Adam McKay: "I had on Air America, the progressive radio station. They kept talking about this McCain ad with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, and I thought, you know, 'Oh my god, they have to respond. There has to be a rebuttal.'

"I called a friend of ours who works at CAA and he was able to hook me up with the agent who knew her. And within 3 hours I was on the phone with her and I don't really know her so I didn't know what to expect or how much of a sense of humor she had. But she right away got the joke and was completely down with it."

Meet the Guys Behind Paris' McCain Spoof

http://www.kget.com/entertainment/entertainmenttonight/story.aspx?conten...

I would like to see a discussion on the budget situation in California and New York, and more are brewing.

These people are so afraid of talking about tax 'adjustments', making the rich pay a little more, especially eliminating the Bush taxcuts that they have taken to draconian measures.

Schwarzenegger has fired thousands of employees, and reduced thousands more to federal minimum wage.

What is the difference between this and assessing a tax on the middle class and below in the amount of the difference between what they earned and the minimum?

This looks more like the poor supporting the rich.

It looks like israel is ramping up to attack iran, and they are disappointed in the apparent "softening" of the usa in regards to their support of a military option. I think this is just mere theatre and that cheney/bush are drooling to attck iran. If this happens all bets are off.

I still don't get how Franken's trailing in the polls, what the fuck is Coleman doing to him?

Black_Knight @ 8:

I still don't get how Franken's trailing in the polls, what the fuck is Coleman doing to him?

Coleman is a lying repugnant. I would imagine the news coverage is much like the MSM.

Wisconsin sucks eh?

Why I oughta...

I don't have a link for this, but Bay Buchanan is a sick in the head, heartless b*tch who said on PBS this weekend that AIDS patients need to "take responsibility for their actions," which in light of the fact they were discussing AIDS research, taking responsibility must mean suffering a miserable death and not expecting "upstanding" Americans to shell out tax money to look for a cure, or to educate people how not to get AIDS in the first place! *pukes*

And on a completely unrelated to Bay note, but one which ups my elitist cred, while out shopping for vintage fashions to reconstruct, I found and bought myself a little book on French verbs. I have a collection of foreign language dictionaries and books, including some in languages I don't really speak much of, but would like to learn eventually! Now if only I knew how to say "F**k off lazy, xenophobic Rethuglicans" in French! ;)

Annaleigh @ 14:

I don't have a link for this, but Bay Buchanan is a sick in the head, heartless b*tch who said on PBS this weekend that AIDS patients need to "take responsibility for their actions," which in light of the fact they were discussing AIDS research, taking responsibility must mean suffering a miserable death and not expecting "upstanding" Americans to shell out tax money to look for a cure, or to educate people how not to get AIDS in the first place! *pukes*

And on a completely unrelated to Bay note, but one which ups my elitist cred, while out shopping for vintage fashions to reconstruct, I found and bought myself a little book on French verbs. I have a collection of foreign language dictionaries and books, including some in languages I don't really speak much of, but would like to learn eventually! Now if only I knew how to say "F**k off lazy, xenophobic Rethuglicans" in French! ;)

As much as the family values repugnants screw around Bay should be lucky that she hasn't gotten aids. Oh, I forgot, someone would first want to have sex with her. My bet is, there are no takers.

Annaleigh: So they should take responsibility for their actions, but anti-gay Republicans who cheat on their spouses with people of their own gender are being "unfairly" targeted. States opt for paper ballots over machines. The deficit will grow to $400 billion.
I said it before, but CEOs are stealing pensions
for themselves. Was France a participant in the Rwanda genocide?

I have something else for those idiot Republicans, who support John McCain and Norm Coleman, to consider. Their nominee for President, John McCain, has taken all that money to run for President and what has he done with it??? Answer: John McCain took the money and ran a pathetic commercial comparing Obama to Paris Hilton AND, don't forget, bought a bunch of tire gauges with the words "Obama's Energy Policy" on them. Republicans are asking for Americans to put their hard earned tax dollars into the hands of an old man with THAT kind of judgment? I don't think so. It is a perfect analogy and example of what Republicans do with our tax dollars. They throw money at gimmicks, and use it for their own personal benefit.

Ron @ 16:

As much as the family values repugnants screw around Bay should be lucky that she hasn't gotten aids. Oh, I forgot, someone would first want to have sex with her. My bet is, there are no takers.

