Sarah Palin resigning due to criminal indictments?

For weeks rumors of a criminal investigation against Governor Sarah Palin have been brewing in Alaska, and the announcement of her planned resignation have added fuel to the fire.

An article last October by Wayne Barrett with the Village Voice uncovered the scandal involving the illegal payoffs she received from her housing contractor.

The Book of Sarah (Palin)

What is Sarah Palin hiding by resigning as Alaska governor?

Sarah Palin surprised many political followers today by announcing her resignation as Alaska's governor.The announcement was made late on a Friday before the Independence Day holiday weekend -- an indication that she may have wanted to "bury" the news. Palin has been the focus of many scandals and ethics complaints in the past year. It will be interesting to see what it is that made her resign. More to come.

UPDATE: Alaska based progressive radio broadcaster Shannyn Moore was on MSNBC today and she says the rumor there is that a criminal investigation of Palin is the reason for the resignation.

Ensign had earlier affair in 2002

It is being reported that Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) had an earlier extra-martial affair in 2002. This comes to light after the national news of his recent sexual tryst with a staffer's wife.

The disclosure resurrected questions about a two-week period in 2002 when Ensign abruptly dropped from public view. A person familiar with that episode, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the senator told a close associate the absence followed an earlier affair.

Ensign has not commented on the revelation of the 2002 affair and earlier had said he would not resign his seat.

Ensign may find it tough to move on from scandal
Tangled Web Of Jobs, Money, Illicit Sex Links Ensign, Former Staffers

Links

• John Bolton jokes about nuking Chicago, entire CPAC audience erupts in laughter. Think Progress
  
• More details on John Bolton at CPAC: The Benefits of Nuking Chicago. Mother Jones
  
• Recipe for Disaster: The Formula That Killed Wall Street. Wired
  
• Obama's Iraq Problem The White House Watch
  
• Today's GOP: A very narrow party of angry people. Washington Monthly
  
• Paul Krugman likes Obama's social change. NY Times
  
• Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Bizarro World: ‘Every Major Tax Cut In History Has Created More Revenue’ Think Progress
  
• Senator Bernie Sanders is one of the few American pols that tell the truth about our problems. Daily Kos
  
• Student Loan Middle Man is about to be cut out and loan sharks are pissed. Matt Yglesias
  
• Jindal Admits Katrina Story Was False. Talking Points Memo
  
• Scenes from the New American Tea Party. The Washington Independent
  

Kenneth the Governor

The new Republican darling, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, gave an absolute dud response to Barack Obama's well received speech and his GOP star might have fizzled out quickly.

The consensus online was that Jindal sounded like Kenneth the Page from 30 Rock or Mr. Rogers. His condescending voice and the overall message was extremely tone deaf.

The most bizarre part of the speech was when Jindal attempted to use Katrina as some heart warming story.

Those of us who lived through Hurricane Katrina, we have our doubts.Let me tell you a story.During Katrina, I visited Sheriff Harry Lee, a Democrat and a good friend of mine.

When I walked into his makeshift office I’d never seen him so angry. He was yelling into the phone: ‘Well, I’m the Sheriff and if you don’t like it you can come and arrest me!’ I asked him: ‘Sheriff, what’s got you so mad?’ He told me that he had put out a call for volunteers to come with their boats to rescue people who were trapped on their rooftops by the floodwaters.

The boats were all lined up ready to go - when some bureaucrat showed up and told them they couldn’t go out on the water unless they had proof of insurance and registration. I told him, ‘Sheriff, that’s ridiculous.’ And before I knew it, he was yelling into the phone: ‘Congressman Jindal is here, and he says you can come and arrest him too!’ Harry just told the boaters to ignore the bureaucrats and start rescuing people.

Katrina was the single event which turned the public tide on a Republican president and exposed that conservative ideology lacks a fundamental flaw in operating government agencies with any effectiveness.

The Rachel Maddow was speechless.


Sheriff Harry Lee was a controversial figure towards African Americans and his conduct during the Kartina debacle was highly panned.

