Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

Craig -- what happens to the Republican candidates when it comes to the money issue? Will anyone but Romney have the money to campaign hard for the Super Tuesday votes?

I think Hil'ry must be drafting a thank you note to TO about now. There's no crying in football!

Blue....
did you get those Red Sox tickets I sent you yet?.....

Dooty..... so sorry about the Cowboys.... I was rooting for them last night...
Romo looked like he couldn't handle the pressure.... it's a hard lesson...

so MSNBC invites Kucinich to the debate Tuesday night and then changes it's mind...... and this from a network that has stuck with Tucker Carlson.... hmmmmm......

If the state the elected Bill Clinton can also elect Mike Huckabee... They both have personal appeal & that will get votes.

I like the idea of a national sales tax instead of an income tax (but I'm not an economist) and take issue with the arguement that it's a regressive tax that would hurt those with lower incomes. I can control how much I spend; generic or brand-name or if I buy it at all. It seems that it would close the tax loopholes for the rich and that's why the idea is being shot down. Feedback?

rr - Yes, I used them to toast marshmallows for s'mores. They were d'lish! Thanks! ; d

From the last thread

After all the low flying mud of the weekend, Clinton is still the best choice and I lay most of that at the Obama camp door, but if I were her, I would blast Karl Rove out of the water for that one.

The sleeze merchant is trying to inject his poison into the Democratic primaries and she should spit and
bar b cue the SOB

everybody talks about taxes but no one does anything about it......(I mean, except for Bush II and Reagan......how'd that work out?).....it will stay the same.

Blue,

A national sales tax is horribly regressive. Think about it. If you had bought virtually everything you could need except food, clothes and luxuries, but the majority of your income is the result of investments, what would be the result? Your expenses would be a very small percentage of your income and your tax rate would go down from say 30% on everything to say 10% on only a small percentage of your wealth.

Now if you are living pay check to pay check without any other income source and you now pay a small percentage on that income because it is middle class or lower, but now you have to pay tax on every item you buy, then every dime you make is 100% taxed.

To top this off, it is cheaper to be rich than it is to be poor. You rarely have to buy anything on time. You get bargains from businesses and friends because you can pay cash and you have the mobility to buy anywhere you want for the cheaper price

Now if you are limited to a certain town or district and for whatever reason are without transport, you are required to shop at the closest location where the prices are often higher than they would be elsewhere. Again you are paying more tax than the rich guy.

The national sales tax sounds good, but it is another give away to the high income folks.

Blue,
A national sales tax is most assuredly regressive. The question is: is it more fair than income tax?

Politicians hate it for two reasons:
1. Tax breaks are one way pols curry favor with big contributors.
2. If you saw how much you're spending for govn't programs (some of which you feel are questionable, ineffective or pork), it would put pressure on pols to cut wasteful spending. Pork is another way to curry favor with big contributors.

For these two reasons I don't think we'll ever see anybody in congress give it serious consideration.

For Dog:

Grand Rapids Press is endorsing Romney.
Detroit Free Press is endorsing McCain.
Oakland Press is endorsing Romney.

From what I've seen , Huckabee is a distant 3rd here in Michigan. I thought about seeing McCain in Holland today , but I'll have to re-arrange my sleep schedule to do that. Besides , we are getting a snow again this morning. Not good driving weather.

Sturg,
When Rove said: "He is often lazy, given to misstatements and exaggerations and, when he doesn’t know the answer, too ready to try to bluff his way through. "

Are you sure he was talking about Obama. Sounds like a reasonable characterization of Shrub...

"Are you sure he was talking about Obama. Sounds like a reasonable characterization of Shrub..."

ROFL!

mornin' all.

jamie, blue, an across the board nat'l. sales tax is indeed terribly regressive. There are, of course ways to lessen that impact - exempting certain necessities comes to mind, but that becomes a nightrmare as well. Ironically, the rich spend more on necessities than than the poor, although a smaller proportion of their income goes to them. It's a tough nut to crack if you're trying to make it a progressive tax structure.

