MaineDemocrats.org

• Maine’s Political Black Holes & Trickle Down Democracy

  Number of comments: 5
  I started this blog in February 2005, as an offshoot to my yearly political research into such issues as the Palesky Tax Cap and bear baiting. Harriet Miers, global warming, the escalating death toll from the Iraq War. Presidential signing statements, warrantless wiretapping, war profiteering… LIHEAP to Barbara Merrill’s political [...]
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  Posted: December 27, 2007, 11:13am EST
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• Romney: Mitts Off

  Number of comments: 3
  The Concord Monitor, Concord, New Hampshire, has released a negative endorsement of Mitt Romney called, “Romney should not be the next president” painting Romney as the pretty shell of a politician — visually marketable, but a pandering flip-flopper. Back in 1994, Mitt was a candidate for the U.S. Senate. Back then [...]
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  Posted: December 23, 2007, 9:50pm EST
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• The Opposite of Progress is Congress…

  Number of comments: 3
  This little video is a nice statement on the concept of just what it means to look at life from a progressive perspective. [...]
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  Posted: December 20, 2007, 11:43am EST
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• Bush: Can You Hear Me Now? No? Good!

  Number of comments: 2
  President George W. Bush’s demand for immunity for telephone companies that participated in his warrantless (read: illegal/unconstitutional) domestic spying program won an initial victory on Monday in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 76-10. Voting in favor of more government surveillance and less accountability were Maine’s senators Collins and [...]
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  Posted: December 17, 2007, 9:26pm EST
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• David Huckabee: One Bad Apple

  Number of comments: 2
  Does this guy look like your classic psychopathic Southern redneck or the son of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee? He’s both. Back in 1998, 17 year old David Huckabee was a counselor at the Boy Scout camp, “Camp Pioneer” in Hatfield, Ark. It was here that Huckabee Jr. took part in [...]
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  Posted: December 16, 2007, 7:50pm EST
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• Arctic Sea Ice, Mexican Avatars and a Second Life Underground with Jesus

  Number of comments: 2
  Germanwatch, a non-profit in Germany that reviews international progress regarding climate change, has released it’s Climate Change Performance Index. The report factors only 3 items: emissions, emission trends (going up or down,) and policy. So which country is doing the most to counteract climate change? Not us! The United States was [...]
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  Posted: December 14, 2007, 8:57am EST
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• New Jersey to Abolish Death Penalty: Is Life in New Jersey Cruel and Unusual?

  New Jersey lawmakers agreed this week that the “death penalty” as applied in New Jersey is not only redundant, but, for the state’s most violent offenders, too lenient. Life in New Jersey without the hope of a swift merciful death awaits the guilty as the Garden State becomes the first [...]
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  Posted: December 14, 2007, 8:09am EST
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• Lose the Tux…

  Emperor penguins have suffered a devastating 50% decline in population as a result of climate change and overfishing according to the WWF report, Antarctic Penguins and Climate Change. But while Al Gore was picking up a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to save the planet, Brit Hume managed to scrape [...]
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  Posted: December 11, 2007, 8:15pm EST
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• I’m Rudy Giuliani and I (September 11) Approve This (September 11) Message

  Number of comments: 1
  

  

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  Posted: December 09, 2007, 3:43pm EST
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• Huckabee: Waffles!

  Once anyone becomes a candidate it’s just a matter of time before their collective past comes back to haunt them. Mike Huckabee gets things started… Mike Huckabee [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2007, 3:39pm EST
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• Romney: Being a Mormon Isn’t Freaky

  Number of comments: 1
  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is trying to allay the fears of everyone who isn’t a Mormon, by reassuring voters that he “was seeking to be a leader for Americans of all faiths, not just his own.” Of course he also said he would never “abandon his religious beliefs in [...]
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  Posted: December 06, 2007, 10:03pm EST
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• White House Accidentally Deletes 10 Million Emails

  Number of comments: 1
  Citizens for the Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)- a government watchdog group now says more than 10 million White House emails are missing. Both CREW and another private group called the National Security archive are suing the Bush administration to try to get information about all these missing emails… [...]
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  Posted: December 06, 2007, 9:28pm EST
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• California’s Voting Machines Are Crap

  Earlier this year, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen established strict new standards for electronic voting machines, requiring independent code audits, Red Team security testing, and support for paper records. Machines have failed miserably… Voting Machines [...]
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  Posted: December 06, 2007, 9:21pm EST
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• Could New England Weather Get Any Worse? Study Says, “Yes!”

