Hillary's reward thread for showing interest in pet food safety

[Poco]

Clip from Hillary's appearance on SNL and a little piece about the media bias against her. AND, an explanation about the photos of Giuliani in a dress that were all over the place when he was campaigning.  He is right, he should never have done that skit.  I had no idea what was going on with those weird photos since they looked genuine and I wondered about his 'hobby.'  Also, dresses do not not flatter his figure! 
 
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/03/sweet_clinton_surprise_saturda.html

[Poco]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/04/AR2008030403145.html

In Texas, a Gay Bar's Patrons Toast Hillary Clinton
 
By Jose Antonio Vargas
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 5, 2008

"GUN BARREL CITY, Tex., March 4 -- "The thing is, Hillary's been a victim," says Leo Bartlett, taking a drag of his cigarette. "Hillary's a real fighter."

She's been picked on, ridiculed, bullied. Those haircuts, that laugh, the clothes.........But she never gives up. She's got good policy positions. She bullies when she needs to. She's "a diva."

And that about sums up why gays -- not all, of course, but many -- are such ardent, longtime and downright defensive backers of Sen. Hillary Clinton....

.....Like most of the patrons here, Aldridge wears a button on her shirt that reads "Out for Hillary."   

....Last October, Out magazine named Friends one of the 50 greatest gay clubs in the world. That same month, the Advocate, another gay publication, splashed an Eleanor Roosevelt-esque, black-and-white photo of Clinton on the cover. The headline: "The Object of Our Affection."

"It's her experience. She's been through every category of anything that could happen to an individual and has come out strong," says Bartlett, 42, who owns Friends. His partner of five years, Rick Foster, 60, helps manage the club.

Sen. Barack Obama, on the other hand, is seen as "untested," "too new," "too young," Bartlett says.

Many patrons here recall an Obama rally in South Carolina last fall where one of the speakers was Donnie McClurkin, a conservative preacher who has said that homosexuality can be "cured" through prayer. Faced with criticism, Obama said he "strongly disagrees" with McClurkin.

Gribben, 64, gives a short history lesson and names all of Clinton's contributions to the gay community. She was the first first lady to march in a gay pride parade. She's fought for more HIV funds. She wants to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," though it was her husband who signed the controversial military policy toward gays. She's for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and supports civil unions....

....He continues: "Gays have a history with the Clintons -- and when I say the Clintons, that's because I think Hillary was as much a president as Bill was -- and most of it was good."



You go, guys!

I like those guys, too!
(But just try to be a little nicer to Cindy, OK?
She has enough grief putting up with Frenchie.)

       


Man, this forum is going downhill.  Ain't that the truth?
I just can't control Ol' Ike anymore.

[Poco]

http://hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=3656
" One of Hillary’s first acts as President will be to issue an Executive Order to end the politicization of science by the Bush administration and restore a climate of scientific integrity and innovation.........reverse the president’s recent directive which expands the power of political appointees while reducing the role of experts; and will commit her administration to carrying out a national assessment on climate change that goes above and beyond any requirement in the law. Hillary will also appoint an advisor for science who reports directly to the President and work to restore the Office of Technology Assessment in Congress. Her administration will seek and listen to the best scientific advice. Scientists, engineers, and health professionals will be appointed to federal advisory committees based on their expertise and integrity. Hillary’s administration will have a commitment to free and open scientific inquiry."

[Poco]

Dan Schnur was the national communications director for John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2000. In addition to teaching courses in political communications at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Southern California, he advises private sector clients and nonprofit organizations on media, communications and public policy matters at a public relations firm in Los Angeles.

http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/why-im-afraid-of-the-clintons/
February 28, 2008,  6:14 pm
Why I’m Afraid of the Clintons
By Dan Schnur

