David Corn

Every one of Bush's "Presidents Economic Plan for the Year" was a work of fiction. Important things like "War" were left out or given a sentence saying there might be money needed. Deficits were understated, the effects of outsourcing and job loss were stated backwards. Tax cuts were shown to boost the economy. Greenspan was left in charge of the FED.

And McCain was correct yesterday when he said he would fire the head of the FEC. If someone had overseen the elections we wouldn't be in this mess.

In The Detroit News Sat 9/20
http://detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080920/OPINION03/809200323/1001

"The naked truth: Fannie, Ben and you

Question: Holy Dow Jones! What just happened to our economy?

Answer: Ha! Funny story: Remember how, about a year ago, all the banks throughout the civilized world began to run out of money?

Q. Yeah?

A. Well, they ran out. "

So if Bush and Friends have stolen 60 Trillion (40 plus the devaluation of the dollar, read my post last night) where's the money? Money has a material quality to it didn't just disappear, and if it is now spread so thin to be "run out of" so who has it?

It isn't me. This economy has hurt my business, put me in bankruptcy and cost me my home of 17 years. I've invested 800,000 in that house and the banks about 350,000. Now that bad paper is going to be paid off by the taxpayers, cause my neighbors homes to plummet in value and be bought up by an investment firm for 10% of face. I should have first right of refusal but someone else will profit big time.

Any one else think it's in the pockets of the 1%?

DC,

"But in a crisis, many voters are going to look for leadership, not policy details."

Are you saying Barack has "policy details" but not leadership?

Sounds kinda silly to me but what do I know. Maybe people will want both?

Thanks!

AVERAGE INCOME IN 2006 UP $60,000 FOR TOP 1 PERCENT OF HOUSEHOLDS, JUST $430 FOR BOTTOM 90 PERCENT:

Income Concentration at Highest Level Since 1928, New Analysis Shows

http://www.cbpp.org/3-27-08tax2.htm

*****

Highest since 1928? Hmmm what happened in 1928? or was it 1929 . . . .

I still believe that even righteous anger will play as the "angry black-man" and that will work against Barack.

He doesn't have the luxury of "feeling our pain" and expressing it.

Time will tell about how this plays out but every time you (DC) call for more anger - Barack has done well to avoid following your advise.

Do you really think the "angry black-man" could win an election? Do you think the racists and semi-racists would just let that go? I think the racists would play that meme for all it is worth and the "angry black-man" would work to turn many older and more southern Barack voters against him.

I think the McCain camp has been wanting Barack to come across as angry - why else would they be such liars and jerks?

Maybe the McCain camp would take this one issue and allow Barack some righteous indignation without trying to ply, lie and play it to their advantage?

(not bloody likely)

I think the calls for an angry Barack are wrong.

"And they are entitled to a president who feels not only their pain, but their anger."

He can "feel" their anger but he cannot be an angry candidate - not while he is black. My guess is the campaign internal polling has tested the concept and my guess is it is a loser for Barack and a clear winner for McCain.

Barack is back ahead in the polls - is it time to call for a "game changer?"

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/

Obama 303.1 McCain 234.9

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Obama 273 McCain 265

Dem pickups (vs. 2004): CO IA NM
GOP pickups (vs. 2004): (None)

9/20/2004:

Kerry 211 Bush 327

http://www.electionprojection.com/president08.shtml

Obama 273 McCain 265

*******

Maybe turning angry is a bad idea?

As long as Barack shows judgment and temperment he wins. Angry will never sell, unless he was a white guy - sad but true.

ISRAEL & PALESTINE EXPLAINED IN 2 MINUTES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csxvuKkgEww

Thanks for taking the time to support justice for Troy Davis and Officer MacPhail. If you have not already done so, please forward this urgent action (http://www.amnestyusa.org/troydavis) to all of your friends.

In solidarity,
The Campaign to Abolish the Death Penalty
Amnesty International USA

So, just out of curiosity - really, I'm not a conspiracy theorist - ...does anyone remember NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/NSPD 51?
This is the directive that Bush signed, very quietly, on the 9th of May, 2007 granting the office of the president near dictatorial powers in the event of a national emergency declared by the President.

Does the current economic crisis rise to the definition of "catastrophic emergency" as defined in the directive? ( "Catastrophic Emergency" means any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions;)

Could Bush invoke the directive in response to the current crisis?

And what would it mean?

PALIN: promoter of animal cruelty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQobIUE1zTU

capt. Did you refer to a game change for McCain or Obama? Obama needs to keep doing what he's doing. McCain has already turned the corner to play racist with his latest ad showing Obama and Franklin Raines. Not only does it mislead that Raines is the problem with the economy and an Obama advisor - both false, it puts them on the screen as angry black men out to see your economic demise.

geof01,

I was ribbing DC because he was asking about a game changer before the conventions when BHO was ahead about the same as he is now.

More sacasm than anything else.

The line sounded funny in my pointed head - too many things do that to me. . . .

It's November and you want to take a flight the third week of January.

Check out the economics. Don't book with a company that may not be in business. But GOP Airlines has a great deal to Arizona. Too good to be true!

In that case you might want to see the pilots flying record. Would you feel comfortable flying with someone who has crashed five planes?

From his column at D Magazine, which Mr. Allison publishes:

. . . I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history. I disagree with him on many issues. But those don’t matter as much as what Obama offers, which is a deeply conservative view of the world. Nobody can read Obama’s books (which, it is worth noting, he wrote himself) or listen to him speak without realizing that this is a thoughtful, pragmatic, and prudent man. It gives me comfort just to think that after eight years of George W. Bush we will have a president who has actually read the Federalist Papers.

Most important, Obama will be a realist. I doubt he will taunt Russia, as McCain has, at the very moment when our national interest requires it as an ally. The crucial distinction in my mind is that, unlike John McCain, I am convinced he will not impulsively take us into another war unless American national interests are directly threatened.

“Every great cause,” Eric Hoffer wrote, “begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” As a cause, conservatism may be dead. But as a stance, as a way of making judgments in a complex and difficult world, I believe it is very much alive in the instincts and predispositions of a liberal named Barack Obama.

http://tinyurl.com/4fsbe9

" But GOP Airlines has a great deal to Arizona. Too good to be true!"

lololololo

A great way to get the day going with a chuckle!

Thanks!

Remarks of Sen. Barack Obama

(today 9/20)

[...]

Yesterday, my opponent, Senator McCain, gave a speech in which his big solution to this worldwide economic crisis was to blame me for it. This is a guy who's spent a quarter century in Washington. And after spending the entire campaign saying I haven't been in Washington long enough, he apparently now is willing to assign me responsibility for all of Washington's failures. I think it's pretty clear that Senator McCain is a little panicked, and that at this point, he is willing to say anything, do anything, change any position, violate any principle to try and win this election. And that is sad to see. That's not the politics we need.

