Monday, December 17, 2007

Here and There


Hillary Still On Top -
The GOP is doing everything in their power to try and pump up Barack Obama and make it look as if some how she is slipping and at risk of losing the Democratic nomination. Like they say, a dog does not bark at a parked car and the fact that the GOP continues to attack Senator Clinton is proof that they're scared. They know Clinton holds a 20% national lead and is beating every GOP candidate in the poll and most likely will be the next president of the United States. So while the GOP is running scared, Clinton keeps grabbing up endorsements, the latest comes from Maine Governor John E. Baldacci and the Des Moines Register, Iowa's largest newspaper. Even former Speaker Newt Gingrich praised Senator Clinton's health plan for America last week.


Speaking of cross endorsements it seems that the disgraceful Senator from Connecticut, Joe Lieberman is going to endorse Senator John McCain for President tomorrow. Will this guy switch parties already? What an embarrassment to himself and his party.


On the Republican side it seems that Mike Hucabee is picking up steam, as a Democrat I hope he wins the GOP nod. His radical religious views and his feelings toward woman make him completely unelectable.


On a more local note, I can't say that I agree with Mayor Jim Sottile's decision to cancel the New Year's Eve celebration for the Senior Citizens. It's an event that means a lot to the community. I was running fro School Board last year at this time and in and in a very transparent attempt to gain votes, I volunteered at the 2006 event and I had a good time. I understand the reason why Sottile canceled and I hope that maybe some of the local businesses can chip in and keep this worth while event going.



I must again correct my good friend Hugh Renolds, in a recent column he made a mention that pretty much said that Frank Dart stabbed Jeanette Provanzano in the back with an 11th hour endorsement of Donaldson. That's simply untrue, Dart was supporting Jeanette but had committed to Donaldson about five days before the scheduled caucus vote. Why? No one knows for sure. Some speculate that it Had to do with Provanzano making calls to Kingston Democratic Aldermen asking that they support Anne Marie DiBella for Majority Leader over Bill Reynolds, which may have given Dart flashbacks to when Jeannette successfully unseated Dart for the Minority post of the legislature many years ago. Others say Dart felt that Donaldson was the lesser of the evils...I guess we will never know for sure.


Also, I forgot to wish Robert Parete a congratulations on his reelection as Majority Whip.



24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Any praise from Gingrich, is and should be viewed as the KISS OF DEATH for a Democrat. He, O'Rielly, and Dick Morris are the National version of SNAP, KACKLE and PLOP, or the axis of animosity to put it poetically...smitty

Hilary, or any progressive Democrat needs to go with National Health care,not fearing the words, concepts or its implimentation. It has worked in Europe for 100 years. Half truths, half measures, and double talk are not the answer. Check out Art Richter's HEALTH MATTERS on Ch23 8:30 PM, WED evenings...

Anonymous said...

Not this has anything to do with the ignorant people who this think this nazi should be our president but.....
How about you asking your mayor when this city will actually maintain our streets during a storm properly?
Yesterday I actually saw TWO city employees in a pick up truck plowing albany ave(more like making a mess).
Is there really a need for two guys in a pick up? I've have plowed for over 20 years and 9 of them professionally for a municipality, and never have I seen this before. By the way there were 3 large trucks with all of thier drivers in the stadium diner for more than 30 minutes while this was happening. Another storm has past and the city streets are the worst of them all....And we even use straight salt, what gives? We should have bare wet roads by 9am everytime, but I guess its more important to let our employees play in the snow instead of work in it!

Anonymous said...

Gingrich, like every other outed right-wing hypocrit, is so far to the left now that it doesn't matter whom they endorse or praise. Larry Craig will be all for gay rights in no time. A national healthcare system is inevitable with the rising costs and plummetting coverage. To all those who decry social programs,let's eliminate social security first for them and see how much they cry. I bet they change their minds pretty quickly when "their" social program is at stake! I'm glad Cuomo started a doctor rating system. It's about time the 5% of doctors that incurr the 95% of mal-practice litigation are put out of business. Much better than caps.

Anonymous said...

You are consistent. Anything contrary to the Democrat party gets attacked.

BTW, Frank Dart did betray Provenzano. But, Jeanette's so stupid, she'll endorse Dart in 2 years. Watch and see.

Anonymous said...

Where do you get your information? You are worse than Reynolds. Dart told Jeanette right up till the night before the vote that he was 99.9% with her. He says that and she confirms it. Seniors New years party should stop if the majority of the people coming are from outside Kingston. I do not want my tax dollars being handed out so some seniors from Hardenburgh can come down for the New Year dance. Clinton is in trouble in Iowa and she knows it, endorsements or not, and her campaign's multiple blatant attempts to dirty up Obama by making crap up are proof of that. The GOP has nothing to do with her being dead even in polls with both Obama and Edwards.

Anonymous said...

Jeremy, I think you have most of your post pretty well thought out, but Clinton leading? Man, you need to get off your blog once in a while and pay attention to the outside world! Poor thing has aged about 5 years in the past month. There are some really great candidates on the Dem side and either Edwards or Obama will survive the primaries and caucuses and emerge as a wonderful ticket for this country to enable the shedding of the D.C. schmucks who have sold out to big business and the military industrial complex. We have a chance to become an admired leader in this world once again, but to accomplish this we need a very fresh start... not Bill Clinton's wife. Anybody want to go up to N.H. for GOTV for Senator Obama in January? Yahoo!(and I don't mean the web company)away we go!

