HorsesAss.Org

Looks like the Democrats just picked up a House seat:

Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) planned to resign today, hours after ABC questioned him about sexually explicit internet messages with current and former Congressional pages under the age of 18.

Hours earlier, ABC News had read excerpts of instant messages provided by former pages who said the congressman, under the AOL Instant Messenger screen name Maf54, made repeated references to sexual organs and acts.

Hmm. Not exactly the kind of behavior one expects from the chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. In the words of, um… Rep. Mark Foley:

“For too long our nation has tracked library books better than it has sex offenders. That day is coming to an end,”

It certainly is.

It is unclear whether Florida law allows the GOP to replace Foley on the ballot. In any case, Democratic challenger Tim Mahoney has been running a credible campaign in a district that tilts Republican, but not irreversibly. Thus I think you’d have to say that FL-16 has instantly shifted from a longshot, to a near certain Democratic pick-up.

UPDATE:
“I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of Florida I have had the privilege to represent,” Rep. Foley said in a statement.

Hmm. Well, if he really is “deeply sorry,” I’ve got a suggestion for how he can show it.

Rep. Foley is currently sitting on a $2.8 million war chest, much of it left over from a dashed US Senate bid. Typically, that money might go to the NRCC’s campaign coffers, to help elect other Republicans.

But if Rep. Foley really wants to show some contrition, he should donate it all to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

We all have personal failings of one sort or another. At least this way Rep. Foley might achieve some good out of his. So send him an email and encourage Rep. Foley to do the right thing. For the kids.

UPDATE, UPDATE:
ABC News has released a transcript of Rep. Foley’s instant messaging log. Oh my. Shades of Jim West.

UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDATE:
It turns out that the Republican House leadership knew almost a year ago that Foley was having sex talk with underage pages, and yet they let him remain as chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children.

The page worked for Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., who said Friday that when he learned of the e-mail exchanges 10 to 11 months ago, he called the teen’s parents. Alexander told the Ruston Daily Leader, “We also notified the House leadership that there might be a potential problem,” a reference to the House’s Republican leaders.

Um… when we talk about the lack of oversight in Congress, this is the type of shit we’re referring to. The GOP leadership has totally lost its compass.

UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDATE:
This has just become a HUGE scandal. Expect to see calls for Speaker Hastert’s resignation. This is inexcusable.

From the AP:

“Five years after 9/11, the worst attack on the American homeland in our history, Democrats offer nothing but criticism and obstruction and endless second-guessing,” Bush said at a GOP fundraiser.

“The party of FDR and the party of Harry Truman has become the party of cut and run,”

Asshole.

“A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”

Courtesy of David Neiwert.

“A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”

I am planning the violent overthrow of the United States government. There, I said it.

Decide for yourself whether I’m serious or not, or whether I’m just trying to make some rhetorical point. But it no longer matters what you think or what I think, or what a grand jury or a prosecutor or a court of law might think. All that matters now is what the President of the United States thinks.

If President Bush believes that I am an enemy combatant — or merely chooses to label me as such — that is what I am. I can be held without charge. I can have my rights to habeas corpus suspended. I can be tortured.

That is the America we now live in… an America where a single man can determine who does or does not deserve the protections of our constitution. An America were some people are now presumed guilty until proven innocent.

Today, 65 US Senators disgracefully voted to give President Bush the power to abrogate the rule of law — the kind of powers normally reserved for dictators — and while Washingtonians should be proud that our two Senators, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, were not amongst them, we should also be ashamed to live in a nation that claims to champion liberty and freedom, yet so easily jettisons its values when they become inconvenient. Like the Japanese internment and the Alien and Sedition Acts, this will go down in American history as one of those black marks that future generations will shake their heads at in disbelief.

But if there is a lesson to be learned by the current generation, it is that we not only need more Democrats in Congress, we need better Democrats.

UPDATE:
Okay, so let’s be clear:

SEC. 7. HABEAS CORPUS MATTERS
(e)(1) No court, justice, or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider an application for a writ of habeas corpus filed by or on behalf of an alien detained by the United States who has been determined by the United States to have been properly detained as an enemy combatant or is awaiting such determination.

So the President says I’m an alien enemy combatant, or is in the process of determining if I am an alien enemy combatant. I could easily challenge the “alien” determination in a court of law, that is… assuming the court would hear a writ of habeas corpus, but they won’t, because the President has already determined that I am being properly detained under SEC.7(e)(1).

