The Failing Republican Economy - How our Money is McAilin’

The State of the Nation

The Economy is Failin’,
Our Money is McAilin’,
Yet Republicans all are hailin’
The choice of Sarah Palin.

Karl Rove keeps up his wailin’,
When he really deserves a jailin’!
While the taxpayers give Fanny and Freddie a bailin’ [out],
Up in Maine, the Bushes and McCains go sailin’.

Why I Am Voting Republican

I'm voting Republican because being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

I'm voting Republican because Government should relax regulation of Big Business and Big Money but crack down on individuals who use marijuana to relieve the pain of illness.

I'm voting Republican because "Standing Tall for America" means firing your workers and moving their jobs to India.

I'm voting Republican because a woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

I'm voting Republican because Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of
homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

I'm voting Republican because the best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

I'm voting Republican because group sex and drug use are degenerate sins unless you someday run for governor of California as a Republican.

I'm voting Republican because if condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

I'm voting Republican because a good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

I'm voting Republican because HMOs and insurance companies have the interest of the public at heart.

I'm voting Republican because providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

I'm voting Republican because global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

I'm voting Republican because Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

I'm voting Republican because a president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

I'm voting Republican because Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

I'm voting Republican because the public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

I'm voting Republican because what Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

I'm voting Republican because trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

Funny picture, sad truth

Sarah Palin- the new Cheney!

One thing she’s not hiding very well is her Cheney-like penchant for secrecy and inappropriate use of “official” cover to protect e-mails she shared outside of official circles.

The Palin administration won’t release hundreds of emails from her office, claiming they cover confidential policy matters. Then why do the subject lines refer to a political foe, a journalist, and non-policy topics?
More intriguing than any email correspondence contained in the four boxes was what was not released: about 1100 emails. Palin’s office provided McLeod with a 78-page list (PDF) cataloging the emails it was withholding. Many of them had been written by Palin or sent to her. Palin’s office claimed most of the undisclosed emails were exempt from release because they were covered by the “executive” or “deliberative process” privileges that protect communications between Palin and her aides about policy matters. But the subject lines of some of the withheld emails suggest they were not related to policy matters. Several refer to one of Palin’s political foes, others to a well-known Alaskan journalist. Moreover, some of the withhold emails were CC’ed to Todd Palin, the governor’s husband. Todd Palin—a.k.a. the First Dude—holds no official state position (though he has been a close and influential adviser for Governor Palin). The fact that Palin and her aides shared these emails with a citizen outside the government undercuts the claim that they must be protected under executive privilege. [Independent Alaskan government watchdog Andrée] McLeod asks, “What is Sarah Palin hiding?”

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin's speech last night told us a lot about her. It told us that she can distort the facts and deliver mean-spirited zingers with the best of them. But it didn't tell us the truth about Sarah Palin's extremist positions. The more that people know her far-right views, the less they support her. Can you write a letter to the editor of your local paper?

Write a letter

Did you watch Sarah Palin's speech last night? The speech told us a lot about her.

It told us that she can distort the facts and deliver mean-spirited zingers with the best of them. It told us that if Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter ever need a stand-in, she'd be a great pick.

It told us that she can be condescending and dismissive of the real work Barack Obama did helping real people on the South Side of Chicago. It told us that she can uphold the long Republican tradition of lying about Democratic tax cuts—even though Obama's plan would give Americans a bigger break than McCain's.

But the speech—written by one of President Bush's speechwriters—didn't tell us the truth about Sarah Palin's extremist positions. And the more that people know her far-right views, the less they support her. (There's a partial list below.)

One of the best ways to get the word out about Palin is to write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Today's a great day to write because this is very relevant—it just happened last night. Plus, our online tool makes it easy and has great tips. Please take a few minutes to write a quick letter to the editor now:

http://pol.moveon.org/lte?campaign_id=95&id=13709-7018451-0O0KI1x&t=3

Palin's speech and the reaction to it also made clear why McCain picked her. It wasn't a decision about who's most qualified to serve a heart-beat away from the presidency—it was a political decision about pleasing the far-right base of the Republican party.

Writing a letter to your local paper is a great way to make sure voters understand that. The opinion pages are the most widely-read pages of the newspaper. Write today, and your letter's a lot more likely to get published because it's so topical. It'll help sway the editorial board too.

