Day three will be summed up by the aggressive critiques made against John McCain and continued show of unity by every Democrat.
While Bill Clinton continued the tone of unity and called for Hillary Clinton supporters to join him, Chelsea, and Hillary as they campaign for Barack Obama the reality is his speech focused on the failures of this Republican Party.
While they attack Barack Obama for being young, Bill Clinton reminded us, these are the same attacks they used 16 years ago against him. It probably doesn't need to be said, that Bill Clinton served during one of the greatest economies we have ever had. It probably shouldn't be said, but President Clinton put America in high esteem throughout the world.
On the other hand, our country is working harder for less. Our standing through out the world is worse and worse every day.
The reality is, John McCain and George Bush agree 90% of the time. The reality is that our country is not better off today than it was 4 or even 8 years ago.
Once Bill Clinton was done praising Barack Obama's experience and letting the country know what is on the line. The Republican Party that pushes more for less. More work, less pay. More war, less support for our veterans. More drilling, less relief at the pump. Or Democrats, who want a better tomorrow, today.
Where President Clinton left off, Senator John Kerry picked up. His "flub" signaled the tone of his entire speech. He confused George Bush with John McCain in his points about the failed Republican leadership. He reminded us all why he was once our nominee for President. While he was too cerebral at times in 2004, tonight, he was the attack dog a leader in the Senate needs to be. He stood on stage declaring that John McCain's attack on the middle class is a clear sign that we would be giving corporate interest and lobbyist 4 more years of Bush/Cheney politics.
Kerry made the point, "When we choose a commander-in-chief this November, we are electing judgment and character, not years in the Senate or years on this earth." That is the aggressive campaign we must run this cycle. That is the point we need to make.
While Kerry discussed veterans issues a little, Chet Edwards went full force on veterans issues.
I had the chance to go listen to Senator John Kerry Saturday at the UTB-TSC campus in Brownsville this afternoon where he spoke for half an hour to an audience of primarily students and veterans. He took a couple of questions before heading off to another town hall meeting. Below is a short clip of Senator Kerry explaining why he supports Barack.
It is almost as if their small state isn't enough for them. Edward Kennedy has already been here, and now his junior Senator is, too.
(Wouldn't it be interesting if Senators Cornyn and Hutchinson campaigned in Massachusetts together?)
I question how much this will help Obama. Senator Kerry does not have nearly the sway of Senator Kennedy. At most, he'll get a few more emails in his database.
Times and locations for tomorrow are beneath the fold.
(Please welcome Sen. John Kerry to Burnt Orange Report! - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
OK, I've not posted here before, but I decided to today, driven here by two events --
First, here in the Senate we've been trying to add a bunch of money for returning vets into an appropriations bill, money that the Republicans voted for in large numbers. But now, they're trying to block that money once again. Just to make it clear - they're blocking the exact same bill they once voted for. I mean, really, they really were for it before they were against it.
The other thing I saw: President Bush is fundraising in Texas today for his fellow Texan and diehard Roadblock Republican, John Cornyn. And just a couple of weeks ago, I met John Cornyn's Democratic opponent, Rick Noriega. Rick's a fine man, and he's a veteran of the war in Afghanistan.
The double whack at veterans ... well, I take hits to veterans personally.
So when I saw this hit on veterans, and I saw George W. Bush working to shore up the support of one of his chief allies in obstruction at the expense of another veteran, I decided I needed to speak out.
So, do what you can to help Rick Noriega. He's a veteran, endorsed by VoteVets.org. And he's a Texan, grew up in Houston, graduated from the University of Houston, and, well, I probably don't need to tell you much about Rick.
I set up a fundraising page here, and Rick's website is here. Anything you can do to give money, or volunteer, anything can help. You know how big Texas is. With so much ground to cover and 20+ media markets to worry about, it's going to take a big effort to get John Cornyn out of the Senate and overcome the help he'll get from his friends in high places.
You and I worked very hard last year to win this slim majority, raising money and campaigning with lots of veterans and other Democrats. But it's clear we have some more work to do to clear out all of the Roadblocks to getting a progressive agenda moving in this country. We don't yet have a working majority on too many issues. So I'm going to be dedicating myself to building a bigger majority - and that starts with veterans like Rick.
