"Jeff Gannon" White House Reporter...

I will be doing an extensive post on this and what it means, but until then here is a round up of links about the whole situation...



http://mediacitizen.blogspot.com/2005/02/gannon-quits-after-blogger-inquiry.html



This is the Salon.com article.



http://www.nydailynews.com/02-10-2005/news/gossip/story/279466p-239417c.html



http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/02/09/white.house.reporter/



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12640-2005Feb9.html



http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/02/this-is-aol-profile-everyone-is.html



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/9/12058/65036



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/9/94615/61143



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/8/174746/7900



http://blogs.salon.com/0002874/2005/02/08.html



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/9/13220/37825



-The Oklahoma Hippy

"Jeff Gannon" White House Reporter...

I will be doing an extensive post on this and what it means, but until then here is a round up of links about the whole situation...



http://mediacitizen.blogspot.com/2005/02/gannon-quits-after-blogger-inquiry.html



This is the Salon.com article.



http://www.nydailynews.com/02-10-2005/news/gossip/story/279466p-239417c.html



http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/02/09/white.house.reporter/



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12640-2005Feb9.html



http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/02/this-is-aol-profile-everyone-is.html



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/9/12058/65036



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/9/94615/61143



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/8/174746/7900



http://blogs.salon.com/0002874/2005/02/08.html



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/9/13220/37825



-The Oklahoma Hippy

It's about damn time...

Anyone who considers themselves a progressive and has had internet access over the last eighteen months has had this story on thier radar screens, myself included. Its about time something happened.

GOP Consultant Sentenced in Phone Jamming





By TIM McCAHILL

Associated Press Writer



February 8, 2005, 2:40 PM EST



CONCORD, N.H. -- The former head of a Republican consulting group was sentenced Tuesday to five months in jail for jamming Democratic telephone lines in several New Hampshire cities during the 2002 election.



Allen Raymond, 37, who was president of the Alexandria, Va.-based GOP Marketplace LLC at the time, did not comment as he left the U.S. District Court sentencing. He also was fined $15,600.



He had pleaded guilty in June.



Court papers say Raymond and co-conspirators plotted to jam Democratic lines that voters could call for rides to the polls in Manchester, Nashua, Rochester and Claremont. A line run by the nonpartisan Manchester firefighters' union also was jammed.



The blizzard of more than 800 computer-generated calls lasted about 90 minutes on Nov. 5, 2002, as voters decided races for governor, U.S. senator and hundreds of other offices.



State Republicans acknowledged two years ago they hired GOP Marketplace. But then-Republican Chairwoman Jayne Millerick said the company was paid $15,600 for telemarketing services to encourage people to vote Republican, not to jam lines.



Chuck McGee, former executive director of the New Hampshire Republican Party, also pleaded guilty. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month.



James Tobin, 44, regional chairman of Bush's campaign last year, was indicted in December and pleaded innocent. Tobin, of Bangor, Maine, had stepped down from Bush's New England campaign in October after the allegations against him became public. In 2002, he was northeast political director of the party committee working to elect Republican senators.

The story can be found here.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

It's about damn time...

Anyone who considers themselves a progressive and has had internet access over the last eighteen months has had this story on thier radar screens, myself included. Its about time something happened.

GOP Consultant Sentenced in Phone Jamming





By TIM McCAHILL

Associated Press Writer



February 8, 2005, 2:40 PM EST



CONCORD, N.H. -- The former head of a Republican consulting group was sentenced Tuesday to five months in jail for jamming Democratic telephone lines in several New Hampshire cities during the 2002 election.



Allen Raymond, 37, who was president of the Alexandria, Va.-based GOP Marketplace LLC at the time, did not comment as he left the U.S. District Court sentencing. He also was fined $15,600.



He had pleaded guilty in June.



Court papers say Raymond and co-conspirators plotted to jam Democratic lines that voters could call for rides to the polls in Manchester, Nashua, Rochester and Claremont. A line run by the nonpartisan Manchester firefighters' union also was jammed.



The blizzard of more than 800 computer-generated calls lasted about 90 minutes on Nov. 5, 2002, as voters decided races for governor, U.S. senator and hundreds of other offices.



