Quote:


So it isn't just the dems....and as far as I understand Mitch McConnel's big campaign pitch in a tight election was how much pork he brought back to Kentucky.

It's how the game's played in Washigton. Has been for a long time. Obama might make some cosmetic changes but the pork barrell fundamentals will stay the same. I hope the Obamas do OK. But I don't think Barky really thought it through....I mean the "first black President" is all well and good but he may have forgotten the old adage......be careful what you wish for....

Quote:


i thought you were finished with him!

glenny, are you still upset at the demise of the couch? we feel your pain!

here...take two of these and call me in the morning...

Hmm I wonder who Palin will appoint after Stevens is ousted from the Senate?


http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2008/11/alaska_tur...

Alaska Turnout, Results Raise Questions

Alaskans are different. Very different.

Elections officials, party leaders and voters are wondering what happened this Tuesday in the Last Frontier, where turnout was surprisingly low and two lawmakers who have been the focus of FBI corruption investigations appear to have been reelected despite polling suggesting they would be ousted.

The final voter turnout numbers won't be available until absentee ballots are counted, which could take at least another week. But this year's total is not expected to eclipse Alaska's 66 percent turnout in 2004 or its 60 percent clip in 2000. (This is especially odd given that Alaska's Board of Elections saw a 12.4 percent hike in turnout for the August primaries, before Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was selected as the Republican Party's vice presidential nominee.)

Alaska returns (without the uncounted absentee and contested ballots) show the McCain-Palin ticket garnering 136,348 votes. In 2004, President Bush got 190,889 votes, a "significant disparity", the Anchorage Press reported. "These numbers only add to the oddity of this election in Alaska; in the run-up to Tuesday, Alaskan voters seemed energized to vote for a ticket with our governor on it, despite the barrage of criticism Palin faced."

Couple the dip in support for McCain-Palin with surprising victories for longtime Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, who was found guilty Oct. 27 on seven felony charges, and Rep. Don Young, who is under investigation by the FBI, and a lot of pollsters and voters were left stumped.

Pollster Del Ali of the Maryland firm Research 2000, which tracked the House and Senate races in Alaska, said he was "not happy" how the races -- and dead wrong polling numbers -- turned out. Research 2000 had reported in the days before the election that Democratic challenger Mark Begich, an Anchorage attorney, was leading the 84-year-old Stevens by 22 percentage points (Daily Kos apparently paid for the polls).

Other pollsters didn't fare much better. Anchorage pollster and Republican political consultant David Dittman, a Stevens supporter, predicted a "solid Begich win." The national polling firm, Rasmussen Reports, accurately predicted every Senate race in the country within the margin of error in their most recent polls -- except Alaska. Alaska pollsters Ivan Moore, Craciun Research Group and Hays Research Group all also had Stevens and Young trailing in the lead-up to the election.

Some observers pointed to Sen. John McCain's early concession speech as a possible reason for the low turnout -- McCain acknowledged Sen. Barack Obama's win at 7:15 p.m. Alaska time, well before polls closed in the state. An Alaska Republican Party leader told the Fairbanks News-Miner that some voters might have stayed home after hearing Obama had captured the presidency.

But other pundits and political science professors dismissed that theory, saying the high-profile races for Stevens's and Young's seats would not have dissuaded voters from showing up at the polls. Other pollsters thought Palin drew new Republican voters to the polls early on, and that voting largely subsided after Obama claimed victory.

As the head-scratching continues, we'll be watching to see how Stevens's fellow senators decide to deal with his felony conviction conundrum.

gimmekeef wrote on Nov 7^th, 2008 at 11:50am:


bush will pardon him at 11:53 AM on January 20th!

Starbuck wrote on Nov 7^th, 2008 at 11:54am:



Wanna make that bet? No, crap pardons are the domain of Democrats. See-Clinton.



Riffy

Maybe we can send a trillion dollar invoice to the Iraqis and buy more bad loans.

Riffhard wrote on Nov 7^th, 2008 at 12:27pm:


I never said anything about Iraq. I said men and women in uniform. Police kill innocents as well. Are you outraged for those children?
BTW you gonna man up and take my bet that Limbaugh and Hannity will not be forced of the air because of an Obama Presidency. $100 per host per year.