As of 4PM today, 166 donors have contributed to either Darcy Burner or Peter Goldmark (or both) via my Act Blue page since I first started promoting it in March. That’s 139 contributions for Darcy and 93 contributions for Peter, for a total of $10,376.38 raised.

I thank you all for your tremendous generosity. But it’s not enough.

Both Darcy and Peter are in competitive races where dollars can translate into votes, and as we head into the homestretch it’s up to all of us to do whatever we can to help the Democrats retake control of the House and bring some accountability back to the other Washington. For some of you, that means working on the campaigns. For others, that means opening your wallets.

So here’s the challenge. The final quarterly reporting period before the November election ends Saturday at midnight, and I’m looking for at least 34 new donors between now and then to bring us at or over the 200 donor mark. I’m not asking for a lot of money — only $5.00 per candidate if that’s all you can afford. Remember, the number of individual contributions is seen as a measure of grassroots support, and will definitely influence where the big money flows during the final few weeks of the campaign.

So if you haven’t given yet, please give now. And if you’ve already given, then pat yourself on the back… and give some more.

Why is Pastor Joe Fuiten scrubbing the pages of his megachurch website?

I know. He knows. And unless he does the right thing — and soon — you’ll know too.

UPDATE:
For example:

We now know that the old secular idea that religion is not relevant to the public square wasn’t true. We now have to evaluate religion by its fruit. What kind of results does that religion produce? If one of the fruits of Islam is the rubble of the World Trade Center then we need to get some answers about this religion.

Americans need to hold Islam accountable for what it actually produces in the world. Americans need to hold me accountable for what results my religion produces in the world. Just as we have the right to hold Islam accountable for its results, so I expect to be held accountable for Cedar Park’s results in our community.

Oh. The link to the sermon doesn’t work? Well, amen for Google’s cache.

UPDATE, UPDATE:
Brian from Cedar Park just sent me the following email:

Hey, Goldy. Just thought I’d let you know that we just posted a completely new website (check it out

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It was a night of thoughtful, post-primary analysis, intellectual dialog, and me yelling at people who disagree with me until they back down in fear. That’s okay. I’m told conflict makes for good radio.

Joining me in passionate loud debate were Nick, Darryl, Lee, Carl, and token righty Don. Topics of discussion included the Richard Pope Fiasco, the right-wing corporatist conspiracy to take over our court system, Darcy Burner‘s surging candidacy in WA’s 8th Congressional District, and the lefty netroots conspiracy to take over the Democratic Party.

The show is 54:46, and is available here as a 39.2 MB MP3. Please visit PodcastingLiberally.com for complete archives and RSS feeds.

[Recorded live at the Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally. Special thanks to Confab creators Gavin and Richard for producing the show.]

Mr. Frank Blethen
Publisher & CEO
The Seattle Times
Fairview Building
1120 John Street
Seattle, WA 98109

Dear Frank,

I don’t know if you read the blogs (you know, those upstart, news-oriented websites that are forcing the newspaper industry to adapt or die,) but if you’ve read mine then you know that I’ve been rather critical of the way you use your power as the publisher of the state’s largest newspaper to selfishly shill for repealing an estate tax levied on only a couple hundred of Washington’s wealthiest families each year. In fact, if you had asked me this morning, I probably would have said that when it comes to the issue of estate tax repeal, you are the most ethically challenged newspaper publisher in the state.

But I’m writing to apologize, and admit that I was wrong, for apparently, that honor should go to Scott Campbell, Publisher of The Columbian.

While it is true that you continue to use your op/ed pages as a platform for spreading blatantly dishonest — and at times, laughable — misinformation about our state and federal estate tax (um, like the time you unfavorably compared Washington’s tax structure to that of Sweden… oh man, that was a knee-slapper,) at least you have stood by your pledge not to make any financial contributions to Initiative 920, a potential conflict of interest that even you had the sense to avoid.

But the same cannot be said for Mr. Campbell, whose newspaper, according to the latest PDC reports, has donated $5,000 to the Yes on 920 campaign.

It makes one wonder how readers could ever possibly believe anything about the estate tax published in a paper that has contributed money towards its repeal, and I congratulate you for refusing to diminish the credibility of The Seattle Times in such a coarse and inappropriate manner. Though, I suppose to be fair to Mr. Campbell and The Columbian, they really didn’t have all that much credibility to diminish in the first place, so what the hey?

So again, I apologize if I cast aspersions; you are most definitely not the most ethically challenged newspaper publisher in the state, and I sincerely regret having at any time implied otherwise. If you are ever looking for a job, and require written references, I would be happy to oblige.

