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-Lurid Crime Tales-
Jimmy Dimora at center of one of biggest local corruption cases in U.S. history
It is a shocking and emblematic photograph that could be of New York City's Boss Tweed, 140 years later: Jimmy Dimora, the most powerful man in Cuyahoga County politics, led away in manacles to FBI headquarters, to federal court, and into infamy.
Had a latter-day equivalent of Thomas Nast covering the guy from the beginning, did you?... Oh. You didn't.
But the picture painted by the 177 pages in indictments made public Wednesday against eight suspects -- including Cuyahoga County commissioner Dimora and two county judges -- is even more shocking, alleging what could be one of the biggest local political-machine corruption cases in recent U.S. history.
At least one of the biggest that anybody's done anything about. They're really distressingly common.
This guy wouldn't make page 3 in the Chicago papers ...
It also, for the first time, implicates a second commissioner, Peter Lawson Jones, in the broad pay-for-play scandal that has infected local government and garnered almost three dozen guilty pleas.
Three dozen? Tut tut. Surely you must be mistaken...
Jones is not charged, or named, but as "Public Official 9" he has now entered the alpha-numeric lexicon of those who are accused of trading jobs for bribes and campaign donations.
This is known as "splitting the boodle," or as "divvying the swag." Connections get to "wet their beaks," which is different. That's done daintily and from a distance. The beak wetters don't get indicted.
The focus of the grand jury indictments paints Dimora, the gruff, often crude commissioner, as a high-on-the-hog crook indulging himself in goodies at public expense as the boss of a complex corruption scheme in a county that is home to one of the poorest big cities in America.
But don't worry. They'll keep voting Democrat, year after year. You can't run a machine if there's a chance you'll get voted out of office.
According to the FBI investigation, Dimora, until last year the chairman of the local Democratic party, helped himself to:
  • Sex on demand with top-dollar call girls, and with a woman who sought his help to get a job.

  • Pricey lunches at fancy restaurants such as Delmonico's Steakhouse.

  • A high-flying gambling junket to Las Vegas and more nights of partying at a Stonebridge condominium overlooking Cleveland's Flats.

  • A four-figure discount on a Rolex watch.

  • Free or deeply-discounted improvements to his $438,000 home, which the indictments seek to seize in forfeiture actions against Dimora and other defendants.
The indictments, sprinkled with four-letter words and denigrating and obscene references to women, or "broads," also show a Dimora who was sometimes irritated when those from whom he received favors asked for quid pro quo favors in return. "How many times am I going to do you a f-ing favor," Dimora asked Robert Rybak, an executive with a local plumbers and pipe-fitting union who was also charged in Wednesday's indictments.
A union man? That's never happened before, has it?
Rybak wanted the county to hire a union worker. He reminded Dimora of the ice machine he had installed at the commissioner's home and then asked what else he needed.
There's more, of course. And I'm shocked, shocked that something like this would go on in the formerly great American metropolitan area that produced Dennis Kucinich.
Posted by: Fred || 09/17/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Former Cuyahoga County auditor Frank Russo has pleaded guilty to 21 counts & has been sentenced to 21+ years in prison.
I liked this cartoon:
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 09/17/2010 1:55 Comments || Top||

#2  Notice that they only mention that he is a Democrat in passing.

If he had been a Republican, it would have been in every paragraph.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 09/17/2010 7:32 Comments || Top||

#3  Nothing but a BIG FAT POS.........hope he likes prison
Posted by: armyguy || 09/17/2010 12:09 Comments || Top||

#4  Remember Cunningham.
That much money coming across your desk would be a terrible temptation. I'll just stay out of that job since I know myself well enough to admit I'd be the guy sniffing coke off a high dollar call girls huge fake tits in my office during working hours and writing county checks to pay for it. This dude wasn't honest with himself, now he has to pay.
Posted by: bigjim-CA || 09/17/2010 22:15 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Ohio Republican candidate John Kasich caught telling a true story in governor's debate
Andrew Malcolm, "Top of the Ticket" @ Los Angeles Times

Well, here's a delightful news gem called to our attention by a loyal Ticket reader . . . . It concerns this week's Ohio gubernatorial debate between former Republican Rep. John Kasich and the Democrat incumbent, Ted Strickland. As is the case in many races all across the country for the Nov. 2 elections, polls show the Democrat is currently trailing the Republican.

But that's not the fun story. The fun story is that during the Tuesday debate Kasich began to wax on about, you know, an older couple he'd recently talked with in a Bob Evans restaurant and how they had a pad out and were going over their challenged budget because of the bad economy that hasn't been stimulated by you-know-whose hundreds of billions of you-know-what.