Having to get work done before running up to NY today, I missed all the Sunday shows - I saw a few comments yesterday, but wondered what others who saw them thought.

The 'Is Fair Tax Regressive' argument is missing a few things.

1) The Prebate means there is no tax on basic necessities.

2) The rich tend to buy 'premium' items versus basics, thus they will pay beyond the prebate level on necessities.

3) Buying something used results in NO taxes. The poor and middle class buy used more often than the Rich. (and we would become less of a throw-away society to boot)

4) If the rich were truly making out with the Fair tax, they would be supporting it. They aren't because they know the lose of loopholes will hurt them more than paying a sales tax on their expensive cars and toys.

The other problem with a national sales tax is what do you tax? Some states have no sales tax, others tax goods and services, while others only tax sales items, exempt services and don't tax food. Just coming up with the exempt and non exempt would be a nightmare.

"3) Buying something used results in NO taxes. The poor and middle class buy used more often than the Rich. (and we would become less of a throw-away society to boot"

California taxes used goods

Funny how the Hillary's backers can not mention Obama's past without being labeled as they are "playing the race card", even if those comments are coming from Hillary's black supporters, e.g. Bob Johnson.

"Hillary Clinton had said King's dream of racial equality was realized only when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964"

The D party is certainly in a pickle these days over who, what, how, when & where can the slightest reference to race be mentioned. The above statement is just plain fact, it takes nothing away from MLK's struggles and achievements in the battle for civil rights. If anyone is playing the race card it is Obama's people. Obama can use the fact he is black to advance his positions, but his opponents are prohibited from challenging him on those very facts, that is unless they want to be labeled by Obama's people and the MSM as playing the "race card". When will the MSM start looking into Barack "Present" Obama career and accomplishments. Voting present, is the same as saying "here" during roll call. Until that happens the MSM's bias coverage will continue to provide him cover.

not to worry about the Democrats Fry ...we have Karl Rove to demonstrate what a real racist is.

"Of the Rove editorial, Wolffe stated, "Talking to some of Obama's aides, I think they detected a pretty ugly undertone in Rove's op-ed there. The 'trash-talking.' The 'basketball.' The 'lazy' thing. Is he suggesting that there's some sort of color aspect to Barack Obama's behavior that he's getting at? It was uncomfortably close to the edge of being plain-out racist."

"That's Karl," said Olbermann.

The racist slant of Rove's op-ed has already been widely noted among bloggers, with one of the more vehement writing, "When you take into consideration the malevolent genius of Karl Rove - The god damned Johnny Appleseed of fear harvesting - and understand that the higher echelon of the Republican base is being spoon-fed a concoction that consists of a feminist-socialist lesbian wife of a shill president or a lazy, jive-talking, b-ball playing huckster boy politician from Chicago ... Rove's ability to triangulate issues and interweave them with subtle strereotypical imagery would be fun to read if it was fiction. Unfortunately in real life, the fat master has stirred and is testing the waters to see if his style of politics still plays."

enjoying the tax discussion this morning (certainly more useful than the latest Obama-Clinton sand lot fight), here is link to a nicely balanced Boston Globe story that i found helpful (includes explanation of the "prebate"):

http://www.boston.com/business/taxes/articles/2008/01/01/in_spotlight_fair_taxers_push_cause?mode=PF

Wow....that blogger nailed it KGC!

California spends a lot of time and money every year trying to figure out a better way to raise revenue.
The consumption tax is rejected every time

One of the flaws is that the older you get (and usually the wealthier) the less you consume. Also exempting used cars and used homes is an exemption for the wealthy.

Blue,

It's probably just because its early and my brain isn't quite functional, but "thank you note to TO"

Who or what is TO?

The last time I checked antique furniture and classic cars are "used". You can see where the problems are.

