Condi Has Gone Delusional!!

It is almost unbelievable to hear the crap that is coming from these bunch of apologists for a failed presidency...

Wall Street Faces Worst Yearly Drop Since 1931

"NEW YORK — Investors are preparing to close out the last three trading days of 2008, a year in which Wall Street has logged its worst performance since Herbert Hoover was president."


2009 is going to be a tough year for the US. Happy New Year....

If you still have not thrown your shoes through TV

You can always mail them to the White House as a holiday gift....

This Would Have Been Nice

It's A Blunderful Life!

Starring George W. Bush!

A Perfect Ending For Worst President Ever

He is pretty good at dodging those shoes! Something tells me Laura has been throwing things at him for some time now.... For sleeping with Condi perhaps?? Now we can only hope that Barney pees on his leg at the Obama Inauguration.

Why do they try to tie Obama to the Blagojevich scandal??

And how stupid do they think we are?? Of course, reading the letters in the Belleville paper can give you a quick answer to that question...

Slimy Blagojevich

No one in Illinois liked Blagojevich before the whole senate seat for sale thing happened. I have not heard of anyone on the left acting as apologist for him either. This is a stark contrast to the criminals on the right - they always have their right echo chamber making excuse for the crimes they are committing all of the way to the very end. Think about how the media treats Tom Delay, Duke Cunningham, and even George Bush! The best thing we can say about the Blagojevich scandal is at least no one died.... I hope he enjoys spending time with George Ryan as his cellmate....

Claire McCaskill Joins Republicans in Sinking Detroit

Well I guess giving $700 Billion to Wall street is just fine?? But screw the auto workers... What have they ever done for this country right??

More on this here.

Correction - Claire McCaskill only threatened to vote no on the bill. Thank you Ann for the correction. The roll call vote can be found here. There were 4 Democrats that did vote no and 10 Republicans voting yes - but they did not have enough people to get the 60 they needed for cloture.

Right Wing Moron Letters

Today's BND had another classic:



Err Phil - you are wrong...




The Republicans had the majority in the house 6 of the last 8 years. And the 2 years they did not have the majority in the house, the senate majority by the Dems was so slim that the Republicans filibustered almost everything the Dems tried to do, making them the most obstructionist in history.

Oh, and by the way Phil as far as Democrats and their position on guns - Here is a quote from President elect Obama in reference to that particular Supreme Court ruling:

"I teach constitutional law," Obama said. "What I said was that I believe Second Amendment as being an individual right and have said that consistently. I also think that individual right is constrained by the rights of the community to maintain issues with public safety. I don't think those two principles are contradictory and in fact what I've been saying consistently is what the Supreme Court essentially said today."

So with this moronic letter - I declare Phil "the official right wing tool from Smithon".

Sarah Palin Is Klassy With A Giant "K"

Bush Is On The Sauce Yet Again

The Daily Show on Palin's Brilliance

The real story hear, of course, is that the press was willing to hold this information until after the election. This is our liberal media at work....

Obama Wins Big!!

What an incredible speech! I am really glad he won - but we are not done... For whatever reason, we will need to continue to fight like dogs to get every single little victory we have yet to achieve. This is just a small one and a first step. While it is exciting, there are many reasons to not be so excited, and many reasons to see why this is by no means an end, but just a beginning. Here are just a few:

NY Times: Cheney & Bush rev up their Wrecking Balls

Magnanimity is nice, but let's not forget the hideous race John McCain ran

Shimkus collects easy win

For the love of God - how can people keep voting for this tool!!

Democrat Brendan Kelly, 32, of Swansea, won an easy victory over Republican Terry Wright, 52, of O'Fallon -- 57,112 to 38,125

While this may seem like good news (Congrats Brendan!!), think about it - 38,125 people in this county voted for a man that ran no campaign, had no platform, spent no money and as near as I can tell, knocked on no doors. They simply voted for him because he had an R after his name....

Final unofficial tallies on the Secretary of State's website on Wednesday morning showed Republican John McCain edging Democrat Barack Obama in Missouri by 5,868 votes — a razor-thin margin of 0.2 percentage points.