  New England has experienced a 61% increase in the frequency of big storms, the largest increase for any region in the nation, according to findings from Environment America. The organization’s Maine branch, Environment Maine, said the trend could continue and worsen without strong action to slow global warming. Maine has [...]
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  Posted: December 06, 2007, 9:18pm EST
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• Helen Thomas 1; Dana Perino 0

  Number of comments: 4
  What has happened to all the “journalists” that usually attend these press conferences? Why is Helen Thomas the only one who can see and smell the smoke… Why is she the only one who knows where the fire is? Is she the only one in the room with Dana Perino? [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2007, 12:30pm EST
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• Craig: 8 Sexual Liasons, 7 Swans a Swimming…

  When the initial Larry Craig sex (yawn) scandal broke, Republicans “suggested” that he “retire.” Craig decided not to. After all, we live in an era where there’s no accountability. War crimes? Profiteering? Everything once clearly illegal or unethical is now “debated” or “unproven.” Resign over a wide stance or nervous [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2007, 12:15pm EST
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• Previews of Coming Attractions: Australian Conservative Defeat

  Conservative Prime Minister John Howard (Australia), one of the Bush administration’s staunchest allies, suffered a humiliating election defeat Saturday at the hands of an opposition leader who has vowed to pull troops out of Iraq and sign the Kyoto Protocol on capping greenhouse gas emissions, leaving the U.S. as the [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2007, 10:45pm EST
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• Again, Hydrogen Fuel Cells Aren’t the Answer to Global Warming

  In the United States you’ll hear politicians discussing hydrogen fuel cell technology as the ultimate answer to our global warming problems. Not so much, elsewhere, however, as Europe’s bigger automakers view HFCs as more of a marketing exercise. Hydrogen fuel cells require hydrogen fuel to power them, plus an infrastructure [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2007, 10:28am EST
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• The Top 100 Private Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan

  Guess who tops the list? War Profiteering

  

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  Posted: November 25, 2007, 10:06am EST
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• Alternative Minimum Tax Hike

  Congress missed the deadline to amend the alternative minimum tax so those forms could be printed on time and mailed to Mainers for their 2006 taxes. As a result, the forms mailed are based on existing law and about 85,000 Mainers — many of them middle-income — will be affected. [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2007, 9:54am EST
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• In November 2006, oil was $58 per barrel; today, it’s $94 per barrel… because we’re winning?

  Why are gas prices so high? Or heating oil? Okay, the easy answer is “the war in Iraq.” But what does that really mean? We don’t get all our oil from Iraq. We import more oil from Canada. “Instability” is the second shot at the answer. The same [...] [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2007, 9:37am EST
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• 28 LIHEAP Days Till Christmas

  You know that the holidays are here when Senators Snowe and Collins mail that yearly letter to the President requesting the immediate release of $20 million of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds. In addition, both are asking the President to support at least $2.4 billion for the LIHEAP [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2007, 9:20am EST
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• Conservapedia: As Queer as a $3 Bill

  It’s kind of comforting to know that of the millions of pages viewed at conservapedia.com (the “wikipedia” for right wing super conservative family values Bible believing patriots) nine out of the top 10 most popular sections are all “Homosexual and…” Judging by the search phrases chosen? The searches weren’t done [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2007, 9:35pm EST
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• Obama Plays Better in Iowa

  Not that THAT means anything… Obama, Clinton

  

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  Posted: November 19, 2007, 9:45pm EST
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• Did You Rob the Bank? No, But I Did Stay at a Holiday Inn Express…

  Since 1970, the number of people in prison has risen eight fold. It has had little impact on the actual instance of crime. It has cost us a buttload of money. According to the JFA Institute, there are more than 1.5 million people in US state and federal jails costing [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2007, 9:44pm EST
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• Returning Soldiers’ Suicide Rate Inflates Iraq War Death Toll to 15,000 or More

