McCain's Attack on Chelsea Clinton's Sexuality Gains Fresh Attenion Upon Her Marriage

When I started this Truth-About-McCain blog to share facts about John McCain and to help prove that he ought never become president, it never occurred to me that the blog would continue to be relevant after the 2008 presidential election.  However, because McCain continues to a US Senator, his past remarks continue to be relevant to his current political status.  His attacks on famous others gain new attention when those others do things that are newsworthy.

So, it is that McCain calling Chelsea Clinton a lesbian sparks new interest on and around the day of the Chelsea Clinton's marriage.  As I reported here on May 5th, 2008,

Slate reports, "When [John McCain] got caught telling a dumb, nasty joke about Chelsea Clinton--the kind of crack that might cripple the career of someone else in Congress--he apologized immediately, was forgiven by the president." "The idiotic joke, which McCain told at a Republican fund-raiser, went something like this:"

"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father and Hillary Clinton is her mother." Audience members gasped.

Posted by Francis L. Holland at 5:26 AM

For so long as John McCain remains a public figure, the stench of his attacks on women, including his own wife, will never go away.

Anonymity at Blogs Spurs Irresponsibility, Says Afrosphere Atty. Francis L. Holland

As someone who has been quoted in the Washington Post, Slate, The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism, the Dallas Morning News, etc. (see below) I know that bloggers who have anything topical and relevant to say about the issues of the day, particularly those of us who engage in investigative journalism, will eventually be contacted by the mainstream media and we will have to make our names and affiliations known as the price of addressing our political ideas to a worldwide audience.

So, there are those of us who really are Internet journalists
and who have been compelled to divulge our names and to allow the public to compare our political writing with our political, corporate and private affiliations, as well as our campaign contributions.

In exchange, we have appeared e.g. on National Public Radio, Radio Pacifica, CBS, the Los Angelos Times, and in numerous newspapers.

Subtracting from those of us with the courage and determination to divulge our identities as part of our contribution to international political debate, there are others who hide behind "anonymity" while name-calling, posting nonsense in the comments of serious diaries, and generally making a determined and long-term effort to drive the progressive blogosphere train off of its tracks.

Take d3n4l1, for example. This screen name is associated at Honda Accord Forum with John Lacquey but, according to the Federal Elections Commission, this person has never made a contribution to a Democratic Party candidate (or any other candidate) for federal office.

Now, I know some readers will howl like stuck pigs that the blogosphere is intended to be a place where blowhard opinionators and government informants can make idiotic comments and then hide behind anonymity so that they will never have to take personal responsibility for anything they say or do on the Internet.

This makes the Internet a perfect place for Government operatives to manipulate the flow of information, drive and ban real journalists away from blogs, and do what the Republicans obviously want the blogosphere to do: nothing.
francislholland :: Anonymity at Blogs Breeds Irresponsibility, Says Afrosphere Atty. Francis L. Holland
There is another insidious purpose for the culture of blogger anonymity: When most people who comment at blogs do so anonymously, people like Markos C. Alberto Moulitsas Zúñiga (MAMZ) of DailyWhitosphere are empowered to go on the national media and pretend that they speak for all progressives, even when their political history associates them more with reactionary Republican politics and militarism than with progressivism.

I think if you have something to say about someone then it is important that you say it to the person directly. That's why I say, today, to d3n4l1, that if s/he had anything meaningful and original to say that was worth reading then s/he might have a blog that has 45,000 hits at Google, such as I have at The Truth About Kos.

To the contrary, anyone who has read d3n4l1's idiotic comments at whitosphere blog after blog knows that d3n4l1's only purpose is to cause intelligent conversations about progressive politics to devolve into conversations about d3n4l1 and others' personalities rather than their political contributions. Nobody even knows who d3n4l1 is.

And so I say to d3n4l1, why don't you take off the veil, tell us your name, and your profession, so that I can look you up at Google and at the Federal Elections Commission and demonstrate to readers that, e.g., you donate exclusively to Republican political candidates?

