Joseph Lieberman Beats the Internet Activists. Senator more powerful than ever!

~~` Back after the Connecticut Democratic primary this year , the world -- or at least the press -- proclaimed "Internet, activists help topple prominent US Democrat".

Well at the time , I was not impressed . And now we have , once "Democratic" Sen. Joseph Lieberman,

as now INDEPENDENT Sen. Joseph Lieberman.

With just a one vote Majority in the senate the Democrats will have to quake every time Lieberman speaks his mind. Lieberman is now more powerful then ever, thanks to the Internet !?!?

If Internet "activist" are going to proclaim victories, they are also going to have to accept the lessons of this big defeat.

The lesson is , while the Internet is a great "tool" for political organizing, it is still only one "tool" among many, and alone it cannot win for you.

Web Directory of Congressional Bios Debuts - Forbes.com

~~~ COOL ! ~~ TP

Web Directory of Congressional Bios Debuts - Forbes.com:
via Associated Press

By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL , 03.04.2006, 02:45 AM

Official congressional biographies have been online for years. Now, all the information in the new directory, including Cabinet officials and lists of lawmakers by state and session, is searchable online.

Those who want their congressional trivia on paper can still pay for it, at $99 a copy, but it's free to those who want to download its 2,218 pages from http://www.gpoaccess.gov.

" Sen. William Proxmire Dead At 90 "

~~ The second Senate giant to pass this week. Like Sen. Eugence McCarthy , William Proxmire is one for the history books. A unique maverick who often defied labels. Mostly "Liberal" , but against abortion. Thifty , but always bought home the milk-price supports to the home state. Most importantly Sen. Proxmire also led the charge to get the USA to sign the International Genocide Treaty. A very complex man indeed, and like Sen. McCarthy the type of politician who probably could not get elected today.~~ TP
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CBS News | Sen. William Proxmire Dead At 90 | December 15, 2005 "Long before the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law was a twinkle in the eye of lawmakers, and at a time when millions were spent campaigning for Senate seats, Proxmire made a point of accepting no contributions. In 1982 he registered only $145.10 in campaign costs, yet gleaned 64 percent of the vote."

McCarthy's rare mold: USATODAY.com

~~~ I have been reading a lot of o-bits about Sen. Eugene McCarthy, and this one from 'USA Today' struck the chord I was looking for. ~~ TP
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USATODAY.com - McCarthy's rare mold: "McCarthy's rare mold
Most politicians whose biggest claim to fame was a second-place finish in a presidential primary would barely rate a footnote from historians.

But Eugene McCarthy, who died Saturday at age 89, wasn't like most politicians." it is hard to imagine someone as quirky or principled as McCarthy surviving in today's political environment. He didn't take the oath of self-preservation and mindless partisanship that seems to be an officeholder's first action today. He didn't base his stands on the winds of the moment......

......The nation would be well-served if more people of McCarthy's unwavering integrity were drawn to public service. It would also do well to have more officials like McCarthy with interests in poetry and other areas beyond politics and the law.

......But he was an unusual politician at a unique moment in history. It's probably safe to say there won't be many more like him anytime soon. ~~` How True , and that is what is too bad . ~` TP

Questions on the Legality of Campaign Fund-Raising - New York Times

Questions on the Legality of Campaign Fund-Raising - New York Times: "'Contributions can only take you so far,' said former Senator John B. Breaux, a Louisiana Democrat who has relocated to a K Street law firm and is now advising clients on lobbying strategy. 'I tell them, 'Look, you can give to an elected official and take them to lunch, dinner and breakfast. "But if you are asking them to vote yes on an issue and they have 2,000 letters from home telling them to vote no, then you have a problem."

~~ The most powerful tool in any political lobby , is the handwritten letter from the home district . Even in this technopolitical world in which we now exist , the simple old ways of local storefront politics still prevails. ~~ TP

Could blogs trump stumping in Iowa? | csmonitor.com

~~ No !!!!

Handshakes, kissing babies ,, and meet face to face with the Big $$$$, will ALWAYS win elections.

Internet is not local . All Politics Are Local .

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Could blogs trump stumping in Iowa? | csmonitor.com: "The power of the Internet has led the Pew Center's Michael Cornfield and others to say that we should now speak of a much more visible 'virtual primary.'

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R), Sen. Russ Feingold (D) of Wisconsin, Sen. Evan Bayh (D) of Indiana, and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) of New York all blog or occasionally post on prominent blogs.

Senate majority leader Bill Frist just started a blog. Last week House Republicans initiated a 'Capitol Hill Blog Row,' inviting a number of bloggers to meetings and briefings."

BUT I CHALLENGE anyone to produce a documented instance , that Bill Clinton ever lied to the American public in the matters of War & Peace ~` by ~ TP

` `Comment below next article ~~ ` TP


By PAUL NOWELL, Associated Press Writer

February 1, 2005
"Helms Pleads to Keep Clinton Out of U.N."

