Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

Early Bird again?
But be careful if people dig and find a different truth

Craig - Today's is GREAT A++
very interesting....

But your bias - "natural advantage with these voters on economic matters." - Please define -- You would have been better to say - OUR natural ......
Sorry - but that statement is BS and hurts the grade... now a C unless you can explain and how Dem Tax policy is better.
Or did I misunderstand?

John McInsane's terrorist ties David Ifshin.

http://reconstitution.us/rcnew/?p=2298#respond

AP How you doing !!

Brain - Poll is showing McCain made back one point in Florida.
Did the young Sen Obama reach a peak and climax to soon?
Will tried and true tested come through again?
Will this be the turning point?

Get ready to rumble

"dadgummit"
"Dagnabbit"
"Hornswagle ya"
"Bamboozle ya"

Which twin has the Toni?

very interesting re-reading the mini-debate between brian and craig last night.......interesting in that brian had to actually talk to someone with whom he has a fundamental disagreement on an issue which brian was unable to resolve by calling out "idiot" or "moron" etc and was unable to slip in his asinine "happy dance". Poor baby, had to pretend to be civilised.

Thanks Craig, for your perspective on this.

Mr. Gibbs is the master of taking cow patties and making them look like a tasty brownies, He is good, really good at his spin job, in fact get you pissed off good when you stop and apply simple logic to what he says and how irrational it really is….

The question is when the people get to take a bite and understand that it ain’t a brownie that he was selling ya.

(wink) Good morning hockey moms & Joe 6-packs - Vote for John McCain or the terrorists win. (~Way to run an honorable campaign~)

GOP becoming more desparate by the day. They are starting to swing wildly, like a 3rd-grader in a schoolyard tiff. Good thing Obama has long arms and can just keep them at bay with his palm to the forehead.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/fec_complaint

Video keeps freezing, so not sure how rural was defined. Farmers who watch the market & love their farm subsudies do not have the same economic view as, say, coalminers or the under/unemployed in America's small towns.

During the last year 5 of the financial institutions on the verge of collapse handed out billions in ill-deserved bonuses.

Neither one of these clowns is going to stop this.

There will be no universal healthcare. The infrastructure will continue to rot. Jobs will continue to be shipped overseas.

Ronald Reagan and his cronies sent the country on the road to hell, Bush 1 continued it. Clinton slowed it down, and with a shrug and a smirk, Bush 2 handed America back to the crooks.

McCane took on a glassy eyed look and told his followers that he was the next Ronald Reagan. Obama dusted off his shoulder, and told his glassy eyed followers that Ronald Reagan was transformative.

My confidence is up. You bettcha.

Bear, what Mudcat said is that rural voters want a fighter, someone who would screw those who've screwed us. Dog and I discussed this months ago. I wanted a fighter and she said the country, under Obama's leadership, had moved past needing a fighter. Maybe. Maybe not.

Didn't mean to call you Bear, Blue....guess all you Texans look alike....:)

Good morning all
"and the reporting should be that obama camp is stonewalling the ayers story -- no speculation required"

Thank you Craig for acknowledging this question in the last thread.

Sturge- was thinking the same thing.

It is October. RNC Demands FEC Probe Obama's Donations
http://partisanreport.com/blog/2008/10/06/rnc-demands-fec-probe-obamas-donations/

Hey Anon,
Glad to see you. Hope all is well.
-----------
http://www.keatingeconomics.com/?source=sem-pm-google&gclid=CKO-wrjIkpYCFQIWFQod8lGGEg

Talk about history repeating itself.

Craig, the issue I really want to address is the subject of the previous blog, so I'm going to do that, okie-dokie?

Ayres hosted Mr Obama's political coming-out party. That puts him at the absolute center of Mr Obama's political universe; everything follows from that seminal event.

Craig, the WaPo graphic (the one showing the concentric rings of Obama supporters with the Chicago 'mafia' comprising the inner core) that Alicia posted last month is really germane. Couple that with the relocation of the political corpus of the DNC to Chicago, and we have a complete hijacking of the Democratic Party.

That's why I declared my independence.

"My confidence is up. You bettcha. "

Time to start planting victory gardens.

supporters = advisers

Stocks Fall Sharply in Europe and Asia

"PARIS — Stocks tumbled Monday in Europe and Asia, and oil fell below $90 for the first time since February as fears grew that the financial crisis is spreading to the world economy."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/business/07markets.html

This is the news that will drive the day - looking for another weak day.......

Areys speculation....not so much

Wow. Just went through that last thread. Craig and Brian were going at each other like Liz Taylor and Dick Burton. All that was missing were cyber-cocktails to throw in one another's faces.

Craig and Brian sittin' in a tree...

you're sick, champ

mornin' all.

Well, I see today is likely to be the Ayers v. Keating episode of Obama v. McCain. It will be interesting to see whether the candidates ahve enough cajones to level the innuendos at each other tomorrow night. I certainly hope Brokaw has the wherewithall to ask them to address those questions head on.

Ping, one point in a poll doesn't mean anything unless the margin of error is less than one point. But you know that. 8 polls were released yesterday and today - 3 national polls and 5 staet polls. McCain was tied with Obama in CO. Obama was ahead by 5 or more in all the rest. gio back to Friaday, and McCain is actually up one point in a poll by SurveyUSA in MN, which is offset by a Star Tribune poll released for MN showing Obama up by 18. I wonder why Palin is now on the attack? And being withheld from the press? Answer - the McCain camp sees the momentun shifting big time, and Palin is mean and stupid.

Now about those strong economic fundamentals - John, try again. Blowing smoke up the US workers' collective asses is not going to work when jobs are fleeing like gazelles from lions and even the bailout isn't stopping the stock market's slide. At least gas is going down.

