West Virginia quasi-endorsements.

On Monday, the West Virginia Democratic Party announced when it released its delegation plans that Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, Manchin and Rep. Nick Rahall all plan to bow out of this summer’s convention in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 3-6. That means none of the three Democrats will help formally nominate the president.
“I intend to spend this fall focused on the people of West Virginia, whether that’s representing them in my official duties or here at home, where I can hear about their concerns and ideas to solve the problems of this great nation,” Manchin said in a statement. “I will remain focused on bringing people together for the next generation, not the next election.”
State party Chairman Larry Puccio downplayed the lawmakers’ decisions on Tuesday during an interview with West Virginia’s MetroNews Talkline. “In the past, if you look at Republican conventions or Democrat conventions, you see some of the folks that are able to attend, some that are not. That’s up to them as individuals and candidates,” Puccio said.
But Republicans and others view the lawmakers’ decisions as clear efforts to distance themselves from a president who remains unpopular in their state.
Federal prisoner  Keith Judd made national headlines last month when he earned a surprising 4 out of 10 votes against President Barack Obama in West Virginia’s Democratic presidential primary.

3…2…1 in terms of issue comment -palooza.

Humanitarian Do Good Bomber
 You really think thats what the blue dog congressmen from appalachia are upset about? Im guessing neither they nor their constituents care much for Glen Greenwald or his ilk.

Change “for” to “about” and the comment is more correct.

I will point out, though, as everyone yammers on and points out that West Virginia voted for Dukakis even… the trendline runs back… support bled severely with Gore as against Clinton.

And we kind of hover back to Mine Safety issues relating to Massey Energy and ponder the politics of the situation.  It’s not even the “Cap N Trade” that becomes problematic — and, yeah, you really shot it down there and will keep shooting it down… or holding out against any attempts toward renewable energy… it’s that any attempt at strengthening Regulation on the coal mines will be diverted to …  I don’t know… “SOCIALIST!”

I’m looking over to you, Arkansas, to see what your Democrats are doing.

In other news… The Alex Jones sphere of Conspiratorial Exgess is SHOCKED by Rand Paul’s betrayal.  He has endorsed Mitt Romney.  Because he’s a Republican, after all.   And so we see a great turning against Rand Paul — who was once just flipped all over the Alex Jones websites.  And Kurt Nimmo has announced that “Rand Paul is a Neo-con in Libertarian clothing“.  Funny.  I said that Rand Paul was George W Bush back in 2010.  And someone whose politics all those Ron Paul fans of various stripes should be aligning themselves with.  I have the virtue of throwing mixed barbs and plaudits to someone like Obama — someone tearing against the “New World Order” should be satisfied with sticking Rand Paul in the “New World Order lackey” category.
It is entertaining the see the turn and the comments run about, though.
Ron Paul has held out, though.

Doc Hastings News item
Doc Hastings Wants to Improve Endangered Species Act.
A long time goal of his, I suppose.  That and … um…

Sigh.

But here’s the big controversy Hastings is tangently parts of.

When award-winning West Virginia anti-coal activist Maria Gunnoe went to Washington, D.C. last week, she was prepared for obstructionist tactics. She was prepared to face icy stares and hard questions from Republican lawmakers. She was not prepared to be branded a pedophile.

On Friday, Gunnoe testified before the House Committee on Natural Resources in a hearing on the Obama administration’s contentious relationship with the coal mining industry. She had prepared a slideshow presentation that included a photograph by the photojournalist Katie Falkenberg depicting a nude young girl sitting in a bathtub filled with murky brown water. The photo was meant as a salient statement to legislators on the impact of coal mining on society’s most vulnerable. “We are forced to bathe our children in polluted water,” she said. “Or not bathe them.” […]

It was a point she never got to make: Shortly before she testified, Gunnoe was approached by staffers for Congressman Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) and told she had to remove the photo from her presentation. She complied, but after testifying was escorted into an empty side room by Capitol Police Special Agent Randall Hayden and questioned for nearly an hour about the photo, which she had gotten the approval of the photographer, the child’s parents, and Democratic committee members to use. Gunnoe said Hayden, whom she described as kind and professional, told her the committee believed the photo to be suggestive of child pornography, and that he would be following up on the possibility of her being involved in such illegal activity.