Yep, and to join in on the picking on Bay, isn't it odd how Repubs preach about women ought to be married, and at home with children, and they rail about feminism, yet Bay or Ann Coulter, et al, have evidently never found anyone for this purpose? Oh n/m, it's very understandable, I wouldn't be able to tolerate being married to Ann Coulter either!

Tequila @ 18:

Annaleigh: So they should take responsibility for their actions, but anti-gay Republicans who cheat on their spouses with people of their own gender are being "unfairly" targeted. States opt for paper ballots over machines.

Exactly, and something tells me that if one of those cheating Republicans brought AIDS back to their spouse, they still won't budge on research and education. And if they won't do it for good Republican wives, then they certainly won't budge for the African-American wives that another panelist (w/ Bay on To the Contrary) mentioned...

I'm glad that states are going for paper ballots, we can't afford to take chances this election!

I keep wondering what happened to the repug mantra that cutting taxes will raise revenue.

Raising the sales tax, currently at 8 1/4% mostly supports localities. Mayor Villaraigosa (Los Angeles) has already raised a variety of fees and this month parking fees, in some cases will double and extend the hours fees are required by 2 hours daily [LA Times]

What is this if not a tax by a different name, targeting mostly the poor and middle class?

cowboyneok @ 20:

I have something else for those idiot Republicans, who support John McCain and Norm Coleman, to consider. Their nominee for President, John McCain, has taken all that money to run for President and what has he done with it??? Answer: John McCain took the money and ran a pathetic commercial comparing Obama to Paris Hilton AND, don't forget, bought a bunch of tire gauges with the words "Obama's Energy Policy" on them. Republicans are asking for Americans to put their hard earned tax dollars into the hands of an old man with THAT kind of judgment? I don't think so. It is a perfect analogy and example of what Republicans do with our tax dollars. They throw money at gimmicks, and use it for their own personal benefit.

Well the past election cycles Americans that flip flops and purple heart band aids were not only acceptable but deemed of being elected to the top office of the land.

So I think you are overestimating the low lives that most of this country is made of, unfortunately...

ronhohn @ 26:

What is this if not a tax by a different name, targeting mostly the poor and middle class?

That's exactly what it is. It's the one way they can raise taxes without it really hurting the rich. And if the California government is anything like State Senator Robert Bentley of Alabama, they will tell the poor they don't need to afford milk and cheese to be happy, when the sales tax makes basic food staples cost-prohibitive... *shakes head*

Has anyone else heard their local news outlets tout the latest Pew Research Centers weekly News Interest Index showing that 48% of their respondents (a cross section of Dem / Repub / Ind voters) said that they were hearing "too much" about Sen. Obama versus 38% reporting to have heard too little about McCain. The reports that I heard today made it sound like their was a significant amount of people who were anti-Obama. Pew's web site features the complete poll information which is not all negative towards Obama. In short, for many the only news that they receive, or pay attention to, is from their local sources which are all too often controlled by major corporations such as Belo Broadcasting. Anyone out there have any thoughts / comments / opinions about this?

Ron @ 31:

Contact your local democratic office. I have not worked at the polls but did go to some of the precincts and checked for voters that voted for the democrats. I had a list of registered democratic voters and checked them off if they had already voted.

Ok, thanks, will do! :)

Annaleigh @ 30:

That's exactly what it is. It's the one way they can raise taxes without it really hurting the rich. And if the California government is anything like State Senator Robert Bentley of Alabama, they will tell the poor they don't need to afford milk and cheese to be happy, when the sales tax makes basic food staples cost-prohibitive... *shakes head*

I should clarify this: we don't pay taxes on groceries, but sales tax can pile up on other basic needs, and for some people who struggle enough already, that does make putting food on the table harder!

It will be a cold day in hell before Ahnold raises income taxes on the rich...

A hospital tried to exploit homeless people to bilk the feds out of money. But those frivolous lawsuits are the real problem, I tells ya!

drill that's the answer

http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/48011-the-compromise-drill-anywhere-plan

#36

In California, income tax is based on federal returns with a couple of exceptions, so this goes back to federal tax cuts to the rich, if eliminted will raise the base for California revenues.

Another complaint I have are rebates:

California sells cars and charges a sales tax. Companies sometimes give rebates, in the thousands of dollars. Other products also offer rebates, some for pennies, some for dollars.

So why do they sell a car for, let's say $22,000.00, charge tax on that amount, determine registration fees and insurance rates, then give you a $2,000.00 rebate, making it in effect a $20,000.00 car on which you paid excess taxes and fees?

