March 10, 2008
Mar 10 00:33 Wolfson, Morris & Obama Mar 10 14:57 Spitzer to Resign Amid Allegations? Mar 10 20:13 Glenn Beck Skewers Al Franken
Wolfson, Morris & Obama
Salena Zito's column quotes team Hillary Communications Director Howard Wolfson as saying that Pennsylvania is "absolutely critical to this campaign."
Don't go too far out on that limb, Mr. Wolfson.
Still, that's nothing to the 'advice' that Dick Morris is dispensing to Sen. Obama. Here's what he said in his column titled ' It's Still Over For Hillary ':
The real message of Tuesday's primaries is not that Hillary won. It's that she didn't win by enough.Not wanting to leave a base uncovered, he then writes this in his columnt titled ' It's Time to Call In Hatchet Men Against the Clintons ':
The race is over.
The results are already clear. Obama will go to the Democratic Convention with a lead of between 100 and 200 elected delegates. The remaining question is: What will the superdelegates do then? But is that really a question? Will the leaders of the Democratic Party be complicit in its destruction? Will they really kindle a civil war by denying the nomination to the man who won the most elected delegates? No way. They well understand that to do so would be to throw away the party's chances of victory and to stigmatize it among African-Americans and young people for the rest of their lives. The Democratic Party took 20 years to recover from the traumas of
1968 and it is not about to trigger a similar bloodletting this year.
[The] Clintons are trying to steal the nomination from Barack Obama - and he can't let them. The Clintons' campaign attacks put Obama in a bind.It sounds like Dick Morris is attempting to do his best impression of John Kerry. Morris is essentially saying that Hillary's toast...except that she isn't toast. the good new for Obama is that she still might be toast...if he accepts this pearl of Morris wisdom:
If he doesn't answer in kind, he's toast.
But if he does, they'll have forced him off his winning message of hope and change from the bitter politics of the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush eras. If they pull him off his game and onto theirs, they can wrest away the Democratic convention victory that he's earned.The truth is that it's essentially over for Hillary. That's why there's been so much infighting at Team Hillary's HQ recently. I agree with Morris' statement that the Democratic superdelegates won't tilt towards Hillary if she isn't leading in committed delegates. Barring something totally unforeseen happening, the nomination fight is over.
The solution for Obama is clear: Reply in kind, but do it through surrogates.
Still, the Clintons persist. They're continuing to push a Hillary-Obama ticket during their stump speeches:
Hillary and Bill Clinton are again teaming up on Barack Obama, this time saying the first-term U.S. lawmaker, whom they have derided as inexperienced, would be a strong running mate on a Democratic presidential ticket headed by the former first lady.Pennsylvania is a state that Hillary should do well in. The truth is that winning Pennsylvania won't be nearly enough for Team Hillary. That said, I hope she keeps attacking Obama, softening him up for this fall's election.
In talking up a joint ticket, the Clintons may be seeking the upper hand, attempting to put her in consideration for the top of the ticket when she so far has failed to win the votes necessary to assure that she would face Republican presidential candidate John McCain in the November election.
The maneuver may also be aimed at countering an image in voters' minds of Obama as presidential material and at helping restore an aura of inevitability as the party's nominee that Clinton had early in the campaign but lost.
Posted Monday, March 10, 2008 12:34 AM
Comment 1 by skep41 at 10-Mar-08 09:11 AM
In 'Decline And Fall' Gibbon states:
"History is replete with instances where an active despair has triumphed over an indolent expectation of victory." The Clintons are power-junkies jonesing for their next fix. They have an immense will to win and will stop at nothing. They know the winner of the Dem nomination is the likely winner against the feeble and already moribund McLame. Time to make Howard Dean an offer he cant refuse, Hilly-girl!
Spitzer to Resign Amid Allegations?
In one of the most bizarre stories of the year, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is being linked to a high scale prostitution ring. Even more bizarre is that it's being broken by the NY Times . WNBC is reporting that Spitzer is planning on resigning later this afternoon . First, here's the opening of the NY Times article breaking this story:
Gov. Eliot Spitzer has been caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel last month, according to a person briefed on the federal investigation.Here's the opening of the WNBC article:
The wiretap recording, made during an investigation of a prostitution ring called Emperors Club VIP, captured a man identified as Client 9 on a telephone call confirming plans to have a woman travel from New York to Washington, where he had reserved a room. The person briefed on the case identified Mr. Spitzer as Client 9.
