Resources

Twitter Vote Report Wiki

How to Lobby Congress

Credit Default Swaps: If It Talks Like Insurance And It Walks Like Insurance It Should Re Regulated Like Insurance

12 Ways To Safeguard Your Vote In Under 10 minutes

Fact-Check Follies

50 Social Service or Community Activist Job Search Links

Sierra Club: Coal Is Not The Answer

ACCCE’s $40 Million ‘Clean Coal’ Lie

Ammunition

The latest links to the information you need to counter right-wing spin...

Smearing Tax Cuts as Handouts

ACORN responds to John McCain's shameful attacks

Factchecking the lies about ACORN

The ACORN non-story debunked--again.

Hume furthered capital gains tax assertion disputed by economists

OECD Inequality Report Blows a Hole In Republican "Spread the Wealth" Fearmongering

How Did This Happen?

So much for the “1970s cooling consensus” myth

Block the Vote: Will the GOP's campaign to deter new voters and discard Democratic ballots determine the next president?

Tax Cut Facts

6 Villains Of The Economic Crisis

Contrary To McCain’s Assertions, Tax Cuts Do Not Spur Business Growth

Better Job Growth Under ‘Tax and Spend Liberals’

Memo to Fox News & the GOP: America Has the Second-Lowest Business Taxes In the World

Important Reading

Good stuff you all should read from bloggers in other states...

NotMyGal: We can not let this election be stolen from us.

MyDD: No one's loving commitment is a threat to my marriage

Shakesville: In Which Yet Another Dood Who Thinks He's Hilarious is Really Just an Asshole

African American Political Pundit: If You're Looking For a Job? Watch What You Say On-Line

AMERICAblog: Do gay political ads have to say "gay"?

Open Left: If Not Now, When?

Open Left: The League of Conservation Voters Is Friendlier to Republicans than Democrats

Echidne of the Snakes: The Planet Of The Guys. Oh, With Gals, Too, Naturally

Make Your Vote Count

Our Greatest Fear

Our Greatest Fear Website

Don't Let Up

"Don't Know Much" TV Ad

"His Choice" Ad

This Is Awesome

Regan Endorses Obama

McCain-Palin Ads from the Young Turks

McCain:



Palin:

Help spread the truth about ACORN

Action Alerts

Send an e-mail: Fight Voter Suppression in Florida (Credo)

Send an e-mail: We Have Your Back BCBS-FL (EF)

Send an e-mail: Steer Florida to a Clean Car Future (UCS)

Send an e-mail: Take Action to Support Marine Conservation (ED)

Send an e-mail: Urge your Senators and Representatives to condemn the McCain-Palin robo calls (TFB)

Sign the petition: Protect Patient Privacy (PPR)

Video the Vote

Tell Your Granny

"New Subject" Ad

Political Ads Don't Get Much More Powerful Than This

The McCain Campaign may not want you to see this

McCain Loves Gambling

Citizen Interviews: Palin Is Not My Gal

Alexandra:



Nicole:

Action Alerts

Support Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

Sign the petition: Prevent Childhood Malaria Deaths in Africa (Care2)

Send an e-mail: Tell the U.S. Navy to Protect Marine Mammals from Deadly Sonar! (NRDC)

Sign the petition: Help Stamp out the Hate and Bigotry (PFAW)

Do You Know Where to Vote?

Early Vote, Florida!

Great Pro-Obama Ad from Barney Smith

Action Alerts

Send an e-mail: Stop Bullying in Florida's Schools (ACLU)

Report the Smears: Report Negative Mailings and Phone Calls (BO)

Send an e-mail: Tell the Bush administration not to let mining companies destroy valleys and streams (NRDC)

Donate money: Fight animal cruelty in California (YP2)

Donate money: Don't Let Them Steal This Election (21CD)

Donate money: Help us hold the line to protect America's national forests! (EJ)

Sign the petition: Tell Congress to Censure Michele Bachmann

Sign the petition: Tell Congress to Protect Social Security (CAP)

Sign the petition: Stand Strong Against Senator McCain's Anti-Environment Rhetoric! (EA)

"90 Percent" Ad

No. 29

This sucks:

A report issued Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documents how the infant mortality rate in the United States is growing in relation to other countries. The study, “Recent Trends in Infant Mortality in the United States,” found that at least 28 other countries now have lower death rates for infants in the first year of life.