Anonymous said...

smitty...did you just call Hilary progressive????!!!!

Advocating for national health care doesn't necessarily make one a progressive, only progressive minded on that issue.

Anonymous said...

Hey,Berardi is winning. How about a bio? Those of us who don't know him,probably should.

Anonymous said...

Blabs...you must have old polling news. The latest is that Obama is 9 points ahead of Clinton and that was the Sunday papers.

And I thought you had your finger on the pulse of politics. Take the boy out of the city scene and throw him into the nationals scene and its scary.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of cross endorsements it seems that the disgraceful Senator from Connecticut, Joe Lieberman is going to endorse Senator John McCain for President tomorrow. Will this guy switch parties already? What an embarrassment to himself and his party.

Who is the embarrassment? Gentleman Joe or Kick-Ass John?

By the by, Lieberman is an independent...and McCain was a Dem before Reagan was President.

Anonymous said...

Are you running for School Board byw?

Anonymous said...

Hillary Clinton is a powerful woman, no doubt about it. But someone much more humble, like Edwards, is more my style.

Gingrich can't be trusted, any way you look at it...

In fact, in regards to both he and Hillary, I would say you are dealing with propanda masters, versus human beings with compassionate (much needed, at this point,wouldn't ya' say?) hearts.

As far as Obama, I still kinda' see him as a "mystery" man. I can't get past this instinctive question of "who is he really?"

But he would be my second choice from what I know so far.

Go Edwards!

Anonymous said...

9:25-you're on to our strategy. Look at that poll of Huckabee and Edwards.

Anonymous said...

lol. I'm glad I'm "on to" something! Or am I being blasted?

I can't even tell the difference anymore...

I do know that Edwards is hanging in thus far, albeit more quietly than his counterparts. And that Huckabee is looking pretty good for the Republicans, even though when one digs around in his sandbox, some pretty creepy looking bugs --- allegedly hiring murderers to work in his house; paroling a rapist that went on to rape and kill another woman or two; advocating "female subservience" to thier husbands; advocating the quarantine of HIV-positive folks; etc. - seem to surface.

Edwards doesn't get enough air-time. But hopefully folks are looking beyond the glitz and the glamor for a man or woman who appears to love this country, the "U.S. Constitution," and the "Bill of Rights," more than money or some Armageddonist, militant, imperialistic version of God.

Anonymous said...

btw, as far as the competition, what do you think about Ron Paul?

There are some negative rumors about him, as well - but i don't know if they are based in fact.

Anonymous said...

Ron Paul has valuable input to this race in so far as his understanding of our economic suicide and foreign policy blunders. When you get down to his social views he gets really scary. I'm not sure overturning Roe vs Wade is worth saving our dollar. Edwards is supposed to stay quiet until his obvious electability puts him out front. Any democrat will bring relief to our economic disaster and help push down real estate back where it belongs,affordable. Speculation for financial gain is better suited to the stock market where all you lose is paper,not your home. I like Edwards and he'd be my first choice. I guess we're close enough to say it out loud. I'll support whomever gets the nomination and I don't have anything negative to say about any of our candidates. Hill has helped me personally and she's got my support for helping out here at home too. While she might not get the shot,she's still our senator 'til 2012.

Anonymous said...

I didn't mean to down Hillary either. I believe she is doing what she has been taught to do, and is doing an excellent job from that perspective.

I simply come from a different perspective (childhood poverty, to be quite frank)...

and I don't think Hillary, due to her privleged life, "can" go where she needs to go with the sort of things people that have "come up the hard way" know about first hand.

Quote: "Forgive us for pretending to care for the poor, when we do not like poor people and do not want them in our homes" [United Presbyterian Church; "Litany for Holy Communion;" In Leonard Roy Frank's (Editor) "Random House Webster's Quationary;" p. 626.]

Anonymous said...

To 3:37 - Bill Berardi has put a couple of posts on the UCP Blog ("Letters to the Blog") of late that are worth reading. He has also had a couple of letters in the local papers. I am impressed (though the bio is also a good idea) with his input so far.

Anonymous said...

Lucky for Hillary, she was 'out of town' for last night's vote on the war bill. Dem's lose again

Anonymous said...

Oopsie. Bill Berardi was apparently the only Dem against the Impeachment resolution. That "isn't" good.

Anonymous said...

That's not Bill Berardi, that was Legislator Mike Berardi.

Anonymous said...

Thank you to the last poster. It is much appreciated. I guess we do need a bio on Bill - and maybe on Mike (lol) too!

Anonymous said...

It's getting tight. Obama leads in Iowa, has tied Clinton in New Hampshire and the national polls are tightening also. Panic time has brought negative campaigning by the Clinton troops with President Clinton running amok.

How a person campaigns, especially during rough times is a good idicator of how they would govern. Clinton panics, Obama and his advisors remained calm and resolute when they were behind.

Anonymous said...

Clinton, Obama and Edwards are in a statistical dead heat in Iowa, and of the three, only Edwards is truly "electable."

It's a sad truth that many Democrats, who publicly profess they're ready to elect a woman or a person of color for president, will not pull the lever once that curtain closes. So, even if Hilary or Barack should somehow win the nomination, neither one will ever prevail in the general election.

In general, I could vote for either one of them, but in this particular primary race there are at least two or three other Democratic candidates who are better anyway, so it's a moot point.