Environmentalists for Biden

Tune In ! - VP-Elect Joe Biden on ABC-TV's "This Week" Sunday Dec. 21

Erin Medlicott — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:18:01 EST

This Sunday, December 21: Vice President-Elect Joe Biden is a guest on ABC-TV's "This Sunday With George Stephanopoulous."

This will be VP-Elect Biden's first interview with "This Week" since the November election. He will discuss issues, priorities, White House Cabinet appointments and budgets under the Obama-Biden Administration, his reactions to an auto bailout and a new economic stimulus package, and his upcoming inauguration celebration on January 20, 2009.

"This Week" airs Sunday on local ABC channels throughout the United States. In the New York City area, it airs at 10:00 am ET. Here are some other cities with "This Week" local air times:

Los Angeles, 8:00 am
San Francisco, 8:00 am
Boston, 9:00 am
Chicago, 9:30 am
Houston, 10:00 am
Washington DC, 10:00 am
Detroit, 10:30 am
Philadelphia, 10:30 am
Atlanta, 11:00 am

VP-Elect Biden Chooses Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens To Swear Him In

Erin Medlicott — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:45:33 EST

According to The Legal Times, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, the oldest and longest-serving justice on the Supreme Court, will swear in VP-Elect Joseph Biden as Vice President next month on Innauguration Day.

Vigorous and sharp at 88, he has served on the court for 32 years. In criminal-law and death-penalty cases, Stevens has voted against the government and in favor of the individual more frequently than any other sitting justice.

He files more dissents and separate opinions than any of his colleagues. He is the court's most outspoken defender of the need for judicial oversight of executive power. And in recent years, he has written majority opinions in two of the most important cases ruling against the Bush Administration's treatment of suspected enemy combatants in the war on terror -- an issue the court is revisiting this term when it hears appeals by Guantánamo detainees, challenging their lack of access to federal courts.

Justice Stevens was named to the Court in 1975 by President Gerald Ford. It is rare for a Vice President to be sworn in by a justice appointed by a president of the opposite party, so Vp-Elect Biden's choice to have Stevens swear him in can be seen as a bipartisan gesture -- though Justice Stevens is usually regarded as one of the most liberal justices on the Court.

According to family members and former law clerks, Justice Stevens still writes the first draft of his opinions. He uses the Internet, studied French before a recent vacation in Europe, and has become hooked on Sudoku number puzzles.

In addition, Stevens he has survived prostate cancer and had a bypass heart operation in the 1970s. Since then he has followed a low-fat diet, eating only a grapefruit for lunch.

Del. Gov. Ruth Ann Minner Announces VP-Elect Biden's Senate Replacement

Erin Medlicott — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:13:53 EST

Gov. Ruth Ann Minner has named a longtime aide to Sen. Joe Biden to fill the U.S. Senate seat Biden will be vacating for the vice presidency.

At a news conference in Wilmington this afternoon, Gov. Minner said she would appoint Ted Kaufman to fill the vacancy.

Edward E. "Ted" Kaufman is a member of the advisory board of the Obama-Biden Transition project and Co-Chair of Vice-President Biden's transition team.

He was Senior Adviser to Senator Biden on the Obama Biden Presidential campaign. He has held a senior position in all of Biden's federal campaigns.

He was on Biden's Senate staff from 1973 through 1994, nineteen years as Chief of Staff.

It was not immediately clear if Biden would resign his Senate seat before or after he begins his seventh term in January. However, he must resign before being sworn in Jan. 20 as vice president.

Speculation on Biden's successor had centered in recent weeks on his son, Attorney General Beau Biden. Last week, however, the younger Biden announced that he planned to fulfill his National Guard duties and wouldn't accept an appointment to his father's U.S. Senate seat.

We wish you good luck and much success, Ted!

VP-Elect Joe Biden Names Three New White House Staff

Erin Medlicott — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:19:52 EST

Vice President-Elect Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) has just named three new White House staff positions:

Ms. Cynthia Hogan will be counsel to the newly-elected Vice President. She previously served as Chief Counsel to Senator Biden during his time in the United States Senate, and served as Staff Director of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In 1995 she assisted with the drafting of anti-terrorism legislation.