Speaking of gas - well, oil - seems that Ike caused half a million gallons of crude to spill in to the Gulf of MX from those perfectly safe and clean oil platforms out there. Considering how big a storm Ike was, I guess that's not so much. Drill here, drill now.

Well there's some old saying about draining swamps and being up to your neck in alligators - I gotta get back to fighting off the gators.

Pogo, shame on you! You're trying to confuse them with facts.

Pogo - my polling point was for our daily poll watchers - which I am not - trends yes... McCain has stopped the bleeding.

Strong Fundamentals - The Fundamentals of the American Economy are strong - we are the most productive work force - Capitalism, free enterprise.
Question - My Global Company needs to expand and source - why not more in the US? Taxes my freind taxes - Sen Obama plan will keep shifting jobs away.

Watch for the continued seperation of McCain from Bush as people get the facts that the reality is Obama is closer to Bush fiscal policy by behavior.

Bush endores Obama fiscal plan -

Seers, futurists, philosophers, prophets, prognosticators, pundits, cult leaders and even my wife have long soothsayed that the end of the world is near.

Well, my friends, only a few of us have peered into the abyss that is the United States Congress and returned unscathed. I am one of them.

Many of us think that whatever used to pass for leadership in America is long gone, replaced today by self-serving, egotistical, preening politicians whose only goals are TV face-time and hyper-partisan one-Bunkumship.

On national news media and in newspapers across the web I see quotes like "Why should American taxpayers have to foot the bill for Wall Street blunders"?

First and probably most realistically, will someone please tell me just how will the American taxpayer will even know they have paid this bill? Will we get a statement in the mail? Will our bank accounts be debited? Will someone come and take away Aunt Trudy's diamond bracelet that we can't wait to get our hands on when she dies so can sell it and get a flat screen TV?

Second, to paraphrase the old baseball legend Casey Stengel (knowing Stenglish well enough to paraphrase him is a black art I am not particularly proud of) "Doesn't anybody remember the Great Depression?"

Doesn't anybody remember how it started, and more frighteningly, how it ended? The Great Depression started with a great loss of capital from the stock market crash. Companies lost capital with which they collateralized the loans they made to make payroll in order to pay workers who couldn't consume the products other companies made so these companies went belly up and these workers didn't have a job so they couldn't get a paycheck and they couldn't get any credit and ah **** it. But wait here comes WWII. Everything is going to be just fine

It's the credit, stupid. (See Jim Carville)

When was the last time you bought anything over $100 for cash? Or for that matter when was the last time you bought anything for cash? We live on credit. Not just this country, the entire world. The economic machine is driven on credit. Governments run on credit. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment, tax refunds, anything you can think of is a product of credit.

Is this a good thing? Probably not, but it's the only thing. If the credit-sclerotic clot that is blocking the flow of the arteries of our economic life blood, just what do you think is going to happen?

Wall Street is Main Street, people.

It's also Broadway, Pennsylvania Avenue, Downing Street, Le Champs-Elysees, Hollywood. You get the picture. No pun intended, but the availability of credit is everything.

If the partisan knuckleheads who we, the partisan knuckleheads wannabes, put in charge don't get off their soapbox and into the batter's box, we are toast, baby.

Just thought you might want to know.

Cal chancellor calls tree-sit protest 'racism'

Phillip Matier,Andrew Ross

Monday, October 6, 2008
Protesters occupied trees in Memorial Grove on the UC Ber...

Berkeley's tree-sitters may have thought their nearly two-year protest was an act of civil disobedience, but to UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau it was actually "racism against our underrepresented minority student athletes."
It's cuckoo," the tree-sitters' lawyer Dennis Cunningham said of the chancellor's remarks. "You don't spend $150 million in funny money to benefit 350 athletes who are already pampered and have scholarships and a free ride."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/06/BAI913B8QI.DTL&type=printable

Why does Obama not support the Fundamentals of our Economy?
Do his Socialist values drive that hard?

He is shifting closer and closer to John McCain - Woner how many times he will say that "I agree with John" on Tuesday night,

This CHANGE of Words just Words of Obama is starting to piss off his orginal radical base

Not to put too fine a point on it, Ping, but if that's stopping the bleeding, poll wise, I'd hate to see what you think bleeding is. The national polls are up on average about 2-3 points in Obama's favor since a week ago and by almost all accounts he has seen a strong shift in PA, NH and OH. But more pertinent, RCP has shown a swing the electoral vote count (based on polls only, I understand) of a 10 point McCain adcdvantage to a 101 point Obama advantage in the past 3 weeks.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/election_2008/electoral_count.html#previous_changes

Now, really, about those alligators...

Palin in Clearwater FL live on Fox, now.

Pogo - No doubt you are right on ----
Is this the end for McCain - I think that some last week had more the tingles up there legs.

Or is it the peak for Sen Obama - October will only tell later and November is what matters.

Lets see what the fall of the season brings for Obama...

Can he keep running? away from his past?

I hope they do bring up Keating vs Ayers -
The Keating issue was fully vetted and in fact as reported by the MSM - that McCain should have been excused from the hearings but heck it would have been only DEMS on the block at that point

Sen Obama - Maybe you should have answered the Ayers questions long ago when a few raised it up - Does your past catch up now?

I am at Work - Is CNN showing Palin they way they Show Obama and Biden?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/10/obamas-rural-challenge.html#comment-155110

"your bias - "natural advantage with these voters on economic matters." - Please define" -- posted by ping pong

ping, my point there is dems have the political advantage on pocketbook issues, not that they have better policies. they are better at leveraging a bad economy with voters, but often can't get to that advantage due to cultural blockage

Yes, Ping, she's on CNN, too.

