DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
Love God Only
HTML https://lovegodonly.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: Politics
*****************************************************
#Post#: 662--------------------------------------------------
Congressional Goings On
By: Kerry Date: October 12, 2012, 10:31 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman of California told the AP he
regrets laying hands on his fellow Democratic Congressman from
California, Howard Berman, at a recent debate. The two
Congressman are running for the same seat since new district
lines were drawn; and in California, the primary eliminates all
but the two top vote getters, so we have two Democrats running
in the main election in District 30.
"I touched him, I put my arm around his shoulder, I should not
have done that," he told the AP.
The two were arguing about the original author of the DREAM Act,
a bill that would give citizenship to students who came to this
country illegally if they attended college or joined the
military.
In the AP interview, Sherman held back from blaming Berman for
the incident. The statement he released earlier in the day said
the incident “started” when Berman called him a “liar and
delusional.”
Sherman said voters will not read much into the incident, aside
from novelty.
Read more at The Hill
HTML http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/261809-sherman-regrets-laying-hands-on-berman.
A poll late in September by Survey America
HTML http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=cfb7b7d8-1f9a-4998-8ff0-6d217daf1725<br
/>gave Sherman the advantage 45 to 32. Time will tell how this
strange incident may influence public opinion.
HTML http://www.mediaite.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Screen-Shot-2012-10-12-at-10.03.46-AM.png
HTML http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/images/kabc/cms_exf_2007/news/politics/8844823_600x338.jpg
#Post#: 663--------------------------------------------------
Re: Congressional Goings On
By: Kerry Date: October 12, 2012, 10:54 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Now we find out how some people think they can save their
marriages. Have an affair, and then advise the mistress to have
an abortion when you think she's pregnant. I find this
appallingly bad behavior from a Republican who claims to be
pro-life, pro-family, etc.
A pro-life, family-values congressman who worked as a doctor
before winning election as a Tea Party-backed Republican had an
affair with a patient and later pressured her to get an
abortion, according to a phone call transcript obtained by The
Huffington Post.
The congressman, Rep. Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, was trying
to save his marriage at the time, according to his remarks on
the call, made in September of 2000. And, according to three
independent sources familiar with the call and the recording, he
made the tape himself.
Read more at huffingtonpost.com
HTML http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/10/scott-desjarlais-abortion-pro-life_n_1953136.html.<br
/>
Well, now he's saying -- what a relief -- that no abortion took
place. The details are still disgusting. He had blamed the
woman for getting pregnant.
From commercialappeal.com
HTML http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/oct/12/tennessee-rep-scott-desjarlais-mistress-wasnt-preg/:
According to the transcript, DesJarlais, a Jasper physician,
told the woman that he was concerned that she hadn't taken steps
toward terminating the pregnancy.
"You told me you'd have an abortion, and now we're getting too
far along without one," DesJarlais is quoted as saying. "If we
need to go to Atlanta, or whatever, to get this solved and get
it over with so we can get on with our lives, then let's do it."
DesJarlais in the transcript appeared to blame the woman for
becoming pregnant.
"You lied to me about something that caused us to be in this
situation, and that's not my fault, that's yours," he said.
The woman responded: "Well, it's your fault for sleeping with
your patient."
DesJarlais blamed "a disgruntled, defeated ex-congressman, a
vindictive ex-wife, and a desperate Democratic candidate" for
dredging up details from his past.
I haven't seen any polls for this district; but it probably
leans to the Republican side 5 to 10 points. He could lose.
DesJarlais opted not to have any debates -- incumbents often do
that since it gives the underdog a platform. If this case
however, it makes DesJarlais look as if he's afraid to show up.
I think I'll move this race to "too close to call."
I wonder if this statement DesJarlais made earlier this year
will make it to campaign ads:
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BJE1CC0WDY
#Post#: 679--------------------------------------------------
Re: Congressional Goings On
By: Kerry Date: October 13, 2012, 7:10 am
---------------------------------------------------------
First the video of the wife a Democrat, Justin Sternad, who
allegedly had his campaign funded by Republican Congressman
Rivera of Florida. RUmor has it that Speaker Boehner has been
trying to get Rivera to drop out; but so far nothing of the sort
has happened.
