Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

Rise and Shine... 3 in a row?

LOL @ pingpong.....

Still not so sure whether the rural vote can be a game changer this election cycle.....

Craig A+
Question - what if you apply the racial demographics to the rural vote. Bush vs. Kerry is a different battle therefore McCain will not win the prejudiced vote that is in the camp of Obama. So apply that 90% and what can McCain end up with?

Jason.... Early bird gets the worm again

Craig,
However Rachel Maddow is an F - - , From the few times I have watched this attempt at entertainment, She is by far one of the most biased anti McCain and should be removed from television; I thought the ge network was cleaning up the act? I do not think CNN would even take her. Back at you Rachel… To much To Much – You make a lot of people sick !!

Did I just watch the wrong segments?

Ping-
Keep on getting up early! I agree about Ms Maddow. When she first started appearing on Obermann, I thought she was really interesting. Than she started taking unfair and unhinged lessons from him.

I'll watch Craig's clip as soon as Doris Kearn's appearance on Imus is finished.

Please send this to your friends and family!

RFK, Jr.: “Let me tell you about one other of these scams people should know about. If you’re a newly registered voter - and of course the Democrats have done these gigantic registration drives - 12 million people on registration - if you’re a new voter you MUST include your license or some other state I.D. when you come to vote. What that means is that if you’re a college kid (and college kids now - they’re sending in absentee ballots - they’re not going to the voting place, they do everything online or they do everything remotely - they don’t dream of going to the precinct house voting on election day and waiting in a long line) so if they send in the absentee ballot and they don’t include a color copy of their license their vote is going to be thrown into a trash can. And none of these people know this because you have had to read the law in order to know it. So there is no notification for when you fill out your registration form, so all of those 12 million people that the Democrats have registered: those ballots are going to be just thrown out.

http://www.truthout.org/article/rfk-jr-and-mike-papantonio-is-your-vote-safe

Watched Pres Clinton on Greta's show last night. He was really good/interesting. Here's his website for personal involvement in his Global Initiative:
http://mycommitment.org/

p.s. I wish he would stop tinting his hair--it's needlessly vain.

Got to get ready for the dentist. Scheduled for a two hour appt. But, it will be painless.

the Red Sox clinched a playoff berth!........ WOO!..... WOOOOOOO!

Chloe...... the beach was fabulous..... not exactly bathing suit temps..... but that doesn't bother us New Englanders..... read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle as beach reading.... heard it's Oprah's new book..... didn't pay any attention to politics.... but paid plenty to the news.....

Flatus.... after all this dentist stuff is over, your smile will be spectacular!

politics..... I plan on watching the debate Friday night..... maybe it'll rev my engine.....

I don't know about other regions of the country, but I know at least a few rural, midwesterners who are not supporting McCain because they've had enough of George W Bush.

I think McCain does well if he plays fear-mongerer (on many levels) & Vietnam POW. If Team Obama can keep connecting him to Bush, the economic crisis & his drumbeat war, war & more war...and, if they can frame Obama as Kennedy-esque they can keep McCain in check in rural areas.

Oh, and Obama can bring out his secret weapon, he can push McCain out of rural areas. That weapon is Bill Clinton.

Hil'ry & Biden take the rust belt, Bill Clinton takes the corn & tobacco belts and Obama takes the arugula belt (upper, west side).

Tints his hair??? It's silver/white. Maybe something is wrong with your TV. Anyway, if he did tint his hair, wouldn't it be sexist to say that he shouldn't? For that matter, can't it be considered vanity that we all comb our hair, brush our teeth & wear clean clothes, you know, anything other than our natural state?

mornin' all.

Well, with all the wall to wall coverage of the bailout - and I have to say that Paulson at times did not appear to be a happy camper - I haven't seen much of the presidential race in thepast 24 hours. The one thing I did hear was a problem for Obama - and it was from Biden. He was asked by a woman who was an environmentalist why the Obama ticket was supporting clean coal - Biden asnwered "We're no." I was the first to introduce [insert long list of enviro friendly legislative efforts here]. Well, I know that's not what he said in WV, where he talked about supporting clean coal, coal gassification, carbon sequestration and all the other approaches to continued use of carbon based fuel, including coal. In the past, I'd chalk this up to electioneering (imagine a politician being on bothtsides of an issue in 2 different places), knowing that it would get little traction and be gone in a heartbeat - but this time it's been memorialized on YouTube and the conservative commentators down here are having a field day with this.

Don't these guys study their position points and try to stay on message? Couldn't he have just said something like they support all efforts to reduce carbon emissions, but it will take time for the technology to get past the use of coal? God, how hard is this?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/bill-clinton-gets-rocked-on-le.html#comment-149640

"People have an opinion and as long as they voice it in a civil manner let them be"
Jason
So well said,you inspired me and so early in the morning! I'm going to have to play some Madonna now in honor of your spot on comment...........HA!

Pogo

http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/4B6562A9-9624-4392-8C09-1DBA1F806D35/

How does it feel to live in the stress belt?

Where can I get ahold of some hair to tint? Seems like a small price to pay. LOL I do have to laugh, on a whim over the last month I've grwon a goatee - and apart froma few dark hairs up by the 'stache, it's as white as the driven snow. Maybe I should get some of that Just for Men stuff (Mrs. P actually asked if I planned to) NOT.

KC, LOL. God, they drive me crazy.

Pogo
I agree! Good observations analysis from you always.I enjoy you! Thanks...

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Financial-Meltdown.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Looks like Congress may have reached something like its limit with the scare you to death that if you don't do this the world as we know it will end tomorrow tactics of the Dumya administration. We'll see. Too many blank check requests, I guess.

Ping, you got my attention with that link, so I went after a full article on it.

New Yorkers are neurotic and unfriendly, says Cambridge University 'personality map'

" New Yorkers are likely to be anxious, stressed, impulsive and prone to heart disease and cancer

Researchers created the first ever map of its kind is based on the results of a six year online survey of 620,000 people.

They claim it reveals how certain types of people are more likely to live and flourish in different parts of the country and showed links between personality traits and social phenomenon, like crime rates. "
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2779683/New-Yorkers-are-neurotic-and-unfriendly-says-Cambridge-University-personality-map.html

tony, thanks, but are you talkin' 'bout my 8:03 or 8:11 comment? :-)

Well, Bush's stewardship of the economy hasn't been lost on foreign leaders.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/world/24nations.html

Looks like the Warren Buffet bailout is having more impact than Shrubian policy

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/09/24/financial/f040157D29.DTL&tsp=1

"Obama's 10-point deficit is not so shabby."

Unless he still polls high, like he did in the primary.
This debate Friday should start firming things up, one way or the other.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-149645

Ping, I agree with you (even though I don't watch anymore, a little bit went a long way). But then, she is an Olbermann offshoot, so I'm not surprised.

LOL pogo, I think he's talking about your 8:03 : )

chloe, WV is No.1 - on the list of Neurotic states!! God almighty, ain't it the truth!?!?!?! (Be nice if they'd link to the report, wouldn't it?)

In Ohio 16 ..the seat I most want to see turn --the Dem is leading by 7 points (up from a deficit in July) but Obama is behind by 6 points in the same district. In Ohio I think the down ticket races will be the ones with coat tails.

Report it? What good would that do pogo. People would just get more neurotic worrying about it. :)

"Personality traits: Anxious, stressful and impulsive. "

now who does that sound like?

Bethy, Of all the reasons for the current situation that you listed, I choose this one: "...we once were blind but now we see - " Good post.

I always look for you when I sign on here. Glad you're still thriving.
My book is nonfiction--about the education system in California
especially high school and State colleges. It's rather polemic and
controversial.
Posted by: prof marcia Author Profile Page | September 24, 2008 12:06 AM

I always look for you when I sign on too. Regarding the education system in California, I'd say it's a lot better than Texas, at least in grades 1-12. ( But there are a lot more schools here. No overcrowding.) I'm glad to hear your book will be controversial though - my favorite type of reading. :)

lol

SC......the state too small to be a country, and too large to be an insane asylum.......wasnt on the list?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-149653
Pogo
8:03..I agree.Thanks

Nor was Texas Sturge. It's such a mishmash here, they'd never be able to categorize it.

Chloe

Public schools in california USED to be number one --now we are somewhere around the bottom. When the property tax system was turned on its ear with prop 13 (freezing property tax rates at time of purchase) the schools began to decline --along with all the other services that had been paid out of property taxes.

And Ahnold didn't help matters when he came in by rolling back the car tax another source of local govt funding.

Cal is 46th is school funding

Maureen almost hit the nail on the head in her piece today - but then, her Clinton Derangement Syndrome kicked in and she lost it. Well, except for the last 1/4 of the column, it's a pretty good sendoff of Ms. Sarah.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/opinion/24dowd.html?hp

KGC

I think we should adopt the Buffet plan as a model for our bailout plan. 10% interest on our money and a ton of stock options. Best of all it is a market based plan, that is what they want right?;-p

Jack

chloe - would get neurotic? Too late.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/bill-clinton-gets-rocked-on-le.html#comment-149627

"Sorry I forgot, John McCain always uses women to get what he wants". Posted by: Rezdog | September 24, 2008 12:48 AM

Rez, As opposed to what? Do you know of some shining example?
What a mean thing to say.

For me too pogo.

sturg - don't sulk. Being on the list isn't necessarily a good thing - just look at WV (everybody else does - and it makes us neurotic).

Jack

I think we should adopt the Buffet plan too
the "Let Warren do it Plan.."

How about if Penny Pritzker signs on with some of her ill gotten gains and those other clowns too who made a fortune on the issues that are factors in this crisis.

"In Ohio I think the down ticket races will be the ones with coat tails."

I have wondered the same thing, About places like VA. Can warner pull Obama's butt across the line.

Jack

Senator Shelby doesn't want to help any furrin banks--

"Public schools in california USED to be number one --now we are somewhere around the bottom"

Sorry to hear that Katherine. I've been gone for awhile.

I know it's a lot cheaper to live here (fees, taxes, permits, housing, etc.) and a better economy for the little guy, and we do get a lot better services on many things than we did in California. But sorry to hear that things have gone down hill.

"I have wondered the same thing, About places like VA. Can warner pull Obama's butt across the line."

I think so. I also think utimately there are going to be a lot of hard feelings about the Obama campaign sucking up all the money and not working with local races, as has been previously discussed here.

"Being on the list isn't necessarily a good thing - just look at WV (everybody else does - and it makes us neurotic)."

LOL pogo. Maybe it was a mistake.

Chloe

The fifth largest economy is in the tank!

One other note -- in California Dems are being asked to travel to Nevada but we have some close congressional races here and no ground game. There is no chance McCain will carry California but we could lose some close congressional races/

Senator Richard Shelby - first AL senator elected as a democrat to don his turncoat and do a backflip into the Republican party - and pissed off a whole passle of the steel magnolias who who wore Shelby for Senate buttons and donated their money to get him elected. But I'll say this - I've met Jeff Sessions, have studied Jeff Sessions and know Jeff Sessions, and Senator Shelby, you're no Jeff Sessions....and you rmother falls down on her knees and thanks god every day that you're no Jeff Sessions.

Posted by: pogo Author Profile Page | September 24, 2008 8:52 AM

Now I have coffee all over my screen!

