I Wonder if Joe Knollenberg's Jewish Supporters Will Tell Joe to Denounce Hagee and McCain After Hearing This

Audio Recording of McCain's Political Endorser John Hagee Preaching Jews Are Cursed and Subhuman
By Bruce Wilson Thu May 15, 2008 at 02:15:20 PM EST printable version print story
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Yesterday I discovered an astonishing audio recording of a sermon, by controversial McCain endorser Pastor John Hagee, in which Hagee elaborates on his view that Hitler and the Nazis were divine agents sent by God to (with gruesome inefficiency it would seem) chase Europe's Jews towards Palestine. In his 2006 book "Jerusalem Countdown", Hagee proposed that anti-Semitism, and thus the Holocaust, was the fault of Jews themselves - the result of an age old divine curse incurred by the ancient Hebrews through worshiping idols and passed, down the ages, to all Jews now alive. In the sermon Hagee also clarifies a point, on his theological views, that has long concerned me. I might have used any number of titles to describe this sermon by Pastor John Hagee, given in the late 1990's and then mass marketed as part of a book Hagee published in 2001 and republished in 2003, "The Battle For Jerusalem".

How Would You Punish John McBush for Wanting to Talk to Hamas?

Joe Knollenberg gave this interview to Fox News regarding Jimmy Carter's visit to talk with the leaders of Hamas, saying we should never negotiate with terrorists. Two years ago, John McBush said that we should talk to Hamas because they were now the elected government.

Here's John McBush's Interview from two years ago on talking to Hamas

Joe, Come Take the Bush/McCain Challenge May 24 in Downtown Rochester

This is a challenge to all Joe Knollenberg supporters and to you too, Joe. Come to the Farmer's Market in downtown Rochester next Saturday, May 24 and see if you can tell the difference between John McCain and George Bush. You may be surprised at the results. We'll be set up just outside the entrance.

John McCain's Budget May Cause Knollenberg and Republicans to choke on deficits

Is this the kind of "fiscal responsibility" Republicans and Joe Knollenberg want to associate themselves with? Republicans talk about cutting taxes from now until kingdom come, but they fail to reflect on what those tax cuts mean to the American landscape. I guess they just want to keep borrowing money from the Chinese to pay for the massive deficits spending. More tax and borrow from Republican, John McBush.

McCain’s Budget Would Create Largest Deficit In 25 Years, Largest Debt Since WWII

Sen. John McCain promises that, as president, he would “cut taxes and balance the budget.” But his current economic plan would create deficits as deep as 5.7% of GDP by the end of a two term presidency — the highest federal budget deficit in 25 years — and would accumulate the biggest debt since the second World War, according to a new analysis by the Center for American Progress Action Fund. McCain’s current fiscal plan would recklessly exacerbate the fiscal irresponsibility of the Bush Administration further by gutting revenues far below the average level of the past 25 years.

For the past 25 years, deficits have never been more severe than 5% of GDP, with surpluses as high as 2.4% of GDP in the year 2000. Under McCain, yearly deficits would increase sharply, beginning with $505 billion in FY2009 (3.4% of GDP) and skyrocket to $1.2 trillion (5.7% of GDP) by FY2017. In 2018 these deficits would reach 6% of GDP, tied with the largest deficits since WW2 in 1983. Current Bush policies would keep the deficit in 2017 to $660 billion (3.1% of GDP).

According to the study, McCain’s economic plan, (which includes a corporate tax cut, a full repeal of the AMT, and an extension of the Bush tax cuts) would leave a debt of $12.7 trillion (the highest since 1951 when America was still holding debt from WW2) by the last budget of a two term presidency starting in 2009 (FY2017). This debt is $3.5 trillion more severe than the one resulting from an extension of current Bush policy, which would leave a debt of $9.2 trillion (43% of projected GDP).

McCain would slash government revenues, which have averaged 18.3% of GDP for the past 25 years, to their lowest levels since before 1962. Revenues would average only 16.3 percent of GDP for the duration of his two terms. Under current Bush policy, revenues would remain above 18 percent of GDP.
This analysis currently incorporates the most generous possible savings McCain has offered thus far: an $18 billion cut of wasteful earmarks and a $15 billion “freeze” in wasteful spending, with the savings grown at the rate of GDP growth over his presidency. These “savings,” which come no where near paying for his reckless tax cuts, already include “heavy cuts in after-school pro­grams, student aid, public broadcasting, and job training.” To fill the gaping remaining hole, McCain supporters have suggested policies that would lead to “massive cuts” in Social Security.

Read the full report.