[…]

Committee Republican spokesperson Spencer Pederson said after Lamborn decided the photo was “inappropriate for committee use,” his staff, with the blessing of committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), contacted police to “apprise them of the situation.”

I’m pretty sure the idea is along the lines of a Vietnam War supporters crying foul at the photograph of the young Napalm victim
… or if you’re sympathetic to the the Hastings lead committee, perhaps some tactics by abortion protesters and PETA activists…

… except that the specific charge becomes more aligned with… oh… Tom Coburn’s objection to Schindler’s List broadcast.  Naked equals smut.  Even in grotesque situations.  The mind boggles.

Yes, the Portland Mercury knew what it was doing when it printed this.

To those of you still sporting an Obama bumper sticker from 2008, or have a nice fresh one for 2012, you may have noticed that there aren’t many of you left. I think I know the reason for that. Portland citizens in general pay attention and hold their esteemed politicians to a higher standard than does the average American. They realized that having an Obama sticker next to their “End the Wars,” “Legalize It,” and “Free Bradley Manning” stickers makes them look like a clueless dipshit. And don’t give me that “change takes time” bullshit. That mantra became collateral damage from an unmanned drone long ago. I’m not saying that come November there will be a better choice, but think twice about having an indefinitely detaining, citizen-spying, banker-puppet incumbent’s name dulling the clear coat on your Prius. That was sooo 2008.—Anonymous

A classic “Left / Liberal” split.  Should reverberate straight back to Clinton.  The answer is that Obama is not nor ever was part of “The Solution” in some areas, is “Part of the Problem” in others, part of the solution elsewhere, and part of the stand-still in other parts.  Even this Anonymous hedges their bets with “I’m not saying that there will be a better choice”.

Also Obama’s 2008 campaign was curiously to the right of Clinton’s, who was to the right of Edwards’s.  Not that it makes any difference — once in office, you’re shepherding around with roughly the same Congress and pressure groups you have to either fight or work through.

The perfect illustration I had of the odd dichotomy at work here was this discordant “Free Bradley Manning” sticker posted next to a “Debt the Fault of Republican Presidents” sticker next to Obama/Biden 12 sticker I saw somewhere.

And bada boom bada bing.  33 comments.  And a couple to make it into print next week.  It is pretty entertaining reading, I would say.

TEXAS — 22nd:  ATTENTION DISTRICT DEMOCRATS:  THE GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE IS NAMED DON COOK.
And so we have this new bad habit brewing in Texas’s 22nd Congressional District.  Various committee meetings had been held earlier in the day. The only one that produced anything of note/controversial was the SDEC Resolutions committee. They proposed a resolution relating to campaigns affiliated with someone named LaRouche (whom I got the impression is a rather nasty customer!) The resolution stated that Kesha Rogers – who has such an affiliation – does not need to be supported by Texas Democrats.
Special note to Democratic voters in Texas’s 22nd Congressional District.  In 2010, your 3rd Party candidate was a Libertarian.  This time you have a Green Party candidate.  Don Cook will also be running in the general election, as the Green Party candidate.  Maybe he will be more appealing.

The round-up from the Primary election returns.  Indo-American News came in with:  Both candidates thanked their volunteers and supporters, but have yet to reveal their plans to run for political offices in the near future.  From what I see at KP George’s website, he seems to be wanting to run again.  Indeed, he says so here.  (A bit of an off-statement here:   George’s shoestring campaign got a boost in April after Rogers, a radical Democrat, made a bizarre statement calling for the impeachment of President Barack Obama.)   Italy Responds!   (or, you know, their Larouchies) We in Italy certainly hope she does go back to Glass-Steagall, there are two law proposals in this direction also in Italy. It’s the only way to stop speculation and economic collapse.
AND Wow! If one of my fellow bloggers doesn’t buy up MoonColonyDemocrats.com anytime soon, I just might. Kesha Rogers won the nomination again for CD-22 against a sincere individual like KP George who had his heart in the right place, as well as the support of activist Dems. Much like some of us are wondering what the hell happened in a few Harris County races, many of my friends are doing the same in CD-22. Is it a disconnection between the Party and Dem-leaning voters?
The case of the “few Harris County races” is the same as the case of Kesha Rogers.