  A five-month CBS News investigation discovered data that shows a startling rate of suicide among active military personnel. SmirkingChimp reports: “Following an exhaustive investigation of veterans’ suicide data collected from 45 states; CBS discovered that in 2005 alone ‘THERE WERE AT LEAST 6,256 AMONG THOSE WHO SERVED IN THE ARMED [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2007, 9:34pm EST
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• Global Warming: IPCC Delivers Final Report, Prepares to Leave for Home Planet

  Number of comments: 1
  Saying, “you guys are toast!” members of the IPCC boarded their space ship and prepared to return to their home planet this week, leaving behind a final report described as “blunt” and “alarming” that spells out in no uncertain words the need for immediate action to avert a global climate [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2007, 10:01am EST
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• Push Me Poll You

  The 2008 election has already turned a little dirty thanks to the first round of push polling. push polls [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2007, 8:26pm EST
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• The New Texas Math: Diez o Once?

  Reviewers have found 109,263 errors (assuming they did the math right) in sample copies of math textbooks to be used next fall in Texas. One second-grade math book, for example, has 4 plus 7 equaling 10. Many of the errors, spread out over 164 textbooks and online materials, are blamed on [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2007, 8:19pm EST
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• Deal or No Deal on Iraq Spending

  A $50 billion war spending bill to pay for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan failed in the Senate 53-45 - seven votes short of the 60 needed to advance it. The bill was attached to a Democratic proposal to require the troops to begin coming home. Iraq War [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2007, 8:10pm EST
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• Aliens Have Landed at the Gas Station… It’s Official - Prices are Out of This World

  Gas Station Ghost [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2007, 8:32pm EST
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• Instead of Putting a Magnetic Ribbon on Your Car, Do Something that Really Supports the Troops…

  A national study estimates that about 120 veterans in Maine were homeless on any given night last year. They no doubt littered the streets of Maine cities and towns, watching cars drive by festooned with magnetic ribbons declaring support for the troops. “Vets, when they are homeless, don’t access the [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2007, 9:13pm EST
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• Bush Priorities: How to Create a Stone Age Super Power

  At the end of WW II the Japanese were not allowed to rebuild their military. It was a humiliating blow that caused them to become an economic superpower. The words to repeat to yourself in that last sentence were “economic superpower.” Today, President Bush vetoed a spending measure for health [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2007, 8:45pm EST
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• America: Quietly Miserable

  More than half of Americans–56 percent–say they’re not proud of the country’s leaders. Two thirds and more say the country is in a leadership crisis. Nearly three quarters say the nation will decline without better leadership. Public Opinion Polls

  

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  Posted: November 12, 2007, 9:20pm EST
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• Podcast: The Week That Was November 5, 2007

  Give your eyes a break with Maine Democrat’s weekly podcast, The Week That Was November 5, 2007. A Wrap of Maine’s Election. Iraq War Protests Get No Air Time. Pat Robertson Endorses Giuliani. Subscribe to the RSS Feed via iTunes for the enhanced podcast: Podcast, The Week That Was, [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2007, 3:40pm EST
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• Collins: Bath Iron Works to Receive $141,999,995

  The Navy has notified Senator Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, that it has awarded Bath Iron Works $141,999,995 for lead materials and pre-production planning and support for the DDG-1000 program. The DDG-1000 is the Navy’s next generation class of destroyer, representing a leap in naval technology. [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2007, 10:51am EST
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• Pat Robertson: Giuliani Good, Blood Lust Bad

  Pat Robertson surprised a variety of conservatives by endorsing Giuliani for President, saying “the overriding issue before the American people is the defense of our population from the blood lust of Islamic terrorists.” But just to be on the safe side, he made Giuliani promise that any of his judicial [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2007, 10:49am EST
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• Michael Mukasey Beat In to the Justice Department

  Michael Mukasey was sworn in as the new attorney general this afternoon and celebrated by waterboarding a few of the lame Democrats who mounted such an ineffective campaign against him. The Senate vote was 53 to 40 and fortunately the bar at the Justice Department is so low that compared [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2007, 10:23pm EST
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• Iraq 2007: The Deadliest Year

  With 852 Americans killed in Iraq this year, 2007 is officially our deadliest year of the Iraq war for United States troops. Iraq War

  

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  Posted: November 06, 2007, 10:22pm EST
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• Racino Vote Close; Longer Term Limits? No.