"There is no chance McCain will carry California but we could lose some close congressional races"

Katherine, wouldn't you say that California may be the most liberal state in the Union?

It was a real culture shock when we moved here, but things have changed so much over the last 15 years with Texas growing so much. Now it's hard for me to tell the difference. But then, I've changed too.

"Senator Richard Shelby - first AL senator elected as a democrat to don his turncoat and do a backflip into the Republican party "

Gosh, wouldn't that make him a great example of the post partisan era ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chloe

Not all of California is liberal. The coastal part of the state --yes the inland empire not so much.

I see Congress has adopted the drill baby drill motto

I should have said Southern California. That was where we always lived, closer to the coast. It was a lot different when we'd visit Central or Northern California. I'd forgotten.

get a long little doggie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x3UezyOEkI

Oh, and then there's San Francisco. It has it's own personality.

State per pupil expenditures

http://nces.ed.gov/edfin/graph_topic.asp?INDEX=1

Jack

Chloe

There used to be a lot of talk about dividing Cal into one or more states and of course the obvious was North and South but the funniest were the ones that divided it lengthwise --but they actually reflected reality.

Jack

Everything costs more in California too!
Nice chart

You can compare states education to a national average and there is a link where you can compare states to each other.

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/

If you ever get into an argument about education the dept of ed web site can make you look in the know. Lots of good stuff there.

Jack

Breakfast?

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

Well, KC, had that not happened in the pre-post partisan era (also known as the naked political opportunism era) it might. Actually, my then sister in law was a neighbor of his and was a big fundraiser and huge supporter of him when he first ran in '86 (and ironically unseatred the Repug incumbent) and then for his re-election in '92. She was also on the AL state democratic committee. She refused to even talk to him (other than to give him a piece of her mind) and wanted to claw his eyes out when he switched parties in '94. I doubt that she would even talk to him to this day - them steel (some say iron) magnolias can carry a grudge for darn near forever.

Thanks for all that good information Jack!
I bookmarked them.

But you guys are there shockers possible and by that I mean...States that have bene exceptionally blue or red, is it possible for them to change colour?

Mom and Dad say, Fla is a cliffhanger as usual...... Lots of folks opting not to vote in thier part

@tonyb...If ya play: "Devil wouldn´t recognize you", I would be glad. LOL

It's Time To Act

"Hubris and hypocrisy aside, it's important to recognize the legislation for what it is — a rescue, not a bailout, of the financial system. Taxpayers will not be left "holding the bag." The government will buy these mortgage securities at 20 or 30 cents on the dollar and eventually sell them at higher prices.

How much higher, and how far into the future, no one knows. But even if the government doesn't make a profit in the end, the loss will be nothing like the trillion dollars that fear mongers and doomsayers throw around.

In fact, the plan is very close to the one set up in the savings-and-loan crisis of the 1990s to dispose of failed thrift assets."
http://ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=307062470860000

On those education stats, one thing that stands out. America doesn't have an education problem but the American south does. Which has made me wonder about Urban schools that are predominately AA if their low scores are more from a southern attitude toward education problem then it is an AA problem.

Jack

"In fact, the plan is very close to the one set up in the savings-and-loan crisis of the 1990s to dispose of failed thrift assets."

That is a bald faced lie, (not you Chloe)
The assets that the government had in the s&l were from failed S&L's that the government guarantteed. It included good assets and bad. in this case we are just taking on bad assets from companies that we allow to out and do it all over again.

Jack

Jack, There are so many variables.
I always question knowledge tracking and testing too.
Seems it's more of a poverty issue than about race.
And expectations.
But then, what do I know.

I suspect that there may be a "reverse Bradley effect" out there and this rural vote may be it. There is a generational change in this election and a lot of those born before 1940 are deceased since the last presidential election, and a lot of people born before 1990 will be voting for the first time.

These younger voters have been raised in a much different climate with all sorts of influences outside of their cultural group. They may echo parents and grandparents attitudes in public or polls, but at the ballot box casting a vote for a black man won't bother them even a little bit.

When combined with the boom generation seniors who were civil rights activists, there is a Democratic wave building. If Obama has the ground game he is remored to have, getting these folks to the polls should be a snap.

Jack,
that 9:44 post was in response to your 9:38 post.

I wasn't sure what to think about that article regarding the bailout. Just thought the outcome looked a lot rosier.

'journalists start your skepticism" re:bailout
http://poynter.org/forum/view_post.asp?id=13611

Warren Buffett to CNBC this morning on the bailout & his investment in Goldman.

He made if very clear that he would not have bought
anything if he was not confident Congress would do
the 'right thing' and approve the financial bailout proposed by Paulson.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/19206666

Hi Coreen

Have you had a chance to looks at the "homeowner assistance" programs? Will it help people you have been working with?

"I wasn't sure what to think about that article regarding the bailout"

Chloe

What I saw in the editorial was pure fear on the part of the writer. He may not be as diversified as he thought and has his tail caught in a crack. It looked this was really personal for him, no an exercise in rational thought.

Jack

Well Coreen, At least we know that Warren Buffet thinks it's the right thing for Warren Buffet.

Juan Williams of NPR was asked yesterday, what were Obama's achievements? Juan said with enthusiasm; "He ran a great campaign!" That's it? That's supposed to fill my heart with giddy assurance?

With an aggressive resurgent Russia, combined with an Iran that will not be reasoned, appeased or denied from its pursuit of nuclear weapons, leaving in question whether Israel will strike preemptively? It seems fitting that the Dems would put forth so weak a candidate as Obama, evident to both his supporters and detractors. Obama lacked the "inner toughness" to stand up to Hill or Bill's criticisms without resorting to his infamous default position of playing the race card. Nor can I forget his recent pettiness when Obama personally attacked Palin for two weeks because "she got under his skin."

The Dems meanly equipped their knight-errant, sending him off, an innocent abroad, lacking experience, judgment, but most of all strength. His baldric contains but a worn bugle, his sword replaced by a wordsmith's tongue and nothing more. Regarding Obama's chivalric deeds, sadly "your likable enough," is all that is remembered in the minstrels sorrowful ditty.

Yet as I write this N. Korea is going to restart its nuclear reactor, and just yesterday asked the the UN's IAEA, to remove the seals and surveillance equipment. Iran's Ahmenajad and Venezuela's Chavez are cat walking down the runway, hips undulating while Hezbollah is now operating in Venezuela, and the crowds rife with anti Americanism. Add to this sublime confection the Russian fleet is making its presence known by harboring its fleet in Venezuela, and all this is exacerbated by the serendipity of our financial meltdown.

Dickens gave his readers an equitable choice but we alas have but one, it seems that in these, "the worst of times," the Dems present us with a singularly milquetoast candidate. I would complain little if Obama had displayed any of Hillary's strong leadership qualities, her experience, and above all else her exemplary fortitude. Obama who by guile and device did in ignominy win, and many had a hand in it, but none more resourceful than the ignoble J. Clyburn himself.
Obama, my namesake, my moniker, the Dems milquetoast, he does it proud.

PUMA/Clintons4McCain "Obama, a weak man for tough times."

toast

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-149714

Jack, What do you see as the answer?

KGC

Here's the original Telegraph article on the "stress" states with the rankings for the highest and lowest states in each category.

It figures that California is the "most open" ... Privace, what privacy? :-)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2779683/New-Yorkers-are-neurotic-and-unfriendly-says-Cambridge-University-personality-map.html

Well Coreen, At least we know that Warren Buffet thinks it's the right thing for Warren Buffet.

Chloe...that's the truth!

Jamie

I saw the study...I was just giving Pogo a hard time. Life in the stress belt.

Off to work for me...I have a huge debt to pay and I have been living relatively debt free for years....how did that happen?

Juan Williams of NPR was asked yesterday, what were Obama's achievements? Juan said with enthusiasm; "He ran a great campaign!" That's it? That's supposed to fill my heart with giddy assurance?

So did W

"It seems fitting that the Dems would put forth so weak a candidate as Obama"

Toast,
I think that weakness is the very reason the 'Party" pushed him. He's just what 'they' wanted. He's malleable. There's a lot of important people pushing his buttons and promoting their agendas. He's their dream come true. He never say's much of anything except 'change'. An empty slate. See what you want.

"Well Girls; Chloe, Carol, Blondie, Prof Marcia, Bethy;
I guess CHANGE works. If I understand correctly we've all switched from msnbc to Fox, to find fair and balanced - now that's what I call CHANGE..................."
Posted by: politicallypissed | September 24, 2008 2:52 AM

Ha! Rita, you're right!

Psst toast,

She lost and is not the nominee and if McPalin wins , she will lose in 12 too. Sorry :(

If Obama were white, he wouldn't even be there.

The human cost of the economic downturn

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080924/NEWS/809240366/1350&title=Laid_off_Petaluma_official_kills_self

Jack,
If I understand it correctly (which i may not) all of those mortgage backed securities include the good with bad bundled together. If we could somehow separate the two that would be great, plus we would know the extent of the problem which we can't and don't.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-149697

Jack,

That map says it all about California. One of the most expensive states in which to live with one of the lowest expenditures per student.

Katherine,

To date have not seen how exactly the federal homeowner's assistance program will work for those in or near default--I would expect that shortly we will receive some of the working critieria.

As you know, some of us believe that the best way
to assist stressed homeowners would be to provide
for bankruptcy judges to have the authority to modify
loan terms, however, the July legislation failed to include such a provision.

Currently the bailout alternative provisions includes such a provision--but it is not supported by the banking industry at all--and if I had to take a bet--it will most likely not be included in the bailout legislation (which as you know, I do believe
Congress will agree to very soon--they really are between a rock & a hard place--they dare not leave WA without doing something)

In the meantime, there has been some limited co operation from some of the lenders with clients who are in default, however, it is difficult to find the actual
department that can modify loan terms.

"If Obama were white, he wouldn't even be there."

if , ands, buts, maybes, woulda coulda shoulda. LMAO

Coreen

"in the meantime, there has been some limited co operation from some of the lenders with clients who are in default, however, it is difficult to find the actual
department that can modify loan terms."

Why am I not surprised.

Out respect and affection for you Jamie

ROFLMAO

Until you say something he disagrees with.

men = clintonistos :-)

mens = means

Chloe

First, with the Buffet deal yesterday we get an idea of the value the market places on the bailout. It came with cash and stock options to about 14% apr return on money. Anything we put in that yields less than that is a government subsidy. (not that a subsidy is bad in every case)
I don't want us to just take on all the bad debt for the world or even selected companies on wallstreet. What is needed is to free up some of their money so they can make more loans. Buying part of their loan portfolio would do this. The problem is setting a price and determining the quality of the portfolio. We should buy a representative sample of the portfolio not just the junk.
The easiest way to do this is just buy part of the company.
I like the Buffet plan. He put in cash in the form of nonvoting stock with a guaranteed rate of return. The advantage of this is in the long run it costs us nothing and will make a bit of a profit.. Borrow money at the cheap government rate and loan it out at a higher rate.
With the loan you can also attach all kinds of strings and conditions.
The other problem that needs to be addressed is that nobody knows for certain what any of these assets are worth. Set up an agency to evaluate them, with guarantees built in.

OK , I've solved that crisis.

