Monday, October 30, 2006
Now this from Florida...
...Fresh ammunition for electoral consipracy theorists emerges from the pages of the Miami Herald. Voting irregularities have been discovered in electronic voting machines in Miami-Dade county. People voting for the Democratic candidate for governor, Jim Davis, noticed that the "review screen" (the final step on these voting machines) had cast their vote for the Republican candidate, Charlie Crist. Local election officials have assured the electorate and the media that this is an isolated problem that has already been dealt with.
While thefederalist isn't all that worried that Charlie Crist is part of some nation-wide conspiracy to steal the mid-term elections, one cannot come off as pleased with these electronic voting machines after learning that, according to local election official Mary Cooney, it is "not uncommon for screens on heavily used machines to slip out of sync." The article goes on to say that workers are readily available to fix any irregularities. However, what if, in the confusion and rush of November 7th, voters don't notice or report a problem with one of these questionable machines? What if voters are confused and don't understand that their vote for their candidate just went to the other guy?
Call me old fashioned, but the fate of our democracy should not be left in the hands of faulty machines. For two hundred plus years Americans voted without these questionable devices. If there is any question about the performance of these machines they should be removed immediately and replaced with more traditional, reliable means of voting.
Americans get pissed off when their television sets don't work(and rightly so). There is no reason why we should hold machines that are meant to abet our electoral process to lower standards than we do devices used for personal enjoyment.
...Fresh ammunition for electoral consipracy theorists emerges from the pages of the Miami Herald. Voting irregularities have been discovered in electronic voting machines in Miami-Dade county. People voting for the Democratic candidate for governor, Jim Davis, noticed that the "review screen" (the final step on these voting machines) had cast their vote for the Republican candidate, Charlie Crist. Local election officials have assured the electorate and the media that this is an isolated problem that has already been dealt with.
While thefederalist isn't all that worried that Charlie Crist is part of some nation-wide conspiracy to steal the mid-term elections, one cannot come off as pleased with these electronic voting machines after learning that, according to local election official Mary Cooney, it is "not uncommon for screens on heavily used machines to slip out of sync." The article goes on to say that workers are readily available to fix any irregularities. However, what if, in the confusion and rush of November 7th, voters don't notice or report a problem with one of these questionable machines? What if voters are confused and don't understand that their vote for their candidate just went to the other guy?
Call me old fashioned, but the fate of our democracy should not be left in the hands of faulty machines. For two hundred plus years Americans voted without these questionable devices. If there is any question about the performance of these machines they should be removed immediately and replaced with more traditional, reliable means of voting.
Americans get pissed off when their television sets don't work(and rightly so). There is no reason why we should hold machines that are meant to abet our electoral process to lower standards than we do devices used for personal enjoyment.
Friday, October 27, 2006
If you have any friends in Virginia...
...One of, if not the hottest race in the 2006 election cycle is the on-going battle between incumbent Senator George Allen (R) and former Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb (D). Allen appeared to be enjoying a comfortable lead in the polls, until "racist" remarks from Allen became a focus of the campaign. For those of you who don't follow Viriginia politics, a member of the Webb team (who happened to be Middle-eastern looking) was filming an Allen ralley. At one point, Senator Allen pointed to the Webb volunteer, called him "maccaca", and told him "welcome to America." Senator Allen insists that he had no idea that "maccaca" could be considered racist. However, when one learns that Senator Allen keeps a noose in his office, one has to question the good Senator's feelings on racial and ethnic equality.
In fairness, Mr. Webb has come under fire for his formerly held belief that women weren't capable of serving in the military service, stating that they would be a "distraction" to the males in the service, and weren't physically or mentally equipped to handle combat situations. These beliefs were expressed in a written opinion piece over a decade ago (no excuse) and Webb has since apologized for these comments.
The latest Rasmussen polling report shows Senator Allen ahead of Candidate Webb by one point (49%-48% respectively). As history as shown, the closer we get to election day, the uglier things can get. But in Virginia, ugly would be an understatement.
