Dick DeVos - I've been Amwayed oldie but goodie
Is this the business background the Detroit "News" was talking about?

Granholm / MDP Ad: Greenville
Another good ad coming from the Granholm team.. It's a glaring contrast to Amway Dick's gloom and doom ads.

Happy Halloween: Resident Evil 4 - Don't stop me I wish everyone out in the Michigan liberal blogging land an safe and Happy Halloween so for the season I put up this pretty cool music video that's featuring my favorite game Resident Evil 4 which is set to Queen's "Don't Stop Me" now if you saw "Shaun of the Dead" you remember the song :) again Happy Halloween and if you're trick and treating hook a brother up with some candy corn and those mini Chunch bars.

The Stamp Act - McCotter
My boy Tony is taking Thaddeus McCotter to the wood shed with this ad. Way to go Double T

Granholm: Off Shore 2
Zach has YouTube another ad going back to the theme of the Amway Dick outsourcing then lying about it.

GOP base weakens?

Evangelical-GOP alliance weakens - Yahoo! News Evangelical-GOP alliance weakens By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion WriterSun Oct 29, 1:58 PM ET Of the many disturbing trends for Republicans this campaign season, one of the most troubling is the drop in support among white evangelicals. The number of conservative Christians with a favorable view of the party has plummeted from 74 percent to 54 percent between 2004 and this year, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Evangelicals comprise more than one-third of GOP voters. But analysts say it's far too soon to write off the powerful Republican-evangelical alliance that helped the party dominate in the 2004 election. Conservative Christians have been here before — disappointed that Republicans they helped elect failed to enact the evangelical agenda — yet they have consistently returned to the GOP. Even as they question the current Republican leadership, evangelicals are far more supportive than other Americans of President Bush and the party, the Pew Center found. "There's a lot of discontentment," said Marvin Olasky, editor of the Christian newsweekly World and a framer of the "compassionate conservative" language used by Bush. "But unfortunately for most conservative evangelicals, there's no alternative." That doesn't mean the GOP can rest easy. Damage over the past two years could cost Republicans on Nov. 7 if disenchanted evangelical voters stay home. And tensions with a core constituency would muddy the run-up to the 2008 presidential race. Evangelical frustration is apparent in their qualified endorsements of GOP candidates. James Dobson of Focus on the Family said at a September "Stand for the Family" rally in the battleground state of Pennsylvania that Republicans have made no progress on issues important to Christians who helped put the GOP in control. Still, he told attendees to vote. "Whether Republicans deserve the power they were given," Dobson said, "the alternatives are downright frightening." The complaints are familiar. Through every Republican victory since the Moral Majority was formed in 1979, abortion remained legal, gay couples won greater acceptance and prayer was still barred from public schools. In 1999, Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson, both veterans of the Moral Majority, examined these failures in their book "Blinded by Might," and concluded that politics was too corrupt to be used to spread Christian morality in America. A few other evangelicals suggested conservative Christians withdraw from politics and focus instead on faith. The retreat never happened. Between 1999 and 2004, the share of white evangelicals identifying themselves as Republican grew from 39 percent to 49 percent, the Pew Center found. It's unclear whether this campaign season will be different. Like many other Americans, evangelicals are upset by U.S. strategy in Iraq, corruption in the Republican-led Congress, and the case of former GOP Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record), who sent sexually explicit e-mails to pages. But conservative Christian grievances go further. Dobson and other evangelicals have accused Congress of ignoring their policy agenda on marriage and abortion. The Bush administration did give evangelicals what they wanted most — conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices — by appointing John Roberts and Samuel Alito. Yet, even that victory was sullied. Many evangelicals complained that Bush's pitch to Christians on behalf of his first choice for the seat now held by Alito, Harriet Miers, was based on her conservative Christian faith. Those who considered her unqualified for the post found the approach patronizing. Disillusionment has led to a backlash. Some evangelicals are once again warning that lawmakers are using Christians for their votes and politics is corrupting the church. In the book "Tempting Faith, An Inside Story of Political Seduction," author David Kuo, a former aide in the White House faith-based office, wrote that Bush aides privately called conservative Christians "nuts," "ridiculous" and "goofy." Kuo, a born-again Christian, said Republicans have failed to fulfill campaign promises to evangelicals, yet have kept Christians on their side by portraying Bush as "pastor-in-chief." "So much of the support for his presidency comes purely on the basis of his Christian faith," Kuo said in a phone interview. "The biblical notion is to defer to your pastor. Christian political leaders have taken advantage of that — portraying themselves as spiritual leaders — but they're not. They're political leaders." William Martin, author of "With God on Our Side, The Rise of the Religious Right in America," said Kuo's book may have an impact because it touches on the long-standing evangelical sensitivity to being marginalized by broader society. But Martin said only a small minority of evangelicals believe they should abandon po27aspect alimentaire de la chose, t'sé, chacun ses béquilles, pas vrai?

Granholm Ad: Crime Fighter Via: Mich lib, wizardkitten, Pohlitics If it ain't broke don't fix it, I always say another good ad taking on the Amway Dick and the punk asses that make up the Michigan GOP attempt to tie her to violent crimes that happen in the state. I know this is the duh statement of the year but I'm going to say it anyway, Granholm needs to keep firing out these sort of ads out from this one to DeVos' healthcare statement of getting a job if you want healthcare to keep him on his heels. Because we all know the Amway Dick will be spending like a drunk movie star in ads from now to next Monday night.

Panic in Amway town, Panic in Amway town...

When you're a spoil, empty suit, right wing billionaire punk who spent close to 30 million dollars of his father's money you're supposed to be leading right? Sadly for the right wing, empty suit billionaire punk you're not, despite outspending Granholm in ads and getting aid from the corrupt Republican governors association you're either looking at 6 to 10 point deficits in the polls and there's a week to go until you face a probable defeat so what do you do? Well beady eye monkey you spend more of daddy's money in more false ads and buying the best spokesmen out side the state to recite your talking points, first Lee Iccoca who says he hasn't given up on Michigan yet lives all in California and Rudy G.. who's only claim to fame is using 3,000 dead people as a way to get six figure speaking gigs. While you're getting two out of staters speaking on your behalf the Republican governors association use pay plants to whine about the lack of jobs yet at the same time they're telling Michigan voters that they should replace Granholm with a guy that admits he outsourcing jobs if that's not ironic I don't know what is.. So people know now you don't have a plan or a proper idea on how state government works what else you have to fall back on? Business background you say, well Mr. DeVos you have no business background unless you count outsourcing and milking people out of their money but I'm sure you're not talking about that right? The closet thing to management you experience was being president of the Orlando Magic and you quit that job even before that insane run they put up in the middle part of the 90s yet you're ready to be governor? If you couldn't stick around when you had Shaq in his 20s and a first around pick that would resulted in the drafting of Penny Hardaway what makes me think you're going to stick around when budgets need to be made and when you can't get everything you want? You have a track record alright Mr. DeVos too bad it's a track record for quitting when things get too hard for you. If you're the Amway Dick or any of his supporters you're probably telling me go to hell and throw his three endorsements in my face granted Dick DeVos has three endorsements, so does Jennifer Granholm and if I was Dick DeVos I would stop bragging about the Detroit News endorsement right a way because a Republican bragging about getting an endorsement from the Detroit News is like a kid running around bragging about his mother telling him he's smart. If a Tickle me Elmo doll was running as as Republican against Granholm the Detroit News would endorse him too and Nolan Finley will give some lame ass reason why the Detroit News will endorse the Elmo doll on "Am I right" on Friday night. As I close this out I know somewhere in the state the Michigan Republicans are plotting and planning on ways to keep the Detroit vote down, let me give these challengers words to think about you came walking... but if you're get in my way while I'm trying to vote you're going to leave laying down.

