The Speech Joe SHOULD Give
(note: I'll skip writing Joe's rehash of his military career that he inserts into every speech)
Thank you for inviting me to the CAIR banquet.
First all, let me assure you that Gil Spencer did NOT write my speech. [pause for laughter and big round of applause] His views and intolerance represent a dying minority of the ignorant and paranoid. Your efforts to strengthen civil liberties and tolerance help America's security. We need more Muslim-Americans stepping forward to help the in the fight against radical extremists, rather than be afraid of the government or public. For example, the intolerant policies of George Bush have left us in short supply of translators. We will need the good will of the American Islamic community to fill the void.
Your FATWA condemning all forms of terrorism should be enough. Unfortunately, some people claim you should issue separate condemnations for each specific terrorist group or act. This is an attempt to create a "gotcha" situation if you miss one out of a list of hundreds or fail to condemn one group as strongly as another. It is designed to tie up your time naming-names rather than promoting ideas.
The anti-CAIR crowd has purposely and cynically spread selective propaganda to the Jewish community in hopes of provoking fears and mistrust, of pitting Muslim against Jew and of weakening me politically. While specific mention of Hamas or Hezbollah would appease some of the protesters outside, I am satisfied that your FATWA includes those groups and many others. [pause again for applause]
We must all continue the hard work to strengthen civil liberties in this country and not let ourselved be distracted by the intolerant few that seek to erode those liberties or gain political power from prejudice. A small, but deterimined, group sought to distract the public from your goals of defending the Islamic community from defamation. They sought to deter me from my promise to attend this dinner. I made a promise. I keep my promises. I AM HERE FULFILLING MY PROMISE. [pause for standing ovation]
Our country must not only obey it's own laws but also follow the Geneva Conventions and other international laws. This will restore our moral authority to conduct operations truly in our legitimate self-defense and prevent us from engaging in "tragic misadventures" like Iraq. [Note: Joe, feel free to drop your signature "tragic misadventure" tag and use something stronger like "total failure", "utter disaster" or "incompetent blunder"] We must engage in diplomacy with other countries in the region, even if we disagree on some fundamental issues. Progress does not occur in isolation or a vacuum. Do not allow yourselve to become isolated or marginalized by the vacuum of knowledge that is ignorance.
At this point, Joe's speech will have lasted about two minutes. Due to the conditioning he's received in Congress, he will reflexively do one of two things. Either will begin to say "I yield to ..." or "Will the Chair grant me an additional 30 seconds"
Joe, though I'm sure you've already written, practiced and memorized your speech, feel free to borrow from mine if you feel the need for some last-minute polishing or some extra pop.
Thank you for inviting me to the CAIR banquet.
First all, let me assure you that Gil Spencer did NOT write my speech. [pause for laughter and big round of applause] His views and intolerance represent a dying minority of the ignorant and paranoid. Your efforts to strengthen civil liberties and tolerance help America's security. We need more Muslim-Americans stepping forward to help the in the fight against radical extremists, rather than be afraid of the government or public. For example, the intolerant policies of George Bush have left us in short supply of translators. We will need the good will of the American Islamic community to fill the void.
Your FATWA condemning all forms of terrorism should be enough. Unfortunately, some people claim you should issue separate condemnations for each specific terrorist group or act. This is an attempt to create a "gotcha" situation if you miss one out of a list of hundreds or fail to condemn one group as strongly as another. It is designed to tie up your time naming-names rather than promoting ideas.
The anti-CAIR crowd has purposely and cynically spread selective propaganda to the Jewish community in hopes of provoking fears and mistrust, of pitting Muslim against Jew and of weakening me politically. While specific mention of Hamas or Hezbollah would appease some of the protesters outside, I am satisfied that your FATWA includes those groups and many others. [pause again for applause]
We must all continue the hard work to strengthen civil liberties in this country and not let ourselved be distracted by the intolerant few that seek to erode those liberties or gain political power from prejudice. A small, but deterimined, group sought to distract the public from your goals of defending the Islamic community from defamation. They sought to deter me from my promise to attend this dinner. I made a promise. I keep my promises. I AM HERE FULFILLING MY PROMISE. [pause for standing ovation]
Our country must not only obey it's own laws but also follow the Geneva Conventions and other international laws. This will restore our moral authority to conduct operations truly in our legitimate self-defense and prevent us from engaging in "tragic misadventures" like Iraq. [Note: Joe, feel free to drop your signature "tragic misadventure" tag and use something stronger like "total failure", "utter disaster" or "incompetent blunder"] We must engage in diplomacy with other countries in the region, even if we disagree on some fundamental issues. Progress does not occur in isolation or a vacuum. Do not allow yourselve to become isolated or marginalized by the vacuum of knowledge that is ignorance.
At this point, Joe's speech will have lasted about two minutes. Due to the conditioning he's received in Congress, he will reflexively do one of two things. Either will begin to say "I yield to ..." or "Will the Chair grant me an additional 30 seconds"
Joe, though I'm sure you've already written, practiced and memorized your speech, feel free to borrow from mine if you feel the need for some last-minute polishing or some extra pop.
posted by David Diano at 12:01 AM
44 Comments:
"The anti-CAIR crowd has purposely and cynically spread selective propaganda to the Jewish community in hopes of provoking fears and mistrust, of pitting Muslim against Jew and of weakening me politically"
If people are given facts about CAIR and the facts (like CAIR's founding by Hamas officers) are verified by them (through research, the factual ties to Hamas and other terrorists are clear) and this happens to alarm Americans - this is a good thing.
CAIR is bad news. Very bad. Period.
Joe should RUN from CAIR. Fast.
Joe should follow the examples of Dick Durbin and Barbara Boxer and distance himself from CAIR or are they part of "the intolerant few" also.
The speech Joe should give "I Resign"
Anonymous-
The speech you should give is:
"I am a shill working for the local GOP to smear Joe Sestak by engaging in guilt-by-association."
I think Durbin and Boxer were too afraid of taking a little heat.
The anti-CAIR crowd is run by the right-wing nutjob neocons that got us into Iraq and haven't made a correct decision or claim yet. Why would any rational person believe them now? Oh, rational. Ah, that explains it.