Sincerely,

David Goldstein
http://www.horsesass.org/

PS: Those fundraising ads I-920’s Dennis Falk is running in The Seattle Times — the ads every political consultant I ask insist are a total waste of money — he’s paying full price for those, right?

CC: Scott Campbell, Publisher, The Columbian

UPDATE:
Hey… it turns out Frank may not even be the second least ethical newspaper publisher in the state of Washington. Pioneer Newspapers, publisher of 20 newspapers in the Northwest, has already contributed at least $25,000 to the Yes on 920 campaign. So much for an objective, fair and balanced press.

A SurveyUSA/KING-5 poll to be released later today will show incumbent Rep. Dave Reichert leading Democratic challenger Darcy Burner 50% to 48%… well within SurveyUSA’s typical margin error. This will mark the third independent poll over the past two weeks (here and here) to show the race in a statistical dead heat.

That’s amazing news for a challenger who is still under 50% in name ID, and bad news for an incumbent six weeks prior to the election. This isn’t 2004. This is an incumbent with huge name ID in a district that has never elected a Democrat, running against a virtual unknown.

Want to put Burner over the top? Then please give her money now. Your contribution could make the difference between Democratic and Republican control of the House. Really.

UPDATE:
“KING 5 Poll shows 8th district up for grabs”

8th Congressional District challenger Darcy Burner has a diary up on Daily Kos this morning pledging her support for Net Neutrality, and I urge you all to both read and recommend it:

The Internet has lowered the barrier to political participation and allowed a new civic dialogue to flourish.

No longer are traditional, corporate-controlled media outlets a chokepoint on whose voices will be heard; no longer is access to the tools for high-impact activism limited to consultants and political professionals; and no longer are Democratic candidates hamstrung by establishment control over resources they need to run winning campaigns.

The Internet is an incredible medium for democracy. But its future is threatened.

If elected, there may not be another member of Congress with the technological background to speak with more authority on the issue of Net Neutrality. And from her post, Burner clearly understands the larger societal, economic and political implications.

Please read and recommend Burner’s post.

UPDATE:
And speaking of economics… the end of the quarter is quickly approaching, one of the final benchmarks for determining where money will flow during the final few weeks of the campaign.

If you were ever planning to give to Darcy Burner and Peter Goldmark, now is this time! Remember, the number of individual contributions is just as important as the total dollars contributed when independent committees pour over the FEC filings to determine which candidates really have grassroots support. If you can only give $5.00, give $5.00. But please… give it now.

8th Congressional District Democratic challenger Darcy Burner has run two ads so far, and both feature her family’s history of military service. Both her father and husband have served in the military, and one of her brothers participated in the initial invasion of Iraq.

I’ve heard some criticism from Reichert boosters that this won’t play in her district… that the service of her family members won’t give Burner the credibility she seeks. But I think these critics are wrong. Every soldier we send overseas leaves a spouse and children and parents and siblings behind. There are many more voters in the 8th District who share Burner’s experience than there are who served in combat. Burner understands the incredible burden this war places on military families, because she comes from one.

Curiously, Burner rarely talks about her own service — the years she spent in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) — even though it was obviously an enormously influential period of her life. Burner started at age 14 and quickly rose through the cadet ranks, becoming the executive officer of the Nebraska wing at age 16, and being named National Cadet of the Year in 1989.

Darryl of Hominid Views was intrigued by this biographical tidbit and has posted a fascinating and candid interview with Burner on the subject. It soon becomes clear that when Republicans criticize her lack of service or leadership experience, they are shooting blanks; Burner displayed extraordinary leadership at a very early age, and it is this experience that gave her many of the skills that have helped her succeed throughout her life.

Her military family background and CAP experience has also given her perspective on politics that I believe explains much of her appeal in a swing district like the 8th:

Most of the members of the Civil Air Patrol that I know are relatively conservative politically

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Way back in May I skewered GOP senate wannabe Mike?™ McGavick for being a foreign policy lightweight. Given the opportunity to pen a major foreign policy op-ed for the national publication The Weekly Standard, McGavick devoted a thousand words to arguing that the best means towards confronting Iran’s nuclear ambitions was to ban its soccer team from World Cup competition.

No… really.

I criticized McGavick’s proposal as simplistic, ill-informed, and contrary to the very ideal of international competition. McGavick cited similar sanctions against South Africa’s rugby team during the 1970’s, but those were aimed at the white, minority electorate who held political control, whereas I argued that McGavick’s World Cup ban would have targeted the Iranian people, only feeding into anti-American sentiment.