State Republicans acknowledged two years ago they hired GOP Marketplace. But then-Republican Chairwoman Jayne Millerick said the company was paid $15,600 for telemarketing services to encourage people to vote Republican, not to jam lines.



Chuck McGee, former executive director of the New Hampshire Republican Party, also pleaded guilty. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month.



James Tobin, 44, regional chairman of Bush's campaign last year, was indicted in December and pleaded innocent. Tobin, of Bangor, Maine, had stepped down from Bush's New England campaign in October after the allegations against him became public. In 2002, he was northeast political director of the party committee working to elect Republican senators.

The story can be found here.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

It's all very simple.

James Dobson opposes tolerance.



Despite anything the NY Times has printed since this whole thing blew up, Mr. Dobson never refuted this simple point.



What an Asshole.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

It's all very simple.

James Dobson opposes tolerance.



Despite anything the NY Times has printed since this whole thing blew up, Mr. Dobson never refuted this simple point.



What an Asshole.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Bush's Budget...

If money is in such shortfall that Social Security is insolvent, we have to cut state grants for Medicaid, Education, and Medicare, then can we please dump SDI finally?



It doesn't work. It's ridiculously expensive. And, as the President keeps reminding us, terrorism is our great threat, not ICBMs.



National Missile Defense, you are a waste of time and resources.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Bush's Budget...

If money is in such shortfall that Social Security is insolvent, we have to cut state grants for Medicaid, Education, and Medicare, then can we please dump SDI finally?



It doesn't work. It's ridiculously expensive. And, as the President keeps reminding us, terrorism is our great threat, not ICBMs.



National Missile Defense, you are a waste of time and resources.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

The Right Wing Media Machine...

If you want to know how the conservative message machine was built and what progressives can do to respond, just ask Rob Stein.

Consider that the conservative political movement, which now has a hammerlock on every aspect of federal government, has a media message machine fed by more than 80 large non-profit organizations – let's call them the Big 80 – funded by a gaggle of right-wing family foundations and wealthy individuals to the tune of $400 million a year.



And the Big 80 groups are just the "non-partisan" 501(c)(3) groups. These do not include groups like the NRA, the anti-gay and anti-abortion groups, nor do they include the political action committees (PACs) or the "527" groups (so named for the section of the tax code they fall under), like the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which so effectively slammed John Kerry's campaign in 2004.



To get their message out, the conservatives have a powerful media empire, which churns out and amplifies the message of the day - or the week - through a wide network of outlets and individuals, including Fox News, talk radio, Rush Limbaugh, Oliver North, Ann Coulter, as well as religious broadcasters like Pat Robertson and his 700 Club. On the web, it starts with TownHall.com

(Snip)

Rob Stein has brilliantly documented all of the above in "The Conservative Message Machine Money Matrix," a PowerPoint presentation he has taken on the road across the country, preaching to progressives about the lessons that can be learned and the challenges that need to be overcome.

Read the rest here.



Interesting Note at the end of the article.

This article is a version of material that will appear in the forthcoming book by AlterNet, "Start Making Sense: Turning the Lessons of Election 2004 into Winning Progressive Politics," edited by Don Hazen and Lakshmi Chaudhry. It will be available in April, published by Chelsea Green Publishing.



Don Hazen is the Executive Editor of AlterNet.

Progressives need to read this book as soon as its published.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

The Right Wing Media Machine...

If you want to know how the conservative message machine was built and what progressives can do to respond, just ask Rob Stein.

Consider that the conservative political movement, which now has a hammerlock on every aspect of federal government, has a media message machine fed by more than 80 large non-profit organizations – let's call them the Big 80 – funded by a gaggle of right-wing family foundations and wealthy individuals to the tune of $400 million a year.



And the Big 80 groups are just the "non-partisan" 501(c)(3) groups. These do not include groups like the NRA, the anti-gay and anti-abortion groups, nor do they include the political action committees (PACs) or the "527" groups (so named for the section of the tax code they fall under), like the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which so effectively slammed John Kerry's campaign in 2004.



