They try to say Barack Obama is a risk. Well this is not a risk its a certainty that the policies of the Bush administration would continue under McCain.
Joe Lieberman is a worthless piece of shit who used Barack Obama when he was in the political fight of his life. How does he sleep at night knowing what a useless backstabbing Judas he is? How do you use someone to further your own career then lie about one of the people who helped you stay in the Senate? Today he questioned Obama's patriotism. I can't wait until the Democrats no longer need this idiotic fool. Why doesn't he ask his good buddy John McCain why his adviser, Randy Scheunemann, signed a $200,000 contract to continue providing strategic advice to the Georgian government in Washington and did that contract play a part in his condemnation of the Russian Government? I bet that will never cross his lips. Job LIEberman, the biggest ass of all.
So we have a housing market in the toilet, a stock market in bear territory and a worsening job market that will be in turmoil until 2009. Can things get any worse?
Economists are forecasting that the unemployment rate retreated slightly in June after May's big spike. But few believe that is a sign that the battered labor market is at or even near the bottom.
When the Labor Department releases its June employment report Thursday, economists expect the unemployment rate to fall to 5.4% from 5.5% last month.
But job losses are also expected to continue. Economists are predicting that employers cut 60,000 positions from U.S. payrolls in June, up from the 49,000 job loss reported in May.
This would be the sixth consecutive month of job losses.
One reason for the expected decline in unemployment at the same time that overall job losses are increasing is that the unemployment reading jumped in May due to a large number of teenagers looking for summer jobs.
Many of those teens likely gave up job search efforts in June, which will reduce the number of people counted as unemployed. It's also worth pointing out that even if the unemployment rate dips to 5.4%, that's still up from 5% in April.
And some economists even think the unemployment rate increased in June, due to the flooding in much of the Midwest.
Rich Yamarone, chief economist at Argus Research, said he believes unemployment could inch up to 5.6% in the month.
But putting aside the monthly blips in the unemployment rate, there is no denying that the job market is weak. Several economists see more job losses ahead as employers pull back on hiring plans due to soft demand for their products.
The job market has been weak for some time. Finding high paying middle class jobs is becoming harder and harder. Is there anyone that works for a large company that is not dealing with processing or accounting done in Mumbai or other areas outside the United States? How do our lawmakers pay them back for shipping our jobs overseas? They give them tax incentives to do it.
When will the middle class wake up and realize that it is their political ineptitude that allows this corrupt system to flourish? When will they stand up and say enough is enough? When will they realize that paying a larger share of taxes on a higher income is better than a lower rate on lower income? In the end there will still be more money for everyday needs and a federal deficit that will not kill the economic future of the next generation. Will we again let these politicians use fear and loathing to get us to vote against our own best interests?
This election could be the start of the rebirth of the greatest country on earth or it could be the final nail in the coffin of what was the envy of the world. The choices are clear, the policies of the two Presidential candidates are so different that a decision should be easy. If you let them scare you with terrorism or play to your prejudices then we will all lose and the future of this nation will be one of militarism and poverty for the masses. That is not what our founding fathers had in mind.
This is really brilliant. Now we need to ask does he just not remember what he is saying or is he lying? Either way he should never enter the White House.
She may have lost but she has forever changed the role of women in politics. I didn't always agree with her tactics but I did feel something wonderful was lost today when she ended her historic run for the Presidency. Unfortunately only one could win but both made history. Hillary Clinton will remain a force to be reckoned with and will forever be known as the woman who broke through so many boundaries. Love her or hate her it is hard not to feel some sense of pride in her accomplishments and some sadness that someone had to lose..
There are about 1.5 million more unemployed job hunters now than at this time a year ago, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday. An estimated 8.5 million unemployed people are looking for work.
Joblessness in May soared to 5.5 percent, up from 5 percent in April, reaching its highest rate since October 2004.
Every time you turn around the economic news worsens. Families across the country are afraid of what tomorrow holds.
"The numbers are consistent with an economy on the edge of recession, if not in one," said Frank Lenk, chief economist at the Mid-America Regional Council in Kansas City. "Since payroll employment data tends to get revised downward once all the data is collected, it might be worse than the current data suggests."
