Daily News…Advocate.com

After saying homosexuality is “selfish hedonism,” [Republican Alan Keyes, who is running against Democrat Barack Obama for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois] was asked if that makes Mary Cheney “a selfish hedonist.” “Of course she is,” Keyes told Signorile. “That goes by definition.”

This from the Republican candidate. The world awaits the outraged reaction of Mr & Mrs Cheney. mjh

[Update — this guy is nuts.]

Keyes says incest awaits kids of gays BY CHERYL V. JACKSON Staff Reporter

U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes told a rally Saturday that incest was “inevitable” for children raised by gay couples because the children might not know both biological parents.

“If we do not know who the mother is, who the father is, without knowing all the brothers and sisters, incest becomes inevitable,” Keyes told the Marquette Park rally held to oppose same-sex marriages.

“Whether they mean it or not, that is what will happen. If you are masked from your knowing your biological parents, you are in danger of encountering brothers and sisters you have no knowledge of.”

Most expensive TV campaign ad goes for emotions
Spot features Bush with teen whose mom died on 9/11
By Judy Keen and Mark Memmott, USA TODAY

The most expensive TV ad buy of the presidential campaign shows President Bush consoling a teenage girl whose mother died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.

The ad, created by the conservative Progress for America Voter Fund, will run until the election on cable stations and in nine key states at a cost of $14.2 million, said the group’s president, Brian McCabe. …

Progress for America Voter Fund’s eight previous ads have been a mix of attacks aimed at Sen. John Kerry and positive ads on Bush’s record. …

McCabe said his group has spent $24.8 million on TV ads, including “Ashley’s Story.” The new ad will be buttressed by a Web site …. E-mails, automated phone calls and 2.3 million brochures will go to voters. …

The fund’s ad spending since both parties’ conventions has exceeded that of other independent pro-Bush groups. … Progress for America has also, in recent weeks, outspent two of its most prominent liberal rivals. The Media Fund and MoveOn PAC, two anti-Bush groups, have spent about $1.5 million each since Labor Day to run ads in key states.

RUN AGAINST BUSH: A Movement to Defeat Bush in 2004 – Homepage

We’re Running For Change

“Run Against Bush” is a grassroots campaign dedicated to removing George W. Bush from the White House. We provide an easy way for citizens to collectively and comfortably express their concern through the simple action of exercise!

Saturday, October 23rd is National Run Against Bush Day.

Only four days for someone to step forward and organize the NM event. mjh

Concerts for Change

Join a National Grassroots Movement for Change!
Take part in a series of benefit shows to raise money to elect John Kerry.

Buy Tickets: Check out the schedule below for great upcoming events.
More shows are still being added, so sign up for e-mail updates!

Get Out the Vote: Travel to a swing state, phonebank from home, or canvas in your community. Find out how you can volunteer and help elect John Kerry.

STOP SINCLAIR! Sign the petition to stop blatant Republican broadcasting disguised as objective news.

Decision2004: 7 Florida papers pick Kerry for White House
By AARON SHAROCKMAN

Seven Florida newspapers endorsed Democrat John Kerry for president Sunday while the Tampa Tribune , which traditionally backs a Republican, chose not to recommend a candidate for the first time in 40 years.

The Tribune, which endorsed George W. Bush in 2000, wrote that its editorial board was deeply divided over the president’s handling of the war in Iraq and increased federal spending.

In a page-long explanation, the board criticized Bush’s deficit spending, failed campaign promises and assault on open government. …

“President Bush told us that he was ‘a uniter, not a divider,’ but shortly after taking office, his administration took a sharp right turn that has divided this country,” the editorial said. The newspaper said it was “deeply disappointed” with Bush on federal spending, the budget deficit and the recession. …

The Tribune has endorsed every Republican candidate for president since Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952, except for 1964 when it chose not to support either incumbent Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson or Republican Barry Goldwater.

