The word out of New York is that GOP now stands for God’s Official Party. For those of you who are comfortable speaking for god, you can pick up this bumper sticker :

Before you pull out your wallet, let me remind you of something your God had to say :

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything–all she had to live on.”

- Mark 12:41-44

Does this really jibe with the ongoing attempts by the Republican party to shift the tax burden from the rich to the poor? Make no mistake about it. When you lower income taxes for the rich and strive to eliminate capital gains and inheritance taxes, while leaving payroll taxes untouched, that’s exactly what’s happening.

Perhaps a Bible verse that would accurately describe the Republican party is this one :

[Jesus] replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”

- Mark 7:6-7

It’s hard to believe that any group of people who are more concerned with saving money than saving lives has any business speaking for Jesus.

UPDATE : Brad DeLong notices this interesting “coincidence” :

What is Hezbollah?

Hezbollah is a Lebanese group of Shiite militants that has evolved into a major force in Lebanon’s society and politics. It opposes the West, seeks to create a Muslim fundamentalist state modeled on Iran, and is a bitter foe of Israel. The group’s name means ?party of God.?

Is it really a good idea for the Repubs to be stealing their party motto from a terrorist group?

Okay, somebody at CNN has a good sense of humor. When cutting to commercial from their convention coverage, they played “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. For those unfamiliar with the song, here’s some lyrics :

Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, they’re red, white and blue.
And when the band plays “Hail to the chief”,
they point the cannon right at you.

It ain’t me, it ain’t me.
I ain’t no senator’s son.
It ain’t me, it ain’t me.
I ain’t no fortunate one.

Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord don’t they help themselves.
But when the tax man comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale.

It ain’t me, it ain’t me.
I ain’t no millionaire’s son.
It ain’t me, it ain’t me.
I ain’t no fortunate one.

Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war.
And when you ask them, “How much should we give?”
They only answer “More! More! More!”

Too bad that viewpoint isn’t shared by the people actually commenting on the convention. So far, I have yet to hear anyone describe the proceedings derisively as “overly scripted”.

Nevertheless, the choice of CCR by some anonymous person in the control room is a pretty apt one. Here’s some more background on the song from an interview a few years ago :

John Fogerty : Nowadays [’Fortunate Son’] works really great . . . It’s a really cool rock & roll song. It’s really fun to sing, it’s fun for the band to play, it all really works as rock & roll the same way that ‘Jailhouse Rock’ worked or ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ . . . But . . . it was born out of a lot of anger and resentment and almost primal rage at the situation which had repeated itself in the ’60s that’s been going on since two guys got together and decided to be an army and the one guy said, ‘Well, I’m more privileged than you, so you go fight, and I’ll stay home’ . . . I was really outraged because this was guys my age. I had already been in and out of the Army myself, the Army Reserve, and for the exact same cause that people were going over for now. And I focused pretty severely on Richard Nixon’s kids and Eisenhower’s kids and some others who were either not going to serve or they were going to serve in some showbiz capacity. It just really made me mad and I always thought, ‘Why don’t they send all the gray-haired senators over to fight and leave us home? We’ll race our cars up and down the street or something.’

Does this remind you of anyone we know?

On Friday morning, we’ll know for sure whether or not Bush will be serving a second term. Why so early? Because the news on Friday is going to be mixed between two big stories. One is going to be Bush’s string of promises and “optimistic” talk on Thursday night? The other will be the evidence that will determine whether Bush’s words will be seen as those of a leader whose policies are working or a moron who’s completely out of touch with the mainstream.

Remember a few weeks ago when economists were stunned by the numbers that showed only 32,000 new jobs created during July? When that came out, I posted this graphic that contrasted the job creation this year :

Considering the expectations (blue line) and reality (red line) of the jobs creation, economists are waiting with baited breath to see if July’s numbers are an aberration or a sign that we’re facing “stagflation”. Based on the current trend, things don’t look good for Bush.

The August job creation numbers come out early this Friday morning.

Regardless of what Bush says, it will be reported alongside the Bureau of Labor Statistics report. If the numbers are anything like March or April, we should start looking towards 2008, but if the job creation is weak, the stories will contrast Bush’s “tax cuts are working” rhetoric with the BLS’s “no, they aren’t” statistics.

