Your Governor is Worse Than Ours

Democrats finding their balls FAIL

Lieberman stays.

He did lose his chairmanship of an irrelevant subcommittee though. Whoopdy do.

I suppose there is some good news here for President Obama. If Senate Dems won't stand up to a traitor in their midst, they sure as hell aren't going to stand up to the President. He now has a rubber stamp legislature.

Howard Dean was right

When Howard Dean was elected chairman of the DNC after his largely media-driven primary defeat in 2004, he shocked the political world with novel concept:

The Democrats should compete in all 50 states.

Ridiculous! Nonsense! If the 2004 election taught us anything its that Karl Rove was a mastermind that had succeeded in relegating the Democrats to permanent minority status. Many, including far too many Democrats, took this as gospel and denounced Dean as a pie in the sky dreamer. The Democrats, it seemed, would never win another Presidential election without Florida and couldn't break through the Republican congressional majorities. They were, as the insane Zell Miller said, "a national party no more."

Then something magical happened. The strategy started paying off. In 2005, Dean's DNC raised an off-year record $51 million and prepared to spend it in 2006. Now, to be fair, the Bush administration's gross mismanagement of everything from the war in Iraq to evacuating New Orleans certainly helped, but the 2006 Democrats were competitive in states they would not have considered with another chairman.

As you know, the Democrats swept into power in both houses of congress that year. It was as President Bush so eloquently put it, "a thumpin." The long derided "San Francisco liberal" Nancy Pelosi was now the first female speaker of the house in US history and with the Democrats held a narrow majority in the Senate thanks to pick ups in states like Montana and Virginia. Yes, the 50-state strategy strikes again. After 2006, the 2008 congressional election results were never really in dispute. Even Republicans, who were defending more seats, conceded it wouldn't go well. The only question was how close to the filibuster proof 60 Senate seats the Democrats would come. The election was even more favorable to Democrats than we had hoped, and gains in Virginia (again), Oregon, New Mexico, and Colorado among others have the Democrats sitting at 57. Three states still remain to be decided. It looks more and more like Alaska will go to a Democrat and Minnesota candidate Al Frankken trails by only 206 votes in a race headed to a recount. In the unlikely event they could pick up Georgia, a 60 seat Senate majority is still possible.

The big story in 2008 was, naturally, the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. The 50-state strategy was a cornerstone of Obama's campaign even in the primaries. He focused on gaining delegates in all corners of the country, competing in states like Alaska and North Dakota that Hillary Clinton never bothered to visit. Once nominated, the large sums of money Obama raised allowed him to again compete in every corner of the nation. Before all was said and done, Obama had run adds in states as red as Montana (Bush won by 20 pts in 2004) and North Dakota (Bush won by 27 pts in 2004). While ultimately Obama did not win these states, he kept both close, losing Montana by only 3% and North Dakota by 8%. He did successfully pick off other extremely red states like Indiana (Bush in 2004 won by 21%) and North Carolina where Bush won by 12%. In all, Obama flipped 9 states from red to blue on his way to 365 electoral votes. He most recently won 1 EV from Nebraska, who splits its electoral vote by congressional district.

So Howard Dean is looking pretty good right now. His "crazy" 50-state strategy has resulted in huge Democratic congressional majorities and a President with a governing mandate. Congrats Governor.

The Lieberman Problem

There are three Senate seats that remain undecided (Alaska, Georgia, and Minnesota) and while the Democratic pickups mean they are comfortably over 51 seats, it appears that they will fall short of the filibuster proof 60 they were shooting for. It is, of course, possible that the Democrats could still reach that number, but I just don't see Georgia going into their column. Since no one received over 50% of the vote, that race will go to a runoff and without Barack Obama on the ballot, Democratic challenger Jim Martin is unlikely to do as well as he has a 2nd time.

So with the majority locked in and 60 apparently out of reach, the question is now what to do with Joe Lieberman?

Lieberman very publicly continued his slow break with the Democratic Party in this year's election, backing his friend John McCain, going so far as to speak at the Republican National Convention and attack Barack Obama as a possible Marxist and not committed to America. Nasty stuff even for a turncoat.