Will Joe Knollenberg call for cutting off public funds to McCain's campaign?

Our good friend John McCain has done another flip-flop on the American public. Two years ago, in an interview he called for negotiating with Hamas. Joe Knollenberg has called for cutting off funding for The Carter Center recently because of Carter's visit to the Middle East and talking to Hamas. So, it seems to me, Knollenberg, with the revealing of this interview, should call for the cutoff of all public funding for John McCain's campaign, and since McCain has violated his own campaign finance law, by using his public funding as collateral for a loan, urge the bank where the loan was obtained to call in the loan of $4 million.

Two years ago, in an interview with James Rubin for Sky News, Sen. John McCain expressed a willingness to negotiate with the terrorist group Hamas -- the very group that McCain has been relentlessly using to smear Sen. Barack Obama over the last several weeks.

Rubin has written an op-ed in Friday's Washington Post about his exchange with McCain, and The Huffington Post has obtained exclusive video. Here's the key excerpt:

RUBIN: "Do you think that American diplomats should be operating the way they have in the past, working with the Palestinian government if Hamas is now in charge?"

McCAIN: "They're the government; sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this administration and previous administrations had such antipathy towards Hamas because of their dedication to violence and the things that they not only espouse but practice, so . . . but it's a new reality in the Middle East. I think the lesson is people want security and a decent life and decent future, that they want democracy. Fatah was not giving them that."

As Rubin adds:

Given that exchange, the new John McCain might say that Hamas should be rooting for the old John McCain to win the presidential election. The old John McCain, it appears, was ready to do business with a Hamas-led government, while both Clinton and Obama have said that Hamas must change its policies toward Israel and terrorism before it can have diplomatic relations with the United States.

Even if McCain had not favored doing business with Hamas two years ago, he had no business smearing Barack Obama. But given his stated position then, it is either the height of hypocrisy or a case of political amnesia for McCain to inject Hamas into the American election.

Lansing State Journal Rates Peters/Knollenberg Race Tossup from Lean Incumbent

This is the first time that the Peters/Knollenberg race has been rated a tossup, a change from leaning incumbent. Go Gary! CLICK HERE for the rest of the story.

Toss-up

• Joe Knollenberg (R), 9th District. Former State Sen. Gary Peters is a viable candidate and all the momentum is against the GOP. While few seem to be enthusiastic Peters fanatics, he's been powerful enough to clear what was to be a competitive primary field. In another year, Knollenberg might be safe, but national trends are against him. (Formerly Lean Incumbent)

• 
  

How Will Joe Knollenberg Defend John McBush on this one?

Wow, the Michigan Republican Party and Joe Knollenberg really screwed up this time. Guess who dead set against the Boeing tanker? You guessed it. John McBush. And there's video. These were good paying, union jobs and John McBush and by extension, Joe Knollenberg, wanted the $40 Billion contract go to European manufacturer, Airbus. Now if this isn't a national security and economic issue for the American people, I don't know what is. Joe Knollenberg is alway saying how he wants to help American manufacturing companies, namely the American auto manufacturers. This decision by John McBush flies in the face of Joe Knollenberg's presumed allegiance to American manufacturers. CLICK HERE to read about how John McBush screwed American workers.

Now will Joe Knollenberg denounce and separate himself from John McBush? Let's see..

The quote below is from the Michigan Republican Party's daily newsletter from Saul Anuzis, the May 14 edition.

BOEING…THE TANKER DECISION…MAKE IT AMERICAN MADE…America’s military deserves the best tanker for the mission and America’s taxpayers deserve the most value for their money. It’s crazy for us to give this contract to the Europeans, when America needs the jobs and America needs to defend itself.

Here's the video of John McBush saying how he saved the taxpayers $2 billion by nixing the deal going to Boeing. He also nixed 40,000 good paying American jobs.

This video is Lou Dobbs expressing his outrage that the deal went to Airbus.

Another Reason for Joe Knollenberg to Repudiate John McCain

It's not widely known, but Joe Knollenberg has a gay son, Stephen. He has a successful interior design company. Joe actually voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment. but you'd think that Joe would have a problem with the presidential candidate he's endorsed, John McCain for his opposition to gay marriage.

This video shows John McCain appearing in a commercial in support of Arizona's ban on gay marriage.

No Republican is safe. Democrats go 3-3 in Special Elections

In the biggest Democratic pickup so far, Democrats prove that no Republican, even 8-term incumbents like Joe Knollenberg are safe. The country is demanding change and Gary Peters will be part of the Democratic wave that is sweeping over America.