The answer is obvious: No one would bother to read your idiotic and flatulent comments if they knew that you were, (e.g.) a Republican who works for Lockheed and contributed to the campaigns of David Duke and George Allen. I'm sorry, but I just can't see the purpose of arguing with a "Lost in Space" computer name like "d3n4l1." If d3n4l1 provided us with a real name like Bill J. Jones of Ashland, VA then we could all look up Bill J. Jones at the Federal Election Commission database and conclude that s/he had donated $300.00 to the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee.

Then, we could ignore for all time d3n4l1's assertions that s/he supports single payer health care. If you confessed that your name was "Phillip Anschutz," then we would quickly conclude that you were the "Billionaire Republican Campaign Donor [Who]Buys "Now Public" "Crowd Powered Media" Online Newspaper," the same anus who donated to Larry Craig and John McCain.

Or, if you told us your name was e.g. Samantha Caldwell, then we could once again look you up in the Federal Elections Commission database and conclude that you have never liked any Democratic party candidate sufficiently to put your money where your mouth is.

I'm proud of who I am and I'm proud that the American Prospect called me a "controversial African American blogger," when I intellectually deconstructed and helped to destroy the vapid presidential candidacy of John Edwards.

Below are some of my mainstream media credits identifying the causes to which I have contributed my time and effort. I want d3n4l1 t tell us who s/he is and what s/he has ever done that would make it worth our time to read his/her personal attacks that appear constantly in the context of political discussions.

Who I am is a matter of public record:

Washington Post quotes Francis L. Holland slamming DNCC for all-white state blogs corps:

Francis L. Holland, one of the vocal black bloggers, sent e-mails to DNC officials asking that 15 black-operated blogs be added to the State Corps. "There is nothing 'Democratic' about an all-white Democratic National Convention floor blogging corps," he wrote in an e-mail. Holland is also asking for the inclusion of 15 Latino-operated blogs."

Slate.com quotes Francis L. Holland regarding John Edwards' decision to endorse Senator Barack Obama for President:"Or, as Obama supporter Francis L. Holland puts it: "So, it shows tremendous courage, foresight and solidarity that Edwards has endorsed Obama after the media declared Hillary's campaign to be as good as dead, right? Oh, well! Better late than never!"

BlackEnterprise.Com quotes Francis L. Holland:

"Of the blogs covering the convention, black blogs will be 7.2% of the blogs present,” says Francis L. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition.

According to Holland, many states with a strong black Democratic presence and population are either underrepresented or not represented at all, even though black bloggers from these states did apply. “

The state of Tennessee, which often has over 25% blacks among its Democratic primary voters, will not have a single black blogger at the Democratic National Convention, for example.

The District of Columbia, which is 60% black, will be left out. Louisiana, which is 32.4% black, will be left out.

Illinois, the presidential nominee’s home state, which is 15% black, will be left out."

Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism cites Francis L. Holland:

In 2008, the Democratic "party came under fire from African American bloggers. Francis L. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition, complained to Black Enterprise magazine that [B]lack blogs only made up slightly more than 7% of the bloggers credentialed for the convention."

Francis L. Holland Blog in the Washington Post:"We are tired of Hillary Clinton telling America that we are less than American simply because we refuse to vote for her," said Francis L. Holland, an African American blogger." Ironically, the Clintons embraced us, and even embraced Pastor Jeremiah Wright for support during their impeachment scandal." Holland was speaking of the congressional trial that followed former president Bill Clinton's liaison with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. "She has forfeited the black vote for the foreseeable future with her color aroused appeals."

Francis L. Holland Blog in Dallas Morning News:

“November’s voter turnout depends on August’s blogger outreach,” said Mr. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition., a member of a national and international black bloggers’ coalition called “The AfroSpear.” “Blogs address constituencies, and it simply is not possible for blogs that are all-white to effectively reach diverse Democratic constituencies.”

