When I first heard that this would be the "year of the woman" in politics, naturally my ears perked up. I welcomed the Republican women running - gender should be no barrier to leadership. But it was what these candidates stand for that concerns me: simply put, some of the very worst ideas and ideals in our country. Repealing health care reform. Privatizing social security. Taking away reproductive rights. And shipping jobs overseas.
But that's just the beginning: they talk about being constitutional conservatives, but it turns out they just want to scrap the parts they don't like. They stand with BP in the wake of the gulf disaster, and they say that unemployment insurance is unconstitutional. This isn't about partisanship-these candidates are too extreme for any party. And what they all have in common? One Sarah Palin.
Sarah Palin predicts a rising tide of women voters, but we know that the rising tide of women voters this year want more opportunity for their children, more stability for their families, more accountability for Wall Street. None of that is on the agenda of Sarah Palin or her candidates like Carly Fiorina. Carly laid off tens of thousands of people, many of them families right here in California. Carly, like Sarah Palin, wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending decades long independence for women, turning back the clock on our reproductive freedom and criminalizing doctors.
Like Sarah Palin, Carly sees no value in health care reform. She opposes pragmatic efforts to reduce pollution. She dismisses the significant threat of global warming. Carly called offshore drilling extremely safe-even after the BP disaster. Heck, she wants to drill right off your coast here, in California. That is the kind of radical agenda that California, and the nation, cannot tolerate.
Check out our latest video - featuring residents of California - talking about Carly Fiorina and Sarah Palin's radical agenda.
In 1994, 16 million women stayed home from the polls - and we know what happened then. There is no time to waste. Replacing Barbara Boxer in the Senate with radical, right-wing Carly Fiorina would have devastating consequences for California, for the country, and for women in communities near and far. We need to build relentless momentum leading up to election day so that women in California know who Carly Fiorina is - and know that, like Sarah Palin, Carly Fiorina does not speak for them.
We're proud to be working with individuals and partners throughout California on California Women Vote - we'll be doing cutting edge research and communicating on television, in the mail, and person-to-person - ensuring that women voters know the truth about Carly's record and her radical agenda.
This is not going to be 1994. We are not going to wake up on Wednesday, November 3rd knowing that we lost champions like Barbara Boxer because 16 million of us stayed home. We've got to put our shoulders to the wheel together to make sure that women - and men! - who reject the extreme radicalism of Carly Fiorina and Sarah Palin go the polls on Election Day. Because there is no second chance here.
You may have seen word of the CSU Stanislaus- Sarah Palin affair. The "Foundation" didn't want anybody to know how much money was in play for Palin, and she certainly wasn't talking. A few students dug through a dumpster or two to find some relevant documents. There were some freedom of information requests that netted a few more documents as well.
But it's all a waste of time, at least according to Sarah Palin.
"A suggestion for those Dumpster divers: Instead of trying to tell people to sit down and shut up ... spend some time telling people like our president to finally stand up," she said.
The material recovered by the students, which detailed perks such as first-class airfare for two and deluxe hotel accommodations, prompted California Attorney General Jerry Brown to launch an investigation into the finances of the university's foundation arm and allegations that the nonprofit violated public disclosure laws.
"Jerry Brown and friends, come on. This is California," Palin retorted. "Do you not have anything else to do?" (AP)
Clearly Palin just doesn't get it. This isn't about telling anybody to shut up, it is about transparency at a state connected institution. It's fine that they are getting Palin to speak there. I mean, I wouldn't pay to see her, but if they feel that's a good way to make money, fine. But the people of California deserve to know how much Palin is taking from the "CSU-Stanislaus Foundation" in exchange for speaking.
But no, with Palin, it's all about blaming others first. How dare you seek transparency?
I live in San Francisco, and if you asked me which of our legislators I would have written that sentence about, my first guess would not have been Leland Yee. You'd think that would be one of our two openly gay legislators. Well, I'm sure they get their fair share of homophobic hate mail, but today, I've got some hate mail from the Office of Senator Leland Yee. It's always fun to go through and vote on the best hate mail, so there's a poll after the flip.
