As you may know, Dennis Kucinich introduced 35 Articles of Impeachment against President Bush about a month ago. It was immediately pushed into “committee” where everyone can forget about it because the idea of accountability, along with the Constitution, has also been raped and walled up in an unused portion of Big Government’s basement.

Sign Kucinich’s petition to push these articles. Maybe, just maybe, the congress we elected two years ago could get something important - and meaningful - done before the Criminal leaves office.

Glad to see Kucinich stand up. Sad to see so few others do the same.

I hate to bring up such a sad subject at such a tough time but, considering times don’t appear headed for wild wonderfulness any year soon and the subject’s too important to ignore, here goes:

With the hospitalizations of two of the Senate longest reigning Democrats, Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who will be our new lions? Do we have any in the making?

Vermont’s newest Senator, long-time Socialist House Rep, Bernie Sanders is already proving to be a fire brand. But he arrived in the upper house a bit late. Wellstone is dead. Corzine, who showed promise, went to be governor of New Jersey. We’ll have to see if Hillary and Barack remain in the Senate after this year (some speculation has Hillary being handed the governorship of New York on a platter, but I’d love to see what resigned-gov Eliot Spitzer’s replacement, David Patterson as the state’s first leader of color, will do).

Have any contenders we should watch for?

Hillary Clinton’s convincing win in West Virginia has convinced me that we need a real convention and not some made-for-TV pseudo-event. That is the only fair way out of the present mess. (more…)

I won’t pretend that I’m not bitter, sad, and very angry that Democratic presidential nominee candidate John Edwards suspended his campaign yesterday. I thought he and his wife, Elizabeth, and many fine Americans of all economic backgrounds, waged a brave and brilliant campaign that focused on something almost NO ONE else in this campaign, short of Dennis Kucinich who dropped out last week: the rising majority of Americans suffering at the bankrupting of America by Republican rule and Democrat-capitulation.

We ALL lost, regardless of your party or preferred candidate, when we let the media and the Republican party turn this race only into an Obama-Clinton slugfest, and let Edwards get pushed ever back and finally out of contention. Unlike most - virtually ALL - presidential candidates since I became eligible to vote in 1980, I really believe Edwards meant just about everything he said. And that Elizabeth, with incurable cancer, insisted he run AND participated with him, impressed the hell out of me.

As much as I can’t imagine voting for ANYONE but a Democrat in November, I do not feel either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton speak for the majority of Americans. I think they, at another time, would be viewed as somewhat moderate Republicans. But, as I’ve said, if Republicans won’t elect moderate Republicans to office, why the hell should the Democrats. All I can do is hope that we hold their feet to the fire if one of them wins Election 2008 and that they are just sounding “conservative” and ever so careful during the race, while they show less concern for millionaires and billionaires and corporations once they get to the Oval Office.

Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!

(Okay, a little overly dramatic.)

In order to focus on his Congressional re-election in November and due to very little in the way of voter support, Dennis Kucinich has pulled his name from the hat that is the Democratic Race for President. The only candidate who staunchly and always opposed the war and funding for the war - strength through peace, the only candidate who understood the evils of insurance company rule and pushed for the only not-for-profit healthcare plan, is gone from the national stage.

I’d tell you what he said in his speech, but he barely touched upon Iraq on Headline News - about 20 seconds into speaking - when they cut away. No other news station was carrying the speech or announcement.

I’d like to give you a link, but none of the news stations are reporting it, even though CNN had it’s “World’s End” red banner up half an hour before Fred Thompson dropped out.

No more media outlets have to vigorously work with lawyers to silence dissenting opinion, but even as he pulls out, the media have to be dicks about it.

I hope one of the three still running learned something from him, but their silence on his exclusion raises no hopes of that. And now I have to pick one of them before Ohio. This is going to take a lot of wine.

I’ve posted numerous times about some very odd questions that arose out of the New Hampshire presidential primary (the one Hillary Clinton for Democrats and John McCain for Republicans reportedly won) that brought Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich and GOPer Albert Howard demand a hand count. BradBlog has covered it even more extensively.

On the very first day of the hand count last week, we saw some big irregularities. Examples: Diebold-made machines registered no count on hundreds of optically-scanned paper ballots when the ballots themselves clearly marked a candidate; Hillary only maintained the higher votes in counties where electronic voting was used while Barack magically came out ahead in paper/hand-counted areas. All this played out WHILE New Hampshire’s Republican Secretary of State - and the red media, said everything was A-OK.

