Make Chuck Todd Do His Job Petition

I don't hold out much hope on Chuck Todd being an actual journalist. I do support Nicole Belle's petition as a way to call out Todd on his open hostility to fact-checking.

In a Morning Joe segment this week on misinformation about the Affordable Care Act, NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd made the outrageous claim that it isn’t his job to inform viewers when Republican politicians lie about political issues.

How is it possible that the Political Director of NBC News doesn’t think it is his job to inform NBC viewers with facts about important political issues?

Todd appeared on Morning Joe and made this remark to Ed Rendell.

"What I always love is people say, 'Well, it's you folks' fault in the media.' No! It's the President of the United States' fault for not selling it."

I do agree with Todd that it is not the media's job to sell Obamacare. What angers Belle and other progressives is Todd's glib attitude on fact-checking the MSNBC guests he interviews. Being a member of the Village is more important than journalistic accuracy to Todd.

Marco Rubio/NRA Petition

CREDO is running a petition urging Sen. Marco Rubio to condemn to Wayne LaPierre's ""ugly racism." I doubt Rubio will ever say a cross word towards LaPierre. In 2010, Rubio backed harsh anti-immigration policies. Rubio's State of the Union response is testiment that the Senator isn't known for his courage.

LaPierre went on a bizarre conspiracy theory rant against Hispanics.

Mr. LaPierre

Latin America drug gangs have invaded every city of significant size in the United States. Phoenix is already one of the kidnapping capitals in the world, and though the states on the U.S./Mexico border may be the first places in the nation to suffer from cartel violence, by no means are they the last.

I recently talked to someone moving back to Phoenix. He told me it is nicer than Tampa. He never once mentioned kidnapping. LaPierre never cites statistics to prove his kidnapping or drug cartel invasion theories.

Exactly why would drug cartels stage a military invasion of the United States? Cartels kill people in Mexico that intervere with their drug trade. If the cartels would be staging mass killings and kidnappings, it would be against U.S. law enforcement. Furthermore, LaPierre is citing a kidnapping myth started by Pheonix Police Sgt and pathological liar Phil Roberts.

The Phoenix New Times found Roberts lied to propel his career. Roberts told the media and lecture audiences that there were 359 kidnappings in 2007. What should have set alarms is that Roberts said every one of those kidnappings involved drug cartels. The chances of that are nearly impossible. However, Phoenix was now being labeled as America's kidnapping capital. The actual number of kidnappings was between 20 to 30 a year.

LaPierre would deny that the Phoenix kidnapping numbers were made up. THere is just one problem Sgt. Roberts admitted he inflated the number after reporters started asking questions.

In 2009, Roberts announced that the Phoenix PD task force handling kidnap and home invasion was nothing more than a "golden ticket" for detectives to build their resumes. He started downplaying the figures he'd been touting. In his voluminous memos, Roberts claimed that Phoenix kidnapping statistics were bogus and intentionally inflated by police officials to defraud the federal government of grant money.

LaPierre is citing a scam artist police detective to defend his imaginary war. This is the man Marco Rubio and other Republicans fear.

Earth Day: Who Wants to Eat Mutant Shrimp?

It be be years before we will know the full extent of the damage of the Gulf Coast oil spill. Republicans in the House of Representatives and Obama administration appointee Ken Feinberg have done nothing to speed up the payment process BP fines being used for clean-up. We are now finding mutant fish (pictured above) and eyeless fish in the Gulf. Oil is still washing up on the Louisiana coast. This travesty is allowed to continue because BP America contributes to the campaigns of both political parties.

Daily Kos is running a petition with the mutant shrimp photo. The petition will be sent to Speaker John Boehner's office.

To Speaker John Boehner:

It is time for the House of Representatives to join the Senate in passing legislation mandating that fines paid by BP go toward clean up and restoration of the Gulf Coast.

Amen.

Progress Florida v. Dean Cannon

Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon is using tax dollars to get the fair district amendments 5 and 6 out of the Florida Constitution. Voters overwhelmingly approved both amendments with 60 percent of the vote. The legal challenges to remove the fair district amendments by Cannon have failed in court. Progress Florida is running an online petition to get Cannon to drop the legal action against fair districting.

Cliff Stearns Attacks Planned Parenthood

Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, is the chairman of the House oversight subcommittee. Stearns has requested that Planned Parenthood hand over internal audit reports from 1998 to 2010. Stearns question if Planned Parenthood is using federal funding for abortion the Hyde Amendment forbids the use of federal funds for abortions. Factcheck.org found that only 3 percent of services are dedicated to abortions and that it receives no federal funding for abortions.

Stearns is basing his investigation on the findings of the anti-choice organization Americans United for Life. AUL makes the outlandish allegations that Planned Parenthood is involved in prostitution and sex trafficking. The report's endnotes and appendix section is a mess. I cannot find anything relating to prostitution.

