Political Ideas

Get Tough on Crime and Get the Ideal Gift

Heavyweight hooded sweatshirt with pocket in black with popular MASH font. A must have especially if you are going to be in DC for the historic inauguration of Barack Obama. (We’ve got space for thousands right in front of the FBI building, but you have to dress the part.) The cost is $22 plus $5 for shipping. BULK RATE: $10.75 each for 50 or more plus shipping.

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Bushies to Remain in Government

By David Swanson

Not only is President Elect Obama talking about keeping on key Bushies like Robert Gates.

Not only is Bush transforming appointees into career civil servants, in order to prevent Obama from bringing in new people. (Read the WaPo story.)

But — and this has not, as far as I know, yet been reported — Bush is firing dozens of employees in various departments who have been whistleblowers or are known to lean left politically, and replacing them with loyal Bushies. Or so read more

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How to Treat a President Elect

By David Swanson

In response to an Email advocating lobbying the new Congress and president-elect for complete withdrawal from Iraq and other goals, I received mostly positive responses, but a sizable minority sent replies like this one:

“Can’t you wait a minute? Give the President-Elect a moment to breathe, to catch his breath, to exhale? Stop this uber anti-militant stance to pause for the appreciation of what has been accomplished. Have a little mercy! Time enough for all this read more

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Lying 101: Obama Considering Colin Powell for Secretary of Education

By David Swanson

According to news reports, one of the names president elect Obama is considering for running our national education system is Colin Powell.

This is not from The Onion, but the Houston Chronicle. But there’s hardly a non-humorous way to envision it. Presumably schools will be required to institute new policies in favor of cheating on tests if they want to keep their federal funding. Lying will be developed as an read more

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Al Gore Comments on "Do Not Concede" Letter to Obama

By David Swanson

Former Vice President, and the man elected president in November 2000, Al Gore was asked on the radio this morning about a letter that Gore Vidal and many others have sent to presidential candidate Barack Obama urging him not to concede a stolen election.

(Read and add your name to the letter here:
http://afterdowningstreet.org/donotconcede )

Al Gore, like the rest of us, hopes it doesn’t come to that but discusses his memory of what happened eight years ago. Above all he stresses read more

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Sweeping Astroturf

By David Swanson

Imagine for a second that it’s November 5th, and the Democrats are set to control both houses of Congress and the White House. Perhaps they even control 60 Senate seats, making Republican filibusters impossible. Now what?

For the past two years, numerous activist groups have opposed the demands of their own members by arguing that the Democrats were helpless. They couldn’t get past filibusters or vetoes, and were therefore as impotent as newborn babes.

This was largely read more

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After Hope

By David Swanson

John R. MacArthur, publisher of Harper’s Magazine, has a new book out called “You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America.” Sort of an odd topic at the very moment that we’re expecting to elect the first African-American president. But this is probably going to be a very valuable book for a lot of people to read on November 5th, if McCain wins, if McCain steals it, and — especially — if Obama wins the White read more

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