Childers victory gives Dems a third straight takeover

Childers, who beat Davis 49-46 three weeks ago but came up just shy of a race-ending majority, joins new Democratic Reps. Bill Foster (Ill.) and Don Cazayoux (La.) to give Democrats a trifecta of upsets in conservative House districts over the last two months. The loss could send shockwaves through the Republican Party, where murmurs about a leadership shakeup have become more and more audible. Democrats are backing up the assertion that they remain on the offensive in the cycle following a 30-seat gain, which has historically not been the case after a “wave” election.

McCain Endorser, Hagee, Apologizes. McCain Accepts Apology

This story appeared in the Oakland Press on page A-11. No front page for John McCain's endorser and crazy Reverend. The corporate media continues to give McCain a pass. And not one word from Joe Knollenberg.

And that's that? After all the grief Reverend Wright's comments gave Barack Obama the corporate media is, for the most part, giving Teflon John McCain a pass on John Hagee and Rod Parsley.

Since Joe is a good Catholic boy, you'd think he'd more outraged about McCain accepting Hagee's endorsement. I guess saying things about his religion only matter if they come from a liberal activist. That's what I thought.

As a Catholic, you would think that Joe Knollenberg would be at least as incensed with John McCain over accepting the endorsement of John Hagee as he is with Jimmy Carter for meeting with Hamas. But we haven't heard a word from Knollenberg over McCain's relationship with Reverend John Hagee. With all the attention being given to Reverend Wright, you would think the media and Joe Knollenberg would pay the same amount of attention to John Hagee and Rod Parsley another television preacher with radical views. CLICK HERE to listen to John Hagee's interview with Terri Gross on NPR from Sept. 18, 2006.

Video of John Hagee speaking about Catholicism and more

John McCain's Other Problem, Rod Parsley.

Eccentric Letter from Republican Gets It Wrong

This letter from a Republican tries again to tie me to MoveOn.org and even tries to trot out the idea that my activities are "well-funded" by MoveOn. So, just to set the record straight, I am a member of MoveOn. However they have not given me one penny. I have no connection to MoveOn other than being on their mailing list and I have hosted several of their events at my home and at Joe Knollenberg's office.

These Republican attacks are so ridiculous they border on the insane. But what is one to expect from the party of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, John McCain and Karl Rove? Dirty tricks, unfounded attacks, torture, warrantless wiretapping, endless war in Iraq. If you aren't outraged, then you aren't paying attention.

A bumpy ride

Your opinion page of April 17 has another letter from Bruce Fealk bad-mouthing Rep. Knollenberg. It is reported that he is well-funded by MoveOn.org, which is backed by George Soros, not exactly friendly to America.

Its goal is to target Knollenberg and others who don't agree with its ultra-liberal biased agenda. So we know what to expect from here to election and as expressed by Bette Davis in one of her movies: "Button your seat belt. We're in for a bumpy ride."

Julius A. Becker

Fealk Wins Progressive Activist of the Year Award

Yesterday at the Michigan Progress Summit in Lansing, Christine Barry and Jim Hightower presented me with the first annual Progressive Activist of the Year Award. I'm honored to be the first recipient of this award. The award was created by Blogging for Michigan.

Will Knollenberg call on McCain to Denounce Hagee and Parsley?

As a Catholic, you would think that Joe Knollenberg would be at least as incensed with John McCain over accepting the endorsement of John Hagee as he is with Jimmy Carter for meeting with Hamas. But we haven't heard a word from Knollenberg over McCain's relationship with Reverend John Hagee. With all the attention being given to Reverend Wright, you would think the media and Joe Knollenberg would pay the same amount of attention to John Hagee and Rod Parsley another television preacher with radical views. Today's Oakland Press carries an editorial of Bill Press and Hagee's statements regarding Catholics, gays and more. CLICK HERE to listen to John Hagee's interview with Terri Gross on NPR from Sept. 18, 2006.

Video of John Hagee speaking about Catholicism and more

John McCain's Other Problem, Rod Parsley.

Joe flip-flops on Mother's Day

Today there was a vote on a resolution recognizing Mother's Day. The first vote was 412-0. Then the story gets interesting. Unbelievably, Joe Knollenberg actually then voted against Mother's Day when a vote to reconsider the resolution was called. Joe and 177 other Republicans actually flip-flopped on a vote recognizing Mother's Day.

Republicans Vote Against Moms; No Word Yet on Puppies, Kittens

By Dana Milbank
Friday, May 9, 2008; A03

It was already shaping up to be a difficult year for congressional Republicans. Now, on the cusp of Mother's Day, comes this: A majority of the House GOP has voted against motherhood.

