The impact of citizen videography

I've been made an example of!

Or, more accurately, my work was used AS an example.

Which is good, because in retrospect, someone making an example of me might lead to an uncomfortable conversation about the inherent dangers of cigar smoking, or the need for most Americans to eat healthier and exercise on occasion, or how alcohol consumption is an activity that should be performed in moderation, if at all.

So I was pleased (and not a little relieved) to see this article by Paul Bass in the New Haven Independent covering a seminar on the new Internet-driven media of the 21st century.

Specifically the part where I'm referred to as "one particularly skilled videoblogger..."

...and all I can say is...

IT'S ABOUT TIME!

(just kidding)

From the Independent:

Aldon Hynes (pictured). And one of his topics was exhibit A for the instant new influence of grassoots citizen media on social-change politics: the Ned Lamont for Senate campaign.

Hynes lives on the web, 16 hours a day. (He does have a wife and a daughter, believe it or not.) Besides blogging and leading conferences, he currently works net-side for Lamont's insurgent challenge to incumbent Sen. Josepeh Lieberman in a Democratic primary. Legions of citizen bloggers have organized support for Lamont, across the country, and developed surprisingly creative and effective homemade vidoes which they exhibit on the web. In the photo, Hynes is showing a video one particularly skilled videoblogger, "CT Bob," made by working with a trailer from "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." His version is about "Mr. Lamont."

Hynes showed a "Nedheads" section of Youtube where 173 people are producing campaign-related videos, some from TV footage, some from events they shoot live, some from scenes they create themselves.

I've been agnostic about some of the citizen media movement. I think it often sounds better in theory than practice. Most people would rather have a trained, skilled full-time journalist go find out information about their government and police and courts for them while they work at their own jobs all day. But it's become clearer to me that video is an exception. The tools are cheaper, and everyday people are having an impact. Just in the past few months Youtube has become somewhat of a household name and enabled citizen video-producers to reach, at times, millions of people past the filter of corporate media.

To see the video in the example, click on "Mr. Lamont Goes To Washington".

And to see the Youtube group and watch lots of great videos, click on Nedheads Group.

It's busy going into vacation

Things are hopping here at "Connecticut Bob" World Headquarters. I'm off on vacation next week, and I'm working on lining up some guest bloggers who will help keep everyone here posted on the campaign, and especially the debate scheduled a week from today.

I'll keep you informed because, you know, that's my job.

And don't forget to keep reading the blogs listed in the Links section, especially our Connecticut blogs, for the latest inside scoop in the campaign.

The AFL-CIO's reluctant endorsement

Spazeboy grabbed this short yet powerful clip of the debate on the AFL-CIOs vote to endorse the Senate candidate. While Joe Lieberman did get an endorsement, it was only until the primary, which sent a strong message to Joe that they won't support an Independent candidate if he chooses to flee the Democratic party:

AFL-CIO endorses Lieberman, but only as a Dem

Today the Connecticut AFL-CIO state political convention voted to endorse Sen. Joe Lieberman, but only until the August 8th primary. In effect, this means the union will likely support the Democratic winner of the primary, whether it's Lieberman or challenger Ned Lamont.

This is a huge blow to the Senator's efforts should he decide to flee the Democrats and run as an Independent in November.

Paul Bass wrote today in the New Haven Independent (and yes, the irony of that name isn't lost on me!):

As recently as yesterday, state AFL-CIO President Olsen said he expected the organization to endorse Lieberman not just in his primary against challenger Ned Lamont, but in the general election, too – even if Lieberman loses the primary and runs as an independent.

That changed in the hours before the federation voted Tuesday afternoon. At a lunch meeting of the organization’s Committee on Political Education, delegates from the machinists, teachers and auto workers’ unions, who support Lamont, convinced the group to change its mind and limit the endorsement to the primary.

When it came for the voice vote in the Omni ballroom, the “aye”s to endorse Lieberman rang loud and clear. But so did the no votes.

The decision to limit the endorsement to the primary represents a victory of sorts for Lamont’s challenge to the three-term incumbent. It leaves open the option that the federation could support Lamont in November against an independent Lieberman candidacy.

Our government is protecting us!

Cartoon by Dave Rustad

Thank God (In Which We Trust...or would that be "in Whom we trust"? I dunno...) that the federal Government is taking as much time as it can to protect us from the possibility of being offended by someone with an American flag and a Zippo.

Do you realize there have been three...YES, THREE documented cases of flag desecration in the last year alone? Why, that's a total of 150 stars and 39 stripes being burned! And have you ever really thought about how Connecticut is represented by BOTH a star AND a stripe? That's like us getting burned TWICE in every flag!

Well, not on my watch we won't!

Thank God yet again, for the Government protecting us from being offended at any two people who want to marry and happen to not be members of opposing sexes.

Thank God. Really, thanks.

These are the two biggest issues that Congress has brought up as maybe needing an Amendment to the Constitution to protect us from.

I'm certainly glad these other issues are nearly as important:

The War in Iraq
Global Warming and Climate Changes
Our skyrocketing National Debt
Attacks on Constitutional Freedoms
The Israel/Palestine problem
Social Security
Net Neutrality (mui)
Iran nuclear bombs
North Korean ballistic missles
The ballooning trade deficit
National Healthcare
Tax cuts only for the wealthiest 1%

Yeah...no need to trouble ourselves with those minor issues, especially when there's a maladjusted hippie somewhere who wants to annoy his parents and get on TV.

That's WAAAAYYYYY more important!

Thank you.

UPDATE: President Bush desecrates an American Flag with black ink. I don't know about you, but I find this VERY OFFENSIVE!

(this article was written based on a comment by hugh at Fire Dog Lake while I was channeling Stephen Colbert)

On Lieberman and Hannity

In this article in Political Cortex, Bill Hare examines the connection between Sen. Joe Lieberman and Sean Hannity:

As has been noted, Lieberman has made a recent ally of Fox News right wing Republican commentator Sean Hannity. On one of his recent appearances Lieberman expressed concern that so many in his party do not understand traditional American values. The Fox commentator was only too happy to agree.

Why wouldn't he be? Joe Lieberman is Fox News's perfect idea of a Democrat - deferential to the President, willing to go against his own party to support the conservative agenda, unquestioning about the war.

Just as (Zell) Miller bolted the Democrats for the stated reason that his party left him rather than the other way around, Joseph Lieberman is currently sounding a variation of the same theme. This leads to the obvious question of whether Sean Hannity occupies the ideological ground traditionally familiar to Democrats.