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEpoIIAilDc
Supposedly Rivera's campaign manager and possibly also his
girlfriend delivered envelopes stuffed with cash to Justin
Sternad to help him mount a primary challenge to his Democratic
rival, Joe Garcia. This of course would be unlawful, to say the
least. (Story at news.firedoglake.com
HTML http://news.firedoglake.com/2012/09/22/fl-25-envelopes-stuffed-with-cash-turn-up-in-rivera-fake-candidate-scandal/)
Sternad may be talking to the FBI, but Mrs. Sternad clearly
didn't want to talk to reporters. Hence the bucket of water!
Meanwhile the other woman is missing.
From WBEZ
HTML http://www.wbez.org/blogs/achy-obejas/2012-09/case-against-florida-congressman-rivera-gets-weirder-102693:
* Alliegro, who went missing September 5 after the FBI raided
her apartment and took her computer and cell phone, is still out
of sight. The stories swirling around her have her everywhere
from out of the country to the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Fla.,
where she's supposedly trying to cut yet another deal with the
FBI so she doesn't do any time. Bloggers all over Miami have
gone nuts speculating about Alliegro's whereabouts.
* Alliegro, self-described as a “Republican bad girl," has
proven to be the stuff of telenovelas. She's been all over the
news down here latey, with stories detailing: a shoplifting
charge; the time she took a shot at an ex-husband while she was
buck naked to try to force him to remarry her; and an 83-day
marriage to former Miami Mayor Joe Carollo, who presided over
the Elián González debacle and was alternately known as “Crazy
Joe” or “King of the Crazies." (And to be clear, it was Carollo
who filed for a separation because Alliegro was too crazy for
him!) The Miami Herald's Fabiola Santiago goes over the
highlights in this article, in which she also points out that
Karl Rove is among Alliegro's Twitter followers.
The latest poll has Garcia ahead 50% to 41%. I think I'll call
this one for Garcia. Poll results are at:
miamiherald.typepad.com
HTML http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/09/democratic-superpac-poll-joe-garcia-50-david-rivera-41.html.<br
/>
#Post#: 907--------------------------------------------------
Re: Congressional Goings On -- Santa for Congress? Why not?
By: Kerry Date: October 17, 2012, 6:10 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he might be elected
to Congress!
Kerry Bentivolio is running for Congress in Michigan. He has
played Santa frequently in the past; an din 1996, he said his
two identities were beginning to blur. In court proceedings at
the time, he said, "“I’d like to say I’m really Santa Claus and
I play somebody else the rest of the year."
Read more at: The Daily Caller
HTML http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/15/republican-congressional-hopeful-might-think-hes-santa-claus/.<br
/> Is it really true he owns reindeer that pull Santa's sleigh?
According to his website
HTML http://kerrybentivolioforcongress.com/kerry/,
it is:
Kerry and Karen have resided in Milford since 1982. They live
on a small farm raising reindeer trained to pull Santa’s sleigh
in various parades and special holiday events. They also
maintain a small flock of chickens, a 25-hive apiary of
honeybees, and a 115-vine vineyard. They have two adult children
and three grandchildren.
Could he get elected? It's a possibility. ::) This is the
district Thaddeus McCotter had represented. When he ended his
campaign for President before any votes had been cast, he
scurried to get enough signatures to get on the ballot for
Congress. Turns out some of them were forged. Big mess. He
finally gave up trying to run, and this left Bentivolio as the
Republican candidate in a strongly Republican district.
#Post#: 922--------------------------------------------------
Re: Congressional Goings On
By: Kerry Date: October 18, 2012, 12:18 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Congressman Jesse Jackson is back in the news. First we heard
the ugly rumor that he had tried to buy Obama's old Senate seat,
and that rumor seemed to die. Then we heard other rumors, and
that's when he disappeared into a mental clinic to get help for
some unknown mental disorder.
Now we're told he has bipolar disorder. We also read that the
FBI is looking into how he spent campaign money
HTML http://www.suntimes.com/15716117-761/feds-now-probing-suspicious-activity-in-rep-jesse-jackson-jrs-finances-sources-say.html.<br
/> The allegation
HTML http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/15757909-418/report-jackson-allegedly-improperly-used-campaign-money-to-decorate-home.html<br
/>is that he spent some of it on himself, notably on furnishing
his $2.5 million house a few blocks from Dupont Circle.