MI GOP finding not too many buyers for Amway Dick and Bouchard

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/26/AR2006102601257_pf.html In Michigan, a Sale the GOP Can't CloseBy E. J. Dionne Jr.Friday, October 27, 2006; A23HOUGHTON, Mich. -- While Republicans scratch their heads over why a seemingly good economy is not helping them nationally in this year's elections, Michigan is where the party once hoped a bad economy would help it seize a governorship.The heavy hits sustained by the auto industry's Big Three have left the state with a 7.1 percent unemployment rate, just below the 7.2 percent rate for Mississippi, which endured Hurricane Katrina. The job hemorrhage seemed the ideal issue for billionaire businessman Dick DeVos, the Republican nominee, against Gov. Jennifer Granholm. She is a nationally respected Democrat who many think would have made a fine presidential candidate if only she had not been born in Canada. DeVos, a conservative whose wealth comes from his family company, Amway, is auditioning for her job by insisting, Kennedy-style, that Michigan can do better. "We have gone backward while the country has gone forward," he said during a debate on Monday. "It's just unacceptable."Tying himself to this season's most popular institution in the state, he said earlier this month: "If we need inspiration, look at the Detroit Tigers. They've succeeded against all odds because they changed leadership and changed their attitude."Spending heavily from his own fortune, DeVos was on the verge of making the sale. A Detroit News Poll in mid-June found him leading Granholm 48 percent to 40 percent.But Granholm has come back. The News poll in mid-October had her ahead, 51 to 42 percent. More recent polls give her a comparable lead. Her recovery helps explain why the economy is not helping the Republicans elsewhere.The problem for the GOP is that while voters in better-off states seem to be voting on Iraq and other issues, those thinking most about the economy live in lagging industrial states such as Michigan and Ohio, and they are blaming President Bush and national policies for their troubles. In the Ohio Senate race, for example, Rep. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, has built a lead over incumbent Republican Mike DeWine using hard-hitting advertisements on trade and the loss of manufacturing jobs.For her part, Granholm is doing everything she can to turn the argument on Bush and Washington. "My opponent began advertising way back in February trying to put the blame for Michigan's economic contraction on me," she said in a telephone interview, "when most people who work in the plants know that the shift of jobs to India or China is much more the result of federal policy and these trade agreements."While Granholm has been helped by ads sharply attacking DeVos, the exchange between the two is at its heart a substantive choice between the challenger's tax-cutting approach and the incumbent's argument that recovery can come only from changes in federal policy."They feel this president has not stood up for them," Granholm says, arguing that voters are skeptical of "old-time solutions of just tax-cutting your way to prosperity." She calls for changes in federal trade, training, education and health-care policies. In the meantime, she has offered loans and tax breaks to the auto industry to preserve jobs. She says she is embarking on "as robust an industrial policy as we can to keep those jobs here," but adds: "My tools can do only so much."In Michigan's Senate race, anti-administration feeling has also helped incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow, once considered vulnerable, to a double-digit lead in most polls over Republican Mike Bouchard. In an unusual display of solidarity between senatorial and gubernatorial candidates, Stabenow andGranholm regularly reinforce each other's arguments."We have a national policy that says if you work for less, lose your health care and lose your pension, then we can compete," Stabenow says of the status quo. "The No. 1 way we could help employers in this country is to change the way we fund health care."Granholm says she understands that economic change has been a rule in this state. The population here in Houghton County on Michigan's Upper Peninsula reached 88,000 in 1910 because of the copper industry boom. It declined, with the industry itself, to 35,000 people a half-century later, where it has held steady, buoyed by the presence of Michigan Tech.The problem with the current manufacturing decline, says Granholm, is that it has been "so quick, so frightening . . . so cataclysmic and there has been so little transition time and people are left reeling." And the people who are reeling seem to be targeting Bush.The president came into the state yesterday on behalf of Stabenow's opponent, and that's just fine with her. "I would welcome him back three or four times before the election," she says. As each day past the Amway Dick is losing ground to Granholm because I think people are learning the Amway Dick is nothing more than an empty headed suit with no plan other than making sure his circle of billion dollar buddies don't have to pay taxes and their kids don't have to either. In these latest ads run by the even slimier group Republican association of governors where they got this dog face woman once again whining about things Granholm can't control, what erks me the most about these ads are these brain dead, pieces of trash they dig up to do these ads for one they show this short blonde ugly ass woman looking at the "want" ads whining about things Granholm can't control. But I bet you this woman is one of two things a paid plant with nothing better to do, or what I suspect one of these dumber than dog crap Michigan Republicans, who probably smile and skip her silly ass to the polls and voted for John Engler each of his three terms and voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004. The ironic thing about these ads is these people bitch about jobs leaving the state but they want the state to change to a guy that ship jobs out of the state for cheaper labor. But than again I remember Michigan Republicans aren't that smart to start with in the first place.

The right hurries to get their F-list stars

The right very lame response to Michael J. Fox Again I'm breaking my own rule of allowing conservatives or right wingers spew their lame ass view points on my blog but I make exceptions to prove how lame conservatives view points are. In the storm caused by Rush "blue pill" Limbaugh accusing Michael J. Fox of faking his condition the right rolled out an ad with their F-list cast of stars from Jim Caviezel who star in such films as the beat down of the Christ and hmm that's the only movie I heard he was in, to Mike Sweeney fame player from the Kansas City Royals if you're not a Royal fan you wouldn't know who he is matter fact if you lived in Kansas City you probably still don't know who he is. There's Kurt Warner that used to play for the Rams who should be asking for a cure for his career dude you lost your job to two rookie different QBs in a row, Jeff Suppan for advocating the end of research that could save the lives of thousands I hope the Tigers bat you around like it was BP and wrapping up this star power ad to counter Michael J. Fox pleas for medical research its Patricia Heaton who if you might forgot told an ET reporter that Terri Schiavo was alive last year. I guess the right idea of making a case against an truly passionate plea from someone who truly believes research could one day spare someone the condition he suffers is gathering enough washed up Celebes they can find and have them spew out talking points. Sorry Republicans that sort of stuff don't work. Big ups to the folks over at DetroitWonk for the putting this ad up and letting people know what kind of shady stuff the right is up to.

MI Dems to fight voter intimidation

Dems vow to fight voter intimidation Dems vow to fight voter intimidation HOMETOWN HEADLINES GENESEE COUNTY THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION Wednesday, October 25, 2006 By Marjory Raymermraymer@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6325 Democrats announced plans Tuesday for a program to protect voters' rights in response to what they view as intimidation by Republican poll challengers. Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer said attorneys and volunteers will be assigned to minority precincts to make sure challengers obey the law. And voters can call a toll-free help line on election day if they have problems or cannot find their polling place. The number is (888) DEM-VOTE. "We must not be intimidated," said Rep. Brenda Clack, D-Flint, who attended the press conference. "This is deja vu - again." Complaints have surfaced in Flint over the last several elections over poll challengers. Republicans say they are ensuring that the election is run properly and that there is no fraud or mistakes. Brewer said voters should know they do not have to answer questions by challengers, only actual poll workers. And, residents are still able to vote if they are in debt, have a criminal record or are behind on child support. State Rep. Lee Gonzales, D-Flint Twp., and the Rev. A.J. Pointer of the Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle also attended the 10 a.m. news conference at the Democratic campaign headquarters in Flint. - Marjory Raymer

