Afternoon Open Thread
Here's a topic for discussion (via Atrios):
Fundamentals Are Strong
I'm actually curious what McCain means by this. Probably he doesn't mean anything, it's just babble. Perhaps a reporter could ask him just which "fundamentals" he's talking about?
Chat away...
Comments (130) «
what mcbush meant to say was the fundamentalists are strong...as evidenced by todd palin's snow mobile skills and attempts to intimidate people who have the goods on his wacky wife.....the economic fundamentals on the other hand are in the toilet...
prediction: by friday obama is up by three points in the gallup daily tracking and even at rasmussen.
Dear Howard Dean, one thing that could help cinch this election is a wide spreading commerical in the local markets teaching the avg. republican right wing radio listening public how congress works. Every time I hear, a church going friend say, that the dems had congress for two years and the economy and the gas prices are the democrats fault I ask them if they know how many senators are in congress. The answer every single time is NO. Then I have to explain to them what our small majority is, who is the tie breaker, lieberman, and the 60 votes required to overturn a veto. If you could educate the public on the fundimentals and the situation over the last two years in an ad, it would help us win, big time.
And it's the republicans during their reign of economic terror on the middle class that passed through mortgage deregulation legislation, courtesy of John McCain's lifelong friend Phil Gramm. There's no escaping the fact that his 2000 bill, while republicans controlled congress and the white house, has led to the mortgage meltdown, which threatens our economic survival. McCain should go into hiding for a while, while his ad-men and handlers try to figure a way to distance him and his political allies from the worst economic crisis and threat to the middle class in the past 50 years.
This man, who already acknowledged to not know much about the economy, presents the threat of potential economic disaster and can not be expected to repair an economy his closest advisers have helped to destroy. It's downright McShameful.
Domestic policy can only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us.
John F. Kennedy
Is this what McNuts is trying to do, kill us? With the pick of a very very very inexperienced woman, that don't know nothing about Foreign Policy. And already has threatened to go to war with Russia.
I must be missing something, or I'm really stupid, cuz i don't see how anyone, that is american, could possibly jump on this ship.
I mean hell i understand partisian Politicians, but i don't understand American voters willing to take this kind of chance with are security.
Good afternoon, all.
Just popping in.
Let's face it. This country is "fundamentally" bankrupt.
The Republicans shipped off our all our manufacturing jobs and whole industries. They gave the Communists our future. Then they quit taxing the rich and started an needless war.
Is it a wonder our financial markets are tanking?
It's time Democracts took the matches away from the Republicans and insisted that capital be created in this country again.
The Republicans are nothing but a bunch of irresponsible rich socialists expecting workers to shoulder all the burden and the speculators all the gains.
later.
Good afternoon, all.
Just popping in.
Let's face it. This country is "fundamentally" bankrupt.
The Republicans shipped off our all our manufacturing jobs and whole technological industries. They gave the Communists our future. Then they quit taxing the rich and started an needless war.
Is it a wonder our financial markets are tanking? Bank failures don't faze them?
It's time adult Democracts took the matches away from the Republicans kids and insisted that capital be created in this country again.
The Republicans are nothing but a bunch of irresponsible rich socialists expecting workers to shoulder all the burden and the speculators all the gains.
later.
work it sally, work it....11/4 your goose will be cooked...and then mcbush and bush and that moron from alaska can all go around explaining how the economic fundamentals are just great!!!! you fool...
mr. monegan doesn't seem like he is going to roll over for tina....oops...sarah palidan....
"She's not telling the truth when she told ABC neither she nor her husband pressured me to fire Trooper Wooten," said Walt Monegan, the Alaskan official whose dismissal by Sarah Palin is the focus of a state investigation known as "Troopergate". "And she's not telling the truth to the media about her reasons for firing me."
mcbush hit a foul and tina...sarah...is running the bases like it was a homer...
afternoon, Dems. Sorry for the length of this one, It came in email form. It is one for you all to copy and send on to those confused Females you know who are considering voting for Palin, or who only were supporting Hillary because of a Vagina!
Eve Ensler, the American playwright, performer, feminist and activist best
known for "The Vagina Monologues", wrote the following about Sarah Palin:
Drill, Drill, Drill
I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a
member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned
and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for
Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact
that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or
touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice.
Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.
I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life
trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against
them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin
choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this
choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.
But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to
Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the
earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options,
opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.
I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous
choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the
fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas
that Americamay never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the
impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this
is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the
bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.
Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In
her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better
or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the
arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise
of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar
bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here
to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot
and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to
be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a
task from God."
Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who
are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a
right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.
She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I
imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies
that makes.
Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has
tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with
people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of
ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be
the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most
diverse populations on the earth.
Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She
has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of
wolves from the air.
Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But
when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared
in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is
the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of
everything America has ever tried to be.
I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in
our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of
the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies
to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will
determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or
whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It
will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest
our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and
destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and
healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will
determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed
place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.
If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power
to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after
Palin spoke at the RNC, "Drill Drill Drill." I think of teeth when I think
of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination.
I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the
brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.
Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of
the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and
peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?
Eve Ensler
Come on trolls, it's the econmy stupids! "Mission Accomplished" years ago, we won the war in Iraq with the surge, do you really want to relive the arms for hostages deal, Daddy Bush and Raygun wrought on the middle east, then had one of their henchmen lie about under oath? Pathetic, the whole lot of you!
Oh sally nobody reads your right wing wacko lies. I did notice whatever that gobbely gook your posting looks like it was written by an arab. I thought you hate all arabs. Now you are quoteing them. Whatever Sally, you believe the lies you want to believe and I will believe the truth I want to believe.
Sally-* on September 15, 2008 at 01:39 PM
Source and link, please?
For everything you post...there is no credibility to anything you post when you purposely leave off necessary information.
Hey Sally, how many senators are in the congress and how are they apportioned?
this is the 5th time I have signed in - I hope it works!
Could someone please tell me the criteria that a bank or financial institution meets for federal bailout? Why is the federal government appearing to bailout some and not others?
So the fundamentals are strong?
Wall Street crisis could put Fed rate cut in play
By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON - Wreckage from a massive crisis on Wall Street could prompt the Federal Reserve to do an about face and once again cut a key interest rate this week or possibly later this year, economists said Monday.
Just a few days ago, a rate cut appeared largely off the table. Now it has emerged as a possibility as the Fed prepares to meet Tuesday against a backdrop of historic upheavalin the U.S. financial system...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080915/ap_on_bi_ge/fed_interest_rates
(Bold mine.)
Fundamentally sound doesn't jive with historic upheavals. The Fed is obviously treading water and it isn't from any natural disaster.
This financial crisis was caused by Republicans and they sure as hell have no idea how to end it.
Maybe Sarah Palin could offer her take since McCain has no idea.
Or how about Todd of the carbon copies? You know the First Dude who sits in on official Alaskan state business...when he isn't burping babies as he rides his snowmobile into the history books?
greg, you are so right....
Palinmania fading faster than the Artic ice caps! Not everyone is as stupid as the trolls and Religious holy roller are !
