Tag: GOP

May 24 2008

“The Fall of Conservatism”

George Packer has an interesting analysis of the implosion of the GOP in this week’s New Yorker, which finally landed in my mailbox yesterday.  It’s rather long but well worth reading in full.  He begins in 1966, when Patrick Buchanan went to work for Nixon, and follows the rise of conservatism from that point to the present.  Some of this should sound very familiar, even to those of us who weren’t old enough to follow politics back then:

In order to seize the Presidency in 1968, Nixon had to live down his history of nasty politicking, and he ran that year as a uniter. But his Administration adopted an undercover strategy for building a Republican majority, working to create the impression that there were two Americas: the quiet, ordinary, patriotic, religious, law-abiding Many, and the noisy, élitist, amoral, disorderly, condescending Few.

http://www.newyorker.com/repor…

May 10 2008

Wake up Call for the Republicans

E. J. Dionne has a bit of good news today in his editorial in today’s Daily News Record, “Issues This Year ‘Moving the Democrats’ Way.” He supports Barack Obama’s new political voice by pointing out the recent election success of Democrat Don Cazayoux in Louisiana.  It seems that the Republican Party has had the 6th District in their pockets for 33 years.  They ran the usually successful campaign of “slash and burn,” “guilt by association,” and “tax and spend.”  They lost.

Apr 23 2008

White House and GOP Leadership in House sabotage verifiable voting, again!

Common Cause released a press release a few days ago (April 15, 2008) showing how the GOP Leadership in the House, at the instigation of the White House, derailed the “Emergency Assistance for Secure elections Act of 2008” which had been under consideration and being honed for a year.

After a year of consideration, the House today unexpectedly failed to pass in a streamlined process a bill that would have authorized funding for states to replace paperless electronic voting machines in time for the presidential election in November.

…snip…

At stake is the Emergency Assistance for Secure elections Act of 2008.  The bill had been placed on the House “suspension” calendar, meaning it needed two-thirds support to pass.  Democrats and Republicans last week had reached agreement and passage was expected today {4/15/08}.

Then the White House at the eleventh hour issued a statement urging the House to vote against the bill.  And, in an unexpected move, Rep Vern Ehlers (R-MI), the ranking memeber of the House Administration Committee, and Rep Roy Blunt (R-MO), the minority whip, also came out against the bill.

Another Repug coup to insure that they can again steal the next election, the 2008 election.  I am afraid because if we don’t take this country back soon, there will be no country to take back.  It will be like what any aware Germans were up against in 1939.

I am horrified.  Stop this madness.  Into the Streets.  General Strike.  Refuse to go along.

I’m mad as Hell and I not going to take this anymore.

Into the Streets for the General Strike on May Day, and stay there.  Do not be complicit.

Oct 29 2007

Fueling the Fires of War and Discontent: $100 Oil and $3 Gas on the Event Horizon

This is troubling, not because it is unexpected but more due to the fact that many have predicted it and watched as their dire predictions came true. From CNN Money:1

With oil prices setting records over $90 a barrel – and $100 looking ever more likely – experts say there’s a good chance drivers will see $3 gasoline before the end of the year.

“Three dollar gasoline in this market is unavoidable,” said Stephen Schork, publisher of the industry newsletter the Schork Report. “At this rate, we’re going to see $4 a gallon.”

If you think that’s bad, make the jump and read more…

Oct 29 2007

Following the Money

Originally published Sun Oct 28, 2007 at 10:03:07 PM EST on ePluribus Media.

Hat-tip to jrichards of DelphiForums for the pointer to the primary source article.

Sometimes, “follow the money” is best done in rather obscure places, then compared and contrasted to other items of interest to see where things fall on (or off) the balance sheet.

An obscure but potentially informative source to aid in following the money trail is the Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR). The recently released edition — the 23rd such report, which has been compiled and published almost continuously since 19831 — represents all the domestic federal spending for Fiscal Year 2005. The principal author is Gerry Keffer, chief of the Federal Programs Branch at the Census Bureau, who leads a team of eight Census workers in the task of compiling the CFFR.

There’s more…

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