New Gov. Paterson stands strong (+ TgIF Open Thread)

I made the g in TGIF lower case — we’ve got enough religion in everything these days.

Love David Paterson!

I can personally attest that he is the real deal!!!! Us NYorkers and especially us Harlemites are very proud of him.

Let’s hope the obamabots contain themselves and don’t start calling him names for supporting a white woman.

I believe he will do well.

The woman filling in for Ed Schultz today harped on the fact that the Governor had already announced he was sticking with Hillary. She could barely stifle a groan. Everything these people look at, they see through the prism of their support for Obama. Pathetic.

Hi-lurker here; I mostly post at Talk Left. Someone mentioned something about a funding issue over there, but it was quickly shut down. (Not complaining, them’s the rules and it works both ways, so I am totally cool with it) Anyway, has anyone heard anything about a funding issue? It was related to a Rev. Wright conversation, so maybe it’s connected that way? I’ve seen a lot of folks here from TL so I thought I’d ask. Thanks!

Check out this Greg Palast column about Eliot Spitzer:
http://www.gregpalast.com/elliot-spitzer-gets-nailed/

My question is this – if Obama has such a profound disagreement with Wright, why is he bringing his children to this church? Obama is a father who is comfortable allowing his very young daughters to hear the word “nigger” used in the same sentence as “Hillary Clinton”. Obama is a father who is comfortable with his daughters hearing the pastor of their church say, “God Damn America.” Obama is comfortable allowing his daughters to hear the tale of the crucifixion portrayed as rich white men persecuting a black man and all in the context of their fathers’ campaign against Clinton. Who allows their children to hear such racist garbage other than racists?

It’s one thing if Barry and Michelle choose to hang out with a lowlife, skanky “white women are pampered bitches keepin’ the black man down” black clergyman – it’s another thing to expose your pre-teen daughters to that level of hatred, misogyny and racism.

You have to wonder if Obama’s daughters hate American as well.

Hi Kathy, I mostly lurk there and spout off here cause I get pissed off and would get taken to the wood shed if I wasn’t real careful. (That’s fine, their blog their rules.) Glad to see you here, you have a lot to offer.

You mean Obama Pastors’ Sermons May Violate Tax Laws?

On Christmas morning, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. compared presidential candidate Barack Obama’s impoverished childhood to Jesus Christ’s. “Barack knows what it means to be a black man living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people,” he then trumpeted. “Hillary [Clinton] can never know that.”

Some of the sermons mentioned Sen. Clinton or her husband in unflattering ways. During that Christmas morning sermon, Mr. Wright declared that Hillary Clinton “ain’t had to work twice as hard just to get accepted by the rich white folk who run everything or to get a passing grade when you know you are smarter than that ‘C’ student sitting in the White House.” On Jan. 13, Mr. Wright told the Trinity congregation that some people say, “‘Hillary is married to Bill and Bill [has] been good to us.’” Mr. Wright continued, “No, he ain’t!” Sen. Clinton’s campaign didn’t respond to requests for comment.

WARNING: HARD-HITTING INTERVIEW TONIGHT!

Keith Olbermann is going to interiew Barack Obama tonight on MSNBC.

I hope Obama is bracing himself.

This guy is a breath of fresh air. We need more politicians with a great sense of humor.

John Stewart’s take on the Obama/Clinton drama
http://www.thedailyshow.com/

Softball! Do you think Olberman will hug Obama?

A dear friend of mine has a meeting with David Willhelm (who ran Bill Clinton’s campaign) here in Ohio. They are business partners. Of course I had to put my two cents in about the first candidate to take on Edwards talking point NO LOBBYIST IN MY ADMINISTRATION wins lots of new voted or if one of them commits to diplomacy with Iran….diplomacy with Iran wins lots and lots of votes.

If anyone seriously believes the Clintons are intentionally playing the race card, with Maggie Williams as campaign manager, their tinfoil hats are working overtime.