Palin's rapid fade
Here are Sarah Palin's daily approval numbers from the Daily Kos/Research 2000 tracking poll:
Approve Disapprove No Opinion
9/11: 52 35 13 +17
9/12: 51 37 12 +14
9/13: 49 40 11 +9
9/14: 47 42 11 +5
9/15: 47 43 10 +4
In the span of five days, Palin has gone from +17 to +4 -- a statistically significant shift. This includes the Gibson interview as well as the media's sudden focus late last week on the Palin/McCain lies. In comparison, Biden is at 48/32/20, Obama is at 54/38/8, and McCain is at 51/45/4.
So Palin may not be the least popular of the four -- McCain is, but she is certainly the least liked of the four candidates, and given that both Obama and Biden are at +16 favorability, McCain's +6 and and Palin's +4 point to a fundamental weakness that will likely play a role moving forward.
How about McCain in that time period?
Approve Disapprove No Opinion
9/11: 55 44 1 +11
9/12: 56 43 1 +13
9/13: 55 43 2 +12
9/14: 53 44 3 +9
9/15: 51 45 4 +6
Not as dramatic a collapse as Palin, but still bleeding some popularity from the media's sudden focus on the dishonorable campaign McCain has run. (So dishonorable, remember, that even Karl Rove thinks the McCain/Palin campaign has gone too far. And Fox News too.)
And you can tell the Obama campaign senses an opportunity, since they're pressing the issue:
None of this should suggest that Palin has been a bad pick for McCain. His campaign would be dead in the water right now had he chosen Romney, Pawlenty or Lieberman. If nothing else, Palin has reengaged the Christian Right, and their grassroots capabilities can never be underestimated. She has brought back the GOP base. But it was still a hail mary pass, and now we get to see, as her record is fully aired, her initial popularity ebb away.
That may not have much of an effect on Republicans, who will shrug away every lie and distortion and smear as a necessary evil in pursuit of victory, but it will hopefully take its toll on McCain's still-significant support among independents and Democrats.
Update: I see tremayne over at Open Left saw the same trendlines
And remember when the righties all were in here, rah rahing Privatizing Social Security? How do you think those that went through Lehman Brothers, and all the other failing institutes would be doing right about now with their retirement?
We tried to tell the anal openings, but they would not listen ! They can thank the Democrats their SS money is safe!
Could someone please tell me the criteria that a bank or financial institution meets for federal bailout? Why is the federal government appearing to bailout some and not others?
marymac_memphis on September 15, 2008 at 02:14 PM
marymac,
That's a really good question.
Paulson better come forward and explain what's going on or we're all going to think Bush is putting names up on the wall and throwing darts at them.
Palin is either lying, or she is scareing the hell out of mcCain's campaign lobbyists. She's going to stop golden parachute payments. Good god it has been the dems complaining about the CEO pay going up to 400 times the average worker for years. Not one republican listened. Now, watch, the fox watching the coop will say it and all of the kook aid followers will say, "yes, that is a problem" What are these people on.
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/update-fannie-mae-and-freddie.html
All Recipients of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Campaign Contributions, 1989-2008
Notice that Barack Obama is SECOND on the list, even though these statistics are for a ten year period and he has only been in the Senate for 4 years.
Daily Kos/Research 2000 tracking poll?
Bhaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahah
Posted by Sally-*
What? You are saying Daily Kos Polls aren't reliable?
By Christian Plumb and Dan Wilchins - AnalysisNEW YORK (Reuters) - Not long ago, when Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld talked about "everyone's worst nightmare" he was referring to a massive fraud at French bank Societe Generale.
Just a few months later Fuld, a 30-year-veteran of Lehman who had ably steered it through near-death experiences like the Asian debt crisis of 1998, is living his own worst nightmare as the venerable investment bank stands on the verge of collapse.
How the 158-year-year institution came to this is a tale of hubris and overreaching -- and a big dose of bad luck.
Lehman's fall from grace was brutally fast. Until June, it had never even reported a quarterly loss as a public company...
http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSN1341059120080914
Of course, this arrogant smug bastard will fall safely with his golden parachute whille thousands of employees will be left hung out to dry. Sounds like the classic GOP style of business to me.
Obama Watch: Friends in Low Places
09/11/2008
The Chicago Sun-Times has been instrumental in uncovering the illegal business deals of Obama fundraiser and Syrian national Tony Rezko. They reported last week that Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden has something else in common with Barack Obama. “No matter what help Barack Obama might get from Sen. Joseph Biden, his newly named vice presidential running mate won't give Obama much cover on the Tony Rezko front. Biden has described himself as a 30-year friend of a key figure in the Rezko trial who’s pleaded guilty to a federal extortion charge in Chicago and is awaiting sentencing,” wrote staff reporter Dave McKinney.
Joseph Cari, Jr. has been a supporter of several Democratic candidates, including Biden. The Washington Times reported, “Mr. Biden has acknowledged knowing Rezko for the past 30 years, and of having a longtime association with Cari, who served as the Delaware Democrat's Midwest field director in his 1988 run for the Democratic presidential nomination.”
=================================
Obama and Biden,
one dirty hand holds another.
Minnesota Man Asks Donors To 'Help Obama's Brother'
09/15/2008
George Hussein Onyango Obama, half-brother of presidential candidate Barack Obama, declared to Vanity Fair last month that “no one knows I exist.” When strangers inquire about his surname, George denies his relationship to the famous Obama: “I say we are not related. I am ashamed.” Why? George Obama lives in a delapidated hut outside Nairobi, earns less than one dollar a month, and, as he says, “I have scars from defending myself with my fists.”
Fortunately for George, Minnesota resident Tim Anderson has launched a Web site, HelpObamasBrother.org, to raise money for him. The site declares its mission on the front page: “If Barack Obama won’t send his brother George a few bucks for rent, we can step up and help a brother out.”
“We want to help George finance an apartment and college tuition,” said Anderson, who launched the site after seeing a report about the younger Obama on CNN International. “He needs a hand up and we are going to give it to him. The first step, though, is getting him into sanitary living conditions.”
================================
Hey brother, can you spare a dime?
sighhhhh, another sour grape, sore loser, hate filled anus ? Their very appearance here speaks volume about their lives and class ! So much hate, so little place to spew it !
well, well, the FEAR card is back in the deck! How stupid do they think people still are? That group of easily swayed Americans who have hid under their beds for 7 years, are tired of this stuff !!!
Newspapers Deliver Millions of "Terror" DVDs to Subscribers - in "Swing States"
»
by: Greg Mitchell and Joe Strupp, Editor & Publisher
Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of the New York Times. The Times was among a handful of major newspapers which delivered the inflammatory DVD with their paper, calling it "advertising." (Photo: Getty Images)
New York - The arrival of tens of millions of DVDs of a controversial film on doorsteps around the nation - but almost exclusively in election "swing states" - via newspaper home delivery continues this weekend, with explanatory articles and subscriber feedback appearing on some of the papers' Web sites.
The DVDs of the 60-minute film, made in 2005, and titled "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West," arrived Saturday with, among other papers, the Charlotte Observer and the News & Observer in Raleigh, with delivery with the Miami Herald and other papers set for Sunday. (To watch a clip see link below.)
Other Florida papers to distribute it on Sunday included the major dailies in St. Petersburg, Tampa, Fort Myers and Orlando.