In the Florida Space Report… Kesha Rogers gets second billing.  Lampson a Step Closer to Returning to Congress
A two-time former member of Congress who has been active on space issues won a Democratic primary for another Texas district last night.  […] The man who beat Lampson in the 22nd district in 2008, Rep. Pete Olson, won the Republican primary, putting him on track to win a third term this fall. […] Rogers, who affiliates herself with Lyndon LaRouche, appears to be running again on the theme “Save NASA, Dump Obama”; her “Space Colonization & Planetary Defense” platform calls for, among other things,  — “Among other Things” is the phrase that pays.

Mother Jones
I think the operative hashtag here is #DemsInDisarray.
Off The Kuff  I don’t even know what to say.
And.  There are only half a dozen or so Democrats in Fort Bend County so perhaps they should get a break, but still, that’s pretty embarrassing.
Yahoo News   Besides Larouche, Rogers cites a number of past American presidents, including Dwight Eisenhower, Abraham Lincoln, John Quincy Adams, and GeorgeWashington, as well as former Rep. Barbara Jordan as role models.  Might as well start listing I don’t know… John Byrne and Adam Ant for all this means.

Half Empty Spoke too early  Buh-bye Kesha. Don’t let the door hit you on your way out of CD-22.

Irregular Times as the Results come rolling in.   Has somebody been performing scientific experiments on the Democrats in the 22nd district, leaving them unable to sense the presence of paranoid delusions in a political candidate?  

So… We now enter this 5 month period where Pete Olson versus Kesha Rogers elicits but an occasional news blip of the equivalent of a “Water Skiing Story” item, some schaudenfruede from Republicans and conservatives, and a whole lot of “History on the March” from LPAC.  On election day, she will receive some 5 or 7 percent less than in 2010, owing mostly to the shift in the district Republican-wise.  [I gather the Republicans just drew up a district that would’ve saved Tom Delay a few election cycles back.]
It is not meaningless: the victory does give them a bigger platform to play with, and a sense of “History on the March”.  (See here Howie G and the Texas Democratic Convention:  The small number of delegates attending showed some life, as many greeted Kesha Rogers (the just-elected Democratic nominee for the 22nd district) by saying “We support you, I’m glad you won, keep fighting”, as they scurried away, so no one would see them.  Just remember: 9 out of 10 Kesha Rogers voters cast the same ballot for Barack Obama.)

Maybe it’ll get them back on Russia TV — who knows?… Still ironically, Carol Johnson Smith’s 8 percent in a primary in Indiana in 2010 was more meaningful.

From Democratic Underground:  Due to the demographics, the local party was unable to recruit a strong candidate and that contributed to the loss.Again, the defeat of a weak democrat in this primary does not mean that Texas Democrats are rejecting President Obama or favor his impeachment. In Fort Bend County, we attempted to educate our voters about the dangers of the LaRouche’s candidates and these results paid off to some degree.
Speak all your bromides about the “50 State Strategy” you want, but you will hit a wall at a district which seems mostly just designed to hypothetically and retroactively hang onto Tom Delay during his corruption trials.  You can’t really expect a politician with an eye toward future political success to throw their lot in this one.  Still, there are some laments here —

So it doesn’t make me happy to say that if I lived in Olson’s district, I’d just have to skip the opportunity to vote against him because his Democratic opponent is high-functioning lunatic Kesha Rogers. […]  But Rogers really isn’t to blame. Cranks are cranks and she’s got as much right to put her name on a ballot as any other crackpot. That she was nominated by the Democratic Party for the second time in a row says a lot more about the combination of ignorance, nihilism, and apathy that apparently drives the Democratic voters of her district than it does about her.

Dear Liberal Editorial Writer for the Houston Chronicle by the name of Geoff Berg:  Look in the Mirror.  This is an editorial which should have been done before the election.  Because Kesha Rogers already won in 2010.  Actually what I was waiting for, taking for granted that I would see, was Houston Chronicle’s endorsement list.  I never saw it.  A simple sentence saying Kesha Rogers was an unacceptable choice for the nomination — worth more than a sharply barbed op-ed from the local party.  It is, I will say, the reason for the line of attack we see from the cult shown with the comment section to this water-skiing squirrel Kesha Rogers campaign piece
 What do you get when you combine the most entertaining parts of the tea party, libertarianism, and the tin foil hat club?  […]  They became slightly less fringe last week.

