Let me see if I have this straight. McCain pretends to "suspend" his campaign in an effort to avoid debating Obama, er, I mean, in an effort to "save" the country re: the bailout. He flies off to Warshington (as he pronounces it), calls in a favor with his best buddy Duh, gets Duh to set up a photo-op, er, meeting, then shows his leadership ability by sitting quietly in the meeting for a solid 40 minutes, then once everyone had had their say, proceeds to wreck the meeting and the negotiations by asking for less regulation and more CEO parachute money.
Then, after Obama boxes him into a corner, he reluctantly agrees to debate, does an OK job, then seeing as he is still boxed in due to his political "save the country/bailout" stunt, he has to go back to Warshington for the weekend to pretend that his campaign is "suspended" and pretend that he is a GOP leader and is rallying his party to agree to the bailout plan, thus saving America.
Believing that his superhero work was done in Warshington, he "resumes" his "suspended" campaign, lands in Columbus and proceeds to take full credit for passing the bailout bill just an hour before it dies in Warshington.
Oh Magoo, you've done it again. Priceless.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
It's Only 1st Grade Soccer, Man!
First things first, since I don't think I blogged about the last soccer game. If I did, excuse me while I recap. Two weeks ago, my son's team won 4-2 (if they kept score) moving to 2-0 on the season (if they kept track of wins and losses). Oh, and he scored a goal and played a great game.
Last Saturday, they won again, 3-1, and he scored another goal, and should have been credited with 2 goals but the referee blew the half time whistle as he was taking a shot on goal so it didn't count. Why the ref would blow the whistle during a shot on goal is a debate for another day. After all, it's only 1st grade soccer.
Which brings me to the point of this blog entry. It was the 4th quarter, a couple of minutes left in the game, when my 3 year old decided he needed to use the potty. I explained to him that they only had yucky porta-johns and asked him if he could wait until we got home since the game was almost over. Nope, he wanted to use the potty. So I walked him the hundred yards or so to the potty, knowing all the while that once he saw the facilities he would decide he didn't have to go. We get there, stand in line, go in, he decides he doesn't have to go.
We head back to the field and the game has just ended. I walk over to my wife and she says, "did you see what happened?" And since I missed the end of the game I had no idea what she was talking about. She proceeds to tell me that the coach from the other team grabbed my son, yanked him by the arm, and yelled at him for hitting another kid. I asked her which coach it was, and of course, it had to be the coach who had 100 pounds on me. Regardless, I was on my way.
I reached the coach and said, "You don't ever touch my kid." He started making excuses and I interrupted him. "No, there is NEVER a reason to put your hands on a child. EVER."
At this point several parents from the other team ambushed me and started screaming and yelling about how our kids had been hitting their kids the entire game. They are full on screaming and going off. Somewhere in the ensuing chaos, the coach disappears (runs away?) and I'm left arguing with a bunch of lunatic parents.
One guy kept pushing me backward, not hard, but steadily pushing so that I had no choice but to step backwards. I repeatedly asked him why his hands were on me and asked him to remove them. He responded by saying, "I'm not someone you want to mess with." I busted out laughing. Are you kidding me? You're threatening me over a 1st grade soccer match? In front of the children.
Ironically, they argued their way full circle into agreeing with my original premise, i.e. There is never a reason to put your hands on a child. I finally walked away before I made headlines in the local newspaper. I actually, somehow, ended up talking one on one with a parent who wound up agreeing with me once he bothered to listen. We shook hands and were on our way to putting this unfortunate event behind us when another parent decided it was time to get back in my face. These people were unreal.
We eventually made our way to the car and on the way home I found out that my son had been complaining about the other team hitting and pushing him as early as half time. He admitted to punching a kid, but only after he had been hit as many times as he was willing to take.
Thinking back, I remember watching him play in the 2nd quarter, and wondering why he kept looking behind him. Now I realize, he was watching his back. The odd thing is that although this got way out of hand, none of our parents or coaches detected anything out of the ordinary during the game. It just seemed like a normal game, where the kids all cluster around the ball, bump into each other, kick at the ball, sometimes hitting each other, and eventually someone emerges with the ball and heads toward the goal.
No one saw anything that would indicate that the game was getting out of control. The referees never called any player for any physical infraction. It was very much just a typical soccer game. I'm sure we'll all be watching very differently this weekend.
In the meantime, we came home and discussed the events in detail. Agonizing over what happened, how it had escalated, and what we could have done to have prevented it.
My wife talked me out of emailing the league commissioner and informing him of the events. My thinking was that maybe this wasn't the first time (or the last) that this coach had physically assaulted a child and it would be wrong if I didn't at least report the incident so that there would be a record of his abuse. Her thinking was to just let it go, be done with it.
So I didn't file a report, but someone did. We're not sure if it was the referees or a parent from the other team. But our coach received an email yesterday, stating that an "Incident Report" had been filed, and asking for her version of events.
We'll see where it goes from here. My God, it's only 1st grade soccer! And my first encounter with insane sports parents.
My beef was and is with the coach. My intention was to have a one on one talk with the guy, make sure he understood that what he did was wrong, and make sure that if he is going to be coaching children in the future, that he never again let his emotions get the best of him to the point where he feels he is justified in putting his hands on a child. Perhaps I'll still have my say.
And instead of doing the disappearing act, why didn't he get his team's parents under control and man up? I can only hope that the commissioner deals appropriately with this guy.
Last Saturday, they won again, 3-1, and he scored another goal, and should have been credited with 2 goals but the referee blew the half time whistle as he was taking a shot on goal so it didn't count. Why the ref would blow the whistle during a shot on goal is a debate for another day. After all, it's only 1st grade soccer.
Which brings me to the point of this blog entry. It was the 4th quarter, a couple of minutes left in the game, when my 3 year old decided he needed to use the potty. I explained to him that they only had yucky porta-johns and asked him if he could wait until we got home since the game was almost over. Nope, he wanted to use the potty. So I walked him the hundred yards or so to the potty, knowing all the while that once he saw the facilities he would decide he didn't have to go. We get there, stand in line, go in, he decides he doesn't have to go.
We head back to the field and the game has just ended. I walk over to my wife and she says, "did you see what happened?" And since I missed the end of the game I had no idea what she was talking about. She proceeds to tell me that the coach from the other team grabbed my son, yanked him by the arm, and yelled at him for hitting another kid. I asked her which coach it was, and of course, it had to be the coach who had 100 pounds on me. Regardless, I was on my way.
I reached the coach and said, "You don't ever touch my kid." He started making excuses and I interrupted him. "No, there is NEVER a reason to put your hands on a child. EVER."
At this point several parents from the other team ambushed me and started screaming and yelling about how our kids had been hitting their kids the entire game. They are full on screaming and going off. Somewhere in the ensuing chaos, the coach disappears (runs away?) and I'm left arguing with a bunch of lunatic parents.
One guy kept pushing me backward, not hard, but steadily pushing so that I had no choice but to step backwards. I repeatedly asked him why his hands were on me and asked him to remove them. He responded by saying, "I'm not someone you want to mess with." I busted out laughing. Are you kidding me? You're threatening me over a 1st grade soccer match? In front of the children.
Ironically, they argued their way full circle into agreeing with my original premise, i.e. There is never a reason to put your hands on a child. I finally walked away before I made headlines in the local newspaper. I actually, somehow, ended up talking one on one with a parent who wound up agreeing with me once he bothered to listen. We shook hands and were on our way to putting this unfortunate event behind us when another parent decided it was time to get back in my face. These people were unreal.
We eventually made our way to the car and on the way home I found out that my son had been complaining about the other team hitting and pushing him as early as half time. He admitted to punching a kid, but only after he had been hit as many times as he was willing to take.
Thinking back, I remember watching him play in the 2nd quarter, and wondering why he kept looking behind him. Now I realize, he was watching his back. The odd thing is that although this got way out of hand, none of our parents or coaches detected anything out of the ordinary during the game. It just seemed like a normal game, where the kids all cluster around the ball, bump into each other, kick at the ball, sometimes hitting each other, and eventually someone emerges with the ball and heads toward the goal.
No one saw anything that would indicate that the game was getting out of control. The referees never called any player for any physical infraction. It was very much just a typical soccer game. I'm sure we'll all be watching very differently this weekend.
In the meantime, we came home and discussed the events in detail. Agonizing over what happened, how it had escalated, and what we could have done to have prevented it.
My wife talked me out of emailing the league commissioner and informing him of the events. My thinking was that maybe this wasn't the first time (or the last) that this coach had physically assaulted a child and it would be wrong if I didn't at least report the incident so that there would be a record of his abuse. Her thinking was to just let it go, be done with it.
So I didn't file a report, but someone did. We're not sure if it was the referees or a parent from the other team. But our coach received an email yesterday, stating that an "Incident Report" had been filed, and asking for her version of events.
We'll see where it goes from here. My God, it's only 1st grade soccer! And my first encounter with insane sports parents.
My beef was and is with the coach. My intention was to have a one on one talk with the guy, make sure he understood that what he did was wrong, and make sure that if he is going to be coaching children in the future, that he never again let his emotions get the best of him to the point where he feels he is justified in putting his hands on a child. Perhaps I'll still have my say.
And instead of doing the disappearing act, why didn't he get his team's parents under control and man up? I can only hope that the commissioner deals appropriately with this guy.
How To Handle The Phone Calls
With 5 weeks until the election, your phone is likely to be buzzing with unwanted phone calls from political groups and survey groups. Just hang up on the political groups. You can be more creative with the survey groups. As an example, here is a conversation I had last night:
Me: Hello?
Surveyor: This is blah blah...we're conducting a survey for blah blah. Can I speak to the male head of household registered voter?
Me: You can speak to me but I do charge a fee for my answers.
Surveyor: How much do you charge?
Me: How many questions do you have?
Surveyor: Seven.
Me: I can answer 7 questions for $200.
Surveyor: (laughing) OK, the check is in the mail.
Me: Actually, I can take a check by phone before we start. If you can please read me the bank routing number on the bottom left of the check.
Surveyor: (laughing) I'm not going to pay you for your answers.
Me: Why not? You're getting paid for asking me the questions, right?
Surveyor: Yes, I'm getting an hourly rate.
Me: OK, and the company who is paying you the hourly rate, they're getting paid to compile the answers, right?
Surveyor: Right.
Me: Well, it seems to me that I'm the only one who isn't getting paid and I'm the person who has the answers that your company needs.
Surveyor: (laughing) You have a good day, sir.
Me: Thanks for being a good sport.
Mind you, they usually get confused and/or irritated long before this and hang up. But last night I was fortunate enough to have a person with a brain and a sense of humor. You don't have to be mean about it. Have fun with it, waste a couple minutes of the surveyors time, and leave them with nothing.
If you answer their questions, it only encourages them to keep calling.
One more word of warning. A lot of these companies are using cell phones this time around. So if your caller id shows a cell number that you don't recognize, pick it up and have some fun. If you let it go to voice mail, they'll just keep calling.
And remember, in 5 weeks, this will all be over. Until the next time.
Me: Hello?
Surveyor: This is blah blah...we're conducting a survey for blah blah. Can I speak to the male head of household registered voter?
