During Howard Dean’s speech to the Democratic National Convention, he said
something that puzzled the pundits: we no longer need to be ashamed to say we are Democrats. David Brooks, a conservative, mused, ‘when
have Democrats ever been ashamed to be Democrats?’
The problem is the word: it’s not ‘Democrat,’ it’s ‘Liberal.’ The Radical
Right has heaped scorn on liberalism and liberals for nearly 40 years. Even now, while Kerry undermines Bush’s security creditionals
(war-hero vs party-boy), the Radical Right couldn’t care less: Kerry’s a liberal and they’re going to make sure everyone in America
knows that, because everyone in America know being a Liberal is bad.
Why is liberalism bad? Don’t just spew the Radical
Rights’ refrain in response — think. In the last 30 years, a Republican President lied, cheated and stole and resigned. Another
cajoled us while making deals with dictators and death squads. The current one started with the big lie, ”I’m a uniter, not a
divider,” and went downhill from there. What, exactly, do Conservatives have to be proud of, or, why aren’t they ashamed of this?
What is the single greatest accomplishment of liberalism in the last 40 years? The Civil Rights Movement. Where were the
Radical Right and the Christian Evangelicals then? Well, many of them were Southern Democrats. Cleverly, the Republicans lured them
with talk against the Federal Government. The Federal Government is the Beast. On the surface, they talk about taxes and regulations. At
the heart is fear: fear of change, fear of loss of power, fear of others, of ‘them.’ We’ll call ‘them’ liberals, but, wink, you know
what we mean: blacks, hispanics, asians, gays, women — whatever you fear, that’s them over there, waiting to take your way of life away
from you. Lies that play on fear. Straight out of Nixon’s playbook.
Fear is at the heart of the control the Radical Right
and Christian Evangelicals hold over the Republican Party and, through it, all of America. We may not be able to do anything about
their fear and loathing, but we cannot let it stop us from progress and moving America forward again towards freedom and peace. America
IS a liberal nation, equality and justice are LIBERAL notions; the status quo, convention, keeping power and control are
CONSERVATIVE, and shameful. mjh
Monthly Archives: July 2004
A Good Speech, A Good Leader
Loyalty Oath
ABQjournal: Obtaining Cheney Rally Ticket Requires Signing Bush Endorsement By Jeff Jones, Journal Staff Writer
Unless you sign an endorsement for President George W. Bush, you’re not getting any passes. …
An endorsement form provided to the Journal by Random says: “I, (full name) … do herby (sic) endorse George W. Bush for reelection of the United States.” It later adds that, “In signing the above endorsement you are consenting to use and release of your name by Bush-Cheney as an endorser of President Bush.” …
“I’m outraged at this. I’m being closed off by my own government. It’s crazy,” said East Mountains resident Pamela Random, who added that she is an unaffiliated voter. …
When Kerry visited Albuquerque earlier this month, a contingent of Bush supporters were in the crowd. The Associated Press has reported that the group chanted “Viva Bush!” during the event. The AP added that Kerry urged the crowd to tolerate the Bush supporters.
Fears rules the the Radical Right and through fear they rule America. mjh
In NM: Kerry–52% Bush–42.2%
New Mexico Politics with Joe Monahan
“August may be a do or die month for the President,” opined one top Republican who has worked at all levels of politics. “The real trouble for Bush is not just in the horse race, but in how voters here feel about the direction of the country. Only 39% believe the country is on the ‘right track’ compared to 57% who feel it’s on the ‘wrong track.” …
The grim numbers for Team Bush are as follows: Kerry–52% Bush–42.2% Nader–0.9%. That’s a 9.8% lead for Kerry, the largest of the five Zogby polls conducted thus far and the second one that has put him over the magic 50% level. The margin of error in the poll, done July 19-23, is plus or minus 4.4%. 499 New Mexicans participated.
‘dissimilar, dated and unrelated’
Letter:Republicans use Kerry quotes out of context (Daily Lobo)
Editor,
In today’s political forum, so much of what is passed through the media contains partial information and disinformation.
Nowhere is this more true in than the recent Republican attempt to portray John Kerry as a flip-flopper. Using partial and out-of-context information, conservative pundits have tried to cast doubt on Kerry’s political career. The great majority of the 37 flip-flops the Republican media cling to are based on superficial information or quotes, which are then juxtaposed against another quote selectively tailored to meet the needs of the flip-flop argument.