Pogo, I'm really concerned about spills getting into the economically productive estuarine and coastal habitats along the Florida littoral.

oldsea,
a variation on your "It is October. RNC Demands FEC Probe Obama's Donations" could just as well be

"It is October of [any given election year]. RNC Demands FEC Probe [any given dem pol's] Donations" .... fill in the there we go again de ja vu blanks.

Then they A will stand - I know you will sleep better tonight. I should have known you where sticking with the Poitical elements and staying away from numbers.

But further to clarify the advantage relates to the attachment to the Failed Bush - Obama policy of allowing or promoting social policy to override sound fiscal policy.

This is difficult for most to grasp

"But if the McCain people want to rummage through presidential candidates' associations, real or imagined, to turn up figures who threaten to pull down this proud republic, they should begin in-house. Chief among those to whom responsibility attaches for the financial crisis that is plunging the nation into recession is former Texas senator Phil Gramm, McCain's own economic guru."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/05/AR2008100501816.html

Craig yes Obama has trouble with the Jacksonians the Reagan Democrats the NASCAR demographic the people Andrea Mitchell refers to as Rednecks. Way to endear the Ulster Scots Andrea, Obama can't get elected President without them and they are not beyond voting for a Man whose name starts with (Mc) they have that in common and Sarah Palin unashamedly one of them.

This is McCain's New Add, Lanny Davis is on Fox News, right now stressing that John McCain must focus on the economy. Right Lanny, John McCain on Defense playing the Democrat's Game on their terms. I guess Lanny thinks that McCain and his Campaign are newbies to Politics.

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/10/06/527-ad-fighting/

I was listening to Imus this morning he thinks the Poll Numbers might be fudging. He said I don't believe them. I know they are looking at numbers the media people are constantly crunching and reviewing I don't suppose the American Public are going to get to be exposed to some conversation on the Polls and how they might be being represented or skewed on purpose? Btw Sarah Palin nailed the Democrat Debate, I watched so did a lot of other people. I wake up to how Joe Biden won? Really isn't this stretching credibility?

Vote...
Who will be harmed greatest if the Ayers / Keating mud fest hits the Debate?

1 Tom will not bring it up knowing the answer

2 McCain - as people will be effected by the spin - Economic issues are closer to home right now then Terror

3 Obama - As people will find it unexcusable that he has been running away from his past and that Ayers is to radical for most all

Bailout or Rescue by any name a failure.

The government's commitment to spend up to $700 billion buying bad debts from ailing banks is likely to save some institutions that would have otherwise died, but analysts doubt it will be enough to avert a major shakeout.

"It will help, but it's not going to be the saving grace" because a lot of banks are holding construction loans and other types of deteriorating assets that the government won't take off their books, predicted Stanford Financial analyst Jaret Seiberg. He expects more than 100 banks nationwide to fail next year.
http://finance.comcast.net/www/news.html?x=http://76.96.38.13/data/news/2008/10/05/1079035.xml

Just looked at the Times mass market paperback best sellers list. Seven of the twenty titles had the word 'dead' in the title. That's depressing. (NY Times Arts & Leisure section page 28, Oct 5, 08)

reading PALM BEACH BABYLON about the hi-jinks and foibles of the ultra rich on Palm Beach from the building of the Hotel Poinciana in 1894, by Mr Flagler, J D Rockefeller's partner in Standard Oil, down to 1992.....
veddy interesting.

The picture of William Ayers standing on top of a crumpled American flag won't do Obama any favors if the McCain camp is able to associate the two.

Sarah Palin got the endorsement from The President of the LA ,California Chapter of N.O.W. that is significant, there was a crowd of 15,000 to 20,000 that attended. These would be the PUMAS. Democrats ignore PUMAS at their own risk. These are the people Sarah Palin was chosen for and the Reagan Democrats -and PUMAS.

http://sarah-palin-2008.blogspot.com/2008/10/la-now-president-endorses-sarah-palin.html

Under reported Sarah Palin also brought in unprecedented dollars to the Campaign coffers.

Mudcat has stated consistently the elitist uber liberal attitude-posturing does not work on this Demographic of the Democrat party. So why now are the Democrats finally paying attention to them? It is a bit late to change horses in the middle of the stream? Obama staked out the far left position of the Democrat Party, that isn't where most the Votes reside. I am an Independent, what finally made me jump off the fence, was the "nasty attacks on Sarah Palin" I received the message loud and clear, she is a REAL threat to the Progressive Uber Liberal, sometimes Socialist leaning Wing of the Democrat Party. The reason I left the Democrat Party in the first place.

The Jacksonians agree with Ronald Reagan, and during the Vice Presidential Debate, only one candidate could invoke the memory and legacy of Reagan. It wasn't the Senator from Delaware. It was another Governor remember Reagan was a Governor not a Senator just like Sarah Palin.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/59_agree_with_ronald_reagan_government_is_the_problem

what was that very strange noise McCain was making after the Palin-Biden debate.......very spooky sound.

What's up with those wolf-pelt curtains in Mudcat's house?

McCain Campaign shatters monthly fund raising record

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1008/RNC_shatters_monthly_fundraising_record.html

DOW briefly below 10000.
Shrub was forced into the bailout by market circumstances and otherwise would have left the mess. I think sending in Paulson with 3 pages is an indication of the amount of thought given to solutions.

Congress forced the administration to give it some thought but were under the impression it had to be done as an emergency.

Tell me again what the emergency was and how this bill has fixed it.

