Dem Jon Corzine gave much as $615,600 (gift tax included) to a former flame who runs one of the biggest state-employee unions
Mood:  smelly
Now Playing: NJ GOV RACE - MCGREEVEY REVISITED
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

Jon Corzine (left), Carla Katz (center), and Bill Michaelcheck (right) at the Pierre Hotel, Annual Paradise Ball 2002 >>>>>

JON CORZINGED

WASHINGTON - The New Jersey governor's race exploded into a firestorm yesterday, with the revelation that super-rich Sen. Jon Corzine gave $470,000 to a former flame who runs one of the biggest state-employee unions.

The value of the donation ballooned to as much as $615,600, because Corzine also paid the gift tax.

The Democrat stonewalled questions about whether he gave any other money to sultry Carla Katz, who represents 9,000 New Jersey state employees as head of Local 1034 of the Communications Workers of America.

Republican rival Doug Forrester — backed by some watchdog groups — charged the gift represents a conflict of interest because Katz and other unions have vowed to seek billions in taxpayer funds for pay hikes from the next governor.

"I believe that if someone is responsible for representing the public interest in a negotiating process of any form, the nature of the financial relationship that existed — or continues to exist — should be known," Forrester said.

"There needs to be no question on the part of the public that the actions that are being taken are being taken solely with the public interest in mind," Forrester told The Post in a telephone interview.

Corzine refused to say if he made any other gifts to Katz and her family, declaring, "I'm a public official but I also have a private life."

The senator denied there's any conflict of interest, saying that if he's elected governor, he wouldn't be the one directly negotiating with his ex-girlfriend.

Spokesman Tom Shea refused to say if Corzine still provides financial support to Katz , saying: "He's just chosen not to discuss a private relationship."

But Larry Noble of the Center for Responsive Politics said, "As a political matter . . . I think he has to answer whether there is an ongoing financial relationship. The voters are going to want to know."

New Jersey Republican Chairman Tom Wilson called it "d?j? vu all over again" and evoked memories of the sleaze that led former Gov. Jim McGreevey to resign after putting a man with whom he'd had an affair into a sensitive job.

"She's not somebody who owns a widget company in Secaucus. She's the president of the largest bargaining unit for state employees," Wilson said of Katz.

Corzine is the richest U.S. senator in his own right, worth at least the $261 million he made as Goldman Sachs CEO. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is a billionaire through his wife.

On Dec. 18, 2002, Corzine granted a $470,000 loan to Katz through a company he controls so she could buy her Bloomsbury, N.J., home from her ex-husband, according to documents uncovered by The Star-Ledger and New York Times.

Katz met Corzine in 1999 during his campaign for Senate. Their relationship went public in 2002, a year before his divorce became final.

The relationship ended in July 2004 and Corzine turned the loan into a gift on Dec. 9 — one week after he launched his campaign for governor.

But the two remain close. She kissed him on the cheek when her union backed his bid for governor on June 27.

Corzine says he paid the gift tax. His campaign wouldn't reveal the amount, but the nonpartisan Tax Foundation pointed to an Internal Revenue Service chart indicating the federal tax on a $470,000 gift is $145,600.

Katz ducked reporters yesterday at the Local 1034 headquarters in West Trenton, with aides saying she was in meetings.

Additional reporting by Angelina Cappiello
The New York Post ~ Deborah Orin and Ian Bishop ** JON CORZINGED

Hillary would lose to Rudy and McCain
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

All that hand ringing has been for nothing. Gallup has Hillary getting soundly beat by Rudy or McCain. The truth is that Hillary will probably lose to someone else because the GOP is so strong going into the mid-terms that they will probably be able to nominate someone much more conservative than Rudy or McCain and still beat Hillary.

Poll: Clinton trails Republicans

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., would do better than Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., against potential 2008 Republican presidential rivals John McCain and Rudy Giuliani -- but would still lose, a Gallup Poll showed Wednesday.

Both McCain, a senator from Arizona who challenged then-Texas Gov. George Bush for the Republican nomination in 2000, and Giuliani, mayor of New York City during the Sept. 11 attacks, would beat Clinton in the trial matchup, 50 percent to 45 percent, the poll showed.

Either of the two Republicans would beat Kerry 54 percent to 41 percent. In the presidential election last Nov. 2, Bush beat Kerry 51 percent to 48 percent.

