Stone Waves

Dubya's Pottery Barn

2008-11-09T08:14:00.002-05:00

Dawn

2008-11-04T07:48:00.000-05:00

Dawn?

In the artic there is approximately 6 months of daylight (summer) and 6 months of night (winter). In a manner of speaking we've been living in an artic winter for the past 8 years. It's been dark, and cold and difficult to see beyond whatever light we carried within ourselves. We saw a glimmer of daylight in 2006, when the Republican ice started breaking up in Congress, but it's been a very slow thaw since then.

Today we may see the dawn. We may see change and progress. How much change and progress will depend on us, all of us.

A little something to watch today as a reminder of what is at stake:

VOTE

2008-11-03T13:28:00.001-05:00

Got 'em?

2008-11-01T20:39:00.002-04:00

et tu Caribou?

2008-10-31T05:02:00.002-04:00

High Sticking?

2008-10-26T08:07:00.002-04:00

No Vision

2008-10-26T08:02:00.001-04:00

Keep stirrin' the pot

2008-10-18T09:44:00.002-04:00

When Fascism Comes...

2008-10-15T19:31:00.001-04:00

Wheels on the Bus are Falling Off

2008-10-14T20:30:00.002-04:00

Roll of the Dice

2008-10-12T06:34:00.001-04:00

Game Changer?

2008-10-10T04:38:00.000-04:00

Nothing but Mud

2008-10-09T04:35:00.003-04:00

White Flag of Surrender

2008-10-04T20:03:00.001-04:00

The American Promise

2008-10-04T10:09:00.001-04:00

Palin channels Dubya and Reagan

2008-10-04T04:50:00.001-04:00

Big Hole

2008-10-04T04:10:00.000-04:00

No Clothes

2008-10-02T04:56:00.002-04:00

Econo-Man and Trickled down

2008-09-28T08:46:00.002-04:00

FMDs

2008-09-25T18:45:00.002-04:00

Oops! Colorado McCain camp sends internal e-mail to reporters

2008-09-25T04:28:00.005-04:00

So much for "NOT Politicizing" the bailout....

Oops! Colorado McCain camp sends internal e-mail to reporters
By Ernest Luning 9/24/08
Colorado Independent

The regional spokesman for John McCain in Colorado accidentally sent the campaign’s internal talking points on the candidate’s plans to suspend his campaign to its entire Colorado media list, instead of a list of key volunteers, Wednesday afternoon, PolitickerCO’s Jeremy Pelzer reports.

The memo, titled “TALKING POINTS: SUSPENDING THE CAMPAIGN,” includes a list of points the campaign wants emphasized, and includes this warning from McCain staffer Tom Kise: “Please do not proactively reach out to the media on this.”

McCain’s plans to stop campaigning — and a proposal to cancel Friday’s debate with Obama — had already been widely reported Wednesday afternoon.

Still, Kise was surprised at his e-mail snafu, as Pelzer reports:

Told by a reporter that the e-mail had been sent to him and others in the media, Kise said, “F*ck, tell me I didn’t send it to the wrong list.”

Kise said the talking points were meant for McCain volunteers.

Among the document’s “Topline Messaging”:

• To address our nation’s financial crisis, John McCain will suspend his campaign and return to Washington. He has spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of his decision and asked Senator Obama to join him. The campaign is suspending its advertising and fundraising.

Obama spokesperson Bill Burton, clearly, didn’t get Kise’s memo. As TPM reports, Burton challenged the McCain campaign’s assertion that McCain “asked Senator Obama to join him,” saying it was the Obama campaign that first broached the possibility of joint action on the financial crisis:

“At 8:30 this morning, Senator Obama called Senator McCain to ask him if he would join in issuing a joint statement outlining their shared principles and conditions for the Treasury proposal and urging Congress and the White House to act in a bipartisan manner to pass such a proposal. At 2:30 this afternoon, Senator McCain returned Senator Obama’s call and agreed to join him in issuing such a statement. The two campaigns are currently working together on the details.”

Wednesday afternoon, Obama told a press conference he rejected McCain’s unilateral decision to cancel Friday’s debate:

“I believe we should continue to have the debate,” he just said. “I believe it makes sense for us to present ourselves to the American people.”

“Obviously if it turns out that we need to be in Washington, we’ve both got big planes, we’ve painted our slogan on the side of them,” Obama also said. “They can get us from Washington to Mississippi pretty quickly.” The debate is set to take place in Mississippi.

---------

Note: McCain also called for suspension of ads during this time period. As of Wednesday night, in Pennsylvania, Mccain attack ads - specifically aimed at Obama and the bailout were still running.

Reagan Revised

2008-09-25T04:28:00.002-04:00

the Adventures of Digger the Mole

2008-09-25T04:27:00.002-04:00

The Radical Fringe Sept. 20, 2008

2008-09-21T06:11:00.001-04:00

McCain's Lobby

2008-09-19T21:21:00.000-04:00

Mud

2008-09-16T19:53:00.001-04:00

Sweet Little Lies

2008-09-14T06:04:00.001-04:00

Ashamed?

2008-09-13T06:50:00.001-04:00

Play the McCain Lobbyist Game at MCCAIN'S LOBBYISTS.COM

2008-09-11T09:54:00.002-04:00

Play the McCain Lobbyist Game at MCCAIN'S LOBBYISTS.COM

McCain Campaign rebuffs Community Organizers:

2008-09-11T04:30:00.004-04:00

On September 9th, 2007 in Lancaster, PA., Keystone Progress attempted to deliver a petition to John McCain and Sarah Palin. The petition asks the McCain campaign to apologize for the disparaging remarks regarding community organizers.

With some persistence, Keystone Progress were able to hand the petition to a "friend" of the McCain-Palin Campaign. When asked if McCain-Palin would apologize, Keystone Progress were told "I don't think that will happen".

READ MY LIPSTICK - McCain-Palin in the White House??? NO WAY!! NO HOW!!

McCain-Palin: Maverick? Reformers? NOT

2008-09-10T05:03:00.003-04:00

The following list took me about 20 minutes of searching "the google" on the tubes of the internets. So easy, even a Fox Journalist could do it.

McCain leads in: Bundlers: 850
Mega-Donors: 1025
Lobbyist Bundlers: 76
http://www.whitehouseforsale.org/candidate.cfm?CandidateID=C0005

McCain's Staff:

Campaign manager Rick Davis is a major telecommunications lobbyist.

Senior foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann recently faced scrutiny over his foreign lobbying on behalf of the Republic of Georgia, which has been embroiled in a military conflict with Russia.

Senior adviser Charlie Black was a foreign lobbyist for dictators in Zaire and Angola in the 1980s, fodder for the liberal group MoveOn.org.

Frank Donatelli, the Republican National Committee's liaison to the McCain campaign, has had clients including Exxon Mobil.

Economic adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer has lobbied for corporate giants like Koch Industries.

John Green lobbied for Fannie Mae, the troubled mortgage giant.

National finance Co-chairman Wayne Berman - lobbied for Fannie Mae, the troubled mortgage giant.

Bush Counselor Ed Gillespie Had Lucrative Lobbying Practice Prior To White House Work. Ed Gillespie, one of President Bush's top advisors, founded the lobbying firm Quinn Gillespie & Associates (QGA), a lobbying firm that still bears his name and indirectly uses his influence to win favor with Bush Administration officials

Phil Graham, Economic Adivsor - UBS Lobbyist * officially not part of McCain campaign anymore, unofficially????

Bushies on Board:

Steve Schmidt, Bush’s attack dog in the 2004 election

Mark McKinnon,Bush media strategist

Karl Rove, the president’s top political hand since his Texas days

Dan Bartlett, formerly a top aide in the Bush White House

Ken Mehlman, who ran Bush’s 2004 campaign

Sara Taylor, Bush political adviser

Tucker Eskew - key members of then-Gov. George W. Bush's South Carolina team during the 2000 primaries. Ran the smear campaign against McCain during that primary race. Senior Bush White House communications aide, is serving as senior counselor to Palin’s operation.

Mark Wallace, a former lawyer for the Bush 2000 campaign who served in a variety of administration jobs including chief counsel at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and deputy ambassador to the United Nations, has been put in charge of “prep” for the debate against Biden.

Wallace’s wife, Nicolle Wallace, the former White House communications director, has taken over the same job for Palin.

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the former chief economist at the Council of Economic Advisers who has been serving as top economics guru for the McCain campaign, has moved over to serve as Palin’s chief domestic-policy adviser.

Matt Scully, a former Bush White House speechwriter who helped draft some of the major foreign-policy addresses during the president’s first term, is working on Palin’s acceptance speech to the convention Wednesday night.

Steve Biegun, who once served as the No. 3 National Security Council official under Condoleezza Rice at the White House,

Matt Scully, a former Bush White House speechwriter who helped draft some of the major foreign-policy addresses during the president’s first term, is working on Palin’s acceptance speech to the convention Wednesday night.

Mark Wallace, a former lawyer for the Bush 2000 campaign who served in a variety of administration jobs including chief counsel at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and deputy ambassador to the United Nations, has been put in charge of “prep” for the debate against Biden.

Wallace’s wife, Nicolle Wallace, the former White House communications director, has taken over the same job for Palin.

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the former chief economist at the Council of Economic Advisers who has been serving as top economics guru for the McCain campaign, has moved over to serve as Palin’s chief domestic-policy adviser.

other: The Republican nominee drew [b]more donations from executives at oil and gas, real-estate, securities and investment and insurance companies,[/b] the data showed. He raised $22.3 million from the top 25 industries in the two-month period, compared with Sen. Obama's $19.9 million. http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB122083596543108777.html

Senator McCain has recruited at least 127 federal lobbyists to run his presidential campaign and as top campaign fundraisers.

Even After Lobbyists Caused Problems For McCain, He Reached Out To "K" Street. On May 30, 2008, Politico reported, "John McCain's campaign manager and other senior officials met with about 70 top Republican lobbyists yesterday, making the case" for McCain's presidency. The aides dispatched to "K" Street included three lobbyists - Campaign Manager Rick Davis, Deputy Campaign Manager Christian Ferry, and Deputy RNC Chairman Frank Donatelli.

Seven Top McCain Aides And Fundraisers Helped Air Bus Secure Multi-Billion Air Force Contract Over Boeing. At least seven top McCain advisers and fundraisers - Thomas Loeffler, Susan Nelson, John Green, Kirsten Chadwick, Kirk Blalock, Aleix Jarvis and William Ball III - have all lobbied for EADS, the parent company of European airplane manufacturer Air Bus.

At Least 22 Of McCain's Top Aides And Fundraisers Have Lobbied For 8 Of The Top 10 Defense Contractors. At least 22 of McCain's top aides and fundraisers have lobbied for the top ten Defense contractors, including 8 lobbyists for Lockheed Martin, 3 lobbyists for Boeing, 1 lobbyist for Northrop Grumman, 3 lobbyists for Raytheon, 2 lobbyists for General Dynamics, 7 lobbyists for EADS, 1 lobbyist for L-3 Communications, and 5 lobbyists for United Technologies. In total, the top 10 defense contractors have also given at least $216,259 in campaign contributions to McCain. [Senate Lobbying Disclosure Records, accessed 5/22/08; CQ Moneyline, accessed 5/22/08; DefenseNews, accessed 5/22/08]

McCain Has At Least 13 Big Oil Lobbyists Advising Him Or Raising Money For His Campaign. At least 13 of the lobbyists advising McCain or raising money for his campaign have lobbied for big oil. His lobbyists have lobbied for Exxon Mobil, Shell, Sunoco, Amerada Hess, Chevron Texaco, the American Petroleum Institute, Occidental Petroleum, Yukos Oil, the Chinese National Off-Shore Oil Corporation, BP, Chevron, and BP Amoco. [Senate Lobbying Disclosure Records, accessed 5/30/08]

McCain Has At Least 37 Big Pharma Lobbyists Advising Him Or Raising Money For His Campaign. At least 37 of the lobbyists advising McCain or raising money for his campaign have lobbied for big pharma. His lobbyists' clients have included PhRMA, Pfizer, Novartis, Astrazeneca, Wyeth, Amgen, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi Pasteur, Eli Lilly, Hoffman La-Roche, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. [Senate Lobbying Disclosure Records, accessed 5/30/08]

While Mayor of Wasilla, Palin oversaw the hiring of a lobbyist, Steven Silver -- a former chief of staff to now-indicted GOP senator Ted Stevens -- to help win federal earmarks for the city. Steven Silver also worked for Jack Abramoff.

*sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/09/mccain.lobbying/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Gramm
http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/02/bushies-come-to-palin-s-rescue.aspx
http://mccainsource.com/corruption?id=0009
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palin-lobbyist-worked-for_n_123255.html

Read my Lipstick

2008-09-08T12:41:00.001-04:00

Snuffing out the lights

2008-09-07T08:27:00.001-04:00

Make them apologize

2008-09-06T18:05:00.000-04:00

We were appalled last night as we listened to speaker after speaker at the Republican Convention demean the fine work of community organizers.

It was insulting to the people, young and old, who work to better our nation, starting in their own backyard. We are proud to be community organizers and we are proud that a community organizer might be our next president. We honor the work of community organizers, and we urge you to join us in honoring them.

If you appreciate the tireless and sometimes thankless work of these agents of democracy, please do two things:1) Go to: http://www.iamacommunityorganizer.org / and demand that McCain and Palin apologize to the dedicated present and former community organizers around the nation;

2) Send this to everyone you know and ask them to sign on.Thank you in advance for your support. The Keystone Progress Teamhttp://www.keystoneprogress.org /

Archives of Alaska Papers Reveal Disturbing -- And Goofy -- Details from Palin's Past

2008-09-05T05:50:00.001-04:00

Archives of Alaska Papers Reveal Disturbing -- And Goofy -- Details from Palin's Past

By Greg Mitchell
editorandpublisher.com
Published: September 03, 2008 2:10 PM ET

NEW YORK: The McCain team may not have vetted Sarah Palin with boots on the ground in Alaska, but the Democrats sure did -- two years ago when she ran for governor. The oppo-research, compiled in a 62-page document with countless summaries or direct quotes, largely from local newspapers, covers all of the important issues you would expect to see, from her views on abortion and abstinence to tangled oil pipeline questions.

But it also gets into some quirky, if revealing, areas as well, such as Palin founding a company called "Rouge Cru" -- what she called a "classy" way to say redneck -- in case her political career didn't work out a few years ago.

Politico.com obtained a copy and printed merely a handful of the hundreds of findings on Tuesday. These included serious matters such as her use of the mayor's office in political campaigns. But it also posted a PDF of the entire document which few have probably examined. Here some of the more outrageous, or surprising, revelations -- strictly from newspaper clips. They are posted here under their heading in the document. Note: The Frontiersman is the local paper in Wasilla.

DEATH PENALTY

Palin Said "Hang 'Em Up" When Asked About the Death Penalty. Asked about the death penalty, in extreme cases such as the murder of a child, Palin said, "My goodness, hang 'em up, yeah." [Anchorage Daily News , 8/18/06]

RELIGION

Palin wrote a Letter to the Editor saying only, "San Francisco judges forbidding our Pledge of Allegiance? They will take the phrase 'under God' away from me when my cold, dead lips can no longer utter those words. God bless America." [Juneau Empire, 6/30/02]

WALMART

Palin Presided Over a Wedding at a Walmart. He worked in the pets department. She was a cashier. A romance blossomed. And when it came time to say ''I do,'' they chose -- where else? -- an aisle next to menswear. Sandwiched between racks of cotton pants and surrounded by ''Back-to-School Specials'' signs, Jake McCowan and Rosalyn Ryan exchanged vows last week at the place where they met, work and fell in love: the Wasilla Wal-Mart. A crowd of 200, including passengers from a tour bus and several dozen curious shoppers, watched the two employees tie the knot in an afternoon ceremony officiated by Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin. ''It was so sweet,'' said Palin, who fought back tears during the nuptials. "It was so Wasilla." [Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), 8/28/99]

Palin Delivered "Non-Answers" On Expanding Health Care Coverage and Walmart. "Asked about expanding health care coverage and about Wal-Mart's corporate conduct, she delivered non-answers with a disarming smile." [Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), 1/30/06]

USED PUBLIC FUNDS FOR POLITICAL GAIN

In her 2002 Lt. Governor bid, Mayor Palin used city employees, telephones, computers, fax machines for campaign fundraising and literature. On her candidate registration form, she used her City Hall fax number, and her mayoral e-mail address. Records show that Wasilla city property was used to contact supporters, donors, media contacts, and media purchasing. [Anchorage Daily News, 7/21/06]

GENDER CARD

Stambaugh Sued for Gender Discrimination After Palin Said She Was Intimidated by His Size. After Palin fired Irl Stambaugh, the police chief, he sued the city in part based on gender discrimination. The [Wasilla] Frontiersman wrote, "The gender discrimination issues stem from statements Palin allegedly made to others that she was intimidated by Stambaugh's size. He stands over 6-feet tall and weighs more than 200 pounds, which, the lawsuit said, is attributed to his gender." [Frontiersman, 2/26/97]

Palin Went to See Ivana Trump at Costco, Saying Alaska was So Desperate for "Any Semblance of Glamour and Culture". "Sarah Palin, a commercial fisherman from Wasilla, told her husband on Tuesday she was driving to Anchorage to shop at Costco. Instead, she headed straight for Ivana. And there, at J.C. Penney's cosmetic department, was Ivana, the former Mrs. Donald Trump, sitting at a table next to a photograph of herself. She wore a light-colored pantsuit and pink fingernail polish. Her blonde hair was coiffed in a bouffant French twist. 'We want to see Ivana,' said Palin, who admittedly smells like salmon for a large part of the summer, 'because we are so desperate in Alaska for any semblance of glamour and culture.'" [Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), 4/3/96]

Palin Explained that She Couldn't Run for Senate Because Then She Couldn't Be the "Team Mom." "A hockey mom and a former standout athlete herself, Palin said she understood her son's concerns. 'How could I be the team mom if I was a U.S. senator?' she said." [Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), 4/24/04]

more.........

Daily Show: Gender Card

2008-09-05T05:04:00.002-04:00

Ban ALL Community Organizers!

2008-09-04T19:16:00.005-04:00

On Wednesday night at the Republican Convention, Gov. Mitt Romney, Mayor Rudy Guilliani and Gov. Sarah Palin all disparaged community organizations. After listening to them I'm convinced community organizers are bad and should be banned.

When a local church group knocks on my door and asks for donations - I will slam it in their face. When the Salvation Army rings their bell at the corner, I'll kick over their kettle. If the Elks, the Moose, the Rotary Club asks for help with a community project, I will spit in their faces.

If there are donation cans at the cashier counter in my local store which ask for help for someone in need of an operation, I'll pass it by. If my neighbor has a house fire, I'll tell them tough luck - you are on your own. When a hurricane hits, I won't send money. If there's another 9-11 - too bad, you are on your own. When the Red Cross has a blood drive - Sorry - the Red Cross is a COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION!!!

When the local Veterans Organization asks for items to be sent to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan - they will get nothing from me. Schools - don't call on me to help with a bake sale or a car wash. Hey Girl Scouts - don't bother trying to sell me cookies. Boy Scouts - forget the aluminum can drives. Those cans are mine and you can't have them.

By disparaging Barak Obama's years as a community organizer, the republicans have disparaged all community organizers, all community organizations and all those who volunteer their time and abilities to that community.

"I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing good. We will work hand in hand, encouraging, sometimes leading, sometimes being led, rewarding. We will work on this in the White House, in the Cabinet agencies. I will go to the people and the programs that are the brighter points of light, and I will ask every member of my government to become involved. The old ideas are new again because they are not old, they are timeless: duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part and pitching in. " ---President George HW Bush - January 20, 1989

Last night, the republicans spat on thousands of points of light.

Gov. Sarah Palin

2008-09-04T09:36:00.000-04:00

Gov. Sarah Palin:

part one:

part two:

AMERICA VALUES FAMILIES

2008-09-03T05:51:00.001-04:00

With Palin on the ticket - the McCain campaign will fall back to more of the same blather about family values. In the past, the family values blather is something the dems have failed to effectively counteract

The Republicans have wrapped it up in a warm fuzzy blanket, it sounds good, looks good - but beyond that their actions speak differently.

Kerry mentioned it once or twice back in 2004 that I know of and Clinton touched on it briefly in one speech I saw on C-Span, Obama seems to be in the process of crafting a "values" message - but it's not there yet.

IT'S NOT FAMILY VALUES - IT'S VALUING FAMILIES

- the way to value families is to have a healthCARE system that puts people before profits. A healthCARE system which ensures the medications needed are available, affordable and safe

- the way to value families is to enact legislation that protects families from predatory lending practices and other financial schemes which puts their jobs and welfare at risk

- the way to value families is to have an education system which educates

- the way to value families is to have an emergency management system that is able to respond quickly and effectively. to help families in the most dire time of need (think katrina and the recent tornado outbreak)

- the way to value families is to have a veterans system which helps the the troops returning from war.

- the way to value families is to have a social security system the helps families with with their senior members

- the way to value families is to have a forward looking environmental policy to provide clean air, clean water, safe food for the current and future generation

- the way to value families is to encourage job creation here at home and not reward companies who ship jobs overseas.

- the way to value families is to have a foreign policy which focuses on peace and prosperity, not on war and destruction.

- the way to value families is to have a domestic policy that embraces all families.

- the way to value families is to have a policy that is open to science and research, not one that discourages or rewrites findings.

- the way to value families is to have a justice system based on justice not partisan politics.

- the way to value families is to respect and follow the Constitution of the United States - not by looking for loopholes or weasling around it through the use of executive priviledge or signing statements.

AMERICA VALUES FAMILIES

Political Scientists Predict Victory

2008-09-02T14:38:00.001-04:00

Political Scientists Predict Victory for Obama, or a Tight Race
By David Glenn, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 2, 2008

Will Barack Obama cruise to victory in November -- or will the contest be Bush-Gore tight? Both scenarios were sketched here on Friday during the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association when eight scholars offered stylized forecasting models for this fall's election.

Seven of the scholars predicted popular-vote victories for Mr. Obama, but two of them forecast margins so thin that they said he might easily lose the Electoral College. The eighth panelist was not ready to make an official call because his model is based partly on Labor Day opinion polls. But he said it was very possible that his model would predict a victory for John McCain.

The panel featured its share of partisan banter and baseball analogies -- but the scholars said their forecasting models were not just amusements. As they are refined over time, they said, the models should help shed light on how democracies operate. (The object here, by the way, is to correctly predict each candidate's share of the votes cast for the two major parties. Minor-party votes are excluded from the
analyses, so the predicted shares for Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama always add up to 100 percent.)

Without further ado, in descending order of good news for Mr. Obama's camp, here are the results the analyses project:

• Brad Lockerbie, a professor of political science at East Carolina University, said his model predicted an easy victory for Mr. Obama, who would take 58 percent of the vote. Mr. Lockerbie's model is based partly on the University of Michigan's survey of consumer expectations, an index that recently registered its lowest level since 1980. "I'm less than happy with this forecast," Mr. Lockerbie said, explaining that the 58-percent figure seemed to him intuitively too high.

• Thomas M. Holbrook, a professor of government at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, predicted that Mr. Obama would win 55.5 percent of the vote. Mr. Holbrook's model is based on approval ratings for the incumbent president, economic growth during the second quarter of the year, and survey data about personal finances, among other factors.

• Alan I. Abramowitz, a professor of political science at Emory University, predicted that Mr. Obama would win 54.3 percent of the vote. His model is based on economic growth during the second quarter, the incumbent president's approval rating, and the number of terms the incumbent party has held the White House.

• Christopher Wlezien, a professor of political science at Temple University, predicted that Mr. Obama would win 52.2 percent of the vote. His model is based on the leading economic indicators during the second quarter of the year, personal-income growth, approval ratings for the incumbent, and current opinion polling in the McCain-Obama race. (Mr. Wlezien will continue to update his forecast as
the McCain-Obama polls change.)

• Alfred G. Cuzán, a professor of government at the University of West Florida, and Charles M. Bundrick, a professor emeritus of statistics there, predicted that Mr. Obama would win 51.9 percent of the vote. (Their forecast was presented in absentia because they stayed home to help their campus prepare for a possible hurricane strike.) Their model is based on economic growth, the length of time the incumbent party has held the White House, and whether the incumbent party has pursued an
expansionary fiscal policy.

• Helmut Norpoth, a professor of political science at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, forecast that Mr. Obama would win 50.1 percent of the vote. Mr. Norpoth's model is based partly on how much resistance each nominee faced during the primary season. He pointed out that elections like this one, with no incumbent on the ballot, are historically much closer, on average, than elections with an incumbent. (Think of 1960, 1968, and 2000.)

