Senator Clinton:

Could you give us your opinion of the Federal Real ID Act, please?

Senator Edwards:

Your comments regarding the establishment and growth of Two Americas is laudable, but while in the Senate, you tended to lean towards a more pro-corporate stand on a number of bills on which you voted.  How do you reconcile your time in the Senate with your present public opinions today?

Senator Obama:

If Vice-President Cheney leaves office before the end of his term, and Senator Lieberman is put forward by the Bush administration as his preferred replacement, would you support this selection?  Why or why not?

And that's a great question by palamedes to Obama: make him choose between the "me-me-me" "bipartisan" Democrats and the country.

Senator Obama:

1. You frequently speak about the divisive nature and "smallness" of our politics. What would you do, as President, to reform the American political process?

I am particularly interested in John Edwards' answer to this question, but I would love to hear answers from all three:

How can the president be restrained from starting a war with Iran?

Senator Obama: When Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently and the subject of Iran and the 'options' which the Bush administration is 'leaving on the table' came up Chairman Biden made the comment that he was 'setting a marker here' and suggested there were constitutional issues relating to military action by the US against Iran.  Could you briefly describe what these issues are, as you see them, and tell us if their is something useful or necessary that could be done in Congress to constrain the executive branch in this respect?

It's late...let's see...

For Obama and Edwards...

I assume you are familiar with the idea of seeking a mandate from voters to change things.  Will you be seeking a mandate from Democratic voters in the primaries in order to lead the Democratic party in a new direction?  What is that new direction?

Now, take it one step further, assume you are the Democratic nominee in 2008, will you be seeking an explicit mandate from America for any specific changes?  What are those specific changes?  

For Reid...

Do you foresee endorsing any of the Democratic presidential candidates prior to the Nevada caucuses?  Or, is that out of the question?

Senator Obama: In a recent article (having trouble finding the link; I think it was WaPo), it was noted that your website pales in comparison to the resources provided by your two main competitors for the nomination at this stage, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. What plans do you have to increase outreach to the grassroots activists via the Internet?

For all three:

Given the power of Corporate America and its stranglehold over policy in this country, how will you address these matters of critical importance:

A. The National Debt. How will you raise tax revenues and cut spending to stem Republican fiscal irresponsiblity that now threatens our national security?

B. Will you take immediate, drastic steps to stem the effects of global warming?

C. Do you believe in reforming public financing of elections to eliminate corporate influence? This is perhaps the most important thing we can do, IMHO.

D. Will you move to reform rules regarding media consolidation so that we get truth over our airwaves, fairness doctrine, etc?

People don't want Dems carrying corporate water. They want Dems to FIGHT for them.

Senators,

What do you have to say to the majority of the American people, and the overwhelming majority of your party, who are alarmed that you are doing nothing to change Bush's policies?

For all:

The "War on Drugs," especially the war on marijuana, has proven to be ineffective and is an irrational drain on our law enforcement resources. Also, were its growth not prohibited, industrial hemp has the potential to be a lucrative cash crop.

Do you support steps toward a more rational drug policy?

Senator Obama:
There is a concern that your lack of experience on issues of foreign policies means that, if elected, you will be hostage to the ideological disputes of your cabinet members and advisors. What will you do to ensure the American people that you have sufficiently educated yourself to assess the merits of the diplomatic and millitary options presented to you?

Senator Edwards:
It is laudable that you have decided to emphasize poverty in your campaign; however, I am unaware of any of your original proposals for combating domestic and international poverty in either the legislative or diplomatic arenas. On the domestic front, do you have a comprehensive proposal for combating indigence (an assessment of Charles Murray's recent proposal would be appreciated)? On the international front, what would be your strategy for achieving the UN's MDG's, implementing the recomendations of the Copenhagen Consensus, or building a new consensus on foreign aide?

Senator Reid:
Though I am a political neophyte, I am not entirely uneducated about modern politics. I am aware that in the recent debate over the House passed ethics bill, you approved a compromise Senate version of the bill that was heavily influenced by Sen. McConnell, and attempted to table a more stringent amendment that was survived due to strong bi-partisan support. It is my understanding that Senator Mitch McConnell's mastery of parlimentary tactics is comparable to Rep. Barney Frank's. How do you plan to mitigate his capacity to impede the Democratic agenda?

I'd like to pin them down on the NAFTA superhighway, globalization, outsourcing, living wage, CEO-to-employee wage ratios and corporate personhood. And also electronic freedom issues.

I'd be very interested to hear their opinions on Fast Track for trade and trade policy in general.

For all:

Do you support single-payer healthcare?