CHARLOTTE, N.C - They may both be out of office, but Bill Clinton - remains the ultimate boogeyman for former Sen. Jesse Helms. In a fund-raising a letter for his senatorial library, Helms invokes the specter of the former president leading the United Nations after Kofi Annan retires next year.

"I'm sure you might agree that putting a left-wing, undisciplined and ethically challenged former President of the United States into a position of such power would be a tragic mistake," wrote the 83-year-old Republican, who left office in 2003 after five terms. >>>>>>

~ ~ ~ Bill Clinton balanced the budget mess he inherited from the Reagan- Bush administrations.

Bill tried to get the Insurance companies out of health care.

Mr. Clinton was the first US President not to overthrow every little western hemisphere country who did not tow the American business interests line.

And Bill Clinton is still much better respected in the Global community that any American President of the past generation. { And certainly better than the Dubuya Bush or his Dad]

Okay , so he lied about a personal matter of intimate relations.

A point that was so distantly tangential to the Whitewater investigation that it was simply a Ken Starr sham.

Bill Clinton did not lie about committing a criminal act , but simply a human act , one that people lie about -- in grossly huge numbers -- everyday.

[As a matter of fact it is often good etiquette to lie on this topic. I, for one, never liked folks who kiss and tell. ]

BUT I CHALLENGE anyone to produce a documented instance , that Bill Clinton ever lied to the American public in the matters of War & Peace , or even Jobs & Interest Rates.

Mr. Clinton on Foreign & Domestic Policy issues was the most forthcoming and honest President this nation ever had. That is not to say I agree with everything he said.

But at least when I came home at the end of the day to watch the news, I knew the President of the United States was shooting strait with me.

As opposed to the “Reagan – Bush I – BUSH II – Dick Chaney” team and their formalized policies of Dis-Information that they feed to the American Public and to the world each & every day.

Bill Clinton has got my vote UN Secretary General,, and I predict here today he will get that Job after Kofi Annon leaves. ~~
~~ TP
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Senate Remarks by Robert C. Byrd

Senate Remarks by Robert C. Byrd
	March 19, 2003 http://byrd.senate.gov/
	"The Arrogance of Power"
	I believe in this beautiful country. I have studied its roots and gloried in the wisdom of its magnificent Constitution. I have marveled at the wisdom of its founders and framers. Generation after generation of Americans has understood the lofty ideals that underlie our great Republic. I have been inspired by the story of their sacrifice and their strength. But, today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned. Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place. We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split. After war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America's image around the globe. The case this Administration tries to make to justify its fixation with war is tainted by charges of falsified documents and circumstantial evidence. We cannot convince the world of the necessity of this war for one simple reason. This is a war of choice. There is no credible information to connect Saddam Hussein to 9/11. The twin towers fell because a world-wide terrorist group, Al Qaeda, with cells in over 60 nations, struck at our wealth and our influence by turning our own planes into missiles, one of which would likely have slammed into the dome of this beautiful Capitol except for the brave sacrifice of the passengers on board. The brutality seen on September 11th and in other terrorist attacks we have witnessed around the globe are the violent and desperate efforts by extremists to stop the daily encroachment of western values upon their cultures. That is what we fight. It is a force not confined to borders. It is a shadowy entity with many faces, many names, and many addresses. But, this Administration has directed all of the anger, fear, and grief which emerged from the ashes of the twin towers and the twisted metal of the Pentagon towards a tangible villain, one we can see and hate and attack. And villain he is. But, he is the wrong villain. And this is the wrong war. If we attack Saddam Hussein, we will probably drive him from power. But, the zeal of our friends to assist our global war on terrorism may have already taken flight. The general unease surrounding this war is not just due to "orange alert." There is a pervasive sense of rush and risk and too many questions unanswered. How long will we be in Iraq? What will be the cost? What is the ultimate mission? How great is the danger at home? A pall has fallen over the Senate Chamber. We avoid our solemn duty to debate the one topic on the minds of all Americans, even while scores of thousands of our sons and daughters faithfully do their duty in Iraq. What is happening to this country? When did we become a nation which ignores and berates our friends? When did we decide to risk undermining international order by adopting a radical and doctrinaire approach to using our awesome military might? How can we abandon diplomatic efforts when the turmoil in the world cries out for diplomacy? Why can this President not seem to see that America's true power lies not in its will to intimidate, but in its ability to inspire? War appears inevitable. But, I continue to hope that the cloud will lift. Perhaps Saddam will yet turn tail and run. Perhaps reason will somehow still prevail. I along with millions of Americans will pray for the safety of our troops, for the innocent civilians in Iraq, and for the security of our homeland. May God continue to bless the United States of America in the troubled days ahead, and may we somehow recapture the vision which for the present eludes us. ###

Under Fire, Lott Apologizes for His Comments at Thurmond's Party

http://www.nytimes.com

Under Fire, Lott Apologizes for His Comments at Thurmond's Party

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/10/politics/10LOTT.html

ASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2002 — Saying that he had used "a poor choice of words," Trent Lott, the Senate Republican leader, apologized tonight for his speech at the 100th birthday party of Senator Strom Thurmond, which critics had said was an implicit endorsement of segregation.