Despite some protests from Muslim and liberal activists, the newspapers - all hard hit by drops in ad revenue in recent months - have explained that the DVD does not violate their usual standards; see our exchange with The New York Times below. A spokesperson there said the Times last Sunday inserted 145,000 DVDs in its papers delivered in the following markets: Denver, Miami/Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, Detroit, Kansas City, St Louis, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee/Madison. Note: These are all in swing states.
The documentary showcases scenes of Muslim children being encouraged to become suicide bombers, interspersed with shots of Nazi rallies. "The threat of Radical Islam is the most important issue facing us today," reads the sleeve of the DVD. "But it's a topic that neither the presidential candidates nor the media are discussing openly. It's our responsibility to ensure we can all make an informed vote in November."
It was shown on Fox News just before the 2006 mid-term elections, and conservative activist David Horowitz screened the film on college campuses during 2007. An article at the group's site, www.radicalislam.org, all but endorsed John McCain this past week, then was pulled down. The DVD carries on-screen text near the outset that it is not indicting most Muslims.
An article at the site of the Morning-Call in Allentown, Pa. today reveals that it will be inserted in the Sunday paper there tomorrow. It continues: "A call to Clarion wasn't returned, but the nonprofit's spokesman, Gregory Ross, told the Harrisburg Patriot-News this week that 28 million copies of the DVD are being distributed nationwide throughout September. He said the intent is not to sway voters' opinions about the presidential candidates."
It has already been packaged with dozens of large papers, such as the Denver Post and Columbus Dispatch. Another article explaining the delivery runs online at the News & Observer.
E&P asked New York Times Co. spokeswoman Diane McNulty about the policy on this insert. She replied:
"We believe the broad principles of freedom of the press confer on us an obligation to keep our advertising columns as open as possible. Therefore our acceptance or rejection of an advertisement does not depend on whether it coincides with our editorial positions. In fact, there are many instances when we have published opinion advertisements that run counter to the stance we take on our own editorial pages.
"We do require that opinion advertisements include the name of the sponsoring organization and a mailing address or a telephone number. This enables our readers to communicate directly with the sponsor should they seek additional information or wish to express agreement or disagreement with the advertised message. This advertisement complied with these requirements. The address on the advertisement was The Clarion Fund, 255 West 36th Street Suite 800 New York, NY 10018."
Asked about the rate paid, she answered: "We do not disclose the rate any one advertiser pays."
To watch a clip from the DVD, go to the new E&P blog:
The E&P Pub
http://www.truthout.org/article/newspapers-deliver-millions-terror-dvds-subscribers-swing-states
jyui on September 15, 2008 at 03:28 PM
Perhaps you or Mr. Anderson would be so inlcined to help one of your fellow Americans in this way as well as opposed to sending yet more American money overseas.
For those too ignorant to check out WHO does the polling FOR Daily Kos, Got it Know, Dopes????????
The Company
RESEARCH 2000 is a nonpartisan full service research firm that conducts surveys and focus groups for advocacy groups, trade associations, businesses and over 300 news media organizations.
This one just brings a smile to my Face. It does not get old!
Obama Raises $66 Million in August
Sunday 14 September 2008
»
by: Ben Smith, Politico.com
(Photo: Emmanuel Dunand / AFP)
Sen. Barack Obama raised $66 million in August, making it his best month ever and the best in American political history, an aide said Sunday morning.
Obama is releasing that number after suggestions that his fundraising was failing to meet expectations. It puts him on pace to substantially outspend John McCain in the last two months of the race, in which McCain will be limited to spending the $84 million supplied by the Treasury under public financing rules.
Obama's large take, and the expectation that he'll raise even more in the race's final two months, may put to rest some Democrats' worries that he'd made a mistake by opting out of public financing.
http://www.truthout.org/article/obama-raises-66-million-august
Of course, this arrogant smug bastard will fall safely with his golden parachute whille thousands of employees will be left hung out to dry. Sounds like the classic GOP style of business to me.
32
BobVADemocratHawk on September 15, 2008 at 03:13 PM
Afternoon Bob! I hope all is well with you and yours!
I agree - it does sound like vintage GOP crap but keep in mind - if we point that out and try to draw attention to the problem, well then we're just a bunch of whiners!
marymac_memphis on September 15, 2008 at 03:52 PM
Hello Mary. All is well here in battleground of VA. I will be "whining" all the way to Election Day.
McCain Would Privatize Social Security
by: Dean Baker, t r u t h o u t | Perspective
The Republicans have already turned to sick sexual innuendo and nonsense about their vice-presidential candidate, pigs and lipstick in order to distract the public from the real issues in this campaign. One of the items that should be on top of the list of real issues is Senator McCain's plans to privatize and cut Social Security. McCain has repeatedly expressed interest in privatizing Social Security along the lines proposed by President Bush.
Read more: http://www.truthout.org/article/mccain-would-privatize-social-security
NewsJunkie, #27
Palin is going to stop 'golden parachutes," what, all by herself? Let's see, McShame promotes conservative judeges, who don't "legislate from the bench," and Palin, as a VP is going to usurp her "boss" by singlehandedly tearing apart a contract or dismissing a Board of Directors? Gimme a break! Even a hated left wing liberal couldn't try to put this one over on the PUBLIC, WHICH MAY NOT BE AS DUMB AS REPUBLICANS MAKE THEM OUT TO BE.
The average CEO of major US companies make 364 times that of the average salaried employee.
Try bursting golden parachutes, most of which are legally binding contracts;
FROM AFLCIO.ORG:
Average CEO ousted in 2006 received 170 weeks of salary for each year worked.
Average CEO, without a contract, received 18 weeks of salary for each year worked.
The average worker received 2 weeks of salary at layoff.
Come on Palin, we'd like to welcome you to the real world of republican politics, probably a course you missed while taking your journalism degree.
Oh - This is GOOD!
Blizzard of Lies
Thursday 11 September 2008
by: Paul Krugman, The New York Times
According to Paul Krugman, the McCain-Palin campaign is built on a "blizzard of lies."
Did you hear about how Barack Obama wants to have sex education in kindergarten, and called Sarah Palin a pig? Did you hear about how Ms. Palin told Congress, "Thanks, but no thanks" when it wanted to buy Alaska a Bridge to Nowhere?
These stories have two things in common: they're all claims recently made by the McCain campaign - and they're all out-and-out lies.
Dishonesty is nothing new in politics. I spent much of 2000 - my first year at The Times - trying to alert readers to the blatant dishonesty of the Bush campaign's claims about taxes, spending and Social Security.
But I can't think of any precedent, at least in America, for the blizzard of lies since the Republican convention. The Bush campaign's lies in 2000 were artful - you needed some grasp of arithmetic to realize that you were being conned. This year, however, the McCain campaign keeps making assertions that anyone with an Internet connection can disprove in a minute, and repeating these assertions over and over again.
