Jack Cafferty no likey Caribou Barbie's latest interview. Leslie Blitzer tries to excuse her poor performance, but Jack cuts him off: "Don't make excuses for her. That was pathetic."
Friday, September 26, 2008
Stunt Over; McCain Will Debate
Surprise, surprise. Johnny MacSame went to DC, blew up the bailout negotiations, then slunk out of town to Mississippi, where the entire crowd will hate him as he tried to crater their $5.5 million extravaganza. Should be entertaining.
Obama is in my estimation a crappy debater, too slow and scholarly and basically too nice. He doesn't know how to deliver the finishing line unless it's written on paper beforehand. Hopefully his team has a few zingers lined up. McCain is also a poor debater, but being more aggressive is often seen as winning, and I would expect Johnny Whack to be at his pugnacious best tonight, fresh off his humiliation in DC.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, I'm not sure which, I won't see it live (Fuck it! We'll do it live!) tonight as I have a class, so I'll watch the re-runs on Youtube when I get home.
Pearls of Palin Economic Wisdom
Watch her look at the flash cards in her lap near the end, as she flubs her line and says the bailout is needed to bolster health care.
You will notice that in the Alaskan gubernatorial debates (I watched one on C-Span) she always had flash cards. I don't think she really knows anything about anything, but she reads cue cards like any good sports anchor wannabee. That's the experience I want in the White House. Whee!
Bush To Poor: Drop Dead
One week after proposing an obscene $700,000,000,000,000 bailout for Wall Street, George W. Fuck announced that he would oppose a package of less than 10% of that to remedy his economic meltdown on Main St.
The White House will oppose a $56.2 billion dollar stimulus package, specifically opposing aid to the poor, including extended unemployment benefits for seven weeks, a 10% increase in food stamps, and $50 million to food pantries.
Golden parachutes for Wall Street thieves, golden showers for everyone else.
Fuck you too, asshole. Enjoy the ignominy of being remembered as the worst president in history.
We Love Lists
slate.com: First Palin, Then Campaign Suspension. What Now?
Slate predicts McCain's next 10 Hail Mary stunts.
1. Returns to Vietnam and jails himself.
2. Offers the post of "vice vice president" to Warren Buffett.
3. Challenges Obama to suspend campaign so they both can go and personally drill for oil offshore.
4. Learns to use computer.
5. Does bombing run over Taliban-controlled tribal areas of Pakistan.
6. Offers to forgo salary, sell one house.
7. Sex-change operation.
8. Suspends campaign until Nov. 4, offers to start being president right now.
9. Sells Alaska to Russia for $700 billion.
10. Pledges to serve only one term. OK, half a term.
Palin Is a Disaster of Epic Proportions
If you have been watching the Katie Couric interview with Sarah Palin, you must know that she is not very bright, has no background in national or international issues, and is completely unqualified to be POTUS. Reportedly CBS has more Palin clips to release today -- and they are even worse.
There will be no vice presidential debate. At least, Sarah Palin will not participate in a vice presidential debate. There will be some excuse. Some crisis. Either national (economy? Russia?) or personal (kid with flu? projection vomiting? the preggo daughter goes into premature labor? moose on the loose in the governor's mansion? something.). Ed Schultz the radio host has this on his site today:
McCain Camp insiders say Palin "clueless"
Capitol Hill sources are telling me that senior McCain people are more than concerned about Palin. The campaign has held a mock debate and a mock press conference; both are being described as "disastrous." One senior McCain aide was quoted as saying, "What are we going to do?" The McCain people want to move this first debate to some later, undetermined date, possibly never. People on the inside are saying the Alaska Governor is "clueless."
There's no way they let her get whacked around for an hour and half on her own. There will be no debate, because she will never be ready for one. It is painful to watch her struggle to answer questions that she had to know were coming.
Not much love for the not-ready-for-prime-time governor of Alaska around the web.
Kathleen Parker, Dallas Morning News: How to solve this Palin problem?
Ms. Palin's recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.
Alessandra Stanley, NYTimes: A Question Reprised, but the Words Come None Too Easily for Palin
[I]t wasn’t a reassuring performance....[I]t may be hard for Mr. McCain’s running mate to recoup. It wasn’t her first interview on national television, but in some ways it was the worst.
LATimes: Palin talks to Couric -- and if she's lucky, few are listening
Her third nationally televised interview, with CBS anchor Katie Couric, found Palin rambling, marginally responsive and even more adrift than during her network debut with ABC’s Charles Gibson.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: I’m sorry — Sarah Palin is a bad joke
Palin is living, breathing proof that John McCain lies when he claims to put this country first over politics. She makes Dan Quayle look like Albert Einstein with a better haircut.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Shameless and clueless Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric provided further proof that she is a clear and present danger to the nation.
The only people who can still say with utter sincerity that she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency are those who actually haven't a clue about what a president does. Once Palin gets sidetracked from repeating her simplistic talking points about being a maverick and cleaning up Washington and not ever, ever blinking in the face of a foreign threat, she quickly reveals the shocking shallowness in her knowledge of issues a candidate for high office should have contemplated long and hard.
I don't think she's stupid, I think she is much like George W. Bush -- incurious. She really hasn't thought about this stuff. Palin insults the intelligence of the nation when she makes claims about her qualifications that are patently ridiculous....
Bush v. Bush, McCain v. McCain
If you're not watching the Daily Show, you're not getting any analysis deeper than a puddle on current events.
Jon Stewart brilliantly puts Bush's pre-Iraq-war speech side-by-side with his bailout (which he calls "Clusterf#@k to the Poor House") speech:
And then McCain's wild shifting of positions on the economy in the past 10 days, and then his "rush" to return to Washington:
Jon Stewart brilliantly puts Bush's pre-Iraq-war speech side-by-side with his bailout (which he calls "Clusterf#@k to the Poor House") speech:
And then McCain's wild shifting of positions on the economy in the past 10 days, and then his "rush" to return to Washington:
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Slideshow of Palin Protest
A friend sent me this slideshow of the protest against Sarah Palin in Anchorage, Alaska earlier this month. Now that we are seeing how comically underqualified Palin is, these protesters seem prophetic:
1400 protest Palin nomination, Alaska, September 14, 2008
1400 protest Palin nomination, Alaska, September 14, 2008
"I Can See Russia From My House!"
"They're in the state that I am the executive of."
dailykos: More painful Palin excerpts from Couric interview (video)
The more I see of this interview, the more I am convinced that this is why McCain suspended his campaign yesterday. Forget the bailout, his crisis is:
How do we solve a problem like Sarah? (lyrics below)
COURIC: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?
PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land-- boundary that we have with-- Canada. It-- it's funny that a comment like that was-- kind of made to-- cari-- I don't know, you know? Reporters--
COURIC: Mock?