Speaking of "factual ties to terrorists", did any of you read in the papers how newly declassified: "Documents reveal prewar consensus that Iraq and al-Qaeda had limited contacts and say deeper ties were based on dubious or unconfirmed data." Yet, as this report was coming out, Dick Cheney was on the Rush Limbaugh show still claiming that Iraq and al-Qaeda were working closely together before the war. Not only was such a strong claim NOT supported by pre-war intelligence, it was completely debunked by post-war information, including interogations of Saddam Hussain and captured Iraq and al-Qaeda leaders.
So when cohorts of Dick Cheney claim CAIR is linked to terrorism, it is more likely not true than true.
Beyond that, there is NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER that ANYONE in the Philadelphia Chapter of CAIR is engaged in any terrorist related activity.
Beyond that, there is NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER that ANYONE in the Philadelphia Chapter of CAIR is engaged in any terrorist related activity.
David,
That is as stupid as sayng: "Beyond that, there is NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER that ANYONE in the Philadelphia Chapter of Aryan Nations is engaged in any racial or bigotry related activity."
CAIR - ALL OF CAIR is a proven Hamas Front Organization, and Hamas has called for the "Death to America".
As an American, those are intolerant, fighting words and are taken seriously.
Any and all CAIR Chapters have been built for EVIL purposes. All of CAIR should be closed down today.
Anonymous-
Are you really so ignorant as to claim "ALL of CAIR is a Hamas front?". Every single person. Really?
If CAIR was a PROVEN front, they would have been shut down by the FBI. Maybe you need a dictionary to look up the word "proven".
You seem to have "prejudice" down pat.
All you anti-CAIR guys ever do is name a small handful of early (or founding) members from the 1990's. You never can point to any recent activity or concede that there exist American Muslims of good faith interested in civil liberties and ending discrimination who might join CAIR.
Did they put out an advertisement on Monster.com?: "Wanted: Evil people for Hamas front organization"
Again, back to my Dick Cheney argument. The anti-CAIR spokespeople have the same credibility as Dick Cheney. Anonymous biggots have even less credibility.
Maybe, we need to institute a drug-testing policy before allowing posting by Anonymous?
If people join CAIR, knowing (or find out about) the nefarious background of it's CURRENT National Directing Leadership - Awad, Ahmad, Hooper, etc. and these members do nothing to oust these Hamas Operatives from the CAIR organization, then yes, these members are also EVIL, and silently support the activities of CAIR's Leadership.
But "we" shouldn't have to point this out to you, Dave ...
So, are you Evil for being silent about the war crimes of George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld ordering torture and violating Geneva conventions?
BTW, how does standing up for civil liberties support Hamas?
Oh, are you one of those people that thinks the ACLU is an un-American organization for defending the Bill of Rights?
If you think biggotry is your right as an American, then I guess you would view civil liberties as "un-American".
BTW, the guys that started America all signed their names, not "Anonymous".
David,
"Anonymous" has only been discussing CAIR.
Not the Bush Administration.
Or "All Muslims".
Just CAIR.
Nice attempt to deflect the topic though.
First defending CAIR,now the ACLU,and then insulting anyone who disagrees with you,Dave,you have lost what little is left in your mind.
I am not concern of Congressman Sestak’s speech. 7th district Democrats has bigger problem. They cannot trust their own party leaders. After Chairman, Mr. Wilson’s big speech on open primary his Vice Chair Mr. Campisi endorsed three candidates. I am appalled
What’s wrong with us Democrats? We cannot even be united for once. Chairman, Mr. Wilson gives a big lecture on open primary and the Vice Chair, Mr. Campisi announces his endorsement.
Nothing wrong with the Democrats. We just have poor leadership.
There are many of us Democrats who actually believe the people who chant "Death To America" are serious about it ...
Anonymous #1
Leading anti-CAIR guy, Daniel Pipes (interview by the Gil Spencer) is a Bush insider. "In April 2003, President Bush nominated Pipes for the board of the federally sponsored U.S. Institute of Peace, on which Douglas Feith was already serving."
If you read the news this week, Douglas Feith misrepresented the pre-War intelligence to claim links between Iraq and al-Quaeda that not only did not exist, but that were contrary to the reports the CIA provided to Feith.
So, the Bush connection is relevant because it is the Bush administration and anti-Islamic neocons that are curtailing the civil liberties of American Muslims. Groups, like CAIR, fighting against discrimination get the Karl Rove treatment.
Anonymous #2
My point was that some of the "anonymous" anti-CAIR crowd sound like the anti-ACLU crowd. Thanks for confirming it. I find the anti-Islamic biggotry of people hiding behind "Anonymous" to be insulting.
Anonymous #3
Tony Campisi can help out any candidate he likes, as an individual citizen. As I understand it, the non-endorsement policy prevents party funds from being applied to candidates as well as party ballots handed out at the polls not favoring particular candidates. Tony has every right to expend his person time and energy on which candidates he likes.
Anonymous #4
The Dem leadership took a real leap of faith with an open primary. The strong counter-arguments against it were the draining of campaign funds and use of Dem criticisms by GOP opponents in the fall campaign. However, the field of candidates was so strong this year that the leadership felt the voters should have the opportunity to chose. The GOP picked their candidates the old-fashion way (backroom politics).
The Dems are campaigning on openness and accountability to the voters. Dems have been calling for more Sunshine laws in Delco for years, and this week's indictment of Haveford's GOP Commissioner Fred Moran underscores the point.
BTW, #3 and #4 seem to be off topic.
Anonymous #5
Chanting "Death to America" and actually being able to do something about it are two different things. Abandoning the Constitution out of irrational fear and prejudice is the only way to bring "Death to America". Are we to "protect" ourselves by becoming a police state? By wiretapping citizens? By torturing INNOCENT people, releasing them, then claiming "national security" to prevent a challenge by the victim?
Didn't the Soviets make all sorts of similar chants? Didn't Khrushchev say "We will bury you!".
Yes. American has enemies that would like to kill us. However, Hamas is not going to attack the US. They certainly are incapable of destroying America. Korean's can't defeat us either. They can't send a million man army across the ocean. And the use of an atomic weapon would kill less than %1 of us, but result in nearly 100% of them killed in retaliation. These do not represent viable threats to America.
