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California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be the next Republican to have his name trashed by conservatives. How dare he speak the truth!

“I think the stimulus package has been very successful so far and I think California has benefitted tremendously.”

And on health care…

“I think any Republican that says you should start from scratch, I think that’s bogus talk, and that’s partisan talk.”

Arnold, please deposit your Republican membership card at the nearest GOP office.  I hope I’m not wrong but I don’t see Schwarzenegger bowing down to Limbaugh who has been successful in getting every other conservative who had the audacity to speak the truth cower before his wrath.

Schwarzenegger has shown himself to be a solid conservative in most respects but there is no place in the Republican party for anyone who dares go against the current conservative game plan of bashing anything Obama.

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Here’s the message that is not getting through. What’s it going to take?
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No doubt about it. The Republican Party has become a caricature of a political party. This gang of cartoon characters has now recycled one of the most despicable campaign ads ever run – the 1964 Daisy ad used by Lyndon Johnson in 1964. The original ad aired once and was immediately pulled after massive criticism of its fear-mongering theme. The now desperate Republicans, void of any semblance of common sense or ideas, has decided that fear is the only way it could possibly win.

Sick. But there’s even more slime to it…

In the middle or so, you’ll hear Press Secretary Robert Gibbs clipped in such a way that it appears he is saying that closing GITMO was a “hasty decision” the Obama administration made. Actually, Gibbs was referring to the poor decision-making of the previous administration. Another future-minded thing the RNC might want to focus on is not including such easily debunked content in their issue ads.

Sensible conservatives who calls themselves a Republican must surely be walking around these days with a paper bag over their head.  When all you’ve got to sell is fear, you’ve got nothing.

Here’s the original Daisy ad.

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Sarah Palin's Hypocrisy

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is refusing to accept almost half a billion in stimulus money. Palin stated she will only accept $514 million of the $930.7 million allocated to Alaska.  Unlike GOP governors Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Charlie Crist of Florida who have welcomed the stimulus money, Palin is following the pattern set by Republican governors Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana who are part of a group that have rejected the stimulus money allocated for their states.

From the Anchorage Daily News:

“The news Thursday drew anger from those who accused Palin of putting her national political aspirations ahead of the state’s interests, and admiration from others who say she has courage to turn down money that would expand government. The state Legislature will have an opportunity to override her decision.”

“Palin said she is accepting the federal stimulus money that would go for construction projects, but not funding directed at government operations.”

“The biggest single chunk of money that Palin is turning down is about $170 million for education, including money that would go for programs to help economically disadvantaged and special needs students. Anchorage School Superintendent Carol Comeau said she is “shocked and very disappointed” that Palin would reject the schools money. She said it could be used for job preservation, teacher training, and helping kids who need it.”

The Democratic National Committee released the following statement:

“After soliciting and accepting more federal dollars per capita than any other governor in the union, Sarah Palin’s decision today to deny the state of Alaska over half a billion dollars in recovery and reinvestment funds – including millions for schools, energy and public safety – appears to be nothing more than political posturing.  At a time when her state is suffering, Alaska’s working families cannot afford a governor that puts her political future ahead of the needs of the state and its families.”

Exactly!  Palin is turning down…

• $160 million for education.
• $17 million in Department of Labor funds (vocational rehabilitation services, unemployment services, etc.),
• $9 million for Health and Social Services
• $7 million for Public Safety

It is obvious to all but the most partisan that Palin is positioning herself for a run in the 2012 presidential elections.  She is laying the groundwork  for her future campaign cry of smaller and more fiscally responsible government.  In light of her record as governor, the stench of hypocrisy coming out of her office is sickening.

Look for the Alaskan State Legislature to overturn her decision.

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Adding Transparency to the Recovery Bill

The government accountability website which President Obama promised, launched this week.  The following is the message one is greeted with at Recovery.gov

“Recovery.gov is a website that lets you, the taxpayer, figure out where the money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is going. There are going to be a few different ways to search for information. The money is being distributed by Federal agencies, and soon you’ll be able to see where it’s going — to which states, to which congressional districts, even to which Federal contractors. As soon as we are able to, we’ll display that information visually in maps, charts, and graphics.”

