2008 Election

Sarah Palin booed at hockey game

America's favorite hockey mom gets booed at a Philadelphia Flyers hockey game.
The arena had to raise the music volume to drown out the booing.
Look at the people behind Sarah Palin when she drops the puck. They're giving her the thumbs down and holding Obama/Biden signs. America's favorite hockey mom gets booed at a Philadelphia Flyers hockey game. ... more

Future_America

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Can Obama win in Canton, Ohio?

The Real News Network travels to Ohio and talks to people hit by economic crisis.

Stark County, Ohio is feeling the pressure of a down economy. Rising unemployment rates and financial hardships are leaving a sour taste in mouths of many voters in this crucial electoral battleground. The Real News spoke with residents of Canton, Ohio to assess the impact of the current crisis. The Real News Network travels to Ohio and talks to people hit by economic crisis. ... more

Vierotchka

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Financial crisis calls for massive investment

Bill Fletcher: We need public investment in infrastructure and a basic change in the way we live. Part 2

Immediately following the second Presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain, Senior Editor Paul Jay spoke with Bill Fletcher, Jr.. In part two of that interview, Bill discusses the sort of response he would hope to see from a new President to address the roots of the crisis.

Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a columnist, activist, author and labor organizer. He is the Executive Editor of The Black Commentator and his newest book, co-written with Fernando Gapasin, is entitled "Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path Toward Social Justice". He is the a cofounder of the Center for Labor Renewal, has served as President of TransAfrica Forum and was formerly the Education Director and later Assistant to the President of the AFL-CIO.

See Part 1 at: http://current.com/items/89386881_contempt_from_mccain_... Bill Fletcher: We need public investment in infrastructure and a basic change in the way we live. Part 2 ... more

Vierotchka

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McCain interrupted by protesters (VIDEO)

Republican presidential contender Senator John McCain held a town hall rally in Davenport, Iowa just moments ago this afternoon.

As McCain asks the crowd "Who is ready to lead," protesters holding signs that read 'No more war' with photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono began chanting "No More War," and then calls of "We want John" filled the hall.

Senator McCain's speech is completely stopped by the crowd, and it is so raucus that it's difficult to discern if there are McCain supporters trying to drown out anti-war protesters by chanting "We want John," or if the calls for John are referencing John Lennon.

Lennon's birthday was on October 9, and he would have been 68 years old this year had he not been gunned down in front of his NYC home in 1980

As the crowd finally settles, a smiling McCain says "There's a perfect example of some people that just don't get it." and continues on with his speech on bi-partisan efforts needed to confront the crisis that faces the nation. Republican presidential contender Senator John McCain held a town hall rally in Davenport, Iowa just moments ago this afternoon. ... more

pigmonkey

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Debate Pre-show 10/2

ctv

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Debate Pre-show 10/7

Kaj Larsen and Mariana van Zeller host the pre-debate show before the second presidential debate of 2008.

ctv

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Debate Pre-show 9/26

Kaj Larsen and Laura Ling host the pre-debate show before the first presidential debate of 2008.

ctv

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Russia Test - Fires Ballistic Missile to Mid - Pacific

Russia (Reuters) - Russia test-launched a strategic missile to the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean for the first time on Saturday, at a time when Moscow's growing assertiveness is fuelling tension with the West.

President Dmitry Medvedev, who watched the launch from aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, has said problems caused by global financial turmoil would not hurt Russian plans to revive its armed forces, a symbol for Moscow's resurgence.

Russia's newest missile, the Sineva, was launched by the nuclear-powered submarine Tula from an underwater position in the Arctic Barents Sea, and hit an unspecified area near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, a navy spokesman said.

"For the first time in the history of the Russian Navy the target of the missile was in an equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean rather than the Kura testing ground on the Kamchatka Peninsula," he said.

The spokesman did not specify the area where the missile landed. He said the area was closed for navigation and flights ahead of the test in accordance with international rules.

Medvedev's predecessor Vladimir Putin focused on reviving the armed forces, which were neglected for around 10 years after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Russia's strategic bombers have restarted regular patrols over the Atlantic Ocean, irking NATO, and a group of the Northern Fleet ships is on its way to the Carribean to take part in joint exercises with U.S. foe Venezuela.

Russia's commitment to modernize its armed forces has grown as its ties with the West reached their lowest point since the Cold War after Russian troops crushed Georgia's attempt to retake a pro-Moscow separatist region.

Medvedev said late last month: "Regardless of any crisis we should build new submarines, should simply deal with the modernization of the armed forces."

Russia, which saw eight years of strong economic growth under Putin, has adopted the goal of becoming one of the world's leading economies by 2020. Medvedev says the economy has enough resources to survive the global turmoil and achieve its goals.