When she worked for Committee Chairman Sen. Biden, they successfully passed the landmark 1994 Violence Crime and Control Act and the Violence Against Women Act. She also advised him during the Supreme Court nominations process for both Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer.

Mr. Moises V. Vela, Jr. will join the White House staff as Director of Administration to Vice President Biden. From 1996-2000, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Advisor on Hispanic Affairs for Vice President Al Gore. Most recently, Vela was the founder and a partner at The Comunidades Group, a multi-family acquisition and operations company headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

Mr. Biden's wife, Dr. Jill Biden, has named Catherine M. Russell as her new Chief of Staff. Most recently, Ms. Russell served as Chief of Staff to Mrs. Biden during the presidential campaign.

She also worked as a Senior Advisor to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on international women's issues. During the Clinton Administration, she served as Associate Deputy Attorney General.

Senator Biden remarked, "Cathy Russell has a unique blend of policy and management experience, combined with an ardent commitment to ending injustices around the world. Cynthia Hogan is a brilliant lawyer who was instrumental in guiding the Senate Judiciary Committee though some of its most important challenges in both crime control and judicial selection, and has shown incredible legal acumen and integrity over her career. I'm grateful to have Moe Vela, a man with experience in White House management and broad outreach skills on my team."

We wish them the best of luck and much success in their new jobs!

Pres.-Elect Obama Names Eric Holder As U.S. Attorney General

Erin Medlicott — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:56:49 EST

President-elect Barack Obama today named Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. as the next U.S. Attorney General. He has accepted the position, pending a Senate approval.

Mr. Holder will be the first African-American U.S. Attorney General in American history.

He was former Deputy Attorney General of the United States from 1997 to 2001. He also served as Acting Attorney General under President George Bush for a few weeks until the Senate confirmed John Ashcroft as the AG nominee.

Last year Mr. Holder joined Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign as a senior legal advisor. And most recently, he became part of a three-member Vice Presidential selection committee with Caroline Kennedy and Jim Johnson.

He is 57, and married with three children.

VP Elect Joe Biden names chief of staff

Erin Medlicott — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:22:43 EST

VP-Elect Sen. Joe Biden has tapped VP Gore veteran Ron Klain to be his chief of staff.

Earlier in his career, he clerked for Supreme Court Justice Byron White during the Court’s 1987 and 1988 Terms and worked on Capitol Hill, where he was Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Klain had also previously been close to Sen. Biden through his service as counsel to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Committee, when Sen. Biden was its Chairman.

Ron Klain was portrayed by actor Kevin Spacey in the 2008 film "Recount."

Congrats, Mr. Klain - you've got a great new boss!

Election Day: Great profile on Senator Biden in today's New York Times...

Erin Medlicott — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:38:31 EST

There is a great profile on Senator Biden in today's New York Times, "From The Road: Biden's Closing Argument." Here is the link:

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/11/04/politics/fromtheroad/entry4568577.shtml

"...Biden's poll numbers have steadily climbed since he was announced as Obama's running mate, and nearly three quarters of Americans believe he would be prepared to take over the presidency..."

"...This election is not about Barack," Biden said Monday. "It's not about me, it's not about Sarah Palin or John McCain, it's about you and now it's up to you. It's up to you to take back this country."

"It's in your hands. In less than 24 hours, we'll know who the next leader of the free world is and ladies and gentlemen, I know. I know, America knows, that Pennsylvania is going to decide the next President of the United States of America. It's gonna be Barack Obama!"

God bless you, Joe Biden...we're with you, all the way!

Dem VP Nominee Sen Joe Biden Receives Prestigious Award From Pakistan's Pres. Asif Ali Zardari

Erin Medlicott — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:55:38 EDT

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari announced Tuesday government awards for U.S. Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden and Republican Senator Richard Lugar.

Biden and Lugar in July introduced a bipartisan U.S. aid plan which calls for $1.5 billion per year in non-military spending to support economic development in Pakistan.