The US’s relative position has declined steadily. In 1960, it had the 12th lowest infant mortality rate, but by 1990 had dropped to 23rd place, and by 2004—the latest year of the CDC’s comparative world figures on living standards—the US ranked 29th. The most recent study, published in July and titled “The Measure of America,” estimated that the US is now in 34th place.

The CDC report found that there was no improvement in the incidence of US infant deaths between 2000 and 2005, a “plateau in the US infant mortality rate represent[ing] the first period of sustained lack of decline in the US infant mortality rate since the 1950s.” This “has generated concern among researchers and policy makers,” the report noted.

For the year 2000, the infant mortality rate was 6.89 per 1,000, a rate that remained stagnant for five years before declining slightly to 6.71 between 2005 and 2006.

The CDC noted: “The impact of child mortality is considerable: there are more than 28,000 deaths to children under 1 year of age each year in the United States.”

Several countries in Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Finland) and East Asia (Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore) have an infant mortality rate below 3.5, almost half the US rate. The CDC’s 2004 rankings placed the US in a tie with Poland and Slovakia, and only marginally ahead of Puerto Rico and Chile. The US was behind every developed country in North America, Western Europe, and Australasia, as well as Cuba, Hungary, Israel, and the Czech Republic.

Fundamentally Wrong

From McCain vs. Florida:

Action Alerts

Send an e-mail: Tell Governor Crist and Secretary Browning to suspend the ‘no match’ law and protect the right to vote for all Floridians (ACLU)

Send an e-mail: Keep Our Streams Safe From Dirty Coal Mining (EJ)

Send an e-mail: Tell EPA to protect our food from the toxic pesticide endosulfan (UFW)

Send an e-mail: Urge Clemency for Troy Davis (AI)

Send an e-mail: Opportunity to Help Protect U.S. Pacific Waters (PEW)

Sign the petition: Get Presidential Candidates to Talk About Kids' Healthcare During the Final Debate (CHF)

Sign the petition: Tell McCain to End the Politics of Hate (TRM)

Talk to your parents about John McCain

Politics Is BULLSH1T

Ronald Reagan Endorses Obama

Fake Money-Palooza!

From Air America

The Road to the White House

What are Florida bloggers saying about the presidential race? Here are the top 10 recent posts...

1. Bark Bark Woof Woof: Tilting the Courts

2. Change in Tallahassee: Job Loss: The Price Of McSame

3. Miami-Dade Dems: Antidote to those rumors that he's a danger to Israel

4. Pensacola Beach Blog: Palin Pounded by Alaska Legislature

5. BlueHerald 2.0: McCain’s Health Care Plan to Cut $1.3 Trillion From Medicare/Medicaid

6. The Spencerian: An Obama Lead in Sarasota -- A Bellwether for the State?

7. BlueHerald 2.0: CNN Fact Check on Ayers/Obama Claim: False

8. Pensito Review (Trish): Keating Economics Exposes McCain’s Role in Deregulation

9. Pensacola Beach Blog: McCain Myths

10. Incertus (Brian): Okay, a quick one before I go

Important Reading

Good stuff you all should read from bloggers in other states...

Huffington Post: Obama Advancing On The Ground, Under Pollsters' Radar

No More Stolen Elections: Great resource for fighting to save our election process

techPresident: Twitter: An Antidote to Election Day Voting Problems?

New Policy Institute: New Policy Institute Paper: Harnessing the Mobile Revolution

Culture Kitchen: Five ways to guerrilla broadcasting with your cell phone

Marion County Democratic Party: The really busy person's guide to political activism - Slate/Christopher Beam

Discourse.net: Quantity Has a Quality All of Its Own

the 13th juror: Brain injury may be the cause of homelessness for many people

Pam's House Blend: Gay or queer?