On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.

"Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced.

Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who has two young daughters, moved to table Tiahrt's request, setting up a revote. This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against mothers.

It has long been the custom to compare a popular piece of legislation to motherhood and apple pie. Evidently, that is no longer the standard. Worse, Republicans are now confronted with a John Kerry-esque predicament: They actually voted for motherhood before they voted against it.

Republicans, unhappy with the Democratic majority, have been using such procedural tactics as this all week to bring the House to a standstill, but the assault on mothers may have gone too far. House Minority Leader John Boehner, asked yesterday to explain why he and 177 of his colleagues switched their votes, answered: "Oh, we just wanted to make sure that everyone was on record in support of Mother's Day."

By voting against it

?

Eric B at MichLib reports Cook Report moves MI-09 from Likely Republican to Leaning Republican

This report in from Eric B. at Michigan Liberal.

The Cook Political Report moves Michigan's two biggest races in favor of the two Democrats. The 7th District goes from "Lean Republican" to "Toss up," and the 9th goes from "Likely Republican" to "Lean Republican."

For Mark Schauer, this means the second bit of ratification in the last couple of days. It was Roll Call who most lately called the race a toss up. Without mentioning anything, this really represents a Schauer advantage, since it means moving things in his direction.

As such could be said for Gary Peters, challenging Joe Knollenberg in the 9th. The remarkable thing in the 9th is that Knollenberg enjoys a fund raising advantage over his opponent.

You can show Peters a little extra love tomorrow by showing up between noon and 1:30 p.m. to meet Peters in a live chat with MichLib's readers.

Knollenberg Touts Personal Responsibility But Not Corporate Responsibility

An article in today's Eccentric is about how Joe Knollenberg wants to help the American auto manufacturers. It's interesting, at the legislative update meeting in Rochester a few weeks ago, when talking about health care, Knollenberg talked a lot about personal responsibility in regard to taking care of one's own health. But when it comes to the auto companies taking responsibility for their corporate health, Knollenberg takes a position 180 degrees from his theme of personal responsibility. The auto companies, even though the oil crisis could be seen a hundred miles down the road, continued to build low mileage SUV's and trucks. Why? One word, GREED. They make higher profits off SUV's and trucks than they do smaller, fuel efficient vehicles.

But does Joe Knollenberg ask for corporate responsibility for the troubles of the auto industry and tell the auto manufacturers, let them eat cake? No. Does he want to hold the auto industry responsible for increasing fuel economy? No.

Apparently Knollenberg is at odds with John McCain on this issue also. McCain does want to raise CAFE standards, as he told the Eccentric.

Knollenbeg can't have it both ways, by being in favor of free trade that ships good paying American jobs overseas and then turning around and saying we have to help the auto industry by offering them money to save American jobs. That's not leadership. That's pandering to Joe's auto industry campaign contributors.

"He said he believes in free trade and making the auto industry raise fuel-economy standards. He said the state's auto industry "is not finished."

"Of course the old kind of doing business is not coming back. ... We've got to retrain and educate workers" to take advantage of the new economy, he said. He believes the Big 3 have leveled the playing field through recent contract negotiations."

Knollenberg aims to aid auto industry

by Greg Kowalski

ECCENTRIC STAFF WRITER

The embattled auto industry would get a helping hand with new legislation being proposed by Congressman Joe Knollenberg.

Speaking at the Automation Alley offices Tuesday in Troy, the Bloomfield Township Republican - who is embroiled in a hotly contested re-election bid against Democrat Gary Peters - unveiled a plan to stimulate the economy and "help the Big Three compete."

"This will be a huge shot in the arm to grow our Michigan economy," Knollenberg said.

The proposed legislation would broaden the availability of research and development tax credits for companies; provide support for research in advanced batteries; create two hydrogen fuel pilot programs; require the EPA to streamline protocols and regulations on biodiesel fuel; and establish an inter-agency federal task force on CAFE standards.

CAFE - the Corporate Average Fuel Economy - standard sets how many miles per gallon a vehicle gets. The standards, 35 miles per gallon by 2020, could cost the automakers $85 billion to achieve and add thousands of dollars to the price of a car, Knollenberg said.

"The entire auto industry will make tremendous investments in technology (with the proposed legislation)," said Robert Babik, director of Emissions, Environment and Energy for General Motors.

He spoke in favor of the legislation, as did Fred Hoffman, director of Government Relations for Chrysler, and Charlie Pryde, director of Government Relations for Ford.