If it’s not the first rule of Republican politics, it should be: never, ever, ever underestimate anybody whose last name is Clinton. Not Bill, not Hillary. Not Chelsea, not even George. They’re very good at what they do, and when they’re about to be written off for dead, that’s when they’re at their very best.
We’ve counted out the Clintons before: during the New Hampshire primary in 1992, after the death of health care reform and the Republican takeover of Congress, and at the height of the impeachment brawl a few years after that. On each of those occasions, we had convinced ourselves that this was going to be the end of this unique family’s political journey. Each time, we were wrong.
When Hillary Clinton decided to run for president, I promised myself I would not be fooled again. As an equally loyal fan of the Republican Party and of the Green Bay Packers football team, I had come to regard the Clintons the same way I’ve always thought about the Dallas Cowboys. I don’t like them. I root against them. I want them to lose and occasionally find myself wanting bad things to happen to them. But they are very good at what they do. And if someone can knock them out in the playoffs — whether it’s the New York Giants or a senator from Illinois — I’m just as happy not to have to go up against them when the stakes are at their highest.
.......
There’s something other than superstition at work here: there’s also a question of ideological positioning. Many of my fellow Republicans don’t believe it, but Mrs. Clinton has actually fashioned a relatively centrist career as a senator. By contrast, Mr. Obama’s voting record has been designated by the respected and nonpartisan National Journal as the most liberal of any of the Senate’s 100 members. This is not merely an epithet: it represents a series of policy choices and legislative votes that leave Senator Obama to the left of Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and Barbara Boxer. Even the most inspirational and inclusive language in the world will face a stern test in the face of accusations on that front.
(So why don't Repbulicans embrace Hillary if she is a centrist?  Why are they being misled and who does that benefit?)
.........
Most of my fellow Republicans, consumed with 16 years of Hillary hatred and awestruck by Senator Obama’s political skills, are still hoping Senator Clinton can come back and claim her party’s nomination. Only she, they think, can unify the Republicans and mobilize our voters to the polls in November.
But I’ve been burned by the Clintons too many times before, so I’m rooting for the new guy from Illinois to take her out in the playoffs next week. Forgive me for holding off on the eulogies, but I’d just as soon wait until Wednesday morning before performing last rites on the Clinton-for-president campaign.
2006 Time multimedia presentation:
http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/2006/hillary_multimedia/

[Poco]

Lou Dobbs Sides with Hillary on NAFTA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Le_vPpj7lg

[Poco]

Senator Clinton seems to have the best grasp of the credit crisis to me.  Obama was vague and McCain did his usual blame game grandstanding.  But I want to see a sober attempt made to salvage the credit markets and put a bottom on home values.  Volcker is a good choice and perhaps Greenspan could be used for good if properly managed.  He certainly should be motivated to turn this around more than anyone else would be.

Maybe nothing can stop this train now, but Paulson's (Bush's) wish to ignore Main Street is a certain disaster.  (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/paulson-resists-more-government-action/story.aspx?guid=%7B28A81D81%2D005B%2D4D7C%2D8D76%2DE4A4E1DBE5F6%7D) If an attempt is not made, people will never forget it.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/fed-bailout-wasnt-just-fat/story.aspx?guid=%7B9D10A31D%2D4E38%2D47D3%2DA964%2DAD711300D21F%7D&dist=MostReadHome

"Sen. Hillary Clinton has proposed a $30 billion program to help troubled home borrowers. She also wants to get former Fed chairmen Paul Volcker and Alan Greenspan on the job. But she also offered an honest assessment of the Bear Stearns bailout.

"When there's a run on mortgage-backed securities and the bottom falls out for investment banks, the bottom falls out for families who see the value of their homes -- their greatest source of wealth -- decline.
"When our credit markets freeze up, that doesn't just cause panic on our trading floors, but in small businesses that can't get the capital they need to survive, and on college campuses, like this one, when the student loan for next semester falls through," Clinton said.
Though she stopped short of endorsing the Fed's bailout of Bear Stearns, she's come the closest of any candidate to acknowledging that Wall Street and Main Street are just two names for the American credit highway."

[Poco]

Hillary talks about her plan for insourcing jobs into the U.S. economy.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=7276785&ch=4226716&src=news

[Poco]

http://itchmoforums.com/law-and-politics-about-pets/finallywhat-we-know-as-truth-has-been-confirmed-our-pets-were-poisoned-t4598.0.html;msg60111;boardseen#new

[Poco]

A spate of new public polls out this week confirms that Hillary Clinton is the strongest candidate to beat John McCain in November.
http://blog.hillaryclinton.com/


http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/energy/
Hillary's Energy Plan
Hillary has a bold and comprehensive plan to address America's energy and environmental challenges that will establish a green, efficient economy and create as many as five million new jobs.

Centered on a cap and trade system for carbon emissions, stronger energy and auto efficiency standards and a significant increase in green research funding, Hillary's plan will reduce America's reliance on foreign oil and address the looming climate crisis.

Setting ambitious targets, the plan would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of global warming, and cut foreign oil imports by two-thirds from 2030 projected levels, more than 10 million barrels per day.

Hillary would transform our economy from carbon-based to clean and energy efficient, jumpstarting research and development through a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund and doubling investment in basic energy research. She would also spur the green building industry by funding the retrofitting and modernization of 20 million low-income homes and take concrete steps to reduce electricity consumption, including enacting strict appliance efficiency standards and phasing out incandescent light bulbs.