OpenLeft: Educating the Public About Organizing: Beyond "Just Doing It" (Core Dilemmas of Community Organizin)

African American Political Pundit: Black Folks, Black Facts, Black Americans, Stats on Blacks, Black Population Facts

Pushing Rope: Netroots Needs to Stop Backing Fringe Democrats

Ammunition

The latest links to the information you need to counter right-wing spin...

Conflict Of Interest? Report Says Goldman Sachs ‘Among Biggest Beneficiaries’ Of Paulson’s Bailout

GOP Returns to the Voter Suppression Game With New Friends

Attention Wingnuttia - About Those Fannie/Freddie Attacks...

School Vouchers and Student Achievement: Recent Evidence, Remaining Questions

A little truthiness: who caused the subprime crisis?

On "Voter Fraud"

The Subprime loans explained

Senator Sanders Says: The top 0.1 percent now earn more money than the bottom 50 percent of Americans

Media conservatives baselessly blame Community Reinvestment Act for foreclosure spike

Resources

Tools you can use:

Election Protection Wiki

Backgrounder on the Credit Crisis

Green Energy Voter Guide

Required Reading In Hard Times

Income & Taxes

Steal Back Your Vote

The Straight Facts On Women In Poverty

Voter Suppression Wiki

Republicans Don't Support Troops As Well As Dems

Check out the latest scorecards from Disabled American Veterans and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America...

DAV:

Bill Nelson, 100
Allen Boyd, 100
Corrine Brown, 100
Kendrick Meek, 100
Robert Wexler, 100
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, 100
Alcee Hastings, 100

Mel Martinez, 60
Jeff Miller, 66
Ander Crenshaw, 66
Ginny Brown-Waite, 66
Cliff Stearns, 66
John Mica, 66
Ric Keller, 50
C.W. Bill Young, 66
Adam Putnam, 66
Connie Mack, 66
David Weldon, 66
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, 66
Lincoln Diaz-Balart, 66
Tom Feeney, 66
Mario Diaz-Balart, 66

Notice a pattern here? All of the Dems have 100%, while none of the Republicans has anything better than a mid-range "D." So much for supporting disabled troops.

IAVA:

Bill Nelson, A+
Allen Boyd, A
Corrine Brown, A
Kathy Castor, A
Timothy Mahoney, A
Kendrick Meek, B
Robert Wexler, A
D. Wasserman Schultz, A+
Ron Klein, A+
Alcee Hastings, A

Mel Martinez, B
Jeff Miller, B
Ander Crenshaw, B
G. Brown-Waite, B
Cliff Stearns, B
John Mica, B
Ric Keller, A
Gus Bilirakis, A
C.W. Bill Young, B
Adam Putnam, C
Vern Buchanan, B
Connie Mack, B
Dave Weldon, C
I. Ros-Lehtinen, A
L. Diaz-Balart, B
Tom Feeney, B
M. Diaz-Balart, B

Republicans do a little better on this one, with Keller, Bilirakis and Ros-Lehtinen all getting an "A." Dems still do better, Meek has the lowest grade on our side of the aisle, and he still has a "B." The only "A+" grades amongst Florida's delegation are Dems and the only grades below "B" are all Republicans. Again, which party actually supports the troops?

Chuck Webster Endorses McCain

Parody Alert:

The Need for National Healthcare

McCain fails straight talk on birth control and Viagra

Tested

Obama or McCain- Why You Should Vote

Powerful and well-made video on why voting is important:

McCain Hates Veterans

IAVA gives him a "D" for his votes for veterans/soldiers

DAV gives him a "20%" for his votes for disabled veterans

Who Is John McCain?

