Thursday, September 6, 2007

News Of Interest


"Odds are that I will."

-- Al Gore, quoted by
02138 Magazine, on whether he will endorse a candidate in the Democratic presidential primary, though he had yet to decide whom he would back.

What's Next for Bush?

A New York Times review of Dead Certain by Robert Draper includes a revealing tidbit about President Bush's plans after leaving office.


"Mr. Draper quotes him saying that he plans to build a 'Freedom Institute,' a sort of think tank where young leaders from abroad can learn about democracy. Mr. Bush, who has a net worth estimated at $8 million to $21 million, also said he would like to make some money -- 'replenish the ol’ coffers,' as he put it."

"He said he could make 'ridiculous' money out on the lecture circuit: 'I don’t know what my dad gets. But it’s more than fifty, seventy-five' thousand dollars a speech."

Doolittle Aides Subpoenaed

Adding to his recent political woes, Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA)'s two top aides "have been subpoenaed and are scheduled to testify this week before a federal grand jury in connection with the ongoing investigation into the congressman's relationship with jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff," the Sacramento Bee reports.

Republican Brand Suffers

According to the Wall Street Journal, private polling done by Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio suggests a broad erosion of the Republican Party's appeal to three key groups: younger voters, Hispanics and independents.

"Younger voters represent necessary new blood. Hispanics are the nation's fastest-growing demographic group, and are concentrated in big states such as Florida and California that are keys to presidential victories. Independents' ranks fluctuate but are expanding amid voters' disgust with partisanship. Each party needs them to win elections."

"The reasons include the Iraq war, conservatives' emphasis on social issues such as gay marriage, abortion and stem-cell research, and a party-led backlash against illegal immigrants that has left many Hispanic and Asian-American citizens feeling unwelcome. The upshot is that Republicans face structural problems that stem from generational, demographic and societal changes and aren't easily overcome without changing fundamental party positions."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks, yet again, for your VERY valuable ability to "cut and paste"! You are quite the insightful blogger.

Anonymous said...

You can sure "cut and paste". Can't you write something original? This blog is a waste. What are you going to do now, "cut and paste" from the dictionary?

Anonymous said...

dumbass. cutting and pasting is a part of this sort of thing. People post AP articles all the time and cite facts and quotes, which last I checked are not 'original' as you say. Where do you people get this stuff? This obviously is not a livejournal page. What are you here looking for then? The blog, dumbass. collects stories and points of view and centralizing them for people to read. Go to some fiction blog if you're looking for original stories. I read this blog because it cuts out - as you may say - a lot of leg work for me. it's convenient for people like me who don't have the time to scour the net. You're brilliant by the way.