Yet, just a week later, with only one NH county examined (and even that, not fully examined), New Hampshire has stopped the recount because “funds ran out”. The Republican recount is supposed to start before this week ends (and we can only assume this count will also magically stop for funding issues, too).

And, through it all, the MSM pays no attention, as if a problem with voting in a small primary in a tiny state in January doesn’t bode for what’s to come in November when huge states will be relying even more heavily on electronic voting by machines already proven to be corrupt, fallible, and weighted toward anyone named Bush and those who serve King George.

Davis Fleetwood is a brilliant, brilliant man. Most recently known for his Kucinich campaign work, this post is pointed and aimed at Keith Olbermann and his parent company -NBC - who went to the Nevada Supreme Court to keep Dennis Kucinich out of that state’s debate after inviting him. Where’s the outrage, Keith? Where’s the integrity? Because he says it so much more eloquently, here’s Davis:

The blog at the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is dropping out of his bid for the Democratic nomination, abandoning his run for U.S. commander-in-chief in this november’s 2008 race. Kucinich stayed in throughout the 2004 race but this time, faced with challenges for his Congressional seat back home (says CPD), the one-of-a-kind presidential candidate says he does not want to risk losing his House of Representatives seat - where he is one of the most truly progressive hearts and minds to be found on Capitol Hill - and I certainly would hate to lose him there as well.

Whether you supported Kucinich or not - and I admit I’m leaning more towards John Edwards - I think we all lose when a man like Dennis is forced out of the race. Why? Because he stands for real issues and stands up for real people. It is a pitiful, quite obscene statement about what America has become if a person (and in Dennis’ case, the best kind of idealist) who wants the United States to actually BE all the positive things we like to say we are (leader of the free world, a democracy, a fair and just society where the “lowliest” of people can achieve their greatest dreams, a beacon of hope, a role model to the rest of the world, to name just a few).

If only those candidates who pander to the most extreme zealots who would rape and plunder the U.S. Constitution - not to mention human rights and global citizenry -with the insane and obscene claim it’s “for God’s sake” as we have with the right wing, or those who cater to the the wallets and whims of American corporations as we see with the most mainstream Democratic politicians including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and the more moderate Republicans - who also brown nose the Christian fascists and the richest of the Americans - such as John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, individual American citizens lose BIG TIME. We see it, too, with the almost rabid minimalization and ostracization of Democrat John Edwards who commits the “heresy” of trying to bravely represent the needs and dreams of even poorer working class Americans rather than the corporate money machine of the Democratic Leadership Committee (DLC).

We lose that which we claim to hold most dear when we allow a Dennis Kucinich or a John Edwards - or even a Ron Paul on the GOP side - to be forced out by those who use money and power and fear-mongering to transform our elections from being ABOUT the needs and dreams and votes of real American citizens and voters to what’s in the best interests of a General Electric, a Viacom, a Rupert Murdoch, a Halliburton, a Beatrice Foods, et al.

Shame on the media… but shame on us, too.

With all the talk the last few days of how critical it was that Barack Obama “won” a ruling in Nevada that permits caucuses in the casino areas (now there’s something our forefathers probably did not envision) so that workers, like the culinary workers union that threw its support behind Obama, can participate in the caucus process despite the fact the votes are held on a Saturday (today) which has to be a very busy workday on the strip, comes a point too often lost.

The point is this: voting rules and laws should always favor the best interests of all voters. For example, anything that can be done to make it easier - and yet still able to protect the integrity of the votes cast - for voters to cast their ballots can and should be done. Such rules should NOT be designed to favor one candidate or another. In fact, screw the candidates: it’s the voter’s interest that comes above all else.

The most egregious example we’ve ever seen - and I pray it will never be repeated - of the system being rigged for a specific candidate rather than the totality of the American voters came in the presidential election of 2000. And no, I’m not talking specifically about the Bush-Cheney subversion of the votes through outright thievery.

When Bush’s people, led by constant Bushie savior James Baker III, raced to the U.S. Supreme Court to be sure that the recount of votes in Florida was stopped (lest it was proven that indeed Gore won), Baker took a law designed to protect the voter and turned it magically into an argument that one single voter and candidate, namely our current Moron in Chief, would be irrevocably harmed if the Florida recount was permitted to continue to its logical conclusion.

Somehow (magically, through a packed court roster - though hardly as weighted to the extreme Bushian mindset as it is today), the Supreme Court not only let them get away with a total perversion of the laws, they rewarded Baker and Bush and Grand Evil Emperor Cheney with the presidency in a decision that boils down to “we can’t let Florida finish its recount because if it does, it’s likely Bush will lose, and that will hurt poor Georgie’s feelings and nobody ever says NO to Georgie and Dick(less).”