The statistics bureau's report did, indeed, issue revised employment counts for March and April, indicating that employers had 15,000 fewer workers on their payrolls in April and 15,000 fewer on their March payrolls than initially estimated for those months.
The jobs report indicated that the January-May period this year represents the first time since February-June 2003 that national payrolls declined for five consecutive months.
John McCain will be having some sleepless nights digesting this report. Remember he recently said people were better off now then they were seven years ago. Sure they are John for your rich lobbyist friends. The rest of us are screwed.
Can someone give this guy some sort of special prize so he can feel he is worth something and get out of Presidential politics? The ego on this fool is amazing.
I am becoming increasingly concerned that a large percentage of Americans are really too stupid to be voting. Michigan, which has the highest rate of unemployment in the United States, decided that Mitt Romney was the best Republican candidate to handle the economic crisis.
Are these people aware that Mitt Romney made his fortune by buying up companies, selling the assets and laying off the employees? I understand the clown car that is the Republican candidates leaves much to be desired but to pick the one person whose history is so blatantly anti labor makes you wonder if these people even understand the political process.
Our economy was destroyed by greed and stupidity and the people of Michigan decided to award the greediest and stupidest candidate in the woeful bunch. Way to go Michigan.
As governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee aggressively pushed for the early release of a convicted rapist despite being warned by numerous women that the convict had sexually assaulted them or their family members, and would likely strike again. The convict went on to rape and murder at least one other woman.
Confidential Arkansas state government records, including letters from these women, obtained by the Huffington Post and revealed publicly for the first time, directly contradict the version of events now being put forward by Huckabee.
Isn't lying a big sin? Can it really be that hatred of the Clintons led to the release of a very dangerous man who raped and murdered again?
When will Americans realize that the religious right are nothing but a bunch of freaks who never practice what they preach. It is quite clear by this report that that the "aw shucks" Huckabee isn't qualified to be dog catcher let alone President of the United States.
The Republican clown car gets more ridiculous by the day.
The man who is trying to be the President of 9/11 has some explaining to do!! I am still baffled as to why this clown is even running for President let alone is a top contender for the Republican Party. He has become rich and powerful as a result of 9/11. The term blood money never had such a clear description.
Former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their work to raise awareness about global warming.
In a statement, Gore said he was "deeply honored," adding that "the climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."
The former vice president said he would donate his half of the $1.5 million prize to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a U.S. organization he founded that aims to persuade people to cut emissions and reduce global warming.
Vice President Gore is our nations best hope of regaining our standing in the world and the Presidency offers him an outstanding ability to educate the world on the climate crisis but it appears he will not run.
A source involved in Gore's past political runs told CNN that he definitely has the ambition to use the peace prize as a springboard to run for president.
But he will not run, because he won't take on the political machine assembled by Sen. Hillary Clinton, said the source. If the senator from New York had faltered at all, Gore would take a serious look at entering the race, the source said. But Gore has calculated that Clinton is unstoppable, according to the source.
Gore repeatedly denied he has any plans to run again, but this week a group of grass-roots Democrats calling themselves "Draft Gore" took out a full-page ad in The New York Times in a bid to change his mind.
It is time for the American public to convince Vice President Gore to enter the race. I think the Democratic filed is very impressive but I would immediately do all that I could should Vice President Gore enter the race. Once again I must say "Run Al Run for the good of the entire world."
Hillary Clinton Will Vote No On Additional Funding For The Iraq War
I am probably one of the few that understand why Hillary Clinton voted for the war authorization in the first place. I believe she was in a uniquely difficult position on this vote. Had she voted against the authorization to use force and weapons were found she would have looked weak. Having spent eight years in a White House that also believed weapons of mass destruction may still be in Iraq, a vote against the authorization would have been spun into a rebuke of her husband's policies during his Presidency. Those who insist that she apologize for that vote don't understand the extra scrutiny that she is subjected to as a result of being the right wings number one hated person. Do I agree with her vote, absolutely not, but I can understand politically why she made that choice. I am not supporting Hillary Clinton for President, actually I have not decided whom to support. Her remarks on "Meet The Press" today were firm against continuing this war and she understands the only way to stop it is to vote against additional spending. I applaud her for this firm stance.
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said Friday that the alternative minimum tax — which is expected to generate as much as $1 trillion over the next 10 years — could be eliminated by balancing it out with even more tax cuts.