Putin, now Russia's prime minister, has said the next year's budges will see another 30-percent growth in defense spending.

The Sineva missile, advertised by the Russia military as an element of a new generation of Russian strategic weapons capable of surpassing any missile defense system, was commissioned last year. The Russian military says the missiles of Sineva's class will be operational at least until 2030.

Medvedev's appearance with the Northern Fleet in Murmansk is his second major visit to navy installations in just two weeks and he will oversee exercises attended by 5,000 troops, eight warships and five submarines. Russia (Reuters) - Russia test-launched a strategic missile to the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean for the first time on Saturday... more

pigmonkey

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Crusader against Obama racism

Richard Trumka is the Secretary Treasurer of AFL-CIO and he has courage.

I say to all of my friends, of all skin colors, you must not tolerate racism in your space. If you want things to change, you must change. You must dig deep for the courage to say how you feel. When you hear a racist comment, or a racist fear, ask for specifics, you must speak your truth. If you do not fear a person because of their color then say that. Why should a racist comment be given more room to breathe and to grow than one that confronts it down?

I know it can be scary, but there are others like you, like us, on the front lines here. And your voice is needed. Listen to Richard Trumka and know that you are not alone in the journey to creating a better America. Richard Trumka is the Secretary Treasurer of AFL-CIO and he has courage. ... more

Apocalipstick

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This Time Will Be Different

In the crucial swing state of Nevada, young, idealistic Obama campaign workers (Natalia and Tony) try to get out the vote in Las Vegas--the most cynical city in America. In the crucial swing state of Nevada, young, idealistic Obama campaign workers (Natalia and Tony) try to get out the vote in Las Vegas... more

magpiepro

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New York absentee ballot for "Barack Osama"

Some are calling it a Freudian slip. Everyone’s calling it a big mistake.

Hundreds of absentee ballots sent to voters in New York State’s Rensselaer County, near Albany, were printed with Barack Obama’s last name spelled as “Osama," the Albany Times Union reports.

County elections officials tell the newspaper that it was a typo that made it by three rounds of proof-readers. They also said the error affected just a few hundred voters, and that they will re-send corrected ballots on request. Some are calling it a Freudian slip. Everyone’s calling it a big mistake. ... more

rvmedia

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Obama leads McCain by 11 points: Newsweek poll

Democrat Barack Obama on Friday soared 11 points ahead of Republican rival John McCain taking a double digit lead for the first time in a Newsweek poll amid deep concerns about the economy.

Obama now leads McCain nationally by 52 percent to 41 percent among registered voters compared to a Newsweek survey carried out a month ago, before the economic crisis began to bite, and which had the two candidates tied at 46 percent.

The magazine said 86 percent of the 1,212 voters polled between Wednesday and Thursday said they are dissatisfied with how things were going in the United States, with only 10 percent saying they were satisfied.

Some 48 percent said their biggest concern was the economy, and asked about which candidate would better handle a number of issues, Obama topped every category over McCain except on national security and terrorism.

"For context on just how toxic these numbers could be for the Republican party, consider that in October 2006, weeks before the Democrats swept control of both houses of Congress, only 61 percent of voters expressed dissatisfaction," Newsweek wrote.

President George W. Bush also scored record lows with only 25 percent of those polled saying they approved of the job he was doing.

That figure was "close to the historic low-approval rating of 22 percent the Gallup poll recorded for President Truman in 1952," Newsweek said, of the poll which has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Obama led McCain on the economy and jobs by 54 percent to 35 percent, on the Iraq war by 47 percent to 46 percent and on health care by 56 percent to 30 percent.

But voters still favored McCain on national security and terrorism by 50 percent to 40 percent. And he was narrrowly leading among independent voters by 45 to 43 percent.

A separate poll meanwhile by Fox News, said allegations of Obama's links to 1960s radical William Ayers which emerged this week had not changed their voting intentions.

Some 900 voters were asked: "Does Obama's connection with Ayers make you less likely to vote for him as president or does it not really make a difference to your vote?"

Some 61 percent of those asked said no, while 32 percent said they were less inclined to vote for Obama.

Overall the poll gave Obama a seven point lead nationally over McCain, with 46 percent to 39 percent. It has a margin of error of 3.0 points. Democrat Barack Obama on Friday soared 11 points ahead of Republican rival John McCain taking a double digit lead for the first time i... more

pigmonkey

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Palin abused powers!

Gov. Sarah Palin abused the powers of her office by pressuring subordinates to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired, a investigation by the Alaska Legislature has concluded.

A report on the bipartisan inquiry that was released Friday by lawmakers in Anchorage, concluded, however, that she was within her right to dismiss her public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, the trooper’s boss.