. . . a Democratic blogger in Ohio called Kasich on it. He wrote: "Someone please send me a photo of the Ohio couple in the Bob Evans with the napkin and I'll personally apologize to Congressman Kasich the next time I'm at his country club."

Well, order up some humble pie while you're there, Anthony, because CNN's John King did better than that. He produced a film clip of Honest John Kasich talking to that very couple.



And, look! There's the pad on the table.
Posted by: Mike || 09/17/2010 09:24 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Ten bucks says the blogger doesn't apologize.
Posted by: DarthVader || 09/17/2010 11:13 Comments || Top||

#2  Notice the term King used: "coincedental fact checking".

Why do I have the feeling that that is the only kind the MSM do any more?
Posted by: Alan Cramer || 09/17/2010 11:50 Comments || Top||

#3  Well Darth, no way I'm taking that. I'm betting he has convenient memory loss or just avoids the club.
Posted by: miscellaneous || 09/17/2010 17:14 Comments || Top||


Sean Duffy would like to axe for your vote
In the grand tradition of Dale Peterson comes this cutting-edge political ad:

Posted by: Mike || 09/17/2010 06:33 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I guess he's speaking metaphorically, but it would be funny as hell to see him totally lose it on the floor of congress with that axe.
Posted by: bigjim-CA || 09/17/2010 21:59 Comments || Top||


Fifth Column
Obama Endorses Global Taxes on Eve of U.N. Summit
It would have to pass both Houses of Congress, so he can endorse all he pleases. President Clinton was keen on the Kyoto Accords.
Posted by: Phomosing Elmomoling2654 || 09/17/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > US CENSUS: ONE IN SEVEN AMERICANS LIVING IN POVERTY.

Unemployed + lack of Private or Any Health Insurance = Govt.Safety Net, aka Govt-Public Assistance, is allegedly about the only thing keeping the rates from going higher + keeping people's heads above water..
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 09/17/2010 1:31 Comments || Top||

#2  Global taxes, huh?

Tell ya' what, Bambi - you give 'em your OWN goddam money.

And keep your grubby mitts off mine.

Communist.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 09/17/2010 1:40 Comments || Top||

#3  You're insulting Communists, Mrs Skolaut.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/17/2010 2:46 Comments || Top||

#4  He knows nothing of taxes. He's never paid any.
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/17/2010 5:29 Comments || Top||

#5  And people keep electing Donks. I don't get it.
Posted by: gorb || 09/17/2010 10:26 Comments || Top||

#6  ...About 47 percent will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009. - cite

Add a magin of error of 5% [like voting felons, dead, moved on, multiple casts] and it's not hard to grasp why people keep voting Donk.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 09/17/2010 10:46 Comments || Top||

#7  He just made a good ad for every Republican and Tea Party candidate until 2012.

Bambie really is that stupid.
Posted by: DarthVader || 09/17/2010 11:16 Comments || Top||

#8  And people keep electing Donks. I don't get it.

KOOLAID gorb....drinkin' the koolaid
Posted by: armyguy || 09/17/2010 11:39 Comments || Top||

#9  Call it what you want but we already pay global taxes. We pay Billions for the UN, we pay billions into USAID, we pay Billions to Israel, Billions to Egypt, Billions to NATO, and on and on and on.

What we need is spending reform on our foreign grant processes. While people get all worked up over the 50 million sent to a US university to perform green research, hundreds of billions are going to pad nations that hate us.
Posted by: 49 pan || 09/17/2010 12:21 Comments || Top||

#10  Everything he does it the exact opposite of correct.
I have never seen someone do the exact opposite as they should as he has.
Posted by: newc || 09/17/2010 13:00 Comments || Top||

#11  Everything he does it the exact opposite of correct.
I have never seen someone do the exact opposite as they should as he has.


That should tell you something. Correct? From which parties perspective?
Posted by: Secret Asian Man || 09/17/2010 14:15 Comments || Top||

#12  Even the Dems are running from him. He is alienating not only the right but the center left.
Posted by: 49 pan || 09/17/2010 16:07 Comments || Top||

#13  "You're insulting Communists, Mrs Skolaut."

That's probably true, but I'm not gonna apologize to communists, g(r)omgoru.

I've been insulting them for years.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 09/17/2010 19:19 Comments || Top||

#14  Fellow RB'ers, the Weekend is still young...

To wit,

* NEWS KERALA > EXPERTS WARN OF [coming]SECOND WAVE OF GLOBAL RECESSION:UN.

* WORlD NEWS > PUERTO RICO INVALIDATES MORE THAN 4.0 MILYUHN BIRTH CERTIFICATES FOR PUERTO RICANS LIVING IN USA [mainland]. Dem dar BC's at question become legally invalid in the LAND OF THE FLYING NUN [Sally Fields] come 09/30/2020.