Thanks for the Boston link, Craig. The idea that used items won't be taxed is amusing. New theme song for the middle class and on down: "Second Hand Rose."

http://www.factcheck.org/taxes/unspinning_the_fairtax.html

factcheck the fair tax

But KG it is your party that is in the news about playing the race card. Oh those race card playing D's, who would have thought so much bigotry exist in the party of the working man. You have only the jaded MSM media to blame for this overblown no-nothing story. I always thought the MSM were in the Clinton's pocket, and they may have been at one time, but that has all changed since Obama surfaced.

But KG it is your party that is in the news about playing the race card

Fry you have to listen to something besides maroons
and I think we all know who the racists are --

KGC, actually, Fry does have a good point about the MSM's keeping the race angle going. Of course, now Rove is a part of the MSM.

msgobama is the worst
and since MLK day is next weekend I'm sure this will go on for awhile. Ironically, Fox is spending the least time on this(of course they know they are the real racists)
I think the Obama campaign is keeping it going not the media...it is in their best interest and this is the kind of thing that David Axelrod does

Katie,

I don't think your right about the Obama Compaign. I've been watching since our last go around and I see second the third rate players who have nothing to do with either party( .....until Mr BET's remark) making racial accuastions.

Its not either party. Its some under current trying to whip it up and it working.

Here is a newspaper report on Chelsea Clinton's visit to the Bay Area....she speaks!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/14/MNDDUEOT1.DTL

Sorry. "Its not either party" I meant to say "Either campaign....meaning Clintons and Obama's.

Lets just say, I suspet the Republican Machine is awkening and we may be falling for it again.

Sheila
I prefer your scenario. I hope you are right that it is not the Obama campaign.

Katie,

Both Campaigns have been presenting high ideals to the public. Its been inspiring for the public. Both candidates are very special and have a long history of human rights.

They both are a danger to the repugs, but only one can be defeated. So damage the other publically on the way. Sounds like business as usual for me.

BTW, I think Romeny will get the GOP in Michigan based on his familiarity. McCain represents Bush in Michigan.

LOL@ KG. Those maroons you are talking about are the Liberal MSM. It is YOUR Liberal gutless MSM who are the ones advancing the non-story about Hillary playing the race card. The Liberal MSM have so mis-characterized the events of this non- story. And you like a good little coolaid drinking Liberal keep providing them cover which only helps them to further this false distorted, bigoted non-story. D's are so contorted over this, it is just laugh out loud funny, watching the D Party slowly being roasted over the coals by their partners in crime, the Liberal MSM.

fry
I rather doubt anyone but you thinks the media is liberal....JoeScarborough is liberal?????

Sheila,

How are the teeth doing today. Are you still on pain pills? Are they making you, or did you have to wear braces, and use those little rubber bands to hold them in place?

Fry,

Once and for all, the MSM are not Liberal, they are Robotic Dictating shills for the Extreme Right in this country.

And you know it. that is why you keep bating with such rancid meaness. ;0)

Where is the liberal media Fry
I have been looking for that and would like to listen

by the way if you listen to Democracy Now --a news organization that some consider liberal...you do not hear them pimping this story

my teeth are good. My pocket book needs saving now. ;0)

KG nice try, 1 name out of 1000's. Plus Joe will tell you he is a conservative, that is not the same as a Republican. It is sort of like referring to Adriana Huffington as a Liberal when she believes she is a Libertarian.

In Texas my truck cost $10,000 I had to pay about $600 as a tax for a used item. They will not allow you to register the vehicle without paying this tax and with out registeration you cannot buy licence plates.

yo soy Horsedooty!

fry
you fling out charges but cannot even come up with anyone who is the liberal media....

arianna hufflington is a republican who became a liberatarian.

Also Huffington is an Obama supporter and commentator and hardly an unbiased source

try again

Hell KG I wouldn't expect you to see the Liberal MSM. Your one of them. LMAO. Democracy Now? Not only am I not listening to them, I would bet 99.99999% of Americans aren't listening to them. I think I just gave them 3500 more listeners than they are entitled to.

Mr.Bluster

I am waiting for list of the liberal media that is promoting this story

I thought Obama was carrying Independents, D, R's Liberals, that is what the Liberal MSM is reporting, or was until NH.? So are you saying some Libertarians won't support Obama?

