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Carl Pope on Pickens' Plan and the Progressive Response
Posted by Brave New Films, Brave New Films on August 28, 2008 at 1:13 PM.

OurFuture.org asked the Sierra Club's executive director, Carl Pope, about how progressives should respond to Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens' plan for energy independence and political obstruction on energy issues in Washington. Pope also explains harmful natural gas policies that need to be corrected by the next administration. Pope was interviewed after a forum at The Big Tent in Denver during the Democratic National Convention Agust 27, 2008.

(Flip Video courtesy of the Voter Genome Project.)

Courtesy of imishalove

McCain's Million Dollar Parking Lot
Posted by Robert Greenwald, Brave New Films on August 28, 2008 at 6:29 AM.

Not only does John McCain have at least 10 properties he can't remember, but he also owns a parking lot in Phoenix Arizona worth between $1.4 and $2.4 million. That's over $1 million more than the average American home!

It's no wonder McCain has said time and time again that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong."  He's living in the land of affluence, and has no concept of just how terrible our economy has become under President Bush.  According to the U.S. Census, 37.3 million people were living in poverty in 2007.  45.7 million (15.3 percent of the population) don't have health insurance—a staggering number that has risen by 6 million since Bush took office in 2001.  And yet McCain extols Bush's economy and proposes his own policies that would sink our country further into debt.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said that when it comes to the economy,

"I think John McCain is wrong. He doesn’t even know how many homes he has. … We’ve seen the McCain position as just a continuation of the Bush Administration. It’s President Bush’s policies that got us into the mess that we have now. And it’s not only a short term crisis, it’s long term and it has to be addressed. Workers are having a tough time. The wage inequality that’s out there is unbelievable, and health care and retirement security are threatened. Those are some of the reasons that we’re not supporting John McCain."

When we launched McCain's Mansions, you recognized that McCain is out of touch with hard-working Americans.  That's why you spread it around and got the mainstream media to take notice and question McCain on this issue.  It exposed McCain for the elitist he really is, and turned our ailing economy into a number one issue for Democrats. 

Now's your chance to keep the economy front and center by spreading McCain's Million Dollar Parking Lot.  Let everyone know that while the majority of Americans are struggling to make mortgage payments and pay for necessities like health insurance and gas, John McCain has a parking lot worth $1 million more than the average home.    

Trick or Vote: Dracula Encourages Folks to Participate in Democracy
Posted by Mike Connery, Future Majority on August 28, 2008 at 4:06 AM.

This post comes from Future Majority, a national blog credentialed to cover the youth vote and youth organizing at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

What is the one day of the year that you expect a stranger to knock on your door? Halloween. And what's comes less than a week after Halloween? Election Day. What does that make Halloween? If you are a member of the Bus Federation or one of its partner organizations, it makes Halloween the best day of the year to launch a massive door-to-door canvass to Get Out the Vote (GOTV).

That's the pitch that Jefferson Smith, one of the founders of the Oregon Bus Project, gave to a group of young activists, insiders and media in Denver today at their Trick or Vote Launch Party.

Trick or Vote is exactly what it sounds like:

(Funny video of vampire talking about Trick or Vote after the flip)

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

BBC Reveals How McCain's Mansions Gaffe Snowballed
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on August 27, 2008 at 12:00 PM.

By now, over 370,000 people have viewed McCain's Mansions, a video depicting John McCain as a wealthy elitist whose views on the economy are out of touch with those of hard-working Americans.  And this BBC segment (the full version of which can be found here) shows the far-reaching impact of this video.  Because viewers spread McCain's Mansions with such tenacity, the video prompted Politico to question McCain on just how many mansions he owns.  McCain's now famous gaffe then led the Obama campaign to slam McCain on the economy almost immediately.  A media frenzy ensued, culminating with Joe Biden's comment over the weekend that McCain has so many kitchen tables, he can't figure which one to sit at.

Don't let this story fade.  Don't let McCain hide his elitist ways behind his POW story or Republican talking points.  Continue spreading McCain's Mansions.  Let's continue drawing attention to McCain's support for Bush's failed economic policies, and the fact that McCain's so wealthy his proposals primarily benefit the rich at the expense of everyone else.

Dissent in Denver
Posted by Adam Howard, The Nation on August 27, 2008 at 8:00 AM.