To believe that Hannity occupies traditional Democratic ideological is comparable to accepting the outlandish claim by Bill O'Reilly of the same network that he is a populist and that Fox is actually objective and that the opposite perception from progressives stems from the fact that the other media outlets are strongly allied with the left and that their reportage reveals this trait.

And then there's this little comparison that so far nobody seems to have explored:

Lieberman and Fox News is a predictable team. Lieberman falls into the same pattern as John Connally when he headed the Democrats for Nixon Committee during Richard Nixon's 1972 reelection presidential campaign.

Connally then promptly switched parties following the election with the intention of becoming president as Nixon's heir designate. Watergate got in the way and Connally's chance vanished.

It is no accident that Karl Rove, who idolized Nixon, is a strategy maker during a period when a faux Democrat like Joseph Lieberman links himself to the Republican National Committee's television propaganda arm, Fox News.

The objective is clear. If enough voters can be convinced that "Democrats" of the Lieberman stripe should be preferred over true progressives, the Bush Republicans have succeeded in achieving unilateral disarmament over the American political system.

The article ends with this little entreaty:

"Hopefully Connecticut voters will see through the Lieberman charade. A viable alternative is present. His name is Ned Lamont."

Lieberman Had Lamont Campaign Manager Arrested

No, not today; a long time ago.

Political Wire has learned that Connecticut U.S. Senate candidate Ned Lamont's (D) campaign manager, Tom Swan, took part in an early 1990s protest at the offices of Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and was arrested after the senator called Capitol Hill police. Swan and his fellow protesters were physically dragged from the office.

Lamont's campaign confirms the story but calls the event a "coordinated action" of "civil disobedience" targeting multiple lawmakers. "It was also one of a series of actions due to the instrumental role Senator Lieberman played in killing universal health care. Not only did he not support it, he helped kill it."

So. Tom Swan felt strongly enough about Sen. Lieberman's right-wing conservative stance against universal health care that he allowed himself to be arrested for it?

Wow.

I knew there was a reason why I like this guy!

Welcome to the "Joe-Fly Zone"

Senator Joe Lieberman has been racking up some impressive numbers lately. Since 2000, the junior senator and his staff have amassed a huge amount of luxury travel miles, all paid for by special interests and lobbyists for corporations. Hey, Joe knows comfort...it's gotta be a lot nicer to fly in a $50,000,000 Gulfstream private jet that carries 6 or 8 of your most trusted staffers than a Delta DC-9 filled with sweaty commoners.

By Fred Lucas THE NEWS-TIMES

Imagine all-expense-paid trips to the Bahamas, Ecuador, Europe, China, Las Vegas, even Alaska. They might sound like game show prizes, but they're a perk for some members of Congress, their spouses and staff.

In Connecticut, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Democrat, and U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-5th Dist., lead the way in jetting on someone else's dime. That is according to a report released this month by the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington-based watchdog group, which covered the period from January 2000 to June 2005.

In all, interest groups spent more than $600,000 on more than 300 trips for Connecticut members of Congress over a 5½-year period.

Lieberman and his staff took 130 trips, more than twice as many as any other member of the Connecticut delegation during the period covered by the report, with private interests footing the $119,000 bill.

Even the Republican challenger for Lieberman's senate seat is perplexed by the amount of privately funded travel the Senator takes for himself and his staff:

"When it comes to the corporate frequent flyer sweepstakes, Joe Lieberman is at the top of the state delegation list," said a statement from the campaign of Republican Alan Schlesinger, who is running for Lieberman's Senate seat.

And the Ned Lamont campaign chimes in on the issue:

"Sen. Lieberman is out of touch with Connecticut because he's spending time with corporations and out-of-state donors," said Liz Dupont-Diehl, spokeswoman for Ned Lamont, who is challenging Lieberman in a Democratic primary.

Clearly, even the Senator himself thinks there is something a little unethical about receiving such generous complimentary gifts from corporations and private interests:

Lieberman has proposed measures to curb privately funded travel by requiring that members pay the difference in the price of a charter flight and a commercial flight, said Lieberman spokeswoman Leslie Phillips.

So, let me understand you, Senator. You want to propose that you pay the difference between the cost of a commercial flight and a private charter, because you think it's wrong to accept such gifts.

Well Senator Lieberman, why don't you put your money where your mouth is and VOLUNTARILY pay up the difference?

Otherwise, those are just more empty words from you.

Morris Says Lieberman Will Lose

Political Wire asked Dick Morris for his thoughts on the U.S. Senate race in Connecticut:

"I think Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) will lose the primary and will be so crippled by the defeat and Ned Lamont (D) so empowered, that he will lose the general election as an independent. Sen. Jacob Javits (R-NY), in 1980, could have avoided defeat by not fighting the Republican Primary against Sen. Al D'Amato (R-NY) and running as an independent. But D'Amato was so empowered by the primary win and Javits so disempowered that he won the general election with Javits running a poor third.

"Lieberman's correct course of action is to withdraw from the primary and run as an independent. It is the only way he can get re-elected."

Meanwhile, the Norwich Bulletin says that if Lieberman decides to to petition his way onto the November ballot as an independent "he will publicly announce his plans prior to the Aug. 8 primary."

---------------------

Of course he will. In order to run as an independent, Lieberman will need 7,500 verifiable signatures from registered voters. Before he can start collecting them, he needs to file with the Secretary of State. Once his filing is made, it's public record. The Democrats will know.

So if Joe Lieberman decides to collect signatures, he'd be well advised to announce it publicly BEFORE he files.

So here's a question for the State Democratic Party:

Nancy DiNardo (Chairwoman of the Connecticut Democrats), if you find out that Senator Lieberman is collecting signatures for an independent run, will you demand that he either stop immediately or resign from the party if he wishes to continue?

Because it's clear that you can be either a Democrat or an independent...you can't have it both ways!

Conversation overheard on Capitol Hill

From commenter twolf1 over on Fire Dog Lake:

Republican: You guys have no ideas, no plans

Democrat: Yes we do, you just won’t listen

Republican: I’m listening now.

Democrat: Well, I think we should pull the troops out, maybe a phased redeployment to reduce the number of troops to zero over the next six months.

Republican: HA! You’re not an American. You want the terrorists to win with your liberal cut and run plan. Murtha is a coward, you are a coward. Now go back to watching the World Cup, you Communist! America won’t back down, we will stay the course!