What real measures do you plan to put in place to stop the dangers of unverified black box voting, and bring back the integrity and sanctity of the American vote with national safeguard standards.

Or more succinctly:
Do you support a Senate version of Rush Holt's verified voting bill?

both of the Presidential candidates and Reid have been surprisingly quiet on this issue, which is really a no brainer if presented right.

-C.

To all three:  Do you believe Bush has any plan to ever pull out our troops from Iraq?  If so, what actions have you seen that would support your conclusion?

If Feingold or other senators succeed in passing an amendment to completely cut off funding for the occupation in six months, why do you think Bush would not simply surge even more troops and dare Congress to cut off the money with troops in harm's way?

Given that more Americans are killed every year by peanut allergies and swimming pool accidents than "terrorists", is it possible that the so-called "war on terror" is a hoax?  If so, would you eliminate the color-coded but meaningless threat indicator that currently serves no purpose but to terrorize my grandmother when it is manipulated for political gain from time to time?  If not, please describe how this broadly defined "war" can ever be "won."

1. What is your plan for warehousing radioactive waste?
   
2. What is your justification for treating only the corporation as the criminal rather than holding corporate directors and executives jointly and severally liable as individuals for all corporate crimes committed during their tenure?  In other words, why was only Halliburton, Inc.  held criminally liable while Dick Cheney, who personally vouched for fraudulent SEC filings, was deemed not to have committed any crimes?

*When you were a minority, you couldn't do anything because you had no power.  Now you are a majority and you still can't do anything.  Why?

*You have a mandate from the people to get us the hell out of Iraq, now; and you are sitting around fighting over words in a non-binding resolution that Bush will ignore anyway.   When will you join Feingold and show some spunk?

*The DLC Clintonistas are putting more pressure on the Dems to capitulate and pass more free trade.  Are you going to tell them to go to hell?

*Why are you so afraid to pass the bill and let Bush and/or his stupid minions kill it?  This would at least give you campaign issues in 08.  Instead, you triangulate the baby out with the bath water and add in more tax breaks and sign on to toothless resolutions.

*What part of this great article written by Molly Ivins don't you get?  The netroots are done with the old establishment and are demanding change - huge change.  Are you with us or against us?

Mah fellow progressives, now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of the party. I don't know about you, but I have had it with the D.C. Democrats, had it with the DLC Democrats, had it with every calculating, equivocating, triangulating, straddling, hair-splitting son of a bitch up there, and that includes Hillary Rodham Clinton.

--snip--

I can't see a damn soul in D.C. except Russ Feingold who is even worth considering for President. The rest of them seem to me so poisonously in hock to this system of legalized bribery they can't even see straight.

Look at their reaction to this Abramoff scandal. They're talking about "a lobby reform package." We don't need a lobby reform package, you dimwits, we need full public financing of campaigns, and every single one of you who spends half your time whoring after special interest contributions knows it. The Abramoff scandal is a once in a lifetime gift--a perfect lesson on what's wrong with the system being laid out for people to see. Run with it, don't mess around with little patches, and fix the system.

--snip--
Every Democrat I talk to is appalled at the sheer gutlessness and spinelessness of the Democratic performance. The party is still cringing at the thought of being called, ooh-ooh, "unpatriotic" by a bunch of rightwingers.

Take "unpatriotic" and shove it. How dare they do this to our country? "Unpatriotic"? These people have ruined the American military! Not to mention the economy, the middle class, and our reputation in the world. Everything they touch turns to dirt, including Medicare prescription drugs and hurricane relief.

This is not a time for a candidate who will offend no one; it is time for a candidate who takes clear stands and kicks ass.

--snip--

I am tired of having the party nomination decided before the first primary vote is cast, tired of having the party beholden to the same old Establishment money.

--snip--

Anybody but -Bush- Hillary!

1. US energy inefficiency and US oil imports are No. 1 threat to US national security (terrorism, war  in Iraq, trade deficit, global warming). What specifically would you do as president to cut US oil usage by 50% to match European/Japan levels of energy efficiency.

2. US health care costs 16% of GDP vs. 8% for Europe /Japan.  They use single payer, universal health care systems that produce better health care results, lower infant mortality, longer life span than US system. What specifically would you do as president to get US on the more efficient, more effective, less expensive single payer health care system such as we see in Europe?

3. US debt has grown from 33% of GDP in 1980 to 70% of GDP by 2008.  Will you commit to matching tax revenue to spending to get US debt/GDP to 60% by 2012 and to 50% 2016?

When do you expect the President to request supplemental funding for Iraq? How will you respond to that request?