War is now GOP weakness

War Now Works Against GOP - washingtonpost.com War Now Works Against GOP Iraq Often Seen as Hindrance in Campaigns By Peter Slevin and Michael PowellWashington Post Staff WritersThursday, October 26, 2006; A01 DOYLESTOWN, Pa. -- A visitor to Rep. Michael G. Fitzpatrick's campaign Web site will immediately hear a 20-second audio clip of a contentious television interview about Iraq with his Democratic challenger, Patrick Murphy. The clip ends: "Tough times demand honest answers, not Pat Murphy." Fitzpatrick, a freshman Republican, hoped to throttle Murphy on an issue critical to the 2004 victories of President Bush and the Republican Congress. But Murphy, a 33-year-old West Point graduate and a veteran of the war, has battled his way into contention by directly attacking Fitzpatrick and Bush on their party's handling of Iraq itself. "When we went there in 2003, we had a mission to get rid of Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction. We're still in Iraq 3 1/2 years later and the mission isn't clear," Murphy told an audience here last week. "Together we can change it. We can change what we're doing in Iraq." Just three months ago, Republican strategists believed that doubts about Iraq could be contained -- or even turned into an electoral advantage -- if the battle was framed as a vital front in the war against terrorism. Voters would be invited to choose: Stand firm or capitulate. But the issue is not playing out that way. In both parties, a consensus now exists -- buttressed by polls -- that disaffection with a war grown costly and difficult to manage is the gravest threat to continued Republican rule. Iraq is not only a potent issue in its own right, but is also a resonant metaphor for doubts about the competence and accountability of the Republican Party. In the most competitive races, Iraq echoes in varying ways, but almost always for Republicans it is a problem to be navigated and for Democrats a stick to be brandished. In Ohio, it helped put incumbent Sen. Mike DeWine (R) on the defensive. In House races in Pennsylvania and Illinois, it gave three Democratic war veterans and novice politicians an opening. "We are telling our candidates not to be afraid to talk about it," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "Who would have thought two years ago the Democrats would be affirmatively putting ads on television about Iraq and Republicans would be avoiding it?" Showing how the tables have turned, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) told interviewers in New Hampshire this week that Republican candidates should steer away from the war. "The challenge," Frist said, "is to get Americans to focus on pocketbook issues, and not on the Iraq and terror issue." In Connecticut and Ohio, in Pennsylvania and New Mexico, critical swaths of voters tell pollsters they are using the war as a lens to assess -- and in many cases punish -- the party in control of the White House and both houses of Congress. This appears particularly true of independents, who are considered most likely to determine whether the House and Senate change hands. A Pew Research Center poll this month found that 50 percent of independents listed Iraq among their top two national concerns, compared with 36 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of Democrats. Overall, 58 percent of respondents said the war is not going well and only 38 percent said the battle for Iraq is helping the war on terrorism. Voter dissatisfaction with Iraq has taken years to build, not least because few Americans fear a draft, unlike the Vietnam era. But the war is intruding on the public conversation. "Iraq is at the top of the agenda, and it's largely among those people who say they are largely voting Democratic," said Andrew Kohut, the Pew Research Center's president. "It's not the only issue, but it's the one that has most given people a sense of unease about the state of the nation." Independents, said Kohut, "are going to decide this election." Recent Washington Post-ABC News polls, including one released this week, found that growing skepticism about the administration's performance since Sept. 11, 2001, has put the two parties at parity on combating terrorism -- formerly a winning Republican issue by a large margin. Less than two weeks before Election Day, the figures represent a severe challenge to the GOP strategy of painting Democrats as weak on national security. They also help explain the boldness of Democratic candidates in challenging Republicans on the war. "I'm getting less and less happy with way Bush is handling things," fifth-grade teacher Denise Hall said in Doylestown on a crystalline autumn morning. Iraq is "definitely a factor" as she considers backing Democrats this year after twice voting for Bush. "Things seem to keep getting worse." Hall said she is troubled not only by the war deaths -- 93 Americans killed this month, the highest total in a year -- but also by what the Bush administration's approach to Iraq tells her about its ability to manage other crises. "My real concern is North Korea," she said. "That scares the heck out of me. Would we go in somewhere else and think we could straighten it out?" In Connecticut's 5th District, Republican Rep. Nancy L. Johnson volunteers information on pretty much everything except the war. Her campaign Web site lists her positions on 12 "key issues," none of which includes Iraq. She talks of her "social moderation" and discusses her stances on the environment, health care and jobs. Johnson believes the war echoes especially strongly in her race because of the battle for the Senate seat held by Joseph I. Lieberman, who was defeated by antiwar candidate Ned Lamont in the Democratic primary and is running as an independent. She contends that most candidates, Republican or Democrat, are not far apart in believing the Iraq war is off track. Nearby, Democrat Diane Farrell is hammering repeatedly at Rep. Christopher Shays (R) for his support of the war. Recent polls show her with a narrow lead over Shays, who has visited Iraq 13 times and contends that victory remains possible. "Christopher is such an ardent defender of the war and he holds himself out as an expert," Farrell said. "It makes it easier to hit on this issue." It became clear in late summer that Iraq was working against Republican candidates, despite the well-telegraphed strategy of Bush and presidential adviser Karl Rove to link criticism of the war to weakness on national security. On Aug. 28, Vice President Cheney warned darkly of "self-defeating pessimism," but he found that some critics were solid Republicans. GOP candidates are often keeping a distance from Bush, trying to define themselves as "independent." Ed Patru, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said this is not a year to enforce party discipline. "We encourage and expect every candidate to do the things they need to do to connect with the electorate," Patru said. One common GOP approach is to acknowledge that the war is not going well and to challenge voters to distinguish among the candidates' solutions. "At least it becomes a wash," Patru said. The NRCC has spent $8.5 million defending three Republican members of Congress near Philadelphia and $3.3 million on three competitive Connecticut races. Other candidates for the House and Senate are buying their own time on the issue. In South Florida, a newspaper advertisement for Democrat Ron Klein challenges Rep. E. Clay Shaw Jr. (R) for not doing more on Iraq. "Clay Shaw refuses to hold the Bush administration accountable when it comes to the war on Iraq," the ad proclaims. "Whether it's a plan to win the peace, bring our troops home or account for a dime of the $300 billion we have spent, Shaw will not stand up to Bush or ask tough questions on Iraq. That's not leadership." In Tennessee, Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr. (D) is running an ad in his Senate campaign against Republican Bob Corker that declares: "I support our troops and I voted for the war, but we shouldn't stay the course, as Mr. Corker wants." Connecticut is home to what may be the most intently watched war debate, in the race between Lamont and Lieberman. Lamont, a millionaire from Greenwich, won the primary and national attention by pounding almost exclusively on Lieberman's backing of the Bush administration on the war. Yet recent polls show Lamont's candidacy tumbling. Farrell, stopping in western Connecticut, said in a voice grown raspy by campaigning that the war alone will not carry a candidacy. She believes her quest to defeat Shays has been fueled by a "double shot" of public desire to send a message on Iraq and dethrone the Republican leadership in Congress. "They are both Democrats -- voters don't have to reject Joe to get a Democratic Senate," she said. "The difference in my district is that it's about the war and control of the majority of the House of Representatives. You need both -- the war and control of Congress -- to work together for voters." Mark Matthews, a political independent and school custodian, has a newspaper under his arm as he walks into a Fast Stop Food Shop in Norwalk. For him, at least, frustration with the war is enough to steer him to Lamont and Farrell. "All these young kids, our boys, are dying over there," Matthews said. "For what? It's ridiculous. We've lost focus and I've had enough." Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) has donated $1 million to the campaigns of 18 military veterans. That includes $220,000 to Tammy Duckworth, seeking the suburban Chicago seat vacated by Rep. Henry J. Hyde (R), and $130,000 each to Murphy and to Joseph A. Sestak Jr., who is challenging Rep. Curt Weldon (R) in suburban Philadelphia. After campaigning for Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Sen. Debbie Stabenow in Flint last week, Kerry maintained that the Iraq war has become a national proxy for other worries about GOP leadership. "I believe there is a continuum of incompetence and outright misleading that characterizes this administration on everything," Kerry said. "There is no disagreement that it's been mishandled and mismanaged and that we need a change. It runs very, very deep." To emphasize the war, Kerry will attend with Murphy a Thursday rally among veterans. Murphy has made his military training and the war the centerpiece of his campaign against Fitzpatrick, 43, the GOP incumbent, who spent 10 years on the Bucks County Commission. "It's forward-thinking: You anticipate what your enemy might do next. It's leadership," Murphy, a lawyer who served with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, said in an unsubtle slap at Republicans. Yet in an MSNBC television interview as he launched his candidacy, he repeatedly refused to say how he would have voted on the 2002 Iraq war resolution -- an awkward moment he calls "a lesson learned." Murphy now calls for all U.S. troops to be withdrawn within 12 months, with a strike force of 30,000 left in remote Iraq or Kuwait. He said 8,000 to 10,000 troops should be redeployed to Afghanistan. Fitzpatrick opposes setting a timetable. At a recent debate, each candidate was permitted to ask the other a final question. Fitzpatrick asked: "Pat, how many school districts are there in Bucks County and what are their names?" Murphy asked: "Congressman Fitzpatrick, when are you going to give the American public the straight story on where you are with the war in Iraq?"