• Michael S. Lewis-Beck, a professor of political science at the University of Iowa, offered a mixed message. The model he typically uses -- which is based partly on economic growth and approval ratings for the incumbent -- gives Mr. Obama a clear victory, with 56.6 percent of the vote. But he said that racial prejudice was likely to undercut that margin. Working with Charles Tien, an associate professor of political science at the City University of New York's Hunter College, Mr. Lewis-Beck used four different methods to estimate the number of voters who would be unwilling to vote for any black candidate. After completing those analyses, Mr. Lewis-Beck and Mr. Tien were left with a tiny margin of victory for Mr. Obama, with 50.07 percent of the vote. (Other scholars on the panel agreed that race was an unknown and probably volatile factor this year. But Mr. Abramowitz scorned
Mr. Lewis-Beck's procedures: "I don't make ad hoc adjustments to my model," he said.)

• James E. Campbell, a professor of political science at the State University of New York at Buffalo, uses a simple model based on Labor Day horse-race polls and economic growth during the second quarter of the year. If no incumbent is running, as is the case this year, Mr. Campbell reduces the weight of the economic variable by half. His assumption is that voters will credit or blame John McCain for economic conditions, but only half as strongly as they would credit or blame the incumbent, George W. Bush, if he were running himself. (Some of the other forecasters' models also make adjustments for non–incumbent election years.)

Mr. Campbell said he was not ready to make a prediction before Labor Day. But he said that second-quarter growth was so strong that his model would predict a victory for John McCain unless he polled less than 47 percent on Labor Day.*

An audience member said he was skeptical of the U.S. Commerce Department's new official estimate of second-quarter economic growth, which was revised sharply upward last week, to 3.3 percent from 1.9 percent. That figure seems out of sync with dire recent reports about personal income and housing foreclosures, he said. If the economic-growth figure is indeed wrong, that would cause problems for at least three of the models presented on Friday.

The forecasts will be published in the October issue of PS: Political Science & Politics. For those keeping score at home: In 2004, seven scholars -- essentially the same cast of characters -- offered forecasts at the political-science meeting. Six of the seven correctly predicted that Mr. Bush would win, and four of their models were within 2.5 percentage points of Mr. Bush's actual vote share. But in 2000 they whiffed, predicting that Al Gore would win between 52.8 percent and 60.3 percent of the two-party vote. His actual share was 50.2 percent.

*Note: In past elections, Campbell has used Labor Day polls. Historically, both parties’ conventions are held before Labor Day. This year, the Republican convention is scheduled to conclude several days after Labor Day. The average of five national polls August 29 - Sept. 1 show Obama leading 49.0% to 43.0%. That is, just before Labor Day, McCain claims 46.7% of the decided two-party vote. These polls,
however, were done after the Democratic convention and before the Republican convention. Very likely, polls conducted after the Republican convention will show McCain polling higher than 47%.

Palin pick - POOR LEadership - POOR Judgement - POOR Decision

2008-09-02T05:12:00.000-04:00

McCain was the presumptive nominee at least since March, giving him 5 months to vet, consider and decide on a VP. Choosing a VP is perhaps the most important decision a presidential candidate must make during a campaign.

Usually presidential candidates chose a vice-presidential running mate because a) the person is clearly qualified to be president, b) they work well together, and c) he/she can help win the
election.

With the announcement of Palin this past Friday it was pretty obvious that politics was the only consideration. Palin would help lure in the evangelicals and perhaps bring in a few clinton supporters. The timing of the Palin decision also knocked Obama's formal nomination off the front page and most likely cut into his post-convention bounce. This in itself says it was POLITICS FIRST, not Country First and raises the red flag that McCain will do anything to win. That he put politics first also indicates he is following in bush-cheney footsteps. Do we really want another 4 years of someone directing policy solely based on political considerations?

If in 3 short days, ordinary people, armed only with google as a tool can dig up this much dirt - what does it say about mccain's leadership, judgement and decision making skills?

How a person leads a campaign is indicative on how they will run their office if elected. As previously mentioned - McCain had at least 5 months to search and vet a running mate. What was he doing during this time? We learned yesterday that his "vetting" crew didn't show up in Alaska until the day before the announcement. Talk about last minute scrambling.

We have many serious problems here at home and abroad. Would McCain wait until the last minute to decide on a direction and then base the decision on what would be politcally expedient at that moment? Where's the foresight? The ability to see beyond a photo op?

Whether it's vetting a VP or anyone else to be appointed to office - this involves not only finding out if the person is qualified, but also finding out what may be hiding in their closets. With chosing Palin, it's pitifully obvious McCain did neither.

What is also obvious is there was no planning on how to handle the skeletons emerging from her closet. They are making it up as they go along, much in the same manner as the bush-cheney administration does when they are caught in a corner.

The larger issue is now one of Leadership, Judgement and Decision Making.

McCain is well on his way to being the Worst Presidential Candidate Ever.

Watched Obama's speech with an elderly African American woman dying of cancer tonight.

2008-08-29T07:10:00.001-04:00

Watched Obama's speech with an elderly African American woman dying of cancer tonight.
Fri Aug-29-08 01:32 AM by KzooDem

I work in a hospital and was nearing the end of my shift when I walked in a room to draw labs on a patient. The patient was an 81 year old African American woman, and as I approached her bed I could see that she was crying, and not lightly.

I asked what was wrong, but her gentle, muffled sobs made her words pretty difficult to understand. After I determined she wasn't in any medical distress she was finally able to tell me why she was crying. She pointed to the television, which had on Obama, delivering his speech from Denver.

She explained that she grew up in the South (Mississippi). She is the granddaughter of a slave, and one of her uncles was lynched. She said 45 years ago when MLK gave his historic speech, she and others were still called niggers to their faces.

She also has advanced breast cancer and has months - possibly weeks - to live. She was simply so proud that she is seeing a black man get so close to the presidency.

So there I stood, this big 6'5" white guy holding the hand of this frail, little old black lady living out her last days, tears streaming down my face like a child. For me, this will be one of those moments a person tends to remember for a long, long time.

We were both laughing by the time I regained my composure. "Honey," she said to me, "just do this old woman a favor - say a little prayer for me and vote for that man." It will be her face I see when I mark Barack Obama on my ballot in November.

Her name is Bessie Mae. If you are the praying type, please say a little prayer for her.

Today we are all running for President

2008-08-29T06:16:00.001-04:00

3:00 a.m.

2008-08-28T09:25:00.000-04:00

'nuff said

2008-08-24T16:33:00.001-04:00

Houses

2008-08-22T05:07:00.003-04:00

In times of a crappy economy, while people are losing thier homes, their jobs - Senator McCain has seemed to lost track of how many houses he owns.

McCain Has So Many Houses, He Can’t Keep Track
by Seth Michaels, Aug 21, 2008

In the past week, Sen. John McCain has proven repeatedly he just doesn’t get it. He’s said, once again, that the economy is strong. He thinks you’re “rich” only if you make $5 million or more a year. And, in the thick of a housing crisis, he’s made a startling admission: He doesn’t even know how many properties he owns.

McCain told a reporter in New Mexico yesterday, “I’ll have my staff get to you,” when asked how many homes he has.

------------

The Obama campaign released this ad:

-----------

The McCain Campaign responded with a noun, a verb and POW:
McCain Camp Responds On Houses Gaffe: He Was A POW!
By Eric Kleefeld - August 21, 2008, 1:57PM

The McCain campaign is road-testing a new argument in responding to Obama's criticism of his number-of-houses gaffe, an approach the McCain camp has never tried before: The houses gaffe doesn't matter because ... he was a POW!

"This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years -- in prison," spokesman Brian Rogers told the Washington Post.

For those of you who haven't kept track, the McCain campaign just recently cited McCain's POW years in explaining away the Miss Buffalo Chip gaffe, and in dealing with the allegation that he broke the rules and listened in on Barack Obama during the Rick Warren forum.

Also, Rogers made sure to play the anti-intellectual card: "In terms of who's an elitist, I think people have made a judgment that John McCain is not an arugula-eating, pointy headed professor-type based on his life story."

---------

Tour One Of John McCain's Houses! (PHOTOS)
The exact number of houses owned by the McCains is a hard number to pin down --some sources say eight to ten, some say it may be more than that-- but in 2005 the McCains opened the doors to one of them for an interview with Architectural Digest. Some of the photos can be seen below. The McCains may have sold the house since the interview.

For the complete slideshow, click here.

------------

All I can say is if McCain can't keep track of his own houseS, how can we trust him to keep track of this one:

------

McCain’s Record Of Denying Assistance To Homeowners
By Think Progress on Mar 25th, 2008

Today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is scheduled to give a speech to the Orange County Hispanic Small Business Roundtable in California. In his prepared remarks, McCain promises to offer “some straight talk” on the nation’s economic woes, promising to “evaluate everything” in order to help Americans. But what are his ideas to solve the crisis? From his speech:

– “it is time to convene a meeting of the nation’s accounting professionals to discuss the current mark to market accounting systems.”

– “We should also convene a meeting of the nation’s top mortgage lenders.” (Note to McCain: The Bush administration already tried this approach, and it failed.)

– “I am prepared to examine new proposals and evaluate them.”

---snip---

While others sought to prevent the emerging credit crisis, McCain has sat on his hands. In fact, on Feb. 17, McCain told ABC’s This Week that a government fund “to help borrowers who are facing foreclosure on their homes” isn’t necessary.

---snip---

McCain has consistently voted against mortgage protections and other steps to help consumers fight unfair credit terms. A look at his record:

– McCain voted against discouraging predatory lending practices. In 2005, McCain voted against an amendment prohibiting law-breaking high-cost predatory mortgage lenders from collecting funds from homeowners who are forced into bankruptcy court. [S. 256, 3/03/05]

– McCain failed to vote on bill to overhaul mortgage lending practices of FHA. In 2007, McCain failed to vote on passage of a bill that would overhaul the mortgage lending practices of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The bill would reduce the required minimum down payment for an FHA-insured loan and simplify its calculation, requiring a flat 1.5 percent of the appraised value of the home. [S. 2338, 12/14/07]

–- McCain failed to sign on to the Predatory Lending Consumer Protection Act. In 2003, McCain failed to add his name to this legislation, which was intended to “protect consumers against predatory practices.” The bill, which was endorsed by a host of civil rights and housing advocates, including the U.S. Conference of Mayors, ACORN, and the Consumer Federation of America. [S. 1928, 11/21/03]

– McCain failed to sign on to Truth in Lending Act. Less than four months ago, McCain failed to sign on to this bipartisan initiative providing protection to consumers taking out home mortgage loans. Among other measures, it was designed to “establish new lending standards to ensure that loans are affordable and fair.” McCain also refused to co-sponsor this legislation in the 107th Congress as well. [S. 2452, 12/12/2007]

Despite Assurances, McCain Wasn’t in a ‘Cone of Silence’

2008-08-18T04:55:00.003-04:00

Despite Assurances, McCain Wasn’t in a ‘Cone of Silence’
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE NY TIMES August 17, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. — Senator John McCain was not in a “cone of silence” on Saturday night while his rival, Senator Barack Obama, was being interviewed at the Saddleback Church in California.

Members of the McCain campaign staff, who flew here Sunday from California, said Mr. McCain was in his motorcade on the way to the church as Mr. Obama was being interviewed by the Rev. Rick Warren, the author of the best-selling book “The Purpose Driven Life.”

The matter is of interest because Mr. McCain, who followed Mr. Obama’s hourlong appearance in the forum, was asked virtually the same questions as Mr. Obama. Mr. McCain’s performance was well received, raising speculation among some viewers, especially supporters of Mr. Obama, that he was not as isolated during the Obama interview as Mr. Warren implied.

Nicolle Wallace, a spokeswoman for Mr. McCain, said on Sunday night that Mr. McCain had not heard the broadcast of the event while in his motorcade and heard none of the questions.

“The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous,” Ms. Wallace said.

Before an audience of more than 2,000 people at the church, the candidates answered questions about policy and social issues.

Mr. Warren, the pastor of Saddleback, had assured the audience while he was interviewing Mr. Obama that “we have safely placed Senator McCain in a cone of silence” and that he could not hear the questions.

After Mr. Obama’s interview, he was joined briefly by Mr. McCain, and the candidates shook hands and embraced.

Mr. Warren started by asking Mr. McCain, “Now, my first question: Was the cone of silence comfortable that you were in just now?”

Mr. McCain deadpanned, “I was trying to hear through the wall.”

Interviewed Sunday on CNN, Mr. Warren seemed surprised to learn that Mr. McCain was not in the building during the Obama interview.