NEXT

Jack

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-149720

BFD. The polls are all over the friggin' place. Gallup has it at 3, IPSOS at 1 and Rasmussen at 2. Gallup and Rasmussen had Obama up by 8 & 6 3 weeks ago, just after the convention.

Poll finds 18 percent of voters undecided
"A recent AP-Yahoo News poll found that 18 percent of likely voters are up for grabs - undecided or willing to change their minds -"

"Simply put: Most of these voters are looking for a better life and a leader to help make it happen - and most haven't found what they seek in Obama or McCain."
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080924/D93D1RFG0.html

Jack, you don't really think that banks would accept as borrowers the same onerous conditions they impose on as lenders do you?

Here is your answer to the rural vote

NRA Begins Push To Tarnish Obama On Guns

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/23/politics/main4472798.shtml?source=mostpop_story

By JOHN BRESNAHAN | 9/16/08 4:41 AM EDT
Text Size:
Barack Obama and Harry Reid
Harry Reid and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Charles Schumer had hoped at one point to get as much as $10 million from the Obama campaign.
Photo: AP

Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made a personal appeal to Barack Obama: Help me grow the Democrats’ Senate majority by sharing some of the $77 million you’ve got in the bank.

Obama’s campaign said no.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13485.html

'OK , I've solved that crisis."

Thanks Jack,
We need some common sense guys like you in office.

The Power of Negative Thinking

"GREED — and its crafty sibling, speculation — are the designated culprits for the financial crisis. But another, much admired, habit of mind should get its share of the blame: the delusional optimism of mainstream, all-American, positive thinking."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/opinion/24ehrenreich.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin

bowman - about a week or two ago I mentioned that when someone mentioned WV as being competitive, the NRA ads had not come out yet - they still haven't, but my Repug friends who are tied in with the state Repug party say they're on the way.

"Poll finds 18 percent of voters undecided"

Did I say this was good news for someone?

Toast,
I think that weakness is the very reason the 'Party" pushed him. He's just what 'they' wanted. He's malleable. There's a lot of important people pushing his buttons and promoting their agendas. He's their dream come true. He never say's much of anything except 'change'. An empty slate. See what you want.

Posted by: chloe Author Profile Page | September 24, 2008 10:04 AM
Chloe,

All the above is lamentable but true.

regards, toast

"Obama has narrowed the overall gap among white voters to five percentage points." -BNYC

Ripped off from the comments section on that piece:

"The black man is polling well with white women?? Someone call the GOP, they need to release some free copies of D.W. Griffiths "The Birth of a Nation". lol

Interesting comments on the Center for Rural Strategy's latest poll. I am guessing McCain will win the rural vote, but it will be much closer than the typical Republican gets. McCain is not popular in much of the Midwest because of his nonsensical stand on Ethanol. Many family farmers and small town residents have seen the benefits both direct and indirect of the bio fuels industry. In the minds of most Midwesterners his approach would gut the industry and ruin many rural communities. All other issues aside, this is the deal breaker for the many farmers who support ethanol and other alternate energy facilities as well as those who are receiving a much higher income because they have a local market for their product.

chloe, the world through Obama colored glasses, I guess. The race is FAIAP ties when you look at all the polls. The vaunted Gallup daily has closed back to within the MoE after 4 days of Obama holding a lead outside the MoE. And the Battleground tracking poll - 1000 likely voters - shows McCain ahead by 2 points. Given the economic news that is out there it is astounding that Obama's lead is shrinking instead of growing. I fault the campaign staff.

Needle the thread

Today on blistersyeahbutchannel

We ask the question - is there lint in your belly button

pogo,
When I look at it from your point of view, I hope Obama wins.

From my point of view, I could never vote for him. But I'm sure he'll never notice.

The outcome is still in the air, from where I sit.
However, the debate Friday will probably change things.
And that debate may signal what will happen in the following debates. So Friday may be an important day.

(The the Biden/Palen debate may affect it too).

Did I say anything about commenting?

Appropos of nothing, James Grant has an excellent piece about the dollar in today's times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/opinion/24grant.html?hp

Debates change things? I don't know. Most people think John Kerry won all the debates.

Pogo

I expect that the bankers probably feel the same as I do about conditions. But when you've got bad credit then you can't be real choosy. That is their problem right now, nobody wants to loan money to them.

Jack

Pogo

Except for the post convention bounce( that McCain won until reality caught up with him) the daily gallup has been the same all summer with a very monotonous wave to the graph Obama rises one week a couple of point the falls for a week to a tie then it curves back up.

Jack

for jason to be glad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xqf4XhEhuo

"Debates change things? I don't know. Most people think John Kerry won all the debates."

oops, there goes that idea. :)

Pogo

I think the differences between polls are the filter they use for likely voter. That is the only thing that could explain the large difference between th daily gallup and the new wapo poll that has Obama in the low 50's

Jack

Jamie,
I trust your keen observation skills and general knowledge :)

Check out Part I of the Daily show with slick, and at 3:06 watch his RH thumb; is that signs of early Parkinson's.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/24/bill-clinton-talks-econom_n_128885.html

Anyone who believes that self-expression is an excuse for delivering insults is a menace to society.

--Judith Martin, Miss Manners

chloe - my point of view (the judge appointment one, I hope)? We see eye to eye on a lot of stuff, and I'm certainly like you in one respect - whether I vote for Obama or not (and I will) it won't really be noticed or matter in the end. I'm trying to watch the polls and the latest reporting on the progress of the race as dispassionately as I can muster. As long as there are enough states as tossups that can swing the election ot one or the other, the national polls are interesting and may suggest trends in voters' attitudes, but in reality they don't mean sh*t. Tell me what's really happening in OH, PA, MI, IN and IL, and you (royally of course, not you personally) can get my attention. I have a pretty good idea how much stock to put in amateur pollwatchers' analysis of a couple of cherrypicked national polls as indicative of anything and put exactly that much stock in those analyses.

Yep patd....And very actual this song nowadays.... :-)

Pogo

If you would send me a buck then I could be a professional observer. Then my opinion would have validity.
;-0

Jack

LOL Jack.
Those were the good old days.

Jack,
That, and the inherent error introduced by polling 1000 to 2000 people nationwide to suggest what 50 million will ultimately do when they close the curtain and fill in the block, pull the lever, push the button or punch the hole wrong.

Jack, I'd be happy to - and I'd expect to get what I paid for - a little less (and shrinking quickly) than the nothing I pay for and get now. LOL

Jack, just saw your Gallup post. Yep, That's a good description of what Gallup has done - and generally (laike almost all the tracking polls) has done it within the MOE most of the time.

Psst toast,

She lost and is not the nominee and if McPalin wins , she will lose in 12 too. Sorry :

Posted by: Rezdog Author Profile Page | September 24, 2008 10:06 AM

Rezdog,
I certainly don't doubt your reasoning, perhaps your even prescient, and like many here have all but buried Hillary, but I will gladly praise her even if I have to sing it to her bones.

regards, toast

I have written before how Security matters is my top issue, and believe the dems are too passive, or worse, dismissive when talking about security. I believe the next administration may well face a middle east crisis, in the escalating tension from Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Yet let us for comity sake discuss the Middle East situation - putting Iran aside, the regions religious differences, the Israeli /Palestinian issue, middle east oil, put all this off the table, yet removing all these contentious issues would only ameliorate some of the present dangers. It would not end the grave and looming threats that region faces, a powder keg issue that no one is talking about. The Dead Sea is dying, the Jordan River has gone dry, and we can do nothing to stop it, say the experts. Yitzhak Rabin, who won the Nobel Peace Prize, an Israeli dove who lived through 5 Isaeli wars said just before his tragic death that; "the next war would be fought over water."

Who would have thought that WATER, both copious and rare could be the catalyst for that 3 AM call, the answer is simple, Hillary. She won my respect, my support, and by any fair measure on foreign policy she is closer to McCain than that near invertebrate Obama. I included the word "near" deferentially.

We could joust about the Supreme Court, important yes, but it pales by comparison to the ever shifting dangers we face. I am no neocon, my disapproval of Bush/Cheney is equal to most here, but I am no Dennis Kucinich, either.
Hillary's 3 AM call best exemplified that we live in a dangerous and uncertain world and our next Commander In Chief must understand my concerns as well as Hillary.

PUMA/Clintons4McCain - "Obama, a weak man for tough times."

toast

HA!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/us/politics/24davis.html?hp

McCain's view of what "several years" is is curiously short.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-149775

Rez,

It's possible, but he used that hand quite forcefully with no indication of tremors later in the interview, so it may have been the way his hand was resting on his knee right then that put pressure on a nerve.

Given the very invasive surgery that he had, I would keep an eye out for shortness of breath, low short coughs, and sign of tremors. His complexion is still too florid but that could be the rosacia rather than a symptom.

I presume his doctors have him on all sorts of medication. Life expectancy is 10 to 15 years following surgery, but he does seem active and avoiding common depression which is a good sign.

http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/medicaldepartments/surgery/endstageheartdisease/index.html

Jack, you made that comment about the good old days.
That got me thinking about 'These are the good old days'.
And so I had to come back and find Carly Simon's old song with those lyrics.
I haven't heard it in years. Good stuff.

Carly Simon - Anticipation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hruKnbxAsrw

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-149786

If security is your concern, you should be listening to the Biden speech right now. He has outlined in so many ways just how dangerous and wrong McCain has been for years on the Middle East, Russia, and Eastern Europe.

No one can guarantee absolute safety, but no one knows the world much better than Biden which was why he was my candidate before he dropped out.

History teachers nail Biden on FDR remark

“Part of what being a leader does is to instill confidence, is to demonstrate what he or she knows what they are talking about and to communicating to people … this is how we can fix this,” Biden said.

Biden’s spokesman, David Wade, countered: “I’m proud to say that we Democrats aren’t experts at Herbert Hoover depression economics like John McCain and his pals. From Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton, we just get elected to clean up the economic mess these Republicans leave behind.”

chloe, and who could forget Mary Hopkins' Those Were the Days?

http://www.jacquedee63.com/thosewerethedays.html

(Sorry, but I can't link YouTube.)

pogo,
Thank you!
How could I have forgotten about that!

mary hopkin - those were the days-68
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5pkkAhETYg

you know actually watching Barack Obama play twister in tube socks would be fun...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R43ec1inV-Q

Those Were the Days - Dolly Parton's version with Mary Hopkins also singing with her...

and then of course...

the original http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5pkkAhETYg

I remember Mary Hopkins particularly for the song "Goodbye" which I first heard in a cafe in Little Falls, Minnesota, when I was a kid. We were on our way to Northern Minnesota for a weekend... I always hated those trips, but always played the jukebox in the cafe and that song played and I thought it was awesome!

ET

But he has to do it in Tampa to lock down Florida.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-149645

Rachel Maddox? I sort of like her, but then I've only watched two videos of her... I seem to remember she was bashing Hillary at some point, or people here were alluding at it... but she is intelligent and interesting.

Yeah, I saw Maddow on the panel during the conventions. She was like KO's yapping, little puppy. Quite biased, quite manic, quite annoying.

PUMA is still around? It just seems silly & prideful at this point, the only real beneficiary being the Bush/Cheney/McCain/GOP clan.

Does then entire country have to suffer for four more years because Hil'ry (who was my choice, too, and who is still best-equipped for the WH) was snubbed by the DNC and their arbitrarily enforced rules?