Action Alerts

Sign the petition: Protect Our Vote (Progress Florida)

Donate money: AIG goes golfing, we go to work (FLA PIRG)

Send an e-mail: Help Protect the Marbled Murrelet! (TWS)

Send an e-mail: Keep Colorado's Roadless Area Protected! (TWS)

Donate money: Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund

Sign the petition: Save the Debates (PFAW)

Sign the petition: Will You Fall For the McCain-Palin Lies? (DCCC)

Sign the petition: Tell FDA: NO CONTAMINATED DAIRY INGREDIENTS FROM CHINA! (FWW)

Sign the petition: Take the Watch Out for Wildlife Pledge! (DOW)

Sign the petition: Encourage Women who are Working Their Families out of Poverty (FINCA)

Sign the petition: Tell EPA to Protect People from Pesticide Poisoning! (EJ)

Sign the petition: Support Critical Ocean Conservation Plan (Care2)

Sign the petition: Demand Health Care Reform That Works for Women! (NWLC)

Sign the petition: Some People Get a Golden Parachute...For Everyone Else, There's the Golden Promise: Social Security (CAP)

What's The Point, Senator McCain?

Very funny debate remix:

John McCain's Rage is a National Security Concern

McCain Loses It: Calls Americans 'My Fellow Prisoners'

Read more about the implications of this

Obama's Financial Plan

McCain Loves Gambling

McCain Aspires To Be A Dictator

Empty Chair Charlie's Fantasy Land

NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY

For Immediate Release: October 2, 2008

Empty Chair Charlie's Fantasy Land

Tallahassee, FL - Empty Chair Charlie's Empty Suit made a roaring comeback with the Sarasota Herald Tribune's Capitol Comments Blog reporting that after weeks of ignoring the fact that Floridians are suffering under the Bush-McCain-Crist failed economic polices, Crist has finally laid out his new economic plan: "Go to Disney World" he said when ducking questions about the economic recovery plan being debated in Congress.

"Empty Chair Charlie must be living in Fantasy Land. He still doesn't get that our nation is facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and Florida's families are suffering under the Bush-McCain-Crist failed economic polices. Crist's advice to the hundreds of thousands of Floridians who have lost their jobs or homes under this Republican recession - go spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars to bring your family to Disney World," said Florida Democratic Party spokesman Eric Jotkoff. "Cleary our part time governor is spending too much time hanging out in John McCain's fundamentally strong economy, because telling people to go to Disney is Crist's entire plan to jumpstart Florida's economy."

As the Herald Tribune points out, "Daily admission for a family of four to Disney World is about $250."

And where is the Empty Chair headed today rather than working on a real plan to fix Florida's economy? As the Herald Tribune later reports:

Gov. Charlie Crist will do a spot of work in Tallahassee Thursday morning before flying to his hometown of St. Petersburg for the first-ever playoff game of the Tampa Bay Rays.

"Not only is Charlie Crist an Empty Chair, but he is an Empty Suit. Crist is so out-of-touch that he doesn't get that Florida's families are suffering under the Republican recession. Rather than going to a baseball game, Crist should working on a real plan to fix Florida's economy," Jotkoff added.

-###-

 

 

Great Ad from Al Franken

John McCain's Radical Health Care Plan

NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY

For Immediate Release: October 4, 2008

McCain's Plan Would Tax Benefits for the First Time, Jeopardize Coverage, Raise Costs for Floridians, Gut State Protections

Tallahassee, FL - John McCain is telling Americans that he'll give them a tax credit to pay for health care, but what he isn't telling you is that he wants to pay for it with a massive new tax on middle class families. Worse, the tax credit McCain is offering would not keep up with rising premiums over time. McCain's radical health care plan will tax Floridians' health care benefits for the first time in history, and lead 20 million workers nationwide to lose the coverage they get from their employers - even as health care costs are skyrocketing.

"John McCain is offering Floridians more of the same old Washington double-talk on health care," said Eric Jotkoff, Florida Democratic Party spokesman. "He's saying he'll give Americans a tax credit to pay for health care, but he's going to raise our taxes to help pay for the tax credit. McCain says he wants to make health care more accessible and affordable, but his plan could cause 20 million Americans to lose their employer-provided health care and allow insurance companies to pad their profits at Americans' expense."