Democrat: But…

Republican: I have a better idea. We will begin a phased pull-out from Iraq in September.

Democrat: ???

Joe's got issues...

...just not very many of them.

For fun tonight, and yes, this is a typical Friday night for me, I clicked on the "Joe2006.com" website. This is Lieberman's official website.

And I saw that Joe has serious issues.

Well, I should say that Joe has some issues.

When I clicked on the "Get Involved" button, the sign-up sheet appeared. After the personal info fields, I captured this image. The lower portion of the window has a section for you to choose "What issues are important to you".

Well, the problem is, there's only a few issues listed; and none of them are the war in Iraq. Yeah, the fucking WAR IN IRAQ doesn't ever rate!

Apparently Joe doesn't think there's any interest in that minor little scrap. That's so....Republican of him.

Check the red arrows in the image below...they all point to "health care" and "social security". Then check the black arrows...while I'm all for keeping Long Island Sound clean, I don't think it merits TWO mentions; especially considering the fact that 2,500 Americans weren't killed trying to clean it up.

Yeah, Joe...sign me up!

I'd love to be able to forget about the war in Iraq too!

Ned Lamont & David Sirota discuss the issues

Last Wednesday, David Sirota spoke about his book at Atticus Books in New Haven with Ned Lamont in attendance. A couple of posts below is a video featuring David Sirota.

This is a video of Ned and David talking about the importance of the issues in the Senate race. It's a big file, about 11:30 long and 18MB, so use the pause button on the video window to let it load a bit if it starts playing choppy. It's worth the wait!

Ann Coulter hearts Joe Lieberman

This article in Think Progress has Neocon Uberskank Ann Coulter explaining why she loves our junior Senator:

CAVUTO: Is this an extreme view – that the war is actually going to be a positive issue, I’m paraphrasing here, for Republicans in November.

COULTER: Oh sure, of course — because Democrats can’t be trusted with national security. I mean, we see it in these frivolous proposals to have a timeline, a plan, “what’s the plan?” Can you imagine FDR having to deal with this during World War II? “What’s our schedule? When do we pullout? Can we have a timeline? What’s your plan, what’s your plan, what’s your plan?”

CAVUTO: So you would admire more at least the politician that says a timetable to get out than going back and forth?

COULTER: No. I would admire a politician, not as much as basically your run of the mill garden-variety Republican, but as far as Democrats go like Lieberman, who apparently does want to defend America and fight the war on terrorism. He is the one facing a primary fight.

This comment by bob (no, not this Bob) pretty much sums up why Ann Coulter is somewhere west of logic:

The cons attack FDR as a liberal until they remember he fought a war and won. They seem to think that the two don’t go together. What they don’t understand is that it’s not all about ideology - it’s about competence.

FDR was a competent leader - GWB is incompetent in almost every endeavor. FDR selected competent people and gave them the tools to do their jobs. GWB selects people loyal to him and his ideology, without regard for their competency, and lets them screw up their jobs.

If FDR performed as badly as GWB, he would have been severly criticized and would have deserved it. Germany and Japan would have won that war by now. Three years ago we attacked a country far less dangerous than either of those two and we’re still floundering around, no plan, no goal, no success.

Britain rolled through Iraq/Mesopotamia as a side show in both of the World Wars, and still managed to defeat the larger enemies. It’s all about competence.

It's getting so the only time you see "George W. Bush" and "competence" in the same sentence, it's because someone is discussing W's total lack of it!

UPDATE: Now that I've had my morning coffee, I'd like to try to put George W. Bush's leadership abilities into proper perspective.

If Bush was president during World War II, we'd all be speaking German right now.

If Bush was president during the Spanish-American War, we'd all be habla-ing Espanol right now.

If Bush was president during the Viet Nam era, we'd all be speaking a language that's really difficult to learn.

If Bush was president during the Cold War, nobody would be alive to speak ANY language.

If Bush was president during the War of 1812, we'd all be speaking English right now.

...uh, wait a minute...well, you know what I mean.

David Sirota video is up!

I had a couple hours to spare today, so I first edited David Sirota's words at the Atticus Book Store-Cafe last night, and I'm currently working on Ned Lamont's remarks. I don't think it's going to be posted until late tonight or tomorrow. Click on David Sirota after you watch the video and check out his web site.

Oh, and my video of "The Kiss" just spiked about 4,000 hits on Youtube today, but I couldn't figure out who was linking to me until I looked at the "links" link on Youtube and saw that Salon.com had put it into their "Video Dog" section.

That explains all the hits, but the lousy crumb-bums at that crappy pay-for-news service didn't bother to credit me or link to my blog.

Fuckers.

Anyway, here's the David Sirota video:

Tonight, David Sirota book signing in New Haven

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Anyone who thinks Ned Lamont is a "one-issue" candidate...

...obviously hasn't heard him speak!

Here's a seven minute video of Ned Lamont's speech at the Norwalk DTC last night. I highlighted each of the main issues he discussed, and this will help demolish the Lieberman meme that Ned Lamont is an "anti-war" candidate only.

If you've never heard Ned speak, take seven minutes and educate yourself. Then tell your friends to watch it. Because Ned represents what the Democratic Party should be, and maybe one day WILL be.

The video is about 11MB, and remember to hit the Pause button and let it load a bit if it starts playing choppy.

Then support a true Democrat by clicking on the sailboat to the right and making a small donation. Ned won't accept lobbyist's money, so it's up to us to help him win!

My interview tonight with Ned Lamont

After the Norwalk DTC meeting, Ned Lamont was kind enough to spend a few minutes responding to my less than elegantly-phrased questions. I promise to sound less like an idiot and more like a journalist next time.

Here's my 2:30 video interview that is compelling and funny, especially Ned's frank response to my question about whether CT Blogger's interview I taped last week led directly to Joe Lieberman agreeing to debate him. This shows that Ned is very real and won't just say whatever someone wants to hear.

Hey, this is serious journalism here; Ned answered my questions around 8:15 tonight and this is posted well before the local 11:00 news.

Eat my shorts, Channel 3! Hahahahaha!

Lieberman wishy-washes another Indie question

Today, this article in the Hartford Courant has Joe talking about his intentions yet again.

UPDATE: Here is the video I put together today, using his own words.