If McCain/Palin wins, not only does that hurt the country, but...well, Palin is no Hil'ry Clinton, if your point is to get a woman into office. Do you really think Hil'ry vs the incumbent veep Palin would stand a chance? Palin is a wolf in sheep's clothing; Hil'ry is honest about her strength...and that threatens some people.

Sadly, I can not see a scenario where 2012 is a reality for Hil'ry. It's time to suck it up and deal. I survived it, so can other Hil'ry supporters.

Ping, if you are still around, thank you for your comments on Iris DeMent's "Wasteland of the Free". Your comments surprised and delighted me.

"Personality traits: Anxious, stressful and impulsive. "

now who does that sound like?

Posted by: Katherine Graham Cracker | September 24, 2008 8:30 AM

ME !!!!!!!

p.s. I wish he would stop tinting his hair--it's needlessly vain.

Posted by: Flatus Author Profile Page | September 24, 2008 7:09 AM

I'm sure Ronald Reagan would disagree...lol

isn't is funny that if you are trying to get money from the gov't to feed children or get them to pay some health care it is called Socialism. If you are getting the gov't to help the rich stay rich and keep the stock market afloat it is called a gov't bail out.

Hillary's 3 AM call best exemplified that we live in a dangerous and uncertain world and our next Commander In Chief must understand my concerns as well as Hillary.

PUMA/Clintons4McCain - "Obama, a weak man for tough times."

toast
Posted by: Milquetoast | September 24, 2008 11:33 AM

Toast, I don't want a President who gets a hard-on each time he thinks about another military excursion at dawn. I actually believe that Obama is NOT weak. I do not believe the best candidate won the Democratic nomination, but he did and at this point I'd take pretty much ANY Democrat over pretty much ANY Republican. We need the Dems stewardship of the economy and our social obligations. We need the reason of the Dems to engage in more face to face diplomacy and not shotgun diplomacy. This is not to say I am against having the will to use force when necessary, but we need a President who will not LIE to the American people (and the world) about a country being a member of the AlQaeda network with trumped up "evidence" so that he and his administration can invade a country with impunity in order to control it and its resources.

Barack Obama is not a bad person. I happen to think he is a very good person. And I think he has the temperament, intellect and strength to be a fine President.

isn't is funny that if you are trying to get money from the gov't to feed children or get them to pay some health care it is called Socialism. If you are getting the gov't to help the rich stay rich and keep the stock market afloat it is called a gov't bail out.

Posted by: Torpedo.Vindecator | September 24, 2008 12:58 PM

RIGHT ON TORPEDO. A very wise observation! We need more people who think your way!

Maybe that will make PUMA happy. Hil'ry will still win the election, she will just win it for Obama.

I still think Obama's personality is scarily similar to W's and consider him a spokesmodel. He gets to be the center of attention, but he will get others who are wiser to come up with solutions. During a campaign, it seems like cheating off of someone else's test paper, but in the midst of real problems, you want to tap the think tank. Still, the presidency can't be run by committee if things are actually to be accomplished & he will have to be "the decider."

pogo - Speaking of "ramps" is it ramp season in WV or is that in the spring?

That was Jon Stewart's point. I think the writers at The Daily Show do a better job of pointing things out than the politicians & their ad men.

politics = The People's Front of Judea vs The Judean People's Front....

the Romans laughing = the powers that be....

yeah.... it's really not funny...... except when it is.....

It's not news. It is commentary.

well it's a little early for lunch here, but I've had enough sad tales around here this am, so I think I think I'll see if DW what's to hit the senior's lunch buffet at the casino.

I might even stop in at the tribal cemetary and rather than sing some songs I might piss on my old boss's grave just for general principles. ROFL

later all

Private Money Matters.

Since the banks are not lending $$$ because of a lack of credit/liquidity, the only people who are making loans are private lenders. So if you are a borrower you'll pay a premium for their $$$, even if you have good credit you can expect to pay 8% to 15%.

http://www.prosper.com

The reverse is also true if you are wanting to sell in some distress area of this county. Private investors may offer you only $20 for every $100. You are either going to pay a high premium based on your credit history, or take a significant hit when you sell.

So those of you who keep rubbing yourselves in gleeful jubilation over a possible collapse of the US financial markets, which would result in a world wide financial collapse as all markets are currently faltering, you are either complete fools, or the only asset you stand to lose is your computer, which will have little use in a financial meltdown.

Something for all you BHO supporters to remember is this. Even if the Congress passes this $700 billion bail out, that laundry list of free giveaways BHO has been promising, has been completely erased, poof, gone bye-bye, flushed down the proverbial toilet. And that my pollyanan, rose color glass wearing, anti-capitalist, Socialist leaning, handout craved, class envy, American hating, goobers, is a good thing! But there is one excellent benefit to come out of this debacle, BHO won't be able to raise taxes in such a economy, not even on the evil rich, whoever the hell they are. Unless BHO wants to preside as POTUS during a depression.

Bear,

It's interesting, Blue took offense. Accused me of having a bum TV, being sexist, being opposed to normal self admirative instincts, etc.

I simply think that males of his age lack self assurance if they take to tweaking what nature gave them.

Blue, of course, should understand that I'm older, just as male, and have whiter hair than said former president. And my TV's a nice Samsung HD model (but Fox isn't in HD).

For the record, the lighting was shining through his curls. The net effect was a mild bluish tint. Not unpleasant, but somewhat unnatural.

Fry

This is George Bush and The Republicans mess --that's you.
This is a grab of 700 billion dollars to bail out rich people --iszat you?

No one wants to see foreclosures, job loss etc. but we do want a responsible plan that will work.

It's clear the Bush administration is incompetent. Their policies caused the problem and they should not be allowed to attempt to fix it. Look at their record. failure failure failure

And now your hero is going on (sub) prime time tv to tell us there are wmds in the foreclosed houses..

Fat cat ass?

I wonder what Mrs. Daschle has been promised for her airline.

people need to take personal responsibilty
for their own actions
if you go out and buy a house you know
you can't afford '' how can you blame
president bush
there's plenty of blame to go around

Fry

Just read this link
http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/09/24/were-asking-the-wrong-guys-trying-to-solve-the-economic-crisis/#comments

This says it much better.

i lost 250k during the dot -com bubble
due to my own greed and poor judgementi have no one to blame but myself
no one came to bail my ass out
for the last 3 years people thought that housing
prices would keep going up with no end
in sight and they got greedy
bush did not sign these peoples mortgage
contracs

But there's a strong pushback against that sentiment on some parts of Main Street among citizens and legislators who think it's not fair for taxpayers to have to pay the tab for people who borrowed beyond their means.

"Nobody was ever forced to borrow money," said Patrick Killelea of Menlo Park, who runs the popular Patrick.net "housing bubble blog" Web site. "People who borrowed too much money made a mistake. If they can do that with impunity, they will keep on doing it."

His response to the argument that stopping foreclosures would prop up housing prices: "Every prevented foreclosure also prevents a deserving family from buying at a reasonable price."

Some blame the financial slide we are experiencing dates back to the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1977—TITLE VIII (COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT)

http://www.fdic.gov/regulations/laws/rules/6500-2515.html

http://www.bos.frb.org/commdev/cra/cra.pdf

Fry

CRA prevents discrimination on the basis of nonfinancial issues it does not lower loan standards

Face up to it Fry --the blame for this is at the hands of the greedy Republicans and you are one of them

It is your policies and programs or non programs that caused this. Man up and take responsibility.

RCP Average ..O + 3.2%

ITK

Ellen Seidman, the former director of the US Office of Thrift Supervision,[2] argues that the CRA did not have an effect on the United States housing bubble. She observes that CRA banks were particularly warned to make responsible investments, citing a speech by herself as an example.[3] She notes that if unregulated independent mortgage companies do make subprime loans, affiliated CRA banks should not be able to count them for CRA purposes, although she does not indicate whether this practice currently occurs.

An analysis by attorneys Traiger and Hinckley concluded that CRA banks were less likely to sell risky mortgages onto the secondary market, and likely mitigated the effect of subprime crisis.[13]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act

KGC,

Dear, dear, dear misguided Katherine, now did I send you right wing links? Answer . No I did not. My links came from numerous news outlets, conservative and liberal. So why even waste your time sending me this stuff containing some Lefty's opinion? You might as well have sent something taken from the DailyKos, as it would have about as much significance.

Lets agree on this. You understand it is all about elbows. Yours are Left and mine are Right., and unless you are really flexible you can't scratch your ear with them.

milquetoast,

The NSA, State Department, and DoD never sleep. They and the Chief of Staff will decide whether the president is to be roused in the event of a crisis. The White House is a team, and it is highly probable that Clinton and Obama would name similar, if not identical, intelligence, foreign policy and military wonks to cultivate our security and international relationships.

The Q you attempt to raise is essentially, "will Obama be strong enough to order the Bomb." You say Clinton would, and that Obama would not. I have seen no evidence for your conclusion.

Regarding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, there is no reason to believe that Obama is weak on the topics of Israel or terrorists. His speech to AIPAC was certainly the toughest of any of the candidates, including mccain.

History demonstrates that allegations of whether a president will be bellicose or an appeaser often turn out to be dead wrong. Alleged Crusader-President, babybush, talks through mediaries with the Taliban (al queda in Afghanistan) and directly with kim jong il. Alleged hard case, ronald reagan, ran away from hamas terrorists in Lebanon. Alleged tough guy, nixon, talked to red China. Alleged strongman, Eisenhower, talked with north Korea, and supported Egypt over Britain France, and Israel in the Suez crisis. On the other hand, perceived weakling, Harry Truman, used the Bomb on Japan, defied stalin over Berlin, and fought the combination of the stalin, mao, and noth Korea. Perceived weakling LBJ invaded Dominican Republic, got us into wretched war by refusing to talk with north Viet Nam, and supported Israel to the hilt in the 6 Day War. Alleged weakling W. J. Clinton bombed al queda bases in Sudan and Afghanistan, attempting to eliminate bin ladin and his entourage. Clinton also shattered Belgrade and bombed the Serbian military in Kosovo to end the genocide. Alleged weakling, Obama, says he'll talk with Iran. So what ?

blue, RAMPS??? they harvest those vile devil's spawn in the late spring and early summer - amd bear in mind that I love onions and garlic, which are both rich cousins to that cruciferous trailer trash.

Fry

CRA has nothing to do with the current crisis and you can claim there are two sides of this argument until you have repod every car in the community where you live
but it still is not true. I posted nothing but a statement from the head of the office of thrift supervision hardly a left wing source.

It's just your luck to be a Republican as they are going down the drain...probably taking you with them

Most recent Oregon polls I've seen..

Sept. 18..Portland Tribune 0+10
Sept. 17 Rasmussen O +4

By the way Fry--I did read your links and there is nothing in them that says CRA made bad loans...maybe you should read them instead of just googling and posting things you think support the argument you got from big fat Pharma and Larry Kudlow and which has been roundly discredited.

Posted by: Katherine Graham Cracker | September 24, 2008 2:02 PM: "Face up to it Fry --the blame for this is at the hands of the greedy Republicans and you are one of them

It is your policies and programs or non programs that caused this. Man up and take responsibility."