Recognizing that transportation accounts for 70 percent of U.S. oil consumption, Hillary would increase fuel efficiency standards to 55 miles per gallon by 2030, but would help automakers retool their production facilities through $20 billion in "Green Vehicle Bonds."

To take the steps necessary to transition to a clean and renewable energy future, Hillary will urge all of the nation's stakeholders to contribute to the effort. Automakers will be asked to make more efficient vehicles; oil and energy companies to invest in cleaner, renewable technologies; utilities to ramp up use of renewables and modernize the grid; coal companies to implement clean coal technology; government to establish a cap and trade carbon emissions system and renew its leadership in energy efficient buildings and services; individuals to conserve energy and utilize efficient light bulbs and appliances in their homes; and industry to build energy efficient homes and buildings.

Hillary's plan to promote energy independence, address global warming, and transform our economy includes:



A new cap-and-trade program that auctions 100 percent of permits alongside investments to move us on the path towards energy independence;

An aggressive comprehensive energy efficiency agenda to reduce electricity consumption 20 percent from projected levels by 2020 by changing the way utilities do business, catalyzing a green building industry, enacting strict appliance efficiency standards, and phasing out incandescent light bulbs;

A $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund, paid for in part by oil companies, to fund investments in alternative energy. The SEF will finance one-third of the $150 billon ten-year investment in a new energy future contained in this plan;

Doubling of federal investment in basic energy research, including funding for an ARPA-E, a new research agency modeled on the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Aggressive action to transition our economy toward renewable energy sources, with renewables generating 25 percent of electricity by 2025 and with 60 billion gallons of home-grown biofuels available for cars and trucks by 2030;

10 "Smart Grid City" partnerships to prove the advanced capabilities of smart grid and other advanced demand-reduction technologies, as well as new investment in plug-in hybrid vehicle technologies;

An increase in fuel efficiency standards to 55 miles per gallon by 2030, and $20 billion of "Green Vehicle Bonds" to help U.S. automakers retool their plants to meet the standards;

A plan to catalyze a thriving green building industry by investing in green collar jobs and helping to modernize and retrofit 20 million low-income homes to make them more energy efficient;

A new "Connie Mae" program to make it easier for low and middle-income Americans to buy green homes and invest in green home improvements;

A requirement that all publicly traded companies report financial risks due to climate change in annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and

Creation of a "National Energy Council" within the White House to ensure implementation of the plan across the Executive Branch.

A requirement that all federal buildings designed after January 20, 2009 will be zero emissions buildings.

[Poco]

I was shopping at one of my small town's thrift stores yesterday and never was the grim state of the nation more apparent to me.  The store's inventory was a mere skeleton of days gone by and I and the homeless man that followed me into the store were the only two customers the main section of the store.  He chose to leave rather than check his backpack.  Losing all he had left in the world was too frightening a risk for him to take.  There were a couple of workers talking about St. Paul in a far corner of the shop, but other than that, the store's silence was deafening.

I finally met up with another shopper in the side room at the 25 cents clothing rack.  She was an older retired lady.  She had to travel frequently for hours to a medical center on the other side of Seattle.  She was worried about transportation costs, the crumbling ferry and road systems in WA state, the high property taxes that still were not meeting needs, food costs, etc.  She commented that all our small town's thrift stores were grinding to a halt as far as business.

It is a very, very bad sign, and I sense that Senator Hillary Clinton is the candidate that best understands that some Americans have pared down their lifestyles so much now that behind the brave fronts we put up, there is righteous anger, and yes, some fear.


http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/middleclass/
As president, Hillary will:

Lower taxes for middle class families by: extending the middle class tax cuts including child tax credit and marriage penalty relief, offering new tax cuts for healthcare, college and retirement, and expanding the EITC and the child care tax credit.
Harness the power of innovation to create high wage jobs of the 21st Century. Investments in alternative energy can create new jobs for the 21st century; expanded access to broadband will bring opportunities to underserved and disadvantaged communities; the manufacturing base can be re-energized through creative partnerships; and increased government support for research will stimulate the development of new technologies and life-saving medicines. Hillary will restore integrity to science policy, reversing Bush administration policies that are holding our nation back.
Empower our workers and ensure that all Americans contribute their fair share. Hillary will ensure that unions, which have played an important role in forming and sustaining the middle class, are strong. She will also ensure that trade policies work for average Americans. Trade policy must raise our standard of living, and they must have strong protections for workers and the environment.
Restore the basic bargain. Hillary will restore the basic bargain that if Americans work hard and take responsibility, government will do its part to make sure they have the tools to get ahead.
Return to fiscal responsibility. After six and a half year of President Bush's fiscal irresponsibility, Hillary wants America to regain control of its destiny.