But nearly five months later I am now ashamed to admit that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice agrees with me. Ouch.

As the Seattle Times’ David Postman points out over on his blog, Condi gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal editorial board yesterday in which she disses the soccer ban proposal during a discussion on embargoes:

“One of the problems that we have is if indeed you would like not to have a situation in which you reinforce the leadership’s desire to make their people feel that America is anti-Iranian people, then you want to stay away from things that have a bad effect on the Iranian people to the degree that you can. You know, we’ve talked

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The Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally meets tonight (and every Tuesday), 8PM at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. The primaries are over and we’re headed into the home stretch, so come on down for some hot debate and some icy cold beer.

Not in Seattle? Washington liberals will also be drinking tonight in the Tri-Cities. Here’s a full run down of WA’s ten Drinking Liberally chapters:

	Where:	When:	Next Meeting:
Burien:	Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub, 435 SW 152nd St	Fourth Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward	September 27
Kirkland:	Valhalla Bar & Grill, 8544 122nd Ave NE	Every Thursday, 7:00 pm onward	September 28
Monroe:	Eddie’s Trackside Bar and Grill, 214 N Lewis St	Second Wednesday of each month, 7:00 PM onward	October 11
Olympia:	The Tumwater Valley Bar and Grill, 4611 Tumwater Valley Drive South	First and third Monday of each month, 7:00-9:00 pm	October 2
Seattle:	Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Ave E	Every Tuesday, 8:00 pm onward	September 26
Spokane:	Red Lion BBQ & Pub, 126 N Division St	Every Wednesday, 7:00 pm	September 27
Tacoma:	Meconi’s Pub, 709 Pacific Ave	Every Wednesday, 8:00 pm onward	September 27
Tri-Cities:	Atomic Ale, 1015 Lee Blvd, Richland	Every Tuesday, 7:00 pm onward	September 26
Vancouver:	Hazel Dell Brew Pub, 8513 NE Highway 99	Second and fourth Tuesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward	September 26
Walla Walla:	The Green Lantern, 1606 E Isaacs Ave	First Friday of each month, 8:00 pm onward	October 6

A new poll conducted on behalf of EMILY’s List shows incumbent Rep. Dave Reichert holding a statistically insignificant 1 point lead over challenger Darcy Burner, 44% to 43% — well within the poll’s 4.9% margin of error. This is the second poll in as many weeks to show the race in a dead heat… and that’s about the best news the Reichert folks can squeeze from these numbers.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Reichert is vulnerable. His favorable ratings are below 50 percent, and he actually suffers a 6 point deficit in job approval.

And that’s not the worst of it. In a generic congressional match-up, 8th CD voters favor Democrats over Republicans 44% to 34%. Meanwhile, President Bush’s ratings have dropped through the floor, with a 36% to 59% favorable/unfavorable rating, and a stunningly low 28% to 71% job approval rating. This is simply a terrible climate for a Republican incumbent… especially one who has had high-profile visits from President Bush and Karl Rove.

As for Burner, she clearly still has a lot of work to do, but she has tremendous upside. Burner enjoys a 2.5 to 1 favorable ratio, but her name ID still stands below 50 percent. According to the pollsters:

“Burner has significant opportunities to grow in her name identification among younger voters (especially women), parents, the less well-educated, and residents of Pierce County and Legislative Districts 25/33/45 and 41. Introducing her to these voters with a positive message will help boost her performance. Indeed, almost 70% of Congressional undecideds know little about her.”

No doubt the righty trolls will dismissively pooh-pooh this poll, just as they did the previous one, but at some point they’re going to have to move off of the “Darcy isn’t a credible candidate” meme and start arguing this race based on Reichert’s record and the issues. For one thing should be abundantly clear to all but the most partisan Republican boosters: Burner can win this race.

But notice the emphasis on the word “can”. “Can” and “will” are not the same thing, and Burner can’t beat Reichert without your help. The NRCC has already started pulling money out of some hopeless races, but that’s not going to happen in WA-08, for the Republicans have no chance of holding control of the House if they can’t hold seats in suburban districts like Reichert’s. Districts like WA-08 will likely be ground zero in the GOP’s battle to retain their majority, so expect a firestorm of TV ads to blitz the airwaves, attacking Burner and defending Reichert. Burner can survive, but only if she has the resources to respond.

So if you haven’t yet given, or you haven’t given all you can give, now is the time to make a contribution to Darcy Burner and Peter Goldmark. If we can’t take back with House with great candidates like these, we’ll have only ourselves to blame.