The prostitution allegations started from the anti-abortion group Live Action. Anti-abortion activist Lila Rose was trained in video hit jobs by the disgraced James O'Keefe. Unsurprisingly, the videos Rose made for Live Action were heavily edited hoaxes. The Americans United for Life are using debunked sex ring stories in their report. It isn't surprising that AUL would run with the sex trafficking story. What is shameful is Stearns cannot discern fact from fiction. That is assuming that Stearns cares about the truth.

There is pushback against Stearn's investigation. Emily's List is running a petition to stop the Congressional harassment against Planned Parenthood. Rep. Jan Schakowsky sent out a press release condemning the Republican attacks on Planned Parenthood.

“With the recent announcement of their needless and politically motivated investigation of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, House Republicans continue to make their extreme agenda clear: to undermine women’s access to reproductive health care and attack the health providers they rely on in their communities.

Instead of attacking unemployment, Republicans are waging a war against women. Earlier this year, House Republicans threatened to shut down the federal government over funding for Planned Parenthood. This investigation continues the Republican assault on Planned Parenthood, an organization that plays a critical role in our nation’s health care system.

Planned Parenthood serves over 3 million Americans every year. More than 90 percent of the care Planned Parenthood health centers offer is preventive. Planned Parenthood provides life-saving cancer screenings, routine gynecological examinations, contraceptive services, immunizations, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

This is not about federal funding of abortion. This is about cutting off women’s access to affordable, quality care in an effort to score political points. Now is the time to be working on the issues that are most important to Americans – creating jobs and improving the economy.”

Below the fold is Stearns' document request to Planned Parenthood.

Read more »

Petition Againt Florida's New Voter Law

There is a petition urging Attorney General Eric Holder to file suit to repeal Florida's law voter law.

“Floridians’ right to vote is under attack–again. What Rick Scott and Tallahassee politicians are attempting to do is change the rules of the game, leaving only their players on the field.

Rick Scott just signed an overhaul of the state's election code that violates the Voting Rights Act. Among other things, this bill would slash early voting from 14 days down to eight. It will impose fines on voter registration drives. Voters like our brave men and women fighting overseas will not be able to update their addresses at the polls on Election Day and will be forced to cast a provisional ballot–ballots which are often not even counted.

Tell the Justice Department to strike down Florida’s voter suppression legislation. This law simply makes it harder to register to vote, it makes it harder to vote, and it makes it harder to have your vote counted.

We call on the U.S. Department of Justice to review and reject Florida’s new anti-voter law.”

Sign the petition.

Petition Against Anti-Choice Bills

Progress Florida has a petition against Florida Senate anti-choice abortion bills SB 1744 and 1770.

We need your help! Right now in Florida, anti-choice lawmakers are dangerously close to taking medicine out of the hands of the doctors and placing it firmly in the hands of the government by mandating an ultrasound be performed prior to an abortion (HB 1127/SB 1744); and making it harder for a teen to obtain a judicial bypass by lengthening the time a judge has to determine whether a minor is sufficiently mature, by close to three weeks (HB 1247/SB 1770).

Please send a message to your Senator and tell them to vote NO on these attacks on women’s health.

It's been a long, grueling fight to protect women's health, and supporters like you have been standing strong every step of the way. Now, let's show these Senators, the media, and the whole state how determined we are to protect women’s access to reproductive health care. Email your Senator tonight using the easy form below to express your outrage that they have placed these bills on the agenda and urge them to vote NO!

Make your voices heard.

Daily Kos No Tax Deal Petition

Daily Kos is running a petition urging Democrats in Congress not to support extending the tax cuts for those making over $250,000-a-year.

We cannot support the deal to extend the Bush tax cuts for millionaires. Thank you, Senator Sanders and Representative Welch, for staying in the fight against any extension of the Bush tax cuts for millionaires. Keep it up!

Sen> Bernie Sanders has threatened to block passage of the tax cut deal struck between President Barack Obama and Republicans. Here is Sanders' contact page.

Moveon.org is also running a petition.

Update: Sen. Sanders released this statement.

In my view, it is a moral outrage that at a time when this country has a $13.8 trillion national debt, a collapsing middle class and a growing gap between the very rich and everybody else that the Republicans would deny extended unemployment benefits to 2 million workers who are desperately struggling to pay their bills and maintain their dignity. It is also beyond comprehension that the Republicans would hold hostage the entire middle class of this country so that millionaires and billionaires would receive huge tax breaks. In my view, that is not what this country is about and it is not what the American people want to see. Our job is to save the disappearing middle class, not lower taxes for people who are already extraordinarily wealthy and increase the national debt that our children and grandchildren would have to pay.