-------------

Did McCain Lie? Nicolle Wallace, a spokeswoman for Mr. McCain, said he was in a motorcade during Obama's appearance. Yet, when asked "....was the cone of silence comfortable...?". McCain replied "“I was trying to hear through the wall.”

Questions: Do Motorcades have walls? If so, did McCain really expect to be able to "hear" through a wall when he was miles away? What type of audio/video/communication equipment did the McCain motorcade have? Were there any McCain staffers/supporters texting/blogging/talking to staffers in the McCain motorcade?

McCain's answers were very short of a soundbite/slogan nature - the kind you would expect if you were short on time and needed something easy to remember.

Is this another case of John McCain not speaking for the John McCain campaign?

Watch Saddleback Civil Forum

Unfit for Publication

2008-08-16T05:47:00.002-04:00

Unfit for Publication

One of the most vile smear peddlers of the 2004 election has found a new target.

Jerome Corsi just published a new book full of rehashed distortions and the same old lies about Barack Obama, and the right-wing noise machine is in full gear promoting it.

In 2004, Corsi helped launch the Swift Boat smear campaign with a book of distortions and lies he wrote about John Kerry.

It’s up to you to spread the truth, so here it is. We’ve posted some of the facts about Corsi and his desperate fabrications on this page, but there’s even more in our PDF: Unfit for Publication.

A LITTLE RESEARCH DISPROVES EVEN CORSI’S MOST BASIC CLAIMS: LIE: “The year 1995 was a banner one for Obama. He had just married Michelle and the couple bought a Hyde Park condo, the first home Obama ever owned.”[p 145]

REALITY: OBAMAS MARRIED IN 1992 AND BOUGHT A CONDO IN 1993
10/3/92 Obama And Michelle Robinson Were Married. [Chicago Sun-Times, 10/3/07]
1993 Obama Bought a Condo for $277,550. [Chicago Sun-Times, 1/22/06]

NONE OF CORSI’S DIVISIVE, REHASHED CLAIMS CHECKS OUT: LIE:“Senator Obama could claim to be a citizen of Kenya, as well as of the United States. Obama can trace his heritage back to his mother, who was born in the United States and was an American citizen when he was born, and to his father, who was born in Kenya and was a Kenyan citizen when Obama was born.” [p 103]

REALITY: OBAMA CANNOT CLAIM KENYAN CITIZENSHIP
Kenya Does Not Allow Dual Citizenship Applications for People Over 21 Years of Age. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management writes of Kenya, “DUAL CITIZENSHIP: Not recognized except for persons under 21 years old.” The Kenyan Constitution writes, “A person who, but for the proviso to section 87 (1), would be a citizen of Kenya by virtue of that subsection shall be entitled, upon making application before the specified date in such manner as may be prescribed by or under an Act of Parliament, to be registered as a citizen of Kenya: Provided that a person who has not attained the age of twenty-one years (other than a woman who is or has been married) may not himself make an application under this subsection, but an application may be made on his behalf by his parent or guardian.” [U.S. Office of Personnel Management; Kenyan Constitution]

Even if Obama Had Applied for Dual Citizenship Before He Was 21—Which He Did Not—It Would Have Expired. ”A person who, upon the attainment of the age of twenty-one years, is a citizen of Kenya and also a citizen of some other country other than Kenya shall, subject to subsection (7), cease to be a citizen of Kenya upon the specified date unless he has renounced his citizenship of that other country, taken the oath of allegiance and, in the case of a person who was born outside Kenya, made and registered such declaration of his intentions concerning residence as may be prescribed by or under an Act of Parliament.” [Kenyan Constitution]

CORSI CAN’T EVEN RECOGNIZE REAL RESEARCH WHEN HE SEES IT LIE: “Christopher Hitchens noted on Salon.com that Michelle announces in her Princeton thesis that she has been influenced by the definition of ‘black separatism’ given by Stokely Carmichael and Charles Hamilton in their 1867 book Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America.” [p 232]

REALITY: USING A DEFINITION IS NOT THE SAME THING AS HAVING INFLUENCE
The Thesis Used Carmichael And Hamilton’s Definition Of Black Separationism In Her Study But Did Not Suggest She Was “Influenced” By It. Michelle Obama wrote in her thesis, “Stokely Carmichael and Charles Hamilton’s (1967) developed definitions of separationism in their discussion of Black Power which guided me in the formulation and use of this concept in the study…Thus, Carmichael and Hamilton define separationism as a necessary stage for the development of the Black community before this group integrates into the “open society”. The idea of creating separate social structure and cultural structures as suggested by these authors serves to clarify definitions of separationism/pluralism as they function in the dependent variable which tries to measure the 26 respondents’ ideologies concerning political and economic relations between the Black and White communities.” [Michelle Obama’s Thesis]

=====================================

MMFA investigates: Who is Jerome Corsi, co-author of Swift Boat Vets attack book?

While much has been written about the identity and history of John E. O'Neill -- one of the authors of the forthcoming Regnery book Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry (whose links in the GOP go back to his days as "protégé of Nixon-era dirty trickster Charles Colson") -- little has been said about his co-author, Jerome R. Corsi, PhD.

Corsi on Islam: "a worthless, dangerous Satanic religion"Corsi on Catholicism: "Boy buggering in both Islam and Catholicism is okay with the Pope as long as it isn't reported by the liberal press"Corsi on Muslims: "RAGHEADS are Boy-Bumpers as clearly as they are Women-Haters -- it all goes together"Corsi on "John F*ing Commie Kerry": "After he married TerRAHsa, didn't John Kerry begin practicing Judiasm? He also has paternal grandparents that were Jewish. What religion is John Kerry?"Corsi on Senator "FAT HOG" Clinton: "Anybody ask why HELLary couldn't keep BJ Bill satisfied? Not lesbo or anything, is she?"Unfit for Command has received wide media coverage recently, in part because of hype on The Drudge Report and the website Human Events Online, which is offering a sample chapter via e-mail, and in part as a result of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's new attack ad on Kerry's service in Vietnam. The book has skyrocketed to the top of the Amazon.com "Top Sellers" list, as of August 6.

Corsi received his PhD in political science from Harvard University in 1972; his dissertation was titled Prior Restraint, Prior Punishment, and Political Dissent; a Moral and Legal Evaluation. Previously, he co-authored a report on the 1967 riots in Cleveland, titled "Shoot-out in Cleveland: Black Militants and the Police," published in 1968 by the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence.

In addition to Unfit for Command, Corsi has written books on a variety of subjects, and is currently the vice president of development and senior editor of U.S. Financial Marketing Group. Recently, he has been contributing articles to the website wintersoldier.com on the subject of Senator John Kerry's record as an anti-war activist following his service in the Vietnam War.

In this series of articles, Corsi has accused Kerry of "violating the legal provision against negotiating with foreign powers (18 U.S.C. 953) and the constitutional prohibition against giving support to our nation's enemies during wartime (Article III, Section 3)"; asserted that Kerry's actions as an anti-war activist amounted to treason; and claimed that "Kerry and the VVAW consistently coordinated their efforts with Communists." Corsi asserted that, in 1971, Kerry's anti-war activism amounted to a proclamation by him that "Communists were right in maintaining that American values were corrupt and that the only solution was for America to capitulate so Communism could continue to spread." As Media Matters for America has noted, Kerry was quoted expressing exactly the opposite sentiment in a December 12, 1971, Boston Globe article: "I don't like Communists," Kerry said. "In fact, I hate them. I hate all totalitarians. I'm totally dedicated to representative, pluralistic, free democracy."

On August 6, Salon.com's Joe Conason documented links between Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and the conservative online forum www.FreeRepublic.com. Conason noted that the designer of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth website is Robert A. Hahn, a director of the Free Republic Network, a conservative activist organization affiliated with FreeRepublic.com. Scott Swett, who is listed as the webmaster of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth website, swiftvets.com, also appeared on FOX News Channel host Sean Hannity's August 5 radio show to discuss the group. Swett posts frequently to FreeRepublic.com, using the pseudonym "Interesting Times," and is also a director of the Free Republic Network. The wintersoldier.com website to which Swett has contributed articles is a project of the Free Republic Network.

Corsi is also a frequent participant in FreeRepublic.com's online forums, posting under the pseudonym "jrlc" since 2001. (Click here to read a full set of Corsi's posts; click here to read the post in which "jrlc" admits to being Jerome Corsi.)

On FreeRepublic.com, Corsi has, among other things, said that "ragheads" are "boy buggers"; referred to "John F*ing Kerry"; called Senator Hillary Clinton a "Fat Hog"; referred to her daughter as "Chubby Chelsie" Clinton; referred to Janet Reno as "Janet Rhino"; called Katie Couric "Little Katie Communist"; suggested Kerry was "practicing Judaism"; and expressed the wish that a small plane that had crashed into a building in Los Angeles had instead crashed into the set of NBC'S The West Wing, thereby killing actor Martin Sheen.

Daisies

2008-08-04T08:42:00.001-04:00

Regarding Obama being risky

2008-07-31T10:21:00.000-04:00

Regarding Obama being risky - you know what you will get with McCain - more of the same.

Our country was founded on risk, our innovations, our creativity, our progress is all based on risk. The founding fathers took a risk when they chose to challenge English rule. Americans took a risk when the ventured westward. Orville and Wilbur Wright took a risk when they flew at Kittyhawk. We took a risk when we shot a man into space, when we first orbited the earth, when we landed a man on the moon.

When someone starts up a their own business - is this not a risk? When you try something new, think outside the box - is this not a risk?

If we played it "safe" like McCain wants to do - we'd still be 13 english colonies, and probably huddled safely in underground bunkers like rabbits.

McCain is trying to brand himself as something known and equate it with safe and comfortable like a old pair of shoes, but when the old shoe has a big hole in the bottom maybe it's time to take a risk and try on a new pair.

Riddle: Where does McCain stand on the issues?
Answer: ummmm...what day is it?

4 More years...

2008-07-27T07:14:00.002-04:00

McCain Ad a Full Tank of Nonsense

2008-07-23T04:35:00.002-04:00

McCain Ad a Full Tank of Nonsense
McCain ad says Obama's the guy to thank for emptying our wallets at the filling station. We say that's ridiculous.
By Viveca Novak factcheck.org
Jul 22, 2008 Updated: 2:08 p.m. ET Jul 22, 2008

Summary
McCain's new ad accuses Obama of keeping gas prices high, all by himself. That's absurd, and McCain knows it – he has said repeatedly that our current problems were "30 years in the making."
The ad also tells us that gas prices are high because "some in Washington are still saying no to drilling in America." Not true. The federal government's estimate is that if the moratorium on offshore drilling were lifted today, it would be 2030 before we'd see a noticeable effect on supply

For the same reason, it's simply not true that drilling more now will "rescue our family budgets."

Analysis
Sen. John McCain, who's expected to receive the Republican presidential nomination in September, goes after Sen. Barack Obama, his Democratic counterpart, with a new ad that focuses on the cost of gas. According to McCain's campaign, the spot will air on national cable channels and in unspecified "key states."

Lousy Linkage
McCain 2008 TV Ad: "Pump"

Announcer: Gas prices - $4, $5, no end in sight, because some in Washington are
still saying no to drilling in America.

No to independence from foreign
oil.

Who can you thank for rising prices at the pump?

Chant:
Obama, Obama

Announcer: One man knows we must now drill more in America
and rescue our family budgets.

Don't hope for more energy, vote for it.
McCain.

John McCain: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

The ad opens with a shot of an old-fashioned gas pump standing on a shimmering, moving, body of – water? desert sand? petroleum? It's hard to tell. The female narrator says: "Gas prices – $4, $5, no end in sight, because some in Washington are still saying no to drilling in America. No to independence from foreign oil."

"Some" are indeed opposed to lifting the moratorium on new drilling in the waters of the Outer Continental Shelf, and they include Obama.

What's not true, however, is that current opposition to lifting the moratorium has anything to do with today's gas prices. They aren't high because any one individual is against ending the ban. As we have pointed out previously, the Energy Information Administration estimates that if the go-ahead were given right now for such drilling, it would be 2030 before there would be enough oil flowing to have a "significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices." Is there "no end in sight" because of opposition to ending the moratorium? No more so than because of opposition to hastening the development of alternative sources of energy and new kinds of cars. But most experts believe that if we haven't implemented other strategies well before 2030, we're in deep trouble.

As for saying "no to independence from foreign oil," we suppose someone, somewhere, might be saying that – quietly, to themselves, in a small, soundproof room – but no major-party presidential candidate that we're aware of is doing so.