Early in his tenure as sheriff, Lee drew controversy for his decision to erect a barrier on a street connecting a largely white section of Jefferson Parish with a predominantly black New Orleans neighborhood, and for implementing a policy of randomly stopping black men driving through white neighborhoods.

More recently, he vigorously defended sheriff's deputies who prevented Hurricane Katrina flood victims in New Orleans, most of them black, from crossing a Mississippi River bridge into Jefferson Parish shortly after the August 2005 storm. The deputies, he said, had to protect the homes of people who had evacuated.He was definitely the wrong person to be referencing in a national speech.

Sheriff Lee is probably the last figure to be referencing in a national speech. Here is the complete video of Jindal's weak counter attack.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The "Centrists" Scam Continues on in the US Senate

This cartoon sums up my thoughts on those brave "centrists" in Congress acting like King makers.



Matt Yglesias reveals that these "centrists" do not back their decisions up with any arguments justifying their positions and then, they still take credit for the final bill.

Paul Krugman calls the "centrists" out for shedding aid when they should actually be adding assistance, especially to the states that are broke.

Economists agree that the "centrists" changes water down the whole purpose and effectiveness of the bill and there is legitimate consensus that the stimulus is actually too small.

Whiskey Fire has a hilarious take on the "centrists" future policy outcomes.

President Obama Rips the Cable News Bobbleheads

Paul Kurgman Shreds Joe Scarborough

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This video is not surpising since Joe Scarborough and his Morning Joe clan have been pushing clueless GOP talking points on all economic issues.

SNL Weekend Update: Gov. Patterson

Gov. Patterson discusses the latest Senate nominee and New Jersey.

"The Accidents" Now Playing in a Political Theater in New York

When New York's accidental Governor David Paterson appointed the conservative Rep. Kristen Gillibrand to the U.S. Senate, it sent shock waves throughout New York's Democratic community. The outrage has led many political observers to speculate that Paterson will face a primary challenge from the state's popular Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Liberals are hoping that Caroline Kennedy will reconsider and make herself available to challenge Gillibrand in the 2010 elections.

The corrupt bargain between the unelected and unpopular Paterson and Gillibrand camps has left them both vulnerable. One just has to look at the press conference yesterday to see the displeasure in the choice. The Democratic Congressional Delegation as well as Cuomo where notably absent. One person who made a special appearance was Gillibrand's old boss, former Republican Senator Alfonse D'Amato.

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg ripped her extreme views on guns:

I have a strong disagreement with one area of her record as a member of Congress: illegal guns. She has actively opposed the efforts of New York City, and cities around the state and nation, to enact commonsense measures that keep illegal guns out of the hands of criminals. For instance, she has co-sponsored legislation to deny key data cities and police need to track illegal gun criminals, as well as to tie the hands of the ATF and to protect dealers who sell guns illegally.

Shouldn't everyone oppose illegal guns? Not Gillibrand. In fact she supports "Cop Killer" bullets for criminals who need better ammo to pierce police armor vests.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband was gunned down in a 1993 massacre on the Long Island Rail Road, has said she would oppose Gillibrand for election in 2010, giving up her safe House seat. She referred to Gillibrand as an “NRA Poster Girl”. Although McCarthy has said if a younger candidate, such as Caroline Kennedy, would step in she would step aside.

Gillibrand's gun views have deeply disturbed the residents of New York City, many who have seen gun violence first hand are appalled that their senator would have an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association. A rating which most Republican Congressman fail to achieve.

Advocates on immigration are also outraged by the pick of Gillibrand. Her 2008 election literature on the issue was borderline racist.

Chung-Wa Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, called Gillibrand “deeply troubling.” “Now that she will be representing a far broader and more diverse constituency, Senator-Designee Gillibrand must reconsider her positions on immigration,”

The NYT reports her support of two failed bills which sought to address illegal immigration - one would have penalized so-called “sanctuary cities,” the other would have allowed the military to supply personnel and equipment to be used for border patrol.

