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McCain loses ground with white working class
Maybe rednecks aren't as bad as I thought. I wonder who Levi's voting for
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Fictitious Donors Found in Obama Finance Records
Last December, someone using the name "Test Person," from "Some Place, UT," made a series of contributions, the largest being $764, to Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign totaling $2,410.07.
Someone identifying himself as "Jockim Alberton," from 1581 Leroy Avenue in Wilmington, Delaware, began giving to Obama last November, contributing $10 and $25 at a time for a total of $445 through the end of February.
The only problem? There is no Leroy Avenue in Wilmington. And Jockim Alberton, who listed his employer and occupation as "Fdsa Fdsa," does not show up in a search of public records.
An analysis of campaign finance records by The New York Times this week found nearly 3,000 donations to Obama, the Democratic nominee, from more than a dozen people with apparently fictitious donor information. The contributions represent a tiny fraction of the record $450 million Obama has raised. But the questionable donations — some donors were listed simply with gibberish for their names — raise concerns about whether the Obama campaign is adequately vetting its unprecedented flood of donors.
It is unclear why someone making a political donation would want to enter a false name. Some perhaps did it for privacy reasons. Another, more ominous possibility, of course, is fraud, perhaps in order to donate beyond the maximum limits.
There is no evidence that questionable contributions amount to anything more than a small portion of Obama's fund-raising haul. The Times's analysis, conducted over a few days and looking for obvious anomalies, like names or addresses with all consonants, identified about $40,000 in suspect contributions that had not been refunded by the campaign as of its last filing with the Federal Election Commission, in September.
It appears that campaign finance records for Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee, contain far fewer obviously false names, although he has taken in about $200 million in contributions, less than half Obama's total. McCain did collect about $173,000 from donors who appear in campaign finance records with only a name and have no other identifying information. Obama collected about $314,000 from such donors.
Although campaigns have long wrestled with questionable donations, Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, said the record-setting number of new donors Obama has drawn, many of them online, presents new challenges to a compliance system that remains stuck in the past.
Krumholz pointed out, however, that it would take an extraordinary amount of coordination to pull off widespread fraud.
Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, highlighted the more than 2.5 million donors it had to wade through. "We have been aggressive about taking every available step," he said, "to make sure our contributions are appropriate, updating our systems when necessary."
But even a contributor who used the name "Jgtj Jfggjjfgj," and listed an address of "thjtrj" in "gjtjtjtjtjtjr, AP," was able to contribute $370 in a series of $10 donations in August.
A pair of donors named "Derty West" and "Derty Poiiuy," who listed "rewq, ME" as their addresses and "Qwertyyy" or "Qwerttyyu" as either their employer or occupation, contributed a combined $1,110 in July.
In some cases, campaign finance records showed refunds from the Obama campaign, presumably to donors' credit cards, even as other contributions were accepted. Obama officials said most of their vetting occurred after a donation came in.
>>More at link.
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See? No one is completely free of corruption. Last December, someone using the name "Test Person," from "Some Place, UT," made a series of contributions, the la... more -
Be careful what you vote for because you just might get it
"We are at the point of wrapping up the election season, and once again you have the liberals on one side and the conservatives on the other side. Once again, Americans have the choice of voting for a Democrat or a Repulican, and once again the notion of a viable third party option is not even entertained by the majority of the population.
After Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democrats failed to do what was demanded of them, which was to end the Iraq war and impeach the President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, one would have thought that the thought of voting Republican or Democrat would be completely unacceptable. Yet, here we are again, forced to between a Republican or a Democrat.
Since America, and the rest of the world for that matter, are locked in a left-right political box, so to speak, we are once again forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. And again, it is up to the media to decide who is the greater or the lesser of two evils. But no matter on what side of the political isle you stand, the lesser of two evils is still evil. This is why I say "be careful what you vote for-you just might get it." Don't get it? Well I'm sure you will, so just bear with me and let me explain."
Continue reading here
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/UnderTheRadarMedia/~3/41... "We are at the point of wrapping up the election season, and once again you have the liberals on one side and the conservatives o... more -
Obama-McCain dilemma puts NFL players in a state
Interesting article about the dilemma faced by a lot of professional athletes:
"As the presidential race revs up, political conversations in NFL locker rooms echo those in workplaces nationwide.
Taxes. Economy. McCain. Obama. War. Terrorism. White. Black.
And a dilemma for these high-paid athletes: principles or pocketbook?
'We're right in the middle,' said Washington Redskins veteran Philip Daniels. 'We've all got family members that are not doing so well. Democrats would help them out, but Republicans would help us out.'
The 35-year-old defensive end sat in front of his locker not far from the nation's capital and analytically explained how his political color has changed from blue to red and back to blue again. Everything about Daniels' upbringing screams Democrat. He's a black male who grew up in modest surroundings in a small Georgia town. He majored in social work in college.