* TOPIX > EXPERTS: MORE STIMULUS SPENDING [needed or required] TO IMPROVE ECONOMY.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 09/17/2010 22:36 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Bleg for suggestions for NON-seedy politicians to donate to
I have a small political donation fund I've been saving up since last January. I've donated to several conservatives running for office (the only one now in office is Eric Cantor; the rest are running in the November election).

I just made some contributions tonight, but still have a little money left over.

Can Rantburg regulars here give me some names of people who are worthy of support for this election? Post them here in comments, please; if you can supply links to their websites, that would be great, but not necessary. No trolls need apply.

I'm interested in national elections only at this time (sorry, if your statehouse is screwed up, y'all need to fix it within your own state).

Please understand that these will be SMALL donations only ($25-$50 range) - I don't have all that much to begin with, and would rather spread it around where it would do some good than send a lump sum to one person.

Allen West (FL), Ryan Frazier (CO), and Robert Hurt (VA) (all for Congress) are covered already, as are Sharon Angle, Dino Rossi, Pat Toomey, and Joe Miller (all for Senate). I took tw's suggestion that O'Donnell has enough money for now.

I won't promise to donate to all your suggested candidates, just that I'll look them all over and decide this weekend.

Fred and Mods, if you think this is inappropriate, please delete.

Thanks, all.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 09/17/2010 00:26 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
http://jeffmiller2010.com/

Jeff Miller is polling VERY close to Heath Shuler, and could use help.
Posted by: Parabellum || 09/17/2010 8:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Francisco "Quico" Canseco is running in Texas's 23 District against Ciro Rodriguez, who is one of those Democrat squishes who has sat in office for practically forever.
His website is here. I'm not in his district, but I have met him many times, as he would come to Tea Party meetings. The SATP also hosted several candidate debates. He is very impressive, and is a fiscal conservative, free-market, strict constitutionalist. Against a arrogant, rude toad like Ciro, he needs all the help he can get.
Posted by: Sgt.Mom || 09/17/2010 9:05 Comments || Top||

#3  Here in the paradise that is Northeast Ohio, Jim Renacci is running to unseat my Congresscritter, the rat-fink weasel Jim Boccieri. http://www.renacciforcongress.com/ Renacci is heavily favored to win.

One district to our north, car dealer Tom Ganley is trying to rid us of liberal Betty Sutton, and his race is a lot closer than Renacci's. http://www.tomganley.com/

I know Mary Taylor, John Kasich's running mate, from when she was a CPA in private practice, and I really like her. She's a very good CPA, and has done a good job as Ohio Auditor of State. (If I had my way, she'd be running for Governor and Kasich would be her sidekick--nothing wrong with him, mind you.) The latest polls have them up 17 points over Governor Batshit McLooney Ted Strickland and whatever empty suit is his running mate, so Mary really doesn't need the money as badly as others.

Allen West in Florida strikes me as a pretty class act: http://allenwestforcongress.com/

Jim Geraghty's "Campaign Spot" blog at National Review highlights quite a few "sleeper" candidates who have a shot at pulling an upset and can really use the help, so you might want to go there and look through the archives: http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot

Finally, there's Sean Duffy from Wisconsin, the guy with the axe who's the next best thing to the mighty Dale Peterson. You gotta love the axe.
Posted by: Mike || 09/17/2010 9:23 Comments || Top||

#4  One campaign promise that The One has kept -- he has united this nation! For the first time in my many decades, elections that have been state/regional-wide have now become national elections. Money is traveling over state lines, and fast.

When was the last time you knew who was running for senator in Delaware?

Yes -- we are united in this election!

Barbara, I second Sgt. Mom's nomination of Ciro Rodriguez --- I don't even live in San Antonio, and I know of this race. I've heard him interviewed (Hugh Hewitt interviewed him this week) and he is impressive.
Posted by: Sherry || 09/17/2010 10:43 Comments || Top||

#5  Jesse Kelly Arizona District 8
Posted by: Sonny Glaish9134 || 09/17/2010 10:44 Comments || Top||

#6 
I just sent $50.00 (that I can't really afford) to Miller.

Anyone care to match me?
Posted by: Parabellum || 09/17/2010 15:28 Comments || Top||

#7  How about Len Britton. He's running against Patrick Leahy for the Vermont Senate seat. Big odds, but also huge potential payoff.

Some background here.
Posted by: Iblis || 09/17/2010 19:05 Comments || Top||

#8  Thanks, guyz. I knew I could count on you. Keep 'em coming 'till midnight.

I'll be at the Farmers Market tomorrow (so prep and early to bed tonight), but will sit down and look at your suggestions Sunday.