  With 55% of the vote in, it looks like the Racino vote is leaning toward a “no.” CITIZEN INITIATIVE: WASHINGTON COUNTY RACINO No 66598 52.26% Yes 60835 47.74% BOND QUESTION 1: RESEARCH & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Yes 65568 51.75% No 61138 48.25% BOND QUESTION 2: MAINE COLLEGE CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS Yes 66003 51.80% No 61420 48.20% BOND QUESTION 3: LAND FOR MAINE’S [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2007, 10:06pm EST
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• Maine Health: We’re Number Seven!

  Hawaii has a high prevalence of binge drinking, infectious disease and low immunization coverage for young children. But it still scored higher than Maine on the “Healthiest Places to Live” list. Maine Health [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2007, 8:11pm EST
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• Maine Voting Links

  Here’s another handful of links regarding voting in various areas around Maine. Maine Election 2007 [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2007, 7:58pm EST
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• Gorham’s Asphalt Plant and Soccer Fields

  The asphalt plant and quarry proposed for Mosher Road(RT 237) will have a significant impact on health, safety, and the quality of life in Gorham according to the Concerned Citizens of Gorham Maine. See the little map for a sense of looming asphalt spread. A couple of other referendums the [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2007, 7:46pm EST
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• Why Aren’t People Protesting the War? They ARE…

  Number of comments: 1
  From Bill Moyers Journal: “Why wasn’t it news last weekend when more than 100,000 people turned out in 11 cities across the country to protest the occupation of Iraq…Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Orlando, Salt Lake City, New Orleans, Jonesborough, Tennessee. but if you blinked while watching [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2007, 5:16pm EST
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• Maine’s Racino Issue: Is It Just Financial Prohibition?

  Maine is one of 15 states with term limits for state lawmakers, and the only one in New England. One of the statewide referendum questions on this year’s ballot would lengthen those term limits. Close to two-thirds of those polled — 64 percent — opposed allowing state lawmakers to keep [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2007, 4:08pm EST
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• Podcast: The Week That Was October 29, 2007

  Give your eyes a break with Maine Democrat’s weekly podcast, The Week That Was October 29, 2007. Rumsfeld’s Snowflake Memos. Whistleblower Emails Mailed to Cheney. Cliff Notes Version of Global Warming. Newt’s Global Warming Contract with the Earth. Subscribe to the RSS Feed via iTunes for the enhanced podcast: [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2007, 10:11am EST
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• I Always Assumed Rumsfeld Was a Pompous Toolbag, But This is Impressive…

  Number of comments: 1
  In a series of internal “snowflake” memos to his staff, former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld continuously wrote of the need to “keep elevating the threat,” “link Iraq to Iran” and develop “bumper sticker statements” to rally public support for war — not because it reflected reality, but because it was the [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2007, 9:10pm EDT
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• Daily Show Reader: Heroic Conservatism by Michael J. Gerson

  Number of comments: 1
  From the Council on Foreign Relations: “Michael J. Gerson, who penned most of George W. Bush’s inspiring speeches, is considered by many Democrats and Republicans to be the most influential White House speechwriter since the Kennedy administration’s Ted Sorenson. Known around the administration as the “moral compass,” Gerson was more than [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2007, 8:01pm EDT
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• FEMA: Still Doing a Heckuva Job

  A Bush administration official whose department had government workers pose as journalists in a news conference has been dropped from a planned new job as media chief for the top U.S. spy agency because, it turns out, he’s as numb as a fence post. I don’t know what’s worse, the “fake” [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2007, 9:52pm EDT
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• Global Warming: Why We Can Dismiss Newt Gingrich

  Number of comments: 9
  Newt Gingrich has a new book out called “A Contract with the Earth” that he “co-wrote”… yeah. His answer to global warming is an “entrepreneurial, free-market approach that incentivizes the development of new systems and new technologies that can lead you to a better environment.” He thinks it’s “faster” and [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2007, 9:33pm EDT
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• Whistleblower Emails Accidently Mailed to Cheney… They’re Toast.

