Coffee's Cup

Last month, in a press release, State Senator Glenn Coffee, (R-OKC) and Co-President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate, blasted Governor Brad Henry's veto of last session's Tort Reform bill.

Sen. Coffee whines that Oklahoma is on the 'dishonorable mention' list in the annual "Judicial Hellholes" report by the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA). The ATRA was founded in the late eighties by none other than the American Medical Association and the American Council of Engineering Companies. ATRA's mission statement includes "lawsuits are bad for business." Its membership list reads like the Fortune 500. Its website does not include the names of its officers or trustees.

Sen. Coffee and his cohorts at the ATRA have the worldview that includes the fundamental belief that business is only about profits. They believe that anything that interferes with the opportunity to maximize profits, including the range of protections that are so important for society, should be eliminated or at least severely restricted. And of course, lawsuits to compensate for injuries and to punish those who knowingly caused them are some of those socially important protection mechanisms that can diminish profits.

So, Sen. Coffee and his right wing lemmings are continuing in their attempt to destroy this system by promoting legislation to eliminate punitive damages and cap compensatory damages to relatively small sums. This legislation benefits business both by minimizing the risk of any single suit and by creating a disincentive for lawyers to take cases. Lawyers have to spend their own money to search for evidence of harm, to put together a case, and to prosecute the trial. Their compensation, if any, is a percentage of the “recovery” — the compensatory and punitive damages. Though the lawyers' fees sound high, most of those fees go to support the system. If damages are capped or eliminated, the system will break down for lack of funding.

Obviously Sen. Coffee is drinking out of ATRA's cup, as a number of its members have contributed to his campaign.

"There is no cosmic law forbiding the triumph of extremism in America." -- Thomas McIntyre, US Senator (NH) 1962-1979

Wouldn't You Know

I got so aggravated at NBC for the way they treated Dennis Kucinich over the Nevada debate, I decided not to watch the debate tonight. WRONG

I find out that all three, Clinton, Edwards and Obama 'bitch' slapped Russert until he started asking questions with real substance.

Who Owns John?

Who does Rep John Sullivan, R (OK CD01) represent, you and me or these PACs?

Contributor Total AFLAC INCORPORATED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE AFLACPAC $1000 AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY INC POLITICAL COMMITTEE (OPHTHPAC) $5000 AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY-HEAD AND NECK SURGERY ENT PAC $2500 AMERICAN AIRLINES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 AMERICAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION PAC (BANKPAC) $2000 AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 AMERICAN COLLEGE OF RADIOLOGY ASSOCIATION $2000 AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION PAC $1000 AMERICAN DENTAL POLITICAL ACTION CMTE. $2500 AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT, THE $4000 AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 AMERICAN OSTEOPATHIC INFORMATION ASSOCIATION - OSTEOPATHIC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $2500 AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $2500 AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $5000 ARVEST BANK GROUP INC PAC INC $2000 ASSOCIATED BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS PAC $5000 AT&T INC. FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AT&T FEDERAL PAC) $5000 CHEVRON EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE - CHEVRON CORPORATION $1500 CSX CORPORATION GOOD GOVERNMENT FUND $1000 DOLLAR THRIFTY AUTOMOTIVE GROUP INC PAC (DTAG PAC) $2000 DOMINION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $2000 E.I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS COMPANY GOOD GOVERNMENT FUND (DUPONT GOOD GOVERNMENT FUND) $1000 EXXON MOBIL CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (EXXONMOBIL PAC) $1000 FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK OF TOPEKA PAC $500 HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIREFIGHTERS INTERESTED IN REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION PAC $1000 INTERSTATE NATURAL GAS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $2000 JOHNSON & JOHNSON POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 KOCH INDUSTRIES INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (KOCHPAC) $3500 L-3 COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $2000 MERCK & CO. INC. EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (MERCK PAC) $1000 NACS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 NATIONAL BEER WHOLESALERS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 NATIONAL EMERGENCY MEDICINE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $2000 NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA POLITICAL VICTORY FUND $1000 NEWS AMERICA HOLDINGS INC-FOX POL ACTION COMMITTEE (AKA NEWS AMERICA-FOX POL ACTION CMTE $1000 NISOURCE INC. PAC $1000 OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 OGE ENERGY CORP EMPLOYEE'S POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 ONEOK INC EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 PFIZER INC. PAC $1000 PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH & MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA BETTER GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE $1000 PMA GROUP POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000 PORTLAND CEMENT ASSOCIATION INC. PCA PAC $1000 R.J. REYNOLDS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE; REYNOLDS AMERICAN INC. $1000 SCHERING-PLOUGH CORPORATION BETTER GOVERNMENT FUND $1000 SMITHKLINE BEECHAM CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (GLAXOSMITHKLINE PAC) $1000 SOCIETY FOR VASCULAR SURGERY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $250 SOCIETY OF THORACIC SURGEONS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $2000 SPECTRA ENERGY CORP POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (SPECTRA-DCP PAC) $1000 TRUCKING POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS INC. $1000 UNION PACIFIC CORP. FUND FOR EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT $2000 VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $2500 VERIZON WIRELESS/VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITEE $1000 WILLIAMS COMPANIES, INC. PAC, THE $3000 WYETH GOOD GOVERNMENT FUND $1000 ZENECA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1000

Total 2007-2008 campaign contributions: $99,250

If you want to live like a Republican, you've got to vote for the Democrats -- Dick Gephardt

Why Aren't We Mad?