About the house? First we heard it was up for sale. Then we
heard it was pulled off the market because putting it up for
sale posed a security risk.
And in all this, there's still no doubt he'll win the election.
In a mental institution and under a cloud of suspicion? No
problem! He is a shoo-in to be re-elected.
Now Congressman Jackson is in the news yet again. According to
The Gawker
HTML http://gawker.com/5951450/rep-jesse-jackson-jr-is-hanging-out-at-bars-while-under-doctors-care?tag=scions,<br
/>Last week he was spotted on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in
the Bier Baron Tavern -- not far from Dupont Circle and his
house.
Channel 5, NBC
HTML http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Report-Jesse-Jackson-Jr-Seen-In-DC-Bars-With-Two-Different-Women-174214241.html,<br
/>reported, "Jesse Jackson Jr. Convalescing At D.C. Bars, With T
wo
Different Women."
No reports yet on whether Jackson still considers himself to
have been a charioteer in a past life. From the Washington
Examiner
HTML http://washingtonexaminer.com/wapo-dept.-of-burying-the-lede-jesse-jackson-jr.-thought-he-was-reincarnated-chariot-driver/article/2510857#.UH3CUGIRG1d:
The prince [Jackson] was erecting the foundations of a power
base, diving into countless local races by endorsing candidates,
seeding the region with mayors and other local officials who
would be loyal supporters. But he could be mercurial, former
associates say. Jackson sometimes boasted that he was a
reincarnated Greek chariot driver, [political operative Frank]
Coconate said. “I really thought he had a problem with reality,”
Coconate said. “He’d get in his own little world. He’d come out
with outlandish things.” At one of Jackson’s hangouts — a
Turkish bath — he’d prance naked, demonstrating martial arts
moves, while the others stayed wrapped in towels, said Frank
Avila Jr., a former supporter who is a Democratic operative.
#Post#: 968--------------------------------------------------
Re: Congressional Goings On
By: Kerry Date: October 19, 2012, 5:44 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Another debate turned ugly, this time in Minnesota when
Congressman Keith Ellison and Republican challenger Chris Fields
got a turn for the worse. From Minnpost.com
HTML http://www.minnpost.com/dc-dispatches/2012/10/ellison-fields-get-personal-debate:
The already tense campaign between Minneapolis U.S. Rep. Keith
Ellison and Republican challenger Chris Fields came to a head
during a contentious debate on KFAI radio Thursday morning, one
marked by personal attacks and accusations of lying.
At one point, Fields accused Ellison of digging up and
distributing information on Fields’ personal life, specifically
a restraining order filed by Fields’ then-wife in 2006 (the
state DFL Party took credit for distributing the information).
Ellison called Fields “really stupid” for bringing the issue
into the debate. When Fields brought up Ellison’s history of
child support payments, Ellison repeatedly called him a
“scumbag.”
“You’re a scumbag. You are a lowlife scumbag,” he said. “You
are a gutter dweller.”
The debate was downright nasty throughout — Ellison repeatedly
accused Fields of “lying all the time” about everything from
whether he served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee (he has
in the past) to Fields’ position on the GOP budget plan. Fields
brought up Ellison’s recent divorce, and when he returned the
restraining order issue, Ellison said, “my daughter is in the
next room ... I’m using a lot of self-control right now, sir.”’
The broadcast was about an hour. You can listen to it all if
you like at KFAI.
HTML http://kfai.org/news/2012/10/31971
--------------------------------------------
The race is not considered competitive. Ellison is expected to
win re-election.
#Post#: 971--------------------------------------------------
Re: Congressional Goings On
By: Kerry Date: October 19, 2012, 6:20 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
The latest news now is that Jesse Jackson, Jr. may be headed
back to the Mayo Clinic. I can't think of a better way to
dodge the press and prosecutors!
The Sun Times
HTML http://www.suntimes.com/15830229-761/rep-jesse-jackson-jr-might-be-heading-back-to-mayo-clinic.html<br
/>reports:
Sneed hears U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who is in a world of
hurt and heat — medically and legally — may be returning to Mayo
Clinic for treatment.
