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20080123

Stephen Colbert - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Civil Rights - History - Humor - - Writers - Union - Entertainment - Song - Religion - Medical - University - South Carolina - Business - 2008 Election - Politics - "Colbert's Civil Rights MLK Day Writer's Strike-Busting Writerless Show — In Song." ... "[Stephen Colbert,] After paying his respects to Monday's debate and busting out a pretty darn good Tom Cruise imitation, Colbert made a segue which, in retrospect, was brilliant: Moving from [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama's bickering over who loved Reagan more to the evidence provided by Tom Brokaw's book, Boom! Voices of the Sixties, which, in addition to quoting Hillary Clinton discussing how [former Republican President] Ronald Reagan finessed the balance of his role "beautifully" on page 404, contains an early segment devoted to the Reverend Andrew Young, the "last surviving member of Martin Luther King's inner circle at the Southern Christian Leadership Council," and lifelong, steadfast civil rights activist. Colbert got to that — eventually — after first introducing a documentary-style segment (in the style of Brokaw's "1968" documentary, complete with soundtrack) about the Charleston Hospital workers union strike of 1969, which was settled by the young, er, Young, who negotiated with a vice president of the associated Medical University of South Carolina — "the only administrator willing to meet with Young was the newly-appointed vice-president of the medical college, who had taken up the position just days before the strike was called." The two worked behind the scenes to finally end the strike — and on the hundredth day, they came to an agreement, awarding raises to the striking workers." ... "That administrator? James Colbert — Stephen's father." -By Rachel Sklar -HuffingtonPost.com

Watch Colbert Report:

"A-It's All About Stephen."

"B-Interview - Ambassador Andrew Young."

"C-Let My People Go."

John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - South Carolina - Economic - Family - Farmers - Jobs - Internet - 2008 Election - "Edwards jabs Clinton for leaving SC." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said South Carolina voters should question [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Rodham Clinton's commitment to the state since she left in the run-up to the state's primary." ... ""After the debate, she flew out and she's been gone and she won't be back until I don't know - later in the week or until primary day," Edwards told a crowd of about 150 people in this small city on Wednesday. "What are the chances she's coming back when she's president of the United States?"" ... "A South Carolina native and son of a mill worker, he stresses themes focused on the middle class and an economic plan that would bring help to family farmers, and jobs and broadband Internet connections to rural areas." -By Susanne M. Schafer -AssociatedPress
Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - South Carolina - Radio - Ads - Economic - Jobs - 2008 Election - Illinois - "Clinton, Obama take war of words to airwaves." ... "Three days ahead of South Carolina's Democratic presidential primary, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton aired a radio ad here ridiculing [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama's recent comments about Republican ideas." ... ""Aren't those the ideas that got us into the economic mess we're in today?" the ad's narrator asks." ... "Obama, an Illinois senator who would be the first black U.S. [United States] president, responded later in the day with his own radio ad bluntly confronting Clinton." ... ""Hillary Clinton will say anything to get elected," the narrator of Obama's ad says. "She'll say anything and change nothing."" ... ""Now she's making false attacks on Barack Obama," the ad's narrator says." ... ""She championed NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), even though it has cost South Carolina thousands of jobs. And worst of all, it was Hillary Clinton who voted for [Republican President] George Bush's war in Iraq."" (1, 2, 3) -By John Whitesides with contributions by Stuart Grudgings -Reuters
Iraq - Law - Politics - Jobs - Teachers - People - Police - Government - Military - History - US - "Iraq's New Law on Ex-Baathists Could Bring Another Purge." ... "Maj. Gen. [Major General] Hussein al-Awadi, a former official in Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, became the commander of the Iraqi National Police despite a 2003 law barring the party from government." ... "But now, under new legislation promoted as way to return former Baathists to public life, the 56-year-old and thousands like him could be forced out of jobs they have been allowed to hold, according to Iraqi lawmakers and the government agency that oversees ex-Baathists." ... ""This new law is very confusing," Awadi said. "I don't really know what it means for me."" ... "He is not alone. More than a dozen Iraqi lawmakers, U.S. [United States] officials and former Baathists here and in exile expressed concern in interviews that the law could set off a new purge of ex-Baathists, the opposite of U.S. hopes for the legislation. " ... "The very first decree of the U.S.-led occupation government was to disband the Baath Party and purge its members from the government. Issued May 16, 2003, Coalition Provisional Authority Order No. 1 also banned the top four ranks of the Baath Party from public-sector jobs." ... "U.S. officials believed the order would remove about 20,000 Baathists, or 1 percent of the 2 million people in Iraq said to be party members, according to L. Paul Bremer, then the occupation administrator." ... "He blamed the Iraqi politicians who oversaw the de-Baathification process in mid-2003 for going beyond the intention of the order and purging thousands of additional people, including about 11,000 teachers." ... "The Iraqis tell a different story. According to Ali Faisal al-Lami, executive director of the de-Baathification commission, Bremer's order pushed 140,000 Iraqis out of their jobs." (1, 2, 3, 4) -By Amit R. Paley and Joshua Partlow -WashingtonPost