PALIN: Yeah, mocked, I guess that's the word, yeah.
COURIC: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials.
PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our-- our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They're in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia--
COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?
PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We-- we do-- it's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where-- where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is-- from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to-- to our state.
Maria/Sarah, The Sound of Music
How do you solve a problem like Sarah?
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Sarah?
A flibbertijibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown!
Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her
Many a thing she ought to understand
But how do you make her stay
And listen to all you say
How do you keep a wave upon the sand
Oh, how do you solve a problem like Sarah?
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?
When I'm with her I'm confused
Out of focus and bemused
And I never know exactly where I am
Unpredictable as weather
She's as flighty as a feather
She's a darling! She's a demon! She's a lamb!
She'd outpester any pest
Drive a hornet from its nest
She could throw a whirling dervish out of whirl
She is gentle! She is wild!
She's a riddle! She's a child!
She's a headache! She's an angel!
She's a girl!
How do you solve a problem like Sarah?
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Sarah?
A flibbertijibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown!
Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her
Many a thing she ought to understand
But how do you make her stay
And listen to all you say
How do you keep a wave upon the sand
Oh, how do you solve a problem like Sarah?
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?
Chris Rock on Bill Clinton's Problem With Obama
Big Dog hasn't exactly been burning up the airwaves with his love of Obama. He's stayed pretty much on the fence, all nonpartisan and professorial. Where did Bill Clinton's Democratic political skills go? Comedian Chris Rock was on after Bill on Letterman's show a few days ago & lets him have it:
A Little More of the Quaylin Interview
God, she is stupid, stupid woman. What was McCain thinking? Which brain was he using?
Sarah Palin makes Katie Couric look Presidential.
"The logistics that we're already suggesting here....bin Laden [] such a leader of this terrorist movement....I believe that a surge in Afghanistan also will lead us to victory there, as it has proven to have done in Iraq....as our leaders are telling us in our military ...."
A babbling brook, one inch deep. Watch it here (can't get it to embed, sorry.)
HuffPo: Palin On Bin Laden: "Such A Leader Of This Terrorist Movement"
Sarah Palin makes Katie Couric look Presidential.
"The logistics that we're already suggesting here....bin Laden [] such a leader of this terrorist movement....I believe that a surge in Afghanistan also will lead us to victory there, as it has proven to have done in Iraq....as our leaders are telling us in our military ...."
A babbling brook, one inch deep. Watch it here (can't get it to embed, sorry.)
HuffPo: Palin On Bin Laden: "Such A Leader Of This Terrorist Movement"
New Obama Ad: A Stronger Economy
Good, not great, but solid. I like the serious tone, and the lack of cutesy music. I wish it was lit a little better.
Drunk Broke America
yahoo
Ultimately, it is a good thing that it's all out on the table before the election, but really, media? The guy has been a MISERABLE FAILURE since Day 1. Nice of you to notice.
Good
Obama's going to go to the debate Friday night even if John McChicken doesn't show up, according to this report in the Huffington Post.
That will put McCain's panties in a bunch. (Was that sexist?)
Barack Obama is committed to hosting a public, televised event Friday night in Mississippi even if John McCain does not show up, a source close to the Obama campaign tells the Huffington Post.
The Senator, the source says, is willing to make the scheduled debate a townhall meeting, a one-on-one interview with NewsHour's Jim Lehrer, or the combination of the two in McCain's absence.
That will put McCain's panties in a bunch. (Was that sexist?)
The Scurvy Little Spiders Come Out to Play
Can't you understand what's happening here? Don't you see what's happening? Potter isn't selling. Potter's buying! And why? Because we're panicky and he's not. That's why. He's picking up some bargains. Now, we can get through this thing all right. We've got to stick together, though. We've got to have faith in each other.- It's a Wonderful Life George Bailey tries to stop the panic during the run on the bank.
You sit around here and you spin your little webs and you think the whole world revolves around you and your money. Well, it doesn't, Mr. Potter! In the... in the whole vast configuration of things, I'd say you were nothing but a scurvy little spider.- George Bailey after Potter offers him a job.
Life imitates film:
WaPo: Fresh Signs of Recovery Or Just Opportunism?
In the past week, Warren E. Buffett put up nearly $10 billion to acquire Constellation Energy Group and a stake in Goldman Sachs. Japan's largest bank company has agreed to invest billions of dollars in Morgan Stanley. Private-equity firms, meanwhile, are lining up funds so they can pounce on assets that are priced to move quickly.
They're playing us all for suckers.
IOKIYAR
The corporate media was quick to run the National Enquirer story about John Edwards' affair. The same publication runs essentially the same story about Sarah Palin: silence. Same publication, same journalistic standards, one story trumpeted from coast to coast, the other ignored. This week the National Enquirer is reporting that Sarah Palin had an affair with her husband's business partner. The family values/rank hypocrisy party strikes again.
IOKIYAR
National Enquirer: SARAH PALIN LOVER REVEALED!
IOKIYAR
National Enquirer: SARAH PALIN LOVER REVEALED!
Palin's Witch-Fighting Pastor
Max Blumenthal: The Witch Fighter Anoints Palin
The audio on this video is pretty loud, so be forewarned.
As a lapsed Catholic/current atheist I find this deeply weird. The Kenyan witch-fighting pastor actually prays to protect her from the "spirit of witchcraft," and she stands there with her eyes closed as though this were a perfectly reasonable faith.
When I hear witches I think Salem and The Crucible (hysteria and woman-hating) or Wiccans (peaceful, earthloving humanists.) This guy looks like he'd fit right in in Salem.
Deep Thought
If John McCain is suspending his campaign, why is he giving his campaign speech (being shown uninterrupted on CNN, the stupid news network) at the Clinton Global Initiative?
Oh, yeah, it's a transparent political stunt. I forgot.
Oh, yeah, it's a transparent political stunt. I forgot.
McCain v. McCain
A Tale of Two McCains, a video by Jed Lewison showing McCain's all-over-the-map statements over the last week. Hilarious. Every time I see one of these things where McCain takes totally diametric positions, all I can think of is Spy Versus Spy from Mad magazine -- with John McCain as both spies. Fundamentals sound! Economy at risk! POW!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
John McCain Tries a Stunt
John McCain seems to be cracking up. Obama (still under the Democratic misapprehension that John McCain is an honorable man -- he is a LIAR, don't you get that?) called McCain Wednesday morning to discuss putting out a joint statement about the mortgage bailout, outlining their points of agreement. More of that bipartisan bullshit. (You can only be bipartisan if both sides truly intend to cooperate, and Republicans don't do cooperation. So in this environment, when Democrats and Republicans come together, they pass the Republican bill. Not helpful.)