Ms Cracker,
I wish I had said that. After all his selfish Mammonist posts, it is time to unmask the man for what he really stands for and embodies.

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It's Still Not CRA
Ellen Seidman -
September 22, 2008 - 9:36pm

When the Wall Street Journal lists the Community Reinvestment Act as only the 6th Washington policy responsible for the current mess-behind such items as "The Federal Reserve," "Banking regulators" (the Fed gets dinged in this category too), and "a credit-rating oligopoly," I suppose those of us who think CRA did (and continues to do) some good should be pleased. After all, it was not so long ago that CRA was being fingered by conservative commentators as "the" cause of the crisis. But just to remind folks why CRA shouldn't even be on the Journal's list at all (their major compliant is that CRA "compels" banks to make loans to "poor borrowers who often cannot repay them," which describes one hell of a lot of not poor borrowers who banks made loans to without any prodding), I thought it would be useful to republish this blog's first posting. Here it is:

It has lately become fashionable for conservative pundits (Larry Kudlow, George Will) and disgruntled ex-bankers (Vernon Hill, for example, in his March 7 American Banker editorial) to blame the current credit crisis on the Community Reinvestment Act. This is patent nonsense. The sub-prime debacle has many causes, including greed, lack of and ineffective regulation, failures of risk assessment and management, and misplaced optimism. But CRA is not to blame.
http://www.newamerica.net/blog/asset-building/2008/its-still-not-cra-7222

" blame for this is at the hands of the greedy Republicans "

Quote of the day award !

Fry makes me over post and carelessly post.

Here is my blanket statement. Fry is full of crap.

did'nt the democrats take control of the house
and senate in 2006
who is the chairman of the house finance comittee

sock drawer open,

What about those republicans who took big bonuses, lending investor's money to people who couldn't possibly pay the mortgages? You ignore the perpetrators of the scams and blame the victims.

Qualitatively, this is no different than the republican ENRON and WorldCom scams: all debt, no equity, big salaries, bonuses, and percs for the guys on top. Inevitable ruin for the folks on the bottom.

Do you support all conmen, or just the white, gated-community suburbanites you golf with ?

Republican voters only get passionate is when their own money is at risk.

Ruh row.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/business/worldbusiness/25emerging.html

Bwahahah. McSame is suspending his presidential campaign to come back to Washington for "money talks" and asking that the debate Friday be postponed. Yes, I'm sure they need his economic expertise to wwork through this "crisis."Suspending it my a$$. Let's see how many cameras he avoids in the next couple of days. And I suppose having one more person in DC who needs to have the broad outlines of this issue explained to him - leave alone the details - will make all the difference in the world.

Pogo

Fry must be in Hong Kong spreading rumors.

Hey, ET, did you see this? Or is it jason who's in Belgium? I forget.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/sports/othersports/25armstrong.html?hp

george will is a confessed thief, who tries to convert people to Timocracy, the rule by money. He does this by telling the lie that money is speech, and spending is the free exercise of speech. Any spending on political ads, dirty tricks, and election-rigging are therefore free speech. Of course, rich people have the most money, and the richest of the rich, under a george will government would have the most say. There is no greater opponent of Democracy than this enemy within.

kudlow is a series bridegroom, apostate, alky, and cocaine addict, who was Bear Stearns' chief economist and helped ruin that company and it's stockholders. Kudlow took at least $50 Grand from ENRON while shilling for them, thus helping to ruin the employees and stockholders of that company. There is no greater unjailed enemy of America's economy than this enemy within.

I don't know Vernon Hill, but the other 2 are damned liars.

KC, perhaps.

CRA prevents discrimination on the basis of nonfinancial issues it does not lower loan standards

Obviously you haven't bothered to read any of those links, 8 I believe, I posted for your enjoyment. I'm sorry that you are such a anti-capitalist person, but fact is when banks loan money to people who can't afford the loans based on government regulations saying you will loan money to this segment of people, regardless of providing verifiable financial documentation, guess what happens? Payments end up in default, resulting in FORECLOSURE. Banks take back the house.

That's what is so wrong with Liberal government, they are so guilt ridden they put their feelings above the security of the country. I know this is hard to understand, but this is how things are suppose to work. Advancement, and all the perks that come with it, should be based on job performance, knowledge of the job, and not because you are the selected flavor of the day. If your aren't qualified to meet the minimum job requirement, why would you think you should be entitled to get the job? More importantly why should the employer select you to fill a position where you fail to meet the minimum requirements?

When lopsided policies are enacted and carried out what do you expect the end result will look like?

Suspend all the debates. mccheney is toast anyway -maybe even milquetoast.

If you're not a fan of cycling, that link I posted to ET about Armstrong won't mean a lot to you. But to cycling fans, it's huge, and full of very exciting cycling news.

OO00ooops. I meant CANCEL all the debates.

Let's vote right now, before luntz and rove can show up with big ugly frogs !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VN5y_EhDZI

A news report on the financial meltdown. Interesting

Fry

This is my last post to you on the subject of CRA something you obviously know nothing about..

CRA has nothing to do with lowering loan standards it prevents lending discrimination based on among other things race and location. The reason it was started in the late 70's was because black people with the same income were being denied loans.

So STFU on this subject you are an ignorant pig trying to blame a program that is blameless for the greed for your Republican brothers.

FryDaddy,

By law, federally insured banks have always been forbidden to financially unqualified persona and companies. CRA does nothing of the sort. CRA prevents red-lining and racial typing as bases for refusing credit.

Don't you ever tire of lying ?

When lopsided policies are enacted and carried out what do you expect the end result will look like?

Posted by: FryDaddy Author Profile Page

So what is the answer Mr. Republican whose party is and has been in power duing this gianganormous financial meltdown
The lopsides policies of the republicans which benefited the Larry Kudlows and Jim Cramers (buy Countryside) --whatzamatter u Fry...didn't you get on the gravy train. Aren't there secret gooper newsletters to tell you when to buy and when to sell.

I worked on the Board of Directors of an inner-city development corp from 1994 to 2001. Several banks and S & Ls refused to lend money in areas where they advertised well into 80s. The S & L advertising defined their service area at trial. Some of these banks were fined by the federal courts, when the cases finally ended in the '90s. Our development corp got CRA fines from the courts as remediation of the effects of criminal racial discrimination. Later, we were able to establish relationships with one of these banks.

So, FryDaddy, your 8 articles don't mean a thing. My neighbors and I used it to wring big bucks out of Twin City Federal Savings and Loan.

"Don't you ever tire of lying ?"
(xrepub to Fry)

Sadly no.

Re: 3:30 post............... that should read "Hillary will DO it for him", as she will in 2012......damn typos....

Rita

If Obama agrees to cancel debates based on Mccain request it will look like mccain is dictating the terms and leading during this crisis. imo Obama should not agree to cancel the debate but simply say he is willing to participate but if mccain refuses to show up there won't be a debate. Also Obama should not suspend his campaign, instead of campaign rallies he should visit various states and hold town hall meetings about this crisis with the public and answer questions and take suggestions on what they think should be reflected in the bill. he must not yield a inch to mccain on this issue.

OMG!

McCain looks like he's taking charge and being presidential...... meanwhile Obama once again will come across as looking like a deer caught in the headlights..... no matter what he decides.....

jesuuuuuus....... I want the Dems to win......
but I gotta hand it to the McCain campaign...... they know how to take control and co-opt an issue.......

John R.

Obama called McCain first suggesting joint statement. John McCain returned call agreeing to joint statement and then made a statement on his own.

I'm sure the details will be worked out, but the time line favors Obama as the one thinking about the country first.

I think it's safe to say that economists and banking industry insiders disagree about the effect the CRA has had on the burstingof the housing bubble. From the font of all knowledge:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act

One statistic I saw - can't say how it relates to CRA since the article citing it didn't say - was that subprime ARMs comprised only 6% of the market, but accounted for over 40% of the foreclosures in it. And as Robert Gordon points out as noted in the Wiki article, non CRA lenders made 50% of the risky loans that the critics of the CRA attempt to cite as the cause of the bursting of the housing bubble, and another 1/3 of those remaining loans had little CRA involvment. For those who are math challenged, that means that only 1/6 of the risky loans could be CRA loans. Further, there is nothing in the regs that Fry linked to that requires any bank to make any loan with "no verification of income or assets; little consideration of the applicant's ability to make payments; no down payment." That's the opinion of economics professor Stan Liebowitz, for which no support is cited.

Now the real question I have is Fry, what are you trying to keep us from discussing by directing or discussion to at best a minor contributing cause to the problem? The lack of merit of Bushco seeking no oversight for the Treasury Secretary who's wanting his hand deep in the cookie jar? The limits on executive compensation for banks and lenders benefitting from the Repug largess? The scare tactics being used to stuff this down Congress' throat with minimal discussion and debate? Thhe fact that this has the same effect as a massive tax cut targeted at financial institutions? The fact that McCain is retreating to the senate and Palin is refusing to talk to reporters? The fact that despite Buffet's plans and the inevitable passage of this corporate welfare act, the stock market is not excited?

I happen to think that both candidates can probably walk and chew gum at the same time. There is no reason they can't work on the bailout and still do the debate. They both have staff, aides, blackberries, and cell phones.

Have the debate. Work through today and tomorrow and through the weekend.

Stop being slackers. The public wants both. Do both.

Switch the subject of the debate to the crisis and let the public see where they agree and disagree and what factors are being considered.

KC, you may have hit on exactly what McCain is afraid would happen Friday. Regardless of the topic, how could it be ignored?

Jamie,

just saw on drudge the debate is on! hope so

Jamie.....

yeah..... I heard the Obama campaign is claiming they made the move first....

do you realize how whiny and immature that makes him look......... "oh no.... I said it first, first I tell ya".....

even if that's true..... McCain outmaneuvered him..... and politically it's a brilliant move, IMO......

DAMN!...... damn it all to hell......

John R.

hope you're right about that debate!

Obama needs to take control NOW!

guess I woke up politically.....

Well it's going ahead. That's all that matters. I think Obama will do well. They are both proving to be more than a little thin skinned. God I miss Hillary.

Oh well, we have what we have and Obama is the wisest choice.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/mccain-not-comm.html

the debate is on, this is from a senoir staff memebr so they could be just testing the reaction, and if its negative they can pull back and claim the staffer was speaking correctly, but i hope the debate is on...

Boy, Renee...you and I certainly see McCain's actions through different prisms. I see his suspension of his campaign as a very cowardly act.

We have a crisis of government in this country! Too many of our elected officials...on both sides of the aisle...have demonstrated that they WERE for sale (too late to say ARE, as they've already been bought and paid for). So both McCain and Obama need to be very busy showing us how they will respond to crises, how well they can multitask, and the importance they place on trying to prevent the USA from joining the ranks of rapidly failing nations.

Oh, he can have the debate all by himself, and look the fool in the process.

A senior McCain campaign official said that the “Bush package is dead. This is a serious situation. Package must be resolved by the time markets open on Monday." from abc link

Complete transparency - let them discuss it with all of us on Friday night.

So, renee, what do you prefer - the beach (even by NE standards) or politics? I know, dumb question.

last i heard obama went to tampa for three
days to prepare for upcoming debate
sounds like he is on top of this finacial crisis

HW....
I don't disagree with your posting at all.....