Francis L. Holland Blog in Black Enterprise Magazine:

"Of the blogs covering the convention, black blogs will be 7.2% of the blogs present," says Francis L. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition. According to Holland, many states with a strong black Democratic presence and population are either underrepresented or not represented at all, even though black bloggers from these states did apply. “The state of Tennessee, which often has over 25% blacks among its Democratic primary voters, will not have a single black blogger at the Democratic National Convention, for example. The District of Columbia, which is 60% black, will be left out. Louisiana, which is 32.4% black, will be left out. Illinois, the presidential nominee's home state, which is 15% black, will be left out.

"Pacifica Radio:

"Francis Holland is a blogger from Afrospear, a national group of bloggers that advocates for African-Americans. When he looked at the list of State Bloggers, he saw no [B]lack blogs among them. Holland explains that the process the Democratic Convention planners used to choose the State Blogger Corps was bound to lead to this result. And he argues that the Democratic Party can scarcely afford to alienate [b]lack voters in this election year.

" (The original link no longer works, which is becoming a growing documentation problem on the Internet.)

American Prospect cites Francis L. Holland:

"Electing Edwards to challenge the status quo is like supporting a queen to challenge the monarchy or integrating an all-white club by adding more all-white club members. It is possible that electing yet another white man to the Presidency will end the poverty of the historically disenfranchised, with John Edwards serving as a "pass through" for those who have historically been disincluded legally and by custom. But this is a very convoluted way of achieving what could be achieved much more directly by electing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. ..." Huffington Post published Francis L. Holland's articles. Columbia Journalism Review quotes Francis L. Holland Blog.

Washington Post quotes Francis L. Holland slamming DNCC for all-white state blogs corps:"Francis L. Holland, one of the vocal black bloggers, sent e-mails to DNC officials asking that 15 black-operated blogs be added to the State Corps. "There is nothing 'Democratic' about an all-white Democratic National Convention floor blogging corps," he wrote in an e-mail. Holland is also asking for the inclusion of 15 Latino-operated blogs."

Slate.com quotes Francis L. Holland regarding John Edwards' decision to endorse Senator Barack Obama for President:"Or, as Obama supporter Francis L. Holland puts it: "So, it shows tremendous courage, foresight and solidarity that Edwards has endorsed Obama after the media declared Hillary's campaign to be as good as dead, right? Oh, well! Better late than never!"

Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism cites Francis L. Holland:

In 2008, the Democratic "party came under fire from African American bloggers.

Francis L. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition, complained to Black Enterprise magazine that black blogs only made up slightly more than 7% of the bloggers credentialed for the convention."

Francis L. Holland Blog in the Washington Post: "We are tired of Hillary Clinton telling America that we are less than American simply because we refuse to vote for her," said Francis L. Holland, an African American blogger." Ironically, the Clintons embraced us, and even embraced Pastor Jeremiah Wright for support during their impeachment scandal." Holland was speaking of the congressional trial that followed former president Bill Clinton's liaison with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. "She has forfeited the black vote for the foreseeable future with her color aroused appeals."

Francis L. Holland Blog in Dallas Morning News: “November’s voter turnout depends on August’s blogger outreach,” said Mr. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition., a member of a national and international black bloggers’ coalition called “The AfroSpear.” “Blogs address constituencies, and it simply is not possible for blogs that are all-white to effectively reach diverse Democratic constituencies.”

Francis L. Holland Blog in Black Enterprise Magazine: "Of the blogs covering the convention, black blogs will be 7.2% of the blogs present," says Francis L. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition. According to Holland, many states with a strong black Democratic presence and population are either underrepresented or not represented at all, even though black bloggers from these states did apply. “The state of Tennessee, which often has over 25% blacks among its Democratic primary voters, will not have a single black blogger at the Democratic National Convention, for example. The District of Columbia, which is 60% black, will be left out. Louisiana, which is 32.4% black, will be left out. Illinois, the presidential nominee's home state, which is 15% black, will be left out."