The public portion of the report concluded that Ms. Palin violated the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act by allowing pressure to be exerted to get Trooper Michael Wooten, her former brother-in-law, dismissed.

In the 263 pages that were released, the independent investigator, Stephen E. Branchflower, a former Anchorage prosecutor, said that Ms. Palin wrongfully allowed her husband, Todd, to use state resources as part of the effort to have Trooper Wooten dismissed.

The report says she knowingly “permitted Todd Palin to use the governor’s office and the resources of the governor’s office, including access to state employees, to continue to contact subordinate state employees in an effort to find some way to get Trooper Wooten fired.”

[more at link] Gov. Sarah Palin abused the powers of her office by pressuring subordinates to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired, ... more

uroborus8

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Obama and McCain run like it's 1932!

This year's election now mirrors the Roosevelt/Hoover match-up. That's good news for Obama. Hope versus fear, new versus old: Barack Obama and John McCain have placed their bets. These are the terms on which the 2008 presidential campaign will be decided.

That's why it's unfair for political bystanders to attack Obama and McCain for offering few specifics as to how they'd fix an ailing economy. And it's foolish to ask them to jettison their campaign promises in order to pay homage to the God of Balanced Budgets.

Each campaign has given voters ample notice about the inclinations, temperaments, habits, philosophical leanings and advisers they would bring to the White House. That's enough.

Piles of prescriptions would be useless because this crisis is moving so fast. New ideas could become obsolete in a few days -- or require substantial redrafting on the run, as happened with McCain's sketchy mortgage purchase plan floated during Tuesday's debate.


In this financial catastrophe, last week's unthinkable idea quickly becomes this week's imperative. The Bush administration is wisely contemplating following the lead of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in having government take ownership shares in many banks to get them more cash and allow them to lend again.

If Obama had suggested such a thing, he would have been condemned as a socialist and the administration might well have had to shelve a necessary idea. Better that the candidates acknowledge that they are powerless until after Nov. 4.


As for cutting back on their programs because the government is spending and lending so much to save the economy, the candidates should just say no to the deficit carpers.

Yes, the federal government faces a huge deficit, bloated during eight years in which many now crying out for fiscal responsibility put up little resistance when the administration started two wars and cut taxes at the same time. Where were the deficit hawks then?


The time to balance budgets is when the economy is humming. Now, the government is obligated not only to prop up the economy but also to bring back long-term growth. That will require transformative investments in infrastructure, health care, education and new green technologies.

If you think the number of Americans without health insurance is too high now, wait until this recession really kicks in. Few investments would help businesses more than offloading a share of their health care costs to the government. It's social justice with an economic kick.


In fact, if these various bailout plans work, the government should get much of its money back during an economic recovery. If they don't work, balancing the budget will be the least of our problems. The short-term costs of healing the economy should be considered apart from the rest of the budget. We should create a separate Economic Recovery Authority to handle the outflow and (we hope) inflow of cash from various bailout plans.

Obama and McCain are giving us a clear sense of who they are and how they would lead. It would seem that Obama has been studying the 1932 Great Depression campaign of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The key to Roosevelt's victory was not a big program but a jaunty sense of optimism in the midst of despair that led to his signature inaugural line -- "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Less famously, Roosevelt declared in his acceptance speech that "this is no time for fear, for reaction or for timidity." This year's election now mirrors the Roosevelt/Hoover match-up. That's good news for Obama. Hope versus fear, new versus ol... more

aswift1

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"Northern Exposure" causing birth defects: Palin's plan

"...As governor of a state with a birth-defect rate that's twice the national average, and which has the gloomy status as repository of toxic chemicals from around the world, Palin has pursued environmental policies that seem perfectly crafted to swell the ranks of special-needs kids."



There's no reason to doubt Sarah Palin's sincerity when she talks about her commitment to family and--more specifically--special-needs kids. When she introduced her son, who has Down syndrome, to the audience at the Republican convention, the family tableau drew cheers. And she issued a promise. "To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message for you," she told the crowd. "For years, you've sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters, and I pledge to you that, if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."

Unfortunately, as governor of a state with a birth-defect rate that's twice the national average, and which has the gloomy status as repository of toxic chemicals from around the world, Palin has pursued environmental policies that seem perfectly crafted to swell the ranks of special-needs kids. It's true that Alaska's top leaders have placed industry wishes over environmental protection for years. But, instead of correcting this problem, she's compounded it. Peer into her environmental record, and Palin ends up looking a lot like George W. Bush.