Ping, I can't say the direction the polls have taken since the conventions will continue. These things do swing back and forth. But trying to tie Obama to Bush's failed social/economic policies, or better yet to differentiate McCain from those policies, is something you'd have to have more than a month to try and convince the voters of. You are contending that the radical-loving Obama is more closely aligned with Bush than McCain on political/social/economic issues? Hard sell at best - particularly since their voting records in the Senate were McCain - 90% in support of Bush - Obama - 96% in support of the Democratic legislation introduced. (Don't have a link, but these numbers have been floated so often, I don't doubt them.) And they don't call him McBush for nothing. (And yes, I know it's the Obama supporters calling him that). So is the retort "maverick, maverick, maverick? Sorry he got on that old horse and rode out of town in 2000, never to be seen again. Having the lipsticked attack dog repeat it ad nauseum doesn't change that or his pro-Bush voting record.

Champ -- Nice catch - Sarah sent him the curtains - you should see the Elk bed spread.

So far the vote is 100% Obama will be the most damaged if the facts of keating vs Ayers comes out

"McCain Campaign shatters monthly fund raising record"

They're probably lying . . remember they're not so good with accounting/economic issues too.

http://sarah-palin-2008.blogspot.com/2008/10/michaelreagan-obama-lied-about-my-dad.html

They are going after the very people this post is about the Reagan Democrats and Obama can't get elected with out them.

I think it's over. Short of something truly unexpected, people hate Bush and all Republicans should be very afraid.

There is no confidence in Bush

Although with congress having even lower ratings than Bush it might be a "vote'em out year." Although individual members of Congress poll higher and people might hate Congress but still like their own rep.

Monday, October 06, 2008

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows Barack Obama attracting 52% of the vote while John McCain earns 44%. This is the highest level of support ever recorded for Obama and is his largest lead of the year. It also continues a remarkable twenty-five days in a row where the Democrat’s support has never declined by even a single point. The Democratic candidate has gained six full percentage points of support since Lehman Brothers collapsed to start the Wall Street mess.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/daily_presidential_tracking_poll

I guess America wasn't so impressed with Giget's performance at the debate.

pogo - I have even at times had dreams of supporting Barack - And I have accepted that regardless of who wins it is the Congress that is the greater threat.

It will be interesting if McCain is successful in connecting (or will even try ) Obama to Bush in policy. The fact is Bush by complacent action has allowed more liberal spending and does not represent the Republican party.

Fact is Obama represents this same failed action of allowing social policy to overrule sound fiscal policy - that is why we are here.

Man have I stayed on point !! MCCAIN WATCH AND LEARN

KC,

Dow is now at 9960, down 366 and still falling - hasn't been above 10000 all morning. All the European and Asian markets are down @ 4.5% - 5%, partly on bad news from Airbus, Mercedes, German steel and British Airways, and the Russian and Icelandic markets suspended trading. And oil is below $90 on NYMEX. Nothing much encouraging out there.

Pogo

Bush bailout fails...'this can only be good news for Republicans" ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Waxman is holding hearings with the officers from Lehman brothers. It and the reporting of it should be very interesting.

Rez since grandpa cranky pants can’t accept donations how do they know they broke all records?

http://sarah-palin-2008.blogspot.com/2008/10/michaelreagan-obama-lied-about-my-dad.html

They are going after the very people this post is about the Reagan Democrats and Obama can't get elected with out them.

Posted by: Ree | October 6, 2008 10:21 AM

"Try as he might, Barack Obama cannot claim the innocence of a lamb in his long years of worshipful association with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. He was either fully aware of the seething racial hatred that motivated Wright, or something of a blithering idiot who can’t spot a racist hater when he spends years genuflecting at his feet."

"Barack Obama is not an idiot. He is a brilliant orator who exudes charm and arouses near-worship from his host of giddy, hypnotized supporters. He is also a committed socialist and a talented salesman for his brand of Marxist snake oil. Beware of camels bearing gifts, and politicians promising utopia."

http://www.keatingeconomics.com/

I love the fact people are pulling out the "pinko card", it truly shows just how desperate the repugs are. Just hysterical. Yo idiots, get a clue, the cold war ended 20 years ago.

Tell that to Putin.

I wonder if the McCain family was referring to Mudcat as a commie. Seems like a strange way to woo voters.

"Joe McCain, speaking at an event in support of his brother, called two Democratic-leaning areas in Northern Virginia "communist country,"

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2008/10/joe_mccain_jokes_inner_suburbs.html

Has the failed policy's and behavior of the past caught up?

The US has moved away from the sound Fundamentals that lead the Global economy's.

Has the past policy's which have been driven by the Dems and allowed by Bush driven the world economy to the point it is today.

This is a great doctoral question … One that will not be asked as elements of the Economy and such are not the strength of our MSM – they are a failed 4th estate.

Barack policy is the same as Bush Behavior allowed

Rez since grandpa cranky pants can’t accept donations how do they know they broke all records?

Crooks I tell you!

"Just because I'm evil, doesn't mean that everything I do is evil." - Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz

Brain - This is the problem with the internet - any fool can go by a domain - create a totally false reality that does not represent the Truth.- and any yahoo can make it look as if it has value

Come now - I backed down last week on the Campaign issue when I got the facts, I admitted my error.

This Keating thing will blow up on the Dems when all the facts are brought to full transparency.

McCain made a bad choice by not walking out of a meeting. The politics of the day kept the count to 5.

This is simply a losing argument for the Dems if anyone has half a brain

This was fully vetted for McCain..