Rather than just quote the article wholesale, I'm going to make this interesting. See if you can spot all the evasions and contradictions in his statement:

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman said today that he will not withdraw from the Aug. 8 Democratic primary, but he left open the possibility of running in November as a petitioning candidate if he loses the primary.

"I will be in the Democratic primary. I've been a Democrat all my life," he said this morning.

But as in the past, he refused to rule out the option of running as a petitioning candidate should challenger Ned Lamont win the primary.

"If the unexpected happened, do I want to keep open the option of taking my case as an independent Democrat to all the voters of Connecticut so that they can have the last word in November?" Lieberman said. That's an unanswered question, he said.

I'll say it is! Please click on the link above to read the entire article...I ran out of space to put any more flip-flopping Joe heads on this page!

It makes me wonder...which Joe will show up on Primary Day?

Droney article alleges campaign hustle

John F. Droney, Jr., if you recall, is the former Democratic State Chairman and one of the people who helped Joseph Lieberman defeat then-Senator Lowell Weicker, and who just last week advised Lieberman to leave the Democratic party.

So much for Party loyalty.

But wait...there's more:

Some interesting allegations were lodged against Droney by imprisoned former Treasurer Paul J. Silvester, detailed in this 2003 Hartford Courant article at lawyertalk.org by EDMUND H. MAHONY, And JON LENDER Courant Staff Writers.

Silvester said three well-connected state Democrats - Peter G. Kelly, John F. Droney Jr. and George Finley - sniped at one another in their pursuit of million-dollar finder's fees for investments - some of which they did little or nothing to earn. Over lunch in April 1998, Silvester said, Droney and Finley confided that Kelly, a national Democratic strategist and fund-raiser, "was getting piggish," so they were cutting him out of an upcoming fee.

Silvester said Droney and yet another Democratic power broker, former state Senate Majority Leader William DiBella, actually worked against Democratic candidates in what turned out to be an unsuccessful effort to get Silvester elected to an office from which he could continue to pour a river of questionable fees.

Droney, a former state Democratic chairman, supported a Democratic primary to drain campaign funds from Denise Nappier, Silvester's opponent for treasurer in 1998, Silvester told federal authorities. In addition, Silvester said, Droney used highly placed spies in Barbara Kennelly's 1998 gubernatorial campaign to leak Democratic strategy to David O'Leary, Rowland's campaign manager. A Rowland victory, the thinking went, would help Silvester at the polls.

The entire article is worth a read to show the duplicity and machine politics that goes on behind the scenes. While Droney (and others) have made millions in fees for state pension investments, he hasn't been charged with any crimes or officially accused of wrongdoing.

Courant examines Lieberman's possible independent run

In an article in today's Hartford Courant, staff writer Mark Pazniokas looks at the consequences of Joseph Lieberman running as an independent candidate. The question about how other politicians feel about that possibility is being addressed:

The two Democrats waging a primary for the gubernatorial nomination, John DeStefano Jr. and Dannel P. Malloy, each say their loyalty lies with the Democratic nominee.

Most, if not all, of the congressional nominees are likely to take a similar stance.

Joe Courtney, the Democratic challenger for Congress in the 2nd District, said he will work in November for the Democratic ticket. Sarah Merriam, who is managing Democrat Christopher Murphy's congressional challenge in the 5th District, is on the same page.

"No matter what happens on Aug. 8, Chris and the campaign are supporting the Democratic candidate. We are supporting everybody who is on our line," Merriam said.

Regarding any action by Lieberman to collect signatures for an indie run:

No law bars Lieberman from trying to win the primary and hedge his bets by simultaneously petitioning for a place on the November ballot. But the consensus of a half-dozen campaign professionals interviewed this week was that such a strategy would be foolhardy.

One way or another, the next-day analysis and examination of the debate between Ned Lamont and Joe Lieberman, scheduled for July 6th, may force Lieberman's hand and precipitate his departure from the Democrats.

Oh Jesus, not another video about "The Kiss"?

Yeah...sorry about that.

I really didn't want to rehash this old story, but everytime I see a picture of "The Kiss", the mp3 player in my head starts playing "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer...on repeat.

...endless repeat...

I really hate this song. With every fiber of my being. It's everything about pop music that I detest, and yet because my brain was subjected to it a couple of times maybe two years ago, it automatically starts playing if I see that photo of Joe and George making out.

So, to try to exercise this demon, I thought that by making a video of it might finally put it to rest. Maybe coming to grips with it will make it go away.

Boy, was I wrong! After editing the video for about an hour, and hearing the same fucking clip from that god-awful song about 90 times, I'm absolutely sure that it'll bounce around my head for a good hour or two when I try to get to sleep tonight!

Of course, there IS a solution: single malt scotch. That usually works...temporarily, at least. But I always run out eventually, and whatever terrible mind-phantasm that's been haunting me soon returns.

Anyway, here it is. My visualization of a beautiful relationship gone tragically wrong. A real tearjerker. Enjoy.

Lieberman wrangles endorsement from Fox News hack!

With friends like these...who needs Democrats?

Fox News hack and Republican shill Bill "Loofa boy" O'Reilly has come forward with his support for ultra-conservative Senator Joseph Lieberman yesterday.

When he's not allegedly sexually harrassing his staff, Mr. O'Reilly is popularly known as a pompous cheerleader for the Bush/Cheney administration and all it's failed and criminal programs. He frequently squawks about the "godless liberals of the Left" while doing unspeakable things to himself in the privacy of his own home.

In case you haven't heard about it, check out "The Smoking Gun's" compelling article about O'Reilly's wanton sexual harrassment and perverted phone conversations.

And I'm sure those acts are well documented by the tireless and vigilant agents of the National Security Agency (or the "NSA", as it's commonly called). Boy, I'd love to hear some of their secret tapes starring O'Reilly.

(rough transcript-you can see the rest)

O'Reilly: Let me answer my own question. I think George Soros, Peter Lewis, Moveon, all of these people-these far left fringe people want a completely different America--They got the bucks! They got the money! And now with the internet, they got the smear machine. You don't play their game-you don't get any money and you get smeared. Look what's going on with Lieberman in CT. They're after Lieberman, their own Democrats are after him.

Sammon: So people like Lieberman are getting squeezed out and he's thinking about running as an Independent now because there's no room for him in the moderate Democratic Party...

O'Reilly: He shouldn't. He'll win on the Democratic ticket in CT.

Check out the entire video on Crooks and Liars.

