Political Candidates

[John Simkin]

Interesting new website:

http://www.oppodepot.com/

[Guest David Guyatt]

I was a little peeved about Hilary Clinton because no dirt was dugged (sic) on the rumour that was doing the rounds by the republicans during Whitewater times --- that she was a dirty Lesbian lover (if anybody has pictures please send them asap!).

But, it's a brilliant idea and can we please have a similar website for the United Kingdom pols?

David

[Len Colby]

I wonder if it is secretly supported by the backers of one of the candidates and they intentionally dig up less dirt on him or her.

David you can submit 'tips' about the candidates

[Nathaniel Heidenheimer]

I found this site today on Campaign Finance of the 08 candidates. I especially like how it breaks down by industry and size of donations as a % of total.

Quite revealing, fast.

This site seems quite interesting. A good way of getting a quick look at what sectors of the economy are buying what sectors of the politicins-- and how they check the odds with thier second favorite!

http://opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp?cycle=2008

Wow look at the really huge industry leads held by

a) Guiliani from Gambling

and

Dodd from tabaccy.

Not that these are the most significant , but they sure do stand out. Also notworthy is how much $ Dodd is getting, even though he is not considered a real candidate. This is an indirect Senate slush fund from the financial sector in Connecticut. He will, of course be an important faucet in the plumbing as chairman of important Committees. Well, maybe he's still not as bad as pop, but in today's political context he does'nt need to be.

http://opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp?Ind=N07

Now this chart is intersting to me. Look at the miniscule percentage of Hillary's contributions under 200$. She certainly stands out among the democrats in this way.

The only thing thats nominating Hillary, if it happens, is Big Money and Corporate Media. The Clinton Astroturf roots melted a long time ago!

http://opensecrets.org/pres08/donordems.as...=A&sortby=S

[Michael Hogan]

I found this site today on Campaign Finance of the 08 candidates. I especially like how it breaks down by industry and size of donations as a % of total.

Quite revealing, fast.

This site seems quite interesting. A good way of getting a quick look at what sectors of the economy are buying what sectors of the politicians-- and how they check the odds with their second favorite!

http://opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp?cycle=2008

I think fundraising is a major factor in the early entry into the race by so many candidates. Extensive media coverage of the electoral process has begun much earlier than ever before for an upcoming Presidential election that is still more than a year away.

[Steve Ulman]

I found this site today on Campaign Finance of the 08 candidates. I especially like how it breaks down by industry and size of donations as a % of total.

Quite revealing, fast.

This site seems quite interesting. A good way of getting a quick look at what sectors of the economy are buying what sectors of the politicins-- and how they check the odds with thier second favorite!

http://opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp?cycle=2008

Wow look at the really huge industry leads held by

a) Guiliani from Gambling

and

Dodd from tabaccy.

Not that these are the most significant , but they sure do stand out. Also notworthy is how much $ Dodd is getting, even though he is not considered a real candidate. This is an indirect Senate slush fund from the financial sector in Connecticut. He will, of course be an important faucet in the plumbing as chairman of important Committees. Well, maybe he's still not as bad as pop, but in today's political context he does'nt need to be.

http://opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp?Ind=N07

Now this chart is intersting to me. Look at the miniscule percentage of Hillary's contributions under 200$. She certainly stands out among the democrats in this way.

The only thing thats nominating Hillary, if it happens, is Big Money and Corporate Media. The Clinton Astroturf roots melted a long time ago!

http://opensecrets.org/pres08/donordems.as...=A&sortby=S

Great site Nathaniel.

While I've head of "The Center for Responsive Politics", I've never spent the time to visit their site before. I think I'll be spending alot of thme there in '08.

Beyond just the section you pointed out, this site will be a great resource into the various 501c's and 527's that are bound to crop up next year. (at least it has a very comprehensive listing from 2004) I tend to find these little organizations more interesting because they can have more of a direct effect on the issues than the candidates.

[Kathleen Collins]

This is how I think it will break down. It's going to be Hillary vs. Guiliani. McCain looks exhausted already and on the news they said he's just about gone through his campaign money.

Obama seems very popular, and to what I've seen on TV, greatly so among white voters. He draws crowds. This man was brought up in the Black Muslim religion and claims now to be of another religion. If he gets anywhere near Hillary Clinton's percentages, he will be killed, imo. No way is he going to be a Vice President or President. No way. Will it be a small plane crash? Will someone shoot him? Will he drown? Will he suddenly decide to commit suicide? I would not want to be on a plane with this guy.

Who will win -- Hillary or Guiliani? Since we've had a Republican Administration in the past 7 years and it's been awful, I doubt voters will vote for Republican Guiliani, on that basis. I think we will have our first woman President.

And I hope there are no spoilers, taking votes away from the Democrats. I think Hillary has worked hard for this.

Who would I like to be the President? A younger Gore Vidal: and there's my politics.

Kathy

[Michael Hogan]

Obama seems very popular, and to what I've seen on TV, greatly so among white voters. He draws crowds. This man was brought up in the Black Muslim religion and claims now to be of another religion....

Kathleen, what leads you to believe that Obama was brought up in the Black Muslim religion?