Giuliani's remarks prompted a bewildered response from his audience of technology executives. Both Republicans and Democrats said they assumed that the candidate must have misspoke as he responded to a question about the tax and its affect the middle class. Giuliani left the speech without taking questions from reporters. His campaign did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
The alternative minimum tax, or AMT, was enacted in 1969 to ensure that a handful of wealthy taxpayers could not exploit a series of loopholes to avoid paying any income taxes.
This man is not ready to be the President of anything. He is a worthless tool who either is too stupid to understand economics or more likely is just pandering to the right wing base which assumes that God will provide for everything so why have taxes.
Hagel, who has recently gained national visibility as a critic of President Bush’s Iraq policy, has been exploring a run for the White House. He faced a possible primary challenge from the right if he sought a new Senate term.
Bypassing a run for re-election would give Hagel more freedom to chart an independent course during the remaining 15 months of his term. He has been among a handful of Senate Republicans willing to challenge Bush by supporting Democratic efforts to legislatively force an Iraq troop withdrawal or put pressure on the president to agree to a withdrawal timetable. Hagel, a Vietnam combat veteran, voted to authorize military action against Iraq but later turned against the war.
Hagel was one of two Senate Republicans who voted in March 2007 for a war funding bill (HR 1591), which Bush later vetoed, that would have set a March 31, 2008 goal for withdrawal of troops. In June, Hagel was among four Senate Republicans who backed an unsuccessful effort to limit debate and bring to a vote a withdrawal timeline offered as an amendment to the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill (HR 1585).
Hagel, who has a conservative voting record on most other issues, is a member of the Foreign Relations; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Rules and Administration; and Select Intelligence committees.
Hagel joins Warner, Allard and Craig who will not be seeking re-election. "Wide Stance" Craig will be resigning at the end of September due to his bathroom antics in Minneapolis.
It is being said that Bob Kerrey, the former Senator from Nebraska, may seek the seat. This will force the Republican party to spend campaign funds on a race that would have been safe.
The republicans have only themselves to blame for their current mess. It was Karl Rove's plan to make a permanent Republican majority. It now looks like exactly the opposite will happen. The Republicans are out of touch with normal Americans but were able to keep fooling the voting public, but as the nitwit President once said "There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again."
Watch this new short film about Rudy Giuliani. I just can't stand this man. How can this be the Republican front runner? Why not just choose Larry Craig for the Republican nomination for President?
In all, 179,599 foreclosure filings were reported during July, up from 92,845 in the year-ago month, according to Irvine-based RealtyTrac Inc.
A total of 164,644 foreclosure filings were reported in June.
The national foreclosure rate in July was one filing for every 693 households, the firm said.
"While 43 states experienced year-over-year increases in foreclosure activity, just five states — California, Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Georgia — accounted for more than half of the nation's total foreclosure filings," said RealtyTrac Chief Executive James J. Saccacio.
Nevada posted the highest foreclosure rate: one filing for every 199 households, or more than three times the national average. It reported 5,116 filings during the month, an increase of 8 percent from June.
Seeing Nevada, Florida, Ohio and Georgia on this list must be giving the Republican party many sleepless nights.
The foreclusire nightmares that are resulting from the subprime mortgage debacle will cause economic downturn in these states. With Ohio trending blue and Nevada and Florida truly purple states, the chances of a democratic president in 2008 grow.
Foreclosures, Ballot Initiatives and the 2008 Race
I was listening to 7 Days In America on Air America Radio when I heard Bob Shrum say this election was going to be about national security. My first thought was what was Bob Shrum still doing talking about politics. He has been involved with 8 Presidential campaigns and all were losers. His opinions are about as valid as Britney Spears.
This next election will be partially about national security but any campaign that ignores the economic realities of today will be the losing campaign. One of the major economic issues will the subprime mortgage debacle and the resulting record number of foreclosures. This will be especially true in two very important states for the 2008 election, Ohio and Florida.
Is there anyone that doesn't understand that the downturn in the housing market will affect the construction industry, the home remodeling industry and every other industry that depends on a healthy housing market? So although you may not be having difficulty making your mortgage payments you will be especially affected in these states with lower home values and lower overall economic activity.