Ayers has not been touched - this will burn Barack

Ping, Ayers will sully Obama, and Keating will sully McCain. The critical difference between to the two is that Keating is a convicted felon, tied to McCain over the same issues that are front and center in the economic issues the bailout was passed to address, and caused in part at least by McCain's support for deregulation of financial institutions while
Ayers has never been convicted of anything, despite his days advocating and participating in violent bombings in protest of the US Government and the Vietnam War. He is also currently a professor at the U of Chicago and an activist for the underprivileged and undereducated. Voters will certainly not embrace either of those characters, but it's easier to demonstrate close ties between McCain and Keating that look a lot like bribery than it is to demonstrate close ties between Obama and Ayers that looks like any endorsement of his SDS/Weather Underground activities. Both candidates probably regret their associations with Ayers and Keating, but the difference between how much each will be damaged will probably not be all that great and each side will likely say the other was harmed more by the revelations.

KGC,

Your buddy Cramer is telling everyone to divest themselves of their stocks.

Oct. 6: TODAY’s Ann Curry talks to CNBC’s Jim Cramer, who advises pulling out the stock market if you are going to need your assets in the next five years.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27045406#27045406

Pong if I were you I'd be a lot less worried about Rev. Right and Ayers and start following the Dow.

Rez

By tonight Cramer will be telling everyone to buy buy buy

Sorry, Ping. No one is gonna believe that Bush = Obama stuff no matter how often you repeat it.

btw...

"Some regulators noted the danger posed by these deregulations and pushed for more oversight, but Congress refused. This may be due, in part, to the Keating Five, five Senators — Dennis DeConcini, Alan Cranston, John Glenn, Don Riegle and John McCain — who had received, for both themselves and for groups they supported, well over $1 million from Keating in the 1980s as favors and political contributions.[1] They later met twice with regulators who were investigating American Continental Corporation, in an attempt to end the investigation. (In 1991, they would be rebuked to various degrees by the Senate Ethics Committee.)[2]"

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

If the dems are smart and keep it simple, McCain looks just like the rest of the Keating 5 - and people who can't remember Lincoln S&L can vaguely recall (corectly or not) that the Keating 5 were 5 corrupt senators. McCain is taking a big gamble by going down this road the day before the next presidential debate.

Virginia: The New Dominion
by BarbinMD Jul 17, 2008

The fifty state strategy in action:

Sen. Barack Obama's campaign announced Wednesday that it is adding 20 offices across Virginia, an unprecedented effort by a presidential candidate and another sign that he plans to compete vigorously in a state that has been on the sidelines during past presidential contests.

The offices, which will open Saturday, will be in nearly every medium-size city in the state, along with a few locations often overlooked by statewide candidates, much less a presidential campaign.

"A lot of these places may have never had a presidential campaign before," state Sen. John S. Edwards (D-Roanoke) said at an event announcing the offices. "It shows [Obama] is investing in the commonwealth and it is a bottom-up, not a top-down campaign."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602817.html?hpid=topnews

KGC: "By tonight Cramer will be telling everyone to buy buy buy"

ROFL

I watched the whole Palin speech this morning and more than anything in her lovely white suit she reminded me of David Duke in front of a White Power crowd of cheerleaders. It was downright scary. REally: Obama/Biden are not Americans like you and me? What are they - Martians? You have a feeling all those people were circulating the C H A N G E email.

As close as I can tell from the whole Ayers story is that a spoiled wealthy brat committed some truly horrendous acts 40 years ago and got off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. In his late middle age he is still a far left if non violent radical and has busied himself doing good works in support of those living in poverty.

Along comes a young man of similar liberal tendencies and committment through work of those in poverty. Older man gets him on some boards and panels where he can direct some funds to his constituency and tosses some money towards the young man's later political campaigns.

This hardly makes them bosom buddies. You can fault Obama for having liberal policies with which you don't agree, but to align him with violent events that happened before he was 10 is just plain stupid and prejudiced.

I am following the DOW - with balance and planning it is a good time to find great bargains.

Look at Citigroup and Wells Fargo ferocious battle for Wachovia. They see a bargain,

Long Term
Short Term

Watch for the trend and be ready to jump in……..

It's not just the rural folks.

http://rattlergator.typepad.com/rattlergator/2008/10/operation-shock-the-world-sarah-palin-delivers-again.html

Here is another Floridian's take on the Election.

Pogo – you are absolutely correct, “If the dems are smart and keep it simple, McCain looks just like the rest of the Keating 5 - and people who can't remember” now lets add the fact -- That McCain was not found guilty, and that it feel on the DEMS.

If the Dems do not keep it simple and allow the facts to penetrate as I have now seen, And now John McCain will defend his honor from the liable ad that the holy Obama and Gibbs is running – then it may change the tide.

Gibbs is like the kid that throws a snow ball full of ice and rocks, then cries to his mommy that he did not do

rural vs. urban

Obama is urban man, McCain is military man, Biden is urban man, Palin is rural...

and rural america exists in all 50 states and Palin's appeal is almost pioneer...daughter of the American Revolution, etc. McCain campaign stumbled into the rural arena with Palin and have tapped into this energy. Unfortunately, a military man only knows to keep his woman barefoot and pregnant eventhough she knows how to use a gun. Had they more time, they may have been able to effectively use Palin.

Jamie,

Have your noticed that the media prefers to replay her remarks from the earlier rally in CA rather than the recent one in FL. It (her attitude) is more mean and nastier. Makes for better news.

Today's thread on the BackChannel Blog

Small Business, by dnd

http://clistersbackchannel.wordpress.com/

Ree,
Great link and post,
I suggest all take a serious read....

here is the link again

http://rattlergator.typepad.com/rattlergator/2008/10/operation-shock-the-world-sarah-palin-delivers-again.html

Keating 5 getting you a little nervous Pong? It should, the Right-Ayers card was already played this summer and obviously didn't stop Obama. For most people the Keating 5 story is new news and seems oh so relevant in the current climate!

McCain: I'm Not Raising Taxes. I'm Cutting Medicare!