Tenn GOP using racism. I'm shocked

Ad Seen as Playing to Racial Fears - New York Times Ad Seen as Playing to Racial Fears By ROBIN TONER KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 25 — The Tennessee Senate race, one of the most competitive and potentially decisive battles of the midterm election, became even more unpredictable this week after a furor over a Republican television commercial that stood out even in a year of negative advertising. The commercial, financed by the Republican National Committee, was aimed at Representative Harold E. Ford Jr., the black Democrat from Memphis whose campaign for the Senate this year has kept the Republicans on the defensive in a state where they never expected to have trouble holding the seat. The spot, which was first broadcast last week and was disappearing from the air on Wednesday, featured a series of people in mock man-on-the street interviews talking sarcastically about Mr. Ford and his stands on issues including the estate tax and national security. The controversy erupted over one of the people featured: an attractive white woman, bare-shouldered, who declares that she met Mr. Ford at a “Playboy party,” and closes the commercial by looking into the camera and saying, with a wink, “Harold, call me.” A spokeswoman for Mr. Ford, who is single, said he was one of 3,000 people who attended a Playboy party at the Super Bowl last year in Jacksonville, Fla. Critics asserted that the advertisement was a clear effort to play to racial stereotypes and fears, essentially, playing the race card in an election where Mr. Ford is trying to break a century of history and become the first black senator from the South since Reconstruction. Hilary Shelton, director of the N.A.A.C.P.’s Washington bureau, said the spot took aim at the sensitivities many Americans still have about interracial dating. John Geer, a professor at Vanderbilt University and a specialist in political advertising, said that it “is playing to a lot of fears” and “frankly makes the Willie Horton ad look like child’s play.” Professor Geer was alluding to the case of a convicted black murderer used in Republican commercials contending that the 1988 Democratic nominee for president, Michael S. Dukakis, was soft on crime. Mr. Ford has been campaigning as an independent, new generation Democrat dedicated to changing the atmosphere in Washington; to putting more attention on the needs of the middle class and on bread and butter issues like health care and to bringing a fresh approach to the war in Iraq. He has strongly resisted Republican efforts to pigeonhole him as a liberal. Bob Corker, the Republican candidate, offers himself as committed to Tennessee values, with a track record in business and public life of solving problems, in contrast to what he asserts is Mr. Ford’s “total life experience” in Washington politics and serving the Ford political dynasty in Memphis. The debate over the spot was more impassioned on the campaign trail Wednesday, when Mr. Ford and his allies took their bus across a wide swath of eastern and middle Tennessee, campaigning in small towns and courthouse squares. Representative Lincoln Davis, the conservative Democrat from the heavily rural district in the state’s midsection, introduced Mr. Ford at a rally in Crossville with a fierce attack on the advertisement. “I’m ashamed at what I see Republicans putting out today,” Mr. Davis declared, as an overwhelmingly white audience of more than a hundred cheered on the small town square. “You tell Karl Rove that we don’t want this stuff on TV in Tennessee. We don’t want our kids seeing that.” Mr. Ford told his audience here, and elsewhere in recent days, that the attacks were simply a sign of desperation, a sign the Republicans have nothing else to say. He added, “You know your opponent is scared when his main opposition against you is, ‘My opponent likes girls.’ ” The audience erupted in laughter. “You know it’s a big problem if at the end of a race, if the best they can come up with is this sleaze they’re putting up,” he said. In an interview, Mr. Ford demurred when asked if he thought the advertisement was injecting race into the campaign. “You need to ask those people over there what they tried to do with that ad,” he said. “It’s tasteless, but I’ve come to expect that from my opponent.” Mr. Corker, a former mayor of Chattanooga, quickly tried to distance his campaign from the advertisement. The Corker campaign had been claiming momentum in recent days, citing a flurry of recent polls indicating the Republican had regained a slight lead after steadying its message and its campaign organization. A spokesman for the Corker campaign, Todd Womack, said the campaign was pleased that the spot had been taken off the air. “It was tacky, over the top,” Mr. Womack said. “Tennesseans deserve better.” The spot was paid for by the Republican National Committee but was produced by an independent expenditure group that is supposed to have an arm’s length relationship with the actual campaigns. As a result, Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said he did not see the spot before it was broadcast and did not have the power to order it removed. Even so, Mr. Mehlman said he did not see a racial subtext to the ad. “I will tell you that when I looked at the ad, that was not my reaction,” he said. “I hear and respect people who had a different reaction, and I hope they respect me, too.” Moreover, Republican spokesmen said they did not believe the advertisement had been taken off the air in response to the controversy, but had simply, in the words of one, “run its course.” The furor puts Mr. Mehlman in a difficult position. He has spent considerable time as the national chairman preaching the inclusiveness of the Republican Party and its openness to black candidates and black voters. He said in an interview Wednesday night that he did not believe that this would damage his Republican outreach efforts. Officials with the Republican independent expenditure committee, who include longtime allies of the Bush political circle, did not respond to requests for comment. The Senate race here is one of three, along with Missouri and Virginia, that are pivotal to control of the Senate, and all three are considered neck-and-neck. Mr. Ford and Mr. Corker are seeking the seat left vacant by the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, who is retiring. A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll published this week showed Mr. Corker leading Mr. Ford, 49 percent to 44 percent. The poll was conducted last Friday through Monday, and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points. If he wins, the campaign Mr. Ford has been running here will be considered a roadmap for Democrats in conservative and rural areas. Mr. Davis invariably introduced him this week as a man who would never “take away your Bible or your gun,” but would raise the minimum wage so people could afford them. With just 13 days to go, Mr. Ford is generating an intense response on the campaign trail as elderly white women reach for his hand and tell him they are praying for him, and he is swamped by autograph hunters and picture takers. At one point, Mr. Davis’s eyes welled up as Mr. Ford worked his way through a crowd — largely friendly, although not entirely so — at a heavily Republican barbecue. “You’re watching history,” Mr. Davis said. Mr. Ford said later that he was not thinking history. “I’m trying to win a race,” he said, before he jumped into his bus, whose destination sign read, “success express.”

Some cities voting on Iraq pull out

Some cities will vote on Iraq withdrawal - Yahoo! News Some cities will vote on Iraq withdrawal By JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press WriterWed Oct 25, 9:02 PM ET For a week and a half, 81-year-old Hamer Lacey hauled his broken back and clipboard to a Gloucester grocery store parking lot, looking for signatures of residents who shared his fervent opposition to the war in Iraq. His work over the summer put Gloucester among 139 Massachusetts communities where residents will vote next month on a nonbinding question that calls for an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. Voters in several cities in Wisconsin and Illinois will consider a similar question. Organizers said they do not expect the results to turn U.S. policy around. But they said the outcome could at least make the growing anti-war sentiment clear to the policymakers. "There's a gap between what the public wants and what public officials want," said Steve Burns of the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice. "They're not acting in our name. We hope, in time, we can bring them around." Wade Zerkle, executive director of Vets for Freedom, said the referendums are a publicity stunt, and the outcome will not represent the majority: "I don't think a ballot referendum in some of the most liberal cities in America is going to hold much water." He said most Americans, even those with growing doubts of about the war, know that leaving Iraq prematurely will create a terrorist haven that the U.S. will have to deal with. Since the March 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, nearly 2,800 members of the U.S. military have been killed in Iraq, according to an Associated Press count. "We're just hoping people will look into their hearts and say, `What is going on here?'" said Paul Shannon of the American Friends Service Committee, the Quaker peace group that helped organize the Massachusetts signature drive. "Are we really willing to throw away more lives tomorrow? For what?" In Wisconsin, 10 communities will vote in November on withdrawal. In April, 24 of 32 Wisconsin communities voted in favor of removing U.S. forces. In Illinois, the question will be considered in Chicago, as well as smaller cities, including Springfield and Urbana, and about a half-dozen towns. The list of Massachusetts communities where the question will appear includes liberal cities such as Boston, Newton and Cambridge, and communities such as Chicopee, a town in western Massachusetts where Westover Air Reserve Base is situated. Berkeley, Calif., and two Wisconsin communities will also vote on whether President Bush should be impeached. Organizers said the results of the referendums cannot be dismissed as the opinions of a lot of liberals. Burns said six Wisconsin communities that voted last spring for withdrawal cast their ballots for Bush in 2004. Lacey said he has been anti-war since his Navy service in World War II, when he witnessed the destruction in civilian areas of Japan. The retired pediatrician's signature-gathering was limited to a few hours at a time by pain from a cracked vertebra, suffered in an auto accident in 2003. "The whole gist of the Bush presidency is in conflict with what my ideals are," he said. Zaida Walters of Houston, whose Marine son was killed in Fallujah, disagreed with the call to bring the troops home. She said her son, Leroy Sandoval Jr., was committed to the mission and would believe in it today. "I think we need to finish what we started," Walters said. "I really do." ___

Nancy Skinner: KnollenBush Last ad I'm putting up for the day. Even though I do not live in Skinner district I feel anyone that walk in lock step with the Smirking chimp should go. Source:POHLITICS through:LJ's Blogorific: Progressive Political Online Magazine, News, Rants, and Political Analysis

Debbie Stabenow lighting up Bouchard

POHLITICS Incumbent U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow is maintaining a stable lead in her re-election bid over Republican challenger Michael Bouchard. The most recent Rasmussen Reports election survey shows Stabenow leading Bouchard 55% to 39% (see crosstabs). When leaners are added into the mix, each candidate jumps a point (56% to 40%). Bouchard’s numbers remain unchanged since a poll taken earlier this month while Stabenow has dropped a point.Forty-seven percent (47%) Michigan voters say they’re “certain” to vote for her. One-third (33%) they’re “certain” to vote for Bouchard.Fifty-eight percent (58%) of voters feel favorably toward Stabenow—33% report a “very favorable” opinion of the incumbent while 21% have a ”very unfavorable” opinion. Forty-seven percent (47%) of voter rate Bouchard favorably including 19% with a “very favorable” opinion. Forty-five percent (45%) rate him unfavorably including 23% with a “very unfavorable” impression.

Michigan Democratic Party Ad: Healthcare
Cat "YouTube" another hard hitting ad from Granholm. She's doing a great job exposing what DeVos believes in 30 seconds.

Amos Williams for Attorney General
Found this ad over at Zach's blog my impression of the ad is light years better then the two crap ads Mike Cox drop the past couple weeks.

Olbermann on the Republican party's marketing of fear
Alright this is my last post of the day.. But this one is important

Republicans say the dumbest things.

The Top 10 Conservative Idiots - The Top 10 Conservative Idiots, No. 265 Rick Santorum: "As the hobbits are going up Mount Doom, the Eye of Mordor is being drawn somewhere else. It's being drawn to Iraq and it's not being drawn to the U.S. You know what? I want to keep it on Iraq. I don't want the Eye to come back here to the United States." Peter King: On Feb. 9, 2006, House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King (R-NY) spoke at the Merrick Jewish Center in Merrick, NY. King told his constituents that "the situation (in Iraq) is more stable than you think." He cited "bumper to bumper traffic," shopping centers, restaurants, video stores, vendors, and hotels to conclude that being in Baghdad is "like being in Manhattan." Yeah Baghdad is very much like Manhattan just forget about the silly things like civil war, road side bombigs and death squads and Baghdad is the Manhattan of the Middle East.