How is this related to the blog topic? Have you thought of starting your own blog, you clearly have a lot to say and are very passionate. Lobbyists increased a lot under the Bush administration. And there are lobbyists for good causes.

McCain is fund raising overseas. His loophole around the campaign finance fumbling he’s done..

This is really very proper an item to do in front of EU members, and certainly invites potential breaches in the field of foreign donors having undue influence in American elections. Laws do address much of these concerns.

John McCain, lawyered up.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/14/mccain_invites_fundraisers_to.html

I certainly agree with your view. The amount of negative tension that Spitzer created from the time he entered office was unexpected and I certainly wished we had someone else.

Patterson is bright, sensitive, very witty and most important is he will get things done.

Keith Overhimself probably also gets tinkles up his leg with Obama:)

How about no lobbyists on your campaign staff?

Obama doesn’t clear that threshold.

Will you even be able to vote for the top of either ticket?

Tribbles meet grain.

*is not really very proper
(if at all)

How is this related to the blog topic?

If you’re speaking of lobbyists, and the Obama ethical challenges in relation to the “fuck you america” Presidential campaign, ’08, the Chicago Sun Times Lynn Sweet had an interesting blog entry:

Sweet column: Obama’s politically expedient ethics conversions. Earmarks latest example.
WASHINGTON — Sen. Barack Obama, who had been declining to reveal earmarks he requested in 2005 and 2006, finally did so Thursday and probably would prefer the story to be about how his campaign challenged Democratic presidential rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, to do the same for her entire Senate tenure.

Instead, since I have some reporting history here, I am noting a pattern that has emerged: This is Obama’s third ethical conversion of convenience — taking on a higher standard, but only when it appears to be politically expedient. Obama is making government transparency and ethics a centerpiece of his presidential campaign.

The Obama record:

• • Obama took 23 subsidized rides on corporate jets in 2005, the first year he was in office. In January 2006, the very week he became the lead Senate Democrat on ethics, his office announced that in the future, his political war chest would pay the entire cost of using private planes.

• • Obama took donations from federal lobbyists and political action committees for his House and Senate races and his own Hopefund political action committee. He only stopped taking this political money — speaking out against it — when he launched his presidential campaign in February 2007.

• • Obama did disclose earmark requests he made in 2007; however, his office has been refusing since June, without explanation, to disclose earmarks Obama had sought previously. Thursday’s decision to disclose came on the very day the Senate voted on a one-year earmark moratorium. It failed 71-29. Clinton and Obama voted in favor.

Obama and Clinton have signed on to this moratorium measure knowing one of them will face the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, who is leading the drive against earmarks and does not request them. Last month, McCain taunted Obama on lack of earmark disclosure. Obama will seek no earmarks for Illinois this year.

Obama’s presidential campaign hosted a conference call Thursday to trumpet his new disclosures even as they were being posted on the Internet. The call featured Obama ally Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). McCaskill praised Obama’s openness and said, “And I think if we are not willing to share things, like, you know, appointment calendars or earmarks, I think it is a bad sign for truly making a change in the way this place operates.”

Since McCaskill raised the point: Obama has provided bare-bones information about his Senate schedule. I asked McCaskill about this. “I would think he would be happy to share information about how he spends his days,” she said. He is not.

Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines said that Clinton “has made public the funding she has helped to secure and will make public the requests she submits this year.”

Earmarks are tucked into legislation, controversial because they bypass review. Obama requested and did not secure $1 million for a hospital pavilion at the University of Chicago. Obama’s wife, Michelle, is vice president for community and external affairs, now on leave, at the U. of Chicago Hospitals. Obama also sought money for the Center for Neighborhood Technology, where his neighbor Jacky Grimshaw is a honcho.

In 2005, Obama asked for $500,000 for Kids Voting USA, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization encouraging young people to vote.

In 2006, Obama requested $250,000 for the Chicago Park District’s Obesity Prevention-Affordable Fitness Centers. He also asked for $8 million for a defense contractor linked to General Dynamics. Obama’s Illinois co-finance chairman, Jim Crown, is on the company’s board of directors.