At issue are three sentences in Mr. Lott's tribute last Thursday to Mr. Thurmond, a South Carolina Republican who ran for president in 1948 on a Dixiecrat platform opposing "social intermingling of the races."

With Mr. Thurmond by his side, Mr. Lott, Republican of Mississippi, said: "I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either."

The comments brought complaints from both sides of the political aisle.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson called on Mr. Lott to resign as Republican leader. Representative John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and leader of the civil rights movement, said he was "shocked and chagrined." William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine, said Mr. Lott had been "thoughtless."

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/10/politics/10LOTT.html

Mandate for the Middle: By Sen. JAMES M. JEFFORDS

November 30, 2002

Mandate for the Middle

By JAMES M. JEFFORDS
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/30/opinion/30JEFF.html

ASHINGTON
I have listened to a lot of people discuss what went right and what went wrong in the 2002 midterm elections. In the final tally, there is no question that President Bush did a masterful job engineering victories for the Republican Party.

But I worry that the list of issues that dominated the election season was woefully incomplete. As we respond daily to the latest threats of terror highlighted by the administration, I believe other issues that bear directly on the security of our homeland are being dangerously obscured.

Our slumping economy, our threatened environment, our underfunded schools, our corporate scandals — these are not issues that you will hear discussed by the White House, but they are being talked about by people who don't have the power to define the nation's agenda.

In Congress we have just passed a law that will bring about the largest restructuring of our government since World War II. We are telling the American people that a new Department of Homeland Security will protect them. But Americans are losing their jobs and their ability to support their families. In less than two years, more than two million private sector jobs have been lost, while our economic growth is the weakest it has been in 50 years.

We should be addressing that homeland security issue.

Too many hard-working people are stuck in low-wage jobs, wondering how they will make the rent payment and cover child-care costs. The Census Bureau's recent income and poverty report stated that 1.3 million Americans slipped below the poverty line in the last year. This increase means that 11.7 percent of the United States population is living in poverty. The Census Bureau also reported that median household income decreased for the first time since 1991.

What's more, many workers who are fortunate enough not to have to worry about their jobs are now worrying about their savings. More than 50 percent of Americans have investments in the stock market, and they have seen the value of those investments decline by more than $4.5 trillion since last January.

We should be addressing that homeland security issue.

Coal plants in the Midwest continue to spew toxic pollutants into the air, yet the administration does not see the wisdom in regulating these emissions, preferring to rely on the good-faith efforts of plant owners to police themselves. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people are dying prematurely every year from such pollution.

I was proud to work with President George H. W. Bush on the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990. He called our work "a new chapter in our environmental history, and a new era for clean air." Now, President George W. Bush insists on moving us backward, undoing his father's legacy and our nation's environmental policy. Last week the administration issued regulations to ease clean air rules to allow power plants to avoid having to install new antipollution equipment when they modernize their plants.

We should be addressing that homeland security issue.

The lack of funding for our schools is disgraceful. Of the major industrial nations, the United States ranks among the lowest in terms of financing education at the federal level, providing only 7 percent of the cost. The president's education plan is long on new federal mandates but short on the resources to make them work. The government promised more than 25 years ago to pay 40 percent of special education costs for children with disabilities; it now covers only 18 percent.

There's no question that we are living in a dangerous time. Some of the threats we face are being met with judgment and careful deliberation. But others, namely the steady erosion of economic opportunity here at home, are being ignored.

If the new, razor-thin Republican majority abuses its power and moves forward with an extreme agenda that overlooks the concerns of the many and benefits only the privileged few, there will be repercussions.

Since the election, my decision to leave the Republican Party last year has been subject to new scrutiny. The attention on my personal decision, while understandable, is misplaced. If the Republicans read the recent election results as a rejection of moderation and a mandate to steamroll opposition from within the party, they will be making a grave mistake.

James M. Jeffords, an independent, is the junior senator from Vermont.

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The Facts and the Farm Bill @ http://www.movingideas.org/

The Facts and the Farm Bill @ http://www.movingideas.org/

http://www.movingideas.org/activism/networks/020311.html

"Let the facts speak for themselves. That's what the D.C.-based Environmental Working Group hoped to do when they launched a Web site listing federal subsidies sent to every farm in America (www.ewg.org/farm). Now, with stories having appeared in news venues from the Bismarck Tribune to The New York Times, small farmers, environmentalists, and traders at the New York Cotton Exchange are all celebrating a recent Senate amendment to the $45-billion farm bill that would cap annual subsidies at $270,000 per farm. This is a blow to big industrial operations. The proposal's surprise adoption was helped along by the site, which reporters (who love easily searchable databases of local information) and members of Congress have praised."

http://www.movingideas.org/activism/networks/020311.html