Apparently, some of the right-wingers are getting very protective of the resigning Gov. Palin. They really do not appreciate that Sen. Yee has been asking questions of CSU-Stanislaus about how much she was paid, and what were the arrangements of the deal. While Yee isn't trying to block the appearance, rather just open the contract up to the light, that part isn't getting the attention of our resident right-wing talk show hosts. And then you get filtered down to the even more mentally imbalanced folks, and this is where you land.
Now, much of this is how shall we say this, rather gross. I'm going to go ahead and put it over the flip, rather than assaulting the eyes of folks who land on the home page. These are really quite offensive, caution is advised. Check them out over the flip...
Over the past week, Sarah Palin encouraged Tea-Party candidates to make energy issues a central part of their campaigns. "There's nothing stopping us from achieving energy independence that a good old national election can't fix," she said.
California's Sarah Palin (aka Meg Whitman) has taken notice of the Courage Campaign radio ad launched today on radio stations across the state educating the public about Whitman's position on global warming. She just sent this email out to her list:
Dear Supporter,
A group of liberal activists headed by Howard Dean's former California campaign chair today launched a negative radio ad attacking Meg Whitman for her common-sense, pro-jobs environmental policies.
Fight back with Meg. She has led the call to put a one-year moratorium on California's AB 32, which has been estimated to negatively affect one million jobs in California. California cannot afford to hastily implement new environmental regulations that could further delay our economic recovery.
Coincidentally, the attack ad debuted on the same day that a new poll was released showing that Meg is beating the likely Democratic nominee Jerry Brown among independent voters.
National Democrats have already named Meg a top target and now the liberal "Courage Campaign" is taking up the call.
See their attack here.
Can we count on you to help beat these special interest groups and restore California? If you can contribute $15, $25 or $50, please link here to help fight back.
It's not surprising that Democrats and their special interest groups are already working hard to try to defeat Meg in the Republican primary. They want their chosen candidate, likely Jerry Brown, to face a different, weaker Republican candidate next November. We are not going to let that happen.
Thank you,
Jillian Hasner
Campaign Manager, Meg Whitman 2010
Some quick points. First, it was indeed entirely coincidental that our ad launched the day the PPIC poll came out. We'd been planning this ad for about a week now, but had no clue that PPIC was even doing a poll, certainly not that they were going to release it today. Not that it would have made any difference.
Contrary to Jillian Hasner's claims, the Courage Campaign does not endorse candidates for elected office. Jerry Brown is not our "chosen candidate" - we don't have one, period.
The Courage Campaign's goal is simply to make the public aware of Whitman's views on global warming legislation. Specifically, that she believes AB 32 should be suspended.
The Courage Campaign thought Californians should know about that. And our members agreed, putting up the money to get this ad produced and now aired on stations in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and the Silicon Valley.
You can hear the ad by clicking this link. And you can donate to help support and expand the ad buy at the same link. Just a few dollars - $25, $50, $100, whatever you can give - will help spread the word.
We've already been getting some earned media attention on this ad. Last night Candy Crowley mentioned it on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360° show. And on Tuesday, Carla Marinucci covered it at the SF Chronicle blog.
We'd love it if you could help us expand the buy. Meg Whitman is blanketing the state with her ads. The Courage Campaign doesn't have those kind of resources, but with your help we can get this ad on more radio stations and hold Whitman accountable.
Over the flip is the transcript of the ad.
Note: I'm the Public Policy Director for the Courage Campaign
AUGH!
I opened the Ventura County Star this morning to learn (from the top headline, no less) that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will appear at a fundraiser for the Republican Women Federated of Simi Valley next month.
Oh the shame, the shame this brings upon my beloved Ventura County!