Thank-You Note, Returned to Sender
The most glaring bit of calumny in the ad occurs when the narrator asks, "Who can you thank for rising prices at the pump?" At that point the volume goes up on the soundtrack's background noise, and we realize it's a crowd of voices chanting "O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!" just as the Illinois Democrat's image appears on-screen.

The notion that Obama is singlehandedly, or to any significant degree, or more than most other senators, to blame for the high cost of gas is absurd in too many ways to count here. Okay, we'll give you a couple: Obama has been in the Senate only since 2005. McCain himself said earlier this month that the problem has been decades in the making.

McCain, July 7: Our dangerous dependence on foreign oil has been 30 years in the making, and was caused by the failure of politicians in Washington to think long-term about the future of the country.

In fact, he has been saying this repeatedly. McCain has been in Congress for a quarter of a century, a span that nearly corresponds with the one he mentioned in his speech. Does that mean McCain might fit the profile of someone to thank for high gas prices more easily than Obama? One could note, for example, that McCain has voted against increases in corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards on two occasions, in 2003 and 2005, even though he teamed with Democratic Sen. John Kerry back in 2002 on a bill to raise the standards to 36 mpg by 2015. McCain's Web site proposes enforcing existing CAFE standards, not tightening them, as Obama would do.

But no one person can be pinned with the credit or the blame for something as vague as "rising prices at the pump." OPEC policy, the weather, wars in oil-producing countries, refinery capacity, consumer demand, environmental concerns, the value of the dollar and a host of other considerations factor into the cost of a fill-up. In fact, McCain may be paying Obama an inadvertent compliment by alleging he has such influence in this area.

Both candidates have energy proposals to reduce U.S. dependence on oil. Obama's was first, and its centerpiece is a 10-year, $150 billion spending plan focusing on clean coal technology, further development of plug-in hybrid cars, commercialization of wind and solar power, and other measures.

McCain's, which is called the Lexington Project, includes building 45 new nuclear power plants; offering a $300 million prize for major advancement of low-cost, plug-in hybrid or electric car technology; and "encouraging the market" in wind, hydro and solar power. Both he and Obama would cut use of fossil fuels to combat climate change.

Lousy Linkage Redux
The ad comes full circle as the narrator tells us, "One man knows we must now drill more in America and rescue our family budgets." Let us reiterate our earlier point that opening up the OCS for drilling now wouldn't have much impact on supply or prices until 2030, according to the government. So forget about rescuing "our family budgets." In 22 years, it'll be other families' budgets – maybe our children's – that will be at issue.

McCain even acknowledged as much in late June when, after saying that drilling would have a positive effect on prices in the short term, he backtracked and said he believed it would have a beneficial "psychological impact."

That seems to have slipped his mind.

===============

McCain admits Iraq is about Oil:

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

2008-07-21T05:24:00.000-04:00

From the Onion (satire)

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

"It's All In Your Head"

2008-07-20T05:56:00.001-04:00

John McCain: "It's All In Your Head"

We've been listening to John McCain and George Bush talk about the economy, and we've noticed a pattern: they keep saying the problems are all in our heads.

Maliki Endorses Obama's Iraq Timeline in Huge Blow for McCain, Bush

2008-07-20T05:53:00.000-04:00

Maliki Endorses Obama's Iraq Timeline in Huge Blow for McCain, Bush
By Tom Hayden, Huffington Post. Posted July 19, 2008

In a stunning diplomatic breakthrough for Barack Obama, Iraq's prime minister yesterday endorsed the Democratic candidate's 16-month timeline for withdrawing combat troops from Iraq.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki endorsed the Obama approach in a July 18 interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, just as President Bush and Sen. John McCain were touting a vague new commitment to a "horizon" for withdrawal. The New York Times did not report the Maliki statement in its July 19 edition.

Here is Maliki's statement, delivered as Obama's visit to the region was beginning:

"Whoever is thinking about the shorter term [for withdrawal] is closer to reality. Artificially extending the stay of U.S. troops would cause problems ... As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned… Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq today are being more realistic ... Artificially prolonging the tenure of US troops in Iraq would cause problems. U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."

Phil Gramm whines "It's the democrats fault"

2008-07-19T06:21:00.002-04:00

McCain adviser Gramm leaves campaign
Former lawmaker from Texas resigns after 'nation of whiners' comment
MSNBC -- Fri., July. 18, 2008

NEW YORK - Former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm resigned Friday from his role as Republican presidential candidate John McCain's campaign co-chairman, hoping to quiet the uproar that followed his comments that Americans had become a "nation of whiners" whose constant complaints about the U.S. economy show they are in a "mental recession."

Gramm, a past presidential candidate, made the remarks more than a week ago. McCain immediately distanced himself from the comments, but they brought a steady stream of criticism just as McCain is trying to show he can help steer the country past its current financial troubles.

Gramm said in a statement late Friday that he is stepping down to "end this distraction."

"It is clear to me that Democrats want to attack me rather than debate Senator McCain on important economic issues facing the country,that kind of distraction hurts not only Senator McCain's ability to present concrete programs to deal with the country's problems, it hurts the country. To end this distraction and get on with the real debate, I hereby step down as co-chair of the McCain campaign and join the growing number of rank-and-file McCain supporters."

Gramm made the comment to The Washington Times and later explained that he was talking about the nation's leaders not the American people. Democrats claimed at the time that the Gramm comments showed that McCain is out of touch with voters' concerns over high gas prices, the struggling housing industry and the shaky economy in general.

Professor McCain and Psychology 101

2008-07-12T12:16:00.001-04:00

The way a candidate runs his or her campaign provides some insight as to how he/she will run things if elected. The same goes for a candidate's choice of advisors and surrogates.

This week, Phil Graham, McCain's economic advisor, referred to the economic slowdown as "a mental recession" and called the United States “a nation of whiners.” Some have speculated that Phil Graham would be at the top of the list for McCain's pick as Treasury Secretary. When gas is over $4.00 a gallon, a barrel of oil setting new records on a daily basis, Americans are feeling more than a pinch at the gas pumps and stores.

When Bush took office, a barrel of oil was $27.69 a barrel. Today it's $145.00 a barrel approximately an increase of 500% and rising. Airlines are begging passengers to contact congress and ask that something be done - when corporations are asking for that kind of help you know it's not all in your head.

McCain quickly came out and attempted to distance himself from Graham, stating that Graham did not speak for him. While McCain was doing this tap dance, Graham was at that moment speaking for McCain with the Wall Street Journal. Which is it? Yesterday Graham doesn't speak for McCain, today he does, tomorrow he....does or doesn't?

Previously, McCain was asked when he last pumped gas and what was the price of gas. McCain responded "Oh, I don’t remember. Now there’s Secret Service protection. But I’ve done it for many, many years. I don’t recall and frankly, I don’t see how it matters."

Well, the price of gas does matter. It matters when you have to put gas in your car in order to go to work, to earn money to pay your bills and buy food. It's soon reaching the point where people will need a second and third job to pay for gas so they can get to their first job.

McCain isn't above playing psychologist, of his proposed "gas tax holiday" he said "it will provide a little psychological boost”. Bush's "tax stimulus" checks were "feel good" gestures they are not solutions. We don't need "feel good" or "psychological boosts", we need real solutions.

Although it's July, many people are looking three or four months ahead, when winter sets in, when it gets cold. A minimum delivery of 125 gallons of heating oil is costing over $500.00. People are worried how they will keep warm as they know our congress and certainly the two oil guys in the white house won't be doing anything to help.

When you are tucking your kids into bed, putting on a few more blankets to keep them warm, will you kiss them good night and tell them it doesn't matter because the fact they are cold is all in their heads?

McCain Flummoxed By Vietnam Vet

2008-07-10T04:42:00.004-04:00

Flummoxed By Vietnam Vet, McCain Falsely Claims He ‘Received Every Award From Every Vets Organization
Think Progress -- July 8, 2008

Posing the first question in a Denver town hall meeting yesterday, a Vietnam veteran challenged Sen. John McCain on his Senate voting record regarding veterans issues, remarking he had voted against increasing vets health funding four years in a row. Ignoring the veteran’s point, McCain testily — and repeatedly — insisted that he had “received every award from every major veteran’s organization in America”:

MCCAIN: I’ve received every award from every major veteran’s organization in America. I received every organization in America their awards. … The reason why I have a perfect voting record from organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and all the other veterans service organizations is because of my support of them. […]

VETERAN: You do not have a perfect voting record by the DAV and the VFW. That’s where these votes were recorded. These votes were proposals by your colleagues in the Senate to increase health care of the VA in 2003, 4, 5, and 6 for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. And you voted against those proposals. […]

MCCAIN: I’ve been endorsed in every election by every veterans organization that do that, I’ve been supported by them, and I’ve received their highest awards from all of those organizations. So I guess they don’t know something you know.

McCain has made the exact same claim before — and it is just a false today as it was then. As ThinkProgress documented, McCain’s so-called “perfect” record has been roundly criticized by prominent veterans groups: He received a grade of D from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and a 20 percent vote rating from the Disabled Veterans of America; Vietnam Veterans of America noted McCain had “voted against us” in 15 “key votes.”

As for the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars — with whom McCain claims to have a “perfect voting record” — both groups vigorously supported Sen. Jim Webb’s (D-VA) GI Bill that McCain tirelessly opposed.

Later in the town hall, McCain admitted he does “not have a perfect voting record,” but then declared that questions about veterans issues were off limits: “I will be glad to debate a lot of things, but not that one,” McCain said.

Not Bush?

2008-07-09T04:53:00.006-04:00

The more McCain tries to put some distance between himself and bush - the closer they get. From the Fear and Smear tactics to fudging facts and now those attending his scripted "town hall" meetings are screened.

Censorship at Town Hall Event Bolsters "McCain = Bush" Argument
Tue, 07/08/2008 - 1:46pm. Alerts
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERTby Meg White

In Denver, John McCain's campaign seems to be intent upon proving protesters right. A group of protesters with the Colorado group ProgressNow.org was asked to leave a town hall meeting for McCain Tuesday in Denver. McCain's Secret Service told the protesters they had to ditch their signs (one reading "Bush and McCain Peas In A Pod") or be charged with trespassing.
Carol Kreck, a 61-year old librarian, was at the same town hall event. She was ticketed for her refusal to leave the sidewalk or get rid of her sign that read "McCain=Bush." Her court date is set for July 23.

It is uncertain whether Kreck was protesting the event with ProgressNow or she was on her own, but the encounter was caught on tape by the group. She wondered aloud why a Republican campaign such as McCain's would take issue with being associated with the most powerful Republican leader in the nation:

"Why is that offensive?"

President George W. Bush's Administration was charged with similar actions in Denver in 2005, when White House staffers forced three attendees to leave an event because their bumper stickers were deemed offensive.

Bumbles, Fumbles and Stumbles

2008-07-08T05:07:00.002-04:00

When McCain became the presumptive GOPer nominee, he had at least a 3 month headstart on organizing and running his national presidental campaign. He had 3 months to fine tune his "message" and to dominate the headlines.

McCain didn't step into presidential campaign mode until Obama became the apparant Democratic party nominee. McCain bumbled a 3 month lead.

Weeks before becoming the Democratic nominee, Obama hit the ground running with his presidential campaign. Obama showed a smooth transition from primary campaigning to presidential campaigning while McCain napped and is only now trying to get organized.

With all the messes that bush has left us, from Iraq, the economy to gas prices, etc. and considering the low approval/support for bush and GOPer - I was expecting a Shock & Awe blitz by McCain to be well underway. Yet, McCain's campaign is bumbling, fumbling and stumbling.

I've often said that the manner in which a candidate leads their campaign is indictative of how they will govern and manage things if elected.

Those who are leaning towards supporting McCain should be asking themselves if this is the way McCain will run the country. Bumbling the problems, daily flip-flopping on what he supports or doesn't support is not the kind of leadership we can afford. Forget 'staying the course' on anything - McCain is still trying to find a map.

Obama easily stepped into a leadership position, he's set the course for the Democratic party and presented his path for the country. McCain is bumbling around waiting for direction from the GOP or Rove or both. This presents another question - in the event of a McCain presidency - will McCain lead or just take orders from GOP headquarters?

Republicans are using Fuzzy Math....again

2008-07-07T06:19:00.004-04:00

Fuzzy math or catapulting the truth or cooking the books - call it what you will - but the republicans are once again twisting facts.

