LeKnott

Congratulations Joe. You're rich!

During the last Presidential debate, John McCain introduced us to "Joe the Plumber" in an embarrassingly obvious campaign tactic to promote "the average guy" and talk about how Barack Obama's tax policy would gravely impact their personal finances.  Joe was someone at an Obama rally earlier in the week who had a chance to ask the Senator a question, and his question was whether or not under Obama's plan, he would be taxed more. Turns out Joe isn't actually a licensed plumber, and he owes back taxes, but regardless...

The highlight of McCain's debate strategy was when, after talking about how Joe would be taxed more under Obama's plan because he (hypothetically) would be making more than $250,000 per year, McCain turned awkwardly toward the viewers at home and exhorted, "Congratulations Joe.  You're rich!" in a head wobbling sarcasm only the 72 year old campaign veteran could pull off with such wry cynicism.

Well, actually Joe - if you clear $250,000 a year, you ARE rich!  In fact, you will be making more than 95% of Americans.  The important point to remember is that 95% of Americans, including plumbers (the average income for a plumber in the United States is between $40-50,000) would benefit from tax relief under Obama's plan, while they would continue to suffer under McCain's standard Republican policy of tax breaks for the wealthiest corporations and CEOs, while cutting benefits for the middle and lower income majority of Americans.  Read more about McCain vs Obama on Taxes

Donate to ACORN in the name of this Republican Voter Suppression Specialist

Today on Democracy Now :

With Election Day approaching, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), finds itself in the cross hairs. Over the past year and a half, ACORN has helped 1.3 million mostly young, mostly poor people register to vote. Then, last week, ACORN was thrust into the national spotlight when the McCain campaign accused it of engaging in fraudulent voter registration on a massive scale. We host a debate between ACORN chief organizer Bertha Lewis and Cleta Mitchell, a Republican attorney specializing in election law.

After hearing this podcast, I was compelled to donate to ACORN, the single largest non profit for middle to low income citizens in the country, specifically to help them with their efforts to register largely disenfranchised voters across the United States. 

Even better, when donating to ACORN here you can specify the donation in someone's name.  I donated in the name of Cleta Mitchell, the loud mouth republican thug that was so abrasive and classically singing from the Republican song book with regard to voter suppression to win elections that it made me want to throttle her. 

So on the ACORN donation form, you can enter her name, and you can even use the form to automatically email her to tell her that you just donated to ACORN in her name.  Her email address is cmitchell@foley.com.

Proposition 2's The Way

Winning Mark has the pleasure and privilege of working with the Humane Society of the United States on the Prop. 2 YES campaign in California.  We are helping with communications to HSUS supporters statewide, urging them to get out and help with the campaign.

This November 4, Californians should vote YES! on Prop 2 – a modest measure that stops cruel and inhumane treatment of animals, ending the practice of cramming farm animals into cages so small the animals can't even turn around, lie down or extend their limbs.

The campaign has a great Web aspect to it, with many easy ways that you can help spread the message and promote this important cause.  Please visit www.yesonprop2.com to learn more.

An Economic Coup?

Article by Laura Flanders: From The Nation

A threatened elite seeks to consolidate control and tighten its grip on a nation's resources ... 

You could be forgiven for thinking I'm describing Bolivia, where conflict between landowners and backers of the democratically elected president Evo Morales claimed 30 lives so far this month, but I'm not. Reading the economic plan proposed by the Bush Administration for Wal St., I'm struck by the thought that what we're going through right here might not be an election season, but rather a coup.

The oligarchs in Bolivia used bullets and batons to undermine democracy. Here the weapons look like bailouts and blank checks, but the end goal is the same: Put the economy in a vice and you've tied the hands of whomever's in office. You, the voter, may not vote for the team that promises -- as the GOP service-cutters have promised -- to shrink the Treasury to a puddle that can be drowned in a bathtub. But no matter, your candidate gets the keys to the Treasury and - presto, the Treasury is bare.

Read the full story here.

Shocking News: Wall St. Investors Find McCain 'Best Choice for the Economy"

Republican presidential candidate John McCain's tax policies have given him an edge as the better man for the economy, various Wall Street experts said at this week's Reuters Investment Outlook Summit.

