"Mr. Lamont Goes to Washington"

Scarce's film trailer and Photoshopped scene from the movie over on My Left Nutmeg gave me an idea, and here's my quicky (if two hours of editing is quick) attempt at elaborating on the concept.



About 1:30, 2.5MB

UPDATE: I've made some minor changes in the video that cleaned up a bunch of little problems; I think it looks and sounds a lot better, but you all know how much of a perfektionist I am. UPPER-UPDATE: The old version had been deleted.

"Joe's Votes"

Since Joe Lieberman is so concerned with Ned Lamont's voting record (from the last century), I thought it only fair to talk about Joe's Votes in this video, entitled "Best Shot" (in response to Lieberman's boastful choice of music at the Democratic Convention).

About 1:35, 2.0MB - and that's the live audio feed from the convention; they blasted that song twice through the PA system.


You want our best shot, Joe? We're not even close to giving you our best shot yet.

Hell, we're just getting warmed up...

At least he means well...

Going through the convention footage last night, I noticed an enthusiastic Lamont supporter obviously swept up in the moment following the nomination:

Go ahead and write your own caption.

Lieberman borrows a page from Karl Rove's playbook

Have you seen Lieberman's latest commercial yet?

Well, we now know where Joe stands on the issue of dignity in a campaign. You might guess that a three-term Democratic senator wouldn't feel it's OK to stoop to such a Rovian-type sleazy campaign commercial. Guess again.

Obviously, Joe's ambitious, grasping need to remain in the U.S. Senate has obliterated any sense of shame the man may have once possessed. It's sad to see; at one time I did support Lieberman and agree with many of his policies. But something terrible must have happened to his soul in the last six years, because now he's become a sad, desperate little man.

The commercial itself is a pathetic attempt to impune Ned Lamont's character and record. I watched it several times, and while I do grudgingly admire it's "Hillsman-esque" presentation, the message is just plain wrong. (I happen to know for a fact that Ned Lamont does not force-feed asbestos to babies while raising their parent's health-care costs.)

And then I noticed something else. If you watch carefully, there is a lot of subliminal positioning going on. I think that the ad people either weren't aware of it, or maybe (far-fetched) they themselves are putting in a secret little message.

Here's what I mean:

The commercial starts with Ned Lamont on the RIGHT side of the screen. The RIGHT is, of course, closely associated with Republican and neo-con "ideals". Hmmmm...

Then as it progresses, Lamont shifts over to the LEFT side of the screen, the true DEMOCRATIC and Progressive side. I thought that, in and of itself, this was quite interesting (in a tin-foil hat wearin' sorta way).

But then the Lamont image faded, and in comes Lieberman, proudly embellishing the RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN (where he most definitely belongs and proudly identifies himself with), while his nasally voice-over is saying "I'm Joe Lieberman and I endorsed this ad!"

Heh-heh-heh...I'll bet you did, Joe. You and Karl.

I wonder if that's ALL you're saying, Joe?

(And thanks are due to Spazeboy for endlessly watching Tivo to find the commercial; you might be one of the few people who have ever used Tivo to actually WATCH the commercials!)

Today all Chickenhawks should hide in shame

Darksyde wrote this inspiring article over on DailyKos called "Requiem for a Nightmare":

Illustration provided by Karen Wehrstein

"Tomorrow is the day we honor the fallen American heroes of so many wars. To avoid staining our national day of mourning, I felt it more appropriate to dedicate this post at this time to a very different kind of American. They may be clueless neocons, erroneous White House talking heads, or smear artists and their self-appointed town criers. But what they all have in common is that each one bravely ducked when called and later took part directly or indirectly in assaulting the reputation of those who stood in harm's way. They are known, affectionately, as Chicken-hawks:

* President George W. Bush - served four years of a six years Nat'l Guard commitment, some say after daddy's friends pulled some strings to keep him out of Vietnam. The circumstances of his early separation from state-side service are still controversial (details)
* Karl Rove, occasional Deputy Chief of Staff and alleged full time smear artist, escaped the draft and did not serve
* VP Dick Cheney - several deferments, by marriage and timely fatherhood
* Former VP Chief of Staff I. Lewis Scooter Libby - did not serve
* Secretary of State and former NSA Condaleeza Rice - did not serve
* Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist - did not serve.
* Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - did not serve.
* Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay - did not serve
* House Majority Whip Roy Blunt - did not serve
* Majority Whip Mitch McConnell - did not serve
* Rick Santorum, third ranking Republican in the Senate - did not serve.
* Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott - did not serve."

Read the rest of this article here at DailyKos.com

Everyone listed above was of age during the Viet Nam era while the draft was in effect, but managed to find ways to avoid serving their country at war. And you should keep in mind on the day of the August 8th primary that another high profile legislator also avoided lawful service in our armed forces (From an article at My Left Nutmeg"):

"Joseph I. Lieberman, 61 Received student deferments from 1961 through 1967 while at Yale and Yale Law School. After finishing law school, received a parental deferment with his wife pregnant."

