7 Lobbyists Run McCain's Campaign

The McCain camp can talk all it wants about being a "maverick" or an "agent of change," but in the end, when it comes to the proverbial "facts on the ground," one thing is abundantly clear: John McCain's campaign is run and financed by lobbyists.

I'm glad to see Barack pushing back hard against the lies and swiftboat tactics of the Republicans.  Here's what Obama said recently in Flint, MI:

"John McCain says that he is going to tell all those lobbyists in Washington that their days of running Washington are over, which sounds pretty good until you discover that seven of his top campaign managers and officials are -- guess what? -- former corporate lobbyists,"

CNN picked up on this story by listing the lobbyists running McCain's campaign one-by-one. You might want to make a note of these names, because it will be useful in the days to come.

The top seven lobbyists running John McCain's campaign (link)

One: Campaign manager Rick Davis is a major telecommunications lobbyist.
Two: Senior foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann recently faced scrutiny over his foreign lobbying on behalf of the Republic of Georgia, which has been embroiled in a military conflict with Russia.
Three: Senior adviser Charlie Black was a foreign lobbyist for dictators in Zaire and Angola in the 1980s.
Four: Frank Donatelli, the Republican National Committee's liaison to the McCain campaign, has had clients including Exxon Mobil.
Five: Economic adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer has lobbied for corporate giants like Koch Industries.
Six and Seven: McCain's congressional liaison, John Green,  and national finance Co-chairman Wayne Berman. They both lobbied for Fannie Mae, the troubled mortgage giant.

Whew! That's a lot of lobbyists!

Take note people, these lobbyists take money from oil companies, foreign dictators, and failed wall street giants. 

And John McCain and Sarah Palin want to talk about government waste?  They want to talk about spending problems?

These two are with the party responsible for running our country into bankruptcy.  They are also with the party who has indebted us to foreign governments!

The Republican candidate for president has been selling our country's future to foreign governments, and he has people on his campaign who make money lobbying on behalf of dictators.

If John McCain wants to show America he is the "maverick" he claims, he need to put his money where his mouth is. He can show his goodwill and honesty to the American People, by getting rid of the lobbyists who run his campaign.

It's one thing to say you are "going to" shake things up in Washington, or that you "will bring change," but you can't make those claims and expect people to believe them if you are not practicing them now, Mr. McCain.

I have a challenge for you Senator McCain: Show the American people your word is good. Show us you are not just another greedy politician being run by lobbyists. Show us this by getting rid of the lobbyists who are running your campaign.

Lesson #1 for Dems: Dont' take advice from the GOP

I always find it interesting when Republicans offer Democrats election advice. I'm reminded of Karl Rove predicting "landslide wins" for the GOP congress in 2006, unless Dems followed his advice.

I find it amazing that people actually take his fork-tongued advice seriously, since it's clear he is only advising us on how to lose.

Similarly, Huckabee's campaign manager Ed Rollins published an "advice" piece for Democrats on CNN, advising us that we "should have picked Hillary for VP."
However, despite the fact that I actually kinda like funny ol' Huck, Rollins advice stunk of Rovian spin.

Among Rollins claims,

"If Obama had done the smart thing, he would have picked Sen. Hillary Clinton for vice president. If he had, he would have united his party for sure and energized his base."

Hillary would have been a controversial choice either way you look at it, but with Hillary set to testify in the Clinton's upcoming civil trial and with herlow "trustworthy" ratings, there's a lot of good reasons for her *not* to be on the ticket with Barack.

I'm sure GOP Strategists would have loved to have her on the ticket - she would have fired up their base at least as much as our own, if not more.

Rollins further claims that McCain would never have picked Palin if the Dems had Hillary on the ticket. In doing so, Rollins slips up a bit: he's acknolwedging that the ONLY reason he picked Palin was to divide Democrats.

In other words, the McCain campaign didn't pick Palin because of who she is and what she's done, but rather because she was the best female they could find to divide Democrats.

