Dec 1, 2007 at 8:15 PM by Political Chase
The editors of the American Bar Association Journal have chosen 100 blogs that they consider are the best Web sites by lawyers, for lawyers. Of those 100 blogs, they are letting the public vote on their favorites to ultimately determine ranking.
Two blogs that I regularly read, Glenn Greenwald and TalkLeft, are among the top 100 listed, and are in the “Politics for Sport” category. Here’s the catch. I hope you’ll vote for one of the two regardless, but would like you to strongly consider Glenn Greenwald.
First, let me make it clear no one has asked me to “campaign” for votes.
I think both blogs are very good and choosing one in particular is absolutely not a negative reflection on the other. I could give a long list of reasons why either blog should be selected, but Glenn Greenwald’s reporting and commentary on Constitutional issues and media reporting are provocatively exceptional. Furthermore, and more importantly, he has been influential and served as agent of change in important areas where principle was far more important than politics. For example: warrantless wiretapping and Fourth Amendment rights; the decline of the media from Fourth Estate status to serving as stenographers at best.
There are five blogs in the Politics for Sports category. Three are oriented to the right or extreme right, and the remaining two are TalkLeft and Glenn Greenwald.
You can cast your vote here.
Dec 1, 2007 at 3:46 PM by Political Chase
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| 1960 Democratic Convention |
The Democratic National Committee voted today to strip Michigan off all its delegates (156) to the national convention next year for scheduling an early primary election in violation of party rules. Michigan’s Democratic primary election is scheduled for January 15.
Michigan is the second state to be sanctioned for advancing its election. In August, the DNC’s rules panel similarly punished Florida for moving its primary to January 29. Democratic Party rules prohibit states other than Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina from holding nominating contests before Feb. 5.
In spite of the DNC’s decision today, Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer expressed optimism by saying he "expects the Democratic presidential nominee will insist the state’s delegates be seated at the convention." But his optimism may be unrealistic since all the major candidates have agreed not to campaign in states that violate DNC rules, a commitment that began with Florida’s decision to advance its primary election, and most will not be on the Michigan ballot.
Democratic candidates John Edwards, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson and Joe Biden have withdrawn their names from the ballot to satisfy Iowa and New Hampshire, which were unhappy Michigan was challenging their leadoff status on the primary calendar.
That leaves Hillary Rodham Clinton, Dennis Kucinich, Chris Dodd, Mike Gravel and "uncommitted," as the choices on the Democratic ballot in Michigan.
This is a no-win situation. The democratic process is compromised by candidates not campaigning in given states and delegates not participating, as well as the potential for corruption, which I discussed at length previously.
The nomination process needs to be revised, but states frog-leaping is not the answer. It has been many years since a party’s nominee (Democratic or GOP) was actually determined at the convention, which historically was the primary objective of the convention. Instead the conventions have given way to crowing the nominee — pre-determined by the results of primary elections prior to the convention — and providing an opportunity to broadly advertise the party’s candidate and platform via television coverage.
Dec 1, 2007 at 1:36 PM by Political Chase
The Bush administration and GOP presidential candidates, especially Saint Rudy of 9/11, repeatedly accuse Democrats of being soft on terrorism. Their claim is preposterous, but it has been and continues to be very successful. It is also hypocritical as evidenced by the administration’s plans to cut funding for domestic counterterrorim.
The Bush administration intends to slash counterterrorism funding for police, firefighters and rescue departments across the country by more than half next year, according to budget documents obtained by The Associated Press.
As the 2008 campaigns swing into full motion, there is little doubt the GOP’s soft-on-terrorism strategy will rise to unprecedented heights. Democratic strategists should not wait for the attacks and then try to defend themselves against it - it has never worked in the past and will not in the future. Instead, armed with facts, such as the above, Democrats should initiate a priority offensive on national security that is widely broadcast and repeated constantly. Debunk the baseless Republican claims from the onset.
The Republican party is crumbling — thanks to George Bush — and the only weapon remaining in their campaign war chest is their perceived, albeit incorrect, strength on national security. Some may assert Republicans have an edge on immigration, but that, in my opinion is derived more from what their base wants. The GOP candidates are all over the place when it comes to immigration, and historical flip-flops on the issue will be the demon of front-runners Romney and Giuliani.
Regardless of how the war in Iraq evolves, national security will be the issue. Immigration is a close second, but when put in the proper perspective, it is a sub-set of national security. No one can argue against the need to protect our borders, but keeping potential terrorists out and mitigating what they may achieve after the fact seems to be a much greater priority than stopping immigrants looking for jobs.
I’m not saying that Democrats should base their campaigns on fear-mongering and abandon the hope and vision Barack Obama and John Edwards fervently seek. I am saying discredit with vigor and facts, the baseless strategy Republicans have already begun to employ and has been proven too often to be successful.
Dec 1, 2007 at 11:53 AM by Political Chase
Today is World AIDS Day