To get their message out, the conservatives have a powerful media empire, which churns out and amplifies the message of the day - or the week - through a wide network of outlets and individuals, including Fox News, talk radio, Rush Limbaugh, Oliver North, Ann Coulter, as well as religious broadcasters like Pat Robertson and his 700 Club. On the web, it starts with TownHall.com

(Snip)

Rob Stein has brilliantly documented all of the above in "The Conservative Message Machine Money Matrix," a PowerPoint presentation he has taken on the road across the country, preaching to progressives about the lessons that can be learned and the challenges that need to be overcome.

Read the rest here.



Interesting Note at the end of the article.

This article is a version of material that will appear in the forthcoming book by AlterNet, "Start Making Sense: Turning the Lessons of Election 2004 into Winning Progressive Politics," edited by Don Hazen and Lakshmi Chaudhry. It will be available in April, published by Chelsea Green Publishing.



Don Hazen is the Executive Editor of AlterNet.

Progressives need to read this book as soon as its published.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Did James Dobson call Spongebob gay?

After I made the post about Mr. Dobson, the following was posted in the comments.

Daniel Rah said...

Dr. Dobson did not say that Spongebob was gay. According to the correction in the NY Times: "He did not say the SpongeBob character itself was 'pro-homosexual.'" NY Times 1/29/05. To say otherwise would be to promote a lie.



Also, Dr. Dobson helped found the Alliance Defense Fund, which is involved in several lawsuits across the country on behalf of personal religious rights.

I find it interesting that those on the right would choose NOW to make such a distinction. And since we're keeping score, Al Gore never said he invented the Internet either.



The Following is from the New York Times. (Emphasis Added)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 - On the heels of electoral victories barring same-sex marriage, some influential conservative Christian groups are turning their attention to a new target: the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants.



"Does anybody here know SpongeBob?" Dr. James C. Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, asked the guests Tuesday night at a black-tie dinner for members of Congress and political allies to celebrate the election results.



SpongeBob needed no introduction. In addition to his popularity among children, who watch his cartoon show, he has become a well-known camp figure among adult gay men, perhaps because he holds hands with his animated sidekick Patrick and likes to watch the imaginary television show "The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."



Now, Dr. Dobson said, SpongeBob's creators had enlisted him in a "pro-homosexual video," in which he appeared alongside children's television colleagues like Barney and Jimmy Neutron, among many others. The makers of the video, he said, planned to mail it to thousands of elementary schools to promote a "tolerance pledge" that includes tolerance for differences of "sexual identity."



The video's creator, Nile Rodgers, who wrote the disco hit "We Are Family," said Mr. Dobson's objection stemmed from a misunderstanding. Mr. Rodgers said he founded the We Are Family Foundation after the Sept. 11 attacks to create a music video to teach children about multiculturalism. The video has appeared on television networks, and nothing in it or its accompanying materials refers to sexual identity. The pledge, borrowed from the Southern Poverty Law Center, is not mentioned on the video and is available only on the group's Web site.



Mr. Rodgers suggested that Dr. Dobson and the American Family Association, the conservative Christian group that first sounded the alarm, might have been confused because of an unrelated Web site belonging to another group called "We Are Family," which supports gay youth.



"The fact that some people may be upset with each other peoples' lifestyles, that is O.K.," Mr. Rodgers said. "We are just talking about respect."



Mark Barondess, the foundation's lawyer, said the critics "need medication."



On Wednesday however, Paul Batura, assistant to Mr. Dobson at Focus on the Family, said the group stood by its accusation.



"We see the video as an insidious means by which the organization is manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids," he said. "It is a classic bait and switch."

The story can be found here.



Mr. Dobson, tolerance is noble. Tolerance and love for your neighbor is precisely what Jesus taught to his followers. He found his flock among tax collectors and prostitutes. They were sinners all. A lesson on tolerance would do you some good, Mr. Dobson.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Did James Dobson call Spongebob gay?

After I made the post about Mr. Dobson, the following was posted in the comments.

Daniel Rah said...

Dr. Dobson did not say that Spongebob was gay. According to the correction in the NY Times: "He did not say the SpongeBob character itself was 'pro-homosexual.'" NY Times 1/29/05. To say otherwise would be to promote a lie.