I said it was a brilliant move"politically"...... just like his pick of Palin for VP.....no matter what you think of her (and I think Caribou Barbie is just right).... her pick has helped him "politically"......

do I think it's the right move for this country...... hell no.....

but people are sick and tired of all the partisan bickering and want to see someone take charge..... McCain just outmaneuvered Obama in that perception..... and perception is everything in politics...... at least that's what Craig's last book claims......

Perception differs from voter to voter, apparently. That's what I'm saying, Renee.

And I am still so offended by McCain's choice of Palin...who I believe is in no way prepared for the position she's been thrust into...that it will forever color the way I see the man.

He and Obama NEED to appear before the voting public and answer a lot of questions.

Harry Reid

"I understand that the candidates are putting together a joint statement at Senator Obama's suggestion. But it would not be helpful at this time to have them come back during these negotiations and risk injecting presidential politics into this process or distract important talks about the future of our nation's economy. If that changes, we will call upon them. We need leadership; not a campaign photo op."

Just posted at TPM

Thanks Harry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

pogo...

I love the beach...... and need to go there from time to time..... but I could never be a beach bum.....

I am however..... a political junkie..... but taking a break from politics every now and then is healthy too, IMO....

Did Stan Liebowitz actually write the opinion attributed? I kinda doubt it. Liebowitz is a real economist at UT, Dallas.

frydaddy's "experts' papers" remind of an hysterical, anti-Muslim, pro-war propaganda piece, signed by a general, that circulated the internet 5-6 years ago. The general turned out to be an Air Force dentist with expertise in filling and pulling, rather than Hanbalism and WMDs.

frydaddy also reminds me of the "8 climate experts" regurglicans loudly quoted as disagreeing with Al Gore book global warming. One was a Houston tv weathercaster, 2 were old geezers who hadn't published a learned work between them since LBJ was president, & whose degrees were in meteorology rather than climatology. A fourth was a Swiss, unpublished in English. He was apparently not well enough respected to be translated, and my German was too rusty to be able to tell if he was real or a crank. A fifth said Gore was substantially correct, but that the temperature rise would not be as severe as Gore concluded. A sixth said Gore was substantially correct, but that global warming would end any day now. After proving to myself that the 1st 6 of the 8 republican 'experts' were not at all who the republicans claimed they were, I stopped wasting my time.

When it comes to anything that creepuplicans say, write, or send by Morse, people should find out:

1. Is the author actually knowledgeable on the topic ?

2. Did the person cited actually express those words ?

3. Are the words taken out of context ?

rebel, perception huh? people will perceive that mccain has been in congress this long and now all of sudden when it is politcally expedient he wants to do something about this crisis. people are not dumb..

Here's my brother's reaction to McCain suspending his campaign

"I'm suspending my campaign to get a brain dump"

John R....

god I hope you're right.....

but then you are talking about the same voters who put Bushy in office twice.....

I just got an email stating that the Republican challenger to my Democratic Congressman, Paul Hodes, is now within the margin of error in the polls here in NH..... and the Obama campaign is not giving any money to candidates down the ticket..... this is not good.....

“Bush package is dead. " As we know from the flightsuit incident, the Bush package isn't even real.

And yes I am sorry.

Hey RR
Is it true that Sununu is a head in the polls?

Typical BHO, and this is all you'll ever need to know about this empty suit. His action speak much clearer than the words he reads off the teleprompter.

JM puts country above his campaign.

BHO puts himself above country.

i recall mccain inviting obama to town-hall style
debates anytime' anywhere'
obama declined and only agreed to three
formal debates'mainly because he has to know
questions first''' remember he would'nt debate
hillary any more after that abc debate'
he falls apart if the questions don't follow
along with his scripted answers

Hey Fry

What are you drinking? I'd like some.

KGC....
I don't know..... perhaps if Kathy is still lurking this blog, she can answer that question......

all the polls I've seen put Shaheen ahead...... but I haven't looked at anything lately......

let's drink some of that old vine zin...... I have a nice bottle of gnarly head for tonight....

I have a nice bottle of gnarly head for tonight....

I'll bring some snacks!

Go Jeanne!

And Get Going Democrats!

Fry...

None of us are well-served if McCain manages to run and hide in the face of a public that really needs to know as much as possible about what's going on. You see his suspension of his campaign as putting country first; I see it as an act of desperation. He and his cronies have much to answer for....

looks to me like obama is the one that ran and hid

liedaddy,

This is the mccainbush bank collapse. If republicans like mccain hadn't placed their bribes and bonuses above the national interest, we wouldn't have this mess.

Your old crook sold out the depositers and stockholders of Keating's S & L back in the 80s. He voted in the deregulation that brought this disaster upon us, and in 2006, he authored a bill to remove all remaining commercial bank regs.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-149926

HW,

Just spent a long call with my favorite right wringer. He is hearing the same thing from his side. The citizens on the right want these men to appear before them all and talk to them. It's not that they aren't supporting their candidate, but they don't like the President being the face of the party. They want McCain to assume that role.

now is the exact time for the debates. The country needs to hear from the two candidates on how they would help solve the problems like this. Renee I have to disagree that McSame has out maneuvered Obama. One of these two guys is gonna be elected in about 40 days. Whomever it is will have to deal with this in the near future. We as the public deserve to know how each sees the solutions.

BTW,

The California Republican Party is holding their convention this coming weekend. Not sure if CSPAN is covering, but if they are in whole or in part, it could be very, very interesting.

Cancel all the debates. If mccain can't debate when the banks are all closed, scroom.

BTW,

I'm supposed to get some poll info tomorrow with internals. If anything earthshaking turns up, I'll let you know.

P.S. Estimated debate audience: 100 million?

And one candidate wants to go back to talk to 99 other Senators? PLEASE

Laura Bush: "Palin lacks experience" .

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-politics/20080924/Palin.Laura.Bush/

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-149953

GWBush did not have any foreign policy experience either. How is that working out for the country?

Laura is being a good little Republican soldier and saying she is "proud to vote for the Republican ticket". Why do I suspect that she just might do something different when no one is looking? :-)

I mean come on. If you were married to W, the valium necessary alone would have you voting for the other party.
lol

If security is your concern, you should be listening to the Biden speech right now. He has outlined in so many ways just how dangerous and wrong McCain has been for years on the Middle East, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
Posted by: Jamie Author Profile Page |

Jamie,
I too like Biden, but he like Palin is NOT on top of the ticket, and both Senators have long careers that can highlighted and criticized.

Jamie, you think Obama is up to the job and I do not. This year should be a certain Dem landslide, especially now with this economic crisis imposing itself, so I tell you in all candor I fully expect Obama to win. Time will tell if your faith in him is well placed. For my part I hope it is.

regards, toast

PUMA is still around? It just seems silly & prideful at this point, the only real beneficiary being the Bush/Cheney/McCain/GOP clan.
Posted by: blueINdallas |

blueINdallas
It should be noted that you can be PUMA and still "support" Obama.

regards, toast

The Q you attempt to raise is essentially, "will Obama be strong enough to order the Bomb." You say Clinton would, and that Obama would not. I have seen no evidence for your conclusion.
Posted by: xrepublican

xrepublican,
No. I mean precisely the opposite.

JFK received almost unanimous council from his Joint Chiefs to take out the Russian missile silos in Cuba, and it took a war hero and a man of great strength to "reject" that plan, that Khrushchev later said would have led to war.

toast

Serbian military in Kosovo to end the genocide. Alleged weakling, Obama, says he'll talk with Iran. So what ?
Posted by: xrepublican

xrepublican
During the primaries Hillary voted to call Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group, Hillary did so knowing it would raise the ire and COST her votes, so great was her resolve and fortitude. Obama with guile, hid from that vote in the hope of pandering for Jewish votes. Avoiding that vote was no profile in courage, and so like his voting present, again displaying his timidity.

Regards,
toast

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-149957

Toast

Obama has brains. He knows to accept advice as long as his ego is being stroked. If really, really needed, Biden (a Hillary supporter) and the Clintons themselves will be there. I think once he gets in office with the necessity of working across party lines, a lot of the more moderate Democrats will become part of his circle. Let's see what he does with the cabinet.

I think some of the far left that are his cohorts now just may find themselves under that Obama bus once he is in office.

Firing the handicapped
Eagle rights amendments

Conserving national racehorses
busting school children
Saving Soviet Jewelry
Endangered Feces
Presidential Erections
Flea Erections in China;
Pouring Money into Canker Research;
Youth in Asia (euthanasia);
Sax and Violins on Television
Making Puerto Rico a Steak (next thing you know, they'll want a baked potato with sour cream!".)

"Hello, This is Emily Litella. I'm not home right now, but I will call you back as soon as possible. Just leave your name, number and what time you called after you hear the sound of the Jeep."

Simple

As everyone will tell you. I am definitely for Conserving National Racehorses.

milquetoast,

1. You are practicing mind-reading without a license again. When Obama misses a vote, you are utterly clueless as to what it is about.

2. As to pandering to Jews, every candidate with an ounce of sense does that. They are 2 1/2 % of the population, but nearly 4 1/2 % of the voters, and 10% of the contributors. Senator Clinton's call for a vote to declare the Revolutionary Guards terrorists was pandering to the Jews.

3. If Obama had been in Washington, he would have voted the same way. Senator Clinton's vote was no profile in courage.

4. Senator Clinton and Senator Obama have both couragelously stood up for veterans, poor people, and victims of trafficking, etc. They are both models of courage.

Reid's statement from July, when Obama showed up for a vote but not McCain (quoted in The Washington Post):

"I should mention how glad my fellow Democrats and I were to have our nominee for president here to vote on these important bills. Senator Obama has come to work and taken tough stands. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Senator McCain," Reid said. "Perhaps taking tough stands on important issues is not part of Senator McCain's campaign strategy. Perhaps he's just too busy on the campaign trail to do his day job."

Good posts this morning!

Just heard the phrase "trickle down economics" and it reminded me of the flaw I have always seen in the explanation of this theory - which even its architect has admitted is more than wrong.

Rising water raises all boats, right? What the repubs and other very rich don't want to admit is that WE AREN'T ALL BOATS. MOST OF US ARE THE WATER, and if you want a boat to rise, you'd better damn well make sure the water rises, and most especially doesn't dry up. We put them on the damn boats!

I'm just revolted at the idea of Sarah Palin meeting with those big shots - whether they are admirable or not, those big shots talking to the definitve neophyte
is akin to Hawking conversing with Gomer Pyle. Those bigshots may have to "dot the 'o' ", but where could they start to tell her anything?

stephen hawking couldnt understand anything gomer was talking about.......

Who would have thought in this Democratic year, the election would be so close...

ITK

Sturge - you are so right re Hawking not understanding Gomer, and, while that is sad for Hawking, it also proves my point. Any attempt for them to exchange information is a waste except as a photo op - just as the meetings of Palin and those big shots to exchange info is only a photo op. Real mis-matches, altho Kissinger seemed to enjoy her kissing him of the cheek. lol

Bethyboo,

Ya, rising tide lifts all the boats that don't have holes.

republican spokesperson: "Gotta hole in your boat ? Relax, the animal spirits of the market will take care of you...all the gators, sharks, and crabs."

middleclass boater : "Blub, blub, AAAaaiiiiee !!!"

