The Hollywood Liberal

Republicans Take Lead in Generic Ballot
For the first time this year, a new Gallup poll of registered voters found more would vote for the Republican candidate than said they would vote for the Democratic candidate if elections for Congress were held today, 48% to 44%.

“The overall results would predict a likely strong Republican showing if the House elections were held today. Though the registered-voter results reported here speak to the preferences of all eligible voters, voter turnout is crucial in determining the final outcome of midterm elections. Gallup will not begin to model likely turnout until much closer to the 2010 elections, but given that Republicans usually have a turnout advantage, if normal turnout patterns prevail in the coming election, prospects for a good Democratic showing appear slim. Of course, the elections are still nearly 12 months away and conditions could shift back in the Democrats’ favor over this time.”

DeMint Seeks Term Limits
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) introduced an amendment to the Constitution that would limit Senators to three six-year terms and House members to three two-year terms, the Washington Times reports.

However, Senate leaders said DeMint’s bill “had a zero chance of becoming law, mostly because of a general lack of interest and the high hurdles to amending the Constitution.”

“It takes a two-thirds vote of approval in both chambers to pass a constitutional amendment and then it must be ratified by three-fourths of the states. The last one to succeed — the 27th Amendment that delays pay raises for members of Congress until after the next election — was proposed in 1789 as part of the Bill of Rights but was not ratified by the states until 1992.”

Kasich Catches Strickland in Ohio
A new Quinnipiac poll in Ohio finds Gov. Ted Strickland (D) and John Kasich (R) in a dead heat, 40% to 40%, in their race for governor. Strickland held a 10 point lead in September.

Said pollster Peter Brown: “Obviously a lot has changed: the Governor’s own ratings have gone down more than the challenger’s have come up. Moreover, when voters are asked who could do a better job handling the state budget and rebuilding the state economy they say Kasich. We still have a year to go, but Kasich is in much better shape than one could have imaged earlier this year.”

Feds Wanted Private Data on All Visitors to Liberal News Site
A Justice Department subpoena requesting information on visitors to an independent news site is raising serious privacy concerns.

AlterNet Audience Breaks Funding Records, Again: Continues to Buck the Trend
We broke all of our fundraising records. Thank you for showing us you care about strong, independent journalism.

Afghanistan Is Worse Off Than Ever, Thanks to the Sham Army We’re Propping Up
Cultural barriers and naked corruption have rendered the Afghan National Army completely inept.

Why Are We Locking Up Traumatized Veterans for Their Addictions Instead of Offering Them Treatment?
This Veterans Day, let’s get past the bunting and ribbons and look at our returning troops’ real needs.

The New Normal
Here is a scary thought. The Pareto Principle in economics says that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. In practical terms it might mean that 20% of your movies at Warner Bros. would generate 80% of…



Warner Bros – Pareto Principle – Barack Obama – Economics – United States

What Can Obama Do About Palestine, Meanwhile?
My old friend Danny Rubinstein, who has covered the West Bank pretty much since the occupation began, came over Friday afternoon. He had covered this week’s expulsion of Palestinian residents from their disputed home in Sheikh Jarrah. He had just…



West Bank – Middle East – Palestine – Danny Rubinstein – Sheikh Jarrah

VIDEO The Objectionable Michele Bachmann Et Al
Media Matters Action Network produced this objectionable action video….


Media Matters Action Network – Business – Media – United States – Republican

In ?Act of Despicable Hubris,? ACCCE Exploits Veterans Groups To Push Dirty Energy Agenda
The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) — a front group of big utilities and coal companies — is no stranger to fraud. During the summer’s House debate on cap-and-trade legislation, lobbyists working on behalf of the coal group sent forged letters to members of Congress, and lied under oath about it. Now, […]

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) — a front group of big utilities and coal companies — is no stranger to fraud. During the summer’s House debate on cap-and-trade legislation, lobbyists working on behalf of the coal group sent forged letters to members of Congress, and lied under oath about it. Now, ACCCE is trying to exploit Veterans Day by misrepresenting veterans groups in an email to supporters:

With Veterans Day around the corner, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on all the military personnel who are involved in ensuring our country is protected.

Energy security is one issue that has become increasingly important to our veterans. In fact, national veterans groups Votevets and Operation Free are urging the government to become more energy independent and less reliant on foreign oil.

We can do this by using the abundant domestic fuels we already have. With more than 250 billion tons of recoverable coal reserves, the United States has more coal than the Middle East has oil.

The letter implies that VoteVets and Operation Free support ACCCE and its dirty energy agenda, but the the two groups are actually vocal backers of clean energy legislation. VoteVets excoriated ACCCE for citing them in the email, writing that VoteVets “will never advocate the continued use of carbon based fuels” and that ACCCE is trying “to hijack America’s Veterans” in “an act of despicable hubris.”

Operation Free — a veterans group which is dedicated to fighting climate change — was also quick to condemn ACCCE. In a blog post, Operation Free wrote that the email “dishonors Veterans day” and is “insulting to all of the Veterans who are fighting to protect America’s national security by supporting clean, American power.”

Will ACCCE acknowledge their continued misrepresentation and apologize for using Veterans Day as a prop to support an agenda that many veterans oppose?