From a Kucinich press release:

"Less than 44 hours after NBC sent a congratulatory note and an invitation to Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich to participate in the Jan. 15 Democratic Presidential debate in Las Vegas, the network notified the campaign this morning it was changing it announced criteria, rescinding its invitation, and excluding Kucinich from the debate.

NBC Political Director Chuck Todd notified the Kucinich campaign this morning that, although Kucinich had met the qualification criteria publicly announced on December 28, the network was “re-doing” the criteria, excluding Kucinich, and planning to invite only Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and former senator John Edwards.

The criteria announced last month included a fourth-place or better showing in a national poll. The USA/Gallup poll earlier this month showed Kucinich in fourth place among the Democratic contenders.

In an email to the Kucinich campaign at 2:35 p.m. on Wednesday, January 9, Democratic Party debates consultant Jenny Backus wrote:

“Congratulations on another hard-fought contest. Now that New Hampshire is over, we are on to Nevada and our Presidential Debate on Tuesday January 15. This letter serves as an official invitation for your candidate to participate in the Nevada Presidential Debate at Cashman Theatre in downtown Las Vegas. You have met the criteria set by NBC and the Debate.”

Todd notified the Kucinich campaign this morning that the network had decided to change the criteria and limit participation in the debate to only three candidates.

Kucinich is the only remaining Democratic Presidential candidate who: voted against the original Iraq War authorization in 2002 and every war-funding measure since; voted against the so-called Patriot Act; advocates a national, not-for-profit health system that covers all Americans; has called for the repeal of NAFTA and withdrawal from the WTO; and proposes a national back-to-work program (Works Green Administration) patterned after the Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA).

The Kucinich campaign, which filed an emergency complaint with the Federal Communications Commission last week because of ABC’s decision to exclude the candidate from a nationally televised debate, is considering legal action to address “the blatant disregard of the public interest in silencing public debate that dissents with the views of NBC, its parent company, GE, and all of the military contractors and their candidate-funding corporate interests. Corporate control of the media is one issue. Corporate media control of the information that is allowed to reach American citizens is much more dangerous, much more sinister, and much more un-American.”

“When ‘big media’ exert their unbridled control over what Americans can see, hear, and read, then the Constitutional power and right of the citizens to vote is being vetoed by multi-billion corporations that want the votes to go their way,” the Kucinich campaign said."

I can't add anymore to this except to say reluctantly, I'm no longer watching Keith Obermann. I never watched NBC that much anyway. All these talking heads are complicit in the undermining of our democracy and somehow we must hold them accountable. They are all 'bought' with the same silver.

Check out this piece on Alternet about the arrogance of Chuck Todd, NBC's political director.


"If you're not careful, the media will have you hating the people who are oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." -- Malcolm X

Ain't It The Truth

From God's Politics, a blog by Jim Wallis and friends.

"The upcoming primary in South Carolina will be critical for both the Democrats and the Republicans, say the media pundits. And South Carolina is full of evangelicals, they also say. But they have absolutely no clue about what that means.

For example, the exit polls in the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary have asked departing Republican voters if they are "evangelicals," but they don't ask the same question of exiting Democrats—therefore assuming there aren't any evangelicals voting for Democrats, an assumption that is demonstrably not true. The leading Democrats in the race—Obama, Clinton, and Edwards—speak explicitly and articulately as Christians and their campaigns have reached out as much to faith communities as the Republicans have."

Here's the link to God's Politics. Read the whole piece.

From Wikipedia:

The National Election Pool (NEP) is a consortium of news organizations formed in 2003 to provide "information on Election Night about the vote count, election analysis and election projections." NEP's FAQ

Member companies consist of ABC News, the Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, FOX News and NBC News. The organization relies on the Associated Press to perform vote tabulations and contracted with Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International to "make projections and provide exit poll analysis."

The precursor was Voter News Service, which was disbanded in 2003, after controversies over the 2000 and 2002 election results. The NEP plan is largely the suggestion of CNN, which used Edison/Mitofsky as consultants in the past. Mitofsky headed the original pool that preceded VNS.

Despite the pledge to avoid the mistakes of previous years and the consequent increase in sample size, the NEP had exit poll controversies in the 2004 Presidential Election when leaked exit polling data was different than the final results, beyond the margin of error. Some news organizations like The New York Times and The Washington Post, among others, jumped to the conclusion that Kerry would win the election. NEP/Edison/Mitofsky updated the statistical weights to coincide with the vote count. The purpose of the exit poll is not to determine if an election is flawed but the goal of the NEP is to predict winners of races and to describe why a candidate won.