20080122

John Edwards - South Carolina - Workers - Economy - 2008 Election - Health-Care - Kids - Education - "Edwards gets union support, details $1.5B plan for SC." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Tuesday won the endorsement of one of South Carolina's largest unions [the Communications Workers of America] as he gave details of an economic plan his campaign said would offer his native state's struggling economy $1.5 billion in relief." ... ""Our country is no longer on the brink of a recession. I think we're in one," Edwards said during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, a day after a testy debate between the Democratic candidates." ... ""I was proud to represent the grown-up wing of the Democratic Party," he told the cheering crowd." ... ""When all those kinds of personal attacks are going on, it doesn't do a thing to help somebody get health care who doesn't have it," Edwards said. "It doesn't do a thing to help our kids get the education they need. We have work to do in this country."" ... ""There's a disconnect between Washington and the government paying attention to what's happening in real people's lives, as opposed to just paying attention to what's happening on Wall Street," he said." ... ""You watch what [Republican President] George Bush does he just waits and waits and waits and then by the time the water's coming in like a flood, he responds, which is exactly what he's done about the economy," Edwards said. "A month ago I said we had to do something about this and still be he waited and waited."" -By Bruce Smith with contributions by Jim Davenport -AP via-AJC
US - World - Housing - Labor - History - "Fed cuts rates sharply, other central banks under pressure to follow." ... "The Federal Reserve made a surprise cut in US [United States] interest rates, slashing its Fed funds rate target by 0.75 percentage points to 3.50 pct [percent] amid growing fears of a US recession and steep falls on world stock markets." ... "It said the rate cut had been decided 'in view of a weakening of the economic outlook and increasing downside risks to growth'." ... "The Fed funds rate cut was the first between regular meetings since Sept 2001 and the biggest easing move since the 1980's." ... "The Fed also cut its discount rate by the same margin to 4.00 pct." ... "Even with these rate cuts, the Fed said 'appreciable downside risks to growth remain' and added that it will 'act in a timely manner as needed to address those risks'." ... "'While strains in short-term funding markets have eased somewhat, broader financial market conditions have continued to deteriorate and credit has tightened further for some businesses and households,' it said." ... "The Federal Open Market Committee also said it saw a 'deepening of the housing contraction as well as some softening in labour markets'." ... "The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 465 points at the start of the session but later recovered to a post a loss of around 200 points." -Thomson via -CNN

20080121

John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - 2008 Election - Economics - Workers - Energy - Poverty - Racial- Politics - "Edwards Excels in Ferocious Democratic Debate." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate John] Edwards tweaked both his opponents for making the debate about political squabbling instead of public policy. Returning to his populist economic platform -- especially salient as Americans ponder a recession -- he reminded voters that he was the only candidate to outline a comprehensive plan to end poverty, and the first to introduce a national economic stimulus proposal. His plan came out weeks before [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama. The program drove the "party's policy agenda," as Paul Krugman explained, by advocating "aid to unemployed workers, aid to cash-strapped state and local governments," and alternative energy, (most of which Clinton later adopted in her plan). And while the debate moderators kept pushing trite racial questions, even asking Obama if Bill Clinton was the "first black president," Edwards outlined a vision of racial and economic equality, where "every American is of equal value."" -By Ari Melber -TheNation.com