McCain finally called him back six hours later (in the interim, doing such important things as meeting with Her Royal Highness Lady de Rothschild) and tells Obama they will put out a joint statement, and he's thinking about postponing the debate. Minutes after Obama puts the phone down, McCain runs to the television cameras. He's all Mr. Crisis Management. Mr. "The fundamentals of our economy are strong" last week is Mr. "Hair on fire" today. Suspending his campaign. Flying to Washington to Fix the economy. Asking to postpone the debate Friday night. (Huh? He can't do more than one thing at a time? Oh, I forget, he's been doing one campaign event a day for several weeks now -- usually early in the morning while he's still alert.)
Another whoops alert, McCain's campaign faxed the talking points about the campaign suspension to their entire Colorado MEDIA LIST, rather than to the campaign volunteers. Oops.
Later in the day McCain's campaign announced that they want to put off the Vice Presidential debate. A few hours ago they announced that Quaylin is also suspending her campaign. (Back to Karl Rove debate prep for poor Sarah.) Which is probably the entire purpose of the episode. Caribou Barbie ain't ready for prime time. Her interview with Katie Couric is painful to watch. She's just really stupid, answering questions in nonsensical sentence fragments, always near the topic but never really with it.
McCain was supposed to do the David Letterman show tonight, but blew off Letterman to go on Katie Couric's CBS evening news. (Told Letterman he had to fly to Washington IMMEDIATELY, then went to Katie's studio. Dave is pissed. Watch the video, below.) I suspect McCain did this so that tonight's bit of the Sarah Quaylin interview got knocked off the playlist.
Letterman mocks McCain for suspending his campaign and blowing off his show:
Caribou Barbie with Katie Couric, Part I:
McCain is desperate and flailing. Unfortunately for him, his first flail, the comically unqualified Ms. Palin, will prove his undoing. I can't wait to see her in a debate. I think I'll have to have a debate party just to yuck it up.
"In what respect, Charlie?" has become a common thing for my friends to say to each other, and laugh.
McCain can run, but he can't hide Sarah Quaylin forever.
McCain finally called him back six hours later (in the interim, doing such important things as meeting with Her Royal Highness Lady de Rothschild) and tells Obama they will put out a joint statement, and he's thinking about postponing the debate. Minutes after Obama puts the phone down, McCain runs to the television cameras. He's all Mr. Crisis Management. Mr. "The fundamentals of our economy are strong" last week is Mr. "Hair on fire" today. Suspending his campaign. Flying to Washington to Fix the economy. Asking to postpone the debate Friday night. (Huh? He can't do more than one thing at a time? Oh, I forget, he's been doing one campaign event a day for several weeks now -- usually early in the morning while he's still alert.)
Another whoops alert, McCain's campaign faxed the talking points about the campaign suspension to their entire Colorado MEDIA LIST, rather than to the campaign volunteers. Oops.
Later in the day McCain's campaign announced that they want to put off the Vice Presidential debate. A few hours ago they announced that Quaylin is also suspending her campaign. (Back to Karl Rove debate prep for poor Sarah.) Which is probably the entire purpose of the episode. Caribou Barbie ain't ready for prime time. Her interview with Katie Couric is painful to watch. She's just really stupid, answering questions in nonsensical sentence fragments, always near the topic but never really with it.
McCain was supposed to do the David Letterman show tonight, but blew off Letterman to go on Katie Couric's CBS evening news. (Told Letterman he had to fly to Washington IMMEDIATELY, then went to Katie's studio. Dave is pissed. Watch the video, below.) I suspect McCain did this so that tonight's bit of the Sarah Quaylin interview got knocked off the playlist.
Letterman mocks McCain for suspending his campaign and blowing off his show:
Caribou Barbie with Katie Couric, Part I:
McCain is desperate and flailing. Unfortunately for him, his first flail, the comically unqualified Ms. Palin, will prove his undoing. I can't wait to see her in a debate. I think I'll have to have a debate party just to yuck it up.
"In what respect, Charlie?" has become a common thing for my friends to say to each other, and laugh.
McCain can run, but he can't hide Sarah Quaylin forever.
McCain's Keating 5 Scandal in 97 Seconds
From the fabulous JedReport:
On the take for over 20 years: John McLame.
On the take for over 20 years: John McLame.
We Love Lists
10 Zen Monkeys: 25 Harshest Reactions To the Wall Street Bailout
It's a clean list. No "what are these cocksuckers doing with my fucking money" here. (That will get this blog banned in a few more airports!)
Breathe, Democrats
ABC News poll has Obama with a 52-43 -- 9 point -- lead over McCain.
WaPo: Economic Fears Give Obama Clear Lead Over McCain in Poll
WaPo: Economic Fears Give Obama Clear Lead Over McCain in Poll
Liar/Liar '08
John McCain's campaign is hiring writers to write fake letters to the editor supporting his campaign.
salon.com: I ghost-wrote letters to the editor for the McCain campaign
I spent a morning in John McCain's Virginia campaign headquarters ghost-writing letters to the editor for McCain supporters to sign. I even pretended to have a son in Iraq.
Factory Pig Farm in Suburban Massachusetts
Boston Globe: Soo-wee! ...... Phooey!
Sick of pig farm stench, Tewksbury group seeks law
900 pigs is not a family farm. This factory farm has a 500,000 gallon manure pit.
The funniest part of the story is this:
Stranger still, the exact number of pigs at the farm is apparently a poorly-kept secret. Making that figure public jeopardizes national security, state and local officials have said.
National security? Yes, the farm and state officials refuse to release the exact number of pigs on the stinky farm because information about our food supply is a state secret! They let the farm expand illegally then approved it retroactively. The whole thing smells to high heaven:
[T]hree years ago, [pig farm opponent David Powers] said, the pig stench went from bad to unbearable when Krochmal Farm expanded its pig operation before they had legal permission to do so.
It became "horrific, like the bottom of a dumpster," Powers said. "I don't think a factory farm should be in a suburban Boston neighborhood."
Powers has pieced together information about the farm, using public records searches and satellite maps. If that seems like spying, it is. Local health officials refuse to give information about the number of pigs on Krochmal Farm, saying to release that information violates Homeland Security rules protecting the secrecy of the nation's food supply.
Clement did confirm that the farm underwent an unauthorized expansion, which was approved by local officials because the building was deemed sound.
"Basically they built a new pig barn . . . without the necessary approval or building permits," she said.
That angered neighbors, and the town ultimately fined the Cave family for building the barn without proper construction permits. Powers said was deeply disturbing to think that the town's pig farms could expand without public notice.
More than 300 people signed a petition in favor of the new pig regulations that would penalize pig farmers who threaten the environment and quality of life. Of particular concern is whether manure runoff from the farm will seep into wetlands.
"Everybody knew there was a pig farm" in the neighborhood when they moved in, Powers said. "Nobody knew they would turn it into a factory farm."