Howie G brings us this report:  The small number of delegates attending showed some life, as many greeted Kesha Rogers (the just-elected Democratic nominee for the 22nd district) by saying “We support you, I’m glad you won, keep fighting”, as they scurried away, so no one would see them.  Actually that’s boring.  More interesting is “Reports from the West Virginia Convention” — that red streak which along with Kentucky is actually anti-Obama Democrat Country, and the cult can get some mileage in reportage.

I did see it the endorsement line with the New Jersey race, and that was when I knew… Diane Sare was going to get swamped.  Not so much because of the editorial per se, but because of the political culture we take for granted that this suggests.

NEW JERSEY 5th ROUND UP:  MARK QUICK, SELF APPOINTED GUARDIAN OF THE TEA PARTY, BRINGS DIANE SARE ALL THOSE VOTES.
Howie G assesses the election.  Declares victory.  Because the candidate who was probably benefited by losing the race (“got some experience in his first race”, will go on to the next one with a more reasonable chance in November) lost… and because in another race the candidate better associated with Clinton beat the one better associated with Obama.

North Jersey Record endorses Castle.  Three Democrats are seeking the nomination to take on Garrett. They are Jason Castle, Adam Gussen and Diane Sare, a follower of Lyndon LaRouche. Given the fact Sare has called for impeaching President Obama, a rather peculiar position for a Democrat, the race for us is a two-person affair between Castle and Gussen.
And that was all I wanted to see out of the Houston Chronicle.  Instead, you had to go back two months to see something substantial.  Because this is fun and all, this back and forth, but… no one sees it.

Good to get some more specific numbers on the big race in New Jersey’s fighting Fifth!
 Democratic Teaneck Councilman Adam Gussen (86 Oradell votes and 178 From River Edge) defeated opponents Jason Castle (43 Oradell and 87 River Edge) and Diane Sare (0 Oradell and 15 River Edge votes) for the right to challenge Garret this fall.
Oradell is NOT Diane Sare Country.

And in this list of Seven Races to watch… Diane Sare could not beat out Roseanne Barr presidential bid.

Actually the figure of interest that emerges out of New Jersey, and the whole thing had the feel to it of a set-up, is Mark Quick — self appointed spokesperson for New Jersey’s Tea Party from his perch as Reform Party candidate.  This Conservative blogger takes Mark Quick to task.

RoseAnn Salanitri, of Sussex Tea Party fame and currently the campaign manager for United States Senate Candidate Bader Qarmout, and her one time running mate Mark Quick, a perennial candidate for various state and Federal offices, now a member of the Reform Party; are both actively supporting and encouraging others to vote for Diane Sare, a Democrat running for Congress in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District. […]
Are there conservatives in the Democrat Party anymore?  Are conservatives moving to support Lyndon LaRouche supported candidates?
The answer to the first question is complicated; the second one is something like — well, there’s Mark Quick, I guess.

And here we see Mark Quick make his pitch to the Democratic voter.

Mark Quick makes the pitch to Democrats, claiming Diane Sare as the Tea Party Candidate
My personal choice is Diane Sare someone willing to take on the banks, against free trade and about Constitutional government, like her ideas or not she has a vission of a future.. The others are about keeping the fight that hurts us all. Also Diane is the only ANTI WAR candidate… My question is simple how deeply do you desire to rid our district of Scott Garrett, like it or not your going to need Tea Party support.

Hm.  And Mark Quick controls that vote and will direct it to a Larouche candidate, how?

That Mark Quick sure is a King-Maker!  See Daniel Burke make the pitch.

Diane Sare is the only Democrat running who is strong enough to beat Garrett – AND she has the endorsement of Reform candidate Mark Quick.

By the way, this responder loses.  If I were a betting man I would wager she does not get even 10 percent of the vote today.

The Diane Sare campaign chimed in with this question:
I see Diane’s campaign everywhere! How are Gussen and Castle going to win with no campaign?
 Got this vote!   I think I’ll put my vote with Diane (and by implication with LaRouche) and vote for Glass Steagall and impeaching Obama, if Castle or Gussen can handle that then I would vote for them.
But not this one!  As far as her affiliation with Larouche. Aren’t these the same people who claimed AIDS could be transferred by mosquitoes and casual contact? I wont even delve into their numerous convictions for fraud and harassment.
AND   And what has she done with that $30,000? As far as I can tell it’s been spent on lawn signs. Her campaign is a joke, there is no way it can be taken seriously.