20080117

John Edwards - Education - Health Care - Working - People - Money - 2008 Election - California - "With dig at Schwarzenegger, John Edwards campaigns in Calif.." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards accused [Republican California Governor] Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Thursday of trying to gut education and health care programs at a campaign rally where he also promised to usher in a new era of prosperity for working-class America." ... "The Democratic presidential candidate expressed disbelief that the Republican governor was taking aim at schools and the sick when more investment is needed, not less. Schwarzenegger's spending blueprint calls for 10 percent cuts to most state agencies and would slash classroom funding by hundreds of dollars per student." ... ""The last thing that needs to happen ... is to have any of the funding that is necessary to provide health care for Californians cut. That funding needs to be there," Edwards said." ... ""We should not be cutting funding for K-through-12 education," he added. "Who in the world in America thinks we have too much money invested in public education? This makes absolutely no sense."" -By Michael R. Blood -AP via -SFGate.com
Hillary Clinton - John Edwards - Barack Obama - Race - Language - Radio - Ads - Nevada - Union - Money - 2008 Election - Iowa - North Carolina - "Clinton, Edwards campaigns blast radio ads backing Obama." ... "The campaigns of [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidates] Hillary Clinton and John Edwards took aim at [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama Thursday over radio ads in Nevada funded by a third-party group that is backing his candidacy." ... "The buy is allegedly being funded by the Unite Here Campaign Committee on behalf of the Culinary Workers Union, which has endorsed Obama." ... "On a conference call with reporters late this afternoon, Hispanic supporters of Clinton’s presidential candidacy criticized the union for incorrectly implying that “Si Se Puede” – a slogan associated with the late activist Cesar Chavez – was also the Obama campaign’s official slogan." ... "John Edwards was criticized by Obama in Iowa for not calling an independent group that supported the former North Carolina senator to demand they pull ads they were running in support of his candidacy. “When Sen. Obama says ‘turn the page,’ he obviously means turn to whatever page is most convenient. He loudly and repeatedly attacked independent ads by unions in Iowa as the product of special interests,” said Edwards Deputy Campaign Manager Jonathan Prince." ... "“But when a different outside group starts running ads on his behalf in Nevada, there's not a peep from him or his campaign. It must be because he's burning up the phone lines calling the head of Unite Here personally to demand he pulls the ads down right away.”" -By Rebecca Sinderbrand -CNN
John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Money - Drug - Oil - 2008 Election - Health - Home - Law - Union- Nevada - "Edwards sharpens criticism of Clinton, Obama." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards sharpened his criticism of Democratic [2008 Election Presidential Candidate] front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama Thursday night, saying they are helping turn the party into the champion of special interests." ... "“When did our party change? When did we become the party that took more money from drug companies and insurance companies than the Republicans?” Edwards asked." ... "“Not when I'm president of the United States” he told hundreds of supporters who jammed a Reno [Nevada] union hall Thursday night." ... "“The person who raised the most money from oil and gas companies is not a Republican. It's a Democrat. It's [Senator] Sen. Clinton,” Edwards said." ... "The party's 2004 vice presidential candidate said the contributions make his primary opponents beholden to big corporations, causing them to compromise on such things as health care reform and [home] mortgage foreclosures." ... "“You can't take these people's money and challenge them and fight them in a way that is going to be necessary to bring about change,” Edwards said." ... "“We desperately need universal health care for every man, woman and child in this country. Sen. Obama's plan is not universal. It leaves as many as 15 million Americans uncovered,” he said." ... "Edwards said he supports Clinton's call to freeze interest rates for five years and place a moratorium on [home] foreclosures for 90 days but “we have to do more than that.”" ... "“What she has not called for, because the mortgage lending industry is against it, is allowing the bankruptcy court to restructure these loans. We need to give the bankruptcy court the power to restructure these loans,” he said. " -By Scott Sonner with contributions by Ryan Nakashima -AP via -SignOnSanDiego.com
John Edwards - Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - 2008 Election - Working - People - History - Companies - Environment - Law - Nevada - "Edwards Jabs Obama and Clinton." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards ripped [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama [made in Nevada] for praising the way [Republican President] Ronald Reagan brought about change when he was President of the United States." ... "“When you think about what Ronald Reagan did to the American people, to the middle class to the working people,” said Edwards." ... "“He was openly – openly – intolerant of unions and the right to organize. He openly fought against the union and the organized labor movement in this country. He openly did extraordinary damage to the middle class and working people, created a tax structure that favored the very wealthiest Americans and caused the middle class and working people to struggle every single day. The destruction of the environment, you know, eliminating regulation of companies that were polluting and doing extraordinary damage to the environment.”" ... "“I can promise you this: this president will never use Ronald Reagan as an example for change.”" ... "Edwards also took another shot at Obama earlier in his speech:" ... "“There’s this back and forth that’s been going over the last 24 hours or so between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama, with Senator Clinton saying what we need in a president is somebody who knows how to run the bureaucracy, who knows how to manage, somebody who knows how to shuffle the papers around and Senator Obama saying no, what we really need is a President of the United States who knows how to give a good speech,” said Edwards. “Here’s what I think, I think what we need in the next President of the United States is somebody with some guts and fight and determination.["]" -By Aaron Lewis -CBSNews