This same scenario is also present in Colorado, Nevada and Arizona where they are also seeing sharp increases in foreclosures. Lower home values will affect the "wealth factor" which is how many people judge whether or not to make that big ticket purchase. If you feel wealthy then you will spend, if suddenly you see your net worth shrinking as the result of lower home prices, then you will be less likely to make the purchase. It is this wealth factor that I believe will make Ohio and possibly Florida vote Democratic in 2008.
Our economy is hanging by a thread and the Republicans understand that. They also know they will be blamed for the eceonomic downturn that is now beginning to surface. If you can't win on the merits then you cheat. That is the Republican mantra. It is up to the progressive community to stop this legal attempt to steal the 2008 election.
Tonight was the first forum dedicated to Gay and Lesbian issues. It was broadcast live over the LOGO network, which is a Gay themed network under the MTV umbrella. LOGO offered the same forum to the Republican candidates but all declined. If you are Gay and can still support the Republican Party after that snub to your community then you are either self loathing or just plain stupid.
If the race could be judged on just Gay issues then it would be a clear win for Dennis Kucinich,who is light years ahead of the other candidates on the issue of equal rights for the GLBT community and not far behind was former Senator Mike Gravel. The thing to remember for both of those candidates is that there is almost no chance of either being the nominee so truly speaking your beliefs becomes very easy.
Gov. Richardson was clearly the loser tonight as he stammered through what should have been easy questions on equality. He has a very good public record on GLBT issues but it was not evident by his seemingly uncomfortable feeling being at the forum.
John Edwards sounded too political and not as genuine as I would have liked to hear him. I believe a lot of his support within the Gay community could be traced to his wife Elizabeth who is an outspoken proponent of equal rights. He did not harm his standing amongst the gay community this evening but he did nothing to further it either. I must also say that I have supported Senator Edwards Presidential campaign with a small donation but I have not made up my mind as to whom I will support in the primary.
Barack Obama was very impressive and seemed extremely genuine in his belief of equal rights. He is not in favor of gay marriage but is in favor of civil unions with the same rights as marriage as are Edwards, Clinton and Richardson. Only Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel support marriage equality but as I stated above that is an easy position to take when you understand that you will not be the nominee.
Hillary Clinton was also very impressive. What I have noticed about her while I have watched all the debates is that she always appears Presidential. She also did not pander to the community instead she reiterated that she would be a strong proponent of gay rights but also that there would be times when there would be a difference of opinion. I appreciated the candor.
I consider myself very smart politically and I am smart enough to realize that none of the candidates with any chance would come out for gay marriage. They can not do that in a society that votes based on the thirty second soundbite. Those in the gay community that are looking for real leadership on this issue must understand that leadership on that issue would most likely mean that leader would not be elected President. Although I hate to admit that, it is true at this point in our history.
Times are changing quickly and the GLBT community can not afford to see another Republican elected President. If that was to happen we could be looking at a loss of all the rights we have gained over the past 15 years. I am comfortable with the Democratic field and will do all in my power to help the nominee get elected. I am sure tonight didn't change any minds but I am sure it made us all feel much more comfortable with our choices.
I watched the entire AFL-CIO sponsored debate from Soldier Field in Chicago. The field of candidates is impressive but we all know that reasonably only three or four of them have the potential of being the nominee. Today it was reported that Hillary Clinton has widened her lead over the other contenders.
In the debate it was Hillary Clinton in my estimation that came away the winner if only slightly. Dennis Kucinich gave by far the best answers to questions but he is not a viable candidate at this point so he had nothing to lose.
In being completely truthful I must admit that the only candidate I have contributed to has been John Edwards although I did donate to Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign.
Most pundits after the debate felt that either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton had won the debate. I could agree on Hillary Clinton but not on Barack Obama. I have tried to fall in love with candidate Obama because at first I thought he represented the greatest hope of a real change. Through the debates I find my hope in his candidacy fading. He has the presence necessary to be President but for me he is missing that intangible characteristic that would make me give my all to support him. I don't think I am alone in this thinking since the national polls show his numbers slipping slightly.
Hillary Clinton has done what is necessary. She seems Presidential, has a command of the facts and has run a very smart campaign. She remains the front runner for those reasons.
