Monthly Archives: November 2008
Obama’s small donor base is a myth.
Or so says the LA Times, via The Daily Beast. Sadly, a new report says his small donors were on par with…wait for it…
George W. Bush. I shit you not. From the LAT writeup:
But the nonpartisan Campaign Finance Institute just issued a detailed study of Obama’s donor base and its giving. And that’s what the Institute found, to its own surprise.
“The myth is that money from small donors dominated Barack Obama’s finances,” said CFI’s executive director Michael Malbin, admitting that his organization also was fooled. “The reality of Obama’s fundraising was impressive, but the reality does not match the myth.”
Adding up the total contributions from the same small individuals (in terms of dollar amounts, not their height), the Institute discovered that rather than the 50+% commonly….
…reported throughout the campaign, only 26% of Obama’s contributions through last August and only 24% through Oct. 15 came from people whose total donations added up to less than $200.
The key word there being “total.”
Ain’t that some shit? 
Black Friday sucks..
The sheer gluttony of the American public, at a cost of lives is disgusting. It makes me very sad.
The mass manipulation of the consumer by the retail world…makes you wonder what the average IQ is…don’t it?
Thought this graphic would work well for this post..and it’s localized to boot. 😉
Meanwhile, in India, people are wondering if it’s safe to venture out of their homes. The whole exercise was a great dry run for hitting the good ole US of A…wouldn’t you say?
The world is a scary place. And very violent..
Have a great turkey day!
I will be cooking and watching football tomorrow…so anyone that stops by here..enjoy your day off and your hopefully with folks you love and/or care about. I hope you have plenty to be thankful for…in spite of what is happening around the globe.
Here is a great Howlin’ Wolf tune entitled: How Many More Years, recorded in 1966. It’s sorta timely for all the crappola we got going on now.
Terrorists attack hotels in Mumbai India
IBN is reporting at least 55 people have been killed. The terrorists were seeking out Americans and British citizens. There have been hostages taken at the Taj or Oberoi hotels.From IBN:
Mumbai: Terror struck the country’s financial capital late on Wednesday night as coordinated serial explosions and indiscriminate firing were reported from at least eight locations across Mumbai.
At least 55 people – including the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare – the are reported killed and 190 are seriously injured.
The coordinated terror strike which reportedly began at 2233 PM at Chhatrapathi Shivaji Terminus(CST), formerly known as the Victoria Terminus(VT), killed 10 people in the premises of the station, police say.
A live video feed can be watched here.
Update: The Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the attacks in India’s financial district in the city of Mumbai. 50-60 people held hostage at Taj Hotel. 20 taken hostage at Oberoi Hotel. All hostages are believed to be foreigners.
Gates, torture and Obama’s choices..
Gates is staying on as we now know…but… Before you get your panties in a wad, read this article by Steve Clemon’s, a progressive. An excerpt from his Washington Note piece:
After speaking to some other national security policy experts very close to Bob Gates and General Brent Scowcroft, I changed course and began to see the value of Gates staying at DoD.
My hunch is that Gates wants a chance to make the kind of leaps in the Middle East I have been writing about for some time. He wants to try and push Iran-US relations into a constructive direction. He wants to change the game in Afghanistan — and the answer will not be a military-dominant strategy. He wants to try and stabilize Iraq in a negotiated, confidence building process that includes Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and other regional forces. And he wants to support a big push on Israel-Palestine peace and reconfigure relations between much of the Arab League and Israel.
I hope Clemon’s hunch is right. Christ, I hope he’s right.
As for torture…and whether Obama’s administration will go or should go after the war criminals in Bush’s cabal..check out this column by Jack Goldsmith at WaPo. Personally, I don’t buy into Mr Goldsmith’s logic…but it never hurts to listen to the other side of the argument.
My problem with his logic is the pov that charging people with crimes will hinder future presidents in getting opinions and options from smart intelligent individuals.
Horseshit.
Extraordinary Rendition and Torture are war crimes plain and simple. Never in our modern history has an administration been so callous in ignoring the rule of law and the Geneva Conventions. The people that allowed these heinous things to happen and indeed supported them, need to be held accountable. We need to show the world that we will never again allow criminals such as those in the Bush Administration to run rough shod over common sense and common decency.
Its my Right to be Left of the Center 