6000 people are killed by drunk drivers in this country every year (that's twice 9/11, every year).
Even if every extreme claim about CAIR were true, it still amounts to less of a threat than we face from our own irresponsible drivers.
The ant-CAIR crowd would rather have everyone get worked up about a non-threat like CAIR and buy into fear and paranoia than address real issues like medical insurance for the 8-million uninsured children in this country, cancer research (how much would the 500 billion spent on Iraq have brought us closer to a cure?) or bring home our troops.
The anti-CAIR crowd is using the same fear-mongering, misinformation and false conclusions the Bush administration used to promote the war in Iraq and manipulation the government for their own political gain.
The local anti-CAIR machine is being powered by the local GOP looking to take out Sestak by driving a wedge between him and his Jewish supporters. If I were Jewish, I'd be insulted by the GOP trying such a cynical and transparent move. As a non-Jew, I am disappointed by the current success of such a cynical and transparent move.
Gil Spencer spent all last election attacking Sestak. His recent Delco Times columns are filled with attacks on Sestak using the CAIR issue. Since when has Gil been right (not counting being right-wing)?
Not one of you Anonymous characters has had the guts to use his real name. What are you hiding? Your GOP affiliations? Your biggotry from your family, friends and co-workers?
"the use of an atomic weapon would kill less than 1% of us".Three million Americans would die,not a viable threat.What an asinine statement.Dave,you have come up with some goofy statements,but this one is one of my favorites.Oh and by the way,of the three million killed,not all will be white Republicans,all races and religions would be among the dead,even Muslims.Be careful throwing around the word bigot,you have a bad habit of doing that.
“Tony Campisi can help out any candidate he likes, as an individual citizen.
I agree 100% that Mr. Campisi as an individual citizen has all the rights to endorse his candidates of choice. However, any party leader having two conflicting positions – one party position and one personal is not good for the party’s bigger interest. We elect our leaders to represent the party.
Which hat Campisi will wear during campaign – personal hat or party hat? Cliff Wilson should ask Tony Campisi to take a leave of absence for her elected vice chair position. There is a conflict of interest.
"We are not the Republican Party. We are better than that," Wilson said. "We are the people’s party, and we need to trust the people."
Yes Mr. Wilson we are not the Republican Party. Please ask Tony Campisi to resign.
“Tony Campisi can help out any candidate he likes, as an individual citizen. As I understand it, the non-endorsement policy prevents party funds from being applied to candidates as well as party ballots handed out at the polls not favoring particular candidates. Tony has every right to expend his person time and energy on which candidates he likes.”
I agree with you Anonymous #3. Our current administration in Washington uses these kinds of rationales for their activities. But as a loyal Democrat I want better leadership in our party.
We don't tolerate the KKK, Aryan Nations, or neo-nazi representation in our society or government - nor should we tolerate the likes of CAIR.
As a Democrat, it is insulting to ask me to allow CAIR to hide under the guise of civil rights, when all CAIR represents is Islamic Supremacy. Mysoginy. Intolerance for non-muslims, homosexuals, or muslims who CAIR decides aren't "muslim" enough.
CAIR's leadership has shown what the goal of creating CAIR is ... To have a dangerous, confused and infected Religious ideology dominate our social and political culture.
No thanks, CAIR.
You wish to fool Americans into thinking CAIR "could be" a "small" threat, therefore we can afford to ignore the dangerous motiviations of CAIR and deal with the "bigger" threats and issues of our country.
David, you live in a fools paradise.
And you try to manipulate the CAIR issue by squealing that it is a neocon "conspiracy" that your CAIR friends are being exposed for being intolerant, racist, and bigoted Terrorist supporters/deniers.
My own Senator has denounced CAIR as having "intimate ties to Hamas". That is good enough for me to shun the CAIR organization.
CAIR should be banned.
Anonymous # (I've lost count)
You must be even crazier than Kim Jong-il. The Korean atomic bomb argument was not that 3-million deaths are "okay by me". It was to point out that N. Korea would have nothing to gain. Such an attack would not be the end of America but would certainly be the end of N. Korea. During the height of the Cold War, with mutually assured destruction, Russia did not attack, and they close to our equal. For N. Korean, they are so outgunned it is ridiculous to believe that they are a viable threat that would really attack. During the Cold War, the paranoid were building bomb-shelters and the government was teaching kids to "hide under their desks" if an atomic bomb was dropped.
Anonymous Dems-
I understand that Tony's public support of the three candidates could be misinterpreted. If Cliff asked Tony to step down until after the primary, I would have no objection. However, I don't really have an objection to him staying on either, as he can still help out with the endorsed
candidates.
Anonymous anit-CAIR guy-
If you think we don't tolerate KKK representation in our government, you're probably not from some areas of the south where guys like David Duke and Strom Thurmond are worshipped.
Have you read the CAIR site or literature? There's nothing on there about Islamic Supremacy. There are statements that they believe: The Quran is the record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad.
To me this is no different a statement than declaring the Bible to be the "Holy Word of God". The right-wing evangelical crowd is certainly looking to impose (substitute) their interpretation of the Bible into the Constitution. A far more realistic threat.
I disagree that CAIR is hiding "under the guise of civil rights". Whatever intentions you want to ascribe to some of its leaders, that rhetoric does not match the actions actually taken by the organization. Were you offended by critics who complained that the first Muslim congressman using a Quran to take his oath of office? I was offended by such intolerance. Organizations like CAIR made a point of going after such intolerance. Did you?
I don't think CAIR is a "small" threat. I think it is a NON-threat. My point was that even if you guys were right, it wouldn't rise beyond small threat.
As risks go, the risk to the US from pre-war Iraq was far less than the 3000+ US soldiers killed and tens of thousands wounded and more tens of thousands of Iraqis killed. I would have rathered those people were all still alive and healthy and we had the 500 billion dollars available to help thousands of others that needed it.
Look at the anti-CAIR promoters. It's like a neocon convention. Even this week, Dick Cheney continues to say that Iraq and al-Quaeda had "intimate" ties prior to the war, despite a constant stream of evidence to the contrary. For some people, Dick Cheney's word is "good enough" too. I prefer evidence over innuendo. Innocent until proven guilty does come with a price and some risk. Guilty until proven innocent is un-American.
