Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in DEMOCRATS' LiveJournal:

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Friday, July 18th, 2008
2:17 pm [capthek]	Just in case you don't listen to right wing radio, I will update you... Please feel free to rage against this guy in the comments, I have an autistic relative and believe me this is no act. Also, if you can stomach reading under the cut, I find it funny that quite a few conservatives like to say that there isn't racism any more and thus affirmative action should be stopped, while their fellow conservatives are still being incredibly racist. Savage on autism: "A fraud, a racket. ... In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out" http://mediamatters.org/items/200807170005?f=h_latest Summary: On his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage claimed that autism is "[a] fraud, a racket. ... I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.' " ( Read more... ) (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, June 6th, 2008
7:56 am [capthek]	Bad news for our nation, and for Republicans in November... I have lots of friends who are struggling with no, or only part time jobs (ya, me too). For all of us, a new administration can not come soon enough! Jobless rates jumps to 5.5 percent — biggest rise since `86 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080606/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/economy;_ylt=AhsHdv7TQIBmHdIMbt80Xi2s0NUE By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer 5 minutes ago WASHINGTON - The nation's unemployment rate jumped to 5.5 percent in May — the biggest monthly rise since 1986 — as nervous employers cut 49,000 jobs. ( Read more... ) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, March 9th, 2008
9:18 am [capthek]	for the cool graphs and charts, click the link and scroll down... I hear right wing shock jocks saying the economy is getting bad in anticipation of a new democratic president. Ha! Whatever, if they can sling that B.S. I can sling this B.S. The John McCain Market Selloff Friday, March 07, 2008 | 02:00 PM in Earnings | Markets | Politics | Trading http://bigpicture.typepad.com/ Ever since the Primary on Tuesday, the market's have aggressively sold off. This clearly indicates the equity market's fear of a McCain presidency. As the charts below show, ever since Tuesday -- when McCain's Intrade price soared -- stocks have been under continual pressure. Had Barrack Obama knocked out Hillary Clinton, a mano-a-mano contest would have taken place. A well rested, fully funded Democratic nominee would have been a very tough opponent for the aging Arizona Senator. However, the Democratic nomination now looks certain to go on for much much longer. It is highly likely to: -Physically and emotionally wear down the two Democratic candidates; -Force them to consume much of their war chest; -Lead the electorate to become tired of the rhetoric, and disenchanted with both candidates -Prevent the candidates from spending time doing much opposition research no McCain. All of this works to McCain's favor. He can therefore rest, save his campaign warchest, maintain Media presence (but not to the point of over-exposure). All these positives show up at InTrade (see charts below), where McCain's bettors have upped the ante, sending his futures skyward. And, the stock market has sold off, therefore proving that McCain must be bad for stocks and for the economy. x-posted to: anti_mccain (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
8:43 pm [mysticknyght]	reason 9523952 why Republicans disgust me This is why Republicans must be crushed. Current Mood: annoyed (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 14th, 2007
10:05 pm [capthek]	Is this just more of the same, or are all of our leaders truly dissapointing (outside the obvious) Morose America bemoans the quality of its leaders http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usvotepoliticsmood2008;_ylt=Aq4ARFaA4n4TtFenCAy4.ithr7sF by Marie Sanz Wed Nov 14, 10:10 AM ET WASHINGTON (AFP) - Americans are morose about the caliber of their elected leaders and pessimistic about the country's future, according to a spate of polls released one year before the 2008 presidential election. One survey this week by the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government found three in four Americans profoundly frustrated by a "crisis" in US leadership -- the result should raise concern with America's political class, the poll-takers said. "These new results should be a wake-up call for the nation," said David Gergen, director of the center and an editor at US News and World Report, which also had a hand in the study. "At a moment when the country is in the midst of a critical testing period both home and abroad, our citizens express an alarming lack of confidence in those running key institutions," Gergen said in a statement accompanying the poll's release. "Unless our leaders can earn the respect of more followers, we will have an incredibly hard time forging a path into a good future," he said. ( Read more... ) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, November 10th, 2007