Three-day weekend

While this weekend is the unofficial kick-off of summer, we also should take a moment and remember the brave men and women who have given their lives for our country. If you haven't yet, please watch this video, "Connecticut's War Dead - A Tribute", by Scarce.

While this is a weekend for rememberence, it's also a weekend for FUN! Yesterday we took our sailboat out in the morning fog for our first big race of the season. We took 3rd place in our class (yeah, like we even HAVE any class!) and enjoyed a great day on the water.

See my other blog SailFullTilt for more watery details.

"Lamont Crushes Lieberman, 85 to 14"

Paul Bass of the New Haven Independent wrote this account of the significance of the MoveOn.org primary:

"Ned Lamont crushed Joe Lieberman in a primary for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, 85 to 14 percent. It wasn't the actual primary that the party holds Aug. 8th. It was an online primary run by MoveOn.org. Does it matter?"

"MoveOn claims it has 50,000 members in Connecticut. The views it on which it rallies its nationwide membership mirror the positions Lamont has taken to distinguish himself from Lieberman: opposition to the Iraq War, to the Bush administration's assault on civil liberties, for universal health care, against the Bush administration's energy bill, limiting the influence of corporate money on campaigns. MoveOn held an online vote this week to decide whether to make an endorsement in the primary race for Connecticut's open senate seat. It announced the results Friday morning."

"The biggest significance of the vote is money. Lieberman is outraising and outspending Lamont by about 3 to 1. MoveOn has the potential to raise millions of dollars for Lamont nationwide."

Read the entire story at the New Haven Independent.

UPDATE: The 250GB external drive came in yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to work with it yet. Last night was our first sailboat race of the season, and this Saturday we're doing a daytime race, so I've been busy lately. Things will slow down after the holiday weekend, and I'll have some time to edit some of the footage from the convention and the "Crashing the Gate" signing.

My 250GB external drive will get here tomorrow!

I'm so frickin' excited!

You see, I do all my editing on a 2 year old Toshiba notebook, with a tiny little 40GB drive. Besides all the regular programs I have on it, I need some space for my video footage.

An hour of mini-DV tape usually takes up about 15GB, and on my best day, when I've dumped all the episodes of "The Sopranos" off of it, I rarely have more than 18GB available.

All the convention footage equals about 75GB...which means I can only edit one tape at a time, and some of the continuity suffers because of this. I'm constantly transferring and deleting video, which is time consuming and stupid. So I ordered this new drive.

Isn't it sexy? A 250GB, 7200 rpm, combo Firewire and USB external drive; delivered from Torrence, CA in two days, for $159 total. I found it by Googling "external drive firewire", and by sifting throught the results I got that killer price on it.

Jesus, but I DO love the Internets!

Robert Greenwald said my video "didn't suck!"

Actually he said no such thing.

Sorry.

What he really said, related to me by Liz Dupont-Diehl (Lamont Campaign Media Coordinator, at left in photo), was that my 10-minute tape of the interview of Hartford social activist Murva Jackson "...was fine..."; except for the annoyingly loud jazz piped throughout the store that was picked up by the mic. However, he did report that my hand-held mic helped with making it possible to hear Murva at all.

Robert Greenwald, of course, is the big deal Hollywood producer who made the Ned Lamont 10-minute fund raising video. I taped the Murva Jackson interview for possible inclusion in the project, and while it's a good interview, it didn't match the tone and pace of the Lamont video. It may be used for a future project.

I don't know if I'll put "...didn't suck!" on my resume, but then again, that might be the best review my work has never generated.

Joe what?

This convention photo taken by CT Blogger could be sub-titled:

"This sucks! I could be partying with the Ned-heads right now!"

Jerome and Markos speak

We (the local bloggers) were lucky enough to have Jerome and Markos arrive early for their "Crashing the Gate" book signing in order to talk to us about the netroots movement. They graciously agreed to be interviewed by me, and even forgave me for neglecting to hit "Record" for the first 2 minutes, and started over. Spazeboy might still be mad at me for that!

UPDATE: I have to add this...the backroom bar of the Playwright Pub is absolutely one of the coolest bars I've ever seen! The gothic, church-like decor looks absolutely amazing; I think this room must have been a real church at one time. The Playwright, 144 Temple Street, New Haven; stop in some time, have a stout, and wander back to the rear. Great place for a private party!

So here is a short (2:30, about 4MB) video with some of their remarks; I'll be posting more later from the event, including Tim Tagaris' introduction and Ned Lamont's speech.

UPDATE: Shit, I forgot the plug for MyDD.Com on the video clip...I'm sorry, Jerome. I was rushing it onto the blog because I had to go to work today. Sheesh, having to go out and make a living really eats into my video editing time!

Pre-convention photos

Some early convention frame caps, sort of to catch the ambience of the event.