In the past 20 years, research has shown that exposure to some metals and to chemicals such as pesticides, flame retardants, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can cause birth defects and permanent developmental disorders both prenatally and in the first years of childhood. And Alaska is vulnerable to some of the worst environmental pollutants out there. In a state whose wealth depends on the exploitation of its natural resources, the toxic byproducts of mining and energy development, such as arsenic, mercury, and lead, are particular problems. Alaska Natives, such as the Inuit people, eat a diet that is heavy in fish, seals, and whales--animals that are high on the food chain and therefore more likely to be contaminated with high doses of PCBs and mercury. And the state is vulnerable not only to homegrown pollution, but also to industrial pollution: Trace gases and tiny airborne particles are contaminating the polar regions, carried there on atmospheric and oceanic currents, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The mess of pollutants in Alaska has clearly taken its toll. In general, the state has double the national average of birth defects. While the causes are unknown, environmentalists point to the region that includes the North Slope, an area slightly larger than Minnesota, where most of Alaska's oil is produced. The byproducts of oil production can cause serious nervous system disorders, and the North Slope and its environs, home to Alaska Natives and itinerant oil workers, has the highest prevalence of birth defects in the state--11 percent--compared with 6 percent statewide and 3 percent nationwide.


Read more at the link. "...As governor of a state with a birth-defect rate that's twice the national average, and which has the gloomy status as re... more

aswift1

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944 & Rock the Vote

I thought this was another perfect example of music pairing up with a fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine that reaches to the younger demographic to encourage voting. 944 Magazine has paired up with MTV's Rock the Vote and they feature daily blogs, news, upcoming events in a multitude of cities with featured videos & media, and of course a link encouraging individuals to register to vote. I thought this was another perfect example of music pairing up with a fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine that reaches to t... more

grabthesehips

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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

Future_America

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McCain Endorsement Retracted: "He is not the McCain I endorsed,"

He endorsed John McCain in the presidential primary, but now former Republican Gov. William Milliken is expressing doubts about his party's nominee.

"He is not the McCain I endorsed," said Milliken, reached at his Traverse City home Thursday. "He keeps saying, 'Who is Barack Obama?' I would ask the question, 'Who is John McCain?' because his campaign has become rather disappointing to me.

"I'm disappointed in the tenor and the personal attacks on the part of the McCain campaign, when he ought to be talking about the issues."

Milliken, a lifelong Republican, is among some past leaders from the party's moderate wing voicing reservations and, in some cases, opposition to McCain's candidacy. He endorsed John McCain in the presidential primary, but now former Republican Gov. William Milliken is expressing doubts about his pa... more

Apocalipstick

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Sarah Palin's radical right-wing mentors

[This is one of the most disturbing investigative pieces I've read yet about Palin's ties to hard-right secessionist/dominionist groups. Read the whole thing and spread the word about Sarah "Puppet" Palin, or as I like to call her, "Bush in drag"]

On the afternoon of Sept. 24 in downtown Palmer, Alaska, as the sun began to sink behind the snowcapped mountains that flank the picturesque Mat-Su Valley, 51-year-old Mark Chryson sat for an hour on a park bench, reveling in tales of his days as chairman of the Alaska Independence Party. The stocky, gray-haired computer technician waxed nostalgic about quixotic battles to eliminate taxes, support the "traditional family" and secede from the United States.

So long as Alaska remained under the boot of the federal government, said Chryson, the AIP had to stand on guard to stymie a New World Order. He invited a Salon reporter to see a few items inside his pickup truck that were intended for his personal protection. "This here is my attack dog," he said with a chuckle, handing the reporter an exuberant 8-pound papillon from his passenger seat. "Her name is Suzy." Then he pulled a 9-millimeter Makarov PM pistol -- once the standard-issue sidearm for Soviet cops -- out of his glove compartment. "I've got enough weaponry to raise a small army in my basement," he said, clutching the gun in his palm. "Then again, so do most Alaskans." But Chryson added a message of reassurance to residents of that faraway place some Alaskans call "the 48." "We want to go our separate ways," he said, "but we are not going to kill you."

Though Chryson belongs to a fringe political party, one that advocates the secession of Alaska from the Union, and that organizes with other like-minded secessionist movements from Canada to the Deep South, he is not without peculiar influence in state politics, especially the rise of Sarah Palin. An obscure figure outside of Alaska, Chryson has been a political fixture in the hometown of the Republican vice-presidential nominee for over a decade. During the 1990s, when Chryson directed the AIP, he and another radical right-winger, Steve Stoll, played a quiet but pivotal role in electing Palin as mayor of Wasilla and shaping her political agenda afterward. Both Stoll and Chryson not only contributed to Palin's campaign financially, they played major behind-the-scenes roles in the Palin camp before, during and after her victory. [This is one of the most disturbing investigative pieces I've read yet about Palin's ties to hard-right secessionist/dominio... more

beedee

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