I’m so goddamn tired of all the negativity right now I could scream. Refuting all these lies about John Kerry’s service has been so draining, I feel like the whole purpose of these attacks is to make the left too tired to fight back. It doesn’t help that John Kerry’s rope-a-dope campaigning style makes it feel like we’re defending a guy too weak to defend himself. With all the frustrating minutiae of these attacks distracting the campaigns from real issues, it’s been tempting to turn off the TV, stop reading the newspaper, request an absentee ballot, and hope there’s good news waiting for us on the morning of Nov. 3rd.

But it looks like we’re on the other side of it now. The power of the Swift Boat Vets attacks is fading and the public is increasingly seeing this as a dirty tricks campaign on behalf of Bush. With GOP convention starting on Monday, I hope there is truth in the reports that Bush will be unveiling an actual agenda next week :

After a tumultuous first term in the White House, US President George W. Bush will unveil his policy priorities for an eventual second term at next week’s Republican National Convention.

“He’ll talk about the clear differences that voters face,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. “It’ll very much be a forward-looking speech talking about his agenda for America that builds upon his record of results.”

Bush is scheduled to speak on September 2, the last day of the convention to be held in New York starting on Monday, and formally accept the party’s nomination to run against Democratic party hopeful Senator John Kerry.
. . .
The president’s acceptance speech is expected to be a careful balancing act that will include defense of his record as well as new promises.

Unfortunately, having sat through a number of Bush speeches over the last few years, I really doubt there will be much substance in his acceptance speech. Nevertheless, I’m starting to get worried.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, Bush shouldn’t be taken for granted. While I think he’s an intellectual lightweight and a huge failure, the American public by and large doesn’t share my opinion. The reaction to his speech is all that matters, not the substance (or lack thereof) contained within it. While it’s easy to look at quotes by Kerry about Bush’s debating powress as a form of reverse psychology, we should remember that Bush wouldn’t be where he is today if he didn’t have a knack for exceeding expectations.

So I’ll be watching the upcoming convention with trepidation. On one hand, I keep reminding myself that this is the third time I’ve had this feeling this year. As with the other two times, we were told that Bush planned to unveil a big plan that will make him irresistible to undecided voters. Luckily for us, his plans to rid professional sports of drugs and send men back to the moon were as well received as a fart joke during a funeral.

On the other hand, there’s always the chance that he has a huge surprise that could shift the foundations of this election. Replacing Cheney with McCain? Dismantling the IRS? Bin Laden in handcuffs? Any big news could seriously harm the Dems. Considering that the polls have shifted back in Bush’s direction, a mid-sized post-convention bounce could be enough to put Kerry on the defensive for the next two months. In an election like this one, the only person who should have to defend himself is the incumbent. Let’s just hope he isn’t able to “straight talk” his way through the debates.

This is huge. Here’s a video of Ben Barnes, the former Lieutenant Governor of Texas, apologizing for helping Bush cut in line to get into the National Guard. Here’s a transcript from Josh Marshall :

Let?s talk a minute about John Kerry and George Bush and I know them both. And I?m not name dropping to say I know ?em both. I got a young man named George W. Bush in the National Guard when I was Lt. Gov. of Texas and I?m not necessarily proud of that. But I did it. And I got a lot of other people into the National Guard because I thought that was what people should do, when you’re in office you helped a lot of rich people. And I walked through the Vietnam Memorial the other day and I looked at the names of the people that died in Vietnam and I became more ashamed of myself than I have ever been because it was the worst thing that I did was that I helped a lot of wealthy supporters and a lot of people who had family names of importance get into the National Guard and I?m very sorry about that and I?m very ashamed and I apologize to you as voters of Texas.

Expect every blogger to the left of Zell to be linking to this one. Let’s see the K/E people make a web video out of this one. And while they’re at it, I’d love to see this one show up on the news. Of course, I’d be kidding myself to think that this would get half the attention than those Swift Boat liars have been getting.

I know it’s something of a blog mantra, but what the hell….

Why isn’t this bigger news???