Here's local blogger Spazeboy with MyDD.com blogger Matt Stoller about an hour before the convention officially begins.

Lamont-campaign blogmeister Tim Tagaris apparently regrets the CT Expo's No Smoking policy while connecting to the Net for some live blogging.

Ned arrives and greets his supporters, while the skies begin clearing for the first time in a very rainy week. The metaphors presented themselves with remarkable prescience.

N.O.W. representing at the Convention with the "Joe's maps" posters that have become so "NETorious" (I just coined that word). I wonder how Senator Lieberman feels each time he sees a picture of the maps. Probably not nearly as bad as an assault victim who is denied treatment at a Connecticut hospital.

More later, plus video. And I just ordered a 250MB external firewire drive; my notebook only has a 40GB disk, and I had to delete all my episodes of "The Sopranos" in order to make enough room...believe me, it was a difficult decision, but no sacrifice is too great for the cause.

And Frank Vincent is awesome on the show this season! He's my favorite bad guy.

Two new videos

From Friday afternoon at the convention, I shared a moment with one of Joe Lieberman's staff. Some nice footage of my feet acting all nervous, while I made a disastrous decision to wait until the Senator was finished with the REAL media. It's called "Joe & Me".



The same afternoon I was checking into some of the "Lieberman Youth" out on the streets. Poor, silly, misguided kids. A variation on a theme, called "Joe's Cheerleaders".



And I have to admit it was nice to have dinner with my wife tonight...I've been ignoring her for the campaign since last week, so I owe her some quality time. Plus, I miss her. I'm taking a little time off from events for a bit, and will catch up on editing the convention footage.

Also, our boat's in the water now, and we're gonna be sailing a lot real soon. Fine weather is coming! Ned's a sailor himself; he'll understand if I'm on the water.

"Crashing the Gate" in New Haven

Spent another day on the campaign trail (as it were), visiting with Jerome and Markos, authors of the definitive book on how to take back the Democratic Party, "Crashing The Gate". They were hosted for a book signing at the Playwright Pub in New Haven by Branford Boy of "My Left Nutmeg" and Democracy For America - New Haven.

Markos and Jerome signed my book and posed for this picture:

Later on, after Ned Lamont spoke and a few beers were consumed, nearly all the bloggers got together for a "team" picture with Ned, Markos, and Jerome.

UPDATE: Notice in the picture above that we're all wearing our "The Kiss" buttons!

(Left to Right) Kos, Branford Boy, Ned Lamont, Matt Stoller, Jerome, CT Blogger, DeanFan84, CTKeith, Aldon Hynes, Lamont campaign manager Tom Swan, Tim Tagaris with Phillies shirt, Neal Fink, and me. Missing but present earlier were Beau (Spazeboy) and Sarah.

Do you see anything wrong with this picture? Yeah, where are all the girls at? Ladies, we need YOU to be blogging, too! Ned's campaign is all about inclusion, so get involved and start up a blog. Trust me, it's fun!

Malloy wins a real squeaker!

I'm going to need a couple of days to sort through the 4-1/2 hours of video I shot this weekend, but I can post little snips of some of the more dramatic moments.

The vote between Dan Malloy and John DeStefano was a toss-up, and after the roll was called, at least five delegations contested the results, which meant gathering up ALL the delegates of each town in question and taking a vote in private. This took several hours, during which Malloy and DeStefano worked the crowd.

The video below shows Malloy supporters receiving the news that their candidate won the nomination. Check out the sheer joy exhibited by the Malloy delegates; it stands in sharp contrast to last night's underwhelming reaction to Lieberman's dismal showing, giving up a third of the vote to a relative unknown candidate.

I'm beginning to understand why some people get addicted to politics.

Me, tonight

This is me after the convention concluded with the wonderful showing by Ned, enjoying a cigar and a brewski in the De Stefano For Governor tent. About 1/2 hour after this self-portrait was shot, I ended up at a North End cajun restaurant for the after-party (how fucking cool is it that Ned's campaign selected a funky, hip-hop, full-of-soul restaurant for the after-convention party?)

And yes, I'm wearing a Stetson. Best hats evar!

Lamont had the smallest tent compared to the big buck campaigns of Lieberman, Malloy and De Stefano, but after an informal poll I took of the delegates, Ned's tent rated the BEST free food of the convention! I was mistakenly advised that Lieberman was serving sushi, when in fact it was burgers and booze they were pushing on their reluctant constituents. Guess those lame-o slap sticks ate into their catering budget. Ned served mighty fine cajun food. Tasty and messy....mmm-mmm-good!

And De Stefano's campaign had the busiest bar and best music by FAR, but we all know us Italians are great when it comes to throwing a party.

I'll post more tomorrow, as it's coming up on 1AM and I have to be back in Hartford at 9 for the rest of the conventions, and it's about an hour away, so I'm gonna go to sleep.