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/10/06/mccain-i-m-not-raising-taxes-i-m-cutting-medicare.aspx

bye-bye Florida!

Certainly the Feds can lend the states the funds they need, which amounts to selling treasuries then sending that money to the states. If this keeps up the only government in the US which can raise money at reasonable rates will be the Federal government.

The fear then will be that one day foreigners and maybe even Americans will wonder why they are in treasuries when they pay almost nothing and expose them to significant currency risk.

At that point, the real fun begins.
States Close to Running out of Money
By: Ian Welsh Monday October 6, 2008 7:56 am

Likely to happen? It shouldn't. There are things that could be done which would ensure it doesn't.

Wonder if anyone will do any of those things? 'Cause doing them will require that your first priority isn't bailing out the rich, and what TARP told us is that right now that's still where Congress, the President and both presidential candidates are.
http://firedoglake.com/2008/10/06/states-close-to-running-out-of-money/

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/10/obamas-rural-challenge.html#comment-155198

Rez, She was frightening this morning. That woman is just plain mean mouthed with a sarcastic streak. No wonder they nicknamed her barracuda.

Another scraping of the bottom of the barrel, repugs worried about how voters show up at the poll dressed.

Ping - that's another difference - McCain was found not guilty (actually, he was not censured by the Senate Ethics Committee - I don't believe he was ever charged with a crime) - OBAMA on the other hand was never connected in any way to Ayers' bad acts in the 60s and 70s and was never charged with even being old enough to know they were occurring. It's very difficult to claim that your opponent has closer ties to a "terrorist" (read the meme - trying to tie Ayers to the war on terror) than you do to a criminal when the "terrorist" was never convicted of a crime, but your own benefactor was and you yourself were investigated (albeit largely exonerated) and became one of a famous group of senators whose acts were widely considered corrupt. If I were a campaign consultant (and if I were I'd be a lot wealthier than I am) to either campaign and thought I had a prayer of winning without mentioning these things, I'd say don't mention them.

Brain - it does make me nervous as who can trust the MSM to help get the facts - As McCain is clean in this issue – unlike the Dems. But you would never know it.

This shows how trusting Obama is that the 4th estate is incompetent or not willing to find the truth.

jamie, like I said yesterday - Sarah Palin reminds me of my mother when my mother was angry I've seen that fixed glare and semi-pursed lips many times. (And coincidentally, they share their first name).

lunch

Pogo - What can we do to get the facts on how someone will behave and drive in the future?

Past Performance?

What they say - regardless of past performance?

It is difficult at best

Pong your candidate would do better to spend his efforts coming up with a plan for the economy then trying to smear Obama. That old stock phrase of "they are going to raise your taxes" does not an economic plan make.

Patsi:

Ronald Reagan and his cronies sent the country on the road to hell, Bush 1 continued it. Clinton slowed it down, and with a shrug and a smirk, Bush 2 handed America back to the crooks

This is what I have been trying to say(when i say it it is very clumsy). Right now is the time to tear down Reagan legacy, a false one at that, The D's will not get this opportunity again,Tear him down point by point, thats how we got here eay. The D's in my mind should not only be concerned about getting O elected, but should strike at the Republican ideas of total capitalism good, and socialism bad. get a little of both and govern from the middle, are the D's just concerned with win right now, or should they be concerned for the future also, I hope so because the future involves a lot of family that i have after i'm gone.

Patsi.....I have always watched a lost of diff channels for my news a few years back (very very little the last 2yrs) and have always liked Craig Crawford, hes seemed likable and knowledgeable, so when I started reading his blog, you stood out to me right away, and you are the reason (main ) reason that i lurked for over a year before i started posting, I'm not very good at this but here is why.

I have a sister named Maria that died (i say have,cause she is still with me every day) 4 years ago this Oct. and when i started to read this blog, watching you fight with some of these flea heads, it reminded me of her, first she would try to make her arguments in a nice way, and take an insult or two, and crossed the line, she could fight and win on their term, she would not back down at all if it was for a cause, to defend someone else etc. Well any way I have seen you go and come back a cple of times, and I also Know that you will not ever go away permanently, this is an extension of the good fight that you have given all your life, and lastly, if you are not able to save the D's from cannibalism, welcome to the Indies,
we are a pretty happy crowd believe it or not.

Wow, McFailin really scared of talking about the economy so close to the election.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081006/ap_on_el_pr/palin

that should read when they crossed the line

So lets see, so far this morning:

NH + 13 for Obama

PA + 11 for Obama

As McCain's Lead Among White Virginians Shrinks, So Too His Chances of Holding The State's 13 Electoral Votes: 29 days until votes are counted in Virginia, Democrat Barack Obama is ahead 53% to 43%, according to this SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, WJLA-TV in Washington DC, WTVR-TV in Richmond, and WJHL-TV in the Tri-Cities. In 4 tracking polls conducted since the Republican Convention, McCain has gone from up by 2 to down by 10.

http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=00f2d8fb-6a3b-425d-9f27-21df796e8fe5

Throwing around this garbage about Ayers and Rezco is silly. That would bring up McCain's Keating Association, or the backer who supports terrorists, or the white power board of directors.

The whole "guilt by association" is just getting down right old. No one gets to the US Senate without knowing some less than savory people.

Sorry folks, Mr. Smith does not go to Washington. The best you can hope for is that the positives outweigh the negatives and that the issues the politician you support are usually in line with what you believe.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/5/11241/0293/672/620709

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/02/mccain-fundraiser-oversaw_n_110354.html

I just got the following email from Grampa

"Dear Brian,

The RNC Victory 2008 emergency voter registration and get-out-the-vote effort needs your immediate support."

Wow talk about too little, too late!