20080116

Consumer - Accounting - History - Labor - Food - Health - Gasoline - Politics - "New inflation data explain middle-class squeeze." ... "New data from the Labor Department confirm what most middle-class Americans already know: Inflation is squeezing them." ... "As consumer prices rose by 4.1 percent last year, the highest rate since 1990, the prices of basic essentials such as food, gasoline and health insurance climbed far more steeply, explaining why so many Americans are telling pollsters that the economy is their chief concern." ... "The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that the price of food and beverages rose 4.8 percent. At the same time, real weekly earnings failed to keep pace, rising 0.9 percent for the year. In the simplest of terms, a dollar earned bought less." ... "Digging deeper into the data reveals, for example, that the price of bread rose 7.4 percent last year, almost twice the rate of inflation." ... "The price of eggs rose 29.2 percent in 2007, while the price of fresh whole milk was up 13.1 percent. Since July, when milk prices first soared, the price of fresh whole milk has risen by almost 23 percent." ... "The price of health insurance, another major political-campaign theme, rose by 10.1 percent last year." ... "Gasoline prices rose 8.2 percent on average last year, the slowest rate of growth since 2002. But pump prices began climbing anew in October and for the last quarter of 2007 average prices rose by just more than 30 percent." -By Kevin G. Hall -McClatchyDC.com

20080115

John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - South Carolina - American - Jobs - Overseas - Trade - 2008 Election - "Edwards draws direct contrasts with rivals." ... "The four 10-second spots [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate's new TV ads], which begin airing today in South Carolina, each show photos of [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama while the announcer poses a question. In one, the query is: "Which Democrat opposed NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement] and other trade deals that send American jobs overseas?" In the second, "Which Democrat has never taken a dime of campaign money from Washington lobbyists?" In the third, "Who’s the only Democrat who would ban Washington lobbyists from the White House staff?" And in the fourth, "Who’s the only Democrat that beats all the Republicans in the recent CNN poll?"" ... "They all end with, "John Edwards is the only one."" -By Foon Rhee -BostonGlobe

20080114

John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Government - Economy - Workers - Families - Alternative Energy - Consumer - 2008 Election - "Responding to Recession." ... "On the Democratic side, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards, although never the front-runner, has been driving his party’s policy agenda. He’s done it again on economic stimulus: last month, before the economic consensus turned as negative as it now has, he proposed a stimulus package including aid to unemployed workers, aid to cash-strapped state and local governments, public investment in alternative energy, and other measures." ... "Last week [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton offered a broadly similar but somewhat larger proposal. (It also includes aid to families having trouble paying heating bills, which seems like a clever way to put cash in the hands of people likely to spend it.) The Edwards and Clinton proposals both contain provisions for bigger stimulus if the economy worsens." ... "And you have to say that Mrs. Clinton seems comfortable with and knowledgeable about economic policy. I’m sure the Hillary-haters will find some reason that’s a bad thing, but there’s something to be said for presidents who know what they’re talking about." ... "The [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama campaign’s initial response to the latest wave of bad economic news was, I’m sorry to say, disreputable: Mr. Obama’s top economic adviser claimed that the long-term tax-cut plan the candidate announced months ago is just what we need to keep the slump from “morphing into a drastic decline in consumer spending.” Hmm: claiming that the candidate is all-seeing, and that a tax cut originally proposed for other reasons is also a recession-fighting measure — doesn’t that sound familiar?" ... "Anyway, on Sunday Mr. Obama came out with a real stimulus plan. As was the case with his health care plan, which fell short of universal coverage, his stimulus proposal is similar to those of the other Democratic candidates, but tilted to the right." ... "I know that Mr. Obama’s supporters hate to hear this, but he really is less progressive than his rivals on matters of domestic policy." -By Paul Krugman -NYTimes

