Bring it on!

This is the most awesome picture of Kerry I've ever seen.

Which maybe isn't saying much, hehe, but I still think it's an image that could win him some votes.

Frank Rich: Will We Need a New 'All the President's Men'?

I don't know quite what to say about this article. On the one hand, it simply consists of reasons number 999 to 1009 why Bush has GOT to go. On the other hand, it's really disheartening just how effective this alternately corrupt and inept administration has been at managing/manhandling the media. And this article, once again, compares the Nixon adminstration and era to the present. I just hope that it isn't a direct correlation, you know, with Bush getting re-elected and all that work we'll have to do to remove him from office. And then there's the question of whether we even have a Woodward and Bernstein anymore.

Anyway, read it here. It's well worth your time. I promise.

Thanks, BTW, to Keene for the forward.

Bush Misleads on Tax Cuts

During Thursday's debate President Bush said that most of his tax cuts "went to low- and middle-income Americans." That statement is flatly false.

An analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that, in 2004, the top 20 percent of earners received 69.8% of the tax cuts enacted by President Bush. While the middle 20 percent of earners received an average tax cut of $647, the top 20 percent received an average tax cut of $5,055. You can read the entire report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities here.

As a result, those in the middle class are paying a greater share of the federal taxes today than they were four years ago (Source here).

Democratic Voter Registrations Destroyed in Las Vegas

A Las Vegas television station reports a voter-registration firm has been tossing out Democrats' registrations and keeping those of Republicans. The Republican National Committee admitted Wednesday that it has had a contractual agreement with the firm.

You can hear NPR's report from Michele Norris and George Knapp of KLAS TV here and see the KLAS TV reports here.

This story is truly frightening. These guys were pretty much caught by accident, so just imagine the instances that aren't being discovered.

Bush on Osama

During the final debate, Bush claimed that, contrary to John Kerry's assertion, he had never said he was "not that concerned" about Osama Bin Laden. Bush chastised Kerry saying, "Gosh, I don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. That's kind of one of those exaggerations."

Actually, it's one of those facts. During a March 13, 2002 press conference, Bush said "So I don't know where he [Osama Bin Laden] is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him...I truly am not that concerned about him."

No lie. Watch the video of Bush's remarks here.

Technical Expert: Bush was Wired

Okay, I have to admit, I'm starting to believe this story.

Buuuuuut...if Bush WAS wired during the first debate, whoever was whispering in his ear should be fired, given his astoundingly poor performance. That's the thing that makes me doubt this story. You'd think if someone was giving him answers, he'd have HAD some. :)

Six Years Ago...

THE ULTIMATE SILENCE
October 12, 1998



Listen to the mustn'ts, child.
Listen to the don'ts.
Listen to the shouldn'ts,
The impossibles, the won'ts.
Listen to the never haves,
Then listen close to me ...
Anything can happen, child.
Anything can be.

~ Shel Silverstein

Six years ago today, Matthew Shepard was murdered for being homosexual.

What will you do to end the silence?

Click here to post this on your own page or weblog

FactCheck.org: Pro-Bush Puffery on Economy, Medicare

From FactCheck.org:

New ad claims Bush inherited an economy "already in recession" and that 41 million seniors "now have access to lower cost prescriptions." Wrong on both counts.

The ad by the pro-Bush group Progress for America Voter Fund claims the economy was already in a recession when Bush took office, but the National Bureau of Economic Research (which dates business cycles) says the recession actually began in March 2001, after Bush took office in January.

The facts also get stretched when the ad claims "41 million seniors now have access to lower cost prescriptions (emphasis added)." Bush's new prescription drug benefit will cover seniors on Medicare for an extra premium of about $35 a month, but not until 2006. Even the currently available drug discount cards have been used much less than expected. Current enrollment is less than 5 million.

Read the entire report here.

Paul Krugman: Checking the Facts, in Advance

The ever-awesome Paul Krugman pre-factchecks Bush in advance of tomorrow night's debate.

My favorite part:

"By singling out Mr. Bush's lies and misrepresentations, am I saying that Mr. Kerry isn't equally at fault? Yes. Mr. Kerry sometimes uses verbal shorthand that offers nitpickers things to complain about. He talks of 1.6 million lost jobs; that's the private-sector loss, partly offset by increased government employment. But the job record is indeed awful. He talks of the $200 billion cost of the Iraq war; actual spending is only $120 billion so far. But nobody doubts that the war will cost at least another $80 billion. The point is that Mr. Kerry can, at most, be accused of using loose language; the thrust of his statements is correct."

So there.

You can read Krugman's latest op-ed piece here.

NCLB from Harper's Index

Here are some stats on No Child Left Behind from the September Harper's Index:

Number of states whose legislatures have considered requesting changes in the No Child Left Behind Act : 31

Number that have considered opting out of the Act’s requirements entirely : 6

Number of resolutions regarding the Act that have actually passed : 2

Number of prospective teachers in 19 states wrongly issued failing grades on a licensing exam since January 2003 : 4,100

John Kerry talks about fixing and funding NCLB. I say scrap it. But that's just me.

Bush's Resume

Yeah, I know. You've seen this before. But this one is very well done. It was created by a former Bush voter from 2000 who now says of Bush:

From Yale to the Champagne Unit to Harvard to Arbusto to Spectrum 7 to Harken to Texas Rangers to Governor to President, his failure was rewarded with ever-greater responsibility as the sphere of those damaged by his incompetence continued to expand. And that's how we got where we are today: the entire world is paying the piper because nobody had the guts to pull the brakes on this man's train of unearned, undeserved privilege.

Three weeks from today, dude, three weeks from today.

Thanks, BTW, to Dr. Sue Steffel for the forward.