Zardari had awarded them the "Hilal-i-Pakistan" (Crescent of Pakistan) "in recognition of their consistent support for Pakistan," the government said in a statement.

Pakistan has figured in the U.S. presidential election campaign, with both Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican John McCain speaking of the need for more focus on defeating the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and eradicating al Qaeda from Pakistan's borderlands.

Zardari is the widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in a suicide attack in the city of Rawalpindi on December 27 last year.

Just can not get over how bad Fox news is

NJ member — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:37:22 EDT

I was just watching them for a minute, to see what the enemy was saying on their channel. Every time a Democrat opened their mouth the republican would start talking just so you could not hear the democrat. Completely unchecked by the anchor. It's bad enough that they are openly bias but they use childish tactics as well. Can you say propaganda. They were talking about the religious social conservatives again, talk about a scary group!!! Does not seem to care about anything except matters that do not count. Creationism????? are you kidding me??? Row vs Wade?? Hey republicans didn't you stand for small government that did not trample our rights and stays out of our bedrooms????? What happened???? I may not of liked every Republican policy but used to be able to respect them, now they are scary. Do we really care if gay couples can get insurance together?? I know there is more to it than that but come on. When did these issues start mattering more than our security and economy?

18 Threats to Beluga Whales

Patriotic08 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:38:05 EDT

Listing the Cook Inlet belugas as endangered - federal biologists estimate there are only 375 of the animals left -

Declaring Cook Inlet beluga whales an endangered species - as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration did Friday was only the first step toward protecting them. Now federal biologists are trying to figure out exactly what's endangering them.

The newly released "Conservation Plan for the Cook Inlet Beluga Whale" - a 128-page report compiled by the National Marine Fisheries Service - takes a preliminary stab at the question, listing 18 possible threats to the local whale population.

Five of those threats would pose a "high" risk of jeopardizing the belugas were they to occur, the study says. Among them are two natural dangers: disease and stranding of whales on mud flats.

Three are man-made dangers: whale poaching, food reduction (by damaging salmon habitat or over-fishing) and unnatural noise in the water (such as off-shore drilling, pile-driving in the construction of a Knik Arm bridge or expansion of the Port of Anchorage).

The report also lists as "unknown" the impact on belugas that might result from three man-made dangers: Oil and gas spills, systematic water pollution (including the partially treated sewage Anchorage discharges into Cook Inlet) and environmental change (such as ocean warming).

"Certainly oil and gas development and all in-water activities that might introduce pollutants are a concern," says Fisheries Service biologist Brad Smith, one of the conservation plan authors.

Read the rest of the story and check out the pix of the 18 stranded whales (they're the white whales in the filthy mud flat water):
http://www.adn.com/3246/story/563481.html

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/story/559040.html

2 pix next pg

Evolution of Global Warming According to Palin

Patriotic08 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:52:46 EDT

Sarah Palin's position about the causes of global warming continues to evolve. Last September, she told Newsmax magazine that she doesn't think human behavior is one of the causes of climate change: A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made.

More recently, she hinted that manmade activities may play a role in global warming, telling CBS News' Katie Couric: You know, there are man's activities that can be contributed to the issues that we're dealing with now, with these impacts. I'm not going to solely blame all of man's activities on changes in climate because the world's weather patterns are cyclical and over our history we have seen changes there. But yesterday, Palin was stumped when asked to name a single manmade cause of climate change by reporter Steve Crupi of NBC affiliate News 3 in Las Vegas.

VIDEO: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/22/palin-stumped-when-asked_n_137010.html

Q: I've also heard you hint that you do think there might be some man-made causes that are contributing to this. Can you describe what those are?

PALIN: Right, well what I have said about this is really the debate at some point, had better shift to, no matter the cause, whether it all be attributed to man's activities or just the natural cycle of climate changes in our earth's history. We have seen this before.