John Edwards lost a chance tonight to shine. Although I thought he did well he did not deliver any knockout punches to help improve his standing. He will need a win in Iowa or his candidacy may be over. Hillary and Barack are not in that same precarious situation.
Bill Richardson is probably on paper the most qualified to be President but he has yet to have a strong enough performance in any of these candidate forums to improve his numbers. He simply has not seemed Presidential.
Chris Dodd has not gotten the traction that I feel he deserves. He is a smart man with good ideas but for him and the other second tier candidates it is hard to get any real face time. The Hillary and Obama juggernauts make it very hard for any other real candidates to break out. His debate performances have been very solid and his record is one of accomplishments on middle class issues is impressive. If he were ever to be the nominee, he would make a formidable candidate.
The debates so far have done nothing to shake Hillary Clinton from her front runner status. I am very interested in hearing the candidates this Thursday when they will all be involved in a LOGO network debate on Gay and Lesbian issues.
Rudolph W. Giuliani's daughter, Caroline, has done her best to keep out of the spotlight as her father runs for president, choosing to keep complicated family matters private. And for his part, Mr. Giuliani has tried to shield both her and his son, Andrew, from attention.
But the very public nature of the way young adults socialize via the Internet, posting private musings for all the world to see, thrust her into the limelight today with word that her online profile suggested she supported Senator Barack Obama’s presidential bid.
On her profile in Facebook, the popular online social networking site, Ms. Giuliani, 17, listed her political views as “liberal” and noted her membership in a group called “Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack).”
Rudy Giuliani's children do not even like him. That says all anyone really needs to know about Rudy. When your own children can't support you that should be all America needs to know.
"The American way is not single-payer, government-controlled anything," Giuliani said. "That’s a European way of doing something. That’s a, frankly, a Socialist way of doing something."
"If single-payer systems are cracking all over the world, why would we do it in America. Michael Moore wants to take you to Cuba for your health care. Anyone want to sign up? I didn’t think so. Maybe the Democrats will sign up."
What is Giuliani's health plan? He wants to give tax breaks, like the tax break will somehow make the family of four earning $30,000.00 able to afford the $1,000.00 monthly premium. He had other pearls of wisdom dripping from his worthless mouth.
He said he can solve global warming in five to 15 years and would end illegal immigration in a year and a half to three years. “I give ourselves 18 month to three years to accomplish it,” he said.
I am sure that Al Gore must be burning up the phone lines to Rudy to get his secret to solving one of the great issues facing the world and in just 5 -15 years. When can we expect to see Rudy outline his plan for illegal immigration on Lou Dobbs Tonight?
Rudy is a hack who has made his fortune as a result of 9/11. It is the lowest form of blood money. Rudy will say anything to get elected President. His own children find him questionable.
Michael Moore posted this video in response to the Giuliani comments:
The news broke late Thursday that the former New York City mayor has scheduling issues with the Sept. 17 date, jeopardizing the showdown at the Mahaffey Theater.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney also is frowning on the plan.
"I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman," Romney told the Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader this week.
What each of these men are trying to say is that questions from regular Americans may be too difficult to answer so they will not show up. Giuliani may be forced to answer questions about his judgement since it was his decision to place the NYC emergency center into the complex that had been bombed once before. It was his decision to hire Bernard Kerik a man with suspicious ties to organized crime. It was his decision to announce his divorce from his second wife on television without his wife's knowledge. I could go on and on but I won't bore you with the facts. Time will bring this and more out in the open for the Republican front runner.
Mitt Romney may be confronted with his many flip flops on issues from abortion to gay rights. They don't call him multiple choice Mitt for nothing. He looks good but is there any real substance behind him? Is there anything that he truly believes in?
So far only Ron Paul and John McCain have agreed to the debate. Everyone should call these campaigns and demand that they answer questions from ordinary Americans. I find it funny that men who scream about taking the fight to the terrorists are so afraid of the little guy.
On Jan. 4, just after the 2006 elections tossed the Republicans out of congressional power, Rove met at the White House with six U.S. ambassadors to key European missions and the consul general to Bermuda while the diplomats were in Washington for a State Department conference.