Some moronic state official calls the factory farm "state of the art". State of the corporate farm, maybe, not so great for the neighbors, or the pigs (a 500,000 manure pit must be worse when you live next to it.)
It's a view state officials have little sympathy for. Scott Soares, assistant commissioner of agricultural resources, said the Krochmal pig barn is "state of the art." Neighbors should have questioned whether the pig population would rise before moving there, he said.
Yes, a state official says that neighbors should have assumed that the farm would expand illegally and the state would retroactively approve the lawbreaking. Lawlessness must be expected in modern corporate America.
More at TewksburyOdor.com
Cindy Parlow Leaving Her Brain to Science
NYTimes: 12 Athletes Leaving Brains to Concussion Study
Cindy Parlow retired from international play in 2006 because of post-concussion syndrome.
“I’m doing this to raise awareness of concussion and the injury, because it’s so misunderstood,” said Parlow, 30, who competed in three Olympics and two World Cups for the United States team and now has severe headaches from two significant concussions. “You can’t say, ‘Look at my broken leg.’ It’s a hidden injury. Especially in female athletes, because it’s seen as a football or male injury.”
Parlos is also on the Athlete Advisory Board of The Sports Legacy Institute, which was founded to bring awareness of the injuries suffered by athletes, especially brain injuries.
When I saw that a female soccer player was participating in this study, I thought it would be Joy Fawcett, who wore the anti-concussion headgear her last few years with the national team.
John McCain Lied On Sunday Night
John McCain stated flatly on Sunday night that his campaign manager, Rick Davis, had had no involvement with Freddie Mac for the past two years. Yesterday the NYTimes reported that this statement was a lie as Rick Davis's firm was paid $15,000 a month UNTIL LAST MONTH to lobby for the mortgage giant.
John McCain is a liar. I am sick of listening to Democrats wax on about how heroic he was 40 years ago (Bill Clinton did it on The Daily Show last night) without out pointing out the basic fact that the John McCain who is running for President in 2008 is a habitual liar.
NYTIMes: McCain Aide’s Firm Was Paid by Freddie Mac
This "Crisis" Is Very Suspicious
Open Left - There Is No Crisis -- Summary
I'm calling my Senators and Congressman this morning to tell them they cannot vote yes on any plan unless John McCain does. Don't get p*wned.
I'm calling my Senators and Congressman this morning to tell them they cannot vote yes on any plan unless John McCain does. Don't get p*wned.
Rep. Marcy Kaptur: "Let's Play Wall Street Bailout!"
Awesome anti-bailout rant on the floor of the House today by Marcy Kaptur, Democrat of Ohio:
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Did The Light Bulb Go On?
ABC is reporting that Democrats won't vote for the bank bailout plan unless McCain votes for it.
Stephanopoulos: McCain Holds Key to Administration's Bailout Passage on Capitol Hill
A Democratic leadership source says that White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten has been told that Democratic votes will not be there if McCain votes no -- that there is no deal if McCain doesn't go along.
McCain would be just the guy to lead the Dems on, then leave them twisting in the wind. They should hold his feet to the fire. (Enough cliches for ya there?)
McCain and the Keating Five Loved Deregulation, Too
Democrats should be driving home McCain's record in contributing to the last great taxpayer theft/bank bailout, the S&L crisis that he was right in the middle of as a member of the Keating Five.
Your Daily Inspiration
This looks like a caption contest photo to me.
TimesOnline (uk): September 22, 2008 Pictures of the Day
Pork Chop, left. leads the field through the first corner as part of the racing and diving pig show on exhibition at the Royal Melbourne Show. The show pigs, named Ham Bone, Bacon Bone, Pork Chop and Miss Porky Pig, attract hundreds of spectators
(William West/AFP/Getty Images)
Pork Chop, left. leads the field through the first corner as part of the racing and diving pig show on exhibition at the Royal Melbourne Show. The show pigs, named Ham Bone, Bacon Bone, Pork Chop and Miss Porky Pig, attract hundreds of spectators
(William West/AFP/Getty Images)
Liars
Emergency! Emergency! Everybody to get from street!
The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming (1966)
The Bush Administration admits that the Treasury Department's "plan" to bailout the banking industry isn't sudden. They've been working on it for months.
firedoglake: Bush Mouthpiece Admits: They’ve Been Sitting on this Plan
What else are they lying about?
John McCain: The Fundamental DeRegulator
This week -- and only this week -- John McCain has suddenly converted to the religion of regulation. Don't believe a word of it. He is a lifelong deregulator. Let the free market decide! Let the free market lose the people's money! Jed Lewison put together a video of John McCain's many statements of his true position. He has always supported deregulation:
Some Worst Case Scenarios
A lot of doom and gloom on the liberal blogs today. Unfortunately, I think they're right.
thereisnospoon, dailykos: DON'T TAKE THE BAIT: How to Lose an Election in 10 Easy Steps - The Republicans are setting up the Democrats to take the fall.
Billmon (he's back!), dailykos: Things Become More Serious - The Great Depression looked like this.
Jim Kuntsler, Clusterfuck Nation: Falling Into Fall - We are now a much poorer nation, and that will have many bad consequences.
thereisnospoon, dailykos: DON'T TAKE THE BAIT: How to Lose an Election in 10 Easy Steps - The Republicans are setting up the Democrats to take the fall.
Billmon (he's back!), dailykos: Things Become More Serious - The Great Depression looked like this.
Jim Kuntsler, Clusterfuck Nation: Falling Into Fall - We are now a much poorer nation, and that will have many bad consequences.
New Obama Ad: Destination
Too light in tone for my taste, with a trillion dollar bailout looming over the American economy.
Debate Preview
Go read the excellent preview of how John McCain will perform in the debates, by DeanDemocrat at Dailykos. It has many videos of McCain's answers in the Republican debates. Here are some of his points about McCain's debating style and how to beat it:
There is a wide array of issues that McCain is not very well read on and Obama should use this at every chance he gets. The key to taking advantage of McCain's ignorance is having the facts at your disposal and getting specific. Very specific. Especially any time you're asking a direct question of Senator McCain. No closed ended questions designed to get a yes or no. He likes those questions because they don't require him to think or explain himself. He can just say yes or no and call it straight talk.
[]
[] [B]eyond the shadow of a doubt [] in the debates when McCain is faced with his own words he simply lies. So any of you who are holding out hope that Obama can pull a John Stewart, quote the many faces of John McCain, call him a flip flopper and that'll be the end of it; I have some bad news for you.
McCain is going to lie through his teeth.
The man has no shame, he will not allow himself to be caught in a flip flop. He will lie lie lie straight to the moderators face just as he did with Tim Russert. And here is where the theme I mentioned begins to emerge with McCain. He makes shit up because he doesn't know, and when he gets caught he accuses you of lying, and then makes up more shit.