Looked at broadly, Obama's percent of the vote has been within a very narrow range of 48% to 50% over the last ten days, and McCain's has been within an equally narrow range of 42% of 44% over the same time period. These results suggest that aside from normal sampling error, the underlying dynamics of the race have become quite stable, and underscore the degree to which there has been little meaningful change in the race in well over a week.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/110974/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Leads-50-42.aspx

“You will know me by the company i keep”
Tony Rezko
Nadhmi Auchi
Allison Davis
Raila Odinga
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
Abongo “Roy” Obama
Abdulkader Al Bakri
Frank Marshall Davis
Bernardine Dohrn
William Ayers
Saul Alinksy
George Soros
Rep. Jan Schakowsky
Robert Creamer
Rev. Jeremiah Wright
Louis Farrakhan
Mohammar Kaddafy
Bernie Sanders
Mike Kruglik
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Saul Mendelson
Khaleel Ahmed
Zubair A. Ahmed
Talat M. Othman
Rashid Khalidi
Malik Zulu Shabazz
Robert Malley
Harold Koh
Frank Davis

Bush approval drops to new low of 27%

Don'tcha Just Love it.

The non-profit, non-partisan Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) has launched a dynamic new website to help safeguard the fairness and integrity of US elections, using the power of citizen journalism. The Election Protection Wiki is now online at ElectionProtectionWiki.org or EPWiki.org. It enables citizens, journalists and government officials to actively monitor the electoral process in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. CMD and its community of volunteer editors will continue to improve, expand and update the EP Wiki beyond the upcoming November 4th election.
The Election Protection Wiki is part of CMD's award-winning SourceWatch.org website and operates on wiki software which allows anyone who registers on the website to participate in creating and updating articles. SourceWatch contains in-depth articles on every member of (and most candidates for) the US Congress at Congresspedia.org. CMD employs both professional and volunteer editors who work together online to ensure articles are accurate, fully documented and fair.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Portal:Election_Protection_Wiki

Solar -- Thanks for the note. No, I don 't mind getting down in the mud when that's where the fight goes. What I do mind is misrepresentations and the hypocrisy. I mind clueless cheerleading for any candidate.

And I REALLY mind people attacking others on race or gender terms when what they don't like is an individual's politics.

I'm not a fan of most of Sarah Palin's politics. But she is no different from most arch social conservatives, and less than many, EG: her position on civil unions. Had a man with similar views been the VP pick, none of the people sneering would be doing so on this kind of personal level. That, I believe, is what this political cycle has done. It made sexism not just acceptable, but chic in some circles.

PS, Solar -- I come and go here when, to paraphrase Hunter Thompson, "It finally gets too weird for me."

…and that meeting with Qazwini
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2008/05/020542.php

DO WE KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT BARACK OBAMA?
YOU BETCHA!!

According to Animal Control since Obama visited his grandmother once in his life, he is now an avid supporter of all African dictators?

Talk about thinking the American voter is completely brain dead and willing to swallow any garbage tossed their way.

By this logic, John McCain is a supporter of all South American dictators, anti semites, and the KKK

Patsi:

Thanks for the call back, and calling me by my first name.

Do any of you want into the Electoral Contest (Closing date 10/18)

Trailmixer Obama McCain Winner Declared Pop %

Jamie 375 163 11:05 PM Obama + 10

Brian 364 174 11:01 PM Obama + 8

Euro Tom 349 189 11:04 PM

Unlikely Burrito 364 174 11:00 PM

Rezdog 297 241 11:06 PM

EProf2 295 243 11:02 PM

Lardass 307 231 11:03 PM

S - ?:
-------
O(1) & O(1) => 6/K

O(1) & K(1) => 7/T

O(1) & F(1) => ?/?

O(1) & F(2) => ?/?
------------------
O(2) & F(1) => 4/C

O(2) & F(1) => ?/?

O(2) & F(2) => ?/?

dow down 600
don't know how much more rescuing we can stand

This is what a lot of people saw, stop talking about her, get on with the election.

[Sarah Palin]

Not that Mr. Biden was trounced by the ingénue governor. A master of Beltwayspeak and talking points, he effectively presented his case for change. But on style he couldn't possibly compete with the effervescent Mrs. Palin and he knew it. He heightened the contrast between his somber self and her Happy Warrior personality by bringing up "my 35 years of service in public office" -- reminding viewers just how much he is part of the Washington that Mrs. Palin railed against.

Mrs. Palin clearly enjoyed her second star turn on the national stage. Unlike Mr. Biden, she directly faced the camera and addressed the American people. When telling viewers that she had disagreements with Mr. McCain -- on oil drilling in Alaska, for example -- but would keep working to change his mind, she even allowed herself to wink at her audience. That's the mark of a self-confident pro.

As for her media critics, Mrs. Palin took them on by reminding moderator Gwen Ifill that she would answer the questions the way she wanted to, not the way other people wanted her to. As the debate wrapped up, she thanked its organizers for allowing her to speak directly to the American people without the "filter" of the mainstream media. That was a clever way of deflecting attention from her recent choppy and unfocused interview with CBS's Katie Couric and was a guaranteed crowd pleaser with the conservative base.

hello all--

Don't know if anyone has posted this article about McCain written by Tim Dickinson of Rolling Stone Magazine But it is a scathing depiction of his character. Compares his history to that of George Bush's in respect to their upbringing and political motivations. Worth the read I think.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

No reason to read the Rolling Stone piece, because it'll just be more of the same. No reason to read any of the right wing emails that come daily, either. I already know the spin.

The case of John McCain is probably one of the saddest in politics. In 2000 he truly did stand for independence. But over the past eight years he has been eaten alive by BushRot. Of course, even in his independent days, he was an arch conservative, as is Chuck Hagel despite his anti-war views.

