Well, this is no surprise to anyone who followed the excellent work McClatchy News Service has done reporting the politicization angle. And let's not forget that it's not just civil sevice/career jobs
that are being packed with ideologues, it's also the courts. By the time Bush gets done, federal judgeships will be 70% Republican (up from 52% Democratic under Clinton). And these are also lifetime appointments. There is a lot of ideological corruption over the past 8 years, and it will just continue under McCain, because this is the work of the RNC as well as Rove.

Posted at June 24, 2008 1:03 PM in response to Today's Must Read

Dowd's a joke as a columnist. Sort of like Cal Thomas, though with a better sense of humor. But not to be taken seriously.

Posted at June 24, 2008 12:57 PM in response to Times Public Editor Hammers Maureen Dowd's Coverage Of Hillary

All the Republicans can offer is the RNC money. The combined efforts of Bush and McCain. The latter, in fact, urged the PAC contributors to contribute to the RNC, thus completely circumventing the spirit of his own campaign finance reform legislation. Anyway, the GOP has the RNC money, but as has been pointed out, they are running behind the Dems when it comes to the DSCC and DCCC equivalents. The RNC will need to spend a fair amount of its money on its congressional candidates, something Obama won't really have to worry about. And finally, I think the Obama decision is predicated on the understanding that he needs to define himself to the general public before the convention. Hence the need for as much money as he can get from us.

Posted at June 24, 2008 12:55 PM in response to RNC Retains $50 Million Cash Advantage Over DNC

When you break down what these Republicans say, it's almost always bunk. Same occurred in 2004, when Bush/Cheney were
endlessly repeating that Kerry would raise taxes on the middle class and small businesses. We see it every time the minimum wage comes up, we see it in the Estate Tax. The Republicans twist facts and use bogus talking points and hollow slogans. That don't resist scrutiny. Unfortunately, most people and the media don't do the scrutiny. Likewise for the Employee Free Choice Act. There's a reason every Democrat and every union is in favor of it. There's a reason every Republican and the Chamber of Commerce opposes it, SFCWallace's comments notwithstanding.

Posted at June 10, 2008 10:51 AM in response to McCain: Obama Will Raise Taxes On Everybody

Point out to your sister that the "problem" in social security is because Reagan started raiding the very trust fund that he set up - a good idea at the time, sold to the public and Congress as a means of guaranteeing social security's long term survival - in order to mask the size of deficits created by his horrendous tax cuts. A trust fund, established by a series of taxes on the working class by Reagan! And don't let your sister get away with the privatization argument, though I don't know if that's in her bag.

Posted at May 22, 2008 5:41 PM in response to Journey Into the Center of a Right-Leaning, Independent Brain

Does you sister read? If so, send her a copy of David Cay Johnston's newest book, "Free Lunch". Have her read the chapters
on the rise of HMOs, for starters. She'll see that what government has been most effective at is subsidizing private sector sharks who
have grown mega-wealthy largely off of taxpayers, and that sham "free market" myth the Cons love to talk about.

Send her the book...

Posted at May 22, 2008 5:37 PM in response to Journey Into the Center of a Right-Leaning, Independent Brain

'Well, darn Republican, maybe you can use your influence to ask them that if they are going to run the Michelle quote, that at least they find the video (it exists) where the word "really" isn't clumsily
edited out. As can be heard if you listen closely to the video the
Tenn Repub party is using. Which, I assume will be the one for the whole campaign. So why are they using a version that has a word deliberately edited out? A word that suggests "degree" and not, as you and your bunch would like to state, an "absolute". So, don't lecture Obama until you lecture your own people first about honesty.

Posted at May 20, 2008 5:39 PM in response to OBAMA: Michelle On The Stump For Her Man But Don't Ask Her Questions

Except for months now in every poll Obama supporters have scored much higher in respect to willingness to support HIlary if she were to win than the other way around. So, you can support Obama in good conscience.

Posted at May 17, 2008 8:47 PM in response to Why Women will and must support Barack Obama in November

Did I hear "lobbyists" and talking about Obama! Guess you haven't been up to date on how the McCain campaign crew is sending out questionnaires to their hundreds of lobbyist "workers" so that there's no more of those "suprises". If we're gonna make this election about "lobbyists", then we might just as well give Obama the inauguration today.

Posted at May 17, 2008 8:45 PM in response to Why Women will and must support Barack Obama in November

Well, if you belittle "scare them" in respect to the Supreme Court - well, you must be a Republican. No Democratic woman would
support more of a court that consistently opposes things women have long supported and/or been victimized by: workplace, pay, health, education, opportunity.....Yeah, sounds like a good Republican from Kentucky.

Posted at May 17, 2008 8:41 PM in response to Why Women will and must support Barack Obama in November