is enough--yea, there is more--than the entire human race can consume, if all are reasonable.
All the people in America cannot eat up the food that is produced in America; all the people in America cannot wear out the clothes that can be made in America; nor can all of the people in America occupy the houses that stand in this country, if all are allowed to share in homes afforded by the nation. But when one man must have more houses to live in than ninety-nine other people; when one man decides he must own more foodstuff than any other ninety-nine people own; when one man decides he must have more goods to wear for himself and family than any other ninety-nine people, then the condition results that instead of one hundred people sharing the things that are on earth for one hundred people, that one man, through his gluttonous greed, takes over ninety-nine parts for himself and leaves one part for the ninety-nine.
Now what can this one man do with what is intended for ninety-nine? He cannot eat the food that is intended for ninety-nine people; he cannot wear the clothes that are intended for ninety-nine people; he cannot live in ninety-nine houses at the same time; but like the dog in the manger, he can put himself on the load of hay and he can say:
'This food and these clothes and these houses are mine, and while I cannot use them, my greed can only be satisfied by keeping anybody else from having them.'
Wherefore and whence developed the strife in the land of too much, beginning in the year 1929."
(Every Man A King, Huey P. Long, 1933, pgs. 291-292)

Sad Day in South Carolina

2008-01-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was indeed a sad day in South Carolina, as Barack Obama literally ran away with the Democratic Primary, leaving poor Hillary in his wake, and John Edwards in the dust. If Obama ultimately gets the nomination, I will certainly support him because after 8 long years of Bushit in the Whitehouse, any Democrat will hopefully bring a renewed hope in the American Dream.

My disappointment is not so much that Obama won, but that John Edwards has been, and continues to be so overlooked as the best possible chance for the renewal of the populism of that American Dream. The Corporate Media has truly decided that the Democrats must choose only between Obama and Clinton, and have done everything possible to narrow the decision to those two candidates alone. John Edwards, the only true voice for the common folk of this country has been marginalized because of the threat he poses to corporate interests, particularly the media conglomerate interests.

Wonchahepme will continue to support John Edwards for President of these United States until he and he alone says "enough". Hopefully that will not happen.

Worst Case Scenerio

2008-01-26T08:06:00.000-08:00

The "Political Season" is awash with vermin, on both sides of the Isle. And now that Dennis Kucinich has withdrawn to pursue his case for the impeachment of "The Big Dick C", the only remaining hope for the salvation of America is Senator John Edwards. Unfortunately, the MSM and "kingmakers" have decided to foster a hyper-battle between "The" Clintons and Obama, because of the marketing value.

So I have a worst case scenerio theory . . .

The GOPer-biased corporate media continues to increase ratings by stirring it up between Hillary and Barack, and neglects and/or denigrates John Edwards, so that either Hillary or Barack becomes the Democratic nominee. Joe Anybody gets the VP nod.

The GOPer-biased corporate media and GOPer "kingmakers" settle on John McCain -obviously because he's the oldest and most likely to die in office - with the clear understanding that he names heir apparent Jeb Bush as his running mate for VP.

The GOPer-biased corporate media, along with Karl Rove, the ghost of Lee Atwater, Swift-Boaters, Wingnut Bloggers, etc, unleash the dogs of hell with all the racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, jingoistic, hate slime and vote rigging they can muster, making 2000 and 2004 seem like a fairy tale; and, after a prolonged legal battle, the Supreme Court again sides with the GOPer-biased corporate media and GOPer "kingmakers", declaring McCain/Bush the winners with 750,000 fewer votes than the Democrats. The American public gets goosed again.

After January 2009, VP Jeb Bush assumes control of all day-to-day operations and policy decisions of the Whitehouse, directing President McCain to maintain in office all personnel from the previous George Bush II administration, with a few exceptions. Rudy Guiliani is to be Czar of Homeland Security, John Bolton is to be Secretary of State, and Paul Wolfowitz is to be Secretary of Defense (though now renamed Secretary of World Wars Three and Counting). Condi is given a Chevron franchise and retires to Birmingham, Alabama; and Mike Huckabee finally returns to Ozark Baptist Seminary for his theology degree.

After two years in semi-seclusion, McCain dies from Vietnam Era head wounds, Jeb Bush becomes president, and goes on to become the third Bush war president by invading Sudan and capturing its vast oil reserves. Both of his children are sent to rehab for severe drug addiction. George Bush the Younger has a terrible chain saw accident. Barbara the Younger spends the remainder of her years caring for Laura the Lush