Author Archive
For the past eight years our energy and environmental policies have been run by children. Here are a few examples of the Bush administration’s irresponsibility and lack of foresight, courtesy of Our Broken Government, a new report by the Center for Public Integrity:
All of that is set to change with the welcome news of Obama’s apparent new Energy Secretary, Steven Chu. Brad Johnson writes:
It’s hard to decide if the selection of Dr. Chu is more remarkable for who he is — a Nobel laureate physicist and experienced public-sector administrator — or for who he is not. Unlike previous secretaries of energy, he is neither a politician, oil man, military officer, lawyer, nor utility executive. Full Story »
Appearing Monday on Race for the White House, T. Boone Pickens repeated the lie that Obama doesn’t have an energy plan. He also made the hilarious claim that he is “the only guy on the street” with an energy plan. I don’t know what he means by only guy on the street, but it is a baseless lie either way.
Here is the relevant section of the interview:
GREGORY: But who do you have most confidence in, do you think, to execute a strategy that gets us to where you think we ought to go on the environment?
PICKENS: Well, Senator McCain and Obama, you know, they are not energy people. When you talk to Governor Palin, there’s no question she has had more experience with energy than either one of the senators have had. I wouldn’t grade Senator Obama or McCain. They neither one have a plan. I’m actually-I’m the actually the only guy on the street with a plan.
I’ll take these two lies individually.
Full Story »
I wrote last week about my disdain for Democrats and environmentalists who have been foolishly praising T. Boone Pickens lately. After explaining why liberals should not be legitimizing this snake oil salesman, I concluded:
Anyone who claims to care about the planet and collaborates with or legitimizes this guy comes off as foolish and loses major credibility.
Since then, we’ve seen more evidence and some pretty compelling arguments from the likes of Apollo Gonzales at NRDC, Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars, Edgery at EENRblog, and of course, Adam Siegel at Get Energy Smart Now.
Crunchtime is coming for two leaders on the left who will be speaking on a panel with Pickens on Wednesday at 1pm in The Big Tent.
Full Story »
Not exactly breaking news, I know. His campaign manager, Mike Tibbles, sent an attack email to supporters the other day which indicates exactly how clueless they are.
Just last quarter, the mayor raised more than $37,000 from just one liberal Lower 48 Internet campaign known as ActBlue (the 1,500 out-of-state donors he gained through this site amounted to a third of the “grassroots†support he received last quarter).
I hope you will help us in ensuring that Outsiders don’t buy a Senate seat in Alaska.
Fortunately, his opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, has Matt Browner-Hamlin working to keep the Stevens campaign honest. Here is a snip of the epic smackdown, but be sure to read it in full as well.
Full Story »
I can’t say I’m surprised:
Howard Wolfson, who was a top strategist for the presidential campaign of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, is going where some Democrats were unwilling to go during the early days of the election season: the Fox News Channel.
Foreshadowed by Terry McAuliffe’s outburst a few months ago, the move comes as a slap in the face to progressives, media critics and bloggers, who have maintained for years that Fox is in fact anything but Fair and Balanced.
Wolfson spoke with the NYT over the phone on Monday:
“I thought that Fox’s coverage during the primary was comprehensive and fair and evenhanded,†Mr. Wolfson said Monday in a telephone interview from Liverpool, England, where he was vacationing. Full Story »
A few minutes ago I went to Google News and was slapped on the face with this: Does Obama Really Not Mind High Gas Prices (As Observed by GOP)? Ouch. The link was on Fox’s Embed Producers blog, which is written by nine bad motherfuckers.
Here are the last five headlines:
Full Story »
In February I wrote about Obama’s strong stands on media issues. Obama is now bringing more tough talk, with promises to directly go after excessive media consolidation that is not properly serving consumers.
Reuters, via Stoller:
Democrat Barack Obama said on Sunday he would pursue a vigorous antitrust policy if he becomes U.S. president and singled out the media industry as one area where government regulators would need to be watchful as consolidation increases.
Obama:
“There are going to be areas, in the media for example where we’re seeing more and more consolidation, that I think (it) is legitimate to ask…is the consumer being served?”
Full Story »
If you want to understand why Democrats often pursue a timid, fear-based strategy in their attempts to get elected, Glenn Hurowitz’ Fear and Courage in the Democratic Party is an excellent starting point. From the formation of the Democratic Leadership Council to the early months of the 2008 Democratic Presidential primary season, Hurowitz gives a detailed look at the shortcomings of the typical Democratic strategy of playing a game stacked against them, the politics of fear.
In the preface, Hurowitz explains the frustrations he encountered while working for various state and national environmental organizations. It soon became clear that the main obstacle preventing Democrats from voting their conscience was fear.
When Democrats voted against us, it was rare to hear them say they disagreed with us on the merits. Instead, they’d tell us they were afraid: afraid that their constituents wouldn’t support a pro-environment position; afraid of defying President Bush and the Republican noise machine; or they’d even admit they were afraid of angering this or that corporate lobby and losing campaign contributions to the Republicans.
Hurowitz goes on to explain nearly all electoral problems faced by Democrats as symptoms of a deeper problem: a severe lack of courage.
Full Story »
First, some recent history. Unfortunately, a familiar pattern has emerged.
The Clinton campaign was afraid she’d lose, so they went negative in New Hampshire, and it worked. Then it was Wisonsin, where they went negative again.
It was much of the same in Ohio and Texas.
She ran a television ad suggesting that the youthful Obama could not be trusted if a world crisis forced the president from bed in the middle of the night. She questioned his ethics by repeatedly raising questions about his relationship with a disgraced supporter who, by the luck of the draw for Clinton, is the target of a federal corruption trial that began Monday in Chicago, where Obama lives.
And, highlighting a meeting between a top Obama aide and the Canadian government, she painted him as a typical, two-faced politician who told the voters one thing about his intention to change the North American Free Trade Agreement but with a wink and a nod assured a foreign government he would not follow through.
Full Story »
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