Yeah, David!!!! New York is behind you!!!!

I voted for Spitzer, but quickly became exasperated with his elitist (“I don’t govern by any stinkin’ polls!”) attitude. We really didn’t need a new Emperor to clean up problems with the democratic process in Albany.

I think Paterson will be different.

No questions about Iraq. It is shocking that Helen Thomas was called a monster by John Stewart and then Dana Perino agreed.

I read that a lobbyists was running McCain’s Senate office several weeks back when his girlfriend made the news.

OOps here
http://www.thedailyshow.com/

Nope. That can’t be it because we already have discussed that. Thanks for trying, though!

Speaks the voice of experience: Don’t count on a statement regarding intention to vote for a certain candidate.

Latest on what is taking place in the Israeli Palestinian conflict that we do not hear about in the U.S. news.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/03/09/7573/

Published on Sunday, March 9, 2008 by Agence France Presse
Israel Okays Expansion of West Bank Settlement

JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has approved the construction of hundreds of new housing units at a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, the housing ministry said on Sunday.0309 02

“After a series of consultations with the prime minister, Housing Minister Zeev Boim has approved the relaunching of construction in Givat Zeev,” the ministry said in a statement.The move was swiftly denounced as hampering efforts to advance faltering peace talks that Israelis and Palestinians revived to much fanfare under US stewardship in late November, but that have been stagnant since.

“We condemn in the harshest terms this decision,” senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.

“We consider that with this decision, Israel wants to demolish the peace process and demolish the international efforts to advance the peace process,” he said.

CALL YOUR REPS. LET THEM KNOW THAT THE EXPANSION OF ILLEGAL SETTLEMENTS HAS AND CONTINUES TO IMPEDE ANY PEACE PROCESS

NY may have found a diamond. This guy is razor sharp.

Good place to start

Go read Susan’s title…open thread.

Open thread. We could talk about the race card some more

however, his office has been refusing since June, without explanation, to disclose earmarks Obama had sought previously. Prior to 2007…so transparent it can’t be seen. When BO first got to the senate I recall an interview that was shot as “the new kid on the block”…it had Obama talking about his Pac fund….and him answering a call and someone walking to talk with him his office. Does anyone remember that?
I wish I knew where to find it….

OK didn’t see the open thread thing, good point.

Did I bring up the race card? Really don’t understand what you’re getting at, for someone who frets the Dems are too divided it’s odd you want to talk about race card some more.

Bingo – intending to do something and then actually doing it are two totally different things.

Sometime in February, Michelle Obama was quoted: “FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY ADULT LIFETIME, I AM REALLY PROUD OF MY COUNTRY” given her husband’s impressive wins in a number of caucus-holding states.

The very next day, Cindy McCain and a few others pounced on that statement as a reflection of lack of patriotism. Unfortunately, many from the fawning media did not bother to weigh in on those comments.

After all, no Democrat – with the exception of die-hard Clinton political hacks – would dare question an Obama. But that was then.

Fast forward to March 2008 and a number of people, including those who are non-fans of the New York senator, have finally realized where Mrs. Obama’s comments came from. One only needed to catch a few minutes of the Reverend Wright’s sermon to make the connection, almost instantly.

Because words are mere words, if Senator Obama really found those racist comments made by his spiritual adviser “appalling”, then he could have backed up his “profound disagreement” with resignation from the congregation.

But he did not. 20 plus years of active membership in the same congregation (where he got married and had his daughters baptized!), US$22K in donation and an endorsement of the man by using “Audacity of Hope” as title of a best-selling book.

America, you be the judge!

Obama amazes me. This is another man who thinks we are all stupid out here. He reports on Huffintonpost that the Rev has never spoken like we saw him in the videos in front of Obama. The Rev has only spoken about love and tolerance in front of BO.

Obama has attended this church for 20 years. Does he really believe we are going to buy that? BO is such a liar and he lies so convincingly. I bet he was smiling that sweet smile as he was writing those remarks.