20080111

Countrywide Financial Corp - Consumers - Homes - California - Employees - "Mozilo could reap $115 million: The Countrywide [home mortgage corporation] CEO's [Chief Executive Officer's] potential pay if his company is acquired rankles critics." ... "Countrywide Financial Corp. [Corporation] founder Angelo Mozilo, one of the nation's highest-paid chief executives, stands to reap $115 million in severance-related pay if his troubled company is acquired by Bank of America Corp., regulatory filings show." ... "Free rides on the company jet are also included in Mozilo's departure deal, and the company will pick up his country club bills until 2011." ... "Other executives, including Home Depot Inc.'s [Incorporated's] jettisoned CEO, Robert Nardelli, have garnered bigger going-away packages. But critics say Mozilo's arrangement is especially nettlesome given the losses that Countrywide investors have suffered in the last year. Company shares rallied Thursday to $7.75, up $2.63, but that's still down 82% from their high last year." ... ""He has driven the stock price into the ground and the company has been destroyed," [American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees director of pension and benefits policy Richard] Ferlauto said. "Their customers have lost their homes and he is potentially walking away with more than $100 million. For us, that's unconscionable enrichment."" ... "The [Los Angeles] Times reported last year that Mozilo made changes to his stock-trading arrangements that allowed him to ramp up his sales of company stock before Countrywide shares went into a tailspin." ... "Combining those sales with pay and previous gains on the sale of stock, Mozilo has taken more than $650 million out of Countrywide over the course of the last 10 years, Ferlauto said. Add in potential severance payments and the Calabasas[California]-based company would have enriched Mozilo to the tune of three-quarters of a billion dollars." -By Kathy M. Kristof -LAtimes

20080109

Employment - Housing - "Wall Street Is Seeing More Signs Of Recession." ... "Goldman Sachs became the latest Wall Street firm to predict that the U.S. economy will drop into recession this year, saying the Federal Reserve will have to cut interest rates to 2.5 percent by the third quarter as a result." ... ""Over the past few months, we have become increasingly concerned that the US housing and credit market downturn would trigger not just a growth slowdown and substantial Fed easing -- our long-standing view -- but also an outright recession," Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients Wednesday. "The latest data suggest that recession has now arrived, or will very shortly."" ... "The recent rise in unemployment is particularly worrisome, Goldman indicated." ... "Merrill Lynch North American Economist David Rosenberg said the U.S. had entered its first-blown recession in 16 years." -CNBC

20080108

Employment - Oil - Pennsylvania - "Recession in the US 'has arrived': The feared recession in the US economy has already arrived, according to a report from Merrill Lynch." ... "It said that Friday's employment report, which sent shares tumbling worldwide, confirmed that the US is in the first month of a recession." ... "Its view is controversial, with banks such as Lehman Brothers disagreeing." ... "But a reserve member of the committee that sets US rates warned that it could do little about the below-trend growth expected in the next six months." ... ""I am concerned that developments on the inflation front will make the Fed's policy decisions more difficult in 2008," Charles Plosser, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia [Pennsylvania] said." ... "He was referring to the problems faced by the US Federal Reserve, which might want to cut interest rates to avoid a recession, but is worried about inflationary factors such as $100-a-barrel oil." ... "An official ruling on whether the US is in recession is made by the National Bureau of Economic Research, but this decision may not come for two years." ... "Merrill Lynch said that the figures showing the jobless rate hitting 5% in December were the final piece in that puzzle." ... ""According to our analysis, this isn't even a forecast any more but is a present day reality," the report said. " -BBC/News