A look into the campaign as it continues.  Dateline East Hamton.
Sare said the response he received so far on Thursday was mixed. “Some are thoughtful. One guy told me he sees through Obama.”
Soonafter, a driver rode by and shouted an obscenity.

Irregular Times on Diane Sare:
Diane Sare, a follower of Lyndon LaRouche who calls liberalism a “disease”, says that global warming exists, and proposes ideas like the creation of large communities on Arctic islands and the colonization of Mars
The LaRouchies aren’t off to a good start in the Democratic primary race. Sare has less than 15 percent of the vote so far. Will Mars never be qualified?

If only it were the IT Score that mattered…
What is the It Score?  The It Score measure’s a politician’s digital influence.
I think LPAC drove Diane Sare’s score up, but that was just the cult talking to itself and stuff.

And the fall-out within the New Jersey “Tea Party”, the Larouche Splinter and the main body of it, commences…
Don’t play the politician Marky, you CLEARLY attacked Congressman Garrett in your endorsement of that Larouche Marxist.
You are a fraud, a Democrat mole in the Warren County GOP. Your whole town should be ashamed.

Larouchies making the case
Daniel Burke for “Taking the Fifth”:  Make sure you include information on this page about Diane Sare, a LaRouche Democrat who is also running in the June 5th Primary. She is the only Democratic candidate with the integrity to call for the immediate impeachment of Obama for usurpation of the constitution and the FDR-style recovery necessary to save the union from destruction.

Dateline Parisipanny  “It’s not a party,” said self-described activist John Scialdone, who hails from Hackensack but travels across the state to reach voters. “We are a movement.”
Indeed, it is a long-standing movement of an estimated few thousand people across the nation who support the work of Lyndon LaRouche.
Dateline Hingham,  Most shoppers ignored the campaigners, some gave the man and woman dirty looks,  while some vehicles passing by honked their horn at them.

MICHIGAN 11th:  THE DEMOCRAT’S NAME IS SYED TAJ.  KNOW THE NAME TO AVOID THE GREAT TEA PARTY — LAROUCHIE  RACE FROM HELL.

Meanwhile, Democrats have their own primary problems to worry about in the district. Michigan Democrats support internist Syed Taj for the nomination, but first he must defeat Bill Roberts, a Lyndon LaRouche activist, in the primary.
Democrats kept quiet about Taj’s prospects in the early wake of McCotter’s ballot flap. Privately, they remained unsure the GOP-leaning seat was winnable. But since McCotter announced he will not seek re-election, Democrats are taking a second look at the district.

The irony is that Bill Roberts’s chances of winning the nomination would have been higher had the Democrats been left with little / no chance of winning the election in November — when no coverage might have propelled a blind race and a good number of low information ballot picking. Following the fiasco with McCotter, the party’s candidate — Syed Taj — is kind of a position somewhere between the two extremes of that of KP George and Barney Frank in regards to how to treat his Larouchie opponent.  But we all know the problems Taj has…

Uh huh
Now it is important to note that the rather bizarre candidates I mentioned may not be the congressional nominees. Most politically aware Democrats would rather see the other candidate on the ballot, Dr. Syed Taj, win the nomination. Taj is a legitimate alternative, a native of India who is now the chairman of the Department of Medicine at Oakwood Hospital; he’s also an elected trustee of Canton Township. But his name may look less familiar than William Roberts to many voters. The party clearly needs to work hard to educate people.

Not a promising sign.  Not a promising sign.
In a June 11 story about the race for the Michigan congressional seat held by Republican Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, The Associated Press misidentified one of the Democratic candidates. He is Dr. Syed Taj, not Dr. Taj Syed.
But the campaign commences,
Shifting gears quickly, Taj has set aside campaign brochures attacking McCotter as a career politician and has printed new ones warning that Roberts is a “fake Democrat.”
Taj’s literature is typical of attacks by Obama Democrats against Lyndon LaRouche supporters, Roberts said.
“The idea you have to take a loyalty oath to the president in order to be a candidate is ridiculous,” Roberts said. Obama, he said, “represents a clear and present danger to the nation.”
While McCotter’s retirement may increase Taj’s chances of becoming a U.S. representative, Taj said he must remain focused on winning the primary and explaining Roberts’ platform. But he worries that voters picking a Democrat in the race may be more drawn to a name like “William Roberts” over “Syed Taj.”
“I’m not naïve about that,” he said.