Even thought they've returned Elton Gallegly to Congress for 22 wasted years, and provided Sacramento with the "Donnie and Marie" of California politics (Audra and Tony Strickland) I have always took comfort in the hope that Ventura County's Republicans weren't as clueless as Orange County's.
No more. Our humiliation is complete.
But wait, the event is expected to draw 900 people to that famous "Hanger on the Hilltop", the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. They'll be charging $150 a plate for the seats... $100 for members, deal!
$150 a plate for a Republican state governor, Conservative Icon, and recent national-ticket Rockstar?
Who should be embarrassed here? Ventura County... or Gov. Sarah Palin?
The resignation of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin provides an opportunity to understand what is happening to us in California. There are people who have so little respect for government and governing that they thing Palin's resignation is a good thing. In California there are also people who have so little respect for government and governing that they think it is a good idea to let the state fall off of a financial cliff.
Sarah Palin is said to be resigning so she can climb the ladder of Republican politics -- possibly even to run for the Republican nomination for President in 2012. One would think that abandoning office in the middle of her term would disqualify her from having a future in seeking elected office. But this is not the case -- just the opposite. In fact this is so much not the case that the resignation is seen as a "brilliant" strategic move to increase her chances of obtaining that Presidential nomination prize.
So it's more or less 30 hours until Americans enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, and you're asking yourself the annual question: "Isn't there a simple way to cook a turkey?"
Well, America, there is...and it does not involve bags, or injections, or even stuffing. No fancy preparations and no fancy equipment are required (with the exception of a large flat pan with metal handles, a carving fork or large tongs, and a food thermometer).
Here's the cool part: this method for cooking turkeys isn't just a method for cooking turkeys...and if you follow the directions, you'll soon discover that not only have you learned a new way to cook a turkey, you've learned a new way to cook almost anything that can walk or fly.
We only have 30 hours, so we better get right to it...
Like so many others in the progressive world, I was beyond dismay at the passage of Proposition 8. The joy of having helped elect so many great Democrats this year (not least of all President-Elect Barack Obama) was muted by the knowledge that the graffiti of hatred had once again been scrawled into a Constitutional document. And it wasn't just California's Constitution that was defiled: same-sex marriage bans were passed in Florida and Arizona as well, and a particularly atrocious amendment was passed in Arkansas banning adoptions by unmarried couples. These paradoxical defeats on a night of otherwise strong progressive victories show just how much farther we have to work for equality and human decency all across America.
And yet, there is a major silver lining to this cloud that will help Democrats and progressives for years to come: a benefit that would be foolish to overlook even as we gird ourselves for the fights ahead.
You might have seen that the nurses from the national RN union--National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association--are on a national tour to talk about the role and the importance of healthcare in this election.
After healthcare, what is the first thing that people in battleground states around the country are talking about as the nurses do their ourteach?
Yep.
They're talking about the small fortune Sarah Palin dropped on 2 months of clothes. The $150,000 represents an 80-year clothes budget of the average Joe or Jo Sixpack...and symbolize a party not just out of touch with average people, but really out of hearing, sound, and sight of them as well.
So you're the Governor of a State...but the next thing you know, you're running for Vice President. The boss says you gotta bling up the ol' Governor clothes-and the next thing you know, you're having to explain how you can be the common "hockey mom" from Wasilla and how you can be clothed in more than enough money to buy Joe The Plumber's house...both at the same time.
In the interests of telling the story fairly, I decided to conduct my own online shopping experiment.
Let's head over to Saks and Neiman's...and Bergdorf and Goodman's to boot...and let's just find out exactly what you would need to spend to look fabulous-and what you should probably be avoiding if you really want to project that whole "woman of the people" kind of thing.
That's right folks, today, we play "Joe The Personal Shopper" for Sarah Palin.