BTW, you cowards like to remaining anonymous, but why keep your Senator anonymous? Is this blog being read outside of the 7th District?
DD --
You need a new hobby. You spend countless hours -- at all hours of the day -- attacking anyone who you perceive to be a member of the GOP and pandering to Sestak and the rest of the "Delco Dems". Worse, more than 5 months after the election, you still feel the need to bash Curt Weldon.
What I don't understand about you is that -- while you are clearly passionate about the things you believe in (no problem with that) -- you are nothing more than an arm-chair political wannabe. It is easy to sit on the sidelines and cherry-pick the things you love about Sestak and the things you hate about Weldon. It is easy to sit at your computer at 3:00 a.m. and tell Gil Spencer how dumb he is and how smart you are. Why not do something more than callously mock those who -- for better or worse -- actually do something to make this community better.
Stop hiding behind that computer. And get laid.
Anonymous-
Gil, is that you?
Pandering to the Delco Dems? I am a Delco Dem. Duh. Should I be praising the Delco GOP?
As for Sestak, I thought he got a raw deal on the CAIR thing. If you think I'm pandering to Sestak, you need to read more carefully. In all my writing, you will find very little actual praise for Joe, but plenty of support for the policies we elected him to support. This CAIR thing was a rare act of political courage for Joe.
As for Weldon, he's a clown. There hasn't been much to say. He got his golden parachute and he's traveling off to Bangladesh to screw up their economy.
You may notice we changed the banner because Weldon is old news (though I may put up some articles if/when he is indicted, tried and convicted).
I'm hardly an arm-chair political wannabe as I'm very actively helping local candidates and the party. The Dems are going to do a lot to make the community better, and I'm a part of making that happen, beyond my blogging. It's also important for Dems to stand up for ideas and express them in debate. It's hardly my fault that Anonymous can't hang with the Big Dog.
I am puzzled by your remark about whom I mock. You wrote: Why not do something more than callously mock those who -- for better or worse -- actually do something to make this community better.
So, "or worse" people are making things "better"?
How's Gil making things better? By being an Archie Bunker style buffoon with a keyboard? Sure, he's entertaining, but is that really enough to justify his right-wing nonsense?
As for mocking the Anonymous machocists that come here for abuse, I don't see how these nameless underachievers can make any claim to community betterment. Why don't they start using their names and we can judge whether they are political tools or political fools.
why did you delete my comments?
I lost some of my comments too. It looks like all comments since Friday got lost.
I checked with the other Admins, and they haven't even looked at the site for a week.
Google/Blogger has a message about schedule maintenance around 10pm PDT Thursday.
I'm guesting the files are on the same computer with Karl Rove's emails. :-)
But, seriously, it looks like some kind of computer glitch with Blogger company, which sucks, because I had some good posts too.
DD --
No, I'm not Gil. I don't want you to know who I am because I don't trust you (or your cronies). If I did, I'd be happy to share who I am. Just know that I'm actively supporting GOP elected-officials and future candidates. Maybe we'll meet someday. Maybe we already have.
Let's be honest: you pander to Sestak. Saying that Sestak "comes out a winner by handling himself with grace [are you serious?] and steadfastness under pressure . . ."
There is nothing graceful about Joe Sestak. And you know it.
At least you admit to being a Delco Dem. Interesting. I recall during the election you claimed to be an independent [read Dem "shill"] voice for the "electoral process". When it mattered most, you didn't call yourself a Dem. Pretty gutless, don't you think?
I don't blame you for being confused about my "for better or worse" comment. You are not as bright as you claim -- albeit self-righteously -- to be. You mock anyone who sees the world differently than you do. That said, you can't possibly say that someone like Curt Weldon never did something good for the people of the 7th (or the country). For example, Curt delivered significant monetary and non-monetary relief to various fire companies that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Curt was the first "outsider" on the ground after Katrina. He sent a 747 full of supplies to help with the recovery effort. Yet you mock him, despite the "better" things that he did (and continues to do). Your mocking of the "worse" needs no comment - and no, I'm not referring to the investigation. Just the day-to-day decisions, which truly helped members of this community, that you disagree with because he had an "R" after his name instead of a "D". And don't tell me that you would be saying the same thing if he was a "D". We all know you well enough by now to know that would be a lie.
The investigation is not going anywhere. You have put a lot of eggs in that basket -- it will be a real pleasure to see that egg on your face when his name is cleared.
I agree that Gil is entertaining. I don't agree that he has not done anything to help this community -- his columns are full of examples of non-political issues that need attention and often receive little. In addition, have you forgotten how he torched Weldon during the campaign?
And the word is spelled "masochist". Smart boy.
I forgot to mention one more thing. I asked some of my colleagues who are active in the leadership of the Delco and Montco democratic parties, respectively, about you. Some have never heard of you. Those who have heard of you politely changed the subject. You can read between the lines.
Thought you -- and your loyal following -- would want to know.
Anonymous-
Wow! Cronies! When did I get cronies? I must have missed a memo.
You're actively supporting GOP candidates? I'm shocked. And future candidates as well, so unless you have a crystal ball, you are pretty much committing to be a total GOP shill yourself.
I don't remember writing independent voice for the "electoral process", but I was likely being either facetious or trying to make a specific argument aside from my political affiliations. I really don't think anyone reading this blog is shocked to find I'm a Dem.
I don't mock people for seeing the world differently. I mock them for making arguments that are based upon ignorance, bigotry, or just plain moronic.
I'm not claiming that Curt Weldon did nothing good, but he was a fear-mongering chickhawk cheerleader for Bush and an endless supply of failed policies that have damaged this country. Bringing money and business to Delco was good, however it is not clear that we got the best deal/price due to Weldon's apparent influence peddling and corruption. As for Katrina, if Weldon and Bush had not sent over all those National Guard troops, they would have been available to help evacuate and save the victims.
I don't have a problems with Gil's non-political stuff (I criticized his right-wing nonsense).
I misspelled a word.I'm sure finding it gave you a tremendous thrill. I hope you had a plastic cover over your keyboard.
