Dirigo Blue - Recent Comments

Really? Why would he lie

Gerald Weinand — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:28:47 GMT

about whether humans have contributed to global warming? What constituency is he playing to? Remember, he first must win the GOP primary.

The teabaggers? No, they are global warming deniers.

Corporatists? To them, it doesn't matter if it exists or not or what the cause - they oppose the idea because it will cost them money.

So how exactly would Romney gain by lying about it?

He's not being honest

thejuri1 — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:16:50 GMT

he's just trying to get elected.

Seems there more than salty

Gerald Weinand — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:37:36 GMT

language to the Eric Massa story, as the WaPo reports that he is under investigation for allegedly groping male staffers. Massa is a former Republican that left the party over the decision of Bush/Cheney to invade Iraq.

Thanks Gerald

Marc Malon — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:28:19 GMT

Yes, we are confident that we will qualify. We are not there yet on the $5 contributions but we will be. We're continuing to recruit volunteers and build our grassroots team, and things like today's developments certainly help!

I'm told that

Gerald Weinand — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:25:03 GMT

I'm told that Mitchell will qualify for the ballot and for Clean Elections funding, and that the endorsement comes from a long standing relationship with the former president (Mitchell was also a supporter of Hillary Clinton's run for president). There are no immediate plans for Bill Clinton to visit Maine, but Marc Malon, press spokesman for Mitchell, said via email:

We would love for him to visit here, but I have no idea if that will happen or not. He has a lot on his plate with the foundation, particularly with regards to the relief efforts in Haiti that are infinitely more important than this primary. He has an open invitation!

Advertising

Gerald Weinand — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:46:39 GMT

I love the new Head and Shoulders ad campaign, about how using this shampoo gives users sexy hair. The ad states:

Makes hair look fuller compared to unwashed hair.

Really?

Creationist loses Board seat

Gerald Weinand — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:11:32 GMT

TPM has this great news, that a creationist incumbent rejected by Texas Republicans:

The top conservative activist on the powerful Texas Board of Education, who rejects evolution and has pushed for a revisionist right-wing U.S. history curriculum, is on the way out, after a moderate candidate defeated him in a tight primary last week.
For months now, TPMmuckraker has been covering Don McLeroy as a major player in the battle over the drafting of nationally influential history textbook standards by the Texas board.
---
McLeroy led the fight against teaching evolution in recent years, a position which became an issue during the race.
"I believe God created the Heavens and the Earth millions and millions of years ago," Ratliff says on his Web site. "I do not believe, as my opponent does, that the Earth is a mere few thousand years old, nor do I believe, as my opponent does, that dinosaurs and mankind lived at the same time."

There are some pretty amazing quotes from McLeroy at the link.

Mis-info in Afghanistan

Gerald Weinand — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:37:04 GMT

Via Democracy Now! we learn that the Pentagon has been peddling bullshit from Afghanistan: Gareth Porter reports on the siege of the fictional city of Marja:

For weeks, the U.S. public followed the biggest offensive of the Afghanistan War against what it was told was a "city of 80,000 people" as well as the logistical hub of the Taliban in that part of Helmand. That idea was a central element in the overall impression built up in February that Marja was a major strategic objective, more important than other district centres in Helmand.
It turns out, however, that the picture of Marja presented by military officials and obediently reported by major news media is one of the clearest and most dramatic pieces of misinformation of the entire war, apparently aimed at hyping the offensive as a historic turning point in the conflict.
Marja is not a city or even a real town, but either a few clusters of farmers' homes or a large agricultural area covering much of the southern Helmand River Valley.
"It's not urban at all," an official of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), who asked not to be identified, admitted on Sunday. He called Marja a "rural community".
"It's a collection of village farms, with typical family compounds," said the official, adding that the homes are reasonably prosperous by Afghan standards.

GOP caucuses have been

Gerald Weinand — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:48:04 GMT

heavily supporting Paul LePage in their straw polls, with the mayor of Waterville winning polls of Cumberland, Kennebec, and Knox County Republicans over the weekend.

These polls do not represent the leanings of the Maine GOP in general, but they do provide a good indication of the political leanings of the most active of party members - and that is far to the right.

Clinton endorses Mitchell

Gerald Weinand — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:43:02 GMT

Former president Bill Clinton has endorsed Libby Mitchell for governor. More to follow.