This is no one-time deal, either. I'll be doing a lot to kick the Roadblock Republicans to the curb. In fact, just today, we started a website dedicated to that: roadblockrepublicans.com. We'll be watching John Cornyn and all the rest of the party that seems to have no purpose but to block our progress. And we'll have some fun while we do it.
So do what you can for Rick, and help us clear the roadblock and get this country moving again.
For years, Texas has been embroiled in a controversy over electronic voting systems, with the partisans generally dividing into three camps:
Electronic voting technologies are from the pit of hell and we need to return to hand-counted paper ballots for all elections;
Electronic voting technologies create risks of tampering with elections and invading voters' privacy; and
"What are those other two groups complaining about?"
California Secretary of State Debra Bowen conducted an exhaustive review of voting machine security this summer, including systems used in many Texas counties. As Houston Chronicle political writer Kristen Mack points out in a column today, that makes the review relevant to Texas. Mack summarizes the review, conducted by researchers at the University of California system, well: "[A]bsent tighter [security] procedures, hackers could alter vote totals, violate the privacy of individual voters and delete audit trails" on even the most sophisticated systems.
The key phrase, obviously, is "absent tighter security procedures." The federal Election Assistance Commission and the Elections Division of the Texas Secretary of State's office have issued guidelines for how to improve voting system security. Although many counties -- notably Travis -- have well-established election security protocols, most counties do not.
During the last legislative session, Senator Royce West and Representative Rafael Anchia introduced bills to mandate basic voting system security procedures in each county. Neither bill got anywhere, even with the support of county elections administrators and clean voting advocates. But, as the California study shows, standardized security procedures are necessary to protect the integrity of elections, no matter how well designed the voting systems may be.
from: http://www.alternet.... "On the one hand, people will now say you can't prove the fraud," he said, "but the rule of law says that when evidence is destroyed it creates a presumption that the people who destroyed evidence did so because it would have proved the contention of the other side."
I was so hoping for fast change--John Kerry--for the good of us all.
If Rep. Holt's HR 811 were a true remedy, you would have been hearing all along from its supporters the call for an honest recount...which did not happen. What's up with Holt's HR 811 supporters? And all to comply with HAVA which was devised by GOP felons Abramoff and Ney to...do....
Ohio 2004 Presidential Election Ballots Illegally Destroyed, Missing in At Least 56 of 88 Counties...
Blogged by Brad from somewhere in TX...
snip
...we're happy to point over to AlterNet's coverage of the story listeners may have heard us cursorily break during a phone call from Ohio's Paddy Schaeffer on the air the Friday before last while we were Guest Hosting the Peter B. Collins Show from Houston.
Here's the lede...
Two-thirds of Ohio counties have destroyed or lost their 2004 presidential ballots and related election records, according to letters from county election officials to the Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner.
The lost records violate Ohio law, which states federal election records must be kept for 22 months after Election Day, and a U.S. District Court order issued last September that the 2004 ballots be preserved while the court hears a civil rights lawsuit alleging voter suppression of African-American voters in Columbus.
snip
"The extent of the destruction of records is consistent with the covering up of the fraud that we believe occurred in the presidential election," said Cliff Arnebeck, a Columbus attorney representing the King Lincoln Bronzeville Neighborhood Association, which filed voter suppression suit. "We're in the process of addressing where to go from here with the Ohio Attorney General's office."
and in related news:
Today Is D-Day for Electronic Voting Machines
By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet
Posted on August 3, 2007, Printed on August 3, 2007 http://www.alternet....
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. -- Friday, August 3, is a day that will likely live in political infamy for election integrity activists across the country.
California's Secretary of State Debra Bowen, a newly elected, reform-minded Democrat, will decide whether or not the largest state will use electronic voting machines in its new, early presidential primary next February. No matter what Bowen decides, she will make waves from Capitol Hill to county election offices.
If Bowen bans some or all of the machines, she will face an open revolt from many of the county officials who oversee California elections. She also will be sending a big message to Congress, where efforts to regulate electronic voting machines have stalled. The strongest proposals there -- requiring a paper trail to verify votes and tough new audits -- echo existing California law, which Bowen would be saying no longer is sufficient.
more
Holt's HR 811...Verify votes? Tough new audits? Audits delayed are audits denied, vote counts delayed are vote counts denied...look at Gore and Kerry.
What does it mean to not fix a known problem which any future Democratic candidate would also face?
The time has come to have a serious discussion about Al Gore and about whether or not you want him to run for President because let's be honest with each other.