An explosion that blew out a number of windows at a Boston-area laboratory specializing in stem-cell research was caused by a pipe bomb, local police said on Friday.

No one was wounded in Thursday’s early morning blast at Watertown, Massachusetts-based Amaranth Bio, which says on its Web site its technology is focused on organ regeneration and that it is working on cures for diabetes and liver disorders.

In a statement, Watertown police confirmed the explosion was the result of a pipe bomb and said they believe someone broke into the facility. No arrests have been made, police said.

Local radio station WBZ reported that police had identified a “person of interest” in connection with the explosion. Watertown police were not immediately available for comment on the report.

This happened yesterday, yet it’s barely being reported anywhere. Considering what a big deal people have been making out of stem cell research lately, I’d think a minor act of terrorism against a stem cell lab would be somewhat newsworthy. I guess it probably wouldn’t look too good to point out that the president is on the same side of a major issue as thugs who want to blow people up.

I hope this is the opening volley in a wave of attacks by Kerry over the Bush campaign’s lack of substance :

John Kerry challenged President Bush on Thursday to weekly debates from now until Nov. 2 on campaign issues like education, health care and national security.

“America deserves a discussion like we’re having here today, which I’m prepared to have with this president every single week from now until the election,” the senate presidential candidate said.

Kerry issued the challenge while speaking about health care at Anoka Hennepin Technical College, fielding questions from a group of more than 200 people, some of them self-described undecided voters.
. . .
The Bush-Cheney campaign rebuffed the debate challenge.

“There will be a time for debates after the convention, and during the next few weeks, John Kerry should take the time to finish the debates with himself,” responded Bush-Cheney spokesman Steve Schmidt.

Of course the Bush campaign doesn’t wanna debate. If I ran the Kerry campaign, I’d use this as an opening to go on the offensive. From now until the first debate, Kerry should publicly challenge the President to weekly debates every time he’s near an open mike. He should call Bush a “wimp” while talking to reporters “off the record” and then issue a non-denial when asked about it later. Send some surrogates to Bush/Cheney events wearing a chicken suit (it’s been done before). And spend every spare moment practicing for the big day so Bush doesn’t whoop Kerry’s ass.

That’s right. As Kerry said on the Daily Show the other night, Bush shouldn’t be misunderestimated :

JON STEWART: Do you think you’ll– when– when you get into the debates with him is this going to be– will you be able to do that? Or– or will he– I’ve seen he’s very shrewd in debates of saying, “Look, this is a choice. It’s a– it’s a very easy choice between– a man who loves– Fidel Castro and– (LAUGHTER) and someone who– loves America.” You know? How– how do you– do you think you will ever be able to have an honest discussion?

JOHN KERRY: Well, that’s the test of debates. I mean, look, the President has won every debate he’s ever had. People need to understand that. He beat Ann Richards. He beat Al Gore. So he’s a good debater. And debates are sort of formulaic. But I believe that– the truth is what people are looking for.

I personally don’t think Bush won any of the debates in 2000, but I know I’m in the minority there. When I watch the debates, I look for honest answers to the questions that are asked, but the people who actually judge these things apparently give more points to casualness than honesty.

So to counter this, Kerry should make sure that he understands Bush’s strengths and weaknesses and is ready to meet Bush head to head. Here’s my advice :

Every policy, proposal, and position should be summed up in a sentence or two. Regardless of how complex an issue is, your position should be simple enough for people to remember the next day.

When speaking to the audience, act as if every one of your ideas are common sense and that the audience already agrees. (ex. “I don’t need to tell you that cutting taxes for rich people isn’t gonna put any money in your pocket.”)

Frame the issues in such a way that you’re always in the majority, even if your ideas aren’t popular. The key is to isolate Bush and make it clear that his positions are more radical than your own.

Don’t get caught up in the details. Describe your position in brief, throw in a quick jab, and end with something positive.

Capitalize on any lightness in Bush’s demeanor to reiterate the seriousness of the issues. (ex. “After 9/11, my opponent joked about hitting the ‘trifecta’, but I don’t think poverty, war, and mass murder are something to be laughed at.”)

