Registered voters are being illegally purged from the voter rolls and being disenfranchised in several battleground states.  Many states are not following federal law which mandates procedures for voter registrant removal from the voter rolls.  “The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) limits the circumstances in which a state may cancel a voter’s registration,” the Fair Elections Legal Network, a Washington-based voting rights consortium.  We have cited examples of alleged/actual illegal activity in Michigan, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, and Ohio.  It is that time in this political race were the dirty tricks begin to manifest in various forms of dress but the goal is clear…….disenfranchise voters.  It is important to be ultra vigilant with respect to your registration, the registration of your family members, etc.  Go to your states Secretary of State or Board of Elections website to verify/confirm that you are registered to vote. If you have moved you may have to reregister with your new address/change your address.  Check your states rules with respect to changing your address.  Also, check your voter status online if possible. See the articles here and here and here.  Please send us an email at progress@progresspolitics.com if there are any irregularities in your state or more specifically with your voter registration.

Thus far we have heard of Michigan:

In Michigan, the issues are more complex. Advancement Project’s Heard said there has been an overall lack of “transparency” regarding several aspects of the state’s voter purge process. In 2006, he said, Michigan election officials did a statewide mailing to all voters that did not mention the mailing would be used to verify voter registration information. Still, Heard said the returned postcards were used to remove 230,000 registered voters from voter rolls within 90 days of that year’s general election, which also violates the NVRA, he said.  

In MICHIGAN, voters can check status here

For VIRGINIA, check voter status online here.  

Colorado:

In swing-state Colorado, the Republican Secretary of State conducted the biggest purge of voters in history, dumping a fifth of all registrations. Guess their color.

In COLORADO, voters can check status  here     

Florida:

In swing-state Florida, the state is refusing to accept about 85,000 new registrations from voter drives – overwhelming Black voters.

In FLORIDA, voters can check status here 

New Mexico:

In swing state New Mexico, HALF of the Democrats of Mora, a dirt poor and overwhelmingly Hispanic county, found their registrations disappeared this year, courtesy of a Republican voting contractor. 

Nevada and Ohio:

In swing states Ohio and Nevada, new federal law is knocking out tens of thousands of voters who lost their homes to foreclosure.

In OHIO, voters can check status online here 

In NEVADA, voters can check status online here

After its controversial cover last week, the New Yorker got a small taste of backlash when it was told by the Obama campaign that it would not be able to accommodate the magazine for its Middle East-European tour.  Apparently,……the plane was full.  Ouch!!  The magazine’s attempt at a satiracal cover backfired last week when it portrayed Sen. Barack Obama as a Muslim and his wife Michelle Obama as a black militant.  The magazine cover was widely panned as “tasteless and offensive.”  Note to New Yorker….when you have to spend a week explaining intended “satire,” you have missed the mark.  Not to mention giving the right-wing more material that can be used against the presumptive democratic nominee originating from a purported supporter. Bad MOve!! My question is…does the New Yorker have any women or African-Americans on its staff?  Second question…did they ask them their opinion?  Portraying Michelle Obama in this ridiculous caricature plays right into the racist, anti-feminist, right-wing hysteria, and aids the Right’s concerted effort to attack the Senator through his wife.  Through his wife!  Last week, one prominent member of the right-wing lunatic fringe spent his entire three-hour radio slot bashing Michelle Obama!  Absolutely shameful!  The media should be mindful that through its “shock jock” mentality it has a tendency to push the agenda of the right lunatic fringe unbeknownst to such media.   There are tremendous cost, in this case to women and African-Americans, associated with releasing shock headlines for the purpose of spurring irrelevant controversy.  I have yet to come across a single person that found the New Yorker cover proper satire.

As one of her last messages to West Virginia, Sen Clinton tells West Virginia to “send them a message.”  I am not sure if this is simply a coincidence but “send them a message” was the battle cry of George Wallace in the sixties during the height of racial tensions in this country.  Bob Herbert of the New York Times seems to think that it was a little too convenient for Sen. Clinton to include such statement in her final appeal to West Virginia voters.  The slogan was originally used by Wallace in an effort to get voters to send Washington, and those in support of civil rights, a message by voting for him and his segregationist platform.  Wallace was staunchly against the civil rights movement and built his political career on segregation.   I wonder if West Virginians are familiar with the history behind the final plea.  Apparently Bob Herbert is very aware and said as much today.  In addition,  and before Clinton’s “send them a message” comment, Bob Herbert wrote the following piece regarding Clinton’s southern strategy:

There was a name for it when the Republicans were using that kind of lousy rhetoric to good effect: it was called the Southern strategy, although it was hardly limited to the South. Now the Clintons, in their desperation to find some way — any way — back to the White House, have leapt aboard that sorry train.

