Campaign 2010

Countdown to Congressional Elections


The most effective way to restrict democracy is to transfer decision-making from the public arena to unaccountable institutions: kings and princes, priestly castes, military juntas, party dictatorships, or modern corporations.
Noam Chomsky, M.I.T. emeritus Professor of Linguistics

The Rise of Corporate Freedom of Speech

(Surpassed 2008 total on August 18)

See Weekly Spending Totals

$2.9 Billion Spent in 08
on Congressional Race
See Major Contributors

Corporate money in politics is bad enough. Secret corporate money is intolerable.


Primary Election Results
(UPDATED: August 25, 2010)






"The Great 2010 Incumbent (Non-)Revolt"

Senate Primary’s
Incumbent Democrats
1 Loss; 6 Wins of 13
Incumbent Republicans
1 Loss; 9 Wins of 12

House Primary’s
Incumbent Democrats
2 Loss; 182 Wins of 245
Incumbent Republicans
2 Loss; 140 Wins of 158

General Election Candidates

Senate

House of Representatives

Visual Facts

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Click Image for Larger Size.

National Debt Clock

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WHEN Did You Become Fiscally Responsible?
BEFORE Obama or AFTER Obama??
January 20, 2009
$10,838,758,414,164.46 - ↑90%
Discretionary Spending at 48.6%

January 20, 2001
$5,719,124,940,098.04 - 36%
January 20, 1993
$4,192,107,025,882.17 - 62%
January 20, 1989
$2,601,104,000,000.00 - 189%
January 20, 1981
$909,041,000.000.00

Click Image for Full Size


Debt by President

Are You A Tea Party Hyprocrite??

(Click for Debt Details)

United States of Corporations

Thanks to the GOP's Supreme Court
(Click Flag for Full Size)
Corporate Bill of Rights

Quotes and Links

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(Look for the Listings)

The Decade When the U.S. Lost Its Way

Where Have All the Neocons Gone?

From Neocons to Crazy-Cons

America Builds an Aristocracy

Supreme immodesty: Why the justices play politics

The Biggest Medicare Fraud Ever

Enough Right-Wing Propaganda

Tax Rate for Richest 400 Taxpayers Plummeted in Recent Decades, Even as Their Pre-Tax Incomes Skyrocketed

"The financial reform bill will determine whether Wall Street’s banks will serve the American economy or whether the American economy will continue to serve Wall Street's banks."

"While the economy doesn't function for most of us ordinary workers, it yields considerable reward for those at the top."

Republicans Are Locked in a Passionate Embrace with a Corpse and Won't Let Go

"The most important thing Republicans think is that if there are Americans who can't afford the insurance policies that private insurers are willing to offer, then that's their problem."

"It should tell you everything you need to know that, in lobbying to retain its bank supervisory powers, the Fed's allies include the big Wall Street banks."

"[Texas Republican Jeb] Hensarling told a Texas-size whopper — and then tried to claim Republican credit for Bill Clinton’s budget surpluses."

"The Supreme Court's 5-to-4 decision last week giving American corporations the right to unlimited political spending was an astonishing display of judicial arrogance, overreach and unjustified activism."

"It was wrong because nothing in the First Amendment dictates that corporations must be treated identically to people."

"They backed the truck up to Fort Knox in broad daylight. They emptied it out, we rescued them and they get $150 billion in bonuses."

"A huge, unregulated boom in which almost all the upside went directly into private hands, followed by a gigantic bust in which the losses were socialized."

So You Just Squandered Billions . . . Take Another Whack at It

Banks 'Too Big to Fail' Have Grown Even Bigger

Bankers' bonuses Beat Earnings as Industry Imploded

U.S. Rescue May Reach $23.7 Trillion

The Bank Bailouts — Corporate Welfarism

New Evidence Cheney Swayed Reaction to Leak - Valerie Plame

Once Again, The More You Watch Fox The Dumber You Are

"Over the past year, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury have injected trillions of dollars into frozen financial markets, snapping up unwanted bonds, extending guarantees to banks and slashing interest rates."

Building a Better Capitalism

The End of Supply Side Economics

The Great Wealth Transfer

The Richer

Who Rules America? Power, Politics, and Social Change

Proponents of Estate Tax Repeal Are Resurrecting Old Misconceptions

Income Gaps Between Very Rich and Everyone Else More Than Tripled In Last Three Decades

Ending Plutocracy: A 12-Step Program

Our Gilded Age

The Rich and the Rest of Us

GOP's "Small Government" Talk is Hollow


Distortions, Hypocrisy & More

"I'm not upset that you lied to me; I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you"
Friedrich Nietzsche
[Hover to Pause]

Today is

January 4, 2010

What Will The Spinmeisters Make Of This?

January 4, 2010

UPDATE: Thanks to CS for a clarification. There were casualties in December, but non-combatant deaths. There were no combat deaths.

According to CNN online, the month of December (2009) was the first month for no American military casualties in Iraq since the beginning of the war in 2003. That’s nearly seven years and 4, 373 deaths later if you’re keeping score. Keep in mind we have already spent two-thirds of the time we spent in Vietnam. In that latter (limited) war, we lost over 58,000 American soldiers, and had to run with our tails between our legs after ten years of killing our soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese — all for naught. Except, of course, for Brown & Root, now Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), as well as many others, who got rich(er) from the effort, including the (President) Johnson family.

The article tells us that “fatalities have decreased significantly since June, when the United States started withdrawing troop”. No doubt that has played a roll in the decrease, but I feel certain that is not the only contributing factor. However (and obviously) I don’t have any idea as to the why, but the draw-down certainly can’t be the only factor.

The Democratic spinmeisters will point to their ‘great leadership and decision making’ as the cause. And who knows what the Republican spinmeisters will come up with. But I’m sure they’re ‘working on it’. You know — much like the 2010 budget and health care reform bill they were ‘working on’ that, for all practical purposes, contained nothing more than blank pages.

But I suppose all these deaths in Iraq are justified — Bush got rid of Saddam Hussein, his fathers arch enemy, and hundreds of billions in corporate profits have been realized. And although the Iraqi oil fields are mostly in control of western forces, not many American oil companies are piling into Iraq to capitalize on that vast oil reserve.

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1 comment to What Will The Spinmeisters Make Of This?

  • Actually, a correction. December was the first month with non combat casualties. Four US military personnel died from non-combat-related causes, most likely accidents.

    As for why, I think it has several factors. First, the surge which provided more security for average Iraqis. This enabled the Iraqi police and army to take up more responsibilities and gain the people’s trust. Increased inclusion of all factions in the political process is also stabilizing. US forces have largely withdrawn from the urban areas and spend more time mentoring Iraqi counterparts who plan and execute operations. So a lot of reasons.

    No matter what Obama says, the basic plan for Iraq was already being formed under Bush. While both can claim a hand in it, neither really owns it.

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