Raw Story has a big McCain headline that’s sure to shock some people … or make them spit their morning coffee out.

According to Nick Juliano, “a new book on the presumptive Republican nominee will air perhaps the most shocking angry exchange to date.”

“‘The Real McCain’ by Cliff Schecter, which will arrive in bookstores next month, reports an angry exchange between McCain and his wife that happened in full view of aides and reporters during a 1992 campaign stop.”

Three reporters from Arizona, on the condition of anonymity, also let me in on another incident involving McCain’s intemperateness. In his 1992 Senate bid, McCain was joined on the campaign trail by his wife, Cindy, as well as campaign aide Doug Cole and consultant Wes Gullett. At one point, Cindy playfully twirled McCain’s hair and said, “You’re getting a little thin up there.” McCain’s face reddened, and he responded, “At least I don’t plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you …

To read more click here.

Crossposted at Blue Hampshire.

New Hampshire state representative Betty Hall (D-Brookline) isn’t calculating the odds, nor is she questioning whether or not HR.24 can succeed. She’s standing up to President George W. Bush and Vice-president Dick Cheney because there’s no other alternative: U.S. Congress will not do stop the Bush Administration’s abuse of power. History may not look too kindly on our Congress but perhaps there will be a footnote for one New Hampshirite’s courageous stand. Blue Hampshire caught up with Betty Hall and discussed the myths of investigations into impeachment, HR.24 efforts, and why NH Democrats should support it. Enjoy!

Christian Avard, “NH Ex-pat”

NH Ex-pat: Tell me a little bit about why you did not support Nixon’s impeachment and why you’re supporting Bush & Cheney’s now. Are their actions more deserving of impeachment than Nixon’s and/or Clinton’s?

Betty Hall: They’re definitely worse than Nixon’s but that isn’t the reason why I didn’t support Nixon’s impeachment. NH state representative, Eugene Danielle of Franklin, introduced the Nixon resolution back then but did it very early in Nixon’s second term. The reason I didn’t vote for it was because I didn’t really understand about a lot about impeachment, at that particular point. I hadn’t been exposed to a lot of discussion about it, it was something that I didn’t understand, but I’m certainly learning a lot more than I did then, and I definitely believe that Bush and Cheney are much worse than Nixon was. This one is much more serious.

NH Ex-pat: It seems that the more people learn about investigations into impeachment, the more likely they are to support it. Do you believe that?

Betty Hall: I believe that. John Nichols, author of “The Genius of Impeachment” is going to be at our event April 14 and when you read it, you come to a very different view of impeachment. You think positively about it rather than negatively. Bill Clinton’s impeachment left a sour taste in everybody’s mouth.

NH Ex-pat: Right and that leads into my next question. It seems that there’s this big stigma attached to investigations into impeachment. Why is that and what do you think is the most misunderstood aspect about investigations into impeachment?

Betty Hall: Many people think this is taking vengeance on someone you don’t like in power. Many were upset that Clinton’s impeachment was a vengeful act by the Republicans and the crime did not rise to crimes and misdemeanors. So people on each side of that issue were emotionally charged. I think that any time we consider impeachment, it is going to be emotionally charged because your dealing with potential abuses of power that’s difficult to face.  

A lot of people are saying that this is not important enough but after a lot of discussion, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is not an option. It’s a duty. It is important because the Constitution mentions it six times and sets up the process for it to happen.

NH Ex-pat: Critics may say this is only symbolic and it will never get anywhere. Aside from sending a strong message, what else could this resolution do to augment investigations into impeachment?

Betty Hall: It has to be an expression of the will of the people the Legislature represents. It’s a process whereby Congress can know what the people are thinking and it’s very clear to me that if the people are thinking that Congress is not doing its job, that’s going to affect how they vote, how elections are conducted, and what kinds of things are candidates have to talk to us about. So there are very powerful implications when the people speak.

NH Ex-pat: One of the amazing things I’ve encountered in the Vermont impeachment movement is the diversity of people involved, not lefty-loonies. You have democrats, republicans, old and young, evangelicals, and much more. How would you describe those in New Hampshire pushing for impeachment? Is the diversity just the same in New Hampshire?