I think Hillary Clinton is a great leader and orator, but Ed Rollins "advice" comes at a suspicious time: the GOP is trying to drive a wedge into the Democratic Party with the selection of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate.

Rollins' "advice" is timed perfectly to drive this wedge deeper by instilling doubt in our party over the pick of Biden, and by reminding people once again about Hillary.

It's all about divide and conquer for them.

We should expect the Republicans to continue to cite Hillary and remind use about our heated primary in-fighting; for, without a divided democratic party the GOP will not stand a chance in this election.

In Her Own Words: Palin's Support for Bridge to Nowhere

By now, most of you know about the new ad from the McCain/Palin campaign anointing themselves as "Original Mavericks."

The ad, widely ridiculed for its false claims, states that as governor, Sarah Palin stopped the "Bridge to Nowhere."

The Obama campaign says the ad is a blatant "lie," and FactCheck.org agrees.

So here - in her own words - is the truth about Sarah Palin's support for the Bridge To Nowhere.

Example #1:

In 2006, the Ketchikan Daily News quoted [Palin] expressing optimism and support for the bridge at a Ketchikan campaign stop.

Palin, 2006:
"People across the nation struggle with the idea of building a bridge
because they’ve been under these misperceptions about the bridge and
the purpose,” said Palin, who described the link as the Ketchikan
area’s potential for expansion and growth. … Palin said Alaska’s
congressional delegation worked hard to obtain funding for the bridge
as part of a package deal and that she “would not stand in the way of
the progress toward that bridge.”

Example #2 (from Factcheck.org):

Palin answered "yes" to an Anchorage Daily News poll question about whether she would continue to support state funding for the Gravina Island bridge if elected governor. "The window is now," she wrote, "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." It was only after she won the governorship that Palin shifted her
position. And even then, it’s inaccurate to say that she “told the
Congress ‘thanks, but no thanks.’” Palin accepted non-earmarked money
from Congress that could have been used for the bridge if she so
desired. That she opted to use it for other state transportation
purposes doesn’t qualify as standing up to Congress.

The Factcheck.org article continues, noting that the bridge flip-flop is not the only case where Sarah Palin's claims to be a government waste reformer do not match up with reality. Taxpayers for Common Sense reported that when she was mayor of the small town of Wasilia, AK, the town received more earmarks than ever before, hauling in$27 million under her leadership. What makes this all the more ironic, is the fact that John McCain has previously criticized several of those earmarks. This voter wants to know if the media will ask John McCain about his criticism of wasteful earmarks while Palin was mayor of Wasilia. Does he still think they were wasteful? If he says "yes," then how can he claim his running mate is the reformer she claims to be? If he says "no," then we must rightly ask, "Why then, Senator McCain, did you claim wasteful spending? Was it a political ploy, or is this another flip-flop?"

Wait, it doesn't stop there (link):

To help obtain these
earmarks, Palin had hired Steven Silver, the former chief of staff for
recently indicted Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, as Wasilla’s lobbyist.

And Palin continued to solicit federal funds as governor. A request form
on Stevens’ Web site shows that she requested $160.5 million in
earmarks for the state in 2008, and almost $198 million for 2009.

If you ask me, this whole thing is a political ploy. John McCain and Sarah Palin are in the pocket of lobbyists and "corporate suprematists."

They think reform is just a "brand," and its insulting for them to dress themselves up as reformers while at the same time promising a continuation of the corrupt, wasteful, and arrogant policies of the Bush & Cheney administration.

Palin & McCain: Lying about Ebay Jet Sale

I know I'm not the only one who finds the two Republican candidates to resemble characters out of an episode of South Park - and as if that wasn't bad enough - their words and deeds just keep getting more cartoonish every day.

Sarah Palin, squinting like Clint Eastwood into the camera, made a claim about selling her state's luxury jet on Ebay:

"That luxury jet was over the top," she told Republican National Convention delegates when she accepted the party's vice presidential nomination Wednesday night. "I put it on eBay."

As intended, that little story line got a raucous round of applause. You could practically hear every Republican in the audience patting themselves on the back and thinking "we are so much better with money than those liberals!"