Pacifica Radio's Election Unspun: "Black Bloggers and Black Power," interviews Francis L. Holland:

"Francis Holland is a blogger from Afrospear, a national group of bloggers that advocates for African-Americans. When he looked at the list of State Bloggers, he saw no black blogs among them. Holland explains that the process the Democratic Convention planners used to choose the State Blogger Corps was bound to lead to this result. And he argues that the Democratic Party can scarcely afford to alienate black voters in this election year." (The original link no longer works, which is becoming a growing documentation problem on the Internet.)

American Prospect cites Francis L. Holland: "Electing Edwards to challenge the status quo is like supporting a queen to challenge the monarchy or integrating an all-white club by adding more all-white club members. It is possible that electing yet another white man to the Presidency will end the poverty of the historically disenfranchised, with John Edwards serving as a "pass through" for those who have historically been disincluded legally and by custom. But this is a very convoluted way of achieving what could be achieved much more directly by electing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. ..."

Huffington Post published Francis L. Holland's articles.

Columbia Journalism Review quotes Francis L. Holland Blog.

Now, you know who Francis L. Holland is and some of his political contributions. But, who is d3n4l1, who (if anyone) pays her/him to post so often at so many blogs in a manner that has the effect of derailing substantive conversations about progressive politics and what is the price to the blogosphere of d3n4l1's anonymity?

Don't Count Sarah Palin Out in 2012

I am certainly not pro-Saran Palin. In fact, I personally interviewed and reported on the story of the Duke Ellington Orchestra member who said that Sarah Palin has refused to speak with members of the orchestra when she saw their skin color (brown).

Some blogs are saying her resignation speech was terrible and will exclude her from contention for the Republican nomination in 2012, but I think they're probably wrong.

In spite of the fact that I don't like Sarah Palin anymore than I would have wanted McCain for president (see my Truth About McCain Blog), I think Sarah Palin's speech was actually pretty good.

She mentioned the troops and the military several times. She described the state of Alaska in glowing and engaging terms that would make people less resistant to having a president from Alaska.

Palin talked about her commitment to all of the issues are seen as most important by the extreme right voters who decide the Republican presidential nominee: small government, low taxes, helping and respecting small businesses, opposition to abortion, commitment to family (she said that was part of the reason she was resigning).

I actually think that, for what she was trying to accomplish, which was to announce her candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, the speech was very effective. Remember: She's not trying to convince liberals, leftists or the media. She's trying to create a coalition of right-wing hate groups who will support her candidacy in 2012, and I think she's doing that. At least, I think her speech was a successful run at it.

Don't count Palin out. The very fact that she is known all over the Internet for disparaging Blacks and Native Americans will HELP HER with the Republicans who vote in Republican primaries.

She's got an entire dead bear in her office in Alaska, which gives her the 100% support of the NRA going in.

The other thing she did in her speech that proved she is running for president is that she said she would work with and support people from any political party if they had good ideas, which was Sarah Palin emulating the "broad tent" strategy that put Barack Obama in the White House. It's the same thing Barack Obama said. He said he was not interested in labels and parties and he invites everyone to the table to help make progress.

That's exactly what Sarah Palin says, and her emulation of Obama on this point is another reason why I think she is running for president and I wouldn't count her out of the 2012 Republican nomination.

Remember something else about a Palin/Obama matchup. Americans supported Obama because their memories of Bush were fresh and raw. But, Americans often prefer a president who is at least as lacking in intelligence as the voters he represents. Americans often prefer a president who says he will do extreme things; Ronald Reagan promised to send troops to South Africa to protect the "stability" of the Afrikanner apartheid regime.

Palin's probably the most exciting candidate the Republicans have, compared to the flip-flopping Romney, who was liberal before he was conservative . . .

I'm glad I live in Brazil so that I won't have to suffer Palin on television as president every day if the liberals turn out to be wrong about her attraction to the right and to the whites-are-rights.

If the economy is still terrible in 2012 and unemployment is still at ten percent, Americans might go with the other Party and elect Sarah Palin. If US troops are still battling rebels in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and even Iran, or with no progress on Iran, then Americans may be willing to believe (or risk) that the foreign policy team Palin is surely building could be better than Obama's team.