Also, Dr. Dobson helped found the Alliance Defense Fund, which is involved in several lawsuits across the country on behalf of personal religious rights.

I find it interesting that those on the right would choose NOW to make such a distinction. And since we're keeping score, Al Gore never said he invented the Internet either.



The Following is from the New York Times. (Emphasis Added)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 - On the heels of electoral victories barring same-sex marriage, some influential conservative Christian groups are turning their attention to a new target: the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants.



"Does anybody here know SpongeBob?" Dr. James C. Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, asked the guests Tuesday night at a black-tie dinner for members of Congress and political allies to celebrate the election results.



SpongeBob needed no introduction. In addition to his popularity among children, who watch his cartoon show, he has become a well-known camp figure among adult gay men, perhaps because he holds hands with his animated sidekick Patrick and likes to watch the imaginary television show "The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."



Now, Dr. Dobson said, SpongeBob's creators had enlisted him in a "pro-homosexual video," in which he appeared alongside children's television colleagues like Barney and Jimmy Neutron, among many others. The makers of the video, he said, planned to mail it to thousands of elementary schools to promote a "tolerance pledge" that includes tolerance for differences of "sexual identity."



The video's creator, Nile Rodgers, who wrote the disco hit "We Are Family," said Mr. Dobson's objection stemmed from a misunderstanding. Mr. Rodgers said he founded the We Are Family Foundation after the Sept. 11 attacks to create a music video to teach children about multiculturalism. The video has appeared on television networks, and nothing in it or its accompanying materials refers to sexual identity. The pledge, borrowed from the Southern Poverty Law Center, is not mentioned on the video and is available only on the group's Web site.



Mr. Rodgers suggested that Dr. Dobson and the American Family Association, the conservative Christian group that first sounded the alarm, might have been confused because of an unrelated Web site belonging to another group called "We Are Family," which supports gay youth.



"The fact that some people may be upset with each other peoples' lifestyles, that is O.K.," Mr. Rodgers said. "We are just talking about respect."



Mark Barondess, the foundation's lawyer, said the critics "need medication."



On Wednesday however, Paul Batura, assistant to Mr. Dobson at Focus on the Family, said the group stood by its accusation.



"We see the video as an insidious means by which the organization is manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids," he said. "It is a classic bait and switch."

The story can be found here.



Mr. Dobson, tolerance is noble. Tolerance and love for your neighbor is precisely what Jesus taught to his followers. He found his flock among tax collectors and prostitutes. They were sinners all. A lesson on tolerance would do you some good, Mr. Dobson.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Peace in the Middle East?

If it lasts for 7 years, the world is supposed to end... Hmmmmmm.



Would it not be the greatest Irony in the history of God's creation if George W. Bush ended up being the biblicly reference Anti-Christ of the End Times.



Wow. I always suspected him...



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Peace in the Middle East?

If it lasts for 7 years, the world is supposed to end... Hmmmmmm.



Would it not be the greatest Irony in the history of God's creation if George W. Bush ended up being the biblicly reference Anti-Christ of the End Times.



Wow. I always suspected him...



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Derek and Romaine rule by the way...

Go. Get a Sirius Radio. Listen to Derek and Romaine. That is an order.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Derek and Romaine rule by the way...

Go. Get a Sirius Radio. Listen to Derek and Romaine. That is an order.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Speaking of James Dobson...

In addition to obliterating the evil homosexual influence of Spongebob Squarepants, Mr. Dobson has decided he needs to Stop Judicial Tyranny.



His plan is simple... He will mobilize the faithful and hold rallies! As a matter of fact, he has a list of rallies here.



It says:

Focus on the Family is co-sponsoring and helping coordinate rallies around the country in support of religious liberty. As it becomes increasingly clear that activist judges will continue to erode Americans' rights to religious freedom, Focus on the Family believes that citizens must stand up for the liberties our Founding Fathers bequeathed to us. To that end, Focus, along with our state-based family policy councils, is planning rallies in support of embattled religious monuments -- the Ten Commandments, the Bible, crosses and others. In addition, other pro-family organizations are organizing similar rallies. We hope that you will be able to make your voice heard by attending a rally in support of religious liberty near you.





There are no rallies at this time.

(Editorial Note: I added the emphasis.)