The Connecticut Senator has been a thorn in the Democrats side for a long time. He supported censure for Bill Clinton following the Lewinsky affair and has spent his career as an advocate for censorship in the entertainment industry. Al Gore's selection of Lieberman for VP likely cost Gore enough votes from the left to lose the presidency (kind of) to George W. Bush. His vocal and adamant support for the Iraq War led to a primary challenge from Ned Lamont in 2006. Lieberman lost the race and immediately filed to run for his seat as an independent. Joe opted to caucus with the Democrats after winning the three way race, but his continued support for the war and serving as a McCain/Palin attack dog have Democrats seeing red.

So here we are. It seems the Democrats have three options:

1. Do nothing.

Totally unacceptable. I'm all for bi-partisan cooperation, but you don't get to call the President-elect a Marxist and be welcomed back with open arms. Sorry Joe (not really).

2. Boot him from the Democratic caucus and his committee chairmanship.

While this would be the most satisfying to Democrats nationwide, nothing would please the smug and sanctimonious Lieberman happier than being made into a martyr by nasty partisan Democrats. I can already hear him whining about how he put principal over party. Gag me.

Strategically, the Democrats would create an enemy in a legislative chamber where any one member can basically stymie legislation for days on end through a filibuster. The Republicans would welcome Joe to their ranks and portray him as a hero. Its unlikely they would ever fully trust him, such is the lonely life of a turncoat, but he would be a useful PR tool for a party desperately in need of one.

No. The dangers of turning him into a martyr and poster boy for the Republicans outweigh the emotional satisfaction of publicly humiliating him.

3. Strip him of his chairmanship, do not force him from the caucus.

This would seem to be the best of both worlds. Lieberman pays the price for his disloyalty by losing his beloved chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, but cannot say the mean old Democrats drove him from the party. The chairmanship change can be spun as a simple difference of ideology.

Also, if Senate Democrats do this, Lieberman will probably leave the caucus of his own free will. We'll be rid of him, but without creating a hero for Republicans.

Its a long way off, but hopefully Connecticut voters will make this a moot point by voting him out of office in 2012.

President Obama

The Ballot Measures: Prop 12

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 12 - VETERANS’ BOND ACT OF 2008.

Vote: NO

I have opted for a NO vote on Prop 12, but could have easily gone the other way. Our veterans certainly need assistance, but is this really the way to do it?

- Veterans Affairs are clearly a responsibility of the federal government. When the state is deep in the red, can we afford to pick up the tab simply because the feds will do nothing? Our state's senior Senator is one of the more powerful members of the US Senate. She should be fighting for federal dollars for California's veterans.

- The program this measure funds discriminates against most veterans. In order to qualify for a loan, a veteran must have served in a time of war. The timing of when you enlisted should not affect your benefits as a veteran.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 11

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 11 - REDISTRICTING.

Vote: NO

Prop 11 is nothing short of a mess and can only make things in this state worse. Redistricting worked just fine for years until the Republican Party became so desperate to stop the bleeding of seats that they conspired with their Democratic colleagues to gerrymander the state into completely unswingable districts. As it currently stands, neither party has any realistic shot at gaining or losing seats in the State Legislature.

The roots of this go back to Pete Wilson. His brilliant idea to demonize latinos effectively wiped out the Republican Party in California. The only things that could save them from total oblivion were rigged districts and an Austrian weightlifter. The Democrats were all too happy to bury the Republicans in a permanent minority for the next decade.

A weak and nearly dead Republican Party is the problem here. They are incapable of launching any effective opposition to the Democrats and instead opt to paralyze state government. Prop 11, and every other redistricting measure they have tried to pass recently, is nothing more than the Republicans asking you to help them out of a hole they dug themselves.

Just say no.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 10

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 10 - ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES AND RENEWABLE ENERGY.

Vote: YES

Its not easy to support Prop 10 because of its backer. Oil billionaire, swift boater, and world class asshole T. Boone Pickens is behind the measure. It is part of the "Pickens Plan" you've been seeing commercials about.

Pickens aside, I've decided to back the measure.

Oil is going to run out and we as a society need to take steps to ween ourselves from it. The pain everyone felt when gas prices passed $4 this summer is only a preview of things to come. Prop 10 starts to move us away from oil.

The measure would spend $1.25 billion to fund research and development of green energy, primarily solar. Additionally, it would provide $3.425 billion "to help consumers and others purchase certain high fuel economy or alternative fuel vehicles, including natural gas vehicles, and to fund research into alternative fuel technology." The natural gas is, of course, Pickens' scheme. Lumping natural gas into an "alternative energy" measure is disingenuous, but its certainly not a deal breaker for me.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 9

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 9 - CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. VICTIMS’ RIGHTS. PAROLE.

