WEINER ROAST IN WASHINGTON D.C.!

United States Congressman Anthony Weiner, a democrat from New York, got caught with his pants down on Twitter about ten days ago. He immediately claimed his Twitter account had been hacked and when questioned about a lewd photo sent out from his Twitter account, he called a CNN reporter a jackass. Who’s the jackass now? After deceiving the media and the nation for over a week, he went on stage yesterday weeping, apologizing, and claiming that he accepts full responsibility for his actions.

So, while Congressman Weiner admitted he sent lewd and sexually explicit photos and text messages, as well as had phone sex with at least six women over the last three years, he lied to everyone again. He said he sent the lewd photo to the 21 year old college student in Seattle as a joke. Later in the day, news reports revealed he also sent the photo to a 26 old year single mom. I guess that was a just a joke too.

While some people may consider Congressman Weiner’s online antics his personal business, it’s important to remember that as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, he holds a security clearance, has access to high-level government information, and placed himself in a position to be blackmailed by foreign entities.

Putting it mildly, Congressman Weiner’s actions were an embarrassment  to his family, his district, as well as the state of New York and the United States of America. Although he stated he will not resign,  as the political flames begin to burn hotter, there will be a Weiner roast in Washington, D.C.

38.5 Billion in Budget Cuts…..So What!!!

Sometimes it’s important to see the humor in politics. For example, consider the 38.5 billion dollars that John Boehner and Harry Reid cut from the 2011 budget. What an “historic” achievement for Americans they crowed. Plus, they averted a government shutdown. Sure….right…great job.

It’s time to put this so-called great achievement in perspective. Most Americans don’t realize the interest alone on the national debt was 414 billion in 2010, according to U.S. Treasury Department calculations. That’s almost 1/2 a trillion dollars! I wondered how much the interest on the debt costs each day, so I decided to apply simple mathematics to the problem, (414 billion divided by 365), and discovered the interest alone on the national debt was 1.1 billion dollars per day in 2010. Of course, the national debt continued to increase in 2011, along with the interest.

So, just how historic is that budget cut? Well, if we divide 38.5 billion by the 1.1 billion in daily interest, it looks like the “draconian” 38.5 billion budget cut basically paid the interest on the nation’s debt for about 35 days. Woohooooo! What a super job our Washington leaders did.

And now for the funny part. If our D.C. leaders can find an additional 363 billion dollars to cut from the budget, the interest for the remaining 330 days of the year could be paid.

Obama Sought Support of Democratic Socialists of America

Senator Obama has been tagged as the most liberal democrat in the U.S. Senate and it seems his earliest political ties included the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America (CDSA). During a meeting with the organization in the fall of 1995, Mr. Obama sought the support of the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America’s “New Party” for his first run for political office.  According to the CDSA’s New Party update in the September-October 1995 timeframe, “Four political candidates were ‘there’ seeking NP support.”

The Chicago Democratic Socialists of America’s New Party Update is quoted in full below.

Chicago New Party Update

by Bruce Bentley

About 50 activists attended the Chicago New Party membership meeting in July. The purpose of the meeting was to update members on local activities and to hear appeals for NP support from four potential political candidates. The NP is being very active in organization building and politics. There are 300 members in Chicago. In order to build an organizational and financial base the NP is sponsoring house parties. Locally it has been successful both fiscally and in building a grassroots base. Nationwide it has resulted in 1000 people committed to monthly contributions. The NP’s political strategy is to support progressive candidates in elections only if they have a concrete chance to “win”. This has resulted in a winning ratio of 77 of 110 elections. Candidates must be approved via a NP political committee. Once approved, candidates must sign a contract with the NP. The contract mandates that they must have a visible and active relationship with the NP.

The political entourage included Alderman Michael Chandler, William Delgado, chief of staff for State Rep Miguel del Valle, and spokespersons for State Sen. Alice Palmer, Sonya Sanchez, chief of staff for State Sen. Jesse Garcia, who is running for State Rep in Garcia’s District; and Barack Obama, chief of staff for State Sen. Alice Palmer. Obama is running for Palmer’s vacant seat.

Michael Chandler thanked the NP for its support in his electoral victory. His achievements to date included obtaining an increase of 30 police in the 24th Ward, citizen involvement in street clean-up and establishment of a 24th Ward Organization. William Delgado is exploring whether to run for State Rep in the 3rd District. He is a former social worker and spoke with compassion and dynamism. He considers himself a community activist who wants to be an advocate for change in the community. His presence in political office would be a benefit to the democratic left.

Indeed it was an exciting evening because the NP has two crucial components. First, the NP is a true “Rainbow Coalition” consisting of both young and aged African-Americans, Hispanics and Caucasians. Although ACORN and SEIU Local 880 were the harbingers of the NP there was a strong presence of CoC and DSA (15% DSA). Moreover a good 8% were younger Generation X’ers who are critically needed. A more diverse representation of Labor is missing. Secondly, the NP is taking “action.” Four political candidates were “there” seeking NP support. The NP is strategically organizing via house parties and tactically entering only elections that they can win. Furthermore they are organizing a campaign on the “Living Wage Ordinance” in the Chicago City Council.

Sources

1. Bently, Bruce (1995), New Party Update, CHICAGODSA.ORG. Retrieved from http://www.chicagodsa.org/ngarchive/ng42.html on Oct. 10, 2008.

Senator Biden – Obama Not Ready to be President

Voter Fraud in Ohio?

A video report from Lou Dobbs of CNN.