“we have the media now,” Coulter explains to a nodding Sean Hannity

July 26 2005

gasp Fry, are you calling Ann Coulter a liar?

MSNBC, CNN, BBC, ABC, NBC, CBS. PBS, NPR,

MSNBC, CNN, BBC, ABC, NBC, CBS. PBS, NPR,

Posted by: FryDaddy | January 14, 2008 10:50 AM

only someone who think the constitution should be shredded and torture is ok and the rule of law is meant to be broken would think this is the liberal media

Fry,

You drank the Kooaid for sure....not that we didn't know that fact.

By the way, I'm an Independent. I'm not a Libertarian. My dad is a libertarian. He was a republican before that.....Bush did some damage for sure.

"the MSM are not Liberal, they are Robotic Dictating shills for the Extreme Right in this country."

Ha! Go Sheila!

....Why THANK YOU My Dear....aaaaa.Thhhhank ya very much!

I heard a funny -- and accurate, I think -- line on either C-Span or NPR this morning:

"John Edwards' campaign got tv-boarded."

Oh Boy do I miss CSPAN in this Hotel Room....

Sheila
if the hotel has high speed you can live stream cpan on your computer

Thanks for the reminder kate. I am working so much, I forgot.

"Huckabee often says, "I believe most Americans want their next president to remind them of the guy they work with, not the guy who laid them off."

a little too often. His opposition should put together a tape of his bon mots...after you have heard them for the third time they lose their luster especially when he forces their use

What a crock. Dumya's superior views to the NIE on Iran's nuc program.

"But in private conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last week, the president all but disowned the document, said a senior administration official who accompanied Bush on his six-nation trip to the Mideast. "He told the Israelis that he can't control what the intelligence community says, but that [the NIE's] conclusions don't reflect his own views" about Iran's nuclear-weapons program, said the official, who would discuss intelligence matters only on the condition of anonymity."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/91673

Later dudes & dudettes - gotta go.

kc - Huckleberry is delusional - the last time we (they) chose a guy who reminded them of their college drinking buddy, and look how that turned out. Of course if he's just looking at himself and Romney, he may have something there.

Sheila no one called you a Libertarian. At least not I.

KG I see you are keeping your Liberal Koolaid cup filled to the brim these days. Koolaid, breakfast drink of Liberals.

Explain to me how Bob Johnson can be playing the race card when Bob Johnson who is black, was referring to the Obama's alleged cocaine use he sites in his book? BTW, Obama's use of using cocaine has only been acknowledge by Obama. No friends, no dealers, no girlfriends, no nobody, just Obama. No one has come forward to back-up this story. Not 1 soul. odd. Had this been Paris Hilton, or any other of celebrity' type, people would be coming out of the wood work to sell their stories about party with Obama. But nothing like that has happened. Very strange.

Fry,

You used your label so generically, I chose to think you were refering to ALL Independents.

BTW, Koolaid was origionally a referance to that great 60's drink a "Purple Jesus". The rest of the inferance pertains to Jim Jones' use of grape koolaid to poison people.

I believe the so called "Liberals" used this term first for the Extreme Right. To infer the Christian Right and the Extreme Rights' brain washing.

So my referancing your Koolaid drinking is more accurate than yours with KGC.

Fry

The other day Craig Crawford used the phrase evidence free zone.

Corey, thanks for the updates!

tt

lololol

FRY! As if the dealers and others are going to back up his story.....lol

Cocaine is such a potent ruiner of peoples lives, I doubt anyone and dig anthing up including Obama

BTW I believe Purple Jesus is grape juice, not Koolaid, mixed with grain alcohol.

Koolaid? Who would mix Koolaid with alcohol? That would be like mixing a single malt scotch with Coke.

I hope the Liberals and their cohorts, MSM, would stop playing the race card. The first black person who actually has a chance to be the D nominee for president and the L's pull the old race card.

I am off to the bank to pay off our car, the one my wife drives, unless it needs service, or we go shopping or we go traveling, in those cases I drive.