So let's be clear.

There's only one candidate who - just this week - said a line he's repeated 16 times on this campaign - quote - "the fundamentals of our economy are strong."

There's only one candidate who's called himself "fundamentally a deregulator" when deregulation is part of the problem. My opponent actually wrote in the current issue of a health care magazine - the current issue - quote - "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation."

So let me get this straight - he wants to run health care like they've been running Wall Street. Well, Senator, I know some folks on Main Street who aren't going to think that's a good idea.

There's only one candidate whose choice for Treasury Secretary is a man who thinks we're in a "mental recession" and has called the United States of America a "nation of whiners."

There's only one candidate whose campaign is being run by seven of Washington's most powerful lobbyists.

And folks, it isn't me.

http://www.local6.com/politics/17519695/detail.html

David,

You may be right that "How" matters more than "What" right now from the candidates. But it doesn't mean Obama needs to step it up in vocally "angry" department.

McCain's lying, twisting, spinning, recent populism is resonanating in the negative. So, his "How" is being read in the polls and by the populace as desperation. I anticipate that as he continues with more of it this week, that the Gallup Daily will spread more than the 6% it hit today (national 50% Obama to 44% McCain).

With the warm early September glow of the moose huntress of the north fading into the cool reflection by conservative Republicans like David Brooks that she was an irresponsible selection, Obama's calm, collected demeanor offers welcome relief. Obama may be labeled as a liberal, but the reality is that he is probably the most personally conservative candidate.

Don't underestimate the voters this year. Everyone has their BS detectors up. McCain's is reading like a gieger counter at 3 Mile Island or Chernobyl. And Palin's is off the charts.

If Obama falls into the trap you suggest, it's one of the ways he can loose this one. If he goes over the line, and becomes the "angry black man", he will trigger greater pent-up, underlying resentment and racism that might only show as a Bradley effect on the day of the election.

Cool, calm and collected with pointed arguments against McCain's record coupled with factual instant rebuttals of smears and accusations will pave his road to the White House. Please don't tempt him with Sauron's Ring.

McCain Says One Thing and THEN Votes The Opposite! When you hear McCain talk, think -- Wizard of Oz.

http://www.salon.com/env/feature/2008/09/20/john_mccain_environment/?source=newsletter

And also, if McCain admits he does not know much about the economy, although he was on the Commerce Committe, then why is he such a Staunch Supporter of deregulation -- no regulation?

John McCain: Town Hall 04/23/08

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1sLVAQE0L4

John McCain: The Deregulator

I don’t think anyone who wants to increase the burden of government regulation and higher taxes has any real understanding of economics and the economy and what is needed in order to ensure the future of this country.”

– John McCain [McCain Town Hall in Inez, Kentucky, 4/23/08]

*****

Darn youtubes - they will be his undoing.

In 1999, John McCain voted for passage of the Senate version of a bill that would eliminate current barriers erected by the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act and other laws that impede affiliations between banking, securities, insurance and other firms. The bill also would exempt small, non-urban banks from the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), revise the Federal Home Loan Bank system and require that owners of automated teller machines (ATMs) provide notice on the ATM and on-screen of any charges imposed for the use of the terminal. The bill passed 54-44. [S. 900, Vote #105, 5/6/99]

*****

He should explain his record before he tries to sell us on how he has changed. Why has he changed his mind is as important as any question of his sincerity or honesty.

McCain's Economic Freakout vs. Obama's Measured Reponse

[...]

So, let's review this week in Wall Street in crisis:

Obama: Calm, measured, put forth principles, but did not get in the way of the Fed and Treasury as they tried to keep the market from complete meltdown, and an almost guaranteed depression.

McCain: One week, three different answers to the crisis, at least one of which could have triggered even more panic in the financial sector.

Which one do you want sitting in the Oval Office?

http://tinyurl.com/4f5dqz

A Question of Judgment Part 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dNhtn2iVtg

Clinton Unveils New Pro-Obama Effort

http://tinyurl.com/3w6pvg

****

At long last I can say THIS is making me warm up to HRC a bit. She is showing good judgment and good character. True professionals - even professional politicians can work together for a common goal.

To The Editor:

Yesterday, Senator John McCain released a television commercial attacking Barack Obama for allegedly receiving advice on the economy from former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines. From the stump, he has recently tried tying Senator Obama to Fannie Mae, as if there is some guilt in the association with Fannie Mae's former executives.

It is an interesting card for Senator McCain to play, given that his campaign manager, Rick Davis, was paid by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac several hundred thousand dollars early in this decade to head up an organization to lobby in their behalf called The Homeownership Alliance. ...

I worked in government relations for Fannie Mae for more than 20 years, leading the group for most of those years. When I see photographs of Sen. McCain's staff, it looks to me like the team of lobbyists who used to report to me. Senator McCain's attack on Senator Obama is a cheap shot, and hypocritical.

Sincerely,

William Maloni
Fannie Mae Senior Vice President for Government and Industry Relations (1983-2004)

http://tinyurl.com/4c67nt

Breaking: VP Debate Rules Changed To Compensate For Palin

The Obama and McCain campaigns have agreed to an unusual free-flowing format for the three televised presidential debates, which begin on Friday, but the McCain camp fought for and won a much more structured approach for the questioning at the vice-presidential debate, advisers to both campaigns said Saturday.

"At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.

McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive. "

http://tinyurl.com/46cvj9

A Police Chief, A Lawsuit And A Small-Town Mayor

[...]

An even bigger clash involved a proposed city ordinance backed by Stambaugh to close the town bars at 2 a.m. instead of 5. Stambaugh says he believed this would help curb late-night drunken driving at a time when, according to Stein, the former mayor, "people were driving out from Anchorage to the valley for more alcohol and crashing." But Palin, as a council member, had voted against the measure—making her the favored candidate among bar owners, one of whom held a fund-raiser for her. Records obtained by NEWSWEEK show that Wasilla bar owners contributed $1,250 to her mayoral campaign—more than 10 percent of all the money she raised in 1996. Griffin did not respond to requests for comment on those contributions.

Stambaugh says it was only after clashing with Palin on these and another issue, involving efforts to restrain a "poker run" game enjoyed by snowmobile drivers where they play a hand at each bar, that he was fired. John Cramer, the city administrator hired by Palin, acknowledges that personal and political antagonisms may have played a role. Stambaugh, who backed Stein openly in the 1996 race, showed the new mayor little deference. At one meeting of town officials, Cramer says he heard him tell Palin: "Little lady, if you think you have our respect, you don't. You have to earn it." (Stambaugh denies making the comment.) Stambaugh filed suit, alleging breach of contract and civil-rights violations. In the course of the lawsuit, Palin filed an affidavit complaining that Wasilla cops had done an unauthorized state police check on her and her husband—which appears to have foreshadowed her later uneasy relationship with law enforcement. (Earlier this year, Palin told aides she no longer wanted the standard detail of six troopers assigned to protect Alaskan governors.) A federal judge ultimately tossed the case, on legal grounds, and ordered Stambaugh to pay $22,000 of Palin's legal fees—proof, according to Griffin, that the case was "frivolous." Stambaugh says his dispute should be looked at in the context of others involving Palin. "It's not just me," he says. "It's Monegan, it's the librarian. The list goes on and on. She believes she can fire people for whatever reasons she wants." In Stambaugh's case, a judge ruled she could do just that.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/158738

*****

Just in case anynody thought "Troopgate" is some kind of an exception.

