Um, yeah.
]]>A lot of folks are asking about the fabulous little laptop that fits in my purse, has no moving parts to break, and comes with Linux and other open source software installed. It’s called an Eee PC (stupidest name ever) and ranges from $300 to $600. You can buy it on Amazon
. (If you use their links to buy it, I will get a small kickback from Amazon. Thanks.)
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Hillary Clinton suggested Wednesday that “White Americans” are increasingly turning away from Barack Obama’s candidacy.
[...]
Clinton cited an Associated Press poll “that found how Senator Obama’s support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me.”“There’s a pattern emerging here,” she said.
- CNN.com: Clinton touts support from ‘white Americans’, 5/8/08
Not only is the implication quite racist (that white people won’t vote for a black guy), it’s also wrong (millions of us have). Since I don’t think she’s stupid enough to not understand the facts of this, I can only conclude that she’s lying. Yet another reason that she can’t be trusted and shouldn’t be supported.
]]>Here’s a great comment that was posted on their final blog entry:
‘We would like to apologize for the way in which politicians are represented in this programme. it was never our intention to imply that politicians are weak-kneed, political time-servers who are concerned more with their personal vendettas and private power struggles than the problems of government, nor to suggest at any point that they sacrifice their credibility by denying free debate on vital matters in the mistaken impression that party unity comes before the well-being of the people they supposedly represent nor to imply at any stage that they are squabbling little toadies without an ounce of concern for the vital social problems of today. Nor indeed do we intend that viewers should consider them as crabby ulcerous little self-seeking vermin with furry legs and an excessive addiction to alcohol and certain explicit sexual practices which some people might find offensive.
“We are sorry if this impression has come across.”
-Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Video below…
Update: Greg Greene points me to this story in the Washinton Post: NPR Leader Out After Board Clash - Ken Stern’s New Media Forays Rankled Public Radio Affiliates. Which is especially stunning because during the last full week before the N.C. Primary, I have been getting more news from that little blog than from my local NPR affiliate, who amazingly chose that critical week for a pledge drive. This is bad, bad, news for NPR.
WUNC’s Laura Leslie posted the audio of the robocall on her blog on Monday, but as far as I can tell has not actually done a story about it. (She’s probably too busy begging for money. Way to schedule a pledge drive at the height of our primary, WUNC!)
Today I read a long investigative piece by my friend Chris Kromm at the Institute for Southern Studies that shows that WVWV was behind this, and that they have been confusing voters all over the nation with their automated phone calls and voter registration packets. “Women’s Voices’ questionable tactics have spawned thousands of voter complaints in at least 11 states and brought harsh condemnation from some election officials for their secrecy, misleading nature and likely violations of election law.”
WVWV claims that their campaign in North Carolina was designed to get unregistered, single, female voters to register to vote in the November general election. However, there is overwhelming evidence indicating quite the opposite. For example:
- The voice on the calls is a male calling himself “Lamont Williams.” Not exactly ideal for the supposedly female target audience.
- Many of the people who received the calls are married, male, and/or already registered.
- WVWV is no newcomer to politics. They have been operating since at least the 2004 election. They are a well-funded organization with a savvy staff. The two top leaders each have at least two decades of political experience a piece. (One as Congressman David Price’s ‘96 campaign manager - the one year Price lost.)
- In fact, many WVWV staff and advisors gained experience working for the Clinton Whitehouse. For example, board member John Podesta (President and CEO of the Center for American Progress) served as President Clinton’s Chief of Staff for over two years.
- There is no way that these seasoned political operatives could have missed the fact of our prominent May 6 primary, or that anyone with experience in voter engagement wouldn’t be fully aware of the timing involved.
I can only logically conclude that they are either intentionally suppressing voters (in an Obama-friendly state, hmm) or are criminally negligent and unable to carry out their stated mission of “Improving unmarried women’s participation in the electorate and policy process.” Either way, the only responsible step I can imagine is immediately cease operations and consider whether to reorganize or disband this organization.
WVWV’s President Page Garder re-posted her press release as a blog entry over on Huffington Post. Let’s let her know what we think of it.
More related links & discussion: NPR News Blog, BlueNC.
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