For Edwards and Obama

1. We know how you would characterize Bush's two terms as president -- a disaster. What about Clinton's two terms? What's your overview of the only two-term Democratic president in your lifetime? What specifically would you criticize or point to both politically and in terms of specific policy areas? Using Clinton's two-terms as a benchmark, how would your policies be different?

For Edwards

1. I would want to ask him about the debate with Vice-President Cheney in the 2004 campaign. Given Cheney's central, terrifying role in the Bush administration's worst failures, does Edwards have any regrets about not having a tougher, or more effective, debate with Cheney? What would he ask Cheney now that he didn't in the debate? If he has regrets: why didn't he push Cheney harder?
 

Why are you still afraid of being right?

As a Brit, I'd like to know how Senator Obama and Senator Edwards would approach the "special relationship" with Britain, and how they would go about diffusing the latent hostility that many British people currently feel towards George Bush (and by extension, the country as a whole).

For all three:
1. What is their opinion the North American Union, and what would they do to STOP this encroachment on American Sovereignty?

2. NAIL them on what they would do to STOP THE INSANE INVASION OF IRAN?

For Obama and Reid:
1. Where is the proposal for a MANDATORY PAPER BALLOT TRAIL IN ALL 50 STATES, so as to restore faith in the electoral process?

2. Where is the SENATE action on FINDING THE FRAUD IN KATRINA? And WHY are they letting Lieberman get away with NOT investigating the FRAUD and ABUSE of what has gone down in New Orleans?

3. What are they doing to HELP the property owners in New Orleans from NOT having their property stolen from under them by greedy developers?

Ask all three of them if they would vote against reauthorization of No Child Left Behind and if they will put education at the top of their agendas.

Question: How do you think Iraq's 60-70% Shiite population will respond to an American attack on 100% Shiite Iran?

but I'd ask both Edwards and Obama:

what ONE THING would be your greatest focus domestically/most important priority.

Will the Senate look into the Bankruptcy legislation?  This is the most regressive piece of legislation passed!

Reid: If Republicans try to filibuster the Iraq War Resolution, why shouldn't you simply allow them to maintain a real filibuster instead of pulling the bill if cloture isn't invoked? I know the budget extension expires Feb. 15, but wont that force the republicans to give up a real filibuster for fear of shutting down the government because they want to avoid being on record in favor of the escalation?

For Edwards and Obama:

What specific actions will you take to fight poverty as President?
Will you take any steps to try to regulate media ownership?
How will you help and reach out to younger people?
How will you use your role to help the party?
I'd also like to ask them both about their policy toward Israel and whether we are too pro-Israel.

Edwards: Would you support and/or propose repeal of the tort reform legislation recently oassed by the last republican congress?

Obama: Would you continue or change the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for the military.

For all:
America's 60% dependence on foreign is driving
everything we do, we're at war because a paranoid executive branch is so paralyzed by it's donors and beliefs that it sees no other choice than using the military secure a steady supply of oil from the middle east.  
It's not addiction, it's crippling necessity.
As soon as gas pump prices spike the American population flips out, politicians panic about the political and economic fallout and the nations and oil conglomerates holding American's hostage laugh all the way to the bank.  

Maybe it's not irony that our addiction to fossil fuels is simutaneously causing the globe to warm at an alarming rates.  Causing glaciers and the artic not to just melt but to dissappear.

Maybe our greed and gluttony has gotten the best of us or maybe just Exxon-Mobil with it's $39Billion profit in one F'ing year.

So my question is do you guys F'ing get it? The global warming and energy issue are interdependent, we can not kow-tow to the energy industry because we're afraid we 'might' hurt thier industry or the economy.  The economy will be brought to it's knees by mass migration, war over water from drought and terrorism spawned by the poor and desperate throughout the world as famine bulldozes across the world.

To all: The current administration has done everything it can to expand presidential powers far beyond what the framers of the Constitution must have had in mind. The executive branch is now more secretive, more imperial, less transparent and less responsive than in any previous presidential administration. What will you do NOW (Clinton, Reid) to restore the balance of the three branches, and how important is it for the next administration - Democrat or Republican - to get restore the balance of power?

Senator Reid:

(a) Have you read or discussed with him Senator Feingold's analysis of the Warner-Levin Iraq resolution? It seems pretty clear cut that this is bad for the Democratic Party, it would provide Republicans with the same bipartisan cover as the original  Iraq Authorization for Use of Military Force, but, more importantly, it also appears to give Bush a blank check to continue as he has been continuing, and limits further options on Congress's part.