Everything about his income screams Republican. He's made millions many times over in his 13 years as a professional athlete, and the thought of paying higher taxes under a Democratic administration led him to vote for President Bush in 2000 and support the president's re-election in 2004.
'I used to be a Republican,' Daniels said. 'I wanted Bush in there. The previous years I've been Republican because of what we make, but this year's a little bit different. I think this year more guys are not even thinking about the income part of it. They're just really thinking about the economy and the country. A lot of people want change'...
The clear preferences from some athletes stand in contrast to former NBA superstar Michael Jordan's unwillingness to take a stand in the 1990 North Carolina Senate race between Republican Jesse Helms and Democrat Harvey Gantt, who was bidding to become the first black southern senator since Reconstruction.
'Republicans buy sneakers, too,' Jordan famously said, though he later endorsed Bill Bradley's presidential campaign in 2000...
The discussions and mini-debates, however, always seem to come back to money. Days after Daniels expressed his feelings inside the Redskins locker room, teammate Ethan Albright held up a stamped envelope containing his absentee ballot, ready to be mailed to his home state of North Carolina. As he put the envelope in his locker, cornerback Shawn Springs called out: 'Why you like McCain?'
'I like him,' Albright replied with a nod, 'because he ain't raising taxes.'
That's a sentiment reiterated by New York Giants punter Jeff Feagles, also a McCain supporter.
'He is going to tax the wealthy, which is what we are,' said Feagles, referring to Obama. 'We are in that category. You look at those kinds of implications, and I hate using that word, it will affect us.'
Feagles' teammate, defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, couldn't disagree more.
'It's insulting to think you would vote based on how it affects you financially,' Kiwanuka said. 'I had that conversation even before I got my signing bonus. It's a matter of general policy and what you believe in and what that person stands for. ... When you look at it, I spent the majority of my life with an average upbringing to say the least, and that has shaped how I vote a lot more than the last couple of years living this lifestyle."
Full article at link... Interesting article about the dilemma faced by a lot of professional athletes: ... more -
Candidates as...
You might have noticed (or ignored) the emerging meme on the intertubez of folks using simple visual analogies to convey how they see the presidential and VP candidates' 'attributes' and 'differences'.
Here's one I found on Flickr depicting "Candidates as Telephony"
If you got one, found one or made one, upload or clip it below and we'll make a collage after afternoon snacktime/naptime! You might have noticed (or ignored) the emerging meme on the intertubez of folks using simple visual analogies to convey how they see ... more -
Why Ayers, Rezko Matter!
Raising the specter of Barack Obama’s ties with the likes of Bill Ayers is perfectly legitimate, and John McCain's only fault is that he didn't start sooner, writes Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post. These associations “provide a significant insight into character” and “are particularly relevant” for a candidate “as new, unknown, opaque, and self-contained as Obama,” he writes. But mention the links and the media bemoans “dirty campaigning tinged with racism and McCarthyite guilt by association.”
The Ayers, Tony Rezko, and Jeremiah Wright connections reveal two things about Obama. One: “his cynicism and ruthlessness.” He was willing to use unsavory characters to launch his political career. Two: while Obama doesn’t agree with Wright's or Ayers’ views, he “clearly did not consider these views beyond the pale,” Krauthammer writes. "For many years he swam easily and without protest in that fetid pond." Raising the specter of Barack Obama’s ties with the likes of Bill Ayers is perfectly legitimate, and John McCain's only fault is ... more -
Obama Got $40K From Fake People
Barack Obama received some $40,000 from obviously fictitious donors, the New York Times reports. After poring over both candidates’ records, the Times found some 3,000 donations to Obama from more than a dozen people with obviously falsified names —like “Test Person” from “Some Place, UT.” McCain had such donors as well, but far fewer than Obama.
That discrepancy could be explained by Obama’s far larger overall donor roll. The $40,000 represents only a tiny fraction of Obama’s record $450 million haul. But the donations are leading to calls for greater transparency on small donations; FEC rules don’t require itemized listing of donors who’ve given less than $200. “I think the candidates need to be clearer about the vetting systems they’re using,” said a director at the Campaign Finance Institute.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/us/politics/10donate.... Barack Obama received some $40,000 from obviously fictitious donors, the New York Times reports. After poring over both candidates’ re... more -
charles hamilton warns obama
douglas caballero and charles hamilton straight talkin' on politics. charles warns that if obama becomes president, he'll have a lot to prove. douglas caballero and charles hamilton straight talkin' on politics. charles warns that if obama becomes president, he'll ha... more
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Rednecks for Obama
Although I am a lifelong republican, I applaud these guys for breaking a steroetype.