Oh, and Joe? If I were you, I'd forget about an endorsement from Sean Hannity. You really pissed him off by lying about going on his crappy show every single month. Way to screw your friends, Joe.

"Politics For Dummies"

It's not the title of a book about politics...apparently, it's a personal philosophy for Chuck Schumer.

Let Senator Chuck Schumer know that he is expected to throw his support 100% behind the winner of the Democratic Primary for US Senate on August 8th, not to his political crony and the man widely considered to be "Most Likely To Flee The Democratic Party 2006", Joseph Lieberman, if he loses or runs as an Independent. Schumer is the head of the DSCC, which is supposedly committed to helping DEMOCRATS get elected.

Really, if Schumer can't commit to a simple thing like supporting a Democrat who WINS a primary, maybe the New York voters should take a page from the Connecticut's progressive voter's playbook and enlist a REAL Democrat to occupy his seat in Washington.

Drop him a personal message on his taxpayer provided Senate web site. Let him know how you feel about his failure to commit to supporting the WINNER of the CT Senate Primary.

All these weak-assed, hypocritical, phony Democrats better learn fast that THEY serve the people, not the other way around!

Lamont's Radio Ad (with video goodness!)

Radio is fine and all, even though nobody really listens to it anymore (apparently according to Lieberman campaign wizard Sean Smith on the air yesterday), so I've taken the brand-spankin' new Ned Lamont radio commercial and added pictures and moving images. Just like TV! Only better, because there's no commercials!

Well, yes, if you ignore the fact that the whole thing is a commercial, but that's too silly to even consider!

So, here it is, after a mere 4 hours of downloading public domain footage and pictures, and nearly endless editing. Enjoy!

Thursday mid-day Roundup

UPDATE: Neal reminded me that today is in fact Wednesday and not Thursday.

See? This is what happens to me when I really focus on editing...my whole universe gets messed up! Well I'm not gonna change it. Just like Joe Lieberman, I'm not gonna do a single thing to correct my mistakes. Hah!

(God, I'm clever! OK, back to the blog)

Yes, I'm going to start doing the occasional "round-ups" anytime I'm either completely devoid of original thought, or simply too busy to come up with an original post.

In this case, I'm too busy. Specifically, I've been scouring the interwebs for video clips, still images, sound effects and other stuff for a video I'm currently putting together. I found a perfect bit of video for what I'm trying to do, but it keeps crashing my Pinnacle editing program for some reason. So I had to dump that and find another clip.

Boy, I'd really love to have a complete set of stock footage on DVD to draw from, along with a quality sound-effects library to use. It would really make doing these things a lot quicker and easier, and I'd be able to do more of them. If anyone out there in the vast and untamed, yet overwhelmingly generous blogosphere has an extra set of either of those they'd care to donate/loan/have-fall-off-the-back-of-a-truck-right-in-front-of-my-house to a worthy and hardworking video blogger, well...

Thirdparty over at LamontBlog has an examination of Political Wire's report on Lieberman right here.

CT Blogger asks "Where is the outrage?" from Joe about Ann "I'm a remarkably stupid douche" Coulter's outrageous rant against some women who have paid a huge price on September 11th, in this post.

And Larkspur over at My Left Nutmeg has Colin McEnroe's reaction to John Droney's extremely dumbassed remarks yesterday right here.

OK, my video clip just finished rendering, so it's back to the editing grind for me. Hopefully soon I'll have my latest creation uploaded!

More "weirdos" for Lamont!

What a day, and it ain't even 6PM yet!

Today another huge endorsement came down for Ned Lamont:

AFT Connecticut Endorses Ned Lamont for U.S. Senate

AFT Connecticut, the state’s second largest AFL-CIO union representing more than 26,000 professionals, including healthcare, higher education, and public employees, has endorsed Ned Lamont for U.S. Senate in Connecticut.

So, according to Lieberman's good buddy John F. Droney Jr., ATF Connecticut is a union full of 26,000+ "weirdos".

Boy, did THIS guy step on his you-know-what today!

It's official, Lieberman WILL not support the winner of the primary (if he loses)

(again, this is directly from ConnecticutBLOG...you're making my job easy today, CT Blogger!)

Time to whip out the Drudge siren! (Hats off to Neal for catching this clip today. Please recommend his post over at Daily Kos).

In what can only be called an act of utter stupidity, the Lieberman campaign finally shows it true colors to the voters of Connecticut today.

This morning on WSTC/WNLK here in Connecticut, Lieberman campaign manager Sean Smith made it official. He said this to news reporter Erik Campano,

Are we going to support Ned Lamont? Ah, no! (laughs)...

Listen to the audio clip (MP3 , 42kb, 10sec)

[...]

Stories about the new Lamont radio spot are all over the news and blogs this morning. But, it appears that local reporter Campano was the only one to get the Lieberman campaign on the record stating Lieberman's intentions to NOT support the winner of the Democratic primary. Perhaps Sean Smith thinks that no one listens to AM radio anymore?

Is this the type of person you want representing you as senator in Washington?

Does this sound like the type of politican who cares about the will of the Democratic party over himself?

Does this sound like a politician who supports democracy and the will of the people who will vote in the perimary?

Do you need any more evidence to show you that Joe's planning to jump ship?

Look, this goes out to those Democratic Lieberman supporters: How can you support a person who cares more about himself over the will of the Democratic voters in Connecticut?

Joe's camapign just said the very thing we've been saying about Joe from the very beginning...Lieberman is a Democrat in Name Only.

Even Stevie Wonder can see that Joe cares only about himself while Ned Lamont said from the very beginning that he'll support whoever wins the primary.

Now who's the real Democrat?

Even Joe's friends want him to bolt the party!

Hoo-boy!

Senator Lieberman got some very public advice from an old friend today, John F. Droney Jr., a former Democratic state chairman, and one of the people who helped Lieberman defeat Republican Senator Lowell P. Weicker Jr. in 1988, according to this article in today's Hartford Courant.

Droney apparently has a major bug up his ass when it comes to Connecticut Democrats. To wit:

"I think to be terrorized through the summer by an extremely small group of the Democratic Party, much less the voting population, is total insanity for a person who is a three-term senator," Droney said.

and this:

"Every single weirdo in the left wing will be there," Droney said. "That's what the Lamont strategy is all about."

OK, so we have Mr Droney characterizing Democrats as "terrorists" and "weirdos". That's just great, Mr. Droney. I guess it would be safe to say that you can kiss any potential job with the State Democratic Party goodbye.