“We find it unimaginable to not be lending our voice to the chorus of conservative-leaning newspapers endorsing the president’s re-election,” the board wrote. “We fully expected to stand with Bush.”

Meanwhile, seven other Florida newspapers, including the St. Petersburg Times , backed Kerry on Sunday.

Capitol Hill Blue: Two Republican-Oriented Newspapers Refuse to Back Bush

The Winston-Salem Journal declined to endorse either candidate, saying “this is a presidency in deep trouble, made worse by the refusal to acknowledge the trouble.”

WFTV.com – Politics – Round Of Florida Endorsements Overwhelmingly For Kerry

In contrast, Democratic candidate John Kerry received overwhelming support in electoral vote-rich Florida, picking up the support of seven newspapers as polls point to a dead heat in the state that decided the 2000 election. …

A day before the start of early voting, the Massachusetts senator was backed by the Bradenton Herald, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Florida Today, The Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post, the St. Petersburg Times and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Reflecting the mood of the electorate, some of the editorials were more anti-Bush than pro-Kerry. The Post assailed Bush as a “reckless ideologue” who “has divided the country against itself and the world against the country.”

Added the Bradenton Herald: “Bush’s administration is notable for its lack of transparency, its intolerance of dissent, its refusal to admit mistakes.”

Newspapers endorsing Kerry lamented the squandered goodwill showered on America in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Daily Endorsement Tally: Bush Picks up a Pair

Kerry … picked up the support of six large papers over the weekend, and still leads Bush 11-8 in endorsements, according to E&P’s tally. And the papers that have chosen Kerry top the Bush backers in circulation by about a 4-1 margin: 2,534,377 to 637,187 total daily circ.

Those totals are as of 10/11; I’m waiting for this week’s totals, which will include all those Florida papers. mjh

STOP SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP

join the 113387 people who have signed so far

What is Sinclair Broadcast Group?
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., is one of the largest television broadcasters in the country. By its own count, Sinclair owns, operates, or services 62 local television stations in 39 markets – reaching 24% of television households in the United States.
Source: Sinclair Broadcast Group, www.sbgi.net

What is Stolen Honor?
According to its creators, Stolen Honor is a “documentary” claiming to “expos[e] John Kerry’s record of betrayal.” The film is funded by a group of conservative activists.
Sources: www.stolenhonor.com
Los Angeles Times, 10/9/04, “Conservative TV Group to Air Anti-Kerry Film”

What is Sinclair Broadcast Group planning to do?
Sinclair has told its stations to air Stolen Honor. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Sinclair is forcing its stations to preempt regular prime-time programming from the networks to show the film.
Source: Los Angeles Times, 10/9/04, “Conservative TV Group to Air Anti-Kerry Film”

Haven’t we heard this from Sinclair before?
In April 2004, Sinclair ordered seven of its stations not to air Ted Koppel’s Nightline broadcast featuring a roll call of the 700 U.S. troops who had died in Iraq. Republican Sen. John McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, was among the many who criticized Sinclair’s action.
Source: Los Angeles Times, 10/9/04, “Conservative TV Group to Air Anti-Kerry Film”

Is Sinclair trying to affect the outcome of the Presidential election?
In the 2004 political cycle, executives from Sinclair have given nearly $67,784 in political contributions, 97% to Republicans. We just report, you decide.
Source: The Center for Responsive Politics, www.opensecrets.org

Do we support free speech?
Absolutely. And free speech means expressing our outrage when a major corporation with a history of right-wing bias tries to change the outcome of an election by airing a slanted, inaccurate documentary.

2004 Presidential Electoral College Predictions

Last auto-update with new polls from 2.004k.com: October 18th, 01:01 PM

Bush wins the electoral college with probability 39.3%
The probability of an electoral college tie is 1.277%
Kerry wins the electoral college with probability 59.423%

Expected Kerry winning margin: 10.4 electoral votes (95% confidence interval: [-138 124] votes)