If I can't donate to them all this weekend, I've got a little overtime coming in my next check (or the one after that - I can never keep it straight) and will have a little more for donations then, so they probably will all get something by mid-October.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 09/17/2010 19:47 Comments || Top||


Fiorina, Whitman tout endorsement from Nancy Reagan
Former first lady Nancy Reagan has publicly thrown her support behind the two women at the top of the Republican ticket. The wife of late President and California Gov. Ronald Reagan today endorsed U.S. Senate nominee Carly Fiorina and gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman. The candidates praised Reagan in separate statements announcing the endorsements.
Posted by: Fred || 09/17/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:


Boehner Demands Pelosi Pledge Up-or-Down Vote on Tax Hikes
In his weekly press conference this morning, House Republican Leader John It's not pronounced 'Boner,' dammit! Boehner (R-Ohio) will demand House Speaker Nancy (San Fran Nan) Pelosi (D-Calif.) pledge at her on-camera presser today to allow an up-or-down vote on Democrats proposed tax hikes on small business this year. Democrats leadership wants limited tax breaks, singling out small business owners for a crippling year-end tax increase.
It could happen. I could also wake up tomorrow morning 50 pounds lighter, with my hair grown back.
Democrat leaders are afraid a vote to block the tax hikes on business would succeed so the current class warfare game plan is to use their majority status to block that vote from ever taking place.
Posted by: Fred || 09/17/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This should be interesting.
Posted by: JohnQC || 09/17/2010 15:00 Comments || Top||

#2  ION ARNAUD DE BORSCHGRAVE > "CUSTER" IS THE STRATGY.

ARTIC = "CUSTER" = Civilian Uplift &SUrge Taskforce on Economic Revival, TALIBAN'S STRONGEST WEAPON IS PERVASIVE, PERENNIAl GOVT-PUBLIC CORRUPTION IN KABUL + ISLAMABAD GOVTS.

1960's-70's GUAM TAOTAMONAS > "You are There", at the LITTLE BIGHORN'S "LOST RAVINE" wid DOOMED CUSTER SCOUT "MITCH BOUYER" + YOUNG INDIAN SCOUT, SURVIVOR "CURLEY".

"WORLD WAR III:CALHOUN'S COMMAND" = OLIVER STONE'S "PLATOON"...

"There were other Battalions in the Valley - we weren't the only one, but somewhere out there was an entire NVA Regiment + a Texas-sized Asteroid"!

[MTV's "WHITE RABBIT" Video here].
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 09/17/2010 22:58 Comments || Top||


Dudley widens gap over Kitzhaber in latest KATU poll
Republican Chris Dudley is widening the gap over his Democratic opponent, John Kitzhaber, in the race for Oregon's governor, a new KATU News/SurveyUSA poll released Wednesday showed. Dudley garnered 49 percent to Kitzhaber's 43 percent of 562 likely voters surveyed. Seven weeks ago a KATU News/SurveyUSA poll found Dudley getting 46 percent of the vote to Kitzhaber's 44 percent.
In North Caliphornia. I'm impressed.
Posted by: Fred || 09/17/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:


Rossi goes on attack against Murray
Just a few days after two public polls showed Republican Dino Rossi trailing the loathsome Sen. Patty Murray in the competitive Washington Senate race, the GOP nominee went on the attack in a blistering television advertisement released Thursday.
Good idea. Rip the hair off her back!
Although Rossi's campaign has frequently knocked Murray in the local press, the ad marks the first time he is publicly attacking her on television, calling her by name and identifying Murray as "part of the problem" on Capitol Hill.
That's it? "Part of the problem?" How about her opinion that Binny had been at work "for decades building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day care facilities, building health care facilities. And the people are extremely grateful. He's made their lives better. We have not done that." I think that's on tape someplace.
The spot hits the air just days after two surveys showed Rossi trailing Murray by 9 points in the Senate contest: An Elway Research survey showed Murray leading Rossi, 50 percent to 41 percent, while a CNN/Time poll showed Murray leading Rossi, 53 percent to 44 percent. The polls show Murray pulling away after previous polls over the past few months indicated the race was locked in a statistical dead heat.
That's because it's Washington State. They're looking forward to becoming Caliphornia or Cuyahoga County.
National Republicans have recently put an extra focus on in the Washington Senate race in the wake of Tuesday's primary debacle in Delaware. The GOP was confident it could win the Delaware Senate seat with moderate Rep. Mike Caste as its nominee, but perennial conservative candidate Christine O'Donnell's victory in the Republican primary almost ensures the seat will stay in Democratic hands this November.
Posted by: Fred || 09/17/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Murray's love letter to Bin Laden is on You Tube. search for "patty murray bin laden."
Or use this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGbmT5Rlwc
Posted by: Drang || 09/17/2010 0:48 Comments || Top||

#2  "The GOP was confident it could win the Delaware Senate seat with moderate Rep. Mike Caste as its nominee, but perennial conservative candidate Christine O'Donnell's victory in the Republican primary almost ensures the seat will stay in Democratic hands this November."