Sorry Bud.

My navy Brother in the 60's.....My experience....even my Daddy's experience with Purple Jesus, no one had enough money to put real live grape juice inthe bath tub for the party.

Nope, your out of touch and you probably never had any yourself.

It seems to me that some media literacy is necessary here. The old slogan that "the mainstream media are as liberal as the conservative organizations that own them" rings true. The left is always marginalized in the media; the right is featured. What people refer to as "liberal" turns out to be the same corporate political parties following the same formula in place since Bretton Woods "Expansion abroad + Growth at home = Unified Interests". Of course this formula has had many problems since the loss of Vietnam, but the jist is, the Repugs and the Dems were basically on the same page here, only the pathway to make it happen was different. As right wing christians, and the super-rich became more involved with politics, the economic model of what makes a dem a dem and a repug a repug has changed into a societal model. Kevin Phillips, a former Republican advisor, indicates that with the election of Ronald Reagan, people voted more than ever before for social issues, even if the candidate on the right was usually a disaster for their own pocketbook. The MSM will put token articles from THE NATION in the pages of it's publications, but if the best they can do is call Chris Matthews a "liberal" or Morton Kondracke... it shows that the left is pretty much cut out of the debate.

Here is a great organization about media: http://www.fair.org/index.php

i"n those cases I drive"

fry
a Hummer?

And MSNBC won't shut up. They have slobbered all over this "race" story all weekend in a muddy grovel for ratings and now they continue all morning with virtually no news coverage of anything else.

It is disgusting!!!!

As Maggie Williams the Clinton spokesperson said, we need to get back to the core issues of the election and stop yammering about race and gender and over analyzing every single word any outside person happens to utter whether an Obama or Clinton supporter. That only benefits the Republicans. I'm sure Karl Rove is just giggling all over.

I fully expect Russert to make race the theme of the debate

jamie, i saw this happening days ago. if it doesnt stop soon it may cause serious damage in the general. maybe that's msnbc's intent.

And now Andrea Mitchell won't let Susan Rich the Obama spokesperson try to damp down the noise and take the high road.

What is the matter with these people?

Sorry Craig, but it seems your sometimes employers want the slugfest more than they want a decent campaign.

We need to get back to today's topic: Huckabee, the born again populist.

Over the last 30 years millions of lower-class people voted Republican, against their own economic interest. The Repugs used "social issues" such as abortion, to conceal their true agenda: income transfer to the rich.

Huckabee speaks to these people. Whether he could (or would even try to) deliver is doubtful. But, as Mel Brooks said, "These are simple people of the land...you know...morons."

FRY! As if the dealers and others are going to back up his story.....lol

Well first of all the statuses of limitations are long gone. The story of partying with Obama would easily be sold to any tabloid for $10,000 if not more. This is what is odd, Obama admits to using it, but no one else does. Cocaine is a party drug, not something you use by yourself in the comfort of your home. My whole theory on this has always been Obama is telling a story he knew most white American would accept as typical behavior by black teenagers. Tell white America what they already believe about black teenagers and therefore they would have no reason not to believe you. If you read the book, Obama only devotes a few lines to his drug use. No mention on how it was used, how much he paid for it, where he got the money to buy the cocaine, who sold it to him, no mention of him working after school to get the money, so where did this money come from. So little attention paid to something no other politician ever admitted to. Just amazing, but then again I don't believe all black teenagers use drugs..

" Purple Jesus, no one had enough money to put real live grape juice inthe bath tub for the party. "

At my college we called it something else....just can't remember what it was....

But I do know that I NEVER tried it because there were so many incidents when people put LSD or some other bad shit in the punch. (Depending on the party, I either drank a beer or brought my own whatever!)

Purple Passion? Was that the name?

Thanks for the feedback on the tax issue; like I said, I'm not an economist. Still, people like the idea of being in control of their paychecks.

I do remember Forbes "flat tax" and I didn't like that idea because a %age to me feels like a lot more to someone making less and it feels like a lot less to someone making more.

pogo - Thanks for answering jamie's TO question. I thought maybe having America see a grown man cry about a football game might be worthy of a thank you from Hil'ry.

