Saturday, October 9, 2010

Elections 2010: “the Beast” , the money, the power and the glory……

Brought to the lowest common denominator it really is all about the money. Don’t trust anyone who says, “It’s not about the money.” It is always about the money, “the power and the glory”, is it too crude to say, “Amen?”

No not the salaries---while by Bexar County general population standards the salaries are sizeable (thought not by some California county standards) the money that flows from influence and access to the right people.

Most people I speak to who are rational in most things have no interest in voting in November. They, too, see it as a foregone conclusion that as to them, it would be a colossal waste of time. In fact the only ones excited are the fairly unindoctrinated, knickers in a twist, Tea Partiers and of course the avaricious, moral-foisting GOPers.

Without being too trite just ask Henry Cisneros. That creep is being given the oligarich “make-over” ala Richard Nixon. His history is the essence of why it is the god-children of the system in San Cuilmas prevail.

What else is there to say about Bexar County Texas Red “politics?” Not much.

For that reason and because the fine folks at Examiner.com are interested in the usual kind of coverage of the upcoming election I am pretty much resolved to take my analysis elsewhere.

Reporting the inevitable, obvious and foregone leaves me cold.

Blogging an analysis of the elections themselves is what matters to me. It should matter to anyone living in what passes for the seventh (is it?) largest city in the country.

Being an echo chamber for the system is of no interest to me. That information is out there. So it very likely this is one of my last Examiner.com “Election 2010” entries. Whether I’ll continue the other “Public Policy” I don’t know.

However, I’ll be out there in the blogosphere somewhere, that is a promise ! And I make few promises…..

Meanwhile in Bexar County Texas Red;

Bexar County Candidates at a glance
http://mysapolitics.com/election.php/2010/01/06/current-election-candidates-list-2010

DA Reed launches attack ads against political opponent (Nico Lahood)
http://www.woai.com/content/troubleshooters/story/DA-Reed-launches-attack-ads-against-political/vvcteL6A2kOZCu8r6zwSSA.cspx

Police union alone in supporting Reed
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/police_union_alone_in_supporting_reed_104532454.html

…anyway in Texas Red where most Democrats are GOPers in Democrat clothing would it matter?
Can Democrats spring an upset in Texas governor's race?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/07/AR2010100707189.html?wpisrc=nl_politics

'Citizens United' Ruling Opened Floodgates On Groups' Ad Spending
As campaign finance experts tell Fresh Air's Terry Gross, the Supreme Court's lifting of restrictions has led many interest groups to dramatically increase the number of ads they're airing.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2010/10/07/130399554/fresh-air

Buying office, influence and did I mention, the money, the power and the glory……?
Public Citizen
http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=183

Stunning Statistics of the Week:
• Amount expected to be spent on the upcoming midterm elections: $5 billion
• Amount expected to be spent on TV ads this election cycle: $3 billion
• Amount spent in 2006 election cycle: $2.8 billion

Groups demonstrate in front of U.S. Chamber
A lively demonstration was held in front of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce this week to protest the Chamber’s reported use of foreign money to pay for campaign attack ads. The Chamber is raising tens of millions of dollars to help Republicans take back Congress.

The Chamber fires back
The Chamber launched a broadside on Think Progress, which issued the abovementioned report about the Chamber using foreign money for attack ads. In its response, the Chamber said that just a small amount of foreign money goes to those ads. That prompted Think Progress to issue a rebuttal to the Chamber’s rebuttal titled “Inconvenient Fact that the Chamber Hasn’t Refuted.”

Court denies emergency request to scuttle Maine clean election law
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has refused an emergency request to strike down the matching funds provision of Maine’s clean elections law. The law provides money to candidates who rely on small contributions from voters, rather than big sums from corporate interests. However, the court is still considering the underlying challenges to the law.

Rove’s groups announced $4.2 million ad buy
American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, groups founded by Republican strategist Karl Rove, are pouring $4.2 million into ads to influence Senate races in eight states. That brings to $18 million the total amount these groups, formed just this year, have spent on election ads. Three-quarters of the money comes from undisclosed sources. Crossroads GPS is one of the groups that Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) urged the IRS to investigate for violating their tax-exempt status.

Republicans lead on fundraising for state elections
With so much attention on federal races, it can be easy to forget about all the state gubernatorial and legislative races that are raging. But the political parties haven’t forgotten. Both are furiously raising money to elect their candidates, and the GOP has the edge. The Republican Governors Association (the same group that got $1 million from News Corp., parent company of Fox News), raised a record $58.3 million through June 30 compared to $40.4 million raised by the Democratic Governors Association.
Visit www.DontGetRolled.org to learn more!





From Texas Red: a cratered landscape of prisons, deplorable apartheid public education, lack of healthcare and politicians and majority population intent on keeping it that way…

Hasta Siempre,


More:

Elections 2010: Change!! Really small change---at best…
http://robertruiz-respublica.blogspot.com/2010/10/elections-2010-change-really-small.html

District attorney candidate trying to overcome drug dealing past
http://www.woai.com/content/troubleshooters/story/District-attorney-candidate-trying-to-overcome/6Ikuh6JnlkaW3Yieo9x13Q.cspx

LaHood leads Reed in cash on hand
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/campaign_notebook_104391359.html

Texas Red: a cratered landscape of prisons, deplorable apartheid public education, lack of healthcare and politicians and majority population intent on keeping it that way....
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-18764-San-Antonio-Public-Policy-Examiner~y2009m10d4-Texas-Red-a-cratered-landscape-of-prisons-deplorable-public-education-lack-of-healthcare-and-poli


Texans Back Gambling To Plug State Deficit
Some 30 percent said legalizing and taxing marijuana is also a top option.
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kera/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1709388/North.Texas/Texans.Back.Gambling.To.Plug.State.Deficit

Has the US Reached A Tipping Point On Pot?
California's Proposition 19, if approved by voters, will legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana legal for the first time in the United States. Many other states have relaxed their marijuana laws. Is this the tipping point when marijuana follows alcohol and gambling from criminal offense to harmless pastime -- and source of new tax revenue?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130351628

Interesting…..right on, man!
Facebook co-founders give $170K to pro-pot measure
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101008/ap_on_en_mo/us_marijuana_legalization_facebook

For all the good it has done to support either party
Latinos overwhelmingly back Democrats in upcoming election
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/latinos_overwhelmingly_back_democrats_in_upcoming_election_104362209.html

The Fast Fix: Are Democrats Suddenly Making a Comeback?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_newsroom/20101005/el_yblog_newsroom/the-fast-fix-are-democrats-suddenly-making-a-comeback

Essay: Money in Washington

A People's History of the United States
http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-History-United-States-P-S/dp/0061965588/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286364382&sr=1-1


The U.S. Apartheid public education system
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-18764-San-Antonio-Public-Policy-Examiner~y2009m8d11-Institutionalized-racism-at-the-center-of-public-educations-problems-part-3


The Rope, the Chair, and the Needle: Capital Punishment in Texas, 1923-1990
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rope,_the_Chair,_and_the_Needle:_Capital_Punishment_in_Texas,_1923-1990
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=The+Rope%2C+the+Chair%2C+and+the+Needle%3A+Capital+Punishment+in+Texas%2C+1923-1990&ih=1_0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0.2973_1&fsc=-1&x=19&y=17


Illusions of Justice
http://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Justice-Rights-Violations-United/dp/0934936005/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282216290&sr=1-1

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