5:21 pm [sidruid]	Dr. Paul Recently a guy named Ron Paul (ex-Libertarian, now Republican) has been making waves on the internet and late-night circuit with claims of abolishing the IRS and ending the wars overseas. These are both very appealing to my ideals, so as a good citizen I dug deeper. "Dr. Paul" is also fervently pro-life: in his years as a Dr. he never saw a case for abortion because of risk to the mother. He sees this as an "individualism" stance (the unborn being the individual) and not a health issue. Meanwhile, on "health freedom," he says "Americans are justifiably concerned over the government’s escalating intervention into their freedom to choose what they eat and how they take care of their health." pro-gun: He'd like to repeal the Brady handgun act and he blocked the assault-rifle ban. anti-immigration: he wants to reduce the rate of immigration, kick out anyone who isn't legal without consideration of amnesty, deny illegals healthcare/hospital service/etc, and change the laws such that children born in the US to illegals are not citizens. I certainly have mixed opinions on those second two points. There is a case for self-defense and hunting (some guns), and illegals/undocumenteds are, well, illegal. However, I also believe in human decency, and Dr. Paul does not. Big guns are for killing lots and lots of people. And if someone is ill on your soil, you take care of them -- you don't dump them on your neighbors lawn and hope for the best. Nice try Ron Paul, you're still way too red for this democrat. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, October 12th, 2007
9:53 pm [insomnia]	"Draft Gore" movement takes off with a vengeance. Two days ago, on October 10th, a petition hosted on draftgore.com to convince Al Gore to enter the race, had 135,000 signatures. On Wednesday, the supporters of draftgore.com released a full-page ad in the New York Times, encouraging Al Gore to seek run for office again. Since Wednesday, site traffic for draftgore.com has climbed like crazy... increasing even further after the initial date of the ad, to the point that the site's web traffic stats are rapidly approaching that of hillaryclinton.com. Tonight, on the day of his Nobel Peace Prize win, the petition to encourage Al Gore to enter the race is about to top 200,000 people. If you're amongst the millions of Democrats who believe that the best choice of the available candidates is "none of the above", or if you simply want to show your support for Al Gore and all of his efforts on behalf of the world's people, please visit http://draftgore.com, Take the time to sign the petition, add your voice, and help put him over the top. Al Gore *CAN* beat Hillary Clinton to be the nominee, and he can be the next President... but if you are unsure of that fact, please consider this -- the time for showing your loud, vocal, open support for Al Gore to run for President is NOW, while he's got the world's attention and while he still has time to enter the race and raise funds. Not tomorrow. Not next week. NOW. Every signature he receives will be a loud message to the rest of the Democratic Party that the era of Democratic complicity in rubber-stamping undeclared wars while leading the earth towards environmental destruction is over, and will no longer be tolerated by the voters. Even if Al Gore politely refuses to enter the race, you can at least feel sure that you've helped to advance the causes he is fighting for every day -- peace, ecological stability, and economic justice. The very threat that he might enter the race will help force leading Democratic candidates to put forward more aggressive proposals to protect the environment. Support him now. Visit http://draftgore.com and sign the petition to add your voice to those who have already done so. Take the time to post about DraftGore on your site and let others know. (Feel free to copy and edit my post if you wish.) If you have a bit of free time, offer to volunteer. If you can spare a few bucks, please send them a donation. (It's as easy and painless as paying for an LJ account. You can even use PayPal!) Al Gore was right about Iraq. He is right about the threat of global warming. And, best of all, he's not just content to be right, but he's out there fighting the good fight each and every day, while other Democratic candidates have compromised this country's strength, its Constitution, its economy, and ultimately, its future. Al Gore deserves our support, and we all need a President like Al Gore. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, October 29th, 2007