From the article:

"There still were some ballots outstanding, though. About 7,000 provisional ballots, which are counted only if a voters' eligibility can be verified, still need to be tallied. Many are from the St. Louis area."

There is no way that over 100,000 people showed up a couple weeks earlier in St Louis, and he still could not win Missouri. The vote for this state was stolen, pure and simple.

California voters approve gay-marriage ban

The real irony with this one is that the blacks voted to deny rights to the gays in the very first election that America elected a black man for president:



On a lighter note:

Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job

"As part of his duties, the black man will have to spend four to eight years cleaning up the messes other people left behind."

Nation Finally Shitty Enough To Make Social Progress

"Although polls going into the final weeks of October showed Sen. Obama in the lead, it remained unclear whether the failing economy, dilapidated housing market, crumbling national infrastructure, health care crisis, energy crisis, and five-year-long disastrous war in Iraq had made the nation crappy enough to rise above 300 years of racial prejudice and make lasting change."

Election Picks

Here are mine:

Obama - 367
McCain - 171

Want more of the same??

McCain is toast - and it is well deserved....

McCain's Private Visit With Chilean Dictator Pinochet Revealed For First Time

War hero John McCain

McCain the Maverick

Shopping Sarah Palin

I hope these two just go away....

Feminism - Palin Style

McCain - Palin Campaign is Officially a Joke

You can see her on SNL last night here, also, and such.

More Video From Obama Speech in St Louis

Video From St Louis Rally

Obama Speech in St Louis

I just got back from the Obama speech in St. Louis - It was unbelievable....



More at the Huff Post

Obama in St. Louis Today

Time For 2 Minutes of Hate

Update: In case you are not familiar with the reference to "Two Minutes of Hate"

Welcome to the New Republican Economy

Upcoming SWING Events

One of the goals of SWING is to keep our members informed about activities that are going on in local Democratic politics. Therefore, we are sending you information as it is forwarded to us. Please participate if you are interested.

*

This Saturday at 10 am at Clinton Hill Golf Course on Old Collinsville Road we need your help as we span out over Swansea, Shiloh, and other areas to put flyers on doors in support of great Democratic candidates. Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Dick Durbin, and local candidates like Brendan Kelly for Circuit Clerk, and Patty Kievlan-Keeley need your effort to get elected. We need capable competent leaders to bring the change we need in our county and nation.
Please call Brendan Kelly at 531-9516 or Charlie Suarez at 978-6820 for more information or we'll just see you Saturday at 10! Bring a friend or two!

*

Lillie Butler is precinct committeewoman in precinct #34 in East St. Louis. She needs people to come out and help knock on doors, get people out to vote and pass out fliers to the annual October fest which will be held October 11, 2008 from 10:00am til 6:00pm. Any kind of help will be greatly appreciated. Contact Lillie Butler at lillie_btlr_1@juno.com to help out.
*

Obama supporters are holding a Debate-watching party on Wednesday, October 15th at 7:00pm. The event will be held at Big Daddy's at 132 N. Main Street in Edwardsville.

McCain Loves Big Oil - It Pays!!

No matter how bad she seems at first - it is worse...

Palin: No, I Can’t Name a Newspaper I Read

McCain on Economics!

Sarah Palin gets the witches exorcised from her soul

Jack Cafferty on Sarah Palin - A Must See!

I am not sure who this congressional rep is - but she is awesome!!!

Jerry Costello to Appear at Belleville Democratic Club Meeting

It will be at Tim and Joe's on Sunday 28 September at 1:00 PM.

McCain the "Fighter"

How You Can Support the War(s)

RNC Speech Last Night

I watched the RNC McCain speech last night with some great dems up at the IBEW in Collinsville (hat tip to Brendan Kelly and Barb Brown for hosting us). The speech was awful - just awful. Thankfully they had free beer - otherwise I would not have been able resist the urge to gouge my eyes out... (btw - Brendan - if Gou911ani runs in 08, bring tequila) On the big screen you could see everything in great detail - including the confetti. I thought I something funny with the confetti, and I checked the Internet today and confirmed it. See the photo below - and look very close!

