Jack & Jill Politics

The
Netroots Nation auction is in the home stretch, and as a board member I want to ask for your help to close it out strong. This auction helps to support the work Netroots Nation is doing all year long, and helps to keep registration fees as low as possible. I know y’all are broke and there are actually some great deals happening down at the auction where you save cash money $$$ while getting some stuff you really want. Deep down.

If you’re looking to attend in style in Pittsburgh you really can’t beat the price of this suite at the Omni, they also have one at the Westin (attached to the convention center). If you’re planning to go to DC during inauguration you’ve probably learned about the skyrocketing prices for hotel rooms that week, this stay at the Grand Hyatt + air fare for 2 starts becoming a huge deal.

Outside of those bigger ticket items, what about braggin’ rights? The annual pub quiz is a great time each year and the organizer has put up a pretty unique item for auction. You can get two categories of the quiz 24 hours in advance so you have plenty of time to cram and take your team to victory.

But with the holidays right around the corner let’s look at the hidden values. Anyone out there interested in bling AKA jewelry design shouldn’t pass up this steal of a deal. And speaking of more bling per buck there are a lot of items in that category that don’t have bids yet.

Finally, check out all of these photos: there are two of Fightin’ Joe Biden that are signed. It’s an historic moment - how often do you get a chance to get something signed by our future VP? Could be a better investment than anything on the stock market at any rate!

They’re spending it on Sarah Palin.  To the tune of $150,000. LOL, but she doesn’t look any better in more expensive clothes than she did before McCain picked her, because you can’t put a $5000 outfit on someone and hope it will make them look more classy.

The Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August.

According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.

The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.

The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August. (emphasis mine)

I used to say when I saw Don King in $10,000 suits that he was the only person I knew who could make a $10K Hugo Boss suit look so cheap that it looked like it came OFF THE RACK.

Now considering that John McCain is continuing to pull out of states in which he should be contending, the RNC’s spending that kind of cheddar on his VP’s wardrobe is penny-wise and pound-foolish, but hey, anything that helps take this ol’ crochety bastard out of the running, I’m all for it.

Meanwhile, Palin’s living large off other people’s money.  She’s gotten the state of Alaska to foot the bill for her kids’ travel, and the AP is blowing up this story.  Isn’t that what “the elite” do?

UPDATE: She also has a makeup artist costing $13,000 a month.  WTF?

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Bottom line, that’s what November 4th is all about - getting people to the polls.

The Community-Organizer-In-Chief understands this.

From NBC’s Chuck Todd Yesterday.

We need to pound, pound, pound.

Canvass.
Phonebank (can be done from the safety of your own home at your home computer).
DONATE (click on the thermometer to the right).
VOTE EARLY (protect your vote, and you’ll be one less person in line on November 4th - and, you can help others go vote on that day).

Donate: Bring It for Barack - Jack & Jill Politics

Sometimes, a picture is conflicting, isn’t it?
I found this over at The Field, with this description:
The guy who created these signs is named Clinton Slagle. He’s got a confederate tattoo on his arm. He strolled into our headqtrs back during the primary looking for a sign, saying Obama was the only person who made any sense to him….

Good morning.

Don’t forget about us here at JJP.

Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.

And always, have a peaceful day.

Donate: Bring It for Barack - Jack & Jill Politics

From The Chicago Sun-Times:

After decades of accusations, Burge finally faces charges
October 21, 2008
BY NATASHA KORECKI

After decades of accusations of torture, former Chicago police commander Jon Burge finally appeared before a judge to face charges against him.

Dressed in a blue denim short-sleeved shirt and still sporting a shock of thick blond hair, Burge sat quietly in a Tampa federal courthouse, chatting with a court security officer and politely answering questions.

His friend, former Chicago Police Officer Thomas Brady who lives half a mile from Burge, handed his friend glasses he retrieved earlier from Burge’s Apollo Beach stucco home.

Burge put on the glasses, leaned back in his chair and started reading the indictment against him when the judge walked in. The judge asked if he had read the charges against him.

“I just started reading it when you got on the bench, your honor,” Burge answered in a thick Chicago accent.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas B. McCoun III gave him time to read it and explained to him he was charged with crimes “dating back to the city of Chicago police department,” saying the allegations have to do with torture or physical abuse of inmates or detainees.

When I heard the news on the radio this morning, I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that the law had finally caught up with that sadist Burge. I’m from Illinois, the state that put 13 INNOCENT MEN ON DEATH ROW.

John Burge, and the false confessions he obtained from TORTURE, was responsible for several of those DEATH ROW SENTENCES.

Those were the ones caught in time.

I have cried tears for those that were not.

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You know, we don’t report a great deal on McCain’s Choice, but we have so much to choose from, I couldn’t resist.

#1 - Governor, you’re running for Vice-President…wouldn’t it be nice if you ACTUALLY knew what the job entailed?

Here’s a hint: READ THE CONSTITUTION

A Third Grader…A THIRD GRADER….asked this question.

If you can, catch the rerun of Hardball tonight. Tweety is BRUTAL when this comes up. He and Bill Maher are like, ‘ you gotta be kidding me’.

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There’s a lot of mis-information out there about who ACORN is. Brave New Films breaks it down for you. As you might expect, the GOP has chosen a good organization that helps low-income minorities to trash. Don’t let it happen. Here’s the official description of the video. Paging CNN!