Fannie and Freddie were both long recognized as Democratic sinecures - places where well-connected Democrats could be set to become rich well-connected Democrats. Long-time Fannie CEO Franklin Raines was a highly placed official in the Carter administration (associate director for economics and government in the Office of Management and Budget and assistant director of the White House Domestic Policy Staff). Long-time CEO James Johnson was executive assistant to Walter Mondale in the Carter administration as well as one-time head of Barack Obama's vice-presidential search committee. Jamie Gorelick, long-time counsel for Fannie, was...well, we all know about Ms. Gorelick.
The GSEs' business activities have long expanded beyond their basic mission to repackage home mortgages into publicly tradeable bonds. The most problematic of the strategies was an "arbitrage" trade in which they borrowed money at rates well below market, due to their implicit guarantee from the federal government, and purchased the very mortgage bonds that they packaged to the market.
They, in turn collected the spread between the yield on these mortgage bonds and the below market rate that they could get due to the government implied guarantee. So long as the bonds remained sound, the spread goosed their earnings. Unfortunately, the vastly increased leverage made them very vulnerable to deterioration of the underlying bonds. They were, in effect operating a (very poorly managed) hedge fund backed by the capital of the taxpayers.
Sen. Obama has given little, if any, indication that he will do anything other than return the GSEs to business as usual as soon as possible. To me, that makes Fannie and Freddie the ideal target for reformers.
What ever happen to the good old days of good economics, of the Clinton era?
The govt. is totally broke! In debt so far they'll get it paid for.
Dow Jones down,___ 504.48 points
NASDAQ down, ______81.36 points
S/P down,_________ 58.04 points
These damn republicans screw up everything they touch, with there greed. Everybody's 401k's and Ira's going in the tank today.
And Oil is even down, to 94.57 a barrel, but the price is up at the pump. (Go figure)
Americans are taking a beating in every direction, there is. At the pump, at the grocery store, the value of are houses, property taxes on the rise. The loss of are retirement funds. And on and on!!!!!!
By Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.:
Fascist writer Westbrook Pegler, an avowed racist who Sarah Palin approvingly quoted in her acceptance speech for the moral superiority of small town values, expressed his fervent hope about my father, Robert F. Kennedy, as he contemplated his own run for the presidency in 1965, that "some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of brains in public premises before the snow flies."
It might be worth asking Governor Palin for a tally of the other favorites from her reading list.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr/governor-palins-reading-l_b_126478.html
And Oil is even down, to 94.57 a barrel, but the price is up at the pump. (Go figure)
It's easy to figure. As of yesterday , 14 refineries were out because of the hurricanes.
Meanwhile.... No one on the face of the earth is paying the slightest attention to Biden.
Joe Who?
If it were not for LIES, What would McCain and Palin have to say????
Dear John McCain:
We're not that stupid. Sure it would be nice if the women of America believed that everyone with breasts and a vagina believed in equality. But it ain't so. Women have differing views -- just like men.
Some like beer; some like chardonnay. And some prefer AA. Some like automatic weapons; some don't. Some think every pregnancy is sanctified; some don't. Some think presidents should be qualified for office; some don't care.
But to take the struggle for equal rights that has gone on for two centuries and embody it in the person of Sarah Palin is not just misleading but abusive. Charging rape victims for rape kits is a travesty of equal rights. Insisting that government impose your own views of abortion on others is anti-equality. Cutting funding for black teenage mothers is anti-feminist and racist. Lying to the electorate about your record is insolent. Do you think we're too stupid or indolent to check?
We have checked. You are lying and so is she. But you must think that a big lie repeated over and over becomes the truth. And it seems that many Americans are with you on that.
You are so good at the bold-faced lie that you even seem to believe it yourself. When Barbara Walters and Joy Behar accused you of lying on "The View," you claimed you weren't.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erica-jong/not-that-stupid-erica-jon_b_126184.html
OBAMA TRIED TO STALL GI's IRAQ WITHDRAWAL
change that only a fool would believe in
Aragon on September 15, 2008 at 04:14 PM
Which is exactly why we, as a nation, need to diversify energy usage in the U.S. and quit sending boat loads of dollars overseas.
Which is exactly why we, as a nation, need to diversify energy usage in the U.S. and quit sending boat loads of dollars overseas.
Posted by BobVADemocratHawk
AMEN !
McCain: No, Obama Didn't Call Palin A Pig
Here's another filthy lie, I think he even put into an ad!!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/15/mccain-no-obama-didnt-cal_n_126586.html
Former Bush Counselor Dan Bartlett Unloads on Cheney: "Doesn't Do Touchy-Feely" or "Hug Babies"
Days after the storm had passed, when he finally returned to Washington from Crawford, Bush assembled his senior staff in the Oval Office. He was going to set up a cabinet-level task force, he said.
"I asked Dick if he'd be interested in spearheading this," Bush announced, "Let's just say I didn't get the most positive response." Bush nodded ironically toward the vice president, putting on a show for the others: Card, Rove, Bartlett, Condi Rice. His expression, the tone of voice, had a hint of edge. Can you believe this guy?
Anyone who had face time with Bush said he was smarter than the public believed, and meaner. He spared Cheney the thunderbolts -- Rove got the worst of them, when Bush was in a mood to yell -- but now and then aides saw the president give Cheney the back of his hand.
"Will you at least go do a fact-finding trip for us?" Bush said.
"That'll probably be the extent of it, Mr. President, unless you order otherwise," Cheney replied. He was the Cheshire Cat inverted, only the smile dissolving, the rest of him still in the chair.
As well as he knew the two of them, Bartlett had to fight an impulse to roll his eyes. Katrina was shaping up as a true catastrophe. New Orleans was four-fifths under water, and the Gulf Coast had suffered grievous losses of life and property. The leisurely pace of federal action was not doing a bit of good for Bush. "Cheney wanted nothing to do with it," Bartlett said. Looking back on that moment, the president's counselor remained of two minds:
Cheney was the Master of Disaster, one of the government's most capable emergency managers. "It would send a powerful signal of our level of concern" to put the vice president in charge, Bartlett said. Eventually, though, Bartlett came to see Cheney's demurral "quite frankly as pretty good judgment." Cheney "doesn't do touchy-feely," Bartlett said, "Understanding what people's problems are and showing compassion -- that is an important part of the job of being the representative of he president... He was not going to go down there and hug babies."
Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/murray-waas/former-bush-counselor-dan_b_126383.html
It's easy to figure. As of yesterday , 14 refineries were out because of the hurricanes.
Posted by Aragon on September 15, 2008 at 04:14 PM
Its been reported all day long, that there was not near as much damage to the refineries, as they thought would happen. Thats the reason oil was down over 6.00 a barrel today. The price of gasoline jumped from 3.39 to 4.49 per gallon, here in S. Georgia before the hurricane even hit.
This was nothing but price gouging. And its still 4.39 per gallon here today.
It's easy to figure. As of yesterday , 14 refineries were out because of the hurricanes.
And your reason for the last 8 months is WHAT??????????????????
Do you have any idea how simple you make your self look, as well as how low class?
Now look at what this idiot is doing! Typical Republican! Some reformer, huh?????
Sarah Palin's Road to Nowhere
Independent group National Wildlife Refuge Association is reporting that Sarah Palin didn't stop with bridges when it comes to supporting taxpayer earmarks bound for nowhere. There's also a "Road to Nowhere."