Kopp hiring proved Palin's fundamentalist street cred

[...]

Elite fundamentalists believe, according to Sharlett, not only in religious determinism but that they are personally chosen by God to be in positions of power. By claiming divine legitimacy of their political power, elite fundamentalists relegate the opposition to being the devil's tool. They are making a frighteningly close return to the pre-enlightenment concept of rule by divine right, which our founding fathers rejected as anathema to democracy and established, instead, the separation of church and state lest decisions be made on the basis of good versus evil rather than wise versus unwise.

Whether or not Sarah Palin pandered to the Christian fundamentalist right on the back of a good man's career and believes she was chosen by God only she can say. Likewise, only John McCain can say whether he sold his political soul and selected the least prepared vice presidential candidate in United States history for the sake of political gain. The electorate deserves some answers.

http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/531723.html

Olbermann Gives $100 To Charity For Every Palin Lie, $3700 This Week Alone

On Friday, Keith Olbermann announced he had made good on his promise to pay $100 to charity every time Sarah Palin "lies or repeats a lie in the course of campaigning."

This week Keith donated $3,700 to the Alaskan Special Olympics Fund, and one lucky Countdown viewer "will win a can of Aunt Sarah's Moose Stew."

http://tinyurl.com/4457ys

Keith who???

Biden threatens Obama over guns !!! -

"“I guarantee you, Barack Obama ain’t taking my shotguns, so don’t buy that malarkey,” Biden said angrily. “They’re going to start peddling that to you.” “I got two, if he tries to fool with my Beretta, he’s got a problem.”

So this is Dem VP material, eh?

"As late as 2007 Biden said that the man who was involved in the fatal crash that killed his wife and daughter was a "guy who allegedly ... drank his lunch" before he got behind the wheel of his truck and in 2001 the TV show Inside Edition aired a tape of Biden saying the truck driver "stopped to drink instead of drive." Additionally, several media outlets have included the drunk driver claim in their bios of the Senator from Delaware."

In truth, there was no finding of alcohol being involved in this tragic incident. In fact, some investigators thought at the time that the accident was caused by Biden's wife pulling out into the intersection not having seen Dunn's truck bearing down upon her. It was simply a horrible accident with no blame saying Dunn was at fault, much less drunk.

According to the research that DelewareOnline did for the story, neither Biden's book nor his website bio contains that drunk driver reference but Biden has delivered the claim in several appearances."

This guy has no SOUL.

"With Sen. Joe Biden joining the Democratic ticket, there’s renewed scrutiny of Biden’s connections to the credit card industry.

Biden has been particularly cozy with MBNA, a financial services company from Delaware, and now a subsidiary of Bank of America.

Over the past 20 years, MBNA has been Biden’s single largest contributor. And as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal note, Biden’s son Hunter was hired out of law school by MBNA and later worked as a lobbyist for the company.

The Times also details just how helpful Biden has been to MBNA and the credit card industry. The senator was a key supporter of an industry-favorite bill -- the “Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005” -- that actually made it harder for consumers to get protection under bankruptcy."

Obama/Biden '08 - No friends of the Consumer !!!

Sigh...

And here's a brand-new gem on a stunning, overlooked McCain gaffe from David Hulen at the Alaska Politics blog:

Candidates spend a lot of time talking, and they all misspeak sometimes. But did anyone else notice this, from Wednesday's much-covered McCain-Palin Town Hall event in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Palin answered questions from people in the audience? McCain said this near the end of the clip below, as he's talking up Palin's foreign policy/national security credentials:

"I also know, if I might remind you, that she is commander of the Alaska National Guard. In fact, you may know that on Sept. 11 a large contingent of the Alaska Guard deployed to Iraq and her son happened to be one of them. So I think she understands our national security challenges..."

The ceremony Palin attended at Fort Wainwright last week didn't involve the Alaska National Guard. Palin's son is in the Army, and his unit - 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division - deployed to Iraq.

http://tinyurl.com/3hr8n3

John McCain and the Keating 5: Third Term

McCain's Economic Policy Keating Five All Over Again (VIDEO)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxBCAaulG-k

Obama Rally Reaches Capacity, Thousands Turned Away

http://tinyurl.com/3w35x6

Good point about her kid in the army, except that the 1st Stryker force did not deploy on 9/11. That was just a ceremony for show.

From 2000 article in Slate

"After McCain's election to the House in 1982, he and his family made at least nine trips at Keating's expense, three of which were to Keating's Bahamas retreat. McCain did not disclose the trips (as he was required to under House rules) until the scandal broke in 1989. At that point, he paid Keating $13,433 for the flights.

And in April 1986, one year before the meeting with the regulators, McCain's wife, Cindy, and her father invested $359,100 in a Keating strip mall."

http://www.slate.com/id/1004633/

She later sold this for 15 million. Must have been inflation.

Obama Rally Reaches Capacity, Thousands Turned Away

20,000 in and 8,000 out in McCain's old home town. AND YET on 9/15 McCain had thousands show up as well

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- After thanking about 5,000 cheering supporters who turned out

http://www.news4jax.com/politics/17474328/detail.html

Too bad the DNC didn't let the candidates into Florida in the primaries. Obama may have gotten some turn out if they knew who he was.

"NEW YORK (CBS) ― Already under fire for his tax troubles, Manhattan Congressman Charles Rangel really put his foot in his mouth on Friday.

In a CBS 2 HD exclusive interview, Rep. Rangel called Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin "disabled."

The question was simple: Why are the Democrats so afraid of Palin and her popularity?

The answer was astonishing.

"You got to be kind to the disabled," Rangel said.

That's right. The chairman of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee called Palin disabled -- even when CBS 2 HD called him on it.

CBS 2 HD: "You got to be kind to the disabled?"

Rangel: "Yes."

CBS 2 HD: "She's disabled?"

Rangel: "There's no question about it politically. It's a nightmare to think that a person's foreign policy is based on their ability to look at Russia from where they live."

He may have a point. It's also a nightmare to think that a Presidential candidate's foreign policy is based on their experience as a "community organizer (read marxist extremist).

Cheers

I wonder about the "bail out" - $700 billion divided by the number of foreclosures?