[Nathaniel Heidenheimer]

Got to disagree Kathleen. I really don't think Obama threatens the ruling class at all. I see his candidacy as pure ploy.

[Len Colby]

Obama seems very popular, and to what I've seen on TV, greatly so among white voters. He draws crowds. This man was brought up in the Black Muslim religion and claims now to be of another religion....

Kathleen, what leads you to believe that Obama was brought up in the Black Muslim religion?

I gotta agree with Michael and Nathaniel

I see Obama as more hype than anything else, his skin color asside he is a slick pol just like most of the others. The only candidate who is really any different from the others, Dennis Kucinich, has just about a zero chance of getting the nomination. The PTB might actually pray for that to happen because middle America ain't ready for him and a GOP victory would be all but guaranteed.

As for Obama being raised a "Black Muslim" I'm next to certain you're mistaken though I've read he went to a Muslim (not Black Muslim) school in Indonesia for a few years when he was quite young. His father a Kenyan was black and a Muslim but not a Black Muslim, his stepfather an Indonesian presumably wasn't a Black Muslim either.

[Kathleen Collins]

..

Kathleen, what leads you to believe that Obama was brought up in the Black Muslim religion?

http://www.insightmag.com/Media/MediaManager/Obama_2.htm

Issue Date: www.insightmag.com - Jan. 16-22, 2007, Posted On: 1/17/2007

"Hillary's team has questions about Obama's Muslim background

Sen. Barack Obama approached the media after a meeting with President Bush at the White House on Jan. 5. (AFP/File/Mannie Garcia)

Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a Madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage?

This is the question Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s camp is asking about Sen. Barack Obama.

An investigation of Mr. Obama by political opponents within the Democratic Party has discovered that Mr. Obama was raised as a Muslim by his stepfather in Indonesia. Sources close to the background check, which has not yet been released, said Mr. Obama, 45, spent at least four years in a so-called Madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia.

"He was a Muslim, but he concealed it," the source said. "His opponents within the Democrats hope this will become a major issue in the campaign."

When contacted by Insight, Mr. Obama’s press secretary said he would consult with “his boss” and call back. He did not.

Sources said the background check, conducted by researchers connected to Senator Clinton, disclosed details of Mr. Obama's Muslim past. The sources said the Clinton camp concluded the Illinois Democrat concealed his prior Muslim faith and education.

"The background investigation will provide major ammunition to his opponents," the source said. "The idea is to show Obama as deceptive."

In two best-selling autobiographies—"The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" and "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance"—Mr. Obama, born in Honolulu where his parents met, mentions but does not expand on his Muslim background, alluding only to his attendance at a "predominantly Muslim school."

The sources said the young Obama was given the name Hussein by his Muslim father, which the Illinois Democrat rarely uses in public.

His father was black and came from Kenya. Mr. Obama’s mother, the daughter of a farmer, came from Wichita, Kansas. Mr. Obama's parents divorced when he was two years old. His father returned to Kenya.

Later, Mr. Obama's mother married an Indonesian student and the family moved to Jakarta. Mr. Obama returned to Hawaii when he was 10 to live with his maternal grandparents.

The sources said the background check concerned Mr. Obama's years in Jakarta. In Indonesia, the young Obama was enrolled in a Madrassa and was raised and educated as a Muslim. Although Indonesia is regarded as a moderate Muslim state, the U.S. intelligence community has determined that today most of these schools are financed by the Saudi Arabian government and they teach a Wahhabi doctrine that denies the rights of non-Muslims.

Although the background check has not confirmed that the specific Madrassa Mr. Obama attended was espousing Wahhabism, the sources said his Democratic opponents believe this to be the case—and are seeking to prove it. The sources said the opponents are searching for evidence that Mr. Obama is still a Muslim or has ties to Islam.

Mr. Obama attends services at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago’s South Side. However, he is not known to be a regular parishioner."

And it goes on and on.

That's one item claiming Obama had a Muslim upbringing.

Kathy

[John Simkin]

Interesting political video:

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/121.html

For a complete list of Brasscheck TV:

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/71.html

[Michael Hogan]

Interesting political video:

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/121.html

Watching Michael Moore take Wolf Blitzer and CNN to task for their failures in reporting re the invasion of Iraq and his attendant anger is a welcome departure from the placid and vapid discussions that are more often the norm on American television.

As I write this, President Bush is giving a live news conference blaming the Iraqis for the problems there. He is reiterating that America will not back down. He persists in linking Iraq with Al Qaeda.

He believes that battle in Iraq "can and must be won." As always, the President is merely a speech giver, reading the words and ideas of others. But in doing so, he is the biggest mockingbird of all.

[Len Colby]

And it goes on and on.

That's one item claiming Obama had a Muslim upbringing.

An openly partisan publication citing unnamed sources. Though it could we be true it seems hardly coincidental that his mother married 2 Muslim men.

Do you understand the difference between a black person who is a Muslim and a 'Black Muslim'?

[John Simkin]

Watching Michael Moore take Wolf Blitzer and CNN to task for their failures in reporting re the invasion of Iraq and his attendant anger is a welcome departure from the placid and vapid discussions that are more often the norm on American television.

Maybe we could get Michael Moore to take on Vincent Bugliosi.