I guess Spongebob is taking priority at this time.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Speaking of James Dobson...

In addition to obliterating the evil homosexual influence of Spongebob Squarepants, Mr. Dobson has decided he needs to Stop Judicial Tyranny.



His plan is simple... He will mobilize the faithful and hold rallies! As a matter of fact, he has a list of rallies here.



It says:

Focus on the Family is co-sponsoring and helping coordinate rallies around the country in support of religious liberty. As it becomes increasingly clear that activist judges will continue to erode Americans' rights to religious freedom, Focus on the Family believes that citizens must stand up for the liberties our Founding Fathers bequeathed to us. To that end, Focus, along with our state-based family policy councils, is planning rallies in support of embattled religious monuments -- the Ten Commandments, the Bible, crosses and others. In addition, other pro-family organizations are organizing similar rallies. We hope that you will be able to make your voice heard by attending a rally in support of religious liberty near you.





There are no rallies at this time.

(Editorial Note: I added the emphasis.)







I guess Spongebob is taking priority at this time.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Drudge says that The President has a book Recommendation...

Well, apparently the President has been reading. According to Drudge:

Bush recommending Tom Wolfe's racy new beer- and sex-soaked novel, "I am Charlotte Simmons" to friends... Developing...

Surely you've heard of this book...



Here is the description from Amazon.

Product Description:





Dupont University--the Olympian halls of learning housing the cream of America's youth, the roseate Gothic spires and manicured lawns suffused with tradition . . . Or so it appears to beautiful, brilliant Charlotte Simmons, a sheltered freshman from North Carolina. But Charlotte soon learns, to her mounting dismay, that for the uppercrust coeds of Dupont, sex, Cool, and kegs trump academic achievement every time.



As Charlotte encounters Dupont's privileged elite--her roommate, Beverly, a Groton-educated Brahmin in lusty pursuit of lacrosse players; Jojo Johanssen, the only white starting player on Dupont's godlike basketball team, whose position is threatened by a hotshot black freshman from the projects; the Young Turk of Saint Ray fraternity, Hoyt Thorpe, whose heady sense of entitlement and social domination is clinched by his accidental brawl with a bodyguard for the governor of California; and Adam Geller, one of the Millennial Mutants who run the university's "independent" newspaper and who consider themselves the last bastion of intellectual endeavor on the sex-crazed, jock-obsessed campus--she gains a new, revelatory sense of her own power, that of her difference and of her very innocence, but little does she realize that she will act as a catalyst in all of their lives.

With his signature eye for detail, Tom Wolfe draws on extensive observation of campuses across the country to immortalize college life in the '00s. I Am Charlotte Simmons is the much-anticipated triumph of America's master chronicler.

Wow.



I wonder what Bookmarks Magazine had to say about it? Oh, here it is.

Wolfe is, as always, a master of language. He shows off "dazzling" prose theatrics (Washington Post) throughout Charlotte Simmons, faithfully replicating the sounds of basketball players mid-action and drunken students mid-coitus. Several set pieces are also extremely powerful. But Wolfe’s words won over only a few critics (in fact, some were nauseated by his countless exclamation points). The problem is that the college experience is nothing new. Unlike his books about high-stakes bond trading (Bonfire of the Vanities) or astronauts preparing for flight (The Right Stuff), this book is … unsurprising. And, according to some critics, it’s also sexist, out of touch, and incredibly cliché.



One of the biggest weaknesses is his central character, Charlotte, the author’s first female protagonist. She’s completely unbelievable. Who could be this smart yet so dangerously clueless? It doesn’t add up. In fact, no matter whom you ask, Wolfe makes outlandish mistakes here. Perhaps it can be blamed on his research. Would any student reveal the complete truth to the well-dressed man in his 70s standing in the corner of a fraternity bacchanal?



A very few critics hint at a deeper, darker message about the current sexual climate lingering beneath his "two-backed beasts herkyjerky humping bang bang bang" (see the Sex on Campus sidebar). Though the overall critical score is low, it should be noted that several reviewers found the book highly readable—almost addictive—even if it has no obvious deep insight to impart.

I wonder what James Dobson will have to say about this?