Kathy does more single state recession busting

Kathy is once again picking apart Amway Dick's myth of Michigan is the only state having problems STONE SOUP MUSINGS: The Not So "Great" State of Indiana The Not So "Great" State of Indiana Another NYT article contradicts DeVos' statement that the rest of the country is doing "great" except for Michigan. Indiana, so heavily Republican that it has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964, has become an unexpected battleground in this year’s Congressional elections. [...]What is happening here in the Crossroads of America? [...]Voters seem focused on larger matters. From the hills of New Albany near the Kentucky border to the gray streets of Mishawaka near the Michigan border, scores of voters in the three districts said in interviews that they were uneasy about Iraq, illegal immigration, the economy and the cost of health care. [...]Second DistrictRepresentative Chris Chocola, a Republican, and the Democrat, Joe Donnelly, a lawyer and businessman, are in a race that was never supposed to be so close, though the district has elected Democrats in the past.The economy and immigration loom as large as Iraq in this blue-collar district. Many auto-parts plants have closed or been cut back. Workers are nervous, and some say that Mr. Chocola does not understand their predicament because he is independently wealthy.Plant workers blame Washington for higher gasoline prices, which hurt demand for automobiles; for spending money on Iraq that could be spent at home; and for failing, as they see it, to stop illegal immigrants from taking jobs in nonunion shops. [...]“Billions of dollars go to China, they’re taking away our jobs, and they call it free trade,” said Richard Rittenhouse Jr., leaning against a friend’s pickup after their shift at the AM General Hummer H2 plant in Elkhart.Illegal immigrants, whose numbers are relatively small in Indiana, but are concentrated in some areas, are “working hard and cheap” in nonunion plants Mr. Rittenhouse said, while union jobs are trimmed.Plant closings and cut backs, concerns about the high cost of health care, and uneasiness about the economy. It appears that Michigan isn't the only state feeling the pain.

Poll: Granholm has 11 point lead over Amway Dick

from:Michigan Liberal Rasmussen (R): Granholm 54% Amway Guy 43% (+) by: matt Tue Oct 24, 2006 at 13:41:20 PM EDT UPDATE by Matt: Thanks to Francishsu, we have slightly more info from RealClearPolitics.com. Note that they show it as 53-42. Apparently, that's without factoring in leaners.Hat tip to michmark for the keen eye. Pollster.com (look in the "Most Recent Polls" ticker) shows Governor Granholm with an 11-point Rasmussen lead. Presumably the full poll will be released soon. The last Rasmussen showed the Governor with a 7-point lead.No doubt about it. The momentum is still going strong. But there's no time to rest. Don't forget who we're dealing with. And there'll be plenty of time for sleep two weeks from today! It's good thing to see guv Jen's message is getting to voters despite getting out gun in ad time by the Amway Dick.. Hopefully she can build on this surge in the polls but remember polls don't mean jack unless we get out and vote.

Sean Hannity Urges Democrats Not To Vote
Let's make Hannity cry this election night.. VOTE!!!

Michael J. Fox speaks out during the election

Michael J. Fox plunges into election - Yahoo! News Michael J. Fox plunges into election By JAKE COYLE, AP Entertainment Writer 8 minutes ago The symptoms of Parkinson's disease that all but ended Michael J. Fox's acting career are making him a powerfully vulnerable campaign pitchman for five Democrats who support stem cell research. In 30-second TV ads for Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin (news, bio, voting record), who is running for the Senate in Maryland, Senate candidate Claire McCaskill in Missouri and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, Fox shakes and rocks as he directly addresses the camera, making no effort to hide the effects of his disease. In the McCaskill ad, which has been viewed by more than 1 million people on YouTube.com, Fox tells voters, "What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans. Americans like me." He also was planning to appear at events for Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Tammy Duckworth, a candidate for Congress from Illinois. Celebrities have a long history of supporting political candidates. But there's no question that Fox, who campaigned for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential race, is uniquely suited as a spokesman for embryonic stem cell research, which some scientists believe could aid in discovering treatments or cures to Parkinson's and other diseases. Fox's ads may even turn the close Senate race between McCaskill and Republican incumbent Jim Talent in Missouri, said Larry Sabato, a professor at the University of Virginia and director of its Center for Politics. He described the spots as "very powerful." "If a tiny ad can change votes, this one ought to," said Sabato. "This is real. He's not playing a guy with Parkinson's — he IS a guy with Parkinson's." Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive disorder of the central nervous system that leaves patients increasingly unable to control their movements. In his ads, Fox shows a remarkable nakedness that recalls Dick Clark's appearance last Dec. 31 on ABC's "New Year's Rockin' Eve," displaying the effects of his debilitating stroke a year prior. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 and revealed his condition publicly in 1998. In 2000, the "Spin City" and "Back to the Future" star quit full-time acting because of his symptoms and founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, which has raised millions of dollars. He has since acted sporadically in smaller roles, such as in a several-episode guest appearance earlier this year on ABC's "Boston Legal," playing a business tycoon with cancer. For that role and others, Fox generally has sought to control his movements. He told The Associated Press in January that one long scene was physically taxing and that because of his illness, he "can't show up with a game plan." In the same interview, Fox said he felt sympathy for Clark, who received a mixed reaction for his New Year's appearance. Similarly, some have criticized Fox's ads as exploitive. Conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh claimed Fox was "either off his medication or acting" during the ad. Others defend Fox's aggressive campaigning for a Parkinson's cure. Dr. John Boockvar, a neurosurgeon and assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical Center at New York's Presbyterian Hospital, called Limbaugh's claim that Fox was acting "ludicrous." Boockvar said those with Parkinson's have "on" and "off" spells. "If there is one single disease that has the highest potential for benefit from stem cell research," Boockwar said Tuesday, "it's Parkinson's."

See Dick Run
Blast from the past: reminder of who we're dealing with.

New Granholm Ad: It's Time to Take a Stand
Another great ad from Guv Jen it's to the point what she believes and what the Amway Dick believes. She might not like abortion but she's not going to make the choice for a woman unlike the Amway Dick who will tell a woman to keep the baby regardless of her situation. Thanks Cat for putting this ad on youtube

The nightly news ya need!!:

Analysis: Republicans fear war fallout - Yahoo! News You know things are bad when Kay Hutchison turning against the shrub. Bush to trumpet strength of the economy - Yahoo! News Next Bush will say there's still hope for the 06 Detroit Lions. Alabama candidate campaigns on cleavage - Yahoo! News Boobs are the word. Obama Considers White House Run - New York Times Dems' best shot thinks about a run. Granholm For Governor: Truth Squad: Final Debate Debunking the latest lie ad from the Amway Dick Attacks Kill 44 in Iraq as Ramadan Ends - AOL News Good News from Iraq...oh wait nevermind

Rare Saturday night update: Amway Dick quotes

from:http://devosisadick.blogspot.com/2006/10/more-quotes-from-dick-devos.html Here's what the Dick has been saying around town in the last few weeks:"I think we all pray that [Roe v. Wade] will be [overturned]." -during an interview with Al Kresta on Ave Maria Radio. hear that ladies, this billion dollar clown wants to control your body. "I don't have a clue what he's talking about . . . ." -referring to Carl Levin, Michigan Rep. to U.S. House of Reps Dick don't have a clue about most things going on "I believe in public education. The people will not see a stronger advocate for public education than me."-during the debate, after DeVos resigned from both the State Board of Education and the Grand Valley State Board of Control Yeah, nevermind that whole voucher thing he and his wife supported. "The best way to get health care is to get a job." -during the debate, while ignoring the million peoplewho have jobs but don't have health care insurance That's the Amway Dick health care plan, if you got a sick kid you better find a job before little Timmy kicks the bucket

Amway Dick's robocalls pissing off voters!!

