There is a new attack on John Kerry. From the Hill deadenders

[beachmom]

I'm not linking to the blogs blaring it, but it is a hilariously stupid attack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38uRww26eo4&e

The music makes me want to lay back and get a massage.

Basically, the attack is because Kerry asked in a Small biz committee hearing whether an elderly lady who had income $30 over the amount where you can qualify for LIHEAP, should cut back working a couple hours.

[karynnj]

1. What idiots

Kerry question is absolutely reasonable - the real question is why the advocate did not suggest that to the woman. Given what she says she can get, it is worth a lot more than 30 X %52. There are always thresholds in programs. Kerry does not have the power to change the threshold. It seems the advocate wants the issue more than she wants to help the woman.

The comments are asinine - HRC is the one who can get us out of Iraq?

[wisteria]

2. From that comment it appears there are still some disgruntled Clinton supporters

and now some Clark supporters who jump on Kerry for not supporting their favorite. You are right this is stupid and I highly doubt it will make big news.
Why all the attacks all of a sudden? The man is only trying to run for reelection and support our Presidential candidate.
What is with our party? We try to destroy those who disagree with us rather than trying to find some sort of common ground.

[TayTay]

3. Transcript from 6/25/08 SBA hearing

FARRELL:
Well, I think having LIHEAP funding right up front -- because I know
some years it seems as though we get a portion, and it's kind of
distributed, and then no one knows what's going to happen, and then
maybe we get another portion that's distributed, and then no one knows
what's going to happen.

And that becomes cumbersome on the fuel oil dealer accounting wise
with the customer, because they don't know what's going to happen.

You know, another thing we're running into which is, of course,
getting worse is we have our LIHEAP customer, and LIHEAP does a pretty
good job for them. A lot of their fuel oil needs are met, and they also
provide some repairs and equipment replacement if necessary.

The customer that I'm very concerned about is the customer who just
falls right out of the range of LIHEAP, because there's absolutely
nothing for that customer.

KERRY:
Right.

FARRELL:
They might make $20 a week too much, and they get absolutely
nothing.

I mean, we have a customer right now who's an 80-year-old woman. She
has Social Security, a very small pension, and she works 20 hours or 25
hours a week, believe it or not, at 80 years old at a supermarket chain
in New England.

And she needs a new boiler. Her boiler is terribly inefficient. It's
leaking, will not make it into the next heating season. We encouraged
her to apply for fuel assistance. A lot of customers are reluctant
because they figure that that's a wealthier program.

And a lot of your elderly and younger people feel kind of proud, but
we tell them that they really need to be doing this. So we helped her.
She got all her facts and figures. She makes something like $30 a week
too much.

If she wasn't making that $30 a week, fuel assistance would replace
her boiler, and she would be getting assistance with her fuel oil,
electricity and...

KERRY:
Why doesn't she cut back a couple hours?

FARRELL:
Well, she could, and we recommended that to her, as a matter of
fact. But she likes her job, and she -- you're on the line. And there
are many of them like that.

KERRY:
Sure, she's proud, and she's...


FARRELL:
She's proud.

KERRY:
... enjoying independence.

FARRELL:
I think she likes her job. The job is probably good for her, you
know, gets her out of the house.

KERRY:
I understand.

FARRELL:
But there's no contingency for someone like her. We tried calling
every other agency we can think of. There's no help out there.

[MonteLukast]

4. How about getting her a new boiler?

Help her out in different ways.

Any time she's not at home, she not using the boiler, unless she has pets inside.

[beachmom]

5. Thanks, Tay. What I kind of get a kick of is that someone

who hates Kerry watched the Small Biz hearing. Ha! So wonky attack haters. I have never run across them. Too funny.

Kerry did nothing wrong; an attack that falls flat. It hasn't hit anywhere significant yet, but glad I have the transcript, if it does.