The Spoilers

Lieberman Holds Fundraiser For Republican Collins Tonight
MSNBC
Another independent -- Joe Lieberman, whom Bloomberg campaigned for last year -- holds a fundraiser in DC tonight for moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins (R), who likely will face a tough re-election fight next year. To poke their nemesis Lieberman in the eye, liberal MoveOn yesterday issued a press release stating that its members had raised $350,000 for likely Collins opponent Tom Allen (D), freshman Rep. Patrick Murphy, and MoveOn's Iraq campaign. With Bloomberg's possible presidential candidacy, was Lieberman's win as an independent last year a sign of things to come?
Read entire column here.


What a fool he is!!

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Clinton Assails Bush to Win Liberals
WASHINGTON — Trying to win over her party's liberal activists, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday accused President Bush of disregarding the Constitution and promised to bring a new progressive vision to the White House.
Bush's government has "a stunning record of secrecy and corruption, of cronyism run amok," she said in one of the more partisan speeches of her campaign. "It is everything our founders were afraid of, everything our Constitution was designed to prevent."
Clinton returned to the Take Back America conference where she was booed last year for opposing a set date for pulling U.S. troops from Iraq. This time, she said she is working to deauthorize the war.
Her comments on Iraq at the end of her 30-minute speech drew heckles, but she also won applause for promising to get out of Iraq and for embracing liberal positions on domestic issues such as health care, worker rights, education and stem cell research.
Bush vetoed a bill later in the day that would have eased restraints on federally funded embryonic stem cell research. Clinton, who spoke about six hours before the veto, promised to lift the restrictions if elected.
"This is just one example of how the president puts ideology before science, politics before the needs of our families, just one more example of how out of touch with reality he and his party have become," she said. "And it's just one more example as to why we're going to send them packing in January 2009 and return progressive leadership to the White House.
One audience member yelled, "Impeach him!"
After his veto, Bush said he will not allow human life to be destroyed to save others.
On Iraq, Clinton said the military has succeeded by removing Saddam Hussein from power, giving Iraqis the chance for free and fair elections and to govern themselves.
"The American military has succeeded. It is the Iraqi government which has failed to make the tough decisions that are important for their own people," Clinton said, although a loud chorus of boos cut off the end of her sentence.
"You know, I love coming here every year," Clinton said with a smile while the crowd continued to boo, with her supporters trying to drown the protesters out in cheers.
Members of the anti-war group Code Pink stood up throughout the audience, raising signs and holding up their fingers in a peace sign.
"I see the signs _ 'Get us out of Iraq now.' That is what we are trying to do," she said. She said she is working with Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., to sponsor legislation to deauthorize the war.
One of the protesters was Laurie Meier of St. Louis, who was wearing a police-style cap and shirt that said "Pink Police" on the back. She said Clinton is responsible for her vote to authorize the war and for repeatedly voting to fund it, until the most recent spending bill that she voted against.
"To blame it on the Iraqis is a cop out," Meier said.
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, another presidential candidate, also spoke Wednesday. He said Vice President Dick Cheney should be impeached and won enthusiastic applause from the audience.

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Options still open for Nader
June 19, 5:52 PM
Still not put off by the bile directed his way by some who feel that his candidacy cost Al Gore the White House in 2000, Ralph Nader indicated he might make yet another run for president.At the Take Back America conference at the Washington Hilton on Tuesday, Yeas & Nays asked whether he had any favorite candidates for the 2008 presidential election, to which he replied, "I don’t like to say who I favor, but if my name is on the ballot - I suppose you can guess

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Spoiler number 2

The second and related question is: If Bloomberg runs and doesn't win, who does he hurt? He certainly doesn't want to help Giuliani mount the inagural platform on January 20, 2009. He probably doesn't have to worry about that, since the Republicans aren't likely to nominate a pro-choice candidate the same year the Democrats offer a presidential nominee who opposes abortion rights. But as he and his advisors crunch the numbers, he may learn that he's likely to drain votes from almost any Democrat, without gaining enough of them to win himself. Does the pro-choice, socially liberal Bloomberg really want to be responsible for electing another Supreme Court-packing, gay-bashing, gun-loving, domestic-program-slashing President? One hears that he really likes John McCain, but does he like his policies? And what does he think of the Straight Talk Express talking a sharp right turn on every issue except immigration?
So if Bloomberg's serious about running, there's a lot on the line -- not just for him, but for the country.
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Almost ready for another Bush Veto
Senate Raises Fuel Standards
by mcjoan

Think Progress breaks the news that the Senate has passed the first significant increase in fuel efficiency standards in nearly 20 years--to 35 miles per gallon for cars and SUVs.
Feinstein has released a statement on the vote: "The compromise legislation raises the fleetwide average fuel economy standards for all cars, trucks and SUVs by 10 miles per gallon over 10 years — or from 25 to 35 miles per gallon by Model Year 2020." By 2025, the fuel economy increases for cars and light-duty trucks would:
— Save between 2.0 and 2.5 million barrels of oil per day, nearly the amount of oil imported today from the Persian Gulf. — Achieve up to 18 percent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from anticipated levels, or the equivalent of taking 60 million cars off the road in one year. — Save consumers $79-98 billion at the pump, based on a $3.00 gas price.
This is tremendous progress on the part of the Senate, and they are to be commended. So pats on the back all around on the Senate side. However, the battle is far from over as there may or may not be an deal in the House between and Pelosi and Dingell to put off the CAFE standards. It's unclear right now whether those reports are true, but it most certainly can't hurt to pressure House Dems to follow the Senate's suit, and adopt these standards. Start dialing!