I Think That Palin's Speech Set a New Record for Lies in a Convention Speech!!

The debunk is at several places - this one counts about 21 separate lies!!

My favorite one is this:

PALIN: “In fact, I told Congress -- I told Congress, ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’ on that bridge to nowhere.”

REALITY: PALIN WAS FOR THE BRIDGE TO NOWHERE BEFORE SHE WAS AGAINST IT.

October 2006” Palin Supported Bridge To Nowhere. In 2006, Palin was asked, “Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?” She responded, “Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.” [Anchorage, 10/22/06, republished 08/29/08]

2006: Palin: Don’t Allow “Spinmeisters” To Turn Bridge To Nowhere Project “Into Something That’s So Negative.” "Part of my agenda is making sure that Southeast is heard. That your projects are important. That we go to bat for Southeast when we’re up against federal
influences that aren’t in the best interest of Southeast.' She cited the widespread negative attention focused on the Gravina Island crossing project. 'We need to come to the defense of Southeast Alaska when proposals are on the table like the bridge and not allow the
spinmeisters to turn this project or any other into something that’s so negative,' Palin said." [Ketchikan Daily News, 10/2/06]

Wow - what a reformer! She will cut the pork....

Republican Hypocracy Does Not Get Any Worse!

Republican Wing Nuttery at it's Finest

CBS Does Actual Reporting??

Grampy Picks a VP

I guess to save time - he picked someone that is already under investigation.... If he wins - I am moving to Canada....

Proof there is a God

Evangelicals asked to pray for rain at Barack Obama nomination

Sprinklers go off in Fox network convention broadcast booth

Showing Fox News Some Love at the DNC

The McCain smear ad you will never see on the TV

Despite the fact that every single point it touches on is absolutely true. In stark contrast to all the crap being hurled at Obama....

One of the things the video does not mention, is that one of the planes McCain crashed was while he was in flight training. And he was still able to finish flight training!! That only happens if your the son of an Admiral....

Not sure Grampy McSame will not be Bush's 3rd term??

Why is McCain not called out for the fool that he is??

McCain: ‘In the 21st century, nations don’t invade other nations.’

Just amazing.... For those of you keeping track at home - George Bush invaded two countries so far this century. Of course it is early yet...

UPDATE: Keith Olbermann will call him out for being the corrupt fool that he is!

If You Think John Edwards is Bad

He is... However, he is not currently in office, and he is no longer a candidate for president... So why is he in the news so much?? Especially when crap like this is happening:

State rep charged with assaulting teen




"JEFFERSON CITY -- Missouri state Rep. Scott Muschany, R-Frontenac, was indicted today in connection with a reported sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl"

I guess it is not really news if they have an "R" after the name, even if it is a child....

Who Knew the Surge was Talking about Contractors!

Massive Private Contractors' Role In Iraq Documented By New Congressional Report

One enlightening quote:

"The full cost -- in both money and lives -- related to these contractors has gone largely unreported. There are no reliable estimates on non-Americans who have been injured or died working for the U.S. military."

ABC Edits Out McCain Adultery Reference

Glenn McCoy would have you believe that the corporate controlled press is fawning over Barack Obama. In fact, the exact opposite is true. There is a post over at DailyKos that flagged ABC editing out the part of the John Edwards interview on Friday when he pointed out the fact that John McCain has also had affairs. CBS has done this kind of thing too:



If anyone had done this with Barack Obama, they would get their ass "Dan Rather'd" right out of town...

"Call my travel agent; There is an election coming"

I saw this great story in a Phoenix paper (from 1992!!). Well worth a read. From the article:

"Any time McCain feels threatened, he makes a well-publicized trip back to Vietnam to search for missing prisoners of war. Friends say McCain undergoes a knee-jerk reaction each time he hears about Claire Sargent's growing strength in the current senatorial campaign. McCain grabs a telephone, calls his campaign manager and orders that more time be purchased on all TV stations around the state to run the commercial about his being a prisoner. Ever since his involvement with Charlie Keating came to light, McCain has become a virtual commuter to the Far East. There are no constituents out there. But the mere fact of his flying across the ocean wins votes in Arizona."