  If you haven’t received all the email addresses of the whistleblowers in the Justice Department, check your spam folder… You may recall this summer that the House Judiciary Committee set up a tip hotline - a web form - that would help gather evidence about the attorney firings. Email addresses would [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2007, 3:51pm EDT
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• Bush: Future of Global Warming is So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades… and a Tinfoil Hat

  Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, addressed the Senate last Tuesday armed with a 12 - no - 6 page report, double-spaced with two-inch margins thanks to editing by the Bush administration. The White House says it made the deletions because the information “didn’t align” [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2007, 8:25am EDT
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• Podcast: The Week That Was October 22, 2007

  Give your eyes a break with Maine Democrat’s weekly podcast, The Week That Was October 22, 2007. Republicans without Scruples. Great Garbage Patch in the Sea. Allen and Collins Bring Home the Bacon. Canadian Car Shoppers Cast Out of Paradise, eh? Subscribe to the RSS Feed via iTunes for the [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2007, 12:45pm EDT
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• Daylight Spending Time

  Go ahead and spend it! We don’t have to save it until the first Sunday in November. Daylight Savings Time

  

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  Posted: October 28, 2007, 10:31am EDT
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• Senator Collins, Representative Allen Bring Home the Bacon

  According to the Bangor News, Senator Collins is pulling in big bucks from her her congressional colleagues, while Rep. Tom Allen is bringing in more money from out of state than any other House member. Tom Allen, Susan Collins [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2007, 10:46pm EDT
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• Dear Generation Screwed, Where are you?

  Pete Smith is a Twin Cities-based humorist, writer, advertising executive, business consultant, and blogger. His open letter to the apathetic crop of 20- and 30-somethings at Huffington Post is a must read if you’re under 40, and fun to read if you’re over 40. Generation Screwed [...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2007, 9:17pm EDT
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• Cheney Snoozes While California Burns

  Vice President Dick Cheney was caught dozing off on live television during an emergency cabinet meeting called on Wednesday to coordinate federal efforts to deal with the devastating California wildfires. “I believe the effort is well-coordinated,” President Bush told reporters after the meeting, emphasizing that his administration is working to [...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2007, 9:03pm EDT
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• 12 Reasons Same-Sex Marriage will Ruin Society

  Number of comments: 1
  Gay marriage. It’s the reason why we’re in Iraq. Actually, it is. So-called “values voters” went nutty at the prospect of gay marriage as floated everywhere by conservative Republicans. They voted for Bush to keep gay marriage at bay — and in the end got at least two wars and [...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2007, 8:53pm EDT
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• H.R.3835: The American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007

  H.R.3835 is a bill that would “restore the Constitution’s checks and balances and protections against government abuses as envisioned by the Founding Fathers.” Sponsored by Texas Representative Ron Paul Ron Paul, American Freedom Agenda Act

  

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  Posted: October 23, 2007, 8:40pm EDT
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• Republican Candidates Giuliani and Romney Flirt with Child Abusers

  I remember back when having an “undocumented maid” or nanny for a few months in your history was enough to disqualify you for the job of President. “Did a ‘Maria Sanchez’ work for you cleaning your house during the summer of 1979?” A “yes” was all it took. You could [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2007, 8:30pm EDT
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• Don’t Change Your Light Bulbs, Change Your Leaders

  Thomas Friedman is right: the energy-climate challenge we face today is a huge scale problem. Without scale, all you have is a green hobby. The answer is not to change a lightbulb here and there but to change your leaders. Vote [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2007, 9:11pm EDT
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• Canadian Car Shoppers Cast Out of Paradise into Car Shopping Hell

  Number of comments: 1
  Isn’t it interesting how large companies scream about capitalism and resist any kind of regulation — yet, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge won’t allow Canadians to buy new cars in the U.S. where they can take advantage of their strong dollar. That doesn’t seem very sporting. Americans routinely [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2007, 9:04pm EDT
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• Great Pacific Garbage Patch