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is expected to resign after telling senior members of his administration that he was involved in a prostitution ring, sources told WNBC.com.The press fawned all over Spitzer when he was a prosecutor, calling him "Eliot Ness". Time magazine even named Spitzer Crusader of the Year. To say that that image is shot is understatement.
The governor met with his senior aides earlier Monday afternoon after cancelling scheduled events for Monday. Spitzer is expected to make an announcement Monday afternoon. The governor may be linked to the prostitution ring through cell phone records, sources told WNBC.com.
Personally, Spitzer's law enforcement credentials came into question when he considered giving illegal immigrants drivers licenses. That was a telltale sign that he wasn't a hardline law & order guy.
UPDATE: Here's what the LA Times blog is reporting :
Spitzer's press announcement was short and sweet and devoid of details. Without specifying what he was talking about -- but the context was clear -- Spitzer apologized to his family. "I have acted in a way that violates my obligation to my family.... I must now dedicate my time to regain the trust of my family."If the allegations are true, which Spitzer is essentially admitting, then Spitzer has done more than violate his "obligation to my family..." It's obvious that he's also broken some laws.
He also apologized "to the public, and I promise better. I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good and doing what is best for the state of New York." Spitzer also said he "failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself." He took no questions.
It's time for Gov. Spitzer to resign. Not only did he betray his family's trust, he also betrayed the trust of New Yorkers. While he certainly isn't the first person to get caught with prostitutes, that doesn't excuse his actions. Besides, there's rumors floating around that this business is involved in a money laundering operation.
Simply put, the law & order governor will soon be a criminal.
UPDATE II: Chris Cillizza has some great quotes on Spitzer's situation:
"The Governor of New York should immediately resign from office and allow the people of New York to pursue honest leadership. The American people are tired of corrupt and hypocritical politicians," said Republican Governors Association executive director Nick Ayers. "The Governor of New York is just another in the long list of politicians that have failed their constituents."As usual, Michelle Malkin is all over this .
"Assuming all of the allegations are true, it would be very hard for him to survive, I believe," Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol (D-Brooklyn) told washingtpost.com's Ed
O'Keefe.
UPDATE III: The NY Times just posted this interesting tidbit of information :
Mr. Spitzer's involvement with the prostitution operation came to light in court papers filed last week, the officials said, as federal prosecutors brought charges against four people who had been running the service, Emperor's Club V.I.P. Mr. Spitzer was caught on a federal wiretap discussing payments and arranging to meet a prostitute in a Washington hotel room last month. The affidavit, which did not identify Mr. Spitzer by name, indicated that he had used the prostitution service before, although it was not clear how many times.Brit Hume interviewed Greta van Susteren in the opening segment of Special Report tonight. One of the things Greta said stuck with me. What she said was that she'd looked at the the criminal complaint and that she'd be very afraid if she was the defense attorney in this case. She said that there were numerous quotes followed by ..., which meant that the feds had that conversation taped.
If Greta's right about that, which I think she is, then Spitzer's troubles are just beginning. Here's something else that should have Spitzer worried:
Mr. Spitzer has not been charged with a crime. But one law enforcement official who has been briefed on the case said that Mr. Spitzer's lawyers would probably meet soon with federal prosecutors to discuss any possible legal exposure. The official said the discussions were likely to focus not on prostitution, but how it was paid for: Whether the payments from Mr. Spitzer to the service were made in a way to conceal their purpose and source. That could amount to a crime called structuring, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.UPDATE IV: Kevin at Pundit Review has a great post up about the Spitzer Scandal.
Originally posted Monday, March 10, 2008, revised 11-Mar 7:46 AM
No comments.