The Swampland blog and the Village Voice have both pointed out that her father is a Republican lobbyist and business partner of recently indicted former GOP State Senate Leader Joe Bruno.

So what does one call a senator appointed by an accidental governor? The accidental accidental senator? It doesn't get much more undemocratic than this ladies and gentleman.

In Selection Mess, Paterson Dug Hole Deeper

Gillibrand’s immigration backlash

Gillibrand Already Taking Heat for Immigration Views

Netroots Jumps the Shark with Gillibrand Appointment

Jumping the shark is a term used by TV fans to denote that point in a TV show or movie series' history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations. When history looks at the Jump the Shark moment of the Progressive Netroots movement the absurd point will be when New York Gov. David Paterson selected conservative Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand over Caroline Kennedy for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The netroots attacks on Caroline Kennedy, a member of the nation's most prominent Democratic family and a true progressive, helped swing the seat to a family with strong Republican ties.

Al Giordano put it best today:

Each and every "Netroots progressive" that railed against a possible Kennedy pick owns this one, and their protestations to the contrary - I've been discussing it with some today - come off as cowardly. They took a progressive voice, painted a villain's mustache on her image, called her "princess" (I'm lookin; at you, Hamsher) and worse, laced it with healthy doses of misogyny, and now that they may get a "Blue Dog" conservative Democrat instead they refuse to accept responsibility for their actions and words.

Booman also gets into the lost opportunity to help expand the progressive caucus in the corporate senate.

The problem is not that Gillibrand is terrible but that we just lost an excellent chance to expand the progressive caucus in the Senate. We've been doing well lately with Bernie Sanders and Sherrod Brown two years ago and Tom Udall, Jeff Merkley, and Al Franken this time around. We could have benefited greatly from either Caroline Kennedy or Jerry Nadler. I'll never fully understand why the progressive blogosphere went apeshit about the possibility of another Senator Kennedy. Mainly I think certain people were trying to be holier than thou without thinking things through.

"Remember Caroline Kennedy!"

NY Sen. - You Break It, You Buy It

Wayne Barrett: Is Gillibrand Too Republican to Replace Clinton?

You Win a Blue Dog!!

The New Presidential Portrait

The sweet site of an official victory.



HT: Oliver Willis

President-Elect Obama Enjoys his First Half Smoke at Ben's Chili Bowl

Obama is finding his way around his new home city and dropped into the Landmark U Street Eatery on Saturday afternoon to see what this Half Smoke was all about.


Ben's Chili Bowl

Video HT: Washington City Paper

Caroline Kennedy Gets Comic Book

As part of its continuing series to feature influential and iconic women, Bluewater Productions unveiled the next subject for it Female Force comic series: Caroline Kennedy.

Bluewater chose Kennedy as its next comic book hero before news of her senate interest surfaced.

“She was on the short list before all the hype about the Senate seat. She is an amazing person who has done a lot for education,” said publisher Darren G. Davis.

“I hope readers enjoy my rendition of one of the most influential families in political history,” said artist Vinnie Tartamella.

The latest addition to the Female Force series follows the biographies of Sen. Clinton, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Michelle Obama, announced earlier this year. Female Force comic books showcase influential women who are making and shaping modern history. The “Sarah Palin: Female Force” comic book is available for order through Diamond Distributors, order code DEC083826.

Holy dynasty! Kennedy subject of comic book

Poll: Kennedy Crushes King in New York Senate Match-Up

A new poll was released today pitting Democrat Caroline Kennedy against Republican Peter King in the 2010 special election for Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat in New York. The Rasmussen poll shows Kennedy leading King by 18 percentage points.

If Caroline Kennedy is appointed to the U.S. Senate, she is favored to win re-election against her likeliest Republican opponent in 2010.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of New York voters finds Kennedy would attract 51% of the vote in a match-up with Republican Peter King, a longtime congressman form Long Island. King, who has made his interest in such a race clear, earns 33% of the vote at this time. Nine percent (9%) say they would vote for a third-party candidate, and seven percent (7%) are not sure.