Vote: NO

A harsh stance? Perhaps, but absolutely necessary to keep any measure of impartiality in our justice system. I have nothing but sympathy for victims of crime, but allowing victims to have an "opportunity for input during phases of criminal justice process, including bail, pleas, sentencing and parole" will lead to the interjection of emotion into judicial decisions. Beyond that, the provisions included in this measure to extend the time between parole hearings would continue to overcrowd our already overflowing prisons.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 8

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 8 - ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME–SEX COUPLES TO MARRY.

Vote: NO

The thought process behind the "Yes on 8" folks is something I will never fully comprehend. Why, WHY do people who aren't gay care so god damned much what gay people do with their lives?

Prop 8 is a truly vile measure that would write discrimination into the California constitution. The Republican packed state supreme court ruled that the state's equal protection clause applies to marriage and this would take that away. Fortunately, Attorney General Brown insisted that the measure be truthful in its goal before it could go on the ballot: eliminating rights.

Beyond the blatant bigotry, the "protecting traditional marriage" arguments don't hold water either. Marriage is not one-man/one-woman to everyone even in this country(*cough*fundamentalist mormons*cough*) and up until recent times it was largely for property rights more than anything else. Also, traditional marriage is crumbling just fine on its own as this country has a 50% divorce rate. Allowing gays to marry isn't going to damage anyone's marriage.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 7

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 7 - RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION.

Vote: YES

The utility monopolies are up in arms about this one and that should be your first indication that this is a good move. The measure would mandate 20% of our energy be generated from renewables by 2010, increasing to 50% by 2025. Not surprisingly, the power companies are saying it can't be done.

Sometimes a state mandate is required to move forward. Look at AB 939, the California Integrated Waste Management Act. It set specific goals of how much waste had to be diverted from California landfills. It couldn't be done they said at the time. Today, few jurisdictions in the state are failing to meet their diversion requirements and many exceed the mandate.

Prop 7 sets a goal that our state must strive for.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 6

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 6 - POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT FUNDING. CRIMINAL PENALTIES AND LAWS.

Vote: NO

Prop 6 is too expensive and an unwise allocation of resources. At a time when our state is practically broke, the proponents of this measure are asking voters to approve a $1 billion dollar annual increase in prison funding. Perhaps if more common sense measures like Prop 5 passed, we wouldn't have a shortage of beds in our state prisons.

Worth noting, the official state analysis of this law points out that if it passes, in addition to the $1 billion annually, the state is looking at another $500 million to build new prisons.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 5

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 5 - NONVIOLENT DRUG OFFENSES. SENTENCING,
PAROLE AND REHABILITATION.

Vote: YES

This was a tough one to call, though probably not for the reasons you imagine. Keeping non-violent drug offenders out of our already overcrowded prisons is absolutely the right way to go and this measure is a good step in that direction.

My issue with the measure is the funding. Ballot measures that allocate budget dollars are a big part of the reason our budget is perpetually late and thrown together like a patchwork quilt. Here though, we have a situation where the measure will pay for itself and then some. This state spends an obscene amount of money to incarcerate people. There is no reason to waste money locking up people who just want a harmless high.

The Ballot Measures: Addendum to Prop 2

According a study by the University of California Agricultural Issues Center, Proposition 2 would result in "the almost complete elimination of egg production in California within the six-year adjustment period." [1] This study claims that because of the difference in prices between eggs produced by caged and cage-free hens, egg producers would shift their production to other states. This is important because not only will the Californian economy suffer, but the proposition will be rendered useless as well, as egg producers will continue to produce eggs from caged hens in other states. Because of this dilemma, an additional law should be passed which requires that all eggs sold in California meet the standards of Proposition 2.



However, one may argue that Californians will be forced to pay higher prices for the non-caged eggs they consume, which will excessively burden consumers. Let's examine this claim more closely. The average price that consumers pay for eggs each year can be calculated by multiplying the total number of eggs each person consumes by the cost per egg. According to the UC study, the average Californian consumed 187 eggs per year in 2007. Additionally, in 2008, the average prices for one dozen caged and cage-free white eggs were $2.92 and $3.69, respectively.