While Jim Webb has served as Secretary of the Navy, he is also a former Marine (served in Vietnam) and author. Most of Webb's novels focus on his experience with war. As those who have served know, war is hell. There isn't that much pleasantness going on during these times of conflict. Mr. Webb's works of fiction reflect many of the terrible things he saw in combat. (Note:some of the events I'm about to list aren't appropriate for the weak of heart). Some of these terrible things include the description of a woman standing up and going to the bathroom, and a man picking up his male child and inserting his private parts into his mouth.
The right wing talking heads and the Allen campaign found these passages in Webb's writings, and are trying to use them against him. This afternoon, on his very popular radio program, Sean Hannity took Webb to task, calling him "sick" for "thinking these things up" in his head. However, Mr. Webb did not think these jarring images up. In a response this morning, Mr. Webb stated that all of the graphic scenes that the right wing has taken issue with actually happened on or around the stage of war. He went further, saying that the man who picked up his male child took place in a "slum in Bangkok," and was actually considered culturally acceptable by the native people there (not that that makes it right, not in the eye's of thefederalist anyway). Of course, Allen and his pals are too busy to listen to the truth (not all that suprising).
Will the people of Virginia punish Mr. Webb for including the real life horrors of war in his fictional work? Let's hope not. Sure, these scenes are disgusting, but that's the great thing about freedom of speech, with it comes the freedom to listen. If you can't handle these terrible facts of war, you don't have to go to war, or read the accounts of people who have been there. An interesting note: one of the novels that Allen and company have taken issue with was actually endorsed by Republican Senator and Vietnam war hero John McCain. Furthermore, a number of Webb's novels on the subject of war have been required reading for appropriate college-level courses throughout the country.
So, if you think that Webb's works are too graphic for you, don't read them. But at the same time, don't be fooled by the political rhetoric. Come to think of it, perhaps the reason why the likes of Allen, Hannity, and Limbaugh (won't be suprised of O'Reilly gets on this tonight either) find Webb's work so shocking is because they have not seen the things Mr. Webb has seen...none of them have served in the armed forces
**There are literally only days left until election day, and this race is extremely critical. If you have the means, please go to http://www.webbforsenate.com and help this patriotic candidate beat back his chicken-hawk opponents. While his previous comments on women in the military are unnacceptable, the littlest bit of research will prove that Mr. Webb is the superior candidate in this race. He and his family have already given so much to this country (his father served, as did his brothers, and now his son is serving in Iraq), that Mr. Webb's success in the US Senate is assured. Donate if you can, and call any friends or family down in Virginia and tell them to vote for Jim Webb for US Senate**
...One of, if not the hottest race in the 2006 election cycle is the on-going battle between incumbent Senator George Allen (R) and former Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb (D). Allen appeared to be enjoying a comfortable lead in the polls, until "racist" remarks from Allen became a focus of the campaign. For those of you who don't follow Viriginia politics, a member of the Webb team (who happened to be Middle-eastern looking) was filming an Allen ralley. At one point, Senator Allen pointed to the Webb volunteer, called him "maccaca", and told him "welcome to America." Senator Allen insists that he had no idea that "maccaca" could be considered racist. However, when one learns that Senator Allen keeps a noose in his office, one has to question the good Senator's feelings on racial and ethnic equality.
In fairness, Mr. Webb has come under fire for his formerly held belief that women weren't capable of serving in the military service, stating that they would be a "distraction" to the males in the service, and weren't physically or mentally equipped to handle combat situations. These beliefs were expressed in a written opinion piece over a decade ago (no excuse) and Webb has since apologized for these comments.
The latest Rasmussen polling report shows Senator Allen ahead of Candidate Webb by one point (49%-48% respectively). As history as shown, the closer we get to election day, the uglier things can get. But in Virginia, ugly would be an understatement.
While Jim Webb has served as Secretary of the Navy, he is also a former Marine (served in Vietnam) and author. Most of Webb's novels focus on his experience with war. As those who have served know, war is hell. There isn't that much pleasantness going on during these times of conflict. Mr. Webb's works of fiction reflect many of the terrible things he saw in combat. (Note:some of the events I'm about to list aren't appropriate for the weak of heart). Some of these terrible things include the description of a woman standing up and going to the bathroom, and a man picking up his male child and inserting his private parts into his mouth.