Are we paying for "bad debt" accumulated before the sup-prime meltdown?

How could we tell?

Worse, is this being used as justification to increase our debt by lining the pockets of Bush cronies?

Why are we taxpayers bailing out large corporations that have gamed the system to pay CEO's and officers billions?

Is the "bail out" a solution or a band aid? What happens next time - another bail out? Is this incentive for the large financial houses to use better judgment or make more reasonable decisions about compensation or is this the kind of thing that gives them reason to just "stay the course?"

UGH

SNL SKEWERS McCain and His Sleazy Lies

It was inevitable, but last night's opening SNL skit skewers McCain for his unadulterated lack of integrity:

The skit accurately roasts McCain's willingness to sacrifice any shred of decency to win an election with his ridiculous and specious attack ads. It even throws in this likely McCain ad: "Barack Obama fathered TWO black children IN WEDLOCK." The skit also touches on McCain-spawned gems such as his membership in a deregulating, modern-day Luddite movement ("Digitally? With your fingers?").

Despite barely a mention of Palin, McCain's campaign will undoubtedly decry the skit as sexist. Whine all you want, Steve Schmidt, but once SNL reduces your tactics to a parody, it's probably a smart cue to try something else.

http://tinyurl.com/3k9n9h

*****

I haven't watch SNL yet (we DVR it) but it is cracking me up!

Executive Power Grab in Banking Bail Out Bill

[...]

So essentially the Treasury Secretary can buy any assets he wants on any terms he likes, he can hire anyone he wants to do it, and he can write any kind of regulation he wants. The Treasury Secretary is now essentially in charge of oversight of the Treasury Secretary, and Congress is abdicating once again its own oversight powers, only getting a report from the Treasury Secretary twice a year.

http://tinyurl.com/3spwm3

*****

Never let it be said that Busheney doesn't take advantage of every crisis they create to consolidate their power and steal from the people.

It's kind of sad, in a way, when a Dem finally sees the light -

"This year, I found myself filled with hope and promise for the future. Barack Obama was, to me, represented the greatest chance for our nation to finally fulfill its promise and lead the world to a better, brighter, fairer, more just age. I argued endlessly with those who would not or could not see this, trying to show them what I had learned.

Now I find I deeply regret my actions, and hope that those I had argued with so vehemently will forgive me.

I find that Barack Obama is not the man I thought he was.

When I first started believing in Barack Obama, I thought he stood for so many of the things I believed in. But since then, he has betrayed nearly every single progressive belief I hold.

I stood proudly with Senator Obama in vowing to hold them accountable for cooperating with federal law enforcement officials. He even swore to filibuster immunity if it ever came to a vote.

And then we were cruelly betrayed by Senator Obama, who in the end sided with those who would grant those corporate thugs absolution for their deeds. Forget filibustering, or even just voting "present" -- he voted AYE!

As a lifelong Democrat, sickens me to say this, but I find I can't vote for Barack Obama this November. I'm going to hold my nose and vote for McCain-Palin, and hope that this sends the message to the leaders of my party: we want REAL change, from a candidate we believe in."

... And then the Supreme Court stabbed us all in the back and struck down the law, I -- like so many others -- was outraged. But not Barack Obama. No, he came out and said that he supported -- SUPPORTED! -- the Court's decision! I ask you -- how many people have to die from illegal guns before we all wake up and take away the legal ones?

And then he went and picked Joe Biden as his running mate. Biden's son is a lobbyist,, and both Biden and McCain steered millions in taxpayer money to Biden's son's clients.

This was NOT the sort of "change" we Democrats need.

And let's not forget that Obama was opposed to this war from the outset, and promised to withdraw American troops practically as soon as he was elected. What happened to that promise? What happened to that candidate?

The final straw, for me, was his response to the current financial meltdown we're experiencing. At a time when we need bold leadership and decisive action, Senator Obama said he favored a "wait and see" approach before saying what he would do."

Change - .... er, Nope

Obama finally states his PLAN to address the current financial crisis (certainly worth waiting the "few days" he needed to "Craft" his PLAN) -

"The huge bailout is designed to calm the turmoil on the world's financial markets.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama says he supports the plan. "

Obama/Biden '08 - Give them a "few days", and they'll agree with you !!!!

OUCH - McCain loses the "Fathers who marry their step-daughters" block -

"US filmmaker Woody Allen, best known for such comedy classics as "Annie Hall," says it will be no laughing matter if Barack Obama fails to win the race for the White House.

"It would be a disgrace and a humiliation if Barack Obama does not win," he told Spanish journalists at the ongoing 56th San Sebastian film festival, where his latest film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is being screened.

"It would be a very, very terrible thing for the United States in many, many ways," he said.

Democratic hopeful Obama, Allen said, is "so much better" than Republican rival John McCain, and "represents a huge step upward from (the) incompetence and misjudgement" of the Bush administration."

Woody Allen, Pamela Anderson, Whoopie Goldberg, Matt Damon, Bill Ayers, Rev. Wright, Tony Rezko, Al Franken - You can judge a man by who he draws to his side.

More on Barry's buddy -

"Rezko, 53, of Wilmette, was convicted in June of widespread corruption tied to state deals and is jailed pending sentencing. He was a top adviser to Gov. Blagojevich and campaign fund-raiser for the governor and for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's past campaigns."

"Mr. Obama has portrayed Mr. Rezko as a one-time fund-raiser whom he had occasionally seen socially. But interviews with more than a dozen political and business associates suggest that the two men were closer than the senator has indicated.

Mr. Obama turned to Mr. Rezko for help at several important junctures. Records show that when Mr. Obama needed cash in the waning days of his losing 2000 Congressional campaign, Mr. Rezko rounded up thousands of dollars from business contacts. In 2003, Mr. Rezko helped Mr. Obama expand his fund-raising for the Senate primary by being host of a dinner at his Mediterranean-style home for 150 people, including some whose names have since come up in the influence scandal."

Alaskans angered that Palin is off-limits

Queries are directed through the McCain campaign machine. Her political capital at home is eroding.

ANCHORAGE -- Jerry McCutcheon went to Sarah Palin's office here last week to request information about the firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, the scandal that for weeks has threatened to overshadow the governor's role as Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate.