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Drudge says that The President has a book Recommendation...

Well, apparently the President has been reading. According to Drudge:

Bush recommending Tom Wolfe's racy new beer- and sex-soaked novel, "I am Charlotte Simmons" to friends... Developing...

Surely you've heard of this book...



Here is the description from Amazon.

Product Description:





Dupont University--the Olympian halls of learning housing the cream of America's youth, the roseate Gothic spires and manicured lawns suffused with tradition . . . Or so it appears to beautiful, brilliant Charlotte Simmons, a sheltered freshman from North Carolina. But Charlotte soon learns, to her mounting dismay, that for the uppercrust coeds of Dupont, sex, Cool, and kegs trump academic achievement every time.



As Charlotte encounters Dupont's privileged elite--her roommate, Beverly, a Groton-educated Brahmin in lusty pursuit of lacrosse players; Jojo Johanssen, the only white starting player on Dupont's godlike basketball team, whose position is threatened by a hotshot black freshman from the projects; the Young Turk of Saint Ray fraternity, Hoyt Thorpe, whose heady sense of entitlement and social domination is clinched by his accidental brawl with a bodyguard for the governor of California; and Adam Geller, one of the Millennial Mutants who run the university's "independent" newspaper and who consider themselves the last bastion of intellectual endeavor on the sex-crazed, jock-obsessed campus--she gains a new, revelatory sense of her own power, that of her difference and of her very innocence, but little does she realize that she will act as a catalyst in all of their lives.

With his signature eye for detail, Tom Wolfe draws on extensive observation of campuses across the country to immortalize college life in the '00s. I Am Charlotte Simmons is the much-anticipated triumph of America's master chronicler.

Wow.



I wonder what Bookmarks Magazine had to say about it? Oh, here it is.

Wolfe is, as always, a master of language. He shows off "dazzling" prose theatrics (Washington Post) throughout Charlotte Simmons, faithfully replicating the sounds of basketball players mid-action and drunken students mid-coitus. Several set pieces are also extremely powerful. But Wolfe’s words won over only a few critics (in fact, some were nauseated by his countless exclamation points). The problem is that the college experience is nothing new. Unlike his books about high-stakes bond trading (Bonfire of the Vanities) or astronauts preparing for flight (The Right Stuff), this book is … unsurprising. And, according to some critics, it’s also sexist, out of touch, and incredibly cliché.



One of the biggest weaknesses is his central character, Charlotte, the author’s first female protagonist. She’s completely unbelievable. Who could be this smart yet so dangerously clueless? It doesn’t add up. In fact, no matter whom you ask, Wolfe makes outlandish mistakes here. Perhaps it can be blamed on his research. Would any student reveal the complete truth to the well-dressed man in his 70s standing in the corner of a fraternity bacchanal?



A very few critics hint at a deeper, darker message about the current sexual climate lingering beneath his "two-backed beasts herkyjerky humping bang bang bang" (see the Sex on Campus sidebar). Though the overall critical score is low, it should be noted that several reviewers found the book highly readable—almost addictive—even if it has no obvious deep insight to impart.

I wonder what James Dobson will have to say about this?



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Super Bowl...

I'm just not feeling the Super Bowl this year.



I am going to watch Carnivale tonight instead.



The title of the episode is Creed, OK. How can I not watch?



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Super Bowl...

I'm just not feeling the Super Bowl this year.



I am going to watch Carnivale tonight instead.



The title of the episode is Creed, OK. How can I not watch?



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Republicans losing Latinos?

From the Arizona Republic:

Republicans risk losing Latinos





Feb. 6, 2005 12:00 AM



In re-electing President Bush, Republicans narrowly dodged a demographic bullet that threatens to consign them to minority status in the near future.



The greatest challenge facing the party is to expand beyond its dwindling base of Anglo voters. But while Bush succeeded in doing so, increasing his share of Hispanic vote by 9 percentage points from 2000, to 43 percent overall, local Republicans, with a few notable exceptions, seem intent on driving away the very Hispanic voters they need to remain dominant.



Nearly 40 million Americans, 13.7 percent of the population, are Hispanic. Their numbers are projected to grow to 102.6 million and 24 percent of the population by 2050. Arizona has nearly 1.3 million Hispanics, a number expected to increase to 2 million over the next decade.