[Poco]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_health_care_plan
"In September 2007, former Clinton Administration senior health policy advisor Paul Starr published an article named "The Hillarycare Mythology",[34] where he asserted that Bill Clinton, not Hillary Clinton, was the driving force behind the plan at all stages of its origination and development; that the task force headed by Hillary Clinton quickly became useless and was not the primary force behind formulating the proposed policy; and that "Not only did the fiction of Hillary's personal responsibility for the health plan fail to protect the president at the time, it has also now come back to haunt her in her own quest for the presidency.""

[Poco]

Senator Hillary Clinton did the right thing for us again and voted against FISA Amendments Act of 2008.  Thank you!

http://irregulartimes.com/index.php


http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=300338&&

July 9, 2008

Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on the FISA Amendments Act of 2008


One of the great challenges before us as a nation is remaining steadfast in our fight against terrorism while preserving our commitment to the rule of law and individual liberty. As a senator from New York on September 11, I understand the importance of taking any and all necessary steps to protect our nation from those who would do us harm. I believe strongly that we must modernize our surveillance laws in order to provide intelligence professionals the tools needed to fight terrorism and make our country more secure. However, any surveillance program must contain safeguards to protect the rights of Americans against abuse, and to preserve clear lines of oversight and accountability over this administration. I applaud the efforts of my colleagues who negotiated this legislation, and I respect my colleagues who reached a different conclusion on today’s vote. I do so because this is a difficult issue. Nonetheless, I could not vote for the legislation in its current form.
.....
Congress must vigorously check and balance the president even in the face of dangerous enemies and at a time of war. That is what sets us apart. And that is what is vital to ensuring that any tool designed to protect us is used – and used within the law – for that purpose and that purpose alone. I believe my responsibility requires that I vote against this compromise, and I will continue to pursue reforms that will improve our ability to collect intelligence in our efforts to combat terror and to oversee that authority in Congress.

[Poco]

Helena Hill Weed, Norwalk, Conn. Serving 3 day sentence in D.C. prison for carrying banner,
"Governments derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed."

Created/Published: 1917 July 6-8

Summary: Photograph of Helena Hill Weed, facing forward, standing behind bars in a prison cell.
Title and information transcribed from item.
Mrs. Helena Hill Weed of Norwalk, Conn., was a graduate of Vassar College and Montana School of Mines. She was a geologist, a daughter of a member of Congress, and a vice-president of the Daughters of the American Republic (DAR). She was a prominent member of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage and the NWP. She was one of the first pickets arrested, July 4, 1917, and served three days in District Jail. In January 1918, she was arrested for applauding in court and sentenced to 24 hours, and in August 1918 she was arrested for participation in Lafayette Square meeting, and sentenced to 15 days. Doris Stevens, Jailed for Freedom (New York: Boni and Liveright, 1920), 369.

[Poco]

http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2008/07/is-clintons-presidential-campaign.html
July 17, 2008
IS CLINTON’S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN REALLY OVER?
 
Hillary Clinton is reported to be massaging her finances, redirecting donations from her 2008 general election campaign toward her 2012 Senate reelection fund. Is that really going on, or is she simply making sure that moneys raised pay down her debt, … or, could she be expecting a severe turn in the road ahead?....

"If it’s not the first rule of Republican politics, it should be: never, ever, ever underestimate anybody whose last name is Clinton. Not Bill, not Hillary. Not Chelsea, not even George. They’re very good at what they do, and when they’re about to be written off for dead, that’s when they’re at their very best."
            ------------Dan Schnur, national communications director for McCain in 2000

We'll show you 'straight talk.'
Yes we can.

 

[Poco]

http://blog.hillaryclinton.com/
Question #2: What goals do you have for yourself during the next four years both professionally and personally? by Carole (via email)

Answer: My goals include being the best Senator I can be, and to go on fighting every day for the issues I care about, helping America’s working families, and ensuring a better future for every child. I believe in the next fours years, we must ensure every American has healthcare, and our economy once again works for Middle Class families. As the war in Iraq comes to an end, we must restore America’s relations with our allies and our leadership around the world. I will continue to be an advocate for our troops and our veterans.

I look forward to working with President Obama on these important challenges, working to rebuild a government that once again works for the people, follows the rule of law and respects the constitution.


Now that is straight talk!

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gnrBjSOKH7qsEc1-ccoQMtO4QRpg
Clinton backers not giving up as convention looms