Where I am from, South Carolina, being redneck is an honorable affliction. It means many things. It may mean one is a hardworking manual laborer, with a passion for outdoor life. It may also mean that one enjoys a simple self reliant life, with emphasis on core values. Many self proclaimed rednecks I know in my region are doctors, lawyers, educators, engineers, and all are simultaneously hunters, conservationists, part-time subsistence farmers, or philanthropists.
In many parts of the country the word 'redneck' is, more often than not, a racial epithet.
I feel the same way about the word as, I suspect, many persons of African ancestry feel about the "N word." To clarify, if the label comes from a fellow redneck, then we share a common bond. However, if it comes from someone in anger, it is the most extreme insult I could receive.
Why is that? For those who don't know, perhaps our UK brethren, many use the term 'redneck' to mean an ignorant, racist southerner who is uneducated, uncultured, and poor.
How did the term 'redneck' come into usage? Many believe the term's use came about to refer to those who worked fields of crops. Through continuous bending and stooping in these fields, one's neck became red as a result of the hot sun.
Why are the 'Rednecks for Obama' important? This group is a symbol of what I feel Obama's campaign embodies. That is, the destruction of racially motivated stereotypes.
Whether or not Obama is elected our next president, let's make 2008 known as the year the United States tore down racial stereotypes to unite for the common good. Although I am a lifelong republican, I applaud these guys for breaking a steroetype. ... more -
Obama knew what McCain was going to do
Remember in late July when Barack Obama predicted John McCain's attack strategy? Remember McCain's howls of protest in response? Well, it turns out that Obama was right about McCain's attacks. As it turns out, Obama knew McCain better than McCain knew McCain. Remember in late July when Barack Obama predicted John McCain's attack strategy? Remember McCain's howls of protest in respo... more
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Obama Criticizes McCain's Hate Rallies
McCain's campaign has taken a Hitler-esque turn
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Parties wage war over voter fraud, intimidation - msnbc.com
The fiercest shouting match of this campaign season isn’t necessarily “vote for Obama!” versus “vote for McCain!”
In some states, it is “voter fraud!” versus “voter intimidation!”
Republicans allege Democrats and their allies are trying to subvert the voter registration system, and perhaps the election itself, with an avalanche of inaccurate or fraudulent new voter registrations.
But Democrats charge Republicans are trying to deter would-be voters by discouraging registrations and by requiring voters to identify themselves, in some cases with state-issued photo identification such as a driver’s license.
In one sense, this is simply the intense political combat one would expect to see three weeks before an election, with each side using an issue to fire up its loyal supporters.
But some election officials are struggling with substantial problems as they try to avoid a fiasco on Election Day, Nov. 4.
Republicans have made a group called ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, the chief villain in the home stretch of the campaign.
Their allegation: that ACORN has been flooding election officials in states from Nevada to Connecticut with thousands of erroneous and fraudulent voter registration forms.
In Jackson County, Missouri, (which includes Kansas City) election officials said this week that fraudulent registration forms had been handed in by ACORN canvassers.
In Las Vegas, investigators from the office of Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller, a Democrat, served a search warrant Tuesday on the ACORN office, as part of an investigation into allegations of voter registration fraud. Miller’s agents seized computer hard drives and boxes of documents.
ACORN defended itself in the Nevada incident, saying its workers verify the information on new voter registration cards before turning them in to election officials.
But ACORN did acknowledge that some errors were made.
“While the vast majority of our voter registration canvassers do a great job, there have been several times over the past ten months that our Las Vegas Quality Control program has identified a canvasser who appears to have knowingly submitted a fake or duplicate application in order to pad his or her hours,” the group said in a statement.
It complained that “It was surprising that law enforcement officials appeared suddenly at our Las Vegas offices yesterday, because ACORN and its attorneys have already been proactive in providing information about problematic cards and any employee suspected of misconduct.”
President Bush won Nevada in 2004, but recent polls show Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain statistically tied in the state with his Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama.
(more at the link) The fiercest shouting match of this campaign season isn’t necessarily “vote for Obama!” versus “vote for McCain!” ... more -
Madge calls Palin B*tch
With politics in the air, Madonna disses Palin, The Foo Fighters fight McCain, and CBS says no to Obama shirt. Shows are cancelled, records are broken, and digital advances are made. All of this and more on your Weekly Fix. With politics in the air, Madonna disses Palin, The Foo Fighters fight McCain, and CBS says no to Obama shirt. Shows are cancelled, r... more
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A Bad Ad Election
Never have campaign ads added so little. Conor surveys the strikingly similar attempts to sell the American public on McCain and Obama.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at current.com/infomania. Never have campaign ads added so little. Conor surveys the strikingly similar attempts to sell the American public on McCain and Obam... more -
nobama08nobama Barack Obama Voter
From: nobama08nobama
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We've Got You Covered 10.09.08
Sarah Palin's Pores, America's Richest People, and the Battle of the Money Honeys in roundup of the week's magazines.