The panel of Wall St. experts reportedly made several other shocking announcements, including their desire for more and permanent tax cuts, and a call to eliminate "anything that cost them money" including any government regulations and any all market competition.

"The Whitehouse Dog Ate My eMail"

From the 5/7/2008 Washington Post:

White House tells court of missing emails from beginning of Iraq war
The White House has admitted in court that it has lost three months of email backups from the initial days of the Iraq war, raising questions about the possible deletion of politically sensitive records.

The disclosure came in a lawsuit filed by the National Security Archive, a non-profit group that specialises in uncovering classified documents.

The archive was told it could not receive emails relating to Iraq, despite a 30-year-old law requiring the preservation of presidential records, because a system upgrade had deleted up to 5m emails.

George Bush's administration faced a deadline of this week to outline the contents of 438 backup tapes that were believed to contain emails deleted in 2003 between March—when the US invaded Iraq—and September.

In a court filing yesterday, however, White House chief information officer Theresa Payne said "the earliest date" with email on any of the tapes was May 23 2003: the date the UN gave formal approval to the US occupation of Iraq.  Read the full post

Yes, We Can. Artists Release Music Video Based on Barack Obama's Speech

From CNN

With just a few days to go before the critical Super Tuesday primaries, Black Eyed Peas' frontman will.i.am and director Jesse Dylan, son of legendary musician Bob Dylan, have released a new song featuring a host of celebrities and one very unlikely music video star: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

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Watch the Video and please share it now.  This Tuesday, February 5th is the single most important day of voting in the Presidential Primary and hope CAN beat fear.  It only takes people.  Our democracy allows us a bloodless revolution by our votes and our voices.  Speak up!

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"Yes We Can," released Friday, is centered around footage of the speech the Illinois senator gave after the New Hampshire primary last month.

Buying The War - An Amazing Documentary

This is a must-see documentary in 5 easy-to-stream video chapters.  I strongly suggest taking a few minutes to check it out.  If you are so inclined, please take the time to share it too.

The power of this documentary is it's expert analysis of the role of media in the events surrounding the 9-11 attacks, the run up to the War, and the 'War on Terror'. This is a sophisticated study of the swirl of rhetoric and strategic manipulation of thought and conversation around this critical time in our history.

View the video "Buying the War?" here.

Taking Our Government Back

By Barack Obama
June 21, 2007

Over one hundred years ago, around the turn of the last century, the Industrial Revolution was beginning to take hold of America, creating unimaginable wealth in sprawling metropolises all across the country.

As factories multiplied and profits grew, the winnings of the new economy became more and more concentrated in the hands of a few robber barons, railroad tycoons and oil magnates.

It was known as the Gilded Age, and it was made possible by a government that played along. From the politicians in Washington to the big city machines, a vast system of payoffs and patronage, scandal and corruption kept power in the hands of the few while the workers who streamed into the new factories found it harder and harder to earn a decent wage or work in a safe environment or get a day off once in awhile.

Eventually, leaders committed to reform began to speak out all across America, demanding a new kind of politics that would give government back to the people.

One was the young governor of the state of New York.

In just his first year, he had already begun to antagonize the state's political machine by attacking its system of favors and corporate giveaways. He also signed a workers' compensation bill, and fired a high-level official for taking money from the very industry he was supposed to be regulating.

None of this reform sat too well with New York's powerful party boss, who finally plotted to get rid of the governor by making sure he was nominated for the Vice Presidency that year. What no one could have expected is that soon after the election, when President William McKinley was assassinated, the greatest fears of all the entrenched interests came true when that former governor became President of the United States.

His name, of course, was Teddy Roosevelt. And during his presidency, he went on to bust trusts, break up monopolies, and do his best to give the American people a shot at the dream once more.

A Love Song To Public Transportation

Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams and his staff are really something special.  This cool video featured on his website right now is a great example of the countless things they do for their constituents and our city.  It's a video by Good Magazine of a local songwriter performing an impromptu version of his 'Love Song To Public Transportation" on the OHSU Tram above Portland, Oregon.

I had the honor and pleasure of working with Jesse Beason in Sam's office to create Sam's first blog a couple years back, and it was voted "Best Blog" in Portland by the major alternative weekly, Willamette Week.