Yearly Per Capita Cost of Caged Eggs = 187 * $2.92 / 12 = $45.50
Yearly Per Capita Cost of Cage-Free Eggs = 187 * $3.69 / 12 = $57.50
Yearly Per Capita Price Differential = $12

The cost of buying cage-free eggs is only $12 per person, per year. This is hardly excessive. The vast majority of people in California can afford to buy cage-free eggs. Honestly, everyone should already be buying cage-free eggs at these prices. Especially the cocksuckers in LA and Orange counties who are driving Mercedes and BMWs.

Reference

1. Sumner, Rosen-Molina, Matthews, Mench and Richter, "Economic Effects of Proposed Restrictions on Egg-laying Hen Housing in California." University of California Agricultural Issues Center, http://aic.ucdavis.edu/publications/eggs/egginitiative.pdf, July 2008.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 4

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 4 - WAITING PERIOD AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION BEFORE TERMINATION OF MINOR’S PREGNANCY

Vote: NO

Sometimes people just don't get the message. This is the third time right wing religious zealots have put this measure on the ballot. It was defeated twice and hopefully it will be defeated again.

Family relationships are not something governments can legislate. Requiring a physician to notify a teenager's parents prior to performing an abortion puts teenage girls in danger. If these girls could talk to their family, the likely would have done so already. Girls who can't talk to their parents, for whatever reason, may opt for risky illegal abortions instead.

Worth noting from the LA Times:

The story behind "Sarah's Law" says a lot about it. "Sarah" was, according to Proposition 4 supporters, a 15-year-old girl who died from an abortion gone wrong 14 years ago, a death that might have been prevented had her parents been notified beforehand. Much of that is false. The girl's name wasn't Sarah; she lived in Texas, not California; and though she was 15, she already had a child and was in a common-law marriage, which means she wouldn't have been covered by the law Californians are being asked to consider.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 3

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 3 - CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL BOND ACT

Vote: NO

He's not going to oppose a children's hospital bond is he? Yes he is.

As I mentioned in the Prop 1A post, it is my sincere belief that bonds are the wrong way to fund state projects unless there is an overwhelming need.

To put it simply, there is no need here. The prop would authorize a $980 million dollar bond, which by the time its paid back would cost the state $2 billion. Only four years ago, voters authorized $750 million in bonds to construct children's hospitals. They have not spent this money yet.

As multiple newspapers have stated, now is just not the time for this. The entire country is hemorrhaging money and while this is a noble endeavor, they need to use the money they already have before asking for more.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 2

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 2 - STANDARDS FOR CONFINING FARM ANIMALS

Vote: YES

Prop 2 is common decency and to be perfectly honest, I don't really want to know anyone who would vote against this measure. It calls for veal calves, egg-laying hens, and pregnant pigs to "be confined only in ways that allow these animals to lie down, stand up, fully extend their limbs and turn around freely." A diabolical socialist plot if I've ever heard one...

I am a meat eater and am not trying to convert anyone to vegetarianism, but there is no reason imaginable to make these creatures' lives a living hell. Raising an animal for food and treating it humanely are not mutually exclusive ideas.

The Ballot Measures: Prop 1A

Over the next couple weeks, we at Skynet will be bringing you our suggestions regarding the 12 ballot measures that qualified for the November 4th election.

Prop 1A - SAFE, RELIABLE HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER TRAIN BOND ACT

Vote: YES

We are normally not in favor of using bonds to pay for things the state should be laying out tax dollars for (although, bonds are paid off with tax money so don't let the right wing fool you) because its essentially using a credit card and the state ends up paying about twice as much as the bond is initally issued for due to interest. Periodically though, a bond is proposed for something the state truly needs and that is the case with Prop 1A.

The Prop is not without its flaws. As we mentioned above, the funding source is wrong and the route is hardly ideal. Overall though, the need to establish a beachhead for high speed rail in this country is imperative. A $57, 2 hour 44 minute trip from Irvine to Sacramento? Sign me up.

As America wrings her hands over energy independence, the need for reliable public transportation is overlooked. The railroads are woefully underused in this country for the transport of people. Amtrak is a mess and many major cities don't even have an adequate light rail system yet (for example, Phoenix, the 5th largest city in the country, is only now building such a system). We have an opportunity to once again make California the nation's leader in somthing other than smog.