Betty Hall: It is across the board. We had a public hearing where over a 100 people showed up and they were all across the spectrum. There were people from the John Birch Society; there were people on the left and others in between. If you go to my Web site www.hall4impeachment.com, we had a recording from the House I.D. system, split the speeches, and put them on YouTube. You can hear what people at the public hearing said and I tried hard to make sure there were people across the board. I think I got the whole range of people on there. I think if you listen you’ll get a really good picture of how ordinary people feel about it and it’s not just limited to Democrats and Republicans.

NH Ex-pat: I take it you are receiving a lot of support from around the country? Where else have you heard from? What has stood out?

Betty Hall: We’ve had over 3,000 letters from all over the country and the letters are tremendous. They are so impressive it almost makes me want to cry. They’re overwhelmingly in support of our efforts; they have come from all over and I’ve had a couple from overseas and Canada too.

NH Ex-pat: Now you need 202 votes to pass HR.24. What have been some of the biggest obstacles in garnering support for passage?

Betty Hall: Many are taking the position of the National Democratic Party leaderhship, that they don’t want to divert attention to (the 2008 election). My position is (and you can quote me) all our candidates and leaders need to know the truth that’s being hidden by Bush and Cheney now so they can make an intelligent judgments and turn (this country) around. How are they going to turn things around if they don’t know what’s actually happening and what is being conceived by people like Hariet Miers and Josh Bolten at the behest of the White House They won’t honor the subpoenas issued to them by Congress. That’s an impeachable offense in my opinion and only impeachment driven subpoenas are going to get this thing turned around.

Another obstacle is people think is ‘why should we do this today?’ A representative from Londonderry (Al Baldasaro) wanted to add a floor amendment to my resolution. It was in the seat pockets of all the representatives when HR.24 was scheduled to come on the floor and was subsequently put over until April 16. Baldasaro’s amendment was a list of reasons why Carol Shea-Porter should be impeached and it disturbed everybody there. I’m sure that was one of the reasons why it wasn’t taken up then and postponed until April 16. Among other things, it was late in the day and we had a long day getting bills out to go to the Senate. This bill didn’t have to go to the Senate, so it got pushed to the end of the calendar. Everybody was exhausted by the end of the day. So that was another good reason for postponing. There were four others that were postponed too.

I know a lot of people who want to vote for it. I don’t think that Democratic caucus is against it as a whole but someone could table it from both sides too. So that’s another obstacle.  

NH Ex-pat: It seems seems that Democrats think if they pursue this, it will hurt their chances in the next election. Why is that incorrect?

Betty Hall: I don’t think it’s whether or not it’s correct or incorrect it is but I do think across the country there are so many Democrats (and some Republicans) that worked so hard to bring change in the 2006 election and nothing has happened! The changes we worked for hasn’t been made! So I definitely think that will be an issue in this coming election.

I’m hearing there are a number of candidates that will run in the state primary on the impeachment issues. So it will come into the campaign. Cindy Sheehan is going run against Nancy Pelosi in California and there are other people who have announced their run for Congress based on their disagreement with the Democratic leadership to keep impeachment off the table.

NH Ex-pat: Critics say why bother when Bush & Cheney are a lame duck administration that’s going to be gone in less than a year? Why should that not be an excuse not to support HR24?

Betty Hall: If we start now we will get the necessary information to ensure that justice and accountability for the crimes that have been committed, we need to put them in motion. Why should we wait until the next president gets elected and then have to find out what kind of justice will be given for these two guys?

NH Ex-pat: Critics also say it will take too much time. Why is this not true?

Betty Hall: It shouldn’t take long because there’s certainly a lot of evidence already to conduct investigations. There is plenty of stuff out there that we don’t know that needs to be exposed too.

***Note: The Vermont House of Representatives spent a half an hour debating their own impeachment resolution in April 2007.***

NH Ex-pat: Should HR.24 not get enough votes to pass, what’s next?

Betty Hall: We’ll keep working! Other Legislatures are considering similar resolutions and every day the more people that haven’t reached their tipping point, including Senators and Representatives in all Legislatures, I hope that our representatives in New Hampshire will reach the tipping point by April 16 but the tipping point will be reached after April 16 and justice and accountability need to happen. I think demand is going to continue for it. As for me, I will not quit!

