YouTube of the Day
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Kirk Cameron witnessing to gang bangers
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The Only Highlight Reel You Need
Someone put the Keyes moments together
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Keyes on Global Warming…Okay, Not Really
[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/yDNWW260s_U" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
I So Miss Him
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When Parody Can’t Match Reality
The lawyers of the 14th have to be salivating at the business coming their way.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
December 10, 2007
To the Editors and Congressman Hastert,
Congressman Hastert, I respect you and appreciate your more than 25 years of public service. As one of the recently most powerful men in America, I ask that, rather than taking a predominant role in the coming Republican Primary election by endorsing any individual, please let the people decide.
Any candidate running for the Republican nomination to succeed you would feel honored by your endorsement. However, out of respect for the people whom we all serve and for the future unity of the Republican Party in this area, I respectfully request that you remain neutral before the primary and support whomever the Republican voters select after the Primary on February 5, 2008.
You have demonstrated through your recent action of early resignation that you wish to set aside the public duty to which we elected you. At first, I was very concerned that your health was failing somehow, and I sympathized with you and your family. But, you have assured us repeatedly that there is no health problem and we are relieved on your behalf.
Many folks express their wonder to me about the apparent necessity to spend
$1 Million of taxpayer funds that could better be spent on national security, healthcare, or education, on the March 8, 2008 Special Election. Now that you are stepping away from your official duties, I believe that citizens and voters would be distressed if you reassert yourself and use your considerable clout to influence the outcome of an impending primary.
Most people to whom I listen are pretty sick these days of the results that have been produced by big money and big clout in Washington, D.C. and Springfield. You can provide leadership by letting the people decide and using your very substantial experience and skills to coach your successor. In this way, you are a winner no matter whom the people choose.
Again, thank you for your service; we respect you.
Very sincerely,
Christopher J. Lauzen
I believe the response forthcoming if fuck you too.
Clinton Hits Stage Three
Of Tucker McElroy’s 7 Stages of Barack.
3. Holy shit, in his book he talks about doing blow, this could hurt him big time.
Worse, it’s a lame ass passive aggressive attempt:
In an interview, Shaheen said, he remains perplexed about why, at this fraught point in history, voters and the media are not giving more attention to experienced Democratic candidates such as Sens. Chris Dodd and Joe Biden and are instead elevating into the first tier alongside Clinton a pair of candidates with less experience in Washington, Barack Obama and John Edwards. Shaheen also expressed his personal misgivings about whether Obama or Edwards would be electable if they became the party’s nominee.
Among his concerns about Obama as the nominee, he said in an interview here today, is that his background is so relatively unknown and that the Republicans would do their best to unearth negative aspects of it, or concoct mistruths about it. Shaheen, a lawyer and influential state power broker, mentioned as an example Obama’s use of cocaine and marijuana as a young man, which Obama has been open about in his memoir and on the trail.
“The Republicans are not going to give up without a fight … and one of the things they’re certainly going to jump on is his drug use,” said Shaheen, the husband of former N.H. governor Jeanne Shaheen, who is planning to run for the Senate next year. Billy Shaheen contrasted Obama’s openness about his past drug use — which Obama mentioned again at a recent campaign appearance in New Hampshire — with the approach taken by George W. Bush in 1999 and 2000, when he ruled out questions about his behavior when he was “young and irresponsible.”
Shaheen said Obama’s candor on the subject would “open the door” to further questions. “It’ll be, ‘When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone?'” Shaheen said. “There are so many openings for Republican dirty tricks. It’s hard to overcome.”
There is a solution to the problem. Answer honestly. I know, shocking idea.
The Problem of the Goo-Goos
They never really work together.
Until now 😉
A trio of political mavericks – Chicago Aldermen Manuel “Manny” Flores, 1st Ward; Brendan Reilly, 42nd Ward; and Scott Waguespack, 32nd Ward – are supporting Democrat Mark Pera’s bid for Congress by hosting an upcoming fund-raiser.