Who is soaking whom? Why not sell vars at the rebated price?

Republican's would nuke their own constituents before they would raise taxes on the super-rich!

On the topic of Al; he IS the one guy we need to get into the Senate. Everytime I hear him debate a neoclown on t.v., he makes them look like the greedy sociopathic bastards that they are. And he does it with wit and humor.

Imagine, a democrat who can flush the bullshit right back down the repukes throats before they can even get it out. Go Al, go!

I don't know how a blue state like Minnesota could elect a Bush-blowing fucktard like Norm Colewoman, over Al (the working man's friend) Franklin.

NoGWBpolicyleftinplace @ 44:

Republican's would nuke their own constituents before they would raise taxes on the super-rich!

On the topic of Al; he IS the one guy we need to get into the Senate. Everytime I hear him debate a neoclown on t.v., he makes them look like the greedy sociopathic bastards that they are. And he does it with wit and humor.

Imagine, a democrat who can flush the bullshit right back down the repukes throats before they can even get it out. Go Al, go!

I don't know how a blue state like Minnesota could elect a Bush-blowing fucktard like Norm Colewoman, over Al (the working man's friend) Franklin.

I don't see how anyone from any state could vote for a repugnant after the last 8 years.

iran still up in the air about what they want to do
you people know what cheney wants

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2370594,00.html

Ron @ 49:

constituent @ 47:

Ron @ 46:

NoGWBpolicyleftinplace @ 44:
I don't see how anyone from any state could vote for a repugnant after the last 8 years.

people in minnesota pay high taxes but i don't think many of them understand how good their quality of life is relatively speaking...people graduate high school87%,many colleges,highest reading per capita,twin cities clean,hip urban scene,diverse economy,theatre....people in the tertiary suburbs and rural areas are alittle on the "red" side

Regardless, I'll bet they are worse off than they were 8 years ago.

your right about that who isn't except the over 300knet
of course even that depends on overhead
i was just saying since coleman was their for eight at the advent things were groovy..........anyways

Ron @ 51:

constituent @ 50:

Ron @ 49:

constituent @ 47:
Regardless, I'll bet they are worse off than they were 8 years ago.

your right about that who isn't except the over 300knet
of course even that depends on overhead
i was just saying since coleman was their for eight at the advent things were groovy..........anyways

I thought Coleman got elected after Wellstone and family got killed. You have to wonder about that tragedy too.

i think you may be right i always wondered about the wellstone plane crash there is contraversy regarding that crash..........he was not liked as you know by bush and especially cheney.....

GNpeeps charlie rose time

The Big Secret About the 2008 Election

ALTHOUGH THE MASS MEDIA ballyhooed Barack Obama’s visits to a number of countries, greeted with large, enthusiastic crowds—even in Germany, said to be the bastion of “race hatred” in the 20th Century—the media notably failed to mention that in Israel—America’s “closest ally”—polls have shown John McCain is more popular than Obama. In fact, Israel is the only country in the world where McCain’s popularity outranked that of Obama.

That single fact—a not insignificant one, considering the clout of Israel’s supporters in the U.S. arena— might be described as “the big secret” of the 2008 election that the average voter knows little about. More.....

GNA!

One Bigoted Attorney, One Personal Vendetta

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20437.htm

An oil company puts the kabosh on Obama's attempt to advertise himself at the pumps.

Great post at FiveThirtyEight about how Obama can just own the energy issue once and for all!

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/08/gang-of-10-obamas-checkmate.html#...

Basically it says he should join the Gang of 10 and make it 11. Obama already leans towards their position, while McCain is against it because it doesn't include benefits for oil companies. Guess who else is in this gang......Lindsay Grahm. Obama can partner with McCain's chief surrogate and make him defend oil companies in the process!

I wonder what kinda mileage they get in the guided missile destroyer USS John S McCain..

Reno @ 66:

I wonder what kinda mileage they get in the guided missile destroyer USS John S McCain..

Lets hope McNasty doesnt set this one on fire.

That was a really good clip. Thanks Bluegal!
I really look forward to voting for Al Franken. It's been a long time since I've voted FOR someone and not AGAINST the opponent.
Voting for Al is the best of both worlds.

Daily Reading pt 1....