Late last week, The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee approved a proposal that will lead to the construction of a $30 million, nine-mile gravel road through the biological heart of a premier American wilderness area. The proposed legislation was added to the Senate Lands Package, and is expected to be voted on within two weeks.
...
In order to help secure this deal, the residents of King Cove employed Abramoff-connected lobbyist Steve Silver -- the same lobbyist Governor Sarah Palin used to help secure millions while mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.
Senate Bill 1680, supported by Alaska's Congressional delegation and Governor Sarah Palin, would allow for the construction of the road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), located at the southern end of the Alaskan peninsula
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/15/134615/992/440/599600
Aragon on September 15, 2008 at 04:23 PM
I know that in GOP circles, opinion pieces are often taken as fact. The author of this article is a NeoCon trying to get the U.S. to clean up the mess the Middle Easterners have made for themselves and furthermore, are, yet again, flagrant lies published about the Obama campaign in hopes of swaying the idiot sheeple. Nice try.
PamB-
You calling people 'low class' takes some guts. I have to applaud you.
You are the most angry and bitter blogger I have come across in some time. There ought to be a prize for that.
I would say that about 88% of your interactions with people here are pure. vile. crapola.
I mean really - you sound like a shrew. You come across very poorly. Almost frantically out of control. Kind of manic in a panic.
PamB on September 15, 2008 at 04:32 PM
It would appear that the redneck beauty queen governor of AK is fine a example of being a Republican.
VA Bob! This is Thanks to You, I will bet! :)
Virginia Switches to Obama -- with Phil Gramm UPDATE
by MoronMike [Subscribe]
Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 09:35:35 AM PDT
In what looks to be a shakeup of the Virginia electorate, the recent
Survey USA poll is all Obama.
In an election for President of the United States in Virginia today, 09/15/08, 7 weeks till votes are counted, Democrat Barack Obama defeats Republican John McCain 50% to 46%, according to this latest SurveyUSA poll conducted for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, WJLA-TV in Washington DC, WTVR-TV in Richmond, and WJHL-TV in the Tri-Cities. Compared to an identical SurveyUSA poll released one week ago, immediately following the Republican National Convention, Obama is up 3 points; McCain is down 3. The movement solidifies Virginia place as America's 2008 battleground
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/15/122857/348/537/599503
Read the whole article about how Phil Gramm authored the primary cause of the current financial crisis
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/09/9718_mccain_lehman_crisis_gramm.html
McCain Blasts Wall Street Failure, Neglects To Mention His Adviser Helped Cause It
By the way, both McCain and Palin decried golden parachutes for CEOs. What might Carly Fiorina, a top McCain adviser and surrogate, think of that? She received a $21 million severence package when she was forced out as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, after her not-so-successful stint there--and the value of her golden parachute eventually reached $42 million.
Don't pay attention to Gallup polls any more:
Gallup admits: it only releases likely voter results when they favor McCain!
by Dick Diver [Subscribe]
Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 05:32:47 AM PDT
The Gallup Daily Presidential tracking poll, which many of us follow more closely than we should, reports results based on a survey of registered voters. At some point in the future, Gallup is going to switch to likely voters for the tracking poll, but we don't know exactly when.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/15/74531/5933/788/599244
This guy has flipped his positions on FISA AND NAFTA!
Does anybody even care about that ? ? ? ? ? ?
Brace yourself folks, Washington Mutual, will probably be the next one to declare bankruptcy.
And the govt. is asking Goldman Sachs, and J.P. Morgan to bail out AIG. Which will definitely be declaring bankruptcy, before the week is out. If Goldman, and J.P don't bail them out.
Biden: McCain is ex-reformer turned Rove disciple
By DAVID N. GOODMAN, Associated Press Writer Mon Sep 15, 1:33 PM ET
ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. - The once independent-minded John McCain has adopted the serve-the-rich policies of President Bush and the divisive tactics of ex-Bush strategist Karl Rove, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said Monday.
Biden blamed the Bush administration for inaction in the face of sharp cuts in automotive jobs and said McCain, like the president, was out of touch with economic suffering.
Speaking to hundreds of people in a sweltering high school gym in the Detroit suburb of St. Clair Shores, the Delaware senator decried "a culture in Washington where the very few wealthy and powerful have a seat at the table and the rest of us are on the menu."
Read More: Biden: McCain is ex-reformer turned Rove disciple
By DAVID N. GOODMAN, Associated Press Writer Mon Sep 15, 1:33 PM ET
ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. - The once independent-minded John McCain has adopted the serve-the-rich policies of President Bush and the divisive tactics of ex-Bush strategist Karl Rove, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Biden blamed the Bush administration for inaction in the face of sharp cuts in automotive jobs and said McCain, like the president, was out of touch with economic suffering.
Speaking to hundreds of people in a sweltering high school gym in the Detroit suburb of St. Clair Shores, the Delaware senator decried "a culture in Washington where the very few wealthy and powerful have a seat at the table and the rest of us are on the menu."
would say that about 88% of your interactions with people here are pure. vile. crapola
duhhhh, would you notice that those posts you find vile, are only with the Trolls like yourself, whose very appearance here, says exactly what kind of people you are? the thought of my going into PUMA, RNC or McCain blogs, posting bullshit like you and your friends here do, is so repugnant to me, I can only shudder when I think of what it takes for someone like you to be here!
For someone using the name of one of the heros of Lord of the Rings, I would suggest maybe switching to Smedley, or Gollum might suit you better. You are an ugly little creature. All that sore loser hatred makes one bitter and angry. I pity your kids. I really do.......
when will govent help out the workers not the corperations
Just as we expected Dems., the repo spin masters is on t.v. Yep you guessed it, blaming the Dems for the economic problems.
The truth is not in these people, and call there selves God fearing Christians.
They are trying to Lie, all the way to the White House again.
PamB on September 15, 2008 at 04:35 PM
Shhhh, don't tell anyone. We want it to be a big surprise on 4NOV08.
Biden: McCain is ex-reformer turned Rove disciple
By DAVID N. GOODMAN, Associated Press Writer Mon Sep 15, 1:33 PM ET
ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. - The once independent-minded John McCain has adopted the serve-the-rich policies of President Bush and the divisive tactics of ex-Bush strategist Karl Rove, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said Monday.
Biden blamed the Bush administration for inaction in the face of sharp cuts in automotive jobs and said McCain, like the president, was out of touch with economic suffering.
Speaking to hundreds of people in a sweltering high school gym in the Detroit suburb of St. Clair Shores, the Delaware senator decried "a culture in Washington where the very few wealthy and powerful have a seat at the table and the rest of us are on the menu."
Read More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080915/ap_on_el_pr/biden_3
sorry for the double post - it didn't come up for me the first time.
Why are we surprised that a george w. bush economy stinks?