Miscounting Obama's Tax Votes
Republicans claim Obama "voted 94 times for higher taxes." But their count is inflated and misleading.
By Lori Robertson factcheck.org Jul 3, 2008 Newsweek

Summary The McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee both claim that Obama has voted 94 times "for higher taxes." We find that their count is padded.

After looking at every one of the 94 votes that the RNC includes in its tally, we find:

Twenty-three were for measures that would have produced no tax increase at all; they were against proposed tax cuts.
Seven of the votes were in favor of measures that would have lowered taxes for many, while raising them on a relative few, either corporations or affluent individuals.

Eleven votes the GOP is counting would have increased taxes on those making more than $1 million a year – in order to fund programs such as Head Start and school nutrition programs, or veterans' health care.
The GOP sometimes counted two, three and even four votes on the same measure. We found their tally included a total of 17 votes on seven measures, effectively padding their total by 10.
The majority of the 94 votes – 53 of them, including some mentioned above – were on budget measures, not tax bills, and would not have resulted in any tax change. Four other votes were non-binding motions related to conference report negotiations.

Analysis In a June 9 press release, Tucker Bounds, spokesman for Sen. John McCain's campaign said that "during just three years in the U.S. Senate, Barack Obama has already voted 94 times for higher taxes." The same day, the RNC, which researched Obama's votes and is the original source of the claim, issued its own release, saying "Obama Voted At Least 94 Times For Higher Taxes" and that he had voted "For A Tax Increase Approximately Once Every Five Days Congress Has Been In Session." A few days later, McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin and other campaign staffers repeated the charge, which was quoted in various news stories. We suspect we'll be hearing this figure a lot more as the campaign wears on.

If this type of claim sounds familiar, it's because George W. Bush's campaign used a similar refrain against John Kerry in 2004, charging that Kerry voted for "higher taxes" a whopping 350 times. We found that claim to be incorrect as well. This time around, Republicans are using some of the same tricky accounting to beef up the number of votes.

It Pays to be a friend of Bush

2008-07-05T06:25:00.002-04:00

Feds' closed-door deal could ease development
New Forest Service rules could let largest private owner convert landBy Karl Vick MSNBC Sat., July. 5, 2008

MISSOULA, Mont. - The Bush administration is preparing to ease the way for the nation's largest private landowner to convert hundreds of thousands of acres of mountain forestland to residential subdivisions.

The deal was struck behind closed doors between Mark E. Rey, the former timber lobbyist who oversees the U.S. Forest Service, and Plum Creek Timber Co., a former logging company turned real estate investment trust that is building homes. Plum Creek owns more than 8 million acres nationwide, including 1.2 million acres in the mountains of western Montana, where local officials were stunned and outraged at the deal.

"We have 40 years of Forest Service history that has been reversed in the last three months," said Pat O'Herren, an official in Missoula County, which is threatening to sue the Forest Service for forgoing environmental assessments and other procedures that would have given the public a voice in the matter.
------------------------

Former Larry Craig aide and timber lobbyist, uses federal position to help access to trophy home sites deep in the forest
June 11, 2008 — Ralph Maughan

We’ve talked about Mark Rey before. He is under secretary for natural resources and environment in USDA, and thus oversees the U.S. Forest Service. Before that he learned the ropes from none other than Larry Craig and became a lobbyist for the timber industry.
In the past, he has barely escaped jail for defying court orders, and most recently is busy trampling on states rights to open national forest logging roads as acess to proposed and under constrution trophy homes deep the the forests.

These energy sucking, hard-to-service palaces are being built over the objections of states and counties that will have to pay the bills.

Rocky Barker discusses Rey today. D.C. political appointee flouts states rights and local control. Letters from the West. Idaho Statesman
---------

Friends of Mark E. Rey:

Richard Pombo: The two work together to move public resources to private companies. They have created more park roads and bargin mining rights in history. GOP Team.

Pombo Connections:

Jack Abramoff: Campaign accounts received $7,500 from Abramoff.

George W. Bush: Bush calls Pombo "The Marlboro Man." Pombo is one of Bush's closest allies on Capitol Hill.

Abramoff-Reed Indian Casino Scandal: Pombo chairs the House Resources Committee (deals with Indian tribes) and he has received thousands in contributions from tribes.

K Street Project: Pombo chairs the House Resources Committee which handles Native American issues linked tightly to the K Street influence.

John T. Doolittle: The FDIC's chief spokesman characterized what Doolittle and Pombo did as "a seamy abuse of the legislative process. In 2001, the two congressmen inserted many of the sensitive documents into the Congressional record

Mark E. Rey: The two work together to move public resources to private companies. They have created more park roads and bargin mining rights in history. GOP Team.

Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay made Pombo chairman of the Resources Committee, he did so largely because he shared Pombo's desire to gut the Endangered Species Act.

Endangered Species: Pombo's changes to the Endangered Species Act will give more freedom to developers and require taxpayers to compensate developers for lost opportunity when the Act prohibits building.

Duane Gibson: Former House Resources Committee aide and mining industry lobbyist, Gibson held a $1,000 a head fundraiser for Pombo that included many mining industry officials.

Duane R. Gibson: Gibson, a mining lobbyist, hasworked for the Resources Committee and is a former Abramoff hand. Monsanto: Pombo was one of the members who helped the rBGH Hormone milk get on the market. Detalis of Monsanto's support $$ for cooperation below.

Safari Club: Pombo supports the broader legislation for the SCI canned hunts where caged animals are shot in fenced areas. Check the Cheney story, he got 70 pheasants in a day plus ducks.

Barbara Bonfiglio: Bonfiglio was Treasurer for Rep. Pombo's RICH Political Action Committee (leadership PAC)

Biotech Brigade: Where ever there are corporate interests against the environment or human health, Pombo can be counted on to jump in and fight for his corporate supporters.

Michael J. Malik, Sr.: Malik was a top Donor & friend

Marian Ilitch: Top 10 Donor and giftgiver

LCV “Dirty Dozen,” members, Conrad Burns (MT), Rick Santorum (PA), Jim Talent (MO), and Representatives Henry Cuellar (TX), Katherine Harris (FL), Richard Pombo (CA), Charles Taylor (NC) and Heather ...

Monsanto's American Government : 1994 Member Congressional Committee stalling rBGH labeling to kill it in committee; he took Monsanto funds at the time.

HERE COMES THE SMEAR

2008-07-03T04:29:00.003-04:00

GOP TO LAUNCH TV AD BLITZ AGAINST OBAMA
First Read - 7/2/08
From NBC's Mark Murray

Beginning this weekend, the Republican National Committee will launch a $3 million advertising blitz against Obama in the battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

This first ad will be on the topic on energy security, and it will contrast McCain's and Obama's positions on the issue. The actual content of the ad, however, has yet to be released. The vendor of this new ad against Obama -- GOP ad-maker Brad Todd -- has issued this statement: "Following Barack Obama's decision to become the only major party presidential candidate in history to not adhere to campaign spending caps, the Republican National Committee has begun an independent expenditure campaign in accordance with FEC regulations. The RNC will first advertise this weekend in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, highlighting the issue of energy security, which is emerging as a defining difference in the race for president."

In response to this ad, the Obama campaign issued this press release: "It has been reported that the Republican National Committee will begin running television ads in a number of battleground states this weekend. As John McCain's own advisors have noted, the RNC and the McCain campaign operate as one unit. And since these ads will likely be attack ads that contradict McCain's pledge to run a respectful campaign, he can, and should, immediately reverse his plan to air them. In fact, a few months ago, McCain urged GOP state party committees to run a respectful campaign, stating, 'I have pledged to conduct a respectful campaign. And I have urged, time after time, various entities within the Republican Party to also do that.' Clearly, the RNC should adhere to the same standard."

An important (yet inside-baseball) note: While the RNC is paying for this advertising blitz, it is coming from its independent expenditure unit. What that means is that the RNC has nothing to do with the ad's message or content; a vendor -- in this case, Brad Todd -- is responsible for that.

This, in fact, was an issue in that infamous RNC "Call me" TV ad against Harold Ford Jr. in Tennessee in 2006. It was an ad paid for by the RNC, but they were able to deny --legitimately -- that they had anything to do with the message. Both political parties utilize independent expenditure TV ads.

McCain and the GI Bill - Flop till you flip?

2008-06-30T05:09:00.002-04:00

Where does McCain flip-flop to regarding the GI Bill?

ummm...what day is it?

FLIP: McCain said NO to Jim Webb's proposal to give our troops the same educational opportunites as those offered to our troops after World War II.

McCain said NO to the GI Bill of Rights. McCain stood with Bush in opposing legislation and programs which support our troops.

FLOP: McCain Supports GI Bill and issues this statement

I'm happy to tell you that we probably agreed to an increase in educational benefits for our veterans that not only gives them increase in their educational benefits, but if they stay in for a certain period of time than they can transfer those educational benefits to their spouses and or children.

Watch the Clip

Is it Trickling yet?

2008-06-30T04:48:00.002-04:00

Trickle-down Economics and Ronald Reagan
Jim Blair

There has been a good deal of discussion centred on the question of whether anyone can point to a nation or empire that implemented 'Trickle Down Economics' and saw wealth actually trickle. In reviewing the issue I see two separate issues, and plan to treat them in the two parts of this essay.

PART I: What is meant (or at least what is commonly understood) by the term 'Trickle Down Economics'. And from that, what are examples that will be accepted by the parties to the discussion. In other words, let's see if we can agree about what we are talking about, and agree on specific examples.

PART II: How to evaluate a specific example, or what I call the use and misuse of statistics. The earlier exchange generated a "textbook example" of the misuse of statistics about the recent US. And what should be the basis of comparison? Should one country be compared to another? Or one time period in history to another. More on this later.

D.C. SNAPSHOT: Bush Lawyers on Child Torture and Burial Alive

2008-06-29T05:40:00.001-04:00

D.C. SNAPSHOT: Bush Lawyers on Child Torture and Burial Alive
By Harry Hanbury on Jun 26, 2008

On June 26, 2008, John Yoo and David Addington, two leading architects of the Bush administration's policies on torture, testified before the House Judiciary Committee. Even seemingly simple questions yielded evasive answers.

John McCain vs John McCain

2008-06-29T04:53:00.003-04:00

The Official John McCain Flip-Flop and Gaffe Master List

2008-06-28T05:34:00.002-04:00

Passing this website along to you:

The Official John McCain Flip-Flop and Gaffe Master List
Republican Presidential candidate Senator John McCain has become a Gaffe Machine since hitting the campaign trail last year. As the November election nears, the frequency and severity of his gaffes & flip-flops has grown to the point where it's necessary to have a MASTER LIST (with confirming links) of the multitude of missteps coming out of the McCain campaign, all in one place. Seeing as what a big deal Republicans made out of Senator John Kerry's supposed "flip-flops" during the 2004 Presidential race, it only seems fair that we pay attention when their nominee for 2008 does the same thing.

McFlip vs McFlop

2008-06-27T04:42:00.003-04:00

Where does McCain stand on the Oil Crisis? Ummm...what day is it?

McFlip Late may 2008: "With those resources, which would take years to develop, you would only postpone or temporarily relieve our dependency on fossil fuels," McCain said when asked about offshore drilling. "We are going to have to go to alternative energy, and the exploitation of existing reserves of oil, natural gas, even coal, and we can develop clean coal technology, are all great things. But we also have to devote our efforts, in my view, to alternative energy sources, which is the ultimate answer to our long-term energy needs, and we need it sooner rather than later."

McFlop JUNE 18, 2008: "I believe it is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions and to put our own reserves to use," he said on Tuesday, "as a matter of fairness to the American people, and a matter of duty for our government, we must deal with the here and now, and assure affordable fuel for America by increasing domestic production."

McFlip Mid-May 2008: McCain was quoted saying he didn't "like obscene profits being made anywhere," and, as such, would be "glad to look" at a windfall profits tax on oil companies.

McFlop June 17, 2008: McCain criticized Barack Obama for wanting "a windfall profits tax on oil to go along with the new taxes he also plans for coal and natural gas."

Mc-Spamming

2008-06-23T08:25:00.002-04:00

MC-SPAM POINTS

John McCain is giving points for Mc-Spaming.

QUOTE Spread The Word
Help spread the word about John McCain on news and blog sites. Your efforts to help get the message out about John McCain's policies and plan for the future is one of the most valuable things you can do for this campaign. You know why John McCain should be the next President of the United States and we need you to tell others why.