Thus, regardless of whether the court decision to allow Nevada voters to cast their caucus votes (and the caucus system is really a strange way to go, but that’s a whine - without the cheese and crackers - for another day) in a more convenient arena like casinos favors Hillary, Barack, John or Dennis, or hell, even the (choke) McCain-Lieberman ticket, the important issue is not which candidate benefits or is hurt, but that voters get to vote. This is exactly as it should be.

Like probably at least some of you, I watched the Tuesday Democratic debate in Las Vegas, the one that VERY WRONGLY excluded Dennis Kucinich, treated John Edwards like an afterthought, and played to something less than useful with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

First, I am sickened when candidates are excluded. I’m not necessarily in Kucinich’s camp (I’m still somewhat undecided) but with many already out (Biden, Dodd, Richardson), what possible excuse did MSNBC have for rescinding its invitation?

Second, can someone in the media at least PRETEND this is not simply a fight between Barack and Hillary? Pretty please, with voters’ hearts and minds on top? I want to hear from ALL the candidates; what I don’t need to hear is “the gloves are off” every three seconds and then questions that just play for Clinton and Obama, with no regard to either the other candidates or - even more importantly - what AMERICA WANTS AND NEEDS.

Third, Karl Rove and others in the Republican Party - whose candidates seem to be skating much of the nastiest attention focused on Democrats - are at it again, telling us WHO MUST be the Democratic presidential nominee. Can’t the Dems - pretty please - choose their own candidate this time around? We let them shape 2004 and steal both 2000 and 2004 in votes. Why should the Repugs choose both their candidate AND their opposition’s? And why does so little press go to Rove’s egregious, over-the-top play on stereotypes when knocking Obama while they focus attention solely on the white woman vs. black man issues?

New Hampshire starts recounting its votes today, based on the challenges by Democrat Dennis Kucinich (who SHOULD have been allowed to participate in the MSNBC Nevada debate Tuesday night and shame on MS/NBC for disinviting him) and Republican Albert Howard (yeah, I don’t know him either).

Having been through various parts of their count so far - and man, are they keeping away from the whole hand count/electronic count debate - I’ll find it interesting what they find. You can keep up with developments at the NH SoS official Web site here.

Note: not JUST the Dem votes get recounted here, so we might want to check for any “games” played on the Republican side as well.

The more the pool of NBC-sanctioned candidates shrinks, the more tragically boring the debates get. I’d write a mathematical equation, but let’s just say that this one sucked the most so far.

Short summary: Kucinich was punked, Everybody loves each other, no one has a true weakness, Hillary uses ninja attack once, and Chris Matthews is still an asshat.

Let’s itemize, shall we?

• Kucinich drama summary: NBC says “Hey, join us!” then says “Oops, hey forget about that thing we said.” Dennis sues and appeals court says “Heck yeah you should be there” and minutes before the debate the Nevada Supreme Court says “No dice.” NBC should be ashamed; the American people (and maybe the other candidates?) should at least act like they care.
• Everyone plays nice: the media-spewed race issue is no longer an issue. Yay! But toned-down issue foreshadowing of excitement level of rest of 2 hours. Boo.

(more…)

a.k.a., Shotgun Debate in Nevada. From the LA Times:

A Nevada judge said Monday that Democratic presidential candidate Dennis J. Kucinich must be included in today’s candidate debate in Nevada.

Senior Clark County District Judge Charles Thompson said if Kucinich was excluded, he would issue an injunction stopping the televised debate.

The judge sided with a lawyer for the Ohio congressman, who said MSNBC invited Kucinich to take part and then told him that he couldn’t.

“We disagree with the judge’s decision and are filing an appeal,” said a statement provided by Jeremy Gaines, a communications vice president for MSNBC.

He said the network would seek an immediate hearing before the Nevada Supreme Court.

MSNBC says they billed the debate as only the top 3 candidates, but I can swear I saw a promo for the “showdown” debate featuring Bill Richardson’s mug before he removed himself from the race.

MSNBC, there are two options here: Say “oops” and set up a fourth podium, or scramble to the Nevada Supreme Court and make complete asses of yourselves on a national stage to prove just how far you will go to silence minority opinion. Or might it be GE, your parent company, profiteer of a neverending War on Terror, that seeks to silence the only candidate who has voted against the War and its funding from the beginning?