Thirty three and a frickin-third percent! Yowsa! As someone mentioned over on FireDogLake earlier tonight, Lieberman must be shitting string right about now.

Maybe there WILL be live blogging...

We've got a gang of bloggers working on this right now. Neal created a Live blogging site:

http://ctconvention.blogspot.com/

...and we'll have an army of supporters there. Go check over there, and at the other fine local blogs linked at the right. I'll be back late tonight or tomorrow.

GO NED GO!!!

Taking requests for the convention

Post Convention Update: As you may know by now (and check out my "Joe & Me" video located in THIS POST if you don't know) I never got to ask the Senator a question. But if I did, the only question I could remember (while I was nervously quaking in my boots) was Leisureguy's: The question I want to ask: "Will you support the winner of the Democratic primary for the US Senate?"

Leisureguy, send me you email address and I'll arrange to get a copy of the DVD to you when I get it done...probably sometime before Xmas, but I can't say for sure!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! It felt like I was there representing all of you, and your support is appreciated.
==============================
Holy shit! I didn't even realize that today is "Connecticut Bob's" ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY! Wow, and what a month it's been...and I think it's only gonna get better. Awesome!
==============================
Tomorrow begins the Democratic State Convention at the lovely, giant-steel-drum of a building Expo Center (wonderful acoustics in there, believe you me), starting at 6PM. I'll be there early, and since I'm going to be covering the event with my video camera, I thought it would be a good idea to open the blog up for requests on what you'd like to see covered there.

Of course, as a responsible journalist, I do have an obligation to make every effort to cover the important speeches and votes. But I also want to document some of the behind-the-scenes action that rarely makes it onto the news.

I'm compiling a list of questions to ask, should I get an opportunity to talk to any of the candidates or party bigwigs. What I'd like to hear are YOUR suggestions. Yes, this is interactive politics at it's best!

As an incentive, I'm offering a free DVD copy of the convention footage I shoot should I get to ask your question. I know, I know...it's a great prize. I'm sure it will double nicely as a beverage coaster.

So, feel free to post suggestions in the comments section; if you sign on as "anonymous" be sure to sign your comment so I know from whence it came. Sometime after the convention (if I actually get any suggestions) I'll decide who wins the DVD.

Try to get your entries in by noon Friday, as I probably won't have computer access at the convention. I may be able to check the blog early Saturday, depending on the schedule, but don't count on it. It's gonna be a busy two days up in Capital City.

Democracy marches ON!

Video of NOW endorsing Ned Lamont

The complete video of the NOW (http://now.org) endorsement of Ned Lamont is done. This is Ned's first major endorsement by a national organization, and it dovetails nicely with the recent NARAL-CT and Connecticut Choice Voice endorsements.

The video starts with a couple minutes of introductions by Rosemary Dempsey of NOW Connecticut, and Melody Drnach, NOW Action Vice President. Then Ned speaks and touches on some significant issues. This is followed by a brief Q&A and some related chatting. You'll get to see a poster of the Joe Lieberman "Get yer *** to another hospital" maps near the end.

Branford Boy at My Left Nutmeg has a full transcript of the speech located HERE. That was quick!

Remember, if the video plays choppy, hit the PAUSE button for a minute for so, then start it again. The file's about 16MB, so it'll take a little while to load. And please post your comments below (but go easy on the critique...this was a rush job, after all.) Major props go to Neal at WithoutAPurpose for his video work.

(...and frickin' Youtube.com should allow longer than 10 minute videos...just sayin')

Ned Lamont endorsed by NOW

Here's a teaser for the NOW video from earlier today. It's a 30-second snippet, showing Ned's reaction to the map graphic originally shown on this blog. I'll have a more detailed video up late tonight.

(Ned Lamont, standing in front of the hospital maps, quoting Joe Lieberman)

"'It shouldn't take more than a short ride to get to another hospital'...wasn't that the most callous thing you've ever heard?"



More video later...I promise.

Required viewing for all politicians

It's all too easy for us to lose our sense of proportion when we aren't directly affected by the War in Iraq (of course, this war affects everyone in ways that might not seem readily apparent). The ever-increasing tally of American deaths shown on the news each night seems far removed from our usual safe routines.

Something about that just doesn't seem right...

The video below, put together by local blogger Scarce, brings the reality of war home, in a respectful, low key, yet strongly emotional way. The sense of tragic loss is undeniable and the video is somewhat painful to experience. But it's also necessary that we don't forget the human cost of the war, in terms of pain and sorrow, that thousands of families have to suffer as a result of this awful conflict.

All those "chickenhawks" in Washington, who so eagerly sacrifice good men and women (as long as their own children aren't over there) simply to indulge in war profiteering and to exercise their hatred at the world, should be required to watch this video before every vote they cast that may put more of our military at risk.

The honorable Americans portrayed in this video can no longer speak for themselves. I'm glad that Scarce has a voice, and used it well to honor and remember them.