  The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a floating continent of crap twice the size of Texas floating somewhere between Hawaii and San Francisco. It’s been there since the 50s, growing tenfold every decade to its current size of 3.5 million tons. What’s in this hellish stew? 80% of it is [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2007, 8:53pm EDT
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• White House 2008 Rankings: The Republicans

  According to MSNBC: 1. Rudy Giuliani - Former New York City mayor Last Ranking: 1 2. Mitt Romney - Former Massachusetts governor Last Ranking: 2 3. Fred Thompson - Former Tennessee senator Last Ranking: 3 4. (Tie) John McCain - Arizona senator Last Ranking: 5 4. (Tie) Mike Huckabee - Former Arkansas governor Last Ranking: [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2007, 8:26pm EDT
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• Podcast: The Week That Was October 15, 2007

  Give your eyes a break with Maine Democrat’s weekly podcast, The Week That Was October 15, 2007. Maine’s November Ballot Issues and Yes, There’s a Racino. Bush Soft on White Collar Crime. September’s Record Breaking Heat. Susan Orr: Thighs Wide Shut. Subscribe to the RSS Feed via iTunes for the [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2007, 11:33am EDT
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• Maine November Ballot Issues: Racino in Washington County? Sure!

  Number of comments: 1
  The November 6 vote is about three weeks away and our yearly casino/racino issue is first on the ballot — again! Let’s take a look at the pros and cons. Question One: Citizen Initiative Do you want to allow a Maine tribe to run a harness racing track with slot machines and [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2007, 10:17am EDT
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• Apple Tree - Holy Apples!

  The apple tree on the USM Gorham campus bends under the weight of an enormous pile of apples - many of which seem bigger this year. [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2007, 12:00pm EDT
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• Brownback: Today I’m ending my candidacy

  Republican Sam Brownback of Kansas, a two-term U.S. senator whose presidential campaign never caught the eye of its intended base of religious conservatives, dropped out of the 2008 White House race today. Brownback [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2007, 9:02pm EDT
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• Uh oh… It’s that Time Again…

  Election Signs

  

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  Posted: October 19, 2007, 7:48pm EDT
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• Michael Mukasey’s Torture Test

  If Michael Mukasey isn’t sure that waterboarding is torture, perhaps Senate Democrats need to employ harsher interrogation techniques themselves… Michael Mukasey [...]
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  Posted: October 18, 2007, 9:24pm EDT
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• MRSA Superbug On the Move

  Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a drug-resistant strain of bacteria, a.k.a. “superbug” is responsible for killing 19,000 Americans (afflicting 94,000) in 2005 according to JAMA. Once found primarily in hospitals, MRSA is branching out into public gyms and schools. The more-serious MRSA is transmitted via person-to-person contact, which is why athletes [...]
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  Posted: October 18, 2007, 9:18pm EDT
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• Blackwater Calling the Kettle Black

  A defiant Blackwater Chairman Erik Prince said yesterday he will not allow Iraqi authorities to arrest his contractors and try them in Iraq’s faulty justice system. “We will not let our people be taken by the Iraqis,” Mr. Prince told editors and reporters at The Washington Times. At least 17 of [...]
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  Posted: October 18, 2007, 8:51pm EDT
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• Dems Can’t Over Bush Veto of SCHIP

  House Democrats failed to override President Bush’s veto of SCHIP… what the Hell happened? The bill had bipartisan support but the 273-156 roll call was nine votes short of the two-thirds majority needed. The bill had passed the Senate with a bigger than two-thirds majority. Democrats SCHIP, SCHIP Veto Override [...]
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  Posted: October 18, 2007, 8:47pm EDT
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• The Only People More Bungling and Inept Than Bush? Congress!