Calls bashing governor infuriate Calls bashing governor infuriate DeVos (R- liar)camp says it's not involved October 20, 2006 BY DAWSON BELL FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER Some Michiganders were angry Thursday about recorded phone messages slamming Gov. Jennifer Granholm. One, which appears to have been mostly received on Wednesday, used slightly vulgar language and triggered dozens of angry follow-up phone calls to the campaign of Granholm's challenger, Dick DeVos, and the Michigan Republican Party. Both said they had nothing to do with it and don't know who did. The offending recording is of a woman's voice criticizing Granholm for "empty promises" and ends with the woman exclaiming, "Frankly, I'm pissed." The message closes with: "This message is brought to you by Michigan Working Families." Mike Essenmacher of Walled Lake said the message, along with six other political robocalls, was on his home phone when he and his wife returned after three days away. "I was very annoyed by the whole thing. That kind of language is inexcusable," he said. Essenmacher said his wife spent several hours on the phone Thursday trying to track down the culprit but has been unsuccessful so far. DeVos spokesman John Truscott said the campaign has distributed automated recordings of DeVos family members, Lt. Gov. candidate Ruth Johnson and Lee Iacocca in recent days. But all are readily recognized as DeVos-sponsored messages, he said. Truscott said there is no reason for the campaign to send out phone messages that will annoy voters. GOP spokeswoman Sarah Anderson, who said party headquarters got about 100 complaints in the last two days about the calls, said the party was not involved. It was not immediately clear whether Michigan Working Families is a real entity. The Michigan AFL-CIO has used the phrase in some of its promotions, but AFL President Mark Gaffney said Thursday "it's stupid to think we're going to attack Granholm" and said he was preparing to file a lawsuit against Republicans, who he believes are behind the campaign

Bush visit George Macca Allen and Don choke out a mistress Sherwood

Bush campaigns for Pa., Va. candidates - Yahoo! News Bush campaigns for Pa., Va. candidates By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 54 minutes ago In an unusual day of campaigning, President Bush swooped into two races once safe for Republicans but turned perilous by one candidate's affair with a much-younger woman and by accusations of racial insensitivity against the other. Bush's appearances on Thursday, for Rep. Don Sherwood (news, bio, voting record) in Pennsylvania and for Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) in Richmond, Va., found the White House on the defensive over the decision to help candidates in such plights. "I think the president understands that it's important to set high standards," said spokesman Tony Snow when asked about the situation. Bush tried to keep the focus on his contentions that Democrats would go soft on the war on terror and would raise taxes if handed control of Congress in the November elections. The pictures of the day from Pennsylvania were of Bush descending the steps of Air Force One followed by Sherwood, his wife, Carol, and one of their daughters, and the foursome's appearance later at a local farmer's ice cream store. Sherwood has held one of the safest seats in Congress, his conservatism playing well in his heavily Republican, rural district in northeastern Pennsylvania. Democrats didn't even bother fielding a candidate in the past two elections. But last year, Sherwood admitted to a five-year extramarital affair with a woman 35 years his junior. He settled a lawsuit that claimed he had choked her — he has denied he abused her — and has aired a campaign commercial asking constituents to forgive his infidelity — and re-elect him. Helping to raise more than $300,000 for Sherwood at Keystone College, Bush only obliquely addressed the controversy. He praised Sherwood as "the right man to represent" his district, because of policy positions ranging from taxes to Iraq to highway money. Bush then offered effusive admiration for Sherwood's wife, Carol, who sat beaming beside her husband on the dais behind the president after mostly staying out of view during the campaign. Bush called her a "caring and courageous woman" because of a letter she wrote to constituents over the weekend. In that letter, she denounced Sherwood's opponent, Democrat Chris Carney, for airing campaign ads about the affair and the abuse that Sherwood has denied. "I was deeply moved by her words," Bush said. The president's main message at the event was that the Iraq war is part of the broader anti-terrorism effort. He warned ominously that Democratic control of Congress would result in a chairman of the House tax-writing committee who would cut off funding for troops in Iraq and a speaker, referring to now-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who voted against a string of bills: renewing the Patriot Act, creating a Department of Homeland Security, waging the Iraq war and authorizing a warrantless wiretapping program. "Given the record of Democrats on our nation's security, I understand why they want to change the subject," Bush said. Responded Pelosi spokeswoman Jennifer Crider: "Clearly, the president is getting desperate to keep his rubber-stamp Republican Congress if all he can do is try to scare the American people with false claims." Later, at the fundraiser for Allen, Bush was switching to the other pillar of his campaign-trail speeches: that a Democratic-controlled Congress would preside over an economically damaging increase in taxes on American families and businesses. Sherwood and Allen are two of the GOP's more-endangered candidates as the parties head into midterm elections less than three weeks away that could strip Republicans of their majority in one or both houses of Congress. Allen, once considered a potential candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, is in a tightening Senate re-election race with Democrat Jim Webb. Allen has spent weeks rebutting charges of racism and religious insensitivity. Webb is gaining ground on the incumbent's financial advantage and drawing help from national Democrats, and a recent poll showed the race virtually tied. On Thursday, former President Clinton was also in Virginia, raising money for Webb at the home of former Sen. Charles Robb. Last week, White House press secretary Snow was in the position of defending Sherwood as a sinner who, like everyone else, is in need of forgiveness and Allen as "not a bigot." On Thursday, Snow said the president had not changed his mind on either of those points — though he declined to repeat them — and insisted there was no downside to campaigning for the two troubled Republicans.

Needed a reason to vote Democrat

"I plan to continue this [bloody, unnecessary quagmire] for two more years, but I need a Republican majority in Congress to continue..." -- Bush, source Bartcop.com

Around the country in 30 seconds...

AG: Voter warning linked to GOP campaign - Yahoo! News CA GOP to Hispanics vote or go to jail GOP uneasy about Idaho House race - Yahoo! News Damn things are so bad for the GOP they're even feeling worry about Idaho. Poll: Tester widens lead against Burns - Yahoo! News More good news for the Democrats. Clinton Reflects on His 2 Terms and Hits Hard at Republicans - New York Times Big dog takes bite out of the Republicans while reminding people what prosperity look like. Lieberman’s Iraq Stance Draws Fire in Debate - New York Times Joe LIEberman is getting some heat for his support for Iraq that can help Ned Lamont in the long run. Poster note: I got this idea from Zach over the blog POHLITICS outside it's America: links to save space for important local stuff and some really important national stuff.

Kathy doing some single state recession debunking

STONE SOUP MUSINGS: I'm Not Buying What DeVos is Selling Here's a great post from Kathy in which she's breaks down the single state recession the Amway Dick, The Michigan GOP and his allies in the Detroit "News" like to tell us we're in.

Soap is soap

Press Release If it Looks like Soap, Smells like Soap, its SOAP DeVos’ Amway move to Bermuda was for no other reason than to avoid taxes LANSING- Today Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) Chair Mark Brewer refuted claims by GOP gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos that he incorporated Amway’s Asian operations in Bermuda for no other reason than to avoid paying U.S. taxes. The DeVos campaign conceded yesterday that the Amway subsidiary moved to Bermuda, but in MIRS the campaign claimed it was “because it was a better place to do business.” An Amway/Alticor spokesman claimed the company moved there because it was more “stable.” But Amway never actually did any of their business in Bermuda. In fact, Michigan Law defines Bermuda as a country that is a “tax haven country.” Over the past two years the Michigan Republican Legislature has passed at least four different Michigan laws that define Bermuda as a “tax haven country” in two different ways: As used in this section, “tax haven country” includes a country with tax laws that facilitate avoidance by a corporation or an affiliate of the corporation of United States tax obligations, including Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Principality of Monaco, and the Republic of the Seychelles. [2005 PA 215 (SB 533)] [2005 PA 225 (HB 5047)] “Tax haven country” means each of the following: Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Principality of Monaco, and the Republic of the Seychelles. [2004 PA 327 (HB 5517)] [2005 PA 146 (SB 272) “The soap salesman is at it again using his ‘political license’ to pretend he moved Amway’s subsidiary to Bermuda for no other reason than to avoid taxes,” said Brewer. “Amway did not have any factory workers in Bermuda and their corporate headquarters were never there. Basically Amway had only a mailbox in Bermuda, but they say the reason they were a Bermudan company was not to avoid paying U.S. taxes?” According to a 1993 PR Newswire press release, Amway moved Bermuda in company name only and was still headquartered in Hong Kong. “Amway Corporation announced today the initial public offering of Common Stock of Amway Asia Pacific Ltd. (NYSE: AAP), a newly created Bermuda company headquartered in Hong Kong, which will be the exclusive distribution vehicle for Amway Corporation in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong.” (PR Newswire, December 12, 1993) The headquarters never moved from Hong Kong to Bermuda, according to press reports and SEC filings.