Mark Warner is 30 points ahead of Jim Gilmore in VA -- nice reverse coat tails. Now people are asking me where they can go to volunteer for the DEMS.

Does anyone have any info on Indiana? I'm interested to know if Jill Long Thompson has a chance there for governor.

Wow, good thing the Democrat-controlled Congress passed Bush's bailout bill, or the market would be down over 700 pts. (7%) today. Oh, wait a second...

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/10/obamas-rural-challenge.html#comment-155225

Hey Patsi
Wonderful Post!! I agree with you on Palin. I wish the criticisms of her were based only on the issues confronting are country. Ralph Nader told Bill Maher that "he was practicing raw sexism" against Palin and so are many on the left and without shame!!!

Wow, good thing that Barack Obama showed real leadership and stood up to the Bush Administration and it's bailout bill, or the market would be down over 700 pts. today. What's that? Obama lobbied FOR the bailout bill. Oh.

I thought pretty much the same Patsi. There was a time in the 90's when I respected his independence. But after reading this article it seems that it was always a mask. And he is far more of a scary person than I thought.

My ex was in the navy at the same time as McCain. He has always said that he was a fake. A fake at everything. He said that everything was always white washed for McCain. He saw the navy film of the Forrestal when It was burning. He says that you could see McCain running from the fire when everybody else was running toward it to put it out. He has always said that McCain was no hero at any time. This article and the personal accounts seem to bear out what he has always said.

I hope everyone reads at least part of it.

Ya Champ
Maybe they shouldn't do any more to help us....The help is killing my Annuity....

Champ,

Why didn't you lump McCain in your 3:08 comment? Since, listening to him, the bill was dead until he got involved.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-mortgage-holders-deal-100608,0,7304344.story

Settlement for bad loans - Bank America saves the Bacon from the Country Wide

So the alternative to McCain is actually no alternative at all, Rez? Is that what you're saying? Good point.

Living well is a challenge. Friend of mine just told me that things have slowed down a little------has a few dunkin doughnot store, works 18 hrs a day, told him now is a good time to change his value system ( or adjust it some what) pay some attention to hes wife and kids, of someone else will. Loves Obama but not too much his wife

Champ,

I know you fashioned yourself as the resident economist who has railed against people oversimplifying things in the markets. The people you have pushed who champion eliminating the Fed have said that a recession and by connection, this sell off are a good thing for the markets.

If you wish to score cheap points using a populist argument that foments the ignorance of people who fail to recognize the markets that are truly imperiled, I hope you will continue with your simplistic rantings. They offer even less substance than anything any of the presidential candidates have offered us.

No Champ, I was just pointing out your partisanship.

That's cool, Rez. I understand it's easier to attack me than defend your candidate.

Same goes for you, IV. You're putting words in my mouth. At least you're willing to admit both candidates lack substance. Maybe I'm getting somewhere after all.

Champ, I never said he didn't support/vote for the bailout bill. I don't think he should have but I'm not a one issue voter either.

Whichever one of these assholes gets in, the down ticket should be the exact opposite, so they can't hurt us too badly anymore until things can be sorted out and settled down or until someone comes up with a way to ensure ACCOUNTABILITY. Of course this would only work if congress did their f***ing jobs.............

Nice link to SNL, I can't remember who did it, but kudos anyway.....................................................

Mr. Crawford; I hope to God you're wrong about MO. But I also get the vibe that she's there for more than love.............................................................................

Rita

btw Champ I wasn't attacking you, although you like the group to believe you're neutral, which I think is just a ruse.

Champ,

My rule of thumb is, In the absence of two strong candidates, I vote for whomever isn't the biggest asshole. That rules out McCain.

In the absence of two strong candidates, I vote for the one who acts least desperate to be President. Rules out McCain.

In the absence of two strong candidates, even if both are the biggest liars in the world, the one who can do so without my bs detector going off gets the vote. McCain and Palin can't pass many fact check tests and far fewer than the Dems.

Lastly, in the absence of two strong candidates, the one who must win by tearing down their opponent instead of offering up a plan, even if it's a crap plan, loses my vote. Again, McCain loses there.

If you like Grumpy Old Man, rent the movie. Unless the Republicans can nominate a candidate who isn't a total prick and doesn't have to lie all the time and can make me feel positive about something, they deserve the bird they are getting.

Champ, I rarely see you say both are bad...you are as big a believer in the anti obama rhetoric as Pat Robertson is to Jesus.

Just got my copy of the AF Times. They (the AF Times and its companion editions for the other services) surveyed more than 4000 service members on election issues. Their conclusions are here:

Military Times poll: Troops backing McCain
http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_poll_100508w/

I was one of those surveyed--the methodology was quite similar to the surveys I receive from Harris.

And as the markets tumbled in the East, the senator from Arizona and his Alaskan Annie Oakley were seen riding off into the West, never to be heard from again.

Plenty of criticism of McCain here without me chiming in, IV.

The tragedy from my perspective is that there are only two options from yours.

"...if both are the biggest liars in the world, the one who can do so without my bs detector going off gets the vote."

That should be the one of whom you should be more critical.

"Troops backing McCain" ??

From the article Flatus:

"Sen. John McCain enjoys overwhelming support from the military’s professional core.". . .

"The results of the Military Times 2008 Election Poll are not representative of the opinions of the military as a whole. The group surveyed is older, more senior in rank and less ethnically diverse than the overall armed services."

Forget Ayers, Keating or Wright, Here's the deal killer!

McCain Plans Federal Health Cuts

Medicare, Medicaid Spending Would Be Reduced to Offset Proposed Tax Credit

John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid, a top aide said,"

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122315505846605217.html

Brian, I think you mention this yesterday.