NH Ex-pat: There has been lots of discussion at Blue Hampshire over whether this resolution is worth it.

Betty Hall: I know I’ve been following that poll you put up there!

NH Ex-pat: Why should we care and why is investigations into impeachment in the Democratic Party’s and (Blue Hampshire bloggers) best interests?

Betty Hall: Is our country worth it? Is our Constitution worth it? Why is it important to set a precedent of doing the right thing and not just sweep it under the rug? No matter who gets elected president, all of these crimes that Bush and Cheney have committed are still available to use, and no one will be penalized! To me what’s worth it is, following your oath of office and doing what you’re supposed to. It’s certainly going to be worth it if we can get our representatives to do their jobs. Everything we’re doing is worth it and to find the support that’s there is more than I ever would have dreamed of. That helps me very much.

“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”

– Arthur Schopenhauer

HR.24 will come to a vote on Wednesday April 16. Call your representatives today and ask them to support HR.24. To find out who your representatives are click here.

IT’S OUR STATE AND IT’S OUR COUNTRY! TAKE IT BACK!

… the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed outside the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. King was on his way to march with sanitation workers demanding a better wage. Later that night in Indianapolis, Indiana, Robert F. Kennedy spoke to the crowd at a campaign rally and delivered an impromptu and moving speech about the day’s tragic events. Riots occurred across America once the news broke but many believe Kennedy’s speech kept the peace in Indianapolis that night. In memory of Dr. King, here’s what Kennedy had to say.

Another “only in Brattleboro” story.

Bob Audette, of the Brattleboro Reformer writes:

“Representatives from Vermont’s Department of Public Service were heckled by anti-nuclear activists during a public meeting in Brattleboro last night.

The meeting was the last of four around the state that the DPS hosted to discuss the future of Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

DPS Spokesman Stephen Wark was interrupted several times as he attempted to explain to the crowd of more than 100 people gathered at the Red Roof Inn the process behind the state’s review of the power plant… the hearing in Brattleboro was meant to inform the Department of Public Service, the Public Service Board and the Legislature in its deliberations over Yankee’s future.”

It gets better.

“Off to the side, a pair of anti-nuclear activists performed a kind of street theater. A man wearing a placard reading “Public Service” and a woman wearing a placard reading “Nuclear Industry” mimicked a couple engaging in foreplay, bordering on sex.

At one point, Wark threatened to call the police to remove at least one of the loudest protesters.

“Some people here tonight are more interested in grandstanding than in participating,” said Wark, after the crowd broke into five groups to discuss Vermont Yankee. “We’re here for a period of time with a serious mission and that’s to collect information for in-depth studies. We want to make sure we are hearing the people.”

Wark said previous meetings in Burlington, St. Johnsbury and Rutland were not disrupted by protesters.

“This doesn’t dissuade us from what we came here to do,” he said.””

To read more of the recap, Click here.

( – promoted by Christian Avard)

Beyond Barack Obama’s Paranoia: It’s more than just the Deerfield Valley News

The Guardian U.K. put together this shocking seven-minute video detailing the level of control over campaign staffers, volunteers, and unfortunately… the media.

In the video, Guardian US correspondent Suzanne Goldenberg examines the surge in support for the Democratic candidate Barack Obama, and the orchestrations of his controlling campaign staff. If you were surprised from today’s diary, then this video will put it all in perspective.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/video/2008/jan/08/obama

Crossposted at Huffington Post’s Off the Bus.

WILMINGTON, VT- Reporters wanting to interview campaign staffers are having a hard time trying to get through. That’s because some campaigns are putting a tight lid on who gets to say what. The Deerfield Valley News, an independent weekly in southern Vermont, wanted to interview Brandon Riker, a former Deerfield Valley resident. Riker recently graduated from Twin Valley High School in Wilmington, VT and is taking a semester off from college to work for the (Barack) Obama campaign. The Deerfield Valley News wanted to recognize Riker and write a story on his efforts, but the Obama campaign is not permitting any interviews with full time staffers: no exceptions. Tim Foley, media liaison for Barack Obama’s New Hampshire campaign, did not know why that policy is in place and also could not specify why it was in place to begin with.