Syed Taj versus William Roberts  Dr. Syed Taj , a Canton Township trustee and former chief of medicine at Oakwood Hospital, put out a campaign email this week warning about his opponent, Bill Roberts of Redford Township. Titled, “Stop the Imposter!” Taj’s campaign calls Roberts a “fake Democrat” who wants to impeach President Barack Obama . It includes a picture of Roberts near a poster of the president with an Adolf Hitler moustache with the words “Impeach Obama.”
Roberts is a LaRouche Democrat, inspired by activist and former presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche who’s called for Obama’s impeachment. Roberts didn’t return a phone call or email for comment Wednesday. But in a recent blog post on his campaign site, Roberts explains: “Given his many repeated violations of the Constitution, President Obama is probably over-qualified for impeachment and should therefore also be removed using section 4 of the 25th Ammendment (sic).”
The winner of the Democratic primary will face the GOP nominee in November , which for the first time in a decade may not be McCotter, given the challenges of a write-in a campaign. The possibility of picking up a once expected GOP seat has Democrats singing — literally. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a “Ballad of Thad McCotter” Wednesday for the guitar-playing congressman. Some of the lyrics: “‘McCotter’s Mcfoul-up’ reads the News / A tough write-in campaign he could lose. / The cost profound; As fraud charges abound. / And Thad’s likely left singing the blues.”

Roll Call:  National Democrats dispatched a staffer to Michigan’s 11th district this week — a sign that they believe their candidate, internist Syed Taj, could be competitive in the race for GOP-leaning open seat.  (The Larouchies will just take this as a top down operation to bring down the Larouche Movement.)

Down With Tyranny.  The Democrat in this race is a progressive doctor, Syed Taj. There’s also a deranged LaRouchie running, Bill Roberts, who will be able to compete with Bentivolio for the kook vote.

The more notices like this the better.  From The Examiner
The Democratic hope for the district is Canton Township Trustee Syed Taj, a physician.  A progressive, Dr. Taj recently retired as chief of medicine at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn.  He has been endorsed by Democratic Party organizations and elected officials throughout the district.  Taj faces primary opposition from Redford Township resident William Roberts, who is a follower of perennial presidential candidate, conspiracy theorist and all-around nutcase Lyndon LaRouche, and therefore is not considered to be a real Democrat.

The Detroit News opines:  a mainstream Democrat slated to face the young and bizarre Bill Roberts.

Because it is as this:  Lyndon LaRouche is still around?

We need to find the district’s Mark Quick quick in order to promote the Tea Party Ron Paul candidate and the Larouchie for … huh.

MASSACHUSETTS 4th — RACHEL BROWN DEFILES MEMORIAL DAY PARADE EN ROUTE TO BATTLE AGAINST KENNEDY DYNASTY

First off, Joseph Kennedy III gets on the ballot.  Doesn’t post youtube video of him bringing the paperwork in — oh well.  And we see there the attempt to sell the Kesha Rogers victory as meaningful thrust to Rachel Brown.  It’ll be a theme propped up in Michigan and Washington’s races.  (Someone tell me why I should pay attention to Dave Christie?)

The campaign is Getting some coverage.  Finally.
“It was completely disgusting,” said Tom Gaughan, an Army Reserve veteran who served in Iraq from 2003 to 2004 and marched as part of Monday’s parade. “For Rachel Brown to do what she did is completely disrespectful to anyone who has ever worn the uniform. The Memorial Day Parade is supposed to be something to honor the fallen soldiers as well as those who are still serving and who have served. I may not agree with Obama and what he’s done, but he’s still the commander-in-chief. Everyone in the military takes pride in serving. It just wasn’t the time for that.”
When Brown passed the bandstand platform in front of the Taunton Green, parade announcer and war veteran John Fielding, who otherwise provided lively introductions for participants, simply said, “No comment.”
Taunton Memorial Day Parade organizer Ernest Cardoza is a veteran himself and is a part of the Greater Taunton Allied Veterans Council, which sponsored the parade. Cardoza said “in retrospect” the sign should not have been allowed.
“I wouldn’t do it again,” Cardoza said. […] “Of the 100 things that might bother me, that’s number 192,” said Cardoza, who also pointed out that other political candidates have participated in the parade for years, and that there were several others marching in this year’s parade.
When reached by phone, Brown declined to answer whether or not the sign was appropriate for the parade, instead talking about her stance on Obama’s policies.