Select from the numerous web, blog and news sites listed here, go there, and make your opinions supporting John McCain known. Once you’ve commented on a post, video or news story, report the details of your comment by clicking the button below. After your comments are verified, you will be awarded points through the McCain Online Action Center. END QUOTE

You are given "featured blogs" to Mc-Spam, and easy copy/paste Mc-Spam talking points. Would you like some Mc-Koolaid to go with that?

John McCain vs John McCain

2008-06-20T04:22:00.001-04:00

Fear and Smear

2008-06-13T04:33:00.003-04:00

The Republicans and their allies have two tools in their tool box - Fear and Smear. As the Presidential Campaigns heat up over the next few months watch them use both tools.

Senator Obama has established Fight the Smears

Current Smears circulating:

Michelle Obama Says “Whitey” On a Tape
Barack Obama's birth certificate
Barack Obama is a Muslim
Obama's Books Contain Racially Incendiary Remarks
Barack Obama Won't Say The Pledge of Allegiance/Won't Put His Hand Over His Heart

If you Like the Bush Prices

2008-06-08T08:36:00.003-04:00

Jan 2000 Oil: $28/barrel
Jun 2008 Oil: $138/barrel.
Increase of 400%

You're going to LOVE the McCain Prices.

McCain on Oil:
1999: During his 2000 run, MSNBC debate, Dec. 14, 1999: "I'm here to tell you that I'm going to tell you the things that you don't want to hear, as well as the things you want to hear, and one of those is ethanol. Ethanol is not worth it. It does not help the consumer."

More: "Those ethanol subsidies should be phased out, and everybody here on this stage, if it wasn't for the fact that Iowa is the first caucus state, would share my view that we don't need ethanol subsidies. It doesn't help anybody.”

2003: Here's McCain’s language in November 2003 against ethanol…"Ethanol is a product that would not exist if Congress didn't create an artificial market for it. No one would be willing to buy it. Yet thanks to agricultural subsidies and ethanol producer subsidies, it is now a very big business -- tens of billions of dollars that have enriched a handful of corporate interests -- primarily one big corporation, ADM. Ethanol does nothing to reduce fuel consumption, nothing to increase our energy independence, nothing to improve air quality."

Public pressure on oil industry to invest in alternatives:

Q: Should the oil industry be required to use some of their profits to help solve our energy problems?

McCain: I would hope that they would use those profits to further the cause of alternate energy, nuclear power, a lot of other ways that we have to employ in order to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.

Q: Do you support drilling/exploration off the coasts of Florida and California?

McCain: I wouldn't drill off the coast of Florida unless the people of Florida wanted to. And I wouldn't drill off the coast of California unless the people of California wanted to, and I wouldn't drill in the Grand Canyon unless the people in Arizona wanted to.

Q: But you wouldn't require the oil industry to use its profits to help pursue alternative energy?

McCain: I would not require them to. But I think that public pressure and a lot of other things, including a national security requirement that we reduce and eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.

FLIP-FLOPS:
In 2003, McCain said that ethanol "does nothing to reduce fuel consumption, nothing to increase our energy independence, nothing to improve air quality." Campaigning in Iowa in August 2006, he described ethanol as a "vital alternative energy source, not only because of our dependency on foreign oil but its greenhouse reduction effects." Yesterday, in Massachusetts, he reverted to his anti-ethanol position.

Is this Change?

2008-06-07T06:37:00.002-04:00

Bush Policies:

Trickle Down economic policy - Tax cuts for wealthy, Cut the Corporate Tax Rate,
Lower trade barriers
Energy Policy - More Drilling, more Nuke plants
Privatize Social Security
Healthcare - Benefits insurance companies, drug companies, medical industry
Supports Warrentless Wire Tapping
General Foreign Policy - Shoot First
Iraq - "making progress"
Iran - Saber Rattling
Osama Bin-Laden / Al-Qeada - Not a concern except to raise fear levels
Veteran Benefits - cut funding

McCain Supports:

Trickle Down economic policy - Tax cuts for wealthy, Cut the Corporate Tax Rate,
Lower trade barriers
Energy Policy - More Drilling, more Nuke plants
Privatize Social Security
Healthcare - Benefits insurance companies, drug companies, medical industry
Supports Warrentless Wire Tapping
General Foreign Policy - Shoot First
Iraq - "making progress"
Iran - "Bomb Bomb Bomb Iran"
Osama Bin-Laden/Al-Qaeda - Silence, except to use as rhetoric for raising fear levels
Veteran Benefits - Voted against restoring/increasing Veteran Benefits

Insanity is defined as repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Need I say more?

2008-06-06T16:24:00.003-04:00

MORE-OF-THE-SAME-MCCAIN

2008-06-05T07:20:00.003-04:00

I don't understand why McCain would even suggest the idea of town hall meetings. This is not a good venue for him to highlight his strong points, and near impossible for his handlers to stage, stack and script the audience.

When I heard that Obama agreed, I wondered what question I would ask if they came to my area and and I was able to attend.

I settled on asking McCain about his economic policy:

In 1981 when Reagan cut taxes and began deregulating industries we were promised there would be a "trickle down effect", 8 years later Bush-1 continued the practice for another 4 years and promised a "trickle down effect". Bush-2 picked up where Reagan-Bush left off by cutting taxes and promising a "trickle down effect". Over the past 28 years, we've had 20 years of promises of a "trickle down"

Your proposal is to cut taxes and deregulate with the promise of a "trickle down effect" - How are your policy propsals NOT the SAME as Reagan-Bush-Bush? Or to put it more simply - WHERE'S THE TRICKLE?

-------

If you notice - I would frame the question not how would it be DIFFERENT - but rather how it's not the SAME. Might seem to be just semantics - but it forces the mind to focus on what is the same, thus linking McCain=more of the same.

I would suggest when talking to people, writting Letters-to-the-editor etc that phrasing a McCain policy position be stated as "How is it NOT the SAME as bush's". This emphasizes the similarities in people's minds as opposed to highlighting what little differences there may be.

Whenever possible - always throw bush's name into the question to force mccain to defend his answer against "bush" as opposed to obama. this further strengthens the McCain=Bush equation.

Regarding national defense/Iraq - this is percieved as mccain's strong suit - a few suggestions on questions to ask him:

1. How is your foreign policy not the same as bush's?

2. We are currently BORROWING $x billions of dollars from China, Mexico and other foreign sources to fund the Iraq occupation - would you continue the bush practice of borrowing money from foreign sources to continue the Iraq occupation? If not, how would you fund the occupation when you want to cut taxes?

3. Would you continue the bush practice of no-bid contracts in the privatizing of the Iraq Occupation?

McCain - Boggart or Dementor?

2008-06-04T06:24:00.003-04:00

Transcript: John McCain Speech on the General Election Race
by FOXNews.com
Tuesday, June 3, 2008

(sorry the link is to faux-spews - but it was the only place I place I could find his entire speech this morning....)

My first impressions of McCain's Speech on the General Election Race:

The image of Professor Umbridge standing in the great hall and giving a speech to students popped into my head. (Sadly I failed in my attempts of the "Ridiculous" spell and picturing McCain in a pink dress surrounded by kitten plates or McCain isn't just a boggart)

Professor Umbridge, notes she is not in favour of change for change’s sake, but that some changes will result in a “new era of effectiveness, and accountability" (And what's up with his grinning and chuckling? seemed forced. If it was more of a giggle then I would say he was Umbridge in drag.)

McCain is "framing" the debate as "right change" and "wrong change". He agrees that change is needed, yet the "changes" he proposes are the same bush policies in a new package design.

He talks about taxcuts and deregulation. We've had that and the "trickle" that was suppose to come down as a result of this hasn't trickle down, instead we've been "tinkled on".

Regarding his view of "government" I was waiting for him to repeat Reagan's line about "...I'm from the government and here to help you..."

He's also trying to repackage himself as the "maverick" he may have once been and ignore his compliance with the bush policies. Maybe we need to ask "who is the real mccain?".

McCain brushed off "special interests" as "This is the game Washington plays. Both parties play it, as do the special interests that support each side."

Overall, his "talking points" are all tied to one theme "keeping america safe", booga booga.

Two Standards

2008-03-23T11:36:00.002-04:00

Click the toon for large view

NOT

2008-03-21T07:03:00.000-04:00

Click Image for full view.

SAY WHAAAATT, Hollrah?

2008-03-18T08:14:00.003-04:00

SAY WHAAAATT, Hollrah?

I recently received an e-mail containing an article by Paul R. Hollrah, titled Say, What Barrack.

My alarm bell was first triggered by the misspelling of Barack Obama's first name. As I was familiar with Mr. Hollrah, I did a quick google. Mr. Hollrah is a conservative journalist and this set off a second alarm bell. (A list of his work may be found on the Conservative Voice website. )

Specific to Mr. Hollrah's opinion piece about Barack Obama, I found a few misrepresentations. It didn't take me long to "google" up, in less than hour I had tracked down and located information. Checking sources and information is just a good journalist practice, one that perhaps Mr. Hollrah should consider adopting.

On to Mr. Hollrah's Op-Ed:
Tuning in to C-Span recently, I found myself listening to a speech by Senator Barrack Hussein Obama, Jr. He was standing in the pulpit of a black church in Selma, Alabama, and as I studied the body language of the dozen or so black ministers standing behind the senator, I couldn't help but be reminded of the little head-bobbing dolls that people used to place in the rear windows of their 1957 Chevrolets. If their reactions are any indication, the new "Schlickmeister" of the Democrat Party is actually a pretty accomplished public speaker.

However, as he spoke, I found my b.s. alarm going off, repeatedly. But I couldn't quite figure out why until I actually read excerpts of his speech several days later. Here's part of what he said:

"...something happened back here in Selma, Alabama. Something happened in Birmingham that sent out what Bobby Kennedy called, "ripples of hope all around the world." Something happened when a bunch of women decided they were going to walk instead of ride the bus after a long day of doing somebody else's laundry, looking after somebody else's children."

Ripples of Hope: this phrase is originally attributed to Eisenhower in reference to the Rosa Parks, and bus boycotts between 1955-1956, and desegregation of Little Rock Arkansas school in 1957, as well as other civil right events during his terms in office

Robert Kennedy also used the same words in 1966: Ripple of Hope
"Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation ... It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is thus shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
Day of Affirmation Address, University of Capetown, South Africa, June 6, 1966

Other people have also used that phrase in their speeches. Obama's campaign is about hope, so referencing "hope" quotes by various people would be in keeping with the theme of the campaign.

Back to Mr. Hollrah's op-ed:

"When (black) men who had PhD's decided 'that's enough' and 'we're going to stand up for our dignity,' that sent a shout across oceans so that my grandfather began to imagine something different for his son. His son, who grew up herding goats in a small village in Africa could suddenly set his sights a little higher and believe that maybe a black man in this world had a chance.

"So the Kennedy's decided we're going to do an airlift. We're going to go to Africa and start bringing young Africans over to this country and give them scholarships to study so they can learn what a wonderful country America is.

"This young man named Barack Obama got one of those tickets and came over to this country. He met this woman whose great great-great-great- grandfather had owned slaves; but she had a good idea there was some craziness going on because they looked at each other and they decided that we know that, (in) the world as it has been, it might not be possible for us to get together and have a child. There was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, Alabama, because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. Was born. So don't tell me I don't have a claim on Selma , Alabama. Don't tell me I'm not coming home to Selma, Alabama."

Okay, so what's wrong with that? It all sounds good. But is it?

Obama told his audience that, because some folks had the courage to "march across a bridge" in Selma, Alabama, his mother, a white woman from Kansas, and his father, a black Muslim from Africa, took heart. It gave them the courage to get married and have a child. The problem with that characterization is that Barrack Obama, Jr., was born on August 4, 1961, while the first of three marches across that bridge in Selma didn't occur until March 7, 1965, at least five years after Obama's parents met.

Mr. Hollrah carefully selected and pasted snippets from the speech. It leaves the reader with the impression this was one complete excerpt.

Obama is not attributing the bridge march to his birth - he's attributing the entire civil rights movement to the fact he's where he is now, the opportunities he had and his involvment in politics and holding office.

He mentions more than Selma in his speech, he also mentions Birmingham and other events.

His specific mention of Selma was because he was in SELMA when he gave the speech. Not all that different than Clinton or McCain or any other politician mentioning some personal connection to a state or city when he or she is in that state/city. This is called pandering, every politician does it.

Here is the full excerpt: (Full speech)

But I got a letter from a friend of some of yours named Reverend Otis Moss Jr. in Cleveland, and his son, Otis Moss III is the Pastor at my church and I must send greetings from Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. but I got a letter giving me encouragement and saying how proud he was that I had announced and encouraging me to stay true to my ideals and my values and not to be fearful.