  Bush’s job approval rating fell to 24% from last month’s record low. Only 11% gave Congress a positive grade, tying last month’s record low. Voter turnout is expected to be high, but now analysts are considering the possibility of a rush to “throw the bums out” — major housecleaning and [...]
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  Posted: October 17, 2007, 9:32pm EDT
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• Bush on World War III and Nucular Weapons in Iran

  You’ve got to love the way this guy makes small talk… but what’s a nucular weapon? Bush Iran [...]
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  Posted: October 17, 2007, 9:22pm EDT
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• Susan Orr’s Family Planning: Thighs Wide Shut

  President Bush has appointed Susan Orr to oversee federal family planning programs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Orr is the former senior director for “marriage and family care” at the Family Research Council and an adjunct professor at Pat Robertson’s Regent University. She’s also anti-birth control, [...]
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  Posted: October 17, 2007, 9:07pm EDT
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• Mukasey Who?

  Attorney General-designate Michael Mukasey promised lawmakers on Wednesday that, if confirmed, he would follow the rule of law and take partisan politics out of Justice Department decision-making. Obviously, we won’t be hearing any more from him. Attorney General, Michael Mukasey [...]
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  Posted: October 17, 2007, 8:42pm EDT
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• September 2007 is Eighth Warmest on Record for Contiguous United States, Hell

  The National Climatic Data Center has released it’s September report: Temperatures in September 2007 were the eighth warmest on record, hot enough to break 1,000 daily high records across the United States, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Drought affected 78 percent of the [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2007, 10:11pm EDT
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• Chinese Blast Dalai Lama

  Chinese officials are warning the United States that if they insist on honoring the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, they will fill our Happy Meals with tainted Hotwheel Strikers.

  

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  Posted: October 16, 2007, 9:58pm EDT
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• Maine State Employees Back Allen for Senate

  The Maine State Employees Association (a union representing 10,000 members) is backing Tom Allen in his bid to unseat Republican Susan Collins. The announcement cited Allen’s record on health care, prescription drugs, fiscal responsibility and civil rights. MSEA sent questionnaires to both candidates but only Allen turned in his homework. [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2007, 9:42pm EDT
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• Internet Tax Freedom Act

  By a vote of 405-2, the U.S. House of Representatives has voted to extend by four years the Internet tax moratorium. The tech industry among others would like a permanent ban on state Internet access taxes. Internet Tax Freedom Act [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2007, 9:34pm EDT
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• Gore Derangement Syndrome

  Paul Krugman, of the New York Times, asks, “What is it about Mr. Gore that drives right-wingers insane?” This article is a great read for the simple truth it presents: conservatives hate Gore because he represents everything George Bush isn’t. Gore is articulate. Gore is educated. Gore’s advice in the [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2007, 9:16pm EDT
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• How The Bush Administration Has (not) Enforced the Law

  Think Bush is tough on crime? Not the white collar flavor. Hundreds of thousands of individual criminal cases analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) of Syracuse University indicates: Since the Bush administration: Prosecution of all kinds of white-collar criminals is down by 27% Federal prosecutions against individuals the government [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2007, 9:01pm EDT
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• Bush/Cheney: High Crimes and Misdemeanors…

  This is kind of sobering. Ralph Nader

  

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  Posted: October 15, 2007, 8:33pm EDT
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• Podcast: The Week That Was October 8, 2007

  Give your eyes a break with Maine Democrat’s weekly podcast, The Week That Was October 8, 2007. Tom Allen and SAFE Toys. Al Wins the Nobel Prize. Fred Thompson Assembles War Room. Ann Coulter Sticks foot in Mouth. Subscribe to the RSS Feed via iTunes for the enhanced podcast: [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2007, 5:02pm EDT
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• Sunday Stupidity Round Up: Gore, SCHIP, Iraq

  Winners include: 1. The FOX News claim that since Al Gore has never “actually done something for peace,” the Nobel Peace Prize should go to Gen. David Petraeus. Hey, why not Ann Coulter? 2. The State Dept. and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for “directing its employees not to answer questions“ thereby [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2007, 10:58am EDT
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• Ann Coulter: Butterflies? Rip Their Wings Off

  Normally I try to ignore Ann Coulter. I mean, no one takes the woman seriously except a few crotchety old farmers in the Midwest who no doubt describe her as “a pistol.” If she was a man, she wouldn’t be able to get on TV. Big mouth guys are a [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2007, 8:55am EDT
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• Al Gore Wins the Nobel Peace Prize

  Al Gore and the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) have won the Nobel Peace Prize for their “efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.” If you haven’t seen An [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2007, 8:15am EDT
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• Carter: Bush Authorized Torture