Take A Look: Profile of Joe Biden in The New Yorker, Oct. 20 issue

Erin Medlicott — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:13:40 EDT

Take A Look: In-depth VP candidate profile of Senator Joe Biden in Oct. 20th "New Yorker" magazine, see Web link, below:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/10/20/081020fa_fact_lizza?printable=true

The article, by Ryan Lizza, is in "The Political Scene" department, called "Biden's Brief." Here are two paragraphs from the article:

During the primaries, which continued until June, Obama and Biden spoke about twice a week. “He’d call not so much to ask for advice as to bounce things off me,” Biden said as we sat in the tent. “And then when he asked me if I would consider being vetted”â€"possible Vice-Presidential candidates must submit to a personal and financial investigation by the campaignâ€"“I said I’d have to think about it.”

Biden, who has served in the United States Senate for thirty-six years, wasn’t certain that the Vice-Presidency was an improvement over his current position. “I’ve got a job I think matters now, as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee,” he said. “Presumptuous for me to say, but at leastâ€"at a minimumâ€"I’ve been able to influence the direction of the Democratic Party on foreign policy. And I’ve been relativelyâ€"presumptuous to sayâ€"relatively successful legislatively in the Senate, being able to win a lot of Republican friends, and being able to cross the aisle. And so it wasn’t self-evident to me that being Vice-President would be a better jobâ€"you know what I mean?”

Tune In Tonight: Dem VP Nominee Joe Biden with Jay Leno

Erin Medlicott — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:17:12 EDT

Sen. Joe Biden is scheduled to tape two talk show appearances in Burbank today and speak at two campaign fundraisers in West Hollywood tonight in his first trip to Southern California since becoming the Democratic VP nominee.

He will tape an appearance on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" that will air tonight.

Sen. Biden will also tape an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' syndicated daytime talk show, scheduled for future broadcast.

He is scheduled to speak at two fundraising events for the Democratic National Committee's Obama-Biden Victory Fund, both at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. One fundraiser is a $500-per-person reception and the other is a reception and dinner.

Levi Johnston Future Palin Son-In-Law QUITS High School

Patriotic08 — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:49:19 EDT

Today: Palin's future son-in-law meets the press Levi Johnston, who's having a baby with the daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin, has dropped out of high school and taken a North Slope job as an apprentice electrician. He would be a senior had he returned to school. http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/newsreader/story/554608.html

My son is a senior, and he's worked for NOAA, as an apprentice his entire junior year, and did Field and Track and helped build a Science Sphere, now housed at Lena Point (modeled after one in Washington DC). I don't see why his parents would let him quit school to work on the oil slopes with Todd Palin.

These Palin's (Todd and Sarah) are 'loyal to oil' only, and Alaskans are left out, Alaskan issues are left out, they're being duped, as well as the right wing party. They're all about building the oil corporation, look Sarah's mission is to plant miles of pipeline that will eventually corrode and cost tax payers hundreds of millions. It's already happened on her beat on the North Slope (Prudhoe Bay)...oil spills and fires. I keep asking "what's wrong with tanking the gas?" Trucks are easier to maintain and not a national security issue. And what's wrong with a kid continuing his education? Most girls expecting, HAVE to complete school and go to alternative school to receive a diploma. HE's not expecting, BRISTOL is. There's been no mention of Bristol, only that the Palin children are going to the Juneau school district, which is a big hairy lie too. They are NOT in Juneau, maybe in Wasilla, or Anchorage area, but not registered in Juneau, as they claimed. If I were Levi's mom, I'd be pleading for him to stay in school, or he's just going to become a survivor, and holding onto the hem of Palin's skirt. He'll never be independent. He even said that Sarah better win the election. Why? What's in it for him? His life should be separate from DC politics, so the statement was strange. It just makes me wonder if he were taught responsibility of using protection, both in relationships and in governing his life (school). We know Sarah didn't teach her daughter, but what about Levi's parents? Didn't they teach him either? What's wrong with those CONSERVATIVES up north? Ever heard of being conservative with relationships until you can be responsible for one?

SO MUCH FOR BEING TRANSPARENT SARAH

Patriotic08 — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:09:21 EDT

Palin's per diem under review
$17,000: State will look to see if she should pay taxes on money she gets for staying in her Wasilla home.
By BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE
The Associated Press
Published: October 7th, 2008 10:38 PM
Last Modified: October 7th, 2008 03:18 AM
Gov. Sarah Palin's practice of charging the state when she stays in her home must be reviewed to determine if she should pay taxes on the payments, state Finance Director Kim Garnero said Tuesday.