Big Dog tells Dems to fight back

Clinton urges Dems to question criticism - Yahoo! News Clinton urges Dems to question criticism By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 47 minutes ago Former President Clinton bemoaned ideologues who describe opponents as "running for office on his or her way to hell" and urged Democrats not to shy from fighting back. Clinton, criticizing Republicans weeks before the midterm elections, told an audience at Georgetown University on Wednesday that intellectual debate should trump partisan rancor and either-or choices are false. "Most of us long for politics where we have genuine arguments, vigorous disagreements but we don't claim to have the whole truth and we don't demonize our opponents and we work for what's best for the American people," he said. Clinton, whose wife Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., is eyeing a 2008 White House run, spoke at his alma mater to mark the 15th anniversary of his series of speeches there as a then-fledgling presidential candidate. The former president gave notice that Democrats would not be passive victims of attacks. "This is a contact sport, politics," he said. "You can't complain about being attacked. It's like Yao Ming complaining about being fouled playing basketball." Clinton said he doesn't see Democrats shying from the debate. "It's not that we want a bland, mushy, meaningless politics," he said. "We like our debate. ... We understand that campaigns will be heated and only one side can win. But we want it to be connected somehow to real lives and real people, to aspirations of ordinary Americans to the future of our children and our grandchildren." Recently, the former president engaged in a testy exchange with Fox News over his administration's record on terrorism. During remarks that were framed as a discussion of the common good, Clinton decried personal attacks against candidates for perceived lack of faith. "It's not about who represents the religious truth and who is basically running for office on his or her way to hell," Clinton said. Clinton also argued that the GOP has allowed its conservative element to drown out moderate voices. "The ideological, right-wing element of the Republican Party has been building strength, partly in reaction to things that happened 40 years ago — Barry Goldwater's defeat, the excess of the '60s, Ronald Reagan's election" he said. "But this is the first time on a consistent basis, the most conservative, the most ideological wing of the Republican Party has had both the executive and legislative branches with a very distinct governing philosophy and very distinct political philosophy." He said the United States' effort to develop new weapons and cut taxes undercut the moral arguments. "They favor unilateralism whenever possible and cooperation when it is inevitable," Clinton said without specifically mentioning members of the Bush administration. "The problem with ideology is, if you've got an ideology, you've already got your mind made up. You know all the answers and that makes evidence irrelevant and arguments a waste of time. You tend to govern by assertion and attacks." In response, Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said, "It's not surprising to hear these attacks from a man widely recognized for repeatedly playing the blame game to cover his own mistakes."

Stop DeVos Commercial #2
Cool online ad taking on the Amway Dick.

My take: Amway Dick and the GOP ads

I've grown tired of these ads cut by the Amway Dick and the even corrupted Republican governors association, an WWE event has more reality than any of these ads have. And for the Republican governors association making ads attacking Granholm when a Republican governor in Ohio is a current convicted felon and under his leadership Ohio saw the most job lost yet these losers have the nerve cutting ads attacking Granholm. As for the Amway Dick ad where can you begin than stating the obvious they don't have any facts, Dick DeVos has spent 4 months on this platform of jobs and how it's Granholm fault there leaving in reality Dick DeVos and his corporate buddies in Michigan support economic policies that gave tax cuts to companies that ship out Michigan jobs in favor of cheap labor that will increase their size of their wallets. To put it in terms that even DeVos backers will understand Amway Dick is blaming Granholm for something he and his friends have done i.e. taking advantages of policies that allow them to make more money at the expense of the average Michigan worker. But what the insulting part of these ads are how lame they are one with the latest one with this blonde bugged eye jackass whining about how she's going to keep her home hey if you're truly worry about your home or your friends moving you better not vote for DeVos and the latest one cut by the Amway Dick himself with these bimbos on the streets once again spewing the single state recession myth and claiming we need a change yet they don't go into why we need a change. Finally his "endorsements" getting three of the nastiest right wing rags to back you up isn't an endorsement.

MDP Ad: DeVos does Bermuda Another good ad from the MDP brings up what Guv Jen mention in the last debate. Thanks to for my amusement only... for putting it up on You Tube..

Teen girl going to Gitmo??

Teen questioned for online Bush threats - USATODAY.com Teen questioned for online Bush threatsPosted 10/16/2006 8:59 AM ET By Don Thompson, The Associated Press SACRAMENTO — Upset by the war in Iraq, Julia Wilson vented her frustrations with President Bush last spring on her Web page on MySpace.com. She posted a picture of the president, scrawled "Kill Bush" across the top and drew a dagger stabbing his outstretched hand. She later replaced her page on the social-networking site after learning in her eighth-grade history class that such threats are a federal offense. It was too late. Federal authorities had found the page and placed Wilson on their checklist. They finally reached her this week in her molecular biology class. The 14-year-old freshman was taken out of class Wednesday and questioned for about 15 minutes by two Secret Service agents. The incident has upset her parents, who said the agents should have included them when they questioned their daughter. On Friday, the teenager said the agents' questioning led her to tears. "I wasn't dangerous. I mean, look at what's (stenciled) on my backpack — it's a heart. I'm a very peace-loving person," said Wilson, an honor student who describes herself as politically passionate. "I'm against the war in Iraq. I'm not going to kill the president." Her mother, Kirstie Wilson, said two agents showed up at the family's home Wednesday afternoon, questioned her and promised to return once her daughter was home from school. After they left, Kirstie Wilson sent a text message to her daughter's cellphone, telling her to come straight home: "There are two men from the secret service that want to talk with you. Apparently you made some death threats against president bush." "Are you serious!?!? omg. Am I in a lot of trouble?" her daughter responded. Moments later, Kirstie Wilson received another text message from her daughter saying agents had pulled her out of class. Julia Wilson said the agents threatened her by saying she could be sent to juvenile hall for making the threat. "They yelled at me a lot," she said. "They were unnecessarily mean." Spokesmen for the Secret Service in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., said they could not comment on the case. Wilson and her parents said the agents were justified in questioning her over her MySpace.com posting. But they said they believe agents went too far by not waiting until she was out of school. They also said the agents should have more quickly figured out they weren't dealing with a real danger. Ultimately, the agents told the teen they would delete her investigation file. Assistant Principal Paul Belluomini said the agents gave him the impression the girl's mother knew they were planning to question her daughter at school. There is no legal requirement that parents be notified. "This has been an ongoing problem," said Ann Brick, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in San Francisco. Former Govs. Pete Wilson and Gray Davis vetoed bills that would have required that parents give consent or be present when their children are questioned at school by law enforcement officers. A similar bill this year cleared the state Senate but died in the Assembly. Julia Wilson plans to post a new MySpace.com page, this one devoted to organizing other students to protest the Iraq war. "I decided today I think I will because it (the questioning) went too far," she said. Ann Coulter can say whatever he likes and nothing happens to him, this girl made a mistake out of anger and the sercet service question her like she's part of a terror cell.

Does this make me look smart?

pic from Michigan Liberal :: Debate #3 coverage - first wave I caught some of the debate and notice the Amway Dick was sporting a pair of glasses odd he didn't wear them in his past ads, he didn't wear them in any tv interviews and he didn't wear them in any of the past two debates so why now Dick? Was it because you got your butt handed to you in two debates and you came across as a rumbling boob, So your handlers in a last ditch effort to sell rat poison as cupcakes to voters of the state they slap on some dollar store glasses on your mug to make you look smart. Just wondering