The former beauty queen is clearly comfortable in front of a crowd, and enjoys being center stage. The only problem is she misled the crowd with a story that was not entirely true.

CNN reports today, the jet didn't sell on Ebay. Palin did indeed "put" the jet on Ebay, but was unable to sell it. I guess giving her audience the whole truth wouldn't have made for such a good soundbite, huh?

Of course that hasn't stopped the kool-aid drinkers in the republican party from gleefully repeating the story everywhere they go. Even John McCain is getting in on the action, saying at a campaign stop,

"How many saw her speech a couple of nights ago? Wasn't it fabulous?" McCain said Friday during a campaign stop in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. "You know what I enjoyed the most? She took the luxury jet that was purchased by her predecessor and sold it on eBay — and made a profit."

Not so fast, Mr. McCain. The jet was sold by a private broker... for a loss!

Let's review: Palin claims to sell the plane on Ebay to the roaring approval of her audience (she will later claim she didn't lie because she never actually said she "sold" it). Faithful followers repeat the story everywhere they go as evidence of how much smarter they are, and how much better they are with money than Democrats. And finally, senile old John McCain repeats the lines given to him by his staff and swallows the lie himself hook line and sinker.

The truth never stood in the way of a good republican talking point.

This whole story is emblematic of the last 8 years of Republican rule. They make promises to bring us economic success, but bring us losses instead; they claim to be strong on security, but they've made the world a more dangerous place with their reckless foreign policy. They cast themselves as ethical, but have presided over the most corrupt government in our history. Simply put, they cast themselves as reformers, but bring us more of the same.

There's more to this issue than misleading the convention about an Ebay sale.

The real story here is about credibility and confidence. John McCain's repeating of the fake story give us a glimpse of the kind of president he will be: a man with no knowledge of the facts on his own, and who will rely on flunkies for information instead.

Echoes of Reagan and the Iran/Contra Scandal.

Reagan was so out of touch with what was going on around him, he allowed illegal arms sales to Iran on his watch. Under a president McCain, we risk another leader so clueless of his surroundings, that he would allow the worst to happen right under his nose.

We cannot afford 4 more years of people who would lie so easily about an Ebay sale; even worse, in these dangerous and complex times, we cannot afford a clueless president who will drive us ignorantly down a road to international and economic disaster.

To put it simply once again, we need a president who will be sharp as a tack, not one who is as dull as ditchwater.

As a Democrat I'm Happy with Palin's Speech

You heard me right.

Because despite the cheap shots - which were to be expected - There's something people are over looking: in the end she attempted to make the speech about "Change."

And that's great for Democrats, because even if you dislike both parties equally - as many independents and "swing voters" do - there is only one party responsible for the state our country is in now, and that party has the problem of being responsible for 8 years of pathetic leadership, dwindling prosperity, and a world more volatile and dangerous than it was before.

The GOP has made America less safe.

That's right, i'm challenging the GOP on securing America, and I would gladly challenge the GOP on our economy. They've left it in shambles, and all they seem to think about is power - accumulating it and consolidating it. Can the country really afford 4 more years of this? They are ruining us.

The GOP has not only made us less safe, they have made us poorer, without health care, and they have allowed our vital infrastructure like roads, bridges, and levees to fall into shambles.

They are like bad rental tenants who trash the place they live in. And yet they stand on a stage draped in flags with signs that say "Country First."

Does the Republican Party truly put "Country First?"

Doesn't look like it to me. In the last 8 years, we've seen them lie, cheat, and steal their way through our government. A record number have been arrested and jailed for their corruption. Does that sound like "Country First?"

Democrats, on the other hand, have been fighting for ethics reform and an end to this culture of corruption. We have sought to bring the truth of Bush & Cheney's lies and abuses of the Constitution to light - even as right wing operatives sought to strip all power from Congress, in the form of record filibusters and abuses of executive power.

Its truly amazing that the Republican Party is wrapping itself in slogans of "Country First," and "Change." Their record speaks for itself: They put themselves first, and to hell with the rest of the country. Its amazing, but not really surprising. The GOP has always put "branding" before substance, slogans before content. And now they are doing more of the same.