John Edwards

New Hampshire

2008 Election

Healthcare

Jobs

Poverty

Global

Climate

Environment

"Edwards: Two down, 48 to go." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and former North Carolina Senator] Former Sen. John Edwards painted himself as the candidate of the voiceless Tuesday night after tracking a distant third in the New Hampshire Democratic primary." ... ""We have had too much of voices not being heard," he said to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters. " … That's what this battle is about. It's not about me. It's about the cause of giving voice to all those whose voices are not being heard in this democracy."" ... "Edwards pledged to continue his fight to expand healthcare coverage, to fight global warming, protect the environment, end poverty and create new jobs." ... ""We know what needs to be done," he said. "The only question is whether we have the backbone and the will and the determination to get there.""

-CNN

John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Families - Health-Care - Drug - Corporations - Multinationals - US - Jobs - California - New Hampshire - 2008 Election - "Edwards focuses on health in final campaign push." ... "[2008 Election Democratic President] John Edwards appealed to the emotions of New Hampshire voters in his final campaign push last night by bringing on stage with him three families who had suffered from lack of health care." ... "On a 36-hour non-stop, marathon bus tour round New England, he put health care at the core of his message." ... "At a rally in Elk Lodge, Dover [New Hampshire], he lambasted health insurance firms and drug companies, as well as multinationals who have transferred US jobs overseas. "The powerful interests in Washington have an iron-clad clasp on your democracy," he said." ... "The families with him included a mother, Hilda Sarkisyan, whose 17-year-old daughter Natalie died from cancer on December 20 in California after an insurance company failed to pay up for a liver transplant that could have saved her." ... "Edwards said: "This should never happen in the United States of America. Things have to change."" ... "Hillary Clinton's team accused him of exploiting the families. Edwards, who has been outspoken in criticism of Clinton, retorted that the Clinton campaign had "no conscience"." -By Ewen MacAskill -Guardian.co.uk
Corporate Money - Politics - Ads - 2008 Election - 2004 Election - Workers - Homes - John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Mike Huckabee - North Carolina - New York - Illinois - Arkansas - Iowa - US - Consumer - Litigation - Globalization - "Chamber of Commerce vows to punish anti-business candidates: The group indicates it will spend in excess of the approximately $60 million it put out in the last [2004 Election] presidential cycle." ... "Alarmed at the increasingly populist tone of the 2008 [Election] political campaign, the president of the U.S. [United States] Chamber of Commerce is set to issue a fiery promise to spend millions of dollars to defeat candidates deemed to be anti-business." ... ""We plan to build a grass-roots business organization so strong that when it bites you in the butt, you bleed," chamber President Tom Donohue said." ... "The warning from the nation's largest trade association came against a background of mounting popular concern over the condition of the economy. A weak record of job creation, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, declining home values and other problems have all helped make the economy a major campaign issue." ... "Presidential candidates in particular have responded to the public concern. Former [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Senator] Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina has been the bluntest populist voice, but other front-running Democrats, including [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Senator] Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Senator] Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, have also called for change on behalf of middle-class voters." ... "On the Republican side, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and] former Arkansas Gov. [Governor] Mike Huckabee -- emerging as an unexpected front-runner after winning the Iowa caucuses -- has used populist themes in his effort to woo independent voters, blasting bonus pay for corporate chief executives and the effect of unfettered globalization on workers." ... "Reacting to what it sees as a potentially hostile political climate, Donohue said, the chamber will seek to punish candidates who target business interests with their rhetoric or policy proposals, including congressional and state-level candidates." ... "In advance of today's news conference, Donohue told The Times of his plans to be active in 140 congressional districts this year, as well as the presidential contest." ... "At the state level, Donohue said his organization would be active in nearly four dozen contests for attorney general and state supreme courts. Both state courts and attorneys general are involved in decisions affecting business, including consumer protection and a wide range of litigation." ... "Under Donohue, the organization has also frequently aligned itself with GOP [Grand Old Party=Republican] priorities." ... "Under a system Donohue pioneered, corporations contribute money to the chamber, which then finances attack ads targeting individual candidates without revealing the name of the businesses involved in the ads." -By Tom Hamburger -LAtimes