Me: You can speak to me but I do charge a fee for my answers.
Surveyor: How much do you charge?
Me: How many questions do you have?
Surveyor: Seven.
Me: I can answer 7 questions for $200.
Surveyor: (laughing) OK, the check is in the mail.
Me: Actually, I can take a check by phone before we start. If you can please read me the bank routing number on the bottom left of the check.
Surveyor: (laughing) I'm not going to pay you for your answers.
Me: Why not? You're getting paid for asking me the questions, right?
Surveyor: Yes, I'm getting an hourly rate.
Me: OK, and the company who is paying you the hourly rate, they're getting paid to compile the answers, right?
Surveyor: Right.
Me: Well, it seems to me that I'm the only one who isn't getting paid and I'm the person who has the answers that your company needs.
Surveyor: (laughing) You have a good day, sir.
Me: Thanks for being a good sport.
Mind you, they usually get confused and/or irritated long before this and hang up. But last night I was fortunate enough to have a person with a brain and a sense of humor. You don't have to be mean about it. Have fun with it, waste a couple minutes of the surveyors time, and leave them with nothing.
If you answer their questions, it only encourages them to keep calling.
One more word of warning. A lot of these companies are using cell phones this time around. So if your caller id shows a cell number that you don't recognize, pick it up and have some fun. If you let it go to voice mail, they'll just keep calling.
And remember, in 5 weeks, this will all be over. Until the next time.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The Results Are In
CNN has Obama winning the debate 51%-38%, with the overall public consensus being that either man would be able to handle the job if elected. This is a bigger deal for Obama because he is the one who supposedly had to go out and show the public that he could be "presidential". Mission accomplished.
I felt that McCain held his own but as the "experienced leader" he really didn't show me much. Like I said last night, it was Obama who was always taking the initiative during the debate. I don't know if anyone took a poll on who the public thinks is a stronger leader but if they did, I'm sure it would be overwhelmingly Obama.
More later...time to get ready for soccer.
I felt that McCain held his own but as the "experienced leader" he really didn't show me much. Like I said last night, it was Obama who was always taking the initiative during the debate. I don't know if anyone took a poll on who the public thinks is a stronger leader but if they did, I'm sure it would be overwhelmingly Obama.
More later...time to get ready for soccer.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Debate
Real quick. The debate. I won't get into who won or lost (OK, Obama won) but we'll see how it plays out. I thought Obama showed much more leadership, always taking on the open follow up questions, while McCain was content to sit back and let Obama lead. Telling.
Overall, I thought McCain did much better than expected, which mostly means that he outperformed the standards that Duh set during the previous debates. However, he didn't bring much substance to the table. He kept trying to drive home his experience but as far as ideas and leadership he was mostly mute. His use of the phrase "what Obama doesn't understand" would have been much more effective if Obama hadn't repeatedly demonstrated that he did in fact understand, and in most instances understands much better than McCain.
I'll probably have more to say later but it's past my bedtime.
Overall, I thought McCain did much better than expected, which mostly means that he outperformed the standards that Duh set during the previous debates. However, he didn't bring much substance to the table. He kept trying to drive home his experience but as far as ideas and leadership he was mostly mute. His use of the phrase "what Obama doesn't understand" would have been much more effective if Obama hadn't repeatedly demonstrated that he did in fact understand, and in most instances understands much better than McCain.
I'll probably have more to say later but it's past my bedtime.
Why $700 billion?
Once again, the Daily Kos is delving deeper into the bailout "crisis" than anyone else I've seen. Here's a sample:
The $700 billion figure isn't an explainable one, given the purported problem at hand of "bad mortgages".
And that's where we get that math problem. 1% of all mortgages -- the amount now in default -- comes out to $111 billion. Triple that, and you've got $333 billion. Let's round that up to $350 billion. So even if we reach the point where three percent of all mortgages are in foreclosure, the total dollars to flat out buy all those mortgages would be half of what the Bush-Paulson-McCain plan calls for.
Then we need to factor in that a purchased mortgage isn't worth zero. After all, these documents come with property attached. Even with home prices falling and some of the homes lying around unsold, it's safe to assume that some portion of these values could be recovered. In the S&L crisis, about 70% of asset value was recovered, but let's say we don't do that well. Let's say we hit 50%. Then the real outlay for taxpayers would be around $175 billion.
Which, frankly, is a number that Wall Street should be able to handle without our help. After all, the top firms on Wall Steet payed out $120 billion in bonuses alone between 2000 and 2006. If they've got that kind of mad money, why do they need us to step in now? And why do they need twice as much as all the mortgages that are even likely to implode?
The $700 billion figure isn't an explainable one, given the purported problem at hand of "bad mortgages".
And that's where we get that math problem. 1% of all mortgages -- the amount now in default -- comes out to $111 billion. Triple that, and you've got $333 billion. Let's round that up to $350 billion. So even if we reach the point where three percent of all mortgages are in foreclosure, the total dollars to flat out buy all those mortgages would be half of what the Bush-Paulson-McCain plan calls for.
Then we need to factor in that a purchased mortgage isn't worth zero. After all, these documents come with property attached. Even with home prices falling and some of the homes lying around unsold, it's safe to assume that some portion of these values could be recovered. In the S&L crisis, about 70% of asset value was recovered, but let's say we don't do that well. Let's say we hit 50%. Then the real outlay for taxpayers would be around $175 billion.
Which, frankly, is a number that Wall Street should be able to handle without our help. After all, the top firms on Wall Steet payed out $120 billion in bonuses alone between 2000 and 2006. If they've got that kind of mad money, why do they need us to step in now? And why do they need twice as much as all the mortgages that are even likely to implode?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Running For President? Or Just Running?
A big "atta boy" to Obama for not letting McCain off the hook re: the debate. Instead, he decides that the debate will go on with or without the scared little man who went running home to Duh.
Seriously, Johnny, what in the hell do you think that you can possibly contribute to this bailout situation by running back to Washington? It's you and your lobbyist buddies who created this mess. The only thing I can figure is that you want to get in on the meetings to make sure your lobbyist buddies don't get left out of the money grab. I think they call that "taking care of your people".
So Obama decides that if McCain is too afraid to show up to debate him then Obama will just have a town hall style meeting and/or a Q&A with Jim Lehrer. Either way, Obama gets an hour of prime time television coverage in front of millions of viewers and McCain gets squat. Brilliant.
Honestly, McCain has no choice but to show up for the debate. And now, he has thrown away two days of debate prep time that I can guarantee you he desperately needed. If there is a way to screw something up, McCain finds it. Oh Magoo, you've done it again.
Also, they are trying to cancel or postpone the VP debate scheduled for October 2. Hmmm. I wonder why they wouldn't want their VP candidate to answer unscripted questions before millions of potential voters? I'm stumped. I mean, her poll numbers have completely tanked over the past two weeks. We're talking like a 25 point drop. Huge. Imagine if people were actually given the opportunity to see just how incompetent and clueless she really is.
McCain's entire campaign is a farce. The American people are finally starting to see it. His numbers are down and he knows that debating Obama will be the final nail in his coffin. So instead of being a man, he goes running off to Washington where he can pretend to be a leader.
It's quite telling that Obama didn't follow.
Seriously, Johnny, what in the hell do you think that you can possibly contribute to this bailout situation by running back to Washington? It's you and your lobbyist buddies who created this mess. The only thing I can figure is that you want to get in on the meetings to make sure your lobbyist buddies don't get left out of the money grab. I think they call that "taking care of your people".
So Obama decides that if McCain is too afraid to show up to debate him then Obama will just have a town hall style meeting and/or a Q&A with Jim Lehrer. Either way, Obama gets an hour of prime time television coverage in front of millions of viewers and McCain gets squat. Brilliant.
Honestly, McCain has no choice but to show up for the debate. And now, he has thrown away two days of debate prep time that I can guarantee you he desperately needed. If there is a way to screw something up, McCain finds it. Oh Magoo, you've done it again.
Also, they are trying to cancel or postpone the VP debate scheduled for October 2. Hmmm. I wonder why they wouldn't want their VP candidate to answer unscripted questions before millions of potential voters? I'm stumped. I mean, her poll numbers have completely tanked over the past two weeks. We're talking like a 25 point drop. Huge. Imagine if people were actually given the opportunity to see just how incompetent and clueless she really is.
McCain's entire campaign is a farce. The American people are finally starting to see it. His numbers are down and he knows that debating Obama will be the final nail in his coffin. So instead of being a man, he goes running off to Washington where he can pretend to be a leader.
It's quite telling that Obama didn't follow.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Suspending Reality
Even David Letterman recognizes what a fool McCain is:
"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"
"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"
Kudos, Daily Kos
Daily Kos is so on top of this I can't even pretend to compete. Instead, I'll copy and paste. This is from Obama:
"Every American has a stake in solving this crisis ..."
"The clock is ticking but we have to get it right."
First, we need a bipartisan board overseeing accountability.
Second, Americans should be treated like investors.
Third, we will not bail out Wall Street without helping homeowners.
Finally, not one dime to reward the same Wall Street CEO's who got us in this mess. No welfare for Wall Street execs.
There are times for politics, and then there are times to rise above it.
This is no longer a Democratic or Republican problem. It is an American problem, requiring an American solution.
Question: Is McCain playing politics cancelling the debate?
Answer: This is exactly the time the American people need to hear from the people who will be dealing with this mess. ... It's more important than ever.
Lots of talk of bipartisanship ... no bankruptcy reform in this package, and Republicans should hold off on their issues in this package.
Question: You staying in Florida or going back to DC?
Answer: If I can be helpful, I'll go back. Talking to Paulson, Pelosi, Reid. As presidents, we'll need to deal with more than one thing at a time.
Question: Should both you and McCain be present for vote for the package?
Answer: (Basically) yes, it's important for the message.
Question: McCain has suspended his campaign ads ... will you?
Answer: My general view is that the American people need to know what we'll do to move the economy forward ... I plan to debate.
There are going to be a whole host of structural issues that will have to be dealt with by the next administration .... jobs, college tuition, ... Let's solve the immediate problem and then make sure we continue to present long-term solutions.
"Every American has a stake in solving this crisis ..."
"The clock is ticking but we have to get it right."
First, we need a bipartisan board overseeing accountability.
Second, Americans should be treated like investors.
Third, we will not bail out Wall Street without helping homeowners.
Finally, not one dime to reward the same Wall Street CEO's who got us in this mess. No welfare for Wall Street execs.
There are times for politics, and then there are times to rise above it.
This is no longer a Democratic or Republican problem. It is an American problem, requiring an American solution.
Question: Is McCain playing politics cancelling the debate?
Answer: This is exactly the time the American people need to hear from the people who will be dealing with this mess. ... It's more important than ever.
Lots of talk of bipartisanship ... no bankruptcy reform in this package, and Republicans should hold off on their issues in this package.
Question: You staying in Florida or going back to DC?
Answer: If I can be helpful, I'll go back. Talking to Paulson, Pelosi, Reid. As presidents, we'll need to deal with more than one thing at a time.
Question: Should both you and McCain be present for vote for the package?
Answer: (Basically) yes, it's important for the message.