(b) If you have seen Sen. Feingold's analysis, can you tell us how it is incorrect? Or, if Sen. Feingold is correct, do you think it's good idea to proceed with this resolution?

1) What do you bring to the Presidency that would compell me to vote for you?

2) Will you quit smoking to run for the Presidency?

All:

Will you be willing to impose tariffs on imported oil?
 

For Edwards:  Why should anyone consider voting for a candidate who supported the war in Iraq, particularly when it's someone like you, with little other record on important foreign policy matters?

Two questions for all:

(1) What effect can a non-binding resolution on Iraq have on an Administration which has refused to accept even the Constitution as binding? Is "non-binding" just another word for "enabling?"

(2) What specific measures can the Congress take to deflect the Administration from its current campaign to fabricate a case for war against Iran?

For Reid: Does the presidential signing statement for HR5631 indicate that the President will ignore any Boland-type amendment, esp. vis-a-vis Iran?

For Edwards: can you explan what you see as the risks of American military action against Iran?  How do they compare, in probability and magnitude, to the probability and magnitude of risks of an Iranian nuclear program?

Senator Reid: Will you work to repeal or amend the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006 so that honest Americans will stop being prosecuted by this Administration for playing cards online?

Senators Edwards and Obama: Will you make opposition to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act a part of your platform, and thereby earning the voting and financial support of poker fans around the country?

If you pass a BINDING resolution (such as Obama's) do you believe Bush will follow the law?

If he does not follow the law are you prepared to challenge him in court?

For presidential candidates:

Will you close Guantanamo Bay and bring the captives into American mainland detention facilities? Why or why not?

What will you do about ensuring that the treatment of enemy combatants meets the standards of the constitution and our bill of rights?

What is your position on torture, and (if opposed) what specifically would you do to end torture by soldiers and agents of the American goverment?

What is your policy on whether treaties with foreign governments are binding, and what do you think of the right-wing assertion that they result in a undesirable loss of soveriegnty to the US?

The Bush administration has undermined scientists and the role of science across a wide swath of American policy issues: reproductive services, global warming, education reform, social services. What will you do to restore the proper role of science in setting the policies and spending priorities of the US Government?

The Bush administration has redirected hundreds of millions of dollars to "faith-based" approaches to problem solving at the expense of science-based responses. Will you commit to auditing the effectiveness of that new spending, and redirecting those funds to science-based solutions if needed?

For all of them:  In the last campaign and even still today there has been much talk about the reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada.  Instead of reimporting drug from foreign countries, would you be in favor of, and support government regulation of drug prices as we see in other countries? why/why not and if not, what other ideas do you have for controlling prescription drug cost, other than reimporting drug from other countries.  

Also, in general do you favor govern regulation of the economy when necessary for the greater good of American or do you think the economy is best let to its own devices.

I was dismayed by the way in which the Democratic establishment seized upon the Dubai Ports World deal as a means to burnish their foreign policy credentials at the political expense of the Bush Administration. President Carter himself called the reaction by the Democratic Party establishment  "false and demagogic."

If we are to reform the Arab world, it will require building long-lasting economic links between our societies, and making common cause with political moderates against the Islamists. As has been noted, the Islamophobia evident in the reaction to the DPW deal has had serious consequences.

So, my questions to you are, (1) what is your position on the DPW deal and surrounding controversy and (2) what strategies do you support for reaching out to the moderates in the middle east?

For Senator Obama:

Do you regret your vote of yes to confirm "Condi Rice" even though you were against the war before you entered the Senate?

For Senator Reid:

Can we stop the nonesense about the first 4 states trying to schedule more forums when the candidates need to adopt a 50-state strategy to win the election, not just the primaries?

All three:

How do you plan to restore constitutional government?

Sen. Obama:

How do you explain your run for the presidency to a constituent when you haven't completed your first term in the Senate?

You're a charismatic and inspiring speaker, but the speeches I've heard (and maybe I missed some) have been platitude heavy and content light. Perhaps you could name three major policy pieces you'd like to pass and sign in your first hundred days as president.

I'm Bruce Dixon, who did an article in this week's Black Agenda Report analyzing Obama's health care speech in late January.  In it, he appeared to pronounce the California "arnie-care" approach to health insurance, in which near-poor and middle income uninsured are required to purchase private health care insurance with no help from the state under pain of having their individual income tax exemptions yanked as "interesting".  Massachusetts has a similar law in effect.

Find the article here

1.  What the heck does Obama find "interesting" about this regressive proposal?

2.  Given that he surely knows its details better than many, why is he unable to denounce it?

Other candidates should just be asked what they think of requiring the poor and near poor to just buy private health insurance as a cure to America's problem.