The immediate political task in front of us is to rally the American people so that in the next several weeks we can find at least a few Republicans who will join us in saying no to increasing the deficit by giving tax breaks to the wealthy and no to holding the unemployed and the middle class hostage.

I believe that we have the American people on our side on this issue. My office, and I come from a small state, has received more than 600 calls today, 99 percent of them in opposition to this so-called compromise that the president negotiated with the Republicans.

I will do everything in my power to stand up for the American middle class and defeat this agreement.

Exile From 30 Rock

Keith Olbermann fired off this tweet thanking his supporters. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee has an online petition to get Olbermann back on-the-air.

Another Good Sink Ad

Alex Sink has an online petition to have Rick Scott debate her. What is more interesting is the ad the Sink campaign is running. The ad presents Sink as the candidate who wants to debate and talk about real issues. As GOP strategist Frank Luntz said, "If ads are any impact on the campaign, and we know that they are, she's running the best statewide campaign of any of the candidates."



Sink presents herself as the serious candidate and makes hints at Scott's primary campaign. Scott ran a nasty campaign against Bill McCollum. Scott accused McCollum of supporting pro-abortion groups and being a suporters of Jim Greer. Sink is attacking Scott's negatives without directly mentioning the primary. Sink is staying above the fray while attack Scott for being an unserious candidate. Sink can beat Scott if she keeps running smart TV and online ads.

Bill Nelson Offshore Drilling Petition

Sen. Bill Nelson has a petition to help maintain the ban against drilling for oil off the coast of Florida. Nelson will deliver the petition to the Florida legislature.

The debate over the safety of offshore drilling is over. The spill from the Deepwater Horizon has ended it. Now, we must act quickly and decisively to make sure Big Oil isn't successful in putting rigs off Florida.

The Florida Legislature needs to go into special session and put a constitutional amendment with a permanent ban on the ballot this fall. It's the best way to make sure drilling isn't allowed in state waters, which are three miles to ten miles off shore.

Make your voice heard and help build support for amending Florida's constitution to prohibit any drilling off Florida by signing our petition today.

Sign the petition.

New NARAL Ad

NARAL has launched an 30 second ad urging voters to voice their dissent against the anti-abortion Stupak-Pitts amendment in the House health care bill. There is a petition pro-choice voters can sign. The signatures will be delivered to Democratic Senators.

RedState.con v. Crist

RedState.com is running an online petition against Gov. Charlie Crist and the NRSC. It is so much fun watching conservatives self-destruct.

We pledge that we will give no funds or other support to the NRSC and will reach out to NRSC donors to encourage them to withhold giving funds until the NRSC publicly pledges that it will expend zeros resources either directly or indirectly to help Charlie Crist win the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in Florida.

The Right does not have it's own version of the netroots. RedState.com is not (and likely never will be) the right-wing version of Daily Kos. This will not intimidate Crist or NRSC Chairman John Cornyn.

Peter Schorsch wrote that Crist leads Marco Rubio 53 percent to 18 percent in the latest Mason Dixon poll. Cornyn said, "Gov. Crist is the strongest candidate that will enable us to hold the seat." NRSC is in the business of winning elections. Cornyn isn't confident Rubio can beat Kendrick Meek or Dan Gelber in the general election. I would love to see the NRSC internal polling on Rubio. (That is a hint for someone to leak it to me.)

Side note: Why is Rubio so obsessed with running against Crist? Bill McCollum is a weak candidate. Rubio could beat McCollum in the primary and give Republicans a better chance against Sink. That is the best bet for keeping the Governor's mansion and Martinez's Senate seat. Republicans are more concerned with appeasing their dwindling base then winning elections. Democrats have a 600,000 voter registration advantage in Florida. The 2008 election shifted Florida Hispanics to the Democratic Party. Hard Right Republicans decide the best course of action is to call Hispanic Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor a racist. That is not building a big tent. That is political suicide.

USF Diabetes Research

Jim Johnson is asking people to become a supporter to USF diabetes research. You don't have to donate money. All you have to do is sign the petition. The goal of the petition is to raise awareness about diabetes and USF's research program.

Jim is asking people to forward the petition and help raise awareness. The goal is getting "friends" for USF's research program. The petition's purpose isn't for fundraising. So sign the petion.

Fair Districts in Florida

FairDistrictsFlorida.org is running a petition urging Floridians to end gerrymandering of districts.

FairDistrictsFlorida.org aims to bring fairness to redistricting and give voters a real voice in choosing their representatives.

We can amend the Florida Constitution to make the legislature follow fairness standards in redistricting.

We need over 1.2 million voters to sign petitions.

Get active! Sign the petitions! Get others to sign! Volunteer and Contribute!

Click here to join the FairDistrictsFlorida.org team!