A Sneed source who claims to have visited Jackson this week
said, “Jesse wanted you to know he is finding it difficult to
continue his treatment because the press is staking out his home
and making access to his doctor, who is within a short walking
distance from his home, incredibly hard.”
“He said his doctors are considering sending him back to Mayo
Clinic for treatment.”
Do not think being in a mental institution is preventing his
campaign from spending money! CBS local
HTML http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/10/18/jackson-jr-remains-off-the-job-but-campaign-still-spending/<br
/>reports:
An examination of federal election records showed Jackson’s
campaign has spent $110,099 since June 10, the day his leave of
absence started.
The expenditures include $39,458 in charges on the campaign’s
American Express credit account. The records do not itemize what
those charges were for, however.
His campaign also spent about $20,000 to J. Donatella &
Associates, the political consulting firm run by Jackson’s wife,
Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th).
“Over the last four months, his wife was still getting $5,000 a
month from the campaign; where, during those months, he’s in the
hospital, he’s not there,” Jackson’s Republican challenger,
Brian Woodworth said. “I highly doubt she’s doing the kind of
campaign consulting that was considered when she was originally
receiving that salary.”
While those payments to his wife’s consulting firm are legal
under federal election rules, federal prosecutors are reportedly
looking into alleged misuse of campaign funds to redecorate
Jackson’s home.
And from NBC Chicago
HTML http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/jesse-jackson-jr-campaign-expenditures-174867181.html:
Though he hasn't sent out a campaign mailer, video or spoken in
public in months, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has spent about the
same amount of money in his campaign to hold onto his seat as
others in competitive re-election fights, records show.
Included in his expenditures are fees paid to a political
consulting business owned by his wife, Chicago Ald. Sandi
Jackson (7th).
"For the last four months, his wife is still getting $5,000
checks from the campaign, where during those months he's in the
hospital," said Jackson's Republican challenger, Brian
Woodworth.
Jackson faced a primary challenge but has been absent from work
since June. Doctors say he's being treated for an ongoing
medical condition.
. . . .
Independent challenger Marcus Lewis had a direct message to
Jackson's current constituents.
"Don't vote for a ghost. Do not vote for someone that is not
showing up for you anymore. It's like Elvis has left the
building," he said.
#Post#: 1001--------------------------------------------------
Re: Congressional Goings On
By: Kerry Date: October 20, 2012, 7:09 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Politico
HTML http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2012/10/carmona-apologizes-for-calling-male-debate-moderator-138985.html<br
/>reports:
Arizona Senate candidate Richard Carmona apologized Friday for
joking at a debate that the male moderator was “prettier” than
Candy Crowley, the veteran female CNN journalist who moderated
the presidential debate earlier this week.
"I tried to tell a joke to lighten the mood in a debate. I
shouldn't have, and I'm sorry,” Carmona, the Democratic nominee,
said in a brief statement to POLITICO.
Despite his apology, Carmona’s latest comments won’t help him
fight off the narrative pushed by Republicans that he has issues
with women. A brutal ad by his Republican opponent, Rep. Jeff
Flake, features Carmona’s former female supervisor recalling the
night when he angrily pounded on her apartment door while he was
serving as U.S. surgeon general in the George W. Bush
administration.
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_wFCWpiLXc
Here's Flake's ad with the supervisor:
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k8sMJdIhJg
#Post#: 1102--------------------------------------------------
Re: Congressional Goings On
By: Kerry Date: October 22, 2012, 3:04 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Bravo, Congressman Jackson! A poll just in shows him getting
58% of the vote with Democratic challenger, Brian Woodworth,
getting a measly 27%. The independent in the race, Marcus
Lucas, got 15%.
Jackson did record a message to be used in making robo-calls.
That's all he's done so far to get re-elected.
#Post#: 1114--------------------------------------------------
Re: Congressional Goings On
By: Kerry Date: October 23, 2012, 12:25 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Now watch Congressman John Lewis cut loose! Lewis is sure to be
re-elected; but he's still having a bit of fun with his
campaign, it seems.
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQzuK_Tarvg&feature=player_embedded
*****************************************************
DIR Next Page