Here are a bunch of points you might want to include in your letter:

• Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." ^{1, 2}
• Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" ³
• Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact.⁴
• Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade." ⁵
• Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. ⁶
• Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. ⁷
• Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. ⁸
• As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor." ⁹
• She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." ¹⁰

The plain fact of the matter is that Sarah Palin did a bang-up job delivering a Karl Rove-style political attack speech last night. That makes her a skilled politician but it doesn't make her views any more palatable for voters. Americans don't really want another far-right, anti-science ideologue in the White House.

Please help get the word out about where Sarah Palin really stands on the issues.

http://pol.moveon.org/lte?campaign_id=95&id=13709-7018451-0O0KI1x&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Ilyse, Wes, Karin and the rest of the team

P.S. If you haven't seen it, check out the Daily Show clip on Palin. It's worth a watch
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24753&id=13709-7018451-0O0KI1x&t=5

Sources
1. "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'," Associated Press, September 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24701&id=13709-7018451-0O0KI1x&t=6

2. "Palin wasn't 'really focused much' on the Iraq war," ThinkProgress, August 30, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24702&id=13709-7018451-0O0KI1x&t=7

3. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

4. "McCain and Palin differ on issues," Associated Press, September 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24703&id=13709-7018451-0O0KI1x&t=8

5. Ibid

6. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

7. Ibid

8. Ibid.

9. "Mayor Palin: A Rough Record," Time, September 2, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24704&id=13709-7018451-0O0KI1x&t=9

10. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

Make Impeachment an Inescapable Election Issue

No Statue of Limitations on Impeachment,
Not Too Late to Punish Criminals

Cindy Sheehan, Congressional candidate in San Francisco, yesterday issued a call to recommit ourselves to the impeachment fight. She wrote, "Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Oh) has courageously introduced impeachment articles against the criminals, George Bush and Dick Cheney, and we have a short time now to show the executive branch (and the complicit members of the legislative branch) that they are not above the law and that no one can abuse our Constitution and/or commit our young people to die and kill innocents in wars for profit based on lies and greed."

Cindy is absolutely right. We have taken more than a few steps along the road to impeachment. Over 1,013,000 people have signed the ImpeachBush referendum, we've marched, we've sat-in, we've taken out prominent advertisements in major newspapers, and we've tirelessly called and written our legislative representatives. Click this link to make a donation to help the impeachment movement continue to move forward.

And regardless of how the Democratic leadership wished to avoid the issue, it could not be done. At last, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Oh) courageously introduced impeachment articles against George Bush and Dick Cheney, the criminals Cindy aptly calls "a stain on this republic."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- whom Cindy Sheehan is running against -- recently justified her opposition impeachment, claiming in Time Magazine that, "the Republicans would like nothing better than for us to focus on impeachment." Nothing could be further from the truth! John McCain and the Republican National Committee are hoping that the unpopular Bush administration will simply fade away and that our justified anger will fade away with it.

But their multiple crimes are too much to forget, too atrocious to allow go unpunished. Contrary to popular belief, there is not a statue of limitations on impeachment. Impeaching an elected official after they leave office prevents them from holding any future office, strips them of their government pension, and above all sends a message that the people of this country mean business. Whoever is elected next will know better.

This is actually a time of tremendous opportunity for the impeachment movement. During election season, all the incumbents and their contenders are forced to take up the people's issues -- like impeachment. The question is whether we will take action today to make impeachment an inescapable do-or-die issue for the Democratic incumbents.

Click this link to make a donation and allow the impeachment movement to take advantage of this important window of opportunity.

Mr. Bush, you forgot something

In his speech last night to the Republican National Convention, President Bush talked about a lot of different things: Hurricane Gustav, oil drilling, a painting of a mountain in Texas, and his wife Laura.

But there was something missing from Bush's speech -- any mention whatsoever of the economy.

Of course, he had good reason to avoid this topic. Right now the economy is in shambles for the majority of Americans. Unemployment is way up, wages are down, millions of homes are in foreclosure -- and much of the blame falls on George W. Bush.

Now John McCain is proposing an economic plan that doubles-down on Bush's failed policies. Like the President, McCain probably doesn't want to talk a whole lot about this -- in fact he readily admits the economy is not his strong suit. Last December, McCain told the Boston Globe,

"The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should."

