The Moderate Liberal

On the occassion of Dennis Kucinich’s introduction of Articles of Impeachment for Dick Cheney, several of my friends have already decided that this is a wasted exercise. A diversion. An opportunity, if successful, for Bush to anoint a successor. Grandstanding by Kucinich. A waste of time.

If I ask them, “Have you actually read these articles of impeachment,” the answer is always, “No.” So I ask you, have you read them?

You should.

It’s not hard reading. And even if you are cynical enough to believe that it makes no difference whether or not the laws of this land are adheared to by its highest officials in the most trusted offices, these articles just might change your mind.

Cheney should be impeached. He clearly lied to the American people and to Congress. It’s about time someone stood on principal and offered a consequence for these illegal actions.

Dennis, count me among your newest fans. Democrats, you would be wise to take these articles very seriously.

You can’t blame Hillary. If you want to win the presidency of the United States, you go with known, proven quantities. Its not a surprise, then, that she is already working with Mark Penn, the talented democratic pollster that is presently pulling her puppet strings in an attempt to make her likeable. Read about it here. Clearly, this is what we can expect from a 3rd term Billary Clinton presidency: recycling of much of the same “talent” and insider politics that drove the first and second Billary administrations.

Hey Mark! Here’s some data for your spreadsheet.

Moderate liberals, who will be the king makers in this next election, do not pine for the glory days of good ol’ boy Bill Clinton. I won’t pick him apart here, but suffice it to say, 8 years of Bill in the Whitehouse is enough.

Six years into Bush II, there is no doubt to moderate liberals that recycling ANY presidental talent for a third term is NEVER a good idea. It wasn’t a good idea when Reganites wanted a third term for Ronald. It certainly wasn’t a good idea when Dubya brought in Daddy’s old friends, and it’s not a good idea now for a recycled “Billary” administration.

The concerns that I have are exactly what we’ve seen: that family politics will result in a political dynasty that will harm America.

America could have done better than Dubya. America MUST do better than Billary. There is better talent in the field, clearly, in the candidacies of John Edwards and BarakO. We don’t have to recycle the Clinton family, and we must find a new direction in 2008.

Mark, you can poll all you want. You can have her say whatever you want. But America will NEVER go for Billary Clinton.

Just days after the most deadly mass shooting in U.S. history, the shooter has come back from the dead. Thanks to the callous, immature, ratings-driven actions of U.S. network NBC, the shooter is able to victimize us all again.

Shame on you, NBC.

Where are the editors when you need them?  The value of mass media outlets used to be in their editing function.  Because there is so much information vying for my attention, and because I can not possibly consume it all,  I need to be able to place my trust in editors.   NBC has shown, through its insensitivity and drive for sensationalism, that I can no longer trust it to perform this service for me.

Don “Nappy Head” Imus was just fired by CBS Radio for his recent racial slur. He will no longer be on the air, either on television or radio, effective now.

Today the radio was full of talk show banter, most of it support Imus. “He should be allowed to say whatever he wants,” said a caller. “It was just a joke!” Glenn Beck, ever the conspiracy theorist who believes that a left-wing conspiracy is out to get him, feels that he’s next. If only….

Free speech is not in question here. Without a doubt, Imus has the right to be as big a biggot as he wants. He has free speech. But….

So the people that Imus offended. Why should others sit back while Imus has all the fun? Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences or responsibility.

Imus used his massive communication platform to beat up on young women. And now because of a “left wing conspiracy,” he is off the air? Hardly. He’s off the air because that is the consequence for being stupid, even if all was in the name of comedy.

What idiots like Beck and Imus and Limbaugh all want is to be able to say what they want, about whomever they want, without taking responsibility for there words, or the consquences of their speech.

So what next for Imus? Within a week, I expect an announcement that Imus is moving exclusively to satellite radio. Motivated biggots who just can’t get enough of Imus’ stupid comments will pony up wads of cash for subscriptions and radios. If nothing else, expect him to go to the Fox network as a college basketball comentator.

Of course, he can always start a blog.

Good riddence, Imus.

Read all about it.

In the latest Rasumussen Reports national telephone survey, Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards leads all Republican hopefuls in Election 2008 polls.  The survey finds Edwards leading former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) 49% to 43%. That’s the first time Edwards has ever had an advantage over Giuliani.

Edwards continue to lag Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama in Democratic polls.  But the Rasumussen survey quantifies what the Moderate Liberal has been observing:  Edwards is a much better candidate for capturing the Presidency than Clinton, and possibly Obama.  Edwards is more appealing to centrist democrats, independents and left leaning Republicans.

During this primary season, which promises to be excruciatingly long, it is not a surprise to us to see the less-centrist candidates such as Clinton jump out to an early lead on the adrelaline of the party’s special interests. But expect Edwards to come on strong when centrist Democrats wake up and begin to take an interest in the proceedings.

Addressing an issue close to the Moderate Liberal’s heart, Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards has unveiled his plan to overhaul the tax filing system. Under Edward’s plan, the IRS will calculate millions of families’ tax bills and mail it to them on a new “Form 1.” Like a credit card bill, families could verify and recalculate it or simply sign and return it. Form 1 is part of Edwards’ vision of a tax code that is simpler and fairer and rewards work.

Each year, both taxpayers and the IRS get information returns from employers and financial institutions (on W-2 and 1099 forms) showing wages, interest and mortgage interest paid. Taxpayers who lose a piece of paper and do not correctly report their income faces audit, additional taxes, interest, and penalties. Under Edwards’ plan, the IRS will mail the information it has collected to taxpayers, eliminating the need to gather duplicative documents.

Any initiative that simplifies the time and risk of filing taxes should be seriously considered. While we would like to an even more aggressive effort to simplify the entire tax system, we welcome the initiative and the discussion. Thanks John Edwards, for starting a dialog on a important issue.

Check it out. Has America had enough of Rove?