Question: McCain has suspended his campaign ads ... will you?
Answer: My general view is that the American people need to know what we'll do to move the economy forward ... I plan to debate.
There are going to be a whole host of structural issues that will have to be dealt with by the next administration .... jobs, college tuition, ... Let's solve the immediate problem and then make sure we continue to present long-term solutions.
Prodigal Son
Ha! This is from the Daily Kos:
The prodigal son returns. John McCain has announced that America is finally confronting a crisis that he doesn't feel he can be absent for.
Some fun facts about John McCain: Of all Senators, John McCain has been the most absent. There have been 643 votes taken in the current Senate session: McCain has missed 412 of them.
McCain has not voted in the Senate since April 8th. Since March, he has missed 109 of the last 110 votes.
He missed votes on the GI Bill, energy policy, and in 2007 he missed "all 15 critical environmental votes in the Senate" -- giving him a 2007 rating of 0% from the League of Conservation Voters. Zero percent? I don't think that's fair. I think they should have given him an "incomplete", and told him that he had to stay for summer session if he wants to graduate from the Senate.
So welcome back, John McCain. If I were the Senate Democrats, I would now completely rejigger the Senate schedule in order to put things up that America would really, really like to see John McCain cast a vote on. It seems the least we could do.
The prodigal son returns. John McCain has announced that America is finally confronting a crisis that he doesn't feel he can be absent for.
Some fun facts about John McCain: Of all Senators, John McCain has been the most absent. There have been 643 votes taken in the current Senate session: McCain has missed 412 of them.
McCain has not voted in the Senate since April 8th. Since March, he has missed 109 of the last 110 votes.
He missed votes on the GI Bill, energy policy, and in 2007 he missed "all 15 critical environmental votes in the Senate" -- giving him a 2007 rating of 0% from the League of Conservation Voters. Zero percent? I don't think that's fair. I think they should have given him an "incomplete", and told him that he had to stay for summer session if he wants to graduate from the Senate.
So welcome back, John McCain. If I were the Senate Democrats, I would now completely rejigger the Senate schedule in order to put things up that America would really, really like to see John McCain cast a vote on. It seems the least we could do.
Oh Sweet Jesus...Please stop me before I laugh myself to death
I shit you not. Grampy InSane wants to postpone Friday's debate with Obama due to the "Economic Crisis".
Yeah, give it a few more days, Grampy, and this will all blow over. You know, except for that part about you being a key part of the Keating 5...your campaign manager accepting bribes from Freddie Mac to keep you from doing anything about deregulation...you being totally wrong about Georgia vs Russia...you believing and regurgitating that the president has the authority to fire the head of the SEC...
That's just off the top of my head. Feel free to chime in.
It's bad enough that he selected a not ready for prime time VP, and since then has felt it necessary to hide the little lady from the press and the American people. Talk about sexist. Can't your little moose killer stand on her own two feet? I know, she's just a girl and it's not fair that the media actually went out and vetted her, after you failed to do so. It's so unfair that the media easily exposed her as an incompetent fraud. So I understand...you want to protect your little trophy VP from scrutiny, ridicule, honest evaluation. But I digress.
You see, McCain feels that these two U.S. Senators, who haven't done a damn thing on the Senate floor for the people of the United States in the past year except run for president, should suddenly drop everything regarding running for president at the exact moment that the non-attention paying public were about to find out what a complete and total idiot and fraud of a candidate McCain is, so that he can spend more time trying to "solve" the economic crisis that he and his lobbyists/campaign managers/friends/cronies created in the first place.
Sic him, Obama. If you let this pussy off the hook then you deserve to lose.
Yeah, give it a few more days, Grampy, and this will all blow over. You know, except for that part about you being a key part of the Keating 5...your campaign manager accepting bribes from Freddie Mac to keep you from doing anything about deregulation...you being totally wrong about Georgia vs Russia...you believing and regurgitating that the president has the authority to fire the head of the SEC...
That's just off the top of my head. Feel free to chime in.
It's bad enough that he selected a not ready for prime time VP, and since then has felt it necessary to hide the little lady from the press and the American people. Talk about sexist. Can't your little moose killer stand on her own two feet? I know, she's just a girl and it's not fair that the media actually went out and vetted her, after you failed to do so. It's so unfair that the media easily exposed her as an incompetent fraud. So I understand...you want to protect your little trophy VP from scrutiny, ridicule, honest evaluation. But I digress.
You see, McCain feels that these two U.S. Senators, who haven't done a damn thing on the Senate floor for the people of the United States in the past year except run for president, should suddenly drop everything regarding running for president at the exact moment that the non-attention paying public were about to find out what a complete and total idiot and fraud of a candidate McCain is, so that he can spend more time trying to "solve" the economic crisis that he and his lobbyists/campaign managers/friends/cronies created in the first place.
Sic him, Obama. If you let this pussy off the hook then you deserve to lose.
Full Circle
Wow, almost 20 years later and it's as fresh as if it happened today. If not for McCain's involvement, it would have been called the Keating 4.
Baron Von Money Pants
...and Stewart's take.
Why are the comedians more on point than the "journalists"?
Why are the comedians more on point than the "journalists"?
$15K per month for access to McCain...Priceless
I try to touch on the not so obvious subjects. I figure you can get the mainsteam talking points elsewhere, and by people who can deliver the news much more fluently than me.
However, sometimes a topic needs to be addressed, regardless.
Here is a case in point. Although, hopefully the mainstream media is on this, but I can't really count on that now, can I?
This should be the big news of the day. Hopefully, it will be. It turns out that Rick Davis, John McCain's lobbyist/campaign manager, has been receiving $15k per month, since 2005, from Freddie Mac, simply for access to McCain, so that they could keep deregulation in place.
You heard me right, they paid Davis $15,000 per month, for the last 4 years, up to and including last month, just to make sure that if/when McCain became president, they would have Davis, the lobbyist, in place to make sure that McCain continued to do nothing to get in the way of the deregulated predatory mortgage money grab.
Have you had enough of the Republi-CON "leadership" or would you like some more?
Oh, and I forgot to mention that McCain lied about this (surprise, surprise) as recently as Sunday evening on "60 Minutes", claiming that Davis had not had any dealings with Freddie Mac since 2005. OK, "liberal media", get on it.
There's a word for this...hmmm...what is it? Oh...yeah...BRIBERY...that's it.
However, sometimes a topic needs to be addressed, regardless.
Here is a case in point. Although, hopefully the mainstream media is on this, but I can't really count on that now, can I?
This should be the big news of the day. Hopefully, it will be. It turns out that Rick Davis, John McCain's lobbyist/campaign manager, has been receiving $15k per month, since 2005, from Freddie Mac, simply for access to McCain, so that they could keep deregulation in place.
You heard me right, they paid Davis $15,000 per month, for the last 4 years, up to and including last month, just to make sure that if/when McCain became president, they would have Davis, the lobbyist, in place to make sure that McCain continued to do nothing to get in the way of the deregulated predatory mortgage money grab.
Have you had enough of the Republi-CON "leadership" or would you like some more?
Oh, and I forgot to mention that McCain lied about this (surprise, surprise) as recently as Sunday evening on "60 Minutes", claiming that Davis had not had any dealings with Freddie Mac since 2005. OK, "liberal media", get on it.
There's a word for this...hmmm...what is it? Oh...yeah...BRIBERY...that's it.
In Ingles, Por Favor
More on the bailouts. The House Republican Study Committee has released a proposal that supposedly would deal with the financial crisis. At this time, we ask that you take out and begin using your smoke and mirrors. Here's the plan, in a nutshell:
Two-Year Suspension of the Capital Gains: Immediately suspend the capital gains rate from 15% for individuals and 35% for corporations. By encouraging corporations to sell unwanted assets, this provision would unleash funds and materials with which to create jobs and grow the economy. After the two-year suspension, capital gains rates would return to present levels but assets would be indexed permanently for any inflationary gains.
Everyone clear on this? Their plan is to suspend the Capital Gains tax for 2 years so that all businesses and wealthy Americans may dump their unprofitable assets.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain who is carrying a big sign reminding people that capital gains taxes only apply to PROFITS (i.e. "capital gains").
The republi-CONS are once again counting on you to be stupid and uninformed. Please make an effort to let them down this time.
So, what does this really mean? The real end game is to simply eliminate the capital gains tax for wealthy corporations and rich people, so that they can continue making sick profits off the backs of the masses.
Have you had enough of Republi-CON "leadership" or would you like some more?
Two-Year Suspension of the Capital Gains: Immediately suspend the capital gains rate from 15% for individuals and 35% for corporations. By encouraging corporations to sell unwanted assets, this provision would unleash funds and materials with which to create jobs and grow the economy. After the two-year suspension, capital gains rates would return to present levels but assets would be indexed permanently for any inflationary gains.
Everyone clear on this? Their plan is to suspend the Capital Gains tax for 2 years so that all businesses and wealthy Americans may dump their unprofitable assets.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain who is carrying a big sign reminding people that capital gains taxes only apply to PROFITS (i.e. "capital gains").
The republi-CONS are once again counting on you to be stupid and uninformed. Please make an effort to let them down this time.
So, what does this really mean? The real end game is to simply eliminate the capital gains tax for wealthy corporations and rich people, so that they can continue making sick profits off the backs of the masses.
Have you had enough of Republi-CON "leadership" or would you like some more?
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Danger! Logic In Use
From my good friends at the Daily Kos:
Maybe someone can explain this to me:
One critical issue is whether taxpayers will simply buy up bad debt or receive some tangible assurance that they will share in the profits if the bailout works and the firms return to profitability. Several lawmakers, including Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), an influential member of the Banking Committee, are pushing for a provision that would require participating firms to grant the government warrants to purchase stock.
Sources familiar with the Treasury's thinking said warrants would limit participation in the program. Only failing banks would be willing to give the government stock in exchange for buying up their bad assets, these sources said. But key Democrats said the point was critical.
Umm. Why should we give a shit if a provision "limits participation in the program"? I call that "saving taxpayers money". If a financial institution doesn't need our money to survive, then GOOD!
The more I see quotes like that, the more suspicious I get about the administration's motives. If this is a true bailout, then the troubled institutions have no choice and are desperate for the capital infusion. As a matter of survival, they will happily sign over warrants just like they'd give any other investor.
But what we're seeing instead is the administration trying to gift their friends on Wall Street taxpayer money with no strings attached, and suggesting that anything else would be a disaster for the economy.
Maybe someone can explain this to me:
One critical issue is whether taxpayers will simply buy up bad debt or receive some tangible assurance that they will share in the profits if the bailout works and the firms return to profitability. Several lawmakers, including Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), an influential member of the Banking Committee, are pushing for a provision that would require participating firms to grant the government warrants to purchase stock.
Sources familiar with the Treasury's thinking said warrants would limit participation in the program. Only failing banks would be willing to give the government stock in exchange for buying up their bad assets, these sources said. But key Democrats said the point was critical.
Umm. Why should we give a shit if a provision "limits participation in the program"? I call that "saving taxpayers money". If a financial institution doesn't need our money to survive, then GOOD!