I don't know what colleagues you have in the Dems (unless they Republicans with Dem registrations the GOP likes to sprinkle around to disrupt the electoral process).
The entire Delco Dem Leadership Council knows me and works with me, as well as some of the top people in Montco Dems, and several past and present candidates. Also, my efforts on behalf of the party were discussed at the recent nominating convention. And of course, I'm frequently complimented by readers of this blog and Gil Spencer's blog for my take on things.
It's funny. You started off being afraid of retribution from my (non-existent) cronies. Then you claim nobody in Dem leadership either knows me or likes me, but you want my loyal following (where did they come from?) to believe I don't have any loyal followers.
(That's not to say I haven't made an enemy or two by supporting people from one faction or approach over another, but, hey, that's politics.)
If you can't stand the heat, stay Anonymous.
I am not afraid of retribution from the Delco and Montco party. You and your cronies (read: those who still read and post on this blog and who send those whiny partisan letters to the Delco Times) are the people who worry me. You took the word "cronies" as synonymous with those in your party leadership. They are not, which is evidenced by the fact that no one in leadership knows you or wants to admit that they know you.
Alas, I did not have a cover on my keyboard. Luckily, I managed to avoid a problem. The point of mentioning that you can't spell was that you frequently belittle people who post on this site when they don't know the difference between "their" and "they're" or "your" and "you're". As was the case with you, most of those people probably made a simple mistake. To you, that mistake is grounds to insult them, tell them they are inferior and -- in all likelihood -- to make yourself feel important.
I'll have to ask my colleagues about the "acknowledgement" you received at the recent nominating convention. You meant the statewide nominating convention, correct? Just want to be sure.
And, for the record, Weldon served for 20 years. He only served for 6 of those years as a Bush "cheerleader". What's your excuse for the other 14 years of his congressional career?
I can take the heat, David S. Diano. I assume the "S" stands for "Shill"?
Sorry -- just looked at some recent fundraising data, including names and addresses of contributors.
DD: do you live with your parents? That would explain a lot.
Of course! Silly me. You meant the Delco Dems nominating convention. I was giving you too much credit by thinking you meant the statewide party.
The Chairman gave a rousing speech about your party. Didn't see any mention of you. Sometimes, DD, when you hear your name -- it's just the voices in your head.
Anonymous-
Whiny partisan letters? As opposed to your whiny partisan blogging?
Since I don't have cronies, I wasn't sure who you were talking about, but you seemed to think they were powerful enough that youhad to worry about trusting them.
Glad your uncovered keyboard survived your pleasure. Though, to write three posts to me in a row, you must still have had need for release. Better invest in a cover. No glove; no love.
For the "your" vs "you're" people, I go after the ones that use it repeatedly and clearly don't know the proper use (in particular when they use it in sentences like Your stupid.). I "got" why you felt you had to point out my misspelling, but you missed the point of my corrections.
Weldon opposed minimum wage increases and other legislation I favored during those 14 years, and we'll never know all the influence that got peddled for which there is no paper trail. As for the last 6 years... Congressman are elected every 2 years for a reason. A bad record for the last 2 years was sufficient reason.
I looked up "Anonymous" in the fundraising data. Didn't find you. Boy, I'm soooo impressed with how you are taking the heat. Doesn't look like enough heat to melt ice cream. Post your name so everybody can look you up. Coward.
Of course it was the Delco convention. I never claimed any connection with the statewide party. Um, the reason this blog is PA7Watch is because it covers the PA 7th Congressional district. However, I'd be honored to work my way up to where I can help the state party. For now, my primary focus is helping the Dems take back Delaware County.
The Chairman did more speaking beyond his rousing speech about the party. During the course of business, the Chairman did point me out at the convention and directed attendees interested in my skill set to seek my help. Next time I'm over the Chairman's house, I'm sure we'll have a (brief) chuckle over you and what the best the GOP has to offer in discourse.
DD -- Because I think I may hang around for a while, I thought I would shed my "anonymous"-ness for something more distinctive.
What do you think?
DD -- You failed to respond to a number of points in my posts! Very disappointing. I will assume that the answer to my question about living with your parents is "yes". Seriously, DD? How is that working out for you? Is that why you know about keyboard covers?
For the other 14 years, all you can come up with is that Weldon voted against minimum wage increases? DD! Get your facts straight. Yes, he voted against some legislation that increased the minimum wage but not all legislation. He voted for minimum wage increases as well. Don't cherry-pick, DD!
Because you couldn't come up wiht anything other than the issue of minimum wage increases (which is only half of the truth), I will give you some examples of things he did during those other 14 years.
Weldon co-authored the Family Medical Leave Act. I realize that as a self-employed computer consultant, the FMLA may not mean much to you. I'm guessing that it means a lot to the rest of the working women (and men) in Delco.
Weldon also opposed NAFTA. I'm guessing that it means a lot to US workers that Weldon supported US jobs -- including those jobs here in Delco.
Weldon also voted for the extension of unemployment benefits. I'm guessing that this one may have meant something to you, but I'm only guessing.
Of course, I could regale you with his work on behalf of the employees of Boeing (which in turn helped create and maintain jobs outside of Boeing that depend on Boeing's continued operations in Delco), our local hospitals and schools -- see SMART initiatve -- etc. I won't. It won't convince you. And, sadly, it no longer matters.
Let's talk about 2008, DD. I saw your list of potential GOP candidates. Pretty impressive. You must have really strained yourself to come up with those names. Would any rogue Dem dare challenge Sestak in the primary? Could it be you? In addition to your clever (read: moronic) ideas about how to stop the FAA redesign, you could run on a platform centered on caring for the elderly.
Also, there was yet another typo in your last post. Too many words in one of your sentences. Proofread, DD! It is an art, not a science.
I think I'm really going to enjoy it here.
So you and the Chairman hang out, huh? Man, you are big time!
Does Eric Behrens know that you hang with the Chairman? He seems pretty mad at the Chairman. See, e.g., his post dated April 6, 2007:
Just in case anybody needs any further proof of the clumsy, underhanded, and untrustworthy nature of the Delaware County Democratic Party boss Cliff Wilson and his flock of suck-ups, he gave us another prime example this week.