Arbusto, an oil exploration company, lost money, but it got considerable investments (nearly $5 million) because even losing oil investments were useful as tax shelters. Spectrum 7 Energy Corp. bought out Arbusto in 1984 and hired Mr. Bush to run the company's oil interests in Midland, Texas. The oil business collapsed as oil prices plummeted by 1986, and Spectrum 7 Energy was near failure. Harken Energy acquired Mr. Bush's Spectrum 7 Energy shares, and he got Harken shares, a directorship, and a consulting arrangement in return. Harken, under Bush, brought in Saudi real estate tycoon Sheikh Abdullah Bakhsh as a board member and a major investor. Over the next few years, Harken would turn out to have links to: Saudi money, CIA-connected Filipinos, the Harvard Endowment, the emir of Bahrain, and the shadowy Bank of Credit and Commerce International. A 1991 internal SEC document suggested George W. Bush violated federal securities law at least 4 times in the late 1980s and early 1990s in selling Harken stock while serving as a director of Harken. This is essentially the same kind of activity that Martha Stewart is going to prison over. Except at the time of the investigation, Mr. Bush's father was president and the case was quietly dropped.
Veneita on September 15, 2008 at 04:55 PM
It's not surprising that a GOP economy stinks, it's suprising how many of our fellow Americans are stupid enough to believe that John McCain is smart enough to do anything about it.
GOP economy?
Who is in charge of congress Bob? Do you know?
Who passes the budget?
Who heads to regulation committees?
Ever hear of a man named Dodd?
Aragon on September 15, 2008 at 04:37 PM
Ok, we get it, you don't like Obama. But now it appears that you don't like Biden either. Do you now believe he was involved with ACORN too and/or messed up your city/state?
You posted that another blogger here is nasty to others, but what about you? I challenge you to post something...anything, positive AND true. So far, all I've seen you post are unsubstantiated allegations and negativity. You haven't sunk to the pitiful dispair of the hate-filled trolls here, but you seem to be getting ever closer.
Is that what you aspire to?
This country deserves better from its people.
WASHINGTON: The Bush administration is pushing through a broad array of foreign weapons deals as it seeks to re-arm Iraq and Afghanistan, contain North Korea and Iran, and solidify ties with onetime Russian allies.From tanks, helicopters and fighter jets to missiles, remotely piloted aircraft and even warships, the Department of Defense has agreed so far this fiscal year to sell or transfer more than $32 billion in weapons and other military equipment to foreign governments, compared with $12 billion in 2005.
The trend, which started in 2006, is most pronounced in the Middle East, but it reaches into northern Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and even Canada, through dozens of deals that senior Bush administration officials say they are confident will both tighten military alliances and combat terrorism.
"This is not about being gunrunners," said Bruce Lemkin, the air force deputy under secretary who is helping coordinate many of the biggest sales. "This is about building a more secure world."...
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/14/america/arms.php
So now the motto of the Air Force is "Peace, through superior firepower"? Have these idiots figured out that we run out of money and property with a tangible worth or when the Bush foreign policy finally catches up that those weapons are going to be pointed at us?
This whole Financial system is imploding, now Wells Fargo, is saying that they have problems.
Are We Ready for Change?
Ever wonder why your health care provider doesn't care? Of course, if you're one of the over forty million Americans, many of whom are working, who cannot afford health care at all, then you're not even qualified to ask.
Ever wonder why, if there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, we went there to begin with? Why we're still there? Why 4,153 US Soldiers are dead and tens of thousands maimed for life? Why hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are dead?
Are you hearing a lot of talk about candidates connecting with "working Americans"? Who's going to be in charge of connecting with Americans who aren't working? Do you think unemployed Americans can't decide this election?
Which candidate will bring about change? That's easy, Obama. McCain has been a good Republican soldier every step of the way. Obama is at least looking for a new way. There's no guarantee he'll find it, but he has set out to forge a new path. Washington is Washington so don't expect miracles, but Obama is itching to break with the past eight years, that much is certain. McCain had many chances over the past eight years to stand up to George W. Bush & Co., he chose instead to back them every step of the way. It is what it looks like.
The big question mark here is the American public. How far have we come in terms of political maturity? Or to put it more bluntly, are we ready to vote for our own best interests yet? The Republicans have had legendary success convincing voters that highly emotional values-based arguments should be their guide in the voting booth, not health care, war and peace, or the economy. As a result, health care in the US is the leading cause of personal bankruptcy, we're at war for oil - again, and the US economy is flat-out collapsing.
Read More: http://www.truthout.org/article/are-we-ready-change
Here are the recessions and their Republican presidents:
August 1957 to April 1958 (Eisenhower),
April 1960 to February 1961 (Eisenhower), December 1969 to November 1970 (Nixon),
November 1973 to March 1975 (Nixon and Ford), July 1981 to November 1982 (Reagan),
July 1990 to March 1991 (Reagan),
March 2001 to November 2001 (Bush II)
Now add:
March 2008 - Present (Bush II)
jyui on September 15, 2008 at 05:25 PM
The GOP was in charge of the Congress from 1995 until 2007. And it is those policies, especially those that cut banking and business regulations since 2001 when the GOP also controlled the White House, that have brought us to the brink of the Second Great Depression.
Posted by marymac_memphis on September 15, 2008 at 05:37 PM
Great here. Everyone is still laughing at that spot-on impersonation of palin by Tina Fey. What a riot!
I wonder when the christian conservatives will take a moment from looking up Sarah's skirt to realize they've F-d up the economy?
If you go back and read economic history, you will see that Bush II = Coolidge and McCain = Hoover. The combination of Collidge's failed tax/economic policies (that were based on supply-side economics) and Hoover's unwillingness to change those policies directly precipitated the great depression. The economic model of the current economy (including all of the republican wrought de-regulation of the last 28 years) is almost identical to that of the 1920's and early 1930's. McCain isn't just Bush III - McCain = Great Depression!
Where Was Sen. Dodd?
Playing the Blame Game On Fannie and Freddie
By Al Hubbard and Noam Neusner
Friday, September 12, 2008; Page A15
Taxpayers face a tab of as much as $200 billion for a government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the formerly semi-autonomous mortgage finance clearinghouses. And Sen. Christopher Dodd, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, has the gall to ask in a Bloomberg Television interview: "I have a lot of questions about where was the administration over the last eight years."
We will save the senator some trouble. Here is what we saw firsthand at the White House from late 2002 through 2007: Starting in 2002, White House and Treasury Department economic policy staffers, with support from then-Chief of Staff Andy Card, began to press for meaningful reforms of Fannie, Freddie and other government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs).
The crux of their concern was this: Investors believed that the GSEs were government-backed, so shouldn't the GSEs also be subject to meaningful government supervision? ......
......During this period, Sen. Richard Shelby led a small group of legislators favoring reform, including fellow Republican Sens. John Sununu, Chuck Hagel and Elizabeth Dole. Meanwhile, Dodd -- who along with Democratic Sens. John Kerry, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were the top four recipients of Fannie and Freddie campaign contributions from 1988 to 2008 -- actively opposed such measures and further weakened existing regulation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/11/AR2008091102841.html
Blue - with all of the bad economic news today, I had almost forgotten about Tina Fey. Thanks for reminding me of how 'perfect' she was! I laughed until I cried.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/09/its_not_just_palin_its_the_mes.html
It's Not Just Palin -- Its the Message
By Joe Trippi
Are We Ready for Change?
since the story broke in July about the sweetheart $800,000 mortgage deal Dodd received in 2003 from Countrywide Financial, once the nation's largest mortgage lender, Dodd has steadfastly refused to answer questions about the deal he received as a "Friend of Angelo" (Countrywide co-founder Angelo Mozilo). Before leaving the country for his home in Ireland (one of the three he owns with his wife), Dodd promised to release any and all records pertaining to his deal. Since then, not a peep - and the gatekeepers on his media staff say he will not comment until he releases the information.