The establishment of districts was written into the 14th amendment. Section 2 states "representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers." The 14th amendment leaves districting up to the states. Unfortunately, the political party controlling state legislatures have use redistricting for partisan gain.

Tom Delay orchestrated a redistricting coup. Texas district lines were redrawn in 2000. The district lines won't due to be redrawn again until the next census. Delay wanted to change the advantage Democrats had in House of Representatives seats. Democrats in the Texas legislature protested and fled the state.

Delay eventually was able to redistrict. The Supreme Court case League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry found District 23 violated section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The district had to be redrawn.

Barack Obama won Florida. The Democrats did make pick up a seat in the Florida legislature. The current districts are a joke. The best solution is to have the districts drawn by computer. Pols can't be trusted to put voter rights above partisan gain.

The End of Lieberman

Senator Joe Lieberman hints he will caucas with the Senate Republicans. Lieberman talks about being against partisanship. Lieberman has freely attacked Democrats since the start of the Iraq war. Lieberman is now paying the price for going against his caucas.

Bolstered by a newly expanded majority, Harry Reid met with Joe Lieberman on Thursday to sketch out the conditions by which the Connecticut independent could continue to caucus with Senate Democrats. But Lieberman did not accept Reid's initial offers, leaving his future in the caucus uncertain, and potentially setting off a campaign to pressure the Democratic steering committee to decide Lieberman's fate.

Reid offered Lieberman a deal to step down as chairman of the homeland security committee but take over the reins of another subcommittee, likely overseeing economic or small business issues officials said.

Lieberman's political instincts have been horrible. He was the only Senate Democrat to be openly friendly to President Bush's Social Security privatization plan. Both parties expected Republicans to lose Senate seats. Lieberman seems surprised that Reid is contemplating removing him from the caucas.

Firedoglake is running a petition asking the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee to remove Lieberman as chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee. Lieberman practiced his own brand of partisanship, at the expense of Katrina victims.

In a statement released by Leslie Phillips who is Senator Joe Lieberman’s chief committee spokeswoman and as reported by Newsweek she stated, “The senator now intends to focus his attention on the future security of the American people and other matters and does not expect to revisit the White House’s role in Katrina,”

Lieberman aligned himself with a highly unpopular President. There is no way he can not escape the political consequences.

No Blank Check Paulson Petition

Litbrit sent me this petition urging citizens to tell Congress not to give Henry Paulson his requested power in the bailout, without oversight.

Congress is on the brink of making a one-sided deal to give George W. Bush a blank check to bail out his pals - offering nearly (or perhaps more than) a trillion taxpayer dollars to Wall Street to cover its bad debts. That works out to somewhere between $2000 and $5000 from every American family. So what do the taxpayers get in return?

Nothing. No new regulation or oversight to help avoid this kind of crisis in the future. No public interest givebacks to help people whose homes are in the hands of the banks. Perhaps most shockingly of all, the taxpayers get absolutely no share in the profits if and when these finance giants bounce back, even though we are now assuming a great deal of the risk.

The taypayers are going to lose money on the bailout. With or without oversight. The other option is letting the mortgage industry collapse. Recouping tax dollars from selling high-risk illiquid assets is unlikely. Times like these makes me wish I was running an entertainment gossip blog.

Sign the petition

NARAL Petition

NARAL has an online petition urging Congress to support women's reproductive rights.

Call on your lawmaker to continue standing firm for these important initiatives:

Fix the birth-control price crisis. Congress must bring down the price of birth control to $5 or $10 instead of $50 or more for students and low-income women.

Improve women’s health by increasing funds for the federal family-planning program.

Cut taxpayer spending on fraudulent “abstinence-only” programs.

Take action! Fill out the form to the left and customize the message we’ve provided for you below.

Sign the petition.

Making All Votes Counts

Common Cause is asking Florida voters to write a letter to state representative to have all votes hand-counted. My advise is write your own letter or email. Politicians tend to ignore form letters.

The Florida legislature bills SB 2544 and HB 1521 would make hand-counting ballots mandatory. This is a good idea. Considering how bad Florida has screwed up recent elections.

Hat tip to Meowmissy.

Petition to Harry Reid

Sign this petition telling Harry Reid that lawbreaking telecommunications companies should not be given retroactive immunity. Check out the lefty bloggers behind the petition.

Glenn Greenwald, Salon
Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake
Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, Dailykos
Christy Hardin Smith, Firedoglake
Matt Stoller, OpenLeft
Digby, Hullabaloo
Taylor Marsh, TaylorMarsh.com
Duncan Black, Atrios
John Aravosis, Americablog
Chris Bowers, OpenLeft
John Amato, Crooks and Liars
Howie Klein, DownWithTyranny
Jonathan Singer, MyDD
Joan McCarter, Dailykos

Sign the petition.