When following Bush, always act like his positions are too complicated and don’t work.

If you don’t like the question you were asked, answer the one you wish you had been asked.

This is how Bush “won” his debates. If Kerry wants to avoid being labeled an egghead like Al Gore, he needs to realize that debates are about a lot more than being right and knowing what you’re talking about.

Are you planning on going to a political rally, protest, or other event in a swing state*? Did you like our short cartoon Brother, Can You Spare A Job?** enough to hand out postcards? If so, we’d love your help. Drop me an email here and let us know what you can do to help (ex. crash a GOP fundraiser, hand them out to people at the unemployment office, etc). If you’re chosen to help out, we’ll send you a free DVD for your troubles.

* By “swing state” I mean Florida, Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Tennessee. We’ve got a limited supply, so I’d like to concentrate on the states that will decide the election. Yes, I think the electoral college sucks too….

** Did we mention that it’s available on DVD?? Seriosuly, we’re not making any money on this thing. We just wanna spread the word that Bush’s economic stimulus isn’t working.

What a sec….you mean there’s more than 52 bad guys???

The Ace of Spades was captured. The Ace of Clubs and Ace of Hearts were killed. Of the most-wanted Iraqis included in a deck of playing cards distributed last year by the U.S. military, all but 10 are in custody or dead.

The problem has turned out to be the people who weren’t in the deck.

There was no card for radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose followers have been battling U.S. and Iraqi forces at a shrine in Najaf. Nor is there one for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian blamed for suicide attacks, kidnappings and the killing of hostages in Iraq.

Critics call it a sign that the United States did not have a handle on the complexities of Iraq, nor on who might prove to be the biggest threat once Saddam Hussein’s regime was gone. Despite the “most-wanted” list captures and kills, a bloody insurgency continues.

Keep this in mind the next time you hear about an al Qaeda “ringleader” or “mastermind” who gets captured.

Fighting a “tough” war on terror is all well and good (for simplicity’s sake, let’s all pretend that the war in Iraq has something to do with terrorism), but unless you’re also fighting a smart war as well, then you’re just making things worse. If the way this administration is taking on its enemies is by creating a hit list, then they’ll never be able to face the “threats of the 21st century”. You may be able to kill a person, but you’ll never be able to murder an ideology.

I’m not saying that we should tiptoe around the feelings of terrorists, but it’s probably a good idea to carefully consider the outcome of something like…..say…an imperialistic war (in the eyes of the Arab world, anyways) that has no exit plan. Sure, we can’t control how people will react all the time, but doing your best to soothe the anger of your potential enemies isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that you’ve got a more sophisticated view of what makes terrorists tick than simply “they hate our freedom”. A smart war on terrorism means not only fighting current terrorists, but preventing future ones as well.

Any word on when the Clintons are gonna start getting apologies for the crap they took for pointing out the “vast right wing conspiracy”? Smear campaigns against Democrats always seem to be by people a step or two away from the GOP leadership, and this is yet another example :

One of President Bush’s top lawyers resigned from his campaign Wednesday, a day after disclosing that he had given legal advice to a veterans group airing TV ads against Democrat John Kerry. The guidance included checking ad scripts, the group said.

Benjamin Ginsberg, who also represented Bush in the 2000 Florida recount that made the Republican president, told Bush in a letter that he felt his legal work for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth had become a distraction for the re-election campaign.

“I have decided to resign as national counsel to your campaign to ensure that the giving of legal advice to decorated military veterans, which was entirely within the boundaries of the law, doesn’t distract from the real issues upon which you and the country should be focusing,” Ginsberg wrote.

The Kerry campaign portrayed Ginsberg’s departure as another sign of ties between the Bush campaign and the veterans group, which has been airing ads accusing Kerry of exaggerating his Vietnam War record.

“The sudden resignation of Bush’s top lawyer doesn’t end the extensive web of connections between George Bush and the group trying to smear John Kerry’s military record,” said Kerry-Edwards campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill. “In fact, it only confirms the extent of those connections.”

Of course it’s worth noting that he quit working for the campaign, not the SWVFT. Perhaps he realized he could help the President out more by staying there instead of helping with the “official” campaign.