We're waiting.
Veneita on September 15, 2008 at 04:55 PM
Veneita,
Why is the media so stunned? As you pointed out, the Bush Crime Family has been at it for decades.
But we have CNN today going back to the railway bankruptcies of the 1890's to make comparisons with the current bank failure crisis?
They can't just look across the frog pond at the RNC headquarters? How about McCain's lobbyist buddies around the corner on K Street and riding with him on the Double Talk Express?
The MSM doesn't want to mention the Great Depression? They are ignoring Greenspan's remarks about this being the con job of a century? They are still afraid of telling the truth...much less facing it?
Smart people got their money out of the stock market after the first Bush securities scandal back before 9/11. Why would any rational person think that the Republicans would do anything but encourage irresponsible deregulation after the Enron scandal?
When Bush insisted we needed to privatize Social Security, the media divas didn't blink (as sweet, grafty Sarah says). They debated the idea like it was actually a credible idea worthy of debate.
How many times have we here on this very blog listed all the shady schemes that the corrupt Bush administration and crooked Congressional Republicans enabled in the last eight years? All the signs were there if you bothered to look.
Just sitting back and contemplated the ever rising number of GOP scandals over the last eight years might have given a professional journalist a clue that something was rotten in the State of BushWorld.
Who could have guessed that the Republicans, who gave the filthy rich and oil industry the biggest tax cuts in Greenspan's last century, would be anything but stealing us blind?
Carly Ferrino is now on CNN blaming the mess on Chris Cox.> He's the regulator that the GOP handcuffed at every move by insisting that he not touch any of the bogus rules that Phil Graham and his wife put into place.
Now Ferrino is blaming the Democratic-controlled Congress...who has been in control for little more than a full year and which has been thwarted every step of the way by Republican filibusters and other procedural tricks? Democrats can't even get a hold of documents from the Bush administration. Do any of us believe any of the reports they have published?
And who is she to be evaluating any economic problems? Ferrino was fired because of her incompetence. The GOP continues to spin like a wobbly top out of control from the weight of its own hubris just like their failed policies.
Who could have guessed? Democrats knew and nobody, particularly the MSM, listened to us. They better listen to us now.
I wonder when the christian conservatives will take a moment from looking up Sarah's skirt to realize they've F-d up the economy?
BlueinIdaho on September 15, 2008 at 05:41 PM
Blue, do you think all those retired folks in Florida living off their investments will vote to gamble with what's left on McCain/Palin?
I guess potty mouth Sarah Palin will cheer them up with her exciting lies...since McCain can only put them to sleep when he tells them.
The Fundamentals must be reformed...even though they are sound? It's all so exciting lying about our position and changing it from one campaign stop to the next. McCain has no integrity...or credibility.
Why geez, just a couple of weeks ago you were telling us how you got kicked out of the Free Republic for "posting bullshit like you and your friends here do
Now Silly, errr, I mean Sally. don't you pay attention to what I say unless it is about YOU?
I SAID, I posted a link and article that disproved what they were discussing as Gospel. They then proceeded to kick me off as a troll, because they do not want the Truth. You Know, much like YOU do when you go googling into deep deep archives for BS stories about global warming !
It would appear that the redneck beauty queen governor of AK is fine a example of being a Republican.BobVADemocratHawk on September 15, 2008 at 04:35 PM
I would definitely say that Governor Sarah Palin is a fine example of a conservative, yes. I don't see how her being a contestant in a pageant nor her country upbringing figures into that. It is the view that 1. Daddy is always right and 2. If Daddy is wrong, see rule 1, that is the problem. It does not help the situation any to insult her for her physical features or the fact that she was raised in a small town. It is her completely fucking insane and wrongheaded view of how the world works. It really isn't so black and white as conservatives would wish to believe. Of course, it also doesn't really help to insult people for believing that, all you do is get them all defensive. Witness the trolls. Anyone NOT get defensive when Sally spews his mindless garbage?
I had more to say, but then there was a piece on the local news about the Log Cabin Republicans, who continue to amaze me...how can you get into bed with people who find you repulsive? This idiot says: "The Republican party is becoming more open-minded." Uhhh, where? Did someone bring Barry Goldwater back from the dead? He's the last Republican *I* know of saying anything nice about gays.
And what is this "small government" that conservatives love talking about? The only thing I see getting smaller is the protection that our government is supposed to provide. The EPA, FDA, and all the other federal agencies that are supposed to protect us against the excesses of corporations have been gutted, and those corporations are left to police themselves. Or the functions of government have been "privatized" and handed off in contracts to companies that have no accountability to the public. This is NOT how our country is supposed to operate. Corporations are not what the Constitution was written to protect.
Dinner time. Maybe be back later.
Aragon, stop being a pain in the ass, ok? Hillary would have made a great candidate, she would have been a good pick as VP, but no matter what you think, I'm pretty sure the reason Obama didn't pick her is NOT just because she's a woman....although I'm not really sure WHY he didn't pick her, except that maybe they just don't like each other.
p>Last time I checked, Dodd is a DEMOCRAT.
Yes, he is. And the last time I checked, McCain and Palin were Republicans.
But you wouldn't know it by how both of them are running away from the policies McCain has supported for 25 years.
The only change they are interested in is changing the subject from the issues.
I LMAO over this one! They held it in a 15,000 person stadium, and no one showed!!!
Empty Seats Greet McCain at Fla. Rally
By Robert Barnes
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Republican presidential nominee John McCain held his first rally without running mate Sarah Palin today, and let's just say there were seats available.
The McCain "Road to Victory" rally was originally scheduled to be a pancake breakfast, but the campaign said there was such an outpouring of enthusiasm the event was shifted to the 15,000-seat Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
That might not have been the best idea: There were almost no supporters in any of the cavernous arena's 24 upper-level seating sections, and only eight of the 21 sections downstairs held fans. Only four of those were filled, though some supporters crowded around the stage on the arena floor.
McCain and wife Cindy made a point of thanking supporters for coming out on "a Monday morning'' for the 9 a.m. rally.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/15/empty_seats_greet_mccain_at_fl.html
I bet McCain wishes he had Romney on the ticket with him now.
And I bet Romney is glad he isn't.
bbl.
Stock market gone to hell, but McCain still out today saying it is a Great Economy! The sad part is, there is that easily swayed segment of the population that will believe him! Down below $11,000 again!!!
"The churn of a rapidly changing financial landscape left Wall Street cold on Monday, as a late afternoon sell-off sent the stock market to its worst daily loss in seven years.
>
»The Dow Jones industrial average plummeted more than 500 points — its worst session since the days after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/business/worldbusiness/16markets.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Good God What is Wrong With Him. I've got to sit hear and listen to barack say that he doesn't blame the state the country is in on John Mccain, but on the ideals he has. What!!!!! I have had it. Does he want to win, of course it is John McSame's fault. He voted with Bush 90% of the time. He is sending mixed messages. What in the hell is he thinking. You blame your opponent, you don't confuse morons who have no clue about the subleties of politics. "now i don't blame john mccain" I am sick to my stomach again. This is not the primary it is the General. If I have to listen to him soften his attack and confuse the morons one more time i'm done. He's not smart enough for me.