In these articles, dissimilar, dated and unrelated events are whittled down and cast as the whole story.
The conservatives would have us believe that Kerry flipped from a stance that abortion is a states’ issue to the stance it is a federal issue. That’s No. 17 on the GOP’s list of flip-flops, and a simple look at the facts dissolves this argument. The purported flip-flop uses a statement Kerry made in 1972 and one he made in 1985 when he said “Those of us in (federal) government have a special responsibility to protect this right (abortion).”
A seeming flip-flop right? Why would Kerry say abortion should be left to the states in 1972? Probably because it was not until 1973 that the Supreme Court decreed abortion was a federally-protected right for women. Before that, it was left for the states to decide.
The difference in Kerry’s statements is not a reflection of change in his policy, but a change in the laws of the United States and the rights of Americans. Bush may not respect the decisions of the Supreme Court in regards to abortion, but that doesn’t make them irrelevant.
Another tool in the conservative media’s attempt to slander Kerry’s record is to use simple disinformation. Their account of Kerry’s purported flip-flop on the No Child Left Behind Act – No. 8 on the GOP’s list – is a cold-cut example of this tactic.
The act was one of the cornerstones of Bush’s 2000 campaign in which he billed himself as an “education president.” In 2001, Kerry voted in support of the act. Conservatives contend Kerry then flip-flopped when he recently said he was going to “make the president accountable for making a mockery of No Child Left Behind.” Even on its face, this argument can hardly be taken as a legitimate flip-flop.
Kerry’s statement is an obvious criticism of Bush’s support for his administration’s legislation, not a criticism of the act.
Further, history backs Kerry’s criticism of Bush. After the passing of the bill, the Bush administration failed to even propose adequate funds to support the No Child Left Behind act. In every fiscal year since the passage of the bill, the Bush administration’s budget has fallen $6-7 billion short of funding the obligations set forth in Bush’s legislation.
Not funding a bill that was the cornerstone of his presidential campaign? Sounds more like a Bush flip-flop.
Terri-Nikole Baca
Morgan Pierce
Nathan Cobb
UNM College Democrats
Copter Cacophony
At 2:53am,
we awoke suddenly to what sounded like machine gun fire strafing our backyard. Instead, it was the Albuquerque Police Department’s
helicopter coming in very low over our house before circling back again and again. This is the helicopter that cost the city millions
because it was supposed to be extra quiet. In fact, it is much louder than any other copter in a city with a lot of copters (Abq has 3,
Bernalillo has 2 or 3, TV stations have 2, Fed has god-knows-how-many).
Keep in mind, this is not UNMH Lifeguard. This is the
police swooping in in the middle of the night terrorizing sleeping citizens. Why? Was there a slowdown in traffic on the Interstate? It
doesn’t matter. If you ask the cops, every second they are in the air, they are saving lives. The truth is they are pissing away money
and disturbing the peace every second they are in the air.
After 10 dreadful minutes, the copter drifted on, looking for some
other place to kill time. And a few blocks away, another citizen was jarred out of his bed. mjh
A Different Analysis of the Electoral College Breakdown
AP: Bush Leads Kerry in Electoral Votes By RON FOURNIER, AP
With three months remaining in a volatile campaign, Kerry has 14 states and the District of Columbia in his column for 193 electoral votes. Bush has 25 states for 217 votes, according to an Associated Press analysis of state polls as well as interviews with strategists across the country. …
Bush and Kerry are running even in 11 states with a combined 128 electoral votes. Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Michigan and West Virginia are the toughest battlegrounds. Two other tossups, Pennsylvania and Oregon, could soon move to Kerry’s column. …
All total, 21 states are in play. Some will bounce between “lean” to “tossup” throughout the campaign.
Four years ago, Bush won 30 states and their 271 electoral votes _ one more than needed. Gore, who won the popular vote, claimed 20 states plus the District of Columbia for 267 electoral votes.
Since then, reapportionment added electoral votes to states with population gains and took them from states losing people. The result: Bush’s states are now worth 278 electoral votes and Gore’s are worth just 260.
Even if Kerry consolidates Gore’s states, no easy task, the Democrat must take 10 electoral votes from Bush’s column to close the electoral vote gap.
Kerry’s best prospects may be in the five tossup states won by Bush in 2000: Ohio, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire and West Virginia.
Winning either Ohio’s 20 electoral votes or Florida’s 27 would do the trick.