We've Got You Covered is a recurring segment on Current TV's weekly television show, infoMania. In each episode of We've Got You Covered, Conor Knighton catches you up on everything you need to know about what's in this week's magazines.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at current.com/infomania. Sarah Palin's Pores, America's Richest People, and the Battle of the Money Honeys in roundup of the week's magazines. ... more -
The Week in Media
Porn in space, cheating your way to prosperity, the debate in 30-seconds, Kimbo Slice’s beatdown, Putin’s judo vid, and saying goodbye to (most) drunk emails.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at current.com/infomania. Porn in space, cheating your way to prosperity, the debate in 30-seconds, Kimbo Slice’s beatdown, Putin’s judo vid, and saying goodbye... more -
Obama tried to sway Iraqis on Bush deal
At the same time the Bush administration was negotiating a still elusive agreement to keep the U.S. military in Iraq, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama tried to convince Iraqi leaders in private conversations that the president shouldn't be allowed to enact the deal without congressional approval.
Mr. Obama's conversations with the Iraqi leaders, confirmed to The Washington Times by his campaign aides, began just two weeks after he clinched the Democratic presidential nomination in June and stirred controversy over the appropriateness of a White House candidate's contacts with foreign governments while the sitting president is conducting a war.
Some of the specifics of the conversations remain the subject of dispute. Iraqi leaders purported to The Times that Mr. Obama urged Baghdad to delay an agreement with Mr. Bush until next year when a new president will be in office - a charge the Democratic campaign denies.
Mr. Obama spoke June 16 to Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari when he was in Washington, according to both the Iraqi Embassy in Washington and the Obama campaign. Both said the conversation was at Mr. Zebari's request and took place on the phone because Mr. Obama was traveling.
However, the two sides differ over what Mr. Obama said.
"In the conversation, the senator urged Iraq to delay the [memorandum of understanding] between Iraq and the United States until the new administration was in place," said Samir Sumaidaie, Iraq's ambassador to the United States.
He said Mr. Zebari replied that any such agreement would not bind a new administration. "The new administration will have a free hand to opt out," he said the foreign minister told Mr. Obama.
Mr. Sumaidaie did not participate in the call, he said, but stood next to Mr. Zebari during the conversation and was briefed by him immediately afterward.
The call was not recorded by either side, and Mr. Zebari did not respond to repeated telephone and e-mail messages requesting direct comment.
This is treasonous and he should be thrown in jail for this. At the same time the Bush administration was negotiating a still elusive agreement to keep the U.S. military in Iraq, Democratic presi... more -
Panic attacks: Voters unload at GOP rallies
The unmistakable momentum behind Barack Obama's campaign, combined with worry that John McCain is not doing enough to stop it, is ratcheting up fears and frustrations among conservatives.
And nowhere is this emotion on plainer display than at Republican rallies, where voters this week have shouted out insults at the mention of Obama, pleaded with McCain to get more aggressive with the Democrat and generally demonstrated the sort of visceral anger and unease that reflects a party on the precipice of panic.
The calendar is closing and the polls, at least right now, are not.
With McCain passing up the opportunity to level any tough personal shots in his first two debates and the very real prospect of an Obama presidency setting in, the sort of hard-core partisan activists who turn out for campaign events are venting in unusually personal terms.
"Terrorist!” one man screamed Monday at a New Mexico rally after McCain voiced the campaign’s new rhetorical staple aimed at raising doubts about the Illinois senator: “Who is the real Barack Obama?”
"He's a damn liar!” yelled a woman Wednesday in Pennsylvania. "Get him. He's bad for our country."
At both stops, there were cries of, “Nobama,” picking up on a phrase that has appeared on yard signs, T-shirts and bumper stickers.
And Thursday, at a campaign town hall in Wisconsin, one Republican brought the crowd to its feet when he used his turn at the microphone to offer a soliloquy so impassioned it made the network news and earned extended play on Rush Limbaugh’s program.
“I’m mad; I’m really mad!” the voter bellowed. “And what’s going to surprise ya, is it’s not the economy — it’s the socialists taking over our country.”
After the crowd settled down he was back at it. “When you have an Obama, Pelosi and the rest of the hooligans up there gonna run this country, we gotta have our head examined!”
Such contempt for Democrats is, of course, nothing new from conservative activists. But in 2000 and 2004, the Republican rank and file was more apt to ridicule Gore as a stiff fabulist or Kerry as an effete weather vane of a politician.
“Flip-flop, flip-flop,” went the cry at Republican rallies four years ago, often with footwear to match the chant.
Now, though, the emotion on display is unadulterated anger rather than mocking.
(more at the link) The unmistakable momentum behind Barack Obama's campaign, combined with worry that John McCain is not doing enough to stop it, is... more
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