Why is this not in the national news?? Oh - I forgot - they are too busy playing clips of Obama's crazy preacher....

Drill Here Drill Now??

The Ad That Ought to be on the TV

The Commmander in Chief Test

Limbaugh considering purchase of St. Louis Rams

Just in case you were thinking about getting Rams tickets, you may want to rethink it...

Obama in Germany

Democrats from Southwestern Illinois are holding a “Platform Meeting”

The Obama Campaign has asked Democrats across the country to hold “Platform Meetings.” Ordinary people are asked to discuss issues and share their input to help shape the Democratic Party platform at this year’s national convention in August.

Locally, Democrats from Southwestern Illinois, including Madison and St. Clair counties, are holding a “Platform Meeting” Tuesday, July 22, at Knights of Columbus Hall in Collinsville from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. Sponsors include the Madison County Democratic Party, Tomorrow's Democrats of St Clair County, and Southwestern Illinois Networking Group (SWING).

No political experience is required to participate. Issues will be identified at the meeting, after which break-out groups can develop concise statements reflecting the majority’s position. These statements will be compiled and sent to the Obama campaign. Individuals may also submit opinions.

You can register as a participant at the Platform Meeting (registration from 6:30 - 7:00 pm) or before the meeting with the Obama Campaign at:

http://my.barackobama.com/listening

Please feel free to pass this email on to anyone you think may be interested. Thanks!

McCain is Proud to be Dumb - Just Like Bush

Our Congress at Work

More information at Crooks and Liars

Flip Flop??

Not so much...



On the other hand, McCain has reversed his position on almost everything....

The Bush National Disaster

Stocks: Mixed day, brutal June

"Dow and S&P 500 see the biggest losses for the month since the Great Depression" Welcome to George Bush's America....

Want to Know Why Gas is Over $4 a Gallon??

Watch this...

Illinois House Races

Check out the status of the 2008 Illinois house races. Several close districts and Rep. Costello will not be unopposed. We can only hope John Shimkus gets his ass voted out....

The Obama Terrorist Fist Jab....

Just when you thought you had seen Fox New at it's worst...

Barack Obama's Victory Speech

Wow.... What an amazing speech!

Lyin' Scotty McClellan on the Daily Show

Dead Troops Remembered By President Who Had Them Killed

Hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend...

Olberman on Hillary and RFK Comment

Wow... Hillary has hit a new low....

Right Wing Talk Show Tool

This is so typical... He has no idea what he is talking about - but insists on screaming it at Chris Matthews... I actually ran into this jerk at a bar at the airport in DC on Friday... He started yelling at me about how Barack Obama was going to raise my taxes to %51... Everyone in the bar was laughing at him.....

Hillary - Live From New York - It's Saturday Night!

Time for the Dems to Start Running Against Grampy McSame

And it also time for Hillary to quit acting like a psycho ex-girlfriend and just step down gracefully...

Clinton Camp Considering Nuclear Option To Overtake Delegate Lead

When you can't win playing by the rules - change the rules..... It takes a Clinton to raze a village....

Limbaugh Calls for Riots

In his support for Hillary Clinton.... Does the media or the Justice Department pick up on this?? Nah - they yawn...

Hillary's Big Pennsylvania Blow Out

Hillary picked up anywhere between 1 and 12 Delegates this week, depending on who you believe.



Currently Hillary is 156 pledged delegates behind. She would need another 11 blowouts like Pennsylvania in order to catch up. The trouble is, there are only 9 primaries left, and only one has close to the number of delegates that Pennsylvania does. This primary is over in every respect, but the corporate controlled media will not tell you this. The only way she could possible come out ahead is if the superdelegates go against the will of the people. If that happens, I am done with the Democratic party....

More analysis over at DK

EXIT POLLS WRONG! AGAIN! IMAGINE THAT...?