According to a department letter to the Senate panel, Rove explained the White House views on the electoral disaster while Sara M. Taylor, then the director of White House political affairs, showed a PowerPoint presentation that pinned most of the electoral blame on "corrupt" GOP lawmakers and "complacent incumbents." One chart in Taylor's presentation highlighted the GOP's top 36 targets among House Democrats for the 2008 election.
We knew that this administration was the most political in our history but this practice seems not only unethical but also illegal.
In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), the Foreign Relations Committee chairman, asked whether the briefings inappropriately politicized the diplomatic agencies or violated prohibitions against political work by most federal employees.
"I do not understand why ambassadors, in Washington on official duty, would be briefed by White House officials on which Democratic House members are considered top targets by the Republican party for defeat in 2008. Nor do I understand why department employees would need to be briefed on 'key media markets' in states that are 'competitive' for the president," Biden wrote.
How can anyone still support this administration? Politics and winning elections are all that is important to these people and running the government is secondary. Nothing they have done has shown any competence from Katrina to the War in Iraq but politically they are one of the smartest administrations in history. Luckily in 2006 competence trumped politics and the country showed some intelligence and put the Democrats back in charge of both houses of Congress. This article shows us that they will do anything including illegally using foreign service officers for political gain.
He said President Bush's war-fighting policies have left the United States at greater risk from terrorists. The first-term Illinois senator said decisions by the Republican president had allowed Osama bin Laden and his deputies to elude capture.
"We cannot win a war against the terrorists if we're on the wrong battlefield," Obama said. "America must urgently begin deploying from Iraq and take the fight more effectively to the enemy's home by destroying al-Qaida's leadership along the Afghan-Pakistan border, eliminating their command and control networks and disrupting their funding."
This is what all the Democratic candidates need to be saying. The fact is that the war in Iraq has diverted us from the real enemy while creating hundreds of thousands more. Nothing makes me want to scream more than those who keep talking about terrorists now in Iraq. They always forget to mention that they were not there until we invaded. Our Middle East policies are the reason for their intense hatred for us. If you believe that they simply hate us for our freedom then you are simply unable to understand the world around us. Unfortunately people in that category include this dim witted President.
The NAACP sponsored a Republican debate yet only one candidate showed up. Tom Tancredo, the immigrant hating candidate from Colorado was the only person at the podium with all the other chairs empty.
The Republicans hate civil rights and showed their distain for them by not showing up. Lets hope the African-American community does the same for them in 2008 and votes even more overwhelmingly for the Democratic candidate.
Maybe some of them were busy bailing out campaign staff for drugs and solicitation.
Watch this Video and understand the true Rudy Giuliani. Hopefully people will finally understand that he is an opportunistic fraud who has made a fortune off of 9/11. Take the time and watch this whole video.
LEADING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO PARTICIPATE IN HISTORIC FORUM ON GAY ISSUES
Logo, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks, and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation today announced they will co-present a historic televised forum on issues of importance to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community with the leading 2008 Democratic presidential candidates, including, currently confirmed and in alphabetical order, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
The one-hour event will be held on Aug. 9 at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET in Los Angeles before a studio audience and broadcast live, without commercial interruption, exclusively on Logo’s 24/7 cable television channel as well as through live streaming video at LOGOonline.com. Logo is the nation’s leading television and broadband channel for the GLBT audience and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the nation’s largest GLBT civil rights organization.
This event, which marks the first time in history the major presidential candidates will address a live GLBT television audience, is part of MTV Networks’ award-winning pro-social efforts and dedication to engaging its audiences on the issues that are most important and relevant to them.
The event also continues the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s efforts to educate and bring awareness to issues of equality and fairness that continue to affect the lives of GLBT Americans.
Candidates currently agreed to participate in the forum and share their views with the GLBT community are, in alphabetical order, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The candidates will appear sequentially and engage in conversation with co-panelists Melissa Etheridge, performer and advocate, and Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The panelists plan to cover a range of issues including relationship recognition, marriage equality, workplace fairness, the military, hate crimes, HIV/AIDS and other important issues.
“In the 2008 presidential election, issues of concern to the GLBT community have already been at the forefront of the national conversation,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. “From the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ to the recent signing of a civil unions bill in New Hampshire, there is no doubt that voters will demand answers to important questions affecting our community.”