“It’s just a blanket campaign policy, it’s something we haven’t allowed and something we frankly made no exceptions for,” said Foley. The Obama campaign does allow senior staff members or volunteers to talk reporters, but Foley maintains that anyone working on a day to day for the campaign is strictly off limits. When asked why the campaign would be concerned about what staffers might say, Foley could only muster the same response. “This is something that’s come down from on high. It’s been in affect well before I’ve been on the campaign and it will be in effect until the end,” said Foley. Obama, fresh off a surprising win in the Iowa Caucus had a strong second-place finish in New Hampshire, where Hillary Clinton won by three percentage points.

Randy Capitani, publisher of The Deerfield Valley News, has worked in news media for over 25 years and said he has never seen a communications clamp down like this, by any campaign, during any election year. “I just find it surprising that a campaign that talks about ‘common sense solutions’ would put such a thumb on what is so obviously a ‘common sense feel good story,'” said Capitani. Mike Eldred, news editor for The Deerfield Valley News has worked seven years in the profession and said he was equally surprised by their policy. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Eldred. “We have what is probably the most secretive administration ever and you have to wonder is this something that’s going to be continued in the next administration, Obama or otherwise.”

More below the fold:

Unlike Foley, other campaigns are not as worried. Jim Harris, a national spokesman for Mike Hucakbee for President said they realize how much staffers mean to the towns they come from and if hometown newspapers are interested in writing stories recognizing their work, Harris says, “Why not?”

“We would make an exception with the excitement and all,” said Harris. “I was the news editor for the Texarkana Gazette in Texarkana, Texas and I remember doing a ‘feel good story’ on someone local who was working Ross Perot (in 1992). I don’t think that’s that’s anything unusual.” Candidate Mike Huckabee is also coming off an Iowa Caucus win and placed third in the New Hampshire primary behind John McCain and Mitt Romney.

Chris Collier, NH Hampshire, media coordinator for Dennis Kucinich for President, said whether it’s volunteers or paid staffers, they too can share their experiences. “They can talk to the media about anything except Dennis Kucinich’s policies. That’s Dennis’ job.” said Collier. “If it’s about Dennis Kucinich or why you’re involved, then we encourage participation at all levels. (Talking to campaign worker) has the feel of a real human being talking to you as opposed to someone else reading off a script.”

A John McCain for President spokesperson also confirmed interviews with staffers are granted, provided they seek permission, while a spokesperson from John Edwards and Ron Paul campaigns said interviews are granted on a case by case basis. When The Deerfield Valley News shared this information to the Obama campaign, Foley maintained that all interviews are off still off limits, regardless what other campaigns allow.

“Each campaign makes up it’s own rules and this was set from the outset by our press office,” said Foley. “Unfortunately employers have certain policies with regards to their employees. That’s particularly the case here with Brandon Riker and that’s just going to be the policy of the campaign.”

Calls made to the Clinton, Giuliani, Richardson, Romney, and Thompson campaigns had not been returned at press time.

While it’s inconclusive to say whether this policy is the norm and not the exception during the 2008 campaign, the Obama campaign will enforce it nevertheless. In the meantime, Ryker can speak to The Deerfield Valley News, provided he works for Mike Huckabee.

“He can come and work for us and we’d more than welcome to let you talk to him,” said Harris.

The following piece was produced by the Huffington Post's Off the Bus.

Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi: Screw the Bus

He's often referred to as the next Hunter Thompson but the truth of the matter is, Matt Taibbi is unique. Taibbi is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine and covers national politics in columns called “Road Rage” and “The Low Post” for the magazine's online version. Taibbi has written for Rolling Stone since the 2004 election and is known for some of his outrageous antics, such as covering the John Kerry campaign in a gorilla costume, interviewing a former drug czar while tripping on acid, and working undercover as a Bush-Cheney campaign volunteer. Prior to that, Taibbi worked for ten years as a journalist in Russia, founded a satirical magazine called The eXile, played baseball for the Red Army, and professional basketball in Mongolia. Upon returning to the States, Taibbi started a Buffalo, NY alternative weekly called The Beast, and covered stories for The New York Daily News, The Nation, and others. But what Taibbi is really know for is his astute no-holds-barred writing style.