No bias there. Nope. Nope.

/sarc
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 09/17/2010 0:50 Comments || Top||

#3  Christine O'Donnell's victory in the Republican primary almost ensures the seat will stay in Democratic hands this November.

Shira Toeplitz of Politico, if you are so sure of this happening, how do you spin the fact that she has raised $1,400,000 in three days?
Posted by: Sherry || 09/17/2010 10:58 Comments || Top||


Chris Coons: 'Bearded Marxist'
An article Democrat Chris Coons wrote for his college newspaper may not go over so well in corporation-friendly Delaware, where he already faces an uphill battle for Vice President Joe Biden's old Senate seat.
I thought conventional wisdom said Delaware was now solidly in the Dem column? Has it moved already?
The title? "Chris Coons: The Making of a Bearded Marxist."
That might tend to move it this year. It would have fallen flat in 2008.
In the article, Coons, then 21 years old and about to graduate from Amherst College, chronicled his transformation from a sheltered, conservative-minded college student who had worked for former GOP Delaware Sen. William Roth and had campaigned for Ronald Reagan in 1980 into a cynical young adult who was distrustful of American power and willing to question the American notion of free enterprise.
To all of which he's going to reply that it was 15 years ago, when he was young and stoopid. Now he's older and wiser and he led the fight© for clean water and good jobs and smooth roads and a chicken in every pot and whatever else is dear to Delawareans' hearts.
Coons, the New Castle County executive who is running against GOP Rep. Michael Castle for the state's open Senate seat, wrote of his political evolution in the May 23, 1985, edition of the Amherst Student.
I don't think they let you graduate from Amherst if you're not at least a socialist, do they?
The source of his conversion, Coons wrote, was a trip to Kenya he took during the spring semester of his junior year--a time away from America, he wrote, that served as a "catalyst" in altering a conservative political outlook that he was growing increasingly uncomfortable with.
Posted by: Fred || 09/17/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Hung out with some of the Obamas, did he? That would do it.
Posted by: KBK || 09/17/2010 1:07 Comments || Top||

#2  The source of his conversion, Coons wrote, was a trip to Kenya he took during the spring semester of his junior year

The tribalist, black African daga conversion. Sorry, no known cure for that one.
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/17/2010 5:37 Comments || Top||

#3  I don't know Besoeker---suppose you made him live there?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/17/2010 8:07 Comments || Top||

#4  My child is a pre-teen and has already been taught to look beneath the surface.

You'll see things on TV that people R starving. We can feed them, but why can't their gov't?

Gov'ts use food as coersion, a weapon. U support the ruling class - U get fed, U don't U die.

Especially in today's world. Mama's trying not to raise a stupe.
Posted by: anonymous2u || 09/17/2010 9:36 Comments || Top||

#5  Obligatory:

Come to Kenya

Come to Kenya Live

Come to Kenya Remix
Posted by: Anonymoose || 09/17/2010 10:09 Comments || Top||

#6  Who didn't write embarrassing papers filled with socialist, "social justice" claptrap in college?

Sometimes the voters care if you grew up in the meanwhile. Sometimes they don't. Seems they do this year. Seems Mr. Coons hasn't.
Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division || 09/17/2010 12:32 Comments || Top||

#7  The pertinent question is: "Do you still believe this today?"

If the answer is "no", the probing follow up might be to walk the points of the Communist Manifesto (without explicitly identifying them as such) to see which one's he's still comfortable with.

Big News, of course, is unlikely to ask the first question. Even if they did, they'd take his "no" as the End of the Story.
Posted by: Grenter, Protector of the Geats || 09/17/2010 13:19 Comments || Top||

#8  Just look at some of the legislation passed by New Castle County council since Coons took over. E.g. the Land Use Code based on the International Property Maintenance Code. Anonymous tips generating no-search warrant required, carte blanche rambles by constables on private property looking for code violations. This is clearly ripped out of a USSR/ East German/playbook. http://www2.nccde.org/documents/code/chapter7PropertyMaintenanceCode.pdf
Posted by: Thiter tse Tung9409 || 09/17/2010 14:27 Comments || Top||

#9  They kept on electing Slow Joe, didn't they?