DRILLING SOLVES NOTHING: The Earth Is Losing to the Oil (Brent Budowsky) - http://pundits.thehill.com/2008/08/06/the-earth-is-losing-to-the-oil/
"John McCain says drill, drill, drill, nuke, nuke, nuke, which is a policy of fraud, fraud, fraud, pollute, pollute, pollute. The man who used to be John McCain as a champion of fighting global warming has become the J.R. Ewing of the campaign as a shill for oil companies raking in their dough and offering bromides to expand their profits.
The earth is losing to the oil. It is time for those of us who care to mobilize, organize, champion and fight.
It is time for those of us who care to elect Barack Obama against the candidate of oil and Iraq, and then, make no mistake, to mobilize and organize to push the next Democratic president and Congress to honor its mandate better than they have since 2006."
YOU CAN HAVE AN ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT AN ECONOMY, BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE AN ECONOMY WITHOUT AN ENVIRONMENT....
Big Oil is financing the Big 5 Corporate media 'nightly news'....its up to all progressives to stop the madness, and educate the American Public....

FINALLY, Pelosi lowering the boom on McBush & his Oil hypocrisy: Pelosi: McCain's Absent Leadership on Energy Doesn't Match His Rhetoric - http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1481
Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in response to calls from Senator McCain that Congress resume session to consider energy proposals.
MCBUSH HAS MISSED EVERY SINGLE SUBSTANTIVE VOTE ON ENERGY POLICY & ENERGY INDEPENDCE SINCE 2007....

Explosive: WAPO raises serious McCain (R-Idiot) fundraising questions - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&add...
The bundle of $2,300 and $4,600 checks that poured into Sen. John McCain’s (R-Idiot) presidential campaign on March 12 came from an unlikely group of California donors: a mechanic from D&D Auto Repair in Whittier, the manager of Rite Aid Pharmacy No. 5727, the 30-something owners of the Twilight Hookah Lounge in Fullerton.
So how did these donors with everyday jobs manage to be able to fork over contributions of $2300-$4600, in a time when the economy is in a recession, and people are trying to find ways to save as much as they can? The situation gets more interesting when you look at who raised the money for Senator McCain(R-Idiot).

Family’s Donations to McCain Raise Questions - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/us/politics/07mccain.html?_r=2&adxnnl=...
The Jordanian business partner of a prominent Florida businessman, who has raised more than $500,000 for Senator John McCain, appears to be at the center of a cluster of questionable donations to his presidential campaign.
But Mr. Sargeant’s business dealings have caused controversy. Representative Henry Waxman, Democrat of California, opened an investigation last month into whether his company has been overcharging the military for its contract in Iraq.

McCain's 'Florida Money Man' Finds Unlikely Donors - http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2008/08/mc...
Both Sargeant and the donors were vague when asked by The Post to explain how Sargeant persuaded them to give away so much money.
"I have a lot of Arab business partners. I do a lot of business in the Middle East. I've got a lot of friends," Sargeant said yesterday. "I ask my friends to support candidates that I think are worthy of supporting. They usually come through for me."
And people actually think McBush 'will lower gas prices'....wow...how stupid can you get??? McBush = High Oil Prices Guaranteed, after all, Big Oil is buying the presidency again...

McBush met by Protesters in West Virginia over his ties to Big Oil/Oil Industry - http://wvgazette.com/latest/200808060227
'Drilling'....McSame's new Keating 5 scheme....THINK, THINK, THINK

Gauge against the machine, McCain now agrees that inflating your tires saves gasoline - http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/8/6/105356/7786
John McCain and his campaign have been ribbing Barack Obama for his statement last week that if Americans made sure their tires were properly inflated it could save as much oil as would be found in offshore areas. The McCain team went so far as to hand out tire gauges at the Democratic candidates's events. Obama jabbed back yesterday, and now McCain in conceding the accuracy of his rival's statement.
Also bonus video of McBush in April promoting energy conservation, including advice to "turn out the lights five minutes earlier." It's unclear whether he advocates sitting in the dark for a while or simply going to sleep earlier.

Boehner At Home Golfing While House Colleagues Conduct Oil Drilling Protest On Capitol Hill - http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/06/boehner-makes-a-stand/
Since last Friday, House Republicans have been engaged in a political stunt on Capitol Hill, staging fake sessions on gas prices while Congress adjourned for recess.
Over the weekend, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) urged Members to return to the Capitol, “although they themselves didn’t show up".
Perhaps Boehner’s absence on the Hill this week explains why his House colleagues have turned to former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) to lead the way. Regardless, when Boehner claims that “Congress doesn’t deserve a break” he apparently isn’t referring to himself.
Hypocrisy = Home of the Republican Party since Eisenhower left office....