A little grammar lesson:
The word "since" is properly used to denote a temporal relationship, i.e., "Since my last post, I learned that DD is really a closet R". The word "because" is used to denote causation, i.e., "Because I think DD is really a closet R, I am going to make it my life's work to drag him out of the closet". Get it? Feel free to use this lesson when you get the urge to put down a fellow Delco resident.
(slightly less Anonymous)DelcoGOP2008-
Didn't know I had to respond to every little point or personal attack you make. Damn, I've got to stop misplacing that Blogging Rule Book.
Weldon has gone along on bipartisan legislation. But that's not the point. I disagreed with the entire neocon agenda (especially Iraq) that Weldon eagerly supported. Weldon's last vote for minimum wage increase was attached to tax bill that had no hope of passing. It allowed cherry-pickers to falsely claim that Weldon supported a minimum wage increase when he had actively fought against one.
So, I should be impressed by some good works he did and ignore the reasons he was listed as one of the 20 most corrupt in congress? The resounding defeat in November shows that a lot of Republicans woke up to what Weldon had become and that better choices were available.
As for seeking office, I haven't the slightest interest in that. While I enjoy the big issues, the day-to-day operations and meetings are completely boring to me, but exciting/interesting to others.
Oh, Mr. Proof reader, from your post:
Because you couldn't come up wiht anything other than the issue of minimum wage increases
Getting you to set yourself up is also an art, not a science. It's like shooting fish in a barrel, but convincing the fish to jump in the barrel themselves.
I think I'm going to enjoy it here more than you.
BTW, it's a shame you weren't there to help out on the sad "ArmyOfCurt" blog. Or maybe you were?
Glad to see you are paying attention, DD.
No, I had no involvement in the "ArmyofCurt" blog. It should come as no surprise that the blog was a failure -- one thing that the Dems have done exceptionally well is to utilize the internet for fundraising, getting out the message, etc. The R's, not so much.
Of all people, I can't believe you are resorting to CREW's list of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress. You are better than that, DD. We both know that CREW is just an arm of the national Dems. Yes, CREW included Jefferson and Waters on its list --but what about Alcee Hastings? That guy is only the sixth federal judge in history to be impeached. The (Dis)Honorable Mr. Hastings took cash payments in return for a lenient sentence of a known racketeer. Now, he is a member of Congress. Amazing. I'm sure he has cleaned up his act, though. I'm also sure that you would give him the benefit of the doubt because (note proper grammatical use) he has that "D" after his name. Hastings is not the only Dem in Congress with a checkered past -- I'm sure that CREW just overlooked them.
And, so, after I give you a number of examples of Curt's good work, you choose to run and hide behind his support for the Iraq war. I thought we were talking about his service during the 14 years before he became Bush's "cheerleader"? I know it may be difficult to keep up with me at times, but try to stay with me, DD. Ok?
DelcoGOP2008-
The GOP's got Tommy Judge some major battle-lines. Joe Breslin vs. Andy Lewis is a show in itself. Then there is the whole Twardy-Moran-McDonald-Serini situation, and that's just in Haverford. With all the back-stabbing going on in the GOP, I'm wondering how much of the GOP will be left standing come November.
Cliff's is a sharp political leader that has the GOP scared, because he keeps improving our election performance. Eric is entitled to his opinion. The GOP is trying to capitalize on some internal Dem debates to divide us, and distract the public from their own infighting.
You completely confused me with your juxtaposition of me and "closet R" in your example. (Don't bother trying to explain. It's too boring and off topic.)
The reason the "Army of Curt" failed (beside the corny title) was it's reliance on tired GOP talking points, the fear-mongering support of the War in Iraq, the clinging to the discredited claims by Weldon, Cheney and Santorum regarding WMD's, and the multiply discredited Able Danger fantasy (aka The Dog Ate My Terrorist Homework).
The CREW information was sufficient enough for the FBI to investigate, wiretap and issue warrants. There were also LA Times and other investigations into Curt's dealings.
As for Curt's earlier years, he wasn't on my radar then. However the FMLA you mentioned was a Clinton campaign promise and Democratic issue. The final roll call vote was:
Democratic Y:224 N:29 NV:1
Republican Y:40 N:134 NV:1
Independent Y:1
You were the one talking about his early "good" years as if that justifies giving him a pass for his "bad" years. Also, I thought my comment A bad record for the last 2 years was sufficient reason. would have indicated the irrelevance of the first 14 years on the issues at hand and why you (not we) are the only one talking about. Try and stick to the 21st century.
I think the unchecked atmosphere of GOP corruption AFTER 2000 is where Curt found the temptations that lead to his downfall. I'm not saying he didn't start off good, but last November the voters clearly felt he had crossed the line and was no longer serving their interests.
There are plenty of Dems and Republicans that are on the take.
For example, I'm not a fan of Fumo (D), but he's not my representative and I'd like to concentrate on the (un)representatives in my chain first before I start worrying about guys like Fumo or Hastings. Again, PA7Watch, not FL23Watch.
I've stated in previous posts how pointless and hollow the denouncement game is. (I don't see you talking about GOP corruption, and you don't have to look past Delco to find some.) I don't expect you to name the corrupt "R"s because I don't know the byte-limit for the blog (and you probably wouldn't risk naming your GOP leaders anyway).
I'll give you credit for being a more educated blogger than the typical knuckle-draggers that wander in here. Care to offer any hints on occupation or educational background? (If you do have a patronage job or position with GOP, feel free to disclose such a tidbit.)
DelcoGOP2008 is still very Anonymous.
DD -
Another late-night post? If you keep it up, I will be left with no choice but to tell your parents that you have been staying up past your bedtime.
I am a former volunteer fireman, a former school teacher, former mayor and former congressman.
Ok, I'm not Curt. As for my real occupation, you are clever enough to figure it out. If not, then I will tell you - but let's not take all the fun out of it just yet.
The Haverford GOP has always been fractured -- nothing new there. I would expect you to have known that -- but because (note proper grammatical usage) you have been paying attention to politics only since (note proper grammatical usage) 2000, I guess I can't blame you for that.