The new video features an ACORN official stating that the hysterical allegations by the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee are nothing but “absurd” and “ridiculous” attacks, just another politically calculated attempt to intimidate low-income voters and people of color from casting ballots this November.  The video features a television clip of The Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan arguing that the attacks comprise an “ACORN strategy” of de-legitimizing election results before they come in.  These anti-democratic activities by right wing interests, the ACORN official argues, are the most “un-American thing you can do.”  The new video highlights underrepresented communities benefiting from ACORN’s work.

How many times were you told that when you were a little kid that you would have to work twice as hard as the white kid sitting next to you to get the same credit, recognition, respect? Barack Obama is 2x, 3x, 4x the man that John McCain is. Yet he ain’t 2x ahead in the polls. The race is still tight and though you may have heard that Obama’s campaign got as much cheddar as Oprah, snap back cuz here’s the real deal from CQ:

Though Sen. Obama made history in September by raising $150 million dollars in that month alone, the disparity between Obama and McCain becomes less dramatic when party money and campaign spending are combined.  In September, the combined Democratic presidential campaign efforts outspent the Republican’s $134.1 million to $110.7.

Spent in September

McCain –  $44.6 mil, RNC –  $66.1 mil
Obama –  $96.9 mil, DNC –  $37.2 mil

You see, brothers and sisters, without you and me — there’s no campaign, there’s no hope and there’s no change. We have to do more than vote this time around if we want to see change in this land. Don’t you want to be able to say to your kids and grandkids that you did everything you could possibly do to get Barack Obama elected on Nov 4? I do. This is why I gave $50 to Barack Obama. Barack Obama is actually only asking you to give up $5 which will also buy you a footlong at Subway. It’s your choice - do you want a greasy sandwich or do you want Barack Obama to be president?

OK, some of you don’t need to answer that question. For the rest of y’all, Jack and Jill Politics has come together to ask you to give. We’re so close. It’s time to Bring It for Barack. The thermometer in the middle of our page links straight to a donation page on MyBO. It won’t take you but 2 minutes and you’ll feel so good afterwards. If you give, I promise you I will personally thank you via email. We see all the donations and your messages to us as they come in.

I loved this note from Kathleen Hargan who just donated $100.00.

JJP (all of you!): I usually donate directly through the Obama website. However, I am a daily and enormously grateful reader of JJP, although I only occasionally comment (LexusOakland). I chose to donate through your page as a way of saying thank you for your presence during this exciting, historic and grueling election. You’ve saved my sanity more than once! So for Barack… and for you!

Back at ya, Kathleen and much love. This blog wouldn’t exist without you. Barack Obama can’t fight back the forces that are using hatred, straight up lies and stealing peoples’ votes without your help. Our goal is $5000 to help Obama run some ads and pay some salaries. Please give what you can spare today - right now. We’re calling it the Bring it for Barack campaign. Join Us. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

h/t Washington Times reporter who shot this video of McCain supporters heckling early voters in North Carolina. Calling them cheaters and generally acting nasty.

An organizer at the rally rattled off the addresses of early vote sites nearby that would be open after the event.

Photographer Joe Eddins and I headed over to the closest one and found a steady line of voters hoping to cast ballots early. Most seemed to be Obama supporters and several had come from the rally. Nearly all the voters were black.

Also at the polling site was a group of loud and angry protesters who shouted and mocked the voters as they walked in. Nearly all were white.

As you can see from these videos, no one held anything back. People were shouting about Obama’s acknowledged cocaine use as a young man, abortion and one man used the word “terrorist.” They also were complaining that Sundays are for church, not voting.

see full article from reporter

There’s one Obama supporter in the crowd, who unfortunately got his facts wrong about Obama (claiming Obama is a veteran). Check it

according to Marc Ambinder

no surprise there. This is the same McCain that flipped on Jerry Falwell and the confederate flag issue. He’s desperate. Expect less from him as we approach November 4.

I urge you all to read B-Serious’s post of a few months back on the dependency of reactionary politics. well thought out.

We are going to be treated to the most vilest of attacks against Senator Barack Obama in the next two weeks.  And there is weeping and gnashing of teeth as McCain continues to pull out of states that historically speaking, he should be winning.  The list of GOP leaders deserting the Titanic continues to grow on an hourly basis and just when I hope that America will show me her best, all I can see is the worst of those who call themselves American.

I was lurking at the Field Negro’s place and this picture gave me hope:

The caption under this pic is “What Racism?”  and was provided to the Field Negro, via a poster name Hawa.  Hat tip to both of them.

One day that baby will grow up and show off this picture to her friends and say “See, that’s me with the President of the United States.” Can you imagine her (I’m assuming its a girl because she’s in pink) at “Show and Tell” in school in the next few years?

As for the overt outing of bigots and while the Klan dusts off their robes and hoods; while Rush Limbaugh, and the goons at Fox Noise, specifically Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly; Chris Wallace, George Will, William “The Bloody” Kristol and others, I look at that picture and I see hope.  Hope that America can get to being as “great as she promotes” herself to be, always realizing that we have a long way to go, and it won’t happen overnight.

But for today, I have HOPE.  Especially as this Election Draws Near.  And my colleague, Rikyrah, isn’t the only one who can find cute pictures….LOL