To combat this you HAVE to have the facts in your hands and online ready to go. It is not enough to say McCain is a flip flopper and then just sit back and expect it to stick. Obama has to be ready to hit back when McCain lies. He has to be ready to call him on it. Use the goddamn L word (lie) if you have too and then either have the original quote in your hand, or tell the moderator and the people at home where they can go online to find the truth. []
[]
[] McCain cannot stay on topic. Because of this tendency to stray off course Obama should attend all three debates fully prepared to address topics of every variety and nature. Being prepared for whatever McCain decides to throw at him will go a long way toward winning these debates.
[]
First, as I said before Obama needs to have the facts at his finger tips, McCain likes to pull things out of his pocket and say "Well look at this" Obama needs to be able to do the same. He needs to have facts and figures ready to go either on his website, linking to factcheck.org, or in his hand with specific dates and ads toscite. The goal of which is to paint McCain as a serial liar and create a post debate narrative that revolves around McCain's many errors and lies.
Second, once again Obama needs to face down McCain and look Presidential doing it when McCain tries to talk over, interrupt and filibuster Obama. Obama would be wise to stick to the debate rules as often as possible. He did a pretty good job and making sure he got his side of the story out there during the heated debate moments with Senator Clinton I just hope Obama understands that McCain is about 10 times more likely to break the rules and format of the debate than Clinton ever was.
Third, expect McCain to pull out and recycle every single thing Senator Clinton threw at Obama during the primaries. The fact that McCain's campaign basically told reporters to dig up stories on William Ayers in a recent conference call tells me that is exactly where their campaign is heading. Expect McCain to use Ayers, Louis Farrakhan, Tony Resko, The Bitter Comment and of course Rev. Wright as sort of throw away lines throughout these debates the same way he just sort of passive aggressively bashed Romney on flip flops you can expect him to just sort of throw out a "Well at least I don't hang out with members of the Weather Underground on the weekends" type of comment off hand.
Remember the clock is McCain's biggest enemy at these debates. He will be trying to waste as much time as possible. So what better way to do that than by throwing out distractions like these? It allows him to change the subject, force Obama to reiterate the truth as well as point out that these charges are recycled and have been dealt with and disproved mere months ago. This eats up time and robs Obama of an opportunity to reach out to new voters.
I think Obama has handled these issues in the past effectively but he needs to step it up. Call McCain a liar straight up when he makes these accusations so that anyone who may have not heard these ridiculous lies in the past will see Obama forcefully defending himself and calling McCain out for outright distortions and lies.
Forth, Obama needs zingers. I cannot stress this enough. Why do people watch Nascar? To see the cars crash. Why do people watch political debates? To see one guy verbally pwn (thats a gamer term) the other. Zingers are the key to doing that. Now obviously you don't want an entire night of one liners that make you look like a one dimensional fool. But one or two well placed, well executed zingers can not only steal the headlines but single handedly win the debate.
I don't know why Kerry didn't understand this in 2004 but it's pretty damn obvious if you ask me. People watch a debate to see the fireworks, its the same reason they watch shows like Hardball. They want to see these guys tear each other a new one (metaphorically speaking) and see who can out think the other.
Think about it....
There you go again. You Senator are no Jack Kennedy. Are you better off now than you were four years ago? I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.
Those are but a few of the legendary zingers that have won and forever characterized debates in the past. If Obama comes up with some good lines (and we all know he's great at that) they will be repeated over and over again after the debate and he could very well be crowned the winner on that and that alone.
So with that in mind, Obama should be listening to McCain's stump speech picking out the anecdotes he tells over and over again and coming up with good comebacks just in case McCain uses those anecdotes again at the debates.
Fifth and perhaps most importantly Obama needs to keep his cool while doing whatever he can to push McCain's buttons and provoke an outburst. Whether that means bringing up the Keating 5 Scandal, which I say is fair game if McCain uses William Ayers; or simply contradicting everything McCain says in a manner that doesn't kiss his POW ass. McCain's temper is legendary and if he loses it on National Television, its over for him. He will be done.
And finally if Obama has any big news such as, say an unexpected endorsement from Colin Powell or something similarly headline worthy I would do it late Thursday. Friday will be spent preparing for the debate depriving the press of any comments from Obama on the matter allowing the debate to be the first chance anyone has to ask about it. It would be a great way to steal the thunder and despite Powell's involvement in the Iraq debacle I do not see such an endorsement hurting Obama's chances as he heads into a debate focused on Foreign Policy and National Security.
Doug Feith Has Competition
Doug Feith may become known as formerly the "stupidest fucking guy on the planet". Norm Coleman (R-MN) is stepping up to claim the title. Here's what Norm Coleman (R-Delusion) said about the bailout:
U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman said the massive government bailout of failing financial institutions is not only necessary but could make money for the federal government.
“The government could make 10 or 20 times what it pays on this, possibly,” Coleman said during a campaign stop at Christy’s Cafe in North Mankato Saturday morning.
hat tip to John Cole's Balloon Juice, who said of this inanity:
And if I eat nothing but red meat, cheese, and milkshakes and smoke unfilter pall malls, I could live 10 or 20 years longer than most people, possibly. I hope the Republicans run with that - “This isn’t a bailout, it is a once in a lifetime investment opportunity! And, you get a chance at winning a toaster.”
There is a reason this incumbent Senator islosing togoing to lose to... a comedian.
George Will's Acorn*
George Will says McCain is unqualified to be president because of his temper.
George F. Will, WaPo: McCain Loses His Head
*Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while.
George F. Will, WaPo: McCain Loses His Head
Under the pressure of the financial crisis, one presidential candidate is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high. It is not Barack Obama.
Channeling his inner Queen of Hearts, John McCain furiously, and apparently without even looking around at facts, said Chris Cox, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, should be decapitated. This childish reflex provoked the Wall Street Journal to editorialize that "McCain untethered" -- disconnected from knowledge and principle -- had made a "false and deeply unfair" attack on Cox that was "unpresidential" and demonstrated that McCain "doesn't understand what's happening on Wall Street any better than Barack Obama does."
*Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while.
Be Forewarned
The Republican/McCain plan is to get the Democrats to bail out the GOP's Wall Street friends and then run against them for doing it.
- Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo
The first blogger to call this? Duncan Black (Atrios), of course:
And Because It's So Obvious
If the Democrats pass this piece of shit, look for Republican challengers to run against them on it.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Make Your Pitch
Can you get in on the bailout? I have it on good authority that Hank Paulson will be giving grants without any bothersome verification of the losses you claim. Here's where you file your paperwork:
BuyMyShitPile.com
Rep. Jim McDermott: "King Henry"
Mr Speaker,
The people in Washington State are very troubled by the fact that King George has been disposed of by King Henry.
We picked up Newsweek magazine today and we have a new King... King Henry?