The 3rd Party Problem

Third parties have never really caught on in this country. We went from Democrats vs Whigs to Democrats vs Republicans. When you look at the multi-party chaos in countries like Canada and Italy, its hard to want too many parties on the scene, but someone to keep the Democrats and Republicans honest wouldn't be a bad idea. Unfortunately, the American third party movement has a lot of problems. The two biggest are that they are largely personality driven or prone to fringe politics. The only serious third party challenges to the existing power structure have come from a power hungry Teddy Roosevelt, segregationists like George Wallace and Strom Thurmond, and a Texas billionaire with a Napoleon complex named H. Ross Perot. When you look at the sorry state of the 2008 3rd party candidates, you can see there is no end to the two party system in sight:

Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez (Peace & Freedom Party/Independent)

Oh how far Ralph Nader has fallen... THE consumer advocate of the 20th century is now a shell of his former self, running yet another self-aggrandizing and ultimately self-defeating campaign for the Presidency. His fall from grace is not entirely his fault though. He's still blamed by many for Gore's 2000 loss, but lets be realistic, his 2000 voters weren't going to vote for Gore anyway. I myself cast my vote for him after Gore's disasterous pick of Joe Lieberman finally pushed me off the reservation. Since no one could have forseen just how bad George W. Bush would actually turn out to be, I and other Nader voters would have just picked a different 3rd party candidate for our protest vote. This time, he's once again abandoned the Green Party and is running as an independent in most states. Here in California he'll appear on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket. Their Presidential candidate in 2004? Federal inmate Leonard Peltier (#89637-132).

Bob Barr/Wayne Allen Root (Libertarian)

What can you say about the irony of having a guy who tried to impeach President Clinton for a blowjob running as the "keep Government out of our lives" candidate? Libertarians, who may have goofy and utterly impractical political beliefs in a nation of 300 million people, at least used to have principles. This time, they've sold those out for a disgruntled Republican on an ego trip. To be fair, their alternative candidate was no better. Proudly bankrupt Mike Gravel ran against Barr after he was laughed off the Democratic primary stage. Harry Browne is rolling over in his grave...

Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente (Green Party)

Although she's never really spoken out on the environment, Cynthia McKinney would seem to be the only one on this list that is actually good for her party were it not for the personal baggage she carries around with her. McKinney, a former Democrat, was the first black woman to represent Georgia in the US House and prior to that, she pulled of the remarkable feat of winning 40% of the vote in a Georgia house race while living in Jamaica. McKinney made a name for herself in the house championing liberal causes like banning the use of depleted uranium ammunition. The wheels began to come of the wagon after September 11th when she made statements that seemed to support the idea that the government was in on it. Sorry Truthers, the same government that can't deliver water to people after a hurricane blew up the World Trade Center? No, they aren't that competent. She touched the real third rail of American politics when she dared to question our no-strings aid to Israel, which naturally led to unfair charges of anti-semitism from people incapable of distinguishing between the Israeli government and the Jewish people. After introducing articles of impeachment against Bush, Cheney, and Condoleeza Rice, slapping a capitol police officer, and wasting the House's time calling for an investigation into the death of Tupac Shakur (really?) her congressional career came to an unceremonious end in 2006 after losing a Primary runoff.

Alan Keyes/Wiley Drake (American Independent Party)

Alan Keyes has made a career out of losing political races and losing badly. In fact, in 2008 he failed to secure the Republican and Constitution Party nominations for President and instead formed another party of his own. So this third party candidate is literally on his third party of the year! Keyes has now run for President for three times and Senate three times, most recently being beaten by Barack Obama in 2004 when he pulled in only 27% of the vote. Following the loss, Keyes suggested we abolish the 17th amendment and the principle of popularly elected Senators. Keyes' political views can best be described as to the right of Atila the Hun. He famously stated Jesus wouldn't vote for Barack Obama because he is pro-choice and that gays are all "selfish hedonists" which yes, included the vice-President's daughter Mary Cheney (he was asked if he really mean this and yes, he did). Ironically, his own daughter has come out of the closet and is now a prominent lesbian activist.