KGC, Renee

From Rassmusen

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_senate_elections/new_hampshire/election_2008_new_hampshire_senate

"Sununu, viewed until recently as perhaps the GOP’s most endangered senator, now leads Shaheen 52% to 45%, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports "

Jack

Oops.

Letterman could be very interesting tonight. McCain cancels because he has to go to DC, but then goes to do Couric interview instead and Letterman learns that he's been lied to and books Olbermann in place of McCain.

Cowardly votes

FISA

whskyjack,

I wouldn't put too much faith in that poll because it is so very different from what every other poll has been saying. More than likely, it is a rare glitch in the response not be seen in the next poll.

Now the Great Bushbot is trying to help. He has invited McCain, Obama, and other Senate leaders to a meeting tomorrow at the White House. This is after Bushbot speaking tonight.

Wake me on election day. This mess is turning into a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPd2LhS39tw

Bry Bry

As little as I may add - it is a colossus compared to your
non contribution as the town crier of Obama talking points

You rotate between here and there posting the same things culled from google news with your nose glued to MSNBC.

Jamie,

I think the operetta is Rudigore, wherein the ghosts in the moldering mansion gripe about who did what to whom. All the slights and injustices come out, just like Senate hearings on the 9/11 mcchenybush Intelligence "lapses" [frauds], the mcheneybush Katrina failures, the mccheneybush Iraq Fiasco, or the mccheneybush Banking Failure, Crash, and impending Depression.

XR

You are right about the operetta for them. I was envisioning bumping off several aggravating politicians since they never would be missed and I've got a little list.

tonyb39 did you just reveal your secret identify or is my magic decoder ring wrong?

"Now the Great Bushbot is trying to help. He has invited McCain, Obama, and other Senate leaders to a meeting tomorrow at the White House. This is after Bushbot speaking tonight." Jamie@8:21

Like it or not, we only have one president at a time. Mr Bush owns this crisis and it must be addressed, by all accounts, in days rather than months.

The framework the Constitution provides for addressing important matters is the proper one for the current situation; attempts by the candidates to force the conversation into the campaign rhetoric is not doing the country a service. The timing is terrible. Make the speeches where it counts, in the established legislative forum.

Posted by: Jamie Author Profile Page | September 24, 2008 8:41 PM

Clean your ring

Here's a plan :

I. a. The Boards of Directors of the corporations requesting bailouts must vote 100% give-backs of all salaries, bonuses, and perquisites provided to all upper management and executives, going back 3 years.

The Boards of Directors will dismiss for cause all upper management and executives.

I. b. Alternatively, the Boards of Directors must give up all remuneration received, going back 3 years, plus $100, 000,000 each.

II. As economic stability will chiefly benefit the highest income earners, a 25% surtax shall be levied on every dollar earned above $250,000 per annum; a 50% surtax shall be levied on every dollar earned above $500,000 per annum. There shall be no deductions. This action shall be in force until October 1, 2017.

III. As economic stability will chiefly benefit the most wealthy, a 10 % surtax shall be levied against every estate larger than $5,000,000; a 20% surcharge shall be levied on against all estates larger than $10,000,000; a surcharge of 40% shall be levied against estates larger than $20,000,000. This shall be called the Anti-Caste Tax.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-150005

word for word duplicate posts were a little suspect.

Cat out of the bag? Not .

You are a double bagger

Flatus

These circumstances have been known for months. Now suddenly it is a CRISIS and George is putting on his white hat and riding to the rescue ... oops he's afraid of horses ...

They dragged their feet, let it moulder until it turned into a rotten mess and now expect the American public to pick up the garbage while they scream hurry, hurry, hurry the sky is falling... do what we want immediately or we are all going to die.

Well excuse me if I think taking a few days wouldn't be moving too slow.

Not word for word. I was taking advantage of the right of free speech and commenting on the fine work of
Tonyb39 .

has copy and paste been ruled out?

lol

Sock put a quote around what he/she was commenting on. Did someone miss that?

Besides, Tony and Sock sound nothing alike. Different writing style.

Someone owes tony an apology

Pin the tail on the donkey

Tony is a person

Sock and comment are figments of their own imaginations.

Where's Anna when we need her

Tony dear. I know you are who you say you are. It is the anonymous trolls who make me crazy.

Only people obsessed with identity politics care about who signs a post. It's about the content of the post not the poster.

Oldseahag - if you're there, I just realized i have a book suggestion for you. The Log of the Skipper's Wife - 'author' James Balano. It is non-fiction and not really long. Balano got hold of a diary his grandmother kept when she was traveling the world on her husband's schooner as a trader. I read about it in Down East magazine and got it for a friend, who loved it. She was one sharp lady and very modern, especially for ca 1900.

Frankly, I think a lot of the people here would enjoy the heck out of it. Amazon has it.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-150020

That doesn't happen to be true. The people who hold to either their name, nicknames consistently take responsibility for what they post as themselves. If they insult someone or use obscenities they are on the hook for the insult and bad language.

As individuals they tend to carry on reasonable conversations and make this a community even when they are on opposing sides of the issues.

The anonymous and constantly changing nomens use it as a place for snide remarks and droppings of other sorts that simply foul the atmosphere. They make little to no contribution to the conversation other than for their personal pleasure in being aggravating.

"Sorry, I don't play by your tea party rules."

haha we're supposed to play by your rules, and your rules only. right

"Well excuse me if I think taking a few days wouldn't be moving too slow."

Jamie, I have said nothing counter to that. And also what I've said is that the primary conversations should be made within the halls of government, not some TV studio in Oxford, Mississippi.

Neither of the campaigns have the resources to solve the problem on its own. But, the candidates working together with their elected compatriots and the technical experts within government may well come up with a reasonable, no matter how unpalatable, solution.

Saying that the problem has been around for months and months isn't helpful. It's like talking about replacing aging wiring in a building year after year then holding back the fire trucks when the place finally bursts into flames.

Mccain's plan may not be so dumb after all. Unlike most of you, many people out there, until tonight, didn't know what was happening in the financial world. I talked to many at work that didn't have a clue.

The people will now hear the President announce the problem and ask both candidates to come back and help work out a deal. If Obama doesn't he just may look unconcerned.

Jamie,

1. Well, don't sit there all smug, who is tony39 ? ( :>D))

2. You have an Enemies List ??? OO000oooo. Am I jealous !

Bury them alive ? Na. Even pepperdine war criminal john yoo thinks that's torture. How about sending them to the dungeons of Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine, to live naked in darkness, without lawyers, doctors, parole, or even notifying their families where they are ? Let them each be entertained by female jailers with doggies, and bathed through modern waterboard technology. Toss in champ, truemax, and frydaddy for good measure. Lex Talionis.

His Holy Majesty just finished the bs delivery. Free delivery. "Bi-partisan."

jamie......doesnt it appear that "community" here has been quite trampled underfoot? And mainly, in my opinion, by one little sperled brat: brinenyc.
Sock adds with minimal posting more than brine does with his voluminous spewing of bile......at least for me.......

of course Im just bitter because hillary didnt win.

lol

Flatus

I know it has to move rapidly. I just think that both Obama and McCain have computer access. Don't tell me none of their aides have never heard of "Go To Meeting" or Tele Commuting. They have blackberries, cell phones and probably IPods for lulls in the conversation.

Their votes aren't needed. The messages aren't being delivered by Pony Express. There is no reason they cannot engage in all these negotiations both with each other, the president, and their Congressional cohorts.

Bush keeps telling us he was in charge during that year of vacation in Texas during the past seven years of his Presidency. I'm sure the communications were excellent. There is simply no reason for that debate to be set aside other than McCain being scared to do it.

Tonights poll. Public wants the debate even though Bush has bailed out McCain by asking for him to come to DC unnecessarily

http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0908/556222.html

like bush hurried back in the terry schiavo case.......

Compared to some of our past exchanges, "all that much" is practically a love letter. LOL

Let's remember the current exchange began with insults from Bry Bry.

Bry Bry constantly asserts his right to comment on every post
and insult people not even speaking to him

SDO

Become a real person and we will believe that you can be insulted and defend or attack you as seems proper.

Bry Bry insists on turning what should be political discussion into a blood team sport. This is not a place to cheer on your team but to discuss the issues of the day.

It is his goal to stop that discussion when it gets beyond his control or understanding.

Posted by: Jamie Author Profile Page | September 24, 2008 9:51 PM

I'm as real as sturgeone or anyone who comes by here and is insulted by your snobbery and false indentiy issues and doesn't stay.

"I'm as real as sturgeone or anyone who comes by here and is insulted by your snobbery and false indentiy issues and doesn't stay."

Or Jamie or myself, whskyjack, who in the real world is niether whisky nor Jack

Jack

Bry Bry insists on turning what should be political discussion into a blood team sport. This is not a place to cheer on your team but to discuss the issues of the day.
--sock

He was attacking people long before the contentious issues of the primaries came up......Cbob for instance.....was it because Bob just got too much attention? yes, of course...... there were only 2 republicans here at the time and Bob wasnt one of them. This has been going on a long time........His bilious domination of the comment section here has been incessant and continuous........but some just refuse to leave.........

Then what is your name because you obviously aren't a piece of furniture, and what subject would you like to discuss instead of just tossing insults at others.

Exrep.

The New Hampshire , Rasmussen poll was in response to a question by either KGC or Renee.

Jack

You just have to learn when talking to him is interesting and when it is time to stop and ignore him. When he isn't well it gets worse. When he feels better, he is quite conversational and even entertaining.. Just pick the right times and skip over anything that aggravates.

--Jamie

Jamie.....ahhhhhh..........no, thanks. Entirely not worth any such effort. He has proven himself beyond question to be a sociopath and I have about as much sympathy for his condition as he has expressed in the past here for Robert Novak........which is to say, none.......illness is no excuse.

Sock, no one has been insulted here, I've been busy elsewhere.

Fuck you, xrep.

Champ

Glad to see you in a good mood.

Jack

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-150040

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMbrXRV7bkw

Oops it is September.

humans are complicated beings , and for one person to choose to judge another in a negative way, continuously without a remote hope for, or an effort of understanding, it is that persons personal choice....it speak of them and not those they choose to despise.

Posted by: unlikely_burrito Author Profile Page | September 24, 2008 10:14 PM

I don't think Bry Bry will understand that you need to put it in simpler terms for him.

STurgeone

Your choice and at times mine. I'm just saying that whatever he says or does is no reason for you to leave. I enjoy your conversation too much.

there have been several who called him that.......Craig has already pointed out that no anonymous poster is Patsi......he checked.

Patsi left.

An interesting piece in the WSJ on their national poll

"One reason that Sen. McCain may remain competitive: The survey shows that voters have grown even angrier about the direction of country than they were over the summer, a sentiment that the Arizona lawmaker has appealed to with a passionate populis"

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122228902289272455.html

Jack

Fuck you, xrep.

Posted by: champ | September 24, 2008 10:10 PM

and what do we call this? Sturge, is the comment above fall into your quote below?

"He was attacking people"

Whiskeyjack

Except that the public wants the debates and think McCain should be there. Of course now Bush has bailed him out by requesting his presence in DC unnecessarily.

http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0908/556222.html

love sick blues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xu71i89xvs

Burr......yes.....that falls into the extremely rude and vulgar category...... The only saving grace for such is that he's not here ALL DAY.......EVERY DAY..........