Late Nite FDL: Nedrenaline

It always seems that whenever Jane posts about Ned Lamont, it's around 11PM or so. I know it's only 8:00 on the left coast, but here it's late. She should change the name from "Nedrenaline" to "Ned at Night".

The slightly annoying thing about these articles being posted so late is that often I'm asleep by the time the Ned article goes online, and I miss out commenting upon it. That is, unless I accept the high risk of my remarks getting EPU'D.

The post on FireDogLake details some interesting points, such as how New York Senator Hillary Clinton is...

"...lending her many talents to helping Joe Lieberman. One of those talents seems to be a lack of familiarity with recent history."

The article then goes on to quote a Matt Stoller review of a letter Ms. Clinton recently sent out on behalf of "Bush’s favorite Democrat". Matt shows examples of Ms. Clinton contradicting herself in her apparent eagerness to jump on the Joementum bandwagon; the broken-down bandwagon that's being pulled by an obviously abused and exhausted donkey. Definitely worth a read; again, the direct link to the FDL article is HERE.

Brand new Lamont campaign video is now online

Less than an hour ago, Ned Lamont's new campaign video hit the 'net. If you'd like to see it, just click on THIS LINK.

Verizon sued for violating privacy rights

They say you can't fight City Hall...

...but you sure as hell can fight a multi-billion dollar corporation, especially when the President isn't able to interfere with due process of law.

From an Associated Press news story dated 12 May, available at Yahoo News:

"TRENTON, N.J. - Two New Jersey public interest lawyers sued Verizon Communications Inc. for $5 billion Friday, claiming the phone carrier violated privacy laws by turning over phone records to the National Security Agency for a secret government surveillance program..."

"The lawsuit asks the court to stop Verizon from turning over any more records to the NSA without a warrant or consent of the subscriber."

While Congress seems to be largely powerless to stop the Executive Branch's abuse of power, they're nothing compared to a few smart attorneys who sense an unbelievably ginormous fee. (El-oh-el)

I'm just kidding...the reality is, all lawyers are noble and helpful and work only in their client's best interest all the time.

(my attorney insisted that I say that)

"This is the largest and most vast intrusion of civil liberties we've ever seen in the United States," (attorney) Afran said of the NSA program.

...oh, alright...I guess there ARE some lawyers that are cool.

The entire article is worth reading, even though Verizon lamely insists they don't allow "...unfettered access..." to any government agency for "fishing" expeditions, whatever THAT means.

As far as I'm concerned...."That fish don't swim!"

One week until the State Democratic Convention

Starting on May 19th, Connecticut Democrats will meet in Hartford to nominate candidates for some very important state and national races.

Probably the race that will gain the most notice on a nationwide basis is the challenge Ned Lamont is mounting for Senator Joseph Lieberman's seat in Washington.

The most important issue for Connecticut Democrats (according to polls) is our country's involvement in the Iraq War. The majority are in favor of getting our soldiers back home. Ned Lamont believes we can get out of Iraq and still help the new government get on it's feet. Joe Lieberman seems to be sticking to his "stay the course and trust the President" refrain, while every day more Americans lose their lives in this senseless conflict.

Speaking of which, local blogger Scarce has posted a very moving video tribute called "Bring Them Home - Connecticut's War Dead". Give it a watch and then think about the awful cost of this war.

There's also a close race to see who is going to challenge Governor Rell for her seat. New Haven mayor John DeStefano and Stamford mayor Dan Malloy are battling for the Democratic nod.

More stuff soon.

Mike Luckovich on the CIA

I like how they're all wearing the 1950's-style "spy" hats, even the lady. See more Mike Luckovich cartoons at UCOMICS.COM.

FDL: "Can We Call It a Dictatorship Yet?"

To what level does President Bush have to sink to get Joe Lieberman to finally support a censure vote?

Jane Hamsher over at Fire Dog Lake has some late night musings on the latest dirty politics being played over at the White House

"...The Bush Administration has killed the Justice Department’s investigation into its illegal NSA wiretaps by refusing to grant the attorneys security clearance:"

The inquiry headed by the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, or OPR, sent a fax to Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., on Wednesday saying they were closing their inquiry because without clearance their lawyers cannot examine Justice lawyers’ role in the program.“We have been unable to make any meaningful progress in our investigation because OPR has been denied security clearances for access to information about the NSA program,” OPR counsel H. Marshall Jarrett wrote to Hinchey.

"The Democrats seem to want some kind of process to happen before they approve Feingold’s censure plan. It’s hard to imagine anyone still needs proof that this President has willfully, deliberately and consistently broken the law, but if that’s the case, then how about falling in behind Al Gore’s plan (which happily includes a provision for filibustering any laws that try to retroactively legalize the administration’s previous lawlessness)."

"Someone? Anyone? This "don’t rock the boat" November election strategy while the public trust is eroded and the country goes to hell is curiously not working for me."