He can’t win! Don’t you understand? He’s black! He’s black!

The Clintons have been trying to embed that gruesomely destructive message in the brains of white voters and superdelegates for the longest time. It’s a grotesque insult to African-Americans, who have given so much support to both Bill and Hillary over the years….

But it’s an insult to white voters as well, including white working-class voters. It’s true that there are some whites who will not vote for a black candidate under any circumstance. But the United States is in a much better place now than it was when people like Richard Nixon, George Wallace and many others could make political hay by appealing to the very worst in people, using the kind of poisonous rhetoric that Senator Clinton is using now….

But it’s one thing to lack class and a sense of grace, quite another to deliberately try and wreck the presidential prospects of your party’s likely nominee — and to do it in a way that has the potential to undermine the substantial racial progress that has been made in this country over many years.The Clintons should be ashamed of themselves. But they long ago proved to the world that they have no shame.

ABC News’ Karen Travers Reports: For the first time this campaign season, Barack Obama has surpassed Hillary Clinton’s support among superdelegates, according to the ABC News delegate estimate.

Sen. Obama, D-Ill., picked up two superdelegates this morning giving him a new metric to tout in addition to his current commanding leads in pledged delegates, popular votes, states won, and money raised.

 Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., switched his endorsement from Clinton to Obama and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., endorsed Obama. DeFazio was previously uncommitted.

UPDATE:  The American Federation of Government Employees endorsed Barack Obama today.  AFGE President and superdelegate John Gage said “[o]ur people, I think, recognize the enthusiasm and vitality behind Senator Obama’s campaign.”  Gage was uncommitted, but to day also personally endorsed Barack Obama for President adding one more to Obama’s increasing superdelegate total.

California DNC member Ed Espinoza endorses Barack Obama for President. 

trickle, trickle, drip, drip

Sen. Hillary Clinton said yesterday that all the economists who disagree with her gas tax holiday are “elite.”  Sen. Clinton went on to say that she thinks if “we did it right”  then it can be done.  However, if you cannot name a single economist who thinks that this is a good idea then how exactly will you, Sen. Clinton, “do it right.”  Do you have a special kind of knowlege that the people whose life work is studying, writing about, and problem solving the economy do not have?  Economist say that this is a horrible idea and even if by some miracle you were able to get such a bill passed through the Senate before the summer, during your free time while competing in a highly contested presidential race, that oil companies and retailers will raise their prices in order to capture the tax relief.   American families will not see any of the relief of which you speak when they fill up at the pump.  Clinton supporter, Paul Krugman of the New York Times called the idea “pointless and disappointing.”  Krugman also says that the “gas tax plan is a giveaway to oil companies, disguised as a gift to consumers.”  Obama has called the plan a political gimmick designed to pander to Indiana and North Carolina voters and does not give any relief to the American people.   Also, in a recent CBS poll, the overwhelming majority of Americans agree with Sen. Obama and see this tax suspension plan as a political ploy by Clinton designed to get votes and has nothing to do with helping out ordinary Americans.  It is occurrences like these that may explain why 60 percent of voters think that Sen. Clinton is dishonest.  This is a new day, voters are engaged and they are listening….don’t insult our intelligence.  Progress