Gov. David Paterson, who will appoint a new senator if Hillary Clinton becomes secretary of state as expected, has begun considering candidates for the job and could make an announcement as soon as next week.

The Amazing Obama

Marvel Comics cover of The Amazing Spider-Man featuring President-elect Barack Obama.

Chris Matthews Won’t Run for Penn Senate Seat

“Hardball” host Chris Matthews told his staff that he would not run for the Senate in 2010 from Pennsylvania.

Matthews had been considering entering the Senate race as a Democrat in his home state at the same time he was renegotiating his contract with NBC News. He had attended several meetings that had included Pennsylvania representatives as well as some major fund-raisers in the Democratic Party.

NBC’s Matthews Won’t Run for Senate

Laura and George W. Bush to Split?

Will Laura and George W. Bush split after his term as president ends on the afternoon of Jan. 20?

Bush has always said he and first lady Laura Bush would go back home to Texas. But the details of their living situation has been a mystery.

Rumors have indicated that George W. Bush will live at his beloved ranch in Crawford, Texas, the place dubbed the ''Western White House'' where he welcomed numerous world leaders and spent countless hours clearing brush. Laura Bush will supposedly be living in the newly purchased home in an affluent North Dallas neighborhood.

White House press secretary Dana Perino has indicated George W. Bush will live at the Crawford ranch but did not mention the new Dallas home fueling speculation of a post-presidency split.

Maybe Laura Bush agrees with 73% of the American public who think her husband is a loser.

GLOBE: Tony Frost Uncovers George Bush Cheating Laura Bush Out of $12 Million Divorce Payoff

George and Laura Bush to divorce in the new year

Clinton Confirmation Hearings Scheduled

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's confirmation hearing to become secretary of state will be Tuesday.

Republicans and Democrats have said they expect no serious objections to her confirmation meaning it will be one of the first to pass the Senate.

The timetable for Clinton's confirmation has been closely watched since it would give New York Gov. David Paterson the power to appoint her Senate successor. Paterson has said he will not name the replacement for Clinton until after she is confirmed.

Caroline Kennedy is the frontrunner for the soon to be vacant seat.

Democrats Accept Senator Burris

The Associated Press is reporting that Senate Democrats plan to accept Roland Burris for President-elect Barack Obama's vacant seat.

NBC news reports Burris is meeting with the Senate leadership now as Senate Democrats look for ways to defuse the standoff that has denied Burris a Senate seat.

Prominent Rochester Businessman to Endorse Kennedy

After several lengthy conversations with U.S. Senate hopeful Caroline Kennedy, Rochester-area billionaire Tom Golisano has decided to back her for the job, a source close to the Paychex Inc. founder said today.

Golisano is planning to reach out to other leaders across the state to promote Kennedy’s candidacy.

Golisano For Caroline Kennedy

Council of Carpenters Backs Kennedy for Senate

The leader of the union representing 25,000 carpenters in New York City issued a press release endorsing Caroline Kennedy for Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate seat.

Michael Forde, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of The New York City District Council of Carpenters said Kennedy is “intelligent, easy to communicate with and grasps our issues. We have found her to be qualified on the two aspects vital to being a Senator from New York: someone who can advocate for New Yorkers' needs and someone who will be a national player.”

Carpenters For Caroline

The New Senator of Minnesota: Al Franken

The Minnesota Senate election recount is finally over and Al Franken is now up by 225 votes. Senator Norm Coleman will still challenge the results in court but he is likely to be denied and Stuart Smalley Al Franken will be an United States Senator.

Stuart Saves His Family movie trailer.

Media Matters Moments of 2008

Good Reads From the Tubes

• One of my good college buddies lost his job yesterday and he has a wife with 2 small children. There will be millions more like him in the upcoming year but according to Bill O'Reilly and Karl Rove, the media is making the economy news worse to help Obama. It is no wonder that our country is melting when intellectually bankrupt arguments like these are given prominent platforms to feed our populace. Think Progress

• Continuing on the theme of fools getting media megaphones to spread nonsensical thoughts, here most outrageous comments of 2008. Hint, Hate Radio dominates. Media Matters. You can vote on the most Inane Pundit comments of the year at this link.