We're supposed to give him 700 billion dollars of our money. He doesn't want any review. He wants to be able to do whatever he wants with it. He doesn't want any Congressional oversight. And worst of all, the new king is just like the old king: He doesn't want any sacrifice.
He says, "Oh we can't threaten the salares of the investment bankers who drove us into a ditch. We can't get anyone to pay for this."
This is the third time we've done it with this bunch. First the war, that didn't get paid for. Then the tax cuts, that didn't get paid for, and now King Henry takes over to distribute 700 billion dollars. He's going to be there for four months. And in four months he will make deals and then he'll go out and he'll be able to catch a pass he threw to himself.
You may remember Rep. McDermott from Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11.
Obermann: McCain v. McCain
With Paul Krugman for analysis of the bailout crisis and McCain's panicked position(s).
John McCain Lies About Always Buying American Cars
McCain went on TV on a local Detroit, Michigan station two weeks ago and claimed "I've bought American literally all my life." He lied. He and his wife own 13 cars, 3 of which are foreign, a Honda, a Lexus, and a Volkswagon.
Lying seems to have become second nature to McCain.
HuffPo: McCain Lies: "I've Bought American Literally All My Life"
Wall Street Journal: Newsweek: Vehicle Records of McCain's 13 Cars Contradict His Boast About Buying American
Newsweek: All the Candidates’ Cars
Lying seems to have become second nature to McCain.
HuffPo: McCain Lies: "I've Bought American Literally All My Life"
Wall Street Journal: Newsweek: Vehicle Records of McCain's 13 Cars Contradict His Boast About Buying American
Newsweek: All the Candidates’ Cars
John McCain's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week
Video compilation of TV pundits on McCain's week, from Talking Points Memo:
The Evidence Hank Paulson Gave Congress
Rememnber Colin Powell's presentation to the UN before the Iraq war?
A thinking person must doubt whenever the Bush Administration says "We must act immediately to prevent......" Too many lies.
A Better Bailout Plan
A plan to benefit Main Street, not Wall Street.
No blank check for crooks.
firedoglake: The Government and the People Need to Be The Insurer of Last Resort, Not the Idiot of Last Resort
1) Buy up mortgages at a discount and give people new fixed rate mortgages. The government shares in further house appreciation (only fair since it bailed the homeowner out). This stabilizes mortgage prices and helps people and banks both. It is essentially identical to what FDR did with the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC), and we know how to do it. Initial price tag? Probably around 20 billion.
2) Use the FDIC (the folks who take over failed banks) to take over failed mutual and money market funds, make sure the investors get as much money back as possible, liquidate the funds in an orderly fashion (or keep them operating if necessary) and if they are kept alive, kick the people who screwed them up to the curb and change how they do business.
3) Declare a national emergency, with judicial review (unlike Paulson's seizure of ultimate power) and use the authority to review all purchases of banks, to institute oil rationing if necessary (or simpler procedures like "every street now has a 55 mile an hour speed limit, if it is normally higher). Also allows release of oil from the reserve, if necessary.
4) Expand the safety net such as food stamps, employment insurance, welfare and so on. We know this is going to get worse no matter what we do, so why aren't we taking care of ordinary people?
McCain's Campaign Manager Was Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac's Top Deregulation Lobbyist
NYTimes: Loan Titans Paid McCain Adviser Nearly $2 Million
Senator John McCain’s campaign manager was paid more than $30,000 a month for five years as president of an advocacy group set up by the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to defend them against stricter regulations, current and former officials say.
Mr. McCain, the Republican candidate for president, has recently begun campaigning as a critic of the two companies and the lobbying army that helped them evade greater regulation as they began buying riskier mortgages with implicit federal backing. He and his Democratic rival, Senator Barack Obama, have donors and advisers who are tied to the companies.
But last week the McCain campaign stepped up a running battle of guilt by association when it began broadcasting commercials trying to link Mr. Obama directly to the government bailout of the mortgage giants this month by charging that he takes advice from Fannie Mae’s former chief executive, Franklin Raines, an assertion both Mr. Raines and the Obama campaign dispute.
Incensed by the advertisements, several current and former executives of the companies came forward to discuss the role that Rick Davis, Mr. McCain’s campaign manager and longtime adviser, played in helping Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac beat back regulatory challenges when he served as president of their advocacy group, the Homeownership Alliance, formed in the summer of 2000. Some who came forward were Democrats, but Republicans, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed their descriptions.
New Obama Ad: Article
The fundamentals of our economy are strong. - John McCain, Black Monday, 9/15/08
Get Calling -- Beggars Can't Be Choosers
John McCain on 60 Minutes last night.
"I think the [bank] deregulation was probably helpful to the growth of our economy."
Contacting Congress
You can get the telephone numbers of your Congressperson & Senators at this link.
I just finished my calls, and didn't get one busy signal.
Get calling, people!
I made two points:
(1) No blank check for those crooks on Wall Street, and
(2) Don't include foreign banks in the bailout!
-- Foreign banks like Phil Gramm's UBS Bank -- a Swiss bank! -- have lobbied to be included in the bailout proposal, and yesterday Treasury Secretary Hank Paul[Son of a Bitch] said he would be in favor of that.
Blog News
I took off the Digg buttons, after hearing from Mac-using friends that they couldn't see pictures or videos.
Back to a simpler template.
If you're Digg member, you can still Digg posts, you just have to go to Digg.com and do it manually.
Back to a simpler template.
If you're Digg member, you can still Digg posts, you just have to go to Digg.com and do it manually.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Krugman on Maher
New York Times economist and columnist Paul Krugman on Bill Maher's Real Time last night. Dire.
More Like This, Please
From an email sent by an unnamed member of Congress:
[]
I'm not voting for a blank check for $700 billion for those mother fuckers.
[]
I don't want to trade a $700 billion dollar giveaway to the most unsympathetic human beings on the planet for a few fucking bridges. I want reforms of the industry, and I want it to be as punitive as possible.
OpenLeft: Yes, There Are Deeply Angry Democratic Members of Congress
I Approve This Message
No. Blank. Checks. For. Crooks.
Thers at Eschaton:
I think everyone who reads this blog who's American, first thing on Monday morning, needs to call their Representatives and Senators and say: No. Blank. Checks. For. Crooks.
Be as polite as you can be and don't use bad words. Personally, this injunction may limit the duration of my calls to under a thirtieth of a second, or shorter.
TO CLARIFY. Look, right now the choice is, Bush's Plan, or Something Else. Kill Bush's Plan now, worry about Something Else later.
I Am Touched
John "Great Orange Satan" Boehner just regretfully told George Stephanopoulos that he is sacrificing his longheld beliefs in the free market.
To give his rich campaign contributors $700,000,000,000. Wow, what a sacrifice.
I am touched. Truly touched. In the fucking wallet touched.