If Republicans maintain their current proportions of Anglo, Hispanic and Black voters, they quickly will start losing national elections, probably starting four years from now.



Hispanic voters like Bush, who built a strong relationship with Latino voters as governor of Texas and whose views on immigration are moderate. They like Republicans in general less well, however. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans among Hispanics by roughly 40 to 25 percent.



That is unfortunate for Republicans because in many ways Hispanics are kindred spirits in their devotion to traditional values. More than two-thirds of Hispanic families are headed by a married couple, and most are deeply religious.



More than 1 million have served their country in the armed forces. The overwhelming majority who come to America are attracted not by welfare but by the desire to earn an honest living and provide for their families.



Yet to the extent that Arizona Republicans address issues of importance to Hispanics at all, they choose issues that seem calculated to alienate them. Every two years, the GOP trots out an issue designed to galvanize conservative voters by touching on their fears over Hispanic immigration. First it was bilingual education, then Proposition 200 to curtail benefits for undocumented immigrants and now an effort to make Arizona an English-only state.



That's not to say there is no merit in those proposals, and indeed some Hispanics have supported them. But each successive initiative is more symbolic and less substantive. To constantly prioritize such issues is akin to pulling in the welcome mat for people who in many respects are more American than those of us who were lucky enough to have been born here.



Indeed, it seems the easiest way to win a Republican primary, especially against a Latino opponent, is to run a nativist campaign. In 2002, Tom Horne ousted Jaime Molera as the state superintendent of education by running as the anti-bilingual education candidate.



More recently, Andrew Thomas chose to highlight the words "Stop illegal immigration" on his primary campaign signs even though the county attorney position has little to do with immigration. (Personally, I think that if Arizona wants to preserve traditional values, it should wall off its western border, not its southern one.)



As a result, in a state with more than 1 million Hispanics, there are virtually no Hispanic Republicans in elected state offices. How can the party hope to attract Hispanics if they have few leaders with roots in the community?



Far from abandoning core Republican principles, all the party needs to do is to relate those principles to the day-to-day concerns of Hispanic voters. A perfect bridge issue is school choice. Many low-income Hispanic schoolchildren are consigned to substandard public schools.



Providing opportunities for such children to attend private schools would aid minority schoolchildren while forcing public schools to improve. Public opinion polls show strong majorities of Hispanics supporting school choice.



Likewise, efforts to reduce barriers to enterprise and homeownership will have strong appeal among Hispanic voters, as will efforts to reduce crime and to enlist faith-based institutions to provide social services.



Republicans often address those issues in the abstract without making an effort to build support among Hispanic voters. That won't do, especially when the party is working so visibly for its anti-immigration agenda.



The GOP can attempt to wring additional votes from its core constituency only for so long. The Arizona party, in particular, needs to actively develop a base among Hispanics by demonstrating a real commitment to shared values.



If Arizona Republicans want to see the self-destructive results of nativist campaigns, they need only look to the California Republican Party, which traveled down precisely the same road and transformed itself from a competitive party to permanent minority status.



And unlike California Republicans, their Arizona counterparts don't seem to have an Arnold Schwarzenegger waiting in the wings to deliver them from themselves.

Where's Jane Hull when you need here?

Republicans losing Latinos?

From the Arizona Republic:

Republicans risk losing Latinos





Feb. 6, 2005 12:00 AM



In re-electing President Bush, Republicans narrowly dodged a demographic bullet that threatens to consign them to minority status in the near future.



The greatest challenge facing the party is to expand beyond its dwindling base of Anglo voters. But while Bush succeeded in doing so, increasing his share of Hispanic vote by 9 percentage points from 2000, to 43 percent overall, local Republicans, with a few notable exceptions, seem intent on driving away the very Hispanic voters they need to remain dominant.



Nearly 40 million Americans, 13.7 percent of the population, are Hispanic. Their numbers are projected to grow to 102.6 million and 24 percent of the population by 2050. Arizona has nearly 1.3 million Hispanics, a number expected to increase to 2 million over the next decade.