A couple weeks ago I headed down to The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA to hang with the wingnuts at the Sarah Palin super rally. The Courage Campaign, with the help of its members, paid for a plane to fly around overhead during the speech trailing a sign that read "Sarah Palin - Thanks, But No Thanks! No on Prop 4." Our goal was to connect the latest right-wing attempt to pass a "parental notification" law via the ballot initiative process with Sarah Palin's extremist anti-choice views. And let me tell you, every single person I spoke to at that rally was walking talking evidence of that connection. They are pumped about voting for Palin as well as Propositions 4 & 8 and they will be coming out in droves leading up to and on November 4th.
One of our goals in going to the Palin rally was to make sure people don't get lulled into a false sense of complacency about the election, so we produced a short web video to show you just how ubiquitous our banner was at that rally as well as to demonstrate just how wingnutty our fellow Californians can be and how motivated they are. One guy I spoke to in particular had some choice words about liberals -- you'll see him at the end of the video -- and issued what I take as a challenge to us all. You gotta see it to believe it.
Watch it below:
Let's make sure we prove him wrong and let all of our friends and family know how crucial it is to vote against Prop 4 and 8. Spread the word HERE.
(disclaimer: I am proud to work for the Courage Campaign)
The Presidential campaign on the Republican side has really become ridiculous, with nonsense talk of "socialism" (I guess that's what the kids are calling the progressive tax system nowadays). Here, Arnold Schwarzenegger tries to defend it by playing the "I was born in socialist Europe" card (expect this to be part of his campaign address for John McCain in Ohio next week):
• Schwarzenegger seemed to embrace language that Republican John McCain has been using in his latest attacks against Democrat Barack Obama related to "redistribution of wealth."
"I left Europe because of the socialistic kind of environment and the way countries were run and the way government was on your back and therefore stifled the opportunities in Europe and that's why I came to America," he said. "So I hope -- and that's why I've been always involved in campaigning for political leaders that I believe in, because I wanted to do everything that I can to make sure that America doesn't go back to those days of 40 years ago when I left Europe, that we go back to that system of redistribution of wealth that some people are talking about. There is no redistribution of wealth."
"Redistribution of wealth," apparently, is raising the top tax rate from 36% to 39%. Ooh! Why don't you just give everybody borscht as well? (By the way, hasn't Arnold called for new taxes to fill the budget gap? Um, Arnold, isn't that, er, redistributing wealth?)
But that's not half as embarrassing as this exchange with CNN's Campbell Brown:
BROWN: Do you think she's qualified to be president?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I think that she will get to be qualified.
BROWN: She will get there? What do you mean? She's not ready yet?
SCHWARZENEGGER: By the time that she is sworn in I think she will be ready.
OK, today is October 23. Inauguration Day is January 20. Exactly what is going to happen over three months that would suddenly make Sarah Palin qualified for the office of the Presidency?
The answer, of course, is nothing. But Arnold is a loyal Republican soldier and a "Free To Choose" economic royalist, so he can't see that. What a fraud.
( Didn't really want to write this, but since the comment to the story about McClintock's KKK endorsement kept expanding, it gets its own diary. I noticed some skepticism towards this topic at dailykos, and since I had a lot of background material already available, it is relevant. )
This "endorsement" would explain why one of McClintock's supporters keeps on using
.....This.
This was in the local paper 9/21/08. It's from a McClintock supporter who posts blogs or comments on a daily basis. Most of his stuff I won't repeat because it's too inflammatory. I just try to tell people that these wedge issues are being used to do internet fundraising targeting senior citizens based on a fear of minorities, and that provoking these fears is wrong.
Well, in my book Sarah Palin just got a big promotion from Oregon Senator Gordon Smith. (h/t to Blue Oregon and Matt Ortega). Of course, in a few months, Gordon Smith will be looking for some work of his own.
Congratulations Governor Palin. We expect you'll put our bonds on ebay or something.
I'm heading down to Carson this morning to see the mavericky magic happen. Sarah Palin will be holding a "Road to Victory Rally" at The Home Depot Center with "Your California Ticket." Yeah, good luck with that.