Palin Sews Seeds of Hatred

Patriotic08 — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:04:42 EDT

Bill Ayers Palin is Accusing Obama of Palling With Terrorist
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/545855.html

Sarah Palin on Saturday accused Democrat Barack Obama of "palling around with terrorists" because of an association with a former '60s radical, stepping up an effort to portray Obama as unacceptable to American voters. Palin's reference was to Bill Ayers, one of the founders of the group the Weather Underground. Its members took credit for bombings, including nonfatal explosions at the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol, during the Vietnam War era.
Obama, who was a child when the group was active, has denounced Ayers' radical views and activities. (He was probably in Indonesia or Hawaii and was 8 yrs old when this MAN did was part of these acts against the government).
In 1970, the group was blamed for a pipe bomb in San Francisco that killed a police officer and injured another. Three members of the group were killed in 1970 in an accidental explosion of a bomb in their Greenwich Village basement.
While it is known that Obama and Ayers live in the same Chicago neighborhood, served on a charity board together and had a fleeting political connection, it's a stretch of any reading of the public record to say the pair ever palled around. And it's simply wrong to suggest that they were associated while Ayers was committing terrorist acts.

Message From Barack

Patriotic08 — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:45:13 EDT

You can donate here at Party Builder - do it today, there's only 22 days left. (By the way, stock market rose to over 900 today!)
https://www.democrats.org/page/contribute/ChangeWeNeed

Here's a message from Barack Obama about how funds coming in are now DOUBLED, so here goes:
In these final three weeks, our opponents are signaling they will do whatever they can to distract voters and distort the truth, so we need to redouble our efforts.

The negative ads and smears seem to grow by the day. The most effective way to respond is by reaching out to more people than ever before with the truth -- the stakes in this election are too high not to.

We need to grow this movement by 100,000 new donors before Friday.

A previous donor has promised to match your donation to encourage you to give for the first time. This is your last opportunity to partner with a fellow supporter and make your donation go twice as far.

Your donation of $5 will become $10, $25 becomes $50, and $50 becomes $100. Double your impact by making a matched donation today.

Tune In: Dem. VP Sen. Joe Biden on The Tonight Show w/Jay Leno Thurs. Oct. 16

Erin Medlicott — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:59:50 EDT

http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/

Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden joins actor Colin Farrell on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, this Thursday, October 16.

Tune in!!!

Join Us In Ohio: Sen Biden To Speak At 3 Campaign Events This Tuesday Oct 14

Erin Medlicott — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:31:56 EDT

Ohio: As part of the “Change We Need Rally” tour of Ohio, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden will be in Ohio this Tuesday, Oct. 14th, and Wednesday, Oct. 15th, for several Obama-Biden campaign events.

Sen. Biden will kick off the tour through eastern Ohio starting Tuesday with a “Change We Need Rally” at the Warren Community Amphitheatre in Warren. Doors open at 8:30 am and it starts around 10:30 am. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but the campaign recommends RSVPing at the Barack Obama Web site.

Later on Tuesday afternoon Sen. Biden will speak at Ohio University Eastern Campus in St. Clairsville. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 2 pm and the program begins at 4 pm.

Tuesday night Sen. Biden will speak at 7:15 pm in an outdoor rally on Armory Square in front of the old Ohio National Guard armory on Front Street in Marietta. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

For security purposes, the area around the armory will be cordoned off…no tickets are required, but the audience will be admitted first-come first serve through a gate where metal detectors will be used.

Tune In: Sunday night, 9:30 pm -C-span - Today's rally with Joe & Jill Biden and The Clintons In Scranton

Erin Medlicott — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:09:49 EDT

Tune in to C-Span tonight,Sunday, at 9:30 pm, to see this afternoon's Obama-Biden rally in Scranton, PA - with guest speakers Democratic VP nominee Sen. Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, and NY Senator Hillary Clinton and former president Bill Clinton.