  According to a CNN interview with former President Jimmy Carter, the United States has tortured detainees and Bush authorized it. Carter Bush Torture, Jimmy Carter

  

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  Posted: October 10, 2007, 9:03pm EDT
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• Democrats Show Signs of Life…

  Huh? Defying the President, Democrats voted on Wednesday to bolster civil liberties safeguards in his anti-terrorism spying program and refused to shield telecommunications companies from pending lawsuits based upon the fact that they turned over confidential customer data to the President. Democrats Bush, Democrats Anti Terrorism [...]
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  Posted: October 10, 2007, 9:01pm EDT
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• Tom Allen: The Safety Assurance for Every (SAFE) Consumer Product Act

  In light of all those poisoned and tainted Chinese toys, Tom Allen has cosponsored H.R. 3691, The Safety Assurance for Every (SAFE) Consumer Product Act — which will tighten the regulation of all toys manufactured here or imported from overseas, as well as stiffen the penalties for those who break [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2007, 9:03pm EDT
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• Support the Troops: Bring ‘em Home

  72% of American troops serving in Iraq think the U.S. should exit the country within the next year, and nearly one in four say the troops should leave immediately, according to a new Le Moyne College/Zogby International survey. Iraq War [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2007, 8:58pm EDT
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• Fred Thompson: National Campaign Leadership Team

  Fred “doh-DEE-doh” Thompson has hired Howard Baker, Elizabeth Cheney, and George Allen, the former senator from Virginia, to his “National Campaign Leadership Team.” You remember George Allen from “Macaca” scandal, when he used an ethnic slur to call on S.R. Sidarth, a 20-year-old of Indian descent filming an Allen speech and [...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2007, 10:04pm EDT
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• Podcast: The Week That Was October 1, 2007

  Give your eyes a break with Maine Democrat’s weekly podcast, The Week That Was October 1, 2007. Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act. Larry Craig Won’t Go Quietly. The Bush Drug Program is a Bust. Stuck in a Time Loop of September 11. Subscribe to the RSS Feed via iTunes for [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2007, 2:24pm EDT
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• Privatizing Health Care: First, Do Harm…

  If the government runs the health care system in this country it will be a disaster! I hear that a lot — from Democrats and Republicans. Faith in government may be at an all time low, fueled, in part, by an administration that repaid political favors to the loyal with [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2007, 11:30am EDT
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• Tom Allen: Mortgage Foregiveness Debt Relief

  U.S. Representative Tom Allen is supporting H.R. 3648, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act. The act would prevent any dollar amount of “forgiven mortgage debt” from being considered taxable income. The bill is retroactive to January of 2007. Tom Allen, Mortgage Foregiveness Debt Relief [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2007, 9:55am EDT
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• Oral Roberts University Scandal: Money, Corruption — and Text Messages!

  Number of comments: 16
  Has the Religious Right has destroyed the credibility of religion? Action speak louder than words… [...]
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  Posted: October 05, 2007, 9:32pm EDT
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• Bush - SCHIP Off the Old Block

  SCHIP provides health insurance for children from families who aren’t dirt broke, but not wealthy enough to afford private insurance. What does insurance run for a family of four? Over $12,000 a YEAR. The SCHIP probram was recently expanded to try and cover the growing number of uninsured kids. Plenty [...]
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  Posted: October 04, 2007, 9:50pm EDT
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• Blackwater Answers to No One…Maybe

  The House is looking to make America’s outsourced thug army, Blackwater, accountable. Democrats called the 389-30 vote an indictment in connection with a recent shooting incident. Senate Democratic leaders said they planned to follow suit with similar legislation. Blackwater

  

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  Posted: October 04, 2007, 9:38pm EDT
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• Craig: Tap Once if You’re Sticking Around

  Senator Craig met with senior Republicans in the Congressional men’s room (lower floor) where he exchanged a series of toe-taps and hand signals indicating that despite having humiliated his family he will serve out his third term, which expires at the end of 2008. He doesn’t plan to run for [...]
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  Posted: October 04, 2007, 9:33pm EDT
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