The right wing talking heads and the Allen campaign found these passages in Webb's writings, and are trying to use them against him. This afternoon, on his very popular radio program, Sean Hannity took Webb to task, calling him "sick" for "thinking these things up" in his head. However, Mr. Webb did not think these jarring images up. In a response this morning, Mr. Webb stated that all of the graphic scenes that the right wing has taken issue with actually happened on or around the stage of war. He went further, saying that the man who picked up his male child took place in a "slum in Bangkok," and was actually considered culturally acceptable by the native people there (not that that makes it right, not in the eye's of thefederalist anyway). Of course, Allen and his pals are too busy to listen to the truth (not all that suprising).
Will the people of Virginia punish Mr. Webb for including the real life horrors of war in his fictional work? Let's hope not. Sure, these scenes are disgusting, but that's the great thing about freedom of speech, with it comes the freedom to listen. If you can't handle these terrible facts of war, you don't have to go to war, or read the accounts of people who have been there. An interesting note: one of the novels that Allen and company have taken issue with was actually endorsed by Republican Senator and Vietnam war hero John McCain. Furthermore, a number of Webb's novels on the subject of war have been required reading for appropriate college-level courses throughout the country.
So, if you think that Webb's works are too graphic for you, don't read them. But at the same time, don't be fooled by the political rhetoric. Come to think of it, perhaps the reason why the likes of Allen, Hannity, and Limbaugh (won't be suprised of O'Reilly gets on this tonight either) find Webb's work so shocking is because they have not seen the things Mr. Webb has seen...none of them have served in the armed forces
**There are literally only days left until election day, and this race is extremely critical. If you have the means, please go to http://www.webbforsenate.com and help this patriotic candidate beat back his chicken-hawk opponents. While his previous comments on women in the military are unnacceptable, the littlest bit of research will prove that Mr. Webb is the superior candidate in this race. He and his family have already given so much to this country (his father served, as did his brothers, and now his son is serving in Iraq), that Mr. Webb's success in the US Senate is assured. Donate if you can, and call any friends or family down in Virginia and tell them to vote for Jim Webb for US Senate**
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Who does Bill O'Reilly think he's kidding? For those of you who have the gift to block out the garbage this whack-job spews out, Mr. O'Reiily's most recent book, Culture Warrior, is probably the biggest piece of trash to ever be published (or Al Franken's "work," you be the judge). In his book, Mr. O'Reilly takes aim at, you guessed it, anyone that disagrees with him.
Let's start with the cover of this book. Just looking at ti makes me sick to my stomach. Our flag is flying proudly in the background, right behind a perfectly airbrushed picture of of BS Bill, looking very culture warrior-esque in what appears to be a rain shell and a t-shirt. Bill wants to look tough, but comes of fake. BS Bill wants us to think that he's looking out for us (pun intended), when of course nothing could be further from the truth. However, like the old saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover...
...except for this one. Over 240 pages that would be better suited as toilet paper, BS Bill attempts to convince the reader that our nations problems come from progressives. These "secular progressives" would love nothing more than to purge the United States of the traditional family, shove abortion down every woman's throat, and probably the biggest threat our nation faces...these "secular progressives" have declared war on CHRISTMAS. Thank God BS Bill warned us!
thefederalist has come to the conclusion that BS Bill is no culture warrior at all. You see, the real front is quite far from BS Bill's battle with those who say "happy holidays" instead of "happy Christmas." No, Bill, real culture warriors don't engage in inapppropriate activity with an employee, settle out of court, and then wax poetic about virtue and morals. The real culture warriors are in Iraq fighting for our freedoms. The real culture warriors are working multiplle jobs to put food on the dinner table. The real culture warriors are the ones who are 9-5'ing it to make sure their kids have a brighter future than they did. The real culture warriors are fighting ignorat wanna-be idiots like you so that the terrible charade you've played on the American people comes to an end. You see Mr. O'Reilly, culture warriors don't try to trick their audience into believing that there has never been a case where an abortion is needed to save a mother's life. Culture warriors aren't sick, twisted, and evil enough to tell a boy whose father died on 9/11 that his dead father is disgusted with a son who believes that America should be fighting terrorists in Afghanistan instead of Iraq. You, Mr. O'Reilly, are quite a disgusting creature, one that the real culture warriors of our time are unfortunately forced to deal with.