Riffhard wrote on Nov 7^th, 2008 at 12:29pm:


Au contraire mon frere

GHW Bush Pardons

August 14, 1989

Pardoned
Joe llen Deckert (1979 Misprision of felony (relating to illegal firearms sales))
Donald Alvin Dibble III (1978 Illegal possession of firearm with obliterated serial number)
Leo Friedman (1969 Mail embezzlement)
Armand Hammer (1976 Making campaign contribution in name of another (misdemeanor))
Charles Arnold Jacobs (1979 Submission of false income tax return)
Mary Lou Peet (1978 Fraudulent transfer of property in contemplation of bankruptcy)
Robert Gary Rice (1973 Submitting false statements to Federal Housing Administration)
Billy Wayne Rodgers (1973 Transporting firearm in foreign commerce, Insubordination in violation of Article 91, Uniform Code of Military Justice)
Raymond Joseph Shovelski (1974 Conspiracy to accept kickbacks on Government contracts)

Commutation
Douglas Bruce Fenimore (1981 Receiving and concealing stolen property, interstate transportation of stolen property, and bank robbery)

March 5, 1991

Dorothy Christina Damush (1982 Conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce)
David Feld (1980 Interference with agent of National Labor Relations Board (misdemeanor))
Mark Christopher Felling (1980 Theft of mail by postal employee)
Howard William Fitzsimmons (1974 Embezzlement of Government property)
Garth Stuart Hancock (1959 Conspiracy to violate Commodity Credit Regulations)
Charles Walker Harrison (1966 Unlawful possession of narcotics without having paid transfer tax)
Geary Travis Holstead (1978 Theft of mail by postal employee)
Michael Dennis Larsen (1977 Bank embezzlement)
Mark Allen Nelson (1975 Involuntary manslaughter in violation of Article 119, UCMJ)
Robert Anthony Pagnanelli (1980 Conspiracy to defraud United States and mail fraud)
William George Spurlock (1953 Interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicle)
Harold Bennett Stewart (1963 Theft of Government property)
Bernice Lena Telgemeier (1980 Attempted income tax evasion)
Julius Henry Telgemeier (1980 Attempted income tax evasion)
William Newton Tunnell, Jr. (1977 Bank embezzlement)
Robert Lee Warner (1979 Obstruction of mail)
James Alexander Womack (1978 Possession of stolen mail)


July 5, 1991

Pardoned
Joseph Berger (1959 Transporting gambling devices within a special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States)
Miles Oakley Bidwell (1962 Filing false statement)
Edward Meredith Dawsey (1981 Making false statements to the Office of Workmen's Compensation Programs)
Leonard Gilmor (1975 Mail fraud and aiding and abetting)
Lewis Isador Goltz (1976 Sale of firearms to out-of-state resident, failure to register firearms, failure to make appropriate entry in firearm acquisition disposition records)
Wayne Stanley LaTour (1980 Dealing in firearms without a license)
Thomas Leoutsakos (1968 Sale of methamphetamine (misdemeanor))
Mary Mahoney Longwell (1976 Embezzlement of bank funds)
Barbara Cecil Livenia Chapman Portwood (1962 Forgery)
Laurie Virginia Rossetti (1976 Engaging in the conduct of an illegal gambling business)
Myra Soble (1957 Conspiracy to receive and obtain national defense information and transmit same to foreign government)
Rudolph Hartsel Young (1960 Embezzlement of postal funds and falsification of postal records)


December 24, 1992

Caspar W. Weinberger (1988 Several counts of perjury, See Iran-Contra Affair)
Elliott Abrams (1988 Two counts of unlawfully withholding information. See Iran-Contra Affair)
Duane R. Clarridge (1991 Seven counts of perjury and false statements, See Iran-Contra Affair)
Alan D. Fiers (1991 Two misdemeanor counts of withholding information from the Congress, See Iran-Contra Affair)
Clair George
(1991 Ten counts of perjury, false statements and obstruction)
(1992 two felony charges of false statements and perjury before Congress — see Iran-Contra Affair)
Robert C. McFarlane (1988 See Iran-Contra Affair)
Joseph Bear, Jr. (1964 Burglary on Indian Reservation)
Thomas Burley Berry (1980 Detaining and destroying mail)
Robert William Dailey, Sr. (1943 Failure to report for induction into the military in violation of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940)
Paul Karsten Fauteck
(1950 Interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicle)
(1955 Conspiracy to smuggle alien into United States and attempting to conceal alien)
(1955 Transporting false securities in interstate commerce)
(1954 Absent without leave from Army and wrongful disposition of government property)
(1955 Absent without leave)
Dale Leonard Fix (1944 Failure to report for military duty in violation of Selective Service Act of 1940)
Francene Geiger (1980 Bank embezzlement)
Ivan Leon Gentry (1946 Transporting stolen motor vehicle in interstate commerce)
Joseph Gordon Haynie, Jr. (1973 Misapplication of bank funds)
Thom Davies (1989 Illegal substance and prostitution offences)
Henry Levin (1973 Violation of Customs regulations)
Guillermo Medrano Moreno
(1961 Failure to register as narcotics user)
(1967 Illegal importation and sale of heroin)
Frank T. Passini, III (1978 Possession and sale of 5,000 grams of marijuana and wrongful possession of 50 grams of marijuana in violation of Article 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice)
Donald Rightmire (1984 Misprision of a felony)
Edwin Roberts (1947 Carrying on the business of a distiller, possessing an unregistered whiskey still, and making and fermenting mash fit for distillation)
Patrick James Sheehan (1981 Misapplication of bank funds)
Hildred Earl Spates (1971 Theft of government property)
Alfredo Encinas Villarreal (1971 Theft of mail by postal employee)
Jack Alvin Walker (1956 Failure to report for military duty in violation of Selective Service Act of 1950)
Carl Frank Westminster, Jr. (1977 Possession, sale, and transfer of controlled substance in violation of Article 92, Uniform Code of Military Justice)