Well, we understand that McCain just wants continue Bush's awful economic policies, and it's up to us to make sure all Americans know just how disastrous McCain's economic proposals are.

Help spread the word about McCain's dangerous economic plan -- use our simple tool to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper:

http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/bushforgot

As you watch the convention over the next couple days, you'll continue hear very little about the current problems with the U.S. economy.

That's because according to George Bush and John McCain, the economy is doing just fine. As John McCain said in an interview on August 20th,

"I still believe the fundamentals of our economy are strong."

That sounds a lot like what George Bush said just ten days earlier:

"The American economy is the envy of the world, and we need to keep it that way... The fundamentals of our economy are strong."

We've already seen what happens when an out-of-touch president doles out billions in tax cuts to big corporations and the top ten percent. And now John McCain is promising more of the same.

Help make sure all Americans know the true cost of John McCain's economic proposals. Write a letter to the editor right now:

http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/bushforgot

George Bush has refused to acknowledge that our economy isn't working for the majority of Americans, and he's failed to take responsibility for the damage his policies have caused.

Now John McCain is showing that he is equally out of touch, offering more of the same misguided policies and lack of accountability.

If they won't talk about it, then we will:

http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/bushforgot

Sincerely,

Jeremy Funk
Americans United for Change

Rescue, Not Repression in the Gulf Coast

Republican National Convention, St. Paul:

Repression of protesters at the RNC. For days we've been receiving reports of raids on private homes and meeting places. Federal authorities seem intent on keeping people in custody until after planned protests at the Republican Convention, seizing video cameras, flyers about protest, and detaining people for hours in shackles. The RNC itself is being scaled back because of Hurricane Gustav. But what about the repression?

I'll be speaking with Ann Wright, John Nichols, and Ray McGovern Wednesday September 3 on the Protest Stage at the Excel Arena. More info at Protest Stage at 4:00 pm. World Can't Wait will have the stage at 4pm. More at ImpeachforPeace.org

More coverage of DNC protests in Denver.

ALERT: On Hurricane Gustav and the Government's Response

NEEDED: Rescue Not Repression

As Hurricane Gustav approaches the Gulf Coast, threatening great damage, we who know how the Bush regime refused to rescue people three years ago, and instead treated people as criminals and refused to allow them to return, are watching. And so are people around the world.

Already Mayor Ray Nagin and other officials have issued threats toward anyone who does not evacuate and imposed a 24 hour curfew, thereby laying the groundwork to imprison anyone who has not had the means to evacuate. Nagin has ominously promised that anyone caught "looting" will go directly to Angola State Prison. Reports are emerging of families being separated during evacuation efforts and people being deposited in overcrowded shelters in extremely remote, far-flung places. It is clear that many thousands will suffer tremendous personal losses due to the slowness of the U.S. government in repairing and rebuilding levees.

The real horror of Katrina was not "looters" but the fact that human beings were abandoned and - in some cases - forced back into the floodwaters by armed National Guardsmen and police. Prisoners were left locked in their cells as putrid flood-waters rose. Families on rooftops were passed over by government helicopters for days. Troops were taken off rescue missions and sent back in with orders, issued by Governor Blanco, to "shoot to kill." Those who were finally evacuated were sent to distant and often hostile places, separated from their loved ones, and thousands have still not been provided the resources to return. Police repression and brutality were rampant. Civilian efforts to assist those in most desperate need were met with repression and people were prevented from offering their assistance. PEOPLE DIED AND SUFFERED UNNECESSARILY.

We, the undersigned, are putting the U.S. government on notice:

We have not forgotten and will not tolerate a repeat of any of the criminal negligence that caused unnecessary deaths and incalculable suffering during Hurricane Katrina.
We demand that people be rescued from Hurricane Gustav, and have their basic needs met in a humane way.
We will look beneath the headlines and the soundbites and watch closely the government response and the conditions of the people.
We pledge to take meaningful political action to protest government inaction and resist government repression against those who need rescue and assistance or against those who are seeking to aid those in need.

Debra Sweet, National Director, World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime

Sunsara Taylor, Revolution Newspaper and Advisory Board Member of World Can't Wait