None of the prospective candidates tested by Gallup has announced plans to seek the presidency in 2008.

Gallup's latest nationwide survey of 922 registered voters was conducted by telephone over a four-day period ending July 28. The survey had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Gallup's Jeffrey M. Jones said the results showed "the Republican candidates have an edge at this point with at least a slight lead" in the hypothetical races.

Clinton, a first-term senator from New York seeking re-election in 2006, appears to be the "stronger of the two Democratic candidates" 28 months before the parties begin the presidential primary process that chooses the parties' respective nominees, Jones said.

The Gallup Poll showed both McCain and Giuliani enjoying strong appeal among the independent swing voters, who often decide the outcome of the nation's presidential elections.

McCain and Giuliani each drew support from at least 50 percent of the independent voters surveyed by Gallup, while Clinton attracted no more than 41 percent and Kerry got no more than 38 percent.

McCain and Giuliani also did a better job stealing Democratic support from Clinton and Kerry than the Democrats did luring Republican support from the Republicans. Clinton drew no more than 12 percent of Republican voters in the trial heats against McCain and Giuliani.

McCain and Giuliani drew at least 18 percent of the Democratic voters in the trial heats against Clinton and at least 22 percent in trial heats against Kerry.

Indianapolis Star ~ Stewart M. Powell ** Poll: Clinton trails Republicans

Evan Bayh: Dems lack credibility on security
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

Indiana Senator Bayh, who is planning on running for president in 2008, says that the Dems cannot shift the debate to issues they think will benefit them until they close the security credibility gap with Republicans.

Bayh: Democrats Face Security Threshold

Des Moines, Iowa - Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, a possible presidential candidate in 2008, said Thursday that his party lacks credibility on national security and needs to convince Americans that Democrats are willing to use force when necessary.

Until the party can persuade voters, it will be unable to move the debate to issues that work for Democrats, Bayh said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"Unless the American people know that we will be good stewards of the nation's security, they're unlikely to trust us with anything else," said the two-term Indiana senator. "That's a very important threshold we have to get over."

Bayh said there are legitimate grounds to criticize President Bush's approach to fighting terrorism, but until Democrats establish more credibility on the issue, many voters won't listen.

"Many Americans wonder if we're willing to use force to defend the country even under the most compelling of circumstances," Bayh said. "The majority of Democrats would answer that question that, yes, there is a right place and a right time. We don't get to have that discussion because many people don't think we have the backbone."

Bayh has spent three days in Iowa, the first presidential caucus state, attending party fundraisers and meeting privately with activists who play a crucial role in Democratic politics.

Bayh said he would make a decision on a presidential bid after next year's midterm elections, basing it, in part, on whether he has a realistic chance of winning the nomination.

"Is this a sensible thing to do?" he said. "I've never been a big person for fool's errands. I think you have to conclude you have some prospect of being successful."

Bayh said his electoral success in heavily Republican Indiana and moderate views are a model for Democrats to end their recent electoral failures. Summing up those failures are polls that show voters overwhelmingly trusting Republicans on national security, he said.

"We've got a few voices out there who would be a little bit more on the fringe," Bayh said. "Unfortunately, too often they define the entire party."

San Francisco Chronicle ~ Associated Press - MIKE GLOVER ** Bayh: Democrats Face Security Threshold

Movenot.org: Americans didn't flock to Canada after Bush win
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: LIBTARD LIAR ALERT
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

The main stream media made a big deal out of a surge in visits to Canadian immigration web sites following the Bush victory last November. Unfortunatly, the mass migration did not happen. We can always hope for good luck after the mid-terms.

Americans didn't flock to Canada after Bush win

OTTAWA - Canadians can put away those extra welcome mats -- it seems Americans unhappy about the result of last November's presidential election have decided to stay at home after all.

In the days after President Bush won a second term, the number of U.S. citizens visiting Canada's main immigration Web site shot up sixfold, prompting speculation that unhappy Democrats would flock north.

But official statistics show the number of Americans actually applying to live permanently in Canada fell in the six months after the election.

On the face of it this is not good news -- Canada is one of the few major nations seeking to attract immigrants -- but Immigration Minister Joe Volpe was philosophical.

"We'll take talent from wherever it is resident in the world. I was absolutely elated to see the number of hits and then my staff said 'You know what? A hit on the Internet is after all just a hit'," he told Reuters on Thursday.