January 18, 1993

Pardoned
Robert Edward Leigh Barnhill (1980 Bid rigging in violation of Sherman Antitrust Act)
George Edward Clements, III (1987 Knowingly making false declarations before grand jury)
Edwin L. Cox, Jr. (1988 Bank fraud)
Lloyd Earl Davis (1981 Making false entries in bank records)
James Lewis Donawho (1979 Making false statement to government agency)
John Stinson Howell, III (1979 Income tax evasion)
Charles Elvin Huffman (1955 Larceny on a government reservation)
Thomas Arthur Kardashian (1974 Offering gratuities to public officials)
Frederick Irwin Lorber (1962 Obtaining marijuana without paying transfer tax)
Richard Norris Ware (1973 Aiding and abetting bank embezzlement (misdemeanor))
Albert Teyechea Williams (1980 Conspiracy to misapply bank funds)
Clyde Henry Umphenour, Jr. (1956 & 1961 Two counts Interstate transportation of forged securities)

sirmoonie wrote on Nov 7^th, 2008 at 1:07pm:



Slow down homeboy! I know damned good and well the war was necessary. I have spoken repeatedly about my two cousins that each served four tours of duty in Iraq and have both told me flat out that the media and the liberal Democrats were 100% full of shit with regards to said war!

I said "I don't know" by way of laying it on the line for those who refuse to see any justification for the war. Perhaps I should have chosen those words a little better, but I have never wavered in my opinion on the justification of the war.

Bucky please refer to the most recent polls as to who the Iraqis wanted to win the presidency. Hint-it wasn't Barry. As far as the polls on the thoughts of the majority of Iraqis thoughts on the war. I have my two cousins words to fall back on and many many polls that I could link, but won't. You want to think that the Iraqis were happier with Saddam be my guest. You are wrong on that score though. You're WAY wrong.


Riffy

monkey_man wrote on Nov 7^th, 2008 at 1:12pm:



m_m, with all due respect there is hardly a comparison with the frequency of accidental deaths of children at the hands of police compared to the intentional killing of a viable life at the hands of a doctor. I feel the need the continue to stress that I too believe in certain circumstances partial birth abortion is acceptable. I have mentioned those exceptions. Most Americans hold my views. Regardless of the asinine 13th Amendment argument that Jizzy is trying to claim. No where in constitution does it say that abortion is a right. It's only his liberal interpretation of the constitution, and more to the point the 13th Amendment, that he is trying to argue. Are you trying to play the moral equivalency route here? Because I see none with regards to accidental death at the hands of police or anyone else in uniform. The key word here is accidental.


As for the Fairness Doctrine. Of course I won't take that bet. My point was that if liberal Democrats had their way the Fairness Doctrine most certainly would be reinstated. Obama has claimed that he does not support the reinstatement of it. However, he also said that he would most likely not veto it if were to come across his desk. Thankfully that will most likely not happen as the Democrats do not have the super majority in the Senate. Anyone that thinks that the Fairness Doctrine is good policy is standing against free speech and a free press for that matter. If the shoe were on the other foot and it was a conservative agenda to shut up the voice of liberalism you may have a different take on this issue. Reagan was absolutely right to repeal that stupid law in 1987. He has bipartisan support at the time too.



Riffy

monkey_man wrote on Nov 7^th, 2008 at 1:21pm:



Were any of those on your list on the FBI's most wanted list ala Marc Rich? Any of those people directly related to the president ala Roger Clinton and his drug dealing friend?

Casper Weinberger?! That was a political hatchet job to begin with! Even Democrats will admit to that fact! Casper Weinberger was an honorable man by all accounts. All who knew, form both sides of the aisle, say the same thing!

Plus please note the dates of the convictions compared to the pardons that Clinton sold via "Pardongate". He was pardoning people that were still on the lamb! Again, I point to Marc Rich. Gee, I guess it was just a coincidence that Denise Rich donated hundreds of thousands of dollars towards the construction of the Clinton Presidential Library? Surely there was no quid pro quo involved? Yeah, right!


Riffy