“We’re honored to give the presidential candidates a historic opportunity to share their views directly with the LGBT audience,” said Brian Graden, president, entertainment, MTV Networks Music Group, and president, Logo. “This forum continues MTV Networks’ tradition of engaging vital niche audiences with voting and the electoral process.”
The forum will include significant online components at LOGOonline.com and HRC.org, including online question submission. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Logo invited the leading Democratic and Republican candidates to participate in the forum.
The GLBT vote is considered a decisive electoral force and according to exit poll data makes up approximately 4 percent of the voting population. Los Angeles was chosen as the site for the event because of the state’s early primary election, on Feb. 5, 2008. The event will take place at Studio City, Calif., at HD Vision Studios, and this event represents the first live event airing on Logo.
Giuliani employs his childhood friend Monsignor Alan Placa as a consultant at Giuliani Partners despite a 2003 Suffolk County, N.Y., grand jury report that accuses Placa of sexually abusing children, as well as helping cover up the sexual abuse of children by other priests. Placa, who was part of a three-person team that handled allegations of abuse by clergy for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, is referred to as Priest F in the grand jury report. The report summarizes the testimony of multiple alleged victims of Priest F, and then notes, "Ironically, Priest F would later become instrumental in the development of Diocesan policy in response to allegations of sexual abuse of children by priests."
Five years after he was suspended from his duties because of the abuse allegations, Placa is currently listed as "priest in residence" at St. Aloysius Church in Great Neck, N.Y., where close friend Brendan Riordan serves as pastor, and officially lives at the rectory there with Riordan. In addition, Placa co-owns a penthouse apartment in Manhattan with Riordan, the latest in a half-dozen properties the two men have owned in common at various times since the late 1980s.
I wonder how the religious right will respond to this revelation? That sound you just heard is the sound of Giuliani's poll numbers hitting the floor.
Yesterday was Gay Pride in NY and as usual it was a day filled with friends, fun and the thoughts of political fights won and lost. My first Gay Pride day was probably 20 years ago. It is a day when you reflect on the struggles of those before you and gear up for the fights ahead.
The progress my community has made in those 20 years has been remarkable. Here in NY I can live my life openly and honestly without much worry of the backlash still present in some areas of the nation. The Mayor and many other politicians march in the parade in solidarity with our community. The applause they receive is genuine and heartfelt. It was courageous politicians who helped advance the movement for equal rights. There is still much work to do. Unfortunately you can still turn on the television and see some talking head trying to convince people that there is some special agenda that gays and lesbians are trying to push. I have never understood exactly what is the Gay Agenda but if someone has a copy of it please forward it to me. I guess it would make it easier for me if I knew exactly what I was fighting for.
Gays and lesbians want just one thing and that is to be seen as equal in the eyes of the law. It always makes me laugh when I listen to some blowhard saying how gays and lesbians are entitled to marry as long as they marry the opposite sex. What is it about the gay thing that they don't understand?
I am one that believes you are born Gay but whether it is nature or nurture one thing is clear, it is not going to change. I am proud of who I am and the community which I am a part of. When I accepted myself and decided to live my life honestly I was embraced by a community that showed me love and caring usually reserved for family.
"I don't know why somebody else's marriage has anything to do with me,'' she said. "I'm completely comfortable with gay marriage.''
She said that she has come to the conclusion that the marriage of another couple "makes no difference to me,'' just as it would make no difference in her views of a neighbor if he painted his house a different color.
"If he's pleasant to me on the street, if his children don't throw things in my yard, then I'm happy,'' she said. "It seems to me we're making issues of things that honestly... don't matter.''
With that simple explanation Elizabth Edwards showed that she gets it.
"Faith got hijacked, partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, all too eager to exploit what divides us," the Illinois senator said.
"At every opportunity, they've told evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage, school prayer and intelligent design," according to an advance copy of his speech.
"There was even a time when the Christian Coalition determined that its number one legislative priority was tax cuts for the rich," Obama said. "I don't know what Bible they're reading, but it doesn't jibe with my version."
What Sen. Obama implies so clearly is that the Christian Coalition and other right wing groups do not actually care about the issues that they espouse. This is a way to manipulate the masses. Fear and prejudice have always been tools used to gain control over peoples opinions. The 2008 election will be no different.