Presumptive republican nominee John McCain has actively sought and accepted the endorsement of Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christian Zionist group, Christians United for Israel.  Rev. John Hagee has made controversial remarks about women, Katrina, African-Americans, Catholicism, homosexuality, and Islam.  Even so, McCain felt it pivotal to have this pastor associated with his campaign.   The Arizona Senator has refused to disassociate himself from Hagee or reject Hagee’s endorsement.  McCain had to address a few questions about Hagee ’s comments yesterday during his visit to New Orleans.   McCain’s response “it’s nonsense, it’s nonsense, it’s nonsense, it’s nonsense, it’s nonsense.”  Unfortunately Senator, Hagee’s own words (see below) disproves your comment.  When asked again about the Hagee endorsement, McCain responded “I didn’t attend Pastor Hagee’s church for 20 years.”   Well…so much for the impassioned letter that he sent to the North Carolina Republican Party imploring them not to run the Wright attack ad.  Not to mention that even though McCain continues to say that he is doing everything that he can to stop the NC republican party from running this ad, the head of the NC republican party said as of yesterday she had not heard a peep from McCain.  Coincidentally, the day the GOP attack ad comes out, McCain brings up the Wright issue unprompted and nonresponsive to a question regarding Hagee’s endorsement.  McCain also gave an emphatic promise to run an above the fray campaign and NOT to use the Wright issue.  I believe the exact phrase is “we will run a respectable campaign focusing on the issues.”  McCain must also account for his votes AGAINST Katrina legislation that would have given emergency health-care and unemployment assistance to Katrina victims.  His current tour is moniker-ed “the call to Action” or the “Forgotten America” tour.  I think that McCain FORGOT to ACT on the Katrina legislation. 

See some of Pastor Hagee’s very controversial remarks below. 

In 2006 during an edition of National Public Radio’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Gross said to Hagee, “You said after Hurricane Katrina that it was an act of God, and you said ‘when you violate God’s will long enough, the judgment of God comes to you. Katrina is an act of God for a society that is becoming Sodom and Gomorrah reborn.’ “ Gross then asked, “Do you still think that Katrina is punishment from God for a society that’s becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah?” Hagee responded:

HAGEE: All hurricanes are acts of God, because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God, and they are — were recipients of the judgment of God for that. The newspaper carried the story in our local area that was not carried nationally that there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that parade was that it was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any of the other Gay Pride parades. So I believe that the judgment of God is a very real thing. I know that there are people who demur from that, but I believe that the Bible teaches that when you violate the law of God, that God brings punishment sometimes before the day of judgment. And I believe that the Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans.  [Hagee has recently repeated his comments within the last few days]

Hagee also initiated a fundraiser for his church: 

Hagee, pastor of the 16,000-member Cornerstone Church, last week had announced a “slave sale” to raise funds for high school seniors in his church bulletin, “The Cluster.”  The item was introduced with the sentence “Slavery in America is returning to Cornerstone” and ended with “Make plans to come and go home with a slave.”

A July 27, 2006, Wall Street Journal article about Hagee noted the incident:

To help students seeking odd jobs, his church newsletter, The Cluster, advertised a “slave” sale. “Slavery in America is returning to Cornerstone,” it said. “Make plans to come and go home with a slave.” Mr. Hagee apologized but, in a radio interview, protested about pressure to be “politically correct” and joked that perhaps his pet dog should be called a “canine American

“A December 23, 2007, Reuters news article on former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s (R) visit to Hagee’s church reported that ’some Catholics were angry about the visit.’ “ The article noted:

In his recent book “Jerusalem Countdown,” Hagee wrote: “Most readers will be shocked by the clear record of history linking Adolf Hitler and the Roman Catholic Church in a conspiracy to exterminate the Jews.”

In his book What Every Man Wants in a Woman, Hagee wrote: 

Do you know the difference between a woman with PMS and a snarling Doberman pincer? The answer is lipstick. Do you know the difference between a terrorist and a woman with PMS? You can negotiate with a terrorist.

Terry Gross of NPR’s Fresh Airalso asked if Hagee believed that “all Muslims have a mandate to kill Christians and Jews,” to which Hagee replied, “Well, the Quran teaches that. Yes, it teaches that very clearly.”

Former 2008 presidential candidate and current New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson endorses Barack Obama for President!!  Bill Richardson is the nations only Hispanic governor.  Richardson was also appointed U.S. Ambassador of the United Nations and Secretary of Energy by Bill Clinton during Clinton’s administration.  This is a real coo for Obama.  Hillary and Bill Clinton really pursued this endorsement.  Bill Clinton pursued it so hard that he showed up in New Mexico, unannouced, to watch the Super Bowl with Richardson.  In his statement released last night, Richardson said, “I believe he is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime leader that can bring our nation together and restore America’s moral leadership in the world,”  Richardson further said, “[a]s a presidential candidate, I know full well Sen. Obama’s unique moral ability to inspire the American people to confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad in a spirit of bipartisanship and reconciliation.”  The New Mexico Governor will be making the official announcement later today.

ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning. Mr. Spitzer, who was huddled with his top aides early this afternoon, had hours earlier abruptly canceled his scheduled public events for the day. He is set to make an announcement about 2:15 this afternoon at his Manhattan office.  Mr. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform and end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.  Just last week, federal prosecutors arrested four people in connection with an expensive prostitution operation. Administration officials would not say that this was the ring with which the governor had become involved. He had a difficult first year in office, rocked by a mix of scandal and legislative setbacks. In recent weeks, however, Mr. Spitzer seemed to have rebounded, with his Democratic party poised to perhaps gain control of the state Senate for the first time in four decades.  Mr. Spitzer gained national attention when he served as attorney general with his relentless pursuit of Wall Street wrongdoing. As attorney general, he also had prosecuted at least two prostitution rings as head of the state’s organized crime task force. New York Times article 

Eliot Spitzer comes from an affluent family that is worth about a half billion dollars.  Spitzer’s father is a self-made millionaire.  The Governor was the Attorney General of New York before becoming Governor.  Spitzer attended Princeton University as an undergraduate, and Harvard Law School, where he was editor of the Harvard law review.  Spitzer busted at least two prostitution rings while he was Attorney General.  Eliot Spitzer has been married to his wife for 20 years and has three daughters.  Apparently, text messages from the New York Governor are in the hands of federal prosecuters.  Federal prosecuters are saying that the main charge against the ring is money laundering.  It is also being reported that federal prosecuters may have come across such information while investigating the Gambino crime family, which is one of five families that control organized crime in New York City.   The Gambino connection has since been discredited.  The bust also reportedly involved other very high profile names.  The Governor busted several prostitution rings while Attorney General.  Many report that the Governor held himself out as a champion of ethics and morality, so many suggests that the fact that he is being implicated in such a ring is the peak of hypocracy on his part.  The Governor just gave a statement, ”I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family … my or any sense of right and wrong,” he said at a news conference at his Manhattan office. “I must now dedicate some time to rededicate my trust to my family.”  I apologize to my family…I apologize to the public. I am disappointed and have failed to live up to the standard that I have set for myself.”  The prostitution ring involved is called the Emperors Club VIP.  AP is reporting that Spitzer’s involvement was caught on a federal wiretap.  Sources say that the Governor is expected to step down from office.  David Patterson, lieutenant Governor, is expected to step up as Governor.  Because David Patterson is blind, he would be the first person with such an impairment to hold the highest office in a state.

MI Caucus Likely, Says DNC Rules Committee Member

A member of the DNC’s Rules And Bylaws Committee–the committee that stripped Florida and Michigan of its delegates for moving their primaries before February 5th–told me that Michigan plans to get out of its uncounted delegate problem by announcing a new caucus in the next few days.“They want to play. They know how to do caucuses,” the DNC source said. “That was their plan all along, before they got cute with the primary.” Michigan Democrats had originally planned on caucuses after the legally permissible Feb. 5 date, but then went along with top elected Democrats, including Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who pushed for an early primary.

Hillary Clinton won that Jan. 15 primary, but was the only major candidate on the ballot. Barack Obama and John Edwards had removed their names, see story