There is also a photo of him, with Pelsoi, and Reid, under a banner reading “honesty in government.”

Oh, yea, wait until Rush gets hold of THAT one…

I’ve been wondering something.
If half the Dems will refuse to vote for Obama, and the other half will refuse to vote for Clinton; who’s going to vote if hypothetically they run as a team?

I don’t go to HuffPo. He really said he’d never heard that kind of rhetoric before? Unbelievable. I bet you Jeremiah has been dishing that crap out since 1966.

The kids are the key. If he didn’t approve of his stuff, his kids wouldn’t have been allowed to attend. Obviously, he was comfortable with the potatoes the minister was dishing out or he wouldn’t have let his kids get near it.

Kathy, This afternoon I’ve heard from 3 Obama supporters who’ve seen the Rev’s videos and are completely pissed about it. No longer supporting Obama because he can’t have sat in that church on Sundays for 20 years and not known what was going on.

The only funding I’m aware of is the $22K that Obama gave the church. Also, several years ago, Wright and Farrakhan went to Libya together and collected money from Qaddafi for some purpose. That’s gotta be iffy at best but it was on Fox so it’s maybe true.

Did you know that President Kennedy was the last U.S. President to demand that Israel open it’s nuclear facilities to inspections?

“In retrospect, this statement entailed the strategy that Israel would use to overcome U.S. opposition to the project in the early mid-1960s. From the outset, the Israeli nuclear case posed a great challenge to U.S. nonproliferation policy. President Kennedy was determined to thwart Israel’s efforts to acquire a nuclear capability, fearing that it could undermine his nonproliferation efforts. He firmly insisted that U.S. scientists be allowed to visit Dimona to verify Israel’s claims that the facility was not for producing plutonium for nuclear weapons. Such a visit took place in May 1961, setting the stage for a meeting between Ben-Gurion and President Kennedy. The meeting resulted in the nuclear issue being removed from the Israeli-U.S. agenda for two years.”

NTI.org

welcome Kathy
good to see you here..
you said: Someone mentioned something about a funding issue over there,

Well Kathy..haven’t heard much about a funding issue at talk left..
I got 20 bucks if they need to stay on the web..
Now if you could hint at a little more scandal behind the scenes..We could ask our ex-CIA host to get to the bottom of this…
(Not that he would…he’s got denialable friends)
except SusanUPC.. she won’t deny any truth..
..I’m just play’n..
welcome again…
Going to my write my open thread post now..
below the fold

Open Post:
I said i’d meet you below the fold..Susan, when you write below the fold…I laugh..
I’m on the WEB..i can’t find the fold!! The only way that’s going to happen if my laptop falls off the bed and puts a fold on the screen..
anyhow..thought i’d bring that up..

Well my buddy Tunde just flew home to the ALT at 3pm today and I’m watching CNN in the background and listening about the possible tornado in Atlanta.
Keep safe Tunde!
I’m I the only person in America that never wants to hear that McBook Air TV commercial..AGAIN?!
That song, a pleasant song to hear a few times..but my gawd it’s driving me insane..:)
I don’t care how incrediably thin and sexy that notebook is..I want a take a hammer to that thing..
little tiny really thin pieces of broken plastic of a Mac notebook…
For the love of god change the commercial so i can get the little DA DA DAs out of head..I’m begging you..