Glenn Beck Skewers Al Franken
Glenn Beck spent part of his broadcast talking about al Franken's not paying his worker comp premiums. Here's the transcript of Glenn Beck's statements:
Oh, and one last thing and then I'll take your phone calls. Love this one. Al Franken, you know he moved back to Minnesota. He wanted to run for the U.S. Senate. Now, here's a guy who hates big companies. He hates these evil conservatives who just want to screw the little guy. "We need giant government to be able to take care of all of the poor little workers that are being screwed," right? He goes back to run for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota. He leaves New York. It's weird what a coincidence this was. He left in New York as the New York state workers' compensation board, fined his personal corporation $25,000 for failing to pay workmen's comp premiums from June 2002 to March 2005. He apparently wasn't paying his workmen's comp premiums during that time period for the little people and so they fined him, which is weird because it happened at the same time, you know, right before he left New York.Simply put, Al Franken isn't a trustworthy person. Rather, he's the worst kind of hypocrite, whining about how corporate America is screwing over the working people while he's screwing over his employees.
Now, he said at first he was going to investigate the judgment, "I'm going to investigate what happened. Pretty clear once I didn't pay workmen's comp premiums." Now because he's running for Senate he immediately changed that to say, "Well, I didn't even know about it. I didn't even know about it until it was reported in a paper and then I found out about it and I'm going to "... let me ask you this: What would this guy be saying if I didn't pay my workmen's comp premiums for five years? What would he be saying about me? Would he talk about how unbelievably heartless, bloodthirsty, how horrible of a human being I am? Look how I don't care about the little people? Do you think he would have done a whole show, maybe a whole week? Do you think I would have been a poster boy of a bad employer? Would I have been the poster boy for somebody that just will screw anybody just for a buck because that's the way all conservatives are? Would he condemn me for ducking the fine -- leaving the state and ducking the fine for three years? Would he do that?
By the way, he has a hard time saying any of these things, yet he still says them because he was working for Air America which took a loan, $500,000 loan that had been siphoned from money that was meant for a Bronx charity serving kids and senior citizens. So he worked for the evil corporation already that took money literally out of the mouths of senior citizens and kids and gave it to their employees. It was called Air America but, you know, hey, you watch Daddy do enough things wrong and pretty soon I guess you start doing them, too, huh?
Remember that this is the same Al Franken that was getting paid a hefty 6-figure salary while Air America was on the verge of bankruptcy. Here's what Brian Maloney was reporting on his Radio Equalizer blog about Franken:
During the same mid-to-late 2004 period when Air America parent Piquant LLC was quietly considering how to resolve the still-undisclosed scandal, Franken was demanding everything, including the kitchen sink.Based on this information alone,I'd say that it isn't a stretch to say that Al Franken has a nasty habit of screwing over working people if they happen to get in the way of him 'getting his'. I've said it before it's worth repeating: Al Franken isn't a trustworthy person who shouldn't be entrusted with a city council office much less a US Senate seat.
A June, 2004 Wall Street Journal investigative report on Air America stated Al was making "over $1 million a year". That was accurate, but not for long.
Despite mixed reviews, low ratings and a perpetually shaky cash outlook, Franken was handed a virtual blank check by Piquant. Even as the extent of the Gloria Wise crisis became clear to an ever-changing series of managers, Franken pushed ahead anyway with an eye-popping 2005 compensation package.
Included was a staggering base salary boost to $1,725,000, plus fringe benefits and potential bonuses, after less than a year on the air. Nor was his bloated staff left out. The result: what is quite likely talk radio's largest-ever and most overpaid entourage, mostly from the ranks of Al's Harvard research team.
Let me personally add that I thought Mark Dayton's time in the Senate was the biggest disgrace in Minnesota political history. If Franken got elected, he's easily surpass Dayton's disgrace within a year.
Posted Monday, March 10, 2008 8:13 PM
Comment 1 by Political Muse at 10-Mar-08 08:24 PM
After having met and talked to Al Franken on two separate occasions, I simply cannot vote for the man. Not because of the reasons you cite but because of the less than 'Minnesota like' attitude he displayed.
Personality goes quite a ways in getting me to support someone (especially if I have spoken with them personally) and Franken didn't cut the mustard.
Will I cast my first vote for a Republican? :)
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 10-Mar-08 09:50 PM
You would if you were smart. LOL
Seriously, if I were a big fan of Paul Wellstone, there isn't a snowball's prayer in hell that I'd buy Franken's claim that he's a Wellstone Democrat.
