Avendon has so much great stuff today, I can’t pick one. Go read it all.

Another version of events

August 12, 2013August 12, 2013 ~ susie ~ 3 Comments

Boy, they really convince themselves we don’t have memories, don’t they?

WASHINGTON — A former top aide to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) fired back at the Obama administration this weekend, challenging the president’s assertion Friday that he welcomed a debate on privacy and national security and that Congress had been fully briefed.

Jennifer Hoelzer was a longtime aide to Wyden until recently, and vented her frustration in a way she couldn’t as his communications director or deputy chief of staff. Hoelzer wrote on TechDirt that she was stunned to see President Obama claim he wanted such a conversation after she had worked for years to beg and plead with the administration to declassify material so that an actual debate could take place.

Really, Mr. President? Do you really expect me to believe that you give a damn about open debate and the democratic process? Because it seems to me if your Administration was really committed those things, your Administration wouldn’t have blocked every effort to have an open debate on these issues each time the laws that your Administration claims authorizes these programs came up for reauthorization, which — correct me if I am wrong — is when the democratic process recommends as the ideal time for these debates.

For example, in June 2009, six months before Congress would have to vote to reauthorize Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which the Obama Administration claims gives the NSA the authority to collect records on basically every American citizen — whether they have ever or will ever come in contact with a terrorist — Senators Wyden, Feingold and Durbin sent Attorney General Eric Holder a classified letter “requesting the declassification of information which argued was critical for a productive debate on reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act.”

Go read the whole thing, it’s terrific. And horrifying.

Anybody but Cory Booker

August 12, 2013August 13, 2013 ~ susie ~ 1 Comment

Many of the NJ voters I know tell me they’ll vote for Cory Booker in the Democratic senatorial primary “because he can win.” But Jersey is a blue state; whoever gets the nomination is likely to win. So why Booker? They like him. They like him the same way people like Chris Christie: They like his personality, and that’s enough.

I’ll be honest: I don’t trust the man. I’m a professional skeptic, and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t tell you why.

Let me put it this way: If you want to risk a Manchurian candidate who, while running as a nominal Democrat, is and has been deeply entrenched with the vulture capitalists and their disaster capitalism education “reform”, grew up in and has never rejected the extreme religious right (while selling himself as gay-friendly, he’s cultivated the same extremist movement that has promoted homophobia in Uganda and benefited from their mythology of Newark’s “transformation,” is steeped in Wall Street money and philosophy and is deeply admired by the usual right-wing think tanks, you should vote for Cory Booker in tomorrow’s NJ Senate primary.

The charming, tweeting Cory Booker (stop me if this sounds familiar) was first identified and mentored years ago by the same elements against which we eternally fight. The Powers That Be, powerful people steeped in sales and marketing, realized how much easier it would be to sell their anti-democratic, un-American agendas if they could recruit some exemplary black Democrats as cover for their packaging of privatized education as the “civil rights issue of our time.” Guess who fits that bill?

And Cory Booker, cheerleader for privatized schools, school vouchers and friend of Michelle Rhee, wants to be president. So he’s happy to take that deal.

There’s more background on Cory Booker than you can absorb in a day, so I’ll just stick to the highlights.

First: Cory Booker is very, very tight with the religious right wing — but he’s also very careful about what he says, since he hopes to run for president and cultivates strong LGBT support. The problem is, he hangs with the Dominionists. Is this a case of “I’ll work with anybody who wants to help my city”, or is there something more?

He’s very religious himself. So where are the lines he won’t cross? Is it okay for Democrats to validate any parts of the right-wing agenda that’s politically convenient?
Continue reading “Anybody but Cory Booker” →

Virtually Speaking Sunday

August 11, 2013 ~ susie

Virtually Speaking Sundays – Aug 11 – 6p PT/9p ET

Political & social commentators David Dayen and Stuart Zechman compare notes from their observations, investigations and considerations of the past week: banksters, regulators and homeowners; surveillance and “security.”

Culture of Truth satirizes the Sunday Morning talk shows. Jay Ackroyd moderates. Follow @DDayen @Stuart_Zechman @JayAckroyd @Bobblespeak

Listen live or later: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/virtuallyspeaking/2013/08/12/david-dayen-stuart-zechman-virtually-speaking-sundays

Everyone I know refers to this as “Christie’s campaign ad.” So now we know:

According to a report in the Asbury Park Press, a new ad campaign dubbed “Stronger Than The Storm” stars Christie and his family. The ad campaign is costing taxpayers almost $5 million. The price tag comes in $2 million higher than a bid denied by the Governor’s administration from a competing firm. The ads are part of a $25 million dollar state tourism fund given to New Jersey in the Sandy relief bill.

“The contract documents shine new light on the role Christie administration officials had in the new TV commercials, which are controversial because they give Christie more exposure during a gubernatorial election year, and also because they introduce him to voters in other states in advance of a possible 2016 presidential campaign. The top official on the selection committee, appointed by Christie, once received a $49,000 loan from Christie when he was the U.S. attorney for New Jersey.”

The heavy payday for MWW (the firm winning the bid) is $2.2 million higher than what was sought by the competing firm, Sigma Group. Shannon Morris, president and owner of Sigma Group, said she doesn’t have a clear understanding of how her firm lost the bid. Of the four bidders, MWW and Sigma were selected based on technical scoring by state officials for a final round of negotiations. They were also the two lowest-priced bids.

“I don’t know how you can qualify that as the best value for the state,” Morris said of MWW’s $4.7 million contract compared to Sigma’s $2.5 million offer. “You have two equally reputable firms and it’s debatable if one is better than the other. And in a competition like that it should come down to price, especially when you’re dealing with something as sensitive as Sandy recovery funding. To make a decision that spends $2 million more on agencies leaves me scratching my head. I don’t understand it.”

Here comes the interesting part about the two bidding companies. The two bidders had different views on how the campaign should be run. MWW wanted to put Christie in the ads. The other bidder, Sigma Group, did not. MWW won the contract- regardless of their demanding $2.2 million more. Is it possible that the official, who received a $49,000 loan from the Governor, made a bias decision in choosing ads that featured the Governor during his reelection? Seems likely.

H/T Thomas Soldan
malpractice attorney.

Category: Politics As Usual

Morally bankrupt

Speaking truth to stupid

Another version of events

Anybody but Cory Booker

Virtually Speaking Sunday

Seniors turning against GOP

When you’ve lost Van Jones

Chris Christie’s stealth campaign ads

Boxing in Edward Snowden

Virtually Speaking on now