I've read both books and you are over dramatizing this to try and bate.

George W Bush used and we haven't seen a list of his using buddies. You get YOUR list and I'm sure it will look like equal time for Obama to do the same.

You silly Republican you!

patsi

I know what we called it and it is no longer appropriate.

Fry
again in the evidence free zone. The issue was widely reported on msgop and there were print stories in the Washington Post. You are clueless.

OH! And lets not forget the Oxigen replacement ratio for how much Clinton DID NOT inhale....

Hillary is running a dirty campaign. What's wrong with the media pointing that out? John Kerry should have won but he got wiped out by Bush's negative campaigning. This stuff matters.

By the way, back to Huckabee....he sure is good with the quips....just heard him say something like this: "People ask me how I can be doing this without the money or the organization the other candidates have. Well, if I had the poll takers and focus groups and staff and offices and money -- maybe I could be as far behind as they are!"

Oh, and we had a fuzzy moment with Jeri Thmpson when she talked about how much it meant to her to get to South Carolina and meet her hero, Phyllis Schlafly.

Nash....I've miss you Buddy!

Oh, and we had a fuzzy moment with Jeri Thmpson when she talked about how much it meant to her to get to South Carolina and meet her hero, Phyllis Schlafly

Help Jesus! Another Schlafly follower.....gag me.

http://www.huckabeesamerica.org/

apparently these people think hucksterbee's american would not be a good place

If you do not believe in the separation of church and state doesn't that disqualify you from serving in public office and if you cannot do it...isn't it irresponsible to run.

Mike says...

"When people say, 'We ought to separate politics from religion,' I say to separate the two is absolutely impossible" "

By the way, early voting starts in Tennessee day after tomorrow.

Sheila: I've been busy. I'm glad to see you're still posting. Don't let fry get on your nerves.

We may already be in a very BAD recession.

Huckabee's economic populism doesn't go far enough. He needs to think BIG, like national health insurance.

Quips won't be enough. The voters want real substance. Bold moves.

Can't help but wonder if Jeri Thompson got equally fuzzy with Schlafley's gay son who is her scheduler and manager on the road.

Lots of new polls through to 1/12

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/

here's what they are saying about recession in my community

RECESSION HAS ARRIVED: ECONOMY 'HANGING ON BY ITS FINGERNAILS,' BUT GROWTH PREDICTED IN '09
Published on January 13, 2008

© 2008- The Press Democrat

BYLINE: NATHAN HALVERSON
Get ready for the ``R'' word.

Sonoma County -- along with the rest of the nation -- is likely in a mild recession, according to a new economic forecast.

I think we can forego Recession in Michigan and start saying we are in a mild depression.

*sigh*

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/14/at-obama-victory-event-c_n_81356.html

Fry,

I know you are a big fan of The Wire, so here are a couple of links that will be of interest to you. The first is an interview with show creator David Simon. The second is from the Freakonomics authors who watched this seasons premier with retired drug dealers. Both are fascinating reads.

http://www.believermag.com/issues/200708/?read=interview_simon

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/what-do-real-thugs-think-of-the-wire/

Hey Dog,

try this:

http://wonamini.blogspot.com/

This is what I think of the MSNBC coverage. They are so obviously stirring the pot. It's disgusting

http://www.savagechickens.com/blog/index.html

The campaigns aren't going "back and forth". It's the media who keep pushing the issue.

"Sorry Craig, but it seems your sometimes employers want the slugfest more than they want a decent campaign.

Posted by: jamie"

-- HA, it's ok Jamie. If you guys get me fired, you can always take up a collection

Craig, I will always open my door to you, if you need the couch!

dog...You may be able to find the info you need to contact wonamini here. It's a video of Edwards' visit to her worksite area...

Good luck!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QvqA0bbAr4

NEW THREAD

Renee, thanks for the condolences. Los vaquerous were pretty average yesterday.

yo soy Horsedooty!