United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez
Originally uploaded by MatthewBradley

Well, significant news has broken this morning as the major news outlets, from the BBC to the NYT, have all stated that US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned.

Now, this news isn't as surprising as it could be, with the Bush white house trying to weed out so-to-speak those that won't, or shouldn't stay till 2008, but even so Gonzalez seemed like he'd fight to the end. Eventually I guess the pressure just gets to be too much, and one can't deny that after awhile you'd imagine he'd be in serious trouble with penalties perhaps for those controversial firings of federal prosecutors.

Now I know for my part he will not be missed, as his time as Attorney General has lead to almost as many, if not more, suspicions than can be found in Rove-Plame. However, I can appreciate the idea that maybe Alberto Gonzalez finally knew when to get out. Many, especially people like me, have equated Bush's presidency to that of a sinking ship, getting closer and closer to the turbulent ocean; however, maybe with the removal of Gonzalez and Rove the White House feels they can at least either plug up the hole, or potentially make it to shore.

If so, I applaud the pressure on Gonzalez, because keeping him around was more like an anchor than a buoy, but I'm remiss that his memory may never return, and that we'll never hear voiced aloud the answer to why those Federal Prosecutors were fired. That's ok Gonzalez, because at this point I think we can fill in the pieces of the puzzle just find.

References:
BBC News: Bush ally Gonzalez 'steps Down'

Well, it's been some time since a post; however, we here at the Liberal Lobby have been working behind the scenes to improve the look and feel of the site, so that should be hopefully something to look forward to.

In the meantime, I came across one of the more recent "Back in Black" Daily Show segments on YouTube, and felt that not only is it truly funny, and telling, but it's also a good debut for YouTube and embedded videos on our blog.

So without further ado... Lewis Black!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the tragedy in Minneapolis.

Reflections On SiCKO

Sicko Poster @ Michigan Theatre
Originally uploaded by millermz

To kick off this week's theme of health care here at the Liberal Lobby, or the lack thereof, I'd like to bring up the obvious. That's right, Michael Moore's latest film, Sicko. Now, as this is probably already repition for some, I understand why some may turn away from this post more quickly then others; however, while a movie may become old, the topic is fresh, and should remain fresh until we can ensure better treatment for all Americans.

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Love him, or even hate him, Michael Moore's Sicko has to touch you in some way. Even if you don't believe Moore's statements about the French health care system, the Canadian system, or Cuba's system, you have to feel something when you see families going bankrupt because of medical bills, or families being torn apart by preventable deaths, all because an insurance company said no to an operation or treatment of some kind.

Sure someone like me who likes Moore will agree with much more of the movie, while I, as all should, investigate facts myself, I can't help but agree that there's something wrong when we as a country don't care enough to help those in need. Particularly scary is the moment near the end of the movie when we see patients being dropped off on the street, some not even completely treated. Decency alone should tell someone that's not right.

Here in America though, we take individualism to be our livelihood, and are often quire proud to do so, and often should be rightfully proud; however, what we need is to form some sort of societal trust, because it seems no one is willing to help anyone financially more than anything, because far too many people think their money's going to be misused.

While I can't promise that won't happen to some degree, I also know that I'm willing to sacrifice a little to get a lot for our country, and as a democracy we should have control over how that money's spent, and we should take care to watch the funds. What happens instead though is people use democracy to keep more of their money, yes rightfully earned, so as to help our own needs. For many though, especially lower class, one can protect only so much, until they realize that their medical bills are too much, and that's where a system such as national insurance should come in.

Moore makes a good point, since we already pay for police and fire protection, why can't we help pay for some health protection too? I don't know, but I'd like to think that we'll all know soon, and we'll all join in soon so as to protect our fellow citizens health, as Americans should.

In Defense of Hillary Clinton

Sen. Hillary Clinton
Originally uploaded by sskennel

Saul Alinsky once said, “Tactics mean doing what you can with what you have.” Many know this renowned, brutal political activist as the topic of Hillary Clinton’s senior thesis from her college years at Wellesley. Ever since speculation arose that she would run for President one day, Republicans and even Democrats have scoffed at the idea that Hillary Clinton is electable. She is a woman who is perceived as too liberal, too cold, and too much of a feminist. Amusingly enough, she has qualifications which could make her one of the best Democratic candidates on the board. She is brilliant, experienced, moderate, and personable despite what others say. Flying in the face of political punditry I am declaring my belief that Senator Clinton can and will win the 2008 presidential election.

I open my argument with a comparison to Ronald Reagan. Yes, the “grandfather” of the GOP has some astounding similarities to the junior Senator from New York and ex-first lady. Ronald Reagan lost the Republican presidential primary in 1976 and almost lost again in 1980. He was viewed as nothing more than a bad actor that was too conservative to get elected. The expression that Ronal Reagan was “too conservative to get elected” sounds eerily similar to the idea that Hillary Clinton is “too liberal.” Yet, this liberal personality could be just enough to motivate the liberal base which began losing energy in 2000 and never really got its act together in 2006.