It works for Joe Lieberman, obviously. He continues to obdurately support his President, the U.S. Constitution be damned. "Don't all you people understand the way it is? I know what's best for you," he seems to be implying.

Also, isn't that a great picture? I really wanted to use that image in an article.

Does the term "accessory after the fact"...

...mean anything to Joe Lieberman? Ring any bells in that lawyerly mind of yours, Joe?

In this Boston Globe article (online at Boston.com) dated March 26, 2006, Senator Lieberman acknowledges the fact that President Bush has broken the law with the NSA wiretapping scandal, yet he refuses to pursue any action against the perpetrator (or is that "perpe-traitor"?)

"As I read the law I think the president's tapping or surveillance without a warrant was wrong," Lieberman said on "Face the State" on WFSB-TV. "It was outside the law."

Bugging buddies
At what point does the inaction to prevent or seek prosecution for a crime by a legislator become criminal malfeasance? I thought Lieberman was a lawyer; aren't there ANY ethics rules that members of the Bar must adhere to?

So, that's just fine, the good Senator doesn't want to pursue any sort of legal challenge to the President's obvious lawbreaking (and Lieberman had just admitted it that's what it was). How about at least voting to censure the man you think broke the law?

"My own opinion...is that it would be an unproductive use of our time," Lieberman said.

Aaargh! Can you believe this is the same frickin' guy who almost popped a blood vessel in his head while wagging a finger and petulantly chiding President Clinton for his dalliances! THAT was obviously a big goddamned deal to Joe...

But using the NSA for domestic spying in direct opposition to FISA laws that are clearly on the books?

Eh, not so much.

"J'accuse!"

A mysterious lady (whom I'll forever refer to as "The Bravest Woman in Connecticut") challenged Senator Lieberman while he was being filmed by CNN leaving an apparent video op in a New Haven eatery. The clip was part of a larger piece on Ned Lamont's campaign for Lieberman's seat.

CNN's Mary Snow stood by while the agitated woman approached the Senator and angrily questioned him. This amazing clip is available for viewing at CNN Online.

UPDATE: Apparently the Evil Powers That Be have managed to bully CNN into removing the clip, but the damage is done. Once the video was released on the net, it's out there for good...remember, "That bell can't be un-rung!" Click on THIS LINK to see the Ned Lamont Resource's video at "La Resistance" (a name that follows nicely the French theme of "J'accuse", le fait pas?)

What impressed me the most was this woman's anger at the Senator, and how poorly equipped Lieberman is at deflecting criticism when he's not safely insulated from his constituents by aides, publicists, or thousands of miles while traveling away from Connecticut.

In this image, the woman confronts Lieberman, and asks, "Why are you betraying your voters?" Lieberman looks momentarily stunned, then produces what can only be considered sparkling banter.

Joe counters brilliantly with "I'm NOT!", pointing at the woman as if she's a witch and he's a Spanish Inquisitor. While he doesn't say much, his body language speaks volumes. He looks physically ill at being confronted by a real live voter.

She doesn't back off for a second, and I can forgive her for her less than stellar followup, "Yes you are!"

Joe then parrots his favorite refrain and says, "Look at my record."

Yes, let's look at his record. Lieberman supports an illegal and immoral war in Iraq. He's voted countless times with the President on such issues like confirmations of child-strip-searcher Sam Alito and pro-torturer Abu Gonzales. He's all in favor of denying rape victims emergency contraception, and in fact thinks it's only a minor inconvenience for a victim of sexual assault to take a "short ride to another hospital". Etc. etc. etc...

Lieberman then dismisses the woman's questions with an arrogant wave of his arm, probably accompanied with a mighty "harrumph!" or a barked "Bah!" Boy, I'd love to hear the entire audio from THAT little encounter.

This woman's identity may already be known to some locally, but I just want to let the world know that I think she's "The Bravest Woman in Connecticut".

Joe? Thanks for making yourself available to your constituents...we appreciate it.

And thank you, CNN.

"Blank Check Joe"

Branford Boy over at My Left Nutmeg posted an article from The Philly Inquirer about Lieberman's desperate attempts to shore up support for his sagging campaign.

Here's part of the quote:

"In his effort to avoid being beaten or embarrassed, Lieberman has been busy dialing for allies. For instance, on St. Patrick's Day, a local Democrat named John McNamara answered his cell and discovered Lieberman on the line. McNamara, who works at a Hartford college, has chaired the party in New Britain since 1993, yet Lieberman had never called him, because Lieberman had never needed him - until now.

"The call didn't go well. McNamara told Lieberman that the war was a "damn mess," and that he, Lieberman, had given Bush a blank check. As McNamara now recounts the conversation: "I said that if it wasn't for Lamont, we would not be having this discussion. I can't imagine he agreed with that, because guys like him generally want a free ride, don't they? Anyway, he asked for my support. I couldn't give it."