"I guess I'm happy Republicans and Democrats have found a way to live together in peace and in harmony," he said.

Canada generally tilts more to the social and political left than the United States.

Data from the main Canadian processing center in Buffalo, NY shows that in the six months up to the U.S. election there were 16,266 applications from people seeking to live in Canada, a figure that fell to 14,666 for the half year after the vote.

A spokeswoman for Canada's federal immigration ministry declined to speculate on the reasons for the drop.

Toby Condliffe, who heads the Canadian chapter of Democrats Abroad, did have an explanation of sorts.

"I can only assume the Americans who checked out the Web site subsequently checked out our winter temperatures and further took note that the National Hockey League was being locked out and had second thoughts," he told Reuters.

Last year, Canada, which has a population of about 32 million, accepted 235,808 immigrants from all over the world.

Yahoo News ~ David Ljunggren - Reuters ** Americans didn't flock to Canada after Bush win

Democratic Pollster: We Don't Stand for Anything
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

Dem pollster sees problems for Dems ahead.

Democratic Pollster: We Don't Stand for Anything

Democratic Party pollster Stan Greenberg said Wednesday that "one of the biggest doubts about Democrats is that they don't stand for anything."

During a conference call with reporters, Greenberg said Democrats deal with "the same doubts they had about John Kerry" - the party's 2004 presidential nominee. The issue arose as Greenberg discussed what Democrats need to do to stop Republican gains among Hispanic voters.

Bush got about 40 percent of the Hispanic vote, according to various estimates, a slight improvement from the 35 percent he got in 2000. Greenberg, a former pollster for President Clinton, said Hispanic voters' stand on the issues indicate Democrats can solidify their Hispanic support if they "rediscover their values and beliefs."

Democrats' lack of clarity was a contributing factor for the gains made by Republicans among Hispanics in 2004, Greenberg said, adding "that stands out even more for voters generally and for white Catholics."

Greenberg's comment come as Democratic leaders, including party Chairman Howard Dean, say they are trying to do a better job of telling voters who they are.

"Not that we need to change what we believe in, but need to do a better job of communicating what we believe in," said Karen Finney, a Democratic Party spokeswoman.

News Max.com ~ Associated Press ** Democratic Pollster: We Don't Stand for Anything

Coward Deanpeace Redefines Morality for MLK Group; Falsely Claims GOP Cited Lack of Morals for 2004 Losses
Mood:  silly
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

Democratic chair Dean woos civil rights group founded by MLK

Portraying Democrats as the people of real moral values, Howard Dean addressed Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights organization on Tuesday amid complaints his party has taken black voters for granted too long.

In a swipe at Republicans who campaign on a conservative agenda that includes opposition to abortion and gay marriage, Dean told the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that Democrats believe in moral values like feeding hungry children and providing health insurance to everyone.

"They say we didn't win the election last time because of moral values. The opposite is true," said Dean, who lost a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and is now party chairman.

"If the election had been held on moral values last time, the Democrats would have won. Why is that? Because more people agree with our moral values," he said.

Dean repeatedly lavished praise on the SCLC, founded by King and two other pastors in 1957, and he met privately with leaders of the organization and black elected officials attending the group's annual meeting, which concludes Wednesday.

While Dean's luncheon talk was interrupted several times by applause, longtime activist J.L. Chestnut said many members feel uneasy about both the Democratic and Republican parties.

"Everything here is not as pleasant as it appears," said Chestnut, 74, an attorney from Selma. "There's been a sense in the black community for years that the Democratic Party takes us for granted and the other party ignores us."

Chestnut said blacks would have left the Democratic Party "in droves" if not for the fact many don't consider the GOP a real alternative with its conservative Southern base. Dean, Chestnut said, "is bright enough to understand that."

SCLC treasurer Spiver Gordon said many blacks are tired of Democratic leaders "writing off" the South, and the organization is seeking more money for Southern voter registration drives from the Democratic National Committee.

Gordon said leaders also want to make sure that Dean understands the issues that are important to Southern blacks. "The extension of the Voting Rights Act is at the top of the agenda," said Gordon.

Key parts of the 1965 law expire in two years, including a section that requires states with a history of racial discrimination to get federal approval before changing voting laws or redrawing district lines. Congress must extend the provision in 2007 for it to remain on the books.

But Dean, recalling Republican efforts to get anti-gay marriage measures on state ballots last year, said he expects GOP leaders to use the time before the 2008 election to push anti-immigration proposals that could help invigorate conservative voters.