Obviously, they have very low standards.
Posted by: mojo || 09/17/2010 14:28 Comments || Top||


Arkansas, long-time Democratic fortress of the South, to raise Republican flag
One sign of the strength of the 2010 Republican wave is in Arkansas, where the GOP is likely to flip the last Democratic stronghold in the South.
I'm not impressed. The South has been going generically Publican for years. I'm not in favor of counting eggs before they're hatched, however. The Dems maintain an awfully strong infrastructure of corruption.
Of the state's four House districts, the GOP is poised to take two from Democrats to form a three-to-one majority. That includes Arkansas's first district -- a district that has not voted in a Republican since reconstruction -- where Republican candidate Rick Crawford was leading by 16 points in a mid-August poll.
I'd call 16 points fairly substantial.
Though former President Bill Clinton recently returned to Arkansas to help her ailing candidacy, Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln is a dead woman walking. Polls show Republican Rep. John Boozman leading by almost 30 points on average.
That's even more substantial. Goodbye, Blanche.
The GOP is also poised to make significant gains in the state legislature, too, Arkansas sources say.
Posted by: Fred || 09/17/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The Republicans in AR have not been so great either.
Posted by: lord garth || 09/17/2010 9:18 Comments || Top||

#2  Based on Hollywood, Europe long ago concluded that the US was composed of cowboys and gangsters. But here in the States, we call them Republicans and Democrats.

The truth behind the truth is that Arkansas is the last of the unreconstructed "big city machines" that still remain. The Chicago mob, the New York mob, the Boston mob, and the left coast mobs, are all restructured remnants of the great city machines that used to rule there.

This happened because Arkansas had a very limited number of wealthy families that ran the whole State. If you were not part of that, you couldn't do business in Arkansas, unless they had a big piece of it.

Wages were kept artificially low, and unions were suppressed, to support the rice plantations, Tyson foods, and Wal-Mart. There is also a huge tax on automobiles, to restrict the poor from emigrating. All serious commercial legal matters had to go through the Rose law firm.

Back when Bill Clinton was governor, things were so blatant that Tyson published an executive memo detailing what bribes were to be paid to almost every important official in the State. The memo was leaked, and published, and nobody did anything about it. No criminal charges were brought.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 09/17/2010 10:24 Comments || Top||

#3  The Stevens clan that spewed forth from their putrid maw "WrongHaven" among other filth and mentored Soros is an Arkansas institution.
Posted by: Water Modem || 09/17/2010 16:38 Comments || Top||


Chris Matthews Bets Lib Guest Christine O'Donnell Wins in November
Even a partisan hack like Matthews can see it, so you can be sure the majority of Dem pols can see it. They won't change their tactics, they won't change their policies, they won't stop being ever so much more virtuous than the rest of us because they're ever so much smarter. They intend to ride it out and when things have settled down again in a few years they're looking forward to doing the same thing again. You can always count on Voter Deficit Disorder to kick in after a few months.
Chris Matthews on Wednesday departed from the liberal media conventional wisdom that Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell's defeat of Republican favorite Mike Castle was good news for Democrats and President Obama.

Quite the contrary, the "Hardball" host has become extremely pessimistic about Democrat chances to retain Congress in the upcoming midterm elections, so much so that he likened his Party to the Titanic. "The boat is sinking," he told fellow liberal David Corn. "The establishment is sinking."

When Corn tried to push back on Matthews' view, the devout liberal said, "I take O`Donnell. How many points are you going to give me?"
Posted by: Fred || 09/17/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Something else is running down his leg now.
Posted by: Grunter || 09/17/2010 8:18 Comments || Top||

#2  This is not good news Matthews is never right about anything.
Posted by: Glenmore || 09/17/2010 9:42 Comments || Top||

#3  See, what is being admitted here is that because the d's also thought it would be an auto loss they just put up an ideologue of their own for party line towing. Now they, too, will have to defend their candidate especially now the acronym pundits have made such a big deal out of it.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 09/17/2010 11:25 Comments || Top||

#4  Everyone is so busy saying what's wrong with O'Donnell and why she can't win. There is very little scrutiny of her opponent moonbat Coons by trunks or donks so far as I can tell. If O'Donnell can beat Castle, who was said to have things sewed up in a donk state, she can beat Coons. Either she has as much support as Castle or more (of trunks, donks, and independents) or she is energizing the hell out of her conservative base. Conservatives are turning out in great numbers. I don't believe the narrative that that is being spun that she can't win.
Posted by: JohnQC || 09/17/2010 15:11 Comments || Top||


Reid Makes O'Donnell's First Campaign Ad


"I'm going to be very honest with you — Chris Coons, everybody knows him in the Democratic caucus. He's my pet. He's my favorite candidate," Reid said.
Posted by: Beavis || 09/17/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Reviewing comments over the last couple days, people seem a little too caught up in the tickle your dingle opinion O'Donnell had. I am forced to watch the channel she gave that interview on and I will say it likely took guts to give an honest opinion on that I'm a 15 year old preggo chick channel.

Besides it is not the only belief system which frowns on maestrobation, but the 1st Ammedment does not protect me from mentioning any others. Think about that.