Aside from the description above, the site gives one access to the full recovery bill and allows individuals to write in their thoughts and personal stories.  I can’t imagine how it can get any more transparent than this.  It’ll be interesting to see how well it works.

A display of opposition for any government act is not a bad thing. Actually, it is a requirement for any democracy to allow it’s people and elected officials to voice dissent. One would only hope that it is done in a peaceful and intelligent manner.

The current passage of the economic stimulus plan is one such issue where heated debate on its pros and cons has stirred much emotion in both the press and the electorate. One can choose sides and argue their position but where do we draw the line?

Cartoon by Sean Delonas in New York Post

Well, how about when opposition verges on racism?

There was a story this week coming out of Connecticut about a mad chimp who attacked a person and policemen were called in.  They promptly shot and killed the animal. The cartoon above is in this morning’s New York Post.  Racists have often used chimps to characterize African Americans. Now whether or not this was the intent of the cartoonist or the editorial board of the New York Post, we don’t know. But what can be argued is that most people viewing this image would make that connection. Quite disgusting.

It should also be noted that the New York Post as Wikipedia writes, “…has been criticized since the beginning of Murdoch’s ownership for what many consider its lurid headlines, sensationalism, blatant advocacy and conservative bias. ”

Yes, that’s the same Rupert Murcoch who owns Fox News.

Obama Signs Economic Recovery Bill

Today, President Barack Obama signed the largest spending bill in the history of the country and while economists are divided on the details contained in the bill, most will agree that a stimulus bill was an urgent necessity.

The bill attempts to attack the flailing economy on multiple fronts through tax cuts, aid and spending with 38% of the funding going to each of the first two.   With only 3 Republicans members of Congress signing on to the bill, the eventual fate of both parties are at stake in that this bill is the proverbial line in the sand.  The eventual failure or success of the recovery bill will no doubt be a major player in the outcome of the 2010 and 2012 elections.

For the time being, a majority of Americans are in favor of the current bill and to a greater extent most approve of the president’s handling of the economy to date.  President Obama has stressed that the recovery bill is only a first measure in the government’s assault on the economy and that success will not be measured in weeks or months but instead in years.

The question then becomes how long will Americans be able to bear the effects of the economy in their personal lives before their confidence in the government dwindles.  We can expect both parties to wage major PR campaigns in assuring their message gets across to the people.  It should be interesting.

Despite the fact that it is a blatant lie, Fox News is still going with it’s Pelosi’s Mouse story (see my previous post  More Fox News BS).    Fox News Washington deputy managing editor Bill Sammon now joins a number of other Fox News personalities in propagating a falsehood about the recovery bill.  No doubt there are millions of uninformed Americans who by now believe that the stimulus bill actually contains a clause giving out money to preserve the saltwater harvest mouse.  They believe it because they’ve now heard it at least 4 times on Fox News.

Fox is a wonderful place to go for people who enjoy their news filtered and distorted.

“Once the plan is put into action, a new Web site — recovery.gov — will allow any American to watch where the money goes and weigh in with comments and questions. And I encourage every American to do so.”

“Ultimately, this is your money, and you deserve to know where it’s going and how it’s spent.”

Rush Limbaugh, in another gush of ignorant indignation,  told his listeners today that the Obama administration do not want YOU to know what’s in the stimulus bill.  And what, praytell, did he use to backup his claim?  Are you ready for this?  Well, he told them that the recovery bill which is posted on the internet is in a PDF format…and according to Limbaugh, PDF files are not searchable.  What an idiot.

PDFs are, of course, searchable documents but to the simpletons who make up his audience who are not computer savvy, this would be further proof that democrats are an evil breed out to screw the country.

What’s one of the biggest ills running rampant in the US?  Conservative misinformation.  It’s an epidemic.

You can hear Limbaugh’s moronic comments for yourself.