McCutcheon was given a phone number in Virginia to call: the national headquarters of the McCain-Palin campaign.

http://tinyurl.com/44m44b

*****

Maybe hiding from the press will work nationally but it won't work locally and all politics is local.

http://www.countryclubfirst.com/

A great visual comparison between the two "tax plans"

Michael Palin for President

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf1y9s73Nos

Another great start to the day

lolololololo

Execs at failed Lehman could get $2.5 billion (with a b) in bonuses — Paulson package could pass off House floor on Thursday — Newsweek cover: “King Henry” Paulson — From Sunday shows: Paulson will resist curbs on executive pay, other "Main Street" protections Obama and other Hill Dems want — In change from blueprint sent to Hill, TREASURY NOW WANTS TO ALLOW BAILOUTS OF FOREIGN-BASED BANKS WITH U.S. OPERATIONS — A Bush insider’s prescription for McCain: “I would look to make a set of unconventional moves: ‘Here is my first 100-day economic agenda. Here is my first-term economic team. Here is how we should be measured by the American people.’ You could dominate multiple news cycles with some boldness.”

http://www.politico.com/playbook/

http://electoral-vote.com/

Obama 273 McCain 265

Dem pickups (vs. 2004): CO IA NM
GOP pickups (vs. 2004): (None)

ON 9/21/2004:

Kerry 239 Bush 256

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/

Obama 306.5 McCain 231.5

*****

Unless McCain can do something huge - he has lost. Maybe he can turn this around but time is getting short and even if he does well in the debates I can't see how he can change the numbers.

Biden to Crowd: If I Sound Angry, It's Becasue I Am!

Economic meltdown. Socialization of the U.S.S.A.. Henry Paulson's gleaming head slowly eviscerating our financial safeguards. President Numbnuts poking his head out of his burrow.

Barack Obama on the campaign trail looking more and more presidential. John McCain looking more like a bitter, defeated, hate-filled curmudgeon. Caribou Barbie in Dick Cheney's moose-sized safe.

Um...don't we have a VP nominee, too? Hell yeah, we do! And he's on freakin' fire!

Joe "is anything broken son? then get up!" Biden has been on a rampage through Swing States this week. He comes out swinging, and just keeps going.

"If I sound angry, it’s because I am angry," Mr. Biden told a few hundred people gathered at a high school football field. Yes, he sounds angry, yelling through his stump speeches, flailing his arms and telling a (supportive) member of the audience to "Shush up, will you?" ("I’m kidding," he added, but did not sound it.)

http://tinyurl.com/4d2v5q

*****

I'm thinkin' Joe might earn the nickname "Big Dawg!"

Now he can be angry and never be the scary black-man. Go Joe!

All the Candidates’ Cars

When you have seven homes, that's a lot of garages to fill. After the fuss over the number of residences owned by the two presidential nominees, NEWSWEEK looked into the candidates' cars. And based on public vehicle-registration records, here's the score. John and Cindy McCain: 13. Barack and Michelle Obama: one.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/160091

*****

Darn elitist Barack. He should have done better than 13:1?

lolololo

His chickensssss ... are coming home ...... to roost!!! -

"Sen. Barack Obama should be ashamed of himself!

Where was he when the stock market was in a major downturn and the people of our Southern states were suffering from hurricanes? Hanging out with the Hollywood elite.

The almighty dollar must mean more to him than the welfare of our citizens. Nothing like $9 million to add to his coffers.

I still question his and his wife's relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers and Louis Farrakhan."

Ouch.

Obam and the lobbyists -

"The campaign has no problem accepting money from the spouses of Washington lobbyists.

A database search conducted for this column by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign-finance issues, found that more than 20 spouses of prominent Washington lobbyists have donated to the Obama campaign, including

the wives of Dan Glickman, the head of the Motion Picture Association of America

Norman Brownstein, a prominent Denver-based lawyer who has lobbied for Oracle, Toshiba, and Comcast

Stuart Pape of Patton Boggs, Washington's foremost lobbying firm, who has lobbied for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, and the Smokeless Tobacco Council

The campaign accepts money from lobbyists registered in state capitals.

It accepts money from partners at law firms that engage in lobbying.

It accepts money from the C.E.O.'s, chairs, and officers of corporations, but not their lobbyists.

Obama has received more than $627,000 in contributions from employees of Goldman Sachs, including, for example, $2,300 (the maximum contribution allowed) from the likes of managing director George Butcher."

In the words of Neil Peart - "You can twist perceptions, but REALITY WON'T BUDGE" !!!!

lolololololo

The Death of Republican Philosophy

[...]

We Are the Party of Fiscal Responsibility.

No they aren't. No Republican president has ever balanced a budget. While Republicans have argued that Reagan had to contend with Democrats, Bush II did not for 6 years. Under this scenario where the Republicans controlled all branches of government they never even came close to balancing a budget.

We are the Party of Personal Responsibility

No you're not. When companies make really stupid decisions the Federal government bails them out. Just ask any shareholder of AIG. Or any taxpayer who will not help to finance the latest government bail-out.

Simply put, this week has demonstrated a key point: when the going gets tough, the Republicans become socialists:

If you are a fan of irony, consider this: The conservative movement has utterly hated FDR, and his New Deal programs like Medicaid, Social Security, FDIC, Fannie Mae (1938), and the SEC for nearly 80 years. And for the past 8 years, a conservative was in the White House, with a very conservative agenda. For something like 16 of the past 18 years, the conservative dominated GOP has controlled Congress. Those are the facts.

We now see that the grand experiment of deregulation has ended, and ended badly. The deregulation movement is now an historical footnote, just another interest group, and once in power they turned into socialists. Indeed, judging by the actions of the conservatives in power, and not the empty rhetoric that comes out of think tanks, the conservative movement has effectively turned the United States into a massive Socialist state, an appendage of Communist Russia, China and Venezuela.

http://tinyurl.com/52s5zn

*****

And we didn't have to drown the republican philosophy to kill it. It dies of self-inflicted insanity.

ABC Panel Tears Into McCain: Not Presidential, Age An Issue

For John McCain, the panel discussion on This Week with George Stephanopoulos could not have been more brutal.

Minutes after conservative columnist George Will declared that the Senator was decidedly un-presidential is his unexpected call for the firing of SEC Chairman Chris Cox, Sam Donaldson, the long-time ABC hand, said that McCain's erratic message on the economy again raised questions about his age.

"I suppose the McCain campaign's hope is that when there's a big crisis, people will go for age and experience," said Will. "The question is, who in this crisis looked more presidential, calm and un-flustered? It wasn't John McCain who, as usual, substituting vehemence for coherence, said 'let's fire somebody.' And picked one of the most experienced and conservative people in the administration, Chris Cox, and for no apparent reason... It was un-presidential behavior by a presidential candidate."

Donaldson then jumped in: "It was two days after the he said the fundamentals of the economy were strong. His talking points have gotten all mixed up. And I think the question of age is back on the table."

http://tinyurl.com/5yr3lo

*****

Not so much "age" per se but more how age effects McCain and his poor judgment.

Sadly, the Dem philosophy (clearly self-inflicted) marches on -

"RACISM could cost Barack Obama the White House, according to a survey that found a third of white Democrats had negative views of African Americans.

Many called them "lazy", "violent" or responsible for their own troubles, the AP-Yahoo news poll found.

