Thursday, August 05, 2004

POLITICS -- All we Have to Fear is the Next 88 Days

It’s Where The Money Is. President Bush and Senator John Kerry both showed up in Davenport, Iowa at the same time. That stretched police thin. Thin enough to allow three bank robberies in about an hour. (Quad-Cities Times)

The Corn-fed Candidate. It’s got to Beat the Rubber Chicken Circuit. President Bush, trying to impress voters in the corn growing state of Iowa, ate some corn on the cob at a campaign event. He ate it raw. I thought in Texas, they call that ‘cattle feed.’ (Reuters)

Campaign Money-Go-Round. Soft money has been replaced by the power of “527 committees.” They get the name from the section of the tax code allowing them. Just 135 people and groups have contributed more than $50,000 to 527 committees this election year. But that adds up to $52 million. Most of that’s going to committees favorable to Democrat causes and candidates. The 50 biggest 527s are led by five liberal organizations. Both the Center for Public Integrity and the Center for Responsive Politics track these new groups. (Al’s Morning Meeting)

Free Advertising.
John Kerry’s getting $6.5 million worth of TV ads in 20 key states, $2.5 million worth of ads in five battleground states, and $500,000 worth of TV ads in Spanish in 11 cities. But the Kerry Campaign isn’t spending a dime for any of it. Those 527s are working for him. (NYT)

View the Democratic Party’s ad: “Strength”

View John Kerry’s Campaign ads: Kerry/Edwards

View actor Will Ferrell playing President Bush shilling for “ACT-Americans Coming Together,” a 527 committee: “Straight Talk”

Ramsey Loses.
John Ramsey, father of Jon Benet Ramsey, lost his bid for the Michigan legislator. Mr. Ramsey finished second in a field of six for the Republican nomination. (CNN)

The Eugenics Candidate. He shows up at your door wearing a bulletproof vest, totin’ a gun, and asking for your vote. James L. Hart is running for Congress in Tennessee supporting a return to ‘eugenics’ – the false science that was dreamed up to ‘purify the races.’ Think that’s scary? Since he has no opponents, he’ll likely win tomorrow’s Republican Primary. (AP)

Them Godless Democrats. The more you worship, the more likely you are to vote Republican. That’s what number crunchers found from exit polls. Seems if you vote Democrat, you don’t have a prayer. Not to say the Democrats are preying on the prayerful for their votes. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life keep track of people in the pews going to voting booths. (Al’s Morning Meeting)

Preaching to the Choir. Meanwhile Jerry Falwell is sponsoring a seminar to let preachers learn how to work for politicians without losing their churches’ tax-exempt status. (FOX News)

The Letter of the Law. The W Hotel chain has fired off a nasty letter to folks cashing in on the President George W. Bush’s middle initial. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., has unchained the lawyers as they protect their trademark claim to the letter logo. Must be Friends of Bill. President Clinton’s staffer’s removed “W” keys from computer keyboards on their way out. No word on what the hoteliers are planning for “W” ketchup sold in Wal-Marts, (NY Post)

Driving a Stake Through Three Purple Hearts.
Unfit for Command, a new book, claims that John Kerry stretched the truth about his Vietnam experiences. Meanwhile, Sword of Dracula, a comic book, highlights Kerry’s exploits battling Dracula and other Vampires during his stint in Southeast Asia. (Seattle Times)

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