Let's start with the cover of this book. Just looking at ti makes me sick to my stomach. Our flag is flying proudly in the background, right behind a perfectly airbrushed picture of of BS Bill, looking very culture warrior-esque in what appears to be a rain shell and a t-shirt. Bill wants to look tough, but comes of fake. BS Bill wants us to think that he's looking out for us (pun intended), when of course nothing could be further from the truth. However, like the old saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover...
...except for this one. Over 240 pages that would be better suited as toilet paper, BS Bill attempts to convince the reader that our nations problems come from progressives. These "secular progressives" would love nothing more than to purge the United States of the traditional family, shove abortion down every woman's throat, and probably the biggest threat our nation faces...these "secular progressives" have declared war on CHRISTMAS. Thank God BS Bill warned us!
thefederalist has come to the conclusion that BS Bill is no culture warrior at all. You see, the real front is quite far from BS Bill's battle with those who say "happy holidays" instead of "happy Christmas." No, Bill, real culture warriors don't engage in inapppropriate activity with an employee, settle out of court, and then wax poetic about virtue and morals. The real culture warriors are in Iraq fighting for our freedoms. The real culture warriors are working multiplle jobs to put food on the dinner table. The real culture warriors are the ones who are 9-5'ing it to make sure their kids have a brighter future than they did. The real culture warriors are fighting ignorat wanna-be idiots like you so that the terrible charade you've played on the American people comes to an end. You see Mr. O'Reilly, culture warriors don't try to trick their audience into believing that there has never been a case where an abortion is needed to save a mother's life. Culture warriors aren't sick, twisted, and evil enough to tell a boy whose father died on 9/11 that his dead father is disgusted with a son who believes that America should be fighting terrorists in Afghanistan instead of Iraq. You, Mr. O'Reilly, are quite a disgusting creature, one that the real culture warriors of our time are unfortunately forced to deal with.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
October 12, 2006-We are less than a month away from the mid-term elections, and years away from the 2008 battle for the White House, but the Democratic party has already suffered a huge loss. Today, former governor of Virginia, Mark Warner, allerted the media and his supporters that he had decided not to run for president in 2008. While many of the extreme liberals in the Democratic party have proclaimed the exit of Candidate Warner as a stage setter for a possible Gore or Feingold run (Russ Feingold, the liberal senator from Wisconsin is without a doubt the hero of the liberal left in the Senate). However, in time, Democrats will find that already they have lost their best hope at taking back the White House (for those who care, go to http://forwardtogetherpac.com to read Governor Warner's "farewell" statement).
A little history lesson: Let's take a look at the last few succesful candidates for the presidency: George W Bush, former governor, Bill Clinton, former governor, George H W Bush...ok he was VP BUT Ronald Reagan, former governor, Jimmy Carter, former governor, Gerald Ford...former representative (he was actually never elected to the vice presidency or the presidency, although he served in both positions), Richard Nixon, former governor...you get the idea. So, all but ONE president over the past thirty years previously served a governorship. In fact, 100% of the Democratic presidents since 1970 (that's right...all two of them) were governors before they moved into the White House. So what's with this governor thing?
Governors are percieved to have great executive experience, a plus when looking for a job in the White House. Also, unlike senators or even cabinet members, governors have the ability to play the role of the Washington outsider. Because of this outsider's perspective, governor candidates are able to play upon the ideas of change and a new direction better than members of the DC beltway.
Mark Warner certainly was an outsider. Much like Ned Lamont, Governor Warner was a success in the private sector (ever heard of a company called Nextel?). As governor, he led a Republican controlled state legislature to a balanced state budget, leaving office with the highest approval rating of any governor of the state in modern times.
Outsider's appeal is good, but Warner is a centrist too. Polling shows that the average American voter has grown tired of the strangle hold that those on the extreme right and left have on today's political parties. Warner represented a chance for the Truman Democrats to take control of a party that has been hijacked by the Pelosi/Lamont wingnuts. Some even called him the second coming of Clinton, minus the failure with Rwanda and the scandal with Monica.