The Courage Campaign banner blaring the message "Sarah Palin, Thanks But No Thanks: 'No' On Prop 4!" will be flying overhead (it's an open air event) from around 12:30pm through the duration of the event. Can't wait to see people's reactions. If you haven't yet, you can help out with the cost of our aerial welcome message to Sarah Palin HERE.
While there, I'll be stopping by the pro-Obama protest and the California Democratic Party's giant screen of questions for Palin. Not surprisingly, it's being freeped, apparently one submission ended with "Reps rule, Dems drool!" You can submit your own HERE. As I'm not convinced I'll even get into the media area, let alone have wireless at the event, I'll be documenting the atrocities at the Courage Campaign Twitter page -- if you're not following yet, you should be! I'll also be sending pictures to my mobile blog HERE.
And as a bonus, another mavericky picture from when I went to pick up my ticket in the extended entry.
Sarah Palin, fresh off the Vice-Presidential debate that Joe Biden handily won, is coming to California this weekend, including a rally at the Home Depot Center in Carson. California progressives are ready for her and are going to roll out our own welcome mat, letting Palin and the public know that California does not support her or the far-right beliefs she espouses.
The Courage Campaign is going to greet her with an airplane banner over the Home Depot Center tomorrow that will read "Sarah Palin, Thanks But No Thanks: No on Prop 4!" Proposition 4 is the return of parental notification, and Californians deserve to know what Palin's stance is on Prop 4 and parental notification. In her interview with Katie Couric:
Katie Couric, CBS News: "If a 15-year-old is raped by her father, you believe it should be illegal for her to get an abortion. Why?"
Governor Sarah Palin: "I am pro-life. And I'm unapologetic about my position..."
In 2007 the Alaska Supreme Court declared a parental consent law as unconstitutional, a decision Palin called "outrageous." Her response was to appoint another conservative to the court, giving it a conservative majority.
Californians need to know that Prop 4 is an attempt by social conservatives like Sarah Palin to write their extremist beliefs into our state's laws. Especially as Prop 4 holds a narrow lead in the polls, it is important that Californians are educated about Prop 4's Palin-esque goals.
Courage Campaign members are helping to fund the banner - it's a people-powered action, as are all these protest actions. Donate $33 to help get the banner in the air tomorrow!
The California Democratic Party will be there as well. They'll be bringing a projection screen to a rally outside the Home Depot Center that will display questions for Palin - tough questions that the McCain-Palin campaign doesn't want asked - that Californians have sent via text message. For more info and to sign up go to www.cadem.org/palin.
California progressives are also organizing protests for tomorrow's Palin events. Community organizers are helping put together a protest at Home Depot Center, appropriately enough. Click here for more information. LA Indymedia has information on how to get tickets for the event. Orange County activists will be holding a rally at the OC Performing Arts Center near South Coast Plaza from 3:30 to 6 tomorrow afternoon.
We haven't written much about the Presidential race here lately because California is largely out of reach - the FiveThirtyEight composite projects a 16-point win for Obama, and even the Stockton Record is endorsing Obama for President. Nevertheless, Vets for Freedom and Pete Wilson are wasting $2.2 million dollars on an ad campaign trumpeting the success of the surge. Way to gauge the public mood, guys. By the way, the California Nurses Association is firing back with a vicious ad about John McCain, and they have the sense to run it in swing states where it might matter.
Which brings us to tonight's VP debate. I wrote a little debate preview over at my site. My take - watch out for the hissy fit! Watch out for Drudge running with some manufactured slight and all the networks going into 24-hour "Biden disrespected Palin" mode and Lynne Cheney walking out and saying "This is a baaaad man!"
Anyway, I'll be trying to sort all of this out tonight with Brad Friedman of BradBlog, who's guest-hosting a special "VP Debate" edition of the Mike Malloy Show immediately following the Biden-Palin matchup. Also appearing:
I'm heading down to Carson this morning to see the mavericky magic happen. Sarah Palin will be holding a