anyhow..
Shout out to Teakwood..what’s up? thanks for the support..and alot of you longtime friends out there..The passing of my hero..my mom who left us on Valentines day and been tough on the hoopster, our family and friends..but time heals..
You know for almost my whole life i always called my mom at lunch..everyday..I have alot of kids..What really helped me to raise them was that daily call at lunch to my mom. Now everyone knows that all the credit with raising our children goes to mrs. hoopster..but that call for me everyday at lunch to my mom helped me alot.
I find myself out of habit some day’s picking up the phone and dialing my mom before realizing she’s not here anymore..
The other day my dad used my mom’s cell phone to call me on the blackberry..
So in the dark that bright blue screen with 3 big letters displaying ” MOM”
I jumped totally stunned…It felt like a bad episode of ‘Medium’.. You know , how do you answer that call.. I’m like ..hello? Mom?
The Voice goes,’It’s your Father’..ahh jeez dad, i forgot to reprogram the phone number!
I like hand the phone to Theresa later and say..look who called me today..WTF?
the look was priceless..would a camera been obvious?
I’m like ‘ya she got us a tee time for saturday…’
anyhoo..
I’m loving all the uproar about Obama’s pastor..cracks me up..
in his defense.. I’d trade him for our priest and an altarboy to be named later..
Don’t you just love those fiery preachers..fire and brimstone..They get up in an lather and you’re just sitting there going in your head..’ don’t say it..don’t say it.yep..he said it!’ Don’t you just love that?
I always thought live posionous snakes would add a nice touch to the service..hey i’ll believe if you believe..my brother…Hopefully your faith doesn’t slip down into hope..cause then you’re toast.
Some people are saying this preacher is a bad guy or even a ‘monster’.. ( to turn a phrase)
knock me over with a feather..a bad minister..
at least he’s not his lawyer..lordy knows how bad his lawyer is..
( the offer for the priest trade is still on the table.)
Update: Had to change the channel..ok have a natural disaster outside the headquarters of CNN is being covered non stop..ok we get it..you ran out of things to say an hour ago..I need the sport scores..
I’m turning to MSNBC.. they’re wishing the tornado hit CNN..Talk about a disapointed sounding host..

anyhow..my wireless is being flaky..so we may have technical difficuty here..but if this never posts then you won’t know about the wireless problem..
Kindof the 21st century version of ‘ if a tree fell in the forrest would you hear it? )
But I digress..
Now that CollegeHoops are happening..this is a very exciting part of the season..March Madness.. Wall to Wall hoops..I Love It!!
I seem to spend alot of time alone this time of the year..Is anyone even home? ( I try to shave )
The least somebody could do occasionally is bring me a bag of chips and dip..or check and see that i didn’t choke on a pretzel or something.. ( I don’t have dogs.)
M

Someday we might actually thank Eliot Spitzer….the Lord moves in mysterious ways ! I think Paterson will be great
for NY and the US

Why would he only hug him after he’s been blowing him for months?!

Anyone checking the news out of China?

Apparently, there are reports of weapons being shipped to Africa (and other locales), (I have no clue why you would arm the unstable governments who give you oil, especially as loyalties are so fleeting, but, you know, maybe the Chinese Are smarter, who knows), also, Tibet was given an ultimatum.

Sounds Cheney like in it’s strategic kookiness.

I always thought if Bush had fucked up a little more, China would have made a move toward Taiwan, militarily.

What was that song by the Clash?

“I’m so Bored with the USA?”

“I”m so Bored with the PLA.” ( people’s liberation army of china, that is…)

This is an open thread, this is why I”m posting here.

So what happens if it’s understood by our Arab allies, those not interested in a destabilized Middle East, those who don’t even want a part of Iraq, what happens when they KNOW Cheney and Bush have a bunch of morons working for them, morons who don’t understand the greater problems with Iraq, a sort of Rwanda for Cheney, but on a nuclear scale, with no end in sight, except for increasing extremism?

What do you do?

Me, if I were them, I would turn to to China, or Russia, say, and work on a plan to stabilize the Middle East, simply because I understand the URGENCY of the situation, and cheney’s foos don’t. (because they’re bubbled, and stupid. If Cheney’s crew really got it, there never ever would have been a war. Really)I know Cheney’s crew is incompetent, I understand Cheney’s group is a lost cause. And I can promise oil to China, and Russia.

And I bring in Iran, too.

Yes, this includes the Kurds, and Turkey, too.

So then what should the US do?

I know, ask Obama, he’ll know…

Blame Hillary.