• Michelle Malkin makes blanket assertions without using those little inconvenient things called, facts. Balloon Juice

• The guilt by association smears are starting up on Obama by the lazy media over the Blago scandal. Journalists should be highlighting that Obama deserves credit for his ethics bill push actually instigated the Fed's busting Blago. Booman Tribune

• The Senate Republicans are planing to filibuster the 15 billion Auto bailout because protecting the interest of foreign companies like Toyota are more important than saving millions of American jobs during a deep recession. Now, who loves America more? America Blog

• My name is President Barack Hussein Obama! The Wing Nuts will go crazy when the President-Elect recites his full name at next month's inauguration. Chicago Tribune

• This paragraph is frightening: Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, is renowned for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events, which will send a chill down your spine considering what he told Fox News this week.Celente says that by 2012 America will become an undeveloped nation, that there will be a revolution marked by food riots, squatter rebellions, tax revolts and job marches, and that holidays will be more about obtaining food, not gifts. Info Wars

Link Round Up

• Obama campaign operative Steve Hildebrand decided to crap on the "left" for some mysterious reason. He never backed up his points with examples and his insecure analysis did nothing but piss off Obama's allies. Open Left

• US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan is daring Obama to fire her and he should for her wasting resources going after pot heads like Tommy Chong. The Raw Story

• A journalist talks candidly about his experience getting attacked by Bill O'Reilly's goons. New Yorker

• The Corporate owned media is driven by a lust of profit over any real 4th estate behavior. The behavior GE's NBC News in the Gen. Barry McCaffrey scandal demonstrates this integrity free behavior. Media Matters

• Even though millions of U.S. jobs hang in the balance, the right loves to play the games of union busting and the UAW is ripe for the picking in their minds. Their disinformation campaign against US auto workers is finally revealed by MSM. NY Times

• President George W Bush is a religious fraud that enjoyed torturing the "bad guys," regardless of their mental capacity. Digby

• Blago tried to shake down Warren Buffet. Cluster Stock

Stewart Talks Gay Marriage with Huckabee

Jon Stewart continually displays the sad state of American journalism by proving that the best interviewer on TV is a comedian.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

• Jon Stewart slays the homophobic Huckabeast without breaking a sweat

• Stewart Grills Huckabee On Gay Marriage: ‘At What Age Did You Choose Not To Be Gay?’

Caroline Kennedy to replace Hillary Clinton as Senator?

Hillary Clinton Hurt New York by Not Resigning

Brian Tumulty with Gannet reports that Hillary Clinton may have hurt New York by not resigning her Senate seat early. In the Senate, seniority rules and the new Senator from New York will be dead last in the pecking order. 100th out of 100.

Clinton's successor could have had an edge in seniority over at least 12 senators in the next Congress if she had chosen to immediately resign. That would have allowed Gov. David Paterson to quickly appoint a successor, moving New York's newest senator ahead of 10 newly elected senators who will be sworn in the first week of January.

With the loss of clout for the state it is doubtful that Paterson will appoint a current member of Congress from New York. It would be a double whammy for the state.

ABC News Report: Caroline Kennedy to take Clinton's seat?

Caroline Kennedy is said to be considering the possibility of replacing Hillary Clinton in the Senate.

ABC News reported that a source said New York Gov. David Paterson has talked to Kennedy about taking the seat, which was once held by her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy.

Patterson is remaining mum on the process, but a spokesman for Barack Obama issued a statement in the wake of rumors the president-elect is quietly lobbying Patterson to choose Kennedy.

"President-elect Obama has a very high regard for Caroline Kennedy," said Obama spokesman Stephanie Cutter. "But he has not spoken with Governor Paterson or Caroline Kennedy about the race, and has no involvement in this process."

Caroline Kennedy to take Clinton's seat?