Elizabeth Dole's Alchemy: Turning Decades of Failure Into Gold

It should come as no surprise that Liddy Dole has supported the failed policies of President Bush ever since we made the huge mistake of sending her to the Senate six years ago. She'd been doing the same for three decades since Nixon appointed her to the Federal Trade Commission back in 1973, and she's made an art of ignoring learned opinion and common sense in favor of blind allegiance to whoever her current master is at the time.

Local Republican Bloggers Show True Colors

I'm sure most of you are (by now) aware of what happened to Joe Killian at the Palin Rally the other day, where he was kicked to the ground by an irate Palin supporter. Not only was this an attack on the 1st Amendment, it was an attack on a fellow blogger. You would think this would generate some sympathy, solidarity and possibly a modicum of outrage from all local bloggers (imagine how we would react if this happened to Justin or BJ or Ray), but unfortunately that's not the case. Some Greensboro bloggers have chosen the very low road on this, and I hope this stink follows them for a long time.

Joe Killian Assaulted At Palin Rally

Hat tip to Mark Binker over at Capital Beat for pointing me to Joe's blog:

“Oh, you think that’s funny?!” the large bearded man said. His face was turning red. “Yeah, that’s real funny…” he said.

And then he kicked the back of leg, buckling my right knee and sending me sprawling onto the ground.

McCain Lies To The American People About Nuclear Power

The vehemence displayed by John McCain in last night's debate in his promotion of nuclear power was both astonishing and frightening. Not only did he blatantly lie to the American people about the safety of nuclear power, he literally made a joke about Barack Obama's desire to improve the way we store spent fuel. Regardless of the outcome of this election, the misinformation spouted by a respected Senator and candidate for the U.S. Presidency was brought to the ears of millions in this country and abroad, which may have served the industry better than an actual McCain victory.

Offshore Drilling: The Conversation Continues

With a nod to the recent drop in the price of light sweet crude (I'm not going to say I told you so, but...I told you so) and the mad dash by producers to slow production to counteract said drop in price, I thought I would (once again) try to focus attention on the environmental impact of offshore drilling. In a near-future where Global Climate Change will already be jeopardizing the continued survival of some 1/4 to 1/3 of the world's species, we can no longer afford to be cavalier in our environmental behavior.

Back to the current price of oil for a minute:

Neocon War Machine Attacks Kay Hagan

I'm sure I'm not the only one reading this who just received a robo-call from "Freedom's Watch" attacking Kay Hagan for her stance on illegal immigration. But that call has absolutely nothing to do with illegal immigrants and everything to do with their fear that Kay won't be a puppet like Liddy Dole, helping them wage perpetual war in an effort to establish an American Empire.

Although Freedom's Watch was established in 2007 to promote the surge in Iraq, it's basically a construct to continue promoting the views and goals of PNAC (in exile) and the hawkish, ultra-right pro-Israel lobby:

The Truth Behind Dole's Fannie Mae Reform Attempt

The most recent whine coming from Republicans is centered around their alleged attempt to "reign in" Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac back in 2005, and the Democrats' blocking of such. I should have looked closer at this sooner, because there's always something that stinks just under the surface of these "valiant" efforts. Anyway, here's the deal:

Conservatives and Free Market fundies have historically been opposed to GSEs (Government Sponsored Enterprises) for a few basic reasons: they target assistance to groups the government deems "in need" of assistance, and the profits/losses of said enterprises are controlled by the public (as opposed to private industry). The former is viewed as an entitlement, and the latter makes it difficult for private enterprises to compete with the GSEs.

Ukraine, NATO and Corporate Foreign Policy

Although the debate Friday night did expose some stark differences between the two candidates for President, there are some areas they both come close to agreement on. Unfortunately, it doesn't necessarily follow that this consensus represents a solid policy position that will forward America's future. I am referring specifically to Barack Obama's stated desire to see Ukraine's accession to NATO successfully realized, which I believe is just one in a long line of wrong-headed and downright dangerous foreign policy moves.

Liddy's Money Part Three: The Bush Cabal

Much has been said about Elizabeth Dole's voting record in the Senate being strongly supportive of President George Bush's misguided policies, and that is a legitimate issue by itself. But I believe her behavior as a party apparatchik and deal facilitator has had a much more profound impact on the way our country operates and the direction in which our tax dollars flow. And the more North Carolinians are exposed to the truth about her dealings, the more likely they will realize that she's a salesperson to the moneyed elite, as opposed to a public servant.

McCain and the March of the Emperor Neocons

Inspired by tomorrow's inclusion of a hate propaganda DVD in the Raleigh News & Observer's Saturday Edition, I decided to (once again) try to bring focus to the most important factor in the upcoming national election: whether or not we will allow the empire-builders to continue taking our country down their delusional path to world dominance. And I chose the title (and picture) for a reason: unless their progress is arrested, they will slowly and methodically continue until they reach their objective.

BlueNC

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