On the eve of the Democratic National Convention demonstrators gathered in Denver. Some were calling for an end to the war in Iraq; others demanding more open debates. Their promise was to "Recreate '68," but a relatively small turnout and an intensive effort by the Democratic Party to keep protesters out of the media eye raised the question of the efficacy and meaning of protest at the 2008 DNC.

The Nation hit the streets to speak with demonstrators, exploring their goals for the convention and their thoughts on protest and dissent around the 2008 election. The Nation's Brett Story spoke with Cindy, an activist and writer from Vermont and Nick, a professor of Political Philosophy in New York along with other protesters from groups like Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Alliance for Real Democracy, the Recreate '68 Alliance and the immigrant coalition the We Are America DNC Alliance.

Dennis Kucinich Rocks DNC: 'Wake Up America!'
Posted by Rep. Dennis Kucinich on August 26, 2008 at 9:17 PM.

It's Election Day, 2008. We Democrats are giving America a wake up call. Wake up America. In 2001, the oil companies, the war contractors and the neo-con artists seized the economy, and have added four trillion dollars of unproductive spending to the national debt.

We now pay four times more for defense, three times more for gasoline and home heating oil, and twice what we paid for health care. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, their homes, their health care, their pensions. Trillions of dollars for an unnecessary war paid with borrowed money. Tens of billions of dollars in cash and weapons disappeared into thin air, at the cost of the lives of our troops and innocent Iraqis, while all the President's oilmen are maneuvering to grab Iraq's oil.

Borrowed money to bomb bridges in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. No money to rebuild bridges in America. Money to start a hot war with Iran. Now we have another cold war with Russia while the American economy has become a game of Russian roulette.

If there was an Olympics for misleading, mismanaging and misappropriating this Administration would take the gold. World records for violations of national and international laws. They want another four year term to continue to alienate our allies, spend our children's inheritance and hollow out our economy. We can't afford it America.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Naomi Klein on What Obama Means for Progressives
Posted by Brave New Films, The Real News Network on August 26, 2008 at 11:18 AM.

Klein speaks about Obama and the intellectual and political integrity of the progressive movement.

More at The REAL News.

Rachel Maddow Spanks Joe Scarborough
Posted by Jill Hussein C., Brilliant at Breakfast on August 26, 2008 at 11:14 AM.

Joe Scarborough is already pissing and moaning about the promotion of Rachel Maddow. Oh, he's not using her name, but earlier this morning he was griping that he got only around fifteen seconds of face time during last night's convention coverage, and claimed it was because he ticked off "a certain person."

It's no secret who that "certain person" is, and why he's holding a grudge:

Grow the hell up, Joe. You were pwn3d, and you know it.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

McCain and Leno Yuk it Up on The Tonight Show
Posted by Melissa McEwan, Shakesville on August 26, 2008 at 9:54 AM.

Another video, care of Petulant, who is now having a much-deserved rest after being up all night making videos for us! Here's my arch-nemesis John McCain on The Tonight Show with another of my sinister nemeses Jay Leno last night, yukking it up in a display that makes me want to throw up for ten thousand years. I've provided a paraphrased transcript (with some unavoidable commentary of my own) below.

Laura Flanders and Van Jones Call for a Green Economy
Posted by Brave New Films, SEIU on August 26, 2008 at 9:21 AM.

Van Jones raps with Laura Flanders about green collar jobs. Convention coverage form the working people's point of view at www.seiucope.org.

Police Trap Peaceful Protesters in Denver
Posted by Davin Hutchins, American News Project on August 26, 2008 at 7:00 AM.

A calm political protest quickly turned chaotic as anxious police surrounded thousands of marchers heading toward Denver's Convention Center, using tear gas, batons and aggression.

Hillary Urges Unity, Attacks McCain
Posted by Petulant, Shakesville on August 25, 2008 at 2:49 PM.

Senator Clinton held a press conference this morning after the New York Delegation's breakfast. She reiterated that she was at the convention to support Obama and that it was his convention. She wants a Democratic President so that Democratic policies can have a chance to reach fruition.

"Electing John McCain would be a mistake for our country. That is the overriding reality. Anyone who voted for me has so much more in common with Senator Obama than they will ever have with Senator McCain and the Republican Party. I have been consistent in delivering that message. That is what I will be doing here."