Well, I happen to know that Lieberman DIDN'T give Bush a blank check after all...he in fact helpfully filled in the blanks, to the tune of $300 BILLION DOLLARS. And as you can see, the checkbook is brand new (check number 102), and there's plenty more checks where that came from.

Let's take the checkbook away from Joe Lieberman before he wastes any more of our money...not to mention thousands of lives, America's prestige, and any good karma we've managed to accumulate in the last 230 years.

(As an aside, I was sorely tempted to edit the image to read "Three Hundred Billion & no SENSE", but as a rule I try to avoid puns unless absolutely necessary...)

(...of course, by posting that comment, I ended up including the pun anyway...)

(...and I do admire the Senator's handwriting. Very nice penmanship.)

Jerome and Markos discuss "Crashing The Gate"...

...and other subjects on FireDogLake.Com.

The two-part open forum started last Sunday, and today (update: it's over now) you can be a part of Part II. You can also see the complete discussion threads at FireDogLake, Part I and Part II. In today's discussion, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga and Jerome Armstrong are taking part in the event.

And don't forget, two weeks from today (Sunday) Jerome and Markos are appearing in New Haven, courtesy of DFA New Haven and Kelly Monighan of My Left Nutmeg, at the Playwright Pub and Restaurant, 144 Temple Street, on May 21st between 5PM and 7PM. Come on down, say "Hi" to the boys, and get your book signed.

Lieberman discusses Katrina failure

"President Bush won our admiration and our gratitude for the way he took charge responding to the attacks against America of Sept. 11. In the case of Katrina, he failed to provide that same presidential leadership when it was needed and America suffered," Lieberman said.
(FoxNews; April 27, 2006)
Why is it that Joe Lieberman can't even criticize President Bush without making it sound like a compliment?

Why not say something more meaningful, like this:

"President Bush deserves our scorn for invading Iraq on false pretenses, and as a result of his illegal and immoral war we were left critically understaffed in the National Guard and other emergency response agencies, which impeded the relief efforts significantly."

Maybe Senator Lieberman doesn't mention that because he voted FOR the war, and continues to insist it's a necessary policy. The $250,000,000 a day we're spending over in Iraq can buy a LOT of goddamned sandbags. And it would also rebuild and strengthen the levees, provide relief for people who lost their homes, and put a lot of money into the U.S. economy.

He has to know in his heart of hearts that he's complicit in the disastrous aftermath of Katrina.

Best Bloggers Evar!

It's been a hectic 24 hours for me. Coming home early yesterday evening to find this blog front-paged on a number of high-profile, national blogs was a bit of a shock. Unreal, even. My counter jumped from about 800 to over 10,000. Whoa!

Until yesterday, I was happily slogging along with maybe 10 or so hits a day. No pressure, nice and simple. And suddenly, BAM!!! I'm on Joe's radar. DeanFan84 is totally responsible for this, and thanks to him I fear I might have to flee the state if Ned doesn't win the primary!

(How's the sailing around San Diego? Many computer jobs there? Just askin'...)

Actually I'm very grateful to him, and to all the local Connecticut bloggers. In fact, I'm being terribly remiss by not mentioning all the wonderful Blogs here in Connecticut. The political scene here, wild as it is right now, is being covered by a group of terrific people. They're smart, concerned, and angry about what's been happening to our country.

These folks put in amazing amounts of time and effort to getting the word out about Ned Lamont. Most volunteer in other ways, too, by collecting signatures, attending events, shooting video and taking pictures, and button-holing Lieberman with questions any time he appears in public. I'm very lucky to have fallen in with this group of dedicated Democrats.

Give these blogs a visit, read their posts, and say Hi. And visit them often.

(And if I forget anyone, go easy on me, OK? Send me a note and I'll add your blog. I apologize in advance.)

CT Blue
ConnecticutBLOG
Ned Lamont Resource
Without A Purpose
My Left Nutmeg
LamontBLOG
DumpJoe.Com
YouTube Videos
KissJoeGoodbye.Com

...among others to be named as soon as I think of them.



And stay angry...it's the best way to keep your focus.

Joe's mailing to the delegates (Part II)

John from CTBlue copied the letter that Joe Lieberman sent all the Democratic delegates and posted it for all to see. (image via LamontBlog)

Now, I don't know how closely their proof readers examined it, but I was a little stunned by the content of this page below.



Apparently Harry Reid isn't as good a friend to Joe as I thought...but you can't argue that the letter is telling the truth. Read this post to see what I mean.

(The "hanger" image was sent to me by NeoJoe from "A Thousand Words Worth") Blog.

Can I just say....

.
...Holy shit?

I think I just got an education in the power of blogging to reach people.

What started out yesterday as a snarky little rant about Joe Lieberman's asinine comments about emergency contraception has snowballed into a national forum for people to vent their anger.

I'm astounded at the visceral response I've seen directed at Joe Lieberman via the comments sections on various blogs around the nation. There are a LOT of people who are righteously pissed at what's going on in this country.