The more I see quotes like that, the more suspicious I get about the administration's motives. If this is a true bailout, then the troubled institutions have no choice and are desperate for the capital infusion. As a matter of survival, they will happily sign over warrants just like they'd give any other investor.
But what we're seeing instead is the administration trying to gift their friends on Wall Street taxpayer money with no strings attached, and suggesting that anything else would be a disaster for the economy.
Newt Gingrich...come to the light...
What kind of bizarro world am I living in when Newt Gingrich sides with me?
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said Tuesday that any lawmaker who votes for the Bush administration's $700 billion bailout package, which he called a “dead loser,” will face defeat in November.
Gingrich (R-Ga.) said he thinks Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is trying to scare lawmakers into passing the bailout plan quickly and without thorough study.
“I think what Paulson hopes to do is say, ‘If you don’t do exactly what I want you to do, the whole world’s going to collapse on Tuesday’,” Gingrich said.
The former Speaker, talking to reporters at a lunch, added that he expects Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) to back the plan. He predicted that, if Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) ends up opposing the administration proposal, there will be an overnight “emergence of a McCain/reform wing of the Republican Party.”
Gingrich said that occurrence would turn the election on its head, with Republicans running ads that feature Obama with President Bush on the same team in pushing for a “nightmare” bailout plan.
The former Speaker said that by November, the flaws in the plan will be apparent, and voters will “break against anyone who votes for it.”
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said Tuesday that any lawmaker who votes for the Bush administration's $700 billion bailout package, which he called a “dead loser,” will face defeat in November.
Gingrich (R-Ga.) said he thinks Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is trying to scare lawmakers into passing the bailout plan quickly and without thorough study.
“I think what Paulson hopes to do is say, ‘If you don’t do exactly what I want you to do, the whole world’s going to collapse on Tuesday’,” Gingrich said.
The former Speaker, talking to reporters at a lunch, added that he expects Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) to back the plan. He predicted that, if Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) ends up opposing the administration proposal, there will be an overnight “emergence of a McCain/reform wing of the Republican Party.”
Gingrich said that occurrence would turn the election on its head, with Republicans running ads that feature Obama with President Bush on the same team in pushing for a “nightmare” bailout plan.
The former Speaker said that by November, the flaws in the plan will be apparent, and voters will “break against anyone who votes for it.”
Welfare Rats II
You already know my take on corporate welfare. Let me copy and paste the last paragraph of my blog regarding the Bear Stearns bailout last April:
Yep, these folks are truly needy and they most certainly deserve our hard earned taxpayer dollars. If the Duh (again, short for W., for those of you new to this blog) years have taught us nothing else, it is that the 1% are more important than the rest of us and when they screw up they still deserve to be rewarded. As for the rest of us, well, apparently we're on our own.
Keep in mind, this was my take concerning a $30 billion bailout where the CEO had cashed in stocks to the tune of $10.3 million and the president $9.76 million just months before the collapse.
Imagine how I feel about yet another bailout, at the tax payers expense, this time at a cost of $700 billion. I know, I know...I hear you. The sky is falling. If we don't bail out the scum bag mortgage industry then it will lead to a total collapse of the economy...capitalism will fail. Gasp!
Let me fill you in on a dirty little secret. Capitalism isn't all it's cracked up to be. Without regulation, capitalism is just the most vile, despicable, corrupt profiteers on the planet cashing in without restraint, taking advantage of every decent human being on the planet, without remorse.
And the Duh Administration's answer to this attack on the very foundation of American life? Reward the incompetent, greedy bastards with enough money to invade their very own sovereign nation under false pretenses, if they so choose. Not only that, Duh proposes that these people, the same people who got us into this mess, be blessed with legal immunity and zero oversight. Yeah, you heard me right. He wants to give them $700 billion of American tax payer money, to do with as they please, with no political or judicial recourse by the American people. Are you fucking kidding me?
And of course, he'll top it off with the media strong arm tactics to try to push this joke through without any debate or meaningful negotiation, much like they did with the Patriot Act. It's one last gift to the 1% before the jackass leaves office.
Let's recap. The greedy, incompetent, scumbag capitalists who created this mess will be rewarded with a $700 billion windfall, while all of the regular joe American citizens who fell for these tactics will be left without a home.
Have you had enough of Republi-CON "leadership" or would you like some more?
Yep, these folks are truly needy and they most certainly deserve our hard earned taxpayer dollars. If the Duh (again, short for W., for those of you new to this blog) years have taught us nothing else, it is that the 1% are more important than the rest of us and when they screw up they still deserve to be rewarded. As for the rest of us, well, apparently we're on our own.
Keep in mind, this was my take concerning a $30 billion bailout where the CEO had cashed in stocks to the tune of $10.3 million and the president $9.76 million just months before the collapse.
Imagine how I feel about yet another bailout, at the tax payers expense, this time at a cost of $700 billion. I know, I know...I hear you. The sky is falling. If we don't bail out the scum bag mortgage industry then it will lead to a total collapse of the economy...capitalism will fail. Gasp!
Let me fill you in on a dirty little secret. Capitalism isn't all it's cracked up to be. Without regulation, capitalism is just the most vile, despicable, corrupt profiteers on the planet cashing in without restraint, taking advantage of every decent human being on the planet, without remorse.
And the Duh Administration's answer to this attack on the very foundation of American life? Reward the incompetent, greedy bastards with enough money to invade their very own sovereign nation under false pretenses, if they so choose. Not only that, Duh proposes that these people, the same people who got us into this mess, be blessed with legal immunity and zero oversight. Yeah, you heard me right. He wants to give them $700 billion of American tax payer money, to do with as they please, with no political or judicial recourse by the American people. Are you fucking kidding me?
And of course, he'll top it off with the media strong arm tactics to try to push this joke through without any debate or meaningful negotiation, much like they did with the Patriot Act. It's one last gift to the 1% before the jackass leaves office.
Let's recap. The greedy, incompetent, scumbag capitalists who created this mess will be rewarded with a $700 billion windfall, while all of the regular joe American citizens who fell for these tactics will be left without a home.
Have you had enough of Republi-CON "leadership" or would you like some more?
Nothing Has Changed
OK. I've done the research and during the week that I was without electricity and internet access, nothing has changed. McCain is still a stumbling, bumbling, incoherent, near senile, shell of his former self, with his strings still being pulled by Karl Rove cronies and corporate lobbyists. His running mate becomes a bigger joke by the hour. The polls have shifted in the good guys favor. McCain stepped in it yet again re: the economy, and yes, not only does he not know sunni's from shiites but he obviously doesn't know shit from shinola either. I could go into a litany of areas where McCain is weak (economy, foreign policy, intelligence, etc.) but let's do each other a favor and just go with the given, McCain is weak, period. Psst...pass it on.
Power To The People
Where have I been? My family, along with approximately 400,000 other central Ohio residents took a week long break from the 21st century, back to a place called "Life Before the Internet". The remnants of Hurricane Ike breezed through Ohio and left the majority of us with no electricity for nearly a week.
It was almost long enough for me to kick my political addiction cold turkey. Almost. But seriously, it was tough at times and it was actually very nice at times. The kids were forced to use their imaginations, be creative, and play outside. My wife and I were able to spend a series of candlelit nights together. Neighbors came together and helped each other wherever needed.
But by the end, we were ready for power, electricity. Although it was difficult at times, it could have been so much worse. We had running water. We had hot water. We had a gas stove and a propane grill. We had a roof over our heads. The weather was comfortable. We had awesome neighbors who allowed us to plug into their generator, so we had a refrigerator.
It was an opportunity to reflect on life. To think about what is important. Needs versus wants. A chance to take stock of what is really important in life. A time to realize just how fortunate I am to be blessed with such a wonderful family.
And as if we hadn't already been given ample opportunity to reflect on the importance of family, a day after power was restored, my beautiful wife lost her grandmother, who lived a full life and then some, reaching the age of 90. The rest of us can only hope to live as long and be as full of life until the end, as Grandma Thelma did. She will be missed.
It was almost long enough for me to kick my political addiction cold turkey. Almost. But seriously, it was tough at times and it was actually very nice at times. The kids were forced to use their imaginations, be creative, and play outside. My wife and I were able to spend a series of candlelit nights together. Neighbors came together and helped each other wherever needed.
But by the end, we were ready for power, electricity. Although it was difficult at times, it could have been so much worse. We had running water. We had hot water. We had a gas stove and a propane grill. We had a roof over our heads. The weather was comfortable. We had awesome neighbors who allowed us to plug into their generator, so we had a refrigerator.
It was an opportunity to reflect on life. To think about what is important. Needs versus wants. A chance to take stock of what is really important in life. A time to realize just how fortunate I am to be blessed with such a wonderful family.
And as if we hadn't already been given ample opportunity to reflect on the importance of family, a day after power was restored, my beautiful wife lost her grandmother, who lived a full life and then some, reaching the age of 90. The rest of us can only hope to live as long and be as full of life until the end, as Grandma Thelma did. She will be missed.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
David Foster Wallace
One of the greatest writers of our generation, David Foster Wallace, hanged himself on Friday night at age 46. NYT obit is here. I'm stunned. This is not how I expected to start my day. Why are the greatest minds so often tortured? Do yourselves a favor and read Infinite Jest. This news is hitting me surprisingly hard.
Friday, September 12, 2008
She Supports Sexual Predators, Too
Wow, they really are the Pro-Sexual Predator ticket. This just in from the Huffpost:
Despite denials by the Palin campaign, new evidence proves that as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin had a direct hand in imposing fees to pay for post-sexual assault medical exams conducted by the city to gather evidence.
Palin's role is now confirmed by Wasilla City budget documents available online.
Under Sarah Palin's administration, Wasilla cut funds that had previously paid for the medical exams and began charging victims or their health insurers the $500 to $1200 fees.
News of the controversial policy has leaked slowly into the press this week as the presidential campaign has heated up and Palin's record has been subject to increasing scrutiny. The practice of charging rape victims has called into question Palin's stated commitment to women's issues, her judgment as an executive and her honesty about her record.
Despite denials by the Palin campaign, new evidence proves that as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin had a direct hand in imposing fees to pay for post-sexual assault medical exams conducted by the city to gather evidence.
Palin's role is now confirmed by Wasilla City budget documents available online.
Under Sarah Palin's administration, Wasilla cut funds that had previously paid for the medical exams and began charging victims or their health insurers the $500 to $1200 fees.
News of the controversial policy has leaked slowly into the press this week as the presidential campaign has heated up and Palin's record has been subject to increasing scrutiny. The practice of charging rape victims has called into question Palin's stated commitment to women's issues, her judgment as an executive and her honesty about her record.
McShame Supports Sexual Predators
How desperate and despicable do you have to be to run a false ad claiming that Obama was in favor of teaching kindergarten children sex education when the bill was really in favor of teaching kindergarten children about how to protect themselves from sexual predators? Is McShame trying to tell us that he is pro-sexual predator? Scumbag piece of shit.
Here is a good example of what every "journalist" as well as democratic spokespersons should be doing every time these republican liars start moving their mouths.
Here is a good example of what every "journalist" as well as democratic spokespersons should be doing every time these republican liars start moving their mouths.