The Faith Based Pennsylvania Primary

This Tuesday's crucial contest will be primarily run on 100% faith-based, Direct Recording Electronic (DRE, usually touch-screen or push-button) e-voting machines across the state. There will be no way to determine after the election whether the computers have accurately recorded, or not, the intent of those voters who voted on them. As VerifiedVoting.org summarizes the crucial contest, it "will be essentially unrecountable, unverifiable, and unauditable."

Read more at Bradblog

How Hillary Can Still Win

Did You See the Debate Last Night??

The Summary From Democratic Underground:


Mod: Senator Clinton, how do you feel about Iraq?
Hillary: I feel we should leave.

Mod: Senator Obama, why do you hate America?
Obama: I love America, it's been good to me.

Mod: Senator Clinton, do you feel that poor people should have more money?
Hillary: Absolutely

Mod: Sen. Obama, when was the last time you and Reverend Wright plotted to blow up an Embassy?
Obama: Can't we just talk about the issues instead of this tabloid stuff?

Mod: Senator Clinton, what is your kitten agenda
Hillary: I feel kittens are soft and fluffy and should be cared for.

Mod: Senator Obama, someone you went to grade school with was arrested 8 years ago for kicking a kitten. Why do you hate kittens?
Obama: How is this relevant at all?

Mod: Senator Clinton, tell us exactly how brave you were in overcoming your husband's adultery?
Hillary: i was very brave. God helped me.

Mod: Senator Obama, it's all over the internet that you are an evil Muslim elitist terrorist. Why are you an evil Muslim elitist terrorist?
Obama: I'm not. And weren't you just asking me about my CHRISTIAN pastor?
Mod: The one you blow up embassies with?
Obama: What? Are you serious.

Mod: We have to take a commercial. Senator Clinton, we realize that we haven't paid enough attention to you and we deeply apologize.
Hillary: Quite alright.

Just Another 6 Months??

The Top Ten Craziest Things John McCain Has Said

At Number 1:

it was "common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that's well known. And it's unfortunate.

They missed this one:

Q: Do Condoms Help Stop HIV? McCain: "You've stumped me"

Partying Like It’s 1929

Great editorial from Paul Krugman:

Partying Like It’s 1929

"The answer, at a fundamental level, is that we’re paying the price for willful amnesia. We chose to forget what happened in the 1930s — and having refused to learn from history, we’re repeating it."

What Do Hookers, Wire Tapping and Eliot Spitzer Have to Do with the Sub Prime Banking Scandal??

Apparently a lot more then most people could have imagined...

From Greg Palast reporting for Air America Radio’s Clout:

"The $200 billion bail-out for predator banks and Spitzer charges are intimately linked"

Also more over on Newsweek:

"Spitzer got snagged by the fine print of the Patriot Act"

PROOF that the Republicans are gaming the Democratic primary

The GOP is now gaming our primary for Clinton. It's time to end it.





As the number of Republicans in the primary has increased, Hillary Clinton's share of the Republican vote has skyrocketed, going from a 69-31 deficit in January and February to a whopping 75-25 lead in Mississippi.

It's Official: Clinton Lost Texas

The Texas Secretary of State is set to certify the official election results for the Democratic primary. As predicted, Barack Obama has beaten Hillary Clinton.

Child in Clinton’s “3am Phone Ad” supports Obama

Casey Knowles, a High School Senior in Washington state, recently discovered she was one of the sleeping children in Clinton’s controversial “Children” ad appearing prior to the Texas primaries.

The full story is here.

Obama Ahead in Texas Caucuses

NPR seems to think Obama won Texas after all, why does no one else care? The talk before the Texas primary was that if Hillary lost one of Texas or Ohio, she was sunk - it looks like she did.... If you do the math - it looks like she is sunk. Jonathan Alter has an update on Hillary's math problem here.

Hillary again endorses McCain over Obama - 3 Times

She has proven to be pretty despicable in this campaign.