Clinton:GOP policies will alienate GOP voters

Clinton Says G.O.P. Policies Will Alienate G.O.P. Voters - New York Times Clinton Says G.O.P. Policies Will Alienate G.O.P. Voters By PATRICK HEALY and JONATHAN P. HICKS Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton asserted yesterday that the Bush administration’s failings in foreign and domestic policy were so great that Republican and independent voters would help Democrats win control of Congress in the Nov. 7 elections. At an appearance in Manhattan, Mrs. Clinton also endorsed the Democratic candidate for attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo, and took a jab at his opponent — and her own onetime rival — Jeanine F. Pirro(R- Can't remember her lines) Mr. Cuomo and Ms. Pirro continued battling in the intermission between their debates Sunday and today. Mrs. Clinton, speaking to several hundred women at the fall lunch of the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee at a Midtown hotel, said that Republicans and independents have been steadily telling her that they want to support Democrats because of what she called the “extremist right-wing” tilt of the party. “They didn’t sign up for an Iraq war that has been beset by strategic blunders and mistake after mistake,” Mrs. Clinton said. “They didn’t sign up for the Taliban and Al Qaeda resurging in Afghanistan.” She also said that the Bush administration had stumbled in dealing with Iran and in preventing nuclear proliferation in North Korea. She drew a standing ovation when she said that a Democratic takeover of Congress would help ensure that “the president and the vice president are not above the law, where we hold them to a standard that we expect the rest of the world to follow and set an example.” In recent weeks, former President Bill Clinton, too, has been offering similar talking points to Democrats about Iraq and foreign policy, and encouraging the sort of confident and rousing campaign performances that Mrs. Clinton turned in yesterday. During a campaign visit to Iowa on Saturday, Mr. Clinton also said that the Republican Party had moved away from its roots by embracing an “extreme” and “right-wing” agenda. But Mrs. Clinton’s Republican challenger, John Spencer(R-Going to lose badly), the former mayor of Yonkers, said yesterday that her remarks were hypocritical and offensive. “Hillary Clinton and her husband have a nasty habit of rewriting history,” Mr. Spencer said. “They must be held accountable for the rise of the Taliban, the spread of Islamic fascism, and the specter of nuclear arms in North Korea.” In her speech, she contended that Democrats were gaining ground in “every single” tight race for the United States Senate. Widely seen as a possible candidate for president in 2008, Mrs. Clinton also described the stakes on Nov. 7 as “nothing short of whether or not we take back our country, whether we have in Washington again people who will put principle ahead of party.” Before the luncheon, Mrs. Clinton appeared with Mr. Cuomo at a mini-rally with abortion rights leaders, who used the opportunity to assail Ms. Pirro for opposing a procedure that its opponents call partial-birth abortion, a shift from her earlier position. They called that shift a betrayal of the abortion rights movement; Mrs. Clinton, who faced a challenge last year by Ms. Pirro in the Senate race, nodded approvingly. Speaking to reporters, Mrs. Clinton characterized Ms. Pirro’s performance in the Sunday debate with Mr. Cuomo as “a pretty steady drumbeat of attacks.” She also gave Mr. Cuomo high marks for his poise in the debate. “I was very impressed with how cool Andrew was, how focused he was on the issues, how he didn’t get diverted, he didn’t take the bait, he didn’t respond,” said Mrs. Clinton, who added that she still needed to “get organized” for her own debates against Mr. Spencer this weekend. A new Siena New York Poll yesterday indicated that the race for attorney general had tightened somewhat, though Mr. Cuomo still maintained a double-digit lead. Ms. Pirro said she was not surprised by the poll. “Yes, it shows we are moving up,” she said. “It’s a reflection of the fact that New Yorkers are now paying attention to this race. This is the most competitive race in the state. And we’re going to win this election.” She repeated her call for Mr. Cuomo to agree to more debates before the election, saying that two face-to-face meetings were insufficient. “I want Andrew Cuomo to debate me throughout this state,” she said. “Two debates are not enough. But I don’t blame him. He doesn’t have the experience or the qualifications to go toe-to-toe with me.” Ms. Pirro also told reporters yesterday that she had not read an article in this week’s New York magazine that focused on troubles in her marriage and included critical remarks by her husband, Albert J. Pirro Jr. “Never read it,” she said, responding to a reporter’s question after her endorsement by the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 9 in Manhattan. “I’ve been busy campaigning, you know.” Separately yesterday, State Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi, a Democrat running for re-election, made a rare public appearance after weeks of criticism over his misuse of a state worker to chauffeur his wife. He spoke to students at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., about corporate corruption, focusing on the misdeeds of Enron and WorldCom executives. His aides did not notify reporters about the speech or announce it, even though it was open to the public. According to a reporter with The Cornell Daily Sun who listened to the speech, Mr. Hevesi did not talk directly about his own political problems. But the reporter, David Wittenberg, said that after the speech, Mr. Hevesi told him, “All you know is what’s been said in a newspaper.” According to Mr. Wittenberg, Mr. Hevesi then added, “Don’t believe everything you hear.” It seems Mr.Spencer is having trouble with reality here, North Korea didn't have any nuclear bombs under Clinton's term they got and tested one under the smirking monkey watch. As for the Tailban Mr. Spencer you do know that they visited GW in Texas and thanks to his piss poor planning in Afganstan the Tailban are coming back into power. For any lame Republican trying to pin Bush's failures on Clinton shows how scare they are about the up coming election.

Weldon(R-numbnut) daughter house raided by the FBI

FBI raids home of Weldon's daughter - Yahoo! News FBI raids home of Weldon's daughter By MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press WriterTue Oct 17, 4:13 AM ET Three weeks before Election Day, an FBI corruption probe involving Republican Rep. Curt Weldon (news, bio, voting record) intensified as agents raided the homes of his daughter and a close friend. The FBI swept in Monday and searched six sites in the Philadelphia area and Jacksonville, Fla., including Karen Weldon's lobbying firm and one of its clients, a Russian energy company, FBI spokeswoman Debbie Weierman said. The congressman's home and offices were not searched, she said. "I have not done anything wrong and my daughter hasn't either," Weldon said at a news conference late Monday afternoon. "I would absolutely never use my position to help anyone in an unusual way." Federal investigators are looking into whether Weldon used his influence to help Solutions North America secure lobbying contracts worth $1 million from foreign clients, two people familiar with the inquiry have told The Associated Press. The company is run by Karen Weldon and Charles P. Sexton Jr., whose home was searched by the FBI. Sexton is a close friend and adviser to the lawmaker. Weldon called the timing of the raids suspect. The 10-term congressman from the Philadelphia suburbs, who is vice chairman of the House Armed Services committee, is locked in a tight race with Democrat Joe Sestak, a retired Navy vice admiral. "What I find ironic, if there is an investigation, is that no one would tell me until three weeks before the election," Weldon said. "This incident was 2 1/2 years ago." Karen Weldon, 32, previously worked for Boeing Co., which has a helicopter plant just outside Weldon's district. Her attorney, Joseph Fioravanti, did not return a telephone message on Monday. Sexton did not return a message left Monday at his home. The FBI also searched two Jacksonville-area properties of Itera International Energy Corp., including its headquarters, Weierman said. The Russian natural gas firm was paying Solutions $500,000 a year for public-relations help, according to a 2004 Los Angeles Times article. Around the same time, Weldon gathered 30 colleagues for a dinner in Washington honoring Itera's chairman, the newspaper reported.

Who's your Democrat??

3 weeks left before the election time for the Demo roll call Granholm: http://www.granholmforgov.com/site/PageServer?pagename=blog Stabenow: http://www.stabenowforsenate.com/blog Williams: http://amoswilliams4ag.com/wordpress/ Congressional - Kotos (CD02): http://kotosforcongress.blogspot.com/ Rinck (CD03): http://www.jimrinck.com/jimsblog/jimsblog.htm Duplicitous Dave (CD04): http://therealdavecamp.blogspot.com/ Clark (CD06): http://www.kimclarkforcongress.com/site/author/kim/ Walberg Watch (CD07): http://walbergwatch.blogspot.com/ Marcinkowski (CD08): http://www.vote-jim.com/blog/ Skinner (CD09): http://nskinnerforcongress.blogspot.com/ Vote No on JOE (CD09): http://votenoonjoe.blogspot.com/ Trupiano (CD11): http://www.tony4congress2006.com/blogs/ Conyers (CD14): http://www.conyersblog.us/ State Sen - Anderson (SD22): http://donnaforsenate.blogspot.com/ Abbasse (SD28): http://www.abbasse.org/blog.asp LaGrand (SD29): http://www.davidlagrand.com/news/ Schippers (SD35): http://www.electschippers.com/blog.html State House - Jarrell (38): http://takebackthehouse.blogspot.com/ Warren (53): http://rebekahwarren.wordpress.com/ Haley (62): http://lynne-haley.blogspot.com/ McGonegal (66): http://mcgonegalforthe66th.blogspot.com/ Kauffman (74): http://www.stevenkauffman74thhouse.com/Blog.htm Ford (85): http://judyford.blogspot.com/ Scripps (101): http://danscripps.com/blog

Granholm broke down the race in two minutes

I'm going to put Granholm performance in sports terms Granholm was the Detroit Tigers, Amway Dick was the Oakland A's, Granholm was the 2004 Detroit Pistons and Amway Dick was the 2004 L.A. Lakers... You get my point Granholm basically undress, slap around the Amway lad and sent him home whining to daddy for three debates in a row not she won one and he took the other she pounded him for all three. And despite starting the ad war early and spending millions of dollars in ads for tv, radio and even the AOL ad screen when you look at someone buddy info or opening an email Granholm has either taken the lead or expanding her lead in the polls. In the final two minutes of the debate she sum up why I will vote for her in three weeks from:LJ's Blogorific: Progressive Political Online Magazine, News, Rants, and Political Analysis LJ has Granholm closing statement. "I'm somebody who has fought for you - for all citizens - and he is somebody who has stood on the other side of the things that I have fought for. I fought to create jobs here and diversify our economy in Michigan. He's eliminated 1,400 jobs in Michigan when he was CEO of Amway. I fought the policies of outsourcing and unfair trade of George Bush. He's George Bush's...one of their biggest backers and has supported those unfair trade policies that have hurt us. I went to Asia to bring home 22 companies, 1,000 jobs and $200 million in investment. He went to Asia, and invested $200 million to create thousands of jobs there. I'm somebody who strongly believes that a woman should have the right to choose. My opponent strongly believes that that right should be - that she would be criminalized - a criminal - if she chose that right even in the case of rape or incest. I support embryonic stem cell research. He opposes it. I support public education. He led the voucher movement to take money away from public education. I'm somebody who believes in health care for all. His health care plan is "get a job." I'm somebody who believes...I will not gut public safety in order to fund business tax cuts. He incorporated his subsidiaries in Bermuda to avoid paying U.S. taxes. There are vast differences, but I'm going to fight for YOU and for opportunity for all. We may not all have gotten here on the same boat, but we're in rocky seas...and we're all in the same boat now.My opponent is an expert yachtsman. And, I believe that his philosophy - is each man for himself. But I am the captain of this ship of state...and I will bring us ALL into port. My philosophy is "all hands on deck." I ask for your vote on November 7.