 NON ELECTION NEWS

Big splinter going on with the Larouche Cryonics Movement.  NAWAPA won’t work!!! Nor will moving everyone to the Tropics won’t fight the Ice Age… We need something bigger!  The Larouche Basement team better get to work  and get the figures so refined as to the cubic yards of concrete it will take for this new project!  You don’t want to lose this supporter!

An Existential Question from France:  “Why do they tear my poster?”
Apparently the Larouchies want to Impeach Everyone Everywhere.  News from the Phillipine Society.
 Lyndon Larouche speaks up about the Queen’s Jubilee in a special guest diary.
Kurt Nimmo is slammed in with Wayne Madsen and Lyndon Larouche.
But that doesn’t mean that Occupy is the Black Bloc, or that all- or even most- communists are actually autocrats or free traders, or that most socialists are fascists, or that most Democrats are LaRouchies or in favor of charter schools..
At Wonkette  The fringe LaRouchies are all but gone. (Don’t tell that to Harris County Democrats in Texas)  The right, however, seems to have largely resisted any move to the middle and went whooping off into the sunset after the tattered remains of the KKK and the Nazi Party. Why they think the Tea Party.
Hot Air on Wisconsin Election Neither are certain extreme-fringe left-wingers, including advocates of violent political/social change, hard-line communists, terrorist-apologists, America-haters, kooks, crackpots, LaRouchies, and the like. Vote for Democrats.

Historical notes.  Local Hero:  Ivy Bottini… Her efforts contributed to the defeat of Proposition 64, a measure put on the ballot by Lyndon H. LaRouche, which would have restored AIDS to the list of communicable disease.

He’d get better information from the LaRouchies and flat-earthers. Interesting comment.  Next one.   In fact I wont just expose NAMBLA, Like the response about “Next you’ll expose Crack Dealers?”  … then we get this but I’ll expose the entire homosexual population for what they are.   And so it goes.

EIR notices … Southern Times Africa… Who is behind Zimbabwe Violence?  The British, apparently.  And Press TV — Iran’s government loves em.
Scott Thompson, writing in crackpot Lyndon LaRouche’s Executive Intelligence Review…

Mitt Romney was in Portland yesterday.  I passed  it as quickly as I could.  Were they very interesting signs?  Not really.  Brigades from Planned Parenthood and the AFL-CIO dominated.  Forgetable chants.  I see no mention of the thing at indymedia, which would jump all over any appearance from Obama.   The “Fat Cat choking the Construction worker” float was probably the highlight.  After that, we’re stuck with a

Kari Crisholm notes:  Today, Mitt Romney makes a brief pit stop in Portland to extract some cash -without bothering to actually meet any actual voters, or even distract the press from his fundraiser by reading a book to some kids or visiting a factory floor.

Yeah, Obama will have plenty of opportunities to jump into, for instance, Texas and out like Romney does with these blue states.  Not sure what the point of carrying on the charade of pretending the contest is here would be.  (Not demoralize the state Republicans as there are plenty of other contests that need to be curried?)  Too bad there won’t be a repeat of something I saw in 2004: John Kerry jumped out of his limo, shaked someone’s hands out at an outdoor cafe.  Is that worth anything for Romney?  Maybe in another town out in Ohio or something.

Charles Krauthammer lays out the bulk of the “If Bush did this” case against Obama’s foreign Drone War Policy.  Unfortunate that he has to be the one, the neo-con he.

Meantime, Paleo-con Ross Douthart points to the matter of Obama’s “social issues” as palms against general economic lethargic status — it be the flip side for Thomas Frank’s “What’s the Matter with Kansas”, in some way Obama 12 descends to Bush 04 on how to proceed against a flip flopping out of touch Massachusetts richy.  Sure enough, fight off the heels of the political announcement on gay marriage, we got the pitch thrown out on Internet ad-sense ads: Stand for Gay Marriage.

There is an odd thing at work here… look to the Democratic Senators who have not jumped on board what is now a permanent plank in the Democratic Party.  Montana, Missouri, West Virginia.  It could mean that this propels Obama to victory (Da Base) while providing some negative coat-tails for a further divided government — to that “Find the Democrat that fits the district” line that has always been the opposite of what is going on with the Republicans right about now.