And Joe Lieberman, if you're gonna jump ship, please let the voters know.

One more thing, Senator...you might want to pick your friends a little more carefully.

(This was based on an article in ConnecticutBLOG. Do yourself a favor and read CT Blogger's great blog)

Karl Rove gets a pass?

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald apparently won't be seeking an indictment against Karl Rove for his part in the Valerie Plame affair.

This seems like terrible news at first, but knowing how Fitzgerald operates, it might be a prelude to something even bigger. There is a remote possibility that Rove asked for a deal; his continued freedom in exchange for his testimony. Against who? That's the $64,000 question. Something tells me that this thing isn't over yet.

And until Patrick Fitzgerald himself gets in front of a mic and states that the investigation is over, there's still hope for justice. Christy Harden Smith over at Fire Dog Lake, who's a legal expert and one of the leading "Plameologists" on the net, has posted a detailed examination of the recent announcement here. She's still holding out hope.

Because we all know Karl Rove is guilty of something.

New Lamont radio ad

This just in!

(gee, I always wanted to say that)

The Ned Lamont for US Senate campaign has JUST released a new 60-second radio commercial, and includes a challenge to Joe Lieberman.

They want Democrats to sign a letter to Senator Lieberman to ask that he agree to support the winner of the Democratic primary on August 8th. So far, Connecticut's junior Democratic Senator has refused to publicly pledge his support for the fair winner of the primary.

Go to nedlamont.com to hear the ad and sign the letter. Let's try to get Joe to agree that he is, in fact, a Democrat.

(I'm Connecticut Bob, and I approved this blog posting)

Why do the conservatives love Ann Coulter?

Sorry to go off-topic, but I feel a minor rant coming on...

I used to think Bill O'Reilly was the slimiest worm on the Right.

Not anymore.

Christ, does Ann Coulter make my skin crawl!

I really dislike the idea of knocking anyone for their looks, so I won't mention that Ann Coulter looks like a man who suffered a botched gender-reassignment surgery.

Or that with a little less makeup she can play the lead role in "Hedwig and the Angy Inch".

Nope, I won't say that.

(oops! heh-heh)


What a douche.

Ned Lamont Celebrates Greek Heritage

This is one final video from yesterday's Greek Festival. It's a fast-paced 100 seconds long, about 2.8MB, with lots of color and music. If you missed the event, you can experience it through your computer (although you won't get the taste of those wonderful gyros!) Enjoy!



(Why do so many Greeks look like Markos?)

The Ned Lamont Interview

This is the entire interview, conducted by CT Blogger at yesterday's Greek Experience Festival in Danbury, including Ned Lamont's challenge to Joe Lieberman to debate.

Great job by CT Blogger!

Will Joe Lieberman accept the Lamont challenge?

During an interview today with CT Blogger at the Greek Festival at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Danbury, Ned Lamont throws down this challenge to three-term Democratic incumbent Senator Joseph Lieberman. Will he agree to debate Ned Lamont? If so, when? Video is only 36 seconds long, but Lamont's challenge speaks volumes.

...and it's signed "Best wishes, Joe"

Spazeboy, our favorite multi-media blogger and resident inter-galactic space alien, had a close encounter of the weird kind with our junior Senator today.

Joe Lieberman showed up in Bristol for a barber shop photo-op and diner visit, and the intrepid Spazeboy showed up (as is his right, being a concerned registered Democrat in Connecticut and not affiliated with Ned Lamont's campaign in any way, except as a private citizen with a broadband connection and a bad attitude) with his Amazon-purchased copy (priced at one cent) of Lieberman's classic book, "In Praise of Public Life", hoping for an autograph and maybe a word or two with his Senator.

Spazeboy has an exciting account of his shared moment with Joe. He even got personalized "best wishes" from our Senator, and spent some quality time with a shrill Lieberman staffer, who apparently mistook him for one of those terrible awful Lamont people. Perish the thought!

Read the entire thrilling story, along with some local news video goodness, on the Ned Lamont Resource on La Resistance.

My Left Nutmeg - A Community Blog for CT Dems

Spazeboy wrote this over on La Resistance, and it's worth spreading around:

One of the greatest things about the blogosphere, particularly the progressive blogosphere, is the spirited debate and discussion amongst users online. If you’re reading this, consider my words a formal and engraved invitation to join the discussion. As more people participate in community blogs like My Left Nutmeg, the progressive movement gains more steam and strength.

CLICK HERE to sign up and participate at My Left Nutmeg

There is a movement underway, and everyone is invited! My Left Nutmeg is a growing community of progressives and liberal Democrats, most of whom are from the Nutmeg state, though all are welcome. Registered users (registration is FREE) are encouraged to post diaries on the politics of the day, and good work is often recognized and rewarded with promotion to the front page.

Don’t be left behind! Sign up and participate at My Left Nutmeg
=====================================
Plus, while Sam Seder was reading a list of Lamont-related blogs, Majority Report co-host Janeane Garafolo began laughing her ass off when he said "My Left Nutmeg". Thankfully Seder mentioned "Connecticut Bob" just BEFORE that, or you wouldn't have heard it over Janeane's guffawing! Just for that, it's worth signing up.

DFA/MoveOn Rally for Ned Lamont today

Sometimes I really hate having to work for a living; but then again, having a place to live and a wonderful girl who stays married to me sorta DOES have its advantages, so I shouldn't complain.

At almost the last minute before leaving for the rally today I got called into work. By the time I was finished, it was over. Thankfully, Spazeboy put together this great montage of the three major Connecticut news network's coverage of the event.



(and yes, I did create that graphic...do you like the way I stuck the Youtube play button right on Joe's face? Ha-ha-ha, I just kill me sometimes...)

New Quinnipiac Poll shows Lamont gaining

From the latest Quinnipiac University poll:

June 8, 2006 - Lamont Gains On Lieberman Among Connecticut Dems, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Rell Rules In Governor's Race

Anti-war Connecticut U.S. Senate candidate Ned Lamont has gained ground on Sen. Joseph Lieberman, and now trails the incumbent 55 - 40 percent among likely Democratic primary voters, including undecided voters who are leaning towards a candidate, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

This is VERY significant, when you consider that just over a month ago on May 2nd, the last Q-poll said this about the race:

"In a possible Democratic primary, the incumbent beats businessman Ned Lamont 65 - 19 percent..."