My second argument for Hillary lies in one of the biggest concerns about her electability. Her negatives are very high for a presidential candidate, but President Bush was re-elected in 2004 with a disapproval rating of 47%, proving that people can get elected with high negatives. I also feel it necessary to point out that Hillary’s negatives are the result of a tremendous effort on the part of conservative political pundits and groups to discredit her. Her negatives will be unlikely to rise higher with continued attacks because she has been attacked for years, unlike other Democratic candidates. In fact, despite her negatives and the constant attacks on both of the Clintons, she has managed to be elected as a two-term Senator of New York. Hillary Clinton can only go up from where she is.

The biggest argument for Hillary is in the form of her husband. President Bill Clinton won against President George H.W. Bush despite the fact that President Bush had at one time held an approval rating of 80%. Bill Clinton seemed like a tremendous long shot for the White House, much like his wife is now. President Clinton, along with being charismatic and charming, happens to be one of the most brilliant political minds of the modern era. Whenever people say that Hillary lacks experience on any issue, she can pull out her trump card, Bill. His ability to energize the base of the party and overall strategic ability are an essential part of why Hillary is such a good choice for the Democratic Party.

I see in Senator Clinton, a candidate who has the ability to heal the rift that has torn America. President Bush has polarized politics to such a point that Americans are growing increasingly cynical about the people in Washington, and Republicans and Democrats see very few issues which they can agree on. Hillary was once a Republican and has shown an interest in crossing the aisle to work with Republicans in the Senate. America needs someone who can unite them—Hillary is the person for the job. If I have not yet convinced you that she has what it takes to win, I can always fall back on this one fact: Hillary Clinton has never lost an election. I can assure you, she doesn’t intend to start now.

References

Cannon, Carl. “Hillary Clinton and the 2008 Presidential Election: The Democrats’ Best Bet.” You Decide! Current Debates in American Politics. Ed. John T. Rourke. New York: Pearson Education Inc. 2007. 142-48.

"Bill Clinton." Wikipedia. 2007. 30 Jul 2007 .

"Los Angeles Times Poll Alert." LATimes.com. 18 Jan 2005. Los Angeles Times. 30 Jul 2007.

Alinsky, Saul. "Saul Alinsky Quotes." BrainyQuote.com. 2007. BrainyMedia.com. 30 Jul 2007.

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Involved
Originally uploaded by Clouds76

As David mentioned, there has clearly been a vast amount of activity since we last posted, and while there is much hope now, there is also still too much grief.

Looking back, I realized that we may have been too blunt in our comments, or just too dumb, but what's worse is that often times I look back and realize that what we said about the issues then is still being said today, and yet little is being done even now - to help those less needy, to ensure our rights our protected, and to bring our troops home, among other things.

My last post, a little over two years old now, was simply a link to a site: www.obleek.com/iraq/, which showed the many war fatalities, represented as points on a map of Iraq and the surrounding areas, showing where the deaths had occurred. I noted that the post was of a morbid nature, and yet, as scary and sad as I remember the map looked then, with two years past and hundreds more lives lost, I can't help but feel even more depressed.

This past election cycle the Democrats with resounding fervor were voted into Congress, giving them clear control of the House, and slight control of the Senate. As was pointed out in the CNN/YouTube debates, the Democrats were voted in to stop the war, and while I hope that can be accomplished, I too hope they look to the past and learn from the errors they and their peers may have committed, so as to look to the future and right those and many more wrongs.

Michael Moore, and his recent film SiCKO, have helped shed light on the ills of the health industry. As a target of his movie, i.e., one who has health insurance, I not only question my own well-being, but additionally that of those who aren't able to afford even such a luxury as health insurance, as skewed as it may be at times.

Of course, with the war in Iraq we are supposed to be demonstrating our willingness to help other nations, and I believe the soldiers over there right now, and those that have served their and returned, have or had that intention; however, our leaders who have brought this unnecessary quagmire upon us still want to continue the fight, while unrest can still be found in Darfur, and other regions around the world.

Now, I started my first posting on The Liberal Lobby with a link to a site with a link to Saddam's dead sons' photos. This turned out to be our most popular post ever, garnering attention from a couple thousand interested people. I hope that with my first post returning, I may have as many viewers if only to remind them that what we seek here is not to highlight death; instead, I believe that what we are here to do is in our own way help create a better life for all, through our words and actions.

Lofty indeed, but I always try to shoot high, so if we miss we still miss high.

Former President Dwight Eisenhower once said, much more eloquently, "Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."

For we live in such a turbulent time today; let us live in such a peaceful time tomorrow.

Hello all!

We at the Liberal Lobby have returned from an extended hiatus. As you of course know, a lot has happened these past two years. The Democrats have retaken Congress, Americans are taking a renewed interest in the political system, and the 2008 Presidential Elections are beginning to grow in attention.

The Liberal Lobby is going to have a new format which includes themes and multimedia (YouTube clips for instance). Michael and I also plan to increase our posting activity, and hopefully improve our own skills as writers as well.

For all of you who have continued to support the site, we cannot thank you enough and hope you will enjoy the new changes we are implementing along with our renewed activity.

This week’s theme will be a recap of all that has occurred in the two years that we have been gone.