Bush Crime Family paying for both sides of the 'war on terror': US accused of backing terrorism in Pakistan- Hindustan Times - http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=9...
GWBush's 'ally'...Pakistan has accused the US of backing militancy within the country, saying this goes against the grain of the Washington-led global war against terror.
Quoting "impeccable official sources", The News reported on Tuesday that "strong evidence and circumstantial evidence of American acquiescence to terrorism inside Pakistan" was outlined by President Pervez Musharraf, army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt. Gen. Nadeem Taj in separate meetings with two senior US officials in Islamabad on July 12.

Daily Reading pt 2 cont...

Sam Stein: Has McCain Walked Into An Energy Trap? - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/06/has-mccain-walked-into-an_n_117...
The energy debate took what could be a significant turn this past weekend: a bipartisan effort in Congress has created headaches for both Barack Obama and John McCain. But while the presumptive Democratic nominee has been criticized for acquiescing to the idea of some off-shore drilling, his Republican counterpart finds himself in a more tenuous position: cast as an unwilling-to-compromise defender of big oil, on the wrong side of public opinion.
Moreover, while the American public is generally supportive of drilling, they also don't view it as a harmless enterprise. In a late July Belden Russonello & Stewart poll, 63 percent of respondents said that opening up public lands to oil and gas drilling was "more likely to enrich oil companies than to lower gas prices for American consumers."
McCain is stuck in a conundrum: express support for the Gang of Ten and incur the wrath of anti-tax crusaders or continue rolling the dice against public opinion and risk being painted as a stooge of the oil lobby. His $1.3 million in oil and gas donations in June only furthers the frame.
Campaigns are a chess game, hopefully Obama & Axelrod are thinking 6 steps ahead...

REPOST: Inflate your tires: George H. W. Bush (41) Energy Dept. - http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/08/inflate_your_tir...
It looks like the Republican National Committee might owe Democratic nominee Barack Obama a tire rotation, wheel balancing and brake job while they're at it.
After all the grief that Obama has taken from the RNC and from rival John McCain this week over the Democrat's comment that motorists could save some more oil if only they put some more air in their tires, it turns out a search of the clips -- conducted by a motivated party -- has found that the administraiton of President Bush -- George H.W. Bush -- was telling Americans the same thing back in 1990.
So...you mean to tell me that the right wingnut noise machine manufactured its own stupidity to see if their idiotic followers would go along with it....yep.
Right wing stupidity, you can set your watch by it....

"Priorities"...White House Threatens Veto on Energy Assistance; Bush misusing the veto pen again - http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000002934934
The White House late Tuesday again threatened a veto of a Senate bill to supplement a government program that helps poor families pay the energy costs of heating and cooling their houses, even though it’s unlikely the bill will be brought up for another vote this year.

August '08 Evil GOP Bastard of the Month: John McCain's Senior Economic Advisor Phil Gramm - http://www.evilgopbastards.com/
And anyone who thinks that Gramm isn't still/won't be McBush's chief economic adviser...

Mark Morford: Vote for Bush? Pay up; Did you help put America's worst prez into power? Time to make amends - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/08/06/notes080608....
But for now, let's be reasonable. After all, the sooner you realize that the world is, in fact, not America's bitch, that it's actually a living, humming organism, interconnected and interdependent in ways and on levels no organized religion or fear-based neocon political agenda can possibly comprehend, much less bomb into submission, well, the sooner we can get our collective s— together and move the human experiment forward once again.
And after what you've put us all through, it's the very least you could do.

The last good rock groups to come out before that rap and grunge crap took over:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdLyoCgDKFs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHo5w2WGZWA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av5vQvwupg4&feature=related

I don't see what's so spectacular about what Franken did. Anybody with a basic knowledge of geography can do it. Has the education system collapsed that badly?

My parents successfully bid for one of Franken's maps at a small fundraiser in Northfield, MN. It's really quite an impressive feat. Very cool.

*can't

This is off the subject, but with both candidates talking about off-shore drilling, it's something I've been wondering about.
Does anyone REALLY believe that if more oil is found, the price will go down? That there will be more gas for US?
The people who drill for oil are business men. The sell oil. They sell it all over the world. They don't care about us. They only want the oil.
Before anyone gets too excited about the idea, and agrees to it, think.
We CAN NOT control who gets that oil. And the WHOLE WORLD needs it right now.
If we let them drill, the oil companys will laugh all the way to the banks.