The poll of more than 2000 people, conducted with Stanford University, finds the percentage of voters who may turn from the senator because of his colour could be larger than the difference between the candidates in 2004 - 2 1/2 percentage points."

Sad commentary on the "Big Tent" party.

"The "She's cute" comment is about Governor Sarah Palin. Michelle will tell you she made the comment about herself, but I don't believe her. It's obvious from the context of her comments that she was condescendingly referring to Palin.

Why is Michelle Obama focusing on Governor Palin's looks? Why not focus on the issues? Truth be told, Michelle can't compete in either category. Maybe Michelle is jealous?"

OUCH - "Truth be told, Michelle can't compete in either category." lolololo

If you can't take the heat, STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN!!!

Why You Should Hate the Treasury Bailout Proposal

"Taxpayers have no upside participation."

http://tinyurl.com/4kjrte

*****

A very good piece - and it has links to a few more very good articles.

http://news.yahoo.com/edcartoons/patoliphant

*nails it*

The best collection of cartoons (Bob Geiger)

http://tinyurl.com/4lsaqo

Some real good ones.

“Our members were approached on company property by this film crew and were peppered with questions regarding Sen. Obama’s positions on guns and the 2nd Amendment,” Cecil Roberts said in a press release issued Saturday. “We’re going to talk about that, because it marks a return of the gutter politics of the past by those of the say-anything, do-anything crowd who believe they can continue to use wedge issues to divide West Virginians. They think we’re not smart enough to figure out what they’re doing.”

http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/28693459.html

Paulson Today: Resurrect Hoover, Ignore Ordinary Americans

Today's Reuters headline:

Paulson voices confidence in U.S. fundamentals

Today's AP headline:

Treasury chief resists Democratic push to add more help for households to $700B bailout.

The resemblance is striking:

Hoover ... refused to acknowledge reality and peddled unfounded optimism while rejecting relief programs for ordinary Americans.... Meanwhile, he pushed big-business bailouts in the hopes of finding a trickle-down solution to a crisis caused in the first place by trickle-down economics.

http://tinyurl.com/4ke3lj

RE:above -

Wow, Biden SAID Obama would have a problem -

"“I guarantee you, Barack Obama ain’t taking my shotguns, so don’t buy that malarkey,” Biden said angrily. “They’re going to start peddling that to you.” “I got two, if he tries to fool with my Beretta, he’s got a problem.”

"CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts plans to hold a press conference in Charleston Monday to discuss what he describes as "attempts by a film crew hired by the National Rifle Association to get miners to distort the record of Barack Obama on guns and the 2nd amendment."

lolololo

TV SoundOff: Sunday Talking Heads

http://tinyurl.com/3rmqx3

Jason Linkins watches and delivers so we don't have to. He cracks me up every Sunday.

Bankrupt AIG Underwrote McCain's 'Reform Institute'

John McCain is making a big show of criticizing the government "bailout" of insurance giant AIG. But it turns out that AIG, which received $85 billion in US tax dollars earlier this week, is one of the largest donors to McCain's pet think tank, the comically named "Reform Institute," which he co-founded in 2001 "in direct response to the millions of Americans who, during the 2000 presidential campaign, expressed profound disillusionment with corrupt fundraising activities."

Apparently, AIG was so troubled over the issue of corrupt fundraising activities that they loaded in as one of the top VIP donors in McCain's nonprofit think-tank, whose website lists AIG in the "over $50,000" donor category--although exactly how much over that $50,000 is still unclear. Nor is it clear why AIG had any business donating so much money to a think tank whose work in no way overlapped with the insurance company's--unless, of course, that money was just meant to gain access to McCain.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081006/ames

Barack Obama, speaking today about the proposed market bailout at a rally in Charlotte, N.C.:

As of now, the Bush Administration has only offered a concept with a staggering price tag, not a plan. Even if the U.S. Treasury recovers some or most of its investment over time, this initial outlay of up to $700 billion is sobering. And in return for their support, the American people must be assured that the deal reflects the basic principles of transparency, fairness, and reform.

First, there must be no blank check when American taxpayers are on the hook for this much money.

Second, taxpayers shouldn’t be spending a dime to reward CEOs on Wall Street.

Third, taxpayers should be protected and should be able to recoup this investment.

Fourth, this plan has to help homeowners stay in their homes.

Fifth, this is a global crisis, and the United States must insist that other nations join us in helping secure the financial markets.

Sixth, we need to start putting in place the rules of the road I’ve been calling for for years to prevent this from ever happening again.

And finally, this plan can’t just be a plan for Wall Street, it has to be a plan for Main Street. We have to come together, as Democrats and Republicans, to pass a stimulus plan that will put money in the pockets of working families, save jobs, and prevent painful budget cuts and tax hikes in our states.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13181.html

This is how the New York Times describes John McCain's economic regulation pedigree:

[McCain's] record ... suggest[s] that he has never departed in any major way from his party’s embrace of deregulation... [H]e has consistently characterized himself as fundamentally a deregulator [yet] he has no history prior to the presidential campaign of advocating steps to tighten standards on investment firms.

McCain has always been in his party’s mainstream on the [economic] issue. In early 1995 ... McCain promoted a moratorium on federal regulations of all kinds. 'I’m always for less regulation,' he told The Wall Street Journal last March.... 'I am fundamentally a deregulator.'

(via kos)

In preparation for the upcoming debate -

"Afterwards, the Illinois senator's aides were livid, complaining that the ABC News debate was unfair and an example of "old politics" designed to tear a candidate down.

"I've never seen anything quite like it," said David Axelrod, Mr Obama's chief strategist. "People around Pennsylvania were probably asking what the heck is going on."

Barry doesn't like the HARD questions!!!

The Dems on the financial crisis -

"House Democrats plan to aggressively look at the administration’s role in the meltdown over the weekend and to explore further regulation and government structures that would be taken up under the new president. Republican aides accused Democrats of trying to shift blame with a series of ’show trials,’ but acknowledged that key officials will wind up cooperating"

"This leaves DRJ at Patterico’s Pontifications puzzling over Barack Obama dismissal of John McCain’s call for a high-level commission to study the economic crisis as “passing the buck”:

Senator Obama and Majority Leader Pelosi seem out-of-sync. Are Congressional hearings good and high-level commission hearings bad? Or could it be that Democratic investigations are good and Republican studies are bad? And based on Barack Obama’s statement, is Speaker Pelosi ‘passing the buck’ by holding hearings … or will Obama be “passing the buck” if he supports Pelosi’s hearings?”

Indeed.

NEWSWEEK COVER: King Henry

[...]

This brusqueness, and the desire to move on to the next problem, doesn't always go over well on Capitol Hill. The criticism of Paulson has come mostly from conservative Republicans in the House who are incensed over the bailouts. "I think for all intents and purposes, Congress has been left out of the loop and treated after the fact," says Rep. Scott Garrett, a New Jersey Republican. Having already acquiesced to the creation of hundreds of billions of dollars in potential taxpayer obligations, Congress isn't likely to just hand over hundreds of billions more without demanding some concessions like assistance for strapped homeowners.