(Watch it after the flip.)

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Big Agriculture's Exploitation of Migrant Workers
Posted by Inside USA, Al Jazeera on August 25, 2008 at 11:46 AM.

The big business of farming in the US is booming but undocumented migrants make up more than half of the farming workforce. They are ripe for exploitation and face low salaries, substandard housing, risk of injury, pesticides and heat stroke. Some literally work themselves to death. In this episode, Inside USA investigates farming in the era of free trade.

Watch part 2 here.

Anti-War Protesters Have Every Right to Yell "F**k FOX News!"
Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films on August 25, 2008 at 6:36 AM.

The DNC is barely under way in Denver, but protesters are already making themselves heard.  Their message: "Fuck corporate media!" and "Fuck FOX News!" 

That's the response FOX's Griff Jenkins receives when he throws himself into a swarm of marching anti-war protesters.  Jenkins plays incredulous well in this clip, asking over and over again why the protesters don't believe in freedom of speech—the irony of ironies, considering these protesters are exercising their first amendment rights with every step they take. 

As Jenkins is drowned out by a "Fuck FOX News!" chorus and disappears among a sea of middle fingers flipped at the camera, he cries out, "That's just not necessary."  Au contraire, Mr. Jenkins.  These calls are entirely necessary, considering FOX has served as the propaganda arm of the Bush administration for the last eight years. 

FOX has been Bush's biggest cheerleader in his war with Iraq.  FOX joined the corporate media in drumming up support for the war, preying on a vulnerable nation by drawing the false connection between Iraq and 9/11 and touting the administration's so-called "evidence" of WMDs.  Even as other corporate outlets realized their awful mistake when evidence proved the administration had no justification to go into Iraq, FOX offered no mea culpa.  Instead, the network continued to pretend the war was succeeding, when the reality was it had become a brutal quagmire that continues to this day.  But FOX didn't stop with Iraq.  Oh, no.  For more than a year now, the network has been war-whooping over Iran as well. 

FOX is guilty of war- and fearmongering, spreading the administration's lies at every turn, and smearing those who try to set the record straight.  So "Fuck FOX News?"  I'd say these anti-war protesters get the message just right.  

Michael Moore Declares No More Mr. Nice Dems
Posted by ZP Heller, Meet the Bloggers on August 23, 2008 at 2:11 PM.

This week's Meet the Bloggers was all about effecting political change, and no one knows how to do that better than Michael Moore, the activist filmmaker who created the documentaries SiCKO and Fahrenheit 9/11, among others. Moore claimed it's in the nature of liberals to be more accepting of Republicans like McCain, and not sink to the GOP's level of waging personal attacks.  That said, he believes the Dems, led by Barack Obama, must get fired up now to recapture the White House and maintain control over Congress.  As Moore pointed out, if the Dems can't stand up to the Republicans, how will they stand up to al Qaeda?

Moore was on the show to discuss what the Dems are doing right and wrong as the election nears, which is the subject of his new book, Mike's Election Guide 2008.  In a special one-on-one segment with Robert Greenwald, Moore talked about his sense of humor, which he uses as a way to cope with and draw attention to more serious political issues.  Moore also talked about candidates' flaws, cautioning those who put politicians like Obama on a pedestal.  And he chatted with Cheryl Contee (Jack & Jill Politics) and David Sirota about what Obama is doing well and not enough of on the campaign trail.

What's great about Moore is that he never holds back with his criticism, never pulls punches.  For example, he claimed that Obama and the Dems can't let McCain continue to use his POW story as an excuse, which he did this week when he forgot how many mansions he owns.  Moore also criticized Obama for moving to the center on a number of key issues since becoming the party's presumptive nominee. 

One of the true highlights of the show came when Moore answered a question from our audience—part of the show's ongoing Ask Mike a Question contest—about ways of achieving a single-payer universal health care system.  Moore's message is that in order to achieve this piece or any other part of the progressive agenda, we must pressure the Democrats to make these issues a legislative priority.  Moore is a firm believer that signing petitions, and writing and calling your representatives can be effective, and often these are the best tools we have to make our voices heard. 

Watch the full show: meetthebloggers.org.  And don't miss Meet the Bloggers next Friday at 1pm ET/10am PT, when Moore returns as our special guest.