"The Southern Christian Leadership Conference knows very well about vigilante justice, and we don't want to go back to those days," Dean said.

Dateline Alabama ~ Associated Press - Jay Reeves ** Democratic chair Dean woos civil rights group founded by MLK

The Future of Liberal Talk Radio
Mood:  bright
Topic: Funny Stuff

Libtard grassroots organization, Americans Coming Together... falls apart
Mood:  d'oh
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

Americans Coming Together Falls Apart

John Fund notes in OpinionJournal's Political Diary (e-mail subscription only) that the grassroots organization Americans Coming Together has quietly closed its doors. I have not yet seen any press release announcing this; in fact, the ACT website says nothing at all about a cessation. However, ACT last updated its blog almost a month ago. Given all the political tussles this summer, it sounds as if no one's home at ACT.

Fund writes:

Last month, ACT quietly shut its doors and went out of existence. Remarkably, its demise attracted almost no media attention. But that doesn't mean it didn't teach its backers some lessons. Privately, some Democrats admit that ACT's emphasis on using paid workers to gin up voter turnout was eclipsed by Republican efforts to motivate volunteers to do the same work for free. In the end, ACT will stand as a monument to how big money in politics -- such as the $37 million spent by Mr. Soros in 2004 -- isn't nearly as important as having a candidate with a coherent message and supporters who believe in their own nominee rather than merely disdain the opponent.

Fund also mentions the embarrassment and dismay that ACT caused the Democrats when the AP reported that ACT hired convicted sex offenders to do their door-to-door canvassing for the voter registration drives it conducted. It turned out that the hiring couldn't even be blamed on poor oversight, but a deliberate attempt to rehabilitate the worst offenders by sending them to people's homes in an effort to collect their personal information. Their spokesman made this policy clear when asked by the AP:

ACT does not believe the felons it sends door to door pose a threat to the public, said Mo Elleithee, a Washington-based spokesman for the group. "We believe it's important to give people a second chance," Elleithee said. "The fact that they are willing to do this work is a fairly serious indication that they want to become productive members of society."

ACT later found more suitable tasks for their contingent of second-chancers, but the damage had already been done. In the end, as Fund notes, the Democrats spent millions on ACT and its shenanigans, while the Reublicans did the same work with volunteers, managing to avoid sending felons and sex offenders to the doorsteps of families. The Republicans also fielded candidates with coherent political messages rather than a presidential contender who offered up memorable quotes such as, "I voted for the eighty-seven billion -- before I voted against it."

If ACT has closed its doors, it won't be missed, not even by deep-pocketed Democrats looking to rescue failed campaigns.

(More)
Ed Morrisey, Captain's Quarters Blog

Right Nation.US Blog ** Americans Coming Together Falls Apart

Sending felons door to door to collect personal info is classic! Sometimes I can't believe how stupid the Dems are. LOL

Group Behind Gay Marriage Ban Sues Calif. Attorney General
Mood:  energetic
Topic: Yahoo Chat Stuff

Group Behind Gay Marriage Ban Sues Calif. Attorney General

SAN FRANCISCO - The sponsors of a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage sued California's attorney general Tuesday over the summary the state prepared for the group's signature-gathering petitions.

The lawsuit claims Attorney General Bill Lockyer inaccurately described the measure, which would also strip same-sex couples of domestic partnership rights.

The suit says Locker, a Democrat, highlighted the amendment's effects on registered domestic partners instead of explaining that its chief purpose was to preserve marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

"The Attorney General has failed to carry out his duty to prepare a neutral, factual title and summary," said Mathew Staver, whose Liberty Counsel law firm is representing VoteYesMarriage.com.

Staver wants the court to order Lockyer to revise the petition language. Until the matter is resolved, the group won't be circulating the petitions required to gather the 598,105 signatures it needs to qualify the amendment for the June 2006 ballot.

Lockyer spokesman Tom Dresslar defended the attorney general's summary of the amendment, saying it was a fair representation that a judge is likely to uphold.

"The title and summary is 100 percent accurate in describing what the initiative would do," Dresslar said. "It wipes out registered domestic partner rights and obligations that currently exist in California law."

Meanwhile, a second group that also wants to ban gay marriage and do away with domestic partner rights in California with a constitutional amendment has begun gathering signatures. That amendment is sponsored by a group called ProtectMarriage.com.