If Republicans maintain their current proportions of Anglo, Hispanic and Black voters, they quickly will start losing national elections, probably starting four years from now.



Hispanic voters like Bush, who built a strong relationship with Latino voters as governor of Texas and whose views on immigration are moderate. They like Republicans in general less well, however. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans among Hispanics by roughly 40 to 25 percent.



That is unfortunate for Republicans because in many ways Hispanics are kindred spirits in their devotion to traditional values. More than two-thirds of Hispanic families are headed by a married couple, and most are deeply religious.



More than 1 million have served their country in the armed forces. The overwhelming majority who come to America are attracted not by welfare but by the desire to earn an honest living and provide for their families.



Yet to the extent that Arizona Republicans address issues of importance to Hispanics at all, they choose issues that seem calculated to alienate them. Every two years, the GOP trots out an issue designed to galvanize conservative voters by touching on their fears over Hispanic immigration. First it was bilingual education, then Proposition 200 to curtail benefits for undocumented immigrants and now an effort to make Arizona an English-only state.



That's not to say there is no merit in those proposals, and indeed some Hispanics have supported them. But each successive initiative is more symbolic and less substantive. To constantly prioritize such issues is akin to pulling in the welcome mat for people who in many respects are more American than those of us who were lucky enough to have been born here.



Indeed, it seems the easiest way to win a Republican primary, especially against a Latino opponent, is to run a nativist campaign. In 2002, Tom Horne ousted Jaime Molera as the state superintendent of education by running as the anti-bilingual education candidate.



More recently, Andrew Thomas chose to highlight the words "Stop illegal immigration" on his primary campaign signs even though the county attorney position has little to do with immigration. (Personally, I think that if Arizona wants to preserve traditional values, it should wall off its western border, not its southern one.)



As a result, in a state with more than 1 million Hispanics, there are virtually no Hispanic Republicans in elected state offices. How can the party hope to attract Hispanics if they have few leaders with roots in the community?



Far from abandoning core Republican principles, all the party needs to do is to relate those principles to the day-to-day concerns of Hispanic voters. A perfect bridge issue is school choice. Many low-income Hispanic schoolchildren are consigned to substandard public schools.



Providing opportunities for such children to attend private schools would aid minority schoolchildren while forcing public schools to improve. Public opinion polls show strong majorities of Hispanics supporting school choice.



Likewise, efforts to reduce barriers to enterprise and homeownership will have strong appeal among Hispanic voters, as will efforts to reduce crime and to enlist faith-based institutions to provide social services.



Republicans often address those issues in the abstract without making an effort to build support among Hispanic voters. That won't do, especially when the party is working so visibly for its anti-immigration agenda.



The GOP can attempt to wring additional votes from its core constituency only for so long. The Arizona party, in particular, needs to actively develop a base among Hispanics by demonstrating a real commitment to shared values.



If Arizona Republicans want to see the self-destructive results of nativist campaigns, they need only look to the California Republican Party, which traveled down precisely the same road and transformed itself from a competitive party to permanent minority status.



And unlike California Republicans, their Arizona counterparts don't seem to have an Arnold Schwarzenegger waiting in the wings to deliver them from themselves.

Where's Jane Hull when you need here?

Joe Biden on Iraq...

Joe Biden has an Op-Ed column in the Washington Post this morning...



Would the Bush Administration be misleading us on the number of Iraqi Security Forces able to take the place of American Servicemen?



That couldn't be! Tell me it's not so Senator!

Training Iraqis: the Facts



By Joseph R. Biden Jr. Sunday, February 6, 2005; Page B07



Before we can begin to responsibly disengage from Iraq, two conditions must be met. First, an elected Iraqi government and constitution considered legitimate by the country's main factions must emerge. Second, that government must develop the capacity to provide law and order, deliver basic services and, most important, defeat the insurgency. Last Sunday's elections were an important step toward meeting the first condition, but they did little to advance the second.



During Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's confirmation, much was made of the dueling numbers she and I advanced regarding Iraq's security forces. Rice said there are about 125,000 trained Iraqi security forces. I maintained that the real number was between 4,000 and 18,000. What explains the discrepancy?

The rest can be found here.



-The Oklahoma Hippy