The View
Here is a link for McShame's appearance on The View. Surprisingly, the ladies really let him have it. There are several occasions where it looks like he is working very hard to control his temper as they repeatedly correct his "facts". This guy is a house of cards just waiting to crumble. He's in too deep to back out now and it gets harder and harder for him to keep track of all the lies his campaign has been putting out there. On multiple questions, you can see how hard he is trying to work through the answer without screwing up. The man is heading for a melt down. I sure hope it's televised.
Energy
I saw a McShame interview yesterday where he was asked to give one example of Palin's experience in the field of national security. His answer was "energy". Think about that for a minute. Let's imagine there is a terrorist attack on U.S. soil under President Palin's watch (since under this scenario McShame was called to the Lord shortly after assuming the Presidency).
Now, let's try to come up with as many different examples of how she can use "energy" to stave off the attack and/or bring the terrorists to justice. Seriously, take a second and write down a couple of your answers.
Yeah, I'm stumped too.
I would've just chalked it up to McShame being an idiot but then Palin said the same thing last night during her disastrous "interview" with ABC. "My national security credentials have to do with energy..." Wha...wha...what? They might as well be saying that her national security credentials have to do with chocolate cream pie. One has just as much to do with national security as the other.
And let's not forget that "energy" is just a code word for "oil". She's from Alaska. They have oil there. Therefore, she has national security credentials in "energy". It's comical. Kind of like she has foreign policy experience because Alaska is geographically close to Russia. Once again, I'm laughing and crying at the same time.
Now, let's try to come up with as many different examples of how she can use "energy" to stave off the attack and/or bring the terrorists to justice. Seriously, take a second and write down a couple of your answers.
Yeah, I'm stumped too.
I would've just chalked it up to McShame being an idiot but then Palin said the same thing last night during her disastrous "interview" with ABC. "My national security credentials have to do with energy..." Wha...wha...what? They might as well be saying that her national security credentials have to do with chocolate cream pie. One has just as much to do with national security as the other.
And let's not forget that "energy" is just a code word for "oil". She's from Alaska. They have oil there. Therefore, she has national security credentials in "energy". It's comical. Kind of like she has foreign policy experience because Alaska is geographically close to Russia. Once again, I'm laughing and crying at the same time.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Lipstick Fits
Every campaign has a pivotal moment, a sound bite that captures the American conscience and seemingly catapults a candidate to victory. “Read my lips, no new taxes”, “I voted for it before I voted against it”, “There he goes again”. This year’s pivotal sound bite? The improbable “lipstick on a pig”.
This is the type of quote that dummy it up America can grasp, hang onto, claim as its own. The McShame camp made a grievous error when they attempted to use this as a diversion. It is so beautiful that I’m hoping that it was a trap that the Obama camp set and the McShame team gleefully dived right into. Judging from the swift response by Team Obama, it does appear that they were quite prepared to counterpunch as soon as McShame’s lobbyists/campaign team cried foul.
When confronted by the media over accusations that Obama was referring to Palin when he mentioned “lipstick on a pig”, Obama wasted no time correcting the reporters and letting them know that he was talking about McCain and his policies. Although it is a funny aside to consider why everyone assumed he was talking about Palin. But Obama wasn’t done yet. He seized the opportunity to unleash this gem.
“The McCain campaign would much rather have the story be about phony and foolish diversions than about the future. ... This is what they want to spend 2 of the last 55 days talking about. You know who ends up losing at the end of day? It's not the Democratic candidate, it's not the Republican candidate, it's you, the American people. Because then we go another year or another four years or another eight years without addressing the issues that matter to you. Enough. I don't care what they say about me. But I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and swift boat politics. Enough is enough.”
Team Obama was also prepared with evidence of at least 3 separate occasions in which McShame himself used the same exact “lipstick on a pig” quote when describing his various opponents ideas and policies, with McShame most recently using the quote against Hillary Clinton. Priceless hypocrisy exposed yet again.
In an even more embarrassing discovery, it turns out that Torie Clarke, a McShame and Republican party PR hack, actually published a book entitled “Lipstick on a Pig”. Honestly, has a more inept and embarrassingly incompetent campaign every been run?
Then Obama went on Letterman and “poked” fun at the line. Letterman observed that at some point the Republicans must have actually had to have had a meeting where they concluded that Obama called their VP candidate a pig. Obama, without missing a beat, pointed out that “…had I meant it that way she would actually be the lipstick.” Big laugh line. Keep it coming, McShame.
“Lipstick on a pig” is a line that Obama needs to keep using at every opportunity, day in and day out until it becomes part of the American lexicon. Make sure that the McShame team forever regrets the decision to try to use that line as a diversion from discussing real issues. If the lipstick fits, smear it.
And let's not allow the full message to be lost in the sound bite. Here is what Obama said.
"John McCain says he's about change, too. And so I guess his whole angle is, 'Watch out, George Bush. Except for economic policy, health-care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics, we're going to really shake things up in Washington. That's not change. That's just calling some -- the same thing something different. But you know, you can't, you can put, uh, lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig."
This is the type of quote that dummy it up America can grasp, hang onto, claim as its own. The McShame camp made a grievous error when they attempted to use this as a diversion. It is so beautiful that I’m hoping that it was a trap that the Obama camp set and the McShame team gleefully dived right into. Judging from the swift response by Team Obama, it does appear that they were quite prepared to counterpunch as soon as McShame’s lobbyists/campaign team cried foul.
When confronted by the media over accusations that Obama was referring to Palin when he mentioned “lipstick on a pig”, Obama wasted no time correcting the reporters and letting them know that he was talking about McCain and his policies. Although it is a funny aside to consider why everyone assumed he was talking about Palin. But Obama wasn’t done yet. He seized the opportunity to unleash this gem.
“The McCain campaign would much rather have the story be about phony and foolish diversions than about the future. ... This is what they want to spend 2 of the last 55 days talking about. You know who ends up losing at the end of day? It's not the Democratic candidate, it's not the Republican candidate, it's you, the American people. Because then we go another year or another four years or another eight years without addressing the issues that matter to you. Enough. I don't care what they say about me. But I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and swift boat politics. Enough is enough.”
Team Obama was also prepared with evidence of at least 3 separate occasions in which McShame himself used the same exact “lipstick on a pig” quote when describing his various opponents ideas and policies, with McShame most recently using the quote against Hillary Clinton. Priceless hypocrisy exposed yet again.
In an even more embarrassing discovery, it turns out that Torie Clarke, a McShame and Republican party PR hack, actually published a book entitled “Lipstick on a Pig”. Honestly, has a more inept and embarrassingly incompetent campaign every been run?
Then Obama went on Letterman and “poked” fun at the line. Letterman observed that at some point the Republicans must have actually had to have had a meeting where they concluded that Obama called their VP candidate a pig. Obama, without missing a beat, pointed out that “…had I meant it that way she would actually be the lipstick.” Big laugh line. Keep it coming, McShame.
“Lipstick on a pig” is a line that Obama needs to keep using at every opportunity, day in and day out until it becomes part of the American lexicon. Make sure that the McShame team forever regrets the decision to try to use that line as a diversion from discussing real issues. If the lipstick fits, smear it.
And let's not allow the full message to be lost in the sound bite. Here is what Obama said.
"John McCain says he's about change, too. And so I guess his whole angle is, 'Watch out, George Bush. Except for economic policy, health-care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics, we're going to really shake things up in Washington. That's not change. That's just calling some -- the same thing something different. But you know, you can't, you can put, uh, lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig."
The Herd
From AmericaBlog.com
Clearly, no one has had time to brief Sarah Palin on any issues. She keeps giving the same speech, with the same lies, over and over. Yesterday in Virginia, she reiterated one of the whoppers that's become part of her stump speech, "He doesn't run with the Washington herd." She is, of course, referring to John McCain.Has John McCain introduced his v.p. pick to the lobbyists who are running their campaign? McCain's campaign is controlled by that "Washington herd." McCain is controlled by them. Someone should brief Sarah Palin on these people who manage the McCain operation. After all, she works for them now, too:
* Rick Davis, campaign manager, has lobbied for Airborne Express and DHL on their controversial merger deal, as well as telecom companies Bell South/SBC and Verizon.
* Charlie Black, senior advisor, lobbied for more than 100 clients, including Yukos Oil and Freddie Mac.
* Randy Scheunemann's lobbying clients have included BP Amoco and the NRA.
* Nancy Pfotenhauer, senior policy advisor, is a former Koch Industries lobbyist.
* Frank Donatelli, the McCain campaign's director at the RNC, has had 70 clients including PHARMA, Pfizer and Exxon Mobil.
* John Green, congressional liaison, has lobbied for at least 150 clients, including insurance industry trade groups, predatory lender Ameriquest, Chevron Texaco, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac.
* Wayne Berman, campaign vice-chair, finance co-chair, and advisor has also lobbied for almost 100 clients, including Ameriquest, Fannie Mae, the National Rifle Association and American Health Insurance Plans.
Those people are THE Washington herd.
Clearly, no one has had time to brief Sarah Palin on any issues. She keeps giving the same speech, with the same lies, over and over. Yesterday in Virginia, she reiterated one of the whoppers that's become part of her stump speech, "He doesn't run with the Washington herd." She is, of course, referring to John McCain.Has John McCain introduced his v.p. pick to the lobbyists who are running their campaign? McCain's campaign is controlled by that "Washington herd." McCain is controlled by them. Someone should brief Sarah Palin on these people who manage the McCain operation. After all, she works for them now, too:
* Rick Davis, campaign manager, has lobbied for Airborne Express and DHL on their controversial merger deal, as well as telecom companies Bell South/SBC and Verizon.
* Charlie Black, senior advisor, lobbied for more than 100 clients, including Yukos Oil and Freddie Mac.
* Randy Scheunemann's lobbying clients have included BP Amoco and the NRA.
* Nancy Pfotenhauer, senior policy advisor, is a former Koch Industries lobbyist.
* Frank Donatelli, the McCain campaign's director at the RNC, has had 70 clients including PHARMA, Pfizer and Exxon Mobil.
* John Green, congressional liaison, has lobbied for at least 150 clients, including insurance industry trade groups, predatory lender Ameriquest, Chevron Texaco, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac.
* Wayne Berman, campaign vice-chair, finance co-chair, and advisor has also lobbied for almost 100 clients, including Ameriquest, Fannie Mae, the National Rifle Association and American Health Insurance Plans.
Those people are THE Washington herd.
Pocket Full of Empty
I read a letter to the editor this morning that was pro-Trophy VP and as an example of her leadership experience cited that she is the governor of the largest state in the union. This is such a gigantic piece of fluff that I can't believe that people are repeating it, let alone using it as a possible reason for voting for the Trophy VP's ticket.
To put this silliness to rest, let's look at the 2006 U.S. Census numbers. The entire state of Alaska has a population of 670,053. That's a lot of empty land she is governing. Now let's compare the population of Alaska to a typical American city like Columbus, Ohio, population 733,203. That's right, little old Columbus has more people living within its city limits than the entire state of Alaska. That doesn't even factor in all of the people living in suburban Columbus. I rest my case.