And he said, if there's some folks out there who are questioning whether or not you should run, just tell them to look at the story of Joshua because you're part of the Joshua generation.

So I just want to talk a little about Moses and Aaron and Joshua, because we are in the presence today of a lot of Moseses. We're in the presence today of giants whose shoulders we stand on, people who battled, not just on behalf of African Americans but on behalf of all of America; that battled for America's soul, that shed blood , that endured taunts and formant and in some cases gave -- torment and in some cases gave the full measure of their devotion.

Like Moses, they challenged Pharaoh, the princes, powers who said that some are atop and others are at the bottom, and that's how it's always going to be.
There were people like Anna Cooper and Marie Foster and Jimmy Lee Jackson and Maurice Olette, C.T. Vivian, Reverend Lowery, John Lewis, who said we can imagine something different and we know there is something out there for us, too.
Thank God, He's made us in His image and we reject the notion that we will for the rest of our lives be confined to a station of inferiority, that we can't aspire to the highest of heights, that our talents can't be expressed to their fullest. And so because of what they endured, because of what they marched; they led a people out of bondage.

They took them across the sea that folks thought could not be parted. They wandered through a desert but always knowing that God was with them and that, if they maintained that trust in God, that they would be all right. And it's because they marched that the next generation hasn't been bloodied so much.

It's because they marched that we elected councilmen, congressmen. It is because they marched that we have Artur Davis and Keith Ellison. It is because they marched that I got the kind of education I got, a law degree, a seat in the Illinois senate and ultimately in the United States senate.

It is because they marched that I stand before you here today. I was mentioning at the Unity Breakfast this morning, my -- at the Unity Breakfast this morning that my debt is even greater than that because not only is my career the result of the work of the men and women who we honor here today. My very existence might not have been possible had it not been for some of the folks here today. I mentioned at the Unity Breakfast that a lot of people been asking, well, you know, your father was from Africa, your mother, she's a white woman from Kansas. I'm not sure that you have the same experience.

And I tried to explain, you don't understand. You see, my Grandfather was a cook to the British in Kenya. Grew up in a small village and all his life, that's all he was -- a cook and a house boy. And that's what they called him, even when he was 60 years old. They called him a house boy. They wouldn't call him by his last name.
Sound familiar?

He had to carry a passbook around because Africans in their own land, in their own country, at that time, because it was a British colony, could not move about freely. They could only go where they were told to go. They could only work where they were told to work.

Yet something happened back here in Selma, Alabama. Something happened in Birmingham that sent out what Bobby Kennedy called, "Ripples of hope all around the world." Something happened when a bunch of women decided they were going to walk instead of ride the bus after a long day of doing somebody else's laundry, looking after somebody else's children. When men who had PhD's decided that's enough and we're going to stand up for our dignity.

That sent a shout across oceans so that my grandfather began to imagine something different for his son. His son, who grew up herding goats in a small village in Africa could suddenly set his sights a little higher and believe that maybe a black man in this world had a chance.

What happened in Selma, Alabama and Birmingham also stirred the conscience of the nation. It worried folks in the White House who said, "You know, we're battling Communism. How are we going to win hearts and minds all across the world? If right here in our own country, John, we're not observing the ideals set fort in our Constitution, we might be accused of being hypocrites." So the Kennedy's decided we're going to do an air lift. We're going to go to Africa and start bringing young Africans over to this country and give them scholarships to study so they can learn what a wonderful country America is.

This young man named Barack Obama got one of those tickets and came over to this country. He met this woman whose great great-great-great-grandfather had owned slaves; but she had a good idea there was some craziness going on because they looked at each other and they decided that we know that the world as it has been it might not be possible for us to get together and have a child. There was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, Alabama, because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born. So don't tell me I don't have a claim on Selma, Alabama. Don't tell me I'm not coming home to Selma, Alabama.

I'm here because somebody marched. I'm here because you all sacrificed for me. I stand on the shoulders of giants. I thank the Moses generation; but we've got to remember, now, that Joshua still had a job to do. As great as Moses was, despite all that he did, leading a people out of bondage, he didn't cross over the river to see the Promised Land. God told him your job is done. You'll see it. You'll be at the mountain top and you can see what I've promised. What I've promised to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. You will see that I've fulfilled that promise but you won't go there.

Hollrah continues:

Obama told his audience that, because some folks had the courage to "march across a bridge" in Selma, Alabama, his mother, a white woman from Kansas, and his father, a black Muslim from Africa, took heart. It gave them the courage to get married and have a child. The problem with
that characterization is that Barrack Obama, Jr., was born on August 4, 1961, while the first of three marches across that bridge in Selma didn't occur until March 7, 1965, at least five years after Obama's parents met.

Obama went on to tell his audience that the Kennedys, Jack and Bobby, decided to do an airlift. They would bring some young Africans over so that they could be educated and learn all about America. His grandfather heard that call and sent his son, Barrack Obama, Sr., to America.

The problem with that scenario is that, having been born in August 1961, the future senator was not conceived until sometime in November 1960. So if this African grandfather heard words that ''sent a shout across oceans,'' inspiring him to send his goat-herder son to America, it was not a Democrat Jack Kennedy he heard, nor his brother Bobby, it was a Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Again Mr. Hollrah is selecting things out of context. Obama's references to events during the Civil Rights movement was not about the circumstances of his birth, but rather the impact of those events on his life.

Regarding the Kennedy-Kenya airlift. If Mr. Hollrah had did a little googling he would have found that SENATOR John F. Kennedy did organize and spearhead the airlift in 1959, well before Barack Obama was even conceived.

Also read: The other Obama-Kennedy connection

How a Kenyan airlift that brought a young scholar named Obama to America in 1960 - where he met a wife and fathered a son - was saved by a young senator from Massachusetts

In his command of the US political stage over the past year, Barack Obama has inspired many a comparison to John F Kennedy. Both young senators brought a lofty message, an appealing young family and a movie-star aura to the presidential race. But the two men forged a less known link - before Obama was even born.

The bond began with Kenyan labour leader Tom Mboya, an advocate for African nationalism who helped his country gain independence in 1963. In the late 1950s, Mboya was seeking support for a scholarship program that would send Kenyan students to US colleges - similar to other exchanges the US backed in developing nations during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Mboya appealed to the state department. When that trail went cold, he turned to then-senator Kennedy.

Kennedy, who chaired the senate subcommittee on Africa, arranged a $100,000 grant through his family's foundation to help Mboya keep the program running.

"It was not a matter in which we sought to be involved," Kennedy said in an August 1960 senate speech. "Nevertheless, Mr Mboya came to see us and asked for help, when none of the other foundations could give it, when the federal government had turned it down quite precisely. We felt something ought to be done."

One of the first students airlifted to America was Barack Obama Sr, who married a white Kansas native named Ann Dunham during his US studies. Their son, born in 1961 and named for his father, has only once mentioned his Kennedy connection on the campaign trail.

And Mr. Hollah - A little google goes a long way...

Clogged Trickle

2008-03-16T07:52:00.003-04:00

Radical Fringe Toons

2008-03-15T17:44:00.002-04:00

More Rump Roast?

2008-03-04T05:36:00.002-05:00

Season finale tonight of "Primary Survivor - Cannibal Island?"

With Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont in the Judges box -who will be eaten tonight?
What type of "whine" should be served with a Clinton Casserole or an Obama Omelet?

McCain, as the heir-apparant-nominee, is already preparing his own special recipes, while we dine on our own.

Once the official nominees are selected, and the general election campaign is underway - don't look to the main table at the podium. The real meals to watch are what's being served to the tables in the back of the room.

GOP fears charges of racism, sexism
By: David Paul Kuhn
Feb 24, 2008
10:58 PM EST

Top Republican strategists are working on plans to protect
the GOP from charges of racism or sexism in the general election, as they prepare for a presidential campaign against the first ever African-American or female Democratic nominee.

The Republican National Committee has commissioned polling and focus groups to determine the boundaries of attacking a
minority or female candidate, according to people involved. The secretive effort underscores the enormous risk senior GOP operatives see for a party often criticized for its insensitivity to minorities in campaigns dating back to the 1960s.

...to determine the boundaries of attacking a minority or female candidate, according to people involved.

In other words - how much racial or sexist syrup can be ladled over what flavor of ice cream.

You won't see McCain with a ladel in his hand at the buffet, he has cafeteria staff.

Keep in mind as you have some more Obama l'Orange, or put another helping of Hillary Hashbrowns on your plate - the GOPers aren't sitting around in their kitchens discussing a dessert menu - they already know they want the White House Cherries Jubillee for dessert and they have the place settings ready to go.

Happy St. Dave's Day - REDACTED

2008-03-03T09:35:00.003-05:00

On the evening of March 1, 2008, the following was posted on the DU. The following morning it had received a few views and only 1 response. By noon, a few more views and 1 more response.

Around 2pm that afternoon the post had disappeared, it had been removed, deleted or otherwise made into George Orwell's version of an "unperson".

-----------------

Happy St. Dave' Day to all the Procrastinating Political Daves out there, to all those not named Dave, and most of all to a very special Dave!!

Speaking of the special Dave - with his help I selected a few "favorite" toons for your evening enjoyment.

[BLOG NOTE: For space considerations, other "toons" may be seen at The Radical Fringe. ]

FYI: Special Dave has a blog... and some of you may also find these sites interesting and enlightening...

On that note, I bid you all adieu, and click often for future Radical Fringe toons.

===============

I have recieved no notice, no explaination as to why the post was not just locked, but totally wiped off the board. It was there, then *POOF* made into an "UN-POST".

High Tide

2008-03-03T06:00:00.003-05:00

I've entitled this HIGH TIDE, because the water is rising and will either drowned us or wash away what was built.

On February 27, 2007, after much internal debate, I posted the following on the DU:

My decision to take a break from the DU wasn't easy. I've been with the DU since 2001. I had been posting on a couple of other boards, but the sense of unity drew me to the DU and I signed up.

I've made a few friends there, and there are many more there whose posts I love to read. There have been some rough times, over the years - but even then there still was the unity and comradre of all of us being in the fight together.

For whatever reason, the unity is gone, and it's now been broken up into 3 camps. The Hillary Camp, the Obama Camp and the rest of us that just try to duck the flames. Early on, I stayed out of GDP even before it became the official battle ground for the primaries. I kept to LBN, GD and the lounge.

In the 7 years on the DU, I've only put 4 people on ignore. 3 of them turned out to be freepers, the other still posts on the DU. I've hidden more threads than I can count in the past couple of months than I have in all the time I've been on the DU.My participation in the DU has been slowly shrinking. I find myself thinking two three four time before I post, and then reviewing it to see if it will draw flames or not before I even hit the post button. Wasn't that way before. There was a time where I felt comfortable venturing into any of the forums and groups on the DU and not have to dance around land mines or duck the flame throwers.

I often wonder if we've been secretly replaced by freepers - a political version of invasion of the body snatchers.

The straw that broke my back happened on Monday, in LBN of all places. There was a story about Edwards joining up with the Iraq/recession organization. I wrote that I wonder if Edwards and Obama had discussed this at all the previous week when Obama went to meet with Edwards. Innocent speculation. I was immediately attacked and accused of trying to promote Obama and steal Edwards' thunder.

I responded to the attack in a calm way, gave the link to the story about Obama meeting with Edwards and restated that I was just speculating. Did no good, still was attacked.

It was then that I realized even the LBN wasn't safe. GD had already been infiltrated and loaded with land mines. So that leaves where? The Lounge? I didn't join DU to spend my time in the lounge. Whatever the DU was before, it's not that anymore.

One person wants to make the names of people who recommend threads public, while another is tracking down people who he deems as being obnoxious. GDP is limited to starting 3 posts per day. People are tombstoned in record numbers. The only thing missing is to have an officially sanctioned platoon of storm troopers.

Unofficially there are roaming packs of rabid hyenas ripping apart anyone who disagrees.Yes, it's fear driving the verbal vivisections. Fear the democrats will once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Sadly the worst offenders on the DU can't see it.As far as calming down once the Dems have a candidate- that may last until the third party supporters show up.

The DU has been ripped apart. In a microcosmic sense, it's a reflection of our entire country, and we have no "uniter" to rally around. In a few weeks, I may come back. But for now I felt it was best for a self-imposed exile rather than risking being tombstoned , that in itself speaks volumes as to how bad things really are on the DU.

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*Note: Approximately 5 hours after posting this on the DU, the thread was locked by the moderators.