Is It Just Me, Or Do Southerners Who Come from Confederate States Tick You Off with Claims of Being More Pro-American?

The picture in this entry is of Rusty DePass, a South Carolina Republican GOP activist, who recently made some news by claiming that Michelle Obama's ancestors were gorillas, and then trying to claim that Michelle actually started that joke with a supposed comment about evolution. The Michelle comment, while obviously racist, is not what has drawn my attention. What has drawn my attention is another stupid comment this bigot made about New York City and the events of 9-11-2001.

Apparently, in the 2008 Republican primary, this guy was supporting Rudy Giuliani. In comments made once when introducing Rudy to some South Carolina Republicans, DePass stated that most of the time South Carolina Republicans didn't care what New Yorkers thought, but that the events of 9-11 had "made them Americans again."

Think about that line for a second. Here is a Republican coming from the state that led the secession movement in the South, starting with John Calhoun. The state that started the Civil War to defend slavery. The state that gave the nation the racist Strom Thurmond. And he has the gall to imply that New Yorkers aren't "real Americans?"

I am so tired of this kind of crap from Southerners. Just because you like to brag about how pro-American you are doesn't change the fact that many Southerners are still pissed off about losing the Civil War. Are still pissed off about the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and are really pissed off that an African-American is President.

Here's some suggestions for such Southerners: 1. Stop putting Confederate flag bumper stickers on your cars and trucks; 2. Stop whining about how you are entitled to celebrate the culture of White America, and that flying the Confederate flag is "not about the hate, but about the heritage." Stop implying that Americans who don't agree with you are somehow less American than you are.

Pics from Medina County Dems Holiday Brunch

The Medina County Democratic Party held its annual Holiday Brunch at the Rustic Hills Country Club on Saturday, December 13, 2008. Hosted by Pam Miller, Medina County Democratic Chair, the brunch featured guest speaker Representative-Elect John Boccieri, who will be representing Ohio's 16TH Congressional District. Medina County is actually in two Congressional Districts, the 13TH and the 16TH.

Medina County Democratic elected officials who attended include Medina County Prosecutor Dean Holman; Medina County Coronor Dr. Neil Grabenstetter; Medina County Common Pleas Judge James Kimbler; Medina Municipal Court Judge Dale Chase; Brunswick City Councilman Vince Carl; and Brunswick City Councilman Pat McNamera. Judge Clair Dickinson of the Ninth District Court of Appeals, whose jurisdiction includes Medina County, also attended.

Below are some pictures from the event taken by Medina County Democratic Executive Committee member Carol Gurney.

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown Receives Ohio Farm Bureau Award

WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) received the “Friend of Farm Bureau” Award from the Ohio Farm Bureau on December 5, 2008. The award is given each year to members of Congress who have supported issues important to Ohio agriculture. Brown is the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 40 years.

“I’m honored to fight for the priorities of Ohio’s family farmers,” said Brown. “This award represents our shared success in passing the 2008 farm bill and serves as a reminder of the important work ahead. Together, we can invest in rural communities and support Ohio’s farmers as they meet our nation’s energy and nutrition needs.”
Ohio Farm Bureau President Bob Peterson presented Brown with the award today at the Ohio Farm Bureau’s Annual Meeting in Columbus.

Brown was instrumental in passing the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, commonly referred to as the Farm Bill. This 2008 farm bill makes bold investments in rural development. Through the Farm Bill and other programs, Ohio received $3.3 billion in rural development funds over the last seven years, with funding for more than 120 rural development projects.

Brown helped to secure several major provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill, including one of the bill’s most notable initiatives, the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program. This reform allows farmers to choose between traditional farm programs and a new program that protects against drops in yield or prices – critical for farmers given the uncertain and volatile farm economy. In addition to providing better protection for farmers, ACRE will save taxpayers more than $1 billion over five years.

Brown has held more 120 roundtables throughout the state, including a weeklong series of roundtables focused exclusively on agriculture. This past October, Brown held two hearings of the Senate Agriculture Committee on the effects of the economic crisis on rural America. Brown chaired these hearings, which were entitled “Path to Opportunity: Jobs and the Economy in Appalachia.”

MCDAC Kicker Word Cloud

The picture above is a "word cloud" that we created from entries posted on the MCDAC blog using the website www.wordle.net. We thought that you would find it interesting.

Cleveland Plain Dealer Endorses Barack Obama for President

The Cleveland Plain Dealer endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President. The PD posted the endorsement to its website on October 18, 2008 at 10:59 pm. It will appear in the Sunday, October 19, 2008 edition.

This is the lede sentence from the editorial: After eight years of George W. Bush, America needs a change in direction and a change in tone.

The editorial points out that Obama's election will demostrate to the world that America has changed course and that it can fulfill its ideals:

Obama has challenged Americans to dream and to hope, to be realistic in the face of great problems and to trust in one another. To minorities and other Americans on the margins, he offers living proof that this nation can fulfill its ideals. To the world, he offers quite literally a different face, one that embodies America's diversity and boundless opportunity.

Besides wanting a change of tone, the PD editorial board was not impressed with John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as VP, as shown by this quote:

Take his selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. McCain seemed too caught up in the game-changing possibilities of teaming with a woman reformer to scratch the smiling surface. Had he, McCain might have realized that Palin is utterly unprepared for the job he offered -- let alone the one that might fall to her. His trust in her undermines our trust in him

You can read the rest of the endorsement editorial here.

One Weird Political Pic

This photograph from Reuters taken after the third presidential debate has to be one of the strangest political photographs ever taken. We have been trying to come up with a caption for this picture, but all the ones we have come up with can't be put on a g-rated or even a pg-rated blog, so you will just have to use your own imagination.

CNN and CBS Post-Debate Polls Show Obama Winning

As this picture of a posting by Kos of Daily Kos shows, the snap polls taken right after the debate show that Obama went three for three tonight.

Browns Win, Anderson Keeps QB Job, McCain's Man Brady Stays on Sidelines

Last week Brady Quinn, the Browns' second-string quarterback appeared at a McCain rally supporting McCain. Last night, the first game after Quinn's appearance, Derek Anderson had a great game and soldified his grip on the QB position. A coincidence? We think not.

Here is a picture from the PD, and here is the link to the PD's article:

Pic of McCain at ACORN Sponsored Rally

Back in the day when McCain actually supported his own immigration reform bill, he appeared at a rally in Miami that was sponsored by, among others, ACORN. You know, the organization that his campaign is now trying to blame for the subversion of American Democracy. Here is a pic of the event:

Negative Stuff Not Working for Johnny Mac and the Moose Killer

Numbers from the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll:

Des Moines Register Columnist Calls McCain Anger "Unsettling"

You may have read or seen on You Tube or Talking Points Memo the interview that McCain gave the Des Moines Register editorial staff. The Register, like other newspapers, video tapes its interviews with candidates seeking the newspaper's endorsement. A lot of people have commented on how angry and upset McCain appeared. A lot of the comments came from writers on blogs that are Obama supporters or lean toward Obama. An interesting view, however, was given on Sunday by one of members of the Register's editorial staff.

Here is a quote from Rehka Basu's column titled Is McCain too thin-skinned for presidency?:

John McCain is angry.

You can feel it in the clenched muscles in his throat, the narrowing of his eyes, the controlled tone with which he handles a question he doesn't like, as if struggling to contain something that might spill out. We've seen that body language on TV. But around a Des Moines Register table Tuesday, the anger and tension were palpable. And unsettling.

You can read the entire column here.