Al Gore doesn't have to run. He can go forward and fight his fights from the outside in. He can run a different campaign and keep winning it. If you were Al Gore, you probably wouldn't run either. Do I think he would lose a lot of momentum if and when it's clear he isn't running for President? Hell yes. But he would still have plenty to do.
(Have we mentioned how we are Stopping Cornyn? - promoted by Matt Glazer)
I just got an email from John Kerry calling for contributions for John Cornyn's challenger.
John Cornyn of Texas has approval ratings well below 50%, a sign of danger for any incumbent. Even in the heart of Texas, support for George W. Bush’s Iraq policy gets you in trouble. Let’s show him that he’s not safe in his Southern seat. Contributions to this fund will be sent to the Democratic nominee upon his or her selection. Click here to contribute to his defeat.
This is a huge deal as John Kerry's email list is the one of the biggest in Democratic politics -- only MoveOn.org reaches more progressives. His last RoadblockRepublicans email raised almost $80,000 for the eventual Democratic nominees in Kentucky, Minnesota, and Maine. This time Texas is in there along with NC and KY.
This is a major breakthrough -- the Texas Senate race is recognized as competitive by Democrats across the country.
Some of you laughed when we started raising money for the anti-Cornyn nominee. Well keep laughing chumps, we're going to see that fund break six figures soon.
Here is an interesting dilemma, what is more valuable in our world, buying domestic products or protecting our environment. Simply, should we as Americans buy American cars and trucks or purchase a vehicle that is best for the environment regardless of who makes it?
This seems like a non sequitur on face, but think about who produces the top hybrids based on emissions and miles per gallon (mpg)-- Japan. American automakers are just getting into hybrid technology and seem to focus their efforts on SUVs and trucks, neither of which get 40+ mpg, and neither appeal to my urban lifestyle.
Hence, the dilemma. My preference would be a 4 door vehicle with a little pep in the engine, 50 or more miles per gallon, and as close to zero emissions as possible. If I were in the market today, that would mean I would buy a prius and only a prius.
The rub is that I try to support unions and I want to support the fledgling American automakers.
One of the ways Gandhi, yes I know it is random, was able to establish a free India was to educate his supporters that using only Indian indigo would strengthen their neighbors and weaken England's economic hold. Indian made cloth, used by India, helped India. Today in Africa and South America, we are intentionally doing this but we call it micro-crediting. We give local communities in third world countries small loans to build capital and infrastructure. The results have been impressive.
What if we started, as a nation, to act the same way and buy only American cars? What if we start to produce more American goods, used by Americans, in order to strengthen America?
Ah but the problem, American cars are inherently worse for the environment and keep us dependent on foreign oil!
As Thomas Friedman points out in his extensive and interesting book "The World is Flat", globalization is creating a new market place. One were borders and boundaries matter little. Were consistent technological convergence means that what China does affects America, were the collapse of one national market, shakes up the global market. Now, apply this principal to the environment.
There are a lot of Texans who live on and near the Texas coast. For the sake of all the coastal Texans of all political backgrounds, I don't want to go through another Hurricane season with Thelma Bush and his Louise GOP.
Please count Ohio's ballots now, during Hurricane season to save all our families on the coast. And, please count Ohio's ballots now, because the Climate is collapsing faster than scientists had earlier thought.
Also, time is running out as bee colonies are dying out this year. Bees need to be recovered this year.
If voter disenfranchisement bills pass in Texas, my vote in 2008 and beyond may not ever count again. That is already a big problem with the Republican owned "No Evidence" and "Hidden Evidence" Voting machines (kept in place if Holt's HR 811 passes) with which you have had to deal (will deal?). Our political power is being taken by elites who do not have the skills (nor intention if apocalyptic or profiting from catastrophy) for us to survive global warming.
Instead of waiting voteless and so powerless, for a meaningless 2008 election while our rulers drive us all over a cliff with Climate Collapse, we need to consider something different and meaningful.
If you are waiting to be asked, then I am begging, please count Ohio's votes now. And, if you won (which you may well know beforehand as each ballot has been copied/photographed for documentation), then hire Al Gore, John Edwards, Jim Webb, and James Lee Witt, among many other strong, caring and competent people to clean up the Bush/GOP disasters, help us through hurricane season, and save our Democracy, our Climate, and therefore, Us.
