Thanks for posting it.

As we head into the campaign, I think it would be good if we could compare the spots of the three frontrunners.

I’d like to see what kind of commercials Obama and Hillary are running, at about the same point in time.

Can you swing that?

We need to know what’s really driving our policy in Iraq…

I am more interested in the HOW than in the WHY–cuz the “why” is well-covered in the history of empires, in a general sense anyway. What do empires do? They make war for land and resources. And they prevent anyone from gaining power who doesn’t agree.

But I just want to briefly list the “whys” that I believe are relevant to this empire, today.

I think there are several drivers of the Iraq War (and associated fascism), but the first and foremost are the war profiteers–what Eisenhower called the “military-industrial complex” which needs a big war every 20 years or so to feed the beast. They now MANUFACTURE war for that purpose (profit).

Then: unholy of alliancie of the war profiteers with, a) oil corporations and other global corporate predators (with other interests in looting and destroying American democracy and its great progressive middle class–for instance, to stop environmental regulation and prevent accountability, say, the Seattle ‘99 spirit spreading against labor and environmental impacts of “free trade” –i.e., global corporate piracy); b) the super-rich; c) rightwing ‘christian’ nutballs; d) Israel supporters who back the rightwing Israeli vision of Israel as an armed medieval fortress (–so detrimental to Israel as a potentially good cultural influence in the Middle East, with devastating impact on Israel’s reputation and strategic position, via its association with the most hated regime on earth–the Bush Junta–v. bad pick of allies for Israel); and e) every Republican dirtbag in the country, out to make a buck off the US taxpayer teat. Totally out-of-control Republican dirtbag-ism, riding the coattails of major Bush/Cheney thievery and immorality.

The Unholy Roman Empire. Declining and falling from the get-go, even as its “patriarchs” tried to cement it, once again, with a state religion.

But I am not so interested in the WHY as in the HOW. There, I think, lay the answers for strategy. The How.

I long ago realized that the Democratic leadership is in on the HOW, when I discovered that they all–all but 2 in the Senate*, and half the House Dems–voted FOR the “Help America Vote for Bush Act” of 2002. Same month as the IWR (and closely related to it). This bill appropropriated $3.9 billion to fast-track electronic voting all over the country, run on “TRADE SECRET,” PROPRIETARY programming code, owned and controlled by rightwing Bushite corporations.

What the…?! I declared to myself. How come the Dems were not screaming at the top of their lungs and chaining themselves to their desks to get this changed. How come you hear not a whisper of objection out any of their mouths? Not then. Not now.

Oh, they’re dicking with the bill now, but nothing serious. A 2% audit. Har, har.

DIEBOLD: Run by a Bush-Cheney campaign chair and major fundraiser;

ES&S: Spinoff of Diebold, initially funded by rightwing nutball billionaire Howard Ahmanson, who also gave one million dollars to the extremist ‘christian’ Chalcedon foundation (which touts the death penalty for homosexuals, among other things).

What the…?! (–that phrase keeps occurring to my mind.)

These are the people who “counted” 80% of the nation’s votes in 2004, under a veil of corporate secrecy. And more now. Now they want New York!

That will complete this fascist coup.

Until we restore vote counting that everyone can see and understand, and boot these fuckers out of our election system, nothing much can be changed.

More war. The US is never going to give up this foothold in the Middle East. Mark my words. More global corporate predation. More looting and gouging and outsourcing of jobs and suffering at home. The Constitution is gone. It ain’t never coming back until we have TRANSPARENT vote counting again.

So, while I look with interest and joy upon the great American activist and democracy-loving community and all its many good works, protesting war, fighting the “unitary executive,” trying to restore basic human rights in the USA, I’m focused on our most basic power–our only power, really, other than passionate yelling–our right to vote.

I think it has to be a grass roots, citizen-driven demand at the local/state level for transparent vote counting. However we can get it done. Let them keep their shiny new machines. Just count the goddman ballots (once we restore the right to a visible ballot), and post the results BEFORE any electronics are involved. All of the results. Every vote.

And if that happens, on a widespread basis, we’re going to see remarkable change in this country, very fast. Things we can’t even dream of now–90% cut in the military budget, down to a true defensive posture (no more wars of choice!), dismantling of bad actor corporations, and seizing their assets for the public good, busting up of the fascist corporate new monopolies, restoration of the progressive tax, the “greening” of America.

The greatness of democracy, as a political idea, is that it enables the ship of state to change course, when it is headed for disaster. The ossification of our democracy–this stuck pattern of warmongering and other fascist policy–has some specific causes. Those are what we need to address. And priority #1 among them is this COUP in our voting system from transparent to non-transparent vote counting.

It’s staring us in the face. How could this ever have happened? It is outrageously undemocratic.

———————

*(You will be surprised at the exceptions. The only 2 Democratic Senators who voted AGAINST the “Help America Vote For War Act” were Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer. But I don’t think it was out of their great love for democracy. I think it was more New Yorkers’ attachment to their old, reliable, virtually unriggable lever voting machines. It would have been an affront to New Yorkers. But Diebold/ES&S is now worming itself in. I hope to God New York resists them.)

It would have been more labor-intensive to go around the state with a camera and cut in 30 seconds of unscripted stuff along the same lines, but I think it would have been worthwhile.

Good take.

JoeCHI @ 163

Some in the Edwards camp is blaming his falling polls numbers on the bad press from his $400 haircuts. Can any serious person honestly think that Edward’s haircut is the sole source of his lagging campaign?

If only it were that simple.

I think that America senses the same opportunism in Edward’s ever-changing positions that I’ve felt during his 6-year non-stop Presidential campaign:

1. He was for the war in Iraq before he was against it.

2. He was for the $87 billion before he was against it.

3. He was for being part of the Senate looking for bi-partisan solutions before he was against it.

4. He was for his campaign donors paying for his $400 haircuts before he was against it.

5. He was for the “global war on terror” before he was against it.

6. He was for secret service protection before he was against it.

Further, Edwards claim latest claim that Iraq is his #1 priority, is undermined by the fact that he has yet to even go to Iraq! He claims that this is due to scheduling conflicts, despite having done little besides other than run for president for over 6 years.

If Kathy Griffin, Robin Williams, and the Dallas Cowboy’s Cheerleaders can find the time to get to Iraq, why can’t he? Clearly, it isn’t a priority for him.

Edwards is a political weathervane that seems forever fixed pointing in one direction: his own personal ambition. America, it seems, senses the same something in the air.

Thank you!

if you’re here to make an argument, please do so. if you’re here to regurgitate RNC talking points don’t waste my time.