The other truly hilarious fluff piece I keep hearing repeated is that Trophy VP has substantial foreign policy experience due to Alaska's close proximity to Canada and Russia. I can guarantee you that this woman has never, ever in her entire political career dealt with a single issue regarding Alaska vs Russia. I would wager that she has never even had a conversation with a Russian government official. I mean, this is an absolute joke. And this is all the republicans have to run on. It's a pocket full of empty.
To put this silliness to rest, let's look at the 2006 U.S. Census numbers. The entire state of Alaska has a population of 670,053. That's a lot of empty land she is governing. Now let's compare the population of Alaska to a typical American city like Columbus, Ohio, population 733,203. That's right, little old Columbus has more people living within its city limits than the entire state of Alaska. That doesn't even factor in all of the people living in suburban Columbus. I rest my case.
The other truly hilarious fluff piece I keep hearing repeated is that Trophy VP has substantial foreign policy experience due to Alaska's close proximity to Canada and Russia. I can guarantee you that this woman has never, ever in her entire political career dealt with a single issue regarding Alaska vs Russia. I would wager that she has never even had a conversation with a Russian government official. I mean, this is an absolute joke. And this is all the republicans have to run on. It's a pocket full of empty.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
October Surprise
I read this yesterday and at first I just gave it the sigh and defeating head shake treatment. Then it hit me. Why would Duh and the rest of his warmongers suddenly be interested in sending troops into the sovereign nation of Pakistan? Could it be that they are finally going to try to capture the man who is actually responsible for the 9/11 attacks?
Ah, politics. They ignore the guy for 7 years because it was in their best interest to leave him out there, keeping the 'merkin people ascared. But now, when it is in their political interest to capture him, suddenly we have troops in Pakistan. Beautiful. What a perfect way to steal an election and try to salvage a dismal legacy. Whip up the dumb masses into a terrorist capturing patriotic frenzy! Then let the mainstream media dummy it up with stars and stripes and machismo. And let McShame waltz on into office on the backs of the duped.
I think I'm going to be sick.
Ah, politics. They ignore the guy for 7 years because it was in their best interest to leave him out there, keeping the 'merkin people ascared. But now, when it is in their political interest to capture him, suddenly we have troops in Pakistan. Beautiful. What a perfect way to steal an election and try to salvage a dismal legacy. Whip up the dumb masses into a terrorist capturing patriotic frenzy! Then let the mainstream media dummy it up with stars and stripes and machismo. And let McShame waltz on into office on the backs of the duped.
I think I'm going to be sick.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Secret Sarah
From the Daily Kos:
[M]ore intriguing than any email correspondence contained in the four boxes was what was not released: about 1100 emails. Palin's office provided McLeod with a 78-page list (PDF) cataloging the emails it was withholding. Many of them had been written by Palin or sent to her. Palin's office claimed most of the undisclosed emails were exempt from release because they were covered by the "executive" or "deliberative process" privileges that protect communications between Palin and her aides about policy matters. But the subject lines of some of the withheld emails suggest they were not related to policy matters. Several refer to one of Palin's political foes, others to a well-known Alaskan journalist. Moreover, some of the withhold emails were CC'ed to Todd Palin, the governor's husband. Todd Palin—a.k.a. the First Dude—holds no official state position (though he has been a close and influential adviser for Governor Palin). The fact that Palin and her aides shared these emails with a citizen outside the government undercuts the claim that they must be protected under executive privilege. [Independent Alaskan government watchdog Andrée] McLeod asks, "What is Sarah Palin hiding?"
Indeed.
One thing she's not hiding very well is her Cheney-like penchant for secrecy and inappropriate use of "official" cover to protect e-mails she shared outside of official circles.
I mean, if you've got a good reason why a professional snowmobile racer needs to be copied on e-mails that are legitimately protected by "deliberative process" privileges, shout 'em out. Don't be shy about it.
Seriously. Just what is Todd Palin's role in the governance of Alaska, anyway? And what might we expect it to be in a McCain/Palin administration? So far, all of the stories that have emerged have been about Todd weighing in on using the levers of state power to punish his personal enemies. Surely the Palin team will want to enlighten us about all the wonderful and life-affirming things Todd has contributed along the way, no?
In the meantime, mull it over in your mind that in the US Attorneys firings, the Bush White House is claiming the same executive and deliberative process privileges even for conversations they claim the President had no part in. If you can make both that claim and the claim that conversations the executive freely shares with people outside of government, what's not subject to "executive privilege?"
===>
===> MESSAGE OF THE DAY TO NATIONAL EDITORS
===>
What kind of "reformer maverick" is even more secretive than Dick Cheney?
[M]ore intriguing than any email correspondence contained in the four boxes was what was not released: about 1100 emails. Palin's office provided McLeod with a 78-page list (PDF) cataloging the emails it was withholding. Many of them had been written by Palin or sent to her. Palin's office claimed most of the undisclosed emails were exempt from release because they were covered by the "executive" or "deliberative process" privileges that protect communications between Palin and her aides about policy matters. But the subject lines of some of the withheld emails suggest they were not related to policy matters. Several refer to one of Palin's political foes, others to a well-known Alaskan journalist. Moreover, some of the withhold emails were CC'ed to Todd Palin, the governor's husband. Todd Palin—a.k.a. the First Dude—holds no official state position (though he has been a close and influential adviser for Governor Palin). The fact that Palin and her aides shared these emails with a citizen outside the government undercuts the claim that they must be protected under executive privilege. [Independent Alaskan government watchdog Andrée] McLeod asks, "What is Sarah Palin hiding?"
Indeed.
One thing she's not hiding very well is her Cheney-like penchant for secrecy and inappropriate use of "official" cover to protect e-mails she shared outside of official circles.
I mean, if you've got a good reason why a professional snowmobile racer needs to be copied on e-mails that are legitimately protected by "deliberative process" privileges, shout 'em out. Don't be shy about it.
Seriously. Just what is Todd Palin's role in the governance of Alaska, anyway? And what might we expect it to be in a McCain/Palin administration? So far, all of the stories that have emerged have been about Todd weighing in on using the levers of state power to punish his personal enemies. Surely the Palin team will want to enlighten us about all the wonderful and life-affirming things Todd has contributed along the way, no?
In the meantime, mull it over in your mind that in the US Attorneys firings, the Bush White House is claiming the same executive and deliberative process privileges even for conversations they claim the President had no part in. If you can make both that claim and the claim that conversations the executive freely shares with people outside of government, what's not subject to "executive privilege?"
===>
===> MESSAGE OF THE DAY TO NATIONAL EDITORS
===>
What kind of "reformer maverick" is even more secretive than Dick Cheney?
Fannie and Freddie Who?
Poor trophy VP. They've tried to sequester her while they give her a crash course in "How to be 2nd in Command of the Most Powerful Country on Earth 101", but those darn journalists still find a way to ask her a question every now and then and awe shucks, Mrs. Unqualified kind of goofed up on her answer. Guess she's still learning what a VP does all day.
From HuffPost:
Gov. Sarah Palin made her first potentially major gaffe during her time on the national scene while discussing the developments of the perilous housing market this past weekend.
Speaking before voters in Colorado Springs, the Republican vice presidential nominee claimed that lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had "gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers." The companies, as McClatchy reported, "aren't taxpayer funded but operate as private companies. The takeover may result in a taxpayer bailout during reorganization."
Economists and analysts pounced on the misstatement, saying it demonstrated a lack of understanding about one of the key economic issues likely to face the next administration.
Umm...yeah...ummm.. what I meant to say was that under the Bush-McCain-Palin 3rd term, Freddie and Fannie were about to become too expensive to the taxpayers.
Do you really want to put her in a position to be the next "leader" of our country? Do you want to take that chance?
From HuffPost:
Gov. Sarah Palin made her first potentially major gaffe during her time on the national scene while discussing the developments of the perilous housing market this past weekend.
Speaking before voters in Colorado Springs, the Republican vice presidential nominee claimed that lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had "gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers." The companies, as McClatchy reported, "aren't taxpayer funded but operate as private companies. The takeover may result in a taxpayer bailout during reorganization."
Economists and analysts pounced on the misstatement, saying it demonstrated a lack of understanding about one of the key economic issues likely to face the next administration.
Umm...yeah...ummm.. what I meant to say was that under the Bush-McCain-Palin 3rd term, Freddie and Fannie were about to become too expensive to the taxpayers.
Do you really want to put her in a position to be the next "leader" of our country? Do you want to take that chance?
You Get What You Deserve
I can't write a damn thing today. I'm holding out hope that the people of our great nation won't be duped into voting for the senile dude and his trophy VP, but the more I hear, the more I wonder. We get the leaders that we deserve. Time will tell.
And if I hear one more time how neither choice is very good, I'm going to slit my wrists. The choice can not be more clear. On the right, you have a ticket that will continue to destroy our country and everything it stands for. On the left, you have qualified, INTELLIGENT candidates who will work hard for ordinary Americans and undo much of the damage that Duh has done over the past 8 years.
The choice is clear, easy, obvious. If Obama was white, I wouldn't even have to write this. Put your ignorance and racism aside and do what is right for yourself and your country. Otherwise, you'll likely get the leaders that you deserve.
And if I hear one more time how neither choice is very good, I'm going to slit my wrists. The choice can not be more clear. On the right, you have a ticket that will continue to destroy our country and everything it stands for. On the left, you have qualified, INTELLIGENT candidates who will work hard for ordinary Americans and undo much of the damage that Duh has done over the past 8 years.
The choice is clear, easy, obvious. If Obama was white, I wouldn't even have to write this. Put your ignorance and racism aside and do what is right for yourself and your country. Otherwise, you'll likely get the leaders that you deserve.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Soccer Season
My son's soccer team played their first game this morning. My beautiful wife is the assistant coach this year so it promised to be a fun morning. To top it off, they were playing the "other" team from their school. Last season's game against these two teams got pretty physical so I wasn't sure what to expect.
Our team ended up scoring 6 goals in the first 4 minutes and never looked back on their way to a 16-0 victory (if they kept score). My son played a great game and looked good out there. They play with goalies this year on a bigger field and coaches aren't allowed on the field during play, so there were a lot of new things to adapt to out there. Hopefully, they'll play some tougher competition in the coming weeks because the poor kids who played goalie and defense pretty much just stood there doing nothing. I think the other team crossed into our side of the field twice the whole game and didn't have a single shot on goal.
Good fun for the boys. Too bad they don't keep score or they could've implemented the mercy rule.
Our team ended up scoring 6 goals in the first 4 minutes and never looked back on their way to a 16-0 victory (if they kept score). My son played a great game and looked good out there. They play with goalies this year on a bigger field and coaches aren't allowed on the field during play, so there were a lot of new things to adapt to out there. Hopefully, they'll play some tougher competition in the coming weeks because the poor kids who played goalie and defense pretty much just stood there doing nothing. I think the other team crossed into our side of the field twice the whole game and didn't have a single shot on goal.
Good fun for the boys. Too bad they don't keep score or they could've implemented the mercy rule.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Grand OLD Party
There's just no way I'll have time to get to everything today so just a quick round up.
After various media sources actually "fact checked" the speech that someone else wrote and that Sarah Palin read, it turns out that almost every single thing she read in the speech was a lie. Hmmm. Republicans lying. Go figure.