Spineless Media
I am watching George Stephanopoulos interview Hank Paulsen.
I wonder, where is the room where TV journalists go to have their spines removed before they can appear on TV?
Is there a room somewhere littered with the vertebrae of the media?
Pipeline to Nowhere?
Palin's big achievement, the oil pipeline, may never be built as Canadian indian tribes who own the land through which it will pass oppose it.
Plus, she's been lying about it, as work on the pipeline has not begun:
Heckuva job Sarah!
Newsweek: Palin's Pipeline to Nowhere
Politifact.com: Palin's pipeline - less than meets the eye
Plus, she's been lying about it, as work on the pipeline has not begun:
"I fought to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history," Palin said in her speech at the Republican National Convention on Sept. 3, 2008, and in a radio address three days later.
"We began a nearly $40-billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence."
[]
TransCanada has begun planning the pipeline, but it has not started construction, and it will not do so any time soon, if ever.
Heckuva job Sarah!
Newsweek: Palin's Pipeline to Nowhere
Politifact.com: Palin's pipeline - less than meets the eye
Saturday, September 20, 2008
All Your $700,000,000,000 Are Belong To Bush
The Bailout Plan will transfer $2,333 from every living American to Treasury Secretary Hank Paulsen (former CEO of Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs), who will then distribute the $700,000,000,000 to his old Wall Street cronies. No rules, no limits, no judicial review.
Mission Accomplished.
As many bloggers have noted, it's like the Iraq War all over again. Paulsen called Congress in on Thursday night and told them there was a mushroom cloud in their future. They began cringing and mewling on the floor, begging to go along with whatever he proposed. Today Hank-o says he needs billions for a Shock and Awe campaign to occupy Wall Street. No exit plan, either.
No one should trust the Bush Administration about anything. They are stealing us blind to reward bad actors. No wonder the stock market soared on Friday. They're getting away with it.
Read this:
Paul Krugman, NYTimes: No deal
Glenn Greenwald: The complete (though ever-changing) elite consensus over the financial collapse
Sebastian Mallaby, WaPo: A Bad Bank Rescue
Ron Fournier Fournicating for McCain - Again
Never forget that AP's Ron Fournier interviewed for a job with the McCain campaign. Since then he's been working for the man anyway. Today's Fournication:
yahoonews: Poll: Racial views steer some white Dems away from Obama
Fournier is such an asshole. I'd like to meet him and like that scene in "Die Hard", walk up to him and punch him in the nose. (Sometimes words just won't do.) For those with more patience, Al Giordano rips into this piece and good over at The Field.
Al Giordano, The Field: The AP’s Ron Fournier: Racial Arsonist and Unethical Journalist
yahoonews: Poll: Racial views steer some white Dems away from Obama
Fournier is such an asshole. I'd like to meet him and like that scene in "Die Hard", walk up to him and punch him in the nose. (Sometimes words just won't do.) For those with more patience, Al Giordano rips into this piece and good over at The Field.
Al Giordano, The Field: The AP’s Ron Fournier: Racial Arsonist and Unethical Journalist
Deep-seated racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House if the election is close, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll that found one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks - many calling them "lazy," "violent" or responsible for their own troubles.
- Ron Fournier, Associated Press, September 20, 2008
Theorem: The amount of time conservatives spend talking about the Bradley Effect is inversely proportional to the fortunes of their candidate.
- Nate Silver, September 19, 2008
Today's AP story wasn't exactly about the so-called "Bradley Effect" or "Wilder Effect," a popular theory in the 1980s and 1990s that posited that some white Americans lie to pollsters claiming they will support African-American candidates but vote then against them in the secrecy of the ballot box.
The theory - if it was true back then - has been very thoroughly disproved in recent years, and today we'll walk you through all the documentation you need to debunk it when asked about it by others.
But with the McCain-Palin ticket sinking in the polls, and the financial crisis sucking the oxygen out of the culture war "issues" on all sides, with the economy now front and center as the dominant campaign issue, we're hearing increasing mention of the so-called "Bradley Effect," the so-called "Wilder Effect," the so-called "Bradley-Wilder Effect" (all names for the same 20th century theory).
And now, the Associated Press and its unethical reporter Ron Fournier are transparently attempting to turn the November election (and, if their attempted arson is successful, its aftermath for years to come) into a wedge to divide, polarize and set back race relations in the United States of America more than four decades.
Everybody take a deep breath and repeat after me: The race card is not working. It's not going to work. And we're not going to take the bait being dangled out in front of us by racially prejudiced provocateurs like Fournier: he wants us to spread his gasoline to make his arson fire bigger; we're going to hose water on it - and on him - instead.
New Obama Ad: McCain Needs Education on Women's Issues
Lilly Ledbetter rocks. She narrates the ad:
"I worked at this plant for 20 years before I learned the truth. I'd been paid 40% less than men doing the same work. John McCain opposed a law to give women equal pay for equal work. And he dismissed the wage gap, saying women just need education and training. I had the same skills as the men at my plant. My family needed that money. On the economy, it's John McCain who needs an education."
This is Not a Liquidity Problem
Another pithy explanation of the current financial crisis from Duncan Black:
When you hear member of Congress on TV enthusiastically talking about taking over these illiquid assets and selling them, remember: They're worthless paper.
The houses weren't worth what the mortgage documents said.
The homeowners can't pay the mortgages.
When the government takes over the properties, they're going to sold in a fire sale as real estate prices tank.
Republican shell game. Democrats fall for it every time.
[T]he problem is that lots of bad loans were made, lots of people made highly leveraged investments in those bad loans, and still more people bet on those loans by insuring them. The loans are bad. The mortgages are not going to be repaid in full. Housing prices are not going to magically shoot up 50% over the next 6 months. People gambled and lost and now the Democrats are racing to bail them all out.
When you hear member of Congress on TV enthusiastically talking about taking over these illiquid assets and selling them, remember: They're worthless paper.
The houses weren't worth what the mortgage documents said.
The homeowners can't pay the mortgages.
When the government takes over the properties, they're going to sold in a fire sale as real estate prices tank.
Republican shell game. Democrats fall for it every time.
Palin Dragging Down Ticket
Ha, ha. The St. Petersburg (FL) Times has been running focus groups, and this week their group shows a dramatic shift to Obama. The reason? Sarah Palin. She scares them.
Maybe they didn't put enough lipstick on that pitbull.
One thought pushes fence-sitters to the left: Palin
ST. PETERSBURG — Five weeks ago, the St. Petersburg Times convened a group of Tampa Bay voters who were undecided about the presidential election. Their strong distrust of Barack Obama suggested it was a group ripe for John McCain to win over.
Not anymore. The group has swung dramatically, if unenthusiastically, toward Democrat Obama. Most of them this week cited the same reason: Sarah Palin.