According to the nonpartisan organization Factcheck.org, "McCain's plan to tax workers on the value of their employer-provided health care plans and provide tax credits would encourage some employers, mainly small businesses, to drop health benefits, say experts, and the proposal could eventually eliminate job-based insurance altogether." [Factcheck.org, http://www.factcheck.org/mccains_5000_promise.html]

McCain's health care plan will leave tens of millions of Americans on their own in the individual insurance market and may actually increase the number of Americans uninsured over five years. At the same time, McCain won't do anything to stop insurance companies from discriminating against Americans with pre-existing conditions, and he wants to deregulate the health insurance industry - just as he, top economic advisor Phil Gramm, and their Republican allies in Washington have done with our financial markets with disastrous results.

McCain's radical health care plan adds up to a massive new tax, no change or relief from rising health care costs and more of the same failed Republican policies that created this economic crisis extended to the health care market. Floridians can't afford four more years of Republican policies on the economy and health care.

McCain Hates Negative Ads...No, He Loves Them

Does McCain Believe in God?

It doesn't seem so.

McCain Apparently Thinks Obama Is A Terrorist

From TPM:

After John McCain delivered the central question of his speech today -- "Who is the real Barack Obama?" -- the first, and loudest, supporter seems to yell:

"Terrorist!"

That's what John Aravosis and Marc Ambinder heard, and it does sound like it.

McCain seemed to pause, and didn't denounce the epithet.

McCain and Keating

Learn what you need to know here:

Palin Owes Thousands In Back Taxes

Hilarious

Feeney Apology Remix

(Sent to me by a friend in South Florida who wishes to remain anonymous...)

Tom Feeney gave a fake apology over his ethical troubles, here are the facts...



If you want Feeney out of Washington, contribute to Suzanne Kosmas

Palin's Not My Gal: Jack, Age 3

We've Been Bailed Out!

House votes 263-171.

I can already feel the economy getting better. Really.

(Blame the cold medicine for the excessive snark today).

Sarah Palin Didn't Answer Anything

From Think Progress:

For Sarah Palin, last night’s debate was an open-book exam. She spent much of the evening methodically reading and rehearsing answers from “carefully scripted talking points.” Palin’s notes were largely hidden from plain view, resting behind the lectern where she stood.

Because the cable and network television stations did not show a split screen of the debate, most viewers could not see that, during Joe Biden’s answers, Palin spent almost all her time looking down and studiously reading her notes. But viewers did see that when Palin delivered her answers, she would repeatedly glance down to check her talking points.

ThinkProgress has compiled a video documenting some of the instances where it was clear to the audience that Palin was propped up by written responses. Watch a video compilation:

So, we'll never get to see Palin unscripted and working off the top of her head. Wouldn't want to know how someone a heartbeat from the presidency would handle that kind of situation, would we?

Daily Humor

Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart:

The Nature of Right-Wing Talk Radio

Rick Baker: "I don't think homeless people should vote. Frankly. In fact, I have to be very honest. I'm not that excited about women voting, to be honest....But that's just me. I'm a pig, and that's fine. All right? And we'll see that, I'm sure, on a lame-ass website very soon. But I don't think hobos ought to vote at all. They're nuts. And I think that there needs to be a little more care in who votes."

Is McCain a Maverick?

Find out here.

Key Moments from the VP Debate

Biden: McCain's Healthcare Plan "Bridge to Nowhere":



Palin: I've Been at This For Like Five Weeks:



Biden: "How Different is John McCain's Policy going to be than George Bush's?":



Biden Talks About Being A Single Father:



Joe Biden on John McCain: Maverick He Is Not:

Great New Pro-Women/Anti-Palin Site

I'm doing some work with the great women (and a few men) behind Not My Gal, a site dedicated to women explaining why Sarah Palin is not their girl. Here are a few Floridians on Palin:

Kaya:



Shirley:



Beth:



If you make any videos like this, let me know and I'll help you upload and post them...