You can't be serious when you claim that the Chairman is a "sharp political leader". I know you guys hang out together, but pillow fights (read: biting) aside, you are killing your credibility when you say things like that. This is the guy who put up (twice) as the Dem candidate for the 7th a gay doctor infected with AIDS who didn't think he should have to tell his patients about his AIDS before he operated on them. Very sharp. I'm impressed already. And don't give me any guff about the fact that Scoles garnered 40% of the vote in 2004. That was a presidential election year with very little ticket splitting. Kerry earned those votes for Scoles. Not Scoles. And not the Chairman. I'm guessing you and the Doctor are friends. I'm also guessing that you wouldn't let him near you with a scalpel. Yet, I have no doubt that you supported his efforts to regain his operating privileges so that he could operate on others. A bit hypocritical, don't you think?
The recent success of the Dems in Delco has nothing to do with the Chairman. We both know that -- presumably because the Chairman is completely inept -- the national Dems swooped into Delco and took over in 2006. It was the national Dems who ran Sestak's campaign with local support -- not the other way around. Of course, the same goes for your Dem colleagues in Bucks, Montco and Chester. While we are on the subject of the other counties, can I make a request? Can you ask your people to put Lois Murphy back under the rock where they found her? She is a toad -- albeit a large one -- with no mainstream ideas and no ability to articulate those way-left ideas that she gets from the national party.
As for corruption in Delco, you guys are just as checkered -- see Paula Brown -- but because you haven't had the stage in forever, there are simply fewer examples of Dems who crossed the line.
First you rely on CREW to support your claim that Weldon is corrupt. When I (correctly) attack the political agenda of CREW, you claim that you don't care about corruption elsewhere and you are only focused on what goes on in Delco. Stay with me, DD. If you are going to rely on CREW's report to support your claim that Weldon is -- ipso facto -- corrupt, then you have to look at the rest of the report in order to judge the credibility of CREW's findings, including its determination that Weldon was a corrupt member of Congress. No proof yet. Don't hold your breath, DD.
Not sure why you gave me the roll call vote for FMLA - I already know that Curt authored the legislation and voted for it. The fact that it was a Clinton campaign promise means nothing.
Grammar Alert:
You wrote, "I think the unchecked atmosphere of GOP corruption AFTER 2000 is where Curt found the temptations that lead to his downfall."
DD, the past tense of the verb "to lead", is "led".
I'm not that anonymous, DD. Who knows? Maybe I will be on your list of potential GOP candidates for 2008. If I run, I will win.
I really have to start remembering to put everything in one post....
You were very outspoken about the fact that a newspaper in Bangladesh reported on Curt's visit to that country and did not refer to Curt as the "former" congressman. Your inference is that Curt held himself out as a current member of Congress.
First, I have no idea what Curt said about his status in Congress while he was on his trip. Neither do you. I doubt that he would claim to be a sitting member of Congress. I find it much more likely that the newspaper made a simple mistake. Glad to see that your harsh criticism for simple mistakes has gone global.
Second, given your outrage over the fact that a newspaper would refer to a former member of Congress as a current member of Congress, I trust that, if I look back at your posts during the campaign, then I will find the same indignation about Sestak's (i) wearing his uniform at political events after he was discharged from the military and (ii) claiming to be a three-star admiral when he lost a star due to "poor command climate". Let's cut to the chase: you didn't criticize Sestak on these issues, did you, DD? And you claim to be tough on Sestak!? Very disappointed, DD.
As if his misrepresentation of his Navy career wasn't bad enough during the campaign, on his Congressional website, Sestak claims to have risen to the rank of three-star admiral. While technically correct -- afterall, he was a three-star before being demoted -- there is no mention of the fact that at the time he left the Navy he was only a two-star admiral. I could care less how many stars Sestak "earned" -- the point is that anyone who looks at his website will be left with the impression that he left the Navy as a three-star admiral. Given his frequent use of the words "transparent" and "transparency" when referring to the kind of leadership he brings to the Congress (when you say those words try to use that low, whisper of a voice that Sestak likes to use for effect), you should call on your leader to tell the whole truth on his website -- not just the convenient truth.
DelcoGOP2008-
One thing everybody leaves out regarding Paul Scoles Congressional 2004 campaign was that he stepped into the race in mid-August after the previous candidate got sent off to Iraq. Stepping into a 90-day race against a 20-year incumbant like Weldon is a sign of character and a statement that Dems will not just concede elections because the odds are stacked against us. As for the AIDS issue, I don't know what rules/procedures the hospitals have and it's really a question for the AMA and the hospital's medical board. Why did you feel the need to include "gay" in your description? Is that relevant to his qualifications? Cliff is not prejudiced against gays running for office. Sometimes you have to take a stand for principle.
True, the national Dems poured in a lot of money, but the Delco Dems were there at the beginning when Sestak didn't have a pot-to-piss-in. The local committees (the "flock"), under Cliff's direction, got Sestak a record number of petition signatures. We also managed to avoid a three-way primary fight with Lentz-Scoles-Sestak that Sestak could not possibly have won (or even met the petition threshold to qualify). But, now we've got both Sestak and Lentz.
Paula Brown was before my time, but I do know Cliff had to do some housecleaning and in those situations, not everyone is happy. Again, it's politics.
It's not that I don't care about the other corruption (I didn't vote for or send money to anybody on the list), it's just that I don't have time/resources for fights outside of the 7th. Unless you are going to complaining about all the corrupt "R"s, I really don't see the point. CREW's list was mostly "R"s because the majority party has more opportunity for corruption. If you read the reports, CREW did document their reasons for each member on the list. Sure, Curt is innocent until proven guilty, but so was OJ. It not only a question of what Curt did, but what paper trail remains as evidence for the grand jury. Much political corruption goes on behind closed doors and there is rarely any proof. Again, the FBI found sufficient reason to do months of wiretaps so don't dismiss CREW so easily. Considering Weldon support of wiretaps, I find the situation pretty ironic.
My point with the vote was to show that it was a Democratic initiative, so that readers didn't get the impression the GOP was leading the charge for FMLA. It being Clinton campaign promise is relevant since it showed Curt lost the ability to follow Dem leadership once exposed to the temptations of Bush/Delay in recent years. Why did Curt have to get rid of the Abramoff money if it wasn't a bribe and had nothing to do with Curt's vote?
