The Truth About John McCain

The truth about John McCain is not very pretty. You can start with the Iraq War, when he made the flippant comment that “as far as I’m concerned, we could be in there for 100 years.”

read the whole article here...

[Additional thoughts by Joel Wendland]

I think Joelle does an excellent job of outlining the key differences between McCain and Obama on major issues that impact working families (here and abroad) at a very basic and substantive level. There is no doubt these differences are huge and require the maximum effort to defeat McCain on November 4th and to set the stage for winning real reforms that can strengthen the hand of working families for the future.

Call for Equal Protections for LGBT Immigrants

From Pride at Work, AFL-CIO:

Same-sex binational couples are not protected by U.S. immigration policy; since they are not recognized as a family, they are often forced to leave the country in order to stay together. There is a way to change this - with your help!

The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) is a bill pending in the U.S. Congress that will grant equal rights to American citizens who are in same-sex relationships with non-citizens.

On May 6, 7, and 8, Immigration Equality is leading an action week during which LGBT families will travel to Washington D.C. to lobby Congress to pass UAFA. Even if you cannot participate in D.C., you can support their efforts by taking action locally: call or writing your members of Congress, visit their local offices, write to your local papers, or sign a petition.

Please take a few minutes to demand equal immigration rights for LGBT people. For same-sex couples affected by the immigration system, this legislation cannot come soon enough.

Click here to take action...

Sen. Levin Needs Some Perspective

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) delivered a few disturbing remarks this weekend regard Venezuela and oil.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned that attempts by the US to intervene in Venezuela's internal affairs could result in Venezuela withholding its oil exports to the US – a type of economic threat the US has wielded over and over again. Chavez earlier warned that military strikes against Venezuela or Iran would result in oil prices reaching as high as $200 per barrel.

Responding to President Chavez's warning against US interference in Venezuela, Sen. Levin said that Venezuela gives a perfect example of why the US needs to become independent of oil for its energy resources. Levin added that the US shouldn't have to take threats from "dictators."

Sen. Levin is a smart guy, so one can only assume he is deliberately fudging the picture to make his point. Thinking people accept that the US has to become independent of oil, and should support the New Direction Congress and Levin's legislative efforts to make that happen. To protect the planet, we need real alternatives to petroleum (and coal and nuclear energy).

But lashing out at Chavez is gratuitous and wrong. President Chavez isn't a dictator. He has been elected three times and easily defeated an effort to recall him (partially funded by US sources) – all of these elections were judged fair and transparent.

The US involvement in the 2002 coup against Chavez, during which the US-supported coup leader unilaterally dissolved all of Venezuela's democratic institutions and essentially appointed himself dictator, gives Venezuelans some right to be wary of US interference in their affairs.

President Chavez's response to having lost the referendum yesterday (Dec. 2) was also not the action of a dictator.

The content of the reforms which he proposed were also far from an attempt to establish a dictatorship. The most controversial proposal, to eliminate term limits, is not unheard of – check out Britain's parliamentary system.

Since Chavez was first elected, Venezuela now has developed a rich political spectrum with many parties and candidates. Even with the end of term limits Presdent Chavez would have to win the majority of votes against other candidates in fair elections. That is an inherently democratic process.

Sen. Levin should be more interested in helping people here understand the truth than in making deliberately false and provocative statements.

Poll: 3 in 5 Venezuelans Choose Socialism Over Capitalism

A recent press release from the Venezuelan President's Office reads:

Just 3.4% Venezuelans think capitalism is the best system of government according to the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez as he referred to a poll conducted by a Venezuelan pollster called Seijas.

During his weekly radio and TV show ¡Aló, Presidente!, President Hugo Chávez stressed that the poll called Barometro de Gestión y Coyuntura Política (Barometer of Management and Political Situation), conducted between September 20 and September 30, shows interesting results.

In this regard, he highlighted that just 3.4% Venezuelans think capitalism is the best system of government, and 22.6% would choose capitalism over socialism, while 62.7% would choose socialism.

The Venezuelan president said that these figures are historical since Venezuela’s progressive movements never achieved more than 10%.

Regarding the Constitutional Reform, President Chávez said that this poll shows that 50.6% interviewees think it was necessary, while 47.3% think it will bring benefits to the country.

President Chávez also talked about the deep debate about the Constitutional Reform. He said it has been much more active than the debate about the referendum to approve the 1999 Bolivarian Constitution. Likewise, he insisted that it was necessary to reduce the historical abstention levels.

Presidential Press Office / October 8, 2007