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-150067

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Tiz6INF7I

Boy loses girl
boy gets girl
boy loses girl
To be continued ad infinitum

whskyjack,

Sure. I jumped in thinking that it would be decent to past a caveat.

Btw, I think that it is funny that all the cyberfictional characters claim to be real. We're all a buncha velveteen rabbits.

G'night.

I didn't know Craig was still doing he IP address oversight.

"Let them each be entertained by female jailers with doggies, and bathed through modern waterboard technology. Toss in champ, truemax, and frydaddy for good measure. Lex Talionis."

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-150029

Ah, champ,

My keen acerbic wit is too much for you, so you resort to abuse. Thanks, champ, coming from you, I feel honored.

UBurr.......he refuses to check them according to Craig, but so many were accusing patsi of being here under an alias that he checked to see.......and assured us that Patsi was not posting under an alias.

UB

He only checks if necessary for some reason. People were calling some of the anonymous people Patsi so he confirmed that none of them were from her IP or email address.

'IP address oversight' Unlikeable Burrito

Mr. Crawford only checked to respond to people trying to pin posts on Patsi.

Only the lonely have time to track the ip addresses of people visiting their blogs.

sturgeone,

I find your comments worth reading, and would prefer it if you stuck around.

awwwe that's sweet, he must has a soft spot for her....

Sounds like McCain ain't good at multi-tasking....

I didn't think Craig was lonely

Sweetie needs me, and I must go.
G'night, all.

I di'nt mean to imply that I was leaving.....I intended to leave until after the election a while back, but some whom I respect suggested I stay.........so there it is.

I've just got to work harder on my ability to ignore.

lol warren, that was my first thought....too much for the old guy!!!

As if world affairs happen on an arrange schedule....like the schedule uses he takes his medication.

Just leave me out of it, xrep. I've been being a good boy and keeping my mouth shut for the most part, no need to call for my torture and get me fired up again, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kd8xp86reY

classic sounds of silence

"I didn't think Craig was lonely"

Socratic irony: "pretended ignorance in a discussion"

Good night all.

Sturge

An alternative to hanging around here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL9O0B0gzZE

I notice you were discussing the CRA earlier.

As it was explained to me by the owner of the bank who gave me my first job in the mortgage industry.CRA was used to encourage banks to be active in their local communities by facilitating people with getting home loans.

The only thing my bank was willing to do was to give a break on closing cost and on the rates for these loans. If a borrower couldn't qualify, they were declined.

As for the stated income or no doc loans, when they were introduced into the mortgage world, they were meant for self employed borrowers or high income grossing individuals with high credit scores, over 700, who didn't have the time to produce their voluminous tax returns to qualify for a loan.

Based on the fact that the borrower had excellent credit and so long as they had 6 months worth of payments in reserve in the bank, they would get a loan because though they weren't proving their income, it was clear that they were managing their debt load and were perceived to be a minimal risk.

There weren't problems with these loans until the reserve and credit requirements were lowered to allow more people to qualify. The biggest mistake was allowing W2 borrowers to state their income...those were the true liar loans.

Jamie
sleep well, the sun comes up ready or not....

I notice we have our first effigy of the campaign...must be crunch time now...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26872774/

The Coffee Pot sounds like a cool or clever or funky place.

tt

Jimmy Buffett - Bama Breeze

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfhNKK7rkhw

Jack.....haha......in Bristol Tn once I received a C-note tip for learning that song overnight from a local gambler there........I'm quite fond of that song..........

Socratic irony - have no fear your self hatred will never leave you.

you should know

a follow up on the local story about the cross burning in Megget SC which was linked to the website page showing a klansman with a noose around a young man in blackface's neck

http://charleston.net/news/2008/sep/24/naacp_chief_seeks_probe_incidents55528/

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/obamas-amazing-rural-opportuni.html#comment-150062

UB
Leave Patsi out of your posts.I think Craig has cleared up accusations such as yours....

Jamie,

L'shana tovah t'katayvu/t'katayvah is sweet.

The Viduy on Yom Kippur is what is essential. Agnon's Days of Awe explores so much of the traditions and texts.

I acknowledge before You, Lord my G-d and the G-d of my fathers, that my recovery and my death are in Your hands. May it be Your will that You heal me with total recovery, but, if I die, may my death be an atonement for all the errors, iniquities, and willful sins that I have erred, sinned and transgressed before You, and may You grant my share in the Garden of Eden, and grant me the merit to abide in the World to Come which is vouchsafed for the righteous.

"Our G-d and G-d of our fathers, may our prayers come before You, and do not turn away from our supplication, for we are not so impudent and obdurate as to declare before You, Lord our G-d and G-d of our fathers, that we are righteous and have not sinned. Indeed, we and our fathers have sinned.

"We have transgressed, we have acted perfidiously, we have robbed, we have slandered. We have acted perversely and wickedly, we have willfully sinned, we have done violence, we have imputed falsely. We have given evil counsel, we have lied, we have scoffed, we have rebelled, we have provoked, we have been disobedient, we have committed iniquity, we have wantonly transgressed, we have oppressed, we have been obstinate. We have committed evil, we have acted perniciously, we have acted abominably, we have gone astray, we have led others astray. We have strayed from Your good precepts and ordinances, and it has not profited us. Indeed, You are just in all that has come upon us, for You have acted truthfully, and it is we who have acted wickedly."

Looks like Sarah needs more time to cram....

John McCain's campaign now wants to suspend the VP debate?

CNN's Dana Bash reports that McCain officials are "trying to negotiate with the Obama campaign and the presidential debate commission" to change next Thursday's planned vice presidential debate into a McCain-Obama affair. The VP debate would be postponed to another date.

"That is what they are proposing," Bash reported. "[McCain officials] understand very well that both the Obama campaign and the debate commission have no intention of delaying Friday's debate, but...if there is no bailout deal by Friday, McCain has no plan to go to debate."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/24/mccain-camp-wants-to-post_n_129079.html

Wont Get Fooled Again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp6-wG5LLqE

Tony, suggestion: get you pen out and start writing Bill Clinton on your notebooks...it may make you feel better.

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, and that's good enough."

-Dr. Edwin Vieira

Posted by: unlikeable_burrito 11:11 PM

Geez did the lint in your naval get clogged up and prevent gazing?

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool Mom." -Capitan Penny

KGC

Leads by example,she felt she had enough at one time and came back, at first a little wary, now the past few day's she had all of the neighborhood talking about the issues that matter most.I think she just ignores the posts (about 99.9%) that she does not like. Hey Champ, a little rough but you did what had too, don't let them get to you.

http://openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8487

You're too cool of a guy to get mixed up with these trolls, tony. Leave it to curmudgeons like myself. Seriously. They'll be assholes today, tomorrow, and forevermore regardless of attempted intervention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y6TpPz3YuQ

This is the hush - heard from the FOX/McCain crowd

UB,

Mom fools herself a lot. Why, look at Sarah Palin.

There was no "Bry-Bry" from Patsi. There was, however, Bri-Bri from me.

It was Bri-Bri because it was derived from Brit-Brit.

Now apologize to the class and to Patsi.

I apologize to Britney Spears and wish her well.

UB
Bill Clinton,Bill Clinton!! Thanks for the suggestion!

you think it is irony, or ironic, and what do you know anyway? If I have hurt the core of your soul I am sorry...

Champ
Thanks Man! Your right and I will listen! Thanks again

sturge,

Is there a war on errorism?

champ,

1. The mccheneybushyoo says it isn't torture.

2. I relent. I'll leave you out of my spooky Gulag scheme. I actually hope you have a marvelous, long, and generous life, and that all negative feelings melt away.

Goodnight and sweet dreams, all.

Alright. Forget the spin from both sides. Watch this...and decide for yourself whether Gov. Palin is ready to be President:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Palin_and_Couric.html?showall

Good night everyone.

champ just hit the wall

What was that song they we playing.....

McCain stood him up.....

I can't even begin to guess what KO will say...this is so rich.

suspending a campaign.......I wonder if McCain were president if he thought he could just suspend the presidency...because the world became a bit to complicated.

what a feaking out of touch man

yep, and that show will be sliced and diced for you tube and all the morning shows....and cable news throughout the day....

So what was accomplished in the time that McCain wasn't spending his 12 minute segment on Letterman??? oh....i see nothing, not a thing , nada, zero net gain

net loss......still counting

I worry about Palin in the future, also, but she might just self-destruct, especially if she has to debate.

Sturgeone - please please please do not leave. You might just be the best one here and everything you post is a real addition. Add to that the fact that you more than balance out the haters and malicious ones here, and you see that, morally, you have no choice but to stay.

To most of the others, you might just be the best here also; even if I could choose, I wouldn't. Do I get to pick the one I WOULD like to leave????? It's not who you think.

Good Morning!

A good day for the dems!
But something is tellingme that the repugs are brewing something up their sleeves..... :-)

Addendum - I would also like to see more of 9/11 -
and Patsi and Maggie.

HERE is a nice recap of the last Letterman Show, where he gets on McCain's case....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkCrfylq-E&eurl=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/24/john-mccain-cancels-lette_n_128998.html

Isn't today one of the days Gordo alerted us to?

Hi again.

I have a cold and can't sleep. So, I'm going to inflict myself on you all. Luckily, I am not contagious via the net. However, my rant may be contagious.

It's time for mccheney's donors to demand all their money back. Jeff Greenfield's Law : Bugs Bunny always beats Daffy Duck. mccheney is having a Daffy Duck attack of monumental proportions. Any more of this and he'll be drafted by the 3 Stooges.

Meanwhile, the Jesus-channeler and Mission Accomplishizer informs us that the banks are in trouble, as if this was some fogking sneak attack by the Islamomortgagebankers. He assures us that the CEOs won't make money off of our $700 BILLION (add freddie and fannie, actually = $9 - $10 TR!LL!ON.)

Anyway, he assures us that his CEO buddies won't get any of our money.Well, that horse hasn't been near the coral for the last 10 years, mr. stoner zombie - in - chief.

The late, fiscal conservative, republican, Senator everett dirksen of Illinois, whose seat Obama holds, used to say, "A Billion here a Billion there. Pretty soon you're talking about real money." With freddie and fannie included, we are talking about 9,000 to 10,000 times what real fiscal conservatives ought to worry about, yet bumblebush informs us blithely that he's on the job, and he's gonna fork over my vet benefits, your CDBGs, food stamps and WIC, health care, Interstate Bridge repair, and your grandchildrens' college loans.

Won't someone please stop these lying, thieving, kidnapping, torturing, murdering, alkies, junkies, Jesus-channelers, and two-bit napoleons, QUICK ?!?

Good grief,

W. J. didn't get babybushmccain elected. scalia, thomas, kennedy, o'connor, and renchler did that. It's called 'Originalism.' scalia channels the ghosts of the founding fathers and learns that all the founding fathers hate Al Gore and love babybush.

Won't someone please stop these lying, thieving, kidnapping, torturing, murdering, alkies, junkies, Jesus-channelers, and two-bit napoleons, QUICK ?!?

Posted by: xrepublican Author Profile Page | September 25, 2008 3:00 AM

What are you doing about it?