5:13 pm [capthek]	Hey lefties, what, are we not creative writers??? I have talked about this a bit before. Why is it that political urban legends are always negative on democrats and wrong, or positive on republicans and wrong, or every now and then negative on republicans and true??? I know of many lefties who can lie well, I also thought we were the ones who ran tv and movies??? Liberal media anyone??? OK, This is what I propose, I think all of you slash fiction writers need to write up some hot and sexy stuff about your personal experiences with republicans involving sex, drugs, rock and roll, and whatever is juicy enough to get people reading! I know, I know, we try to take the high road, but I honestly think its only crap like this that most people will actually read. Or am I pure evil? Check out these links, the nation has a great story about right wing urban legend mud and the other links are urban legend debunking sites with examples of some of these for those of you with your minds out of the gutter. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071112/hayes http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/spin.html http://www.snopes.com/politics/clintons/thief.asp http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/northosama.html Regardless of which side you are on, I think you'll enjoy this example ofspin-doctoring as an art unto itself......this is almost as good as lying with statistics! ( Read more... ) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007
6:45 pm [jayphi77]	Steph on Hannity and Colmbs (Comment on this)
Thursday, September 13th, 2007
3:30 pm [educationin08]	Democrats Talk Education at the Yahoo Online Debate Yesterday was the first ever Candidate Mash up presented by Yahoo (Slate & HuffingtonPost). Did anyone watch it?  Candidates talked about Iraq, Healthcare and Education.  If you missed it here is the link to the yahoo debate.  http://debates.news.yahoo.com/ www.EDin08.com (Comment on this)
2:01 pm [mysticknyght]	Vitties sometimes Schroeder really has more fun than he should be allowed to: I still say someone should show up at every Jindal campaign event dressed like a giant package of diapers. [YatPundit] (YatPundit entry) (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 5th, 2007
8:37 am [mysticknyght]	of bathrooms and diapers... I'm amazed at the extent that the Blogosphere thinks the status of some of the more perverted members of the US Senate has to do with morality. It's about simple addition: If Larry Craig resigns, Idaho's governor appoints a Repug. The Senate remains 50 Dem, 1 Indpendent (Caucusing with dems), 49 Repug. If Vitty-cent resigns, Blanco appoints a Democrat. The Senate becomes 51 Dem, 1 Independent (caucusing with Dems), 48 Repug. Now, keep in mind that the Independent is Joe Lieberman (I-Bagdhad). If Blanco is able to replace Vitty-cent with a Dem, it gives Majority Leader Reid the opportunity to be well rid of Surgin' Joe. That has HUGE consequences: Liebermann's national pulpit shrinks dramatically. He goes from CNN's A-list to doing Sarah Silverman's show on Comedy Central. The last totally pro-war "democrat" is effectively silenced. The Senate Homeland Security committee will get a new chair, when the Dems suggest to Liebermann that, if he wants a leadership position, he take one in the Israeli cabinet. That means real investigation into FEMA, real investigation on airport security, port security, and a myriad number of topics that BushCo would just as soon not let you hear about. The Senate Judiciary Committee can either be re-structured (one less repug, one more dem), or "That Liberal Arlen Specter" can be squeezed to play ball more. The senior Senator from PA is a lying, waffling turd who needs to be slapped back in line. This isn't about bathroom blowjobs or diaper fetishes. The world is crumbling before the eyes of Senate Republicans, and they're trying to deal with it. If Craig refuses to go quietly into the night, it could get ugly for Vitty-cent. If Craig stays, Repugs shut up. They can't afford to do anything else. [YatPundit] (YatPundit entry) (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007
9:49 am [theconvictor]	Happy Trails, John Warner Warner Decides Not to Seek Sixth Term Looks like the speculation about John Warner's imminent retirement were accurate. Virginia's senior Senator had only raised $75,000 and many of his senior advisers had already moved on to other jobs. Despite those tell-tale signs, his retirement was no sure thing. Especially since he's so popular and well-respected that $75,000 might have been more than enough money for him to win reelection. It's too bad that Warner is retiring. He was a voice of reason within the Senate and usually voted his conscience. He supported gun control laws, stem cell research, and expanding the hate crimes definition to include victims based on sexual orientation. He hasn't been afraid to go against his party, either. While he supported the war, he hasn't been afraid to break ranks and speak out against the White House. He voted against Robert Bork, he joined the Gang of 14, and he refused to support Oliver North in 1994, even though North was seen as vital to GOP hopes to win the Senate (turns out, they didn't need him after all). He was always willing to reach