20080107

John Edwards - New Hampshire - Iowa - North Carolina - California - Teenager - Health - Company - Drug - Christmas - Working - People - 2008 Election - "Underdog Edwards says he won't give up the fight for the White House." ... "The former senator from North Carolina [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate John Edwards] sought to bring added emotional wallop to his message before Tuesday's primary by campaigning with the family of a Northridge [California] teenager who died after her insurance company delayed approval for a liver transplant." ... "The newest participants in the Edwards campaign were the Sarkisyans of the San Fernando Valley [California], whose 17-year-old daughter, Nataline, died just before Christmas of complications from leukemia. After much debate, the family's insurance company had approved a liver transplant, but she died hours later." ... ""When I talk about what insurance companies and drug companies are doing to America, this is what I mean," Edwards said to a crowd of about 500 in Manchester [New Hampshire], where some were moved to tears by the family's story. "This has real effects on real people's lives."" ... "Grigor Sarkisyan told the audience how he had promised to buy his daughter a white car after she got out of the hospital, but had to buy a white coffin instead. He said he thought he had done everything he was supposed to as a father: working hard, supporting his family and buying health insurance he thought would take care of them if they got sick." ... "His wife, Hilda Sarkisyan, had heard Edwards' speech Thursday after his second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and called the candidate's campaign. The family arrived in New Hampshire on Sunday morning." ... "The couple urged voters to support Edwards, saying he is the lone candidate who will fight for Americans against such powerful interests as insurance companies." ... ""They cannot tell us who's going to live and who's going to die," Hilda Sarkisyan said." -By Seema Mehta and James Rainey -LAtimes

20080105

John Edwards - Barack Obama - Politics - 2008 Election - 2004 Election - Iowa - New Hampshire - Working - People - Investment - Civil Rights - Lawyer - Drug - Oil - "Obama borrows from Edwards." ... "After beating [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards in Iowa on Thursday, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama has decided to join him -- repeatedly poaching his opponent's themes, language, and even jokes." ... ""We shouldn't just be respecting wealth in this country -- we should be respecting work," Obama told an overflow crowd in a [New Hampshire] high-school gym today." ... "Edwards's 2004 presidential campaign was centered around the idea that the [Republican President] Bush administration had launched a "war on work" through tax cuts that offer incentives for investment over labor. "Hard work should be valued in this country, so we're going to reward work, not just wealth," Edwards said in accepting his party’s vice-presidential nomination at the Democratic’ convention in Boston. In this campaign, he has sharpened his populist rhetoric, railing against greedy corporate CEOs who are waging war on working people and the middle class." ... "Since arriving in New Hampshire Friday, Obama has borrowed Edwards's favorite verb by bragging that he had "fought" as a community organizer and civil rights lawyer, and conceding that "insurance companies and drug companies will not give up their profits" -- which Edwards asserts repeatedly to ridicule Obama's talk of conciliation. Obama repeatedly invoked those interests, as well as "big oil and big insurance," common villains in Edwards speeches." -By Sasha Issenberg with contributions by Foon Rhee -Boston/Globe

20080104

Entertainment - Television - Writers - Internet - "Actors refuse to cross Golden Globe picket line." ... "The Screen Actors Guild on Friday said nearly all its members will refuse to cross striking writers' picket lines at the upcoming Golden Globe Awards, throwing Hollywood's award season deeper into doubt." ... "The Writers Guild of America, which represents the writers, also has barred its members from writing for the Oscars, but SAG's Friday announcement pertained only to the Golden Globe Awards." ... "Some 10,500 WGA members went on strike against major U.S. film studios and television networks in early November over issues that included increased fees for their work when it appears on DVDs and on the Internet." ... "Talk show host David Letterman reached its own "interim agreement" with the WGA that allowed "The Late Show with David Letterman" to return to the air with WGA working writers because Letterman's company, Worldwide Pants, is an independent producer." (1, 2) -By Bob Tourtellotte -Reuters
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