Although the Big Three are competitors, "I don't think there is an inch of space between us in support of the legislations," Hoffman said.

The legislation "will provide critical help to the auto industry," Pryde said.

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said the legislation was a perfect match for the focus of Automation Alley, which is a hub of industry research and development.

"It's good for Michigan and good for the global economy," Patterson said.

Whether it, or at least parts of it, is enacted into law remains to be seen.

On the heels of the announcement, Peters issued a statement blasting Knollenberg.

"Real leadership means not waiting for a crisis to take action," said Peters. "I'm going to go to Washington and I'm going to start fighting for Michigan families and Michigan jobs on day one. I'm going to stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas and stop giving billions in subsidies to big oil companies who are raking in record profits."

Democrat Takes Seat from 20-year Incumbent in Louisiana. Look Out Joe

Boy, is Joe Knollenberg in trouble. Last night it was reported that the Democrats took back a seat in Louisiana that has been Republican since 1974. Joe only won by about 5% in 2006. Change is in the air Joe, and Democrats are taking back the 9th Congressional District of Michigan.

Dems add to majority with Cazayoux win in La.

By J. Taylor Rushing

Posted: 05/03/08 11:17 PM [ET]

House Democrats continued to expand their majority Saturday night after Louisiana state Rep. Don Cazayoux emerged victorious in a special election for retired Rep. Richard Baker’s (R) district. The win comes two months after Democrats picked up their first seat of the year. In March, Democrat Bill Foster won the Illinois seat of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R). That seat, like the Louisiana contest, was in solidly Republican areas. President Bush carried the Illinois district with 55 percent and the Louisiana district with 59 percent in 2004. Cazayoux benefited from a strong fundraising advantage over Woody Jenkins — $810,000 to $490,000 — with much of the help coming from national Democrats. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spent $920,000 on the contest. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) only spent $440,000 on the race and Jenkins received less than $40,000 from GOP members.

Guess What, Joe? You and George W. Bush are Terrorists

This is a brilliantly simple video. This guy lays it on the line and give what I believe to be the real definition of terrorists and it's not the people that flew planes into the World Trade Towers on 9/11. No, it's the people in the White House and the Joe Knollenbergs and the other Republicons in Congress that have really done this country in.

Joe's Ban on Funds for Carter Center Opposed

Well, what do you know, sanity prevails. This article appeared in the 5/3 edition of the Detroit News.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Funds ban for Carter Center is opposed

Gregg Krupa / The Detroit News

Some Arab-American and Muslim leaders objected Friday to the proposal by U.S. Representative Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Hills, to deny federal funds to the Carter Center in the wake of former President Jimmy Carter's meeting with a ranking member of Hamas.

Amid concerns by the Bush Administration, Carter met in Syria with Khaled Meshal, the chief strategist for Hamas, which the United States identifies as a terrorist organization. Hamas officials also are the elected leaders of the Palestinian Authority.

"As a former president of the United States, you undoubtedly understand that the United States must speak with one voice to our enemies," Knollenberg said in a April 9 letter to Carter. Knollenberg then offered a bill, the Coordinated American Response to Extreme Radicals (CARTER) Act that would ban federal financing of the center Carter established to further human rights.

"Knollenberg's legislation seeks to hamper the efforts of a center that promotes free elections, which the Bush Administration has said is the key to democracy and cultivating progress in the Middle East," said the Council of American Islamic Relations, in a statement.

While the legislation is given little chance of approval in Congress, Arab-American leaders said it was particularly disappointing given Knollenberg's recent efforts to improve relations in the Middle East by forming a bipartisan Jordan Caucus and encouraging relief for the Iraqi refugees.

"There is absolutely nothing constructive about this initiative that supports the Bush Administration's progress towards peace," said Leigh O'Neill of the Arab American Institute.

"I think we are living our last days of the American political era when even a former president can be sanctioned for his political views," said Imad Hamad, regional director of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

A group of 50 Republican and Democratic members of Congress recently signed a letter to Carter expressing objections similar to Knollenberg's.

"President Carter or any former president carries with him a weight that other citizens do not," said Nate Bailey, a spokesman for Knollenberg. "And in this particular instance, the action he took was in direct contrast to the stated policy of the United States for more than 20 years."

You can reach Gregg Krupa at (313) 222-2359 or gkrupa@detnews.com.

Jon Stewart clarifies the Bush/McCain/Knollenberg Economic Plan

Jon Stewart on Thursday night made some clarifications about the Bush/McCain/Knollenberg/Republican economic plan. Let me know if you think they're going to work out for middle-class Americans. I don't think so.