How does Warner's early exit effect other Democrats with visions of '08 in their heads? John Edwards, the '04 candidate for VP seems to have gained the most in all of this. Aside from Governor Warner, Edwards is the only other southern front-runner for the party nomination. Due to his geographical positioning, Edwards could win enough primaries to push back the financial bombshell that is Senator Hillary Clinton.
As for the good senator from New York-because of his successes in the private sector, Warner was seen as the only candidate who could truly hope to match Senator Clinton's campaign war chest. Also, Senator Clinton is constantly trying to define herself, and at times seems to be imitating her husband. Because of her flip-flopping between plotting the middle course and appeasing the extreme left, Warner could have come across as more sincere and principaled in a primary between the two. Warner's exit also helps the moderate Senator Joe Biden appear more unique, instead of a Warner look-a-like.
So where's the outsider? Many look to Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, but thefederalist is looking in the direction of Wes Clark. A former general, Mr. Clark has the experience necesary to lead a nation through troubled times, not to mention he has yet to be tainted by the DC beltway.
Although we need to get through the elections of 2006 before we even think about 2008, it's never to early to start. But Democrats shouldn't fool themselves, they lost a damn good candidate today. However, many are saying that 4 weeks (the time left between now and November 7th's elections) is a life time. Imagine what two years could be.
A little history lesson: Let's take a look at the last few succesful candidates for the presidency: George W Bush, former governor, Bill Clinton, former governor, George H W Bush...ok he was VP BUT Ronald Reagan, former governor, Jimmy Carter, former governor, Gerald Ford...former representative (he was actually never elected to the vice presidency or the presidency, although he served in both positions), Richard Nixon, former governor...you get the idea. So, all but ONE president over the past thirty years previously served a governorship. In fact, 100% of the Democratic presidents since 1970 (that's right...all two of them) were governors before they moved into the White House. So what's with this governor thing?
Governors are percieved to have great executive experience, a plus when looking for a job in the White House. Also, unlike senators or even cabinet members, governors have the ability to play the role of the Washington outsider. Because of this outsider's perspective, governor candidates are able to play upon the ideas of change and a new direction better than members of the DC beltway.
Mark Warner certainly was an outsider. Much like Ned Lamont, Governor Warner was a success in the private sector (ever heard of a company called Nextel?). As governor, he led a Republican controlled state legislature to a balanced state budget, leaving office with the highest approval rating of any governor of the state in modern times.
Outsider's appeal is good, but Warner is a centrist too. Polling shows that the average American voter has grown tired of the strangle hold that those on the extreme right and left have on today's political parties. Warner represented a chance for the Truman Democrats to take control of a party that has been hijacked by the Pelosi/Lamont wingnuts. Some even called him the second coming of Clinton, minus the failure with Rwanda and the scandal with Monica.
How does Warner's early exit effect other Democrats with visions of '08 in their heads? John Edwards, the '04 candidate for VP seems to have gained the most in all of this. Aside from Governor Warner, Edwards is the only other southern front-runner for the party nomination. Due to his geographical positioning, Edwards could win enough primaries to push back the financial bombshell that is Senator Hillary Clinton.
As for the good senator from New York-because of his successes in the private sector, Warner was seen as the only candidate who could truly hope to match Senator Clinton's campaign war chest. Also, Senator Clinton is constantly trying to define herself, and at times seems to be imitating her husband. Because of her flip-flopping between plotting the middle course and appeasing the extreme left, Warner could have come across as more sincere and principaled in a primary between the two. Warner's exit also helps the moderate Senator Joe Biden appear more unique, instead of a Warner look-a-like.
So where's the outsider? Many look to Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, but thefederalist is looking in the direction of Wes Clark. A former general, Mr. Clark has the experience necesary to lead a nation through troubled times, not to mention he has yet to be tainted by the DC beltway.