So Ned went from 19% to 40% in 35 days. At this rate Ned Lamont will have 76% of the vote by primary day, two months from now!

Among all Democrats, Sen. Lieberman leads 57 - 32 percent, compared to 65 - 19 percent in a May 2 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University.

All Connecticut voters approve 56 - 32 percent of the job Lieberman is doing. Democrats approve 49 - 38 percent, down from 60 - 31 percent May 2.

In possible general election matchups:

* Lieberman defeats Republican challenger Alan Schlesinger 68 - 14 percent;
* Lamont beats Schlesinger 37 - 20 percent, with 34 percent undecided;
* Running as an independent, Lieberman gets 56 percent, to 18 percent for Lamont and 8 percent for Schlesinger.

"Ned Lamont's surprisingly strong showing at the state Democratic convention gained him a lot of headlines and probably has helped increase his poll numbers. The biggest change is among women and liberals," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D.

"But has Lamont's anti-war campaign peaked or can he mount an even stronger attack on Sen. Lieberman, the popular and respected incumbent?"

Connecticut Democrats say 56 - 34 percent that Lieberman deserves to be reelected. Among those who want him reelected, 23 percent point to his overall record as the principal reason. Among those who do not want him reelected, 20 percent list his support for the war in Iraq as the main reason.

All Connecticut voters disapprove 72 - 24 percent of the job President Bush is doing. Voters disapprove 73 - 23 percent of the way the President is handling the Iraq war and say 63 - 33 percent that going to war in Iraq was the wrong thing to do.

The U.S. should withdraw all troops from Iraq, 31 percent of voters say, while 29 percent want the U.S. to reduce the number of troops; 19 percent want to maintain the current number of troops and 14 percent want to increase the number of troops....

Personally, I'm not too happy about them referring to Ned Lamont simply as "Anti-war Connecticut U.S. Senate candidate Ned Lamont"; he isn't a one-issue candidate at all. People need to be educated about what Lamont stands for, issues like:

* No government interference in the hospital room (Schiavo case)
* No illegal government spying (NSA scandal)
* No more subsidies to Big Oil ($14 Billion in tax breaks)
* No government discrimination in the Constitution (anti-gay marriage amendment)
* No kissing George W. Bush (well, that one's obvious!)

The more people who hear the ENTIRE message, the more people who will abandon phony Democrat Joe Lieberman and join with Ned Lamont to take back our party.

Full-length Democratic Convention Video online

Well, if 24 minutes can be considered "full-length".

Chris Dodd nominates Joe Lieberman
I put the video together from my four-plus hours of tape, with a lot of hand-held camera footage that I would have left out except there was usually something being announced on the PA system that I wanted to include. Mostly, I tried to convey my personal impressions of the convention rather than a balanced documentary approach, because there was plenty of media there doing "straight reporting". So there's a lot of off-hand remarks and video titles that describe the mood of the event.

It's a big (39MB) file, so give it some time to load if it keeps stopping. Enjoy! And here's the direct link if the image doesn't work http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG0Zwl0Wr-k

Reuters: Ex-VP candidate Lieberman faces showdown over Iraq

Reuters, one of the world's largest international news agencies, has picked up on the Lamont-Lieberman race.

Ned Lamont is quoted here:

"Senator Lieberman has cheered on the president every step of the way when it comes to the invasion of Iraq, and he is too quick to compromise on core Democratic principles," Lamont, a businessman and former Greenwich town selectman, told Reuters.

The war is referenced here:

Lieberman acknowledges his support for the war runs counter to sentiment in Connecticut, where a recent poll found more than 60 percent of voters believe the war is wrong. But he also points to a poll showing just 15 percent of state voters would support a candidate based solely on his position on Iraq.

And Lieberman repeats his stance about the problem of the war without making any reference to a possible solution:

Calling himself a "proud Democrat," he said, "There is a lot of opposition to the war here but a lot of people I talk to understand that now that we're there we have to end it in a way that doesn't leave a disaster behind."

Apparently Joe Lieberman still refuses to recognize that the war in Iraq is an ongoing disaster for many thousands of American families and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi families. Maybe he's referring to a political disaster, where American voters realize the current leadership isn't up to the challenge of solving this problem and might need to be replaced.

The complete article is HERE.

"People-Powered Media Eat the Lieberman Campaign"

Pachacutec wrote this article over at FireDogLake about blogging and its effect on the Connecticut Senate race:

Here’s the one line description of the 1958 horror classic "The Blob": "An alien lifeform consumes everything in its path as it grows and grows."

I think Joe Lieberman knows the feeling. His enemy, however, is not "The Blob", it’s the blogs: the new, people-powered media, scaring the bejeebus out of a whole Titanic pleasure cruiser of establishment players.

And then there's more:

Day-by-day, people-powered media, colloquially known as blogs, are eating up the Lieberman campaign, even as they threaten the inherently conservative mainstream media and the national political establishment. Like "The Blob", they seem to insiders an alien force consuming everything in its path as it grows and grows. But the people aren’t aliens: they’re simply citizens telling the truth and propelling their heartfelt values.

Establishment players are right about one thing, though: people-powered media continue to grow and grow. In fact, the progressive movement is just getting started, no matter who wins the Connecticut Senate Democratic primary. Welcome, my friends, to the new media universe.

You can read the entire article right here.

And Chris Bowers over at MyDD.com wrote a similar article at the same time; I guess all the amazing press that appeared this weekend has gotten a lot of national attention.

Much like "The Blob", the Blogs are growing and growing and growing...

We must be getting under their skin!

Before the advent of the "Internets", I used to picture "trolls" as those delightful little dolls with the spiky hair and cute expressions. Heck, I even had one when I was a young kid back in the '60's.

These days, with the interactive medium of the 'net, we usually associate trolls with something else.

Something sad and desperate.

Apparently the Liebertrolls have started responding to us bloggers covering the hotly contested race for the U.S. Senate. They've started showing up on our blogs, spouting pathetic statements in support of their tarnished hero.

Really, it's quite sad to see what I'm assuming to be adults, so desparately trying to stir up some discussion of Ned Lamont's record or his stance on the issues. It's gotta be depressing for them, because any head-to-head comparison of the two candidates on the issues leaves Joe looking like a washed up and out of touch hack.

Poor guys.

But really, all you Lamont bloggers out there, don't waste your energy or time engaging these cheerless people in debate. They don't respond, they're disingenuous, and many of them probably aren't even local. Hell, one of them repeatedly spells the word "Connecticut" wrong!