Chuck Baldwin/Darrell Castle (Constitution Party)

No one can really be sure if the Constitution Party is in favor of the US Constitution or that of the Confederate States of America. Chuck Baldwin is a radio talk show host, Baptist preacher, and apparent white supremacist. He is a member of a Southern secessionist movement and appeared on a talk show where the host decried The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as "white genocide" for depicting interracial relationships. Need I go on? No wonder Alan Keyes couldn't win their nomination...

Honestly, the third party question is completely moot for me this year because I long ago signed on to support Senator Obama, but who knows what we'll be faced with going forward? A legitimate, sane 3rd party candidate not on a personal ego trip sure would be nice one of these decades...

U.S. Meddling in Latin America

The United States is not and has rarely been a friend to Latin America. We have placed our economic interests ahead of human rights in Latin America for the past 160 years. This trend continues today and is the reason why we have problems in Cuba and Venezuela. For a history of interventions by the U.S. government, including attempted and successful assassinations, coups and invasions, read these two webpages:

U.S. Interventions in Latin America
CIA Meddling in Latin America

The Palin Drip-Drip-Drip

The Sarah Palin debacle would be funny if a 72 year old man wasn't proposing to put her a heartbeat away from the Presidency. Today, on day four of the McCain/Palin era, still more came out about the Republican's moose hunting vice-Presidential nominee:

Palin Served as a Director of Senator Ted "Series of Tubes" Stevens 527 Group

From 2003 to 2005, Palin was a Director of Ted Stevens' 527 group that "was designed to serve as a political boot camp for Republican women in the state." Stevens, as you will recall, is under indictment for corruption and is facing a double-digit loss in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat dogcatcher since 'Nam.

Read the full story here...

Palin Hires a Lawyer in Troopergate

The Governor has hired an attorney to defend her in the ongoing corruption probe in Alaska. On July 28th of this year, the Alaska legislature hired an independent investigator to see if the Governor acted improperly in firing a public safety official who refused to fire her former brother in law.

Read the full story here...

Another Inappropriate Firing?

Troopergate is not the first time Palin has been accused of abusing her power. She was the focus of a possible recall over firing a police chief and library director after her election as Mayor of the bustling metropolis of Wasilla (pop 6000). I see a pattern here.

Read the full story here...

Palin's 17 Year Old Daughter is Pregnant

Not really a scandal, but probably not the news they wanted to come out so soon after her selection.

Read the full story here...

Sarah Palin Loves the Pledge of Allegiance

When asked if she is offended by the term "under god" in the pledge of allegiance, Palin responded thusly:

Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance.

The pledge was written in 1892 and "under god" wasn't inserted until 1954 in the midst of the Red Scare to root out the "godless Communists." The Founding Fathers were not involved.

Read the full story here...

Introducing Skynet: Califrornia

Three and a half years ago, I brought you Recall Arnold Schwarzengger and while our small but loyal readership greatly enjoyed what was one of the first blogs to lambaste the hapless Schwarzenegger administration, ultimately I just ran out of gas. The gridlock in Sacramento was never ending and the Angelides "campaign" sucked the political life out of me. I was adrift...

No more.

Today I and Allende's Ghost are proud to bring you Skynet: California. Since we are both lifelong residents of The Golden State, it will have a slight California lean to it, but unlike Recall Schwarzenegger, the focus will primarily be on national and international politics. All from a left wing perspective...naturally. If the right wing goons don't call us "moonbats", we aren't doing our job.

So, what can you expect to find here? While, seeing as how its election season, you will probably be seeing a lot of pieces on the train wreck McCain/Palin campaign. We won't just hammer the Republicans though. Oh no. Large swaths of the Democratic Party are just as bad and will be called out for their failures (I'm looking at you Dianne Feinstein...). The election is only a start. This is the dysfunctional American government we're talking about here, so there will be no shortage of things to bitch about. While my focus may be on day-to-day issues, Allende's Ghost will be bringing you some bigger picture items. For example, I'm told one of his first pieces will be on electronic surveillance. Neither of us are pigeonholed though and will rant about anything that we damn well please.

The Skynet Team

GovernorGrayDavis

- Named after our deposed Governor.
- Reluctant member of the Democratic Party since 1998.
- Former California State Assembly Staff Member

Allende's Ghost

- Named after Chilean President Salvador Allende, who was murdered by the CIA so the brutal pro-Washington dictator Augusto Pinochet could seize power.
- Staunch Dennis Kucinich supporter.
- Defense industry mole.