Elsewhere Tuesday, gay marriage opponents filed a ballot initiative aimed at amending the Massachusetts Constitution to ban gay marriages. The initiative would define marriage as between a man and a woman.

The measure is part of an effort to overturn same-sex marriage, which the state Supreme Judicial Court legalized in 2003. Massachusetts is the only state to allow gay and lesbian marriages.

On the Net:

Vote Yes Marriage.com

Protect Marriage.com

Tampa Bay Online ~ Associated Press - Lisa Leff ** Group Behind Gay Marriage Ban Sues Calif. Attorney General

Report: Dem. operatives 'far more involved' in voter intimidation, suppression in 2004
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

WASHINGTON - The American Center for Voting Rights Legislative Fund ("ACVR Legislative Fund") today released the most comprehensive and authoritative review of the facts surrounding allegations of vote fraud, intimidation and suppression made during the 2004 presidential election.

The ACVR Legislative Fund report, "Vote Fraud, Intimidation & Suppression In The 2004 Presidential Election," finds that while Democrats routinely accuse Republicans of voter intimidation and suppression, neither party has a clean record on the issue. The report finds that paid Democrat operatives were far more involved in voter intimidation and suppression activities than were their Republican counterparts during the 2004 presidential election. Examples include paid Democrat operatives charged with slashing tires on GOP get-out-the-vote vans in Milwaukee and an Ohio court order stopping Democrat operatives from calling voters telling them the wrong date for the election and faulty polling place information.

The report further finds that thousands of Americans were disenfranchised by illegal votes cast and a coordinated effort by members of certain "nonpartisan" organizations to rig the election system through voter registration fraud in more than a dozen states. Examples include a law enforcement task force finding "clear evidence of fraud in the Nov. 2 election in Milwaukee," including hundreds of felon and double voters and thousands more ballots cast than voters recorded as having voted in the city and multiple indictments and convictions of ACORN workers for voter registration fraud in several states.

ACVR Legislative Fund presents eight key recommendations focused on punishing those who engage in acts of vote fraud and voter intimidation and strengthening legal safeguards against such activity in future elections. The report's central recommendation calls for both national parties to formally adopt a zero-tolerance fraud and intimidation policy that commits them to repudiate any effort to intimidate voters or volunteers or commit vote fraud.

"Until political parties and candidates are willing to adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards election fraud, the American public will have little confidence in other reforms," said Brian Lunde, ACVR Legislative Fund board member. "There is no room for politics when it comes to the right to vote."

"It should be easy to vote but tough to cheat," said Mark F. "Thor" Hearne, ACVR Legislative Fund Counsel.

In addition to common-sense recommendations such as required government issued photo ID at the polls, accurate statewide voter registration databases and a zero-tolerance policy against vote fraud and intimidation, ACVR Legislative Fund identifies five cities as election fraud "hot spots" which require additional immediate attention prior to the 2006 elections. These cities were identified based on the findings of the report and the cities' documented history of fraud and intimidation.

1. Philadelphia, Pa.

2. Milwaukee, Wis.

3. Seattle, Wash.

4. St. Louis/East St. Louis, Mo./Ill.

5. Cleveland, Ohio

A letter delivered today to DNC and RNC chairmen Howard Dean and Ken Mehlman urged party leaders to formally adopt the zero-tolerance policy against fraud and intimidation. ACVR Legislative Fund further asked party leaders to identify issues of concern in each of the election fraud "hot spots" by Oct. 1, 2005.

ACVR Legislative Fund was founded on the belief that public confidence in our electoral system is the cornerstone of our democracy. The organization was established primarily to further the common good and general welfare of citizens of the United States of America by educating the public about vote fraud, intimidation and discrimination which impacts the constitutional right of all citizens to participate in the electoral process. ACVR Legislative Fund is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that neither supports nor endorses any political party or candidate.

Please visit http://www.ac4vr.com to view the report in its entirety.

Contact: Jim Dyke for the American Center for Voting Rights Legislative Fund, 843-722-9670
U.S. Newswire ** Report: Democrat Operatives Far More Involved In Voter Intimidation,Suppression In 2004, Thousands of Americans Disenfranchised By VoteFraud on Election Day

Also at...
The Arizona Republic ~ U.S. Newswire ** Report: Dem. operatives 'far more involved' in voter intimidation, suppression in 2004