Curt lost because of his post-2000 behavior catching up with him. If he was his pre-2000 self, he'd still be in office and tolerable. That's the best I can give you. Try to stay focused on this century.
As for Bangladesh story, I thought it was an odd/interesting place for him to show up. While it is likely that the reporters may have misunderstood Curt's "former" status, my suspicion was that Curt didn't go out of his way to correct the impression that he was a current congressman. More of a sin of omission. I don't trust Curt, so I tend to suspect the worst about him, thus I consider it more likely that he and his group encouraged the mistake to increase Curt's prestige.
As for the uniform, the NAVY rules allow for wearing the uniform in Memorial parades. That section of the rules supercede the part that Sestak's critics used to quote. Also, 3-star was the highest rank he attained and he correctly is "former 3-star admiral" (as well as 2-star, 1-star, captain, etc. for any rank he attained). Politicians are going to be "technically" correct and self-promote themselves to the maximum extent possible. If this surprises you, you're not as politically sharp as you claim.
BTW, back to the uniform, I wouldn't have cared if he tie-dyed it and wiped his ass with it. It's his uniform that he paid for and earned. As long as he's not pretending to be an active/current member of the military, I don't feel there should be any restrictions. I wouldn't care if he opened a "3-Star Joe's" car dealership. People that served can assign any meaning (good or bad) to their uniforms, and I feel that they've earned that right. It should come as no surprise that I'm okay with flag-burning as a valid form of political protest.
Actually, my comments regarding the "poor command climate" were pretty much that being an asshole was only going to be a problem for his congressional staff, who could quit, unlike a military staff. So, I felt that that issue would be self-correcting in the free-market civilian world. If masochists (I checked the spelling this time!) want to work for him, that's their problem and irrelevant to how he will vote on the issues I support.
Oh, regarding the low-whisper thing, it totally creeps me out too.
I must say, I'm intrigued by the possibility that you might make the rogues gallery of Bat-Villians.
Joe vs The Blogger.
You are articulate (wrong, but articulate), so you could probably hold your own in a debate, though Sestak will have improved by 2008 as well. I'm going to need more information to qualify you as a Bat-Villian and even more to replace the "Riddler" image.
If you do run, I give you credit for having the balls to go one-on-one in a blog. If you get your own "Army of Anonymous" blog, don't be shy about coming over to visit once and a while.
It's tax-time for us procrastinators .....
DD -
I have only a couple of points in response to your last post.
First, very glad to see you pay your taxes.
Second, I referenced the Doctor being gay because, in view of the historical fact that, Delco voters have tended to be more conservative than not, putting up an openly gay candidate to represent Delco was not a politically wise decision. Add in the whole HIV thing and it's no wonder the Doctor couldn't raise any money. The Chairman has been running your party for years. It is not a coincidence that in the first year the national Dems take over with both financial and logistical support, you guys managed to eek one out. You guys desperately need new leadership.
And please - spare me the self-righteous claims about how the Doctor and the Delco Dems stepped up and showed that the Delco Dems will not just concede an election. How much money did the Delco Dem party raise for the Doctor? My best recollection is that the Doctor raised a paltry $24,000. Not exactly overwhelming support from your fellow Delco Dems. And Peter Lennon? He raised a staggering $2,500 in 2002. No, you're right, you Delco Dems really know how to show the Delco GOP that you're serious.
I have to hand it to you, though --you guys really demonstrated how serious you are with the candidate you selected to run against Mike Green for Delco DA. Oh wait -- you aren't running anyone against him. Appreciate the help, but it does tend to undercut your statements about the state of the Delco Dems.
Third, we will have to agree to disagree about burning the flag. Perhaps we can debate that one another time. Where does Sestak stand on that issue, anyway?
Fourth, simply put: I would crush Sestak in a debate. Nothing more needs to be said on that topic.
DelcoGOP2008-
You have to take a stand by running candidates that challenge the voters to look past stereotypes, bigotry and ignorance. Advocating anti-discrimination and then practicing discrimination against candidates is NOT how Cliff runs the party. As for the fundraising, it's not exactly easy raising money around Delco with the GOP machine and the patronage.
Try this on for size: If you decide to run against Sestak in 2008, get the winner of the GOP primary to step aside and then you enter the race in August 2008. Let's see how much you raise so I can have a best recollection of how badly you got crushed.
I'm not up on the pros-cons of Mike Green, but the lack of an opponent there does not diminish Scoles stepping up in August 2004.
I haven't asked Sestak about the flag-burning. While I doubt he'd ever burn one, I hope that he wouldn't try to alter the Constitution either. Maybe we can worry about that topic after we insure the 8-million uninsured children in this country (and cure cancer). Let's worry about saving lives rather than pieces of cloth.
About a debate, there are a few things to say:
It's going to be tough to crush someone anonymously.
But seriously, there will be the question of your platform. If you are not pro-choice, there's not a lot for room for crushing/swaying voters that are pro-choice. If Boeing is still around, the fear-mongering argument that "electing Joe would close Boeing" disappears as well. You guys did such a smear job on Joe last time that unless he's found in a motel room with a dead hooker, you've got nothing new.
There's no telling where we'll be with Iraq by then. Realistically, Sestak's chances depend heavily on the Presidential matchup exciting voter turnout.
I'm getting less convinced that you are seeking any office, but more convinced that you are worried about Cliff and his "flock". I think YOU want us to have new leadership that can't do the job as well. If you really thought Cliff was a drag on the party, you wouldn't feel the need to undercut him so much.
Methinks thou doth protest too much.
As you continue to hide behind an anonymous identity, can you answer a few simple questions?...
Male/Female: ? (no female bat-villians on the list yet)
Age: (you can give decade range, 30's, 40's, 50's)
Occupation: lawyer? (doubtful you'd waste all those billable hours on a blog) Job at courthouse?
Here's one: Have you ever held an elected public office (class president stuff doesn't count)? Committee people are elected, too, but please make note if that's the case.
Finally: Have you ever been paid or drawn a salary for a political campaign? (manager, treasurer, spokesperson, etc.)
I still don't see any melting on that ice cream cone. It's going to take more than hot air.
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