It is about time the people of the USA pushed for uniform standards for Voting, Vote counting, How Polls are run, When they open and close, who is allowed to register, who is denied the right to vote How they can regain the right to vote. Who why and when registrations can be challenged. Who can count votes and under what conditions. Who programs the machines, and who can look at the programs. How districts have to be drawn. How much money is raised and who meets with the office holder. All these things need to be made more open and transparent so there is no advantage and only criminal consequences for screwing around with the voting systems.

I my self believe that those with power, allow the system to be messy because the noise of chaos, allows them to maintain control and power.

Posted at October 8, 2008 5:14 PM in response to Wisc. AG's Office Denies Voter Reg. Suit is Political

this ad is a good start but is misses. Now say something like where will Republicans find new people to make changes. As a nation, We can not afford the same old republican insiders and their friends to watch over the failure of Banks, Regulate the environment, improve contractor oversight, live up to the dream of Justice for all. We need Barak Obmama and the new democratic team to make sure the Corrupt, discredited, and failed policy people who president George Bush brought to Washington leave government. Only by having a democrat elected president will there be real change because new people will be brought in to make the decisions.

The Democratic presidential campaign needs to make a systematic argument that even if McCain-Palin might bring change. They do not have the people available, because it is the same gang of advisors who currently advise and lobby Pres. Bush who are moving McCain Palin forward. And that is the problem.

Secondly the democrats need to take a page from social science research which is argue the gut reaction first then do the policy. And keep it simple.

Show someone loosing a home to forclosure
show former sen. Gramm and the bankers who support the republicans. Who will the Republicans turn to to solve this mess. With Obama it will be new people not connected with the current Bush Adminstration who have ties to the banks that made the mess. New people will make decisions for average americans.

Show a factory closing and the jobs moving to overseas. Show just the one advsior to McCain and his links to foreign companies, and Romneys Bain Capital moving factorys to Asia. Talk about tax breaks for doing this export of jobs and who will the republicans turn to to solve this mess. With Obama new people not connected with the Bush Adminstration will make dicisions.

Show a Emergency room, long waiting times. Show McCain campaigns connection to Drug, and for profit healthcare, insurance by his advisors. How will McCain and these advisors fix health care if they are beholden the status quo. Only with a clean break with the current adminstration by changing the people who make decisions will we cause changes to improve the health care system.

Same again for energy.

Democrats need to show that McCain is the same, but more focused issue by issue much more simply and to the point.

Posted at September 13, 2008 4:25 PM in response to New Obama Ad On McCain's Reformer Image: "Wait A Second"

When ever I have heard Sarah Palin talk, and I hear about what her family and her staff has done to people who seemingly get on her bad side I think of "the dukes of hazzard" TV show. She is Boss Hogg.

Out to get her enemies
A small town Politician (Mayor of 6500, Govenor of a state smaller than South Dakota in population)
Smart, but really ignorant of the wider world (never having a passport until becoming Govenor)
A busy body...trying to know everyone's business whether she should or not, and messing with everyone's life. (as in christian conservative /Moral Majority)
Pork Spending, and stealing. (As in Bridge to no where, as in lobbyist hired in Washington, and a really wealthy state because of Oil)

The TV show is a parity of small town life in rual America. It is what Sarah Palin is and is so proud of. I thought it was some what funny back when it was on TV, but it was not real. Sarah Palin is not funny and she really is trying to be president... do we want a Boss Hogg in the white house... Todd seem like he might be as amusing as Billy Carter.

These are the associations I have of a hick politican jumping up out of her familiar Pond.

Posted at September 10, 2008 8:35 PM in response to Suggested Push-Back On Lipstick-Gate

It is still very early in the race. Who cares what the polls say, now. We need to work like heck to make sure every vote gets to the polls and is counted. Not a sure thing unfortuntily.

Now if only we could ban polling 7 to 14 days before the election until after the real poll closes. That would be an important improvement to our democracy because we would actually have to vote, and People in California would not know if their vote really counts or not and go to the poll to vote with knowledge that every vote in every state has equal weight. Like what happens in Canada, all polls open and close at the same time across all time zones.

Posted at July 28, 2008 5:24 PM in response to New Poll: McCain Leading Among Likely Voters!

Perhaps the Federalist Society needs to be investigated.

It seems to be an organization of very conservative lawyers with the goal to gain control of the government in a legal sense. While in itself it is not doing anything illegal, it seems that all the players from old Alberto G. and the current AG, and John Yoo as well as all the Asst USA's involved in these selective prosecutions are members of the Society and they meet, like in the old smoke filled country club days and plan what they want to do. Maybe more is happening.

It is the social networks that matter, and who has power in them, and how they help each other out behind closed doors.

Perhaps when high public officials speak or attend any public or private function, guest lists and a transcript of the talk needs to be made public within a couple of days. So that we the people can see more clearly the influences on our government. There should not be any "non public events" for a high public officials. At least it would require these public officials to be consistent in their propaganda in stead of being two faced in public and in private.

Posted at May 24, 2008 3:21 PM in response to Justice Department Watchdog Confirms Investigation of Political Prosecutions

What would be shocking is if she were to be forced to choose between spilling the dirty towels to a grand jury or going to jail for this act. But it seems that the AG is not really interested in actually having people take responsibility for their actions, only in running out the clock, and the insiders on both sides of congress seems to be willing to let them.

Posted at April 2, 2008 5:59 PM in response to DoJ Investigators Probing Whether Goodling Fired Lawyer Due to Gay Rumors