The latest Reuters/CSPAN/Zogby poll released today show a tightening race in Ohio.  Clinton is slightly leading, but is within the margin of error, with 44% to Obama’s 42%.  Update:  new polls released on March 1st,  show that Obama has essentially closed the gap on Clinton’s lead in Ohio.  Cleveland Plain Dealer, Zogby, Rasmussen, Survey USA, and Real Clear Politics polls, all show the two candidates tied or within the margin of error.  Less than two weeks ago, Clinton was leading in Ohio by double digits. The latest Reuters/CSPAN/Houston Chronicle poll for Texas shows Obama leading with 48% to Clinton’s 42% where again, two weeks ago, Clinton was leading by double digits.  The rolling poll questions were asked to likely democratic primary voters.  The breakdown of the candidates voting blocks are somewhat similar to voter breakdowns of previous contests.  Obama leads in Ohio among cross-over republicans, independents, young voters, higher income voters, and blacks.  Clinton leads among women, older voters, Catholics, union households and voters living outside of Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati.  Of voters who decided in the last month, Obama is significantly ahead of Clinton.  Whereas Clinton is ahead with voters who made their decision over a month ago.  It seems that Obama’s momentum continues despite what appears to be a pile-on from all directions.  Clinton, McCain, and now even George Bush has joined in by telling Obama that he should be concentrating on winning the Democratic nomination instead of what is going on in the current White House.  Can someone tell George Bush that he should be worrying about what is going on with gas prices in the United States rather than who said what in the Democratic primary.  A reporter asked Bush yesterday, during a White House press conference, about analysts recent predictions of a potential increase of gas prices to $4 a gallon.  Bush responded by saying that “he had not heard that.”  Uhhh…..but you do know the latest tit-for-tat between the primary candidates.  President Bush, please concentrate on your job, which is, in case you failed to read the job description, addressing several pressing issues facing our country, e.g.,  skyrocketing gasoline prices, the economy, foreign affairs, the Iraq war, etc…. We do not care about your punditry with respect to our next president.  In case you haven’t noticed Mr. President, your approval rating is at 30%.  It may be because you are watching too much television and not tending to the job that you were sent to Washington, DC to do.  Anyway, back to the current candidates.  Most say that Clinton has to win both Texas and Ohio, including her husband, to remain relevant in this race.  Two weeks ago, most were saying that she not only has to win but has to win by large margins.  Now they’re saying that even if she wins by a small margin as long as she wins.  And the absolute latest from the pundits and the from some in the Clinton campaign is that she only has to win either Texas or Ohio to remain in the race. Whoops…I spoke too soon, the absolute absolute latest is that Obama must win all four contests on Jr. Tuesday for Clinton to be no longer viable.  Unbelievable!! The goal post keeps moving for Clinton, and she accuses Obama of receiving special treatment from the press.  It really is time to choose a nominee, regardless of how much enjoyment the media is getting out of this long protracted primary season.  The longer this stretches out, the less time voters have to really weigh the positions of the general election candidates and make an informed decision about our next leader. 

It was a big night for John McCain and he proudly proclaimed himself the frontrunner for the republican nomination.  The senator from Arizona won key delegate rich states from New York to California.   Few would disagree that McCain has gained tremendous momentum.  McCain’s rivals, Romney and Huckabee, vow to stay in the race until the convention if necessary.  As for Obama and Clinton, both won victories in key states to end the night with no end in sight.  Obama won more delegates and more states.  Clinton won most of the northeastern corridor.  Neither of the two democratic candidates can legitimately claim an overall victory. However, I am sure that the campaign staffers will figure out a way to spin the results so that their candidate comes out on top.  Clinton maintained a majority share of the latino vote.  Obama maintained the lion share of the african-american vote.  However, Obama averaged 40% of the white vote which is what many of the analyst predicted that he would need in order to form a formidable coalition of voters that can push him through to the White House.  Unlike in previous contests where Clinton held a sizeable lead over Obama with women and white voters,  Clinton now only holds a slight edge with these groups.  Clinton won California which was billed as one of the big prizes of the night.   Obama won Missouri which has been billed as the bellwether state. New Mexico has yet to declare the democratic winner of it’s state but the last update showed a 70 vote difference between Obama and Clinton.  Obama is slightly ahead in the delegate count.  The February 9th primaries for the democrates  are Lousiana, Nebraska (caucus) and Washington (caucus).  For the republicans, its Louisiana, Kansas, and Washington (caucus).  The democrats have the Maine caucus on February 10th.  Both parties have primaries on February 12th in Maryland, Virgina, and DC.

The polls closed at 8pm in several of the Super Tuesday states.  McCain won Illinois, New Jersey, and Connecticut.  McCain’s effort to beat Romney in Romney’s home state of Massachusetts failed, to Romney’s relief.  Romney won his home state and is now anxiously waiting for the California results.

According to the New York Times, Bill Clinton played a role in, and benefited from, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, a deal struck with Kazakhstan.  Apparently, Bill Clinton and a prominent Canadian financier went to a meeting in Kazakhstan.  A few days later the Canadian financier strikes a huge deal with the former soviet republic.  A few days after that, the Canadian financier makes a huge donation to Clinton’s charitable organization, over 30 million dollars.  Coinkydink…maybe.  At a press conference during Bill  Clinton’s visit, the former president made statements that were not only in contradiction U.S. Foreign policy, but also in direct contradiction of the stated position of his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton.  The Canadian financier also later made an additional contribution to Clinton’s charitable foundation of 100 million dollars.  The New York Times reports:  Read the rest of this entry »