I don't understand why she thinks she has to be so low - she has literally no chance of winning at this point.... Check out the analysis at: Hillary’s Math Problem

Funny - in a Horriyfing Kind of Way

Quote of the Day

"Observers say Castro will either be
replaced by his brother Raul, or by
his idiot son, Fidel W. Castro."
-- Letterman

Democrats Actually Stand Up To Bush!!!

Belleville Democrats Meeting on Wednesday - Feb 20

As usual - it will be at Tim and Joe's at 7PM. The full schedule can be found here.

Senate passes Bush-approved FISA update

Dodd sees House as best bet to strip immunity

So Who is Winning Anyway???

Yesterday Obama swept the Saturday caucus's. But CNN, ABC and several other news outlets are still showing Obama as losing in the delegate count. MSNBC is showing Obama as winning. What the hell??






The answer in the discrepancy is in the superdelegate count. Obama is winning the in the delegates that people vote for, however Hillary is winning in the count that includes the superdelegates. A good analysis can be found here.



The most certain way for the Dems to lose this would be to go against the popular vote and have the super delegates anoint Hillary. If they do that, the turn out in November will be overwhelming amongst the Republicans, and nonexistent amongst disenfranchised Democrats.

Hillary is Out of Cash

So she is donating $5 million dollars to her campaign.....

DailyKos has more info.

Don't get me wrong - I would vote for her in a second over any of the tools running on the right.

Obama Takes A Slight Lead

It looks like the Senator from Illinois has a slight lead. Politico has the delegate totals (847 for Obama 834 for Clinton). You can Donate to the Obama campaign at his website.

Yes, We Can

Obama at the Edward Jones Dome

You can sign up here.

Bush Screws Illinois and the Environment

From Thinkprogress:

24 Hours After Touting Clean Coal In SOTU, White House Drops Ambitious Clean Coal Project

Just 24 hours after his SOTU declaration, Bush’s Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman indicated the White House was pulling the plug on the ambitious FutureGen project, a clean coal plant that was touted as “the cleanest fossil fuel fired power plant in the world.”

Costello's Pick For President

Costellos split on primary choice: She backs Clinton; he backs Obama

From The Belleville News Democrat

Contempt citations on hold as Dems, Bush craft stimulus plan

From Rawstory:

"The planned citations now appear to be on hold as Congress and the White House work on a bipartisan economic stimulus package, the central tenet of which involves cutting virtually everyone an $800 check."

I don't know if anyone in Washington has noticed, but this economic disaster has been on the horizon for sometime now. It was the direct result of the one person the Congressional Democrats are now too busy to hold accountable for all of Bush's misdeeds that caused this mess.... There is a very good movie that predicted this whole mess called Maxed Out. You can see it here. When are these Democrats going to grow a spine.... By the way - Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and John Edwards all voted for the bankruptcy bill that basically enslaved the people of this country into a debtors prison. At least John Edwards has admitted it was a mistake. I am sure that $800 check will make it all better for us....

Study: Bush, Other Officials Issued Hundreds of False Statements Before Iraq Invasion

935 Lies to be precise...

President BUSH PARDON's HIMSELF against POTENTIAL WARCRIMES

Wow.... At least Nixon had the balls to have a hand picked stooge do all the pardoning.

Shimkus holds drive to collect valentines for injured Illinois troops

I saw this in the Belleville News Democrat today and almost blew coffee out of my nose. I think our troops might prefer to come home rather then getting a freaking valentine from John Shimkus.

By the way - I would like to also note that a received a very thoughtful comment from the Green Party candidate, Rodger Jennings, which I did not get posted until today. I appreciate the feedback, but still feel that Jerry Costello is far and away a better representive then right wing tools like Shimkus, which is what we would end up with by splitting the votes on the left. But good on Mr. Jennings for getting involved.

January 2008 Schedule

The January 2008 schedule of events for the Belleville Democrats is posted on their web site. You can view it here.

Edwards on Iraq

Need a reason to vote for Edwards in the primaries??


Edwards Calls for Quick End to Training Effort in Iraq

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — John Edwards says that if elected president he would withdraw the American troops who are training the Iraqi army and police as part of a broader plan to remove virtually all American forces within 10 months.