Remember that when Ronald Reagan was running for office he constantly misspoke and said things that offended the media but helped round up the hate-groups that constitute the Republican Party.

Ronald Reagan ran for the Republican nomination in 1976 and lost. He ran for the Republican nomination in 1980 and won, went on to win the presidency. Don't count Sarah Palin out. CAMPAIGN to keep her out, and don't assume that it will be easy!

Bye, Bye, John Sydney McCain, III!

There's nothing left to say about John Sidney McCain and so much to do to support the policies and priorities of President-elect Barack Obama. Let's get started!

Auto Industry October Stats Show Economy in Deep Crisis Mode

If the crisis in the American auto industry is any indication of the financial concern Americans will take into the voting booth tomorrow, a McCain (party in control) win would be a major miracle. The New York Times says today,

Vehicle sales in the United States tumbled to multi-decade lows in
October as tightened credit markets and an economic slowdown kept consumers away from dealerships.

General Motors on Monday reported an incredible 45 percent decline
in its sales, and Chrysler said its sales were down 35 percent. The Ford
Motor Company said it sold 30.2 percent fewer cars and trucks.
Toyota Motor said its sales were 23 percent lower, despite
offering no-interest financing and large discounts on many models. Sales were down 33 percent at Nissan and 25.2 percent at Honda. NYTimes

This is evidence of a generalized meltdown, not just of the American auto industry (Japanese car sales are only slightly better), but this is a meltdown of America's confidence in the economy and the ability to obtain credit to buy a car.

“If you adjust for population growth, this is probably the worst
industry sales month in the post-World War II era,” Mark LaNeve, G.M.’s vice president for sales in North America, said in a statement. “We believe there is considerable pent-up demand from the last three years, but until the credit markets open up and consumer confidence improves, the entire U.S. economy, and any industry like autos that relies on financing, will suffer.” NYTimes

John McCain is talking a lot about the "American Dream" on the campaign trail, but perhaps the first part of the American dream that any of us achieves, even before a high school diploma, is a drivers license and access to the family car. Even when we cannot afford to own a home, we can be proud of our cars and delight in the freedom they give us to move from place to place.

When Americans are doing all of that 40% less than they were last year, that's evidence of an economic crisis that goes far beyond the auto industry. One Ford executive cited in the above article describes the current Republican-led economic crisis as "similar to what we’ve seen after a natural disaster."

McCain Implicitly and Tacitly Concedes He's Unprepared for Oval Office

John McCain's campaign has been telling audiences and America that Barack Obama's preparations for the the Oval Office are presumptuous. If McCain really believes this, then he must also believe that it would be presumptuous for McCain himself to make preparations for the Oval Office. If so, we can assume that McCain hasn't made any preparations and would take the country on a misguided seat-of-its-pants roller coaster ride, much like McCain's own disjointed and lousy presidential campaign.

Are we really supposed to believe that McCain has made no preparations to take office? Yes, because McCain is so unlikely to win. Aside from promising plum ambassadorships to political contributors based on the amount of their contributions and bundling, John McCain is probably being entirely honest when he implicitly declaims having made any preparations for a transition. McCain is just as unprepared as his criticisms of Obama's preparations imply.

The Insanity of John McCain on Meet the Press - A YouTube Video

Hat Tips to Calitejano and Firedoglake.

When you see how incoherent John McCain is in the above Meet the Press interview, you realize that:

1. Interviews are far more useful than debates in showing how the candidate thinks (and fails to think);
2. John McCain cannot explain his decision to nominate Sarah Palin, because it is inexplicable in terms of the traditional purposes of selecting a running mate, and the polls are showing that most people agree.
3. If a man as incoherent as John McCain becomes the leader of the free world (or God forbid he has an aneurism and Sarah Palin takes control), America would be in for a biblical-sized time of self-immolation and implosion, even bigger than the Bush economic meltdown America is now suffering.