Perhaps we prefer getting it from behind while being cheek fishhooked into a smile and told how much we like it.

Its not like we are going to have sandpaper glove police enter our houses if she is elected. Not like the AC police, or the mandatory civil service, work so other do not have to policies of the other candidates.

If she is a bit prudish in her personal life, perhaps I tire of the whores in Congress.

Does not have a classic politics background, lose your grip people, if it is time for real life people to be elected instead of groomed next in line this is going to have to be accepted. Balance the books and get government out of my hour to hour life.

Not an easy layup, boo hoo. Anybody consider the time and resources of attempting to keep jackass in party lines if'e were confirmed?

Same goes to you all in Nevada.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 09/17/2010 11:06 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Book claims Michelle Obama is living first lady 'hell'
The White House has denied claims in a new book that Michelle Obama told French first lady Carla Bruni that her life in the White House was "hell".

"Don't ask! It's hell. I can't stand it," Mrs Obama was quoted as saying in a private conversation at the White House in March 2010.

"The first lady never said that," Mrs Obama's spokeswoman Katie McCormick Lelyveld said on Thursday.

A French embassy spokesman also stated that the remarks "were never said."

"Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy distances herself completely from the content of the book Carla and the Ambitious, which was not authorised and the authors alone are responsible for its contents," embassy spokesman Emmanuel Lenain said on Thursday.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs used his Twitter feed to refer reporters to Mr Lenain's statement.

The book also alleges that French president Nicolas Sarkozy would be satisfied being a one-term president.

The authors claim Ms Bruni suggested that Mr Sarkozy should give more thought to making money.

A friend quoted in the book says Mr Sarkozy and Ms Bruni have been "impressed and inspired" by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's ballooning wealth since he left office.
Posted by: tipper || 09/17/2010 03:28 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It sure looks like she's unhappy, what with all the vacations and travel and expensive hotels and fine dining.

If she's unhappy, I want to know why.

In detail. Schadenfreude.
Posted by: Bobby || 09/17/2010 6:27 Comments || Top||

#2  On the bright side, she should only have to endure it for another two years or so.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 09/17/2010 7:28 Comments || Top||

#3  I feel like I'm in hell just watching her...
Posted by: Raj || 09/17/2010 8:14 Comments || Top||

#4  She should try it from this side!
Posted by: CrazyFool || 09/17/2010 8:21 Comments || Top||

#5  Book claims Michelle Obama is living first lady 'hell'

Hence all the aides.

I guess all the king's aides couldn't come up with anything better than a "more veggies, less salt" theme for her.

How many aides did previous first ladies have? There was an article here a bit ago about that. Four at most I believe.
Posted by: gorb || 09/17/2010 10:24 Comments || Top||

#6  "The authors claim Ms Bruni suggested that Mr Sarkozy should give more thought to making money.

A friend quoted in the book says Mr Sarkozy and Ms Bruni have been "impressed and inspired" by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's ballooning wealth since he left office."

Personally, I'd be very hard-pressed to fully believe any comment of someone like this who's trying to sell books and make the precious money.
Posted by: Black Charlie Chinemble5313 || 09/17/2010 10:38 Comments || Top||

#7  Oh brother. Mrs. Bruni wasn't even the one being quoted. I missed that. I apologize Mrs. Bruni-Sarkozy.

The authors are the ones who are after the precious money.
Posted by: Black Charlie Chinemble5313 || 09/17/2010 10:54 Comments || Top||

#8  "Don't ask! It's hell. I can't stand it," Mrs Obama was quoted as saying

So say we all.
Posted by: charger || 09/17/2010 12:54 Comments || Top||

#9  Hopefully come 2012 we can make life easier for the first lady and remove her from the hell of the Whitehouse.
Posted by: JohnQC || 09/17/2010 14:46 Comments || Top||


General calls Christian soldiers 'bigots'
Posted by: Anonymoose || 09/17/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Oh for a day in the real soon now where this sort of utterance from ANY gummint employee results in immediate confinement until EVERY gummint dollar the utterer ever collected is rebated to the bigoted taxpayers...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 09/17/2010 0:36 Comments || Top||

#2  Since he is a field grade officer, such a pronouncement could be taken as "Conduct unbecoming an officer", and "Conduct that promotes disrespect for the uniform". It also is a violation of 1st Amendment rights, and if any chaplain wants to make a name for himself, he should file a formal complaint against the general.
Posted by: Shieldwolf || 09/17/2010 0:46 Comments || Top||

#3  You get the type of officers you recruit and groom. Obviously he is the desired target product.
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/17/2010 5:25 Comments || Top||

#4  The law is made by Congress per their power under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, which this individual is having a hard time understanding. The history behind that authority, specifically written into the document goes back to the English heritage of the Founding Fathers and the English Civil War a little over a hundred year prior. Here's the present excerpt from Title X USC.