These three aldermen represent the changing face of Chicago politics. Each was elected to office on a pledge to bring transparent government to the City Council and they’ve fulfilled voters’ expectations by delivering strong, independent voices to the council floor.
Joining Flores, Reilly and Waguespack in their efforts are state Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-33rd, Rep. John Fritchey, D-11th, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Debra Shore, Stephen Blandin, Emilia DiMenco, Amy Evans and Gail Morse.
All ten have signed on to host a fund-raising event for Pera at Cleo’s on Thursday, Dec. 13 in Chicago. To learn more, or to RSVP for the event, click here.
Keep reading to learn more about the host committee members.
Illinois Sen. Dan Kotowski was elected to office last year in a district that had been Republican-controlled since 1860. The 33rd District includes portions of Chicago, Elk Grove, Niles, Park Ridge and Skokie.
Illinois Rep. John Fritchey is considered to be one of the more progressive members of the Illinois General Assembly. The 11th District, which Fritchey has represented since 1996, includes a large piece of Chicago’s North Side.
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commission Debra Shore is an award-winning writer, the founder of Chicago Wilderness Magazine and a founding member of Friends of the Cook County Forest Preserves. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is responsible for treating wastewater and to managing storm water in an area that includes the five million residents and tens of thousands of businesses.
Chicago Ald. Manuel “Manny” Flores is currently serving his second term on the City Council. He defeated Jesse Granato, a Daley-backed incumbent, to win his seat in 2003. The 1st Ward includes Bucktown, East Village, Logan Square, Westown and Wicker Park.
Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly won his seat in February by defeating longtime incumbent Burt Natarus. The 42nd Ward includes the Gold Coast, the Chicago Loop, River North and the Near North neighborhoods.
Chicago Ald. Scott Waguespack took office in May after defeating Daley appointee Ted Matlak during the February run-off election. His victory effectively ended a century of control of the ward by the Rostenkowski family and its surrogates. The 32nd Ward includes Bucktown, East Village, Goose Island, Hamlin Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Roscoe Village, Ukrainian Village and Wicker Park.
Fritchey, Kotowski, Shore, Claypool, and Flores are regularly mentioned here and Reilly and Waguespack are especially impressive on the Board of Alderman that I don’t cover a lot. All of them work their butts off. Kotowski is targeted by ISRA, Flores has issues with HDO, Claypool is hated by the entire machine, Shore the machine doesn’t know what the hell do to do with, and the idiot Governor hates Fritchey. Those are great enemies to have.
I just imagine 5 guys sitting around the 23 Ward Office with no windows going on about those damn goo goos and how useless they are.
I hope they keep sitting and bitching.
Better Liars Please
The Oprah runs a virulently non-union shop meme is shot down by Bob Johnson at Kos, but really, it wasn’t hard to disprove:
‘Oprah & Friends’ and AFTRA Enter into New Contract
CHICAGO (June 27, 2007) — Members of American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, who are heard as program hosts and announcers on the ‘Oprah & Friends’ Program on XM Satellite Radio Channel 156, have entered into their first collective bargaining agreement with Oprah & Friends Inc., which produces content for that program.
“This ground-breaking agreement is the first contract that provides union salaries, benefits, and working conditions for talent on a program only carried by satellite radio,” said Eileen Willenborg, AFTRA Chicago Local Executive Director, who worked with “Oprah & Friends” to reach an agreement. “I commend the producers at ‘Oprah & Friends’ for working together with AFTRA members to create a sensible and responsible agreement.”
AFTRA National Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth concurred with Willenborg, saying “The work of AFTRA members in Chicago to bring union standards to employment opportunities in satellite radio can serve as a model for all broadcasters working in this new service.”
The new agreement addresses compensation for program hosts and guests, including coverage for those who qualify for benefits from the AFTRA Health and Retirement Funds. Additional provisions in the first contract include union security, grievance and arbitration, dues check-off, non-discrimination, late penalties, and the right to participate in pre-tax savings plans.