Although we need to get through the elections of 2006 before we even think about 2008, it's never to early to start. But Democrats shouldn't fool themselves, they lost a damn good candidate today. However, many are saying that 4 weeks (the time left between now and November 7th's elections) is a life time. Imagine what two years could be.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Could Chris Shay's days in Congress be coming to an end? Recent polls have the incumbent of our 4th district down 46%-41% in a re-match with his '04 challenger, Diane Farrell. Experts agree that it's the war that's dragging Rep. Shays down in the polls. However, Shay's stance on the war appears to be more anti-war than his challenger's. In August, after his 14th visit to Iraq, Rep. Shays stated that he now believed that the United States should set a time table for withdrawl. In looking at Ms. Farrell's campaign website, their is no mention of a timed withdrawl from Iraq. Miss Farrell does mention the need for a "timely war funding plan" and asserts the need to "alleviate the pressure on our strained combat forces." In fact, Miss Farrell suggests that our forces use "achievement bench-marks, rather than dates" to determine when to pull out of Iraq.
In looking at both candidates stances on this issue, it would seem that Miss Farrell is more hawkish and responsible than her "conservative" counterpart. thefederalist is not suggesting that Representative Shays recently changed his position on the war in Iraq to gain back lost support in the polls. It would be interesting to ask the Rep. Shays if he would have supported the Kerry/Feingold Ammendment to set a timed withdrawl of US forces had it passed the Senate and been brought to the floor of the House. I have heard Miss Farrell say that she was not a supporter of the Kerry/Feingold plan. It only seems consistent with Mr. Shay's new-found convictions that he would in fact have stood by the 2004 presidential nominee of the Democratic party given the opportunity.
Mr. Shays is always reminding the electorate that he is the chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Security. It may sound crazy, but I'm starting to believe that his challenger from Westport is more suited for this position.
In looking at both candidates stances on this issue, it would seem that Miss Farrell is more hawkish and responsible than her "conservative" counterpart. thefederalist is not suggesting that Representative Shays recently changed his position on the war in Iraq to gain back lost support in the polls. It would be interesting to ask the Rep. Shays if he would have supported the Kerry/Feingold Ammendment to set a timed withdrawl of US forces had it passed the Senate and been brought to the floor of the House. I have heard Miss Farrell say that she was not a supporter of the Kerry/Feingold plan. It only seems consistent with Mr. Shay's new-found convictions that he would in fact have stood by the 2004 presidential nominee of the Democratic party given the opportunity.
Mr. Shays is always reminding the electorate that he is the chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Security. It may sound crazy, but I'm starting to believe that his challenger from Westport is more suited for this position.
Monday, October 09, 2006
For those of you that have already read the work of thefederalist, you know that I left the blogging scene months ago for personal reasons. However, during this break I discovered that blogging actually helps me focus my thoughts and provides good practice for the work I do in the real world. So, with that, allow me to re-introduce myself/>
Originally, thefederalist was a discussion forum and fire-starter for local politics in Darien, CT. From time to time, my attention would be drawn to the national political arena. While some articles posted on my original site were twisted by my critics, I promise not to let these blow-hards deter me again. As the eyes and ears of our town, state, and nation are tuned in to the national political arena, my posts will reflect the stories of the time. While there is always plenty going on in local politics, there are many more battles being fought across our state and our nation that will determine our future.
When I first joined the blogging arena, I advertised my presence on the mega-blog that is dariennews. While alerting the Darien blogging community of my unfortunate return would help increase the readership of this blog, I have decided that that is not the best course of action. Those who want to read this blog will find it, and those who don't...won't. With that said, thank you very much for having me back.
Take two
Originally, thefederalist was a discussion forum and fire-starter for local politics in Darien, CT. From time to time, my attention would be drawn to the national political arena. While some articles posted on my original site were twisted by my critics, I promise not to let these blow-hards deter me again. As the eyes and ears of our town, state, and nation are tuned in to the national political arena, my posts will reflect the stories of the time. While there is always plenty going on in local politics, there are many more battles being fought across our state and our nation that will determine our future.
When I first joined the blogging arena, I advertised my presence on the mega-blog that is dariennews. While alerting the Darien blogging community of my unfortunate return would help increase the readership of this blog, I have decided that that is not the best course of action. Those who want to read this blog will find it, and those who don't...won't. With that said, thank you very much for having me back.
Take two