This man's comments about the body of soldiers demands nothing less than his retirement. This man is a prime example of a political hack administrator, colloquial term - careerist. You lead, you do not manage men in war.

"Unfortunately, we have a minority of service members who are still racists and bigoted and you will never be able to get rid of all of them,"

I dare you to change the policy with the provision that with this major change in conditions of employment, that any member has the right to request termination of contract within 90 days of the implementation of the policy. Regardless of location, those service members will be returned to a point of separation in the United States and discharge for honorable or general service upon penalty to any member of the command who obstructs or delays said separations. Those service members retain their veteran benefits and entitlements earned.

Anyone in their right non-PC mind would never allow it because they know what the result would be on military and combat effectiveness of our forces. So, put up or shut up dude.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 09/17/2010 8:17 Comments || Top||

#5  The military is very predictable about implementing social conditioning, because, oddly enough, it is the ultimate "socialist" organization. Completely hierarchical, with no equality at all. Instead they shoot for frivolous uniformity to create the illusion of equality.

First, the change is ordered. Then, when compliance is minimal, offensive indoctrination is ordered. Then subordinate leaders are ordered to do what is necessary to accomplish compliance. Then negative reports are ignored or punished. Then full compliance is reported, even if compliance remains minimal.

The tragic part of this is that it does erode combat effectiveness, unit morale, and even costs the lives of soldiers, who are regarded as "collateral damage" to the importance of the new policy.

Examples include forcing women to be combat fighter pilots from such a small pool of possible recruits that many were incapable, physically and intellectually, to perform the task. That is, though they failed their pilot training, they were passed anyway, to make "quota".

And so some of their planes crashed, and they died.

But, in the infantile minds of their civilian overlords, it was a small price to pay to achieve "equality", even if it defeated the military mission.

In the case of putting homosexuals in the ranks, the very blunt end result will be homosexuals being murdered. And despite endless indoctrination sessions and groupthink, homosexuals will continue to be murdered.

Fortunately, commanders are smart enough to come up with another reason, any other reason, that they were killed, other than their sexuality, thus protecting themselves and their units from collective punishment.

Eventually, homosexuals will only be assigned to safe desk jobs, far away from their unit, shuffling paper to no end. Their military importance will be zero, but they will still accomplish the mission of the civilian overlords, "proving" that homosexuals can serve in the military.

As such, they will be of even less importance than Muslim service members, who might actually have a real job.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 09/17/2010 9:52 Comments || Top||

#6  "Unfortunately, we have a minority of service members who are still racists and bigoted and you will never be able to get rid of all of them,"

Spoken like a true leftist. Perhaps we'd be better off cleansing the military of leftist fascists.
Posted by: Black Charlie Chinemble5313 || 09/17/2010 10:36 Comments || Top||

#7  First rule of being a leader:

Don't disparage your troops.

Second rule of being a leader:

Lead by example.

This SOB has violated both.
Posted by: DarthVader || 09/17/2010 11:12 Comments || Top||

#8  Doesn't matter what the big brass want, the troops will have their way in this. It's THEIR asses on the line, not General Derision...
Posted by: mojo || 09/17/2010 12:21 Comments || Top||

#9  Christian soldiers as compared with what other religions? Kind of like a "you people" statement.
Posted by: JohnQC || 09/17/2010 14:57 Comments || Top||

#10  Just first impressions:
The guy looks like he'd be quite happy sailing the seven seas with a crew of butt-pirates aboard the USS ManHandler.

I don't doubt he has issues with the policy, never known a fag that couldn't help telling everyone in the room he was GAY, no matter the circumstances.
Posted by: bigjim-CA || 09/17/2010 22:06 Comments || Top||

#11  Before you get the pitchforks and torches out, you might want to check out:

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13894

Posted by: Lone Ranger || 09/17/2010 22:30 Comments || Top||

#12  So is it more MSM spinning or is it what he really said the defense.gov note is just his cover backside story? Any taped recordings of this lecture?
Posted by: miscellaneous || 09/17/2010 23:00 Comments || Top||

#13  CYAWP. Nah, never happens in the military. /s

...before several hundred troops at the European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany

Shouldn't be too hard to verify.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 09/17/2010 23:55 Comments || Top||



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Fri 2010-09-17
  Pope visit: Five suspected Islamist terrorists arrested over assassination plot
Thu 2010-09-16
  Dronezap waxes 12 bad boyz in North Wazoo
Wed 2010-09-15
  French parliament adopts ban on full-face veil
Tue 2010-09-14
  Dronezaps All Over the Place in North Wazoo
Mon 2010-09-13
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