In his first book, Spanking the Donkey (The New Press), Taibbi covers the 2004 election and cuts through the dog-and-pony shows that clutter an election year: the perfect backdrops, the puffed-up speeches, and campaign journalists that constantly cover the meaningless and the absurd. Is Howard Dean too prickly to become president? Is John Kerry a good snowboarder or does his ability to speak French hurt his chances to win? Taibbi documents these offenders in a chapter called “Wimblehack,” where journalists compete in a Final Four-like tournament for the worst campaign journalism of the 2004 election.

Taibbi's new book, Smells Like Dead Elephants: Dispatches from a Rotting Empire (Black Cat/Grove-Atlantic Inc.) has just been released and is a compilation of Rolling Stone articles covering corruption in Washington, DC, traveling through the streets of New Orleans in a dinghy with actor Sean Penn, spending three nights in Abu Ghraib prison, and much more. In his latest Rolling Stone article, available on the web and newsstands now, Taibbi covers GOP candidate Mike Huckabee. OffTheBus caught up with Matt Taibbi and discussed a range of issues from the new book and problems surrounding campaign trail journalism.

Below the fold is a portion of the interview regarding Bernie Sanders. The rest of it you have to go to Off the Bus.

Continue.

Off the Bus: In your Rolling Stone articles, you paint a shocking portrait of the United States Government. Among the revelations you made in some of your articles — Congressman Bernie Sanders (of Vermont) getting railroaded on his amendments, the 109th Congress being the laziest in American history, and political corruption involving Jack Abramoff, Tom Delay, and others. What would you say were some of the more shocking things you encountered that made you realize something is drastically wrong? Was there anything worse than what you didn't write in “Dead Elephants?”  

Matt Taibbi: Well, meeting Bernie Sanders gave me the opportunity to follow him around and get that glass bottom boat look at Congress. It was really educational for me. There aren't that many feature reporters out there that get a chance to spend 7,000 or 8,000 words writing about how arcane and unsexy Congress is or how these committees work and that sort of thing. So it was really a luxury to be able to do that. I think the stuff that Sanders showed me about how bills can be completely rewritten in committee in the middle of the night, how they are sent to the floor and nobody ever reads them, how they can be rewritten in conference, and how amendments can be shot down by House leaders, I think 99% of Americans don't really understand how this stuff works and it was really eye-opening for me. It was amazing how easy it is how two, three, four people strategically placed in Congress can completely dominate the whole process. I think Americans don't understand the extent of influence that a couple of people have. If you just wanted to run Congress for your financial backers, it's really easy to do. The people I talked to, especially Sanders, were very helpful in showing me exactly how that happens. It's unfortunate that I didn't get a chance to spend more time with him. It would have been really interesting to spend a year following that whole process.

  Off the Bus: He's actually getting a lot of grief from Vermont constituents for not taking a tough stand on investigations into impeachment. There are 36 towns in Vermont that passed impeachment resolutions and they expect Bernie to light a match and get the ball rolling, but now it seems like Congressman Dennis Kucinich is taking care of that. 

Matt Taibbi: Well, I understand where they're coming from. There's certainly an argument for impeachment. There's no question Bush committed high crimes and misdemeanors and there's certainly a legal argument to be made. But people need to remember that Bernie Sanders is a freshman Senator and politics is all about accruing political capital and using it to the your best advantage and I think that's what he cares more about than watching an unsuccessful impeachment bid. I think Sanders is the kind of guy who wants to spend his first term trying to do stuff like getting more money for the heating oil program, veterans' health care and other things. I think that's where his head is at and I also think that's smart of him to do that. I mean, look, he's the new kid on the block and even if he were all for impeachment, he wouldn't get it. It's like the old joke about the two bulls who stand up on the hill and the young one says to the old, “Let's run down and fuck all those cows,” and the other one says, “No. Let's walk down and fuck them all.” I think Sanders is thinking in terms of “walking down and fucking them all” (laughter).

  To read the full article click here.

– Christian Avard, formerly known to you guys as “Brattlerouser.”