out to the Democrats in order to forge a compromise and didn't let partisan politics control his actions. In an era where gridlock, partisan bickering, and Sunday Morning posturing seem to be more important than getting things done, John Warner was a throwback to a better time in Congressional history. Because of that, he will definitely be missed. Meanwhile, at least one pundit thinks that the GOP Primary could be a brutal, bloody, take-no-prisoners fight to the death between the conservative and moderate wings of the party. The impending struggle between conservative former Governor Jim Gilmore and moderate Congressman Tom Davis is, in many ways, a microcosm of the battle for the soul of the GOP between moderates and conservatives nationwide. Gilmore's supporters argue that he's the better candidate since he's won statewide election before and can hold onto the party's base better than Davis. Essentially, he's George Allen but without the baggage. Meanwhile, Davis's backers see a state that's becoming less and less red (as evidenced by Jim Webb's win in 2006 and the fact that the state now has now elected 2 straight Democratic governors), and argue that Davis, who is a lot like John Warner (at least in temperament), is better suited at winning statewide. Who's right? It's tough to say. You can't read too much into Webb's victory since George Allen would have romped to reelection and would be preparing for his White House bid right now had he not brought the word "macaca" into our vernacular. Plus, Webb's military credentials, his ties to Reagan, and the overwhelming anti-GOP sentiment from the last election cycle made him a much stronger candidate than he otherwise would have been. Meanwhile, Tim Kaine's gubernatorial victory in 2005 might have been due more to the overwhelming popularity of outgoing Governor Mark Warner than to the growing power of Democratic voters in Northern Virginia. As a result, we don't know which candidate would have a better chance at winning. If the state is indeed tilting towards the Democrats as a result of an influx of minorities and DC residents into Northern Virginia, then Davis is the better candidate. If 2005 and 2006 were mirages instead of trends, then Gilmore should be the guy. If anything, 2008 will probably answer that question once and for all... At least until 2010. Anyway, it seems a foregone conclusion that Mark Warner will run for the Democrats. Not so fast. When he withdrew from the 2008 Presidential contest, I was convinced that he did it because he was positioning himself for a vice-presidential spot on a ticket headed by either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. If either of those two win the nomination, they'll need a white, Southern, moderate to balance the ticket, and John Edwards probably wouldn't want to run as the #2 again. If Warner runs for Senate, then he would be ruling out a VP bid. Meanwhile, even if he didn't get the VP bid, he could always run for Governor again in 2009 (which seems to be his preference anyway). As such, I wouldn't bet on him running for Senate, even though there will be a lot of pressure on him to do so. Still, he should think about running for Senate. He needs to keep his profile up, and going to Washington would allow him to get experience in foreign policy. Plus, he would probably get a ton of votes from confused and/or stupid people who thought they were voting for John Warner. Hey it worked for Eddie Murphy in "The Distinguished Gentleman." Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: "Shenandoah," Bruce Springsteen (Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 29th, 2007
3:16 pm [theconvictor]	Zip Me Up Before You Go Go When will people learn? Public men's rooms are bad places to pick up other men. Just ask George Michael. Apparently, Larry Craig wasn't paying attention. The senior Senator from Idaho becomes the latest conservative Republican to be embroiled in a sex scandal. Unlike his compatriot, David Vitter, however, Larry Craig looks to be playing for the other team, so to speak. It isn't the first time that Craig's been dogged by rumors of prior same-sex affairs. Some thought that the rumors, which reached a fever pitch in October of 2006 when a gay-activist blogger published some of these allegations on his website, might keep him from seeking re-election in 2008. Curiously, even though Larry Craig condemned the charges and huffed and puffed more than the Big Bad Wolf, he didn't sue. Hmm... Kind of like how Barry Bonds didn't sue the guys who wrote "Game of Shadows" or how Mark McGwire didn't sue Jose Canseco. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Anyway, despite Senator Craig's alleged proclivities, he remains one of the staunchest opponents of gay-rights in Washington. He supported a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage. He opposed expanding the federal definition of a hate crime to include same-sex orientation. He opposed efforts to ban job discrimination based on sexual orientation. Well, you know what they say about those that doth protest too much... Look, I have no problem with what Larry Craig does in his free time. He can pick up men at restrooms if he wants to. He can even re-enact scenes from "Caligula" for all I care. However, if you go trolling for man-love in public restrooms so often that you a) know where to go and b) you know the secret code for soliciting guys for action, then you really kind of lose the right to pass judgment on other same-sex couples. The worst part of all this? If you are waiting for a stall and start tapping your foot impatiently for the guy to finish up, you might actually be inviting him to a party in your pants. Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: Jitterbug! The Jitterbug! You put the boom boom into my heart... (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 14th, 2007
8:53 pm [synthetikterror]	maggiesox has been banned for causing a disturbance in this community. This community is for civil discussions only. You can disagree, but please keep the insults and baiting to a minimum. The thread has been deleted as it has no place here. Thanks. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, August 10th, 2007
12:15 am [kissface]	So, thoughts on the LOGO Presidential Forum tonight? Based on your personal candidate choice or not, who do you think presented themselves well and who... didn't so much? (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
1:20 pm [educationin08]	Debate Tonight Tonight on MSNBC check listings for Time Marc Lampkin in the Huffington talks about the Debate Tonight and the need for Education to be discussed tonight http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-lampkin/can-the-dems-stand-up-to-_b_59456.html Support Education and let your Candidate know that Education Matters to you www.Myspace.com/EDin08 (Comment on this)
Monday, August 6th, 2007
4:04 pm [doubtofbuddha]	Candidate Reactions So which of the Democratic candidates for the presidential primaries of 2008 is drawing your support? Why? Current Mood: working Current Music: Architecture in Helsinki, In Case We Die (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 31st, 2007
4:52 pm [jollyroger84]	The spy who billed me Yes...that's right James Bond now charges by the hour...and no that does not mean Daniel Craig is taking on a new career as a male escort (sorry ladies). No, I talking about how our federal government has outsourced the CIA. In fact, 70% of the national director of intelligence's budget is earmarked for private contractors. I heard this on my podcast of Democracy Now!, which you must listen to if you don't (free on itunes podcast section). Go to the blog www.thespywhobilledme.com and read all about it. It will make you want to scream. (Comment on this)
11:17 am [lullabypit]	Reframing the Republican lie about wealth in America In America, the Republicans are seen as the party of money and wealth. This perception is certainly accurate in one sense - the GOP is the favored party of the wealthy elite. Unfortunately, the party is also supported in large numbers by those who have no wealth, and thanks to the policies of the Republican party, no hope of ever attaining any. But they continue to support the party for reasons that seem irrational to us. Why? In a nutshell, I want to argue here that they do so because the GOP has, through a long-term and exceptionally effective messaging campaign, drawn around itself the ideology of hope. Forgive a brief over-generalization, but they're the party that preaches wealth and that tells people they can join the club (never mind that the message is a lie, given our current economic policy structure). In the popular frame, the Republicans are often seen as being about getting and having money while the Democrats are about taking your hard-earned money and giving it to people who didn't earn it. The GOP would have you believe that they are dedicated to creating wealth while their opponents are committed to redistributing wealth. This is a powerful message in a nation framed by the Puritan work ethic. The Democratic party does not at present have an effective counter-message that offers hope in ample measure. Their policies and promises paint a picture of a comparatively flat economic landscape. In essence, the party seems to say "if you want to have enough, we can help you." This is a viable and valid message for a rational popultion, but in America's media-saturated, hyper-consumerist culture "enough" is a glass ceiling message that doesn't parse as "you can have X" - instead, it parses as "you can only have X." People want to be well-off and if nothing else in the world is clear to us, it should be that hope trumps rationality every time. Successful political action must appeal to the public's aspirations, because psychologically Americans are unwilling and unable to let go of the American Dream they've been fed since they were toddlers. This must change. Now. (More...) Current Music: Enya - The Longships (Comment on this)