Well, this time around I'm a bit glad, because there is no chance in hell the party that's in power will be able to run on a slogan of "Change." They adopted the Brand from us Democrats, but we are the party who came up with the idea, and we are the party who has actually made progress in ending corruption in Washington.

If the GOP wants to run on a "Change" platform, they are going to have to learn that Change is more than a brand or a slogan. There's a difference between words and actions, and the abysmal record of the GOP putting themselves first, and country last, show they still have a long way to go before they even understand that distinction.

Fred Thompson "Skewers" Himself

CNN's Political Ticker reported today on Fred Thompson's speech against Barack Obama at the Republican National Convention as a Skewering of Barack Obama.

But being thoroughly wrong on History - even his own - the only person Thompson skewered was himself.

When have facts ever gotten in the way of a republican delivering their talking points?

The Republican Party just loves to invoke history, but they almost never get it right.


Thompson's mistakes one by one:

#1) Old Fred said Democrats are running "the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee ever to run for president."

Freddy boy, you got it all wrong: Barack Obama has exactly the same experience that Abraham Lincoln had when he ran for president, do you think Abe Lincoln was not a good president?

#2) Old Fred said our Democrat-led congress is "the least accomplished and most unpopular congress in our nation's history."

Oh Freddy boy, don't you know that the Democrat-led congress inherited your party's failed track record? The low approval ratings for Congress come as a result of the corruption in the GOP and the awful laws they passed.

Here's a fact for you Freddy boy: the Democratic 110th Congress broke the record for most votes on legislation, with over 1,000 votes in the first year. As a comparison, the Republican-controlled congress (also known as the "do-nothing congress") held a meager 543 votes and sabotaged the new Democratic Majority by leaving 9 of 11 appropriations bills un-passed.

Actually, the fact that Democrats broke records in passing legislation is quite amazing if you factor in the additional problem of obstructionist republicans, who filibustered a record 1 in 6 votes last year!

#3) Fred Thompson made a poor attempt at pandering to social conservatives in the audience by attacking Obama's statement that he is not qualified to determine where life begins and ends.

Well guess what Fred? This isn't a movie, this is reality. You are not just playing a part on an elaborate set. In 1994, you yourself said, "The ultimate decision on abortion should be left with the woman and not the government."

RNC just another acting gig for Mr. Thompson.

Never let the truth stand in the way of good talking points, right Freddy boy?

Speaking in hyperbole is nothing new in politics - but the republican party is scraping the bottom of the barrel this time. I don't know what's worse, the fact this actor thought he was qualified to run for president, or the possibility that he actually believes the lines he's delivering.

Fred must think he's just playing a new acting part, on the set of the Republican National Convention. It makes sense for an actor to deliver these lines, because the GOP has always cared about spin more than reality.

RNC Postponed Because Gustav Causes Bad P/R

The GOP wants you to think they are canceling most of their major activities Monday night because - as John McCain said - it's time to "act as Americans, not Republicans."

But there's something else you won't hear from the GOP or read on CNN: The Republicans have big P/R problems with Gustav. At a time when possible disaster is imminent, the Republican National Convention will be low on the news reporting agenda.

The RNC must be thinking, what a terrible time to grab headlines, we can't compete with a hurricane.

But that's just part of the problem for the McCain campaign. The other part has to do with the candidate himself.

John McCain has a bad P/R image he needs to overcome, because while Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005, he chose to eat birthday cake with president Bush.

Now, desperate not to have images of McCain eating cake with Bush as another hurricane hits the Gulf Coast, the RNC has no choice but to tone down the political rhetoric, and to trot McCain out in front of the press with talking points about a selfless "call to action."

So while the Mainstream Media might be slow to pick up on the underlying reasons the RNC has a problem with Gustav, we all know its not just because "America needs us now no matter whether we are Republican or Democrat," it's because - as usual - for the Republican Party everything is about P/R and branding... and right now Mother Nature is raining on both big time.