And that righteous anger will become the catalyst for change.

The recent polls on the Lieberman-Lamont race have been a bit discouraging. Some people who saw those numbers got a feeling that while we're doing our best for a noble cause, we can't possibly win.

The fact of the matter is that, so far, only Lieberman has been seen by the majority of voters out there. Lamont has very little name recognition. And when he does get mentioned by the local media, he's often referred to as "Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont".

Heh heh, yeah...not exactly the type of characterization that will engender a shitload of support.

This is all about to change.

With the recent hirings of media-consultant Bill Hillsman and Internet-coordinator Tim Tagaris, and with the state Democratic convention just 14 days away, the Lamont campaign is about to go into hyper-drive. After the May 19th convention, when Lamont has gotten enough delegates to force the primary (August 8th), we'll all be hearing a LOT more about Ned. Once the people see and hear him speak, they'll be convinced he's the man for the job.

And all that righteous anger out there, bubbling just below the surface, will erupt into massive support for Lamont. Because people have had all they're going to take.

The revolution has begun.

(Please donate to Ned's campaign via ActBlue)

And, after you donate to Ned, please visit:

Fire Dog Lake
Daily Kos
Eschaton
Crooks and Liars

"Lieberman vs. the Day After Pill"

Joe Lieberman supports the approach of the Catholic hospitals when it comes to contraceptives for rape victims (as reported in The New Haven Register, by Gregory B. Hladky on 03/13/2006, via KissJoeGoodbye.Com).

Lieberman said he believes hospitals that refuse to give contraceptives to rape victims for "principled reasons" shouldn't be forced to do so.

"In Connecticut, it shouldn't take more than a short ride to get to another hospital," he said.

Well Joe, that's not very helpful. I mean, I know that you'll never need emergency contraception at two o'clock in the morning after having been brutally raped. So I guess it's easy for you to disregard any woman who is unlucky enough to have gone through that trauma.

But here's a suggestion: Why don't you provide maps for the victims, so they can walk out of the Emergency Rooms of the various Catholic hospitals around the state, hail a cab, and take that "short ride" to another hospital?

You know what, Joe?

Never mind.

I'll do it.

And knowing how difficult it is to even GET a cab at 2AM, I'll include the distance between the hospitals, in case the victims have to walk (or crawl) there.

So here ya go, Joe. Just print these out and send them to the Catholic hospitals Emergency Rooms. (Of course, we all know they wouldn't even give them to the victims, but it can't hurt to try...)

Maps from Mapquest.Com

New Haven - 1.37 miles; about a 27 minute walk


Bridgeport - 2.73 miles; about a 54 minute walk


Waterbury - 1.58 miles; about a 31 minute walk


Hartford - 2.43 miles; about a 49 minute walk


There, you see how easy that was, Joe? I thought that you would.

Oh, and Joe?...

You're welcome.

Compare and Contrast

OK, I'm sure by now everybody's seen the recent Joe Lieberman mailings, attacking his (apparently) former "Super-BFF George Bush" ("Best Friends Forever"). Gosh, these schoolgirl crushes never seem to last very long...

Anyway, I really, REALLY tried to be good about this. These delegate letters are just friggin' BEGGING to be spoofed. It's just about killing me not to unload on these silly things, believe me.

I mean, Jon Stewart's writers would totally cream themselves if they'd been given this type of fodder for snarkiness. They'd earn their salary in roughly seven minutes with stuff like this.

But, in the interest of Journalistic Fairness, (and after all, isn't Journalism truly one of the world's noblest professions?) I decided to take the high road, and present a little comparison for you. A bit of a fanciful quiz, if you will.

Take a look at the two images below, and tell me what you notice about them that might be considered different. Take your time, because you WILL be graded on this.

First, look at this one that we'll call "Exhibit A". Give it a good look...



Now, take a close looks at this duplicate image. We'll refer to it as "Exhibit B"...

So, what do you think?

OK, this quiz wasn't really fair...but you already know the answer.

Both images are EXACTLY THE SAME!!!

(Sheesh, tell me you didn't see THAT coming?)

"Kiss Joe Goodbye.Com"

There's a new blog in town, Kiss Joe Goodbye.Com

We all know what a kissable guy Joe Lieberman is.

For instance, immediately after this year's "State of the Union Address", George W. Bush couldn't wait to plant a nice sloppy one on his bestest buddy and favorite Democrat, Joe Lieberman.

"I wish I knew how to quit you!"
And then Joe blows a big kiss to all the fine ladies of Connecticut, with his helpful views on emergency contraception and hospitals that refuse to provide them. He's really showing his love for you gals!

Also, let's not forget the loving smooch that "Kissin' Joe" delivered to all the Democratic party faithful here in Connecticut, with his threat to go Independent if he loses the Democratic primary. Loyalty...it's a rare thing these days.

Yup, Joe sure knows how to kiss it...

So it's only fair that we all kiss Joe goodbye!