The decisions made on the fly these past several months will have impacts that last deep into the next administration, long after the end of Paulson's tenure -- perhaps one of the most eventful of any Treasury secretary since Alexander Hamilton.

http://tinyurl.com/5y4bbh

CNN Factcheck catches Obama in ANOTHER LIE -

"The statement:

"If my opponent had his way, the millions of Floridians who rely on it would have had their Social Security tied up in the stock market this week… Millions would've watched as the market tumbled and their nest egg disappeared before their eyes. Millions of families would've been scrambling to figure out how to give their mothers and their fathers, their grandmothers and their grandfathers, the security retirement that every American deserves."
– Sen. Barack Obama, at a campaign stop Saturday, September 20, in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Verdict: False. There is no basis for Obama to claim that "the millions" who rely on those benefits would be affected, or that anyone's nest egg would have "disappeared." But McCain does support allowing some Social Security funds to enter the stock market in the future, while Obama does not."

So, this is Barack Hussein Obama's "New Politics", eh?

Change - NO HE CAN'T!!!

McCain and the POW Cover-up

John McCain has inexplicably worked very hard to hide from the public stunning information about American prisoners in Vietnam who, unlike him, didn't return home. Throughout his Senate career, McCain has quietly sponsored and pushed into federal law a set of prohibitions that keep the most revealing information about these men buried as classified documents.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081006/schanberg

Scenes from the trail: Obama on the stump in Charlotte

Barack Obama holds a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina Sunday. (Mike Roselli/CNN)

He's heavily targeting the state that has voted Republican in several recent presidential elections. During his remarks, he said the $700 billion financial market bailout has a “sobering price tag," and accused the Bush administration of running the economy into the ground. He also got tough on John McCain:

“While I certainly don’t fault Senate McCain for all of the problems we’re facing right now but I do fault the economic philosophy he’s followed during his 26 years in Washington,” he said, adding “If your car is in a ditch, you don’t want a driver who thinks that we should take the same path that’s got us in the ditch.”

http://tinyurl.com/4obo4e

******

A great picture! 25,000 to 30,000 show up in Charlotte.

Even Fox News Admits McCain's Missteps (VIDEO)

There are some things that even Fox News has to admit, and apparently among those things is the fact that Barack Obama had a better week than John McCain.

After showing Obama's strong numbers in Gallup's tracking poll, Chris Wallace asked Mara Liasson whether the numbers were a consequence of the Democratic Party's traditional advantage on economic issues. Liasson said she thought much of Obama's surge was related to that advantage, but that McCain had also "flailed" and displayed "shoot from the hip" tendencies that had hurt his campaign.

http://tinyurl.com/4tc7fe

******

Now that really beats all, eh?

McCain Economic Surrogate: We Shouldn't Fire SEC Chair

(huffpo)

****

Of course, it is Sunday, "fire Cox" was ... what Thursday?

The proposed total bailout of the financial markets comes just before the GOP turns over the keys to the country.

What are they bailing out? I have a good grasp of economics and a great deal of real estate experience and there is something else going on here.

You sell your house, the buyer gets a new mortgage, the money goes to you the seller, and the existing mortgage is paid off.

In a foreclosure, the sellers share is left out. These houses either had equity or were insured by private mortgage insurance. The bank is going to lose a years interest (8%) and then sell the property for close to its mortgage. Total cost to the bank about 20-25%. They get cash back for the old mortgage and the new mortgage gets sold off. Total foreclosures 2%.

25% of 2% = 1/2%. SO lets give the assholes a break and say 4% get foreclosed and they lose 50%. Now we are talking a 2% loss.

2% is not causing this meltdown. There is something they aren't telling us.

My business is down 15% this year after 20% last year. I don't see the government loaning me money or bailing me out. What a non-republican thing to do.

The heads of these banks are going to keep multi-million dollar bonuses and golden parachutes. And then they are going to buy the paper on my house for 10%, sell it at market and make a $300,000 profit. All this while the guy who built the house, raised the business and paid for it for 17 years isn't even offered a FEMA trailer.

Write your Senator. Filibuster this bailout!

Well, we will be using our American tax dollars to pay foreign banks too!

So we have that as icing on the cake.

Should UBS (read Phil Gramm) benefit from the deregulation?

Hmmmmm

geof01,

RE: "You sell your house, the buyer gets a new mortgage, the money goes to you the seller, and the existing mortgage is paid off."

Your great deal of real estate experience should tell you that when home prices drop to the point where the loan is "upside down" (mortgaged amount exceeds market value of property), your scenario above is no longer valid.

This mortgage mess started in the early '90's when the Clinton administration changed the mortgage lending laws in a way that REQUIRED banks to provide loans to technically unqualified individuals
(Google "The National Homeownership Strategy: Partners in the American Dream") - resulting in bankruptcies once home values dropped.

It's time to clean up the mess, fix the law(s), and move on with the business of business!

Cheers

Treasury Seeks Asset-Buying Power Unchecked by Courts

[...]

Bush said yesterday he's unconcerned that the price tag on the package may seem high.

``I'm sure there are some of my friends out there that are saying, `I thought this guy was a market guy, what happened to him?''' the president said. ``My first instinct was to let the market work, until I realized, while being briefed by the experts, how significant this problem became.''

The Bush administration seeks ``dictatorial power unreviewable by the third branch of government, the courts, to try to resolve the crisis,'' said Frank Razzano, a former assistant chief trial attorney at the Securities and Exchange Commission now at Pepper Hamilton LLP in Washington. ``We are taking a huge leap of faith.''

http://tinyurl.com/442mrm

*****

So the same guys that made this mess or worse didn't see it coming are now demanding more power unchecked and saying "trust me?"

Where is the MSM for these Dems spawns ? --

"David Kernell, 20, son of Tennessee Democratic state Rep. Mike Kernell, may soon be speaking with the FBI and the Secret Service about whether he played a role in the hacking of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's Yahoo Mail account.

According to The Tennessean, the elder Kernell has confirmed that his son, a University of Tennessee-Knoxville student, is "the person who was the subject of speculation on blogs on the subject."

And who can forget (the Dems can, obviously) -

"Gwendolynne Sophia Moore (born April 18, 1951), a Democrat from Wisconsin, is a congresswoman representing Wisconsin's 4th congressional district.

Moore's son, Sowande Ajumoke Omokunde, aged 26, was arrested in connection with the November 2, 2004, (election day), tire-slashing of Republican party vehicles in Milwaukee; he was charged with a felony in connection with the event on January 24, 2005, but agreed, on January 20, 2006, to plead no contest in exchange for a sentencing recommendation of restitution and probation.