"The one thing that frightens me more than anything else are the ideologues. We've seen too many," said 80-year-old Air Force veteran Donn Spegal, a lifelong Republican from St. Petersburg, who sees McCain's new running mate as the kind of "wedge issue" social conservative that has made him disenchanted with his party.
[]
Of the 11 undecided voters participating in the discussion one recent evening at the Times — four Republicans, five Democrats, and two registered to no party — only two Republican men applauded the selection of Palin.
Nobody had finalized a choice, but seven of the panelists said that McCain's running mate selection had made them more likely to vote for Obama, and in several cases much more likely.
John McCain Wants to Bring Banking De-Regulation to the Health Insurance Market
Yes, John McCain's chief economic adviser blew up the economy.
Heckuva job, Phil.
[A] correspondent directs me to John McCain’s article, Better Health Care at Lower Cost for Every American, in the Sept./Oct. [2008] issue of Contingencies, the magazine of the American Academy of Actuaries. You might want to be seated before reading this.Paul Krugman, NYTImes: McCain on Banking and Health
Here’s what McCain has to say about the wonders of market-based health reform:So McCain, who now poses as the scourge of Wall Street, was praising financial deregulation like 10 seconds ago — and promising that if we marketize health care, it will perform as well as the financial industry!
Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.
If you have been thinking about writing a letter to the editor to your local newspaper, I'd start with this quote. Let's blow up health insurance, just like Republican deregulation just blew up the banking industry.
This puts the lie to all McCain's claims that he will fix our problems. He is one of the problems. He loves deregulation. He loves the giant corporations that flood his campaign with money and lobbyists. The only Americans he has ever really cared about are the rich ones. He's their man.
Sarah Quaylin
Jonathan Chait, The New Republic: Sarah Quaylin
Actually, Dan Quayle is looking pretty good right now.
Ever since John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, I've gotten confused about all the reasons I'm supposed to dislike Barack Obama. The previous reasons, in rough chronological order, were his lack of experience, his empty rhetoric, his flip-flopping, and his "celebrity." But Palin has made each one of those critiques moot. The "celebrity" attack on Obama has a particularly Dada quality right now as starstruck Republicans bask in the charisma of their adorable veep. (Coldest state, hottest governor, read signs at her rallies.) With her hunky husband, touching family life and plucky personal story, she is the candidate of the People. And by People, I mean People magazine.
[]
In lieu of opening Palin to regular questioning from the press corps, of the sort the other three candidates have all undergone many times before, the McCain campaign is helpfully leaking positive appraisals of her studiousness. "Despite the worries, [Palin] struck many campaign officials as more calm and cerebral than expected," reported Newsweek. "She was quick to ask questions, and to 'engage in a back and forth' with briefers." See, the McCain campaign says she's on the ball. That settles it, right?
But, somewhere in the recesses of my mind, this admiring appraisal of the prospective veep's intellect struck a familiar chord. With a quick search, I discovered that, indeed, the same was said of Dan Quayle in 1988. Twenty years ago, The Washington Post reported, "Bush aides, who were getting their first in-depth exposure to Quayle, were impressed by his attention span, the quality of his questions and the facility with which he moved through the agenda."
Deep as a puddle.
Friday, September 19, 2008
"McCain Is A Little Panicked Right Now"
So sayeth Obama:
Transcript:
Transcript:
This morning Senator McCain gave a speech in which his big solution to this worldwide economic crisis was to blame me for it.
This is a guy who's spent nearly three decades in Washington, and after spending the entire campaign saying I haven't been in Washington long enough, he apparently now is willing to assign me responsibility for all of Washington's failures.
Now, I think it's a pretty clear that Senator McCain is a little panicked right now. At this point he seems to be willing to say anything or do anything or change any position or violate any principal to try and win this election, and I've got to say it's kind of sad to see. That's not the politics we need.
It's also been disappointing to see my opponent's reaction to this economic crisis. His first reaction on Monday was to stand up and repeat the line he's said over and over again throughout this campaign -- 'the fundamentals of the economy are strong' -- the comment was so out of touch that even George Bush's White House couldn't agree with it.
Republican Vote Suppression Comes to Virginia
The RNC is sending fake "Vote by mail" applications to Virginia voters. The woman who received it took to a local election official, who told her this:
dailykos: Fake Vote-By-Mail Applications in Virginia
1. He had heard about similar fake applications being mailed out in other states.
2. The envelope contained the second part of the application for absentee voting, but not the first--a cover letter explaining exactly what the procedure was and who was eligible.
3. Most disturbing were the instructions on the inside flap of the envelope telling people to "vote early by mail." Virginia DOES NOT have either EARLY VOTING or VOTE BY MAIL. The envelope tells potential voters they can complete and sign a card, place a stamp on it, and drop it in the nearest mailbox.
I'm sending this to my sister who lives in Virginia (and who is leading the family contest to register new voters). Get the word out.
The official told my husband the RNC had been specifically told not to do this, and apparently they mailed them out anyway.
dailykos: Fake Vote-By-Mail Applications in Virginia
The 62-Second Sarah Palin Fox Noise Interview
Sarah Palin appeared on the Republican Party channel (Fox) this week for a few hours of down-the-middle softball questions. No one could have stood to watch the obsequiousness of Sean Hannity live, so Keith Olbermann helpfully boiled it down to its essence.
McCain's Role in the 1980s S&L Crisis: Charles Keating's BFF (Updated)
Charles Keating III and McCain, than a member of the U.S. House, celebrate their August birthdays [McCain's 51st] at the Keatings' beachside estate at
Cat Cay in the Bahamas [1987 photo]
Here's what the prudent action John McCain took last time we let him anywhere the financial system:
firedoglake: John McCain Still Living The Keating Five Lush Highlife
He partied with Charles Keating by night, and by day "carried water" for Keating by pleading his case for less regulation with the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. Which led to the failure of the S&Ls, and left the taxpayers with the $1.3 trillion dollar bill.
You know what, I turned 51 years old this year, and I'm not so stupid that I would be seduced by some rich guy squiring me to his houses around the world. Maybe 20 years ago. Maybe, but I doubt it. Not at the age of 51. I lost my naivete a long time ago. Not John McCain.
If McCain didn't have that much wisdom when he was 51, I rather doubt that he's gained it since.
UPDATE: Here's another good summary of McCain's deceitful role in the Keating 5 scandal.
The Financial Crisis Explained
By my favorite economist Duncan Black (sorry, Krugman, you're 2nd) at Eschaton:
The Bag Holders
The mystery all along throughout all of this is who would be missing the seat when the music stopped, who would be left holding the bag.
This is not a liquidity crisis. It's an insolvency crisis. People made bad loans, and other people made hugely leveraged bets on those loans, and still more people insured those bets.
And now the taxpayer gets the bill.
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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