Retroactive from January 1, 2007, the agreement expires August 31, 2009. There are currently nine program hosts and one announcer covered by the AFTRA agreement.
Harpo Radio Inc. produces content for the Oprah & Friends channel (156) on XM Satellite Radio, which debuted on September 25, 2006. “Oprah & Friends” features a broad range of original daily and weekly programming on a variety of topics including self improvement, nutrition, fitness, health, home, finance and current events hosted by popular personalities from The Oprah Winfrey Show and O, The Oprah Magazine, including Dr. Maya Angelou, Dr. Robin Smith, Marianne Williamson, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Bob Greene, Nate Berkus, Jean Chatzky, and Gayle King. Plus, Oprah takes XM listeners’ calls on her weekly Talk to Me program. The Oprah & Friends channel is broadcast from a state-of-the-art XM studio in Chicago.
The Point Isn’t that Policy Details Are Bad
Dana Milbank has a column being criticized in several places for suggesting that Hillary Clinton comes off as too smart.
“We have one form of learning, which is pretty much an auditory form of learning supplemented by some visual aids,” she announced. “We are leaving out . . . kinesthetic and esthetic learners.”
Further, she reported that “60 percent of our in-age cohort will not graduate from college” and that “a child drops out of school in America every 29 seconds.”
She blamed Bush education policy, which “homogenizes the classes,” and pledged to help “individual districts and states achieve a level of facility and teacher preparedness and adequacy.”
Let’s hear it for facility preparedness and adequacy! Put your hands together for kinesthetic learning and the de-homogenization of the classroom! Save the in-age cohort!
The audience sat quietly through this, applauding in the appropriate places. They gave Clinton a seated ovation when she finished, rising only to put on their coats.
For a quarter-century now, Democrats have had a habit of selecting brainy, establishment presidential nominees who are frequently pedantic but rarely passionate. Al Gore and John Kerry were bookish, and Michael Dukakis didn’t even show emotion when asked about the hypothetical rape and murder of his wife.
The lone exception was Hillary Clinton’s husband — and it’s no coincidence that he has been the only successful Democratic presidential candidate in three decades. But Hillary lacks Bill’s presence on the stump; hers is a message of leadership by laundry list.
“I also created the Healthy, High-Performance School programs,” she told the teachers. And, “We worked hard to create a program for 100,000 federally funded teachers.” And, “I proposed . . . the National Teacher Corps.” And, “I’ve joined up with several of my colleagues to propose renovating and rebuilding crumbling schools.”
The initial response I’ve seen is that this is a horrible attack on her and that only the empty press would argue that knowing details is a bad thing.
The problem is that’s not what he said His examples make the point. Who of the last 4 Democratic Presidential candidates could talk policy longer than any of the rest? Bill Clinton. Yet he could talk in public about policy in a way that discusses values more than policy details.
Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, is deals in details and it’s not effective. People are motivated not by policy discussions, but by values. That’s how George Bush won twice even though his policy prescriptions were in the minority. He convinced people they share his values.
If Democrats want to go down this path again, we can have the same fights we’ve been fighting since 1988.
Same as Michael Dukakis
Sames as Al Gore
Same as John Kerry
Or there are at least two candidates who actually talk to people about how the policies relate to their values and actually reach them instead of giving them a 10 point plan. And both of those candidates can give you the 10 point plan other times. The fetishization of wonkishness is the biggest weakness Democrats have. Not because it’s bad to care about policy, but because elections are largely about values and if you aren’t fighting primarily about values then you aren’t engaging in the right fight.
October 24th, 2007 eI thought Zahm was the Village idiot in Maple Park….
December 12th, 2007 eGood try, anonymous.
Lost by 19 votes as a 1.5 year resident versus a
60 year resident after getting smeared by an anonymous lie piece 3 days before the election.
My libel case is still in court despite two powerful law firms trying to have it dismissed.
Who are you, anonymous chicken?