They simply want to distract us from the message. And the message is "Ned Lamont is good for Connecticut, and good for the nation." Let's not get sidetracked from that message.

Just ignore the Liebertrolls. They'll eventually get disillusioned with Joe and go away. Or they'll join us in our support of Ned Lamont. Either way, don't engage them. They'll learn someday.

And we've got more important things to do. Like, getting Ned a win on August 8th.

My letter to Joe

This morning, as we get closer to the Supreme Court winding up it's session and handing down decisions in many landmark cases, I was thinking about Samuel Alito's potential impact on the Court. I wonder how many decisions that would have been defeated 4-5 with Sandy O'Connor on the bench will be upheld 5-4 now that "Strip Search Sammy"* is there.

* (Doe v. Grody--the case in which Alito dissented from a ruling that an unauthorized strip-search of a 10-year old girl was unconstitutional...'cause, you know, maybe she was a terrist or somethin'...)

So I wrote Joe Lieberman a letter:

***********************************************************
Dear Senator Lieberman,

In an email you wrote to me back in February, you discussed your votes on the Samuel Alito confirmation. You explained that while you voted "no" on the vote for confirmation, you also had voted "yes" on cloture.

This "yes" vote had the effect of confirming Judge Alito, since the Republicans needed a simple majority to confirm him (50 votes, remembering that Cheney would be the Senate tie-breaker), as opposed to needing 60 votes (a "super majority") to break a filibuster.

The Democrats currently hold 45 Senate seats, so if the minority was organized by its leaders, you could have easily defeated Alito's confirmation.

I questioned your actions at the time, and this is what you responded with:

"With respect to the filibuster vote, as you may know, I was a member of the Senate "Gang of 14" that last year worked together to save the right of Senators to filibuster judicial nominations. As part of that agreement, I agreed to filibuster only in extraordinary circumstances.

To me, this situation did not meet this extraordinary circumstances standard."

My question is, if seating a known conservative, anti-choice judge to replace a centrist (O'Connor) on the Supreme Court isn't worthy of attempting a filibuster, what is? Would you please give me an example of what you would consider "extraordinary circumstances"?

I feel it's important to clarify the boundaries of this extraordinary circumstances standard. The threat of a filibuster is one of the only tools the Democrats have to keep the Republicans in check, and by taking that option off the table you are giving away our only advantage.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Bob Adams
***********************************************************
That was my letter...I'm not expecting a reply anytime soon.

"Lipstick on a pig"

...ain't gonna change the fact that it's still a pig.

From the Washington Post - Saturday, June 3, 2006:

A White House long accused of squelching internal dissent and ignoring outside viewpoints has been reaching out in its moment of weakness to prominent figures who have disagreed with the president. Bush just hired a Treasury secretary who opposed his policy on global warming and a press secretary who dismissed his domestic agenda as timid and listless.

Yeah, so what?

How much such moves reflect a genuine opening up for an insular White House remains uncertain. Symbolically, at least, the White House is eager to rebut the longstanding public impression of a president in a bunker listening only to like-minded advisers. Substantively, Bush has hardly signaled a major course change in the direction of his presidency, and skeptics recall past instances when nonconformists within the administration were shut out.

Yet some Washington veterans detect signs of a tentative new willingness by the administration to heed the advice of others rather than sticking stubbornly to its position. Just this week, under pressure from European allies and U.S. foreign policy elders, the administration reversed itself and agreed to join talks with Iran if it suspends nuclear activities...

The administration hasn't reversed itself at all, because it's knowingly going to scotch the deal by insisting that Iran suspend production before we come to the table. This is what's known in the negotiation game as a "poison pill", and it will make the Iranians look like the bad guys if they don't agree to it.

Just more of the same old Bushit that we've come to expect from an isolated and recalcitrant White House.

Christy Hardin Smith (ReddHedd) over at Fire Dog Lake has MORE on the subject.

UPDATE: Jesus, I hate it when I'm correct in my most pessimistic predictions...

VIENNA, Austria (CNN - June 3, 2006; Posted: 5:40 p.m. EDT) -- "Iran won't abandon its nuclear ambitions under Western pressure, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday, adding that the Islamic republic will hold "fair and unconditional" talks with West."

Huh...go figure.

The Stolen Presidency

As he detailed in this article in Rolling Stone, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. explains how the 2004 Presidential Election was stolen by illegal means in Ohio, a critical swing state.

There was little doubt in my mind something was terribly wrong the day after the election; when exit polls in Ohio varied wildly from election results, there were extreme delays at polling places, and the many stories of registered Democrats being turned away from voting booths echoed the 2000 Florida voter disenfranchisement. I was extremely disappointed in John Kerry for conceding so quickly when there were simply so many obvious instances of voting tampering.

But considering John Kerry's ineffectual response to the Republican's "Swift-boating" of him during the campaign, I wasn't too surprised. You have to be decisive and ruthless in national politics these days. Kerry rarely barked and never bit. That's not going to get you the White House when so many pitbulls are roaming around you.

From the article:

"The reports were especially disturbing in Ohio, the critical battleground state that clinched Bush's victory in the electoral college. Officials there purged tens of thousands of eligible voters from the rolls, neglected to process registration cards generated by Democratic voter drives, shortchanged Democratic precincts when they allocated voting machines and illegally derailed a recount that could have given Kerry the presidency. A precinct in an evangelical church in Miami County recorded an impossibly high turnout of ninety-eight percent, while a polling place in inner-city Cleveland recorded an equally impossible turnout of only seven percent. In Warren County, GOP election officials even invented a nonexistent terrorist threat to bar the media from monitoring the official vote count."

And there's this:

''It was terrible,'' says Sen. Christopher Dodd, who helped craft reforms in 2002 that were supposed to prevent such electoral abuses. ''People waiting in line for twelve hours to cast their ballots, people not being allowed to vote because they were in the wrong precinct -- it was an outrage. In Ohio, you had a secretary of state who was determined to guarantee a Republican outcome. I'm terribly disheartened.''

We all were, believe me.

One of my biggest fears for the future of democracy in America are those electronic voting machines that are hackable and easily reprogrammed. Without some kind of paper record, there is a distinct possibility that a Democrat may never again grace the White House. Our fairly-elected representatives need to greatly expand the 2002 voting reforms, and the Democrats need to file legal challenges (already underway in several states) to prevent the use of those machines.