However, on April 26, 2006, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Michael Brennan threw out the plea deal and sentenced Omokunde to serve four months in prison and to pay $2,305 in fines and restitution. In response, Moore said, "I love my son very much. I'm very proud of him. He's accepted responsibility."

Nice bunch of folks, no?

Nice bunch of folks! Sarah Palin's son is in the army to avoid jail for taking the valves stems out of tires of schoolbuses.

Yes, clean up the mess. The line of dumpsters needed after bush would stretch across the country and fill the grand canyon.

This is looting of the treasury and Paulson is leading the looting before he's kicked out on his ass, as if we would know which end that is.

"A $700 billion fund would push the total pledged to combat the crisis to $1.8 trillion, or $15,000 per U.S. household."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7815825

****

I don't have $15,000 to spare.

We won't get fooled again

[...]

So here's what I propose. The Republican slogan today is Country First. So let's see the Republicans do a little of that famous Country First stuff.

Bush and Cheney must resign immediately. No immunity, no pardons. Nancy Pelosi will become President, promising not to run for re-election on November 4. Her term will be one of the shortest in US history, just long enough to enact the provisions of the bill being proposed by the Republican administration. If it really is the best thing for the country and not a trick, then the Republicans, being impressed by the seriousness of it, would have to insist that Bush step aside and let the Democrats execute the plan. The entire Bush cabinet stays in office through January 20, but reports, of course to Pelosi. And that includes Paulson.

It's pretty simple. If they won't do it, we know they're bluffing.

If they will, I will give my support to the plan, even though I still don't know what will happen if I don't.

http://tinyurl.com/3gupta

****

Paulson is doing the "Powell" role this time. How obvious can they get. This time the "terror" is what might happen if we don't do as he says?

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/

Obama 311.5 McCain 226.5

*****

I wonder if the debate will chnage the trendlines?

McCain Campaign Can't...Won't...Rule Out Gramm As Treasury Secretary

For those of you who have developed a fondness for Tucker Bounds-themed bondage and domination videos, here's another YouTube where David Shuster chortles his way through a segment in which Bounds cannot or will not bring himself to assure the American people that Phil Gramm - who recently called America a "nation of whiners" but who led the effort for the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act that paved the way for the economic collapses of today - will not, under any circumstances, become Secretary of the Treasury in the McCain administration. If Bounds keeps at these sorts of "explanations," the world's supply of false equivalencies may run out by the first week of October.

http://tinyurl.com/45jcgp

*****

Maybe this will help people better understand McCain and his judgment.

Did McCain Presidential Campaign Violate Finance Laws with Southeast Asia Trip?

A review of expenditures by the John McCain presidential campaign reveals several odd expenses that raise important questions about the candidate's efforts to bill himself as a populist and reformer - and point to possible Federal Election Campaign Act violations.

In July, the very month in which the odd expenses show up on McCain's financial disclosure report to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), McCain rolled out a new campaign slogan: "Reform - Prosperity - Peace."

The Wall Street Journal reported at the time "his new campaign ad is a biographical piece that stresses his campaign finance reform history."

However, despite several phone calls and e-mail queries to the McCain campaign headquarters by Narco News over the past couple weeks, and promises by his staffers that a response would be provided, no one from the McCain camp, to date, has offered an explanation for the following campaign expenditures registered on July 1 and 2 of this year, as reported to the FEC (link here).

http://tinyurl.com/3etz7a

So if that wasn't McCain in Ho CHi Minh City in July, who did the time in the Hilton from 67-73?

On the $15,000 per person - According to Paulson, that's just the estimate, it's a no-bid contract!

Lehman Brothers gave out 2.5 billion in bonuses and George Walker and Jeb Bush are part of this.

Now we have to cut back on entitlements.

McCain's lifetime total disability pension.
McCain's lifetime Social Security.
McCain's lifetime health care plan.

Well, if the bailout was for McCain's lifetime we would be in great shape. Unfortunately, my grandchildren are all under the age of 8.

""Paulson is leading the looting before he's kicked out on his ass, as if we would know which end that is""

leading the looting - absolutely!
but it gets much worse than that:

The Bush family, in the form of Prescott Bush, has tried a more aggressive coup before in order to install fascism in this country. This treasonous plot was called "the Business Plot," because the high-level plotters - including Prescott Bush - were Wall Street men who openly supported fascism.

this time around, the Bush family is trying the more subtle approach to open bloodshed: first create a crisis, then under the guise of addressing that crisis, overthrow democracy. Yes, it does sound terribly conspiracy-theory-esque when explained just this way. But what else does one call a criminal conspiracy to destroy Congressional powers permanently, alter Judicial powers permanently, and steal public funds?

notice the "proposed bill brought to congress".

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

http://tinyurl.com/43ecnp

The First amendment is gone: Journalists were arrested at both the Republican and the Democratic National Conventions

http://tinyurl.com/3nwxad

left vs right?
HA!
-----
PRISON CELL PORTABLE BUILDING BLOCKS

the Government has new Lego building blocks to play with. Prison cells that are designed to snap together to build a prison anywhere at any time to meet the demand.

The new Lego style can be snapped together to make a hundred, a thousand, or hundred thousand cell prisons, two, three, or ten blocks high.

http://cafr1.com/Legos.html

This, my friends IS the "October Surprise" (yes, I know it's still September).

They (BushCo) are grabbing what they can, for themselves and their friends, before they get out.

They don't care about what happens after that.

McCain was right.

Despite all the obfuscation coming from a lot of folks here, it was Senator John McCain who was a sponsor of a bill in 2005 that would have provided the needed oversight and reform of an out of control Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. None other than Alan Greenspan also sounded the warning.

It was the DEMOCRATS who voted on party lines to kill this bill and ensure the ultimate debacle we face today.

Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but not their own set of FACTS.

BTW, Franklin Raines shoud be wearing an ORANGE jumpsuit these days, not be in the employ of a candidate for the U.S. Presidency!

He was fired by the board of directors for FRAUD. Blatant, out-and-out FRAUD.

Actually, I suppose this makes him an excellent choice for Barack Hussein Obama. He's all about that.

I just love the way Democrats and others are attempting to portray the debacle as a product of DE-Regulation!!! What a farce. The problem was CAUSED by regulations in the first place!

It doesn't take a genius to understand the cause and effect of the Community Reinvestment Act and how the Clinton administration used it as a billy club against lenders to in essence FORCE them to make loans to people who could not afford them.

Hey, no problem! We'll get Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy these "liar loans", the government will back them! So banks did what they do best - loan money and make a profit for their shareholders. Of course, they sold these loans just as quick as they could because they knew what the default rate would be. They weren't stupid.

This entire thing was a Ponzi scheme that kept working as long as housing prices kept going up. Like all bubbles, however this couldn't last. So here we are.