This whole McShame "Country First" campaign slogan is just annoying. I mean, what the hell is he talking about? What used to be first? His lobbyist buddies? His special interest buddies? I'm so confused. I'm even more confused now that he has added an Alaskan secessionist as his running mate.
Does anyone else find the constant chanting of "USA, USA..." during republican speeches just a little bit creepy? There is a time and place for chanting "USA", it's called the Olympics. Chanting "USA" during republican propaganda speeches is just scary, and strange. It might even remind a man like Ben Stein of something "Hitler-esque".
If McCain can't even keep protesters from repeatedly interrupting his acceptance speech, how in the world is he going to keep us safe from "terrorists"? I bet all those crusty old white people in the crowd were mighty scared. They had probably never seen a real live protester before.
Dear John, it's pronounced Washington, not Warshington. You've had 72 years to work on this, try to get it right.
For a guy who doesn't like to talk about his experience as a POW, and certainly would never try to use his POW status for political gain, he sure does talk about his experience as a POW a lot. And he sure does use it to difuse critics every chance he gets. How odd. Not to mention, a lot of last night's POW story, as he told it, sounded like a bunch of embellished bullshit.
Using footage of the 9/11 attacks for political purposes is a new low, even by GOP standards. I would say, "for shame", but look who we're talking about.
Remember when Michelle Obama was taken out of context for saying something like "this is the first time I've been proud to be an American"? The right wing media had a field day with that line. I hope they pounce on McCain's line last night about how he "fell in love with my country" only after he had been captured. So he was 31 years old before he loved his country. Run with it mainstream media. I'll be holding my breath.
How about that $300,000 pant suit that Sugar Mama wore? Sweet. Which candidate is the elitist again? I keep getting them confused. It can't be the one whose wife pays more for an outfit than I paid for my house. It must be the uppity guy.
Ending the speech with "as long as I draw breath..." was probably not the visual you wanted to convey. Old dude with joke for a VP waiting to take his place, waxing poetic about drawing his last breath. Smart. Real smart.
After various media sources actually "fact checked" the speech that someone else wrote and that Sarah Palin read, it turns out that almost every single thing she read in the speech was a lie. Hmmm. Republicans lying. Go figure.
This whole McShame "Country First" campaign slogan is just annoying. I mean, what the hell is he talking about? What used to be first? His lobbyist buddies? His special interest buddies? I'm so confused. I'm even more confused now that he has added an Alaskan secessionist as his running mate.
Does anyone else find the constant chanting of "USA, USA..." during republican speeches just a little bit creepy? There is a time and place for chanting "USA", it's called the Olympics. Chanting "USA" during republican propaganda speeches is just scary, and strange. It might even remind a man like Ben Stein of something "Hitler-esque".
If McCain can't even keep protesters from repeatedly interrupting his acceptance speech, how in the world is he going to keep us safe from "terrorists"? I bet all those crusty old white people in the crowd were mighty scared. They had probably never seen a real live protester before.
Dear John, it's pronounced Washington, not Warshington. You've had 72 years to work on this, try to get it right.
For a guy who doesn't like to talk about his experience as a POW, and certainly would never try to use his POW status for political gain, he sure does talk about his experience as a POW a lot. And he sure does use it to difuse critics every chance he gets. How odd. Not to mention, a lot of last night's POW story, as he told it, sounded like a bunch of embellished bullshit.
Using footage of the 9/11 attacks for political purposes is a new low, even by GOP standards. I would say, "for shame", but look who we're talking about.
Remember when Michelle Obama was taken out of context for saying something like "this is the first time I've been proud to be an American"? The right wing media had a field day with that line. I hope they pounce on McCain's line last night about how he "fell in love with my country" only after he had been captured. So he was 31 years old before he loved his country. Run with it mainstream media. I'll be holding my breath.
How about that $300,000 pant suit that Sugar Mama wore? Sweet. Which candidate is the elitist again? I keep getting them confused. It can't be the one whose wife pays more for an outfit than I paid for my house. It must be the uppity guy.
Ending the speech with "as long as I draw breath..." was probably not the visual you wanted to convey. Old dude with joke for a VP waiting to take his place, waxing poetic about drawing his last breath. Smart. Real smart.
Banking on Palin
The mainstream media couldn't say enough positive things about the Palin speech on Wednesday night but really, what did we learn? That she's articulate enough to read someone else's words off of a teleprompter. That makes her superior to Bush and McCain right there, obviously. But the puppet masters still won't let her do interviews or take questions. Could it be because she's unqualified and has no business being up there in the first place? Bingo has been called. So instead of hitting the campaign trail with McShame, she will take a week off to take care of "personal business". This is certainly code for "crash course in VP 101". Sad, sad, sad.
We've heard the media gushing about the speech, mostly overcompensating because McShame threw a hissy fit and got mad at the media for asking questions about his choice of running mate. But what did the "people" have to say about the speech?
It appears that the people spoke loud and clear with their check books yesterday as Obama received a record breaking $10 million in campaign contributions. That's right, $10,000,000 in a single day. Meanwhile, the republicans raised a measly $1 million. Take that to the bank.
We've heard the media gushing about the speech, mostly overcompensating because McShame threw a hissy fit and got mad at the media for asking questions about his choice of running mate. But what did the "people" have to say about the speech?
It appears that the people spoke loud and clear with their check books yesterday as Obama received a record breaking $10 million in campaign contributions. That's right, $10,000,000 in a single day. Meanwhile, the republicans raised a measly $1 million. Take that to the bank.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Careful What You Say
A quote from the last post jumped out at me: "The vetting process was completely thorough and I'm grateful for the results," McCain told reporters as he toured a Philadelphia fire house.
That's pretty much all we need to know about McShame now, isn't it? If he feels that "the vetting process was completely thorough" and yet the media was able to find countless disqualifying issues with his choice in just a few short days, then doesn't that put the question of his "judgment" to rest once and for all?
It's like God keeps trying to tell us. Vote for the uppity negro. That's God's will.
That's pretty much all we need to know about McShame now, isn't it? If he feels that "the vetting process was completely thorough" and yet the media was able to find countless disqualifying issues with his choice in just a few short days, then doesn't that put the question of his "judgment" to rest once and for all?
It's like God keeps trying to tell us. Vote for the uppity negro. That's God's will.
Vetting Spoken Here
This is a blatant cut and paste job from me to americablog.com
There is nothing I could possibly add to this story. When someone else gets it right, I am happy to cut and paste, Click, learn, and enjoy:
The new GOP talking point, dutifully repeated in the last 24 hours by McCain's spokesman, by Bill Bennett, by Gary Bauer, by Bill O'Reilly, and pretty much by every Republican surrogate on TV (they're very good at handing out talking points) is that the blogs are mean. That's John McCain's only response to the revelation that he didn't vet his choice for vice president of the United States? That bloggers are mean? Wow. If John McCain can't handle words from DailyKos, how is he going to handle bombs from Al Qaeda? But putting that aside, what really irks the Republicans is that the blogs, and the corporate media, did the vetting of Sarah Palin that McCain failed, and refused, to do. The next time a McCain supporter throws a temper tantrum over how mean everyone is to Sarah Palin, ask them why John McCain didn't even bother vetting our potentially future commander in chief. Had Sarah Palin been fully vetted, we'd never be discussing any of this.Today, John McCain told reporters that Palin was thoroughly vetted:
"The vetting process was completely thorough and I'm grateful for the results," McCain told reporters as he toured a Philadelphia fire house.Seriously? John McCain is practically the only person in America who thinks that.For those of you who asked, here's a listing of our Palin posts to date. There's been a lot, so it might help to have an index to reference.- Palin's fringe party colleague: "We don't say we're Americans. We say we're Alaskans." - Palin aggressively sought federal earmarks for Wasilla - Blockbuster NY Times piece on the Sarah Palin vetting disaster - Will Sarah Palin cooperate with the investigation into the troopergate scandal? - Call her General Palin - Members of "Fringe" Alaskan Independence Party Say Palin Was a Member in 90s - Special needs mom weighs in on Sarah Palin - McCain's lawyers are reportedly vetting Palin now, 4 days after he picked her - Palin, the next JFK? - It's about McCain. Period. - How John McCain forced me to write about the weird story of Sarah Palin's daughter's pregnancy - Palin gave her daughter a choice to have an abortion?- Palin's spokesman didn't know about pregnancy two days ago - Jerry Springer: Call the Palins ASAP. - McCain campaign: Palin's unwed daughter is pregnant - Reckless- David Broder's contortions: Yes, McCain gambled with the country's future, but it's okay - Josh Marshall on McCain's "dangerous trait" - Mystery over Palin's Wikipedia entry updates - Sarah Palin wasn't vetted - What earrings would you choose for visiting a national disaster? - Our future Commander in Chief - MoDo on Palin (I laughed out loud reading this) - Former Palin staffer: "She's not qualified, she doesn't have the judgment, to be next in line to the president of the United States" - Palin lied about opposition to "Bridge to Nowhere" - Does Sarah Palin count duty-free shopping as foreign policy experience? - Sarah Palin is my mom, without the foreign policy experience - The Theocrats are in a frenzy over Palin - When John Met Sarah - Palin's buddy Pat Buchanan on women - So is this what McCain means by putting country first? - First poll, Palin a bust - Sarah Palin and children conceived out of wedlock - an uncomfortable question needs to be posed - We know McCain, Palin and the GOP will reverse Roe v. Wade. They also want Griswold gone. That means birth control.- McCain impressed by Palin's courageous work at the PTA - Alaska's GOP State Senate President on Palin: "She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?"- Sarah Palin doesn't know much about the Iraq war. - Palin supported anti-Semitic Pat Buchanan for president - Top McCain aide says McCain won't die during his first term in office, and admits Palin isn't ready to be commander in chief - Wash. Post interviews Public Safety chief fired by Sarah Palin -- and it seems Todd Palin was very involved in this process - John McCain's gimmick: He doesn't even know Sarah Palin. They've only met once, maybe twice. - Sarah Palin wants to let the polar bears die, too. On global warming, she's aligned with" most discredited, fringe, extreme viewpoints" - Sarah Palin not sure what the vice president does. (Here's one hint, Sarah: You might become President) - UNDER INVESTIGATION: Palin
There is nothing I could possibly add to this story. When someone else gets it right, I am happy to cut and paste, Click, learn, and enjoy:
The new GOP talking point, dutifully repeated in the last 24 hours by McCain's spokesman, by Bill Bennett, by Gary Bauer, by Bill O'Reilly, and pretty much by every Republican surrogate on TV (they're very good at handing out talking points) is that the blogs are mean. That's John McCain's only response to the revelation that he didn't vet his choice for vice president of the United States? That bloggers are mean? Wow. If John McCain can't handle words from DailyKos, how is he going to handle bombs from Al Qaeda? But putting that aside, what really irks the Republicans is that the blogs, and the corporate media, did the vetting of Sarah Palin that McCain failed, and refused, to do. The next time a McCain supporter throws a temper tantrum over how mean everyone is to Sarah Palin, ask them why John McCain didn't even bother vetting our potentially future commander in chief. Had Sarah Palin been fully vetted, we'd never be discussing any of this.Today, John McCain told reporters that Palin was thoroughly vetted:
"The vetting process was completely thorough and I'm grateful for the results," McCain told reporters as he toured a Philadelphia fire house.Seriously? John McCain is practically the only person in America who thinks that.For those of you who asked, here's a listing of our Palin posts to date. There's been a lot, so it might help to have an index to reference.- Palin's fringe party colleague: "We don't say we're Americans. We say we're Alaskans." - Palin aggressively sought federal earmarks for Wasilla - Blockbuster NY Times piece on the Sarah Palin vetting disaster - Will Sarah Palin cooperate with the investigation into the troopergate scandal? - Call her General Palin - Members of "Fringe" Alaskan Independence Party Say Palin Was a Member in 90s - Special needs mom weighs in on Sarah Palin - McCain's lawyers are reportedly vetting Palin now, 4 days after he picked her - Palin, the next JFK? - It's about McCain. Period. - How John McCain forced me to write about the weird story of Sarah Palin's daughter's pregnancy - Palin gave her daughter a choice to have an abortion?- Palin's spokesman didn't know about pregnancy two days ago - Jerry Springer: Call the Palins ASAP. - McCain campaign: Palin's unwed daughter is pregnant - Reckless- David Broder's contortions: Yes, McCain gambled with the country's future, but it's okay - Josh Marshall on McCain's "dangerous trait" - Mystery over Palin's Wikipedia entry updates - Sarah Palin wasn't vetted - What earrings would you choose for visiting a national disaster? - Our future Commander in Chief - MoDo on Palin (I laughed out loud reading this) - Former Palin staffer: "She's not qualified, she doesn't have the judgment, to be next in line to the president of the United States" - Palin lied about opposition to "Bridge to Nowhere" - Does Sarah Palin count duty-free shopping as foreign policy experience? - Sarah Palin is my mom, without the foreign policy experience - The Theocrats are in a frenzy over Palin - When John Met Sarah - Palin's buddy Pat Buchanan on women - So is this what McCain means by putting country first? - First poll, Palin a bust - Sarah Palin and children conceived out of wedlock - an uncomfortable question needs to be posed - We know McCain, Palin and the GOP will reverse Roe v. Wade. They also want Griswold gone. That means birth control.- McCain impressed by Palin's courageous work at the PTA - Alaska's GOP State Senate President on Palin: "She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?"- Sarah Palin doesn't know much about the Iraq war. - Palin supported anti-Semitic Pat Buchanan for president - Top McCain aide says McCain won't die during his first term in office, and admits Palin isn't ready to be commander in chief - Wash. Post interviews Public Safety chief fired by Sarah Palin -- and it seems Todd Palin was very involved in this process - John McCain's gimmick: He doesn't even know Sarah Palin. They've only met once, maybe twice. - Sarah Palin wants to let the polar bears die, too. On global warming, she's aligned with" most discredited, fringe, extreme viewpoints" - Sarah Palin not sure what the vice president does. (Here's one hint, Sarah: You might become President) - UNDER INVESTIGATION: Palin
Pray For Us Sinners
Let me be clear. When I poke fun at "christians" and bible thumping hypocrites, it's not an attack on your religious beliefs. In fact, it is the exact opposite. I'm exposing the evil bastards who use religion to push their anything but religious political agendas. And in so doing, hopefully I'm helping some of the real christians from blindly following what these friends of Satan say in the name of your Lord.
With that being said, here is your daily dose of reality. The following is what the GOP's most qualified VP nominee had to say just a few short months ago, courtesy of the Huffpost:
Speaking before the Pentecostal church, Palin painted the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair in which the United States could act out the will of the Lord.
"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."
Religion, however, was not strictly a thread in Palin's foreign policy. It was part of her energy proposals as well. Just prior to discussing Iraq, Alaska's governor asked the audience to pray for another matter -- a $30 billion national gas pipeline project that she wanted built in the state. "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said.
OK. Did you get all of that? McShame's VP candidate believes that the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq is a "task that is from God". Further, she believes that "God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that."
Need I remind you that James Dobson and his Focus on the Family cult prayed for rain on the Obama speech last week? Mainly because Obama was pro-choice. Instead, God gave Obama perfect weather while at the same time smiting the republican convention with Hurricane Gustav while at the same time allowing the impregnation of Palin's 17 year old, unmarried, un-abstinence refraining daughter.
I think it is more than clear at this point that God loves democrats more. Christians, please vote accordingly.
With that being said, here is your daily dose of reality. The following is what the GOP's most qualified VP nominee had to say just a few short months ago, courtesy of the Huffpost:
Speaking before the Pentecostal church, Palin painted the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair in which the United States could act out the will of the Lord.
"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."
Religion, however, was not strictly a thread in Palin's foreign policy. It was part of her energy proposals as well. Just prior to discussing Iraq, Alaska's governor asked the audience to pray for another matter -- a $30 billion national gas pipeline project that she wanted built in the state. "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said.
OK. Did you get all of that? McShame's VP candidate believes that the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq is a "task that is from God". Further, she believes that "God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that."
Need I remind you that James Dobson and his Focus on the Family cult prayed for rain on the Obama speech last week? Mainly because Obama was pro-choice. Instead, God gave Obama perfect weather while at the same time smiting the republican convention with Hurricane Gustav while at the same time allowing the impregnation of Palin's 17 year old, unmarried, un-abstinence refraining daughter.
I think it is more than clear at this point that God loves democrats more. Christians, please vote accordingly.
Palin and Simple
Wow! Was it only 4 days ago that McClueless pounded the final nail in his coffin by announcing as his running mate a person who is absolutely unqualified for the office? Since then we've learned so much about Sarah Palin and none of what we've learned makes the McClueless choice seem any better. I don't even know where to begin.
How about her membership and involvement in the Alaskan Independence Party (AIP). This is a group whose stated goal is to have Alaska secede from the United States and become their own country, state, commonwealth, whatever. Yep, she'll fit in great with the McCain "Country First" motto. It makes you laugh and cry at the same time. Try to imagine the mainstream media outcry if a democratic candidate was a member of a group who's primary goal was to secede from the US.
There is a reason that potential running mates are normally vetted. McCain should have tried it. Instead, Mrs. Palin went unvetted simply because Magoo was so desperate to come up with a running mate after the Democratic Convention that he panicked, used bad judgment, and made a rash, painfully terrible decision. All this, despite having a solid 6 months to choose a running mate.
This decision also calls into question who exactly is running the McShame campaign? The word is that McShame wanted Lieberman as his running mate but the GOP puppet masters wouldn't allow it. Then he wanted Tom Ridge and was once again shouted down. These candidates were apparently unacceptable to the "christian" right because they are pro-choice. So the "maverick" caved and selected a complete abortion of a running mate, a person who he had only ever met one time in his entire life before selecting. Is this the kind of person you want running the most powerful nation in the world? A real "maverick" or even a real LEADER would have told Rove and his cronies to go fuck themselves and would have selected the candidate that he felt was best for the job.
Next, we find out that Mrs. Palin is a strong supporter of "abstinence only" sex education. Which studies have shown is worse than no sex education at all. It's as effective as telling a young child to just abstain from eating that piece of chocolate. Shortly thereafter, we find out that Mrs. "Abstinence Only"'s 17 year old, unmarried daughter is pregnant. Priceless.
So now we are looking at a shotgun wedding between wild child sexually irresponsible daughter and her 18 year old boyfriend. I'm sure a wedding is in both of their best interests. Right. But it will please the "christian" right, and that's the important thing. And we won't even get into the statutory rape side of the coin. But just imagine how this would play out in the media if Obama had a 17 year old daughter under the same scenario. Holy shit, it would be a media frenzy, three ring circus. Game, set, match.
A reasonable person and a responsible political party would put an end to this disaster promptly. Remove her from the ticket and add a qualified candidate. This makes the most sense for the republican party as well as for the United States, if God forbid, this senile fool of a candidate somehow wins the election. But we're talking republicans here, so don't expect her to withdraw anytime soon. Instead, we'll be bombarded with sunshine and bullshit stories from the mainstream media until the ignorant masses are brainwashed into believing that her inexperience and lack of qualifications are actually good for our country.
I'll leave you with this video of McCain lustfully staring at Palin's ass as he Freudian-twiddles with his wedding band. After her speech, he mistakenly called her Monica. OK, I made up that last part, but it would go a long way toward understanding why he really chose her as his running mate. Enjoy the video, compliments of jedreport.com
How about her membership and involvement in the Alaskan Independence Party (AIP). This is a group whose stated goal is to have Alaska secede from the United States and become their own country, state, commonwealth, whatever. Yep, she'll fit in great with the McCain "Country First" motto. It makes you laugh and cry at the same time. Try to imagine the mainstream media outcry if a democratic candidate was a member of a group who's primary goal was to secede from the US.
There is a reason that potential running mates are normally vetted. McCain should have tried it. Instead, Mrs. Palin went unvetted simply because Magoo was so desperate to come up with a running mate after the Democratic Convention that he panicked, used bad judgment, and made a rash, painfully terrible decision. All this, despite having a solid 6 months to choose a running mate.
This decision also calls into question who exactly is running the McShame campaign? The word is that McShame wanted Lieberman as his running mate but the GOP puppet masters wouldn't allow it. Then he wanted Tom Ridge and was once again shouted down. These candidates were apparently unacceptable to the "christian" right because they are pro-choice. So the "maverick" caved and selected a complete abortion of a running mate, a person who he had only ever met one time in his entire life before selecting. Is this the kind of person you want running the most powerful nation in the world? A real "maverick" or even a real LEADER would have told Rove and his cronies to go fuck themselves and would have selected the candidate that he felt was best for the job.
Next, we find out that Mrs. Palin is a strong supporter of "abstinence only" sex education. Which studies have shown is worse than no sex education at all. It's as effective as telling a young child to just abstain from eating that piece of chocolate. Shortly thereafter, we find out that Mrs. "Abstinence Only"'s 17 year old, unmarried daughter is pregnant. Priceless.
So now we are looking at a shotgun wedding between wild child sexually irresponsible daughter and her 18 year old boyfriend. I'm sure a wedding is in both of their best interests. Right. But it will please the "christian" right, and that's the important thing. And we won't even get into the statutory rape side of the coin. But just imagine how this would play out in the media if Obama had a 17 year old daughter under the same scenario. Holy shit, it would be a media frenzy, three ring circus. Game, set, match.
A reasonable person and a responsible political party would put an end to this disaster promptly. Remove her from the ticket and add a qualified candidate. This makes the most sense for the republican party as well as for the United States, if God forbid, this senile fool of a candidate somehow wins the election. But we're talking republicans here, so don't expect her to withdraw anytime soon. Instead, we'll be bombarded with sunshine and bullshit stories from the mainstream media until the ignorant masses are brainwashed into believing that her inexperience and lack of qualifications are actually good for our country.
I'll leave you with this video of McCain lustfully staring at Palin's ass as he Freudian-twiddles with his wedding band. After her speech, he mistakenly called her Monica. OK, I made up that last part, but it would go a long way toward understanding why he really chose her as his running mate. Enjoy the video, compliments of jedreport.com
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