It sure would be nice if the MSM could 'grow a set' and host a forum moderated by leading economists (not Wolf, Stone, Brit, Katie or whomever) who question the candidates about their economic policies.
Let's see - I want a forum on the Constitution and Bill of Rights as well as one on the economy. Wonder if I will get either from the corporately controlled MSM.
News: I would like to see him come at all of the Repubs, especially McCain, a lot harder!
bwhahahahahahah, I wonder what kind of idiot would believe anything written by these guys?
Allan Hubbard
Former Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director, National Economic Council
Allan Hubbard formerly served as an Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director, National Economic Council.
Our principal, Noam Neusner, was President George W. Bush’s principal economic and domestic policy speechwriter for nearly two years, working in the most intense environment in American politics – including a national presidential campaign. He twice oversaw the editing and production of the $2.8 trillion federal budget, and managed all communications and media relations for the Office of Management and Budget. He worked for nearly a dozen years as an award-winning financial journalist at U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg News, and Tampa Tribune, and has co-authored or edited four books. He is also a frequent and accomplished public speaker.
McCain: No, Obama Didn't Call Palin A PigHere's another filthy lie, I think he even put into an ad!!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/15/mccain-no-obama-didnt-cal_n_126586.htmlPosted by PamB on September 15, 2008 at 04:25 PM
From that article:
A day earlier, hard-nosed Republican tactician Karl Rove, a former adviser to President Bush, said some of McCain's ads were not truthful and both sides should cool the attacks.
Huh? Who is this guy, and what has he done with the real Turd Blossom?
LOL !
But now suddenly, John McCain says he is about change, too. He even started using some of my lines. Suddenly he says he wants 'to turn the page.' He had an ad today that he started running that he and Gov. Palin would bring the change that we need. He had this in an advertisement. Sound familiar? Let me tell you something, instead of borrowing my lines he needs to borrow our ideas," Obama said.
He followed up with [a] dig on lobbyists, saying "if you think those lobbyists are working day and night for John McCain just to put themselves out of business, well then I've got a bridge to sell you up in Alaska."
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/15/141527/918/400/599624
Meanwhile, Dodd -- who along with Democratic Sens. John Kerry, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were the top four recipients of Fannie and Freddie campaign contributions from 1988 to 2008 -- actively opposed such measures and further weakened existing regulation.
=========================================
PamB on September 15, 2008 at 06:49 PM
Its the truth pam, post something to disprove it, or shut your pie hole!
OH? Now they were trying to say that Palin thought that was very funny !!! She wasn't 'gasp" LYING was she???
McCain Camp's Fiorina calls Tina Fey "Sexist"
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/15/16441/6634/259/599765
Last time I checked, Dodd is a DEMOCRAT.
104jyui on September 15, 2008 at 06:10 PM
well, you better check again, fella.
He was a Republican turned Independent !
GregL on September 15, 2008 at 07:07 PM
Greg: He's still there lurking. He's just pretending to be 'fair and balanced' to try and restore some of his absent credibility. Don't be fooled or lulled into a false sense of confidence about him!
ooops, I take that back. I was watching Lou Dobbs, and thought that was who we were talking about !
Chris Dodd is an honorable Senator.
Please don't make me dig out my hundreds of Republicans, from the Republican Wall of Shame, who are either Criminals, Corrupt, or Sexually Perverted. they take up so much room here!
You guys are desperate aren't you?
Do you believe the cojones on McCain and Palin, running off at the mouth about how the financial regulatory system is "out of date," and the regulators were "asleep at the switch?"
The facts are that since the beginning of the Reagan administration, the Republiecans have been systematically dismantling and emasculating federal regulator agencies by 1.) cutting their budgets, 2.) staffing the agencies with political hacks and cronies from the very industries the regulatory agencies are supposed to "regulate," thereby putting the foxes in charge of guarding the chicken coop, and 3.) when all else fails, they simply refuse to enforce the regulatory laws that are on the books.
Under the rubric of removing the "dead hand" of government from business, the Republiecans returned us to the "anything goes" days of the 1920s, asking us to "trust" business to regulate itself.
RIGHT! And pigs can fly, too!--with or without lipstick.
Just goes to show that those who refuse to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
Remember in November.
Speaking of Republicans that are Corrupt, looks like ole Sarah girl will fit right in!!!
McCain's Earmark Lie: Palin actually grubs $1 mil/day as Gov.
by Kagro X
Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 03:00:11 PM PDT
The Wall Street Journal:
Last week, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain said his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, hadn't sought earmarks or special-interest spending from Congress, presenting her as a fiscal conservative. But state records show Gov. Palin has asked U.S. taxpayers to fund $453 million in specific Alaska projects over the past two years.
It's been 652 days since Earmark Queen Sarah Palin took office as Governor of Alaska.
In that time, she's hustled for $453,000,000 in federal lipstick pork.
That's $694,785.28 a day. Six hundred ninetey-four thousand, seven hundred and eight five dollars and twenty-eight cents. Every day. Even Sundays!
Palin was grubbing six hundred ninetey-four thousand, seven hundred and eight five dollars and twenty-eight cents out of the federal trough on the very day when John McCain looked America in the eye and said she was taking zero.
And she took it again today, too.
And she took it on every one of the 312 nights she spent at home and billed the Alaskan taxpayers for it.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/15/141431/473/401/599623
Sarah Palin's Murderous Web of Death
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-gutfeld/sarah-palins-murderous-we_b_126539.html
If you haven't seen this video by the POW who was there even before McCain, who says he does not want McCain's hand on the red button, watch it here. ALSO, go to DFA website and contribute to keep it going ! McCain campaign out there saying their are being Swiftboated ! Imagine! Bastards trying to Swiftboat this Honorable gentleman! hahahaha
Video: McCain's POW Comrade has Something to Say
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/15/181617/210/169/599871
well, you better check again, fella.
He was a Republican turned Independent !
Posted by PamB
Christopher Dodd?
Every female dem, males too if you want, should put their hair up and wear their cheaters. People around town will see, that just because you put your hair up and wear glasses doesn't make you VP potential. I bet you the principles at my childs conservative school would freak. The liberal goes palin.
Thanks for letting me air guys without too much flap. I'm going for a walk.
He's the Chairman of the frikkin Senate Banking Committee?
Since when is he an Independent?
Where Was Sen. Dodd?
Taxpayers face a tab of as much as $200 billion for a government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the formerly semi-autonomous mortgage finance clearinghouses. And Sen. Christopher Dodd, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, has the gall to ask in a Bloomberg Television interview: "I have a lot of questions about where was the administration over the last eight years."
We will save the senator some trouble. Here is what we saw firsthand at the White House from late 2002 through 2007:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/11/AR2008091102841.html
If you haven't seen this video by the POW who was there even before McCain, who says he does not want McCain's hand on the red button, watch it here.
PamB
Seems to me I have seen you post this same message before. Actually many many many times. Do you have anything new to add or just the same old same old?
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